Nicht Ihr Computer? Dann konnen Sie fur die Anmeldung ein Fenster zum privaten Surfen offnen. Weitere Informationen , . This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate After watching the Iowa caucus from afar for years, Alex Fulling of Roxbury took part in the politicking Monday to get a first-hand look at the countrys electoral system. Its buzzing, and I can imagine thats not how things usually are out in Des Moines, Iowa, said Fulling, a Wake Forest University sophomore, during a quick lunch break Monday afternoon. Right now, Im in the Marriott lobby. Upstairs, there are three floors of Marco Rubio offices and its like that in hotel after hotel. Fulling is one of 22 Wake Forest students working at the caucus through a program called Wake the Vote, started by Melissa Harris-Perry, a MSNBC anchor and a Wake Forest professor. Fulling learned about the program through the schools College Democrats, where he is an executive member. He said its been amazing to work with Harris-Perry, who also introduced the students to the MSNBC staff as part of their introduction to political journalism. The students are blogging about their activities and posting about them on social media. Their Twitter account is @wakethevote2016, and they also use the #wakethevote hashtag. The group landed in Iowa late Sunday and began work at 5 a.m. Monday, when the students were assigned to various campaigns. They will be reassigned next weekend when they work the New Hampshire primary, as well as the upcoming caucus in South Carolina and primary in North Carolina. They will also work at the Democratic and Republican national conventions this summer and on get-out-the-vote campaigns to vote in the fall. Fulling spent Monday working the phones and attending events for Jeb Bush. At night, he and the other students planned to attend the caususes and sharing updates online. He said he was enjoying working for a candidate of a different party. Above being a Democrat, I love democracy, he said. I think the bipartisan trend in the country is crumbling. Working for Jeb has been great for me because I love bipartisanship. Fulling has a longtime interest in U.S. politics. It began while he was living in Moscow with his family for a time when he was young and ignited with the politics surrounding the debt crisis in 2010. He was so caught up in the debt issue that he skipped classes at St. Marks School, the boarding school he attended in Massachusetts, to watch developments on the news. He began interning for a senator in New York that summer and has since worked on campaigns. He held a further internship last summer when he learned about policy in Sen. Richard Blumenthals Washington office. The most important thing hes learned while in Iowa is the amount of work that goes into a campaign. Its a huge operation, he said. Its really intriguing to me to watch the cogs and see how a campaign works behind the scene. Fulling was impressed by the energy shown by everyone involved, from volunteers, staffers, interest groups even hecklers. Actually being on the ground in Iowa now is amazing, he said. Ive been excited about this for weeks. kkoerting@newstimes.com; 203-731-3345; @kkoerting No, El Chapo didn't escape again. Social media is buzzing this afternoon about a rumored third jail bust by drug cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. The story is coming from a hoax ABC News site, but even still some are sharing the story of the daring escape. The quote from a woman who works for a group that provides the homeless and those less fortunate with brand new socks was the big tip-off that the story isnt real. The references to the 1993 Harrison Ford flick "The Fugitive" were a nice touch though. The abcnews.com.co URL has helped proliferate plenty of hoax stories before. Remember when President Obama signed an executive order limiting U.S. gun owners to three guns, or when Donald Trump announced Sheriff Joe Arpaio as running mate? Yup, stories both made up by the fake ABC news site. Bill Murray isn't running for president either. Fake ABC tricked folks again. Although, that would be kind of cool. In the real world Guzman was apprehended earlier this month by officials, ending his time as one of the most wanted men on the planet. On the lam since his July 11, 2015 escape from a Mexico prison, Guzman was returned to custody Jan. 8, after Mexican marines seized him in a raid at a home in the coastal city of Los Mochis, in Guzman's home state of Sinaloa. During the shootout, five of Guzman's supporters were killed and six were arrested, according to the Associated Press. Actor Sean Penn interviewed the fugitive last fall for a story that would eventually run in the beginning of January in Rolling Stone magazine. Penn had the first-ever interview with Guzman in early October, but it took a few months for the interview and Penns story to be published. The story didnt last very long at the top of the headlines as musician David Bowie died just a day later. A Mexican law enforcement official told reporters that it was that interview conducted in the remote community of Tamazula in the state of Durango that helped authorities track down Guzman. Penn meanwhile told 60 Minutes that in many ways he regretted his involvement with Guzman, saying that the intent of the interview wasnt for Guzman to be captured, but to shed light on the environment that made a character like Guzman possible to thrive. RELATED: Sean Penn tells '60 Minutes' his 'El Chapo' mission 'failed' Mexican authorities have said they are committed to returning him for prosecution to the United States, which requested extradition in June. That was before his escape from the maximum security prison known as Altiplano in the state of Mexico. We'll let you know if "E l Chapo" escapes the pokey again. For now, he's eating jail food. TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) The highly secretive, daylong law enforcement operation around the Arizona border with Mexico resulted in the arrest of two dozen alleged high-level Mexican drug cartel members, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman. The sting known as Mexican Operation Diablo Express took place all of Friday as numerous law enforcement agencies converged onto Lukeville, Arizona, which sits on the border with Mexico. DID EL CHAPO ESCAPE AGAIN? Hoax news site causes jailbreak panic Homeland Security Investigations, a unit of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, helped Mexican authorities nab 24 alleged members of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico's biggest drug-trafficking organizations, who were operating around Sonoyta, Mexico, and the U.S. border, spokeswoman Gillian M. Christensen said. The DEA, FBI, Customs and Border Protection and Arizona state and local agencies were on hand to assist. "The targeted Sinaloa cell has been responsible for the importation of millions of pounds of illegal drugs, including marijuana, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, into the United States from Mexico during its existence. The organization is also responsible for the smuggling of millions of dollars in U.S. currency, along with weapons, into Mexico," Christensen said in a statement. The operation was conducted "with utmost secrecy" and took all day Friday as numerous law enforcement officers worked in both Lukeville and Sonoyta, bordering cities that are on the route to the Puerto Penasco, the popular beach destination many Americans know as Rocky Point. ICE helped Mexican federal police into the U.S. to keep them safe during the operation, Christensen said. The sting also netted the seizure of several assault-type weapons and hundreds of pounds of drugs. "ICE applauds the Government of Mexico for their bold action in taking down this criminal organization and for their continued pressure on the Sinaloa Cartel throughout Mexico," Christensen said. The arrests are the latest blow to the Sinaloa Cartel after the arrest of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman on Jan. 8, six months after he tunneled out of a top-security Mexican prison for the second time. The Mexican government says it is cooperating with an extradition request for Guzman from the U.S. The 24 people arrested on Friday have not been identified. They are in the custody of Mexican authorities, and the U.S. will seek extradition. SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador Former Salvadoran President Francisco Flores, whose five years in power were tarnished by accusations of corruption and elitism, died Saturday in the capital after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage, his party said. He was 56. The former leader had been in a coma since undergoing emergency surgery. Mr. Flores, who led El Salvador from 1999 to 2004, was under house arrest on charges of embezzlement and illegal enrichment. He was accused of diverting more than $15 million, which had been donated by Taiwan to help the victims of earthquakes in 2001. A court says $10 million of that went to the party backing him and the remainder to him. The conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance, which carried Mr. Flores to the presidency, mourned his death and said it would support his family. Current Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez also offered his condolences through his official Twitter account. Last week, doctors said Mr. Flores had suffered irreversible neurological damage and that his chances of survival were minimal. He had suffered from thrombosis, the clotting of blood in veins. He was hospitalized for it in October 2014. He was hospitalized again on Dec. 22 for an internal hemorrhage. Loyda Robles, one of the plaintiff lawyers against Mr. Flores, said last week that his death would end the criminal prosecution but that the civil litigation would continue. Robles also said that plaintiffs had asked the countrys Supreme Court to add the charge of money laundering to the case. That could expand the criminal prosecution beyond Mr. Flores to include the possible involvement of others. Mr. Flores had a meteoric rise to the presidency, but once there gained a reputation for being arrogant and distant from his people. He became El Salvadors first president to be charged and put on trial for acts of corruption during his time in office. The people will remember him for the terrible dollarization, for the Firm Hand (to combat crime) and as corrupt, said Angelica Rivas, who works with a nonprofit organization promoting womens rights. NAYPYITAW, Burma For a generation and more, they were the persistent, often persecuted opposition. On Monday, Aung San Suu Kyis pro-democracy party took a momentous step toward becoming Burmas government. Led for the first time by the National League for Democracy, parliament began a heady and historic session that will install the countrys first democratically elected government in more than 50 years. The NLD won a landslide victory in Nov. 8 elections, taking about 80 percent of the seats at stake in the two houses of parliament to defeat the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. Many legislators expressed hope that it was the beginning of a new, brighter era after decades of military oppression, civil war and pervasive poverty. This is like a dream for me, said Khin Maung Myint, an NLD lawmaker, before the largely ceremonial two-hour session. I never imagined that our party would be able to form the government. Even the public didnt think we could have an NLD government. But now it is like a shock to us and to the world too. Legislators from the two main parties, smaller ethnic minority parties, and military-appointed representatives filed into the parliament for the lower house session and took a joint oath of office. The session marks a historic turnaround for the NLD, which for years was suppressed by the military. Generals ruled Burma, also known as Myanmar, directly or indirectly after seizing power in 1962, and over the years jailed hundreds of NLD leaders, including Suu Kyi, while crushing overt political activity. The Southeast Asian nation started moving away from dictatorship toward democracy in 2011, when the military rulers agreed to hand over power to a nominally civilian government headed by President Thein Sein, a general-turned-reformist. He will step down in late March or early April when an NLD president takes over. Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from taking the presidency because her late husband and sons are British, and has vowed to rule from behind the scenes through a proxy. She has not announced who her party will nominate for president. We dont know exactly when the presidential election will happen, said Zayar Thaw, an NLD legislator. Following two meetings between Suu Kyi and armed forces commander Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, rumors surfaced that she was pressing for the suspension of the constitutional clause that bars her from office. But the speculation was quashed Monday by the armys Myawaddy Daily newspaper, which wrote that for the goodness of the mother country the constitutional clause should not be changed. Despite its landslide victory, the NLD will have to share power with the military because the Constitution reserves 25 percent of the seats in the two houses of parliament for military appointees. GENEVA Syrian peace talks gained a small measure of momentum Monday with the U.N. special envoy formally declaring the start of indirect negotiations, even as the opposition spokesman accused Russia of producing a new Hitler in Moscow and supporting another Hitler in Damascus. Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. envoy, is now working to keep a wobbly process alive and compel world powers who helped set the stage for the talks to do more to bring about a cease-fire in a five-year Syrian civil war. De Mistura said the mere arrival of a delegation from the main Syrian opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee, at the U.N. offices in Geneva was enough to allow him to declare the talks formally open. He previously met with a government delegation on Friday. We are actually listening with attention to the concerns of the HNC, and we are going to tomorrow discuss and listen to the concerns of the government, de Mistura told reporters after Mondays meeting. But HNC spokesman Salem al-Mislets comments highlighted just how far apart the two sides are and how much bad blood de Mistura will have to overcome. Al-Mislets criticism on Russian President Vladimir Putin is the harshest since Russia began an air campaign in Syria four months ago backing President Bashar Assads troops. Government forces have taken dozens of towns and villages in recent weeks under cover of Russian air strikes. The regime is the one killing the Syrian people, al-Mislet said when asked by a reporter working for a Russian media outlet about the participation of a representative of the militant Army of Islam group that is in the oppositions delegation. The regime in Russia will produce a new Hitler, and we are suffering from another Hitler in Syria. De Mistura said his first goal is simply to keep the talks going, and his overall aim is to help show concrete progress for embattled Syrians. The meeting coincided with a sharp spike in violence in Syria, particularly in the rebel-held besieged town of Moadamiyeh southwest of Damascus where opposition activists reported dozens of helicopter-dropped barrel bombs in the past few days. Here is some stuff in the news today...[Content Note: Islamophobia] At Think Progress, Beenish Ahmed explains " Why It Matters That Obama Is Finally Visiting an American Mosque : Two-thirds of Republican voters polled and nearly half of all American voters said that they would favor a temporary ban on Muslim immigration to the U.S. That level of anti-Muslim sentiment is alarmingly high... Obama's visit to the Islamic Center will will closely follow the Iowa Caucus, and might be a way for Obama to send a strong message about the place of Muslims in America."[CN: Misogynoir; police brutality; death] Rage seethe boil: A black teenage girl from Kentucky "who died at a juvenile detention center this month was restrained by guards who used a martial arts move and then failed to check on her throughout the night, a new report finds. Police initially said that Gynnya McMillen , 16, died in her sleep at Lincoln Village Juvenile Detention Center in Elizabethtown on Jan. 11. But the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting reported on Friday that officers took her down using an 'Aikido restraint' move, didn't check in on her overnight, and waited 11 minutes to give her CPR when they found her unresponsive." And what is supposed to have justified adults using such force on a child? "A state Department of Juvenile Justice spokesman told the Daily News that McMillen refused to take her hooded sweatshirt off when she was booked on a misdemeanor charge of domestic assault on Jan. 10."[CN: ICE raids; trauma; racism] "The recent raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Central American asylum seekers have been deemed 'needlessly aggressive and potentially unconstitutional' by a new report [pdf] from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR). 'Families in Fear: The Atlanta Immigration Raids' focuses on the raids that took place in Georgia, the state hit hardest by the first large-scale effort to deport the more than 100,000 families who have fled violence in Central America since last year. The raids, which began January 2, spanned Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas, resulting in the detainment of 121 people. Despite previous reports that Central American 'families' were targeted, SPLC states that everyone detained during the sweep was a woman or a child." And a refugee seeking safety.[CN: Child abuse; death] Well, I just blubbed my face off watching this extraordinary video of two moms meeting for the first time, after one mom whose son died donated his organs and the other mom's daughter received his heart. "That's your baby," said Esther Gonzalez, Jordan's mom, to Heather Clark, Lukas' mom, as she listened to her son's heart beating in Jordan's chest.YES: "In a landmark decision, the United States Department of Health and Human Services has ruled for the first time that a transgender person is entitled to gender-confirming surgery under Medicare, according to a statement sent toby the case's attorney, Ezra Young. Young represents Charlene Lauderdale, a retired master sergeant in the Air Force, a purple heart recipient, and a trans woman who has waited years to receive the trans-affirming health care from the Veterans Administration through an HMO called United Healthcare/AARP Medicare Complete. The HMO now has the right to bring suit against HHS in federal trial court to contest the decision within 30 days. 'This decision sends a clear message. No transgender person may be denied surgical benefits simply because of outdated ideas regarding transgender health care,' says Young in the statement."[CN: Bullying] What in the everloving fuck is Ted Cruz even doing?! " Ted Cruz's Iowa Mailers Are More Fraudulent Than Everyone Thinks ." Basically, his campaign is just pulling numbers out of their asses about people's voting records, and then using those fake numbers to try to shame them in front of their neighbors to bully them into voting. A new low.In other Republican presidential news: " Bush Doing Whatever It Takes to Stay Relevant ." Stay?OMG this is so cute : Screen Actors Guild Award winner Uzo Aduba: "He asked me to the prom, I said yes. I asked him to SAGs, he said yes." EPIC FRIENDS![CN: Scat] "Baltimore Mayor Gives Support for Eight-Foot Monument to Divine, Featuring Dog Poop: ...Baltimore's mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, is completely down. Thequotes her spokesperson, Howard Libit, saying, 'The mayor thinks that the idea sounds divine and looks forward to seeing more details on the proposal.'" Prepare for many pictures of Deeky and I standing in front of this statue.Wow: "Conservationists have announced the 'amazing discovery' of a previously unknown lion population in a remote north-western region of Ethiopia, confirming local reports with camera trap photographs for the first time. Lions were spotted in the Alatash national park on Ethiopia's border with Sudan, lion conservation group Born Free said. 'The confirmation that lions persist in this area is exciting news,' Born Free Foundation said in a statement. 'With lion numbers in steep decline across most of the African continent, the discovery of previously unconfirmed populations is hugely important.'"[CN: Bat; worms; video autoplays at link] And finally! A video of a bat being rehabilitated in wildlife rescue gets some yummy mealworms. I know not everyone thinks bats are cute, but I think they are soooooo cute!!! BENGALURU: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has given voting rights to India, China and other emerging economics at the multilateral funding agency with the implementation of long pending quota reforms. India is now among the top largest 10 members of the IMF, along with Italy and the UK besides fellow newcomers, Brazil, China and Russia, according to indiatimes.com. The reforms by IMF represent a major step towards better reflecting in the institution's governance structure. This will reinforce its credibility, effectiveness and legitimacy. Besides, more than 6 percent of quota shares would shift to dynamic emerging markets and developing countries. This would also mark the shift in shares from over-represented to under-represented IMF members. The IMF reforms that came into effect on Wednesday was approved by it in 2010, but was unable to implement it in the absence of its approval by the U.S. Congress, which it did last year. As a result of the quota reforms, four emerging market countries like Brazil, China, India and Russia will be among the 10 largest members of the IMF. With the entry into force of the Board Reform Amendment and all other general effectiveness conditions met, members can now pay for their quota increases to make them effective. This process is expected to be substantially completed within one month. The reforms also mark a crucial step forward and it is not the end of change as efforts to strengthen the IMF's governance will continue. Read More: Silicon Valley Technology Strategist Ram Gupta Joins Unilog Board of Directors India Bucks Global Steel Output Trend in 2015; Production Rises 2.6 pct NEW DELHI: Premier Kathleen Wynne of Canada's Ontario arrived on Sunday on a six-day visit leading a 100-member business delegation in a bid boost the province's trade relations with India, the Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) said in a statement here. "Wynne's delegation will visit four cities -- New Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Mumbai -- and will formalize agreements and memorandums of understanding within the research, infrastructure, technology, science, health and education sectors," the statement said. "Wynne will also meet with political and cultural leaders to build new relationships, strengthen existing ones and examine areas for future cooperation," it added. Ahead of her visit, Wynne, in provincial capital Toronto, noted that she "really believes that 2016 can be a huge year for Ontario and India because of what is going on in India and the plan that Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has put in place, the smart cities, the clean tech that is going be needed, and because of our potential here to provide capacity in all of those areas". With 700,000 Ontarians being of Indian descent, ties between the province and India are already strong," former C-IBC president Kam Rathee, who is India-born, told reporters here. "India is an important trade partner for Ontario. In 2014, total goods trade between Ontario and India was valued at almost $2 billion," he said. Bilateral ties, that had become dormant, got a big boost with Prime Minister Modi's visit to Canada last year, he added. In December last year, the first consignment of Canadian uranium was delivered in Mumbai marking the first commercial outcome the Canada-India Nuclear Co-operation Agreement that came into force in September 2013. The India-Canada bilateral trade last year in goods amounted to over $6 billion, while that in services was worth $1.6 billion. The Ontario premier began her India tour with a visit on Sunday to the Golden Temple at Amritsar. A substantial part of the Indian-origin population of the province is Sikh. Read More: Bangladesh Keen For Joint Basin Management With India: Envoy Make In India and Smart Cities Projects to Generate 5lakh Jobs in FY17 NEW DELHI: Khadi can provide employment to crores of people in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his first Mann Ki Baat address of 2016. Khadi has the power to provide employment to crores of people. It has now become a symbol and a centre of interest of the nations youth, Modi said. Sardar Patel said Indias independence is in Khadi, Indias civilization represents Khadi, farmers welfare is in Khadi, he added. In his radio address, Modi also appealed to people to observe two minutes silence on the 30th of January each year to pay tributes to the martyrs of the nation. If the entire nation observes silence every January 30 at 11 a.m., you can imagine the energy that a single moment will generate. It should be made a practice, Modi said. READ ALSO: Make In India and Smart Cities Projects to Generate 5lakh Jobs in FY17 10 Skills You'll Need to Master to Land a Job in 2016 I read with some interest that some Indian Americans have formed a PAC to support Trump.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/us-canada-news/Indian-Americans-form-committee-to-support-Donald-Trump/articleshow/50757507.cms Trump is against all Muslims. Gandhi sacrificed his life defending the rights of Muslims in a Hindu dominated India. I myself have been torn on this issue. Hmm, Trump or Gandhi? Trump has gorgeous red/blond/orange hair. Gandhi is bald. Trump wears a $10,000 suit. Gandhis clothes can best be described as some kind of underwear with a bath towel wrapped around him. Trump lives in a penthouse in a building aptly named after himself. Gandhi lived in an ashram (code word for a bunch of filthy huts that he spent his days scrubbing). Trump hates losers. Gandhi spent all his life with downtrodden losers. Trump is the CEO of a large real estate empire. Gandhi was trying to fight back against another empire. Trump stated a few days ago on Martin Luther Kings day that he thought that MLK was a great man. Turns out that MLK thought that Gandhi was not too shabby. He stated, Gandhi was probably the first person in history to lift the love ethic of Jesus above mere interaction between individuals to a powerful and effective social force on a large scale. Apparently he considered Gandhi to be the greatest Christian of the modern world It is a tough call but I think I will have to come down on Gandhis side. I am a Hindu who went to a Christian boarding school. I have a lot of Muslim friends and had a grandfather who went to jail supporting Gandhis freedom movement. Yes, I am one of those secular Indians. When I migrated to the U.S. around 30 years ago I dived right into adopting American values of tolerance and respect for people of every stripe. The Indian Americans who formed the PAC Indian-Americans for Trump 2016 justify their actions with the following statement. "On realizing that the agenda of Donald J Trump for President 2016 is focused on reviving the American economy, rightly bringing America on the world stage, defeating terrorism and establishing peace through strength; many Indian-Americans believe that he is the best hope for America and the right candidate to be the next president of the United States. So it is about lower taxes, more jobs, strength on the world stage, fighting terrorism, and other admirable goals. I am all for that. We just need to sign on to Trumps campaign of hate against Mexicans and Muslims. Oh yes, I forgot to mention we should join in on laughing at our Sikh brethren. When a Sikh protester was being ejected from one of his rallies, Trump could not help himself and asked, He wasnt wearing one of those hats was he? We all know where this is leading. In Trumpistan, if you are not white you do not belong. Perhaps these Indians believe that by supporting Trump they can escape his wrath and blend in. To be fair to Trump, though he insulted many countries including Mexico, much of Central and South America, parts of Europe, China, and Japan, he had not mentioned India until very recently. His first mention was positive, stating that India is doing great. Nobody talks about it. Now keep in mind that the only other countries and leaders that Trump had positive words for are Putins Russia and North Koreas Kim Jong-Un. So not sure why Indias news media is ecstatic about Trumps endorsement of Indias well-being. As the first vote is cast today in Iowa in the primaries, Indian Americans, other minorities, and all those who respect core American values should keep Gandhi and Martin Luther King in mind on fighting bigotry and racism. BENGALURU: It took eight years for Flipkart to become a big organization, from a mere e-commerce startup. Co-founder Sachin Bansal is now sketching strategies that can let Flipkart continue their growth pace. In a technology conference, the Flipkart Executive Chairman said We are entering an interesting phase where Flipkart is not a small startup anymore. After the steep growth to an established business, Flipkart can no longer compromise on its momentum and success. Hence Flipkart requires hiring potential employees essentially in the management team in order to handle the business at different growth stages, reports Economic Times. Bansal said, "It's a different ballgame scaling a company from 10 to 100 to 1,000. We have made sure we have retained some values across the board but don't get hung up on old ways of doing things." Flipkart rectified its management team recently where Bansal became the chairman and will lead focus on fund rasining strategies. Co-founder Binny Bansal will be responsible for daily operation of Flipkart with designation of Chief Executive. Alterations have been made in position right next to the Bansals with the aim to hold on to the success story. As startups are now heavy funded, its important for investors to pick the right talent. Venture capital funds like Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners and Matrix Venture Partners have respective teams to fetch the right set of people for their company. Experts believe that it depends on the stage of the startup, on what kind of talent acquisition it requires. At the initial stage, startups need more of flexible heads and people eager in experimentation and building remedies to critical problems. Founder of entrepreneurship platform GrowthStory, Ganesh Krishnan, said, "Then you need people who have experience of having done this before." Krishnan recalls that after a series of B-funding raise, the management decision GrowthStory had hired a Chief Operating Officer for their venture, TutorVista. Later, this decision became a disaster for the company. Krishnan added, "Not because he was not good - he was a top performer used to running thousands of people. But the TutorVista model was not proven. Running thousands of people is different from trying to prove the model." Again, Krishnan makes mention that year later hiring of five people from top B-schools with minimal work experience made long term contribution to the company. TutorVista, the online tutorial company is now sold to Pearson Education Services for $213 million in 2013. Krishnan further comments, "If a startup gets people from multinationals too early in its lifecycle there is the danger of a misfit. They are used to certain ways of thinking and are used to some size to grow business further. Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma considers the risk of right recruitment as a persons capability of taking hard decisions in the least time using least resources. Sharma said, "Big companies have the luxury of time and data, which small firms don't." Sharma believes that for leadership roles in startups, people horizontal specializations makes more sense than those with vertical skillsets. Sharma said, "The role of a person will change over time, especially in the early days. CXO-level hiring should always be done slowly and with caution," he said. Relevance is key. "Every two years, the company that I was running is run by someone else in my team." Paytm recently hired for many top openings. The list includes Vikas Purohit from Amazon India, Abhishek Rajan from Myntra, and Varun Khullar from Boston Scientific, a medical device firm. Founder-director of Talent Advisory Services, Gita Dang said that she always finds a gap between companies want and need, in case of senior roles. Dang said, "The second disconnect is what the venture capitalist, who has funded them, thinks they need." Dang added, "No harm thinking about (hiring) a superstar but you must know when to bring him in. Hector Beverages CEO Neeraj Kakkar said "Do I hire for current business capacity or next year or for three years down the line?" solves every entrepreneurs scout for senior executive. Entrepreneurs prefer to inculcate apt culture in case of senior positions. In 2012, InMobi shot from 200 to 1000 employee strength but was still in trouble, recalls founder Naveen Tewari. InMobi in the same year faced deceleration and no new products were launched. Loopholes were discovered in the vast hiring that happened in the company at the same time. To modify the situation Tiwari started a simple ule in InMobi, He quotes, Lets do and treat people as I would treat myself. This meant, I trust myself, I will trust everybody. I hate being questioned, let's not question anyone else. And I'd hate it if my board sat down and did a performance review. Let's not do it to our people." The formula worked and in the next year, InMobi launched SmartAds, followed by native ads in 2014 and Miip, a mobile commerce discovery platform in 2015. READ ALSO: 10 Steps to Starting up a New Start-up While Keeping your Full Time Job Prospective Arenas for Startups in 2016 WASHINGTON: 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. Also Read: Indian American Man Invents Geothermal Snowmelt System Trump Steals the Show by Skipping Republican Debate Source: IANS STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Melissa Scarpitta of Prince's Bay fell in love with a gentle giant last year and named the rescued dog Bella Rose. "We rescued her from Animal Care and Control in March 2015," explained Scarpitta about the family's Canary mastiff, now 3 1/2 years old and tipping the scales at over 120 pounds. "She was the only dog (in the shelter) that was turned around in the cage and not looking for any attention," Scarpitta said. "She looked so incredibly sad, which made me pay attention to her. After spending less than three minutes with her outside the cage, I fell in love with her." The Canary mastiff breed originated in Spain's Canary Islands in the 1700s, and the dogs were used to guard property and livestock. "Despite her appearance and size, she is incredibly gentle with my children -- very protective and loving," said Scarpitta about Bella Rose. "I have learned that Canary mastiffs are incredibly intelligent and, given her gender, she is also very maternal with the children. The most loving -- and sometimes clumsy -- dog we've ever had." ELVIS THE KING Julie Semente of Annadale loves Elvis the King. That's Elvis her Cavalier King Charles spaniel, not Presley. She explained how the dog came into her life: "Five years ago, my daughter, Julie Linton, had a friend who was entering the military and needed to find a home for his new dog. Julie, who was about to move to Las Vegas for a teaching job, adopted the pup and named him Elvis. "Two summers later, when Julie transferred to Nashville, I kept Elvis until she got settled," said Semente. But her daughter rented an apartment that didn't allow pets. "Elvis was a Christmas gift from my daughter that year and he's been by my side -- or in my lap -- ever since!" 'ADDICTIVE' BOSTON TERRIERS After extensive research looking for the perfect dog, West Brighton resident Lorraine Scanni and her family traveled to a breeder in New Jersey to bring home Daisy, a Boston terrier now 3 years old and a trim 20 pounds. Daisy, the Boston terrier from West Brighton. (Courtesy of Lorraine Scanni) "As with all Boston terriers, Daisy is easy maintenance, extremely intelligent, always playful when awake but loves to sleep and cuddle for hours," Scanni told us. "She's a gentle soul who loves all people, and easy to carry and take everywhere." The family has only one regret: "That when we came home with Daisy in 2012, we didn't come home with all of her brothers and sisters -- these dogs are addictive." RARE BREED? "I have not seen a bluetick coonhound here on the Island except mine," said Gina Harason of Great Kills. "Maggie Mae is a great, energetic, beautiful girl, weighing in at 97 pounds of love. "Everyone (in the neighborhood) knows her by her infamous bark, sounding like a seal!" Check out the gallery for photos of these and other dogs. And if you have one you'd like to brag about, email this reporter: sherry@siadvance.com. Thanks! STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Spread love, it's the Staten Island way. That was the goal behind a gallery show Sunday night at Deep Tanks Studios in Tompkinsville, where visual and music artists showcased works exploring themes of censorship and free expression, while asking one simple question: Can love go viral? "There's a lot of sickness that's gone viral, but to me, we can also live in a world where love goes viral," said Nati Conrazon, the show's curator. Conrazon, who has described herself as a "bicoastal cultural advocate and social entrepreneur," brought many of the borough's artists together with creatives from around the city, the country and the world for Sunday's "VIRAL" show. Besides featuring "local and global" talent, the event also reflected on the death of Eric Garner, who died in police custody July 17, 2014, after he was arrested on Bay Street, a short walk from the studio where Sunday's gallery show was held. Ramsey Orta, whose video footage of Garner's death went viral and sparked outrage across the country over allegations of police brutality, attended Sunday's art show. He said he wants to spread awareness of the Oakland-based nonprofit group, WeCopWatch, to inform people of their rights when they're arrested. Orta is facing several pending Staten Island court cases, including a gun possession case from Aug. 2, and a February indictment alleging he sold drugs to an undercover officer. He has called the charges against him a "frame-up" by police, saying cops have targeted him for releasing the Garner video. "I don't regret filming the video -- the only thing I regret is not having legal representation at the time," Orta said. Garner's former partner, Jewel Miller, also attended Sunday's show with their two-year-old daughter, Legacy. Proceeds from the "VIRAL" show will go toward Orta's YouCaring Crowdfund Campaign, Conrazon said. WeCopWatch also held a workshop at the event on witness rights. Conrazon's goal with "VIRAL," she said, is to spread a positive message, while still asking the hard questions about police interactions with the community. "How can we create a space for healing in our community and ask the hard questions and still feel good together," Conrazon asked. "I really just want tonight to be a reflection on where people are at," she said. Sunday's show featured work from borough favorites Lina Montoya, Magie Serpica, Kristopher Johnson and Femme Fox, as well as international and national talents like Chilean artist Cekis, Oaklanders Trust Your Struggle and Texans Cosmica. Check out the full lineup here. It also showcased performances from poets Eric Alter and Thomas Fucaloro and musicians Nani Castle, Nenjah Nycist and DJ Dizzle. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- This week is national Catholic Schools Week. Over the next few days our Staten Island Catholic schools will be celebrating their school pride with special masses, events and fun activities, and some schools will be hosting an open house as well. Principals and teachers, tell us how your school is celebrating this week. Send us your photos, and use our new "Around Our Schools" blog to submit information about your school. Follow the directions under the button that states "Write your post now." Guidelines The headline should include the name of the school and the basic news about the event. Type the report of your school news in the "Body" field. Your post must include: The name and neighborhood of the school. The information submitted must be newsworthy, and should contain basic facts about the event, including a description of what the event is; where it took place; when it took place, and the reason why the event was planned, as well as who was involved. Entries with photos will be given first consideration. Our format does not currently allow for photos to be directly uploaded into the entry, however, schools can submit photos in the comment section once a post has been published. Photos can also be emailed to education reporter Diane Lore at lore@siadvance.com. Photos should be e-mailed in an attachment, and each photo must contain a caption that includes a description of the photo and full names and titles, left to right, of individuals pictured in the photo. Photos without identification may not be published. Setting up your group's SILive.com user account You can set up an SILive.com account by clicking the sign-in icon atop any page on our site. When you successfully register your account (which involves email confirmation), you'll be able to post contact information about your schools, not just for this week, but at any time during the school year. Photos of the Week: January 31 to Ferbruary 6 Mayor Bill de Blasio shows that it is hands-off during the 2015 Groundhog Day celebration at the Staten Island Zoo. (Staten Island Advance/Bill Lyons) CITY HALL -- The Staten Island Zoo found Mayor Bill de Blasio's Groundhog Day replacement in the Cuomo administration. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will be the officiating dignitary at the Groundhog Day ceremony on Tuesday, the Zoo and an official with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration said on Monday. The honor is automatically bestowed on the mayor. But de Blasio decided to skip the event this year to campaign for fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton in Iowa. Though the mayor will return to the city Tuesday morning, he will still not attend Groundhog Day at the Zoo. The ceremony's officiating dignitary has traditionally held Staten Island Chuck to listen for the prediction before relaying the news to the crowd with a comically large scroll. De Blasio dropped Staten Island Chuck on his first Groundhog Day as mayor. Charlotte, a 10-month-old groundhog, died a week later of "acute internal injuries." The officiating dignitary now announces Chuck's prediction hands-free. The groundhog was kept in a plexiglass enclosure for most of the 2015 ceremony before being lifted up through a small elevator. The Zoo said the changes made to the ceremony last year weren't specific to de Blasio and would be in place no matter who replaced him. Hochul is the highest-ranking elected official attending the ceremony. This will be her first time at the Zoo for Groundhog Day. A former upstate congresswoman from Buffalo, Hochul made her last public appearance on Staten Island in November. Hochul's participation at the ceremony was first reported Friday by POLITICO New York. City Comptroller Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Letitia James are also both expected to attend. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg skipped the Groundhog Day ceremony five times during his 12 years in office. Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Sen. Charles Schumer -- playfully called the other "Staten Island Chuck" -- took Bloomberg's place over the years. Deputy Borough President Ed Burke will be master of ceremonies this Groundhog Day. Gates at the Staten Island Zoo open at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and Chuck's prediction is at 7:30 a.m. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- St. Peter's Boys High School dedicated its refurbished chapel Monday in memory of Monsignor Joseph C. Ansaldi. The beloved priest, educator, administrator and retired principal, died in November. "Besides being a close friend, mentor and confidant to me for over 40 years, monsignor had served as St. Peter's Boys High School chaplain since retiring from St. Joseph by the Sea," explained John Fodera, principal of St. Peter's. Fodera said Monsignor Ansaldi would say Mass and hear confession every Monday in the chapel, which had once been the chemistry lab. "Monsignor somehow had as one of his dreams to modernize and refurbish our chapel in the months before he passed away. He personally paid for this entire project and was thrilled to see the progress, which sadly was just short of completion before he died. The work is now complete and we feel honored to dedicate the chapel to his memory," he said. The new chapel is painted in school colors of royal blue and gold. New stained-glass windows sit behind the simple wood-topped altar that's dominated by a wood crucifix, all designed by Robert (Bob) Sprague, a long-time friend of Monsignor Ansaldi, who volunteered his time over the summer to work on the project. Close friends and faculty gathered in the new chapel -- which seats about 100 -- for a dedication Mass, celebrated by Bishop John O'Hara, dean of Staten Island Catholics. He was joined at the altar by Monsignor Thomas Bergin, retired pastor of St.Charles R.C. Church, Oakwood, where Monsignor Ansaldi resided and celebrated Sunday Mass; Monsignor Anthony Marchitelli, a former student of monsignor and former teacher at St. Joseph by-the-Sea, and the Rev. Michael Cichon, current pastor of St. Charles. Monsignor Ansaldi wanted the chapel to be his gift for the 100th anniversary of the school, said Bishop O'Hara in his homily. "And if you knew him, you know that once he set his mind on something, it was going to happen, and you'd better get out of his way," he said. Bishop O'Hara recalled his friend as a "priest's priest, masterful teacher, counselor and administrator" who made "Jesus Christ the center of his life." He said it was fitting that the chapel dedication occurred on the first day of Catholic Schools Week. "God called him to a greater ministry, that of Catholic education and to serve Catholic students of Staten Island." After he retired from his 30 years at St. Joseph by the Sea, Monsignor Ansaldi also served as chaplain to students at Monsignor Farrell High School, Oakwood, and St. Joseph Hill Academy, Arrochar, in addition to St. Peter's. As St. Peter's students now and in the future, gather there for Mass and Confession, Bishop O'Hara said, they should remember Monsignor Ansaldi not as the priest who restored their school chapel, but for "the thousands of young people he influenced, and made a difference in their lives." 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 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 Or why I wish pundits would refrain from the label 'scandal' and instead use 'alleged crime'. In 2013 a Romanian cracker named 'Guccifer' cracked Sidney Blumenthal's AOL email account[1]. He released four memos Blumenthal had written for Secretary of State Clinton regarding Libya. Guccifer sent the memos to a large audience including government officials and journalists. Guccifer made a pattern of this type of crack and it lead to his arrest. Guccifer, now known to be Marcel Lazar Lehel, is serving a seven year sentence in Romania. What interests us all now, is that Guccifer sent his mails to Clinton at a non-governmental address, hrc22@clintonemail.com. Prior to this it had not been publicly known that Clinton used a private email address. In parallel, the State Department had been going over the Benghazi Commission's subpoena for Clinton's emails. They didn't find any that went to or came from a government address. In August of 2014 [2] they began negotiating with Clinton's lawyers to obtain the emails from her private accounts. Clinton complied by sending a sifted set of documents to State. She claimed that she had deleted everything else, deeming it personal. This caused all sorts of consternation with the Benghazi Committee[3]. They rightfully assumed that since Clinton's emails were not on government servers, that they wouldn't be getting the full story of what happened then and in the weeks afterward. The State department started to release Clinton's emails in accordance with a court order laid down in May. That's the preamble. At this point Clinton is guilty of horrible judgement and plotting to circumvent the Federal Records Act. She's a 'political' and because she complied with the State Department's demand for the emails it would appear she's been absolved of these normally career-ending moves. When we get into August of 2015 we begin to learn that three agencies, the DIA, NSA and the NGA are pissed at the State Department.[4]. It would seem that in the May, 2015 email dump, State released an email from Huma Abedin to Clinton that contained information that all three agencies considered classified. In addition, between 7Aug15 and the report on 11Aug15 the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, at the request of Congress, examined two emails and determined them to be the among the highest levels of known US Government classification, TOP SECRET//SI/TK//NOFORN. (Top secret // Sensitive Information / TALENT KEYHOLE [satellite] // Don't Distribute to Foreign Nationals). This prompted the FBI to seize the computer that was acting as Clinton's server.[5] This is a serious infraction under US law. Just knowingly having that information outside of government networks is against the law. At this point, Clinton as well as Huma Abedin have serious legal problems.[6] In January 2016, an article[7] by John R. Schindler caused many a head to start looking at Clinton's email problem in a larger light. Given his experience in such documents Schindler posited that the intelligence that Blumenthal forwarded to Clinton was actually NSA generated material. In a note of discord against their previous boss, the State Department announced that 22 emails that should have been in the court ordered email dump were not going to be released because they were "top secret". The article fails to mention if the emails were of the TOP SECRET classification.[8] Update: On February 1 it was revealed that the Withheld Clinton emails contain 'operational' intel, put lives at risk. John R. Schindler continues to be the 'go to' resource to fill-in some of the blanks in the Fox report. [15] These are now very serious allegations and I hope the USG and her allies are/were able to extricate their members of the intelligence community. That's a quick summary of what is in the public domain regarding Clinton's email problems. Clinton is banking heavily on 'political impunity' and the the word 'knowingly' in 18 U.S. Code 1924. In light of a released email in which Clinton instructs Jake Sullivan to turn the information into 'nonpaper with no identifying heading and send nonsecure', I'd say her defense is thin.[9] We can rule out 'accidental' as well because outside of the Internet, there are three other physically separated networks (not including segments where tunnelling is in use) all at play; NIPRNet (which does provide gateway access to the Internet), SIPRNet and JWICS. NIPRNet (Non-classified IP Router Network) is where the aides would have emailed from. SIPRNet (Secret IP Router Network) is a parallel but separated physical network for SECRET level classifications. JWICS (Joint Worldwide Intelligence Comunications System) is yet another physically separated network for the TOP SECRET classification. In order for the TOP SECRET information in Clinton's server to have gotten there it would have had to be physically copied from JWICS to NIPRNet and then emailed out. This is a well-written if simplified article that describes these networks and what a person would need to do to move information from one to the others. For more information on those networks you can check out Federation of American Scientists, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instructions (CJCSI). Links in the footnotes. 1. Guccifer discovers clintonemail.com 2. Clinton sends self-selected email to State Department 3. Benghazi committee timeline 4. Huma's email causes a huff. 5. TOP SECRET//SI/TK//NOFORN 6. 18 U.S. Code 1924 - Unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material 7. Back to Sid 8. Oh, State can't release some either. 9. Strip the headings, send nonsecure 10. FAS on NIPRNet 11. FAS on SIPRNet 12. FAS on JWICS 13. DISA Data Services portfolio 14. CJCSI 6211.02D, Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) Responsibilities 15. Lives are at stake. Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. 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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(0x5612f09c8ca8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f06be338)', '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(0x5612f09c8ca8)') 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(0x5612f06be338)') 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(0x5612f06ca470)') 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(0x5612f06be338)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f06be338)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0061538)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f09293a0)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f09293a0)') 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(0x5612f026e710)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f01a9a98)', '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(0x5612f026e710)') 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(0x5612f01a9a98)') 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(0x5612f00f0788)') 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(0x5612f01a9a98)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f01a9a98)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee5134c8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f024faf8)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f024faf8)') 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(0x5612eed4d760)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f02410f8)', '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(0x5612eed4d760)') 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(0x5612f02410f8)') 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(0x5612efe23f20)') 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(0x5612f02410f8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f02410f8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee516118)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f07cae00)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f07cae00)') 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(0x5612f029c398)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f02b4728)', '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(0x5612f029c398)') 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(0x5612f02b4728)') 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(0x5612f02d5100)') 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(0x5612f02b4728)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f02b4728)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612ee5134c8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f02ba728)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f02ba728)') 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(0x5612f0171870)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612eed692a0)', '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(0x5612f0171870)') 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(0x5612eed692a0)') 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(0x5612f02651f0)') 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(0x5612eed692a0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612eed692a0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612efc125e8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612eed5bbc0)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612eed5bbc0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 It is every airline's worst nightmare: an undetected crack developing on an aircraft that leads to an extreme event in flight, such as the explosive decompression of Aloha Airlines flight 243 that swept a flight attendant outside the Boeing 737 to her death in 1988. US carrier Delta Air Lines, which has an average fleet age of 17 years more than double that of Qantas has become the first airline to use technology developed by Australian-listed Structural Monitoring Systems (SMS) in Perth to monitor aircraft structural fatigue with an array of sensors. Delta Air Lines is using Structural Monitoring Systems' sensors to detect fatigue on some of its aircraft. SMS shares have risen 40 per cent to $1.47 since it received approval in late December from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing for its technology after a test program with some of Delta's 737s. Overall, SMS shares have risen 287 per cent over the past 12 months, compared with a 10.1 per cent fall in the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index over the same period. The meetings, which purportedly coincide with 43 public meetings worldwide, were organised by Mr Valizadeh, the founder of the Return of Kings website. Plans for the Australia-based meetings has inspired outrage and mocking online. An online petition to stop Valizadeh's supporters meeting in Australia had attracted ovr 10,000 signatures by 10pm on Monday. The former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick tweeted: "The views espoused by Return of Kings are deeply offensive and have no place in Australia." "They want us to know they hate us," wrote author and commentator Melinda Tankard Reist. Greens Senator Larissa Waters tweeted "Any meetings will tank". Social media lit up at the news, with men and women expressing outrage. While dozens of tweets responded to the news with mocking humour. Men joined the barrage of critics, distancing themselves from the self-styled men's advocacy group. Mr Valizadeh has been retweeting reactions to the meeting on his Twitter page, including tweets from women who say they fear for their safety in areas where the group plans to meet. The Sydney meeting points for the event will be held in three locations - the Hyde Park Fountain, park benches outside the Coogee Pavilion complex and the shopping strip at Brighton-Le-Sands. A representative of City of Sydney Council said the council "are making sure the police know about the meeting". Solicitor Stephen Blanks, the President of the NSW Council of Civil Liberties, said there may be grounds for police to disrupt the meeting. "If the organisers of the assembly don't give one week's notice to the police then the police may enforce the law about unlawful assembly and obstruction against the people who participate," Mr Blanks said. "Defending the right of free speech involves providing opportunities to people to express opinions which society appals and rejects. The right to free speech does not include the right to advocate violence in any way that may encourage actual violence against women or anyone else. "If this group is stepping over that boundary, they have no right to assembly." Police said they were aware of a number of meetings of Return of Kings supporters occurring on Saturday night across Sydney and would monitor these areas to ensure there were no breaches of the peace. Mr Valizadeh has said that women, transgender men and homosexual men are not to attend, even though the meetings will begin in public spaces. In a post on Return of Kings, Mr Valizadeh advised supporters to film and photograph protesters and send the footage to his personal email so he could, "tear them up". It is the first time Mr Valizadeh has attempted to organise "off line" meetings between his supporters. "Our views are becoming known enough that we can 'come out' of the shadows and not have to hide behind a computer screen for fear of retaliation," said Mr Valizadeh in a post on the website. "Let the sixth of February be a clear signal to all that we're not going anywhere. We have finally arrived." According to the website's About page, the Return of Kings tenets are, "A woman's value significantly depends on her fertility and beauty. A man's value significantly depends on his resources, intellect, and character." "Elimination of traditional sex roles and the promotion of unlimited mating choice in women unleashes their promiscuity and other negative behaviors that block family formation," it says. The fast-spreading Zika virus is likely being under-diagnosed in South-East Asia, infectious disease experts have warned in several reports, including that of an Australian who was infected after a monkey bite in Bali. The virus, which is being investigated for links to potentially fatal defects in unborn babies in South America, is believed to have been transmitted primarily by mosquitos, with only rare reports of exceptions. But the authors of a report into the case of a 27-year-old Australian man last year have proposed that a monkey bite he received at the Ubud Monkey Forest could have been to blame. The man was diagnosed with acute Zika virus after arriving at the Royal Darwin Hospital with fever and a rash seven days after the bite, the report states. He'd also been bitten by mosquitos while holidaying in Bali. Yet those closest to him say it has taken months, years to build some trust with the dog and they don't want to see him spooked away. They still want people to keep their distance. Social media users have taken to the Franklin debate with gusto. Credit:Facebook Since The Canberra Times published a story about Franklin earlier this month, interest in him has spiked. His Facebook page attracted close to an additional 900 new likes, taking the total to almost 4300. UK tabloids The Mirror and The Daily Mail both did follow-up articles on him. Debate raged about what to do with Franklin, if anything. An online poll by The Canberra Times in which 2834 votes were cast found most respondents 49 per cent thought nothing should be done and he should be left alone. Just 10 per cent thought Domestic Animal Services should catch him. Mark Scarborough, who administers Franklin's Facebook page, was blown away by the response. "The reaction has been amazing and exhausting. It's been overwhelming as you try to go through all the comments and respond to messages," he said. He reiterated that the Facebook page was to inform people about Franklin and to ask them not to approach him or treat him as the latest selfie target. "But I do worry about what we have created here," he said. Ms Howell wanted The Canberra Times to come out and see that Franklin was being cared for by the community; that nobody owned him; yet everybody did after he escaped from his original owners in Downer about three years ago. She was horrified to think he might be picked up by Domestic Animal Services; saying he wasn't hurting anyone and should be left alone. "He has a much better life than a lot of dogs which are kept in backyards all day long while their owner goes to work," she said. "For someone to come and try and cage him now and take him away he'll disappear. You won't see him again, which is wrong. "I really hope people just let him be because we don't know for how much longer he will live for and I'd just like him to have a happy life." Another Bonner resident, Andy Peluko, first befriended Franklin almost three years ago when he started feeding him. He and Ms Howell now work together to feed the dog. It's obvious Franklin trusts them both. "As far as I know when this place was being built three or four years ago, this was his space and he was getting scraps from builders, hamburgers and chips, just rubbish," Mr Peluko said. "Now, you just need someone, or a group of people who know each other, to coordinate the feeding patterns. When Barbara was away, I was feeding him in the morning and another lady around the corner was feeding him at night. "And a lot of people have knocked on the door and given money, more so food. Two ladies came around dropping off tinned food and dried food and bones." Mr Peluko said he had seen Franklin dart across busy roads such as Horsepark Drive but believed the dog did have some road sense. "I have seen him at the United petrol station, one morning we were going to work and he was at the traffic lights, and he was actually waiting for the lights to turn green. I thought that was amazing and he just took off across the road," he said. Still, comments from social media suggest not everyone wants Franklin to be treated as a special case. They wonder why they have to pay a fine to retrieve their roaming dog from the pound, but Franklin is left alone. They wonder if he is vaccinated and wormed. They say he has startled some adults and children. The original resident who raised concerns about Franklin, including the possibility he would be run over, said she still held those concerns but also understood the special qualities about him. She also wanted the best for Franklin. "I think the bond he has with Barbara is just beautiful," she said. "And it is wonderful he is creating such a sense of community among the people of Gungahlin. However, it does seem a bit hypocritical to have a dog being allowed to roam just because he is beautiful and fluffy. If he was a pitbull, for example, or a random cross-breed dog, with exactly the same personality as Franklin, I do wonder if he would have been left to roam." Mr Peluko and Mr Scarborough understand the debate and just want what's best for the dog. They worry about what should happen next. "It does seem to me, the majority of people are saying, 'If he's not hurting anyone, let him be'," Mr Peluko said. They suggest a plan of action will be put in place, if and when it is required And if that means sending Franklin to a Maremma Sheepdog rescue organisation in Victoria, that option needs to be thoroughly thought out. "My concern is if DAS picks him up, he won't be fit to be re-homed. I don't even know if the previous owners want him back," Mr Scarborough said. "He can't go into a suburban backyard, so I think the most reasonable solution is to send him to the maremma rescue group. But how do we facilitate that? How do we catch him in a way that doesn't cause him stress and anxiety? What provisions have they got in place to ensure he won't run away from there and cause him more stress and anxiety because he is away from the people he has now formed a bond with? "It's just about working out what are those next steps." Franklin's Facebook page now features a video from the National Geographic Channel in which owners describe the Maremma Sheepdog as an intelligent and sensitive dog, bred in Italy originally to protect sheep and other farm animals. Loading The falling nickel price is heaping pressure on BHP Billiton's Nickel West business, which will increase imports of concentrate to sustain its operations after a string of local mine closures. Last week, Kambalda nickel miner Mincor Resources confirmed it would stop mining at its Mariner and Miitel mines "for a period of suspension until the nickel price recovers". Analysts believe BHP Billiton would likely have closed the long-struggling nickel operation if it wasn't for the liabilities that a closure would trigger. Credit:Reuters The suspensions, flagged by Mincor since mid-last year, came after Panoramic Resources' Lanfranchi mine in the region was put on care and maintenance in September. Both miners supplied Nickel West's Kambalda concentrator with ore, each delivering more than 10,000 tonnes to BHP last financial year. The state government is moving to offload more than a dozen development sites in Footscray under a program of surplus land sales initiated by the previous Liberal government. The 14 sites being prepared for sale cover 2.2 hectares of prime land in the inner west, which, if sold, could boost cash-strapped state coffers by $51 million on current property prices. The Victorian government plans to sell 14 development sites in Footscray. The landholdings up for grabs are primarily concentrated in a designated high-rise development zone known as the Joseph Road precinct or clustered along one the suburb's main arteries, Buckley Street. They have been earmarked by Treasury under a program of surplus public land sales introduced by the former Napthine government, which controversially included many former school sites. Most family-owned retailers would try to avoid attracting attention from global e-commerce giant Amazon. Not Booktopia chief executive Tony Nash. Mr Nash has risked raising the ire of the world's largest online retailer by stealing the thunder from a looming announcement by Amazon of its official entry into the $1.8 billion Australian book market through its British-based subsidiary The Book Depository. Booktopia chief executive Tony Nash has gazumped Amazon's announcement. Credit:Louise Kennerley The Book Depository entered a third-party distribution agreement in November with Australian logistics company DAI Post and is preparing to announce a push into the Australian market. Mr Nash, who acquired Australia's second-largest online book retailer Bookworld in 2015, detailed the Amazon deal to Fairfax Media before its official announcement. Fears the global economy may slide into a recession have abated slightly, after global business surveys for January suggested economic activity is stable, despite a hiccup in China. China's economy posted mixed signals on Monday afternoon; an official reading of the manufacturing industry edged down while a private one showed some strengthening. However, across the world, manufacturing seems to have expanded at a solid pace. Some economists suggest demand for manufacturing in China will remain soft and momentum will continue to slow. JPMorgan's Global Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), produced with Markit, was essentially unchanged in January, at 50.9 compared to 50.7 in December. A PMI of more than 50 represents expansion of the manufacturing sector, compared to the previous month. A reading under 50 represents a contraction.Headlines have focused on the fall in China's official manufacturing statistics from 49.7 in December to 49.4 in January the sixth consecutive month of contraction. However, as Capital Economics points out, the unofficial Caixin PMI has been a better guide to economic activity in recent years. Congratulations to the many thousands of young Australians who are about to begin university. Many of the best years of my life (and what fun!) although thankfully I emerged without a huge debt to be going on with. But then again, it will be a long time before anyone starting out as a journalist today ever earns enough from wages in the media to be forced to pay it back. That's the thing about the future everyone has a different vision of how things will turn out. Our education system's shaped by the interaction of three stakeholders: students, universities, and government. The difficulty is that all the spending is happening today in the hope of some kind of pay-off somewhere in the future. It's education on lay-by and, just like most borrowing arrangements, sometimes it works out and other times it doesn't. The key is knowledge, which is, hey; exactly what education is all about. Universities are quite happy to publish the top ATAR cut-offs., but are somewhat reluctant to have publicly disseminated the figures at the bottom. Credit:Louise Kennerley Except when it comes to the sector itself. Universities are quite happy to publish the top ATAR cut-offs. What they're somewhat more reluctant to have publicly disseminated are the figures at the bottom. That's because of the quite intelligent assumption that if everyone knew exactly how low the requirement to enter some of their courses actually is, it would trash the product, both in the eyes of other students (who've managed to get good marks) and for potential employers. After all, it doesn't say much for your exclusivity as an institution of higher learning when you boldly shout, "anyone who applies is accepted!" Naturally this wouldn't matter if universities did believe they actually do transform students. Perhaps some do, but the emphasis is all too often placed on the quality of the entrants rather than the exceptional brilliance of the transfiguring experience occurring within the hallowed halls. Maybe the reality is a bit too much like Harry Potter's sorting hat. It chooses, arbitrarily, the houses in which new pupils will end up because it "knows" where they fit best. And this is the unfortunate thing about our tertiary system, too. It seems as if the power is vested with students because they're the ones who choose where they'll go and, in our demand based system, this gives them the whip hand. The reality is otherwise. The free market thrives on knowledge. Unfortunately that's exactly what the system isn't offering the kids who are attempting to make informed decisions about their future path in life. Angela Merkel threw open Germanys doors to refugees half a year ago in a moment of national exuberance. Germans went to the railway stations to welcome exhausted Syrians with flowers. If Europe fails on the question of refugees, said the chancellor, then it wont be the Europe we wished for. The polls showed public opinion on her side. More than a million refugees entered Germany last year. Illustration: John Shakespeare Merkel, who was born into repressive East Germany and understands the plight of people fleeing tyranny, was confident. There was some public anxiety, anger. Assaults of refugees flared. The number of arson and other attacks on asylum seeker accommodation soared to 1,005 last year, a fivefold increase on the year before. Merkel appealed for a solution across all of the European Union governments but held firm: Germany is a strong country, she said. We can handle this. In her latest video work, Sydney artist Cigdem Aydemir moves amid the whooshing air of a hair dryer. It's like one of those shampoo commercials, she says, except that instead of billowing hair, her gorgeous purple headscarf flutters about. Aydemir grew up wearing a veil from the age of 10 until she was 20. In this playful exploration of that experience and all the political and social consequences it entails she uses a soundtrack of wind-like noises, and reverses and slows down the footage so that her veil follows the movements of her black-clad body. A still from the video 'Whirl' by Cigdem Aydemir. Credit:Meg White An entrant in the 64th Blake Prize, Aydemir's untitled work is one among about 80 finalists. The prestigious competition asks artists to explore ideas to do with the spiritual, religion, hope, humanity and social justice. Aydemir's approach was to look at her heritage in the context of ideologies attached to the veil and to shampoo advertising. "Those commercials use the language of liberation the freedom to 'shine', the freedom to 'bounce'," she says. "And the visual aesthetics of those commercials is using the idea of flags and how they wave in the wind." Curtis, whose set designs include the award-winning The Secret River and Cut the Sky, says funding cuts will reverberate in years to come as companies rehash past ideas rather than take creative risks. Production designer Stephen Curtis on the set of The Secret River at the Roslyn Packer Theatre. Credit:Dallas Kilponen Stephen Curtis says the creative process is increasingly rushed, with fewer staff and less time to rehearse, make sets and costumes and try out ideas. Australian theatre will become less adventurous and young theatremakers will be denied career opportunities as budget cuts force arts companies to play it safe, according to a leading set designer. "We're being really nailed down to make decisions much, much quicker and earlier," he says. "So the possibility of creative exploration and discovery is becoming harder and harder to build into a project." That might sound like an indulgence to some, but Curtis says this process of trial-and-error enhances stage productions. "That creative play and exploration is a really fundamental part of the theatre-making process," he says. "It's not a factory where we're pumping out a known product." The 2015 federal budget saw arts funding body the Australia Council suffer a $105 million cut over four years, but new Arts Minister Mitch Fifield gave back $32 million of that in November. Curtis says the set and costume design of Neil Armfield-directed The Secret River, which is being restaged in February by the Sydney Theatre Company, was developed through a lengthy process of experimentation. And so another season of My Kitchen Rules begins, and the air is thick with the scent of hope and burnt fish. For some, dreams will be crushed. For others, dreams will die in a slower, more insidious way. But the main thing is, almost everybody will end up unhappy. And it all starts here, with the first "instant restaurant" the traditional way for amateur cooks to expose each other's character flaws by serving them poorly prepared meals. The teams meet in kitchen headquarters. "You've come from all corners of the country," says Manu, "to prove one thing". It turns out the "one thing" is that they are the best amateur cooks in the country, which seems like a really unfair challenge. Couldn't they try to prove something easier, like that they know how to turn on an oven, or that they find it difficult to make friends? My Kitchen Rules team Monique and Sarah are New South Wales police officers and keen cooks from Mount Druitt. Credit:Network Seven The first instant restaurateurs are Monique and Sarah, who are police officers and are therefore given Axel F as their theme song, because how else would we capture the spirit of law enforcement? Monique has four children, and Sarah has a dog that she calls her "baby", so we're really getting off to a quick start in identifying which one is the annoying one. Monique and Sarah go shopping, making it clear that if they forget even one item on their shopping list, the universe as we know it will fold in on itself, crushing us all. Pete and Manu peruse the menu. Pete hopes they'll make their own pastry, which is weird, because you'd think he'd prefer something good. Anyway, he should be angry that they're using pastry at all. Pastry isn't paleo: why isn't he screaming that they're trying to kill him? 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 indicated 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. An artist's impression of the huge Australian flightless bird called Genyornis. 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 two metres tall and perhaps 200 kilograms, 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. A poll of three Nationals heartland seats shows fewer than one third of voters support Malcolm Turnbull's plan to hold a costly public vote on the fate of same-sex marriage. In results that suggest rural and regional voters want the Coalition government to ditch its plebiscite plan, only 28 per cent of those polled in New England, Capricornia and Gippsland support a national vote on same-sex marriage. Rodney Croome, spokesperson for LGBTI lobby group Just Equal, says the proposed same-sex marriage exemptions are "absurd". Credit:Graham Tidy When voters were split by party, respondents who identified as Nationals voters had the weakest level of support, with only 23.8 per cent backing the plebiscite, compared to 32 per cent for Labor and 34 per cent for the Greens. New England in NSW is held by deputy Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, Capricornia is in northern Queensland and held by Michelle Landry, and Gippsland is in eastern Victoria and held by Darren Chester. Both Mr Joyce and Ms Landry have said they oppose same-sex marriage, while Mr Chester is in favour of the change. A push for a national overhaul of political donation laws appears to have stalled, with the Andrews government showing no interest in campaign funding reform or even greater transparency. It comes as the Australian Electoral Commission's annual donations figures showed that only about half the money raised by the major parties in Victoria was disclosed in the lead up to the 2014 state election. Of the $10 million in donations and contributions to the Victorian ALP in 2014/15 from business, individuals and unions only about $5 million was disclosed. At the end of the first day of the political year let's look back on what happened: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has told his troops to prepare to be in an election campaign in about six months time; has told his troops to prepare to be in an in about six months time; Mr Turnbull also says a double dissolution election remains a possibility; also says a remains a possibility; the government reintroduced legislation to reinstate a construction industry watchdog ; ; at least one crossbench senator did not take kindly to being bullied into supporting said legislation with the threat of an election; and MPs will now be able to take their babies into the chamber if they need to. My thanks, as always, to Andrew Meares and Alex Ellinghausen for their magic and, to you, for reading and commenting. You can follow me on Facebook. Andrew, Alex and I will be back in the morning. We hope to see you then. Good night. Telecommunications company Davnet was one of the hottest start-ups of the first dotcom boom. Under chief executive Stephen Moignard, the company connected office blocks to the internet using laser technology instead of more costly fibre-optic cables. Many start-ups have disappeared as quickly and quietly as they arrived, but others have burned up much more dramatically. Credit:iStock Failed start-ups are a dime a dozen. But you wouldn't know it from the Australian market, which, unlike that of our American cousins, prefers to hide its failures and slink quietly into the night, instead of exploring the lessons gleaned from failure. It once had a market capitalisation of $7 billion, according to BRW, twice the value of Qantas and bigger than Medibank Private (which had then just listed on the ASX). But the company's fortunes were reversed overnight, when on April 17, 2000 (the date the dotcom bubble officially burst) the sector took a 30 per cent tumble and that was it. In 2003, Mr Moignard was disqualified from managing companies due to Davnet's failure. He was fined $15,000 in 2008 for illegally managing five companies while bankrupt. He would be allowed to act as a director again after repaying creditors. These days, Mr Moignard can be found running a wine company Hundred of Comaum and copyright start-up Plfer.com, which scans the internet for plagiarised content that is actionable under copyright law. 99dresses 99dresses was an Australian Pollenizer-backed start-up launched in 2010 that monetised the clothes-swap concept, with users uploading photos of their unwanted clothes to sell for virtual currency or "buttons". It was the brainchild of founder and chief executive Nikki Durkin, then 20-something, who would initially earn $1.2 million in seed-round funding before investors began pulling out. Within two years, it would be all over. 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." A boy reported missing from Beenleigh has been found safe and sound, police said on Monday night. EARLIER This 15-year-old boy has been reported missing from Beenleigh. Police are searching for a 15-year-old boy who has gone missing from the Beenleigh area. The boy, described as Pacific Islander in appearance, around 173 centimetres tall, 55 kilograms and of proportionate build with short, black hair and brown eyes, was last seen at Beenleigh Railway Station on Australia Day and has not been seen since. Sydney retiree Suzanne McCarthy was excited to start using her first iPad 3, which she had nabbed at Sydney Airport's lost property auction for $330. But the excitement turned to anger when she realised the device was activation (or iCloud) locked, and essentially a "brick". No one could help her and she had no rights to a remedy under the Australian Consumer Law. "Apple told me they couldn't unlock it. They were shocked, saying it should never have been sold like that and I should take it back to Pickles Auctions straight away," said Ms McCarthy, 69, from Belfield. "I felt Pickles shouldn't have sold it in that condition. I feel angry a massive number can be sold like that, when the auctioneers would have known they were useless objects if locked." A rape victim has blasted police for refusing to reveal the name of the man linked by DNA evidence to a series of horrific sexual attacks on women. Mark Allan Nixon has been revealed as the former bouncer who police say was the prime suspect in a series of attacks which terrified Hamilton women eight years ago. Nixon, who fled to Australia eight years ago amid a manhunt for a serial rapist, died suddenly a few weeks after he was arrested for a minor offence in Western Australia where his DNA was taken. Three Australian men accused of gang-raping a teenage backpacker in Croatia have reportedly been allowed to return home after pleading guilty to the charges. The men, one aged 21 and two aged 23, had not been allowed to leave Croatia since last July after they were charged with raping the 17-year-old Norwegian girl in the toilet of a nightclub. The city of Split on Croatia's Dalmatian Coast. But the men have been allowed to return to Australia under a plea deal whereby they admitted the charges and paid the teen's family about $30,500 in total in exchange for a suspended jail sentence, News Corp reported. The trio reportedly left Croatia after the deal was made public and were due to arrive in Australia yesterday. Jerusalem: Israel has approved a plan that will dramatically change the holiest site in Judaism, creating a space for egalitarian prayer and mixed-gender ceremonies for non-Orthodox Jews. The new area, which will enable men and women to pray side by side, is to be adjacent to the existing Western Wall plaza run by Orthodox rabbis, beneath an architectural feature known as Robinson's Arch. The existing plaza is split into prayer sections for men and women, although women are not allowed to read aloud from the Torah, wear prayer shawls or sing there. A Jewish woman risks arrest by wearing a prayer shawl while praying at the Western Wall in 2013. Credit:AP Along with creating a change to the delicate status quo, this marks an unprecedented move by the Israeli government to officially recognise the rights of Conservative, Reform and other Jewish denominations to hold organised prayer at the site in occupied east Jerusalem. Jewish groups in Israel and the United States hailed the decision as a historic step toward religious pluralism. American Jewish organisations, many of whom are not Orthodox and feel their religious beliefs are sidelined in Israel, have been integral in pushing the plan forward and assuring it remains on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's agenda. Mexico City: Twenty-two members of Mexico's powerful Sinaloa cartel have been arrested and two were killed in a police raid near the US-Mexico border where authorities seized assault-type weapons, according to American and Mexican officials. Two were killed on Friday after they opened fire on Mexican federal police as they surrounded a building in the desert outside a small Mexican town where an armed group was running a drug and migrant smuggling operation, Mexico's federal police said in a statement on Sunday. A US Border Patrol agent patrols a section of the US-Mexico border next to Ciudad Juarez. Credit:AP The secretive operation - dubbed "Diablo Express" - carried out by American and Mexican authorities dealt a "strong blow" to the cartel, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said, just weeks after the arrest of cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, following his escape from prison six months earlier. "Due to the sensitive nature, this operation was conducted with utmost secrecy to maintain the element of surprise and to ensure the safety of the Mexican law enforcement officers executing it," ICE spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said in a statement late Saturday. She was 12 and, her mother said, she was not fitting in with her father's new family. She grabbed her camouflage-patterned iPhone 4s and shot a text to a friend roughly: "I don't like his ratchet girlfriend or her kids." It was 2013. That word "ratchet" was running through rap songs and teens' text messages, thought to mean a low-class and clueless diva. When Ronald Jackson saw it, he took away his daughter's cellphone. "I was being a parent," Mr Jackson told broadcaster CBS-DFW. "A child does something wrong, you teach them what's right." Mr Jackson, 36, from Dallas, Texas, was ultimately arrested and charged with property theft, because he had taken his daughter's iPhone and refused to give it back. Companion Maids Wins Super Service Award In 2015 Young cleaning service in Chicago wins Super Service award for the second year in a row Chicago, 01-31-16 Companion Maids, a locally owned, on-demand maid/cleaning service announced today that they have won the Super Service Award from Angies List for the second time in a row. Donald and Thomas Spann, Co-Owners, have been Angies List vendors since August of 2014, and joined it as a way to expand their reach in the Chicago market. The company offers flat rate pricing by the bedroom for residential homes, and provide their own supplies and a satisfaction guarantee. One of the things that allowed us to differentiate ourselves in this market was the ability to offer simplicity, said Donald, an owner of the company. Many companies dont show clear pricing, or require a site visit to give you a quote, but when you visit our page, you know what youre getting, you know what youre paying, and theres no surprises. According to Donald and Thomas, Angies List has been a great avenue for Companion Maids. Angies List users pay a monthly or yearly fee for membership, and access to trusted Angies List vendors and reviews, so there is less confusion about phony users and reviews. The Super Service award is awarded each year to the top 5% businesses in each category, so winning this award twice was quite an achievement for the new company, which has been around for just over two years. One of the great attributes of a typical Angies List client is that they are typically more knowledgeable about what to expect, Donald said. We strive to maintain a certain standard, but when we do make a mistake, Angies List clients are more willing to work with us to allow us to rectify the problem and create a satisfactory cleaning experience. Companion Maids is one of a new wave of cleaning companies that offer on-demand cleaning services for Chicago residents. Companion Maids is one of few companies on Angies List that have won the Super Service award their first two years on the platform. About Companion Maids Companion Maids is Chicagos premier local on-demand maid service. They fervently strive to remove the hassles and frustrations that come with traditional maid services. Book a cleaning on the website at a flat-rate in 60 seconds or less, using the simple booking form. Interested parties can visit: www.companionmaids.com to learn more about the specific services they provide. iTel Networks Announces Massive Network Expansion KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA (Marketwired) 02/01/16 iTel Networks Inc. (), one of the largest network providers in Canada, has announced that they are once again growing their network of networks with a massive rate centre expansion. What is a rate centre? The geographical area that a phone number is assigned to which is linked to your area code, local prefix and other rate centres/cities that your phone number would have local calling to. With this network increase, iTel is bringing flexibility and affordable SIP and hosted PBX services to more businesses in both Canada and the USA. This latest expansion for iTel has increased their serviceable rate centres from 1,400 to over 13,000 (over 2,000 in Canada, and over 11,000 in the USA). Using iTels hosted PBX and SIP phone services, they can now connect both single and multi-location businesses with more diverse phone networks coast-to-coast. Many Canadian businesses also operate in the USA, although we specifically focus on the Canadian market, we have recognized our clients needs to also have USA phone numbers. Because of this, we have taken the steps to expand our phone network into the USA, and ensure that our clientele have the best services available to suit their needs, says Heather Sutherland, Operations Manager of iTel Networks. iTels key services include high speed fiber optic internet, voice over IP (VoIP), cloud computing and storage, hosted PBX systems and SIP trunking. iTels hosted PBX and SIP trunking services help businesses by taking away the large upfront and maintenance costs associated with a typical phone system. They are able to shift both single and multi-location businesses away from fixed capacity and location-bound services, to a flexible and feature-rich solution with added redundancy, all while saving companies money and maintaining their current phone network. With this latest growth, iTel can now easily port and order phone numbers (known as DIDs in the world of telecom) for all of a companys locations including more rural cities. iTel is also able to route phone numbers for companies with more than one location using a hosted PBX system. This means that if a company were to switch over to iTel, they get to keep their original phone numbers, and increase the number of features available in their phone system this includes having an IVR, routing all phone numbers from other locations to one central office, and having a redundant network so that their phone system wouldnt be lost in the case of an outage. We are very excited to announce this major expansion throughout Canada and the USA. iTel is a leader in delivering exceptional communication services that modern businesses demand. Now, we are able to service more businesses than ever before as we continue to expand our network of networks, adds Rink. For a list of all iTel rate centre locations, visit . About iTel Networks Inc.: Changing how Canadian business communicates, iTel, one of the largest telephony networks in Canada, is the first real national carrier alternative, combining true carrier infrastructure with flexible products, reliable service and support. With a network connecting all of Canadas largest telephone and internet systems, iTel serves the networking and communication requirements of large and small businesses, offering internet provider services including fiber optic internet, hosted PBX services, SIP trunking and cloud solutions. Their data network operates in private OpenStack and VMWare clouds across four Canadian data centres, and their telephone network services more than 2,000 Canadian rate centres, and over 11,000 USA rate centres coast-to-coast. To learn more about iTel Networks visit or call 1-888-899-iTel (4835). Contacts: iTel Networks Inc. Heather Sutherland Operations Manager 1-888-899-iTel (4835) Optoro Partners With Groupon to Manage Returned and Excess Inventory WASHINGTON, DC (Marketwired) 02/01/16 Optoro, the leading platform for returned and excess inventory, today announced that it has partnered with Groupon, a global leader in local commerce, to process returned and excess inventory for the Groupon Goods business. This new solution, implemented on-site at Groupons fulfillment center in Hebron, KY, allows Groupon to easily and efficiently handle returns by cutting out unnecessary middlemen and reducing waste. At Groupon, we are always looking for innovative partners that will help us become a more sustainable, profitable, and community-oriented business, said Andrew Bowerman, Vice President of Logistics, Groupon Goods. The Optoro solution enables us to do all three by reducing waste and carbon emissions in the supply chain, increasing recovery, and providing consumers with great deals. Traditionally, returned and excess items are shipped multiple times over the course of many months before reaching an end consumer losing value and creating unnecessary waste. Optoros software solution helps retailers optimize the management of returned and excess inventory by processing, sorting, and selling these products in a much more efficient and cost-effective way. Were excited to work with Groupon to address the business, logistical, and sustainability challenges related to returned and excess inventory, said Tobin Moore, CEO of Optoro. The use of Optoros technology is increasing value for our clients, providing great deals for consumers through our Blinq brand, and helping the environment by keeping high quality goods out of landfills. Optoro, Inc. is a technology company that is transforming the way retailers process, manage and sell their returned and excess inventory. Through comprehensive, world-class data analytics, Optoros software platform determines the best path for returned and excess goods, maximizing recovery value, enabling consumers to get great deals, and reducing environmental waste. Optoro, BLINQ, and BULQ are trademarks of Optoro, Inc. and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Founded in 2010, Optoro is based in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. For more information, please visit and follow us on Twitter at . Read more articles by Caitlin Koenig. Caitlin Koenig is a Cincinnati transplant and 2012 grad of the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri . She's the department editor for Soapbox Media and currently lives in Northside with her husband, Andrew, and their three furry children. Follow Caitlin on Twitter at @caite_13. 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. 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. Featured Post Censored News: As media collapses, truth tellers work harder to report the news 'Aleut Story," the horrific story of Aleut forced into internment camps during WWII, where they died of hunger and disease, and the... Archive Search This Blog About Censored News Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell. Since 2006, Censored News has received more than 20 million pageviews. As a collective of writers, photographers and broadcasters, we publish news of Indigenous Peoples and human rights. Contact publisher Brenda Norrell: brendanorrell@gmail.com From the publisher Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 40 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the mainstream media for 14 years. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com Translate 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 We have more newsletters Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. The latest Swansea City news sent straight to your inbox Swansea City are said to have been approached over the outlandish possibility of signing Brazilian star Robinho. Leicester are another club apparently sounded out over bringing the former Manchester City star back to the Premier League. Such a move would appear highly unlikely as the 32-year-old, though a free agent, is sure to be an expensive option. And Swansea do not have form for signing players with big reputations, particularly ones arguably past their best. Robinho has been playing in China, but is thought to be keen on another crack at the English top flight. The former Manchester City forward is a free agent after his contract ended with Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande. Serie A champions Juventus have also reportedly been contacted over a possible move for the former Santos man. Robinho grabbed the headlines on the last day of the summer transfer window eight years ago when he joined Manchester City for a then record 33 million. He scored 14 goals in 41 games for City before returning to Brazil with Santos then moving to AC Milan. He has 99 caps for his country. NASA's space shuttle Columbia was destroyed during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003, in a tragic disaster that killed the shuttle's seven-astronaut crew. See how the Columbia shuttle accident occurred in this SPACE.com infographic. On Feb. 1, 2003, the shuttle Columbia was returning to Earth after a successful 16-day trip to orbit, where the crew conducted more than 80 science experiments ranging from biology to fluid physics. However, the seemingly healthy orbiter had suffered critical damage during its launch, when foam from the fuel tank's insulation fell off and hit Columbia's left wing, tearing a hole in it that later analysis suggested might have been as large as a dinner plate. The damage occurred just after Columbia's liftoff on Jan. 16, but went undetected. During re-entry, the hole in a heat-resistant reinforced carbon carbon panel on Columbia's left wing leading edge allowed super-hot atmospheric gases into the orbiter's wing, leading to its destruction. Killed in the Columbia shuttle disaster were STS-107 mission commander Rick Husband and included pilot Willie McCool, mission specialists Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark and David Brown, payload commander Michael Anderson and payload specialist Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut. [Share Your Thoughts on Columbia] Poll: Is Human Spaceflight Worth the Risk? A subsequent inquiry by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) faulted NASA's internal culture as much as the foam strike as causes of the shuttle disaster. The Columbia accident ultimately led then-President George W. Bush to announce plans to retire NASA's space shuttle fleet (which was more than 20 years old at the time) once construction of the International Space Station was complete. A capsule-based spacecraft was planned to replace the shuttles. [Photos: The Columbia Space Shuttle Tragedy] NASA's space shuttle fleet resumed launches in July 2005, after spending more than two years developing safety improvements and repair tools and techniques to avoid a repeat of the Columbia disaster. In 2011, NASA launched the final space shuttle mission, STS-135, to complete the shuttle fleet's role in space station construction. Video: Remembering Columbia's Crew - 'In Their Own Words' In 2012, NASA's three remaining shuttles - Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour - were delivered to museums in Washington, D.C., Florida and California, while the test shuttle Enterprise was delivered to New York City. Under President Barack Obama, NASA was directed to rely on private spacecraft to launch Americans to the International Space Station and return them to Earth. NASA, meanwhile, is developing a new giant rocket - the Space Launch System - and the Orion space capsule for future deep-space missions to an asteroid, the moon and Mars. Instant History: Our First Report - Feb. 1, 2003 Columbia Missing on Re-Entry, Crew Presumed Lost Follow SPACE.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook & Google+. News / Africa by Stephen Jakes The Migrant Workers Union South Africa is reportedly assisting foreigners in South Africa top acquire bank accounts with minimum easy requirements.In a Facebook statement the union said banking has never been made easy for migrants, MIWUSA in partnership with Kuhlekta and Cashcloud brings you an easy way to open bank accounts with minimum easy requirements - only ID, Passport, asylum seeker document no need of permit!!!!"CashCloud Benefits (MIWUSA/ kuhlektas, safe: your cash is now safe from prying criminals and day robbers, secure: The Cash-cloud Card is a VISA prepaid card powered by FNB, convenient and affordable: As a Cash-cloud card holder you will enjoy unlimited FREE swipes, free cash withdrawals at participating outlets, unlimited free purchase, un limited free cash withdrawals at the till at Pick and Pay, Checkers and Shoprite," reads the post."eWallet: get cash, buy prepaid electricity, make payments or send money from your cell even your card is not with you. Easy: minimum FICA requirements (only ID, Passport, asylum seeker document, Deposit: any FNB branch or FNB ATM nationwide, EFT from any other bank, Salary: receive your salary and withdraw from any FNB ATM nationwide. If you need the bank account call MIWUSA." An artist's impression of NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, which took the infrared image in the background. What will NASA choose for its next major space mission? The hunt is on! NASA has begun a quest to select its next big instrument to study the cosmos. Observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope have revolutionized humanity's view of the cosmos. And upcoming projects, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the WFIRST-AFTA mission which the agency aims to launch in 2018 and the mid-2020s, respectively promise to make big discoveries of their own. But what will happen after that? What kind of space telescope does NASA aim to build a few decades from now? The picture is getting a little clearer: Earlier this month, the space agency announced that it is forming four working groups to investigate possible concepts for a large-scale space mission that would likely launch in the 2030s. [The Most Amazing Views of the Cosmos from Hubble] One of the four mission concepts is focused on direct imaging of the surfaces of exoplanets, to potentially search for signs of life. The other three concepts are for space telescopes built to detect specific wavelengths of light: the ultraviolet/optical/near-infrared range, similar to what Hubble sees; X-ray light; and far-infrared light. The space agency is now accepting applications from scientists to join one of the four groups. Paul Hertz, director of NASA's astrophysics division, delivered a town hall talk at the 227th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Florida earlier this month, in which he announced the formation of the groups and put out a call for applications. The groups will put together a report that will show what kind of science each concept could accomplish, what capabilities it would have, what limitations exist for building it, and how each space telescope would benefit the entire astronomy community. Much of the potential science that each mission could accomplish was written about at length in NASA's 2013 Astrophysics Roadmap: "Enduring Quests, Daring Visions: NASAAstrophysics in the Next Three Decades." Here is a brief description of each of the four mission concepts and what they hope to accomplish. This artist's illustration shows some of the planets identified in the Habitable Planets Catalog. A telescope designed to directly image the surface of exoplanets could potentially identify more signs of habitability, or even life, on other planets. (Image credit: PHL @ UPR Arecibo, ESA/Hubble, NASA) The habitable exoplanet imager mission Scientists have indirectly identified about 2,000 planets outside Earth's solar system using the Kepler Space Telescope and other instruments. Now, scientists want a way to look directly at exoplanets that aren't too far from Earth. A direct-imaging planetary telescope could potentially reveal the atmospheres and surface conditions of alien worlds, and would search for signs of habitability or even bio-activity (yes, alien life), according to Bertrand Mennesson, an exoplanet scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, who is helping to lead this mission concept group. The so-called "HabEx" mission would "help assess the prevalence of habitable planets and [the] possibly of primitive life in our galaxy," Mennesson told Space.com in an email. HabEx would also allow scientists to look at the atmospheres and surface conditions on all kinds of planets, including ice giants, gas giants and rocky planets, around various types of stars and in various solar system arrangements. Such a telescope would also capture images of young planetary systems in the early stages of formation, providing a look at solar system evolution across the galaxy. Direct imaging of exoplanet atmospheres has already been demonstrated from the ground, Mennesson said. Large ultraviolet, optical and infrared (LUVOIR) telescope The Hubble Space Telescope, with its 7.9-foot-wide (2.4 meters) primary mirror, has revolutionized how humans see the cosmos. Imagine what a space telescope with a 39-foot (12 m) mirror could do. There have been many proposals in the astronomy community for a 26- to 39-foot (8 to 12 m) telescope that collects light in the ultraviolet, optical and infrared wavelengths, as Hubble does. One of the most recent such proposals has been named the "High Definition Space Telescope," (HDST), but the general concept is called LUVOIR (Large Ultraviolet Visible Infrared). (The $8.8 billion JWST has a 21.3-foot-wide (6.5 m) mirror and will collect light mostly in the infrared, with some capability in the optical range.) The star cluster Westerlund 2 and gas cloud Gum 29, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. A much larger telescope similar to Hubble has been proposed for NASA's next large-scale mission. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), A. Nota (ESA/STScI), and the Westerlund 2 Science Team) "LUVOIR could study the formation of stars and planets in our galaxy, map the evolution of galaxies, illuminate the birth of the first stars in the universe and probe into black hole environments," said Aki Roberge, a scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who is helping to lead the group for this mission. A LUVOIR telescope could also have some overlap with an exoplanet direct-imaging instrument such as HabEx, and would be able to characterize the atmospheres and surfaces of a wide range of planets, potentially identifying signatures of life. These capabilities are discussed extensively in an HDST report that was published in 2015. "There will likely be a greater emphasis on astrophysics capabilities in the LUVOIR study than in the HabEx study, though both will be looking hard at exoplanet capabilities," Roberge told Space.com in an email. "LUVOIR may enable a broader range of exoplanet observations. The two teams aim to collaborate on the overlapping science and technical aspects as much as we can." [The Strangest Alien Planets] The galaxy Messier 51, imaged by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. (Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Wesleyan Univ./R.Kilgard, et al; Optical: NASA/STScI) X-ray surveyor mission The X-ray universe has already revealed itself to be a strange and beautiful place, through observations (and jaw-dropping images) taken with various space telescopes, including NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory, the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton observatory and NASA's NuSTAR mission. All of these telescopes have helped scientists study a wide variety of fascinating cosmic objects, including supernovas (exploding stars), black holes (and the disks of matter that swirl around them), galaxies and mysterious dark matter. [Photos: The X-Ray Universe Revealed by Chandra] A new X-ray surveyor could provide insight into how matter behaves in some of the cosmos' most extreme environments, such as the region around a black hole, proponents say. It could provide a look at the birth and growth of the first supermassive black holes in the universe, and would allow scientists to look at how galaxies have formed and evolved over the lifetime of the universe (13.8 billion years). This backward glance would also reveal a look at the evolution of the larger structure of the universe according to the NASA Astrophysics Roadmap, and NASA scientists working with the concept group. The X-ray surveyor would look out to the edge of the visible universe, allowing scientists to observe how galaxies have formed and evolved over the lifetime of the universe (about 13.8 billion years). This backward glance would also reveal a look at the evolution of the larger structure of the universe. If NASA does end up building the X-ray Surveyor, the mission would provide orders of magnitude more sensitive than any other X-ray mission, the scientists said. Far-IR surveyor mission An infrared image of the Orion Nebula, a site of massive amounts of star formation, taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S.T. Megeaty (Univ. of Toledo,OH).) All the stars in the universe collectively radiate an incredible amount of visible light, but scientists now know that as much as half of that starlight is blocked by dust clouds, and then reradiated as infrared light. "If you don't do things in the infrared, you're missing half the picture, effectively," Kartik Sheth, a program scientist in the astrophysics division at NASA Headquarters, told Space.com. With a next-generation far-infrared space telescope, scientists could study how stars and planets form by studying in detail the nurseries where these cosmic babies come to life. Infrared observations are also especially good for identifying the chemicals present in distant cosmic objects. This could mean looking for water in newly forming solar systems. The vast majority of elements in the universe are made by stars (which means that "we are made of starstuff," as the late astronomer Carl Sagan famously said). A next-generation far-infrared telescope could study stars at various stages of their life cycles to reveal when and where different elements are being made. Effectively, such an instrument would provide scientists a list of ingredients in many cosmic objects, advocates say. The far-infrared mission concept would look at a range of wavelengths that fall between what will be observed by JWST and the ground-based Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), which is coming online in Chile. This particular range of light gets distorted by Earth's atmosphere, which means scientists must put an infrared telescope into space to capture them properly. The instruments on NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope that captured light in the far-infrared range have all shut down (although a few shorter wavelength instruments are still operational). Following Spitzer's retirement, there will be no space observatories studying the far-infrared wavelength range. The only other observatory operating in this wavelength range is NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), which is a modified Being 747 aircraft that can fly to altitudes where the Earth's atmosphere is significantly thinner. It is currently the largest airborne observatory in the world. "The far-infrared community has not had a space-mission like Hubble or Chandra that has continuously operated for a long time," Sheth said. Which mission will be selected? NASA invests in missions of various sizes, such as the Fermi Gamma Ray Telescope, or the Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). But the four mission concepts being reviewed by the newly announced working groups will be large-scale missions that follow in the footsteps of Hubble, JWST and WFIRST-AFTA (whose name is short for Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope-Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets). Missions of this size take decades to complete, which is why NASA is starting the process now, even though any of these missions might not begin operating until the mid-2030s or 2040, Hertz said. The decision about which, if any, of these concepts becomes a reality will likely be strongly influenced by a group outside of NASA. Every 10 years, the National Academy of Sciences' National Research Council puts together a committee to talk about what priorities the astronomy and astrophysics communities should set for the coming decade. The committee then releases a report, known as the "decadal survey," that makes specific recommendations for the next 10 years. Past surveys have recommended current NASA projects including JWST and WFIRST-AFTA. NASA typically follows the recommendations set by this survey. The four concept groups will work to provide the decadal committee with all the information they need to make a decision about which mission concept should become a reality. One of these mission concepts may inform NASA's next big mission to explore the cosmos. Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. In the final stretch before todays Iowa caucuses, one candidate had support from some space travelers. Former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly and his wife, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, campaigned for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton over the weekend. While Kelly spoke primarily about gun control, he did say that Clinton believes in science and technology and innovation. Also campaigning for Clinton in Iowa over the weekend was Richard Garriott, who flew to the International Space Station as a commercial spaceflight participant in 2008. Garriott, wearing his flight suit from that mission, was out canvassing for votes with his wife Laetitia, co-founder of space transportation startup Escape Dynamics, and others, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. [Wired News / Twitter] More News China launched a Beidou navigation satellite early this morning. The Long March 3C carrying the Beidou-21 satellite lifted off at 2:35 a.m. Eastern. The satellite is reportedly the last experimental satellite for Phase 3 of the overall Beidou system, which will expand its coverage from regional to global. Chinese officials had not formally confirmed the success of the launch a few hours after liftoff. [NASASpaceFlight.com] An ILS Proton successfully launched a Eutelsat communications satellite with a European laser communications payload Friday. The Proton lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 5:20 p.m. Eastern Friday and released Eutelsat 9B into its transfer orbit a little more than nine hours later. The spacecraft, built by Airbus, will provide Ku-band coverage of Europe from 9 degrees east, replacing the existing Eutelsat 9A spacecraft. The satellite also carries a laser communications payload for the European Data Relay System, designed for high-speed transfer of data from Earth observation spacecraft. [SpaceNews] Google has been testing high-altitude drones for broadband communications from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The company is using the spaceport to test solar-powered drones and millimeter-wave radio technology that could enable 5G wireless communications with data rates of gigabits per second. Google built communications facilities at the spaceport and set up a flight control center in the spaceports operations building. It is also leasing space in the spaceports main hangar from Virgin Galactic. [The Guardian] Want to get these briefings even earlier? Heres the signup. The company developing the Ariane 6 expects to submit a bid for the first batch of those vehicles by the end of this year. Alain Charmeau, head of Airbus Safran Launchers, said the company is working to achieve a mid-year review of the Ariane 6 design and production cost with ESA, to be followed by a bid for the first set of vehicles by the end of this year. Charmeau said that schedule, which would allow a first Ariane 6 launch by 2020, depends on the resolution of a tax issue regarding a payment of 800 million euros from Safran to Airbus as part of the creation of the joint venture. [SpaceNews] Pluto has more water ice on its surface that previously believed. New analysis of data collected by the New Horizons spacecraft during its flyby last July shows water ice to be considerably more widespread across the surface than previously thought. Water ice serves as the bedrock of Plutos crust. Scientists noted the water ice was particularly absent in Sputnik Planum, the left part of the heart feature on the surface, where it may be obscured by other ices. [SPACE.com] New Horizons also has a new project manager at the Applied Physics Laboratory. Helene Winters took over as project manager from Glen Fountain, who plans to retire after managing the mission since 2004. Winters was previously the manager for another APL-led mission, the MESSENGER Mercury orbiter, which ended its mission last April. [JHUAPL] A former NASA official is under consideration for a leadership post at the University of Colorado. Robert Braun spent two days at the university last week for interviews regarding the position of dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science there. University officials said Braun was a special target of opportunity that they sought to interview outside of a normal search process. Braun, a professor of space technology at Georgia Tech, served as NASA chief technologist in 2010 and 2011. [Boulder Daily Camera] Monday-Tuesday: Washington: The National Academies Space Studies Board holds a meeting for its study NASA Science Mission Extensions: Scientific Value, Policies, and Review Process. The National Academies Space Studies Board holds a meeting for its study NASA Science Mission Extensions: Scientific Value, Policies, and Review Process. San Antonio, Texas: NASAs Outer Planets Assessment Group meets to discuss current and planned missions, as well as related issues. Tuesday-Wednesday: Washington: The 18th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference includes talks by Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, Rep. Brian Babin, NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman and SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell. The 18th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference includes talks by Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, Rep. Brian Babin, NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman and SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell. Toronto: The Canadian Smallsat Symposium features talks by OneWeb founder Greg Wyler, Breakthrough Prize Foundation Chairman Pete Worden and Canadian Space Agency President Sylvain Laporte. Wednesday: Friday: Cape Canaveral, Fla.: An Atlas 5 is scheduled to launch the GPS 2F-12 satellite during a 19-minute launch window that opens at 8:38 a.m. Eastern. Saturday-Sunday: Helsinki: SpaceUp Finland, a user-run space unconference, takes place at Aalto University. Sunday: Plesetsk, Russia: A Soyuz-2 rocket is scheduled to launch a Glonass navigation satellite. This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry. The Eutelsat 9B satellite in the Airbus Defence and Space cleanroom, carries a combined television-broadcast and lasercom data-relay payload. PARIS An International Launch Services (ILS) Russian Proton rocket on Jan. 30 successfully placed the Eutelsat 9B commercial telecommunications satellite into orbit, with Proton's Breeze-M upper stage separating the satellite nine hours and 12 minutes after liftoff from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazahkstan. Paris-based Eutelsat said the satellite was healthy in orbit and sending signals, and that the solar panels had deployed as planned. Built by Airbus Defence and Space of Europe, Eutelsat 9B weighed 5,162 kilograms at launch and carries 47 36-megahertz-equivalent transponders in Ku-band for video coverage mainly in Europe through five beams one pan-European and four regional beams. It will operate from 9 degrees east in geostationary orbit, where it will replace the Eutelsat 9A satellite launched a decade ago. Eutelsat 9A will be moved this year to another orbital slot that Eutelsat has not yet announced. Eutelsat 9B also carries a laser communications payload for Airbus Defence and Space as part of European Data Relay System of speeding transfer of Earth observation satellite data to users via satellites in higher, geostationary orbit. With the European Space Agency and the European Commission as anchor customers, Airbus has invested in the data-relay technology, developed in Germany, and is pioneering it as a commercial service to civil and government agencies. Eutelsat said 9B, once in operations by March, would add a net 12 transponders to its capacity from the 9 degrees east slot, where as of January the company said it was carrying 375 television channels, including 100 in high-definition format. While the size of the West European television market is not growing much in terms of households, the region is still supports the highest-price transponders in the world. Growth for Eutelsat is expected as current broadcasters move from standard- to high-definition format. Eutelsat calculates that a 36-megahertz transponder using MPEG-4 signal compression technology can be loaded with 26 standard-definition channels, but just 6-8 high-definition channels. Compression standards are improving as fast as image quality, and the latest Highly Efficient Video Compression (HEVC) standard can squeeze 12-15 high-definition channels onto a single transponder. Less than 25 percent of Western European satellite television is now beamed in high-definition format, a figure expected to rise to more than 60 percent in a decade. Next up for satellite broadcasters: ultra-high-definition television, which industry officials expect will become a significant force in the market by the end of the decade. The Eutelsat 9A satellite's launch had been delayed for months as Russia's Proton rocket worked through a 2015 failure and then began chipping away at its commercial and Russian Federal government backlog. Eutelsat's growth plans for 2015 were also slowed by bottlenecks with launch-service provider SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, which is scheduled to launch Eutelsat's 117 West B satellite. Eutelsat is hoping for an April launch. Eutelsat renewed its endorsement of Reston, Virginia-based ILS and of the Proton rocket in 2015 with a multi-launch agreement that, beyond Eutelsat 9B, both companies expect to convert to firm contracts of future satellites. Eutelsat, the world's third-largest commercial satellite fleet operator when measured by revenue, has capacity on 40 satellites, including more than 30 that it owns itself. It can be expected to launch at least two satellites per year on average just to maintain its current in-orbit capacity. ILS owner Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center of Moscow has said it would give ILS leeway to reduce prices to work its way back into the regular commercial-launch rotation alongside SpaceX and Europe's Arianespace. The decline of the Russian ruble against the U.S. dollar has made that task easier as most commercial launch contracts are priced in dollars. ILS President Kirk Pysher, in a post-launch statement, noted the international nature of the mission: a European-built satellite with a European government/commercial payload launched by a U.S. company on a Russian rocket. Pysher said ILS looks forward "to launching future satellites in the Multi-Launch Agreement, designed to provide Eutelsat additional schedule flexibility and assured access to space at cost-effective prices." This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry. You can now keep track of everything the 2016 presidential candidates say about spaceflight and exploration, thanks to the nonprofit Planetary Society. The Planetary Society, an exploration advocacy organization headed by former TV "Science Guy" Bill Nye, is cataloguing the space-related statements made by Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and other contenders as the presidential primary election events get into full swing. "Space rarely makes a strong showing in national elections, despite the major state of transition NASA finds itself in today," Planetary Society representatives wrote on the group's "Election 2016" hub page, which you can find here. "So throughout the 2016 Presidential election season, The Planetary Society will be tracking statements made by the candidates referring to civil space issues," they added. "Working with our members, we are cataloguing and sourcing as many statements for the active candidates as we can find." The Iowa caucuses kick off the voting contests Monday (Feb. 1), followed by the New Hampshire primaries on Feb. 9. NASA must often shift its goals and priorities as new presidential administrations take power. For example, in 2010, President Barack Obama cancelled the moon-oriented Constellation program, which was initiated under President George W. Bush, and directed the space agency instead to work toward getting astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025, and to the vicinity of Mars in the 2030s. Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. News / Africa by Staff reporter African leaders are unlikely to heed President Robert Mugabe's planned pullout of the United Nations as that would spell doom to their fragile economies, local opposition parties and analysts have warned.Addressing the 26th ordinary summit of the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Saturday, Mugabe threatened to lobby African countries to pull out of the UN in protest over the continent's lack of representation in the UN Security Council (UNSC).But opposition parties described Mugabe's proposal as ill-advised and likely to attract few takers on the continent.Currently only Britain, China, France, Russia and the US were UNSC permanent members where Mugabe was demanding at least two permanent seats for Africa.In yesterday's comments, South Africa president Jacob Zima said he fully agreed with Mugabe as he was stating what was agreed at eZulwini conference. UPDATE 2/7: Nominations are now closed. The results will be revealed at 12pm ET tomorrow, February 8th when the polls are released. Thank you to all who participated in making nominations! Welcome to a new monthly column for SpoilerTV! This column and subsequent polls exist to help determine the best performance by an actor and actress each month. Every month you, our valued community members, will be given the opportunity to nominate 2 actors and 2 actresses. The top 5 actors and top 5 actresses from your collective nominations will be guaranteed a spot in the polls. Your nominees will be specially noted as Reader Nominated to indicate that they were picked by you. SpoilerTV staff will also be nominating their top 2 outstanding performers in each category and those nominees will be listed on the poll as well. During the second week of the month the polls will be available for you to vote for the actor and actress that delivered the most outstanding performance of the month. The winner from each poll will be rewarded with a write up to be featured on the site the last week of the month. The winners will also earn a spot on our year end Performer of the Year poll which will determine whom the fans believe to be the most outstanding performer of 2016! Submit your nominations below and then hit the comments to convince others why they too should cast a vote to nominate your nominees. The more nominations someone gets the better chance they have of making the poll as a reader nominee and moving one step closer to the title of Performer of the Month! Rules for nominee eligibility: -The actor/actress must have delivered an outstanding performance in the prior month in a new first run episode of a network, cable, or streaming series. -Guest stars are eligible for nomination as long as they appeared in a new first run episode. When making your nomination please list the show in which they appeared on. (ex: Actor 1 - X show) -Streaming series performers who are on a series whose whole season was released at one time on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, or any other streaming network are eligible for 60 days from the release date. The series must have launched in 2016 for its performers to be eligible. -If a performer wins 3 times within a year they become ineligible to be nominated again until the following year. Some performers have larger fan bases than others and we want every nominated performer to have a fair chance at winning. For the purposes of this column we want to reward outstanding and powerful performances that blow the minds of the viewers so take that to heart when making your submissions. Nominations will be open from 12 pm ET on the 1st of the month to 12 pm ET on the 7th. The polls will then run from 12 pm ET on the 8th to 12 pm ET on the 14th. Winner write ups will be up as soon as possible after the polls close. Please only 1 form submission per person. If repeat entries are made all of the entries made by that person will be discarded. Please submit all nominations with the performers full name and the name of the show they appear in. Loading... About the Author - Aimee Hicks Aimee works for a newspaper in North Carolina and has a BA in Broadcasting and Cinema. She has been a TV lover since before she really understood what TV was. She has a long list of shows that she loves to watch and can be found on twitter (@ahicks83) live tweeting about each new episode whenever she can. If the show is sci-fi, fantasy, comic book based, drama, or action the odds are good she watches it or has at least watched a few episodes of it. She also has a love for comedies 2 Broke Girls and Mom. She was the original creator and co-founder of LOST Video Island (lostvideo.net) which is still operating under the management of the very capable and skilled group she turned it over to. You can email her at aimee@spoilertv.com. All Reviews) Recent Reviews The new facility will be built on the Easter Bush Estate, which is already home to most of the Colleges animal and veterinary scientists, over the next two years. The unit provides research for government and private sectors as well as providing a focus for SRUC's avian-related nutrition, welfare and disease research. Just like the current facility the new unit will be staffed and managed by SRUC employees; it will provide state of the art growing and production facilities, enabling poultry research across the production chain to be undertaken in commercially relevant facilities to the highest standards of welfare. Professor Geoff Simm, Vice Principal Research at SRUC, says: Bringing SRUCs poultry staff together with SRUCs animal scientists, while co-locating the poultry facilities alongside the complementary resources and expertise at the Roslin Institute and the wider Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, will create a world leading centre for poultry research. The new facility will enhance SRUCs ability to meet the needs of industry and a growing market, and will be co-funded by CIEL, one of the UK Governments proposed Agri-tech Innovation Centres. This funding has been key to enabling the relocation to happen. A move has been in discussion for some time due to the age and condition of the current facility. U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, both D-Conn, are applauding Facebooks decision to ban the private sale of firearms on both Facebook and Instagram. Facebook is taking a powerful stand against gun violence, the senators said in a statement. The decision to ban the private sale of guns over its social networking sites will make our communities safer by making sure that only law-abiding citizens can get their hands on a gun. Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media With heroin and opioid deaths skyrocketing, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) will convene youth in recovery, educators and experts to discuss measures to combat the crisis at 11:15 a.m. on Monday at Community Mental Health Affiliates in New Britain. Heroin and opiate abuse has skyrocketed in Connecticut and nationwide in recent years. While the epidemic has impacted all demographic groups, 18 to 25 year olds are most at risk. In the past decade, heroin use among young adults has more than doubled. In 2012, there were 195 fatal heroin, morphine or codeine overdoses in Connecticut. By 2013, that number had jumped to 284. In 2014, it skyrocketed to 347. By 2015, 415 overdose deaths were reported. This rise in deaths and the increasing addiction rates for heroin are inextricably connected with the availability of illegal drugs, the lack of adequate resources to address addiction and the over-prescription of pain killers. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD A Narcotics and Organized Crime investigation ended with a spectacular spin-out Saturday on Interstate 95 and three South Carolina men getting arrested for possession of an assault weapon and narcotics. After searching the trunk of the crashed rental car, police found a backpack stuffed with a TEC-9 sub-machine gun, which is classified as an assault weapon in Connecticut. Police also found a Smith & Wesson 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, along with baby bottles filled with the painkiller codeine and the sedative Promethazine. Capt. Richard Conklin said the group came to Stamford to sell firearms and may have already sold some in the area. Police had been tipped off that the Chevrolet rental car was being used to peddle firearms from Southern states and to sell narcotics. The incident began Saturday at about 1:30 p.m., Conklin said, when NOC officers approached the red Chevrolet with South Carolina plates on Wilson Street. Moments earlier, the Chevrolet was spotted at a Richmond Hill Avenue address known for drug dealing, police said. When police pulled up to the rental car, several people around the car quickly walked away and the car took off. The vehicle went the wrong way on Baxter Avenue and struck the rear quarter panel of the car being driven by police. From there, Conklin said, the Chevrolet got onto I-95, nearly hitting other cars in the process. Officers followed the car northbound and called in state police to help intercept it. But between Exits 8 and 9, the driver of the vehicle lost control and spun out in spectacular fashion, striking the guard rail and another vehicle, Conklin said. The five people in the car jumped out and scattered, one jumping over the Jersey barrier and the others hopping over the guard rail and running down the embankment into an East Side neighborhood, leaving a trail of clothes behind and at least one pair of sneakers, Conklin said. With the help of at least one dog in the chase, police caught three of the five suspects who were in the car. Also seized from the car were three empty 36-round magazines for the TEC-9 and two 16-round magazines for the Smith & Wesson. State law prohibits magazines larger than 10 rounds for public use. Arrested were Jarvis Lewis, 27, of Seneca, S.C., and Dejuan Sloan, 23, also of Seneca. Lewis and Sloan were arrested on charges including illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, possession of an assault weapon and five counts of possession of a high-capacity magazine. Also arrested was Brittany Cosby of Noble Avenue, Stamford, who was charged with interfering with police. News / Africa by Staff Reporter HOLY Cross Church bishop and owner of Rekai Tangwena Children's Home in Nyanga Livingstone Tonderai Nerwande is alleged to have indecently assaulted three vulnerable children at his orphanage.The Zambia Daily Mail reported that Nerwande, who rose to fame in the 1990s when he was still a Anglican Church priest through his exorcism powers, is expected to appear in court today facing six counts of indecent charges.The 77-year-old man of cloth is set to appear today before Nyanga provincial magistrate, Ignatio Mhene. Some of the victims are crippled teenagers who were staying at the orphanage for safety and special care.According to court papers which are in possession of this paper, Nerwande is alleged to have perpetrated the abuse on the minors since 2014 and the crimes surfaced this month.In February 2014, on an unknown date, but around 2pm, he allegedly called the 16-year-old victim to his office."The accused person told the complainant that he wanted to pray for her. The girl knelt down and the bishop started praying while holding the complainant's head. He went further to fondle the complainant's breast and licked her ears without her consent," read the papers.However, in April 2014, a caregiver at the orphanage, Charity Nyarukokora (40) noticed a change of behaviour by the complainant and enquired if there was anything wrong.The complainant disclosed that she was being abused by the bishop.In April 2015, a 17-year-old victim with an artificial leg and a crippled right arm was also allegedly abused. The complainant, who is a Grade Seven pupil at St Faith Jairos Jiri, came back to the orphanage for holiday."She proceeded to the accused person's place of residence to show him her school progress report. Upon arrival, the accused person was present together with his wife. Moments later the bishop's wife went outside to attend to some visitors, leaving the complainant and the accused in the dining room. He then told the complainant that he wanted to pray for her. During the prayer session, he fondled the girl's breasts and inserted his hands into her skirt. He caressed her private parts without her consent," read the papers.He threatened the complainant with dismissal if ever she disclosed the incident to anyone. The girl allegedly went back to the orphanage and reported the matter to the caretaker, Elisha Nyamuzuwe, who did not believe the juvenile's story.In August 2015, he allegedly forced himself on the 16-year-old juvenile for the second time. He fondled the girl's breasts during a prayer session. The bishop allegedly pounced on the same girl again in November 2015 after she finished writing her Grade Seven examinations. He allegedly used the same modus operandi and abused the teenager under the guise of praying for her.In January 2016, at around 9am, the accused person told a caregiver at the orphanage, Nyarukokora that he wanted to do some counseling sessions with individual children including the 14-year-old complainant.He invited the complainant first into Rufaro Library. While inside the library, he told the complainant that he wanted to pray for her, but went on to abuse the girl by caressing her breasts.The girl reported the matter to a caregiver. At the same day at around 5pm she went to the Department of Child Welfare and Probation Services in Nyanga and reported the matter.The case was reported to the police last Friday leading to the bishop's arrest. News / International by Al Jazeera Professor Noam Chomsky, the U.S. academic, award-winning author and public intellectual, speaks with Al Jazeera English's Mehdi Hasan Says he would "absolutely" vote for Hillary Clinton over any Republican candidate, if he lived in a swing state Calls Bernie Sanders a "New Dealer", rather than a socialist, who "doesn't have much of a chance" Says there are "enormous differences" between the policies of the Democrats and the Republicans Dismisses "hysterical, slanderous" criticism from new atheist author Sam Harris and says the latter's rhetoric "looks like" Islamophobia.In an interview with Al Jazeera English's flagship current affairs show, UpFront, MIT emeritus professor Noam Chomsky said he would "absolutely" vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton over Republicans Ted Cruz or Donald Trump, if he lived in a swing state such as Ohio."Oh absolutely... My vote would be against the Republican candidate," said Chomsky, who lives in Massachusetts, a safe state for the Democrats.In the wide-ranging interview with Mehdi Hasan, Chomsky also drew a clear distinction between the Republican and Democratic party platforms, specially in a potential Clinton vs. Cruz contest."There are enormous differences," he explained. "Every Republican candidate is either a climate change denier or a skeptic who says we can't do it," adding: "What they are saying is, 'Let's destroy the world.' Is that worth voting against? Yeah."The MIT academic also referred to Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders not as a "socialist" but as "basically a new dealer", adding: "I agree with him in a lot of things, not in other things. I frankly think that in our system of mainly bought elections he doesn't have much of a chance, but if he were elected I think he would - of the current candidates - I think he'd be the one who would have, from my point of view, the best policies."One of Chomsky's biggest critics, neuroscientist and new atheist Sam Harris, recently said that, if forced to choose, he would vote for Ben Carson over Chomsky because Carson "understands that jihadists are the enemy.""I don't bother with Sam Harris," Chomsky told UpFront in response. "He specialises in hysterical, slanderous charges against people he doesn't like. That's of no interest to me.""Am I not concerned with jihadi terrorism? I'm much more concerned with it than he [Sam Harris] is," he added.Chomsky further accused Harris of inciting Islamophobia through his writing. "Harris, I assume, denies it," he said. "But when I read what he says, that's what it looks like.""The problem of Islamophobia is of course serious, just like the problem of anti-Semitism is serious," he added. "This is much worse, Islamophobia now."Watch and embed the nine-minute interview atUpFront, hosted by Mehdi Hasan, broadcasts on Fridays at 19.30 GMT/21.30SAST. For more information, visit http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/upfront/ or follow UpFront on Twitter @AJUpFront S mall business agony aunt Jo Malone explains the importance of waiting until your business is ready to grow. Dear Jo Can you tell me when would be the right time to introduce new lines in my range of healthy juices, particularly at the earlier stages of a brands life? Before you even think about new product ideas, have you taken time to establish your brand identity and existing product range first? Often so many new businesses think too far ahead, forgetting how important it is to build a strong foundation, understand the market place and create a compelling story, before being truly ready to grow. When I started out, I had six fragrances and straight away I understood that the product, price, positioning and PR had to work together and exceed the customers expectations. "Generally it is better to grow through distribution than range diversification." With only a very small pot of money, it was easier to support six products than stretch my resources across a bigger range. Doing it this way also helped me understand what my customers liked about the products which minimised the risk of new launches going forward. Even though you might decide to put new products on hold, never stop thinking of new ideas. I am just about to introduce a fragrance that I created four years ago but didnt feel ready to launch it until now. Sometimes, it pays to be patient and remember in business and in life, timing is everything! and Jo asks... Innocent Drinks co-founder Richard Reed: In FMCG businesses such as soft drinks you either grow by getting more places to stock your existing products or getting your existing stockists to sell more of the products you make. There are no hard and fast rules, but generally it is better to grow through distribution than range diversification so I would always advise on focusing on signing up more outlets first. The more products you make, the more complicated your business becomes. Look at Red Bull it built a business turning over 5 billion (3.8 billion) from one product, its original 250ml can. And only then did the company introduce a second product, Red Bull Light. In juices you are going to probably need a bit more variety than just one flavour, but a range of three distributed in 300 places is a stronger business than a range of 10 distributed in 30. To read more news about London-based entrepreneurs and to get their top tips on how to make a business a success, join the Evening Standard's small business community, Business Connections. O ne of Europes biggest market exchanges has warned it may be forced to relocate away from London if the UK leaves the EU. The owner of Bats Chi-X Europe, which accounts for around one third of FTSE 100 trading and a quarter of European trades, said an unfavourable business environment following a UK exit could force it out of the capital. The company has 58 staff in London and a small presence in Zurich. It declined to comment. The related costs and expenses could have a material adverse effect on our business, Bats Global Markets, the US owner of Bats Chi-X, warned in a stock market filing. A British exit from the EU a so-called Brexit is rising up the business agenda ahead of an expected referendum on the subject later this year. High street lender Metro Bank became the latest firm to join the growing chorus of voices raising concerns yesterday, warning of an adverse effect if Brexit occurs. The business said costs could rise and the flow of money and staff between the UK and the continent could be restricted. British Gas owner Centrica has also voiced scepticism about leaving, with boss Iain Conn saying it was beneficial to stay in the EU. M icrosoft is big on environmental sustainability and devotes weighty tomes to global citizenship and the like. So perhaps co-founder Paul Allen should have a read after his superyacht was blamed by the Cayman Islands Department of Environment for destroying 14,000 square feet of protected coral reef. The anchor chain of the billionaires 303-foot yacht Tatoosh apparently smashed about 80% of the coral in the West Bay area of the islands, the Department said. Embarrassingly, Allen lists ocean protection among his philanthropic ventures... Harleys' long life Mind-boggling stat from motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson: 70% of all the Harleys ever made are still running, according to company estimates. Which cant be good for future sales. Rothschild rethink on US tax bolt-holes Those discreet tax advisers at Rothschild will tell you they no longer put their clients cash into unsavoury tax havens such as Belize. In the current climate, such places are unacceptable, they sniff. Instead, theyve found another super-secretive tax state to send them to: the US. Hillary Clinton rages about American companies fleeing to Ireland but Bloomberg reports that, at a discreet industry gathering, the London-based Rothschild Trust managing director Andrew Penney planned to describe the benefits of sending clients to secret, zero-tax locales in Nevada and South Dakota. His PowerPoint presentation referred to the US being the biggest tax haven in the world and described Americas low appetite for enforcing other countries tax laws and the advantages of privacy offered by the US. The offending slides were removed before his presentation but Spy wonders if Google has considered ditching Ireland for Reno. What does Rothschild say of the missing slides? On reviewing the initial draft, these lines were not deemed to represent either Rothschilds or Mr Penneys view. They were therefore removed. Ah. Idea to build on at Chicks with Bricks Wise words from Crown Estate chief executive Alison Nimmo at the Chicks with Bricks networking event for women in property and construction: If you dont ask, the answer is always no. Meanwhile, at the other end of the evolutionary scale, Spy was cheered to see ex-trader Patrick OConnor fired from Aussie bank ANZ after making obscene and disparaging comments about women drop his legal action. The charmer walks away without a penny and with a hefty legal bill. P roperty developer Stanhope plans to build 5,000 rental homes in London, it announced while revealing the purchase of a West End student housing block. Stanhope, which is overhauling White Citys TV Centre, recently teamed up with housing association Network Housing Group to form a build-to-rent partnership. David Camp, the chief executive of Stanhope outlined the joint venture plans, which include developing 5,000 homes by 2021. He added that sites being looked at are in boroughs such as Haringey, Harrow and Brent. Network will manage the properties. Its executive development director Vicky Savage said: Given the shortage of housing and the high cost of buying, we see a long term need for well-managed, purpose built private rented accommodation in the capital. Separately, Stanhope has made its debut in the student housing market with the purchase of Grosvenor House in Drury Lane from Network. A deal at over 50 million is believed to have been agreed for the block which is let to the London School of Economics. M ortgage approvals unexpectedly jumped in December and consumer credit surged ahead but business lending has slumped, the latest Bank of England figures have shown. Its figures revealed lenders made 70,837 loans for house purchases over the month, up nearly 1% in November to the highest level since August and confounding economists expectations of a decline. The latest rise in loans, bolstered by record-low borrowing costs and falling unemployment, follows another year of solid price growth. London prices hit an all-time high of 514,097 last month, with the biggest increases in the suburbs. Although Nationwide signalled a slowdown in January, the government and BoE have increasingly been looking at measures to curb potential overheating in areas such as buy-to-let lending. The latest evidence of the UKs unbalanced shopping and houses-led recovery showed unsecured credit card debt, personal loans and overdrafts surging at the fastest annual rate since February 2006, up 8.6% on a year earlier. Business lending painted a different story, however as credit fell 3.7 billion in December, much worse than the average 300 million decline seen over the previous six months. Loans to small and medium-sized business also fell by 300 million. There was brighter news for the UKs manufacturers as they outshone European counterparts in the latest snapshot of the sectors performance by financial data firm Markit. UK manufacturing hit a three-month high (Picture: Getty Images) / Sean Gallup/Getty Images The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supplys activity index, where a score over 50 signals growth, hit a three-month high of 52.9 last month, up from 52.1 in December. The improvement came despite China-inspired uncertainty and, until recently, a much stronger pound, leaving the domestic market to spur growth. Cips chief executive David Noble said manufacturers have started the year in a positive, if slightly reserved fashion. On the Continent, trading was weak with slowing growth among German, Italian and Dutch firms and stagnation in France and Greece. Markit chief economist Chris Williamson said: The eurozones manufacturing economy missed a beat at the start of the year. A t a time when the average news cycle of a story has shrunk from days to hours, it is amazing that Googles controversial tax settlement lingers in the national conversation a full 10 days after George Osborne declared it a great victory. It lives on because of events. That sour feeling of being short-changed is fresh for the estimated one million people who dashed off their tax returns at the weekend. Tonight, the Google haters will be reloaded with ammunition when the search giant posts bumper fourth-quarter results and discloses that it has a sum close to 30 billion sloshing around offshore in Bermuda. The story also rolls on because it strikes at the heart of the business worlds biggest problem: public trust, or the lack of it. Even Sajid Javid, the Business Secretary, yesterday acknowledged the sense of injustice that small firms feel when they observe a multinational company perfectly legally shifting profits from country to country. And then there is the feeling that the Government moves heaven and earth for Google, Facebook and others, and the country gets precious little in return. Ministers are at it again today, with Javid doling out 20 million in research funding to eight projects that are working to make driverless cars a reality. Who would bet against Google, one of the leaders in this emerging technology, buying up one or more of them in a year or so? An irony not lost on finance directors or accountants is that while corporation tax has become a lightning rod for criticism of tax avoidance, it is no longer the best indicator of which firm is coughing up what. For a long time, corporation tax accounted for the largest slice of the business worlds contribution to Treasury coffers. A few years ago, it was overtaken by National Insurance and last year business rates pulled ahead too, according to the last figures from the 100 Group of largest UK businesses. One explanation for the switch is that the size of profits can be volatile, the size of workforces and property estates less so. Companies that have benefited from the falling corporation tax rate have often been stung in other areas, such as the new apprentice levy. "Those who fear wholesale tax changes worry they only mean the big guys get an even better deal." Lord Lawson may be correct when he says that corporation tax should be scrapped in favour of a tax on sales. It is true that companies which shift profits offshore with ease would find it harder to relocate the point of purchase. Such a plan should be closely examined by Angela Knight, the new boss of the Office of Tax Simplification. Her tenure should only be judged a success if she manages to cut at least in half Britains torturous 17,000-page tax code. Those who fear wholesale tax changes worry they only mean the big guys get an even better deal. But Google and friends could barely contribute less. The Chancellor is once again pushing multinationals for greater country-by-country disclosure but he could go further. Only at the Spending Review in November did he talk about creating one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world. Sadly, he was referring to giving every individual and small firm their own digital tax account and speeding up some payments such as capital gains tax due on the sale of residential property. If Britain wants to promote further the idea that it is a leading digital economy, its tax system should embrace the sort of disruption to the world order that Uber, Airbnb et al thrive on. If the world of business is about competition between blue-chip corporations, the world of tax is where nations go head to head. Let Britain be seen as the innovator: not cheap, but straightforward. There is no better way to encourage entrepreneurialism. Best practice vital amid City scheming Today marks a small but significant step in the 125-year history of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. It is adopting The Governance Institute as its strapline with a view to changing its trading name in the not too distant future, following on the heels of its Australian cousin. Its undeniably snappier, and a reminder that boardroom best practice is still a booming industry. Chief executive Simon Osborne hopes the rebrand will help arrest a decline in membership. Those company secretaries the organisation trains have it all to do to keep the peace and not just at Sky, where James Murdochs return as chairman pays scant attention to the rulebook, or British American Tobacco, where the cigars are on boss Nicandro Durante if his hefty new pay package is approved. T he reluctance of governments to pursue crooked corporations through criminal trials has led to a flourishing of out-of-court deals where companies can buy off the justice system with cash. In the US, theyve become a mainstay of the economy, extracting billions of dollars from banks like HSBC and Standard Chartered. These deals arent just a revenue raiser, though. In many cases, US officials also install monitors into the offending organisations to ensure the bad behaviour ends. Get a fail from the monitor, and you pay more fines, as Standard Chartered found to its $300 million (209.9 million) cost. Monitors are hated and feared in equal measure in the banks they roam through. But theres one good thing about them from the banks perspective: as part of the deal, their progress reports are kept secret, giving the offending banks breathing space to fix their procedures behind closed doors. Until now. In a bombshell ruling, a US judge has agreed that, in the case of HSBC, the American public has a First Amendment right to see what its monitors are saying. Now, even if youre sceptical of out-of-court settlements, this sudden U-turn simply cant be fair. HSBC paid $1.9 billion to the US, thinking it had done a deal. The judiciary shouldnt then be able to rip up a substantial part of their end. Can HSBC now renege on its side, too, and demand its money back or kick out its monitors? Of course not. Other corporations looking to strike deals with the US justice system beware. It cant be trusted. News / Local by Stephen Jakes Harare Residents Trust is saying the motorists in the city might be ripped of their hard earned cash by unscrupulous rank marshals through the Easipark facility."Motorists parking their vehicles on Harare's streets are possibly being ripped off their money in a well orchestrated scam involving former rank marshals and street marshals from EasiPark," said the trust."Case Study: A car was parked outside the Passport Office along Herbert Chitepo Avenue on 15 January 2016 at 1015hrs. The Driver could not find any EasiPark official around, and asked some marshals outside the Passport Office to look after the car, while the driver attended a funeral service at Nyaradzo Funeral Service Parlour."The trust said on her return, the Driver went into her car, and as she was about to drive off, the same rank marshal seen earlier, came and told her that he had paid a dollar to the EasiPark for her because there was clamping going on around the area."The driver witnessed the EasiPark marshal nearby who was busy clamping other vehicles parked along Chitepo Avenue which did not have parking tickets. She obliged and gave the unofficial rank marshal a dollar and went her way. But when she got home, she got curious, and took the ticket on the windscreen and it indicated that it was an Offline Payment Ticket which indicated $0.00 amount, raising questions of how this could happen when she had paid a dollar for her parking," said the trust."But most worrying is the manipulation of the information on the ticket. The ticket is written that the parking was at 42 Harare Street, Slot 25, Marshal is identified as run run with vat number 10054788. How does it work that parking in Hebert Chitepo translates into Harare Street? Something big is ongoing in the ticketing system of EasiPark, and it must be stopped fast."The trust said on further investigation, the EasiPark officers explained that tickets written offline were suspect."Most of the time the ticketing machines are online, and should be online to record vehicles parking. It might happen that the EasiPark official might fail to see the driver, but having recorded the vehicle entering the parking bay. So in this case, if the vehicle owner leaves without paying, they will find they owe EasiPark a dollar for unpaid parking previously recorded, Harare residents Trust said."However, the Offline Payment Ticket does not leave the vehicle owner with any arrears with EasiPark. The question now is, what is the connection taking place between the EasiPark officials and the rank marshals, who apparently have no official responsibility to ticket cars parking. They also do not have the ticketing machines from which to generate parking tickets, online, or offline."Ther trust said the unofficial car park officers may have a machine of their own and making money from unsuspecting motorists or they are working together with the Easi Park officers to earn a living."The HRT keeps digging. Motorists are advised to check if the tickets issued have correct details before they drive off," said the trust. W hen it comes to mobile phone companies, three is most certainly not a crowd. Ofcoms excellent submission to the Brussels regulators recommending a resounding Non to the takeover of O2 by Three makes that abundantly clear. As watchdog-in-chief, Sharon White, says today, countries with four mobile operators enjoy prices between 10% and 20% lower than those with only three. Not only does the reduction in competition give the mobile companies more power directly against their customers, but it also weakens the ability of the High Street retailers to play firms off against each other to get a better deal for the public. And what about the companies claim they have to merge to invest in improving the networks? Nonsense, responds White: the present quartet already enjoy margins above 12% despite investing billions rolling out 4G. Competition, not consolidation, has driven investment, she says. Quite right. Perhaps she should use that thought when considering breaking up the BT-Openreach monopoly. S hareholders of Aveva are still licking their wounds after its 1.3 billion deal with Frances Schneider Electric hit the buffers in December. The reverse takeover, which would have seen the engineering software firm ensnare Schneiders industrial software unit in turn for a majority stake in the FTSE 250 business, fell through, sparking a stampede for the exit from investors who were hoping it would cut the groups exposure to the volatile oil and gas sector. But it might not be long before another suitor emerges, with speculation Germanys Siemens would be interested. Broker Jefferies is certainly a believer, especially after Siemens spending spree during which it snapped up US oilfield equipment-maker Dresser-Rand for $7.6 billion (5.3 billion). It said: We remain of the view that Siemens would be well-served by acquiring Aveva. Shares slipped 14p to 1317p as Jefferies trimmed its target price to 1830p. The FTSE 100 began the week on the back foot, down 27.39 at 6056.40 as Chinas poor run of manufacturing data continued. Optimism that a deal can be agreed by Home Retail Group and suitor Sainsburys before tomorrows 5pm deadline helped the Argos owner up 1.54p to 138.24p, although the supermarket giant slid 0.1p to 245p. Hedge fund Immersion Capital covered its entire short position last week in anticipation of an agreement. Fresh from Morgan Stanleys downgrade to underweight, UBS took another bite out of Just Eat 8.4p cheaper at 365p beginning its coverage of the online takeaway delivery firm with a Sell. The broker warned that public perception is not strong enough to withstand competitive threats, naming Deliveroo as one. Catching up: Deliveroo (Picture; Deliveroo) / Deliveroo Premier Oil rocketed 24p or 126% to 43p as it resumed trading after its $135 million takeover of E.ONs North Sea assets. On AIM, Keywords Studios, which tests video games such as Guitar Hero, hit the right note with investors, rising 13p to 217p with annual profits comfortably ahead of analyst expectations. Online ad firm Crossrider, 73%-owned by Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi, warned profits for 2016 would be lower than expected triggering a 13.5p or 25% slump to 40p, exacerbated by the departure of chief executive and co-founder Koby Menachemi. Shareholders of Lakehouse suffered a similar fate as the energy services firm plummeted 48p or 57% to 36p when just three months into its financial year, it warned annual profits would be lower than the previous year. E arly one September morning last year, Sadiq Khan was giving his first interview since his selection as Labours mayoral candidate. As he leant against the railings running alongside the Thames for photographs, we discussed the probability of Jeremy Corbyn becoming Labour leader. Khan was cautious and said he would work with whoever won. Several hours later he was at Westminster for the result. I watched as Corbyn told him: Sadiq, were going to be campaigning together. Khans face was inscrutable. Since then he has used every opportunity to put clear water between himself and his new boss. Labour insiders claim Corbyn and McDonnell gave him their blessing to do this during a rather tense meeting. Whether they expected him to use enough water to fill the Thames is unclear. There will come a point when he is forced to row back or look disloyal. The Tories were quick to recognise that Corbyn would be Khans biggest liability. While he has galvanised Labour support in the capital, they are people who would vote for Khan anyway. But for thousands of wavering voters its a different story. Boris Johnson beat Ken Livingstone by just 62,000 votes out of 2.2 million cast. Every vote really does count. Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith has wasted no time reminding Londoners that Khan nominated Corbyn and that the unions funded his rivals campaign and has recruited the big guns with David Cameron warning Londoners they would be lab rats for the Corbyn experiment should Khan win. Despite this, the race is currently Khans to lose. He is well ahead in the polls, having increased his lead. For the past three years he has been working towards this: campaigning energetically across the capital, announcing some policy, motivating activists. He has a great back story (his dad was a bus driver, if you hadnt heard). That he is a modern Muslim in an increasingly diverse city should be an advantage. It is no surprise that he has built up momentum. By comparison, Goldsmith is only just out of the traps. He has had much less time to air his policy platform. Interest groups ranging from business to the arts and media complain he has, until recently, been virtually invisible. When he was seen he seemed diffident. But dont write him off just yet. Many people assume London is a Labour city. Across Zone 1 and Zone 2, thats probably true. Londonwide it has 45 of 73 MPs in the capital. But as Tory election guru Lynton Crosby who helped Boris to two City Hall victories quickly identified, there are millions of suburban Londoners who until fairly recently identified with Kent or Essex rather than the metropolis. The doughnut strategy helped get them to the ballot box for Boris. It will be deployed again. Crosbys team (though not the man himself yet) are running Goldsmiths campaign. It is professional, experienced and will have lots of money. The Tories cant match Labours activist army but they can beat them with leaflets and online ads. For every Government policy that hits the capital over the next few months, Goldsmith will be handed a get-out clause by ministers that will allow him to argue that he can get the best deal for London. The age demographic also works in the Tories favour. Khan may win the support of young voters but will they turn out on the day? Goldsmiths lead among older voters is more reliable. The posh jibes about his wealthy background have limited traction. Londoners voted for Eton-educated Boris, after all. Goldsmith admits he has been dealt a lucky hand in life but insists that makes him even more determined to use it for good. His environmentalism and anti-Heathrow third runway stance could split the Green second preference vote; his Euroscepticism could win voters from Ukip; his record in his Richmond constituency shows he can pull in the Lib- Dems. While he lacks Boriss flair and Khans punch, Goldsmith comes across as principled, independent-minded and authentic. The Tories are also keenly aware of Goldsmiths biggest asset: Boris Johnson. The Mayor is to be deployed at dozens of campaign events and is name-checked at every opportunity. Goldsmith hopes some of the Boris stardust sticks. The Mayors popularity beyond his partys core won him his mayoralty. The Tory candidate needs to replicate this if he is to stand a chance. By contrast Khan will be keeping his distance from his Labour predecessor. His team says they have no plans to involve Ken in the campaign. 'Its up to the hopefuls especially Khan and Goldsmith not just to tell London what they want to do but to show us how they can' The mayoral race will always be part personality contest. But in this election, without the big names of the past, policy will be more of a factor than ever. The EU referendum casts its long shadow and will be one of the key differences between the frontrunners: Khan is extremely pro, Goldsmith an avowed sceptic. In 2008 crime dominated the policy debate; four years ago it was transport. This time around it is housing. House prices have soared and one in four renters spends more than half their monthly earnings just keeping a roof over their heads. All the candidates including Green Sian Berry, Lib-Dem Caroline Pidgeon, Ukips Peter Whittle and Respects George Galloway will be battling it out to prove they alone can deliver. But its all very well saying we need to build more houses. Londoners are sceptical about over-optimistic pledges. The Treasury holds the purse strings; its current occupant has his eye on the North. Nobody could seriously argue that Ken or Boris didnt want to build more homes, they just found it wasnt possible. The mayoral land all the candidates seem to have such great hopes for, which apparently has the capacity for 50,000 homes? Boris managed just 6,032 in four years. The problem Londoners face is that, mud-slinging aside, the main candidates are soft and electable: as things stand on policy theres little to choose between them. So now its up to us to establish those differences. And its up to the hopefuls especially Khan and Goldsmith not just to tell London what they want to do but to show us how they can. All the mayoral candidates will be at the Standards hustings on Wednesday, standard.co.uk/hustingsevent F Scott Fitzgerald once said that the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. By this measure, the late, great American novelist might well have considered the people in charge of Silicon Valleys tech companies to be blessed with truly first-rate intellects. After all, Californian tech entrepreneurs are almost universally progressive, championing important issues such as gay rights and environmental protection. But on the other hand, as the recent debate over Googles tax payments (like Facebook and others before them) shows, these same business leaders arent quite so progressive when it comes to paying taxes, and use complex offshore structures to try to keep their tax bills down. How can we explain the coexistence of these two seemingly opposing ideas? For starters, lets be clear: most people dont enjoy paying tax, whether theyre progressive or not. You only have to look at the list of politicians who call for higher taxes, only to be caught using clever tricks to reduce their own bills. But when it comes to Silicon Valley companies, theres something else going on beyond the usual reluctance to hand over hard-earned cash. You see, many of these global businesses had to overcome government regulations and obstacles in order to succeed. Uber is an obvious example, with its battle to beat unfair taxi rules in cities such as Berlin and Brussels. The same is true of Airbnb, which fought against laws protecting the hotel industry from competition. Its easy to forget now, but Google was mired in skirmishes about copyright law for much of its early life. In most of these cases, the tech insurgents prevailed often against politicians and bureaucrats who saw their job as protecting the incumbents, and preventing new innovations from disrupting the established order. This experience has bred a sense among many US tech companies that governments are a problem to overcome and a roadblock to success. This combative attitude often serves these businesses well it means theyre willing to take huge risks in fighting outdated or unfair laws and put themselves in perilous legal grey areas to move their business forward. But as weve seen in recent days, its a mistake to apply this logic to areas such as taxation, which simply cant (and shouldnt) be disrupted in the same way as, say, illogical Paris taxi regulations. 'This combative attitude often serves businesses well it means theyre willing to take huge risks' Later this year we may well see another showdown between technology companies and governments, this time over surveillance, where intelligence agencies are claiming that the encryption being proposed by Apple, Facebook and others will hamper the battle against terrorism. You can be sure that governments will fight back on this, much like the Chancellor is rightly doing over tax, where hes forcing global businesses to pay more than ever before. Appropriately for a confrontation involving digital companies, the showdown between the tech giants and governments over taxes and surveillance is binary: for someone to win, someone else has to lose. The outcome of this face-off will have profound consequences for the world we live in. The battle lines are drawn. Whose side are you on? T he Roaring Twenties didnt just happen in the States. In the UK, the music that gave the Jazz Age its name found its way into the lives of Londons middle classes through gramophones, musical halls and radios. Today, there are a few places in the city where you can relive the glamour of the 20s and 30s, in self-consciously prohibition-style bars or in the cinemas and hotels that have remained unchanged for decades. Cinema The Ritzy Cinema in Brixton has had a varied operational life, reflecting the changing mood of the times. It was one of Londons first cinemas, and was fitted with an organ when it first opened in 1911. In the 1970s, the Ritzy fell into disrepair before becoming a notable enclave of left-wing and independent cinema in the 1980s. In more recent years it has been dramatically restored to its original condition. Other survivors from before WWI include the Electric Cinema on Portobello Road (1910) and the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley (1910). The Electric stands out for the grandeur of the decor, and the comfort of the auditorium. Cinema-goers are treated to leather arm chairs, blankets and red velvet front row beds. Bars London has experienced a surge in the number of so-called prohibition bars or speakeasies in recent years. The Evans & Peel Detective Agency, Happiness Forgets and Milk and Honey are just a few of these new bars that aim to convey the feel of the Gatsby era through vintage dress codes, live jazz music and cocktails. For a more historical art deco experience, the American Bar at the Savoy and bars at Claridges Hotel are amongst some of the best-known drinking dens that capture the mood of the times. But if youre after a full immersion experience, there are a few organisations running 1920s themed evenings such as Prohibition and the Candlelight Club, which hosts monthly cocktail events, all lit by candlelight. How to recreate The Great Gatsby in modern-day London 1 /13 How to recreate The Great Gatsby in modern-day London dance class at claridges.jpg The bee's knees: learn to dance, Gatsby-style, at Claridge's AN17163408CAREY-MULLIGAN-as.jpg Silver screen: Leonardo di Caprio and Carey Mulligan in Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby DUKES-Bar-with-Bar-Manager-.jpg The Perfect Martini: Dukes Bar with bar manager Alessandro Palazzi nightjar.jpg Speak easy: Nightjar is perfect for a prohibition-style subterranean rendezvous The Oval Restaurant at the Wellesley.jpg Dining design: The Oval Restaurant at The Wellesley hotel taylor taylor.jpg Chic chignon: vintage hair specialists Taylor Taylor can make you look the part geo f trumper.jpg Look sharp: the interior of Geo F Trumper, traditional barber penhaligons Eau de Cologne 100ml.JPG A whiff of the past: Penhaligons Eau de Cologne Eltham Palace.jpg Art Deco heaven: Eltham Palace is one the finest original examples of Art Deco interiors in the whole country gatsby.jpg Song and dance: The Great Gatsby Musical at Riverside Studios Architecture London has retained much of its art deco grandeur, from the towering blocks of flats in St Johns Wood, to Tube stations, shops and offices. Ideal House near Oxford Circus and the Arcadia Works near Mornington Crescent, show the strong influence of the architecture of Ancient Egypt on the construction of large buildings in the 20s and 30s. Taking its inspiration from the much larger American Radiator Building in Manhattan, Ideal House is a bizarre looking building positioned near Liberty in Londons West End. It was constructed from blocks of polished black granite, and completed with an Egyptian-style enamel frieze, giving it a striking black and gold appearance. Also notable is the Hoover Building in Perivale, Transport for Londons HQ at 55 Broadway (St James) and Southgate Station. Colour footage of London in 1926 In his final stop on a cross-country travelogue around the UK, Clause Freise-Green captured every day life in the city at a time when cars and buses were commonplace, but so was the horse and cart. This footage was uploaded by the BFI in 2013 and quickly went viral, with Stephen Fry and Kevin Spacey among the many admirers. Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout C hef Ruth Rogers is facing a revolt by Mayfair residents over her plans to open a sister restaurant to her Michelin-starred River Cafe. Locals in the quiet street where she hopes to launch her Italian restaurant next year fear it will bring late-night noise and disruption to a special enclave that includes two sheltered housing blocks. Lady Rogers has said it was love at first sight when she saw the location. It will be her first opening since launching the River Cafe in Hammersmith in 1987 with late business partner Rose Gray. But meetings between residents and the Duke of Westminsters property company Grosvenor failed to settle a dispute over the impact of the restaurant on Grosvenor Hill. Artists impressions of the plans show a large glass structure with an open kitchen on the ground floor. A full application with Westminster council is expected later this year. There are also concerns about Grosvenors plans to convert one of a row of listed garages on nearby Bourdon Street into a retail unit. A letter from resident Clive Jones to Grosvenors Mayfair chief Haydn Cooper said locals are deeply worried and upset at the negative impact of a large seven-day-a-week restaurant, close to where their bedrooms are, and of developing retail operations. The letter adds: It grieves me to say it, but it does seem Grosvenor have not been at all mindful of the fact our residential community...includes a number of disabled and vulnerable people living in our two sheltered housing blocks. Mr Cooper said in reply that the meetings and letters have clearly conveyed to us the weight of local feeling towards the proposals. Our job...is to balance the needs of those living in, working in and visiting this mixed-use estate. Residents have rejected proposed concessions, including the installation of double glazing in the sheltered housing flats and restricting last orders. Local Westminster councillors said they were also opposed to the scheme. Craig McWilliam, executive director of London estate at Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, said: We are listening carefully to residents. Through consultation with them and other stakeholders we are working to find the right way forward. Lady Rogers was not available for comment. Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout Y our mental state may still be centred around the practice of mindfulness, but theres a new psychotherapy craze thats about to sweep London - and, thankfully, it comes a whole lot cheaper than a string of therapy sessions. The practice of gratitude or thankfulness promises to combat depression, increasing wellbeing and happiness, while opening our eyes to all the positive factors that are already around us. Heres everything you need to know... What is gratitude therapy? To put it simply: gratitude is an emotion expressing appreciation for what you have - as opposed to a consumer-driven emphasis on what you want. The therapy is the act of thoughtfully reflecting on the aspects of life that bring great joy, causing feelings of gratefulness, rather than the insatiable longing of whats just out of reach. By practicing awareness of the positive things in life, we fight off the brains natural tendency to scan for and spot the negatives. The practice is getting a great deal of attention as a facet of positive psychology: Studies show that we can deliberately cultivate gratitude, and can increase our well-being and happiness by doing so. In addition, gratefulness - and especially expression of it to others - is associated with increased energy, optimism, and empathy. Best books on mindfulness 1 /14 Best books on mindfulness Find your inner peace with our pick of the best mindfulness and meditation books... Mindfulness: a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world This bestseller will get you in the right frame of mind for 2016. Based on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) a successful form of brief meditation this book's success relies on the way in which authors Mark Williams and Danny Penman optimistically focus on adding joy to your life as opposed to ridding it of unhappiness. 10.50, Amazon, Buy it now Anti-Stress Dot-to-Dot Always thought that dot-to-dots were an activity for children? Apprently you're wrong be wrong the pictures in this book, featuring elegant buildings and nature scenes, will relax and focus your mind in a way you never thought a dot-to-dot book could. 5, Amazon, Buy it now I Am Here Now This will help enhance both your observation and creativity; with an audio track (featuring musings from mindfulness teacher Tara Brach) and a field notes page for recording purposes, I Am Here Now will enable your thoughts and emotions to take on a new lease of life. 7, Amazon, Buy it now The Mindful Workplace What better time to deploy the theories of mindfulness than at work? This book, filled with Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) techniques, provides an eight-week training course to keep your workplace attitude at its peak. 30.50, Amazon, Buy it now Get some headspace This book from Andy Puddicombe, founder of popular digital health platform Headspace, attempts to get people to take ten minutes out of their day for meditation purposes. Once the technique's been learned, these skills will stay with you for the rest of your life. 10, Amazon, Buy it now The Mindfulness Colouring Book Much like the dot-to-dot book above, this pocket-sized adult colouring book is the perfect activity for a 10-minute breather. Consider your stress and anxiety soothed. 4, Amazon, Buy it now The Little Book of Mindfulness In this day and age, it's more important to be in the moment than ever this book will help you with that. From Dr Patrizia Collard, these brief practices will rid your day of stress and have you feeling more optimistic. 4, Amazon, Buy it now Body Calm The saying mind over matter derives from the idea that our minds have the power to control our bodies if we really want them to. Equally, mental stress can have a damaging effect on our bodies. Newbigging teaches us a new self-healing meditation technique to help keep our bodies healthy and to understand the source of common stress and anxiety triggers. 11, Amazon, Buy it now The Power of Now The Power of Now has become one of the most famous mindfulness books out there. Helping us to tap into our innermost Being, Tolle guides us through various techniques to help us understand that the present moment is all that really matters. 8, Amazon, Buy it now A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled An ambassador for mental health awareness, Ruby Wax OBE has helped to make mindfulness accessible to all. Having suffered from depression herself, in this book she explores how modern living is causing us more stress and anxiety than ever as we know and see too much. Included are mindfulness exercises and tips for everyone from babies to adults; all with sound underlying scientific reasoning. 4, Amazon, Buy it now What are the benefits? Research in positive psychology indicates that those who practice gratitude have lower self-reported levels of depression and stress, and they're more satisfied with their social relationships. Studies also show that daily gratitude can improve sleep, increases energy levels and can decrease blood pressure. Who is a fan of gratitude therapy? Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber are jsut a handful of celebrities that are fans of the practice, using social media to reflect on how #blessed and #grateful they are. How can I practice it? The easiest way to jump on board with the trend is to keep a daily gratitude journal. Research by UC Davis psychologist Robert Emmons, author of Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, shows that simply keeping a gratitude journal - regularly writing brief reflections on moments for which were thankful - can significantly increase well-being and life satisfaction. For those who arent keen on putting pen to paper, the Gratitude app is a smartphone version of a list journal that allows you to write down five things per day that youre thankful for - whether thats as simple as picking up your morning coffee or as life-changing as your wedding day. Automatic reminders will prompt you to check-in every day, making five minutes of reflective journaling a daily habit. There are also a number of books on the subject that can help you to hone the practice - Janice Kaplans year of living gratefully, The Gratitude Diaries, is an inspiring memoir that highlights the numerous benefits of the self-help therapy. Rhonda Byrnes The Secret Gratitude Book is also a must for those ready to take positive steps forward to make the big and little changes in their lives - from learning to accept Central Line delays to finding beauty in some of the most crowded spots of London. But if you're the type of person that would like to nose around someone else's journal for inspiration, The Happiness Project One-Sentence Journal: A Five-Year Record, by Gretchen Rubin is a brilliant example of how a year of journalling can positively impact on your thought patterns. Follow us on Twitter: @eslifeandstyle P eter Grundberg is enthusiastically tucking into locally-picked blueberries, muesli and yoghurt at a table laid up for breakfast at Brody House, the derelict-boutique hotel in the Palace Quarter of Pest he founded with his business partner William Clothier in 2009. He still treats the place like home, chatting to guests, which isnt surprising since the pair originally lived here, hosting arty salons and raves before doing it up and turning it into one of Budapests coolest places to stay. When you first set foot inside the entrance of the late-19th-century former doctors residence with its magnificent marble columns, stuccoed plaster walls blown and crumbling in places and ornate iron-balustraded staircase, you could be forgiven for thinking youd got the wrong address. Theres no lift and little signage, and the hotel itself is on the second floor. Spread over two storeys are 11 bedrooms, the grander ones around a central courtyard, and three sitting rooms, one of which has a well-stocked bar (with a help-yourself policy and honesty tab). The rooms are grand, with high ceilings, beautifully refurbished in reclaimed materials; the walls are a mix of new paint and exposed plasterwork, with woodwork artfully sanded in places to reveal just a hint of the layers beneath. The furniture ranges from upcycled skip finds to pieces designed by the in-house team: a chair has been turned into a chandelier, a tangle of old metal gas pipes has been welded together to make a bespoke radiator. Walls are covered in photographs and pictures, while unusual objects and furniture lurk in every corner; all of it is for sale. Bedrooms mine was the spacious Etienne room are mercifully gadget-free. No TV, no Nespresso machine, no mini bar, not even a telephone, although the wi-fi is excellent and the bed comfortable. Between 8pm and 8am the hotel is unstaffed (you enter from the street using a buzzer system) but when I got up at 7.30am I was able to pour myself a cup of tea in the sitting room and take it back to bed, which felt luxurious and homely. Seasonal fruit, yoghurt, grains and croissants, cheese, salami or the full English are all on offer for breakfast. Brody House has come a long way, and Grundberg and Clothier clearly want to push it as a brand in the mould of Soho House. Two years ago they opened Brody Studios, a private members club, which was an instant hit with the film folk who flock to Budapest. As a European film location its right up there, since swaths of the city remain virtually untouched since the war. There is also the Brody Artyard gallery and Brody Apartments for longer stays, with Brody Villa opening in Buda for group stays later this year. They are also renovating Kincsem Palace, a beautiful fin de siecle wreck named after a famous racehorse that won so much money for its owner that a building was named after the horse. It should be open for business in 2017. Theres plenty to see and do in Pest the oldest part of the city, as opposed to Buda over the bridge and its easy to navigate, whether walking, jumping on and off trams or taking the metro. My highlights included popping into the Lotz Paris multi-storey Art Deco bookshop at 39 Andrassy Avenue and having a coffee in Lotz Karolys magnificent gilded and muralled Gothic ballroom at the back. Then calling into the Robert Capa Center (00 36 1 413 1310; capacenter.hu) to see an exhibition of his colour photographs before poking my nose into the reception of the newly restored Franz Liszt Academy of Music (00 36 1 462 4600; zeneakademia.hu). Conveniently, it is just around the corner from Menza (menzaetterem.hu), a Seventies retro vibe restaurant with furnishings in orange, green or brown. Other great moments were a mini splurge at the Kollazs restaurant in the Art Deco Gresham Palace Four Seasons (00 36 1 268 6000; fourseasons.com/budapest), where we wolfed down a plate of rich, sweet foie gras, toasted brioche and tart rhubarb compote with a glass of the local Hungarian fizz Kreinbacher brut (do have a wander around the magnificent lead glass vaulted reception on your way in) and lunch at Kiosk (00 36 70 311 19 69; kiosk-budapest.com), one of a growing number of luxury ruin bars and restaurants. No visit to the city is complete without a trip to one of the famous thermal spas; I visited three in three days and would recommend the Szechenyi baths (00 36 1 363 3210; szechenyibath.hu), which has dozens of heated pools, indoors and out. Design junkies will love its changing rooms, with their black-and-white tiled floors and thickly painted mint green painted doors. Brody House, Brody Sandor utca 10, Budapest, Hungary (00 36 1 266 1211; brodyhouse.com). Original Travel (020 3582 4990; originaltravel.co.uk) offers three nights B&B at Brody House from 360 per person including flights and transfers. A n armed robber who carried out a string of raids on betting shops and banks while threatening terrified staff with an imitation pistol has been jailed for 10 years. Daley Doma, 32, of Southbridge Place, Croydon, bagged more than 5,000 during a month-long south east London crime spree last year. According to police, Doma often would loiter in the places he wanted to rob before pointing an imitation black semi-automatic gun at the cashiers and demanding cash. Venues which were targeted across Lewisham, Greenwich and Bromley boroughs included four different branches of bookmaker Coral and two separate raids within half an hour of each other on August 11. Investigating officer Detective Constable Shona Wilkinson of the Met's Flying Squad, said: His robberies were aggressive and he didn't hesitate to threaten the terrified staff. At the HSBC Bank in Deptford he held an employee at gunpoint and demanded cash from his colleagues." Daley Doma / Met Police Doma was traced by detectives to Deptford High Street within hours of CCTV footage being released of him on September 3 last year. After admitting nine robberies, three attempted robberies and 12 counts of possessing an imitation firearm, he was jailed for 10 years at Snarebrook Crown Court on January 29. DC Wilkinson said afterwards: This sentence is a coup for bookmakers and banks in the area. Doma used an imitation gun during his raids / Met Police While we have established that Doma was using an imitation firearm, the reality is that many of those who were threatened by Doma or witnessed the robberies have been left shaken and fearful for their lives. Today, those people can be reassured that Doma is in prison and out of their community." A British mother who took her toddler son to Syria and joined Islamic State has been jailed for six years. Tareena Shakil posed her little boy for pictures wearing an IS-branded balaclava after she ran away to the self-declared caliphate in October 2014. After a two-week trial at Birmingham crown court Shakil, 26, a former college student, was convicted on Friday of being a member of IS and encouraging acts of terror in Twitter posts made before she travelled. Sentencing, Judge Melbourne Inman said: You embraced Isis, you sent messages on the day of your arrival in Syria that you were not coming back and by October 28 you were sending a message to your brother-in-law that it was part of your faith to kill the murtadeen (apostates) and on December 9 you told your father you wanted to die a martyr. The Recorder of Birmingham added: You were well aware that the future which you had subjected your son to was very likely to be indoctrination and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter. The judge told Shakil that it was clear she had been radicalised following online conversations with prominent members of the terrorist group. The judge described Shakils decision to involve her son, who was 14 months old at the time of travel, as a serious aggravating factor. He said: Most alarming, however, is the fact that you took your son and how he was used. "The most abhorrent photographs, however, were those taken of your son wearing a balaclava with an Isis logo and specifically the photograph of your son, no more than a toddler, standing next to an AK47 under a title which, translated from the Arabic, means father of the British jihad. Shakil had also encouraged other women to join her in Raqqa, Islamic States de facto capital. The judge said: Your role as a woman in Isis was different to that of a man but you embraced it and were willing to support those in Raqqa and potentially those outside to come and play their role in providing fighters of the future and were willing shamelessly to allow your son to be photographed in terms that could only be taken as a fighter of the future. Shakil, of Birmingham, told the jury she escaped after realising she had made a mistake. She was jailed for four years for membership and two years for encouraging acts of terror. News / Local by Stephen Jakes Former Zanu PF Mashonaland West chairman Temba Mliswa has been blocked from distributing maize seeds to his supporters in the area.This was revealed by the Zimbabwe Peace Project which said on 1 December 2015 former MP for Hurungwe West, Temba Mliswa was prohibited from distributing maize seed to his supporters at Karereshi in Ward 16 by members of the police from the Law and Order section."He was informed that a charge was going to be levelled against him under POSA if he continued with the distribution. It is alleged that the former MP had been cleared by the police, but they followed him to the scene of the distribution and stopped the process," said ZPP. "At Karambazungu he continued with his distribution of 2kg of maize seed without altercations. Over 500 supporters thronged the venue. Mliswa confirmed to ZPP that he indeed was being prohibited from distributing food and inputs in his former constituency. Police details ensure that he does not distribute any aid within the constituency, Mliswa said."ZPP said it is reported that Zanu-PF coordinators were said to have told people at Wezheri Business Centre in Ward 11 to pay US$3.50 per bag as transport fares for carrying fertiliser."It is reported that the people complained that they could not afford the required monies," reported ZPP. A south London teenager who arranged for 50kg of drugs cutting agents to be imported into the UK has been jailed. Cornai Scott, 18, of Evelyn Street, Deptford, was sentenced to five years and four months at Croydon Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to two counts of assisting in the commission of the supply of Class A drugs. He also admitted to possession of Class A and B drugs, possession of a bladed article and offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Scotland Yard said Scott arranged 50kg of the cutting agents, benzocaine and phenacetin, to be imported into the UK which could have contributed to producing drugs with a street value of 1.6 million. He was arrested and charged for offences dating back to July 2014. On July 31, 28.2kg of benzocaine was intercepted by UK border officials addressed to a house in Lewisham Hill, where Scotts relatives lived. In May last year he was stopped by police in Hampshire and was found to be in possession of 37.9 grams of phenacetin. He was also in possession of scales containing traces of cocaine, MDMA and benzocaine as well as cannabis, a knife, 3,000 cash and a handwritten list of chemicals. In July, Croydon Crime Squad and the National Crime Agency began an investigation into the importation and distribution of cutting agents. Last September, Scott was arrested at home. A search carried out recovered found handwritten pages about drug research and bank statements showing payments to a Chinese company involved in the shipment of cutting agents In November, border officials detained a shipment addressed to Scott at Coventry International Airport. The package was labelled as Health Products but was identified as 24kg of benzocaine after a test. Detective Constable Billy Clough of Croydon Crime Squad said; "As a result of a thorough and detailed investigation over a six month period conducted by officers from Croydon Crime squad working in conjunction with National Crime Agency and UKBA partners, Scott's involvement in the supply of drugs and agents to adulterate them was revealed. "This resulted in the seizure of cutting agents that had no other purpose than to illicitly cut class 'A' drugs and would have been sufficient to result in the supply of over 1million of class 'A' drugs. "The sentence of over five years given to Scott should act as a deterrent to others who become involved in these criminal activities, and shows the Metropolitan Police Service will pursue, charge and convict all those involved in such illegal activities." A man thwarted a would-be thief's attempt to steal his bike after he was attacked on a train in London. British Transport Police said the attempted robbery took place on a train travelling between Liverpool Street and Enfield on Wednesday, December 30. As the train waited at London Fields station at around 4.20pm, the victim was pushed when a man attempted to grab his bike from the doorway area. Police today released CCTV images of a man they would like to speak to. Detective Constable Paul Cudby said: As they tussled, the victim was pushed backwards and the would-be thief abandoned his attempt to steal the bike. Fortunately, the victim of this attempted robbery was not injured and managed to hang on to his bike, but efforts to find the person responsible have so far proved unsuccessful. The man in the images is someone who I think can help us with our investigation. Who is he? Anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, or text 61016, quoting reference 213 of 1/2/16 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 S cotland Yard has launched a murder investigation tonight after the death of a 27-year-old man who was found stabbed in an east London park. Police and paramedics were called to Plaistow Park, Plaistow at 1.18pm on Friday to reports of a man suffering a stab injury. The man was taken to an east London hospital where he died on Monday at 1.15am. The 27-year-old has not been formally identified but his next of kin have been informed. A post-mortem examination is due to take place on Tuesday at East Ham mortuary. Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, of the homicide and major crime command, said: I am appealing for anyone who was in the vicinity of Plaistow Park on the afternoon of January 29 and saw a fight involving two black males. During this fight the victim received injuries which have since proven to be fatal. The suspect then ran from the park into Hollybush Street. If you saw anything, please contact police." A 16-year-old boy was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in police custody. Anyone with information should call on 020 8345 3775 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 D etectives today offered a 20,000 reward to catch the killer of an engineering student on the first anniversary of his murder in south-east London. Chleve Massi, 23, was killed as he arrived at a party in Erebus Drive, Thamesmead, with four friends at around 4.20am on February 1 last year. Mr Massi was in the hallway on the 13th floor when he was shot in the chest. His friends tried to drive him to hospital before their convoy of three cars was intercepted by police rushing to the scene following reports of gunshots. He was transferred to an ambulance but died in hospital later that morning from the gunshot wound to the chest. Police have so far arrested 21 people as part of the ongoing investigation but no one has been charged with his murder. The five-figure reward has been offered by Scotland Yard on the one-year anniversary of Chleves murder. Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Gwyn said: Chleve had literally just walked through the door of the party when he was shot. There are a number of people who were there that night, who must know what happened, and who was responsible for firing the gun that killed Chleve. One year on from Chleves murder, it is not too late for you to speak out and tell us what you know. A year can be a long time, friendships and allegiances change. If you were at that party that night and know who is responsible, it is important that you are brave enough to come forward. We can offer you support and confidentiality, but please help Chleves family get the answers they deserve. A reward of up to 20,000 is available for any information that leads to the identification, arrest and prosecution of the person, or people, responsible for Chleves murder. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Investigation Team on 020 8721 4812, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 A woman died after being stabbed in the throat in a row at a block of flats in Islington last night. Police were called to Jessop Court in Graham Street at 11.50 pm by a man claiming to have killed a woman. Officers arrived and found the victim, who was in her 20s, had suffered knife wounds to the throat. They gave first aid until the arrival of a doctor from the London Air Ambulance but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The man, who is in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of murder and taken into custody at a north London police station. Scotland Yard said it was not looking for anyone else in connection with the womans death. Offices were today trying to contact the womans family to inform them of her death. B osses at elite universities will today meet with ministers to discuss ways of securing more places for black students. The meeting comes after a disagreement over the Prime Ministers vow to introduce new laws and shame universities into ending race inequality. David Cameron warned educational institutions, the police, the military and courts they were the focus of a new effort to tackle social inequality, suggesting it might be fuelled by ingrained, institutional and insidious racism. Speaking to the Sunday Times, the Prime Minister said the fact that young black men were more likely to be in prison that at a top university should shame our country and jolt us to action. He added: I dont care whether its overt, unconscious or institutional weve got to stamp it out. Universities were summoned to a meeting with Business Secretary Sajid Javid to discuss plans to force them to publish detailed breakdowns of application success rates by race as well as course, gender and socio-economic background. Mr Javid said it was striking that the 2,500 intake to Oxford in 2014 included just 27 black students, adding his former university was not doing enough to attract talent from across our country. An Oxford University spokesman said it did not see the need for the proposed legislation and social inequality was already pronounced before children begin formal schooling. They added: Any serious solution to the problem of unequal educational progression must take into account the unequal distribution of high attainment across schools, socio-economic groups, even geography. "We are constantly working to update what information we provide and although we do not see the need for further legislation, we would welcome discussions on what more information we could publish. The spokesman added 367undergraduates from ethnic minority backgrounds were accepted in 2015 15 per cent more than in 2010. Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of elite universities, said universities invested a "huge amount of time, effort and resources" into broadening the student mix but needed more help from others. Les Ebdon, the director of Fair Access To Higher Education who approves "access agreements", said he would "challenge them to match the Prime Minister's ambition". He added: The Prime Minister has set out ambitious goals on fair access and it's important that universities and colleges have the tools, support and challenge to make further and faster progress. Additional reporting by Press Association. A London scientist was today given the go-ahead to genetically modify human embryos for the first time in the UK. Dr Kathy Niakan, of the Francis Crick Institute, won approval from the Human Fertilisation and Embry-ology Authority to carry out controversial gene editing techniques on donated embryos. This could offer the greatest insight yet into the earliest stages of human life and lead to major advances in understanding the causes of infertility and miscarriage. Dr Niakans team is only the second in the world to be given permission to carry out the experiments on human embryos. A team in China unsuccessfully tried to mend a faulty gene via embryo editing last year. Sir Paul Nurse, director of the Crick, said: I am delighted that the HFEA has approved Dr Niakans application. Dr Niakans proposed research is important for understanding how a healthy human embryo develops and will enhance our understanding of IVF success rates, by looking at the very earliest stage of human development one to seven days. Subject to ethical approval, research will begin this summer to analyse the first seven days of a fertilised eggs development, from a single cell to around 250. Researchers hope that the experiments will yield vital information on the genes that a human embryo needs to develop healthily. This could improve IVF success rates currently only a third of implanted eggs result in a live birth and improved treatments for infertility. About one in four pregnancies in the UK ends in miscarriage, around 250,000 a year. The eggs will be destroyed after use and it is illegal to implant them in a woman. The process has been criticised by the Human Genetics Alert group as leading towards the legalisation of GM babies. Speaking last month after submitting her application, Dr Niakan said: We would really like to understand the genes needed for a human embryo to develop successfully into a healthy baby. "The reason why it is so important is because miscarriages and infertility are extremely common, but theyre not very well understood. We believe that this research could really lead to improvements in infertility treatment and ultimately provide us with a deeper understanding of the earliest stages of human life. In line with HFEA regulations, any donated embryos will be used for research purposes only. Alastair Kent, director of Genetic Alliance UK, said: Understanding the crucial process of embryo development could help us to understand causes of infertility, miscarriage and some genetic diseases. Peter Braude, emeritus professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Kings College London, said: I am delighted to hear that the HFEA have had the good sense to approve this project. "Gene editing tools will allow fresh insights into the basic genetic mechanisms that control cell allocation in the early embryo. These mechanisms are crucial in ensuring healthy normal development and implantation. I t was destined to be one of Londons most spectacular mega-basements, but artist Damien Hirst has decided the cavernous excavation he has permission to build under his Regents Park mansion is still not big enough for his familys daily needs. Hirst, 50, has filed a new planning application to dig down another metre to accommodate a swimming pool, spa and yoga room. Documents lodged with Westminster council show that the former enfant terrible of British art had a change of heart after securing consent for the original scheme under his John Nash-designed Regency house last October. The first plan was for a 150ft gallery with double-height ceilings to display Hirsts art collection, which includes works by Picasso, Francis Bacon and Andy Warhol, an imposing staircase and a car park. However, according to the revised application by Bermondsey-based architects Purcell, since October our client asked us to explore design options, including a swimming pool. The documents reveal that Hirst, who bought the Grade I-listed Regents Park house and the mews house behind it for almost 40 million in 2014, has decided to make London his main base. In recent years, he has spent much of his time with his three sons at his north Devon farmhouse near Combe Martin, but is now very much planning that the London house will be their primary residence. The Turner Prize-winning artist, who also owns the 300-room Toddington Manor in Gloucestershire, broke up with California-born Maia Norman, the mother of his three children, in 2012. The plans say Hirst and his sons are keen that it contains accommodation to support the daily activities of their family and successfully serve as a family home now, and into the future. The plans include a 25-metre pool, a steam room and sauna and a staircase to a yoga room with glazed walls so that a view out over the double-height pool can be enjoyed. The pool will be on the same level as the art gallery, which will be reduced in size by 100 sq m. Despite the vast scale of the plan, only one neighbour has objected. Dr Anthony Isaacs, chairman of the residents management company at nearby Abbey Lodge, was concerned about the risk of damage to the surrounding trees as well as the risk of subsidence to Abbey Lodge. A diner has spoken of her horror after she cut into her burger to find a huge shard of glass nestled between the salad and the bun. Lauren Lunn Farrow, 29, visited The Merchant in Battersea with a friend on Sunday and ordered a chicken burger and chips. Ms Lunn Farrow, who works in PR, said she ate around five chips before she cut into the burger with a knife and fork - and discovered the unwelcome surprise. She told the Standard: "I cut into my burger and there was the most gigantic piece of glass, probably the size of my hand. "I wasn't wearing my glasses and I thought 'that can't be glass' - but it was." Shaken up: Lauren Lunn Farrow / Lauren Farrow Ms Lunn Farrow, who said she found the incident "traumatic", complained to the pub's management, but said she was not happy with the response she received. She told the Standard that staff at the pub in Battersea Rise told her she would not have to pay for her meal, and offered her "a couple of drinks." She said: "If I hadn't have cut the burger open it could have cut my throat open. "It's really scary. I've not idea how it could have got in there, purely because of the size of it. "They said they would conduct a thorough investigation, but they didn't tell me whether they'd closed the kitchen. "I was quite shaken up, I felt physically sick as to where it had come from." Shock: Just part of the 'gigantic' piece of glass can be seen in Ms Lunn Farrow's pictures / Lauren Farrow Ms Lunn Farrow, who lives in Wandsworth, said she had also contacted Wandsworth Council about the incident. She said: "It's a popular place in Battersea. "I think their food licence should be taken away." An employee at the pub confirmed that the kitchen was open on Monday night. A spokesperson for the Merchant said action had already been taken to prevent similar incidents happening in future. She said: Food safety is our top priority and we apologise unreservedly for this completely unacceptable and isolated lapse in our usually very high standards. "As soon as this was brought to our attention we launched a full investigation into how this could have happened and have already taken appropriate action to ensure something like this never happens again. L eft-wing firebrand George Galloway tore into Sadiq Khan today claiming his Labour rival had suggested he was too clever to be a bus driver. The Labour candidate for Mayor said at the weekend he did not mean to be discourteous to bus drivers but that his parents had wanted him to do better. Mr Khan, who studied law at university, often refers to the fact his own father was a bus driver as a way of highlighting his humble roots. Labour also views it as a useful way of illustrating the gulf between their candidate and Tory rival Zac Goldsmith, whose father was a billionaire financier. Mr Khan told the Sunday Times: My dad was never embarrassed of being a bus driver, but it was clear, in a non-arrogant way, that he was better educated. My parents wanted, again not in an arrogant way, but they wanted their children to do better than them. I dont mean this as a discourtesy to bus drivers. Ive got friends who are bus drivers. He didnt want his children to be bus drivers, not as a slight against bus drivers but because he wanted us to go to university and get an office job. But Mr Galloway, who is standing for Respect in the race for City Hall, tweeted: The President of Venezuela was a bus driver. This man thinks hes too clever... This man just insulted 27,000 bus drivers and their partners and their children and their parents (including his own). The former Respect MP, who is attempting to outflank Mr Khan from the left, added: If these are the kind of things he SAYS... imagine the kind of things he thinks. But a friend of Mr Khan told the Standard: Nobody in their right mind would think Sadiq was saying that. Hes very proud of his dad and everything he did. Mr Galloway described the Sunday Times interview as the Labour candidates Mandelson moment, referring to Labour grandee Lord Mandelson who said he was intensely relaxed about people becoming filthy rich, although he rowed back on his remarks more than a decade later. Mr Galloway added: Are those mushy peas or is it guacamole? Social media weighed into the row with Londoner Punam Tiwari tweeting: Some of my family members were bus drivers and they put me in higher education. This is an offensive comment while R P McMurphy said: Breaking News. Sadiq Khan throws HIMSELF under bus! News / National by Stephen Jakes A political commentator Alex Magaisa has said the Zimbabwean government operates in a zone of its own considering the stance it takes in relation to the economy pretending as if everything was normal yet the economy is crumbling."It's hard to imagine it still has any moral compass at all. They spent last week demolishing houses, well-built properties, located near the airport. Some blame the city council but this is a weak defence. The reality is this was government's hand at work and, in any event, they did nothing, as the superior authority, to stop the heinous acts," said Magaisa."They drove bulldozers into the residential area and razed down huge houses. Not shacks but proper houses, with all the bits. They said the houses were illegal. But a house is not built in a day. It takes months, sometimes years, to complete the kind of properties that were callously brought down last week. It takes many processes and permissions to get services like water and electricity into a home. The people had all or most of these things. They paid for them."He said the local authority and government would have known what was going on. Those people didn't just settle themselves in the area. He said they were given authority by someone and by those promises, sunk their savings into those properties."Sometime last year, President Mugabe complained about the properties. He didn't fancy them and he made it known. They were unsightly, and embarrassing when visitors came and it was airport land, he said. A couple of months later the bulldozers arrived and the houses were demolished. No court orders as required by law. They just came and demolished. It's the middle of Summer and it's raining. Women and children have been left exposed. But who cares?" Magaisa said."President Mugabe was in Addis Ababa, where he gave a rousing speech at the AU. Those present cheered on and clapped hands in acclamation as he pontificated about humanity and justice in the world; as he challenged the skewed international system which favours the big boys and crashes the small man."Magaisa said it must have been great speech, because our President nearly always delivers great speeches, especially on the international stage, well, most of the time anyway."But he would not have told them about the women and children back home who are sleeping in the open because his government decided that their homes were an eyesore; that they were illegal, and were razed down in minutes as if they grew overnight like mushrooms. Never mind that the new constitution has provisions protecting the right to shelter and prohibits such demolitions in the absence of a court order. He is their hero. He spoke their language. They don't know and don't care. So they cheered him on and clapped hands as he spoke and criticised world bullies," he said."The Minister for Local Government, under whose charge the demolitions took place has invited "patriots" to come to the airport to welcome the "iconic leader" and "hero". Those are his words. He wants people to give Mugabe a warm welcome, a hero's welcome. Never mind there are women and children who have no longer have a home, because the government led by this "icon" and "hero" decided that they should be demolished. When he drives to him big home on the other side of town, in his long motorcade, President Mugabe will pass through the area where these homes were demolished. He might take notice of their absence. He might even if in agreement, that the ministers obeyed his disapproval."Magaisa said he do not know how they sleep at night, but he guess they have big houses with many bedrooms; big, big bedrooms and big, comfortable beds, and they never have to worry about a thing."But where do they get the arrogance to perform those callous acts and then invite people to come to the airport to welcome an "icon",the same man whose government destroyed their homes and livelihoods? Perhaps it's because they know no one will challenge them. I wonder what Okonkwo, the tragic hero in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart would think of us as a people. "If a man comes into my hut and defecates on the floor, what do I do? ..." he once asked of his fellow men of Umuofia. He would probably ask us the same question. I don't know how we would answer. I really don't know," he said. A property developer who painted her Kensington townhouse with red and white stripes today promised to paint it white if the council stops a monstrosity being built nearby. Zipporah Lisle-Mainwaring, 68, was ordered to get rid of the stripes after he neighbours labelled them an eyesore. She lost a challenge to the order in December and today said she would be appealing the decision. But she told the Standard she would comply with Kensington and Chelsea council if it stopped a project a few streets away to turn a car park and office space into flats. She accused the council of breaching planning regulations and said: If the council does not build the monstrosity it has started building in Kensington Square I will paint the house white or any colour they want. Striped house in Kensington If the council does not agree, Ms Lisle-Mainwaring will instead continue with her appeal to the crown court. She said she would continue fighting the council through the courts until I get bored. She suggested she could paint the house a different colour, simply to demonstrate her legal rights. I very much doubt the crown court is the last stage, but it depends I might get bored, or I might paint it an entirely different colour, she added. The homeowner, who lives in Switzerland, was accused of painting the property to get her own back on neighbours who objected to plans to dig a mega-basement beneath the property an allegation she denies. Neighbours had feared the proposals would cause them months of misery while works were carried out, and last summer Ms Lisle-Mainwaring lost a High Court bid to get the planning refusal on her basement plans overturned. She unsuccessfully challenged the council order to repaint the house last summer, and at a court hearing in December was ordered to return the house to its original state. District Judge Susan Baines ruled that the colour of the house had an adverse effect of the amenity of the area. Residents living next to the Kensington property said today they were tired of the debacle - and remained insistent the colour scheme was not in-fitting with the neighbourhood. One man, who asked not to be named, said: We are growing tired of this. It doesnt look like any other house around here. I dont like it. It would suit young people living in Portobello Road. But not here. Its just not in keeping with anything around here. A spokesman for Kensington and Chelsea council said the Young Street redevelopment was a two-site project which included affordable housing, and was of very significant public benefit. He said they would not comment on the attempts to link repainting of the house with the Young Street car park as the two are not related in any way. Speaking of the appeal, he added: As the matter is still before the court the Council will not be making any further comment. L ondon pregnant couples have told how they cancelled dream holidays to the Caribbean and Central America because of the spread of the Zika epidemic. Two sets of parents-to-be revealed to the Standard that they have abandoned their travel plans as the World Health Organisation this afternoon held a crisis meeting to decide whether to declare a global health emergency. The virus, linked to 4,000 babies born in Brazil with small brains and heads, has spread to 23 countries across South and Central America and the Caribbean, amid warnings of three to four million people becoming infected in the next 12 months. Estate agents Nadiye Morgan, 30, and her husband, Benedict Gannon, 31, from East Dulwich, said they had no hesitation in cancelling a 4,000 trip to Barbados. Ms Morgan, who is 19 weeks pregnant, said they had planned the two-week break in March as a babymoon ahead of the birth of their first child. The law graduate said: We were really looking forward to it, but we were not going to put our unborn baby at risk for the sake of a holiday. We are seriously worried about the birth defects the virus had been linked to, and with no cure and no vaccine its very worrying. She said her father, Dr Michael Morgan, a former chief executive of global health charity The Wellcome Trust, had advised her to cancel the holiday after discussing it with tropical disease experts. He told us to definitely not risk it and it was very serious, she said. Krystle Jones, 28, who is 11 weeks pregnant, and her husband Rob Jones, from Watford, cancelled their 3,000 honeymoon in a five-star hotel in Mexico in April. They have two other children, Kaylani, five, and Arriana, two. Mrs Jones said: When I heard about it I said theres absolutely no way Im putting my baby at risk like that. Our GP gave us the same advice not to travel. Its heartbreaking because wed been saving for the honeymoon for a year but the choice was obvious. Fears: Krystle Jones, 28, and husband Rob, cancelled their 3,000 honeymoon in a five-star hotel in Mexico in April. You wouldnt be able to have any fun anyway as youd be worried the whole time and throughout the pregnancy you might have caught the virus. WHO director-general Margaret Chan last week said she was deeply concerned at the spread of the virus, the lack of population immunity, and the absence of vaccines, treatments, and rapid diagnostic tests. Some experts fear Zika being a bigger crisis than Ebola, which killed more than 11,000 people. A decision on whether to declare a public health emergency of international concern is expected tonight or early tomorrow. Professor Jimmy Whitworth, of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said such a declaration would stimulate international interest, funding and research to help tackle this outbreak on the ground and in laboratories around the world. He added: This outbreak in south and central America is unprecedented and has caught the world unprepared once again, with no vaccine, no drugs and limited anti-mosquito measures. Brazil has seen a 20-fold increase in microcephaly, which is strongly suspected to be caused by women being bitten by infected mosquitos early in pregnancy. More than 4,000 babies have been born with microcephaly since last October. There has also been an increase in the number of cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare nervous system disorder. The virus was first discovered in a monkey in the Zika forest in Uganda in 1947. Since last year it has been spreading explosively in Latin America, Dr Chan said. Both couples said they had to put serious pressure on their travel companies to refund their bookings, and criticised the industry for not making it easier for pregnant couples to cancel. Public Health England is advising pregnant women to consider delaying travel to affected countries. Increasing numbers of airlines said they would be allowing pregnant passengers to claim refunds or to rebook to alternative destinations. British Airways has said pregnant customers due to travel up to the end of February can change their booking free of charge. They said this applies to flights to Brazil, Mexico, Barbados and the Dominican Republic, and the airline would continue to review the situation. P oor children are more likely to realise their full potential if they live in a London borough than anywhere else in the country, new figures claim. A report reveals the UKs top 10 places for social mobility are all in London, with Westminster at the top of the list. Statistics from the cross-party Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission show the capital pulling away from the rest of the country, with cities like Oxford and Cambridge in the bottom 20% of areas. The report ranked every local authority in the country according to the chances of a poor child doing well at school and getting a good job, based on measures like exam results and the local job market. Top 10 places in the UK for social mobility 1. Westminster 2. Wandsworth 3. Redbridge 4. Tower Hamlets 5. Islington 6. Hackney 7. Kensington and Chelsea 8. Ealing 9. Barnet 10. Hammersmith and Fulham Source: Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission In all, 23 of the capitals 32 boroughs ranked in the top 10 per cent, with the London effect extending out into the commuter belts of Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. Wandsworth was second in the top 10, followed by Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Islington. Hackney was sixth on the list with Kensington and Chelsea close behind, followed by Ealing and Barnet, with Hammersmith and Fulham ranked 10th. No London boroughs were in the bottom 20 per cent. The report claims the capitals dominance was due to strong results from school and the number of jobs, coupled with fast transport links However, the one area London did fall back on was the affordability of housing. In a foreword to the report, published today, commission chairman Alan Milburn said: This report is a wake-up call for educators and employers as well as policy-makers, both local and national. If social mobility is to take off, much more will need to be done if there is to be a level playing field of opportunity in our country. "The gulf between the ambition of a One Nation Britain and today's reality of a Divided Britain is far too wide." A Department for Education spokesman said: "All of our reforms are underpinned by a total commitment to fairness and social justice. That is why raising standards for every child, regardless of circumstances, is part of our plan to ensure everyone can achieve their full potential. A protester chained himself to tree cutting machinery for more than two hours to prevent felling in a south London cemetery. Lewis Schaffer, 58, a member of the Save Southwark Woods group, said he was alerted to illegal work at Camberwell Old Cemetery on Monday. He said he went down at 1pm alone to see workmen cutting trees so tied himself to machinery using a bike chain, which he wrapped around his neck. He said he remained chained to the equipment until about 3.30pm before he released himself. He told the Standard: Im not a hero and I never normally do this sort of thing. The last demonstration I went to was in 1975. Southwark cemetery woods London Live We have people watching these woods 24/7 and Southwark Council has acted illegally by carrying out work without permission from the church. But Southwark Council insisted the work carried out did not need permission. A council spokeswoman said: There is a small group of campaigners criticising our plans but I can reassure you, everythings been carried out legally. Weve taken advice from the Chancellor of the Diocese of Southwark and have started work that does not require faculty. Save Southwark Woods has been involved in a dispute with Southwark Council over plans to create nearly 5,000 new burial plots in Camberwell Old and New Cemeteries. The council said it could run out of burial space by next year but campaigners say the work will lead to old graves being dug up to be re-used. Mr Schaffer said the councils actions were disrespectful to the dead. A police spokeswoman said: Police were called to Camberwell Old Cemetery at Forest Hill Road, on Monday, February 1 shortly before 3:15pm to a report of a man staging a protest. It was reported that the man had tied himself to tree cutting machinery at the location. Officers attended and the man had removed himself from the machinery prior to police arrival." A man has died after being found with serious wrist injuries in a field in east London. Police said a 33-year-old man from Newbury Park was reported missing at about 1pm on Sunday and he was found injured in the Oaks Lane and Leyswood Drive area. The man had serious injuries to his wrists, a Metropolitan Police Service spokesman said, and officers administered first aid until paramedics arrived. Londons Air Ambulance was also assigned, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the man had previously been arrested on January 28 on suspicion of the cultivation of cannabis. The death is being treated as non-suspicious and the mans next of kin have been informed. A post-mortem examination will take place in due course and the death has been referred to the coroner. Formal identification is yet to take place. The Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has been notified. A formal referral to the IPCC will take place in due course. M arley Scott has spent almost three years unable to socialise properly with other children because he was waiting for a heart transplant. The seven-year-old was either in hospital or stuck at home in Dagenham while his friends were at school. But now the Great Ormond Street patient, who the Evening Standard has been following throughout the Give to Gosh appeal, is well enough to return to lessons. Marley had a heart transplant in the autumn and is delighted to finally be surrounded by friends and able to go in the playground for the first time. The Evening Standard accompanied him during his first week back at school. When he agreed to answer the many questions his classmates had for him, the enormity of what he has been through became clear. Show and tell: Marley Scott / Teri Pengilley Sitting on a chair in front of the class he was asked to show off his scar. He whipped up his shirt and jumper to a mixture of giggles and gasps from the class who could clearly see the scars running across his chest. One friend asked what getting a new heart was like. Marley said: When I first woke up my mum told me Id been asleep for three days because they took my old heart out. He was asked to describe his Berlin heart the machine that kept his heart beating while he waited for a transplant and said it was a scary thing with things [tubes] hanging out from my belly. School reunion: Return to normality / Teri Pengilley Marley added it came with a big machine [pump] that was always there by his side. Describing how injections felt he said: It was like nails digging in to get a bit of my blood. At first I kept crying but now I dont. Describing his first day back at school, Marleys mother Joanna said: When he came to the classroom door all his friends rushed over and were shouting, Yay, Marley is back, Marley is back. It was so nice. I couldnt sleep the night before. She added: Marley is seven now and hes never done a full day at school. Im excited and Im happy but its also quite scary. Im getting delayed feelings I should have had when he was four or five like other parents. Marley is in year two and is currently going to school until 11am. He is able to run around in the playground but cannot play contact sports. He still takes anti-rejection drugs that cause pain in his legs. If he continues to improve Marley will stay at school until midday, and then until 1pm. When Marley was in GOSH he spent an hour a day with a teacher, and before that he had home tuition. Sue Cross, a parent liaison teacher who has co-ordinated with Marleys mother and teaching staff at GOSH, said: Because hes missed a lot hell start in the lower set, but his teacher said she had no doubt that before long hell move up. Hes bright. Marley was diagnosed with the heart condition restrictive cardiomyopathy at the age of four. He made firm friends with two-year-old Elliott Livingstone, who lived on the same cardiac ward at GOSH and, like Marley, was put on a Berlin heart. His mother added: We have a picture in our front room of Marley and Elliott holding hands, so hes a bit of the family. Honestly, being in GOSH does open your eyes to how you should appreciate every single day. Speaking about the Give to Gosh appeal she added: I just want to say thank you so much to everyone that has donated. Its just the most amazing thing to know that children with cardiac problems in the future will have the opportunity to be looked after so well by the staff at GOSH, because without GOSH my son wouldnt have been given a second chance. And I cant thank his donor family enough. T he heat was on last Friday night at the Zaiqa curry house in Walthamstow as shadow chancellor John McDonnell tripped up to Stella Creasys constituency to speak to local activists while Stella was out of town. This sort of thing is regarded as a lapse in manners if there is such a thing in politics as a frontbencher might be expected to agree his visit in advance with the sitting MP. Creasy was already booked to speak in Edinburgh at a Burns Night dinner. Would McDonnell be respectful of Stella in her absence or use the opportunity to prime the activists to his agenda? In the end his main attack was against the Evening Standard, which received more mentions in his speech than Stella most disobliging. Stella and I are good friends, he said. Weve worked together closely and I respect her as one of the best constituency MPs What a woman! he added. McDonnells warm-up act was Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, which was subsidising the evening. He was less enthusiastic about Stella, not mentioning her by name once in his speech. McDonnell also added that: Jeremy has introduced this new form of politics of being careful and considerate Im only halfway through the course. Having come from another curry night at Hounslow, two portions McDonnell was tasked with the raffle, with prizes such as organic extra-virgin Palestinian olive oil and a Jeremy Corbyn superhero T-shirt going to Wrack. A new kind of politics indeed. *** London Thinks, a series of talks and debates, will be at Holborns Conway Hall next month to consider the theology and ethics of Star Wars. Speakers including the Reverend Giles Fraser will ask Is Obi-Wan Kenobi a benign spirit guide, or a radical preacher recruiting vulnerable teens to join a terrorist movement that blows up government Death Stars? And is Han Solo really a humanist? Well be there in less than 12 parsecs. Bookish Yentob away from the numbers Keeping his nose clean in Columbia: Alan Yentob / Carl Court/Getty Images Alan Yentobs name has resurfaced in a report on Kids Company, saying his interventions were unwise at best, deliberately intimidating at worst but whither the trainer-clad man himself? Colombia, where Im told hes defiant over the issue. He is one of the speakers at the Hay Cartagena Festival. Dressed in purple pyjama bottoms, Yentob was Remembering Shakespeare alongside Simon Schama and Deborah Levy on Thursday, before Remembering Bowie with Rosie Boycott, Jamie Byng and his old pal Hanif Kureishi. In fact, memories of things past was a theme of his trip: a chat with Colombian journalists titled The Media and its Challenges introduced Yentobs position as presenter and British television executive whose career has been forged in the prestigious BBC. Boys suck, Girl Power rules IS STAYING in the new going out? Radio 1 presenter Gemma Cairney, right, launched her party project on Saturday night suggesting just that: The Sleepover. A group of lucky women gathered in the Royal Suite of the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel for a night of childish dancing, silly pyjamas, booze and yoga across the three bedrooms, private study and marble bathroom. Guests included Harriet Vine, above left, of jewellery brand Tatty Devine, and blogger Lucie Kerley, above right, who snuggled up with perfume fiend and host for the evening, Katie Puckrik, centre. The gang hit Instagram with pictures of themselves posing in the suites gigantic bathtub, as well as the staircase that was in the Spice Girls Wannabe video. And with Gemma wearing Boys Suck slippers, Girl Power seemed like the theme of the evening. Were jealous. Artistic cheers for Cara chameleon Instagram is like, so over these days cool kids are turning to canvas. Rejecting selfies for sketches, Cara Delevingne has been adopted as portrait artist Jonathan Yeos muse her eyebrows will appear in oil on the walls of the Museum of National History in Denmark an upcoming retrospective of Yeos paintings. Yeo, who has been entrusted with the faces of everyone from Kevin Spacey to Prince Philip, by way of Malala Yousafzai and Helena Bonham Carter, worked with the brilliant chameleon Delevingne for more than a year on images designed around the changing face of identity creation due to social media. Ink and paper over Instagram? Weve been championing that for like, ever. *** Goodbye to Terry Wogan, who among other things hosted the Eurovision Song Contest. And no wonder he always had such a smile on his face. A friend says while Wogans parting advice to Graham Norton, who took over Eurovision compering duties a few years ago, was dont start drinking until at least the fifth song. Wogan couldnt resist some Irish cream while he narrated. One year, however, he hit a snag: the venue was dry, so his producer had to carefully decant a bottle of Baileys into orange juice cartons to get past security. Red-faced with Redmayne The Londoner was at a party last week, nursing a glass of champagne, when our interest was piqued by a conversation between a rather tall gent and a woman who had arrived alone. The unacquainted pair got chatting about one of the weeks hot topics the Oscars and the woman began to wax lyrical on the subject. Eddie Redmayne is completely undeserving of his nomination for The Danish Girl, she said. The Londoner awaited the fallout: You do realise hes my brother, the gentleman, HarperCollins CEO Charlie Redmayne, pictured, said with a raised eyebrow. I doubt youve even seen the film, he added. That might well have been true, so what else could the young woman do but bluff? Of course I knew that, she said, blushing. I was just joking to see how youd react. L abour's most senior Muslim politician today warned that London had been left vulnerable to terror attacks by the Governments failure to stop radicalisation. Sadiq Khan, the partys mayoral candidate, singled out the anti-extremism strategy Prevent for particular criticism, saying it must be overhauled. It comes after David Cameron suggested at a Tory rally last week that Mr Khan would not be tough enough against Islamist extremists to keep the capital safe. He said ministers should promote greater social integration, work more closely with internet providers to close down extremist websites, and support mainstream Muslims to speak out and challenge extremists. The Tooting MP, who has previously called on fellow Muslims to do more to root out the cancer of extremism, said he would make the fight against radicalisation a priority as mayor. The increase in radicalisation and extremism is the biggest security threat facing Londoners today, he added. In the aftermath of the terrible Paris attacks we should be under no illusion that London is a target for the extremists. But Londoners are being left vulnerable by the Governments failure to get to grips with radicalisation. He issued a direct challenge to David Cameron to overhaul the Prevent strategy. For too long this Government have identified the problem but done nothing to fix it, he said. The Governments strategy has faced criticism after several incidents where individuals who were on programmes went on to commit terror offences. They include a 15-year-old boy from Blackburn who plotted a terrorist attack on Anzac Day in Australia and was sentenced to life in jail last year, with a minimum five-year term, and Brusthom Ziamani, 19, who was found guilty of plotting to behead a soldier. Mr Khan described the Governments cuts to funding for English as a second language courses as extremely short-sighted. The Prime Minister last week called for more Muslim women to learn English, but funding for ESOL classes has been cut by 35 per cent since 2009. In a powerful speech last year, the Labour MP said most Britons had come across someone with extremist views at some point and they should not bury their heads in the sand about the problem. He referred to childhood friends who had gone on to hold extremist views and even to act on them in terrible ways and described how in his previous career as a lawyer, he had on occasion the horrible and unpleasant job of representing extremists. In an interview with Business Insider website today, Mr Khan added that during his legal career he had represented some unsavoury characters but insisted that everybody was entitled to a good lawyer. D avid Cameron today went into battle against Francois Hollande over the City of London after a last-minute row threatened his hopes of an early European Union membership referendum. Downing Street sources confirmed that a final sticking point in urgent talks in Brussels was a raft of safeguards to protect the City from eurozone taxes and regulations. Eurosceptics warned the Prime Minister not to compromise on the City, which they said was too important to the countrys prosperity to be gambled with. The French have submitted a secret paper to the 28 EU leaders objecting to Britains demands for a mechanism to allow any country outside the single currency area to challenge new rules in the eurozone that would affect them. Britain wants such disputes to be decided in the European Council where all states have an effective veto, but France sees that as a threat to the euro nations being able to integrate. A No 10 source said: We think more work is needed on the mechanism used if countries feel there is a problem. At stake could be whether London has to agree in future to a financial transaction tax, to pay into bailouts for euro countries such as Greece that get into trouble, to accept tougher capital requirements on banks, and to further EU regulation on pay and bonuses. Mr Camerons lead negotiators Sir Ivan Rogers and Tom Scholar set off to Brussels early this morning for a day of talks to rescue a deal. It followed the failure of a dinner last night at No 10 between Mr Cameron and European Council president Donald Tusk to iron out problems. Mr Tusk left declaring no deal but allowed 24 hours for extra talks. Former Cabinet minister John Redwood said Britain should quit the EU rather than risk the Citys prosperity. Its absolutely fundamental that the City of London is not dragged into taxes and regulations required by the eurozone that will drive business away from Europe altogether, he said. Richard Patient, the chairman of the Business for Britain, London, group claimed the PM looks like he is prepared to sacrifice the City in order to get a deal at any price. He added that as Bank of England chief Mark Carney has said, the EU is actually undermining our attempts to regulate the City. We need to take back control the only way to do that is to Vote Leave. Downing Street felt there was a significant breakthrough on the crucial issue of migration. The European Commission agreed that a proposed emergency brake on welfare payments to EU workers could be triggered immediately after a referendum. The concession was not enough for some Eurosceptics however, who said Britain needed a permanent power to control borders. City of London Corporation policy chairman Mark Boleat said the competitiveness of the Square Mile should be at the heart of any deal. However these talks turn out, and it does seem we are nearing the finish line, politicians would do well to remember that jobs and growth should be their number one priority, he said Weve seen in recent weeks more businesses speaking up on this very issue and they should continue to do so as our European future is too important for them to stay silent on. A 3D printer released next month claims to offer the simplest way for consumers to create everyday objects but its London manufacturers admit they are powerless to stop people printing gun parts. The Polaroid ModelSmart 250S can create almost anything in plastic or wood based on downloaded designs. It is due to go on sale for about 1,500 at the end of March after being launched at the CES technology show in Las Vegas last month. Although cheaper 3D printers are available, Polaroid claims theirs is the easiest to operate. It is made in Park Royal by ink cartridge firm Environmental Business Products, which would not let the Standard see the production process, citing commercial confidentiality. The ModelSmart prints in nine colours of plastic and also a wood-based mixture to create items that feel like dense ply. Sites such as Thingiverse offer an array of downloadable designs, from a wristwatch to a Nespresso pod rack or a broken plumbing widget. The machine is fed by a 750g reel of plastic or the wood mixture, costing between 65 and 70. Downloaded designs are beamed to the printer via Polaroid software or added via an SD card. Layers of melted plastic between 0.05mm and 0.35mm in thickness are piped through a nozzle on to a plate about A4 size and built up gradually to create the piece. Progress can be tracked on a webcam inside the printer via a smartphone. A plastic chess piece can be printed in less than two hours, the company said, and a jointed wooden Octopus-like toy took about two days. The 16.2g chess queen costs about 1.40 to print, the company said, and the 746g octopus about 70. A printed bolt is claimed to be tough enough for use in manufacturing. Amy Horn, the firms head of collections, said the machine is ideal for homes and tech start-ups to produce prototypes. She said: Were very proud its manufactured here in London. Its about creating something bespoke and unique, having that in your home and being able to say you 3D-printed it. Ms Horn said the company could do nothing to prevent people printing gun parts, but pointed out that they would lack a metal firing pin. She said: It can be used for printing anything, but the gun in particular, that plastic part of it is just a plastic part, you cant create a whole gun on this, you do need the metal parts to go with it. If someones determined to create something then they will go and do it regardless of whether the 3D printer is there or not. News / National by Stephen Jakes The Zimbabwe Peace Project has reported that in December 2015 alone, Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) recorded a total of 62 instances of food violations where individuals linked to opposition politics and to a minor extent those Zanu-PF members who were not seen at party meetings were denied food aid. A persistent trend shows such cases being mostly common in the three Mashonaland provinces.The organisation said 15 out of the 62 cases, Mashonaland Central had 24% of the cases (almost a quarter). Mashonaland West's 14 cases made up 23%; and Mashonaland East had 16% with 10 cases."Food and input distributions have opened up ways of exploitation by those in privileged positions who have taken to charging anywhere from US$1 to US$3.50 as transportation fees for either food aid of agricultural inputs donations. Yet, these goods are understood to be for free and in the past no fees have been necessary. This new manipulation has seen those linked to the oppositions in some instances being charged more than Zanu-PF members, which is another literal price they must pay for being associated with the opposition," reported ZPP."If citizens linked to the opposition are not paying with their stomachs or for their stomachs for not toeing the Zanu-PF party line, those linked to the opposition do so when it comes to land allocations. Most land allocation in urban Zimbabwe is being undertaken by Zanu-PF cooperatives, a mechanism which systematically excludes those linked to the opposition. So not only are opposition members deprived of food, but they are also even deprived of homes. In certain serious instances some of them are evicted from their homes or land they would have been allocated." A father has claimed he was turned down from extending his mortgage because he is too old. Peter Day, 61, applied for an extra five years on his home loan in 2014 to pay for his daughters wedding, but was left gobsmacked when the Co-operative Bank did not honour his application. The former banker complained to the Banking Ombudsman about being the victim of ageism and his complaint was upheld, with the bank ordered to pay almost 2,000 in compensation. Mr Day said: The bank had every opportunity to assess my affordability. They had not taken into account that I was a good existing customer. It was clearly age discrimination as paying the money back and my current financial position were clearly no problem. The ruling, which could set a precedent for others in similar situations, said: The Co-op hasn't shown me that it did act fairly or within the terms of the Equality Act ... My overall conclusion [is] that the Co-op didn't treat Mr Day fairly. The ombudsman ordered the bank to pay 500 in compensation, plus the 1,389 it cost for Mr Day to switch mortgage companies. In a statement, the bank said it had since updated its policy and had extended its maximum age limit for mortgage repayment from 68 to 75. A spokesman added: We apologise to Mr Day that we were unable to resolve his original complaint to his satisfaction." R ecently graduated black workers are paid up to a quarter less per hour than their white counterparts, according to a report. Research by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) revealed there was a 23 per cent gap in hourly pay on average between black and white university graduates. The pay gap fell to 14 per cent for those with A-levels and 11 per cent for people with GCSEs. It comes after David Cameron criticised Oxford and Cambridge universities over inequality in the number of ethnic minority students they took on. The TUC analysed figures from the Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey and found black workers with a degree were paid 4.30 per hour less on average than white graduates. TUC general Secretary Frances O'Grady told the Independent: "These are very worrying findings. Black and Asian people face a massive pay gap, even if they have a degree. "This is not about education, but about the systemic disadvantages ethnic minority workers face in the UK." The union called on the Government to tackle pay 'discrimination'. At the weekend, the Prime Minister warned educational institutions, the police, the military and the courts they were all the focus of a new effort to tackle social inequality, suggesting it might be fuelled by "ingrained, institutional and insidious" racism. He highlighted Oxford University, where he said there were only 27 black students out of more than 2,500 accepted there in 2014. Oxford University defended itself, saying it had "shown progress against a challenging backdrop of changes to the educational landscape and student funding". T he family of a helicopter pilot gunned down by poachers in Tanzania have launched a 50,000 memorial fund to continue his vital work protecting Africas endangered elephants. Former City accountant Roger Gower, 37, died after his chopper came under fire from a gang he was tracking across the Maswa game reserve in the north of the country. Mr Gower was working with charity the Friedkin Conservation Fund when he died on Friday. He qualified as an accountant with Moore Stephens, which has offices in Barbican and Russell Square, in 2004 but quit shortly afterwards to retrain as a pilot. He spent the past decade flying safaris and excursions for Legendary Expeditions and on airborne anti-poaching missions. Mr Gowers family has set up a JustGiving page in his memory to raise 50,000 for anti-poaching charities, with donations already passing 10,000. His brother Max, 42, a corporate lawyer, told the Standard: Roger qualified as an accountant and if it taught him anything it was that he didnt want to be behind a desk from nine to five. In flying he found something he thought he could be good at. He took it very seriously and took pride in the fact he was a good pilot. He wouldnt have gone near poachers if he knew they were armed. Crash site: Mr Gower's downed helicopter / Pascal Shelutete Max added: Its devastating. Its terrible for my parents to see their youngest son die in these circumstances. I want justice but justice comes second to the devastating loss of my brother. If theres any good that can come out of this is that he was doing something he loved. It would be a greater consolation if there is some meaningful fund or project that helps what he was doing there. Having these people in prison will not end poaching. Colleagues told how Mr Gower had already spotted two elephant carcasses and was on the trail of the poachers when he spotted a third. It is thought the poachers heard his helicopter and brought it down with a single shot from a heavy hunting rifle. The shot pierced the cabin and passed through his foot, shoulder and hand but he managed to manoeuvre the craft into a tree. His colleague Nicky Bester, a safari guide, jumped to safety and hid in a thicket, using a satellite phone to summon assistance but Mr Gower died before help arrived. His eldest brother John Gower, 43, said: The guy asked how his head was and Roger said I cannot feel it and laughed. He was still cracking jokes and doing his best until the end. The Duke of Cambridge, who is president of the United For Wildlife charity, said in a statement he was very saddened to hear of yet more lives lost due to poaching. Three men accused of aiding the poachers have been arrested but up to five others, including the gunman, remain at large. Jumanne Maghembe, the countrys tourism minister, said: The suspects are in the hands of police. They are cooperating, and soon more people making up the poaching gang will be brought to justice. Donate at crowdfunding.justgiving.com/roger-gower J ennifer Jason Leigh has credited The Hateful Eight for resurrecting her career after revealing that she was ready to give up on acting. The Hollywood-born star, 53, had slipped into the acting wilderness but now finds herself nominated for the best supporting actress Oscar for playing gang leader Daisy Domergue in Quentin Tarantinos western. Leigh married screenwriter Noah Baumbach in 2005 and they had a son, Rohmer, five years later. They divorced in 2013. She told the Standard: Things are very different to a few years ago. I didnt think Id be in this position again and I really appreciate it now. I had a child and I stopped working for a while because I wanted to not work, to be a mother. It can be harder when you get out of the film world. But I had made my peace I was fine with it, I thought, This is where my life is right now. Golden Globes 2016 1 /46 Golden Globes 2016 Kate Winslet Kate Winslet poses in the press room with the award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture for iSteve Jobsi at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Double act Presenters Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence speak onstage during the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Brie Larson Brie Larson poses in the press room with the award for best actress in a motion picture - drama for iRoomi at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Veep losers Julia Louis-Dreyfus tweets out a 'This is us' tribute to Veep at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards @OfficialJLD Bear with a sore head Presenters Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum onstage during the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio accepts the award for best actor in a motion picture drama for his role in "The Revenant" during the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards Paul Drinkwater/NBC via AP Matt Damon Matt Damon poses in the press room with the award for best performance by an actor in a motion picture - musical or comedy for 'The Martian' Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Eva Longoria Eva Longoria arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Sylvester Stallone & Co Sylvester Stallone, second from right, poses in the press room with the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a motion picture for 'Creed' with Sophia Stallone, Scarlet Stallone, and Sistine Stallone at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Best Actress in a TV Drama Taraji P. Henson poses in the press room with the award for best performance by an actress in a TV series - drama for 'Empire' at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Brie Larson Brie Larson arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lopez arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Kate Winslet Kate Winslet arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Lawrence arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Invision/AP Joanne Froggatt Joanne Froggatt arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jason Statham Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, left, and Jason Statham arrive at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Eddie Redmayne Eddie Redmayne arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Julianne Moore Julianne Moore arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Awkward Leonardo DiCaprio winces as Lady Gaga brushes past him to collect her Golden Globe Award ABC Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney Lady Gaga, left, kisses Taylor Kinney as they arrive at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon Ricky Gervais, left, and Jane Fallon arrive at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards /Invision/AP Alicia Vikander Alicia Vikander arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Natalie Dormer arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Dunst arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Saoirse Ronan Saoirse Ronan arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Kate Bosworth Kate Bosworth arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Taraji P. Henson Taraji P. Henson arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Rooney Mara Rooney Mara arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Cate Blanchett Cate Blanchett arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Rachel McAdams arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Amy Adams Amy Adams arrives at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart Harrison Ford, left, and Calista Flockhart arrive at the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards Invision/AP Toast to the host Ricky Gervais, left, and Mel Gibson appear on stage at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel AP I felt like I had a really nice run and worked with some wonderful actors. Maybe it was time to do something else, maybe move into writing, maybe directing again and then this happened. Leigh, who found fame in 1982 teen hit Fast Times At Ridgemont High, also revealed an antique guitar smashed by Kurt Russells character in The Hateful Eight was worth $40,000 although this was kept secret from the actor. It was an 1860s Martin guitar and I had wanted to keep it as my memento, she said. But then Kirk decimated it during filming my reaction is real because I was in so much shock. We all thought Quentin was going to use a cheap prop but he used the real one. News / National by Stephen Jakes The Zimbabwe Peace Project has reported that on 16 December 2015, two Zanu-PF activists identified as Knight Gareta aged 50 and Cecilia Phiri aged 40 allegedly assaulted a 29- year old MDC-T activist accusing her of being an election agent in 2013 in Mashonaland East."The two perpetrators said that they wanted to fix her for belonging to the opposition. The victim was carrying a nine-month old baby who fell as a result of the assault and became unconscious. The victim's neighbours managed to resuscitate the baby and she was taken to hospital. The case was reported to the police and the perpetrators were arrested and were expected to appear in court on 19 January 2016," said ZPP."On 19 December 2015, an Agritex extension officer was harassed and intimidated by Isaac Neshamba, who is the local Zanu-PF chairperson. TheAgritex officer was harassed for establishing a maize demonstration site at a perceived MDC T supporter's field. The perpetrator publicly threatened the victim warning that he would "deal with him". The Agritex worker is fearing for his life."ZPP said on 20 December 2015, in Mudzi North a Zanu-PF member went to Kotwa Resource Centre for a meeting together with another Zanu-PF activist. The two were chased away by Peter Homwe and David Maguma who told them not to use the Zanu-PF hall as they were suspected to be aligned to the People First party."On 30 December 2015, Knowledge Zangira a Zanu-PF activist from Mudzi North met an MDC T activist who is a tailor and asked him to sew him clothes. The tailor explained to Knowledge that he could not sew the clothes as he wanted to go to church. Knowledge threatened the tailor with death in 2018 on allegations that he was an MDC-T supporter," said ZPP. News / National by Mabasa Sasa Claims that President Mugabe dragged his feet over the crisis in Burundi emanate from "sheer ignorance" of the procedural realities of international affairs in general and the workings of the African Union in particular, a senior Government official has said.The private media over the past week claimed President Mugabe's recently ended term as AU Chair was a disaster because the bloc had not deployed a military force in Burundi.However, President Mugabe's spokesperson, Mr George Charamba, said a dearth of knowledge of international affairs on the part of those making the claims has led to such misinformation being published.His views, made in an interview in Addis Ababa on Sunday morning, were given further gravitas by the outcome of AU deliberations on the Burundi issue later in the day.Mr Charamba said: "There is a misconception that the President left Burundi unattended and that misconception is arising from sheer ignorance over how the AU handles conflict situations."The procedure of the AU is not to run everything from the centre, but rather it is to build from the blocs. The instrument of first intervention is always the regional entity, it is your organ of first instance in conflict resolution."In the case of Burundi, that organ would be the East African Community through President (Yoweri) Museveni, which explains why the President of Uganda is the point man for Africa on Burundi."The EAC initiative on Burundi is in full swing, and they have not indicated to the AU that they have run into a cul-de-sac."It would have been premature for the then Chairman to invite himself into Burundi as he worked on the recommendation of the regional bloc con- cerned."Mr Charamba added that any decision to intervene militarily in a sovereign country with a standing government was a "very heavy one" and was "no playing matter", especially in light of Africa's history of foreign intervention."We are all seeing the horror of Libya which came about because of precipitous interventions and which also illustrated that you must proceed on the basis of AU principles and the African common position lest you are used by the West to fulfil pre-ordained invasion plans that have little to do with the society concerned," he said."As a matter of fact, the then Chairman was strictly circumspect on the issue of military intervention. He felt that it was premature, he felt that the proposition had not been sufficiently canvassed and in any case, that it was disrespectful of the regional bloc's role."Mr Charamba's views were subsequently vindicated by the AU Peace and Security Council's decision not to send troops to Burundi.AU Peace and Security Council chief Smail Chergui said: "We want dialogue with the government, and the Summit decided to dispatch a high-level delegation."Mr Ibrahima Fall, the AU special representative for the Great Lakes region, added: "It was never the intention of the African Union to deploy a mission to Burundi without the consent of Burundian authorities This is unimaginable."Burundi has always opposed any military deployment, saying such a mission would be viewed as an "invasion force".The Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh also said: "It is not only Burundi that is resisting this idea . . . most interveners in a country are not welcomed."President Jammeh said he would not support military deployment "without the consent of Burundi".The Gambia sits on the 15-member AU Peace and Security Council.Burundi's Foreign Minister Mr Alain Aime Nyamitwe said he was "satisfied" with the decision and said Bujumbura would co-operate "with the international community, particularly the African Union".Deployment would have been under Article IV(h) of the AU Charter which allows the bloc to intervene to stop war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.Burundi plunged into crisis in April 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a controversial third term, sparking street protests and a failed coup. Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Director Jim Macy announced that the agency will host 18 meetings in nine communities across the state to discuss the federal Clean Power Plan mandate. Alliance is one of the sites. NDEQ needs to determine how the state will respond to the federal Clean Power Plan, which requires substantial reductions in carbon emissions from power plants, Macy said. The purpose of these meetings is to first explain what is being mandated federally, and then to seek the publics input on the strategy Nebraska should pursue in reducing carbon emissions. The federal plan, which was issued Aug. 3, 2015, has set a 40 percent reduction in Nebraskas rate of carbon emissions from power plants, based on a 2012 baseline. The federal plan requires initial submissions from states by Sept. 6, 2016. This submittal can include a request for extension, if states demonstrate they are meeting specific criteria in developing a state plan. If an extension is granted, the revised deadline for states to submit a final plan is Sept. 6, 2018. Initial compliance will be determined from 2022 to 2024, with final compliance in 2030. Macy said that the agency is continuing to work with Nebraska utilities and the interested public to develop a framework for addressing carbon emissions in Nebraska. The objective is to develop a strategy that meets Nebraskas unique needs. Macy said the next step in the process is to seek broader involvement from the public, which is the purpose of the upcoming meetings. Meetings in Alliance will be held on March 2, 2 to 4 p.m., and 6 to 8 p.m., at the Knight Museum & Sandhills Center, 908 Yellowstone Road. Ogallala will also be a meeting site, with meetings planned there on March 3, 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., at the Quality Inn, 201 Chuckwagon Road. At both the afternoon and evening meetings, the first portion will be a poster session format, where people can learn more about the Clean Power Plan and its implications for Nebraska, as well as general energy topics, and talk individually with NDEQ staff about their questions. The second portion of each meeting will begin with a brief presentation by NDEQ, and then will provide an opportunity for public comment. Comments made during the second portion of the meeting will be audio recorded, transcribed, and made part of the public record. The transcribed comments and written submissions will be reviewed and considered by NDEQ as the agency develops Nebraskas response to the federal Clean Power Plan mandate. We hope to accomplish two major goals in these initial meetings, Macy said. First is to meet individually with people who have concerns, ideas and questions, to explain where we are at in the process. Second, we want to gather the publics comments during the second portion of each meeting, so that we can develop an effective common-sense strategy for Nebraska. Macy added that the meetings are just one method of providing comments and finding out more information about the states efforts. NDEQ has developed a web page that provides the public the opportunity to submit comments, view comments and to view related documents. The web address is: https://ecmp.nebraska.gov/DEQ-CPP. Comments that are received prior to March 15, 2016, will be considered as NDEQ develops its initial submittal. However, there will also be opportunity for more public comment in the future, and additional public meetings will be announced as this process moves forward. NDEQ has also developed a web page that provides an overview of the process, which will be updated regularly with new information. That site is located at: http://deq.ne.gov/NDEQProg.nsf/OnWeb/NCMS. The Riverside Discovery Center will be making a presentation. The council will consider a letter of intent from Nebraska Public Power District for a solar project. The council will also consider approval of grant matching funds for the Western Nebraska Economic Development regional housing study. The council will continue discussing funding sources for a Community Redevelopment Authority and the proposed LB 357, additional sales tax resolution. An ordinance regulating motorized skateboards, hoverboards and motorized scooters will be considered. While you may have heard about the research and development (R&D) tax incentive the Australian Governments tax incentive to encourage innovation you may be unsure how to apply for the incentive, or... 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News / National by Felex Share Individualists and factionalists have no place in the Zanu-PF Government, and people should respect the leadership appointed at the party's 2014 National People's Congress, President Mugabe said yesterday.Addressing hundreds of Zanu-PF supporters at the Harare International Airport on his return from the 26th Ordinary Summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, President Mugabe warned those denigrating his appointees that they would soon fall by the wayside.The President, whose one-year tenure as AU chairman ended over the weekend when he handed the baton to Chad's President Idriss Deby, said those with eccentric thoughts should repent, drive the Zanu-PF empowerment agenda in peace or risk being chucked out."Zvehumbimbindoga tombokanda pasi, zvemafactions tombozvisvipira pasi," he said. "Our youths should not be used and misled. They should always remember that it is the will of the people which should lead us, for us to push forward our resolutions and targets we give ourselves at the congresses."If we unite, women on this hand and the youths on the other hand, we will achieve our goals. Zvino tikavamba nyaya yezvibhakera vamwe varikurovana apa, vamwe varikutukana nepapa, hapasisina rukudzo, tinongotuka, nevakuru vanongonyombwa. What have we done? We do not want that!"He added: "We need unity in the country, province by province. Not to have a province which says we stand for this and our leaders are so and so. There are no other leaders other than the ones we were given by the Central Committee. Leaders are chosen at the Congress, that is where we drop those we do not need."President Mugabe, whose address centred on unity, said while differences existed "here and there", in the end people should be guided by the country's principles and resolutions. "We want to correct each other to pull in the right direction," he said. "If ideas are different, people do sit down and share thoughts and choose the best idea to push forward our developmental agenda."Kwete kuti zvandofunga izvozvo ndezvangu chete hapana anondibvisa panapa. Zimbabwe has principles and resolutions; this is what has taken us this far. Since time immemorial, we were united, yes there were differences and those on the wrong fell by the wayside."President Mugabe took time to brief party supporters on the deliberations of Heads of State and Government at the AU Summit, with emphasis on value addition and beneficiation of raw materials and the need to reform the United Nations Security Council."We are obliged to reform our way of doing things," he said. "It should not just be farming and mining only, we need to establish industries. We should stop exporting raw materials before refining them. If it is cotton, it means they should come and buy clothes from us."Where we are not able to do that, we get into partnership with progressive countries like India and China and others then we manufacture those things we buy outside."Value addition and beneficiation, the President said, created employment, added knowledge to locals and resulted in the realisation of high rewards. He said the Western world still had the slavery mentality and did not want to see the development of any black society. President Mugabe said the West wanted to remain on top of the situation and was now using non-governmental organisations to achieve regime change in independent countries."In Harlem (United States), they (blacks) are suffering, diseases and murderers are galore," he said. "Right now they are coming with regime change, wanting to remove elected governments. In Africa, NGOs have flooded the continent and here (Zimbabwe) alone they are more than 3 000. When they want to come they should be guided by our laws."The President said African nations were equal and they should assist each other in times of need. He said peace was vital for development and countries should always work together in tackling any crisis."Ukanzwa nzara ikoko, inzara yanguwo kuno," he said. "Hurwere hwako ndehwanguwo, hwanguwo ndehwako. For us to achieve this in our countries, we need peace. No contention and fights. (We do not want) those who come outside (like) Boko Haram, Al -Shabaab, Al-Qaeda, we should assist each other to stop these terrorists."The same applies to diseases; we should do it the way we tackled Ebola. We united to ensure countries affected live and work freely." President Mugabe cherished the standing ovations and thunderous applause he received from Heads of State and Government when he opened the Summit on Saturday saying: "Zimbabwe had been put on top."On the inequality in the UN Security Council, President Mugabe reiterated that it was time African countries got permanent seats with veto powers or the continent pulls out of the United Nations.Britain, China, France, Russia and the US are the only veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council. China and Russia have been open to discussing reforms, as have emerging powers like India and Brazil who also want seats on the Security Council.President Mugabe was welcomed by his two deputies, Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko, several Government ministers and service chiefs on his arrival from Ethiopia. Monday, 01 February 2016 09:22:47 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo Costa Rican scrap exports in December 2015 declined 35 percent, year-on-year, according to information from the countrys export promotion agency, Procomer. Scrap exports in December reached 5,138 mt, down from 7,903 mt in the same period of the year prior. South America and Asia remained as the nations top export destinations. South America received 2,605 mt of the product, while Asia imported some 2,373 mt of scrap Only 160 mt of scrap were exported to the Central America in December, according to Procomers figures.Costa Rican total scraps for the whole year of 2015 reached 79,610 mt, down by 34.7 percent, year-on-year, from 121,978 mt. Monday, 01 February 2016 17:59:53 (GMT+3) | Istanbul Bahram Sobhani, managing director of Iranian steel producer Mobarakeh Steel Company, has said that the company has signed three development projects with Italian companies, worth a total of 900 million, as reported by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the official news agency of Iran In his statement, Mr. Sobhani said that domestic contractors will also be involved in the projects, though monetary resources will be provided by the Italian companies. Monday, 01 February 2016 17:49:54 (GMT+3) | San Diego SteelOrbis has learned that Turkish offers for US import cold rolled coil (CFR) are trending in the approximate range of $420-$430/mt CFR FO in US Gulf ports. Monday, 01 February 2016 17:48:57 (GMT+3) | San Diego SteelOrbis has learned that Vietnamese offers for US import cold rolled coil (CFR) are trending in the approximate range of $420-$430/mt CFR FO in US Gulf ports. Monday, 01 February 2016 17:58:39 (GMT+3) | Istanbul Prices of ex-Australia iron ore of 62 percent Fe content for delivery to China s Qingdao port, which moved in the range of $40.5-41.5/mt CFR last week, have increased by a slight margin of $0.5/mt CFR since last Friday, starting the current week at $41.5-42/mt CFR. According to the report issued by China s Xinhua News Agency on January 25, iron ore inventories at 33 major Chinese ports amounted to 93.63 million mt, increasing by 1.92 million mt or 2.08 percent compared to January 18. Due to slack finished steel demand in the global markets, Chinese steel producers continue to slow down their production , resulting in declines in their demand for iron ore . Besides, increasing iron ore inventories at Chinese ports continue to exert downward pressure on prices. Even though the overall tendency of import iron ore prices is mostly downward under these market conditions, in the past week prices have generally moved sideways but have also recorded a slight increase, as the withdrawal of most players from the market ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday has provided support for the stability of prices. Last week, Australian iron ore miners Atlas Iron and Fortescue Metals Group announced their financial results for the last quarter of 2015. Atlas Iron stated that it shipped 3.6 million wet metric tons of iron ore in the quarter ended on December 31, rising by 10 percent compared to the previous quarter. The company stated that the iron ore markets have remained challenging into January this year, though the falling Australian dollar, low freight prices and further interim cost savings negotiated in December 2015 will assist Atlas in remaining competitive during completion of its debt restructuring. Meanwhile, Fortescue Metals Group reported that its iron ore shipments in the quarter ended December 31 totaled 42.1 million mt, increasing by 2.43 percent year on year and registering a rise of one percent from the previous quarter. In the outlooks issued by research companies and investment banks, iron ore prices are still expected to trend downwards. According an analyst at Citigroup, iron ore prices are being pressured by declining Chinese equities and the depreciating RMB, while macroeconomic developments and financial market positioning are increasingly impacting iron ore prices as paper trading grows. The analyst stated that they are expecting weak steel fundamentals and global iron ore oversupply to continue to weigh on iron ore prices. Meanwhile, the World Bank has cut its iron ore price estimate for 2017 by 28 percent to $44.1/mt and predicted that prices will remain below $50/mt through 2019 before rising to $51/mt at the end of the decade. The bank also mentioned the risks to its forecasts, including a further economic slowdown in China and extra supply spurred by cheaper production costs and weakening currencies in producing countries. News / National by Stephen Jakes Chief Zvimba Chikambi hjas reportedly attacked the former Vice President Joice Mujuru led People First project threatening that the ruling Zanu PF will not fold its hands while the PF does what it wants in its territory in Mashonaland West."On 18 December 2015, at the inauguration of the substantive Headman Zvakaramba at Matsvitsi Village Ward 3 in Zvimba South, the guest of honour, Chief Zvimba Chikambi was asked to give a vote of thanks. Chief Zvimba began to attack smaller parties like the People First. He said he was aware of its activities in the area and the ruling party was not going to fold its arms and watch," reported Zimbabwe Peace Project."On 21 December 2015, Memory Mangoti allegedly verbally assaulted Susan Ngorima (not real name). Both women were MDC-T supporters for a long time until Susan decided that she wanted to stand as an independent candidate. Memory was angered by the decision and accused the victim of being a prostitute."The organisation said on 22 December 2015, in Ward 29, Mhondoro-Chegutu, Desmond Mbaimbai allegedly insulted a councillor, Prisca Nondo (not real name) that she had grown skinny following the expulsion of former MP Webster Shamu."The victim reported the case to the police resulting in Mbaimbai's arrest. He was later released after paying a fine," said ZPP.ZPP said on 23 December 2015, it is alleged that chief Ngezi went to Muchenami Village with some of his friends and started assaulting villagers accusing them of being MDC supporters."It is reported that a teacher at Tambawadya Primary School in Ward 10 Karoi, Duncan Nkomo is constantly threatening a fellow teacher Stewart Nhindi (not real name) that they were going to be dealt with him in 2018. He is said to have told the victim on several occasions that those who do not support Zanu- PF will be beaten in 2018," said ZPP. News / National by Felex Share Individualists and factionalists have no place in the Zanu-PF government and people should respect the leadership appointed at the party's 2014 National People's Congress, President Robert Mugabe said yesterday. Addressing hundreds of Zanu-PF supporters at the Harare International Airport on his return from the 26th Ordinary Summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, President Mugabe warned those denigrating his appointees that they would soon fall by the wayside.The President, whose one-year tenure as AU chairman ended over the weekend when he handed the baton to Chad's President Idriss Deby, said those with eccentric thoughts should repent, drive the Zanu-PF empowerment agenda in peace or risk being chucked out."We must reject selfishness, We should reject factionalism," he said. "Our youths shouldn't be used and misled. They should always remember that it's the will of the people which should lead us, for us to push forward our resolutions and targets we give ourselves at the Congresses."If we unite, women on this hand and the youths on the other hand, we will achieve our goals. Now if we start fighting, some are fighting here, some are insulting each other in newspapers, there's no respect any more, we just insult each other, even the leaders aren't shown respect. What have we done? We don't want that!"He added: "We need unity in the country, province by province. Not to have a province which says we stand for this and our leaders are so and so. There are no other leaders other than the ones we were given by the Central Committee. Leaders are chosen at the Congress, that's where we drop those we don't need."President Mugabe, whose address centred on unity, said while differences existed "here and there", in the end people should be guided by the country's principles and resolutions."We want to correct each other. to pull in the right direction," he said. "If ideas are different, people do sit down and share thoughts and choose the best idea to push forward our developmental agenda."We don't want those that say what I think is right, no one will remove me from my position. Zimbabwe has principles and resolutions; this is what has taken us this far. Since time immemorial, we were united, yes there were differences and those on the wrong fell by the wayside."President Mugabe took time to brief party supporters on the deliberations of Heads of State and Government at the AU Summit, with emphasis on value addition and beneficiation of raw materials and the need to reform the United Nations Security Council."We're obliged to reform our way of doing things," he said. "It shouldn't just be farming and mining only, we need to establish industries. We should stop exporting raw materials before refining them. If it's cotton, it means they should come and buy clothes from us."Where we're not able to do that, we get into partnership with progressive countries like India and China and others then we manufacture those things we buy outside."Value addition and beneficiation, the President said, created employment, added knowledge to locals and resulted in the realisation of high rewards.He said the Western world still had the slavery mentality and did not want to see the development of any black society.President Mugabe said the West wanted to remain on top of the situation and was now using non-governmental organisations to achieve regime change in independent countries."In Harlem (United States), they (blacks) are suffering, diseases and murders are galore," he said. "Right now they're coming with regime change, wanting to remove elected governments. In Africa, NGOs have flooded the continent and here (Zimbabwe) alone there are more than 3,000. When they want to come they should be guided by our laws."The President said African nations were equal and they should assist each other in times of need. He said peace was vital for development and countries should always work together in tackling any crisis."If you're hungry where ever you are, I must know about it here," he said. "Your problems are my problems too and my problems should also be yours. For us to achieve this in our countries, we need peace. No contention and fights. (We don't want) those who come outside (like) Boko Haram, Al Shabaab, Al Qaeda, we should assist each other to stop these terrorists."The same applies to diseases; we should do it the way we tackled Ebola. We united to ensure countries affected live and work freely." President Mugabe cherished the standing ovations and thunderous applause he received from Heads of State and Government when he opened the Summit on Saturday saying, "Zimbabwe had been put on top."On the inequality in the UN Security Council, President Mugabe reiterated that it was time African countries got permanent seats with veto powers or the continent pulls out of the United Nations.Britain, China, France, Russia and the US are the only veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council.China and Russia have been open to discussing reforms, as have emerging powers like India and Brazil who also want seats on the Security Council.President Mugabe was welcomed by his two deputies, Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko, several government ministers and service chiefs on his arrival from Ethiopia. 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. UPDATED at 9:20 a.m. Monday with additional detail from Maryland Heights police major. CASEYVILLE Suspects in a Maryland Heights robbery were captured Monday morning after a police chase into Illinois. Police say three males and one female were arrested after the car they were in apparently ran out of gas near Interstate 64 and Highway 157. Trooper Calvin Dye of the Illinois State Police said the four were in a stolen Pontiac Bonneville. The female, he said, was taken to a hospital by ambulance after she appeared to be having seizures at the scene. Dye said the suspected robbers were pursued into Illinois over the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge. The ages and hometowns of the four were not immediately available. They were wanted for a 4:24 a.m. holdup Monday at Mobil gas station, at 13553 Riverport Drive. A man with a knife and a woman went into the store and robbed a female cashier, said Major Joseph Delia, deputy chief of the Maryland Heights Police Department. Delia said they stole cigarettes and liquor. No one was hurt in the robbery. Police put out a description of the robbers' getaway car, a dark-colored Pontiac. An officer from a north St. Louis County police department spotted the car a short time later and the chase began. ST. LOUIS COUNTY Benjamin Wilkinson asked a courtroom packed with April Wards relatives to forgive him for shooting her in the head and killing her two years ago. He said it was a complete accident for which he is truly sorry. I love your daughter, April, and all of your family with all of my heart, said Wilkinson, 22. I hope you can somehow forgive me. But Wards family, along with police and prosecutors, have long held that it was no accident. They say an enraged Wilkinson put a handgun to Wards temple and pulled the trigger. Ward, 25, a mother of two, died from her injuries at a hospital on Feb. 18, 2014. Authorities charged Wilkinson with second-degree murder, but a jury found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter in December following a three-day trial. He was also found guilty of armed criminal action. After hearing Wilkinsons request for forgiveness Monday, St. Louis County Circuit Judge Colleen Dolan sentenced him to seven years for the charge of involuntary manslaughter plus 10 more years for armed criminal action. Police have said the couple were the only ones in Wards bedroom at the time of the shooting. It was about 1:20 a.m. when Wards family found her lying on her bed at their home in the 700 block of Dallas Drive, bleeding from her head. Wards son, then 2, and daughter, then 6, were asleep in an adjacent bedroom. Wards mother, Debra Palmier, 59, said that she didnt immediately realize her daughter had been shot and that it wasnt until after Ward had gone to the hospital that police found a .25-caliber pistol under the bloody bed covers. Palmier said Wilkinson claimed he and Ward were playing a game when she was shot. Wilkinson did not testify at his trial and did not explain at Mondays hearing what happened. Palmier said she is satisfied with the sentence but still thinks Wilkinson murdered her daughter. I believe he was angry and that he just killed her, Palmier said. You dont put a gun directly on someones temple and pull the trigger. Thats not accidental and thats not careless. Thats intentional. Wilkinsons lawyer, Charles Barberio, said his client got hammered by the judge at sentencing but that he respects her decision. Barberio said the shooting was unintentional and that the questions Wards family has about the shooting cant be answered. Theres no why when an accident happens, he said. Ward was a stay-at-home mother and Webster Groves High School graduate, relatives have said. She loved old gangster movies, shopping, dancing and riding motorcycles. Wilkinson lived in the 5100 block of Reynosa Drive in unincorporated south St. Louis County. He has been jailed since the shooting and will get credit for about two years of time already served. About 10 of Wilkinsons relatives came to Mondays sentencing hearing. His sister, Brittany Wilkinson, 27, told the courtroom her brother is the youngest of six siblings and has a caring soul and enormous heart. My brother made a mistake a very tragic, irreversible mistake, she said. He will forever be a prisoner to himself. He will relive that night for the rest of his life. Palmier said her daughters children are still struggling with their mothers death.Adrianna, 8, is in counseling. Stevie, 4, constantly asks to see his mother and doesnt understand why shes gone. Its often said that everything is done for a purpose, Palmier said. I hope something good comes out of this and that Benji learns something from this. News / National by Staff reporter A petition to oust VP Mnangagwa from both his party and government positions has taken off. Sources claim that signatures for the petition began to be collected on Saturday.One of the sources, who is also a central committee member also noted that there had been an overwhelming response to the petition.The petition is said to be well on track to get more than the 600,000 originally planned countrywide, at an average of 60,000 signatures per province.But the secretary-general of the pro-Mnangagwa Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Associations (ZNLWA), Victor Matemanda said the struggle fighters would oppose the petition. Two men were arrested on Monday after developer Paul McKee demanded they remove protest signs they had placed on vacant property he owns. The unusual scene began on Monday morning after workers began removing the signs, which included biblical verses, from the property near the old Pruitt Igoe housing complex. The vacant lot is the site of a former church and the entire area is subject to eminent domain in an effort to build a $1.6 billion facility for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a federal spy agency. The signs, which had been on the property for more than a month, were placed by protesters opposed to the use of eminent domain to take property in the area. The sign removal effort preceded a site tour Monday afternoon. U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, hosted the tour for U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, which has oversight responsibility for the NGA. Schiff is a Democrat from the Los Angeles area. "The politicians don't want it to be known there is opposition," said Larry Chapman, who was one of the men arrested. McKee himself arrived Monday morning in a silver GMC Denali SUV. "Get out of here," McKee told Chapman without getting out of his vehicle. "You can do whatever you want, just not on my property." McKee then pulled forward and told police officers he wanted the group arrested for trespassing. He then drove away. The officers arrested two men after McKee left Chapman and Gustavo Rendon, who lives next door to the vacant land. "I call this sacred ground," Rendon said before the arrest. Meanwhile a bus from St. Louis Priory School arrived. Students got out and surveyed the scene. They were on a tour of the neighborhood studying white flight and urban decay. The dog who rose to be king Sunday at the 23rd annual Mardi Gras Beggin Pet Parade in Soulard was named Gabe, a towering harlequin Great Dane whose fur coat looked like crumbled Oreo cookies swirling in cream. Gabe was the only finalist whose costume didnt involve a set of wheels and lots of props. Gabe didnt sit atop a replica St. Louis Blues Zamboni like Ava the Chihuahua. Nor was he groomed like a Clydesdale as was Fred, the standard poodle who along with another Chihuahua, Chance, was named a most loyal subject. Fred pulled a wagon stocked full with cases of Pupweiser, driven by little Chance. Nope, Gabe went old school: he wore a bedazzled emerald green Mardi Gras cape and leggings. His owner, Mary Krauter, placed on his silky head a miniature sequined hat, eloquent and tinier than his charcoal briquette-sized nose. Amid so many elaborate gimmicks, how was Gabe crowned the king? Simple: Gabe carried himself like a leader among beasts in front of thousands of onlookers delighted to be outside on a 67-degree day in January. After winning the title, he stood at the edge of the stage, turned his body at an angle for all to see his gilded cape and then tilted his head high upon his loyal subjects. Today, he silently declared, all dogs shall have their day or something like that. He was totally working it, said Krauter of Hillsboro, who said her neighbors often stop their cars and roll down their windows to pet Gabe on his walk. The annual dog parade was bolstered by stunning weather that brought out so many bipeds, they stood five deep along sidewalks. There were so many canines a possible record of more than 2,000 the parade went on long after a king, queen and crew were named winners and given their sashes and crowns. Before the start, the event sponsored by Nestle Purina PetCare had already raised more than $10,000 for Open Door Animal Sanctuary, a no-kill shelter in House Springs. Executive Director Tracie Quackenbush estimated by days end an additional $12,000 would be raised to help with the expansion of the facilities in a shelter that has the motto, 100 kisses a day. Amid the barks, tutus and beads (and an accumulating trail of little brown accidents), there were touching stories of past dog rescues. Teddy, a white poodle mix, was found abandoned in a woodpile in a forest near Imperial. He was slated to be destroyed by local animal control before being rescued by Diane Mapes and family of Chesterfield. Teddy and his partner, Bailey, were just married in a bride and groom outfits. Their marital wagon dragged crushed beer cans as they headed off to the happily ever after. Olive, a big, serene mutt, was rescued from an abusive owner in Indiana, so beaten and hurt, she hid for days in her new home. Now she was riding high in the blue sidecar of a Harley, safe on the lap of her owner, Mary Sever of Barnhart. There were also bittersweet tales among the wagging tails. Sweet, shy Norman, a pit bull-boxer mix dressed as Mr. Spock, was getting on in years. It was logical: this year would be his bucket list year, said Janelle Brimer of Florissant, dressed as Uhura. Were kind of on our old man tour, she said. Another dog, Holly, who was named queen, lay sleepily at the bow of her giant pirate ship so big it took four family members to maneuver it through the streets of Soulard. Holly was 14, said Kerri Bonasch of St. Louis Hills. Shed recently been diagnosed with a tumor. She was doing pretty good on her meds, but this would likely be her last hurrah. It had been a good life, 98 in dog years. Holly was a reminder to all her pals: Carpe Dog. Most of her fellow parade marchers were doing just that with abandon. Like Einstein, who went all 50 Shades of Gray in his costume. The silver Weimaraner sported a black mask, a set of handcuffs and several monochrome silk ties that left most onlookers baffled. Winston, an enormous bloodhound, trailed behind her. He was shy at first. But once Scott and Carey McNair of Wildwood freed him from his sequined cape, he felt right at home. He tried to steal someones beer. Beware of do-gooders with dollar signs in their eyes. People donate their hard-earned money because they want to support a worthy cause. The fastest way for a charity to lose the publics trust is for its administrators to treat donated money as their personal stash. Weve watched tough-guy actors such as Bruce Willis and Mark Wahlberg on television ads extolling the heroism of American war veterans, followed by appeals for donations to the Wounded Warrior Project. Its almost impossible not to feel emotions welling up while watching a person whose legs were blown off by roadside bombs trying to restore some semblance of normality to his life. Yes, by all means, they deserve our support and dollars. But now theyre being victimized a second time. In the corporate world of big-dollar philanthropy, the administrators of the Wounded Warrior Project have engaged in profligate spending, according to a recent New York Times report. Theyve jetted across the ocean in expensive business-class seats, held planning sessions at $500-a-night five-star hotels and generally behaved as if their employer were Microsoft or Exxon instead of a charity. Veterans have been posting complaints online for more than a year, charging that WWP has abused the wounded-warrior cause. The New York Times detailed multiple accounts of how veterans have been dismissed from their jobs at the Wounded Warrior Project for challenging the way money was being spent or questioning executive decisions. Even the projects founder, John Melia, appears to have been shunted aside after registering concerns about lavish executive lifestyles and emphasis on fundraising over helping actual veterans in need. Theres no question that Steve Nardizzi, the charitys chief executive, has elevated WWPs profile and given it name-brand recognition across America. Mr. Nardizzi, who has never served in the military, earned about $500,000 in total compensation in 2013, according to the groups federal tax records. His chief operating officer earned nearly $400,000. Mr. Nardizzis business philosophy appears to lean heavily on the you have to spend money to make money model of financial management. But hes spending other peoples donated money. One charity-watch organization estimates that the Wounded Warriors Project in 2014 spent $124 million 40 percent of donations on overhead. Reputable charities aim for something in the 20 percent-or-lower range. The bottom line remains the same wherever you choose to donate your money: Never give blindly. Check them out first. Two online monitoring sites are an excellent place to start. Visit Charitynavigator.org for a listing of reputable versus questionable charities focusing on the cause you support. And Guidestar.org allows you to examine federal tax filings and see for yourself exactly how charity executives are rewarding themselves with your donated money. Regarding the letter Schmitts support of working people is phony claim (Oct. 10): I find it laughable that Eric Schmitt portrays himself as a poor child in his recent TV adds. He laments that his dad had to work seven nights a week at Anheuser-Busch. What Schmitt doesnt reveal is that News / National by Staff reporter Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association has threatened to physically block Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo from attending the Zanu-PF politburo indaba most likely this week, demanding that he publicly apologizes for labelling presidential spokesperson George Charamba an "idiot".War Veterans secretary-general Victor Matemadanda told said that they were convinced the insults were indirectly targeted at President Robert Mugabe.Asked to clarify if they were only targeting Moyo, Matemadanda said several other top Zanu-PF officials were being monitored, but had been spared as they had "not yet crossed the red line". LONDON MARKET CLOSE: Investors cheer as Truss chased out of No 10 Thursday, October 20, 2022 - 17:12 The FTSE 100 moved into the green on Wednesday afternoon, with sterling also rising, as investors in the UK were buoyed by Liz Truss calling an end to her disastrous six-week tenure. Truss has announced her resignation after a chaotic 44 days in office during which she lost the confidence of Tory members of Parliament and the public and oversaw economic turbulence. She is set to become the shortest serving prime minister in history after she battled an open revolt from Conservatives demanding her departure. Speaking from a lectern in Downing Street, Truss said she had told the King she was resigning as the leader of the Conservative Party as she recognised she "cannot deliver the mandate" which Tory members gave her little over six weeks ago. "To use a phrase that has no doubt been exhausted in the past few weeks, markets don News / National by Stephen Jakes Plan International, a child rights organization operating in 51 developing countries being funded by the Japanese Embassy has constructed some infrastructure at the Malanda Secondary School in Tsholotsho and an official hand over take over will be done on Wednesday at the school.In a Media Advisory note sent to Bulawayo 24 Plan International noted that it will be handing over the facilities constructed to Malanda Secondary School authorities during the official opening and handover ceremony."Plan International Zimbabwe funded by Japanese Embassy constructed Malanda Secondary School in Tsholotsho which will be officially opened on Wednesday 3 February 2016," reads the advisory note.Officials from Plan International, Japanese Ambassador, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs are expected to attend the event."Dropout rates have been on the increase owing to distance travelled by pupils to nearby schools and unavailability of basic infrastructural facilities like classroom blocks. In pursuit of ensuring that secondary school education is enhanced, the project seeks to improve the learning environment for the pupils at Malanda Secondary through the construction of classroom blocks and provision of furniture," noted Plan International.Plan International was founded 78 years ago, Plan International is one of the oldest and largest child rights organisations in the world and it works in 51 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas to promote child rights and lift millions of children out of poverty. Plan also works through collaborative partnerships with corporates and private sector companies to transform and empower communities and institutions to fulfill the rights of children. As we have since July 2006, each Friday well post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler. 1) Big changes are afoot at Camacho Cigars, a Florida-based cigar manufacturer known for producing full-bodied cigars that has been owned by the Davidoff Group since 2008. For starters, the brand is embracing its reputation for strength with a new scorpion logo and distributing marketing materials that trumpet bold is back with a vengeance and the worlds leader in bold cigars. It is also revealing new branding thats a major departure from Camachos older, more traditional look. It has hired Mike Ditka, Matt Booth of Room 101 Cigars (Room 101 has always been made by Camacho), and screenwriter Rob Weiss to be on the Board of the Bold. And it is narrowing its portfolio of 11 blends down to 6Corojo, Corojo Maduro, Connecticut, Criollo, Triple Maduro, and Diplomamost of which will be entirely re-blended. We hear some prices may also drop as part of the reboot. This reinvention will be celebrated at a national release party in Dallas on June 20, and the new cigars will go on sale following the 2013 IPCPR Trade Show. 2) Hendrik Kelner, Jr., son of Henke Kelner of Davidoff fame, is releasing his own brand called Smoking Jacket Cigars. This inaugural release is the first cigar created in Kelner, Jr.s newly opened Kelner Boutique Factory in Santiago. The cigar is a blend of Dominican, Brazilian, Peruvian, and Nicaraguan tobaccos and will be available in 4 sizes for $7-10 apiece. 3) Inside the Industry: Kristoff is introducing a new line of four blends called the Galerones Series, all of which will be made at Abe Flores factory in Tamboril. While still available from some online sellers, Cubao (now distributed by Espinosa Cigars), which has not been made since 2010, will be relaunched with slightly changed packaging. Miami Cigar is debuting the My Father Cigars-made Casa Miranda Chapter Two. 4) Around the Blogs: Cigar Fan fires up a Guayacon Torpedo. Stogie Review reviews the Fuente Don Carlos Lancero. Doc Stogie lights up the Quesada Seleccion Espana. Halfwheel smokes the Fonseca Singature Series TAA. Robby Ras checks out the 7-20-4 Lancero. Cigar Inspector inspects the Casa Magna Colorado Corona. 5) Deal of the Week: Because of the forthcoming changes detailed above, now is an excellent time to stock up on discount original blend Camacho cigars. Corona Cigar Co. is featuring 42-45% off a large selection of Camacho boxes (plus you get a Camacho hat and free shipping on your entire order). Get your cigars here. The Stogie Guys photo credit: Camacho News / News by Tendai Gukutikwa A HONDE-VALLEY family is seeking for the Prophetic Healing and Deliverance founder, Prophet Walter Magaya's intervention in their family matters as they have had enough of the avenging spirit that has been tormenting them.Manica Post reported that Artwell Kanjanda (49), son to the suspected cause of the family problems, Douglas Kanjanda (75) of Mutsaka Village in Honde Valley, said only Prophet Magaya could deliver his family from the avenging spirit affecting them.According to Douglas's younger brother, Offard Kanjanda (66), Douglas killed a Mozambican national sometime in the 1970s and used some of his body parts for rituals in his grinding mill business."The dead man's spirit has been manifesting on my daughter, Abigail and he claims that my brother Douglas killed him for rituals way back in the 70s," he said.It is alleged that at headman Mutsaka's court, Douglas confessed to killing the Mozambican and went on to pay what is called "matendamhaka" (some form of payment that one pays for admission of crime).Abigail who is being used as the spirit's medium is now suffering as everyone in the family is dragging their feet to find a solution.The spirit of the departed man only identified as Thomas from Katandika in Mozambique is seeking for appeasement as he claimed that he was murdered by Douglas Kanjanda sometime in the late 1970s.According to Offard, the group was led by the spirit to Katandika, Mozambique where Douglas also paid matendamhaka and was ordered to come back with money for appeasements.However, Douglas's son, Artwell, dismissed the claims that his father had killed the Mozambican.He also claimed that the Mozambican was killed by his grandfather and Offard's father sometime in the 70s."Offard is claiming that my father killed the Mozambican for business rituals and made sure that the spirit torments his daughter, but that is not true. If need be we should approach Prophet Walter Magaya so that we can get assistance to know the truth. I know that my father, uncle and the headman went to the Mozambican family, but I do not know what transpired there," he said.Before confessing to killing the man, Douglas allegedly attacked his younger brother, Offard and Abigail with an axe, bow and arrow after he had been approached by the latter together with several other church members when the spirit had insisted that he lead them to where he had committed the crime.When he appeared before Mutare senior magistrate, Sekai Chiundura last week, Douglas denied the charges of domestic violence.Artwell who maliciously damaged Offard's property as a form of revenge was convicted by the courts and asked to pay a fine. He was also ordered to compensate his uncle. The most formidable foe Indian commandos face are Indian politicians. Since 2013 Indian special operations forces and the various branches of the military have sought to form a united Special Forces Command based on the success of the American SOCOM (Special Operations Command). Created in the 1980s SOCOM went on to be the model for similar organizations in many other nations. One of the most recent was Israel in 2007. That is important because Israel has become a major defense supplier and military ally of India since the 1990s and the two countries exchange a lot military-related information and experiences. Indian officers and special operations troops are quite familiar with the success of the Israeli SOCOM. But by late 2015 these Indian efforts were blocked by a lack of government willingness to back the proposal and the fact that half the Indian armed forces (and nearly as many of the special operations troops) are not in the military but an equally large collection of paramilitary forces controlled by other bureaucracies. This was done on purpose in the late 1940s to prevent the possibility that the military would become powerful enough to take over the government. That has worked. Neighboring Pakistan went in another direction, building a relatively more powerful military and has suffered periodic military takeovers. But India has several other cultural differences from Pakistan that have helped prevent coups. Meanwhile many non-defense branches of the Indian government have grown fond of having their own armed forces and mainly because of that have been unwilling to give up or share control of their special operations forces. In reaction to that the military has been reluctant to provide assistance to these paramilitary forces, even when there was a strong case for it (as in efforts to deal with Islamic terrorism, leftist rebels and armed separatist groups). The Indian Army has had one special operations crisis after another since 2001. For example, in 2010 when the Para-Commando force sought to add an eighth battalion there were complaints that the troops involved are not getting adequate training or equipment. This was an increasingly common issue for all the special operations troops. India has several different special operations organizations and each of them have a specific mission and all too often serious problems with the government procurement bureaucracy. Para Commandos form the parachute infantry of the Army but have been given additional training and equipment to enable them to carry out commando type operations. A lot of the special equipment never seems to arrive, nor does all the additional money for training. The Special Protection Group personnel are assigned the task of protection for India's Prime Minister and VIPs from terrorist attacks. For some reason these troops always seem to get what they need. This leads many Indians (military and civilian) to see the special operations procurement problems as the fault of self-serving politicians. The elite MARCOS unit acts as India's Navy SEAL teams and performs special ops on the high seas. Again, there are constant shortages of equipment and training opportunities. Moreover MARCOS often does not cooperate with army special operations forces and actually duplicates some of the army special operations capabilities. The primary counter-terror unit in the country is the 15,000 man National Security Guards and the ones who have borne most of the responsibility for tackling India's persistent insurgent problems over the last couple of decades. These fellows are constantly called on to deal with emergencies equipped only with promises of new gear and weapons. Since 2003 the army has formed a force of over 7,200 commandos so that each of the 359 infantry battalions in the army could have a twenty man Ghatak (commando) platoon. While this gave each battalion some shock troops, it also increased discontent among the rest of the troops, who now see modern equipment up close and wonder why they don't have it (like most of their Western counterparts do). In many cases some Ghatak platoons didn't have it either, while others did. This uneven distribution of modern gear caused morale problems among the Ghatak troops. Another cause of discontent was the knowledge, often via the Internet, that commandos from other nations often had better, or much better, equipment and weapons than the Ghatak units. The last decade has seen accelerating development of new commando equipment, but Indian commandos feel like they're the last to get the new stuff, if at all. Thus Indian special operations officers believe an Indian SOCOM would give the special operations forces more political clout within the government to get what they need before an emergency arises and the politicians start blaming each other, and the military, for not having the necessary weapons and equipment. For most of 2015 the biggest threat from China was economic. The Chinese economy was behaving unpredictably and that was a concern for most of the world because China now has the second largest economy on the planet. But because of mismanagement and corruption the Chinese economy was slowing down. That was obvious because China has become one of the largest customers for raw materials, manufactured goods and much else. Those orders were shrinking and many of the foreign suppliers were in trouble. Naturally people (inside and outside China) wanted to know what was going on and, not for the first time, it was noticed that the official economic statistics did not add up. In part this was because the government was still using a lot of communist era economic measuring techniques invented in the Soviet Union. The Soviets measured the economy mainly by counting production (of manufactured goods, raw materials, food) and not much else. This method gave a very inaccurate view of economic performance and was one reason why the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. China never completely got rid of all these flawed .communist era methods. They got away with this because since the 1980s their communist command economy has replaced with a free market model and the resulting growth has been spectacular. But now the bad economic data matters. Western economists have long been aware of this problem but have been unable to convince their governments that pressuring the Chinese to use modern measuring methods was important. For example in 2014 the Chinese government predicted 7.5 percent GDP growth in 2015 but actual growth (using accurate measurement) was closer to four percent. In 2014 many investors, Chinese and foreign, feared GDP growth might fall to five percent in 2015 but the Chinese government insisted it would be seven percent or more. Since 2010 more Chinese officials have acknowledged there is a measurement problem but found senior leadership unwilling to do something as dramatic as revising years of inaccurate official data. The senior leaders preferred to try and ignore the real numbers. That has become much more difficult because there is openly available (to foreigners and Chinese) economic data that is accurate and can be combined to produce more accurate measurements of things like GDP and productivity. To do this economists and business analysts use things like electricity production, railroad traffic and similar data that cannot be manipulated by local officials to make their city or province look more successful. Using this approach it was discovered that Chinese GDP has not been growing steadily at near ten percent a year for decades. Chinese officials do eventually (months or years later) get more accurate data and while Chinese GDP has actually been steadily growing over the last three decades the annual growth has actually varied from 5-11 percent. Chinese official policy was to keep everyone calm by issuing less variable annual growth rates. In short, the official numbers were doctored in addition to using inadequate Soviet era tools. Many financial exerts inside and outside China fear that all this official manipulation of economic data (an ancient practice in China) is masking some serious economic problems that could go sideways at any time and cause a banking crises that would paralyze the economy for a while and cause political chaos inside China and beyond. Its very much a crouching tiger and hidden dragon. This is an ancient phrase warning that behind seeming success and talent lurks the possibility of imminent disaster. Chinese are ever mindful of this sort of thing. The realistic Chinese economy measurements indicate continuing declining productivity and GDP growth. Worst case is that in a year or so GDP growth halts or even goes negative by one or two percent a year. This means more unemployment and less income per person in China. While Chinese leaders prefer to talk about external threats (like the United States or neighboring countries fighting back as China claims their territory) the biggest threats to China have, over thousands of years, usually been internal. Chinese leaders fear this the most because historically the most common cause of Chinese leaders losing their jobs (and usually their heads) was rebellion or civil war. In the 1970s the new (post hard core communist) leadership decided they could buy their way out of trouble and since the 1980s that has worked. But now the Big Bribe (of the entire Chinese population) is in trouble and it is uncertain how the crises will be resolved (explosively or quietly). When the golden chains no longer restrain the Chinese population, what will happen? The Chinese stock market crash, which got more media attention than the bad economic data problem, is still underway. Average stock values are back to where they were in late 2014. The official government assessment is that the stock market collapse has nothing to do with the economy. There is some truth to that but to the large number (over 100 million) of Chinese who have suffered from the sharp fall in stock prices, all the bad economic news seems to mush together with whatever is wrong with the stock market. Then there is the devaluation of the yuan (the Chinese currency) impacts all Chinese because that means it takes more yuan to buy a dollar, the main currency for international trade. That means it costs Chinese more (over ten percent more so far) to pay for imports. The Chinese government does not have enough cash to strop this devaluation, despite all the government pronouncements that everything is fine. The economic problems, especially unemployment and bad treatment of many workers and led to more public demonstrations calling for labor unions and other reforms. For the government the scariest unrest is the labor strike, which is illegal in China. Yet in there were over 2,700 of them in 2015, which was nearly twice as many as in 2014. Workers want more money, safety and job security. Independent (of government control) labor unions are illegal in China and workers have been creative in finding ways around that restriction to organize opposition. The government admits that there are over two million official labor disputes a year and that is increasing as well. China does have labor unions but these are government controlled and meant to keep workers in line and prevent strikes (unless the government wants them). None of the angry workers wants to risk jail by openly participating in what the government could call illegal union activities. So there have been more and more spontaneous and leaderless work stoppages and walkouts. In some cases workers will threaten management, without using a representative or workers committee to deliver the threat. All this is of great concern to the government. After all, China is still, in theory and practice, a communist police state. So it is embarrassing and scary when all that power proves incapable to keeping workers in line, quiet and on the job. The workers use cell phones and the Internet in creative ways, getting around government electronic surveillance. This provides workers with a safe way to communicate, maintain morale, and organize more labor actions. There are often repercussions anyway. Strike leaders will be sought more aggressively and punished. Efforts to block use of cell phones and the internet to support such forbidden activities (strikes) will accelerate. But despite all this additional effort the state security agencies still tend to come up empty. The workers are winning and becoming bolder. The government started the year by reminding everyone that the anti-corruption campaign would not only continue but intensify. In the past only lower ranking party members were prosecuted but by 2015 it became clear that if the corrupt senior party members were not shut down the widespread corruption would survive. So prosecutors are told no one was immune and throughout 2015 some of the most senior government and Chinese Communist Party officials were being prosecuted. This is unprecedented and if the investigators are allowed to prosecute all they find to be dirty there will be a lot of new faces in the partly leadership by the end of 2016. Apparently senior officials were also quietly told that if they resigned, admitted their transgressions and made restitution they would be left alone. The biggest impact of the anti-corruption effort is in the state controlled enterprises. These account for over 20 percent of GDP and even more jobs. These operations make far less profit than privately owned firms and are seen as a form of make-work to keep unemployment down. Worse, these inefficient firms are often run by very corrupt and inept officials and not allowed to go bankrupt. The reforms are supposed to make the state owned firms more competitive as well as becoming subject to bankruptcy. With a looming labor shortage the government feels it can survive a lot of these state owned firms going bankrupt and disappearing. There are some other problems as well. The state owned firms have a disproportionate number of corrupt managers and so many are being prosecuted that some of these firms complain about a crises in management. Thats because state-owned firms did not attract the best managers in the first place and with all the corruption-related arrests it is difficult for many firms to find competent replacements. In addition a management job in a state owned firm, especially at a senior level, does not enhance the reputation of a manager seeking the greater opportunities in the more dynamic and profitable independent (of state control) firms. Given the current situation it is also seen as dangerous to take a job in an organization that had been run by corrupt managers, because many more corrupt managers may still be there and that could lead to replacement executives being entangled in further investigations and get prosecuted as well. While all these corruption prosecutions seem to be directed at people who are guilty the government releases few details of exactly what they did wrong. Some of the transgressions are known because the officials are living in mansions or country estates that they could never afford on their state salary. The government does not censor much of the reporting on this, which are often accompanied by real estate experts providing the market value of these properties. Then there are the expensive cars, jewelry and other visible valuables that there is a known market value for. Apparently the government does not want Chinese to know how extensive the stealing has been in precise terms. It is apparently a very large chunk of the GDP. Meanwhile China continues to insist that it owns the South China Sea despite what anyone else in the neighborhood believes or international treaties say. The neighbors (especially Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines) continue to protest and build up their much smaller air and naval forces. Many Filipinos doubt that the United States would stand fast if China pushed hard. There are no signs that China is going to back down when it comes to its many territorial claims on neighbors. On January 6th North Korea conducted a successful test of what they claimed was a fusion (H-Bomb) nuclear weapon. This was condemned by the United States, Russia, China, South Korea and just about everyone else. China and Russia both agree that North Korea having nukes is a bad thing but China is more concerned about this than Russia or anyone else. While China refused to impose the strict sanctions on North Korea that the United States was calling for, the Chinese have been increasing forceful in their criticism of North Korea. For example trade with North Korea declined 15 percent in 2015 and China is openly (in the state controlled media) telling North Korea that continued work on its nuclear and ballistic weapons program means North Korea can no longer depend on support from China if North Korea gets involved in a war. China could cut off all trade, which would cause a major economic crisis in North Korea. While that trade only amounts to about five billion dollars a year, it is over 70 percent of North Korean foreign trade. There has also been a reduction in trade between China and South Korea. But that trade is more than a hundred times larger than the North Korea-China trade and the drop is all economic (the stalled Chinese economy). This is much less of a problem in the south than in the north where the reduction in Chinese trade is a matter of life or death for many. An even bigger problem is that China has not shipped any petroleum products to North Korea for two years. There has been some smuggling, but China has been the major source of oil for North Korea since the 1990s this cutoff has been a big problem. Officially the North Koreans have not backed off because of these Chinese moves. Unofficially there have been a lot of secret negotiations going on between North Korea and China. Meanwhile American military commanders in the Pacific have gone on record that the United States considers North Korea, not China, the biggest military threat in the region. January 30, 2016: A U.S. Navy destroyer moved close (less than 22 kilometers) to one of the Paracel Islands (Triton) in the South China Sea. According to China this is illegal because China has claimed (and occasionally occupied) the island since 1974 when it used force to drive off South Vietnamese forces seeking to take possession. China considers Triton Island part of China and that all waters within 22 kilometers of this Chinese territory are Chinese as well and unauthorized visits by foreigners are forbidden. The problem is that international law does not recognize this Chinese claims and the Chinese make it clear they do not care what the rest of the world thinks. Triton Island is still claimed by Vietnam as well as Taiwan. January 29, 2016: Japanese media reported that the Japanese military had been ordered to destroy any North Korean ballistic missile that entered Japanese air space. In the past North Korea has fired long range ballistic missiles through Japanese air space in part because such a long-range missile test can hardly avoid violating some neighbors air space but also because North Korea believed that sort of thing would intimidate ancient enemy Japan. North Korea insists it is only putting satellites into orbit. January 28, 2016: Japan displayed, for the first time, its X-2 experimental stealth fighter. This aircraft is to make its first flight within a month so there was no point in trying to keep it hidden from public view anymore. Japan admits that it will take about a decade to get the X-2 into service, assuming all the technical and fiscal obstacles can be overcome. January 27, 2016: Task Force (TF) 152 of the Chinese Navy reached Indonesia and will spend five days there showing off the destroyer, frigate and replenishment ship that comprise task force. The sailors and 64 commandos assigned to the task force will also get some shore leave. TF 152 has been on a world tour for nearly a year. First it spent four months with the international anti-piracy patrol off Somalia then proceeded around the world making stops in Africa, the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and the Americas (including the United States). Meanwhile, for the first time ever Chinese warships visited Bangladesh. Task Force (TF) 21 will spend five days there showing off the destroyer, frigate and replenishment ship that comprise TF 21. January 26, 2016: Japan announced that it is reinforcing its islands closest to China. This means another 20 F-15s will be based on Okinawa, one of the many islands that China has claims on. January 24, 2016: In Laos a roadside bomb killed two Chinese and wounded another. The Laotian government blamed the attack on criminals but anti-communist rebels have been operating in Laos since the communists took control in late 1975. Many Laotians held China responsible for this and have been resisting any way they can ever since. Meanwhile China has been investing in Laos and this also upsets some of the locals who lose their land or are otherwise harmed by this Chinese invasion. Many parts of tiny (population 6.5 million) Laos have long been lawless and that has led to all manner of misbehavior. In 2011 China sent 300 police to work with their counterparts from Laos, Burma and Thailand to operate joint patrols on the Mekong River (which flows through all four countries). This followed an increase in attacks on Mekong river shipping, sometimes involving corrupt soldiers or police. So the security personnel from all four countries kept an eye on each other. For a long time there has been a major problem with drug smuggling out of Burma. The drugs are valuable, illegal and very portable. China has had problems with drug smuggling out of this area since the 18th century. Moreover, most of the cargo ships that play the Mekong are Chinese. Laotians do not like being policed by outsiders, especially Chinese. January 21, 2016: : China has, as expected, denounced the Filipino announcement of a new air traffic control facility on Pagasa Island in the South China Sea. The million dollar space satellite based system would cover a hole in the Filipino air traffic control network and handle the 200 or more flights a day that normally pass through. Pagasa is the second-largest (37.2 hectares/93 acres) of the Spratly Islands and is inhabited by 200 Filipinos civilians and a few military personnel. China has been increasingly belligerent in its claims to Pagasa and threatens to take it back by force. China reacted to the flight control facility by issuing an official protest and repeating its threats. Chinese military and civilian ships are showing up near Pagasa with increasing frequency and sometimes the Chinese vessels try (by getting in the way) to prevent non-Chinese vessels from getting too close to the island. The Philippines often has a coast guard patrol boat off the island (which is 480 kilometers from the nearest Filipino territory China does not claim) and that provides the possibility of a violent military encounter. January 20, 2016: In Algeria a Chinese firm signed a contract to build a new $3.3 billion port facility 60 kilometers west of the capital Algiers. China is paying for this with Chinese builders handling the construction on an effort which will take about seven years. The 23 docks in the new port will be able to handle 26 million tons of cargo a year, most of it in containers. China and the Algerian government will operate the port, which will be one of the largest in North Africa. China is becoming a major presence in Algeria. By 2013 Chinese firms had invested $1.5 billion in Algeria and there were some 30,000 Chinese working in Algeria for fifty Chinese companies. Since 2013 Chinese investment has grown enormously and by the end of the decade will amount to more than $1o billion in just twenty years. Most of the Chinese are working on transportation (roads, ports and railroad) projects. Although Algeria has lots of unemployment, there are few people with the necessary skills for many of these projects, so China brings in skilled workers from China. Some of those Chinese will settle down in Algeria, but not as many as in non-Arab Africa. The Arabs are not as accepting of foreigners as many other cultures are. While many oil-rich Arab states import foreigners for most of the civilian jobs, these workers are not encouraged to stay and there are strict laws governing the presence of the foreign workers. Algeria sees the Chinese investments, especially in infrastructure, as a way to get the local economy growing and thus provide jobs for the many young Algerians who are increasingly angry about being unemployed. The Chinese workers are very efficient and tend to get their projects done on time and on budget. This makes the Chinese popular with the government which, mainly because of corruption, is notoriously inefficient, especially when it comes to building things for the public. January 10, 2016: At the end of 2015 China announced that it had changed its laws to allow Chinese military and police commandos to operate overseas. This came as a surprise to some foreign naval intelligence agencies because it was known that for several years special operations teams had been seen on Chinese warships operating off the Somali coast as part of the international anti-piracy patrol. But as far anyone knows these commandos never saw any combat although they were observed training a lot. China is expected to use this new authority to offer commandos for sensitive peacekeeping emergencies. 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 Magic Wand Arrives by James Dunnigan January 31, 2016 In late 2015 Israel announced that it would begin deploying the first battery of its Magic Wand (Davidas Sling) anti-aircraft system in 2016. This is the Israeli replacement for existing American Patriot and Hawk systems. Throughout 2015 Israel conducted several successful tests of Magic Wand. This included intercepting and destroying a short range ballistic missile and other targets representing manned aircraft. Magic Wand was supposed to enter service in 2014 but there were technical problems that had to be fixed. In development for over a decade Magic Wand was designed to be an improvement over American made Patriot systems Israel already has. The Magic Wand missiles (called Stunner) have a longer range (300 kilometers) and better capabilities. The American manufacturer of Patriot is cooperating with an Israeli firm to develop and produce Magic Wand and will apparently adopt some Magic Wand features for Patriot upgrades. Stunner 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 rocket attacks. Magic Wand is expected to eventually replace the 17 Hawk anti-aircraft batteries as well and, eventually, the six Patriot batteries. Because of the long range of the Stunner two Magic Wand batteries can cover all of Israel. Israel is implementing a new round of military reforms called Gideon. This effort means spending half the military budget through 2020 on increasing missile and network defenses while also taking advantage of the Israeli lead in networking to eliminate a lot of staff and support jobs. Israel already has the most effective anti-missile and network defenses in the region and is investing billions to maintain and improve that edge. This means working with American defense firms to share the cost (and access to the new technology) in order to pay for keeping the lead in many categories of military gear. The Americans have long worked with Israel to jointly develop and share new military technologies. Until 2001 the Israelis were the ones that were able to test this new tech under combat conditions and share their findings with the United States. Since 2001 the Americans have acquired a lot combat experience, often using (quietly, so as not to anger Arab allies) Israeli tech and tactics. The U.S. is particularly eager to acquire more Israeli tech and expertise in Cyber Warfare, especially network defense. Israeli networks are rarely penetrated while American ones are, often in spectacular fashion. For Israel the other priority, missile defense, is not as urgent for the United States. Currently Israeli Iron Dome, Arrow 3 and the new Magic Wand systems set the standard for layered missile defenses. The U.S. needs this tech to improve the missile defenses that protect American bases in the Middle East and elsewhere around the world (especially in South Korea and the Pacific in general). The Americans have found Israeli counter-terror tactics and technology extremely useful along with new intelligence gathering and analysis tech and techniques the Israelis continually develop and put to use. Like the United States Israel is reducing its military manpower. In this case full time career military personnel are being reduced about six percent to 40,000. The bulk of Israeli manpower consists of conscripts (on active duty for only a few years) and over half a million reservists (what most conscripts become after they complete their active service). The Americans have learned much from the Israelis about how to get the most out of reservists and these lessons were successfully applied by the U.S. after 2003. Thus if the Gideon plan seems similar to military reforms in the United States that is no accident. Both countries are working from the same playbook and shared experiences. That includes the custom of constantly reorganizing and rearming to take advantage of new ideas and technologies. In January 2016 it was revealed that the U.S. had recently indicted a Pakistani businessman (Syed Vaqar Ashraf) who was accused of conspiring since 2012 to obtain restricted (requiring an export permit) UAV technology and components for the Pakistani military. Ashraf pretended he was seeking the tech and components for a Belgian company. But the Belgian firm was controlled by Ashraf and used to move the restricted items to a Pakistani company that was secretly controlled by the Pakistani military research organization. Ashraf was, at American request, arrested in Belgium in early 2015 and resisted extradition. But by late 2015 Ashraf was in the United States facing charges based on an investigation that went on for over a year and found numerous cases of fraud, misrepresentation and blatant efforts to evade export controls. Ashraf, like many such technology thieves and smugglers do it for the money and for their government. Going to jail is one of the risks. But Iran recently demonstrated that the Americans are now vulnerable to an ancient technique for getting imprisoned agents released. Simply grab people the nation running the prison values and offer to make a trade. For a long time the Americans refused to do this but that resolve is apparently weakening and smugglers can rejoice. Iran is suffering a rare defeat in Yemen but the Saudi led coalition is unable to achieve a complete victory. The problem is that the Shia rebels are too effective as fighters, especially in the northern mountains they come from, for the Saudis to win at an acceptable (in terms of their own casualties) cost. Whenever or however this war ends there will be some unpleasant side-effects. For one thing the Saudis will still have a needy (of Arab oil state charity) southern neighbor. Then there is the Islamic terrorist terrorist sanctuary angle. The chaos since 2011 has made Yemen a suitable hideout for a growing number of Islamic terrorists. Both AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) and ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) are thriving despite efforts by the U.S. to track and attack Islamic terrorist leaders from the air. For over a year AQAP has controlled he southeastern the port of Mukalla and much of the surrounding Hadramawt province. ISIL is scattered in remote locations or urban bases in Aden. This reflects the different strategies of the two groups AQAP believes in slowly expanding while ISIL favors aggressive attacks and boldness. Neither approach has had much success in over a thousand years of use but both remain popular with Islamic radicals. The Shia have no equivalent to AQAP or ISIL but the Iranians do have a less bloodthirsty (but more professional) group of Islamic terrorists that they sponsor officially. The commander of this group, the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) recently made public the fact that the IRGC was responsible for training (and often recruiting, arming and paying) 200,000 pro-Iran fighters in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan. This, in general, is no secret. It was long believed that as many as 50,000 Iranian created militiamen are fighting in Syria. There are somewhat smaller forces in Lebanon (about 25,000), Iraq (over 20,000) and Yemen (more than 15,000). Pakistan and Afghanistan were not happy with the IRGC publicly admitting that Iran has sponsored local (and often illegal) Shia militias. The IRGC is composed of Shia Islamic radicals who wish to replace Saudi Arabia has the protector of the most sacred shrines of Islam. Iran understands that Yemen is far more important to the Gulf Arabs than to Iran. Moreover the Yemeni Shia have never been dependent on Iran like those in Lebanon (Hezbollah), Iraq (Shia Arabs are a majority) or Syria (the Assad government). Control (or substantial influence) in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon give Iran a land route to their declared main foe; Israel. The Saudi royals and Arabs in general are secondary to the Iranian official hatred of Israel. This hate campaign is maintained by the senior Shia clerics who turned Iran into a religious dictatorship in the 1980s. Historically strange things like that happen occasionally in Iran. A growing majority of Iranians no longer see the point (or if there ever was one) in this obsession with destroying the only functioning democracy and most successful economy in the region. That seems to encourage the ruling clerics to intensify the government sponsored Israel must be destroyed mania. The Iranian threat to the Arab states in the region, especially those with oil, is of more immediate concern for the Arabs and the main reason why Arabs have openly become allies with Israel against Iran. This complex web of opportunities and capabilities means Yemen is basically a sideshow where winning is not the highest priority for Iran or Arabs. Both the Arabs and Iran have an interest in shutting down the Sunni Islamic terrorists in Yemen because these cutthroats see both Arab rulers and Shia in general as prime candidates for elimination. But the Iran/Arab animosity also makes it difficult to even meet for peace talks. So far this year Iranian radicals have set fire to the Saudi embassy in Iran and the Saudis responded by cutting diplomatic ties. Other Gulf Arabs reduced their diplomatic representation in and ties with Iran. So the Yemen peace talks that were supposed to start in January, and work out a peace settlement for Yemen, are on hold. Meanwhile Iran continues trying to delay the defeat of the Shia rebels until something can be done to distract or disrupt the Saudi led Arab coalition that has deprived the Shia rebels of the victory they seemed on the brink of in early 2015. Both sides continue fighting and government forces are closing in on Sanaa, the national capital. As powerful as it is, the Arab coalition is dependent on popular support at home and that means keeping coalition casualties down. So the advance is deliberate and prudent. Taking Sanaa will get lots of Arab troops killed and conquering the Shia tribes mountainous homeland north of the capital would be even bloodier. This conflict is ending but is doing so without addressing the corruption and bad government that made Yemen a bloody mess in the first place. In the north (Jawf province) pro-government Sunni and rebel Shia tribes have continued fighting for control of territory and the pro-government Sunni forces are slowly winning. Since the Sunni tribes now have air support from the Arab coalition and access to training and supplies (weapons, ammo, medical) they have been able to drive Shia tribesmen out of most of the Jawf. To the west of Jawf is Saada province, the Shia tribal homeland. North of Jawf is Saudi Arabia. Going into Saada will be a much more difficult fight but the Sunni tribes want revenge for several years of heavy fighting with the Shia. So far this year the Shia resistance has been more determined but the pro-government forces are still taking back control of towns and areas containing key roads. Both Iran and the Arabs are accusing each other of deliberately hurting civilians. All these accusations are correct. The Arabs control the air and bomb anything they suspect is a military target regardless of how many civilians might be hurt. The Shia rebels do the same on the ground with gunfire, grenades, artillery and rockets. Both sides deliberately block food supplies for civilians who support the other side. All this nasty behavior are actually ancient military practices that never seem to go away no matter how much those not involved in a particular war condemn it. In the last ten months the fighting in Yemen has left over 7,000 dead, about a third of them civilians. The Saudis have apologized for the civilian casualties but have not modified their ROE (Rules of Engagement) to reduce such deaths. The Arab coalition has done a lot to get food and other aid to the Yemenis (over 80 percent of the population) that need it. This has included using air dropped (via parachute) pallets of food in cases where pro-government civilians were surrounded by rebels. The Shia rebels are accused of frequently seizing this aid for their own use. This is not unknown in a combat zone where there are a lot of irregular fighters. January 28, 2016: In Aden a suicide car bomber failed in an attempt to get inside the presidential palace compound. ISIL took credit for this effort which did manage to kill eleven people and wound twenty. Most of the casualties were security personnel and nearby civilians. Aden remains a major battlefield because this is the temporary capital of Yemen (for the last elected government) and has attracted most of the Islamic terrorist attacks. The Islamic terrorists want to kill all Shia but they want to conquer Yemen first. AQAP and ISIL also want to destroy each other but that effort has unofficially been put on hold until the local government and Yemeni Shias can be taken care of. As a result of this Aden suffers 10-20 assassinations (of senior government and military officials) a month as well as one or two bombings a week. AQAP and ISIL compete with each other to carry out the most spectacular (and newsworthy) attacks. In the northwest near the border and the Saudi Arabian province of Jizan Shia rebels shelled a Saudi border post killing one Saudi soldier. January 27, 2016: In Aden reinforcements (hundreds of troops and dozens of armored vehicles) from the UAE arrived by ship. January 21, 2016: In the northwest the Shia controlled Red Sea port of Hodeida was attacked from the air in an effort to destroy oil facilities used by the Shia. This has been a major source of fuel for the Shia rebels. The bombs and resulting fires left over 16 dead. January 19, 2016: In the east (Hadramawt province) two Islamic terrorists were killed by missiles from an American UAV. The dead were members of AQAP. This was the second such UAV attack in Yemen this year. January 16, 2016: In the south (Shabwa province) three Islamic terrorists were killed by missiles from an American UAV. The dead were members of AQAP. Wellesbourne Airfield In September Riddick, whose address was then Albion Street, Kenilworth, was originally charged with three counts of causing death by careless driving. The court heard Riddick, who was two times over the legal alcohol limit, only had a provisional licence, and had no insurance or MOT. News / News by Liberty Dube MUWI Village headman in Nyanga, Landmine Madongonda is yet to receive the full amount of money he is owed by dendera musician, Suluman Chimbetu, Nyanga Magistrates Court heard recently.The civil matter pitting heir to the dendera throne and Madongonda, who is a sungura musician, dates back to October 2013 when Chimbetu bought potato seed from Madongonda on credit.Madongonda filed his case at Nyanga Magistrates' Court (Case Number 132/14) on December 19, 2014.His affidavit stated that he sold the Nyuchi hit-maker potato seed worth $3 600 and they agreed that Madongonda would be paid $300 every Tuesday by the Orchestra Dendera Kings management.Sulu's brother, Ali who was part to the agreement appended his signature.Since then, Madongonda told Nyanga magistrate, Ignatio Mhene, that he has been struggling to receive his balance which is now more than $1 500 with costs.Madongonda filed a notice to plead which would be heard in seven days after Sulu, who was represented by a lawyer from Muvingi and Mugadza Legal Practitioners, filed opposition papers.However, in an interview recently, Madongonda said he was now being emotionally tormented by the multi-award winning musician who seems to be reluctant to settle the balance.He claimed he initially received $20 from Sulu last year which he said was for fuel to travel back to Nyanga after he had travelled to Harare in a bid to recover his first $300."I later received $600 which came in two batches through Ecocash transactions before I received another $500. I have been struggling to recover my balance. I have been travelling to Harare several times, but it seems he is reluctant to pay me my balance."It is quite disturbing that at one time recently when I asked him for money and he told me that I was now a nuisance. He actually labeled me a Gamatox. Although I have received half of the money, I have incurred a lot of costs in trying to recover my money," he said.When contacted for comment, Sulu initially denied knowing "anything about that matter."When asked if he labeled Madongonda "Gamatox" he dodged and referred all questions to his lawyers."I don't know anything about it. Talk to my lawyers for more information," he said before hanging up. Wellesbourne Airfield On Shakespeares Birthday, Saturday 23 April, the Royal Shakespeare Company will celebrate Shakespeares legacy across the arts with Shakespeare Live! From the RSC. This special evening, broadcast live on BBC2 from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, will be hosted by David Tennant. Owing to the live filming, tickets are not on sale, but a very limited number of free tickets are available to CV37 residents via a ballot. Anyone living in the CV37 postcode area can apply for up to two tickets by emailing CV37draw@rsc.org.uk. Those wishing to be part of the ballot should provide their name, address and contact number, and say whether they would like 1 or 2 tickets when applying. The deadline to enter the ballot is 11.59pm, Monday 29 February. Those successful will be informed by Monday 7 March. There are separate ballots for RSC supporters, members, RSC Key members and the wider public. Full details, including terms and conditions, can be found on the RSC website: www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare-show-draw Members of the public from outside the CV37 area can apply via the BBC at this website: www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/ Gregory Doran, RSC Artistic Director, is currently working on the line-up for the evening, which will be announced in the coming weeks. The ambition is to celebrate the huge legacy of Shakespeares work across many different art forms including theatre, dance, opera and music. Advanced Disposal Services, Inc. (NYSE: ADSW) announced the launch of its initial public offering of 21,428,571 shares of its common stock. The Company is offering 9,037,033 shares of common stock and the selling stockholder is offering 12,391,538 shares of common stock. The Company's common stock has been approved for listing on The New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "ADSW." The underwriters have the option to purchase from the selling stockholders up to an additional 3,214,285 shares of common stock. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the shares offered by it to repay outstanding borrowings under the Term Loan B portion of its senior secured credit facilities. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Barclays Capital Inc. will act as lead joint book-running managers and representatives of the underwriters for the offering. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, and UBS Securities LLC will also act as joint book-running managers, and SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc. and First Analysis Securities Corporation will act as co-managers. The offering of these securities will be made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Attention: Prospectus Group, 60 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005-2836, by email to [email protected], or by telephone at (800) 503-4611; from Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, One Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10010, or by telephone at +1 (800) 221-1037, or by email at [email protected]; or from Barclays Capital Inc., via telephone: (888) 603-5847; email: [email protected]; or standard mail at c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any such offer or solicitation or any sale of securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has entered into a 17-year power purchase agreement for solar-generated electricity produced by Duke Energy Renewables. The renewable power purchase, which is expected to produce 30 megawatts (approximately 72,000 megawatt hours per year) of solar energy for the U.S. national grid, will provide clean energy across all Lockheed Martin domestic business segments. The new solar facility, operated by Duke Energy Renewables in Conetoe, North Carolina, is currently the largest solar power generating facility east of the Mississippi River producing 80 megawatts of total energy. As part of Lockheed Martin's comprehensive sustainability commitments, the corporation is focused on reducing overall energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions through energy-efficiency measures as well as renewable energy projects. "Signing this agreement for the acquisition of large-scale renewable power is a significant milestone towards our commitment to environmental stewardship and is one more step in the expansion of our Go Green program looking for operational efficiencies and best business value to our operations," said Lockheed Martin Vice President of Energy, Environment, Safety and Health Carol B. Cala. "We have a goal to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2020 based on our 2010 emissions, and with this investment in renewables we are one step closer to achieving that goal." "We commend Lockheed Martin for its progressive goals and are pleased to deliver a competitively-priced solar solution that helps the company move forward with its commitment to sustainable operations," said Greg Wolf, Duke Energy Commercial Portfolio president. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed Lockheed Martin as one of the top rated corporations on its 2015 ranking of the largest green power users. Lockheed Martin uses nearly 260,000 megawatt hours of green power annually including renewable energy credits, which is enough to meet 16 percent of the corporation's electricity use. "We're demonstrating that investing in large-scale renewable power that delivers cleaner electricity doesn't have to cost more," said Leo Mackay, Lockheed Martin vice president of Ethics & Sustainability. Rocky Mountain Institute, an independent nonprofit focused on market-based clean energy solutions, commended Lockheed Martin for its commitment to renewable energy, "As one of the first corporations to announce a major renewable energy deal in 2016, we applaud Lockheed Martin for its clean energy leadership, not only in its sector but across the market broadly," said Herve Touati, head of Rocky Mountain Institute's Business Renewables Center. Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK) announced today a definitive agreement to acquire Sage Products, LLC ("Sage") from Madison Dearborn Partners in an all cash transaction for $2.775 billion. The transaction includes an anticipated future tax benefit which is expected to exceed $500 million and to positively impact cash flows over approximately 15 years. Sage develops, manufactures and distributes disposable products targeted at reducing "Never Events," primarily in the intensive care unit and MedSurg hospital unit setting. Sage sales for fiscal 2015 totaled $430 million, up 13% over the prior year. "The company's established leadership team and innovative products that help prevent hospital acquired conditions have driven consistent double-digit sales growth," stated Kevin A. Lobo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "This acquisition aligns with Stryker's focus on offering products and services that support a mindset of prevention, specifically in the area of "Never Events" such as hospital acquired infections. Today, through our Medical division, Stryker offers products that are complementary to those produced by Sage. Sage has a 45-year history of focus on patients and caregivers that is evident in their culture and fits well with our Medical division. This business will also provide a consistent disposable revenue stream that will complement our capital equipment offerings. We look forward to welcoming the Sage team to Stryker." Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Cary, IL, Sage is a leading developer of innovative products and proprietary solutions that are designed to help improve outcomes for patients and clinicians, while maximizing efficiency and profitability for healthcare facilities. Sage's products include solutions for oral care, skin preparation and protection, patient cleaning and hygiene, turning and positioning devices and heel care boots. "Over our 45 years, we have achieved incredible growth through our focus on innovation, our Sage culture and our deep commitment to our community," said Scott Brown, President and CEO of Sage Products. "With Madison Dearborn's support, our business has grown domestically and we have achieved significant initial success with our international expansion. We are grateful for Madison Dearborn's partnership over the past few years and believe that Sage is well-positioned for continued achievement and long-term success with Stryker, a company that understands our business, supports our goals and embraces our values." The closing of the transaction is subject to expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to be accretive to Stryker's 2016 adjusted net earnings per diluted share excluding acquisition, integration-related and intangible amortization charges and will continue to be accretive thereafter. Accordingly, we are raising our full year 2016 adjusted EPS guidance by $0.05 to $5.55-5.75. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2016. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as Stryker's exclusive financial advisor and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP served as outside legal counsel for Stryker in connection with this transaction. Barclays is serving as Sage's financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Madden, Jiganti, Moore & Sinars LLP are serving as legal counsel for Sage in connection with this transaction. Stryker will host a conference call for financial analysts at 8:00 a.m., Eastern Time, today to discuss additional details regarding the proposed transaction. To participate in the conference call dial 888-771-4371 (domestic) or 847-585-4405 (international) and be prepared to provide confirmation number 41718106 to the operator. Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) is on watch Monday following news that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) might deem its probe into the company's E. coli outbreak as over. The WSJ noted that the CDC still hasn't been able to pinpoint the ingredient which led to the outbreak at Chipotle. No deaths were reported since the outbreak took hold late last October. About 20 of 53 people to become ill were eventually hospitalized. Shares of Chipotle are indicated for a higher open Monday. By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The African Union will send a mission to troubled Burundi to press the government to accept a peacekeeping force after the president rejected such a move, a senior AU official said after a summit on Sunday. African leaders, who held a two-day summit, may also ask the U.N. Security Council to exert pressure with a possible sanctions threat if it refuses, a senior Western diplomat who followed the proceedings told Reuters. Officials said a final communique was awaiting clearance from African capitals. The senior official and diplomat were citing its main points before it was endorsed. The AU's Peace and Security Council announced plans in December to deploy a 5,000-strong force, saying it could invoke an article of the AU's charter that allowed it to intervene whether or not the government agreed. President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose bid for a third term angered opponents and sparked months of violence, rejected it. Western powers are pressing African states to intervene to prevent Burundi sliding back into the kind of ethnically charged conflict it witnessed in a civil war that ended in 2005. "We want dialogue with the government of Burundi," Smail Chergui, the AU's Commissioner for Peace and Security, told reporters after the summit, saying a "a high-level" delegation would seek Burundi's approval to deploy the force. He did not give further details, but the senior Western diplomat said the AU was also expected to ask the U.N. Security Council to pass a Chapter 7 resolution, "which could mean sanctions if the Burundians remain defiant." Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter covers the council's authority to enforce decisions with sanctions or military force. The Western diplomat said he understood that African leaders had endorsed the peacekeeping force "with a mandate to disarm militias and protect civilians, in addition to a larger human rights observer mission." Those details could not be confirmed. When Chergui was asked if more AU monitors would go to Burundi, he told Reuters: "That question is too early." Yahya Jammeh, president of Gambia, which is on the 15-member AU peace and security council, had said on Saturday some African states were against sending any peacekeepers to Burundi against its will. He had raised fears the AU was wavering on the issue. Violence in the nine-month-old crisis has already killed more than 400 people, in a country that emerged from an ethnically charged civil war in 2005. U.N. assistant secretary general for human rights, Ivan Simonovic, told Reuters on Saturday that the African Union, if it did not send peacekeepers, should at least boost the number of human rights monitors it has there or send some police. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has praised the plan for a peacekeeping force, has called for African action. "We cannot wait any longer, that is why it is a matter of urgency, that I am urging African leaders to act in one voice," he said in Addis Ababa, adding that Burundi's government should "listen very carefully and engage in inclusive dialogue". (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Edmund Blair and Tom Heneghan) RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. officials said on Sunday they did not believe nine U.S. citizens were among 33 suspects detained on terrorism charges in Saudi Arabia over the past week, as reported by a Saudi newspaper. The English-language daily Saudi Gazette, citing an unnamed source, on Sunday reported that four Americans were detained last Monday, followed by another five in the following days. Saudi authorities also detained 14 Saudis, three Yemenis, two Syrians, an Indonesian, a Filipino, a United Arab Emirates citizen, a Palestinian and a citizen of Kazakhstan, the report said. Six U.S. officials told Reuters that the U.S. government could not confirm that any Americans were among the 33 suspects detained. However, two officials said U.S. authorities were still checking names against databases. Saudi authorities were also investigating the citizenship of those detained, one of the officials said. None of the U.S. officials was authorized to speak publicly, and the U.S. embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Saudi Arabia in 2014 declared Islamic State a terrorist organisation and has detained hundreds of its supporters. The group, which controls territory in Iraq and Syria, has staged a series of attacks in the kingdom. On Friday an attack at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Saudi Arabia's al-Ahsa district in Eastern Province killed four people and injured 18, the latest in a string of attacks claimed by Sunni jihadists that have left over 50 dead in the past year. The website of the Interior Ministry's militant rehabilitation centre listed four U.S. citizens as having been detained on Jan. 25 and four more over the previous three months. It did not list any more recent detentions. The Interior Ministry spokesman directed Reuters to the website, which gives information on all people detained as militant suspects, but gave no further comment. The ministry on Saturday identified one of the attackers in al-Ahsa as 22-year-old Abdulrahman al-Tuwaijri, a Saudi citizen, who detonated an explosive vest outside the Imam Rida mosque in the Mahasen district of Hofuf in al-Ahsa. A 27-year-old was also arrested wearing an explosive vest and carrying hand grenades when members of the mosque's congregation seized him after he fired shots at them during the attack, the ministry said. Attacks by supporters of Islamic State in Saudi Arabia include two bombings and two mass shootings at Shi'ite mosques. A mosque used by Sunni security services was also bombed The Saudi clergy have denounced the group as "kharijites", an early Islamic sect reviled by Muslims for its extreme ideology. (Reporting by Angus McDowall in Riyadh; additional reporting by Mark Hosenball and Andrea Shalal in Washington; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Dan Grebler) A security personnel stands guard in front of an OSI's food processing plants in Langfang, Hebei province, July 23, 2014. REUTERS/Paul Carsten By Adam Jourdan SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A Chinese court has fined two domestic units of U.S. food supplier OSI Group [OSIGP.UL] up to 2.4 million yuan ($364,875) and handed prison sentences to 10 of its employees over allegations it reused returned food products to avoid losses. The verdict marks the end of a long-running probe into OSI after a safety scandal in 2014 that hit fast-food giants it supplied - McDonald's Corp (NYSE: MCD) and Yum Brands Inc (NYSE: YUM), owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell in China. The Shanghai Jiading People's Court said in a statement on Monday that Yang Liqun, a general manager at OSI China, would be sentenced to three years in prison and deported. It wasn't clear whether Yang, an Australian citizen, would serve jail time in China or be immediately deported. Australian authorities said they were assisting a citizen arrested in Shanghai, but did not mention Yang by name. "The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance, in accordance with the Consular Services Charter, to an Australian arrested in Shanghai," a spokeswoman said in an emailed statement to Reuters when asked about the case. OSI has criticized the handling of its case by the local food regulator - a rare act in China, where foreign firms steer clear of any public criticism of the authorities. The firm said on Monday that the verdict, which follows a December trial behind closed doors, was unjust. "The verdict is inconsistent with the facts and evidence that were presented in the court proceedings," it said in a statement. "As such, OSI is forced to consider an appeal through all legal channels in order to eventually be granted a just, evidencebased verdict as merited by the facts of the case." The court statement said Yang and other workers at OSI's China units had reused products from returned or canceled orders, meaning some unapproved products had entered the market. Nine other people in the case would be given shorter jail terms and would have to pay fines. Four of the nine would have their jail sentences suspended, it said. The court added the punishments were relatively lenient because the defendants had cooperated. China is trying to clean up its reputation for food safety scandals, which range from recycled "gutter oil" and "zombie meat" - smuggled frozen meat years beyond its expiry date - to crops tainted with heavy metals. Senior Chinese leaders have said food safety in the country remained "grim". The scandal dragged down sales at McDonald's and rival Yum in China after a Chinese TV report in July 2014 alleged to show workers at a Shanghai unit of OSI using out-of-date meat and doctoring production dates. A senior executive for OSI in China told the official Xinhua news agency last July the scandal had cost the firm close to a billion dollars in lost revenue. ($1 = 6.5776 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Adrian Croft) A small village is seen at a distance in Farado Kebele, one of drought stricken Somali region in Ethiopia, January 26, 2016. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri By Edmund Blair OGOLCHO, Ethiopia (Reuters) - Ethiopia urged international donors on Sunday to offer aid promptly for relief operations to support 10.2 million people critically short of food, and said it was committed to allocating as much of its own funds as necessary. Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonen was speaking beside U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during a tour of an area where one of the worst droughts in decades has left children malnourished, killed livestock and damaged livelihoods. The relief operation by the government, World Food Programme (WFP) and charities needs $1.4 billion this year. The government says donors have covered about 30 percent so far. The WFP says $500 million is needed to continue operations beyond April. "Our government is committed to allocating the budget and mobilizing any resources to the target groups," Demeke told reporters at a food and cash distribution point in Ogolcho, a region south of the capital Addis Ababa. "The action of the international community is very critical and that should be on time," he added. The drought is as severe in some areas as the one in 1984, when conflict and failed rains caused a famine that killed a million people. Ethiopia now has one Africa's fastest growing economies, but the crisis is still straining the nation. The government spent $272 million last year on relief and has allocated $109 million so far this year, a hefty burden in a country which remains one of the poorest in Africa per capita and where many people rely on subsistence farming. Before flying by helicopter to Ogolcho, Ban met in Addis Ababa with government officials, U.N. agency staff and representatives of donors, such as the European Union and the United States, both major contributors. "We are doing all we can, mobilizing necessary funding," Ban said, praising the government for taking the lead while noting that "they have limited resources." Ban, in Ethiopia for an African Union summit that ended on Sunday, toured a small health post in the Ogolcho area where children are checked for malnourishment. Ogolcho is in Ziway Dudga district, where the main harvest almost completely failed last year. More than 65 percent of the district's population is dependent on relief food assistance. The north and east of Ethiopia have also been badly hit. Ban was shown a site where food and cash transfers are made under one of Ethiopia's flagship development initiatives, the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), through which about 7.9 million people around the nation who are deemed chronically food insecure receive support in return for community work. The program was started more than a decade ago, and experts say the crisis would have been far greater without it. (Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Andrew Bolton) A man types on a computer keyboard in Warsaw in this February 28, 2013 illustration file picture. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Files BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European and U.S. negotiators missed a deadline to agree a key data transfer pact, the European Union's executive said, with talks snagged over a new oversight role and options for European citizens to seek redress over data privacy violations. While talks are continuing and a deal could be clinched in coming days, national data protection regulators from across Europe are poised to begin meetings on Tuesday to start restricting trans-Atlantic flows of personal data. "There have been constructive but difficult talks over the weekend," a spokesman for the European Commission said on Monday. "Work is still ongoing, we are not there yet, but the Commission is working day and night on achieving a deal." European Union data protection law bars companies from transferring EU citizens' personal data to countries outside the bloc deemed to have insufficient privacy safeguards -- like the United States. Cross-border transfers are used in many industries for sharing employee information or when consumer data is shared to complete credit card, travel or ecommerce transactions. Firms such as Facebook and Google rely on transferring and analyzing reams of user data to sell targeted advertising, for example. U.S. officials and American executives have grown increasingly worried about the consequences of not having a new deal in place, despite a flurry of high-level talks in Brussels over the past few weeks. Some U.S. industry representatives, believing they had exhausted their case, flew home this weekend after bringing their pitch directly to regulators across Europe. A U.S. industry source said a deal is "on the table" with what the United States feels is the strongest offer yet, but that Europe apparently still wants to see more. EUROPEAN CONCERNS Negotiators had hoped to reach a deal before Vera Jourova, the EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, reports to the European Parliament on Monday evening. But that did not happen, with Jourova telling the European lawmakers: "Negotiations are still ongoing, including at the political level." Revelations of mass U.S. surveillance programs in 2013 prompted the European Commission to demand that "Safe Harbour" a framework which more than 4,000 companies have relied upon to avoid cumbersome EU data transfer rules, be strengthened. The Safe Harbour framework was struck down by an EU court last year over concerns about U.S. Internet surveillance, leaving companies in legal limbo. European Parliament lawmakers expressed scepticism that the United States was serious about ensuring protection for European privacy rights and said what the U.S. side was offering was well short of legally binding assurances. "We must trust them. But at the same time, I say we must check also," Jourova responded. "We need to set up rules that give us as much room as possible for checking how it works there and gives us continuous guarantees." The U.S. side proposed improving oversight of the new data transfer framework by creating an ombudsman to review decisions. The European Commission is pushing for the ombudsman to have the authority to make findings on U.S. surveillance as opposed to just fielding complaints from European citizens and data protection authorities, a person familiar with the talks said. Jourova said the role needed to be independent from U.S. authorities and empowered to seek information on concrete cases. She added there would also be a "clear suspension clause" in the agreement with the United States that would be applicable should the system not work properly, and that the European side would run annual checks on that. (Reporting by Julia Fioretti and Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels, Dustin Volz in Washington D.C., Writing by Eric Auchard and Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Mark Heinrich) News / Regional by Leonard Ncube and Nyemudzai Kakore Government has set mid this year as the new deadline for the commissioning of the $150 million Victoria Falls International Airport. Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo toured the facility last Friday where he expressed satisfaction with progress saying the new-look airport which, when completed, will handle 1,5 million passengers per annum, will likely be ready in May this year."We hope by end of May the project will be complete. We hope to start upgrading the VVIP lounge beginning of February that is why we think by May work will be completed and then the project will be commissioned," said Dr Gumbo."I am happy with the progress that I see. People have worked hard. I came here in December and there is a difference. It shows that people are now working 24 hours a day. This is impressive."The new-look facility, whose refurbishment started in February 2013, has missed numerous deadlines and now sits at an overall 85 percent completion."We want to commission the whole project when it's complete. Once this place, where we are now, has been upgraded into a VVIP lounge, we can be able to give a date," said Dr Gumbo.Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) general manager Mr David Chaota said the project was nearing completion."The implementation of the project was in two phases. The first phase was to build the international terminal building, the runway and control tower because the three work hand in hand. By completing that phase, that would enable us to be able to renovate existing facilities which is where we are," said Mr Chaota.Work on the current terminal, which was holding both domestic and international travellers and also conversion of the runway into a parallel taxi way is in progress, Mr Chaota said.He said the state-of-the-art control tower with equipment that has capacity to bring aircraft further down to about 100 feet from 200 feet towards the ground together with the new 4km-runway and the new international terminal were already operational.Work is still in progress on the construction of the fire station whose capacity would handle four fire tender vehicles suitable for any plane size and the water tower.In the international terminal, where all the departure lounges are already operational, international travellers could be seen going through immigration process on the state-of-the-art check-in counters and waiting halls. In-built restaurants are also now operational.Once completed, the new facility will treble passenger handling capacity from 500 000 passengers to 1,5 million passengers per annum. It will also accommodate wide bodied aircraft such as B747, B777 and A380.Plans are also underway to upgrade Harare International Airport while other ports of entry such as Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo in Bulawayo, Bufallo Range and Kariba airports are being renovated. Refugees and migrants walk after disembarking from the passenger ferry Blue Star1 at the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Greece, January 31, 2016. REUTERS/Michalis Karagiannis By George Georgiopoulos ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece will speed up completion of five migrant registration centers and two relocation camps after the EU executive chided it for neglecting its duties to Europe's passport-free Schengen zone, the prime minister's office said on Sunday. European Union interior ministers urged Athens last week to do more to control the influx of migrants, some threatening exclusion from the Schengen zone as the crisis increasingly divides bloc members. Greece was the main gateway to Europe for more than a million refugees and migrants who reached the EU last year. It has been criticized for a failure to control the flow of arrivals, which has shown little sign of easing over the winter. After a ministerial meeting chaired by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Saturday, his office said the completion of "hot spot" registration centers for refugees and migrants on the islands of Samos, Lesvos, Chios, Kos and Leros near the Turkish coast, would gain pace. The government will also complete two relocation camps on the mainland, with the defense ministry taking a more active role to ensure that the five hotspots will be ready to operate in the next two weeks. The EU has taken various steps to give cash-strapped Athens financial assistance to deal with the crisis, but many member states believe it is not using that enough. Of five registration centers due to be set up for migrants arriving in Greece, only one is running so far. As per the ministerial decision, Greece's defense ministry will hand over two military camps to ensure that the two relocation centers, each with a capacity to house up to 4,000 migrants, will be delivered on time. The public order ministry will make sure all of the five hotspots will be staffed and capable to register refugees and migrants. Ministers at the meeting shared the assessment that Greece's commitments will be implemented by the next summit of European leaders. "Let's hope that the other EU countries and institutions will show the same sense of responsibility by then," the prime minister's office said. Greece's migration minister Yannis Mouzalas has denounced the threat of Schengen exclusion as a "blame game". (Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Stephen Powell) By Nick Carey CHICAGO (Reuters) - Democrats from Pennsylvania's congressional delegation sent a letter to a federal rail regulator on Monday raising concerns over the possible negative impacts of a merger between Canadian Pacific and Norfolk Southern Corp. The letter sent to the Surface Transportation Board raised concerns over the impact it could have on railroad jobs in Pennsylvania and said the merger could lead to "disinvestment" in rail infrastructure in the state. Senator Bob Casey and five members of the U.S. House of Representatives, all Democrats, also wrote that they were deeply concerned about the voting trust structure Canadian Pacific has proposed in its bid for the No. 4 U.S. railroad. The Canadian company in mid-November disclosed its $28 billion offer to buy the Norfolk, Virginia-based railroad. Norfolk Southern has rejected Canadian Pacific's advances, setting the stage for a possible proxy battle. The Surface Transportation Board would have to review a merger of the two railroads, which would be a test case since the regulator rewrote the rules for approving takeovers in 2001. The review process would include public hearings where rail customers, labor groups and elected officials would be allowed to weigh in. In their letter, the Pennsylvania Democrats wrote that they believe the acquisition could hurt thousands of rail shippers, manufacturers and local communities, as well as rail workers, in the state, and urged a thorough review of any proposed merger. Canadian Pacific has said that a takeover of Norfolk Southern would lead to $1.8 billion in annual savings. In early January, two senior Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives urged the board to reject any merger of Canadian Pacific and Norfolk Southern. A number of industry groups and rail customers, plus a couple of the unions representing workers at Norfolk Southern have also come out against any merger. Last week, the board posted letters from some rail customers who argue that, on the contrary, a merger of Canadian Pacific and Norfolk Southern would create a transcontinental railroad that would result in better service. (Reporting By Nick Carey; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni smiles at Khartoum Airport during an official visit to Sudan September 15, 2015. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah By Elias Biryabarema KAMPALA (Reuters) - The Ugandan military said on Sunday it had detained a general whose frequent criticism of veteran leader Yoweri Museveni has been an irritant to the authorities, potentially raising tensions ahead of next month's presidential election. Museveni, who is seeking to extend his 30-year rule, is facing perhaps his toughest challenge yet ahead of the Feb. 18 vote, which pits him against longtime opposition leader Kizza Besigye and his ally-turned-rival, Amama Mbabazi. Rights groups have accused the government of using state security to stifle criticism and intimidate Museveni's rivals, charges the government denies. Army spokesperson Ronald Kakurungu told NTV Uganda, a local television station, that General David Sejusa had been taken into custody in the capital Kampala early on Sunday. "Today the deputy army commander...went to (Sujasa's) home and arrested him and took him to Makindye," Kakurungu said, referring to a military facility on the outskirts of Kampala. The spokesman said Sejusa would be charged before a court marshal on Tuesday but he did not elaborate on the charges. In 2013, Sejusa fled to Britain after making allegations of an official plot to kill officials who opposed a plan for Museveni to hand power to his son, Kainerugaba Muhoozi, a brigadier in the Ugandan military. He returned to Uganda the following year in what analysts said was probably a fence-mending move by Museveni to prevent cracks in the military. Since his return, however, Sejusa has maintained his criticism of government and has given several interviews to local media, in which he has criticized the president and expressed support for the opposition. Michael Mabikke, Sejusa's lawyer, said he had been denied access to his client. "Sejusa... has told Ugandans this is a dictatorship and I think this criticism rubbed them the wrong way," Mabikke said. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Edith Honan and Stephen Powell) UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 Form 6-K Report of Foreign Issuer Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 For the Month of February 2016 Commission File Number: 001-32294 TATA MOTORS LIMITED (Translation of registrants name into English) BOMBAY HOUSE 24, HOMI MODY STREET, MUMBAI 400 001, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA Telephone # 91 22 6665 8282 Fax # 91 22 6665 7799 (Address of principal executive office) Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F. Form 20-F x Form 40-F Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): Yes No x Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): Yes No x TABLE OF CONTENTS Item 1: Form 6-K dated February 1, 2016 along with the Press Release. SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorised. Tata Motors Limited By: /s/ Hoshang K Sethna Name: Hoshang K Sethna Title: Company Secretary Dated:February 1, 2016 Item 1 TATA MOTORS LIMITED Bombay House 24, Homi Mody Street, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra, India Tata Motors sales for January 2016 at 47,034 units Key Highlights: LCVs witnessed a growth of 12% in January 2016, bucking recent trends M&HCVs continued the strong growth with 30% in January 2016 Company's exports grew by 42% in January 2016 Mumbai, February 01, 2016:Tata Motors continued to witness year-on-year growth in the M&HCV segment in January 2016, with a growth of 30%. Total sales of Tata Motors passenger and commercial vehicles (including exports) were at 47,034 vehicles, higher by 10%, over 42,595 vehicles, sold in January 2015. The domestic sale of Tata commercial and passenger vehicles for January 2016 were at 41,398 nos. higher by 7% over 38,634 vehicles sold in January 2015. Cumulative sales (including exports) for the fiscal at 411,979 nos., higher by 2% over 405,581 vehicles, sold last year. Commercial Vehicles In commercial vehicles, while M&HCV sales continued to grow at 14,693 nos., higher by 30%, over January 2015, the Light & Small Commercial Vehicle sales has witnessed growth at 15,977 nos., higher by 12% over January 2015. The overall commercial vehicles sales for Tata Motors in the domestic market at 30,670 nos., in January 2016, is an increase of 20%, compared to 25,587 nos., in January 2015. This significant increase has been enabled by LCV growth supplementing the already prevailing MHCV growth. This is the second consecutive month of growth in LCVs, after many months, and if sustained, could see return of growth in this segment, albeit on a low base. Cumulative sales of commercial vehicles in the domestic market for the fiscal are at 258,325 nos., lower by 1% over last year. Cumulative LCV sales are at 134,774 nos., a decline of 15% over last year, while M&HCV sales at 123,551 nos., were higher by 23%, over last year. Passenger Vehicles In January 2016, Tata Motors passenger vehicles sales were at 10,728 nos., decline of 18%, compared to 13,047 nos. The wholesales of passenger cars in January 2016 were lower by 20% at 9,350 nos., compared to 11,637 nos., in January 2015 and the UV sales declined by 2% at 1,378 nos., in January 2016. Cumulative sales of all passenger vehicles in the domestic market for the fiscal are 107,118 nos., higher by 2% over last year. Exports The company's sales from exports were 5,636 nos., in January 2016, higher by 42% compared to 3,961 vehicles in January 2015. The cumulative sales from exports for the fiscal are at 46,536 nos., were higher by 15%, over 40,587 nos., sold last year. -Ends- About Tata Motors Tata Motors Limited is India's largest automobile company, with consolidated revenues of INR 2,62,796 crores (USD 42.04 billion) in 2014-15. Through subsidiaries and associate companies, Tata Motors has operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa and Indonesia. Among them is Jaguar Land Rover, the business comprising the two iconic British brands. It also has an industrial joint venture with Fiat in India. With over 8 million Tata vehicles plying in India, Tata Motors is the country's market leader in commercial vehicles and among the top in passenger vehicles. Tata cars, buses and trucks are being marketed in several countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia, South America, Australia, CIS and Russia. (www.tatamotors.com ; also follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TataMotors) Safe Harbor: Statements included herein may constitute "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are based on expectations, forecasts and assumptions by management and involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to materially differ from those stated. We cannot be certain that any expectation, forecast or assumption made by management in preparing these forward-looking statements will prove accurate, or that any projection will be realized. More detailed information about these and other factors that could affect future results is contained in our annual reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our forward-looking statements pertain to the date of their initial issuance, and we do not undertake to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Four people were left with eye injuries after a public fireworks display in Auckland. A public fireworks display in Auckland injured at least four people when a wind shift blew sparks onto the crowd. The fireworks were let off at the end of a concert by the Auckland Symphony Orchestra as part of Ports of Auckland's SeePort festival, which ran on the weekend. An estimated 6000 people had packed Captain Cook Wharf on Saturday night for the concert and pyrotechnics. During the explosive finale a shift in wind direction started blowing sparks into the crowd. Four people were treated after sparks hit their eyes, and one woman was taken to hospital with minor injuries, a St John Ambulance spokesperson said. Ports of Auckland spokesman Matt Ball said the port regretted the incident, which was "a bit of a dampener" on a great night. Event organisers had cut off the fireworks two minutes early once they realised sparks were falling on people, Ball said. Efforts had also been made earlier in the night to move the large crowd back to stop people getting burned. A car crashed through the bedroom of a house that was occupied by new flatmates two weeks ago. A one week old baby was in the next room when a car crashed through the front of a house in east Auckland on Monday. Police, fire crews and St John Ambulance rushed to Burswood Drive in East Tamaki where a car had crashed through the front of a brick house on Monday afternoon. Michael Standen had moved in to the house two weeks ago. Sam Sword/Sharp Focus Media A car crashed into the bedroom of an east Auckland home, one room away from a one week old baby. Standen said he and his friends were sitting in the lounge when they heard a loud bang. "Now we've got a car through one of our bedrooms," he said. "We've got a week old baby as well. She got a bit of a start, she's settled down now but no one was hurt". The crash happened at 3pm, which Standen said was "good timing" as the house dwellers would usually be in the lounge about that time. Police northern communications shift inspector Jason Greenhalgh said the driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, was visiting the property. He said no one was injured. The Eftpos network in some parts of the country was down on Monday. The Eftpos network has returned to normal after a glitch prevented people across the country from being able to use their cards for about three hours. Have you been affected by the Eftpos outage? Email newstips@stuff.co.nz A large number of people were commenting on social media on MondayFeb 1 night to say they were unable to pay for things with their Eftpos cards from about 8.30pm. The outage affected many parts of the country, including Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Nelson and Invercargill. READ MORE: * ANZ customers told to talk to branches after meltdown * Westpac outage leaves customers red-faced at the till Mike and Johnnita Houghton ran into trouble in Palmerston North when they were trying to pay for petrol about 10.15pm. "Both our ANZ and Westpac cards wouldn't work. Had to do a 10-min walk to the nearest ATM. Thankfully, that worked," the couple told Stuff via email. By the time they returned to the service station, the Eftpos connection was "patchy". "Some people got through and others didn't, the Eftpos didn't discriminate between banks." Another card-user, Jeff Roberts, was caught out while trying to pay for his dinner at a Christchurch restaurant. He said he tried four times to use his card, but each time, the Eftpos machine said "cannot complete". Eftpos New Zealand Ltd. refused to comment on Monday, referring all questions to Paymark - the company that processes 75 per cent of New Zealand's electronic transactions. Paymark spokesman Paul Brislen said information on the outage was limited on Monday night. But the company had established that at 8pm, a network component suffered "connectivity issues" leading to intermittent problems with Eftpos machines in some parts of the country. "It was a situation where the first person in the queue would be able to pay, then the second person would have trouble with the machine, then the third person wouldn't have any problems at all," he said. Service had been restored to the network by 11pm. ATM machines were not affected by the outage, meaning customers were able to fall back on using cash, Brislen said. He described the outage as a "communication issue" between parts of the network, and said it was not yet clear whether Paymark's systems were to blame or those of a third-party network provider. Paymark was unable to say on Monday night exactly how many Eftpos machines and transaction were affected, or how widespread the problem was. Eftpos Central - A Paymark-accredited reseller - advised merchants on Monday to revert to using electronic offline vouchers or "zip-zap machines" to process payments during the outage. It said the outage did not appear to be isolated to any particular region of the country. Ten days ago he was spending his 34th birthday in a tiny windowless cell, where the fluorescent lights were never turned off. Now Philip Blackwood is a free man, sitting in his family living room in Tawa, laughing through his beard while telling how a Burmese lynch mob came to hang him from the nearest tree. "But if you don't laugh, you cry, right?" he says. KEVIN STENT/ FAIRFAX NZ Philip Blackwood back in Wellington with fiancee Noemi Almo and daughter Sasha, 18 months. The 34-year-old has been to hell and back, since the day in December 2014 when he posted an image on Facebook of Buddha wearing headphones, to promote cheap drinks at the bar he managed in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar. READ MORE: * Myanmar pardons 7000 prisoners, but not New Zealander * Kiwi in Myanmar prison Philip Blackwood lost 20kg, parents say * Kiwi Phil Blackwood 'forced to sleep on pallet' in Myanmar prison after insulting Buddhism Within 24 hours, a fundamentalist Buddhist lynch mob was baying for his blood. It was the only time he felt fortunate to be safely in jail. FACEBOOK The Buddha image that landed Philip Blackwood in a Burmese jail. The former Tawa College and Victoria University student was accused of religious crimes, and ended up spending 13 months in the notoriously inhumane Insein Prison, in Yangon. As the iron doors closed behind him, the guards told him told not to leave his block: there were people inside who wanted him dead for what he'd done. "For people to take your freedom away from you, and then put you in a position where your life's in danger...It's hard to understand," he said on Monday. FAIRFAXNZ Blackwood at his trial in Yangon. "I realised how serious it was when I looked into the judge's eyes," he says. "The first two months I accepted I couldn't go into the other areas, until I realised I had the physical size and was quite intimidating." His troubles started after he and fiancee Almo moved back to Myanmar in September 2014, a month after their daughter Sasha was born. He took a job as a bar manager. It was his first time working for Burmese bosses, and it wasn't going well. "I almost resigned the Monday before I got arrested," he admits with a laugh. He laughs a lot now, and enjoys taking time to talk. Time is something he's used to. "I've always had an analytical mind, always thinking what is the most efficient way to do something. But in prison that flips on its head. "You want to do everything as slow as possible, take your time ... I never had a working clock [in jail], I couldn't understand the ones who did." He clearly remembers putting up the offending image after consulting his boss: it was 9pm on December 9. "I was not exactly comfortable with the post, if I could be honest. Hindsight is 20/20, isn't it?" Less than 24 hours later, the police were at his office. Blackwood went to the station, was transferred to Insein Prison, and remained there apart from court appearances for the next 13 months. His trial was more about "how guilty" he was, rather than whether he was guilty or not, he said. "I realised how serious it was when I looked into the judge's eyes." In jail, one day blended into another, he says, marked only by small victories. Being able to change into shorts from the jeans he was arrested in; a mosquito net arriving; his parents bringing him Marmite, and a signed Hurricanes jersey from home; and the visits from Almo and his baby daughter, who was fast growing up. The days ticked on. He read a lot, exercised a lot, running around the yard in the 45-degree heat, in jandals. The routine brought him solace, he said. He witnessed some terrible things in the prison, known for its massacre of 36 prisoners in 2008. He can't, or won't, talk about what he saw, for fear of putting other people in danger. To this day, he believes the authorities are monitoring his personal Facebook page. Instead he talks about his own pain: missing his family, missing his daughter growing up. "Sure, it was an unpleasant place to be...but being away from family was the most difficult thing. "The thing is, I always try to look for the positives...the fact that Sasha was the age she was meant that she wouldn't remember that I missed those milestones...so it's just me sucking it up and dealing with that, and just knowing I had to make it up to her when I got out." He was in his cell reading a week and a half ago when he got the news that he had been given a presidential pardon. His friends were calling for him: "Phil, Phil, your name's on the list!" But he still has a criminal conviction that will hinder any future travel. He's never allowed back to Myanmar, which "suits me fine". What's next is still being decided, but Blackwood is eternally optimistic. "I feel like a kid in a candy shop with a blindfold on there's a lot of opportunities and I really don't know what to choose." SOLACE IN ROUTINE 6.30am: Cell door opens. Marmite on toast for breakfast. Wash plate and wash self with bucket and water. Read or exercise. 12pm: Back in cell. Read. 2pm: Exercise in yard and then wash yourself. 5pm: Dinner: one egg, rice and broth. 5.30pm: Back in cell. Read again. ON STAYING POSITIVE "The guys in my block were very kind, actually. Singaporean drug traffickers and murderers, some of them." "We used to joke about there being a secret Sadism Department in the prison. When we got our rice there would be stones in it. We would imagine someone in the Sadism Department just spooning it on." Alan Peart, 93-years-old, visits Maraetai Power Station on the Waikato River 70 years after he helped built it. Seventy years after he surveyed the site, Alan Peart has returned to the Maraetai hydro power station near Mangakino. Peart helped build the dam and power station between 1950 and 1953 along with 1200 other engineers, welders, labourers and tradespeople. A civil engineer for the Ministry of Works until he retired in 1982, Peart currently lives in Hamilton. Before his engineering career, he served in WWII, flying a Spitfire for the RNZAF and RAF over occupied Europe, then in Tunisia, Malta, Sicily, Italy, and against the Japanese over Burma. 1 of 6 ROBERT STEVEN/FAIRFAX NZ Alan Peart visits Maraetai hydro power station near Mangakino - 70 years after he surveyed the land it was built on. 2 of 6 ROBERT STEVEN/FAIRFAX NZ The penstocks leading from the dam wall at the Maraetai hydro power station. 3 of 6 ROBERT STEVEN/FAIRFAX NZ The turbine floor at Maraetai 4 of 6 ROBERT STEVEN/FAIRFAX NZ Alan Peart walks the turbine floor 63 years after he helped build the Maraetai Power Station's powerhouse as a civil engineer. 5 of 6 ROBERT STEVEN/FAIRFAX NZ Map showing the geothermal and hydroelectric power stations on the Waikato River. 6 of 6 KELLY HODEL/STUFF Alan Peart, WWII veteran, pictured in 2008 with a book he produced of war time memories: From North Africa to the Arakan: The Engrossing Memoir of a Spitfire Ace . An ace pilot with seven confirmed kills, he was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross. The Maraetai dam first began operation as a power generator in 1952, and Peart said he was surprised by the lack of change to it. "Just to see our work has been in operation for the last 70 years, and there seems to be almost no change it's absolutely marvellous." Archives New Zealand Maraetai Hydro Station, looking upstream Mighty River Power staff took Peart and his wife Jennifer around the station. Andrew Rye, the hydro operations delivery manager at Mighty River Power, said many of the machines were the original ones installed in the 1950s. "At Maraetai we've still got our original turbines from 70 years ago. That shaft that you saw spinning is still the original shaft, and even the generators are the still the original ones. The station is the largest one on the Waikato river. It can deliver up to 30 per cent of the annual output of the Waikato Hydro System enough to power 170,000 homes. Peart remembers surveying the land for the proposed dam site in 1945. "I worked as a chain man. When you're surveying, you've got one guy with a telescope and the other guy [chain man] goes halfway up the hill [to place a marker]," he said. Peart went to study civil engineering at Auckland University, then returned to build the dam, the powerhouse and the penstocks after graduating in 1950. "I left when the last few inches of the lake had to be filled. I didn't see the actual dam operating as it was, and I haven't been back since," he said. * See details of a Alan Peart's book From North Africa to the Arakan: The Engrossing Memoir of WWII Spitfire Ace. * Listen to Alan Peart talk about his WWII flying experience here. A group of freshwater campaigners is collecting stories about water as it pushes for swimmable waterways. The Choose Clean Water Tour is travelling around the country on a month-long journey to document New Zealanders' relationship to their waterways through short films. The campaign will present a petition to Parliament calling for strong protection for freshwater, including raising the minimum standard for rivers and lakes from "wadeable" to swimmable. Group spokesmanPaul Boyce, a Massey University freshwater ecology student, said there were a whole lot of negative implications that came with setting a goal of wadeable. "If that is the highest we are aiming for and maybe hoping we'll do better, I think that is quite disingenuous... "So we just tried to campaign around and we wanted to tell the personal stories, the lived experience it has been very moving." Boyce said the debate had been around for a while but always delved into scientific arguments or debating facts. "Those personal stories don't get told about how people interact with their waterways and how much they mean." The group asked people on film about what they wanted changed and what water meant to them. He said it was fortuitous that the issue was getting more public attention now. "Still, the discussion seems to be that things are OK, water quality is stable, we don't have these issues." It seemed to illustrate a discrepancy between people's experiences and what was being recorded. "It seems like everyone is aware there is a problem but the discussion doesn't move on from everything is OK." The group is currently in Taranaki, having set out early last month and travelled through the South Island. Group members are halfway through the tour, which concludes on February 6 at Waitangi. The group consists of two Massey students, including Boyce, a Massey graduate and two film-makers. Boyce said they were aiming for 10,000 signatures on the petition and were currently at about 6000. The petition was able to be signed at choosecleanwater.org.nz, where people can also upload their own stories. A photograph from the rescue helicopter of the man's climbing party as they wait for help. A climber fell 50 metres to his death after losing his footing in the Arthur's Pass National Park in the central South Island. A search and rescue effort got under way after the 31-year-old man, who was with two others, fell down a steep rockface on the northern side of the Mt Rolleston about about 7.40am Monday. It was understood the group came from Auckland to climb the 2275m-high mountain. They were climbing at the head of the Otira Valley. CANTERBURY WESTPAC RESCUE HELICOPTER The climbing party were located in the circled area on Mt Rolleston. Sergeant Chris Jones said the man, a foreign national who had been living in New Zealand for several years, lost his footing and fell to his death. The group were following an unmarked alpine track and were not harnessed together. He said the man's companions were "extremely traumatised". A climber has fallen to his death in Arthur's Pass National Park. "They've got down to him reasonably quickly but due to the extent of the fall they've been unable to provide any assistance to him." Senior Sergeant Vaughn Lapslie said the man fell about 50m. A Canterbury Westpac Rescue Helicopter spokesman said the crew found the man's body 1900m up the mountain. The group had spent the night on the mountain and were making their way down on Monday morning when the fall happened, he said. A paramedic was winched down and discovered the climber was dead after suffering "significant injuries". There was a lot of loose shale in the area. "It was a relatively steep scree slope, there was quite a drop off below where the body was which made it a bit more challenging than what we would have liked." The helicopter flew his two climbing partners to Arthur's Pass Village before returning to retrieve the body. "[His climbing partners] were quite shocked at the events, it was obvious that they had had a traumatic morning." The spokesman said the body was flown to Arthur's Pass Village where it was left with police. The body would be transferred to Christchurch. Department of Conservation senior ranger Chris Stewart said Mt Rolleston was the highest peak directly accessible from Arthur's Pass village. It had three major ridge lines and climbers reached the peak using several routes, he said. There was some permanent snow on the peak, but conditions had been "pretty good" during the last two days. Jones said police had not yet been able to contact the dead man's next of kin overseas. The matter would be referred to the coroner, police said. New Zealanders who have committed crimes in Australia are being deported back to their home country after they have served their sentence - and a third have already reoffended upon return. Almost a third of Kiwi criminals deported from Australia have continued their life of crime here, with some committing violent and sexual offences. A police briefing to Police Minister Judith Collins in December showed 30 per cent of deportees had come to police attention for reoffending since December 2014. That was the point when Australia began sending back New Zealand criminals who had done their time, as it tightened its visa cancellation rules. In the briefing, police told Collins they expected reoffending rates to soar as high as 55 per cent after two years. That was based on their analysis of the first 47 offenders who arrived before Australia's rule-tightening. READ MORE: * Australia deported criminally insane Kiwis without telling NZ authorities * Christmas Island detainee asked to leave 15 times * Kiwis in Australian detention centres tell of Darth Vader arrests * Australian detainees arriving in Auckland placed under supervision orders Neither police nor Collins could provide more details on Monday, but police confirmed that 60 deportees from Australia had been charged with 393 offences in the two years between October 2013 and September 2015. Some deportees had come to police attention for sexual and violent offending, the briefing said. On average, it took deportees 200 days from their arrival back in New Zealand before they began reoffending. However, Adam Drollett, a convicted robber deported from Australia, waited only six weeks before robbing banks in Wellington and Auckland. When he was brought to Wellington District Court in December to face charges, he kicked a Corrections officer and punched a policeman as he vaulted the dock and tried to escape. Lawyer Chris Nicholls told the court his client had had not lived in New Zealand since he was three. He returned without being given any information about getting an income, social services, "or any support whatsoever", Nicholls said. "He is stuck with us, and we are stuck with him." In the weeks before Drollett was jailed, Parliament had rushed to pass laws allowing for a "parole-like" monitoring regime for Kiwis awaiting deportation from Australian detention centres such as Christmas Island. An information-sharing agreement between the two countries in September also addressed warnings that criminally insane Kiwis had been deported without notice to authorities here. Collins said the Government was working to support deportees to prevent them reoffending, but noted they had been sent back because of their past. "We have hundreds of these people coming to New Zealand, and it's of great concern to New Zealanders, and certainly to myself. "But people forget. There's a lot of talk about them coming back here and being rehabilitated, but they have been deported in most cases for quite serious crimes not in all cases, but most cases." Labour MP Kelvin Davis, who took up the cause of Kiwi detainees at Christmas Island, said he was not surprised at the latest figures. Some deportees were growing desperate when they found barriers to getting jobs, or landing in communities where they had no family. "Prior to the law change last year, they were being dumped and there was no support for them." Both MPs said they expected to see reoffending rates reduce under the new monitoring regime. Collins said she had recently been told deportees had been co-operating with the new regime, with most agreeing for their fingerprints to be taken on arrival. Police Association president Greg O'Connor added that, anecdotally, police in New Zealand were finding their Australian counterparts had become more prompt at providing background on deported offenders. At the time the new law was passed, Justice Minister Amy Adams said the Government could not promise that overseas offenders returning to New Zealand would not reoffend but monitoring them would help authorities manage their risk. On Monday, Adams said the latest police figures were in line with New Zealand prisoners' general reoffending rates. BY THE NUMBERS * A total of 299 returning offenders (282 from Australia) have arrived in New Zealand between December 10, 2014, and January 31, 2016 * Before Australia's rule-tightening in December 2014, 47 offenders were returned to New Zealand * Of those, 26 were charged within two years of returning. They were charged with 243 offences between them * Between December 2014 and September 2015, 173 offenders were deported to New Zealand * 34 of those have been charged with offences since returning, as at October 2015. They were charged with 150 offences between them Source: NZ Police Francis Strange was assumed dead by his family. He contacted them after being accused of stealing millions from a Kenyan mining company. Liz Simpson thought she received a hoax call when, after thirty years, she was contacted by a son she assumed was dead. Instead, Francis Edward Strange, had in fact been in custody in Kenya accused of stealing millions of dollars from a mining company in Kenya. The 56-year-old spent six months in a Kenyan prison last year, after failing to provide the $15,000 needed for bail. Waihi farmer Gerard Strange said the family assumed he was dead, until his brother contacted their mother a fortnight ago. At first he thought it was a scam, but after a bit of discussion it turned out it was "kosher". "Well the last name says it all really. It's all a bit strange to us, bizarre actually," he said. "But it was definitely great to hear his voice. "We don't know all the background about why he hasn't made contact for so long and we're not here to judge. He's family and we're glad to hear from him." According to Kenyan paper The Star, Strange was to appear in court in Kenya on Tuesday (New Zealand time), accused of stealing $63 million of gold and equipment from a mining company in Narok County. He is now living in Nairobi and has had to surrender his passport as part of his bail conditions. Gerard Strange said he was not sure of all the details regarding his brother's court appearance but he has received documents from URI, an investment company his brother was involved with. "It seems to me like he was caught up in something that was not his doing," he said. Strange told The Star the trouble started as he was doing due diligence on a mining company in which he considered investing. "Kenyan police and the justice system are manipulated by people with money and influence and they don't necessarily pursue justice," he said in an interview. "The prison experience has made me cautious but I haven't lost faith that justice will be done." He also claimed a murderer twice tried to kill him at the Kisii Prison where he was held. The convicted murderer known as 'Msanii', jumped him and tried to rip out his throat, Strange said. Originally from Paeroa, in Waikato, Strange emigrated from Ponsonby to Australia in 1981. The last contact his family had was in 1990, when he was living in Sydney. He moved to Tokyo in 1992. If he wins his court battle, Strange plans to stay in Kenya and plough ahead with plans to develop a mine extracting minerals. His vision is for a massive mining and industrial city in Taita-Taveta County, in the southern tip of Kenya. It could generate between 300,000 and 500,000 jobs during its construction over the next decade, Strange says. In January 2014, Strange moved from Japan, where he was a teacher and union boss at an English language school, for a promising business venture in Kenya's mining industry. He has also published a book for English-language students and conducted research on the international cement industry and rebuilding Japan's power network, according to The Star. A tobacco tax hike has prompted an influx of calls to Quitline. More smokers are seeking help to quit following a tobacco tax increase. A 10 per cent tax hike kicked in on New Year's Day. The lift on the annual tobacco excise tax is the last of four increases legislated for in 2012. The average price of a packet of 20 cigarettes was already more than $20 before the latest rise. Quitline spokeswoman Robyn Bern said the service had fielded 350 calls from people who wanted to give up smoking in the past three days. The number of enquiries from people living in Marlborough were unavailable. Nationally there were more than 220 online registrations with Quitline. The number of queries had increased each day in January, Bern said. "In previous years the spike has been on January 1 with a marked drop-off in subsequent days." Smokefree Coalition executive director Dr Prudence Stone said tax increases were an effective way of getting people to stop smoking. The Smokefree Coalition was in favour of further and "more significant" tobacco tax increases, she said. "We've seen the impact of these increases on price lessen year after year as the tobacco industry learns how to adjust its pricing across its brand variants." Tobacco companies had learnt to weight the cost of the tax hike on their high end products, which people were happy to pay more for. The price of lower end cigarettes did not increase as much. "It's a real shame that the tobacco industry retains control of the price increases," Stone said. The Smokefree Coalition was in favour of a 20 per cent increase on the annual tobacco excise tax. "It puts far more pressure on the tobacco industry to bump up prices on all products." Stone said she was concerned the smoking rate would continue to plateau and the goal of becoming a smokefree nation by 2025 would become increasingly unlikely without any government strategy for tobacco control legislation in 2016. A man has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape, abduction and unlawful sexual connection with a young girl. A Waitara woman has been accused of using a dog chain, vacuum cleaner cord and tree branch as weapons in a series of assaults the Crown say she committed under the influence of the "not pot" drug. Johnina Hetaraka faces a total of nine charges, including assault with a blunt instrument, ill treatment of a child and cruelty towards a child. Co-accused Thelma Kabir, 22, is facing six abuse related offences, including three charges of common assault. All of the offending is alleged to have taken place in Waitara between August 2011 and February 2014. The case involves three complainants, two of which were aged between 2-12 when the abuse is alleged to have started. None of the complainants can be named due to legal reasons. The pair pleaded not guilty to all the charges and their trial began before Judge Chris Sygrove in the New Plymouth District Court on Monday. In her opening address, Crown prosecutor Cherie Clarke said the abuse, which started as yelling, slapping and pushing, began to escalate in 2014, which coincided with Hetaraka's increasing dependence on "not pot" or synthetic cannabis. She said when Hetaraka did not have access to the drug, she was described by one of the complainants as "evil". Clarke said most of Hetaraka's money was being spent on synthetic cannabis and she sold household items in order to fund her habit. Clarke said support was offered to Hetaraka in November 2011 to address her problems but this had been spurned by the 44-year-old. Clarke said it was when Hetaraka was using the drug that she meted out the most serious of the assaults against one of the complainants, which allegedly involved weapons like a dog chain, tree branch and a vacuum cleaner cord. She outlined to the jury of ten men and two women another incident where it is alleged Hetaraka threw a plastic cup at the same complainant, with such force that it broke. "The defendant then walked away smiling," Clarke said. Clarke said co-accused Kabir joined in with Hetaraka on five occasions to carry out the assaults. She said the 22-year-old used a belt one time but otherwise used her feet and hands to punch, slap and kick the complainant. Hetaraka's lawyer Kylie Pascoe said her client denied the abuse had taken place, including the allegations she had used weapons. "The allegations made against her have been made up, grossly exaggerated or taken completely out of context," Pascoe said. She said the truthfulness of the main complainant was at the heart of the case, something which Kabir's counsel Patrick Mooney also referred to in his brief opening address. "This case is going to come down to credibility," he said. He said Kabir also denied any role in the abuse. "It did not happen," Mooney said. Clarke said 14 witnesses will give evidence as part of the prosecution's case. The jury will also be played DVD interviews including ones police recorded of Hetaraka and Kabir following their arrests. Only one of the complainants is due to give evidence at the trial, which is set down for one week. Opinion / Columnist There is no stopping a skunk, with a hidden agenda, itching for a fight. "Chidembo kana choda kuramba mukadzi chinoshereketa!" (When the skunk (bad husband) wants to desert the wife, it will do anything and everything to provoke a fight, beat her up and then divorce her for "starting" the fight!)When President Mugabe warned UN Secretary - General, Ban Ki-Moon that Africa will, en mass, walk out of the UN if the continent's demands for two permanent Security Council seats are not met; this was just him, the skunk, itching for a fight."We are supposed to be free and independent Mr Ban Ki Moon; supposed to be free - the 54 countries (of Africa). We come to the United Nations for the ceremonial (General Assembly); every year, September, we are there," said Mugabe at the AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He is there to hand over the AU Chairmanship to Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno."We pay lots of money, go there and attend the General Assembly and make speeches, go back home: year in year out."But the bosses in the Security Council say you shall never have the powers that we have as permanent members Reform the Security Council!" thundered Mugabe to thunderous applause from the gathered African leaders.Mugabe, out of your own mouth cometh thy judgement!Mugabe is fighting for Africa to have the same power to veto UN Security Council resolutions that the five permanent members have. This is rich coming from the man who has systematically denied the Zimbabwean people the freedoms and basic human rights including the right to a meaningful free vote and even the right to life! In any case giving one or two of Africa's tyrants the veto would not help advance the post independent Africa' call for democratic change.If these African leaders were not suffering from collective amnesia then they would remember that it was the AU itself which resolved that Zimbabwe's 2008 elections, Mugabe's claimed were free and fair, were not. The AU would only grant Mugabe po-litical legitimacy after he agreed to implement wide raging democratic reforms and to form a GNU. Sadly none of the reforms were implemented so Mugabe rigged the 2013 elections.Mugabe is facing an ever tougher election in 2018 than in 2008 because the national economic is now in total meltdown and Zanu PF popularity is rock bottom. To remain in power Mugabe will have no choice but to once again rig the elections; something the West, the UN and the Zimbabwean people themselves are set to object to with renewed vigour.Last week VP Mnangagwa confirmed the Zanu PF regime will renew its banning UNPD, although it is the one paying for Zimbabwe's new biometric voting system, and all the Western nations' election monitors from observing the country's next elections. The fight with the UN over reforms is a contrived in that when the regime is criticized for rigging the elections it will counter and accuse the West is punishing it because Mugabe's repeated demands for UN reforms.Mugabe played the same dirty trick of picking a contrived fight when he accused the British of reneging on their promise to fund Zimbabwe's land redistribution pro-gramme. So when he was accuse of rigging the 2000 and 2002 elections he coun-tered claiming the elections were free and fair and accused the British and their Western allies of punishing him for seizing white owned farms.When the AU and SADC both refused to endorse Mugabe's claim that the 2008 elec-tions too were free and fair, Mugabe had no counter accusation then. If the AU sided with the West in condemning Mugabe's vote rigging in 2018 he will accuse the Afri-can leaders in turn of hypocrisy; many have turned a blind eye to vote rigging in Af-rica with a number guilt of committing the same crime themselves to as extensive-ly but enough and that is all Mugabe needs. The few leaders with a clean bill of elec-toral health, Mugabe will accuse them of being puppets of the Wests taking orders to play hardball with him even though his megaphone diplomacy has accomplished nothing.In 2003 Mugabe took Zimbabwe out of the British Commonwealth when it was clear the country was going to be kicked over its failure to hold free and fair elections. If push comes to shove he will walk out of the UN and AU too rather than hold free and fair elections and lose.If the truth be told; Africa does not need the two permanent seats complete with ve-to powers. Africa has had its share of dictators, despots and tyrants. There is the late Colonel Muammar Gaddafi who ruled Libya for 42 years (he did not bother with the niceties of elections); Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, was schooled in vote rigging, he ruled Egypt with an iron fist for 30 years; President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir of Sudan has been indicted by ICC for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur; we know Mugabe and his checked track record; etc. The thought of any of these tyrants wielding a veto is very worrying indeed for Africa and the world at large!Africa's democratic institutions, where they still exist, are very weak to deal with se-rious institutionalized crimes like genocide, crime against humanity, etc. The pres-ence of rogue states like China and Russia wielding the UN Security Council veto has allowed many African tyrants to get away with murder as long as they had Chinese and/or Russian support. Africa needs a strong UN and adding the number of rogue states with a veto will make the UN even weaker than it is!How ironic that Mugabe should be using demands for an African UN veto as a smoke screen to hide his more sinister plan to continue denying millions of Zimbabweans the right to free, fair and credible vote. But then it is to be expected given his skunk mentality!"Ichokwadi! Chidembo kana choda kuramba mukadzi chinoshereketa!" (Yeah up! There is no stopping a skunk itching for a fight to hide its more sinister agenda! Directors of Entrust Securities removed from other Group Cos. Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s): The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is flexing its muscles to sack directors at Entrust Capital Markets Private Ltd (ECMPL), the broking arm of Entrust Group whose beleaguered primary dealer, and Entrust Securities was taken over by the Central Bank (CB) early this month. The CB handed over its management to the National Savings Bank after its liabilities fell below its assets putting depositors and investors at risk. The SECs corporate Affairs Division is currently going through ECMPL and will make a decision soon, a SEC official said. The SECs move comes after the CB removed the common directors of Entrust Securities (Entrust) who served on the boards of Multi Finance and Standard Credit Finance Limited. The CB has appointed two directors to Multi Finance and removed the entire director board at Standard Credit replacing them with five new directors. The common directors at Multi Finance and Entrust Securities were Isira D.B. Dassanayake, Romesha Senerath, Niloshan Mendis, Sanjeewa Dayaratne and Mano Thilakawardena (independent director). Prof. Hareendra Dissa Bandara (former Director General, SEC) and private sector professional, Sanjeewa Fernando were appointed to Multi Finance board this week, a CB official told the Business Times. Two Multi Finances independent directors (Kuvera de Zoysa, its chairman and Mohan Ratnayake) along with its CEO Pushpika Jayasundera, who met the CB mid this month, had recommended that common directors of these two firms should be removed The CB official added that the other three positions are to be filled by the newly appointed board in consultation with the CB. He said that last week, four out of five directors at Standard Credit were replaced by CB nominees, while Rohan Fernando, Independent non Executive director wasnt removed by the regulator. Prof. Dissa Bandara (as Chairman) and as directors Sanjeewa Fernando, Claude Alwis and Kithsiri Bandara were appointed. Mr. Dassanayake (former Chairman), Chanuka Ratwatte, Mrs. Senerath and Mr. Mendis, Mr. Dayaratne and Chandra Dias were on this board. The company held its first board meeting on Friday afternoon. A strong call has been made by depositors and interested parties to re-examine the director boards of firms under the Entrust Group. In a situation of this as per the CB regulations and SEC requirements the fit and proper rule plays a major role when directors or senior management carries out duties. All the directors and senior management of Entrust are still continuing to be directors of other regulatory bodies namely Multi Finance PLC, a licensed Finance Company regulated by CB and SEC as well as in a Stock Broking Company regulated by the SEC. is it fair or is it appropriate to allow them to continue in these regulated bodies? a letter by a depositor to the Business Times questioned. CB governor Arjuna Mahendran told the Business Times that the regulator decided on this move as they have the authority under the Finance and Business Act to rearrange the boards of any financial institution in a bid to improve the way theyre run. Also the fit and proper criteria arise in this case as Multi Finance is a subsidiary of Entrust, he added. Meanwhile passports of former Entrust Securities director and five current directors along with former General Manager Sanjeeva Dayaratna were impounded by the Colombo Magistrates Court on Monday pending a probe into the companys activities, sources said. The Colombo Magistrates Court directed the Controller of Immigration to stop any one of the above individuals from overseas travel till the investigation is completed, they said. However, Entrust Non-Executive Director S. Jeyavarman was not included in the court order, they added. The CB earlier requested the police to impound passports of the directors in view of a current investigation in the company. Asian miracle turns comical as days go by View(s): Those who remember the days immediately prior to the Bush-Blair illegal invasion of Iraq 13 years ago and the ensuing media war might recall Saddam Husseins information minister and spokesman who the British media called Comical Ali. That was a take-off from Chemical Ali, the Iraqi scientist responsible for heading the countrys chemical weapons programme. Though the two Bs in the same pod (Blair and Bush) turned Iraq upside down looking for the bombs they said could be launched in 45 minutes they could not find any to this day. The spokesman earned that sobriquet (the US media called him Baghdad Bob) for his bombastic claims about the military prowess of Saddams Republican Guards, what they would do to the invading infidels and the myriads of untruths (lets be charitable to the man) he spewed almost daily about Iraqs successes on the battlefield and the huge losses inflicted on the invaders. Of course nothing like that ever happened. Neither did George Bushs notoriously brash pronouncement mission accomplished accomplish the mission. It is not only the people of Iraq who are now still paying for his visceral foolishness and the seeds that the two Bs sowed which have sprouted engulfing more of West Asia. In the days of the Vietnam War the US had its own comedians playing spokesmen or was it the other way round- spokesmen playing the Three Stooges. The media jokingly labelled the daily press briefings the Five Oclock Follies so entertaining they had turned out to be. I was at the East-West Communications Institute in Hawaii at the height of the Vietnam War and enjoyed myself immensely listening to some Saigon-based American journalists passing through Honolulu trying to convince the more skeptical of us poor third world semi-literates that Washington will win the war, often citing the hyperbolic assessments of their own comical Alis. The recent unfortunate happenings at Embilipitiya and our own police spokesmans efforts to characteristically clear his fellow policemen of any wrong doing brought to mind those other spokesmen who have gone down in history as renowned interior designers who have thought to redecorate events by liberal doses of white wash and a splash of colour. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera was to announce shortly after the young man died in Embilipitiya that he had jumped from the building resulting in his death. Subsequent accounts appear to suggest that if anybody took a leap it was spokesman Gunasekera who seemed to have hastily jumped to conclusions. It is quite possible that Gunasekera was misled by his colleagues from the South who were trying to cover up their own tracks as Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayakes statement to parliament would indicate, especially with regard to telephone calls originally said to have been made to the police by the public. It has now emerged that Ruwan Gunasekera was not only the police spokesman but he was in Embilipitiya himself doubling up as investigator and legal adviser or some dubious roles. Those who still recall their readings of Shakespeare from student days would perhaps remember the words of Jacques in As You Like It- And one man in his time plays many parts. But even the Bard did not seem to envisage one man playing many parts simultaneously as Gunasekera seems to have done until he was withdrawn from his other bit parts, if media reports are correct. Embilipitiya is bad enough. But note what happened at Homagama the other day when the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena, Galaboda Atthe Gnanasara Thera appeared in court. The subsequent disturbances viewed by many of those who conveyed their thoughts on cyber space as laughable would indeed have believed so had it not been such an insult to the saffron robes worn by those who sought to disrupt public life in the area. That stand up comedian named Wimal Weerawansa, leader of some group called the National Freedom Front, who had thankfully disappeared from the public scene for some time, thought it fit to compare justice as meted out to the Venerable Gnanasara with that shown apparently to Hirunika Premachandra MP. His allusion to justice for the sari and sivura seemed to refer to these two instances. Had he managed to overcome hurdles such as the GCE O level and A level in his youth he might have been able to see the ludicrousness of his analogy for they were vastly different and differing circumstances. But if one thinks that such illogicalities and spuriousness-even if he was aware of them would deter Weerawansa from exuding thoughts which are tantamount to bovine waste, then obviously we have underestimated the man. It was not too many years ago that he decided to lie down opposite the UN offices in Colombo and threaten to fast to death. The one-time archaic term for this kind of threat to depart from this world by ones own volition was fast unto death. Once this ruse started becoming a little too common with every two-bit politico thinking he could get a photograph and two column-inches of space in the local media, some sarcastic journalist it called it a farce unto death. So it has turned out to be for one cannot think of any politician or hanger-on dying of self-induced starvation, not when there is a quick bite and a glass of glucose or orange available in the stealth of the night. Our parliament would be such a staid and dull chamber without the likes of Weerawansa who would not be averse to spending a night on the floor of the House if it would attract attention, never mind if it evoked torrents of derisive public laughter at such farcical conduct. As though one Weerawansa is not enough to keep soap opera alive, Sri Lanka has more recently given birth to another politician who also claims to lead a party though how many member it has on its roll may not be fully known to the public. Of course Udaya Gammanpila, General Secretary of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya might say with Cromwell that a few (not PHU) honest men are better than numbers. But it seems that Gammanpila makes up for number of members by the number of words he utters almost every day as though it has been prescribed by some medicine man. Since Weerawansa had faded from the scene for some time Gammanpila has emerged to fill the void with verbiage that seems like the accumulated garbage at Meethotamulla and some other places in Colombo. Hardly a week passes without Gammanpila calling press conferences to pillage media space. Observing Gammanpilas strenuous efforts to emerge onto political centre stage one cynic said in Sinhala the other day kathawa dolawen, gamman pillion eke drawing laughter from those around. Adding to the slapstick that passes for intelligent debate and the thrust and parry of political exchange we are now witnessing the comedy of cabinet ministers threatening to sue each other and still others pointing their howitzers at colleagues saying they would be blown apart with exposure of things done and not done, not to mention under done. If the amounts demanded as recompense by those offended would require a run on the foreign banks where national assets are said to be stashed away. With such goings on to keep the populace entertained who wants a Comical Ali or even an Iglesias. Roman emperors of ancient times tried to calm the public with bread and circuses. Who cares about bread when we have such political circuses. What next irreverent one? View(s): My dear Senaawa, I thought I must write to you because you are in the news these days and your leader is in remand prison, all because of a scuffle that broke out at a court house. As a result, a lot of people are confused about who you are and what you do and some even think that you are a group of politicians! Let me explain why. What we saw last week was a group of people, some of them in yellow robes, trying to force their way in to a court house, shouting insults and making demands. We do not see that every day and that is not quite in keeping with the Buddhism that most people are familiar with. This group, although wearing yellow robes and presenting themselves as Buddhist monks, were using very colourful language, abusing policemen and judges, insulting other communities, inciting racial hatred and even scaling walls of the courthouse like pickpockets fleeing the Police! Their words and deeds resembled street thugs although they wore yellow robes- and even our eternally dissatisfied university students show more dignity and restraint when they engage in their protests. Seeing that, a lot of people were ashamed to call themselves Buddhists on that day! I am not sure whether you realise this, but people in this country respect the yellow robe not only because those who wear it represent the maha sangha but also because they command respect by their words and deeds. Some of that respect was lost that day and that is very sad indeed. We are told all this was because the leader of your Senaawa had been remanded for disrupting court proceedings the previous day. That, I am told, is a story in itself. He apparently addressed court and gave a piece of his mind about what he thought of the court proceedings in very descriptive language. Your leader was annoyed that the disappearance of a journalist was being inquired in to. He labelled the journalist a kotiya and blamed the authorities for prosecuting military officers for the disappearance. So, he was told to behave properly in the court house but he didnt do so. That is when an order was made for him to be remanded. I dont know why that should be such a shock because now, unlike a few years ago, whenever someone does something wrong, the courts decide what should be done. Remember, even Hirunika had to face the music for what she did. I am not sure whether you are aware of this, members of the Senaawa, but wearing a yellow robe and claiming to represent the majority community and majority religion do not automatically give you the right to break laws and do as you please, insulting other communities and religions. Also, just over a year ago, thugs masquerading as politicians were engaging in all kinds of nefarious activities but the rule of the law didnt apply to them. Pardon me if I am wrong, but I cannot remember your Senaawa or your leader say a single word, against Mervyn, for instance. So, gone are the days when your leader could storm other peoples press conferences, chase them away and then slander them and threaten them- because, if memory serves me right, that is what he used to do. He didnt face any consequences at all for doing so either- and we all wondered why! Gone also are the days when your leader could address meetings, openly asking one community to attack another- because, if memory serves me right, that is what he did at Aluthgama. That led to riots that left several people dead and dozens of houses destroyed. He wasnt taken to task for that either. Because your leader got away after doing all that, people were even saying that he had Mahinda maamas blessings. I dont know about that but what I know is that by not taking action against him, Mahinda maama lost a few hundred thousand minority votes which probably cost him the election. Now too there will be politicians who will want to stand by your leaders side and claim to be his saviours. Why, the other day we saw rupiyal seeye Udaya suddenly appearing by his side at the court house. Next, we will see this whole issue becoming a battle between different communities. Dear members of the Senaawa, this country lost thousands of lives because of the war. So, now is not the time to start another war between its communities but that is exactly what your leader seems to want. I dont think the majority of us want that. Think about that before you plan your next protest. Yours truly, Punchi Putha PS: Your leader said the other day that that he was shocked that war heroes were being locked up while Tigers were being pardoned. He asked whether we had forgotten that there was a war in this country. Pardon me, but was your leader deep in slumber when the Field Marshal who was then a General was locked up while Karuna was sent to Parliament? Your leader seems to have conveniently forgotten that. Or, was he touring Norway at the time? Religious observances and fanfare to herald the day 68th Independence Day celebrations View(s): View(s): The public are cordially invited to mark the 68th Independence Day celebrations to be held under the theme Ekama Deyak- Maha Balayak at the Galle Face Green on Thursday. A military parade in the morning and a cultural event later in the day are the two main events, while a string of celebrations are also due to take place at provincial level. Nearly 9,000 security personnel will participate in the military parade with 3,986 officers from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), 2,102 from the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), 1,238 from the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), 927 from the Sri Lanka Police and 664 from the Civil Security Force (CSF), officials said. Ministry of Parliament Reforms and Mass Media officials said the Independence Day celebrations will commence as early as Tuesday, with an all night pirith ceremony at the Independence Hall, Independence Square, Colombo 7, to be followed by an almsgiving at the Gangarama Viharasthana, Hunupitiya at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. A number of religious observances will also take place at various religious places in Colombo at 6.30 am on Thursday. The Sunday Times was told that Buddhist religious observances will commence at Polwatta Dharmakeerthyarama Viharasthana, a pooja will also commence at the Sri Ponnambalawaneswaran Kovil in Colombo 13, prayers will be held at the Jumma Mosque in Maradana and a Catholic Service at the All Saints Church, Borella, with a Christian Service at the Christian Reform Church at Wolfendhal. These will be followed by a floral tribute at the statue of D.S. Senanayake in Independence Square at 7.30 a.m. by the Secretary, D.S. Senanayake Memorial Committee, I. Dissanayake. Mayor of Colombo, A.J.M. Muzzammil will garland the statue. The area will be decorated with the National Flag and Provincial Flags. The main Independence Day event will commence at 8.30 a.m. at Galle Face Green on Thursday, under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The President is due to arrive at the venue at 8.47 a.m. with trumpets heralding his arrival. He will then hoist the national flag to the sounds of the magul bera and conch shells. The National Anthem will then be sung by 100 schoolchildren to the SLN Eastern Bands accompaniment. This will be coordinated by the Assistant Director of Education, Waruna Alahakoon. Following the recital of Jaya Mangala Gathas and Devo Vassathu Kalena by a bevy of schoolgirls, two minutes silence will be observed in honour of all patriots who have laid down their lives to preserve and protect Sri Lanka. Then a 21-gun salute for the President will follow at 9.11 a.m. The President will address the nation at 9.15 am and at 9.55 am, the March-Past by the SLA, SLN, SLAF, Police and CSF will take place. Following the departure of the guests and invitees, the event will be concluded with a 25-gun salute to the nation by the Sri Lanka Navy. Nidahase Hada Gasme- a traditional cultural show will be staged at 7 p.m. at Galle Face Green, with the participation of renowned artistes.A special transport facility will be provided for the public to attend the events. City of a giant statue and giant pandas Hiranthi Fernando discovers the largest stone Buddha in the world and a sanctuary for one of Chinas national treasures in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province View(s): View(s): Sichuan province in southwest China is famed for its spicy food and giant pandas. A city with a long history and rich culture, today it has progressed remarkably into modernity in many fields, in terms of development, infrastructure, telecommunication, science, and technology. A media delegation from Sri Lanka had the opportunity to visit Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in November 2015. The Chengdu Planning Exhibition Hall is a great inspiration. The entire city and suburbs are laid out in a scale model, to be viewed from a gallery above. The display features buildings, roads, parks, trees and waterways made to scale. The whole or parts of it can be lit up. Four new city suburbs built at the four corners, with its connecting roads, can be seen in detail from the gallery as an official explains the layout. The Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone was another interesting site on the agenda. Established in 1988, it covers an area of 82.5 sq. km. It is made up of separate parks and hosts a large number of companies including IBM, Symantec, Microsoft, Alcatel, Ericsson, Nokia and Motorola. The staff is accommodated in quarters with all facilities, making it a self-sufficient complex. According to a staff member, between one-third and half of the ipads in the world are assembled in Chengdu. Not far from Chengdu city is the city of Leshan famous for the remarkable Giant Buddha stone carving. This gigantic statue, carved into the rock on the side of Mt. Lingyun is said to be over 1,300 years old. It is considered to be the largest stone Buddha in the world. Millions of visitors, including Buddhist pilgrims are attracted to this site. The Leshan Giant Buddha statue is situated at the junction of three rivers, the Min, Qingyi and Dadu. It faces Mount Emei with the rivers flowing below its feet. The statue shows the Buddha seated calmly with his hands resting on his knees, eyes gazing across the river. The statue is remarkable not only in size but also in its architecture and craftsmanship. It is made entirely of stone, except the ears which were made of wood, fixed to the head of the statue and covered with clay. The hair is skilfully arranged in spiral curls embedded in the head. The enormous statue measures 71 metres in height. Its head is 15 metres high and its shoulders 28 metres wide. Each eyebrow is 5.5 metres while its nose is 6 metres long.It is said that 100 people could fit on each foot. To see the statue in its entirety requires an arduous descent down a flight of steep, rough steps along the side of the mountain to the edge of the water. Then it is a climb up to the top, which is less strenuous. The head, which is as tall as the mountain peak, can be viewed from two levels. According to legends the Leshan Giant Buddha statue was built to calm the turbulent waters of the rivers that were a threat to passengers of boats passing through. Chen Yingli, Section Chief of Sister Cities and Friendship Association Affairs of Leshan, who guided us around Leshan told us that the statue was constructed by a monk, Hai Tong, in the Tang Dynasty, with the idea of appeasing the gods and saving the lives of local people. He requested 20 years to collect funds to start on the carving of the statue. When the government funding for the work was threatened the story goes that Hai Tong gouged out his eyes to show his dedication to the project. Having collected the money he started the project in 713AD. Halfway through the work the monk Hai Tong passed away and two disciples were left to carry on the work. Finally the project was completed 90 years later, in 803 AD. It is also said that so much stone was carved out of the hillside and cast into the river below during the construction, that the currents of the rivers were altered making the waters safe for ships passing by. Hai Tong had lived and died in a little cave in the hillside at the top of the mountain.This cave can still be seen on the higher level of the site. Also, on a lower level is a chamber with large colourful statues of Hai Tong, his helpers, the Emperor and other dignitaries of the era. The Mt. Emei-Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area was listed as a World Natural and Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1996. The final visit on our agenda in Chengdu was the Chengdu Research Base of the Giant Panda Breeding. Giant Pandas are considered an important Chinese national treasure. They live in remote bamboo forests in the high mountains and are found only in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces of China. The natural habitat of the Giant Pandas has been gradually destroyed and so the Chengdu Research Base provides a sanctuary for these animals that are severely endangered. In the wild there are said to be less than 2000 Giant Pandas, of which over 70% is found within Sichuan province. The Chengdu Research Base is a popular tourist destination of both local and foreign visitors. Located about 10 kilometres from Chengdu, the Chengdu Base for Research & Breeding has recreated the natural habitat of the Giant Pandas to give these animals the best environment for rearing and breeding. It is a most interesting place to visit and see the loveable Giant Pandas in their natural surroundings, feeding on bamboo leaves playing together or resting in the shade of the trees. The panda nursery was a real treat to see. About six cute cuddly panda cubs were curled up in a large cot fast asleep. They looked most endearing. The staff at the nursery cares for the baby pandas lovingly. However, the warden at the base said the adult pandas can be rather fierce. This ecological conservation base is spread over 100 hectares of land, which includes hills and a picturesque lake. According to an official of the Base who acted as our guide, nearly 400 kinds of trees have been cultivated at the base. These include many species of bamboo that constitute the giant pandas favourite food. In addition to giant pandas, the Panda Base is also home to red pandas, white and black swans, black necked cranes, white storks and other rare endangered animals. The facilities at the base include a fodder room, sleeping quarters and a medical station, in addition to a museum together with research laboratories and a training centre. At the Panda Story Cinema, we were shown an interesting and educative film featuring the birth of Giant Panda cubs, panda breeding in captivity and the conservation of pandas. The Giant Panda Museum was opened in 1993 for the purpose of scientific education as well as to improve public awareness of the protection of the wild animals and their environment. The Giant Panda Base is maintained by contributions from interested organisations and individuals. There are plans to extend the Base by another 500 acres. When the population has increased sufficiently the focus will be to help the giant pandas to relocate in their natural habitats in the wild. Opinion / Columnist Africa Needs the Next Generation, I am so hopeful about our continent's future, Moreover, the African youth must bear in mind that they are the future leaders of Africa. I see future farmers, ranchers, and so much more. We have future physicians and professors in Africa. We have biologists and biochemists, lawmakers and lawyers. We have technology experts and teachers, artists and athletes. Among you are future environmental engineers and energy entrepreneurs.Look around you and you will see something else. You will feel a shared recognition of the power of education to lift the human spirit, to broaden horizons, to bridge differences. My message to you today is simple. Our nation needs your skills, your passion, your compassion, and your talents to compete and prosper in a knowledge-based, globally competitive economy.To thrive, our communities need your leadership and commitment to civic engagement. And our families need you to succeed in college and careersso that one day you can support your own families and strengthen your own community. Education is like a tree that bears fruit. It is not planted just so it can grow, be harvested, and left to wither. With hard work, education takes roots. It replenishes. It nurtures a lifelong love of learning. And it transforms the opportunities a family has for generations to come.I grew up on the outskirt village of Lephong in Bushbuckridge formerly ka Mpisane. In addition, I have had to get schooled myself about agronomic education. I have loved that opportunity, and I will tell you what I have learned. I have learned that agricultural education is vital to the future of African prosperity. I have learned that agricultural educators face unique challengesbut that they also can tap into unique strengths within their tight-knit communities. I have learned that agricultural education is very much about the jobs of the futureand not a backwards-looking curriculum to preserve the past.I cherish hearing about myriad episodesabout their innovative experiential learning projects, their cutting-edge explorations of agricultural sciences, and their deep-seated commitment to service learning and developing leaders. African regimes must continue to create quality educational access for rural students in ways that expand opportunities for the rest of their lives. As an African continent, we still have a long way to go before we reach African's goal of connecting 93 percent of Africa's students to high-speed Internet.A high-speed Internet connection can enable students to take online courses and gain access to cutting-edge research at universities. It can bring productive outcome classes and foreign language classes to small schools with limited resources. In addition, it can help transform your career opportunities. Moreover, I am hopeful that Africa can again start making progress on issues that affect our lives and rural communities. Political Parties must get past its current dysfunctionand start to work together to help the continent. One of the vital legislative priorities right now is for African governments to pass a comprehensive Food, Farm, and Jobs bill.The Farm Bill deliberation is especially imperative for the future of today's young people, who will be the next generation of farmers and ranchers. And just as United States of Africa is about so much more than just farming and ranching, the Farm bill is as well. It is a food safety bill. It is a research bill. It is a nutrition bill. It is a conservation bill. It is a deficit reduction bill. In addition, it is a job creation bill. No political party has a monopoly on good ideas.The truth is that as an African continent we have so much need for improvement in virtually every sector of society, whether it is education, agriculture, the environment, or health care. Visionary advocates and leaders, like Robert Mugabe from Zimbabwe, can help drive those big changes for the better. Now, not everyone is going to be a leader who helps to transform agriculture or health care. Nevertheless, everyone has something to contributeto his or her communities, to the country, and to the world.For eons, Organisation of African Union members like Nkwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Samora Machel, and Thomas Sankara have distinguished themselves as leaders and achievers in their communities. Please the African Youth continue to set that example of our fallen heroes.Africa needs your idealism, your service, your get-it-done attitude, and your commitment to your own education. Make sure to get your certificate, your associates' degrees or your bachelor's degree.Our beloved Africa needs the students and teachers to influence the next generation to pursue college and career training. We need you to lead by example. Please tell your aunts and uncles and reinforce with friends who did not get their certificate or degree, the importance of returning to school. It is never too late to get an education. Africa needs you to become the next generation of industry leaders in agriculturewho not only perfect sustainable agriculture but also grow sustainable rural communities.Africa needs your creativity to develop the next generation of economically viable opportunities for growers, laborers, and consumers in the food, fiber, and natural resources system. Africa needs you to help lead the fight to eradicate hungerand to be life-long food security advocates. Africa needs you to play a leading role in reducing our continent's carbon footprint through the use of second-generation biofuels and energy-efficient tillage methods.In addition, I absolutely want to encourage African youth to think about becoming teachers and coming back to your communities to transform children's lives through educational opportunity. In the next four to six years, as many as one million new teaching positions will become available. If you want to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of children, if you want to increase social mobility and help people escape poverty, teaching is a unique call to service.Now, when you finish reading this letter, I hope you will take with you a message of the power and importance of education. In Africa, your zip code or your socioeconomic status should never, ever determine the quality of your education.Dr. Nelson Mandela thought that an educated citizenry, civic knowledge, and public service were the essential cornerstones of democratic government.Dr. Nelson Mandela reminded us that ordinary people could do extraordinary things. They can help bridge the gap between the flora and fauna as it is, and the world as it should be.I challenge you my African brothers and sisters - be one of those leaders. Help make the world as it should be. Let African youth restore the shadow of our beloved continent, the continent of minerals, gold, oil and myriads resources given by Almighty God. Let us make the African dream comes true through neither education not through bogus electoral system nor wage war but through the strong weapon called "EDUCATION" The stage was set and a great dancer was born A tribute to Chitrasena by Bandula Jayawardhana, written in 1986 View(s): View(s): January 26 was the 95th birth anniversary of the pioneer Kandyan dance practitioner Chitrasena who played a pivotal role in the development of the dance in its stage form. In this article reproduced and edited from the publication, Nritya Puja : A Tribute to Chitrasena 50 years in the dance 1936 1986, the author, a well known journalist, recounts the multiple impacts that Chitrasena had in bringing the dance from the ritual space onto the stage. Jayawardhana points out some of his key achievements including the development of the Sinhala ballet and the role he played in the popularisation of Kandyan dancing, both within Sri Lanka and abroad. Through his frequent reviews of the productions of the Chitrasena Ensemble and interactions with Chitrasena and his fellow creator-performer Vajira, the writer had keen insight into not just of the work but of some of the influences and motivations for Chitrasenas life work. What does eighty years of dancing mean in Sri Lanka? With a rich and variegated tradition stretching back to several hundreds, if not to over a two thousand years, with a tradition of such antiquity within which whole communities passed down an uncontaminated art from generation to generation, there must have lived many a master of the dance who could look back to his eightieth year of dancing with pride and retrace his rhythmic steps with immense satisfaction to the first day when he stood at the dandikanda (barre) as a little lad and decided to be a Guru some day. To any dancer, eighty years is a remarkable achievement, an occasion for celebration. To the dancer in Sri Lanka, it is even more a test of exceptional loyalty and dedication to his art, a trial of unrelenting perseverance in the face of poverty and social scorn, a great triumph over the severest odds, a tremendous personal victory. But with Chitrasena, eighty of dancing years is something positively and intensely more significant, more important. Undoubtedly for him too, the completion of this long period carries a sense of personal achievement, bringing memories of struggle and triumph, of quest and conquest, of bitter and happy days, of lean and prosperous years. But these achievements and triumphs are now no more individual and personal. Here, at the end of these eighty years, Chitrasena emerges in our retrospective vision, an important artist in an important epoch whose eighty years are now become an indelible part of a countrys cultural history; whose personal achievements are now inseparable elements in a nations aesthetic and emotional life. His triumphs have so much composed our present, that his failures too must now be reckoned as inalienable from our national destiny. If ever we as a nation, have the capacity to evaluate our own artists, we have now come to a stage, or rather, Chitrasena has brought us to a stage, when we shall have to speak of his successes and defeats as ours. It was indeed in the middle of an important epoch that Chitrasena emerged, as yet another market of that age in which we live. The Anagarika Dharmapala had fulfilled his spiritual mission and the first fruits of his lifes work were only being harvested. Ananda Coomaraswamy was rediscovering the indigenous arts and had already addressed his celebrated Letter to the Kandyan Chiefs. In India, Tagore had established his Santiniketan. His lectures on his visit to Sri Lanka, in 1934 had inspired a revolutionary change in the outlook of many an educated man and woman. The Poet-Sage of re-awakened India had stressed the need for a people to discover their own culture to be able to assimilate fruitfully the best of other cultures. Chitrasena was a schoolboy then, and the house of his father, Seebert Dias, a well-known actor of the day, had become a veritable cultural centre, in and out of which went the literary and artistic intelligentsia of the time. Seebert Dias, whose acting as Shylock had captivated the English-speaking audiences, now produced the first Sinhala ballet, Sirisanghabo, presented in Kandyan technique, Chitrasena played the lead role, and people were talking of the boys talents. Some years before Anna Pavlova had visited India and taken away Udaya Shankar to Europe where his performances were making a name for all Oriental dancing. Menaka and her Kathak performances and Ram Gopals Bharata Natyam were acquiring international fame. Some of these famous Indian exponents of the dance had already visited Sri Lanka. In Sri Lankas upper layers, the parlour-piano and musical Victoriana were being abandoned in favour of Kandyan dancing, the sitar and the esraj. A new elite was rising which was turning a self-conscious, if sentimental eye, towards the indigenous arts. While there was a fair amount of romanticism and ostentation in all this, the trend was not altogether without authenticity and conviction, and it was as the movement was gathering momentum that a right intuition sent Chandralekha the wife of the artist DJA, and Chitrasena to study Indian dancing under the traditional Indian gurus. Their first choice was the Chitrodaya School of Travancore where they were to study Kathakali, the dance drama of Kerala, under the celebrated guru Gopinath who later, at the completion of Chitrasenas training said of him in that typical prophetic style of the Oriental guru: He will soon become a great dancer, having no rival in the art. Despite this trend the major tide of colonial civilisation flowed unabated. A slavishly-imitative elite, half-baked in European manners and victims of the Wests post-industrial commercial culture, still ruled the roost and set the pace, inciting among the nationalist elite a cultural chauvinism equally virulent. Meanwhile in the villages, the traditional masters of the dance held tenaciously to their art in a desperate struggle to preserve it for posterity. But with democratic institutions had come social mobility. Their sons, lured by the glitter and gold of the cities were exercising their new-found freedom and abandoning the hereditary art for the more secure jobs of peons and porters. They were being realistic. They were right. The Sinhala dance was fighting a losing battle in the villages, among the common folk. The old social structures which sustained it had given way. The aristocracy had now shifted their interests to the Bridgetable of the Planters Club. Before the advance of modern medicine, the exorcist ritual was dying a natural death. Thus the less enterprising of the dancers sons inherited his fathers profession only to ensure for the art a mediocre existence. Purity of the dance was secured only through stagnation masquerading as Tradition. Incompetence and dilettantism ensured their own survival by vulgarisation whose nadir was reached a few decades ago in the Kandyan Cha-Cha. There was no doubt, patriotism and a pittance could not rescue the Sinhala dance from a sure and gradual death. It was in this context that Chitrasena returned with his training from India. Like any other contemporary artiste of Sri Lanka, Chitrasena stood where the road he travelled on seemed to fork out in two directions the Path of Traditionalism stood counterpoised with that of Innovation, Conformity with Rebellion. Nationalism with Internationalism, Universality with Particularity. In his own field, Chitrasena stood where Martin Wickramasinghe stood in the Novel, Keyt in Painting, Sarachchandra in Drama, Lester James Peries in the film, Amaradeva in music. Chitrasena too accepted the challenge. The art must grow if it was to be saved from extinction. Thus Chitrasena brought dynamism to the tradition of the dance in Sri Lanka. And he had the deftness of touch, and the awareness of the problems to conduct that delicate surgery which could effect a synthesis of tradition and modernity without sacrilegious result to the art. In this lies the difference and the significance of Chitrasena, that while the traditional masters sought to ensure the continuance of the dance by a conservative preservation of ancient tradition Chitrasena seeks its perpetuity by creation and innovation whereby the hidden beauties of the ageless forms can be revealed to modern men. Perhaps he feels it is the turn of the elite to assimilate the dance from the common folk and to sophisticate it before it could go back to the masses of the future. The limitations of the pure dance was apparently the reason for his attempt to create a genuine Sinhala ballet. For, I remember Chitrasena once told me, Tradition was a kaleidoscope within which a vast variety of forms could be created. But the possible forms were not endless. Throughout the journey from Vidura and Ravana dance dramas to the ballets Nala Damayanti and Karadiya, there is evident a singleness of aim the development and extension of Sinhala dance forms, the quest for the possibilities of emotional expression within the existent idioms. And when they fail, the expansion of the national vocabulary through natures instinctive gestures and movements. The absence of conventional mudras, Chitrasena once said, is not essentially a weakness in our traditional forms, inhibiting their use in ballet. It is often their strength, allowing flexibility and the use of natural gesture which is the language of the instinctive understanding. But Chitrasena insists on the importance of expression in the arts and the artists right to freedom from technique. He does not conceive this is traditional, this is indigenous as he creates. His purpose is expression and the right technique evolves itself. There is always a struggle between technique and artistry, he says, when you let go the one, you uphold the other. This is what saves him from cultural purism. It is what makes him a contemporary of ours instead of an antiquarian restoring museum pieces from the feudal history of the dance. He once read out to me a passage from the Kalama Sutta: This is my attitude to authority, he said. This is exactly what Ive been trying to do in the dance. Chitrasena is also a Universalist, an Internationalist with a difference. Although he is not restricted by cultural purism, he has always been more concerned to enrich the universal language of the dance with words from the vocabulary of the Sinhala dance than to be quick in borrowing. Thus he has become an unofficial cultural ambassador in many lands from Perth to Moscow, Montreal to Malaysia, winning for us the hearts of the ordinary people of many nationalities. A stroke of national good fortune seems to have saved him from being exiled in an embassy abroad or imprisoned in a beaucratic cubicle, during this last seven years. Chitrasena instead has lived a free man and active. It is how he brought before the public his latest production which was conceived shortly after Karadiya. Kinkini Kolama he says, is an extension of the work I have been doing all these years. Eighty years of Chitrasena has also had its meaning for the rest of the art-world. There has hardly been a name in the world of arts and letters which has not at one time or another been associated with the Chitrasena Dance School inalienable among them, Somabandu, the costumes and decor artist. And recently, Lester James Peries wrote, a friend of mine who is among the leading authorities on music in this country and whose opinion I respect is pretty certain the score for Karadiya, the Chitrasena ballet, is the greatest score ever written in this country. Amaradevas early days are closely linked with the Chitrasena School. But there is one more of Chitrasenas contributions to the art of the dance in our country which is unique and second to none the creation of Vajira. There is not a single peak of achievement reached by Chitrasena in these eighty years but in the attaining of which his pupil, this dancer of compelling grace and perfect technique, does not hold her share. Whether in the romantic fantasy that was Nala Damayanthi where she sketched in as fine a line as Keyts, that celestial swan, or in the stark realism of Karadiya, Vajira remains distinguished, with her assurance of step and certainty of balance, her acute sense of rhythm responding to the subtlest nuances of music, the natural gift of her lithe pliant figure adding the quality of lasya to the most vigorous and virile of Kandyan Vannams. Out of the wings of Chitrasenas Studio, Vajira emerged vibrant like Degas Dancer on the Stage. At their studio in Kollupitiya by the strange ironies of history, the last Sanctuary of the Sinhala dance fast languishing in the villages of its birth I saw them dance some years ago Chitrasena and Vajira. It was merely an evenings exercise with their pupils, and the glow of the setting sun was on their faces. But they danced with the seriousness of a gala-performance. We give you, said Chitrasena, something that is very traditional and something that at the same time is not. As the dance rose in crescendo to a frenzied climax, with an equally frantic drum, Chitrasena paused for a moment and said, This is discipline. You cant do this without thinking. And as they danced, I was reminded of the beautiful phrase with which the late Mr. Reggie Perera defined the unity of the tandava and lasya modes. It is the marriage of supple sinewy steel and the sinuous grace of gossamer silk. There is no finer phrase by which we could describe Chitrasena and Vajira joined in the dance, for, perhaps (to use the words of an ancient Indian critic) they dance not for men but to feast the eyes of the gods. A payment plan for universal education View(s): DAVOS The Sustainable Development Goals, which the international community adopted in September, include a commitment to provide every child with access to free primary and secondary education by 2030. Finding the additional $20 billion per year, or more, that will needed to deliver on this commitment is one of the central objectives of the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity. The commission was established last September by the Norwegian prime minister, and co-convened with the presidents of Malawi, Chile, and Indonesia and the director-general of UNESCO. Its members, including five former presidents and prime ministers, three former finance ministers, six nobel prize winners, and three of the worlds most successful business leaders Jack Ma, Aliko Dangote, and Strive Masiyiwa will report their findings to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the co-conveners in September. On January 24, we met in London to chart the way forward. The challenge is daunting. Some 60 million primary-school-age children have no access to formal education. Of the roughly 590 million who are attending school, some 250 million roughly two in five are failing to learn the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. And some 60% of school pupils in developing countries do not meet basic mathematics standards. If current trends persist, by 2050, children in most regions of the world will receive, on average, ten or more years of schooling up from three years in 1950. Some countries in Africa, however, will lag far behind, with just 3-4 years of schooling on average. If we maintain a business-as-usual approach, it will take more than a hundred years well into the twenty-second century before every child is provided with an opportunity to complete his or her schooling. Even as education levels play an increasingly important role in economic growth, the funds needed to raise them have failed to materialise. International development aid for education has fallen by nearly 10% in recent years and government spending in low-income countries has failed to make up the difference. In 2002, education accounted for 16% of total domestic spending in poor countries. Today, the figure is just 14%. Meanwhile, outlays for health increased from nine per cent to 11% of total spending. And, to make matters worse, in many of the countries with the greatest need for education including Pakistan and Nigeria governments are spending too little on it (sometimes as little as two per cent of national income). Nor is the money when it is made available spent equitably. In low-income countries, almost half of all education funds are spent on the most educated 10% of children. Very little trickles down to street children or boys and girls in remote rural areas, conflict zones, or urban slums. According to UNESCO, the ratio of pupils to qualified teachers in the Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, and South Sudan is more than a hundred to one. And those teachers receive little support, encouragement, or feedback. Good teachers are undoubtedly the key to quality education; but they can do only so much if they are not provided with skilled supervision, a well-organized curriculum, and access to technology. The phrase universal education will mean nothing if it does not apply to children living in huts, hovels, and refugee tents. When war or disaster strikes, the international community rightly mobilises funding for food, shelter, and health care. All too often, however, financing education is only an afterthought. With refugees spending more than ten years away from home, on average, this neglect cannot be allowed to continue. Fortunately, progress is being made in this area. In an exciting experiment in Lebanon, schools have been put on double shifts in order to accommodate the countrys Syrian refugee population. Local children attend in the morning, and in the afternoon, Syrian refugee children study in the same classrooms. The program has been a stunning success, providing schooling for some 207,000 children who might otherwise have been deprived of an education. And plans are underway to expand the program to cover one million children in Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan. The biggest obstacle to what would be a spectacular achievement as is so often the case is a shortage of money. It is to support efforts like this one that the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity was formed. UNICEF leader Anthony Lake, UNESCO head Irina Bokova, and Global Partnership for Education Chair Julia Gillard have lent their support to a platform for the provision of education in emergencies, a proposal that I hope will be formalized at the World Humanitarian Summit in Turkey in May. And it is my goal that by the end of the year we will also have a timetable to provide primary and secondary education to every child in the world and the funding with which to achieve this most important of objectives. (Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, is United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education and Chair of the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity.) Courtesy : Project Syndicate, 2015. Exclusive to the Sunday Times. www.project-syndicate.org Golden jubilee celebrations for Kalutara lawyer View(s): Independence, integrity and impartiality are among the qualities that judges should have, Supreme Court Judge Priyasath Dep P.C said this week. Addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of senior lawyer Siri A. Perera at the Kalutara Bar, Justice Dep reiterated the importance of the role judges can play to ensure the independence of the judiciary. He noted that judges follow a strict code of ethics as judgments they deliver have a bearing on the public.Even various religions including Buddhism and Christianity have a deep understanding on the subject of judiciary. Sinhala literature texts too indicate the conduct of judges as impartial and honest without being influenced by external pressures. Not only in judicial life, but also in their personal lives they should bound by the morals, he said. Noting that the Judicial Services Commission has a say over the lower court judges, while the executive has the power over higher courts, Justice Dep said in western countries there are no provisions in their law books to bring a no confidence motion against the judges because judges decide among themselves whether to remain on the bench or not. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) president Geoffrey Alagarathnam, referring to Mr. Perera said he has been an energetic person in his personal and professional life and commended the role he played at crucial times for the Kalutara Bar Association in the past. Fifty years in law practice is not a small period of time, we lose most of our lawyers when they reach their fifties, he said. Recalling the time when the Kalutara Bar faced many difficulties, Mr. Alagaratnam pointed out how the area Bar under the leadership of Mr. Perera faced those challenges and overcame them. Today the Kalutara Bar Association stands as a vibrant legal body with more than 160 active members. Mr. Perera not only witnessed the progress of the body through difficult times but also worked to restore the integrity of the Association and its service to the people, Mr. Alagaratnam said. The challenge today before us is how we adjust to the changing times. Those days lawyers came from a few selected families with a legal background, but today most of the lawyers come from all over the country. The challenge is how we are going to maintain the standard of the profession, Mr. Alagarathnam said adding that juniors could look upto and learn from Mr. Perera. While stressing the fact that seniors should inspire juniors and be role models when it comes to ethics and morals, the BASL president urged Mr. Perera to share his experiences with his fellow juniors who can learn many things from him. Because the law is not only in the text books or in court proceedings, it is also a way of practicing life as a social science. Our profession is not a money making business. We owe a lot to society, we have to give it back to them, he said. While accepting the honorifics from his fellow lawyers, Mr. Perera acknowledged that he was able to spend the greater part of his life in the judiciary because of the support of his loving wife and family. Mr. Perera recalling the advice he got from the then constitutional law expert Colvin R De Silva, before he entered the profession, said he told him to always study the judge. The event concluded with a power-point presentation that took the audience down memory lane and showed Mr. Perera as a young man entering the profession and going onto excel in his profession and inspire others. Misinformation in the media playing havoc in the country View(s): A spate of misinformation in the media, including on-line media, is playing havoc in the country. No doubt there have been far too many incidents of violence, and the Police too are allegedly involved in several of them. One would even conclude that there is no law and order at all in this country. Yet, there is nothing so volatile as misinformation and rumour, especially in connection with incidents of violence involving student demonstrations, trade union demos, political and religious demos and the Police. The Police of course has always been the bashing boys of the media. It is very saddening to see even the reputed newspapers publishing misinformation and rumours giving them the air of admissible evidence. Experienced media officers would know only too well how the rumour mill works overtime in Sri Lanka. Many a catastrophe has been the result of rumour and misinformation. True, misinformation and rumour attract public attention and the newspapers are quick to grab them without checking on the evidential value of the misinformation, with a view to promote their sales. But one would expect the media to be more helpful to the public. As a case in point I take the news item published at page A8 of the Daily Mirror dated 26th January 2016 titled Social activists cast doubt over transparency in Embilipitiya probe. The news item goes on to quote attorney Udul Premaratne having stated that, Handing over the investigation to the CID when all evidence was available to prove that this case was a murder has created a genuine doubt in our minds. This matter is still under investigation by the magistrate and the magistrate has called for CID reports of further investigations. The magistrate has not yet concluded the magisterial inquiry and come to a finding. While this is the position of the magisterial inquiry, wherein did the attorney obtain all the evidences to prove that this is a murder? Is this not contempt of court? The same news item carries: Attorney Lakshan Dias said that it was high time that the Police Commission also learnt to maintain an impartial and independent stance with transparency when conducting investigations. It is clear that this attorney and possibly the newspaper do not know that the Police commission is not mandated to investigate complaints and it does not even have investigating officers attached to the commission. If one wishes to know the powers of the Police commission, one has only to go to its web site and one will find everything there. Apart from media institutions, it is a matter for great regret to read misinformation in on line media, spewed out by some retired chiefs of police. May I repeat my plea asking the media to be more helpful to the public. (Tassie Seneviratne is a Retired Senior Superintendent of Police) Taking issue with black money in Sri Lanka By B. Anton Jeyanathan View(s): View(s): With the advent of the new government under President Maithripala Sirisena and the coalition government, there is no gainsaying that the government is having a difficult time managing the economic situation the country is facing. It is also a well known fact that the incumbent government has to settle many debts as well as pay the interest on the huge amount of money taken from Chinese banks and other donors which was obtained by the previous government ostensibly for development projects undertaken by them. Notwithstanding this inescapable responsibility of settling loans and paying interest, the government also embarked on popular measures by reducing the price of gas, petrol, essential goods etc., to please the masses. They brought in a budget this year with the whole idea of bridging the gap by earning revenue by taxing many consumer items as well as motor vehicles etc. Even these measures did not see the light as the proposals were withdrawn or tinkered with to satisfy the opponents of the budget. This has led to a serious wide gap in the deficit of earnable income and the economic situation has deteriorated to such an extent that the government is finding it difficult to implement any of their plans. It has been reported that the Finance Ministry is planning to accept a large amount of money in foreign exchange from a foreign benefactor whose name has not been disclosed. Further, the Finance Ministry is said to have sought cabinet approval to have this amount brought in. It has also been reported that the Finance Ministry had requested the Central Bank and commercial banks to accept any amount of deposits with the policy of no questions. To this request it is reported both the Central Bank and the commercial banks had expressed displeasure and opposed the proposal by the Finance Ministry. Receiving large sums of money from undisclosed individuals and accepting large sums of money from depositors without asking questions as to how they acquired such large sums of money is a sure way of offering bait to those who have earned through illegal activities large sums of money they cannot declare legally, to be deposited in any bank. Money laundering is a simple exercise of converting illegally amassed wealth into a legal system of money transaction. It is like washing the dirty money through a money laundering process to make it clean. Wittingly or unwittingly the government is opening the doors for international and local persons indulging in illegal activities to dump their unaccountable illegal money in Sri Lanka so that the money will get into the system of legal money transactions. There is a saying that one should not look a gift horse in the mouth. However, this does not mean that we should accept anyones money without at least checking on the background of those who are volunteering to help the government by donating large sums of money. Even in the case of Sri Lankan depositors, the already prevailing rules which have been made with much thought and care, should be enforced. We should laud the officials of both the Central Bank and the commercial banks for conveying their displeasure at the so called request by the Finance Ministry to accept large sums of money with no questions asked. International and local drug traffickers, as well as those engaged in illegal activities may be waiting in the wings to dump their ill-gotten money into our country if the government is facilitating such easy methods for disposing their black money. The government should be cautious about such offers and also should check on the background of such donors or benefactors. (B. Anton Jeyanathan is a retired DIG of the Sri Lanka Police.) When JR threatened to pull out of the UN A walk down memory lane on Sri Lanka's 60th anniversary of UN membership View(s): View(s): UNITED NATIONS When the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution by an overwhelming majority implicitly critical of Britain-and urging the British government to negotiate its long-simmering territorial dispute with Argentina over ownership of Falkland Islands Sri Lanka was one of 12 countries currying favour with the UK and voting against the resolution back in November 1982. Besides Sri Lanka, the gang of 12 as they were dubbed included Britain, New Zealand, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Fiji, the Dominican Republic, Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Gambia and Oman (mostly countries with little or no political clout at the UN) As a gesture of goodwill to the Brits for their generous aid to an ongoing development project in Sri Lanka, President J.R. Jayewardene (JRJ) reciprocated with gratitude instructing Foreign Minister A.C.S. Hameed in New York to vote against the resolution. Not surprisingly, the Brits were happy but the Argentines were livid. The political payback came five years later when Argentina played a key role in a resolution before the then-Human Rights Commission in Geneva in 1987 which singled out Sri Lanka for human rights violations. JRJ apparently was furious. A Sri Lanka delegation, led by JRJs brother Harry Jayewardene, a distinguished lawyer, was trying to kill or water down the resolution. With the delegation holed up in the Sri Lanka mission in Geneva working out their strategy, Harry was keeping JRJ briefed about the negotiations. As a senior diplomat would explain later, one of the many phone conversations between the two brothers wasnt going too well. Harry was addressing JRJ by his nickname Dicky a shortened version of Richard (as in Junius Richard Jayewardene). Yes, Dicky, Yes Dicky, the brother was heard telling JRJ on a long distance phone call to Colombo. And then came the bombshell overheard by the delegates: No, Dicky, you cant do that. As JRJ hung up, Harry turned to the Sri Lankan delegates and said: He wants us to get out of the UN. If JRJs instructions had been taken seriously, Sri Lanka would not have celebrated its 60th anniversary in the world body, come December 15. Still JRJ fell short of living up to a modified Groucho Marx dictum: I will not continue in any Organization which will have me as one of its members. Although JRJ was present at the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945, he was the only Sri Lankan head of government who never addressed the General Assembly and scrupulously kept away from the UN building even when he was in New York enroute to Washington DC on a state visit in 1984. He did not even pay a courtesy call on the Secretary-General as heads of state routinely do while visiting New York. JR, for some unaccountable reason, shied away from the UN, perhaps convinced that the world body was irrelevant or failed to justify its existence. Ernest Corea, a former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada and ex-Ambassador to the United States, both under the JR regime, told the Sunday Times JR was initially very supportive of the UN as potentially a catalyst of global harmony. He grew disappointed, however, as he felt it had developed into an ineffective talk-shop. Nevertheless, JR was always supportive of the UNs specialised agencies, said Corea, who was also a former editor of the Ceylon Daily News and the first Sri Lankan journalist to cover the General Assembly sessions. When Sri Lanka chaired the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the late 1970s, JRJ offered one of the more cynical definitions of non-alignment. In an interview with a visiting New York Times reporter, he said the only two genuinely non-aligned countries in the world were the US and the Soviet Union. All others, he pointed out, were aligned either to one or the other of the two superpowers at the height of the Cold War. Meanwhile, at the UN, a countrys political affiliation is best reflected at voting time. And when a politically-sensitive issue is up for vote, you have one of three choices: vote yes, vote no or abstain. But some countries, who want to play it safe and avoid offending Western donors or friendly neighbours, take the fourth option: unceremoniously fleeing from their seats pretending they are rushing to the toilet. Sri Lanka is no exception. And being absent from your seat is called the toilet factor in UN voting. Ambassador Paolo Fulci, a former Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN, once jokingly told a group of reporters the only way to resolve this problem is to have portable toilets in the margins of committee rooms and the cavernous General Assembly hall-perhaps forcing delegates to cast their votes while contemplating on their toilet seats. As a general rule, Sri Lanka has traditionally voted collectively with NAM and the Group of 77 two coalitions representing either the political or the economic interests of developing countries. During the height of the Cold War and when Sri Lanka played a key role in NAM a piece of advice given by the foreign ministry to delegates was hilariously simple. If you are forced to vote on an eleventh-hour unexpected resolution and do not have instructions from Colombo make sure to look to your left how India votes, and then look to the right how Yugoslavia votes and if both ambassadors are seen rushing to the toilet, follow them to the toilet. Sri Lankas voting also came under a spotlight in the aftermath of the 1956 Soviet military intervention in Hungary. The nation-wide revolt and the suppression of the revolt by the then Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact partners came up for a vote at the United Nations. But the request for voting instructions apparently arrived when the foreign ministry in Colombo was fast asleep. Ernest Corea recounts Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaikes visit to the UN immediately following the Asian Prime Ministers Conference in New Delhi. Asked why Ceylon (the name change to Sri Lanka took place in 1972) abstained on a key resolution on Hungary, SWRD famously responded: We are rather respectable people in Colombo. We go to bed fairly early, and we remain there till morning. And that sounded reasonable by foreign ministry standards and a plausible face-saving measure (neither antagonizing the West nor the Soviets). Since the days of Ambassador Shirley Amerasinghe who first chaired a UN committee created by the General Assembly in December 1968 to investigate Israeli human rights abuses in occupied Palestinian territories Sri Lanka has consistently voted against Israel while advocating the cause of the Palestinians. But on one occasion probably from instructions from the foreign ministry the Sri Lankan delegate apparently bolted from his seat when the vote on Palestine was taken in December 2006. The Sunday Times ran that story with a classic headline: Flushing Palestinian cause down the toilet. In our early days at the United Nations, there was a longstanding anecdote about how one could predictably guess the nationality of a diplomat judging by how he reacts when introduced to an attractive woman at a diplomatic reception. The British delegate will be exceptionally formal asking her what her area of specialization is, what committee she is covering and how long she has been in her countrys foreign service. The French delegate will gracefully bow and offer to kiss her hand proving that chivalry is not dead. The American delegate will cut to the chase and ask her for a date. But when the Sri Lankan delegate is introduced to a woman so the story goes he will rush to his office and telex the Foreign Ministry for instructions. (Thalif Deen is the UN Bureau Chief and Regional Director, Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency) Opinion / Columnist The ZANU PF-verge-of-collapse oracle by some sections of the media sympathetic to the opposition political parties leaves one wandering whether we are having screenplay writers for journalists in Zimbabwe.Fiction has eroded journalism ethics with the scribes deliberately conveying lies for the purposes of agenda setting. No matter how foolhardy a story is someone runs with it regardless of the consideration whether it will stand the test of the truth.Desperation seems to have intensely gripped the opposition and its mouthpieces to the extent of cheer leading the supposed catastrophic factional and secessionist fights in ZANU PF. Literary there is no more business at these camps, thus they have resorted to following events at the revolutionary party and spinning them for their benefit.In politics they say "never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake". If indeed the factional and successionist fights are as callous as the opposition and some sections of the media would want us to believe, it would be to their benefit so why would they make news out of it?Opposition is thus not making sense and they ought to sit down and think of a way to make themselves useful to Zimbabwe.There may be differences in ZANU PF but certainly they will not degenerate into the splinters, particles and molecules as is the case with the MDC-T.The difference is ZANU PF is mature and disciplined party that can never collapse by a few expulsion of weeding out rotten elements for the common good of the party and Zimbabwe as a whole. This has seen it successfully facing off the colonial regime by maturely dealing with internal rebellions causing minimal damage to their ultimate goal; winning the liberation war.With MDC-T and likeminded opposition elements power hungry individuals sacrifice their cronies and implement measures that harm even the electorate thereby losing track of the perceived goal. Everyone wants to be a leader and will perform any form of sabotage to get on top of the food chain.Their ascension to the top of the food chain is characterized by sabotage and not productive competition. This shows in the way they follow developments in ZANU PF, bad or good. Instead of manipulating the situation and providing a working alternative they cheer on the warring differences which does not give them any credit.Zimbabweans will not benefit from cheers and desperate hopes for a total failure in ZANU PF.Unbeknown to the opposition ZANU PF is like a phoenix when one celebrate its demise it emerges stronger an element the rest of opposition political parties does not possess.There is no collapse of the centre in ZANU PF, neither is the country on auto pilot. For those not heeding the message to desist from any divisive elements, the way side is waiting for them as proven before.The opposition should just work and prove their worthy while the media desist reporting on shadows and reflect correctly events taking place on the ground. Police advise that about midnight a number of persons were in Aeroview Drive Beachaven when a member of the group went for a swim. The person subsequently got into difficulties but was able to take hold of a boat anchor rope to keep afloat. A second person has then gone into the water to assist but has also got into difficulties and has not been since. A search conducted of the area has not located the person to date and inquiries with relatives have confirmed the person has not returned home. Police staff from Deodar are currently assessing the situation and expect to make a decision on any further searches and personnel involved early this morning. There is no further information available at this time. Source: New Zealand Police. With children returning to school and people heading back to work, Surf Lifesaving New Zealand warns mid-week swimmers to take responsibility while out in the water. Weekday patrols will come to an end on Friday on Papamoa, Omanu and Mount Maunganui beaches. That is according to a new report of luxury brands, which shows that Chanel comes up most frequently over 80 countries and 700 social media posts across luxury, watches and commerce. The findings by Netbase, called NetBase Brand Passion Report: Luxury Brands, are based on brand conversations on social networks, review sites, blogs, forums and news sites worldwide between 1 September 2014 and 31 August 2015. The report also shows an increase of 75% in the overall social media conversations about luxury brands, with the top 15 brands mentioned in social media increasing twofold. Similar to reports of previous years, French and Italian heritage brands accounted for 57% of mentions, and fashion and handbag vendors led among categories of luxury goods. Hope Nguyen, NetBase VP of Marketing at NetBase, said: Today, online shopping convenience and advanced technologies are driving a new world of luxury brands and categories that fall outside the traditional definition of luxury. Consumer passion for luxury is growing and the brands that are effectively connecting with consumers are the ones that are gaining momentum in social and the bottom line. Founded in Paris in 1909, Chanel has grown to become one of the worlds most famous luxury brands. Opinion / Columnist It really boggles the mind how the MDC-T constantly finger points at the ruling Zanu PF government in a bid to tarnish its good image with wild accusations. Tsvangirai's MDC has been recently accusing the ruling party, ZANU-PF saying it was overlooking the issue of fuel prices. It is known that the price of crude oil has gone down worldwide and there is really need to look at the pricing of fuel locally, as most retailers are not aligning their prices with the market slump.Firstly, MDC-T should be cognizant that there is body which is responsible for the pricing and regulating of fuel prices in Zimbabwe. It is the mandate of Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) to research on pricing of crude oil internationally and the global trends on fuel prices. If the prices of fuel are to be regulated locally, ZERA should be there to ensure this is adhered to.Fuel is one of the most critical economic enabler which can either destabilize or stabilize an economy. In that manner, fuel prices have ripple effects in all sectors of the country's economy. ZERA should ensure that fuel prices are aligning well with the regional prices as the cost of petroleum per barrel is the same on a global market. The decline in the price of a barrel of oil should act as clear-cut market force that ought to stir downward local pump prices.Reduction of fuel prices can go a long way in laying the foundation for the revival our economic fortunes. It is a well-known fact that Zimbabwe is grappling to resuscitate and turnaround the fortunes of its economy, hence such a critical economic enabler should be thoroughly monitored to enable a well functioning economy.On the other hand, fuel is a major cost driver in the cost of production of all goods including export products. High fuel costs extensively affect export competitiveness. Therefore, ZERA should make sure that fuel prices are slashed in order to allow smooth flow of products being exported.If prices of crude oil are plummeting, ZERA should make extra efforts in trying to control pump prices. A reduction of fuel prices will have a direct effect on public transport fares. Most commuter omnibuses are charging $1USD to and from town especially during peak time. Such exorbitant price has been criticized by many people who commute to work on a daily basis. Public transport operators have been distancing themselves from the high fares, pointing their fingers to local fuel retailers.Reports have it that there is a sharp decline of crude oil prices in the last 18 months. So, one will wonder why the pump prices are also not decreasing, considering the fact that United States of America and Iran are currently producing more oil than there used to. There is certainly no fuel happiness for motorists in the country. Explaining to a local weekly press ZERA noted that the prices of fuel will decline with a small margin beginning this month.But the point is, crude oil prices have been going down for some time, why then does it take ages for Zimbabwe to reduce fuel pump price. To add on, it is disheartening that fuel prices will be declining on a weekly basis. Engineer Gloria Magombo should be encouraged to resolve this fuel issue and put it to rest. In fact, local fuel prices should be made to align with regional prices.ZERA should go back to the drawing board and revise its pricing and regulatory structure. Like in most countries, reduction in fuel prices should be noted and felt. As it stands, a decrease of 3 or 4 cents as proposed by ZERA is a small a drop in the ocean which most people believe must further go down.Hence, it should be widely acknowledged that one of the most important steps that emerging economies, like Zimbabwe, can take to build a more robust economy is to put an explicit price on all products with fuel included. It's high time the USD is given its real value. Most goods in Zimbabwe are being overpriced. The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) should protect the interests of consumers by closely monitoring the price of goods in shops. No, not here in Sussex County. Not yet, anyway. But just to let you know that we are not alone in being victims from things like the solar project scam, here is some fresh news from Warren County, New York, near Lake George. The numbers are smaller than what we could end up losing in Sussex County, but there they are pushing forward with their investigation. Good for them. Subpoenas sought in Siemens probe GEOTHERMAL INVESTIGATION MOVING FORWARD Warren County sheriffs investigators are seeking subpoenas as the agency looks into an alternative energy project that some believe resulted in the county being defrauded of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Subpoenas served on potential witnesses would compel them to cooperate and provide whatever evidence is requested as they look into whether the county has gotten the savings it was told it has through a geothermal energy project at Warren County Municipal Center. The subpoenas could be issued in conjunction with a grand jury investigation, or without grand jury intervention. Travis Whitehead, an electrical engineer and government watchdog, has analyzed the $4.3 million project and concluded the county did not get hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy savings that it was guaranteed by contractor Siemens Building Technologies. Whitehead filed a complaint with the Sheriffs Office seeking a criminal investigation. Siemens has maintained its projects have saved the county money. A company spokeswoman issued the following statement Friday after a request for comment: Siemens completed an energy savings project at the Warren County Municipal Center in 2008, which included the replacement of an aging heat pump system with a new, energy-efficient, geothermal heat pump and condensing boiler system, as well as the installation of a new energy management system and energy-efficient lighting throughout the building. Siemens is proud of the work we have completed, which has provided the Warren County Municipal Center with an improved infrastructure that has reduced its energy consumption and its environmental footprint. The Sheriffs Office did not use subpoenas during the investigation of a natural gas cogeneration project that was built at Westmount Health Facility, as it awaited a possible grand jury investigation. The purported savings from that Siemens project have been questioned as well. Among the witnesses who refused to meet with police during the cogeneration inquiry was John Haskell, the former Thurman supervisor who was chairman of the county Facilities Committee, which oversaw the project. The Sheriffs Office has requested assistance in the geothermal investigation from the Warren County District Attorneys Office, which was involved with the cogeneration investigation for years until determining that a special prosecutor was needed. That determination occurred when the Sheriffs Office concluded there was probable cause to charge the county administrator with official misconduct, though no charges were filed. The state Attorney Generals Office was given the case, but declined to file criminal charges and instead indicated it may take civil court action. With the geothermal inquiry having just begun late last year, no such potential conflicts of interest have been identified, so the Sheriffs Office has been working with the office of Warren County District Attorney Kate Hogan. Warren County Sheriff Bud York said he could not discuss the geothermal inquiry this week, other than to say it was progressing. We are moving forward and awaiting replies from prosecutors, York said. Hogan said she could not comment on the matter this week. Glens Falls 2nd Ward Supervisor Peter McDevitt, who was among the first county supervisors to raise questions about the Siemens projects, has said he believes an independent engineer review is warranted. He said half of the cost would be paid by the New York State Energy Research Development Authority if the county chose a state-sanctioned firm. We need an independent voice to tell us: Are we saving any real money? he asked. Peter Falk Actor Peter Falk, best-known for his role as the eccentric Columbo, gestures while on location for "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" in 2011. (Ric Francis | AP) OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- The daughters of two late celebrities are seeking easier ways for family and friends to visit ailing elders, and have brought separate legislation to Washington state in memory of their fathers' end-of-life struggles. Their stories are similar: Kerri Kasem and Catherine Falk were blocked from visiting Casey Kasem and Peter Falk, who had serious illnesses, due to personal disagreements and had to take legal action to see them. The women are independently working in a swath of states to provide a way for close friends and relatives to visit an ailing or incapacitated elder without filing for guardianship. Kasem has introduced legislation in 11 other states this year, fought for previously passed legislation in Texas and California, and lobbied for a successful bill in Iowa. Falk has introduced legislation in more than 20 states this year. In Washington, their proposals haven't found universal support. Some say new legislation is unnecessary and current law protecting vulnerable elders is strong. Radio personality Casey Kasem had dementia, and his three adult children from a previous marriage and Jean Kasem, his second wife, were embroiled in a long legal battle over his care. Kasem, who was also the voice of Shaggy in Scooby-Doo, characters on Sesame Street and a host of other cartoons, died at 82 in Gig Harbor in 2014. "Everyone who loved my father was kept from him," Kerri Kasem said at a Jan. 20 hearing before a House panel. In this photo taken Jan. 19, 2016, Catherine Falk, right, the daughter of actor Peter Falk, testifies during a hearing at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Actor Peter Falk, a 1953 graduate of Syracuse University who also briefly attended Hamilton College, was best known for starring in the TV series "Columbo." He became incapacitated in 2008 due to dementia, possibly related to Alzheimer's disease. Catherine Falk eventually battled his long-time second wife Shera Falk in court to win occasional visits with her father, who died in 2011 in California. The two women are taking different approaches in Washington state. Falk's bill, Senate Bill 6235, says a guardian can't restrict an incapacitated person's right to visit and communicate with anybody. The consent of an incapacitated person is presumed based on their history with people, such as close relatives with positive relationships. The guardian could block visitation if they can show good cause. The bill would also require guardians to notify close relatives and others if the incapacitated person moves to a new home, spends time in the hospital or dies, among other things. Republican state Sen. Mike Padden, from Spokane Valley is the bill's sponsor. Kasem's main bill, House Bill 2401, lets a person petition a court for visitation rights. Its primary sponsor is state Rep. Linda Kochmar, R-Federal Way. Another proposal Kasem is behind, House Bill 2402, requires a guardian to tell close relatives and friends if an elder spends significant time in the hospital or has died. Falk's bill only addresses visitation of incapacitated people because law enforcement and others can settle family disagreements, she said in a phone interview. But Kasem's petition bill includes visitation for everyone. In a phone interview, Kasem said police didn't help her family dispute. Some at the hearings said they weren't sure any of the bills are necessary. The state's law protecting people in guardianships is strong, according to the Washington Association of Professional Guardians. Lawmakers shouldn't "overly complicate what is already a fundamentally good law in this state," testified Steve Lindstrom, an association consultant, at the hearing for Kasem's petition bill, calling Washington "certainly a leader of the pack when it comes to protection of incapacitated persons." Changes to Washington's law that protects vulnerable adults needs more discussion by "a broad coalition of stakeholders," instead of pushing legislation through in this year's short, 60-day session, said Amy Freeman an attorney for the state's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Patricia Hunter at the hearing for Kasem's petition bill. None of the bills have been scheduled for a vote. Kasem has expressed interest in combining efforts with Falk or others pushing guardianship reform legislation. Both say the legal process they endured to visit their fathers was unnecessary and too expensive for the average person. "There's no help from the law," Kasem said. CYBERSPACEFans of The Daily Show will no doubt remember Aaron Schock, the Illinois congressional rep who twice came in for a satirical drubbing by former host Jon Stewart over his lavish spending on office decor and adventure tourism. In the first segment, Stewarts team poked fun at Schocks Instagram account, noting that "If this Congress thing doesn't work out, shake it off, because you would obviously make an awesome travel channel host." The show again covered Schocks woes after he resigned, noting that his interns were the real victims because they will no longer be able to work and travel with a fit and social media-savvy member of Congress. Now gay adult studio Titan Media has also taken notice of the former congressional representative, promising to pay off his outstanding legal debtsat least up to a cool millionif the studly Republican will agree to an exclusive contract to star in gay porn movies. TitanMen has a history of signing iconically handsome men with both brains and brawn, and Aaron Schock fits that profile to a T, said TitanMen Vice President and managing partner Keith Webb. Despite Schocks scandal over allegedly misappropriating campaign funds, he has so much more to offer our fans. What were offering is a win-win situation, giving him the opportunity to break free and come out in a whole new world. What makes Schock worthy of this Titan-ic offer? The buff pol stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs in at 165 muscular pounds. His six-pack was featured on the cover of Mens Health magazine, as well as details of his daily workout, which includes 60 to 75 minutes of strength training followed by a five-mile run at 6:30 a.m. And of course Schock is also adept at social media, so fans would be able to look forward to a barrage of images featuring the handsome, clean-cut 34-year-old. An article on the TitanMen blog points out that if Schock agrees to join the TitanMen family, he will be in good company. Exclusive performers signed in 2015 included Matthew Bosch, Dallas Steele, David Benjamin and Eddy CeeTee. Syracuse, NY -- A federal judge has tossed a lawsuit filed by an Onondaga County 911 dispatcher accused of causing a 5-minute delay leading to a Baldwinsville man's fire death. Mary Beth Pazaras has maintained that she did nothing wrong in sending firefighters to the Nov. 29, 2012 blaze on Conifer Drive. She blamed firefighters for not responding to her dispatch, the judge noted. Pazaras sued for what she called retaliation after the 911 center concluded that she was at fault for the delay. She was given an written reprimand and, Pazaras said, passed over for a promotion. Commissioner William Bleyle's investigation concluded that Pazaras didn't properly alert firefighters to send fire trucks to the scene. U.S. Army veteran Larry Gillette, 54, of 208 Conifer Drive, died in the blaze. Pazaras did alert firefighters that the victim was struggling to breathe. She says she got no immediate response. But she delayed sending fire trucks for 4 minutes and 54 seconds after a co-worker had declared the situation a fire. By then, an explosion had been reported in the residence. An arbitrator ruled that Pazaras's mistake may have been fatal. "Her failure to act in accordance with normal protocols may have contributed to a man's death," arbitrator Gordon Mayo wrote in his Sept. 7 decision upholding the 911 center's discipline. Pazaras filed a gender discrimination complaint with the state Division of Human Rights. That was rejected. But then she filed a lawsuit saying that her punishment for the fire was retaliation for the discrimination complaint. Last Tuesday, U.S. District Judge David Hurd ruled that there was no proven connection between the complaint and her punishment. The judge noted that Pazaras's superior had also been scolded for the incident and that the department had planned to reprimand her even before the discrimination complaint was settled. Hurd didn't rule out the possibility that the 911 center had waited until after the complaint was rejected to reprimand Pazaras, but said that wasn't against the law. Hurd then granted the center's request to dismiss the lawsuit. Pazaras's lawyer, James Hartt, of Rochester, declined comment. Salina, N.Y. - A Syracuse man sustained minor injuries this afternoon after a trench he was working in collapsed at a residence, according to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office. Daquan Grover, 36, of Glenwood Avenue, Syracuse, suffered a minor leg injury as a result of the accident, which took place at 12:33 p.m., police said. Grover was a lucky person. "Most of these trench rescues turn into recoveries," said Detective Jon Seeber, a spokesman for the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office. "If we get there and the person is still alive, their injuries can be so extensive they don't survive. Fortunately, this incident had a successful turnout." Sheriff's deputies along with rescue personnel from Liverpool, Moyers Corners and the Syracuse Fire Department responded to 208 Saltmakers Road in Salina. Deputies said Grover was helping a friend with a plumbing /sewer problem when the walls inside a nine-foot-deep trench began to collapse around him. Grover, who was at the bottom of the trench, became trapped after the soil buried both of his legs, police said. Onondaga County Sheriff's Deputy Tim Hahn climbed down a ladder into the trench and freed Grover from the soil, and rescue personnel then pulled him to safety, police said. He was then transported by Rural Metro ambulance to Upstate University Hospital where he is currently being treated. The Salina Codes Enforcement office along with the Onondaga County's plumbing control office were notified, and continue to investigate the incident, according to police. gibralterpic.JPG Jonathan Gibralter is the president of Wells College in Aurora. He is also a Syracuse University alum and an expert on how to reform college binge drinking. (Marnie Eisenstadt) Aurora, N.Y. -- What if Syracuse University no longer sold alcohol at its sporting events? What if tailgating required a permit and you couldn't bring your own beer? A national expert on college binge drinking, and a Syracuse University alum, says choices such as these may help his alma mater and other schools that are struggling with high-risk drinking. When Jonathan Gibralter heard the news that Syracuse University was rated the best party school in the nation in 2014, he called Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud to offer his condolences and his help. He knows what it feels like to be the leader of a "party school." Gibralter was the president of Frostburg State University in Maryland from 2006 to 2015. When he began there, the educational reputation was nearly non-existent and close to 60 percent of students were binge drinking on a regular basis. When Girbralter left in June to take over the helm of Wells College in Aurora, the percentage of binge drinkers at Frostburg had gone from 57 percent to 31 percent. And Gibralter had developed a national reputation as someone who could turn a drunk school around. Girbralter, a Syracuse University alum, said that while there is no one-size fits all solution for getting college drinking under control, all college presidents and university chancellors need to stand up against the pressure of students, alumni and parents, and take a stand. Even, he said, if it makes people mad. "Why not get to a point where we do the right thing because it's just the right thing to do," Gibralter said. "Why not get to a point where college is about educating people, not taking their money." Among the things Gilbralter did: He required tailgaters to get a permit. And they weren't allowed to bring their own alcohol. Frostburg didn't sell alcohol at sporting events, but Gibralter thinks doing so is a bad idea and has tried to talk at least one large university out of doing it (he failed). Gibralter is careful to say that Frostburg is no Syracuse. It is a college of 6,000 in a community with 3,000 year-round residents, isolated in the Appalachian Mountains of western Maryland. It has a lot of bars and not much else to do. Gibralter never intended to be the national voice of reason on college binge drinking. It was a mission that found him in his first weeks at the university in 2006. A Frostburg resident was knocked unconscious by a drunk student. The man suffered permanent brain damage. Since then, he's been featured on NPR and in USA Today. He's received the highest honor given to a non-researcher by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. He is now chair of the College Presidents Working Group for the organization. SU's Syverud serves on the working group. As he dove into the numbers on binge drinking, Gibralter was shocked to discover that it kills 1,800 people every year - some die of poisoning and others who die doing things they'd never do if they weren't drunk: falling of parking garages and down gorges, for instance. The university worked with bar owners. It cracked down on tailgating. It taught servers how to notice sophisticated fake IDs. It required students to take an alcohol education course that was about how to drink safely than it was about avoiding booze. It taught things like how to be aware of the strength of what you're putting down: One Long Island iced tea, for instance, is the equivalent of four or five drinks. Don't drink something if you don't know what's in it. If you put your drink down and leave it unattended at a bar or party, it's best to not pick it back up again because you never know when someone could slip something into your drink. Syracuse University has made some changes since it became the top of the party school heap, officials there said. And its rank decline in August from No. 1 to No. 5. It has expanded its late-night and weekend activities to offer an alternative to partying. It cracked down on partying at Castle Court, a private apartment complex managed by Campus Hill apartments by partnering with Syracuse police and the apartment management company, said spokeswoman Sarah Scalese. The university is also in the process of hiring a health promotion specialist who would focus on early intervention for drug and alcohol abuse, Scalese said. It has a mandatory alcohol education program similar to Frostburg's, along with a program for students interested in becoming trained sober bystanders. They are taught how to insert themselves into situations to stop things from getting out of control. (Think: Maybe you've had enough? Let's go get some fresh air.) "We want our students to enjoy their experience at Syracuse University but not at the risk of their safety and well-being," Scalese said. Marnie Eisenstadt writes about life and culture in Central New York. Contact her anytime: email | twitter | 315-470-2246. Clockwise from top left: Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean, Dave Matthews, Florida Georgia Line. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- When Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney first announced Miranda Lambert would christen the Lakeview Amphitheater on Sept. 3, 2015, she said how happy she was to book a woman for the Amp's first act. So far, the venue's 2016 lineup has been dominated by white men and country acts. Not a single female headliner has yet been announced for the venue this year. Apart from Arnel Pineda of Journey (who is Filipino), we're also still waiting on a non-white headliner to take the Lakeview stage. Five of the eight confirmed concerts feature country music stars. However, Mahoney said today she has seen the artists that promoter Live Nation has approached for this year's Lakeview lineup. She asked antsy fans to hold out a few more weeks for more diverse concert announcements. "They are not done," said Mahoney. "Once people see the whole lineup, they'll see you we have something for everybody. This is a county park and you do have to balance [the acts] for everyone." Today, Onondaga County officials announced the Country Megaticket would come to the Amphitheater this summer, with country concerts from Rascal Flatts and Jason Aldean. Country music acts historically attract big crowds in Central New York. About 10,000 people attended Miranda Lambert's debut. Hank Williams Jr. performs on the grandstand stage at the NYS Fair, Sunday August 30, 2015. In 2015, Eric Church brought in 12,866 people to his New York State Fair grandstand concert and country rocker Hank Williams Jr. drew 10,495. In 2014, Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line drew a record-breaking 17,505 people, but Carrie Underwood wasn't far behind with 11,087 people, the second-highest attendance for a grandstand concert that year. "I'm thrilled to hear about this Country Megaticket," Mahoney said. "It's our goal to generate as much foot traffic as possible. The big reason for building the Amphitheater was to draw crowds to Central New York to shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants and stay in our hotels, and generate the sales tax we use to operate our government." During the Amp's construction, Mahoney said she hoped to book at least 20 shows at the Amp this summer. Artists and promoters will continue to announce concerts in the months. Elsewhere along I-90, New York's other outdoor summer concert venues have landed female powerhouses like Lambert, The Dixie Chicks, Joan Jett and Ellie Goulding. Below is an updated Upstate New York concert scorecard for SPAC, CMAC, Lakeview and Darien Lake. Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (CMAC) Canandaigua, N.Y. (40 mins. from Rochester) June 10: Kenny Chesney June 14: Ellie Goulding June 24: Keith Urban June 25: Weezer and Panic! At the Disco July 16: Yanni July 23: Ray LaMontagne, The Arcs Lakeview Amphitheater Syracuse, N.Y. June 3: Ringo Starr and His All-Star Band June 22: Dave Matthews Band June 24: Rascal Flatts July 7: Vans Warped Tour (tentative) July 9: Disturbed with Breaking Benjamin July 10: Phish July 13: Journey/Doobie Brothers July 15: Jason Aldean July 21: Zac Brown Band July 23: Slipknot with Marilyn Manson Aug. 6: Dierks Bentley Aug. 25: Keith Urban Aug. 27: KoRn and Rob Zombie Sept: 2: "Surprise superstar" country act Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (40 mins. from Albany) June 11: The Dixie Chicks June 15: Mumford & Sons (sold out) July 1-3: Phish July 5: Journey and the Doobie Brothers July 12: Disturbed, Breaking Benjamin July 16: Dave Matthews Band July 25: Josh Groban and Sarah McLachlan. July 31: Luke Bryan Sept. 8: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Heart, Cheap Trick Darien Lake Performing Arts Center Darien Center, N.Y. (50 mins. from Buffalo) July 6: 5 Seconds of Summer July 9: Journey and the Doobie Brothers July 26: Josh Groban and Sarah McLachlan. July 27: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Heart, Cheap Trick Aug. 20: Goo Goo Dolls Country Megaticket: includes seven shows: Miranda Lambert and Kip Moore (June 23), Brantley Gilbert with Justin Moore and Colt Ford (July 8), Toby Keith (July 15), Darius Rucker with Dan + Shay (July 31), Brad Paisley with Tyler Farr (Aug. 19), Florida Georgia Line with Cole Swindell (Aug. 26) and Jason Aldean with Thomas Rhett (Sept. 22). There are many more concert venues throughout New York, from Artpark to Bethel Woods, and festivals like Mountain Jam with tremendous lineups. It would be impossible to include shows from every venue across the state. For now, we're focusing on our Lakeview Amp and these three other established venues within an hour's drive of major Upstate cities: Albany, Rochester and Buffalo. Our biggest concern is whether or not the Amp will stack up. We'll update this list as more concerts are announced. Katrina Tulloch writes features and entertainment stories for Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Contact her: Email | Twitter | Facebook Farm cannon photo.JPG A propane cannon, used by farmers to scare animals away from crops. PHOENIX, N.Y. -- George Simons says he complained to the state police in June about being threatened by one of their troopers -- the son of Simons' neighbor. The next day, the trooper's father started firing two cannons every two to four minutes, from sunup to sundown, Simons claims in a lawsuit. The cannons "have made life a living hell" for Simons and his wife Elaine over the next 10 weeks, he said in court papers. The blasts made his dogs unwilling to go outside and his horses jumpy, Simons wrote in court papers. The cannon blasts ended Sept. 30, when state Supreme Court Justice Norman Seiter issued a temporary restraining order against the neighbor, Keith Caltabiano. Keith Caltabiano, a former Phoenix school board president, is a defendant in a lawsuit filed by his neighbor over Caltabiano's use of a propane farm cannon. The Simonses are suing Caltabiano and his wife Debra, claiming the Caltabianos intentionally tortured them with cannon fire in retaliation for Simons' complaint to state police. It started June 19, when the Caltabianos' son, state Trooper Brian Caltabiano, was shooting a firearm behind his parents' property and next to the Simonses' on Barnard Road, in preparation for a state police recertification. Simons complained to the Caltabianos, and Brian Caltabiano responded by visiting the Simonses, the lawsuit said. "Brian Caltabiano approached me on my property and -- I felt -- threatened me and my family because of the call I had made" to state police, Simons wrote. Four days later, Simons called the state police to complain that Brian Caltabiano had threatened him, the affidavit said. It was the day after that that the cannon blasts started, Simons wrote. The Simonses had never heard a cannon on the Caltabianos' property before, George Simons wrote. The blasts started at 9 a.m. and went off every few minutes until 8 p.m., he said. "This sounds just like an artillery cannon," Simons wrote. "Constantly. Right next door to our home." The cannon blasts especially tormented Simons because he's a Vietnam War veteran, he said in court papers. "It is like living in an active combat zone -- which is not an exaggeration," he wrote in papers filed in September. "I have heard enough gunshots and cannon fire for several lives, and this sounds like I am back in a war zone." Keith Caltabiano once told Simons he used a farm cannon to solve another problem he had with a neighbor, Simons wrote. Caltabiano, a former president of the Phoenix school board, denied firing the cannon in retaliation for Simons complaining to state police. He was doing it to keep deer, birds and other animals from eating his soybean crops, Caltabiano said. "My son's working hard to be a trooper, and George knocks him down for no reason," Caltabiano said. Brian Caltabiano could not be reached for comment. Keith Caltabiano denied telling Simons he'd used the cannon before to get back at a neighbor. Caltabiano said he's been firing the cannon on his property to protect crops for 30 years. Simons and his lawyer, Douglas McRae, declined to comment. It makes no sense that a farmer would use a cannon the way Caltabiano was, according to an affidavit from Warren Abbott, a farmer who owns Abbott Farms in Onondaga County. "There is no farm management practice that is supported by the use of propane cannons in the field next to the Simons' home," Abbott's affidavit said. "It is not even arguable in good faith." Abbott owns propane cannons, which give off blasts of about 125 decibels, he said. They're usually used to scare off birds, which don't go after soybeans -- the only crops on Caltabiano's property, Abbott said. Even if the cannons were being used to scare off deer, they're night feeders, Abbott wrote. Shooting cannons during the day wouldn't make sense, he said. Caltabiano said he has seen deer eating his soybeans during the day. His wife said the cannons don't cause harm to animals. "We could be out there with our guns shooting deer every day if that's what they would like," Debra Caltabiano said. "I don't do it to be vicious," Keith Caltabiano said. He blamed Simons for causing trouble with the lawsuit. "He is doing this to be vicious." Contact John O'Brien anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-2187 2016-01-28-SUNY_police.jpg A SUNY police car at the State University of New York College at Oswego. (Photo courtesy of SUNY Police at Oswego) These days, campus police have to be prepared for almost anything, from mass demonstrations (see Columbia, Missouri) to mass shootings (see Roseburg, Oregon). SUNY Police Commissioner Paul Berger. On the 28 state-operated State University of New York campuses, security is provided by the State University Police . Commissioner for University Police Paul Berger leads a force of roughly 600 officers statewide, spread out among campuses in urban and rural settings. SUNY police have the same authority as municipal or state police. Where they may differ is in their philosophy of policing. SUNY police have adopted nine principles established by Sir Robert Peel, the 19th century founder of London's Metropolitan Police Force. (British police are still called "bobbies'' in his honor.) The first Peelian principle is this: "The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder.'' The other eight principles have to do with how that mission is carried out: with cooperation and approval from the public, using physical force as a last resort, and applying authority with "impartial service to the law.'' In a Jan. 19 telephone interview, Berger answered questions about safety and policing on SUNY campuses in light of recent events. It was just two days after two SUNY Geneseo students were murdered in an off-campus apartment, so the first question flowed from that incident. Berger's responses are edited for clarity and length. Q: What role do campus police play in off-campus incidents involving SUNY students or staff? Our primary responsibility is the campus proper. So much like a village would be located within a town, our focus is on the residents, staff and visitors of the campus. Of course, in 2016, any sort of law enforcement is most successful when you partner with your surrounding and adjoining agencies, and the Geneseo University Police Department has a great relationship with village police. They've worked together on some personal safety programming. However, when students move off campus, they're in the jurisdiction of local police, who become the primary agency for investigation and response to crimes. Q: What are the most typical crimes reported on SUNY campuses? Theft - student A stealing from student B. On some campuses, to be perfectly honest, if it's not nailed down it will disappear. ... We have a population who aren't used to being on their own. It takes them awhile to learn to lock their doors. Mom and Dad locked the house as they go to bed at night, but hey, we all live together and the six of us really like each other. We would never do anything bad to each other, so let's leave the door unlocked -- and then someone's laptop goes missing. ... In terms of violent crime, the campuses are incredibly safe. Our numbers are incredibly low. Q: Mass shootings happen in all kinds of places but college campuses seem to be a frequent target. Are college campuses uniquely vulnerable to mass shooting events? Every one of the state-operated campuses ... has a police department fully equipped, fully empowered, on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That allows for a rapid response to any incident on campus. Most departments ... have adopted one or more of the active shooter training protocols. We have upgraded weaponry and other equipment that would allow officers to respond. That equipment is locally chosen to best suit the individual campus profile, so on a more open, rural campus you'll have a different set of firearms, say, than the College of Optometry, which is in downtown New York City. Each of those departments ... has developed a program to allow for a rapid response to a violent crime. New York state has the State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany. They do an outstanding active shooter protocol training. Many departments have been sending their people to that training. ...Going back to the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 right to today, SUNY has been working on these issues of active shooter (response) ... and are as prepared as any other municipal department in the state to respond, if necessary. Q: SUNY police have the same powers as municipal or state police. Is the training also similar? Our officers, when they're hired, go through the same level of training as any municipal police officer in New York state. It's about 600 hours of training. Most places have six months of police academy followed by eight to 12 weeks of field training, at which point the police officer obtains a certificate with the Department of Criminal Justice Services. They're ready to patrol on their own on campus - that's at minimum. It really takes a few years of experience and some in-service training to make an effective officer. Q: So what makes campus policing different? It's a different environment. Our focus is very much on community policing. ... Within just a few acres we can have tens of thousands of residents. We focus on being part of the educational mission of the college campus. It allows us to do a lot in terms of personal safety programming and crime prevention programming -- alcohol awareness, drug awareness. On a practical level, we also have resources available to us that municipal departments don't. There's a student conduct process on every college campus. We can, for low-level offenses, refer people to student conduct process rather than taking them into the criminal justice system. For more significant issues, people end up in both, but for low-level behavioral issues it gives us the ability to work with the student - help them find a better path as they go through their college career without basically giving them an arrest record, which may be a hindrance to them later on. Q: Is there anything new in campus policing? We're starting a new systemwide program called fair and impartial policing. We recently, in Syracuse, did two and a half days of training on this. It's cutting-edge, social science-based, anti-bias enforcement program. It talks about how everyone has certain inherent biases that they've developed over their lives as they categorized the world. It talks about how officers, regardless of whatever biases they may bring to their duties, there's a moment to disconnect what you bring to policing and deal with people as you find them. It's a fairly new program. It's being used in a lot of places. I think we're the largest and the first of the large public university systems to adopt it. It's been used in places like Sanford, Florida, where the Trayvon Martin shooting happened, Ferguson, Missouri, a lot of the large metropolitan areas have been adopting it. We've recently done a "train the trainer'' on this and we hope to get this training to all our personnel by the end of the year. Q: What's the goal? The goal is to ensure that we provide the best quality, fair police services to our community. We have not had an incident where we have been accused of systemic bias. What we're really looking to do is to make sure that our people are ahead of the curve. We don't want to get into a situation her where we're trying to fix something after the fact. We want to make sure that we are in the right place, providing services the right way, in advance. This goes very much to our community policing, those Peelian principles that we talked about, where the police are part of the community, we're not external to the community. We want to be sure that we meet our community where they are so that we can provide the best service to them. To the Editor: Your Jan. 26 story posing the question, "How well-prepared for college are your high school's graduates?", is based on flawed measures released by the New York State Education Department. The "statistics" used by SED are not research-based and derived from their own arbitrarily developed and inappropriate benchmarks. As the New York State United Teachers points out in their detailed, research-backed white paper on this very topic, "The state's new benchmarks for student test scores are now set so high that to achieve proficiency, all New York state students theoretically are required to score as well as or higher than two-thirds of all college-bound students nationally." While every educator and parent would agree that high expectations are important and necessary for all our students, it's also fair to say that the measures we use to determine "college and career readiness" should accurately reflect how students in New York are actually doing. It comes as no surprise that the SED is engaging in putting forth the false narrative of failing public schools. The former SED Commissioner, John King (now the U.S. Acting Secretary of Education), spent most of his tenure in New York supporting the pro-charter, anti-teacher agenda driven by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Not only do SED's inaccurate measures paint an unfair and unrealistic portrait of public schools and how students are performing across the state, but this misrepresentation also has real world consequences. When SED uses student performance on standardized tests to sanction schools and districts, and those tests are based on deeply flawed metrics, the whole system is suspect. Here in Syracuse, for example, we have 19 schools labeled as "struggling" or "persistently struggling" largely as a result of student performance on the SED's tests. These schools have all endured a series of disruptive sanctions over the years based on those results, including receivership. Receivership is the state's latest ill-conceived "reform" strategy based on the same theory of "emergency management" utilized in the Detroit public schools and the city of Flint, Michigan. The results of those plans speak for themselves. Students in Syracuse and across New York deserve better treatment from the decision-makers in the NYSED. I urge everyone to read the "NYSUT White Paper on College, Career and Civic Readiness" before making any judgment about how New York's public school students are doing. Kevin Ahern President Syracuse Teachers Association marcy.JPG The view from Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks. (Rebecca Nichols) State forest rangers came to the aid of injured/distressed hikers in three instances at different locations across the state within the past week. The incidents occurred during the time period of Wednesday through Sunday, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. One incident was reported from the Lake George area, another from the Adirondack High Peaks area and the third from the Catskills. ESSEX COUNTY Town of Keene (High Peaks Wilderness) Distressed hiker: "On Jan. 31 at 1:18 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a radio transmission from the Adirondack Mountain Club's Johns Brook Lodge (JBL) staff requesting assistance for a 55-year-old man from Sanbornton, N.H. The man was at Camp Peggy O'Brien and unable to move. Trail conditions in the area prohibited motorized access to the injured hiker. JBL staff and members of the hiking party brought the man by litter (a rescue sled/stretcher) to the DEC Johns Brook interior outpost at 2:30 p.m. New York State Police Aviation responded with one DEC Forest Ranger to the outpost. They transported the man via helicopter to Marcy Field to the awaiting Keene Valley Rescue Squad, which took him by ambulance to the Elizabethtown Community Hospital for treatment. The incident concluded at 3:15 p.m." GREENE COUNTY Town of Lexington (Hunter-West Kill Wilderness) Injured Hiker: "On Jan. 31 at 1:30 p.m., DEC dispatch received a call requesting assistance for an injured hiker near the summit of Sherrill Mountain. The 71-year-old woman from the town of Marbletown (Ulster County) sustained an ankle injury after sliding down an icy section of trail between Sherrill and North Dome mountains. Five DEC Forest Rangers and two volunteers from the town of Lexington fire department hiked with rescue equipment over three miles of trail-less terrain to reach the injured hiker near the summit at 5:45 p.m. Rangers provided first aid and stabilized the hiker's injured left ankle. The Rangers and volunteers then carried the hiker out using an improvised backpack carry and an improvised litter to the parking area. Due to the very rough terrain, the rescue took more than seven hours and concluded at 1:15 a.m. The patient declined further medical treatment at the scene and stated she would seek additional medical care at a later time." WARREN COUNTY Town of Lake George (Lake George Wild Forest) Injured hiker: "On Jan. 27 at 11:19 a.m., Warren County 911 transferred a call to DEC Ray Brook Dispatch from a 56-year-old woman from Queensbury, N.Y. with a lower leg injury on Prospect Mountain. The woman managed to get to the first intersection of Prospect Mountain Road and the trail with help from her hiking companion. DEC Forest Rangers responded and reached the woman at 11:47 a.m. They administered First Aid and transported the pair back to their vehicle where the woman said she would seek medical attention on her own. The incident concluded at 12:15 p.m. The Lake George Fire Department and Rescue squad assisted in the rescue." Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC's Hiking Safety and Adirondack Trail Information webpages for more information. 2016-01-06-NY24mashup.JPG The three Democratic candidates for the 24th Congressional District seat are, from left, Steve Williams, Eric Kingson and Colleen Deacon. They want the party's backing to challenge Rep. John Kakto, R-Camillus, in the November election. (Provided photos) WASHINGTON, D.C. - Syracuse lawyer Steve Williams has an early fundraising advantage over two other Democrats seeking the party's designation to take on U.S. Rep. John Katko in the November election. Williams took in $152,320 during the last quarter of the year, but had to dig into his own pockets to edge out his opponents, according to new financial disclosure reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Williams, of Baldwinsville, jump-started his campaign with $21,650 in donations from his personal funds, and made a $31,000 loan to his campaign, the reports show. Colleen Deacon, a former top aide to U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., raised $131,841 and Syracuse University professor Eric Kingson raised $46,981 during the same period, according to the FEC reports. All three have considerably less cash on hand at this point than Katko, R-Camillus, who ended the year with $885,766 in his campaign account. (Katko raised $281,414 in the final quarter.) Williams began the year with $117,301 cash on hand, compared to $84,353 for Deacon, and $73,561 for Kingson. Kingson had raised $101,321 in the third quarter of last year after he announced his candidacy in September. Unlike the other candidates, Kingson has called for taking money out of politics and reforming the campaign finance system. Kingson said he will not accept donations from Wall Street financial institutions and other corporate interests. Katko received about half of his donations ($140,500) from special-interest political action committees in the last quarter of the year, according to the disclosure reports. The Democratic Party committees in Cayuga, Wayne and Oswego counties plan to jointly designate a candidate Feb. 3 after a party forum in Auburn. The Onondaga County Democratic Committee, the largest county committee in the district, plans to make its designation Feb. 11. Contact Mark Weiner anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 SAN FRANCISCOThe Erotic Service Providers Legal Education and Research Project (ESPLERP) today commended New Hampshire representatives Elizabeth Edwards, Amanda Bouldin, and Carol McGuire, who introduced House Bill 1614 that seeks to decriminalize prostitution in New Hampshire. On Thursday, January 28, there was a hearing on the Bill before the New Hampshire Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. Rachel West of the US PROStitutes Collective and Bella Robinson of COYOTE RI were present alongside representative Elizabeth Edwards to launch House Bill 1614 and answer press questions. Interestingly, representative Dick Marston (Republican) was quoted as saying, "This bill can't be supported by women because my wife would hate this bill." This despite the fact that all three of House Bill 1614s sponsors are women, and that a series of women spoke in support of the Bill at the press conference. This is groundbreaking, said Maxine Doogan, President of the Erotic Service Providers Legal Education and Research Project. The criminalization of prostitution is a failed policy. The 'War on Sex' hasn't stopped anyone from buying or selling sex, but it has caused a lot of collateral damage, to poor women, women of color, and trans women. Its about time that the government stopped intervening in what consenting adults do in private. New Zealand decriminalized prostitution in 2003 and a review has shown positive results: no rise in prostitution; women able to report violence without fear of arrest; attacks cleared up more quickly; sex workers more able to leave prostitution as convictions are cleared from their records. ESPLERP welcomes New Hampshires initiative to achieve the same results. In March 2015, the Erotic Service Providers Legal Education and Research Project (ESPLERP) filed a historic legal challenge in Federal Court in Oakland, ESPLERP v. Gascon, arguing that Californias statute against prostitution, 647(b), is unconstitutional and to challenge Californias intrusion upon their fundamental liberty interest in deciding how to conduct their private lives in matters pertaining to sex. Sex worker rights are human rights, said Claire Alwyne, board member of the Erotic Service Providers Legal Education and Research Project. Whether we get our rights in the courts or in the legislatures, its time the state stopped the War on Sex. Its time the state recognized that paid sex between consenting adults, just like same-sex marriage, is protected by the 14th Amendment. The Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education and Research Project (ESPLERP) is a diverse community-based coalition advancing sexual privacy rights through litigation, education, and research. The Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education and Research Project is based at 2261 Market St. #548, San Francisco, CA 94114. For more information, visit esplerp.org and decriminalizesexwork.com. CYPRUSImLive.com today announced that due to the success of its winter promotion, which awards affiliates with $250 PPS on achieving low fixed targets, the program will be extended for a further two months. Many of the sites thousands of affiliates have enjoyed an unusually hot winter, hitting new super low personal targetsfixed for four pay periods. The victories are set to continue, with stacks of $250 payouts waiting for webmasters who reach their easily attainable targets. Sign-ups on ImLives PPS program can be made on PC, mobile & tabletand since there are still no limits, successful affiliates can keep racking up the bucks. Each pay period is another chance to aim above the fixed target. The resounding popularity of this opportunity was all the encouragement we needed to keep it ablaze, said an ImLive spokesperson. Its been a scorching few weeks and theres plenty more excitement to comeboth for new webmasters, and for our current affiliates. The campaign runs until March 31. ImLive.com has more than 66 million registered members and over 80,000 amateur webcam hosts broadcasting live from their homes 24/7. The company has been offering non-stop action for its members, hosts and affiliates for more than a decade. With its special payouts and constantly updated campaigns, bonuses, awards and gifts, ImLive has built a reputation as the most profitable webcam site in the adult industry. ImLive is fully compatible for web, tablet and mobile traffic, and includes free live chat, House of Games shows, recorded sessions, special celebrity events, weekend parties and many other features. New affiliates can join the ImLive affiliate program February 1 and start earning $250 PPS from their third sign-up within the pay period. For details, visit ImLive.com. This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon! Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page? By Staff Report VERO BEACH -- About half of the Vero Beach electric customers lost power for several hours Sunday night, and a boil water advisory has been issued for the citys water customers because of it. In issuing the advisory, the city said as a precaution, all water used for drinking and cooking should be boiled. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. As an alternative, bottled water may be used. The city said the precautionary notice will remain in effect until bacteriological testing shows the water is safe to drink. The power outage occurred about 6:25 p.m., according to City Manager Jim OConnor. Power began being restored shortly after 8 p.m. with electricity back to all customers by 9:30 p.m. OConnor said the outage was caused by a problem with a transformer at a substation near Home Depot near State Road 60 and 58th Avenue. He said it could take a few days to find out exactly what happened. The impact of the power outage spread throughout the county. The citys water plant, as well as the Indian River Medical Center, the Vero Beach Regional Airport, the barrier island and the Indian River Mall, were among the areas without power. Traffic lights at several intersections on S.R. 60 went dark, and law enforcement officers were sent there to direct traffic. Additional Vero Beach Police officers were called in to help, according to Police Capt. Kevin Martin. The Indian River County Jail, the Sheriffs Office and the countys 911 system also lost power but operated on backup systems until electricity could be restored. Indian River Medical Center spokeswoman Kim Leach-Wright said the hospital operated on backup power until the city electricity was restored about 8:10 p.m. While it was out, the hospitals emergency room continued to accept patients. Although the lights were off in the rooms of the 191 patients in the facility, patients were still able to call for assistance and hospital personnel were checking on patients and giving them bottled water. Anyone with questions about the boil water notice should call the city of Vero Beach Water & Sewer Department at 772978-5220. ------------------ UPDATE - BOIL WATER ADVISORY: At 9:30 p.m. City Manager Jim OConnor said the city has issued a boil-water advisory for customers who lost water pressure. Here is the notice: "The city of Vero Beach has issued a precautionary boil water notice for all residents and businesses served by the Vero Beach water system. A power outage occurred around 6:25 p.m., January 31, 2016, and as a result the water pressure dropped below 20 pounds per square inch (20 psi) in the system. Service has been fully restored, however, as a precaution; we advise that all water used for drinking or cooking be boiled. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. As an alternative bottled water may be used. This "Precautionary Boil Water Notice" will remain in effect until bacteriological testing shows that the water is safe to drink. We are unable to provide an exact time for the rescission of this notice. If you have any questions you may contact the City of Vero Beach Water & Sewer Department at 772-978-5220." O'Connor also said electric service has been restored to city customers. --------------------------------- UPDATE: City Manager Jim O'Connor said at about 8 p.m. that power should be restored by 8:30 p.m. to city electric customers. He attributed the outage to a problem with a transformer at a substation near Home Depot near the intersection of S.R. 60 and 58th Avenue. Indian River Medical Center spokeswoman Kim Leach-Wright said the hospital's power was restored about 8:10 p.m. Vero Beach Police Capt. Kevin Martin said power started being restored about 8:10 p.m. throughout the area. ________ VERO BEACH A problem at the south end of the city of Vero Beach's electric utilities system has caused an outage Sunday night that has impacted about 50 percent of the city's customers, City Manager Jim O'Connor said. City crews are going to the touble spot to determine exactly what happened, he said. O'Connor said he did not know how long the electricity would be out. The outage also includes the city's water plant, the airport, the barrier island and the Indian River Mall area, he said. Indian River Medical Center spokeswoman Kim Leach-Wright said the hospital is on backup generator power and the emergency room continues to accept patients. She said the hospital had its water restored about 8:15 p.m. Prior to that, hospital toilets could not be flushed. She said there had been no lights in the rooms of the 191 patients in the hospital, but call buttons were working and hospital personnel were checking on patients and providing them with bottled water. In addition, power is out at the Indian River County Jail, the sheriff's office and the county's 911 system. Those are now operating on backup power. The outages started shortly before 6:30 p.m. Law enforcement officers are at intersections without working traffic signals, he said, and extra officers are being called in to help with traffic. 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. CYBERSPACEPenthouse Pet Kendra Sunderland reminds fans she will be holding her next benefit cam show on February 5 and 6. This month, her goal will be to raise money for Valentines Day care packages for our military troops, and will be performing two 12-hour shows. If you, or someone you know, is in the military, please email [email protected] to request a Valentines Package from me, said Kendra. And to help me raise funds, find me here on Friday from 3 p.m.-3 a.m. PST, and on Saturday from 12 noon-midnight. The famous cam girl, dubbed the Library Girl, raised $3,000 for the Against Malaria Foundation, followed by a benefit cam show for breast cancer awareness. Inspired by the positive outreach and support of her fans, she will be selecting different charities for which she will be raising awareness and donations through her popular cam shows. BroBible covered her first fundraiser show; to view, click here. Fans may follow Kendra Sunderland on LibraryGirlXXX.com and PlaywithKendra.com; she may also be followed on Twitter. Gentlemens clubs interested in booking the beautiful, statuesque blonde are invited to contact A-List Features and the Continental Agency. U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy speaks during a pre-legislative news conference in Tallahassee. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) SHARE By Bartholomew Sullivan WASHINGTON The independent expenditure committee supporting Democratic Senate candidate Patrick Murphy raised $560,050 last year from 27 donors, including Murphy's father, Thomas P. Murphy Jr., who contributed $200,000 in December. The committee the super political action committee Floridians for a Strong Middle Class cannot coordinate with U.S. Rep. Murphy's own committee, but can collect unlimited checks from corporate and other donors. The committee received its second largest contribution $100,000 from Michael Smith of Boulder, Colorado, the CEO of Freeport LNG Development, which operates a liquefied natural gas facility in Freeport, Texas. It's third largest contribution $50,000 came from the Alabama-based Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Murphy's multimillionaire opponent for the Democratic nomination, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Orlando, doesn't have an independent expenditure committee supporting him. He received unwanted outside support from the conservative Club for Growth, an opponent of the Export-Import Bank, while he was still mulling a decision to get into the race last year, but that was seen as meddling. The Club, which advocates privatizing Social Security, has endorsed Republican Ron DeSantis in the Senate race. Besides the two contributions from Alabama and Colorado and a $5,000 check from a Maryland man, the Floridians for a Strong Middle Class received funding from 24 Floridians. They include: $5,000 from Anthony Mastroianni of Allied Capital and Development of Jupiter; $1,500 from Roseann M. McEwan of Jupiter; and $5,000 from Chic Boutique Fashion LLC of Palm Beach Gardens. Mastroinanni also gave Murphy's campaign committee $5,400 last year. Bartholomew Sullivan, a veteran Washington reporter, heads Treasure Coast Newspapers' D.C. news bureau. Court-appointed guardians are supposed to protect their wards. So it is depressing that somebody needs to guard against the guardians. Yet that is the situation. Last year, spurred on by reports of widespread abuses, the Florida Legislature enacted a first round of reforms to improve court oversight of guardians appointed to safeguard the property, wealth and health of people deemed incapable of managing their own affairs. Many of those incapacitated people are elderly. These reforms included protections for people who wish to resist appointment of a guardian and procedures to keep courts from handing out for-profit guardianships to preferred insiders. Lawmakers also were poised to approve a second round of reforms that for the first time, would have given the state Department of Elder Affairs the power and duty to regulate the burgeoning "professional guardian" business. The courts turn to professional guardians when there is no appropriate family member or friend to assume those duties. Professional guardians are entitled to collect fees, usually paid from the assets of the ward they have been appointed to protect. Although the proposal to improve regulation unanimously passed the Senate, it died when the House angry about unrelated matters threw a childish fit and went home early. This year, the measure's main sponsor, Nancy Detert, R-Venice, has reintroduced the bill (Senate Bill 232), and it has cleared several early tests. The Legislature should approve it this session, and Gov. Rick Scott should sign it. Most guardians are honest. All judicial circuits strive, with the help of clerks of court, to provide guidance and oversight for guardians. Yet there is ample evidence most recently out of Palm Beach County that more is required on the state level. Judges are supposed to oversee fees collected by guardians and attorneys in guardianship cases before them. That system is insufficient if one of the probate judges is friendly with a guardian. Probate attorneys would be reluctant to file complaints since retaliation could affect the outcome of guardianship and other cases. Detert's bill would create the Office of Public and Professional Guardians. It would provide for a staff of investigators and empower the office to review and recommend regulations governing guardians. Some advocacy groups, such as Americans Against Abusive Probate Guardianship, lobby for even further reforms, including a cap on guardianship fees, which would prevent gouging. For the moment, Detert's bill is the next reasonable legislative step. Of course, individuals can and should take steps on their own before they are incapacitated. Those include granting trusted family or friends financial power of attorney and designating individuals to make health care decisions. Even those arrangements can fail in the midst of family feuds which are common, particularly when large sums are at stake, and currently are a major reason why the courts turn to professional guardians. So one of the most difficult pieces of advice to accomplish make family peace when possible. The St. Lucie Lock and Dam (S-80) releases water from the St. Lucie Canal (C-44) into the St. Lucie Estuary on July 15, 2005. With Lake Okeechobee water levels above 15 feet, the Army Corps of Engineers started discharges Saturday. (FILE PHOTO) SHARE By Gil Smart of TCPalm AND NOW, THE (POLLUTED) DELUGE Open up the flood gates: Because of a huge volume of water both being drained and pumped into Lake Okeechobee, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Saturday began discharging water into the C-44 (St. Lucie) Canal, which leads to the St. Lucie River. The corps will allow up to 1.8 billions of gallons to run through the gates of the Port Mayaca Dam daily. Officials said the discharges could go on for weeks, if not months. So what's the big deal? It's just water: If only. The water some of which is "back pumped" into the lake from farmlands and towns has high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus that can cause algae blooms in the river and the lagoon. The fresh water also dilutes the estuaries' salinity. Prolonged heavy discharges can kill oysters and sea grass, both of which need salty water to live. Bottom line: the discharges are a major environmental concern for the river, the lagoon and everyone who enjoys or depends on the water. The upshot: Things could get worse. The Army Corps of Engineers strives to reduce the lake level during the winter months so it can safely take on water from the summer rains without rising too far above the maximum level of 15 1/2 feet, but because of the heavy rains of recent weeks caused in part by an unusually strong El Nino the lake level actually rose a foot and a half since the beginning of the dry season on Oct. 1. So rain, rain go away, because if it doesn't more discharges are on the way. Discharges from Lake O to St. Lucie River, IndianRiverlagoon began about 2 PM today at rate of 291 million gallons a day, sez @JaxStrong Tyler Treadway (@tcpalmtreadway) January 30, 2016 ALL ABOARD FLORIDA, BUT LAWYERS FIRST Orlando to Miami, via your wallet: Plans to build the high-speed All Aboard Florida trains continue to generate controversy and lawyers' fees. The latest is a proposal by Indian River County Commissioners to hire a second law firm in its battle against the project, to the tune of $295 an hour. Since 2013, Indian River County has allocated about $2.6 million in tax dollars to the All Aboard Florida fight. And next week, on Feb. 9, Martin County could consider hiring additional counsel to fight AAF. One year ago, Martin County officials earmarked $1.4 million to battle the rail line. So this will definitely derail the project, right?: That's the hope of AAF opponents. Five lawsuits have been filed against All Aboard Florida, with four still pending Yet construction of the passenger railroad already began between Miami and West Palm Beach, and Brightline passenger service there is to begin in early 2017, with full service through the Treasure Coast and on to Orlando International Airport scheduled to commence in late 2017. The upshot: Legal fees could continue to rise, with no guarantee of success. The Indian River agreement sets no cap on the county's legal costs. Given the ferocity of the opposition, it seems likely both counties will continue the fight. But there are few signs, at least so far, that this is money well spent. Tuesday, IRC Commission will discuss hiring an additional law firm for its fight against @AllAboardFla. #TCOpinion https://t.co/EYvOJrVbCI TCPalm (@TCPalm) January 31, 2016 PRIMARY SEASON IS HERE Who'll win Iowa?: The Iowa caucuses kick off primary season tonight, with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton showing narrow leads over Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders, respectively, in the latest polls. Next up: New Hampshire on Feb. 9. Florida's presidential primary is scheduled for March 15. Will Iowa be a make-or-break moment?: Unlikely, but if Trump and Sanders were to win, it could be tough for their rivals to make up the lost ground, as both hold commanding leads in New Hampshire. Nationwide, the Real Clear Politics average of polls has Trump leading the GOP field with 35.8 percent over Cruz, with 19.6 percent; Hillary Clinton leads Sanders nationally, 50 to 38 percent. The upshot here in Florida: Real Clear Politics has Trump's lead here even wider, 40 to 19 percent over Cruz, while Clinton is far out in front of Sanders, 64 percent to 25 percent. Those figures could change based on the results in Iowa, New Hampshire and elsewhere, but the margins are so big it would be surprising, though not unprecedented, to see a major reversal. So could it be Trump versus Hillary in the fall? Trump versus Sanders? Stay tuned starting tonight. Iowa kicks off primary, caucus season Feb. 1. Here's what you need to know: https://t.co/HEyzWD3YRB #TCElections pic.twitter.com/HssSb0QmFY Dacia Leigh Johnson (@DaciaLJohnson) January 28, 2016 Award recepients honored at the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. SHARE Selina Wiggins with recipient Anna Valencia-Tillery Beverly and Martin Paris with Alma Lee Loy By Penny Chandler During the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce annual meeting, local leaders were honored along with an update on the proposed high speed passenger rail. Chamber President Penny Chandler noted "Ninety-nine years ago, the Chamber registered a complaint with the state railroad commission about freight trains blocking City of Vero Beach street crossings." She added "Just last month, the Chamber reminded the Federal Railroad Commission, Army Corps of Engineers, the St Johns River Water Management District and others of our continued concerns about the All Aboard Florida Project." Other notable achievements as a result of the chamber's work in 2015 were the graduation of 186 people from the Chamber's Leadership Indian River County program; two Florida Delegation events, a luncheon featuring the U.S. Chamber on national affairs, and the "State of the County Address;" 81 separate business events; personal customized assistance was provided to economic development prospects; and a rise in tourist tax revenues of 19.2 percent. The annual meeting is also a time the group takes to recognize and congratulate area businesses and government leaders for their roles in the community. The Chamber recognized Alyssa Dritenbas of Childcare Resources of Indian River as the 2015 Young Professional of the Year, Marc Richard of Postal Connections as Ambassador of the Year Award, Michael Walther of Coastal Tech G.E.C., Inc. with the Director's Award, Anna Valencia-Tillery of White Glove Moving & Storage and PakMail Beachside as Volunteer of the Year, Marine Bank & Trust Company with Member of the Year, Joe Baird Indian River County Administrator with the Chairman's Award, Tim Girard the President of Girard Equipment with the Carolyn K. Eggert Economic Development Award, and Beverly S. and Martin L. Paris of Paris Productions with the Alma Lee Loy Community Service Award. During 2016, the Chamber's work plan includes: bringing valuable information, programs and services to help Vero Beach and Indian River County businesses; job creation and retention; new tourism marketing initiatives, and the convening of executives from the community to work together on Vero Beach and Indian River County initiatives. For more information about the Chamber visit IndianRiverChamber.com or call 772-567-3491. Donna Moughty, a Professional Genealogist and former Regional Manager for Apple Computer, has been conducting family research for over 20 years. She teaches and lectures on a variety of subjects including Internet, Irish research and computer topics locally and at national conferences and institutes. In addition, she provides consultations, research assistance and training. Moughty attended the National Institute for Genealogical Research at the National Archives, and the Third and Fourth Irish Genealogical Congress in Ireland, the Salt Lake Institute-Irish Research and the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research at Samford University where she was an instructor for the Irish course in 2011. She is a member of Association of Professional Genealogist and the Genealogical Speakers Guild. Donna takes groups to Ireland each October to research. Her weekly genealogy blog can be found at Moughty.com. The subject of Moughty's lecture it titled 'There's an App for That!' It's amazing how far technology has brought us as genealogists. It's been a catalyst to bring millions of people into the field of genealogy. In an article in September of 2012 from Bloomberg Businessweek, genealogy ranks second as the most searched topic on the Internet. Today, small devices such as the iPhone and iPad, as well as their various competitors are more powerful and connected than the computers we used ten years ago. Moughty will discuss hardware and getting the right fit, what's included, genealogy apps, organization and general productivity. The meeting is Feb. 9 from 9:30 am- 12 p.m. in the Meeting Room at the Indian River Main Library. For more information visit IRGS.org. RavenAvi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Central India Posts: 6,587 Thanked: 46,479 Times View My Garage Re: The Maruti Vitara Brezza Compact SUV Had a chance to check out the Vitara Brezza in the flesh over the weekend. My cellphones were confiscated, so apologies for no pictures. Impressions: 1) Almost same dimensions as the EcoSport, but looks a wee bit longer from the side. (no doubt due to the missing spare wheel) 2) It is a definite looker from all angles, specially from the front. The chrome bar in front actually compliments the car quite nicely. 3) Interiors are definitely upmarket, except for the same "shared" steering wheel. 4) Dashboard is sleek and has a modern look but with hard plastics. Head Unit is quite smooth to operate. 5) Front seat space is similar to the Baleno, with bolstered headroom. 6) Rear seat is more spacious than the cramped one in the EcoSport. Can fit 3 in better. 7) Generous boot space. Should be 300+ liters. 8) Body panels are light. Did the "Thumb" test (pressing thumb on outer door panels & front/rear quarter panels) and the panels went in, so it failed this test. 9) Doors close with a muted "thunk". No "thud" present. 10) The white shade doesn't do justice to the curves of this car. It looks much better in Red & Blue (as seen in the scoop pictures). 11) Wheel wells are huge, and they make the 215-sections look puny inside them. 12) Lovely alloy design - one of the best in modern cars, IMO. 13) Popped up the engine hood and the familiar "DDiS" badge jumped out. Birdie confirms it's the 89 HP/200 Nm one. 14) Cranked up the engine on standstill and the engine thrum was quite controlled, in comparison to the Swift diesels. Slight vibration felt on the steering wheel & on the ABC pedals, though. 15) Dual colour shades will be initially made-to-order, as per birdie. 16) I am told that the weight of the Brezza is roughly ~1100 kgs, but the car doesn't feel like it. Should be at least 100 kilos lesser, easily, if not more. 17) Expected pricing to be between 7 lacs - 10.5 lacs, ex-showroom Delhi. Overall, I think this is the definitive EcoSport killer. Worrying times ahead for the TUV, Creta, Duster/Terrano twins, etc. Given a choice, I would prefer the Brezza over the Baleno/Swift/DZire, even. A fresh, dynamic design with contemporary features and the legendary "S" badge - the Brezza is a more complete package than any other offering in it's segment. Add to that a killing price, and Maruti-Suzuki has a new sales bestseller to add to it's ranks. Last edited by RavenAvi : 1st February 2016 at 14:03 . In the runup to the release of Apples Q1 2016 earnings report Tuesday, one of the big unanswered questions was whether the iPhone could maintain its sales momentum. Q1 2015 iPhone sales hit a record 74.5 million units, and its possible the latest quarters shipments may not equal let alone exceed that mark. IDC has forecast of slowing sales industrywide for 2016. The smartphone market will see the first single-digit growth year ever. The slowdown in Chinas economy, weak demand for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and sluggish Apple Watch sales are also of concern. However, we think sales are actually going to be up in volume this year compared to a year ago, said Jeff Orr, a senior practice director atABI Research. First, China is still a great opportunity despite the slowing down of its economy, and second, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were launched a little later than iPhones used to be launched previously, so we arent sure whether or not theyll hinder Apples quarter, he told the E-Commerce Times. Great Expectations Apple historically has exceeded analysts expectations while playing down its performance prior to releasing its earnings reports. FactSet StreetAccount estimated Apple sold 75.5 million iPhones in the quarter surpassing the previous years record by about 1 million units, according to news reports. FBR, which slashed its estimates for iPhone 6s sales in December, earlier this month predicted a huge uptick for the upcoming iPhone 7 and dismissed investors fears about slowing growth at Apple as being overblown, while acknowledging the company has been through a rough patch. The market agrees Apple shares were up by US$1.28 to $100.72 at the time of writing. Should we expect any company to keep setting records year over year? The answer is no, Orr said. The problem Apple has is that investors always expect it to show a meteoric performance. The question is, at what point do you become disgruntled because you dont get meteoric performance out of the company? Leveraging Preowned Phones Sales of refurbished smartphones are taking off, and Apple has ventured into this area. Refurbished iPhones can be sold in price-sensitive but growing markets without any brand dilution, pointed out Andreas Scherer, managing partner atSalto Partners. It could be tempting to develop a cheaper product thats being sold utilizing a different brand name in order to win in Africa, India and Indonesia, but the better strategy is to sell refurbished iPhones, he told the E-Commerce Times. Grabbing Market Share In the future, the replacement business will outpace the new phone business, ABIs Orr suggested. For Apple the issue no longer will be offering items good enough for first-time buyers to purchase an Apple product; it will be about getting Android or Microsoft phone users to switch, he explained. Its getting increasingly difficult to get that kind of differentiation, but thats not just an Apple problem. Its the same thing Samsung has been facing over the past two years and being hammered by investors over, Orr said. Where Apple Might Go Apple needs to continue to win in its core markets, Scherer observed. That means relentlessly focusing on replacing existing iPhones with newer versions in markets such as the United States, and introducing upgrade incentive programs and incentives to buy additional phones as part of family plans through carriers. Perhaps Apple could move away from its image as the largest manufacturer of smartphones, Orr said. Were hearing talk about moving the audio jack and creating a new accessories market thats exclusive and led by Apple Beat headphones and other products using the Lightning connector or wireless interfaces, he elaborated. Other possibilities for Apple are wireless charging, improving battery life, wraparound screens, incorporating OLED technologies, and making iPhones more user-proof and water-resistant, Orr suggested. SpaceX this week failed in its third attempt to land a rocket on an ocean platform. The company has landed a reusable rocket successfully on land, but it has stepped up its efforts to land at sea. The latest attempt, though not successful, was a step forward, SpaceX said. It began at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 rocket was supposed to deliver its payload, its primary objective, and then land on a drone ship out in the Pacific Ocean. The rocket stuck the landing, touching down within 4 feet of the ships center, but it touched down too hard and broke a leg as a result. Maybe Next Time While the landing was not a success, the rocket suffered much less damage this time around. Its a step closer to an ocean landing, and the folks at Space Florida are confident SpaceX will get it right, said Dale Ketcham, chief of strategic alliances forSpace Florida. It is harder to do than the success they recently achieved at [Cape Canaveral], and that was far from easy, he told TechNewsWorld. This effort will continue to drive down the costs of expanding the Earth-bound economy out into the solar system. With the energy and resources available out there to feed this economy, we might be able to give Mother Earth a break, Ketcham said. A sea landing isnt necessary, but it could be helpful. If recovery can be achieved at sea, then more boosters can be returned to service, thus again lowering costs for all, he said. Sea landings are more suitable for rockets returning at higher velocities, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said. Many payloads on SpaceXs manifest will require different orbits, which will make it harder to return boosters, Ketcham noted. Meet Jason-3 The rocket boosted its payload the Jason-3, or Joint Altimetry Satellite Oceanography Network, satellite into orbit without issue. The satellite will beam down atmospheric data gathered from measuring sea levels to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, French space agency Centre National dEtudes Spatiales, and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, according to SpaceX. It will aid in forecasting the intensity of hurricanes, El Nio, La Nia, surface waves, and tides and currents for commercial ships. Researchers also will use the satellite to model coastal areas to aid efforts to preserve reefs and other marine animals. Room for Space The commercial spaceflight industry has been fighting for the right kind of attention, the type that doesnt tip trade secrets or undermine investor confidence. The fact that leading businesses and executives are behind the current push into space is generally good news, said Charles King, principal analyst for Pund-IT. Theyre replaced the often turgid bureaucracy of NASA with an entrepreneurial energy that has delivered on a number of once-unimagined achievements, including making the running of supplies to the International Space Station a viable business, he told TechNewsWorld. While they make for some stunning YouTube clips, developments in space exploration are more than a marvel of modern science. They create new ways to help us understand life back on Earth, King noted. As it becomes increasingly common and affordable, it will also inspire in a broad range of new commercial products and services, he said. Another reason to get behind the commercial space flight industry is because it reflects who we are as a society, King added. The space-aimed efforts of the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s reflected a broader sense of national purpose and visionary optimism, he said. That seems to be in short supply today, replaced by the melodramatic dumbassery of small-minded politicians and science-phobes. Amnesty International and African Resources Watch (Afrewatch) on Tuesday issued a report alleging that the supply chains of major electronics companies including Apple, Sony and Samsung included cobalt mined by child laborers in Africa. The companies have failed to make basic checks to halt the practice, the report claims. The report traces the harvesting and sale of cobalt in the poverty-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo where children as young as seven work the mines for use in lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones and electric cars. The extracted cobalt is sold to Congo Dongfang Mining, which is a unit of China-based Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt. Amnesty would like to see the home state countries U.S., China, Japan, etc. conduct human rights due diligence on their cobalt supplies, report author Mark Dummett told TechNewsWorld, to identify the source of the cobalt, monitor working conditions, and address human rights abuses. Amnesty International contacted 16 companies listed as customers of the battery manufacturers that reportedly sourced processed ore from Huayou. One company admitted the relationship, four companies said they were not sure if they were buying from the company or the DRC, six companies said they were investigating the claims, and five companies denied sourcing from the firm. Two multinational firms denied sourcing cobalt from the DRC. Amnesty said none of the firms contacted could provide documentation to prove where their cobalt originated. DRC a Huge Supplier of Cobalt Half the worlds cobalt comes from the DRC, and Huayou Cobalt sources more than 40 percent of its cobalt there, according to Amnesty. There were at least 80 documented cases of artisanal miners dying in the southern DRC between September 2014 and December 2015, the report notes. There were 40,000 children miners in the DRC in 2014, according to Amnesty. Miners typically put in 12-hour shifts for US$1 to $2 a day, based on researchers interviews with a total of 87 current and former workers, including 17 children. Huayou sold cobalt to three battery component makers Ningbo Shanshan and Tianjin Bamo of China, and L&F materials from South Korea who bought $90 million worth of cobalt from Huayou in 2013, Amnesty said. Companies Insist on Compliance Underage labor is never tolerated in our supply chain and we are proud to have led the industry in pioneering new safeguards, Apple wrote in a letter to Amnesty International, which was provided to TechNewsWorld by Apple spokesperson Ben Kobren. We not only have strict standards, rigorous audits and industry leading preventative measures, but we also actively look for any violations, the letter continues. Any supplier hiring underaged workers must fund the workers safe return home, fully finance their educations, continue to pay their wages, and offer them jobs when they reach legal age, Apple told Amnesty. Apple has been auditing workers for 10 years, and out of 1.6 million workers covered in 633 audits in 2014, a total of 16 cases of underage workers were found and all of them were addressed successfully, Apple maintained. Ningbo Shanshan was not one of Daimlers suppliers, according to spokesperson Andrea Berg. The company neither sourced directly from the DRC nor from suppliers in the DRC, she told TechNewsWorld, adding that its supplier standards impose strict obligations on working conditions, social and environmental standards, and business ethics. These standards are an integral part of the contracts that Daimler concludes with its suppliers, she told TechNewsWorld. Samsung SDI does not have any transactions with Huayou Cobalt, the company said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by spokesperson Joann Cho. The company operates its S-Partner Certification Program as a way to diagnose and improve corporate social responsibility issues across its supply chain, it said. For all suppliers, Samsung SDI conducts written evaluations and on-site inspections in areas such as human rights, labor, ethics, environment, and health and safety on a two-year basis, and awards them with certification, the company noted. Everyones Problem The DRC is listed in the U.S. Department of Labors Worst Forms of Child Labor report, and goods made under those conditions are listed in the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. An effective lasting solution to a complex problem such as this is going to require a collaborative approach with government, civil society, subject matter experts and multiple industries, Deborah Albers, vice president of social and environmental sustainability at the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, told TechNewsWorld. Companies must operate in full compliance with the laws of the countries where they operate, the EICC said, and the fight against the use of child labor is the responsibility of everyone involved in the process. SAN FRANCISCOPerformance artist, author and director Madison Young, known for her feminist take on hardcore erotica, offers an alternative to the usual Valentines Day fare with the world premiere of her new theater piece, Reveal All Fear Nothing: A Journey in Sex, Love, Porn and Feminism. Directed by Sophia La Paglia, the performance will take place February 12-14 at the San Francisco Armory. Inside the Armory, which is home to Kink.com, a theater has been constructed in the building's Roman Bath set. The pop-up theater will seat 100 audience members each evening. Reveal All Fear Nothing is a multimedia performance and experimental theater piece, written and performed by Madison Young and developed in collaboration with feminist artist Annie Sprinkle. The piecea modern adaptation of Sprinkles theater piece Post Porn Modernistand aims to crack wide open the underground worlds of BDSM, pornography and kink, all while demystifying and celebrating these often misunderstood and misrepresented communities and movements. Young and Sprinkle have developed a modern-day version of Post Porn Modernist, which brings to life Young's own sexual journey into kink, pornography and feminism through fearless performance art. The graphic body-based performance art includes an anal fisting performance piece, blowjob ballet, and a climactic orgasmic ritual, which has been handed down from Sprinkle to Young. "I'm so thrilled to be creating a theater space at the Armory for this world premiere, and with the help and guidance of my fairy art mother, Annie Sprinkle. It feels so right to be presenting this piece for the first time ever right here in San Francisco, Young said. Many of my sexual adventures, which I explore in Reveal All, started right here at the Armory and in San Francisco. This city, and this building, have played a huge part in my sexual evolution, and it seems only right to premiere this really intimate work in this epic building." Academy Award winner Diablo Cody said of her work, "Young brings some universal truths to light." Actress and cultural commentator Margaret Cho described Young as "an incredible and singular force in the world of art ... her individualism, innovation, insight and innate intelligence ... is downright inspirational." Reveal All Fear Nothing: A Journey in Sex, Love, Porn, and Feminism can be seen February 1214 at the San Francisco Armory, 1800 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103. Tickets ($20-$106) may be purchased in advance at EventBrite.com. Doors open at 7 p.m.; the show will start promptly at 8 p.m. Attendees must be 21 and older. Group ticket bundles of 10 tickets are available for $339. Following the performance, at 10 p.m., Young will host an intimate VIP experience, sponsored by Good Vibrations. Held at the Armory Club (1799 Mission St.), the VIP event includes a red carpet cocktail party, an intimate Q&A with Young, photo ops, and signings with Young. Those participating in the VIP experience will also receive a swag bag. For more information on Reveal All Fear Nothing: A Journey in Sex, Love, Porn, and Feminism, visit RevealAllFearNothing.wordpress.com. The show may also be followed on Facebook. Think about which nations are the most connected in the world, and Cuba definitely is not on that list. But maybe that can change. On Sunday, the state telecommunications company in Cuba (ETECSA) said that it will launch the first domestic broadband program in Havana. With this program, citizens, cafes, restaurants, and bars in Old Havana will be able to order broadband service that's operated via the Chinese telecom company Huawei. The Associated Press says that previously home broadband has been available only for "diplomats and employees of foreign companies who pay hundreds of dollars a month for Internet links that are a fraction of the average speed in other countries." And there is some public WiFi in Cuba, but they cost $2 an hour - price that could prohibit many people from partaking. ETECSA says they will open 30 WiFi spots in Havana this year, which the AP says would by itself "double the number of access points in Cuba." As of now, ETECSA hasn't given out any details on the timeline for the domestic broadband project in Old Havana, the pricing, or when access will roll out to additional locations. The main point is that the project is happening in a nation where some people's only access to the internet is through dial-up or a limited phone connection where they can only access the state-run email client. So in this case, almost any progress is good progress. Image Credit: Shutterstock In case you were wondering when you can purchase the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, a release date has emerged. The smartphones will reportedly go on sale on March 11. With less than a month to go before LG and Samsung take the stage to unveil their 2016 flagship smartphones on Feb. 21, things are beginning to heat up. LG seems to be taking cues from Donald Trump, firing a shot at Samsung for not including a removable battery in last year's Galaxy S6. LG's tweet appears to imply that the LG G5 will include a removable battery or the company is almost a year late with its criticism of the Galaxy S6. Samsung hasn't responded, likely because it's in the final hours of readying the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, which will also be announced on the same day LG takes the wraps off the G5. A leaked internal Galaxy S7 presentation slide just hit the Internet, which compared the upcoming smartphone to that of its predecessors and now a new report reveals the release date for the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. "Mark your calendar: the first European rollout for #GalaxyS7 family starts on 11/3," tweeted tech journalist Shai Mizrachi. While the tweet mentions a European release date for the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, Samsung typically rolls out its new smartphones worldwide on the same day, like Apple. Therefore, U.S. smartphone fans looking to purchase either the Galaxy S7 or S7 edge should mark their calendars for March 11. Previous reports have claimed that Samsung is planning on releasing the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge shortly after the Feb. 21 unveiling. As always, it's best to take reports of unannounced and highly anticipated smartphones with a grain of salt. We'll update you as more details become available. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. New renders of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have leaked. While another report claims the pair will be waterproof, features a microSD expansion slot, and ship with larger batteries. Samsung can't be thrilled with all the leaks pertaining to its upcoming and yet-to-be-announced Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. A Samsung employee reportedly leaked an internal presentation, which gave the world a look at the Galaxy S7 compared to the S6 and S5. Now, renders of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have leaked, in addition to another report, which confirms the pair will have microSD expansion slots, water resistant bodies, and larger batteries. Twitter user Evan Blass posted what are believed to be final renders of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Unlike last year's Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, which both featured 5.1-inch displays, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will use different sized displays. The Galaxy S7 will pack in a 5.1-inch 2,560 x 1,440 Quad HD display, while the S7 Edge will boast a 5.5-inch 2,560 x 1,440 Quad HD dual-edge display. The second report comes from VentureBeat, which reveals some juicy new details regarding the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. According to its source, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will see the return of a microSD expansion slot and both devices will reportedly support up to 200 GB microSD cards. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will apparently borrow a feature that first debuted on the Galaxy S5 in 2014. The pair will possess IP67 dust-and water-resistance certifications, a feature many smartphone fans hoped would make its return to Samsung's next-gen smartphones. The source also claims that Samsung has addressed another major criticism it received with the release of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, poor batter life. The Galaxy S7 will reportedly use a 3,000 mAh battery and the S7 Edge will ship with a 3,600 mAh battery. Unfortunately, users will not be able to replace the batteries this time around. As always, we'll keep you updated on any new details regarding the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Which smartphone are you planning to purchase? Let us know in the comments below. Photo: Maurizio Pesce | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The 2005 film Thank You For Smoking centers around a tobacco spokesman tasked with defending an industry that kills people in droves. Although we see the lead character, Nick Naylor, go through a crisis of conscience throughout the film, the last scene shows him giving a presentation to a new group of clients. "Gentlemen," he says to a trio of nervous executives, "practice these words in front of the mirror: Although we are constantly exploring the subject, currently there is no direct evidence that links cell phone usage to brain cancer." The group settles back in their chairs, relieved. The implication, of course, is that cell phone companies care about our health about as much as the tobacco industry does, and there's undoubtedly some truth to this. If cell phones were dangerous, we would expect the mobile phone industry not to be the first ones to admit it to us. In fact, like the tobacco industry before them, it's entirely possible that they would fight tooth and nail to suppress research that might implicate their product as a carcinogen. But just because it could happen, doesn't mean it has happened, and this distinction is important. This week, goop.com, the notoriously goofy website run by Gwyneth Paltrow, published an interview with Ann Louise Gittleman, author of the book Zapped, which purports to be a "groundbreaking expose" on electronic radiation. Gittleman bills herself as the "First Lady of Nutrition," and a "top nutritionist and trusted pioneer in health and wellness." But Gittleman's Ph.D. in holistic nutrition was granted by Clayton College of Natural Health, which closed in 2010 amid criticism of being a "diploma mill." The college was never accredited. The Goop interview prompted a stern scolding from the sharp-witted Kate Knibbs of Gizmodo, who points out that most major health organizations in the U.S. seem pretty much unconcerned about the risk, as no science has definitively linked cell phones and cancer, or brain tumors in particular. The debate over cell phone use and cancer has two very committed camps: the "everything is fine" camp, and the "we are all going to die" camp. Neither group seems to have the science completely on their side, though the "we are all going to die" people have less to back their claim than their competitors. The reality is that the science isn't completely in on the subject, and skepticism on both sides is healthy. It's neither accurate to say cell phones cause cancer (they probably don't), nor to insist that they definitely don't (which we can't know yet). Here's Where We Are In The Study Of Cell Phones And Cancer: Not one negative side effect has been conclusively linked to cell phone use, other than the predictable downsides like driving distraction (yes, even when hands-free, driving while taking a phone call is as dangerous as drunk driving). Other short-term effects, like insomnia and heart rate, are not connected to cell phone use. According to the World Health Organization: "A number of studies have investigated the effects of radiofrequency fields on brain electrical activity, cognitive function, sleep, heart rate and blood pressure in volunteers. To date, research does not suggest any consistent evidence of adverse health effects from exposure to radiofrequency fields at [cell phone] levels." But the most concerning claim is that cell phones cause cancer, and specifically brain cancer. Smooshing your head against a tiny box that is talking to a satellite in space doesn't exactly inspire confidence that nothing invisible and sinister is traveling through an orifice that lines straight up with your brain. There's an issue, however, with studying brain cancer. Tumors may not be recognized until years after they appear, making it difficult to pinpoint their origin, and even harder to perform long-term, epidemiological research. Today, 91 percent of adult Americans own a cell phone, according to the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, but phones have only been on the market a short while, in research terms. The first truly mobile phone arrived in 1983, and similar devices became widespread in 1999. That gives us only about 26 years to look at, and for the first few years, scientists had little incentive to investigate cell phones' dangers, not knowing if they were a fad that would disappear. As for studies on animals, some have found a connection between radio frequency exposure and brain tumors in mice and rats, but others have come up clean. The U.S. National Toxicology Program is conducting similar studies, the results of which are expected this year. Some sturdier conclusions may be on the way, too, but will take some time. In 2010, the international COSMOS study was launched, a cohort study that is following 290,000 adult cell phone users for 20 to 30 years, tracking their health and drawing connections between cell phone use and various illnesses. The COSMOS website explains, "We will be looking at any changes in the frequency of specific symptoms over time, such as headaches and sleep disorders, and also the risks of cancers, benign tumours, neurological and cerebro-vascular diseases." A similar study in Denmark found no link between cell phone use and "tumors of the brain or salivary gland, leukemia, or other cancers." While the COSMOS study covers adults, another large-scale study is underway which examines children with brain tumors. The Mobi-Kids study compares 1,000 children with brain cancers with 2,000 healthy children, to compare and contrast past and present cell phone use. Results are expected this year. While this is an important study, it requires the patients (and their parents) to recall cell phone use accurately, and this is a notoriously difficult way to get data. The COSMOS study, however, will track use directly, leaving no room for recall bias. It's important to note that the National Institute of Health lists six expert health organizations that have taken preliminary stands on cell phone use and cancer, and not one organization found a correlation or advises anyone to stop using their phones. Still, each organization in its own way retains healthy scientific skepticism, noting that the results are not and cannot be conclusive at this time. So, the "we're all going to die" people need to chill out. It's very unlikely that cell phones are causing an epidemic of brain cancer. But the "everything is fine" people shouldn't be so quick to judge, either. The science is still out, and it's the job of the rational person to be willing to live with uncertainty. Image: Mike Licht | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. MediaTek responds to a security issue that has been found to affect a number of Android handsets and tablets that are powered by the company's chipsets. The company has confirmed the vulnerability and explained how it came to exist, while being cautious in providing other details in their statement. Justin Case, a security researcher, was the first to take notice of the issue, revealing that the bug can allow a root user to maliciously attack a vulnerable device. "Root user could do many things, such as access data normally protected from the user/other apps, or brick the phone, or spy on the user, monitor communications etc.," says Case in a statement to Gadgets 360. Some of the private data that can be potentially exploited include photos and contacts. Moreover, the said bug is also capable of monitoring all traffic remotely. Case also reveals that the software bug uses a "backdoor" that allows the root access. Once a user or a malicious app gains root access, it can lead to an increased root user privilege that would alter the device's normally restricted read only properties. "So Mediatek broke basic security features to have this backdoor work," tweets Case. "Readonly properties are NOT read only!" MediaTek explains the source of the vulnerability. Before shipping devices, smartphone makers have to conduct tests using the de-bug feature to ensure everything works well. However, after completing those tests, they should disable the feature prior to releasing the devices to end users. "We are aware of this issue and it has been reviewed by MediaTek's security team," says a spokesperson for MediaTek. "It was mainly found in devices running Android 4.4 KitKat, due to a de-bug feature created for telecommunication inter-operability testing in China." After an investigation, the company has learned that some of these manufacturers failed to disable the feature, which resulted in the security issue that Case now brought to the company's attention. MediaTek has replied to Case in a tweet, mentioning that it's currently working on a fix and it will address further security concerns through the company's Product Security Taskforce. "Hi, we have been working on a patch and expect it to be ready shortly," tweets MediaTek. "Thanks for being on the lookout though. Inputs always welcome!" When asked for more details such as the specific smartphone models and how many handsets are in fact affected, MediaTek said that only a portion of devices were affected and they have already alerted all concerned manufacturers on the matter. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A new study indicates that the light from computer screens, mobile phones and other electronic devices is not damaging to the human eye when exposed at normal levels. The study concluded that the light emanating from natural daylight actually contains higher levels of blue light than the illumination coming from devices. John O'Hagan, head of the Laser and Optical Radiation Dosimetry Group of Public Health England in Chilton, UK and lead author of the study, stated, "Even under extreme long-term viewing conditions, none of the low-energy light bulbs, computers, tablets and mobile phones we assessed suggested cause for concern for public health." A safe exposure limit for blue light has been set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) based on the blue light emissions from various electronic devices in O'Hagan's study. O'Hagan's team determined that the highest amount of blue light was emitted by a white screen, so they measured the emission from such a screen at the highest brightness setting as a standard for their study. The researchers also compared the blue light emitted from various devices to natural light. They measured the amount of blue light generated by staring at the sky (not directly into the sun) on a sunny summer day as well as during a cloudy winter day. The amount of blue light generated in the summer was only 10 percent of the ICNIRP safe exposure limit, while the amount on a winter day was just 3 percent. The amount of blue light emitted from the electronic devices tested was actually lower than the findings related to the natural light exposure. That doesn't mean computer users shouldn't be wary of blue light coming from their devices, however, because that light has been shown to affect sleep cycles in device users. While O'Hagan's study didn't address this issue, a light spectrum researcher warned of the potential disruptions brought by blue light on sleep and the circadian rhythms of nighttime electronic device users. "Displays like laptops, tablets and phones should not be used for a long time at night because its bright emission suppresses the melatonin," said Meenu Singh from the National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Melatonin is also known as the sleep hormone, and it plays a role in the body's natural sleep-wake cycle. Singh also cautioned users to adjust the brightness of their screens at that time. Tech addicts who can't stay away from their devices at nighttime may have some even better options now in the form of various apps that filter out the blue light from their screens. In addition, Apple has just introduced Night Shift mode in its latest OS update, iOS 9.3, which allows owners of Apple devices to filter out blue light as well, ensuring a restful night's sleep. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Leaked footages shows that British and United States spy agencies surveyed drones for military purposes from Israel. The National Security Agency (NSA) and Governments Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) reportedly tapped into live video feeds from drones and fighter jets during Israel's military operations in the Gaza strip. The collection of live videos was part of a program called "Anarchist" and it shows a series of photos showing a rare sight of the closely guarded Israeli's drone fleet. The files provided and leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden sheds light on Israeli drone operations over Gaza strip. The said program was operated from the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus. The leakage provided by whistleblower Snowden shows that U.S. and UK spy agencies have been spying on drones and fighter jets of Israel since 1998. The purpose of which was to predict military operations of Israel on countries like Iran, Gaza and Syria and how it can affect the Middle East in terms of stability. The leaked photos show various types of unmanned planes and images showing drones that carry missiles. These photos were collected from 2009 to 2010. Though the images support report that Israel has unmanned drones that carried attacks, the Israeli government won't admit its accountability. However, the video captured by the spy agencies provide visual proof of the claim. "This access is indispensable for maintaining an understanding of Israeli military training and operations and thus an insight to possible future developments in the region," a report by GCHQ in 2008 said. It added that during incidents that may pose crisis over other countries, this access is important. The move by the U.S. and UK spy agencies made an Israeli government official and politician unhappy. "We are not surprised, we know that the Americans are spying on the whole world, including their 'friends.' That is disappointing, because for decades we have not spied, collected intelligence or attempted to crack the encryption of the United States," National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Minister Yuval Steinitz said. Up to date, information shows that countries such as Israel, United States, Pakistan and the United Kingdom are the only ones known to use drones for military purposes and deadly attacks. Photo: Israel Defense Forces | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. I briefly thought about how crazy people must be to take on the challenge of climbing up Mount Everest. But the truth is it's a once in a lifetime kind of experience that is an accomplishment like no other. It will take your breath away and I'm not talking about the altitude. Standing tall at 29,035 feet (although the Nepali government has not made this newly reported height official), I couldn't help but feel small as I took in the beauty. The aerial view revealed an endless sea of snow-covered rocks pointing to the heavens. The trip is tough and dangerous, but l can see how it would be life-changing for those who complete the summit. There is no denying that the imagery will stay with you. Created by Solfar Studios in partnership with visual effects house RVX, Everest VR allows players to take the climb from the comfort of their own home all that's needed is a VR headset. The experience starts with the player feeling like they are sitting in the front row in a theater as the documentary-style shots reveal Mount Everest in all her glory. Then the player is taken into the scene themselves to experience what it would look and feel like to make the journey to the top. "We try to take you to Everest, and we try to give you a really photo-realistic environment to actually explore and act in. We try to make it so you just feel like you are there," director and game designer at Solfar Studios Petur Thorarinsson told Tech Times. "I think pure experiences like this is so much more rich then just 360-degree videos of being in a location." The Everest VR experience was created using the assets taken by RVX, who worked on the visual effects for the movie Everest last year. The visual and special effects company went to Nepal and took almost half a million aerial pictures of the entire mountain. From that, they were able to create a detailed point cloud of the mountain, including its textures, to bring the mountain to life in a real way on the big screen and now in virtual reality. Someone who has a fear of heights may not want to look down, but this would probably happen on instinct. Luckily, I don't suffer from this fear, but feeling this high up still had me a little wobbly. Totally immersed in my surroundings, I looked down, right, left, and down again, thankful that my feet were firmly on the ground in the comfort of PR agency fortyseven communication's office in New York. "This is a chance to do something [where] you feel truly frightened, but knowing that there's not real risk involved," Thorarinsson said. "A lot of people get a real sensation out of that. So prepare to feel that fear and feel that excitement while actually knowing that you're not risking your life doing it." I was also grateful to not be feeling cold during my icy summit. Even still, with HTC's Vive Pre on my head, headphones on my ears and the headset's accompanying controllers in hand, I was taken from the room onto the massive mountain. Reaching out, my hands revealed they had transformed into gloves. My first task was to bend down and hold onto the rope, clenching on the triggers to close my palms to cross a bridge to join my team. I began feeling all the sensations I imagine I would be feeling if I were there in person, which included slight vertigo and nervousness while trekking through the snow. When asked to climb up a ladder, I felt like I should be using my legs (the player must use the controllers to reach up and climb with their hands), so I am sure I looked a bit ridiculous. Since there is the ability to walk about and explore the terrain, I enjoyed being able to take in the sights and walk around to identify the various base camps that were nearby. Since not everyone can go there physically, Everest VR allows people to explore and learn more about one of Earth's greatest wonders. "Who wouldn't want to go to Everest? A lot of people want to see it, and it has potentially a really wide appeal, even though people aren't necessarily actively curious about it," Thorarinsson said. The official date has not yet been announced, but Everest VR will launch sometime this year, with Thorarinsson adding that Solfar Studios is "aiming for the same launch window of the HTC Vive in spring or summer." The experience is expected to launch with a few VR platforms, including HTC's Vive and Microsoft's Oculus for the PC, with the potential to be released for gaming consoles as well. However, no official announcements have been made. With preorders for the HTC virtual reality headset starting on Feb. 29, Everest VR is one of the journeys worth experiencing. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. To say that Zika virus is on the rise is an understatement. Global leaders and scientific experts are exerting doubled efforts to address the disease, which has spread explosively. Among the popular solutions experts have suggested to fight Zika is creating genetically engineered mosquitoes. The question now is how can these modified insects help the world fight Zika? Genetically modified mosquitoes have gained lots of attention from U.S. regulators. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now in its last stages of reviewing Intrexon Corp.'s Oxitec application to perform a field testing in Key Haven, Florida. Oxitec's technology involves genetically modifying males in a pool of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are the main carriers of Zika as well as other mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya. Experts will alter the mosquitoes in such a way that their offspring will die young. Because female mosquitoes lay more than 500,000 eggs monthly, there will be enough supply for different regions. The program will be able to help large populations as transport will not be a challenge, says Hadyn Parry, the chief executive officer of Oxitec. "What we're offering is a tool that is going to be really powerful in reducing these mosquito populations and reducing the threat," says Parry. Hence, he says it must be accelerated. Oxitec's application entails an environmental assessment that will be available for the public to comment on. The company says U.S. regulators will review the information on its application together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency. In April 2014, Brazil's biosecurity commission approved the mosquito of the UK-based firm. The company now has a facility in Campinas, which is near Sao Paulo, Brazil. Just last week, Oxitec announced that it is building a larger factory in Piracicaba, which is also near Sao Paulo. At present, Oxitec is awaiting the final green light from Brazil's Ministry of Health so it can finally put the mosquitoes up for sale to local and private agencies. "We are delighted Piracicaba is encouraged by our strong results and expanding the program," says Parry. Despite these efforts, however, the use of genetically modified animals are still faced with controversies. "Mosquitoes are food for lots of animals," says Jaydee Hanson from Washington-based environmental advocacy group Center for Food Safety. He adds that his group wants to see research that will tackle the outcome of having these mosquitoes eaten by birds, bats and amphibians. Hanson says the company is introducing new genetic materials into the ecosystem that have not been part of it before. He also points out the presence of other mosquito species that can possibly carry the virus. Ultimately, the problem will not be solved, he says. Zika virus has affected Latin America widely, with the World Health Organization describing it as "spreading explosively." While vaccines are currently in the works, experts say it may take years for it to finally finish. Photo : U.S. Department of Agriculture | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The moon is more than just an illuminating fixture on a dark night sky. Together with the sun, it is responsible for the rise and fall of sea levels. Some places even experience two low and two high tides a day. Many factors contribute to tides: the shape of the beach, the size of the coastline, the angle of the seabed that leads up to the shore, prevailing winds and ocean currents, among others. As the moon wanes and waxes from its different phases, it either creates larger tides known as spring tides, or smaller tides known as neap tides. Turns out, those aren't the only phenomena affected by the phases of the moon. A new study conducted by the University of Washington suggests that when the moon is high up in the sky, it creates bulges in the atmosphere that change the amount of rainfall on Earth. How Lunar Forces Affect the Amount of Rainfall Air pressure changes associated with moon phases were first recorded in 1847. In 1932, the changes were linked to temperature. Tsubasa Kohyama, an atmospheric sciences doctoral student, observed a slight fluctuation in the Earth's air pressure while studying atmospheric waves. Eventually, this observation prompted Kohyama and atmospheric sciences professor John Wallace to track down the occurrence. This lasted for two years. What strengthened Kohyama and Wallace's study were findings from a recent UW study, which used a global grid of data to confirm that air pressure on the surface of the Earth indeed varies with the moon's phases. "When the moon is overhead or underfoot, the air pressure is higher," said Kohyama. Kohyama and Wallace's new paper is the first to describe how the moon's gravitational tug on Earth dampers rainfall. How does that happen? Scientists explained that when the moon is overhead, its pull causes the atmosphere of the Earth to bulge toward it. The weight or the pressure of the atmosphere on this side goes up. The Earth's atmosphere can be likened to a part of a very large balloon with strong internal gravitational force, while the moon's gravity is the pressure that comes from a small vacuum cleaner. Although the pressure is different compared to what happens to these objects, the moon's force is trying to suck the Earth's atmosphere closer to it, while simultaneously affecting the volume of the air inside. According to Kohyama, higher atmospheric air pressure increases the temperature of air particles on the surface. Because warmer air can hold more moisture, particles of air are now farther from their moisture capacity. "It's like the container becomes larger at higher pressure," he said. This moisture capacity or humidity affects the amount of rain. Kohyama said lower humidity is less likely to result to precipitation. Studying Climate Models Kohyama and Wallace examined data from NASA and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The 1998 to 2012 records revealed that rain is lighter when the moon is high. However, the change is only about one percent of total rainfall variation. It's not enough to affect aspects of weather, or to make people notice the difference. "No one should carry an umbrella just because the moon is rising," said Kohyama. Still, their findings can be applied in testing climate models to check if their physics is enough to replicate how the moon's gravitational pull influences rainfall. Kohyama and Wallace's study is featured in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A new report reveals grim prospects on the cancer problem in China, home to one-fifth of the global population. About 2.8 million Chinese have been estimated to die from cancer in 2015 translating to over 7,500 cancer deaths per day on average while there are 4.3 million forecasted new cancer cases, with lung cancer emerging as the most common among all types. These are some of the findings of a team of researchers from the National Cancer Center Beijing, American Cancer Society, and the University of Sydney, which gathered mortality data from 72 local Chinese cancer registries to estimate 2015 cancer death statistics. Published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, the results were based on recently available quality data through the National Central Cancer Registry of China offering scientists a more intimate look at the leading health problem. Cancer incidence and mortality have been increasing in China, making cancer the leading cause of death since 2010 and a major public health problem in the country, warned lead author Dr. Wanqing Chen and his colleagues, who analyzed figures on 6.5 percent of the population from 2009 to 2011. China also accounts for nearly 22 percent of new cancer incidence and almost 27 percent of deaths from the disease worldwide. According to cancer statistics obtained from hospitals, health centers, and the Civil Administration Bureau, the four most common kinds of cancer are lung, stomach, liver and esophageal cancers, making up 57 percent of all cases in China. In the United States, these cancers will account for a mere 18 percent of total cases. The estimated 4.2 million newly diagnosed cases in 2015 correspond to nearly 12,000 new diagnoses every day in 2015. The estimated deaths from all cancers, on the other hand, were significantly higher in men than in women 165.9 versus 88.8 for every 100,000 and in rural places than in urban ones, or 149 versus 109.5 per 100,000. There is, however, some remaining good news, with mortality rates dipping since 2006. Cancer death rates plummeted 21.4 percent a year for men and 21.1 percent a year for women. Smoking caused around a quarter of all cancer deaths, while other risk factors may be more difficult to avoid. The researchers added that outdoor pollution, indoor air pollution through coal burning and heating, and soil and water contamination all expose many Chinese to environmental carcinogens. Photo: Bryan Ledgard | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. France and India will put a lander on Mars in a bid to explore the planet, according to the chief of the French space agency. Jean-Yves Le Gall confirmed that France is ready to work with India to plant both flags on Mars as well as on Venus in a joint exploration. Indias Mars Orbiter Mission also referred to as Mangalyaan arrived on Mars last Sept. 23, 2014 as its first-ever Red Planet probe. In fact, the orbiter was the countrys first interplanetary mission ever launched, a $74 million program aiming to demonstrate its technological capability. Now the French are very, very impressed with the mission of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) so far. In France, we have very skilled scientists for both Mars and Venus. Since there is already a project to explore Mars in India, we implemented an agreement to co-operate in the future on this project, Le Gall said in an interview, highlighting Indias role as their second biggest partner in space technologies (outside Europe). The next Indian mission to Mars will therefore be injected with a piece of French expertise, Le Gall added, expressing readiness to work on crafting a lander since a satellite is already orbiting Mars. As the price tag of space missions has become friendlier, a Venus mission is also deemed possible in the planned partnership. The two countries also inked a separate deal on a new thermal imaging satellite, said to be a follow-up of the Paris climate change conference. There are already two Indo-French space satellites for climate observations, namely the Megha-Tropiques launched in 2011 and SARAL-ALTIKA launched in 2013. The new satellite, explained Le Gall, will observe Earths surface in thermal-infrared, a special wavelength band that will help monitor climate patterns and developments. The venture will help scientists better understand the effects of climate change on vegetation. Other agreements were also signed at the Indo-French Summit in January, including France putting an ARGOS payload on Indias forthcoming OceanSAT satellite. It will be devoted to search and rescue beacons utilizing space as its platform. Le Gall lauded the dedication he sees when he visits ISRO sites. [T]here is the kind of enthusiasm and freshness, which is very, very refreshing, which leaves a lot of room for optimism in the future, he said. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The idea of having a ninth planet is interesting but remains unproven, according to NASA. Its a stirring thought: a planet around 10 times bigger than Earth orbiting the sun, lurking somewhere in the vicinity beyond Neptune. But no actual planet has been discovered yet and a NASA scientist cautioned against claiming its existence at this point. It is not, however, the detection of a new planet, NASA director of planetary sciences Jim Green clarified in a video released by the space agency. Its too early to say with certainty that there is a so-called Planet X out there. Planet 9 represents a theorized space body that, if it truly exists, is located somewhere around 20 times the distance of Neptune from the sun. Thus, it qualifies as part of the Kuiper Belt, a region of tiny, icy bodies. That region includes Pluto. According to a paper published in the Jan. 20 issue of The Astronomical Journal, there is an explanation behind the clustering and alignment of six of the icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt: a massive planet. Researchers Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin from the California Institute of Technology analyzed existing data on the six Kuiper Belt objects and made simulations of their orbits. Based on their simulations, the continuing alignment could be attributed to the gravitational effects of a planet that is about 30 billion kilometers (18.6 billion miles) from the sun, or 200 times the sun-Earth distance. Green said this new research fuel the interest in planetary exploration further. Its all about starting the process that could lead to an exciting result. Astronomers argued that if Planet 9 indeed exists, it should be quite easy to spot using telescopes that have detected other far-flung objects in the solar system. They urged gathering direct observational proof by scanning the sky where the planet is forecasted to be. Zach Rinehart, a sophomore engineering student from Alpharetta in Georgia, added to the skepticism by saying there is no solid evidence. I would rather call Pluto a planet before calling this planet a reality, he said in an interview. The search, however, may turn something up not necessarily a planet, but something that could be of great consequence in the study of the universe. My prediction is that the search will turn up something interesting, even if there is not a planet there, said J. Scott Shaw, a professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at the University of Georgia. Photo: Dmitri Boyarin | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Swiss scientists presented a cheap water purification process that remove water impurities by up to 99 percent and could solve the Flint water crisis. For at least a year, high levels of lead have contaminated Flint's water supply affecting over 100,000 residents, including children. The proposed technology is pretty straightforward. The new purification process uses a paper-like membrane that is packed with processed milk proteins and carbon that absorb radioactive waste, heavy metals and other industrial byproducts. The prototype was successful in lab tests at the Switzerland's Mezzenga lab in ETH Zurich. The real challenge now is to see if the prototype will stand the tests of real-life settings. Moreover, if it can be produced inexpensively in a bigger scale. Swiss scientist Raffaele Mezzenga worked on the two-year research that was published in the Nature Nanotechnology journal on Jan. 25. The debut is timely as it could help solve the lead pollution disaster that struck Flint, Michigan. Apart from lead, the Flint water crisis also left residents at risk of contaminating E. coli, Legionnaires' disease and other life-threatening chemicals. With no current solution, people are forced to rely on expensive bottled water or personally installed water filters, which are even more expensive. Mezzenga said that a kilogram of the paper-like membrane costs around $100 to produce. This amount is enough to filter more than the estimated amount of water one individual could drink his entire life. The prototype requires a vacuum to get the water through the filter and this could be done using a conventional hand pump. The production could also begin in just a few months. "It can be used basically anywhere. It's very cheap, and very fast," said Mezzenga. Mezzenga and his research partner Sreenath Bolisetty own the new technology's patent. They have received calls from several companies across industries but none from Flint. However, Rice University's civil and environmental engineering professor Qilin Li doubts that the proteins in Mezzenga's prototype can last a long time when subjected to more intense microbial and biological settings. Li also raised questions about the commercialization of the technology, saying it's hard to guess how much money will be spent in manufacturing and distributing the commercialized filters. Still, Li acknowledged the technology's ability to remove an impressionable amount of pollutant, adding that it is the most exciting aspect of the study. Photo: Mark Lee | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A meeting among World Health Organization (WHO) officers will be held to decide whether the ongoing Zika virus outbreak across Central America should be declared an international emergency. The meeting, to be held in Geneva, will tackle ways to curb the outbreak that was linked to birth defects among infants born to mothers infected with the mosquito-borne virus. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan is tasked to convene an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus. The meeting aims to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency that can cascade through many countries worldwide. This is amid scrutiny the health agency received because of its handling of the Ebola outbreak that ravaged through West Africa in 2014. "WHO clearly dropped the ball responding to the Ebola crisis, it took about five months to declare Ebola in West Africa a public health emergency," Prof Peter Piot, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said. "By any means this [Zika] is a public health emergency with the sheer numbers of people who are coming down with a flu-like syndrome, but particularly the complications," he added. Since WHO observed the increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations linked with Zika virus, it planned to conduct the meeting since the virus moved from a mild threat to a one of alarming proportions. Upon declaring Zika as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the outbreak will be considered a global threat wherein resources, experiments, researches and funds will be allotted in the effort to stem the outbreak. Zika virus spurred global panic since it was linked to babies being born with a birth defect, microcephaly. This condition is characterized by a smaller head for infants that may cause serious brain defects. WHO reports that the emergence of the virus in Brazil has been linked with a sudden increase in birth of babies with abnormally small heads and in some Guillain- Barre syndrome. Pregnant women are recommended to postpone their travel to an area with cases of Zika virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that returning pregnant travelers to undergo screening, testing and management. About 80 percent of patients infected with Zika virus do not exhibit symptoms but for others, they may experience fever, rash, body pain and red eyes during the acute phase of the infection. Photo: John Tann | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. It's been over 13 years since the first Harry Potter movie was released, but the cast of the hit film series have all but vague recollections about their first ever on-screen kisses. Fans may remember Cho Chang from Ravenclaw House who started dating Cedric Diggory in her fifth year at Hogwarts. She made her appearance during the fourth installment of the series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." Chang was played by Chinese-Scottish actress Katie Leung. Despite the great success of the film series, with seven out of eight movies ranked as the 50 highest grossing films of all time, Leung has some regret towards one of the most controversial scenes in the series her on-screen kiss with Daniel Radcliffe in the fifth movie installment, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." "I wish I never cut my hair the way I did," the 28-year-old actress said in an exclusive interview. Apart from her self-described "horrific haircut," Leung also recalls her first encounter with a major film production. "I remember being on set on the first day and being completely overwhelmed by how many people were involved," she added. "Just not having an idea of what it was like to be on a film set. I remember being really nervous and scared on the first day and consequently for another few months!" Cho is known to have been Harry Potter's first romantic interest, their love story caught in a "Triwizard" complication involving Diggory, played by "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson. The love of Harry's life, however, came in the form of a certain Ginny Weasley. Unlike Leung, actress Bonnie Wright, who began playing the role of the red-haired Gryffindor, said she would skip out on the chance to give advice to her 10-year-old self. "The idea of the unknown made it that much more special," she shared. "Being so young and being innocent about it enabled everything to be quite new. I think for all of us, we were all in the same boat. None of us really knew where it was going to head. The unknown to that was quite beautiful in a way." Ginny was the first female to be born into the Weasley family for several generations. During her first year in Hogwarts, she reopened the Chamber of Secrets, falling under the influence of Tom Riddle through his diary. She shares her first kiss with Potter in following Gryffindor's victory in the Quidditch Cup over Ravenclaw. In the epilogue, Ginny and Harry are shown to have three children: James, Albus and Lily. The exclusive interview was conducted at a three-day Celebration of Harry Potter event at Universal Orlando. The event was also attended by Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom). West coast fans may soon relive the Potter experience, with Universal Studios opening a theme park in Los Angeles. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Nokia has resolved a lengthy patent dispute with Samsung. However, investors are not happy with the financial terms of the deal. The International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce issued the award for the binding arbitration between Samsung and Nokia. As part of the settlement, Nokia is expecting to gain 1.3 billion euros, or about $1.4 billion, in cash between 2016 and 2018. However, the terms did not reveal the exact financial amount. Ramzi Haidamus, the President of Nokia Technologies, says that the best solution for settling differences between the two companies was by independent arbitration. Haidamus says that the company welcomes any compensation under the agreement. Kepler Cheuvreux' analyst, Sebastien Sztabowicz, estimates that the ruling may result in Nokia gaining 200 million to 250 million euros from Samsung. However, the award is less than what was expected by market observers. The patent licensing business of Nokia has an annual revenue of around 800 million euros. The technologies division of the Finnish telecommunication company, which licenses its patents, estimates Q4 2015 sales of around 400 million euros and full-year sales in 2015 of about 1.02 billion euros. Nokia's shares fell more than 10 percent after the company announced the deal with Samsung. "There have been expectations that Nokia could make more money with their patent portfolio than (rival) Ericsson.. This outcome did not support that... Estimates will be revised," says Sami Sarkamies, an analyst with Nordea. In 2014, Nokia sold its mobile phone business to Microsoft. After the acquisition, Nokia focused more on telecommunications network equipment while retaining a massive portfolio of handset patents. Relationships between companies in the telecom industry are complex. The popularity of smartphones is growing and manufacturers often have to rely upon mutual knowhow. However, sharing standards can also lead to disputes resulting in legal proceedings with businesses. In the past, companies such as Microsoft and Samsung were involved in similar disputes but they agreed to end the differences. Nokia has spent heavily in research and development over the last three decades and it manages more than 30,000 patents as well as patent applications that could potentially result in disputes with other companies. While Nokia believes that ending disputes with the help of an independent arbitrator is best practice, it may have adverse effects on its share value. Nokia has similar patent disputes with LG. The company is also about to start new talks with Apple. Photo: Tori Rector | Flickr 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A massive, unmanned cargo ship that has been adrift on the ocean is expected to crash into the coast of France within 48 hours unless last attempts to salvage it succeed on Feb. 1. Ferocious winds and six-meter waves made efforts to save the cargo ship impossible. Vice-Adm. Emmanuel De Oliveira of France's Atlantic Maritime Prefecture vowed their rescue team will do everything within their power to salvage the 535-foot Modern Express. "If this does not succeed, the Modern Express will run aground on the sandy coast ... between Monday night and Tuesday night," said De Oliveira. On Jan. 26, the cargo ship, a Panamanian-flagged freighter that was travelling from Gabon to the French port of Le Havre, started to tilt severely to one side. Its 22 crew members held on to the ship's topside railing until a Spanish helicopter could save them. After being rescued, the cargo ship had begun to drift wildly to the Bay of Biscay. Currently, the cargo ship is headed to crash in the Landes region, close to the the Landes de Gascone Regional Natural Park and a seaside resort known as Biarritz. The Landes region is a protected stretch of coastline, pine forest and wetlands. The ship carries 3,600 tons of timber and construction equipment. De Oliveira said the cargo would only cause "limited" environmental impact. However, the Modern Express also contains 300 tons of diesel fuel that could contaminate and the Landes coast. If the cargo ship does run aground, French officials had sworn to act quickly to prevent a catastrophe that would affect both the environment and people on the coast. "We would put in place [an emergency plan] on sea and land in order to process and filter pollutants if they were to be discharged," said De Oliveira. He said if there was a leak, the rescue team will confine the oil to beams and dams around the gas oil that flows to the sea. Then, they will treat this gas with absorbent and pumps, and quickly empty the diesel fuel from the ship as fast as possible. Authorities had also compared the Modern Express's 300-ton fuel hold to that of the Exxon Valdez, which had spilled roughly 35,000 tons of fuel. Meanwhile, the rescue team will take advantage of a milder weather on Feb. 1 as a last attempt to rein in the unmanned ship. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Being apex predators of the air make eagles rather territorial of the sky. That's precisely what Dutch police are preying on, training eagles how to snatch drones out of the air, as reported by Spectrum.IEEE.org. While the Federal Aviation Administration's mandatory drone registration put into effect in mid-December 2015 will certainly help limit pilots from misusing their quadcopters, there are bound to be those owners who use their drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for negative or dangerous purposes. That's why the Dutch National Police are training eagles to take down dangerous drones, releasing a video clip showing the apex predators scooping the machines right out of the air as if the quadcopters were prey. While Dutch police are training eagles to physically intercept drones in midflight out of the sky, they're also testing electronic solutions for dangerous aircrafts, according to Spectrum.IEEE.org. The website reports that the Dutch police are collaborating with the Guard From Above, a raptor-training organization in Denmark, to specifically train eagles to react to drones and deliver them back to a safety area. While such a practice would probably never be allowed in the United States due to concerns to protect eagles and the wear and tear that they would endure by constantly having to grab drones out of the air Dutch police will continue testing this practice, before deciding on a more permanent way of preventing pesky drones. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Players using the PlayStation Network began reporting an outage as of Monday morning, in spite of the PSN's status page stating that all services are up and running as normal. Reports of the outage began trickling in over at NeoGAF, with players posting about problems connecting to the network. Those forum posts also point out that others on social media have complained about not being able to connect to the network on Monday. The issue seems to affect players worldwide, with reports coming in from Germany, the U.K. and the U.S., among other countries. We tested out the network on the PlayStation 4 here in the U.S. and also could not connect. Instead, the blue connecting screen kept spinning for some time before an error popped up stating that the network was down for maintenance. The PlayStation Network status page, though, doesn't show that anything is amiss. Instead, the site posts a message that "all services are up and running." This is the second notable outage of the year, with the last happening on Jan. 4 and lasting for nearly 12 hours. Sony apologized for that outage and offered PlayStation Plus subscribers (who cannot play the free PlayStation Plus games that come with that subscription when the network is down) an extra day on their subscriptions. In December 2014, both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network got hacked, leaving those services down for many days. That left many players who received consoles over the holidays without a way to update those consoles or even use them. The hacking group Lizard Squad claimed responsibility for those attacks. With the "undergoing maintenance" message eventually popping up, it seems that Sony is possibly aware of the issue, but that would still make it odd that the PSN status page doesn't seem to realize that. Sony has, as of yet, not announced its awareness of the situation, but with players continuing to report problems, hopefully, if they don't know about it, they will soon and begin working on a fix. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Internet users are all too aware that words can sometimes be taken out of context. However, what if comments that you made result in someone accusing you of being a terrorist? Unfortunately, many Muslims face this issue and feel they are unable to talk about their faith online without fear of just such an accusation. These kinds of mischaracterizations led Yusuf Hassan, a Nigerian tech entrepreneur based in the UK, to create Tutlub, a social media network aimed specifically at being a safe space for Muslims on the Internet. Anti-Muslim hate has become a real issue around the world, especially with backlash related to the terrorist attacks in Paris and California, as well as people in a position of power like Donald Trump, who has even suggested that Muslims should be banned from entering the U.S. Despite this, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been vocal about the fact that Muslims are welcome on Facebook. Tutlub, however, is aimed at standing in contrast to fears that social media networks are being used by the likes of ISIS as a recruiting tool. It's a place for Muslims to discuss their faith and find curated content for Muslims. According to Hassan, the site will also monitor the spread of propaganda and try to counter it. Of course, Tutlub isn't the first social media network aimed specifically at Muslims, but Hassan says that its timing is right, as Muslims need a safe place online and people in countries like Nigeria have more Internet access. In addition, Tutlub will be monitored by Muslim community leaders and clerics, which may help solve the problem of indoctrination in having such people available for answering questions. At the heart of Tutlub is the news feed, which is where users will see prayers from those they follow. The equivalent to the "like" button on Facebook is the "Amin," or "Amen," button to like someone's prayer. Another feed will allow users to ask community leaders questions, and users can be ask anonymously if they want. Of course, some could misunderstand the new network as being aimed at further segregating Muslims from non-Muslims. Hassan suggests that that is not the idea of Tutlub and says that Muslims should also be part of other social networks. "Our aim is to help Muslims to be better Muslims, showcase the best examples of Muslims and also help vulnerable Muslims from [being] misled," said Hassan in an interview with CNet. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Drone manufacturer DJI makes some pretty interesting drones, but it seems like it aims to make some pretty interesting retail stores, too. The company has announced plans to build a second flagship retail store that's expected to open in March, and will span five stories and 870-square-meters (9,365 square feet), enabling users to see and try out firsthand the drones that the company has to offer. The store will be built in Seoul, South Korea, and follows on the heels of a store opened in Shenzen, China, in December. As in the first store, the new one will show off more than just the company's drones, also showcasing its range of cameras, including devices like the DJI Osmo, a 4K, 3-axis stabilized handheld camera. According to renders of the store, it seems as though it will have a wind tunnel-like structure for users to test out drones, just like in the Shenzen store. A spokesperson for the company said that it has no plans to continue to expand its retail store lineup. "For us, getting the retail experience right is far more important than the rapid opening of retail stores," said the spokesperson in an interview with Fast Company. "For now, we've selected two locations - Shenzhen and Seoul - where we see both opportunity to grow and to offer a hands-on, immersive experience for customers." Of course, it's not like the company needs retail stores to be dominant in the market. In fact, based on its estimates, it has so far been able to take over a whopping 70 percent of the drone sales market without brick-and-mortar stores. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Bill Gates was asked to choose the 8 records hed take with him to a desert island, here are his choices This Sunday, Microsoft co-founder and worlds richest man, Bill Gates appeared on BBC Radio 4s long-running Desert Island Discs show. If you were stranded on a desert island, which eight unmissable pieces of music would you want to take with you? Thats what the BBC asked Gates. The program invites guests to select the eight records they would take with them were they to be cast away on a desert island. Talking to Kirsty Young on Radio 4s Desert Island Discs, Gates shared his list in a rare personal interview. He goes through his musical choices, explaining their links to the people and the moments that changed his life. The castaways also choose a book and a luxury item. Heres are the records, book, and luxury item that Gates selected and why. Under Pressure, David Bowie and Queen Gates said: In my 20s and 30s I worked a lot, but a few Fridays and Saturdays wed go out and dance, so this kind of reminds me of those disco days with a bit of weekend freedom. In the early years of Microsoft, he took little time off and didnt go in for vacations, Young heard. Gates said he knew he should be careful not to judge fellow workers by his own standards. I knew everybodys license plate so I could look out the parking lot and see, you know, when people come in. Eventually, I had to loosen up, as the company got to a reasonable size. Blue Skies, Willie Nelson This was his favorite of the picks said Gates. He surprised her the night before his wedding to Melinda with a special performance from Nelson on a beach in Hawaii. My wife Melinda and I love Willie Nelson. So as a surprise gift for her, I had him show up the night before we got married. We were on a beach in Hawaii, and he kind of walked down the beach with his guitar, and I said, Well, here he is, lets have this guy sing some songs for us. Sing, Ed Sheeran This is a favorite of Gates 13-year-old daughter Phoebe. My kids who are 19, 16, and 13 refresh my musical taste by tuning the radio or calling up songs on their phones. And so this is one that my 13-year-old, Phoebe, happens to like. Are You Experienced, Jimi Hendrix Paul Allen, who had gone to the same high school as Gates, was the other co-founder of Microsoft. Gates said of this song: Because I was younger [Paul Allen], would sometimes taunt me with the title of this song Are You Experienced because I hadnt gotten drunk or other various things, so this is one of our favorites. One, U2 Gates said: When the [Bill & Melinda Gates] Foundation was just getting started around 2000, Paul [Allen] told me that I should meet Bono. And I didnt prioritize it because I thought a musician is not really going to understand this global health stuff. But we finally did get to meet and I was amazing about he had thought about it, read about it, so it started a partnership, and hes been absolutely amazing. Two of Us, The Beatles The Beatles track reminds Gates of arch-rival Steve Jobs, whose company Apple Inc. battled it out with Microsoft for dominance in the personal computer market. Gates said he chose this song because Jobs mentioned it when the two famously gave a joint interview not long before the Apple founders death. Steve was really into music, and he loved the Beatles, and so did I. And he actually mentioned the song, Two of Us, saying that was kind of like this journey wed been on where wed been competing and working together. How Can Love Survive, from The Sound of Music Gates said he chose this song because Melinda and I both love The Sound of Music, and as I met [investor and philanthropist] Warren Buffett, he and his first wife Susie sang a song from The Sound of Music. In fact, this is one wed never heard because it was in the Broadway musical and not in the movie. Its kind of a cute song, so Melinda and I think of this as one of our favorites. My Shot, from Hamilton Currently on Broadway, Gates said this song appealed because: Its about a young person saying, Hey, Im going to take a risk. Im going to get out there and try and do something new and different. His choice of book was: The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker In his analysis, Pinker, a Harvard professor of psychology, argues that over the centuries, people have gradually become much more humane, as the civilizing effect of manners, regard for others and self-restraint takes effect. In a blog post on his favorite reads of 2012, Gates says the nonfiction is one of the most important books Ive readnot just this year, but ever. Gates selected the Collection of Lectures DVD from The Learning Company as his luxury item. He said I suppose asking for an Internet connection is outside the rules. Source: Business Insider Hunting Drones : Dutch police to train eagles to take out drones from the sky The Dutch National Police is training eagles to capture drones flown by criminals and terrorists into restricted areas. A video reveals it is training these birds of prey to catch the menacing machines in mid-air, taking them down in one fell swoop. The police, counter-terrorism agency NCTB and the ministries of justice and defence are working on a range of measures to combat drones, broadcaster Nos says. Mark Wiebes, Innovation Manager of the National Unit of the police, said drone use is becoming more common, with people using them to take photographs, for example. But they can be dangerous if they fall from the sky above crowds of people. Drones with built-in cameras also pose privacy risks. There are situations in which drones are not allowed to fly. This has almost always to do with security, he added. As you can see in the video above, the eagle quickly grabs the drone, seizing control from whoever is holding the remote and bringing it to the ground. The project is still in test phase but a spokesman said there was a very real possibility that birds of prey could be used. The bird sees the drone as prey and takes it to a safe place, a place where there are no other birds or people, Weibes said. That is what we are making use of in this project. Everyone can get hold of a drone, and that includes people who want to misuse them, police spokesman Michel Baeten told Nos. It is a multifunctional piece of equipment and that means you can launch an attack with them as well. The eagles have been sourced from raptor training company Guard From Above, a bird of prey training company in Denmark to test the raptors intelligence and accuracy. This means that they are going to be well looked after and comfortable with their handlers. The eagles are being trained to identify and catch quadcopters, which are proving increasingly popular. Mr Wiebe explained: The bird sees the drone as prey and takes it to a safe area, a place where he does not suffer from other birds or humans. We use [this instinct] in this project. However, there is one issue with an eagle going up against a drone is the potential for injury. The multiple rotors each drone has spin very fast and point upwards, meaning they could slice into the eagles leg or talons. In the video, one of the handlers says that the scales on the eagles legs and feet keeps them safe. To allay this concern, there is a chance the eagles could wear armour while patrolling the skies for drones, IEEEs Spectrum reported. As well as birds of prey, officials are also looking into the use of high-tech detention systems and equipment which can remotely take over control of a drone. Another potential measure could be a drone which is programmed to fire at or capture an enemy drone. According to the Dutch Police, these tests should last a few months, at which point they will decide whether using the eagles in this way is an effective and appropriate means of preventing unwanted drone use. Microsoft swims to oceans depth to test underwater data center as environmentally friendly cloud computing alternative In an effort to reduce data center energy consumption and heat emission, Microsoft revealed Project Natick, an enthralling research initiative that could bring cloud computing infrastructure closer to big cities near large bodies of water by putting data centers underwater. Microsofts vision is to see self-contain data centers placed hundreds of feet below sea level removing the biggest cost of running these operations on land air conditioning. Using the naturally cold environments of the ocean, Microsoft hopes to help continue to boost the adoption of cloud computing by businesses around the globe. The vision of operating containerized data centers offshore near major population centers anticipates a highly interactive future requiring data resources located close to users, Microsoft says on its Project Natick website. Deep water deployment offers ready access to cooling, renewable power sources, and a controlled environment. Microsoft isnt running any Web services, like Office 365, through data center infrastructure inside of these capsules. But Microsoft did build one codenamed Leona Philpot, a character from their Halo video game, the prototype of an underwater data center has been successfully tested for 105 days at a depth of 30 feet in the Pacific Ocean in 2015. The Redmond-based company foresees these capsules which are fully recyclable typically remaining underwater for five years at a time. They would then be brought to the surface, have the servers replaced, and sunk again for another five years. The entire lifespan of the capsule is estimated to be 20 years, after which it would be recycled and a new capsule would take its place. Project Natick reflects Microsofts ongoing quest for cloud data center solutions that offer rapid provisioning, lower costs, high responsiveness, and are more environmentally sustainable, Microsoft explains on the website for the project. For a company at Microsofts scale or any scale, it is an unusual and forward-looking way to operate its core data center infrastructure. Major web companies like Google and Facebook are now focusing on using aircraft to deliver the Internet to people, and that has taken up some of the spotlight on research into new or better ways to deliver services to people. But the servers, storage, and networking equipment have got to live somewhere. Microsofts goal with Project Natick is sustainability, with the Redmond giant stating that the data centers do not create any waste products. As theyre unmanned and submerged, they also do not require any cooling solutions, with power generation for the servers provided through a turbine or a tidal energy system. One might think putting data centers in an ocean might have environmental repercussions. But Microsoft is indicating that nothing like that happened in the initial experiment. During our deployment of the Leona Philpot vessel, sea life in the local vicinity quickly adapted to the presence of the vessel, Microsoft says on the Project Natick website. Now Microsoft is looking to advance the research by building larger capsules. According to John Markoff of the New York Times, people working on the project have begun developing one three times as large as the first. The project itself is still in the research stages, but it could be a forward-looking solution to deal with the rising energy demands at data centers. Buscan a la hija del "Coco" Basile La Justicia lo dispuso en el marco de la causa en la que se investigan las amenazas y los mensajes violentos difundidos en redes sociales por esa agrupacion. La policia busca a una cuarta persona para detener: Sabrina Basile, miembro del grupo e hija de el exdirector tecnico de Boca, Racing y la Seleccion nacional. 13:48 | The strength of sterling also remained a challenge. "Even after recent easing in the exchange rate, a number of manufacturers are still finding that the strength of the pound against the euro is impacting order inflows," he said. One investor was quoted by the state news agency as saying: "If I put 100,000 yuan in to the bank, I only get about 2,000 yuan in interest. But at Ezubao, I was guaranteed interest of 14.6pc, so I will earn about 14,000 yuan." UKs largest companies are meeting Lord Davies diversity targets by appointing more women as non-executive directors, it has emerged, but they are still failing to make the same progress on female representation among company directors. According to a report from the Quoted Companies Alliance, headhunter Norman Broadbent, and accountancy firm BDO, FTSE 100 firms now have more than three non-execs (NEDs) for every executive director, up from just two in 2010, and are seeking to get more and more women into these roles. In 2015, almost a third of all FTSE 100 NEDs were women, and a quarter of FTSE 250 non-execs. Women continue to be poorly represented in main board and board committee positions, the report said. And there are big differences in the length of tenure and the number of chair positions individuals hold. We've noticed you're adblocking. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Thank you for your support. About Me Alan Ross Radio program Caffe Latte began on JOY 94.9 FM (in Melbourne, Australia) in Sept. 1997 through to July 2012. Caffe Latte is now back on JOY Sundays 11 am - 1 pm (Aust. Eastern Time) & can be heard online all over the world and as a podcast on various media platforms. Check back here for my Top 10 current tracks of the week; the latest countdowns; this month's new addition to the Gay & Lesbian Icons & Anthems Gallery; the earlier versions of hit songs, retro in the Time Capsule posts and more. Check out the Caffe` Latte` playlists available on spotify. Become a follower. All images used on this website are the copyright of the respective copyright holder and are used on this site for educational or informative purposes only. View my complete profile Blog Archive Getting charged for paying by card is one of those things that always feels patently unfair. If you're going to run a business, then you need to take your customers' money somehow. It's ridiculous to penalise people for paying you. Presumably, most companies also need to keep the lights on in their office, or pay an accountant to do their taxes each year. These aren't things that customers get itemised charges for - so why should it be ok to get a charge for paying by card? It's just a cost of being in business. How insurers are fleecing e-cigarette users 50m lost because watchdogs 'did nothing One of my proudest moments as a consumer campaigner was blowing the lid off part of this scandal a few years back. I was working at Which?, and persuaded my colleagues to use the organisation's special powers to launch a so-called "super-complaint" (or "super-dooper complaint" as Ryanair was fond of calling it). This forced the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to look at an issue where we thought consumers were being mistreated. The OFT agreed that things needed to change, and soon enough new rules were being put in place, preventing companies from passing on any more than the cost of processing a card transaction. She was expected to announce her candidacy at 3pm, but has delayed standing. MPs close to her camp say there is a feeling the party needs more time and that the decision is such an important one it cannot be rushed. Fifty MPs are expected to back Ms Eagle, the former shadow business secretary, triggering a bruising leadership contest that could last months. However, former shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith is also said to be considering a challenge and has reportedly collected nominations from dozens of MPs. A YouGov poll for The Times suggested that Mr Corbyn might win a leadership contest, but his support had fallen away since May. The survey, carried out between Monday and Thursday as the embattled leader struggled to maintain his position, found 50 percent of Labour members surveyed would vote for Mr Corbyn but 47 percent would not - down from the 64-33 percent lead in May. The YouGov poll indicated that Mr Corbyn would beat Ms Eagle by 50 percent to 40 percent if they went head to head. Despite the mayhem within the Labour ranks in Westminster, 51 percent of the party's members believed Mr Corbyn was doing well, with 48 percent saying he was doing badly. Some 44 percent said he should step down now as leader of the Labour Party, according to the study, but 60 percent said he should lead the party into the next general election. The Labour leaders office is confident they can see off the challenge by recruiting 100,000, 3 temporary members, gaining funding from the unions and deploying supporters from Momentum, the pro-Corbyn activist group. British scientists have been granted permission to genetically modify human embryos by the fertility regulator. The Francis Crick Institute could begin the controversial experiments as early as March after the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) gave the green light this morning. The scientists want to deactivate genes in leftover embryos from IVF clinics to see if it hinders development. It will only be the second time in the world that such a procedure has been undertaken and the first time it has been directly approved by a regulator. A Chinese team carried out similar experiments last year to widespread outcry. The former Goldman Sachs chief economist is pleased that China is giving more importance to supply-side reforms. "It seems to us that the supply-side structural reforms on many sectors is something that China needs to do and it is really encouraging that the government is talking about this as the way it is and I hope it will continue to adjust in a way that the latest data shows it is adjusting," he said. A council's computer systems were closed down for almost a week after acyber attack in which the attackers demanded a 350 ransom. Lincolnshire County Council refused to pay the money and its network was immediately shut down so it could not be compromised, according to reports. The malware attack was triggered last Tuesday when a specific email was opened. The demand was made using ransomware, which encrypts data on infected machines and only unscrambles it if victims pay a fee. Bristol bus timetable hacked by terrorists Judith Hetherington-Smith, from the council, told the BBC: "We are not going to pay... we wouldn't pay a ransom fee." She said that since the attack, council staff had been making "lots of phone calls", having "lots of human contact" and making use of pen and paper. "As of Monday morning, as staff come back to work, we are expecting to be pretty close to normal," she added. JD Wetherspoon database of 656,723 punters hit by cyber attack The ransomware attack had asked for an initial $500 in the digital currency Bitcoin and threatened the amount would increase over time if this was not paid, according to Mrs Hetherington Smith. The council scanned and checked 458 servers and 70 terabytes of data "to make sure it's clean" as well as all of its anti-virus and other security measures. The Gonfreville refinery and the Feyzin depot are the last two places where the protests started on Sept. 27 are still continuing. | Read More Kapu's Temporarily Withdraws Agitation The Kapu reservation agitation launched in Tuni in East Godavari district by the former minister Mudragada Padmanabham took a violent turn with thousands of supporters setting a train and a police station on fire. After blocking national highway for the whole night Mudhragadda Padmanabham finally withdrew his agitation. Mudhragadda who was blocking national highway with his vehicle since morning, announced withdrawing the agitation. He set a deadline till Monday afternoon for government to fulfill its promise. He threatened to sit for a fast unto death if the promise is not kept by then. The motto of this is a demand for immediate solution to the long-pending reservation issue. With situation going out of control, additional forces were rushed to the tuni region. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu called an emergency meeting of his cabinet colleagues and top officials in Vijayawada. News Posted: 31 January, 2016 Kapu's Row: Key Excerpts from Pawan Speech The burning of the Ratnanchal Express at Tuni in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh turned as hot debate in political circles. Power star Pawan Kalyan, who is from the Kapu community and played a key role in getting Kapu support to the TDP in 2014 elections spoke to media on the raging violence in East Godavari following the agitation by the Kapu community. Pawan said that he was deeply saddened with Kapu agitation issue. Pawan said there could be some anti-social elements behind the arson that took place at Tuni during the Kapus reservation agitation on Sunday. Pawan said the attack on train could not have been done by the agitators, but it must have been the handiwork of some organized anti-social elements. "Burning of a train would not happen with a match stick or two. And it won't happen at the spur of a moment. Only organized anti-social elements can do such acts," Power Star said. Below are key experts from Pawan speech Kapus reservation is not something, which can be done in a single day. Kapus are in BCs in Telangana and Uttarandhra. Only in Rayalaseema and Coastal regions, Kapus are out of BCs. The issue was not new and the community was under BC list for several decades until it was removed from the list in 1956. The people of the community strongly feel that they need reservations. I prefer national integration. I do not stress on any particular caste Reservation issue has been there, since the British period. Why is the government delaying its decision? Political leaders should be responsible and every party should come forward and fight for the rights. Whenever there is law and order problem, I will surely come forward and express my views on it. However, like in several issues, Pawan skipped questions by the media. Pawan said, "I don't have a clear understanding of the reservations issue," and vanished from the spot when they insisted on his clear view on the issue. News Posted: 1 February, 2016 The six main airports of Thailand reached a record number of passengers last year : 110 million, or 21.3% more than in 2014. The opening of Terminal 2 at Don Mueang airport could allow an even greater number of passengers this year. Thailands six main airports saw robust growth in passenger traffic of 21.3% in 2015, setting a new record of just under 110 million, reflecting the marked upturn in Thailands tourism industry. Aircraft movements (take-offs and landings) surged in tandem by 16.6% from the previous year to 727,750, according to figures from the Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT). Such growth is partly made possible with the expansion at Bangkoks Don Mueang in Bangkok and Phuket airports. Don Mueangs renovated terminal 2 is due to start full operation next month, ramping up its official passenger handling capacity to 30 million a year from 18.5 million.Also next month, the long-delayed expansion of Phuket airport should be completed, doubling its annual passenger processing capacity to 12.5 million from the current 6.5 million. Thailand managed to attract just under 30 million international visitors in 2015, according to final figures released by the Tourism Department. These 29,881,091 foreign arrivals represented an increase of 20.4% over the 24.81 million who visited in 2014, statistics posted on the departments website showed. The Thailand tourism industry has been defiantly strong despite challenges such as the Bangkok bombing at a busy central intersection last August which killed 20 and injured more than 120 people, reported Reuters. This performance has a lot to do with the influx of Chinese tourists arriving in Thailand, with visitor numbers to the kingdom surging over the past year at one of the fastest rates in the Asia-Pacific region. Arrivals from China soared 71% last year to 7.93 million, representing 26.5% of all international tourists. Growth from East Asia overall was 36%, helped by a strong performance from Malaysia, up 31% to 3.42 million and accounting for 11% of all visitors. Japan and Korea each accounted for 4.6% of the total with arrivals from the former up 9% and the latter up 22.3%. Source: AoT airports set new record in passenger traffic | Bangkok Post: news Venezuelas Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino faces an uphill battle persuading Russia and Saudi Arabia to cooperate in cutting oil production amid a supply glut that has pushed prices down more than 30 percent in the past year, according to analysts Robin Mills and Edward Bell. Concern that U.S. shale producers would benefit from any increase in oil prices following a potential cut is one factor that will keep Saudi Arabia and Russia from agreeing to a reduction in output, according to Mills, chief executive officer of Dubai-based oil consultant Qamar Energy, and Bell, commodities analyst at lender Emirates NBD PJSC. Del Pino will meet Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak in Moscow Monday before traveling to Qatar, Iran and Saudi Arabia, the worlds largest oil exporter. Theres a minimal chance the Venezuelans will get them to agree to anything, Mills said by phone on Sunday. I dont think the conditions are there for an agreement. Possible meeting Venezuela approached Russia about a possible meeting between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and producers such as Russia that are outside the group, Novak said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday. Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro said on Union Radio Sunday that OPEC and non-OPEC countries are close to an agreement, without specifying what kind of agreement. Venezuela has repeatedly called for OPEC members to meet as slumping oil prices sap government revenue. Brent crude has dropped from $115 a barrel in June 2014 to less than $30 last month. OPEC with its de facto leader Saudi Arabia supply about 40 percent of the worlds oil. The group pumped in January at the highest level since 1996, when Bloomberg began compiling data, as it reactivated Indonesias membership. The Saudis may want to take some oil off the market, Mills said. They can talk to the Russians, they can talk to the Venezuelans, they can talk to the Nigerians, but they cant talk to shale. OPEC meetings Members of OPEC hold twice-yearly meetings to discuss market conditions, whereas the U.S. shale industry involves thousands of private firms working alongside the worlds largest oil companies. That makes it impossible for the U.S. to agree on production cuts, Mills and Bell said. Any decrease in output that results in higher oil prices would benefit the U.S., they said. OPEC decided last month to abandon its previous 30 million-barrel-a-day production target. The group is seeking to maintain market share by pushing higher-cost producers out of the market, Mills said. Any effort to coordinate cuts is complicated by Saudi Arabias goal of defending sales and Russias inability to rein in production in winter months, when output cuts can damage fields. Bell sees signs that demand will rise this year and provide support for prices. A fundamentals-driven re-balancing is going to have an effect, and markets will start to recover by the end of the year, Bell said by phone from Dubai. The message from this region is its going to be a difficult process, but were going to ride it out. Insurance companies are shaping as the next battlefront in the local fossil fuels divestment fight. Australia's big four banks were the main targets last year, but activist groups say insurance companies are as important as banks in divestment, and fossil fuel companies cannot operate without them. Activists all want insurers to address climate and carbon in their annual reports more comprehensively. Credit:Simone De Peak Julien Vincent, lead campaigner at Market Forces, clsaid the country's major insurers, and regulator APRA, have "their heads in the sand on climate change". Divestment campaigners will try to put pressure on the insurance sector "by forcing the industry to have an honest, public conversation about the realities of climate change hurting their sector". Kathmandu's decision to fight off a hostile $324 million takeover offer has been vindicated following a strong rebound in sales and earnings over Christmas and January, shareholders say. Kathmandu shares jumped 11.5 per cent or 16 to a two-month high of $1.54 on Monday after the outdoor clothing retailer upgraded first-half profit forecasts. Kathmandu CEO Xavier Simonet has upgraded the adventure clothing retailer's full-year profit forecasts. Credit:Josh Robenstone The company now expects earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation between $NZ21 million ($19 million) and $NZ22 million for the six months ended January 31 well above market consensus forecasts about $NZ8.9 million and EBITDA of $NZ6.8 million a year ago. Earnings before interest and tax are expected to be between $NZ14.5 million and $NZ15.5 million, compared with consensus forecasts about $NZ1.68 million and reported EBIT of $NZ0.6 million a year ago. Amal Clooney is a moral mercenary. She's a lawyer. As the fiancee and then wife of George Clooney, she was thrust into a global spotlight, where she has been cast as a moral paragon, a human rights crusader for the downtrodden. Clooney is also Amal Alamuddin, Oxford-educated, fee-charging lawyer who works both sides of the human rights contest. Acting for the defence of her latest client, Clooney has engaged in some questionable advocacy. It is one thing to proclaim your client's innocence, it is quite another to misrepresent the facts. In an opinion piece published in The Guardian on April 30 last year, Clooney wrote that one of her clients, a former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, had been removed from power by an armed coup: "His presidency was cut short in February 2012 when he was forced to resign at gunpoint." The stuffed toys are among friends in their neat shelves. Credit:Justin McManus The Seatons took over the business 25 years ago from its founder, Ada Schmidt, and stuffed it full of nostalgia for three generations of families and international tourists. Neatly and beautifully displayed are tin spinning tops, miniature Mary Bears, a three-metre teddy bear with a $350 price tag and a $1300 porcelain doll made in Germany in the 1930s with ball-jointed composition. Everyone from great-grandmothers to Britney Spears have delighted in this life-size doll house. But for Mr Kennett the golliwog is the main event. He has about 50 in a collection he began 60 years ago. He loves them, perhaps, because they don't answer back or mimic him. Mr Kennett, leader of the unofficial Golliwog Liberation Party, told Fairfax Media that he believes the Australian of the Year, David Morrison, should stand up for golliwogs as part of his commitment to inclusion, diversity and gender equality. "I hope he will give all golliwogs and golliwog lovers great hope that by the end of his term, golliwogs will again be able to walk the streets freely without being abused," Mr Kennett said. Mr Kennett, premier between 1992 and 1999, also hinted, tongue-firmly-in-cheek, that he might consider standing for office again. Lisa Seaton never gets stressed at work because there's always a toy to hug. Credit:Justin McManus "If I stood as an advocate for the liberation of the golliwog and for probably culling possums, I think I'd be overwhelmingly re-elected," he said. It appears that the opinionated drill sergeant is back on the Kool Mints, though he lowered the dose by adding: "[But] if I stood again, I would have to give up looking after the golliwog." The golly, with its thick lips and corkscrew hair, has long drawn the ire of those who dislike racial stereotyping. Fifteen years ago, British jam maker, Robertson's ditched its golly motif after a long-running campaign. Jeff Kennett's happy golliwog collection. When Oprah Winfrey came to Melbourne in 2010, it was reported in the tabloid media that Dafel had to remove a "Mamee" washer woman doll to avoid offending the TV star during a cocktail party in the Block Arcade. Speaking about their three-quarter-of-a-century milestone, Dafel's owners Lisa Seaton and her mother Pauline say those stories were wrong. At the time, Mr Kennett, defended the dolls and when the Seatons sent the former premier one as a thank-you, he rang to thank them. Dafels, which celebrates its 75th anniversary on Monday, has provided a comforting haven since 1941. If you're having a horrid day just walk into the store and you'll find shelves of therapeutic stuffed toys to hug. You can even burst into tears and tell them everything, because they will always listen. Bears are lovingly put into the coffins of their dead loved ones. When a dog dies, a stuffed one takes its place. You feel right at home when Pauline Seaton greets you with: "Hello doll." Humans play by the rules in Dafel when a sign says: "No parking anytime, except for bears." You even wish you were a toy because there are off-site doll and teddy hospitals to repair worn-out parts, as well as and a fashion department for made-to-measure outfits. Dafel's longevity in the $875 million toy and games industry is testament to quality toys from France, Germany and Spain fending off mass-produced ones from China, along with video games, computer games and iPhones. "It's still very nice to see children playing with dolls and not technology," Lisa Seaton says. And reassuring to know is that a report by business information analysts IBISWorld shows traditional toys and games command a 53 per cent market share after electronic toys and games with 45 per cent. He added that he did not know Ms Davidson but that, in checking with his staff, he was told she was a disgruntled employee. "My people tell me she did a terrible job." He criticised The New York Times for reporting the complaint the day before the caucuses, adding, "A story like this could damage my chances." Mr Trump also said he'd heard "some very strange reports about her. She goes around dressing like Melania, my wife." Ms Davidson had recruited volunteer organisers for most of her region's 63 precincts and had opened a Trump campaign field office, only the second in the state. She was fired on January 14, the day after a New York Times article portrayed problems with the campaign's senior Iowa leadership, to whom she reported. In her complaint, Ms Davidson wrote that she was told she was fired for making "disparaging comments about senior campaign leaders to third parties" and breaking a nondisclosure clause in her employment contract. She denied saying anything disparaging about campaign leaders to the news media. Ms Davidson was described in the Times article as one of the campaign's most effective organisers and was quoted as she tried to enlist supporters to volunteer as precinct leaders during a Trump rally in Ottumwa on January 9. Elsewhere in the article, the campaign was described as "amateurish and halting, committing basic organising errors". Ms Davidson's complaint states that men with the same job title - district representatives - were quoted in news accounts without being fired by the Trump campaign. Her complaint continues that she was the only woman with that title and that men with the same title were also paid more. In an interview, Ms Davidson said she was paid $US2000 a month and was classified as a part-time worker because she also had a job as a paralegal. But she said another field representative, Marc Elcock, was paid more, even though he, too, had a day job as a lawyer. According to the Trump campaign's public filings, several men who held the title of district representative, including Mr Elcock, were paid $US3500 to $US4000 a month. Mr Trump's alleged remark to Ms Davidson and a female volunteer that they could "do a lot of damage" occurred when they were introduced to him in the summer, according to the complaint, which included no other details about the exchange. Ms Davidson's complaint concludes, "As a result of this discrimination I have suffered lost wages, mental anguish and damage to my career." Betsey Tibbetts, a former volunteer who replaced Ms Davidson in Davenport, said she knew nothing about why Ms Davidson was fired. "I'm not allowed to talk to you guys," she said. Ms Davidson's lawyer, Dorothy O'Brien, said the complaint would trigger an investigation by the Davenport civil rights agency. After 60 days, Ms Davidson would have the option of continuing to let the agency investigate or filing a suit in state court. Ms Davidson said in an interview in the summer that she was urged to get involved by Trump aides who said his campaign needed young people, and that she had first met Mr Trump when he visited Davenport in early 2015, before he announced his candidacy. For years, numerous media reports said Trump graduated first in his class from Wharton, but that's wrong. The 1968 commencement program does not list him as graduating with any sort of honours. In fact, the Boston Globe reported that he barely made an impression at all: "His former classmates said he seemed a student who spoke up a lot but rarely shined in class, who barely participated in campus activities, shunned fraternity parties." 2. "I have the world's greatest memory" Donald Trump on Sunday. Credit:Bloomberg One of Trump's most controversial claims is that he saw a television news report about thousands of Muslims in New Jersey cheering the collapse of the World Trade Centre in 2001. That statement ended up on the Washington Post Fact Checker's list of 2015's biggest Pinocchios. Trump insisted he was right because he has such a great memory. But no television network could find such a clip though extensive searches were made. No news reports were tracked down to validate Trump's claim of "thousands". The closest thing ever found was a local newscast at the time, from a CBS affiliate in New York, that reported on the arrest of eight men who neighbours said had celebrated the attack. That's a far cry from thousands. There were also video clips of several Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territories cheering. But that wasn't New Jersey - and again, it wasn't thousands. Donald Trump Jr., right, with his father, Donald Trump, centre, and his brother, Eric Trump, left in Las Vegas in January. Credit:AP 3. "I'm proud of my net worth. I've done an amazing job" Trump frequently touts his financial acumen. He often says he is worth $US10 billion, though most analysts say that is exaggerated. Bloomberg News closely studied his 92-page financial disclosure report and concluded that he is really worth $US2.9 billion. Donald Trump is very proud to claim that his wife Melania looks better than the wife of his Republican rival Ted Cruz. Credit:AP That may sound like a lot of money. But don't forget that Trump inherited a lot of money, too about $US40 million in 1974. In 1978, his net worth was estimated by BusinessWeek at $US100 million. The Post's Wonkblog calculated that if Trump had gotten out of real estate, put his money in an index fund based on the Standard & Poor's 500 index and reinvested the dividends, he'd be worth twice as much $US6 billion today. National Journal noted that Warren Buffett was also worth $US40 million in 1974 and he managed to turn that into $US67 billion today. But then Buffett doesn't have a long list of business flops, such as Trump Airlines, Trump Vodka, various Trump casinos, Trump Steaks and Trump University. 4. "I'm self-funding my campaign" The private Boeing 757 jet owned by Donald Trump makes a bold statement of wealth and power. Credit:Bloomberg Trump keeps saying that unlike his rivals, he's paying for his own presidential campaign, but that's largely false. At the start of his campaign, he loaned his political operation $US1.8 million. As of October 1, he had given his campaign an additional $US104,829.27 but he had also received $US3.9 million from donors, which accounted for the vast majority of the $US5.8 million his campaign had taken in by then. His campaign website features a prominent "donate" button on its homepage. Trump has spent $US5.4 million, and interestingly, about one-quarter of his spending has gone to Trump-owned entities (mainly his private jet company). In January, Trump launched an ad campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire, saying he planned to spend $US2 million. He also claimed that his campaign was $US35 million to $US40 million below budget. Ultimately, all of his spending and where the money came from will have to be disclosed in campaign finance reports. The odds are his personal share of the spending will be less than 50 per cent. Donald Trump's inflammatory rhetoric about Mexicans has led to the production of pinatas depicting him. Credit:AP 5. "I'm probably the least racist person on Earth" When people have criticised Trump for promising to build a wall on the US-Mexico border or proposing a ban on all Muslims from entering the country, he has defended himself by saying he's not motivated by racism. Still, he has a pattern of racially tinged remarks and actions. The very first article about Trump in the New York Times it appeared 42 years ago was headlined Major Landlord Accused Of Antiblack Bias in City. Trump was quoted saying the charges in a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department against the company he and his father ran were "absolutely ridiculous". The sides settled - but three years later, the Justice Department charged Trump's organisation with continuing to discriminate against blacks. When five black and Latino teenagers were implicated in a brutal attack on a white woman jogging in Central Park in 1989, Trump took out full-page newspaper ads calling for the death penalty for "criminals of every age". The suspects were convicted but later exonerated by DNA evidence - and Trump then called their wrongful-conviction settlement a "disgrace". Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino President John O'Donnell, in the 1991 book Trumped alleged that Trump once said that "laziness is a trait in blacks". He also claimed Trump said, of his accountants: "Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day." (Trump has called O'Donnell a disgruntled employee, but he has not disputed the remarks. "The stuff O'Donnell wrote about me is probably true," he told Playboy in an interview published in May 1997.) The Australian Education Union and advocacy groups have called on the ACT government to increase the number of counsellors and psychologists in Canberra's schools. In an open letter to Chief Minister Andrew Barr, union branch secretary Glenn Fowler is joined by eight co-signatories from education and welfare organisations including the ACT Council of Parents and Citizens' Associations, the ACT Council of Social Service and the ACT Youth Coalition. The panel was commissioned after a 10-year-old boy with autism was locked in a cage in a Canberra primary school in 2015. Together the group has called for a boost in the number of qualified school psychologists, counsellors and other mental health professionals working in the territory education system to better support the mental health and learning of students. "There are schools in the ACT with nearly one thousand adolescents where the school psychologist is part-time," the letter said. As a volunteer foster dog carer Helen Shannon has become used to watching her furry friends go off and join new families. But sometimes it's too hard to give them up as was the case when she and pet greyhound Max met Poppy, a mini foxie cross she fostered in 2010. Foster dog carer for ACT Rescue and Foster, Helen Shannon with her dogs Max the greyhound and Poppy the mini Fox Terrier cross (blue collar) with Robbie a Jack Russell terrier currently up for adoption. Credit:Graham Tidy. "The two of them bonded really well and they slept together and we just usually liked her," she said. "Some special ones you really don't want them to go but you can't keep them all. A Indigenous inmate who was viciously bashed while on remand in custody for multiple traffic offences has been sentenced in the ACT Magistrates court. When sentencing Steven Freeman to 18 months in prison, Magistrate Peter Morrison said a jail term "weighed more heavily" on him than other inmates because of the attack. Steven Freeman has been sentenced to 18 months in prison. Freeman, 24, nearly died when he was bashed at the Alexander Maconochie Centre last April, kept alive by prison officers, who performed first aid and resuscitated him. A court later heard how a CCTV camera was turned away from the front of the inmate's cell before he was viciously bashed. Today, February 1 is the feast of St. Brigid of Ireland, a fifth century convert to Christianity, who was inspired by the preaching of St Patrick. As an abbess and Catholic nun, she founded a double monastery, of monks and nuns, at Kildare, the first womens monastic community in Ireland. St. Brigid is the patron saint of: babies, children whose parents are not married, dairy workers, midwives, nuns, poets, poultry farmers, printing presses, sailors, scholars, and travelers. Brigid is often called the Mary of the Gael.Around 453 AD, a child was born out of wedlock between Dubhtach and one of his Christian slaves named Brocessa. The slave girl was sent to a cabin at the foot of the Cooley Mountains near Dundalk, Co Louth, to have the child. The baby was a healthy girl which was no great joy to Dubhtach who wanted a son. The mother was sold to a Chieftain in Connaught, and the child was given to a Druid to be raised and educated.As a child, Brigid vomited when the Druid tried to feed her. She was nourished solely by the milk of a white cow with red ears. During her life, Brigid performed many miracles, including healing and feeding the poor. According to one story, she once gave away her mother's entire store of butter to the poor. The butter was then miraculously replaced in answer to Brigid's prayers.At the age of ten, she was returned as a household slave to her father, where her charitable and generous nature caused her to donate his possessions to anyone who asked. Dubthach was so angry with her that he took her in a chariot to the king of Leinster, to sell her. However, while Dubthach was speaking to the king, Brigid gave away his jeweled sword to a beggar to exchange it for food to feed his family. The king acknowledged her holiness and convinced Dubthach to give his daughter her freedom.The exact circumstance of her conversion to Christianity is unknown, though it is certain that her Christian mother was a guiding influence.Around 480, Brigid founded a monastery at Kildare, "Church of the Oak", on the site of an older pagan shrine to the Celtic goddess Brigid. The site chosen was under a large oak tree. Brigid, with a group of seven companions, founded the first consecrated religious order for women in Ireland. She founded two monastic institutions, one for men, and the other for women, and invited Conleth, a hermit, to assist her in Kildare as spiritual pastor. Conleth subsequently became the Bishop of Kildare. Thus, for centuries, Kildare was ruled by a double line of abbot-bishops and of abbesses, with the Abbess of Kildare serving as superior general of the monasteries in Ireland.Brigids wisdom and generosity became legend, and people traveled from all over the country to share her wisdom. Her monastery at Kildare became one of the greatest centers of learning in Europe. She continued her holy and charitable work until her death in 525 AD, when she was laid to rest in a jeweled casket at Kil Dara. In 835, her remains were moved to protect them from Norse invaders, and interred in the same grave that holds the remains of St Patrick and St Columcille at Downpatrick.Many miracles have been attributed to St. Brigid that involve physical healing. For example, on one occasion, Brigid was travelling to see a physician for her headache. She stayed at the house of a couple who had two mute daughters. The daughters were travelling with Brigid when her horse startled, causing her to fall off and injure her head on a rock. When the girls touched her bloodied wound, they were both healed."I would like the angels of Heaven to be among us. I would like an abundance of peace. I would like full vessels of charity. I would like rich treasures of mercy. I would like cheerfulness to preside over all. I would like Jesus to be present. I would like the three Marys of illustrious renown to be with us. I would like the friends of Heaven to be gathered around us from all parts. I would like myself to be a rent payer to the Lord; that I should suffer distress, that he would bestow a good blessing upon me. I would like a great lake of beer for the King of Kings. I would like to be watching Heaven's family drinking it through all eternity."St. Brigid,You were a woman of peace.You brought harmony where there was conflict.You brought light to the darkness.You brought hope to the downcast.May the mantle of your peace cover those who are troubled and anxious,And may peace be firmly rooted in our hearts and in our world.Inspire us to act justly and to reverence all God has made.Brigid you were a voice for the wounded and the weary.Strengthen what is weak within us.Calm us into a quietness that heals and listens.May we grow each day into greater wholeness in mind, body and spirit.Amen. Property developer and funds manager Charter Hall has seen its founder and joint managing director David Southon step down leaving the next phase of growth to be steered by the current joint chief executive David Harrison. Mr Southon, who founded Charter Hall 25 years ago, is expected to leave the group, but has said he will be available to the business for up to 12 months to "facilitate a smooth handover and assist with the transition to the chief executive/managing director structure". Charter Hall's joint managing directors David Harrison and David Southon, Mr Southon is stepping down. Credit:Rob Homer The move comes as Campbell Hanan joins Mirvac as the new head of office and industrial. Mr Hanan was formerly the chief executive of Investa Office Fund. Mr Harrison said he and Mr Southon approached the Charter Hall board late last year to end the joint management and were told on Saturday that Mr Harrison had got the job. Bega Cheese chief executive Aidan Coleman insists strong demand for infant formula will offset a $130 million revenue hole formed after Coles ditched the dairy company to supply its private label cheeses. Bega's shares dived 10.5 per cent to close at $6.32 after Coles awarded its new private label cheese contract to Murray Goulburn. The five-year deal will begin next January, and pushed units of Murray Goulburn's listed trust up 2.1 per cent to $2.43. Former Murray Goulburn managing director Gary Helou faces prosecution by the ACCC. Credit:Jason South Murray Goulburn said the contract was worth $130 million in additional sales and would help support its international expansion. The value of Bega's deal with Coles is not known, but it is understood it was worth a similar amount. Bega said it would divert about $60 million worth of cheese inventory, which normally goes to Coles, into higher value-added products such as infant formula. Over the past few weeks, the Zika virus has begun to dominate news reports worldwide. It is not a fatal disease. Australia's federal Health Department says it is "generally not severe and lasts only a few days". Large outbreaks of the virus were observed in Pacific nations during the past three years, though they did not cause international alarm at the time. Nor is it yet established that the mosquito-borne disease causes microcephaly (extreme smallness of the brain) in babies, though it appears that Zika may be linked to this crippling birth defect. Nonetheless, images of children with the misshapen heads that mark microcephaly provoke a powerful, emotional response. As a result, fear of the virus is spreading quickly and globally. Brazilian mother Daniele Ferreira dos Santos holds her son, Juan Pedro, while he undergoes a medical exam. The boy was born with microcephaly. Credit:Felipe Dana This is not to say that the recent public reaction to Zika is merely a moral panic. The epidemic is evolving rapidly and there are genuine concerns about its potential effects on pregnant women and their foetuses. The virus has a clear presence in about 25 countries, a number that is growing. This week, health authorities said the virus would almost certainly enter Australia via an infected traveller (though it would likely be limited to the country's tropical north). Overnight, a World Health Organisation committee met to decide whether the pandemic was a global emergency that required an urgent, co-ordinated, international response. In short, Zika is no trifling matter. However, the virus's rather sudden visibility highlights a problem in the way governments allocate resources to combat perceived threats to public health and safety. Last year's Ebola virus pandemic in west Africa caused a similar reaction. The at times horrific symptoms of that highly contagious disease bleeding from the nose and mouth as well as its high death rate sparked urgent demands from the community to contain it. Western governments responded with strict quarantine measures and announced funding to help develop a cure or vaccine. Over the summer I had the chance to experience everyday life in Sydney and Melbourne. While there's much to be said for the two cities in terms of culture, business and leisure; I returned home with a greater appreciation of the wisdom and virtue of being a Canberran. In Sydney my three-year-old and I visited the Darling Harbour playground which is promoted as 'one of the most spectacular ever built in Australia'. The problem is that everyone seems to know this. And so, as my son climbed up the big slide, throngs of kids clambered around and over him. When he slid down crying, it dawned on me that this was the first time he had ever been jostled. The Turnbull government's newest science adviser says Australia needs to accelerate its switch from coal to renewable energy. Dr Alan Finkel, an engineer and neuroscientist. said on his first day as Chief Scientist on Monday that he wanted to put sustainable energy on the agenda to help Australians weigh up different options. While Australia had already invested trillions of dollars in wind and solar energy, it will take decades for them to reach significant scale, he said. Controversial politician Clive Palmer briefly popped up as a director of his embattled Queensland Nickel company at the same time as the struggling entity made hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of donations to his political party. Mr Palmer's abrupt 26-day directorship last year coinciding with the company handing out more than $700,000 in donations raises questions about his claim of not being involved in running the business since being elected three years ago. ASIC records show Mr Palmer as lobbing in as a director for Queensland Nickel on January 22, 2015 apparently replacing his nephew Clive Mensink, who resigned the same day. General David Morrison has been forced to defend his Australian of the Year honour on Monday night's Q&A in the face of increasingly pointed challenges to the former army chief's selection. Not one but two pre-selected questions from ABC's Q&A audience directly probed whether Morrison was a deserving choice as a white, privileged male advocating for diversity. The first question was straight to the point: "What does it say about our country when we can listen to white men such as Australian of the Year David Morrison champion diversity, but we can't receive the message of Adam Goodes with respect?" The Free Enterprise Foundation, the Liberal Party fundraising body accused by the Independent Commission Against Corruption of washing illegal property developer donations for the party's NSW division, has been put in deep freeze. Donations records released by the Australian Electoral Commission on Monday show the Foundation raised just $845 in 2014/15. The previous year it had been one of the biggest contributors to the Liberal coffers, raising $1.4 million - comparable to a small union. The Foundation donated $200,000 in 2014-15 but its fundraising activities appear to have been effectively mothballed 18 months after it was splashed across the headlines when ICAC revealed that major property developers - banned from the political process in NSW - had donated to the ACT-based, federally focused Foundation but the money had found its way back to the NSW branch. A week after wowing the nation with his powerful speech on racism, Indigenous journalist Stan Grant has revealed he is considering entering politics. Speaking on the ABC's Q&A program on Monday night, the Wiradjuri man and successful broadcaster said he found the response to his speech "overwhelming". "To be honest it bewildered me in the first few days, and the ground sort of shifted beneath my feet," he said. Samuel arrived into the world chubby; a miniature wrestler who, eight months on, has just produced his eighth tooth. Born at the Royal Darwin Hospital, his parents had him baptised as soon as they could and earmarked him for great things. The dream is that their boy will become an Australian doctor or lawyer, but Samuel is unlikely to realise it. He is one of 37 babies the Turnbull government wants to put on a plane, as early as next week, and send to Nauru's offshore processing centre. Also facing the prospect of removal are around 160 adults, including Samuel's parents, and another 50-odd older children. All were brought back to Australia from offshore centres in Nauru or Manus Island, mostly for medical treatment. Former prime minister Tony Abbott crossed paths with US President Barack Obama at an event attended by dozens of other people rather than having a "private dinner" as reported. Mr Abbott, who has been in the US for several days, met Mr Obama at a lunch of the Alfalfa Club, an informal gathering of high-powered businesspeople and politicians, according to multiple sources. The impromptu meeting was reported in News Corp papers as the pair having "met privately", suggesting Mr Abbott was still being actively courted and received by the Obama administration in what would be a source of frustration for his successor Malcolm Turnbull. Fanning proposed at a lookout at Coolangatta in 2006, and the couple married in 2008. Speaking to Sunday Style, Dalton said being married to someone who was away for nine months of the year "had its challenges", but they had "worked through them". "Lots of the wives and girlfriends go on tour, but that wasn't right for me. I'm expanding my business overseas, so we do our own thing and we're both passionate about that." A difficult year: 2015 was a difficult year for Fanning, who made international headlines following a close encounter with a great white shark off the coast of South Africa on July 19. Two minutes into the J-Bay Open competition, Fanning was approached by the shark. He punched it and tried to use his board to wedge between himself and the animal. Fellow Australian surfer (and Fanning's competition on the day) Julian Wilson came to his rescue, and both men managed to swim away. Fanning returned to surfing one week later. In December Surfer Magazine reported that Fanning's 43-year-old brother had died in his sleep, just hours before Fanning competed in the Pipe Masters competition in Hawaii. "It's been a huge day. Just got some personal stuff going on at home, and just yeah, it's sort of heavy to talk about right now," he told reporters after coming out of the water. The rumour mill: News of Fanning and Dalton's separation first came in August, when New Idea reported the couple had gone their separate ways some months earlier, before the shark attack. "They are very private people," a source told New Idea. "It's not nasty." However, Fanning's media denied any split had taken place, telling the Gold Coast Bulletin the pair had "never split at any stage". Fanning's mother Elizabeth Osbourne also criticised the publication, denying that any split had occurred. Speaking to the Gold Coast Bulletin, Osbourne described the New Idea story as "hurtful", adding that Karissa had rushed to Mick's side following the shark attack. "Karissa was in Hawaii when Mick was attacked by the shark and she rang within minutes and said 'I'm coming home'," she said. "She was there for a business trip and she dropped everything to come home to be with him." Osbourne said that, although Fanning's competition schedule and Dalton's business meant they were often apart, "it works for them". Karissa's move to the US: In December, Dalton announced she would be moving to Brooklyn, New York, this year, to further establish her business. Speaking to Collective Hub magazine, she explained she had rented an apartment to return to every three weeks, adding that it was her "dream" to find a "beautiful loft space" in New York to establish The Lane's US offices. Confirming the split: Six months after the publication of the New Idea article, Fanning and Dalton confirmed they had split in a statement on Fanning's Facebook page. "I have nothing but love and respect for this woman," Fanning wrote. "Karissa has stood by me since we first met in 2004. We have shared plenty of great times but more importantly she has helped me through some of the toughest moments in my life, especially this past year." The statement acknowledged the ongoing rumours that the pair had split, confirming that they had been separated since February, although they had tried to work things out. For decades, Myer and David Jones have been proverbial twins on the department-store landscape but this winter, change is in the air. The retail giants will launch their new seasons in successive weeks in Sydney starting with David Jones on Wednesday and Myer on February 11. While the houndstooth brigade at David Jones will stick to the tried-and-tested champagne and runway show, Myer is launching its top-end collection with an exclusive sit-down dinner at Barangaroo for 100 fashion industry figures and insiders. Instead of a traditional runway, the "show" will feature a series of "fashion movements" from top fashion houses including Maticevski, By Johnny, and international brands. Hundreds of children in the inner west are stranded without child care after the NSW Government failed to approve an emergency after care provider in time for the start of the school year. In November, Leichhardt Council announced that it would open up its town hall for after school care to help alleviate the chronic lack of facilities in the region. Kate Walsh with her kids Quinn 5, Aidan 4 and Niamh 1 at Leichhardt Town Hall. Credit:Christopher Pearce Leichhardt has almost 4500 primary school students and an after-school care capacity for 1200. It is just one of many Sydney areas battling with a child care shortage as hundreds of thousands of NSW primary children return to school. Queensland's health authorities are undertaking research to determine if any other species of mosquito can spread the devastating Zika virus, as the state prepares for its potential spread onto its tropical shores. The virus, which has led to Brazillian authorities warning women against falling pregnant, is transmitted primarily through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, which are also responsible for the spread of dengue fever. While the illness itself is believed to be mostly mild, authorities believe it could be responsible for the birth defect microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with shrunken heads. Credit:Felipe Dana The mosquitoes become carriers when they bite someone infected the virus, spreading the disease through further bites. While the illness itself is believed to be mostly mild, authorities believe it could be responsible for the birth defect microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with shrunken heads, with the virus also transmitted from mothers to their children during pregnancy. Brazil has experienced a rash of cases of the usually rare condition since identifying the Zika outbreak, prompting its government to advise women against falling pregnant, which has been echoed by El Salvador. Indonesian health authorities reported a positive case of Zika in 2015. The Department of Defence is expected to farewell hundreds of middle management public servants in coming weeks, as a large cohort of graduates begin work. More than 1000 executive-level staff applied for voluntary redundancy last year although the department accepted only 575 applications. A former public servant has been charged with fraud. Credit:Tanya Lake Close to half of those granted redundancy departed before Christmas with the the Community and Public Sector Union expecting the remainder to leave by March. The redundancy program will slash the executive level workforce by 10 per cent as the department seeks to increase the number of junior staff under each manager. Malcolm Turnbull seems to have found a simple formula for electoral success: say (if not do) the opposite of what Tony Abbott would say. And polls suggest the strategy is working rather well (albeit against Bill Shorten). Nonetheless, there appears to be one Abbottism that our popular Prime Minister is reluctant to ditch (or at least reluctant to say he is ditching). Despite two months of pestering, this column has been unable to draw a response from Turnbull's office on his preferred spelling: "program" or "programme". Dangerous lefty? Malcolm Turnbull's office won't reveal his spelling preferences. Credit:Stefan Postles This is, of course, a highly political matter that goes to the heart of the question that has riven the Liberal Party: is Turnbull the dangerously progressive lefty that many conservatives fear he is, or is he just role playing to gather stray votes from the centre? A "neomasculinist" online group whose supporters believe rape should be legalised on private property have organised to meet outside one of Perth's most popular beachside watering holes. The group, which advocates that women are biologically determined to follow the orders of men has set up a meeting for its Perth followers on February 6th, at 8pm on the footpath in front of the Ocean Beach Hotel in Cottesloe Daryush Valizadeh. Credit:@_AMERICHAN_ The meeting is organised by US-based "neomasculinist" and legal rape advocate, Daryush "Roosh" Valizadeh. He has said women, transgender men and homosexual men are not invited. Public money is flying fast in the battle over council mergers. The state government has spent nearly $6 million in the past six months on advertising and consultants for its controversial plans to merge the state's councils, documents released under freedom-of-information laws show. Save Our Councils Coalition rallies at Strathfield Town Hall on Saturday. Credit:Dallas Kilponen But some councils are also spending big in an attempt to influence the state government's plans to merge many NSW councils unveiled last year. The government has spent little more than $3.5 million on consultants. The balance has gone on advertising. Detectives are investigating whether synthetic cannabis taken by Hunter Valley teenager Dean Shield before he was found dead was sold over the counter at a local business before being passed down the supply chain. Raids on a home at Rutherford, near Maitland, and a business have located several bags of Chronic and other synthetic drugs, including brand names Red X and Bangkok Betty, the Newcastle Herald reports. It is believed Dean, 17, took Chronic with a friend after getting it from a Rutherford resident on Saturday afternoon, only hours before his lifeless body was found near a drain. Police operations have concluded at nine schools across Sydney after the state's top public schools were among those targeted by threats on Monday afternoon. One of the schools involved confirmed it had received a bomb threat via an electronic voice message. Just before 4pm NSW Police advised: "Police operations have concluded at a number of schools across Sydney. Investigations are continuing". Two hours earlier a police spokeswoman confirmed a number of operations were under way, but said there was "nothing to substantiate that there is anything serious at any of them at this stage". "He went to that meeting and went into that storage shed thinking that what was to happen would shortly make him very rich," the Crown Prosecutor said. "Instead he was shot and killed and dragged to the back of the station wagon and dumped at sea." Roger Rogerson being led into the Supreme Court in Sydney on Monday. Credit:Nick Moir The victim was Jamie Gao, a 20-year-old student and would-be drug dealer who was hoping to make his fortune in a "massive" one-off drug deal. Instead, the NSW Supreme Court heard on Monday, Mr Gao was murdered by the two men who were supposed to be the buyers in the deal Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she is sick of "kite flying" when it comes to the GST, issuing a warning to the Commonwealth that play time is over. Ms Palaszczuk rejected NSW Premier Mike Baird's plan to raise the GST by 5 per cent from next July, with a reassessment of how the money was spent in 2020, and said Queensland would continue to stand with Victoria in opposing any increase to the GST. Annastacia Palaszczuk has called on the Federal Government to outline its plan for the GST. Credit:Tanya Lake She said Mr Baird's plan did not address $80 billion in funding shortfalls due to come into effect in the 2017/18 financial year, which will see Queensland lose $18 billion in forward health and education funding and any increase in the goods and services tax would "hurt families". "I am concerned about the massive gap that we are going to see in relation to health. Not just in Queensland but across the nation in years to come," she said. A Queensland police officer charged with the murder of his baby son in 2014 has appeared in court. Senior Constable Colin David Randall, 38, was charged with murder on Saturday after an 18-month investigation into the child's death. The two-month-old baby died on June 28, 2014, at home in Victoria Point on the bay south-east of Brisbane. Police alleged the infant suffered "significant" injuries. A man accused of heading a drug syndicate and laundering money through his limousine hire company was granted bail in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday. Sukru Akbulut, 51, was arrested during raids across Melbourne overnight and charged with multiple counts of drug trafficking and possession, as well as possessing a handgun and ammunition, and possessing proceeds of crime. It is not yet known when the man will stand trial, but it's possible he could have turned 100 by the time his trial is listed. Credit:Getty Images Defence lawyer Charles Nikakis said his client "totally denies" the charges. "The newspapers made out that he was the biggest trafficker the country has ever seen," Mr Nikakis told the court. Opponents of Bendigo's first mosque are hoping to present their case to the country's highest court in a last-ditch bid to stop the controversial project. Bendigo residents led by local woman Julie Hoskin have waged a long legal battle against the mosque since it was first approved for construction by Bendigo City Council in 2014. An artist's impression of the proposed Bendigo mosque. Ms Hoskin and her supporters took the matter to the Court of Appeal, after losing their case in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. But the Court of Appeal threw out the case on December 16 last year. A man charged with murdering his girlfriend's two-year-old in 2005 was seen stomping on the little girl's back by her brother, a Melbourne court has heard. The victim's brother said he saw Mussie Debresay, 37, who he called Daddy MJ, "kicking or stomping on" Tonnja Huynh, who died in May 2005, a witness has told a committal hearing. Mussie Debresay outside the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday. Credit:Penny Stephens Mr Debresay, of South Yarra, was arrested last year and charged with one count of murder, one count of manslaughter and two charges of intentionally causing serious injury. He had been in a relationship with the victim's mother, Jennifer Louey, who lived in Footscray with the victim and her two other children at the time of the girl's death. Victoria's public watchdog wants the Supreme Court to decide if it can investigate allegations the ALP rorted taxpayer funded electorate officers at the 2014 election. In September last year, three anonymous state Labor MPs accused Premier Daniel Andrews' office of directing upper house MPs to pool electorate officer entitlements and use the staff to campaign at the election. Premier Daniel Andrews has been accused of rorting taxpayer funded electorate officers at the 2014 election. Credit:Justin McManus The allegations exposed some disunity among government MPs. Mr Andrews has consistently denied any wrongdoing, saying the "pooling" of staff was common practise. Victoria Police has been investigating for several months to determine if any criminal conduct occurred - both government and party staffers have been interviewed. The Berlin public prosecutor's office has since said the girl spent the 30 hours with people she knew, and that a medical examination had shown she had not been raped. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and the Governor of the State of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer. Credit:AP But the waters were muddied long enough to allow Mr Lavrov to intervene in the case of Lisa F., who German media say is a dual national who moved with her family to the country in 2004. "The refugee crisis and the Lisa case have allowed [Moscow] to exploit more strongly groups like Russian Germans, and to play with Germans' angst and insecurities," said Stefan Meister, of the German Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Credit:AP The case has provoked outrage among Berlin's Russian community and Russian media have reported extensively on it. Russians protested in Bavaria at the weekend, after about 700 people had demonstrated in front of Ms Merkel's office, some holding banners reading "Our children are in danger" and "Today my child, tomorrow yours". The case has fomented popular anxiety. "The end of the truth," ran a headline in the latest edition of Der Spiegel magazine, above a picture of Ms Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Spiegel quoted the chief of BfV Germany's domestic security agency, Hans-Georg Maassen, as saying Russia was using KGB-style "old measures" of misinformation and destabilisation. At the same time, Mr Putin is trying to charm Germans. Last month, he gave an interview to the mass-selling daily Bild, saying he wanted to work with Europe against terrorism. Dr Meister said this was "to serve the wish among the [German] elite and parts of the population that Russia is showing a readiness to compromise". Russia is pursuing its policy of misinformation, as Germany sees it, at a crucial time for the EU. The refugee crisis is stretching it to new limits and EU leaders believe they have just weeks to get their act together. At the centre of the turmoil is Ms Merkel, still the EU's most powerful leader. If she falters, the risk is Europe falters. "The aim is to weaken the EU," the senior German official said. "Moscow is targeting the strongest, most stable country Germany. Of course it is in the interest of this Russian government to weaken Merkel as the leader of this country." Another senior German official added: "The EU cannot allow third parties to split the union." Ms Merkel, who enjoyed record high ratings early last year, has looked increasingly isolated as dissatisfaction has grown with her welcoming attitude towards people fleeing conflict and economic hardship in the Middle East and Africa. A poll last week showed 40 per cent of Germans wanted her to resign over her refugee policy. Ms Merkel's role in EU relations with Russia is crucial. "Merkel is, from Putin's viewpoint, the main problem," Dr Meister said. Her Social Democrat coalition partners the party which pursued "Ostpolitik" rapprochement with the Soviet bloc during the Cold War were more ready to compromise with Mr Putin. Moreover, the leader of Ms Merkel's conservative Bavarian allies, Horst Seehofer, is off to Moscow on Thursday to meet him. Politicians across the spectrum in Berlin are worried that Mr Seehofer, who has sharply criticised Ms Merkel for letting in so many migrants, will cosy up to Mr Putin. Mr Seehofer defended the visit on Sunday. Ms Merkel's relationship with Mr Putin is cold, illusion-free and grounded in a hard-nosed realism born of her own experience growing up in a Soviet garrison town in East Germany. She recognises that the former Soviet agent respects firmness. Thus, she was firm in her role as chief mediator in the Ukraine crisis, and has since been implacable in her refusal to ease sanctions against Russia that are intended to punish Moscow for annexing Crimea and supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine. "Should Merkel fall over the refugee crisis, there would be no hold-up in the EU any more in doing away with the sanctions," Dr Meister said. Ms Merkel's allies are closing ranks around her over Ukraine and Berlin's technical help for Western air strikes on Syria, although its jets are not doing any of the bombing. Off-Broadway's Classic Stage Company will celebrate the music of Stephen Sondheim with a Monday, March 14 concert featuring a host of Broadway's talented leading ladies. The Ladies Who Sing Sondheim will take place at Alice Tully Hall under the direction of John Doyle, who becomes Classic Stage's artistic leader in July. The evening will include performances from Cynthia Erivo and Joaquina Kalukango (The Color Purple), Tony winner Victoria Clark (Cinderella), Judy Kuhn (Fun Home), Marin Mazzie (Next to Normal), Alexandra Silber (Fiddler on the Roof), and more to be announced. Cocktails will be served at 6pm, with the performance at 7:30pm and dinner to follow. Classic Stage will also hold a benefit raffle with a grand prize of a trip for two to Italy and six nights at the luxurious Grand Hotel Miramare on the Italian Riviera. CSC is an award-winning off-Broadway theater committed to reimagining the classical repertory for contemporary audiences. For more than 45 years, CSC has been a home for New York's finest established and emerging artists to grapple with the great works of the world's repertory that speak directly to the issues of today. For tickets and more information, click here. Gina Gershon (Boeing-Boeing) will return to the stage in Ironbound, a coproduction of Rattlestick Playwright's Theater and Women's Project Theater. Written by Martyna Majok and directed by Daniella Topol, the show begins performances March 3 and opens March 16 at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. The play is described as follows: "At a bus stop in a run-down New Jersey town, Darja, a young Polish immigrant, is done talking about feelings; it's time to talk money. Over the course of 20 years, three relationships, and three presidents, Darja negotiates for her future with men who can offer her love or security, but never both." Joining Gershon in the company are Morgan Spector (A View From the Bridge), Josiah Bania (Three Sisters), and Shiloh Fernandez (Red Riding Hood). The creative team is made up of Justin Townsend (scenic and lighting design), Kaye Voyce (costume design), and Jane Shaw (sound design). For tickets and more information, click here. Hefty ban for former training company boss THE boss of a Warrington training company which failed in 2013 owing more than 13m has been banned from acting as a company director. Gerald Syddall from St Helens founded Daresbury-based Elmfield Training Ltd (Elmfield), which was once one of the UKs largest providers of apprenticeships and pre-employment training. The Insolvency Service said he had been disqualified for six years for breaching his fiduciary duty to the company. Following an investigation by the Insolvency Service, Syddall, who was adjudged bankrupt in April 2015 on the petition of HMRC, gave a disqualification undertaking to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, preventing him from acting as a director until February 2022. Investigators found that in March 2013, when Elmfield was experiencing cashflow difficulties and attempting to negotiate a time-to-pay agreement with a creditor which was not ratified, Mr Syddall gave an undertaking to the board of directors that he would not use company funds for his own benefit. However the Insolvency Service said Syddall, individuals connected to him, and another company of which he was a director, proceeded to receive payments totalling almost 954,000. When Elmfield went into administration in November 2013 Syddall owed the company 2.6m. Commenting on the disqualification, Robert Clarke, group leader of Insolvent Investigations North at The Insolvency Service, said: Mr Syddall clearly put his own interests ahead of those of the company. To make matters worse, this was after he had vowed to the companys board that he would not do this. Directors of companies should know that this type of conduct is not acceptable and, in such circumstances, the Insolvency Service will take action against them. As a consequence, Mr Syddall has been disqualified for a considerable period of time. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 01/02/2016 (2453 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Dozens of Syrian refugees are expected to settle in Steinbach in the coming months after the provincial government called on the citys settlement agency to accommodate government-assisted refugees. Richard Harder, program director with Eastman Immigrant Services (EIS), said they were surprised during a recent conference call when the province asked the gathered settlement agencies if they could lessen the load on Winnipeg and accept refugee families whose funding is covered by the federal government. The prospect of southeastern Manitoba sheltering government-assisted refugees had only garnered the odd mention previously. It wasnt a prospect EIS seriously considered, said Harder. But on a whim Harder said they answered that Steinbach could support families, and last week Eastman Immigrant Services informed the province they can take three to five families in each of the next three months. With government-assisted family groups usually ranging from 5-8 members to more than a dozen, said Harder, this could mean dozens of Syrian refugees arriving, specifically in Steinbach. Harder said placements beyond Winnipeg are needed. The province normally shelters 500-580 government-assisted refugee families a year and now, as of early 2016, they are receiving 400-450 families a month, with a little less expected in the months following March. With only one centre trained in accepting government-assisted refugees, Winnipeg is overwhelmed and other communities are being called upon, said Harder. This influx of government-assisted refugees will come on top of refugees, from Syria and elsewhere, settling in southeastern Manitoba due to private sponsorships from community groups like churches. Harder said he has been in contact with a half-dozen organizations but said he anticipates there could be more volunteer groups involved in private sponsorships. Southeastern Manitoba continues to grow as a leader in responding to refugee issues. Past experiences have shaped the community to embrace this, be more realistic, more open-minded and perhaps even more invested in making something beautiful out of what is happening before us, said Harder. Though the arriving families receive funding from the government, similar to how others receive welfare, EIS is preparing to assist the families on various fronts. They will look to find shelter, arrange English instruction and look at transportation options. Harder said likely houses not apartments will be needed for the large families. Harder said he has been in contact with various churches already about helping the government-assisted newcomers. It will be a massive undertaking, and the work has only just begun. I want community partners to help us. Luckily, churches are already saying, Yeah, wed love to help you, said Harder. I think most peoples lives unfold in chapters, Wendi Murdoch muses on a bright snowy morning in Utah, where the Chinese-born businesswoman best known for her marriage toand turbulent divorce frommedia mogul Rupert Murdoch is writing a new one for herself: film producer. Rupert might be newly engaged, but Wendi, 47, is forging ahead. Shes keeping the Murdoch name, she says, which is how shes credited as a producer on Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang, a striking biographical art documentary selected to open this years Sundance Film Festival. Being raked over the coals in the media during her public split from the News Corp founder seems to have toughened Murdochs already thick skin. She acknowledges the colorful path her lifes taken with a knowing smile: Never a dull moment. Sky Ladder premiered to warm acclaim, telling the story of one of Chinas most celebrated art world darlings with intimate interviews and awe-inspiring scenes of Cais explosive award-winning installations. At the films premiere, Murdoch stood side by side with Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland), Oscar-winning fellow producer Fisher Stevens, and the artist himself, celebrating the two-year project she spearheaded a dozen years after first meeting Cai. Both were Chinese expats living in SoHo at the time. Cai had long moved his family away from his hometown of Quanzhou, although he carried the fireworks-manufacturing regions spirit with him by weaving it into his art. It wasnt until Murdoch and her now ex-husband had daughters Grace, born in 2001, and Chloe, born in 2003, that she got to know the Cais when their children shared a classroom. I met him before I had children, explains Murdoch. His younger daughter whos in the movie and my daughter are similar in age, so we go to each others birthday parties, we play together, and we travel together. Murdoch, a longtime art collector whos also instrumental in the start-up ARTSY and is known for her networking prowess, had already produced one film, the anemic 2001 period drama Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. To get the Cai documentary in motion, she and producer Hugo Shong secured financing through Chinese investors, then tapped a few Oscar-caliber contacts in actor Stevens, who produced the anti-whaling doc The Cove, and Foxcatcher director Bennett Miller, who exec-produced. They went to Macdonald to direct and wooed him over lunch at Murdochs New York City home. I was hoping people who dont know [Cais] work or dont know China can know it through this film, like a window to China and Chinese culture to the world, she says of Cai, whose politically explosive works have taken him from the Great Wall (Project to Extend the Great Wall of China by 10,000 Meters: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 10) to MOCA (Sky Ladder), MOMA (Transient Rainbow), the Guggenheim (I Want To Believe, Inopportune), the Venice Biennale, and beyond. Through his career in the last 20 or 30 years, they can also see how contemporary China has changed, says Murdoch. Now we have more and more freedom. Every big city, like Beijing, has seven, eight, nine art districts, and artists can do anything they wantwith a lot of freedom, actually. Part of the reason Murdoch & Co. tapped a Western director to tell Cais story was to widen the films reach internationally, particularly at a crucial time in U.S.-China relations. She says shes been following presidential candidate Donald Trumps well-publicized GOP debates but is quick to downplay the potential damage caused by his economic vilification of China. When people are running for office, sometimes they say thingsor sometimes the press takes it out of contextso its still early to see what happens, she says. I think whoever the U.S. president is will have to work with China. People in both countries love the exchange, and hopefully its as important a relationship for the U.S. as for China. Sky Ladder, at least, offers the world a peek into the life of an artist indelibly shaped by contemporary China and its vast complexities. It traces Cais work in parallel to the enormous sociopolitical transformation China underwent in the last half-century, from his relationship with his calligraphist father, an intellectual devalued and demoralized by Maos Cultural Revolution, to the post-success struggles Cai faced more recently working under the constraints of the controlling Chinese government. He allows the cameras to peel back the curtain on his private family life including his wife, who worries over his costly and repeated attempts to construct a fiery ladder to the heavensa feat he finally achieved last year, not for the art world, but in a modest Chinese fishing village in front of a small crowd of locals with little global fanfare. He told me that as hes getting older hes realized how much influence his father has, Murdoch shares. Thats also very sad for him because he became so successful, but couldnt share it with his father, who became sick for the past five or six years. His grandmother, who he loved very much, told him when he was a little child he would one day do big things. He always thought that was so important. Why does she think Im so good? I must live up to this. Sky Ladder also challenges its subject as it celebrates his evolution. When Communist leaders neutered Cais plans to layer provocative environmental messaging into his APEC Gala display, his frustrations were captured in the filmbut he went through with the show anyway, much to the chagrin of even those who support him. At the films Sundance premiere, a woman in the audience challenged Cai and director MacDonald to explain the anti-Maoist streak that runs through Sky Laddera question Cai politely skirted, through a translator. Murdoch says she and MacDonald brought up the same topic during their time with Cai. I think Cais journey affected his art, definitely. I asked him this question, and Kevin asked him this question while filming him for two years. He says his art has political elements in it, but he made the choice as an artist to focus on art, not politics. He had all these big shows at the Guggenheim, the Met, MOMAbut he had no art dealer, she adds. Hell be busy for the next maybe five years, is doing a big museum show in March in Qatar, the next year in Russia, and tonight hes leaving for New York to do a museum show in Spain. People just come to him, no dealers. And hes not very commercial. He lives a very simple life, doesnt have much luxury. Hes always on the go traveling. If anyone wants to buy his art, they dont know where to find him and if somebody asks me to ask him, he says its not for sale! Nevertheless, the film suggests that, like many successful artists, Cai lost some of the fearless edge of his youth when bigger checks and international fame came calling. How can a transgressive artist allow himself to keep pushing the envelope when its stuffed with millions of dollars in funding? Murdoch compares Cais artistic quandary to the problems of successful businessmen and women. I think a lot of people even in business, when they become successful, then the next move comes, and they wonder what will happen to them, she offers. But any successful people have failed attempts. Steven Spielberg [who appears briefly in the film] asks Cai, How many takes? One. But many takes failed. Murdoch, perhaps, can relate. Shes bouncing back from a rough few years in the gossip rags by pouring her energies into her art, tech, film, and fashion interests. My children are most important, she says. I make sure they go to school and make sure they have a good education and good values. Im happy to be a businesswoman and a film producer. People send me film projects, and there are more and more opportunities in U.S-China co-productions. I feel very lucky that it feels like the right timing. At Sundance a week after Ruperts surprise engagement to Jerry Hall, Murdoch repeatedly declines to answer any personal questions but muses on her life in the public eye. I think being in the media is sometimes good, sometimes bad, and sometimes in between, she ventures. I learned not to worry about that. If its something bad, you cant blame people. You learn, and you move on. I want to focus on the future and positive things. I cant worry about what people say about me. You have no control. The only thing I can do is what I have control over myself, and to spend my time in the most positive way. She can still laugh over the infamous 2011 pie incident, in which she earned international respect for defending her then-husband from pie-wielding comedian Jonathan May-Bowles with a lightning-fast right hook. Chinese people felt really proud! I got a lot of media requests for interviews, they wanted to give me an award in China, everything, she smiles. She repeats a mantra of moving forward into the future by doing, not complaining. Lifes always challenging as a third daughter in China, where there was a one-child policy, she says. But I also had a lot of opportunities. I was very lucky in life. I had a scholarship to go to Yale, the best working experience. I consider myself very lucky and very grateful to have this interesting life. How many girls in China had these opportunities? Its showtime for Americas white-nationalist movement. Donald Trump and the extreme rhetoric of the 2016 presidential campaign have created a huge opportunity for some of the farthest-rights groups to reach new followers, after nearly a decade in the wilderness. He has disrupted business as usual hes uncovered the gulf separating the Republican Party from the people who vote for it hes taken celebrity culture and turned it into nationalism, cries the National Policy Institute, a so-called think tank for white-ists. While Trump may publicly reject their support, he is certainly helping them when he retweets messages from WhiteGenocideTM, a pro-Hitler Twitter user who has posted interviews with Holocaust deniers and is fervently behind the GOPs frontrunner. Also on the coattails: Thom Robbs Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, the Arkansas-based group that has recommended Trumps opposition to brown-skinned immigrants and Muslim refugees as a great conversation-starter. The Occidental Quarterly, a journal of white-nationalist thought, has declared the real estate moguls candidacy a game-changer. And then theres the American National Super PAC, which is paying for the wave of robo-calls that are ringing in Iowans living rooms in support of Trump. Phone solicitations likely wont budge the needle much for the GOP caucuses in Iowa. Yet, they might mean more for the fortunes of these white nationalists. These are no ordinary racists and bigots. They wail that the period of white supremacy and domination has ended in the United Statesvoting-rights laws and other civil-rights measures that enforced the 14th Amendments dictum to bring equality before the law sealed that deal for them. Most say they believe the Jews disenfranchised whites. Now, with immigration feeding a demographic transformation that will turn white people into a minority alongside other minorities, white-ists fear that it will be near impossible for them to come back to power. To survive, most of these movement groups say they require a whites-only nation state on a piece of the territory that once constituted the United States. Yet they are divided over a strategy to get there. The political-action types seek a grip on the mainstream of white American thought. Others, like Dylann Roof, who is charged with killing nine black church attendees in Charleston, South Carolina, last June, are vanguardists, who prefer to just use guns in hope of starting a race war. (Roof has pleaded not guilty.) Their moment has seemed ripe. After the Charleston shooting, the battles over the Confederate flag lifted white-ists spirits, while Aryan opposition to Black Lives Matter protesters added fuel to their fire. Then along came Trump, with his anti-immigrant nationalist appeals. Finally, after eight years of being overshadowed by gun-rights groups and Tea Partiers, white nationalists are feeling and acting as if their day has finally come. Case in point: William Daniel Johnson, treasurer of the phone-calling American National Super PAC and a Los Angeles lawyer who has spent decades on the political margins. In 1986, Johnson attended an Aryan Nations Congress in Idaho to promote a strategy to eviscerate the 14th Amendment. He wrote a book on that topic under the pseudonym James Pace. He has run for office twice, yet he apparently has not learned all election laws: At first, he named the PAC to include the word Trump in the titlea violation of campaign-finance statues. So, on Dec. 21, 2015, he renamed it. American National still must disclose its donors, but they are free to make individual contributions as large as they want. The star of the American National robo-calls is Jared Taylor. Raised in Japan by missionary parents and with degrees from Yale and the Institute for Political Studies in Paris, he has become the white-nationalist movements man for all seasons. In 1990, he began publishing American Renaissance , a newsletter with a high-minded appeal for old-fashioned white supremacy. But without an explicit anti-Semitic conspiracy theory at its center, American Renaissance did not easily assume a leadership spot. Today, its thriving with a new conference business, and Taylor has also become spokesman for the Council of Conservative Citizens, an organization that descended from Jim Crow-era white Citizens Councils and the group that Dylann Roof singled out as his inspiration in his pre-Charleston Web manifesto. Taylors spot on Johnsons PAC robo-calls can only add heft to that enterprise, too. Johnson is also chairman of the American Freedom Party (AFP), and his support of Trump may be intended to ultimately support that electoral organization. Also among the AFPs leadership: director Kevin MacDonald, a retired U-Cal, Long Beach psychology professor whose scholarship focused largely on Jews, and he is considered an erudite anti-Semite in the mainstream world. These days, he serves as editor at Occidental Observer, a white-nationalist Web-based publication with an anti-Semitic twist. Also in the AFP leadership is Robert Whitaker. A Capitol Hill insider during the Reagan era, Whitaker came to far-right notoriety when he edited 1982s The New Right Papers, a collection that included essays from men who would become propagandists and generals in the white-nationalist world in the 1980s and 1990s. But Whitaker is better known as the AFPs candidate for president for 2016. It is that fact that makes Johnsons super PAC support for Trump the most interesting. If Trump does not become the Republican nominee, the American Freedom Party may be able to roll some of Trumps supporters into its own corner. The AFP, like all small third parties bound by ballot-access rules, usually runs a miserable campaign. They can use all the help they can get. Not all white-ists support Trump, of course. Most prominent among his critics has been David Duke, the national socialist ideologue who twice won a majority of white votes in Louisiana while running as a Republican. Duke likes Trumps immigrant-bashing, but not his friendship and association with Jews. Similarly, the American Free Press tabloid, which once promoted Holocaust-denial conferences, does not wholly support Trump. But the fascination with Trump wont end in Iowa and New Hampshire. On March 5, the first Saturday after the Super Tuesday primaries, the far-right National Policy Institute will discuss The Donald at its winter meeting in Washington, D.C. Richard Spencer , the NPIs leader, will headline the proceedings. Young, well-educated, and connected, Spencer represents the white-nationalist movements future. (MacDonald, the AFP director, is also among the speakers.) NPI hosts intelligent talk sessions, but it is difficult to imagine anything concrete emerging from that conversation. To be sure, white nationalists have a long way to go from an election campaign to a white republic. Ultimately, white-ist strategies will also include battles over Confederate memorials, armed militias, and takeovers like the federal Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation in eastern Oregon. The year to come will be full of new challengesand far more dangers, too. Increased activity at the Kim regimes Sohae launch site suggests North Korea will soon test a long-range launcher, perhaps its 80-ton booster, developed with Iranian money, or, equally disturbing, the KN-08 missile. The timing may not be a surprisePyongyangs nuke and missile tests occur in close succession, author Bruce Bechtol Jr. told The Daily Beast after the Norths Jan. 6 nuclear detonationbut most everything else about the test will be a mystery. The North Koreans have taken great pains in recent years to hide preparations. Last year they finished constructing an assembly building near the launch pad at the Sohae complex. They also built underground fuel tanks at the site, further shielding activity there. Until now, every long-range North Korean launcher has been liquid-fueled, but that could change this month. North Korea is close to launching a long-range, solid-fuel, mobile missile capable of reaching the United States, Joseph DeTrani, who held various high-level North Korea-related posts in Washington, wrote Jan. 19 in The Washington Times. There is only one missile in Pyongyangs inventory that could possibly fit that description: the fearsome KN-08. Up to now, analysts were sure the KN-08 was liquid-fueled, because as Richard Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center noted in email comments to The Daily Beast, it resembles a known Soviet-era liquid-fuel missile, the tech for which North Korea obtained in the early 1990s. If, however, the missile has a solid propellant, as DeTrani suggests, it would be an even more formidable weapon. It could be launched with less preparation time, making it extremely difficult to destroy on the ground. The KN-08, it is believed, has never been tested. Yet we probably will not see one of them when North Korean technicians roll out their launcher, probably in a week or two. The KN-08, after all, is mobile, carried on the back of a specialized truck, and does not need a fixed facility like Sohae. The 80-ton booster, however, does. At Sohae last year, the North Koreans raised the height of the gantry by more than 10 meters to accommodate more powerful launch vehicles. That leads Bechtol to predict we will see a new, larger version of the Taepodong, North Koreas longest-range missile. And we should expect Iranians at the site for the event. Iran has funded the new booster, which Pyongyangs technicians have been developing for at least two years. If, Bechtol writes, the missile the North Koreans launch is in fact the larger version of the Taepodong and the launch is successful, we can expect to see this missile proliferated to Iran. With that missile, the North Koreans could hit more than just the West Coast. At the same time, the Iranians with their version of the Taepodong could take out the East Coast. So American officials can either relocate everyone to the Great Plains or for once do something effective to stop missile sales. Pyongyang has sold its missile wares, almost unimpeded, to Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and, of course, Iran. Washington has watched the localized cancerhow one U.S. official described the Norths missile trade two decades agospread until it now poses a direct and immediate threat to the American homeland. I wonder what here tips the cow, Henry Sokolski of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center told The Daily Beast, referring to the inaction of American officials. American fecklessness, from one decade to the next, has emboldened the North Koreans. They have ignored UN Security Council sanctions on ballistic missile launches and sales, knowing the Chinese tacitly supported their activities and the Americans would do nothing. For all the Kim regimes defiance, however, it has taken care to call its ballistic missile tests civilian rocket launches, often saying they were attempting to put satellites in orbit. Now, it appears Pyongyang might come clean. Ive seen some statements from the North Koreans that lead me to believe they may not try and use the cover of a space launch vehicle for a satellite, Bechtol told John Batchelor on his nationally syndicated radio show last week. They may actually just come out and admit that this thing is a no-fooling ballistic missile. A bold statement of that sort might even get the no-pulse John Kerry to do something about North Koreas troublesome weapons programs. So far, the diplomacy of the secretary of state has yielded nothing in getting China and Russia to support additional UN sanctions on Pyongyang. Kerrys continued ineffectivenessand the ineffectiveness of his predecessorshas made even longtime American allies uneasy. Chung Mong-joon, a former leader of South Koreas ruling Saenuri Party, has just called on Seoul to withdraw from the 188-member Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and develop its own deterrent. Won Yoo-cheol, Saenuris floor leader in the National Assembly, has echoed Chungs call. Chung, Won, and other South Koreans are essentially telling Washington they dont trust the American defense commitment. Many might find their position extreme, but when the North Koreans launch their missile in a few weeks time, Chung and Won wont be the only ones doubting Americas ability to keep the peace in North Asia. I attended the TDOT Bonny Oaks expansion meeting on Jan. 21. At the meeting, TDOT gave plans to expand Bonny Oaks Drive from I-75 to Hwy 58 to 5 lanes with sidewalks over 4 phases. Although they did not give any date of how long the project would take to complete, I was informed after the meeting that it would probably take over 10 years to complete with the first phase taking 1-3 years to finish. I raised concerns at the meeting about where Phase 1 of the project was starting. The first phase is starting around N. Bishop on Bonny Oaks and continuing to Silverdale School near I-75. I expressed at the meeting that this creates huge concerns for me with safety and accessibility. I own the property at 6441 Bonny Oaks Dr and see the traffic problems on a daily basis. Bonny oaks, being only two lanes, has very heavy traffic as it is. However, during shift changes at Volkswagen and Amazon you can see thousands of cars per hour. Everyday from 5-6pm I see traffic backed up in the northwest direction from the red light at Noah Reid Rd. This often extends down as far as Bonnyshire Dr on a regular basis. This completely blocks the intersections of Holiday Hills Dr, Austin Dr, Basswood Dr, and N Bishop Dr. It is incredibly dangerous and nearly impossible to turn left onto Bonny Oaks from any of the roads or businesses during heavy traffic since there is no turning lane. Also, there should be a big concern with the people living on these roads durning these times when Bonny Oaks is pretty much a parking lot. All the intersections are blocked with traffic and emergency vehicles would have a difficult time getting through. The problem will be much worse after the Phase 1 part of the project is completed three years down the road. This will be due to the fact that it will be bottlenecking even more traffic into a blind hill at N Bishop. They will start phase two at Preservation Dr going towards Jersey Pike and not address the area in concern for 5-10 years down the line in Phase 3. The only outlet for all people turning left in heavy traffic onto Bonny Oaks from Cecelia Dr., Laguana Dr., Canyon Dr., Wimberly Dr., Holiday Hills Dr., or Basswood Dr. is to either take their lives into their own hands, try to find an open spot in traffic and try not to get killed by pulling out into the oncoming traffic or to go the back way all the way around to Jersey Pike. This also does not address the problem of the people going home just trying to turn left from Bonny Oaks onto any of these roads. This often stops traffic flow on Bonny Oaks. Too often, I have seen accidents of people trying to go around a vehicle turning left, vehicles colliding with stopped vehicles, or trying to fit through small gaps to turn. Unfortunately a few weeks ago I saw a rear end collision in front of my office because they were trying to turn left in heavy traffic during the middle of the day. Traffic was stopped but a vehicle was coming down the hill between Basswood and N Bishop Dr and could not stop in time and rear ended a stopped vehicle. This could be completely avoided if there was a turning lane. I understand that Tennessee is a pay as you go state and it would make sense why they are completing this project in four phases due to the cost of the project, but I am very concerned and really don't understand why they would not extend the project to Noah Reid Road. Extending the project to Noah Reid Road would: 1) Allow them to take out the red light at Noah Reid Rd and remove the cause of the parking lot that happens everyday on Bonny Oaks 2) Allow for better traffic flow on Bonny Oaks 3) Give a turning lane to everyone on Holiday Hills Dr, Austin Dr, Basswood Dr, and N Bishop Dr. 4) Allow emergency vehicles to at least get over the hill in heavy traffic, where they can be seen and heard by oncoming traffic to allow them to get to where they are going quickly 5) Avoid bottlenecking everyone into a blind hill where there are limited site distances& there are several businesses where vehicles will be crossing oncoming traffic to enter and exit 6) Provide safety and accessibility for all the people North of Bonny Oaks on the connecting roads to Cecelia Dr, Laguana Dr, Canyon Dr Wimberly Dr, Holiday Hills Dr and Basswood Dr. This would allow them the ability to take the back way and turn left during heavy traffic from Holiday Hills Dr and Basswood Dr. Otherwise all these people are going to be cut off for the next 5-10 years down the line when they actually start Phase 3 at which time traffic will only get worse on Bonny Oaks as Volkswagen expands. The only other option, especially for the folks on Basswood Dr, is to take a 4 mile loop to Jersey Pike to safely turn left on Bonny Oaks with heavy traffic. I am not saying I know best. I'm currently a business owner/real estate broker but I have a civil engineering degree from Tennessee Tech with a focus on traffic design. I really think the engineers at TDOT should seriously consider the concerns listed above for the safety and accessibility of those affected by the Bonny Oaks expansion. I know there is almost twice the amount of traffic on Bonny Oaks as it was designed for. I think I can speak for most people that use Bonny Oaks on a daily basis by saying they need to get the planning and construction done on all 4 phases as quickly as possible. They have been in the planning stages for years now and this was needed back when Volkswagen was first built. Randy Shelley In the early 1800s, a number of Tennesseans were among the many adventurers from southern states who immigrated to Texas, seeking a fresh start. A familiar slogan arose in some communities where families left a sign over their doorstep reading GTT, meaning, Gone to Texas. I was reminded of Texas history and its ties to Tennessee during my recent visit to the quaint town of Brenham, the seat of Washington County. The popular country music song T for Texas, T for Tennessee (originally recorded in 1927 by Jimmie Rodgers) played in my head as stories of Tennesseans were recounted, particularly the roles of Davy Crockett and Sam Houston in Texas fight for freedom from Mexico. Houston moved to Texas after having been governor of Tennessee from 1828 to 1830, and he was a major general in the Texas Army. He then became the first elected president of the new Republic of Texas in 1836. Crockett had served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives before heading to Texas. He played a major role and is believed to have been killed in the dramatic Battle of the Alamo. As the official birthplace of Texas, Washington County offers many historic attractions including Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site. The state park features a rustic building that is a replica of Independence Hall where on March 2, 1836, the 59 delegates of the pioneer settlements braved the approaching army of Mexican General Santa Anna to sign a declaration of independence. After the declaration was signed, even as the majority of settlers were fleeing the area, the delegates stayed behind and created a constitution for the new sovereign nation the Republic of Texas. The short-lived nation lasted 10 years before it became the 28th U.S. state. Its rich history and culture (from 18361846) are attractively presented at the Star of the Republic Museum, part of the State Historic Site. Nearby, the Barrington Living History Farm recreates 1850s pioneer life with costumed interpreters and livestock at the home and cotton farm of the last president of the Republic, Dr. Anson Jones. In addition to learning about history in the Lone Star State, visitors to this part of Texas will find small towns and villages to explore, museums and cultural attractions, wineries and a good dose of cowboy culture. The historic city of Brenham is a favorite destination with a walkable downtown, local theatre, bed and breakfasts and eclectic restaurants. Brenham offers a Step into the Past Tour at the citys new Visitor Center, highlighting the restored 1920s Simon Theatre, a Heritage Museum, Glissman Drug Store Museum, and antique stonework at a cistern used for firefighting in the 19th century a Texas Archeological Landmark. A variety of attractive boutiques invite browsing and shopping in downtown Brenham. Look for genuine cowhide rugs at Ranch Interiors, ladies fashion at Fancy That, stained glass windows, ironwork and old louvered doors at Today & Yesterday Antiques. The General Store is fun for all ages, and Bliss Candy Company is a must for truly artisanal confections. Cotton was king in Texas 100 years ago, and its heritage is portrayed at the Texas Cotton Gin Museum in Burton, the site of the oldest operating cotton gin in America. A National Historic Register site, the museum highlights the tools, equipment and cotton economy from seed to bale with photographs of the Burton Farmers Gin from 1914. Visitors marvel at the mechanical ingenuity that is still in use, as cotton is ginned and baled at the annual Cotton Gin Festival in April. History buffs wont want to miss the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in nearby College Station, on the campus of Texas A&M University. With a well-made film on the life and career of George H.W. Bush and interactive exhibits such as the Situation Room, the museum is well worth a visit not only for a glimpse into his White House years but a fascinating historical account of the time of his presidency. If you go: About an hours drive from Houston or Austin, Brenham and Washington County make a great weekend jaunt, especially in springtime when Texas bluebonnets (lupine) blanket the open range. Among fields of blue, several Bed and Breakfast accommodations dot the countryside, including Southern Rose Ranch and Lillian Farms. In the heart of Brenham, Ant Street Inn is a charming boutique hotel with distinctive guest rooms filled with Victorian antiques, stained glass and oriental rugs. Restaurant standouts in Brenham include Ninety-Six West, a new urban locale featuring small plates, craft brews and an impressive wine list; Funky Art Cafe, a fun lunch stop for healthy fare; and Must Be Heaven for homemade pies. Visit www.brenhamtexas.com. --- Ann Newell Yungmeyer is a freelance writer in Kingsport, Tn. After reading the Chattanooga 2.0 report, I can wholeheartedly say the statistics about the state of education in Hamilton County are correct. It's sad, but I see it every day in my staffing agency. We always have jobs listed that I can't fill because we can't find qualified people in the area. As a taxpayer and business owner, I am concerned that we are not properly preparing many of our kids to graduate from high school and then join the workforce. I'm glad to see our community stepping up to address the problem. We can't sit in our officesand complain about "these kids today" if we aren't willing to contribute by going into schools, mentoring kids and supporting the teachers.I hope my colleagues in Chattanooga and across the community will join me in readingthe 2.0 report ( www.chatt2.org ) and signing up to support this initiative and lend our voicesto support public education in Hamilton County."In the coming years, over 80% of jobs paying a living annual wage ($35, 000) in our area willrequire a degree or certificate after high school."Jo Ann FormanOlsten StaffingChattanooga We therefore call on you to demand the publication of all the studies which were used by the BfR and EFSA to assess glyphosate and not only their summaries, including names of the authors and declarations of conflicts of interests, so that these studies can be independently assessed. No wriggle-room for EFSA - it must evaluate a 'representative product' With regard to the second point, EFSA has recently gone on record that its task would be to assess the active substance, not the formulated product (Le Huffington Post, 21 January 2016). While it is correct that the authorisation of the diverse formulated plant protection products is the responsibility of Member States, EFSA also has key obligations in that regard. According to Article 4(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, for approval of an active substance, the approval criteria shall be deemed to be satisfied where this has been established with respect to one or more representative uses of at least one plant protection product containing that active substance. It is thus clear that EFSA also needs to assess at least one plant protection product against the approval criteria, and in that respect pay full attention to all relevant data, including epidemiological one. The EFSA statement referred to above raises important questions with regard to the compliance of EFSA's peer review with Article 4(5). Moreover, EFSA admitted that a number of published studies performed with glyphosate based formulations of unknown composition gave positive results when tested in vitro and in vivo. EFSA furthermore acknowledged that POE-tallowamine is one of the co-formulants that is known to be used in some glyphosate-based formulations, and that "this co-formulant has been shown to be more toxic than the active substance glyphosate on several toxicological endpoints, namely acute, short term, reproductive and developmental toxicity, further to equivocal evidence of DNA damage in vitro at high doses". However, according to EFSA, POE-tallowamine is not present in the representative formulation. Member states are not properly applying the Regulation either We are very concerned that an applicant may get approval of an active substance based on one plant protection product alone, especially when many different formulations are placed on the market, most likely choosing a formulation with the least harmful co-formulants, despite the wide use of such highly problematic co-formulants such as POE-tallowamine. EFSA concluded that the toxicity of formulations and in particular their genotoxic potential should be further considered and addressed, leaving that task to Member States. However, given the hazards shown by formulations, and in particular by POE-tallowamine, and without prejudice to our concerns with regard to the carcinogenic properties of glyphosate as found by IARC, it seems that Member States are not properly applying Article 4(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009. We would therefore like to know whether you consider that EFSA complied with Article 4(5) and whether it assessed the most relevant plant protection product in that context, and how you want to ensure that Member States properly apply the provisions of the Regulation, and in particular its Article 4(3) with regard to the authorisation of plant protection products. Endocrine disruption improperly assessed Finally, we are greatly concerned that glyphosate may be reapproved prior to the adoption of scientific criteria for the determination of endocrine disrupters. Glyphosate-based formulations have been found to be endocrine disrupters in human cell lines (see Gasnier et al., Toxicology, 21 August 2009). In the absence of proper scientific criteria, EFSA only assessed glyphosate against the interim criteria for endocrine disrupters, yet stated that an endocrine-mediated mode of action could not be ruled out in the context of possible adverse effects on reproduction As you know, the Commission was obliged to present scientific criteria by 14 December 2013, but failed to do so. An analogous obligation is laid down in the Biocides Regulation EU (No) 528/2012. In this context, the General Court declared on 16 December 2015 that the Commission has breached EU law by failing to adopt delegated acts as regards the specification of the scientific criteria for the determination of the endocrine-disrupting properties. In conclusion, we urge you to refrain from re-approving glyphosate as long as key studies used for the assessment remain confidential or unpublished, glyphosate-containing formulations are not properly and fully assessed, the Commission has not adopted specific scientific criteria for the determination of endocrine-disrupting properties. Michele Rivasi is Vice-Chair of the Greens / EFA Group in the European Parliament. This article was originally published as an Open Letter to Commissioner Andriukaitis from Michele Rivasi and the co-signatories below, all Members of the European Parliament. Co-signatories Isabella Adinolfi (EFDD) Marco Affronte (EFDD) Laura Agea (EFDD) Daniela Aiuto (EFDD) Pascal Arimont (EPP) Margaret Auken (Greens/EFA) Guillaume Balas ( S&D) Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea (ALDE) Paloma Lopez Bermejo (GUE/NGL) Biljana Borzan (S&D) Jose Bove (Greens/EFA) Lynn Boylan (GUE/NGL) Klaus Buchner (Greens/EFA) Fabio Massimo Castaldo (EFDD) Ignazio Corrao (EFDD) Rosa D'Amato (EFDD) Dennis de Jong (GUE/NGL) Karima Delli (Greens/EFA) Mark Demesmaeker (ECR) Pascal Durand (Greens/EFA) Stefan Eck (GUE/NGL) Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA) Peter Eriksson (Greens/EFA) Eleonora Evi (EFDD) Jil Evans (Greens/EFA) Jose Inacio Faria (ALDE) Laura Ferrara (EFDD) Ana Gomes (S&D) Sven Giegold (Greens/EFA) Jytte Guteland (S&D) Rebecca Harms (Greens/EFA) Martin Hausling (Greens/EFA) Heidi Hautala (Greens/EFA) Maria Heubuch (Greens/EFA) Anja Hazekamp (GUE/NGL) Yannick Jadot (Greens/EFA) Benedek Javor (Greens/EFA) Eva Joly (Greens/EFA) Josu Juaristi Abaunz (GUE/NGL) Karin Kadenbach (S&D) Katerina Konecna (GUE/NGL) Merja Kyllonen (GUE/NGL) Jean Lambert (Greens/EFA) Philippe Lamberts (Greens/EFA) Ulrike Lunacek (Green/EFA) Maria Noichl (S&D) Maite Pagazaurtundua Ruiz (ALDE) Gilles Pargneaux (S&D) Piernicola Pedicini (EFDD) Pavel Poc (S&D) Terry Reintke (Greens/EFA) Bronis Rope (Green/EFA) Mari Saarteinen (Greens/EFA) Jordi Sebastia (Greens/EFA) Molly Scott Cato (Greens/EFA) Lidia Senra Rodriguez (GUE/NGL) Bart Staes (Greens/EFA) Dario Tamburrano (EFDD) Keith Taylor (Greens/EFA) Estefania Torres Martinez (GUE/NGL) Claude Turmes (Greens/EFA) Ernest Urtasun (Greens/EFA) Marco Valli (EFDD) Marco Zanni (EFDD) Marco Zullo (EFDD) "Suppose, a people rise in revolt. They cannot attack the abstract constitution or lead an army against proclamations and statutes...Civil disobedience has to be directed against the salt tax or the land tax or some other particular point - not that that is our final end, but for the time being it is our aim, and we must shoot straight." With the British imposing heavy taxes on salt and monopolising its production, Gandhi felt he could strike a chord with the masses by highlighting an issue that directly affected everyone in the country: access to and control over a daily essential. His march drew not only national but international attention to India's struggle for independence. From salt to the entire food chain Today, we find the issue of food in general playing a similar role in people's struggle for independence, but this time it is independence from the corporate tyranny of global agribusiness, and, for much of the world, independence from the US - which for a long time has been using food as a geopolitical tool to create food deficit areas, boost reliance on US exports and create dependence on oil-based chemical-intensive agriculture and ultimately the petro-dollar (see this and this and this). Vandana Shiva draws a parallel between the seed sovereignty movement and Gandhi's civil disobedience 'salt march': "Gandhi has started the independence movement with the salt satyagraha. Satyagraha means 'struggle for truth'. The salt satyagraha was a direct action of non-cooperation. When the British tried to create salt monopolies, he went to the beach in Dindi, picked up the salt and said, 'Nature has given us this for free, it was meant to sustain us, we will not allow it to become a monopoly to finance the Imperial Army ... "Nature has gifted this rich biological diversity to us. We will not allow it to become the monopoly of a handful of corporations ... For us, not cooperating in the monopoly regimes of intellectual property rights and patents and biodiversity - saying 'no' to patents on life, and developing intellectual ideas of resistance - is very much a continuation of Gandhian satyagraha ... "That is the satyagraha for the next millennium. It is what the ecology movement must engage in, not just in India, but in the United States as well." At the heart of the debate: patented GM seeds With genetically modified seeds now a major issue, the debate on food has in recent years meant that the issues of food sovereignty and food independence have been given a sharper focus. What the debate on GM has done is create increased public awareness concerning how food is produced, what is in it, who is controlling it and for what purpose. At one end of the spectrum, we have groups that were already highly politically aware about food and the geopolitics of food and agriculture. At the other end, however, there are people who may have not been too politically aware or attracted to politics or political issues but who are being drawn towards issues like the 'right to know' what is in their food and the need to label GM foodstuffs on supermarket shelves. As a result, many are being politicised as they get drawn into the great food debate because, once they begin talking about the need to label, they soon begin to realise there are powerful state-corporate forces preventing this. By delving into the politics of labelling and GM, people will hopefully be drawn towards wider debates about Monsanto and agribusiness and in turn to how these entities are shaping the global system of food and agriculture. The basic 'right to know' could and should logically lead people to consider issues pertaining to seed sovereignty and patenting of seeds, petro-chemical farming and the role of oil, the destruction of indigenous agriculture across the world and corrupt trade deals like TTIP. Resistance is fertile For too long, so many people in the West have acted like 'mob wives', displaying a willingness to remain blissfully ignorant while living well from the fruits of imperialism or knowing that something might be amiss but turning a blind eye because life (for them) is good. There is however a growing recognition that their food is not only killing them as consumers but others too and that this is part of an agenda to capture the food supply by a powerful cartel that began many decades ago and is still being played out in throughout the globe from Africa and India to Ukraine and beyond. Protest and action against widespread oppression, violence and exploitation has to be focussed. As in Gandhi's time, it is again food that is playing a central role in raising awareness and provoking resistance. Colin Todhunter is an extensively published independent writer and former social policy researcher, based in the UK and India. You can support his work here. This article was originally published on Colin's website. Please also see Notes 1, 2 and 3 at the foot of this article. This latter finding was recently reported by A S Oliveira Melo et al in a scientific paper published in the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, which noted evidence of intra-uterine infection. They also warn: "As with other intrauterine infections, it is possible that the reported cases of microcephaly represent only the more severely affected children and that newborns with less severe disease, affecting not only the brain but also other organs, have not yet been diagnosed." The Brazilian Health Minister, Marcelo Castro, says he has "100% certainty" that there is a link between Zika and microcephaly. His view is supported by the medical community worldwide, including by the US Center for Disease Control. Oliveira Melo et al draw attention to a mystery that lies at the heart of the affair: "It is difficult to explain why there have been no fetal cases of Zika virus infection reported until now but this may be due to the underreporting of cases, possible early acquisition of immunity in endemic areas or due to the rarity of the disease until now. "As genomic changes in the virus have been reported, the possibility of a new, more virulent, strain needs to be considered. Until more cases are diagnosed and histopathological proof is obtained, the possibility of other etiologies cannot be ruled out." And this is the key question: how - if indeed Zika really is the problem, as appears likely - did this relatively innocuous virus acquire the ability to produce these terrible malformations in unborn human babies? Oxitec's GM mosquitoes An excellent article by Claire Bernish published last week on AntiMedia draws attention to an interesting aspect of the matter which has escaped mainstream media attention: the correlation between the incidence of Zika and the area of release of genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitos engineered for male insterility (see maps, above right). The purpose of the release was to see if it controlled population of the mosquitos, which are the vector of Dengue fever, a potentially lethal disease. The same species also transmits the Zika virus. The releases took in 2011 and 2012 in the Itaberaba suburb of the city of Juazeiro, Bahia, Northeast Brazil, about 500 km west of the coastal city of Recife. The experiment was written up in July 2015 in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases in a paper titled 'Suppression of a Field Population of Aedes aegypti in Brazil by Sustained Release of Transgenic Male Mosquitoes' by Danilo O. Carvalho et al. An initial 'rangefinder of 30,000 GM mosquitos per week took place between 19th May and 29th June 2011, followed by a much larger release of 540,000 per week in early 2012, ending on 11th February. At the end of it the scientists claimed "effective control of a wild population of Ae. aegypti by sustained releases of OX513A male Ae. aegypti. We diminished Ae. aegypti population by 95% (95% CI: 92.2%-97.5%) based on adult trap data and 78% (95% CI: 70.5%-84.8%) based on ovitrap indices compared to the adjacent no-release control area." So what's to worry about? The idea of the Oxitec mosquitoes is simple enough: the males produce non-viable offspring which all die. So the GM mosqitoes are 'self-extinguishing' and the altered genes cannot survive in the wild population. All very clever, and nothing to worry about! But in fact, it's not so simple. In 2010 geneticist Ricarda Steinbrecher wrote to the biosafety regulator in Malaysia - also considering a release of the Oxitec mosquitoes - with a number of safety concerns, pointing out the 2007 finding by Phuc et al that 3-4% of the first generation mosquitos actually survive. The genetic engineering method employed by Oxitec allows the popular antibiotic tetracycline to be used to repress the lethality during breeding. But as a side-effect, the lethality is also reduced by the presence of tetracycline in the environment; and as Bernish points out, Brazil is among the world's biggest users of anti-microbials including tetracycline in its commercial farming sector: "As a study by the American Society of Agronomy, et. al., explained, 'It is estimated that approximately 75% of antibiotics are not absorbed by animals and are excreted in waste.' One of the antibiotics (or antimicrobials) specifically named in that report for its environmental persistence is tetracycline. In fact, as a confidential internal Oxitec document divulged in 2012, that survival rate could be as high as 15% - even with low levels of tetracycline present. 'Even small amounts of tetracycline can repress' the engineered lethality. Indeed, that 15% survival rate was described by Oxitec." She then quotes the leaked Oxitec paper: "After a lot of testing and comparing experimental design, it was found that [researchers] had used a cat food to feed the [OX513A] larvae and this cat food contained chicken. It is known that tetracycline is routinely used to prevent infections in chickens, especially in the cheap, mass produced, chicken used for animal food. The chicken is heat-treated before being used, but this does not remove all the tetracycline. This meant that a small amount of tetracycline was being added from the food to the larvae and repressing the [designed] lethal system." So in other words, there is every possibility for Oxitec's modified genes to persist in wild populations of Aedes aegypti mosquitos, especially in the environmental presence of tetracycline which is widely present in sewage, septic tanks, contaminated water sources and farm runoff. 'Promiscuous' jumping genes On the face of it, there is no obvious way in which the spread of Oxitec's GM mosquitos into the wild could have anything to do with Brazil's wave of microcephaly. Is there? Actually, yes. The problem may arise from the use of the 'transposon' ('jumping' sequence of DNA used in the genetic engineering process to introduce the new genes into the target organism). There are several such DNA sequences in use, and one of the most popular is known as known as piggyBac. As a 2001 review article by Dr Mae Wan Ho shows, piggyBac is notoriously active, inserting itself into genes way beyond its intended target: "These 'promiscuous' transposons have found special favour with genetic engineers, whose goal is to create 'universal' systems for transferring genes into any and every species on earth. Almost none of the geneticists has considered the hazards involved ... "It would seem obvious that integrated transposon vectors may easily jump out again, to another site in the same genome, or to the genome of unrelated species. There are already signs of that in the transposon, piggyBac, used in the GM bollworms to be released by the USDA this summer. The piggyBac transposon was discovered in cell cultures of the moth Trichopulsia, the cabbage looper, where it caused high rates of mutations in the baculovirus infecting the cells by jumping into its genes ... This transposon was later found to be active in a wide range of species, including the fruitfly Drosophila, the mosquito transmitting yellow fever, Aedes aegypti, the medfly, Ceratitis capitata, and the original host, the cabbage looper. "The piggyBac vector gave high frequencies of transpositions, 37 times higher than mariner and nearly four times higher than Hirmar." In a later 2014 report Dr Mae Wan Ho returned to the theme with additional detail and fresh scientific evidence (please refer to her original article for references): "The piggyBac transposon was discovered in cell cultures of the moth Trichopulsia, the cabbage looper, where it caused high rates of mutations in the baculovirus infecting the cells by jumping into its genes ... "There is also evidence that the disabled piggyBac vector carrying the transgene, even when stripped down to the bare minimum of the border repeats, was nevertheless able to replicate and spread, because the transposase enzyme enabling the piggyBac inserts to move can be provided by transposons present in all genomes. "The main reason initially for using transposons as vectors in insect control was precisely because they can spread the transgenes rapidly by 'non-Mendelian' means within a population, i.e., by replicating copies and jumping into genomes, thereby 'driving' the trait through the insect population. However, the scientists involved neglected the fact that the transposons could also jump into the genomes of the mammalian hosts including human beings ... "In spite of instability and resulting genotoxicity, the piggyBac transposon has been used extensively also in human gene therapy. Several human cell lines have been transformed, even primary human T cells using piggyBac. These findings leave us little doubt that the transposon-borne transgenes in the transgenic mosquito can transfer horizontally to human cells. The piggyBac transposon was found to induce genome wide insertion mutations disrupting many gene functions." Has the GM nightmare finally come true? So down to the key question: was the Oxitec's GM Aedes aegypti male-sterile mosquito released in Juazeiro engineered with the piggyBac transposon? Yes, it was. And that creates a highly significant possibility: that Oxitec's release of its GM mosquitos led directly to the development of Brazil's microcephaly epidemic through the following mechanism: 1. Many of the millions of Oxitec GM mosquitos released in Juazeiro in 2011/2012 survive, assisted, but not dependent on, the presence of tetracycline in the environment. 2. These mosquitos interbreed with with the wild population and their novel genes become widespread. 3. The promiscuous piggyBac transposon now present in the local Aedes aegypti population takes the opportunity to jump into the Zika virus, probably on numerous occasions. 4. In the process certain mutated strains of Zika acquire a selective advantage, making them more virulent and giving them an enhanced ability to enter and disrupt human DNA. 5. One way in which this manifests is by disrupting a key stage in the development of human embryos in the womb, causing microcephaly and the other reported deformations. Note that as Melo Oliveira et al warn, there are almost certainly other manifestations that have not yet been detected. 6. It may be that the piggyBac transposon has itself entered the DNA of babies exposed in utero to the modified Zika virus. Indeed, this may form part of the mechanism by which embryonic development is disrupted. In the latter case, one implication is that the action of the gene could be blocked by giving pregnant women tetracycline in order to block its activity. The chances of success are probably low, but it has to be worth trying. No further releases of GM insects! While I am certainly not claiming that this is what actually took place, it is at least a credible hypothesis, and moreover a highly testable one. Nothing would be easier for genetic engineers than to test amniotic fluids, babies' blood, wild Aedes mosquitos and the Zika virus itself for the presence of the piggyBac transposon, using well established and highly sensitive PCR (polymerase chain reaction) techniques. [See Notes 1 & 2, below. Recent Zika genome snapshots examined as a result of this article are, in fact, free of the piggyBac transposon.] If this proves to be the case, those urging caution on the release of GMOs generally, and transgenic insects bearing promiscuous transposons in particular, will have been proved right on all counts. But most important, such experiments, and any deployment of similar GM insects, must be immediately halted until the possibilities outlined above can be safely ruled out. There are plans, for example, to release similarly modified Anopheles mosquitos as an anti-malarial measure. There are also calls for even more of the Oxitec Aedes aegypti mosquitos to be released in order to halt the transmission of the Zika virus. If that were to take place, it could give rise to numerous new mutations of the virus with the potential to cause even more damage to the human genome, that we can, at this stage, only guess at. Note 1: A reader of this article, David Murphy, reports on Facebook (see thread here) as follows: Zika, 4 strains, 2016 from the Center for Technological Innovation, Brazil http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/KU365777.1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/KU365778.1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/KU365779.1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/KU365780.1 The releases of GM mosquitos took place in 2011 and 2012. Fortunately people sequenced zika before that. Zika 01-AUG-2006 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/GU937109.1 id:AY632535.2 So lets compare. This isn't anything amazing, the viruses are tiny, this is rare in biology but we can actually eyeball the data since you could fit a whole viral genome on a single A4 sheet of paper. View the alignment online: http://web.archive.org/web/20160204113740/http://www.ebi.ac.uk/Tools/services/web/toolresult.ebi?jobId=mview-I20160203-123326-0036-25505577-pg http://toolkit.tuebingen.mpg.de/alnviz/results/8144137 If you take a peek at the last 2 links you can see that while they're not identical the differences are almost all small changes with no big new chunks of code added. From a quick scan through eyeballing it, the only chunk of new bases was a 15 base sequence that doesn't show up in any piggyBac. Zika is small, only 10000 bases long and it's hard to hide anything big in it. piggyBac is not tiny, ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/?term=piggybac ), you wouldn't have to do any amazing analysis to see that it's not been added in there. Zika virus strain BeH818995 polyprotein gene, complete cds - Nucleotide - NCBI National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda MD, 20894 USANCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV Note 2: I'm grateful to David Murphy for carrying out this work, and to James Babcock for drawing it to my attention. It appears that the hypothesis set out above is probably incorrect, and this must be a matter of considerable relief to all concerned. However it remains my opinion that considerable caution should be exercised with releases of GE insects containing 'promiscuous' DNA sequences such as piggyBac. The Zika virus, as a pure RNA virus, is resistant to the uptake of DNA of any kind (more on this in Note 3), and being very small, any such uptake would be rapidly detectable. However there are many other viruses, bacteria, disease vectors, etc, for which this remains a possiblity. Another check that should also be made is to test for the presence of piggyBac in wild Aedes mosquitos around the release sites to see if, in fact, these 'programmed to die out' sequences are indeed as evanescent as claimed. Note 3: I have received this comment by Dr Michael Antoniou, respected researcher in this field, originally posted on a GM news list, and reproduce it here in full. "I urge great caution in viewing and using the message of this article in the Ecologist as it contains a number of technical errors with what it says especially about the piggyBac transposon system used to generate the GM mosquitos. "Native transposons by their very nature do move around the genome of the host into which they have inserted and do so by the action of an enzyme called a 'transposase' for which they carry the gene. "However, when adapted for use as a gene transfer vehicle ('vector') as was used to generate the GM mosquitos they have been stripped of their own genes including the one encoding the transposase, which as I mentioned is responsible for the insertion and mobility of the DNA transposon element. Thus following insertion of the GM transposon vector into the target cell genome by the transient provision (over a small time scale) of the transposase via a separate gene construct, the inserted GM transposon has no mechanism for subsequent mobilisation from its initial site of genome integration. Also, please note that transposases are specific for a given transposon. I worked with a transposon vector called Sleeping Beauty; the Sleeping Beauty transposase can only interact and move around its cognate transposon and not that of another type such as piggyBack, which has its own specific transposase. "Furthermore, the suggestion that the transposon vector inserted into the GM mosquitos can be mobilised and insert itself into the Zika virus genome that may be carried by these GM mosquitos is even more farfetched. The Zika virus genome is made of RNA and resides/replicates after infection completely in the part of the cell known as the cytoplasm, which surrounds the cell nucleus, which is where the cell DNA with its inserted transposon are located. Not only are the Zika virus RNA in the cell cytoplasm and transposon DNA in the cell nucleus separated spatially and thus incapable of physically interacting but the piggyBack transposase enzyme even if somehow present is totally incapable of inserted mobilised transposon DNA into the Zika virus RNA genome. "Overall, I believe the link between the release the GM mosquitos and increased incidence of microcephaly is at best highly tenuous. I draw your attention to what some other individuals have highlighted as a far more likely cause of the increase in microcephaly; that is, escalation and spread in the use of toxic larvicides used to combat mosquito reproduction." Dr Mae Wan Ho responds: "Michael Antoniou claimed and argued with me for a long time that it was impossible for the CaMV 35S promoter to move into genomes. This has been proven to happen. "I think the whole issue of horizontal gene transfer, not just of piggyBac, but the other bits of the construct cannot be ignored. "Also, interaction between construct and virus could simply be mutagenic, as you suggested originally. And of course, there is now a suggestion that the 'killing gene product' from the transgenic mosquito may have been transferred into pregnant women, thereby causing microcephaly. "If the female mosquito can transfer protein and viruses, why not nucleic acids? Both RNA (transcripts) and DNA can undergo horizontal gene transfer and recombination, and are hence also mutagenic." I also add a highly relevant comment received in an earlier email from Dr Mae Wan Ho which addresses the same points as those raised by Dr Antoniou, though in another context: "The point in the follow-up email is the most serious objection. piggbac is a DNA transposon that has no RNA intermediate, and zika virus is a flavivirus that has no DNA intermediate, therefore on the face of it, recombination between them is impossible. "However, this has recently been proven wrong. See Stedman KM. Deep Recombination: RNA and ssDNA Virus Genes in DNA Virus and Host Genomes. Annual Review of Virology Vol. 2: 203-217 (Volume publication date November 2015). "It states: 'genetic exchange across viral kingdoms, for instance between nonretroviral RNA viruses or ssDNA viruses and host genomes or between RNA and DNA viruses, was previously thought to be practically nonexistent. However, there is now growing evidence for both RNA and ssDNA viruses recombining with host dsDNA genomes and, more surprisingly, RNA virus genes recombining with ssDNA virus genomes. Mechanisms are still unclear, but this deep recombination greatly expands the breadth of virus evolution and confounds virus taxonomy.' "The contention that disabled piggyBac cannot transpose is known to be false from studies cited in articles submitted by Cummins & Ho to the USDA in 2001, see here, for example: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/terminsects-pr.php. That is because transposases are abundant in genomes. "A more recent article confirming this is Aziz RK, Breitbart M and Edwards RA. Transposases are the most abundant, most ubiquitous genes in nature. Nucleic Acid Res 2010, http://nar.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2010/03/09/nar.gkq140.full " My conclusion: there are obstructions to the onward transfer of genetic material from the transposon into the Zika virus, as suggested in my article. But it would be wrong to declare it impossible, as a number of critics have done in firm and absolute terms. These are obstructions, not hard barriers, and similar obstructions are proven to have been breached. It appears (from examination of the Zika genome) not to have taken place in the manner proposed on this occasion, however there is no guarantee that something similar may not happen in the future. Dr Mae Wan Ho also refers to two additional possibilities as deserving of consideration, first, that "interaction between construct and virus could simply be mutagenic", and second, "that the 'killing gene product' from the transgenic mosquito may have been transferred into pregnant women, thereby causing microcephaly". There remains every reason to take a highly precautionary approach to the release of genetically modified organisms and especially those that contain promiscuous transposons whose DNA may, as in the case of mosquitos, enter into people with potentially dangerous impacts. Oliver Tickell edits The Ecologist. In a move that could help decide the future of GM crops in Africa, Burkina Faso has abandoned GM Bt cotton. The country has begun a complete phase-out of the crop, citing the inferior lint quality of GM cultivars. This story of a major GMO failure is documented in a new briefing in the journal African Affairs, which is published by Oxford University Press. The authors are Brian Dowd-Uribe, Assistant Professor in the International Studies Department at the University of San Francisco and Matthew A. Schnurr, Associate Professor in the Department of International Development Studies at Dalhousie University. The briefing traces the rapid decline of Burkina Faso's cotton crop following the introduction of GM Bt cotton. At the time, Burkinabe cotton was renowned for its high quality, the product of a highly successful non-GM breeding programme founded by the French government and spanning 70 years. The main goal of the breeding programme was to create cultivars that were well adapted to the growing conditions in West Africa and had the desired quality characteristics, such as a high ginning ratio (the percentage of the desired cotton fibre per unit weight of cotton delivered to the factory) and long staple length. GM Bt cotton adoption prompts decline in quality When Burkina Faso first grew GM Bt cotton in field trials, officials were initially satisfied with the quality of the cotton, the briefing states. The quality characteristics for which Burkinabe cotton was famous were maintained. GM Bt cotton was commercialised in Burkina Faso in 2009. But during the first years of commercial release, Burkinabe officials noticed declines in staple lengths and ginning ratios. Monsanto employees blamed water stress and other weather problems. However, the quality problems persisted and by the 2013/14 season over two-thirds of the nation's crop was classified as lower-quality medium staple length, with only a third retaining its previous classification as medium to high staple length. The ginning ratio remains well below the 42% achieved by non-GMO cultivars. The authors of the new paper conclude that the decline in staple length "Has undermined the reputation of Burkinabe cotton and cut into its value on the international market. When coupled with the decline in overall lint due to the lower ginning ratio, the inferior quality characteristics of the Bt cultivars have compromised the economic position of Burkinabe cotton companies." The experience of Burkina Faso makes clear that focus on yield is not the defining factor of a crop's success. The yield in Burkina Faso was high - in the most recent growing season, it produced over 700,000 MT of cotton, while neighbouring Mali produced only 500,000 MT. Photo provided The Kentucky State Police will raffle this 2016 Dodge RAM pickup to raise money for Trooper Island, a KSP summer camp for underprivileged children. SHARE By Gleaner Staff To support its Trooper Island Camp for underprivileged children, the Kentucky State Police is selling raffle tickets for a chance to win a new 2016 Dodge RAM 1500 pickup. The truck features include a four-door, air-conditioned crew cab with heated, leather front seats embroidered with the KSP seal on the headrest; a 5.7 liter V8 HEMI MDS VVT engine with 395 horsepower; an eight-speed automatic transmission and a five-year/60,000 mile powertrain limited warranty. Visit kentuckystatepolice.org/2016/tr_isl_truck_raffle.html for a full list of features and equipment. Tickets are $10 each. To purchase a ticket, contact any KSP post or CVE Region office. Tickets are also available online by debit or credit card payment at https://squareup.com/market/trooper-island-inc. Only 20,000 tickets will be sold. The winning ticket will be drawn Aug. 28 at the Kentucky State Fair. Ticket holders do not have to be present at the drawing to win. The winner is responsible for all tax and license fees. Trooper Island is a free summer camp for underprivileged boys and girls age 10-12 operated by the Kentucky State Police on Dale Hollow Lake in Clinton County. It is financed entirely by donations. Each year, the camp hosts approximately 700 children, providing fresh air, recreation, guidance and structured, esteem-building activities designed to build good citizenship and positive relationships with law enforcement officers. For more information about Trooper Island, visit kentuckystatepolice.org. SHARE By Joan Lowy And Michael R. Sisak Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) A federal accident investigations board is set to release documents that could shed light on the cause of a fatal Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia last year. The National Transportation Safety Board has wrapped up its investigative phase into the crash that killed eight people and injured about 200 others. The board is releasing on Monday the factual information gathered so far. Next, investigators will analyze the evidence, prepare a report on the probable cause of the derailment and make safety recommendations. A draft report is expected to be delivered to board members in a meeting not yet scheduled, but that will likely happen around the May 12 anniversary of the crash. Investigators have already released substantial information about the crash of Amtrak 188, including that the train's data recorder shows it was traveling at about twice the speed limit of 50 mph when it entered Frankfort Junction, one of the sharpest curves in Amtrak's Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington. It's normal for trains to speed up in the stretch of track before the curve, which has a 70 mph limit. But trains are supposed to slow before entering the curve, and data show the train reached more than 100 mph in that stretch. The emergency brake was activated as it entered the curve, but by then it was too late. The locomotive and four of the train's seven passenger cars jumped the tracks, ending up in a tangled heap. The train's engineer, Brandon Bostian, hit his head in the crash and says he doesn't recall what happened, according to investigators and his attorney. He provided his cellphone to investigators, who say that there's no indication he was using it while operating the train. Other avenues of investigation have also turned up dry holes, according to previous statements by investigators. The data recorder shows the train's top-of-the-line new Siemens engine was functioning normally. No anomalies were found in the tracks or signal boxes. There was no vehicle or object on the tracks. The train's assistant conductor said that before the crash he heard Bostian on his radio say the train had been hit by something. Trains operating in the Northeast corridor are frequent targets of rock-throwing vandals. Other trains in the vicinity of Frankfort Junction reported being hit by rocks that evening not long before the derailment. A small dent was found in the windshield of Amtrak 188's locomotive. ___ Follow Joan Lowy at twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/joan-lowy Follow Michael R. Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/michael-r-sisak Caption 1: FILE In this May 13, 2015 file photo, emergency personnel work at the scene of a derailment in Philadelphia of an Amtrak train headed to New York. A federal accident investigations board is set to release documents Feb. 1, 2016, that could shed light on the cause of a fatal Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia last year. The National Transportation Safety Board has wrapped up its investigative phase into the crash that killed eight people and injured about 200 others. The board is now releasing factual information gathered so far. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) SHARE By Laurie Kellman Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Rand Paul's populist campaign, based on advocacy of a smaller, less-nosy government, gained popularity at first but he soon faded. The Kentucky senator was among those bumped from the main debate stage because of low polling, but won readmission for the last debate before the Iowa caucuses. A look at the senator: ___ THE BRIEF Paul launched his presidential candidacy early, anchoring his effort in detailed policy positions before Donald Trump jumped in and captured the attention of angry, change-seeking Americans. Paul, though a senator, is no go-along-to-get-along Washington insider. He was elected in the tea party-driven wave of 2010 and tangled often with GOP leaders. But he started to learn the ways of Washington and adapt to them. ___ RESUME REVIEW Paul is an ophthalmologist who has worked at clinics in southwest Kentucky, specializing in eye surgery, and helps to run a free clinic for his poor neighbors. In politics, Paul helped his father, Ron, run against Texas Sen. Phil Gramm in 1984 and on his 1988 presidential campaign, and managed his father's 1996 campaign to return to the House representing a Houston-area district. In Rand Paul's first campaign with his own name on the ballot, running for Senate in Kentucky in 2010, he toppled Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell's choice in the GOP primary by an almost 2-to-1 margin and went on to win the general election by 12 percentage points. Paul grew up near Houston, the son of an obstetrician father and mother who was a secretary. He was 15 when his father won election to the House in 1978. Rand Paul attended Baylor University, where he was an honors student, but left without a degree when he was accepted into Duke University's School of Medicine. While on a surgical rotation at Georgia Baptist Hospital in Atlanta, he met his future wife, Kelley, at a picnic. The couple married in 1990 and moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, to be closer to her family. Paul joined a medical practice before opening one of his own, and Kelley Paul is a freelance writer and political consultant. The couple is raising three children in Washington. ___ SIGNATURE ISSUE Paul's career and campaign is centered on the idea of a smaller, less-intrusive government a platform that appeals to liberals concerned about government operating outside its authority as well as to many conservatives. He controlled the Senate floor in 2013 for almost 13 hours to hold up the nomination of John Brennan as CIA director. Brennan had been President Barack Obama's counterterrorism adviser, and Paul opposed the Obama administration's use of drone strikes against suspected terrorists. He drew support from people across the political spectrum who shared a concern about government overreach, making it seem possible to cobble together a diverse coalition big enough to compete in the race for president. ___ DEBATE DIGEST "If you want boots on the ground, and you want them to be our sons and daughters, you got 14 other choices," he said in a reference to his rivals. "There will always be a Bush or Clinton for you, if you want to go back to war in Iraq. But the thing is, the first war was a mistake. And I'm not sending our sons and our daughters back to Iraq. The war didn't work." ___ MOMENT TO REMEMBER Paul in October embarked on an online event in which he answered hostile questions from Twitter users. One asked if he's still running for president. "I dunno," he answered. "I wouldn't be doing this dumbass live streaming if I weren't." ___ PLEASE FORGET Still a year out from Monday's Iowa caucuses, Paul began a series of stumbles that turned into displays of his prickly personality and raised questions about his credibility as a doctor. Paul said he had heard about "many tragic cases" of children who got vaccines and ended up with "profound mental disorders." That assertion has no basis in medical research. Paul at first blamed the uproar on "inaccuracies" in the media. He later said he believes vaccines are safe and that his own children are immunized. That came after Paul suggested that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the transmission of Ebola sound similar to that of AIDS. Ebola, he said, is easier to contract. Health authorities worldwide have said that Ebola is only transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids. ___ Online: Senate Twitter: http://twitter.com/senrandpaul Campaign Twitter: http://twitter.com/drrandpaul Instagram: http://instagram.com/drrandpaul/ Campaign Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/RandPaul Senate Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SenatorRandPaul Senate campaign website: http://www.randpaul2016.com Political action committee: http://www.randpac.com Senate website: http://www.paul.senate.gov ___ Follow Laurie Kellman on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman Caption 1: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., answers a question as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, listens during a Republican presidential primary debate, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. 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Stilwell abandoned the last of the trucks and the radio van the radio set weighed 200 pounds alone. Last messages were sent, one advising General Brereton, in New Delhi that Stilwell and his party were on foot, heading for Homalin and then Imphal, and asking for them to be met at Homalin by resupply and medical aid. Indian govt. should be warned rice, police, and doctors urgently needed by refugees on all routes to India from Burma. Large numbers on way. All control gone. Catastrophe quite possible. End. Another, to the US War Department via Chunking, ended, We are armed, have food and map and are on foot 50 miles west of Indaw believe this is probably our last message for a while. Cheerio. Stilwell. The radio set was smashed to splinters, the code books and copies of all messages sent were destroyed. That would be the last heard in the outside world from Stilwell and his party for nearly two weeks. Sometime on that day, Stilwell gathered the party together for a briefing, laying out the rules and route for the march. All food to be pooled, personal belongings limited to what each could carry, along with weapons and ammunition. They faced a hundred and forty mile long journey through tropical jungle, with at least one river, and a tall mountain range in their way. They would have to make at least fourteen miles per day, no matter what for there was not sufficient food to last the party going at a leisurely pace and the monsoon would begin any day, making conditions even more difficult. At the last, Stilwell made an offer; anyone who didnt want to travel any farther under his iron discipline could leave the party with a weeks worth of rations and make their own way. Finally, he predicted, By the time we get out of here, many of you may hate my guts but Ill tell you one thing: youll all get out. No one took the offer to leave. Some small pieces of fortune favored them; that day, they encountered a couple of scruffy Chinese with a pack-train of twenty mules, returning from what Stilwell suspected was an opium-smuggling trip. The muleteers and their animals were hired forthwith, along with sixty porters from a nearby village. When the party set out, abandoning the last trucks and jeeps, it was Stilwell himself setting the pace, going by the standard Army rate of 105 steps a minute, uphill, downhill, or wading through a shallow river. He counted them out by his watch, permitting only a rest period of five minutes in an hour although he later relented, allowing a ten minute break per hour. At the age of 59, he was fitter than men half his age, certainly fitter than most of his own officers, a good few of whom fell out of the march through exhaustion on the first day, leading Stilwell to fume to his medical officer, Dammit you and I can stand it. Were both older than any of them why cant they take it! It was the brutal heat, of course the last few weeks before the monsoon began were the hottest of the year in Burma. And humidity, malaria, insect bites, blisters turning to running, infected sores, sunstroke all hit the column hard. Major Frank Merrill, latter to command Merrills Marauders collapsed in mid-march one day sunstroke or heart attack, possibly both and had to be floated along the river on an air mattress. He was unconscious for hours. Seagrave, the volunteer surgeon, was plagued by infected sores on his feet and legs; exhausted, he rolled up in his blankets at the end of every days march and wished for an easy, comfortable death. At one point, Stilwell discovered that one officer whose name was not mentioned in the general ass-chewing of the entire company which followed had disobeyed orders to abandon everything of personal possessions. That officer had kept his wardrobe and a bedroll with mattress, adding those items to the loads carried by the porters. Stilwell was infuriated and his remarks were sulfurous; one of the sick could have been carried instead. Even his campaign hat looked mad, according to one impressed witness to the scene. The first substantial river, a tributary of the Chindwin was reached in good time in accordance with Stilwells march. He had sent messengers ahead, asking for rafts to be made available for the next leg of travel, down to Homalin, the next town of any significance. They were, but the travel was not any easier, for the rafts had to be poled; they struck snags and shallow places. While in mid-journey, an RAF bomber flew over, spotted the party, and made three passes overhead dropping supplies on the riverbank. Local tribesmen made off with several bags, before Stilwells party could splash through the water and retrieve them. Mostly good, but sufficient medical supplies that the doctors among them could begin administering quinine, against the malaria which had so badly affected many. This was also the first indication that those in command were looking for them, and looking out for them. Many hoped that they would be met by a rescue party and more resupply in Homalin others feared that they would be met instead by the Japanese. Stilwell held a weapons-inspection parade just before they reached the town against that possibility. There was no one there to meet them at Homalin, with either hostile or friendly intent a good-news, bad-news situation. No communication with the outside world the telegraph office was closed, They hired new porters from among the local villages, and struggled on up into the Naga Hills, climbing now, climbing high after the level riverine bottomlands. A day and a half after their departure, a Japanese mobile force arrived in Homalin it was an escape by the skin of their teeth and Stilwells determination to keep going. But on May 14, it began to rain. Morale plummeted to near zero; Stilwell was correct at the outset of the trek, in predicting that many in the party would hate his guts by the end of it. It was a miserable journey, unleavened by the hind-sight knowledge of their own relative good fortune in comparison with other parties making their way out of the Burma disaster. Stilwells party had a goodly ration of medical expertise among them, weapons and ammunition with the skill and willingness to use them, sufficient resources to hire porters to help with the burdens of food, gear, and sick, personal knowledgeable of local conditions , sufficiently diplomatic to ask for aid and receive it along the way, and the pull to call on assistance from higher military and receive it likewise and Stilwell himself, with the iron determination to bring them all safe over the mountain, river, and jungle barriers to safety in India. The day that the monsoon rains began to splatter the party and render the trail slippery they were met by an advance relief party with orders to assist and guide them into Imphal, where the road passible to motor transport began on the other side of the mountains began. This relief party was led by a British district official named Tim Sharpe, who had been told nothing about Stilwells projected route by headquarters in Delhi. Tim Sharpe had deduced that from what he had been told by his superiors; Stilwell was an intelligent and stubborn man. By that, Sharpe gambled on the correct one of the four possible trails which that an intelligent and stubborn leader would have taken. According to the later testimony of Surgeon Seagrave, only half a dozen intrepid trekkers had gone over that trail ahead of Stilwells party in escaping from the disaster in Burma. Tim Sharpe was in advance of his main rescue party, although he had brought enough pigs with him for a proper barbeque feast. On the trail behind him were porters, draft ponies, more food supplies, medical assistance all of it. They pushed on, energized although the pace was picked up to over fifteen or sixteen miles a day seventeen, on downhill stretches. They reached Imphal about midday on May 20th. Stilwell had lost more than twenty pounds, and had a bad case of jaundice, but several of his party were even worse off, and had to be hospitalized at once. When he actually had to face newspaper correspondents some days later of course, his escape was of top news interest, being a a general and all. He had personally led the very largest party out of Burma without loosing a single person. He was as anyone could have expected blunt in replying to their questions. I claim we got a hell of a beating! We got run out of Burma, and it is humiliating as hell. I think we ought to find out what caused it, go back and retake it. It is saddening to look back on this, recalling those military officers in an earlier war, who did what they did, and spoke out in blunt and unmistakable fashion, not fearing for their careers. I do wonder what Joseph Warren Stilwell would have thought of the Benghazi imbroglio, where the powers that be appear to have sat back and allowed disaster to happen and left their people twisting in the wind, waiting for relief. Discuss. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON -- 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. 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 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk was thronged with chocolate lovers and marine enthusiasts Sunday, "smashing its single-day attendance record" with the fourth iteration of its most popular annual event, the Chocolate Expo. "We welcomed in 7,937 guests, smashing the old single-day mark of 6,857," said Dave Sigworth, publicist for The Maritime Aquarium. "That record was set on Chocolate Expo 2014." With the possible exception of one memorable Presidents' Day weekend that featured animatronic dinosaurs, the past three Chocolate Expos had been the three busiest days in the Aquarium's 27-year history, drawing around 6,000 people in one day, according to Sigworth. After attendance was tallied late Sunday after the Expo, it was determined that this year's event set a record for the books. The vast building's atria, mezzanines and corridors were crammed with visitors from across the tri-state area who shopped, chatted with vendors, sampled chocolates and admired the aquarium's menagerie of diverse sea life. Fiona Taylor and Jonathan, age 6, made the trip from New Rochelle, N.Y., drawn by the sweet-and-salty combination of candy and aquatic life. "I guess it's the chocolate for me, and the aquarium for him," Taylor told The Hour. "And don't forget the gift shop!," Jonathan added. Andy and Jenny Montoya visited with 16-month-old son Santiago from Hackensack, N.J., after Jenny saw an advertisement for the Chocolate Expo on Facebook. "It's always nice to have a fun activity to do with the baby," Andy said. With 38 vendors, this year's Chocolate Expo was the biggest yet hosted by the Maritime Aquarium. On Sunday, vendor tables lined the walls of the building's Newman's Own Hall -- surrounding a massive pool containing harbor seals -- and spilled out along hallways, interspersed among tanks inhabited by sharks, jellyfish and other creatures of the deep. Oliver Kita, owner of Oliver Kita Chocolates, based in Rhinebeck, N.Y., allowed visitors to sample his unconventional, award-winning fare; one flavor, "Japanese Mermaid", was topped with flakes of dried seaweed. Kita said he has been in the chocolate business for over a decade, and was recently named one of the top ten chocolatiers in North America by Dessert Professional Magazine. Next to Kita's booth, Monroe-based CocoArt allowed visitors to sample and purchase the company's kosher chocolates. "We're innovative in many ways in the kosher world," said CocoArt owner Sarah Schwartz, explaining that hers is the only chocolate available in the United States that contains fresh milk and is cholov Yisrael, "the highest level of kosher." Schwartz said Sunday's was the "umptieth" food exposition she has visited in the year since she founded CocoArt. Away from the main atrium, vendors also carried a wide range of non-chocolate foods -- empanadas, pickles, belgian waffles, savory pies and popcorn were represented. "When you go to a wine tasting ... you need to cleanse the palate," Chocolate Expo founder Marvin Baum told The Hour last week to explain the presence of food besides chocolate. Based in Glenville, N.Y., Healthy Gourmet Kitchen specializes in freeze-dried powders made from fresh ingredients that can be reconstituted with cream cheese or yogurt to create a wide variety of sweet and savory dips. Healthy Gourmet Kitchen owner Mary Song said the year-old company is her fourth start-up. For the Chocolate Expo, the Maritime Aquarium's IMAX movie theater was transformed into an auditorium for cooking demonstrations by well-known chefs, including reality television personalities Tony Albanese of the show "Cake Boss", Barret Beyer of "Hell's Kitchen" and "Scottish" Francis Legge of "MasterChef." With his image projected on the giant screen behind him, Legge -- a self-described "molecular gastronomist" who uses scientific principles to add flair to his cooking -- shared stories as he demonstrated how to make "chocolate caviar" and pots de creme. "I'm known as the 'Donut King'," Legge told the audience, owing to his unexpected success as a donut maker following his impromptu creation of a prosciutto-Guinness donut while competing on MasterChef. "I never wanted to make donuts, but now I make them every day at 4 a.m.," Legge added with a laugh. (Legge is a proprietor of Gossip Coffee in Astoria, N.Y., which stocks a rotating selection of his unique confections.) During a Q-and-A with the audience, Legge revealed that his favorite recipe, taught to him by his grandmother in Scotland, is a pastry known as Millionaire's shortbread. "It's like a fancy Twix," Legge told the crowd, describing the shortbread. Tragic Royal Love Stories Set the Tone for Valentines Day at NPL NORWALK Tragic love stories have captivated our imaginations for centuries, especially each year as Valentines Day approaches. This year, the Norwalk Public Library will offer a program focusing on Tragic Royal Love Stories: Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, presented by part-time Reference Librarian Mona Garcia, on Friday, February 12th at 12:00 noon in the Main Auditorium. A light lunch will be provided courtesy of the library. Let us transport you back to May 19, 1536, when the love story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, the second of his six wives, came to a tragic end with the execution of Anne Boleyn. Henry VIIIs insistence on making Anne his wife and queen changed England forever, but in the end, she paid with her life. Join us as we explore how Henry VIII fell in and out of love with Anne, and the legacy s! he left with their daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I. Mona Garcia has a PhD in history and has taught European history at the college level. She has presented conference papers in the United States and Great Britain, and has been published in her field of English history. To register for this program, please contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15133, or clahey@norwalkpubliclibrary.org. Norwalk NAACP to hold meeting NORWALK The Norwalk Branch, NAACP will hold its next general membership meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 7:15 p.m. at Calvary Baptist Church, 21 Concord St. On the agenda: Black History Month events; reports on Education; health; youth; Freedom Fund; housing; legal redress and criminal justice. Members are urged to attend and voice their concerns. For further information, visit the website norwalkbranchnaacp.org SoNo Library to host session on communication NORWALK The SoNo Branch Library, 10 Washington St., continues its Community Conversations series on Thursday, Feb. 4, from 6-8:30 p.m. with a session on effective and non-effective communication patterns between parents and school personnel as they relate to team building hosted by Todd Kellogg. Parents hold the keys to helping a large, and at times over-stretched, system of educational providers come together, rally, and even think-out-of-the-box to meet their children's complex needs. While everyones hearts may be in the right place, misunderstandings, systemic breakdowns and loss of trust can wear down the team and shift the dynamic from collaborative to adversarial. Kellogg's focus for this workshop is to help attendees learn communication patterns that build understanding and mutual respect and, thereby, get the most out of any team. This event is free and open to the public. A light dinner will be served from 6-6:30 p.m. Registration is available online or by calling (203) 899-2790, Ext. 15902. Revolutionary Road program to be held at SoNo Library NORWALK The SoNo Branch Library, 10 Washington St., continues its Read to Reel series with the book and movie version of Revolutionary Road (running time one hour, 59 minutes) from noon to 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 27. The film tells the story of a Connecticut couple who have a seemingly perfect life, but both are secretly unhappy and desire escape and adventure. The program is free and open to the public. Registration is available online, or by calling (203) 899-2790 ext. 15902. Multiple copies of the book are available behind the circulation desk at the SoNo Branch Library. Lions Club meeting set for Feb. 4 NORWALK The Lions Club of Norwalk, a Chartered Club of Lions Clubs International, will hold its first dinner meeting of the new year Thursday, Feb. 4, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Norwalk Inn and Conference Center. The guest speaker will be Thomas Kulhawik, Norwalk Police Chief. Dinner for Lions members is regular price and non-members are welcome for dinner for $35 per person. A major collections programs is under way for used eyeglasses and hearing aids, provided to people of need. Eyeglass and hearing aid drop-offs can be made at the UPS store c/o Norwalk Lions, Attn: Greg Bryson, same address below. (203) 847-6166. The CT Lions Eye Research Foundation is a Lions CT-based foundation which has been working to eradicate preventable blindness for more than 50 years. The Norwalk Lions Club has its regular meetings on the first and third Thursdays during the months of September to June. The club is always looking for new members to join. Anyone interested in making a donation of eyeglasses, hearing aids or in attending any meeting as a guest, or interested in joining, may contact Thomas H. Stein, membership chair/past president at tstein@tom kenindustries.com or call (203) 847-8869. RAC to host new exhibition ROWAYTON The winter season at the Rowayton Arts Center is off and running. Right out of the gate is the exhibition, Beyond Brushwork, featuring artwork created or enhanced with tools other than the tried and true paintbrush. The exhibit is juried by Dr. Arianne Kolb, and co-chaired by Dana Laird and Gregg Weiz. Come back and see the work of Ron Taylor in his solo Retrospective in the Portside Gallery. The opening reception is Sunday, Jan. 31, from 4 to 6 p.m. Its free and open to the public. The Rowayton Arts Center, located at 145 Rowayton Ave., Rowayton, on the scenic Five Mile River. Both exhibitions continue until Feb. 21. RACs gallery hours are 12-5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free. For more information, please visit www.rowaytonartscenter.org for more information about classes and workshops. Survival Guide at Wilton Historical WILTON A Survival Guide to 18th Century Living: Colonial Communications will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Wilton Historical Society. This scholarly Survival Guide, geared to those seriously interested in the how and why of 18th century living, will focus on colonial communications, from written letters to the postal system and more. Participants will spend a day in the company of Otto S. de Pierne, learning how to make an authentic goose quill pen, and create and write an 18th century letter, all the while absorbing his extensive knowledge about paper, ink, quills, blotting sand, sealing wax, penmanship, language, the postal system, roads, and more. The event is recommended for ages 14 and up. Bring a brown bag lunch; beverages and dessert provided. The cost is $25 for Wilton Historical Society Members, $35 for non-members. The program is limited in size, registration is essential. By E-mail: info@wiltonhistorical.org or call (203) 762-7257. NCC to screen documentary classic NORWALK The community at large is invited to attend a screening of the documentary film classic, The Price of the Ticket: James Baldwin, followed by a question-and-answer session with filmmakers Karen Thorsen and Doug K. Dempsey. The screening will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 11:30 a.m. at NCCs Gen Re Forum on East Campus. The Price of the Ticket: James Baldwin is an emotional portrait, a social critique and a passionate plea for human equality. Without the use of narration, the film allows Baldwin to tell his own story: exploring what it means to be born black, impoverished, gay and gifted, in a world that has yet to understand that all men are brothers. The film intercuts rarely seen archival footage from more than 100 sources and nine different countries, melding intimate interviews and eloquent public speeches with astounding private glimpses of Baldwin. Originally released in 1989, the 16mm version of The Price of the Ticket: James Baldwin received stellar reviews and was honored at festivals in over two-dozen countries. It has since been restored and re-mastered in 2K HD with the help of the Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. This free event is sponsored by the NCC Committee for Diversity & Inclusion and is made possible by Connecticut Humanities. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Kelly Jackson at kjackson@norwalk.edu. Wilton Historical Society hosting LoveNotes WILTON Looking for something intriguing and unusual to do on Valentines Day? Something that is short, sweet and full of affection? Love is in the air at the Wilton Historical Society on Valentines Day - Sunday, Feb. 14 from 4-5:30 p.m. Fairfield Countys popular lunchtime theatre group Play With Your Food (JIB Productions) will perform LoveNotes, a selection of amusing and romantic short stories and plays focused on what else but love in all its glory and complications. Professional actors will bring irresistible gems by Mark Twain, Dorothy Parker, Anton Chekhov, Paul Rudnick, Laurie Colwin and more to life in this heartfelt and humorous performance. Readings will be followed by prosecco, chocolate madeleines and strawberries with the cast. Tickets are $25 for members of the Wilton Historical Society, $30 for non-members. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.wiltonhistorical.org. Questions? Call 203-762-7257 The Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road/Rt. 7, Wilton, CT 06897; 203-762-7257; www.wiltonhistorical.org Recorder Society schedules session RIDGEFIELD The Recorder Society of Connecticut has scheduled its upcoming monthly playing session on Saturday, Feb. 6. The program runs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and doors open at 9:30 a.m. at Ridgefield Crossings, 640 Danbury Road (Route 7), Ridgefield. The playing session is designed for intermediate and high intermediate players, led by a professional recorder teacher/performer serving as coach and conductor. The RSC focuses primarily on Renaissance and Baroque music. Bring your recorders and music stand. Music is provided. Newcomers are welcome. For further information, call John Vandermeulen, (203) 810-4831 or JoAnn Flaum, (203) 221-7693 evenings or weekend, or go to recordersociety-connecticut.org. Stone Carvings at Seabury Academy NORWALK Seabury Academy presents a show of Stone Carvings by Andrew Barnett Davis and Photographic Images by Dustin DeMilio, at ARTWorks Gallery on the Green, 60 East Ave., Norwalk. The show runs through Feb. 16. Gallery hours are: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 to 11 a.m. and noon to 1 p.m. Andrew Barnett Davis is an award-winning sculptor and painter. This body of work is a culmination of ten years of study in the ancient art of stone carving. Davis presently teaches at the Silvermine School of Art. Dustin DeMilio combines photography, digital art and painting. A portion of all art sales benefits outreach programs of Seabury Academy of Music and the Arts, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which administers ARTWorks, Mid-Day Music Concerts and St. Pauls Chorister Program in residence at St. Pauls. For information contact Susan Leggitt at (203) 847-2806 Ext. 13. Side by Side accepting applications NORWALK Side by Side Charter School will be accepting enrollment applications for Fall 2016 to fill seats in grades pre-K (3- and 4-year-olds) through eighth grade. Lottery applications will only be made available during one of the scheduled open houses. In order to attend an open house, you must make a reservation. For reservations, call (203) 857-0306. Open house dates are as follows: 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28; 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24; 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16; and 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6. The lottery will be held on Wednesday, April 27, at 5 p.m., in the gym at Side by Side. All applications must be received by 4 p.m. on Friday, April 8, in order to be entered into the lottery. Admission information can be found at www.sbscharter.org. Volunteers sought for new Westport committees WESTPORT First Selectman Jim Marpe and the Parks & Recreation Commission are seeking volunteers to serve on two newly established advisory committees to assist the Parks and Recreation Department. The Racquets Advisory Committee will be comprised of seven members who will serve two-year terms. This committee will advise the Parks & Recreation Department and the Parks and Recreation Commission on matters such as policies and procedures, operation and maintenance and capital improvements pertaining to racquet sports. The Parks Advisory Committee will be comprised of nine members who will serve two-year terms. This committee will advise the Parks and Recreation Department and the Parks and Recreation Commission on park related items with a mission of promoting public access, maintenance and improvements to properties under the purview of the Parks and Recreation Department. Eligible applicants must be a registered voter in Westport. If you are interested in being considered for one of these committees email a resume and/or statement of interest including your contact information to recreation@westportct.gov. THISability support group to meet NORWALK THISability is a support group for LGBT people and their allies living with multiple sclerosis or other physical disabilities that meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m. at Triangle Community Center, located at 618 West Ave in Norwalk. For more information, contact Ed at (203) 807-0194. For more information on multiple sclerosis and the many ways you can help make a difference, please visit www.ctfightsMS.org or call the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter at (800) FIGHT MS. New monthly workshop at Wilton Historical Society WILTON Do you know what America tastes like? While correspondence, art, and artifacts from Colonial Connecticut have been preserved in our museums and archives, the taste of our forefathers food and drink the very spice of their lives, so to speak can only be discovered by venturing into historys kitchen! Beginning on Saturday, January 30, youth in grades 4-8 can attend a Colonial Cookery and Customs for Kids workshop at the Wilton Historical Society. On the last Saturday of each month, a class will gather to learn and follow a Colonial-era reciept (recipe) from the Connecticut region. While the food cooks, they will also hear about Colonial manners, morals, and way of life. The topic of the discussion will be appropriate to the dish being prepared (for example, a discussion of Wiltons farming legacy while cooking a vegetable dish). The workshops will feature relatively simple dishes made with local, seasonal ingredients. The recipes used will be adapted for modern kitchens. This is done for safety reasons, and also so that the attendees can recreate their meals at home. All participants will sample their own cooking and take home recipe cards as well as any leftovers! The children will learn how a Colonial kitchen would have operated, in order to appreciate the modern conveniences we take for granted. During the first session, the children will make Bannock Cakes. Members: $15; Non-members $25. Space is limited -please register by contacting info@wiltonhistorical.org or call 203-762-7257, www.wiltonhistorical.org. Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road/Route 7, Wilton, CT 06897 Rotary Club of Norwalk meetings NORWALK The Rotary Club of Norwalk meets every Wednesday from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. at the Norwalk Inn and Conference Center. Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. For more information visit www.norwalkrotary.org or contact Lyle Fishell at (203) 554-2526. Nutmeg Senior Rides needs volunteers NORWALK Help save seniors and the visually impaired from isolation in their homes. Become a volunteer driver for Nutmeg Senior Rides of Connecticut, providing affordable, dignified, door-through-door rides within the service area of North Central Conn. Nutmeg Senior Rides is a unique service that helps riders shop and pick out their items, go to doctor appointments, bingo, even lunch with friends. Riders can go anywhere, anytime. Email ctseniorrides@ gmail.com or call Executive Director Margret Smith Hale at (860) 758-7833 or visit www.nutmegseniorrides.org. AA helpline, meetings available NORWALK Have a drinking problem or care about someone who does? Looking for AA meeting info? Call (203) 855-0075. Anyone can call the helpline who is seeking help for themselves or loved ones. Drivers, dispatchers sought for nonprofit NORWALK FISH, an all-volunteer organization that transports Norwalk residents who need rides t 5 Beer Events To Check Out This February By Ben Kramer in Food on Feb 1, 2016 7:27PM via Michael Berry There are a ton of great beer events this month, and since we've already covered the best wine events of February, now it's time for the brewers to have their chance. Off Color Tap-Takeover at Kuma's Corner Burgers take a backseat at this event, as Off Color Brewing will be taking over Kuma's from 6 to 10 p.m., Feb 3. On tap, they'll be featuring adored beers such as Dinos'mores (Imperial Stout), sessionables like 15 Feet (Applewood Smoked Wheat), and the Finnish with Bare Bear (Sahti). There's no cover, just pay for the beer. As an added bonus, Kuma's and Off Color collaborated on a Beer Cheese appetizer made with Scurry, OC's dark, honey ale, paired with pretzel nuggets from Highland Baking. Kuma's Corner is located at 2900 W. Belmont Ave. Tasting Tuesday's At Beermiscuous Every Tuesday, between 5:30 to 8 p.m., Beermiscuous hosts a free sampling of beers, coming in at 2 oz pours. Sometimes they highlight a local brewery, pouring their beers with a member of the brewery there to chat with drinkers, or they highlight certain styles. Whatever the theme, it's a night of education, where you can leave with a new brewery, or beer, to keep in mind or take home (they sell packaged beer). And again, it's free. Beermiscuous is located at 2812 N. Lincoln Ave. Uppers and Downers Festival of Coffee Beers Celebrating coffee and beer (get the name now?) Uppers and Downers, held at Thalia Hall (Feb. 20), features an impressive list of breweries and roasters teaming together to make unique coffee beers. Solemn Oath with Intelligentsia, 5 Rabbit with Gaslight, Half Acre with Dark Matter, the list goes on, and the complete copy is included in the link above. Created by Michael Kiser (Good Beer Hunting) and World Barista Champion Stephen Morrissey, the event will also feature a multi-roaster espresso bar to showcase the coffee companies themselves, and small food dishes to snack on as the day goes by. There are two sessions, one from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the other 4 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $55. Thalia Hall is located at 1807 S. Allport St. Cider Summit Chicago Ok, this is not a beer event - this one is for the cider enthusiasts of Chicago. The 4th Annual Cider Summit, on Feb 27, will be home to over 140 ciders, including ciders from the US, France, Scotland, England, and Spain. Taking place at the Navy Pier Grand Ballroom, attendees will be treated to 4 oz samplings, along with food pairings and a fruit cider challenge where the consumer gets to vote and decide who will win the challenge. General admission is $35, and VIP is $40. Designated driver tickets go for $5. There are two sessions to choose from, with the first being 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the second 4 to 8 p.m. Navy Pier is located at 600 E. Grand Ave. Darkside Happening at Emporium on February 28th, this day, as the title suggests, is all about dark beer. Porters, Stouts, Imperial Stouts, Black IPA's, Black Saisons, they're all going to be there, along with pinball and old arcade games. Revolution, Pipeworks, Ballast Point, Three Floyds, and several others will be on deck with beers ranging from 6-11.5% ABV, so be careful. There's food to munch on as well as Johnny Van's Smokehouse will be providing BBQ to go alongside these heavy brews. In case you're wondering (I'm sure you are) Darkside will run from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. with tickets marked at $25. The Emporium is located at 1366 N. Milwaukee Ave. Agricultural land owners in Nebraska have seen spikes in agricultural land values, causing property taxes to surge in recent years. As a result, our research shows rural Nebraskans now pay up to 40 percent more per person in combined property and income taxes than their urban counterparts. A bill before the Legislature, LB958, attempts to address this issue by capping statewide agricultural land assessment growth to 3 percent, thereby preventing future spikes for agricultural property owners. This approach, however, does not address Nebraskas heavy reliance on property taxes and low level of state support for our schools, counties, cities and community colleges. Furthermore, the measure would have unintended consequences similar to those created by other recent proposals to tax agricultural land at a lower rate. First, the cap would create large shortfalls for schools and other local governments. If the assessment cap had been in effect this year, it would have created a $212 million shortfall for schools and other localities, including a $144 million shortfall for K-12 schools alone. The shortfalls would have had to be addressed by cuts to schools and other local services or through levy increases which would have wiped out much of the tax reduction from the assessment cap. Second, the bill would shift property taxes from agricultural land to residential and business properties, causing property taxes for many Nebraska residential and commercial property owners to increase significantly. Third, the cap would have a disparate impact among agricultural land owners. The largest tax reductions under the cap would go to agricultural land owners who live near urban areas, as property taxes in these areas can be shifted and shared with nearby residential and business properties. Such tax shifts cannot occur in more rural parts of the state, which means property tax levies would either increase, offsetting the property tax reduction for agricultural land owners, or schools and other vital services would need to be cut. To illustrate how the proposal would work, if the cap had been in place this year, in Lincoln County, where property taxes can be shifted and shared with relatively large amounts of commercial and residential properties, agricultural land owners would have seen their property taxes reduced significantly ($208 per $100,000 of valuation). Property taxes on other property types would have increased about $104 per $100,000 of value. In contrast, in neighboring McPherson County, where there is relatively little residential and business property, average levies would have had to increase almost 30 cents to avoid cuts. This would have resulted in a tax reduction of about $26 per $100,000 of agricultural land value less than 13 percent of the tax cut experienced by Lincoln County agricultural land owners. McPherson County residential and business property owners, meanwhile, would have seen their property taxes increase almost $298 per $100,000 of value nearly three times greater than the tax increase experienced by Lincoln County residential and commercial property owners. Consequences such as shortfalls, tax shifts and the disparate impact across the state are why the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy wrote in a 2008 report that assessment caps are among the least effective, least equitable, and least efficient strategies available for providing property tax relief. Finally, there has been some confusion about how the proposal actually will work. Its important to note the cap holds statewide growth of agricultural land to 3 percent but it will not hold assessment growth on each piece of agricultural property to 3 percent. The states Property Tax Administrator projects that if the proposal becomes law, agricultural land valuations in 2016 would increase by 13.6 percent in the northern region of the state and would actually decrease by 2.1 percent in the southern region of the state. A better approach to reducing property taxes would be to address our low state support for K-12 school and other local governments. Compared to other states, we are the second most reliant on property taxes to fund K-12 schools and 49th in the percent of K-12 funded by the state. We rank 47th in the country in our state support for local governments. Policy proposals like the assessment cap, which fail to acknowledge the link between property taxes and state support for schools and other localities, will likely just create more issues than they solve. Renee Fry is executive director of the Open Sky Policy Institute. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 Ngurai Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali, welcomed more foreign tourists in December 2015 compared to the same period in 2014. The latest report from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that 341,100 foreigners arrived at the airport throughout December last year, an increase of 6.65 percent compared to the previous year. The agency also reported an increase in starred hotel occupancy rates in 27 provinces across the archipelago during the same period, from an average 50.13 percent in December 2014 to 57.25 percent in the following year. However, despite the positive numbers, the BPS recorded a slight decrease in overall foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia during the last month of the year from 915,300 in 2014 to 913,800 in same period in 2015. "But, compared to November last year, the number of foreign tourists in December 2015 increased by 17.46 percent," the BPS said on Monday as quoted by tempo.co. (nov/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 Local residents and businesses have expressed their support for the government's plan to establish a new entity tasked solely with the management of Borobudur temple in Magelang regency, Central Java, arguing that the current multimanagement approach has created chaos at the world's largest Buddhist monument. Local resident Khairul Muna, who manages a tourist village in Barepan hamlet, Wanurejo subdistrict, said the current Borobudur management had failed to integrate the role of local residents in supporting the local tourist industry and preserving the temple. According to Khairul, this had forced hundreds of indigent local people to flock to the area every day to make ends meet as souvenir and snack vendors. 'This chaotic situation naturally creates an uncomfortable experience for tourists,' Khairul told The Jakarta Post over the weekend. Borobudur Working Group head Priyono concurred, attributing the surge in the number of vendors in the area to the lack of assessment regarding the social and environmental impacts of the Borobudur tourist industry on the more than 75,000 people who live in 20 villages in the environs of the temple. 'We are hoping that the government's new body will be able to better manage the temple in terms of both preservation and local empowerment,' Priyono said. Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population, is also home to hundreds of ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples, most of them built between the fifth and 14th centuries, at the time of the arrival of the two religions in the country. Borobudur, located some 40 kilometers northwest of Yogyakarta, is one of the world's most famous temples, renowned for its gigantic size and sophisticated architecture. Built in the ninth century, the Mahayana Buddhist temple is 1.5 hectares in size and has a volume of 60,000 cubic meters. UNESCO has also designated the temple, which is currently jointly managed by state-owned tourism company PT Taman Wisata Candi (TWC) Borobudur, Prambanan dan Ratu Boko, the Borobudur Temple Conservation Center, the Tourism Ministry and the Magelang regency administration, a world heritage site. In a meeting with a number of ministers and local officials in Magelang on Friday evening, President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo approved a plan transfer the management of the temple to a new government body in an effort to revitalize the area, which is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. Apart from the establishment of the new Borobudur authority, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said the government would also allocate Rp 10 trillion (US$730 million) from the state budget to develop new infrastructure to improve the temple complex. Another Rp 10 trillion, he said, was expected to come from private investment to develop hotels and other supporting facilities. 'As a main [tourist] destination, Borobudur must be directly accessible for tourists. This means that we must establish an airport and hotels that meet international standards, as well as reopening railway lines,' he said after the meeting. With such measures, Arief said the government was aiming to see 2 million foreign tourists and 5 million domestic tourists visiting Borobudur annually by 2019, much higher than the current total annual numbers of between 250,000 and 300,000. 'First, though, we'll talk about the management, and later we'll talk about income [from tourism],' he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Maria Cheng (The Jakarta Post) London Mon, February 1, 2016 Britain's fertility regulator has approved a scientist's request to edit the human genetic code in an effort to fight inherited diseases ' but critics fear the new technique crosses too many ethical boundaries. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority announced Monday it has granted a research application to a team led by scientist Kathy Niakan to try to understand the genes that human embryos need to develop successfully. Niakan, of the Francis Crick Institute, plans to use gene editing to analyze the first week of an embryo's growth. Scientists say gene-editing techniques could one day lead to treatments for inherited conditions like muscular dystrophy or HIV, which causes AIDS. Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute, said Niakan's research would "enhance our understanding of [in vitro fertilization] success rates, by looking at the very earliest stage of human development." Last year, Chinese researchers made the first attempt at modifying genes in human embryos. Their laboratory experiment didn't work ' the embryos weren't viable ' but raised the prospect of altering genes to repair the genes of future generations. The gene editing technique was developed partly in the US and scientists there have experimented with the method in animals and in human cells in the laboratory; gene editing has not been used for any kinds of patient therapies just yet. Around the world, laws and guidelines vary widely about what kind of research is allowed on embryos, which will change the genes of future generations. In the US, the National Institutes of Health won't fund this kind of research but private funding is allowed. Critics warn that tweaking the genetic code this way could eventually produce a slippery slope that leads to so-called "designer babies," where parents seek taller, stronger or smarter children with specific physical characteristics. "This is the first step on a path that scientists have carefully mapped out towards the legalization of [genetically modified] babies," said David King, of anti-gene manipulation group Human Genetics Alert. He spoke last month when the British fertility regulator held its meeting to decide whether to grant the gene-editing license. At an international meeting in Washington last year, scientists agreed that efforts to research the possibility of gene editing should continue, despite the ethical and legal problems the technique raises. Last year, British lawmakers voted to allow scientists to create babies from the DNA of three people to prevent children from inheriting potentially fatal diseases from their mothers. In doing so, it became the first country in the world to allow genetically modified embryos to be transferred into women. The City Has Spent A Shocking $642 Million On Police Misconduct Since 2004 By Mae Rice in News on Feb 1, 2016 3:47PM Photo of a tiny fraction of the federal money officials missed out on via Flickr Over the past 12 years, the City of Chicago has spent just under $642 million on police misconduct cases, according to City Hall data obtained by the Better Government Association and published in the Sun-Times. Over the past two years, the city has spent $106 million on police misconduct, the Sun-Times reportsa below-average level of expense for the 12-year period represented above. These figures cover settlements, legal fees, and other costs, according to the Sun-Times, which also reports that CPD is currently up against 450 police misconduct lawsuits. The department has settled in cases in which the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) deemed the use of force justified. In 2015, for instance, the city paid $8.5 million to Aaron Harrisons family, according to the Sun-Times; an officer fatally shot 18-year-old Harrison in the back in 2007, in North Lawndale, a shooting IPRA ruled was justified. Historically, the city has settled too easily in some cases, Dean Angelo, president of the Fraternal Order of Police chapter, told the Sun-Times: Its extremely frustrating to police officers," he said. "But its not their call. Police misconduct, and police-involved shootings, have been an increasingly popular topic of public discussion in Chicago of late, especially since footage of Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting Laquan McDonald was released in November. Officer Van Dyke has since been charged with six counts of homicide. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Clinton, Iowa Mon, February 1, 2016 For Donald Trump, Iowa's caucuses will be the first test of whether the celebrity businessman and political newcomer will be able to transform the massive crowds he has drawn throughout the election into votes as the US primary season gets underway Monday. Trump's outsider candidacy has upended the Republican establishment, largely dominating the polls in the race to nominate the party's presidential candidate ahead of November elections. Meanwhile, establishment-supported candidates like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio have failed to take-off. Trump spoke of the importance of Iowa for his campaign and, in a rare moment of introspection at a rally in Norwalk, acknowledged the potential "psychological" consequences of a loss here. "They say bad psychological things happen if you lose," he said. "I don't know what the impact is." The outcome likely rests on turnout and whether Trump's campaign is able to lure the non-traditional caucus-goers who may have never participated in the caucus process to the polls. Some are skeptical Trump has the organizational structure to pull off a commanding win. Doug Watts, a Republican strategist who recently parted ways with Trump rival Ben Carson's campaign, a win for Trump is "pretty critical." If he doesn't win, Watts said, "people will start saying, 'Hmm, well, maybe he's not so inevitable. Maybe Marco Rubio can climb into a solid second in New Hampshire.' Chuck Laudner the architect of Trump's Iowa campaign expressed confidence the voters would turn out for his candidate. "There's nothing about this campaign that's like all the rest or any of those in the past," he said. "We do things different. And we reach out to people that wouldn't normally be caught dead at caucus events. And so we feel really good about our chances, we feel really good about our reach and I think you're going to have a surprise on a caucus night." Trump, who appears to have emerged from a dead-heat with rival Ted Cruz to re-capture his position atop state polls, has done little to minimize expectations, predicting again and again that he'll do better than the polls suggest. And as he traveled across the state in the final weekend before voting, Trump had a quiet air of satisfaction, with seemingly little worry about the outcome. "We began this journey ' it's a journey, we did it together ' and it's been an amazing experience," he told a crowd gathered in the auditorium of a middle school in Clinton Saturday. "Nobody thought it was going to turn out this way." (rin) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 When Rianti moved into Cipinang Besar Selatan low-cost rented apartment (rusunawa) in East Jakarta, she thought that she would stay there for good after being evicted from the banks of the Cipinang river by hundreds of Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers in April 2015. The 40-year-old woman said almost all of her belongings were destroyed during the eviction along with her house, which was built above the waterway. Soon afterwards, she and hundreds of other residents moved into the rusunawa. 'My family and I moved here with almost nothing,' she told The Jakarta Post recently. 'I think it could be time for a new start.' However, Rianti was disappointed to find out soon after she moved in that like other rusunawa residents, her family was only given a two-year period to live there as stipulated in the rental agreement between them and the management. She said her mother was the one who had signed the contract before they moved into the apartment and she was sure that her mother did not understand any of the terms of the agreement. 'It means we have less than a year and a half to find a new place if our contract isn't extended,' she continued. Ninis Rahmawati, another resident of the Cipinang Besar Selatan rusunawa, also just found out about the two-year period clause even though she was the one who signed it in the first place. 'My family was evicted only a day before. I was only focused on getting a new place for them and did not even think to read the agreement carefully,' she said. Ninis, her husband and their daughter live in block D of the building complex and pay Rp 300,000 (US$21.6) monthly rental fee as well as Rp 300,000 for water and electricity bills. Ninis said she did not have any idea where her family would move if their contract was not extended by the rusunawa management and they were 'evicted for a second time'. Most of the residents who have been relocated to rusunawa were not aware of the two-year limitation in the agreement nor that contract extension was subject to management approval. Article 3 Paragraph 4 of Gubernatorial Regulation No. 11 on the rusunawa residential system stipulates that the 'period of rental agreement for an occupant is two year and can be extended'. Meanwhile, a copy of the agreement between rusunawa residents and management that was made available to the Post shows that the management was the only party authorized to approve an extension. Handika Febrian, a lawyer with the Jakarta Legal Aid (LBH Jakarta) who has consistently fought on behalf of evicted residents said the two year clause was more solid proof that relocation of evicted residents was only a temporary solution provided by the city administration. According to him, in some rusunawa he discovered that the clause was used by management to request higher rents as a condition of approving the contract extension, adding that giving management this authority caused 'illegal levy practices'. 'We have for a long time tried to raise the public's awareness that rusunawa are not the answer for evictees. They are a temporary solution from the city administration to silence protest from the evicted families,' he said. LBH Jakarta recorded that 50 percent of the 30 forced eviction cases in Jakarta between January and August last year had affected 3,433 families and 433 businesses. 'There is no chance that those thousands of families can get back on their feet in only two years,' he said Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 Pulogadung Police arrested 29-year-old Fahruroji in Cakung, East Jakarta, on Saturday for distributing methamphetamine. Police also seized a number of small plastic bags of the drug. Pulogadung Police chief Comr. Cahyo said on Saturday that Fahruroji had told officers that he was a drug user turned distributor because of financial problems. The arrest, Cahyo said, constituted a follow-up to a recent marijuana-selling case. 'We previously investigated a marijuana and 'gorilla tobacco' case. We developed the case before arresting the suspect,' Cahyo said as quoted by kompas.com, adding that police had also arrested five other people following a tip-off from the suspect. The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) announced late last year that the Gorilla Super Tobacco was a new kind of drug containing cannabinoid and toxins that could cause a hallucinogenic effect. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 The House of Representatives is ready to deliberate the revision of Law No.9/2013 on the prevention and eradication of terrorism this week, a lawmaker has said. 'We will receive the draft bill this week,' House speaker Ade Komarudin said at the House complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Monday. On Jan.29, the government completed the draft revision of the antiterrorism bill, which was then submitted to President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo on Monday. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said on Friday that it was expected that the House would receive the draft revision of the antiterrorism law within the next three days. 'About 35 percent of contents of the law have been changed,' he said as quoted by Antara news agency at his office. Luhut said 19 articles of the law were revised during the drafting process while several new articles were added. An official from the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Ministry, who wished to remain anonymous, said earlier that one of the main focuses of debate during the drafting process had been about whether passport revocations should be applied to Indonesians who had allegedly joined the Islamic State (IS) movement and committed terrorist attacks. It has also been reported that several additional articles in the law will allow the use of electronic information to arrest terrorism suspects. It is also expected that law enforcers will be granted the power to collaborate with extraterritorial authorities to arrest people in other countries suspected of being involved in terror activities in Indonesia. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 The House of Representatives' ethics council is looking to work alongside the National Police's Criminal Investigation Corps (Bareskrim) to handle assault allegations leveled at House member Masinton Pasaribu. 'We will try to coordinate with Bareskrim to follow up the case,' the council's deputy chief, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, said at the House complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Monday. Masinton, a lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction, was on Saturday evening reported to the police for allegedly hitting his aide Dita Aditya earlier this month. 'Masinton hit Dita. We have filed an incident report [to the police],' NasDem Party Jakarta executive board chair Wibi Andrino said as quoted by kompas.com on Saturday. Dita is also a member of the party's Jakarta executive board. Sufmi said the council had not received any report related to the alleged assault, but would monitor the development of the case and take any necessary action. Masinton has denied the accusations, professing bafflement over the report. "It's clear this is politically motivated ['] this is a form of character assassination," Masinton said as quoted by kompas.com. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 Responding to President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's pledge to resolve several past gross rights abuse cases by the end of the year, human rights watchdog Imparsial has urged the government to answer victims' demands for justice. The government announced last year that it would establish a human rights task force, also referred to as a reconciliation team, to pursue non-judicial resolutions to seven human rights abuse cases that have haunted the nation for decades. However, al-Araf of Imparsial said that in spite of Jokowi's pledge, the government would not get far if it insisted on relying solely on the reconciliation team to resolve the cases. Al-Araf said the reconciliation team's main purpose was to uncover the truth about the seven cases, which were initially investigated by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). The results of the investigations were submitted to the Attorney General's Office (AGO) in 2012. 'We must continue working [to resolve past rights abuses] and [the government] must follow up on our findings. It has already promised and committed to resolving all these cases. However, we must remember that using non-judicial method does not remove the possibility of [the cases] being tried in court,' he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday. The planned reconciliation team should not, he said, be given ultimate authority to resolve all past rights abuse cases. 'The reconciliation team's [objective] is only to discover and publicize what happened; the mechanism for justice should not be impeded.' The reconciliation team is likely to comprise figures from the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, the AGO, the National Police, the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Komnas HAM. The government has committed to resolving seven human rights violation cases, namely the 1989 Talangsari incident in Central Lampung, the 2001 and 2003 Wamena and Wasior incidents in Papua, various kidnappings and unresolved shootings in the 1980s, the 1965 communist purge and the May 1998 riots. Previously, Attorney General M. Prasetyo said that the AGO would seek to resolve the issues through non-judicial mechanisms because of the complex technical problems involved, such as difficulties in gathering evidence. Al-Araf furthermore called on the government to backtrack on its stated refusal to issue any formal apology if the reconciliation team found enough evidence to prove state involvement in the violation of human rights. 'An apology from the state is part of the process to resolve these past human rights cases. If the facts show that [the government] was at fault, then there must be an apology,' he said. Separately, Prasetyo said that the government was still tying up some loose ends before it could establish the task force. 'We are still moving forward. We have been holding meetings with various stakeholders, as the cases cannot be resolved by the AGO alone. All stakeholders involved must be asked to join in the discourse,' he said, adding that he was optimistic the cases would be resolved this year. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 Indonesia is to strengthen its relationship with Hungary through cooperation in water management and renewable energy, with Hungary providing water to 34 districts in Indonesia and the construction of a solar energy in North Sumatra worth US$20 million. In addition, Indonesia and Hungary would also work together in the technology and digital economy sectors, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Monday. "I want Indonesian - Hungarian cooperation to be more robust in the future," Jokowi said during a bilateral meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the State Palace. In the bilateral meeting, the two countries signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) in fisheries and aquaculture, as well as in higher education. For the state visit, Orban was accompanied by half of his Cabinet, including Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto, Agriculture Minister Sandor Fazekas, National Economy Minister Mihaly Varga, National Development Minister Miklos Sesztak and Higher Education Minister Laszlo Palkovics. On Indonesia's side, Jokowi was accompanied by Trade Minister Thomas Lembong, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti and Research and Technology and Higher Education Minister M. Nasir. Sudirman said that Indonesia was interested in exploring greater cooperation in solar energy with Hungary, not only in the construction of power plants, but also in solar-cell manufacturing. "It was a preliminary high-level meeting and will be followed by ministerial meetings. After that, we will exchange delegations. It's going to be a long-term process. For now, the President has given direction that renewable energy should be pursued," Sudirman explained. Indonesia has plans to build solar power plants of 5,000 megawatts in the next four years. "It's a big chance for Hungary," the minister added. Meanwhile, Orban said he was impressed by the development of Indonesia as a member of G20 that would play an important role in the international economy in the future. "It's the right time for Hungarian to get closer to Indonesia, in terms of political leadership and the people," he said, adding that Hungary had high skills and capabilities in terms of technology to support Indonesia's development, especially in water management. In Jakarta, Orban is scheduled to oversee the Hungarian Business Forum, organized by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and the Hungarian Trading House, joined by 60 businessmen and representatives of various institutions from the central European country. Hungary is the seventh-largest Indonesian trade partner in eastern and central Europe. The accumulative trade of both countries reached US$149.29 million in 2014, with a $24.45 million surplus on Indonesia's side. In terms of investment, Hungary recorded $0.5 million of foreign direct investment in two tourism projects in Indonesia in 2014 amid rapid growth of Hungarian tourist visits, up to 6,392 visitors in 2014. (ags) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 An Indonesian citizen is among dozens of foreigners reportedly arrested in Saudi Arabia for their alleged involvement in terrorist attacks in the country. The Foreign Ministry has yet to confirm the arrest of the Indonesian national, according to a report by kompas.com based on a report by AFP on Monday. Citing a news report released by Saudi Gazette, AFP reported that Saudi Arabian authorities arrested nine US citizens in separate raids, four of whom were arrested on Jan. 25, and the other five in the past four days. Police also apparently arrested 14 Saudi Arabians, three Yemenis, two Syrians and one national each of Kazakhstan, Palestine, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates. It was not clear whether the arrests are related to the Islamic State (IS) group, which claimed responsibility for several attacks against security personnel and Shiite residents in Saudi Arabia over the past several months. A suicide bomber attacked a Shiite mosque in an eastern province of the country last Friday, killing four people. Saudi Gazette reported that 532 suspected IS members accused of planning attacks in Saudi Arabia were being interrogated ahead of their criminal trials in Riyadh. The Saudi Arabian Home Affairs Ministry is currently pursuing nine terror suspects allegedly involved in a suicide bomb attack in August 2015. The attack, for which IS has claimed responsibility, killed 15 people at a police mosque in Abha City. Saudi authorities said three suspects, including a member of Saudi Arabia's elite forces, had been arrested in connection with the incident. Saudi Arabia has offered 1 million riyals for anyone helping to arrest terrorist perpetrators and 7 million riyals for foiling terrorist attacks. (ebf)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ina Parlina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 The government has been urged to ensure transparency in major infrastructure projects that were prioritized through a recent presidential regulation. President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo announced a regulation on Friday listing more than 200 strategic infrastructure projects, the paperwork for which will be expedited and which will receive special support from government institutions and local administrations. The regulation came after the launch of the country's first ever high-speed railway connecting Jakarta and Bandung was marred by controversy, including reports that the paperwork for the project remains incomplete. 'The regulation was made with good intentions, to ensure infrastructure projects further the interests of the public and are completed as fast as possible, especially since we are also facing the ASEAN Economic Community,' Muhammad Faiz Aziz of the Indonesian Center for Law and Policy Studies (PSHK) said on Saturday. 'However, the government must ensure the projects are transparent.' While the presidential regulation did not stipulate transparency, Muhammad said, other laws did, for example the Good Governance Law and the Public Information Law. Muhammad also warned that certain provisions in the new presidential regulation risked creating overlap between regulations, which could cause delays to projects. Signed on Jan. 8 by Jokowi, the presidential regulation, which aims to accelerate infrastructure development projects, instructs ministers and local authorities to issue licenses, such as environmental permits and permits to use forest areas, to support those projects it deems essential to fulfilling the public's basic needs and improving public welfare. Ministers and local authorities are also afforded greater authority to use their discretion in the issuance of permits and licenses. Under the regulation, regional leaders must also ensure their spatial plans are in line with the projects, a mandate that will require the cooperation of regional legislatures, which are required to approve local spatial plans. 'There are numerous legal guidelines, regulations and laws connected to such projects. The government must be careful if it doesn't want to see overlapping regulations,' Muhammad said. 'Legal uncertainty might occur from overlapping regulations.' The presidential regulation was issued on the same day Jokowi signed a presidential instruction allowing the home minister to annul local bylaws deemed to be hampering the projects and, at the same time, instructing local authorities to revise such bylaws. Jokowi has vowed that his administration will in the near future disclose details related to the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project, including its process, the details of its meetings and the costs, amid controversy surrounding the railway project, reluctant ministers and opposition from lawmakers. Feri Amsari, a researcher at the Center of Constitutional Studies (Pusako) at Andalas University in West Sumatra, said all related stakeholders should actively participate in ensuring transparency in major infrastructure projects, as such projects were vulnerable to corruption. 'Supervision can be improved by allowing the public to monitor the projects. Regular disclosure of details of the projects, including problems hindering them, is also essential,' Feri added, noting that allowing more room for officials to use their discretion could also open up space for corruption. Both Feri and Muhammad stressed that all related paperwork must be completed before the projects begin, rather than afterwards, as with the high-speed rail project. _____________________________________ 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 Mon, February 1, 2016 Human-rights activists have slammed an investigation into the leader of the controversial Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar) by the Attorney General's Office (AGO), labeling it a violation of his right to religious freedom. The government is keeping an eye on Gafatar, calling the group illegal and saying it has deviant principles following the disappearance of several of its members. Gafatar leader Mahful Muis is being investigated by the AGO in relation to the case. Human-rights advocacy group the Setara Institute stated recently that faith did not fall under the legal domain and therefore could not be tried. 'The government cannot prosecute a belief,' the organization claimed. Chairman of Setara, Hendardi, said the attorney general had to learn from the criminalization of citizens conducted by the government in the past, which evidently failed. "Any legal action will be futile and will violate human-rights principles," he said. Citing the example of convicted cult leader Lia Eden who still did not change her beliefs despite her incarceration, Hendardi said that if the will to change does not come from the individual them self then the government's efforts are useless. He called for the government to focus on protecting its citizens regardless of what religion they held to up hold the equal rights of every individual. Mahful along with the movement's organizers and followers were questioned on several issues at the AGO. The Gafatar members were accompanied by Alvon Kurnia Palma, chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) and Sudarto, a representative from the Bhineka Tunggal Ika National Alliance. The interviews were recorded and written down for later submission to the Coordinating Board for Monitoring Mystical Beliefs in Society (Bakorpakem). During the investigation, members were questioned in relation to plans to establish a sovereign state, blasphemy and the integration of three religions into one, as well as on allegations that Gafatar is a continuation of Al Qiyadah al-Islamiyah and Milah Abaraham communities. The Gafatar members will be called back into the AGO when the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issues a fatwa (edict) on their movement. Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals head Jimly Asshidique said there was already enough evidence to drag the leaders of Gafatar into the court of law. Jimly pointed out two allegations which could be held against them. First, their plan to form a new sovereign state, he said. "That can already be taken up with the law; there are existing legal instruments. There is no need to wait for the terrorism-law revision," Jimly said as quoted on Tempo.co. Second, Gafatar has permitted its members to break the law, he added. The movement itself has become the cause of illegal activity, Jimly continued, while linking several reported disappearances. He supported the scheduling of a hearing based on the aforementioned allegations. "It can not necessarily be proven, but let the court decide," he said. Should the court declare them innocent, all parties would have to respect the final verdict, he added. Jimly said many still misunderstood court hearings, considering them to merely pick a winner and a loser in a case. Whereas, there is an element of public education during the process, he further said. Jimly said a hearing could channel the public's concerns and calm any outrage. "The law enforcement must act immediately and not be afraid of winning or losing," he said. (liz/dan)(+) 21 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Week Paint like Van Gogh on Thursday. Image courtesy of Waldorf Astoria Chicago. Welcome to the first week of February, Black History Month and the month of love. We've got events celebrating both and a lot more. MONDAY FEBRUARY 1 BLACK HISTORY + CREATIVITY: February is Black History Month and The Museum of Science and Industry is hosting its annual Black Creativity program. Their Innovation Studio and Juried Art Exhibition create a space for young and old alike to be inspired. Programs are included in the cost of Museum entry. Visit MSI's website for times. CRAFT COCKTAIL CLASS: Learn to make craft cocktails with Beef & Barley and The 86 Co. At Cocktail 101 from 7 to 9 p.m. guests will learn the basics on making three different cocktails. Tickets are $30. TUESDAY FEBRUARY 2 FILM: The Chicago-made indie flick For Grace kicks off 2016s First Tuesdays for the Midwest Independent Film Festival. The film follows a chef facing a challenge between family and opening a restaurant. 6 p.m. Tickets are $10. READING SERIES: The eclectic reading series Tuesday Funk is back in the upstairs lounge at Hopleaf for their 90th episode. Jasmine Davila, Alex Shakar, Joshua Landsman and Tom Underberg are all on the docket with Andrew Huff and a special guest co-host. 7:30 p.m. Free. WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 3 Uber Puppy Bowl is coming to Chicago! PUPPIES!: Uber and Animal Planet are sponsoring a mobile Puppy Bowl in select cities, including in Chicago, on Wednesday. Request PUPPIES through your Uber app between between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and a squad of puppies will head to meet you for a 15 minute "cuddle huddle." The visit will run you $30 but that money will be matched by Animal Planet and donated to Chicago's Anti-Cruelty Society. Fall in love with one of the pups? They're all up for adoption! TAP TAKEOVER: Off Color Brewing is taking over the taps at Kumas Corner for one night only. Get Bare Bear (Sahti), Dinos'mores (Imperial Stout), Apex Predator (Farmhouse Ale), 15 Feet (Applewood Smoked Wheat) and more from 6 to 10 p.m. at their Belmont location. Theyll also have a Beer Cheese app made with Off Color's dark, honey ale Scurry served with pretzel nuggets from Highland Baking. WORLD MUSIC WEDNESDAY: Beauty Bar and AMFM Magazine host a new monthly global music night called SoNo, named for the club that formerly occupied the space. DJs Rae Chardonnay, Samurai and drummer and musician Lester Rey will play the inaugural event beginning at 9 p.m. Photo via Soup & Bread's Facebook event page. SOUP + BREAD + COMMUNITY: Soup & Bread enters its eighth year of community meals at the Hideout. This week benefits the Casa Catalina Basic Human Needs Center in Back of the Yards and features soups from Pat Sheerin (Trenchermen), Tamiz Haiderali (Township), Carol Watson (Milk & Honey), Mike McDermott (Smoque) and more. Tunes provided by Jam Productions John Soss. Donations welcome. THURSDAY FEBRUARY 4 Cosmic Body. Photo courtesy of the MCA. PERFORMANCE: Part performance, part music, Cosmic Body is a new piece from Norwegian choreographer Ingri Fiksdal playing this weekend at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Fiksdal collaborated with electronica/EDM artist Ingvild Langgard (Phaedra) and visual artist Signe Becker for a show that surrounds the room in color and light. Audience members can sit or stand close to the performers in this event based on Brion Gysin and William S. Burroughs's Dreamachine. Tickets are $30. COMEDY SHOW: February is the month of love, so why not watch a hilarious show about looking for love gone wrong. Returning to UP Comedy Club is #DateMe: An OkCupid Experiment. Theyve based their show on real results, mapping out what happens when you put 38 "Undateable" profiles on the world's most popular online dating site. Tickets start at $26. POP-UP DINNER: Dinner Lab is so unique they dont even reveal the location until the day before. This round features Filipino-American Cuisine from chef Bryan Collante. The five course dinner will be accompanied by cocktails from Bombay Sapphire Gin. Seating is at 7 p.m. Tickets are $70. Giordano Dance Chicago performs "the only way around is through." Photo by Gorman Cook Photography. DANCE: Giordano Dance Chicago performs at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago for the first time in 37 years for an intimate program called Closer Than Ever. The program offers a look at the companys repertoire with pieces spanning from 1978 (Gus Giordano's "Wings") to last year (Shirt Off My Back and the only way around is through). Shows at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $30. PAINTING + VAN GOGH: In advance of the Art Institutes Van Gogh Bedrooms exhibition, Waldorf Astoria is hosting a painting party with Bottle and Bottega where guests can create their own version of the masterpiece. Theyll provide the art supplies, snacks, wine and even valet parking, just bring your own creativity. 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $50. THEATER: Windy City Playhouse opens their latest play, The Explorers Club, from Tony Award nominee, Nell Benjamin, Thursday at 7:30 p.m. This funny story follows the old fashioned club as they deal with huge challenges: possible war for the British Empire, a woman wanting to join, lost guinea pigs and a missing bartender. Tickets start at $35. FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5 Strandbeest. Photo via the Chicago Cultural Center. STRANDBEEST: You may have seen photos of the giant beach creatures designed by Dutch physicist Theo Jansen. These Strandbeest sculptures made of tubing and sails that walk down the beach powered by wind. The Chicago Cultural Center will have some the sculptures on display as part of his first major American exhibition tour along with artist drawings, photographs, videos and daily demonstrations. Opening reception with Jansen is Friday from 7 - 9 p.m. NOON HOUSE MUSIC: Would you rather spend your lunch-hour eating at your desk or dancing with a DJ? Choose the latter with Wired Fridays at the Chicago Cultural Center. Chicago DJ Ron Trent has been around the block, playing house music since the mid-80s and hell be providing the tunes at noon on Friday. Free. AFTER HOURS REFRESH: The Museum of Contemporary Arts after-hours series Prime Time is presented in collaboration with Pitchfork this time around. Titled R, the theme is refresh and includes live performances from Holly Herndon, Bitchin Bajas, local musician Jimmy Whispers and DJ sets from How to Dress Well and Joan of Arcs Tim Kinsella. Tickets are $15 in advance ($20 door). WORLD NUTELLA DAY: Who knew there was such a thing as World Nutella Day? It just happens to be on Friday and you can celebrate with a special plin dessert at Osteria Langhe. The sweet pinched raviolis created by Chef/Owner Cameron Grant are filled with the chocolate and hazelnut spread and will be available today only. $10 a serving. Reservations are recommended. FUNNYMAN RETURNS: Venture out to the Horseshoe Hammond Casino to see the return of funnyman Tracy Morgan in his Picking Up The Pieces tour. The SNL alum and former 30 Rock star was in a horrible car accident accident in 2014 that left him in a coma for weeks. Luckily hes back and funnier than ever with added material from his recovery. Tickets start at $44. CARNIVAL: Were not in Brazil, but you can still celebrate Carnival at Marias Packaged Goods & Community Bar on Friday. Theyll transform the bar into a festive bacchanal during The Rio Thing. Resident DJ Gilberto Bryl will play tropical beats including Samba, Bossa Nova, Axe, Tropicalia and more. Free. ROCK CONCERT: Razorhouse brings their unique blend of rock and/or roll to Township when they play there with The Handcuffs this Friday. Frontman Mark Panick pens songs that mix the beautiful with the darkly disturbing, approximating a sound that ranges from gothicthink Nick Cave or Tom Waits gothicto bent chamber-pop to country murder ballads. Doors are at 8:30 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. with a set from Les Vikq. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Corry Elyda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 In response to the grant of 600 additional buses from the central government, the Jakarta administration is accelerating its efforts to improve public transportation by revamping routes and restructuring management. The Jakarta Transportation Agency's land transportation department head, Masdes Arrofi, said on Saturday that the city would soon get 600 buses that would be operated by state-run bus company Perum PPD. 'Out of 600 buses, 200 will be deployed to Transjakarta corridors while the other 400 will serve the network of routes to Jakarta's outer suburbs and satellite cities, dubbed Transjabodetabek,' he said, adding that the buses would be ready by March. Masdes said his agency would also reroute integrated bus network (APTB) buses currently serving routes from the outskirts of Jakarta to the capital to serve Transjakarta passengers. 'It means that 200 more buses will be operating in Transjakarta lanes,' he said. Masdes said that with the additional 800 buses, the agency needed to figure out how to manage them in an effective way. 'We are working out which corridor will have new buses and how many. We are inviting all stakeholders, including the Organization of Land Transportation Owners [Organda], operators and city-owned bus operator PT Transportasi Jakarta [Transjakarta], so the plan will go smoothly,' he said. Masdes said that the most important step was asking that all private operators be able to be paid by the city administration through Transjakarta under a rupiah-per-kilometer scheme. 'All APTB operators will also be paid under a rupiah-per-kilometer scheme,' he said. Masdes said that the city would also revamp bus routes as many were overlapping with Transjakarta. 'This includes the routes of 400 Transjabodetabek buses as we already have many inter-city buses,' he said. The department head said the agency had even found that route 43 of regular buses owned by PPD overlapped 100 percent with Transjakarta Corridor 10 serving Cililitan in East Jakarta to Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta. 'In the future, we want the routes where Transjakarta lanes exist to be solely served by Transjakarta buses,' he said. 'Transjakarta currently only deploys 30 buses in Corridor 10 and the headway is still 15 to 20 minutes. We promise to add another 40 buses, so the headway will only be three to five minutes,' he said. Separately, Transjakarta president director Budi Kaliwono said that his company would focus on increasing the number of vehicles in their fleet this year. Budi said the company targeted to add 1,000 buses this year. 'Forty percent of the fleet will be purchased by us while the other 60 percent by the operators,' he said. Budi said that the additional buses from PPD would help the company to increase its services, especially on crowded routes. 'Our target is one million passengers per day this year,' he said, adding that the current number of passengers was only 308,000 per day. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 The Jakarta administration issued Gubernatorial Regulation No. 224/2015 on billboard advertising late last year, setting new and stricter rules for advertisers in the city. City development and environment official Gamal Sinurat said that the regulation was aimed not only at protecting the city's billboard tax income, but also making it look nicer. 'The regulation is aimed at ensuring order and improving the city's aesthetics,' Gamal told The Jakarta Post over the weekend. There are now four categories of area for billboard advertising: strict-control, moderate-control, low-control and special areas. There are also restricted areas where all types of advertising are prohibited. According to Gubernatorial Regulation No. 23/2006, strict-control areas are Jl. Rasuna Said, Jl. Jenderal Gatot Subroto and Jl. Jenderal Sudirman in South Jakarta, as well as Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta. The new regulation extends the strict-control area to include Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio in South Jakarta and Jl. MT Haryono, Jl. S. Parman, Jl. Gajah Mada and Jl. Hayam Wuruk in Central Jakarta. Article 9 of the regulation stipulates that only LED billboards may be installed as advertisements in areas under strict control, while regular billboards and neon signs may only display the name, logo, activity and profession of individuals or companies occupying a building. In strict-control areas, billboards can only be installed above or on the walls of buildings and police posts are not allowed to carry any kind of advertising. Similarly, Article 10 stipulates that only LED billboards may be used for advertising in moderate-control areas, which includes almost all of Jakarta. Regular billboards, neon and pylon signs are only allowed to show names and directions of buildings. All LED billboard owners, Agus continued, had to reserve 30 percent of their broadcast hours for public-service announcements from the central government or the Jakarta administration. All billboard owners must also install three CCTV cameras near their boards, which must be connected with the city administration's servers. According to the regulation, the billboard tax is fixed at 25 percent of the billboard's rental cost. Companies that own billboards may determine their own contract value ' covering construction, installation, maintenance and electricity costs ' which ultimately determine the rental fee charged. Further, cigarette advertisements are completely prohibited in both outdoor and indoor spaces. Separately, Jakarta Tax Agency head Agus Bambang Setyowidodo said that advertisers must seek an advertising permit at the Jakarta one-stop integrated service (PTSP) agency. The city administration, Agus continued, had set lower billboard tax-revenue targets this year as part of its transition to the new regulation. This year, the city expects Rp 1.15 trillion (US$82.9 million) in billboard tax revenue, significantly lower than the 2015 target of Rp 1.8 trillion, of which only Rp 741.6 billion was realized. Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama encouraged all buildings located in the billboard areas to install LED billboards, and said that the city would begin taking down billboards in breach of the new regulation. 'Some billboards still have ongoing contracts. We will take them down as soon as the contracts finish,' Ahok said recently. The billboards association could not be reached for comment. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Khoirul Amin (The Jakarta Post) Mon, February 1, 2016 Domestic furniture producers are looking to increase their share of the local market to prevent foreign competitors from dominating prospective business, according to an industry association. Indonesian Furniture Entrepreneurs Association (Asmindo) chairman Taufik Gani said the launch of a single market in the region ' the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) ' had served as a major trigger for local furniture producers to start looking at the untapped domestic market. 'The domestic market is huge, but Asmindo members haven't fully tapped it yet. If we focus only on exports, the local market could be conquered by foreign players,' Taufik said recently. While the association has no data on furniture sales in the domestic market, it estimates that around 80 percent of its members are exporters and that national annual furniture export value stands at around US$1.8 billion. Asmindo's research and inter-departments division head, Hari Basuki, said he estimated around 60 percent of local furniture needs were currently supplied by overseas traders, including some 'unofficial' imports from a number of countries, including China. According to Taufik, most local furniture manufacturers currently focus on overseas markets because of the higher prices they can charge for their products abroad. 'However, they often forget that we also have a potential market that if we don't tap, others will,' he said. Swedish furniture brand IKEA and British-originated furniture brand Courts were among foreign brands that had started gaining traction in the Indonesian market, he said. IKEA opened its first store in Indonesia in 2014, targeting the country's middle-to-upper class customer segment. It provides 7,000 home furnishing products, of which 550 are manufactured in Indonesia and distributed across the globe. Hari said his association was now working with the government to support the development of the local market for local furniture producers. Asmindo itself will organize a four-day Indonesia International Furniture and Craft Fair (IFFINA) in March targeting both local and global buyers, with a targeted transaction value of $440 million. 'We're also communicating with the government to ensure our readiness and decide what kinds of support are needed. I think [the outcome] will be a five-year program,' Hari said. Among support suggested by Asmindo is a government regulation requiring governmental offices, state-owned enterprises and schools to use only locally made furniture at their respective offices, according to Hari. If such a regulation were implemented, the association would expect to see a 10 percent increase in local furniture sales value in the domestic market each year, he said. In another development, Asmindo vice chairman Rudy Luwia said the government should also start reviewing the possibility of imposing a requirement for local green certification (SVLK) for imported furniture to curb illegal imports and help the local industry grow. He also said that Asmindo was concerned about the Trade Ministry's decision to revoke SVLK requirements for as many as 15 wood downstream products for export. The ministry's director for exports of agriculture and forestry products, Nurlaila Nur Muhammad, said previously that the move was aimed at boosting the local downstream industry, including small enterprises. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno is confident that Indonesia's first high-speed rail project, which, despite covering less distance, is costing more than a similar project in Iran, will not end badly. Both projects are being handled by a Chinese state company. The Regional Representatives Council (DPD) has urged the government to delay the 100-kilometer rail project, the cost of which reaches US$5.5 billion or almost twice that of the Tehran-Isfahan project, which is costing $2.7 billion for 400 km. "China has built 18,000 kilometers of high-speed rail, the only country in the world to do it at that pace [..] We have a team overseeing the project that has already given a report to me. I examined it carefully before taking the decision," she said in Jakarta as quoted by Kompas.com on Saturday. Rini guaranteed that Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC), the project developer, would not break its commitment not to request financial support from the state budget or demand a government guarantee. "From the beginning, we have promised that the project will not ask for government guarantees, and will not need state budget support. That's our commitment. I am the SOE minister, and it would not be right if I allowed an SOE to break its commitment," she said. Rini explained that KICI's sole request was an assured concession of 50 years, adding that China would not take over the project, as Indonesian state-run companies hold a 60 percent share in KCIC while China's company holds 40 percent. She admitted that the China Railway Engineering Corporation (CERC) was building the Jakarta-Bandung and Teheran-Isfahan projects at different costs, but insisted that the Indonesian project was different, as the project currently underway in Iran was not high-speed rail. 'Please, they're not the same thing. Our project is very different,' she said. The Chinese Embassy in Jakarta, in response to Vice President Jusuf Kalla's questions, stated that CERC's $2.7 billion investment in Iran did not represent total investment in the project, as an additional contract worth $2.7 billion had yet to be signed. "CERC China is only handling the above-rail development in the Iran project, and not the below-rail development. However, in the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail link, CERC is responsible for both above-rail and below-rail development," the embassy stated in a press release. (ags)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anggi M. Lubis (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 Conglomerate Media Nusantara Citra (MNC) Group is planning to release up to 20 percent of its stake in new entity Sky Vision Network (SVN) for foreign investors before the end of the first half, according to its owner, tycoon and politician Hary Tanoesoedibjo. Hary said over the weekend that his business group was looking to sell between 10 percent and 20 percent of its stake in the company, as part of the group's strategy to establish a more focused holding company for its television businesses. He said that his company was currently engaged in discussions with a number of interested investors, mostly from Europe and other parts of Asia. 'They will have a minority stake [in SVN],' he told reporters. Hary said that the group was also open to multiple investors purchasing the shares, adding that the transaction is expected to be concluded this semester. He said that SVN, which is yet to start operations and is currently wholly owned by his media holding company, publicly-listed Global Mediacom, was prepared as holding company for listed pay television operator MNC Sky Vision and broadband fiber optic company MNC Kabel Mediakom (MKM). Global Mediacom ' the parent company of MNC Group's media businesses ' owns a 77 percent stake in MNC Sky, an approximately 63 percent stake in publicly-listed free-to-air television operator MNC and a 100 percent-stake in a number of news firms. MNC Group has been working to enhance its paid television and broadband businesses, having allotted US$500 million to develop its fiber optic business between 2014 and 2016, according to previous reports. MKM, also known as Play Media, was established in January 2013. Play Media targets to have a total of 700,000 home subscribers this year and a total of 1.5 million in three to five years. Hary said that to support its business, SVN was expected to go public some time in the next five years. 'As an exchange for SVN's floated shares, we will buy back shares of MNC Sky Vision in return,' he explained. As previously reported, MNC Group gained shareholders' approval to buy back a stake of up to 5 percent in MNC Sky Vision mid last year, with around Rp 636 billion of funds prepared to support the plan. The buyback scenario is to be implemented by January 2017, and is part of wider buyback plan for four companies under the conglomerate that will involve around Rp 7.46 trillion of capital. MNC Sky operates the country's first and one of the biggest paid TV services, Indovision. The company's losses ballooned from Rp 28.05 billion in the first nine months of 2014 to Rp 620.02 billion in the corresponding period last year, as a result of surging losses on foreign exchange (forex) that soared by 10 times to Rp 689.99 billion throughout the year as its programming costs were in US dollars. Moody's Investors Service has downgraded MNC Sky Vision's corporate family rating to B2 from B1 with a negative outlook last month, citing refinancing risks associated with a $243 million bank loan ' the bulk of which matures in November 2016 ' and the rise in leverage due to its significant and unhedged foreign-currency exposure and its weakening operating performance behind the downgrade. Forex losses have also become an issue for its parent company Global Mediacom, which saw a decrease of its Rp 689.92 billion in net profits during the first nine months of 2014 to Rp 128.66 billion during the same period last year. The company's revenues grew by only 2.5 percent on an annual basis to Rp 8.2 trillion between January and September last year, thus failing to offset the Rp 1.1 trillion in forex losses that eroded its bottom line. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 Muhammadiyah has advised the government against banning the controversial Fajar Nusantara Movement (Gafatar), warning that doing so could backfire and lead the group's thousands of members to radicalism and violence. The country's second-largest religious organization emphasized that the government should not exaggerate the threat of Gafatar, saying the group was more of a socio-economic than a religious problem. Muhammadiyah suggested that the issue would be better handled by the official Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), rather than the government. 'Resolving [the Gafatar controversy] using political and theological approaches will only create more problems. An edict will not solve the problem, and the government has no authority to declare whether a belief is heretical or not. Let the MUI worry about that. The government should stay neutral,' Muhammadiyah secretary-general Abdul Mukti told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. Mukti said that Muhammadiyah would not follow the MUI in issuing an edict against Gafatar, as his group considered the wave of people joining the group to be part of an urban phenomenon in which people try to find religious alternatives to fit their expectations. 'The decision to return [Gafatar] members to their hometowns is correct ' they surely couldn't stay any longer at refugee barracks or in their community [in Mempawah, West Kalimantan]. Muhammadiyah is ready to help the government with the rehabilitation process,' Mukti added. Meanwhile, the country's largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), criticized the government for failing to prevent a mob from attacking Gafatar's camp in Mempawah. 'As long as they keep their beliefs in their heart then there's no problem, but if the group tries to propagate its teachings in society, then that's another story,' NU leader Masdar F. Mas'udi said. Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) secretary-general Jerry Sumampouw on Sunday confirmed that several Christians had joined Gafatar, but insisted the PGI would not judge them for doing so. 'We cannot stop them if they choose to join [Gafatar]. Faith is a personal matter. The AGO is going too far by prosecuting beliefs,' Jerry said. The MUI meanwhile said on Sunday that it would ask the government to ban Gafatar after issuing an edict last week confirming that the teachings spread by the controversial organization were 'heretical'. 'The verdict will be announced next week. Let's just wait and see,' MUI chairman Ma'ruf Amin said on Sunday. Ma'ruf said that the MUI, which is notorious for issuing edicts against Islamic minority groups it considers heretical such as Shiite muslims and Ahmadiyah, had completed its investigation into Gafatar, the spiritual leader of which is self-declared prophet Ahmad Mussadeq, the founder of the banned Al-Qidayah al-Islamiyah organization. The government banned Al-Qidayah al-Islamiyah after the MUI issued an edict decrying the group as heretical. Following the ban, Mussadeq was sentenced to four years in prison by the South Jakarta District Court in 2008 for religious defamation. Gafatar has been in the spotlight ever since a number of people reported missing were revealed to have joined the group. Thousands of people from across the country left their homes to join the group's community in Mempawah, but were displaced after a mob ransacked and razed their community on Jan. 19, and have now been returned to their respective hometowns. 'After the edict is issued, we want the group to be banned and its followers put back on the right path,' Ma'ruf 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 The Jakarta Post Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 Golkar Party executive Ade Komarudin has questioned the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) plan to involve itself in the party's upcoming extraordinary national congress. KPK deputy chairman Saut Situmorang said on Saturday that the antigraft body may step look the running of the congress following intelligence reports that a large sum of money would be distributed during the congress where a new party chairman is set to be elected. The KPK deputy chairman said that the antigraft body had reason to believe that illegal practices could take place at the planned congress as such activity had occurred in other political parties in the past. 'The KPK has previously refused [to be involved in politics]. The KPK knows better,' said Ade, speaker of the House of Representatives, as quoted by tribunnews.com, recalling previous statements from KPK officials. Ade, however, said that he agreed to uphold accountability during the congress. 'There shouldn't be any evil conspiracies.' Following a long standoff between two rival camps in the Golkar Party, executives of the country's oldest party have agreed to hold the extraordinary meeting before May this year, in which the leaders of the two camps, Aburizal Bakrie and Agung Laksono have been called on not to run in the chairmanship race. Saut did not rule out the possibility that the KPK could conduct sting operations during the congress, as it had in the past. The KPK previously arrested Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Adriansyah after catching him red-handed accepting money on the sidelines of the party's national congress in Bali. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 In the wake of a kidney selling case revealed last week, a top official at the National Police has warned of organized crime in organ sales. The selling of human organs amounted to organized crime as declared in the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN GIFT), the National Police's general crimes chief Comr. Gen. Anang Iskandar said, as reported by kompas.com. UN GIFT categorizes the crime in three different modus operandi, he explained. In the first case, the perpetrator tricks his victim into giving their organs. In the second modus operandi, the victim agrees to sell their organs, but is not paid according to the agreement. In the third case, the perpetrator treats the victims as if they are sick, while they are not, and then takes the organs out without the victim's consent. UN GIFT has established international standard protocols, including recommendations on prevention and punishment, for law enforcement authorities to handle organ sales. World Health Organization guidelines are another point of reference. The WHO had declared the commercialization of humans organs a human rights violation, Anang said. "The [Council of Europe's] Additional Protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine also prohibits organ sales and urges countries to impose sanctions on the crime," he said as quoted by kompas.com. National Police investigators arrested three alleged organ sellers last week. Yana Priatna aka Amang, Dedi Supriadi bin Oman Rahman and Kwok Herry Susanto aka Herry were apparently trying to sell kidneys. Herry was allegedly tasked with finding clients in need of a kidney transplantation, while Yana and Dedi would search for people willing to sell their kidneys. They are suspected of defrauding at least 15 people whose kidneys they had sold and charged under the Human Trafficking Law and Health Law. Police were still expanding their investigation into the case and suspected individuals, doctors and management officials from three Jakarta hospitals to be involved, National Police investigator Sr. Comr. Umar Surya Fana said, without providing details on the hospitals except that one was a public hospital while the other two were private. (rin)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 A day after stating publicly that NasDem Party boss Surya Paloh and Perindo Party founder Hary Tanoesoedibjo were engaged in 'gang warfare', politician Masinton Pasaribu was reported for assault by a female aide, it has emerged. Masinton has vigorously denied the allegations. Dita Aditya Ismawati, a member of NasDem, claimed that the outspoken Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician had punched her in the right eye during a quarrel on Jan. 21. Quoting Dita, Wibi Adriano, a member of NasDem's legal advocacy body, said the incident had started when Masinton, along with his driver Husni, picked Dita up at a cafA in Cikini, Central Jakarta, at around 11 p.m. on Jan. 21. Masinton is said to have immediately begun scolding Dita, who was in the passenger seat, before instructing Husni to collect Dita's car at the NasDem offices and drive it to her house in Cawang, East Jakarta. 'Husni then drove Dita's car to her house, leaving Dita and Masinton in the car,' Wibi said. The member of House of Representatives Comission III, which oversees law, human rights and security affairs, reportedly took the steering wheel, continuing to verbally abuse Dita, before punching her in the right eye. Dita left the car near her house and immediately took a taxi to the Jatinegara Police station, also in East Jakarta, where police told her to undergo a medical test at Budhi Asih Regional Hospital in Cawang. 'The Jatinegara Police asked her to rest and return on Saturday [ Jan. 23] ,' Wibi said. On Jan. 30, Dita reported the case to the National Police Criminal Investigation Corps (Bareskrim). Wibi added that that it remained unclear what had triggered the assault, but said he suspected Masinton was outraged with NasDem, which had demanded he retract statements he had made and apologize. 'Nasdem has warned Masinton about his improper comments,' Wibi said. Masinton, who has on numerous occasions made headlines for crititicizing and attacking state officials, including President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, described the allegations as 'totally baseless'. Meanwhile, NasDem politician Taufiqulhadi insisted his party had nothing to do with the incident. 'What happened between [Masinton and Dita] has nothing to do with our party. It's a personal problem,' Taufiqulhadi said. During a Commission III hearing with Attorney General M. Prasetyo on Jan. 20, Masinton alleged that a 'gang war' was being waged between Surya Paloh and Tanoesoedibjo, both of whom are media moguls. Separately, Abraham Leo Tanditasik, another of Masinton's aides, recounted a different chronology of the incident. According to Abraham, it was Dita who called Masinton that night, asking him to pick her up at the cafA because she was drunk. He himself had been driving, Abraham said, adding that during the drive, Dita was hysterically screaming and laughing and insisted on turning up the volume of the car radio. He said he was forced to stop the car to push Dita's hand away from the steering wheel. According to Abraham, it was then that he himself, not Masinton, unintentionally struck Dita in the right eye. 'Masinton offered to take Dita to a clinic for medical treatment but she refused, saying that she was fine and could take care of herself,' Abraham said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Wahyoe Boediwardhana (The Jakarta Post) Gresik, East Java Mon, February 1, 2016 State-owned port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Pelindo) III has allocated at least Rp 1 trillion (US$72.4 million) to revamp seven seaports in the country's eastern region. Pelindo III president director Djarwo Surjanto said three ports were located in East Nusa Tenggara (Kalabahi Port, Lorens Say Maumere Port and Waingapu Port), while one was in West Nusa Tenggara (Sape Port in Bima), two were in Central Kalimantan (Sampit Port and Kumai Pangkalan Bun Port) and another was in South Kalimantan (Kota Baru Port). 'Currently, those seven ports are in poor condition and unsafe [for passengers]. Maumere Port, for example, is located too close to cargo loading and unloading terminals and therefore it is unsafe. We have to relocate some passenger ports,' Djarwo said on the sidelines of the launch of the new Manyar Port in Gresik, East Java, over the weekend. Separately, Pelindo III's operational and business development director Rahmat Satria said the renovation work would depend on the availability of funds. 'If we are able to use a state capital injection [PMN] as initially planned, the renovation work at the ports could be completed in 2017. If we use internal cash, the renovations may take longer, until 2018 or 2019,' Rahmat said on Sunday over the phone. The company originally planned to use a state capital injection to finance the revamp. However, as the House of Representatives has shelved some capital injections to state enterprises, the company may need to resort to other alternatives for financing. 'We're now trying to fund the project with internal sources to avoid interest-ridden funding as the seven ports are small ones and therefore the income being generated from them is relatively meager,' Rahmat said. Besides the seven ports, the firm also plans to develop Benoa Port in Bali as a hub for cruises. 'Currently the [60-hectare] port is only used as a transit berth for big cruises from Singapore. We need to expand the port to allow big cruises to dock,' Rahmat added. 'We are awaiting the Bali administration's approval for the Port Master Plan [RPP] prior to applying for a reclamation permit [to expand the existing port],' he said. Pelindo III has also allocated Rp 5 trillion of capital expenditure to develop its existing 46 ports, spread across seven provinces countrywide. One of the development projects this year includes the newest Manyar Port in Gresik, East Java, as part of the Integrated Industrial Port Estate (JIIPE). Manyar Port was launched on Friday and is projected to operate by the middle of this year. The international port aims to ease logistics loads at Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, East Java. It is estimated to reduce the province's logistics costs by 20 percent in future. The industrial estate itself, meanwhile, is still under construction and is expected to maximize the port's functions once completed. The JIIPE owner, PT Berkah Kawasan Manyar Sejahtera, is a joint venture between Pelindo III and petroleum and chemical distributor PT AKR Corporindo. (rbk) Rahm's Approval Ratings Hit Record Lows By Mae Rice in News on Feb 1, 2016 5:33PM Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel addresses a special session of the City Council Dec. 9. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Mayor Rahm Emanuel has set a personal worst, according to a recent Tribune poll. Just 27 percent of Chicagoans, a record low, approve of his job performance right nowa statistic closely tied to the botched release of the Laquan McDonald video. Roughly 75 percent of voters dont believe the mayors story of how and when he learned details of the McDonald shooting, in which officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shot 17-year-old McDonald sixteen times, according to the Tribune. Van Dyke has since been charged with six counts of homicide for the shooting. Over two-thirds of respondents didnt think the Emanuel administration was justified in withholding the video of the shooting for as long as it did, either. All told, the video was kept from the public for more than a year. Run by Research America Inc., the poll consisted of live phone interviews, conducted via landline and cellphone, with 985 registered city voters. It was conducted at the end of Januaryfrom January 20 to 28and had a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points. Though the Tribune argued that the results represented a crisis in confidence among Chicagoans, thats debatable: by a slight majority, respondents didnt think the mayor should resign. Thats perhaps because, if he did, it wouldnt mean a new mayoral election for a while yet. We covered what would happen if Emanuel resigned here. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 The Jakarta Police have challenged the lawyers of Jessica Kumala Wongso, who is accused of the premeditated murder of her friend, Wayan Mirna Salihin, regarding their claim that investigators had violated the law by refusing to hand over the investigation report to them. Handing out a copy of investigation report was not mandated by the law, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Muhammad Iqbal said on Monday. "If we give them the copy of the investigation report, the police's strategy will be revealed. This is an intellectual war. Let us carry out our strategy and let the lawyers carry out their own," he told journalists at the Jakarta Police headquarters. Jessica's lawyer and uncle Yudi Wibowo had previously said police had violated the law as he was not given a copy of the investigation report following Jessica's questioning on Saturday. Yudi also challenged the police to release the CCTV footage from Olivier Cafe in the Grand Indonesia Mall where Mirna drank the cyanide-tainted coffee that caused her death. Iqbal, however, refused the demand, saying that CCTV recordings were a confidential parts of the investigation. "Allow us to continue our current strategy as long as it remains within the confines of the law,' Iqbal said. Jessica's arrest and detention also complied with the police's standard operating procedures, he said adding that the police would guarantee Jessica her rights as suspect. The police named Jessica a suspect in the case on Friday evening and arrested her on Saturday morning when she was staying in a hotel with her parents. She will remain in police custody for the next 20 days in accordance with investigation procedures. The police would also uphold the presumption of innocence principle and welcomed Jessica's lawyers to file a pretrial motion and even a request for postponement of detention, Iqbal said, adding that the rejection or approval of any request would be based on the police's evaluation. The police are currently strengthening their evidence and gathering more witness testimonies before transferring the case to the prosecutor's office. Investigators questioned seven employees of Olivier cafe on Sunday in order to complete their investigation. (rin)(+) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan Mon, February 1, 2016 Thousands of police and military personnel have been deployed to secure the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan following a clash between members of youth organizations Ikatan Pemuda Karya (IPK) and Pemuda Pancasila (PP) on Saturday that claimed the lives of two people. North Sumatra Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Adhi Prawoto said 1,400 police officers and 450 Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel, as of Sunday, had been stationed at several locations in the city to anticipate possible further violence. Such a measure, Adhi said, had to be taken to guarantee the safety of local residents and important sites across the city despite ongoing reconciliation efforts overseen by local authorities. 'We have gathered leaders of the two organizations in a mediation meeting and asked them not to get involved in another brawl,' he said on Sunday. The deadly incident began on Saturday afternoon when a group of IPK members convoyed along Jl. MH Thamrin on their way to attend the inauguration of officials for the organization's Medan Denai branch. The convoy met a group of PP members and the encounter quickly escalated into a fight that reportedly developed into a larger brawl that lasted several hours. Residents along the street and in surrounding neighborhoods were forced to lock down their houses and shops in order to stay safe. Two people, identified as Roy Silaban and Monang Hutabarat, both IPK members, died and four others were severely injured when the fighting finally ended on Saturday evening. On Sunday morning, another brawl almost broke out when hundreds of PP members attacked an IPK guard post on Jl. Putri Hijau. That incident, however, did not last long as hundreds of police personnel quickly arrived and secured the area. Several hours later, members of the two organizations reportedly threw rocks at each other on Jl. Brigjen Katamso. Separately, Medan Police chief Sr. Comr. Mardiaz Kusin Dwihananto said the police had arrested 14 PP members and seven IPK members following the brawl. He also promised that the police would investigate and immediately take action to settle the case. 'We have questioned several witnesses and secured evidence from the brawl scene in order to trace the key offenders behind it,' he said. Established decades ago as affiliate organizations to Golkar, the ruling party during former president Soeharto's administration, the IPK and PP, have engaged in a long-time rivalry in North Sumatra. Members of the two organizations have repeatedly been involved in brawls triggered by various disputes, including those related to the management of parking lots or other personal reasons. In April last year, IPK and PP members were involved in a brawl that injured at least two people and damaged a couple of PP guard posts in Deli Serdang regency. PP's North Sumatra chapter executive Kodrat Shah admitted that Saturday's brawl was the biggest incident ever to happen between the two groups in the province, considering that the PP's headquarters on Jl. MH Thamrin had also become the target of an attack by hundreds of IPK members. 'Such [an attack] has never happened before. That's why our members are furious that their headquarters has been attacked,' he said. Kodrat also said that the organization would let the police investigate the case. 'The brawl is done. We have asked the police to handle the case. We have also called on our members not to cause any more trouble,' he said. According to its website, the IPK claims to have 13 provincial chapters, including in Jakarta, North Sumatra, Banten and Yogyakarta. The organization, whose headquarters are located in Medan, is currently led by Budi Panggabean, who replaced his uncle and organization founder Olo Panggabean following the latter's death in 2009. PP, meanwhile, is led by lawyer and politician Japto S. Soerjosoemarno. ___________________________ 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 Mon, February 1, 2016 Sex before marriage is more frequent than ever in the Asia-Pacific area, but the region's nearly one billion young people aged 15 to 24 years face a dangerous dearth of information on sexual and reproductive health and lack critical life skills needed to manage safe, consensual sexual relationships, a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report reveals. The report entitled 'Sexual and reproductive health of young people in Asia and the Pacific: A review of issues, policies and programs', which includes data and examples from across 36 countries, states many young people in the region also face major physical, socio-economic and cultural barriers in accessing the services. The report calls on countries in the region to expand and improve sexual and reproductive health services as well as comprehensive sexuality education for young people. 'Without knowledge, information and access to quality care, young people face far bigger risks of unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV,' UNFPA's Asia-Pacific director Yoriko Yasukawa said. 'Development and globalization are helping to change attitudes to sex and relationships, so policies, programs and laws on sexual and reproductive health must be reviewed and improved to acknowledge and reflect this reality and best meet young people's needs,' she went on. According to the UNFPA report, nearly 11 million unsafe abortions took place in the Asia-Pacific region in 2015, and 34 percent of these were performed on women below 25 years of age. Up to 63 percent of adolescent pregnancies in Asia-Pacific are unintended, leading to a large number of unsafe abortions, which are often unreported. 'Adolescents and young persons deserve a sound public health response. The WHO advocates for enabling the policy environment in all relevant ministries in support of adolescent health and development. National governments must strengthen the availability and use of strategic information related to health and other development domains of adolescents to design effective programs and monitor their implementation," WHO South-East Asia director Poonam Khetrapal Singh said. The report was produced by the Burnet Institute in Australia for UNFPA in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the WHO South-East Asia office. The report says higher risk behavior, including early sexual debut, multiple partners and sex under the influence of alcohol, are prevalent in some countries, and up to 10 percent of males and 20 percent of females report having had a sexually transmitted infection or symptoms in the last 12 months. An estimated 620,000 youth (15-24) are living with HIV across the region. The report further states that over 30 percent of girls aged 15-19 had experienced physical or sexual violence in four countries: the Marshall Islands, Pakistan, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. "Improving young people's sexual and reproductive health requires high quality, evidence-based comprehensive sexuality education," the director of the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education in Bangkok, Gwang-Jo Kim, said. "Young people need accurate information on puberty, sexuality and related issues and the skills and confidence to make responsible and caring decisions about sex and relationships in general." (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin The Jakarta Post Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 US Ambassador Robert Blake on Monday announced two new projects aimed at bolstering the work of the newly formed Peatland Restoration Agency during the Environment and Forestry Ministry-sponsored Climate Festival. He said the two projects, funded under the Millennium Challenge Corporation's compact with Indonesia, were part of the US government's strong support for Indonesia's climate change goals. 'The projects will help restore and protect the country's peatland areas, which have been threatened by fire in recent years, and when burned are a major contributor to the release of greenhouse gases,' Blake said. The first initiative, a US$17 million program known as the Berbak Green Prosperity Project, will help to restore the water of peat swamp forests in Jambi. The restoration of this system will help to eventually decrease the prevalence of peat fires in the province. 'The Berbak project will also provide training to increase production of local agriculture and will facilitate smallholder oil palm certifications and community-based palm oil mill effluent renewable energy systems,' the US embassy said in a statement on Monday. The second initiative is a $13 million agreement with three palm oil mills in Riau Province for biogas power plants utilizing palm oil mill effluent and assisting independent smallholders in each mill's supply base to become RSPO certified. This grant alone is expected to produce 3 MW of renewable energy from biogas, the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power 9,000 rural homes; capture 117,000 tCO2e/year, which is equivalent to emissions from vehicles driving 785 million kilometers per year. It is also expected that the project can improve productivity and management practices for 2,000 independent smallholders. The US embassy said these two programs, both of which will be implemented by an Indonesian agency, the Millennium Challenge Account ' Indonesia (MCA-I), were part of the US government's overall support for Indonesia's commitment to reduce carbon emissions and protect vulnerable peatlands. Apart from these projects, the US, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has recently launched a new portfolio of projects to address climate change and support Indonesia's goal of reducing emissions by 29 percent by 2030. According to the embassy, USAID will partner with the Indonesian government to help conserve and sustainably manage 8.4 million hectares of forest and peatland that can serve as carbon sinks. The embassy further said that USAID would help eliminate 4.5 tons of greenhouse gas emissions and leverage $800 million in private sector investment in clean energy for five million citizens. 'USAID will also help protect local communities from the effects of a changing climate and more extreme weather by assisting national and provincial governments implement effective climate change adaptation strategies.' The US embassy said USAID had also invested more than $38 million into environmental initiatives in 2015. 'Moving forward, we have a planned investment of $47 million for forest conservation and land use planning, $24 million for land use policy and conservation advocacy, $19 million for global climate change adaptation, $19 for clean energy and $5 million for forest research,' it said. 'These programs are a sign of our commitment to working in partnership with Indonesia to combat the causes of climate change and to help the country achieve its goal of reducing emissions in the future.' (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anggi M. Lubis (The Jakarta Post) Mon, February 1, 2016 State-run construction company Waskita Karya is planning to double both its revenue and net profits this year, thanks to a number of prospective infrastructure projects that are expected to help the company see a surge of new contracts. Waskita Karya president director M. Choliq said over the weekend that his company wrapped up last year with Rp 14.1 trillion (US$1.03 billion) and Rp 1.04 trillion on its top line and bottom line, respectively. 'As for this year, we aim to see revenue hitting Rp 27 trillion and net profits hitting around Rp 2 trillion,' Choliq said. The figures mean Waskita is targeting to see its business to grow by more than 90 percent in 2016. The growth, Choliq said, would mostly be supported by a number of projects ' particularly toll roads ' that were expected in the company's order books this year. He added that his company was eyeing combining toll road projects with its existing projects. Choliq previously said that his company targeted to see new contracts double from Rp 30 trillion last year to Rp 60 trillion this year. Separately, Waskita finance director Tunggul Rajagukguk said that among the projects his company was interested in were the Kayuagung-Palembang-Betung toll road in South Sumatra and the next stage of Sumatra's power grid project. The South Sumatra toll road, according to media reports, will span 117 kilometers and is expected to absorb Rp 14.4 trillion of investment. The project was initiated by the South Sumatra administration. A local firm, Sriwijaya Markmore Persada, has been appointed to lead the project, which is expected to conclude in 2017. As for the Sumatra grid, Tunggul said his company was looking for further involvement in the project. 'We have engaged in the first stage of the development and we want to continue to the next phases,' he told reporters. As part of the 1,400-km transmission grid project, state electricity firm PLN awarded a contract for the development of the first two sections to Waskita, which will develop a 235-km section from New Aur Duri in Jambi to Peranap in Riau and a 160-km section within Riau, connecting Peranap to Perawang. The total value for the two sections is Rp 6.71 trillion and Waskita is expected to build them within three years, according to a deal signed in October last year. The company may need Rp 10 trillion to finance its projects this year, and among possible sources to meet funding needs is issuing bonds. Tunggul said his company was preparing to issue bonds up to Rp 2 trillion around the end of the first half of the year, the debt papers for which would be part of a series of bonds amounting to Rp 5 trillion to be issued in the next two years. In particular, the bonds would be used to finance projects that might take two years or more for construction, including the existing transmission grid project and the light rapid transit (LRT) project in Palembang. With the 2015 revenue and net profit estimation, Waskita recorded around a 37 percent increase in its revenue from Rp 10.29 trillion recorded in 2014 and double its net profits from Rp 501.53 billion posted during the year. The company's newly established toll road and precast concrete units, as previously reported, were its main drivers for growth during 2015. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, February 1, 2016 Statically, North Kalimantan, the country's youngest province, has shown little progress in food independency as it still buys almost all of two staple foods from other provinces, the Central Statistical Agency (BPS) reveals. According to a BPS survey, the 34th province has to buy rice and chili to meet 99.8 percent of local demand. The agency surveyed five of the main commodities, namely rice, chili, onions, corn and chicken meat. "North Kalimantan is a newcomer, the problem is a lack of rice fields. This causes a margin in rice price of almost 20 percent compared to the national average of 10.4 percent. It should consider opening new rice fields," said BPS head Suryamin in Jakarta on Monday. However, based on the survey, North Kalimantan which became a new province effectively in 2013 is the country's biggest chicken supplier, selling up to 16.05 percent of the chickens produced nationwide. As for onions and corn, West Java and Gorontalo have the largest distribution of the two commodities of all the provinces, distributing each product to eight and four provinces, respectively. Overall, Central Java remains the dominant food trader, with the largest trade distribution of most staple foods on average, reaching eight provinces. "But even Central Java must import 0.12 percent of its rice from India: Basmati rice. There are provinces that have reached self-sufficiency in rice, such as West Sumatra. The challenge is in the distribution," Suryamin said. (ags) Shanghai will stage an exhibition of films adapted from the works of William Shakespeare in June to mark the 400th anniversary of the British playwright's death. The organizing committee of the Shanghai International Festival said Sunday they would co-host the event with the British Film Institute during the Shanghai International Festival. Ian McKellern, who starred a number of Shakespeare dramas and who is best known in China for his portray of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, will attend the event, the committee said. Fu Wenxia, deputy secretary general of the committee, said the exhibit will feature classic films adapted from the British writer that showed the "passionate clashes between stage plays and the big screen." Shakespeare enjoys immense popularity among Chinese readers, but movies adapted from his works are unfamiliar to Chinese movie-goers. The 2015 hit Macbeth failed to make China's quota for overseas movies. The 19th Shanghai International Festival is scheduled from June 11 to 19 this year. On Saturday, Governor Cuomo called a special election for April 19 to fill Sheldon Silvers Assembly seat. The longtime Lower East Side lawmaker was forced to give up his position after being convicted on federal corruption charges. Today we have more on what happens next in the battle for the 65th Assembly District. According to candidates angling for the Democratic nomination in the Lower Manhattan district, a meeting will be held of the partys County Committee this coming Sunday. A time and location have not yet been announced. This morning, Cathleen McCadden, executive director of the Manhattan Democratic Party, referred our questions to a press representative. Were still awaiting a reply. As previously reported, about 200 party insiders connected to the Assembly districts four political clubs will hand-pick Silvers successor. While a general election will be held in April, the Democratic nominee is almost certain of winning; Republicans are badly outnumbered in the downtown district. The victorious candidate will face a regular primary election in September. County Committee members are elected, although local district leaders are charged with filling vacancies. Last month, we asked the citys Board of Elections for a current list of members. We were sent a report prepared following last Septembers Democratic Primary. There were around 40 vacancies. Some time ago, a County Committee rep told us that the list had been updated by the party and shared with the candidates. But no decisions had been made about whether to publicly release it. So the list weve published below is incomplete. But it will give you an idea of the County Committee membership. [Note: Committee members in the 65th Assembly District appear on the first 10 pages of the document.} Youl likely recognize some of the names. They include: Judy Rapfogel, Silvers former chief of staff; Gary Altman and Lenny Greher, present and former leaders of the East River Co-op board; Grand Street District leader David Weingerger; and Rosa Silver, the former Assembly members wife. In Chinatown, community leaders Justin Yu, Jenny Low and Virginia Kee all have votes. Other names include: Diem Boyd and Sara Romanoski of the LES Dwellers neighborhood group, preservationist Mitchell Grubler and Wei-Li Tjong, a former board president of the Seward Park Co-op. A standoff is a strong possibility on Sunday because the political clubs have not settled on a consensus candidate. Yuh-Line Niou is favored by the United Democratic Organization in Chinatown. Alice Cancel will be the choice of Lower East Side Democrats, her home club. Paul Newell and Jenifer Rajkumar are competing for support among County Committee members within their club, Downtown Independent Democrats. Meanwhile, Sheldon Silvers political organization, the Truman Club, is deciding this week which candidate to support. Notably, three contenders (Newell, Rajkumar and Cancel) are also district leaders. This means they have all appointed some of the committee members who will be voting Sunday. The bottom line is this: No candidate will win a majority this weekend without the support of their own club plus that of another political organization. Several other candidates, meanwhile, without ties to the four political clubs are waiting for their shot at the Assembly seat during regularly scheduled election this coming fall. They include: Don Lee, Gigi Li and John Bal. In many cases, hand-picked candidates chosen in special elections have big advantages in running for re-election. This time around, however, conventional wisdom might not hold. For one thing, the person chosen will only have served a few months in Albany. For another, there may very well be a stigma attached to the establishment candidate picked by party insiders in a process lacking in transparency. Stay tuned. Well let you know if and when we hear from the Democratic County Committee regarding this weekends schedule and format. UPDATE: Candidates have been told the meeting will take place at the Educational Alliance, 197 East Broadway, at 2 p.m. Russ & Daughters will anchor a new public food hall and manufacturing space at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, according to a story hiding behind the Wall Street Journals paywall. The Lower East Side appetizing store has leased a 14,000 sq. ft. space in a building now under renovation. Russ & Daughters will relocate its bakery and production facilities from Bushwick to the new center. The new location will include a retail space, offering breakfast and lunch. Visitors will be able to see the production facility through glass walls. The Daily News reports that Judy Rapfogel, Sheldon Silvers former chief of staff, will likely receive a pension that exceeds $126,000/year. Jerry Saltz argues that galleries on the Lower East Side should continue their practice of staying open on Sundays. A place called the Alchemists Kitchen has moved into a retail space at Jupiter 21 on East 1st St. The new business replaces a short-lived juice bar, reports EV Grieve. This location is, of course, the former home of the Mars Bar. A Lower East Side bar where you dont have to fight to get inor be heardis nothing short of a miracle, writes the New Yorker, but at Garfunkels on Clinton Street, miracles do happen. The Daily Beast checks out movie night for cats on Clinton Street. The Times profiles the Russian and Turkish baths in the East Village. Earlier this morning, we noted that Russ & Daughters is opening a large production facility in a newly renovated building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The story was first reported by the Wall Street Journal (subscription required). Now there are more details in a press release forwarded by the New York City Mayors Office: The Brooklyn Navy Yard announced today that venerable New York City food institution Russ & Daughters will anchor the ground floor of Building 77, its new public food hall and manufacturing space. Renowned for its signature smoked fish, caviar, traditional bagels, bialys, and baked goods, Russ & Daughters is run by Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper the fourth generation of the family which founded the business in 1914. Our investment in Building 77 means thousands more good jobs in the Navy Yard. Russ & Daughters is a great New York City company, and its going to be the first of many to scale up and add new employees in this new manufacturing space, said Mayor Bill de Blasio. The 102-year-old appetizing store has been in expansion mode the past few years. A restaurant opened in 2014 at 127 Orchard St. A new cafe is also in the works at the Jewish Museum. Russ & Daughters is taking 14,000 sq. ft. at the Brooklyn Navy Yard for a food manufacturing center. There will also be a retail space and bagel sandwich shop. In the new space, the company will be able to hire 30 additional people beyond the staff already working on the Lower East Side. The facility will house Russ & Daughters newly launched bakery (which is now in Bushwick), a nationwide shipping center, a central kitchen, on -site and off-site catering services and a training center. Classes will also be offered to the public at this location. In the release, Nike Russ Federman said, The opportunity to continue our growth within the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 200 year old force of industry and development in New York is not only incredibly exciting, its a natural fit. When we visited the Brooklyn Navy Yard for the first time, added Josh Russ Tupper, we were amazed by the spectacular and vast space. Building 77 will open up this previously hidden gem to the public. The excitement that will be generated from the intersection of food production and enjoyment in Building 77 will help solidify the Navy Yards place as a vibrant and unique location in New York to work and visit. You are here: Home Hong Kong actor Eric Tsang has another role, as a political advisor in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. Hong Kong actor Eric Tsang takes questions before attending the fifth session of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Guangzhou on Sunday, Jan.1, 2016. [Photo/ycwb.com] Tsang is currently attending the fifth session of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Guangzhou, which opened on Sunday. As a local CPPCC member, the veteran actor said he will mainly focus on transportation and food safety during this year's session. Meanwhile, another famous actor from Hong Kong, Stephen Chow has been criticised for his absence at the CPPCC session of Guangdong Province. Some media reports have suggested the actor isn't taking his job as a political advisor seriously. The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is China's political advisory body. It is a widely representative and inclusive political organization that solicits opinions from advisors and experts from all walks of life. Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. You are here: Home Flash NATO has called on Russia to act responsibly after Turkey summoned Russian ambassador to protest what it claimed a violation of its airspace by a Russian warplane. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual end-of-year news conference, with a flag of Turkey seen in the foreground, in Moscow, Russia, December 17, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] "A Russian combat aircraft violated Turkish airspace yesterday, despite repeated warnings by the Turkish authorities," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday in a statement. "Previous incidents have shown how dangerous such behavior is," he said. He called on Russia to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace. Turkey has been a member of the alliance since 1952. Stoltenberg urged Russia to 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," he said. The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Russian ambassador to Ankara late Friday and protested against the violation of Turkey's airspace by a Russian SU-34. In a written statement, the ministry said Turkish air force warned the Russian aircraft several times on Friday in Russian and English, adding that the violation is also a new and concrete indicator of Moscow's actions which aims at "accelerating problems despite open warnings by our country and by NATO." The claim was immediately denied by Russia. "There were no violations of Turkish airspace by planes of the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters. "The statements of the Turkish side about the alleged fact of violation by the Russian Su-34 is unfounded propaganda," said Konashenkov. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned Russia of "consequences" if it continues to violate Turkish airspace. He blamed Russia for acting "irresponsibly" and escalating the tension in the region, while emphasizing that the issue was closely followed by NATO. "These kinds of irresponsible acts not only damage NATO-Russian relations but also the regional and global peace," the president stressed. Erdogan said that he was trying to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin but to no avail. Relations between Turkey and Russia plummeted after Turkish air force shot down a Russian jet on Nov. 24, claiming it had violated Turkish airspace, whereas Moscow insisted the Su-24 did not cross into Turkey. Following the incident, Russia imposed sanctions against Turkey and deployed S-400 missiles at a Russian air force base in Syria. The interviews gone well so far. You turned up half an hour early and managed to avoid spilling your takeaway Costa down your shirt. You havent tripped over your words yet or started on a torrent of nonsensical nervous rambling. Youve done your research on the company and the interviewers clearly impressed. So, what else did you do outside of your degree? And then youre stumped. Three years at university might sound like a long time, but before you know it, youll be out in the real world scouring the increasingly competitive job market. Employers look for candidates who stand out from the rest, and for the majority of positions particularly those in the media and creative industries having a good degree simply isnt enough. As well as being a place to study and have some of the best years of your life, university is also the best place to prepare yourself for the world of work. There is such a huge range of opportunities available to students that will do just this, and it is important to make the most of them while you can. Societies It is no overstatement to say that there is a university society for absolutely everyone. Some of the more unusual societies include the University of Cambridges Tiddlywinks Society (seriously) and the University of Exeter's Hide and Seek Society (anyone for a game?). Joining a society no matter how weird is a great way of making yourself more attractive to employers, as well as another way of meeting like-minded students. It demonstrates a different side to your personality, and shows that you can manage your time effectively. And, who knows, if the society is particularly bizarre, the interviewer might even remember you for just that reason, and thats never a bad thing. If you want to make joining a society even more worthwhile, why not run for a committee position? Being on a committee is an excellent way to improve your team, leadership and organisation skills, and specific positions can also provide you with skills directly related to your future career. The position of treasurer, for example, is a good one to go for if youre thinking of going into finance. Charity and volunteer work There are lots of opportunities to do charity and volunteer work at university. RAG (Raising and Giving) societies are extremely rewarding to get involved in, and have loads of events throughout the year. Nightline You could also consider becoming a peer mentor for a younger student, or joining your universitys, which offers listening support to students. No matter what sector you want to work in, volunteer work is greatly valued by employers, as it requires commitment, dedication and a willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty all valuable skills in the world of work. Student media Most universities have a number of publications you can write for, as well as their own TV and radio stations. If you want to get into any form of journalism or media, getting involved with the university media outlets almost goes without saying. This is the best way possible to improve your journalistic skills and build your portfolio. Youll also start making connections with people already in the industry, and these contacts may help you to get work experience or even a job interview in the future. Even if you dont want to work in the media sector, writing for student publications can provide you with transferable skills for a variety of different careers. Content writing whether this is blogging or even sending emails to clients is an important part of most jobs, and you will be in a much better position to do this if you have previously written for a student publication. Getting involved in student radio or TV is also a fantastic way to improve your confidence and verbal communication skills, which are highly valued in client-facing professions. Extra lectures As a student, it is your right to attend any lecture of your choice for no extra fee. Not only does this mean that you can go back to the same lectures from previous years for revision purposes, but also that you can learn about any other subject your university provides for free. If your course doesnt have many contact hours, this is worth considering. A History lecture, for example, could be very useful for a piece of English Literature coursework that requires a lot of historical context. If youre writing an article on a specialist topic for your student newspaper or magazine - for instance, mental illness - attending a psychology lecture may provide you with helpful information. In a job interview, you may be asked about your interests in other areas besides your degree subject. Attending lectures from other subjects is a great way to discover what else you are interested in, and will also demonstrate to employers that youre keen to learn and take on extra information valued qualities in the eyes of an employer. Talk to lecturers Believe it or not, lecturers do actually enjoy talking to their students. It is always a good idea to go and discuss your assignments with the relevant lecturer or tutor both before and after submitting the piece, but it's an even better idea to talk with your lecturers throughout the semester. Building a relationship with your tutors not only means that they'll recognise you and therefore be more willing to help you with your academic work, but might also lead to work experience. All lecturers have different particular interests within their subject field, and many useful contacts too. If one of your lecturers specialises in something you're interested in, let them know - get as much information from them as you can, and ask them for advice on how to get related work experience. Another reason to make yourself known to lecturers is for references, which you'll need when applying for jobs. If you've made the effort to come and speak to a lecturer regularly, they'll be much more willing to write a reference for you, and they'll be able to write more about you too. 2016 marks the 15th anniversary of Japanese animation film Spirited Away (2001), one of studio Ghiblis best-known releases, and its most successful. I was five when the movie first came out, and remember being terrified by it. In fact, its only during the past winter break that I bravely decided it was time for me to give the film another chance. Im glad to say I dont regret this decision one bit. Spirited Away lingers on you for a long time once youve seen it, a trait so particular to great films. It deals with ten-year-old Chihiro, who becomes an employee at a spa-like retreat for worn down Gods and Spirits, after her parents are transformed into pigs as a punishment. There is a lot to be said about Spirited Away. First, the animation itself`. Few other words than enchanting and beautiful would do it justice. It uses a wide colour palette that gives way to vivid images. The Spirits and other characters range from sweet creatures to creepier ones. This all allows for a mystical, intriguing, and eerie setting for Chihiro and the viewers themselves. Perhaps the reason why this film has so much appeal for children and grown-ups alike is because its themes resonate with us all. Indeed, at the heart of Spirited Away lies a real critique of Capitalism and consumerism. It begins with Chihiro and her parents moving away to a new province, in their gleaming Audi car. The child is gloomy over being separated from her friends and old life. Soon, they get lost in an abandoned town, where her parents feast on a freshly made banquet. Chihiros dad reassures her that he has cash and credit cards to pay for the food, before devouring it in a voracious manner. They then get transformed into literal, capitalist pigs, as a punishment for eating a meal meant for the Gods. This discreet and yet ubiquitous critique of Capitalism continues throughout the film. The owner of the retreat (the witch Yubaba) is the only one dressed in Western clothes and living in a European-style house. Her employees are all dressed in customary Japanese clothes, and the bathhouses architecture is traditional. This can be seen as a metaphor for the impact Western companies have in Asia, and their use of cheaper, Eastern labour. There is also a moment in the film when a dirty, stink god arrives to be cleaned. He turns out to be the god of a river, gravely spoiled by pollution and waste. Once again, this highlights the Capitalist society that consumes and consequently over-pollutes. Spirited Away draws attention to the superficiality of materialism and calls for a renewed respect for nature. In the end, Chihiro represents the pure character, untouched by this society of consumerism. This is made explicit when the character of No Face magically creates and gives away gold to the workers. Whereas all her fellow employees are greedy for the money, she refuses it, stating that she doesnt need it. It is thanks to this modest way of thinking that she manages to survive in the bathhouse. Spirited Away has had a long lasting impact on animation. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and is ranked ten in Empires The 100 best films of World Cinema(2010). It has become an icon of Studio Ghibli, and brought the Japanese studio to worldwide fame. It is also Japans highest grossing film of all time, having made more than $280 million worldwide. Ironically, it seems that Spirited Away has become victim of its own success, and has entered the capitalist and Western society. If you would like to see Studio Ghibli films, the Prince Charles cinema is screening a film each Sunday starting in March, including Spirited Away on April 17th. You are here: Home Flash The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday denied Turkey's claims that a Russian aircraft violated Turkish airspace. In this Oct. 22, 2015 file photo, a Russian Su-24 takes off on a combat mission at Hemeimeem airbase in Syria. [Photo/Xinhua] "There were no violations of Turkish airspace by planes of the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic. The statements of the Turkish side about the alleged fact of violation by the Russian Su-34 is unfounded propaganda," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters. Earlier in the day, the Turkish Foreign Ministry released an online statement saying that a Russian SU-34 aircraft violated Turkish airspace at 11:46 local time (0946 GMT) on Friday, and summoned Russian Ambassador to Ankara. "We once again explicitly call on Russia, to act responsibly and not to violate Turkish Airspace, which is NATO airspace," the Turkish statement said. "We underline that such actions could lead to serious consequences, the responsibility of which will totally rest with the Russian Federation." Ankara also said the Russian plane was warned numerous times by Turkish air radar units "through appropriate channels" both in English and Russian languages. However the Russian Defense Ministry refuted such claim saying that none of Turkey's radars could establish the type and affiliation of the aircraft. Neither Russian air defense systems in Syria nor Syrian radars found any airspace violations near Syrian-Turkish border, RIA Novosti news agency quoted Konashenkov as saying. Turkey kept accusing Russia of airspace violations since Moscow started its airstrike mission against terrorist targets in Syria last September. Russian-Turkish relations worsened after Ankara shot down a Russian aircraft which allegedly violated Turkish airspace last November. Following the incident, Russia imposed sanctions against Turkey and suspended various contact channels. To raise its air defense capacity, Moscow also deployed S-400 missile defense system at the Hmeimim base of the Russian air force in Syria. Flash China on Monday accused the United States of being the biggest incentive for militarization of the South China Sea, and urged it to stop creating tension in the name of "navigational freedom". "China always respects and supports navigational freedom in the South China Sea granted by international law to all countries, however, we oppose any infringement of China's sovereignty, security and maritime interests using the excuse of 'navigational freedom'," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang. Lu's remarks at a regular press briefing came after a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed into Chinese waters. Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said Saturday that the operation sought to challenge policies restricting navigation rights and freedom, but the United States takes no position on sovereignty claims to naturally-formed land features in the South China Sea. The so-called "navigation freedom plan" pursued by the United States for many years does not accord with international law. It disregards sovereignty, security and maritime interests of coastal countries and jeopardizes the region's peace and stability, Lu said. The United States is actually pursuing maritime hegemony in the name of "freedom", which was opposed by the international community, especially the developing countries, he said. He added that the move on the U.S. side was both dangerous and irresponsible. "We advise the United States to stop moves that harm others without benefiting itself as soon as possible," Lu said. The missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur sailed 12 nautical miles of China's Zhongjian Dao, Xisha Islands, on Saturday. According to China's Defense Ministry, Chinese troops on the islands and Navy vessels and warplanes took action immediately. They identified and verified the U.S. warship, warned it and expelled it. 99-year leases only for state agencies, clarifies Finance Ministry BANGKOK: Deputy Finance Minister Wisudhi Srisuphan has clarified that the governments planned amendment to extend the maximum lease term for state land to 99 years will not include renting to the private sector as has been claimed. landpropertyeconomics By Bangkok Post Monday 1 February 2016, 12:24PM A large plot of SRT land in the heart of the capital is likely to be transferred to the Treasury Department to be rented out to the private sector for development. Photo: Bangkok Post / file The 99-year lease period will be offered only to state agencies, he said on Friday (Jan 29). Mr Wisudhi said the amendment of the maximum lease term to 99 years from 50 was aimed at facilitating a debt-to-land swap deal by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and the Finance Ministry. The SRT will lease its prime land plot in the Makkasan area of Bangkok in exchange for clearing its accumulated debt of B62 billion. Mr Wisudhi brushed aside criticism that the government would allow the private sector to lease state land for up to 99 years and potentially open up agricultural land to foreign investors. At present, two sets of regulations govern leased land in Thailand. The Land Lease for Commercial and Industrial Purposes Act sets a maximum lease period for industrial and commercial use of 50 years with a 50-year renewal option. The Civil and Commercial Code allows people to lease land for general purposes for up to 30 years. Chakkrit Parapuntakul, director-general of the Treasury Department, said his department and the SRT would survey the Makkasan plot to clear any buildings in the area before the handover. The SRT will conclude the survey and forward the results to the Treasury Department by the second week of February, he said. The debt-to-land swap will seek approval from the State Enterprises Policy Commission or superboard chaired by Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and the Cabinet before the lease contract signing. The Finance Ministry will lease 497 rai of land in Makkasan for 99 years from the loss-ridden SRT in exchange for clearing B61.8 billion of the latters debt. The SRT is among seven financially troubled state enterprises required by the superboard to undertake business rehabilitation. Some 150 rai is to be developed as a public park, with 30 rai for a museum and 317 rai for commercial purposes. Read original story here. Brit arrested for theft at Phuket International Airport PHUKET: A British man was arrested for theft at Phuket International Airport this afternoon (Feb 1) when he took cash from a cash-filled envelope left on a AirAsia check-in counter. Monday 1 February 2016, 06:22PM 49-year-old Darren Paul Chapman from Epsom, England was charged with theft at Tha Chatchai Police Station. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Tha Chatchai Police and Tourist Police arrested 49-year-old Darren Paul Chapman from Epsom, England at 1:45pm as he was checking in his bag at a Bangkok Airway counter. Police seized from Chapman $320 in US banknotes and $100 in Canadian. The arrest of Chapman came after a Tunisian man, Issam Barhoumi, 40, reported the money missing. Mr Issam told police that he had gone to the AirAsia counter to ask where he could exchange the money. However, he left the envelope on the counter when he walked away. I realised that I had left the envelope on the counter so I went back to get it. All i found when i returned was the empty envelope, said Mr Issam. After checking CCTV footage, police found that Chapman had gone to the counter not long after. They managed to find him at the Bangkok Airways counter and found the money in his possession. Chapman was taken to Tha Chatchai Police Station where he has been charged with theft. The money has since been returned to Mr Issam. 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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 COVID-19 surge unlikely this winter in South Dakota, Avera doctor says Months away from the peak of COVID-19 in South Dakota, the state is prepping for another winter during the pandemic. When carbon nanotubes emerged on the scientific scene during the 1990s, it sparked bold talk of building ultralight planes, safer and more efficient cars, long-lasting super-batteries and elevators that stretch into space. This wonder material, composed of a single cylindrical layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern, proved more than 100 times stronger than steel and one-sixth the weight, not to mention 1,000 times better than copper at conducting electricity. Since their discovery, carbon nanotubes have become a multibillion-dollar market. But a newer, some say superior, type of nanotube made out of atoms of boron and nitrogen now promises to give carbon nanotubes a run for their money, with the National Research Council of Canada at the forefront of efforts to commercially produce what could kick-start an entirely new industry. We hope to keep the lead, said Benoit Simard, a principal researcher in the emerging technologies division of the NRC. Interest is growing. The potential is huge. Boron nitride nanotubes, or BNNTs, are just as strong and light as their carbon cousins, but a crucial difference is their tolerance for extreme heat. Carbon nanotubes start to burn up at 400 C, while BNNTs can withstand temperatures exceeding 800 C. For any application that requires flame resistance, the material is fantastic, said Simard. Another key difference is that BNNTs dont conduct electricity, making them excellent insulators. They also have the ability to shield against dangerous neutron and ultraviolet radiation. But perhaps their most distinguishing feature is that they can be made into transparent materials or dyed different colours. With carbon nanotubes, youre stuck with basic black. Many materials offer one or a few of these characteristics, but not all, explaining why the U.S. Department of Energys Jefferson Lab describes BNNTs as the most interesting stuff you may have barely heard of. The National Research Council became the worlds top producer of BNNTs in August 2014 with the launch of a pilot facility that can produce the material 100 to 200 times faster than previous methods. Under an electron microscope, individual nanotubes are one ten-thousandth the thickness of a human hair, but a few grams of the stuff looks like a fistful of white cotton candy or dryer lint. Last year, the council struck an exclusive, 20-year manufacturing agreement with Tekna, based in Sherbrooke, Que., which plans to sell the material to customers in the defence, security, aerospace, biomedical and automotive sectors. The unprecedented combination of strength, lightness and transparency of BNNTs lets the imagination run wild. Could it be possible to make a plane with transparent fuselage, something similar to Wonder Womans invisible, blast-proof jet? If you could dream that far out, I guess the answer would be yes, said Simard, though more practical applications are in the works. We have great hope in developing a new type of more resistant glass and integrating that into anything requiring transparency, he said. Take a windshield on an aircraft. Its thick, heavy. You can imagine making this type of glass much thinner and therefore lighter, meaning a lighter plane overall that uses less fuel. The extensive network of wiring within that same plane could be also insulated with BNNT fibres, making the aircraft even lighter. For spacecraft, the reduced weight could substantially lower launch costs while shielding equipment and astronauts from radiation. The Department of Defence is working closely with the NRC to develop transparent vehicle and body armour thats better at withstanding blasts and can protect soldiers from fire and electrocution. Over time, as production costs fall, one could envision the material finding its way into high-end commercial vehicles, building materials and even medical equipment. Canada has competition. Roy Whitney, president and chief executive officer of BNNT, LLC, a company based in Newport News, Va., recently began selling cotton ball samples of the material using a production method licensed from NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy. At this point, however, it seems the NRC and Tekna are still ahead in the race. Whitney said there is great interest in using BNNTs to add strength and give unique characteristics to polymer, ceramic and metal composites while at the same time reducing their weight. One promising area is the use of BNNTs in additive manufacturing, more popularly known as 3D printing, by which objects are printed in layers using ink made of laser-melted powders. Whitney said the temperatures required to liquefy the powders could be tolerated by BNNTs but would burn up carbon nanotubes. Aluminum powder, for example, has a melting point of about 600 C. No one has done this, cautioned Whitney, though he said that down the road it could prove an effective way to manufacture everything from jet engine components to ultra-rugged military gear and sports equipment. Within 10 years, BNNTs will be just as common as carbon nanotubes are today in a range of products, he predicted. Since BNNTs offer clear advantages, and were first developed not long after carbon nanotubes, why has it taken so long to produce them commercially? The answer, Simard explained, lies in one of their most beneficial qualities: high tolerance to heat makes BNNTs challenging to work with. The boron nitride powders used to create the material are available in industrial quantities and are relatively inexpensive. But synthesizing them into nanotubes that is, transforming flat sheets of the molecules into stiffened cylindrical shapes requires extreme temperatures and pressure, making the process difficult and expensive. This has limited production capacity to just a few milligrams per batch. In 2013, for example, its estimated that less than 100 grams of the material was produced. But using a super-hot Tekna-supplied plasma torch to vaporize the powder in a special reactor chamber, the NRC proved it could produce kilograms of the fluff every year and thats just the start. Well be taking larger strides to stay ahead of the competition, said Simard. Tubes you can use A few potential applications of boron nitride nanotubes: Energy harvester BNNTs have promising piezoelectric properties. This means the material can generate an electrical current when under mechanical stress. This quality, which carbon nanotubes do not have, creates potential for a new class of self-powered sensors, motors and energy generation devices designed to operate in harsh environments. Transparent armour BNNTs dont absorb the visible part of the light spectrum, making it possible to create transparent composites for use in blast-proof, fire-resistant windshields for military vehicles as well as in visors or lightweight, hand-held shields for soldiers. The material would also protect against radiation exposure. The Department of Defence is currently working with the National Research Council on such innovations. Fire-retardant products Depending on their use, many types of insulation, product packaging and even clothing would be improved by being able to withstand fire and extreme temperatures. This is particularly true in the aerospace industry, where the weight of items being launched is directly correlated with rocket fuel consumption, and therefore cost. But even the construction and shipping industries could benefit as BNNT prices fall. Cancer killer In a 2012 study that appeared in the journal Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment, researchers from Italys SantAnna School of Advanced Studies, working with NASAs Langley Research Center, found that adding tiny strands of BNNTs to tumours can help kill cancer cells. The nanotubes, they observed, turbo-boosted a treatment option called irreversible electroporation, which involves using short pulses of electricity to put holes in the walls of tumour cells to promote cell suicide, or apoptosis. The researchers speculated that the BNNTs helped amplify the electric fields that killed cells. Hydrogen storage BNNTs, like carbon nanotubes, have a tremendously high surface area. The larger the surface area, the more space there is for the nanotubes to bond with hydrogen and other molecules. Researchers speculate that this makes BNNTs an ideal candidate for efficiently storing large volumes of hydrogen a clean-burning gas with potential to power a variety of vehicles using fuel cells. Water desalination Australian researchers reported in 2009 that BNNTs were highly effective at removing salt from water, compared with existing membrane-based desalination systems. Tamsyn Hilder, a computational biophysics scientist at Australian National University, found that the material is capable of rejecting 100 per cent of the salt in a solution thats twice as salty as seawater, and it can do so when water is flowing four times faster than that in conventional desalination plants. BNNTs could lead to a much faster and more efficient desalination process, Hilder said. Power generation When lightly salted river water meets seawater, we know from Grade 10 chemistry that a process called osmosis is natures way of trying to balance the concentrations of each water source. To achieve balance, the water in the salt-free mixture wants to flow into the saltier mixture. When they are separated by a membrane that only water can pass through, flow between the two mixtures is measured as osmotic pressure. This pressure can be harnessed to generate clean electricity. In a 2013 paper published in the journal Nature, a team led by physicists at the Institut Lumiere Matiere and Institut Neel in France reported that osmotic flow through BNNTs produces electric currents with 1,000 times the efficiency of any previous system. How BNNTs were born Marvin Cohen, a materials scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, is credited with first theorizing in 1994 that boron nitride nanotubes could be made. He speculated that boron and nitrogen carbons periodic table cousins formed the same strong bonds with each other that exist with carbon nanotubes. A year later his colleague Alex Zettl was first to synthesize the material in a lab. The tubular structure at the atomic level is what gives nanotubes, whether made of carbon or boron nitride, their incredible strength. If you apply force outside of a two-dimensional sheet, it has no strength, said Chris Kingston, a materials scientist at Canadas National Research Council. But it gains stiffness when it is reinforced as a tube, and you gain these amazing mechanical properties as a result of this shape. SHARE: Have you ever heard of Viola Desmond? I hadnt until a book about her arrived on my desk. She was essentially the Rosa Parks of Canada, a black woman who refused to leave her seat in a white section of a theatre in Nova Scotia, just as Parks refused to give up her seat in the white section of a bus in Montgomery, Ala. Who really knew there was this type of racism in Canada? Desmond was arrested and charged with breaking the law in 1946. Her pardon came decades after her death in 1965. Cape Breton University history professor Graham Reynolds writes about her in Viola Desmonds Canada: A History of Blacks and Racial Segregation in the Promised Land. The book includes stories shared with the author by Wanda Robson, Desmonds sister. Our conversation has been edited for length. Canadians always think we were better about accepting others than the Americans. Who knew that J.S. Woodsworth, leader of the left-wing CCF, was against the immigration of people of colour or different religions? Who knew the Ku Klux Klan was huge in Canada in the 1930s? I grew up in Toronto in the 1960s and knew about anti-Semitism and bias against Italian immigrants but didnt appreciate the difficulties blacks had experienced since their arrival in Canada with the French in the 18th century. There isnt a tremendous amount of awareness of the history of race relations and how things were in the past. Decidedly race relations today are better than they were 10 years ago, but we cant fool ourselves into thinking there arent problems today. In 2010 there was a cross burning in Nova Scotia, and recently in Dartmouth a hangmans noose was placed near the desk of a man working at Leons. If you go back to the early 1900s, most people would agree with Canadas racially restrictive immigration policy. It was maintained well into the 1950s. The Ku Klux Klan was a mainstream organization in Canada. There were cross burnings in a lot of the provinces. There were meetings in Kingston, Ont., of hooded men, and in other rural communities and in Saskatchewan. A strong nativism runs throughout the rural regions of Canada. There was a sense of identity with the British Empire and all things British, that was what the Klan was able to feed into. It thrived in Saskatchewan because it took on local issues. It was pro-temperance and took on religious causes that the communities cared about. We have felt a sense of moral superiority with the Americans because of the extent of the problem in the United States. We look south and see violent racism and we are shocked. But if we have a close look at our own history, we have the same problems. We are less violent and it is less apparent, but we also have a kind of amnesia that helps us to easily forget our own racial segregation. But it wasnt just blacks. The Sikh community in British Columbia can never forget how the Komagata Maru boat, with its many Punjabi passengers, was unable to land in Canada. Jews remember boats of refugees from Hitlers Germany being turned away. The Chinese remember being badly treated while they built the national railroad, and on and on. There is that famous phrase, None is too many, that was Canadas policy during the Second World War regarding Jews, and we can trace that back to the racial discrimination policy in the early 19th century. Yes, we had issues with immigration of any people who werent from British stock, and this was the case until recent times. Everyone knows about Rosa Parks and her refusal to move from the white section of the bus in Alabama. Viola did something similar in Nova Scotia. Viola was a successful businesswoman; she was a beautician in Halifax. She ran the Desmond School of Beauty Culture. In November 1946 she set out to service her business, to sell products. She got a car and took off and got to New Glasgow, a town 160 kilometres from Halifax. Her car started to made odd sounds so she pulled into a service station and was told her car needed a part that had to be brought in from Halifax. She had time to kill, so she decided to go to the theatre and see a movie. She asked to sit downstairs because her vision was bad and she did not know the theatre was racially segregated. Blacks were supposed to sit upstairs. The manager and ticket agent came and explained she shouldnt sit downstairs. The manager called a police officer and he forcefully removed her from the theatre. She was dragged from the theatre and put into jail. She had no legal counsel and was brought before the magistrate and found guilty of defrauding the province of one penny of its amusement tax, the difference in price between sitting downstairs and upstairs. No mention was made of segregation or racism. Viola appealed to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court but she lost on a technicality. The struggle continued quietly among the black community in the Maritimes. Few of us know about Viola, except maybe those in Nova Scotia. In general, Canadians are not willing to accept the reality that we had racial segregation. It wasnt enforced in the same way it was in the U.S. with Jim Crow laws. But in some ways it was worse. There was a practice of racial segregation quietly enforced by theatres, hotels, restaurants. Dresden, Ont., was as racially segregated as any city in the U.S. and it took a great effort to change that. We dont have the same size of black community as they do in the U.S., and there was the civil rights movement (there) that was well organized. In Canada, we dont talk about these problems but they are quietly under the surface. But what about the Underground Railroad and the Canadian help with that? Canada did accept abolition of slavery at the end of the 18th century and there was this idea that slavery was not part of the Canadian experience, although there were once slaves here. In terms of the Underground Railroad, yes, there were Canadian heroes. Harriet Tubman lived for a while in St. Catharines before she returned to fight in the Civil War. All that is true, but we have this kind of contradictory tension that runs throughout Canadian history. There is aspiration for freedom and equality alongside oppression and slavery. We need to acknowledge both of those. At the turn of the 20th century, Canadians thought very much like the British. There was an unspoken racism. We need to have a dialogue about this and talk about it so we can act on it. Thats why I wrote my book. SHARE: Women of Canada, would you like to become a riotous subversive artist? Start a union? Win back First Nations rights taken from you because you married off the reserve? Refuse to move to the black-patrons-only section of the movie theatre? Have the vote? Imagine its the 19th and 20th centuries. Good luck to you, my friends, because the odds arent good. You face a wall of loathing and contempt for your womanhood, if you were born poor you will stay that way, there are few jobs for you, and the obstacles you face are the size of Titanics, glaciers, monoliths. Yet women achieved all these things and much more. One hundred years ago, most women won the right to vote in Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan, thanks to Nellie McClung and her stalwarts. Other provinces followed suit, Quebec finally allowing female suffrage in 1940, how generous. Federally, women were barred along with idiots, madmen, criminals and judges until 1917. It wasnt until 1960 that all Canadian women got the vote. Canadas History magazine has celebrated the anniversary by naming 20 heroines and explaining their greatness in an earlier time. Im grateful to this wonderful magazine for information I knew only vaguely: university education was routinely denied to women until the late 19th century, blatant wage discrimination only became illegal 60 years ago, and medicine and law, forget it. Fascinated as we are by Doctor Who and time travel, remember that you were out of luck with antibiotics, also womanhood. While the men in frock coats ran everything, you were shunned and, oh, dying in a potato field with a tuber your only friend. Yet women did things that would rattle the future, as Canadas History describes. Take Mary Ann Shadd Cary, a tactless, outspoken woman who overstepped the bounds of respectable, domestic black womanhood. Born in Delaware in 1823, she moved to Windsor after an 1850 American law gave slave owners the right to hunt down slaves in free states. Come to Canada, she declared. She founded her own newspaper, the Provincial Freeman, but faced an onslaught of criticism as a female editor. Born in 1918, Madeleine Parent was scarred by what she saw of the Depression and the rise of fascism. She became a labour leader in Quebec, the Duplessis government convicting her for seditious conspiracy. A retrial acquitted her. She spent her life building unions and defending womens rights. Emily Carr, Canadas Van Gogh, was born in 1871 in Victoria, a city lacking a local art school or gallery or library. So she eventually fled to study and paint in Europe, where she had a nervous breakdown. When her Vancouver show was unsuccessful, Carr went silent for 15 years and ran a boarding house. She felt a dead lump in my heart where my work had been, as historian Charlotte Gray describes it. Finally the National Gallery offered her prominence and the Group of Seven welcomed her. But how did she find the courage to break the rules of painting with her wild greens? Mary Two-Axe Earley was born in 1911 on the Kahnawake Mohawk territory, writes Gray. Her decades-long work helped end a huge injustice: status under the Indian Act would no longer be denied to women who married non-Aboriginals. This rescued 16,000 women and 46,000 first-generation descendants. A womans existence was no longer defined by the man she married. In 1946, Viola Desmond, a black Halifax hairdresser, refused to move into the unofficially segregated section of a rural movie theatre. She was injured while being removed and then jailed. Such segregation ended in 1954, thanks a lot, Nova Scotia. Bertha Wilson was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. She had entered law school despite a dean telling her to go home and take up crocheting. And now we have the splendid Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin who stood up to intemperate Prime Minister Stephen Harper. These women found their courage within, but I can scarcely imagine how. Canadas History, edited by Mark Collin Reid and published by Melony Ward, reminds me that history takes two steps forward, one step back. I have written before that Canada needs prominent feminists. But it wasnt until Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chose a cabinet with gender parity that Canadians began discussing womens rights with a kind of fervour. Feminism will not be achieved by women alone. Good men will help us and I am immensely grateful to those who do. SHARE: Yesterday, analysts at William Blair reissued their "underperform" rating for telecomm giant Sprint Corp. (S) . And this week, Citigroup lowered its price target for Sprint from $4.50 to $3.75. But just days before, the company released a better-than-expected quarterly update that sent its share price up by more than 20%. Sprint is also part of a group of distressed and "Stressed Out" stocks that TheStreet will be monitoring through these choppy markets. S data by YCharts On Tuesday, January 26, Sprint announced that it had added 366,000 of the "most valuable" cellphone subscribers in the last months of 2015. The company also reported nearly $800 million in spending cuts and improved network ratings. In addition, the company posted a narrower-than-expected loss of 21 cents per share, compared with the expected 26 cents per share. "We're on a good trajectory," CEO Marcelo Claure said. "Sprint has improved on every metric." Following the release, the stock moved up 47 cents, to $2.99. And Wells Fargo praised the company's focus on liquidity. But looking at the company's fundamentals yields a less rosy picture. Also in the earnings report was a loss of $836 million -- 21 cents per share -- on operating revenue of $8.1 billion for the quarter. The $800 million in spending cuts, most of which came at the expense of reduced operations or the closing of call centers, are part of Sprint's current program to cut $2.5 billion from its budget. The company plans on using the cash saved to pay for planned network improvements, as well as repay debts. Speaking of debt, the company currently carries more than $32 billion in net long-term debt. Its current debt-to-equity ratio, reported in September, sits at 1.605, which is extremely high for any type of company. Unsustainable debt is a characteristic shared by several other doomed equities on a downward slope this year. The company's $1.5 billion in unsecured bonds, which are set to mature in 2020 with a 7% interest rate, have been rated "Caa1" and "B+" by both Moody's and the S&P. On top of its highly leveraged capital structure, Sprint faces fierce competition from its rival mobile corporations. With 58.4 million subscribers as of the end of 2015, Spring still lags behind Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and T-Mobile. CEO Claure blames this intense competition for its loss of more than 490,000 prepaid customers. In the past, Sprint has relied upon this customer base -- although not as profitable -- to make up for its losses of contract subscribers. With such damaging and stiff competition, a mountain of debt, and an uphill road of planed cost cutting, Sprint appears to be a dangerous, stressed-out stock. William Blair appears to be right on the money by reaffirming the carrier as "underperforming," despite recent post-earnings optimism. For more articles on distressed stocks to avoid, read Real Money's "Stressed Out" stocks coverage. You can find more information on the index here. As you can see, Sprint looks like a stock that you shouldn't own. However, if you want to see a list of the absolute worst stocks you can own right now, I urge you to take a look at this report called 29 Dangerous Stocks: Sell Now! Inside, you'll see a full list of the market's most overvalued stocks, and learn the process you can use to keep avoiding them in the future. Click here now for a copy. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. Everybody loves an inspiring underdog story, but sometimes a comeback doesn't come. The prolonged slump in commodity prices has taken a massive toll on Brazil's economic muscle, and mining and oil industry profit margins have shrunk to a thin trail, thanks to the tough trading environment. Two Brazilian giants are in all sorts of trouble. At depressed prices, we ask, are these two companies true value plays and contrarian buys right now, or are they among a group of dangerous stocks that you should avoid? What is certain is that they're both part of a group of distressed and "Stressed Out" stocks that TheStreet will be monitoring through these choppy markets. PBR data by YCharts Petrobras (PBR) Petrobras had a golden run for years -- and then came the oil price drop. Oil and natural gas reserves for the state-run oil producer slipped 20% across 2015. The company cropped its output targets and considerably reduced its investment budgets for the near-term, in a bid to save more than $440 million or 1.8 billion Real, amid falling crude oil prices. And this is just the beginning of the rot. Beyond the financial challenges or the price fluctuations, Petrobras's fate is more complex and alarmingly darker. What's particularly worrying is the corruption scandal that's rocked the company and ensnared some of Brazil's highest-ranking politicians. Norway's $800 billion sovereign wealth fund (the largest in the world) has already put Petrobras on its list for potential divestment, in lieu of the escalating corruption risks. Battling these charges and striving to clear their name will take the management a considerable amount of time. Meanwhile, the company's employees are restive. With a large employee base and dwindling production assets (compared to global peers like Norway's Statoil ASA), major cuts have been announced. Further layoffs are in the offing. And even as oil prices are moving in the direction of $20 a barrel, Petrobras may find many of its projects to be unviable. While this may not be an absolute death rattle, all of this makes stock markets edgy and uncertain, fostering chaos. The stock (which doesn't pay dividends), after slumping by 41.10% in 2015, is now down 19.30% in 2016 so far. While the stock is priced at an attractive 13.35 times forward price to earnings, adjusting for growth there's actually little value. At a price-to-earnings growth (PEG) ratio of over 16.18 (since five-year forward growth is less than 1% a year), Petrobras is highly over-valued (compared to the industry's 3.67 and the S&P 500's 1.68). And finally, we don't see any silver lining in the future. Goldman Sachs Group has suggested that the crisis in Brazil will get worse before it gets better. With a levered negative cash flow of $2.74 billion, total debt/equity ratio at 174.10 times (thanks to a total debt of $124.29 billion and negative profit margins), Petrobras is rated junk by three major credit rating companies. This rating firmly puts this stock in a category of terrible investments that you should avoid at all costs. VALE data by YCharts Vale (VALE) One of the highest dividend payers in the sector and the world's leading producer of iron ore and nickel, Vale is going through tough times. The mining giant's executive board has proposed a zero dividend this year to its supervisory board. Waning demand from China has meant that producers like Vale are gutted. The company's high leverage to China helped it become the world's largest iron ore miner, but China is now quickly turning into a curse that Vale would like to get rid of, but simply can't. The stock's precipitous 25.53% drop this year bears testimony to this fact and puts it in a category of weak stocks that will likely tumble even further this year. While Vale's dividend cut is bad news, others have also resorted to similar moves: Anglo American plc and Glencore plc have also gone down this same road. Vale has attempted to manage its costs, but there are several challenges it must address. The company must share the repair costs of November's deadly dam breach at its joint venture with BHP BillitonLtd. as well as finish the iron-ore industry's biggest project (S11D). If the company loses its investment-grade status, debt costs are sure to pile up further. Also keep in mind, that a rebound in commodity prices is rather unlikely in the foreseeable future -- at least not one strong enough to steady Vale's rocking boat. The World Bank has already projected iron ore to log the biggest loss among metals for 2016. As far as earnings go, analysts are penciling in losses for both the Dec. 2015 and Dec. 2016 years, with a decline in sales. A company with a nearly 6% drop in earnings every year for the next five years is not a fit case for investment. We believe Vale will divest noncore assets to finance its large capital expenditure plans and finally perhaps cut that budget as well -- and in a big way. For more articles on distressed stocks to avoid, read Real Money's "Stressed Out" stocks coverage. You can find more information on the index here. As you can see, the two companies examined above are stressed out stocks that are poised for collapse. However, if you want to see a list of the absolute worst stocks you can own right now, I urge you to download this free report. Inside, you'll see a full list of the market's most overvalued stocks, and learn the process you can use to keep avoiding them in the future. Click here now for a copy. This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Gold Fields (GFI) are advancing by 4.41% to $3.55 late Monday morning, as gold prices trade in the green. For April delivery, gold is up by 0.83% to $1,125.70 per ounce on the COMEX this morning. The price of the precious metal is rising today as weak Chinese manufacturing data pushes global stocks lower and spurs safe-haven demand for gold, Bloomberg reports. The Asian nation's official manufacturing PMI dropped for a sixth consecutive month to 49.4 in January from 49.7 in December. "People are hiding from all the volatility and uncertainty out there," Frank Lesh, a trader at FuturePath Trading, told Bloomberg. "Any time you see any weaker number, that's going to support gold, with the thought that the Fed is less likely to be raising rates when we see weaker data points." Gold futures are increasing to their highest in nearly three months. Gold Fields is a South Africa-based gold producer with eight operating mines in Australia, Ghana, Peru and South Africa. Separately, TheStreet Ratings Team has a "Sell" rating with a score of D on the stock. This is driven by a few notable weaknesses, which should have a greater impact than any strengths, and could make it more difficult for investors to achieve positive results compared to most of the stocks covered by the team. Among the areas the team feels are negative, one of the most important has been a generally disappointing historical performance in the stock itself. Recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. You can view the full analysis from the report here: GFI GFI data by YCharts Code monkeys, especially entrepreneurial ones, do indeed tend to break stuff, and the new schools that train people for the space are no exception. First it was what people studied: information technology, but outside a traditional two- or four-year college. Then it was financing: you don't need a student loan. Now it's entry-level academic qualifications. No high school diploma? No problem. The Holberton School, which bills itself as a project-based alternative to traditional colleges and a peer learning software engineering school, is open for business with a tuition model that requires no upfront costs to students and no secondary school credentials. Its a brick-and-mortar school, located in San Francisco and open seven days a week. Holbertsons emphasis is on developing full stack engineers, where, for example, a front-end web developer would understand how the back end was designed and the application programming interface (API). Applying to the school consists of four levels. Level Zero requires filling out an online form, and Level 1 involves completing small, online projects plus tests applicants do at their own pace. Level 2 requires applicants to build a website in two weeks. Candidates do an onsite or Skype interview for Level 3. Specifics can be found at holbertonschool.com. Holberton is taking online applications for its first classes which begin in May 2016, with the second semester scheduled for October. However, one of it's founders says the school really doesn't do semesters. "There are no formal semesters or credits," said Julien Barbier, co-founder of Holberton. "Our school emphasizes the importance of learning how to learn in order to teach students to be adaptable to the constantly evolving technologies around them. The school was named after Elizabeth Holberton, a 1940s programming pioneer who was involved in the development of COBOL and FORTRAN. "Students are assigned programming challenges that become increasingly difficult and are only given minimal direction on how to find the solution," said Barbier. "With the guidance of mentors from different industries and areas of expertise, students have a network of successful software engineering professionals at their fingertips." Students are fully immersed in the full experience of the school and are expected to complete the program in two years. "The tuition model is based on the success of the student," said Barbrei. "The school requires that students pay 17% of their internship earnings during their time in school. After graduation, students continue to pay 17% of their salary to Holberton School for the next three years. "If a student is not offered a position after graduation they are not required to pay Holberton School in any amount until they receive a job," Barbrei added. Holberton grads can also try to pry a placement fee loose from their employers to be paid to Holberton School in lieu of tuition, which would likely result in a salary reduction until tuition was paid off. Student loans aren't off the table. "Holberton's tuition model does not eliminate the possibility of paying the cost of tuition with federal loans; it is just not possible to do yet," said Barbier, as the Department of Education (ED), which must give its approval, is playing catch up in its ability to deal with these new schools. "In the future, we want students to be able to pay fully using federal loans. We're in the process of the certifications we will need, but it will take time," Barbier added. "Typically new schools take years to get a Title IV approval." In October, ED announced that it will loosen restrictions on federal loan availability to alternative education providers, including massive online open course (MOOCs) developers and coding bootcamps, through its Educational Quality through Innovation Partnerships program, known as EQUIP. Students in select programs will be eligible for Title IV federal financial aid--subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans, Pell Grants and the like. Interested schools were required to submit a letter of interest by December 14, 2015. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Nokia (NOK) stock is down 11.88% to $6.34 on heavy volume in afternoon trading on Monday, as the financial terms of a patent dispute settlement with Samsung (SSNLF) disappoint investors. Including the patent dispute award from Samsung, Nokia now expects revenue of 1.3 billion euros, or $1.4 billion, between 2016 and 2018 related to settled and continuing arbitration. Investors had hoped that Nokia's patents would generate higher revenue and contribute much more to earnings, and a number of investors who recently purchased Nokia stock took a position related only to the intellectual property portfolio, a telecommunications analyst told the Wall Street Journal. Nokia's patent unit's annualized net sales run rate is about 800 million euros after the Samsung deal, compared to analysts' estimates for 2016 sales of 900 million euros, Reuters reports. Rival Ericsson (ERIC), which signed a patent license deal with Apple (AAPL) in December, has a patent sales run rate of roughly 1.2 billion euros, Reuters notes. "There have been expectations that Nokia could make more money with their patent portfolio than Ericsson.. This outcome did not support that... Estimates will be revised," Nordea analyst Sami Sarkamies told Reuters. About 42.23 million shares of Nokia have been traded so far today, well above the company's average trading volume of roughly 14.79 million shares per day. Separately, TheStreet Ratings team rates the stock as a "buy" with a ratings score of B. Nokia's strengths such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, reasonable valuation levels, good cash flow from operations and expanding profit margins outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income. You can view the full analysis from the report here: NOK TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this article's author. NOK data by YCharts NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Microsoft (MSFT) highlighted its success with the cloud in its 2016 second quarter financial results, which the company reported on Thursday after the market close. Driving some of Microsoft's cloud growth is Microsoft Exchange Server, a business-oriented email server, Reuters reports. Many large companies use the server for email capabilities. Companies that already rely on Microsoft for email often use Microsoft to manage that data in the cloud as well. "It's just a really natural thing," Matt McIllwain, an investor at Madrona Venture Group, told Reuters about companies starting their cloud transition with email and 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." Microsoft is set to generate $9.4 billion in annual cloud-based revenue this year, higher than the $5.5 billion generated a year ago, Reuters notes. Shares of the technology company are down 0.57% to $54.78 in afternoon trading on Monday. Separately, TheStreet Ratings team rates the stock as a "buy" with a ratings score of A. Microsoft's strengths such as its solid stock price performance, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, reasonable valuation levels, good cash flow from operations and expanding profit margins outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income. You can view the full analysis from the report here: MSFT TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this article's author. MSFT data by YCharts NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The Coca-Cola Co. (KO) shares are climbing 0.12% to $42.97 Monday after the company announced this past weekend that it took a minority stake in Chi, a Nigerian beverage company that makes snacks and beverages. In an effort to expand its footprint in Africa, Coca-Cola said it acquired an initial 40% stake in the company and plans to buy the remainder within three years, pending regulatory approval. "For more than 30 years Chi's leadership has built a greatly admired business that has quickly grown to become Nigeria's leading producer and distributor of value-added dairy and juice products and we are delighted to enter the next phase of our growth journey together," said Nathan Kalumbu, President, Coca-Cola Eurasia and Africa. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Between 2010 and 2020, the company plans to increase investment in Africa to $17 billion, the Associated Press reports. Separately, TheStreet Ratings currently has a "Buy" rating on the stock with a letter grade of B. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its notable return on equity, solid stock price performance, expanding profit margins and reasonable valuation levels. Recently, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. You can view the full analysis from the report here: KO KO data by YCharts Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Cloudy. Some light rain will fall throughout the day. High 48F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 39F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. 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. Deputies escort Hossein Nayeri back to the Central Men's jail in Santa Ana, Calif., in the early morning hours of Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Authorities suspect Nayeri was the mastermind of the breakout in which three inmates escaped. Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu were captured Saturday in San Francisco. A third inmate, Bac Duong, surrendered Friday, Jan. 29, in Santa Ana. (Orange County Sheriff's Department via AP) You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close In this May 13, 2015 file photo, emergency personnel work at the scene of a derailment in Philadelphia of an Amtrak train headed to New York. A federal accident investigations board is set to release documents Feb. 1, 2016, that could shed light on the cause of a fatal Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia last year. The National Transportation Safety Board has wrapped up its investigative phase into the crash that killed eight people and injured about 200 others. The board is now releasing factual information gathered so far. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) Refugees are seen at a hospitality center organized by volunteers at Pothia port, on the southeastern Greek island of Kalymnos, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. European countries have been strained by the influx of migrants, leading to disagreements over what to do with the large number of new arrivals and how to share the burden. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Union railway minister Lalit Narayan Mishra was assassinated on January 2, 1975, in a bomb attack at Bihar's Samastipur railway station where he was addressing a rally. Conspiracy theories flew thick and fast, pointing fingers at everyone from the Ananda Margis to the CIA. Forty years later and after 22 judges hearing the case, it crossed the first stage of judicial process on December 8, 2014, when a trial court in Delhi held four Ananda Margis guilty. One of them had died during the trial. Mishra's kin are no longer interested in the case. "It took 40 years for the trial court to pronounce its judgment," said Jagannath Mishra, Lalit Narayan's brother and former chief minister of Bihar. "Now the matter has gone to the High Court and it has put a stay on the lower court's judgment. There could be an appeal to the Supreme Court. At this rate, the case will go on for a hundred years," he said. India's court system is under severe strain. The average citizen, who has been cynical towards the institutions of Parliament and executive, still has faith in the rectitude of the judicial process and the fairness of the judges, but he is increasingly losing faith in the efficiency of the courts. Justice is not denied in India, but is delayed and thus derailed. Ask Amar Kaur. The 98-year-old half-paralysed lady still comes to Delhi's Tis Hazari courts in a wheelchair. Once she came on a stretcher. In the court, she sits silentlyshe can't speakrunning her fingers through her prayer beads, witnessing the trial of former Punjab director general of police S.S. Saini and three other police officers, who she accuses of having kidnapped and murdered her son Vinod Kumar in 1994. It was on her plea that the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the CBI to register a case on April 18, 1994. In 2004, the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the case from Ambala to Delhi, and Kaur sold her house and jewellery in Ludhiana to move to Delhi and track the case. "There are 36 witnesses; only three have been examined so far," said her surviving son Ashish Kumar, who has lost hope that his mother would live to see his brother's alleged murderers behind bars. And, even if she lives to see a conviction, the accused would appeal to higher courts. Kaur's is just one of the 2.7 crore cases pending in India's lower courts. Another 40 lakh cases are waiting for disposal in the High Courts, and 59,000 in the Supreme Court. Civil cases, especially those involving the government or its institutions, fare the worst. The Delhi Development Authority, for instance, had filed a case way back in 1961, claiming ownership of a piece of land in east Delhi. The residents, who have been living there for generations, contested the claim. Finally, a district court dismissed the DDA's petition last year. Critics of public interest litigation allege that it is a shortcut through the long-winding judicial corridor. But Sureshwar D. Sinha will not agree. He filed a public interest petition in the Supreme Court on July 15, 1992, seeking directions to curb the dumping of industrial waste and sewage into the Yamuna. Today, a quarter century later, the case has earned the dubious distinction of being the longest pending PIL in the apex court. Sinha, who filed the case with tremendous zeal soon after he retired from the navy, is now 80 and has lost hope. "There has been little movement in the case, because of the negative attitude of the government," said Sinha. The judges are clearly overburdened. There are only 12 judges per million people. Former chief justice R.M. Lodha said India's judges were handling five to ten times more cases than they could. He recalled a meeting with the chief justice of the supreme court in the UK. "He said his court handled 100-150 cases in a year. I told him that my court, on Mondays and Fridays, handled a thousand cases, and the 12-13 benches were assigned 70-80 matters each," said Lodha. Unyielding spirit: Amar Kaur, 98, has been fighting for justice for 22 years | Sanjay Ahlawat But there are just not enough judges. The stalemate over the National Judicial Appointments Commission worsened the situation. And the working conditions in several courts are pathetic. Court buildings, especially in the hinterlands, are not in a good condition. "The conditions are poor and yet the judges keep working, even if it means holding court in the veranda of a ramshackle building or under a tree," Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur told THE WEEK. Judges and lawyers say the minimum that the government can do is sanction more courts and judges. But state governments have been budgeting too little for the judiciary. Procedural delays are also to be blamed. "Our long drawn procedural laws allow the case to get delayed and time to be taken," said Supreme Court advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan. There are various kinds of excuses that lawyers make to prolong cases, and the overburdened judiciary readily agrees to delay matters, he said. Civil cases are halted on a regular basis. It happens commonly in matters pertaining to property issues and inheritance and succession. Civil matters just keep lying in the trial and district courts. At times, there are benefits to be accrued from the pendency, and the lawyer delays matters as per the wish of the client, said Nikhil Nair, legal expert attached with a Supreme Court committee on road safety. A property dispute filed in the Bombay High Court in 1969 is the longest pending case in the court. The case is related to properties in south Mumbai and the suburbs, which were owned by textile baron Mathuradas Gokuldas in the 1920s. The properties were vested with the Government of India and the Provident Investment Company of Madhya Pradesh. The family approached the High Court, seeking redemption of the properties. However, the Union government sought a CBI inquiry as crucial documents pertaining to the case were missing, and this, the family alleges, has delayed matters. Lawyer Kamlesh Mishra, who is associated with Human Rights Law Network, spoke about how going to court and getting a stay on demolition of slums was a way of ensuring that the residents got time to relocate. "These stay orders are helpful as the cases keep pending for some time," he said. He cited the example of the stay order against the demolition of a slum in Shastri Park in east Delhi. It came in early 2014 and the case is still pending. The DDA, which wants the land to be vacated, has not even filed a reply. Among the reasons for cases getting adjourned is the respondents not turning up. They simply say that they did not receive the summons. Lawyers seek adjournment citing excuses such as he or she is unwell and send their juniors to the court only to seek a later date. Interim applications are filed on a regular basis to delay matters on the pretext of filing additional documents. This is a trick used by lawyers to put the brakes on a case every time it gains momentum. Parties also go in for appeal in a higher court even as the case is being heard in the lower court. At times, the defendants approach a higher court with a point in law to seek stay on a case even before the hearing has begun. A lawyer revealed how civil cases are known as fixed deposits as they keep on adding years, becoming a regular source of income. Legal experts say that if judges are strict, lawyers will be deterred from using such delaying tactics. Eminent law academician N.R. Madhava Menon said everyone associated with the system including the litigant was responsible for delay. "A lot of delay can be eliminated through the reform of procedures. Case planning and management is one example. Reducing adjournments by imposing heavy cost on the defaulting party is another. Eliminating too many appeals and interim orders is yet another step," he said. A survey by DAKSH, a Bengaluru-based organisation, threw up some interesting statistics on the adjournment culture. In the 21 High Courts it studied, the average time lag between hearings was 1,086 days. It found that criminal writs got prioritised, whereas civil matters were heard at longer gaps. Tax appeals had the longest time lags between hearings. Fight against time: Sambhavi Saxena was told by a Delhi court that it had its own priorities, when she asked for an earlier date for her case Sambhavi Saxena, 22, went to the police on January 25, 2012, alleging that she was assaulted over a reserved seat in a Delhi metro train. She received the first communication from a trial court in Delhi on March 20, 2015. So far, only her statement has been recorded. Once when she requested the court for an earlier date, the judge told her that the court had its own priorities, including cases that had been going on since 1998. The Hashimpura case is a classic example of justice getting derailed by delay. Twenty years after the massacre in Hashimpura, Meerut, in which 40 Muslims were allegedly murdered by personnel of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary, a trial court in Delhi acquitted all the 16 accused in March 2015 for want of evidence. Lawyers say the delay was primarily responsible for the acquittal as many of the survivors had passed away during the trial, making identification of the accused difficult. Fifty-eight dalits were massacred in Laxmanpur-Bathe in Bihar in 1997, allegedly by men belonging to the upper caste militia Ranvir Sena. A sessions court handed down death sentences to 16 of them, and life terms to ten, but in October 2013, the Patna High Court acquitted all of them. Activists say the delay at every stage of the prosecution was the reason behind the acquittal. The FIR was registered on January 26, 1999, two years after the crime was committed; the charge sheet filed in 2001. The trial took 15 years during which time the accused were out on bail. Delays in hearings result in justice getting costlier, especially with lawyers charging on a date-to-date basis. Every court appearance, most of which is only for an adjournment, also means the loss of a day's wages for the poor. The worst sufferers are the undertrials. More than 68 per cent of those living behind bars in India are undertrials and, going by the low conviction rate (less than 45 per cent of criminal cases end up in conviction) in criminal cases, most of them may ultimately be proved "not guilty. A few years ago, the Supreme Court directed that all undertrials who had served half or more of the sentence they might have received had they been convicted, "a judicial shortcut," as a senior lawyer remarked. "Majority of the undertrials in jails are dalits, minorities or adivasis," said social activist Shabnam Hashmi. "They do not have access to legal system. They do not know how to fight cases. There is a huge discrimination by the police." Even if the courts grant bail, they don't have the money to pay for the surety. Scholars say while the scheduling of cases is on the right direction, better court management is needed. "The Supreme Court and every other court in the country is very badly in need of a professional CEO," said Sankaranarayanan. "A professional CEO will decide which dates to fix for which cases. Government litigation is another major reason for pendency. More than half the cases have the government as a party. A good number of cases are about one department suing another. A National Litigation Policy, which aims at preventing inter-departmental disputes from reaching the court, has been in the works for a few years. Union Law Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda told THE WEEK that a draft policy would soon be brought before the cabinet. Making a point: A public interest litigation filed by Sureshwar D. Sinha in 1992 is the longest running such case in India | Aayush Goel Meanwhile, questions have been raised about the competence of presiding officers, especially in the lower magisterial courts. Often, these young judges get dominated by senior lawyers not just on substantial law, but also procedural law, and are compelled to accept applications. Former acting chief justice of the Kerala High Court Justice C.N. Ramachandran Nair, who holds the record for having cleared 45,000 cases in 11 years, said the judges needed to show more initiative in clearing cases. "Judges are largely orthodox and insist on going by precedent. And they take pride in writing long judgments," said Nair. "They need to change their style of functioning." Civil courts and higher courts going on long vacations, like in the colonial days, has been cited as another reason for cases piling up. These courts work only for about 180 days a year. "Why cannot they remain open 365 days if hospitals and emergency services can function throughout the year?" asked Lodha. "At least, we can cut down on the number of holidays. " Menon said the government could increase the number of courts and give more funds, but ultimately, it would come down to the human material who ran the system. If they change their approaches and coordinate among themselves, much of the delay can be reduced," he said. Some states are attempting out-of-the-box solutions. In an effort to fast track land acquisition cases, which are notoriously cumbersome, the advocate-general's office in Kerala has been electronically listing the cases, making it possible to club them together on the basis of the date of notification and the purpose of acquisition. "In the last six months, around 1,000 cases have been disposed of in this manner," said a senior government pleader. Clearly, out-of-the-box initiatives, such as doing away with cumbersome procedures in appropriate cases, are the need of the hour, said S. Sivakumar of the Indian Law Institute, Delhi. Changes in law, such as amendment to the Negotiable Instruments Act, and a law for setting up commercial courts are pending in Parliament. The Supreme Court is in the process of finalising the optimum number of cases that can be handled by a judge. A judicial order would be passed to ensure that as soon as the number of pending cases per judge crosses that number, the state government would be asked to sanction a new post. Judging by the mountain of cases, however, reducing pendency will be a Herculean task. [COMMUNICATED CONTENT] IsraelHotelDeals.com is a travel website that helps you find the best deals and lowest prices on hotels, apartments and airport transfers in Israel. 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The new owners of the River Restaurant in Raanana have decided to close its doors on Shabbos, a move that has outraged Raanana Councilwoman (Meretz) Edit Diamant, who is calling to boycott the restaurant all week. Using Facebook to get her messages out, Diamant calls on former Shabbos patrons of the restaurant to boycott River during the week as well towards showing the tzibur does not approve of the decision to become Shomer Shabbos. Her post states River Restaurant in Raanana this week has become kosher and is closed on Friday night and Shabbos. From what I understand, this issue is important to the new owner. As a veteran client of the restaurant, and because few restaurants are open in Raanana on Friday night and even fewer offering deliveries, I am hurt by this change and therefore plan to avoid the restaurant all week and I call on all those who feel this is important to do the same. It is important for the public at large to express its opinion and vote by its actions if we expect anyone to address our needs. Signed Edit Diamant. The new owner, Eyal Mizrachi, spoke with Mordechai Lavi of Radio Kol Chai. Eyal, 28, started to keep Torah and mitzvos about a decade ago. He explained that he belongs to the same restaurant chain, River and now he is kosher and in the coming weeks hopes to become mehadrin when the restaurant will be ready and approved. Eyal adds the overwhelming number of responses praised the move and on motzei Shabbos, some of the patrons came from as far as Jerusalem just to show their support for his move and to wish him success. Photo: Facebook posts from Councilwoman Diamants page (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh spoke in Gaza last week at the funeral for terrorists who were killed in a tunnel collapse. At least seven Hamas members were reportedly killed in the accident, which occurred as tunnel digging from Gaza to Israel continues. Quoted by English language news, Haniyeh told participants of the funerals that the new tunnels are double in length and part of the plan to defend the Palestinian people and liberate the holy sites. The Hamas prime minister was full of praise for the determination of person involved in building in tunnels in eastern Gaza while in western Gaza, daily testing of new rockets is conducted as they fire them into the Mediterranean. Recent reports from southern Israeli residents who claim they hear the digging have been played down by the IDF, insisting the military is on top of the situation and the noises reported by residents of Gaza border communities are not from the digging of new tunnels. Despite the IDFs firm response, residents and many community leaders are certain that a new tunnel network is under construction. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) As the anti-Semitic sentiment around Europe continues to increase, 71 British doctors have petitioned the World Medical Association (WMO) asking to reprimand the Israel Medical Association. In their brazen request, the British doctors quoted claims Israeli doctors perform medical torture on Arab patients. In response, the WMO stated the petitioners failed to present any proof to back up their allegations. However, despite the outcome, the very fact that members of the British medical community would move forward with such a request should be cause for concern. Responding to their request, Michael Marmot, who is in the UK, stated We have trust that our Israeli colleagues will stand firm on our values and protection of human rights. Needless to say, the Israel Medical Association denied the accusation, which officials stated are baseless. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times THE TALMUD TELLS us that there is an obligation for a Mezuzah of a private individual to be checked twice every seven years (i.e. every 3 and years) and a public Mezuzah must be checked twice every fifty years (i.e. every twenty-five years). Rashi (Yuma 11a) explains that there are two concerns: Perhaps it became decayed or was stolen. Some commentaries have understood this Rashi to mean that he is giving two possibilities for the obligation. They explain that according to the second explanation of Rashi, there is no need to actually open up the Mezuzah and examine its letters. Merely ascertaining whether the Mezuzah is still in place and has not been stolen is sufficient. This opinion does not understand Rashi as explaining that there are in fact two concerns that the obligation is addressing . Most authorities, however, disagree with this reading of the Rashi. They explain that the import of the Rashi clearly demonstrates that there is only one explanation and the word or is addressing a second concern . Regardless of the reading of the Rashi, the Rambam explains that the obligation is perhaps the Mezuzah disintegrated or became decayed. This ruling of the Rambam is the authoritative halachic opinion . Therefore, one is obligated to have the Mezuzah actually opened and the letters of the Mezuzah should be carefully examined for cracks, disintegration and decay. Private Mezuzah Although the obligation for a private individual is to examine the Mezuzos every 3- years, if the location is given to excessive moisture it should be checked more often . Even if a person had three of his Mezuzos checked and they were all found to be kosher he must still check the rest of his Mezuzos. We cannot make a legal assumption that if these three are valid then the others must likewise be valid. The reason is that the humidity, temperature and infestation factors of two areas are never equal . Although the Mezuzah may be checked all year round, the custom is that it be checked in the month of Elul . Some have the custom that the Mezuzah is checked in Nissan and that the Tefillin are checked in Elul . Regardless, the Mezuzah should be checked before the three and one half years are up . Distinguished people have the custom to check their Mezuzos each year . Public Mezuzah A public Mezuzah should be checked twice every fifty years (i.e. every 25 years). The reason why a public Mezuzah is not checked so often is because we are afraid that if too much of a burden is placed on people they may reject the responsibility and state that someone else should do it . This refers to the city gates, public courtyards, and public thoroughfares. Nowadays, it is rare that these exist in exclusively Jewish areas. However, a Mezuzah in a shul, or Bais Midrash has the status of a public Mezuzah. A shul, Yeshiva or Bais Midrash that has paid administrators is not considered a public Mezuzah. These Mezuzahs are checked twice every seven years . A house owned by many partners is not considered a public Mezuzah. Preferable Manner in Checking Ideally a person should have a Sofer (or he may do so himself) come to his house and remove, check and reaffix each Mezuzah one at a time in order to minimize the downtime of not having a Mezuzah on a room. If this is not possible he should only remove the amount of Mezuzos that the Sofer will be able to check on the spot . Obviously, this can only be done by appointment. This should be done even if it means that he must bring in the Mezuzos one at a time. If these methods cannot be employed, then he should avoid leaving his home without Mezuzos by borrowing Mezuzos from a Mezuzah Gemach (a Mezuzah lending institution). Another suggestion is to purchase one new extra Mezuzah and mail each of his older Mezuzos one at a time until they are all checked. The prevalent custom of removing all of ones Mezuzos for checking purposes and leaving a home without a Mezuzah for a long period of time is highly questionable. General Concepts in Checking As mentioned earlier, even if a person affixed many Mezuzos at the same time, all of them require checking. The Mezuzah should be thoroughly checked for mistakes, such as missing or extra letters and improperly formed letters. Once this is done, however, it need only be checked for cracks and damage in the future . If a rip appears in the Mezuzah but is not on or between the letters and it is two lines or less the Mezuzah is still valid . If someone removes a Mezuzah in order to check it immediately, a blessing is not recited when it is put back. If a few hours will elapse before it is checked a blessing is recited . If it is replaced with a different Mezuzah then a blessing is certainly recited. One should make sure that Mezuzos are not switched from a room that was not fully required in a Mezuzah with a Mezuzah that was on a room where the obligation was clearly required. This would be a violation of dishonoring the object of the Mitzvah (the Mezuzah). Before painting a room the Mezuzah should be removed to ensure that the Mezuzah is protected . If someones Mezuzah is found to be invalid and he is unable to obtain another one for some time, some rule that he may affix the invalid one to avoid embarrassment until he obtains a kosher one . Although one does not fulfill the Mitzvah of Mezuzah, this may be preferable. The reason is that some authorities are of the opinion that there is a concept in the Torah called Chatzi Mitzvah- Half a Mitzvah . Although one is biblically forbidden from thinking that he is performing the Mitzvah of Mezuzah , the performance of Chatzi Mitzvah is still something for which a person receives merit. Others say that one should just affix the Mezuzah cover and not an invalid Mezuzah. If a Mezuzah is so firmly attached to the doorpost that one cannot removed it for inspection, it is forbidden to attach another Mezuzah to the doorpost because of the prohibition of adding to the Torah (Bal Tosif) . The inspection need not necessarily be performed by a scribe (sofer). Any Jew that is familiar with the laws of what constitutes an invalid letter may inspect the Mezuzah after it was already inspected once . One should not write anything on either side of the Mezuzah, even a date as to when the Mezuzah was last inspected or when it needs to be inspected again . Many Sofrim put a pencil mark on the opposite side of the Mezuzah to indicate that the Mezuzah was checked. Ideally, this check mark should be erased before the Mezuzah is re-affixed. In addition to the regular inspection of Mezuzos it is a custom in Israel that if one sees personal misfortune, either for himself or for family members, he should inspect his Mezuzos. This is not a recent innovation as some people believe. It is a custom that is mentioned as far back as the days of the Maharil . What to Look For The Mezuzah has 170 words. This is equal in Gematriah to the word MiSinai from Sinai, indicating that even if one of these words is missing, the Mezuzah is biblically invalid. The Mezuzah has 713 letters . The Mezuzahs letters (and consequently the Mezuzah) are described as either invalid, valid, or the issue must be resolved by showing the letter to a child. This is called Sheailas tinok. [There is also a fourth category where one must show the letter to a halachic decisor. This is called Sheailas chochom.] The source of the law that certain types of letters must be shown to a child is from a passage in the Talmud (Menachos 29b): Raami the son of Tamri had a vov in the word Vayaharog that broke. He came before Rabbi Zeira. (Rabbi Zeira) told him: Go bring a child that is neither very bright nor stupid. If he reads it as vayaharog then it is kosher. If he reads it as yeyareg it is invalid. From this section of the Talmud we can derive a number of insights. The child that is asked to read the letter must be proficient in identifying the letters and in reading it properly. Yet the child should not be intelligent or mature enough to be able to decipher the letter using contextual clues . It is to this type of child to which the Halachos below refer. If the child does not recognize the letter immediately, but only recognized it after contemplating it, we view the situation as if the child was never asked and the question should be presented to a different child . One may rely upon a majority of Tinokos as well . When the letter is shown to the child one should cover the letters that precede and follow the letter in question . When the letters can only be identified in relation to the other letters such as a vov being to short or a zayin may look like an Final nun, the letters re not covered . Some Halachos to Know: Rishumo nikar If a letter was erased but its outline is discernable to the extent that a child can still identify it, the Mezuzah is still valid . A discolored letter- If the black ink came off a letter and what is left has a reddish hue, this is considered a change in the letters appearance and the Mezuzah is invalid . However, if the color of the ink merely changed because of age, the Mezuzah is still perfectly valid . Also, if even some of the black remains, the Mezuzah is still valid . If the Mezuzah became water-damaged and stains appear on the Mezuzah that do not affect the appearance of the letters the Mezuzah is still valid . If the crack cannot be detected by the naked eye and can only be seen by putting it against the sun, it is still considered kosher . Corrections: There are a number of psulim, errors, that may be corrected in an otherwise invalid Mezuzah . These corrections should only be initiated by a competent sofer. One must also realize that if the sofer made these errors at the outset, his knowledge and ability to adhere to the other complexities of writing a Mezuzah may be called into question. For example, under certain circumstances, a kotzo shel may be added and yeseiros may be erased. Also, when two words are too close together, ink may be scratched off from each side. Another example is that according to Rabbi Akiva Eiger, letters that are cracked may be corrected even if it is immediately recognizable where the split does not turn the letter into two other halachically kosher letters. If a tinok can read it properly Rabbi Akiva Eiger holds it may be fixed. Although the Pri Magadid disagrees the Mishna Brurah 32:122 rules like Rabbi Eiger. If it is not immediately recognizable, it may be fixed immediately (SA OC 32:25). A letter that is split into two halachically valid letters may be fixed according to Rabbi Eiger if it is not immediately recognizable and a tinok can read it properly. The PMG disagrees, bu the the Biur Halacha rules like Rabbi Eiger. Two examples of this are a tzadik (yud and a nun) and mem (chof and vov). The author can be reached at [email protected] The authors sefer Mezuzah a Comprehensive Guide is available at The authors other seforim are available here: amazon.com He rejected the concept of divine revelation; he equated God with nature; he denied the idea of a personal God, Who intervenes in history and performs miracles; he renounced external interpretations of Scripture, such as the Oral Law, the Talmud; he believed that Jesus was greater than Moses; he denied the existence of prophecy; he dismissed the concept of the Jews as chosen by God. He fit to a T the various categories of heretics as codified by Maimonides (Hil. Teshuva 3:6-8). Yet Shmuly Yanklowitz, in An Open Letter to Spinoza, apologizes to Baruch Spinoza, the famed heretic who propounded the above ideas and was hence excommunicated by the Jewish community of Amsterdam in 1656. In what can be called nothing short of the absurd, Shmuly honors and blesses Spinoza, condemns his excommunication and apologizes for it, and affirms, in Shmulys eyes, Judaisms welcoming of ideas that are deemed by the Torah to be apostasy: Those who dont understand the subtle complexities of your ideas ban them simply for being foreign and threatening. But these individuals are spiritually xenophobic. Your philosophy must, at the least, be understood. For doesnt Judaism thrive most amidst an open marketplace of ideas where critiques, protests, and counterpoints are not only to be welcomed but encouraged? Is not this the source of our intellectual sustenance? The ban on you has, for centuries, represented fear. And Judaism must embrace a bold and fearless journey forward. Judaism shuns clinging to dogmas and the notions of religious exclusivity. Our normative practices reflect the intellectual ideals we hold dear. We must make clear, then, that the precepts of Torah embrace autonomy, open-thinking, hermeneutical diversity, and engaging with ideas that may be outside the comfortable framework that is all too prevalent in contemporary Jewish thought. Thus, defending you is defending the essence of Judaism itself. May your neshama have an aliyah Judaism does encourage inquiry and new ideas, but only once the dogmas yes, dogmas such as those formulated by Maimonides and other classical authorities, which affirm an omniscient and omnipotent God, prophecy, divine providence, divine revelation, the truth of the Torah both Written and Oral and so forth, are first accepted, along with the traditions of the Sages. One may not even entertain ideas that give rise to rejection of the above fundamentals of belief (Maimonides Hil. Av. Kochavim 2:3). This is traditional/Orthodox Judaism. As such, the ideology of Spinoza needed to be forcefully renounced, and an iron-strong message of condemnation was most certainly required. Spinozas excommunication has been basically accepted as proper by centuries of rabbinic leadership, and its correctness has even been affirmed by several modern religious academics. Lets shift gears a bit but not too much: It just dawned on me that I am waking up from being under a 20-year spell of the patriarchal god. I dont know that I want to be in constant negotiation with male-centered texts She (my daughter) explained that she did not accept the curse that Eve got from God both about grief in childbirth and about women being ruled by men. (With this in mind she chanted these verses in the specific mourning trope of Lamentations!) These are the words of Dr. Melanie Landau, a recently-ordained star graduate of Yeshivat Maharat, the Open Orthodox rabbinical school for women, endorsing new bat mitzvah rituals and attitudes. These words are about as unaccepting of Torah values and tradition as it gets. Yet they are feted on the Yeshivat Maharat Facebook page. Similarly, Shmuly, who has repeatedly made public statements that are not in consonance with Orthodox Judaism, is nonetheless honored by Open Orthodox leadership and his fellow graduates of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, who serve as frequent guest speakers at Shmulys Valley Beit Midrash and who participate in other programs under his coordination. Although the words of Shmuly and Melanie could be dismissed as the well-meaning, yet naive and wayward expressions of less learned, wet-behind-the-ears young clergy (and I do believe that these two people, along with their colleagues, are indeed very sincere and well-meaning), their endorsement by the Open Orthodox establishment speaks volumes. It speaks of a movement that claims the Orthodox brand yet is anything but, as embrace of heresy and adoption of attitudes that reject Torah values and beliefs are a dominant part of the package. Just as it is silly and farcical to call North Korea a democracy, despite its assertion that it is the Democratic Peoples Republic of North Korea, expropriating descriptive terms whose meaning it glaringly defies, so too has Open Orthodoxy comically co-opted the Orthodox designation, despite its rejection of Torah tradition and core values in so many fundamental ways. It is hard not to relate this train of thought to the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day concert in the epicenter of Open Orthodoxy, where a Baptist choir sings church music in this congregations sanctuary, before its holy ark. To describe this as a form of Orthodoxy is an exercise in absurdity and irony of the highest order. Such can also be said of the recent Open Orthodox rabbinical affirmation of Christianity (Orthodox Rabbis Bring Jesus Home for Christmas). I am tired of writing about a movement that turns the word Orthodoxy into a farcical, silly and empty term, pliable without limit and able to be turned on its head. We have already read about Open Orthodoxys celebration of gay marriage, its ordaining of women, its engaging in banned interfaith discourse, its changes to conversion procedure, its feminization of prayer services, its defense of heresy and its rejection of core Torah values. How much further will the Open Orthodox movement go until it itself realizes that it cannot honestly claim any bedrock connection with Orthodoxy? Rabbi Gordimer is a kashruth professional, a member of the Executive Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America, and a member of the New York Bar. A just released poll by the Ruderman Family Foundation shows that a staggering 82% of Israelis believe that all Jews, including Reform and Conservative, should feel that the Kosel belongs to them and that every Jew, regardless of denomination should feel welcome in Israel. As the holiest site in Judaism, the Western Wall should be open to all Jews. Especially during a time of strained relations with the United States, Israel should be fortifying its connection to the American Jewish community, which plays a vital role in assuring a strong relationship between Israel and the United States, said Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation, which focuses on strengthening the relationship between Israel and American Jewry. By assuring the Kosel is open to Jews of all denominations, Israel will be sending a message to the seventy percent of American Jews, who are not Orthodox, that their connection to Israel is important to the Jewish State. The poll, conducted by Dialog, also comes amid recent controversy over Israeli political and religious leaders diatribe over other denominations in Judaism, not viewing them as legitimate. In December of last year, Israel Minister of Diaspora Affairs Naftali Bennett visited a Conservative Jewish school in New York, only to have the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Dovid Lau call the visit unacceptable. Furthermore, Israels Minister of Religious Services David Azoulai enraged Jewish Reform leaders last July when saying Reform Jews are not Jews. However, the Israeli public seems to feel a much different sentiment, as displayed in a poll that asked Israeli Jews from around the country about their views on American Jewry. The 8-question survey (see complete poll results below) also delved further into the relationship between Israel and the American Jewish community, with 67% of Israelis feeling the connection has a direct impact on the relationship between the two countries. Perhaps more telling however was the finding that 59% of Israelis agreed that distancing from American Jewry is a threat to state security. Jay Ruderman added: The Israeli public clearly understands the importance for the State of Israel to connect to and welcome Jews of all affiliations. The American Jewish community, the overwhelmingly majority of which identifies as non-Orthodox, remains one of Israels most important strategic assets. Israelis understand that if their government alienates this most important Diaspora community, it will have an adverse effect on their own future. Complete poll results: Question 1 Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared to the leadership of the Jewish community in the United States that every Jew should feel that the Western Wall [Kotel] belongs to him and every Jew should feel welcome in Israel. Do you agree or disagree that all Jews, including Reform and Conservative, should feel that the Western Wall [Kosel] belongs to him and that every Jew should feel welcome in Israel? 82% Agree 14% Disagree 4% Dont know Question 2 A few months ago, Minister of Religious Affairs David Azoulai said that the Reform Jews in America have lost their way, and we need to make sure that all Jews return to Judaism. Do you think these comments from a senior Israeli leader are harmful to Israel? 55% Harmful 30% Not harmful 15% Dont know Question 3 Do you think that the American Jewish community supports Israel today as it did in the past, more than before, or less than before? 42% Less than before 32% Same as before 15% Dont know 11% More than before Question 4 Why do you think theres a distancing taking place? 29% Israel isnt as interesting to them as in the past 20% Israeli governments havent invested enough in strengthening the relationship 17% American Jews do not feel that Israel respects their Jewishness 16% As a result of offensive comments made by MKs and Ministers toward American Jewry 12% American Jews are afraid that supporting Israel may harm them 6% Dont know Question 5 Do you agree or disagree with the statement that the relationship between Israel and the American Jewish community has a direct impact on the relationship between the two countries? 67% Agree 19% Disagree 14% Dont know Question 6 Do you think leaders and opinion-leaders, both in Israel and the U.S., should or should not take action in order to strengthen the relationship between Israel and the American Jewish community? 88% Yes (should take action) 6% No 6% Dont know Question 7 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: The distancing of the American Jewish community from Israel is a threat to state security? 59% Agree 27% Disagree 14% Dont know Question 8 Which do you think is the largest religious movement within the American Jewish community? 38% Secular Jews 32% Reform 17% Orthodox 12% Conservative (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) Rolling onto the scene of a womans murder in February 2014 in Mazomanie, Dane County Sheriffs Deputy Scott Lehmann took one look at the exterior of the old and rambling two-story house and his heart sank. Lehmann is a crime scene investigator, and he knew from that initial glance at the 2,200-square-foot home that it was going to take a long time to do his job. He would have to document the entire house as a crime scene using just the traditional documentation tools of a tape measure and pencil and paper, he said as well as collect evidence. That can be risky early in an investigation, when its not always clear whats most important. It only became more daunting inside, as Lehmann picked his way through the homes many rooms, each one cluttered with furniture and other objects that might help find the killer of 43-year-old Cheryl Gilberg, who had suffered two gunshots to the head in a bedroom upstairs. You have to measure every wall, the height of every ceiling, in every room, Lehmann said. On top of that, you have to position every piece of furniture or other item thats in each room as close to precisely as you can, to create a diagram that portrays everything accurately. With such a big job in front of him, Lehmann opted to pick up the phone rather than his tape measure. He knew there was a better option: 3-D laser scanners, touted as the latest, best tools for faster, easier and exponentially more detailed crime scene sketching. And he knew his then-boss, Lt. David Karls, had been making valuable connections with early adopters in the state. Through Karls contacts, Lehmann was able to talk with professors and academic staff at UW-Madisons Living Environments Laboratory at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. They had a potent 3-D laser scanner powered by lidar in use in the lab since 2013, as part of a $2.5 million federal grant for a research project studying how virtual reality tools can help people manage their health better at home. The university agreed to loan out the scanner to the Sheriffs Office for a day, along with the technical expertise of programmer Ross Tredinnick, who completed 37 scans over about 10 hours at the house a job Lehmann said would have taken a team of investigators two to four days the old-fashioned way. It was a really unique experience, Tredinnick recalled. They had me go through all the precautions they do I wore the booties, I didnt touch anything. It felt good to be using our technology for another purpose to help the public. A lidar scanner uses a combination of lasers and a camera to create detailed, three-dimensional models of entire physical environments. Its a lunchbox-sized device that sits on a tripod and slowly rotates 360 degrees, documenting a single room typically with one 10-to-12-minute scan or capturing the whole interior of a house by stitching several scans together using provided software. Its the amount of data you can collect, Karls said. We collected almost 800 million points of data in about 10 hours of work at the (Mazomanie) homicide scene. Beyond the tape measure, other traditional crime scene sketching tools include high-resolution scanning cameras and electronic measuring systems similar to what surveyors use that police agencies call total stations. But their typically 2-D scene drawings pale in comparison to the seamless renditions of a 3-D laser scanner, Karls said. You have a finished product that can be used in court proceedings, Karls said. You can basically walk the jury through the scene without them leaving the courthouse. Lidar itself is a remote sensing system that works like radar but with light, the two words that form its name. It uses repeated pulsed lasers that reflect into a space off an angled mirror in the device to hit objects in the surrounding environment and then bounce back. Distance measurements are recorded based on the time it takes for pulses to bounce back. That data is then plotted onto a panoramic photograph of the space to create a data set of full-color 3-D points, known as a point cloud. Point clouds from several locations produce a full 3-D model of the environment when several scans are stitched together with special processing software. Lidar was developed in the early 1960s as a weather forecasting tool, but it has grown to have a host of industrial and academic applications, including uses for mining, robotics, agriculture, self-driving cars and archaeology. Crime-scene sketching is one of lidars newer uses, with a small but growing number of law enforcement agencies purchasing scanners as their cost has come down in the past 10 to 15 years. Prices have dropped from around $250,000 to $50,000 for a tripod-mounted scanner now, with smaller hand-held scanning devices that offer much the same punch plus increased mobility now selling for about $17,000. Impressed by the 3-D model produced by the scans of the murder house in Mazomanie which ultimately wasnt needed in court because a plea bargain averted a trial the Sheriffs Office purchased its own handheld scanner in early 2015. Lehmann said its been used around 25 times for training and at crime or crash scenes. The Madison Police Department expects to buy a 3-D scanner in the next two to five years, Lt. Karl Strassburg said, with help from the Wisconsin State Patrol an option if the need for a 3-D scanner arises sooner. The State Patrol has been leasing a tripod-mounted scanner as needed for about four years, with a purchase of one expected very soon, said Trooper Ryan Zukowksi of the State Patrols Technical Reconstruction Unit. The State Patrol has used leased scanners to document crashes and assist at several crime scenes, including the September 2012 house fire in Argyle that killed three young boys in an arson set by their father, Armin Wand III. We refer to the scanner as another tool in the toolbox, Zukowski said, noting it doesnt work as well as some other methods in bright light and certain outdoor scenarios. At a 700-foot-long, multi-vehicle crash scene, for example, a tripod-mounted scanner would collect far too much data. Between the scanner and total station and tape measure and airplane (photography), it kind of depends. The scene dictates what the best choice is. Because the processing software in 3-D scanners allows users to delete objects in produced images, law enforcement use of the technology also must include chain-of-custody protections adapted for electronic records. Those familiar with the technology said the database would show any changes and who made them, among other easy tells. Youre also still taking photographs at the scene, for example, noted Tom Morris, a consulting crime and crash scene reconstructionist on contract with the St. Louis Police Department since 2003. If you have a photograph in the case file that shows a gun on the floor, but its not in the 3-D drawing, you have some explaining to do. A major investor in Home Retail raised the pressure on bidder Sainsburys by saying a deal would need to be worth at least 1.4bn, amid talk a bid could be done ahead of tomorrow's deadline. In late afternoon trading today, Home Retail shares on the FTSE 250 index were up nearly 10 per cent or 13.4p to 150.1p, while FTSE 100-listed Sainsbury's was 2.2p lower at 242.9p as investors seemed to bet a deal - thought to be pitched at 1.3billion or 160p a shares - is close. Jonathan Buxton, partner and head of consumer at Cavendish Corporate Finance, said: A 1.3bn offer from Sainsbury for Home Retail Group would be an aggressive move that signals urgency to tackle head-on the pressures weighing on the retail industry. Shopping around: Schroders is thought to have urged Sainsburys to offer 165p a share for Argos He added: The recent relative good fortune of Britains number 2 supermarket puts it in a stronger position to make such a move, but the real challenge would be to successfully integrate a sprawling non-food retailer imperilled by competition within its own sector. Schroders, which owns a 20 per cent stake in Home Retail, is thought to have urged Sainsburys to offer 165p a share, well above the 150p price about 1.0billion the supermarket giant was hoping to table for the Argos-owner. The two retailers were locked in talks on Sunday ahead of tomorrows deadline when Sainsburys must either make a bid or walk away under Takeover Panel rules. The two sides could, however, request an extension to the deadline while they try to hammer out a deal. Sainsburys approached Home Retail in November but had its offer rejected as being too low. At the time, Schroders was thought to have been upset because it had not been consulted. Sainsburys chief executive Mike Coupe said last month that he would be prepared to walk away if a sensible price could not be reached. Analysts believe Argos would be a natural acquisition for Sainsburys, as it would allow its e-commerce business to compete with Amazon, which offers one-hour delivery across many parts of the UK. Also 40 per cent of Argoss leases expire by 2020, which would enable Sainsburys to shut around 200 Argos shops and incorporate them within its stores, providing a one-stop shop for customers. Take-off: Rolls-Royce has received an order for its Trent 1000 engines Rolls-Royce has sealed its biggest engine deal for almost a year after budget airline Norwegian placed an order for 1.9billion. The carrier ordered Trent 1000 engines and support service for 19 new 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The contract follows a series gloomy updates from the business. It issued five profit warnings in 20 months and chief executive Warren East is attempting to stop a decline. The new contract also includes TotalCare, Rollss long-term maintenance contracts, for the Trent 1000 engines. The airline also has options to buy 10 more Dreamliners, which would also be powered by Rolls-Royce engines. Bjorn Kjos, Norwegians chief executive, said: This decision further develops our relationship with Rolls-Royce and we look forward to operating aircraft powered by the latest version of the Trent 1000, which sets new standards of performance. Derby-based Rolls (flat at 555p) is competing with US giant General Electric to win engine contracts for the 787 planes. The deal is the largest since East took over last summer and the biggest since the 6.1billion deal with Emirate for engines to power 50 Airbus A380 superjumbos in April last year. Without money to advertise the states new law requiring voters to bring a photo ID to the polls, state officials are appealing to broadcasters to spread the word. The long-delayed voter ID requirement takes effect in a statewide election for the first time at the Feb. 16 spring primary. Government Accountability Board director Kevin Kennedy on Monday showcased voter ID public service announcements that urge voters to bring it to the ballot. For voters who lack an ID that meets the requirement, they explain how to get one. We think its important, before the election season starts, to remind people about the need to have a picture ID when you get to the polls, Kennedy said. Implementation of the voter ID requirement has been in limbo since it was enacted in 2011 except for a sparsely attended primary in early 2012 while a string of court challenges to the law were being resolved. That changed in March, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of one of the court challenges. Since then, Kennedy said the board has begun preparing for voter ID to take effect. Officials have held educational sessions with community groups to discuss the requirement and created a voter ID website, bringit.wisconsin.gov. They also are asking TV and radio stations to air the public service announcements in place of paid advertising. But nothing requires the stations to do so. Critics note the board has no money for paid advertising to raise awareness of the law, a step taken by other states that implemented voter ID. At least one group, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, has called on lawmakers to provide such funding in the waning days of the 2016 session. Kennedy said Monday that more money would be helpful but added that were not going to sit on our hands if it doesnt materialize. If moneys available, were prepared to go forward, Kennedy said. Efforts to raise public awareness of voter ID have been hampered repeatedly by the stop-and-start nature of the court proceedings related to the law. In 2011, lawmakers provided $1.9 million to the board for voter ID implementation $436,000 of which was set aside for a public education campaign. The board spent about $181,000 of that crafting much of the campaign it showcased Monday. But a 2012 court order halted the implementation of voter ID. What was left of that money either was spent elsewhere or was returned to the state treasury, board spokesman Reid Magney said. In September 2014 with voter ID expected to be in effect for that years general election the board asked lawmakers for about $461,000 for a TV and radio campaign. But days later, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order of its own, blocking implementation of voter ID for the upcoming election. The ID requirement says voters must come to the polls with one of a list of approved photo IDs that include their signature, such as a Wisconsin drivers license, U.S. passport or U.S. military ID. Some student and tribal IDs qualify if theyre not expired. Student IDs also must be accompanied by a separate document that proves enrollment, such as a tuition statement. 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. Sir, Special greetings to all learners and students together with the readers of this highly respected publication, the Times of Swaziland. As a student, am very disappointed that the new and first in the history of this tiny kingdom, the Swaziland Higher Education Council wants universities and colleges to be censored in what they can teach to ensure they do not damage the so called Image of the country. Ooops what image? These are the very same people who are supposed to improve the quality of our education. I am forced to discuss the subject on Quality in our education, the reason for this is because pupils in some of our public schools were turned back due to the ongoing drought or water crisis. What is education exactly? According to Hirst &Peters (1970), education is described as the development of desirable qualities in people. Schooling, on the other hand, is about providing the service of education, meaning educating young people through institutionalised and universalised, organised learning. Furthermore, policy makers regard education as an essential component of the reconstruction, development and transformation of a society. It is in the interest of the public for governments to formulate policies that must be understood within the overarching goal of building a just and equitable system which provides good quality education and training to learners throughout the country. Accordingly, therefore, every developing country including Swaziland has identified improving education quality as one of its highest national priorities. But one must take into consideration the question of theory and practice. In theory education is a national priority but in practice it is not. In fact, in spite of progress in responding to the demand for increased school access, developing more effective national planning and policy mechanisms and implementing massive training programmes for teachers and administrators, dissatisfaction persists with the capability of our education system to support national economic and social aspirations. Evidence is clear; our economy is always in a crisis. To some extent, Swaziland is lacking pro-poor plans and policies calling for higher quality schooling. Maybe the problem is lack of understanding the meaning of education quality over quantity. The precise meaning of education quality and the path to improvement of quality are often left unexplained in Swaziland. Apparently, education quality may refer to inputs that is the number of teachers, amount of teachers training, number of textbooks, processes such as the amount of direct instructional time, extent of active learning, output which includes test scores, graduation rates and outcomes referring to subsequent employment. Moreover, the concern for education quality in Swaziland has resulted from a variety of factors. Among the factors is the inability to adequately staff and finance rapidly expanding education systems, research based evidence of low levels of learning in basic skills, new demands for advanced language, mathematics, science and increasingly computer skills and financial crises that have had an adverse effect on education budgets. In some cases reducing student allowances, scholarship to deserving students. Moreover, the conditions for the low quality are clear. Schools are poorly furnished and equipped. Students lack textbooks, and the curriculum itself is largely irrelevant to contemporary needs. Assessment systems are poor. Teachers do not have sufficient training and are unaware of new and more effective methods of teaching. Infact the most qualified educators are not placed to the right grades. For example a teacher with a Degree in Secondary Education will teach at primary level. There is poor matching of the skills and lack of teacher motivation. All these factors contribute to the decline in quality. Another contributing factor are the poor education policies that we have for example the issue of five per cent failures. Furthermore, the majority of school facilities do not provide the minimum physical conditions required for effective teaching and learning. Buildings are deteriorating because of lack of maintenance. From the above observations, there is need for our curriculum revision with regard to social relevance and the education curriculum needs to pay attention to the social and cultural realities, particularly of the disadvantaged group. There is need to have improved inputs such as the use of more technology, incentives for productivity of teachers. In conclusion, the ability of a country to expand and improve education is strongly influenced by demographic and economic contexts. The demographic change taking place in Swaziland is basically a transition from high mortality and fertility rates to lower mortality and fertility rates. Therefore, a closer look at the variations in demographic structures can help explain economic and education growth rates thus taking Swaziland in the right direction of 2022. MBONGENI V MKHONTA The Ford Ranger which crashed into a police vehicle before crashing into two electric poles is currently parked at the Manzini Police Station. (Pic: Jabulisa Dlamini) MANZINI A highly intoxicated 15-year-old boy, a Ngwane Park High School pupil, who is alleged to have stolen a Ford Ranger, which had been parked by its owner at Ngwane Park, crashed into a police sedan before hitting two electric poles. The pupil yesterday appeared before Magistrate Lucia Lukhele after he was arrested and charged with four traffic offences by the police. He will not be named because he is a minor. Manzini traffic police officers, who arrested the suspect, allegedly failed to notify his relatives or parents, therefore, he was remanded back in custody until today, where he is expected to stand trial with the help of his guardians. The pupil is said to have been drinking marula brew with his friends, when he decided to do the unthinkable. He is said to have boarded a white Ford Ranger, which had been allegedly parked by its owner at Ludwala, Ngwane Park. The vehicle was idling when the suspect allegedly drove away with a friend, without the owners consent. While driving the Ford Ranger, he came across the police and panicked as he was allegedly under the influence of alcohol. When the police stopped him, he drove negligently and crashed into the police vehicle registered GSD 183 PO, which was driven by Constable Thulani Mtsetfwa of Zakhele Police Camp. After crashing into the police sedan, the boy lost control of the car and further knocked two electric poles. Particulars of the accident state that the suspect failed to keep left while driving the vehicle and further encroached to the other lane, knocking the oncoming police vehicle. He is said to have further driven under the influence of alcohol, failed to apply brakes on time and to avoid an accident which a reasonable driver would have avoided. MANZINI - The evicted Nokwane squatters face more woes as Sonto Dlamini and her family of 10 were allegedly left in the open after the Baphalali Swaziland Red Cross Society took back its tent. The incident happened on Wednesday afternoon in front of two other families, who were neighbours to the Dlamini family at Lutheran Church premises in Manzini, where they were accommodated after they were evicted at Nokwane in October 2014. It is worth mentioning that Dlamini is the same woman who in a fit of anger and frustration of being evicted from her squatter home at Nokwane, stripped and attempted to commit suicide in the presence of her grandchildren, police and neighbours. Sources close to the matter said the team from Red Cross told Dlamini that she had been given more than enough time to find alternative accommodation and the tent had to benefit other needy people. The source said Dlamini was told that she and her family of 10 which include school-going children and minors, could move in with either of her neighbours who had a few belongings. In the midst of that conversation, the team started taking out the familys belongings from the tent and they took it down then loaded it into the organisations van, the source said. The source said as they were preparing to leave, one of them convened a brief meeting with the two other families and told them that they should also make sure that by February 15, 2016, they have alternative accommodation as they would be back for the tents as there were communities which needed them. The source further said when they left, Dlamini burst into tears in front of her two minors and was comforted by the visibly angry neighbours. It was gathered that afterwards, Dlamini and her family were accommodated by a good Samaritan, who owns a compound with flats in Mbikwakhe, Matsapha. The good Samaritan is said to have offered them one of his flats to stay in while they try to get alternative accommodation. One of the worshippers who failed to control their emotions after Apostle Justice Dlamini delivered his message. NHLANGANO A clergyman has been stripped of his leadership powers for what has been termed as failure amongst many other reasons, to amass an impressive number of followers and the inability of his church generate enough income for the churchs growth. The Worship Centre has removed the churchs Nhlangano resident cleric Pastor Johnson Ojo by the religious bodys main branch in Mbabane which cited non delivery on his part as a leader of the Nhlangano branch. The church said the decision does not mean they were parting ways with the pastor, but instead he would be redeployed to other assignments within the church structures. Pastor Ojo who has been at the helm at the church since 2009 was removed from his position during an emotional sermon yesterday, through a message that was delivered by Apostle Justice, via a recorded video footage that was played for the whole congregation. The message was delivered to roughly 100 congregants, with a number of church members seen crying and embracing each other. I know it is coming as a shock to many of you, but we have to ensure that every branch of the church realises its full potential, and also make the expected impact in the community. The Nhlangano branch, as the second largest, is supposed to operate and function in a manner that is synonymous with what is happening in Mbabane. So, it is for this reason that we sat down and took this decision after realising that the branch was slowly dying instead of growing numerically. We have lost many people, especially the elders, Apostle Justice explained the rationale behind the decision taken by the church. The foreign national will be replaced by a Swazi, who is among the new clerics that have been groomed at the churchs main branch in Mbabane, according to Apostle Justice. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Merle Exit After a rather inauspicious beginning during the second week of February 1926, Black History Month was finally recognized by the federal government in 1976. Seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history, President Gerald Ford said at the time. In Queens, February brings a slate of movie-related events that celebrate the various accomplishments of African-Americans. For the third consecutive year, the Museum of the Moving Image joins with the Black Filmmaker Foundation for an afternoon of discussions, screenings and performances where race and the media intersect. This years forum, The Color of Comedy, takes place Feb. 6, and includes a screening of Harry Belafontes 1967 TV special A Time for Laughter: A Look at Negro Humor in America. The show includes performances by Dick Gregory, Redd Foxx, Moms Mabley and a young Richard Pryor. This screening will be followed by a town hall discussion moderated by Warrington Hudlin, president of the Black Filmmaker Foundation and vice chairman of the museum. I was moved by Harry Belafontes TV special, Hudlin said. It was the greatest piece Ive seen. Comedians are the truth tellers of our society. The discussion session is composed of comedians that I represent, who may not be as well-known, but Im certain that theyll have you laughing. We want this forum session to be interactive as well as entertaining. Participating performers include Mugga Phoenix, Freddie Ricks, Alauddin Ullah, Joyelle Johnson, Ruperto Vanderpool and Tim Wynn. Another film screening takes place Feb. 19, but this one will be held at the King Manor Museum in Jamaica. Many people may be familiar with Steven Spielbergs 1997 film Amistad, the story of a slave upraising on the ship Amistad in 1839. Now, they can see Ghosts of Amistad, a documentary based on Marcus Redikers 2012 book The Amistad Rebellion: An Atlantic Odyssey of Slavery and Freedom. The movie follows Redikers journey to Sierra Leone to recover historical accounts from the African villages whose residents were forced onto the slave ship. Following the screening, the co-producers, Philip Misevich and Konrad Tuchscerer will lead a discussion. To reserve a seat, e-mail progr ams@k ingma nor.org or call (718) 206-0545 ext. 13. If you Go The Color of Comedy When: Saturday, Feb. 6, at 1 pm Where: Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria Cost: $12/adults, $9/seniors and students, $6/children ages 3 -12 Contact: (718) 777-6888 Website: www.movin gimag e.us Ghosts of Amistad When: Friday, Feb. 19, at 6:30 pm Where: King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica Contact: (718) 206-0545 Catholic Citizens to Host Fr. Thomas Loya at February 12th Luncheon LA GRANGE, Ill., Feb. 1, 2016 / Fr. Thomas J Loya, is currently the pastor of Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish in Homer Glen, IL. He is also the host of two radio programs; "Light of the East" which can be heard in more than 60 cities across the United States on several Catholic radio networks including EWTN Radio as well as "A Body of Truth" which is broadcast on an Internet Radio Site Before entering the seminary Fr. Loya earned a degree from the Cleveland Institute of Art and pursued a career in commercial art and design. He later completed his studies for the priesthood in both Pennsylvania and Rome. During his time in Rome, Fr. Loya was first exposed to Pope John Paul II's monumental teaching on the human person when he attended his weekly audiences about The Theology of the Body. Inspired by John Paul II, Fr. Loya is a well- known speaker on Marriage and the Theology of the Body. Fr. Loya was ordained in 1982 and later added to his Bachelor of Fine Arts by earning a Masters in Counseling and Human Services in 1993. Using his background in art, counseling, and Eastern Catholic spirituality, Fr. Loya brings the principles of The Theology of the Body deep into the lived experience of every aspect of human sexuality. The subject of his talk will be "Same Sex Attraction: Arriving at true compassion in the Jubilee Year of Mercy." Father Loya defines True Compassion as a function of truth and not just the affirmation of a person's feelings or prevailing ideologies no matter how deeply felt or believed. What the Church truly teaches is in fact the most authentically compassionate and merciful response to the questions of same sex attraction and related issues. Luncheons are at 11:45 a.m. at the Union League Club of Chicago, 65 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago. For Reservations or information, call Maureen at 708-352-5834. Catholic Citizens of Illinois is a Catholic lay organization founded to support Catholic values in public life, actively addressing American culture and public policy formed in strict fidelity to Holy Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Share Tweet Contact: Mary Anne Hackett, Catholic Citizens of Illinois , 708-354-5373LA GRANGE, Ill., Feb. 1, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- On February 12, 2016, Fr. Thomas Loya will be the featured speaker at the Catholic Citizens Forum Luncheon.Fr. Thomas J Loya, is currently the pastor of Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish in Homer Glen, IL. He is also the host of two radio programs; "Light of the East" which can be heard in more than 60 cities across the United States on several Catholic radio networks including EWTN Radio as well as "A Body of Truth" which is broadcast on an Internet Radio Site catholicradiointernational.com Before entering the seminary Fr. Loya earned a degree from the Cleveland Institute of Art and pursued a career in commercial art and design. He later completed his studies for the priesthood in both Pennsylvania and Rome. During his time in Rome, Fr. Loya was first exposed to Pope John Paul II's monumental teaching on the human person when he attended his weekly audiences about The Theology of the Body. Inspired by John Paul II, Fr. Loya is a well- known speaker on Marriage and the Theology of the Body.Fr. Loya was ordained in 1982 and later added to his Bachelor of Fine Arts by earning a Masters in Counseling and Human Services in 1993.Using his background in art, counseling, and Eastern Catholic spirituality, Fr. Loya brings the principles of The Theology of the Body deep into the lived experience of every aspect of human sexuality.The subject of his talk will be "Same Sex Attraction: Arriving at true compassion in the Jubilee Year of Mercy."Father Loya defines True Compassion as a function of truth and not just the affirmation of a person's feelings or prevailing ideologies no matter how deeply felt or believed. What the Church truly teaches is in fact the most authentically compassionate and merciful response to the questions of same sex attraction and related issues.Luncheons are at 11:45 a.m. at the Union League Club of Chicago, 65 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago. For Reservations or information, call Maureen at 708-352-5834.Catholic Citizens of Illinois is a Catholic lay organization founded to support Catholic values in public life, actively addressing American culture and public policy formed in strict fidelity to Holy Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Sadef Ali Kully The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2014 court decision Tuesday that said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was within its rights to kill nearly any migratory bird, including snowy owls, that poses a threat to air traffic at JFK International Airport, according to federal court records. Tuesdays ruling rejected an appeal filed by Manhattan-based Friends of Animal, a non-profit animal advocacy organization since 1957. In 2013, Friends of Animals, sued a deputy administrator in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the federal agency Animal and Plant Health Inspection and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for violating the National Environmental Policy Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act, court records said. NEPA requires the federal government to consider environment first when undertaking projects such as building airports and highways and MBTA makes it illegal for anyone to take, possess or sell any migratory bird except under the terms of a valid permit that complies with federal regulations. What the Court of Appeals has actually affirmed is that our nations laws, as currently constituted, legitimizes the indiscriminate, unnecessary killing of animals, Michael Harris, director of Friends of Animals Wildlife Law Program, said on the nonprofits website. Since 1994, the Bird Hazard Reduction Program has authorized the Port Authority to protect aircraft departing and arriving at JFK and LaGuardia Airport from bird strikes. Kennedy, the major stopover for human travelers, is nestled between the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and the Atlantic Flyaway, the major stopover on the migratory route for hundreds of bird species. In Manhattan, U.S. Circuit Judge Jose Cabranes wrote for the three-judge panel, It is clear that when the Port Authority takes a migratory bird in [an] emergency situation [its] because the bird pos[es] a direct threat to human safety. The panel said the nonprofit misread MBTA as requiring the agency to specifically list the species of birds that may be killed on the permits face, when this provision does not apply to emergency situations. According to the most recent FAA statistics, from January through July 2015 there were an estimated 109 bird strikes at Kennedy and across the country. The cost of damage and delay due to a bird strike incident is in the billions, the federal agency said. A 2000 report estimated $1.2 billion is lost to bird strikes every year. In the past, the Port Authority has used different lethal and non-lethal methods, including hawks, to remove the bird population at its airports. These include Laughing gulls, geese and snowy owls that become hazards for the aircrafts on the runway. By Larry Penner When it came to transportation, Gov. Andrew Cuomos annual State of the State speech had great sound bites but provided little substance. Cuomo failed to give any specifics of how he will come up with the $8.3 billion promised to meet the shortfall in his proposed 2015-2019 MTA Five Year Capital Plan. Cuomo is kicking the can down the road. The original proposed 2010-2014 MTA $29 billion Five Year Capital Plan was cut to $24.2 billion before being approved. This doesnt include $8.3 billion more pledged by Cuomo and $2.5 billion by NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio to help cover shortfalls in the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys proposed $28 billion 2015 2019 Five Year Capital Plan (cut from $32 billion). When will these billions become reality? How can the MTA justify cutting $9 billion in badly needed capital improvements over a ten year period and still provide the day to day services millions of New Yorkers count on? How many critical capital improvement projects will be postponed into the next 2020 2024 Capital Program? The 2020-2024 MTA Five Year Capital Program will first have to deal with $9 billion in unfunded carryover capital projects and programs. By waiting all these years, the costs will have gone up by another billion or two. This includes $1 billion or more to construct Phase 2 of the Second Avenue Subway. Next is $1 billion or more to finish LIRR Eastside Access to Grand Central Terminal. What about finding $500 million to build the No. 7 subway station at 10th Avenue and 41st? Also needed is $1.5 billion for the LIRR Main Line Third Track project. The LaGuardia Airport Train to the Plane baseline budget of $450 million in the years to come will require up to an additional $550 million. The $3 billion new Penn Station will end up needing far more than $300 million in combined assistance from the MTA, Amtrak and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Does anyone believe that potential developers will spend $2.7 billion of their own funding to pay for this? Some Queens residents will look for $100 million toward the $200 million Woodhaven Boulevard Select Bus Service. These dollars may be necessary if NYCDOT cant secure $100 million in U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration New Starts funding. Others will continue to lobby for restoration of LIRR service on the old Rockaway LIRR branch at $1 billion, Triboro X Subway Express (new subway line connecting the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn for $1 to $2 billion) and most recently the Brooklyn-Queens Waterfront Street Car Connector at a cost of $1.7 billion. Combined, all of the above would make Cuomos tab for unfunded transportation improvements exceed $26 billion! Cuomo reminds me of the character Wimpy who famously said Ill gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. When the bills become due, taxpayers will be stuck with Cuomos tab. Why would the next governor want to pay for any of Cuomos bills? Larry Penner Great Neck Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Bill Parry A documentary film exploring the brutal anti-gay murder of Julio Rivera in 1990 will have its world premiere during the Queens World Film Festival in March. Julio of Jackson Heights will be shown at the same school where he was set upon by a three-man hunting party from a skinhead gang, a tragic event that sparked the coming out of New Yorks largest and until then mostly closeted LGBT community, according to the films director, Richard Shpuntoff, who grew up in Elmhurst. The festivals founders, Katha and Don Cato, have managed to get the auditorium of PS 69 for the screening, which means a lot to me because Julio was murdered 25 years ago in its schoolyard, just outside where people will be watching this story for the first time, Shpuntoff said. I really cant imagine a more powerful place to show the film. More than 500 films made the December deadline for the sixth annual Queens World Film Festival, submitted from countries around the globe, including Cuba, Spain, Korea, Bangladesh, China and 24 other nations. The final selections will be announced Feb. 4 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria. This years films come from many of the countries whose diasporas are represented in Queens, and they promise to move and entertain our audiences, said Don Cato, the artistic director. There are tender films, heartbreaking films and several works that are extremely provocative, even disturbing. Taken as a whole, I feel this years selection ties us into discussions people are having around the world. The festival runs from March 15-20. Each year, the festival pays tribute to an outstanding filmmaker for his or her body of work. This years Spirit of Queens award goes to independent film director Melvin Van Peebles who is most famous for his movie Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song, which heralded a new era in African-American cinema. It will be screened on March 16 at MoMI, followed by a question-and-answer session with Van Peebles. The festival will also showcase a documentary on the New York State Pavilion by Matthew Silva, a product of Middle Village. Modern Ruin: A Worlds Fair Pavilion chronicles its demise over the last 50 years. The film details its post-fair use as a 1960s concert venue and a 1970s roller rink, including its years of neglect and the now growing advocacy efforts to save and repurpose the structure. Silva traveled the country interviewing more than 25 individuals who reminisce about the Pavilions glory days a half century ago. I was so excited my film was selected, Silva said. The Catos run a fabulous festival and its important to share my film with their audience and increase the awareness of our campaign to restore the structure. Silvas documentary premiered at the Queens Theater in May and has been entered in several other film festivals. Cato said Julio of Jackson Heights and Modern Ruin are both historically significant for Queens. Richard Shpuntoff captures a moment in time that must be remembered not just by Jackson Heights but the city as well, Cato said. It took him eight years to make it and it deserves to be shown. Silvas film is a crowdfunded project which depicts a place in the very history of Queens and it captures the cultural landscape of the community. Another documentary about the Worlds Fair will also be screened during the festival. After the Fair is a look at what became of all the structures that were at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. It makes an interesting companion piece to Modern Ruin, Cato said. One complements the other and gives it a larger context. For more information visit www.queen sworl dfilm festi val.com . 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. Fighting flu starts with a shot, and it's time for Texans to get one The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone six months and older get vaccinated, ideally, by the end of October. TORIN HALSEY/TIMES RECORD NEWS The Gypsy Kit food truck will have regular hours and is now stationed at the new Gypsy Uncorked wine and craft beer bar at 3115 Kemp Blvd. SHARE 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 were initially reported during a County Commissioner's meeting in October, but the Times Record News was able to recently obtain a copy of the report through an open records request. 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. Former Graham teacher's aide accused of sex with a student The top crime story of the week dealt with a former teacher's aide at Graham High School being arrested the morning of Jan. 26 after accusations that she had a sexual relationship with a student surfaced in October. Graham Police Department's investigation revealed a total of 11,939 phone calls and text messages were exchanged between the student and Allison Amber Oliver, 37, according to an affidavit, and Oliver allegedly had sex with the victim on two occasions. The details of the incident are graphic. More controversy surrounded our area school district as more details, but still very few, were shed regarding an incident that happened the week before, ending with an elementary school teacher at Zundy Elementary School being placed on administrative leave pending further investigation. A WFISD spokesman said the teacher, whose identity was not made public by the school district, was "no longer employed" with WFISD, but it was not divulged if the teacher was fired or quit. The spokesperon would not say what the incident entailed, but some unconfirmed media reports have linked it to the teacher binding schoolchildren's mouths with duct tape. A letter was sent out to parents informing them the teacher no longer worked at Zundy, counselors would be available for the children to talk to and administrators would be available to talk to parents. The city will make positive steps toward making the Arrowhead pipeline for wastewater treatment a reality this month. Public Works Director Russell Schrieber said the city will begin phase one of the $30 million project, dubbed the Permanent Indirect Potable Reuse System, mid-February. The bid to do work on the second phase, should everything remain on schedule, should be awarded Tuesday. Chris and Tagan Couch continued to bring the eccentric feel of downtown Austin to Wichita Falls this past weekend by opening Gypsy Uncorked, a wine and craft beer bar in the heart of Kemp Boulevard. The owners of the Gypsy Kit Cafe transformed the residential home-style building that formerly housed Falls Escape into something similar to what you'd find in Austin's Rainey Street Historic District, but at a fraction of the cost. Their goal for the business is to give people from all walks of life an enjoyable evening out. The last remaining local sporting goods store is no longer locally based. After 20 years of service in Wichita Falls, Jerry Johnson merged his store with BSN SPORTS, of Dallas, as a way for both companies to maximize being a team dealer for public and private schools and colleges. SHARE TORIN HALSEY/TIMES RECORD NEWS Dr. Sherrette Shaw-Fontenot displays a photo of Madison Welch. The 18-year-old was killed in an auto accident, and as a registered organ donor, her heart was made available and transplanted into Shaw-Fontenot on Nov. 23, 2014. TORIN HALSEY/TIMES RECORD NEWS Dr. Sherrette Shaw-Fontenot looks over a patient file with her assistant, Carla Schlumpf, at her office on Tenth Street. Shaw-Fontenot was the recipient of a heart transplant in November 2014 after being diagnosed with nodular scaroidosis. By Judith McGinnis of the Times Record News Dedication to treating patients the way they want to be treated has come full circle for Dr. Sherrette Shaw-Fontenot. Having conquered breast cancer in 2008 and come back to her internal medicine practice with enthusiasm after a 2013 gall bladder surgery she was "still dragging." "After a bad EKG and a lot of tests, a doctor told me it was something that happens when we get older," said Shaw-Fontenot. Eventually physicians began to suspect it might be metastatic cancer. By 2014 after three different hospital visits, Dr. Jennifer Thibodeau at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center told Shaw-Fontenot there was "no good news." The Wichita Falls doctor had a rare diagnosis nodular sarcoidosis. The only cure would be a heart transplant. "The first thing I thought about was my kids," said Shaw-Fontenot, pausing with a smile to talk about son Segun, a mechanical engineering major at Cornell University, son Shomari, a student at Midwestern State University and 12-year-old daughter Sharalyn. "By October I was having a heart transplant work-up at UTSMC cardiac center," Shaw-Fontenot said. "My husband (Steve) was very stoic but he really was Mr. Mom." Shaw-Fontenot's health put her at different levels on the transplant list. After rating "A1," she spent days waiting in the ICU. Prayers were answered when the heart of a beautiful 18-year-old Louisiana girl, Madison "Maddie" Hope Welch, became available after her death in an auto accident. A sweet and caring teenager, when Maddie earned her learner's driving permit at 15, she chose to be an organ donor. "She was the same age as my son. I couldn't help but think that could have been my child," said the Wichita Falls doctor. The Nov. 23, 2014, surgery was successful and as Shaw-Fontenot recovered, she met and became friends with Maddie's family. She's quick to show a picture from a trip Maddie's mother, Jennifer Hopkins, took to Wichita Falls. In it, Jennifer embraces Sherette, a chance to hear her daughter's heart beat again. In honor of Maddie's life and several lives she saved through organ transplant, Shaw-Fontenot founded the nonprofit Maddie's House. It will provide affordable hospitality housing in Dallas to patients and caregivers who spend weeks and months waiting for or recovering from transplant. Having earned its 501c3 nonprofit status, there is now a GoFundMe page for Maddie's House and a Have Hope page on Facebook. Fourteen months after a heart transplant, Shaw-Fontenot is back in her medical practice three days a week so "mama bear can take care of her cubs." "There are so many people I need to thank. Doctors I work with started a transplant fund, helped cover college tuition. The transplant team, Dr. Mark Drazner, Dr. Lynn Huffman and the transplant nurse coordinator Melanie Alford, they did so much for me," Shaw-Fontenot said, brushing back tears. "All of my colleagues, my patients, friends, the cards and gifts. It means a lot to find out how much people care." In this photo taken De. 18, 2015, President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in the briefing room at the White House in Washington. On Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, the president signed emergency declaration and ordered federal aid for Flint, Mich., authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Homeland Security Department to coordinate relief efforts. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) SHARE Vic Walker, Wichita Falls Our nation loves its heroes especially those who wore its uniforms. As a veteran of the Navy, I humbly accepted it. But there are heroes and then there are Heroes. These heroes are those who gave up their lives to save the lives of others. I may be wrong, but if those who were released from Iran (especially the Marine) knew what the deal was to finally get them out, I would hope, that each and every one of them would have said "No deal. Find another way to get us out." The American lives that will be lost because of that deal, the one for Bergdahl, the Iran Nuke deal and those regarding the release of Gitmo detainees, I think we can all be certain there will be lives lost. I also think that the families whose loved ones were released would have been extra proud of their loved one (and with good reason) and would have supported them fully in such a decision. And don't forget we still have just under one year with this current administration before we even have a chance to change the way it thinks and the type of deals it makes. How many more will be done, in Cuba (Gitmo), with Russia, with Iran, even with ISIS, or some other avowed enemy of the United States? Kerry is in negotiation again with Russia I guess they have to "reset" the "reset" so Russia can get more from us. And now we have a U.S. citizen held as hostage in North Korea and there are still some in Iran. What will the Obama administration give away next "The Kitchen Sink"? Ballston Spa A motorist who struck three Skidmore freshmen, killing one, while driving near the campus with a blood-alcohol content of more than twice the legal limit pleaded guilty to manslaughter Monday. Thomas H. Gorman, 65, hit the students while they were walking on Clinton Street near Daniels Road at about 11:20 p.m. on Halloween night, according to police. In Saratoga County Court on Monday, he pleaded guilty to first-degree vehicular manslaughter and first-degree vehicular assault, both felonies, and admitted to having a blood-alcohol content of 0.20 at the time of the crash. Gorman faces four to 15 years in prison, a three-year conditional discharge, and paying restitution for the victims' unreimbursed medical bills when he is sentenced on March 21, County Judge James A. Murphy III said. The pleas marked a surprisingly swift conviction in a case that set off days of mourning at the college in Saratoga Springs last fall. "We've been working on the case steadily since the night it happened," District Attorney Karen Heggen said Monday outside the courtroom. "The case was strong, solid." Murphy sent Gorman back to Saratoga County jail pending sentencing. Gorman faces a minimum of four to 12 years in state prison and a maximum of five to 15 years for manslaughter. He faces two to six years for the assault conviction, but that sentence would be served at the same time. Gorman is a former Skidmore College employee who lives at Birch Meadow Estates in Wilton. He struggled in court to read a statement handed to him by his attorney, First Assistant Public Defender Andrew Blumenberg, in which Gorman admitted causing the death of Michael Hedges, 19, of Lenox, Mass., and injuring Toby Freeman of New York City and Oban Galbraith of Shelburne, Vt., both of whom were treated in Albany Medical Center Hospital's intensive care unit. Gorman was driving south on Clinton Street and suddenly veered into a gravel portion of the road's shoulder where the college students were walking, Heggen said. He narrowly missed striking a fourth student walking with the group, she said. Investigators said Gorman failed a field sobriety test and had an open alcoholic beverage container in his Kia sedan. After he was taken into custody, he told police that Skidmore College had warned people not to walk on the street because it was dangerously dark at night. "They told me not to walk there because it is not well lit," Gorman reportedly told police. "The college has emphasized this. I'm sorry that it happened. It wasn't intentional." dyusko@timesunion.com 518-454-5353 @DAYusko The so-called IRS scam continues to vex local police. In December, State Police warned that it is likely a scam if you get a call from someone claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service. Colonie police say the problem is persisting. A number of Capital Region residents have complained someone claiming to be from the federal agency has called, demanding Social Security and bank account numbers. Troopers said they were threatened with arrest. But take heart: It's bull. The State Police offer the following tips if you get one of these calls: The IRS will never contact you first by telephone, but through official correspondence sent via mail. You will never be required to use a specific payment method. Never give your credit or debit card numbers over the phone. The IRS never requests immediate payment over the phone. You will not be threatened with being arrested by local law enforcement for not paying. If you receive a voicemail claiming to be the IRS, do not return the call using the number provided, instead use an official contact number listed on the IRS website. If you have been a victim of a scam, report the incident to your local law enforcement or State Police barracks. More tips regarding this type of scam can be found on the IRS website. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Denver A Colorado Department of Corrections officer fired his gun during a weekend brawl at a Denver motorcycle show that left one dead and seven others injured, an attorney said Sunday. The corrections officer was a member of a motorcycle group made up mostly of off-duty law enforcement that, on Saturday, clashed with members of another club at the crowded Colorado Motorcycle Expo, a gathering of such groups from around the country. The two biker groups on Sunday blamed each other for inciting the violence. Three of the wounded were hit by gunfire. Another person was stabbed and three others suffered injuries from a fistfight, police said. The melee started when members of the Iron Order Motorcycle Club, made up of predominantly police and military, were jumped by members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, said John C. Whitfield, an attorney representing Iron Order and a member himself. But Las Vegas attorney Stephen Stubbs, who represents the Mongols, said it was Iron Order members who instigated the alcohol-fueled brawl by taunting them into an argument that led to the deadly shooting of a Mongols member. "None of the Mongols involved in the altercation had a gun, not even one of them," Stubbs told The Associated Press. Another club member was among the injured, he said. The corrections officer fired in self-defense, Whitfield said. He would not say whether he fired the fatal shot. Prisons spokeswoman Adrienne Jacobson confirmed an employee was involved in the shooting but would not identify him. He was not in police custody as of Sunday night, Whitfield said. Whitfield said one Iron Order member was shot, another stabbed and a third beaten. "We don't have any issue with the Mongols," he said. Denver police have refused to release details about what happened or identify the clubs involved. Police spokeswoman Raquel Lopez said she wasn't aware of any arrests as of Sunday night, and detectives were trying to identify more than one shooter. Denver Health Medical Center, where the injured were being treated, said three patients remained in critical condition and three in stable condition Sunday. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate (RNS) A church and mosque in France's "jungle" camp for migrants and refugees have been destroyed, despite authorities' reportedly promising not to demolish the places of worship. Bulldozers moved into the camp in Calais, the departure point for ferries to Great Britain, on Monday (Feb. 1) and tore down the mosque, which reportedly drew up to 300 worshippers each day, and St. Michael's Church, a makeshift chapel serving mainly Orthodox Ethiopian Christians. Residents of the camp were given just a few minutes to collect their belongings before the demolition took place around 9 a.m. local time, the charity Help Refugees UK reported. "Devastated residents watched the destruction," the charity wrote on its Facebook page. "The bulldozers are currently tearing down the Church, while residents scramble to rescue what they can from the building." "There was just time for a last minute prayer before the machinery tore in," it reported in an update. "The pastor stood by in dignified silence, clutching the remaining cross from the Church roof." Images published online by the charity were said to show Christians praying in the remains of the church, and one man standing holding the building's cross. The so-called jungle camp has become one of the focal points of Europe's migration crisis; more than 1 million people arrived in the region by sea last year. The majority were from the world's top refugee-producing countries, according to U.N. figures. French authorities started dismantling the French camp in January, moving up to 1,500 residents into converted shipping containers. Despite the broader plans, Help Refugees UK said there was no warning that places of worship were to be destroyed. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. An episode of the BBC's "Songs of Praise," a long-running program of hymns, was filmed in the church in August. The decision sparked both praise and criticism from British viewers, who either celebrated the move to draw attention to the Calais camp or accused the BBC of pushing a political agenda. (Rosie Scammell reports for RNS from Rome) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Troy When the city's 110-year-old steel water main collapsed Jan. 17, it eroded the confidence of some of the municipal customers who buy its water. But rejecting Troy's system would be neither easy nor cheap. The exposure of the rupture in the 33-inch riveted pipe the main artery from the city's water plant focused new attention on an aging system and left surrounding mayors and supervisors questioning Troy's long-term reliability as a source of drinking water. More Information Money flowing to Troy Troy's 2016 budget reports how much income the city expects to earn from the sale of water to its residents and to nine other communities. MUNICIPALITYWATER FEES Troy$4,650,000 Menands$550,000 Brunswick$850,000 Rensselaer/East Greenbush$2,277,000 North Greenbush$875,000 Schaghticoke$265,000 Waterford$850,000 Halfmoon$1,400,000 Poestenkill$60,000 Source: City of Troy 2016 budget See More Collapse "We have to look for alternatives," said Halfmoon Supervisor Kevin Tollisen, who still considers Troy a primary source. The city makes $7 million for the water it supplies to nine outside communities. Halfmoon pays Troy $1.4 million for water each year, making it the city's second biggest outside customer. The outside income amounts to more than half of Troy's $12.8 million water fund and nearly 10 percent of its entire $85 million budget. Waterford and Halfmoon lost much of their water supply during the six days it took Troy to repair the main. During the outage, Waterford and Halfmoon discovered the back-up connection wasn't working completely. As residents struggled for water, the two towns agreed to take part in a study over the viability of tapping into the Saratoga County Water Authority. "Troy's got a great source of water. They've been a great partner, said Waterford Supervisor Jack Lawler, whose town was under a boil water advisory for nearly a week and was forced to use firehoses to get water from Cohoes. "Reliability is important. It's difficult to rely on a sole source of water," said Lawler, who also chairs the Saratoga County Water Authority. But despite the concerns about Troy's water, the cost to build more water lines it is estimated that it could cost $1 million a mile to attach the towns to Saratoga County's supply means it is unlikely there will be any immediate defections. Troy Mayor Patrick Madden said he understands the reactions of the city's water customers to what happened when the main cracked. "Who wouldn't be a little worried after this incident?" Madden said. The city has prioritized upgrading its aging infrastructure. Meetings have been held with the state Environmental Facilities Corp. to expedite the city's application for $2.7 million in grants and loans to replace the 3,700-foot section of water main that broke, Madden said. In addition, a solution will be found to ensure the backup line does not partially fail again, the mayor continued. Troy's water system has evolved into a regional supplier of drinking water to nearly 145,000 people in some cases for 50 years or more. As the city shrank in population it extended its reach into the suburbs. Still, the city's apparent water monopoly isn't solid. Wells, the Hudson River, lakes and other municipal water systems are available to tap for alternate supplies. Finding the money to do so is the challenge. "We have an aquifer on Route 2," said Brunswick Supervisor Phil Herrington, whose town is also a Troy customer. "We could get in the water system if we wanted to," Halfmoon and Waterford turned to Troy several years ago when they mothballed their water treatment plants during the dredging of PCBs from the Hudson River. Officials in the towns feared PCBs, a hazardous waste and suspected carcinogen, would seep into the water supply and the supervisors won't return to that water supply unless the federal government assures the river water is safe. As one of the Capital Region's fastest growing towns, Halfmoon can't afford to have its residents and businesses go without water, Tollisen said. There has to be a guaranteed supply to draw new residents and companies. "I don't see us leaving the city of Troy," Tollisen said. "Halfmoon is growing. We have to look for other sources for existing and future needs." When Rensselaer Mayor Dan Dwyer was fighting with Troy over the price of water and past-due bills about eight years ago, he looked to Albany as a water source but it went nowhere. Dwyer is uneasy after seeing what happened to Troy's water main. "I think they've got to address the issue. Every city is hurting with infrastructure," Dwyer said. "There's always a solution. You just have to start doing and find the money." Rensselaer and East Greenbush share Troy water and together make up the largest of the city's water customers, paying $2,277,000 annually for water. Dwyer said he plans to discuss alternatives with East Greenbush Supervisor Jack Conway. Conway, who has just a month in office, said he's prepared to stick with Troy. Municipal leaders in Brunswick, Rensselaer and Halfmoon estimate it would cost at least $5 million for any water project. For Troy, which relies on its water sales to support snow plowing in Lansingburgh and to patch $2 million in city general fund budget holes annually, any eventual defection would cause more money troubles for the city that's struggled to avoid a state takeover of its finances in recent years and confronts a shrinking tax base. "Our goal is not to take money from the water fund to balance the budget," Madden said about turning away from the tactic employed by his predecessors. Troy's nine municipal customers Brunswick, East Greenbush, North Greenbush, Poestenkill, Rensselaer, Schaghticoke, Menands, Halfmoon and Waterford pay from $1.97 to $3.75 per $1,000 gallons of water. This income accounts for 60 percent, or $7,127,000, of Troy's $11,897,000 in revenues from the sale of water, according to the 2016 city Water Fund budget. Troy's sales to its own residents and business amount to $4,770,000. Madden said he will sit down with the leaders of the nine communities to explain the city's plans and to reassure them on the future reliability of Troy as their water supplier. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. "I can understand why other communities want to start to look at alternatives," said Troy Councilman Dean Bodnar, who chairs the City Council's Public Utilities Committee. "They're going to have to decide what is best for them. The agreements with Troy have worked out very well for these communities," Bodnar said. "What we need to do is assess where we are regarding Troy and try to see what sort of avenues are available for us in terms of improving our water delivery system," Bodnar said. "The cost of upgrading is so prohibitive. Unless you have massive government subsidies in place, you're almost forced to use a Band-Aid approach," Bodnar said. City officials have estimated a total overhaul would cost $270 million to $300 million. Plans to build a new water line from Troy's Tomhannock Reservoir in Pittstown are estimated to cost $40 million. Madden said the city is moving forward with the plans to build the new line from the reservoir. Again, the challenge is finding money to make upgrades not only there but across the system, he said. North Greenbush Supervisor Lou Desso said Troy's woeful water infrastructure rattled some of his town's residents and some are looking into reconnecting private wells for backup. Desso is working with town water staff to explore options for hooking into other water systems. It's the expense of developing a new water supply that's made the mayors and supervisors think hard about leaping on this choice. "No matter what you do, you have the potential for problems," Schaghticoke Supervisor Jean Carlson said. Schaghticoke also imports water from Mechanicville for its Hemstreet Park neighborhood. During the weeklong crisis, Schaghticoke's water supply from Troy flowed without problems. Schaghticoke, however, could draw water from the village of Schaghticoke or develop wells if it had to look for an alternate supply, Carlson said. The town has no current plans to do. "There's alternatives," Carlson said, "but you have to go looking for money" kcrowe@timesunion.com 518-454-5084 @KennethCrowe This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Don't get complacent because you don't know anyone who's been stricken yet: We haven't escaped the flu. Like this winter's temperatures, the flu season has been mild. But in the last couple of weeks, reports of influenza have risen statewide, prompting health officials to issue a reminder last week that it's not too late to be vaccinated. The state Health Department received 416 reports of flu cases statewide for the week ending Jan. 23, a 72 percent rise over the previous week. Flu activity is now considered "regional" a designation that is worse than "local" but better than the widespread activity that is often seen at this time of year. Doctors and health officials caution that there's no telling what's ahead. While it looks like we will experience a less severe flu season than in the last several years, the recent increase may be a sign we are heading into a more aggressive spread of the illness. More Information New York state flu cases* Jan. 2 - 96 Jan. 9 - 174 Jan. 16 - 244 Jan. 23- 416 *Cases represent influenza that was confirmed by laboratory tests for the week of the ending date shown Source:New York state Health Department See More Collapse "It's only a matter of time before we get into that widespread scenario," said Megan Helmecke, an infection preventionist at Albany Medical Center Hospital. Don't let down your guard, medical experts said. Influenza may be a common disease in winter, with well-known symptoms, like sudden onset of fever, chills, headache and muscle aches, as well as a cough or sore throat. But it also can result in serious complications like pneumonia, especially among the very young, the very old and those with other medical conditions. The illness kills between 3,000 and 49,000 Americans each year, according to federal data. Jennifer Ryan, infection control manager at St. Peter's Hospital, offered the standard but effective disease prevention advice: Get vaccinated. Wash your hands frequently. Cough into your elbow. Stay home if you're ill. "Flu continues to be a risk until May," Ryan said. "I would really encourage people to remain vigilant." Last year at this time, the country was grappling with a flu epidemic fueled by a mismatch between the vaccine and the strain of illness in most circulation. Each year, the flu vaccine is reformulated, based on experts' best guess at which three or four strains are likely to cause the most illness. The strain of flu in most circulation this year is H1N1, sometimes called swine flu, which was responsible for a 2009 pandemic. It was a novel strain that year, and not included in the vaccine that had been formulated the previous winter, Helmecke said. H1N1, a Type A strain, is in the vaccine this year. So those who got a shot or nasal spray should have some protection against catching it. Experts said it's too early to say whether or not a good match between the flu and vaccine is contributing to the lower-than-usual flu activity. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. One theory about decreased levels of flu is the mild weather. Flu typically picks up steam around the fall and early winter holidays, as friends and families gather generally in close quarters indoors, where germs thrive. It was a balmy holiday season this year; windows were open and people got outdoors. It's tough to prove that theory, however. "We see mild flu seasons now and again and seldom can explain why there is so little illness," said Dr. David Pratt, medical director for the Schenectady County Health Department. "Some posit global warming and its impact on close-quarter living, but there is no proof of that." The challenge is going to be convincing people to worry about the flu in February, especially with temperatures expected to approach the 50s. "Psychologically, it's always been a little more than a heavy lift to have people thinking about flu vaccination after the holidays," said Dr. Lou Snitkoff, chief medical officer at CapitalCare Medical Group. chughes@timesunion.com 518-454-5417 @hughesclaire This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Albany SUNY Poly's rapidly expanding Children's Museum of Science and Technology has high hopes of one day running a science outreach program for children across New York state. Toward that end, CMOST announced Wednesday it intends to merge with the Scotia-Glenville Children's Museum, giving it access to traveling science outreach programs across the Capital Region. CMOST's existing outreach programs are much smaller, said Pradeep Haldar, a SUNY Poly vice president who is also now CMOST's board chairman. "We can take some of the programming done at CMOST as well as at (Scotia-Glenville), take the best processes and expand it to many other locations," Haldar said. Haldar mentioned Utica, Syracuse and Rochester as goals for expansion. A release by CMOST said all of the current CMOST and Scotia Glenville programs and activities will be maintained with existing staff and personnel. Current Scotia-Glenville programs will be re-branded under the CMOST banner, and the Scotia-Glenville board will not be merged into the CMOST board. "We will tap into the expertise of (Scotia-Glenville) and bring them in as needed," Haldar said. Financial records show the Scotia-Glenville museum had $181,000 in assets and $301,000 in expenses in 2013. "If you look at SUNY Poly's overall financials, it's really a drop in the bucket," Haldar said. CMOST is in the midst of an estimated $100 million expansion. The museum expects to move into its new 16,000-square-foot space on the SUNY Poly campus at the end of 2016. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. The museum currently attracts 85,000 patrons a year at its North Greenbush site, Haldar said. Talks on the Scotia-Glenville merger took place in earnest over the last two months. The merger now waits for approval from the state Education Department, which Haldar expects will take three to four months. "We're trying to create a go-to place for children, for a museum that is second to none, not just in this region, but in the Northeast or the country," Haldar said. "Our vision, really, is to be as big as anything." jlawrence@timesunion.com 518-454-5467 @jplawrence3 The convictions of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos should be serving as a call for reform, but New York state's government has rebounded to business as usual while the factors that have bred corruption among state officials for decades remain in place. Assembly members voted against a bill this month proposed by Republican lawmakers which would impose an eight-year term limit on Senate and Assembly leadership positions. The bill passed in the Senate, but failed in the Assembly 43-81. A dozen other proposals were also rejected, including the requirement that any bill with 76 sponsors (a majority) be brought to the floor, in order to redistribute the power of the Assembly and Senate leadership. Republicans have turned down Democrat proposals for reform as well. Despite the benefits reaped by Gov. Andrew Cuomo from a loophole that allows corporations to provide virtually unlimited campaign contributions, Cuomo and state Democrats have called to close the loophole. Republicans oppose the reform, arguing labor unions would still be able to make large contributions, giving Democrats an unfair advantage during elections. Republicans have also argued against capping the outside income of state legislators at 15 percent of their base salary of $79,500, amid complaints legislators haven't received a raise since 1999. The Republican-led state Senate and Democrat-led state Assembly are undermining one another from passing crucial legislation to curb corruption. The refusal of Democrats to work with their Republican colleagues on ethics reform, and vice versa, sets up a culture that breeds corruption when legislators favor party lines over doing what is best for New Yorkers. Based on recent findings from the Tax Foundation, New York has the highest tax burden in the country at 12.7 percent. Given this taxpayer investment in state and local government, the performance of elected officials should correlate to being the highest in the nation as well. But the Legislature's failure to respond to the corruption with comprehensive ethics reforms suggests otherwise. In the past 12 years, 29 state lawmakers have been convicted of various offenses, but state lawmakers' response seems to treat these crimes as anomalies, rather than evidence of a toxic political environment. The Senate and Assembly ethics panels have been dormant, and although both political parties agree ethics reforms need to be passed into law, we've yet to see bipartisan discussions to formulate real change. The current legislative leaders may not have been convicted of any crimes, but their failure to revisit the ethics rules under which corruption has flourished suggests that they don't care enough to change the status quo. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. After the jury overseeing Skelos' corruption trial issued a guilty verdict, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, whose work has led to the convictions or guilty pleas of 11 sitting or former legislators, including Silver, in the past six years, tweeted "How many prosecutions will it take before Albany gives the people of New York the government they deserve?" Judging by the actions of Cuomo and the Legislature so far in the wake of those convictions, it looks like it's going to take a lot more prosecutions of legislators before meaningful reforms are enacted. Michael Sainato, an Albany native who lives in Florida, is a freelance writer. He blogs at http://muckrack.com/michael-sainato. THE ISSUE: A Republican senator breaks away from the pack to support abortion rights. THE STAKES: Will his action inspire more of his colleagues to do the right thing? More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse It is no small thing when a politician takes a clear political risk. It's all the more remarkable when he chooses to be the first to break ranks with his party to do it. So the move by state Sen. John Bonacic, R-Mt. Hope, to openly stand up for the Reproductive Health Act, is a big deal. Mr. Bonacic is the first Republican senator to finally reject the false rhetoric that this legislation is some kind of outrageous expansion of abortion in New York. Mr. Bonacic's acknowledgement that he doesn't personally favor abortion makes this even more noteworthy. It's a recognition that governing demands that individuals sometimes transcend their feelings on matters of public concern. We recognize and respect that people come to the abortion issue with different spiritual, moral, and ideological points of view. But there's a difference between holding a view and using legislative power to impose it on others in this case, to deny women their constitutional right to make their own decisions when it comes to having an abortion. The Reproductive Health Act would do nothing more or less than expressly protect this right in New York against the whims of federal politics. It would not legalize abortions up to the moment of birth, or herald some sort of return to the days of back-alley abortions by allowing non-medical people to perform them. Yet opponents of the Reproductive Health Act have somehow managed to divine such consequences from between the lines. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. It's not unlike the way abortion opponents have seized on deceptively edited videos by the so-called Center for Medical Progress that it claimed proved that Planned Parenthood illegally trafficked in fetal body parts. Numerous investigations, including those by Congress and a Texas grand jury, have found no truth to that charge, although the grand jury did hand up an indictment of the video makers for allegedly creating fake licenses and attempting to purchase human organs. Yet even with the story debunked, many Republicans in Congress, and in the GOP presidential primary field, continue to call for Planned Parenthood's federal funding to be revoked. And in New York, Assemblyman Steve Katz, R-Yorktown, is pushing legislation to prohibit the use of public funding for Planned Parenthood an organization that provides a wide range of health care services for women even though the bill that has no chance of passage. It takes no great effort for those like Mr. Katz to push a hot button and pander to their base. It is a big deal for a politician to break away from the pack and try to change his party's narrative or seek to end the impasse on a controversial bill at the risk of his political career, as former Republican Sen. Roy McDonald of Wilton did in supporting equal marriage rights for gay New Yorkers in 2011. Or as Mr. Bonacic is doing in standing up for a woman's right to choose in 2016. We hope that more of his colleagues will follow his courageous lead. Tipperary Co. Council accorded its highest honour to Senator Labhras O'Murchu on Thursday evening, a full Civic Reception for the man described as an 'iconic person'. This is only the third time that Tipperary Co. Council has granted a Civic Reception since its North-South merger in 2014, and the first time for an individual instead of a group. Cathaoirleach of the Council Seamus Hanafin proposed the motion, seconded by Cllr John Fahey. Cllr Hanafin said a Civic Reception is not lightly awarded. They are only given to people of signifcant merit, and signicant achievement. Cllr Roger Kennedy praised Senator O'Murchu as one of Ireland's great orators, while Cllr Michael Fitzgerald Kennedy said the organisation of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann and Senator O'Murchu are so inextricably linked that it would be difficult to separate them in the eyes of the general public. After the foundation of the state, Irish traditional music was in decline and in danger of extinction. That all changed in 1951: the preservation of Irish traditional music had begun, and 65 years on the music is thriving across the whole country. Cllr Fiona Bonfield, Cllr Seamie Morris, Cllr Tom Wood, and Deputy Mattie McGrath all paid tribute to the man described as an iconic person and fantastic republican. In his acceptance speech, Senator O'Murchu touched on the themes of love of county and pride of place. Democracy is very fragile. And there are always others who will not put themselves forwards for election. We do need now in our society is to realise there are huge challenges. I think of the parents and the hundreds of thousands who have emigrated in recent years throughout the world. Senator O'Murchu urged others to support Irish business and industry. Why should a nation like ours, steeped in civilisation, steeped in antiquity probably more than any nation in the world, why should we settle for the baubles at the end of the day? The Senator and his wife Una were gifted a bespoke handcrafted wooden lampshade carved in the shape of a stringed instrument by a local craftsman from Templemore. [February 01, 2016] AdvisorStream Joins Exclusive Canadian Technology Accelerator Program TORONTO, Feb. 1st, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - AdvisorStream Ltd. has been selected through a rigorous selection process as one of a small handful of companies to join the 2016 Canadian Technology Accelerator for Digital Tech in New York City. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160129/327310LOGO) The program, managed by the Consulate General of Canada in New York, is created to help new highly innovative Canadian technology companies achieve a faster liftoff internationally. AdvisorStream will now benefit from the CTA's links with global markets and its support team of entrepreneurial experts and industry leaders. To qualify for the program, AdvisorStream had to demonstrate four key properties: 1. A differentiating technology solution. 2. Significant marketplace traction. 3. High scalability. 4. A well qualified management team. All of these were well proven during the lively gestation period since AdvisorStream's late 2014 launch, AdviorStream's first to market innovation is an automated system of client base development called Publication-Powered Content Marketing. Founded on a unique content curation and distribution business model, AdvisorStream equips financial advisors with the licensed prestige content, automation processes and digital communication tools necessary to develop a high response relationship with their clients. For the first time individual advisors can gain economical access to curated and fully licensed content from the world's top new sources including Reuters, Forbes, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, Investopedia, and many others. Kevin Mulhern, CEO and co-founder of AdvisorStream and his entire management team are extremely happy about the CTA opportunity: "The platform represents a significant advance in the effectiveness and ease with which financial advisors attract and retain their clients. For the first time enterprise powered marketing automation tools are accessible by the individual advisor. The CTA program we know will help us continue our growth and quickly widen awareness of AdvisorStream around the world." "Congratulations and on behalf of the whole CTA NYC Digital Tech Team, we look forward to working with AdvisorStream!" Irena Harris, on behalf of the entire CTA NYC Digital Tech Team Trade Commissioner / Canadian Technology Accelerator About AdvisorStream First to market publisher powered content marketing platform Automates powerful client communication and lead generation Ensures advisor can grow their business effectively with little investment Positions advisors as thought leaders, and increases the value they provide clients About The CTA Program Provides high-growth companies with access to NYC's technology and business eco-system Facilitates relationships with key industry leaders and investors Access to a NYC office and resources to speed growth SOURCE AdvisorStream Ltd. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 01, 2016] Altitude Strategy Center Delivers Intelligent Outbound at the Speed of Business UK Insurance Services Provider Increases Contact Rates and Conversion with Altitude Solution Lisbon, Portugal, February 1th, 2016 Altitude Software, a global provider of omnichannel solutions to deliver great customer experiences, today announces the availability of the latest Altitude Strategy Center solution. It provides contact centers with state-of the-art features for the real-time strategic control of outbound campaigns, maximizing success rates and improving customer experience. Altitude Strategy Center helps contact center management choose the right contacts to dial at the right time. Contact lists can be used in multiple campaigns and can be segmented using a multitude of parameters from each contact profile and history. This segmentation allows the contact center to prioritize the most relevant and most likely to succeed contacts for each specific campaign. Dialing can be controlled and managed using KPIs, priorities, filters, agent skills, etc. Real-time campaign performance monitoring allows for fast adjustment and enhancement of campaign strategy. Intelligent customer engagement is key for business growth Our Strategy Center helps companies become more efficient and more successful in their contacts and communications in sales, marketing and customer service, states David Romero, Chief Marketing Officer at Altitude. We enable contact centers to intelligently engage customers by delivering the right message, at the right time, using the right channel, and the right agent. Altitude Strategy Center helps optimizing campaign strategies by supporting multiple contact lists and DNCLs per campaign, offering complex outbound dialing rules and rescheduling parameters, allowing to choose between several pacing modes and different agent skills. Management can also closely monitor each segment by setting specific alarms and changing contact strategies in real time, to guarantee optimal performance and quickly adapt to new emerging business needs relevant to the campaign goals. UK Insurance Services Provider Increases Contact Rates and Conversion Europa Group provides a wide range of insurance solutions to the general public, insurance brokers, insurance companies and affinity partners in the UK. Following significant business growth over the last few years, Europa Group decided to improve its capacity to follow-up leads by phone and to maximize sales, while unifying telesales operations for all their products and services. The Altitude Strategy Center enabled Europa Group to create business segments, extensive filters, automatic time schedules and others to maximize each contact list to its fullest. Associating business segments with high value data to the best agents also improved business results and agent performance. Paul Sanders, Dialer Manager at Europa Group stated that Altitude Strategy Center gave them the Ability to dynamically target high value data at a given particular time frame when historical analysis has shown value to be gained. (You can learn more here) For more information about the Altitude Strategy Center click here . You can also download our new Guide to Design Effective Outbound Campaign Strategies here. As a community-building service, TMCnet allows user submitted content which is not always proofed by TMCnet editors. If you feel this entry is of inferior quality or wish to report it for some reason, please forward the URL to "webedit [AT] tmcnet [DOT] com" with your comments. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 01, 2016] Biometrics: Market Share, Size, Growth and Trend to 2015 to 2021: Radiant Insights, Inc The Global biometrics market is projected to attain USD 44.2 billion by 2021. It had a prior estimated revenue totaling USD 7 billion in 2014. Biometrics in commercial and government sectors can serve as identity proof. Use of this technology to get rid of terrorist concerns will spur market demand in the years ahead. Biometrics can identify a person based on its physical characteristics. Common characteristics are DNA, fingerprints, voice, and face. Most modern hybrid biometrics employs onboard fingerprint readers. Portability issues have led to breakthroughs resulting in different weights, sizes, and battery length. Automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS), non-AFIS, facial recognition, iris scans, biometric signatures, data encoders, bar coders, and document scanners are various devices in the biometric market. Technology breakthroughs, improved mobile technology, and miniaturization have made unimaginable scenarios possible. Voter registration is possible in economies with low-literacy rates. Identifying a person of interest in a crowd that can pose a security threat is also within the biometric devices range. Browse Full Report With TOC @ http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/biometrics-market-shares-market-strategies-and-market-forecasts-2015-to-2021 TYPES OF BIOMETRIC DEVICES Automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS) Palm and vein reading systems that supplement AFIS Non-automated fingerprint identification systems Facial recognition Iris scans Integrated AFIS, face, and iris systems DNA readers Biometric signatures Data encoders Bar coder Document scanner Related reports by Radiant Insights: http://www.radiantinsights.com/catalog/technology-and-media Thwarting terrorist attacks, attempt to lower crime rates, and enforcing airport security have resulted in increased investment in the biometrics market. Government projects that have adopted the technology to include ePassports, eDriving licenses, national IDs, and border management. India, China, and Russia are driving the market by adopting the technology. China uses a biometric national ID program beginning from 2013, which India will soon emulate. Key end-users of the market are consumer devices, healthcare, and finance. Applications include consumer device authentication, smart phone payment systems, government IT systems, mobile banking, automated teller machines, point-of-sale transactions, and pharmacy dispensing. Healthcare sector can use it to identify frauds, investigate insurance claims, and protect patent privacy. Implementing it in e-commerce websites can guarantee secure transactions. North America will dominate the biometrics market over the forecast period (2015-2021) on account of biometric technology being adopted by defense, justice, state, commerce, and homeland security departments in the region. Asia Pacific will exhibit a significant growth rate in the coming years. The UIDAI project in India uses face, fingerprint, and eye recognition, while Indonesia uses e-KTP electronic ID. Prominent players of the biometrics market are Cognitec Systems, Fingerprint Cards AB, Diamond Fortress, FaceFirst, and Gemalto. About Radiant Insights Radiant Insights is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. We assist and facilitate organizations and individuals procure market research reports, helping them in the decision making process. We have a comprehensive collection of reports, covering over 40 key industries and a host of micro markets. In addition to over extensive database of reports, our experienced research coordinators also offer a host of ancillary services such as, research partnerships/ tie-ups and customized research solutions. For More Information, Visit http://www.radiantinsights.com/ Contact: Michelle Thoras Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Radiant Insights, Inc Phone: 1-415-349-0054 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: [email protected] Blog URL: http://www.radiantinsightsinc.blogspot.com As a community-building service, TMCnet allows user submitted content which is not always proofed by TMCnet editors. If you feel this entry is of inferior quality or wish to report it for some reason, please forward the URL to "webedit [AT] tmcnet [DOT] com" with your comments. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 01, 2016] Gray Chairman Dr. Billy Mayher Passes Away ATLANTA, Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gray Television, Inc. ("Gray" or "we" or "our") (NYSE: GTN and GTN.A) announced today that William E. Mayher, III, the Chairman of our Board since August 1993, passed away peacefully yesterday in Athens, Georgia. He was 77 years old. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Mayher had been an active member of our Board of Directors, serving on and chairing virtually every Board committee at various times. For over twenty years, he provided stability and reliable leadership as Gray transformed itself from a small newspaper publisher and broadcaster into one of the largest pure-play television groups in the country. "We are saddened by the loss f our Chairman, Billy Mayher," remarked Hilton H. Howell, Jr., our Vice-Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Billy's tremendous strength of character was as great as his remarkable humility for all that this brilliant man achieved and gave throughout his life. Gray is a better company because of Billy's leadership, and we will continue to dedicate ourselves to the values that he imparted to us." Dr. Mayher had a long and distinguished career as a neurosurgeon in Albany, Georgia from 1970 to 1998. Among his many other civic responsibilities, he served as Chairman of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia; Chairman of the Medical College of Georgia Foundation Board; and Chairman of the Albany Regional Airport Commission. He also served on numerous boards, including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame Board. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 3, 2016, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 212 N Jefferson St., Albany, Georgia. About Gray Television: Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE: GTN and GTN.A) is a television broadcast company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, that owns and operates television stations and leading digital assets in markets throughout the United States. Upon the consummation of all announced transactions, our stations will reach approximately 9.4 percent of total United States television households. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160131/327749 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gray-chairman-dr-billy-mayher-passes-away-300212614.html SOURCE Gray Television, Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 01, 2016] MetLife Agricultural Loans Reach $3.2 Billion in 2015 MetLife, Inc. (NYSE:MET) announced today that it originated $3.2 billion in agricultural loans in 2015 through its Agricultural Investments Department. MetLife is one of the largest agricultural mortgage lenders in North America with a portfolio of $13.2 billion as of September 30, 2015, the largest in the company's history. "MetLife had a busy year lending to its agricultural customers in the United States and abroad, growing our portfolio to a record level in 2015," said Robert Merck, senior managing director and global head of agricultural investments for MetLife. "We are approaching our 100th anniversary as an agricultural lender, so our customers know that they can rely on MetLife as a trusted source of financing for the long-term growth of their business, and this drives our success year after year." Agricultural investments are an important part of MetLife's asset-liability matching program. The long-term nature of these investments makes them a good match for the long-term liabilities the company writes. In 2015, the average loan-to-value ratio of MetLife's overall agricultural mortgage portfolio was 43 percent. "We are proud of our performance in 2015, growing our portfolio to a record $13.2 billion despite lower commodity prices and the drought in California," said Barry Bogseth, managing director and head of MetLife's agricultural portfolio unit. "In 2016, we expect to continue our growth by identifying superior agricultural lending opportunities in the United States and abroad." Highlights of MetLife's domestic and international agricultural lending transactions for 2015 include: GP Irrigated Farms, LLC $26 million, 25-year term loan fixed for 10 years Secured by improved farmland and water rights located in southeast Colorado Security is used for the production of dairy feedstuffs, including alfalfa Hartung Brothers, Inc. $11.2 million, 10-year fixed rate Secured by improved farmland located in south central Wisconsin Security is used primarily for the production of seed corn and vegetables Seanaria Farms, LLC $47.55 million, 20-year variable rate loan Secured by high quality irrigated farmland located in the San Joaquin Valley of California Security is used for the production of almonds and pistachios, one of many properties under the Maha Investments LLC umbrella, managed by a family with decades of experience in tree nut production Lex Richland L.P. $110 million, 10-year fixed rate loan Secured by a 456,412 square foot cold warehouse and distribution facility located in Washington State operated to provide refrigerated storage and logistics services to a packaged foods company Lex Richland L.P. is an affiliate of Lexington Realty Trust. Financing was arranged through Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P. Acadian Timber Corp. $82.5 million, senior secured, in two tranches: $72.5 million five-year fixed and $10 million revolving line of credit with a five-year term Secured by timberland located in Maine and in New Brunswick, Canada Acadian Timber Corp. is a leading supplier of primary forest products in Eastern Canada and the Northeastern U.S. The assets are managed by Brookfield Asset Management, a global alternative asset manager. MetLife's Agricultural Investments Department oversees an agricultural portfolio consisting primarily of mortgages for farms, ranches, food production, agribusiness and timberland. MetLife has provided agricultural financing solutions since 1917 and is one of the largest agricultural mortgage lenders in North America. MetLife has agricultural investments offices in Fresno, Calif., Overland Park, Kan., Memphis, Tenn., and a consulting office in Sao Paulo, Brazil. About MetLife, Inc. MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("MetLife"), is one of the largest life insurance companies in the world. Founded in 1868, MetLife is a global provider of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management. Serving approximately 100 million customers, MetLife has operations in nearly 50 countries and holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com. Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain or incorporate by reference information that includes or is based upon forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements give expectations or forecasts of future events. These statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They use words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe" and other words and terms of similar meaning, or are tied to future periods, in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance. In particular, these include statements relating to future actions, prospective services or products, future performance or results of current and anticipated services or products, sales efforts, expenses, the outcome of contingencies such as legal proceedings, trends in operations and financial results. Any or all forward-looking statements may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Many such factors will be important in determining the actual future results of MetLife, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates. These statements are based on current expectations and the current economic environment. They involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. These statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties, and other factors that might cause such differences include the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in MetLife, Inc.'s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K (the "Annual Report") filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC (News - Alert)"), Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed by MetLife, Inc. with the SEC after the date of the Annual Report under the captions "Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors," and other filings MetLife, Inc. makes with the SEC. MetLife, Inc. does not undertake any obligation to publicly correct or update any forward-looking statement if MetLife, Inc. later becomes aware that such statement is not likely to be achieved. Please consult any further disclosures MetLife, Inc. makes on related subjects in reports to the SEC. L0116454409[exp1217][All States] View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160201005146/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 01, 2016] Pamplona Capital Management Acquires Veritext NEW YORK, LONDON, and LIVINGSTON, New Jersey, February 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- - Veritext is the leader in deposition and litigation support solutions servicing law firms Fortune 500 corporations and regulatory agencies across the United States. - Veritext's state-of-the-art facilities, highly skilled court reporters, and advanced technology provide unparalleled client service and on-time delivery. - Pamplona has significant experience investing in business-services companies. - Veritext's management team is delighted that Pamplona has committed to supporting the Company's long-term growth objectives. Pamplona Capital Management LLC ("Pamplona"), a global private equity investment firm, is pleased to announce that it has acquired VText Holdings, Inc. ("Veritext" or the "Company"). Veritext was previously owned by private equity firm Investcorp which acquired the business in 2010. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Veritext, headquartered in Livingston, New Jersey, is the leader in deposition and litigation support solutions in the United States. Veritext provides law firms and corporations with national coverage, state-of-the-art facilities, highly skilled court reporters, advanced technology, unparalleled client service and on-time delivery. The Company utilizes the latest, easy-to-use technologies to streamline the deposition process, enhance delivery flexibility, and reliably handle the most complex cases. Proprietary video, mobile and remote services combined with unmatched security help to ensure that Veritext clients have the best tools available and the confidence of working with the market leader. Nancy Josephs, Chief Executive Officer of Veritext, said: " We are extremely excited to work in partnershipwith Pamplona to continue to grow Veritext as the premier brand in deposition services. Our culture of best-in-class service and innovation has propelled Veritext into its current leadership position. We are thrilled about what the future holds and to collaborate with the team at Pamplona who share our vision of transformation and growth." William Pruellage, the Partner at Pamplona leading the transaction, commented: "Veritext is the leading provider of deposition services in the U.S. and we look forward to working with CEO Nancy Josephs, CFO Richard Antoneck and the rest of the management team to support the continued growth of the Company going forward. Veritext is the gold-standard in deposition services with an industry-leading product and technology offering. Pamplona will work with management to accelerate the Company's growth ambitions by providing long-term financial and strategic support. We believe that Veritext has significant opportunities to leverage its proprietary technology offering to continue to grow both organically and through accretive tuck-in acquisitions." The Veritext investment is being made from Pamplona's fourth private equity fund, Pamplona Capital Partners IV, L.P., a $4 billion investment vehicle, raised in 2014. Pamplona received legal advice from Skadden Arps. The transaction was financed with a first lien term loan arranged by Madison Capital Funding, BMO and Antares Capital, as well as a second lien term loan arranged by Eaglehill, PennantPark and Babson Capital Management. About Veritext Veritext was founded in 1997 with the goal of providing superior services to the legal industry. With almost two decades of continued industry excellence, Veritext is the established leader in providing technology-driven deposition and litigation support services to law firms and corporations around the globe. More information can be found at http://www.veritext.com. About Pamplona Capital Management Pamplona Capital Management LLC is a New York and London-based specialist investment manager established in 2005 that provides an alternative investment platform across private equity, fund of hedge funds and single manager hedge fund investments. Pamplona Capital Management LLC manages over USD 10 billion in assets across a number of funds for a variety of clients including public pension funds, international wealth managers, multinational corporations, family offices and funds of hedge funds. Pamplona is currently investing its fourth private equity fund, Pamplona Capital Partners IV, L.P., which was raised in 2014. Pamplona invests long-term capital across the capital structure of its portfolio companies in both public and private market situations. Please see http://www.pamplonafunds.com for further information. Media Contacts Pamplona Capital Management Temple Bar Advisory Ed Orlebar Phone: +44-773-872-4630 Email: [email protected] Veritext Valerie Berger SVP, Marketing Phone: +1-973-549-4541 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Pamplona Capital Management [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 01, 2016] HighQ and RAVN Systems Partner to Take Legal and Financial Process Efficiency to the Next Level with Revolutionary Artificial Intelligence Technology LONDON, February 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- HighQ, a leader in collaboration and content management solutions, and RAVN Systems, experts in artificial intelligence, enterprise search and big data, today announced a strategic partnership that will see them advance their offerings for the Legal and Financial sectors. The two companies have worked together to integrate their products and have agreed a strategic partnership to deepen their combined offering and accelerate the adoption of innovative new ways of working in knowledge and transaction intensive industries. HighQ's market-leading Collaborate transaction management platform provides tools to help law firms, banks and other professional services organisations work efficiently on large deals, transactions and projects using their advanced file sharing, task management and workflow features. With the integration of RAVN's Applied Cognitive Engine (ACE), mutual customers can now take advantage of RAVN's market-leading artificial intelligence to dramatically improve transactional efficiency by automatically reading, interpreting and summarising key information from documents and unstructured data. The integration of the two products allows RAVN ACE to pull unstructured data from HighQ Collaborate, analyse it and then push the extracted data and summary information back into Collaborate's iSheets module. This allows customers to automate key aspects of traditionally very time-consuming and inefficient processes, such as due diligence projects, property lease reviews and governance of the contracts which control OTC derivative trading. HighQ and RAVN will be demonstrating this revolutionary technology on Tuesday, February 2nd at their HighQ Frum in New York. "We are thrilled to be working with the team at RAVN, who have been doing some very exciting work in applying their artificial intelligence engine to improve complex transactional processes." said Stuart Barr, Chief Strategy Officer at HighQ. "We see many areas where our combined technology can have a dramatic effect on the profitability and efficiency of law firms, banks and other highly transactional businesses." continued Barr. "In many ways, HighQ and RAVN have been approaching the same problems from opposite ends of the technology and process spectrum and I'm excited that we're meeting in the middle where the combined effect of our technologies will be far greater than the sum of their parts." added Barr. "There are obvious synergies for us partnering with HighQ to bring together our innovative artificial intelligence technology with their broadly adopted deal room and collaboration environment. The possibilities the combined technology opens up for law firms and financial institutions can revolutionize their approach to transactional processing," commented Peter Wallqvist, CEO at RAVN Systems. "RAVN is the missing link for driving efficiencies and accuracies for organizations which process large volumes of unstructured data, which when combined with HighQ's workflow, collaboration and document production capabilities, delivers a cutting edge product offering," he continued. Wallqvist concluded, "We see the value that our combined offering will bring to customers as being truly transformational for them." About HighQ HighQ provides innovative enterprise collaboration and content management solutions to the world's leading law firms, banks, governments and corporations. The company's blue-chip client base includes over 40% of the global top 100 law firms and some of the largest global financial institutions. HighQ combines secure, enterprise-grade technology with an amazing user experience to transform the way businesses collaborate, communicate and share information securely in the cloud. Founded in 2001, HighQ is headquartered in London, with offices in New York, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Sydney and Ahmedabad (India). For more information please visit: highq.com Press Contact Alexa Wilcox +44-20-7220-5340 [email protected] About RAVN Systems RAVN Systems has extremely broad and deep experience with Unstructured Data processing and offers revolutionary cognitive solutions for any information intensive vertical. RAVN expertise and solutions deliver long-term value, competitive advantages and help manage and mitigate risk through surfacing and harnessing the information contained within unstructured data. For more information please visit: http://www.ravn.co.uk Press Contact Rebecca Hawkes +44-20-7566-0000 [email protected] SOURCE RAVN Systems [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 01, 2016] Survey: Bush/Clinton Political Match-Up Most Lucrative for Advertisers CHICAGO, Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A Bush versus Clinton presidential race would be best for business for the nation's leading political advertising firms. That's the conclusion of STRATA's new survey of national political ad agencies. When asked which candidate would generate the strongest ad spend, 44% of agencies believe that former Governor Jeb Bush would be the strongest Republican revenue generator, while they unanimously agreed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would be the highest spending Democratic nominee. Senator Marco Rubio followed Bush as the number two choice, with 28% of agencies saying he would spend the most. Most surprisingly, front-runner Donald Trump came in as the third potentially highest spending Republican with just 22% of agencies selecting Trump as their top choice. STRATA, an advertising technology firm and maker of media buying and selling software, polled agencies representing approximately 75% of total political advertising billings nationwide. "It's not that surprising that, from a pure business perspective, political advertising agencies would like to see a Clinton-Bush matchup," said Judd Rubin, Vice President of STRATA. "But the story is Trump and his command of the earned media game. We've never seen anything like it and we may never see it again. After this campaign, there will be college courses examining Trump's uncanny ability to demand media attention and his use of Twitter." The survey also shows that spot local) TV is still the overwhelming choice of political advertisers and provides the best return on investment (ROI). Eighty-three percent of agencies utilize spot TV the most with national TV trailing in second with 11% of agencies. Spot TV is viewed as providing the best ROI according to 78% of agencies, while other agencies feel social media (11%), national TV (6%), and digital video (6%) are better vehicles to communicate candidates' message. Also surprising is that client budgets allocated for political advertising this year are just modestly larger or even flat for many political agencies. When compared to past presidential election years, 33% of agencies saw political advertising budgets remain the same. Fifty-six percent of agencies saw their budgets increase up to 20% and another 11% of agencies saw budget increases of over 20%. While social media remains strong for campaigns, paid social accounts for less than 10% of ad budgets for a majority of the agencies polled. The most utilized social platform is Facebook, which is used by 79% of agencies. YouTube and Twitter are used by 58%, followed by Instagram and Google+ (32% each), and Snapchat (27%). LinkedIn tied Periscope at 5% of agencies. "Political campaigns have become very sophisticated in how they reach potential voters, yet they continue to feel that the traditional medium of spot TV is the most effective advertising tool, even as the advertising industry continues to fragment outside of political advertising," added Rubin. For spot TV, most ads are purchased very close to their actual airtime as 95% of political agencies generally purchase these ads less than one month in advance. Looking forward, 89% agencies predict October 2016 to be the month with the largest ad spend. About STRATA The solutions that STRATA provides empowers clients to buy and sell all media types including cable, broadcast, newspaper, radio, outdoor and digital advertising mediums. On average, over $50 Billion in advertising dollars flow through STRATA systems per year. As the system of choice for over 1,000 agencies in the United States, STRATA provides media technology that enables organizations to lead rather than react to industry developments. By transforming the way advertisements are placed and tracked, STRATA adds a new level of transparency to campaigns that is necessary in the ever-evolving media world. For more information, visit www.gotostrata.com. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/survey-bushclinton-political-match-up-most-lucrative-for-advertisers-300212672.html SOURCE STRATA [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 01, 2016] Tektronix Unveils New Logo, Brand Strategy BEAVERTON, Ore., Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tektronix, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of measurement solutions, today launched a new logo and brand strategy, marking the most significant change in its visual identity in 24 years. Founded in 1946, Tektronix is one of the most iconic companies in the electronics industry. On the eve of the company's 70th anniversary, the refreshed logo pays homage to this heritage while pointing the way toward the next phase of the company's evolution, one focused on accelerating the realization of innovative, world-changing technologies. The legacy Tektronix logo has been refashioned, with the angle incorporated within the logotype as an upwards gesture of progress. The sans-serif type is given character by subtly clipping the 'T' letterforms, echoing the blue angle. Simple, definitive lines reflect our promise of performance. "The new logo desgn emerged from work we completed on behalf of our customers," said Pat Byrne, president of Tektronix. "Through this process we interviewed over a thousand customers, partners and employees worldwide to gain insight into buyer behaviors and trends. The result is a clear focus for our brand on why customers choose our products and services." Electronic engineers have turned to Tektronix in search of general purpose measurement instrumentation. But as complexity and time-to-market pressures have increased, they need a much more complete solution to tackle these complex measurement problems and automate difficult measurement tasks. This in turn involves creating a stronger customer experience and brand identity that reinforces an emphasis on collaboration, integration, insight, precision, simplicity and velocity. "We have been moving toward a stronger focus on applications and solutions to address specific customer needs," Byrne added. "The new brand strategy reflects our evolution from a product-centric hardware company to an application-focused technology company focused on accelerating the measurement insight path for our customers with increasing accuracy, speed, and ease." The new logo has been rolled out across Tektronix digital and physical properties around the world, and compliments a comprehensive re-design of Tektronix websites that make it easier for customers to quickly find the solutions they need. New products will use the refreshed logo going forward. Existing inventory will continue to use the current logo during the transition period. Wondering what else Tektronix is up to? Check out the Tektronix Bandwidth Banter blog and stay up to date on the latest news from Tektronix on Twitter and Facebook. About Tektronix Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix delivers innovative, precise and easy-to-operate test, measurement and monitoring solutions that solve problems, unlock insights and drive discovery. Tektronix has been at the forefront of the digital age for 70 years. Join us on the journey of innovation at www.tek.com. Tektronix is a registered trademark of Tektronix, Inc. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160125/325848 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160125/325847LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tektronix-unveils-new-logo-brand-strategy-300209552.html SOURCE Tektronix, Inc [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 01, 2016] Onix Expands Cloud Computing Offering to Federal Government LAKEWOOD, Ohio, Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Google's Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) have been designated to be FedRAMP Compliant. The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is a government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. Services with this designation are approved for use by all Federal Government agencies. Google Services, which holds the FedRAMP designation, is comprised of Google's multi-tenant public and hybrid Google Apps cloud instances and multi-tenant public cloud Google App Engine. These services are built on top of the Google Common Infrastructure. Google Apps is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) cloud deployment model that allows customers the ability to communicate, store files and collaborate with Gmail, Hangouts, Talk, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Vault, Sites, Groups, Contacts and Classroom while managing their domain with the Admin Console. Google App Engine is a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) cloud deployment model, providing customers an environment in which to easily build, run ad manage their applications on Google's infrastructure. "Now that Google has completed the federal government's process to achieve FedRAMP designation, we look forward to expanding relationships with our current federal, state and local government customers as well as establishing relationships with agencies we're not currently engaged with," said Dal Vandervort, Vice President of Sales - Public Sector for Onix. "Google Search and Google Maps have proved to be very successful solutions for our federal customers, and we are confident that Google Apps and Google App Engine will be as well." About Onix Onix (Onix Networking Corp.) is a leading developer and provider of IT solutions and services to a broad range of government and corporate customers. Onix partners with IT industry leaders and offers extensive expertise in the design and implementation of end-to-end comprehensive IT solutions. Onix has been a Google partner since 2001, and was named by Google as their "North American Deployment Partner of the Year - Apps Enterprise" in 2012 and their "Global Partner of the Year - Enterprise Search" in both 2012 and 2013. The Google Search for Work team named Onix as their "Operations and Deployment Partner of the Year - Americas" in 2014. Onix also specializes in cloud computing technologies. Onix is headquartered in Lakewood, OH. For more information, visit www.onixnet.com. Contact: Karen Masuga Marketing Communications Manager 216-529-3043 [email protected] Onix Networking is a trademark of Onix Networking Corp. All other company and product names in this document are the property of their respective owners. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/onix-expands-cloud-computing-offering-to-federal-government-300212044.html SOURCE Onix [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 01, 2016] 'CNN Politics Campaign 2016: Like, Share, Elect' To Open at the Newseum April 15 WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In partnership with CNN, the Newseum announced today that on April 15, 2016, it will open "CNN Politics Campaign 2016: Like, Share, Elect," a new interactive exhibit that tells the story of the 2016 presidential campaign in real time. The exhibit will provide a one-of-a-kind immersive experience that allows visitors to explore the ways digital and social media have transformed how candidates campaign, how journalists cover elections and how the public participates in the political process. Along with CNN Politics, the Newseum is partnering with Facebook, Instagram, Zignal Labs and Pivit on this innovative educational experience that connects visitors to the campaign trail in relevant, fun and interactive ways. Newseumvisitors will be able to explore a variety of groundbreaking on-screen experiences and video presentations that will put them at the center of the campaign: CNN Facebook #CampaignConfessional: CNN and Facebook are touring the country, capturing messages and posing voter's questions to candidates. This interactive exhibit, a custom visual experience built and powered by FoxTales, will Newseum visitors that same opportunity to record a campaign message, to share it, and get their questions answered. CNN and Facebook are touring the country, capturing messages and posing voter's questions to candidates. This interactive exhibit, a custom visual experience built and powered by FoxTales, will Newseum visitors that same opportunity to record a campaign message, to share it, and get their questions answered. CNN and Instagram Campaign Cinemagraphs: Exquisite moving photographs using advanced tools of photojournalism will be displayed, delivering an intimate look at the candidates running for president, alongside trending headlines and images direct from the campaign trail. Exquisite moving photographs using advanced tools of photojournalism will be displayed, delivering an intimate look at the candidates running for president, alongside trending headlines and images direct from the campaign trail. Matchmaker: Visitors will be able to use an interactive kiosk to identify the candidate who best matches their views on current issues. Visitors will be able to use an interactive kiosk to identify the candidate who best matches their views on current issues. Zignal Command Center: Campaigns change instantly based on real-time news events, and Zignal Labs Command Center will display real-time trending issues and events that influence campaigns and the journalists who cover them. Visitors will be able to toggle between candidates and visualizations of cross media (social, print and digital news) analysis. Campaigns change instantly based on real-time news events, and Zignal Labs Command Center will display real-time trending issues and events that influence campaigns and the journalists who cover them. Visitors will be able to toggle between candidates and visualizations of cross media (social, print and digital news) analysis. Pivit Political Prediction Markets: For what has been dubbed the "data election," CNN has partnered with Pivit to create a real-time political prediction market index to capture the public's opinion on the key question, "Who do you think will win?" Pivit has built the largest prediction marketplace for politics, with results constantly changing in real time, like a political stock exchange. CNN and Pivit are upping the ante by bringing CNN's Political Prediction Market to the Newseum so that visitors can weigh in with their own predictions. For what has been dubbed the "data election," CNN has partnered with Pivit to create a real-time political prediction market index to capture the public's opinion on the key question, "Who do you think will win?" Pivit has built the largest prediction marketplace for politics, with results constantly changing in real time, like a political stock exchange. CNN and Pivit are upping the ante by bringing CNN's Political Prediction Market to the Newseum so that visitors can weigh in with their own predictions. CNN Magic Wall: Visitors will be given the chance to explore voter demographics in some of the key states and races at the heart of the campaign. "Today, there is great excitement, anxiety and confusion often all at the same time about the technological disruption of the media, what it means for an informed citizenry, and how these new tools affect presidential elections," said Jeffrey Herbst, president and CEO of the Newseum. "The exhibit will encourage visitors to engage in the democratic process by providing them access to new forms of information and big data perspectives throughout the 2016 election." Gallery guides and lesson plans are available at NewseumED.org to help learners of all ages gain a better understanding of presidential history, media literacy and the democratic process. To learn more about the "CNN Politics Campaign 2016: Like, Share, Elect" exhibit, follow @Newseum and #LikeShareElect on Twitter. The exhibit will be on display through Jan. 22, 2017, the last day of inauguration weekend. About the Newseum The Newseum is dedicated to free expression and the five freedoms of the First Amendment: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. Through exhibits, programs and education, the Newseum works to ensure that these fundamental freedoms remain strong and protected both today and for future generations. Headquartered on historic Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., the Newseum's compelling, dynamic and engaging exhibits, programs and education initiatives help ensure that these fundamental freedoms remain strong and protected both today and for future generations. The Newseum Institute promotes the study, exploration and education of the challenges confronting freedom through its First Amendment Center and the Religious Freedom Center. The Newseum is a 501(c)(3) public charity funded by generous individuals, corporations and foundations, including the Freedom Forum. For more information, visit newseum.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Video - http://youtu.be/z26QX72hXY8 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cnn-politics-campaign-2016-like-share-elect-to-open-at-the-newseum-april-15-300212871.html SOURCE Newseum [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 01, 2016] Amela Wilson Named Vice President of Sensor and Fire Control Solutions at Elbit Systems of America FORT WORTH, Texas, February 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Elbit Systems of America, LLC, announced today that Dr. Amela Wilson has joined the company as Vice President of its Sensors and Fire Control Solutions business unit. Dr. Wilson comes to Elbit Systems of America from L-3 Aerospace Systems where, most recently, she was Sector Vice President in charge of the Program Management, Platform and Logistics sector responsible for execution of strategic, high revenue and high visibility programs. In her new role, Dr. Wilson will use her depth of experience in business growth, program management, and process improvement to build relationships with customers and industry partners and lead Elbit Systems of America's extensive portfolio of electro-optical and electronic systems solutions. "Amela has distinguished herself in our industry as a collaborative, energetic and intelligent leader," commented Raanan Horowitz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Elbit Systems of America. "We look forward to Amela's contributions and leadership." A trained electrical engineer, Dr. Wilson holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Masters and Doctoral degrees from Texas A&M University. She also completed the Executive Leadership program at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. About Elbit Systems of America, LLC Elbit Systems of America is a leading provider of high performance products, system solutions, and support services focusing on the commercial aviation, defense, homeland security, cyber security, and medical instrumentation markets. With facilities throughout the United States, Elbit Systems of America is dedicated to supporting those who contribute daily to the safety and security of the United States. Elbit Systems of America, LLC is wholly owned by Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDQ and TASE: ESLT), a global electronics company engaged in a wide range of programs for innovative defense and commercial applications. For additional information, visit: http://www.elbitsystems-us.com or follow us on Twitter. About Elbit Systems Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international high technology company engaged in a wide range of defense, homeland security and commercial programs throughout the world. The Company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance ("C4ISR"), unmanned aircraft systems, advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, EW suites, signal intelligence systems, data links and communications systems, radios and cyber-based systems. The Company also focuses on the upgrading of existing platforms, developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and commercial applications and providing a range of support services, including training and simulation systems. For additional information, visit: http://www.elbitsystems.com or follow us on Twitter. Trademarks Elbit Systems of America and other trademarks, service marks and logos are registered or unregistered marks of Elbit Systems of America companies in the United States and in foreign countries. Copyright 2016 Elbit Systems of America. All rights reserved. Forward Looking Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) regarding Elbit Systems Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries (collectively the Company), to the extent such statements do not relate to historical or current fact. Forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results, performance and trends may differ materially from these forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation: scope and length of customer contracts; governmental regulations and approvals; changes in governmental budgeting priorities; general market, political and economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates or sells, including Israel and the United States among others; differences in anticipated and actual program performance, including the ability to perform under long-term fixed-price contracts; and the outcome of legal and/or regulatory proceedings. The factors listed above are not all-inclusive, and further information is contained in Elbit Systems Ltd.'s latest annual report on Form 20-F, which is on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. The Company does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements. Contact: Shari Clarkson, +1-682-286-2363, [email protected] SOURCE Elbit Systems of America [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [February 01, 2016] Intrusive robo-dialing: Good news, the end is near HOPKINS, Minnesota, Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The scene is all too familiar: you're in the middle of dinner and suddenly a telemarketer's call or dead air on the end of the line rudely interrupts your meal. Thanks to the FCC, this approach is gradually becoming a thing of the past. On June 18, 2015, the FCC adopted a proposal that will eventually lead to the demise of those unwanted calls. But due to increased regulation, privacy concerns and people just not answering their phones, the market research industry is now taking a new approach to gathering data. Each month callers make approximately 5 billion misdialed, incomplete, disconnected or inbound calls (known as MIDI calls) to phone numbers that are not currently in use by any other business. As discussed in a recent CNBC article, these MIDI calls provide market research firms with a new way to conduct market research with consumers. "At any given time we have hundreds of thousands of numbers not in use but receiving IDI calls," says Scott Richards, CEO of Reconnect Research, a subsidiary of Dial800 a company that has connected consumers with companies for the last 25 years. Richards says that Reconnect Research is gathering information via MIDI calls that could provide valuable information to the general public. "For example, if an infectious disease breaks out, within hours we can find out if people are sick and pass that information along to the appropriate authorities." MIDI calls also put an end to the dreaded "robo-call" that interrupts your dinner. If you dial a number and reach a survey instead, you always have the option of hanging up. You're the one in control and it doesn't become a disturbance in your day. Initial case studies of MIDI call surveys show that the quality of the data collected is on par with traditional research firms and they also show large participation rates. People seem to be open to being part of market research surveys when they're given the option of participating. Market research firms, consumers and telecom carriers alike all benefit from MIDI calls. Market research firms can quickly, accurately and cost effectively conduct phone surveys, consumers can have their voices heard and get incentives, such as gift cards to restaurants and retailers, and telecom carriers can make rather than lose billions of MIDI calls. MIDI calls actually cost carriers millions of dollars, so being able to utilize them for market research is a win-win situation. So the next time you find yourself accidentally making a MIDI call, pay attention to what happens on the other end of the line. You could be playing a crucial role in the end of invasive and inconvenient robo-calls and have the opportunity to contribute valuable information to the public conversation. For more information, visit reconnectresearch.com. CONTACT: www.brandpointcontent.com Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160201/327985 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151218/297198LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/intrusive-robo-dialing-good-news-the-end-is-near-300212902.html SOURCE Reconnect Research [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Robot vacuum buying guide: What you need to know Not sure where to start your search for a robot vacuum? It doesn't matter how little or how much you want to spend, there's a cleaning robot out there for everyone. This week Kansas City hosts a double whammy when it comes to morning java . . .Kansas City prepares to battle in the Brewers Cup this week -Aa competition dedicated to the art of hand brewed filter coffee along with a barista contest.And then . . .comes to Kansas City with hopes to work for equality for women in the growing professional coffee community.Credit where it's due . . .These stories reveal that, thanks to entrepreneurs and not City Hall subsidy, Kansas City is actually grinding its way to the top as a major coffee player.Developing . . . One critical injury reported in this local confrontation the confirms our quotient of Kansas City violence continues to increase after January totaled aTake a look: Shooting at KCMO apartment complex injures 2 men A Kick-ass TKC Tipster tells us: "WHY DOES KCMO CITY MANAGER TROY SCHULTE HAVE A MULTI-YEAR DELINQUENT JACKSON COUNTY PROPERTY TAX BILL OUTSTANDING?" Why is this important? Finally, if top Kansas City public officials and even the Mayor have encountered outstanding tax bills online . . . Then their ongoing tax pile-on confronting lowly working stiff plebs seems exceptionally cruel and regressive. TKC has said it before, the Kansas City real estate game is rough.Also, this Earning Tax election slap fight is getting even tougher if opponents of the tax are checking the background of Kansas City politicos and officials to see if they're all paid up.Accordingly . . .It's a good questionthe MSM assures us that Troy's heart is pure given that he recently eared acontract for a $220K salary over some city council objections. So, clearly the man has the cheddar to solve any online billing beef.Nevertheless, we've heard City Manager Schulte is a good guy and his greatest sin, other than being a yes-man for the mayor, is that he struggles to hard to keep everyone happy . . .And so we wanted to do our fact checking . . .All of this data is publicly available to feel free to check our work . . . Both addresses listed in the Jackson County property tax search cite Troy and his spouse along with a cross reference with other online listings.. . . Notice the highlight of a $767.02 charge . . . Not a huge amount but then again, given that we're debating over a 1% tax right now . . . Every penny counts to keep this broke-ass city afloat.Again, it's public info and all good.Moreover, it's clear that some pretty well-informed campaign researchers are getting ready to launch a full-frontal assault on the e-tax.Like it or not, we've all got bills and casually heaping more taxes on Kansas City residents is a tough proposition when online records indicate that our top politicos are confronted by unpaid levies, too.Update and in fairness . . .. . . Which isn't hard to believe given constant miscalculations from the County.Checkit:You decide . . . In this latest pitch for the Kansas City earnings tax, our TKC blog community notices Mayor Sly James talking police funding, infrastructure and even maintenance.This is a vast departure from most of the work in his administration going toward development schemes and tourist attractions.For the past five years the Mayor hasn't done much in the way of infrastructure work but this latest vote has him, seemingly, reexamining his priorities.The arguments about keeping the city running are compelling with the local development agenda now on hold for the moment.You decide . . . We may wish that it was only to disperse the refugees to somehow vote Democrat in Republican strongholds...and fundamentally make voter fraud as easy as...well as easy as ACORN could do it. Or possibly a community organizer in Chicago could do it. Or Saul Alinsky could do it. But something far more insidious is much more likely. The Syrian refugees...aren't all Syrian refugees. And that's a fact, because some Muslims have gone on record admitting to this falsehood. And our own common sense tells us this fact as well. It is called "immigration Jihad"...and we better be prepared with prayer, with the It is called "immigration Jihad"...and we better be prepared with prayer, with the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ...and with our gunpowder kept dry. -W.E. Why are small towns in conservative states being specifically targeted for refugee resettlement? Of course the Obama administration will never publicly admit that this is happening, but it doesnt take a genius to figure out what is going on. Just look at the uproar that refugee resettlement is now causing in small communities in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Kansas. The Obama administration has deemed large cities such as Washington D.C. to be too expensive for the refugees, and so large numbers of them are being dispersed throughout smaller communities all over the nation. If you drop a few hundred refugees into a major city of several million people, it isnt going to make much of a difference. But if you drop a few hundred refugees into a small town that has only a few thousand people living there, you can start to fundamentally alter the character of the whole area. Could it be possible that this is yet another way that Barack Obama is attempting to fundamentally transform America? You would think that there would be more employment opportunities, cultural attractions and government services available for refugees in major metropolitan areas. So it would seem natural to resettle them in those areas. But instead, there seems to be a major push to resettle large numbers of them in small towns. Needless to say, this is creating a huge uproar in many areas. In fact, on Monday there is a major protest planned in Missoula, Montana. The following comes from Leo Hohmann of WND Another big battle is brewing over Syrian refugees sweeping into small-town America. Rural folks in Montana are pushing back against plans by urban elites to plant hundreds of Muslims from the Third World into Helena and Missoula. They plan a protest rally at 10 a.m. Monday in front of the county courthouse in Missoula. And if the pattern holds of similar rallies in Twin Falls, Idaho, and Fargo, North Dakota, a contingent of pro-refugee people will show up to counter protest. Well funded pro-immigrant NGOs have been searching out local politicians that are willing to work with them to invite the Obama administration to resettle large numbers of Islamic refugees in their areas. Unfortunately for residents of Missoula, politicians there seem quite willing to open the door Here in Big Sky Country local politicians in Missoula, working with pro-immigrant NGOs, are inviting the federal government to begin sending Syrians, comparing them to the Hmong refugees who fled Vietnams communists in the late 1970s. They have not been deterred by the fact that 98 percent of Syrian refugees are Sunni Muslims, the vast majority of whom FBI Director James Comey admits are impossible to vet for ties to terrorism. Despite Comeys warnings, the Missoula Board of County Commissioners sent a letter on Jan. 13 to the U.S. State Department requesting Syrian refuges. We look forward to seeing approximately 100 refugees per year resettled in Missoula, the letter states. Missoula is an ideal city for resettling refugees, the letter continues. Our community enjoys good schools, incredible natural beauty, and a low unemployment rate, among other factors. We have all seen the chaos that has erupted in Europe as massive waves of Islamic immigrants have been allowed in and resettled in large numbers in small communities. Just a few weeks ago, I wrote about the epidemic of rape that is sweeping across formerly peaceful countries like Norway and Sweden. And I am sure most of you have already read about the extremely alarming sexual crimes that Germany is dealing with now. But many of us dont seem to be connecting the dots. What is happening over there could someday happen to our own wives and daughters. Fortunately, there are some communities that are still willing to step up and take a stand against what the social engineers in Washington D.C. are trying to do. One of those communities is Sandpoint, Idaho Sandpoint City Council members voted Wednesday night to withdraw a resolution supporting refugee resettlement, bringing an end to a heated, month-long controversy. Cheers erupted from the audience when newly elected Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad asked the council to withdraw the resolution from consideration. A measure meant to counter statements from Bonner County commissioners and Sheriff Darryl Wheeler opposing the resettlement of refugees, the resolution was intended to restate Sandpoints commitments to human rights, according to Rognstad. This resolution has only served to divide us and this community, said Rognstad, as he requested the withdrawal. That saddens me. Once again, anti-refugee activists turned out in force to oppose the resolution and, once again, the council meeting procedure was punctured by applause and shouts. When Rognstad called for order, the crowd responded with catcalls. But other small communities in Idaho are not so fortunate. Just consider what is happening in Twin Falls Beginning the next fiscal year (October 1), some 300 Muslim refugees, primarily from Syria, will arrive in Twin Falls, Idaho, the Twin Falls Times reports But this miniature exodus from the Middle East to the small southern Idaho town of 45,000 people is believed to be just the tip of the iceberg, according to WND , which indicates that many more refugees from Iraq, Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and likely Syria, are on their way. The conservative news site received reports that community leaders were told at a recent Boise State University conference held for stakeholders including church groups and social service providers that a couple thousand refugees are planned to a arrive statewide soon. Look, I am all for assisting people that need our help. In particular, I would love for our country to take in Christians from Iraq and Syria. The things that ISIS has been doing to those that believe in Jesus Christ are almost too horrible to put into words, and yet Barack Obama has been almost totally silent on the matter Instead of taking in persecuted Christians, it has been estimated that well over 90 percent of the refugees from Syria are Sunni Muslims, and surveys have found that a significant percentage of them actually have a favorable view of ISIS In the mainstream media, we are told quite often that the number of refugees being brought in is 10,000 a year. But that simply is not accurate. In a previous article , I documented the fact that the White House has admitted that the number of refugees being resettled in this country has been increased to 100,000 per year. The following is a message that was tweeted by the official White House Twitter account on September 28th I dont see how there could be any confusion. Barack Obama himself says that we are bringing in 100,000 refugees a year for the next two years. Not all of these refugees are coming from Syria, but the vast majority of them are coming from countries where a radical version of Sunni Islam is practiced as a way of life. When large numbers of refugees are injected into a small community, the character of that community can be fundamentally altered. And at this point, it appears that there is a concentrated effort to funnel large numbers of these refugees into small towns in some of the most conservative states in the country. If you are concerned about what is going on in places like Missoula, Sandpoint and Twin Falls, you might want to check on what your own local politicians are doing. An insidious agenda is at work, and I have a feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Hotels in Spain, Malta and Portugal had the highest performance in average room rate and revenue per available room in December 2015, compared to the same month of 2014, according to MKG Mediterranean HIT Report (Hotel Industry Trends). The report is published exclusively on Tornos News (www.tornosnews.gr) and can be downloaded free of charge. The performance of Greek hotels remained almost at the December 2014 levels. The report records the changes in occupancy, average price and revenue per available room regarding hotels located in Greece, France, Croatia, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Turkey and Tunisia. Read the absolute numbers and percentage changes for all hotel sizes per country in the survey's full text. Download freely for a year the MKG Mediterranean HIT Report (Hotel Industry Trends) exclusively at Tornos News Tornos News will also host at regular intervals MKG Group President and CEO Georges Panayotis' articles. MKG Group profile MKG Group is a European-based company, headquartered in Paris, France. The group operates various divisions within the tourism, hotel and hospitality sector, namely monitoring global trends in supply, demand and pipeline growth, including the worldwide chain hotel brand and chain hotel group rankings, as well as conducting specialised ad hoc industry research for various stakeholders, including private investors, developers, hoteliers (chain groups and independent properties), government and tourism associations, banking and financial institutions,and hedge funds. MKG is the official industry monitor for a number of European tourism organisations, such as the French Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Office Lyon, Tourism office Brussels, offices in Spain, the Netherlands, and the European City Marketing Association (ECM). MKG also regularly supplies various other t ourism organisations and NGOs with trends and analytical reports, including fractions of the European Union, UN such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the UNWTO's International Labour Organization, as well as a number of hospitality educational institutions in Europe. MKGs database represents the largest industry performance sample in the EMEA region, supplied directly by all leading international chain hotels, as well as many regional groups and independent properties. MKG is associated with MKG Hospitality, HotelCompSet, MKG Qualiting, Hospitality-ON.com media platform, the Global Lodging Forum (GLF), Worldwide Hospitality Awards, and Hotel Class, the official hotel rating agency in France. The group was founded in 1985 and currently has 110 employees. It contributed to the development of over 2.000 hotels in France, has offices in Paris, London, Cyprus and Athens and offers a printed and digital information service in English and French: ** Hospitality ON Web: http://mkg-group.com/en/our-events-and-the-press/hospitality-on-web ** Hospitality ON Magazine: http://mkg-group.com/en/our-events-and-the-press/hospitality-on-magazine City Contact company profile City Contact was founded in 1996 in order to provide printed information to foreign and domestic visitors of Greece's major hotels. It has currently developed an Info Stand and Visitor's Free Editions and Brochures information network, collaborating exclusively with 220 top Athens, Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Thessaloniki, Santorini and Mykonos hotels. Moreover, it covers printed information needs of tourists by offering free publications at conferences, travel agencies, public institutions, trade fairs, embassies, yacht marinas, etc. In 2004, the company initiated the Athens Walking Tours, drawing upon the extensive experience of its staff, and, ever since, these tours have turned into one of the most acclaimed and innovative tourism activities in Athens. Athens Walking Tours offer today, on a daily and all year round basis, high-quality, historical and gastronomic interest guided tours to visitors of Athens, Chania and other popular Greek tourist destinations. Tornos News was created by City Contact in April 2014 and is currently listed as the No. 1 news site * for Greek tourism professionals, with more than 250,000 unique readers **. * http: //www.alexa.com (Oct 2015) ** Tornos News, Google Analytics (Oct 2014-Oct 2015) Egypt plans to launch the Middle East's first commodities trading exchange by the end of 2016, Supplies Minister Khaled Hanafi said on Monday. Egypt announced plans to set up a global commodities centre back in 2014 but gave few details at the time. Hanafi told a news conference on Monday that the feasibility study for the exchange had been completed and the next step was to draw up the regulation and connect farmers with traders. In total eight commodities will be traded, including six agricultural commodities, as well as oil and gold, said Iman al-Mutlaq, chief executive of Sigma Investments, which is involved in setting up the exchange. Reuters Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai will seek to inspire world leaders at a conference in London on Thursday to commit $1.4 billion this year to give Syrian refugee children access to education, she told Reuters on Sunday. Heads of state and government and ministers from countries around the world will converge on London for the "Supporting Syria and the region" conference, which aims to raise funds for humanitarian crises caused by the Syrian war. Some 700,000 Syrian children living in refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon and in other Middle Eastern countries are out of school, according to a report issued by the Malala Fund, which campaigns and fundraises for educational causes. "I have met so many Syrian refugee children, they are still in my mind. I can't forget them. The thought that they won't be able to go to school in their whole life is completely shocking and I cannot accept it," Malala said in a telephone interview. "We can still help them, we can still protect them. They are not lost yet. They need schools. They need books. They need teachers. This is the way we can protect the future of Syria." A Pakistani teenage education activist who came to prominence when a Taliban gunman shot her in the head on her school bus in 2012, Malala continued campaigning on the world stage and in 2014 became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner. Now 18, she lives in Britain but devotes much of her time and energy to the cause of education for Syrian refugee children. An accomplished public speaker who brought a United Nations audience to its feet in a celebrated speech in 2013, she hopes to make a powerful impact at the London event. "WE CAN'T WAIT" "I'm hoping to encourage and inspire world leaders to take action. I'm not going to wait. We can't wait. It needs to happen." She will appear at the London conference alongside 17-year-old schoolgirl Muzoon Almellehan, who will be the only young Syrian refugee to address world leaders at the event. "Without education we cannot do anything," Muzoon said on the same call as Malala. She said she was working hard on improving her English so she could complete her schooling in Britain and go to university, but also wanted to dedicate herself with "my sister" Malala to the cause of education for fellow Syrian refugees. The pair first met in 2014 at the sprawling Zaatari refugee camp in the Jordanian desert, and were reunited in December last year when Muzoon was resettled in northern England. "She is the one that I want people to listen to. Her story is so powerful, it's so inspiring. She's going to tell world leaders that these children have a right to an education and they must not ignore it," said Malala. Co-hosted by the United Nations and the governments of Britain, Germany, Norway and Kuwait, the London conference is not limited to education but aims to obtain pledges from countries to meet a range of Syrian humanitarian needs. U.N. agencies are appealing for a total of $7.73 billion to cope with Syria's needs this year and an additional $1.2 billion are required by regional governments for their own plans to deal with the impact of Syria's conflict. In previous years, donor funding has fallen short of U.N. appeals. Reuters Commercial Officers from the US Embassy will promote bilateral trade between Bahrain and the United States at Gulf Industry Fair 2016, the showcase for industrialization in the GCC, taking place next week in the kingdom. The event, held under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain, takes place from February 9 to 11 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre. Gulf Industry Fair 2016 is strategically sponsored by Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) (with the support of NOGA) and Aluminium Bahrain (Alba). The Gulf Industry Fair, which was designed to promote commercial opportunities in the GCC, offers an excellent venue for US companies to learn about doing business in the Gulf, said Christiaan De Luigi, Economic and Commercial Officer at the US Embassy in Bahrain. Through our presence at Gulf Industry Fair, we hope to help orient US companies interested in investing in the region. Bahrain was the first member of the GCC to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States. The FTA, which entered into force ten years ago in 2006, guarantees tariff free access for most products traded between the two countries. In 2014, Bahrain and the USs bilateral trade was valued at over $2 billion, a 22 per cent increase over 2013. The US embassys Commercial Section plays a valuable role in promoting Bahrains industrial credentials to US companies, said Jubran Abdulrahman, managing director of HCE, the event organizers. The Commercial Section will be part of a US contingent at Gulf Industry Fair that includes Grip Machineries debut of A W Chesteron USA, amongst a host of many USA industrial brands, he added. The Commercial Section at the US Embassy in Bahrain is dedicated to strengthening trade and commercial ties between Bahrain and the United States. It is part of the US Department of State and represents the US Department of Commerces Foreign Commercial Service in Bahrain. TradeArabia News Service Bahrain-based Adams Offshore, a global marine services provider, will be showcasing its services at Gulf Industry Fair, to be held next week in the kingdom. The event will take place from February 9 to 11, at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa. Adams Offshore has been a key supplier to Saudi Aramco for the last 50 years, providing special facilities in marine, diving, remotely operated vehicles (ROV), survey, technical and engineering services, said a statement from the company. R Rajeev Kumar, general manager of the branch in Bahrain, said: We have chosen Gulf Industry Fair 2016 as our platform to celebrate our reputation as the Middle Easts global operator in the offshore industry. Our state of the art dynamic positioned (DP) fleet, purpose built for diving, ROV and survey services has been globally deployed since inception. Our special vessels, expertise and much more will be on show at the event, he added. Jubran Abdulrahman, managing director of HCE, organisers of the show, said: Adams Offshore are a global brand in the offshore support and diving Industry. The companys innovative and progressive approach within the off-shore sector will provide a valuable insight for our visitors, he added. TradeArabia News Service Saudi Telecom Company (STC) will buy a further 25.8 percent of Viva for SR1.59 billion ($424 million), taking majority control of its affiliate following the close of a voluntary tender offer period for the Kuwaiti firm's shares. This will raise STC's stake in Viva to 51.8 percent, the Saudi firm said in a bourse statement on Monday. The former monopoly currently owns 26 percent of Viva, which rapidly won market share after launching services in 2008 and turned profitable four years later. STC in December said it would offer KD1 ($3.30) per share for all shares in Viva it did not own, a proposal Viva's board described as unfair. Viva's shares had hit a record high of KD1.1 before STC revealed its offer price, but Gulf stock markets have since slid following a renewed slump in oil prices. Viva's shares ended Sunday at KD0.940. Kuwaiti state institutions own about 16 percent of Viva, Reuters data shows. - Reuters Iran has agreed to buy up to 40 European ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft in a deal worth up to 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion), the Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer said on Monday. The deal includes firm orders for 20 aircraft and options for another 20, and will be financed partly by French and Italian export credit agencies, ATR said in a statement. Iran's deputy minister for roads and urban development told the CAPA Iran Aviation Summit in Tehran last week that his country had agreed to buy 40 ATR aircraft. ATR, co-owned by Airbus Group and Italy's Finmeccanica, last week denied a Reuters story that the two sides had agreed that Iran would take 20 ATR aircraft with an option for 20 more. Reuters 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. A forester and best-selling author makes the case for trees and their extraordinary abilities. There are reasons why we anthropomorphize trees; they stand tall like people, they sway, for torsos they have trunks and for arms, branches. But are there more similarities between trees and people than those that meet the eye? Peter Wohlleben is one of a number of experts who believes this to be the case. Wohlleben is a German forester and the best-selling author of The Hidden Life of Trees. He has spent decades working with our arboreal cohabitants and getting to know their secrets. It may come as little surprise that we've written about the tree-whispering Wohlleben before. First there was Trees in the forest are social beings, followed by Trees can form bonds like an old couple and look after each and thus it appears that whenever I read another interview with Wohlleben, I cant help but to write again. The following comes from an exchange with Richard Schiffman at Yale e360. The whole interview is poetry (hey, poetree!) but I especially love when he talks about trees and memory. Trees and Memory We had a heavy drought here. In subsequent years, the trees that had suffered through the drought consumed less water in the spring so that they had more available for the summer months. Trees make decisions. They can decide things. We can also say that a tree can learn, and it can remember a drought its whole life and act on that memory by being more cautious of its water usage. Wohlleben has been taken to task by other scientists complaining about his tendency to anthropomorphize, but he does so very intentionally. When scientists remove the emotion from writing, it loses its impact. Humans are emotional animals," he says. We feel things, we dont just know the world intellectually. So I use words of emotion to connect with peoples experience. Science often takes these words out, but then you have a language people cant relate to, that they cant understand. Some Trees Form Friendships And certainly speaking of trees as having special friendships will raise an eyebrow for some; but why does the definition of friendship have to be exclusive to humans? We may have created the language to describe friendship as it pertains to people, but we should also be intellectually expansive enough to broaden our horizons. I have known trees that I am certain were friends, even if they don't go out for coffee with each other. Wohlleben agrees: In about one in 50 cases, we see these special friendships between trees. Trees distinguish between one individual and another. They do not treat all other trees the same. Just today, I saw two old beeches standing next to each other. Each one was growing its branches turned away from the other rather than toward each other, as is more usually the case. In this way and others, tree friends take care of each other. This kind of partnership is well known to foresters. They know that if you see such a couple, they are really like a human couple; you have to chop down both if you chop one down, because the other will die anyway. We May Not Fully Understand Trees Now of course it would be easy to ascribe all of this to pure biological mechanics but how egregiously species-centric that would be. Just because we dont speak their language doesnt mean trees dont communicate even if they do so with chemical and electrical signals, as Wohlleben explains, also noting that trees are badly misunderstood: We just see them as oxygen producers, as timber producers, as creators of shade. We have this essentially arbitrary caste system for living beings. We say plants are the lowest caste, the pariahs because they dont have brains, they dont move, they dont have big brown eyes. Flies and insects have eyes, so they are a bit higher, but not so high as monkeys and apes and so on. I want to remove trees from this caste system. This hierarchical ranking of living beings is totally unscientific. Plants process information just as animals do, but for the most part they do this much more slowly. Is life in the slow lane worth less than life on the fast track? Perhaps we create these artificial barriers between humans and animals, between animals and plants, so that we can use them indiscriminately and without care, without considering the suffering that we are subjecting them to. You can read more from this wonderful interview at Yale e360 ... and in the meantime, don't forget to hug a tree. It may even remember that you are a friend. Via Boing Boing The mayor of the city of Fresno, California claims that the city "is full of surprises." Here's the latest one: They have legalized tiny houses and backyard cottages. Quoted in KQED: This is an important step forward for the tiny house movement because it sets a precedent for other jurisdictions nationwide, says Amy Turnbull, one of the directors of the American Tiny House Association. This ordinance sends a clear message: we need to adapt our codes to accommodate new housing models and we need to do it quickly and decisively. It is actually a really interesting zoning bylaw; it sets maximum and minimum sizes, does not demand extra parking, bans variances and even deals with the look of the house: If visible from a public street or park, the architectural design, roofing material, exterior materials and colors, roof pitch and style, type of windows, and trim details of the Second Dwelling Unit, Backyard Cottage, or Accessory Living Quarters shall be substantially the same as and visually compatible with the primary dwelling. A few years ago I was asked to consult to a provincial agency on how to make tiny houses legal in back yards and pointed out some of the problems: plumbing (legally all dwelling units need a flush toilet, sink and shower) Fire protection (all dwelling units have to be within the length of a hose to the fire hydrants); basically every agency through up every barrier they could to even considering the idea. Steven Johnson's cartoon demonstrates an original way to deal with this problem: put 'em in the front yard where there is all kinds of wasted space, the sewers are right underneath and the fire department won't have any problem at all. But Fresno gets it right, being much more flexible: Definition of Tiny House added to City of Fresno Development Code Tiny House. A structure intended for separate, independent living quarters for one household that meets these six conditions: Is licensed and registered with the California Department of Motor Vehicles and meets ANSI 119.2 or 119.5 requirements; (note: requirements for being a legal RV or park trailer) Is towable by a bumper hitch, frame-towing hitch, or fifth-wheel connection. Cannot (and is designed not to) move under its own power. When sited on a parcel per requirements of this Code, the wheels and undercarriage shall be skirted; Is no larger than allowed by California State Law for movement on public highways; Has at least 100 square feet of first floor interior living space; Is a detached self-contained unit which includes basic functional areas that support normal daily routines such as cooking, sleeping, and toiletry; and Is designed and built to look like a conventional building structure. The ANSI requirements are going to cause trouble as it will eliminate many of the self-builds and probably some of the smaller builders. As the American Tiny House Association notes, a tiny house on wheels (THOW) is not a Recreational vehicle (RV), which is regulated by ANSI 119.2: A THOW is not an RV because an RV is a recreational vehicle intended for non-permanent living. In addition, the Department of Motor Vehicles in many states only recognizes RVs that were built by members of the RVIA (Recreational Vehicle Association). A THOW is built as a residence and may be owner-built by a non-professional, non-member of the RVIA. We will have to wait and see how that shakes out. But other than that issue, this is a great step forward for making tiny houses a viable urban and suburban solution to the cost and availability of housing. Tribune News Service Bathinda, February 1 Employees of Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant today staged protest under the banner of the Technical Services Union over the alleged failure of the government to release their salaries for January. The protesters warned to intensify their protest in case their salaries were not released by tomorrow. District president of the Technical Service Union, Prakash Singh, said, We will intensify our protest if our salaries are not released by February 2. We will stage protest in front of Guru Nanak Dev Themal Plant. Tribune News Service Bathinda, February 1 A two-year-old girl was restored to a New Zealand-based woman. A New Zealand-born Punjab woman was in a live-in relationship with a man from Punjab. Later, the couple had a baby girl. After the death of the man, the newborn baby girl was brought back to Punjab and was taken care of by her grandparents. The woman from New Zealand lodged a complaint with the IG, NRI Cell, in Chandigarh on December 12, 2015, and within less than one-and-a-half months, the case was solved by restoring the daughter to her, said the NRI Cell in-charge, Lakhwinder Singh. Investigating officer (IO) Baljinder Singh said the man from Malout in Muktsar went to New Zealand on a study basis in 2011 and came in contact with the woman in 2012. The process of handing over the girl to woman was initiated after the consent was given by grandparents of the girl. It took a lot of time to counsel the grandparents who were made aware about the importance of the girls future in a developed nation, the IO said. He said repeated requests and involving reputed citizens of Malout proved instrumental in the case. Constant counselling of the elderly woman, grandmother of child, bear fruits and she finally agreed to hand over the daughter to her mother. The elderly woman was advised that she could always get in touch with her grand-daughter without any hitch and the future of the girl would be more secure in New Zealand, as her mother too was quite interested in raising the girl there. The orders of restoring the girl was given by the SDM Bathinda after which a final e-mail was sent to the woman in New Zealand 20 days ago and she took the girl with her today after conveying thanks to police personnel in NRI Cell. The police personnel said the process of investigation was concluded and the case was resolved due to a separate dedicated staff of the police. Residents continue to suffer for years together due to lack of a similar procedure and mechanism in other police stations, they said. Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 1 Vietnam has lifted the ban on import of Indian groundnut, providing market access after nine months. According to a statement issued by the Agriculture Ministry, the Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have communicated the decision to India. The lifting of ban has come in the wake of visit of Vietnam delegation to India in December 2015. The delegation was satisfied after seeing fumigation facilities, export procedures and export certification system for export of groundnuts from India. KV Prasad By the time India wakes up on Tuesday, the campaign for one of the most-watched elections in the world that of the next President of the United States (POTUS) will have begun. Iowa, the Midwestern State, will have cast votes at the first of the series of long-drawn calendar of primaries/caucuses that go on till June. Iowa, known as the Hawkeye State, can show which way the political wind is blowing even though in real terms its vote will add only a minor portion to the delegate count the prospective candidates pick up. The Grand Old 'Republican' Party allocated Iowa 30 of the 2,475 delegates and the Democratic Party allocated 52 of its 4,768 delegates who get to select the presidential candidate at the national conventions of the Party. The Republicans scheduled it at Cleveland and Democrats at Columbus, Ohio. Quite like 2008, when the then young Senator Barack Obama fought a bruising battle within the party, beat back Democratic aspirant Hillary Clinton and challenged the Republican Party to become the President, this time there are a few similarities. Eight years ago, the then incumbent President George Bush had completed his second four-year term and Vice President Dick Cheney had opted out of the race. This year the Democrats are in a similar situation. President Obama completing his second-term and Vice President Joe Biden deciding not to join the presidential race. Having struck success in successive mid-term elections, the Republican Party is launching an all-out battle to recapture the White House. During the last eight years, the Republicans gradually gained control of the US Congress, first gaining majority in the Senate and then in the House of Representatives, a chamber with the power of the purse. With a grip on the Congress, the Republicans rendered crucial legislative blows to President Obama's grand plans, including the ambitious healthcare programme. The Iowa poll will be the first indicator for both the Republican and Democrat aspirants. Realty tycoon Donald Trump is leading the pack of 12 aspirants. His unusual surge with the people and the ability to convert them into support will be tested at Iowa, then at the New Hampshire primary (February 9), followed by primaries/caucuses of Nevada caucus and South Carolina this month. March 1 will be the super Tuesday elections in 14 States as the field narrows. Among the Republican challengers are: Governors John Kasich (Ohio) and Chris Christie (New Jersey), Senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, former Governors Jeb Bush (Florida) and brother of former US president George Bush, Jim Gilmore (Virginia), Mike Huckabee (Arkansas), former Senator Rick Santorum, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former business executive Carly Fiorina. The Democratic field is thin, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton being challenged by Senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley. In 2008, when Hillary sought nomination, the argument flipped around whether the US was ready to have a woman or a Black as the President. This writer witnessed the campaigning for the 2008 presidential elections from close while working as a Fulbright fellow in the US Congress, what with the majority of the aspirants then Senators, Obama, Clinton and eventual Republican challenger John McCain serving on the Capitol Hill. Back then the dominant view was that Hillary Clinton cannot claim White House as an entitlement because her experience of the world is limited to few years in the Senate and eight as the First Lady of the United States. However, now she can flaunt her work as the US Secretary of State. As Iowa prepared for caucuses, Hillary won the backing of the prestigious and influential New York Times. The daily also felt that for the Republicans it was time to reset the race, clearly distancing from Trump. In the runup to the start of the nominations race, the dominant issues in the US are: immigration, gun control, healthcare, taxes, refugees and climate change. Although known to be land of immigrants, Trump's rant against Muslim immigrants and the recent image of throwing out a Sikh who stood up for the Muslims during a rally convey a strong but queasy message from the person to the outside world. What do the elections hold for India in general and Indian-Americans? The abortive attempt by Bobby Jindal insisting on being seen as an American and not a hyphenated Indian-American is an issue for immigrants. During the 2008 elections, Obama often talked of India and China and the strong education in maths and science adding to the edge. Trump now mentions it in the context of the rise of the economies of these countries and the declining leadership role of the US. An interesting aspect of these elections that the world and even most of the Americans may not know or care to know is it is not a two-party race. There are more names on the ballot representing various hues, including the Green Party and the Libertarians but they seldom get reported in the media. Often, these contestants cannot match the high-budget spending of candidates backed by the main parties. The frenzy generated by the media just ignores the rest. As a matter of fact, 1,524 persons filed a report with the Federal Election Commission of the United States declaring to be a candidate for the elections. The presence of an odd Kaka-Joginder-Singh-Dhartipakad phenomenon cannot be ruled out but there are some legitimate candidates who differ in their approach to politics and the way they think the US should be governed. The Us presidential polls are an interesting and exhaustive exercise. kveprasad2007@gmail.com A S Dulat Thus conscience does make cowards of us all. And thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought.. (Shakespeare Hamlet) To be or not to be has been the question uppermost not only in Mehboobas mind since Mufti Sahab passed away three weeks ago, but also the subject of larger debate in political circles in Kashmir. While Kashmir expected a new star on the political horizon, the spirits that have haunted Mehbooba, most of all Kashmirs nowhereness have created serious doubts in her mind. Whichever way, it was not going to be an easy call, once it was not taken at once. With time, doubts and theories of conspiracy which abound in Kashmir only grow. So Kashmir once again finds itself in a crisis or as the Kashmiris like to call it at the crossroads. Mehboobas meeting with party men in Srinagar on January 31 produced nothing new. Nor the meeting with party legislators on Monday (Feb.1) produced any movement forward. Many in the media, both in Srinagar and Delhi fed information by party legislators, expected announcement of government formation. But Mehbooba demonstrated that she was made of sterner stuff: she would not form the government just for the sake of power. So much for the Agenda of Alliance being Allahs farmaan because as party leaders touted Mufti Sahab had remained totally committed to it. Instead Mehbooba was honest to acknowledge that her fathers decision to ally with the BJP was unpopular and the party needed to reassess the Centres commitment to Kashmir. Notwithstanding her love and attachment to her beloved father Mehbooba would not compromise for anyone or anything. She had virtually slammed the door on Delhi. Given her state of mind, calling a party meeting was a mere formality. Because what party workers on the ground told her was all over the street in Srinagar: Kashmiris held Mufti Sahab responsible for bringing Saffron to Kashmir. This is a part of his legacy Kashmir is not likely to forget and forgive in a hurry. But Mufti Sahab deserved better, particularly from Delhi. The BJP, after waiting patiently for three weeks reacted on predictable lines. It was totally unimpressed with what they believe to be Mehboobas tantrums and turnaround. Delhi never has been over-impressed with Kashmir and Kashmiris. What Kashmiri leaders with their sense of self-importance often forget is that for Delhi, Kashmir like any other state is only a blip on the radar to be dealt with when required wasnt it the Pope (Mirwaiz) who said Delhi only remembers Kashmiris when needed. The Prime Minister has many, many more pressing problems than to deal with Mehbooba. The question that not only Delhi but also the National Conference is posing is that why is the PDP now seeking assurances from Delhi after being together with the BJP for ten months. All this is in the public domain and often talked about in Srinagar. What is not so publically known but still mentioned in whispers among Kashmiris when they gather over trambies for dinner is how Mufti was tormented and how much he suffered, particularly towards the end, when people say he was in great pain. For the public he had nothing to say except crave peace between India and Pakistan which like every Kashmiri leader knew was paramount for the state. Kashmiris could still imagine him calling out from his grave what was his conviction and what he said very often: goli nahi boli. No one knows better than Mehbooba how much Mufti Sahab suffered and what he may have said to her before he passed away. And also what Dr. Farooq Abdullah may have said to Mehbooba when he met to condole with her quietly after the crowds had melted away. And who knows what messages or signals Mehbooba may have received from her friends among separatists. Anything is possible in Kashmir. Looking to the future in which both the coalition partners, the PDP and the BJP have lost out in the respective core constituency, being together, it is a no brainer that the BJP stands to lose more with the collapse of the coalition. Its ambition of being in power in J&K will be halted as will its spread in Kashmir. At the same time, with North and South pole, as Mufti Sahab described the Kashmir and Jammu coalition, drifting apart and the unholy alliance as the Kashmiris perceived it giving way, the fence sitters addicted to power in the last ten months may finally need to go one way or another. Willy-nilly, Delhi will be perceived as shutting the door even on the mainstream, and polarisations between Kashmir and Jammu would grow. Whether the PDP, created and nurtured by Mufti will hold after losing power is another question. To hazard a guess, never easy in Kashmir, Mehbooba should gain in popularity for sacrificing power for what she perceives as the larger good of Kashmir which to her credit, has always remain in her mind. In the short term she should go up in public estimation. So far Mehbooba was accepted as the undisputed leader of the PDP because she was the natural heir to chief minstership and assured the party of the smoothest transfer of power after Mufti Sahabs demise. It is well known that no PDP legislator wanted either to sit in the opposition or have fresh elections. Now with the PDP out of power who knows, who will, on whos prompting, challenge whom? Holding the party together at this point, rebuilding it and reinventing its image will be a stupendous task. If she comes through this test by fire with no quarter from either Delhi or the opposition, save her own people, the PDP could emerge as a big enough force to challenge the National Conference thats how leaders are born. Meanwhile, the National Conference often underestimated in Delhi, still remains in Kashmiri perception the nearest reasonable representative of Kashmir, Kashmiris and Kashmiryat. Knowing that it is in the drivers seat, the National Conference will soon be clamouring for fresh elections. But that, as always, will be Delhis call. The fog of uncertainty which enveloped Kashmir in the last three weeks is gradually beginning to lift. As they say in Kashmir, after the fog there should be snow and then bright sunshine. The stage is set for another prolonged spell of Governors rule, not the best option in J&K but the only apparent one at the moment. (The writer is a former chief of RAW and the author of Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years) Deepender Deswal Tribune News Service Hisar, February 1 The police want newly elected sarpanches to play a role in curbing incidence of caste violence and crimes against women. They also seek their help to rein in drug trafficking, drug addiction and road blockades in villages. The police have also decided to hold workshop for the sarpanches to make them aware of their role under the Panchayati Raj Act. The IGP, Anil Kumar Rao, yesterday said the police had identified areas where they and sarpanches would work in tandem. During an interaction with 85 sarpanches, we have zeroed in on some issues of importance for the police and administration. They have been sensitised about the problems related to caste violence that often takes a bitter turn, causing rift in ties of communities. The sarpanches who have the confidence of people are capable in handling such disputes, he said. The caste violence in Bhagana and Mirchpur villages had damaged social ties among people of different castes. Despite many attempts by the administration, the issue remains unresolved. Rao said crimes against women and the occurrence female feoticide could also be checked with the help of panchayats. The SHOs in coordination with the sarpanches would keep tabs on dubious elements who indulge in liquor smuggling and drug trafficking. Jyoti (21), sarpanch of Juglan village, said the polices initiative instilled a confidence in sarpanches. My panchayat will urge everybody to be a law-abiding citizen. I hope that with the cooperation of villagers, ours will be an ideal village. Suman Sharma, sarpanch of Nyoli Kalan village, said the illegal sale of liquor was a big business in her village and she had sought help of the police. The IGP has assured that a special drive will be launched against the illicit trade, she claimed. Dinesh Kumar in Bandar Seri Begawan Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, who arrived here today on a first-ever bilateral visit by a high-level Indian dignitary to oil rich Brunei since diplomatic relations were established 32 years ago, will for the first time be signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defence in addition to signing agreements on health and sports. Ansari's current two-nation visit to this former British protectorate located on the South China Sea and followed by Thailand on Wednesday is in keeping with India's consciously developed 'Act East' policy that has replaced the 'Look East' policy conceived in 1993 during former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao's tenure. It is a concerted policy developed over time which has now attained depth and content, Ansari told newsmen on board the aircraft while en route to Brunei. "India, as a result, has now developed good economic and defence relations with the Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations) both as a grouping and individually, he added. The MoU on defence, in particular, assumes significance considering that the Islamic country of Brunei, a kingdom headed by one of the world's richest man, is seeking to balance bigger nations in its neighbourhood, particularly China with which it has disuptes in the South China Sea, notably over the Spratly Islands that is zealously claimed by Beijing. As of now, the MoU on defence will focus on primary issues such as training, sale of equipment and joint exercises. Brunei, which has a tiny defence force, continues to host a Gorkha battalion of Britains Royal Army that both guards the Sultan's palace and is also located in the oil rich sub district of Seri, ever since it got independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. With Britain expressing an interest to withdraw its Gorkha battalion, only time will reveal whether an Indian Infantry battalion could fill that void. "It is for Brunei to decide, said a senior official speaking on the condition of anonymity. Describing relations with Brunei, which is an important source of oil import for India, as excellent, Ansari acknowledged that "for some odd reason" no top-level dignitary had ever visited Brunei although the Sultan of Brunei had thrice visited India since 1992. Two of these have been bilateral visits. An Indian Prime Minister has visited Brunei only once and that, too, on a multi-lateral Asean-India and East Asia Summit in 2013. "But this does not reflect on our relations which are very friendly", said Ansari. "Brunei has been the country coordinator for three years for Asean and it has been a positive experience", he explained. Commenting on the future of trade relations with Brunei, Ansari said these were limited considering Brunei was a "one-product country (oil) and had a limited population. The potential for growth with Thailand with which India had "more substantive relations", he said, was far greater. India is currently the third largest destination for exports from Brunei and makes up for 10 per cent of Brunei's exports. Brunei's major markets are Japan and South Korea. Although Brunei produces 9 per cent of the world's liquid petroleum gas (LPG), it is unable to sell any to India since it has contracted sale of LPG to other countries. "But we are exploring the possibility of purchasing gas for a locally set up chemical plant which will produce urea for export to India, he said. Ansari, who is here at the invitation of Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, is scheduled to meet the latter ad call on the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, one of the world's richest men, also meet the Speaker of the State Legislative Council. He will also meet some members of the approximately 10,000 strong Indian community that resides in this country. Debate and discussion the way in Parliamentary democracy Asked to comment about his views on the demand for powers to enforce discipline on members of Parliament, Ansari, who is Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said The question is not about being given powers or arming the Chair. Parliamentary democracy presupposes discussion and debate. The question is of (Members of Parliament) developing an attitude in which all sections of the House make it more productive through debate and discussion, he said. Dinesh Kumar in Bandar Seri Begawan Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, who arrived here on Monday on a first-ever bilateral visit by a high-level Indian dignitary to oil-rich Brunei since diplomatic relations were established 32 years ago, will for the first time be signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on defence in addition to agreements on health and sports. Ansaris current two-nation visit to this former British protectorate located on the South China Sea, followed by Thailand on Wednesday, is in keeping with Indias consciously developed Act East policy that has replaced the Look East policy conceived in 1993 during former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Raos tenure. It is a concerted policy developed over time which has now attained depth and content, Ansari told mediapersons on board the aircraft. India, as a result, has now developed good economic and defence relations with the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) both as a grouping and individually, he added. The MoU on defence, in particular, assumes significance considering that Islamic country of Brunei, a kingdom headed by one of the worlds richest man, is seeking to balance bigger nations in its neighbourhood, particularly China with which it has disputes in the South China Sea, notably over the Spratly Islands that is zealously claimed by Beijing. As of now, the MoU on defence will focus on primary issues such as training, sale of equipment and joint exercises. Brunei, which has a tiny defence force, continues to host a Gorkha battalion of Britains Royal Army that both guards the Sultans palace and is also located in the oil-rich sub-district of Seri, ever since it got independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. With Britain expressing an interest to withdraw its Gorkha battalion, only time will reveal whether an Indian Infantry battalion could fill that void. It is for Brunei to decide, said a senior official speaking on the condition of anonymity. Describing relations with Brunei, which is an important source of oil import for India, as excellent, Ansari acknowledged that for some odd reason no top-level dignitary had ever visited Brunei although the Sultan of Brunei has thrice visited India since 1992. Two of these have been bilateral visits. An Indian Prime Minister has visited Brunei only once and that too on a multilateral Asean-India and East Asia Summit in 2013. But this does not reflect on our relations which are very friendly, said Ansari. Brunei has been the country coordinator for three years for Asean and it has been a positive experience, he explained. On the future of trade relations with Brunei, Ansari said these were limited considering Brunei was a one-product country (oil) and had a limited population. The potential for growth with Thailand with which India had more substantive relations, he said, was far greater. India is currently the third largest destination for exports from Brunei and makes up for 10 per cent of Bruneis exports. Bruneis major markets are Japan and South Korea. Although Brunei produces nine per cent of the worlds liquid petroleum gas, it is unable to sell any to India since it has contracted sale of LPG to other countries. But we are exploring the possibility of purchasing gas for a locally set up chemical plant which will produce urea for export to India, he said. New Delhi, February 1 Senior IPS officer Archana Ramasundram was on Monday appointed Director-General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the first woman to head a paramilitary force. Ramasundram is currently Director, National Crime Records Bureau. She has been appointed to the post till the date of her superannuation, September 30 next year, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said. 58-year-old Ramasundram is the first woman police officer to have been appointed as the chief of a paramilitary force. The SSB is entrusted with guarding the countrys frontiers with Nepal and Bhutan. There are five paramilitary forces the SSB, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force and Indo Tibetan Border Police and none has ever had a woman chief. The Tamil Nadu cadre officer was in news in 2014 over her appointment as Additional Director in the CBI. Her appointment was also challenged in the Supreme Court, after which she was moved to the NCRB as its chief. Besides her, IPS officers K. Durga Prasad and K.K. Sharma have been appointed Director-Generals of the CRPF and the BSF, respectively. They will take over after the incumbent chiefs of these forces retire at the end of this month. Prasad, a 1981 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, was in 2014 unceremoniously removed as chief of the Special Protection Group, which provides security to the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their family members, during Prime Minister Narendra Modis trip to Nepal to attend the SAARC summit. He was in January last year appointed Special Director-General of the CRPF, the force entrusted with multiple duties in the internal security domain including, anti-Naxal operations. PTI Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 31 Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said there was no need to revoke the disturbed area status in Punjab given the threat posed by external forces. To a query by Akali leader Rajinder Singh Marwaha during an interaction with BJP and SAD leaders here, Rijiju said: The disturbed area tag does not hinder progress, development project or grant to the state by the Union Government. The status was necessary for maintaining peace in the state and the Centre was keeping a close watch on forces trying to destabilise the region, he said, while referring to Intelligence inputs that suggested how certain agencies from across the border were trying to disturb communal harmony. On Pakistans response to the Pathankot air base attack, he said Islamabad had not denied that terrorists had infiltrated from their territory. Rijiju is on a two-day visit to the city. Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, February 1 Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju has called in Delhi a border management review meeting for over 500 km International Border (IB) with Pakistan in Punjab. He announced this after visiting the Border Out Post (BOP), Mahawa, in Amritsar. He was also briefed about the problems being faced by farmers. Refusing to make the details of the proposed meeting public, he apprehended that it might compromise national security. However, he added that it would be convened this month and focus on reviewing border management, fencing, special arms, ammunition, security apparatus, surveillance equipment, infrastructure and fencing along the IB in Punjab. Even as Pakistan-based ultras managed to wage audacious strikes twice in border districts Gurdaspur and Pathankot, the BSF refused any breach along the IB. This puts the blame on insiders. Rijiju refused to comment on the role of Punjab SP Salwinder Singh and other details regarding the terrorist strike at the Air Force base in Pathankot. He said the NIA was investigating the case and commenting on it would be highly unprofessional. National security is paramount and concrete steps will be taken to plug gaps. For this, Central and state governments are working together. There is an urgent need to maintain high level of alertness and preparedness, he said. Rijiju accepted there were gaps in fencing along the IB, especially in Pathankot area, and that it was the oldest in the country and worn out at many places. Nirmal Sandhu Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 1 Farmer suicides reflect a deepening socio-economic crisis in Punjab. The state grows at a below national average rate. If agriculture grows at 2 per cent or so, how can anyone in this sector think of beating price rise? Small wonder the very survival has become a challenge. Rising aspirations and growing inequalities have bred discontent. There are demands of an acquisitive culture. Restive Haryana Jats seek solutions through reservations. Farmers elsewhere may adjust to poverty, but not in Punjab. Some choose death over a life of desperation. Change is required if Punjabs economic, social and moral decline is to be reversed. Farmers have to learn to cope with the Green Revolutions side-effects. It is time to realise that greed is not good. There is a limit to the soils capacity to produce. Water resources are not unlimited. Chemical overuse has damaged soil and polluted water. The impact on human and animal health is self-evident. Private hospitals see business opportunities in cancer treatment. The folly of (1) taking a loan to buy a tractor and selling it to fund a wedding, (2) wasting the states precious resource, water, to grow rice for consumers outside the state, (3) installing expensive submersible pumps to extract sinking groundwater, (4) abandoning less water-consuming crops and (5) pursuing unhealthy food habits and a laid-back lifestyle needs to be realised. One needs to be extraordinarily dumb to do such self-damage. Here are a few suggestions for a way out of this miserable existence. Quit agriculture altogether Few now make money from agriculture except by selling land, that too if located near a town, a city or along a road. The pragmatic ones do side businesses, jobs or even physical labour, or quit farming to work in cities or abroad. Farming can be a joy if one limits ones needs, appreciates being close to nature or has enough land. For others chasing comforts, it can be frustrating. The more people quit farming, the better. A transition to alternative work needs to be managed properly. The excessive reliance on migrant labour and farm machinery has made farmers shy of hard physical work. Education, skills and health An educated person can fight poverty, disease, exploitation, denial of rights, cheating and overcharging better than an illiterate person. Urban children go to good schools and grab top jobs. Rural children lag behind due to substandard education. Ill-health makes one earn less and spend more. Savings are lost in saving a life. Yet, villagers seldom agitate for better schools and hospitals. Addressing addiction With no jobs due to second-rate education, and little interest in, or facilities for, sports, youth do not know what to do with themselves. Frustrated, they turn to drugs and crime. An AIIMS study has established that Punjabis spend Rs 6,500 crore annually on heroin alone. Drugs kill or disable youth, wrecking their family life and making them a financial burden on society. Given the foreign craze, fleecing by unscrupulous travel agents and financial drain on parents limited resources, any responsive government would have thought of covering up its own failure to create jobs by monitoring work opportunities abroad and training youth for that and ensuring their safe, legal migration. What a waste of youth. People pay heavily for choosing leaders without vision. Cutting business costs Agriculture is a business and should be treated as such. It means cutting costs. A tractor is a liability if the landholding is less than 15 acres. A panchayat or a few like-minded farmers can pool in money to buy farm machinery and a tractor, and share the costs. Cooperative farming and marketing of produce can be tried, but Punjabis are not good at it. Petty rivalries and politics of hate divide them. Fights, police cases and litigation financially ruin them. Joint families have disintegrated. Each family now buys its own tractor, motorcycle, if not a car, submersible pump, while landholdings shrink due to divisions. Gujaratis travel together, bargaining for cheaper bus/flight tickets and hotel rooms. They carry or cook their own food. Panchayats can play a role in reviving agriculture and a healthy village life. Collective farming can lead to a village-level buildup of safe storage space to cut waste, reduce transportation cost and market produce when and where prices are attractive. Agro-based small businesses can be the next step. Farmers should produce for the market products that fetch a good price. In Brazil, farmers with small landholdings turned in a big way to vegetable and fruit cultivation, which is labour-intensive. This not only made them self-sufficient but also created work for local labour, checking migration to cities. Earlier each Punjab farmer grew things needed to run a household vegetables, grains, pulses, etc. He did not have to go to a shop to buy dairy and poultry products. Now he sticks to three crops: cotton, rice and wheat. In the pre-Green Revolution days, farmers grew more than 200 crops. Simplifying life and needs Punjabis all over tend to show off during marriage, birth and death ceremonies, which is financially suicidal. They even take loans for this. Loans which do not generate an income higher than the interest outgo can be ruinous. The craze to acquire comforts or things one does not need is a larger societal problem. Films and TV channels spread a consumerist culture and celebrate big, fat Punjabi weddings. It takes some courage to say no to ceremonies everyone frets about privately. Marriage palaces are thriving since they save parents the hassles of performing a marriage. What we have lost in the process is not fully realised. Relationships and warm neighbourhood practices have taken a hit in the pursuit of comforts and convenience. The Tribune field reports highlighting household tragedies have stirred the collective conscience and prompted readers to offer financial help. Punjabis abroad too want to do something. For that, we need to build credible channels and institutions. Monetary assistance can work like a band aid to treat an injury. Individual anguish can be managed by experts through helplines, NGOs and panchayats. Long-term healing, however, requires a social support system, revival of joint families and restoration of a vibrant community life. Believers in minimalism say there is greater joy in owning less than in pursuing more. Kabul, February 1 A Taliban suicide bomber struck a police base in central Kabul today, killing at 20 persons just days before a fresh round of international talks aimed at reviving dialogue with the Islamist group. "As a result of the terrorist attack this afternoon... 20 people were martyred and 29 others were wounded," the interior ministry said. The deputy interior minister earlier gave a death toll of 10. The attack comes amid the Taliban's unprecedented winter offensive despite a renewed push to restart formal peace talks. The interior ministry initially reported the attack as a suicide car bomb, but later said the attacker appeared to be on foot and detonated himself in a queue of people waiting to get inside the base. The carnage comes just ahead of a third round of four-country "roadmap talks" trying to lay the groundwork for direct dialogue between Kabul and the Islamist group. Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are set to convene in Islamabad on February 6 in a bid to seek a negotiated end to the Taliban insurgency, now in its fifteenth year. The Taliban have stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets in Afghanistan this winter, when fighting usually abates. In recent months the Taliban briefly captured the northern city of Kunduz, the first urban centre to fall to the insurgents. AFP Karachi, February 1 Four clerics were detained and three madrassas were sealed in Pakistans restive Baluchistan province on Monday, amid reports that militants were planning a new terror strike on educational institutions in the country. The religious seminaries were sealed as part of a new countrywide crackdown on terrorists and their sympathisers after 20 persons, mostly students, were killed in a brazen attack on prestigious Bacha Khan University near Peshawar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on January 20. Earlier today, media reports claimed that as many as 182 madrassas have been sealed in the country since the deadly Peshawar school attack in 2014, in a crackdown on religious seminaries allegedly involved in extremism. A senior police official said that three madrassas were raided near Quettas Eastern Bypass area this morning after information that it was being used for anti-state activities. The Madrassah Hussainia, Madrassah Taleemul Quran and Madrassah Abu Bakar Siddique have all been sealed under the National Action Plan, the official said on condition of anonymity. He said four clerics Qari Saifur Rehman, Surat Shah, Habibullah, and Qari Wali have also been detained. The action was taken under the National Action Plan (NAP) that was put in place after militants stormed an army school in December, 2014, killing at least 150 people, mostly schoolchildren. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has also frozen Rs 1 billion in 126 accounts which have a link to banned militant groups, as part of the strategy to choke terror financing. The new crackdown comes amidst intelligence reports that terrorists were planning to carry out more attacks on educational institutions in the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and Baluchistan provinces. The crackdown was protested by some of the religious parties with prominent religious leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman blaming the government for deteriorating security situation in the country. Rehman said raiding religious seminaries of any sect would yield no results as these were used for imparting religious education and not terrorism. There are around 3,000 registered religious seminaries in the Baluchistan province. PTI Cairo, February 1 Two Egyptian policemen and two soldiers were killed in two bombing attacks in the country's restive Sinai Peninsula, where Islamic State (IS) jihadists have regularly attacked security forces. In one attack at dawn yesterday, a remotely-detonated bomb hit a police vehicle as security forces were carrying out a search operation in the Rafah region, on the border with the Gaza Strip, killing two policemen, officials said. An army officer and a soldier were also killed in a similar attack yesterday in the Sheikh Zuwaid region of northern Sinai, the officials added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the region is an IS stronghold. Jihadists have regularly attacked security forces in the peninsula since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. They say their attacks are in retaliation for a government crackdown targeting Morsi supporters that has left hundreds dead and thousands imprisoned. The authorities say hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been killed in attacks, mainly in North Sinai, since 2013. Egypt's branch of IS also said it planted a bomb that caused the crash of a Russian airliner in the Sinai in October, killing all 224 people on board. AFP Istanbul, February 1 More than 3,000 Turkmens and Arabs fleeing advancing pro-government Syrian forces in the north of Latakia province have crossed into Turkey over the past three days, Turkish disaster agency AFAD said on Monday. A Turkmen official said several thousand more migrants were expected as a camp mostly sheltering Turkmens in the Syrian village of Yamadi was being evacuated after the pro-government forces backed by Russian air strikes advanced. "After the attacks have spilled over to Yamadi camp, the first group of 731 migrants, mostly babies, children, women and the elderly, have entered our country," AFAD said in a statement. Local rural towns, in a province traditionally seen as a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad, have been relatively safe until a military offensive over the last two months, including 300 air raids, "which is why people from these communities are now being displaced in large numbers", the United Nations said. The Turkmens are ethnic kin of the Turks, and Turkey has been particularly angered by what it says is Russian targeting of them in Syria. At least 12,733 civilians have been displaced in two months of fighting, and more displacement is expected if pro-Assad forces advance towards Kensaba town and along the Turkish border, a UN humanitarian report said. In southern Syria, a further 35,715 people have been uprooted by another government offensive to retake the strategic town of Sheikh Maskin, the UN said. AFAD said 3,120 people had already crossed through Pulluyazi, a village near the border town of Yayladagi in Turkey's southern Hatay province. The influx has accelerated since Jan. 24, when Rabiya, a rebel-held town in Latakia province, was captured by Syrian pro-government forces. The Syrian government's military campaign came as the UN struggled to convene the first peace talks in two years in Geneva, where opposition representatives are seeking a halt to attacks on civilian areas, the release of detainees and a lifting of blockades. Most of Syria's pre-war population have been forced out of their homes by the war, 5 million as refugees and 6.5 million displaced within the country. "On average, since 2011, 50 Syrian families have been displaced every hour of every day," UNHCR said in its latest Syria report. Russian air strikes have killed nearly 1,400 civilians since Moscow started its aerial campaign in support of Assad nearly four months ago, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Saturday. An opposition delegate said bombings had intensified before the peace talks. "There was an attack by Russians over the weekend on the camp," a Turkmen official at Yayladagi said. "Thankfully it did not fall right at the heart of the camp, but still 40 people were wounded," he said. "A lot of towns, villages in the north of Latakia have already been emptied. But there's still another 3,000-4,000 civilians there who haven't left," he said. Turkey has said that Russia's actions in Syria risk exacerbating a refugee crisis soon after it struck a deal with the EU to stem the flow of migrants to Europe. Reuters Marc Karon Photo: Denise Rondini The Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network continues to work to ensure that independent service providers and fleets get access to repair information under a recent agreement signed with truck and engine makers, the group announced at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week. Independent service providers and fleets have long complained that they were unable to get access needed to make certain repairs without having to go back to the dealer. A resolution to the issue, known as "right to repair," was spelled out in a memorandum of understanding that was signed last August between CVSN and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, along with the Equipment and Tool Institute, the Auto Care Association, and Heavy Duty Aftermarket Canada. Speaking to reporters during HDAW in Las Vegas last week, Marc Karon, president of Total Truck Parts and chairman of the Commercial Right to Repair Coalition led by CVSN, announced a partnership with the National Automotive Service Task Force. NASTF has begin integrating heavy-duty vehicle original equipment manufacturers into programs offered on its website. Karon says one of the reasons behind the partnership is that managing the repair information in question and getting it in the hands of independent shops is easier said than done. The OEs have direct relationships with dealers, but do not have agreements with diverse and disparate independents, so we took to NASTF to help implement what OEs said they would provide by signing the MOU." Karon explained that all OEM and supplier website links will be indexed on the NASTF website, "directing commercial vehicle technicians easily to service information, tools and software. In addition, the NASTF Service Information Request feature will provide a bridge to manufacturers when the necessary service information or software is not accessible. As of late January, all manufacturers have been contacted about providing information. Truck OEs and suppliers who already have links posted on the NASTF website include: Bendix, Caterpillar, Cummins, Eaton, Hino, Isuzu, Mack, Mitsubishi Fuso, Paccar Engines, UD Truck, and Volvo. Those who say they will be participating but who still need to provide details of what participation will look like include: Allison, Daimler, Detroit Diesel, Freightliner, Kenworth, Meritor, Navistar, Peterbilt, Sterling, Wabco and Western Star. To access links you must join NASTF, but membership is free. Go to wwwnastf.org to sign up. However, manufacturers are allowed to charge for the information once you access it via the links on the NASTF site. In other news, Karon says although OEMs have to provide information and tooling, they do not have to provide training. Speaking at the beginning of an education session at HDAW, he said that CVSN will offer training for all levels of technicians. The training will likely be modular in nature and we believe that training will cost less than $3,000 per technician. Photo: Maxwell Technologies The late January Snowzilla blizzard aside, this winter in the Northeast so far pales in ferocity to the seemingly endless parade of snowstorms that pounded the region a year ago. Nevertheless, the word is out from statehouses and state police barracks from Pennsylvania to Vermont that for safetys sake, snow and ice should be cleared off trucks before they take to the roads. In the Keystone State, Senator Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-18) has reintroduced a bill that would allow the police to stop a trucker if they believe snow or ice accumulated on a truck poses a threat to persons or property. The bill's language contends that any driver of a vehicle of gross weight exceeding 48,000 pounds has an affirmative duty to make all reasonable efforts to remove all accumulated ice or snow from the motor vehicle, including the roofs of tractors and trailers. Pennsylvania Senate Bill 94 calls for those cited for operating with accumulated snow or ice whether or not any of it came loose to be fined $25 to $75 per occurrence. In addition, when ice or snow falls from a moving vehicle and strikes another vehicle or pedestrian causing death or serious bodily injury, the driver would be fined no less than $200 and up to $1,000 for each offense. Speaking at a Jan. 27 hearing on the bill, Boscola said the bill is about safety and responsibility. Safety for motorists and truckers alike as well as responsibility for freight and shipping companies to be a good corporate neighbor and to install appropriate snow removal equipment. She added that if the language of the bill doesnt satisfy the trucking community, I would be happy to work with them on language they can support. During the hearing, Jim Runk, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, said the group had been working on how best to overcome the challenge of removing snow and ice for years with manufacturers, noting that ice removal is the biggest problem, per a York Dispatch report. The problem is the tops of trailers are made up of fiberglass or other thin material, so it can't be walked on and you have to be careful about tearing it up when removing the snow," said Runk. He also remarked that "loads could have hospital supplies or food or whatever that needs to be delivered, so what's a 'reasonable effort' when you're driving up from Arizona? We're not fighting [the bill], but we want to come up with realistic solutions. "We get that it's hard, but the bottom line is that this is a safety issue," said Steve DeFrank, Sen. Boscolas chief of staff. [The fines are] low intentionally because we know this is controversial," he added. "I'm not sure this is a deterrent, but it's more about creating awareness." Meanwhile, in neighboring New York State, legislation has been introduced to address snow and ice accumulation on vehicles. Kendra Hems, president of the New York State Motor Truck Association, told HDT that two similar bills are under consideration by the transportation committees of both the Assembly and the Senate. In another New York neighbor, Vermont, no law is yet on the books requiring snow and ice removal from vehicles. That was pointed out in a Jan. 30 Burlington Free Press news report on a large chuck of ice that came off a tractor-trailer and went through the windshield of an oncoming SUV to injure its driver. The newspaper noted that the Green Mountain State does not have a law regarding the removal of snow and ice from trucks. The Burlington Free Press also reported that in December 2014, the Vermont State Traffic Operations Unit issued a press release that stated: The Vermont State Police wants to remind the motoring public to clear all snow and ice from the roof and windshields of their vehicles. Snow dislodging from a moving vehicle creates an extreme driving hazard for all motorists." State Rep. Jadine Nollan will run for re-election for her House District 66 seat in the November election. Nollan said shes proud of her efforts to pass key education legislation, including authoring House Bill 1756, which ensures that disabled students are eligible to graduate from high school with a standard diploma upon meeting certain reasonable requirements. She also co-authored House Bill 2625, which provides that the decision for third grade promotion or retention be determined locally by the parents and educators working closest with the child. Working diligently with local and state leaders to identify, advocate and protect top priorities for the district has been meaningful and rewarding to me, Nollan said in a statement. My mission is to support and advocate for better funding for our schools and get rid of some of the over regulation, testing and red tape that is obstructive to instruction. I believe that government needs to get out of the way and let teachers teach. She said economic development and public safety are also priorities and she has an A+ rating for small business from the National Federation of Independent Business and an A rating from the National Rifle Association. Supporting our firemen, police officers and uniformed service members is critically important to help keep our communities safe, Nollan said in a release. Our state and nation are facing many tough challenges right now. Theres no better people than the people of House District 66 to navigate these difficult times. If history holds, two things will be certain when Gov. Mary Fallin delivers her sixth State of the State address at noon today before a joint session of the state Legislature. She will recommend a pay hike for teachers as hinted last week. And she will say the word we a lot. An analysis of Fallins past State of the State speeches shows the states first female governor to be very inclusive in her choice of words to the Legislature and the general public. Fallins State of the State speeches, a requirement of the state constitution, have used the word we over 300 times in her past five speeches, making it her word of choice, after discounting articles such as the and an. We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, at 6.9 percent, was one of the first times Fallin used the word we, in her first State of the State address in 2011. We have been doing better in that regard with the unemployment rate since declining to 4.1 percent as of December 2015. We cannot afford business as usual, was one of the last times she invoked the we word, in her 2015 speech. Fallin is by no means unique among Oklahoma governors in the usage of we in State of the State speeches. In 2000, Gov. Frank Keating used the word over 200 times in his nearly 7,000-word message to the Legislature, for an average of once every 34 words. When she is not using the word we, Fallin will likely use Oklahoma or some variation, such as Oklahomans. Fallin said the word Oklahoma about 200 times over the course of her past five speeches, which is understandable, given the subject matter. Other commonly used words in her past speeches and the number of total times used over the past five years have been: health, 104 times; jobs, 85 times; taxes, 63 times; and education, 58 times. Fallins State of the State speeches have gotten shorter, too, over the years. In 2011, her annual speech was about 3,762 words. The following year it expanded to 4,875 words, the longest of her tenure. While the 2012 speech was her longest, it is nowhere close to the longest by an Oklahoma governor. Gov. James Robertsons 1923 message to the Legislature weighed in at just over 49,428 words, perhaps the unofficially longest among Oklahoma governors. News reports from the time suggest Robertson read the speech, which was described as generally optimistic in tone. Robertson used up over 4,000 words of his address just on the topic of the state penitentiary, which actually was just a letter from the warden. By comparison, Fallins State of the State speeches have been 4,844 words in 2013, 4,170 words in 2014 and 3,611 in 2015. Perhaps one of the shortest State of the State speeches, though, was given by Gov. E.W. Marland in 1935. Marland, who had just taken office during the Great Depression, took just 1,900 words to convey his message to lawmakers. The message called for a wide variety of taxes on everything from cigarettes and income to oil and gas production as well as a 3 percent general sales tax. He proposed one-third of the sales tax go to fund schools and the balance to relief efforts. I urge, in the name of suffering humanity, prompt action of these emergency measures, Marland said in his 1935 address. While Oklahoma is one of Fallins most used words in her addresses, Oklahomas first governor, Charles Haskell, used the word only three times in his 4,400 word address on Dec. 2, 1907. Rather, Haskells speech, which was actually read to the Legislature by his private secretary while he presumably watched, used the word state some 92 times. Financial concerns were a big issue for the new state, with Haskell invoking the word bank or a variation of that word 58 times. Taxes, laws and schools were other frequently used words in Haskells first speech. Fallin has used the word bank just two times in her past five speeches, once in 2013 while referencing where taxpayer dollars are best kept and another time in 2014 when she compared the bank accounts of many Oklahomans and the states savings as both being dried up. While the Okmulgee police chief confirmed just after 10 p.m. Friday that the remains were those of four men, he could not confirm that they were the bodies of the four local men who had been missing since Sunday. Gov. Mary Fallin faced a tough crowd for her sixth State of the State address Monday afternoon. An early reference to Yogi Berra's "deja vu all over again" fell flat, and so did the line, "Never let a good crisis go to waste." But the response warmed as she rolled out a proposal that includes closing a $1 billion drop in general revenue without tapping the state's "rainy day" fund, reducing mandatory drug sentences and giving teachers $3,000 raises. Here are some quick takeaways from the governor's speech: Tax talk: While Fallin never uttered the phrase "tax increase," she did, in fact, propose raising $380 million in revenue by more than doubling the state cigarette tax and "modernizing" the state sales and use taxes. What exactly that means wasn't made clear, but the phrase "applying them in ways that better reflect today's commerce and consumer behaviors" suggests extending them to services not now taxed. That won't be easy. Money for teachers: Fallin says her budget would appropriate $178 million in new money for teacher pay about $3,000 per teacher. School vouchers: Fallin says she is "100 percent" behind education savings accounts better known as school vouchers. Cuts to agency budgets: Appropriations to most state agencies would be cut 3 percent to 6 percent. The 3 percent cuts would go to the Department of Human Services, Health Department, Health Care Authority, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Department of Public Safety, Oklahoma School of Science and Math and the Office of Juvenile Affairs. Funding prisons: Corrections would receive a $20 million supplemental appropriation for the current budget year and an additional $10 million in the budget year that begins July 1. Tulsa family recognized: While talking about funding in her proposed budget to support the Department of Human Services and children in the foster care system, Fallin recognized Brian and Chris Siemens of Tulsa. The Siemens have fostered seven children, three of whom they've adopted, the governor noted. "They are hard-working individuals, community advocates and have big, beautiful hearts," Fallin said. "Thank you, Brian and Chris, for helping Oklahomas children." Andrew Morley (Home and Away, Lightning Point) has joined Neighbours. He will debut as a mysterious character, known initially as John Doe, in early April. But without a family connection or a dark association to a current resident, it will be some time before his characters real name and background are revealed. TEN Drama Executive, Claire Tonkin, said: We are over the moon to have Andrew Morley bringing this intriguing new character to life. The chase is on to discover the answer to the biggest question in Neighbours this year: Who is John Doe? Executive Producer, Jason Herbison, said: The writers have had free reign with the development of John Doe. We have had no restraints in terms of his history or family tree, so it is a clean slate. Lets just say his arrival is quite explosive literally. Im very excited about how this character evolves. There are lots of twists and turns before we find out exactly who he is. Inside Story returns for a fourth series on Thursday with Leila McKinnon. Featuring stories from the heart-warming to the heartbreaking human dramas, adventures, mysteries, medical miracles and real-life crime stories that shock, entertain, intrigue and challenge the first episode is Walking Free. How could Arnold Schwarzenegger possibly inspire a 12-year-old boy to become one of the worlds great orthopedic surgeons? A good question, and just one of many intriguing twists in the life of Dr Munjed Al Muderis: A privileged young Iraqi, living in luxury, who defied a dictator and narrowly escaped a bullet in the head; A refugee who arrived here on our shores with nothing. Not even a name just a number. And now hes a proud and brilliant Australian a miracle worker who has pioneered revolutionary bionic surgery to help people walk again. 7:30pm Thursday on Nine. Julia Zemiros Home Delivery is back as Julia takes Kerry OBrien back to his childhood in suburban Brisbane. The former Four Corners presenter is both full of laughter and heavy memories. During the interview he speaks candidly about his difficult and troubled relationship with the Brothers at St Laurences College and the long-term effects of a career in journalism. When they arrive at the house he grew up in, the memories flood back. He fondly recalls late night chats with his mum around the kitchen table, and seeing his father tipsy for the first time. The second son of a devout Catholic family, Kerrys older brother left home at 14 to join the Christian Brothers seminary in Sydney. Kerry wonders how his world would have been different if his brother had been around. On their way to St Laurences College they stop the classic VW Beetle at Clarence Corner where Kerry remembers watching TV through the shop windows in the 50s. This prompts a discussion about the nature of celebrity and journalism. 8pm Wednesday on ABC. Call it a tale of two states. On the one hand, California is briskly creating private-sector jobs, led by a Silicon Valley hiring spree. Sacramentos budget, deeply in the red just a few years ago, is running a surplus, thanks to big income gains by the states wealthy residents. Meanwhile, however, large areas of the state lag behind. Six of Americas ten metro regions with the highest unemployment ratesincluding blue-collar communities like Merced and Fresnoare in the Golden State. Nearly two-thirds of Silicon Valley firms said that they were expanding their payrolls in 2015, while just 2 percent were cutting. Their employment gains have fueled increases in other local industries, including construction, retail, and hospitality. The San Francisco Bay Area has accounted for more than half of all job growth in California since 2007, though it accounts for less than one-fifth of the states population. Robust Silicon Valley earnings have also driven up income among the states elite and bolstered Californias budget. Last year, capital gainsprofit from the sale of investmentsaccounted for nearly 10 percent of general fund revenues. For other areas of California, especially those with blue-collar jobs, its a very different picture. Since 2010, the U.S. has added about 800,000 new industrial jobs. But California, for years the leader in manufacturing jobs, has contributed just 30,000 of those new positions, a gain of merely 2.3 percent. The states mediocre record on creating new industrial jobs may be one reason that its biggest metro region, Los Angeles, has fallen behind. With nearly 30 percent of the states population, greater Los Angeles has accounted for just 6 percent of new jobs in California since 2007. Though it has more than half a million industrial jobs, the area has seen no manufacturing growth during the national rebound. Perhaps more ominously, L.A.s struggles predate the recession of 2008. In the past 20 years, greater Los Angeles has lost 3.1 percent of its jobs, according to a 2014 study by UCLAs Anderson School of Management. Greater Los Angeles also leads California in business disinvestmentsthat is, firms that close up facilities and move to other states. Government doesnt track relocations by individual companies, but California business-consultant Joseph Vranichwhose Spectrum Location Solutions provides businesses with site-selection advicehas compiled a list of more than 1,500 firms that have left the state since 2008. Some industry studies approximate that more than five companies relocate for every one that publicly acknowledges doing so, making it possible that some 9,000 businesses have left California since Vranich started tracking the trend. Though state officials have claimed that there is no exodus, California has consistently ranked as the least business-friendly state in the annual CEO Magazine survey of executives nationwide. A 2014 survey by Site Selection magazine, which tracks openings of major new facilities requiring an investment of $1 million or more, estimated that California attracted the third-smallest number of new facilities of any state, when adjusted for population. Disinvestment may help explain why Californias industrial job base is expanding so slowly. The Spectrum Location Solutions study found that industrial firms top the list of companies exiting the state, followed by pharmaceutical and medical-device makers. Firms that operate call centers and data-processing facilities, such as online retailers and providers of cloud services, are also moving out. Their top destination? Texas, followed by Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado. When company executives explain their decision to leave, they almost always cite Californias taxes and regulatory environment. The founder of online womens magazine Bustle.com, Bryan Goldberg, after moving his firm from San Francisco to New York in 2013, compared Gothams heavily regulated business environment favorably with Californias. Referring to the Golden States sky-high top income-tax rate, Goldberg said, No more 13.3 percent of my income for you, California. When Serfas, a maker of bicycle accessories, moved from Orange County to Phoenix, the firms general manager said: With California and all the red tape, we couldnt see ourselves expanding. We couldnt even do our parking-lot sale at the end of the year. Some of the objections we had from the city and state, we felt, limited our opportunity for growth. Given the states political environment, Californias business disincentives are unlikely to change soon. In fact, firms face new and potentially higher taxes, including a move by left-leaning groups to make permanent the roughly $7 billion in increases passed through Proposition 30 in 2012, which are currently scheduled to expire in 2018. Progressive groups are also working to eliminate the tax cap on commercial property contained in Proposition 13, leaving in place only the protections for residential real estate. That would raise commercial property taxes by as much as $9 billion annually. Businesses also face higher fees from Californias cap-and-trade regime to limit carbon emissions. California might be sizzling for high-tech enterprises in hot fields, but the states repressive regulatory environment continues to send many other businesses prospecting elsewhere. Photo by Jon Montiel Delaware INBRE is once again seeking proposals for its Developmental Research Project program. John Slater (center), assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Delaware, is an INBRE-funded researcher. Delaware INBRE is once again seeking proposals for its Developmental Research Project program. 8:51 a.m., Feb. 1, 2016--Delaware INBRE is once again seeking proposals for its Developmental Research Project program, and this year, promising investigators have even more opportunities for collaboration with the goal of becoming established, independent researchers. We are pleased to announce that the INBRE Pilot Project applicants will now have three options when putting in a proposal, said Robert Akins, director of research and mentorship for Delaware INBRE. This round of Delaware INBRE submissions includes two new options that are focused on building a collaborative research environment. Pilot project submission opportunities include: Individual research - This is the traditional proposal in which an investigator works independently with a mentor. Collaborative research - This option offers two pilot investigators the chance to work synergistically on distinct aspects of a single research program. Each investigator works independently with their own mentor, but they share data and ideas to jointly publish their results and develop a multi-PI R01 or similar application. Integrated research team - Multiple pilot investigators work under a senior investigator to develop an integrated program with a focus on securing funding for a larger program, such as a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE). This new approach establishes Dream Teams with a multidisciplinary approach across different institutions. Both the Collaborative Research and Integrated Research team proposals will receive special consideration for funding. Pilot project submissions are due April 15. Those who are selected can expect to begin their projects on Sept. 1. The application is available at de-inbre.org. Questions about the application may be submitted to info@de-inbre.org. Interested candidates can learn more about the Delaware INBRE Developmental Research Project during two pilot project orientation workshops moderated by Akins, also the director of the Center for Pediatric Clinical Research and Development for Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. The first workshop will be held Feb. 24 during the Delaware IDeAs meeting at the University of Delawares Clayton Hall. The workshop will begin at 4 p.m. in Room 125. Interested investigators also can attend a March 10 seminar from 9-10 a.m. in Room A103 of the OSCAR building at Delaware State University. The goal of the Delaware INBRE program is to develop an interdisciplinary, interinstitutional biomedical research capability across the state. Delaware INBRE, which stands for Delaware IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, is made up of six partner institutions: University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Wesley College, Delaware Technical Community College, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and Christiana Care Health System. Delaware INBRE Pilot projects must focus on three areas: cancer, cardiovascular and neuroscience research. Proposals that address other significant health challenges in Delaware - infant mortality, incidence of low birth weight, diabetes and obesity - also will be considered if they can be linked to these three focus areas. INBRE pilot projects represent a great opportunity to do impactful research that highlights the research capabilities here in Delaware but also improves health outcomes for our residents, said Steven J. Stanhope, Delaware INBRE principal investigator. We welcome the chance to help grow the research pipeline in Delaware and help investigators become independent researchers. Pilot projects typically reflect one of four stages of biomedical research: development of technologies or methods for assessment or intervention; basic research; translational research; or clinical research. Project applicants typically receive up funding for up to $80,000 each year. Projects are designed to receive funding for up to two years. In the last decade, Delaware INBRE has received more than $60 million from NIH to build research infrastructure in the state. More than 60 pilot projects have been funded and over 1,000 students have participated in undergraduate summer research opportunities. Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson 11:30 a.m., Feb. 1, 2016--The Delaware Junior Duck Stamp Program will host an art and conservation statement competition, a national art competition that is held each spring to select the design for the next Federal Junior Duck Stamp. Each state will submit its best of show artwork and statement for the national competition. Competitors that participate will choose a waterfowl from a list of species on the official U.S. Fish and Wildlife webpage and draw a live portrayal of that species in its habitat demonstrating its natural behavior. For the judging process theyre not looking for just the waterfowl but its surroundings and behaviors, as well, because thats the driver in conservation for the program, and showing that they learned something, said Autumn Starcher, Junior Duck Stamp Program state coordinator. Submissions must be post-marked to the state 4-H office no later than March 15. The judging event will be held on March 29 at the New Castle County 4-H office. The 4-H Junior Duck Stamp Program is an art and science based program that encourages wetland and waterfowl conservation through sharing and expression with art. Some kids might not be interested in science but they might really like art, so it engages the artistic kids in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and helps the science-oriented kids to be more creative, said Starcher. Each submission will be checked for plagiarism and put into groups based on age. This year there will be four groups: Group I (grades K-3), Group II (grades 4-6), Group III (grades 7-9) and Group IV (grades 10-12). Those who submit artwork work are encouraged, but not required, to write a conservation message that expresses what the child has learned through research and planning for their Duck Stamp entries. The Junior Duck Stamp Club is a national conservation effort supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Delaware 4-H Foundation. K-12 youth who are U.S. citizens are encouraged to participate in the statewide art competition. For more information on the Delaware Junior Duck Stamp Program or registration for the competition, see the website or contact Starcher at starcher@udel.edu. Article by Jackie Arpie In 2016, Ukraine and Canada will finally sign an agreement on free trade area between two countries. Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk told reporters after a meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reported. "We have decided that this agreement [on FTA] has to be finally signed this year and sent to national parliaments for ratification. As this agreement is the opening of our common markets and another step to help Ukraine overcome not only military but also economic aggression provided by the Russian Federation," Yatsenyuk said. The Prime Minister recalled that in July of last year, two countries concluded negotiations on a free trade area between Ukraine and Canada. Then the corresponding document was initialed. ish The Ukrainian-Canadian business forum will take place in June of 2016. Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk told reporters after meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion in Kyiv Monday, Ukrinform reported. "Also in June, we have planned to hold the Ukrainian-Canadian business forum in order to obtain additional investments in the Ukrainian economy," head of the government said. According to him, the event will also help boost the volume of bilateral trade between Ukraine and Canada. Ukraine has filed a suit in court regarding the construction of Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said at a meeting with Slovakian Minister of Foreign Affairs Miroslav Laichak in Kyiv on Monday, February 1, an Ukrinform correspondent report. I would like to inform that Ukraine has filed a suit in court regarding the construction of Nord Stream 2. We consider it a political project. We are calling on the European Commission to start an investigation and stop anti-European, anti-Ukrainian, ant-Slovak, anti-Polish project, Yatsenyuk said. The premier also stressed that Ukraine wants to build a transparent gas European market. Thats why we are sending a strong signal to our European partners and the whole European society that this project should be not only reconsidered, but also rejected, Yatsenyuk said. Laichak, in turn, said that Nord Stream 2 is a political project, reasons for which I dont see. He stressed that a courts ruling on this issue would have a huge importance. Nord Stream 2 is a project aimed against Ukraine, and the European Union is coming closer to the diversification of energy, and thus, we are on the same way with you, thats why lets keep fighting together, Laichak said. iy The Russian Federation continues waging a hybrid war not only against Ukraine but also against the European Union. Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov said this during a meeting with the heads of parliaments of the Nordic and Baltic countries, the press service of the National Security Council reported. Turchynov stressed that Russia continued waging a hybrid war not only against Ukraine but also against the EU. According to him, the Russian bombardment in Syria, the destruction of civilian infrastructure caused "increased migration waves to the West." "As a result, the EU gets weapons, terrorists, and socio-economic destabilization and so on," he said. In addition, the NSDC secretary thanked the heads of parliaments of the Nordic and Baltic countries for their clear positions and support for Ukraine. He believes that sanctions against Russia should not be lifted, "before the end of occupation and restoration of full territorial integrity of Ukraine." ish On Newsstands Now: Here's Everything You'll Find in CityBeat's Latest Issue From a Bigfoot hunt to delightfully spooky ghost stories from one of Cincinnati's watering holes, here are the stories you'll find in CityBeat's latest print edition. By CityBeat Staff Oct 19, 2022 For many of us, Bigfoot is a legend present only on an episode of Ancient Aliens, or perhaps only among the towering, mysterious pines of the Pacific Northwest. However, for CityBeat's latest issue, we went on a hunt for Bigfoot in a place where the massive furball had allegedly been spotted before Ohio's Pleasant Hill Lake Park... Speaker of the Parliament of Latvia, Inara Murniece has praised the progress of Ukraine on the implementation of an action plan on visa regime liberalization As to an action plan on visa-free regime implementation, the steps that already have been made show that the Ukrainian parliament really wants this regime, Murniece said at a meeting of Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Groysman with parliamentary speakers from Northern Europe and Baltic States. According to her, as of January 1, 2016, the Verkhovna Rada adopted all the required laws on a visa-free regime with the European Union, and now Ukraine should develop strong and stable economic space in its territory. Also, Murniece promised comprehensive support to the Ukrainian counterparts. iy This morning, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the 26th Africa Union Summit. On Monday (1 February), Mr. Grandi will visit the refugee camps in Shire in northern Ethiopia. This will be his first field trip in Africa in his capacity as UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Ethiopia is Africa's largest refugee hosting country, with more than 734,000 registered refugees mostly from South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea. The four camps around Shire host some 38,000 Eritrean refugees, the majority of them below 25 years in age. Many refugees have left the camps over the last years, some to settle elsewhere in Ethiopia but others have moved on to North Africa and Europe. Most cite lack of education or job opportunities in the camps as the reason for leaving. They don't think that they can build a future for themselves in a refugee camp that only provides the most basic services. High Commissioner Grandi will visit the Hitsats camp to see living conditions first hand and speak with the refugees on how services can be improved and possible solutions to end one of African's most protracted refugee situations. For more information on this topic, please contact: NA Confidential's mask-free policy on reader comments. NA Confidential believes in a higher bar than is customary in the blogosphere, and follows a disclosure policy with respect to reader comments. First, you must be registered with blogger.com according to the procedures specified. This is required not as a means of directing traffic to blogger.com, but to reduce the lamentable instances of flaming and personal attacks on the part of the anonymous. Second, although pen names are perfectly acceptable, senior editor Roger A. Baylor must be informed of your identity, and according to your preference, it will be kept confidential. To reiterate, I insist upon this solely to lessen the frequency of malicious anonymity, which unfortunately plagues certain other blogs hereabouts. You may e-mail Roger at the address given within his profile and explain who you are. Failure to comply means that your comments probably will be deleted -- although the final decision remains ours. Thanks for reading, and please consider becoming a part of the community here, one that is respectful of the prerequisites of civilized discourse, and that seeks to engage visitors in substantive dialogue. Police have arrested two Virginia Tech students on charges of the abduction and murder of a teenager that lived in Blacksburg. According to The Roanoke Times, police first arrested Natalie Marie Keepers, 19, Sunday morning on a felony charge of improper disposal of a body and a misdemeanor charge of being an accessory to a felony after the fact. Police then arrested David Edmond Eisenhauer, 18, later Sunday on charges of first-degree murder and abduction. Both are being held wthout bail. The Blacksburg Police believe Eisenhauer met Nicole Madison Lovell, 13, online and got her to meet him. She went missing Wednesday and her body turned up in Surry County, North Carolina on Saturday, The Times reported. Details of Lovell's murder are currently unavailable and police are also not disclosing the nature of Eisenhauer's relationship to either Lovell or Keepers. Eisenhauer and Keepers are both engineering students at Virginia Tech and are from neighboring towns in Maryland, according to a news release from the school. Once Lovell was located, Blacksburg Police Chief Anthony Wilson stated investigators worked quickly to pick up those allegedly responsible, USA Today reported. "This has been an extremely fast-paced investigation," he said in a statement. "We still have a great deal to do as there are multiple interviews to conduct and evidence to [be] collected and analyzed." Tammie Weeks, Lovell's 43-year-old mother, told The Washington Post her daughter had scars from a liver transplant that kids at school teased her for. Weeks also said her daughter survived the MRSA staph bacterial infection and lymphoma at the age of five. "When she grew up, she wanted to be on 'American Idol,'" Weeks said. "She loved to sing and dance. She loved anything to do with 5 Seconds of Summer. She loved country music, too - Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty. She liked Jason Aldean, Sam Hunt, all of them. I took her to a Brad Paisley concert when they had it at Tech. While Weeks talked to Nicole's teachers and kept her daughter home when the bullying was too much, she could not do anything about what other kids said online. The NCAA's Board of Governors approved a three-year extension on Mark Emmert's contract as the organization's president. According to ESPN, Emmert's contract now extends through the year 2020 and contains an option for an additional year. Emmert has been the NCAA's president since 2010 and the board unanimously approved the extension. Pay terms not announced for Mark Emmert extension, but per most recent NCAA tax doc, he was credited w/just over $1.8 million in 2013. Steve Berkowitz (@ByBerkowitz) February 1, 2016 "Mark has done an incredible job leading the Association through an unprecedented period of change and transformation," Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz, chair of the Board of Governors, said in a press release. "I and the board feel strongly that Mark is integral in leading the Association forward as we navigate the complex and challenging way ahead, while better supporting student-athletes." In its release, the NCAA stated the board took its vote on Jan. 16 at the NCAA Convention quarterly meeting in San Antonio. At the convention, Emmert praised student-athletes for recent showings of activism in their communities, ESPN reported. In Nov., the University of Missouri boycotted team activities as long as a fellow student (not on the team) carried out a hunger strike in protest of the school system's president. "Student-athletes are also saying we're part of the student body and we want to have a voice in social justice issues," he said. "We want to be part of that conversation. And I applaud that. I know sometimes it causes stress and some strain, but it's exactly what we want our student-athletes to do as members of our campus community." Previously the NCAA faced a class-action lawsuit seeking a rule allowing compensation for student-athletes who lend their names, images, and likenesses to official memorabilia. Without allowing student-athletes to be compensated with a traditional paycheck, the NCAA began schools to provide the full cost-of-admission, as well as unlimited meal plans. Reminder: Dont Use UW Email Accounts to Express Personal Views to Legislators With the 2016 budget session of the Wyoming State Legislature approaching, University of Wyoming employees are reminded of UWs guidelines for communicating with state and federal elected officials, agencies and other authorities. UW Presidential Directive 1-2009-1 -- approved in April 2010, and still in force -- contains the following guidance: As citizens of Wyoming and as members of the university community, UW employees enjoy the rights of freedom of expression. They may freely consult and communicate with members of Congress, members of the Wyoming State Legislature, federal and state agencies and other federal and state authorities, including elected officials, as long as they indicate that their views are their own private views or their considered professional views and do not represent, imply representation of, or are authorized by the University of Wyoming. Personal letters should not appear on university letterhead. Equipment or resources of the university -- including university email accounts -- should not be used for such personal communication, since this may be construed to imply that the communication has been approved by or represents an official position of the University of Wyoming. University titles should not be used when signing personal letters; however, the writer may identify the writers job title in the text of a letter if this information is relevant to the communication. Use of UW email accounts to express personal views to policymakers also might be construed by the recipient that the sender is using government resources in an unauthorized manner. To view the entire presidential directive, go here. Student Employee of the Year Nominations Accepted Now Nominations are being accepted now for the University of Wyomings Student Employee of the Year. Student employees will be judged based on reliability, quality of work, initiative, professionalism and the uniqueness of the students contribution to his or her employer. The top three students will receive a cash book award, and the winner goes on to regional competition and a chance for a $1,000 prize. For nomination forms and more information, click here. Nominations are due no later than Friday, Feb. 19. Nominations may be submitted by email to mheld@uwyo.edu or dropped off at the Student Financial Aid office in Room 174 of Knight Hall. Call 766-2317 for more information. UW Podcast Examines Hunting Culture, Wyoming Mammals Artistic hunting and fishing traditions in Wyoming are among topics examined on this weeks UW podcast, The University of Wyoming Today. Other segments explore the genetics of trophy game animals, and a UW professor will discuss his new book on the mammals of Wyoming. To listen to the podcasts, go to www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/podcast/index.html or click on the link provided in the left-column navigation on the UW News home page. You can listen to the podcasts by clicking the link on the page, or subscribe to the RSS feed, which will deliver the podcast link to you via email each week. You also can click on the iTunes link and listen to or subscribe to the podcast there. New podcasts are scheduled weekly and will be updated with new episodes every Thursday. G'day & Welcome. Why a Blog? The little blog that I send out is just a way to stay in touch with family, friends, industry contacts, prospects and customers. Its a real mixed bag. I just got so busy I never had time to give the attention I should to all the different groups. I also hated calling people up to ask a favour when I hadnt been in touch for x months (or years). Hence the blog basically it says Im alive and what Im interested in (C&S and more C than S). I do it when I can, as I can. Sometimes I just dont read anything if I have a deadline to meet. UW Sets New Accessibility Policy for Technology Purchases The University of Wyoming has adopted a policy that requires technology-based products and services bought by UW to have built-in accessibility for individuals with disabilities unless one of the limited exceptions to the policy applies. The policy takes effect Feb. 15. The accessibility policy for technology purchases applies to purchases including, but not limited to, hardware and software products, and website design or maintenance. The policy contains guidance on how UW departments can evaluate the accessibility of technology products or services. To be considered accessible, technology products or services must comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Examples of compliance include software that does not use flashing or blinking texts, and electronic forms that allow people who use assistive technologies to access the information. Websites or Web-based content are accessible if they comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, Level AA standards. Examples include ensuring there is a text equivalent for every non-text element and designing Web pages so that all information conveyed with color also is available without color. The Office of General Counsel and the Office of Diversity and Employment Practices will offer training on the policy to UW employees Friday, Feb. 5, and Friday, Feb. 12, at 2 p.m. in the Senate Chambers, Room 221 of the Wyoming Union. Those interested can attend either session; no RSVP is required. To view the policy, click here. For more information, call Oneida Blagg, Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator, Employment Practices, at 766-6236. With 10.23 million tons of rice shipped in 2015, India has taken the leading position among the world's top rice exporters. The country outranked Thailand who came a close second with an export number of 9.8 million tons this year. The country's decision to sell basmati rice at low cost acted as a major catalyst for increasing its exports. A lot of major rice-exporting countries failed to match the price mainly because of higher production costs. It eventually led to India capturing a much bigger market, earning it the title of 'number one rice exporter of the world'. According to Business Standard, Thai Rice Exporters Association Chairman Charoen Laodhammatas mentioned on Wednesday that Thailand's 2015 numbers reflect a 10.8% year-on-year decrease, a decline from last year's 10.9 million tons. This has basically pushed the former leader from its number one spot. As such, Thai rice exports came down to approximately $4.6 billion in 2015 from $5.4 billion in the previous year, as reported by The Tribune. This indicates that the rice prices in the country have hit an all-time low since the last ten years mainly because of droughts in the producing areas. The dismal prices are expected to pick up once the situation improves. This year, Thai rice exports are expected to touch around 9 million tons, as the government plans to offload around 4 million tons from the stockpile this year and another 5 million tons by next year. The drop in prices would be the oil crisis that has become a global concern. The falling oil prices have impacted the purchasing power of countries having a high demand for rice, which has created a scenario of supply exceeding demand. In fact, according to Dawn, while the global economic slowdown is one major reason for the setback in rice prices, India is apprehensive about a decline in its capital city's export numbers mainly because of this decrease in the purchasing power of the main buyers like Iran and Nigeria, which will likely adversely impact India's export numbers for 2015-16 that are expected to be lower than this year's shipment. Additionally, as per latest export updates, shipment for both basmati and non-basmati rice has declined by 7.3pc in volumes and 18pc in value terms for the April-November period, compared to last year's numbers. Iran, the chief importer of Indian aromatic rice over the recent years, saw a drop in its volume by 25pc to 0.39m ton during the April-October period. While India led the rice exporters this year followed by Thailand, Vietnam followed closely behind in the third position with exports of 6.4 million tons. China, however, has held on to the top spot as the world's largest importer of rice. Russia is studying a proposal on global oil production reduction by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The five percent cut in oil production was proposed to ease oversupply situation in global oil market and support falling price. However, it's not clear that Russia whether referring to old proposal by OPEC or a new proposal by OPEC led by Saudi Arabia. There's also a request came up for a meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC oil producing nations. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak's statement, now, all eyes on the latest proposal on oil production cut to check the glut in global oil markets. If any agreement is reached on this, it'll be a first deal on global oil production in the past decade. Saudi officials didn't comment on this. But an OPEC delegate from the Gulf region said that the proposal was put forward by Venezuela and Algeria. Russia is a non-OPEC oil producing nation and one of the top oil producers in the world. The output cut represents for Russia to the tune of 500,000 barrels per day (BPD). The news about possible production cuts started propelling oil prices upwards. Benchmark Brent futures LCOc1 jumped as much as eight percent to nearly $36 a barrel on the speculation of production cuts. Brent was trading at $34 a barrel. If the deal is finalized then it would result in reduction of one million barrels per day, as reported by Reuters. Novak also said that there was a proposal on convening a meeting between OPED and non-OPEC members. "And Russia is ready for such talks," said Novak. Oil producing nations would naturally welcome higher prices regime as the lower oil prices are squeezing their budgets. The continuous oil price drop forced some countries to devalue their currencies as well. The oil price tumbled to 12-year low at $27 per barrel from $115 about 18 months ago. Daily Star reports that the shale oil production book in the US led the way of increasing oil production. OPEC has also decided to stick to their production level to keep up their market share. Novak said when asked if Saudi Arabia had made a proposal to cut output, that "indeed, these parameters were proposed, to cut production by each country by up to 5 percent. This is a subject for discussions, it's too early to talk about." The low oil price regime is keeping pressure on many oil-rich nations including Saudi Arabia, which had a deficit budget of $100 billion. In Russia also, its currency Ruble fell to all-time low. Saudi Arabia was asking non-OPEC members to cut oil production and that'll help OPEC deal with oversupply situation. However, Russia's President Vladimir Putin is yet to comment on the latest situation. Putin considers the oil sector as a key bargaining chip in building up relations with the Western countries, as published by World Oil. Recently, Western sanctions were imposed over Russia for its annexation of Crimea region and conflict in Syria. The delegate from Gulf OPEC further said that "Gulf OPEC members and Saudi Arabia are willing to cooperate for any action to stabilize the international oil market." Earlier, Russia didn't agree on oil production cuts saying that its oil fields are different from those in Gulf region. Hence, it's difficult to shut oil rigs. Apple has been awarded patent for an imaging technology from the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) on Tuesday against application filed in 2013. The technology involved thereto, is believed to reduce the size of digital camera modules without compromising quality. The snapping gear will include a spherical photo-sensor and lens array that provides high-resolution capture in an incredibly compact package. Smaller camera absorbs lesser light compared to larger ones. In similar concept, less light falls on a small smart-phone image sensor than that of bigger camera sensor, simply due to the surface area measurement. The physics relating surface area appears to be a big problem for smart-phone cameras need to remain as small as possible to fit within a phone case. Apple has been granted the US Patent No. 9,244,253 for its Small Form Factor High Resolution Camera. The concept involved in the patented camera model overrides the surface area factor. This new imaging device offers a larger sensor surface into a smaller space simplifying the built in lenses, presumes Forbes. All new Boeing 737 MAX sets its successful maiden journey that flew for about two and half hours taking off from Renton, Washington where it was built. It landed safely at Boeing field near Seattle after its first flight. The MAX version is expected to provide better fuel efficiency than the replacing models. The first flight marks the beginning to achieve federal certification of the airplane. Also marks another step towards scheduled delivery to airlines in 2017. According to Seattle Times, the jet took off slightly earlier than expected at 9:48 a.m. piloted by Capt. Ed Wilson, 737 chief pilot. This was due to the threat that low clouds might delay the flight. To avoid more tough weather, Capt. Wilson and co-pilot Craig Bomben, Boeing's chief test pilot, steered away from eastern Washington. They flew out over the Olympic Peninsula and landed safely near Seattle. "It flew beautifully and we had no issues," said co-pilot Bomben at a post-flight press conference. This Boeing 737 MAX is the fourth version of the original 737, which made its first flight in 1967 and has become one of Boeing's most profitable aircraft. Changing over the years with different sizes and seating configurations, different engines and longer range, the 737 family has become the best-selling airliner in the history of commercial aviation. Boeing has over 13,000 aircrafts sold post 1965. Boeing 737 Max program general manager Keith Leverkuhn said that, "We think we have a terrific product here." He added that, "We think it's going to be the preferred aircraft in the market." CNN reported that, the aircraft limited its speed to 250 knots and initially climbed to 15,000 feet (4,570 meters), and later climbed higher than 20,000 feet (6,096 meters). Also the flight never exceeded 250 knots, but owing to the maturity of the basic platform, the landing gear was retracted for flight testing. The company reported that the 737 MAX features new engines from CFM International, a joint venture of General Electric and Safran SA of France, said the International Business Times. The Boeing 737 MAX comes in three sizes with the seating capacity of 126 to 220 passengers. Currently, Boeing's order book for the 737 MAX family aircraft stands at 2,827 aircraft, spanning more than 40 customers. The most highest orders come from Indonesia's Lion Air, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Ryanair. Last week earlier, Boeing stocks reportedly traded low. This was after the company announced that it would deliver fewer airplanes than expected in this year. While on Thursday last week, Boeing delivered the 8,888th 737. This was after nearly 50 years since 737's first production. Researchers at software leader Microsoft hope that the prospect of data centers may be under the water. The company has put a prototype of data center under the ocean to examine its efficacy to work hundreds of feet beneath the ocean surface. By creating a data center under the sea, Microsoft could remove the problem of air conditioning bill. The software leader aim to take the data center below the sea mainly due to the heat generated by the servers. The data centers that control every aspects like social networking, email and streaming videos includes several computer servers, which produces ample of heat. The surplus heat generated lead to the distraction of the servers, according to The New York Times. The company could fix this hurdle by placing the gear under the chill sea water. This move may also satisfy the growing energy demands in the computing arena as the company is considering coupling the system with either a tidal energy system or a turbine in order to produce electricity. The effort named 'Project Natick' constructed a capsule called Leona Philpot and placed it 30 feet below the seawater of the California coast for a period of four months last year. The capsules, which could be placed under the water for 20 or more years, could also be motorised by renewable energy. Microsoft researchers hope that they could tighten the distribution time of fresh data centers to only 90 days by manufacturing these capsules in huge quantity. "For years, the main cloud providers have been seeking sites around the world not only for green energy but which also take advantage of the environment," The New York Times cited Larry Smarr, a physicist as well as a scientific computing specialist. The underwater capsule was equipped with 100 various sensors to gauge the oceanic environment where it is highly impossible to send a repairman during the mid-night. This underwater system could also fasten web services. According to betanews, the heat from this underwater capsule may affect the eco-system of the sea and that more research is needed to determine the risk-free element of Project Natick. Things started in the year 2013 when Sean James produced a ThinkWeek Paper which lead Norm Whitaker to create a team to discover the idea of setting computers in sea and, in late 2014, the company commenced Project Natick, betanews said. Fortune said that the metal capsule was watched by Microsoft's campus at Redmond, where the engineers received feedback on its status and performance. Recently, Facebook placed its data centers in Lulea to utilize the cheap hydroelectricity doe colling purpose. According to Fortune, Amazon may also join Microsoft in creating underwater system. The vision of Project Natick is to serve the users living in areas close to large water bodies, where around 50% of the global population resides. The underwater data centers could also reduce the delay in web service. Since her inauguration in 2013, South Korean president Park Geun-hye has launched several initiatives to boost startup companies with more than $3 billion investment. Now the nation has started to see the blooming of its effort. One last thing to change is the people's mindset who looked down on entrepreneurship. In her inauguration speech on February 25, 2013 President Park announced her vision to create the "second miracle on the Han river" by focusing on development of creative economy. She decided to put creative economy as its core economic policy for targeting economic democratization and creating new employment opportunity. Korea has the most advantage to become the hub of tech startup. It is because according to Bloomberg Global Innovation Index, Korea is topping of the list of the most innovative countries in the world. Korea also spend the most amount of money in reseach and development among other countries. Nowadays, Korea has started to see the result of its initiatives. As many venture capitals and startup accelerators look to Korea to find innovation, also attracting business from Facebook and Google alike. Currently, there are around 40 startup accelerators in Korea to provide funding for entrepreneurs on various sectors. However, president Park's initiative also faced fundamental cultural challenges to achieve full growth of Korean innovative capacities. One of which is the mindset of most Koreans as Steve Lee the co-founder of Korea Accelerate, startup accelerator told Forbes, "In Korea, being an entrepreneur is still looked down upon. You're supposed to study hard, graduate with honors and get a good job at Samsung. We're target conventional media, like the Korean Herald, because we want parents to read about this as an interesting and globally accepted career path with the potential for success, as an alternative to a corporate job." Korea Accelerate is the first startup accelerator in Korea, and the first public-private partnership providing acceleration program for local startup. It partnered with Small and Medium Business Administration (SMBA), and Korea Institute of Startups and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED). Both of them are government institutions focused on developing startup companies in Korea. One hurdle the joint-initiatives needs to encompass are the nature of Korean entrepreneurship. According to The Diplomat, South Korea's economy is heavily reliant on necessity-driven entrepreneurship rather than opportunity-driven entrepreneurship, or based on creativity. As a developed country, Korea is weak in the opportunity-driven entrepreneurship sector. Based on 2014 survey, 80% of the small medium enterprise in Korea said that they opened their businesses as a means to find work or to support themselves. This necessity-driven economy have a very low lifetime expectancy and according to a researcher at Hyundai Research Institute Ho-jung Cho, "Necessity-driven enterprises have very low survival rates, which lead to the owners' increased economic hardships, limited contribution to employment and weak competitiveness of businesses." Korea has established a good startup ecosystems with government initiatives supported by other stakeholders. In order to fulfill ambition of becoming regional tech startup, one challenge remained is to change the culture of Korean entrepreneurship. Credit Suisse Group AG and Barclays Plc have agreed to pay $154.3 million together to settle down regulatory investigations into their 'dark pools.' This is considered to be a major success against fraud in dark-pool trading. The New York Attorney General is keen on continuing fight against the fraud and rigging in the trading mechanism. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said that Barclays and credit Suisse failed to police their trading venues and misled their clients. The record settlements of Credit Suisse Group AG and Barclays Plc are with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and New York attorney general. SEC said that Barclays and Credit Suisse have provided inaccurate information to their clients. This falls under violation of SEC rules ensuring market transparency. The previous major settlement was $20.3 million by New York-based brokerage firm Investment Technology Group. The Wall street Journal (WSJ) reports that the New York attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman said that the fight against those who aim to rig the system and those who look the other way, would continue. The SEC's enforcement chief, Andrew Ceresney, said in a separate statement: "The penalties show firms pay a steep price when they mislead subscribers." This system lacks pre-trade price information and this will be advantageous for institutional investors in trading large blocks without the market moving against them. Credit Suisse has agreed to pay settlement, but neither admitted nor denied the allegations against it. Schneiderman's office filed a lawsuit against Barclays in June 2014. It's also observed that Credit Suisse executed 117 million illegal sub-penny orders out of its dark pool trading known as 'Crossfinder,' as reported by Reuters. Dark pool accounts are such trading venues, which are different from public exchanges. In dark pool trading, the orders are not visible to other traders until they're executed. The Dark pool trading system mostly helps institutional investors. The New York attorney general said in a statement: "These cases mark the first major victory in the fight against fraud in dark-pool trading that began when we first sued Barclays, coordinated and aggressive government action, admissions of wrongdoing, and meaningful reforms to protect investors from predatory, high-frequency traders." On paper only, dark pools trading is claimed to protect investors from high-frequency trades, but in reality they have no clue about the pricing or any information. If high-frequency trading system can notice a large buy or sell orders, they can execute a trade in time to profit from the original order, according to a report by The Guardian. Barclays and Credit Suisse have expressed a sigh of relief after the settlement with regulatory investigations. A Credit Suisse spokeswoman said the bank was "pleased to have resolved these matters with the regulators." Barclays said in a statement that "the agreement will enable us to focus all of our efforts on serving our clients." Barclays and Credit Suisse provided false information related to trading volumes in dark pools and other high-speed electronic equities trading services. Credit Suisse as part of the settlement will pay $85 million including $30 million each to SEC and New York attorney general. Remaining $24.3 million as disgorged revenue and interest will be paid to the SEC. Nestle announced that a new Kit Kat flavor would be available in Japan in February, before Valentine's Day. The new variant of the internationally-known chocolate brand is called "Kit Kat Sake" and its ingredients include the Japanese wine beverage called sake. The Japanese rice wine will be combined and wrapped up in white chocolate. Like regular Kit Kats, the chocolate would wrap a wafer. In this new flavor, sake powder would be on all between the wafer and the white chocolate, creating a unique aftertaste, as reported by Narinari. The chocolate's combination with sake is also shown in the package. The Kit Kat Sake box is pink with ornaments of Japanese flower sakura. Also shown on the package is a bottle of sake and a glass of the beverage, as well as the Kit Kat product in halves, showing the wafer inside. Another alternative of the package also looks like it's containing a bottle of sake. On the bottom-front of the package, it's also written a warning that the product contains 0.8 percent alcohol. The warning is written in Japanese. Nestle Japan has also become a sensation when they first introduced another fusion of chocolate with Japan's national drink, Kit Kat Green Tea. According to RocketNews24, Kit Kat Green Tea has appeared at the top of the must-buy souvenir list for foreign visitors. As for now, Kit Kat Green Tea has also been exported to other countries from Japan. The sales of this flavor of Kit Kat for 2015 increased by 20 percent compared to the previous year. Kit Kat Sake, as another Japan-exclusive Kit Kat flavor, is expected to make a lot of buzz as well and could attract foreign tourists to make purchases as souvenirs. Not only foreign tourists, Kit Kat is also popular among Japanese as the word Kit Kat sounds similar to 'kitto katsu', which means 'you will surely win' in Japanese. Kit Kat Green Tea and Kit Kat Sake are not the only Kit Kat flavors specifically only made in Japan. The Verge listed that Nestle Japan also launched unique flavors like Strawberry, Purple Sweet Potato, Pear, Edamame, Bean Cake, Cinnamon Cookie, European Cheese, even Exotic Sakura. In addition to the regular Kit Kat wafer chocolate, Japan also has Kit Kat sandwiches that are also popular in the country. Kit Kat Sake will hit the stores in Japan starting early in February, just in time to celebrate Valentine's Day. This new flavor will be on sale in three-pack boxes for 150 yen ($1.24) and special nine-piece box for 700 yen ($5.78). The new variant is expected to be popular not only in Japan but also worldwide. Russian's Gazprom intend to increase its supplies of gas to a record-high level. In order to support that plan, the company planned to meet investors in New York and London this week. The Russian exporter currently supplies 30% of gas needs in Europe, which was delivered via neighboring countries such as Ukrainian gas transit pipeline or its new Grayzovets-Vyborg pipeline to Nord Stream gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea. As Bloomberg reported, the Moscow gas company plan to increase its gas flows to Turkey and the EU bar the Baltic States by 2% this year to a record high. It also will grow the delivery further through 2018, and Bloomberg also reported to have received non public budget which is according to Bloomberg, "more ambitious than public statements by the company to maintain supply." This year, Gazprom plans to deliver 162.6 billion cubic meters (5.7 trillion cubic feet) to European Union and Turkey through Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany. This is an increase from 159.4 billion in 2015. While gradual increase of supplies are planned to be at 166.1 billion cubic meters in 2017, and 166.3 billion in 2018. In order to support its plan, Gazprom will hold its annual Investor Day on Monday, after last year's absence. This event will be held in New York to aim Asian bond and shareholders. While another investor meeting will be scheduled in London on February 4. One hurdle in Russian plan is the ongoing dispute with Ukraine, which become the transit for 40% of Russian gas delivery transit to European Union. Both Russia and Ukraine has been in a dispute over gas transit for more than 20 years. Prior to opening alternative gas pipeline to Europe, Ukraine has been the major corridor for Russian gas transit. Dispute between both countries are mostly over the price of natural gas and the cost of transit. The latest dispute occurred last month. According to Reuters, Ukraine decided to impose a $3.5 billion fine to Gazprom for abusing its monopoly on the Ukrainian gas transit market on January 22. Ukraine also planned to increase tariff for pipeline transit to Russia. However, Ukraine depends on Russian gas transit as its source of income. Therefore on Thursday, Ukraine's Minister of Energy and Coal Vladimir Demchishin decided to maintain its tariff for gas transit without increasing its 50% tarif hike as planned. Tass reported the minister said to UNIAN news agency, "We have no basis at present [to invoice Russia] under new tariffs because the agreement has not been signed. We are working under existing contracts." With its plan to expand supply to European countries, Gazprom decided to meet investors in New York and London this week. The company has also have provided alternative route for gas delivery to Europe. RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Tan Bui (middle) performs as Lucky Buddha, the guardian, during the lion dance as firecrackers are set off for the Vietnamese New Year celebration Sunday at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. The festival was put on by the An Lac Mission-Ventura Buddhist Center in Ventura. SHARE RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Students from the Vietnamese school at the An Lac Mission-Ventura Buddhist Center in Ventura put on a fashion show displaying traditional garb from Vietnam during the celebration of the Vietnamese New Year at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Lillian Mae Huynh (right) feeds a dollar to a lion during the celebration of the Vietnamese New Year at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. The lions are fed money to bring good luck and prosperity in the New Year. RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Angela Nguyen plays with a balloon during the Vietnamese New Year celebration at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Huy Le, of the An Lac Mission-Ventura Buddhist Center in Ventura, plays a large drum during the lion dance welcoming the Vietnamese New Year at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. By Anne Kallas With a 100 percent chance of rain forecast for the An Lac Mission-Ventura Buddhist Center celebration of New Year at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center on Sunday, there was only one thing to do, according to Thich Thong Hai, abbot of the center. Pray. "We were very concerned about the rain. We prayed to Buddha and to the gods that the rain would stop at noon, so people would come," Hai said, shortly after noon, as he peered outside at the blue sky, dotted with small puffy white clouds. "And the rain has stopped and the sunshine has come." He explained this is Tet Binh Than or year of the monkey. The actual date of the New Year is Feb. 8, and the mission holds its annual celebration as close to the actual date as it can schedule, Hai said. "The monkey is smart and talented," Hai said, explaining that there are cases of baboons that raise dogs, which have been widely reported. "The monkeys protect the dog and take care of it like it's their own. We are all human and my job is to protect you and you protect me," Hai said. "This should be a good year for humankind." Kevin Ly, 16, of Mission Hills, was wearing the colorful fringed pants that provided the front legs of one of the lions, as he waited holding the giant stylized lion head before the traditional dance. "I've been doing this for many years. It's my way of giving back to the Vietnamese community," Ly said. "In American schools, there isn't much opportunity for me to express my heritage. This is my way to do it." Ailien Dang, an event organizer of the 16th celebration and owner of Pho Basil and Mint Vietnamese Cafe in Camarillo, said organizers were able to configure the Ventura and Oxnard rooms at the performing arts center in such a way that the food cooking stations were relocated under an open area with an overhanging roof to avoid the rain. The smaller Ventura room was turned into an eating area. "We're lucky we had this room for the food, and now the sun has come," Dang said, adding that the celebration brings the Vietnamese community from around Southern California and welcomes everyone. "We try to get together at least once a year. Everybody lives around in different places and we don't always see each other," Dang said. "We want the kids to know their culture, and we want Americans to know more about the Vietnamese, too." Laura Mattern, who was in downtown Oxnard for business, decided to visit the nearby performing arts center with a colleague to try the Vietnamese food and get a peek at the diversity of the community. "This gives us an appreciation of the community. It's a look beneath the surface at all the different types of people here," said Mattern, a member of the Congress for the New Urbanism California. The group was holding a by-design charrette this weekend to find ways to revitalize the Oxnard's downtown area. Soon after the rain cleared, thousands of small firecrackers were set off to scare away any bad luck, before the Vietnamese character Ong Dia spirit of the earth, which was portrayed as a round-bellied, grinning red-faced man led the lion dance into the Oxnard Room. Outside, Helen Lam, of Winnetka, scooped ladles of broth over bowls of rice noodles topped with slices of pork, ground pork or shrimp, and vegetables. "It's been really busy. People really like eating hot soup on a rainy day," Lam said. "I volunteer to do this because once a year I want to be with my community and to be happy." The An Lac Mission-Ventura Buddhist Center, 901 S. Saticoy Ave., Ventura, can be reached at 659-9751 (English) or 659-9845 (Vietnamese). The website is http://venturabuddhistcenter.org/. TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Anarudh Prasad (left) and Karina Kumar place flowers at the Alaska Flight 261 sundial memorial in Port Hueneme Sunday afternoon. Sunday marked the 16th anniversary of the accident. SHARE TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Anuradha Prasad hands out roses while names of those lost are read during the Alaska Flight 261 memorial in Port Hueneme Sunday afternoon. Sunday marked the 16th anniversary of the accident. TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Kim Ryan-Gates closes her eyes during the Alaska Flight 261 memorial in Port Hueneme Sunday afternoon. Sunday marked the 16th anniversary of the accident. TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Due to bad weather, people gathered at the Holiday Inn to partake in the Alaska Flight 261 memorial in Port Hueneme Sunday afternoon. Sunday marked the 16th anniversary of the accident. By John Scheibe of the Ventura County Star As storm-force winds blew outside, a crowd gathered at a hotel in Port Hueneme on Sunday to honor the 83 passengers and five crew members who were killed 16 years earlier when an aircraft crashed into the ocean off the Ventura County coast. "This is the first time that the ceremony will not be held outside," said Steve Campbell as he sat inside his car next to Hueneme Beach where a memorial was built for those killed on Alaska Airlines Flight 261. Campbell, who was Port Hueneme's chief of police when the crash occurred, remembers well being told that a passenger jet airline had gone into the ocean just north of Anacapa Island. It wasn't long before many of the victims' family members and friends began to gather in Port Hueneme, Campbell said. "I quickly got to know many of them very well," he said, Within a year, Campbell found himself serving as a liaison between the families and Alaska Airlines, helping in numerous ways, including the development and construction of a sundial memorial. The memorial was erected just south of the Hueneme Pier in 2003. Had the weather been better on Sunday, family members would have gathered at the memorial to mark the anniversary of the crash just as they have done for many years now. "Except we won't be able to hold it here today," said Campbell as he waited in his car to tell anyone who might show up at the memorial to instead meet at a nearby Holiday Inn Express for Sunday's ceremony. "You have become our family in this county," said Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long to a group of some 50 people who'd gathered on the hotel's third floor. Jay Ryan, who lost several family members in the crash, spoke next, saying many of those present have grown close over time as they come together every year to remember the dead. Ryan said that the group of families has done good things over the years, including working with the agencies that regulate flights and airlines in the United States helping make flying safer. Flight 261 had left Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and was en route Seattle via San Francisco, when it crashed off the coast. An investigation into the Jan. 31, 2000 crash by the National Transportation Safety Board showed that the aircraft lacked adequate maintenance. This led to the failure of the airplane's flight-control system. The changes enacted since the crash include giving pilots much more decision-making control during a flight, something "that wasn't true then," Ryan said. As in years past, a prayer was said for the victims. This was followed by the reading of each of the 88 victims' names. A bell rang after each name was read. A rose was also carried after each name was read. Only on Sunday the roses were placed on a table inside the hotel room and not on the beach-side monument. Anarudh Prasad, who lost a brother and a cousin in the crash and who serves as co-chairman of the Families of Alaska Flight 261, told the crowd that this year organizers also decided to hand a rose to each of those present, "rather than leave them at the monument as we normally do." A mourner's prayer was then read. "We remember them," the crowd said as they chanted the prayer. "At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter." Afterward, many made their way outside into the fierce winds and down to the sundial memorial to remember those they lost. Star file photo A group gathers to announce the next step in the creation of Kellogg Park in Ventura. SHARE By Staff Reports Residents of west Ventura are invited to hear updates on gang prevention, a new park and the city's 150th anniversary celebration during the Westside Community Council meeting Wednesday. In the first of a two-part presentation, two officers from the Ventura Police Department will discuss what the agency does to prevent gang activity. The second portion of the presentation will be in March. Elena Brokaw, director of the city's Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Partnerships, and Maria Runyon will give an update on Kellogg Park, a new park being developed at Kellogg Street and Ventura Avenue. Other items to be discussed include the city's 150th anniversary celebration, the West Ventura HEAL Zone and an art event. The council meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Janet Addison Community Room in the Bell Arts Factory, 432 N. Ventura Ave. SHARE Some politicians love to talk about the "war on women" in America, but women blessed to be born in a Judeo-Christian, Western culture have opportunities few women in history have ever experienced. America has women campaigning to become president of the United States from both parties. There are women who are corporate and community leaders who are leaving their mark on the future of their organizations and our communities. But there's a true "war on women" going on in parts of our world. As a result of outrageous attacks in Cologne, Germany on New Year's Eve, the extent of that "war" has finally received media attention. Police have received nearly 700 complaints of robbery or sexual assault and several rapes on that evening alone. The majority of the suspects identified have been asylum seekers, mostly North African or Arabic, and Cologne police officers are still sifting through 350 hours of civilian cellphone and surveillance video to identify more perpetrators. Johanna, an 18-year-old victim interviewed for The New York Times, said, "We were just pressed on all sides by people. I was grabbed continually . That was really the worst night of my life." Local police were overwhelmed. What happened in Cologne was not an isolated incident. That evening, there were similar attacks in Hamburg, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Nuremberg. A rash of sexual assaults took place in Austria, Sweden, Switzerland and Finland. Ingrid Carlqvist, with the Grapestone Institute, reports that rapes in Norway and Sweden have skyrocketed in recent years as their Muslim refugee and migrant populations have soared. Attackers assert that under sharia law, it's OK to rape Norwegian and Swedish women because they are considered "infidels." Sweden is fighting their new reputation as "the rape capital of the West." As President Obama works to accept more Islamic refugees, will America be next? Rukmini Callimachi, writing in The New York Times, documents how "ISIS enshrines a theology of rape." An ISIS fighter who raped a 12-year-old Iraqi girl "took the time to explain that what he was about to do was not a sin. Because the preteen girl practiced a religion other than Islam, the Quran not only gave him the right to rape her it condoned and encouraged it, he insisted." Just last year, several U.K. cities, including Rotherham and Birmingham, finally reported that predominantly Pakistani "grooming gangs" targeted English school girls, some as young as 11-years-old. These girls were fed with drugs and alcohol, and then were sexually abused and raped. In the city of Rotherham, it is estimated about 1,400 girls were "groomed" and sexually abused over the last 16 years. Local politically correct officials knew but failed to stop it or issue warnings for fear of being labeled racists. America cannot afford to let political correctness silence our concern about new refugees. The left complains about global warming deniers. Ben Shapiro, Townhall columnist, calls this deafening silence the "Radical Islam Denial Syndrome." Rainer Wendt, head of Germany's national police union, was quoted in The New York Times, "Unfortunately, in Germany, political decisions are somehow made only after the house is on fire." We hear government officials warning women to keep at "arm's length" from young Muslim men. Are women to cover themselves up to avoid enticement or to stay inside unless accompanied by a man? Townhall Columnist Helen Raleigh assertively rejected such inane suggestions, "Cultures which believe a woman shouldn't drive, or treat woman as nothing but a sexual object, or practice 'honor killing,' should not be tolerated or accepted in a society which promotes individual rights and human freedom . There is a big difference between appreciating a culture versus unconditional tolerance. I wish more people, especially politicians, would have the backbone to reject multiculturalism, and insist that any culture whose values and practices violate human freedom has no place in America." Instead of world leaders trying to outdo one another by seeing who can accept the most refugees, there should be far more emphasis on pushing back ISIS and challenging moderate Muslims to take on the radicals in their faith. We must ensure that those who seek asylum here truly embrace our freedoms and women's rights. There's room for diversity of religion and race, but no "war on women." Terry Paulson, of Agoura Hills, is a speaker and author of "The Optimism Advantage." Email him at terry@terrypaulson.com. Krispy Kreme will honor all veterans and active duty military personnel with a complimentary doughnut and regular coffee available at all Las Vegas locations on Monday, Nov. 11 to celebrate Veterans Day. Krispy Kreme is delighted to offer this gesture of appreciation to the dedicated men and women who have served, or are currently serving in the armed forces, said Dwayne Chambers, chief marketing officer of Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation. Veterans and active duty military personnel who arrive in uniform or present appropriate military ID will enjoy Krispy Kremes Original Glazed doughnut and one of three Krispy Kreme signature coffee blends. Krispy Kreme also offers a 10 percent military discount that is available throughout the year at all locations around the Las Vegas Valley including: Castle Walk Food Court inside the Excalibur Hotel & Casino, Circus Circus Las Vegas, Craig Road, Rainbow Springs and Silverado Ranch. Victorias Wedding Chapel will provide complimentary wedding ceremonies to all active duty military members and veterans all day from 12 to 8 p.m. on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27. Janeen Hinden, owner of Victorias Wedding Chapel, wanted to show her support for U.S. service men and women this Memorial Day by providing them with complimentary wedding ceremonies all day. In addition to free wedding ceremonies, Victorias Wedding Chapel will offer reception services at cost. Of the amount, $50 million is to hold 33.3 per cent of stakes at Masan Brewery. The remaining $600 million is to retain 14.3 per cent of stakes at Masan Consumer Holdings, which will use the investment to lift its holding rate at Masan Consumer from 77.8 per cent of stakes to 96.7 per cent. In late December 2015 Masan Group Corporation (Masan) and Singha Asia Holding Pte Ltd. (Singha) signed agreements to form a strategic partnership. Upon investing $1.1 billion, Singha will own 25 per cent of Masan Consumer Holdings and 33.3 per cent of Masan Brewery. Masan Consumer Holdings will own the remaining 66.7 per cent of Masan Brewery. The transaction is expected to be concluded by February 2016. The balance of the investment package, worth $450 million, will be transferred to raise the ownership rate of Singha at Masan Consumer Holdings to 25 per cent from the aforementioned 14.3 per cent level. Through the partnership, Masan and Singha immediately enlarge their market as their combined food and beverage platform will be scaled up to better serve consumers in the region, with a focus on inland ASEAN countries (Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos), which have a total consumer base of nearly 250 million. Chief executive officer of Singha Asia Palit Bhirombhakdi said that I am confident that with Singha as a partner, Masan will be well received by Thailands 65 million consumers, where its key categories such as fish sauce and Vietnamese coffee are appreciated for their unique flavour and origin. He added that Masans strong distribution platform would allow Singha to access a fast-growing market of more than 90 million consumers and support an expansion into new categories. The $870 million euros ($944.3 million) plant, Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company (DRAC), is a joint venture was established in December 2013 between between Renault and Chinas Dongfeng Group. The plant, located in Wuhan, is a greenfield plant built in just two years on the strength of a highly-skilled, multicultural team. This comprehensive production facility complies with high quality standards. It includes a vehicle assembly plant, a power train plant and a research & development centre. It has an initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year and nearly 2,000 skilled employees. Production capacity has the potential to be doubled. The first vehicle to be manufactured at the plant is Renault Kadjar, a sporty styled C-SUV. The cars dynamic design and high-tech features meet the expectations of demanding Chinese customers. The SUV segment accounts for 30 per cent of the Chinese market and is the fastest-growing segment, increasing by 53 per cent. Renault Kadjar will be followed later in 2016 by a new D-SUV also built in Wuhan. Renault is the worlds leading French car brand, with strong positions in many countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Russia, North Africa and Turkey. Together with Nissan, the Renault-Nissan Alliance is ranked fourth in the global car industry. Renault is also Frances number one car brand and has topped its domestic market for the last 30 years. Renault is the number three car brand in Europe and aims to reach second position in the course of 2016. The pilot project is to be implemented in five cities and provinces of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Danang and Khanh Hoa in a two-year period, from January 2016 to January 2018. According to the Ministry of Transportation (MoT), the successful implementation of the pilot project will enhance efficiency in the commercial transportation sector, create fair competition and contribute to the reduction of transportation costs for the benefits of consumers and society as a whole. To participate in this project, companies must have their own pilot project proposals, which are to be evaluated by the MoT and other relevant agencies. Most importantly, any companies wishing to gain approval for their own pilot projects must be fully compliant with existing laws and regulations. GrabTaxi (the GrabCar application provider) is the first and the only company that has thus far qualified to participate in the MoTs pilot project. On the subject of GrabTaxis achievement, the companys Vietnam country head of Marketing Emily Thu Do said: GrabTaxis most critical distinguishing feature is our commitment to complying with the laws and regulations in each of the markets in which we operate. This has become our global business standard and we see governments as essential partners in our work. In Vietnam, we are particularly fortunate to have support and guidance from the government - especially from the MoT - to help ensure legal and regulatory compliance. At a conference held on January 26 by the MoT to launch the pilot project, Nguyen Van Thanh, chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transportation Association, congratulated GrabTaxi on the project and lauded the companys efforts to conduct its business in line with Vietnamese laws. I would propose that the MoT and GrabTaxi expand the implementation of the pilot project to cover all contract-based transportation activities, not only vehicles with fewer than nine seats, Thanh said. Echoing the views with several delegates from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Public Security, Traffic Police Department, and provincial transportation departments at the conference, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport Le Hoang Minh commented: We highly appreciate GrabTaxis attitude towards compliance with Vietnamese laws and regulations and congratulate the company for its excellent work proposing the pilot project, which has been approved by the prime minister. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport will co-operate closely with the MoT and GrabTaxi to support GrabTaxis operations. From a business perspective, the pilot project symbolises the Vietnamese governments efforts to strengthen the countrys commercial environment and to ensure legal frameworks that enable companies to operate and compete fairly. The pilot project also marks a positive step forward for Vietnams efforts to cement a local business culture based on compliance with relevant laws and regulations. During the initial five cities and provinces piloting period, the MoT will conduct evaluations and consider expansion of the project to cover the entire country. Minister Vinh stressed that political renovation is crucial to maintaining the countrys upward trajectory Today we are here to attend the 12th National Party Congress, an important political event marking the 85th anniversary of the Partys establishment, more than 40 years since national reunification, and 30 years since Doi moi was initiated which has developed Vietnam from one of the worlds poorest countries to a middle-income nation. Since 1986, Vietnams per capita income has almost quadrupled, and the poverty rate has reduced from over 50 per cent to less than 5 per cent. The achievements obtained throughout the Doi moi process are irrefutable and they are the cause that has helped Vietnam overcome a lot of challenges in the past 30 years. However, Vietnam remains a poor nation. We are not yet satisfied with what we have achieved, especially compared to other regional nations who have the same conditions as Vietnam. It is not widely known that in the 1820s, Vietnam claimed a very significant position in the region in views of its sizes of both population and economy, which was stronger than that of the Philippines and Myanmar combined, and 1.5 times bigger than Thailands. At that time, Vietnams per capita income was almost equal to the worlds average. However, in 2014, Vietnams per capita income was $2,052, roughly one sixth of the worlds average (almost $12,000), and one third of Thailands ($5,519). However, comparisons are always unfair, as Vietnam had to conduct wars against foreign invasions. We have had more than 40 years of peace since the national reunification [in 1975] including more than 30 years of Doi moi. This has been a long period of time, equivalent to the time that was used by several nations like South Korea and Japan to turn themselves from poor agricultural nations into developed ones. Moreover, at present, now more than ever, it is imperative that Vietnam boost its Doi moi and development: Vietnam is currently in a short timeframe of a golden population (1970-2025), meaning that we only have about maximum 10 years left to capitalise upon our country being full of working age people. The momentum of Doi moi in the past has become less effective, while Vietnams growth catalysts such as investment capital, cheap labour, and exploitation of natural resources, are also becoming less favourable. Vietnam has been increasingly integrating into the worlds economy. Integration means we have to accept competition. As such, improving the economys competitiveness is a vital task. Because of those three reasons, we need to continue strongly renewing the country in a more effective manner; otherwise we will lag behind other nations, our economy will continue being backward and fall into a lower middle income trap. Five years ago, in January 2011, the 11th National Party Congress adopted a resolution on the 2011-2020 Socioeconomic Development Strategy, which stated that Doi moi must be conducted persistently and drastically. Political renovation must be conducted in tandem with economic renovation under a suitable roadmap. There should be a focus on improving the socialist-oriented market-based economy, renewing the Partys leadership method, building up the socialist-oriented law-governed state, and expanding democracy within the Party and in the society. The resolution also noted that It is necessary to use this target as the highest standard to assess the effectiveness of national renovation and development. In fact, over the past five years, we have been actively renovating the economy, with some positive results achieved. However, we have done almost nothing in terms of political renovation. Thats why the Doi moi over the past five years has failed to achieve the desired results. Over the past 30 years, Vietnams biggest achievement in Doi moi is that the concentrated planning economy has been transformed into a market-based economy, which has remarkably changed our lives and developed the country. Nevertheless, over the past 70 years, the organisational structure and the operational method of the Party, the state, and organisations in the political system have remained almost unchanged. A political system which was suitable for the previous concentrated planning economy, especially during wars, has become unsuitable for the current market-based economy conditions. It has even become a hurdle for development. Thus, it is quite urgent to renew the political system and the economy synchronously in the coming period. The Party, as the countrys highest leadership body, needs to take the initiative by reviewing itself and implementing the resolutions that the National Party Congress has made. The organisational structure, functions, duties and and operations of the Party, the state, and political organisations must be radically renewed for more effective operations. This would be the most important factor for the next Doi moi. If it does this well, the Party will restore peoples confidence in it by its example in self-renovation and effective leadership. Regarding economic renovation, the focus of economic institutional renovation for the upcoming period must rely on the three pillars: Pillar 1: Economic prosperity must be in line with environmental sustainability: - Vietnam must continuously have high and stable growth for the next 20 years, with an average 7 per cent rise in per capita income (equivalent to an annual 8 per cent growth rate), so that in 2035, the average per capita income will be $15,000-$18,000. To reach this target, the best way is to increase labour productivity. In respect to the role of labour productivity, Paul Krugman, the Nobel prize-winning economist, said that Productivity isnt everything, but in the long run its almost everything, and that whether a nation capable of raising its long-term living standards or not would almost depend on the capability of raising its output per capita. Vietnams labour productivity increase has continously slowed down since the late 1990s. Productivity currently remains very low as compared with regional peers. Notably, the productivity of Vietnams private sector has also been declining and currently stays at a very low level. The main reasons include: (i) Vietnams economic and labour structures remain quite backward. The rate of labourers in the non-official area is much higher than that in the official area. Over 44 per cent of labourers are working in agriculture, which creates low added value. (ii) The foundation for the market-based economy is slow to be improved, harming asset ownership and stunting competitiveness in the goods market. (iii) The market for production factors like capital, land, and natural resources are not allocated under the market mechanism. They are now being allocated by state orders. -High priority must be placed on developing local enterprises, especially private ones, qualitatively and quantitatively. This must be considered a task for the state apparatus at all levels. Enterprises health is the lifeblood of the economy. Enterprises competitiveness and efficiency must be improved via the strengthening of the foundation of the market economy, especially the right to own assets. Policies must be made to create a level playing field for them, in terms of access to capital, land, information, and natural resources. -An impetus for enhancing local enterprises startup spirit is needed. The state must create a favourable environment for start-ups, via the construction of centres in charge of instructing and training start-ups. The state also needs to provide knowledge and capital for such enterprises via the establishment of venture investment funds and venture investment banks. This is aimed to trigger a new wave of start-ups and entrepreneurial spirit in the society. The position of enterprises must be considered that of the nations. -To sustain high growth over a long period of time, it is also necessary to increase reform, studies, and creative renovation. Enterprises and scientific research organisations currently have no impetus to pursue a productivity promotion programme. Thus, the development of a national creative renovation system is a must to improve Vietnams labour productivity. Pillar 2: Equality and social integration - In addition to quick development under the market mechanism and law, fierce competition will widen the gap between the rich and the poor, and opportunities in access to basic social services. To this end, in addition to policies for developing the economy quickly and strongly, we must have policies in place to ensure equality for all in access to basic social services, especially for the vulnerable and the poor. This is the socialisms preeminence and the responsibility of the state in building a socialist-oriented market-based economy. This is also an action to well implement the United Nations action plan on Millennium Development Goals for the post-2015 period. Pillar 3: Improving the states capacity and accountability - Current low labour productivity and an unfavourable environment for the private sector can be ascribed to the states lack of effective operations. Due to Vietnams historical conditions, the public institutions have been commercialised, disconnected and lacked public supervision. - The states efficiency consists in three mainstays: (a) A well-organised government with disciplined and talented officers. Problems must be tackled to create a closer state structure and ensure a career-real talent regime (b) The market principle should be applied more effectively in making economic policies, based on the clear determination of the public and private sectors, limited conflicting interests, strengthening the protection of asset ownership rights (especially in terms of land), implementing market competition, and the suitable participation of the state in the economy. (c) Further improving accountability via the introduction of an effective mechanism on the control and balance of the three power forces. A legal framework must be created to promote citizens rights. Citizens right to access timely and accurate information as well as the role of mass media must be strengthened. - Vietnams legal framework has enabled citizens to join the state governance process. The state of the people, by the people, and for the people and People are informed, people discuss, people act and people examine are already specified in the Constitution. However, citizens have been limited from participating in this process. In order to effectively reform the economy, which is one of the Partys three breakthrough tasks, the Ministry of Planning and Investment has co-operated with the World Bank to rally leading economic experts at home and abroad to compile the Vietnam Report 2035: Looking to prosperity, creativity, equality, and democracy. The report aims to define Vietnams position on the world stage, its challenges and goals until 2035 and how to realise such goals. The report includes 10 chapters focused on three development pillars and six major transformations. It also proposes development strategies suitable to Vietnams existing conditions as a lower middle income nation, with a view to turn Vietnam into a high-income or near high-income nation by 2035. The major transformations include: the construction of a modern law-governed state with a full market-based economy and a developed democratic society; and the boosting of economic modernisation in tandem with the enhancement of the private sectors competitiveness. The transformations also include the development of creative renovations that focus on the private sector; ensuring social equality for vulnerable people, and the development of middle-class society. Efforts must be made to ensure environmental sustainability and resilience against climate change; and to ensure connectivity between cities and surrounding areas. Hopefully, the report will be helpful for the new managers and leaders, especially those who have just been elected to the 12th Central Party Committee, to devise Vietnams development policies. Vietnam is witnessing a turning point in reform and development. Big opportunities also bring challenges and difficulties. In order to build an affluent, creative, equal, and democratic Vietnam, we have no other choice but to accelerate the reforms of these issues. If we fail to conduct such reforms, we will not be able to tap into any opportunities, and surmount upcoming challenges, and we may also lag far behind and fall into a middle income trap. We believe that the Vietnamese people will have sufficient will, spirit and capacity to successfully implement Doi moi. Vietnams newly elected leaders have pledged a new era of development for the country The week-long 12th National Party Congress that wrapped up last Thursday elected the Party Central Committee (PCC) for the 2016-2020 tenure, comprising of 180 official members and 20 alternate members, aged between 40 and 72, who are leaders within the Party, the National Assemblys (NA) bodies, the governments ministries and relevant agencies. The full list of the PCC members can be seen on www.vir.com.vn The PCC convened its first plenary meeting in the same week, selecting Vietnams new 19-member Politburo, led by Nguyen Phu Trong, who will take his second term as the Party General Secretary over the next five years. Born in 1944, Trong was Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee for six years and then NAs Chairman before he was elected as Party General Secretary in January 2011. The PCC also nominated Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang, NAs Deputy Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to take the positions of Vietnams state president, NAs chair and prime minister respectively. These positions are currently held by Truong Tan Sang, Nguyen Sinh Hung and Nguyen Tan Dung. Official elections will take place at the NAs upcoming meeting this summer. Trong said that the new Politburo was aware of the great responsibility to fulfill their tasks and lead the country to overcome hardships and challenges in the context of continuing turbulence within the global economy and Vietnams implementation of new free trade agreements in the future. The new period requires that national development be more comprehensive and concerted politically, economically, culturally and socially as well as in defence, security and external relations, with socio-economic development as the centerpiece, Party building as the key, cultural and human development as the spiritual foundation, and enhanced national defence and security as a vital and constant task, he said. The 12th Congress Resolution set forth important economic indicators for Vietnams annual GDP growth that would reach 6.5-7 per cent in the next five years and the GDP per capita would be in the range of $3,200-3,500 in 2020. Vietnamese skilled workers ratio will make up 65-70 per cent of the labour force while the ratio of labourers in the agricultural sector will decrease from the existing 50 per cent to 40 per cent, in line with the goal of turning Vietnam into a modern industrialised nation. The 12th Congress Resolution pointed out that Vietnam would continue innovating its growth model and restructuring the economy in which the state sector plays the leading role and the private sector is an important engine. We call upon the whole Party, people and army as well as Vietnamese expatriates to uphold patriotism, self-reliance, and great national unity to successfully realise the 12th Congress Resolution. This will help open a new development period for the country towards socialism, Trong emphasised. Full list of the Politburo 1. NGUYEN PHU TRONG Party General Secretary 2. TRAN DAI QUANG Minister of Public Security 3. NGUYEN THI KIM NGAN Deputy Chairwoman of the National Assembly 4. NGO XUAN LICH General, Chief of the General Department of Politics under Vietnam People's Army 5. TO LAM Senior Lieutenant, Deputy Minister of Public Security 6. NGUYEN XUAN PHUC Deputy Prime Minister 7. NGUYEN THIEN NHAN President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front 8. DINH THE HUYNH Head of the Party Central Committees Commission of Popularisation and Education 9. PHAM MINH CHINH Deputy head of the Party Central Committees Commission for Organisation 10. TONG THI PHONG Deputy Chairwoman of the National Assembly 11. VUONG DINH HUE Head of the Party Central Committees Economic Committee 12. TRAN QUOC VUONG Head of the Party Central Committees Office 13. PHAM BINH MINH Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs 14. TRUONG THI MAI Head of the National Assemblys Committee for Social Affairs 15. TRUONG HOA BINH Head of the Supreme Peoples Court 16. NGUYEN VAN BINH Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam 17. VO VAN THUONG Deputy Standing Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee 18. DINH LA THANG Minister of Transport 19. HOANG TRUNG HAI Deputy Prime Minister Full list of the Party Central Committees Secretariat 1. LUONG CUONG Lieutenant General, Deputy Head of the General Department of Politics under the Vietnam Peoples Army 2. NGUYEN VAN NEN Minister, Head of the Government Office 3. NGUYEN HOA BINH Head of the Supreme Peoples Procuracy According to the Ministry of Industry and Trades (MoIT) General Department of Energy, an official investment agreement for the 1,200 megawatt project could be signed by the end of this quarter as procedures have been fulfilled. The investors behind this $2.3 billion project, located in the central province of Thanh Hoa, is a consortium consisting of Japans Marubeni Corporation and South Koreas Korea Electric Corporation (Kepco). By July 28, 2011, three tenders including EDF; Marubeni-Kepco; and Suez Tractebel-Mitsui had submitted bid offers for this project. In 2013, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued a decision allowing the MoIT to offer Marubeni-Kepco Consortium the build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract. The consortium of Marubeni-Kepco began construction of the Nghi Son 2 power plant last year, with its first turbine expected to come online in 2019. The plant is projected to be fully operational the following year. The consortium will operate the thermal power plant for 25 years before handling ownership to the Vietnamese state. Two Vietnamese firms, Power Engineering Consulting Company 1 (PECC1) and Power Engineering Consulting Company 3 (PECC3), were in charge of the projects feasibility study. This project is Marubenis first international partnership programme (IPP) business in Vietnam. In addition to supplying power plant facilities, which account for approximately 20 per cent of Vietnams total generation capacity, Marubeni intends to expand its IPP business in Vietnam, and take part in the development of power generation facilities to support economic growth, the firm stated in its website. According to the General Department of Energy, which manages 20 BOT thermal power plants with a total capacity of 24,000 MW nationwide, a series of BOT power projects are scaling up their operations to boost construction this year, ensuring a secure power supply in the future. These plants are among major projects approved under the National Grid Master Plan for 2020. The list of foreign-invested BOT power projects is set to grow as several foreign companies, including South Koreas Samsung C&T Corporation, Indias Tata Power, Singapores Sembcorp Industries, and Thailands EGATI, are currently in negotiations, or are conducting feasibility studies to develop power plants across the country. It will set up artistic lighting systems in Nguyen Hue pedestrian square and Quach Thi Trang roundabout in front of the landmark Ben Thanh Market, and hold other key activities in celebration of the Lunar New Year the year of the monkey. After being temporarily moved to Ham Nghi Boulevard last year pending the upgrade of Nguyen Hue Boulevard into a pedestrian square, the flower street for the upcoming Lunar New Year will be back to its original place which is currently a popular zone for pedestrians stretching 720 meters from the City Hall on Le Thanh Ton Street to Ton Duc Thang Street by the Saigon River. The area around the Statue of President Ho Chi Minh in front of the City Hall will be highlighted by 36 apricot trees supplied by Phu Tho Tourist Service Co. In 2015, the entire Nguyen Hue Boulevard was converted into a pedestrian square paved with granite stones. The city government has told Saigontourist, the main organizer of Nguyen Hue Flower Street 2016, to protect the square. Therefore, the company has made some changes in the process of arranging the flower street this year. If the entrance to the flower street was traditionally adorned with the man-made animal designated as the sign of lunar year from 2004 till 2015, visitors will see a difference this year. Nine man-made monkeys measuring one to two meters in height each will be set up along the two sides of the street while a gate with colorful flowers will be located in the center. Along the street will be artificial landscapes made of flowers to reflect the spirit of solidarity. Other materials used for building those landscapes are bamboo and scrap bottles to create an eco-friendly environment against the background of the concrete buildings along the road. The organizer will place benches at those landscapes, allowing visitors to take a rest and have some beautiful snapshots with the landscapes. The HCMC - Peace, Prosperity and Development landscape demonstrates an upbeat mood and a strong belief in a brighter future with artistic boats sailing on the waves of flowers. The flower street will also have a space for the ASEAN Community which came into being early this year. A small-scale landscape created by flowers presents the unity of the communitys members. Apart from the artificial landscapes made from flower plants, the flower street this year will feature five sculptures. They are Happiness, Saigons memory, Life of fish, Wind ballet and Green millennium history. The 13th flower street is sponsored by the HCMC Government in partnership with other agencies and businesses such as Van Thinh Phat Group Corp., Times Square (Vietnam) Investment JSC, Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage, Imex Pan-Pacific Co., Vietcombank, Saigon Peninsula Group Corp., An Dong Investment Corp., Binh Quoi Tourist Village, Phu Tho Tourist Co., Dam Sen Park and Saigontourist Travel Service Co. The media sponsors of Tet Festival 2016 and Nguyen Hue Flower Street 2016 are Saigon Times Group, Tuoi Tre, Nguoi Lao Dong, Thanh Nien, Sai Gon Giai Phong, Doanh Nhan Sai Gon, Vietnam News, Phu Nu HCMC, HTV and SCTV. - Opening time: Eight days, from 7 p.m., Feb. 5 to 10 p.m., Jan. 12. Networking activities - Flower arrangement display area hosted by members of Saigontourist in HCMC. - Beverage stalls along Nguyen Hue Boulevard. Artistic lighting systems on Nguyen Hue Street and Quach Thi Trang Roundabout - Construction time: From Nov. 30 to Dec. 18. - Opening time: From Dec. 19 to Jan. 5 and from Jan. 27 to Feb. 20. - Tet decoration and Doorshows performance at members of Saigontourist from Feb. 5 to Feb. 10. Can you respond to Hoang Huy Investment Services JSC (HOSE: HHS), which claims that FTSE made mistakes in its recent FTSE Vietnam Index Series Quarterly Review? We are unable to comment on individual companies which have been included or excluded from our indexes. FTSE Russells index reviews are based on data that is publicly available. Often, in Frontier and Secondary Emerging Markets, the quality and timeliness of data tends to improve as markets open up to international investors and index mandates grow in importance. More broadly, FTSE Russell is always happy to receive market feedback on its review process. It should be noted that in order to ensure transparency and predictability, index reviews are conducted on shares that are in the index and may not include any recent share issues. We understand that FTSE adds new stocks to its index according to its stated admission policy; however, local firms sometimes employ technical tactics to increase market capitalisation and liquidity to qualify for addition. Does FTSE have any exceptions to exclude such stocks? In the past, we have amended index methodologies to reflect wider market developments or guidance from the local regulator. The most recent example of this is a new change to the FTSE Russell Free Float Restrictions. It allows for the exclusion of stocks subject to a high shareholding concentration warning notice from a regulator, to the effect that the company is in the hands of a limited number of shareholders. This rule resulted in the removal of a small number of Hong Kong and Chinese companies from FTSE global indexes. Where there is suspicion around firms employing technical tactics to qualify for inclusion, FTSE Russell will report these issues to the local regulator. The issue itself and the regulators response can have a future bearing on the wider countrys classification in the FTSE Global Equity Index Series, as part of the required Quality of Market criteria. Has FTSE included any stocks in the index that do not meet requirements, such as market capitalisation, liquidity, and turnover? As part of the FTSE Vietnam Index Series quarterly review, all classes of ordinary shares in issue that have a full listing on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange are eligible for inclusion in the FTSE Vietnam Index Series, subject to conforming to all other rules of eligibility. Following the application of three screens (Size, Liquidity, and Free Float), the remaining securities form the Index Universe. An additional foreign ownership availability screen is applied to the FTSE Vietnam Index. FTSE Russell currently classifies Vietnam as a Frontier market. How possible is it for Vietnam to be upgraded to a Secondary Emerging market in the near future? Vietnam is currently classified as a Frontier market, and there are four key Quality of Markets criteria that all Frontier markets must meet to reach Secondary Emerging market status: Custody (sufficient competition to ensure high quality custodian services), Brokerage (sufficient competition to ensure high quality broker services), Liquidity (sufficient broad market liquidity to support sizeable global investment), and Transaction costs (implicit and explicit costs to be reasonable and competitive). Following the September meeting of the FTSE Russell Governance Board, promotion and demotion decisions and Watch List changes are formally communicated to the countries affected together with the rationale as evidenced by their scores on the Quality of Market matrix. Promotion, demotion, and Watch List decisions are subsequently published in a public notice along with the timetable for their implementation. If Vietnam were to be added to the Watch List in September 2016, it would remain on the Watch List for a minimum of one year, so the earliest it would be promoted would be September 2018. Do you think our stock market is more attractive to investors after the foreign ownership threshold was removed last year? As an index provider, we are unable to speculate on the attractiveness of the Vietnamese market after the foreign ownership limit is lifted. However, we expect international investors to welcome the improved access to the Vietnamese market, and that the weight of Vietnamese stocks in global indexes should increase as a result of this change. More postal support employees have been attaining permanent status at US Postal Service Just one week after the visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong has flown to China. Hor Namhong will meet with senior Chinese officials, including state adviser Yang Jiechi and Prime Minister Li Keqiang, to discuss a broad strategic partnership in official talks from Feb. 3 through Feb. 5. Ou Virak, head of the think tank Future Forum, said the visit to China is likely meant to balance the visit by Kerry, and will be a chance for Hor Namhong to discuss Cambodias stance toward Chinas position. It also comes ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Hun Sen to the US this month, where he will join other Asean ministers in talks with President Barack Obama. So what does this mean? Ou Virak said. It means that Cambodia must go to China in order to lure China and say that Cambodia will remain close to China, as always. China aims to use Cambodia as a wedge within Asean, where four member nations have overlapping claims with China in the South China Sea, Ou Virak said. China will likely also dissuade Cambodia from joining the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership, an attempt to rebalance the US in the region, he said. China is not happy with the TPP. China perhaps wont let Cambodia enter this trade pact. During his visit last week, Kerry said the US wants a better trade relationship with Cambodia, without limiting its partners. He met with Hor Namhong and Prime Minister Hun Sen. Pou Sovachana, deputy executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said China is likely concerned about stronger ties with the US, prompting the invitation for talks with Hor Namhong. John Kerry also said that Cambodia must think about its own interests, meaning that we cant put all [of our] eggs in the basket of China, he said. He wants us to open. Thats why John Kerrys presence in Cambodia concerned China. However, Pou Sovachana recommended that Cambodia assist Asean in a joint stance to resolve the South China Sea issue, as both Vietnam and the Philippines push hard for a resolution, and amid growing tensions in the sea. Cambodia could help find a resolution through the mechanisms of Asean, he said. Chum Sounry, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Hor Namhongs visit to China was planned in advance and was not a reaction to Kerrys visit. As Cambodia ramps up for local elections in 2017 and national elections the year after, experts say it should look to Novembers election in Myanmar to improve security and build confidence in voters. The Myanmar elections, which came after decades of military rule in the country, deployed peacekeepers and observers to ensure free and fair elections, including some Cambodians who will be monitoring this countrys upcoming polls. During Election Day, we learned that its the people who take care of security affairs, said Koul Panha, head of the election monitoring group Comfrel, who was an election observer in Myanmar. They taught people how to maintain security at the polling stations. Sam Kuntheamy, head of the election monitoring group Nicfec, said good security management meant fewer violations. We should follow this good point of theirs, he said. They did it differently and better than us. We used a lot of armed forces, which shows that there is a lot of insecurity. Firstly, it didnt feel like a free election. It seemed like the freedom in the elections was still in a fragile state. Security in the Myanmar election was conducted with input from political parties, something that is unlikely to happen in Cambodia, he said. The related parties, such as the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense are afraid that the government cannot accept such measures, he said. So they follow the old model. Officials at the Ministry of Interior could not be reached for comment. Hang Puthea, the former head of Nicfec who now serves as a member of the National Election Committee, said the NEC will raise security issues with the Ministry of Interior as it prepares voter registration. Koul Panha urged the NEC to work harder to be more transparent and to find more roles for women in the election process and vote counting. The vote count is important after elections, he said. Women play a good role in the management of the vote-counting process. Engaging more women in that role will enhance the confidence in the official vote when it comes to vote counting during the election days. Cambodian officials are working to improve elections follow polls in 2013, where allegations of widespread irregularities moved the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party to boycott participation in government for nearly a year. [Editors Note: A recent report from the International Trade Union Confederation reveals that 50 of the worlds largest companies depend on a hidden workforce to provide 94 percent of the labor from which they profit. With only a tiny minority of workers employed directly by these multinationalsincluding McDonalds, Nestle and Samsungthe majority of people in their supply chains do not benefit from their profits. ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrows spoke to VOA Khmer's Ten Soksreinith about the report, and discussed how weak regulatory systems allow companies to exploit workers, especially in developing countries like Cambodia.] Can you help us to understand what you mean by a hidden workforce? The global supply chain is now the dominant model of global trade. Sixty percent of production is caught up in supply chains, and its 80 percent if you include financial flows. But workers in those supply chain, more often than not, are living on poverty wages, they have insecure work and, indeed, often unsafe work. Youve seen of course highlighted cases like Bangladesh, but they are everywhere. So we took a look inside 50 of the largest companies in the world. We found that the supply chains provide a shocking story of invisibility. Employers at the multinational level, the big CEOs of those companies, only directly employ 6 percent of the workforce on which they depend. So the 94 percent of the workforce which contribute to their profits are invisible to them. They are a hidden workforce. The model of production is based on exploitation. How do these big companies utilize this huge workforce? The multinational enterprises contract out their work, particularly in Asia, but also in Africa and Latin America. That contractor might contract out again, and you can have six, eight [or] 10 tiers of contractors. So there is no transparency. Under the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, there is a recent requirement on companies to do due diligence, to understand the nature of the supply chain. The G7, the biggest countries in the world, last year actually gave an indication that they acknowledged that the model of supply chain is often exploitative, and that there must be stronger rules to clean up supply chains. The G20 acknowledged that supply chains are an issue, in terms of sustainability, and that includes human and labor rights. Its now time that those CEOs acknowledge that they wouldnt want their sons and daughters working in those conditions. Therefore, they have to take responsibility for ensuring that other peoples sons and daughters are not exploited in this way. Is there anything illegal about having a supply chain set up like this? They just simply contract out and the contractors contract out, and its a long chain. Nobody takes responsibility for the workforce. Often the legislation in those countries is very, very weak. Its often anti-worker. It does not provide freedom of association or a right to collective bargaining arrangement, or even a minimum living wage, a minimum wage on which you can live with dignity. When there are no safe, secure regulatory environments that provide for fundamental rights, then companies arent absolved from their responsibilities. But in fact, they have been hiding behind the fact that they only employ a small part of workforce on which they depend. This has to change. What is the system of regulation for todays global supply chains? How effective is it? The system of regulation is very weak. The labor laws in Cambodia are weak. The labor laws in Bangladesh are weak. The labor laws in Indonesia, or indeed in the Philippines, are weak. Workers do not have adequate protection. Whether its the right to freedom of association, to have a collective voice, to join the union, whether its a minimum wage on which they can live with dignitygovernments arent providing strong minimum wage mechanism. When it comes to collective bargaining, or indeed a safety committee where workers are represented with the capacity to prosecute breaches of rights or safety, the rule of law, based on very weak legislation, is also absent. Governments certainly hold a responsibility. They are all members of the International Labor Organization, which sets the fundamental rights standards. Thats a tripartite body with business, workers and government thats part of the U.N. system. That is the international rule of law. Governments dont respect that. They dont legislate for those protections often because theyre cowed by the demand of big businesses who want cheap labor. Thats the basis on which these companies are making profit. Then, of course, you have the companies themselves. And again, under the U.N. system, theres a set of U.N. principles on business and human rights that indicate that governments are responsible. But the companies can absolve their responsibilities where the rule of law by government is weak. But they have responsibility for due diligence and to remedy. Both are responsible. People cant walk away from responsibilityif you are the CEO of a company or if you are a head or minister of a government. But its the people that are exploited, and they are being exploited by their own governments in many cases, who turn a blind eye, and directly by employers from the big multinationals, who simply take no responsibility, demand the cheapest price possible, irrespective of the human cost or impact. What would be a practical system of regulation in countries with corrupt local governments to ensure human rights and labor rights? Are there international laws that can be applied to these companies? Indeed. When weve got a situation where in Germany or Belgium or Australia, or the U.S.pick a countryyou can actually use the rule of law to hold companies to account for fundamental rights or safety standard. Then we ask the question: Why cant you hold that same company to account for each abuse of workers rights in Cambodia? In the U.S., they have the principles called Joint and Several Liability that doesnt exist in most governments laws. But if the governments where multinationals are headquartered were to legislate to mandate due diligence, then we could prosecute companies across borders. Thats one of our ambitions. Its time that companies were held to account. Youve seen the exploitative stories about companies are not paying tax in the countries where they earn it. Governments with the G20 are trying to change that. We want governments to work with us to change the model of supply chains. There are governments concerned about thisGermany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, a range of governmentsbut we havent got them yet to the point where the rule of law makes it possible for employers to be held to account for workers in countries where they make profits from. Indeed, in Cambodia, when these companies cant pay $178 a month as a minimum living wage, then thats exploitation. When the Cambodian government does not think that they have the responsibility to stand up to the company and make sure that their workers have a minimum living wage, thats just an abrogation of democratic responsibility. We have to clean this up. We want to see the wages base at $178 in Cambodia, $250 in Jakarta, where there is another minimum wage struggle going on, $320 in the Philippines. I could give you the entire wage rates, they are very modest. If we have a floor of wages, then you can take that level of competition out of global trade, and then companies could genuinely compete on quality, on design, on efficiency. Thats not happening. The only competition base at the moment is low wages, poverty wages, and thats simply exploitation. The government of Burundi is satisfied by the AU decision to hold off on sending a protection force to Burundi, while the opposition feels betrayed. African heads of state who held a summit for two days in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, could not reach a consensus on the AU recommendation to send a 5,000-member protection force to Burundi. Burundi Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe, who was interviewed by Central Africa service right after the heads of state wrapped up the summit, said the Burundi government welcomes the decision to not send troops, and hopes that the idea of sending troops to Burundi is permanently put to rest. What is important for the government of Burundi is that African heads of states have decided not to send troops to Burundi. As a matter of fact, we articulated the wishes of the people of Burundi, who have clearly indicated through rallies across the country that they oppose the AU resolution to send troops to Burundi," Nyamitwe said. AU resolution "That same sentiment was echoed by the senate and the parliament. The wishes of the people are what basically prompted the government of Burundi to reject the AUs resolution, he said. However, the African Union has indicated it will continue its effort to persuade the government of Burundi to accept the protection force. It announced that it would soon send a high-level delegation to Burundi. Nyamitwe said the delegation will not come to Burundi to talk about the deployment of troops, arguing that the government has time and time again spelled out that the deployment of troops is a nonstarter. It is true the AU representative mentioned the high-level delegation, but that is not really the way the final communique is worded. What we know is that those envoys will come to Burundi so we can talk about all the rumors that have been spread; as you know, so many things have been said," Nyamitwe said. "You know that there are some reports out there that genocide was taking place in Burundi; there have also been reports of mass graves. Those are the things that we will discuss and we will show them that none of such things are taking place in Burundi, he added. Nyamitwe said Burundi's second vice president, Joseph Butore, who was leading the Burundian delegation to the AU summit, got a chance to brief African heads of states on the real situation in Burundi. He also said that the fact that Burundi has been elected to the African Union Peace and Security Council proves the country is a respected member of the African Union. While the government of Burundi feels upbeat about the outcome of the summit with regard to the deployment of troops, opposition leaders feel betrayed by the AUs failure to send troops to Burundi. Opposition coalition Leonard Nyangoma, the leader of the opposition coalition CNARED (National Council for the Restoration of the Democracy and the respect of the Constitution and the Arusha Peace Accord) spoke with the Central Africa service. We obviously feel once again let down by the international community. Burundians continue to suffer under a regime that has seized power unconstitutionally. However, we are not surprised by the inaction of the international community." Nyangoma said. "Those who have a good memory know that in 1993, after the first democratically elected President Melchior Ndadaye was assassinated, some of his cabinet members who survived the killings that ensued requested that peacekeeping troops be sent to Burundi, but in vain. Peacekeeping troops were sent to Burundi 10 year later, after the Arusha Peace Accord was signed, he said. Nyangoma said that based on past experiences, peacekeeping troops never really protect civilians nor restore peace, arguing that they failed miserably to protect Rwandans in 1994. He said that an inclusive dialogue among Burundians is the only good chance of restoring long lasting peace in Burundi. However, given that the Burundi government is adamant that those who played a role in the failed coup and in the violent protest will never be allowed to participate in the dialogue, analysts contend that the starting of real inclusive dialogue may take longer than expected. Human rights group Amnesty International has strongly criticized the reinstatement of a Nigerian army commander, who it says is implicated in war crimes during the countrys battle with Islamist Boko Haram militants. The Nigerian government has denied the accusations. In one of the most disturbing allegations, Amnesty International says the Nigerian military executed more than 640 prisoners who briefly escaped during an attack by Boko Haram on a detention center in Giwa in March 2014. Daniel Eyre from Amnesty says the man in command of operations that day was Major General Ahmadu Mohammed. He was also in charge of that military detention facility, said Eyer. "And suspects on that facility died on an almost daily basis as a result of horrific conditions. They were tortured, starved, and even died of disease in that facility. Major General Ahmadu Mohammed was retired in 2014 for unrelated reasons, but Amnesty says he was reinstated last month. In a report published last June, the group alleged that more than 7,000 detainees were starved, suffocated, and tortured to death in detention camps, and a further 1,200 were unlawfully killed. A spokesperson for the Nigerian Ministry of Defense said Amnestys claims remain allegations unless they are proven beyond any reasonable doubt. Amnestys Daniel Eyre says the evidence is clear. Our report was based on interviews with more than 400 witnesses, including military sources, said Eyer. "We also used video evidence of war crimes, including the execution of unarmed men by Nigerian soldiers. When the report was published in June, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari wrote on Twitter the allegations would be investigated. We are still waiting for those investigations, they have not begun yet; but, it is unthinkable that someone who was named in our report could be put in control of troops again, without those investigations having taken place, said Eyer. In recent days more than 150 people have been reported killed in Boko Haram attacks in Nigerias northeast. At least 65 people died when militants attacked civilians and set fire to houses in Maiduguri. Britain's fertility regulator has granted its first license for the genetic modification of human embryos for research into the causes of infertility and miscarriages. The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority said Monday, "Our license committee has approved an application from Dr. Kathy Niakan of the Francis Crick Institute to renew her laboratory's research license to include gene editing of embryos." The embryos will not become children. Some researchers welcomed the news. University of Edinburgh professor of animal biotechnology Bruce Whitelaw told the Science Media Center the research should "assist infertile couples and reduce the anguish of miscarriage." But critics say the research likely raises too many ethical questions and could eventually result in genetically modified human babies. Chinese researchers experimented with modifying genes in human embryos last year, but their experiment failed. European Council chief Donald Tusk says talks Sunday in London with British Prime Minister David Cameron broke up without a deal to keep Britain in the EU, but he said "intensive" negotiations will continue Monday. Tusk, tweeting late Sunday, described talks in the next 24 hours as "crucial." Cameron said Monday's meeting likely will lead to a draft text of EU reforms demanded by Britain's ruling conservatives in exchange for remaining in the 28-nation political and economic bloc. Officials on both sides of the issue have voiced hopes of striking a deal ahead of a two-day EU summit set to begin February 18 in Brussels. If a deal is reached, it then would need approval of British voters in a referendum that Cameron's party has promised by the end of 2017. Discord between London and Brussels grew last year as Europe's migrant crisis gathered strength and swept through the continent. Cameron's government has since demanded EU reforms aimed in part at allowing EU countries to control the number of migrants entering EU states and to limit their welfare benefits. On Friday, EU officials offered London a mechanism known as an "emergency brake" that would let Britain temporarily limit such benefits, if the country's welfare coffers are strained. But Cameron later described the offer as "not good enough." He is said to be seeking further concessions that would allow the braking mechanism to take effect sooner and remain in place longer than the EU has proposed. London also is said to be demanding more EU power ceded to the union's national governments, and protections for Britain and eight other EU countries that do not use the euro currency. A British woman who took her child to Syria and joined the Islamic State has been sentenced to six years in prison. Tareena Shakil, 26, was convicted by a Birmingham court of being an IS member and encouraging acts of terrorism. In October 2014, she and her one-year-old son boarded a plane to Turkey, having told her family she was going on a beach vacation. She crossed the border into Syria, making her way to the IS stronghold of Raqqa. But after three months, she fled and turned herself in to the Turkish military. She was arrested in February 2015 by police at Heathrow Airport upon her return home. During the trial, Shakil denied charges of joining the Islamist group saying that she wanted to live under strict Islamic law and not support terrorism. But prosecutors said photos on her phone showed her posing with weapons and her son wearing a hat with an Islamic State symbol. Judge Melbourne Inman said during sentencing Monday Shakil had embraced the Islamic State group. "You were well aware that the future, which you had subjected your son to was very likely to be indoctrination and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter,'' he said. Just one week after the visit of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong has flown to China. Hor Namhong will meet with senior Chinese officials, including state adviser Yang Jiechi and Prime Minister Li Keqiang, to discuss a broad strategic partnership in official talks February 3-5. Ou Virak, head of the think tank Future Forum, said the visit to China is likely meant to balance the visit by Kerry, and will be a chance for Hor Namhong to discuss Cambodias stance toward Chinas position. It also comes ahead of a visit by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to the U.S. this month, where he will join other Asean ministers in talks with President Barack Obama. So what does this mean? Ou Virak said. It means that Cambodia must go to China in order to lure China and say that Cambodia will remain close to China, as always. China aims to use Cambodia as a wedge within ASEAN, where four member nations have claims that overlap China's in the South China Sea, Ou Virak said. China will likely also dissuade Cambodia from joining the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an attempt to rebalance the U.S. in the region, he said. China is not happy with the TPP. China perhaps wont let Cambodia enter this trade pact. Stronger US/Cambodia ties During his visit last week, Kerry said the U.S. wants a better trade relationship with Cambodia, without limiting its other trading partners. He met with Hor Namhong and Prime Minister Hun Sen. Pou Sovachana, deputy executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said China is likely concerned about stronger ties with the U.S., prompting the invitation for talks with Hor Namhong. John Kerry also said that Cambodia must think about its own interests, meaning that we cant put all eggs in the basket of China, he said. He wants us to open. Thats why John Kerrys presence in Cambodia concerned China. However, Pou Sovachana recommended that Cambodia assist Asean in a joint stance to resolve the South China Sea issue, as both Vietnam and the Philippines push hard for a resolution, and amid growing tensions in the sea. Cambodia could help find a resolution through the mechanisms of Asean, he said. Chum Sounry, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Hor Namhongs visit to China was planned in advance and was not a reaction to Kerrys visit. This article was produced in collaboration with VOA's Khmer Service. Suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked a village in Nigerias volatile northeast over the weekend, burning huts and detonating a suicide bomb. An emergency services spokesman says around 40 people are dead. The attack started late Saturday, when fighters stormed Dalori, a village on the outskirts of the Borno State capital Maiduguri. Northeastern coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency Alhaji Muhammed Kanar said villagers fled as the fighters approached. They scared the people and then they rushed outside. They run out of the village, almost all of them, and [the attackers] set the whole village at a blaze, said Kanar. The villagers regrouped, thinking they were safe. That is when the suicide bomber struck. The suicide bomber detonated his explosives, thereby killing, he killed so many people in there, he said. Kanar said about 40 people were killed in the attack. He could not say how many were wounded. The village of Dalori shares a name with a nearby camp for some 18,000 people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency. The insurgents have forced more than 2.2 million Nigerians from their homes and killed about 20,000 people in their six-year quest to impose strict Islamic law. Nigerias government late last year said they had defeated the group, but acknowledged the militants still had the capability to carry out attacks on civilians. Kanar said no militants were able to enter the displaced persons camp. We were so lucky even they were not inside the camp. It would have caused ... more havoc than that, he said. Kanar said emergency services were working to shelter the newly displaced people from Dalori. A European Union founding father, Jean Monnet, once claimed, "Crises are the great unifier. For Europeans that is not proving true today. The very idea of the European Union seems to be falling apart and some are already writing its obituary. Under the pressures of homegrown terrorism, a massive migrant crisis not seen in Europe since World War II, crippling sovereign debt, a suddenly assertive Russia redrawing borders and widening divisions among Europeans, a sense of durability appears to be evaporating fast. A likely referendum this year in Britain on whether to remain part of the EU might see one of the blocs richest and most powerful members depart, an exit that would leave the faltering union even further dominated by Berlin and Paris in a bilateral partnership itself under strain and unpopular with smaller European countries. The prized Schengen system of visa-free travel within much of Europe is being thrown into doubt as a succession of member states take arbitrary action, imposing border checks and throwing up fences as EU plans fail to curb the inflow of migrants and refugees from the Middle East and Africa. Last week, European Union leaders edged closer to accepting that the Schengen open-borders area may be suspended for up to two years. The breakup of the European Union has long been predicted, especially by those opposed to the entire European unification enterprise in the first place. But panicky forecasts are now mounting from Euro-enthusiasts. Asked last week by the BBC, whether the migrant crisis may spell the end of the European Union in its current form, David Miliband, a former UK foreign minister, was hardly boosterish in response, mustering only a weak, I think it is premature to talk about the end of the European Union. But he noted, Unless there is an effective peace process inside Syria, this really is a crisis without end for Europe. Nationalist sentiments on rise There has been a rapid rise in populist nationalist sentiment, most strongly expressed now in central Europe, where governments in the Visegrad group of countries, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, have been the strongest critics of EU migrant policies and the most defiant when it comes to European Commission plans to distribute asylum-seekers across all 28 member countries. An EU deal for the relocation of just 160,000 refugees mainly from Italy and Greece unraveled in December due primarily to central European opposition. Only 272 refugees had been relocated by the end of 2015. As far as central European leaders are concerned, no migrants should be admitted. They argue asylum-seekers will change national cultures and cant be integrated. They reject multiculturalism. Hungarys controversial leader Viktor Orban has been the most outspoken, maintaining that Mideast and African migrants threaten his countrys Christian identity A new generation of populist nationalist leaders in Central Europe has jumped on the issue of the migrant crisis, using it to push broader Euro-skeptic views. Their resistance to more political integration with the rest of Europe and their defiance of Brussels when it comes to strengthening and centralizing government powers has triggered a series of confrontations with the European Commission and in Polands case a rule-of-law investigation by Brussels. The confrontations have sharpened since November when the nationalist conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) won parliamentary elections in Poland. The new government quickly set about sacking the heads of the security and intelligence services, restricting the powers of the countrys constitutional tribunal, which decides on the legality of legislation, and packing it with adherents. 'Managed democracy' As in Hungary, the PiS also has rapidly brought state-owned media to heel, installing loyalists to oversee public broadcasters, turning them into government mouthpieces. The European Commission argues these changes break EU norms of governance and undermine democratic checks and balances. Leftwing and liberal opponents accuse Orban and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the PiS leader, of modeling their actions on Russian leader Vladimir Putin, aiming to replace liberal democracy with managed democracy. Like Orban in Hungary, and other Central European leaders, Kaczynski argues the EU Commissions insistence on the harmonization of governance amounts to undemocratic rule by EU political elites. All he and others are doing, he argues, is to embrace more eastern" European values. In short, rebelling against the curtailing of sovereignty and returning it where it should rest: with the nation state. It is an argument that is resonating elsewhere in Europe and across party lines, from working-class supporters of Britains Labor party, middle-class radicals in Italys Five Star Movement and traditionalists in conservative parties in Scandinavia. French President Francois Hollande, at a news conference Monday with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro, said it is time to open a new page in relations with Cuba not only when it comes to France, but when it comes to the world. It is essential the U.S. embargo against Havana is lifted so Cuba can take its full place in the international community, Hollande said. He added that President Barack Obama had taken many steps in this direction, and it now was time to follow through completely, thereby ending "a vestige of the Cold War." Hollande vowed he would do everything he could to ensure normalized ties between the European Union and Cuba. Washington announced a normalization of relations with Cuba at the end of 2014, but the United States maintains an economic embargo. Mutual praise Castro whose trip marks the first visit to France by a Cuban leader in more than two decades is getting the red-carpet treatment in Paris. Hollande hugged him when they met Monday at the Elysee Presidential Palace, and he later hosted a state dinner for the Cuban leader. Last May, Hollande became the first French leader to visit Cuba in half a century. Castro saluted France as Cuba's biggest creditor for playing a key role last December in lightening his country's international debt. Priorities Trade and investment top the agenda of Castro's visit. French businesses are eyeing opportunities in sectors such as tourism, transport and energy; and the two sides signed a dozen commercial agreements Monday. Hollande also announced a fund to accelerate French investment in the country. Castro's trip is the second recent groundbreaking visit of a controversial world leader. Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani visited Paris. The farm state of Iowa opens voting Monday in the first U.S. contest to pick Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, leading to November's national election. The two poll-leading Republican presidential contenders - billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump, conservative Texas Senator Ted Cruz - and several other candidates headed to more rallies as voting neared. Election caucuses were set for 1,681 schools, firehouses and community centers throughout the state. A predicted snowstorm across Iowa is not expected to arrive until after voting has ended. The top Democratic contenders, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, are locked in a tight contest for their party's nod in the first of a long series of state-by-state contests. Clinton is confident of a win over Sanders, the self-described independent Democrat socialist. "I know how to do this, and I'm ready," she told CNN Monday. "There is just a lot of excitement and energy. I'm urging everybody to come out and caucus tonight to be part of this unique American process." Sanders urged his supporters to get out and caucus. ``We've got a tie ballgame - that's where we are,'' Sanders told volunteers and supporters in Des Moines Monday. ``We will struggle tonight if the voter turnout is low. That's a fact.'' Trump, a political novice facing his first election, told one interviewer he is "a little bit nervous" about the outcome. He exhorted supporters at a rally that even if they are sick, they need to get to the caucuses to vote for him. "Get out of bed," he urged. "You've got to go." Trump maintains a slight lead over Cruz, who appears to have made several missteps in the lead-up to the Iowa voting. Iowa, geographically in the central part of the United States, is not a large state and at most a few hundred thousand voters are expected to take part in the caucuses. But with its status as the first to vote in the lengthy presidential campaign, the Iowa results will give U.S. political pundits, a vast array of commentators on television and radio shows, newspapers, magazines and Internet blogs, a chance to offer a myriad of opinions on the outcome late Monday and in the coming week, before the next state, New Hampshire in the northeastern United States, votes February 9. WATCH: VOA Snapshot of Iowa Race - Voters Opinion polls in Iowa showed a tantalizingly close race for both the Republican and Democratic Party nominations, with non-establishment candidates continuing to show resiliency. Final sprint Candidates in both parties made a final sprint through Iowa Sunday, holding events in every corner of the state, stepping up attacks on rivals and making last-minute appeals to key voter groups. Sunday morning TV network news shows also were a key platform. On ABCs This Week, Trump tore into his main challenger Cruz, calling him a total liar and a nasty guy. Trump also continued to raise questions about whether Cruz is eligible to run for president, because he was born in Canada to a Cuban father and an American mother. Cruz shot back, challenging Trumps conservative credentials on issues such as health care, and accusing Trump of running an immature campaign. Cruzs chances to win the Iowa caucuses are seen as slightly diminished after he suffered a shaky debate performance last week. His campaign also was on the defensive after sending out a campaign flier that appeared to threaten voters if they did not show up to vote. Trump and Cruz are both trying to portray themselves as political outsiders, and are competing to attract evangelical Christians who comprise a large percentage of Iowa Republicans. WATCH: VOA Snapshot of Iowa Race - Republicans Sanders attacks Clinton on emails Meanwhile, Sanders showed an increased willingness to raise questions about Clintons use of a personal email server during her time as secretary of state, from 2009 to 2013. After months of refusing to make the issue a point of attack on the campaign trail, Sanders told CNN that the controversy is a very serious issue. The U.S. State Department, which has been releasing Clintons emails in batches, on Friday said it would not publish 22 Clinton emails because they contained top secret classified information. Clinton's critics say her use of the private email server put U.S. national security at risk, and may even have violated some laws. Clinton has said she did nothing wrong and that the emails were not marked classified at the time she received or sent them. On Sunday, Clinton repeated her stance the emails should be made public. WATCH: VOA Snapshot of Iowa Race - Democrats Another debate planned The Sanders and Clinton campaigns on Sunday also reached an agreement with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to hold additional debates, something many in the party had wanted. The DNC says the next officially sanctioned debate will be held Thursday in New Hampshire, where Sanders has a substantial double-digit lead over Clinton. But for now, all eyes are on Iowa. It is a routine each Friday at the Masjid Al Noor mosque in Des Moines. The call to prayer draws hundreds from throughout the city, and the congregation that gathers to worship represents a melting pot of cultures and nationalities. It looks like a little United Nations, says Mohamad Khan, president of the Muslim Community Organization, which oversees the mosque. Khan came to Des Moines in the 1970s, and the large gathering hes a part of today is very different from the group he prayed with when he first arrived in the United States. Our community is more diversified now, he says. Growing community And it is growing. The American Immigration Council reports U.S. Census figures show Iowas foreign-born population rose from 1.6 percent of the total population in 1990 to 4.8 percent in 2013. It is estimated that immigrants make up as much as 6 percent of Iowas population today. About 95 percent are probably immigrants here, says Khan, referencing the congregation of the Masjid Al Noor. Theyre either refugees or just immigrants in some capacity. Khan says about three-quarters of those at his mosque, one of six in the larger Des Moines area, are U.S. citizens and eligible to vote. As the presidential candidates travel the state of Iowa in a last-minute effort to win the support of undecided voters ahead of Monday evening's caucuses, their campaigns are also aware of the small but growing population of immigrant voters. Challenge to vote But Khan says getting them to the polls can be a challenge. Its very difficult to get people to register or to even to vote, he says, because many people come from war-torn countries where a lot of times they suffer consequences for supporting one candidate or the other, so they are very scared." Maybe in other countries its completely different than the way we do it in the United States, says Mayra De Catalan. She came to the U.S. from El Salvador as an undocumented immigrant in 1992. De Catalan finally got her U.S. citizenship eight years ago, and Iowas caucuses will be her first, thanks to opportunities shes had to learn about participating in the process. Theres been, that Ive heard of, at least five events to let the Latino community know how to vote, and how to caucus. Its amazing, she says. But in order to prepare herself, De Catalan says she also turned to the Internet. I took the initiative to look and read on how to caucus as well. Im definitely more excited about it this time around than the last time around," she said. 'Get out ... and caucus' Were 6 percent of the population, but were over 20 percent of school age kids, age K (kindergarten) through 12. Were growing rapidly in Iowa, says Joe Enriquez Henry with the League of United Latin American Citizens. The Latino community represents the largest share of Iowas immigrant population. Our Latino community needs to get out on Monday at 7 p.m., sit down for two hours, and caucus, Henry says. He leads the effort to encourage that -- a door-to-door campaign for his organization. Volunteers pass out literature and provide information to potential voters, such as making sure they know where to caucus. There are 1.9 million registered voters, but only 200,000 participate in the caucuses, Henry says. We have 50,000 registered voters within the Latino community. We want to have 10,000-20,000 of our voters to participate. We can play a part with that percentage, with that amount of voters. And though the overall immigrant population of Iowa is small, at the Masjid Al Noor mosque Khan is keenly aware they can still make a difference. "People should not take minorities for granted, because you could lose by one vote," he says. A vote that could be precious to a candidate locked in a tight race. After months of rallies, speeches and debates, the U.S. primary election campaign is set to formally get under way Monday, when Iowa residents cast their presidential preference at caucus sites across the Midwestern state. Ahead of the crucial, first-in-the-nation 2016 vote, opinion polls in Iowa revealed a tantalizingly close race for both the Republican and Democratic party nominations, with non-establishment candidates continuing to show resiliency. On the Republican side, real estate developer Donald Trump maintains a slight lead over Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who appears to have made several missteps in the lead-up to the Iowa caucuses. For the Democrats, the race seems to be a virtual tie between former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the self-declared democratic socialist. WATCH: VOA Snapshot of the Iowa Race Voters Candidates in both parties made a final sprint through Iowa Sunday, holding events in every corner of the state, stepping up attacks on rivals and making last-minute appeals to key voter groups. Sunday morning TV network news shows also were a key platform. On ABCs This Week, Trump tore into his main challenger Cruz, calling him a total liar and a nasty guy. Heres a guy with all these senators, (but) not one endorsement of Cruz, because hes a nasty guy, Trump said. You cant run a country that way. It will be a total mess. Trump also continued to raise questions about whether Cruz is eligible to run for president, because he was born in Canada to a Cuban father and an American mother. Cruz shot back, challenging Trumps conservative credentials on issues such as health care, and accusing Trump of running an immature campaign. I think the people of Iowa deserve more, Cruz told CNNs State of the Union. I think the American people deserve more than just a battle of petty insults. And so I dont intend to play that game." Cruzs chances to win the Iowa caucuses are seen as slightly diminished after he suffered a shaky debate performance last week. His campaign also was on the defensive after sending out a campaign flier that seemed to threaten voters if they did not show up to vote. WATCH: VOA Snapshot of the Iowa Race Republicans Trump and Cruz are both trying to portray themselves as political outsiders. They also are both competing to attract evangelicals, which make up a large percentage of Iowa Republicans. Trump on Sunday headed to church in Council Bluffs with his family. The real estate magnate also appeared at campaign events with Jerry Falwell Jr., the prominent evangelical leader and president of Liberty University. Sanders attacks Clinton on emails Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders showed an increased willingness to raise questions about the scandal over Hillary Clintons use of a personal email server during her time as secretary of state. After months of refusing to make the issue a point of attack on the campaign trail, Sanders told CNN that the controversy is a very serious issue. When asked whether he thought Clinton did anything wrong, he replied: Nope, nope. That is not, I think, a fair assessment. That is, I think, a very serious issue. There is a legal process taking place. I do not want to politicize the issue. It is not my style. The U.S. State Department, which has been releasing Clintons emails in batches, on Friday said it would not publish a series of the messages because they contained classified information. WATCH: VOA Snapshot of the Iowa Race Democrats Her critics say the use of the private, relatively unprotected email server put U.S. national security at risk, and may even have violated some laws. Clinton has said she did nothing wrong and that the emails were not marked classified at the time they were sent. On Sunday, Clinton repeated her stance that the emails should be made public, and she slammed her Republican critics for focusing on the issue. Its clear theyre grasping at straws, Clinton told ABC. The Sanders and Clinton campaigns on Sunday also reached an agreement with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to hold additional debates, something many in the party had wanted. The DNC said the next officially sanctioned debate will be held Thursday in New Hampshire, where Sanders has a substantial double-digit lead over Clinton. WATCH: Candidates make final pitches before Iowa caucus New Hampshire is the next focus for presidential hopefuls. The northeastern state holds its primary election February 9. Iowa storm coming? But for now, all eyes are on Iowa, where a major snowstorm is expected to hit about the time residents gather at caucus centers to vote late Monday. The storm could significantly impact voter turnout, providing an advantage for better organized campaigns, or those with more passionate supporters. I think the conventional view here is that if theres high turnout, that is great news for Bernie Sanders, says Kathie Obradovich, a political columnist for The Des Moines Register. In the end, the biggest wild card in the caucuses may come down to the weather, Obradovich told VOA. When its a small turnout event, anything can happen. So, bad weather would add to the uncertainty of what happens on caucus night, she said. At campaign rallies across Iowa, some candidates and voters are angrily blaming Washington, D.C., for the nation's problems. Voters concerned by the growing influence of big money and entrenched politicians appear to be supporting three anti-establishment candidates businessman Donald Trump, Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Bernie Sanders much more than expected in the polls. Just days before Monday's Iowa caucuses, hundreds of people stood in the freezing cold for hours to see Trump at a Drake University event in Des Moines. Many cited his lack of political experience and his self-funded campaign as reasons to vote for the real estate mogul who has never held political office. WATCH: VOA Snapshot of the Iowa Race Republicans I think there is a lot of anger about the establishment, and I think thats okay. I think the establishment should be shook up because they have failed in the past, said Jack, a Trump supporter from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who would not give his last name. Candidates are tapping into voters' sense that the establishment is set up to oppose their interests. Trumps biggest rival, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, has turned the perception that he is widely disliked in Washington, D.C., to his advantage. If you see a candidate who Washington embraces, run and hide, Cruz told an overflow crowd of hundreds in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday. The crowd cheered when Cruz suggested dismantling the Internal Revenue Service and the alphabet soup of government agencies. Many politicians say one thing when they campaign, and when they go to Washington, they do the other. It happens in both parties and Im tired of that, said Paul, who says he is a county co-chair for the Cruz campaign but, like many of the voters backing insurgent candidates, declined to give his last name. WATCH: VOA Snapshot of the Iowa Race Voters Republican voters at rallies in Iowa cited the economy, illegal immigration and the state of the U.S. military as their top issues but acknowledged that none of these problems can be fixed with the system as it stands now. Even Republicans nationally prefer somebody thats an outsider, somebody that isnt part of the political class, that isnt part of the perceived problems that were seeing in Washington right now, said Matt Strawn, a former Republican political strategist. But the anger isn't limited to Republicans. Theres angry voters across the political spectrum right now, says Dennis Goldford, professor of political science at Drake University. At a university mock caucus event last week, college students expressed some of the same distaste with Washington as older voters. Democrats who say they distrust Wall Street line up behind Sanders, the Vermont senator who calls himself a "democratic socialist." Sanders argues for reform of the financial services industry, including breaking up the big banks. WATCH: VOA Snapshot of the Iowa Race Democrats But it was a Hillary Clinton supporter who seemed to sum up the general feeling in the student crowd. I think people are getting tired of the old ways and looking for some real change, said college junior Jonathan Rudnick. Youre seeing populist themes gain currency, because people are working harder, but struggling to continue to pay the bills, believe that the system is rigged against them, said Goldford, the political science professor. The statewide Iowa caucuses on Monday evening mark the first step for candidates who hope to end up in Washington the place many of them have derided throughout the campaign. The polls in Iowa set into motion a state-by-state process through which U.S. voters select their parties candidates for the November presidential election. Iran and Pakistan have agreed to increase border security and boost bilateral trade. The two countries, which share a long, porous border, signed five memorandums of understanding on Monday dealing with issues of cross-border militant activity, smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Relations have sometimes suffered due to cross-border action by militant groups. Saifullah Chatta, the chief secretary of Pakistans Balochistan province bordering Iran, said the two countries have decided to put a stop to it. Both sides have agreed that they will not let their respective territories be used against the other for cross-border terrorist activities, he said. The decisions were announced at the end of a three-day session of the Pakistan-Iran Joint Border Commission in the Pakistani city Quetta. This was the 19th meeting of the commission, which was set up more than 50 years ago. Chatta also said that Pakistan would try to stop oil smuggling from Iran and instead import oil legally to fulfill the energy needs of Balochistan province. The two countries also want to increase bilateral trade to $5 billion in the next five years. Other decisions included plans to open several border marketplaces, set up a rail link between Pakistans port city of Gwadar and Irans port city of Chabahar, and for Iran to supply electricity to Pakistans border areas. The deputy governor of Irans Sistan-Baluchestan province, Ali Asghar Shikari, led the Iranian delegation.The next meeting of the commission will be in Chabahar. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Bob Corker, voiced skepticism that nascent Syrian peace talks will end fighting or lead to the voluntary departure of President Bashar al-Assad. Very difficult at this point, Corker said Monday in a wide-ranging interview with VOA . I certainly support diplomacy, as I think everyone would, but the elements at present do not feel like they are in their proper place. Initial U.N.-mediated consultations in Geneva struggled to get underway one day after a suicide attack on a Shiite shine in Syria left scores dead and in the midst of a renewed government offensive on rebel territory. Corker noted that rebel negotiators basic conditions for launching the talks have not been met. The humanitarian things that they had asked for have not occurred. Not even the release of women and children that were born from rape from the prisons that Assad is overseeing, the senator said. Monday's talks were postponed until Tuesday. Instead U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura met with the opposition for two hours. Sunday, Secretary of State John Kerry urged Syrias warring parties to commit to dialogue. "I appeal to both sides to make the most of this moment, to seize the opportunity for serious negotiations, to negotiate in good faith with the goal of making concrete measurable progress in the days immediately ahead,'' Kerry said. But Assad has no incentive to change tactics or give up power so long as his troops are advancing on the battlefield, according to Corker. The facts on the ground have been changing. You have Russia that has intervened, and certainly the Assad regime, because of their support and Iranian support, have been making gains, the committee chairman said. Iran Turning to the international nuclear accord with Tehran, Corker said he wants the pact to succeed despite having opposed it and despite deep reservations that persist to this day. Since the agreement was agreed to they [Irans leaders] violated UN Security Council Resolutions relative again to ballistic missile testing. And yet, as you can see again there has been no pushback at all, Corker said, adding that it is up to Congress to do everything we can to hold Irans feet to the fire. He spoke as voters in Iowa were preparing to caucus for presidential candidates of both major political parties. Republican contenders have denounced the Iran nuclear accord. Senator Ted Cruz has pledged repeatedly to rip the Iran deal to shreds on his first day in the White House, if elected. Asked about such comments, Corker counseled restraint. A new president coming in I think would most wisely look at the situation as it exists at the time, Corker said. When people are running in primaries, sometimes they use rhetoric to show their resolve, he added. Probably the best way to do it is not to come in and rip it [abruptly terminate the pact], but to assess and move ahead based on where we are at the time. Earlier this month, President Barack Obama hailed implementation of the accord, saying Irans nuclear ambitions had been reined in without going to war. North Korea Last week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved bipartisan sanctions on North Koreas nuclear program that target entities that help Pyongyang supply and finance its military endeavors. Some of those entities will be Chinese, Corker said. The country that could really push back against what North Korea is doing is China maybe this [new sanctions] will rattle China to take some steps in a more forward manner. The senator acknowledged that unforeseen consequences could arise from punitive measures against Pyongyang, but said inaction is the greater risk. What Id actually say youve got is the unintended consequences of doing nothing, Corker said. They [North Korea] continue to do the ballistic missile testing. They [North Korean leadership] are, yes, very unstable, and therefore bound, possibly, to make some irrational decisions down the road. So its either do some things now to change that [North Korean nuclear] trajectory, or likely end up with someone who is very unstable, who can dominate with that instability, he added. Asked about the Senate sanctions bill last week, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, We look forward to working with the Congress on a more vigorous response to North Koreas actions. Actors Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal are returning to Harvard University more than 45 years after the release of their 1970 classic "Love Story." The duo, now in their 70s, will be reflecting on their careers Monday afternoon in a conversation moderated by arts journalist Alicia Anstead. MacGraw and O'Neal currently are co-starring in a national tour of "Love Letters," which is about a man and a woman who maintain contact over 50 years through notes, cards and letters. The play begins a one-week engagement at Boston's Citi Shubert Theatre Tuesday. The actors are expected to drive to Harvard in an antique MG convertible similar to the one featured in "Love Story." That film was about a wealthy Harvard student who marries a less wealthy student over his parents' objections. A chef recently named "Best in the World" has been found dead in his Swiss home. Benoit Violier headed the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier in Lausanne, Switzerland, which had earned a coveted three Michelin stars and topped a list of the worlds best 1,000 restaurants published by the French government. According to the BBC, Violier was found shot late Sunday in his home in Crissier, Switzerland, in an apparent suicide. Police said they were planning an investigation into Violiers death. The highly regarded Michelin Guide to restaurants tweeted that Violier has immense talent. Violier was known to be a avid hunter, and his menus often featured game. Lunches at his restaurant cost nearly $200, while a dinner could run as high as $375. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality proposed a five-part strategy to federal officials Monday to determine whether Flint's lead-contaminated drinking water is safe to drink. The plan to ensure drinking water is no longer tainted with lead includes testing at residences, schools, and food services, as well as blood testing and testing Flint's water distribution system. The goal would be to come up with a reliable assessment for the water system by April 14. Financially strapped Flint switched its source of tap water from Detroit's system to the nearby Flint River in April 2014, in order to save money. The more corrosive water from the Flint River leached lead from the city pipes. Residents complained of various health problems after the switch, despite officials' assurances that the water was safe. Flint, which is about 100 kilometers northwest of Detroit, returned to using that city's water in October after tests found elevated levels of lead in the water and in the blood of some children. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has repeatedly apologized for the state's poor handling of the issue. Myanmar began a new chapter in its history Monday as its democratically elected parliament convened its first session, formally ending over a half-century of iron-fisted military rule. Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi led newly elected lawmakers from her National League for Democracy party into the parliamentary chambers in the capital, Naypyitaw, still basking in the glow of victory from last November's election. The NLD trounced the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party by winning 80 percent of the elected seats in both houses of parliament. 1990 elections The session also brings to reality a moment delayed since 1990 when the military denied the NLD to take power after the party won the last democratically held elections in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma. The new parliament is scheduled to elect a new speaker and deputy speaker during Monday's opening session. Win Mynt, a close associate of Aung San Suu Kyi, is expected to be elected to the top post, while T Khun Myat, a member of the defeated Union Solidarity Party, will be named as deputy speaker. The lawmakers will also elect a new president to succeed Thein Sein, a former general who imposed a number of democratic reforms as leader of the quasi-civilian government that took power from the long-ruling military junta in 2011. Banned from presidency Aung San Suu Kyi is constitutionally banned from serving in the post because her sons are British, as was her late husband. But she has vowed to rule through a figurehead president. The Nobel Peace laureate also said she will include in the new Cabinet at least one member of the military-linked USDP, as well as members from ethnic minorities who have complained of being sidelined from power. The NLD will propose a member of the minority ethnic Karen for speaker of the upper house, and an Arakanese for his deputy. Despite its huge majority in the legislature, the ruling NLD will have to forge a working relationship with the military, which automatically controls 25 percent of all parliamentary seats under the 2008 constitution and maintains control of several key government posts, including defense, interior and border security. As Cambodia ramps up for local elections in 2017 and national elections the year after, experts say it should look to November's election in Myanmar also known as Burma to improve security and build confidence in voters. During the elections in Myanmar, which came after decades of military rule, polling station observers and peacekeepers were deployed to ensure free and fair voting procedures. Among them were Cambodians who will be monitoring their own country's upcoming polls. "During election day, we learned that it's the people who take care of security affairs," said Koul Panha, head of the election monitoring group Comfrel, which observed the vote in Myanmar. "They taught people how to maintain security at the polling stations." Sam Kuntheamy, head of the election monitoring group Nicfec, said good security management meant fewer violations. "We should follow this good point of theirs," he said. "They did it differently and better than us. We used a lot of armed forces, which shows that there is a lot of insecurity. Firstly, it didn't feel like a free election. It seemed like the freedom in the elections was still in a fragile state." Security in the Myanmar election was conducted with input from political parties, something that is unlikely to happen in Cambodia, he said. "The related parties, such as the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense, are afraid that the government cannot accept such measures," he said. "So they follow the old model." Officials at the Ministry of Interior could not be reached for comment. Roles for women Hang Puthea, the former head of Nicfec who now serves as a member of the National Election Committee (NEC), said the NEC will raise security issues with the Ministry of Interior as it prepares voter registration. Koul Panha urged the NEC to work harder to be more transparent and to find more roles for women in the election process and vote counting. "The vote count is important after elections," he said. "Women play a good role in the management of the vote-counting process. Engaging more women in that role will enhance the confidence in the official vote when it comes to vote counting during the election days." Cambodian officials are working to improve elections that follow polls in 2013, where allegations of widespread irregularities moved the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party to boycott participation in government for nearly a year. The United States has congratulated the newly elected members of Myanmar's parliament as they took seats on the first day of the country's new Union Parliament. This outcome is a testament to the courage and sacrifice shown by the people of Burma [Myanmar] over many years, including more than 100 former political prisoners who will now take their seats in Burma's parliament, said State Department spokesperson John Kirby Monday. As the democratically elected parliament convened its first session, impediments still remain to the realization of a full democratic and civilian government, added Kirby. but he said the U.S. is encouraged by the commitment of Burma's political leaders to work together in the spirit of national unity and reform. New members of Myanmar's parliament, most dressed in traditional garb, took a joint oath of office Monday in the capital, Naypyidaw, as the prelude to installing the country's first democratically elected government in more than half a century. "This is the first really concrete institutional transition of what the elections have produced and the expression of the will of the people," said European Union Ambassador Roland Kobia, who observed the brief swearing-in ceremony. Who will become Myanmar's president, succeeding retired general Thein Sein, is still a mystery. The most popular choice, National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party captured 80 percent of the parliamentary seats in the November 8 election, is barred by the constitution from the presidency. Myanmar's political circles are rife with speculation that she is negotiating with the still-powerful military, which automatically retains one-fourth of the parliamentary seats, to agree to suspend the clause preventing the Nobel Peace Prize laureate from the top job. "It should be Daw Aung San Suu Kyi," NLD lawmaker Thet Thet Kine, a prominent female entrepreneur, told VOA. " She should be the one leading the country. Presidential nominees The parliament this month will ultimately select the president from three vice presidential nominees put forward by the elected lower house representatives, the upper house elected representatives and the unelected army representatives. No dates have been announced for the parliamentary procedures, although nothing significant will occur until after the speaker of the upper house is chosen before moving on to selection of the vice presidents. "We will need to amend or revoke existing laws [that] are not in line with democratic practices, human rights criteria, that conflict with international agreements and treaties or those unable to protect the lives and security of civilians," the newly elected lower house speaker, Win Myint of the NLD, said in his inaugural speech Monday. Thein Sein and the military have pledged a smooth transition of power. "We are on time. Deadlines have been respected. No major crisis. I think it's a job very well done, so far," Kobia told VOA. NLD officials whom VOA has contacted in recent days have kept mum on speculation that negotiations are under way with military leaders to convince them to persuade the unelected army lawmakers to join a vote to suspend Section 59(f) of the constitution. The clause states that a presidential candidate must be a citizen, be born of parents who are both Myanmar citizens, and cannot have a foreign spouse or children. It effectively bars Aung San Suu Kyi, whose two sons are British citizens. The clause should not be changed "for the goodness of the mother country," according to an article Monday in the army's Myawaddy Daily newspaper. The NLD leader has previously said she will be "above the presidency," but has neither elaborated nor indicated whom she prefers to take the office. Local history of instability Aung San Suu Kyi, who spent years under house arrest, is the daughter of independence hero Aung San. He was assassinated in 1947, six months before the independence of Burma, which had been under British colonial rule. The country's military has governed directly or indirectly since 1962, when it seized power after years of instability under civilian rule. Last year's landslide victory for the NLD came 25 years after the party comfortably won a national election only to see the results annulled by the military. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party won an election in 2010, which the NLD boycotted. Additional reporting by Khin Soe Win in Naypyidaw, Myanmar and Nike Ching at the US State Department Ukraines electric power grid is once again under cyberattack, just one month after a similar incident successfully brought down portions of the system and left millions in the dark. Worse, researchers studying the attacks say the malware believed responsible a new version of the so-called BlackEnergy bug has likely spread to numerous European power grids and is poised to infect many more. The attacks and spreading malware have left cybersecurity analysts scrambling to determine not only which systems are at greatest risk, but who might be responsible. We need to assume its already being deployed around Europe, says Udi Shamir, co-founder and chief security officer for the cybersecurity firm SentinelOne. This is cyber-warfare; we need to wake up and see that this is war. Shamir and his team recently completed a total reverse engineering of the new BlackEnergy3 bug a technique often used by analysts to learn how bugs work, and possibly who wrote it. What they discovered is that BlackEnergy3 is using the same Microsoft Office vulnerability to spread as its earlier, and less sophisticated, versions, BE1 & BE2. Shamir says thats unusual, because Microsoft patched that hole in 2014. There are a few possible explanations, Shamir told VOA. First, these just might be old systems that havent been updated. Second, someone on the inside might be intentionally spreading this. And third, its possible these bugs have been sleeping in systems for months on end, and theyre only now waking up. Attribution is notoriously difficult with malware, making it very difficult to conclusively prove who is behind these attacks; however, researchers at the cybersecurity firm iSight previously found similarities between earlier versions of BlackEnergy and the Russian-linked Sandworm malware that targeted NATO infrastructure back in 2014. Shamir found the same similarities in BlackEnergy3, providing his team with suggestions of Russian involvement. The code-style, the clustering, yeah it looks like Russia, Shamir said. Im pretty confident that the origin is from Russia, but I dont have any bulletproof evidence. More troublesome, Shamir says this latest version of BlackEnergy is modular, making it much easier for hackers to quickly change how the malware works, and significantly harder for security analysts to find and root it out. You can update it, you can replace it, you can change it, you can even change its entire functionality, said Shamir. So if you have a sleeper in one industrial network, it can get a totally new command module and infect other systems, he said. Its that ever-changing nature of the malware thats making it so difficult to figure out how exactly how it works, and what systems within the power grids its infecting and disabling. Most worrisome, says Shamir, is the fact that the majority of BlackEnergy3s computer coding doesnt involve infecting and interfering with the industrial command and control systems that make power grids and other heavy industry work. Rather, it appears designed to conduct highly sophisticated monitoring and recording of data a tactic known as sniffing. It can detect and record network traffic, steal user credentials and documents if theyre working in a non-encrypted fashion, and exfiltrate all that data, said Shamir. That could allow (the hackers) to adjust BlackEnergy3 on the fly. Its clearly more geared to espionage, and thats what worries us, because we dont know where it is now. Traditionally, utilities and nation-states are reluctant to publicly confirm that their critical infrastructure is vulnerable to cyberattack, making it that much more difficult for researchers to track BlackEnergy3s spread and activities. SentinelOnes Udi Shamir, however, and many other cybersecurity analysts, say they are sure the bug will continue to spread, and that will lead to many more blackouts and mysterious malfunctions in national power grids, transportation, and other industrial infrastructure. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday if Hamas dares to attack Israel through cross-border tunnels from Gaza, Israel will retaliate with force greater than the 2014 war. "I think that is understood in the region. It's understood in the world. I hope we won't need to do it but our abilities, both defensive and offensive, are developing rapidly and I wouldn't recommend anyone to try us," Netanyahu told a group of diplomats. A top Hamas official boasted Friday that the group has built "twice the number of resistance tunnels" that were built during the war in Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s. He said hundreds of Hamas members are working to build tunnels to free what he described as holy places, including the al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem - a site Jews revere as the Temple Mount. Israelis living near the border with the Gaza Strip have been complaining of underground drilling and construction noises near their homes. Israeli forces bombarded Hamas and militant Palestinians in Gaza in the summer of 2014 in response to Palestinian rocket fire. The fighting killed more than 2,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and obliterated entire neighborhoods. About 70 Israeli soldiers and a handful of civilians died. Also in an historic decision Sunday, the Israeli Cabinet approved a so-called egalitarian Jewish prayer space near the Western Wall, where Jews from all over the world of both sexes and religious beliefs can pray together. A group of Israeli and diaspora Jews called "Women of the Wall" had been demanding access to the prayer space for nearly 30 years, unhappy with Orthodox control over who was allowed to pray at the site. The Western Wall is Judaism's holiest site. It is the last scrap of the wall that surrounded the ancient temple. Under Orthodox tradition, men and women are segregated when they pray. Under the new rules, men and women - Orthodox and reform Jews - can pray together at a special site known as Robinson's Arch. Women of the Wall says the Israeli government acknowledges full equality and autonomy. Netanyahu said it is a "fair and creative solution" that will unite the Jewish people. Many Orthodox Jews, including Cabinet members who voted against the move, condemn it as an affront to tradition. The U.S. State Department says it is seeking details from the government of Saudi Arabia about reports that nine Americans have been detained in the kingdom as terror suspects. Spokesman John Kirby, speaking Monday, said U.S. officials have seen Saudi media reports of the detentions, and that diplomats are in contact with authorities in Riyadh. He also said he is not aware of "any specific notifications [of the detentions] through official channels." He told reporters he could not verify "the actual truth of these reports." A Saudi newspaper said Sunday that nine American citizens and 24 others have been detained as terror suspects during the past week. The Saudi Gazette said the detainees also included 14 Saudis, three Yemenis, two Syrians, an Indonesian, a Philippine national and three others. A Saudi website run by the kingdom's foreign ministry showed on Monday a list of 5,158 suspects currently in detention, including eight Americans. It does not identify the Americans by name or gender, and says four of them were detained January 25. It says four other Americans were arrested in November and December, and that all eight are "under investigation." A ninth American is shown convicted of an unidentified crime in 2007, and the website says the conviction is "subject to appeal." Sunday's Saudi news report did not say whether any of the Americans is suspected of links to Islamic State extremists, who have claimed responsibility for several deadly attacks against Saudi security forces and minority Shi'ites in recent months. On Friday, a suicide bomber attacked a Shi'ite mosque in Eastern Province, killing four people before worshippers disarmed and tied up an accomplice who had fired on them. Islamic State, a radical Sunni group that considers Shi'ites heretics, has not claimed that attack. The story of Russian President Vladimir Putin over the last few years has been one of his steady descent from a leader welcomed and even feted around the world to one who has had allegations of murder and corruption levied at him. Last month, a British public inquiry concluded Putin probably signed off on the 2006 murder of a former Russian spy in London by Federal Security Service (FSB) agents. And, a U.S. Treasury official told the BBC, Putin was corrupt in enriching his friends and amassing hidden wealth. The highest offices on both sides of the Atlantic are vocally backing up the allegations. British Prime Minister David Cameron said the inquiry into the radioactive poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko "confirms what we always believed." In Washington, the Treasury official in charge of U.S. sanctions, Adam Szubin, last week called Putin corrupt an assessment that best reflects the administrations view, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. David Satter, author of a book to be published in May titled "The Less You Know, the Better You Sleep: Russia's Road to Terror and Dictatorship Under Yeltsin and Putin," says he has no doubt the allegations against the Russian president are true. "Putin became president because it was necessary to protect Yeltsin and the Yeltsin family from criminal prosecution," he argues. "And who better to do that than someone who was a criminal himself and connected to the FSB?" Russia shrugs off accusations The Kremlin swiftly denied and condemned the allegations, calling the murder accusation absurd theater, and said they were politically motivated. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov Friday said the U.S. officials corruption remarks were "insulting" and showed Washington was both displeased with its policies on Syria and Ukraine and was trying to undermine Putins possible 2018 bid to be re-elected president. Most Russians, used to Western criticism of Putin, seemed to shrug off the allegations. A public opinion poll by the independent Levada-Center showed many were unaware of the details surrounding Kremlin critic Litvinenko's murder. The inquiry report, issued January 21, found two FBB agents poisoned his green tea with polonium, a highly radioactive substance. Moscow-based political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky was one of the first to put a figure on Putins alleged hidden wealth, $40 billion a claim he repeated in the BBC program "Panorama" that broadcast Treasury official Szubins comments. Belkovsky told VOA that few Russians knew of the detailed corruption allegations dogging Putin throughout his rise to power. "Federal television channels, which are the most important part of [the] total propaganda system of Mr. Putin, do not transmit ... such information," he said. "The vast majority of [the] Russian population is quite unaware of any allegations nor accusations regarding Mr. Putin and corruption." Opposition blogger Alexei Navalny, a leader of the 2011-2012 protests, has unleashed a steady stream of corruption allegations against Putins inner circle. Though ignored by state media, theyre gaining more attention than in the past. And numerous media reports claim there is a blurred line between Putins administration and organized crime in Russia. "The perception is that corruption is everywhere, on the highest level," says Alexander Baunov, a senior associate at the Carnegie Moscow Center, a think tank. With Russia, "the population was ready to tolerate the relatively or even very high level of corruption because the corruption coincided with improvement of incomes and of the level of life for everybody." But, Baunov cautions, that tolerance could weaken if Russias economy does not start growing again. The countrys economic output, stung by plummeting oil prices, shrank by 3.7 percent last year, its Federal Statistics Service recently reported. Calculated distractions Yet Levada polls show Putins public approval rating remains at more than 80 percent, buoyed by Russias March 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimean peninsula and support for pro-Russia rebels in east Ukraine. Putins ratings peaked at 89 percent in October, after the start of Russian airstrikes in Syria forced the West to engage Moscow in dialogue, says Aleksei Grazhdankin, Levadas deputy director. "The conflict with the western world gives Putin an opportunity to show his qualities of a strong national leader in mass consciousness," Grazhdankin says. "He acts quickly, vigorously, roughly. That's the way most people view a state leader." Economic challenges But the Russian public may tire of new targets of military force as expectations focus on an improved economy, Baunov says. "Of course, there are ultra-patriots who are always expecting something like this. But, [the] general mood is: 'OK, you were great in Ukraine in Crimea at least. You were great in Syria. Now, show how great you are at home.'" Satter notes Putin is constrained by a weakened economic position. "But, on the other hand, he may well feel increasingly cornered, in a situation in which support for him is weakening," the author says. "And, to bolster that support, he may take measures that are economically counterproductive but, from his point of view, necessary in order to strengthen his hold on power. The most likely venue would be to reignite the war in eastern Ukraine, which they are capable of doing at any moment." Russian authorities have used western sanctions over Ukraine to avoid much of the blame for economic problems. "That's why the rise of protests can be expected only in case of a catastrophic situation in the country's economy or under the growing economic well-being and prosperity of the population, which results in mass demand for civil and political rights," the Levada Centers Grazhdankin says. "I can't say how probable the first or the second scenario is. At least the latter one is very improbable." The Saudi-led coalition battling Houthi rebels in Yemen said Sunday it has put together an independent team to investigate civilian deaths. A coalition statement said it greatly regrets civilian casualties in Yemen. It said an independent team of experts in global humanitarian law will "develop a clear and comprehensive report on each incident with the conclusions, lessons learned, recommendations and measures that should be taken" to prevent any more civilian deaths. A U.N. panel of experts last week asked the Security Council to look into allegations that all sides in Yemen have broken international law, including the Saudi-led coalition. The experts said 119 sorties may have broken the law by hitting civilian targets, including refugee camps, weddings, schools, markets and residential neighborhoods. They said there were at least three incidents of civilians running away from helicopters that were chasing them and shooting at them. The panel also accused the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels of using starvation against civilian populations as part of war -- a tactic forbidden by international law. The U.N. says more than 82 percent of the Yemeni population is in dire need of food and medical care. The Saudi-led coalition, backed by Yemeni and Arab ground forces, is fighting to push out the Houthis, who control the capital Sana'a. The World Health Organization on Monday is convening a meeting in Geneva to determine whether a global health emergency should be declared for the Zika virus. WHO is responding in a more pro-active manner to the relatively minor mosquito-borne virus in contrast to its slow response to the lethal 2013 outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, for which the U.N. agency faced heavy criticism. Zika, suspected of causing a surge of birth defects in South America, is spreading explosively in the Americas, according to the WHO. The U.N. agency also believes the disease has been more common in Southeast Asia than the smattering of cases reported in the region in the past several years. Rarely fatal Zika, usually mild and rarely fatal with symptoms often mistaken for other mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue and chikungunya, has widespread distribution" across Thailand, according to an article last year in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. But Thailand has only reported one case this year. It is spread through the Aedes aegypti mosquito, responsible for dengue, yellow fever and other tropical diseases. Thailand has seen a sharp increase in dengue in recent years. A popular 37-year-old TV actor, Thrisadee Por Sahawong, died last month of complications related to dengue fever after more than two months in a coma, shining a fresh spotlight in the kingdom on the disease, which was first documented in the 1950s during epidemics in Thailand and the Philippines. The Zika virus, first detected in a rhesus monkey in Uganda in 1947, had been limited to rare cases in human populations in Africa and Asia until an unprecedented outbreak on an island in the southwestern Pacific in 2007. It was something kind of unique, along with the fever and rash that we were starting to see, as well as patients having some kind of this typical rash around the earlobe, said Dr. James Edilyong, the medical staff chief for the state of Yap in Micronesia. That's when it kind of indicated to us that we need to more find about this kind of condition. Contracted virus The general population on the island which is home to little more than 10,000 people was subsequently tested. It was discovered nearly three-fourths of those aged 3 and older had contracted the virus. But most did not realize it. A lot of them were basically sub-clinical. They didn't feel the need to come to the hospital. Maybe some of them didnt even feel any difference, probably just thinking it's just a flu or something just feeling a little bit unwell, Edilyong told VOA Monday. In late 2013, another large outbreak erupted in French Polynesia, with the first links to the virus causing Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological illness with paralysis as its main feature. But the relatively obscure disease did not end up on the front pages globally until the latest outbreak emerged in Brazil where several thousand cases have been reported since last year of a suspected link to infected pregnant women giving birth to babies with microcephaly, a fetal deformity that causes abnormally small heads. There were no such defects linked to Zika on Yap after the 2007 outbreak, but officials there, in view of what has emerged out of Brazil, are now examining birth records more closely, Edilyong told VOA. There has also been no link so far between Zika and microcephaly in Southeast Asia, according to the WHO's regional office here. WATCH: Related Zika virus video Malaysian and Singaporean public health officials have warned of a high risk of contagion if the virus is introduced there. The Philippines health department is calling Zika a real and present risk amplified by weather conditions caused by the El Nino phenomenon that will likely lead to more ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed. Governments in the Americas and the Caribbean, including Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, have warned women to delay conceiving until the Zika outbreak is brought under control. No treatment or vaccine is available, although a Canadian researcher has been quoted as saying one might be ready within this year. Medical experts, however, say it could take several years of testing a vaccine before it is deemed safe. A powerful suicide blast targeting a major police facility in the Afghan capital has killed at least 20 police officers and wounded 29 other people. The head of Kabul's crime investigation department said security guards identified the suspected bomber as he moved toward the Afghan National Civil Order Police Headquarters and tried to stop him when he blew himself up. He condemned the perpetrators as enemies of Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed responsibility. In a statement sent to reporters, the insurgent groups spokesman said its suicide bomber attacked a group of officers gathered at the gate of the police center. The bombing is the latest in a series of Taliban attacks that have hit Kabul in recent days. A spokesman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said, This attack on the Afghan police shows the contempt the Taliban have for the rule of law in Afghanistan and for those who commit themselves daily to defending the Afghan people." He added that targeting those who defend their fellow Afghans does not advance the cause of peace. Meanwhile, four-way talks are due to reconvene in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, later this week to determine a road map to direct peace talks between Afghan government officials and the Taliban. The talks will involve officials from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States. Separately, Afghan authorities have not been able to undertake repairs of power lines that were destroyed last week during clashes between security forces and Taliban insurgents. The damage to electricity pylons in the conflict zone in northern Baghlan Province disrupted nearly half of Kabuls 650-megawatt daily requirement. The fighting and bad weather, according Afghanistans national power company, has prevented workers from performing repair work. The insurgents are also said to have heavily mined the area. The Taliban denied it is responsible for destroying the power lines, saying government forces heavy bombing caused the damage. It said insurgency tactics that hit ordinary Afghans do not fit with its fight against the foreign-backed government in Kabul. The resulting power outages, say residents, have undermined business and industrial activities, adding further misery for Kabuls long-suffering population. Taiwans opposition party, historically an anti-China force, took the reins in parliament for its first time Monday with an agenda that could eventually slow dialogue with Beijing and shake up domestic politics. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was formed in the 1980s to curb the once authoritarian rule of the Nationalists. The party won 68 of the legislatures 113 seats last month, its first such victory. Party chairperson Tsai Ing-wen also won Taiwans presidential election last month, ending a Nationalist reign of eight years. Analysts expect that over the first half of the year, parliament will work initially with the Nationalist administrations premier, Chang San-cheng, to pass bills that both parties support. Chang, who took office after the January elections, is seen as party neutral and open to seeing consensus with legislators. Early in the session, lawmakers might also pursue measures to boost transparency in parliament itself, for example, by publicizing the content of party caucus meetings. Public wants reform Tsai told her partys legislators last week that the public wants reform. Reform is the expectation from the public, she said. I hope everyone will pay more attention to the quality and effectiveness of legislation and spend more time in the process of deliberating bills. After Tsai takes office in May, legislators will pursue a bill that sets guidelines on how Taiwan can negotiate with its political arch-rival China. China claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan, but the Nationalist government has set aside that issue since 2008 to work out a series of deals aimed at helping the islands economy. Hsu Yung-ming, a political scientist at Soochow University in Taipei, said the bill will require more input on China affairs from legislators and the public. One agenda item will be concerning cross-Strait relations, Hsu said, referring to ties between Taiwan and China. That in the future may be a point of contention. When the Democratic Progressive Party governs in the future, regarding legislative ties with parliament and public participation, they would all need to express their views. Lawmakers proposed an oversight bill in 2014 in response to protesters who felt Taiwan was signing deals too fast with China. But as elections loomed, the bill wasnt ever passed. Concerns about Beijing Demonstrators have said they knew too little about what their government was saying to China and worried Beijing could leverage even economic agreements to exert political influence. That public sentiment contributed to the Nationalist Partys election losses. Tsai says she advocates for more dialogue with China, but has not agreed with Beijing on conditions for talks. China has bristled at the change in power but is expected to keep trying for peaceful relations. A hefty oversight bill could slow dialogue with China by requiring government negotiators in Taiwan to fulfill new requirements, such as reporting each step of a pending deal to parliament, or to the public through other channels. Parliament may also review Taiwans use of nuclear energy in the current legislative session. Taiwan operates three nuclear plants, which supply 16 percent of the islands power. The Nationalist government stopped construction on a fourth in 2014 after tens of thousands protested it. Opposes nuclear power The Democratic Progressive Party more resolutely opposes nuclear power. Its stance has generated particular support since 2011, when a strong earthquake caused a meltdown at a nuclear plant in Japan. Taiwan is also prone to earthquakes. DPP lawmakers opened their session Monday by choosing a speaker, veteran lawmaker Su Chia-chuan. He was set to be sworn in on Monday afternoon followed by the quiet casting of ballots on the floor of parliament for more than an hour in the morning. Other legislators were also sworn in Monday. Taiwans opposition party had made a name before this month for throwing objects or mounting physical barricades to block bills in the legislative chambers. Political analysts expect that after Tsai takes office, the partys legislators will push their agenda with little space for compromise. The government of Uganda says the countrys former intelligence chief, General David Sejusa, who has called President Yoweri Museveni a dictator, was arrested Sunday in Kampala by the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) following a 2-hour search of his home by the military. This comes as the country prepares for presidential elections on February 18. President Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, is seeking re-election. Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo said Sejusa was arrested because he has been actively involved in partisan political activities. First of all as you know, General Sejusa ran out of Uganda. Then he was given clemency on his return," Opondo said. 'Learned from his lesson' "Nevertheless, it seems he has not learned from his lesson, and he has been actively engaged in supporting partisan politics contrary to established laws and the constitution of Uganda which specifically bars serving military officers and men from siding with candidates in elections, he said Opondo says Sejusa has been making public statements threatening to mobilize citizens not to participate in the election because, in his view, the electoral process would be a sham. Clearly, that should not be encouraged. Anywhere in the world the military is supposed to be subordinate to civilian authorities. It is unacceptable for serving military officer to threaten the government, to threaten the democratic process and say we should not go for election and take over power by ourselves, Opondo said. The army leadership, the CDF, chief of defense forces called him and advised him; he did not heed. He wrote him a letter cautioning him, he did not desist from his activities, he said. Sejusas attorney, Ladislaus Rwakafuzi, told VOA General Sejusas arrest was illegal since the army had no arrest warrant and refused to explain the circumstances that led to the arrest. Link to election The lawyer also said Sejusas arrest could be strongly linked to the upcoming election since the general has been advising opposition leaders on ways to prevent rigging of the elections. Opondo denies General Sejusa was arrested because he was advising main opposition leader Kizza Besigye on electoral strategies. Thats absolutely not correct because what advice was he giving. But even assuming he was giving advice, is that advice lawful? The bottom line is the laws of Uganda do not permit a serving military officer or man to participate in supporting sides in a political contest. Military officers, police officers are specifically barred from being members of political parties, being officials in political parties, speaking publicly for candidates in an election, Opondo said. Asked whether Uganda is a democracy or dictatorship, Opondo said Sejusa cannot say what he believes if he is a serving military officer, and that is embedded in the constitution. A democracy does not mean you should say anything. There are parameters within which freedom is enjoyed in a democracy. I am very, very sure that a serving military officer in the U.S. cannot threaten President [Barack] Obama, cannot threaten Congress, cannot threaten the due process of the law or of the election and gets away with it, he said. Opondo said he rejected suggestions that President Museveni is becoming increasingly nervous that he could lose the February 18 election. The critics can say whatever they want to say; what is critical is that the law of Uganda must prevail," he said. "It is unacceptable for a military officer, it is unacceptable for a civil servant to openly take sides in the electoral contest among political parties, among candidates. I dont think the president is fearful that he is going to lose this election, Opondo added. Uganda said it arrested a military general who opposes the country's longtime president because he broke laws barring officers from supporting candidates in an election. Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo said General David Sejusa was "actively engaged in supporting partisan politics" and made statements urging people to avoid voting in the February 18 presidential election because he believed it to be a sham. Sejusa has called President Yoweri Museveni a dictator. He was arrested Sunday and taken to a military barracks in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. "It is unacceptable for (a) serving military officer to threaten the government, to threaten the democratic process and say we should not go for election and take over power by ourselves," Opondo said. Sejusa's lawyer, Ladislaus Rwakafuzi, told VOA the arrest was illegal and that he believed it could be linked to Sejusa's work advising opposition leaders on ways to prevent election rigging. Opondo denied that, saying the arrest was not linked to Sejusa advising main opposition leader Kizza Besigye. Museveni has ruled Uganda since 1986 when he led a group of rebels, including Sejusa, against a government they accused of rigging elections. Sejusa now openly accuses Museveni of violating the ideals for which they waged that guerrilla war. In 2013, Sejusa wrote a letter to the domestic spy chief urging him to investigate allegations of a plot to kill high-ranking government officials seen as being opposed to the political rise of Museveni's son, a brigadier who commands the country's special forces. Facing likely arrest, Sejusa sought asylum in London. He quietly returned home in December 2014. James Butty contributed to this report. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a strong call for a change in the status quo between Israelis and Palestinians, saying he is concerned they are reaching a point of no return for a two-state solution. In an opinion article posted late Sunday on the website of The New York Times, Ban criticized Israeli occupation in the West Bank and what he called discriminatory policies that lead to the demolition of Palestinian homes. "Keeping another people under indefinite occupation undermines the security and future of both Israelis and Palestinians," Ban wrote. He said people "will always resist occupation," and that ignoring the frustrations of Palestinians will not make them disappear. The U.N. chief condemned all terrorism and incitement of violence against Israeli civilians, but said security measures on their own will not stop future attacks. "We continue to work with Israel and the Palestinian Authority to rebuild Gaza and prevent another devastating conflict, and to press Palestinians for genuine national reconciliation," Ban said. "Of course, a lasting agreement between Israel and Palestine will require difficult compromises by leaders and peoples on both sides." He also called on Palestinians to immediately halt construction of tunnels in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas militants have used to smuggle in goods and stage attacks against Israelis. Warns of attacks Earlier Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said if Hamas carries out more tunnel attacks, Israel will retaliate with greater force than during the 50-day war in 2014 that killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians. "I think that is understood in the region. It's understood in the world. I hope we won't need to do it but our abilities, both defensive and offensive, are developing rapidly and I wouldn't recommend anyone to try us," Netanyahu told a group of diplomats. A top Hamas official boasted Friday that the group has built "twice the number of resistance tunnels" that were built during the war in Vietnam in the 1960s and '70s. He said hundreds of Hamas members are working to build tunnels to free what he described as holy places, including the al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem - a site Jews revere as the Temple Mount. Israelis living near the border with the Gaza Strip have been complaining of underground drilling and construction noises near their homes. Access to Ramallah Restricted Meanwhile, Israel restricted access to the main Palestinian city of Ramallah on the West Bank Monday after another attack that wounded three Israeli soldiers. Only residents of the city were allowed past checkpoints going in to the city while only foreigners, diplomats, and humanitarian cases were allowed out. There were long lines at the checkpoints, where people complained of missing appointments, meetings, and other dates. This was the first time in a long while that Israel partially sealed off a Palestinian city in reaction to violence. A former bodyguard for the Palestinian attorney general opened fire on Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near Ramallah Sunday, wounding three before he was shot dead. A Palestinian police spokesman criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for punishing thousands over the act of one man. But Netanyahu said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has failed to speak out against an act of violence carried out by someone who worked for his own government. Five months of Palestinian violence against Israelis has killed at least 25 Israelis while police and soldiers killed more than 150 Palestinians - most of whom were carrying out attacks or trying to. Israel accuses Palestinian leaders of inciting the violence while Palestinians say they are sick of poverty, weak leadership, and a poor outlook for peace. 2014 conflict Israeli forces bombarded Hamas and militant Palestinians in Gaza in the middle of 2014 in response to Palestinian rocket fire. About 70 Israeli soldiers and a handful of civilians were killed in the conflict. Also, in a historic decision Sunday, the Israeli Cabinet approved a so-called egalitarian Jewish prayer space near the Western Wall, where Jews from all over the world of both sexes and varied religious beliefs can pray together. A group of Israeli and Diaspora Jews called "Women of the Wall" had been demanding the prayer space for nearly 30 years, unhappy with Orthodox control over who was allowed to pray at the site. The Western Wall is Judaism's holiest site. It is the last scrap of the wall that surrounded the ancient temple. Under Orthodox tradition, men and women are segregated when they pray. Under the new rules, men and women Orthodox and reform Jews can pray together at a special site known as Robinson's Arch. Women of the Wall says the Israeli government acknowledges full equality and autonomy. Netanyahu said it is a "fair and creative solution" that will unite the Jewish people. Many Orthodox Jews, including Cabinet members who voted against the move, condemn it as an affront to tradition. After a day of progress in resolving some of the issues the main Syrian opposition group wants addressed to participate in peace talks, the U.N. envoy for Syria is holding more separate sessions Monday with opposition figures and representatives of the government Opposition delegates have said they plan to stay in Geneva for at least three more days as U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura works to push along the long-awaited peace effort. De Mistura told reporters Sunday he is optimistic and determined the opposition will join the peace process that got under way Friday, five days behind schedule and with opposition representatives boycotting the first day. A spokesman for the Syrian opposition said the discussions on Sunday were encouraging and positive concerning humanitarian issues, referring to the groups demands for an end to airstrikes on civilians and the lifting of sieges that are preventing humanitarian aid from reaching rebel-held areas. Earlier in the day, the group said it was in Geneva to meet with U.N. officials and not to enter into negotiations, even indirect ones, with the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The proximity talks are meant to lay the groundwork for eventual direct negotiations. With no face-to-face encounters scheduled between Assad government officials and opposition representatives in this round, the plan is for the U.N. envoy to consult with each side separately and shuttle between the two to relay proposals and positions. 'Humanitarian catastrophe' In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged the Syrian government and the opposition to push for an end to the nearly 5-year-old conflict that has killed a 250,000 people and displaced millions. Kerry described the war in Syria as an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe unmatched since World War II. "I appeal to both sides to make the most of this moment, to seize the opportunity for serious negotiations, to negotiate in good faith with the goal of making concrete measurable progress in the days immediately ahead,'' Kerry said. Representatives of the opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee, arrived in Geneva Saturday, saying they would engage only in talks with U.N. officials, but not negotiations. The Saudi-backed group has been meeting in Riyadh and demanded a halt to airstrikes by Syrian government and Russian forces on civilians, and the lifting of sieges on rebel-held areas, before it would enter into negotiations. Delegates arrived Delegates decided to travel to Switzerland only after receiving assurances their demands would be heard. "We only came to Geneva after written commitments on the fact that there would be serious progress on humanitarian issues," spokeswoman Basma Kodmani told reporters. The Syrian government delegation Sunday accused the opposition of undermining the talks. Those who speak about preconditions are coming to this meeting in order to derail it and is not concerned about a Syrian-Syrian dialogue,'' the head of the Syrian delegation, Bashar Jaafari, said. After Fridays shaky start, U.N. envoy de Mistura was determined to make this round succeed. It is an historic occasion not to be missed, he said, as he left a Geneva hotel after meeting with the opposition. The Islamic State extremist group was not invited to the Geneva peace talks because it, along with the al-Nusra Front, is designated by the United Nations as a terrorist organization. Limited talks The government of Syrian President Assad considers all rebel groups that want to depose Assad terrorists, but agreed to proximity talks with some opposition groups the international community recognizes as moderate. A senior Syrian government official on Sunday said Assad would never accept the inclusion of Ahrar al-Sham and the Army of Islam groups. The statement presents a possible snag for the talks because many in the moderate opposition believe both groups eventually should be included, while the Syrian government and its Russian backers see them as extremists with whom Damascus should not negotiate. United Nations human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said he is alarmed by the deepening crisis in Burundi and warns action must be taken to stop the countrys descent toward a possible bloodbath. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein expressed regret Monday at the African Union's decision not to send a peacekeeping force of 5,000 to Burundi. Plan on hold He said the AU plan has been placed in the freezer for the time being, while further negotiations with Burundian authorities take place. We remain deeply concerned about the trajectories and the vectors thatstill point to the deepening of the crisis. And, of course, we are very fearful of a precipitous event that may trigger a slide into the abyss, Zeid said. The United Nations reports more than 400 people have been killed and around 3,500 arrested since President Pierre Nkurunziza declared he would run for a third term at the end of April. It said more than 220,000 Burundians have fled to neighboring countries. Amnesty International's report of several mass graves near the capital Bujumbura is adding to growing concerns of a Rwandan-style genocidal war breaking out in Burundi.Ethnic Hutu radicals killed an estimated 800,000 people, most of them Tutsis, in Rwandas 1994 genocide. Crisis in Burundi High Commissioner Zeid told VOA the crisis in Burundi is one of the most depressing parts of the international agenda. He said international efforts to stop the country's turmoil are not working. Nothing seems to suffice in terms of halting this descent and we understand from other conflicts - Syria is a classic example - that the longer you leave it, the more difficult it is to then find a way of putting it back together again, he stated. Zeid said he hopes continued international focus on Burundi will have a positive effect. He notes a group of U.N. independent experts investigating abuse in that country will soon issue a report on its findings. On another issue, the high commissioner strongly condemns the sexual abuse and exploitation of children by United Nations peacekeeping and civilian forces in Central African Republic. He calls this victimization of young children odious and worthy of the utmost contempt. He is urging troop-contributing countries to investigate and swiftly prosecute those suspected of committing such heinous crimes. U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura struggled Monday to keep peace talks on track in Geneva, as the Syrian government with Russia's help launched a major offensive against rebel forces. U.N. officials said talks that had been scheduled between the U.N. envoy and the Syrian government delegation for Monday were postponed to Tuesday. Instead, de Mistura met with the opposition for two hours before declaring the talks officially open. A spokesman for the main opposition group said earlier Monday he had received a "positive response" from de Mistura on opposition demands to halt airstrikes and allow the flow of humanitarian aid to rebel-held areas. An opposition representative described Monday's talks as positive, as well. But opposition delegates also said escalating violence could hinder the already fragile process. U.S. Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, discussed the Syria talks with VOA on Monday, saying he thinks they are starting off in a difficult place. "I think the opposition that, you know, we communicated some with last week has been put in a very awkward place. The humanitarian things that they had asked for have not occurred." WATCH: Sen. Bob Corker discusses Syria talks with VOA He added, "I certainly support diplomatic talks as I think everyone would, but the elements at present do not feel that they are in a proper place. Russian support Syrian forces, with Russias help, have stepped up attacks and launched an offensive Monday north of the city of Aleppo. The opposition says the government airstrikes are killing civilians and they renewed their threats to leave the talks if the Syrian government does not take steps to show good will. You cannot ask the Syrian opposition to engage in any negotiation with the regime under this escalation, Farah Atassi, a member of the opposition, said in Geneva. Opposition boycott The group boycotted the first day of talks Friday and the only consultations held that day were between the U.N. envoy and the Syrian government delegation. Opposition representatives arrived in Geneva late Saturday after getting assurances from the U.N. and international supporters of the peace process that their demands would be addressed. A member of the opposition delegation said those assurances had come from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. In a video statement Sunday, Kerry urged all sides to press on to end to the conflict that has killed 250,000 people, and which he described as "an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe unmatched since World War II." "I appeal to both sides to make the most of this moment, to seize the opportunity for serious negotiations, to negotiate in good faith with the goal of making concrete measurable progress in the days immediately ahead,'' Kerry said. Proposal under consideration Opposition representatives said they did not know how long they will remain in Geneva. Diplomatic sources say the opposition has been considering a proposal from de Mistura that could lead to their staying and participating in indirect negotiations with the Syrian government. The U.N. envoy's meeting with the opposition Monday and his plan to consult with the Syrian government delegation Tuesday indicated he was making some progress, although difficult and slow, toward establishing an indirect exchange. Senate correspondent Michael Bowman contributed to this report. A video seemingly of the shooting of unarmed civilians in Turkey has sparked a U.N. officials call Monday to investigate. The footage shows an attack on what appears to be civilians holding white flags who are seeking to assist those wounded in the predominantly Kurdish town of Cizre around 10 days ago. The town is at the center of a crackdown by Turkish security forces against the Kurdish rebel group, the PKK. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, is calling on Turkish authorities for an immediate investigation. Using what is seen as unusually strong language, Zeid criticized reports that the journalist who filmed the shooting and was injured is now under investigation for terrorist propaganda. "Filming an atrocity is not a crime, but shooting unarmed civilians most certainly is," the U.N. commissioner said. There is growing concern by human rights groups nationally and internationally over the plight of injured civilians in towns under state-imposed 24-hour curfews. Three parliamentary deputies of the main pro-Kurdish party are on a hunger strike for a group of injured people trapped in a basement in Cizre. The people reportedly have not received assistance for nearly two weeks. "I spoke to people in Cizre who describe that there are 28 people sheltering in one cellar, four among them have died; three are in a critical situation, Senior Turkey researcher Emma Sinclair Webb of U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said last week. This is an urgent situation the government needs to address." Propaganda, lies Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed such reports and concerns as terrorist propaganda. Calling the accusations lies, he said there were ambulances at the ready and that the deputies on a hunger strike are servants of the terrorists. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu strongly defended the military operations Monday, saying many weapons had been confiscated from the rebels. Observers say that despite growing criticism, Ankara believes it still retains a free hand, as the United States and European Union need its cooperation in fighting the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria and in assisting with the migrant crisis. The commander of the U.S.-led effort to destroy Islamic State rejected the notion that American forces should carpet bomb the terror group in Iraq and Syria. "We're the United States of America and we have a set of guiding principles," Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland said while briefing reporters Monday from Baghdad. "At the end of the day, it doesn't only matter whether or not you win. It matters how you win," he said. "Indiscriminate bombing where we don't care if we're killing innocents or combatants is just inconsistent with our values, he added. It's what the Russians have been accused of doing in parts of northwest Syria." The Syrian government is also accused of indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican presidential candidate, has said that when it comes to Islamic State, the U.S. should "carpet bomb them into oblivion." "I don't know if sand can glow in the dark, but we're going to find out," Cruz said in December. U.S. military officials have repeatedly said the U.S. air campaign has been the most precise in the history of warfare. Moral high ground Former military officials have criticized President Barack Obama and the U.S. air campaign for going too far to reduce the risk of any civilian casualties and opting not to bomb legitimate targets if civilians might be killed or wounded. And in recent weeks, Pentagon officials have said they have loosened restrictions and have been willing to risk higher numbers of civilian casualties in the case of key targets, like Islamic State cash depots. But MacFarland said carpet bombing also known as saturation bombing was simply not an option. "Right now we have the moral high ground, and I think that's where we need to stay," he said. Critics have accused the U.S. of conducting carpet bombing against civilian areas during World War II and the Vietnam War, but the U.S. military defended the actions as aimed at military and industrial targets. U.S. Presidential Envoy to Anti-Islamic State Coalition Brett McGurk visited northern Syria during the weekend to meet with local leaders, Kurdish and U.S. officials said Monday. McGurk's previously undisclosed visit came under tight security late Saturday and is the first visit by a top U.S. diplomat to the war-torn country since former U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford left Damascus in 2012. McGurk traveled to Kobani, a town that witnessed one of the fiercest battles between Kurds and Islamic State (IS) militants last year and is now under Kurdish control. Anwar Muslim, the head of local government, said McGurk talked of bolstering Kurdish forces against IS. "[We] discussed next steps in Syria campaign [with] battle-tested and multi-ethnic anti-ISIL fighters," the U.S. diplomat said in a tweet about his visit, using an acronym for the Islamic State. Kobani last week celebrated the first anniversary of its liberation from IS militants. McGurk visited a cemetery for Kurdish fighters who died defending the city where are buried. "[I] paid respects to over 1,000 Kurdish martyrs from Kobani battle," he tweeted. He also posted some pictures of his visit in the city. The city has become a symbol of resistance in the face terror, Kurdish officials say. "Kobani does not only belong to us now. They [U.S. delegation] visited here because they played an important role in defeating Daesh [IS] in this city," Muslim told VOA. In order to reach the border town of Kobani, McGurk and his delegation crossed into Syria from the Kurdistan region of Iraq, according to a local activist who insisted on anonymity. McGurk took a 400-kilometer drive to Kobani, a route that was not possible a few months ago because IS militants were in control of areas between the Kurdish regions. With the help of the U.S.-led coalition, Kurdish forces retook most of these areas, including the strategic town of Tel Abyad in June 2015, making travel easier between Iraqi Kurdistan and much of Kurdish regions in Syria. The U.S. delegation in Kobani also met with commanders of YGP, a Kurdish force active in ground fighting against IS. The partnership between the international coalition and local forces in northern Syria has weakened IS and pushed the group from most of the areas it controlled in 2014, local officials say. "Our partnership is improving," Muslim said. The U.S.-led effort to destroy the Islamic State terror group in Iraq and Syria likely will require additional American troops, but the top commander on the ground wants to stick with the regions local forces as long as possible. As we extend operations across Iraq and into Syria, there is a good potential that well need additional capabilities, additional forces to provide those capabilities, Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland told Pentagon reporters Monday. Briefing from Baghdad, the commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve was cagey when asked about what additional capabilities or forces might be required, adding that bringing in more American or coalition boots on the ground was not his first choice. Certainly well do everything we can to continue this campaign by, with and through the indigenous forces that are on the ground, MacFarland said. Thats really the best way to defeat the enemy. Effective airstikes Since the start of the bombing campaign against Islamic State group in August 2014, the U.S.-led coalition has launched more than 10,000 airstrikes against targets in Iraq and Syria. U.S. officials credit those strikes with blunting the advance of Islamic State fighters, who at one point seemed poised for an attack on Baghdad, but now have lost an estimated 40 percent of the territory they once held in Iraq. U.S. and coalition forces also have helped to train about 20,000 Iraqis, including soldiers, police and Sunni tribal fighters, to combat Islamic State. Also involved were some of the Iraqi brigades that retook late last year Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. Efforts to empower local ground forces, however, have not been without complications. Despite retaking Ramadi, Operation Inherent Resolve officials estimate they will need to build from scratch eight to 10 Iraqi brigades, each with 2,000 to 3,000 troops, in order to wrest control of the key northern city of Mosul from Islamic State. And even two of the brigades that helped retake Ramadi will need to undergo additional training before they are ready for more operations. Finding partners on the ground in Syria has been even more challenging for the U.S. Partnering with various Syrian groups Despite budgeting $500 million for a Syria train-and-equip program, the U.S. was forced to abandon those plans after it fell far short of reaching its goal of an initial force of 5,400 moderate Syrian fighters. Fighters that did graduate from the U.S. program also failed to make much of an impact, with some units disintegrating upon reentering Syria. Instead, the U.S. has been partnering with various Syrian groups with some degree of success, especially with the Syrian Kurds, while also relying on U.S. special forces to conduct raids, take out high value Islamic State officials and gather intelligence. U.S. military and intelligence officials say the approach is starting to get results, pointing to evidence that Islamic State is having trouble paying its fighters while the flow of new recruits from around the world also has begun to slow. Critics, though, have long been urging more must be done. The actions were taking, its really more right now just containing them [Islamic State], at least in the Syria and Iraq region, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Bob Corker, told VOA. Corker expressed hope that recent developments, like the spread of the Islamic State terror group to Afghanistan and to Libya, will cause us to step up our operations. Still, MacFarland believes the defeat of Islamic State is just is a matter of time at least in Iraq. We're at the end of the beginning, he said. When we got Ramadi back, that proved that the Iraqi security forces have the wherewithal, have the skill to defeat the enemy in open battle, and that is a tremendous signal. But the Operation Inherent Resolve commander admitted Syria is a more complex problem. I cant direct any force on the ground other than my own, MacFarland said. Its really a matter of influence. And he does not see the battle against Islamic State in Syria truly turning until forces there are able to take Raqqa, the capital of the groups self declared caliphate. That would be a really strong signal that the enemy is in its final death throes, said MacFarland. The World Health Organization has declared microcephaly and other neurological disorders possibly linked to the Zika virus to be a global public health emergency. A special expert meeting convened in Geneva Monday to discuss the threats posed by the explosive spread of the Zika virus in Latin America. The group of experts who met at the World Health Organization agree the Zika virus is not a clinically serious infection and that the virus alone would not constitute a public health emergency. However, the experts conclude that the possible association of the virus in Latin America with the explosive spread of microcephaly, which causes abnormally small brains in newborns, and other neurological disorders, constitutes an extraordinary event and a public health threat to other parts of the world. Therefore, WHO Director General, Margaret Chan says the expert committee has decided a coordinated international response is needed to minimize the threat in affected countries and to reduce the risk of its international spread. I am now declaring that the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in Latin America following a similar cluster [in] French Polynesia in 2014, constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, she said. Statements from WHO news conference on Zika, Feb. 1, 2016: As a precautionary measure, the committee - composed of experts from Brazil, the United States, El Salvador, and France - recommends improved international surveillance to detect infections, as well as congenital and neurological malformations. The committee also urges intensified research of new clusters of microcephaly and neurological disorders and to determine whether there is a causative link to the Zika virus and other factors. The WHO predicts the virus, which may be linked to neurological disorders in babies, could infect as many as 4 million people in the Americas this year. No firm link has been established between the Zika virus and microcephaly, a neurological disorder in which babies are born with abnormally small heads. But it is hard to ignore a possible connection between the virus and this brain disorder, given recent events in Brazil. Nearly 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly have been reported in the country since October, compared with 150 similar cases in 2014. WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told VOA experts are not ruling anything out. But, he said, the surge in the number of microephaly cases and the Zika virus may just be coincidental in terms of time and place. "One of the curiosities is why we have so many neurological cases in, say, the northeast of Brazil, but we have not had it in other places," he said. "So, we really need to understand what is existing that causes these microcephaly cases, for example, in children." Zika gets its name from a forest in Uganda where the virus was first identified in 1947. The virus has spread worldwide, transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, which also causes dengue and chikungunya disease. Hartl dismissed fears that the Zika virus could pose a threat similar to that of Ebola, which caused more than 11,000 deaths in West Africa. He noted Ebola is transmitted person to person via infected bodily fluids and kills about 50 percent of its victims. "Zika has never killed a person and it is transmitted by the mosquito," he said. "So, we know that there are those two fundamental differences at least. Let us say that Zika on its own would not be the consideration of an emergency committee. What is the concern to the international community is the possible link with neurological disorders." In the absence of a vaccine, Hartl said governments must stop the disease at its source by removing stagnant water where mosquitoes breed and fumigating houses to kill the mosquito. He said pregnant women, in particular, should protect themselves by sleeping under mosquito nets, using mosquito repellents, and wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants. Doctors, public health experts and women's rights organizations are concerned that the strongly suspected link between the Zika virus and microcephaly, a fetal deformity resulting in a shrunken head and a damaged brain, will cause women in the Americas to seek illegal abortions. Some countries in Latin America have opted to advise women to delay becoming pregnant, rather than make abortions more readily available. Poor women in these countries have little access to family planning and many cannot even afford to buy insect repellent to help avoid the mosquito-borne virus. The virus has mainly hit Brazil, a predominately Catholic country. Botched abortions in clandestine clinics are already a major cause of maternal death in Brazil. Daniel Becker, a pediatrician and a public health expert in Rio de Janeiro told Reuters, "Zika is a health catastrophe and a terrifying menace for pregnant women. People will look for an abortion." Emergency meeting The World Health Organization is holding an emergency meeting Monday to to decide whether the Zika threat should be rated a global health crisis. The link between Zika and microcephaly is strongly suspected but has not been definitively proven. The cause of the deformity is under investigation. In Brazil, the incidence of the normally rare birth defect is now 10 times higher than normal. There is no vaccine for Zika. "The real problem is that trying to develop a vaccine that would have to be tested on pregnant women is a practical and ethical nightmare," Mike Turner, head of infection and immunobiology at the Wellcome Trust, told The Guardian newspaper. The WHO, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Pan American Health Organization warn the Zika virus is spreading rapidly through the Americas and could affect as many as 4 million people. Dr. Peter Hotez told the Examiner newspaper that the Zika outbreak in Brazil poses a "far greater threat to the United States than Ebola," A Zika outbreak has "never been seen on this scale," Hotez said, despite its prevalence in Africa, Asia and the Pacific islands. Zika is a viral illness spread from human to human through the bite of a mosquito. Virus carriers Two species of mosquito are known to carry the virus, the Yellow Fever mosquito and the Asian Tiger mosquito. Both species are found throughout most of the Americas. The Yellow Fever mosquito can be found along the Gulf Coast of the United States while the Asian Tiger mosquito can be found as far north as New York City. Health authorities in several Asian countries have advised travelers, particularly pregnant women, to avoid trips to Central and South America. Travel warning The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has warned pregnant women against traveling to areas with Zika virus outbreaks. Factbox: Prevent the Spread of Zika The Zika virus is spread through mosquito bites and there are no vaccines to prevent the spread and no drugs to treat those affected. If you are traveling to countries where the Zika virus is found, take the following precautions: *Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. *Stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside. *Sleep under a mosquito bed net to protect yourself from mosquito bites. Use Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents. *Always follow the product label instructions. *Reapply insect repellent, as directed. *Do not spray repellent on the skin under clothing. *If you are also using sunscreen, apply sunscreen before applying insect repellent. If you have a baby or child: *Do not use insect repellent on babies younger than two months of age. *Dress your child in clothing that covers arms and legs, or *Cover crib, stroller and baby carrier with mosquito netting. *Do not apply insect repellent onto a child's hands, eyes, mouth, or cut/ irritated skin. *Spray insect repellent onto your hands and then apply to child's face. Source: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 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. Faced with the Zika outbreak, the presidents of the United States and Brazil have agreed on "the importance of collaborative efforts" to combat its spread. 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," the White House said. 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 mosquitos 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. 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 Zika was long thought to pose only a small risk to humans. Symptoms 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. Outbreaks in Brazil, which reported its first Zika case in 2015, and elsewhere in southern and Central America have led to extensive spraying of insecticides to eradicate mosquitoes. 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. WATCH: Related video on Zika virus Remarks by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and former chairman of the African Union calling for the reform of the United Nations and going a step further to threaten to pull out of the UN, have caused a lot of divisions locally and internationally. President Mugabe received a standing ovation from his peers Saturday after delivering a no-holds barred speech at the AU summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as he handed over power to Chadian strongman, Idriss Deby. The permanent members of the United Nations Security Council also known as the Permanent Five, Big Five, or P5, include China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and United States. The members represent the five great powers from the victors of World War II. Each of the permanent members has the power to veto, enabling them to prevent the adoption of any "substantive" draft Council resolution, regardless of the level of international support for the draft. But reactions to Mr. Mugabes remarks have been varied and Johannesburg-based international relations expert David Monyae says this is a dilemma for Zimbabweans as their leader is very much loved by outsiders yet he is loathed by some at home. Makonde legislator Kindness Paradza says Mr. Mugabe was spot on. But opposition MDC-T spokesman Obert Gutu says President Mugabe was merely playing to the gallery. International relations expert Clifford Mashiri, a former Zimbabwean diplomat in Addis Ababa, argues that Mr. Mugabe must first reform his country before taking the gospel of democracy to the UN. Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition regional coordinator Joe Mabenge, says Mr. Mugabes call is not new as many developing countries have been pushing for such reforms. Though there is no consensus on President Mugabe, the messenger, many say there is a growing push by developing nations to reform the all-powerful Security Council. In a paper titled Expert takes on Expanding the UN Security Council, Graham Allison (Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School) said, If you are trying to make the Security Council reflective of the world we live in today, it should include at least India, but also a state from Africa (Nigeria or South Africa), and one from South America, most likely Brazil. In 2005, Africa established a united position on UN reform in the Ezulwinin Consensus. Ezulwini called for the inclusion of two permanent and five non-permanent seats for African countries on the Council and extension of veto powers (should they remain) to new permanent members. According to the Centre on International Corporation, With 54 member states, Africa has the most countries in any member state reform grouping and the potential for major influence on UNSC reform discussions. Support from all African group countries on a reform initiative would provide 54 votes, making up 42% of the 129 votes required to pass a UN General Assembly resolution expanding the U.N Security Council. In the past, non-African member states have contributed to the inability of African states to build upon their position. They have done so by either overlooking the significance of African support or leveraging economic and political power to pressure African countries, which has had a negative impact on African unity. The unrelenting economic crisis in Zimbabwe is seeing more companies shutting down while others continue to struggle, resulting in more job losses. As many retrenched workers are faced with the problem of not getting their benefits, former employees of one of the countrys biggest state-owned companies have formed an association whose main aim is to ensure that the workers get their dues in full. The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) is one of the many companies in both public and private sectors that retrenched workers following last Julys Supreme Court ruling which gave employers the right to terminate employment after giving workers a three-month notice to end their contracts. After the ruling, NRZ retrenched over 450 workers saying its workers were too many and it was struggling to pay monthly salaries. Last October some of the workers came together to form an organization known as the Association of Railways Terminated Employees (ARTE). Planning ARTE director Innocent Mupanganyama says the main objective of the association, which currently has 130 members, is to compel NRZ to give the former workers their full benefits and also to teach members to create their own employment. The prime objective is to coerce the former employer through all constitutional means to ensure that we are paid all our monies. And we are there to counsel our members, we are there to train them so that they can start business projects which can sustain them. As we speak we have already started a project of raising quails. Its very promising. Clashes between the NRZ and its former workers over delayed payments of their benefits have been reported a number of times in the media as the workers have at times staged demonstrations to show their disgruntlement over the issue. ARTE chairperson, Linda Musarira, acknowledges the protracted struggle over payment of their terminal benefits but says she is confident that all retrenched employees will get them in full. NRZ cannot say they cannot pay us or they dont have the money. Where they are going to get the money is none of our business. What we know is we worked at NRZ, they owe us money, they decided to terminate our employment contracts, which meant they had the money. It doesnt make sense that youre claiming that there are too many people in the system and yet you keep recruiting. No organization that has no money continuously keeps recruiting. Another ARTE executive member, Musa Kapena, says NRZ cannot argue that it has no money claiming that the companys top management gets hefty allowances. NRZ spokesperson Fanuel Masikati and acting general manager Lewis Mukwada were not available for comment. Transport Minister Joram Gumbo has refuted claims that the company continues to recruit workers saying it has no money to do so. But finance director, Frank Bhule, told a weekly newspaper recently that NRZs management gets between 70 and 80 percent of their salaries regularly despite the fact that the company often fails to pay other workers and former employees on time. Mavis Mukayi, a former carpenter with NRZ and a single mother, says the delay in getting their severance packages is causing various problems for the ex-employees, including failure to provide basics for their children. As a result of not getting our terminal benefits from NRZ families are breaking apart every day, children are suffering. Some women are ending up as sex workers because they cant let their children suffer. For example, I am a single mother, I dont get any maintenance, I have a daughter who goes to school, and I have bills to pay, so, Im left with little option. Chairperson Musarira says former workers with diseases like diabetes and hypertension as well as those living with HIV are also facing problems in accessing medication through NRZs medical aid branch, despite the fact that lump sum premiums were deducted from their terminal benefits. She says there are also some former employees who need counselling as they have found it difficult to accept their fate. Musarira adds that ARTE has already proved its effectiveness in helping former workers as it has been able to have NRZ agree to stop evicting some of them from company houses until they get their packages in full. Some observers say the Supreme Court ruling has left employees at the mercy of employers. ARTE says it hopes to grow into an organization that can help retrenched workers elsewhere to get their requisite benefits. The Harare Residents Trust says it will seek an audience with city mayor Bernard Manyenyeni over reports that the local authority has instructed residents of St. Martins and surrounding areas to slash maize crops planted on unserviced council land. Precious Shumba, director of the Trust, told VOA Studio 7 the council seems out of touch with the reality as Zimbabwe is facing a critical shortage of grain due to the current dry spell and some past poor crop seasons. The council announced last week that residents, who planted maize on designated areas, must get rid of their plants as the local authority is planning to start servicing stands this week. Shumba said the council should wait until the residents harvest their crops before it rolls out its project. We will not tolerate the high levels of insensitivity being displayed by municipal officials, said Shumba. He said that the council is now split into two sections, one belonging to local government made up of a few employees who are singing the government tune and, the other one that stands on the side of the people. But Harare City Council spokesman, Michael Chideme, said it is not true that the council has instructed residents to slash their crops. Its not true that we have instructed residents to slash their maize, said Chideme. What we have done is to inform the residents of a program we are going to roll out in the area, which is to open roads, to open for sewer and for water. So all we have told the residents are we will pave way for the roads on some of the land that they have planted their maize. Chideme said the council will allow the residents to harvest their maize crop when its ripe, but adds that there is a very small portion that they are going to clear for road construction. He said the council wants to service 234 stands in St. Martin's and areas near Catholic University and Airport Road. The negotiations scheduled by the UN Security Council for the resolution of the Syrian conflict should begin in Geneva today, the 1st February 2016, a week late. Contrary to what the neo-conservatives and the liberal hawks had hoped at the beginning of the war, this meeting is not convened in order to implement the capitulation of the Syrian Arab Republic and replace it with a transitional supervisory body dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, but to negotiate a cease-fire, then organise the composition of a new constitution and elections open to all. The United Nations discredited Firstly, the very principle of negotiations under the patronage of the UNO was questioned as from the publication of information on the secret role on-going since 2005 of the UN Assistant General Secretary, Jeffrey Feltman, and his expert, the German academic Volker Perthes [1]. Indeed, it seems that the United Nations is not a neutral organisation, but is actually participating in the conflict. It was the UN which organised the Mehlis Commission and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, tasked with accusing, judging and condemning Presidents Emile Lahoud and Bachar el-Assad for the assassination of the ex-Prime Minister of Lebanon, Rafic Hariri. It was the UN which paid false witnesses and created a Tribunal without the approval of either the Government or the Parliament of Lebanon, and then refused to make public their report on the reconstitution of the assassination. Again, in July 2012, it was the UN which drew up the Perthes-Feltman Plan for the total and unconditional capitulation of the Syrian Arab Republic, and then hindered the negotiations in the hope of allowing time for a clear victory of the jihadists. The fact that Russia and the United States chose not to divulge the Perthes-Feltman Plan, but had nonetheless been unable to contain the bellicose actions of the General Secretary of the United Nations, did, on the one hand, save the institution of the United Nations Organisation from an existential crisis, but on the other, caused it to lose all credibility, at least as far as the Syrian question is concerned. De facto, the opponents of the Syrian Arab Republic know that the UN organisers are now useless allies, because they labour under the pressure of Russia and the United States. And inversely, the Syrian delegation will always retain the possibility of refusing an agreement which could be imposed on the motive of previous secret actions by the UN organisers. This is why Geneva 3 looks like a Russo-US arrangement, rather than a UN initiative. The new leaders of the opposition have marginalised themselves Secondly, the United States, who until now wanted to destroy the Syrian Arab Republic, or at least force it to a compromise, no longer have any interest in doing so. As the Rand Corporation analysed it a full year ago, any government other than the present one would be worse for both Moscow and Washington. Indeed, at the beginning of the war, the opposition was represented by intellectuals whom the CIA had corrupted during the preceding years, and by the Muslim Brotherhood, who had been working for Langley since at least 1953. This is no longer the case. The intellectuals, who had the capacity to govern, were obliged to leave their place to warlords recruited and financed by Saudi Arabia. But the Saudi kingdom is a tribal regime which accepts only relations of a tribal lord-vassal nature. It therefore chose its warlords according to their ethnicity or their tribal origin. After several years, even those who originated from urban families returned to tribal behaviour. By doing so, they are now no longer representative of anyone but the nomads of the Saudi-Syrian desert. As for the Muslim Brotherhood, they were unable to hold on to power in Tunisia and Egypt. Consequently, they are not considered by Washington to be capable of governing a country. The nomination by Riyadh of a President and a spokesman for the Negotiations Committee chosen among the ex-Baathist ministers, was not enough to mask the real presence of tribal warlords. This, by the way, is one of the lessons of this war the unnatural alliance of the Western powers and the Saudis has hit a cul-de-sac. What was tolerable for the Saudis in their own country is not so abroad. The expansion of Wahhabism is now causing problems for Europe on its own territory, and the advent of tribalism in the Near East would be a catastrophe for all, since it would mean the somalisation of the region. This was without doubt the objective of the Straussians, but it is no longer the goal of President Obama. It can not be stressed strongly enough that modern States are absolutely incompatible with tribal societies, which is what led all modern states to settle their population. Can Damascus manage reconciliation without Geneva 3 ? Thirdly, the Syrian Arab Republic, which was obliged to negotiate in 2012 in order to survive, no longer suffers this constraint. Everywhere in Syria, except for the north-east, the Syrian Arab Army is winning back the territory that it had lost. It is going to Geneva only because it is convinced of the necessity of reconciliation with the 10 % of its population which supported the Muslim Brotherhood. Considering the absence of the delegation from the opposition during the whole of last week, Damascus has been reviewing other options. It does not need the major powers in order to conclude local agreements of reconciliation, and could probably manage this on the national level if the opposition agreed to renounce their plan to overthrow the regime . In conclusion, the Geneva negotiations can only lead to the integration of opposition factions in a government of national union. However, this remains impossible if we account for the positions of the sponsors of this opposition (Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar). In the current configuration, nothing practical can result from such discussions. LINCOLN A Lancaster County judge has rejected a lawsuit challenging the death-penalty question going to Nebraska voters in November, but refused to allow a pro-death-penalty group to be part of a second suit challenging the ballot wording. Lancaster County District Judge Lori Maret issued orders late Friday afternoon dismissing the case brought by death penalty opponents Christy and Richard Hargesheimer and dismissing a motion by the Nebraskans for the Death Penalty to intervene in another suit filed by Lyle Koenig. The Hargesheimers had contended that the petition process should be deemed invalid because it failed to disclose Gov. Pete Ricketts as a sponsor. Their suit sought an injunction to keep Secretary of State John Gale from placing the question on the ballot. Koenig's issue with the language, drafted by Attorney General Doug Peterson, is the title and explanatory statement Gale chose to appear on the ballot. At a hearing in November, the argument in the Hargesheimers' case came down, largely, to who qualifies as a "sponsor" of a petition, which is not defined in statutes. No one disputed that Ricketts and his father contributed one-third of the $913,000 raised by Nebraskans for the Death Penalty. Ricketts raised money for the campaign, and his close allies took roles to promote it. Attorney Alan Peterson, who represents the Hargesheimers, argued that Ricketts should be included because Nebraska law requires a sworn list of every person sponsoring a referendum. He stopped short of suggesting a definition of sponsor but suggested that the governor was in actuality the primary initiating force behind the referendum, which was a good start toward a reasonable definition. On the other side, Omaha attorney Steven Grasz, who represents Nebraskans for the Death Penalty and Judy Glasburner, Aimee Melton and Bob Evnen, who are listed as petition sponsors, argued that to construe the statute to encompass all supporters, contributors and political leaders would put petition drives in a state of perpetual uncertainty. "Sponsor," he said, refers to those who assume statutory responsibility for the referendum once the petition begins. In an 11-page order, Maret said she was persuaded by the argument that because Glasburner, Melton and Evnen identified themselves as willing to assume the statutory responsibilities once the petition process commenced that Ricketts was not required to be listed as a sponsor. The court agrees, she wrote, citing then-Chief Justice John Hendrys reasoning in a concurring opinion in a similar case before the Nebraska Supreme Court in 2003. Maret said the Legislature long ago removed the financial contribution reporting requirement to the process and now requires that ballot committees disclose financial contributors, like Ricketts, in a report to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. She said a strict reading of every person sponsoring the petition, as it says in the statute, could have a potentially chilling effect on people lending support to a referendum effort and "would hinder, rather than facilitate, the peoples referendum rights. Maret called it a fatal defect in the complaint and dismissed it. "We do expect to file an appeal," Peterson said Monday. He said the primary authority Maret relied on in her opinion was a single judge's opinion, "which is inconsistent, we think, with the majority opinion." He said he hopes the appeal is expedited. "If we're going to win this case we're running out of time," Peterson said. Maret also dismissed a request by Nebraskans for the Death Penalty to be allowed to intervene in the Koenig case, which seeks to change a single word to the title when it goes before voters. It challenges the Attorney General's proposed ballot language, which describes life in prison as the "maximum" sentence, when in fact it is the only sentence. Maret found that the pro-death penalty group didn't file within the time allowed to challenge the decision on the wording or provide an alternative. In fact, the group admitted it wasnt dissatisfied with the proposed title. The groups "desire to assert its opinion on this issue is not a sufficient direct and legal interest that would require intervention under the statute, she wrote. Ben Stiller. Photo: Ian Gavan/2014 Getty Images Its finally almost time for Zoolander round two (a.k.a. 2oolander), which means the world must prepare for much more major modeling mayhem. In an effort to help fans do just that, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson or, Derek Zoolander and Hansel posed for some semi-real modeling Sunday morning in Rome, right in the Valentino store windows. Hey Rome I hear Derek Zoolander and Hansel are modeling at Valentino store window in a little while, Stiller tweeted, also hashtagging so hot right now, because they are also so method right now. (Yep, they were in the window.) Look at these guys feeling hot, hot, hot: Caption: You guys love selfies. Caption: What are you looking at lady We are just two totally normal supermodels who are totally at the height of our game And no you CANT take a selfie! Caption: When Mr. Valentino hired me to model in his store window, I told him: be prepared to sell a million more butterfly baskets! The plugs and prep didnt stop there: Afterward, Stiller held a brief live-tweet and Q&A session, tied to the first film in the stylin saga. Here are some highlights in the form of fun facts, quips, and David Bowie shout-outs to refresh your Zoolander memory and get you in the zone: Starting movie in 1 minute #AskZoolander this is really exciting. Haven't watched the movie in like 2 days. Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 The opening scene was a reshoot after we finished the movie because no one knew what was going on in the movie when we screened it... Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 My Mom egging Mugatu!! Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 We were banned in Malaysia for this film. Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Not my father's actual chest hair. Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Also we shot these scenes during commercial breaks of the live awards.. Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Probably Drake Sather. He wrote the original Zoolander sketches and invented the character. https://t.co/IcFs1oBGVN Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Originally we showed the models burning in agony for a while but people were grossed out... and then we added the frappucino... Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 To make it less graphic... Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 My wife is the voice of the women Maury tushy squeezes... which is weird. Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Scrappy and Luke Zoolander seem like they should have their own movie. Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Mugatu is named after a Star Trek creature. Hansel is named after a young German boy who hunts witches. Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Unfortunately he did succumb.. https://t.co/miIxuMul5e Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 The Todd/Mugatu Foamy latte just happened due to Will Ferrel-Nathan Lee Graham chemistry was not in the script #AskZoolander Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Will Ferrel was great in this. Not sure what happened to him. #AskZoolander Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 The MPAA loved this massage scene. #AskZoolander Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Cant believe David Bowie actually did this. We were all in shock. #AskZoolander Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Does anyone know if Owen Wilson made any films after this? #AskZoolander Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 We were also banned in Micronesia #AskZoolander Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Will Ferrel bleached his real hair for three months for this. Not kidding #AskZoolander Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Justin Theroux actually breakdances. #AskZoolander Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 Crazy Pills was a Will Ferrel improv #AskZoolander Ben Stiller (@RedHourBen) January 31, 2016 See the rest of those here, and expect your long-awaited second dose of Blue Steel to hit Stateside theaters on February 12. There are many things one expects to see during a typical episode of Downton Abbey. Men running around in tuxedos like a pack of high-class British penguins. Lady Mary looking down her refined nose at someone, usually Edith. Everyone chatting across a lavishly set dining-room table while the Dowager Countess displays her Resting What is the World Coming To? Face. One does not expect to see a man in a tuxedo at a lavishly set dining-room table suddenly vomit blood all over the place. But thats what we got during this weeks episode, Quentin Tarantino Presents: Downton Abbey, The Ulcer Burst. (No joke: Cora covered with that blood splatter is slightly reminiscent of Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight.) Weve known for several episodes that Robert was suffering from some sort of intestinal or abdominal pain, presumably related to last seasons diagnosed ulcer or, possibly, some other undiagnosed ailment. Despite his constant agony and the fact that Coras been talking about the need for proper medical care practically every minute of the day, thanks to the arguments about oversight of the local hospital its odd that she never demanded that he see a doctor. Dr. Clarkson has been sitting through the same boring meetings with her for weeks! But really, we all know why Cora, whos ordinarily diligent about Roberts healthy, would have been more lax this time. If she hadnt been, we would not have gotten to see Hugh Bonneville unleash a crimson tidal wave all over the fine china and his wife, which is apparently the only way to get the Dowager Countess to shut the hell up about the whole hospital situation. Seriously, guys: This actually happened. (Warning: The following image may be disturbing to people who cherish clean, bloodless tablecloths.) I hope that Robert recovers. Based on the news that he had a successful gastrectomy a word that Carson can pronounce but couldnt define if his cummerbund depended on it, so mind your own business, Thomas it seems like he will. But with all due respect: This was kind of awesome, wasnt it? As we all know, Downton Abbey can get a little sleepy at times. (Please see this weeks plotlines about Denker nearly getting fired and Carsons concerns about the way Mrs. Hughes prepares bubble and squeak.) But once in a while it drops a truly shocking bomb and not merely the kind of shocking bomb one might expect from a soapier version of a Jane Austen novel, like, say, Edith getting left at the altar by a runaway codger. I mean something dark and truly unpleasant that makes your faithful PBS-viewing grandmother clutch her pearls so wildly, she looks like shes grasping for a necklace-shaped life preserver. Im talking about things like Kemal Pamuk dropping dead after (almost, maybe) having sex with Lady Mary, or a pregnant Cora slipping on a bar of strategically placed soap, or and the sight of Dead Matthew bleeding from the head after a fatal car wreck. These are all part of a grand, ghastly Downton tradition of moments designed to make us gasp. Even if we dont care for what these moments do to our beloved characters my kingdom for just one more moment with Dan Stevens! we need the gasps to keep things lively. And Robert fire-hosing hot vein juice all over the dining room is only second, perhaps, to Bloody Matthew in the grand, ghastly, and gaspy department. From now on, whenever I see anyone upchuck in movies or on TV, I will say, Well, that was gross and all. But it was no Lord Grantham. More importantly, Roberts sudden collapse which, to be fair, unfolds with a bit more visual restraint than the above repetitive GIF implies pushes the Downton narrative forward in a couple of important ways. First, as Mary tells Tom, her fathers illness means that the two of them will now have to take over the day-to-day business of running the estate, officially putting a woman and an ex-working-class Irishman in the same position once held by a white, male aristocrat. And to think it all happened because of the recent Oscar voting changes enacted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science! (#DowntonSoWhite that Tom, a lower-class guy from Ireland, is actually considered the equivalent of a person of color. This racial logic has been brought to you by The Commitments.) Roberts sudden illness also forces Cora to put her foot down and tell Neville Chamberlain future British prime minister but, in 1925, the minister of health that he should advocate for the merger of the village and county hospitals. This may finally put an end to the most insufferable story line of season six. (If Ive said it once, Ive said it a thousand times: To end a debate, make sure someone barfs all over a table. Shuts down the bickering every time.) Then theres the whispery conversation between Cora and the Dowager Countess regarding the need for more family honesty, a chat that prompts Violet to mention the Marigold situation. This really doesnt make sense, though, since theres no reason for either of them to discuss Ediths daughter while Robert is actively bleeding from the mouth. But they have to, of course, so Mary can overhear them and slowly begin to realize that Edith had a child out of wedlock. To recap: Mary now knows something about Edith that could bring shame to the Crawley family. Thats very similar to how, back in season one, Edith knew something about Mary that could potentially bring shame to the Crawley family. Edith attempted to use that information against Mary, and later regretted it. Will Mary travel a higher road? Given the alarmed glances that pass between the two after Roberts collapse and the apparent detente they reach in the wake of his health concerns maybe the truth will actually bring the sisters closer together. Can Mary stop rolling her eyeballs long enough to achieve sisterly intimacy? Well see. That about does it for the truly significant things that occur this week on Downton Abbey, which, as per usual, spends the rest of its running time on Denker-related minutiae, astute observations about the pig business (Pig-keeping requires physical strength. Lady Mary Crawley), or build-ups to major moments that dont turn out to be major at all. Lets lightning-round our way through the rest of the developments: The dragon dancers are coming for the Huang family. This Tuesday, Fresh Off the Boat becomes the first network show devoted to one major holiday that hasnt yet received the sitcom treatment: Chinese New Year. During the episode, the Huangs miss their flight to Washington, D.C., where they would have celebrated the Lunar New Year with family. Instead theyre resigned to trying to find other Chinese people in town they can celebrate with, which is how Louis and Jessica discover the AAAOO the Asian-American Association of Orlando. We were trying to figure out where to go with it. We were thinking maybe they would go to Chinatown Miami, another bigger city, Sheng Wang, a stand-up comic and the writer of the episode, told Vulture. We just did a quick little Google image search of Chinatown in Orlando, and it was a sad-looking little plaza that has some Chinese on the signs and non-Chinese stores. We were just like, okay, we can definitely do this with the Asian American Association just based on the picture of the Chinatown that was there. Enter Rob Huebel, who stars as the white guy whos the head of the Asian-American Association of Orlando. Rob was hilarious as the head of the AAAOO, and Im happy that people get to see him do that, said showrunner Nahnatchka Khan. Like obviously theres an elephant in the room, but its alright. Fresh off the Boat returns Tuesday, February 2 at 8 p.m. Never change. Photo: Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images Azealia Banks will not be charged in an October 2015 assault involving a Los Angeles nightclub bouncer. TMZ reports that the LAPD has rejected the case based on lack of evidence, despite security footage allegedly capturing Banks punching a doorman at Break Room 86 after she allegedly attempted to pull a fire alarm. Police say they are unable to identify Banks as the assailant in the footage, and that the bouncer did not have any injuries. Banks was also arrested in December 2015 for allegedly biting the breast of a bouncer at a New York City nightclub. In other Banks news, the Harlem rapper is set to release a new song, The Big Beat, on February 7. Totally coincidentally, on Sunday night, Banks officially endorsed Donald Trump for president, calling him evil like America is evil. (And because he is the only one who truly has the balls to bust up big business and doesnt pander to minorities.) Happy Black Troll Month! Cover of Black. Image courtesy of Kwanza Osajyefo and Jamal Igle. The world of superhero comics has been justifiably proud of itself for becoming more racially diverse in the past few years: Theres a new Spider-Man whos half-black and half-Latino, theres a black Captain America, and theres a Pakistani-American Ms. Marvel, to name a few notable examples. But critics have accurately pointed out that these nonwhite characters are all too often written by white creators and that their stories rarely take on real-life racial issues. Writer Kwanza Osajyefo and artist Jamal Igle want to change all that, and they think their new Kickstarter-funded comic Black will be a step in the right direction. The comic will follow a kid named Kareem Jenkins, who somehow survives a racially motivated shooting at the hands of police. He then finds himself at the heart of a massive conspiracy: A significant percentage of the worlds black population is superpowered, and the government has been suppressing that information. The Kickstarter is looking for $29,999, and the comic will be released digitally, followed by a physical print. In an interview with the Washington Post, Osajyefo who was previously an editor at Marvel and DC took issue with the aforementioned black iterations of Spidey and Cap. I mean, I enjoy both characters, but they are very Cosby Show: cookie-cutter, inoffensive blacks who dont reflect contrasts within black culture itself, he said. He added that one of the reasons race is so hard to deal with at major publishers is the systemic lack of inclusion among the stewards of these characters: That isnt to suggest an intentional omission so much as a self-perpetuating environment lacking any perspective that isnt white male I think that pretty much sums up the comics industry for the past seven decades. As The Good Wife chugs toward an uncertain future, the seventh season continues to scrutinize the consequences of Elis voice-mail revelation. Alicias still preoccupied with it, understandably so, and we spend most of Judged examining the emotional devastation it has caused. Dont get me wrong: Were not as deep into Alicias interior as we were during the sixth-season episode that focused exclusively on her inner monologue, but were further behind her careful facade than Alicia and the show typically permit us to go. We see her distracted in court, hear the less-than-sedate music in her head (a far cry from the classical score that usually backs The Good Wife), and watch her lackadaisical attempts to eat a bowl of cereal. Or possibly SpaghettiOs. The shows attempt at showing us Alicias off-kilter feelings is a little heavy-handed actually filming scenes at off-kilter angles is a shade too far but in some ways, its a relief to see her disorientation and grief explored in such depth. The Good Wife has a bad habit of dropping story lines at inopportune times, so Im glad it share my conviction that Will and Alicia are too pivotal to the story to be set aside, even if Will cant physically be there to give Alicia closure. And it makes me wonder, for the millionth time, what the show had in mind for Will and Alicia before Josh Charles decided to leave. We also see Alicia in Elis office, sitting in his desk chair, when she demands that he tell her exactly what Will said in the voice mail. Eli hesitates, but Alicia wont tolerate it. If hes really been regretting it every day since, as hed claimed, he ought to be able to give her a pretty comprehensive summary of what Will said. He tries his best, but Alicia leaves his office still upset. By the end of the episode, after Eli tearfully shows up at her apartment again, Alicia tells him hes forgiven, but its unclear whether she really means it or shes taking Marissas advice from last episode and simply telling Eli she forgives him so hell stop sniveling. Real talk, though: Eli seems to be getting worse at apologies. This time, he basically leads with the suggestion that Alicia should realize how hard it was for him to fess up, since he never confesses to anything. Amid all the interpersonal drama, theres law to be practiced, too: Diane is representing the editor of a college newspaper that lost its funding as a result of an editorial. Christine Baranski, as ever, does her best with what shes given and the story line is buoyed by the return of Richard Masur, reprising his role as an inordinately chill arbiter from the episode about predatory student loans earlier this season. Unfortunately, even their best efforts dont make the story feel any less tangential to whats happening in the rest of Judged. Now that Peters campaign isnt a convenient excuse to keep Alicia busy, its really clear how the antipathy between her and Diane limits the show. Its time for them to make up. Oh, and Jasons back. He brings Alicia pot holders that say I took a byte out of Silicon Valley, and theyre both sort of dippy to each other until she finally kisses him in the elevator, and I am HERE FOR IT. Reprising his role as Key Season Seven Plot Device, Judge Schakowsky is also back this week. After reconnecting with one of her firest bond court clients, Alicia sues for the violation of that clients civil rights. The client, whose name is Clayton, has been in jail ever since he first met Alicia more than eight months ago even though the charge against him was minor and the bail was low. Lucca and Alicia know Schakowskys dealings are shady at best, and another judge agrees to actually hear the case. When all of that falls apart, however, it all bounces back to Alicia, who finds herself the target of a $1.5 million malpractice suit from Clayton. Its bad news, and it becomes devastating when she and Lucca remember theyre only insured up to $300,000. During that conversation with Lucca, Alicia finally and fully collapses. Weve never really seen her come apart like this in front of another person. (Feel free to yell at me about emotional breakdowns from, say, season two that Ive completely forgotten.) Alicia walks out on their professional conversation and just starts doing laundry. Lucca follows her, throwing some well-deserved What in the world do you think youre doing? looks her way. Alicia starts explaining the voice mail, but takes her explanation beyond what she said to Ruth or to Eli. Shes sick of everything now: the law, the fact that things get dirty, even simply standing there. Im not built to be an unhappy person! I like laughing, she says. (These are both fascinating claims, since Im not sure how often weve seen Alicia legitimately laugh over seven seasons?) She goes on: She hates being alone in the apartment. Shes not even sure she likes Zach and Grace. And it builds to the episodes gut punch: I was loved. And its over. So why am I doing this? Clearly, this translates to anything. Its a pitch-perfect bit of writing and performance. Lucca, to her credit, doesnt tell Alicia that everything will be okay. The only reassurance she really offers is that she doesnt usually like people, but she likes Alicia. I dont even think I like my brother, she says. He bothers me. Its a small touch, but I really like the realistic and responsible moment when Lucca asks Alicia whether she kept a gun in the house, since Alicias I want it to end! rhetoric is delivered so sincerely. Lucca does more than just offer a hug and a really heartfelt promise of friendship, too: She gets Cary to represent Alicia in her malpractice suit, which will be going to trial. And so, Judged ends almost exactly the way the episode before it did: with a job offer from Cary. The firm isnt prepared to bring her back as a full partner, and she balks when Cary mentions the mass exodus of associates, but he assures her theres a place at Lockhart/Agos for her as a junior partner. (Im assuming an offer for Lucca is still in play, too.) The crazy music in Alicias head kicks back in, and Alicia laughs and laughs. Is it fair to end two episodes with identical cliff-hangers? Is it kosher? Or even good storytelling? I land somewhere along the probably not spectrum. But this is The Good Wife, and if were being honest with ourselves, this is probably the beginning of the end, so all bets are off. Hey guys! Phoebe will be back next week, but Im here to break down tonights supersized episode. Lets get started! Porsha is getting ready for the group trip to Jamaica, so she has a stylist come by to help her prepare her island looks. She tries on a few outfits and looks amazing. She also tries on a Jamaican accent. It is not amazing. Cynthia and Peter are pretty excited for the trip. Now that Cynthia and NeNe have mended their friendship, Cynthia invites her along to Jamaica to surprise the rest of the women. Fun! And Cynthia also makes the smart decision to hire Kim for her commercial. (Good.) But she hasnt told Kenya yet. (Not good.) Peter thinks Kenya wont be pleased, but Cynthia insists that shell be fine. If you know anything about reality television, you know this means that Kenya will not be fine. Kim is excited to film Cynthias commercial. But, wait. Did I hear her right? Did she just say she is bringing her children on the couples trip? To Jamaica? Where she has a professional obligation? Ugh. Kims relationship with her children is odd. Its almost as if shes using them as a shield against the other ladies. Any time she starts feeling uncomfortable, the kids give her a safe out. Its like she gave birth to security blankets. The women all arrive at the airport. Porsha and Phaedra are solo. Kenya brings her most recent hire, Matt the trainer, to play boyfriend for a few weeks. Sheree brings her ex-husband, Bob Whitfield, which is a huge shock. Bob and Sheree hate each other! One time, she hired Phaedra to sue him for child support. Another time, they even went on Iyanla, Fix My Life to work out their issues and there was no fixing to be had! This development is pretty crazy. The group lands in Jamaica and hops on a shuttle bus to the resort. Shuttle bus rides have been the setting for many a fight in the past, but this one is relatively calm. Bob explains how he and Sheree reunited, including how he used his bad eye to seduce her. How sweet. Matt, finding inspiration in Bobs attempts at courtship, overperforms his attraction to Kenya. Eyeroll. Phaedra, suddenly remembering that shuttle bus rides are an awesome place to start a fight, asks Cynthia about her commercial. Cynthia announces that she has chosen Kim as the director, and is forced to unceremoniously dump Kenya in front of everyone on the bus. Cynthia offers Kenya the chance to participate in a different capacity, but Kenya isnt humored by this consolation prize. The group finally arrives at the resort, and the suites are amazing. Kim is a little too excited about the bathtubs. Bob is already trying to jump Sherees bones. And Cynthia, a.k.a. Human Plot Device, insists upon getting Kenya and Kim together to discuss the commercial. What is there left to discuss? Kim will be filming. Kenya wont. The end. Cynthia and Kim sit down at one of the outdoor restaurants at the resort to discuss the commercial. Kim has figured out a way to cut the budget, and Cynthia has figured out a way push the Real Housewives producers agenda of forcing Kim and Kenya to work together or fight. Kenya arrives, and she is immediately awful. Shes offended she wasnt given an opportunity to pitch after she missed the first pitch meeting. To recap: Kenya, who didnt even have the courtesy to call Cynthia ahead of time and cancel, chastises Cynthias lack of respect and professionalism. Kenya then shifts her focus to Kim, insisting that shes trying to alienate her from her friends. Kenya, no. You blew your friend off so you could meet and negotiate terms with your fake boyfriend. Cynthia kept it moving. Stop playing the victim. And then, Kenya gets really nasty. After some back and forth with Kim about the rules of directing and co-directing, Kenya very rudely asks, How many commercials have you done, Kim? Kim tries to avoid getting into a battle of credentials, but Kenya wont let up: Well, because you probably havent done any! There are lame Facts of Life jokes, and Kim tells Kenya no one likes her she is correct, for the record and then Kim announces that she wants to leave. So, Kenya walks over and pulls Kims chair out while shes still sitting in it! Kim uses all the strength she has in her wig to not slap the mess out of Kenya. Not wanting to lose her cool, she instead walks toward her room, with a yelling Kenya in pursuit. When Kim is finally gone, Kenya keeps pressing Cynthia about her credentials, entirely unashamed of how childish shes acting. Get a grip. Back at the hotel, sexy singles Porsha and Phaedra are getting ready for the group dinner. The women have definitely noticed that Kim brings her children everywhere, and have some questions. Why didnt the children stay home with the nanny? Why would you take them out of school for a week to bring them on a couples vacation? Whatever happened to truancy laws? Good questions, ladies. Wed all like some answers. Kim enters her suite, where she gives her husband, Christopher, the rundown on her argument with Kenya. Im somebodys mother. Im somebodys wife. Im a brand, she says. This kind of fighting is beneath her, but theres some anger she needs to get out, so she vents to her husband. Her rant sounds like Diana Ross doing an impression of Robert De Niros Taxi Driver monologue. I wish shed let herself get mad more often. Christopher reminds Kim how dope she is, and gets super fired up. Christopher is the best hype man ever. Cynthia and Peter stop by NeNe and Greggs suite, where Cynthia recounts the episode with Kim and Kenya. Disgusted by Kenyas display, she replaces Kenya with NeNe in the commercial (and also in real life). Kenya is in her suite with Matt, and shes debating if she wants to go to the group dinner. Matt insists that they go, probably because he has 50 hours of camera time written into his boyfriend contract. Kenya relents, but she is completely over Kim. She thinks that Kim has a vendetta against her. Kim has been passive aggressive with Kenya for seemingly no reason in the past, but this time her anger is warranted. Kenya was all kinds of crazy. The gang shows up to dinner, but hosts Peter and Cynthia are nowhere to be found. When they finally arrive, they have NeNe and Gregg in tow. Kenya is NOT pleased. NeNe makes her rounds, and she and Sheree have a surprisingly warm reunion. When they hug, I get flashbacks to season one, when NeNe and Sheree were a super-fun duo. Remember that? It was long before Sherees quixotic plans to build Chateau Sheree and NeNe started cashing Trump checks. Peter, a.k.a. Mr. Human Plot Device, brings up the commercial in front of everybody. Kenya absolutely doesnt want to talk about it again. Kim tries to explain her side of the story, and halfway through her retelling, Kenya rudely leaves the table. Kims hype-man husband defends his wife some more and shades Kenya. NeNe, armed with the misinformation that Cynthia gave her at their reunion some weeks ago, announces that Kenya and Cynthia are not BFFs. Porsha and the other women know otherwise. NeNe presses Cynthia, who denies Kenya three times like Peter did Jesus before the cock crowed. Cynthia is so lame. Sensing that Cynthia has no backbone, Kims hype man tries to empower Cynthia to set strong boundaries with Kenya in an adult manner. LOL. This is the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Adult conversations that will quickly resolve an issue aint gonna happen, love. The next morning, we get quick cuts of Porsha being gorgeous, Peter smacking Cynthias donkey booty, and Matt feeding Kenya while delivering lines that sound like they came from a cheesy Skinemax flick. Sheree arrives at NeNes suite and they get to chatting. They squash their beef, and cement the reconciliation by trash-talking their newer friends. NeNe thinks Porsha and Phaedra are being shady about NeNes arrival, but when we cut to Porsha and Phaedra, theyre more shocked about Cynthias denial of Kenya. They arent super concerned with those women, though. Porshas Miami boo, Oliver, might be coming to Jamaica. Shes trying to get her grown sexy woman on. Back at their suite, Peter surprises Cynthia with a visit from her sister, Mallory. Peter is really working overtime to make up for his cheating! Inviting the woman who hid your wedding certificate during your wedding to an island vacation with your wife is as brave and stupid a thing I can think of. Sheree stops by Kenyas suite to sneak in some early morning pot stirring. Kenya chooses to forget the last three seasons of this show, and says that she doesnt understand why NeNe doesnt like her. Sheree asks Kenya if shes best friends with Cynthia. Kenya says theyre close. Gleefully, Sheree tells Kenya that Cynthias been playing Kenya out, and Kenya is pissed. Kenya goes to confront Cynthia. Kenya tries to articulate that shes hurt to see Cynthia downplay their relationship. Cynthia lies about denying Kenya, and Cynthia coldly cuts Kenya off. She has to get ready to shoot the commercial, and NeNe will get to star as the woman Cynthia likes wayyy too much. So, what did you think of this weeks extra-long episode? Do you feel bad for Kenya? Is NeNe too possessive? Sound off in the comments! A Minnesota man linked to a pair of area vehicle thefts faces a handful of charges after his arrest in Kansas. Anthony Vannett of Minneapolis is accused of stealing a car from the Caseys General Store parking lot in Schuyler before driving the vehicle to a rural Kansas community where he abandoned the sedan and fled on foot, prompting law enforcement to initiate a manhunt. According to an affidavit supporting Vannetts arrest, the 30-year-old Minnesota man swiped a 2001 Ford Taurus from the Schuyler convenience store around 7:20 p.m. Jan. 22 after the owner left the vehicle running and unlocked while he was inside the business. The car was reportedly involved in a hit-and-run accident later that night on Interstate 80 in Lincoln after the westbound Taurus rear-ended another vehicle while traveling more than 90 mph. A resident in Tipton, a town of about 200 people in north-central Kansas, called the Mitchell County Sheriffs Office after a suspicious vehicle was parked in front of her house and the driver said he ran out of gas, the affidavit states. The car matched the description and license plate number of the Taurus stolen from Schuyler. Sheriffs deputies initiated a search for the suspect, who was arrested around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 23 after asking area farmers for a place to stay. The farmers, who were aware of the manhunt, called the sheriffs office, which reported that Vannett was near hypothermia after spending several hours on the run and hiding in a machine shed. Vannett admitted he stole the Taurus, according to the affidavit, and items recovered from the vehicle also tied him to the theft of a GMC Envoy in Columbus on the same day. The stolen SUV was located Jan. 23 just outside Schuyler and footprints from the scene led to a rural house where several other vehicles were broken into, the Colfax County arrest document says. Vannett was charged with felony theft and two counts of interference with law enforcement in Kansas. He faces charges of theft by unlawful taking, a Class IV felony, and unauthorized use of a propelled vehicle, a Class III misdemeanor, in Colfax County. The Platte County incident remains under investigation. 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. History is a set of lies agreed upon. The Dude This past Thursday marked the 64th anniversary of the tragic accident which claimed the life of legendary WWII fighter ace, Don Gentile. WarbirdsNews contributor, David Cohen, has investigated the causes behind Gentiles crash, which also took the life of his passenger, Sgt.Gregory Kirsch. He has visited the accident site on a couple of occasions in the past two years, and we thought our readers would be interested in his report. The Last Flight of Don Gentile by David Cohen Don Gentile needs no introduction. Whether known as Captains Courageous, The Two Man Air Force, Messerschmitt Killers, or Damon and Pythias, the exploits of he and his wingman, John Godfrey, with the 4th Fighter Group are well documented. Less well known are Gentiles early days in his hometown of Piqua, Ohio, nor those after World War II leading up to his untimely death in 1951. His life still resonates enough with some in Piqua for one resident to make the 8 hour drive to Maryland in the hopes of discovering more about Don Gentiles last flight. Gentile was born in Piqua in 1920. He held an abiding passion for flight from early in his childhood, earning his pilots license by age 17. Gentile was a daredevil in the air and made sport of several Piqua landmarks, which included flying under the Shawnee Bridge, circling tightly around the spires of St. Boniface Catholic church, and of course buzzing his girlfriends home. It was no wonder that Gentile wanted to join the Army Air Force when war broke out in Europe, but at that time they were only accepting college graduates. So Gentile went north to volunteer with the Royal Canadian Air Force in Canada, and from there to the Royal Air Force and the deadly duel with the Luftwaffe over British skies. After flight training, Gentile received a posting with 133 Squadron, one of the three fabled Eagle Squadrons, flying Spitfires from Biggin Hill in England. He scored his first two kills on August 1st, 1942 during the ill-fated Dieppe Raid. On September 29th, 1942, the US Army Air Force formally absorbed the Eagle Squadrons into the nascent 4th Fighter Group where they transitioned onto the much heavier P-47 Thunderbolt. Gentile scored another 2.33 kills before the 4th FG re-equipped with the P-51B Mustang. The Mustang proved to be the perfect mount for Gentile. He and his colorful P-51B nicknamed Shangri-La racked up an amazing 15.5 kills between March 3rd and April 8th, 1944. See a short video clip of Gentile with his Mustang below. By April 8th, Gentile had become the highest scoring American ace in Europe. Five days later, Gentile was performing for a group of newspaper and newsreel reporters in his Mustang. Gentile made repeated high speed passes for the cameras, becoming more aggressive with each attempt. His old daredevil habits from Piqua had returned in full, though this time his recklessness got the better of him, and he ploughed the Mustang into the mud, destroying it in the process, though somehow wounding only his pride. The 4th Fighter Groups commanding officer, the equally legendary Don Blakeslee, was so incensed by Gentiles actions that he grounded him on the spot and sent him back to the USA. For him the war was over Upon his return from Europe, Gentile made the obligatory War Bond Tours, flying around the country in a P-51D painted to represent his original Shangri-La. Once the War Bond tours ended, Gentile briefly became a test pilot and gunnery instructor at Wright Patterson Field, in Dayton, Ohio, not far from Piqua. He married Isabella Masdea and started a family. Some time later, Gentile moved to the Washington D.C. area to become an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, pursuing a degree in military sciences while still attached to the United States Air Force. In January 1951, Gentile began refresher training on the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star at Andrews AFB. While Gentile had amassed nearly 4,000 flying hours, only about 20 these were in jet aircraft, and none since 1945. His jet time was mostly in the YP-59 Airacomet, although he did have some in the F-80, the T-33s forebear. The biggest difference between the F-80 and T-33, besides the rear seat and second set of controls, was the F-80s greater fuselage fuel tank capacity which held 200 gallons as opposed half that for the T-33. Prior to his check ride in the T-33, Gentile had to take a written test on the various procedures involved in its operation. He scored about 90 percent on the exam, and an instructor walked him through areas he was unfamiliar with. Among his mistakes on the questionnaire were the procedures for re-starting the jet engine in flight. Both the difference in fuselage tank fuel capacity between the F-80 and T-33 as well as the air start procedures would loom large in Gentiles final flight. Gentile flew familiarization flights on January 24th and 25th with the instructor pilot in the rear. Gentiles flamboyant flying behavior again showed itself on this hops, as he dropped his altitude below 1,000 feet at times. He also buzzed his home in nearby College Park, Maryland, much to the consternation of the instructor pilot. Gentile was scheduled to fly on Saturday, January 27th, but his T-33 was unserviceable. It would not be ready until the following day. Sunday, January 28th, 1951 was an unusually warm day for the region, with temperatures around 50F. Gentile returned to Andrews AFB to continue his familiarization flights in T-33A serial 49-905. Captain Ray Woods sat in the rear seat on the first flight. The T-33 taxied out and took to the sky, only to return 15 minutes later. Gentile indicated that several cockpit instruments and the radio were not operational, but Sgt. Baron, the planes crew chief, pointed out that the circuit breakers needed resetting. Gentile indicated to Baron that he understood the circuit breakers were not to be reset until after landing, but this was apparently not the correct procedure. When Baron pushed in the circuit breakers, the instruments began working again. He then began servicing the plane to prepare it for another flight, which mostly consisted of topping up the tanks with jet fuel. Captain Woods, however, declined to fly with Gentile on the subsequent flight. Gentile returned to his Shooting Star about 25 minutes later and settled into the cockpit. Twenty year old Sgt. Gregory Kirsch, a control tower operator at Andrews, walked up to the legendary ace and asked if he could ride in the rear seat. Gentile agreed, so Kirsch went about getting the necessary permissions, clearances and gear for the flight. Sgt. Baron and his assistant Sgt. Devol helped Kirsch into the rear cockpit and went over some of precautions and procedures he had follow during the hop. Gentile started up the T-33 and taxied to the runway, taking to the air at about 3:05 PM. He made two circuits around the airport at fairly low altitude and then disappeared from view to the northeast. It would be the last time anyone would see Gentile or Kirsch alive. While flying around northeast of the base, the T-33s J33 engine flamed out. Gentile began gliding back in the general direction of Andrews. Despite his efforts, he was unable to restart the engine, and his already low altitude was getting squeezed further by a steady descent while facing rising terrain. It was at this time that Gentile spotted a flat clearing to his left so he banked sharply in an attempt to reach it. The severity of this turn coupled with his still declining altitude, forced the T-33s left wing to clip a line of trees, which hurled the trainer downward at a 50 degree angle into the ground. The following explosion and fire consumed much of the aircraft. Gentile and Kirsch never had a chance. A pillar of black smoke came to the attention of the Andrews controllers at about 3:18 PM. They asked the crew of a Navy P2V Neptune on final approach to investigate. The first Neptune circled the site but could not determine the cause of the fire. A second P2V headed to the site and they concluded that it was indeed the result of an airplane crash. The crash bells at Andrews rang loudly and fire equipment raced to the site. A third Navy plane, a Beech JRB Expeditor had taken station over the crash site and continued to circle it until the fire equipment arrived. The rescue crew found Gentiles body thrown 15 feet from the wreckage, still strapped into his seat, but the crash impact had forced Kirschs body through the bottom of the demolished cockpit. The tail section from Gentile and Kirschs T-33. (crash report photo via David Cohen) Being late afternoon in January, darkness was already beginning to fall as the rescue team extinguished the fire and recovered the bodies. The Air Force removed most of the major wreckage pieces and returned them to Andrews for the crash investigation. They soon released the bodies to their families for burial. Gentiles family held a funeral mass for him at St. John Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio. People jammed both sides of High Street in the city as the funeral procession made its way to Saint Joseph Cemetery in Lockbourne, Ohio, for the burial. Gentile was 30 years old and left behind his wife and three young boys. The Air Force investigation focused on the engine, as two eyewitnesses indicated the plane was gliding and not under power at the time of the crash. They found no problems with the engine. Damage to the turbine wheel indicated that it was rotating at a very slow speed at the time of impact, confirming that the plane was not under power. The fuel pump provided the best clue. Its gear teeth had worn abnormally and expanded so that they scratched the inside of the pump housing. This could have only been due to a lack of fuel, as without being under load, the pump would have revved well above its design parameters. The Air Force came to the following conclusions in their report: The aircraft crashed as a result of a flame out. The flameout was due to improper fuel management by the pilot who had allowed his fuselage tank to run dry, and did not switch to his tip tank, wing tank or leading edge tank in sufficient time to prevent fuel starvation. The pilot attempted an air-start after the flameout, but insufficient altitude denied the required time to effect a successful re-start The pilot used poor technique by not gaining more altitude immediately after takeoff. The pilot was not sufficiently familiar with the T-33 even though his check out had complied with all current Directives and Standard Operating Procedures. The records indicated that the pilot had only 2:50 hours jet time since 1945. The current command regulations were written in such a way to allow inadequate checkouts, and therefore needed amending. The Air Force did change their command regulations and mandated that the checkout questionnaire had to be passed through study rather than using reference material and/or instructor feedback. In this case, Gentiles apparent lack of knowledge in the differences between the F-80 and T-33 fuselage tank capacity and the air-start procedures, combined with his own penchant for low altitude flying, proved to be a fatal combination for both himself and his passenger. Back in Ohio, Gentile remained a local legend well over a generation after his death. Greg Covington, a Piqua native, grew up hearing the stories of Gentiles daredevil flying in and around Piqua as well as his heroics during World War II. As he got older, he worked for a grocery store and would deliver groceries to Gentiles father. One of the topics that bothered Greg was that there was very little known about how Gentile passed, and even the stories in Piqua often seemed to contradict each other. Greg chose to set about researching the crash and find out as much as he could. He obtained the crash report from the Air Force and began to study it. On slow nights at this job as an overnight X-Ray technologist, he would compare Google earth maps to the crash report maps. Then, one day, the pieces clicked in. The Google Map nearly matched the crash map, and at least from the pictures, it appeared the crash site was undeveloped. Could this be true? Greg needed help from someone local to the site to find out if his instincts were correct. I had just embarked on my first venture into wreck site investigation, the June 22nd 1957 crash of a Capital Airlines DC-3 in Clarksburg, Maryland, and posted my findings on an internet forum: www.wreckchasing.com. I was intrigued by the Gentile crash site and began looking into it on my own. I found that the information was sketchy and contradictory. I picked a spot that I thought was the most likely area and considered heading out there. Greg saw my posts about Gentile on the forum and reached out to me. He was convinced that he was very close to determining the crash-site location. On reviewing his research, I agreed with his conclusions, in direct contradiction with my own prior supposition. Now came the tricky part of identifying the current landowner and securing their permission for an on-site investigation. A search of the Maryland land records turned up the landowner, but after repeated attempts I failed to obtain his permission to search the property. I therefore chose to write a letter, explaining to him who we were, what we were looking for and how we would handle ourselves. The letter did the trick, and the landowner gave us access to his land, but with the condition that we had to keep the location confidential. With permission granted and a letter from than landowner in hand, we could now move along with an actual expedition to the crash site. The big question was when to go. Digging in the winter was out of the question, as the ground would be too hard. If we waited too far into the spring, we would have to deal with something I call the green explosion, the time when undergrowth suddenly resurges into life, making any kind of ground search far more difficult. That left us with a search window from roughly the end of March to the beginning of May. To complicate matters further, Gregs wife was close to giving birth to their second child. We had to wait for the babys arrival before making any concrete plans. Based on the babys due date, we figured wed end up heading to the site around the second or third weekend in April. In the meantime, Greg and I continued to analyze and re-analyze the crash report data. We closely examined the Google Earth maps and kept moving around our probable point of impact. The one thing I learned from my experiences in Clarksburg is that everything is far closer together than it appears on Google Maps and even the crash scene photographs. At night, I even had nightmares that Id picked the wrong property to obtain permission from. Further discussions with the landowner regarding certain topographical features did, at least, convince me that I got the property location correct. Gregs son came into the world on March 22nd. With his arrival, we could now make definite plans to visit the crash site. We picked the second weekend in April. Greg would rent a car, drive the eight hours from Piqua to the Washington, D.C. area on Friday. He and I would meet to go over last minute details and figure out a battle plan for the site. We would then head out to the site; each one of us to be joined by one a friend. Gregs friend Capt. John Stein, also a Piqua native, would come up from Virginia. The visit to the crash site was going to be a one-shot event. There could be no postponement or do-over. We had to be prepared to handle whatever Mother Nature would throw at us. Mother Nature did try her best to throw us a curveball. Two 90F days earlier in the week hastened the appearance of the green explosion, which was followed by severe storms that could have impacted Gregs travel plans. All went well on the trip though, and Greg and I met in person for the first time on Friday afternoon. We had one bit of final anxiety though, as we noticed that terrain features were almost identical in an adjoining property, which is typical of this section of Maryland with undulating hills separated by valleys with streams. Could we have erred and picked the wrong property? The evidence, particularly the eyewitness testimony, seemed to support our original analysis, but we just couldnt be sure until we were actually on site. We did know that the adjoining property was also owned by the same individual, so we could only hope he would let us poke around there if wed made any mistakes. Saturday, April 13th dawned chilly, but clear and sunny. One of the landowners employees had unlocked the gate to the property and our vehicles bumped down the ill-maintained gravel driveway. It became immediately apparent that everything was far more compressed than wed seen in the pictures. A quick scan revealed an extraordinary sigh thought a tree with its trunk sheared off and other limbs growing up around it. A short hike towards the tree revealed the ravine described in the crash report. Gregs research was near perfect. Instead of spending our morning looking for the point of impact, we found ourselves exactly where we needed to be. I looked at Greg and told him, Congratulations. You did it!. We soon found a depression in the earth about 20 yards from the sheared tree. You could draw a line of 45 to 50 degrees straight to the area where the tree was damaged. Our thrill at finding the exact spot was muted with the sudden realization that we were standing on ground where two men had lost their lives. With the crash site pinpointed, came the exacting work of searching the property with a metal detector and marking the hits with flags and recording those locations with a GPS unit. Greg is quite experienced with a metal detector, and had bought a brand new one specifically for the purpose of exploring the wreck site. As we marked each hit, we noticed that a debris field was clearly emerging. Once we had about a dozen hits marked, we began the painstaking process of excavating each spot and sorting through the dirt using a pinpoint detector. We did unearth some regular junk, such as pull tabs from old aluminum cans and a couple of coins, but small pieces of airplane were also coming to light from approximately 6 to 7 inches below the surface. Unfortunately, I had to leave at noon, but Greg and John continued marking and digging for another couple of hours. The days work had yielded about a dozen artifacts that were likely from Gentiles doomed T-33. The expedition was successful enough that a second expedition to the site was planned for the following March. Our second expedition was much easier with the landowner, as we had earned his trust. Greg had also become quite the virtuoso working the metal detector in the year since our last visit. Once again, Mother Nature threw a curveball at us, including snow the Tuesday prior to the site visit and predictions of heavy rain for the Saturday. Fortunately, the heavy rain held off, and with periodic drizzle and showers, Greg and I managed to recover about another dozen artifacts from the site. The most significant of these artifacts was a nearly intact ignitor that could only have come from a T-33, thus giving us our smoking gun and the one artifact that could truly tie in all the others wed found to having come from Gentiles ill-fated jet. We have fully documented all the artifacts recovered and have been moved them to where this story first began, in Piqua, Ohio. They will help tell the final chapter of Piquas favorite son, Dominic Salvatore Gentile. My immediate thought was that if these ladies could say this about someone's son who is trying to make a difference, what would they do or say if my son grows up and wants to be a teacher to young kids? At a time when society is crying out for the need for more male role models, because so many children are growing up without fathers, grandfathers or other male role models in the home, we all need to help, not hinder, the ability of good men to actively contribute to the raising of young people. Society in general is making and taking far too many unfounded assumptions as gospel nowadays, especially when it comes to men, before due diligence is completed. Without any evidence whatsoever they effectively labelled this man a potential paedophile. In a separate case, but one which illustrates this point, a female Court of Appeal judge has just ruled that she had doubts about the credibility of a mother's evidence after the woman alleged during family court proceedings that her ex-husband had sexually abused their two-year-old child. The WA man is now seeking compensation after spending more than seven months in jail for a crime he has now been found not to have committed. The man's lawyer hit the nail on the head when he said that he hoped his client's ordeal would "contribute to a change in the mindset of authorities" to ensure innocent people were not jailed. In other words, just because the father was a man and an allegation was made, it was believed. Less than one in every five teachers in WA primary schools is male, and some schools in the state have no male teachers in the classroom. Although there was a slight increase in males doing education courses at WA universities from 2012 to 2014, they are still heavily outnumbered by women by a long way and far more males go into secondary teaching that primary school teaching. Despite best efforts of education authorities to redress the balance, progress has been slow and sadly teaching is now been seen as a less-safe profession than it once was. In WA, threats and violence have risen against principals and teachers at a rate more than five times higher than most other workplaces. Alarmingly, much of this violence is coming from parents of students at the school. The old days of the parents respecting the opinion of a teacher and accepting their own child's poor behaviour seem to have long gone. Nowadays, fewer parents can admit their own child has done something wrong. Instead, too often the teacher is targeted by the parent which in the end does not help anyone. When a young man starts factoring in the violence as well as the sniggering and back-chatting that I witnessed at that swimming class, it is little wonder that they choose to enter another profession rather than teaching. Yes, trust has been broken in recent years due to certain conduct of some individuals. Some high-profile cases have hit the headlines involving inappropriate relationships between staff and students. Those teachers deserve to face the full force of the law if they have crossed what is a very clear line. But as a society, we need to trust ourselves as parents to actually trust again. There might be all the training available in the world and more advertising to attract male teachers. But if we as a society do not change our prejudicial views it will not make a blind bit of difference. The WA Department of Education does not have separate guidelines for male and female teachers. All teachers are expected to know, understand and comply with the guidelines currently in place, the code of conduct and to use their own good judgement. Some of the questions the guidelines instruct a teacher to ask are 'am I doing the right thing?', 'how would others judge my actions?', 'how could my actions impact on others?', 'should I discuss this with someone else?' Teachers are directed via the department guidelines in every situation to apply 'accountable and ethical' decision making. If as parents we had to do this, most of us would fail at the first hurdle. All that reads well but let's try to apply these words to a practical schoolyard example of a young girl who has fallen over and cut open her leg. The old-fashioned 'bloodied knee'. The first instinct of any adult male or female would obviously be to comfort the child. You might put an arm around them or even give them a hug. You would do it with your own child and you would do it to a kid in the schoolyard if you were on parent duty. But how would those simple and perfectly normal actions stack up against the four 'ethical and accountable' decision making processes in the guidelines? In today's judgmental and litigious world a male teacher would almost certainly wait patiently at some distance for a female teacher to come and 'take over'. The little girl may be sobbing and in pain, but that man is saving himself is protecting his reputation and even saving himself a potential court case. After all, many terrific careers have been ruined by false allegations, assumptions and rumour-mongering. Teaching is a very rewarding profession and I should know - I trained as one. It is so sad that teachers just cannot get on and simply teach our children without worrying about this politically correct world we live in. The fact is, more often than not, it is your child's teachers who are picking up the pieces when it comes to families affected by drugs, lack of self-discipline in a world where dysfunctional families are on the rise. But for society to get back on track, next time you complain that your child's school is lacking enough male teachers why not ask yourself if you are one of those parents who perhaps does not actively encourage the acceptance of a man to teach your child, especially your daughter. If you have had reservations about the fact your child is being taught by a man this year, let's make 2016 the school year where you realise that education is the key to a better future for him or her. Children are pretty perceptive and if they pick up on your hesitation about their 'male' teacher, you are projecting your insecurities onto them. Ancient alpine ecosystems unique to Tasmania's remote world heritage wilderness, including trees that lived for more than a millennium, have been killed by fires that scientists say are linked to climate change. The first images of the damage on the state's central plateau, obtained by Fairfax Media, have triggered calls for governments to do more to protect internationally recognised landscapes as part of their fire response. Destroyed pencil pine on Tasmania's central plateau. Credit:Rob Blakers Taken on Saturday near Lake Mackenzie at an altitude of about 1200 metres, the photographs show pencil and king billy pines and cushion plants scorched after lightning strikes on January 13. Some are estimated to be 1500 years old. Unlike eucalypt forests, these plants are destroyed by fire and will not regenerate. Historically, they have not burned naturally. A WEEKEND of negotiations between UK PM David Cameron and the president of the European Council Donald Tusk has not reached a deal. A further 24 hours of talks are currently underway to reach an agreement on issues such as withholding in-work benefits to migrants from the EU and better protection for non-Euro countries within the block. The prime minister dismissed the proposal of an emergency brake to allow the UK to remove benefits for EU migrants for four years, as not good enough. The UK government is hoping to reach a deal ahead of a meeting of EU leaders on February 18-19. The key points for discussion are: Protection for non-euro countries Competitiveness An end to the obligation for closer union Benefit restrictions No official date for a referendum has been set, the only commitment being to hold one by the end of 2017, but Downing Street is believed to favour June 23 this year. The leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage accused the prime minister of fiddling around on the edges and said none of the negotiations would make any difference at all on Britains position in Europe. A poll for the Daily Mail at the weekend shows support for remaining in the EU is rising but an in vote has only a narrow majority. The poll, by ComRes, found 54% would vote to remain in the EU if the referendum was held now, while 36% would vote to leave and 10% were undecided - a smaller share than in previous polls. Photo:Flickr/Foreign & Commonwealth Office Thomas Demos, 48, from Drummoyne in Sydney's inner west, was among many attendees demanding a refund on Sunday. A photo of a plate containing an abundance of salad and small piece of meat was posted to the Sydney Barbecue Festival Facebook page. Credit:Zac Nicholson/Facebook Mr Demos told the Herald he and two friends paid $30 each for tickets, and arrived at the festival about 1pm, by which time crowds had already swelled to about 2000. "We wanted to get something to eat but the queues were enormous. Everyone around us was complaining. "There was very little shading or seating. There was very little else to do." Mr Demos said they planned to spend the whole afternoon at the festival, sampling the barbecue delights on offer from vendors including Bovine and Swine Barbecue, Porteno and Surly's. [It was] basically $138 for a small lunch, a couple of drinks and bad sunburn. Adam Leung They left hungry and empty-handed after an hour-and-a-half, and were forced to suffer the ignominy of eating salad wraps at a nearby cafe. "The whole point was to go there and have a good feed and have a few beers. We were happy to spend some money on food but we couldn't. "We queued up in four separate queues, and we were told we would be waiting for 45 minutes at the very least. "It's fairly obvious there was a lack of planning." When a thunderstorm struck Sydney later in the afternoon, patrons had to leave the event to seek shelter. Overnight, a "Sydney BBQ Festival Hate Page" gathered hundreds of likes as attendees accused organisers of deleting complaints from the festival's official Facebook page. In a post late on Saturday evening, organisers apologised for the chaos but said "all elements of the event were delivered as advertised" and there were "no grounds for a refund". Organiser Matt Vitale told the Herald a lot of organisation had gone into the event and it was "always disappointing to get negative feedback". He said the stormy weather in the days before the event "played havoc" with 13 food traders, with rain affecting the wood-fired smoking equipment, causing one vendor to pull out at the last minute. "I think we've delivered a good event under difficult circumstances and it's unfortunate there's some bad feedback," Mr Vitale said. He said vendors and organisers were fully aware of expected crowd numbers but were swamped about lunchtime as crowds arrived early to beat the afternoon thunderstorms. "Early in the morning, [the demand] hit the guys at once. There were a range of things working against us and we were playing catch-up. "We actually had fewer people come than we briefed our traders on." Mr Vitale said food stalls that sold out were restocked later in the day. Adam Leung, who endured the long wait for food, described the festival as "the worst value for money from any event I've been to". "My wife got very badly sunburned waiting at a table in the sun for me while I waited two hours for food. She didn't want to leave the table to give it up (we had no idea how long we'd be waiting for food)," he wrote on the event's Facebook page on Sunday morning. "[In] summary between two of us it was $70 for entry, $10 parking, $18 for drinks from the bar, $40 for 2 serves of wings and 2 soft drinks .. basically $138 for a small lunch, a couple of drinks and bad sunburn. 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. Queensland's government will spend $1.35 million on a campaign to reduce the alarming spike in attacks on paramedics. The public awareness campaign is one of several recommendations made by a taskforce set up to curb violence against ambulance officers after assaults spiralled during the past two years. Queensland Ambulance Service paramedic Brad Johnson suffered cuts, bruises and a black eye during an assault while on the job. Credit:Queensland Ambulance Service "We need to get the message out that serious assaults on paramedics will not be tolerated, and are subject to significant legal penalties," Health Minister Cameron Dick said on Sunday. The state government could consider supporting a move to change the name of the state's Boundary Streets, but only after extensive consultation with indigenous groups, councils and local communities. The issue has flared up in Brisbane at various times, with the latest push coming after advocates for the change altered West End's Boundary Street sign to read 'Boundless' Street, with an online petition following on its heels. Local Murri elder Sam Watson, who is against changing the name of Boundary Street. Credit:Michelle Smith Historically, the streets served as boundaries that separated European settlers from indigenous people. Curfews were enacted as part of the racist policy, which saw indigenous people's forced back behind the boundaries at certain times under the threat of incarceration and violence. Ms Carnell's time as chief minister of the Australian Capital Territory was marred by the tragedy of 12-year-old Katie Bender who died when a flying piece of debris struck her during the implosion of the Royal Canberra Hospital. Ms Carnell described that day as the "worst day of my life". In the end Ms Carnell resigned shortly before a vote of no confidence following a financial scandal over the cost to the taxpayers of Canberra's Bruce Stadium development which blew out by about $30 million. Despite her background as a Liberal politician Ms Carnell says the independence of the small business ombudsman is key. "This is an independent role," she says. "I hope if you ask the Labor party about that or cross benchers about that they would say that I have always worked closely with them." For her part Michelle Rowland, shadow small business minister, says she congratulates Ms Carnell on the appointment and "I look forward to working with her to further the interests of Australian small businesses". She knows the small business community would just be in shock if she went in there and became a big business sop. Peter Strong Peter Strong, chief executive of the Council of Small Business of Australia, says Ms Carnell has been critical of the government in her role at ACCI. "Of course she has a leaning towards the Liberals but I don't think that affects her performance in any way, shape or form," he says. Big business "big and tough" Ms Carnell says the time she has spent at the AFGC and the ACCI will be of assistance in her new role. While the ACCI has in the past been seen as representing the interests of the top end of town, Ms Carnell stresses the industry organisation's membership is "predominantly SMEs". At the ACCI she headed campaigns to bring in an effects test and reduce penalty rates and Mr Strong says she was focused more on the small business side of the membership than previous chiefs. "She knows the small business community would just be in shock if she went in there [as ombudsman] and became a big business sop," he says. Ms Carnell says her focus on SMEs at ACCI was driven by the sheer weight of numbers with Australia estimated to have two million small enterprises. "If we want Australia to grow and for us to address unemployment rates we really need to enable the SME and family enterprise sectors to grow," she says. "There's an element of truth that big business can look after itself. They're big and tough." In contrast Ms Carnell says the SME sector is "a broad church" with a wide range of interests to address "and on the whole they are busy running their businesses". "We want them to get on with running their business and making it easier to employ and not letting government rules and regulation get in the way." Her agenda Ms Carnell is still determining the make up of her office and staff along with the policy areas she is going to focus on. "Whatever is the most efficient way to do that is what I will do," she says. Her first step, she says, will be to talk to Mark Brennan, the outgoing small business commissioner, and she will also work closely with O'Dwyer, Rowland and the cross benchers. While the role of small business ombudsman replaces that of small business commissioner she says "we don't want to reinvent the wheel here. I am hoping to be a very strong advocate for the sector to work closely with industry associations and small business generally." MS Carnell says small business needs a "one stop shop" to go to with issues. "I'd like to make sure that small business has a very strong voice inside all parts of government not just the small business ministers office but more broadly," she says. The solution according to Ms Carnell is to "press the flesh". "A lot of this is about going and listening and talking, I hope I can convince [government] departments to run regulations and laws past us to ensure that they are small business friendly," she says. Patience pays off Mr Strong says patience has paid off after COSBOA first called for a small business ombudsman when it was first formed in 1977. He says some big businesses have used their money, resources and political influence to stop any policy that may provide fairness for small business at the expense of their bullying business models. Police claim to have busted a Melbourne drug syndicate in dramatic raids overnight, arresting the alleged kingpin before taking down his underlings. As Melbourne's attention was turned to the Australian Open men's final, police moved on the drug syndicate, storming properties in Carlton, Tullamarine, Balwyn North and St Kilda. More than 150 police were reportedly involved, with 15 search warrants executed. A 51-year-old Tullamarine man, allegedly the syndicate's kingpin, was arrested shortly before 7.30pm. With the boss safely in custody, police then reportedly moved in to arrest his underlings. Another 10 people were arrested. Town of Cottesloe mayor Jo Dawkins has warned a group of "neomasculinists" in favour of legalising rape on private property - they are not welcome in the "family-orientated community". The online group, Return of The Kings, have organised to meet outside one of Perth's most popular pubs, the Ocean Beach Hotel in Cottesloe on Saturday, February 6 as part of a global bid to get members to meet for the first time. And while Ms Dawkins admitted the council could not stop the group meeting on the footpath outside the OBH she said they would not be welcome. Joan Thompson Lawrence W. Reed Join the Nassau Institute Wednesday, February 17, 2016 for a lecture by Lawrence Reed, president of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE.org) on Real Heroes. Mr. Reed will discuss the character traits he regards as critical to the flourishing of a free society. No stranger to The Bahamas or The Nassau Institute, Mr. Reed was a favourite of the institute's founding president, so who could be a more fitting person to launch the first annual Joan Thompson Memorial Freedom Lecture? The dinner presentation ($75 per person) will take place at the British Colonial Hilton with cocktails (cash bar) starting at 6:30pm, dinner at 7:00pm followed by Mr. Reeds talk. Sign up at our secure connection by clicking 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. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 31, 2016 | MURRAY, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Jan. 31, 2016 | 06:02 PM | MURRAY, KY Community Financial Services Bank has promoted several employees to upper management positions. In a news release, the company announced the promotion of six employees. Senior Vice President/Business Development Officer Jennifer Apple was promoted to Executive Vice President. Apple, with 33 years of banking experience at CFSB oversees several areas of the bank including marketing, public relations, call center and business services. Senior Vice President/Compliance Officer J. Michael Radcliffe was promoted to Executive Vice President. Radcliffe oversees the bank's regulatory compliance program as well as loan review and credit analysis. He has been in banking since 1988 and has worked as a teller, bookkeeper, trust assistant, credit analyst and credit department manager. He has been with CFSB since December 2002 and assumed the role of compliance officer in 2005. Vice President/Chief Information Officer Andrew Murrell was promoted to Senior Vice President. Murrell coordinates the bank's Information Technology Team and IT infrastructure. He has been involved in every major IT project since he joined CFSB, including the analog to Cisco voice over ip phone system conversion, server virtualization and architecting the network for the corporate building. Calloway County Banking Center Manager/Vice President Sammy Jason Pittman was promoted to Senior Vice President. Pittman graduated from Calloway County High School a member of the Class of 1998 and from Murray State University in 2003 with a degree in government law and international affairs. He began his career at CFSB in December of 2008 as the Calloway County Banking Center Manager after previously being employed as Director of CFSB Center at Murray State University, supervising over 30 employees. In addition to his responsibilities as Banking Center Manager, Pittman is also a commercial loan officer. Assistant Vice President John Allen Waddell to Retail Banking Manager of CFSB. Waddell graduated from Marshall County High School, a member of the Class of 2008. He began his career at CFSB in February of 2012 at the CFSB Benton Banking Center. Waddell received a Bachelor of Science in Business with an Area in Finance from Murray State University, Class of 2012. His financial education also includes his current enrollment at the Barret School of Banking at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee. Relationship Banker Cody Myers was promoted to Customer Relationship Manager of CFSB. Myers graduated from Marshall County High School, a member of the Class of 2010. He began his career at CFSB in May of 2015 at the CFSB Benton Banking Center. Cody will receive a Bachelor of Science in Business with an Area in Business Administration from Murray State University in May of 2016. All of the promotions were unanimously approved by CFSB President/CEO Betsy Flynn and the Community Financial Services Board of Directors. By Jim Waters Jan. 31, 2016 | 10:33 PM | LEXINGTON, KY Parents nationwide are taking to social media to express their voluminous frustration with ludicrous math exercises introduced by public schools as a consequence of the much and deservedly maligned Common Core state standards. They know these exercises don't serve their kids well. However, our students aren't the only ones challenged by current public-education math. Take, for instance, the "math" involved in solving the "story problem" involving incredible high school graduation rates reported by the Kentucky Department of Education. Since Common Core's Amen Corner loves multi-part questions, we offer some different aspects of the Bluegrass State's graduation equation: Part one: The KDE's claims of remarkable improvement in graduation rates for the past three years are based on a new, supposedly more-accurate calculation. The KDE's report that the on-time high school graduation rate for the Class of 2015 was a sky high 88 percent well above the national average was given a roaring shout-out by those desperate for tangible victories related to their progressively fuzzy math ideology that's increasingly applied to teaching and learning, including Bill and Melinda Gates. Part two: Education commissioner Stephen Pruitt also crowed about these high graduation rates in a printed addendum accompanying his recent 2016 State of K-12 Public Education in Kentucky address. Pruitt claims the results are because the commonwealth is among a limited group of states requiring Algebra II for high-school graduation. No calculator is needed to determine that if his conclusions are mathematically sound, the passing rate on Kentucky's Algebra II End-of-Course exams would be running at least close to 88 percent. Right? Part three: The percentage of students scoring "Proficient or Above" on the Algebra II exam has never exceeded 38 percent. While I didn't do so well amongst a group of math hotshots already performing at college level in Mr. Leach's Algebra class, even I can figure out that something's not adding up here. How can Kentucky claim a high school graduation rate of 88 percent based on diplomas that supposedly require Algebra II when only 38 percent of students pass that test each year? Hint: Can you say "social promotion to hollow diplomas?" For extra credit: If Algebra II is essential for success in today's economy, what's going to happen to the 88-minus-38-equals-50-percent of Kentucky's kids who don't master this critical course? Super bonus question: Should our education leaders be crowing about this state of Kentucky's public-education affairs? The Algebra II flop isn't the only indication that the real standards behind Kentucky's high school diplomas are faulty. Here's another multi-part math problem that again begins with the fact that the KDE reports an 88 percent on-time graduation rate for 2015, which means that for every 100 entering ninth-grade students in the class, 88 graduated in four years. Part one: The KDE's own numbers say about 67 percent of those 88 graduates qualify as adequately prepared for college and/or careers. Part two: Less than 67 percent of those 88 graduates means fewer than 59 out of every 100 entering ninth-grade students actually got diplomas that might prove of real value. Too many education policymakers don't seem to be doing the math related to this issue, presumably because they believe the watered-down diplomas they're handing out at commencement ceremonies are meaningful. 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This article was published 31/01/2016 (2454 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba has decided not to allow its nominee to run for the party in Selkirk. Its candidate selection committee on Friday decided that the candidacy of David Horbas would be seriously problematic and not in the best interests of the party. A copy of the decision obtained by the Free Press said the party is dropping Horbas based on a review of demonstrated and ongoing shortcomings with regards to Mr. Horbass participation in the partys election preparedness program and campaign planning efforts, and his overall performance as a candidate since his original nomination in November, 2014 Horbas, a businessman from the RM of St. Clements, said in an email Sunday morning that he was not prepared to comment just yet. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 01/02/2016 (2453 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef concedes Canadas first-past-the-post electoral system has its advantages. And, whatever its flaws, she acknowledges it would be welcomed in fledgling democracies like Afghanistan, from whence she fled as a youngster. But a mature democracy like Canada can do better, she says. Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef answers a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015. Monsef concedes Canada's first-past-the-post electoral system has its advantages. But a mature democracy like Canada can do better, she says. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Monsef has been put in charge of delivering on Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus pledge to make last falls federal election the last conducted under FPTP. The objective, she says, is to engage voters, improve turn out during elections and make all Canadians feel like their votes count. That means a stronger democratic system that allows for a higher voter turnout, that engages the voices of those who at the moment feel like theyre ignored, those who feel like their issues dont matter and that their hopes and aspirations dont count, Monsef said in an interview. We have an opportunity, with this government as we approach the 150th anniversary, to strengthen and modernize our democratic institutions and bring them into the 21st Century and that is the mandate that we got from Canadians. Monsef has used the mandate argument to deflect Conservative demands for a Canada-wide referendum on whatever electoral reform is eventually recommended by a soon-to-be-constituted, special all-party committee. In the interview, she continued to throw cold water on the referendum idea, but didnt absolutely rule it out. We need to consider different ways of voting, yes, but we also need to consider online voting, we also need to consider mandatory voting. There are some who suggest that we need to consider the voting age So, to reduce this national conversation to a simple Yes or No is taking a short cut and doing a great disservice to Canadians and to this incredible opportunity we have here to engage Canadians. Still, Monsef said shes not ready to commit to a categorical rejection of a referendum. In the meantime, she said the all-party committee can decide for itself how to conduct broad consultations with Canadians. Shell be conducting her own extensive consultations at the same time, she added. Referendums have shot down electoral reform proposals in British Columbia, Ontario and P.E.I. On a national scale, a referendum would be even more difficult, with any proposal having to garner signficant support in all regions, if not all provinces. Some polls have suggested Canadians arent particularly keen on changing the familiar FPTP system, in which the candidate who wins the most votes in a riding wins the seat, frequently with considerably less than 50 per cent of the vote. But Monsef scoffed at the suggestion that all her consultations might produce a consensus to stick with the status quo. Our entire campaign platform was based on the conversations that the prime minister had across the country for years and so we heard Canadians and we developed a set of proposals accordingly. The Conservatives have accused Trudeau of planning to rig the system to ensure Liberal election victories in perpetuity. Trudeau has in the past expressed a personal preference for a ranked ballot system, in which voters rank their preferences and trailing candidates second choices are counted until one emerges with more than 50 per cent of the vote. Conservatives contend that would favour the centrist Liberals, who are most likely to be the second choice of other parties supporters. However, Monsef noted that Trudeau has specifically asked her to explore all options, including various models of proportional representation. And she said one of the reasons he chose her to lead on the file is precisely because she has no preconceived notions. I have no preference and its quite liberating to bring that level of objectivity to a file like this one. ????? Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 01/02/2016 (2453 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The two best friends were just 13 years old when one of them went missing and was found murdered. Now, Candace Derksens closest pal and most kindred spirit, Heidi Harms Friesen, has died. Friesen, who was married with four children, died from colon cancer Tuesday in Winnipeg. She was 44. Family photos Heidi Friesen with her best friend Candace Derksen. There is huge grief, said Wilma Derksen, Candaces mom. Friesen remained close to Candaces family after her best friend went missing Nov. 30, 1984, and her frozen body was found six weeks later in a shed under the Nairn overpass. The tragedy forged a lasting bond. What we dont realize is that in traumatic times and times of great fear, there are times of great intimacy and connection, said Derksen, an author and advocate for crime victims. She visited Candaces best friend in the palliative care unit the Friday before she died Jan. 26. Friesen shared a deep faith with Derksen, who asked the dying woman to pass along a message to Candace. There is a kind of celebration in thinking of the two of them meeting again, said Derksen, who didnt share the contents of the message but said she hugged her daughters best friend. It was the most intimate moment we ever shared, said Derksen. There is still beauty in goodness and beauty in memories and love and anticipation. We have a vivid idea of heaven, and in that we have comfort. Friesens funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at Soul Sanctuary, 2050 Chevrier Blvd. The girls close friendship started the summer they met at age 11 when both their dads were working at Camp Arnes. Two years later, when Candace went missing, it was their strong bond that convinced police Candace hadnt run away. She was looking forward to a visit from Heidi that weekend and wouldnt have missed it for the world. That compelled the police and others to start looking for Candace right away, said Derksen. The families stayed connected because of their shared love for Candace and the tragic story that has continued unresolved to this day. Mark Edward Grant is scheduled to be tried on a charge of second-degree murder in January 2017. Grant was convicted in 2011 of killing Candace, but the Manitoba Court of Appeal overturned the conviction in 2013, and that ruling was later upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada. After Grants initial sentencing in 2011, Wilma and Cliff Derksen hosted a gathering in their backyard where Friesen had many guests fighting back tears. She spoke about the weekend sleepover with Candace that never happened. She told the gathering how shed met Candace at age 11, and they quickly became best friends. As she was about to turn 40, she said, she still felt a deep connection to Candace. Family photo Heidi Friesen and Candace Derksen. My best friend is forever 13 years old, she said at the time. Candaces life and death had a lifelong impact on Friesen, said her husband. It affected the kind of person I was married to, absolutely, said Elroy Friesen. Some years, his wife had a tough, emotionally dark time around the end of November through January, he said. For some, its a time for seasonal affective disorder, but for Heidi it was the time of year Candace went missing, Nov. 30, to the date her body was discovered, Jan. 17. Feelings resurfaced whenever there was a development in the investigation when a troubled soul confessed to her murder and then when Grant was arrested. When we heard there was an arrest made, it took a while for Heidi to be able to process all that emotionally, he said. It was like she went back to being 13 years old, and she had to process that loss. She took an interest in helping crime victims and joined the advisory committee for Pathways that deals with crime victims issues and wrote for its journal. The avid photographer had a showing with Victims Voice at the Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery. Candaces abduction and murder didnt just affect her loved ones, said Elroy Friesen. It affected a number of people, he said. Suddenly, kids were dropped off at school, even kids who lived just seven houses away from it, he said. Girls walking in residential areas were on edge even afraid of approaching vehicles. My youngest sister darted behind cars until a car had passed. Knowing what happened to Candace influenced Heidi as a parent, who was really concerned about at what age their kids now 20, 18, 15 and 14 could take the bus or walk home on their own, he said. BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Family friend David Wiebe (from left), Heidi Friesen, Cliff Derksen and Wilma Derksen share good memories of Candace Derksen in this 2007 photo. Friesen became close friends with the Derksens after their daughter - and her best friend - was murdered in the 1980s. The traumatic losses she experienced helped shape her faith, too. She has always lived with one foot in heaven, said Elroy. After losing her mom at seven and her best friend at 13, Heidi miscarried their first son at four months, he said. It was always important to her to see them again, and there was a purposefulness in her way of living he said. She declared I want to see you in heaven, he said. That affects your way of being and how you go about your life, he said. The families are still connected by their love for the two best friends. Were all just intertwined, said Elroy, who also knew Candace as a kid at summer camp and attends the same church as the Derksens son. We have a shared history and experience, he said It brings us all together, and some beauty comes out of all that. So much good comes out of those difficult things. carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/01/2016 (2454 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Facebook post about threatening and racist behaviour by a taxi cab driver toward Rosanna Deerchild over the weekend has sparked a new idea for safe transportation for indigenous women in Winnipeg. Winnipeg artist Jackie Traverse started a unique ride-sharing group called Ikwe (women helping women safe ride) on Facebook on Sunday afternoon after hearing about what happened Friday night to Deerchild, an indigenous woman who is the well-known host of CBC Radios Unreserved program. Deerchilds post stated that the driver of a taxi cab she had hired to take her to her home Friday night from the Kings Head Pub threatened her and drove her to the Main Street Project and ordered her to get out after she took a photo of his cab number. John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press Pernell Flett is operator of Neechi Rides, a volunteer ride service he is operating by himself to help indigenous people get safe transportation. As I always do I snapped a pic of the cab number to send to my friend. The driver got angry and demanded I delete it. I refused and explained that I was keeping myself safe. He tried to kick me out in the middle of the street. I refused and calmly explained it was not safe, Deerchild wrote in her post, which did not name the taxi company involved. Deerchild could not be reached by the Free Press for comment. Deerchilds post stated that once at the Main Street Project, the driver called two police officers over and told them Deerchild was being unruly and refused to pay. The post said when the officers threatened me with arrest and threatened to take me to the drunk tank, she was able to assure them she had money and was just trying to be safe. I calmly explained again that I had done nothing to warrant that. They told me then just get out of the cab. I refused saying it was not safe in this area. I just wanted to go home. The police told the cab driver to take me home. He did after much verbal abuse. I paid 10 dollars and got out. Stay safe they say. But not if it offends a man. Brown girls are never safe, Deerchilds post stated. The post has been widely shared on social media it had been shared Sunday night from her page nearly 2,000 times since she posted it and has also been copied and shared numerous times by others. Traverse said incidents like that and worse have just happened too many times, to her daughters, other indigenous women she knows and many she doesnt know. It was time to take action so she started her ride sharing group. As soon as you get in (a cab), theyre like do you have money? Theyre rude and demand you pay now or they want a flat rate and sometimes, if you dont want to pay their flat rate, they kick you out of the cab. They assume Im going to ditch the cab or I dont have money to pay for the cab, said Traverse. I swear, 99 per cent of the time when I get in a cab, I have to pay up front. Traverse describes her ride sharing group as being created to ensure women and girls can get safe rides home, to run errands, etc. No more racial profiling, discrimination, unwanted sexual advances, rudeness and the list goes on. Women who can offer rides to those in need are asked to join the group and post availability. Women needing rides are also asked to join the group so that they can privately message someone to book a safe ride. Its on a donation basis, were not running a business. Its called women helping women so youre helping each other out. If you cant pay gas, fine. Lets just help each other out, Traverse said. Pernell Flett has been providing such a service for over a month now since starting his volunteer safe rides service called Neechi Rides. He has also heard many stories, one involving his niece, of taxi cab drivers trying to touch indigenous women or take them places where they dont want to be and did not ask to go. I got tired of hearing whats happening with taxis with our indigenous people, especially the women, and enoughs enough now. It was time to do something about it. I made my post and its been crazy ever since, Flett said. He said he doesnt trust taxis for his own four daughters. Flett uses his own vehicle to provide rides for indigenous people needing safe transportation. Those needing rides can contact him through his Facebook page Neechi Ridess to request a ride at no charge but donations are accepted. He said hes been averaging more than 10-15 rides per day. Its not about money. Its about the safety of indigenous people, Flett said. These stories bother me. One lady told me that a cab took off with her grandchild in the back of a cab and she had to throw an orange at the window to get the cab to stop. Flett said his initiative has the support of Grand Chief Derek Nepinak of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, with whom he met last Thursday. Traverse said if indigenous women find they must take a taxi cab, she said her own experience, on the same day Deerchilds incident occurred, shows that carrying a briefcase can help keep them safe. Because Im an artist, I was carrying my portfolio coming from the school and I got into a cab, Traverse said. He noticed my portfolio and I was treated differently. I wasnt asked those questions about do you have money or (told) you pay ahead of time and thats not normal, Traverse said. Because I was coming from a school, I was dressed up and carrying my portfolio, he assumed this person has money. I said (in a Facebook post) I recommend all First Nations carry a portfolio or empty briefcase when catching cabs to avoid any potential hassle. ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/01/2016 (2454 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Last month, the provincial government conceded Manitobas deficit is now projected at $485 million, $65 million more than was announced only nine months earlier in the 2015 budget. Finance Minister Greg Dewar cited increased demands in health and social services, along with forest-fire costs, as the primary reasons for the ballooning deficit. Yet eight days later, the province declared it had reached a tentative agreement with the 14,000 members of Manitoba Government and General Employees Union (MGEU), an agreement that includes a no-layoff clause for anyone hired before April 15, 2015. On Thursday, it ratified the deal. Manitobas deficit is a sizable hole indeed, one the government appears intent on filling by digging downward. Now, with this MGEU agreement, the provincial government has handcuffed all Manitobans by eliminating cost control as a deficit-fighting option. The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce is opposed to the no-layoff clause because it ties the hands of any government in tackling the greatest threat to Manitobas public services and fiscal health uncontrolled spending, soaring debt and alarming debt-servicing costs (now at $842 million annually and climbing). As Manitobas deficits continue unabated, credit ratings deteriorate and debt-servicing costs rise, the province will find itself between a rock and a hard place, exacerbated by the no-layoff clause. Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press files Manitobas deficit is a sizable hole indeed, one the government appears intent on filling by digging downward. In business, there are two sides to the ledger expenses and revenue. When the books are bleeding red, successful recovery requires examination of both sides of the ledger. Organizations may consider consider being the operative word aggressive marketing to drive new revenues, strategically cutting operational costs or a mix of various options. The provincial government has effectively decided there are only two scenarios up for discussion increased taxes or growing deficits and debt neither of which inspire confidence in the governments fiscal stewardship. Based on Manitobas credit-rating downgrade in July 2015, international rating agencies would appear equally uninspired by the governments game plan. The downgrade reflects the deterioration in Manitobas financial metrics leading to an increased debt burden and our expectation the province will face significant challenges in achieving fiscal balance by 2018-19, noted Moodys Investors Service in a written statement. The stabilization of Manitobas debt burden will depend on the political willingness to rein in spending. The City of Winnipegs current collective agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 500 exemplifies the dangers inherent in no-layoff clauses. In March 2015, the city voted to eliminate the park patrol program, estimated to save $851,000 annually. Due to the no-layoff clause, Section 4.2, the city was required to redeploy all affected employees to other city units. Some retired, others were redeployed successfully, but not all. As of Jan. 28, some continue to be employed by the city, not in other positions, as that would constitute a redeployment, but in work of an undefined nature until a redeployment opportunity materializes. The no-layoff clause ultimately handcuffed council, and continues to do so. When assessing the implications of the MGEU agreement, we must go beyond the here and now. We may have labour peace at the moment, but in five years, when the agreement is up for renewal, the government will have little choice but to seek removal of the clause. In labour negotiations, it is easy to add, difficult to remove. MGEU would likely demand major financial concessions to accept removal of the no-layoff clause. The cost of those concessions will not be minor. The other likely scenario is strike action. When the current government saw fit to weaken the provinces balanced-budget legislation, it did so under the guise of needing full fiscal flexibility to deal with evolving economic pressures. The tentative MGEU agreement, binding the provinces hands in managing its affairs responsibly in an era of changing economic realities, is inconsistent with the justification for the evisceration of the balanced-budget law. Either fiscal flexibility is essential and the province was wrong to limit itself with the no-layoff clause, or financial reins are necessary and the province erred in gutting the balanced budget legislation. Advocates of the no-layoff clause suggest it is of paramount importance to quality public services. Quality public services are neither measured nor assured by public-service employment numbers, but in focusing on service standards and tangible results for citizens. Regrettably, Manitobas health and education outcomes are among the lowest in the country, as evidenced in reports from the Conference Board of Canada, Canadian Institute for Health Information and others. The opposition to the no-layoff clause is not a cry for mass layoffs, but a call for empowerment of our elected officials, fiscal flexibility and results-based service assessment. Quality public services require highly valued and talented public servants. But which supersedes the other a public-service job for life or quality public services in our lives? Manitobans and MGEU members, for that matter are better served by a new agreement that includes fair wages and benefits and lays off the no-layoff sweetener. Loren Remillard is the executive vice-president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and a proud former public servant for 10 years. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 31/01/2016 (2454 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Be very, very quiet. Were hunting candidates. It has become fashionable in the lead up to, and during, an election campaign to declare open season on political candidates. Everything candidates have said, online or not, or done in their past can be fashioned into a digital dagger that can end political careers before they get started. The first trophy head in the 2016 provincial election was bagged this past weekend. The Progressive Conservative Party candidate selection committee issued a statement on Friday confirming it had removed businessman David Horbas as its candidate in Selkirk. The statement said that following a review of demonstrated and ongoing shortcomings in the Partys election preparedness program and campaign planning efforts, and his overall performance, Horbas has been dropped as a candidate. The committee went on to say that his candidacy had become seriously problematic and not in the best interests of the party. Officials in Tory Leader Brian Pallisters office declined to comment on the decision, and party officials were not available. Horbas, a businessman from the RM of St. Clements, said in an email Sunday morning that he was not prepared to comment just yet. Although the specific details are not yet known, it seems fairly obvious the Tories acted pre-emptively to deal with concerns before another party had the opportunity to use Horbas problems as ammunition when the campaign officially begins. And thats probably a pretty good idea. If weve learned anything from recent election campaigns, it is that any wart or blemish can be used to disrupt both local and central campaigns. The most recent federal election is an excellent case in point. Every major political party involved in that campaign suffered the stinging loss of candidates for a wide array of ethical, moral and political offences. By the time it was all over, nearly two-dozen candidates had either been publicly rebuked or, in the gross majority of cases, dropped by their parties. Traditionally, most of the dirt on candidates had been dug up by competing political parties. It is by now well known that all parties have operatives scouring the Internet and public records of all kinds looking for scandals. However, in the last federal campaign, third parties began to generate the majority of scandalous stories, outside the confines of party war rooms. Some Random Political Blog, the creation of Montreal blogger and Robert Jago, became a major force in the last election for outing a number of candidates, mostly Conservative, for embarrassing or offensive things. Other stories were generated by a mostly anonymous, satirical website called The True North Times that shed its comedic sensibilities in the campaign to publish details of various candidates online transgressions. All of this collective dirt digging has certainly not been a welcome influence on the candidate-nomination process, which was well on its way to becoming fairly corrupt. Candidate selection and nomination has always been one of the least altruistic aspects of partisan politics. In theory, the nomination process is supposed to be the very grassroots of democracy, an opportunity for any Canadian of any background to get involved in the political process. In recent years, however, its become more of a political abattoir where many people go in, but few come back out intact. On the surface, potential candidates apply to stand for nomination, and then go out and recruit support among existing and new members. The candidate who can get the most members to attend the nomination meeting typically wins. In the reality of this new era of scrutiny, thats not always the case. Now, party leaders and central campaigns are more involved than ever in manipulating nomination races, thereby stripping the local riding associations of most or all of their influence. The justification for all this heavy-handed manipulation is the need to avoid candidates that could embarrass or debase the party. The reality is that avoiding inappropriate candidates is only one excuse; bypassing the normal nomination process is certainly a powerful motivation. All of which raises a question: is all the increased scrutiny on candidates a net benefit for politics? On the one side of the argument, the net of that enhanced scrutiny has certainly snagged a number of individuals that probably should not seek public office. Thanks to the indelible mark left by social media, these candidates were revealed to be morally ambiguous types with extreme views that made them a bad fit as politicians. For others, however, the situation is not as clear. Often caught in the cavalcade of scandal are candidates that said or did silly things when they were younger that came back to haunt them. Although there is no statute of limitations on stupid or truly offensive, there are instances where the crime (imprudence) does not match the penalty (having to step down). The scrutiny certainly does not make it easier to recruit good people into politics. Not when there is a possibility that somewhat benign comments or activities years earlier will come back to haunt you while in the throes of an official election campaign. There are many good people that would otherwise be excellent public servants who simply arent willing to take the chance of becoming the chew toy for some anonymous blogger or bloodthirsty partisan assassin. For now, however, the reality for all candidates is their lives are open books everyone supporters, political opponents, self-appointed political watchdogs and the media can view for amusement or more malicious purposes. That will make a quick review of your Twitter account, or a culling of Facebook posts, an absolute must. Of course, demonstrating some self-restraint by not saying silly or offensive things online is a possible solution as well. dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca MADISON LAKE, Minn. When Larry Kortuem gives a presentation about life in a log cabin, he can talk about the experiences of pioneers a century and half ago. Or he can talk about his own observations from a recent January night. Since Ive got it warmed up, I might stay tonight, said Kortuem, standing in the 148-year-old cabin built by his pioneering great-grandfather Bernard Kortuem. Hed been stoking a fire in the large wood-burning stove in preparation for giving a tour, and the one-room cabin was comfortable despite the late January chill on the other side of the oak logs. The open loft where Kortuem would sleep, as did Bernards 10-member family in the 1870s, was downright toasty as the stoves heat rose upward. Kortuems wife Trixie quickly made clear her husband would be sleeping alone. Ill come in the summer, she said. Both Kortuems, though, have a clear interest in the history of their rural Madison Lake community and in the immaculately restored cabin that was the seedbed of a Kortuem clan that spread across southern Minnesota and beyond. All of the Kortuems in the whole U.S. come from here, Larry said of the cabin. He wonders about how much in peril that bountiful crop of descendants might have been in the earliest days. Bernard, a German immigrant who first lived in Michigan, is believed to have arrived in rural Madison Lake in 1867, his wife Francesca, their first four children and all of their possessions in a wagon drawn by a pair of oxen. Larrys best guess is that they spent their first winter in a hole dug in the side of a hill with the cabin being constructed in 1868. Its a large home by pioneer standards, and it needed to be as Bernard and Francesca shared it with eight children within a few years. While Bernard spoke only German when he arrived, he was Roman Catholic and appeared to have gotten along well with the Irish Catholics that preceded him in the Marysburg community west of Madison Lake. By the time he learned English, he spoke with an Irish accent, Larry said. The Irish immigrants were fond enough of their new German neighbor that it appears three of them helped build the cabin. The ax notches in the logs give clues to the relative strength and the dominant hands of the cabins builders, leading Larry to believe his great-grandfather had three men working beside him. There are no journals or letters from Bernard to provide clues to his familys experience in those early years. He was likely illiterate, not to mention overwhelmed by work, Larry said, so the only information comes from scattered government and church records and a bit of oral history passed down through the generations. Thats part of the reason that Larry spends time in the cabin, including on nights where temperatures dropped to minus 10 or minus 20 degrees and on hot summer days. Living in the same building as did his great-grandfather, his grandfather and great aunts and uncles even if its just a day here or there provides a visceral connection to history that supplements his research on pioneer life. His conclusion? The practicalities of living in a log cabin is a whole lot different than the b.s. they put in the movies, he said. He knows, for instance, that on a windy sub-zero winter night that its almost impossible to keep the indoor temperature above 50 degrees even when feeding the stove as much wood as it can take. On typical January nights, the stove needs to be stoked every two or three hours to keep the temperature from plunging. Youd have to have a pile of wood about the size of this place to heat it through the winter, Larry said. When a family Thanksgiving was held in the cabin in 2010, with six adults and eight grandkids, they learned some lessons, too, about cabin life. Thank God the kids were outside a lot, Trixie said. I dont know how those people could take it. And, during meal preparation, sending the kids up to the loft wouldnt work. Because when people are tromping around up there, a steady stream of dust settles down on the food. Sleeping 14 in the cabin, using both the main floor and the loft, they understood better the closeness of the quarters and how tuberculosis spread from one child to the next, ultimately killing three of Bernard and Francescas offspring. Larry guesses the 10 Kortuems also had some guests living with them most of those 19th century winters. Farmers were so dependent on their seed supply that, fearing theft, they often kept it in the cabin over the winter, which undoubtedly attracted a variety of rodents. And the oxen would have been of such irreplaceable value that he wonders if they were invited into the cabin when wintertime temperatures got dangerously low. The continued existence of the cabin, as a teaching tool and touchstone to the Kortuems past, is somewhat remarkable. Bernard lived in it only until 1915, when his wife died and he moved to Madison Lake. Rather than being torn down, the cabin became the south wing of a new barn that year, large holes sawed into the north and south walls for cow doors. But even when the barn was torn down in the 1960s, Larrys father, Francis, didnt dismantle the cabin. I think my dad left it just because it was Granpas, Larry said. And then he put a tin roof on it because he wanted to keep it. The cabin was home for hogs until the 1980s, at which point the next generation of Kortuems adopted it. Larrys brother Frank did some of the major work first, jacking it up to make foundation repairs, restoring logs to the gaps where the cow doors had been, putting thousands of hand-cut cedar shingles on the roof. Then Larry, just retired from his work as a certified mechanic, took on the final restoration. He must have worked on it two years, and I worked on it for four years, Larry said. That was just about all I did. The home is in extraordinary condition now, and Larry and Trixie are happy to share it with people who are interested in pioneer times. They even allow people to stay overnight or longer. One guy, who said he always wondered what it would be like to live in a long cabin, stayed for three months. He moved in here in February and stayed until the end of May, Larry said. He said the only thing he didnt like about it was there was no way to take a bath. Lee Paul Newman arrived at Live Well Winona at 8:30 a.m. Saturday for a three-hour training session for the VITA tax-preparation program for income-eligible people. From 9 a.m. to noon, he sat with other volunteers to learn about how to help people that live in Minnesota but work in Wisconsin, or vice versa, fill out their tax forms. He may be the only tax man in Winona that residents look forward to seeing walk in the door. That's because Newman has been volunteering for VITA for five years now, a program that last year alone helped income-eligible Winona-area residents get about $1 million in tax returns. In his first year volunteering, he worked in other volunteer capacities to help folks with taxes, but because none of the programs had income limits, he switched over to VITA. Newman graduated from Winona State University with a degree in accounting, then he went on to get his masters in business administration from the University of Minnesota. From there, he did taxes in the private sector, also helping out friends and family with their taxes every year. Last year Newman, along with the rest of the volunteers at VITA, assisted people with about 1000 tax returns that brought back just over $1 million to the Winona community. I just enjoy helping people and the community, Newman said, which hes been doing for over 35 years. Newman got involved in VITA almost accidentally, when he found himself in conversation with a neighbor he didn't know all that well, and learned about the program. Some of his other volunteer opportunities came in similar fashion. About 35 years ago is when Newman asked Lane Valentine, then the chair of Winona Countys Ducks Unlimited organization, how he could help out. Lane told him to join the committee. To this day, Newman still volunteers for the organization, helping with events and encouraging kids. He also takes kids fishing for the annual Take a Kid Fishing Day, and spends time volunteering for several other committees and organizations over the years. He spent eight years on the WSU Alumni Committee where he helped give away scholarships to incoming students. He helps with the Goodview Gallop, which is a road race that takes place on Theurer Boulevard. For the past couple years, Live Well has sponsored the yearly Trinona race in Winona, where Newman works at a station along the race trail to direct bikers and make sure they stay on course. It was pouring rain during last years race, but Newman was still out there volunteering his time. He said he was really pleased with how many volunteers still showed up to help make the race successful. Former city of Winona council member Tim Breza reached out to Newman several years back and asked if he would like to be a part of two different committees: the Fire Department Task Force, which Newman said helped study the staffing of the fire department at the west-end station, and the Winona Environmental Committee, which studied the developing of land in Winona and its bluffs. Newman has lived in Winona for most of his life, and he said he just enjoys giving his time to the community hes built a life in. He added that there are numerous opportunities for people to volunteer in Winona and dedicate some of their time for the benefit of others and the community; its part of what makes Winona the city that it is today. I like knowing that there are people out there benefiting from my work, and other volunteers' work, Newman said. Its good to see. One century ago, on May 19, 1916, Frank Worsley set out on the last leg of a journey that would become one of historys most remembered tales of survival and selflessness. It is a legend full of lessons especially welcome here at this moment of ego, pettiness and disunity. It is a legend that still has a fatal allure. Worsleys impossible mission was to walk 22 miles across the mountainous spine of South Georgia Island, a jagged dagger of ice and rock jutting out of the furthest reaches of the South Atlantic, 3,000 miles from Antarctica, to a ghostly whaling depot called Stromness. Worsley was accompanied by two others, Tom Crean and Sir Ernest Shackleton, leader of Britains Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. The expedition had set out from England just as World War I broke out in August 1914. The glorious goal was to send a party of explorers across the entire Antarctic continent for the first time, going through the South Pole. But in February 1915, the freezing Weddell Sea captured their ship, Endurance, in ice. On Oct. 27, after months of drifting, the 28-person crew had to abandon ship before the ice swallowed it whole. They were stranded on the last place on earth. Bound tight by Shackletons leadership, the crew hauled sledges over gnarled ice and rode small lifeboats through vicious seas to reach a spit of uninhabited rock called Elephant Island. A crew of six then sailed one of the crippled wooden boats to South Georgia Island, 800 miles away. Then Worsley, Crean and Shackleton made it, miraculously again, to Stromness where they launched a successful rescue of the others. Not a single one of the Endurance crew died in the ordeal. That was Shackletons immortal legacy, not the glory of crossing Antarctica. Shackleton was indeed very hungry for fame and glory and in the turn new century nothing beat polar discovery for making heroes. In 1909, Shackleton nearly became the first person to reach the South Pole. Just 97 miles from the pole, Shackleton halted his expedition in order to save his teams lives. We have shot our bolt, Shackleton wrote. Last week, on Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, Henry Worsley, a descendant of Frank Worsley, sent a message via satellite from his stranded tent pitched 90 miles from the South Pole. Worsley, 55, an experienced polar adventurer who had just retired from the British Army, was trying for a first of his own: crossing Antarctica as Shackletons expedition originally intended, but alone and unaided by kites, sails or supply depots. Worsley was 30 miles away from his epic finish line, but he was tent bound by a whiteout and by exhaustion. When my hero Ernest Shackleton was 97 miles from the South Pole on the morning of Jan. 9, 1909, he said he had shot his bolt, Worsley said in his final dispatch before he called for an airlift. Well, today, I have to inform you with some sadness that I too have shot my bolt. The airlift was successful. Three days later, however, Worsley died at a hospital in Punta Arenas, Chile, from peritonitis, an infection of the abdominal wall. His expedition has raised more than 100,00 pounds for British veterans. Polar exploration has nourished the Walter Mitty part of me for decades. My worship of Shackleton started in imitation of my older brothers and his devotion to the greatest adventure book ever written (for our money), Endurance: Shackletons Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. But I only found out about Henry Worsley a few days after Christmas, while on a family expedition to Chile. By crazy happenstance, we happened to meet a British couple, Tim and Alice Holmes. Alice was the granddaughter of James Wordie, the chief scientist of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Along with her husband, who founded a real estate business called Endurance Estates, Alice had organized an expedition to ski the last 100 miles to the South Pole to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Shackletons journey. Tim had just returned from that adventure, looking powerful and elated. I learned about Worsleys expedition from Tim and began to follow it every day, made possible by the technology that has shrunk the world. On day 61, Worsley invoked Tennysons line that is the classic motto of British heroism. To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield, he said in an increasingly raspy voice. Its timed so well fit the rhythm of our movement. The great lesson of Shackleton to me is that he became a hero not by glorious success, but by giving up on glory to save others, his team. In most of our lives, we discover what is most meaningful and best in us on the climb, not at the summit. Frank Worsley had some poet in him. His book, Shackletons Boat Journey, ended by saying of Shackleton, It seemed to me that among all his achievements, great as they were, his one failure was the most glorious. My summit is just out of reach, his descendant said in his final dispatch. Perhaps not: One can wish that a bit of Shackletons true glory is part of the legacy of Henry Worsley, 1960-2016. Donald Trump is often credited with distilling Jeb Bushs main electoral challenge: that he is low energy. It fits Bush well enough (more accurately, he is a cerebral introvert) to be damaging. But it is Bush, in turn, who has captured the essence of Trump as the chaos candidate. We have yet to determine if Trumps approach is a drawback or a disturbingly effective new method of presidential campaigning. Since the summer, Trump has advanced in a series of taunts, outlandish statements and feuds that have kept him on the center stage of American life. It reflects the persona he developed on Celebrity Apprentice, but see also his Battle of the Billionaires against Vince McMahon at WrestleMania in 2007. Im taller than you, he told McMahon. Im better-looking than you. I think Im stronger than you. Sometimes a columnist must step back, breathe in, breathe out, and consider where the journey has brought us. Days away from the first votes of the presidential nomination process, the prohibitive Republican front-runner is successfully applying the lessons of his pro wrestling career to dominate media coverage and prevent opponents from gaining attention and traction. God help us. The feud this time is with Megyn Kelly, Roger Ailes and Fox News illustrating the distinction between Trumps populism and movement conservatism (a gap that Ted Cruz seeks to exploit). But it is worth recalling how it all started. Mr. Trump, asked Kelly in an earlier debate, one of the things people love about you is you speak your mind and you dont use a politicians filter. However, that is not without its downsides, in particular, when it comes to women. Youve called women you dont like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals. ... Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president? This is the word temperament that will eventually sink the Trump campaign, if it is eventually sunk. We are witnessing what happens when a narcissist who thinks he is at the center of the universe is actually placed at the center of the universe. There is the need for adulation. There are the fantasies of unlimited power see Trumps admiration for Vladimir Putin. There is the expectation of special treatment see his debate boycott. There is the lack of empathy see his cruel mocking of a disabled reporter. Leadership is often evidenced in relatively small things. Shortly after his election in 2000, I was with President George W. Bush in the family theater at the White House where he was practicing his first address to Congress. For whatever reason, the military is charged with teleprompter operation, and the operator had messed up his job. An angry Bush said, Call me when you get your act together and stalked out of the room. The young man was distraught. But a few minutes later, Bush returned and apologized to the operator, saying: That is not the way the president of the United States should act. A small thing, but I remember it. The office confers an awesome power to elevate the lives of those around a president, or to destroy them. I thought of this when Trump delivered his rant earlier this month in Pensacola at a rally where his microphone was malfunctioning. Whoever the hell bought this mic system, dont pay the son of a bitch who brought it in, he told the crowd. I believe in paying, but when someone does a bad job like this stupid mic, you shouldnt pay the bastard. My point is not that Trump should be more polite to the help. It is that the temperament and character of a man or woman gets magnified and amplified by the power of the presidency. There must be some inner check to avoid the abuse of power. Chuck Colson said it was Richard Nixons us-versus-them mentality that led to the creation of the plumbers the group charged with plugging press leaks, eventually triggering the Watergate scandal. The attitudes and leadership style of a president inspire or infect his entire administration. It is a tribute to the seriousness of the Trump candidacy that we should be considering the real-world consequences of his temperament. But his feud-seeking, his personal insults, his shock-jock transgressiveness, his sexism, his mocking of those with disabilities, his clumsy deceptions, his toxic leadership style, his cultivation of chaos should be issues in this campaign. And they should be disqualifying in a prospective president. Congress historically has 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. The 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. 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. University of Wisconsin-Extension Chancellor Cathy Sandeen didnt mince words. We will be doing less with less, Sandeen told the Columbia County Boards Agriculture Land and Water Conservation Committee on Monday during a conference phone call. I am not going to be some sort of Pollyanna, Sandeen continued, and say we are going to do more with less. That was Sandeens response to a question from Committee Chairman Mike Weyh of the town of Lewiston, about the effect of a $3.6 million statewide Extension budget cut on Columbia County. How, Weyh asked, are we going to maintain how well we provide services that meet the needs of our residents? Sandeens short answer: All 72 counties will still have an Extension office. And, all 72 counties will have access to all categories of Extension educational service agriculture, 4-H and youth, community development and family living. (A fifth Extension program, nutrition education, is not affected by the state cutback, because it is federally funded.) But there will be fewer people providing those services, and many of them will serve multi-county regions. What, exactly, that means for Columbia County Extension staffing is not likely to be known before summer, Sandeen said. However, she said she expects to have more concrete answers on March 7, when shes scheduled to come to Portage to meet in person with the ALWC Committee. One of the things shes likely to know by then, she said, is the way that Wisconsins non-metropolitan counties, including Columbia, will be organized into multi-county regions. The proposal currently on the table to group Columbia, Green Lake, Dodge and Fond du Lac counties doesnt sit well with Supervisor Jo Ann Wingers of the town of Courtland. I dont think our county fits very well with Fond du Lac County, Wingers said, noting that, among other things, Columbia County has a smaller population about 56,000, compared to about 101,000 for Fond du Lac County. A better match for Columbia County, she said, might entail grouping with neighboring counties such as Sauk and Marquette, or with the counties that participate with Columbia County in the Intercounty Coordinating Committee Dodge, Green Lake, Jefferson, Marquette and Sauk. What happens with these bigger counties? Wingers asked Sandeen. Are they going to leave us in the dirt? Sandeen responded that it would be a bad result if any counties in a regional group get less service than other counties. Extension Southwest Regional Director Matt Hanson noted, however, that officials of larger counties, statewide, have often expressed the opposite concern that they might be, in effect, subsidizing Extension services for the less populous or poorer counties in their region. Ensuring that every countys Extension needs are met, Sandeen said, is one idea behind a key component of the Extension reorganization plan: Hiring an area leader for each multi-county grouping. As it is now, Sandeen said, many county Extension educators spend 30 percent or more of their time on administrative tasks. These administrative tasks, theoretically, would be handled by the area leader, leaving educators with more time to conduct education programs. In response to a question from Supervisor Tim Zander of the town of Columbus, Sandeen said she envisions conducting an internal search for the area leaders after finalizing a job description. In any case, she said, the addition of area leaders would not result in a net increase in Extension staff at the county level. Exactly how Columbia County is proposed to be staffed isnt known yet, Sandeen said. That will likely be decided this summer. Staffing is a key question in Columbia County, noted County Board Vice Chairwoman Mary Cupery of the town of Fort Winnebago because construction will start any day now on the countys new three-story administration building and two-story Health and Human Services building. The administration building will have office space for Extension, and the configuration of that space was based on the assumption that the countys Extension staffing would stay as it is now. Also, the plans call for the HHS building to include a kitchen for Extension education programs. Another key question is budgeting, said Supervisor John Stevenson of the town of Arlington. This summer, at about the time when the Extension reorganization will begin to be implemented, counties will be working on their budgets. Currently, Columbia County funds 40 percent of Extensions costs. The portion of the state cuts that affect county Extension offices amounts to about an 8 percent permanent decrease in the states share of the funding. How much money each county would allocate to Extension under a regional reorganization remains to be seen, but Sandeen vowed she would help county officials through the budgeting process for 2017. And, Sandeen said, modern technology will allow Extension to provide some of its services remotely, via the Internet. For example, she said, a farmer recently took a photo of a fungus growing on his crops, and that photo was emailed to an Extension expert on the other side of the state, who identified the fungus and advised the farmer on how to get rid of it. Stevenson, a farmer, was skeptical. Somebodys awful good if they can identify a fungus from a picture, he said. Stevenson added that some Extension functions like offering guidance during an outbreak of avian flu or an infestation of the emerald ash borer are best provided with boots on the ground in-person presence. I think there are a lot of people, Stevenson said, who dont realize what a broad brush Extension paints. AMES, Iowa In September, when Donald Trump appeared before a giant rally in Dallas, a person in the Trump circle described the coming months of the campaign. Sure, a big event like Dallas got headlines, but Trump knew he couldnt do the same rally, rally, rally for the next several months and expect the public to remain interested. Even then, TrumpWorld was planning a varied (and secret) schedule of special events, bold policy rollouts and other attention-getting gestures to keep the voters and the medias attention over the course of a long campaign. A recent night in Ames was a prime example of Trumps timing and showmanship. Bringing Sarah Palin to Iowa grabbed all eyes in the Republican caucus race. And it seriously undercut the notion, growing in some political circles, that GOP rival Ted Cruz has nailed down the support of all of Iowas conservatives. Palin, whose last highly publicized visit to Iowa was a poorly received speech at Rep. Steve Kings candidate summit in January 2015, was her most Palinesque self. Discussing who is and who is not a conservative, for example, she said, How about the rest of us? Right-winging bitter clinging, proud clingers of our guns, our God, our religions and our Constitution ... Thats classic Sarah. But Trump was happy to have Palin for more reasons than her ability to entertain a crowd. Even though she is much diminished from her heyday a few years ago, Palin still has influence among some conservatives. Trump now has that on his side, and just as important, Cruz doesnt. At the rally I talked with Jamie Johnson, a veteran Iowa politico who supported Rick Santorum in 2012 and Rick Perry earlier in this race, but is now unaffiliated. Johnson saw the Palin move entirely in terms of persuading voters at the margins of the Trump vs. Cruz contest. I think the Palin endorsement is important for all of the Tea Partiers who were deciding which of the two they were going to vote for, Johnson said. Does Palin still have clout in Iowa? To Tea Partiers, she does. How big a part of the electorate is that? Probably 15 to 20 percent of the people who caucus. Id say 15 to 20 percent would identify themselves as Tea Partiers more than anything else, such as born-again evangelicals. And you would expect that some of them are caught on the fence now between Trump and Cruz? I know for a fact that they are, Johnson replied. Ive talked to several people in the last two months who have been on the fence between Trump and Cruz. So if theyre on the fence, this might be just enough to push them over. Indeed, at Trump and Cruz events in the last two weeks, I have met plenty of people who were for Trump, with Cruz as their second choice, or were for Cruz, with Trump as their second choice. For some of them, Palins seal of approval might make some difference. Before she spoke, I asked several people at the Ames rally whether Palin had worn out her welcome; none thought she had. Its a valuable endorsement because people still view her as an anti-establishment outsider who they can also relate to, said Craig Robinson, a former Iowa state GOP political director who founded the Iowa Republican blog. And if there is any strategy to the Trump campaign, it is to dominate the media coverage of the race, and Palins endorsement will certainly help with that. Thats an understatement. Palins appearance with Trump immediately captured nearly all the medias attention. In the hours and days that followed, it inspired impassioned debate, made talking heads explode, and caused fevered speculation across cable TV. And for Cruz, there is one final, indirect effect of Palins Trump endorsement. In the days ahead, the Cruz camp is left to wonder what Trump has coming up next. He has to have another couple of tricks up his sleeve before the caucuses, said one Cruz supporter recently. The problem is that Team Cruz doesnt know what those tricks are. Theyll find out when Trump wants them to. Its no secret that Americas immigration system is a confused and disorderly mess. Now the U.S. Supreme Court has a chance to inject a needed dose of clarity into the picture by upholding President Barack Obamas priorities on who stays and who goes. Presidents, as well as prosecutors and law-enforcement officers, have always had the authority to exercise discretion in carrying out the law. Who gets a ticket and who gets a warning. Who gets charged with a felony and who gets charged with a misdemeanor. This is the same sort of authority Obama relied on in November 2014 when he issued an order on deportation declaring that the government would target criminals, such as gang members, while giving a three-year reprieve to other individuals. Those excluded are people whose children are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, who have been here at least since 2010 and who do not have criminal records. The reasons for Obamas order are the same ones that compel police and prosecutors to exercise discretion: limited resources and practicality. It is simply not possible to deport the 11 million individuals who are here without the proper documentation, and its silly to pretend otherwise. The humanitarian impulse was to avoid breaking up families and to allow as many as 5 million people to live here without fear of sudden expulsion. It is also useful to bring all these people out of the shadows so that they need no longer fear talking with their neighborhood police or other law-enforcement figures. Some might say that theres a big difference between a cop who doesnt issue a speeding ticket to someone going, say, five miles over the speed limit, and a president who gives temporary blanket amnesty to millions of people. Obviously, the scope of the presidents order is broader, but theres nothing new about presidents acting unilaterally on immigration. President Ronald Reagan in 1987 excluded from deportation the minor children of immigrants who had already been granted amnesty the year before. Three years later, the President George H. W. Bush allowed more than 1 million to stay as part of a family fairness process. Neither one consulted Congress. Whats different this time are the large number of immigrants in our cities who have no legal status, the dysfunction in the immigration system and the relentless pressure on the southern border. It has created a perfect political storm that gives rise to a kind of hysteria over immigration. The current lawsuit before the Supreme Court was brought by states claiming harm to themselves because immigrants impose administrative costs, a flimsy argument that the court should disregard given a judicial history of affirming that immigration is the exclusive purview of the federal government even though lower courts have upheld the states argument. However, the court has consistently upheld presidential authority in realm of immigration. As late as 2012, the court ruled against an Arizona law that allowed the state to detain individuals who were in the country illegally. Essentially, the court said, thats the presidents job. That was true then, and it should still be true today. 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. Wits, SRC to raise R10 million The Wits Students Representative Council and the University are embarking on a campaign which aims to raise R10 million for the 'missing middle'. With a R2 million cheque from Nedbank, the Wits Students Representative Council has officially launched the #Access campaign which aims to raise R10 million to assist fellow students. SRC President Nompendulo Mkhatshwa says that the campaign is aimed at covering the debt of students who form part of the missing middle. The missing middle are students referred to as being too poor to be rich and too rich to be poor, she said during her address to hundreds of parents and students attending the Wits Welcome Day for new students. The 'missing middle' are students who do not meet the criteria for National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding because they are just above the NSFAS threshold but are still unable to afford university fees. Some come from households where the combined income is as little as R120 000 per annum. Contrary to popular belief, the missing middle are not part of the well-heeled middle class she said. Wits University has joined hands with the student body on this ambitious endeavour. An estimated 8 000 students have outstanding debt. The bulk of these students are the missing middle. The #Access campaign has received a major boost from one of the largest banks in South Africa. Anton de Wet: Managing Executive, Client Engagement at Nedbank says the donation is in line with the banks commitment to tertiary education across South Africa. We have been working with Wits to find a sustainable funding solution for higher education in South Africa. We are committed to continue this work with Wits and other stakeholders. We wish the SRC every success in their efforts with the #Access campaign and are delighted to donate the first R2million towards reaching this goal. To support this campaign please visit http://www.witsfoundation.co.za/src.asp. Donations can sent to: Account name: Wits Foundation Bank: Standard Bank Branch code: 00 48 05 Account type: Business Current Account Account no: 002 900 076 SWIFT code: SB-ZAZ-AJJ-480502 Reference: WITS SRC Access InitialSurname (i.e. WITS SRC Access SNgcobo) For media enquiries on the #Access campaign contact Fasiha Hassan, Wits SRC Secretary General on 084 598 2437. Alternatively you can email src.treasurer@students.wits.ac.za src.secretarygeneral@students.wits.ac.za or src.president@students.wits.ac.za Jeremy Pope honored with the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award In a class by himself "I have never seen anything like it," said Cindy Hahamovitch, Class of 38 Professor and history chair, of Pope's teaching evaluations. His effectiveness as a professor will be rewarded with the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award at Charter Day. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Photo - of - Hide Caption Among History Professor Jeremy Popes shelves, crowded with books on ancient Africa, sits a box that goes a long way toward demonstrating why he is being awarded the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award. Pope will be presented the award at W&Ms Charter Day ceremony at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5 in William & Mary Hall. The award is given annually to a younger faculty member who has demonstrated through concern as a teacher, character and influence the inspiration and stimulation of learning to the betterment of the individual and society. In the box rests a number of ceramic pieces that, when fit together, replicate an important Egyptian artifact. Pope, an expert in African history predating the trans-Atlantic slave trade, knows the researcher who, in real life, found the authentic artifact broken and uncategorized at University of Chicagos Oriental Institute and, piecing it together, realized its significance. Pope wanted to recreate the experience for students, so he commissioned W&M student Lorraine Archibald 13 to fabricate the broken pieces from clay. (How she did it is as creative as Popes idea; she built a replica of the whole artifact and laced it with strings so it broke cleanly after it was fired). In class, Pope pulls out the box, which is labeled like the real one in Chicago, sets it on a long piece of butcher paper in the middle of a wide table and tells students to figure it out. They cautiously open the box and begin to gently reconstruct the object from the clay shards. Pope provides a packet of background material that helps identify the artifact by place, time, use and significance. Whenever I teach a course, I try to imagine being an undergraduate student in that course, said Pope, some of whose courses are cross-listed with Africana studies and American studies. Thats a difficult thing for a researcher who spends every day in this material, but I think its one of the main skills of teaching. Cindy Hahamovitch, Class of 38 Professor and history chair, reviewed at random Popes teaching evaluations from six classes. He received median scores of five in every category, she wrote in her letter of support for his award. I have never seen anything like it in my 23 years at the College. The fabricated artifact is just one example of the types of puzzlers Pope presents his students. In another instance, he asked students to date tombs in an ancient Nubian cemetery by using information available to the initial researchers, like elevation, tomb style and artifacts associated with each burial. Using the data at hand and prior knowledge from the course, we were able to chronologically order the tombs and provide a convincing argument for our hypotheses, said Sophia Farrulla 13, in her letter of recommendation, adding that the exercise resulted in the best discussions I have experienced in any class Professor Pope pushed us to become better students better thinkers. Pope also has an eye on dramatic effect, withholding information from students and opting for the big reveal. In lectures, hell introduce a twist, eliciting gasps from students or, one time, a student who cursed aloud. Thats genuine surprise, right? When you accidentally curse out of shock, Pope said. Because students are often completely unfamiliar with African history, he said theyre quickly intrigued with the material as he presents it. Pope himself was once similarly intrigued. Native to Poquoson, as a teenager he would catch radio broadcasts out of Hampton University referencing a rich African history that wasnt taught in his high school. He knew, going to college, he wanted to learn more. But most of his students dont walk into W&M knowing they want to study ancient Africa. Stephen Bennett 14, who also wrote a letter of recommendation for Popes award, said he had no particular interest in Africa when he enrolled in African History to 1800 his first semester. He was so impressed with the first class session, he immediately signed on to Popes freshman seminar, Nubia in American Thought. As Pope created new classes, Bennett enrolled in each, going on to take Africa-related courses in other disciplines and spending a summer in the archaeological field school. [Pope] would connect the history dating back thousands of years to its modern implications and how history reverberates into the modern era, Bennett wrote. Every day I walked out with my mind blown But if Popes had a singular victory with a student, he said it would be the career trajectory of Farrulla, who developed an interest in Nubia in another course and set her heart on a doctoral degree in Nubian archaeology at the end of her sophomore year. Hearing that Pope was an expert on the region, she approached him for a list of recommended readings. Instead, they planned the next two years of her studies to better her chances of acceptance to graduate school. Pope said there are few doctoral programs in the field and those are highly competitive, some only accepting one or two students a year. Graduate students are cultivated from the undergraduate ranks in a pipeline, taking specialized courses not offered at W&M multiple years of Egyptian language and art, for example. Farrulla took six classes with Pope in her final year-and-a-half, developed an honors thesis and spent the summer at a local archaeological site. It was a very tenuous plan, he said. I wasnt that confident it would work. She wasnt that confident it would work. But she assured me this was really something she wanted to do. Today, she is a doctoral student at University of California, Santa Barbara, and she has already excavated as an archaeologist in the Nubian region of Sudan. She said shes aspiring to become as effective and inspirational a mentor as [Pope] was to me. Because Popes area of expertise is obscure, even among historians, he said his first reaction to winning the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award was to be proud of the material I study, in the way youre proud of one of your parents if their accomplishments are acknowledged. The material I study is much more interesting and much less arcane than a lot of people think. Its hard for me to think of another subject that is as much marginalized in the United States, at least another historical subject. Its especially relevant because it has been important to people of African descent in this country. Its rarely been valued by people in positions of power, but its been important to a lot of people in their identity formation in this country. Outside the classroom Pope remains active as a scholar and in service to the campus community. He joined W&M in 2010, fresh from earning a doctorate in Egyptology at Johns Hopkins University, where he also completed comprehensive exams for a separate doctorate in African history. He has published eight articles and in 2014 published the book The Double Kingdom under Taharqo: Studies in the History of Kush and Egypt, c. 690-664 BC. Hahamovitch lauded his inordinate amount of service at W&M. He has been secretary to the Arts & Sciences Faculty, a member of the Committee for Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies, the Honorary Degrees Advisory Committee and the Arts & Sciences Graduate Awards Committee. Within the history department, he is faculty advisor to the history honors society and the undergraduate journal The James Blair Historical Review and has served on a number of department committees. He is currently an advisor to 22 history majors. This is not a usual service load for a junior faculty member, Hahamovitch said. Virginia led: Reveley addresses special session of General Assembly Colonial Capitol President Taylor Reveley addressed the members of the Virginia General Assembly in the capitol building in Colonial Williamsburg's historic area Saturday. Photo by Tom Green, Colonial Williamsburg Virginia Led Reveley encourages the legislators to continue Virginia's legacy of leadership as the Commonwealth faces new challenges. Photo by Tom Green, Colonial Williamsburg Commemorative Session Reveley is greeted by applause at Saturday's event. Past speakers at the special commemorative session have included President Gerald R. Ford, Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell, U.S. Sen. John Warner and Colonial Williamsburg founding benefactor John D. Rockefeller Jr. Photo by Tom Green, Colonial Williamsburg Photo - of - Hide Caption William & Mary President Taylor Reveley drew on Virginias legacy of firsts to encourage the General Assembly to embrace its leadership role as the Commonwealth faces new challenges. In the beginning there was Virginia, friends, and Virginia led, he said. So inspired, we must lead in our time. Reveley gave his address during a special commemorative session of the General Assembly Saturday held at the capitol building in Colonial Williamsburgs historic area. The joint session of the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates was the 26th in a series of ceremonial assemblies that began in 1934 with the dedication of the reconstructed capitol on its colonial-era foundation, according to a press release from Colonial Williamsburg. A highlight of each commemorative session is an address on a current issue facing Virginia, the United States or the world, the release said. Past commemorative speakers have included President Gerald R. Ford, Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell, U.S. Sen. John Warner and Colonial Williamsburg founding benefactor John D. Rockefeller Jr. Reveleys address was titled In the beginning was Virginia, and Virginia led. In the beginning there was Virginia, the Old Dominion at least in the beginning of the English presence in North America, Reveley began before remarking on several of Virginias firsts, many of them taking place within the Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. All in all, the Historic Triangle where we are now gathered has seen a remarkable number of great American leaders in action, and it has been a place where profoundly important American history has been made, he said. But so what? Truly, friends, does it make any difference these days amid the relentless technological advances, the enormous societal flux, and the pervasively bad mood of the early 21st century amid all this does it really matter that Virginia came first and that Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown saw gifted humans do compelling deeds long ago? Reveley endeavored to answer that question by looking at some of the reasons aged institutions are venerated, including endurance through difficult or even terrible times. Virginia has seen its fair share of those, Reveley said, including slavery, secession and segregation. But the Commonwealth has also enjoyed many robustly good times, he added, including recent decades in which national defense spending has bolstered the states economy. That time has run out, Reveley said, noting that out-of-state support for Virginia has declined significantly. Thus, it seems that we Virginians must scramble to rebuild our economic strength, he said. Well need to scramble more than Virginia is accustomed to scrambling since the second World War to expand existing businesses and attract new ones, to develop emerging opportunities in technology and cybersecurity, to drive more international trade through our magnificent port, to lure more tourists to our extraordinary cultural and recreational attractions, to see to crucial infrastructure highways, bridges and tunnels are high on the list to do all sorts of things, including of course, figure out, soon, how to sustain our schools K12, community colleges, four year colleges and research universities. All of that will require creative problem solving, new ways of doing business and most importantly leadership, which is the bone marrow of a functioning democracy, Reveley said. Its inescapable. Leaders matter, said Reveley, adding that leaders dont let a quixotic search for the perfect stamp out the realization of the good. They dont confuse their own policy preferences with the matters of principle about which there can be no compromise. Indeed, they are masters of compromise when crucial to advance the mission. So, Senators and Delegates of the august Commonwealth of Virginia, leaders, your mission is crucially important, and its vital that you take great satisfaction from helping push our extraordinarily wonderful Commonwealth forward, he said. Read Reveleys full remarks here W&M helps First Baptist Church celebrate 240th anniversary Let Freedom Ring Members of the W&M community ring the First Baptist Church bell on Monday. Photo courtesy of Jody Allen Photo - of - Hide Caption People from across the country, including members of the William & Mary community, gathered at the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg Monday to celebrate the 240th anniversary of one of the oldest African-American houses of worship in the United States. The event included participation by civil rights giants Jesse Jackson, Bernard Lafayette, and Rhea McCauley representing the family of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks; dignitaries such as former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large Suzan Johnson Cook and Hampton University President William Harvey; artists and social activists Dionne Warwick and Esperanza Spalding; and the Hampton University Choir. It was unbelievable, said W&M Chief Diversity Officer Chon Glover. It was so powerful and absolutely a celebration. It was just beautiful. William & Mary President Taylor Reveley was also in attendance along with W&M Lemon Project Managing Director Jody Allen and Ron Monarck, managing director of Alan B. Miller Center for Entrepreneurship, who helped coordinate W&Ms involvement. Other members of the campus community who participated include Vernon Hurte, senior associate dean of students and director of the Center for Student Diversity; Chris Gareis, associate professor of educational leadership; and students Braxton Hicks, E.J. Jackson, Greg Packer, Adom Whitaker and Frank Wood. Those in attendance were among the first to ring the churchs newly restored bell, kicking off a national challenge to keep the bell ringing throughout the day every day throughout Black History Month as a part of the #LetFreedomRingChallenge. People interested in participating can reserve their chance to ring the bell at www.LetFreedomRingChallenge.org. Throughout the month of February, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and William & Mary will feature a series of related special museum exhibits and events in celebration of the churchs anniversary and Black History Month. The following events will take place at the university or involve W&M community members: William & Mary Business School lecture series Feb. 11 and 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business in Miller Hall Two speakers will discuss the history of African-American business in the region, which has a long and rich history of black businessmen and businesswoman women. On Feb. 11, historian Russell Hopson will give a lecture on Free Black Families of Southern York County 1690 until Pre-Civil War Era in Miller Hall's Brinkley Commons. On Feb. 18, Edith Heard will discuss "Early Black Businesses of Williamsburg" in Miller Hall room 1013. 'Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County' Feb. 16, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Swem Library Kristen Green, journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County. In the book, Green shares the story of her childhood community and how its students and families were affected by the Supreme Court's ruling of Brown v. Board of Education. The event will be held in Swem Library's Ford Classroom on the ground floor. A reception and book signing will follow. The event is free and open to the public, but attendees are asked to RSVP online or by calling (757) 221-7872 by Feb. 12. Terry Meyers on W&Ms Bray School Feb. 19, at 5:30 p.m. at the Dewitt Wallace Decorative Art Museums Hennage Auditorium Terry Meyers, Chancellor Professor of English, will talk about his research on the Bray School, an 18th-century institution established at William & Mary for the education of free and enslaved black children. 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 Via STAT, old Haiti hand Jonathan Katz writes a must-read: As Zika spreads, women need contraception but can't get it. Excerpt: PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti As Zika spreads, many Latin American officials, concerned the virus is tied to a surge of birth defects, are repeating an ominous warning to women: Dont get pregnant until the epidemic is over. But that advice, repeated from Colombia to the US territory of Puerto Rico, is exposing a major vulnerability in health care systems across the Americas: Millions of women lack access to the medical care and education they need to control when they get pregnant. It isnt fair to say dont get pregnant when there is no sexual education program in schools, said Dr. Guillermo Antonio Ortiz, the former chief of obstetrics at the National Womens Hospital in El Salvador a country whose health ministry recently urged women to wait two years before conceiving. Ortiz, who is now a senior health system advisor for Ipas, a US-based nonprofit that promotes access to abortion and reproductive health services, said that as many as 90 percent of pregnancies in El Salvador are unplanned. The government, he said, has a responsibility to not just advise against pregnancy, but also make sure there is safe and modern contraception available. The warnings have been prompted by concern that Zika is causing a surge in a birth defect known as microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with small heads and underdeveloped brains. Brazil has seen an explosion of reported cases, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged pregnant women to avoid traveling to two dozen countries and territories where there is active transmission of Zika. Fear travels faster than science, and public health officials caution that a link between Zika and microcephaly has not been definitively established. There is also uncertainty over how many cases of microcephaly have occurred in Brazil and how the rates compare to years before the viral outbreak began. Officially, there have been 125 suspected cases of Zika in Haiti since the virus was first confirmed here two weeks ago. Unofficially, its everywhere. In the crowded capital, Port-au-Prince, it seems everyone knows someone who has had the telltale rash, low-grade fever, and reddened eyes that can come with the infection. Venus Hamel, a 28-year-old nurse at a hospital in Carrefour, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, said the disease is rampant in the citys shantytowns, where people are unable to protect themselves from mosquito bites and have not been informed about the potential implications for pregnant women. Its more complicated than chikungunya, another mosquito-borne disease that arrived in the Caribbean two years ago and spread quickly through Haiti, and chikungunya did a lot of damage, Hamel said. Benita Louis, a 29-year-old from Leogane, the town at the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake, is pregnant with her first child. Louis said she was unable to afford prenatal checkups and had never heard of Zika before. Even if she had, it would be difficult to avoid mosquitos in her hometown on the coast of Haitis southern peninsula, or during the 18-mile trip she regularly makes to visit family in a Port-au-Prince slum, riding in open-air group taxis known as tap taps. Her baby is due in March. God will be there for me, Louis said. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Ukraine and France discuss cooperation in nuclear energy 01 February 2016 Share French diplomats met with Ukrainian parliamentarians last week to discuss increased cooperation between the two countries in nuclear energy. Ukrainian nuclear power plant operator Energoatom announced on 29 January that a meeting with the parliamentary Committee on the Fuel and Energy Complex, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety had been held the previous day on the initiative of the French embassy in Kiev. The meeting was chaired by the committee's first deputy chairman, Alexander Dombrowski, and was attended by Energoatom representatives and French embassy officials, including Frederic de Touchet, first counselor to the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of France to Ukraine - Isabelle Dumont - and Vincent Falkoz, an economic advisor at the embassy. They discussed in particular, Energoatom said, "the need to develop nuclear energy as a low-carbon source in response to the requirements of the new global climate agreement", as well as the Ukrainian nuclear sector's increasing independence from its traditional partner, Russia. The Ukrainian side was represented by Sergiy Bozhko, chairman of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, Vladimir Pishniy, vice president of Energoatom, and Konstantin Zapaishchikov, advisor to the president of Energoatom - Yury Nedashkovsky. "The French embassy has proposed a parliamentary committee partnership aimed at studying France's experience in implementing EU directives and French legislation concerning nuclear energy," Energoatom said. They also discussed the possibility of joint participation in addressing issues of global nuclear safety, "which is important in the context of 'post-Fukushima' measures carried out at nuclear power plants in Ukrainian and around the world", the company added. Dombrowski invited the French delegates to committee hearings next month "for a more detailed study of the actual situation facing nuclear energy and nuclear safety in Ukraine". Energoatom noted that Ukraine and France "are the European leaders" in terms of the share of nuclear energy in their respective electricity generation mix. Last year, nuclear power accounted for more than 55% of Ukraine's electricity production, making the country second in Europe only to France, where the share of nuclear power was 75%. In November last year, Energoatom and French engineering group Areva signed a memorandum of understanding "to reinforce cooperation between the two companies for safety upgrades of existing and future nuclear power plants in Ukraine, lifetime extension and performance optimization". It was signed by Michael Cerruti, commercial director of Areva's Reactors and Services Business Group, and Energoatom's Nedashkovsky. Cerruti said after the signing that the MOU demonstrates Areva's engagement in Ukraine and its capacity to provide services for all types of nuclear reactors, including Russian-design VVER units. Energoatom opened an office in Brussels in November 2014 tasked with adapting Ukrainian regulations to European standards; cooperating more closely with European institutions, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Euratom, the nuclear watchdog of the EU; and expanding Energoatom's range of partners for joint projects in Ukraine and Europe. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics Niger uranium project receives mining permit 01 February 2016 Share Niger has approved GoviEx's mining permit application for the Madaouela 1 tenement area, the company announced today. The approval means that the project is now fully permitted for construction and production. Exploration drilling at Madaouela (Image: GoviEx) Canada-based GoviEx submitted its mining permit application in July 2015, having completed an environmental and social impact assessment for the project earlier in the year. Last week, the country's government issued the company with a permit to "exploit" uranium at Madouela in the Arlit region of northern Niger. According to documentation from Niger's Council of Ministers, the scope of GoviEx's licence application covers 243 square kilometres of the site funded by investments of $676 million. GoviEx was awarded exploration permits for Madaouela 1 in 2006, and company chairman Govin Friedland said that the government's decision was the culmination of a decade of effort by the company and local stakeholders. "This decision of support is a stamp of approval for the quality of the work done to date by GoviEx, and the robustness of the Madaouela project," he said. GoviEx's development plan for Madaouela envisages production of an average of 2.69 million pounds U3O8 (1035 tU) per year over a 21-year mine life from an open-pit mine using ablation technology to treat ore slurries before processing. It is based on measured and indicated mineral resources of 110 million pounds U3O8 (42 311 tU) plus 61 million pounds U3O8 (23 463 tU) of probable mineral reserves. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took Mr. Fang with a police officer at his home By: Wayne Morin (Scroll down for video) A man wanted to commit suicide after he lost his job and he was unable to support his family. However, he did not want his wife to be a widow so he wanted her to commit suicide with him, but she refused. Police in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, were called to the coupleas apartment by their downstairs neighbor, who heard screaming from the home. Police found Mr. Fang, 35, drunk. His wife was removed from the home after she was severely beaten by him. Mr. Fang allegedly admitted to beating his wife after she argued with him and would not agree to his murder-suicide plans. Police found that the apartment was filled with gas as he wanted to blow up the house while he and his wife were inside. Mr. Fang explained that he had lost his job and wanted to commit suicide with his wife. However, his wife was not ready to die. The couple began to argue when the woman attempted to escape. Mr. Fang said that he was ending his own misery and helping his wife so she will not remain a widow. Mr. Fang was arrested and charged with attempted murder of his wife. Kelly Dufrene By: Mahesh Sarin A woman was arrested on a charge of attempted murder after allegedly shooting her former boyfriend in the private parts in front of police officers, police in Florida said. St. Petersburg police said that they have arrested 49-year-old Kelly Dufrene, after being accused of shooting 47-year-old Timothy Crowley. Dufrene was charged with one count of attempted murder. According to the police, Dufrene called officers to remove her former boyfriend from her house, and said that he was violating a restraining order. While police were still on the scene, she came out of her home and shot Crowley. He was shot in the groin area. Police heard the shot and saw Dufrene running away from the house and into the woods. Crowley was taken to the Bayfront Medical Hospital, where he is said to be in stable condition. The shooting occurred at 943 17th Avenue South. Spectacular & Colourful Carnival Coming To Wrexham This article is old - Published: Monday, Feb 1st, 2016 Wrexham Town Centre is set to be transformed into a sea of colour and celebration this month, with a taste of Portugal set to hit the streets. The Portuguese Culture Group is hosting a spectacular Carnival event between Saturday 6th and Tuesday 9th February. The aim of the carnival is to integrate the diverse communities and share customs and traditions amongst the Wrexham population. This year will be the second time that the Portuguese Carnival has been celebrated across the town centre with the first series of events taking place last year. On Saturday 6th February, the carnival will open with a parade through the town at 2.30 p.m. starting in Eagles Meadow and finishing in Queens Square. Many taking part will be wearing big heads of various designs they have made themselves especially for the event. This will be followed by an After Party in Un Deg Un on Regent Street at 3.30 p.m. Saturdays events will close with a treat in the form of a Masked ball at Maesgwyn Community Centre at 8 p.m. Sunday 7th February will see a musical extravaganza come to Bellevue Park featuring Masquerade walks held throughout the park accompanied by recorded music being played from the bandstand. Visitors are more than welcome to join in the fancy dress and walks. On Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th, there is an open invitation for people to be part of the masquerade experience and take part in the all day masquerades that will be going on in and around the town. Visitors and shoppers are being encouraged to come and enjoy a coffee and take in the array of fancy dress that will be lining our streets in all sorts of fabulous designs and colours. Jorge Szabo, one of the organisers of this four day celebration said: The aim is to create an integration of culture and to mark the shared traditions we all have. We hope to make this an annual event that will hopefully grow each year. We would very much like to get schools involved next year and expand on the festive atmosphere each time. I would encourage people to get involved, dont be shy, and get amongst the proceedings. Feel free to dress up and join our masquerade ball and our parades. I look forward to meeting many people over the course of the event. Mr Szabo and all of the organisers at the Portuguese Culture group extend a very warm welcome to all who wish to attend any of the events mentioned and take advantage of this opportunity to have a party! Mayor of Wrexham, Councillor Barbara Roxburgh, who will be in attendance for the opening parade added: I am very excited to be part of such an amazing event. This is a perfect example of how we should be embracing and exchanging our arts, our crafts and our customs. I feel a great sense of community spirit is being shown here and it is a privilege to attend. The 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed into law by US President Barack Obama late last year, did not include a previously expected ban against the funding of the Azov Regiment, a military organization that originated as a volunteer militia in May 2014 and was subsequently incorporated into the National Guard of Ukraine. The Azov Regiment is notorious for the openly white supremacist and anti-Semitic views of its members, and its use of the Wolfsangel, a swastika-like symbol once used by certain divisions of the armed forces of Nazi Germany, as well as its leading role in the Battle of Mariupol in May-June 2014. The regiments leader is Andriy Biletsky, a current member of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (parliament) and also leader of the neo-Nazi Social-National Assembly. In a characteristic statement, Biletsky was quoted by the UK Telegraph last August as stating, The historic mission of our nation in this critical moment is to lead the White Races of the world in a final crusade for their survival, a crusade against the Semite-led Untermenschen. The 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act includes a section entitled Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which appropriates $250 million to provide assistance, including training; equipment; lethal weapons of a defensive nature; logistics support, supplies and services; sustainment; and intelligence support to the military and national security forces of Ukraine.. . Additionally, the US is to spend at least $658.2 million on bilateral economic assistance, international security assistance, multilateral assistance, and export and investment assistance for Ukraine in 2016. All this follows nearly $760 million in security, programmatic, and technical assistance and $2 billion in loan guarantees that the US has provided Ukraine since the February 2014 Maidan coup. In June last year, the House of Representatives voted to amend the 2016 Department of Defense Appropriations Act so as to include the text, None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to provide arms, training, or other assistance to the Azov Battalion. Representative John Conyers, Jr. (Democrat-Michigan) had introduced this proposal, pointing out that the magazine Foreign Affairs as well as other leading media organizations characterized the Azov Battalion as openly neo-Nazi and fascist, and arguing that these groups run counter to American values. According to the Nation, the Defense Department subsequently began exerting pressure on the House Defense Appropriations Committee to withdraw the proposed amendment, arguing that the restriction was redundant. According to this specious line of reasoning, funding of the Azov Regiment should already be prohibited by the Leahy Law, which establishes that No assistance shall be furnished ... to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary of State has credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights. The Department of State explains on one of its official web sites that it vets its assistance to foreign security forces, as well as certain Department of Defense training programs, to ensure that recipients have not committed gross human rights abuses. When the vetting process uncovers credible information that an individual or unit has committed a gross violation of human rights, US assistance is withheld. Reports published by Amnesty International in 2014 and 2015 gave evidence of widespread torture and summary executions in Ukraine but did not specifically name the Azov Regiment or its members as suspects. The UN also issued a report in 2014 accusing both sides of the Ukrainian civil war of committing acts of torture and attacks on civilian targets. While Conyers amendment was widely reported in the media when it passed the House of Representatives in June last year, it was never subject to a vote in the Senate. The 2016 Department of Defense Appropriations Act was incorporated into the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which became law on December 18. The absence of the prohibition on funding for the Azov Regiment was first noted in the media by the Nation on January 14. Even without the intervention of the Department of Defense and the Senates rejection of the proposed amendment, the prohibition in question was a red herring and a fraud from the beginning. While the Azov Regiment and its leader have gained notoriety for the peculiarly repugnant, intensely hateful political positions of its leader and members, those positions distinguish them only superficially from the rest of the officers, special forces operatives, volunteers and mercenaries who have been leading Kievs war against the people of eastern Ukraine. The fact that the Azov Regiments leader and at least some of its members participate in neo-Nazi politics does not apparently impede their ability to fight alongside other far-right Ukrainian nationalists who do not identify specifically as fascist or neo-Nazi but are nevertheless rabidly anti-Russian and generally identify with the political legacy of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, which collaborated with the Nazis in World War II against the Soviet Union and took part in mass killings of civilians, including Jews and Poles. Such extreme nationalists represent the prevailing political tendency in the Ukrainian government today, and particularly its military leadership. The Azov Regiment, which has approximately 1,000 members, is one of many subdivisions of the Ukrainian National Guard. The Ukrainian National Guard was re-established in March 2014, consists currently of approximately 60,000 servicemen, and has played a key role in the ongoing Ukrainian civil war. In addition to the Azov Regiment, there are at least thirteen other special forces units of the Ukrainian National Guard, including Alfa, Bars, Donbas, Hepard, Kobra, Lavanda, Omeha, Skat, Skorpion, Tin, Tyhr, Veha, and Yahuar; as well as over 30 special forces units of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, of which the National Guard is itself a subdivision. There are also over 40 volunteer territorial defense battalions operating within the Ministry of Defense. Among the various units and organizations participating in Kievs war should also be counted the Right Sector Volunteer Ukrainian Corps, which operates as an independent militia not subordinate to any branch of government; as well as mercenaries, special agents, advisers, and instructors from foreign countries. According to an article published in the Daily Beast last July, in an interview for that publication, Sgt. Ivan Kharkiv of the Azov battalion spoke about his battalions experience with US trainers and US volunteers quite fondly, even mentioning US volunteer engineers and medics that [were] still currently assisting them. Yaryna Ferentsevych, Press Officer of the US Embassy in Ukraine, also told the Daily Beast that as far as we know, there were no members of the Azov Regiment being trained by US forces. She explained, Whether or not some may be in the lineup, that is possible. But frankly, you know, our vetting screens for human rights violations, not for ideology. Neo-Nazis, you know, can join the US army too. The battalions that are in question have been integrated as part of Ukraines National Guard, and so the idea is that they would be eligible for training, but in all honesty I cannot tell you if there are any on the list we train. There were not any in the first rotation as far as I am aware. Capt. Steven Modugno, US Army Public Affairs Officer from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, which trains Ukrainian forces in Yavoriv, also told the Daily Beast that he didnt know whether they had trained any members of the Azov Regiment, but that they had trained the Hepard (Cheetah) and Yahuar (Jaguar) regiments, which also belong to the Ukrainian National Guard. The United States has been supplying military hardware to Ukraine since last March, and US instructors have been training Ukrainian National Guard units since April last year. As of December 2015, approximately 400 American military instructors, as well as military instructors from Canada, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom, were training Ukrainian military servicemen at the Yavoriv Training Center in Lviv Region. American instructors are also teaching Ukrainian special operations forces in Khmelnytsky Region. Instructors from the United States have also been sent to Ukraine to train special police units analogous to US SWAT teams. NATO troops have been participating in joint military exercises in Western Ukraine. And, according to hacktivist organization Cyber-Berkut, American specialists have been sent to Kiev to train their Ukrainian counterparts in methods of psychological warfare and disinformation. The author also recommends: The US arming of Ukraine and the danger of World War III [3 February 2015] US Army to train Ukrainian fascist militias [1 April 2015] US House approves measure blocking training of neo-Nazi militia in Ukraine [17 June 2015] A recent report by the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) titled Lost: The Crisis Of Jobless and Out Of School Teens and Young Adults In Chicago, Illinois and the U.S. reveals the rise of unemployment in the past decade for Chicagos youth and young adults. The report begins on a sobering note. While attending a community hearing in Chicago two years ago, the authors of the report recall a statement from a young woman. Two years ago, when we attended one of these hearings, they write, we listened intently, as young people shared their stories. Clear in our memories is the statement of a young woman who said, My friend would be alive today if he had had a job. Indeed, the social misery in which many young Chicagoans livethe rise of gang violence, poverty, the closing of schoolsis the outcome in particular of a steady loss of jobs. The report states that among 16- to 19-year-old Chicagoans in 2014, 12.4 percent of blacks, 15 percent of Hispanic or Latinos, and 24.4 percent of whites (non-Hispanic or Latino) were employed. The national figure for youth employment at the time was of 28.8 percent. Specifically, the unemployment rate for black 16- to 19-year-olds was a staggering 88 percent, while 85 percent of Hispanic or Latino 16- to 19-year-olds were jobless in 2014. From 2005 to 2014, employment for Hispanic 16- to 19-year-old Chicagoans declined from 25.5 percent to 15 percent, a 42 percent drop. Female Hispanic 16- to 19-year-olds saw the largest decline, with employment dropping by 44 percent from 2005 to 2014. Comparatively, for the state of Illinois as a whole in 2014, 84 percent of black 16- to 19-year-olds and 72 percent of Hispanics in this age group were without a job. From 2005 to 2014 employment rates dropped by 13 percent for blacks and 20 percent for Latinos. On the national level in 2014, 79 percent of black 16-to 19-year-olds and 74 percent of Latinos in this age group were unemployed, with employment rates decreasing 14 percent for blacks and 21 percent for Latinos from 2005 to 2014. Then there are the 20- to 24-year-old Chicagoans whose employment rate can only be described as devastating. In 2014, 59 percent of black 20- to 24-year-olds were unemployed. For Latinos, the rate was 37 percent; for whites it was 27 percent. Meanwhile, 41 percent of blacks, 19 percent of Latinos and 7 percent of whites were out of school and without a job. When tallied together, 31 percent of black 16- to 24-year-olds were out of school and unemployed in 2014 in Chicago, higher than the rate for blacks throughout the US, in Illinois, New York City and Los Angeles. These staggering rates of unemployment for Chicagos working class youth and young adults compound conditions of social distress. The report states: Unemployment increases susceptibility to malnutrition, illness, mental stress, and loss of self-esteem, leading to depression. It also injures self-esteem, and fosters feelings of externality and helplessness among youth. The report adds that increases in youth unemployment cause increases in burglaries, thefts and drug offences. The result is a cycle, where the permanent scars lead to conditions that are both a consequence and a precipitating factor that leads to further youth unemployment and parallel social conditions, the report notes. For example, in areas with high rates of teenage pregnancy, babies are being born to babies in households with high rates of poverty and low levels of employment where feelings of low self-esteem, depression, and powerlessness are often accompanied by substance abuse and in many cases, violence and crime. While the report points to the devastating effects of unemployment, the authors of the study frame the plight of Chicagos working class youth and young adults as, above all, a racial question. While there is no doubt that racial policies are used by the ruling class to divide and ultimately pit workers and youth against each other, the fundamental issue is class and social inequality. To place the prior before the latter is to confuse a symptom for the disease. Once known as an industrial center of the world, eloquently described by Carl Sandburg as the city of big shoulders, Chicago has seen a rampant deindustrialization over the past few decades and with it the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. In 2014, the WSWS wrote, In the last 35 years, however, large swaths of Chicago, like Detroit and other cities, have been gutted by deindustrialization. Hundreds of thousands of manufacturing, transportation, health care and other relatively decent-paying jobs have been eliminated since the late 1970s, with 22 percent of manufacturing jobs lost in the city in the early 2000s alone. Deindustrialization, the slashing of jobs, the dismantling of pensions, and the gutting of wages are the expression in the lives of working class families of the capitalist system as the ruling class seeks to claw back concessions previously granted to the working class and squeeze out as much profit as possible. For the first time in her more than ten years in government, the position of Chancellor Angela Merkel is under serious threat. The dispute in the coalition of Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its Bavarian sister party Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) mainly revolves around refugee policy. But this issue masks major conflicts on the direction of future foreign policy. The massive swing to the right of the entire German political establishment has unleashed violent tensions in the governing coalition. Earlier this week, the CSU sent a letter of protest to the Chancellery with an ultimatum demanding a change in direction in refugee policy. If the federal government did not immediately guarantee the effective security of Germanys borders, the Bavarian state government would bring an action before the Supreme Court, CSU chief Horst Seehofer threatened. SPD parliamentary leader Thomas Oppermann called the threat by the coalition partner to lodge a legal complaint against its own government absurd and impudent. According to Oppermann, This is the announcement of the collapse of the coalition. In a coalition, one does not write threatening letters, but solves problems. But the attacks on Merkel are also mounting from within the SPD. Former Chancellor Gerhard Schroder told the business daily Handelsblatt, We will have no choice but to limit the influx of refugees. Merkel had clearly made mistakes at the beginning of the refugee crisis and had sent the wrong signals, he said. She had allowed an exceptional situation to become normality. What was necessary now was an act of liberation in the form of setting quotas. In my opinion, there will have to be limits, said Schroder. It is getting lonely around Merkel, writes Der Spiegel in its latest issue. Its cover story begins with the words, Never before was Merkels chancellorship in such danger as at present. Chief Editor Rene Pfister recalled that Merkels response to the refugee crisis last summer found support around the world. She had risen to become a historical figure. He noted, The US magazine Time named her the person of the year; in the autumn she was considered a promising candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. But now the mood has turned, the publication writes, citing a columnist in the New York Times as saying, This means that Angela Merkel has to go. The script for a coup had not yet been written, Pfister continued, "but many in the CDU/CSU could imagine Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble taking over the affairs of state. The debate about refugee policy has continued ever since the chancellor decided last summer, in the face of an escalating crisis in the Balkans, to grant refugees entry to Germany from the so-called Balkan route. Since then, the right-wing media, led by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Die Welt, as well as sections of her own party, have made her responsible for the influx of nearly one million refugees and called for German borders to be sealed. Although Merkel has since made it clear that she supports drastic measures against refugees, the campaign continues. In its threatening letter, the Bavarian state government calls for an immediate and resolute securing of the German border and an upper limit of 200,000 refugees per year. Thus, the right of asylum would be virtually abolished and the border largely closed to refugees. Merkel has so far rejected such a national solution and warned of a chain reaction. The stream of refugees would accumulate on the Balkan route and destabilize the region, she argues. Any return to national borders would finish off the Schengen Agreement, which abolished almost all internal European border controls. A few days ago, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, Whoever kills Schengen will put the Internal Market in its grave. Then, he added, the European Union will have been shaken to its foundations. Merkel is therefore advocating a European solution to the refugee crisis, which means she wants to stop refugees at the EUs external borders. Migrants would either be locked up in huge camps at the EUs external borders, stopped in Turkey, or immediately returned to Turkey. A small minority would be distributed from there to the EU member states. But this proposal has met with resistance. More and more countries in Europe are sealing off their borders. It is not only Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and the Czech Republic that have sealed their borders and erected barbed wire fences. Austria, Sweden and Denmark have also reintroduced border checks and are rejecting refugees. A few days ago, the Social Democratic-Green government in Sweden announced it will deport 80,000 refugees. The Czech government has threatened to bring a lawsuit before the European Court of Justice if the EU decides to impose refugee quotas against its will. Of the 160,000 refugees whose redistribution the EU had agreed last year, only 322 had been taken in by EU countries at the beginning of the year. Greece and Turkey are resisting the growing pressure from Berlin and Brussels. The plan to build huge internment camps for refugees on the Greek border is meeting with opposition. Since the beginning of the year, Macedonia has been built up as a bulwark of the EU. The small Balkan country is not an EU member, but has received police officers and surveillance equipment from EU member states to establish a continuous barbed wire fence on the border with Greece. This is intended to halt refugees in their march north into the EU. Greece is thus being put under massive pressure to push the incoming refugees back to Turkey. Merkels rejection of a national limit has nothing to do with humanism or a welcoming culture. She is intent on retaining Schengen and the European single market. On this issue, she has the support of German industry and the employers associations. They fear massive economic disadvantages if traffic jams of haulage vehicles build up at the border and transporters are forced to wait for hours or even days. Germany shares borders with nine other countries, more than any other EU member. Approximately two-thirds of German exports go to other European countries. Many large industrial groups, especially in the auto industry, have organized production across borders and are directly dependent on punctual deliveries direct to the assembly line. A longer or even permanent reintroduction of national border controls could significantly strain freight traffic and thus result in a loss of wealth, an unnamed business sources told Die Welt. While CSU head Seehofer is stoking up nationalist and racist sentiments, Merkel, with her European solution, is pursuing a course that no less aggressively represents German great power interests. She stands in the tradition of her predecessors, in particular, the previous CDU chancellor, Helmut Kohl, who always endeavored to cement German dominance in Europe by using the EU institutions. Differences over this issue between Merkel and Schauble had already arisen during the Greek crisis. While both insisted on drastic austerity measures, with disastrous social consequences, Merkel did not agree when Schauble wanted to refuse Greece a third loan package and drive it into bankruptcy, and thus out of the EU. She feared a chain reaction leading to the collapse of the EU. Since then, the forces that want to impose Germanys role as taskmaster of Europe, irrespective of the consequences, have gained support. All-night summits, which, after appropriate pressure and blackmail, eventually led to a unanimous outcome among the EU states, have been replaced by unilateral national actions, presenting other EU members with a fait accompli. This is accompanied by a systematic build-up of the military. For the time being, this is directed at the Middle East, Africa and Russia. But it is only a matter of time before armed conflict breaks out again in an increasingly divided Europe. The dispute within the ruling coalition is part of a massive shift to the right in German politics, which, with or without Merkel, is openly returning to the aggressive and right-wing traditions of the Kaisers Empire and the Nazi dictatorship. Detroit Public Schools students have embraced the struggle of their teachers against unsafe and deteriorating schools, over-stuffed classrooms and inadequate pay. Following mass sickouts staged by teachers across the school district over the last two weeks, high school students have solidarized themselves with this struggle of educators. The teachers strugglewhich developed outside of the control of the union, in the face of the threat of injunctions and fineshas sparked widespread support and enthusiasm throughout Detroit and nationwide. High school students have now begun organizing their own independent walkouts and demonstrations, even in the face of disciplinary threats by Detroit Public Schools (DPS) administrators. They have become outspoken in defending their teachers and affirming their own right to a decent education. Walkouts took place on Monday, January 25, at Cass Technical High School, the Communication & Media Arts School (CMA), and Renaissance High School, on Wednesday at East English Village Preparatory Academy and on Friday at Martin Luther King Jr. High. The student protest on Monday was timed to coincide with the court appearance of 23 rank-and-file teachers being sued by DPS for their alleged role in the district-wide sickouts. CMA principal Donya Odum vindictively suspended over 80 students for five days in retaliation for their action. But CMA student Antonio Willis told local news, Since the teachers didnt walk out on their own, we had to speak for them. Parents were largely horrified by the suspensions and strongly supported the protests by both the teachers and the students. I think the students had to do this to prove a point, said parent Roselyn Coe. My daughter has been telling me she cant use the bathrooms because they arent suitable to use. Shes cold and has to keep her coat on most of the time in the classroom. I commend my daughter for taking a stand. The students suspensions were subsequently reduced to one day, but many were punitively turned away on Wednesday when they attempted to return. This prompted another protest outside the building. Dozens of parents showed up, trying to get their students back into school. They voiced their support to the students again. It should encourage more adults to do the same thing, said another parent, adding, We dont have enough adults that protest. To see the kids take a stand, that was good. On Friday, January 29, the protests spread to Martin Luther King High School, where students organized a lunchtime demonstration. This is not a walkout, our lives matter, DPS lives matter, students chanted marching outside the school. DeMarcus, a junior at the school, told the WSWS why the students decided to join the growing protests. This was not a walkout, but it was a warning. If things dont change, we will do more. We organized those students with fourth hour lunches and went out to demonstrate and tell the press how we feel. This was not violent, nor was it affiliated with By Any Means Necessary [the pseudo-left group BAMN]. We have a right to do what we did. Our problem is with our education. We have mice going through the halls. We have bedbugs and roaches. One day the temperatures are real hot and the next day there can be no heat. We arent allowed to wear our jackets because its against the student code of conduct. We have 55 people in some classes, or 45 in some. It means we have to take desks from different classrooms and move them around at class-change. There are vacancies. The teachers arent getting paid and dont have the right to stand up for their pay because strikes are illegal. I am a junior and weve been fighting this since I was in ninth grade. This is not just about us; its also the people coming after us. Each year theres a new ninth grade and they shouldnt have to worry about bringing bedbugs home from school with them. This isnt just about King HS, its for all of DPS. What is the cure for this? More books, smaller class sizes, pay our teachers. Its important, people need to know what is happening in DPS. Now is the time to stand up. Each day, each year, its getting worse. This is not a race issue. We have diverse schools like Western. Its not about black, white or Hispanic. Its about all of us coming together. We need everyone to support thisthe whole community. It would take a whole countrycountries in fact. It is not just America, but other countries too. I was amazed that your web site has whole sections on other countries. That is beautiful. DPS students also appeared on local television, emphasizing their determination to continue this struggle. The TV host of Let It Rip attempted to bait them: You were suspended for five days for protesting and you want to go college. Wont walking out hurt your record? Caley, an East English Prep Academy student, firmly stated, No, I know the walkouts are to better our education, to better the schools, to better the Detroit Public Schools overall. The host, attempting again, said, Some people might say that these teachers who are getting sick are breaking the law. Jordan, also from CMA, strongly countered, They may not have the right to strike, but they have to have a way to voice their opinion. Terrance, another CMA student, also directed his response on the issue of legality: If you attribute everything you do with what the law states or what the system says or the structures that have been in place, well personally Id never feel proud of anything I did. What change did my actions bring? Negative or positive? When we walked out of school, we made a change. Were here because we have a voice, he concluded. A veteran teacher expressed her admiration of the students and their determination to join the struggle: At my school, the children were also attempting to walk out. They were stopped at the door by security. They want to be part of what is going on. They talk in the classroom about this. When my room goes up to 90 degrees hot, I have to open the windows. Many students suffer from asthma and they have to walk into the hallway. Then the mice scurry through the hall. They try to catch them with the garbage cans. The issue is also that they dont have teachers. The math teacher left and the students have only a substitute. They complain they are not getting the education. Instead of getting Algebra 3 or 4, they are left doing crossword puzzles. These are seniors and juniors and they dont have a math teacher. Americans are just tired of this, you can see why Sanders is getting supporteven Trump. People feel that they need anything but the status quo. There is no money for Flint, no money for special education. Title I funding is cut, but Obama brags in the State of the Union that America spends more on the military than the next eight countries combined. My students are becoming very political, trying to be a part of it, even though they are threatened with five-day suspensions. Last week, US-based watchdog group Human Rights Watch warned of mounting attacks on democratic rights throughout Europe and North America, which governments have justified as a response to the migrant crisis. The groups annual report warned that the arrival of refugees fleeing war and repression in the Middle East is driving many Western governments to roll back human rights protections, adding, these backward steps threaten the rights of all sections of the population, not just refugees. In the reports lead essay, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth notes, 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. Public discourse, Roth continues, has been filled with voices of hatred and fear of Muslims, for whom the refugees [arriving in Europe] are surrogates. This climate contributes to the persistent discrimination, hopelessness, and despair that pervade neighborhoods on the outskirts of some European cities. 2015 saw a dramatic rollback of democratic rights throughout Europe and America. In France, the Hollande government pushed through sweeping expansions of government surveillance and curtailing freedom of speech, seizing upon the attacks in Paris this November and the Charlie Hebdo attacks at the beginning of the year. In the United States, the military was deployed to Baltimore to crack down on peaceful protests against police brutality at the beginning of the year, while mass government spying continued unimpeded. The report contains comprehensive summaries for more than 90 countries for the year of 2015. By far the largest single section, with 24 pages, is on the European Union, more than Saudi Arabia, whose absolute monarchy beheaded record numbers of people last year, including many political prisoners, and countries currently embroiled in civil wars such as Syria and Libya. The United States came in second place, with 17 pages. The report notes that at the time of writing 850,000 people had crossed into Europe by boat in 2015, mainly from war-torn countries in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, especially Syria. Of these, more than 3,770, one third of whom were children, drowned. By far the most common route for migrants was from mainland Turkey to Greek islands in the neighboring Aegean sea. Previous agreements by European governments to resettle asylum seekers throughout the continent remain a dead letter as countries throughout Europe close off their borders to refugees. Only 159 asylum seekers have been relocated from Italy and Greece in spite of an agreement last year to resettle 160,000 asylum seekers from these countries. Attacks on Muslims rose sharply last year, as far-right and neo-Nazi groups are emboldened by the discriminatory policies of European governments. Such attacks have grown by 46.7 percent in London in the first half of 2015. However, racist attacks are by no means limited solely to Muslims; reports of anti-Semitic attacks are also on the rise, and discriminatory evictions of Roma by governments throughout the EU continue. Widespread discrimination also exists in the Baltic countries against native Russian speakers. As Roth notes, Europe is joined in its persecution of refugees by the United States. Last year 30 US governors tried to prevent Syrian refugees from entering their states, while current Republican front-runner Donald Trump floated the idea of banning Muslims from entering the country altogether. The United States, the report declares, also continued the dramatic expansion of detention of migrant mothers and their children from Central America, many fleeing violence in their home countries, over the course of last year. While not mentioned in the report, the Obama administration rang in the new year last month with a new round of targeted deportations of Central American children. The report also notes with concern the continued drive to expand state repression and surveillance in the United States and Europe, justified in the main by the supposed threat of terrorism. Citing the Paris terror attacks last November, the report warns that past experience of major attacks in Europe raised concerns that human rights protections would again be weakened in the name of security. According to the report, 298 people had been charged in France with the broad and indefinite crime of glorification of terrorism within less than three months after the Charlie Hebdo attacks last January. In the United States, spy agency leaders seized upon the Paris attacks last year to renew their calls for a back door to online encryption, despite the fact that the Paris attackers did not encrypt their communications. Meanwhile, Guantanamo Bays detention center remains open despite years of empty promises by Obama to close it. And last years National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law by Obama, tightened existing restrictions on the transfer of detainees out of Guantanamo, making the release or transfer of detainees even more difficult. Many of the worst human rights violations elsewhere in the report were committed by allies of the United States or the European imperialist powers. In discussing the Saudi-led invasion of Yemen, for example, in which civilian infrastructure has been deliberately targeted, the report argues that by virtue of providing intelligence, logistical support and personnel to the Saudis the United States would be potentially jointly responsible for laws-of-war violations by coalition forces. The report also cites continuing US aid to Egyptian dictator Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as well as the Obama administrations waiving of provisions of the Child Soldier Prevention Act to continue supporting the militaries of several African countries. World imperialism has justified countless criminal wars over the past quarter century under the fraudulent pretext of humanitarian interventionism. Now, a leading human rights group is compelled to admit that these same powers are responsible for major human rights violations within their own borders. This not only exposes imperialisms professed concern for human rights as a fraud, it is also an indication of the growth of police-state forms of rule within these countries, directed above all against their own working classes. South Korea has taken a step toward joining the United States anti-ballistic missile system in the Asia-Pacific region. Seoul will set up a data link allowing its military to share information with not only the US, but also Japan. The agreement is part of a Washington-encouraged cooling of tensions between Seoul and Tokyo that is now being utilized to further align the US allies in war preparations against China. South Koreas Defense Ministry announced on January 22 that it will establish a connection to Link 16, an exchange network used by the United States, Japan, as well as NATO and other nations. This will allow Seouls military to share and receive intelligence from the US and Japan in real-time. The date gathered by ships, aircrafts and satellites includes information on enemy positions, altitudes, and speed. The link will be established by the end of the year. This is another step in Washingtons plan for an anti-ballistic missile system throughout Asia. There is nothing defensive about this system. It is designed to protect US bases in South Korea, Japan and Guam from counter-attack by China, or Russia, were Washington to launch a nuclear first strike on either one. The United States has been pushing for this type of integration by South Korea into its systems, without which, US war plans and the pivot to Asia, both aimed against China, are incomplete. The announcement came just three days after the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published a report in which it complained of intelligence gaps between Tokyo and Seoul. The reportwhich amounts to a blueprint for war with Chinastated in relation to Washingtons plans for a ballistic missile system: A lack of information sharing between Japan and South Korea, however, limits the benefits of leveraging each countrys capabilities into a more effective whole. While touted as a measure to deter North Korea, the data link will allow increased information sharing on China, which is crucial for the US ballistic missile system in the eyes of both Washington and Tokyo. One Japanese official said of Seouls decision: There will be significant benefits to Japan if we can get information from South Korea, which is geographically closer to North Korea and China. The CSIS report added that the US lacked the necessary interceptor missiles within its Pacific Command to deal with the number of missiles that China has and would require, at minimum, an equal number of interceptors from the United States, Japan, and South Korea. In other words, regardless of whatever comments are made in the media in regard to North Korea, China is the true target of the US missile program. The Link 16 network includes the PATRIOT system of surface-to-air missiles and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Washington has also been pressing for the deployment of a THAAD battery to South Korea. The THAAD system consists of interceptor missiles, as well as the AN/TPY-2 X-band radar used to detect the incoming targets. Japan has two such radars stationed on its soil, at Shariki in the north and Kyogamisaki in the south. Tokyo is currently considering stationing THAAD batteries alongside them. Other interceptor missiles also rely on the AN/TPY-2 radars, including SM-3s that can be launched from land or sea, but differ from THAAD in that they are designed to destroy ballistic missiles in ascent. Japan and the United States are currently jointly producing a new version of the SM-3 with a longer range. South Koreas President Park Geun-hye stated in a televised address on January 13: Taking the Norths nuclear and missile threats into consideration, I will review the issue of deploying THAAD here based on security and national interests. That is the bottom line. Defense Minister Han Min-gu made similar comments on January 25. Far from being opposed to a THAAD deployment, the South Korean government has previously accepted US statements that a battery would be sent to the peninsula in the event of an emergency. However, the US wants a more permanent deployment as the THAAD provides a valuable capability, according to the CSIS report. This would also allow additional radar coverage of China. So far, the US military has deployed only one THAAD battery, currently located on Guam. Three more operational units are being kept at Fort Bliss, Texas. The military plans to have another battery available next year. Funds have been allocated for seven in all. The United States first encouraged Seoul and Tokyo to sign a military intelligence sharing agreement in 2012 under the previous South Korean government of President Lee Myung-bak, who tried to push the deal through without notifying the National Assembly. The deal was postponed after the opposition Democrats objected, on the basis of chauvinistic anti-Japanese sentiment, not because of any anti-war stance. A different intelligence sharing deal was signed in December 2014, in which the US would serve as a go-between for sharing information between Seoul and Tokyo. Seouls decision to connect to Link 16 is meant to close the gap between the concluded agreement in 2014 and Washingtons demands. David Shear, the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, stated in November: Its most important that the trilateral partnership between the US, Japan and the Republic of Korea [South Korea] continue to progress. This latest development in the military collaboration between Seoul and Tokyo also highlights the nature of their recent agreement over the Japanese militarys use of South Korean women as comfort women before and during World War II. While that agreement has been largely unpopular in South Korea, it served a definite political purpose, paving the way for renewed military cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo. The two sides are likely to only intensify this relationship as Washington deepens its war drive against Beijing. The return of German militarism is assuming ever greater dimensions. Last Wednesday, German Defence Minister Ursula Von der Leyen declared that Germany would spend an additional 130 billion on the military by 2030. Just one day later, parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to send an additional 650 troops to Mali and increase the number of German troops in northern Iraq to 150. According to an official German army (Bundeswehr) report, the first soldiers will arrive in their areas of deployment over the coming days. Under the heading Quickly, effectively and securely deployed, an official Bundeswehr web site stated that the first soldiers will be deployed to Mali at the beginning of February. From April, the comrades from the Netherlands will be gradually withdrawn, until by June the entire unit will fulfil its role. By the summer, close to 1,000 German soldiers will be stationed in the geopolitically important, resource-rich country in West Africa. For two years, Germany has contributed 350 soldiers to a European Union training mission in the relatively quiet south, based in the capital Bamako. The troops now being sent will be part of the UNs Minusma mission and will be deployed to the city of Gao in the more dangerous north. A report in Die Welt under the revealing headline Bundeswehr begins its Afghanistan 2.0 mission, provides some detail on the German armys fourth and most dangerous mission, following Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq/Syria. Unlike the deployment of aircraft in Syria, the Bundeswehr is not intervening from a safe distance in Mali, Die Welt wrote, but with ground troops. What this signifies was recently indicated in a report by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, the article went on. According to this report, attacks using explosives against international troops are on the order of the day, clashes are frequent, and UN bases are often fired upon with rockets. In the estimation of the conservative newspaper, Operation Minusma is the most dangerous UN mission worldwide; no other has registered as many attacks and casualties. The Bundeswehr and its European counterparts will emerge as military occupation forces. According to the text of the mandate, the Bundeswehr is explicitly allowed to employ military force to protect Bundeswehr soldiers and Minusma forces, and to use force in response to emergency situations. The units involved in the deployment are heavily armed. Even as the debate in parliament was proceeding, soldiers of Reconnaissance Battalion 6, the Air Forces object protection regiment, and Tank Grenadiers 41 showed off their equipment at a so-called media day in Eutin, Schleswig-Holstein. The show included various models of unmanned reconnaissance drones, handheld weapons of varying calibres, and the Fennik armoured reconnaissance tank. Prior to the vote in parliament, Von der Leyen made clear that the German troops had to prepare for a long and dangerous mission. The north of Mali is very unstable, and the mission for our soldiers is correspondingly dangerous, she stated. We are participating there in one of the most dangerous United Nations missions. We shouldnt underestimate that, she added. She went on to say the government anticipated a long mission and cautioned about the need for patience. Saying the goal was to put Mali in a position where it could resist terrorism and the breakdown of the state and stand alone, she warned, That will take time. The claim that Western military interventions are aimed at combating terrorism and the collapse of states turns reality on its head. It was precisely the NATO-led war against Libya in 2011 that destabilised Mali. Tuareg rebels and Islamist militias that were previously engaged in Libya launched a rebellion against the government in Bamako in early 2012. After the Malian army lost control of the north of the country following heavy fighting and a military coup in March 2012, France initiated Operation Serval with the support of the United States in early 2013 to reconquer the lost territory. The mission was described as an anti-terror mission. In reality, it was a component of the imperialist powers efforts to re-colonise Africa. Unlike with the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the attack on Libya in 2011, Germany was a warring party from the outset. Immediately after the French intervention, the then-Christian Democratic-Free Democratic Party coalition government declared its support and made available transport aircraft for moving troops, equipment and munitions to Mali. The latest expansion of the mission had long been prepared behind the backs of the population and is a part of the foreign policy conspiracy carried out by President Joachim Gauck and the German government. Almost exactly two years ago, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) declared at the Munich Security Conference that Germany had to be ready to intervene earlier, more decisively and substantially in foreign and security policy. In the list of countries that German imperialism views as part of its sphere of influence, Steinmeier at the time named Syria, Ukraine, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Mali. Significantly, Von der Leyen last week linked her rearmament plans with the assertion of German great power interests in Africa and the Middle East by military means. On ARDs Morgenmagazin program she stated that as a country of great economic and political significance, Germany must and will bear responsibility in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Africa. The speeches in the parliamentary debate on Thursday left no doubt that the Bundeswehr is intervening in Mali to defend German imperialisms economic and geopolitical interests. The foreign policy spokesman for the SPD, Niels Annen, declared to the applause of the coalition parties, The north is under-financed, the state structures are extremely weak, unemployment, a lack of perspective and corruption are rampant, and also the drug trade has consolidated itself there. This contributes to the destabilisation of Mali. But if you look at the trade routes through the Sahel region and Sahara, it will quickly be realised how strategically important the north of Mali is for the entire region. Mali itself, he continued, was a country with great potential, particularly in the area of agriculture, which is not being sufficiently exploited. There are also large deficits in the education sector. I could go on. German experts can and will do important work there to help Mali further on its way. Agnieszka Brugger, the foreign policy spokeswoman for the Green Party, which has become one of the most aggressive war-mongering parties since its support for the bombing of Yugoslavia, declared her support for the military intervention, saying, After the previous German contribution to Minusma was symbolic and disappointing, existing in part only on paper, the German government has decided with the new mandate to make a substantial contribution, particularly in the area of reconnaissance, including 650 soldiers and technical capabilities such as reconnaissance drones. With that, the government is responding to the call of parliament. And we support that explicitly. The deputies of the Left Party fraction, the only one to vote against the intervention, did not do so as principled opponents of German militarism and imperialism, but rather as its concerned supporters. The defence policy spokeswoman for the Left Party, Christina Buchholz, who accompanied Von der Leyen to visit troops in Mali in early 2014, warned that with the expansion of the German intervention to Gao the danger [exists] that the German armys presence will be difficult to distinguish for the residents of northern Mali from the military intervention of the former colonial power, France. She added, Only a third of Malians believe that Minusma is carrying out its tasks satisfactorily or to some extent, and many Malians are hostile to the troops and have lost all trust. The German governments plan to invest 130 billion in military rearmament over 15 years, was, according to Buchholz, crazy. She warned the assembled deputies, What you are undertaking here has nothing to do with securing peace and stability. Buchholz and the Left Party are increasingly concerned that German imperialism is giving up its humanitarian pretensions too quickly, and that in Mali, and especially in Germany, a movement against war will develop that they will no longer be able to control. The World Bank released a report last week documenting the number of youth in Latin America who are neither in school nor working. Derived from the Spanish phrase ni estudia ni trabaja, the ninis, who are between 15 and 24 years old, now total more than 20 million. Two-thirds of them are women. They have proven to be a permanent social problem in a region long touted as an economic success story for world capitalism. While the percentage of Latin American youth classified as ninis has declined marginally over the last decade, the absolute number of them has actually increased. The numbers are staggering considering that Latin America has been hailed as a center for economic growth during the worst of the world economic recession. What profits have been made have gone directly to the ruling elite, further worsening social inequality in nearly every country. This is a direct outcome of the policies of all the Latin American governments, be they right-wing or left, favoring international capital at the expense of their populations. It was highly significant that countries immediately south of the United States, such as Mexico and the Central American nations, fared the worst in providing stable jobs and schools to working class youth. The close relationship between the Obama administration and the government of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, in particular, has facilitated an unstable environment of organized crime and violence which finds a direct corollary in the number of disenfranchised youth. These conditions propel millions of people to risk their lives to migrate to the United States in search of better living conditions. When they arrive, Obamas border patrol and immigration officials ensure that they will be interned in a camp and deported if they are caught. In the best of circumstances, these youth have only a life of cheap labor to look forward to in the US. The report by the World Bank, entitled Out of School and Out of Work: Risks and Opportunities for Latin Americas Ninis, takes the viewpoint of finance capital in treating tens of millions of young people languishing without work or education as a long-term economic liability, rather than a social crime. Thus, Jorge Familiar, World Bank Vice President for Latin American and the Caribbean, notes that, Countries that offer high-quality education to an expanding young population and also have dynamic, well-functioning labor markets will grow and reduce poverty more rapidly. Nevertheless, the picture that emerges from the report is a damning indictment of capitalism south of the US border. Nearly 60 percent of ninis are from poor households, which comprise the bottom 40 percent of the income distribution in the region. The typical nini is a woman living in an urban household who has not finished high school, but among male youth there has been an increase of 1.8 million ninis from 1992 to 2010. For women, the biggest contributing factor to becoming a nini was early marriage or teenage pregnancy. For men, the main factor was dropping out of school at an early age followed by unemployment. This leads to a vicious cycle where men without skills and training provided by school cannot find formal work and are only lucky enough to find unstable jobs in the informal sector, usually never going back to school. Generally, countries that were further geographically further from the United States had significant but lower rates of ninis. Peru had 10.9 percent of it young people without school and work, but in countries like Honduras and El Salvador, the number was more than 25 percent. The countries with highest number of ninis were Brazil, Columbia, and Mexico, the large majority of which, more than 70 percent, lived in cities. In Colombia, Mexico, and Central America, the problem was made worse by the so-called drug wars. It is not surprising that gang violence and crime has reinforced the phenomena of unemployed youth with nothing to do, and vice versa. The report goes on to note the long-term effects on labor productivity, the life blood of the world economic system. The growing persistence of nini youth weakens overall economic growth and worsens social inequality, making it harder to seriously address poverty and social mobility in Latin America. According to the World Banks calculations, just an increase of 1 percent in the number of ninis would mean a decline in national incomes by 7 percent over the next 20 years. In Costa Rica, for example, the National Institute of Statistics and Census reported that in late 2014 there were 72,000 nini men and 98,000 nini women, making up almost half of the 10 percent of the countrys population that is unemployed. In Latin America as whole, the World Bank estimated that one in five youth were out school and not working. The solutions offered by the World Bank are predictable tame and, in any case, will not be implemented by the local ruling elites. They include well-targeted conditional cash transfers with information modules to inform students and their parents about the benefits of education and the like. None of this even remotely touches upon the real causes of unemployment in the region: private property and imperialist exploitation. The report takes the viewpoint that the nini problem is a brake on labor productivity and detracts from economic growth. Accordingly, the youth are referred to as human capital and labor market opportunities. One of the main findings is that a failure to address the problem means investors will not be able to exploit an emerging demographic window of opportunity, when children and seniors (i.e. the non-productive elements of society) will represent a lower proportion of the population. It is worth bearing in mind what poverty means in Latin America. Poor households are defined as per capita income of $4 per day, and those almost at the poverty line lived on $4 to $10 per day. Using this definition, at least one of four households (25 percent) in the region were poor in 2012 and 37.8 percent were considered at risk of poverty. Of course, the problem of youth without work and without school is not confined to Latin America. A similar corollary can be found in Europe, North America, Asia, and throughout the industrialized world. Even though the World Bank report does not spell it out, the ninis are part of worldwide generation that will directly contribute to social upheavals in every country. Tens of thousands of offshore and onshore oil workers jobs are threatened by the collapse of the North Sea oil and gas industry. Driven by global oversupply, and the price war being waged across all sections of minerals production, the aging, deep-water fields of the North Sea are particularly vulnerable. North Sea oil production was already in sharp decline before the oil slump, down 70 percent since 2000. The average breakeven price for deep-water exploration is $62 a barrel. Currently Brent crude sells for $33 per barrel. Standard Chartered have estimated that the oil price could slump further to $10 a barrel, the lowest figure since 1986, while Moodys predicts a slight increase to $38 by 2017. There are many indicators of deepening crisis. An industry body has calculated that as many as 50 fields will be decommissioning by 2018 compared to 14 today. Spending on decommissioning is expected to surpass spending on development by the following year. Energy analysts Wood Mackenzie predict that nearly half of North Sea oil and gas fields, 140 of some 320 fields currently in operation, could close over the next five years. The number of operational rigs has already fallen from 57 to 27 and could fall to 19 by this summer, according to Bob Buskie, chief executive of the Cromarty Firth Port Authority. More than a dozen oil rigs are now parked in Inverness harbour. The industry body, UK Oil & Gas estimates that 65,000 jobs have gone in the oil sector as of September last year. Approximately 5,000 jobs have been lost offshore, 30,000 in supporting industries and another 30,000 in the service sector. As many as 10,000 of these are thought to have gone in Northern Scotland. Almost 10,000 oil related jobs were lost in Scotland alone in the last six months, according to Scottish Enterprise. The Guardian noted that some estimates forecast that up to 200,000 out of 400,000 UK-oil related job could to be lost. This will impact heavily in the Aberdeen and Grampian areas of the North East of Scotland in which much of the industry is concentrated. Unemployment spiked 60 percent in the year to October 2015, while local businesses report falling airport traffic, fewer requests for taxis and hotels. In the former boomtown, use of food banks has doubled, while even the main food bank in Aberdeen is imperilled following the collapse of its main backer. More losses are imminent. Over the last weeks, BP announced another 600 jobs would go in its North Sea operations, on top of 300 last year, as part of plans to slash 4,000 jobs from its global exploration and production business. Aberdeen and the Sullom Voe oil terminal in Shetland will be affected. In December, Shell announced an additional 2,800 losses worldwide, as part of its 35 billion takeover of the multinational energy firm BG. Shell had already shed 500 jobs in the North Sea and 7,500 worldwide. ConocoPhillips intend to lose another 50 jobs, on top of 230 axed last year, as it moves to close down its Viking gas operation in the North Sea. Petrofac, which employs 1,900 people across the UK, recently decided to axe 160 jobs following an alteration to its shift patterns in the North Sea. The Wood Group, an Aberdeen based oil services giant, announced plans to reduce its global workforce by 5,000 or 13 percent including 1,000 jobs in the North Sea. Financial administration is to be outsourced to India. Enermach has cut 260 jobs in recent months and predicts more in the year ahead. PLEXUS Holdings has announced half of its 150 Aberdeen-based staff are under threat following a collapse in the firms share price. The company supplies wellheads in the UK North Sea, where just half a dozen wells are to be drilled in 2016, the lowest figure since 1964. Outright job losses come alongside increased exploitation of those remaining. Engineering firm Amec Foster Wheeler intends to slash the pay of its 830-strong Aberdeen-based workforce, both offshore and onshore, by 7.5 percent, following comparable pay cuts in the larger services companies last year. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) trade union told the Guardian, Offshore workers are being made to work an extra 320 hours a year for no extra pay, pension arrangements are being slashed and travel allowances removed in some cases. Contractors have suffered a 25 percent wage cut, despite working gruelling six days on, six days off shift patterns. While workers face destitution or drastically increased exploitation, the oil slump has encouraged a frenzy of financial speculation. According to the Financial Times, Hedge funds have raised bets against the oil price to near record levels, anticipating further falls, while investment bank analysts are forecasting that oil could drop towards $20 a barrel a level few in the industry thought would be seen again during the boom years to 2014. The response of the governments in London and Edinburgh, and the trade unions, has been to work towards tax breaks and more perks for the industry. Prime Minister David Camerons Tory government is to set up a cross-government support group for energy firms operating in the North Sea, to be chaired by Oliver Letwin, a former Rothschild banker and current Tory Minister for government policy. Also in the group will be Fergus Ewing, the Business Minister of Scotlands ruling Scottish National Party (SNP). This move in aimed only at benefiting the big industry players. The city of Aberdeen itself, hoping to be offered a city deal, including 3 billion of infrastructure investment and new research and development facility, has only been offered 250 million, less than tenth of the original amount. The SNP administration has made clear it wants more powers to give greater tax breaks on top of those already handed to energy giants by the UK government. SNP First Minister Nicola Sturgeon remarked, While the power for essential change to the taxation regime remains with the UK Government, the Scottish Government continues to stand alongside Scotlands oil and gas industry...' The nationalists are attempting to cloak their obsequiousness before big oil under the mantel of defending workers. Alex Salmond, the former First Minister and current SNP Foreign Affairs spokesman told the Dundee based Courier, Oil workers deserve support after decades of pouring money into UK Exchequer. However, the real task, was to incentivise the industry, said Salmond. Salmond called for Tory Chancellor George Osborne to agree a raft of new tax breaks and hand outs in his March budget, including exploration credits to encourage investors to take advantage of lower rig rates and falling operational costs, as well as allowing the cost of drilling all new wells to be offset against taxation. For their part, the trade unions have lined up behind calls for tax breaks and are working closely with the SNP. Last year, Kevin Stewart, SNP MSP for Aberdeen Central, lodged a Parliamentary motion calling for, Parliament to note the comments of the RMT Regional Organiser, Jake Molloy, who has said of the UK governments attitude to the oil and gas sector that, what they need to do is bring about incentivised tax breaks which will ensure we maximise recovery... On Monday morning a Pennsylvania state constable shot dead a 12-year-old girl while enforcing an eviction order on her family in rural Duncannon, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Constable Clarke Steele fired on the girls father, Donald Bartho Meyer Jr., 57, who police claim had aimed a rifle at Steele. The bullet passed through the mans upper arm, shattering his bone, before striking the girl, Ciara Meyer, who was standing behind her father in the doorway. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Donald Meyer was flown to Hershey Medical Center for his wound and is being held on charges of making terroristic threats, as well as aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. Constable Clarke Steel, who was joined at the eviction by employees of the rental firm, has not been charged, and authorities have made no apology for the girls death. Unfortunately, the constable was put into a situation where he had to defend himself, said State Police Trooper Robert T. Hicks. Unfortunately, that little girl just happened to be behind her father at the time. A web site set up in Ciara Meyers memory describes her as having been a loving vibrant 12-year-old. She attended public school in the Susquenita School District. The schools superintendent said that counselors would be available to help children and staff deal with the loss. Very kind, sweet kid, a neighbor told ABC 27 News. Heres a little girl that doesnt even have a chance to grow up and live her life, and all because of this senseless act. Its horrible, absolutely heartbreaking. According to court documents, Meyer owed $1,780.85 to his landlord, Pfautz Rental, on monthly $660 rent. The family was first delivered a court complaint on December 3. The court issued an order for possession on December 28, three days after Christmas, and this was served to Meyer at his home on December 30, two days before New Years Day. Constable Steele arrived on Monday morning with the intention of physically removing Meyer and his daughter, who was home sick from school on Monday. He had been sent numerous times to warn Meyer, Hicks said. In his last visit, Steel had given the family a 10 a.m., January 11, move-out deadline. Steeles lawful job, because he had a valid court order, was to remove them from the property if they had not already moved, Hicks added. According to the police version of events, Constable Steele approached the house in the morning. Donald Meyer closed the door on him and refused to talk. Steele however remained at the door of the house until Meyer returned and engaged Constable Steele in a brief exchange of words. Police claim that Meyer then leveled a loaded .223 caliber rifle, which had been slung and concealed along his body, directly at Constable Steele with a point of aim at his chest. At this moment Steele fired at Meyer, police say, grazing his arm but striking directly the small child that stood behind him. Police have not yet claimed that Meyer fired on Constable Steele. A search warrant issued after the Ciaras killing found Donald Meyers gun with a loaded chamber and a magazine clip holding 30 rounds. Constables are a low-level police force in Pennsylvania, technically under the governor. They receive no salary, but earn money by serving papers and other functions for district courts. Constables are required to take only 80 hours of police training and supply their own equipment, including guns. The tragedy in rural Pennsylvania combined at least two features of the American social crisis: police killings and home evictions. Ciara is the 21st person and the first child to be killed by police in the US in the new year, according to a count kept by the Guardian. Twelve hundred Americans were killed by cops in 2014. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some 406,000 people in the United States were killed by firearms between 2001 to 2013. Nearly 40 percent of these were homicides. Evictions of poor and working class families are commonplace in one of the worst affordable housing crises in generations, according to Harvard University sociologist Matthew Desmond. In 2013, nearly 60 percent of all renter households spent more than 30 percent of their income on rent alone, and 30 percent of renters spent more than half of their income on rent. One in eight low-income families who rent could not afford to pay their landlords, and a similar number faced the possibility of eviction. More recent data by real estate information firm Zillow found that the average renter now pays 30 percent or more of their income on rentthe threshold at which housing is considered unaffordable. While real wages continue to stagnate, rents rose by approximately 7 percent in 2014. Courts dealing with eviction orders have actually shown less mercy to families with children, such as the Meyers. Children do not shield families from eviction, but rather they often expose them to it, Desmond wrote for the November 2015 issue of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin. If a tenant in eviction court lives with children, her or his odds of receiving an eviction judgment almost triple, even after taking into account how much is owed to the landlord, household income, and several other key factors. The Democratic and Republican caucuses in Iowa tonight mark the first actual contest of the 2016 US presidential election campaign, but they will involve only a tiny fraction of the population of one of the smaller American states. The US electoral system is the least democratic and the most subject to manipulation of any major capitalist country purporting to be a democracy. Just two parties, both of them right-wing and controlled by corporate interests, have an effective monopoly. There is an acute and intensifying contradiction between the vast and diverse population of the United States, a country of 330 million people, and a political structure controlled by the top one-tenth of one percent. The two-party system, controlled by this elite, is confronted with an unprecedented crisis of political legitimacy. Both the Democratic and Republican parties political institutions that are more than 160 years old are losing their hold on a population that is deeply and profoundly alienated from the political establishment. The media has been taken by surprise by the emergence of candidates in both political parties whose sudden rise and popularity was unforeseen: Donald Trump on the Republican side and Senator Bernie Sanders on the Democratic. At the start of the campaign, the candidacy of Trump, the thuggish real-estate mogul and reality-television celebrity, was viewed as a entertaining sideshow that would soon lose its audience. As for Sanders, the media largely ignored the announcement of his candidacy, assuming that the campaign of a septuagenarian who described himself as a democratic socialist would attract only negligible support. Contrary to all expectations, both Trump and Sanders have acquired mass support and emerged as the dominant figures in the primary process. There is a growing realization within the political establishment that the Trump campaign is a deadly serious matter, and that Trump may emerge as the nominee of the Republican Party. And while the corporate-financial interests that control the Democratic Party still expect the badly-battered Clinton to win the nomination, the Sanders candidacy is seen as a harbinger of a continuing and uncontrollable left-wing political movement. What accounts for this unfolding crisis of the two-party system? Like all significant political developments, it has deep political and social roots. The contradictions that are now blowing the two-party system apart -- developing out of the protracted decline of US capitalism -- have been accumulating for decades. But the massive economic collapse of 2008, on the very eve of the election of Barack Obama, marked a qualitative turning point in the crisis of American society. The disastrous impact of the economic crisis upon the lives of tens of millions of people is reflected in the growing rejection of a political system that is seen to be controlled by the elite which first caused and then profited off the 2008 collapse. On the extreme right, Trumps barrage of insults against his Republican opponents and the media resonates with a section of the electorate that feels it has been betrayed and bamboozled. Moreover, his candidacy is the end-product of a degraded political environment that has relentlessly promoted and legitimized the sort of reactionary backwardness that Trump skillfully exploits. On the other side of the political spectrum, the growth of working class militancy and anti-capitalist sentiment, expressed in strikes and contract rejections by autoworkers, steelworkers and teachers, as well as in opposition to police killings and outrage over lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan, demonstrates that the working class is moving to the left, towards an open struggle against corporate America. This is the primary factor behind the crisis of the two-party system. The leftward movement among broad masses of the population has found expression in the growth of support for Bernie Sanders, who calls himself a democratic socialist and has placed economic inequality and Wall Street criminality at the center of his campaign. Sanders has moved into a virtual tie with Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton in pre-caucus polls in Iowa, as well as opening a significant lead in polls in New Hampshire, where the next primary contest takes place on February 9. The Des Moines Register poll published Saturday, the last before the Iowa caucuses, found that Sanders had opened up a lead of more than 30 points over Clinton among potential voters under the age of 35. The poll found that 68 percent of likely Democratic voters thought a socialist president was a good idea, a remarkable figure in a country where socialism has been subjected to endless vilification by the media and the political elites. The World Socialist Web Site has explained that Sanders is not a socialist, but rather a moderate liberal whose views would have been considered middle-of-the-road in the Democratic Party of the 1960s. While criticizing the stranglehold of the billionaires over the US political system, Sanders defends the foreign policy of American imperialism: i.e., the use of military force, assassination, espionage and political subversion to defend the interests of these same billionaires around the world. The main function of the Sanders campaign is to appeal to the increasingly radical sentiments among youth and working people in order to divert them back into the political confines of the Democratic Party. Despite this political service, however, there is growing nervousness in the Democratic Party establishment, and more widely in ruling circles, that Sanders attacks on Wall Street could encourage a movement going well beyond the intentions of the senator from Vermont. This explains the concerted attack on Sanders this weekend by the principal organ of the Democratic Party, the New York Times. The Times published a lead editorial Sunday endorsing Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, while dismissing Sanders as a candidate who has raised useful ideas but could not possibly put them into practice. It singles out Clintons role as a paragon of identity politicsshe would be the first female president and an advocate of black women, gays, etc. More extensively elaborated is the argument of Times columnist Paul Krugman in a commentary headlined, Plutocrats and Prejudice. He claims that Sanders and Clinton represent competing diagnoses of what is wrong with America, with Sanders focusing on economic inequality and the corrupting influence of big money, while Clinton (and Krugman himself) maintain that money is the root of some evil, maybe a lot of evil, but it isnt the whole story. Instead, racism, sexism and other forms of prejudice are powerful forces in their own right. The conclusion is that issues of race and gender are just as important, or even more important, than issues of class. As a result of the prevalence of racism and sexism among white workers, Krugman argues, visions of radical change are naive and political revolution from the left is off the table. This analysis of American society is a political libel against the working class. Krugman cites no evidence of the supposed dominance of racism in a country that elected an African-American president in 2008. On the contrary, issues of race and gender are being deliberately injected into the political arena in order to divide the working class and head off the growth of class consciousness. Much of the press coverage of the Iowa caucuses and the broader election campaign concedes that the overwhelming sentiment among millions of people is anger at the existing political system and both parties. But there is no explanation of why there is so much anger, when, according to the media, the US economy is in the sixth year of recovery. The official media are either oblivious to the reality of declining living standards and deteriorating social conditions or are deliberately covering it up. Their America is the rising stock exchangeat least until Januaryand the increasing wealth of the super-rich and a privileged upper-middle-class layer. America is a deeply class-polarized society, with a vast and unbridgeable gulf between the wealthy and the rest of the population. It is this social reality that underlies the mounting crisis of both the Democratic and Republican parties. As the class issues come to the fore, shaking the sclerotic and unrepresentative political system, there will undoubtedly be more political shocks and surprises in the course of the 2016 election campaign. An 18-year-old young man from the western Sydney suburb of Guildford was arrested last week and charged with three counts of collecting documents connected with preparation for a terrorist act. No specific terrorist act or plan was alleged, however. Nor was the teenager accused of being knowingly involved in any possible terrorist activity. Instead, he was charged with being reckless about a connection to terrorism. That means, in the vague language of the federal Criminal Code, he is accused of being aware of a substantial risk of a connection. The charges underscore the increasingly repressive sweep of Australias anti-terrorism laws, initially introduced in 2002, as well as the federal governments ongoing reliance on terrorist scare campaigns to justify draconian police measures at home and involvement in US-led wars abroad. According to the Australian, police initially raided Sameh Baydas home on January 13, just hours after he used an encrypted messaging app, Telegram, on his mobile phone. Twelve days later, the young man was arrested because of three documents allegedly found on his phone. The operations were conducted by police counter-terrorism units, as part of what has become a series of frequent police raids in working class areas in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane over the past year and a half. The charge of being reckless indicates that the police have no evidence to produce in court that the teenager was intentionally involved in preparing any terrorist act, or terrorist activities in general. The corporate media, fed prejudicial leaks by the police, declared that Bayda had downloaded documents on how to carry out a stabbing and how to make a bomb. Court records, however, indicated that the documents were general, not specific, in character. One document was a copy of an Al Qaeda online propaganda magazine. Telegram is a publicly available encryption app, but the police allege that Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has used it to send terrorist instructions. By this logic, anyone using an encryption service for email or other communications is liable to be placed under police or intelligence surveillance. The Australian said the teenager is not thought to be directly connected to any known extremist group in Sydney, despite being under police scrutiny for months. Neighbours told the newspaper that detectives visited Baydas home last year, around the time of large police raids across the city, codenamed Operation Appleby. During the January 13 raid, Bayda was also served with a firearms prohibition order, allowing police to search him and his home without first obtaining a judicial warrant. Section 101.4(2) of the federal Criminal Code illustrates the far-reaching implications of the terrorism laws. It created an offence, punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, to make or collect a document connected with preparation for, the engagement of a person in, or assistance in a terrorist act, even if the document is not connected to a specific terrorist act, and the accused person is merely reckless as to the existence of the connection. An accused person can raise a defence that the document was not intended to facilitate a terrorist act, but he or she must prove that lack of intention. In the words of the law, the defendant bears an evidential burden. This means that people can face lengthy imprisonment for having allegedly downloaded a general document about terrorism, unless they can positively prove that they had an innocent purpose. This provision effectively reverses the centuries-old rule that the prosecution must prove a guilty mind. This burden of proof on the prosecution is a critical protection against the kind of Star Chamber-era frame-ups conducted by the absolute monarchies up until the 17th century. This overturning of the presumption of innocence is just one of the violations of fundamental legal and democratic rights contained in the more than 60 pieces of federal terrorism legislation imposed since the 9/11 attacks in the US. These measures have also established precedents, such as detention without trial, that have begun to be applied throughout the criminal law, opening the way for arbitrary state power. The on-line magazine and other documents reported to be on Baydas phone may reflect the reactionary perspective of Al Qaeda, which justifies the mass murder of innocent people on the basis of religious fundamentalism. His arrest, however, amounts to the criminalisation of access to information and viewpoints. Once the capitalist state has the authority to outlaw particular ideas, this power can be used against any dissent. Australias supreme court, the High Court, paved the way for the broad exploitation of the make or collect documents provisions in 2012, when it overturned a successful state court appeal by Belal Khazaal, a former Qantas worker, against his conviction and 12-year sentence for making a document connected with a terrorist act. Khazaal had posted on a jihadist web site a compilation of previously published documents that offered general support for an Islamic fundamentalist holy war. Relying on the evidentiary burden imposed on Khazaal to prove his innocence, the judges rejected his argument that he had no intention of facilitating a terrorist act, because he was functioning as a scholar or journalist who researched and published material relating to Islam. For the past decade and a half, successive Liberal-National Coalition and Labor governments have exploited the bogus war on terrorism to introduce ever-wider, and previously unthinkable, police-intelligence powers and criminal laws. Far from protecting the public from terrorists, these measures have created the framework for authoritarian rule amid deteriorating economic and social conditions. In the past 18 months, on the pretext of combatting ISIS, the current Coalition government, has already brought forward five tranches of legislation, including to strip dual nationals of their Australian citizenship by executive order. Now it is going further, seizing upon Novembers Paris attacks to propose laws to imprison anyone convicted of a terrorist-related offence indefinitely, until they prove they are reformed or no longer a threat. At the same time, the war has provided a pretext for equally bipartisan commitments to escalating US-led militarism in the Middle East and globally. Domestic reaction and war are inseparably connected. As popular hostility increases to this war drive, those opposing it could be accused of making statements, or possessing documents, construed as offering support for terrorism. The US navy conducted another confrontational operation in the South China Sea on Saturday, sending the destroyer, the USS Curtis Wilbur, within the 12-nautical-mile territorial zone surrounding Chinese-administered Triton Island in the Paracel island group. A US defence official told the Wall Street Journal that the operation lasted for about three hours and no Chinese vessel was sighted, but declined to provide further details. Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davies declared: This operation challenged attempts by the three claimantsChina, Taiwan and Vietnamto restrict navigation rights and freedoms. The implication that the US is adopting an even-handed approach to territorial claims in the South China Sea is absurd. The so-called freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) are targeted against Chinese-administered islets, as last Octobers intrusion by the USS Lassen into waters surrounding Subi Reef made clear. Washingtons actions are deliberately provocative and reckless, raising the danger of a military confrontation. The latest exercise is a further escalation, extending the US challenge from the Spratly Islands, where Subi Reef is located, to the Paracels which are closer to the Chinese mainland and have been controlled by China for more than four decades. Moreover, unlike Subi Reef which was originally submerged at high tide, Triton is an island and formally generates a 12-nautical-mile territorial limit under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The USS Curtis Wilbur did not notify Chinese authorities and claimed the right of innocent passage to give its action a veneer of legality. In reality, the US has never ratified UNCLOS and acts with scant regard for international law. The Chinese state-owned Xinhua news agency denounced the latest US naval operation as a deliberate provocation and accused Washington of bad faith, given that it came just days after US Secretary of State John Kerrys visit to Beijing. Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said: The move on the US side is very unprofessional and irresponsible for the safety of the troops of both sides, and may cause extremely dangerous consequences. He warned: The Chinese armed forces will take whatever measures necessary to safeguard Chinas sovereignty and security, no matter what provocations the US side may take. The Chinese government is under growing pressure to respond to the US intrusions with more than mere warnings. The South China Morning Post cited the comments of retired Chinese Colonel Yue Gang, who warned: There will probably be more [US] provocation if Beijing does not step up. Public sentiment in China will rise and it will become difficult for the Chinese government to handle. Yue represents hard-line elements of the Chinese military and state apparatus who fear that US actions will undermine the countrys security and the regimes ability to promote itself as the nations defender. The government has increasingly resorted to whipping up Chinese nationalism to divert rising social tensions. Speaking at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington last Wednesday, Admiral Harry Harris, head of the US Pacific Command, made clear that the US would expand its provocations in the South China Sea. As we continue down the path of freedom of navigations, you will see more of them, and you will see them increasing in complexity and scope in areas of challenge, he said. Harris again lashed out at Chinese land reclamation, claiming: They [China] will control the South China Sea against all the militaries out there with the exception of the US military in all scenarios short of war. He suggested Chinese-administered islets were now capable of supporting significant military forces which could threaten shipping lanes. China, however, would be one of the worst affected countries if shipping were disrupted, given its heavy reliance on imports from Africa and the Middle East via South East Asia. Chinas land reclamation activities over the past two years have been a response to the Obama administrations pivot to Asia, which has involved an extensive military build-up throughout the Asia-Pacific since 2011. Washington has deliberately inflamed tensions in the South China Sea, encouraging rival territorial claimants, such as the Philippines and Vietnam, to more aggressively confront China. The US will no doubt seek to contrast Chinas reaction to the latest freedom of navigation operation with that of Vietnam. Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh declared that his country respected the innocent passage of ships through territorial waters. Vietnam, of course, does not control Triton Island, nor is it the target of the US military build-up in Asia. While the US constantly refers to the danger to vital shipping lanes, its real concern is its ability to mount large naval and air operations in waters off the Chinese mainland unchallenged. The Pentagons AirSea Battle strategy for war with China envisages a massive bombardment of Chinese military, communications and industrial assets from bases and ships off the Chinese coast. The CSIS this month released an extensive study, sponsored by the US Defence Department, calling for a major escalation of the pivot through the stationing of advanced American weaponry in Asia, the expansion of US bases, and the strengthening of military alliances and partnerships throughout the region. Admiral Harris boasted during his CSIS presentation that everything that is new and cool is going to the Pacific. He cited F-35 attack aircraft, a second Ford-class aircraft carrier, V-22 Ospreys and P-8A Poseidon surveillance planes as examples. He also stressed: We have allies, friends and partners where China does not. He pointed in particular to Australia, Japan, Singapore and the Philippines, where work was being done to improve operational relationships. Significantly, Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne immediately backed the USS Curtis Wilburs intrusion into Chinese-claimed waters. It is important to recognise that all states have a right under international law to freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight, including in the South China Sea. Australia strongly supports these rights, she said. Payne declared that Australia had a legitimate interest because 60 percent of Australian exports passed through the South China Sea. She glossed over the fact that the largest share goes to China, which has no interest in disrupting trade. Fairfax Media reported that Australia was given advance warning of the US naval operation on Saturday, amid mounting pressure on the Australian government from Washington, the Murdoch media in Australia and the opposition Labor Party to carry out its own challenge to Chinese territorial claims. The Australian last week reported that discussions over such operations are already underway within the Australian government and military following Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls trip to Washington and meeting with President Barack Obama last month. On the return leg, Turnbull also met with Admiral Harris in Hawaii. The US is keen for an Australian freedom of navigation intrusion into Chinese-claimed territory to give a veneer of international legitimacy to its provocative actions. Repeated US military interventions, by sea or air, only heighten the pressure on the Chinese regime to respond in kind, further escalating tensions and the danger of war. While state, local and national officials, along with the corporate-controlled media, were covering up the poisoning of Flint residents with lead-tainted drinking water, there was one publication that was presenting the complaints of residents and exposing the crisis. That was the World Socialist Web Site. Long before the October 8, 2015 decision by the state of Michigan to reconnect Flint to the Detroit water system, the WSWS had written on the crisis and issued warnings. By the end of December of last year, when the crisis in Flint became a top national and international story, the WSWS had published 12 articles. To date, the WSWS has published more than 30 articles, including video interviews with residents, examining all aspects of the disaster. By comparison, the New York Times, the US newspaper of record, published only three articles on the Flint water crisis before the declaration of a state of emergency in the city on January 5, 2016. Two of those earlier articles were written only after Michigan Governor Rick Snyder officially took note of the crisis on September 30, 2015. The neglect of the crisis in Flint by the Times, with its immense resources, is not surprising. The newspaper is remote from and indifferent to the working class and its problems, focusing instead on the concerns of American imperialism and the preoccupations of privileged upper-middle class social strata. The Times essentially admitted its failure to properly cover the story in a column by its public editor published January 27. The disaster in Flint was man-made, resulting from the decision of a state-appointed emergency manager to break the citys connection to the Detroit water system and switch the citys supply to the polluted Flint River. The water corroded the citys antiquated pipes, leaching lead and copper into the drinking water. Government officials at every level ignored the complaints of residents about foul-tasting and discolored tap water, assuring the population that it was safe for drinking, cooking and bathing in face of mounting evidence of lead contamination. Tainted water has also been linked to an outbreak of Legionnaires disease in Flint that caused 10 deaths and the sickening of an additional 77 people. An examination of the record of the WSWS shows that as early as 2014, our web site took note of the crisis developing in Flint and raised an alarm. For example, on May 31, 2014 the WSWS published an article headlined Regional disputes deepen over control of Detroit water system. The article related the decision to switch Flints water source to the Flint River to the battle for control over Detroits water system and plans to loot the citys resources under the Detroit bankruptcy imposed by Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr. The piece said of the severing of Flint from the Detroit water system: The decision by Flint to break ties with the DWSD [Detroit Water and Sewerage Department] and embark on its own independent water system serves as an example of the irrationality of the rule of financial interests over the allocation of public resources. On January 12, 2015, the WSWS published an article headlined Drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan. In response to reports of high levels of trihalomethane in the citys water supply, a result of heavy chlorination, the WSWS warned against assurances by city officials that the citys drinking water was safe. We wrote: The basic right to clean and safe drinking water is being violated exclusively due to the financial system that dominates the treatment management of this most essential natural resource. On April 1, 2015, the WSWS published an on-the-spot report including interviews with Flint residents entitled Flint, Michigan residents speak on tainted water supply. The article reported residents complaints that they were developing rashes from bathing in the water and that the water was corroding their pipes. It noted that General Motors had earlier disconnected from the Flint water system because the water was so corrosive. On September 1, 2015, the WSWS published another on-the-spot report from Flint, titled Water shutoff moratorium in Flint as water crisis continues. The article raised the issue of corrosive water from the Flint River leaching lead from the citys water pipes and carried extensive interviews with Flint residents. On September 15, 2015, the WSWS published an article headlined, Study shows Flint, Michigan has very serious lead in water problem. It reported on the findings of Virginia Tech University researchers headed by Professor Marc Edwards revealing dangerous levels of lead in Flint drinking water. It noted the calls from the team headed by Edwards for the immediate issuing of a public health warning. On September 26, 2015, the WSWS carried an interview with Flint resident LeeAnne Walters, whose young child was diagnosed with lead poisoning. The article, headlined Flint, Michigan residents fight lead poisoning of water supply, cited comments by Marc Edwards at a town hall meeting convened to warn Flint residents. The WSWS wrote, The initial testing reveals that the actions of city and state officials in exposing hundreds of thousands of residents to toxic water are nothing short of criminal negligence. On October 2, 2015, the WSWS published an article headlined Michigan governor grudgingly admits Flint water danger. It reported the findings of Flint pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who discovered significantly higher lead levels in the blood of Flint children after the decision by Flint to disconnect from Detroit water. Reporting on the decision by Governor Snyder to shift Flints water supply back to the Detroit water system, the WSWS published an article on October 10, 2015 headlined Michigan governor belatedly orders change in Flints water supply. It cited the statement by Professor Edwards, who said that local, state and federal agencies have proved themselves unworthy of the public trust. Flint residents have been left to fend for themselves when it comes to dealing with the dangers of high lead in their water. On November 11, 2015, the WSWS published a comprehensive analysis of the crisis in Flint. Headlined, Michigan political crisis over lead poisoning in Flint, the article examined the background of the disastrous decision to switch the Flint water supply. It exposed the political and financial considerations behind the switch and documented the role of public officials in the disaster, including the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The article traced the roots of the crisis to a decades-long assault on the working class across the United States by Democratic and Republican administrations alike, which has impoverished wide layers of the population and gutted social infrastructure such as water. The WSWS wrote, To say that the actions of authorities concerning Flints water system were negligent or reckless doesnt adequately characterize them. These are criminal acts. Since the January 5, 2016 declaration of a state of emergency in Flint, the WSWS has published more than two dozen articles on the water crisis, including four Perspective columns. It has refuted the attempts of Democratic politicians and their allies in the various pseudo-left organizations to conceal the complicity of the Obama administration and the Democratic Party by placing the blame for the crisis solely on the Republican Party. It has likewise exposed the efforts to obscure the roots of the disaster in the capitalist system itself and cover up the class character of the attack on Flint workers by presenting it as a racial question, even though more than 40 percent of Flint residents are white and many of the politicians and officials who approved the switch to the Flint River are black. In an article published January 29, The Rachel Maddow show in Flint: Damage control for Democrats, the WSWS exposed the attempts to portray race as the primary issue in Flint. The WSWS wrote, As always the politics of race is introduced to obscure the fundamental class questions involved in the poisoning of Flint. It continued, The political establishment is clearly alarmed by the fact that all sections of the Flint working classwhite, black and immigranthave come together to oppose the attack on their right to clean and safe water. On January 6, a Perspective column titled Lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan drew a connection between the social crisis in America, the crisis in Flint, and social inequality. It declared, The deprivation of the most elemental necessities of lifeclean water, public education, a decent job, health care, a pensionis an indictment of the capitalist system, which takes its most brutal form in America, a country where 20 billionaires control wealth equal to the bottom half of the population, or some 152 million people. Flint water shutoff protest A January 20 Perspective column was headlined The Flint water crisis and the criminality of American capitalism. It analyzed the recent state of the state address by Governor Snyder, in which he insisted that no Michigan officials should be held accountable for the Flint disaster. We wrote, Flint is a symbol of the criminal character of American capitalism. The article concluded, These disasters arise from the failure and bankruptcy of the capitalist system, an outmoded and reactionary economic order that subordinates the most elemental needs of society to the enrichment of the corporate and financial aristocracy. A Perspective published January 28 titled War and the destruction of social infrastructure in America contrasted the claims by the ruling elite that there is no money to repair decaying social infrastructure with the vast sums being made available to the US military. It noted, In the insane and socially destructive priorities of the American ruling class, one sees in concentrated form the inextricable connection between war and capitalism... These selections are only a sample of the news reports and commentary appearing on the WSWS on the Flint crisis. This record clearly shows that the WSWS early understood its implications and sought to mobilize the working class. It further establishes that the WSWS is the only genuine and truly independent voice of the working class. In the coming weeks, the WSWS will expand and develop its coverage of Flint as part of its fight to educate and politically arm workers and young people for the coming revolutionary struggles of the American and international working class. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) A former Air Force master sergeant is doing prison time for cheating on taxes and accepting $263,000 in bribes for fixing government contracts for a South Florida company. A federal judge recently sentenced Trevor Smith to 18 months in prison. Court documents show Smith was deployed in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010 as a procurement officer. Smith admitted accepting the kickbacks from Broward County-based Simplex Corp. for leaking confidential bid information about leasing Russian aircraft for training purposes. Prosecutors say Smith was to get 2 percent of the value of Simplex's contracts. Simplex executive Maxim Silinsky previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale federal court. A third man who worked as a federal contractor in Alabama also pleaded guilty and is set for sentencing in February. VALDOSTA, GA (WTXL) - A family of four has lost their home in Valdosta; firefighters say approximately 80% of the building went up in flames. According to the Valdosta Fire Department, they were called out to the fire at 320 Virginia Ave., on Saturday. When they arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames covering 80% of the building. They were able to extinguish the fire and say no injuries were reported. Four family members were left without a home and firefighters say they are receiving help from the Red Cross. "The first victory we can claim is that our hearts are free of hatred. Hence we say to those who persecute us and who try to dominate us: You are my brother. I do not hate you, but you are not going to dominate me by fear. I do not wish to impose my truth, nor do I wish you to impose yours on me. We are going to seek the truth together. THIS IS THE LIBERATION WHICH WE ARE PROCLAIMING." Oswaldo Jose Paya Sardinas (2002) If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules: Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy. The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party. We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste. Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters. Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month. HARRISBURG It can cause flu-like symptoms that last up to about a week. Most people infected are not symptomatic, but there are bigger worries surrounding the Zika virus, which is spreading very quickly and is expected to cross borders into all but two countries in the Americas. Now state health leaders urge people not to panic. The virus has not yet been identified in Pennsylvania. The real risk is for those who traveled to Central or South America, especially pregnant women. They say, We want to go to these places, and I am very upfront, and I say, You know, the Zika virus is there, said Margaret Richcreek, owner and travel agent at Richcreek Vacation Center in Harrisburg. Recently, Richcreek has gotten a lot more personal with her clients. Its a question I usually dont delve into your personal matters and say, Are you thinking about getting pregnant? Thats all changed thanks to Zika. Its in 24 Central and South American countries now, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And if I feel that theres a risk to that girl, Richcreek said, Im going to tell her, You know, theres a lot of other places that dont have it. Women who are pregnant or working on it are most at risk. The virus is believed to be linked to the birth defect microcephaly, which causes an abnormally small head and an underdeveloped brain. In a conference call with reporters Friday, Dr. Ray Pontzer, an infectious disease specialist with the Allegheny County Medical Society, said Zika is a very big deal for pregnant women. He recommended anyone pregnant postpone their trip to one of the countries affected. If travel is necessary, Pontzer said, pay attention to travel notices and take every precaution to avoid mosquitoes. Women should also talk to their doctors before making plans. Some airlines and travel companies have agreed to offer refunds to women who are pregnant and have already booked a trip. The concerns about Zika virus are very recent, said Dr. Rachel Levine, the states physician general. Zika started in Africa and worked its way around from the Pacific Ocean, Levine said. It was only last year that it surfaced in South America. Because its new in this part of the world, Levine said, theres a lot we dont know. We do know its transmitted by mosquitoes. The type that carries it does not live in the Keystone State, but another that does live here might be able to carry it. The state wont know until mosquitoes come back. Its a wait and see now, Levine said. Theres no evidence of person-to-person transmission through casual contact. Theres one documented case of transmission via blood transfusion, and one case of transmission via sexual contact. Pennsylvania is waiting on test results on at least half a dozen recent travelers possibly infected. Dr. Loren Robinson, deputy secretary for health promotion and disease prevention at the state Department of Health, said they dont know where those six to eight people live in Pennsylvania, nor how many of them might be pregnant. Samples have to be sent to the CDC for testing because theres no commercially available test method, meaning a person cant just walk into a doctors office and find out if he or she is infected. The real monitoring starts in the state when spring returns. Well be working very closely with other state agencies on mosquito surveillance and prevention, Levine said. Robinson said the health department will consult with the Department of Environmental Protection as soon as next week to discuss those efforts. Back at the travel agency, Richcreek said no ones canceled a trip because of the virus. In fact, only one person booking through half a dozen Midstate travel agencies we called has canceled a trip. Shes reportedly pregnant. But a lot of people have raised concerns. Richcreek understands that. I mean, I have a birth defect, she said, and I would not want that to happen to anyone out there. The majority of people infected do not show any symptoms. Those who do see a reaction similar to the flu, with fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes), the CDC says. Symptoms can last up to about a week. The virus is mild compared to similar mosquito-borne illnesses, Pontzer said, such as the dengue fever or chikungunya, and theres no major risk to the general population. When the world marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, the people of my country, El Salvador, will surely recall the heroism of a certain diplomat. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Coronel Jose Arturo Castellanos was the consul general of El Salvador in Geneva from 1942 to 1945. In that role, and with the assistance of businessman Gyorgy Mandl, Castellanos issued Salvadoran travel documents to some 13,000 Hungarian Jewish families to save them from almost certain deportation to death camps. El Salvadoran Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez (Photo: Courtesy of the El Salvadoran Foreign Ministry) It is possible that none of those who received these documents ever came to El Salvador. Yet we know that with those Salvadoran documents in hand, some 40,000 Jews were able to escape extermination. Such humanitarian intervention is an example of the good work that diplomatic representations can do, particularly in times of conflict. The Salvadoran consulate in Geneva was able to help because it was on the ground, willing to help. Then as now, resident embassies and consulates diplomatic offices located in the countries to which they are accredited, staffed by professional diplomats are essential to building cooperation, friendship and peace between nations. With his humanitarian actions, Castellanos wrote one of the greatest chapters of Salvadoran diplomacy. His actions in a sense also laid the groundwork for El Salvadors recognition of the State of Israel in 1948, starting a relationship between our two nations that has since grown only stronger and deeper. Furthermore, today Salvadoran Jews are proud sons of our nation. Theyve thrived in business and the arts, and contributed greatly to the development of our country, while deepening our political and cooperation bonds with Israel. Besides, Salvadorans are thankful for the Israel technical cooperation weve received in areas where Israel excels, such as agriculture, medicine, citizen security and entrepreneurship. It is thus with surprise and dismay that El Salvador learned this month of Israels intention to close its embassy in our capital, San Salvador, in 2017. We have been told this decision is due strictly to budgetary concerns. El Salvador also faces such challenges, and we know through our own experience the effects such cutbacks can have on the states impact. But we have always been resolute in maintaining our embassy in Israel because our relationship with Israel is a priority for our foreign policy, and because we recognize the dynamism that only resident embassies can bring to a bilateral relationship. Without a permanent Israeli embassy in San Salvador -- where the eight-nation, regional organization known as the Central American Integration System (SICA) has its headquarters -- coordination of our bilateral and regional work in all kinds of fields will be more difficult. We view with great respect the decisions taken by our friends. But on this occasion, we hope that Israel will reconsider its decision and maintain its embassy in El Salvador, so that together we can write new chapters in our historic ties of friendship, cooperation and understanding. That noble son of El Salvador named Castellanos would expect no less. As the Hebrew proverb goes, don't look at the jar, but at what's inside it. El Salvador may be unknown for a many Israelis today, it was indeed for thousands of Hungarians Jews who were saved by bearing certificates that identified them as nationals of this distant, tropical land in Central America. But lets look at whats inside the jar, lets look at the many layers of history, cooperation and friendship that bind us together. Without a permanent Israeli embassy in San Salvador - where the eight-nation, regional organization known as the Central American Integration System (SICA) has its headquarters - coordination of our bilateral and regional work in all kinds of fields will be more difficult. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a harsh warning to Hamas at an ambassadors' conference at the Foreign Ministry on Sunday, vowing that "if we are attacked from the tunnels in the Gaza Strip, we will act with immense force against Hamas, much more than we used in Operation Protective Edge." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Netanyahu also asserted that Israel is "working methodically and level-headedly against all threats, including that from Hamas , using both offensive and defensive measures." PM Netanyahu speaking to ambassadors at the Israeli Foreign Ministry (Photo: Kobi Gideon, GPO) The prime minister said he expects his message to be understood both locally and globally. "I hope that it won't come to this, but our offensive and defensive capabilities are developing fast and I wouldn't suggest that anyone try us." Netanyahu also told ambassadors that he has spent just six hours in negotiations with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas over the last seven years. "Abbas is on the international frontlines. But apart from Sweden, there is almost no state that supports him. "Most world leaders are not interested in settlement-building. They want to move things forward in their own country," the prime minister continued. "Palestinian children are fed on hatred and the desire to destroy Israel. If this was solely a matter of settlements, the conflict would be over. "Therefore Abbas is scared of dialogue, because it would force him to give up on the right of return (for Palestinians)." Netanyahu also called for increased contact with the Arab world , noting that "we will be able to put forward pragmatic solutions regarding the Palestinians. Arab countries relate to our messaging much more because most of them know the truth." In a separate event on Sunday evening, the IDF also tried to assuage the fears of residents of the Gaza envelope. Brig.-Gen. Itay Virov, commander of the IDF's Gaza Division, met with heads of local authorities in Sderot and the Gaza border communities in the wake of reports that Hamas is restoring its military force and once again digging tunnels. Hamas militants inside a tunnel in the Gaza Strip (Photo: Reuters) In a recent discussion between a Gaza Division official and border community residents, the IDF officer warned that Hamas in Gaza is once again prepared for a military campaign against Israel. The group "has rebuilt the tunnels, its rocket systems, intelligence collection, reconnaissance, and it is essentially prepared for war," said the IDF officer. In Sunday evening's meeting, however, Virov said: "We are in a better situation that we were before Operation Protective Edge. "We are aware of the dangers and are investing great effort and sparing no expense in trying to locate the tunnels. "Our working assumption is that Hamas is continuing to dig. There is no general solution for identifying the tunnels, but we are working non-stop to find them." The heads of the Gaza envelope's local authorities again raised the issue of the "smart fence" that had been planned for the border, to separate their communities from the Strip and which was also intended to counter the threat of the tunnels. Virov responded that there is no limit to the funds for dealing with the threat from tunnels. He added that residents' complaints of hearing digging noises under their houses were being thoroughly investigated and that they were also using intelligence information to locate the tunnels. "I can only tell you that we are investing everything possible in order to respond to the underground threat," Virov said. The IDF on Sunday night closed off entry to the West Bank's central city, Ramallah, for the first time since the start of the current escalation. Entry to the city is currently permitted only for residents and senior Palestinian Authority officials who work there. The IDF Spokesperson announced that the decision was taken for operational reasons. The army added that Sunday's shooting attack next to Beit El, which is close to Ramallah, also led to the decision to close the city's entrances. Aside from residents and senior PA officials, entry to the city will also be permitted for humanitarian reasons and to allow passage for Palestinians through the city and along Route 60 and the back roads. The sitaution will be re-evaluated later on on Monday. Al-Qaida's Yemeni branch seized another town on Monday, setting up checkpoints at its entrances and besieging government buildings before dawn after days of fighting with southern separatists, officials said. The capture of Azzan marks the latest advance for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, which has exploited the chaos of Yemen's civil war to expand its reach. The security officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief reporters. The group captured the southern port city of Mukalla last year and has seized a number of towns as it has moved west toward Yemen's second city of Aden, where the internationally backed government is based. The issue of Shabbat has become one of the most beloved of Israel's elected officials. It sometimes seems Shabbat is protecting politicians more than politicians are protecting Shabbat or at the very least, that it's keeping them in the headlines. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter It may seem that the current war around Shabbat is directed at one part of Israeli society only the secular demographic. Yet there are thousands of observant Israelis religious, traditional and ultra-Orthodox across the country who are on duty every Saturday and on every religious holiday in hotels and guesthouses that cater to the religious community. Plenty of religious people work as waiters on Shabbat in Israel. But how do they reconcile this with Jewish religious law? (Illustration: Ruth Gvili) They look after Shabbat ceremonies and bar mitzvahs, and even cater events for tourists as well as conventions and congresses. Most of the people providing this variety of Shabbat services keep Shabbat themselves and are not doing this voluntarily they are paid handsomely for their "out-of-hours" work. Moreover, in many instances these employees and service providers are in fact financially supporting themselves principally by working on the Shabbat. Yes, you read that correctly: Waiters, crew members, kashrut supervisors, cantors and teachers all engage in paid employment on Shabbat, week after week, and there is no member of the Knesset religious or secular speaking out about it. In order to get to the root of the phenomenon, we pretended to be the mother of a son who was due to celebrate his bar mitzvah in the summer. She wanted nothing but the best for her son and was organizing an event fit for a king. Needed for the plan: an elegant, kosher hotel that would host prayers and guests. We rang round a few cantors, hotels and hostels. We were looking for 20 rooms for friends and family, all of them religious and, of course, all of whom kept Shabbat. The first hotel, located in a religious kibbutz in the north, promised us that the establishment was Mehadrin (the strictest level) kosher. They were nearly fully booked, and therefore told us that we needed to decide quickly: "It's packed here every Saturday bar mitzvahs are booked a year in advance." In the end they found us the 20 rooms we'd requested, on the agreement that we would divide the dining room with another religious group that would be at the hotel for a convention. What about the waiters? "They're all Jews. There are no Arabs here. And most of them are religious." The waiters work on Shabbat? "They have to. Otherwise we wouldnt have anyone coming here on Shabbat." I'm just puzzled as to how that fits with the halacha (Jewish religious law). "I haven't got the faintest idea, but everyone does it." But just because everyone does it doesn't mean that it's in keeping with halacha. "But that's how it is. There's no other solution." Ronnie Schwartz, a 20-year-old yeshiva student from Kfar Saba, used to drive on Shabbat to work as a waiter at events for the religious public. "I'm assuming that technically this is permissible under halacha," Schwartz says in justification. "I would work a few hours before Shabbat and a few hours after. On Shabbat itself I would serve food, which itself isn't a desecration of the Shabbat." The halachic "trick" is this: The employer pays the employee according to working hours that are registered before or after Shabbat, but ultimately the majority of the work is done on Shabbat. Ronnie, like the rest of the religious employees, is obviously well aware of this fact. "I wouldn't do it now," he said. "I care about what these acts mean. And it disturbs me." Another former waiter, 20-year-old Arnon Ben-Dov from kibbutz Ein-Tzorim, drove to wait tables on Shabbat along with friends from his yeshiva throughout their high school years. "I worked as a waiter in order to fund a trip to Poland, and it paid a lot more to work on Shabbat," Ben-Dov explained. "The money was good, the work relatively easy, I worked with friends I knew well and I didn't really feel that I was desecrating the Shabbat. "In retrospect, I realize it's problematic. But the reality is that other people don't stay home on Shabbat and someone needs to serve them. Yes, I worked on Shabbat, but I didn't have a choice." Would you do it again today? "If I had no choice? I don't know. But I aspire to keep the Shabbat as a day of rest, both from a halachic and a financial perspective." 'It's not ideal, but what do we do stop going out on Shabbat? Stop living?' Next, we spoke to a kashrut inspector at another hotel in order to try and delve a little deeper into the matter. How is it halachically permissible to employ a staff of waiters and cooks on Shabbat? "It's important to everyone these days that there won't be Arabs waiting tables, given the situation. Who will serve the food otherwise? I'm assuming a solution can be found, but isn't it problematic from a halachic perspective? "It is problematic. I'm aware that it's not ideal, but what do we do stop going out on Shabbat? Stop holding bar mitzvahs on Shabbat? Stop living?" If we're talking about desecrating the Shabbat, then perhaps that is the solution. "It's not exactly desecrating the Shabbat. As you know, with Jews everything is in the details there's always a solution to every problem." We also spoke with a cantor under the guise of wanting to hold a Shabbat bar mitzvah. First of all, I want to understand: Do you really work on Shabbat? "Technically? Yes. I support myself by working on the Shabbat. Holidays. Synagogues. Events. Most of the money comes from working on the Shabbat." Is that not problematic under halacha? "I know there are people who are uncomfortable with it, and I recommend not charging extra for smaller events." Honoring the status quo The truth has to be told: Halachic solutions have been a central part of Judaism for thousands of years. For every social, technical or financial challenge, a religious ruling has been handed down in order find a way around it. However, the Shabbat issue does call into question the purity of the intentions of those who are responsible for the current battle to keep the Shabbat day holy. If a solution can be found to the problem of working on Shabbat, why can't these politicians also find a solution so that shops can be kept open on Shabbat and allow urban life to continue in secular cities? Theoretically speaking, buying something on credit at the local corner shop is no different from most waiters' tasks. We therefore spoke with Likud MK Miki Zohar, who despite not being religious is leading the line to preserve the Shabbat as a day of rest. His most recent proposed bill would levy harsh fines on any businesses that operate on Shabbat, as well as exposing business owners to the risk of civil lawsuits. It turns out there are a lot of religious people who work on the Shabbat in order to support themselves. Could it be that you are mistaken in your attempts to prevent secular people from supporting themselves by working on the Shabbat? "I explicitly stated that my proposed bill is intended to protect those working on the Shabbat, who are forced to work on Saturdays for one reason or another. They want to relax with their family and can't, and they're the ones I'm trying to protect. "The issue here is social, not halachic. Everyone deserves a day of rest, and in the State of Israel a Jewish and democratic state it's the Shabbat." But it's actually religious employees with whom we spoke who have said they don't have much choice other than to work on Shabbat. It's the only way they can support themselves. "That's their right. Who am I to stop them? As long as they're not working in a business." So the Shabbat of a religious waiter is worth less than that of a secular kiosk attendant? "It's above all not OK that people don't even rest one day a week on the Shabbat in a Jewish and democratic state." Where's the logic in one being outlawed and the other not? "As per my bill, I want everyone to be allowed a day of rest." Why are hotels OK and corner shops not? "It's the status quo." In an effort to assuage increasing concerns by Israelis living along the Gaza border, who say they've been hearing Hamas digging tunnels under their homes, the IDF has started to drill along the border in an effort to locate terror tunnels. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The military is also installing classified technological systems to identify tunnels. Hamas announced last week it had rehabilitated cross-border tunnels destroyed during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge - a muscle-flexing message to Israel, its security partner Egypt and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Islamists' US-backed rival. "The resistance factions are in a state of ongoing preparation underground, above ground, on land and sea," Hamas deputy leader Ismail Haniyeh said at a rally called to honor seven tunnelers who were killed in a cave-in on Tuesday. IDF searching for Hamas tunnels near Sderot (Photo: Roee Idan) Haniyeh claimed that Hamas has twice the number of tunnels as those used in the Vietnam war against US forces - a tall order, but bold enough a claim to shore up the worries of Israeli residents. In light of repeated claims by Israelis living along the border that they've been hearing banging and clattering at night, the IDF has been working to examine each such report. So far, the military has yet to find an attack tunnel inside Israel. "The fear among everyone here is constant," Nissim Hakmon, from moshav Pri Gan near the Gaza Strip, told Reuters. "I've heard the sound of a hammer and chisel and my neighbor says she can hear them digging under the cement. We're stressed out." IDF searching for tunnels (: ) X Underground infiltration by gunmen from Gaza "is something we know deep inside is just a matter of time, even though we tell the kids everything is okay," Hakmon said. During Operation Protective Edge, IDF engineers unearthed and destroyed 32 tunnels, and have since, with US help, been developing a half-dozen technologies for detecting digs along the sandy, 65-km (40 mile) frontier with Gaza. When those counter-measures might be ready is a closely guarded secret. Hamas, for its part, may be hoping to lay down as many new tunnels as possible before the system is in place. "We are not asking for war, but getting ready for one should Israel launch it," Hamas military spokesman Abu Ubaida said. 'Every complaint being checked' The IDF has also been working to alleviate concerns by holding briefings for the residents, in which senior officers in the Gaza Division review the actions taken to deal with the threat of the tunnels, and stressed that at this point Hamas is not interested in escalating the situation. Gaza Division Commander, Brig.-Gen. Itai Virov, met with the heads of the Gaza border communities on Sunday evening, while another senior officer met with the communities' heads of security. "We're in a better situation now than we were before (Operation Protective Edge)," Virov told the Gaza border community leaders. "Now, we are aware of the danger and invest great efforts and spare no resources in order to try and locate tunnels. It's clear to us Hamas keeps digging, this is our working assumption. There's no overarching solution to identify the tunnels, but we're working non-stop and searching the area, ruling out some parts." Hamas' Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades inside one of the tunnels (Photo: Reuters) The community leaders pressed Brig.-Gen. Virov about plans to build a "smart fence" along the border, which should also be able to identify tunnel-digging. The Gaza Division commander assured them there was no budgetary limitation to dealing with the threat of tunnels, and assured them each of their reports of digging sounds in the middle of the night is being thoroughly examined, while there is also ongoing intelligence activity to locate the tunnels. Last week, Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynet revealed an IDF officer told leaders in one of the regional councils along the Gaza border that Hamas has already recovered its military power and is ready for any possible escalation. The officer also told them that Hamas continues its tunnel digging. In the wake of this report, residents along the Gaza border started reporting to the IDF that they've been hearing noises coming from underground. Last Friday, a family hiking in the Sderot area noticed a hole in the ground and suspected it could be a tunnel. IDF forces were sent to the scene, but it turned out this was an archeological dig. Hammas tunnels (Photo: Reuters) "Every complaint by residents is being checked," said one of the regional council leaders. "We don't take this issue lightly. The tunnels are a threat that creates a lot of fears, but the fact we can see the IDF working in the field and looking should send a message that this issue is a top priority. The residents' vigilance is a blessed and good thing, and should remain that way." The residents' alarm and calls for preemptive military action by opposition politicians roused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn Hamas on Sunday. "Should we be attacked through Gaza Strip tunnels, we will take forceful action against Hamas, with far greater force than was used in Protective Edge," he said, referring to the 2014 war. "We are working systematically and level-headedly against all threats, including the Hamas threat, through both defensive and offensive measures." BEIRUT/ROME - A senior US official visited northern Syria at the weekend to assess progress in the fight against Islamic State, in what appeared to be the first declared visit to Syrian territory for several years by an official from US President Barack Obama's administration. The trip by Brett McGurk, the US envoy to the coalition against Islamic State, may anger neighboring Turkey which is alarmed by the growing sway of Syria's Kurds, fearing it could fuel separatist sentiment among its own Kurdish population. "We can confirm that Special Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk completed a two day visit to northern Syria this weekend to assess progress in the campaign to degrade and destroy ISIL," the US official said, using an acronym for Islamic State. "This visit and the discussions he had are in keeping with the Special Envoy's efforts to continue looking for ways to increase coalition pressure on ISIL," the official said. The good news we've been waiting for, the news that promised to bring in a stream of fresh mountain air that would fill our lungs, came shortly before the past weekend began. That's when we learned that the new local area alliance between Israel, Cyprus and Greece had been cemented. You might tell me to not be so petty, and enjoy what I can. So what if the UN secretary-general justified terror attacks and France is threatening to recognize a Palestinian state? We have an alliance with Greece and Cyprus. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Prime Minister Netanyahu, right, with the leaders of Greece and Cyprus (Photo: AP) True, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz was punished for his little show of independence in the face of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, finding out to his horror that he was moved to the second row of the group photo of Israeli and Greek ministers. Katz decided to leave the room: He won't be in the back row while Ministers Erdan and Akunis are in front. He later got over the insult, saying, "what happened at the group photo ceremony was an incorrect act," but also that "what's important is knowing where you're going and not where they seat you." Katz moved to the back row - and left the room (Photo: Gil Yohanan) The government's spokespeople insist that all of the talk about Israel's diplomatic isolation is baseless, a media creation. I wish it was so. Who among us wouldn't want Israel to reach the status of a respected society in the international arena? And if everything is so swell, where does the feeling of despair, experienced by so many in Israeli society, comes from? Israelis refuse to swallow the message pushed on them by the policy makers, that the number of those killed in stabbing and shooting terror attacks is not bigger than the number of people killed in traffic accidents. If I were to attempt to speak on behalf of many readers, I ought to say this directly directly: Mr. Netanyahu, you promised us security so keep your word. There's no reason to get "used to" life under the threat of terrorism. There's also no reason to show understanding for a policy of inaction as far as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is concerned. For the moment, Netanyahu makes do with issuing responses to international statements and initiatives: The UN secretary-general is backing terrorism, the French peace initiative is backing terrorism, and the like. It's true that there's no chance an international conference or recognizing a Palestinian state will bring the Palestinians even one centimeter closer to sovereignty or independence, but an Israeli initiative whose goal is a solution and not the "management of the conflict" is still in order. Operation Protective Edge. No independent inquiry. (Photo: AFP) On one hand, the discovery that Hamas continues digging tunnels into the Israeli territory along the Gaza border must give rise to the question of why an independent inquiry commission to examine the failures of Operation Protective Edge in the summer 2014 was never formed. The operation's failure, after 51 days of fighting, is not inconsequential. Those responsible for the fact we will have to defend ourselves from rocket fire in the future have not paid for their failure. Beyond what can be defined as a series of oversights regarding security matters, you can't forget what many Israelis define as the lack of a leadership alternative. While Opposition Leader Herzog appears on television with a frosty Paris in the background seeming momentarily more like a weatherman than a statesman and tells viewers that as of now there's no partner for peace on the Palestinian side, he strengthens the feeling among many people that it's better to stick with Netanyahu, as well as increasing the feeling of despair among many others who live here. A majority of homicide cases in Cumberland County in 2015 involved the charge of drug delivery resulting in death. Unlike first-degree murder, the law does not require intent to kill or even that the accused be present when the drugs are used. The law requires only that a person intentionally administers, dispenses, delivers, gives, prescribes, sells or distributes any controlled substance or counterfeit controlled substance in violation of ... The Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act, and another person dies as a result of using the substance. But, should a person be held liable for anothers death of someone who chose to participate in a knowingly dangerous activity? I understand that there is a policy argument that says this person did not inject the heroin into the person who died. That person did so voluntarily. Why should you charge the dealer? Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed said. Certainly, the person bears responsibility for their own actions, but so does the person who put the drugs in their hands and I believe the law appropriately separates that behavior. For the defense, these cases can be difficult, since many times the person facing the charges never intend to kill anyone. The difficulty in defending these cases is often you have somebody by their own admission has delivered drugs, or even if they dont admit it, the evidence is very clear, but they most often dont intend that someone dies as result, Carlisle attorney Jay Abom said. Youre defending a homicide case that carries very serious consequences where somebody did not intend the death to occur. In fact, intent to kill is not an element of the statute. Abom said in that regard, the law is similar to what is known as strict liability crimes like speeding. You dont have to intend to speed to be convicted to be speeding, whereas there are different mental states that are required for the commission of offenses, he said. It is that mental state, termed mens rea in the legal system, which actually led to a revision of the law. When the statute was first passed in 1989 it classified the crime as murder in the third degree. In 2005, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in the case Commonwealth v. Ludwig held that an intent to kill or malicewas necessary to convict someone under the law, according to Kevin McCarthy assististant district attorney for Allegheny County. As Abom said, that is likely not the case in many circumstances. The courts said if you are going to equate the sentence to third degree murder, you need to prove the malice of third degree murder, Freed said. Ultimately the latest version of the statute doesnt require that malice. Freed said during the time when malice was required, cases were handed over to the federal court system. Abom explained that under federal law, drug delivery resulting in death can lead to harsher punishment for someone convicted of selling drugs but it is not a separate law. He said doing it this way rather than as a specific criminal charge allows for increased penalties without the need to prove intent. Even with its revisions, the law has come under fire. In late 2015, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Commonwealth V. Kakhankham, a case which originate from a death in Carlisle, upheld the 2014 conviction of Somwang Laos Kakhankham stating that the prosecution only needed to prove that the defendants actions were reckless. Kahkhankham had argued that the statute required the death to be intentional. The penalty imposed for its violation, a sentence of up to 40 years, is clearly serious, the court wrote. (The) common law origin of the crime involved, homicide, traditionally has a mens rea requirement ... (the) death must be at least reckless. The court went a step further citing a 2004 Pennsylvania Superior Court decision Minnesota Fire and Casualty Company v. Greenfield which stated the mere use of illicit drugs constituted reckless behavior. Although the overwhelming majority of heroin users do not die from a single injection of the narcotic, it nevertheless is an inherently dangerous drug and the risk of such a lethal result is certainly is foreseeable, the court wrote. The intravenous self-administration of illegally-purchased heroin ... is a modern form of Russian roulette. The Defense Ministry said Monday evening that radical right-wing activist Meir Ettinger will remain in administrative detention for four more months. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Meanwhile, the Shin Bet decided Evyatar Slonim, another right-wing activist arrested along with Ettinger, will be released in the coming days under restrictions. Ettinger, considered the Shin Bet Jewish Division's no.1 target, was supposed to be released on Tuesday after six months, but Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon decided to extend his detention after a situation assessment with the Shin Bet. Meir Ettinger (Photo: Avihu Shapira) Ettinger was arrested in early August on suspicion of involvement in a radical Jewish terror organization. He has been on hunger strike over the past week in protest of the conditions of his detention. The 23-year-old Ettinger is the grandson of Rabbi Meir Kahane. He is suspected of being at the head of a terror cell that planned to commit a series of violent acts against Palestinians as part of a plan he refers to as "The Revolt." According to his worldview, violence must be committed in order to light the flames of conflict and cause the Israeli government to collapse. Anarchy would follow, and then a new order could be created. "The meaning of bringing down the state is toppling the structure of the state and its ability to rule, and to build a new institution," wrote Ettinger in a document outlining his plan. "To this end, we must work outside of the rules of the institution we want to bring down." Evyatar Slonim holds an Australian passport, and his parents, who have been working to bring to his release, recently turned to the Australian ambassador to Israel and asked him to intervene. Evyatar Slonim (Photo courtesy of Channel 10) In a letter the parents sent the ambassador they claimed that now that the Dawabsheh murder case has reached the indictment stage , there is no real cause to keep their son under arrest. "Our son has not committed any crime and does not deserve to be behind bars. Please help our family in any way that you can, so that Israel will fulfill its moral and democratic duties," the parents wrote. The Shin Bet, meanwhile, claimed Slonim posed a risk to national security. Attorney Aharon Rosa with Honenu, who represents Slonim, welcomed the decision to release him, saying the arrest was "an exaggerated action to begin with, which harmed my client's freedom for no appropriate reason." Mordechai Meyer was also arrested along with Slonim and Ettinger , but has already been released three weeks ago. Even though the extension of Ettinger's administrative detention was expected, his family and friends have been trying to pressure the state to release him. Ettinger's wife Moriah wrote an article on the "Jewish Voice" website, saying: "My brothers and sisters, the people of Israel. Have you ever heard of Meir Ettinger? The dangerous one, with the horns? Allow me to paint you another picture. My husband, Meir Ettinger, is a gentle man, soft, shy, and reticent. He's all pleasantness. He's the man who helps all his friends, finds a lost child's mother and listens to those who need. "The administrative detention is about to end, God willing, but they have the option of extending it over and over again, and it's up to us. It's up to us how long our silent agreement and the legitimization we give to the most severe form of violence continues. Violence against true Jewish dialogue. And that is the truth. It's not about him, it's about us and how we want our life to look." The Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies published unique photos on Monday that expose a small part of the Russian Air Force's operations in the Syrian civil war, showing dozens of aircraft and surface-to-air missiles batteries deployed at the Assad regime stronghold in Lattakia. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Despite the inconclusive results at the beginning of the Russian campaign in Syria last summer, Israeli defense officials noted that over the past few weeks, Moscow's military aid to President Bashar Assad has been bearing fruit, and even able to stop the advance of ISIS, as well as other moderate rebels and al-Qaeda-affiliated militias. The photos, taken by the Israeli surveillance satellite Aros, show an incease of Russian forces in the area, which could explain the recent success. A Sukhoi Su-24 bomber was shot down two years ago by an Israeli Patriot battery after it infiltrated Israeli airspace, while a Turkish F16 fighter jet shot downed another last year in an incident that inflamed tensions between Moscow and Ankara. The photos also show ten Sukhoi Su-25, a lighter jet, seven advanced Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, and four advanced interception and attack Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft. Additional aircraft were likely out on aerial strikes while the satellite photos were taken. "You can still see evidence of the vast number of attack sorties at the maintenance structures set up in the field, where Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft are going through repairs and engine replacement due to wear caused by the planes' high level of activities in the Syrian airspace," Inbar added. Part of these Russian fighter jets also conducted sorties in the Syrian Golan over the past few months, only several kilometers away from the Israeli border. The Russian Air Force operations in the area are done in real time coordination with its Israeli counterpart through a mechanism set by the heads of the two militaries six months ago. About two months ago, the Russian Air Force also deployed advanced S-400 antiaircraft batteries. "We can see from the photos that the Russians stationed and began operating the S-400 batteries, and stationed alongside them Pantsir SA-22 missiles, also purchased by Iran, in order to protect the batteries from attack," Inbar said. "The Russians upped the aerial defense on their air base after one of their aircraft was shot down by the Turkish Air Force because they were worried about escalation." According to Inbar, the Russian deployment of advanced antiaircraft batteries in Syria is an important statement, as the rebels do not possess fighter jets and no foreign air force threatens the Russian pilots in the area. "The Russians have an organized combat doctrine when it comes to deploying their air force, and if they operate out of a foreign air base, then they have appropriate defense methods. The way they see it, they're here to stay, perhaps even for a long period of time, and that's why they're treating this base as Russian territory that needs to be defended in order to ensure freedom of operation," he said. The deployment of the advanced batteries raised concerns in Israel, but Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon stressed the deployment of these batteries was included in the coordination with the Russians. The Aros satellites, operated by the Israeli ImageSat International company, are built by the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and equipped with Elop space cameras. ISI purchased two such satellites in the past and ordered a third, far more advanced satellite last year. These photos, taken a week ago, will be presented at the International Space Conference on Tuesday, organized by the Fisher Institute. Office hours: M-F, 0630-1500 Sexual Assault Response Coordinators (SARCs) and Victim Advocates are available at major DoD installations to assist victims (survivors) of sexual assault. The Youngstown Air Reserve Station SARC serves as the single point of contact for integrating and coordinating sexual assault victim (survivor) care 24/7, 365 days a year. The SARC Office is also responsible for providing Sexual Assault Prevention training throughout the installation. Help is just a phone call away: If you have been sexually assaulted, please call the YARS 24/7 SARC Response Helpline at 330-233-2100. You may also e-mail the YARS SARC at 910sarc@us.af.mil. You can also reach the DoD Safe Helpline at www.safehelpline.org. Shippensburg University students now have the opportunity to sharpen their investment management skills at the new Brad E. Hollinger Stock Trading Room. Located in the universitys John L. Grove College of Business, the stock trading room is equipped with the Bloomberg Terminal computer system, which allows students to evaluate and manage stocks on Wall Street. It is named in honor of Brad E. Hollinger, a 1976 graduate of the university, in recognition of his gift to the university foundations Charting the Course, Lighting the Way campaign. I am elated to be here, Hollinger said during a dedication ceremony Friday. I am incredibly privileged and honored to give back to the university that gave so much to me. Hollinger is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Vibra Healthcare, which operates more than 60 specialty acute hospitals in the United States. He said he wanted to bring the Bloomberg connection to Shippensburg so students can better learn why Wall Street functions the way it does, and what makes sense in investments. He said employees today are expected to be adaptable and creative with a passion to succeed, and an understanding of investment management is a valuable skill. John Kooti, dean of Grove College, said the stock trading room is an impressive addition to a school he calls one of the top business schools in the country. I am thrilled for the new addition to the John Grove College of Business, which will help to provide students with the tools to be effective managers, he said. Kooti said the Bloomberg Terminal allows students to research live financial data, which is critical for buying and selling stocks. Hollinger said students are able to examine stocks and see which ones are performing best. We are fully equipped to help students research and track the stock market, Kooti said. The stock trading room is open to all students, not just business students. G. F. Jody Harpster, university president, also expressed appreciation to Hollinger for his generosity. Understanding the stock market is a feather in our cap and goes a long way to enhance the reputation of the College of Business Our university is very fortunate to have the generosity and support of alumni like Brad Hollinger. Other remarks were offered by Michael Schaul, of the Shippensburg University Council of Trustees; John Clinton, of the Shippensburg University Foundation; and Anthony Militano, a senior Investment Management Program student. As a homeowner, you probably already know that you should be working to maintain your home. But, chances are, you Read More The Global and United States Hydrobike Market Report has been published by QY Research recently. Hydrobike Market Analysis and Insights This report focuses on... If there was ever any ethical foundation supporting the administration of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, it has been obliterated. The first duty of any government is to serve it citizens openly, without favor or prejudice, and in such a way as never to knowingly inflict harm. In causing yes, causing the poisoning of the city of Flints water supply, Snyders administration have violated that trust. Trampled it, really. And in the process they showed contempt for the people of Flint. Citizens complained. Experts remonstrated. Yet more experts were enlisted to make a credible case for concern. It didnt matter. Public health in Flint didnt matter. What mattered was politics. In April 2014, the water supply of Flint was switched to the Flint River. It was a cost-saving solution. Flint, as most of us have known since Michael Moores 1989 documentary Roger & Me, is a struggling, impoverished postindustrial landscape. State-appointed emergency managers had been assigned to Flint to address its fiscal problems. So the lake water supplied by Detroit had to go. Too expensive. But the water from the Flint River, a historical dumping site for industrial effluent, wasnt treated properly, a necessary step to keep old pipes from corroding and releasing lead into the water. The result was toxic water. People quickly began complaining of rashes and other problems. Pediatricians noted eye-popping levels of lead in the blood of children. Technicians found off-the-charts levels of lead in certain water samples taken from residents water faucets. This went on for 18 months before the water source was switched back to Detroit last fall. United Way of Genesee County, Mich., estimates that 6,000 to 12,000 kids were exposed to lead in the drinking water for an extended period, and that the cost of treating and caring for those poisoned by lead could reach $100 million. At its heart, the contaminated water crisis in Flint is simple. Everyone at some point the governor, consultants, legislators, Flints state-appointed emergency managers and the various staffers surrounding all of the people with the lofty titles and salaries discounted the people of Flint. It wasnt their children who were exposed to irreversible brain damage from lead poisoning. It wasnt their families breaking out with rashes. And it wasnt their minister who stopped performing baptisms, fearing a toxic blessing for newborns. Those problems were Flints, and Flint apparently doesnt really deserve better. We get this inkling from 275 pages of newly released emails from the governors office. They were only brought forth under duress now that the National Guard is delivering clean bottled water to Flint. Now that a federal emergency declaration has been signed by the president. Now that the lawsuits are being filed and $28 million in emergency state money had to be offered up. The governors emails show state officials dismissing residents complaints as politically motivated and downplaying the findings of outside experts invited by residents to test the water. Now certain Michigan Republicans are wailing that the issue is being politicized by Snyders critics. Well, who politicized it? Principled public servants would have taken complaints from citizens seriously and sought unbiased evidence to investigate not dismissed them as political or otherwise inconvenient. So, yes, this reflects badly on the Republican governor who supported the system of state-appointed saviors for the poor in the form of inept emergency managers. Racial and class insensitivity is certainly a factor. Flint is more than 55 percent African-American and has a 40 percent poverty rate. Its easier to ignore people if they dont look like you or vote for you. But thats not the whole story. Multiple agencies and countless public workers mindlessly marched forward without adequately addressing the uproar coming from the people using the water. Some of the people snared in the negligence including the emergency manager at the time the water was switched to a dangerous source are African-American. Clearly, a lot of people shoved plans forward without questioning, without addressing dangers. Fingers have been pointing at the emergency manager at the time of the water switch. And that man, now the emergency manager of Detroit schools, points to the previous manager. Technically, he argues, his predecessor made the decision. The state legislature bears fault too. It twice approved acts to appoint emergency managers for Flint. The second time, it added language to prevent the people of Michigan from using a referendum to take back control of their cities, as they did in 2012. Snyder, in his state of the state address, attempted a buck stops here gesture. To you, the people of Flint, I want to say tonight, as I have before, I am sorry, and I will fix it, he said. The question is, will he will anyone learn from it? Mary Sanchez is an opinion-page columnist for The Kansas City Star. Emmail her at msanchez@kcstar.com. Since 1986, the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization founded by former President Jimmy Carter, has been leading the international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease. The program has been such a success that Guinea worm disease is set to become only the second disease completely eradicated from the world (after smallpox) and the first to be stopped without the use of a vaccine or other medicine. To discuss this work, Carter will make a rare address to House of Lords of the British Parliament on Wednesday, Feb. 3. After the talk, he will take questions vita Twitter. People are encouraged to submit questions via Twitter to #askJimmyCarter, his office said. There were an estimated 3.5 million cases of Guinea worm disease annually in 1986, when the Carter Center started working against the disease. There were just 22 cases reported last year. Advertisement Guinea worm disease, also called dracunculiasis, is caused by the roundworm parasite Dracunculus medenisis. It is contracted when people drink stagnant water that is contaminated with Guinea worm larvae. When larvae are consumed, they mate and the female worms mature and grow in the human abdomen. A year later, the female Guinea worm, which grows to more than a yard long, creates an agonizingly painful lesion on the skin and slowly emerges. The worm is sometimes removed slowly by winding it around a stick or piece of gauze, a process that can take weeks. Guinea worm sufferers may try to ease the burning sensation caused by the emerging worm by submerging their limbs in water, but this contact with water causes the worm to release its larvae into the water, which begins the cycle of infection all over again. Guinea worm is a particularly devastating disease that makes people unable to care for themselves, work, grow food, or attend school for long periods of time. The Carter Center has created education programs that teach people to filter water before drinking it and to prevent transmission of the parasites by keeping the worms from entering water sources. Carter announced in December that he is cancer free after receiving treatment for liver cancer that had spread to his brain. He is 91 years old. Last month, archaeologist from Trinity College Dublin published a paper detailing their research on several skeletons found in an ancient burial site in York, England. The remains are believed to be from gladiators from the 4th century AD who seemed to have met their demise at hands of either a large carnivore or through mercy killing. Archaeologists agree that the site is one of the more gruesome recent ancient discoveries. However it seems like there is more prehistoric grisliness left to be unearthed. Just a little over a month ago, archaeologists from the University of Strasbourg in France published a paper in the Cambridge journal, Antiquity, that explored an ancient burial pit located in Bergheim near the German border. The site which is dubbed as "Silo 157," is filled to the brim with not only seven skeletons but also a collection of amputated upper left arms. The site, which is 2 meters deep and 1.5 meters wide, is believed to date back from 4,500 and 3,500 BC. It contained the bones of two adult males, one adult female and four children between the ages of 10 and 13 years old. ""The discovery of Bergheim is the witness of a very violent event, which took place at a specific time. Its unique and extraordinary nature does not allow or help us to better understand the daily life of these people" explained Fanny Chenal, co-author of the paper. Advertisement The scientists further detail the careless manner in which the bodies were thrown in the pit. According to them, all bones show signs of amputations made from either a knife or an axe. Chenal and the rest of her team have since explained how crucial the discovery is to the study of Neolithic area. According to Chenal, ancient daily life used to be painted as Utopian. However given the new discovery, it seems like ancient humans had to lead a darker more gruesome life. "While in the past, archaeologists painted a picture of Neolithic life as idyllic and egalitarian, newer finds paint a far darker picture" explained Chenal. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA have had a tough time in the last few years. In 2010 with the U.S. in the midst of a recession, NASA's allocated budget has been under fire. Historically, NASA's budget has been reduced to less than 1% of the country's annual budget since Gerald Ford's first year of presidency in 1974. Thankfully, it seems like the agency is on a comeback streak. Just last December, the U.S. Congress finally announced a $1.3 billion increase to the space agency's 2016 budget. To show their appreciation, NASA has recently announced an event designed to thank its many social media followers. Last Friday, the agency announced on their official website a "State of NASA" event to be held on February 9, 2016 in ten of their field centers. Participants would be privy to a tour of their selected center and an in-depth exploration of NASA's impressive and legendary journey to Mars. "Participants will get a unique behind the scenes look at the respective center and the diverse work of the agency through tours and presentations with scientists, engineers and managers. The events also will provide guests the opportunity to interact with fellow social media users, space enthusiasts and members of NASA's social media team" reads a part of the invitation. Advertisement Interested parties can register at NASA's official website. The event is restricted to social media representatives that actively use their accounts to spread information to a substantial number of people. Selection for the "State of the NASA" event is based on credentials and is not random. It is limited to U.S. Residents at least 18 years old. Deadline for submission is on February 2, 2016 at 5PM. More information about the event and the ten participating field centers can be viewed in NASA's official government website. The scientific community has been buzzing since the announcement of a newly discovered planet in the solar system. Last January 19, 2016 scientists from the California Institute of Technology or Caltech presented their recent findings about a celestial body behind Neptune that could just be the ninth member of Earth's neighborhood. "Planet X" or "Planet 9," which might be the same as the Earth, orbits the sun every 15,000 years. Despite skepticism, Konstantin Batyagin and Mike Brown, the scientists behind the discovery, have since ascertained their claims to "Planet X." "If you say, 'We have evidence for Planet X,' almost any astronomer will say, 'This again? These guys are clearly crazy.' I would, too. Why is this different? This is different because this time we're right" gushed Brown. Despite the fanfare surrounding the discovery from the scientific community, not everyone is impressed with the possibility of the newest planet. In fact, an American preacher has warned about the impending destruction of Earth following the discovery of "Planet 9." Advertisement Pastor Paul Begley, an Apocalyptic preacher best known for his Youtube videos, has explained that "Planet 9" could possibly be the dreaded "Nibiru" - the ninth planet predicted to collide with the Earth. "Something is causing the heavens to shake - and it's in your Bible! If you go into the gospel of Saint Luke, Luke 21, verse 10, "Nation shall rise against nation.Kingdom against kingdom. Great earthquakes shall be in diverse places - and famines and pestilences, and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven" exclaimed Begley in a video which can be viewed here. NASA has long debunked conspiracy theories surrounding "Nibiru" in an article published in 2012. According to the space agency, the notion of wayward planets such as Nibiru are nothing more than internet hoax. If there was indeed a threat, NASA explained that they would have been tracking it thoroughly in advance. National Review magazines Conservatives Against Trump issue is this election years boldest collection of thoughtful columns articulating what some of us have considered for quite awhile to be Trumps big, phony political adventure. It is quite a relief for those of us who have recognized The Donald early on as an authoritarian liberal choosing to identify as a conservative for political gain that others recognize this fact. Among the 21 conservatives and one libertarian invited to participate, certain themes converged. Trump has always been a liberal. He supports partial birth abortion. He enthusiastically supported President Obamas failed stimulus scheme and cash for clunkers as serious policy. Obama himself chortled at wasting hundreds of billions of taxpayers hard-earned dollars, joking, I guess shovel ready was not as shovel ready as we expected. Upon hearing Obama utter these words, fellow travelers at the meeting of his ironically named Council on Jobs and Competitiveness fell into laughter as though on cue in some demented comedy. The United States does not need another eight years of such comedy. The National Review writers converged separately upon Trumps eagerness to violate Constitutional restraint on eminent domain, his ignorance of powerful players leading international terrorist organizations, his enthusiasm for engaging in an unwinnable tariff war with China and the uber-liberal concept that the government can take over companies, and, frankly, take big chunks of companies.Donald Trump believes in bigger government having more control over your life and would expand the power of the executive branch, exercising more executive orders, actions and Presidential memoranda to push through his desires as has Barack Obama. Donald Trump has often pontificated on his love for single payer health insurance, quoted in the Review by Erick Erickson as, ...Im going to take care of everybody. . . . The governments gonna pay for it.That sentence is more appropriate to a Bernie Sanders running-mate than a leading candidate for the Republican Party nomination. He is being seen at last by more and more observers as a phony, spewing populist slogans and hurling meaningless insults, like saying, No one likes Ted Cruz. Unrelated stories in various publications are now quoting establishment Republicans saying they prefer Donald Trump over Cruz because Trump is more malleable. His lack of political experience is greatly exceeded by his lack of political leadership and these Washington, D.C. insiders believe they can bend Trump to their desires. They probably can. These insiders are lobbyists and consultants who make a living convincing Republicans to do the bidding of their clients and Democrats. They believe Trump will need them to help him make policy decisions just as establishment Republicans like John Boehner needed them. He will. Ted Cruz is not so malleable. Trump has recently demonstrated his willingness to make a deal that serves him better than the people he supposedly wishes to lead. In Iowa, Trump doubled down on ethanol mandates, a bloated, failed crony government scheme that has been rejected by conservatives en masse, recognizing its grand economic failure. Why? Because his leading rival, Ted Cruz, garnered enthusiastic applause and genuine respect from Iowans when he publicly maintained his honest position against the wasted billions of dollars in ethanol mandates at last years Iowa Ag Summit. Then, Iowas Republican Governor spoke out against Cruz, calling for him to be defeated. Trump leapt at the opportunity to pander to caucusing Iowans, saying the federal government needs to spend even more money it can extract from taxpayers on the failing ethanol program, filling the pockets of Iowa political activists who he hopes will encourage fellow Iowans to vote for him. This is the real Trump: the pandering populist political performer. I now have a request for the editors at The National Review. Will they please repeat this winning format featuring the scandalous and criminal behaviors of Hillary Clinton? - Copyright 2016 Rick Jensen, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Rick Jensen is Delawares award-winning conservative talk show host on WDEL, streaming live on WDEL.com from 1pm 4pm EST. Contact Rick at rick@wdel.com, or follow him on Twitter @Jensen1150WDEL. Hi, There is a new center in mumbai at JJ Hospital. However not enough information is available about the same. Here are some Traveler t... M. bin Salman, the de facto king of Saudi Arabia - epitome of frightful incompetence. Image source: Voltairenet dot org Losing the 18-month oil war in the financial market, the ailing Saudi economy is in a wheelchair. Everyone in Saudi Arabia agrees that low oil prices are scary for the Kingdom's future which has never before been steeped in so much uncertainty. In less than two years oil prices have fallen from $125/barrel to $28. To raise and stabilize the price of oil, Saudi Arabia also needs to work with Russia which is the biggest non-OPEC oil producer. Unless Russia agrees to cooperate and cut oil production which wont come easily as the Russians are just as keen to safeguard their market share, it will be next to impossible for OPEC to work on a plan. Saudis are desperate with pipe-dreams of oil prices rising by end of 2016. They are only waiting for a nod from Russia. But whether or not Russia cooperates, it could take years for prices to stabilize and return to previous levels, if they ever do. The Saudi economy will almost certainly be affected far more than expected, giving plenty of reasons for discontent to grow and the gap between the rich and the middle-class to widen. According to As the experiment plays out, the kingdom is burning through its reserves to maintain social spending. The country has turned to the debt markets .... War in Yemen, Chinas economic slowdown and Irans re-emergence have also raised the political and economic stakes ." To raise and stabilize the price of oil, Saudi Arabia also needs to work with Russia which is the biggest non-OPEC oil producer. Unless Russia agrees to cooperate and cut oil production which wont come easily as the Russians are just as keen to safeguard their market share, it will be next to impossible for OPEC to work on a plan. Saudis are desperate with pipe-dreams of oil prices rising by end of 2016. They are only waiting for a nod from Russia. But whether or not Russia cooperates, it could take years for prices to stabilize and return to previous levels, if they ever do. The Saudi economy will almost certainly be affected far more than expected, giving plenty of reasons for discontent to grow and the gap between the rich and the middle-class to widen. According to ft.com ." While the Saudis continue to act defiant that they can handle low oil prices, a string of austerity measures have been implemented at home for the first time in the Kingdom's history. Cost of electricity and water has climbed considerably. Construction of roads, malls, commercial buildings etc. has been strictly budgeted or stalled. Price of petrol has risen by 50%! Unbelievable but true. All of that is a far cry from the Saudi government's attractive benefits to its citizens, including no income tax, as a weapon to subdue them to servility through a culture of personal contentment and rejection of rebellion. Those good ol days are drifting away into history as money is fast disappearing. With deficit running into millions of dollars month after month, Saudi citizens will soon have to begin paying their taxes. The depth of economic turbulence is easier to gauge when CNN loses its optimism. While the world's attention is focused on Saudi Arabia's latest flare up with Iran, many Saudis are concerned about the "economic bomb" at home. The government is slashing a plethora of perks for its citizens ." While the Saudis continue to act defiant that they can handle low oil prices, a string of austerity measures have been implemented at home for the first time in the Kingdom's history. Cost of electricity and water has climbed considerably. Construction of roads, malls, commercial buildings etc. has been strictly budgeted or stalled. Price of petrol has risen by 50%! Unbelievable but true. All of that is a far cry from the Saudi government's attractive benefits to its citizens, including no income tax, as a weapon to subdue them to servility through a culture of personal contentment and rejection of rebellion. Those good ol days are drifting away into history as money is fast disappearing. With deficit running into millions of dollars month after month, Saudi citizens will soon have to begin paying their taxes. The depth of economic turbulence is easier to gauge when CNN loses its optimism. Quoting the media : "." The Kingdom is also reportedly exploring other avenues to lessen its dependency on oil, another sign of utter desperation. The latest story tells us that Saudi Arabia is working on a "transition" through "reforms." But c an there be reforms in "Saudi Arabia" until it returns to Arabia (or Hejaz) as the first indispensable step? Furthermore, Saudi Aramco is supposedly the future "bridge" for this 'transition.' That makes the Saudi ambition somewhat comical. No secret that since more than seven decades that country has had an acute dependency problem on foreign workers and the United States in particular. Aramco itself originated from an American company based in California - Standard Oil of California or SOCAL. At present the Chairman of Aramco is full of fantasies on reforms, "shifting industrial growth and job creation to public sector." A typical setup where blueprints are enthusiastically prepared only for the paper to rot. It's unreal to expect that the so-called "desire for change" will effectively trounce decades of lethargy, corruption, despotism and debauchery stamped within the Kingdom. Even pro-Saudi analysts are doubtful at best. And something amusing here: Money Morning kind of energy (not specified ) from sand/rock particles that requires no drilling nor refining nor any other costly procedure and will provide energy to homes, offices, industries, automobiles and to just about every place under the sun at almost zero cost. In the midst of this fiasco as the U.S. government appears clearly relieved if not joyous, it is also circulating 'jolly-up' daydreams and reveries viaetc. to comfort its stressed out Saudi ally that all wealthy countries will soon dump oil and replace it with a heavenly substitute! According to this utopian fable, some "genius" (not named) has invented a newof energy (not) from sand/rock particles that requires no drilling nor refining nor any other costly procedure and will provide energy to homes, offices, industries, automobiles and to just about every place under the sun at almost zero cost. So much for America's slipshod 'psychiatric services' to the tearful House of Saud. Continue reading a bit more please .... _________________________________ In his latest piece, Thierry Meysan has unveiled some interesting facts dragging the Kingdom in a direction it has been too eager to avoid - the beginning of the end titled Towards the Collapse of Saudi Arabia . Here's a thought provoking excerpt summarizing the story. QUOTE - "While the Saudi family enjoys the last few moments of its dictatorship, the decapitation of the leader of the opposition, Nimr al-Nimr, deprives half of the Saudi population of all hope. Forced by his brothers to nominate Prince Mohamad ben Nayef as heir, King Salman quickly isolated him and restricted his powers to the advantage of his own son, Prince Mohammed ben Salman, whose reckless and brutal nature is not restrained by the family Council, which no longer meets. De facto, he and his father govern alone, as autocrats with no counter-power, in a country which has never elected a Parliament, and where political parties are forbidden. So we have seen Prince Mohammed ben Salman take over presidency of the Council for Economic Affairs and Development, force a new direction on the Ben Laden Group, and seize control of Aramco. Prince Mohammed ben Salman advised his father to have Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr decapitated because he had dared to defy him. In other words, the state condemned to death and executed the leader of the opposition, whose only crime was to have formulated and repeated the slogan - "Despotism is illegitimate." On the international level, Prince Mohammed and his father, King Salman, are implementing policies based on those of the Bedouin tribes of the kingdom. Saudi Arabia is therefore the only state in the world which is the property of a single man, governed by this autocrat and his son, who refuse any form of ideological debate, who will not tolerate any form of opposition, and who accept only tribal serfdom. Prince Mohammed took it upon himself to launch the war against Yemen on the pretext of helping President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who had been overthrown by an alliance between the al-Houthi movement and the army of ex-President Ali Abdallah Saleh. In reality, the war was waged in order to seize the oil fields and exploit them with Israel. Predictably, the war went wrong, and the insurgents launched incursions inside Saudi Arabia, where the army fled, abandoning its equipment. The fall of the House of Saud may be provoked by a reduction in the price of oil. Incapable of reforming its life-style, the kingdom is borrowing hand over fist, to the point that according to financial analysts, it will probably collapse within two years. The partial sale of Aramco may temporarily postpone its demise, but this will only be possible at the cost of a loss of autonomy. The decapitation of Sheikh al-Nimr will have been the straw that broke the camels back. The fall of Saudi Arabia is now inevitable because there is no hope left for the people who live there. The country will be plunged into a mixture of tribal revolts and social revolutions which will be far more murderous than the previous Middle-Eastern conflicts. This is how Sheikh al-Nimr described the life of the Shiites in Saudi Arabia 'From the moment you are born, you are surrounded by fear, intimidation, persecution and abuse. We are born into an atmosphere of intimidation. We are even afraid of the walls. Who among us is not familiar with the intimidation and injustice to which we have been subjected in this country ? I am 55 years old, more than half a century. From the day I was born until today, I have never felt safe in this country. You are always being accused of something. You are always under threat. The Director of State Security admitted as much to me. He told me when I was arrested All of you Shiites should be killed. Thats their logic. ' " UNQUOTE - New Delhi: A Jamia professor, who had sent a petition to President Pranab Mukherjee alleging irregularities in university's functioning, on Monday approached police claiming that he has been threatened with dire consequences and requested that he be provided security. Jamia Millia Islamia university authorities, rubbished the allegations of threat as baseless and maintained that it was "improper" on his part of having petitioned the President without approaching the varsity administration. Police officials said that they have received the complaint but no FIR has been registered in this connection. "Certain members of the staff association and other representative bodies entered my department today shouting hostile and intimidating slogans and threatening me with dire consequences. This was an unjustified reaction to complaints sent by me to the President," Obaid Siddiqui, professor at Jamia's Mass Communication Centre, alleged in his complaint. The professor, who was not in his office today, further said, "Since I was on leave today, I was saved from a sure assaults by these lawless elements. I would request you to provide me with immediate police protection so that no harm is caused to me and my duties are not disrupted". A senior police official said, "we have received the complaint and the matter is being looked into. No FIR has been registered in this regard and his request for police protection will be examined". Siddiqui, had sent a petition to the President who is Visitor to the university, objecting to introduction of 5 per cent seats for wards of Jamia Millia Islamia employees, despite Delhi High Court having quashed a similar arrangement in 1997. Jamia spokesperson Mukesh Ranjan said, "the allegations about threats to Siddiqui are baseless. I am told there was was a demonstration against him by university teachers for violating service rules. It was improper on his part to approach the President without articulating his concerns before the university authorities." New Delhi: A 58-year-old businessman has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a court here for raping a Delhi University student after abducting her in his car from outside her college in 2010. Additional Sessions Judge Pawan Kumar Matto awarded the jail term to Mukesh Singhal, a father of two daughters, after holding him guilty of raping the 17-year-old victim, a first-year honours student of a West Delhi college. The court relied on the testimony of the girl and the medical records while convicting the man for the offences of rape, abduction and threatening to kill her under the IPC. "Relying upon the statements of material witnesses, i.e. prosecutrix and statement of doctor who has proved her MLC and in view of prompt arrest of the accused, registration of FIR, medical examination of prosecutrix, and of the accused ... I am inclined to hold that prosecution has successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt that accused Mukesh Singhal had forcibly kidnapped the prosecutrix, threatened to kill her and after putting her in the fear of her death. He has raped a minor girl...," the judge said. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 9,000 on the convict. It said Singhal had concocted the story that the victim had taken lift from him or demanded money from him. According to the prosecution, the incident took place on the evening of August 4, 2010 when the girl was returning home from her college and Ashok Vihar resident Singhal stopped his car near her and asked the way to a hospital. When the girl told him that she did not know about it, he dragged her in the car and threatened to kill her if she raised an alarm, it said, adding he took her to a secluded street near Moti Nagar in West Delhi and raped her. When the man started his car, the victim jumped out of the running vehicle and shouted for help after which he was caught by the passers-by, beaten up by them and handed over to the police, it said. During trial, Singhal denied the allegations levelled against him and claimed that the girl had taken a lift from him outside her college. He alleged that she started blackmailing and demanding money from him and on refusal, she falsely implicated him in the case. The judge said the court was able to understand that after such an incident, the victim who was a minor would have suffered a jolt. He also said the girl's testimony was reliable, trustworthy and inspired confidence. New Delhi: RSS on Monday rejected allegations that some of its workers were involved in thrashing a group of student protesters along with police personnel outside its headquarters in central Delhi two days back. A video today emerged in which some Delhi Police personnel along with some unidentified men were seen thrashing protesters and dragging female activists by their hair outside the RSS office during a demonstration on Saturday over dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide. "No RSS worker was there at that time. If somebody feels that there was some highhandedness then there is option of inquiry, law. Police must have done whatever they found was appropriate," incharge of RSS media unit of Delhi Rajiv Tuli said. Reacting strongly to the assault, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, in a press conference, alleged that BJP and RSS workers were involved in thrashing the students along with police. Congress called it a "brutal assualt" by police on a group of "unarmed protesters" and demanded action against guilty policemen. Delhi police Commissioner BS Bassi said he has directed senior officials to investigate the matter and see if there were any "indiscretions". Lucknow: The surprise presence of expelled Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh at the swearing-in of Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta on Sunday fuelled speculation of his early return to the party. "I am present in SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's heart. It is much more than my presence in the party," Singh, SP's once powerful general secretary, said after the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhawan. "A political party may be guided by 'swarth (vested interest)', but not the heart, which is pure and selfless. If one resides in someone's heart, it is immaterial whether one is in the party or not," Singh said. His attendance at the event came days after the SP chief had said, "Amar Singh may not be the formal member of the party, Amar Singh was in my heart, he is my heart and he will remain there." Yadav said he always had "very close ties" with Singh and "there is no change in those relations and they will remain for all my life", dropping ample hints of his early comeback in the party fold. Though Mulayam is said to be backing Singh's return to the party, a few senior leaders, particularly SP's Muslim face Azam Khan, are wary. Amar Singh was present at the birthday function of the SP chief in Saifai on November 22, last year. In January 2010, Samajwadi Party parliamentary board had expelled Singh from the party, terming him as "intruder". On his expulsion, Singh had said he was hurt when he was thrown out of the party fold on his birthday which falls on January 27. "But I don't carry any baggage. Mulayam Singh has always been an elder brother to me and Akhilesh is like my son," he had said. Singh had a long meeting with the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on January 26, fuelling speculation in political circles over his return to the party fold. New Delhi: A heavy police force was deployed at northwest Delhi's Bharat Nagar area, where clashes between members of two communities broke out, even though the locality did not witness any fresh instance of violence on Monday, police said. Several persons were injured in the clash on Saturday night. The clash continued yesterday, following which prohibitory orders were imposed in the area and peace-keeping teams were formed, said police. While one case of rioting was registered after locals pelted stones and confronted each other on the streets on Saturday night, another was registered after an angry mob set two motorbikes on fire yesterday, said police. The violence started after a youth was thrashed by members of a different community. They alleged that the youth tried to forcibly gain entry into the residence of a member of their community. Soon, men from the youth's community came forward in protest leading to a confrontation between the two groups. Within minutes, some other locals from both communities joined and they resorted to stone pelting. The situation was brought under control after intervention of senior officials. However, violence resumed on Sunday morning, prompting police to call for reinforcement and later implement prohibitory orders in the area. "Today there were no fresh instances of violence reported but a group of personnel will remain deployed in the area for an indefinite time till the situation improves," said a senior police officer, adding the peace-keeping teams are helping the police in the process. New Delhi: The initial post-mortem report of the 6-year-old Divyansh points out towards the presence of water in his lungs. The finding also indicates that he died due to drowning. Divyansh Kakrora, a student of class 1 in Ryan Internation School , Vasant Kunj area was found dead in the school's water tank. Meanwhile, Sonal Swaroop, SDM, Vasant Vihar went to Ryan International School with a police team for investigation into the case. On Sunday, Divyansh's mother had raised several question over the circumstances under her son was found dead. Alleging foul play behind the death, she claimed that Divyansh's body was found in a naked state. "His body was found in a naked state. We could not find his clothes," said Mamata Meena, Divyansh's mother. Amid growing pressure in the case, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had also called a meeting with the state education department on Sunday to discuss the case. Divyansh Kakrora, a student of class I at Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj died on Friday after allegedly falling into the water tank inside school premises. Delhi: Even as Delhi Police on Monday faced widespread criticism over a video clip that shows the alleged assault on the students by male constables and some men who are not in uniform, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said that instead of listening to students, Modi government was brutally beating them up. "Shocking attack on students. Instead of listening to them, now the Modi government is brutally beating them up for protesting against the RSS," Rahul said. Shocking attack on students. Instead of listening to them, now the Modi govt is brutally beating them up for protesting against the RSS! Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 1, 2016 In the short video clip, a constable is seen dragging a female protester by her hair and pushing her down. A youth is also seen being bashed. Two journalists, who have alleged that they were beaten up and their cameras smashed while covering the protest, claimed that the police action was "unprovoked", as per PTI. The clip has gone viral on various social media sites. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today hit out at Delhi Police alleging that it was being used as RSS and BJP's "private army" under a political dispensation that is at "war" with students across the country. "Delhi police being used by BJP/RSS as their private army to terrorise and teach lesson to anyone opposing BJP/RSS. I strongly condemn attack on students," he tweeted. "FTII, Rohith case, Hyderabad University, IITs and now brutal attack on Delhi students. Modi government seems to be at war with students all across," he wrote in another tweet. Del pol being used by BJP/RSS as their pvt army to terrorize n teach lesson to anyone opposing BJP/RSS. I strongly condemn attck on students Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 1, 2016 FTII, Rohith case, Hyd Univ, IITs and now brutal attack on Del students. Modi govt seems to be at war with students all across Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 1, 2016 (With Agency inputs) DIPP gives nod to set up Indias first Defence Industrial Park at Ottappalam Published: February 1, 2016 Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) of Union Government has given its final approval to Kerala Governments approval to set up Indias first Defence Industrial Park at Ottappalam. Proposal in this regard was forwarded by Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra), a Kerala government owned Public Sector Company. Key facts The proposed defence park will be established as part of Union Governments flagship Make in India programme and state governments Make in Kerala project. It will have modern common infrastructure facilities aimed at attracting component manufacturers in the defence industry. Union government also has agreed to bring the park under the Modified Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme (MIIUS) . . The park would be established in 60 acres of land at cost of Rs. 231 crore with the financial help of Central and State government. Union government will invest Rs 50 crore in it while the rest of the amount would be met by the State government. Ottappalam was selected for the defence park keeling in view its strategic location in terms connectivity and other common facilities such as dedicated power and water supply along with infrastructure for the research and development centre. Implications: This defence park will play important role bridging the gap related to defence components manufacturing sector. This sector has demand estimated at 700 million dollars a year from India and other countries having friendly relationship with it. It will also provide platform for export of products related to defence from small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMSEs). Month: Current Affairs - February, 2016 Topics: Business Current Affairs 2016 Defence DIPP Economy Kerala Make in India manufacturing Latest E-Books New Delhi: Amid reports that the Delhi Police has given a clean chit to AAP leader Kumar Vishwas in a molestation case, the poet-turned politician on Monday questioned whether those who engaged in his "character assassination" would apologise to him now. "Are those supari-journalists, political parasites, ill-intended people including former DCW chief Ms Barkha Shukla Singh and misguided sponsored tweeple running negative hashtags going to come out and apologise for such an attempt of character assassination based on nothing? "Anyways, Another conspiracy exposed, another truth revealed! Keep planting such conspiracies against me, will Face, will Fight, will Rise!?#?VishwasAtalRaha?" Vishwas said in a post on his Facebook page. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too came in support of his friend, saying "Will those TV channels, who said dirty things about Vishwas at that time, have decency and courage to apologise to him now?" Kejriwal tweeted. Delhi Police today filed an status report before a court here on a plea filed by a party volunteer seeking registration of an FIR against Vishwas for allegedly molesting her. According to sources, the police has said in its report that it could find nothing to substantiate the allegations levelled by the complainant against Vishwas. The court had on December 21 asked the police to file a status report as to whether any FIR has been registered on the complaint. The woman, in her complaint seeking registration of FIR against Vishwas, had alleged he had molested her here. She claimed that she had approached the police with her complaint but no action was taken against the leader. Mumbai: The CBI Monday told a special court here that Indrani Mukerjea, prime accused in the sensational Sheena Bora murder case, and her husband former media baron Peter Mukerjea were unhappy with the relationship between her daughter Sheena and Peter's son Rahul. "Both, Peter and Indrani were unhappy with the relationship between Rahul and Sheena," Additional Solicitor General of India Anil Singh told the special CBI judge H S Mahajan, while opposing Peter's bail application. Sheena, Indrani's daughter from an earlier relationship, and Rahul, Peter's son from his earlier marriage, were in a relationship and at one point in time, they used to stay together in a rented flat in Mumbai. Indrani had introduced Sheena in Mumbai's social circles as her younger sister. Sheena (24) was allegedly murdered by Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and ex-driver Shyamvar Rai, on April 24, 2012. She was allegedly strangled in a car and her body burnt and dumped in a forest in Raigad, about 84 kms from Mumbai. "Before April 23, 2012, both Indrani and Peter were in England. When Indrani came to India on April 23, she had immediately messaged Peter. Even after reaching the spot in Raigad district, where Sheena's body was burnt and disposed of, she had called Peter," Singh said. He also said that even after taking Sheena's body to Raigad, Indrani had a long conversation with Peter. "Around 2.30 am on the intervening night of April 24 and 25 (2012), Peter and Indrani spoke for around 15-20 minutes," Singh said. On April 26, Peter came back to India and he, along with Indrani, went to Goa on April 28, he said, adding that an attempt was made by both of them to access the e-mail account of Sheena. Singh also said that after Sheena's disappearance Peter's servant told him that Rahul had come home enquiring about her. Peter told him, "Don't worry, Indrani has separated Sheena from Rahul." When Rahul spoke to Peter about Sheena, he was told that she was in the US and was doing fine, Singh said. "Sheena was a family member and Peter was in touch with Rahul and Sheena, but when she went missing, Peter did not make any efforts to trace her," Singh argued. Singh also said that they had approached the then Additional Commissioner of Crime Deven Bharti regarding Sheena's missing mobile, but later told the officer it has been traced. "It was only after Indrani's driver Shyam Rai was arrested, the case came to light, but from the day when Sheena went missing in April 2012 till the time of Rai's arrest, despite requests made by Rahul, Peter did not make any attempt to find out Sheena," Additional Solicitor General Singh said. Singh said despite attempts, both of them were not successful in separating Rahul and Sheena. "Peter is part of the conspiracy and was aware about everything," Singh said, adding if he is let out on bail, he might tamper with the evidence and influence the witnesses. The ASG said the charges against Peter was serious. "Entire planning had been done and strategy worked out and it was done in such a way that for three years, nothing came out," Singh said. We have material in the form of call records, e-mails, confessions, statements of witnesses to suggest complicity of Peter and the CBI will file the chargesheet against him and come before the court with evidence, Singh told the court. Peter's lawyers Amit Desai and Kushal Mor told the court that the CBI was only able to infer that Peter had knowledge and he did not inform the police and misled his son. "CBI is only saying that Peter had knowledge of the crime post April 24," Desai said. He also said there was not even a prima facie case against Peter, adding that the CBI doesn't have any material that transcends from knowledge, intention to agreement. "Peter was not against the relationship between them," he said. "There is nothing about Peter that shows that he has role in planning, what the CBI is trying to show is that phone call between Peter and Indrani took place in relation to the murder," Desai argued and added that CBI does not have any transcript. New Delhi: The Congress Party on Monday reminded Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani's that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had won from his constituency in Amethi, so clearly he did not need to extract 'revenge' of any sorts despite what she said. "Rahul Gandhi won from Amethi so why should he want revenge? Those who talk about revenge are ones who have lost. People should think before making such statement," Congress leader PL Punia told ANI. Earlier today, Irani accused the Congress vice president of using education as "battle-ground" and students as "political fodder" to take revenge on her for posing a challenge in his Amethi constituency. "Rahul Gandhi wants to take revenge for Amethi with me. He wants to make education a battlefield and is using students and political fodder. Now that Rahul is hell-bent on revenge, he will keep churning allegations against me," Irani told the media here. Asserting that she was not rattled by Rahul's constant volleys against her, she added that she was capable of giving him a fitting reply in the Parliament. "If Rahul wants to take the fight from Amethi and out into the country I have no objections to that. I went to Amethi when the Congress was in power at the Centre. If I wasn't afraid of him them, why should I now? I'm fully capable of replying him in Parliament," Irani added. Even since Irani lost to Gandhi in Amethi in 2014, she has been making constant trips to the constituency announcing several schemes besides setting up a nodal office of sorts for the Lok Sabha constituency at her residence in Delhi, posing a challenge to the Congress. Lucknow: The Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribe commission chairman PL Punia on Sunday dismissed the recent claims made by Union Minister Sushma Swaraj and said that PhD scholar Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide in Hyderabad in January this year, was a Dalit. "He was a member of the Scheduled Caste. Some people are only trying to water down the issue. Rohith and his siblings were brought up by a single mother, so how can any law determine his caste by that of his father who had left the family years ago," Punia reportedly said while talking to reporters. Punia had visited Hyderabad University a day after Rohith committed suicide. According to Punia, Rohith's mother was a Dalit and thus, by law, Rohith and his other siblings were also Dalits. Punia had also claimed that he has asked the authorities of Hyderabad University to ensure action against those guilty in Vemula's death. Rohith Vemula committed suicide at Hyderabad Central University on January 17. He along with four other Dalit scholars were suspended by Hyderabad University for allegedly involving in a clash with a ABVP leader. Hyderabad University vice-chancellor, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and HRD Minister Smriti Irani have been named as accused in the case. New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear the petition filed by Congress Party challenging the imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh today. On Wednesday, a five-judge bench headed by Justice J. S. Khehar posted the matter for today. Later, the Centre had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Friday to justify the imposition of President`s rule. The affidavit, filed by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), claimed that there was complete breakdown of governance and law and order in the state. The affidavit also referred to six reports forwarded by the Governor to the President and to the Ministry, corroborating the reasons for proclamation of Emergency and maintaining that there was political instability in the state and a 'war-like' situation. The affidavit was settled by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi who was asked by the five-judge Constitution Bench to respond to the petitions challenging the imposition of central rule. The petitions include the plea of Rajesh Tacho, Chief Whip of Congress Legislature party in the state assembly which is now kept under suspended animation. Amritsar: Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Monday said "some gaps in security" led to Dina Nagar and Pathankot terror attacks in Punjab. "There were some gaps in security that led to terror attacks in Punjab," Rijiju told the media here. He, however, said Punjab government and the Centre were working jointly on security aspects following the twin terror attacks. On infiltration of terrorists, Rijiju, who was on a two-day trip to Punjab, said that there were many gaps as somewhere barbed fencing was broken and at some places fencing was missing. "Similarly there were some problems with the riverine area that also need immediate attention," he said. Union Government will give special attention to all security measures in Punjab to maintain peace and harmony, Rijiju said. He said some elements are attempting to create disturbance in Punjab like 1980 period but peace will be maintained at any cost and there would be no compromise with the security even at international borders and BSF will also equipped with more infrastructure as per requirement. Talking about Indo-Pak talks, he said if the dialogue with Pakistan is scheduled, the terror issue will be part of it. The Centre will provide all possible help to Punjab as far as security issues are concerned, he said. New Delhi: Congress senior leader Shashi Tharoor is likely to undergo a lie-detector test in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar. As per the reports, Tharoor can be called in for another round of questioning and may have to take a lie-detector test. A Special Investigation Team formed to probe Sunanda Pushkar's mysterious death, on last Thursday questioned Tharoor's domestic help Narayan Singh and driver Bajrangi. Police are also questioning a few chemists in Lodhi Colony to find the source of the Alprax tablets found in Sunanda's hotel room, where she was found dead. A three-member AIIMS autopsy panel had found anti-anxiety drug Alprazolam popularly known as Alprax in Pushkars body, a fact corroborated by the FBI, which analysed the viscera samples. The samples were sent to Washington after the Pune-based Central Forensic Science Laboratory ruled out the presence of Alphrax in Pushkars body. During an earlier round of questioning, Narayan and Bajrani had told investigators that the couple had got into a heated conversation, a day before Sunanda was found dead. Singh reportedly also claimed that Tharoor had physically assaulted Sunanda during the argument. In a series of tweets, Sunanda had accused Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar of having an affair with her husband Shashi Tharoor. On January 17, 2014, a day after the Twitter controversy, Sunanda was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a 5-star hotel of New Delhi. Jaipur: An alleged Pakistani spy, working as a postal employee, has been arrested by the police on Monday. According to India Today, the person has been identified as Narendra Sharma. He has been detained for spying for Pakistan's intelligence service Intel-Services Intelligence (ISI). As per the report, Rajasthan Intelligence Bureau along with the Military Intelligence officers are interrogating the suspect at Pokhran Police Station. Since morning the investigating officials were searching the said post office in Pokharan and a short while ago the officials declared that they have nabbed Sharma who was allegedly spying for Pakistan, the report said. The alleged Pak spy is also getting financial assistance from Pakistan in lieu of the spying activity, the report added. In December 2015, Rajasthan's Anti-Terrorism Squad had arrested a former Army man for allegedly leaking confidential information pertaining to the Indian Army to Pakistan's ISI. The accused, identified as Patwari Gordhan Singh, was first detained in Pokharan area of Jaisalmer by a joint team of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh ATS. He was arrested after interrogation by ATS and Rajasthan intelligence agency, as per PTI. Last year, in November, the Delhi Police arrested a BSF soldier and a retired Indian Army havildar for allegedly leaking information pertaining to India's national security to ISI. Both were arrested in Jammu & Kashmir. Pokharan, situated in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district, is a very sensitive area as far as the Indian Army activity is concerned. It is a remote location in the Thar Desert region and served as the test site for India's first underground nuclear weapon detonation. New Delhi: Seeking to create cleaner campuses across the country, higher education sector regulator UGC has asked colleges and universities to set up 'Swachhata Ambassador Committees' (SAC) as it works to launch a National Student Engagement Campaign for the purpose. In a letter to Vice Chancellors of all universities, UGC Secretary Jaspal S Sandhu said the regulatory body is partnering with the Urban Development Ministry to launch a National Student Engagement Campaign for making students active stakeholders in making India clean. It suggested that the institutions administer a 'swachhata' pledge and maintain a record form with signature of students of each class who take this pledge. In the pledge, students undertake to devote two hours per week to voluntary work for cleanliness while also aiming to add more volunteers for the cause. "lt is also requested that a Swachhata Ambassador Committee (SAC) of students and teachers be set up for overseeing and monitoring the cleanliness and hygiene status of the institution. Please keep a record of the SAC that has been set up, with members' details and composition," the UGC letter said. It also added that students should be encouraged to register individually on swachhbharat.mygov.in. Chennai: If the escapades of an Air India cabin crew member are any indication of the state of affairs in the national carrier, then turning the 'Maharaja' profitable may end up being just wishful thinking. The customs and vigilance officials in Chennai were shocked recently when they checked the baggage of a lady cabin crew member who had flown in on an international flight from Colombo. Acting on a tip-off her baggage was screened only to reveal that the air hostess had carried off all that she could lay her hands on during the flight. The seized items included in-flight meals, coffee boxes, milk cartons, whiskey bottles, cashew nuts, juice packets and much more, the Hindustan Times reported. The cabin crew in question had operated the Chennai-Colombo-Delhi sector with a night halt in Delhi and then the Delhi-Colombo-Chennai sector. The cabin crew carried out the shameful act despite Air India's new chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani warning of strict action against those caught pilfering. The newspaper quoted an airline spokesperson as saying that she has been taken off the roster, pending an inquiry. Senior IFS officer Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi was on 29 January 2016 appointed as India's Ambassador to Mexico. Pardeshi is a Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1991 batch. He is currently posted as Joint Secretary (Passport division) in the Union Ministry of External Affairs. He served as the Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of India in Jakarta from 2007 to 2010. During 1993-2001, he worked with Indian Missions in Mexico, Colombia and Nepal. Other Appointment Union Government also appointed P Harish as India's Envoy to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Harish is a Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1990 batch. He is currently posted as Consul General in Houston, United States. Jamshedpur: In yet another case of brutal crime against women, a teenage rape victim was allegedly sexually assaulted a second time while she was admitted in a government hospital in Jamshedpur receiving treatment for the original attack. The incident took place on Sunday night. The accused was nabbed by the police on Monday morning and has been identified as Shambhu Mahato. He is a private security guard who was on duty in the hospital when the incident took place. The 13-year-old girl has told police that she was raped on Sunday by a security guard at the hospital where she had been admitted in Jamshedpur city in the impoverished state of Jharkhand, as per media reports. "We registered a case and arrested the private security guard posted at the hospital after the girl`s complaint and are now awaiting her medical report," police superintendent Chandan Jha said. "The girl has (now) been referred to the best hospital in the city for further treatment and rehabilitation," he added. Police said the 13-year-old victim was admitted to the hospital on Saturday after she was allegedly raped by a teenager in the Parsudih area of the city on January 26. At the hospital, the security guard allegedly accompanied her to the bathroom and raped her, police added. The incident took place at around 7 pm. The victims mother said the accused brought samosas on Sunday evening and asked her to bring puffed rice. When I returned with the puffed rice, I saw my daughter was shaking and crying on the bed. She told me what Mahato did but when we complained to the woman guard she scolded us, the mother added, as per Hindustan Times. The girl had been admitted several days earlier to the MGM Hospital after informing police that she had been raped by a teenager in her neighbourhood on the city`s outskirts. "Since the accused in the earlier case was also a minor, he was detained and sent to a juvenile remand home," Jha said. Public hospitals in India are often poorly resourced, with lax security, while overworked doctors and nurses struggle to cope with a crush of patients and families. The fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus in Delhi in 2012 shone a global spotlight on frightening levels of sexual violence against women. It also led to major reform of India`s rape laws including speeding up of trials and hiking penalties for offenders, but high numbers of assaults persist. (With agency inputs) Thiruvananthapuram: ADGP (State Crimes Records Bureau) R Sreelekha has kicked up a huge storm by alleging that Transport Commissioner Tomin Thachankary (an ADGP rank officer) had been harassing her for the past 29 years. In a Facebook post, Sreelekha, who is the first lady IPS officer from Kerala, hit out at Thachankary and alleged that he had played foul against her a number of times. Sreelekha believes that Thachankary played behind the scenes to get a case registered against her in connection with the alleged tax fraud she committed by sanctioning school bus permits to private buses. The incident pertaining to the case occurred when Rishiraj Singh was Transport Commissioner. I had no direct connection with the case and it was a trap laid by Thachankary by influencing the complainants, Sreelekha wrote in the post. Thachankary forced the complainants to file a case in the Thrissur Vigilance Court as he knew that the court would order an FIR based merely on a complaint. Even the confidential report by the Vigilance DySP was leaked to the complainant by the due instructions made by Thachankary, The celebrated IPS officer also claimed that Thackankary Sreelekha has alleged in her post. She also pointed out that Thachankar was trying to deny her promotions. Sreelekha said that her health condition was deteriorating owing to the mental stress caused by Thachankarys constant harassment. On his part, Thachankary has dismissed the post as wrong and unfounded. Thiruvananthapuram: Saritha Nair, one of the prime accused in the solar panel scam in Kerala, on Monday deposed before a judicial commission, and said she was "used physically and mentally" by many politicians. Nair also handed over three CDs and documents to prove her allegations. In her deposition before the judicial commission, she said she was "used physically and mentally" by many politicians of the state. "Today, I handed over CDs -- both audio and video -- that include conversations between Congress leader Thampanoor Ravi, Congress legislator Benny Behanan, Oommen Chandy`s ousted security guard Salim Raj and businessman Abraham Kallimannel, who is in a threatening mood asking me not to divulge anything more. "I will bring more evidence," Nair told reporters after her deposition for the fourth consecutive day. Nair and her live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan were arrested in 2013 on charges of cheating numerous investors, who paid money for solar panels. Over 30 cases of cheating against the two have been registered in various courts. Police estimate that they cheated investors to the tune of over Rs 6 crore. While Nair is out on bail, Radhakrishnan is in jail on charges of murdering his first wife. Nair alleged that she paid Rs 1.9 crore in two instalments which, she claimed, was part of the Rs 7 crore bribe demanded by Chief Minister Chandy. She also said Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed was given Rs 40 lakh as bribe. Chandy and Mohammed have both denied the allegations. In a related development, Thrissur vigilance court judge SS Vasan, who ordered further probe against Excise Minister K Babu in the bar scam and also an FIR to be registered against Chandy and Aryadan Mohammed in the solar panel case, on Monday took back his resignation. He had put in his papers, seeking voluntary retirement, following a dressing down by the Kerala High Court which stayed both his orders. Mumbai: In a tragic development, at least 13 students of a Pune-based college drowned on Monday afternoon at Murud beach in Maharashtra's Raigad district while on a picnic. As per reports, 13 bodies of 10 women and three men were recovered after a massive rescue operation carried out by the Navy, the Coast Guard, police and locals. The Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard deployed three helicopters, including a Chetak and a Seaking chopper, and an Interceptor 117 speedboat, while ICG ship Achook was diverted to the area for 'locate and rescue' operation. The students belonged to Pune's Abeda Inamdar College an arts, science and commerce institute and were reportedly on a trip to Raigad. Assistant inspector of police Arvind Patil told AFP that the victims were aged between 19 and 23. "A total of 155 students from Pune went to Murud main beach and some of them went swimming around 3.30 pm this afternoon," he said. "Thirteen students are dead due to drowning," Patil said, adding that 10 women and three men died. The cause of the massive tragedy, which occurred around 3 pm at Murud beach - located around 140 kilometres south of Mumbai - was still not clear. However, local people speculated that some of the students ventured too far out into the waters and were probably caught by the tidal currents, which swept them away. PA Inamdar, a trustee at the college, said the students had been on a picnic to Murud, which had been arranged by the educational institute. "They were on an excursion and must have gone into the sea against the advice of the teachers. They were swept away by the tides," Inamdar said. He said that 14 people had drowned, 10 women and four men, although police insisted that the death toll was still at 13 late on Monday. Inamdar said all other students had been accounted for while Patil also said everyone else on the excursion was "safe" after a massive rescue operation. Commander Rahul Sinha, a spokesman for the Navy, said up to 18 students had got into difficulty in the water and that six of them had been rescued and taken to hospital. Murud sits on the Konkan coast, which has dozens of beaches popular with locals who prefer it to the internationally renowned tourist state of Goa. (With agency inputs) Sanaa: The lifeless body of Yemen's top Salafi cleric in the southern port city of Aden was found disfigured on Sunday hours after he was abducted following an anti-extremism sermon, security officials said. Government forces repelled Shiite rebels from Aden last July, but have been unable to restore order there ever since. With government forces now pushing north toward the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, the vacuum in Aden has given rise to affiliates of extremist groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, who have grabbed lands and exercised control in various parts of the city for months. The influential cleric, Samahan Abdel-Aziz, also known as Sheikh Rawi, had delivered a fiery sermon against the al-Qaida and IS branches on Friday, the officials said. His body was found bloodied and bearing signs of torture in Sheikh Othman, an area largely controlled by extremists, they added. Abdel-Aziz was kidnapped by gunmen outside his mosque late yesterday in the pro-government neighborhood of Bureiqa, they said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media. They remain neutral in the war that has splintered the Arab world's poorest country. Also today, Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense said in a statement that a rocket fired from inside Yemen toward Saudi Arabia's southern border region of Najran landed on a Saudi home, killing an 11-year-old child and wounding nine others in the family. Saudi forces frequently fire rockets at rebel positions in Yemen from just inside the kingdom's border and the Yemeni rebels frequently fire ballistic missiles at Saudi border guard positions, killing dozens of soldiers and civilians. Yemen's conflict pits a loose array forces fighting on the side of the internationally recognized government against the Shiite rebels and troops loyal to a former president, who together control the capital and much of northern Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition backed by the US intervened on the government's side last March. Earlier in the day, Human Rights Watch said the rebels, known as Houthis, have for months restricted food and medical supplies to Yemen's third-largest city, Taiz, in what it described in a statement as "serious violations of international humanitarian law." "The Houthis are denying necessities to residents of Taiz because they happen to be living in areas that opposition forces control," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. London: A British mother who took her 14-month-old son to Syria to join Islamic State fighters and allowed him to be photographed wearing a balaclava next to an assault rifle, was jailed for six years on Monday. Tareena Shakil, 26, left Britain in October 2014 and journeyed to the militant group`s stronghold of Raqqa with the toddler, despite describing the Syrian city as the most dangerous place on earth, Birmingham Crown Court was told. She was convicted last Friday of being a member of Islamic State (IS) and encouraging terrorism on social media. She is believed to be the first woman to have gone on trial accused of joining the militants, media reports said. Sentencing her to six years in prison, Judge Melbourne Inman said she had told lie after lie about her actions. "The most abhorrent photographs ... were those taken of your son wearing a balaclava with an ISIS logo and specifically the photograph of your son, no more than a toddler, standing next to an AK-47 under a title which translated from the Arabic means `Father of the British Jihad,`" Inman said. The court heard she had published statements and pictures on Twitter in support of IS. A photograph uncovered by police showed her posing in Syria underneath an IS flag. Police said it was not known why she left Syria in January 2015. She was arrested by counter-terrorism officers when she returned to Britain on Feb. 18 after landing at Heathrow Airport and her son was taken into care. "However unclear the true picture is, I will assume in your favour that you decided to leave because you had a change of heart," Inman said. "That mitigation is very limited however because you pleaded not guilty and having seen you give evidence I saw no evidence of remorse about what you had done or done to your son." Security services estimate up to 800 people have travelled to Iraq and Syria, many to join Islamic State, and about half have returned home. Des Moines, Iowa: Donald Trump`s ground-breaking White House campaign faces its first test at the hands of voters on Monday when Iowa begins the nationwide process of choosing a new U.S. president, with polls showing him in a tight battle with Ted Cruz to be the Republican nominee. On the Democratic side, front-runner Hillary Clinton is hoping to fend off a stiff challenge in Iowa from insurgent Bernie Sanders in the first of the state-by-state battles to pick party candidates for the Nov. 8 election to succeed President Barack Obama. Late opinion polls showed Trump, a blunt-spoken billionaire businessman who has never held public office, with a small lead over Cruz, a conservative U.S. senator from Texas. Clinton had a slight edge on Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont. But there is a large bloc of undecided voters in both parties in Iowa and no certainty on who will turn up at the caucuses on a wintry evening, given that many supporters of Trump and Sanders are new to the process and disenchanted with traditional politics. A Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Iowa poll on Saturday showed three in 10 likely Democratic caucus-goers and 45 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers were still uncertain. Iowans will begin choosing candidates at 7 p.m. CST (0100 GMT on Tuesday), with results expected within a few hours. A win for Trump could validate an aggressive campaign that has alarmed the Republican establishment, dwarfed the efforts of many seasoned politicians and has been marked by controversies such as his calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and for a wall along the Mexican border. A loss would dent the campaign persona of "winner" that the real estate tycoon and former reality TV star has carefully cultivated, and create immense pressure for a better performance in the next nominating contests - in New Hampshire and South Carolina - later this month. `TAKING OUR COUNTRY BACK` Trump started the day with a rally in Waterloo, Iowa, urging people to turn out. He told the crowd that while he is leading all the polls, none mattered now if they did not attend caucuses. "Tonight is so important: this is the beginning of taking our country back," said Trump. At a later rally in Cedar Rapids, he said his security had warned him there might be protesters with tomatoes, and responded in typically pugnacious fashion. If you see someone in the crowd getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, he told the crowd. The Iowa caucuses kick off a primary process that leads to the parties` formal presidential nominations this summer. The voter gatherings are a long and sometimes arcane ritual, taking place in 1,100 schools, churches and other public locations across the Midwestern state. With months of heavy exposure to White House hopefuls, many Iowans are slow to decide who to back. "I`m still checking them out. The field is large and it requires some thought," said Paul Albritton of Carlisle, Iowa, a training coordinator at Iowa State University, as he waited to see U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida last week. "I`m thinking about who can win in November." For the winners in Iowa, the prize will be valuable momentum that could stretch for months, while many of the losers on the Republican side could quickly begin dropping by the wayside. LAST-MINUTE PUSH The 2016 election is shaping up to be the year of angry voters as disgruntled Americans worry about issues such as immigration, terrorism, income inequality and healthcare, fuelling the campaigns of Trump and self-declared democratic socialist Sanders. On the Republican side, opinion polls show foreign policy hawk Rubio might win third place in Iowa and stake a claim as the best hope for the party`s mainstream. Jeb Bush, a former Florida governor once thought to be the strongest Republican candidate but watched his poll numbers tumble, held a final Iowa event in Des Moines. "We have candidates running where its all about them, its about their ambition," Bush said. "Whenever the going gets tough theyll, cut and run, because God forbid they actually propose something that currently is not popular." For the Democrats, Clinton needs a win in Iowa to prevent a potential two-state opening losing streak that would raise fresh questions about a candidate who was considered the clear front-runner just two months ago. She began her day at her campaigns south Des Moines field office, where she brought roughly 60 volunteers donuts and coffee, posed for pictures and then headed to a downtown coffee shop. Building an extensive ground operation has been credited with one of the strongest advantages she has going into the caucuses. Clinton, a former secretary of state and U.S. senator, often touts her years of experience in politics, and says she will defend much of Obama`s legacy. Sanders has attacked from the left and promised to do more than Clinton to help American workers. Clinton who lost Iowa in 2008 and went on to lose a protracted primary battle to Obama, but told ABC`s "Good Morning America" programme that it would be different this time, adding, "I think I`m a better candidate." El-Arish: An Egyptian cartoonist, whose work is occasionally critical of government figures, was arrested in the capital, Cairo, on Sunday and charged with running a webpage without a license, the country's Interior Ministry said in a statement. The arrest of Islam Gaweesh appears to be part of an intensified clampdown on activists and journalists in Egypt, where many have been detained, questioned and even forcibly disappeared in recent months. In custody, Gaweesh was told that the only charge actually against him so far was "publishing drawings that are offensive to the regime," his lawyer Mahmoud Othman told The Associated Press. Most of Gaweesh's work dealt with the mundanities of life in Egypt. One of his most recent cartoons tackled the recent cold snap in the country by showing a man asking his love interest on the phone why she is cold in an effort to appear manly. "The weather is great," he says before being interrupted by a group of penguins in the window telling him to shut up. One of the few cartoons Gaweesh has recently drawn that are critical of government figures targeted a foul-mouthed pro-government lawyer and lawmaker Mortada Mansour, who often threatens to beat his political opponents with his shoes. Earlier this month, Mansour was selected to head the parliament's human rights committee. In Gaweesh's caricature, Mansour is shown standing next to a torturer and his victim saying: "Lash the lights out of him, but gently." Ever since the military overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013 amid mass protests against his rule, the government has launched a crackdown on dissent, killing hundreds of protesters and throwing thousands of Islamists in prison. Many of the young pro-democracy activists who spearheaded the 2011 uprising, which was partly sparked by government limitations on freedom of speech and expression, have been swept up in the campaign. The statement from the Interior Ministry, which runs the police force in Egypt, said Gaweesh was arrested at the headquarters of the news website, Egypt News Network, which they raided today after official investigations revealed that it was publishing news without a license. ENN has been operating since 2011. Earlier today, two homemade bombs in the restive north of the Sinai Peninsula killed four and wounded five members of the security forces in two separate attacks, medical and security officials said. Cairo: Two Egyptian policemen and two soldiers were killed and four others were injured in two separate bomb attacks in the restive North Sinai region. A roadside bomb went off when a police vehicle carrying security forces passed by early yesterday in Rafah, killing two policemen and injuring four others, security sources said. In a separate attack in Sheikh Zuwaid city in North Sinai, an army officer and a conscript were killed in a bomb attack which targeted their vehicle, the sources added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by any terrorist group. At the same time, militants torched two houses of two policemen in North Sinai without any casualties, the sources said. North Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January 2011 revolution that toppled former dictator Hosni Mubarak. The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by the military following massive protests against his rule. Over 700 security personnel have been reported killed since then. Naypyidaw: Myanmar entered a new political era Monday as Aung San Suu Kyi`s pro-democracy MPs took their seats in parliament, bearing the hopes of a nation subjugated for decades by the military. Wearing pastel orange uniforms, lawmakers from the National League for Democracy (NLD) arrived for their first day of work in the capital Naypyidaw, buoyed by a massive popular mandate from November`s election. That poll saw the NLD wrest a majority from the army establishment and has spurred hopes of a new political dawn in the long-repressed nation. Suu Kyi, the centrepiece of Myanmar`s struggle for democracy, entered the cavernous parliament building without comment. She took a seat alone for the short opening session which saw the lawmakers sworn in and the appointment of a close ally, Win Myint, as lower house speaker. "Today is a day to be proud of in Myanmar`s political history and for the democratic transition," Win Myint said in an acceptance speech. The new government faces a daunting rebuilding task in one of Southeast Asia`s poorest countries, whose economy was crushed by almost half a century of junta rule. Many NLD MPs are also political novices, unskilled in the business of government. They must swiftly adapt to a difficult decision-making process in a legislature where unelected soldiers occupy 25 percent of all seats. "It`s a historic moment for the country," said Myanmar political analyst Khin Zaw Win. The country will now choose a new president to succeed President Thein Sein, the former general who in 2011 launched dramatic political and economic reforms which culminated in the election. Suu Kyi herself is barred from the post by a military-scripted constitution because she married and had children with a foreigner. The 70-year-old has vowed to sidestep this hurdle by ruling "above" a proxy president, although she has yet to reveal her choice for the role. While there is no clear schedule for the selection of candidates, it could be within days. Elected members of both houses and the military will nominate three candidates to replace Thein Sein, who retains his post until the end of March. The new president will then be chosen by a vote of the combined houses. Observers are closely watching Suu Kyi`s relationship with the still-powerful military, which holds key ministries as well as the 25 percent parliamentary bloc. Suu Kyi may try to persuade the army to help her change the charter clause that blocks her path to power, analysts say, although it has so far baulked at any attempt to redraft it. After decades under the military yoke, Myanmar`s people queued in their thousands to cast ballots for Suu Kyi and her party last November, throwing their support behind her simple campaign message of "change". With a resounding parliamentary majority, her lawmakers are -- at least initially -- expected to act as a rubber-stamp for her government. While the NLD majority will need to time to find their feet, the military has had plenty of time to prepare for the handover. A quasi-civilian government has steered reforms since outright army rule ended in 2011. The military has appointed "more senior and experienced, and probably better prepared" soldiers to parliament, according to Renaud Egreteau, an analyst who has studied Myanmar`s legislature. Thein Sein has led the opening up of the long-isolated country, spurring international investment with sweeping political reforms. But Myanmar remains blighted by civil wars and ethnic and religious divisions. Poverty rates are high and the bureaucracy is poorly funded and riven with corruption. On the streets of Yangon, however, ordinary people were optimistic about what Suu Kyi could achieve. "We have been hoping for an NLD government for a long time. I feel happy now," said 22-year-old dentist Kyaw Htet - : , ; Moscow: Russia`s anti-doping agency (RUSADA) and the United Kingdom`s national anti-doping organisation (UKAD) have signed a cooperation agreement, Russian sports minister`s adviser Natalia Zhelanova said on Monday. "Under the agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) RUSADA and UKAD will be responsible for planning the tests of Russian athletes," Zhelanova said, reports Tass. The agencies will also have the authority to consider applications for issuing therapeutic permission for athletes who have to take drugs on the blacklist due to health problems. "RUSADA and UKAD will also jointly decide on what laboratories will examine the doping samples," the adviser said, adding that no information has been provided so far where the samples will be sent. The agreement will be in force until RUSADA returns to its former status, she added. "The joint activity of RUSADA and UKAD is limited to a certain time frame," Zhelanova said. "As I understand, UKAD will implement its services in Russia until RUSADA is acknowledged under WADA code and the Russian anti-doping agency gets back its previous status." WADA`s founders who convened for their council meeting in Colorado Springs in the United States on November 18 approved a decision by the organisation`s committee that RUSADA was not in compliance with WADA rules A French soccer fan smokes a cigarette as he watches the 2014 World Cup soccer match between France and Switzerland on a large screen at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, June 20, 2014. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares It's PMI day in Europe. The performance of France, the eurozone's second largest economy, is worrying. The country's manufacturing sector was stagnant in January, pointing to big problems in the country's manufacturers. Overall, the picture for the euro area isn't looking great, with Italy missing forecasts by a big margin, and growth in France flat, showing absolutely no increase in January. PMI readings give an industry a score between 0-100, with anything above 50 signalling growth, and anything below showing a contraction. The big story on Monday morning was a disappointing month for France, which as the second largest economy in the Eurozone, is crucial to the economic performance of the euro area. Jack Kennedy, a senior economist at Markit said: French manufacturing growth ground to a halt at the start of 2016, ending a run of modest expansion seen towards the end of 2015. A drop in new orders for the first time in four months was the primary culprit, as a generally weak demand climate and client uncertainty continued to weigh on new work inflows. France's manufacturers ended four months of moderate growth in January, grinding to a halt and signalling just how big France's problems are right now. In January, Societe Generale Analyst Albert Edwards pointed to France, and particularly its unemployment problem, as a key reason that in his words "The Eurozone is failing". Here's the chart: Albert Edwards France REUTERS/Pilar Olivares On Monday morning, we also got data from Italy, Germany, Greece, and the Eurozone as a whole, while UK manufacturing is coming up later. Here's how things look across the manufacturing sectors of Europe's biggest economies: Italy 53.2,1.8 points lower than economist forecasts, with the economist consensus putting the country at 55, down from 55.6 in December. France 50, just meeting economist forecasts, and stagnant at the same level as December. Germany 52.3, a minor beat on economist forecasts of 52.1, and flat from the same point in December. Greece 50, down from 50.2 in December. Eurozone The euro area as a whole just about met expectations, getting a score of 52.3, meeting forecasts, and staying flat on December. Story continues Italy, the Eurozone's third biggest economy saw a big miss, hitting just 53.2, Essentially, Italy's manufacturing sector is still growing, just nowhere near as quickly as expected, while France's manufacturers are pretty stagnant. Earlier on Monday, China's official PMI data missed expectations by 0.2 points, hitting 49.4, down from 49.7 in December, and missing the 49.6 target expected by economists. NOW WATCH: Chipotle will be giving out more free food to win back customers See Also: SEE ALSO: CHINA PMI MISSES A man in his 20s is dead and another was seriously injured after a shooting inside a west Ottawa restaurant on Sunday evening. Police were called to the shooting at the Shifa Restaurant on Cobden Road, in the city's Pinecrest neighbourhood, at about 5:30 p.m. ET. One victim was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, while the other suffered "very serious" chest injuries, said Ottawa police. Neither has been identified by police, but an autopsy on the man who was killed was underway early Monday afternoon. 'Hollywood-style takedown' Justin Cullen lives at the end of Cobden Road and said while he didn't see or hear the shooting, he saw the entire police response from his front window. "When I was texting my friends I said, 'There's a Hollywood-style takedown going on across the street in the mall,'" he said. "We watch Brooklyn 99 or Cops or something like that and it was everything you see: loud, the yelling, lights at the ends of the guns, actually one of the cop cars had their beam trained on the restaurant." Cullen said he moved to his current house in September from a different part of the city, and that it's been peaceful. 'They don't shoot other people' One longtime resident of the community housing complex east of the shooting scene said there's a problem with drugs there, but that it doesn't affect residents. "The point is that these people are shooting each other, they don't shoot other people or go attack somebody who doesn't have nothing to do with drugs or their problems," said Angel Vassilev. "It's safe, I can say that. If you stay quiet, if you don't deal with them, you're safe. Even though it's not a good neighbourhood, I don't like it, but I can say [there's] no danger." A motive for the shooting has not been determined, police said. No arrests made, no suspects identified Investigators interviewed witnesses at the scene and were checking to see if there was any surveillance footage, Duty Insp. Sean McDade said Sunday night. Story continues The case is being led by the major crimes unit. No arrests have been made and no suspects identified. "You can imagine with a crime scene like this and the amount of witnesses, it will take quite some time to determine exactly what has happened and determine any suspect information," McDade said. McDade said it's too early to tell if the shooting is gang-related. He also said he didn't know how many people were inside the restaurant at the time of the shooting. "You can understand there was quite a bit of panic," said McDade. This is the city's sixth shooting and second homicide of 2016. By Ginger Gibson and Chris Kahn IOWA CITY, Iowa/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The 2016 election is shaping up to be the year of angry voters, the disgruntled Americans shaking up the establishment by fueling the presidential campaigns of two very different candidates - billionaire businessman Donald Trump and self-declared socialist Bernie Sanders. Some 73 percent of voters likely to head to the polls in November's election say they think the United States is on the wrong track, and these disaffected people make up a majority of the support bases for both Republican candidate Trump and Democratic hopeful Sanders - 87 percent and 54 percent, respectively, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Both candidates were seen as long shots against brand name rivals like Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton a few months ago, but have seen their popularity surge as the election race starts in earnest with the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1. They are likely to do well in Iowa, but even if they lose, the fervor they've whipped up has upended the race and maybe even American politics. So who are the angry Americans? They deviate from the population in key ways: they are whiter, poorer and less educated. They are less likely to support a candidate who has been involved in politics. And regardless of party, they have deep distrust for Clinton after her more than two decades in the public eye. Where the camps differ is in identifying the root of America's ills, with supporters of Sanders pointing to income inequality and health care as the top problems, and those backing Trump putting the blame on immigrants and foreign terrorists, according to the poll. Pundits have been quick to define the economy as the source of the voter anger feeding the Trump and Sanders campaigns. In a post-recession world, the middle class still struggles with stagnant wages and a weak job market. But a close look at the polls, and interviews with prospective voters, show concerns go well beyond economic indicators. Here in Iowa, the December jobs report issued Tuesday found just 3.4 percent unemployment far below the national average and still on the decline. "Now Hiring" signs are ubiquitous across the state. Asked to select the top issue for the next president in the first 100 days of the new administration, 24 percent of voters nationwide who said the country was on the wrong track picked immigration - making it the most popular choice by that group. Only 10 percent of those who think the nation is on the right track selected immigration, making it the fifth most popular choice for that group, according to the poll. "Wrong track" voters were also more likely to say terrorism and the economy were concerns. ANGRY AND LOVING IT Trump has built his campaign on an immigration platform that includes building a wall and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants. And his insistence that he could negotiate better trade deals provides a strong appeal to those concerned about disappearing jobs in a global economy. On Tuesday night in Iowa City, Trump's rally drew both supporters and opponents. Eight times the event was interrupted by protesters, who were forced out of the packed gymnasium and heckled by the raucous crowd. Jim Schmidt, 48, of Johnson County, Iowa, was among the angry. His 11-year-old son wore a button proclaiming "Bomb the shit out of ISIS. The child watched as protesters were ejected from the event, cheering and waving his hand in support. "Im angry but I love it and enjoy it, Schmidt said afterward. He's backing Trump for his business experience and ability to bring about change. Where Trump's angry voters have been on display at rallies, the intensity around Sanders has manifested itself online - dominating message boards and comment sections. A liberal radio host in Oregon, Carl Wolfson, announced last month he was ending his show in part because of the vitriol coming from Sanders supporters. His Facebook post on the topic was then inundated with angry responses. Sanders is resonating among angry voters by focusing on income inequality, and promising to deliver universal health care and free college education. Meghan Metier, 22, of Iowa City said the Affordable Care Act - President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform - has allowed some of her friends to access Medicaid. But to keep it, she added, they have to be certain their income doesn't exceed the poverty level, so they stay barely employed. For her the system is broken and Sanders is the only candidate who appears ready to fix it. "He's a more reliable progressive, she said, comparing him to Clinton. (Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Mary Milliken) The crisis in Flint, Mich., where high levels of lead in the drinking water has triggered a health emergency, is highlighting the prevalence of lead service pipes in thousands of homes across North America. More than 60,000 households in major cities across Canada still have lead service lines connecting the home to the municipal water supply, according to water toxicity experts, who conducted studies for a report supported by the Canadian Water Network. And the lead concern is why couples like Mike Kennedy and his wife, who were expecting, to take action. Across the border, residents in Flint started to complain about yellowish-orange and brown-coloured tap water, which appeared after the city switched its water source from Detroits system to the Flint River in April 2014. It was meant to be a cost-cutting measure. There is no safe exposure to lead, Bu Lam told Yahoo Canada News. Lam, who holds a PhD in environmental chemistry from the University of Toronto, manages municipal programs at the Canadian Water Network. Ideally there should be no exposure. Researchers conducted studies in Flint last September showing the water pipes had lead levels 10 times higher than previously measured. The Flint Hurley Medical Center did its own study testing the lead levels of 2,000 children under the age of five and discovered the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels had almost doubled compared to a previous testing period. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder acknowledged it as a health crisis last October and the water source was switched back to Detroit but serious damage had been done. Extended lead exposure is linked to health problems around the cardiovascular and nervous systems, neurological development, functioning of kidneys and reproductive organs. It can be especially harmful for pregnant women, young children and old people. If you are concerned in general about water emergencies in Canada not just about lead pipes and corrosion the private site watertoday.ca keeps track of boil-water orders across the country. Story continues Water regulations are a provincial matter and it is the responsibility of municipalities to adhere to those rules. The Canadian government does, however, have jurisdiction over water treatment on reserves and the new government has promised infrastructure funding to improve those facilities. Didnt want to be poisoning our baby Kennedy and Tracey Stott knew the risks around lead service pipes and thats why the Toronto couple took out the pipe connected to their east-end home. We moved in five years ago and my wife was pregnant, Kennedy tells Yahoo Canada News. Our house is about 100 years old. We knew the city would test water samples for free so we got it done. Kennedy, who is an engineering technician, says trace amounts of lead were found and that was enough for him and his wife to do the replacement. We didnt want to be poisoning our baby, he said. The city had a program where they replaced the public pipe and we paid for the part going to our house. It was less than $1,500. Your house probably has lead service pipes if it was built before 1950, Lam says. However, he adds that lead was used to solder water pipes right until 1990. The scientist says there is no reason to be alarmed. Canada, in a relative sense, does a good job minimizing exposure to lead, noted Lam. Municipalities here are constantly checking the water quality and the condition of the pipes. To that end, many utilities will try to lessen the corrosion by adding phosphate (which doesnt affect human health) or playing with the pH/acidity level of the water to slow the corrosion down. As Lam points out, thats where Flint officials got it dangerously wrong. When they switched water sources, they didnt test it for its quality, which caused a lot of corrosion in the pipes. Its estimated it could take a year for Flints pipes to stabilize so the corrosion will be back to levels prior to the switch. Problems with partial replacement Some forward-thinking municipalities in Canada (including Halifax and London, Ont.,) have programs to help homeowners replace their lead service pipes. Costs can range from city to city. The cities of Ottawa and Toronto have put out some estimates. In Ottawa the full cost from water main to water meter ranges from $6,000 to $10,000 with the property owner footing $2,000 to $5,000 of the total bill. Toronto just estimates the homeowners cost to between $2,000 to $3,000. Unfortunately, the City of Toronto recently killed a program that would have loaned poorer residents the money to cover their portion of full replacement. Municipalities can only replace the pipes that are on city property, which they often do when they are updating their systems. They arent allowed to replace pipes on private property. But this can cause more problems. A Canadian study discovered that partial replacement can exacerbate the amount of lead entering the system. The 2015 report, sponsored by the Canadian Water Network and lead by the NSERC Industrial Chair in Drinking Water Michele Prevost, uncovered startling evidence when only the city part of a lead pipe is replaced. We went out into the field last year and went to houses with partial lead pipe replacement, which had never been done before, research associate Elise Deshommes told Yahoo Canada News. Deshommes was part of the team led by Prevost. We found the [new copper] connections were attacking the lead and increasing the amount of lead in the water, Deshommes said. It is better to remove all of it. Deshommes says total removal everywhere would be great but she also says that replacing even one communitys lead pipes completely could take up to 20 years depending on the number of houses affected. What kind of pipes do I have? Lam agrees. He says its about minimizing risk because it would be hard to replace all the lead service pipes in Canada quickly. The Flint situation has at least galvanized people to think, What kind of pipes do I have? Lam says. Besides more stringent water quality regulations, the report by Prevost makes several recommendations, to make it easier for homeowners to get the job done: replacement of the property owners lead pipes through partial, total or direct funding; deferred reimbursement through taxation; extending homeowners access to the utilitys contractor; registration of lead service pipes on property records. In the meantime, concerned homeowners can clean the aerators in their faucets or use a water filter or buy bottled water for the pregnant women or toddlers in the household. Also, only use cold water for drinking. Kennedy says hes glad he and his wife decided to have the lead service pipe removed. His son Owen is now four years old and 100 per cent healthy, as far as we can tell. The replacement only took about four hours, he recalls. It means we are closer to drinking safer water. Id say to any homeowner its worth checking and replacing. A Calgary boy battling a rare disease is one of only four Canadians granted access to a special drug but it will cost him up to $400,000 a year so his parents are turning to crowd-funding to try to cover it. Eli Wilson, 7, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a degenerative and fatal disease affecting mostly boys. Because it stops the body from producing a key protein needed by muscle cells, he will eventually lose the ability to walk, to use his arms, even to breathe. "It's not a death. But it's a death of hopes and dreams for our son," said Eli's mom, Jennifer Klazek. Knowing the disease would slowly rob their son of his independence, forcing him into a wheelchair and eventually onto a ventilator, Klazek and her husband have devoted their energy to searching for promising new treatments. "Our goal is to ensure that Eli has as regular a life as possible," said Ken Wilson, Eli's dad. "That he can learn to ride a bike, that he can go to the mall with his buddies. Whatever that looks like, we want to ensure that his life is as normal as possible." New hope for boys with DMD Studies show a new drug, called Translarna, may help slow the progression of the disease in boys who are just starting to experience symptoms. It is conditionally approved in the European Union and is sold in 18 countries. "As a parent of a child with Duchenne muscular dystrophy today, hope is really all you have," said Wilson. "This drug showed hope. It showed promise." But Translarna is still under review by Health Canada and is not approved for use in this country. With the help of Dr. Jean Mah, associate professor of pediatric neurology at the University of Calgary, Eli is now one of four Canadians receiving the drug through Health Canada's special access program.. "From month-to-month, year-to-year, boys affected with this condition, they deteriorate," said Mah. "That's why I could understand ... how important it is for families with genetic diseases such as muscular dystrophy, to be on the look out and to hope for any new development, new potential treatments to make a difference in their child's life" Story continues Treatment is cost prohibitive The first shipment of Eli's drug arrived recently, but it comes with a hefty price tag. According to PTC Therapeutics, the company that manufactures Translarna, a year's supply of the drug can cost more than $400,000. "It's a huge financial hardship," said Wilson. "What family can afford that? Without insurance programs, without government programs, these rare disease drugs are inaccessible. So that's when you take matters into your own hands." Determined to do what they can to offer their son some hope and to prolong his life, Wilson and Klazek have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for their son's treatment which has raised thousands already. "The support has been overwhelming in helping us make this possible for our son, and we'll just take this one day at a time." The field of stem cell therapy is growing rapidly with the promise to revolutionize medical treatments. But in order to take it from research to reality, experts say much more time, support and funding is needed. Canada has long been considered a world leader in stem cell research in part because the field was pioneered here in 1961, when Dr. James Till and Dr. Ernest McCulloch discovered the existence of stem cells at the Toronto-based Ontario Cancer Institute. More recent discoveries by Canadian scientists include a method to change adult skin cells into stem cells and a way to convert blood into nerve cells. "It is an exciting time. This is an area where Canada does punch above its weight," says Janet Rossant, executive director of the Ontario Institute of Regenerative Medicine. But Rossant and other experts suggest our level of funding commitment hasn't kept pace with what's happening elsewhere in the world. "When we're talking about investment in research, we are not, as a country, investing the same percentage in research and development as some of our competitor countries. But we do extremely well on relatively small investments," she says. Governments and corporations around the world are heavily investing in stem cell research, though the field is still early in its development. A survey from a U.S.-based market-research firm found the global stem-cell market is expected to reach $40 billion US by 2020 and $180 billion US by 2030. Meanwhile, new therapies are progressing into early clinical trials, with hopes that the regenerative capacity of stem cells could be used to better treat or possibly even cure a variety of diseases, from spinal-cord injury to diabetes, multiple sclerosis to Parkinson's disease. Canada has held some of its own clinical trials, such as a 2015 trial in Winnipeg to test a new stem cell therapy aimed at reducing the effects of MS. Still, these new treatments are some time away from getting past the clinical-trial stage and it will be costly to make them available for widespread public use. Story continues "You really do not want to be rushing these (treatments) to the clinic," Rossant says. "You want to be sure they're safe and they're effective." In spite of such hurdles, Rossant says she expects many new stem cell treatments to appear in the clinic in the next two to three years, with one or two of those advancing to that next level of clinical trial in about five years. "It's happening. It's happening here and it's happening around the world. A step at a time," she says. Stem cell advocates call for strategy Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $20 million in federal funding to help establish a new facility for the Centre for the Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine, an organization working to find ways to manufacture stem cell therapy treatments for widespread use. Ottawa had also announced a $114-million grant for a stem cell research hub at the University of Toronto in July 2015, to be called "Medicine by Design." Figures from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research show the government has invested about $705 million in stem cell research since 2001, including $64.5 million in the 2014-15 fiscal year. In comparison, the state of California with a population similar to that of Canada committed $3 billion in funding in 2004, to be rolled out over about 10 years. Japan, Korea and Singapore, with their aging populations, are also making large amounts of money available for stem cell research and regenerative medicine. "I think Canada, while we've been at the forefront, we need to make that next big investment to move the field forward," says James Price, CEO of the Canadian Stem Cell Foundation. According to a 2009 industry briefing on regenerative medicine from MaRS, Canada ranked first in the world on citations for stem cell research, third in influential patents and fourth in government funding. The foundation, a coalition of research and advocacy groups, is calling for a $1.5-billion national stem cell strategy to help maintain Canada's leading role over the next decade. The foundation would like to see one-third of the funding provided by Ottawa, with the rest coming from corporate or private investors. Canada spends more than $200 billion annually on health care, with two-thirds of that going toward treatment of incurable diseases. Since stem cell therapy holds the potential to cure some of these diseases, Price says it's a worthwhile investment in Canada's health-care future. But the need for a national plan, Price suggests, goes beyond more funding: it's also about focus. "What we recognize is that we need to have a sustainable commitment to achieve the objective that we have in the plan," he says. "Our strategy is focused on 10 new curative therapies in the clinic in 10 years. It's focused on producing 12,000 jobs for Canadians and it's focused on attracting significant private-sector investment into the area. "And to do that, you need a long-term commitment." Thirty years ago today, NASA suffered a spaceflight tragedy that stunned the world and changed the agency forever. On Jan. 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded just 73 seconds after blasting off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, killing all seven astronauts on board including New Hampshire educator Christa McAuliffe, a civilian who had been selected to fly via NASA's "Teacher in Space" program. NASA astronauts had died on the job before Apollo 1 crewmembers Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee were lost when a fire broke out inside their command module during a launchpad exercise on Jan. 27, 1967 but the Challenger disaster was something different altogether. [Remembering Challenger: NASA's 1st Shuttle Tragedy (Photos)] "The whole country and the whole world were in shock when that happened, because that was the first time the United States had actually lost a space vehicle with crew on board," said former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao, who flew three space shuttle missions during his career (in 1994, 1996 and 2000), and also served as commander of the International Space Station from October 2004 through April 2005. "It was even more shocking because Christa McAuliffe was not a professional astronaut," Chiao told Space.com. "If you lose military people during a military operation, it's sad and it's tragic, but they're professionals doing a job, and that's kind of the way I look at professional astronauts. But you're taking someone who's not a professional, and it happened to be that mission that got lost it added to the shock." Changing the culture Before Challenger launched on its ill-fated STS-51L mission, the space shuttle program had completed 24 missions in a row, starting with the April 1981 liftoff of the orbiter Columbia. That run of success bred a measure of complacency, Chiao said. "There was a 'launch fever' at the time, to try to get these missions off on time, and get more missions going," he said. Story continues That type of thinking played a significant role in the disaster, experts have concluded. Challenger was lost because a rubber "O-ring" seal on the shuttle's right-hand solid rocket booster failed, allowing hot gas to escape and damage the orbiter's external fuel tank, as well as the gear that attached the booster to the tank. The O-ring failed in part because unusually cold temperatures on launch day caused the part to harden, investigators later determined. The temperature at liftoff time was 36 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) 15 degrees F (8 degrees C) colder than any previous shuttle launch, NASA officials have said. [?NASA Remembers Challenger (Video)] "The decision to launch the Challenger was flawed. Those who made that decision were unaware of the recent history of problems concerning the O-rings and the joint, and were unaware of the initial written recommendation of the contractor advising against the launch at temperatures below 53 degrees Fahrenheit [11.7 degrees C] and the continuing opposition of the engineers at Thiokol [Morton Thiokol, which built the shuttle's solid rocket boosters] after the management reversed its position," investigators wrote in their report about the disaster, which is known as the Rogers Commission Report. "They did not have a clear understanding of Rockwell's concern that it was not safe to launch because of ice on the pad," they added. (Rockwell International built the space shuttles for NASA.) "If the decision-makers had known all of the facts, it is highly unlikely that they would have decided to launch 51L on Jan. 28, 1986." In a way, the accident jolted these decision-makers awake, Chiao said. "A lot of things changed," he said. "The space shuttle had to be entirely re-certified. Every last little technical piece was re-analyzed." This work took nearly three years. The shuttle program was grounded until the orbiter Discovery blasted off on Sept. 29, 1988. Fallen heroes The Challenger disaster claimed the lives of seven people: commander Francis "Dick" Scobee; pilot Mike Smith; mission specialists Judith Resnik, Ron McNair and Ellison Onizuka; and payload specialists McAuliffe and Greg Jarvis. They are still missed today, three decades later. "Thirty years just seems like yesterday," said Barbara Morgan, who served as McAuliffe's "Teacher in Space" backup and eventually made it to orbit herself in 2007, aboard the space shuttle Endeavour. "These people are still with me all the time, every day." Morgan said that McAuliffe and the "Teacher in Space" program had a huge impact, even though the STS-51L mission ended in tragedy. "It was a really bad time for education. A huge study had come out a big document called 'A Nation at Risk,' and it talked about how bad our education system was, and it kind of painted all schools and all teachers with a big, broad, bad paintbrush," Morgan told Space.com. "There was a very popular saying at the time: 'Those that can, do. Those that can't, teach.'" But McAuliffe helped change that perception, she added. "Christa was just a wonderful teacher, a wonderful human being and a wonderful representative of our profession, and that made it so that it got turned around," Morgan said. "That's something that I'm really, really grateful for, and proud of." Just a few months after the Challenger accident, the fallen astronauts' family members set up a nonprofit called the Challenger Center for Space Science Education, which seeks to spark students' interest in science, technology and math by giving them exciting, hands-on experiences in these fields. The Challenger Center has reached nearly 4.5 million kids over the last 30 years, Morgan said. The nonprofit is a "living legacy to education, carrying on the education mission that Challenger was all about," she said. "To me, that speaks volumes about what the crew was like and who they were, and it's reflected in their wonderful families as well." Keep exploring Sadly, Challenger was not the space shuttle program's only tragedy. On Feb. 1, 2003, the orbiter Columbia broke apart upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board. These crewmembers were commander Rick Husband; pilot William McCool; payload commander Michael Anderson; mission specialists David Brown, Kalpana Chawla and Laurel Clark; and payload specialist Ilan Ramon, from the Israel Space Agency. A piece of insulating foam had broken off Columbia's external fuel tank during the orbiter's launch more than two weeks earlier, damaging the shuttle's left wing. Investigators later determined that this damage allowed hot atmospheric gases to enter the wing's interior, leading to the shuttle's destruction. (Some complacency had crept back into the shuttle program by 2003, Chiao said; foam shedding had been observed during previous shuttle launches but had not been deemed a potentially catastrophic phenomenon.) [Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster Explained (Infographic)] Disasters such as the losses of Challenger and Columbia serve as reminders that spaceflight is an inherently difficult and risky proposition, Chiao said. "I don't think space travel will ever be as safe as commercial air travel, just because the amount of energy you have to put into a vehicle to accelerate it to orbital speed at 17,500 mph [28,160 km/h] any time you have to put that much energy into a vehicle, and then take it out again to bring it back, there's going to be risk involved," he said. "Unfortunately, as much as we try to minimize and avoid these mishaps, every now and then we're going to have them happen," Chiao added. "What we have to do is, do what we can to learn from them, apply lessons learned and keep moving forward." NASA's path forward does not include the space shuttle; the agency grounded its remaining orbiters for good in July 2011. American astronauts are currently dependent upon Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get to and from the International Space Station, though NASA has said it hopes private spacecraft developed by Boeing and SpaceX will be ready to take over this taxi service by late 2017. NASA's human spaceflight program, meanwhile, is focused on getting people to Mars sometime in the 2030s (with a mission to a captured asteroid in lunar orbit in the 2020s currently envisioned as a sort of stepping stone). The agency is developing a capsule called Orion and a huge rocket called the Space Launch System to make all this happen. "I know we're going to get there," Morgan said of Mars. "It's taken longer than I think we all wished, but it's exciting." You can learn much more about the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia tragedies here: http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/DOR2016/index.html Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's FARC rebel group will enter politics and seek alliances with other parties after it signs a peace deal with the government, the top guerrilla leader said on Sunday, despite rebel fears they may be targeted by right-wing armed groups. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, have been in talks since late 2012 with the government of President Juan Manuel Santos to end five decades of war. "We will be in politics without arms," FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, known by his nom de guerre Timochenko, said in an interview with local magazine Semana. "We will enter a political scenario where it will be fundamental to unite the largest number of forces possible to guarantee the deal is fulfilled. "We will put our arms to one side and take up the political struggle." Negotiators at the Cuba-based talks have reached deals on land reform, an end to illegal drug trafficking, guerrilla participation in politics, transitional justice, efforts to find missing persons and remove land mines. A United Nations mission will supervise rebel disarmament once an accord is signed. The war has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions. Although rebel ranks support the peace talks, many fear they may be targeted by right-wing groups after a peace deal, Londono said. Paramilitaries, sometimes with the aid of military officials, systematically assassinated 5,000 members of the left-wing Patriotic Union party in the 1980s, including two presidential candidates. "A common question is: 'Comrade, will the same that happened to the Patriotic Union happen to us?' That is the fear," said Londono. The FARC's political party could participate in 2018 legislative and presidential elections, he said. All sectors of Colombian society, including fierce opponents like ex-President Alvaro Uribe, must commit to helping implement a peace deal, Londono said, adding: "Let's give Colombia a chance." (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta and Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Dan Grebler) Government to do 'everything' to improve negative economic outlook: Cathy Bennett With Newfoundland and Labrador's economic outlook downgraded for the third time in less than two weeks, Finance Minister Cathy Bennett says government is working to fix the province's money problems. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services announced Friday it has changed the province's credit rating from A+ to A with a negative outlook. Moody's maintained the province's credit rating but revised the outlook from stable to negative on Jan. 25, while Dominion Bond Rating Service (DBRS) also held the province's credit rating and downgraded the economic outlook from stable to negative on Jan. 21. "While it's certainly disappointing, we intend to do everything we can to maintain our credit rating." said Bennett. She said the rating changes have a limited impact at this stage, but it is important to protect the ratings to keep the cost of borrowing from becoming too high. "All three of the rating agencies I've spoke to personally. My sense is that they are eagerly looking forward to budget 2016," she said. That's where government will announce the first in a series of steps it will take to control the deficit. Bennett said the government will consider all options, including a HST increase, but it isn't rushing to make any changes. She said government wants to make solid decisions and include people in the process. "To do knee jerk things now without understanding the implications that they have on social or economic policy would be irresponsible," she said. Bennett also placed some of the blame for the province's economic situation on the previous government. "Government was running a deficit when oil was trading at $100 a barrel. It didn't take several months to get into this situation. This situation is something that the moderating agencies have been sending warnings to former administrations about," she said. "It's our government that's looking forward to finding the solutions and implementing the action plans to correct it." Story continues Finance minister 'didn't get it' In a statement Monday, Opposition Finance Critic Keith Hutchings said the downgraded fiscal outlook is a result of poor management and inaction on the part of the Liberal government. Hutchings said that on Nov. 19, before the provincial election, DBRS maintained confidence in Newfoundland and Labrador's fiscal outlook. "They gave our administration a passing grade in November because we had presented a fiscal recovery plan," he said. "It was only after the November election, when the new government ditched our plan and said they wouldn't be ready with a new one for more than a year, that the agencies lost faith in the Newfoundland and Labrador government." Hutchings also said government isn't acting fast enough. "Even after the latest downgrade, the finance minister still didn't get it, but repeated the message that they will not be ready with longer-time actions until budget 2017," he said. Rumble The idea of making cheese at home can be really intimidating. Cheese feels like something you have to buy at the store or the farmer's market. But not anymore, you can make fresh cheese at home with four simple ingredients: whole milk, lime juice, apple cider vinegar and sea salt. Queso Fresco translates from Spanish is "fresh cheese." It has its roots in Spain but has been popularized by Mexican food culture. It's mild taste is a perfect canvas to bold build flavour profile. This video shows you how to make Queso Fresco three different ways: sweet, savoury and spicy. Bon Appetit! check out my first novel. https://www.amazon.co.uk/KAT-Matthew-... Whole milk 2L - 3.5 pints Lime 1 large Vinegar 120ml - 1/2 cup - 4fl oz Salt 2 tbsp Heat the milk gently to 77c - 170f, squeeze in the lime juice and stir with a slotted spoon. Keep heating to 87c - 190f and add the vinegar. Turn off the heat and stir occasionally for 15 minutes, strain into cheese cloth sitting in a sieve or colander and leave to drain for between 30 minutes and 2 hours. The cheese remaining will be quite firm, turn into a bowl and beat with a fork or your hand with the salt for a few minutes to create a smoother mixture. Muy caliente chopped pickled chilli pepper, garlic, hot sauce and coriander Honey and rosemary Basil and sun-dried tomato (fresh and puree) 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) Country Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina 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Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America 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 TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's main UGTT labour union and its largest industry association reached agreement on Tuesday to increase wages for about 1.5 million private sector workers, a decision that could avert strikes and protests. The UGTT had threatened a general strike if the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, known as UTICA by its French-language initials, refused to raise wages. That would invite more turmoil for a North African economy already hit by three deadly Islamist militant attacks last year. Government officials and business leaders say social tensions, strikes and protests have led dozens of local and foreign companies to leave Tunisia since President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in an uprising five years ago. "We signed with UTICA an agreement that includes an increase of 6 percent for private sector workers," Bel Kacem Ayari, a senior UGTT official, told reporters. UTICA spokesman Adel Nakti confirmed the pay rise and said it was intended to "raise the purchasing power of workers and comes despite the economic difficulties of private companies". Tunisia has been praised as an example of compromise politics and democratic transition since overthrowing the autocratic Ben Ali in the first Arab Spring revolt, and has held free elections and drafted a new constitution. But many Tunisians still worry about the rising cost of living, unemployment and the continued marginalization of rural towns, some of the factors that helped fuel the 2011 protests that forced Ben Ali out. The agreement could help restore some confidence for Tunisian and foreign investors and revive the local economy, which is forecast to grow by 2.5 percent in 2016 from 0.5 percent in 2015. The budget deficit is forecast to narrow from 4.4 percent last year to 3.9 percent of gross domestic product this year. Tunisia is under pressure from international lenders to reduce public spending and cut the deficit to stimulate economic growth, especially after last year's militant violence which badly damaged its vital tourism industry. But the government must seek a way to cut public spending without triggering the kind of social unrest that eventually toppled Ben Ali, whose overthrow was caused partly by grievances over unemployment, corruption and high living costs. (Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Patrick Markey and Mark Heinrich) Medals For Iranians Who Captured US Sailors Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has awarded medals to five navy commanders who detained 10 American sailors earlier this month. The US Navy personnel were held after their two patrol boats crossed into Iran's waters on 12 January while on their way from Kuwait to Bahrain. The sailors were released a day later after being held on Farsi Island in the Gulf, where the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps have a base. Mr Khamenei, who has said Iran should remain wary of the US despite their recent nuclear deal , awarded the Fath (Victory) medal to Admiral Ali Fadavi, the head of the Guard's navy, and four commanders who seized the nine men and one woman. The medal has been awarded to war heroes, military commanders and politicians, especially those involved in the eight-year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Iran initially accused the sailors of spying. But Mr Fadavi later said an investigation had established the sailors were led astray by "a broken navigation system" and the trespassing was "not hostile or for spying purposes". Meanwhile, the US military criticised Iran for flying an unarmed drone over a US aircraft carrier operating in international waters in the Gulf this month. It called the move "abnormal and unprofessional". In March 2007, Iranian forces seized 15 British servicemen in the mouth of a waterway separating Iran and Iraq. They were held for 13 days, sparking a diplomatic crisis. 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. LIMA (Reuters) - Peru said Friday a Venezuelan man in Lima, who recently traveled through Colombia, had contracted the mosquito-borne virus Zika, in the Andean country's first confirmed case of the disease that is rapidly spreading across the Americas. Health Minister Anibal Velasquez said he expected other cases of people who had been infected with Zika abroad to appear in Peru in the coming days. Peru shares borders with Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil, where President Dilma Rousseff called for war on the virus that has caused severe birth defects in thousands of babies.Zika is also spreading in Colombia and Ecuador. "It was inevitable that cases of imported Zika would arrive to Peru," Velasquez said at a news conference. "The patient is isolated and we're taking steps to prevent its spread." The Venezuelan man passed through the northern coastal city of Tumbes before coming to the capital, and health authorities there are bolstering efforts to eradicate mosquitoes, Velasquez said. Zika is linked to severe birth defects and is "spreading explosively" in the Americas, according to the World Health Organization. Venezuela has reported some 4,700 cases of potential infection. (Reporting by Mitra Taj; Editing by Bernadette Baum) A new provincial political party wants to bring more cultural and ethnic diversity to the National Assembly in Quebec City. Called RECIPACC, or the Regroupement citoyen pour l'avancement de nos communautes, the party was registered in December and is now in the process of getting formal authorization and recruiting members. Party president Fabrice Ntompa Ilunga, 27, said RECIPACC addresses what he said is the lack of visible minority representation in the province's leading political parties. "We've had hope, but the years go by and not much has changed," said Ntompa, who moved to Montreal at the age of 13 and has worked for the federal NDP in Ottawa. That lack of representation means the concerns of Quebec's visible minorities who represent 11 per cent of the province's population are not being voiced in the National Assembly. According to Radio-Canada, only five MNAs among the legislative body's 125 representatives are members of visible minority groups. Ilunga also points to the lack of diversity in Quebec's public service and among elected officials in Montreal, where he said four of 103 representatives are from visible minority communities. "We're not content just being a pressure group that meets with existing political parties. We want to be where the decision are made, we want to have a voice," he said. Ilunga and RECIPACC are making their presence felt in Montreal North, where a movement is afoot to put forward a black candidate to replace former mayor Gilles Deguire, who stepped down late last year. New party not the answer, says PQ's Maka Kotto Not everyone is thrilled with the rise of RECIPACC, including Parti Quebecois immigration and cultural communities critic Maka Kotto. While acknowledging diversity is an issue in the National Assembly, he said a party dedicated to that cause alone is doomed to fail. "Politics in Quebec are not ethnic or community-based, they're civic," he said. Story continues "If people have a passion for public service and want to get involved, it would be easier to join an existing parties and promote these ideas," he said. Kotto said it's up to individuals to approach the major political parties and prove they have what it takes. "It's through talent that you find your place," he said. 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) 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, is convening 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 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 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. About 80 percent 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. 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." "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 U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. 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) STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden is likely to deport up to half last year's record 163,000 asylum seekers either voluntarily or forcibly, presenting a major challenge to authorities, Interior Minister Anders Ygeman said on Thursday. Between 60,000 and 80,000 people will likely have to leave, Ygeman said, which would represent about 45 percent of the total number of applicants. Sweden, with a population of almost 10 million, is one of the countries that has borne the brunt of Europe's migrant crisis as hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and north Africa have moved north to wealthier members of the European Union. Germany took in an unprecedented 1.1 million migrants last year. Both countries have tightened asylum rules to stem the flow and force other countries to share the burden. The Swedish government fears many people whose applications for asylum are rejected will go into hiding. Police will seek to find and deport them. Of the 13,000 sent back from Sweden last year 10,000 went voluntarily whereas 3,000 were forcibly deported. Over the past few years Sweden has rejected about 45 percent of claims for asylum, but with last year's record influx the greater numbers are putting an increasing strain on immigration and police authorities. "We have a big challenge ahead of us. We will need to use more resources for this and we must have better cooperation between authorities," Ygeman was quoted as saying by daily Dagens Industri. Adding to the problem is a backlog of applications. The Migration Agency says recent arrivals will have to wait between 15 and 24 months just to have their applications assessed. Ygeman said he thought chartered planes would be more widely used and hoped flights could be coordinated with Germany. Germany deported 20,000 foreigners last year. Sweden reversed its open door immigration policy late last year and has introduced border controls and identity checks to stem the flow of asylum seekers. It is also working on making it more difficult for companies to hire immigrants without proper documents to decrease the incentives to stay in Sweden. This week, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven promised more resources for police to deal with the increased workload because of the refugee situation. (Reporting by Daniel Dickson and Johan Ahlander; Editing by Robert Birsel and Janet Lawrence) Reuters A Florida member of the far-right Oath Keepers testified on Tuesday that he had been ready to use violence to stop the U.S. Congress from certifying Republican Donald Trump's election defeat, saying he wanted lawmakers to "be afraid." Jason Dolan, a 46-year-old retired Marine, who last year pleaded guilty to taking part in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, testified at the criminal trial of the group's founder, Stewart Rhodes, and four associates, who face charges of seditious conspiracy for their role in the violence. Dolan told the jury he joined the Oath Keepers out of frustration over Trump's 2020 loss and that he grew willing to "fight" against what he saw was an "illegitimate" government as he drank alcohol and texted with group members for hours each night inside his Wellington, Florida garage. By Yasin Kakande KAMPALA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - At first, Sarah Nakintu was grateful to her friend for alerting her to job opportunities in marketing and retail in Dubai. Nakintu, a 27-year-old woman from the Ugandan capital Kampala, trusted her friend, who had worked in the United Arab Emirates and seemed successful with plenty of money. She followed her friend's instructions. Present a valid passport to the recruiter who would organise airline tickets and a visa. Once the documents were in order, Nakintu paid the recommended "token of thanks" to her friend - $200 in cash. Nakintu (who requested her real name not be used) was advised to only keep her boarding pass to Kigali, Rwanda, in sight and hide her connecting pass to Dubai as immigration officials stop migrants who bypassed government recruiting agencies to seek employment. But when Nakintu was met at Dubai airport by a Ugandan woman going by the name Jane Saad, she was told to hand over her passport and then informed she would be working as a sex escort. "From the start I was terrified and tried to protest but she threatened us and said there were no alternatives as she had invested a lot of money in our trip," Nakintu told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Slowly we resigned and started following her instructions." Nakintu is just one of thousands of women every year to be trafficked into sex slavery, with the Australia-based anti-slavery campaign group Walk Free estimating there are 36 million people trapped in modern-day slavery around the world. DUPED BY OTHER WOMEN Like many others, Nakintu said she had not suspected her friend or other women from her own country would trick her into sex work and this approach meant she had let her guard down. An annual report on human trafficking by the U.S. State Department in 2015 commented on the network of Ugandan women coordinating the sending of Ugandan women for sex exploitation. It listed the top destination countries as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Kenya. On her first day in Dubai, Nakintu was told that she owed Saad around $8,000 in recruitment fees that had to be paid back in instalments as well as costs for accommodation and meals. The cost was high for a newly-arrived immigrant. A bed in a room housing up to three women typically costs Dh1500 (US$400). To meet the target income, Saad told her she had to entertain about 10 men in the first two days. In addition to turning over her passport, Nakintu had to undergo a witchcraft ritual during which she swore to hand over her income to her pimps with the threat of death in 10 days if this order was defied. The U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons 2014 report noted that sex traffickers had been using voodoo rituals and violence to coerce Ugandan women into trafficking schemes. "The pimps were ruthless women who sold our passports and return tickets to old prostitutes who wanted to retire and return to Uganda," said Nakintu. Nakintu was moved by Saad to Abu Dhabi where sex workers can earn more as she was deemed a good sale for higher-end clients. There she met another Ugandan woman, identified as Maydina, who had worked her way up from being a night club prostitute in Abu Dhabi to a pimp married to a high-level business executive. TRICKING THE CLIENTS Maydina told Nakintu that the secret of wealth in Abu Dhabi's sex work was white male clients - and to ensure she got their phone numbers supposedly for repeat business. A few days after the first encounter, the worker would call the client to say she was pregnant, demanding cash not to expose his identify or $10,000 to return to Uganda for an abortion. The sex workers could then continue the ruse, asking their clients for more money because of medical complications. Nakintu said new workers were expected to target three men in their first month with these schemes and few women resisted because this was often the only way they could repay their debt. "We were just desperate," said Nakintu. Nakintu managed to leave Abu Dhabi in May last year having been there for just short of a year and having paid off most of her debts. She returned to Uganda, devastated by the way she had been tricked and mistreated. Some of her roommates did not hesitate in becoming recruiters themselves once back home, targeting other young women in Uganda tired of limited wages and high unemployment. "Pimping was easy as one would ask friends to look for victims and pay that friend $100 for each victim they brought on board. I refused to do this," Nakintu said during an interview in a small shop she now runs in Kampala selling household goods. The U.S. State Department lists Uganda as a Tier 2 nation in its annual trafficking report, meaning its government does not fully comply with the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act's minimum standards, but is making significant efforts to do so. Moses Binoga, the police commissioner who heads the Uganda National Counter Human Trafficking Task Force, said the government has boosted vigilance on all exit ports to protect vulnerable young women such as Nakintu from sex trafficking. Last year, the government stopped about 300 young women from exiting the country after ascertaining that they were being sent abroad specifically for the sex trade. Binoga, whom the U.S. State Department has recognised for his efforts to combat human trafficking, said the government had also prosecuted and convicted several traffickers but it was complicated to combat the problem. "The main challenge we have is that although we can prosecute traffickers on Ugandan soil we don't have jurisdiction to prosecute those in the receiving states," he said. "Also when we're prosecuting traffickers we have to distinguish between victims coerced into sex trade and those who agreed to a deal to go to Arab states and work as prostitutes." (Editing by Belinda Goldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit www.news.trust.org) By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Rozanna Latiff BANGKOK/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Tropical Southeast Asian countries said on Friday they were bracing for the mosquito-borne Zika virus, with Malaysia saying it could "spread quickly" if introduced, but Thailand appeared to be bucking the trend with just a handful of cases a year. Zika, linked to severe birth defects including babies born with abnormally small heads, is wreaking havoc in Brazil where the government has deployed more than 200,000 troops to eradicate mosquitoes. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that the virus was "spreading explosively" and could infect as many as four million people in the Americas. No treatment or vaccine is available. In Thailand, where just one case of Zika has been reported so far this year, the likelihood of Zika spreading was low, officials said, partly because of better access to health care and because Thailand was dealing with a smaller area. "Thailand is a medium-sized country with a good public health system and easy-to-access medical facilities," Amnuay Gajeena, director-general of the Disease Control Department, told Reuters. Thailand detected its first Zika case in 2012 and has recorded an average of five cases a year, according to the Ministry of Public Health. Kriengsak Limkittikul, assistant professor at the Department of Tropical Medicine at Mahidol University in Bangkok, said there was inadequate information about Zika but that it was "only a matter of time" before more cases were reported. Thailand has confirmed one case of the virus so far this year. Earlier this month, Taiwan reported one case of Zika infection in a man from northern Thailand. "NO EVIDENCE OF IMMUNITY" The WHO said on Sunday the rapid spread of Zika in the Americas was due to a lack of immunity among a population that had not been previously exposed to the virus. Amnuay said there was "no technical evidence" of widespread immunity in Thailand but individuals exposed to the virus would "of course develop" antibodies as with other viruses. The Zika virus is spread through the Aedes aegypti mosquito - responsible for dengue, yellow fever and other tropical diseases. The WHO's Western Pacific Region Office in Manila said as long as Aedes mosquitoes circulated in the region "it can be anticipated that the virus will emerge". Malaysia's Health Ministry said Zika had not yet been detected. "If it is introduced by an infected Malaysian or by a visitor to Malaysia, it could spread quickly," said Lokman Hakim Sulaiman, Malaysia's Health Ministry deputy director-general. Neighboring Singapore has not detected any Zika infections but the government said there was a high risk of transmission if cases were imported to Singapore, a regional travel hub. In the Western Pacific, Zika was first reported in Micronesia in 2007. It was reported in French Polynesia in October 2013, and since then, a number of Pacific Island countries have reported cases, including New Caledonia, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa. In Australia, the foreign ministry's travel advice website said there had been no reported cases of Zika. The New Zealand Herald reported on Friday that one local man had been admitted to hospital with symptoms linked to the Zika virus. The Ministry of Health said it had received nine Zika notifications this year, the newspaper reported. All of the travelers had been in the Pacific Islands and eight of them had recovered. (Additional reporting by Matt Siegel in SYDNEY, Aradhana Aravindan in SINGAPORE, Manuel Mogato in MANILA and Panarat Thepgumpanat in BANGKOK; Editing by Nick Macfie) A young mum who suffered a major stroke at the age of 23 has learned to walk and talk again with the help of someone very special: her own baby daughter. Stacey Legrice was left trapped in her own body after a sudden brain attack, unable to move, communicate or care for her children. The mum-of-three slowly nursed herself back to health as her daughter, Aurora, who was aged just one when she fell ill, took her first steps, too. In fact, Stacey said her first word just a week before before her daughter, who is now nearly three years old. Stacey, now 25, said: I was learning to do everything again at the same time as my youngest, Aurora, who was learning for the first time. "I started with childrens books so we did that together. We were brushing our teeth together and brushing our hair together. "That was quite incredible actually. "I didnt ever think that at 23 Id be learning to walk and talk at the same time as my youngest daughter. Stacey with her daughter Aurora. [Photo: SWNS] Following her stroke in March 2014, Stacey, who is also mum to Leo, seven, and Tommy Lee, four, had to learn to do everything again with the help of husband Jason, 30. He gave up his job as a metal worker to care for her. She said: "It was like I was a baby to begin with, just like Aurora. All I could do was stand for about five seconds. "But Aurora and I began learning to do things together. "It was lovely because she was copying a lot of the things I was doing I learned to brush my hair after six months and Aurora started copying me. Although Stacey reached most of her key milestones shortly before her daughter, she explained how Aurora was the first to learn to eat. Staceys ordeal began with a bad headache before she started to lose her speech, and the feeling down her right side. She was rushed to see specialists at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge who told her family to expect the worst. Story continues Stacey said her first word just a week before Aurora. [Photo: SWNS] Stacey, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, said: Doctors told them that the speed the blood was flowing through my brain was the same as when youre in a fatal car crash. "I was in excruciating pain and I couldnt even say so. My family were absolutely distraught. Alexis Wieroniey, Deputy Director for Policy and Influencing at the Stroke Association, said: "One in five women will have a stroke in their lifetime. "The risk of stroke in young women is low, but you can have a stroke at any age. "High blood pressure is the single biggest risk factor and contributes to over 50 per cent of strokes. Even though high blood pressure has no symptoms you can take steps to keep it under control. "Getting your blood pressure tested regularly, exercising, eating healthily and stopping smoking will all reduce the likelihood of having a stroke. "If you want more information on stroke then you can call our Helpline on 0303 303 3100, if you are worried about your stroke risk then speak to a GP. Tweet your views to @YahooStyleUK. Cancer Patient Hits Out At Facebook After It Takes Down An Awareness-Raising Photo Why Arent More Women Getting Smear Tests? DGAP-News: LION E-Mobility AG / Key word(s): Preliminary Results/Development of Sales Preliminary annual results: Quadrupled turnover at LION Smart GmbH AG: 01.02.2016 / 08:00 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Garching, Germany - February, 1st 2016 - LION Smart GmbH, a subsidiary of LION E-Mobility AG managed to increase its turnover by 296% in the fiscal year 2015. In 2015 LION Smart GmbH was able to further consolidate its position in the field of battery prototyping and managed to form strategic partnerships in the electro-mobility sector. In the course of this, the product family Battery-Management-Systems has been further developed and successfully positioned in the market. In addition to an extension of the machinery pool for the production of high-performance battery systems, the company moved to new state of the art premises while the workforce was further increased by five employees. With significantly increased turnovers of 2.079 TEUR (prior year: 524 TEUR), LION Smart was able to conclude the fiscal year 2015 with an operating result of 461 TEUR (prior year: 49 TEUR), thus meeting its targeted numbers. Thereby company profits increased to 457.3 TEUR from -4.7 TEUR in the previous year. The operating profit rose by 838% from 49.1 TEUR to 461.5 TEUR. Considering the current company development and the market situation, at present LION Smarts management expects a further doubling of its turnover in 2016. Disclaimer This presentation contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements that relate to, among other things, the Company's objectives, goals, strategies, intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations and estimates, and can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "likely", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "objective" and "continue" (or the negative thereof) and words and expressions of similar import. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include but are not limited to: general business and economic conditions (including but not limited to currency rates and creditworthiness of customers); Company liquidity and capital resources, including the availability of additional capital resources to fund its activities; level of competition; changes in laws and regulations; legal and regulatory proceedings; the ability to adapt products and services to the changing market; the ability to attract and retain key executives; and the ability to execute strategic plans. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward-looking statements contained in this presentation, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Investor Relations Contact: Mr. Walter Wimmer Telefone: +49 (0)89 74567993 Email: ir@lionemobility.de http://www.lionemobility.de LION E-Mobility AG Poststrasse 6 6300 Zug Switzerland --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01.02.2016 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: LION E-Mobility AG Poststrae 6 6300 Zug Switzerland Phone: +49 (0)89 74567993 Fax: +41 (0)41 500 54 12 E-mail: info@lionemobility.de Internet: www.lionemobility.de ISIN: CH0132594711, CH0132594711 WKN: A1JG3H , A1JG3H Listed: Regulated Unofficial Market in Hamburg, Munich; Open Market in Frankfurt End of News DGAP News Service --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 433397 01.02.2016 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Feb. 1, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New Frontier, the cannabis Big Data and analytics authority in partnership with ArcView Market Research, the leading publisher of cannabis market projections and information, has released the executive summary of the 4th edition of the State of Legal Marijuana Markets, which shows that the legal cannabis industry is one of the fastest growing industries in America with a compound annual growth rate of 30%. The official 2015 ArcView market estimate is $5.4 billion, up from the new estimate from 2014 of $4.6 billion. This was fueled primarily by explosive growth in adult use market sales, which grew from $351 million in 2014 to $998 million, a 184% year over year increase. Additional analysis will be presented by New Frontier and ArcView at ArcView's quarterly gathering of cannabis investors in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 1st. "It is undeniable that cannabis is one of the fastest growing industry in the U.S. Twenty-three states already permit medical cannabis use, along with four states and the District of Columbia allowing full adult use. With nearly a dozen states debating changes to their cannabis laws in the coming year, 2016 will be the tipping point in which a majority of U.S. states transition from cannabis prohibition to some form of regulated legal market," said New Frontier CEO and Founder Giadha DeCarcer. "Many in the business and financial sector have taken a 'wait and see' approach to the legal cannabis industry. The new data confirms what pioneer investors and entrepreneurs suspected. Legalization of cannabis is one of greatest business opportunities of our time and it's still early enough to see huge growth," said ArcView Group CEO Troy Dayton. Demand is expected to remain strong in 2016 with a 25% increase over 2015 to $6.7 billion. By 2020, legal market sales will grow to $21.8 billion, with adult use sales comprising more than half (53%) of the total market. This report represents a historic team effort to raise the bar for market information in the cannabis industry by marrying ArcView's years of experience and nuanced understanding of these markets with New Frontier's big data and analytics capacity. The State of Legal Marijuana Markets 4th Edition combines in-depth industry understanding with rigorous analytics and vetted data to provide the most comprehensive and authoritative report in the cannabis market today. The full report will explore in detail the evolving national perceptions of cannabis and how social and demographic changes in the U.S. are fueling the rapid increase in support for legalization. It will also explore ways in which the social and economic outcomes of legalization are being weighed against the costs and consequences of prohibition. Sales, Growth & Forecasts: - The industry's continued expansion is matched by equally strong growth in popular support for cannabis legalization nationally. According to Gallup, 58% of Americans now support legalization of cannabis for adult use, up from 36% in 2005; a separate poll by Harris found 81% of Americans support legalization for medical use. - ArcView's Compound Annual Growth Rate between 2014 and 2020 for legal, medical and adult use sales is 30%. - Legal sales have been a boon for state coffers in markets like Colorado, where the state was expected to generate $135 million in cannabis taxes and licenses fees between in 2015, a 77% increase over the $76 million the state raised in 2014. - In Washington, the first year of legal sales generated $70 million in tax revenue off sales of $257 million, a significant windfall even after product shortages and pricing instability plagued the program during its early months. - Seven states will be voting to allow adult use, including California, Nevada, and Arizona in the southwest, and Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont in the north east. Importantly, Vermont is poised to be the first state to legalize cannabis through the legislature. - Additionally, four states Florida, Ohio, Missouri and Pennsylvania are best positioned to advance medical laws in 2016, which would significantly expand medical marijuana access in the eastern half of the U.S. Key Trends in the State of Legal Marijuana Market Report: The report will explore key trends that will be critical in shaping the future of the industry in the years ahead, including: Congressional Action The United States Congress could impact the legal cannabis industry in a number of ways including; DEA funding for prohibition enforcement, medical research approval, and allowing banking and financial services for the industry. Price Wars and Competition As new growers have entered the market, competition on price in the both wholesale and retail markets has increased significantly; this trend is expected to continue in 2016. Cannabis Unfriendly President Elected in 2016 As a presidential election approaches, candidate stances on cannabis are poised to have a dramatic effect on the direction of the industry as a whole. Though public opinion is shifting toward embracing cannabis reform, presidential candidates are a bit more reticent to jump on the bandwagon. Increased Emphasis on Compliance and Regulation Almost no other industry has as much regulatory scrutiny sans federal support or recognition. Particularly for companies looking to expand across states, being fully compliant will be a perplexing task as state regulatory agencies differ wildly. Energy Use Cannabis is the most energy intensive agricultural crop produced in the U.S. Its production consumes one percent of the country's electrical output, using the equivalent electricity of 1.7 million homes at a cost of $6 billion annually. The unrestrained used of energy to cultivate cannabis cannot be sustained in legal cannabis markets. The executive summary of the report is downloadable for free at https://frontierfinancials.com/solmm/ and www.ArcViewMarketResearch.com.The full report can be pre-ordered for $495 and will be available in a few weeks. About New Frontier: New Frontier provides objective, sophisticated and comprehensive reporting for the nascent and underserved cannabis industry. New Frontier, is the premiere Big Data shop in the sector and looks beyond the plant cultivation and distribution, to raise the industry bar and provide visibility into what will inevitably soon be a mature and more complex industry. New Frontier is headquartered in Washington, D.C. For more information or media inquiries, please visit www.frontierfinancials.com or contact Gretchen Gailey at 202-489-3821 or ggailey@frontierfinancials.com. About The ArcView Group: Founded in 2010, The ArcView Group is responsible for a number of groundbreaking ventures in the cannabis industry. The ArcView Investor Network includes more than 500+ dues-paying accredited investors who have put more than $64 million behind 103 companies. ArcView Market Research produces the State of Legal Marijuana Markets report, which is the most oft-cited market report. ArcView is a partner in CanopyBoulder, a seed-stage mentor-driven business accelerator. ArcView is also co-founder of Cannasure Insurance Services, the leading provider of business insurance to the cannabis industry. CHICAGO, Feb. 1, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Professor Mary Nagel of The John Marshall Law School in Chicago as Professor-Reporter to the Civil Justice Committee of the Judicial Conference of Illinois. Consisting of 82 judges, the Illinois Judicial Conference is responsible for suggesting improvements in the administration of justice in Illinois. Nagel will serve a one-year term expiring on Dec. 31, 2016. "I am extremely flattered to have been selected," Nagel said. "It is a true honor to follow in the footsteps of past John Marshall professors who have held this highly respected and important position." She joins the ranks of many John Marshall professors who have served as Professor-Reporter to the Illinois Supreme Court. Nagel replaces John Marshall Professor Marc Ginsberg, who now serves as Professor-Reporter of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Illinois Evidence. The evidence position previously was held since at least 2008 by now-retired John Marshall Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Ralph Ruebner. Nagel started teaching at John Marshall in 1999 and has taught legal writing, civil procedure, Illinois civil procedure and federal courts. Prior to coming to John Marshall, she spent several years in private practice, as well as working for the Illinois Attorney General's Office and the Illinois Department of Labor. In addition to teaching, Nagel also serves as the director of John Marshall's Externship program, as well as the assistant director of the law school's Lawyering Skills Program. Nagel graduated from The John Marshall Law School in 1988, where she exceled in Moot Court. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. About The John Marshall Law School The John Marshall Law School, founded in 1899, is an independent law school located in the heart of Chicago's legal, financial and commercial districts. The 2016 U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Graduate Schools ranks John Marshall's Lawyering Skills Program fifth, its Trial Advocacy Program 16th and its Intellectual Property Law Program 17th in the nation. Since its inception, John Marshall has been a pioneer in legal education and has been guided by a tradition of diversity, innovation, access and opportunity. For more information about Professor Nagel or The John Marshall Law School, please contact Christine Kraly at ckraly@jmls.edu. KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 1, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spencer Fane LLP is pleased to announce that 10 former Lester, Loving & Davies, P.C. attorneys have joined the firm in a strategic move to expand its operations into Oklahoma and further strengthen its presence throughout the region. The new Spencer Fane team includes Partners Andy Lester, a former U.S. Magistrate Judge and currently nominated as Oklahoma State Regent for Higher Education, Susan Loving, Oklahoma's first female Attorney General, and Shannon Davies, Commissioner to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, as well as attorneys George Freedman, Johnny Beech, Courtney Powell, Carrie Williams Vaughn, Sarah Rowe Clutts and Hossein Farzaneh. "We are excited to welcome some of the area's most well-regarded attorneys to Spencer Fane as we endeavor together to serve the legal needs of the Oklahoma business community," said Pat Whalen, Chair of Spencer Fane, which also has offices in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. "Each of the new attorneys and staff brings a unique set of skills and experience that will greatly enhance our combined client offerings, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to grow our firm into this market. "The Oklahoma business community is home to a number of our existing clients, and we look forward to serving the local business community as well as clients whose presence and legal needs reach throughout the region." "Our team has been fortunate to develop a reputation in the greater Oklahoma City community as one of the city's most well-regarded law firms, and we are confident that joining Spencer Fane will further strengthen our ability to successfully serve our clients," Lester said. "We are eager to grow with Spencer Fane, which is a firm whose commitment and model for representing clients mirrors our own." The former Lester, Loving & Davies attorneys have a wide breadth of experience across a range of practice areas from government relations, civil litigation and environmental law to business litigation, estate planning, intellectual property and labor and employment law. Established in 1996, their practice is uniquely informed by many of the attorneys' prominent leadership roles and backgrounds in the community. The new Spencer Fane team will be based in the former Lester, Loving & Davies office in Edmond, Okla., and will join a firm with a network of offices located throughout the Midwest. About Spencer Fane Spencer Fane is a full-service business law firm focused on providing results that move clients and their businesses forward. With direct access to firm leadership and a different approach to client engagement, its attorneys instill confidence and certainty that the clients' interests are the firm's priority. The firm has offices in Colorado Springs and Denver, Colo.; Overland Park, Kan.; Jefferson City, Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis, Mo.; Omaha, Neb.; and Oklahoma City, OK. For more information, visit spencerfane.com or follow @spencerfane on Twitter. 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 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? He has been cited by Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed on radio, TV and in social media. Inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, for many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates. Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post and other publications. A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission. He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups. Cirucci's passions include politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel. In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. There he was one of the first teachers in the country to teach African-American history to inner city students. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association. He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, Matt Rooney's sidekick on Save Jersey's videocasts and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV. By Dave Sherwood FALMOUTH, Maine (Reuters) - An effort to legalize recreational marijuana use in Maine took a step forward on Monday when activists said they had gathered sufficient signatures to earn their proposal a spot on the state's ballot this November. David Boyer, of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, said the group's proposal to allow adults 21 and older to legally possess marijuana had garnered the support of 103,115 Maine voters, more than 10 percent of the total and well over the 61,123 valid signatures needed to qualify. "It makes a really strong statement," Boyer said following a press conference in an affluent suburb outside Portland, Maine's largest city. "Maine people are excited to have a chance to vote on this." Maine's Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap will now review the signatures and determine whether they are authentic and valid before the initiative can formally win its spot on the state's ballot. Voters in four U.S. states plus the District of Columbia have legalized the recreational use of the drug in similar ballot initiatives. There are drives under way to hold similar referendums this year in a half dozen other states, including Massachusetts and California. The Maine campaign, which is backed by the Marijuana Policy Project, a national pro-pot advocacy group, had collected more than $334,000 in contributions to date, according to campaign finance reports. "Maine is a small state, and it's cheaper to run a campaign here, especially during a presidential election year," Boyer said. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, a national group, and the state-based group Legalize Maine last year had submitted competing ballot initiatives that both advocated legalization, but differed on some details including taxation. The two groups opted in October to put their weight behind one measure to reduce the risk of confusing voters. Organized opposition to the proposal has yet to take root, but similar, smaller-scale initiatives have faced resistance in the past, particular in the rural north and west of the state. Story continues Maine's Republican Governor Paul LePage has long opposed efforts to legalize marijuana, calling it a "gateway drug." Maine legalized medical marijuana in 1999. Voters in Ohio last year voted down a measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana use in the state. (Editing by Scott Malone and G Crosse) New California AED Laws: Bull Rush From the Bear State? With the passage of S.B. 658, an informed plaintiffs attorney will be able to lodge a very credible argument that the onus placed upon AED owners to qualify for Good Samaritan protection is no longer significant. This past fall, California enacted two new AED laws (Senate Bills 6581 and 2872). For the 87 percent of you who do not live in California, stay with methe new laws will likely matter to you, too. As some rough background on the laws themselves, S.B. 658 amends section 1714.21 of the CA Civil Code and section 1797.196 of the CA Health and Safety Code to substantially reduce the requirements placed upon AED owners to qualify for the Good Samaritan protections in the state (except for those in the Health & Fitness Club space). Most notably, the new law removes AED/CPR Training requirements and eliminates the need for a physician to oversee a company's AED program. In addition, the new law reduces the frequency with which AED owners need to check their devices and pares back documentation rules. S.B. 287 requires AEDs in all new construction from January 2017 and forward in the following categories: Assembly buildings with an occupancy of greater than 300 Business buildings with an occupancy of 200 or more Educational buildings with an occupancy of 200 or more Factory buildings with an occupancy of 200 or more Institutional buildings with an occupancy of 200 or more Mercantile buildings with an occupancy of 200 or more Residential buildings with an occupancy of 200 or more, excluding single-family and multifamily dwelling units In short, AEDs will be required in almost any decent-sized, new commercial building. You may view these two laws as mere administrative afterthoughts in the volumes of California state law. You also may assume that these changes do not matter to you if you do not operate in California. The reality is that the impact of these changes will likely be much further reaching. Here's why. The New Legal Landscape In June 2014, the California Supreme Court ruled on a lawsuit brought by the estate of Rose Mary Verdugo against Target Corporation. The plaintiff argued that Target had a common-law duty to have an AED available on site to assist someone in cardiac arrest, and the court's opinion ultimately came down in favor of Target. In the wake of the above legislative changes, the reasoning behind the court's decision bears re-inspection. This article originally appeared in the February 2016 issue of Occupational Health & Safety. New Orleans EMS Ready for Mardi Gras 2016 Volunteers from the New Orleans Health Department's Medical Reserve Corps and the American Red Cross will be manning first aid stations with assistance from New Orleans Emergency Medical Services personnel during both weekends of the 2016 Carnival Season in New Orleans. Volunteers from the New Orleans Health Department's Medical Reserve Corps and the American Red Cross will be manning first aid stations with assistance from New Orleans Emergency Medical Services personnel during both weekends of the 2016 Carnival Season in New Orleans. Representatives of the organizations briefed members of the press Jan. 28 about their preparations and offered Mardi Gras safety tips. The first aid stations will be in operation: At Orleans Avenue and North Hennessey Street on Saturday, Feb. 6 At St. Charles Avenue and Napoleon Avenue on Saturday, Jan. 30 through Sunday, Jan 31; Friday, Feb. 5 through Sunday, Feb 7; and Tuesday, Feb 9 At St. Charles Avenue and Felicity Street on Saturday, Jan. 30 through Sunday, Jan 31; Friday, Feb. 5 through Sunday, Feb 7; and Tuesday, Feb 9 And at Canal Street and Carondelet Street on Saturday, Jan. 30 through Sunday, Jan 31; Friday, Feb. 5 through Sunday, Feb 7; and Tuesday, Feb 9 Another big event on the city's annual entertainment calendar begins only 12 weeks from now: the 2016 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, known as Jazz Fest. Starting Over on Nuclear Waste Storage The strategy is to establish a pilot interim storage facility that mainly will accept used nuclear fuel from reactors that have already been shut down; a larger interim storage facility; and one or more long-term geologic repositories. A Dec. 21, 2015, announcement from Franklin Orr, U.S. Department of Energy under secretary for science and energy, surprised me: He explained that DOE has again begun working on "a consent-based approach to siting future nuclear waste management facilities as part of a strategy for the long-term storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste." Which was the goal of those seeking to inter such fuel and wastes at Yucca Mountain in Nevada for roughly 20 years. While I doubt this could become a hot-button issue in the 2016 presidential campaigns, it's not impossible. Nevada's state and federal officials battled Yucca Mountain for years and ultimately found a president, Barack Obama, who agreed with them and killed the project, which had cost billions of dollars by then. Orr explained that a consent-based siting process will ensure that communities, tribes, and states are partners comfortable with the location of future storage and disposal facilities before they are built. "We will be developing a detailed plan for this process in the coming year, and we need your help," he added. DOE will follow the process laid out in a 2013 strategy document that was based on recommendations from President Obama's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future. The strategy is to establish a pilot interim storage facility that mainly will accept used nuclear fuel from reactors that have already been shut down; a larger interim storage facility; and one or more long-term geologic repositories. Orr asked the public to submit comments or concerns to [email protected], to visit energy.gov/consentbasedsiting, and to attend one of the public meetings that will take place across the country. The kickoff meeting was set for Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C. This article originally appeared in the February 2016 issue of Occupational Health & Safety. A painting seized by Turkish authorities that was reported to be a stolen Picasso is a fake, the Picasso Administration, charged with managing the artist's estate, said on Monday. The organisation said the canvas is a copy of a 1940 work by the great Spanish artist, "Woman Dressing Her Hair" -- and the original is in the hands of New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). MoMA confirmed to AFP that the original, a portrait of Pablo Picasso's lover and muse Dora Maar, was part of its collection. The painting seized in Turkey is most certainly "a copy", the Paris-based Picasso Administration said. Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency had reported Saturday that police had recovered the original "Woman Dressing Her Hair" and that it had been stolen from a collector in New York. It was seized in an undercover operation in Istanbul targeting alleged art thieves who were attempting to sell it for $7 million. Turkish police, posing as potential buyers, met the prospective sellers at a hotel and then at a yacht in an Istanbul marina, the report said. Dora Maar, Picasso's longtime muse, is depicted in the painting in grotesque fashion, with a sunken ribcage, swollen stomach and enormous feet. Singapore has seized "a large number of bank accounts" as part of investigations into controversial Malaysian state fund 1MDB, authorities said Monday, vowing not to let the city-state become a refuge for illicit funds. Singapore's central bank and the police Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) said they had also interviewed various people and sought information from financial institutions. "Singapore does not tolerate the use of its financial system as a refuge or conduit for illicit funds," the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the CAD said in a joint statement. They said that since the middle of last year, investigators from both bodies had been "actively" probing allegations of money-laundering in Singapore, a regional financial centre. "In connection with these investigations, we have sought and are continuing to seek information from several financial institutions, are interviewing various individuals, and have seized a large number of bank accounts," it said. The two Singapore agencies said they issued the statement in response to media queries about state-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Neighbouring 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 company, which is linked to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. He has denied any wrongdoing. "Singapore is also cooperating closely with relevant authorities, including those in Malaysia, Switzerland and the United States," said the statement, adding that it cannot divulge more details as investigations are still underway. Singapore last year froze two bank accounts as part of its investigation into possible money-laundering offences related to 1MDB. Malaysia's attorney general promised Saturday to cooperate with a Swiss call for help in probing alleged massive corruption that has put Najib under severe pressure. Swiss prosecutors on Friday said they believe around $4 billion was stolen from Malaysian state-owned companies including 1MDB, and called for Malaysian help in their investigation. 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. 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. By Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A delegation from Iraq's cash-strapped Kurdistan region agreed on Sunday with the government in Baghdad to cooperate on reforms aimed at dealing with an acute economic crisis afflicting them both. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and federal authorities in Baghdad rely heavily on oil export revenue and have been hit hard by the global slump in crude prices. Relations between the two sides have been strained in recent years by ongoing disputes over revenue sharing, the budget and the authority to export oil. The Kurdish delegation, led by the region's Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, met with Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other senior government officials. "We think the meeting was positive considering the nature of the problems and contentious issues still lingering between both sides," Abadi's spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said after the talks. Further meetings would now be held on a regular basis, he added. The previous such meeting was last July. Kurdish officials have warned in recent weeks that their region faces an economic collapse. Kurdistan enjoyed an economic boom in the wake of the United States-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, receiving a share of the revenue from Iraq's rising oil exports. But Baghdad cut funding to the region in 2014 after the Kurds, in pursuit of economic independence, built their own pipeline to Turkey and began exporting oil without federal government approval. The KRG has since increased independent oil sales to more than 600,000 barrels per day (bpd). But with depressed prices and a bloated public payroll, it is now five months in payment arrears and deeply in debt. Baghdad has projected a budget deficit of 24 trillion dinars ($20.41 billion) for 2016. As a sovereign state, however, it has more options than Kurdistan to deal with an economic crisis. Iraq's Finance Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told Reuters last week the crisis was forcing Kurds to consider reviving a deal with Baghdad to reinstate the region's budget share in return for exporting oil under state auspices. Spokesman Hadithi gave no indication that was discussed in Sunday's meeting. ($1 = 1,175.9000 Iraqi dinars) (Additional reporting by Isabel Coles; Editing by Tom Heneghan) Reuters India's capital market regulator approved the government's proposal to convert dues of over $1.92 billion by telecom operator Vodafone Idea to equity, two senior government officials said on Thursday. Last year, India had approved a rescue package for debt-strapped telecom companies that allowed them to convert interest on deferred adjusted gross revenue owed to the government into equity. Among the country's three major telecom players, including Bharti Airtel and Reliance Industries' Jio, the government package was seen as a bailout for Vodafone Idea, which was on the verge of bankruptcy. TAIPEI (Reuters) - Chinese passengers will be able to transit Taiwan and fly to a third destination starting Monday, signalling a step toward greater transportation links between the two political rivals. The plan had been discussed for years and China announced early last month that it would start the transit programme with three trial cities, Nanchang, Kunming and Chongqing. Two Chinese passengers transited Taiwan on Monday on a flight from Nanchang, before flying on to Bangkok, according to an official with the island's quasi-governmental Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), which is in charge of the programme. A flight from Kunming and another from Chongqing will transit later on Monday, the official said. Allowing Chinese passengers flying from China to transit Taiwan benefits the development of the civil aviation industry and deepens exchanges between Taiwan and China, the SEF said in a statement. China's announcement of the transit trial came just before national elections in Taiwan swept in the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, which is seen as less friendly toward Beijing. Taiwan has been self-ruled since 1949 when the defeated Nationalists fled to the island after a civil war with the Chinese Communists. Beijing deems Taiwan a wayward province to be taken by force if necessary, especially if it makes moves toward independence. Taiwan's China-friendly ruling Nationalist government, which steps down in May, supported the transit plan as a way to deepen ties between the two sides. The transit passengers will not be able to leave the airport and must have valid onward travel documents, according to the transit regulations. (Reporting by J.R. Wu; Editing by Michael Perry) By Gabriela Baczynska and Thomas Escritt BRUSSELS/THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The Netherlands floated an idea on Thursday to ferry migrants reaching Greece straight back to Turkey to stop a relentless influx into the European Union as EU officials cited a rise in the numbers of those who would not qualify for asylum. The 28-nation bloc has all but failed to curb or control the influx of asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa, more than one million of whom arrived in Europe last year, mainly via Greece and heading towards the EU's biggest economy, Germany. More than 54,500 people have already reached Europe by sea this year, including 50,668 through Greece, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). [L8N15C2NQ] They keep flowing in despite stormy winter weather making the journey ever more perilous, a fact highlighted by a UNHCR report that 235 migrants were dead or missing already in 2016. On Thursday, 24 drowned when their boat sank off a Greek island close to the Turkish coast. Much of the EU debate on how to handle the influx has focussed on distinguishing people fleeing war, and thus eligible for international protection, from "economic" migrants seeking better lives without being under immediate threat. "Indeed we have seen that the numbers of people arriving in Europe who don't have a genuine claim to asylum have been rising slightly," a spokeswoman for the European Commission told a regular news briefing on Thursday. EU nations have grown unnerved by the continent's worst migration crisis since World War Two, one that has jeopardised the bloc's Schengen zone of passport-free travel over national borders that has contributed greatly to its vaunted prosperity. In the latest idea for discouraging migrants from flooding into Europe, the head of a party in the Dutch ruling coalition said it was drafting a plan under which those arriving in Greece by sea could be dispatched straight back to Turkey. Diederik Samsom said European countries would have to agree in exchange to take several hundred thousand refugees each year out of nearly 2 million currently in Turkey. The Netherlands now holds the EU's rotating presidency and Samsom said it would seek to push for Europe-wide agreement on the plan. Samsom also said improving conditions for Syrian refugees in Turkey meant it could soon be regarded as a safe country to which asylum-seekers could be returned. Amnesty International quickly denounced the idea as "fundamentally flawed", saying it would deny those arriving the right to have their asylum claims properly considered. "Any resettlement proposal that is conditional on effectively sealing off borders and illegally pushing back tens of thousands of people while denying them access to asylum procedures is morally bankrupt," said Amnesty's John Dalhuisen. "There is no excuse for breaking the law and flouting international obligations in the process." GERMANY, SWEDEN, DENMARK The government of Germany, where more than a million migrants arrived last year alone, on Thursday agreed tighter asylum rules, while Sweden and Finland said they would deport tens of thousands of last year's asylum seekers. In another example of how wealthy European states are seeking to deter migrants, Denmark's parliament on Tuesday passed measures allowing the confiscation of asylum seekers' valuables to pay for their stay, despite protests from international human rights organisations. The European Commission said on Thursday it was looking into whether Denmark's move was undermining fundamental EU values. While the overall number of arrivals is relatively low compared to the EU's 500 million population, the uneven distribution among member states has put heavy pressure on public and security services in some, as well as fuelled support for anti-foreigner nationalists and populists across the bloc. The EU border agency Frontex said on Thursday the number of Syrians arriving on Greek islands had declined in recent months, while Iraqi arrivals had risen. "The percentage of declared Syrians among all of the migrants landing on the Greek islands has fallen considerably in the last several months," Frontex said, adding that some 39 percent of those arriving in Greece in December were Syrians, compared to 43 percent in November and 51 percent in October. The shifting numbers partly reflect how registration and identification of migrants has improved in Greece over the last quarter, meaning fewer people pass under false nationality. Syrian nationality has been a common answer to the question of origin as people fleeing the devastating civil war in the Middle East country are seen as standing the greatest chance of successful asylum applications in the EU. (Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Gbagbo's lawyer said the charges against him have not been proven beyond all reasonable doubt Former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo Thursday pleaded "not guilty" to four charges of crimes against humanity as his high-profile trial opened five years after post-election violence wracked his nation. Gbagbo and his co-accused, former militia leader Charles Ble Goude, both denied charges of organising "a common plan" which led to "widespread" murders, rapes, persecution and other "inhumane acts" at the start of their long-awaited trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. A joint venture between XL Axiata and SK Planet, the e-commerce platform will use the funds to set up a new head office Indonesias open e-commerce marketplace Elevenia has raised US$50 million in fresh funding from countrys second largest mobile operator XL Axiata, with participation from SK Planet a subsidiary of South Koreas largest mobile carrier SK Telecom. It plans to use the funds for marketing activities, in addition to product and platform development, as well as for human resource development that includes setting up a new head office in an undisclosed location. Considering last years success, our investors decided to add more investment this year at the valuation of US$50 million, Elevenias CEO James Lee said in a written statement. In order to give the best for our customers, we need to maximise every asset that we own. The new round brings Elevenias total investments till date to US$110 million. The company had earlier received two round of funding US$36.6 million in 2014 and US$12 million in January 2015. Also Read: What were the e-commerce payment trends in APAC in 2015? First launched in Indonesia in 2013, Elevenia is a joint venture between XL Axiata and SK Planet. It was modelled after SK Telecoms 11street. The partnership enables the e-commerce platform to leverage XL Axiata large user base of around 48 million. The competition among various e-commerce platforms in the country has become more fierce, with the recent announcement of e-commerce roadmap, which includes the elimination of negative investment list. The new roadmap opens up the space for more international competitors such as eBay which plans to open a new office in Indonesia. As of 2016, Elevenia did on average 20,000 transactions per day, with more than four million products available and two million members registered, claims the company. The post Indonesias Elevenia scores US$50M from XL Axiata, SK Planet appeared first on e27. JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian who tried to stab them in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the military said, the latest in a months-long wave of Palestinian attacks that shows little sign of abating. The Palestinian had infiltrated a security fence near the Israeli settlement Salit, the military said. When soldiers responded at the scene, he drew a knife and tried to stab them, it said. No Israelis were injured. A campaign of stabbings, shootings and car-rammings by Palestinians has killed 26 Israelis and a U.S. citizen since the start of October. Israeli forces have killed at least 153 Palestinians, 99 of them assailants according to authorities. Most of the others have died in violent protests. The surge in attacks has been partly fueled by Palestinian frustration over the collapse of U.S.-sponsored peace talks in 2014, the growth of Jewish settlements on land they seek for a future state and Islamist calls for the destruction of Israel. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) By Thomas Escritt THE HAGUE (Reuters) - War crimes prosecutors accused ex-Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo of orchestrating "unspeakable violence", including murder and gang rape, to cling to power after losing an election, pitching his country into civil war. Rising stiffly on the opening day of his trial at the International Criminal Court, Gbagbo, 70, pleaded not guilty to all charges. His co-accused, youth leader Charles Ble Goude, 44, also pleaded innocence and said he did not recognise the charges. Four months of conflict ravaged Ivory Coast, the world's largest cocoa grower, in early 2011 after Gbagbo refused to step down. Around 3,000 people were killed and the fighting ended only when former colonial power France intervened militarily, allowing election winner Alessane Ouattara to take office. The trial could ramp up tensions in Ivory Coast, where Gbagbo, the highest-ranked politician ever to appear before the 13-year-old ICC, remains influential. The gallery was packed with rowdy supporters, many of them Ivorians who had travelled to The Hague from Paris. Some rushed to a bulletproof glass barrier and chanted: "Gbagbo! President!" as the accused was led out of the courtroom. Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said Gbagbo and his inner circle had targeted Muslims and ethnic groups they assumed had supported Ouattara. "Cote d'Ivoire succumbed to chaos and was subjected to unspeakable violence," she said, using the country's French name. "Nothing would be allowed to defeat Mr. Gbagbo: If politics failed, violence was seen as politics by other means." TEST OF CREDIBILITY Bensouda related the account of one witness who had been arrested at a pro-Ouattara rally and subjected, along with other women, to three days of gang rapes by armed gendarmes. Seven were killed when state security agents opened fire from an armoured car on a demonstration in a marketplace in an immigrant neighbourhood of the capital Abidjan, she added. In Ivory Coast, the trial was closely watched by supporters and opponents alike. Gbagbo's supporters, hundreds of whom demonstrated outside the courthouse on Thursday, say he is a victim of neo-colonial meddling by France and accuse prosecutors of ignoring alleged crimes by Ouattara's camp. "We want him released," said Paris-based Ivorian Michele, demonstrating in the windswept street in front of the court in The Hague. Ouattara was a "rebel chief" who had been helped by France to usurp power, she added. On Friday the prosecution will continue to outline its case, and on Monday the defence takes its turn. The trial is expected to last at least a year in all. The case is a test of the credibility of the global war crimes court. Its last attempt to press charges against a top politician, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, ended in disarray amid fierce diplomatic lobbying by Kenya and its African allies. The court has so far handed down just two convictions, both against little-known African warlords. It opened its first investigation outside the continent on Wednesday, into the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Anthony Deutsch and Andrew Roche) While Japan used to be hesitant to invest in conflict-ridden Israel, its substantial presence at CyberTech and support of Israeli startups in the last few years indicate a shifting of tides Image Credit: HFN The Tel Aviv offices of one of Israels biggest firms Herzog Fox & Neeman hosted a rather unique event on Monday night, bringing out some of the biggest names in cyber security to meet with representatives from Japans business community who were in Israel to attend the annual CyberTech convention. Sponsored by HFN, the Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO), Japans embassy, and a number of Japanese-Israeli business bodies, the 200 plus person event signified Japans newfound interest in Israels startup and cyber security scenes. Dr. Nimrod Kozlovski, a partner at Herzog Fox & Neeman, spoke with Geektime at the event, explaining the numerous challenges facing the startups in looking to partner with Japanese firms. There is a cultural challenge since many of the companies are still at an early stage where they are not yet well organised, said Kozlovski. They dont have the documentation of the product, the specification is loose, and the work on the product is an ongoing process rather than a firm version. Many of the decisions are not yet taken like the pricing and integration schemes or the road map. I can attest as an investor that many times its a work in progress, certainly if its a startup in its first steps. The Japanese market expects you to be much more mature, he added. He explained that traditionally Japanese companies have expected to see a lot more preparedness and a clear path to the future from companies that they are intending to work with before signing deals. Part of the challenge in doing business with Japanese partners he says is bridging the gap between their expectation and the realities of the startups in that they run a different type of course both in their development of the product as well as a company. Story continues Its still a startup, that it has a very innovative and disruptive approach towards the problem its trying to solve, but its still not a mature company like theyre used to buying from that have more solid operations, he said, explaining how it is important to present Israeli startups to Japanese companies. Another issue that Kozlovski raises is that the products are not generally at the stage where Japanese companies are used to being involved, noting that they prefer to come in at very late stages. A cultural hurdle that Kozlovski said needs to be overcome is the issue of trust. It can take time for them to appreciate your expertise in a certain domain. However in the field of cyber security, Israeli companies have an advantage to vault over the normal processes because the Japanese acknowledge that they need the Israeli innovation. While information and vulnerability-sharing has become an integral part of the new cyber security landscape, Kozlovski said that Japanese companies are still catching up on this trend, having a history of keeping closed gates around their internal operations. There is a shift occurring now as they understand that their assumptions surrounding how to run security are changing to meet the new environment. What is clear is that the ecosystem in Japan is feeling the burn to address threats to their cyber security that became apparent after major hacks like the one that hit Sony. Kozlovski says that this is leading them to look for innovation from startups that is lacking from the big vendors. The path that many of the Japanese companies are taking appears to be in working with local integrators to facilitate the inclusion of the new solutions, basically making them Japan ready. Also Read: This Baidu-backed Israeli startup is targeting Chinas 50 million piano players Making their mark on CyberTech 2016 Image Credit: Gabriel Avner of Geektime Image Credit: Gabriel Avner of Geektime Arriving at the exhibition hall, JETRO and the Japanese delegation left a clear footprint at the event. At their booth, they ran sessions for visitors about how to start doing business in Japan, and the represented companies spoke with people walking by about their products. Milling about between the different vendors, the Japanese businessmen could be seen exploring the different booths, looking for their prospective partners. Kei Takagi, who serves a manager at JETRO in their Tel Aviv office, backs Kozlovskis view that the atmosphere in Japan is changing. He notes that the exits of Waze and Prime Sense to Google and Apple respectively garnered a lot of press in Japan, helping to make Israel a more important destination for Japanese companies. In the past, many Japanese firms were cautious of coming to Israel due to security concerns. Mitch Nozaki, a manager on Muratas technology marketing team who is based in Herzliya, told Geektime that the conflict keeps many companies trepidatious about sending their personnel. Takagi explains that he has noticed a change in the past ten years in how the Japanese view their risk in coming to Israel. He told Geektime that whereas Japanese businesses would quickly uproot themselves during times of conflict like the operations in 2009 and 2012, he was receiving phone calls during the last round of violence in the summer of 2014 from companies still looking to make their way out here seeking business opportunities. Kozlovski and Takagi both point to the visits of Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe exactly one year ago, and Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Toshimitsu Motegi six months before that for high level meetings as a signal to their country that Israel is a safe location to do business. Joining the two men were large entourages of industry leaders who came to scout the landscape for themselves. Also Read: From Iron Dome to IoT Israeli mPrest nabs US$20M Series A Authors impressions First and foremost, Israeli cyber companies need to know that Japan is open for business. While there have been significant issues in the past when it came to working with both startups and Israel in general, Japan is hungry for new innovative solutions, and they are willing to break their own rules to get them. From conversations with some of the Japanese business leaders that attended the convention, they are here on the lookout for partnerships that will make their existing products better. As a manufacturing powerhouse, they have woken up to the need to integrate cyber security into their products, whether they be to improve MuRatas small electrical components or prevent corporate hacks. While risk and startups in Japan have generally been considered as taboo, pushed aside in favor of stable companies, the Japanese are now studying Israels startup ecosystem, possibly with hopes of modeling their own system on it in the future. In particular, Takagi explains that they are impressed by Israels ability to build products that are by nature aimed at scaling globally. For startups who are already thinking about looking to Japan, there are resources available like the Chief Scientists Office who are offering funding and matchmaking for young companies. One piece of advice that was offered by experts is to establish relations early. Set up offices and have local representation that can not only provide links to the ecosystem, but will also know how to package the company and product for the Japanese market, bridging the gaps. In speaking with industry sources that are connected to Japanese companies and investors, Geektime has gleaned that there is a series of big deals currently in the works that are expected to be rolled out later in the year, some of which could potentially include cyber warfare cooperation due to Japans push toward re-militarisation. Until then, we can expect that the flow of delegations like the one that came for CyberTech, as well as those who will venture here independently, will only continue to expand as both sides discover opportunities for profitable partnerships. The article Japan comes looking for Israeli cyber security startups was first published on Geektime. The post Japan comes looking for Israeli cyber security startups appeared first on e27. By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Stephanie Nebehay AMMAN/GENEVA (Reuters) - 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, 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," 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 Geneva, 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. U.N. SETS OUT AIMS 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 a 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. Separately, the heavy Russian aerial 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. Russian aerial strikes were also reported by the monitor in Hama countryside and in the eastern province of Deir al Zor. 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 they would not engage in any negotiations before goodwill measures were taken. These had to include a halt to bombing of civilian areas. "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 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 and Stephen Powell) (In Jan 24 item, corrects paragraph 6 to say Whitehorse is 600 miles east of Anchorage, not west) By Steve Quinn JUNEAU, Alaska (Reuters) - A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck remote southern Alaska early on Sunday, unleashing shudders felt several hundred miles (km) from the tremor's lakefront epicenter at the far end of Cook Inlet from Anchorage, the state's largest city. No injuries were reported, but several neighborhoods in the town of Kenai - roughly halfway between the quake's center and Anchorage - were temporarily evacuated after a gas explosion damaged four homes several hours later, a city spokesman said. As of Sunday night, local utility company Enstar was still investigating whether the earthquake triggered a gas leak believed to have caused the blast, company spokesman John Sims said. There were also reports of brief power outages in Anchorage, about 160 miles (257 km) southwest of the epicenter, and cities immediately to the north and south. The quake, initially reported at a 7.3 magnitude, struck at 1:30 a.m. about 30 miles (48 km) east-southeast of Pedro Bay on the shore of Iliamna Lake, at the foot of a mountain chain just west of Cook Inlet, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The quake was felt as far away as Whitehorse, the capital of Canada's Yukon Territory more than 600 miles (966 km) east of Anchorage, according to the USGS. It was recorded 79 miles (128 km) beneath the surface, a depth that helped keep damage to a minimum, said Dara Merz, a research technician with the Alaska Earthquake Center in Fairbanks. "If you take into account how deep it was, that's a lot of earth and rock that seismic waves have to work through to get to the surface," Merz said. The Fairbanks agency reported a series of aftershocks reaching magnitudes of up to 4.7, though Merz said even larger tremors could follow. Alaska, a seismically active state, records anywhere from 80 to 100 quakes daily, most of them hardly ever noticed. One of the more powerful quakes to hit Alaska in recent years was a 7.9 magnitude temblor that struck beneath the ocean floor near the Aleutian Islands chain in June 2014, but it caused no injuries or major damage. Following Sunday's quake, jittery Anchorage residents and hotel guests who briefly fled their buildings took to social media sites to share their experiences. Some posted photos of stores with aisles littered by fallen merchandise knocked off shelves to the floor. The quake produced no tsunami threat, according to the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. (Reporting from Juneau by Steve Quinn; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Sandra Maler and Tom Hogue) RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco's king has agreed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on repatriating illegal migrants to Morocco, the palace said, a move that follows sexual attacks on women in the German city of Cologne blamed mainly on North African men. 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. The initiative follows outrage over attacks on women in Cologne on New Year's Eve blamed predominantly on North African migrants that sharpened a national debate about the open-door refugee policy adopted by Merkel. "Officials in both countries will immediately step up talks in order to prepare and study the cases of those (Moroccans) irregularly staying in the country (Germany) and repatriate them without delay to Morocco," the palace statement, carried by the state news agency MAP, said late on Wednesday. "The recent flows of illegal migrants, some of them falsely claiming to be refugees, were the result of a humanitarian call ... which was widely exploited by human trafficking organisations operating on both sides of the Mediterranean." The German interior minister will shortly hold talks with his Moroccan counterpart, the statement added. Germany, Europe's most populous country and its largest economy, has borne the brunt of the continent's biggest refugee influx since World War Two. Some 1.1 million asylum seekers arrived in Germany in 2015, most of them fleeing war and poverty in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has said Berlin could cut development aid to countries that are not willing to take back citizens whose asylum applications have been rejected. Around 4.5 million Moroccans live abroad, most of them in Europe, and their annual remittances total about $6 billion. (Reporting By Aziz El Yaakoubi; editing by Patrick Markey and Gareth Jones) Condominium building in Singapore. (Photo: ProjectManhattan / Wikimedia Commons) The cost of buying, holding and selling a mass market private home in Singapore is significantly lower compared to that in London and Sydney, but tax costs are much higher, revealed Knight Franks first-ever Global Tax Report. The report studied the property and taxation costs in 15 key cities worldwide for foreigners purchasing a unit in their own name as an investment, and renting it out over a five-year period from 2015 to 2020. Property costs in Singapore amounted to 4.3 percent for a US$1 million property, compared to 7.8 percent and 9.8 percent for London and Sydney respectively. However, tax costs in the city-state were higher at 19 percent, while London and Sydney were 11.3 percent and 18 percent respectively. Despite this, tax costs for luxury properties here are more favourable, the findings showed. For a US$10 million home, property costs were at 2.8 percent, compared to 5.4 percent in London and 5.9 percent in Sydney. In addition, tax costs in Singapore were at 20.5 percent, lower than London (20.8 percent) and Sydney (26 percent). Figure 1: Comparing Singapore with London and Sydney for foreign buyers [caption id="attachment_116490" align="alignnone" width="558"] Property and tax costs in Singapore Source: Knight Frank Research[/caption] Taxes can sometimes make or break a deal. But at the highest end of the market, the study shows that even accounting for tax, value has emerged for Singapore residential in comparison with other key cities, said Kah-Poh Tay, Executive Director of Residential Services, Knight Frank Singapore. The largest tax costs in Singapore are the stamp duties, namely the Buyers Stamp Duty (BSD) and the Additional Buyers Stamp Duty (ABSD), payable upon purchase of the property. In the past year, there have been a growing number of calls from developers for the government to tweak the property taxes, as many are unable to sell all their units. However, the government has repeatedly rejected such appeals to adjust the measures. Story continues Alice Tan, Research Head at Knight Frank Singapore, believes there will be no changes introduced in the next three to six months, given that the governments key objective is to ensure that housing remains affordable. However, she thinks that Singaporean buyers will find high-end homes more appealing now, due to declining prices. Compared to UK and Australia, Singapore offers lower prices on an average psf basis for ultra-luxury non-landed homes. Currency shifts have also made property prices in Singapore more attractive. Prices of prime non-landed residential properties in Singapore fell 7.9 percent in Q3 2015 from a year ago, according to Knight Franks latest Prime Global Cities Index. Prices in London and Sydney rose 1.3 percent and 13.7 percent respectively during the same period. Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg More from PropertyGuru: Frasers Hospitality Trust distributable income surged 23.2% in Q1 Staging your house for sale Habibie to build US$1 billion Batam project Myanmar relaxes foreign ownership laws WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lieutenant General John "Mick" Nicholson, the current head of NATO's Allied Land Command, has been chosen as the new commander of international forces in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Wednesday amid concerns about setbacks in the fight against the Taliban. Nicholson, whose selection must be confirmed by the Senate, would replace General John Campbell, who has commanded U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan for the past 18 months and is expected to retire. Nicholson is a veteran of multiple deployments in Afghanistan. He commanded the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment as well as the 82nd Airborne Division, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told a news briefing. "He understands the importance and complexity of our mission in Afghanistan," Cook said, having served previously as chief of staff of operations for the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, and U.S. Forces Afghanistan. The transition comes amid growing concern about the security situation in Afghanistan, where Taliban militants have caused large numbers of casualties among Afghan troops and Islamic State affiliates have made some inroads. The Taliban seized the northern city of Kunduz last year before being driven out by the Army. They also seized districts in Helmand province and threatened the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah. Brigadier General Wilson Shoffner, a spokesman for the international mission in Afghanistan, said last week that Afghan security forces had "mixed results" in their first year of carrying out the fight against the Taliban on their own. "Whenever they conducted deliberate, planned operations, they actually did fairly well," he said. "Where they had trouble and they didn't do so well was in response to crisis situations." The security situation prompted President Barack Obama to announce in October that the United States would maintain a force of about 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through most of 2016 instead of drawing down to an embassy-based presence by 2017. (Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Tom Brown) By Tom Miles and Tom Perry GENEVA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's main opposition group agreed to travel to Geneva, where the United Nations on Friday opened peace talks to end the country's five-year-old war, but said it wanted to discuss humanitarian issues before engaging in political negotiations. On the ground, opponents of President Bashar al-Assad said they were facing a Russian-backed military onslaught, with hundreds of civilians reported to be fleeing as the Syrian army and allied militia tried to capture a suburb of Damascus and finish off rebels defending it. U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura had invited the Syrian government and an opposition umbrella group to Geneva for "proximity talks", in which they would meet in separate rooms. Until the last minute, the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) had refused to go. The group, which includes both armed and political opponents of Assad, had insisted it wanted an end to air strikes and sieges of towns and the release of detainees before talks could start. Late on Friday, the HNC said it was going to Geneva, having received guarantees that its demands, outlined in a U.N. Security Council resolution last month, would be met, but it made clear its engagement in the process would initially be limited. "The HNC will go to Geneva tomorrow to discuss these humanitarian issues which will pave the way into the political process of negotiations," spokesman Salim al-Muslat told the Arabic news channel al-Arabiya al-Hadath. The HNC said it had drawn up a list of 3,000 Syrian women and children in government prisons who should be released. SUNDAY MEETING De Mistura opened the talks on Friday by meeting the Syrian government delegation. He said that while he had not yet received formal notice that the HNC would attend, he expected to meet its delegation on Sunday. "Theyve raised an important point of their concern, they would like to see a gesture from the government authorities regarding some kind of improvement for the people of Syria during the talks, for instance release of prisoners, or some lifting of sieges," de Mistura said. But he added this was a human rights point and "not even an issue to negotiate", and had strongly suggested the best way to get such measures implemented would be to start negotiating in Geneva, by proxy or directly. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had made a major push to get the HNC delegation to Geneva, and the group said he had contacted it by phone to urge it to attend. "Secretary Kerry has been in touch with all of his counterparts, including this morning with (Russian Foreign Minister) Sergei Lavrov ... and with others, trying to find a way, a formula, in which we can urge the delegation or some version of the delegation to show up here," a senior U.S. official said. The Syrian government delegation, headed by United Nations ambassador Bashar al Jaafari, arrived at the talks on Friday afternoon but made no statement. Another major force, the Kurds who control much of northeast Syria and have proven one of the few groups capable of winning territory from Islamic State, were excluded from the talks after Turkey demanded they be kept away. The Kurds say their absence means the talks are doomed to fail. GOVERNMENT MOMENTUM International diplomacy has so far seen only failures in a 5-year-old multi-sided ethno-sectarian civil war that has killed more than 250,000 people and driven more than 10 million from their homes while drawing in regional states and global powers. De Mistura's two predecessors both quit in apparent frustration after staging failed peace conferences. Since the last talks collapsed in 2014, Islamic State fighters surged across Syria and Iraq declaring a "caliphate", the United States and its European and Arab allies launched air strikes against them, and Russia joined in last year with a separate air campaign to support Assad. Moscow's intervention in particular has altered the balance of power on the ground, giving strong momentum to government forces and reversing months of rebel gains. The Syrian military and allied militia are seeking to build on gains in western Syria, and have turned their focus to opposition-held suburbs southwest of Damascus. The aim is to crush rebels in the district of Daraya to secure the nearby military airport at Mezzeh, said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict with sources on the ground. Rebels had rejected a government deadline for them to withdraw from the suburb of Mouadamiya - home to 45,000 people - by Friday, said Abu Ghiath al-Shami, spokesman for rebel group Alwiyat Seif al-Sham. More than 500 families had fled, he said. "They are suffering a shortage of food, medicine, milk - there is no power, nothing," he said, adding that 16 barrel bombs had been dropped on Friday. A Syrian military source denied the use of barrel bombs, which have been widely documented in the war, and accused the opposition of exaggerating the conditions. "There has been progress by the army in the last days, some successes particularly in the Daraya area," the source said. Rebels say the fighting is of more concern to them than the fate of the negotiations. Asked about the future of the talks, Shami told Reuters he was "a bit busy" dealing with the fighting. (Addional reporting by Lisa Barrington, Ali Abdelaty and Stephanie Nebehay; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Giles Elgood) By Antoni Slodkowski YANGON (Reuters) - When leaders of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy huddled this month to discuss the transfer of power in Myanmar, they quickly reached decisions on who from the party should take the key posts in the next parliament. But as attention turned to a candidate from the junta-linked Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a heated argument erupted over his track record and suitability for office, a senior NLD official who was present at the meeting said. The issue of how far to go in reaching out to former foes from nearly half a century of military rule may prove one of the first faultines to emerge within the NLD, with the potential to threaten or even derail Suu Kyi's ambitious agenda. "Some rank-and-file members are worried and not happy about the NLD working closely with the military. They never kept their promises so they don't trust the army," said Aung Myo, a mid-ranking NLD member. Eventually NLD leaders agreed at the early January meeting to offer the posts of deputy parliament speakers to T Khun Myat from the USDP and Aye Thar Aung from Arakan National Party (ANP), an ethnic party from Myanmar's restive Rakhine State. The nominations were made as a token of national reconciliation as Suu Kyi's party prepares for office after winning about 80 percent of the elected seats in parliament at a historic general election late last year. That the nomination provoked such heated debate underscores a growing sense of unease among some party members at the speed with which Suu Kyi has sought to build ties with powerful army chief Min Aung Hlaing and former junta leader Than Shwe. "Breaking down the distrust and convincing everybody to work together represents the single biggest challenge for the incoming administration," said Myint U, an independent consultant and expert on Myanmar bureaucracy. "Failure here may slow down or even stop reforms and could cost the country billions of dollars in lost investment." "GRASSROOTS DON'T LIKE THEM" The NLD, which will take office around late March after a drawn-out transition, is a broad church of views united by the shared experience of the decades-long struggle for democracy and held together by Suu Kyi's charismatic leadership. Many members, including the Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi, suffered years of persecution and imprisonment by the junta that had ruled Myanmar for 49 years until a semi-civilian government took power in 2011. "There's a history, a past that is hard to forget for many people," said Lin Htoo Maung, a sales executive at a Yangon-based bank. Suu Kyi is barred from becoming president by the 2008 constitution, which experts say was drafted by the military to entrench its influence on politics. The charter also gives her little choice but to engage with the military, despite her huge election win. The army controls a quarter of the seats in parliament - giving it a constitutional veto - a large number of seats at the security council and three security ministries: defence, border affairs and home affairs. At the closed-door leadership meeting, it was also agreed to give the powerful post of the lower house speaker to Win Myint, one of the closest party acolytes of Suu Kyi, said the NLD official present at the meeting. Another NLD leader familiar with the meeting told Reuters that, while Suu Kyi was firmly in charge and led most decisions, the mood among party grassroots was already having an influence on the speed and depth of rapprochement. "We are worried, or concerned that our people have little or no experience in actual governance," the NLD leader said, explaining why the party had been discussing who from the outgoing administration might be retained. "The majority of the cabinet will be NLD. But there will be some technocrats from ethnic parties and other parties," he said. "It would be difficult for us to keep any current ministers. The rank-and-file, the party grassroots don't like them." Both NLD leaders, who belong to the party's 15-member Central Executive Committee, spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. BITTER LEGACY One of the areas that arouses most bitterness in dealing with the legacy of junta-rule would likely be land grabs that the military and army-linked enterprises were accused of by rights activists, said Win Min, who runs the NLD office in southern Yangon. "They tortured villagers, grabbed the land and forced them to move out by setting crops on fire," said a rank-and-file Yangon-based NLD member who did not want to be identified out of fear of retribution. "I'm not saying that our senior members are making the wrong move, but I think we need to be careful while working with them." No one from the military or USDP was available for comment. To be sure, many political prisoners and the top echelons of the party support Suu Kyi's reconciliatory approach. Tin Oo, NLD's "patron" and one of its most deeply respected leaders, told Reuters that the NLD did not want to put any pressure on the military or push for the constitutional amendement immediately. "We will agree to anything that would make them feel comfortable to make the transition stable," said the 88-year-old, who served as army chief in 1970s. "We know that we will win in the end anyway, but we don't think it's the right time to prioritize it now." (Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski; Additional reporting by Hnin Yadana Zaw and Aung Hla Tun; Editing by Alex Richardson) The human gut is a complex and amazing system, and the more we learn about it, the more amazed we are. It turns out Policy States Getting More Forthcoming about Student Proficiency Levels With a few exceptions, the "honesty gap" is closing. That's the phrase that was used in a report issued last year by education non-profit Achieve to describe disparities that surfaced in the results of student proficiency as rated by the state tests for English language arts (ELA) and math and the ones issued by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The original differences came in a comparison of state testing results taken during the 2013-2014 school year and the results of NAEP scores from 2013. A new report compares 2014-2015 state-measured proficiency levels to 2015 NAEP results. The initial study found that half of all states had a gap of 30 percentage points or more in either grade 4 reading, grade 8 math or both. The latest findings show that 16 states have eliminated or nearly eliminated their gap in one or more subject areas, squeezing the difference in state scores to within five percentage points of NAEP scores. Nine other states are heading in the "right direction" by narrowing gaps by 10 percentage points or more. Achieve is an education reform organization that helped develop the Common Core State Standards. NAEP, also known as the "nation's report card," is considered the "gold standard" of student assessment for comparisons across all state lines. All 50 states and the District of Columbia participate in NAEP. The NAEP state assessments cover reading, math, science and writing at a sampling of schools among a sampling of students. In an "average" state, according to the Institute of Education Sciences, a United States Department of Education center that administers NAEP, about 2,500 students in about 100 public schools are assessed per grade for each subject. The Achieve comparison examines proficiency rates for assessment. NAEP defines proficiency as "solid academic performance." Students considered proficient have shown competency over "challenging" subject matter and have the ability to apply their knowledge to real-world situations. The latest comparison found that three states continued to have moderate gaps between five and 20 percentage points: Alaska, Kentucky and Maine. Two states' gaps remained about the same, with at least one gap higher than 20 percentage points: North Carolina and Tennessee. Four states are showing intransigence, insisting, according to the report, that "far more students are proficient than their NAEP scores indicate." Those states are Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. The largest gap appears in Texas, where the newest comparison shows a gap of -43 percentage points for both grade 4 reading and grade 8 math. That said, even there, the gap has shrunk from -46 and -48 percentage points, respectively. Three states showed no or tiny gaps last year and maintained that small gap this year: Massachusetts, New York and Utah. Georgia and Arkansas made the most dramatic turnaround in "closing" the honesty gap, according to the results. Georgia shifted from -60 percentage points in the earlier comparison to only -3 percentage points in the latest one for grade 4 reading; for grade 8 math, the difference shrunk from -53 to -9 percentage points. Arkansas' difference in scores dropped from -51 percentage points to -2 in grade 4 reading; it dropped from -36 to +8 percentage points in grade 8 math. "We're pleased to see so many states being transparent about student performance," said Sandy Boyd, chief operating officer of Achieve, in a prepared statement. "Parents and educators deserve accurate information about how well students are performing. The transition to college- and career-ready assessments in many states is an important step and while tests are not the only indicator of readiness, they are an important one. If we want to move the needle on student outcomes, we need to be clear about student performance; only then can we help students improve." The two-page report is available on the Achieve Web site. An EgyptAir mechanic whose cousin joined Islamic State (IS) is suspected of planting a bomb on board a Russian passenger plane that was blown up in mid-air, sources have told Reuters. So far Egypt has said it has found no evidence that the Metrojet flight, which took off from Sharm el Sheikh airport and crashed in the Sinai Peninsula in October with 224 people on board, was brought down by terrorism. A senior security official at EgyptAir denied that any of its employees had been arrested or were under suspicion, while an Interior Ministry official also said there had been no arrests. But Reuters' 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 the plane. "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," one of the sources told the news agency, adding the suspect's cousin joined IS in Syria 18 months ago. "He was told to not ask any questions and get the bomb on the plane." :: Egypt: Russian Jet 'Not Downed By Terrorists' 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 those arrested have been prosecuted so far, the sources said. In the aftermath of the crash, an IS affiliate has claimed responsibility for bringing down the Airbus 321-200. IS' online magazine later carried a photo of a Schweppes can it claimed was used to make an improvised bomb that brought down the jet. The photo showed a can of Schweppes Gold soft drink and what appeared to be a detonator and switch on a blue background. :: IS Posts Photo Of 'Bomb That Downed Plane' Russia and Western nations have long said they believe the flight was downed by a bomb smuggled on board. Story continues But Egypt has so far publicly said it has not found any evidence of foul play. If there are formal charges or official confirmation from Egypt that a bomb brought down the plane, Cairo could potentially be required to make compensation payments to the families of the victims. The EgyptAir official said state security police had investigated all of the workers at the airport and did not find any evidence implicating them. The official added 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 was quoted as saying by Reuters. An Interior Ministry source also said no one had been arrested in connection with the crash and they were waiting for the results of the investigation. TIRANA (Reuters) - An Albanian court sentenced Italian pilot Giorgio Riformato to 15 years in jail on Monday for international trafficking in narcotics, two years since his crash-landing revealed a new drug route from Albania into Italy. The discovery of Riformato's small Piper craft, which got its nose got stuck in sand after its wheel broke during a landing on an Adriatic Sea beach in May 2014, and two other planes seized in Italy revealed traffickers were frequently using small planes to ferry cannabis from Albania. His sentence was harsher than those of his five Albanians partners, who were caught with 300 kilos of cannabis nearby, because Riformato rejected the charges. His Albanian accomplices pleaded no contest and received reduced sentences. Riformato always insisted he went off course to have a look at the Albanian seaside despite warnings by the air control authorities, but was later forced to land because of an engine problem. Experts told the court the engine had no such damage. The U.S. State Department's 2015 international narcotics report identified Albania as a significant source country for marijuana, as well as a trans-shipment point for cocaine and heroin destined for European markets. Citing figures from the Albanian State Police, it said the volume of marijuana seizures in Albania totalled 101.7 metric tons over the first nine months of 2014, almost as much as the amounts seized in the previous decade. Much of the cannabis seized in 2014 came from a crackdown on the village of Lazarat, where cannabis was grown openly. No cannabis has been cultivated there since but police uprooted 650,333 plants elsewhere in Albania's rugged mountains in 2015, up from 551,414 in 2014. Shipments of more than one tonne of cannabis have also been seized in Albanian ports, but others have also made it to Italy in trailers and fishing boats. (Reporting by Benet Koleka; editing by Katharine Houreld) The brother of a British pilot who was killed when his helicopter was shot down by poachers has spoken of his pride over his bravery. Roger Gower, 37, was taking part in an operation to track and arrest poachers in Tanzania's Maswa game reserve when his helicopter came under fire. The bullets reportedly went through the floor of the aircraft, hitting him in the leg and shoulder. He managed to safely land the helicopter, but died before rescuers could reach him. His passenger survived the ordeal. "Ive always been proud that he was my brother," Mr Gower's brother Max told Sky News. "Im proud of what he did. Im proud he got his passenger down safely. Im proud he got himself out of the helicopter and Im proud that even after he was shot he was still laughing. "They broke the mould when they made him. "He was incredibly principled, he was a very moral person, he was incredibly loyal to his friends, he was very good fun." Three people have reportedly been arrested over the shooting, although it is not yet clear if they include the poacher who fired the gun. Police are still hunting for the remaining members of the gang. Tanzania is fighting a bitter struggle against Africa's brutal ivory trade in which an estimated 30,000 elephants are killed for their tusks every year. Max Gower said his brother's job helping to combat the trade "combined the two things he loved most: flying and animals." He said that although no one flying a helicopter has previously been shot down by poachers, his brother understood the risks. Jamie Roberts, director of the air charter company Tropic Air Kenya where Mr Gower worked for four years, told Sky News those taking part in the fight against poaching are "incredibly brave people." "Many of the rangers are injured and killed. "Its a great sadness but everyone is doing the best we can with the problem that we have got," he said, adding that he was "distraught" by news of his former colleague's death. Story continues Tributes are pouring in from other friends and former colleagues including Tanzania's former minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Lazaro Nyalandu. He tweeted: "Those poachers who killed Capt Roger are coward, evil, and sad people. A fine hearted individual gone too soon, and our hearts are broken." Pratik Patel, a conservationist for the Friedkin Conservation Fund, told Sky News Mr Gower was "really keen on making a difference". "I cant say enough good things about Roger. (He was) a close friend to all of us here at the Friedkin Conservation Fund, a family member". :: Mr Gower's family have set up a crowd funding page in his memory to help fund anti-poaching efforts in Tanzania. Donate here. Papua New Guinea has been named as one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman - with an estimated 70% of the country's female population experiencing sexual assault or rape in their lifetime. Human Rights Watch has claimed the country's police force is "very rarely prepared" to pursue allegations of domestic violence, even in cases which involved repeated rape or attempted murder. Even though the PNG government has introduced laws to criminalise violence against women, few perpetrators are ever brought to justice. In its annual World Report, the not-for-profit group said police officers regularly demand cash from abuse victims before investigating their case - while incidents in rural areas are routinely ignored. HRW added: "Reports continue of violent mobs attacking individuals accused of 'sorcery' or 'witchcraft', the victims mostly being women and girls. "Sorcery accusations are often accompanied by brutal attacks, including burning of homes, assault and sometimes murder." According to Human Rights Watch, those accused of sorcery are in such grave danger that "the main approach" used by non-governmental organisations in the region is to permanently resettle them in another community. An estimated 40% of Papua New Guinea's population lives in poverty, and other "pressing issues" faced by the country include corruption, gender inequality and excessive use of force by the police - including against children. Brad Adams, the director of HRW Asia, said: "Papua New Guinea is failing to meet its obligations under international law to protect women and girls from discrimination and family violence." The ongoing refugee crisis on Manus Island in PNG has also been criticised, where HRW alleges "more than 930 asylum seekers are currently being detained indefinitely in poor conditions". Many of those at the detention centre have been transferred from Australia for resettlement in Papua New Guinea, or until their refugee status can be determined. Story continues However, the report claims some of those in the camps have been held for more than two years - and are unable to leave Manus Island to study or find employment. "The protracted and indefinite nature of detention is causing significant mental health problems for those on Manus Island, including depression and anxiety," the HRW report warned. Australia is Papua New Guinea's most important international partner, according to the report, as it is set to provide nearly $400m (280m) of aid to the country in this financial year. But there are concerns that corruption is preventing this development money from being used effectively, and the Australian Senate is currently undertaking an inquiry into how the cash is being used. A coroner has ruled that a second inquest into the death of a young female Army recruit more than 20 years ago will hear evidence suggesting she may have been sexually abused. But Brian Barker QC, said it was "out of scope of the inquest" to consider whether there was a "wider culture of sexual abuse" at the Deepcut Barracks in Surrey. However, he said his ruling would remain under review "as the evidence develops", promising "a full, frank and fearless investigation". Eighteen-year-old Private Cheryl James died from a fatal gunshot wound on 27 November, 1995. The original inquest, in 1995, lasted only an hour and recorded an open verdict. This new inquiry - at Woking Coroner's Court - will hear from 80 witnesses over a two-month period. Before the inquest opened, Private James' father claimed there had been "a concerted effort by the Ministry of Defence over many years to prevent anyone taking a close look at the culture of that camp" and the MoD "must be seen to address the problem". Des James told Sky News he just wanted "to get to the bottom of what happened, in every detail". He said: "You can't just keep coming out with these buzzwords like zero tolerance - you know, 'our thoughts are with the family'. It means nothing. "You can't tell people you fixed it and you've adopted a policy of zero tolerance when you've never made any analysis of what you allege you've fixed." Private James was in the second phase of her training to join the Army when she died. She was found with a single bullet wound between her nose and her right eye. Her parents have always refused to accept the official version of her death and fought hard for 20 years to have a proper inquest. "I need to know. I need to know what happened to her," Mr James said. "I know the result of what happened, but I don't know what actually happened. There's no evidence that says the rifle that killed her was fired by her." Story continues The family and their lawyers have protested that the investigation should not have been carried out by the Army and key witnesses were not interviewed. Pte James' clothing wasn't examined and some of it even went missing. Last year, High Court judges quashed the original verdict and ordered a fresh inquest. The human rights organisation Liberty eventually forced material to be released by using the Human Rights Act, and persuaded the Attorney General that the case needed to be referred back to court. Emma Norton, a lawyer at Liberty working on the case, said: "The family had been asking for copies of the materials held by police for years. They had literally been asking for copies of this material for years. "The police had repeatedly been declining access to the materials or been stipulating such restrictions on access as to make it extremely difficult for the families to really understand what they were looking at. "The original inquest was incredibly brief, didn't hear from relevant witnesses, didn't examine any forensics or ballistics evidence. "There were some very odd things that went on. Her clothes disappeared quite quickly, no one has been able to explain what happened to those properly. "The bullet fragments taken from Cheryl disappeared - no-one has ever been able to explain what happened to them." The files contain information about forensic and ballistic evidence and witness statements from the time. Ms Norton added: "We were able to identify how people's stories changed over the years, how some witnesses had told lies or how their stories had changed, which all created a picture of something very strange having gone on." Four recruits died at Deepcut between 1995 and 2002, all in similar circumstances. As well at Pte James, Privates Sean Benton, James Collinson and Geoff Gray were found with gunshot wounds. Their families will be watching the outcome of Pte James' inquest very closely and could launch their own legal challenges. New evidence, presented at a pre-inquest hearing, alleges that she was sexually assaulted by senior ranks the day before her death. Alison Foster QC, representing Pte James' family, told the hearing that there is now material suggesting the teenager "may have been sexually coerced or raped the night before, or before the time of her death". Pte James' body was exhumed in August with her family's blessing so that a new post-mortem could be carried out. A ballistic experts has analysed metallic fragments recovered from her body. The inquest will consider whether or not a third party was involved in Pte James' death and what happened the evening before she died. It will also explore rules on the barracks concerning alcohol, drugs and supervision of young female recruits. By Thomas Escritt THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Senior Dutch government officials are discussing a plan to ferry refugees arriving in Greece back to Turkey to stem the flow of migrants seeking refuge in Europe, Labour Party leader Diederik Samsom said on Thursday. Samsom said in an interview with the daily Volkskrant that European countries would have to agree in exchange to take several hundred thousand refugees each year out nearly 2 million currently in Turkey. He also told Reuters that the plan was close to becoming government policy and that the Netherlands, which currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency, would seek to push for Europe-wide agreement on the proposal. While Samsom has no formal government job as leader of the junior of the two Dutch coalition parties, he said he had discussed the proposal with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and with Sigmar Gabriel, the German Social Democrat vice-chancellor. The stream of migrants fleeing war and persecution in the Middle East and North Africa has placed the European Union under strain and fuelled right-wing nationalist rhetoric throughout the continent. Samsom said improving conditions for Syrian refugees in Turkey meant it could soon be regarded as a safe country to which asylum-seekers could be returned. Rutte said at the launch of the Dutch presidency that the stream of refugees arriving in Europe would have to come down within six to eight weeks. "Every night now people drown because they get into a dinghy with too many people in rough weather and people drown - 24 last night, 26 the night before," Samsom said. His plan would stop the flow by making the journey pointless and giving several hundred thousand refugees a year a legal route out of Turkey into the EU, he said. "You cannot convince Turkey to readmit these people if you don't relieve their refugee burden," he said. He said the West European countries most affected would have to agree individually to take refugees if no overarching EU agreement could be reached. "The countries most affected - Austria, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands - might take the lead in making this happen," he said. "We saw that the Europe-wide relocation scheme got nowhere if obstructed by the Czechs, Poland, Romania." A Dutch government spokesman said: "The Netherlands is working hard to reach a common solution. Therefore the influx must be stemmed and resettlement within Europe must improve." By Joseph Nasr BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and their left-leaning Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partners agreed on Thursday to tighten asylum rules, reaching a compromise on how to stem an influx of migrants that topped one million last year. The new measures include a two-year ban on family reunions for asylum seekers who are granted limited refugee protection and speeding up the deportations of failed applicants, said Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, announcing the deal. A dispute over tighter immigration rules has been straining the ruling coalition, which includes Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavaria-based Christian Social Union (CSU) sister party, as well Gabriel's SPD. All three parties are eager to show voters that, despite deep divisions, the government is in control of the refugee crisis before three state votes in March and a general election next year. "The mood is good," Gabriel told reporters, signalling unity among the three parties after weeks of tension over CSU leader Horst Seehofer's threat to take Merkel's government to court if his demand to stem the flow of asylum seekers is not met. The new rules, which have been in the works since November and entail a programme for integrating refugees, also include speeding up the process for applicants from so-called safe countries and reducing financial support for asylum seekers. Merkel, whose popularity has slumped over her handling of the crisis, is also holding a meeting with the heads of Germany's 16 states who are demanding more government funds for German courses, schools, kindergartens and policing. German towns and cities say the influx of 1.1 million asylum seekers last year is pushing their resources to the limit and they would not be able to accommodate more newcomers if the numbers do not go down. The number of asylum seekers crossing the German border from Austria every day fell to some 700 over the last several days from more than 2,000 earlier in the year. German officials say the decrease is linked to winter and warn of a spike in spring. This is the second bundle of asylum measures agreed by the government, which pushed a first package of tighter immigration rules in October. Gabriel said that while tightening the rules to discourage migrants from reaching Germany illegally, the government wanted to bring Syrian refugees from camps in Lebanon and Jordan. The government also wants to designate Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria as safe countries to facilitate the deportation of applicants from those countries. Morocco announced on Thursday that it had agreed to repatriate illegal migrants from Germany. (Additional reporting by Holger Hansen; Editing by Dominic Evans) 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 recognise 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 recognising 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 recognise 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) By Tom Miles GENEVA (Reuters) - More people died crossing the eastern Mediterranean in January than in the first eight months of last year, the International Organization for Migration said on Friday, blaming increased ruthlessness by people-traffickers. As of Jan. 28, 218 had died in the Aegean Sea - a tally not reached on the Greek route until mid-September in 2015. Another 26 died in the central Mediterranean trying to reach Italy. Smugglers were using smaller, less seaworthy boats, and packing them with even more people than before, the IOM said. IOM spokesman Joel Millman said the more reckless methods might be due to "panic in the market that this is not going to last much longer" as traffickers fear European governments may find ways to stem the unprecedented flow of migrants and refugees. There also appeared to be new gangs controlling the trafficking trade in North Africa, he said. "There was a very pronounced period at the end of the year when boats were not leaving Libya and we heard from our sources in North Africa that it was because of inter-tribal or inter-gang fighting for control of the market," Millman said. "And now that it's picking up again and it seems to be more lethal, we wonder: what is the character of these groups that have taken over the trade?" The switch to smaller, more packed boats had also happened on the route from Turkey to Greece, the IOM said, but was unable to explain why. The increase in deaths in January was not due to more traffic overall. The number of arrivals in Greece and Italy was the lowest for any month since June 2015, with a total of 55,528 people landing there between Jan. 1 and Jan. 28, the IOM said. Last year a record 1 million people made the Mediterranean Sea crossing, five times more than in 2014. During the year, the IOM estimates that 805 died in the eastern Mediterranean and 2,892 died in the central Mediterranean. In the past few months the proportion of children among those making the journey has risen from about a quarter to more than a third, and Millman said children often made up more than half of the occupants of the boats. (Editing by Robin Pomeroy) By Andreas Rinke NEUBRANDENBURG, Germany (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. "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) David Cameron's hopes of securing an EU renegotiation have suffered a setback after Donald Tusk walked out of crunch talks less than two hours after arriving in Downing Street. As he left Number 10, the European Council President told Sky News there was "no deal". His early exit marks a stark contrast to remarks he made entering the building, when he said he was hopeful of an agreement. It throws the Prime Minister's hopes of holding a referendum on EU membership this summer into serious doubt. Sky News understands there are a series of sticking points around several of the reforms Mr Cameron wants Brussels to agree to before the UK is given the vote. :: PM Hopes EU Dinner Hiccup Won't Lead To Fudge But Sky's Chief Political Correspondent Jon Craig said the pair seem to have reached agreement on one of the most controversial proposals - the Conservative manifesto pledge to ban in-work benefits for migrants for four years. Number 10 says EU officials have agreed that Britain would qualify for a so-called "emergency brake" which would allow it to stop handing out in-work benefits to EU migrants. Sky understands that the officials are prepared to agree Britain's public services are sufficiently overwhelmed to trigger the 'brake', which means that Mr Cameron would be able to fulfil his manifesto pledge by bringing in the ban. Craig said: "Significantly, Number 10 are claiming one major victory. "They claim that on that so-called emergency brake, which is a ban on EU migrants claiming benefits, which Mr Cameron wants to come in immediately after the EU referendum, the commission have agreed to table a text making it clear that that procedure will go ahead. "That means, according to Number 10 sources, that the Prime Minster can deliver on his commitment to stop any in-work benefits to EU migrants for four years. "So no deal yet, Mr Cameron is hopeful of a deal, but Number 10 are claiming a victory on that ban to benefits for EU migrants." Story continues :: Brussels: Migration Change 'Not The Only Problem' Mr Cameron and Mr Tusk had been due to have a three-course dinner of smoked salmon, fillet of beef, followed by pear and apple crumble. Mr Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, left within an hour and 45 minutes of arriving. Mr Cameron tweeted minutes after his departure - describing the talks as a "good meeting". He said Mr Tusk had "agreed to another 24 hours of talks before publishing the draft UK renegotiation text". Mr Tusk tweeted later: "No deal yet. Intensive work in next 24 crucial. #UKinEU". A breakthrough is crucial because an EU summit on 18-19 February has to finalise any deal. A draft text of what reforms have been agreed has to be distributed to EU leaders several days before the meeting starts. Mr Cameron has promised the UK vote will take place before the end of 2017. Sky's Political Editor Faisal Islam says he understands there are a number of problems holding up agreement - some connected to other reforms that Mr Cameron wants to push through, such as on economic governance and sovereignty. Craig added: "Clearly while there is no deal, Cameron is still hopeful of a deal. "What is going to happen is that diplomats - Sherpas in the jargon - are going to spend the next 24 hours working around the clock, it seems, trying to thrash out some sort of deal. "I've been talking to senior Downing street sources here, they have described the dinner here despite Mr Tusk's rather abrupt departure as a productive working dinner. "They are talking about good progress within the last few days." Many eurosceptics remain unconvinced the deal that is emerging is in Britain's interest. Steve Baker, co-chair of Conservatives for Britain, told Sky News: "Vote Leave (the campaign group that wants Britain to leave the EU) has shown that nine out of 10 of the PM's reform proposals have been dropped. "It is not likely we will get child benefit reform that was planned and in particular we know that if anything is achieved, it will be because the policy applies equally to all. This is a fundamental problem. "Everything the Prime Minister does is that it has to be on the basis of EU citizenship rather than British citizenship." Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn said: "To have brought the whole future of our relationship with the European Union down to this one issue shows that the Prime Minister, I think, is missing the big picture." DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia was not the source of a proposal to cut oil production that Russia was studying, al-Arabiya television reported on Sunday, quoting an unnamed Saudi source. But the kingdom, the world's biggest oil exporter, wanted to cooperate with other producers to support the oil market, the source also told the Saudi-owned and Dubai-based satellite channel. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday that OPEC had proposed output cuts of up to 5 percent to help reduce a glut of crude and prop up sinking prices, in what would be the first such deal globally in over a decade. It was not clear if Novak was referring to a months-old proposal by OPEC members Venezuela and Algeria, or a new one backed by Saudi Arabia. Sunday's Arabiya report implied the proposal was not new. The Saudi source's comments were in line with remarks made by a senior Gulf OPEC delegate to Reuters on Thursday. Saudi Arabia has long said it is willing to act to stabilise prices but that the other countries, particularly higher-cost producers, must also reduce their output. The possibility of supply restraint by producers boosted oil prices to almost $36 a barrel last week from a 12-year low close of $27. But there is widespread scepticism that a deal will happen, especially since Iran is keen to boost its market share now that sanctions on it have been lifted. (Reporting by Hadeel al-Sayegh, Writing by Andrew Torchia; editing by John Stonestreet) By Saeed Azhar SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore has seized a large number of bank accounts in recent months as part of an investigation into possible money-laundering linked to Malaysian state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), authorities said on Monday. Singapore is cooperating with authorities in Malaysia, Switzerland and the United States who are investigating 1MDB, said the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Commercial Affairs Department, the city-state's white-collar crime agency. "In connection with these investigations, we have sought and are continuing to seek information from several financial institutions, are interviewing various individuals, and have seized a large number of bank accounts," the two agencies said in a joint statement. The statement did not offer any further details. In July, local police said they had only frozen two bank accounts linked to the 1MDB probe. The statement comes a week after Switzerland's chief prosecutor said a criminal investigation into 1MDB had revealed that about $4 billion appeared to have been misappropriated from Malaysian state companies. 1MDB, whose advisory board is chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, has been investigated by Malaysian authorities following accusations of financial mismanagement and graft. 1MDB has denied these allegations. Last week, Malaysia's attorney general cleared Najib 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 and no further action needed to be taken. The Monetary Authority of Singapore has been in touch with Malaysian regulators since last year, when Malaysia's government said 1MDB had redeemed $1.1 billion from the Cayman Islands and placed it in the Singapore unit of Swiss private bank BSI. BSI has declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that investigators had traced nearly $700 million from an account at Falcon Private Bank in Singapore to accounts in Malaysia they believed belonged to the prime minister. Falcon Private Bank, a Swiss private bank owned by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund International Petroleum Investment Company, has said it is in contact with Singapore's central bank and will cooperate with authorities. (Reporting by Saeed Azhar; Editing by Anshuman Daga and Katharine Houreld) By Tatiana Jancarikova BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovakia's fragmented centre-right opposition hopes its calls for a strong crackdown on corruption will help propel it to power in a March 5 parliamentary election despite the ruling leftists' strong lead in opinion polls. Radoslav Prochazka, leader of the main centre-right party, said he wanted to shift the focus of the debate to living standards and away from Europe's migrant crisis, where Prime Minister Robert Fico's tough stance appeals to voters. Slovakia ranks 50th among 168 countries in Transparency International's 2015 corruption perception index and is among the seven worst-performing nations in the 28-member European Union. "We need at least one example of a successful criminal prosecution that will make a politician literally pay back the money lost in shady contracts," Prochazka, 43, told Reuters in an interview cleared for publication on Monday. The Yale-educated lawyer said he wanted to ban firms of unknown ownership, a frequent source of suspicions of graft, from winning government deals. Prochazka said graft stifled the proper functioning of the state. The country of 5.4 million has enjoyed solid economic growth, but unemployment is still high at 10.6 percent. Citing the success of anti-graft campaigns in some other former communist EU member states, Prochazka said: "If Romania can do it, so can we." Romanian prosecutors have launched high-profile graft investigations, including against ex-prime minister Victor Ponta. An anti-graft campaign has also brought electoral dividends for the party of businessman Andrej Babis in the Czech Republic, Slovakia's neighbour. Opinion polls put Prochazka's centrist Siet party, contesting its first election, in second place, on about 14 percent, but still far behind Fico's Smer, which has about 41 percent. "SURPRISES" Prochazka, who will need to pull together a host of small opposition parties to oust Fico, remains undaunted by the challenge for his party, created after the implosion of the previous main centre-right group amid unproven graft suspicions. "Elections bring surprises. We are trying for such a surprise at the expense of the ruling party," Prochazka said. Centre-right parties cooperated to oust leftist prime minister Vladimir Meciar in 1998 and Fico in 2010. That looks less likely now as some opposition parties such as the mildly nationalist Slovak National Party look more likely to join Smer. Pledging to cut red tape for businesses and reduce taxes for families, Prochazka criticised government handouts such as free train passes for students and pensioners or coupons for poor families for holidays at state-owned hotels. However, Prochazka was cautious about challenging Smer's anti-immigration rhetoric, which has proven popular in Roman Catholic Slovakia as large numbers of mostly Muslim migrants arrive in Europe fleeing wars and poverty. "I understand the fear of global expansion of Islam to Europe. Mass migration is linked to security risks," said Prochazka, adding: "But Slovaks are more worried about their living standards than about migrants." (Editing by Jan Lopatka and Gareth Jones) KIMBERLEY, South Africa (Reuters) - James Taylor put aside his disappointing Test form to produce a run-a-ball century as England crushed South Africa A by 163 runs in a warm-up game at the Diamond Oval on Saturday. Taylor smashed eight fours and a six in his 116 off the same number of deliveries as England posted a formidable 368 for seven in their 50 overs having won the toss and elected to bat. The home side never looked like reaching that target and were all out for 205 from 30.5 overs. The magnificent Taylor was ably supported by a cameo from Jonny Bairstow (58 from 30 balls), a remarkable innings that included no fours but six massive sixes from the Yorshireman. Chris Jordan also weighed in with a lively unbeaten 33 from 14 balls, while captain Eoin Morgan scored 41 at a run-a-ball. South Africa A managed to score at a rapid rate but lost wickets at regular intervals, with Theunis de Bruyn (73 not out) providing some lone resistance. There were three wickets each for Reece Topley (3-38), Jordan (3-48) and Adil Rashid (3-55). The most economical of the England bowlers was David Willey, who returned figures of 1-23 in his five overs. The first of five One-Day Internationals against South Africa will be played in Bloemfontein on Wednesday. (Editing by Martyn Herman) By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand expects a million visitors during the upcoming Lunar New Year, 19 percent more than last year, the country's tourism authority said on Monday. Nearly half were expected to come from neighbouring countries - China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, the Tourism Authority of Thailand said. The Lunar New Year period, which falls from Feb.6-14 this year, will generate around 29 billion baht ($814 million) in revenue, said the tourism authority, up 32 percent from the previous year. Tropical Thailand is a top destination for Chinese tourists, and there was little sign of them being scared off by the bombing at a shrine in Bangkok in August that killed 20 people, more than half of them foreign tourists. Over 8 million Chinese travelled to Thailand in 2015, a record, and the country expects more this year. The tourism ministry is preparing Chinese language brochures, a spokesman said. Vendors in Bangkok's Chinatown, where the streets are festooned with red lanterns, are preparing for the peak period. Celebrations will include shows by music and dance troupes from around China. The city's Chinese restaurants are also preparing menus offering traditional seasonal dishes like dim sum and Yee Sang, a salad eaten by a family. "In the Chinese New Year there are more Chinese staying at the hotel so we prepare accordingly," said Wattana Krisanakan, manager of China House Restaurant, part of Bangkok's Mandarin Oriental hotel. Thailand expects 32 million foreigners to visit its beaches and temples in 2016, a record driven by tourists from China who helped turn Bangkok into the region's most-visited destination in 2015. ($1 = 35.6100 baht) (Additional reporting by Aukkarapon Niyomyat; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) GENEVA (Reuters) - The Syrian town of Mouadamiya is newly under siege by Syrian government forces, the United Nations said on Sunday, adding 45,000 to the number of people it says are cut off from humanitarian aid and medical help in Syria. The development comes as President Bashar al-Assad's government faces a demand from the U.N. Security Council to improve humanitarian access as part of U.N.-mediated peace talks with an opposition delegation in Geneva. It has already attracted global criticism for its siege of Madaya, where dozens have starved to death. Mouadamiya, on the southwestern edge of Damascus, has been under the control of opposition armed groups since mid-2012. Syrian government forces surrounded it in 2013 but began allowing aid access in mid-2014 under a local deal. However, government forces closed the only entry point on Dec. 26 last year, after allowing 50-100 government employees to leave. Other civilians were not warned of the closure, the U.N. said. "Due to increased closures imposed on the town in December 2015, the U.N. re-classified (Mouadamiya) as besieged as of 27 January 2016," it said in a statement, adding that the town continued to be subject to sporadic shelling. Living conditions were already dire but deteriorated further since the recent closure reportedly led to severe shortages of food, medicines and other basic commodities, it said. There had been eight deaths reported since Jan. 1 because of lack of proper medical care, and reports of malnutrition but no related deaths, it said. The town has not had electricity since November 2012, and most residents fetch untreated water manually from wells. The last food aid delivery was on Dec. 24, since when the U.N. has twice asked to bring in a convoy. One request was granted as long as delivery was outside the town, the U.N. said. Discussions were still going on about getting aid into the town. The U.N. said there were 486,700 people under siege in Syria, in areas controlled by the government, Islamic State militants and other insurgent groups, among about 4.6 million who are hard to reach with humanitarian aid. (Reporting by Tom Miles) Three Hills Capital Partners has soared past 1bn for the final close of its fourth flagship fund, almost doubling the total it collected for its predecessor vehicle. Early stage tech investor Susa Ventures is eyeing up to $50m for its second fund, less than two years after closing its Jessica Kumala Wongso Police in Jakarta have charged Jessica Kumala Wongso, a suspect in the high-profile murder of her friend, Wayan Mirna Salihin, with premeditated murder, which means she could face the death penalty, an official said on Saturday. The 27-year-old was named a suspect at 11 p.m. on Friday, and investigators subsequently arrested her at 7.30 a.m. the next day at Hotel Neo, Mangga Dua Square, Central Jakarta. "She has been charged with Article 340 of the Criminal Code on premeditated murder," said Sr. Comr. Krishna Murti, general crimes director of the Jakarta Police. The article carries a minimum jail sentence of 20 years and a maximum penalty of life in prison or death. "[As this is a case] with a sentence [prospect] of more than 5 years, we could detain her," Krishna said. "We have 24 hours to question her before deciding [whether to extend] the detention." Jessica was brought in to the Jakarta Police headquarters at 10. p.m. for questioning, but as of 4 p.m., investigators were still waiting for the arrival of her legal defense team. "If her lawyers don't show up, the state will provide her with legal assistance," Krishna said. Contacted separately, one of Jessica's lawyers, Andi Yoesoef, said that his team would accompany her, but he also called Saturday's arrest deplorable, claiming his team was not informed of it beforehand. "It is the right of police, but at the very least, they should have provided prior notice," he said. "Yudi will attend today's questioning," Andi said, referring to another lawyer for Jessica, Yudi Wibowo Sukinto. Jessica has been at the center of police investigations into Mirna's case in recent weeks. Mirna, also 27, suffered convulsions on Jan. 6 at Olivier cafe in Grand Indonesia shopping mall shortly after taking a sip of her Vietnamese iced coffee. She was then taken to a nearby hospital, where she died. Lab tests confirmed there were traces of highly toxic cyanide inside her stomach, as well as in the drink she consumed. Police said the drink was ordered by Jessica, who arrived at the cafe almost an hour earlier. Investigators have questioned Jessica as a witness at least five times and searched her home, while at the request of police, the immigration office had also imposed a travel ban. Published On Feb 01, 2016 07:32 PM By Nabeel Maruti and Hyundai, both have reported a dip in sales for January 2016. The reason might be the price hike, as many buyers bought the car last year so as to save up to Rs. 12,000. Where Maruti has faced a decline of 2.6%, Hyundai has registered a minor 1.23% decline. Maruti in January, increased price of all its cars up to Rs 4,000 and Baleno had faced a price hike of upto Rs 12,000. Hyundai announced a price hike of up to Rs. 30,000 which was to be applicable from January 2016. Moreover, this news comes at a time when Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) announced that the sales of vehicles have been increasing for fourteenth straight months. This report came in December 2015. About 172,671 units were sent to dealerships from the manufacturers. Maruti managed to sell 1,13,606 units in January against 1,16,606 units in the same month last year. This is an overall figure combining imports and exports. The domestic scenario has seen a rise of 0.8% as 1,06,383 units were sold against 1,05,559 units in January 2015. Sales of utility vehicles, which include Gypsy, Grand Vitara and Ertiga, has also been increased by 26.2% as 8,114 units were sold in January 2016 as compared to 6,432 units in January 2015. Maruti stated, domestic sales would have been higher, but lesser number of working days in January 2016 impacted overall production and dispatch," as a reason for the decline. Exports dipped 34.6% as only 7,223 units were sold overseas compared to 11,047 units in January 2015. Hyundai sold 44,230 units in January 2016 as compared to 44,783 units in the same timeframe last year. Domestic sales were recorded at 38,016 units against 34,780 units in January 2015, resulting in an increase of 9.3%. Exports for Hyundai also suffered as the company sold 6,214 units in January 2015 against 10,003 units in the same period in 2015. This is a 37.87% decline. Rakesh Srivastava, senior Vice-President (Sales and Marketing), HMIL said The growth momentum of last year continued built by strong performance of products like Grand, Creta and i20 Elite/Active," Commenting on the lineup for Auto Expo, he said, "We look forward to presenting the Hyundai Experience at the Auto Expo through our products and technology towards meeting the growing aspirations of the customers." Also Read: Maruti S-Cross Prices Dropped By Over Rs. 2 Lacs! New Delhi: With an eye on empowerment of its women employees, Nestle India today announced new initiatives, including extending maternity leave to six months, while re-looking at its entire recruitment process for better representation of women across levels. On the new steps, Nestle India Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Narayanan said: "The increasing ambition to seek diversity means that Nestle is constantly reviewing workplace facilities, enabling measures and pro-active sensitivities to the needs of our women colleagues as they traverse different stages of their lives." Higher recruitment of women, nurturing talent and retention programmes as well as the revised maternity policy, all seek to provide "nuance, sensitivity and a favourable work environment to women colleagues who choose to be mothers some day", he added. Under the new initiative, Nestle India has extended its maternity leave policy to six months effective February 1, 2016, from 18 weeks earlier, while granting adoption leave for six weeks with full pay and benefits for all permanent women employees. Besides, a paternity policy has been introduced with a leave of five working days with full pay and benefits for all permanent male employees, including blue collar, the company said in a statement. Nestle India said since 2014, it has ICC (Internal Complaints Committee) across its all 12 units with the presence of an external member for prevention of sexual harassment. "At Nestle, we have a very strong belief and commitment to increasing diversity in our business operations, factories, R&D centres and offices, which is articulated in 'Project Harmony'. We seek to strengthen our company through whole-hearted commitment to, and practice of, managing diversity," Narayanan said. Explaining the rationale, he said: "One of the key socio-economic opportunities of the 21st century is the increasing role, involvement and contribution of women to the fabric of economic progress that is transforming the world. "Indeed the recruitment, nurturing and successful utilisation of women in the workforce is the edifice on which economic success and sustainability of businesses is predicated." On recruitment, the company said one of the key focus areas has been to increase representation of women in the field force. Nestle India said potential women workforce is given a chance to work with a nutrition/sales officer for a day to understand the challenges in the role, before joining the company. Flexibility has also been provided with regard to travel and stay for women in the field force. "Campus hires and mid-career hiring of women employees have also been an area of emphasis and resulted in significant achievements," it added. Besides recruitment, nurturing key women talent and strengthening the diversity of talent pipeline through robust career and development plans supported by mentoring have been put in place, Nestle India added. Shah Rukh Khan does it again! In a new set of online photos, the badshah of Bollywood was spotted on the sets of Raees holding on to a crutch as he posed for pictures with his fans. The actor, who has been battling his knee injury for over a year now, has exerted himself yet again. Shah Rukh Khan photographed with his crutch. Shah Rukh, who has been juggling two film shoots, along with a few brand endorsements, and also personal time with his kids, has strained his left knee. The actor had injured his leg while shooting a few high-octane chase sequences for his film Fan. It had been reported that SRK sought some treatment for his knee abroad, after which he was advised to take bed rest for a few days. SRK sat down for a personal interaction with a few fans on the sets. Shah Rukh will be seen playing an underworld don in the film.The actor is currently shooting the final leg of this scheduled shoot with Mahira Khan in Mumbais film city. The team is expected to begin the next schedule in Gujarat, where Nawazuddin Siddiqui is expected to join the two. Mahira Khan poses with a fan on the sets of 'Raees' in Mumbai.The film that hits theatres on Eid, is being directed by Rahul Dholakia and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Siddhwani. Turkey warned of consequences on Saturday after saying a Russian SU-34 jet had violated its airspace despite warnings, once more stoking tensions between two countries involved in Syria's war, but Russia denied that there had been any incursion. In a similar incident in November, Turkey shot down a Russian warplane flying a sortie over Syria that it said had violated its airspace, triggering a diplomatic rupture in which Russia imposed economic sanctions. Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov denied that any Russian plane had entered Turkish airspace, and called the Turkish allegation "pure propaganda". He said Turkish radar installations were not capable of identifying a particular aircraft or its type or nationality, and that no verbal warning had been issued in either English or Russian. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in its statement that the Russian ambassador had been summoned late on Friday, and that the violation was a clear sign that Russia wanted issues between the two countries to escalate. It should come as no surprise that happier employees are more productive employees. A recent study by economists at the University of Warwick actually measured this phenomenon, discovering that happier employees are on average 12% more productive than non-happy employees, while unhappy employees are 10% less productive, thus resulting in a 22% productivity swing between unhappy and happy employees. While the legacy thinking on this topic is that higher salaries result in happier employees, research shows that this is often not the case. A large majority of American workers are not happy in their current position. A recent Gallup survey found that only 13% of employees are engaged at work, translating into an immense number of disengaged and subsequently unhappy employees. Companies that invest in employee support services, rather than simply paying higher wages, see definitive increases in employee satisfaction and happiness. At Google, known for their innovative employee support and satisfaction initiatives, employee satisfaction rose 37% after implementation of non-monetary benefits such as on-site day care and dry cleaning services. However, it does not need to be the sole responsibility of the organization to keep employees happy, some of this burden can be placed on the employees themselves. Considerable research has been conducted on how to increase ones happiness. The findings show there are multiple ways, ranging from practicing mindfulness to acquiring a pet. One of the more interesting and relative findings shows that being grateful has a large impact on happiness. One study showed that those subjects expressing gratitude were significantly more satisfied with their lives as compared to those not specifically expressing gratitude. A 2009 study confirmed the neural basis for this phenomenon, showing that gratitude stimulates the area of our brain responsible for the pleasure sensation. Researchers at the University of North Carolina have even shown a genetic predisposition towards expressed gratitude and subsequent happiness. Other studies have shown that expressing gratitude can elevate the mood of those around us as well, revealing that those with a propensity to express anger, reduced such propensity when shown gratitude. Thusly, those showing gratitude at work not only can increase their own happiness (and productivity) but can influence the mood of their co-workers or boss. Showing gratitude, however, is not always easy. If only 13% of employees are engaged at work, what is there to be thankful for? We are constantly having both positive and negative experiences. If we take ownership of our happiness, we can be mindful and focus on the positive and push back the negative. Everyone can find something to be grateful for family, friends, the beauty of nature or the lack of traffic on their way to work. The point is that if we are self-aware and emotionally intelligent, we can be accountable for increasing our happiness through gratitude. Some experts recommend making a gratitude list as a means of reminding yourself what you are truly grateful for. When the negative experiences are bringing you down, you can refer to the list to boost your happiness. Others recommend a more external form of gratitude expression by sending out two grateful emails each morning. Most of us never consider how our work impacts others. At our firm, we are grateful to be able to make a significant impact on the processes within organizations that lead to successful execution of results, the development of leaders to drive strategies effectively and the emergence of stronger cultures the enable mission-driven decision-making. We know that both customers and patients are impacted positively as well by our work, leading to better healthcare, improved population health, more responsive customer service and ongoing strategic shareholder communication that builds trusting relationships. Think about how your work impacts people and organizations positively and be grateful for the ability to make these differences. It will strengthen your focus and behaviors to work productivity and deliver results every day. An initiative to raise money through donating spare Basic Payments Scheme (BPS) entitlements has raised more than 20,000 for farming charities. A cheque for 20,405 raised by Entitlement Aid will be handed over to farming charities including the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution, the Addington Fund and the Farming Community Network. The initiative was set up encourage donations of surplus small numbers of entitlements. These largely came from those with fewer than five entitlements and who faced losing these under the CAP reform, which brought in the BPS. See also: Farmers urged to act soon to donate spare BPS entitlements The donated entitlements were transferred from a donor to 2015 BPS claimants who paid the market value, with the proceeds going to charity. Professional fees for carrying out the transfers were donated by Central Association of Agricultural Valuers member firms who signed up to the scheme. The initiative was supported by a wide range of other farming organisations, including Farmers Weekly, members of the British Institute of Agricultural Consultants, the Tenant Farmers Association, the NFU and the CLA. Surveyor Kevin Bateman of Devon-based Bateman Hosegood provided much of the impetus for the scheme. He said that it had taken a long time and was quite stressful through June 2105 when BPS forms were also due in, but it had been worth it. Our biggest benefactor was the National Trust, who gave 50 entitlements, and the smallest was a lady who gave 0.11 entitlements, said Mr Bateman. Dairy farmers protested outside Arla's Ashby de la Zouch milk plant in Leicestershire in 2012. Tim Scrivener Dairy farmers have pledged to march on Downing Street amid growing concern over cuts in milk prices paid to producers. In an email to supporters, the Farmers For Action pressure group said it was preparing to march through through London within the next two months. It will probably take place the second or third week in March on a weekday, ending in Hyde Park, whereupon a letter will be delivered to prime minister David Cameron on behalf of the farming community. See also: Farm incomes show dramatic fall Farmers For Action said it needed at least 1,000 people to attend the march, saying it would not take place unless enough people pledged their support. We would urge all interested parties to pass the information around to relatives, friends, neighbours, ancillary businesses. Lets make this happen. The decision to protest comes as First Milk again dropped its A price to farmers. The farmer-owned co-operative announced it was dropping its February A milk prices for producers in the Midlands, east Wales and Scotland. Milk producers in the Midlands and east Wales balancing pools will see their milk price fall by 0.62p/litre, while those in Scotland will have their price reduce by 0.19p/litre. The A milk price for producers in all other milk fields will remain unchanged. Meanwhile, Dairy Crest is to slash its Davidstow milk price by 1.6p/litre from 1 March 2016, meaning its 400 Dairy Crest Direct suppliers will receive 22.72p/litre. Dairy Crest head of procurement Ruth Askew admitted it was disappointing news, but emphasised dairy markets were under extreme pressure and milk supply remained high. Concern has also been expressed at suggestions that Tesco is on the verge of inflicting further pain on the sector by changing how it sources liquid milk. Farmers fear the retailers latest tendering process will see 200m litres of business removed from Arla and a greater share given to Muller Wiseman. A Tesco spokeswoman confirmed the company had regular conversations with its processors and suppliers. But she added: This is speculation and we dont comment on speculation. NFU dairy board chairman Rob Harrison urged Tesco to set the record straight on its intentions, saying it was important that milk producers knew where they stood. He added: Rumour and speculation about changes to dairy contracts is unsettling and unhelpful. Both Arla and Muller have declined to comment. A letter of support for Indybay's Alex Darocy was approved by unanimous vote by the Board of Directors of the ACLU of Northern California Santa Cruz County Chapter. Darocy still faces a misdemeanor charge after being cited in March of 2015 by a CHP officer after photographing the six UCSC students who locked themselves together and blocked Highway 1 as part of the 96 Hours of Action protests against police violence and tuition hikes called for across the UC system."We wish to express our grave concern about the chilling effect this prosecution may have on constitutionally guaranteed freedom of the press as applied to Mr. Darocy individually and on members of a free and open press as a whole," the ACLU letter reads. Monterey County has a total of 44 active or idle wastewater injection wells. There are 261 water supplying wells within 1 mile of these wastewater injection wells, likely wells for nearby ranches, farms and rural residences. Most of these wastewater injection wells are in San Ardo oil fields.In May 2015, DOGGR sent to EPA a list of Californias class II wastewater injection wells that are injecting into protected aquifers. In Nov 2015, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board sent letters to oil and gas operators whose wastewater injection wells are injecting into protected aquifers. The wells listed will be shut down by February 2017 unless the operators get an aquifer exemption. The DOGGR is holding public hearings about whether to grant aquifer exemptions. A big crowd turned out for the DOGGR aquifer exemption hearing in San Luis Obispo. Monterey Countys DOGGR hearing has not yet been scheduled.Both DOGGR and the EPA acknowledge that 80% of Montereys wastewater injection wells (35 out of 44) put at risk aquifers that should be protected. In July, 2014, the state found that the industry had illegally injected about 3 billion gallons of fracking wastewater, containing high levels of arsenic, thallium, and nitrates, into central California drinking-water and farm-irrigation aquifers, and DOGGR issued cease and desist orders.Protect Monterey County (PMC) is an organization working to pass a citizens' initiative to prevent the harmful impacts of extreme oil extraction methods. Protect Monterey County is organizing county-wide working sessions to get the fracking ban initiative on the ballot for November 2016. Meetings are set for Monterey Peninsula activists 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 6:30 pm at the Peace & Justice Center, 1364 Fremont, Seaside. For the Salinas area, Hartnell College on 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at the Admin Bldg. Room E112. This week SCPD released photos of the BearCat armored attack vehicle they purchased last year despite massive protests by the public against it. The attack truck, manufactured by Lenco, cost $251,000. The SCPD blog has intentionally toned down their description of the military style vehicle that has gun turrets, among other attack features: "The truck, based on a shortened Ford F-550 chassis, has a smooth ride despite its size. It can go as fast as most standard cars. About a dozen officers can fit inside."Santa Cruz Police misled the public when they first asked the Santa Cruz City Council for permission to purchase the attack vehicle in December of 2014. SCPD didn't follow the city's standard procedure for grant allocation requests and city staff attempted to slip the request past the public by placing it on the council's consent agenda, which is normally reserved for non-controversial items. The public was not fooled and responded with massive protests at the next several city council meetings, prompting the council to re-review the issue.The group Santa Cruz Resistance Against Militarization (SCRAM) was formed to protest the BearCat purchase.In March 2015 SCRAM released the following statement before the city council meeting where the BearCat would be discussed again:"SCRAM! has been organizing grassroots action to compel the City Council to rescind approval for the BEARCAT purchase and to develop policies that prevent military equipment from flowing into law enforcement. As witnessed at the most recent council sessions, the community has rallied around these goals and SCRAM! has successfully worked to return these issues to the Council Agenda for a full, transparent public hearing. One of SCRAM!'s concerns is voiced by Abbi Samuels of Occupy Santa Cruz and a founding member of SCRAM!. To obtain the Homeland Security grant, the Santa Cruz Police Department (SCPD) had to agree to designate Santa Cruz as a federal buffer zone, with numerous highly dubious terrorism targets like the Boardwalk and UCSC. Clearly, this moves us down the slippery slope to having the military in our streets. (Read more: https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/03/21/18770244.php More info:Santa Cruz Resistance Against Militarization - SCRAM Mumbai: Vidya Balan, who just finished shooting Sujoy Ghosh's TE3N in Kolkata alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Nawazuddin, revealed interesting facts about the industry, at a recent book launch held in Mumbai. The actress who was present at the event as the guest of honour launched Dark Things, a book written by Sukanya Venkatraghavan. At the book launch, when asked Vidya about reading her favourite genre, she said, I love reading only fiction but it all depends upon my mood. I believe that there is a dark side in each one of us. Vidya has always been in the news for portraying powerful roles and since she loves to read, we asked her if she would ever write a book, she replied, No, I dont have the imagination and discipline so I had never thought of writing. Being a top notch actress in Bollywood, Vidya has a lot of dark things to reveal. When asked about it, the actress said, The three dark things from the industry are studios after shoots, parties that start after midnight and the insecurity with which we deal with time to time. In this industry, everything gets written about and every emotion gets magnified. Vidya Balan attends the 'Dark Things' book launch event. Vidya Balan attends the 'Dark Things' book launch event. Vidya Balan attends the 'Dark Things' book launch event. Vidya Balan attends the 'Dark Things' book launch event. Vidya Balan attends the 'Dark Things' book launch event. New Canadian government brings opportunity to address housing crisis by Josh Brandon Mon, Feb 1, 2016 12:33PM Two key ingredients have been essential for achieving positive results. Firstly, it is necessary to have a partner in government willing to listen and invest in housing. But equally important, activism at a local level is needed to mobilize knowledge and initiative to propose and develop project to meet the needs of residents. Now, with a potential partner at the federal level, the possibility for progress exists, but housing activists must redouble their efforts to put an end to poor housing in Winnipeg and across Canada. Josh Brandon is a Community Animator at the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, co-editor of Poor Housing: A Silent Crisis and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Manitoba Research Associate. When Anton Pohlmann was barred from factory farming in Germany because of animal cruelty and because workers nearly died from his nicotinic insecticide, Ohio Republican governor George Voinovich rolled out a red carpet , inviting him to cage chickens in Ohio. When Anton Pohlmann was barred from factory farming in Germany because of animal cruelty and because workers nearly died from his nicotinic insecticide, Ohio Republican governor George Voinovich rolled out a red carpet , inviting him to cage chickens in Ohio.In September of 2000, a tornado hit one of Pohlmann's Buckeye factory farms in Croton Ohio . the metal sheds blowing off roofs. The caged chickens (several to a 1 ft by 3 ft cage) were without food or water for 9 days. Some who were molting (shedding feathers) froze to death. Those remaining alive, hundreds of thousands, were bulldozed into graves.UPC and other chicken rescue groups worked hard to rescue the birds. Those present in rescue efforts were ordered off the property before the bulldozing began.Chickens off roast to death in summer heat when electricity goes out in their metal sheds. They often freeze to death in winter with outages. They are debeaked so that they will not peck each other from the stress of overcrowding. Their claws sometimes grow around the cage mesh, further imprisoning them.Factory farms generate millions of flies, nature's garbage removers. One Ohio EPA official sank up to her neck in the quicksand like chicken waste, her life saved by grabbing onto pipes overhead. Neighbors who sued Pohlmann because of the flies won a settlement but Pohlmann, like many other high finance operators, declared bankruptcy.Ohio Wesleyan students researched and found alarming levels of salmonella in the streams near to Croton.Ralph Nader's Ohio Public Citizen found that Buckeye which has had at least 2 name changes since...(Agrigeneral and Ohio Fresh Egg) was selling 6 month old eggs. Others reported the use of child labor.Art Margolis: Every factory farm egg comes from a chicken confined in a cage for an average 32 hours. It takes 120 gallons of production water and is an average 250 to 300 mg of cholesterol (animal fat).Eggs account for nearly 1/2 of all food poisoning fatalities annually. They make vaccines even more toxic. They often transmit campylobacter, listeria, etc.There are millions of vegan recipes online for cooking pastries etc without eggs. The Herald reports: New Zealand exporters say they are concerned that a political consensus on trade has been lost after the Labour Party came out against the Trans-Pacific Partnership. ExportNZ executive director Catherine Beard said in the past exporters had been able to rely on the support of both main political parties on trade. This has helped our exporters succeed in new markets and earn valuable revenue for New Zealand, she said. Exporters are now feeling some dismay at the thought that our future trade prospects could be limited by political disagreement. Ms Beard said it was difficult to understand why Labour supported the China free trade agreement but not the TPP, when they are similar in all major respects. She described Labours position on the TPP as a step backwards for the countrys export competitiveness. Social Media Accounts Keep Horse Racing Fans Involved: Twenty years ago, no one knew horse racing connections would own social media accounts. Now in 2016, those wishing to send a message to Shadwell Stable, who are campaigning a legitimate Kentucky Derby 142 candidate in Mohaymen, can bypass the email method by leaving a comment on the Shadwell Stable Facebook or Twitter. In addition, Mohaymens trainer Kiaran McLaughlin has a great Twitter account run by his daughter Erin. Just today, they posted a beautiful picture of Frosted enjoying Dubai! Does posting consistent updates and interacting on social media make a difference to fans and how they perceive the horses? Bailey Gallison, an official racing ambassador at Santa Anita Park, believes it helps. I will certainly follow along more . Ill cheer for a stable that puts effort in for fans, she wrote. One operation that put an extraordinary amount of effort into their social media accounts is Conquest Stables, owners of Holy Bull Stakes (GII) contender Conquest Big E. In addition to giving out standard news reports, they offer unique commentary and photoshopped pictures of their horses in crazy environments. For example, check out the recent post on the maiden Conquest City Girl last week. IF SHE CAN MAKE IT HERE, SHELL MAKE IT ANYWHERE! Conquest City Girl is ready to run through Gulfstream Park like she owns the place! Shes all set to bring her big city swagger to Florida on Sunday (January 31st) in Race 8 at 4:05 PM ET from Post 10. Speaking of swagger, shell be joined by none other than Mike Smith! Below the status update is a picture of Conquest City Girl running through a city with streets made of grass. In general, Conquest horses are well-bred and talented, which makes them easy to love as well. When asked about the unique Facebook Page, the social media manager gave an old quotation from one of the co-owners Ernie Semersky. Conquest was a really an idea of making a conquest of the way that things are normally done, he said in the video. Longtime racing fan Colleen Fox, who works with racehorses in Lexington, gave her thoughts. For me, its first how the horse(s) perform, second how the connections interact with the horse(s) and third how they interact with fans, explained Fox. Songbird might come across as a perfect model for her comment. She performed better than any 2-year-old horse last year and receives plenty of love from jockey Mike Smith, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and Fox Hill Farm. To meet the third prerequisite, Fox Hill Farm posts a mixture of news articles and original reports or photos. On Jan. 27, this status update about Songbird was posted on the Fox Hill Farm Facebook Page. Jerry Hollendorfer just called me and said Songbird had a great somewhat effortless work going 7 furlongs. She displayed her talent by going 1:26.3 and galloped out easily in 1:40. Mike Smith and Jerry couldnt be happier as she is getting ready to run in the next couple weeks. A+. Wow. That is fairly detailed. While they lack the fancy photoshopping found in the Conquest Stables Facebook, Fox Hill makes up for this with informative posts, workout videos and more. Matt Dinerman, racecaller at Emerald Downs, feels the kind of detail found on Conquest Stables and Fox Hill Farm social media accounts is important. He pointed out how the fans feel a personal connection when the owners interact with (them). Steve and Carolyn Coburn are two owners who interact with fans on their Facebook Page representing Hopes Love, a full sister to the famous California Chrome. Besides the usual array of pictures and workout reports, they posted video of them at a restaurant naming Hopes Love by picking names out of a hat. The Coburns posted the video to prove how co-owner Perry Martin had no involvement in the name of their filly, which shows how social media can also give opportunities for fans to read the direct truth from owners. Every owner, or ownership group, provides something different on their social media accounts. It is strange to think about the racing world without Internet today. This article did not even dive into the world of horse-specific accounts (ex. Jubas Twitter), where the equine stars type their own status updates. Imagine that 20 years ago. Follow Reinier on Twitter. Follow Lady and The Track on Twitter. Chicago, IL A new A new hip replacement lawsuit has been filed against DePuy Orthopaedics, alleging the company was negligent in the design of its artificial hips and knew about potential hip defects in its metallic hip implant devices. The lawsuit is one of many filed against numerous hip device makers that allege the companies produced hip replacement devices that had high early failure rates and put patients at risk of serious health problems. (1/5/16) reports that Danny Dannhorn underwent hip replacement surgery for both his hips in 2009, but learned after the surgery that the devices had failed and required replacement. In addition to the devices failing, Dannhorn reportedly also showed high levels of certain metals in his blood, which is also linked to hip implant failure.Dannhorn filed a lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedics, alleging the company knew about the potential for early failure in the devices, but still allowed the devices to be sold.Meanwhile, the second bellwether case in the DePuy Pinnacle hip lawsuits is underway, according to(1/27/16). The bellwether case involves five plaintiffs whose actions are moving forward in one lawsuit after Judge Ed Kinkeade issued an order consolidating the matters.Metal-on-metal hip implants were marketed as being more durable than traditional implants, but plaintiffs allege wear and tear on the devices caused metallic shavings to dislodge from the devices and be absorbed by surrounding tissue. As a result, patients who have metal-on-metal hip implants are reportedly advised to monitor their blood levels for certain metal ions.Plaintiffs also allege the devices were prone to early failure, requiring revision surgery to replace the hip implant devices.(1/24/16) reports that DePuy admitted to an error in the measuring techniques when manufacturing the metal-on-metal hip implants. That reported admission now has plaintiffs asking when DePuy knew about the error in measuring techniques, and whether patients were adequately warned about that risk. If measurements used in manufacturing the hips were off, that could cause the components of the devices not to fit properly, which could increase the wear-and-tear rate of the hips. According to the samearticle, regulators in the United States were concerned about production processes linked to DePuy hip implant components, but DePuy did not comment on what action, if any, was taken as a result of those concerns.DePuy has argued that its hip implant devices are safe, but the company faces thousands of lawsuits linked to its metal-on-metal devices.The Danny Dannhorn lawsuit isCook County Circuit Court Case number 2015-L013030. Sacramento, CA Lyft has agreed to settle the proposed class-action Lyft has agreed to settle the proposed class-action California overtime lawsuit filed by thousands of the companys drivers, who alleged they were misclassified as independent contractors instead of employees. The settlement leaves Uber, another ride-sharing company, to face its own lawsuit filed by drivers who claim they should be considered employees and are entitled to rights and benefits including overtime pay and sick days. The(1/27/16) reports that Lyft agreed to settle the lawsuit, including paying $12.25 million to affected drivers. The proposed settlement will also see the driver terms and conditions agreement changed to more accurately reflect the independent contractor designation. Drivers had filed the lawsuit seeking to be recognized as employees.The line between independent contractor and employee has become more blurred with the rise of the sharing economy. Employees have more rights and benefits - including overtime pay and sick days - but are subject to more control by the employer. Independent contractors have more discretion in their job duties - such as setting their rate of pay and their hours - but as a result have fewer benefits. Independent contractors are also required to pay their own expenses, including vehicle maintenance and gas bills. Problems arise when companies hire independent contractors to avoid paying proper benefits but then expect to control the contractors job duties.According to lawsuits filed against Lyft and Uber, the companies wielded a high level of control over their drivers, making the drivers less like independent contractors and more like employees. In addition to the settlement, Lyft has reportedly said it will consider portable benefits for drivers, but has not yet said what those benefits will be.Both Uber and Lyft had arbitration clauses in their driver agreements requiring drivers to bring any claims against the companies through an arbitration process, which can be expensive and prevents a class action from being filed. In the Uber lawsuit, a judge found the arbitration clause to be unenforceable because it was defective, but such a ruling hadnt been issued in the Lyft lawsuit. As part of the settlement, Lyft agreed to pay for the arbitration fees.Uber is appealing the judges ruling that its arbitration agreement is not enforceable, but so far one of its requests to put the lawsuit on hold during the appeal has been denied.According to(1/27/16), the same plaintiffs attorney in the Lyft case also represents plaintiffs in the Uber case. Shannon Liss-Riordan reportedly toldthat drivers in the Uber lawsuit complained about Uber cutting fares without driver input and not paying them what they were owed.The Lyft lawsuit is13-cv-04065, US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco). The Uber case is13-cv-03826 US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco). Its a fact that stories can be narrated in only seven ways. Hence, every movie is an inspiration of one film or another. Kollywood is no different, as over the course of its history, there have been many movies that were inspired or ripped off from others. Though weve been seeing filmmakers crediting the originals of late for example Thoongavanam (original: Nuit Blanche) and the soon-to-be-released Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum (Original: My Dear Desperado) there have been movies that either failed to match the original script, or give it due credit. Lets take a look at Kollywoods several attempts in remaking foreign films. Ever since the early 90s, when the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Denzel Washington flourished as larger-than-life heroes in Hollywood action flicks, heroes like Arjun, Sarathkumar and Arun Pandian reprised those roles frequently. Given the success of Jai Hind, which is similar to The Dirty Dozen and Rambo, action king Arjun has gone on to remake cult films like Leon: The Professional into Surya Paarvai, and Man on Fire as Aanai, which were panned by critics. Even Sarathkumars Rishi (from The Killer) and Jaggubhai (from Wasabi) failed to live up to expectations. Even when Captain Vijayakanth decided to mark his debut as a director with Virudhagiri, he opted to remake Liam Neesons blockbuster movie Taken. But with songs, melodrama, over-the-top action scenes and poor dialogue, the movie is being trolled till date. The trend even followed with the next generation of heroes Ajith Kumars Billa 2 took excerpts from Brian De Palmas Al Pacino-starrer Scarface, and Vijays Puli infamously copied scenes from Brave Heart. But, Kamal Haasan stands out among the other actors by finding the thin line between inspiration and blatant plagiarism. His films, including Avvai Shanmugi (Mrs. Doubt Fire), Nayagan (The Godfather) and Panchathanthiram (Very Bad Things) not only managed to match the original scripts, but also added new dimensions to them. Its quite surprising to note that even the most established directors have had heavy Hollywood inspiration in their careers. Mysskin, who is a well-known fan of Korean films made Nandalala, which was a remake of Kikujijro; Ameer Sultans Yogi was inspired from a South African movie Tsotsi. Ace director Maniratnams Anjali has similarities with Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love, while Roja seemed to have been inspired from Sunflower. And, of course, Murugadoss Ghajini cant help but remind us of Memento. Based on popular opinions, we find its rather unfortunate that there have been more misses than hits in our attempts to remake foreign films so far. But alls not gloom and doom, as with the establishment of young talents Rajesh M Selva and Nalan Kumarasamy, we are seeing a welcome change, not only in terms of script and production value, but also due credit being given to the original filmmakers in the title cards! - Governor Ayo Fayose reacts to Dr. Tope Aluko, the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretary in Ekiti state that former president Goodluck Jonathan gave him the sum of $35million cash to prosecute the state governorship election - Fayose's aide describes Aluko as one with unstable character - Aluko says what he has presented to Nigeria is the truth and nothing but the truth Governor Ayo Fayose has reacted to the allegation by Dr. Tope Aluko, the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretary in Ekiti state, that former president Goodluck Jonathan gave him the sum of $35million cash to prosecute the state governorship election. Aluko gave a breakdown of how the election was rigged in favour of the PDP governorship candidate Governor Ayodele Fayose in an interview on Channels Television and monitored by Legit.ngs correspondent. Explaining a process he alleged was used in rigging the election, Aluko said: Before the primaries, we had this believe that because Jonathan was coming out for second term and because we are going to be the first election in the south-west, at a meeting, we told him (former President Goodluck Jonathan) that north-east, north-west and north-central may not be too sure for him because the Hausas are clamouring for presidency and that you now have south-east and south-south, you must manage the south-west. It was on the basis of that that we told him that he must manage south-west. Because of his interest, even before winning the primaries, we did so many security reports to tell Mr President then that he must make sure that we manage south-west zone and it was because of that that he gave us the head of security agencies. READ ALSO: Fayose Reveals Why He Wont Stop Attacks On PMB Gov Fayose has reacted to claim by Dr Tope Aluko that Goodluck Jonathan gave him the sum of $35million cash to prosecute the Ekiti state poll READ ALSO: Fayoses Airport Project: Protest Rocks Ekiti He further told Channels Television that the Minister for State for Defence and Minister of Police Affairs were made to give attention to the election because we know that APC was everywhere in the southwest and we must naturally capture part of southwest if we want to balance what our brothers in the north were likely to bring on. Aluko had testified at the lower tribunal held to look into the election held last year, but he denied saying at the lower Tribunal that the election was not rigged. He said that there was an agreement to take out some members of the All Progressive Congress to ensure that they do not give adequate support to their members. His words: There was a strike team, a mixture of the DSS, military, the mobile police that is about all. We had a meeting at Aso Rock on security and funds. We were given security and funds. Those in the meeting include the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces the former PDP chairman, Adamu Muazu, Governor Fayose and himself (Aluko). At the meeting President Jonathan agreed that if he needed Ekiti, he would support us to ensure that we delivered. At the second meeting we had Obanikoro, Jelili, Omisore It was a combination of Osun and Ekiti people and they were discussing how we were going to move to take the south-west. Before the primaries, His Excellency, Ayodele Fayose, said that we can only win using the military. Then we came up with a plan about May. "We swore on the arrangement that we had before we embarked on the political venture. Him (Fayose) becoming the Governor, myself becoming Chief of Staff and Honourable Femi Bamisile becoming the Deputy Governor, he explained, dismissing claims that he was coming out with the truth because he could not get what was agreed. For the military to indict its members because of the election of a state you will know that what I am saying is not a lie. However, speaking via his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media Lere Olayinka on Channels Television and monitored by our correspondent, Governor Fayose labelled Aluko as one with unstable character. This man here (Aluko) is a man of unstable characters and everything he has said here is a lie. It is an election, fund must be spent. People must donate money to fund an election. Governor Fayoses friends, associates, brothers, sisters, families, artisans, including his enemies donated money to his electoral campaign, I also donated money. The military panel was set up to investigate the role of military officers in Ekiti, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Rivers state, including presidential election. Those who have been sanctioned, can you tell me categorically that they were sanctioned on their involvement in Ekiti state. On Janaury 14, Ekiti state government wrote to the military to demand for copy of the military panel report. However, by January 31, we dont have that report. He (Aluko) should be angry because he didnt get the position of Chief of Staff but you dont need to be angry such that you need to commit criminalities. You dont need to be angry so that you now begin to waste your time. When I was told I have to come here to come and discuss military panel report, I asked myself, what role will the military panel report play in an election that was conducted 19 months ago? Every process that should be passed through has been done from the tribunal to Appeal Court and to the Supreme Court, so you cannot go back. Even in this case of Ekiti, the military is not a party to the matter, the police is not a party to the matter. At the tribunal, Appeal Court and Supreme Court levels, the military was the first respondent in the case and the police was the fifth respondent. The Supreme Court said this people are not necessarily parties in this case. Thats to say the military have never been part of the electoral matters. The military can decide to indict itself, there was an election and there were observers. The United State government and foreign observers said the Ekiti state governorship election was credible and efficient and that the military collaborated efficiently with the government in providing a safe environment free of major incident. If US can applaud the military and they go ahead to indict themselves, thats their business. However, when asked if it was true that some people swore with the Bible on oath with Governor Ayo Fayose on getting appointment from him, Lere Olayinka said: If anybody is coming here to say all that, I feel ashamed. So being governor in Ekiti has become, I want to be governor, you want to be deputy and I want to be Chief of staff, some of these things are political makeups. If he (Aluko) comes here to say some of these things, you should just laugh it off. He had said it by himself that he was here to say all these because Governor Fayose did not make him the Chief of Staff. If he received a call that he had been appointed as the Chief of Staff, he will come back here to say that all he said was not true. Hes a selfish person. Governor Fayose is not moved by these lies because in 2003, he defeated an incumbent governor and there was nothing military being used to rig the election. In 2009, Fayose assisted former governor Segun Oni, In 2014 he defeated another incumbent governor. So again I say it, the governor is not moved. However in a swift response Aluko said: The young man (Olayinka) here is highly misinformed. He doesn't know anything we are talking about, was I not the one that allowed him enter Fayoses room? I was the leader of the pro-primary of Fayose. He doesn't even have first degree and hes talking. I want to use the opportunity to tell the whole Nigerians to critically look at what he has said. He didnt address the issue because he was never there. When I was in the bedroom of Fayose, people like him were in the compound. So all the documents have presented today are very valid and we are in court. Are you now saying the military people are stupid for indicting themselves. On Senator Buruji Kashamu denying releasing any money to fund Fayoses campaign, Aluko said: Sen Kashamu cannot deny that, he cannot deny me. Aluko added: Im saying this because I want to deepen our democratic structure. Im saying this because I want everybody to know the truth. What I have presented to Nigeria is the truth and nothing but the truth. Aluko had also claimed that a sum of $2million was offered by Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, the CEO of capital oil, one of Nigerias largest distributors of petroleum, to Governor Fayose on March 23, 2014 at the NNPC towers, which was used to prosecute the primary election. According to him, he was there to witness the transfer alongside Hon Femi Bamisile. But in a swift reaction to the allegation, Ubah categorically label Aluko as the Source: Legit.ng London: People bereaved by suicide of a friend or family member are 65 per cent more likely to kill themselves than the ones whose relatives died of natural causes, a new study has claimed. People coming in contact with ones displaying self-destructive behaviour are more likely to show a suicidal tendency. It is common among vulnerable people - especially teens and young adults. This is called "suicide contagion." Contagion includes indirect as well as direct exposure to suicide, as Health and Human Services explains. Reading a newspaper article about a famous suicide and not just directly experiencing the death of a friend or an attempt made by a family member might propel someone who is at-risk to follow suit. The researchers from University College London (UCL) studied 3,432 UK university staff and students aged 18-40 who had been bereaved, to examine the specific impacts associated with bereavement by suicide. As well as the increased risk of suicide attempt, those bereaved by suicide were also 80 per cent more likely to drop out of education or work. In total, 8 per cent of the people bereaved by suicide had dropped out of an educational course or a job since the death. "Our results highlight the profound impact that suicide might have on friends and family members," said study author Alexandra Pitman from UCL. "However, these outcomes are by no means inevitable. If you have been bereaved by suicide, you should know that are not alone and support is available," Mr Pitman said. "We know that people can find it difficult to know what to say to someone who has recently been bereaved. However, saying something is often better than saying nothing, and simple gestures like offering practical help with day-to-day activities can mean a lot. The study also found that people who had been bereaved by suicide tended to perceive more social stigma around the death. When the results were adjusted for perceived social stigma to reflect this, the significant differences in suicide attempts and occupational functioning disappeared. This suggests that addressing the social stigma attached to suicide bereavement might be one way to help to limit its impact on people's lives. "People bereaved by suicide should not be made to feel in any way responsible, and should be treated with the same compassion as people bereaved by any other cause," said Mr Pitman. "Suicide is a complex issue and there is often no simple explanation for why someone chooses to take their own life," Mr Pitman said. "Although one often hears people refer to a relationship break-up or a redundancy as the trigger for a suicide, this is far too simplistic and in reality it is often a culmination of different life events rather than one individual 'cause'," she said. Previous studies have shown family history of suicide to be a risk factor for suicide attempt, so risk assessments in hospitals, prisons and social care settings are designed to take this into account. However, the new study suggests that a history of suicide among non-blood relatives and friends should also be considered when assessing suicide risk. The study was published in the journal BMJ Open. - French studies now compulsory in Nigerian schools from primary to tertiary institutions - The language has is Nigeria's number two official language - Minister says French Ambassador should endeavour to aid in training of French teachers too Nigeria's minister of state for education, Professor Anthony Anwukah has stated that French language is now compulsory in Nigerian institutions. The minister said the students from primary to tertiary institutions will embark on intensive training of more French teachers in order to make sure this new development is effective and become Nigeria's second official language. Anwukah who spoke in Abuja on Sunday, January 31, 2016, when the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Denys Gaver, paid him a courtesy call, said: "French language is a matter of necessity. We have to because we have Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Benin Republic, Togo Guinea, and Ivory Coast surrounding us and so there is need for us to get more Nigerians to become proficient in French language. "This is good for the continent; it is good for us as a nation. It is good for our brothers at the borders because it will enable us to communicate with them effectively." He also added during the speech, that, "we plead that you consider it a lot more expedient in helping us train our teachers in French both for the primary school level, secondary level and tertiary level. "So far, we have demonstrated the enthusiasm to foster the teaching and learning of French in Nigerian schools which are the tertiary, basic and secondary levels and our main concern now is the training of sufficient number of French teachers within our school system." During the visit, Anwukah flagged off the French Clinic Project at the Federal Government Boys College Apo, Abuja. "The ministry is geared towards establishing French clinics in 104 government colleges, unity schools. "We are keen and motivated by the need to actualise our dream of making French language our second language of business in Nigeria. "The clinic is expected to improve the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills of students. "It is expected that with these skills, our students will fare better in their examinations and in the world of worth," he stated after the commissioning. About a year ago, there was a report that the Lagos state commissioner for education reportedly mandated the state to inculcate Chinese as another language in state-owned schools. Source: Legit.ng The findings were published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. London: Genes that influence people's health also shape how effectively they think, according to a new study which suggests that those with better overall health are likely to have higher levels of intelligence. Researchers analysed data from around 100,000 people which could help them discover why some people develop particular diseases and others do not. To test the findings, researchers gathered data from previous genetic studies of other mental and physical health factors such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and autism. When they compared each person's mental test data with their genome, they found that some traits linked to disease and thinking skills shared the same genetic influences. "In addition to there being shared genetic influences between cognitive skills and some physical and mental health states, the study also found that cognitive skills share genetic influences with brain size, body shape and educational attainments," said Ian Deary from the University of Edinburgh in the UK, one of the researchers. "The study supports an existing theory which says that those with better overall health are likely to have higher levels of intelligence," said Saskia Hagenaars from University of Edinburgh. "The research highlights the importance of investigating biological pathways that influence both cognitive function and health related traits," added Sarah Harris from University of Edinburgh. The findings were published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. - Dr Temitope Aluko discloses how PDP rigged Ekiti state election. - The All Progressives Congress (APC) releases pictures to back up its claims on Rotimi Amaechi. - Soldiers threaten to shoot Rotimi Amaechi if he move pass the road block. Following the revelation recently made by the former secretary of Ekiti state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Temitope Aluko, on how the party rigged Governor Ayodele Fayose into power in 2014, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has released pictures to back up its claims that some of its members were accosted by soldiers. According to a post on the Facebook page of the party, Rotimi Amaechis convoy was ambushed by soldiers allegedly acting on the order of former President Goodluck Jonathan, while going to Ekiti state. READ ALSO: Fayoses Airport Project: Protest Rocks Ekiti Amaechi was tasked to rally for the then governor of Ekiti state, Kayode Fayemi for the states governorship election in 2014. The soldiers, who allegedly laid ambush for Amaechi, stopped him as he approached Ikere Ekiti. He was allegedly challenged and ordered to turn back. Amaechi, who is now the Minister of Transport, was allegedly told he had no clearance to enter Ekiti state. It was alleged that the soldiers at the height of the argument, threatened to shoot Amaechi if he move pass the road block. The soldiers forced Amaechi to return to Akures airport only to be told his chartered jet had been grounded by federal aviation authorities. Amaechi allegedly drove himself to Lagos. See photos below: Soldiers on road block during Ekiti state governorship election in 2014 Rotimi Amaechi talking with other chieftains of the APC DSS officials in the convoy of Rotimi Amaechi Rotimi Amaechi's convoy Amaechi and some APC members Rotimi Amaechi speaking with APC leaders The rigging of Ekiti state governorship election was brought to public knowledge on June 20, 2014, by Captain Sagir Koli from the 32nd Artillery Brigade stationed in Ekiti State. He reportedly accompanied his Commanding Officer, Brigadier General Aliyu Momoh to a meeting at the Spotless Hotel in Ado-Ekiti. The meeting was allegedly attended by Governor Fayose, Senator Iyiola Omisore; a man identified as a member of the National Assembly Abdulkareem; the former Minister for Police Affairs Caleb Olubolade, the then Minister of Police Affairs Jelili Adesiyan and Senator Musiliu Obanikoro who was the Minister of State for Defence. READ ALSO: Property In Dubai: APC Accuses Gov Fayose Captain Koli made an audio recording of the said meeting and later handed it over to Sahara Reporters to publish on February 5, 2015. Fayose, was the state governor from May 29, 2003 to October 16, 2006, before he was re-elected in June 2014. Meanwhile, the Ekiti state chapter of the APC recently lasted the governor, saying he is suffering from psychological stress which prompted him to make seditious remarks threatening to bring down President Muhammadu Buharis administration. Source: Legit.ng The Zika virus and dengue was the type targeted with genetically modified mosquitoes. (Representational image) London: The Zika virus outbreak currently gripping the Americas could have been sparked by the release of genetically modified mosquitoes in 2012, critics say. The insects were engineered by biotechnology experts to combat the spread of dengue fever and other diseases and released into the general population of Brazil in 2012. But with the WHO now meeting in Geneva to desperately discuss cures for the Zika virus, speculation has mounted as to the cause of this sudden outbreak. The Zika virus was first discovered in the 1950s but the recent outbreak has escalated alarmingly, causing birth defects and a range of health problems in South and central America. The first cases were reported in Brazil last May with up to 1.5 million people now thought to be affected by the virus which is spread by mosquitoes endemic to Latin America. The Aedes aegypti mosquito subspecies that carries both the Zika virus and dengue was the type targeted with genetically modified mosquitoes. - EFCC raids Namadi Sambos office in Abuja - The anti-graft agency seized $50,000 found in his safe - Sambo is being investigated in connection with the arms deal scam The offices of former vice president Namadi Sambo in the central business district, Abuja was raided by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the weekend. EFCC raids Namadi Sambos Abuja office His offices on the building which houses a top European High Commissions Visa Processing Centre opposite the National Defence College, Abuja, were raided on Saturday, in search of more evidence linking him to the ongoing investigation into the $2.1 billion arms purchase scandal, Daily Trust reports. The anti-graft agency reportedly seized $50,000 found in his safe. A source close told Vanguard that the EFCC operatives broke into the former vice president's safe kept and removed whatever valuable they found, including top branded wrist watches, assets declaration forms, and list of landed property. READ ALSO: EFCC Commences Investigation Into Sambo's Office The raid took place a few days after Sambo was said to have moved some vital documents from his residence to the office in the Central Business District, in many bags, which were thought to contain foreign currency. According to EFCC sources, Sambo is under investigation over allegations that some of the arms deal funds disbursed for political campaigns from the office of the former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, were routed through the office of the vice president. A company owned by the national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, Destra Investment allegedly paid N25m to Abba Dabo, a former special adviser to Sambo in December 2014. Since the arrest of Dasuki by the anti-graft agency in connection with the diversion of $2.1 billion meant for the procurement of arms to fight insurgency during former President Goodluck Jonathans administration, startling revelations about how the money was shared among prominent Nigerians have continued to dominate the public space. Many prominent Nigerians and leaders are being indicted for collecting huge sums of money from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). The office of Sambo was reportedly on a monthly stipend of N20million from the ONSA. Some presidential aides, like Doyin Okupe also allegedly benefited from slush funds. Source: Legit.ng Like every student with no real aspirations in life to now being conferred the Padma Shri, Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Manam Gopichand has come a long way. Talking about receiving this honour, the heart surgeon says, Its a great feeling for an individual to be recognised by the largest democracy in the world for the contributions made towards the society. He also credits his team who feel strongly about contributing to the needy. The idea of curing patients by doing whatever is necessary to the body fascinated him from an early age. Even as a student, I would assist my father while he conducted surgeries. I learned to throw surgical knots by my third year as a medical student. This early interest in surgical speciality helped me focus on improving my technical skills and knowledge, he says. He feels that the influence of his father Dr Yogiram and his mentor Dr E.N.B. Sarma played a huge role in giving a social angle to his work. While the fascination was there, he was not always this motivated about his career, he recalls. I come from a lower middle class agricultural family. My father was the only person in our family who was educated. He tried his best, but the realisation about the importance of education came very late. I was surrounded by people who didnt have any aspirations. He solely credits his father for continuously pushing him, which finally helped him get into medicine. At the age of 23, he left for UK, to become a surgical specialist and help his family. I later decided I would return to India and help the poor and provide them with access to modern medical care. His desire to become a heart surgeon was further strengthened after he lost his elder sister to a heart disease even before he could complete his course. Since then, there has been no turning back. Talking about the current crop of doctors in India, Dr Gopichand laments, While the students in our country are intelligent, once they get into medical school, they unfortunately lose direction. Our institutions are failing to stimulate them as the educational methods used are out-dated. He continues, Also, no new methodologies are practiced. There is no effort being made to produce original research work. He feels that when these students eventually become doctors their aim seems only to provide medical service with little to zero social commitment. In a country with a huge population, poverty and illiteracy, it is impossible for the government bodies alone to provide fulfilling healthcare needs, he feels. Talking about the several NGOs he is associated with, he shares, There is the Hrudya cure a little heart foundation which has helped over 3,000 poor children, the Care for your kidney foundation where we have adopted an entire ghetto of 4,000 inhabitants and profiled existing disease patterns. He hopes that in future, efforts will be made to deliver medical service, training personnel for delivering healthcare needs and to raise public awareness to prevent heart diseases in children. Only then will we be able to help improve the medical standards for the future generations, he says. - UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph reports on Islamic State's efforts to recruit sub-Saharan Africans. - The terror group is offering $1000 to impoverished Africans to entice them to jihadism in Libya. - Libyan officials say there is very little they can do to stem the tide of Islamist fighters. The Islamic State is building an "army of the poor" in its new haven in Libya by recruiting foot soldiers from Africa's poorest communities, The Daily Telegraph has reported. The terror groups Libyan chapter is swelling its ranks by offering cash bounties of up to $1,000 to people from neighbouring countries such as Chad, Mali, Nigeria and Sudan. Libyan officials admit that they are almost powerless to stop the incomers, many of whom reach Libya using existing people-smuggling routes used by African migrants heading to Europe. READ ALSO: Cleric reveals the reason for Boko Haram insurgency Islamic State is copying a strategy first used by Libya's late dictator, Colonel Gaddafi, who recruited thousands of mercenaries from black Africa to serve in his armies. In much the same way, the Islamic State's new "Caliphate" in Colonel Gaddafi's home city of Sirte now has a growing number of black African fighters. Colonel Muncif al Walda, a senior police officer in the nearby city of Misrata, said: "Illegal immigration is a menace because it brings and encourages foreign fighters to come and fight with Isil. Sirte, Islamic State's base in Libya, was the hometown of Colonel Gaddafi "Most of the migrants want to go to Europe, but some want to link up with Islamic State. Unfortunately, here in Libya we are right in the middle of the migration rat run." Since first establishing a foothold in Sirte a year ago, Islamic State is believed to have built up an army of between 2,000 and 3,000 fighters, turning the port city into a Libyan version of the group's Syrian stronghold of Raqqah. READ ALSO: Boko Haram's escapades in Dalori stir diverse controversies Colonel Ismail Shukri, the head of military intelligence in Misrata, said around 70% of the Islamic State army in Sirte was made up of non-Libyans. "The majority - I cannot tell you exactly how many - are Tunisians, while the rest are made up mostly of Sudanese, Egyptians and then people from the Sub-Saharan countries stretching from Chad and Nigeria, along with a few from Algeria and the Gulf," he said. Jamal Zubia, head of the foreign media directorate in Libya's General National Congress, added: "We hear that Isil is offering people up to $1,000 to come and fight for them. That is a lot of money in many parts of Africa." Islamic State fighter, believe to be from Sudan, praises the execution of a 'witch' Locals in Sirte say that sub-Saharan Africans are now a common sight among Isil's volunteers. In April last year, a man described as Sudanese drove an explosive-laden vehicle into a checkpoint between Sirte and Misrata, killing at least six people. Pictures of other black Africans killed in action fighting for Islamic State in Sirte have also appeared on Libyan social media. READ ALSO: Lagos medical doctors protest against police harassment Others appear to play a prominent role as Isil cheerleaders. In one recent Isil video showing a homeopathist publicly beheaded for "witchcraft" in Sirte, a black African is prominent among a crowd of onlookers who clap and sing praises. "This is what we want, this is the just law that has been missing all along," the jihadist said. Details at The Daily Telegraph Source: SportsBrief.com Thank you for reading The Cascadia Advocate, the Northwest Progressive Institutes journal of world, national, and local politics. Founded in March of 2004, The Cascadia Advocate has been helping people throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond make sense of current events with rigorous analysis and thought-provoking commentary for more than fifteen years. The Cascadia Advocate is funded by readers like you and trusted sponsors. We dont run ads or publish content in exchange for money. Help us keep The Cascadia Advocate editorially independent and freely available to all by becoming a member of the Northwest Progressive Institute today. Or make a donation to sustain our essential research and advocacy journalism. Your contribution will allow us to continue bringing you features like Last Week In Congress, live coverage of events like Netroots Nation or the Democratic National Convention, and reviews of books and documentary films. Become an NPI member Make a one-time donation President Obamas efforts to ally the United States with the Islamic Republic of Iran is a grave matter, eventuating in the bizarre non-agreement agreement funding and facilitating Irans nuclear program. The Islamic Republic of Iran is ruled by an extraordinarily evil regime that avails itself of no tact or subtlety in the expression of its malign intentions. At the same time, it remains the leading state sponsor of terrorism and is responsible for the death and maiming of many Americans. The regime observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day late last month in an unusual fashion. The UN urges member states observe the day by honoring the victims of the Nazi era and developing educational programs to help prevent future genocides. The invaluable MEMRI caught the Supreme Leaders observance of the day with the release of the video Are the dark ages over? (video below, about three minutes long). The video runs with this text: Who assists the fake Zionist regime? Who supports them? Who clear the road for them? Who stands behind them? It is Western powers headed by America that are doing so. This is why they say in their slogans that they are opposed to terrorism and ISIS, they are lying. They say things that are not true. This is ignorance. No one in European countries dares to speak about holocaust while it is not clear whether the core of this matter is a reality or not. Even if it is a reality, it is not clear how it happened. Speaking about 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 while they claim to be supporters of freedom. This is the ignorance that exists in the world today. We should be awake. You dear brothers, dear people of Iran, Muslims in the great Islamic Ummah and officials in different countries should know that we can stand up against the ignorance. The Tower takes up the video here. The Tower quotes Emaunuele Ottolenghi, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, on the significance of the Iranian regimes Holocaust denial. Given how entrenched and pervasive Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism are within the Iranian regime, it is hard to dismiss the possibility that the regimes principal motivation for embracing this narrative is to provide justification for its recurrence. Holocaust deniers, after all, have long sought to excuse the crimes perpetrators and shift guilt onto its victims as a prelude to repeating that same crime. The video reflects the animus of the Iranian regime against the United States along with its animus against the fake Zionist regime of Israel. The animus is all on the surface. As I say, there is nothing subtle about it. The dark ages arent over, not even close. NOTE: The State Department lists state sponsors of terrorism here. The State Department discusses Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism in chapter 3 of its 2014 country reports on terrorism. The office complex Skyloop in the Airport City by Stuttgart Airport will be punctually completed at the end of January and handed over to the primary lessee EY (Ernst & Young). The auditing and consultancy company that occupies about 76% of the space, will move into its new residence with [] Unibail-Rodamco has confirmed unprecedent leasing progress in two of its major office buildings in Warsaw Lumen and Skylight. Unibail-Rodamco has signed 17 significant lease agreements with major international tenants for both buildings in 2015 for a total of 11,153 sqm (120,050 sqft) of office space out of 44,475 sqm [] For the month of January 2016, Hyundai India have posted sales of 44,230 units (including exports), as against 44,783 units sold in the month of January 2015. This means that the companys cumulative sales have declined by 1.2%. In the domestic market, Hyundai India sales stood at 38,016 units during Jan 2016 as against 34,780 units sold during Jan 2015. This is an increase of 9.3%. Speaking about companys exports, they stood at 6,214 units for Jan 2016 as against 10,003 units exported in Jan 2015. This indicates exports declined by a massive 37.9%. Facing capacity constraint, Hyundai Indias plant in Chennai is the most utilized car manufacturing facility in the country. The company is trying very hard to increase production and reduce waiting periods on their successful models the likes of Elite i20 and the new Creta. Hyundai India has promised that they will launch two new cars every year, in completely new segment. This year, Hyundai is expected to launch a compact MPV which will rival the likes of Maruti Ertiga and Maruti Ertiga, while the second car we expect would be a compact SUV based on the Grand i10. Though there are no official announcements yet, Hyundai is expected to showcase new models at the upcoming Auto Expo. Also See Hyundai Creta bookings to cross 1 lakh Commenting on the January sales Mr. Rakesh Srivastava, Sr. Vice President Sales and Marketing, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. said, Hyundai started the year with a positive note registering the domestic volume of 38,016 units with a growth of 9.3% over last year. The growth momentum of last year continued built by strong performance of products like Grand, Creta & i20 Elite/Active. We look forward to presenting the Hyundai Experience at the Auto Expo through our products & technology towards meeting the growing aspirations of the Customers. Stay tuned to Rushlane as we bring you LIVE coverage of the 2016 Auto Expo. Washington: Your pet dog may love you five times more than your cat, according to a new study which found that the canines release the love hormone when they see their owners while the felines barely produce any. Scientists already know that canines and humans release the love hormone known as oxytocin when they are together. "We have pretty good evidence that dogs actually love their humans," said US neuroscientist Dr Paul Zak, who conducted the study. In the study completed for the upcoming BBC Documentary "Cats vs Dogs", Zak took saliva samples from 10 cats and 10 dogs prior to a 10-minute playtime session with their owners. He then took another saliva sample from all of the participants after their playtime encounter, testing it for the presence of oxytocin. According to the results, a 57.2 per cent increase of the hormone oxytocin was found in dogs; whereas a 12 per cent increase of the hormone was found in cats. "From this sample it is true to say that these dogs love their owners five times more than the cats do," Zak was quoted as saying by catchannel.com. "I was really surprised to discover that dogs produced such high levels of oxytocin. The dog level of 57.2 per cent is a very powerful response. "It shows these dogs really care about their owners," Zak added. Suzuki Japan has been selling the Maruti Baleno in its pre-facelift avatar with either a 1.2-litre NA or 1.0-litre turbo petrol motor Maruti Suzukis Baleno may not be the best buy in its class but is at the top when it comes to sales figures. The premium hatchback undeservingly borrows its name from the iconic Baleno sedan (discontinued in 2006) powered by a 1.6-litre G16B NA petrol motor. The current made-in-India Maruti Baleno has gone through a facelift and is sold in BS6 specification. It is also one of the most important export products from Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL). Reports that the made-in-India Suzuki Baleno would be discontinued in Japan by June. Sold as the Suzuki Baleno, it is the only product which the Japanese manufacturer imports from India. The hatchback has not been doing particularly well on the Japanese market. Launched in March 2016, it is a basic car in Japan standards and has many compelling alternatives in the country Launched in 2016 in Japan, initially the Suzuki Baleno was sold solely with a K12C 1.2-litre Dualjet NA petrol four-cylinder engine. The power plant is good for almost 90bhp @ 6,000rpm and 118Nm @ 4,400rpm. It is available only with a CVT powertrain. In a few months time, Suzuki introduced a K10C 1.0-litre Boosterjet turbo petrol three-cylinder motor to the range. In India, this unit was sold in the Baleno RS but Maruti Suzuki discontinued the model in January due to poor demand (in Maruti standards). The engine generates roughly 100bhp @ 5,500rpm and 150Nm @ 4,500rpm while mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. In terms of features, the Suzuki Baleno comes with almost the same level of equipment as its Indian counterpart. To meet the local standards, the Japanese model boasts of heated front seats, adaptive cruise control, radar-based collision mitigation, ESP, etc., as well. Fuel economy figures are rated at 24.6km/l and 19.6km/l for the NA and turbo variants, respectively. Compared to the Indian market, prices are relatively on the higher side. The base petrol model starts at JPY 15,73,000 (Rs 11.08 lakh) while the figure rises to JPY 17,60,000 (Rs 12.39 lakh) for the Boosterjet Baleno. As mentioned before, the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) has several other choices at this price point. The India-spec Maruti Suzuki primarily rivals the Hyundai i20 (next-gen in the works), Tata Altroz, Volkswagen Polo and Honda Jazz (BS6 facelift coming soon). Prices start at Rs 5.63 lakh ex-showroom. Source Three teenagers' quick thinking saved a dolphin calf who recently became stranded on an Australian lakeshore. The teens, who filmed the experience, were kayaking on Goegrup Lake in Western Australia, when they noticed the dolphin, who had accidentally become beached in the shoreline waters and was struggling to stay alive. YouTube/Shocking News/Mandurah Mail This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/Shocking News/Mandurah Mail "We thought it was sick at first, so we got close to it and we saw the tide was going out and it was beached," one of the kayakers,15-year-old Zachary Allegretta, told Fairfax Media. The boys quickly set to work turning the little dolphin around so that he could swim into deeper water. At first, the calf wasn't very receptive ... YouTube/Shocking News/Mandurah Mail Dodo Shows Foster Diaries Scared Pittie Gets So Happy When He Meets This Guy And His Pack Of Dogs This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/Shocking News/Mandurah Mail ... but, eventually, he allowed the boys to turn him around and give him a gentle push. The process took around 30 minutes, the boys said. YouTube/Shocking News/Mandurah Mail This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/Shocking News/Mandurah Mail And you better believe that dolphin was out of there ASAP - likely headed toward the Indian Ocean, which is connected to Goegrup Lake by tributary. Go, little dolphin, go! YouTube/Shocking News/Mandurah Mail This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/Shocking News/Mandurah Mail While no one knows what world that was - Cara was found by a rescue group in Ireland - it didn't seem like one worth living in. For a time, it seemed all she could do was cower and hide from the world she knew. In a video, posted by PAWS Animal Rescue Ireland last July, the just-rescued dog appears so despondent, she can't even pry her face from the wall of her kennel. Instead, she remains pressed into the corner, oblivious to efforts to get her attention. A vet confirmed Cara was not, as is the case with some dogs who press their head persistently against a wall, suffering from a severe medical condition. She was, in fact severely nervous. "What had made her like this?" asks the caption accompanying the video. Indeed, how does a dog so naturally inclined toward companionship become so profoundly introverted that she can't even turn to face the world? It's a particularly ironic turn for a "sight hound" - a designation for a group of dogs, like greyhounds, who traditionally rely not on scent, but sight to navigate the world. All Cara saw was darkness. Until the light became impossible to ignore. Little by little, she took in her new world. Just a day later, PAWS posted another image: PAWS Animal Rescue / Facebook When a blizzard is rolling in, it's hard not to worry about the feral cats in your neighborhood. What can they do to stay safe? Where can they seek shelter? While tempting, it's not always safe to welcome feral cats into your home. Since most feral cats have never been inside before, they may become stressed upon suddenly being confined to a house. There's also the possibility they may carry parasites. So what's a cat lover to do? Kayla Christiano, a campaign manager at Alley Cat Allies, told The Dodo that building an outdoor shelter can help keep community cats comfortable in very cold temperatures or during heavy precipitation. "A good shelter is at least 2'x3' and at least 18" high," she said, cautioning that "anything larger can cause heat to disperse quickly." A plastic storage tote, for example, would serve as a good base structure. A video tutorial by Cole and Marmalade takes a similar approach. YouTube/Cole and Marmalade This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/Cole and Marmalade If you're making a tote-and-Styrofoam shelter, you'll first want to cut a hole in the side of the tote around five or six inches in diameter. Christiano says entryways should be no larger larger than six to eight inches - any bigger, and other animals may find their way inside. YouTube/Cole and Marmalade Dodo Shows Foster Diaries This Pregnant Pittie Foster Story Is The Happiest Thing Ever This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/Cole and Marmalade Then put the Styrofoam cooler inside, and cut a hole in that, too. YouTube/Cole and Marmalade This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/Cole and Marmalade Next, add straw (not hay), which will stay fairly dry during hard precipitation. Christiano recommended straw for similar reasons: "[It] resists the wet and keeps a shelter warm, and is the best choice for insulation and bedding." YouTube/Cole and Marmalade This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/Cole and Marmalade Christiano cautioned against using blankets, towels or carpeting for bedding, as they retain moisture (and no one likes a damp bed). Finally, replace the Styrofoam lid ... YouTube/Cole and Marmalade This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/Cole and Marmalade ... and the tote lid. Make sure both are sealed securely! YouTube/Cole and Marmalade This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/Cole and Marmalade This browser does not support the video tag. YouTube/Cole and Marmalade Because feral cats tend to group together for warmth, Christiano advised building "colonies" with more than one shelter available. Ideally, she said, the colonies should fit three to five cats each.

Animals Asia

This might be one of the saddest zoos in the world. Photos have emerged of Grandview Aquarium, located inside a mall in Guangzhou, China. And they're absolutely horrific. In one, a white wolf curls up alone in the corner of a stark concrete exhibit. Animals Asia In another, a polar-brown bear hybrid stands on his hind legs in front of the glass, reaching up his head and appearing to cry out. Animals Asia A third picture shows what appears to be a grouper lying dead on his side in front of the aquarium glass. Animals Asia Though some part of the aquarium appears to have been around for several years, Animals Asia, an international animal welfare organization, says it believes these exhibits opened on January 9. The conditions are "horrifying," Animals Asia reported. Dodo Shows Foster Diaries Scared Pittie Gets So Happy When He Meets This Guy And His Pack Of Dogs Animals Asia That much is clear from the photos. The exhibits are startling in their sparseness, bare concrete cells painted a garish dark blue. Animals Asia Among the animals are two polar-brown bear hybrids, six young belugas and five walrus calves, Animals Asia reported. There's also at least one wolf and what appeared to be a group of Arctic foxes, as well as a whale shark. Animals Asia The animals appear to have little to no enrichment. The foxes' enclosure consists of a small wooden playhouse, a few logs haphazardly thrown on the floor and some dog bowls. Animals Asia The exhibits appear to be perpetually dark, except for the flashes from tourists' cameras. One video clip shows a group of visitors banging on the glass to attract the attention of one of the bears. It's clear the animals, if kept there, will never see the sun again. Some of them are also forced to perform, according to Animals Asia. Animals Asia Grandview came under fire in China early this year after a post on WeChat, a Chinese texting and social app, went viral, criticizing the mall for keeping animals in such poor conditions. Animals Asia The aquarium was then investigated by the Guangzhou Ocean and Fishery Bureau, which found that some animals were injured or died during the move into the aquarium, according to an article in China's Global Times. But the aquarium defended itself by saying "their purpose is to popularize science and nurture marine life," the outlet wrote. Animals Asia Animals Asia and the China Cetacean Alliance also reached out to Haichang Holdings, China's largest operator of marine parks and the company that runs the aquarium, to outline the welfare issues at Grandview. The groups said in the following weeks that they never got a response. But despite Grandview's denials, it's clear the aquarium is a nightmare for the animals kept there. Animals Asia Polar bears, belugas and walruses have been known to exhibit stereotypical behavior in captivity, compulsive patterns animals develop to cope with psychological stress; belugas do particularly poorly in captivity, and routinely die decades before their natural life span. Animals Asia "Taking animals from their natural environments can never be defended, but when they're rehomed in conditions like we're seeing at the Grandview Aquarium, it's the worst possible situation," Dave Neale, director of animal welfare for Animals Asia, said in a statement. "While those behind this may claim this as education, it's clear the motivation here is bottom line profit." Animals Asia He noted that many people in China are opposed to such cruel practices, and continued public pressure is the only way to help the animals. Animals Asia "We all need to continue to publicly object to such facilities - and for those living locally, we say, 'So long as animals are suffering, choose somewhere else to shop,'" he added. "Don't reward cruelty.'" Animals Asia In the meantime, the animals at Grandview's cruel menagerie will continue to sit in their cells - and stare at those unnatural blue walls. Animals Asia UPDATE: As of July, Animals Asia reported that it was in touch with Grandview Aquarium and had visited the premises. Animals Asia said it doesn't expect that the zoo will be shut down anytime soon, but is hoping that ongoing discussions will improve the animals' living conditions. "This was our second meeting and this time I saw their facilities from top to bottom," Dave Neale, Animals Asia's animal welfare director, wrote in a blog post on July 13. "There was no attempt to hide anything from me. We also spoke to more junior staff who actually look after the animals. And now I know that our concerns are theirs too. The day after our visit, following our basic recommendations, the bear keeper provided piles of snow for the bears and is now starting a programme of enrichment. We're going to input into that for the bears and for the other animals too." When the required lump is raised in your throat as Jenna Sokolowskis Laura hands Thomas Keegans Gentleman Caller a shiny crystal memento of her awakening, you know that the emotional guidance systems of Tennessee Williamss The Glass Menagerie are in fine, working order. The four actors, cast by director Mark Ramont starting with Madeleine Potter as a fretful tornado of an Amanda Wingfield securely stake out their psychological terrain in this all-time-great memory play, one of the foundational dramas of American theater and a template for the hundreds of other family stories that have fueled the imaginations of the nations dramatists ever since. In doing Williams justice, Fords Theatre is fulfilling a missionarys role here, bringing to its audiences a seminal work that they may not otherwise schedule into their calendars. The companys monument-minded ticket buyers you always catch people around you oohing and ahing over the theaters historic connections may walk in with a somewhat different constellation of priorities than playgoers at other Washington institutions. So giving them a first-rate Glass Menagerie becomes an especially worthy kind of artistic outreach. Ramont and his cast accomplish this with a mostly traditional approach to the play though the director has added several flourishes, including one moving, choreographic display. Purists may take issue with the need for any tinkering at all. But as director John Tiffany underlined in his breathtakingly, decidedly more-radical Broadway version with Cherry Jones and Zachary Quinto in 2013, Williams himself seemed to want to release the piece from the tyranny of naturalism. I give you truth, says our narrator, Tom, portrayed here by the astute Tom Story, in the pleasant disguise of illusion. Set during the Depression, the strongly autobiographical Menagerie chronicles the estrangement of Tom the nickname, in fact, by which the playwright was known from the struggling St. Louis household dominated by Toms mother, Amanda, who was abandoned by her husband. (In one of the plays many sublime observations, hes described as a telephone man who fell in love with long distance.) Eternally, audience heartstrings are tugged by Toms sister, Laura, a sweet but nervous recluse who against her will is pressured into receiving potential suitors by Amanda, a faded Southern belle who turns her neuroses and disappointments back on her children. Like all good Amandas, Potters is a pitiable black hole, unable to rein herself in and thereby spare her progeny her debilitating anxieties. The lameness in her daughters leg, of course, is not Lauras severest handicap; with her incessant worrying, Amanda has managed to instill in Laura a sense of utter helplessness. Potter, beautiful in her own right and fetchingly and appropriately dressed by designer Frank Labovitz eschews some of the vanity that overtakes other portrayals of the character. Its clear that Potters Amanda is not completely lost in a reverie of her own youth, even if she exasperatingly boasts of having received 17 gentleman callers on one occasion in her Mississippi Delta home. The actress rather focuses her energy satisfyingly on Amandas other big, involuntary obsession: breaking her offsprings wills. Although the bickering between Tom and Amanda at times becomes a bit overwrought in Act 1 at Fords, Storys wholly accessible work here allows an audience to commiserate fully. Ramont has chosen a filmic approach to expressing Toms fixations: On a set of white curtains on Timothy R. Mackabees darkly evocative period set, gigantic portraits of Sokolowskis Laura are projected. This production begins with Story gazing up at these and other movie images. Its a canvas of Toms interior life. Later on, theres a homoerotic suggestion, in the shift to iconographic pictures of Keegans Jim OConnor, the onetime high school hero with the matinee idol looks whos invited home by Tom to dinner. Menagerie rests on two dramatic axes, the bitter Amanda-Tom antagonism, and perhaps even more vitally, the extraordinary connection made in Act 2 between Laura and Jim. Sokolowski who bears an uncanny resemblance to Potter is a conventionally retiring Laura, just as Keegan is a recognizably genial, extroverted Gentleman Caller. In both cases, its whats called for and what works. This is important because its here that Ramont most plainly tosses aside convention. In his nerviest departure, he imagines the impromptu dance in the Wingfield parlor between Laura and Jim as something out of one of those gauzy movies Tom is always running off to in order to escape his mother. Its touching to see Laura, raised swanlike in Jims arms (with the caveat that the starlit backdrop is a bit hokey, and not much more convincing than the actors in this production puffing on cigarettes that never drop an ash). The emotional honesty on the Fords stage, by contrast, never wavers. This is a revival that knows where it needs to take us, and lets us off at an aptly fulfilling final stop. Jim VandeHei wanted more control. Robert Allbritton wanted more credit. Day by day, month after month, the antagonism between the two men grew. It led, ultimately, to the breakup of their bromance at Politico, the dynamic new-media upstart that rewrote the rules of political journalism. On Thursday, four days before Iowans officially kick off the presidential election cycle, the Allbritton-VandeHei marriage came to an amicable, and in hindsight perhaps inevitable, unraveling. In a development that surprised even gossipy media and political insiders, VandeHei, 44, announced he will leave as chief executive of the Arlington-based news organization he co-founded nine years ago. Also leaving will be his star columnist and close friend, Mike Allen, and three other senior managers. As with most blowups, this one was long on the boil, according to several insiders. VandeHei, a strong-willed former Washington Post reporter given to exhorting his newsroom with Pattonesque pronouncements, had contemplated quitting three years ago. He reconsidered, however, calculating that his departure would fatally undermine an operation that was still too shaky to survive without him. VandeHei may have been right about Politicos tenuous status then. About that time, an executive of Bloomberg News, former New York mayor Michael R. Bloombergs media company, was dispatched to analyze Politicos financial returns, with an eye toward an investment or a possible buyout offer. The analysis, based on publicly available data, indicated that Politico wasnt financially sterling, nor would it have made a good partner with Bloomberg, now a major competitor, according to a person involved. Although he stayed, VandeHei never resolved his differences with the mild-mannered Allbritton, 46, the publisher-owner who had his own ideas about how to expand the Politico brand. One point of strategic contention, according to intimates: Allbritton conceived and championed Politicos expansion into Europe two years ago, a project that VandeHei had criticized as quixotic and beyond Politicos core strength in U.S. political and Washington policymaking coverage. Allbritton also eagerly approved the hiring of Susan Glasser, a talented but polarizing editor whom VandeHei had worked with at The Post, to oversee the creation of Politicos magazine. Allbritton, son of the late Washington media and banking baron Joe L. Allbritton, had his own reasons for growing weary of VandeHei, despite close professional ties and a deepening friendship between the mens wives. Media accounts chronicling Politicos rise regularly described the publications co-founders as VandeHei and John Harris, another former Post reporter, airbrushing Allbritton from the picture. But Allbritton was equally a father of the venture, both as financier and a creative factor. The oversights privately smarted, said one person who knows both Allbritton and VandeHei well. Despite what might be described as an intimate relationship between the two, there were elements of competition between them, this person said. They clashed over who would make key management decisions and who got credit for some of the ideas that have helped Politico double its revenue over the past four years, this person said. (Insiders estimate that Politico generated about $70 million in revenue last year, but they do not know how profitable the company is.) From the start of Politico in 2007, Allbritton made at least one thing irrevocable: He owned the place. VandeHei and Harris were employees, not partners or co-owners. Unlike other media entrepreneurs, they have no stake in the enterprise they created and are compensated only through salary and bonuses. People say Allbritton views Politico as his business legacy, one that he hopes will overshadow his fathers achievements, which included ownership of Riggs Bank, the old Washington Star newspaper and a cluster of TV stations that Robert sold in 2014. Although VandeHei and Harris appear to have been handsomely rewarded for their roles in creating Politico, they have told friends they wont come close to achieving the kind of wealth that Business Insider founder Henry Blodgett or Huffington Post diva Arianna Huffington have realized by selling their start-up news organizations. Without equity, a sale of Politico (none is contemplated) would enrich Allbritton, not them. Hence, VandeHei had another incentive for leaving: profiting from his own ideas, hustle and management savvy by running his own show. The Fix's Chris Cillizza looks back on Politico's growth over the past nine years, and discusses the future of the organization. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) VandeHei will stay in place at Politico until after the election in November, which will leave an awkward 10-month interregnum in which he and his cohorts will essentially be lame ducks. One person at the publication likened the arrangement to estranged spouses sharing the same house but sleeping in separate bedrooms. Jim is like Steve Jobs without the nastiness, said one journalist who has known VandeHei and Allbritton for years. He has such strong views about where media and business are headed and how to take advantage of it. Some people loved it. But that created obvious tension with Robert. So this wasnt about strategy or money or whether to grow it was philosophical. It forced Jim, Robert and then others to think deeply about their futures. Allbritton declined to comment. Both he and VandeHei issued mutually supportive statements late last week. VandeHeis typically reflecting his gung-ho bravado: Our critics have written of our demise every year, like clockwork, it said. Yet we grow in size, power and revenue every year, like clockwork. Heres my prediction: Politico will clean everyones clock again this year and again and again and again after I leave. Politico revolutionized political reporting with its win-the-morning editorial imperative, an ethic that turned coverage of politics and policy into a series of minute-to-minute micro-scoops. The publication proved that chronicling politics as an endless horse race was ideally suited to the fast-twitch metabolism of the Internet. The genius of Politico is that it recognized that the big newspapers, such as the [New York] Times [and] The Post, would be slow to give up their routines and pace, said Marcus Brauchli, The Posts editor from 2008 to 2013, Politicos formative years. The evidence is that they were right. Harris, 52, says he is committed to remaining at Politico. With a more laid-back personality than the hard-charging VandeHei, Harris avoided much of the executive-suite turmoil of the past 18 months by decamping to Brussels, where he oversaw the creation of Politicos European offshoot. The publication debuted last year and is reportedly meeting its financial targets. The other marquee player in this drama, Allen, who writes the popular insider tipsheet Politico Playbook, will join VandeHei in his new venture next year. The two men have a long and mutually supportive relationship going back almost 30 years; the courtly Allen often credits VandeHei for the advice and guidance that have transformed him into a kind of latter-day Walter Winchell of Washington. Allens loss is significant; in addition to generating millions in annual revenue through Playbook sponsorships, he is Politicos biggest brand name. His star power eclipses both of his newsroom bosses and certainly that of the low-profile Allbritton. Neither Allen nor VandeHei has publicly spelled out what he intends to do next; VandeHei says he doesnt really know. They have vowed not to compete directly against their former shop. The other departees chief operating officer Kim Kingsley, chief revenue officer Roy Schwartz and digital specialist Danielle Jones grew weary of the infighting between VandeHei and Allbritton, according to intimates, and saw VandeHeis abdication as a fortuitous point to disembark. Kingsley and Jones are unlikely to join VandeHei and Allen in their new operation next year, according to people familiar with their plans, although Schwartz has indicated that he will. Whether the mass exit will diminish Politicos trajectory is conjecture, but at least from the outside its foundation seems secure at the moment. The privately held organization had nearly 500 employees at the end of 2015, including 300 journalists. Last year alone, it added 150 positions, expanding into state capitals and to a new continent. It brags that it will soon be the largest political news-gathering operation in the world. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican presidential hopeful, seized control of the struggling Youngstown City Schools last June. The Kasich administration worked in secret for 10 months on the proposal. (Jae C. Hong/AP) Republican lawmakers in Illinois last month pitched a bold plan for the state to seize control of the Chicago public schools, becoming one of a growing number of states that are moving to sideline local officials even dissolve locally elected school boards and take over struggling urban schools. Governors in Michigan, Arkansas, Nevada, Wisconsin, Georgia, Ohio and elsewhere mostly Republican leaders who otherwise champion local control in their fights with the federal government say they are intervening in cases of chronic academic or financial failure. They say they have a moral obligation to act when it is clear that local efforts havent led to improvement. How Ohio Gov. John Kasich took over the schools in Youngstown I want to protect the schoolchildren and their parents; thats my first duty, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) said about his plan, which would wrest control of the nations third-largest school district from elected city leaders and was immediately opposed 100 percent by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D). After Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican presidential hopeful, seized the struggling schools in Youngstown last July, he described it as an 11th-hour attempt to save young lives. If youre a school district thats failed year after year after year, someones going to come riding to the rescue of kids, Kasich said, describing the Youngstown school system, which has regularly received Fs on state report cards and where just 1.1 percent of the Class of 2013 was deemed ready for college. The depressed downtown of Youngstown, Ohio, shown in this file photo from 2009. (Michael Williamson/The Washington Post) Eleven states have passed or debated legislation to create state-run school districts in the past year, according to the Education Commission of the States, which tracks state education policy. There certainly is an effort afoot in the country to dismantle local government and reduce or eliminate the role of local school boards, said Thomas Gentzel, executive director of the National School Boards Association. State takeovers were once a rarity, but they have become increasingly popular as the number of states controlled by Republicans doubled between 2010 and 2014. Theres been a sea change of Republicans taking control of a great many states, and this model is quite appealing to them, said Kenneth K. Wong, chair of the education department at Brown University. In the most recent versions, states are creating recovery districts in which they take control of large numbers of schools scattered across several districts. Although the particulars vary, an appointed manager wields broad powers to redesign schools or close them entirely. The state manager can hire and fire, set curriculum, reconfigure the school day, sell property and, in some cases, break existing labor contracts. Increasingly, state managers are turning over traditional public schools to charter school operators, which are funded by tax dollars but are privately managed. The idea is that the state can bring aggressive change in a way that local politicians, with their community ties and loyalties, cannot. The best-known example is the Recovery School District in Louisiana, created by state lawmakers in 2003 to convert struggling traditional schools in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport into charter schools. The district now consists of about 70 charter schools. But the move to replace locally elected school officials with outsiders has yielded questionable results. Takeovers in Newark, Detroit and Memphis have not improved test scores in fact, some schools have gone backward. These ideas kind of travel like wildfire, said Kent McQuire, president and chief executive of the Southern Education Foundation, which recently analyzed state takeovers in three states. But you cant really find evidence that theres been positive, sustainable changes in learning in those places. And the takeovers have sparked angry protests, legal challenges and bitter complaints of racism. All state takeovers to date have occurred in school districts that are impoverished and majority African American and Latino. These proposals are not really about school reform or improvement, said Philip Lanoue, the 2015 national Superintendent of the Year. He runs a school district in Georgia, where Gov. Nathan Deal (R) wants to change the state constitution to enable state takeovers. These takeovers are entangled with money and power and control. [RSD becomes the nations first all-charter school district] In Georgia, Deal wants to create an Opportunity School District made up of as many as 100 low-performing schools from across his state. But voters first have to amend the state constitution, which currently stipulates that education must be controlled by that level of government closest and most responsive to the taxpayers and parents of the children being educated. If the referendum passes in November, Atlanta would be most affected, with 27 eligible struggling schools. The mere threat of a takeover has prompted the Atlanta public schools to act. The system hired a top Deal education aide who had designed the governors plan for takeovers to advise the city on how to avoid one. Atlanta Superintendent Meria Carstarphen announced last month that she was inviting charter school operators, local nonprofit agencies and other organizations to submit proposals for ways to boost the performance of those 27 struggling schools. One elementary school in Clarke County, Lanoues district, would be a candidate for takeover. He said lasting improvement doesnt come from a top-down makeover. If you really wanted true reform, wouldnt you work directly with school boards and the school system? he said. One of the most contentious takeovers has been the seizure of the Youngstown City Schools in Ohio, which the Kasich administration orchestrated behind closed doors. Youngstown has been struggling since the collapse of the steel industry in the 1970s. Nearly all the districts 5,100 students are low-income, and 1 in 5 have special needs. Classrooms churn with instability: Nearly 20 percent of Youngstown students either came into the district or left in the middle of the 2013-2014 school year while more than 1 in 4 were chronically absent. In the summer of 2014, Tom Humphries, president of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce and a Kasich supporter, said the governor told him to devise a plan to fix the schools. This is about these kids, said Humphries, adding that the region has had difficulty attracting new employers because of an undereducated workforce. They only get one opportunity, and this is about their lives. We cant keep doing the same things. Theyre not working. He launched 10 months of secret meetings between top Kasich administration officials and a handful of community leaders, including the Youngstown schools superintendent and the president of Youngstown State University. Participants notes released by the state show the members pledging secrecy out of concern for anticipated public resistance. After nearly a year of discussions, the Kasich administration unveiled plans for a turbocharged state takeover that includes the dissolution of the locally elected school board and appointment of a chief executive officer with broad powers over local schools. A special commission controlled by Kasich appointees is expected to name a chief executive next month. The administration and its allies in the state legislature rushed the legislation, getting it approved by a committee and narrowly passed by both houses of the legislature less than 24 hours after it was made public, drawing protests from Democratic lawmakers who said it violated procedure. This was a blueprint to dismantle the city schools, said state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, a Democrat who represents Youngstown and is Senate minority leader. Members of the elected Youngstown school board said they were blindsided. None of our community was involved in this, period, said Brenda Kimble, president of the Youngstown City Schools board of education, which is suing to stop the takeover. No board members, no parents, no elected officials, no teaching staff. Nobody knew about this. The Rev. Kenneth Simon, a Baptist pastor involved with Youngstown schools, said the changes concentrate power in a new chief executive who is not accountable to the community, something that could be especially damaging to African Americans. Theyre taking away the right of our own school board that we elected to govern, he said. The school board has no power, he said. The community has no say. I dont know how African Americans could sit and let them roll the clock back like this. The law applies not just to Youngstown but to any Ohio school district that receives an F grade from the state three years in a row. This isnt just something happening in this small city in Ohio, said Schiavoni, the Democratic lawmaker. This is going to happen in other school districts in Ohio, and its happening all over the country. Its a systematic approach to privatize public education. Talking to reporters four months ago, Kasich was baffled that some in the community oppose the takeover of a failing school district. What do they want to do? They want kids to continue to fail? Kasich said. People ought to be outraged when kids are trapped in failing schools. Its a disgrace. Ohio State Sen. Joe Schiavoni, the Democratic minority leader, raced to the Capital in the night to try to stop a bill to takeover the Youngstown City Schools. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) It was late on a Tuesday in June when Ohio State Sen. Joe Schiavoni got the call from a staffer for Gov. John Kasich (R). It was a courtesy call to let the Democratic minority leader know that Republicans would introduce legislation the next morning to dramatically alter the Youngstown public schools, in Schiavonis district. They would offer a 66-page amendment to a pending education bill, and it would be brought before a legislative committee in the morning, and then both houses would vote on it later in the day, the staffer said. Schiavoni protested, saying that he and his colleagues needed to read the proposal. Kasich wanted a vote on Wednesday, the staffer said. The lawmaker jumped in his car outside his home in northeast Ohio and drove 177 miles to the State House in Columbus, arriving at about 9 p.m. to get a copy of the proposal from Sen. Peggy Lehner (R), the chair of the education panel. GOP-led states increasingly taking control from local school boards As he thumbed through it, Schiavoni realized it was nothing like the education bill that had been pending and had received bipartisan backing. That bill, modeled after a successful effort in Cincinnati, would have provided early childhood programs, after-school tutoring and wraparound services such as counseling and health and dental care in the school buildings. The Kasich administrations amendment called for an aggressive takeover by a state-appointed chief executive who would have broad authority over the 5,109-student school system. The chief executive would be able to hire and fire, create budgets, set curriculum and professional development for staff and would have the ability to permanently close schools or contract with for-profits or nonprofits to manage them. The chief executive would not need a background in education; the only requirement is a high level of management experience in the public or private sector. One distinctive aspect of the plan is a cash bonus paid by the state to any charter, private, parochial or suburban school system that accepts a student transferring out of Youngstown City Schools. One participant in the secret meetings was Bishop George V. Murry of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, which operates several parochial schools in the city that would be eligible for such bonuses. Murry did not respond to requests for comment. Proponents of the plan say that financial incentive is a way to put pressure on Youngstown City Schools to improve rapidly. Critics say its designed to hollow out the district until it collapses. Schiavoni said he told Lehner that he wanted more time to discuss the proposal and have hearings. She said, Gov. Kasich wants this passed tomorrow, Schiavoni said. Lehner could not be reached for comment. By the next night, the education committee had voted on the amended bill, and Republican majorities in the Ohio House and Senate had passed it, albeit narrowly, with a handful of Republicans joining all the Democrats in opposition. Kasich signed it into law in July. Kasich knew if people read it they would have real questions, and if this was done the right way, with public hearings in the community and Columbus, people would have a lot of questions because of the drastic way it takes all the power from elected officials and puts it in the hands of one CEO, Schiavoni said. A legal challenge, asserting that the quick passage violated legislative procedures, is pending. A spokesman for Kasich said the governor felt great urgency to do something to improve the Youngstown schools. Gov. Kasich had been vocal about the need to improve the Youngstown School system in light of the fact that they had been failing for nearly 10 years and students were being deprived of the education they deserved, said Joe Andrews, the governors press secretary. The chief executive, who is expected to be named next month, is not required to have experience in education. The only qualification spelled out by the law is a high level of management experience in the public or private sector. More than 98 percent of the students in Youngstown are considered low-income. The children start school already behind the curve: 70 percent of kindergartners in 2013-2014 were not on track to read by third grade, an important indicator of academic potential. Youngstown City Schools have been hemorrhaging students. About half the school-aged students who live in Youngstown attend other schools charters or private schools with or without taxpayer vouchers, or they enroll in suburban schools through open enrollment policies in which neighboring communities will accept city residents if they have room. Schiavoni is concerned that the new cash bonuses will speed the collapse of the existing school system. Asked by reporters about the way the legislation sped through legislature, Kasich said: Some people said it moved too fast; I think it moved too slow, he said. Thank God this has happened. The fast-track passage belies the fact that the Kasich administration had been steadily working to craft the takeover for 10 months behind closed doors with about a half-dozen of Youngstowns business and community leaders none of them elected officials. Tom Humphries, president of the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce and a Kasich supporter, organized the community members, who referred to themselves as the Cabinet. I have a pretty good relationship with the governor, Humphries said. Every time I see him, hes asking me what am I going to do to fix Youngstown. . . . He said to try to get the business community together to try to come up with a plan. About half the group were state officials, including Ohio School Superintendent Richard Ross, who stepped down from the job last month. Notes taken at the meetings and released by the state show they were operating in secret and were concerned about Youngstown residents learning what they were doing. Dr. Ross begins the conversation by reminding everyone that confidentiality amongst the Cabinet is essential until the plans begins to take place, the notes from a May 21, 2015, meeting said. It was clear that Kasichs staff wrote the takeover plan; even after the legislature passed the bill, some of the cabinet members were asking state officials to explain parts of it, according to the notes. But they were mindful about coordinating their public messages, working with a public relations specialist to make sure they were speaking with one voice as members of the Youngstown community, according to the notes. For anything new to happen, you have to have a little bit of madness. Some people call it passion, some call it madness... but there still have to be people who are actually interested in doing something new, says Dr Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale. And the words are true for just about every person who has been considered a pioneer in their respective fields. Within the realm of cardiothoracic medicine concerning the heart and lungs Dr Gokhale is more than just a pioneer. Conducting the first live heart transplants in 2004, and then the first lung transplant in 2012, Dr Gokhales recent Padma Shri is about a lifetimes worth of working for the people. Currently a senior cardiothoracic consultant at Apollo Hospitals in Jubilee Hills, the 56-year-old has spent most of his life with a yearning desire to bring the best healthcare to the country. He graduated with MBBS and MS degrees from Guntur Medical College in 1985 and then specialised in cardiac surgery at the Christian Medical College in Vellore in 1990. At that point of time, I knew a lot of theory, but had no practical experience. So I joined Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences and got some experience in open-heart surgeries with Dr B.V. Ramarao, who I consider to be my guru. He told me to go to Australia to get experience in bypass and transplants, says Dr Gokhale. Any innovation in medicine, if you offer it first to those who can afford it, only then will it slowly percolate down to the common man. Bypass surgeries were first affordable only to the rich. But then the government introduced health schemes and today even the poorest man can walk into a hospital with a card and get things done, he explains. In 2004, when a patient approached him after being told by several doctors that his heart condition was untreatable. I told him that the only way was a heart transplant but it could prove fatal if things go wrong, he says, adding that the family had just about given up hope and said, Do what you can. A few days after returning from another training session in the US, Dr Gokhales moment arrived. It was around 9 pm, I was at a dinner party and I got a call from the Mohan Foundation informing me that there was a donor available. We began operating at 10 pm and by 10 am the next day it was done. It was very tense, but fortunately everything clicked, he says. Dr Gokhale also runs Sahrudaya, a medical and educational trust that conducted health camps and has even helped a number of children undergo necessary heart surgery. ensuring he really does help the poorest man. The Padma Shri, he adds, is something that everyone in his family deserves for their unconditional support to him. So many times we think we have achieved something, but there are so many people behind me who have made it all possible. This honour belongs to all of them, Dr Gokhale concludes. A senior executive at the Education Department ran a car-detailing and home theater installation business after hours, and he employed subordinates from his federal agency while soliciting orders from other subordinates, according to an investigation by the agencys inspector general. Those actions by Danny A. Harris, chief information officer for the agency, as well as his effort to help a relative find work at the department and his close friendship with an agency vendor will be the focus of a hearing Tuesday by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the panel, said through a spokeswoman that Harriss activities have damaged his agency. The morale in the office of the chief information officer is at an all-time low due to the dysfunctional environment Mr. Harris has cultivated, he said. Chaffetzs concerns extend beyond Harriss personal situation. Simply put, when CIOs fail to bring both high managerial and ethical standards to their work, institutions suffer, systems are weakened and the data of millions of Americans are endangered, Chaffetz said. Harris, 56, also failed to report $10,000 in income from his various businesses on his federal disclosure forms and to the Internal Revenue Service, according to investigators. The agencys inspector general launched an investigation into Harriss activities in 2011 after receiving anonymous complaints. By April 2013, investigators confirmed that Harris ran a home theater installation business and car-detailing operation, that he paid an hourly wage to two of his subordinates to perform that work, and that he got orders for work from other subordinates. The home theater installation business generated at least $10,000 in income, according to the written testimony of Deputy Inspector General Sandra D. Bruce. Harris told investigators that he did not report that income as required of federal officials and that he also did not include it in tax filings. In written testimony obtained by The Washington Post, Harris will take responsibility on Tuesday for actions that caused some at the agency to question whether he favored the employees who worked with him in his side ventures or those who paid him for such services. I fully understand and take responsibility for how some of my actions could allow questions to arise about my impartiality, Harris is expected to say, according to his written testimony. This is unacceptable. I have learned from this experience, however, and to eliminate any such questions, I have assured my supervisors at the Department, and I want to also state unequivocally today, that I have not engaged in any of the actions that raised questions since prior to the IGs investigation. The actions I took showed that I used poor judgment and I deeply regret those actions. Harris, who made a salary of $183,267 last year, declined to be interviewed Monday. Investigators also say Harris used his federal email account to conduct his outside business, a violation of policy. And while he participated on a panel that awarded a contract to a company owned by a friend, investigators say that his participation did not result in an improper contract award. Harris also helped a relative get a job at the department in 2010, although that relative left in 2013. And Harris made a $4,000 loan to one of his subordinates, investigators found. The inspector general referred the case to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, who declined in 2015 to prosecute the case because of the availability of administrative remedies. Senior leaders at the agency, including deputy secretaries, the general counsel and the chief ethics officer, spoke with Harris about his activities, but he was not removed from his job or otherwise penalized. Susan Winchell, assistant general counsel for ethics at the Education Department, is expected to tell the Oversight Committee that she did not think Harris broke any rules. Although it appeared that Dr. Harris exercised poor judgment with respect to some of the conduct outlined . . . he did not violate the ethics rules, according to her written testimony. Harris first joined the Education Department as a summer intern in 1985 and steadily climbed the career ladder at the organization. Ellen Nakashima contributed to this report. Correction: An earlier version of this article referred to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) as chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and attributed quotes relayed by a spokeswoman for the actual chairman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), to Issa. This article has been updated. BLOOD DONATIONS BLOOD DRIVES Monday 2-7:30 p.m., Village at Leesburg, 1603 Village Market Blvd., Suite 100, Leesburg, 800-733-2767; Wednesday 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Douglass School, 401 E. Market St., Leesburg, 866-256-6372; Thursday 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Stone Bridge High School gym, 43100 Hay Rd., Ashburn, 866-256-6372; Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Leesburg Public Safety Center, 65 Plaza St., Leesburg, 800-733-2767. INOVA BLOOD DONOR CENTER Mondays noon-8 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Fridays 6 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays noon-4 p.m. Dulles Town Center, 45745 Nokes Blvd., Sterling. 866-256-6372 or inova.org/donateblood. FIRST AID FIRST AID/ADULT, INFANT AND CHILD CPR/AED Fauquier Hospital Medical Office Building, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. Call for schedule. Registration required. HEARING DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER Technical assistance through the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and presentations to businesses, civic groups and schools. Third Tuesdays 2-5 p.m., Workplace, 205 Keith St., Warrenton. Call for an appointment, 800-648-6324; TDD, 540-373-5890. Free. FREE HEARING TESTS Age 18 and older. Mondays-Thursdays 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing Center, 19465 Deerfield Ave., Suite 201, Lansdowne. 703-858-7620. Registration required. HEARING LOSS, TINNITUS AND MENIERES SYNDROME SUPPORT For all ages, including parents of children with hearing loss. First Fridays 2 p.m., Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-430-2906. NORTHERN VIRGINIA RESOURCE CENTER FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING Age 18 and older, second Tuesdays 10 a.m., Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 571-258-3400. HEARING LOSS OUTREACH Free referrals. Fourth Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Loudoun County Workforce Center, 102 Heritage Way, Leesburg; third Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. Free appointments: 703-430-2906 or nvrcloudoun@aol.com. MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING FOR SEXUAL VIOLENCE SURVIVORS Provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice. 703-771-9020. CRISISLINK Suicide and crisis intervention. The organization provides community education, has a volunteer crisis response team and offers CareRing, a daily telephone outreach program for the elderly and disabled. 703-527-6016, volunteer@crisislink.org or crisislink.org. PIEDMONT CHAPTER, NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS Serves Fauquier, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock counties. Support group, education classes and events for people living with mental illness, plus their family members. First Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. Fauquier Hospital, 500 Hospital Dr., Sycamore Room A, Warrenton. 571-426-8213. NORTHERN VIRGINIA CHAPTER, NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS A support group, classes and programs for people living with mental illness and their family members. For information, go to naminorthernvirginia.org. PREGNANCY, PARENTING ADOPTIVE FAMILY PRESERVATION Adoptive families discuss common experiences; registration required. Third Tuesdays 12:30-2 p.m. Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd. 703-941-9008, Ext. 23, or email jmellerio@umfs.org. BIRTHRIGHT OF LOUDOUN COUNTY Free pregnancy tests, baby clothing, transportation and support throughout pregnancy, 823 S. King St., Leesburg. 703-777-7272. BOND BETWEEN US Nonprofit group offers support to birth parents when children have been placed for adoption. Fourth Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. Call for location. 703-771-7844. BREAST-FEEDING SUPPORT Thursdays 9:30-10:30 a.m., Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. DAD SUPPORT New and expectant fathers share ideas. First Tuesdays 7 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. 703-858-6360. FOR THE CHILDRENS SAKE A group for separating or divorcing parents to share advice. Four-hour session weekly. Information: 703-391-8599 or fitsfoundation.org. LA LECHE LEAGUE Mother-to-mother support and breast-feeding information. 10 a.m. second Wednesdays in Warrenton, 540-351-6103. Third Fridays 10:15-11:45 a.m., call for location, 703-444-7386. Fourth Mondays 10 a.m. Healthworks of Northern Virginia, 163 Fort Evans Rd., Leesburg, 703-728-9282; Second Fridays 10:15 a.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd., 703-431-3852; Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Panera Bread, 43670 Greenway Corp. Dr., Ashburn, email lllashburn@gmail.com. Third Fridays 10:15 a.m., Christ the Redeemer Church, 46833 Harry F. Byrd. Hwy., Sterling, 540-338-4637. LOUDOUN FATHERHOOD PROGRAM Fathers discuss the joys and challenges of being a parent. Meets every other Saturday for two hours for four months; sponsored by Northern Virginia Family Service. 571-748-2796. Free. LOUDOUN NURTURING PARENTING PROGRAM Positive parenting techniques; parents and children attend together. Registration required. 703-771-3973, Ext. 27 or email nurturingprogram@lcsj.org . Free. MOTHERNET/HEALTHY FAMILIES LOUDOUN Program links first-time parents with medical, social and educational resources to give children a socially and physically healthy start in life. Family support workers meet with participants in homes. English-Spanish translation provided. 703-444-4477, Ext. 217, or inmed.org . NEW MOTHERS SUPPORT Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 a.m. Inova Loudoun Medical Pavilion, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg, main entrance. Babies welcome. 703-858-6360. YOUNG PARENT SERVICES Support for teenage parents. Loudoun County Department of Family Social Services, 52 Sycolin Rd., Leesburg. Call for times. 703-771-5375. ONLINE CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION PROGRAM Inova Loudoun Hospitals Web-based program uses animation, videos and interactive activities to guide users through the basics of childbirth, breast-feeding and caring for newborns. 703-858-6360. thebirthinginn.org/classes. PARENTING ALONE GROUP For parents of school-age children who have lost a spouse or partner to cancer. Second Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-698-2536 or email jennifer.eckert@inova.org . PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH SUPPORT Childbirth Solutions Resource Center, 8393 W. Main St., Marshall. 571-344-0438. SENIORS EXERCISE EQUIPMENT Weights, treadmills, bikes and a cardio-glide. Instruction provided. Age 55 and older. Weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free. EYE CARE LensCrafters staff members will clean glasses and make minor repairs. Second Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-430-2397. Free. FITNESS FOR PEOPLE 55 AND OLDER Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 1-1:45 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 571-258-3400. $36, 12-visit card. INOVA LOUDOUN MOBILE VAN Blood pressure checks. Second and fourth Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling, 571-258-3280; first Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. LAUGHING YOGA FOR SENIORS Improve flexibility and balance. Thursdays 9:30-10 :30 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free. LOUDOUN ADULT DAY CENTERS For seniors with physical limitations or memory loss, a safe and social environment, therapeutic activities, individualized care and respite for caregivers. Limited transportation. Sliding-scale fees. Weekdays in Leesburg, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., 703-771-5334; Purcellville, 571-258-3402; and Ashburn-Sterling, 571-258-3232. SENIOR OUTREACH SERVICES Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Senior Center at Cascades. First and third Wednesdays 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280. SENIOR OUTREACH SERVICES Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Sign up in the Leesburg Senior Center lobby. Second and fourth Thursdays 11 a.m.-noon and 12:30-4:30 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free. SENIOR OUTREACH SERVICES Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Carver Center. First and third Mondays, 12:30-5 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 703-737-8741. Free. ZUMBA GOLD CLASS: For people 55 and older who are learning Zumba for the first time, or those who prefer a lower-impact version. The fitness program combines Latin and international music with dance.Thursdays 11 a.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280. $12. TAI CHI Stretching and strengthening movements. Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free. ZUMBA GOLD CLASS Age 55 and older. Wear rubber-soled shoes and comfortable clothing; bring water and a towel. Tuesdays 11 a.m., Tuesdays and Fridays at 1 p.m. Senior Center of Leesburg, 102 North St. NW, Leesburg. 703-737-8039. $24 per month. SUPPORT GROUPS AL-ANON SERVICE CENTER OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA A volunteer is available 24 hours with information for spouses, family members and friends of problem drinkers. 703-534-4357 or 877-339-8350. Mondays 8 p.m. Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 125 W. Washington St., Middleburg, 540-554-2747; Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg, 877-339-8350; Fridays 8:30 p.m. Grace Episcopal Church, 6507 Main St., The Plains, 800-344-2666; Tuesdays 12:15 p.m. Warrenton Church of Christ, Route 29 N., 540-347-7448; Tuesdays 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 p.m. Warrenton Presbyterian Church, 91 Main St., 800-344-2666. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Various meeting times and locations in Loudoun County. 800-208-8649 or 703-876-6166. nvintergroup.org. ALZHEIMERS CAREGIVER SUPPORT For those who care for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Fourth Wednesdays 4-5:30 p.m. The Villa at Suffield Meadows, 6735 Suffield Lane, Warrenton. 540-316-3800. ALZHEIMERS SUPPORT First Tuesdays 10-11 a.m. Spring Arbor Assisted Living, 237 Fairview St. NW, Leesburg. 540-338-6520. ALZHEIMERS CAREGIVERS SUPPORT For those caring for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Second Mondays 7-8:30 p.m. Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-430-9229. galileeumc.org. ALZHEIMERS CAREGIVER SUPPORT Emotional, educational and social support for family members and friends of people with the disease. Third Saturdays 10 a.m. Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging, 20145 Ashbrook Pl., Ashburn. Call 703-771-5407 or email lesley.katz@loudoun.gov. ALZHEIMERS SUPPORT First Wednesdays 4 p.m. Leesburg Adult Day Center, 16501 Meadowview Ct., Leesburg. 703-771-5334. TALK ABOUT CURING AUTISM A nonprofit organization educating and supporting families affected by autism. tacanow.org . BEREAVED PARENT SUPPORT One-on-one counseling is available. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. scsm.tv. AUTOIMMUNE SUPPORT Last Thursdays 6:30-7:30 p.m. Jackson Building, 209 Gibson St., Leesburg. Email autoimmunesupport@hotmail.com . BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT For those experiencing loss because of the death of a loved one. Age 18 and older. Third Mondays 1 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-957-1800. BREAST CANCER SUPPORT Fourth Tuesdays 7-8 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Tower, Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-0588. BREAST CANCER SUPPORT For those with new diagnoses or starting treatment. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857. BREAST CANCER SUPPORT For those who have finished treatment, have had a recurrence or metastatic breast cancer. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857. Free. BREAST CANCER SUPPORT ASSISTANCE FUND Loudoun County residents who have received a diagnosis or have undergone treatment in the past 12 months are eligible to apply for financial assistance. Areas included are wigs, bras, puffs and prostheses, mammograms and medical bills, food and help with utilities, rent or mortgage, and transportation costs. The Pink Assistance Fund has been established by the Loudoun Breast Health Network. lbhn.org. CANCER SUPPORT Oncology nurses, social workers and spiritual care providers offer education and support to patients, families and caregivers. Second Mondays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2273. CANCER SUPPORT For patients, family members and friends. Second Thursdays 7 p.m. Ashburn Presbyterian Church, Room 202, 20962 Ashburn Rd. 703-729-2012. ashburnpresbyterian.org. CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP Third Saturdays 10 a.m. Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging, 20145 Ashbrook Pl., Ashburn. 703-771-5407. alz.org/nca. CAREGIVER SUPPORT AND RESOURCE GROUP Wednesdays 10:30 a.m.-noon (no meeting first Wednesdays), Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. scsm.tv. CARING FOR AGING PARENTS Support group. Confidential. Fourth Wednesdays 7:30 p.m., Family Focus Counseling Service, 20-B John Marshall St., Warrenton. 540-349-4537. CHADD PARENTS SUPPORT For parents of children with ADD/ADHD. Fourth Sundays 3 p.m. KinderCare, 44051 Ashburn Village Shopping Plaza. chadd.nova loudoun@gmail. com . CHRONIC ILLNESS SUPPORT Tuesdays 10:30-11:30 a.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministries, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv. COFFEE AND CONVERSATION: Support for those discouraged because of illness, bereavement, caregiving or a loved one in the military. Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS For parents who have experienced the death of a child. First Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg. 540-882-9707. CREATING AND CONNECTING Two-hour art therapy and relaxation workshop for cancer patients. Every other month, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-858-8850. DEPRESSION BIPOLAR SUPPORT ALLIANCE OF WESTERN LOUDOUN Saturdays 3 p.m. Purcellville Library, 220 E. Main St., Carruthers Room. Call 703-431-7160 or email kathy@dbsanca.org. DROP-IN GRIEF SUPPORT For those coping with a death. Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. St. Davids Episcopal Church, 43600 Russell Branch Pkwy., Ashburn. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-597-1781. GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER YOUTH AND PARENT SUPPORT A group in partnership with Metro DC PFLAG. Fourth Sundays 4-6 p.m. Unitarian Universalist Church, 22135 Davis Dr., Sterling . 703-328-6518. GRIEFSHARE Open to anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one. Tue sdays from 7-8:30 p.m. Purcellville Baptist Church, 601 Yaxley Dr., Purcellville. Call 540-338-0918 or email caring@purbap.org. Workbook, $15. GRIEFSHARE Nondenominational seminar and support group. Tuesdays 7:30-9 p.m., and Wednesdays, 1-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Free. GRIEF SUPPORT Sponsored by Hospice Support of Fauquier County. Individual counseling available. First and third Thursdays 3:30-5 p.m. Hospice Support Office, 42 N. Fifth St., Warrenton. Registration required. Call 540-347-5922 or email hospicesupport@verizon.net. GRIEF SUPPORT Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. HOSPICE SUPPORT Free medical-equipment loan facility for Fauquier County residents. Especially needed are donations of wheelchairs, bedside commodes, rolling walkers, electric hospital beds, shower benches and chairs, adult diapers, lift chairs, Ensure and hospital bed mattresses. 540-347-5922. LOOK GOOD, FEEL BETTER For women undergoing or emerging from cancer treatment. Every other month, 6:45 to 9 p.m. ,Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-776-2820. Free. LOUDOUN CHADD SUPPORT Led by Children and Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Third Thursdays 7 p.m. Leesburg Town Hall, lower-level conference room, 25 W. Market St. 703-669-2445. LOUDOUN INTERGROUP OF OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS Fellowship and support. For locations and times, call 571-420-2012. oa.org. LYME DISEASE SUPPORT Fourth Sundays 2-4 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Conference Room A and B, Leesburg. Go to natcaplyme.org or email loudounlymeadvocates@gmail.com. LYME DISEASE SUPPORT Third Thursdays 7 p.m. Warrenton Church of Christ, 6398 Lee Hwy. Access Road, Warrenton. 540-347-7265 or email lymeinfauquier@gmail.com. Free. MADD LOUDOUN VICTIM SUPPORT For those who have been affected by drunken driving. Third Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. 210 Wirt St., Leesburg. 540-338-6491. MAN-TO-MAN CANCER SUPPORT Sponsored by Loudoun Cancer Care Center, for prostate cancer patients and their families. Second Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. Call 703-858-8857 or email karen.archer@inova.org. MENOPAUSE SUPPORT Third Thursdays 6:30-9 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg (second floor, Patient Education Room). 703-858-8060. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SUPPORT Saturdays 10:30 a.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-2826. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SUPPORT Last Sundays 2-4 p.m. Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Pl., Potomac Falls. 703-771-4256. NAR-ANON FAMILY SUPPORT For those affected by loved ones with addiction. Meaningful Mondays, 7-8 p.m., Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-203-9792; Wisdom Wednesdays 7-8 p.m., St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 37730 St. Francis Ct., Purcellville, 703-606-7125; Serenity Thursdays, 7-8 p.m. Leesburg Presbyterian Church, 207 W. Market St., Leesburg, 703-606-7125. PARKINSON'S SUPPORT Open to anyone with Parkinson's disease, family members and caregivers. First Tuesdays 1:30-3 p.m. Call for Ashburn location. 571-442-8851. POST-PARTUM SUPPORT Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Cornwall Campus, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. 703-909-9877. Email lamckeough@gmail.com. Registration required. REACH TO RECOVERY Home visit program for mastectomy and lumpectomy patients. Temporary prostheses, exercise instruction and encouragement. 703-938-5550. SEXUAL ASSAULT AND INCEST SURVIVORS GROUP COUNSELING Services provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice and the Loudoun Abused Womens Shelter are free and confidential. 703-771-9020. SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS EMPOWERMENT SUPPORT Sponsored by Sexual Assault Victims Volunteer Initiative. Child care available with 48-hours notice. Mondays; call for times and locations. 540-349-7720. SPIRITUAL SUPPORT GROUP For cancer patients, family members and friends. Third Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8850. STROKE SURVIVORS AND CAREGIVERS SUPPORT Second Wednesdays 11 a.m.-noon, Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second floor, Patient Education Room. 703-858-6667 or robyn.thomson@inova.org. SUICIDE COUNSELING Third Wednesdays 7-8:30 p.m. Leesburg Town Office, Conference Room 2, lower level, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. 703-587-1618 or survivorsofsuicidelossleesburg@gmail.com. WOMENS SUPPORT Sponsored by Services to Abused Families. Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Confidential location. 540-825-8876. WIDOW AND WIDOWER SUPPORT Third Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. WOMENS CANCER SUPPORT Woman to Woman, first Wednesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Registration required. 703-858-8850. MISCELLANEOUS BRAIN TRAUMA SURVIVORS BROWN BAG LUNCH For survivors and caregivers, first Tuesdays, noon-1:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second-floor Patient Education Room. Call 703-737-3150 or email jberg@braininjurysvcs.org. Free. CHILD DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENINGS For ages 2-5. Children may not be kindergarten-age-eligible. Sponsored by the Loudoun County public schools Child Find Center. 571-252 - 2180. CHOLESTEROL SCREENINGS Weekdays 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Fauquier Health LIFE Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2640. Registration required. $35. EMERGENCY FOOD SUPPLIES Loudoun residents who are in need can receive a free three-day supply of groceries. Supplies are distributed Mondays through Saturdays by Loudoun Interfaith Relief. 703-777-5911. interfaithrelief.org. FAUQUIER FREE WALK-IN MEDICAL CLINIC Patients must call Thursdays from 12:30 to 1 p.m. to register for the clinic, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Patients are also seen by appointment Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Fauquier and Rappahannock residents only. Bring proof of address for the first visit. Patients cannot have Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance. Information: 540-347-0394 Tuesdays or Thursdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. FAUQUIER HOSPITAL BISTRO SENIOR SUPPER CLUB Nutritious meals and fellowship for people 55 and older. Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Bistro on the Hill, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. $5.47. GAMERS UNION FOR TEENS WITH ASPERGERS Youths 12 to 21 interact through gaming; their caregivers meet for networking. Second Tuesdays 6 p.m. Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Rd., Leesburg. 703-777-0323. Free. HEROES (Hometown Enabling Relationships, Opportunities and Empowerment through Support) is a program for military families. A trained volunteer provides support to military members and their families, from pre-deployment up to two years post-deployment. Assistance includes financial help, job placement, family care and mental health services. heroesca re.org or email caring@purbap.org . NORTHERN VIRGINIA ONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN Call for help in resolving complaints related to long-term-care facilities. 703-324-5861. MOTOR SKILL SCREENINGS Birth to 21 months. First Thursdays, Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing Center, 19465 Deerfield Ave., Suite 201, Lansdowne. Call for an appointment. 703-858-7620. Free. ROAD TO RECOVERY, for cancer patients who need rides to appointments. 410-781-6909. Email jen.burdette@cancer.org. Free. SEVEN LOAVES FOOD PANTRY Individuals and families can receive a three-day supply of food, distributed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10 a.m.-noon. 540-687-3489 or sevenloavesmiddleburg.org. TREE OF LIFE FOOD PANTRY Serving western Loudoun County. Food is delivered Wednesdays and Saturdays. 703-554-3595. Compiled by Sandy Mauck TO SUBMIT AN ITEM Email: ldliving@washpost.com Fax: 703-777-8437 Mail: Health Calendar, The Washington Post, 104 Dry Mill Rd. SW, Suite 101, Leesburg, Va. 20175 Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar For a couple of hours Monday, the long wait to see whether Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) would run for Senate seemed to be over, at least to anyone who was checking the Maryland State Board of Elections website. The site listed Cummings as a candidate for reelection to his current seat in Congress, which would mean he had chosen not to run for the Democratic nomination to succeed longtime U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski. But elections officials and Cummingss spokesman said that the website was wrong. In fact, with the filing deadline two days away, Cummings still has not declared his candidacy for either office, said his spokesman, Mike Christianson. He plans on being down there before the deadline, and hell file for something, Christianson said. [Cummings still undecided about future plans] The two declared Democratic candidates for the Senate primary are colleagues of Cummings in Congress, representatives Donna Edwards and Chris Van Hollen. An elections official said that the process of becoming a candidate includes two steps: a preliminary form, which can be filed by fax, and a second one, which the candidate must complete in person. Cummings faxed in his first form, in case he decides to run for reelection to his current seat, but he has not appeared in person, said Donna Duncan, assistant deputy for election policy. He had pre-filed some documents, and somebody mistakenly it was a data entry error, Duncan said. We apologize for any misunderstanding or confusion that our data entry mistake caused. The blog Maryland Scramble saw the erroneous listing on Monday and posted a breaking news alert that said Cummings was listed as a candidate for his House seat. The listing was soon corrected. Edwards and Van Hollen declared their candidacies months ago and have been campaigning vigorously. Cummings, despite strong poll numbers, has appeared openly torn about whether to give up the House seat he has held for 32 years to try for a higher-profile, and arguably more powerful, perch in the U.S. Senate. A key figure in calming protesters after riots in Baltimore last year, Cummings has expressed concern about leaving his inner-city congressional district for a political gamble. He is considered a relatively weak fundraiser and has not faced a competitive race in many years. But a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll in early October found Cummings leading both candidates in a hypothetical three-way race, with 33 percent of the vote among Democrats and Democrat-leading independents. Van Hollen and Edwards each had 20 percent. Without Cummings, Edwards was leading Van Hollen, 38 percent to 28 percent. [Poll: Cummings would be front-runner in Senate race] In September, Baltimore pastor Jamal Bryant announced that he would run for Cummingss congressional seat, saying at the time that he expected Cummings to run for Senate. He gave up that effort days later, saying he thought Cummings would opt out of the Senate race. Marylands Democratic legislative leaders on Monday proposed a matching-funds program for middle-income and poor families who use the states college-saving plan. Under legislation supported by Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) and House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel), families who deposit money into Marylands 529 College Savings Plan would receive a matching annual donation of $250 from the state. About 40 Democratic lawmakers joined Miller and Busch in announcing the proposals during a Monday news conference as part of a larger package of legislative priorities aimed at helping working-class families. The other measures they touted would address pay equity for women and help residents save for retirement rather than relying solely on Social Security. The bills were the first in a series of packages that will be presented by leaders of the majority-Democratic General Assembly in the 90-day legislative session. The middle class has been squeezed since the Great Recession, Busch said. We need to help families feel like they have economic security and ensure their kids have access to opportunities for success that my generation had. In addition to the matching grants, the Education Affordability Act of 2016 also would create a tax credit of up to $5,000 for up to 1,000 residents who have student-loan debt exceeding $20,000. The amount of the credit would be based on the individuals debt and annual income. The matching-fund program, which is similar to the employer match for a 401(k) plan, would be scaled based on income. A family with income between $175,000 to $225,000 would have to contribute $250 to receive a $250 match. An individual or couple who earn less than $100,000 would receive a $250 match for contributing $25. Households with incomes above $225,000 would not get a match from the state. State officials said Maryland follows a national trend showing that 529 plans are used largely by wealthier residents. By offering a match, legislative leaders are hoping that more working- and middle-class families will be encouraged to save for college. The college-affordability measure, which would cost the state about $5 million for the first year of implementation and $10 million annually by 2020, is the second college-affordability effort from key policymakers this year. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) last week signed an executive order to create a scholarship program that provides $6,000 to students who graduate early from high school. Hogans office did not take a stance on the Democratic proposals Monday. [Scholarships for early graduates prompt questions from educators] The pay-equity legislation, sponsored by Sen. Susan C. Lee (D-Montgomery) and Del. Kris Valderrama (D-Prince Georges), would make it unlawful for employers to exclude women from prime job opportunities and prohibit companies from retaliating against employees for sharing salary information with co-workers. It would not require employers to disclose salary information. The measure would also clarify that the states definition of wage discrimination includes unequal pay for women and men who do the same work but in different offices. Some courts have interpreted the existing pay-equity law to allow for such disparities. Additionally, the legislation would strengthen requirements for employers to prove that pay differentials relate to job performance rather than gender. Similar pay-equity bills have been introduced by Valderrama and Lee in past years but have been unsuccessful, with opponents arguing that existing laws provide adequate protections for women and that additional measures would create a burden on businesses. Valderrama said the bill is about fairness in the workplace. This is the first year that a pay-equity bill has the backing of Miller and Busch, who spoke in personal terms about women being poorly treated. The House speaker said his mother earned half of what her male colleagues at the state Motor Vehicle Administration were paid for the same job. He said his mother, who was single, also could not obtain a credit card or a car loan, adding that he eventually had to sign for the loan himself. Things have changed for the better, but we still have a way to go, Miller said. [Maryland legislative panel to look at retirement security] Democratic lawmakers also promised legislation to provide what Del. C. William Frick (D-Montgomery) described as a universal retirement savings program that would ensure all Marylanders have access to individual retirement-savings accounts through payroll deductions. Frick said the bill would be ready in coming weeks. Miller and Busch have called retirement security a looming crisis in Maryland, where 25 percent of the population is projected to be of retirement age by 2030. The legislative leaders last year set up the Commission on Maryland Retirement Security and Savings to explore ways to help residents save for retirement. The panel has not submitted its recommendations to the General Assembly, despite setting a tentative deadline of December 2015 for completing its work. Former Prince Georges County Council member Ingrid M. Turner (D) dropped out of the 4th Congressional District race to run instead for Circuit Court judge in the county. (Mark Gail/The Washington Post) Prince Georges politician Ingrid Turner is dropping out of the crowded race for the 4th Congressional District to run instead for a judgeship in the County Circuit Court. The former county council member did not keep pace with the fundraising of her primary rivals, which includes a former Maryland lieutenant governor, a former Prince Georges County states attorney and two sitting state delegates. Turner sat in a distant fifth out of eight candidates in fundraising for much of the election cycle. The retired naval officer abandoned her congressional bid Monday when she filed for the Circuit Court to fill one of four open seats on the bench. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) appointed three judges Friday to those seats and a sitting judge, Herman C. Dawson, is running for reelection after his 15-year term expired. In Maryland, all Circuit Court judges must be elected. The governor appointed Dorothy M. Engel, Erik H. Nyce and Karen H. Mason to fill vacancies left open by three retiring judges. All three must run in the open election in 2016. Turner is defying convention by running against the recent appointees and Dawson in the down-ballot race. Typically, incumbent judges face little to no competition in the election once appointed, but Turner said she is confident that her time and work while in public office will make her a recognizable choice for voters. Turner, who served in the U.S. Navys Judge Advocate General Corps, is running on a platform to bring about judicial reform. On the bench, I will be firm but fair, Turner said in a statement announcing her decision. I will provide alternatives to incarceration and other paths for individuals to become productive members of society. ANNAPOLIS, MD - FEBRUARY 4, 2015: Newly inaugurated Gov. Larry Hogan frustrated Democratic lawmakers with his maiden State of the State address that criticized the states direction. He will deliver his second address on Feb. 3. (Photo by Linda Davidson / The Washington Post) (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post) In the third full week of Marylands 2016 legislative session, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) will deliver his State of the State address and Democratic legislative leaders will lay out their economic priorities. Its also the last week for state Senators to introduce bills, though theres ways to get around that deadline. Heres what to watch for: Monday: The state Senate begins taking up Hogans nominees for various commissions and judicial positions. The legislative body has largely green-lighted Hogans choices, but Senate Democrats last year delayed action on five Cabinet members and ultimately blocked his preferred secretary of higher education. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Calvert) and House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) announce their economic legislative priorities at a 4 p.m. news conference. Addressing gender disparities in pay will be a priority. Tuesday: Senate Majority Leader Catherine Pugh (D-Baltimore City) and Del. Luke H. Clippinger (D-Baltimore) hold a noon press conference on their renewed push to expand sick leave benefits to workers after several failed attempts. They touted the same bill at a womens economic security conference last week, but its worth watching to see if they scale back their proposal or announce new support. Wednesday: Hogan delivers his second State of the State address. His maiden address last year criticized Democrats for high taxes, over-regulation and an anti-business attitude, enraging lawmakers and bringing about partisan feuding. Will he take a more conciliatory approach this year? A high-profile dispute between Miller and Hogan comes before a Senate committee with a bill to force Hogan to commit $15 million to Prince Georges Hospital Center. Miller is trying to mandate the spending, while Hogan tries to pursue mandate relief. What you may have missed last week: SNOWZILLA: Surely you didnt miss the record snowstorm, but Hogan on Friday ended the state of emergency in response to it. His administration is seeking federal reimbursement for the recovery, but hasnt said how much the clean-up will cost. HOGAN BILLS: The governor announced plans to pursue a constitutional amendment to require a nonpartisan panel draw Congressional districts, strengthen opioid laws and expand tax credits to businesses that donate to schools. He also released bill language to curb spending mandated by the legislature, with an exemption for education. SCHOLARSHIPS: Hogan signed an executive order allowing the state to award $6,000 scholarships to high schoolers who graduate early and attend college in Maryland. COOL FOR THE SUMMER: The Board of Public Works lifted a ban on state funding window air-conditioning units in schools. EYES ON THE HILL: Del. Patrick L. McDonough (R-Baltimore County) is challenging Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D). That makes him the 9th state lawmaker seeking to jump from Annapolis to Congress. Kik is a popular mobile messaging app that allows users to remain anonymous and appeals to a younger crowd. After the recent death of 13-year-old Nicole Madison Lovell, authorities have growing concerns that it is also being used by online predators. (Erin Patrick O'Connor/The Washington Post) Kik is a popular mobile messaging app that allows users to remain anonymous and appeals to a younger crowd. After the recent death of 13-year-old Nicole Madison Lovell, authorities have growing concerns that it is also being used by online predators. (Erin Patrick O'Connor/The Washington Post) There are few holes deeper than those in the heart of a 13-year-old girl. For many, it is an age of painful yearning, of a life lived in imaginary cloud worlds, away from acne and algebra and all that awkwardness. It used to be 13-year-olds would cry into their pillows. Or write in rainbow-covered journals, with rainbow pens. Their pain was private. Still, most endured, and survived. But Nicole Madison Lovell found something we all wanted when we were 13: an audience. There are people out there who listen to sad, lonely girls, tell them they are beautiful and smart. They were right there in Nicoles bedroom. 1 of 6 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad 2 Virginia Tech students charged in death of teen girl View Photos The engineering students were charged in connection with the abduction and slaying of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell, who disappeared Jan. 27 from her home in Blacksburg, Va. Caption The engineering students were charged in connection with the slaying of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell, who disappeared Jan. 27 from her home in Blacksburg, Va. Feb. 2, 2016 Tammy Weeks, mother of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell, cries as she speaks to reporters in Blacksburg, Va. Weeks says her daughter fought health problems all her life and had dreams of singing on "American Idol." Allen G. Breed/AP Wait 1 second to continue. She asked them if she was cute. She flirted with them. She showed them coquettish pictures of herself. She was a social-media-savvy tween when she told them all about her first kiss. Her imaginary cloud world wasnt private. On Facebook, Instagram, Kik, in chats and groups, she wasnt the kid with the liver-transplant scars, or the baby-fat girl bullied in her seventh-grade classes. She was a flirting, dating teen with lip gloss and great lines. And Nicole did not survive. She left her house at midnight on Wednesday, shoving a nightstand against her bedroom door and leaving with a water bottle and a Minions blanket. Her body was found in North Carolina, right across the Virginia line. [Second Virginia Tech student charged in the death of Blacksburg 13-year-old] A Virginia Tech engineering student has been charged with her abduction and killing. We still dont know what evidence led police to 18-year-old David Eisenhauer, a track star from Columbia, Md., who ran for Virginia Tech. A second arrest Sunday was just as shocking. Natalie Marie Keepers, 19, is accused of helping Eisenhauer get rid of Nicoles body. Shes an engineering student from Laurel, Md., who once interned at NASA. Police told Nicoles mom, Tammy Weeks, that they think the sweet-faced girl met Eisenhauer online. Two Virginia Tech students are charged in the death of a seventh grade girl. Here is what you need to know about the investigation. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post) The details of that are still unclear, but heres what we know for sure: Nicole led an active, imaginary life online, meeting people on Kik, a messaging app that has been the bane of law enforcement officials for the past couple of years. The app grants users anonymity, it allows searches by age and lets users send photos that arent stored on phones. Its popular with tweens and teens and predators. Unfortunately, we see it every day, said Lt. James Bacon, head of the Fairfax County Police Departments child exploitation unit. That unit caught a State Department senior counterterrorism official, Daniel Rosen, trying to arrange a tryst with a child using Kik. He pleaded guilty to stalking and voyeurism and is serving a 32-month prison sentence. And he hasnt been the only one using this app to hunt victims. Kik became the latest thing, Bacon said. Its attractive to predators because of its anonymity. You can make a Kik account and you can make yourself out to be anyone you want to be. And because Kik is based in Canada, Bacon said, law enforcement officials have had a tough time getting the company to cooperate on cases an assertion Kik disputes. Kik cooperates with law enforcement to combat child predators anywhere in the world, either upon provision of a court order, or in emergency situations when there is an urgent threat to life or physical safety, a spokesman said in a statement Monday night. In this particular case, we were active in helping the FBI carry out their investigation. This shadow world may be where Eisenhauer met Nicole, police told her mother. It was some off-the-wall site I never heard of, Weeks said in an interview with The Washington Post. In the digital age, any parent can be Tammy Weeks. Smartphones have made it easier to keep tabs on our children and much, much harder. Teens have been outmaneuvering their mothers and fathers for decades. Back in my day, we told our parents we were spending the night at Melanies house when we were really at the Echo and the Bunnymen show an hour away, Ferris Buellering our way through adolescence. But a lot of times, our parents won, because they caught us sneaking out. Or they called Melanies mom. This world? The predators arent just hiding behind the Galaga machine at the arcade. Theyre in our kids pockets, in their backpacks, in their bedrooms. Its not okay to play the Luddite. Bumbling dad with the remote control only the kids can figure out needs to die along with dad jeans. Know your kids digital lives. Prowl their email, their laptops and their phones. Have your kids passwords, Bacon said. Have a working idea of how to use your kids phone. Mom and Dad bought it for them, for crying out loud. They need to know how to use it. Remember iPhone dad? Hes the poor guy who had a two-year legal battle in Dallas after he was arrested on a property-theft charge for taking away his daughters iPhone when she used it in a horrid way. He was right. Be like iPhone dad. Bacon said he tells parents to never let their kids have in-depth, online conversations with strangers. If your kid has crossed the line, ask your phone carrier to have your kids phone mirrored to your phone. Every text, every picture they send, Mom and Dad can see on their device, he said. My kids hate it when I do that. Too bad. Not long ago, I was going through the search history on my 11-year-old sons laptop. Nerf guy, Lego, Nerf, Cats vs. Cucumbers, Curves. Wait! Curves? I clicked on that one, my stomach lurching at the thought of a porn conversation with my tween. Curves the Hot Wheels Track Builder Challenge! Whew. But who knows what the next day will bring? And thats chilling. Because Nicole had no idea about the potential dangers lurking at the edges of her online fantasy world. Remember what the lieutenant said: The police see it every day. Twitter: @petulad A former Charles County Circuit Court judge pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor charge of violating a persons civil rights stemming from an incident in which he ordered a sheriffs deputy to shock a man whose trial he was about to oversee, authorities said. Robert C. Nalley, 72, faces up to a year in prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for March 31, prosecutors said. He was banned from the bench in 2014 about a month after the incident became public. [Former Md. judge charged with violating defendants civil rights] As a part of his plea in federal district court in Maryland, Nalley admitted that he ordered a Charles County sheriffs deputy to activate a stun cuff on the ankle of 25-year-old Delvon L. King, who was appearing in front of Nalley on July 23, 2014, for his trial on gun offenses. Nalley allowed the trial to go forward even after the incident, and King was convicted. His lawyers, though, later asked for a new trial and eventually resolved the charges with an agreement that would allow King to avoid a criminal conviction if he obeyed certain conditions. Aligarh: A law student at the Aligarh Muslim University was shot at and critically wounded by nine persons at Shamshad Market, adjoining the university campus. The victim, Mohammad Khalid, was returning to his hostel after a students' meeting to discuss the issue of minority character of AMU when the assailants on separate bikes opened fire at him and then attacked him with a sharp-edged weapon, AMU spokesperson Rahat Abrar said. The victim was rushed to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College where his condition is stated to be serious. "Personal rivalry led to the incident," Mr Abrar said. A First Information Report or FIR was registered at Civil Lines police station against nine persons including five AMU students and some former students. Those named in the FIR include Siraj, Faisal Mustafa, Divyaanshu, Dawood and Mohammad Faizan. Federal prosecutors have charged former Charles County Circuit Court judge Robert C. Nalley who once deflated the tire of courthouse cleaning woman with violating the civil rights of a defendant by ordering a sheriffs deputy to administer an electrical shock to the man inside his courtroom. The deputy pressed a button that sent a 50,000-volt electrical charge to the Stun-Cuff attached to the ankle of the defendant, Delvon L. King, 25. King screamed and immediately dropped to the floor, according to witnesses and a court transcript. Prosecutors last month charged Nalley with deprivation of rights under color of law, a misdemeanor. The charge came through a criminal information rather than a grand jury indictment. Such a move often signals that the defendant has agreed to plead guilty. The charge against Nalley carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Nalleys criminal defense attorney, Robert C. Bonsib, declined to comment. Nalley, 72, did not respond to a phone message. Nalley, who is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt on Monday, retired in 2013, but at the time of the incident had been given permission by the Court of Appeals of Maryland to continue to serve on a part-time basis. On July 23, 2014, Nalley was presiding over jury selection in a case involving King, who was charged with three gun offenses in connection with a November 2013 traffic stop in Waldorf. According to court papers, King, a passenger in the car, was carrying a loaded handgun. Prospective jurors had not yet been brought into the courtroom when King, who was acting as his own attorney, tried to assert what he believed was a legal argument and cited principles of common right and common reason, according to a court transcript. (King considered himself a sovereign citizen and did not believe the governments laws applied to him.) Stop, Nalley said. King continued speaking, according to the transcript. Nalley ordered Charles County Deputy Sheriff Charles P. Deehan to shock King. Do it, Nalley told the deputy. Use it. Twice, Deehan pushed a button to administer an electrical shock to Kings ankle, to no effect, the deputy later told a sheriffs investigator. Deehan hit the button a third time and King went down to the ground, according to the sheriffs report by Sgt. Patti Garino, which was obtained through a Maryland public records request. The court transcript described Kings reaction: (DEFENDANT SCREAMS). Authorities summoned paramedics, who examined King and determined he was not seriously injured, according to Garinos report. Nalley then proceeded with the case and a jury convicted King of the gun charges. King then agreed to let Michael Beach, the chief public defender in Charles County, represent him. Beach filed a motion for a new trial, asserting that Kings rights to a fair trial were violated because the sheriffs office outfitted him with a Stun-Cuff without a judicial hearing, and that the use of the Stun-Cuff limited his ability to represent himself because he was in fear of being electrocuted again. In November 2014, prosecutors and Beach resolved Kings gun charges with a probation before judgment agreement, in which the defendant avoids a criminal conviction if he abides by conditions imposed by the court. The agreement called for King to spend two years in jail, most of which he had already served, and Beach withdrew the motion for a new trial. As part of her investigation, Garino took statements from a dozen witnesses, including Nalley, according to her report. Nalley told Garino that King was citing case law that was irrelevant. When he asked both sides whether they had any questions for prospective jurors, King was rude and non-responsive, Nalley told Garino. King was preventing us from the court proceeding, Nalley told Garino, explaining why he ordered Deehan to shock the defendant. After Deehan administered the shock, King returned and behaved appropriately, Nalley said. Kings case was originally not assigned to Nalley, but to Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier, the chief administrative judge in Charles County Circuit Court. On the day of the incident, King appeared before Bragunier for jury selection. Bragunier told Garino that King was belligerent and was speaking over her, according to Garinos report. She directed a court security officer to take King to Nalley for jury selection and to Let Judge Nalley know he is acting up. In a statement last week, the sheriffs office said deputies made the decision to outfit King with a Stun-Cuff because he had allegedly fled from a prior court hearing. A court security supervisor advised Nalley that King was wearing the device, and the judge did not object. The statement noted that Deehan has undergone additional training. About a month after the incident became public, in September 2014, the Court of Appeals of Maryland, the states highest court, banned Nalley from the bench. The court did not state why, but said it had found good cause to take the action. The alleged civil rights violation is not the first crime Nalley has been charged with. On Aug. 10, 2009, Nalley deflated the tire of a 2004 Toyota Corolla that was parked in a restricted area near the La Plata courthouse. Charles County sheriffs deputies witnessed the incident, and one of them recorded it. The judge placed a pen or other sharp instrument into the tires valve to release the air. Nalley considered the spot his; it turned out the car belonged to a woman on the courthouse cleaning crew who parked there because she did not want to walk through the courthouse parking lot at night. Two months later, Nalley pleaded guilty to tampering with a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor. A district court judge ordered Nalley to pay a $500 fine and write a heartfelt letter of apology to the woman. Police in Prince Georges County have identified a 45-year-old man who was shot Saturday afternoon in the Capitol Heights area. The incident happened around 3:40 p.m. in the 300 block of Addison Road South. Police responded to a report of gunshots. When they arrived, they found a man who was later identified as Gilbert Hall III of Lyman Place in Northeast Washington suffering from a gunshot wound. Hall was taken to an area hospital where he died, police said. Police said they do not have a motive, and they are trying to identify a suspect or suspects in the case. Police do not believe it was a random shooting. Anyone with information is asked to call 301-772-4925. Angelina Marquez is an abuse survivor and former police officer in El Salvador who is seeking asylum in the United States. (Kate Patterson/For The Washington Post) One woman described being raped, strangled and bashed against a wall by the father of her twin boys. Two teenagers said they were forced to become sex slaves for gang members. A young mother was severely beaten by her ex-boyfriend and obtained a court order against him, but gang members broke into her house and destroyed it. All of them are seeking asylum in the United States, but not because of war, political persecution or the notorious gang battles that have led to unprecedented murder rates in their Central American homelands. They are seeking refuge from a more intimate danger: abuse at the hands of men. He was very violent. He forced me many times. I ran away but he always found me again, said the 27-year-old Honduran mother of twins, who was detained by federal agents this month and remains in federal custody. Her lawyers identified her only as Juliza to protect her from potential retaliation. In my country, nobody pays attention to what women suffer, she said in a telephone interview. We are just expected to endure. [Federal officials released young immigrants to traffickers in 2014] A high percentage of the women seeking asylum from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras are basing their claims on domestic or sexual violence, according to lawyers and advocates. They say their personal suffering sets them apart from others who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally over the past two years and qualifies them to be protected under laws originally passed to shelter foreigners facing political, religious or social persecution. Many of the Central American women have no police or hospital records of their abuse and could have a hard time proving their stories. Moreover, gender-based violence has been accepted as legal grounds for asylum only since the 1990s, and the issue remains controversial; critics say that if every abused woman in a poor country were allowed to seek sanctuary in the United States, the floodgates would open. This is potentially opening asylum to scores of millions of women in backward societies with different social expectations, said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington. Arent women beaten in Haiti and India and Mexico, too? This has no relation to what asylum is supposed to be about. But as the national debate over illegal immigration continues to rage, and the Obama administration struggles to find a way to keep longtime immigrants here while deporting those who came more recently, experts say more asylum claims based on domestic abuse are likely. [Obama struggling with rules, cruelties of deportation] Of the 12 women who were granted emergency stays of deportation this month after being rounded up with their children by federal agents, at least seven say they came to the United States to escape abuse by a male partner. The strongest cases we have are based on domestic or sexual violence, said Kathryn Shepherd, a volunteer lawyer working with Juliza and other women who were sent to a federal facility in Dilley, Tex. Some were afraid to go to the police for fear of retaliation, and some are still psychologically traumatized. Acting with brutal impunity A second opportunity for sanctuary, announced two weeks ago by Secretary of State John F. Kerry, could generate a separate stream of petitions by women facing violence. In cooperation with the United Nations, U.S. officials plan to open centers in all three countries of Central Americas northern triangle where people can apply for permanent resettlement as refugees in the United States. Usually, such programs are established in areas of military conflict or state persecution, such as Syria or Rwanda. The last time Central Americans were granted refugee protection was during the era of civil wars and military repression in the 1980s and early 1990s. But now, after a generation of civilian rule, experts said violence has become so widespread and the governments are failing so badly to protect civilian victims that extraordinary measures are needed. This is not a traditional conflict with armies in uniform or governments targeting dissidents, said William Frelich, a Washington-based official of the nonprofit group Human Rights Watch. Here we have predatory private groups acting with brutal impunity forcibly recruiting boys, sexually enslaving girls as well as abuse in the domestic context. These women and children are literally fleeing for their lives. [A pre-dawn knock, and then they were gone] Critics said that advocates for illegal immigrants are conflating gang brutality with domestic violence in hopes that women abused at home a far more common situation can sneak into the asylum tent. They are brainstorming for ways to keep women from being deported, Krikorian said. Its a pretext for legal mischief and an excuse to prevent the enforcement of immigration laws. The stories told by a dozen Central American women currently seeking asylum some in detention, others free while waiting court hearings are tangled tales of tortured relationships with husbands, estranged boyfriends or gang members. All involve violence, often including rape. Most of the women said their children were also threatened or in danger. In many cases, the abuse was part of a complicated set of circumstances with more than one attacker, and it did not fit neatly into a single category for asylum claims. Some women said they were victims of incest; others said they or their relatives were coerced by gang members in ways that included financial extortion or sexual servitude. Yolanda, a Salvadoran woman who fled to the United States with her adolescent daughter, said she was sexually abused for years by the same relative, then threatened by gangs. Mayra, a Salvadoran mother of two, reported she had been raped and beaten by her ex-partner while pregnant, and said gang members ransacked her house after she tried to have him arrested. Yolanda and Mayra are among the women in federal detention; both were identified only partially by their lawyers to protect them from retaliation. I never planned to leave Some single women and girls who fled to the border said they were trying to escape gang members who forced them to have sex, hide drugs or weapons, and perform other illegal tasks. Advocates say many women who flee domestic violence are deported without ever telling their stories to an immigration judge. A teenager named Ana, now living in the Washington area, said she submitted to a gangs demands after members threatened to kill her grandparents. The first time she ran away, she was caught and beaten unconscious. The second time she managed to cross the border on foot. Even to this day, she is still receiving messages from the gang on Facebook, threatening how they would torture her in specific ways if she ever came back, said Andrea Rodriguez, a lawyer in Arlington, Va,. who is representing Ana in her asylum case and declined to provide her last name. The gangs consider the girls their property. Today, the three northern triangle countries are often described by experts as chaotic, failed states where years of civil war and social collapse gave way to an explosion of gang and drug violence, overwhelming and corrupting law enforcement institutions. Murder rates in El Salvador and Honduras have skyrocketed; gangs control large swaths of territory and routinely extort rent from even modest businesses. Those who resist often become another statistic. The circle of violence is growing wider and more barbaric, and death seems normal, said Angelina Marquez, a former policewoman and counselor for abused women and minors in El Salvador, who now lives in Northern Virginia. There are 12-year-olds committing massacres, bodies cut up in pieces, and so much violence against women, she said. Marquez fled her homeland in 2014 after her father was murdered for testifying against gang members who had burned a man alive. Before she left, she said, the gang came after her and beat her nearly to death a way of further retaliating against her family. She was apprehended by immigration agents after entering the United States and released while awaiting deportation proceedings. She has applied for asylum based on the violence she and her family suffered back home. Despite her background in law enforcement, Marquez said, even I didnt want to go to the police to report the gang assault. I never planned to leave my country, but there is nothing left. An Amtrak train that left Washington en route to New York was briefly delayed Sunday night after being struck by objects in a Philadelphia neighborhood. At least one of the objects apparently damaged a window. Amtrak said no one was reported injured when the train, Acela Express No. 2222 was struck around 6:55 p.m. in the Bridesburg neighborhood of north Philadelphia. The train halted for a time to permit investigation of what Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly D. Woods said was an incident of objects being thrown. The train arrived in New York shortly after 8 p.m. Both Amtrak and local authorities were investigating, Woods said. A photograph posted on Twitter showed fracture lines radiating in a circular pattern from what appeared to be a dent in one of the trains windows. However, the window appeared to remain intact. Woods said 201 passengers were on board the train. No injuries were reported to them or to crew members, she said. They were apparently startled however according to a Twitter account from someone on board. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and GOP legislative leaders struck deal last week on an issue on which they have never seen eye to eye: guns. The most surprising part of all was that it reversed action that Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) had taken just last month to sever reciprocity rights of gun owners in 25 states with concealed-weapons standards looser than Virginias. Although McAuliffe and the GOP had privately agreed to portray the deal as a win for both sides, the reactions from activists differed starkly. The gun-rights camp hailed it as a major victory, while the gun-safety camp said it had been betrayed. Heres what you need to know about the deal as the controversy enters its second week: [Virginia gun-safety activists feel betrayed by McAuliffes gift to the gun lobby] In December, Virginia's attorney general announced it would no longer honor concealed-carry handgun permits from 25 states. Now thanks to a bipartisan deal with the governor, that declaration won't got into effect on Feb. 1st. Heres why. (Ashleigh Joplin/The Washington Post) Does this deal expand gun rights? Yes. The deal goes beyond restoring the reciprocity rights that Herring had planned to revoke, directing him to strike reciprocity deals with every state that offers them. If the legislature approves the deal, more out-of-state gun owners will be allowed to carry concealed weapons in Virginia, and Virginians will be able to carry concealed weapons in other parts of the country. Does it also tighten restrictions on guns? Yes, but in a more nuanced way. The deal would make it a felony under Virginia law for someone subject to a two-year protective order to possess a gun. Possession for such a person is already illegal under federal law. But because local police, not federal agents, respond to domestic incidents, abusers could be more likely to face charges. And because possession in such cases would be a felony, anyone convicted would lose the right to possess a firearm for life, barring subsequent restoration of civil rights through the governor. The deal also calls for putting a state trooper at every gun show to run background checks for private sellers who currently have no way to check buyers criminal histories. But those checks would remain optional. The McAuliffe administration says the troopers mere presence probably would scare off felons and other illegal buyers. The administration also hopes that many sellers, fearing civil liability, will opt to make the checks. Gun-rights legislators rejected a bill calling for voluntary checks as recently as last year. If both sides gave up something, why is the left alone howling? Gun-safety advocates felt blindsided by the deal, which came the week after the governor stood with them and Herring at a rally, where the attorney generals reciprocity move was celebrated. That camp contends that it had a victory in hand, and that the governor gave it away. Gun-rights activists, on the other hand, started the year furious with Herrings action but lacking a clear path to reverse it. So to them, the deal feels like a reprieve. Whats the political spin on all this? McAuliffes camp says that the gun-safety crowd got a good deal, and that the progress on background checks and domestic abusers is more critical than concessions on reciprocity. It echoes an argument long advanced by the gun-rights side: Gun owners who take the time to get a government permit are not the biggest threat to safety. Gun-rights Republicans, however, say they got the better end of the deal by not only having reciprocity restored but expanded. They contend what their concessions on optional background checks and abusers were in territory that had grown harder to defend. Where is the attorney general on this? Its unclear, but he hardly seems happy about it. The governors office was working on the deal to undo one of Herrings biggest achievements for at least a week before it let him know what was in the works. Herring has not taken a public position on the deal and was notably absent from a news conference Friday, when McAuliffe and GOP leaders rolled out the deal. Herrings spokesman said he had a prior commitment. McAuliffe and his team have artfully credited Herring for bringing everyone to the table suggesting that by yanking reciprocity, Herring so freaked out the gun-rights folks that they were willing to make a deal. But Herrings absence on this has been conspicuous, particularly at Fridays event, when McAuliffe asked the crowd to give the absent AG a round of applause. Awkward! John Adams, a Chesterfield County native, former naval officer and Virginia attorney, announced that he will seek the Republican nomination for attorney general in 2017. (Courtesy of John Adams for VA) A second Republican has announced that he is seeking the partys nomination for attorney general in 2017. John Adams, a former federal prosecutor and naval officer who worked in the President George W. Bush White House, said last week that hes best qualified to challenge Attorney General Mark Herring (D), who is running for a second term. Del. Robert B. Bell (R-Albemarle) is also running for the GOP nod, he announced in December. [Republican Rob Bell vows to oust Herring as Va. attorney general] Adams, 42, of Chesterfield, is a first-time candidate. Ive spent most of my life in public service and I just have a deep care for my state and my country and I always have. You start to see things as an attorney that folks who have been running the show dont seem to be doing it the right way, he said. Democrats quickly pounced, dubbing Adams the Hobby Lobby lawyer for filing a brief supporting a 2014 Supreme Court decision that protects some corporations from having to provide contraceptive coverage that offends the owners religious beliefs. John Adams fought for a principle Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg called a minefield that would deny legions of women who do not hold their employers beliefs access to contraceptive coverage during the infamous Hobby Lobby case, Susan Swecker, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party, said in a statement. The party likened Adams to former attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, a Republican who lost to Terry McAuliffe in the governors race. In 2013, women rejected candidates who sought to infringe upon their access to health care, and Adamss clear stance echoes Ken Cuccinellis dangerous and invasive views that hinder a womans right to choose and access to birth control, Swecker said. Adams shrugged off the criticism and said his experience makes him the best choice to take on Herring, who has become a hero to the left for his stances on gun control, abortion rights and immigration. Adams graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and went on to serve two tours of duty in the Persian Gulf, and in Central America for counter-narcotics operations as a U.S. Navy officer. After that, he went to the University of Virginia law school and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas before serving as associate White House counsel in the Bush administration, according to his campaign. He returned to the Richmond area as a federal prosecutor and now leads the government investigations department at McGuire Woods, the powerhouse law firm. State Sen. Richard H. Black (R-Loudoun) put forth a bill that would have largely done away with the need to obtain a permit before carrying a concealed weapon. (Bob Brown/AP) Just days after Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) struck a gun deal with Republican leaders, the Virginia Senate reverted to its mostly partisan habits on the issue. On the floor was a bill from Sen. Richard H. Black (R-Loudoun), which would have largely done away with the need to obtain a permit before carrying a concealed weapon. He referred to the measure as constitutional carry. Its based on the idea that the Second Amendment is a constitutional right and that citizens have a right to carry firearms without permission of the government, Black explained recently. Its analogous to the First Amendment, where you dont need a government permit to tell you what you can say and what you cant. [Five things that (kind of) explain McAuliffes gun deal with the GOP] The argument did not carry the day in the Senate, which the GOP controls by a 21-19 margin. Sen. Emmett W. Hanger Jr. (R-Augusta), a moderate known for crossing party lines on some hot-button issues, joined with Democrats to vote against the bill, leading to a 20-20 tie. Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who presides over the chamber, broke the tie by voting against the bill. The bill was unrelated to the gun deal that McAuliffe and Republican legislators unveiled last week. But the near-party-line vote indicates that, despite the bipartisan nature of the earlier agreement, guns remain a difficult issue in Richmond. Indeed, even that deal was the subject of continued controversy, with gun-safety advocates still complaining bitterly that the gun-rights side got the better end of the deal. Blacks bill would have eliminated the need to get a concealed-carry permit, with anyone who is legally entitled to carry a weapon automatically allowed to carry it concealed. Permits would have been issued only if a Virginian wanted one to show when traveling out of state. The broader McAuliffe-GOP gun deal reversed Attorney General Mark R. Herrings recent action to sever reciprocity rights of gun owners in states with concealed-weapons standards looser than Virginias. The deal, which still needs approval from the legislature, would direct Herring (D) to strike reciprocity deals with every state that offers them. [Virginia gun-safety activists feel betrayed by McAuliffes gift to the gun lobby] The deal also would make it a felony under Virginia law for someone subject to a two-year protective order to possess a gun. And it calls for putting a state trooper at every gun show to run background checks for private sellers who currently have no way to check buyers criminal histories. Those checks would be optional for private vendors. Bengaluru: Tension prevailed at Ganapathi Nagar in Soladevanahalli police station limits on Sunday night after the local residents torched two cars belonging to African students after one of the cars mowed down a 35-year-old woman. The police resorted to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the angry crowd. It is alleged that Mohammed Ahad, 20, who was behind the wheels, was driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of accident, but it is yet to be ascertained. He is a B.Pharma student at Mallige College of Pharmacy in Chikkabanavara and a resident of Tarabanahalli. The woman who died in the accident has been identified as Shabana Taj, wife of Sanaullah, a welder. The family stays near Acharya Institute of Technology. The couple was returning home after a walk when the accident occurred around 7.30 pm on Acharya College Road. As they were crossing the road, a Fiat Palio car, which was allegedly being driven recklessly, knocked down the couple. Shabana sustained fatal injuries and died on the spot, while Sanaullah sustained multiple fractures. The African student, Ahad, was allegedly returning home after a party. His car had hit two two-wheelers and a car just few metres behind the accident spot, where the woman was knocked down, eyewitnesses said. Ahad abandoned his car and tried to flee, but the local residents chased him, thrashed him and handed him over to the police. As people were behind Ahad, they noticed three Tanzanian students, including a girl, in another car near Saptagiri Engineering College. Mistaking them to be Ahads friends, the mob attacked the three students and set their car on fire. The police rushed to the spot and rescued the three students, who were beaten up for no mistake of theirs. At the spot of the accident, the other local residents had already set Ahads car on fire, which was completely gutted. As the angry crowd went on the rampage, the police resorted to a mild lathi charge to disperse them. All the four African students were taken to Saptagiri Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment. The police have also detained a few people on charges of arson. Imran, a local resident and an eyewitness, said that the accused student did not stop the car after the accident and tried to speed away. Local residents managed to chase him down and attacked him. Road accicents keep happening, especially during weekends, as the students indulge in drunk driving, he said. The locals, who staged a protest following the incident, demanded strict action against the accused students and threatened to observe bandh on Monday. Senior police officers rushed to the spot and additional police force were deployed to avert any untoward incident. Cases have been registered in Jalahalli traffic police station in connection with the accident and in Soladevanahalli station for the mob attack. Tenuous ties: The fight between local residents and African students has become a frequent affair in Kothanur, Soladevanahalli and surrounding areas, where a large number of African stay. In April last year, African nationals were attacked by the locals in Kothanur for allegedly creating nuisance in public. In August, three locals were arrested for assaulting an African national. The Lakes of the Clouds Hut sits just below the summit of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. (Lisa Marie Pane/AP) More than five decades since a backcountry hut for hikers was last built in New Hampshires White Mountains, a new plan to put one less than two miles into the woods has stirred passions among some outdoor lovers who say the mountains are already overrun by wealthy out-of-staters who are trampling on a fragile part of the world and undermining the outdoor experience. The Appalachian Mountain Club proposed building Sparkling Cascade a place for up to 50 hikers to get some rest, a hot meal and a bunk for the night in a section of Crawford Notch. A clearing would also be created to allow a helicopter to drop in supplies, and a parking lot would be built at the trailhead to accommodate 30 to 50 vehicles. The club says the shelter would be close enough to the main road that people who might not ordinarily get into the mountains older people, youngsters on their first hikes or just newbies could more easily experience the outdoors. The new structure would be located between two huts that are 14 miles apart, allowing a hiker to put together a hut-to-hut experience at shorter mileage. That would be particularly useful in winter, when conditions in the White Mountains are especially unpredictable and the days are shorter. A route would also connect to the Appalachian Trail, the 2,189-mile footpath that stretches from Georgia to Maine. We want to be sure that the connection to the outdoors that we know and love is available to a wide range of people, said Paul Cunha, vice president of outdoor operations for the 140-year-old club. The nonprofit groups first hut Madison Spring was built in 1888 in the northern Presidential range, where the peaks tower to more than 5,000 feet. Of the clubs eight huts in the White Mountains, the newest Mizpah Spring Hut in the southern Presidential range was built as the backpacking craze took off in the 1960s. Since then, use has tripled and the huts are often at capacity. The huts are anything but simple lean-tos. They offer some comforts and shelter from the elements, plus warmth and camaraderie. Some huts provide cooked meals; others offer cook-your-own self-service. All of them are free of the trappings of life back home: There are no TVs, and cellphone service is spotty if it exists at all. The average rate is $60 a night, but prices can go above $100 a price that some critics say keeps the huts out of reach for too many. The proposal for Sparkling Cascade has led to opposition from hikers and lovers of the outdoors who contend the region is already overcrowded, ruining the experience, causing harm to a treasured environment and commercializing this part of the world. In response, the club is now rethinking the proposal and is evaluating other locations, Cunha said. Its too soon to say its off the table, he said, but were looking for a variety of options to mitigate those concerns. He anticipates getting out in the field in the spring and having a revised plan to make public by fall. Chris Magness, a guide with the International Mountain Climbing School in North Conway, was upset when he heard about the plan and felt it was being considered without the publics knowing much about it. So he circulated a petition to draw attention to it; nearly 1,000 people have signed so far. Crawford Notch is very unique, he said. Its rugged. Its beautiful. Its sacred to a lot of people who use the outdoors. . . . Id like future generations to have the same experiences Ive had. Dozens of letters sent to state officials underscore a division. Those who favor the project see it as a chance to introduce the outdoors to those who might otherwise consider the mountains inaccessible. Mark Dindorf, chairman of the board of selectmen for Harts Location, the community within Crawford Notch, considers the hut a chance to expose more people to the outdoors he grew to love since he scaled his first peak in the Whites when he was 5. Though hes concerned the proposed location would encroach on a boreal forest area, overall he believes a new hut would be beneficial. This isnt a huge, sprawling development . . . and its in keeping with history and tradition, said Dindorf, whose wife works for the club. Still others see it as encroaching on a rugged wilderness that stretches over 1,250 square miles. Laura Waterman, the Vermont-based co-author of Forest and Crag, weighed in with a typewritten letter of her own. Once the hut is built the character of the place will change and those woods will never be the same again, she wrote. I see the hut proposal only damaging our beloved mountains and the wild spirit hikers seek. You can chalk it up as another victory for the machines. In what they called a milestone achievement for artificial intelligence, scientists said last week that they have created a computer program that beat a professional human player at go, a complex board game that originated in ancient China. The feat recalled IBM supercomputer Deep Blues 1997 match victory in chess over world champion Garry Kasparov. But go, a strategy game popular in such places as China, South Korea and Japan, is vastly more complicated than chess. Go is considered to be the pinnacle of game AI research, said artificial intelligence researcher Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind, the British company that developed the AlphaGo program. Its been the grand challenge, or holy grail if you like, of AI since Deep Blue beat Kasparov at chess. AlphaGo swept a five-game match against Chinese professional Fan Hui, a three-time European go champion. Until now, the best computer go programs had played only at the level of human amateurs. In go, two players place black and white pieces on a square grid, aiming to take more territory than their adversary. Its a very beautiful game with extremely simple rules that lead to profound complexity. In fact, go is probably the most complex game ever devised by humans, said Hassabis, who was a chess prodigy as a child. Scientists have taken large strides in artificial intelligence in recent years, making computers think and learn more like people do. Hassabis acknowledged that some people might worry about the increasing capabilities of AI after the go accomplishment, but added, Were still talking about a game here. While AlphaGo learns in a more humanlike way, it still needs much more practice millions of games rather than thousands than a human needs to get good at go, Hassabis said. The scientists foresee that similar AI programs might be developed to improve smartphone assistants such as Apples Siri, to aid in medical diagnostics and eventually to collaborate with human scientists in research. Hassabis said South Koreas Lee Sedol, the worlds top go player, has agreed to play AlphaGo in a five-game match in Seoul in March. Lee said in a statement, I heard Google DeepMinds AI is surprisingly strong and getting stronger, but I am confident that I can win, at least this time. The findings were published in the journal Nature. Gregorian chant filled my ears as I looked out the floor-to-ceiling window of the town gym. The morning sunlight hit the yoga studios floor in beams, shadows dancing as cardinals hopped from branch to branch on the trees outside, everything connected, just as it should be during yoga. I had been practicing for about three months and thought I was ready to take my stretches to the next level. I was wrong. There was no telltale crunch or sharp pain as I lay on my back, tossed my legs over my head and forced them to touch the ground behind me. I knew I was hurt only when the slight stiffness in my neck hadnt disappeared by the next day. By the next week, I couldnt fully turn my head, and by the next month, my right arm started going numb. I took myself to the doctor. That was June 2014, and I didnt know it then, but I would eventually find myself in chronic pain, on a journey that would one day have me brushing up against growing concerns about prescription painkillers. As I would discover, the medical community and government officials have been hashing out new guidelines about opioid prescriptions as overdose deaths have surged. Many people with chronic pain say opioids are the only drugs that provide any relief, but with 259 million prescriptions being written a year that was the number for 2012 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is developing recommendations that would urge providers to limit doses of painkillers and to find other treatments, including physical therapy and different drugs for injured patients. My yoga mishap left me with a herniated, or slipped, disk in my spine. The softer center of the disk was protruding through the hard exterior, pinching a nerve. At the time, treatment was simple: physical therapy and a two-week course of steroids for inflammation. Surgery, the doctors said, was a last resort. It took months, but by the fall I was on my way to recovery. Then I reinjured myself, this time during an abdominal workout. Back came the numbness, the headaches, the constant throb at my neck, shooting up toward my eyes and down my spine. I visited the same urgent-care clinic Id been to the first time around. They prescribed me a week of steroids and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and they gave me what Id gone there for a referral to physical therapy. But this time, when I went through my discharge paperwork at home, I noticed a memo that seemed to have been placed there by accident as it couldnt have been talking about me. Across the top, in big bold letters, it read: Pain Management, Chronic. Underneath, the memo started with You have a painful condition that has required frequent use of narcotic-type pain medicine. It went on to recommend that I see my primary-care physician, and it told me to expect to sign a pain contract there, explaining that a pain contract is a letter from your doctor which describes what pain medicine you may receive, how much and how often. Once Id acquired this contract, I was to bring it with me every time I returned to the clinic. This is all well and good, except that Ive never been prescribed narcotics, opioids or any other addictive medication for my neck. As far as I could tell (the clinic declined to comment for this article), I received the documentation based only on the fact that this persistent pain in the neck has been bothering me for a year now, pushing it from acute to chronic. The United States uses 80 percent of the worlds opioids, according to a 2010 article in Pain Physician Journal, yet it makes up less than 5 percent of the worlds population. And 28,647 people a record number died from prescription opioids and heroin overdoses in 2014, according to the CDC. Emergency rooms, clinics and doctors have come under scrutiny in recent years as painkiller addiction has increased along with the death rate. A recent Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health report found fault with the entire supply system of pain medication, asserting that doctors too often prescribed painkillers in excessive amounts and for conditions that did not warrant them. Last year, the Drug Enforcement Agency tightened up rules on dispensing some painkillers, and the CDC is expected to announce new guidelines soon about how doctors should prescribe painkillers. Robert Wergin, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, says that clinics and doctors are playing it safe by making broad use of contracts such as the one I received. Clinics need to cover their backs, he told me. They assume because youre in a chronic-pain category, they should give you the memos. That way, in case they get audited, they can show their paper trail and prove that theyve done due diligence. Doctors do not want to send patients away in pain, Wergin said, but they also do not want to harm patients or get in trouble by overprescribing pain medication. The Hopkins report suggested more-stringent guidelines for prescribing opioids, calling on states to overhaul the way they monitor chronic pain treatment and adopt procedures such as urine screening and collecting data on prescriptions given to patients to make it easier to identify who may need treatment for substance abuse. Doctors are divided. Lynn Webster, a former president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine and the author of The Painful Truth: What Pain Is Really Like and Why It Matters to Each of Us, criticized the Hopkins report. I am amazed that one of our finest educational institutions in America failed to address the most important source of the prescription drug abuse problem in their report, he said. Not once did the report discuss the lack of safe and effective treatments for pain. The report lacks attention to the needs of people in pain. Caleb Alexander, lead author of the report, said that while he agrees that new and more effective pain treatments are necessary, the point of the report was to suggest ways to make current treatments safer. The goal was to make recommendations to reduce an incredibly high rate of injury and death associated with opioids, Alexander said. My concern with focusing on safer treatments is that it distracts from the epidemic of prescription opioids. Many doctors agree that new federal guidelines including a full physical exam and medical history on each pain patient, starting patients on the lowest effective dose, implementing pain contracts and closely monitoring pain medication use are necessary. Growing awareness of the problem and discussion about the soon-to-be-released CDC guidelines are already resulting in better interactions, Wergin said. Before, we were trying to treat pain in a less structured environment, and it was harder to see the full picture, he said. Now states are keeping more detailed records and centralizing them so the patients entire care management team has easy access to what exactly is going on at any given time. Without pain contracts and without knowing a persons history, clinics could accidentally prescribe a patient too much pain medication. However, pain contracts are being administered broadly, even to patients like me who have never taken opioids. Some critics say that can damage the doctor-patient relationship. With chronic pain, you have to have that trust and relationship, to help people feel like people. Sometimes we can be labeled as prescription writers, Wergin said. Urgent-care clinics have it harder than I do because they dont know their patients. Theyre doing the best they can, and they want the patient to be satisfied with their service, and so they want the pain gone for the patient. While some parts of the notice I received didnt apply to me specifically, Wergin said, the rest of the advice was sound. Pain patients should have a primary-care doctor, he said. The outcomes will be better. Theyll get to know their doctor over time, and the doctor will come to know them as well. Theres a level of trust there. But Webster said the guidelines are doing nothing to promote best practice. Guidelines are superficial, he told me. They dont look at the core of the problem, which is pain. You cannot solve the prescription drug problem until you solve the pain problem unless you want to ignore the suffering of 100 million Americans. He characterized the Hopkins report as focused on risk management and law enforcement options, without attention to the needs of people in pain. The long-term solution is that we need safer, more-effective, nonaddictive drugs developed and available for pain patients. No one is working on this. Thats a failure within the system. Alexander said the development of those types of drugs is a laudable goal, but it is not practical in the immediate conversation. Treatment developments do little to help the people dying today, and today 44 people will die of prescriptions to opioids, he said. We are looking at the immediate future and the likelihood of turning this around right now. We want comprehensive, concrete, evidence-based solutions. Webster said he was neither pro- nor anti-opioid. I am pro-patient. And today, opioids are our only option to treat many chronic pain conditions. Its up to us to develop better methods. As for this patient, I intend to stay with my two ibuprofen a day and go to my primary-care doctor if I need help with pain. Cunha is a freelance writer. It torments the young and terrorizes the old. It carved caverns in Emily Dickinsons soul and left William Blake bereaved of light. Loneliness, long a bane of humanity, is increasingly seen today as a serious public health hazard. Scientists who have identified significant links between loneliness and illness are pursuing the precise biological mechanisms that make it such a menace, digging down to the molecular level and finding that social isolation changes the human genome in profound, long-lasting ways. Not only that, but the potential for damage caused by these genetic changes appears comparable to the injuries to health from smoking and, even worse, from diabetes and obesity. The scientists conclusion: Loneliness can be a lethal risk. And the United States which so prizes individuality is doing far too little to alleviate it. [The top 10 songs that know just what its like to feel lonely] In public health, we talk all the time about obesity and smoking and have all these interventions, but not about people who are lonely and socially isolated, said Kerstin Gerst Emerson, an assistant professor at the University of Georgias Institute of Gerontology. There are really tangible, terrible outcomes. Lonely people are dying, theyre less healthy, and they are costing our society more. Psychologist Steve Cole, who studies how social environments affect gene expression, says researchers have known for years that lonely people are at greater risk for heart attacks, metastatic cancer, Alzheimers and other ills. But we havent understood why, he said. Then last year, Cole and his colleagues at the UCLA School of Medicine, along with collaborators at the University of California at Davis and the University of Chicago, uncovered complex immune system responses at work in lonely people. They found that social isolation turned up the activity of genes responsible for inflammation and turned down the activity of genes that produce antibodies to fight infection. The abnormalities were discovered in monocytes, a type of white blood cell, produced in the bone marrow, that is dramatically changed in people who are socially isolated. Monocytes play a special immunological role and are one of the bodys first lines of defense against infection. However, immature monocytes cause inflammation and reduce antibody protection. And they are what proliferates in the blood of lonely people. Such cellular changes, says University of Chicago social neuroscientist John Cacioppo, are a byproduct of human evolution. Early on, when survival depended crucially on cooperation and communication, social isolation was a huge risk. So evolution shaped the primitive human brain to desire and need social interaction in the same way it shaped the brain to desire and need food. The pain of loneliness is like the pain of hunger its a biological signal that something is wrong. [The more relationships you have, the healthier youll be] When you get hungry you may not be aware your blood sugar level is dropping, but if youre driving and you see the golden arches [of McDonalds], youll pull in for food, Cacioppo said. Today, social isolation is often an unavoidable lifestyle. But it puts the body, on the cellular level, on constant alert for a threat. That helps explain why lonely people are more likely to act negatively toward others, which makes it that much harder for them to forge relationships. I do see these patients all the time, said psychiatrist Jacqueline Olds, who has a private practice in Cambridge, Mass., and has co-written two books on the subject. Many of the people who end up lonely give off signals they want to be alone out of anxiety. . . . Feeling left out has a huge effect on our psyche from our evolutionary worries that everyone else will survive and we wont. The most broadly accepted definition of loneliness is the distress people feel when reality fails to meet their ideal of social relationships. Loneliness is not synonymous with being alone. Many people live solitary lives but are not lonely. Conversely, being surrounded by others is no guarantee against loneliness. Loneliness is also not the same as depression, though the two often go hand in hand. The first, related to the drive to belong, is motivational. The other, a more general feeling of sadness or hopelessness, is not. At the University of Georgia, Gerst and health economist Jayani Jayawardhana wanted to see how widespread the distress from loneliness actually is. They analyzed longitudinal data from two national health and retirement studies conducted in 2008 and 2012. Through the answers provided by 7,060 individuals 60 and older, the researchers concluded that chronic loneliness was a significant public health issue, one that contributes to a cycle of illness and health-care utilization. Among their more unusual findings: Even when controlling for an increase in physician visits because of illness, loneliness appeared to be an important predictor of those visits. The doctor-patient relationship, it seemed, provided one of the few social outlets for isolated people. Psychotherapist Matt Lundquist, director of TriBeCa Therapy in New York City, has become something of an expert on loneliness. Hardly a week goes by, he says, without one of his patients expressing agony over something seen on Facebook. Its a reinforcement that everybody has these connections and [they] dont, he said Friday. Lundquist is shocked that there isnt more conversation about social isolation within public-health circles. Loneliness is a brutal issue. [Loneliness can take years off your life] A study published online last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests there is also a parallel effect with health and loneliness. With every positive increase in social relationships, researchers in North Carolina and China saw improvement in specific physiological biomarkers such as blood pressure and body mass index. The largest positive effect was associated with those who had a variety of relationships, such as with friends, romantic partners and co-workers. Each one of these may provide different pathways . . . [that] can potentially impact health, said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a psychologist at Brigham Young University who recently analyzed 70 different loneliness studies from around the world. They covered more than 3.4 million participants over a period of 35 years. Many researchers believe the United States is not doing enough to address loneliness as a public health issue. For inspiration, they point to the United Kingdom. Begun in 2011, its national Campaign to End Loneliness involves five social-service agencies and about 2,500 smaller organizations, all working to raise peoples awareness of loneliness. Much of our time is spent campaigning: communicating with, convincing and persuading those who make choices about health and health-care spending to tackle and prevent loneliness, Kellie Payne, the campaigns learning and research manager, wrote in an email. German psychoanalyst Frieda Fromm-Reichmann could have predicted the science more than a half-century ago. One of the first to examine social isolation from an empirical perspective, she wrote that the naked horror of loneliness shadows our lives because the longing for intimacy is always with us. There is no human being who is not threatened by its loss. An Aedes aegypti mosquito is photographed through a microscope at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil. (Felipe Dana/AP) A student at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., has contracted the Zika virus, but appears to pose no health risk, according to school officials. The student was traveling in Central America during the colleges winter break, officials said in an online statement. The Zika virus, carried by mosquitos, is now in two dozen countries and territories across the Americas. Brazil has been reported as the epicenter, and some health experts believe it could cause an abnormally small head and brain in babies born to mothers who contracted Zika while pregnant. [Why the United State is so vulnerable to the alarming spread of Zika virus] Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and other ailments similar to the flu. What you need to know about the Zika virus Scientists have begun to connect the Zika virus to steep rises in a serious birth defect and a rare autoimmune disorder. The statement added that colleges health team and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) believed there is believed to be no health risk to anyone on campus. The college gave no further details on the student. It is our understanding that, thankfully, the student is expected to recover fully and is not currently experiencing symptoms, the college said. The World Health Organization has said it will hold an emergency meeting to try to find ways to stop the spread of the virus. It is expected that the virus, which is spreading rapidly, could infect up to 4 million people in 12 months. Mumbai: A jilted lover allegedly in a bid to kill a two-year-old boy flung him from the terrace of a one-floor structure, from the height of over 20 feet, into a wide nullah cutting across a chawl located in Juhu area of Vile Parle (west) on Saturday evening. The child is battling for his life in the Cooper Hospital. The 25-year-old accused was allegedly in love with the boys mother and he allegedly tried to kill the child as the mother had rejected his advances. Police sources said that it was an act of revenge since the woman had refused to divorce her husband and marry the accused. He has been arrested. The incident occurred around 4.30 pm in a small chawl located behind Juhu Taj society near Juhu circle. The police have refused to identify the name, age and residence of the accused saying their seniors have asked them not to speak to the media. The arrested accused reached the boys home when his father was away at work. The childs mother was present there when the accused tried to convince her to leave her husband and marry him. However, when the woman rejected his proposal, he abused, assaulted and molested her. He also threatened to kill the child. The woman was about to call the police control room when the accused pushed her away and tried to grab the child. They struggled for a while and the accused threw the child from the terrace of the one floor structure into the nullah. The child has suffered serious injuries and the water has entered his body. He has been admitted in Cooper Hospital, said a police source. The woman started screaming for help after which local residents helped her rescue the child. The residents also bashed up the accused and alerted the police control room and handed him over to the police. The youth has been arrested under section 307 (attempt to murder), 363 (kidnapping), 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt.), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. California 1 killed by falling tree as winter storm rages A motorist was fatally struck by a tree that was knocked down by powerful winds as a winter storm hit California, bringing downpours, winds and snow, authorities said Sunday. The driver was passing by a residential street in Pacific Beach when a large oak tree fell across a roadway, blocking all four traffic lanes, San Diego Fire and Rescue Capt. Joe Amador said. The tree, which measured eight feet in diameter, also crushed three parked cars that were not occupied, he said. Strong winds downed dozens of trees and power poles and ripped off rooftops and in one case, solar panels across Southern California. Wind gusts topped 50 mph in the San Diego area and 65 mph in Malibu, according to the National Weather Service. The highest reading of the day was at Whitaker Peak, north of Castaic, where a gust was recorded at 115 mph. The storm also dropped up to an inch of rain in some places by 4 p.m. Sunday, and forecasters said up to two inches of rain was expected in the valleys of Los Angeles County and as many as three inches were possible for southwest-facing foothills and mountains. A flash-flood watch was issued for foothills neighborhoods underneath wildfire burn areas. Power outages affecting about 140,000 utility customers were reported across the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. Associated Press New York Man slashed in face on subway platform A man was slashed Sunday in the sixth such attack in New Yorks subways and on streets this year following a spate of blade-wielding assaults in public places that started in the fall, police said. The 27-year-old victim was taken to a hospital to stitch the gash on his face just after the 3 a.m. incident on a Harlem station platform. He had been waiting for a No. 2 train and arguing with a woman; when she asked another man for help, he cut the victim and fled, police said. On Jan. 25, a 71-year-old woman was slashed by a man on a train pulling into Manhattans Broadway-Lafayette station. And the next day, a 29-year-old woman was cut on her hand when she bumped into a man. He attacked her with a machete on a train in Brooklyn after they argued, police said. Suspects have been arrested in those two cases. Associated Press Illinois 124 Chicago officers cost city $34 million A group of 124 Chicago police officers have cost the city $34 million in misconduct settlements since 2009, according to a newspaper report. Although the officers represent a fraction of the police forces roughly 12,000 officers, they are identified in nearly a third of the misconduct lawsuits settled since 2009. The Chicago Tribune reported that one officer had seven lawsuits against him that were settled. Unlike high-profile brutality cases that have triggered federal investigations, most of the settlements involve less-serious claims, such as injuring arrestees during traffic stops, making false arrests and using racial slurs. The lawsuits have largely escaped City Council scrutiny because the settlements have been at or under $100,000. If theyre larger, aldermen must approve them.A Chicago police spokesman acknowledged it has been a decades-old problem. Also, the Tribune found many of the incidents didnt occur in high-crime areas, as union officials have argued, and officers were rarely disciplined. Associated Press Five killed in fire at Mich. home: Five adults who were co-workers at a restaurant were killed Sunday after a fire started in the basement of a suburban Detroit home, authorities said. The victims were found Sunday after crews extinguished the fire at a house in Novi, the Detroit News reported. Officials said the victims appeared to be in their late 20s and early 30s. The fire was reported about 9:30 a.m. and a preliminary investigation showed it started in the basement, Novi Public Safety Director David Molloy said. The cause of the blaze is under investigation. From news services BEST THING THAT HAPPENED TO REPUBLICANS Donald Trump didnt attend Thursdays seventh GOP debate. Sure, the GOP front-runner held a dueling event less than 10 miles away in Iowa that took some attention away from Republicans final debate before primary voting begins. But overall, its safe to say the other seven candidates on the main debate stage didnt miss him. They spent two hours having a surprisingly substantive back-and-forth on tough policy questions such as immigration and national security, without being interrupted by Trumps frequent insults or needing to struggle through a response that showed their disdain for Trump without alienating his supporters. Thursday was a glimpse into what the Republican presidential primary might have looked like without the billionaire real estate mogul taking over the race. But even though Trump wasnt physically on stage, his presence loomed large, as it has in nearly every aspect of this presidential cycle. BEST THING THAT HAPPENED TO DEMOCRATS A Texas grand jury was set up to investigate Planned Parenthoods use of fetal tissue and charged the antiabortion activists who brought the issue to the nations attention instead. The head of the previously little-known antiabortion group the Center for Medical Progress faces a felony charge in Texas related to tampering with government records and a misdemeanor charge of buying human tissue. One member of David Daleidens staff was also charged. Daleidens team secretly filmed Planned Parenthood officials talking about fetal tissue, claiming last summer that the nonprofit group was selling it illegally for profit, a charge Planned Parenthood officials denied. Apparently a grand jury set up by Republicans to investigate the issue agrees with Planned Parenthood. Amber Phillips New Delhi: Senior IPS officer Archana Ramasundram was on Monday appointed Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the first woman to head a paramilitary force. Ramasundram is currently Special Director, National Crime Records Bureau. She has been appointed to the post till the date of her superannuation September 30, next year, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said. 58-year-old Ramasundram is the first woman police officer to have been appointed as the chief of a paramilitary force. The SSB is entrusted with guarding the country's frontiers with Nepal and Bhutan. There are five paramilitary forces -- SSB, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force and Indo Tibetan Border Policeand none has ever had a woman chief. The Tamil Nadu cadre officer was in news in 2014 over her appointment as Additional Director in the CBI. Her appointment was also challenged in the Supreme Court after which she was moved to the NCRB as its chief. Besides her, IPS officers -- K Durga Prasad and K K Sharma -- have been appointed Director Generals of CRPF and BSF, respectively. They will take over after the incumbent chiefs of these forces retire at the end of this month. Prasad, a 1981 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, was in 2014 unceremoniously removed as chief of the Special Protection Group, which provides security to the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their family members, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Nepal to attend the Saarc summit. He was in January last year appointed Special Director General of the CRPF, the force entrusted with multiple duties in the internal security domain including, anti-naxal operations. K K Sharma is currently Additional Director General, BSF, which guards the country's border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. M K Singla, a 1982-batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre, has been appointed Special Secretary (Internal Security) in Ministry of Home Affairs. He is at present serving as Special DG (West) in the BSF. In his new posting, Singla will be entrusted with the task of dealing with matters related to policing, law and order and analysing threats from terror groups, Maoists and other anti-national forces. Both Singla and Durga Prasad will hold the post till their retirement, i.e. February 28, 2017. Sharma will hold the post till September 30, 2018, when he superannuates. A R K Kinni has been appointed as Director NCRB in place of Ramasundram. Kinni, a 1981 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre, is currently Special DG in Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D). All these appointments were approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister. The ACC has approved Kinni's appointment by temporarily upgrading the post of Director, NCRB to that of DG-level upto the date of his superannuation i.e. November 30, 2017. Regarding the Jan. 28 front-page article For Navys intelligence chief, a lack of clearance: How can Vice Adm. Ted Twig Branch be in charge of naval intelligence if he is barred from reading, seeing or hearing classified information? The morning briefing must be very brief indeed. But wait, theres more! One of his deputies, Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless, the Navys director of intelligence operations, doesnt have clearance either. Is this any way to run the U.S. Navy? Time to clean house. Marc Collard, Lewes, Del. As a 40-year resident of Alexandria, I was surprised to see our new mayors emphasis on ethics reform [Alexandria to establish committee on ethics, Metro, Jan. 31]. Hardly anyone in our community would say the city government had a serious lapse in ethics. Rather, as I would argue, the mayor is simply chasing a bright, shiny object rather than focusing on the serious problems of the community. These problems range from improving basic infrastructure, affordable housing, income inequality, economic competitiveness and delivery of basic services. The mayor and city council should look at the big-picture needs and sensibly put ethics last on the list as they tackle the real problems of this community. Ross B. Simons, Alexandria Will Kaback, Julia Shepard and Sam Gittleman knocked on doors in Des Moines on Jan. 30 as part of the Bernie Sanders get-out-the-vote effort. (Ruth Marcus/The Washington Post) Curt Johansen, 56, is leaning toward Bernie Sanders, but that inclination is irrelevant. Johansen works evenings dispatching mechanics to help truckers suffering breakdowns, which means he cant vote in Mondays caucuses, attendance required, with doors closed at 7 p.m. sharp. Dustin Jividen, a 32-year-old printer, is all-in for Sanders, as is his wife. Will they caucus? Probably not. His wife works evenings, and Jividen would need to find a baby-sitter for the kids, ages 3 and 8. I dont think they would really appreciate standing around for a couple hours, debating the relative merits of Sanders and Hillary Clinton, Jividen said. Pat Kerr, 64, a receptionist at H&R Block, supports Clinton. She wont be caucusing either. I hurt my back, she said. I cant hardly even walk. Mary Bradish, 55 and leaning to Sanders, is one of the luckier ones. Her next chemotherapy appointment isnt scheduled until Wednesday; if it had been a few days earlier, her compromised immune system wouldnt allow her to be around so many people. I totally lucked out, said Bradish, who works at Wells Fargo. Welcome to my quadrennial rant against the caucus system. The theory is Norman Rockwell heartwarming: neighbors gathered in a communal enterprise of representative democracy. The reality is jarring, as illustrated by conversations with voters I encountered during a canvassing session with Sanders volunteers Saturday afternoon. The unforgiving demands of the caucus system serve to intensify the voice of the parties most committed, and therefore likely most extreme, voters, as others are deterred by the seemingly arcane and time-consuming process. Meanwhile, caucuses disenfranchise nurses, firefighters and others working the night shift, although both parties took steps this year to offer some opportunity for members of the armed forces to participate. Not surprisingly, the system produces anemic turnout. In 2008, with open contests in both parties, 347,000 Iowans voted in caucuses, compared with 526,000 primary voters in New Hampshire, with less than half the population. This comparison isnt perfect independents can vote in the New Hampshire primary; Iowa caucus-goers must register for a party, although they can do so on-site. But the fundamental point remains: In contrast to the welcome trend of easing participation, for example by expanding early voting, the caucus system makes it harder. In addition to rekindling my hostility to caucuses, my experience trudging along with the Sanders volunteers offered a sobering ground-level view of campaign operations in an era of supposedly sophisticated, data-driven politics. The Sanders volunteers were high school seniors from Minneapolis; they had taken the bus that morning, along with 51 of their Blake School classmates volunteering on various campaigns (16 for Clinton, the rest for Republicans, primarily Marco Rubio.) My crew, Sam Gittleman, Julia Shepard and Will Kaback, were given a sheaf of papers identifying target households, a set of Sanders campaign materials and scant instructions about what to say. The voters they would be contacting, Simon Bracey-Lane, a volunteer field organizer from Britain, told them, would likely be Sanders supporters or leaning toward him. It didnt quite turn out that way, underscoring that targeting is an inherently messy operation, especially in a caucus state, and reaffirming the degree to which individual voter identification and persuasion is a gritty, game-of-inches operation. In three hours and 20 minutes, the students knocked on the doors of 42 homes in a working-class section of this city, leaving reminder cards with the time and location of the caucus at 20 homes where no one answered the door. Of the others, 11 said they wouldnt be voting, either because of disinterest or difficulty. Four said they backed Sanders, three leaned in his direction, three were inclined toward Clinton and three were undecided or wouldnt say. One door-knock produced a Republican voter. (The numbers dont total exactly because some locations included more than one voter.) Two others, who said they didnt plan to caucus, included one voter who said of Sanders, That guy makes my blood boil and another who described himself as a Second Amendment follower. So much for micro-targeting. In one driveway identified on the canvassers sheet, a man was working on his car. Not interested in it, he told them. Dont even know what the hell it is. Which is a rather impressive feat of ignorance in an environment drenched with campaign advertising and non-stop robocalls, not to mention chastening for those who think every Iowan, if not every American, is consumed with Monday nights outcome. Read more from Ruth Marcuss archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook. CAN AN authoritarian regime convert to democracy by itself? The historical record isnt encouraging. In the absence of a popular uprising, it is rare for tyrants to voluntarily retire. The military junta of Burma has promised to relinquish some power to an elected government, but it has not yet delivered. Chinas party-state shows no inclination to try. Russias strongman is reversing what incipient democracy existed. This goes to the core of why President Obamas opening to Cuba seems to be failing to live up to its declared goals. When the end to a half-century of hostility was announced in December 2014, the proclaimed U.S. purpose was to unleash the potential of 11 million Cubans, to engage and empower the Cuban people, and to empower the nascent Cuban private sector, among other things. The administration continued to offer this rationale for its latest moves. New regulations that took effect Jan. 27 from the Commerce and Treasury departments further lifted restrictions on financing of exports to Cuba and relaxed limits on shipping products to the island. Most importantly, the rules will allow banks to finance exports to Cuba on credit, with the exception of agricultural commodities covered by the still-existing trade embargo, rather than requiring cash as before, or burdensome routing through third countries. Yet there is scant evidence so far of a sea change in Cuba perhaps because Mr. Obama continues to offer the Castro regime unilateral concessions requiring nothing in return. Since the United States has placed no human rights conditions on the opening, the Castro regime continues to systematically engage in arbitrary detention of dissidents and others who speak up for democracy. In fact, detentions have spiked in recent months. The state continues to monopolize radio, television and newspapers. The administration has defined one of its goals as opening Cuba to the Internet, but the nation still suffers from some of the lowest connectivity rates in the world. The regime established a few dozen Wifi spots but charges people $2 an hour to use them; the average salary is $20 a month. The state retains a chokehold on the economy, including tourism; the benefits of a 50 percent increase in U.S. visitors are being garnered by Raul Castros son-in-law, the industrys boss. .Meanwhile, Cubas purchases of U.S. goods have fallen by a double-digit percentage. The hoped-for explosion in individual enterprise has not materialized either. On the contrary: The number of licensed self-employed workers has been dropping. If there are commercial deals as a result of the latest U.S. measures, it is Cuban state organizations that will benefit; only they are allowed to engage in foreign trade. Whats most evident over the past year is that the Castro brothers are effectively preventing real change and reform even as they reap the rewards of Mr. Obamas opening. The presidents only response has been more unilateral concessions, along with talk of a visit to the island before he leaves office. Autocrats everywhere must be watching with envy the Castros good fortune. AS A legal proposition, its difficult to prove that a government policy was devised with the deliberate intent of racial discrimination. But make no mistake: North Carolinas highly restrictive voting rights law, enacted in 2013, is meant to suppress votes, in particular votes cast by minorities for Democrats. Even the federal judge who refused to suspend implementation of the laws obnoxious voter ID rules acknowledged it was highly suspect that the GOP-dominated legislature had excluded public-assistance IDs from among acceptable forms of identification at the polls; they are disproportionately held by African Americans, who vote heavily for Democrats. U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder has not yet ruled on the merits of the overall law or the voter ID part of it, which is being separately challenged by the NAACP and other groups. Nonetheless, in refusing to immediately suspend the voter ID requirements, he cited the states own estimate that roughly 5 percent of registered voters in North Carolina, about 218,000 people, appeared to lack suitable photo IDs when they voted in 2014, before the law was fully implemented. GOP lawmakers in Raleigh argue, as do Republicans elsewhere, that imposing stringent photo ID rules will prevent fraud at the polls never mind that there is no evidence of significant or systematic voting fraud in North Carolina or elsewhere. More telling was the surgical precision with which North Carolina Republicans approved certain forms of photo IDs for voting and excluded others. In expert testimony for the plaintiffs, Allan Lichtman, an American University professor, pointed out that the legislation allows identification disproportionately held by whites, such as passports, motor vehicle department IDs, expired IDs for those over age 70, and veteran and military IDs. At the same time, Mr. Lichtman said, legislators excluded student IDs, government employee IDs, and, as Judge Schroeder noted, public assistance IDs from being used by voters at the polls; those are disproportionately held by African Americans. Evidently seeking to beat back the legal challenge, lawmakers last year softened North Carolinas voter ID requirement, before it takes full effect for the 2016 elections, by allowing voters without the required ID to cast provisional ballots if they attest that transportation problems, illness, family obligations or some other reasonable impediment kept them from obtaining the right card. Thats nice, but its a fair guess that confusion about voter ID requirements is already rampant. And other obnoxious parts of the law remain, including provisions eliminating a one-hour extension of voting hours in the event of long lines, prohibiting provisional voting by people who err by showing up at the wrong precinct, and scrapping pre-registration by teenagers before their 18th birthdays. The legal challenge to those provisions was rejected by the states attorney general, Roy Cooper, who contends the plaintiffs favor practices that are favored by political organizations dedicated to maximizing Democratic turnout. Well, yes. Maximizing turnout Democratic and Republican should be the goal of any reasonable voting legislation enacted in a democracy. Cynically, North Carolina has taken the opposite approach. THE MARYLAND General Assembly last year established a commission to examine whether there are too many mandated tests for students and, if so, what steps should be taken to improve the situation. It gave the task force of educators, parents, legislators and experts a deadline of July 1, 2016. Neither that nor apparently the need for thoughtful analysis of complicated issues seems to matter to those in Annapolis who hope to push through legislation this year dealing with student testing. Among the bills being planned are proposals that would cap the number of hours schools could spend on standardized testing, set stricter notification requirements for parents, and make the use of test scores in teacher evaluation subject to collective bargaining rather than a state requirement. We get that there is legitimate concern about testing and the need to ensure quality assessments that arent redundant and serve useful purposes in informing education. Indeed, those concerns have already resulted in state education officials cutting back on the time for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, and districts such as Montgomery County moving to eliminate testing it deemed to have little purpose. No doubt there is more to be done in improving the assessment system so that there is less disruption to student schedules and more purposeful use of the information. Thats why the work of the testing commission, headed by Montgomery County school principal Christopher Berry, is so critical. With the help of the state education department, it has collected data showing wide disparities among the states 24 districts not only on the time spent on testing but on whats defined as a mandated test. Commission members seem to be mindful of the critical role assessments play in tracking educational progress, diagnosing student needs and unmasking gaps in student achievement, and they are asking the right questions. But simplistic solutions like a one-size-fits-all cap being advanced by Del. Eric Luedtke (D-Montgomery) are not the answer. Lawmakers need to give the commission the time and space to do its work rather than bend to the pressure of the states teachers union, which has called for immediate action this session. What makes the stakes even higher is that the federal education law replacing No Child Left Behind gives states more flexibility in revamping accountability systems. If Maryland wants to get it right and remain a leader in education its politicians would do well not to try to micromanage the work of its education experts. Chinese journalist Li Xin talks to an Associated Press reporter over Skype, at the AP office in New Delhi on Nov. 20. (Saurabh Das/Associated Press) A Chinese journalist calls his wife in China as he boards a train in Thailand. Then he disappears. Everyone loves a good mystery, but this one has two flaws. First, its nonfiction. Second, a principal character already is pretty sure she knows what happened. I think he was brought back by the Communist Party, the wife told the Guardian newspaper last week. If so, Li Xins disappearance would fit into a pattern of increasingly brazen Chinese lawlessness overseas, as agents of the Communist regime track down critics, kidnap them, bring them home and dump them in prison. The only puzzle is the muted response of the Obama administration and other governments. Though maybe thats not such a mystery either. Li was a human rights activist and columnist for the Southern Metropolis Daily. His wife told reporters that he left China in October, after the regime pressured him to inform on other activists. After failing to win asylum in India, he was trying in Southeast Asia. Reaching across borders to track down perceived enemies is not a new tactic for Chinas regime. In June 2002, Chinese agents lured a democracy activist living in North American exile, Wang Bingzhang, to a meeting with other human rights campaigners in Vietnam. They were conferring over lunch in a restaurant near the China-Vietnam border when several men speaking Chinese ordered them into a car, Wangs daughter, Ti-Anna Wang, recounted in a Post op-ed. Beaten, blindfolded and gagged, my father and his two colleagues were abducted into China by boat. They were left in a Buddhist temple in Guangxi Province for the Chinese authorities. Wang Bingzhang was sentenced six months later to life in prison and has been confined ever since going on 14 years. He is 68 years old. For years, Wangs case was outrageous but unusual. Now, as The Posts Emily Rauhala and Simon Denyer reported last week, overseas abduction is becoming almost routine. None of the victims has engaged in violence or committed crimes. Their offense is to criticize or simply report on Chinas rulers. Those abducted include five men connected with a Hong Kong publisher that was working on a tell-all biography of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Abductions apparently took place in Hong Kong, though China had promised Britain it would not send police there, and Thailand, a neighboring and (ostensibly) sovereign nation. One missing man held a Swedish passport, another a British passport, but those proved no deterrent either. Gui Minhai, the Swedish passport holder who was kidnapped from Thailand, resurfaced in a Stalinist televised confession in China, intoning that he had returned voluntarily because he felt guilty about his involvement in a 2003 hit-and-run accident. The kidnappings may be a natural foreign policy for a regime that is increasingly cracking down at home and facing no consequences from abroad for the repression. As Human Rights Watch noted in its annual report published last week, in 2015 Xi led an aggressive campaign against peaceful dissent. As if to punctuate that assessment, on Friday authorities shuttered, without explanation, an organization that had emerged from the famous conference on womens rights held in Beijing in 1995, the Beijing Zhongze Womens Legal Counseling and Service Center. The centers founder and director, Guo Jianmei, is on the advisory council of Vital Voices, a womens rights organization that grew out of Hillary Clintons advocacy during her time as first lady. Jerome Cohen, a professor at New York University law school and leading expert on law in China, links the kidnappings with the crackdown at home and Chinas disregard for international norms in territorial disputes all of which, he said, have gravely damaged Xi Jinpings reputation for respecting the rule of law. Secretary of State John F. Kerry might have had China in mind when he spoke eloquently at the dedication of The Posts new headquarters last week shortly after returning from Beijing. No government, whatever its pretensions and whatever its accomplishments, can fairly call itself great if its citizens are not allowed to say what they believe or are denied the right to learn about events and decisions that affect their lives, Kerry said. Yet for all his eloquence, Kerry did not mention China, nor has China had to pay any price for its lawlessness. It expels foreign reporters, but the agents of its propaganda machine are welcomed in the West; it denies visas to scholars of whom it disapproves, but party mouthpieces travel wherever they choose outside China. Britain may feel slighted when China makes a mockery of their agreement on Hong Kong autonomy. Sweden might wish that its passports would be respected, and the United States might regret Chinas increasing repressiveness. But business, apparently, come first. As long as that remains true, it appears that no critic of China, of any nationality, in any nation, will be safe. Read more from Fred Hiatts archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. Lance R. Collins is dean of the College of Engineering at Cornell University and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. In a shortsighted effort to save money, Congress is moving ahead with a plan to cut investment in the social sciences. The America Competes Act under consideration on Capitol Hill would reauthorize funding for the National Science Foundation and other agencies that supply the financial lifeblood to engineering and the physical sciences. However, as passed by the House, the bill would cut the foundations funding for the social sciences by about half in order to direct more money to science, technology, engineering and mathematics the STEM disciplines. As an engineer and an educator, I deeply appreciate our national policymakers recognition that funding STEM research can improve our national security, create jobs and enhance our economic competitiveness. But I disagree with the notion that the social sciences are not just as important for the same reasons. In fact, the social sciences are more important today than ever and if you doubt me, just look at recent news about how social media are taking the social science world by storm. Social media those ubiquitous digital tools that can seem like toys are changing cultures and governments around the world. Researchers at several leading universities have begun looking at the role that social media messaging played in the Arab Spring protests, whose organizers used social media to get around government-controlled print and broadcast media, toppling governments and changing the Middle East before our eyes. Dramatically cutting social science funding would curtail such studies and deny policymakers a critical means of understanding political movements and uprisings around the world. Furthermore, U.S. intelligence agencies use social science analysis extensively as a means to improve our national security. For example, FBI Director James B.Comey recently warned that some terror groups are increasing their reliance on social media to disseminate information and gain new recruits. Social media were born in the world of computer scientists, who applied their skills and tools to solve the challenge of creating instant connectivity but could not have anticipated the social consequences of that connectivity. Now it would be foolish to ignore the impact of these rapidly developing technologies. Just look at what can be found in a simple Twitter feed: There is a flow of instant information, but that information is often encoded in ways that can require a social scientists perspective to decipher. We need to combine the tools of social science with those of computer scientists to mine the data for a true understanding of what it is telling us. But the social science supported by the NSF extends far beyond social media. The foundations Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences has a broad mandate to advance our understanding of the human condition from the individual to how individuals interact and engage in commerce at small, medium and global scales. How could this understanding be deemed less important than any other STEM discipline? Yet, the current version of the America Competes Act would gut funding for research in these areas. Consider the field of archaeology. Learning about past cultures, even ancient ones, is about much more than academic curiosity. Archaeology tells us why some cultures thrive while others collapse. Such lessons should be invaluable to all policymakers concerned about the future of the United States. As an educator at a leading research institution, I know that the future will involve ever-increasing interdisciplinary research taking place across ever-widening intellectual landscapes. Decades ago, pioneers worked at the interface between the sciences and engineering. Today, we create links among science, engineering, economics, public policy, law and communications to address global challenges such as how to ensure plentiful energy, food and potable water is available around the world. Such problems require more than just technical solutions. As Congress works its way through the reauthorization of the funding for the National Science Foundation, I urge our elected officials to pause and recognize the essential role of science including social science to our nations well being. Philip Lyon, left, uses his cowboy hat to collect votes from Dave Weber, bottom center, and others during a Republican caucus at Ottumwa High School on Feb. 1, 2016 in Ottumwa, Iowa. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) Caucus day was this citys first day without its Target store, which closed forever this weekend. The Kmart has begun its going-out-of-business sale. Downtown, whole blocks are former this and former that. [Voting: 2016 Iowa election results] Ottumwa, a 90-minute drive southeast of Des Moines, is a place where the people faring decently well are mainly up there in years. Younger Ottumwans tend to see this city of 25,000 people as a place to leave. Meatpacking and a John Deere farm-machinery plant once created expectations of 40-year jobs and lifelong pensions. Those expectations have been vaporized. Frustration over the collapse of that compact, that foundation of the American middle class, rang out at the caucuses here Monday night, among the Republicans gathered in the auditorium at Ottumwa High School and among the Democrats at elementary schools and apartment buildings around town. There was a lot of talk about betrayal by both parties, about how the countrys past couple of choices for president havent managed to break the paralysis in Washington or restore the optimism that people here used to feel. In Ottumwa, people seemed eager to send a message: Something has to change. At the Republican caucus, Gary Pregon wasnt angry, like they say voters are on TV. He was no extremist, like the people back east think we are, he said. He was just sad, he said, as you are when youve lost something you loved. Josh Gettings, center, waits in line to fill out paperwork as he and others take part in a Democratic caucus at the Wapello County Courthouse on Feb. 1, 2016 in Ottumwa, Iowa. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) [2016 race for the White House: Up first? Iowa] Pregon, 74, put in a career at the waterworks; his wife, Karen, did time-efficiency studies at the Deere plant. They decided long ago that theyd retire at 57, and they did. Theyd saved up. Things happened the way they were supposed to. We had one job that lasted a lifetime, he said. Cant do that now. Were blessed to be able to buy a new furnace. The generation behind us, they cant even stay here. They have to leave town to get a good job. That sense that progress takes away at least as much as it provides led Pregon to Ted Cruz, who, like several of the candidates, poses this election in apocalyptic terms, as a choice about a society on the precipice. Pregon doesnt see such a dire situation. Nor does he see a John Kennedy or a Ronald Reagan his favorite presidents in the bunch. The candidate he liked the most, Mike Huckabee, the one with the most Christian values, Pregon couldnt bring himself to vote for because the man has no chance. Seemed like a waste of a vote. In Ottumwa, some people voted for candidates they thought might actually make poor presidents; they cast ballots for Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders because they said the system needs a good, hard kick. Some voted for candidates they thought probably couldnt be elected in the fall; they turned to Huckabee or Ben Carson because their church teaches one set of rules and their country is rapidly adopting another, and they believe their faith must govern. And some voted for the person they figure has the best chance to win while representing at least a decent portion of their worldview; they might not like Hillary Clinton or Marco Rubio, but the voters said at least those candidates might get something done. [How Sanders caught fire in Iowa and turned the Clinton coronation into a real race] Mariannette Miller-Meeks, center, helps to total vote numbers as at Ottumwa High School for the Republican caucus. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) Ottumwas Republicans had never seen anything like this. The turnout of 1,671 doubled the previous record of 850, set four years ago, said the county GOPs chairwoman, Trudy Caviness. Precinct captains collecting votes in classrooms along the high schools hallways ran out of ballots and hurriedly cut up pieces of paper to serve as makeshift ballots. The final tally: Trump won with 35 percent, followed by Cruz with 30 percent and Rubio with 14 percent. No one else came close to them. This is the Trump phenomenon and Cruz, too, Caviness said. A show of hands in the standing-room-only auditorium revealed that more than 4 in 10 attendees were caucusing for the first time. As entrance polls indicated, first-time caucus-goers were motivated to come out not only for Trump but also for Cruz, especially among religious conservatives. Democrats in Ottumwa, by contrast, saw a small decline in turnout compared with their 2008 record, said Melinda Jones, the county partys chairwoman. Ottumwa sits in Wapello County, where more people are registered No Party than Democratic or Republican. Its 94 percent white, a place where the average income is $23,000, well below the state average. Rick Santorum won here four years ago, and Mike Huckabee and John Edwards in 2008. The eventual nominees of both parties havent done better than third place here in more than a decade. But the independence Ottumwa voters have shown is in vogue this year. [Why does Iowa get to vote first?] People here dont necessarily believe Trump or Sanders is the best candidate to actually be president, but they are the best antidote to the main problem, which is the political parties, said Ottumwas state senator, Mark Chelgren, who calls himself a nominal Republican. Downtown, at the Second Street Cafe, Junior and Carolyn Minders debated their options down to the final hours. He liked Trump; she preferred Rubio. I dont like Trump making fun of retarded people and picking on people, calling them stupid that just does not sit well, she said. Sometimes I think hell straighten things out, Junior said. Sure, he comes on strong. Too strong sometimes. But people are just sick and tired of whats going on. Husband and wife for more than half a century, they battle these things through and sometimes even agree. This time, they agree on one thing: Were looking for the person most different from what we have now, Junior said. Hes put in 45 years at the Deere factory, still working. She retired from the same plant. They have five kids in their 40s, and theyre fine its the grandchildren they worry about. They say its all computer jobs now, but the robots will take the computer jobs just like they took the manufacturing jobs, Junior said. Deere once employed more than 2,300 people here; now, maybe 600. No wonder shops are closing. No wonder so many peoples kids move away for college and never come back. The same concerns drove Peggy Beeler, born and raised here, to caucus for Clinton. Beeler, 59, remembers not long ago when Ottumwa was a regional shopping hub. I feel like my community is folding in, Beeler said. What in the world would happen if we lost John Deere or the meatpacking plant? The meatpacking and farm-machinery plants have strong unions and hire from the citys growing Hispanic immigrant population; Beeler thinks Clinton would be sympathetic to unions and immigrants and make it easier for big employers to stay put. Before heading to the caucus, Tyrel Davidson worked the corridors of the Quincy Place Mall, submitting a job application at the GNC health store, checking on his prospects at J.C. Penney. Davidson, 18, said his prospects were not great. With Target and Kmart going, the competition is stiffer, even for a young man willing to do heavy lifting. I would really just love to have a steady job where I can work and have a home to go home to, Davidson said. Im not all that picky. He shares a two-bedroom apartment with his mother and two unemployed friends. Its a squeeze. Davidson went back and forth between Trump and Sanders Iowans can switch parties right up to the start of the caucus before landing on Sanders. Davidson grew up homeless; he thinks Sanders would pay more attention to those in need. Trump is an all-out businessman; you know he can handle money, Davidson said. But its about helping out the little guys before those with abundance. Laura Brights decision came down to her worries about her two young children and whether they can ever feel safe again. We are in small-town Iowa, but that doesnt protect us from threats from ISIS, said Bright, a 41-year-old social worker, using another name for the Islamic State. Her father, she said, was a Reagan Democrat socially conservative but concerned about working people but she cant stomach the Democrats approach to the terrorism threat or their willingness to change the rules on marriage. I love everybody, but traditional marriage is so important to how we live, said Bright, whose husband, Aaron, 44, has worked for UPS for half his life. I cant imagine my children growing up in a world where marriage doesnt mean what its supposed to mean. The Brights put their evangelical church at the center of their lives. Yet when it comes to politics, they part ways with some in their congregation. Our communitys getting more diverse, and thats good, said Bright, who is white. Her husband is black. So I dont like it when the candidates attack people because they are immigrants. That crossed Trump off her list. She had considered Cruz, but then she learned from a TV ad sponsored by a group supporting Huckabee that he gives little of his income to charity. Ted Cruz doesnt tithe, Bright said. Thats a really scary thought. So she ended up with Rubio, who she said is more compassionate about immigration, and hes a real man of faith. At Ottumwa Baptist Temple on Sunday, pastor Travis Decker preached about King Solomon, who grew up rich and had unlimited possessions, yet arrived at old age sorely lacking happiness. The preacher never mentioned Trump, but his flock heard him clearly. When Decker, a county chairman for the Cruz campaign, saw the results of last weeks mock caucus at the high school students voted overwhelmingly for Sanders and Trump, with Clinton, Rubio and Cruz getting only tiny handfuls of votes he concluded that kids just want to be taken care of. Sanders and Trump believe its governments job to take care of people, the pastor said. On Sunday, Decker preached messages of personal responsibility. Only borrow what you can pay back easily, he told seniors. Never have sex before or outside of marriage, he told young people. On Monday, the people of Ottumwa met in caucuses to send a different message. They differ on philosophy and policy, but they want the government to break its paralyzing fever and do something about a country they believe is stumbling down a rocky path. In response to recent infections and deaths from tainted medical scopes, U.S. lawmakers are wrestling with how to keep other potentially dangerous devices from harming patients. Members of Congress, federal officials and health-policy experts agree that the Food and Drug Administrations surveillance system for devices is inadequate and relies too heavily on manufacturers to report problems with their own products. But fixing the federal warning system to enable more timely identification of risky scopes, implants and surgical tools means overcoming significant challenges in Congress, from partisan divisions to the need for more government funding. Even then, it could take years for a new system to be up and running. Patient advocates are skeptical of the FDAs commitment to reform. Federal auditors have criticized the agencys oversight of devices since the 1990s. The latest push for changes came from Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who issued a report Jan. 13 exposing failures by the FDA, device makers and hospitals that contributed to the nationwide spread of antibiotic-resistant infections from a gastrointestinal scope, called a duodenoscope. Senate investigators cited 19 superbug outbreaks in the United States that had sickened nearly 200 patients from 2012 to 2015. The Senate report faulted the FDA for taking 17 months to investigate before issuing its own warning in February 2015. In the meantime, seven more hospitals suffered outbreaks and 68 patients developed dangerous infections. Murray has called for an entirely new medical device tracking system, akin to the way prescription drugs are monitored. It would draw primarily on insurance claims data to supplement the industrys injury reports, which are often cursory and filed months late, if at all. President Obamas nominee for FDA commissioner, Robert M. Califf, has endorsed that data-driven approach. Part of that proposal, putting bar codes on every instrument for the first time, is already being phased in over the next few years. But experts say those unique identifiers will be of little use unless Congress requires hospitals and doctors to include them on insurance claim forms. Researchers say claims filed with private insurers and Medicare are useful because they give close to real-time data on a large population. By tracking device IDs, like the vehicle identification numbers on cars, regulators could spot patients across the country coming into an emergency room or developing infections after a procedure. Those red flags could trigger further investigation and possibly a safety alert without the need to wait on incident reports from manufacturers or hospitals. The data also would help find patients who have implants that were recalled, or assist hospitals in pulling defective equipment out of service quickly. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said the investigation into superbug outbreaks uncovered disturbing facts about the FDAs response. But he and other Republicans appear intent on making sure regulators are using the powers they already hold before embarking on a new government program. Republican lawmakers have pointed out that the FDA can impose civil and criminal penalties against manufacturers for failing to report injuries or deaths, but the agency rarely uses those powers. Budget hawks are likely to resist funding a new medical device monitoring system. It could cost up to $250 million to implement and maintain a new system over the first five years, drawing on government or private-sector funding, according to a Brookings Institution report last year. Gregory Daniel, one of the reports authors and now deputy director of the Center for Health Policy at Duke University, has been working with the FDA, hospitals and device makers, planning and designing a new tracking system. Its expensive and complicated, Daniel said. Most people think this is already being done, but we dont have the fundamental ability to link devices to their outcomes, like on the drug side. Representatives of the device industry said they welcome the debate, but they too emphasize that regulators have plenty of authority already. The FDA has extensive post-market authorities including requirements for quality systems, adverse-event reporting, mandatory recalls, corrections and removals to help ensure the safety and effectiveness of medical technologies once they are on the market, said J.C. Scott, senior executive vice president for government affairs at AdvaMed, an industry trade group. He didnt address the Senate reports recommendations directly. After safety problems with certain drugs a decade ago, Congress helped create the Sentinel program, which analyzes claims data on more than 170 million Americans from large health insurers, dozens of hospitals and disease registries. Califf, the nominee to lead the FDA, said during his confirmation hearing that regulators need a Sentinel-like system for devices, too. We have plans to do that, but we are going to have to work with you on how to fund it, Califf told senators at the Nov. 17 hearing. Imagine with these duodenoscopes, if there had been such a system, we would have seen the problem very early. We could see it independently of industry and act on it much more rapidly. An FDA spokeswoman said the agency is carefully considering the recommendations in the Senate report and is already taking steps to address some of the issues raised, such as notifying the public sooner about suspected problems. By the end of this year, the agency said, it hopes to gain access to 25 million electronic patient records containing bar codes on the devices used. Families affected by the recent superbug outbreaks support such changes but are skeptical about the FDAs role, given its track record. For months, Glenn Smith of Woodland Hills, Calif., saw his 19-year-old son, Aaron Young, battle a superbug infection. He got it from a contaminated scope at UCLAs Ronald Reagan Medical Center in 2014. Something needs to be done, the father said, but Im wary of the FDA being in charge of anything until it gets its own house in order. They were very slow to react. This article was produced through a collaboration between The Post and Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service that is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. Chennai: The cyber sleuths of the Chennai city police on Sunday continued their hunt for the youth Dilipan Mahendran, who allegedly burnt the national flag and posted the visuals of his action on Facebook. His post went viral on social networking platforms including WhatsApp from Saturday and complaints started pouring in, prompting cyber cops from Chennai to start looking for him. Right now we know his background. We know his phone number, details of his vehicle and family background. It looks like the youth is on the run. His mobile phone is switched off. We checked his native place address. He was not there, the police said. The 25-year-old hails from Nagapatinam and his father is an active member of Periyar Dravida Kazhagam, a rational outfit. Dileepan reportedly took part in a protest held at Valluvarkottam in Chennai seeking action on the issue of the deaths of 3 SVS naturopathy and yoga sciences college students near Villupuram and also against those responsible for the death of Hyderabad based research scholar Rohith Vemula. Two persons, including the pilot of a private airline, C.R. Naveenkumar, lodged a complaint with the city police on the national flag being burnt. Online complaints continue to pour into the city polices FB page, which are being acknowledged and then forwarded to cyber crime wing for action. Meanwhile, on Sunday, certain groups on WhatsApp started promoting pictures of the wanted youth, showing him in participating in flood relief work. An Afghan soldier secures the site of a suicide bomb blast near the police administration building, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Feb. 1, 2016. (Jawad Jalali/EPA) A suicide bomber killed at least nine people and wounded 12 in an attack on a police base in Kabul on Monday, an Afghan official said. Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said the attacker joined a line of people waiting to enter the local headquarters of a branch of the national police after having lunch and praying outside. The bomber detonated his explosives after being spotted near the gate. Unfortunately, the majority of the killed and wounded are civilians, Mujahid said, adding that two police officers were among the dead and a third was wounded. Afghanistans president, Ashraf Ghani, condemned the attack in a statement. Such acts are unforgivable crimes against civilians, the statement said. The government will never have talks with those groups who kill innocent civilians, women and children, the statement said. Instead the Afghan security forces will mobilize in their fight against them. A statement from the international military coalition in Afghanistan also condemned the bombing and set a higher death toll, saying that 20 Afghan police officers were killed and 25 officers and seven Afghan civilians were injured. The discrepancy between the two reported death tolls could not be immediately reconciled. Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are set to hold a third round of talks in Islamabad on Saturday. The countries seek to lay the groundwork for a direct dialogue between the Kabul government and the Taliban. Ghani has said that those insurgents who do not join the peace process will be wiped out. The attack Monday targeted the Afghan National Civil Order Police, a militarized force that often fights on the front lines of the war with the Taliban. The attack took place in a busy part of western Kabul, near the zoo. Officials had initially said the explosion was caused by a suicide car bomb. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing on Twitter. The insurgents, who have been at war with the government for 15 years, often target local security forces. Danish Raza, 28, a teacher at an online Islamic teaching center in Islamabad, Pakistan, helps a student from the United States read the Koran over Skype last month. (Tim Craig/The Washington Post) Mohammad Hassan secluded himself in a religious seminary in Pakistans largest city for 11 years until he memorized the more than 6,000 verses that make up the Koran, Islams holy book. Now the 27-year-old spends his nights at a computer in Islamabad teaching Muslims in the United States, Canada and Europe how to recite the Koran with the same Arabic pronunciation and intonation he believes the prophet Muhammad would have used. Read it correctly! Hassan shouted at a teenager in Britain to whom he was talking over Skype, the online phone and video service. You have been reading it for a long time now. Why arent you reading it correctly? From thousands of miles away, Hassan and other online teachers have become a lifeline for some Western Muslims interested in studying Islam just as intensively as it is taught here in Pakistan, home to more than 100,000 mosques and more than 20,000 seminaries. With lax telecommunications laws, a large pool of potential teachers and relatively new technologies such as Skype, Pakistan has become a global hub for computerized training courses on how to become a properly observant Muslim. A lesson flashes on a computer screen as Islamabad-based teachers at ReadQuranOnline.com help students in the United States, Europe and Canada read the Koran over Skype. (Tim Craig/The Washington Post) Business is booming, Pakistani entrepreneurs say, because there are not enough mosques and Muslim seminaries in the West to meet demand. And with the rise of the Islamic State as well as a backlash against Islam in some Western nations Muslim parents are more closely scrutinizing how and where their children are taught religion, they say. [The Islamic States suspected inroads into America] People in the U.S., Canada and U.K. are always telling us: We do have mosques, we do have proper setups, but we can never find one-on-one lessons, said Usman Zahoor Ahmed, 32, owner of ReadQuranOnline.com, where Hassan works. And in this current atmosphere, they want to know what kind of teaching is being provided to their children they want the lessons in their home, where mom or father is always watching. Ahmed has a huge potential client base. The Pew Research Center estimates that the global Muslim population numbers 1.6 billion, with Islam on pace to become the worlds biggest religion, eclipsing Christianity, by the end of the century. By 2050, 10 percent of Europeans will be Muslim, according to estimates. The U.S. Muslim population is projected to double to 2 percent over the next 30 years, Pew concluded. Eight years ago, Ahmed started his call center with two employees and just a few students. Now, he employs 22 teachers who work all night speaking to 320 students, about 40 percent of whom live in the United States. Ahmeds brother Saqib, who helps run the call center, estimated that more than 50 similar centers operate in Pakistan, and at least one has more than 1,000 students. I already got the education but now feel its my service to spread it and teach it to others, said a teacher, Safeer Ahmed, 20. Law enforcement officials in Europe and the United States have warned of the danger of Westerners becoming radicalized online. And Decembers terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., where a Pakistani woman and her husband killed 14 people before being shot dead by police, has elevated concern about potential links between Islamic studies in Pakistan and terrorism. Tashfeen Malik, one of the California shooters, had studied at a madrassa in the Pakistani city of Multan run by the Al-Huda Institute. The institute also conducts online training. But its unclear whether Malik, who friends have said spent considerable time on a computer, also studied Islam online. [Pakistan is focus in hunt for clues to California shooters radical turn] Usman Zahoor Ahmed said fears about online radicalization have little to do with legitimate Internet businesses that match students with online teachers for a tour through the basics of Islam. For about $25 a month, students get a 30-minute lesson five days a week. Initially, the lessons focus on the proper pronunciation of Koranic verses. There are also pictorial lessons on daily Muslim practice praying five times, for example, and bending over to pray in such a way that a glass of water placed on the back would not tip. The instruction then moves to translating and interpreting the Koran, which requires eight years of daily lessons to fully comprehend, Ahmed said. If someone asks about jihad, which they rarely do, we would answer it with a strict interpretation of Islam, he said. Jihad is something only allowed by a state its not an individual thing where someone can resort to a gun and take up weapons. The Ahmed brothers run their business from the basement of Usmans house, using decade-old computers. About 11 each night, the teachers arrive, put on their headphones and begin calling students. Flashing verses of the Koran onto students screens, they work with each of their distant charges, syllable by syllable, teaching them how to properly recite specific verses, which to non-Muslims sound like short hymns. Stretch it out further, and dont shorten the word, Hassan told one struggling aspirant. Shaukat Ullah Khattak, a religion scholar who runs a seminary in northwestern Pakistan, said such courses fulfill the spiritual needs of students and teachers. Its mandatory for every Muslim to learn the Koran and spread it to others, Khattak said. Online Koranic academies are doing great service . . . and kids in the West are now taking a keen interest. Some question how common it is for Western Muslims to look overseas for Islamic instruction. Edgar Hopida, spokesman for the Islamic Society of North America, said Muslims in the United States are focused on building their own educational institutions. Last year, he noted, Zaytuna College in Berkeley, Calif., became the first accredited U.S. Muslim college. We dont see people turning to Pakistan or other countries to learn the Koran, Hopida said. Its easy to learn here in America. But some Pakistanis are clearly profiting from online courses for Westerners. The Ahmeds, for example, say they pull in $6,000 to $7,000 a month from their 320 students. They pay teachers $100 to $220 a month or $1,200 to $2,640 annually in a country where the average per-capita income is just $1,513 per year. Most mornings, there are numerous classified ads in Pakistani newspapers seeking teachers for online Islamic study courses, some offering the option of working from home. Jibran Ahmed recently quit his job as a teacher to open an online Islamic teaching institution. After paying his teachers and expenses, he hopes to pocket $1,000 a month. Our Muslim brothers abroad . . . face adverse circumstances these days, said Ahmed, 30, who is not related to the two brothers. My academy and teachers will try to prepare better Muslims who can be of better use to the society that they live in. Usman Zahoor Ahmed doesnt mind the increased competition. There will be 3 billion Muslims around the world [by 2100], and they are all our market, he said. All you need is a computer, microphone, headset and Skype. Shaiq Hussain in Islamabad and Haq Nawaz Khan in Peshawar contributed to this report. Read more: Pakistan is still trying to get a grip on its madrassa problem Islamic State is having a hard time taking root in Pakistan Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks to reporters in Paris last Thursday as part of a European trip to seek foreign investment. (Christophe Morin/Bloomberg) Iran announced Monday two financial milestones as the country emerges from under sanctions, saying it has access to more than $100 billion in previously frozen assets and has rejoined an important international banking network. The statements follow more than $30 billion in potential business deals unveiled with France and Italy last week during a trip by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, whose government has strongly courted foreign investors after sanctions were lifted last month as part of an accord with world powers to rein in Tehrans nuclear program. The deal-making including plans for Airbus passenger jet sales and partnerships with French automaker Peugeot-Citroen highlighted the interest among many foreign companies in Europe and Asia for quick re-entry into Irans large consumer market. [Transcript: Obama on nuclear deal, U.S.-Iranian swap] American firms, meanwhile, have been far more cautious in exploring potential opportunities in Iran. After the nuclear deal, the Obama administration imposed separate sanctions in protest of Iranian ballistic missile tests. Irans government spokesman, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, said more than $100 billion has been fully released and available for Iranian use, according to comments on the website of state-run Press TV. The bulk of the funds, he said, was held in banks in Asia, including China and India, as well as Turkey. Many of the countries received waivers to purchase Iranian oil and gas during the sanctions, but placed the payments in escrow-style accounts that remained off-limits to Iran. [Italians decry statue cover-up during Rouhani visit] The Iranian statements gave no indication of overall plans for the newly released money, but the spokesman noted that some will be used by Irans national development fund to buy goods overseas. Some opponents of the nuclear deal in the United States and elsewhere have raised concerns that the freed assets possibly up to $150 billion in total by some estimates could go to Iranian-linked militant groups such as Lebanons Hezbollah. Irans state-run IRNA news agency said the country also was reintegrating with an international banking network known as SWIFT, which handles a huge volume of cross-border transfers. Rejoining the Belgium-based network would be a major boost for foreign firms seeking to return to the Iranian market. Read more: Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Hyderabad: Campaigning by political parties for the GHMC elections ended on Sunday evening and the parties are set for the elections on Tuesday. It is now the turn of the 74,23,980 voters to decide the fate of the 1,333 candidates in 150 divisions. GHMC officials have made all arrangements for polling and police will occupy the 7,802 polling booths by Monday evening. Officials have made arrangements for webcasting in sensitive polling booths apart from using police mounted cameras and surveillance cameras. Based on the instructions given by the POs, police will deploy forces at the respective polling booths. Three to four armed policemen will be deployed at each polling booth with more at sensitive and hyper sensitive localities. With Mehdipatnam being the smallest with 29,854 voters, the results of this division are expected to be declared first on February 5. Subhashnagar under Quthbullapur has the most voters with 89,159 followed by Mylardevpally (76,038) and Kondapur (72,911). Officials have advised new voters to check their names in auxiliary lists instead of the main list. They have advised voters to download their voters slip and their polling booth details from the web url http://tsec.gov.in/mis/dowmloadVoterSlipGHMC.do. Voters slips can also be downloaded from a mobile app and smartphone users should search xtsec voter slip on Google play store. Abdullah Kurdi, the father of a Syrian toddler who drowned when a migrant boat capsized off the Turkish coast, stands on the debris of his house in Kobane, Syria, last fall. (Alice Martins/The Washington Post) Utter devastation greeted Brett McGurk when the presidential envoy slipped into Syria over the weekend and visited the border town of Kobane a year after Kurdish forces repelled Islamic State extremists. The remains of some of the estimated 6,000 Islamic State fighters killed in Kobane are still being pulled from rubble, McGurk said. He and Defense Department officials who accompanied him saw the landing site of heavy weapons and ammunition the United States airdropped to the Kurds. They attended a memorial for Kurdish fighters who died and talked to others hospitalized with wounds from more recent clashes. More than once, McGurk used the word poignant to describe the two-day visit to Syria that aimed to assess how things are going in the multinational campaign to beat back the Islamic State. It was important to see this with our own eyes and talk to people on the ground, said McGurk, who also was joined on the secret trip by French and British officials. Its obviously something all of us will both remember and also reflect upon as we realize how long we have to go to defeat and destroy this barbaric terrorist organization. McGurk and Secretary of State John F. Kerry are in Rome to attend a Tuesday conference of more than 20 nations that are part of a much larger coalition involved in countering the extremists of the Islamic State, also known as ISIL. McGurk told reporters traveling with Kerry of mounting concern that more foreign fighters are flocking to Libya as it becomes more difficult, and more dangerous, to travel to Syria and join the fight there. Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State. (Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters) They are now trying to make Libya their hub, he said. I think thats part and parcel of the success weve had in Syria. If youre a foreign fighter joining ISIL in Syria, youre going to die in Syria. I think they are learning that. McGurk was the most senior U.S. official to visit Syria since Ambassador Robert Ford stole across the border in May 2013 for a brief meeting with opposition leaders. Ford had left his post a year earlier when the U.S. Embassy suspended its operations in Damascus. McGurk said he discussed upcoming moves in the Syria campaign with battle-tested and multiethnic anti-ISIL fighters who are hectically engaged in battle with the extremists. The Islamic State, a radical offshoot of al-Qaeda, has declared a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria. His visit was seen as an effort to placate Syrian Kurds, who are among the most capable forces fighting the Islamic State. But they have so far been excluded from Syrian peace talks just beginning in Geneva, largely because Turkey sees the Syrian Kurds as natural allies of Turkish Kurds who are militant separatists. In Geneva, U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura met for two hours Monday with the High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian opposition. We came here to discuss . . . lifting the siege and stopping the crimes done by Russian airstrikes in Syria, Salim Muslet, a committee spokesman, told reporters after the meeting. Opposition representatives initially refused to attend the talks, which were originally scheduled to begin last Friday. They said humanitarian steps were supposed to precede the opening of negotiations with the Syrian government on a political end to the civil war. Muslet called the conversation with de Mistura positive and said the opposition is now waiting for a report after he meets with the government side Tuesday. De Mistura had a more upbeat take on the significance of the meeting with the opposition, saying it marked the official beginning of the Geneva talks. The challenge, he said, is for the talks to proceed on different levels, with simultaneous negotiations on a cease-fire and a political transition. Although the opposition has also demanded the release of prisoners, especially women and children, being held by the government, de Mistura said he was waiting for the committee to provide a list of prisoner names. International stakeholders in the negotiations, including the United States and Russia, are present outside the talks but are not directly participating. The U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, Anne Patterson, met in Geneva with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov on Monday to press for an end to Russian airstrikes in Syrian civilian areas. Patterson, a senior U.S. official said, urged Russia to use its influence with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to push for full humanitarian access to all Syrians in need. DeYoung reported from Washington. Puerto Rico has proposed a plan to ease its crushing debt burden that would give major creditors new bonds worth an average of 54 percent of their existing ones, but also would give bondholders an unusual way to receive additional money if the commonwealths economy grows at unexpectedly rapid rates. The proposal was made Friday at a meeting between advisers to the Puerto Rican governor and advisers to creditors that hold $49 billion of the islands more than $72 billion worth of debt, according to a person briefed on the proposal. The proposal comes as Congress and the Obama administration are wrestling over what legislation could help Puerto Rico restructure its debt, force recalcitrant creditors to sign onto a plan, and ensure that the island maintains fiscal discipline so that it does not end up in a similar fix in the future. The plan presented Friday, and which the creditors are weighing, would cut Puerto Ricos debt service from 36 percent of the commonwealths budget to 15 percent, a level equal to that of Hawaii, which has the highest rate of any U.S. state. Creditors must now choose whether to accept the deal, negotiate, or pursue lengthy litigation while waiting for possible congressional action. Under the proposal, Puerto Rico would issue $26.5 billion worth of new base bonds to replace $49 billion in existing bonds issued by 17 government entities. Investors holding the highest quality bonds would be able to exchange their existing bonds for new ones at a more favorable rate. The territory would not pay any interest or repay any principal for 18 months, and for 3 1/ 2 years after that would pay only interest, starting at 3 percent and rising every year to 5 percent. After that, the territory would pay $1.7 billion a year to service and repay the debt. Puerto Rico also would issue $22.7 billion in new growth bonds so that if its economy grew at a rate of more than 4.5 percent a year and if its tax revenue grew faster than forecast in the deal, then bondholders would get 25 percent of the higher tax revenue. The bond is similar to ones that Argentina and Ukraine have issued. Those payments would not begin sooner than 10 years from now and could continue for no more than 35 years. But if Puerto Ricos economy, which has been shrinking for the past 10 years, does not exceed forecasts, then the bondholders would receive nothing. The base bonds would replace some of the territorys highest quality bonds, backed by streams of tax revenue. The existing bonds include $17 billion general obligation and public building authority bonds; $17 billion issued by COFINA, a government corporation backed by sales tax revenue; and $15 billion issued by the Government Development Bank, the highway and transportation authority (supported by gasoline taxes) and smaller government entities. People inspect a house damaged after a bombing in Fallujah, Iraq, on Jan. 21. Civilians inside the city, which is ringed by Iraqi security forces, say that they are struggling to survive and that Islamic State militants prevent them from leaving. (AP) As Iraqi security forces choke off Islamic State fighters in the militant-held city of Fallujah, civilians inside say they are trapped and struggling to survive. The military siege, which has tightened in the past two months, is preventing food and medical supplies from reaching the city 40 miles west of Baghdad, while the Islamic State wont let families leave. The United Nations says it is deeply worried about the deteriorating humanitarian situation and unverified reports of deaths from a lack of food and basic medicine. Between 30,000 and 60,000 people are estimated to remain in the city, which has been under Islamic State control for more than two years. Their worsening plight comes amid an international outcry over starvation in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya a disaster residents and officials from Fallujah say they fear could also unfold there if civilians arent evacuated. We are frustrated, desperate and afraid, said a 32-year-old Fallujah resident who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals by the Islamic State. There is hunger, lack of food and lack of medicine. [In a besieged Syrian town: Were still starving, and its getting colder] Fallujah, which once had a population of more than 300,000, was the scene of some of the United States bloodiest fighting during the Iraq war, when Marines battled al-Qaeda in the citys streets. For years a center of Sunni opposition to Iraqs Shiite-led government, it was the first city in the country to fall to the Islamic State militants at the beginning of 2014. Since then, residents have dealt with spiraling food costs and a lack of basic services as Iraqi forces have gradually sealed off Fallujah to isolate the militants. When the western city of Ramadi was recaptured by Iraqi forces in December, the Islamic States supply lines for fighters and ammunition between the two cities were also cut, and along with them the last lifelines for the civilians in Fallujah. Now, little makes it in or out of the city. With no flour or rice available, people have resorted to eating a gray-colored bread made from grain and birdseed, the Fallujah resident said. Yards have been turned into vegetable patches, and residents are growing what they can, he said. Shop shelves have long been empty, although farms and palm groves on the outskirts of the city have provided limited supplies. On a normal day, the thing I eat most is dates, said the resident, who spoke by an Internet voice call because the phone networks have been cut. And soup made from water and onions. The situation is deadly, he said, adding that an infant died of malnutrition in January. Lise Grande, the U.N. deputy special representative to Iraq, said the United Nations has received two unverified reports of people who died from hunger a child and a woman. The organizations sources in the city have also reported two deaths from a lack of insulin to treat diabetes. However, with access to the city so restricted, such reports are difficult to verify. The humanitarian situation in Fallujah has deteriorated dramatically in the past few months, Grande said. We are deeply worried about unconfirmed reports that the situation is so bad that people are perhaps dying. She said the need for securing a humanitarian corridor out of the city was urgent. I dont think theres any doubt in our minds that the situation is getting worse, she said. [Is it too late to solve the mess in the Middle East?] Iraqi security forces, including Shiite militia forces and the Iraqi army, ring the city. We dont allow any supplies to enter, in order for them not to reach Daesh, said Jaffar al-Husseini, a spokesman for Kitaeb Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia that has forces southwest of the city, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. He said that his forces allow civilians out but that very few have made it to their lines. Weve talked to the government many, many times about making a safe passage for the people to come out, said Eissa al-Issawi, Fallujahs mayor, who lives in exile outside the city. Discussions have not progressed to action on the ground, he said. The Iraqi military says that there are two ways for civilians to leave and that the army is ready to receive them. But local officials say people cant reach those routes. Meanwhile, the Islamic State has barred residents from leaving. They want to use them as human shields, said Raji Barakat, a member of the provincial council for Anbar, the province where Fallujah is located. One former Fallujah resident now displaced to the Iraqi region of Kurdistan said his sick fathers request to leave the city several months ago was denied by the Islamic State. Now, its impossible, he said. He said a woman from southern Fallujah visited his familys house this week to beg for food, telling his mother she hadnt eaten for two days. Theres nothing in the market no rice, no flour, no eggs, no tomatoes, he said, adding that most shops have closed their doors. The situation is really tragic, with the full meaning of the word tragic, said Issawi, who is in regular contact with residents. Although farmland has provided some vegetables for residents, there is no fuel or electricity in the city, meaning that farmers cant use water pumps for irrigation or mechanized agricultural equipment. Militants have hoarded their own stockpiles of food, he said. The main hospital is open but has no medical supplies, residents and local officials said. They said the city is being neglected because there is a perception that those who remain support the Islamic State. The central government considers everyone who remains to be Daesh, Issawi said. Kitaeb Hezbollahs Husseini said the group estimates that about 2,000 Islamic State fighters are in the city and that 80 percent of the people left inside are with them and they will fight against us. But many didnt have the means to leave or were too sick or afraid, residents and officials said. The people of Fallujah are dying a slow death, and no one is planning on liberating it soon, Issawi said. Since Ramadi was recaptured in December, Iraqi officials have turned talk to a counteroffensive against Mosul, the de facto Islamic State capital in Iraq. Still, artillery and airstrikes continue to fall on Fallujah daily, residents say, causing more deaths among civilians than hunger, for the moment. If nothing changes, the peoples fate will be like that of those in Madaya, said a tribal sheik from Fallujah who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his remaining family inside the city. Its a tragedy. Mustafa Salim in Baghdad contributed to this report. Read more: Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world Syrian Kurd Kiymet Ergun, 56, standing at the Turkey-Syria border in 2014, watches while thick smoke rises following an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition in Kobane. A State Department official visted Kobane for the first time this weekend. (Lefteris Pitarakis/AP) A top U.S. official has made a rare visit to Syria, crossing into the Kurdish-held north of the country over the weekend to meet with Kurdish officials and fighters who are battling the Islamic State, U.S. and Kurdish officials said Sunday. The visit by President Obamas special envoy to the anti-Islamic State coalition, Brett McGurk, was the first by a senior U.S. official to the Syrian war zone and came as the U.S. military increasingly directs the focus of its fight against Islamic militants toward the front line in Syria and the Islamic States self- proclaimed capital of Raqqa. It also coincides with growing regional and global tensions over the status of Syrias Kurds, who have been carving out an autonomous enclave of their own in the process of battling the Islamic State. [Bombing and disputes cloud Syrian talks] Russia has been competing with United States for influence over the Syrian Kurds, who have made most of their recent territorial gains with the help of U.S. airstrikes. Turkey has meanwhile expressed mounting alarm at the growing muscle of the Syrian Kurds, dispatching tanks and troops to reinforce its border and threatening military action to prevent the emergence of a new Kurdish entity. A State Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the subject said McGurk spent two days in the self-proclaimed northern Kurdish enclave of Rojava. This visit and the discussions he had are in keeping with the special envoys efforts to continue looking for ways to increase coalition pressure on ISIL, the official said, using a common abbreviation for the Islamic State. [Syrian opposition arrives in Geneva without visas, but with demands] It was the first known visit to Syria by a senior U.S. official since the ambassador, Robert Ford, departed the capital, Damascus, in 2012 amid the turmoil of the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad. The U.S. and Syrian governments have had no direct communications, though they have on occasion interacted through intermediaries. Among the places McGurk visited, the State Department official said, was the small town of Kobane, which captured world headlines a little over a year ago for its battle against Islamic State forces. The ferocity of the battle prompted the first intervention by U.S. warplanes on behalf of the Kurds, opening the door to a deepening relationship with the main Kurdish fighting force, the Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, which is central to the fight against the Islamic State in Syria. Relations between the YPG and the United States have nonetheless been tempered by the disapproval of Turkey and by the complexities of the wider Syria war. McGurks visit may have been intended, at least in part, to mollify Kurdish anger that Saleh Muslim, the leader of the Democratic Union Party, the YPGs political wing, was not invited to participate in the fraught Syrian peace talks underway in Geneva. [U.S. pounds Islamic State in Kobane, seeking a propaganda and military win] Muslim had shown up in Geneva anyway, but was discreetly asked to leave Saturday by U.S. officials after Turkey threatened to disrupt the talks if he was allowed to remain in town, according to Western diplomats attending the talks. YEMEN Top Salafist cleric found dead in Aden The lifeless body of Yemens highest-ranking Salafist cleric in the southern port city of Aden was found disfigured Sunday hours after he was abducted following an anti-extremism sermon, security officials said. Government forces repelled Shiite rebels from Aden last July, but have been unable to restore order. With government forces pushing north toward the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, the vacuum in Aden has given rise to affiliates of extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, which have grabbed territory and exercised control in various parts of the city for months. The influential cleric, Samahan Abdel-Aziz, also known as Sheikh Rawi, delivered a fiery sermon Friday against the al-Qaeda and Islamic State, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. His body was found bloodied and bearing signs of torture in Sheikh Othman, an area largely controlled by extremists, they added. Abdel-Aziz was kidnapped by gunmen outside his mosque late Saturday in the pro-government neighborhood of Bureiqa, they said. Earlier in the day, Human Rights Watch said the rebels, known as Houthis, have for months restricted food and medical supplies to Yemens third-largest city, Taiz, in what it described in a statement as serious violations of international humanitarian law. Associated Press FRANCE Woman who killed abusive spouse freed French President Francois Hollande on Sunday waived the remaining jail time for a woman convicted of killing her abusive husband after a groundswell of support for Jacqueline Sauvage, victimized for decades along with her daughters. The decision was not an outright pardon. But it allows Sauvage to immediately seek conditional freedom, the presidents office said. Sauvage, 68, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the 2012 murder of her husband, who beat and abused her for nearly 50 years. Her daughters also were abused. Associated Press BRITAIN E.U. agrees to limiting of migrant payments Britain and the European Union agree that Britain could use an emergency brake on curbing welfare payments to E.U. migrants immediately, a spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said Sunday. Earlier, Cameron and European Council President Donald Tusk ended talks, saying they had not reached a deal on all four areas in which the British leader wants to see reform before calling a referendum on E.U. membership. On welfare, the commission have tabled a text making clear that the UKs current circumstances meet the criteria for triggering the emergency brake, the spokesman said in a statement, calling it a significant breakthrough. Britain is to hold a referendum on E.U. membership by 2017. Reuters MEXICO 2 dead, 22 detained in raid on Sinaloa cartel Twenty-two members of Mexicos powerful Sinaloa cartel have been arrested and two were killed in a police raid near the U.S.-Mexico border where authorities seized assault-type weapons, according to U.S. and Mexican officials. Two were killed Friday after they opened fire on Mexican federal police as they surrounded a building in the desert outside a small Mexican town, where an armed group was running a drug- and migrant-smuggling operation, Mexicos federal police said in a statement Sunday. The secretive operation carried out by U.S. and Mexican authorities dealt a strong blow to the cartel, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said, just weeks after the arrest of cartel leader Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, following his escape from prison six months earlier. Reuters U.S. increases aid for drought-stricken Ethiopia: The United States has boosted its emergency food aid to Ethiopia by nearly $100 million to combat one of the worst droughts in decades, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced. The aid is urgently needed to head off a humanitarian disaster brought on by the El Nino climate phenomenon that has affected seasonal rains, USAID administrator Gayle Smith said. Pair held in Greece on suspicion of traveling to join the Islamic State: Greek police said they arrested two men last week who are suspected of possessing weapons and attempting to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State. One was a 29-year-old Serbian-born Swedish citizen who was released from prison in 2011 after serving six years for possessing explosives and threatening to carry out an attack, police said. He was arrested again Thursday near the Greek-Turkish border along with a 20-year-old man originally from Yemen. From news services The committee demanded the employment of Rohith's family member, adding that Rohith's pending scholarship amount must be disbursed immediately and handed over to his family (Photo: ANI/Twitter) Hyderabad: TThe Hyderabad High Court on Monday stayed the arrest of ABVP leaders and HCU students named in the Rohith Vemula suicide case and set the next date of hearing at the end of this month. Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee at the University of Hyderabad has given a 10-day ultimatum to the HCU to fulfil its demands. Protests are ongoing on the campus by members of the committee and other students over the issue. The committee had written a letter to the University, demanding the sacking of Appa Rao Podile from the post of Vice-Chancellor. They demanded that interim Vice-Chancellor Vipin Srivastava also be removed. They have accused the two of them of being instrumental in driving Rohith Vemula to suicide, as they were part of the panel that had suspended the Dalit students. The Joint Action Committee at UoH wrote to the acting Vice Chancellor Prof. Perisamy, putting forward the following demands: The interim Vice-Chancellor Dr M Periasamy had said he was told by the Union human resource development ministry on Sunday to tell the executive council to be positive to the demands of students. Dr Periasamy said, All demands being made by the students cannot be met but we will work towards it. One of the demands is to provide a job to Rohith Vemulas kin. The EC will see what position can be created for Rohiths immediate kin, his brother, in the university based on his qualification. It will then submit the proposal to the ministry. Read: HCU suicide: JAC writes to acting VC, puts forward demands On the demand for V-C Prof. Appa Rao Podile's resignation, Dr Periaswamy said, It is not in our hands as a judicial committee is looking into it. After it submits a report, a decision will be taken by the MHRD. On the Rs 50 lakh compensation for Rohiths family, he said it had come to his knowledge that Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments would provide financial assistance. University teachers have also decided to contribute, he said. Regarding compensation and jobs to kin of dalits who had committed suicide earlier, the EC would contemplate preparing a report on the demand, he said. Read: Delhi police under fire over video of cops manhandling protesters Protests were also carried out by students in Delhi over Rohith's suicide, where the police allegedly assaulted students. One of the protesters uploaded a video on YouTube where police and a few men in plain clothes can be seen assaulting protesting students. Protesters alleged the men in plain clothes were RSS men. The Delhi police faced flak from all quarters for their action against students who were peacefully marching to lodge their protest over the Rohith suicide case. However, the police have denied using any force against protesting students, despite the video telling a different story. A cop is captured manhandling a girl student who questioned his action. Freebirthing or unassisted home birth may be a trend among certain thrill-seekers and reality-show participants. But for Sue and Daniel Hardinges, both 29, it was just a nerve-wracking accident, as their new baby arrived so suddenly they had no chance to leave home for the hospital. STORY: This Dad Filmed His Wife Giving Birth as He Drove Her to the Hospital My wife said she could feel something between her legs, so I had a look and couldnt really see anything at the time, Daniel, of West London, England, told Get West London about what transpired early on Jan. 26. I sort of saw something but didnt realize at the time it was part of the head. After Sues water broke at just past four in the morning, she had contractions for a couple of hours. Thats when Daniel called Sues hospital, Queen Charlottes Hospital in Acton, which advised her to labor at home for a bit longer, even though Sues contractions had been just three minutes apart since they were awakened at 4:20 that morning. About 15 minutes later, I decided we should go to the hospital this definitely wasnt normal, said Daniel (pictured above with Sue and their new daughter). STORY: Doctors Accidentally Give Mom Horrific Emergency C-Section So they got dressed in an attempt to leave, but then Sue had another contraction and said, once again, that she felt something in her pants. I pulled her trousers down, and there was a babys face looking at me up to her nose, Daniel, and audio-visual technician, said. I dialed 999 as quickly as I could, but by that point the babys chin was out and one more contraction and the whole baby was out. Sue, an accountant, had given birth as she stood hunched over their bathroom sink. The babys umbilical cord was still attached when paramedics and a midwife arrived. Queen Charlottes Hospital, which the couple didnt reach in time. (Photo: Wikicommons) When they turned up I was on my knees holding the baby, wrapped up, and my wife was still bent over the sink not able to move, he said, recalling the moment of seeing the babys head poking out of his wife as sheer horror. He added, Everybody who came in the paramedics and the midwife just couldnt believe it. Story continues While Sues entire labor lasted around two hours and 20 minutes, the heart stopping length of time between when she first felt something between her legs and gave birth to a girl, Sophie, weighing seven pounds was less than five minutes. And though she didnt plan on having a home birth, she said, she felt happy that it turned out that way. We were able to stay at home rather than being on a ward where I wouldnt have got any sleep, she said. The next day we rested in peace and quiet and our family could come and go. Everythings fine and were happy and healthy. (Top photo: Facebook) Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, andPinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? Email us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com. This undated photo provided by the Blacksburg Police Department shows Virginia Tech student David Eisenhauer, who was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Nicole Madison Lovell. (Image via Blacksburg Police Department via AP) The mother of a Blacksburg, Va., seventh-grader whose body was found Saturday some 100 miles from home says her daughter knew the Virginia Tech student charged in her killing. Tammy Weeks says police told her 13-year-old Nicole Lovell met David Eisenhauer, 18, several weeks ago online. Thats all I know, Weeks tells the Roanoke Times. It was some off-the-wall site I never heard of." Police provided less, but backed up the gist of that at a Sunday night news conference. Blacksburg police Lt. Mike Albert said the two "were acquainted and alleged that Eisenhauer used this relationship to his advantage, to abduct and then kill her. On Sunday, police were searching a pond on Virginia Techs campus, and divers are expected to return to the pond today. The Washington Post reports the freshman engineering student is being held without bond in the Montgomery County jail, as is Natalie Keepers, who was arrested Sunday morning in connection with Nicoles death. Keepers helped Eisenhauer dispose of Nicoles body, said Albert at the conference. Nicole was found to be missing from her bedroom early Wednesday, and the search for the teen had added urgency because she left without the medication she needed to take in relation to her liver transplant. Weeks says her daughter survived that transplant, an MRSA staph infection, and lymphoma at age five. God got her through all that, and she fought through all that, and he took her life. That evil bastard took her life. By Kate Seamons More From Newser: Mom Hears Dead Son Inside 4-Year-Old Girl Cops: Woman Laced Study Partners Coffee With Cyanide My Dream of Being a Mom Never Came True, and Thats OK Story continues Ohio Politician Questioned for Running as a Young Mom When It Comes to Mood Disorders, Girls May Be Like Mom This article originally appeared on Newser: Victims Mom: Daughter Met Virginia Tech Student Online Taha Tawil, the imam of the Mother Mosque in Cedar Rapids, explains the mosques history on Friday. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News) CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa Taha Tawil, the imam of the oldest mosque in America, insists upon making us cups of fortifying tea before we talk politics. Politics is headache, he says wearily in the basement of the Mother Mosque, a modest two-story building that was built in the 1930s by Syrian immigrants fleeing the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. Now a new, far larger wave of Syrian immigration has stoked a political debate about Muslims in the United States. The frontrunner for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump, has called for barring all Muslims from entering the country, surveillance of mosques and a special national registry for Muslims. (Its unclear if the registry would be for all Muslims or just refugees.) Trumps rivals have also expressed concern about accepting any refugees from Syria for fear that some are affiliated with ISIS, though none have gone as far as the real estate tycoon. Iowa on our minds, as the campaign nears its climax >>> Despite his dislike of politics, Tawils role as an imam in a battleground state has pushed him into this fierce debate. He has met Sen. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton positively called out his mosque in a stump speech earlier this week, and he has personally invited Trump to stop by the mosque and have a cup of tea with him to chat about his views. (Trump hasnt replied.) Slideshow: On the trail and down to the wire in Iowa >>> Tawil emigrated to Iowa 40 years ago from Israel, to get his masters degree in comparative religion from the University of Iowa. His childhood as a Palestinian in Jerusalem was tumultuous, and comparatively Iowa felt like a land of peace and prosperity. When he was just 7 years old, he and his family were kicked out of their home and moved to a camp north of Jerusalem. They were never allowed to return home. Story continues The political rhetoric around tracking and monitoring Muslims reminds Tawil of those days. It brings fear into my heart, he said. Will we be like the Japanese? Do they want us to be in camps? To show ID or to wear certain things to reflect that youre a Muslim? Is that democracy? Tawil asked. Thats why I [fled] a land that has war in it to come to here where I found my humanity, I found my character, I found my dignity. Tawil has been a citizen for 25 years and serves on an interreligious council in Cedar Rapids as well as volunteering as a chaplain for the police department. I am serving, and I love the country this is my country, he said. And I dont know why they point out that, no, I dont belong. If Trump ever took him up on his offer to stop by the mosque, Tawil knows what he would say. Welcome, welcome to your neighbors, he would begin. I will say, Mr. Trump you are a Catholic, and there is Mafia. Trump is actually Presbyterian. Mafia is from the Catholic [community], but I cannot mix. This is a criminal organization and this is a religious community. The same thing with Muslims. ISIS, al-Qaida thats a criminal organization. Do not mix it with the Muslim community. The Mother Mosque, Americas oldest mosque, as seen at night. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News) Cover tile photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends a campaign rally on Monday in Waterloo, Iowa. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News) WATERLOO, Iowa It was, as Donald Trump might say, a low energy event. When the Republican frontrunner took the stage here at the first of two final rallies in the hours before Iowans head to caucus, Trump was greeted by rows of empty chairs and a crowd that seemed smaller and less raucous than audiences at his other events here in recent days. Part of it may have had to do with the weather, which included icy roads and dense fog so thick that Trump joked he might have to get the hell out of here early to make the next event in Cedar Rapids because he couldnt fly. No, no, no, Ill stay, he said. Still, Trump, who seemed exhausted, tried to rev up the crowd as best he could with varying success. He urged supporters to turn out for him Monday night, to help him begin what he described as a revolution to claim the Republican nomination and ultimately the White House. Its crunch time, he said again and again. Some seats remain empty while Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Waterloo, Iowa. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News) Slideshow: On the trail and down to the wire in Iowa >>> In his characteristically rambling stump speech, Trump made vague last-minute appeals to almost every single one of Iowas voting demographics promising that hell turn around the economy, stop attacks from ISIS and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. But he gave a special shoutout to evangelical voters, saying nobody had been nicer to him since he kicked off his campaign. I think the evangelicals really get me, Trump said. While Trump said he expected to have a good night, he also acknowledged the unknowns of his campaign heading into Mondays vote. Though he leads many polls and has long attracted big crowds, Trump admitted that none of that matters if people dont turn out to caucus for him. He needed more than fans, he told the audience here. Story continues Buzz Anderson of Waterloo, Iowa, shows his American flag tie following the Trump rally on Monday. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News) The more people that turn out, the better we are going to do, he said. Thankfully, he said, the anticipated blizzard would likely not hit until after caucus time. But he said people had no other excuses not to turn out. If you are in bed, if youre sick, if you cant walk, it doesnt matter, he said. You have to go out tonight and caucus. Still, Trump spoke fondly of the campaign so far. He told the crowd he had been moved by how much people cared about their country, especially in Iowa. Win, lose or draw, I love you all, he said. On Monday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. CT, the Iowa caucuses will officially kick off the race for the presidential nominations. The state, which accounts for less than 1 percent of the United States population, gets an inordinate amount of attention from the candidates and the press because, strategically speaking, a strong showing in Iowa can translate into support in other states. Its why the candidates choke down all manner of things buttered, battered and fried at the Iowa State Fair and why Donald Trump traded his Fifth Avenue penthouse for a Holiday Inn Express in Sioux Center for one night. SLIDESHOW On the trail and down to the wire in Iowa Most states hold a primary election where voters cast a secret ballot, although their choices depend on the type of primary: open, closed or semi-closed. Iowa, along with nine other states, uses caucuses, which are conducted by the Democratic and Republican parties rather than by the state. Every state is allocated a certain number of delegates to the Democratic and Republican national conventions, where the nominees are chosen. These delegates are the prizes of the primaries. While some states abide by a winner-takes-all rule in which all the delegates are awarded to one candidate, some, including Iowa, allocate delegates to candidates proportionally in accordance with the amount of support expressed by primary voters or caucus-goers. Iowa has used the caucus process in the primaries since it achieved statehood in 1846, but it originally held its caucuses sometime around the middle of the primary calendar. The Iowa Democratic Party moved its caucuses to January in 1972, with the Republican Party joining in the move for the next election cycle in 1976. The state has held its crucial status as a media magnet and electoral influencer ever since. The mechanics of the caucus process differ depending on party, but both are held by precinct. Iowa has 99 counties comprising 1,681 precincts. Caucus-goers must be registered voters with the party they wish to caucus for, although both parties offer same-day voter registration. Story continues The similarities between the Democratic and Republican processes end there. At a Republican caucus, participants report to the designated location and hear one last pitch from a representative of each of the candidates. They then vote privately in a presidential nominee preference poll its essentially a normal election. The results are counted and pooled statewide, and delegates are awarded accordingly. The Democratic caucus process is more convoluted. Caucus-goers gather at the site and divide into groups based on candidate preference. Each group must meet a threshold of viability, which depends on the number of delegates at stake. For example, if a caucus is electing only one delegate, there is a simple majority vote; if a caucus is electing four delegates, a preference group must have 15 percent of the caucus attendees to be viable. The number of delegates up for grabs at each Democratic caucus is determined by the voter turnout in the two previous caucuses. So, a precinct with high voter turnout in the past could see a huge fall in caucus participation and still decide more delegates than a precinct experiencing a spike in turnout but low participation numbers in the past. If one or more candidate groups are nonviable, realignment occurs. Caucus-goers in the nonviable groups have the option of joining a viable one, persuading people from viable groups to jump ship or, if theres more than one nonviable group, joining together. Caucus-goers who are particularly single-minded may opt to leave the caucus rather than support a different candidate. The realignment process involves a lot of coaxing and cajoling and sometimes has to happen over and over (and over) before all the existing preference groups are viable at which point delegates are finally awarded. Despite its importance in the race for the nomination, Iowa has consistently low voter turnout, with only 1 in 5 registered voters coming out to caucus. Because of the relatively involved process, participants skew toward the politically active, creating concerns that the results dont necessarily reflect the average Iowans the candidates battle to win over. Learn more about how to vote in Iowa here. (Cover tile photo: Dave Weaver/AP) This article is drawn from reporting by Yahoo News correspondents, photo and video journalists covering the presidential campaign in Iowa, including Garance Franke-Ruta, Holly Bailey, Hunter Walker, Alyssa Bereznak, Liz Goodwin, Craig Rice, Charity Elder and Khue Bui. Ottumwa, Oskaloosa, Muscatine. Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls, Council Bluffs. Pocahontas, Hiawatha, Dubuque. The names form a spare poetry of their own, a song of exploration and settlement that commemorates Native Americans, French-Canadian trappers and hunters, 19th-century homesteaders who crossed an ocean and half of a continent to put down roots in its phenomenally fertile soil. You can plot them on a road map, where they form the nodes of a dense web of lines representing the increasingly frantic travels of 14 presidential candidates following the oldest rule of politics: You go where the votes are. In Iowa, where third-place Democrat Martin OMalley recently held an event in the town of Tama (population 2,877) that drew an audience of exactly one, that could be anywhere. On Saturday alone, the public schedules of 14 candidates from both parties listed a total of 52 stops, only one of them (by OMalley) in the states capital and largest city, Des Moines. The prize for narrowcast campaigning probably goes to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who had a stop planned for Hamlin, described in Wikipedia as an unincorporated community in Audubon County. Runner-up appeared to be Jeb Bush, who was scheduled to speak in Okoboji, population 807 or 38 fewer than the town of Hubbard, where Cruz brought his message to a place whose leading attraction, as listed on the town website, is the burial site of Herbert Hoovers grandfather. He was, presumably, a Republican. OMalleys agenda included six towns, tying him for most ambitious scheduling with Republican Rick Santorum. Only Donald Trump scheduled a visit to the city of Clinton which, for the record, was named for New York Gov. DeWitt Clinton, no relation to the worst secretary of state in history or to her husband, whose family name at birth was Blythe. Story continues Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley speaks at the Martin OMalley Unplugged event in Ames, Iowa. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) With about 3 million people sprinkled in towns across its 56,000 square miles, Iowa represents a unique test of stamina for candidates, their staffs, and the long-suffering journalists who cover them. This reflects both its first-in-the-nation status and its complex system of choosing convention delegates by caucus, which requires supporters to show up in person in one of the states 1,681 precincts. In theory, a single voter in the right place could make a crucial difference, which explains the lengths candidates will go to reach people. They careen from diner to feed store to American Legion Hall in the towns strung out along the Union Pacific rail lines, with their Main Streets lined with modest red-brick shops, their handsome clapboard churches and the silent field guns of their war memorials. In most cases, unless the towns are within commuting distance of a city, their populations peaked, or leveled off, around 1950. They are overwhelmingly white. Okoboji, according to the 2010 census, had an African-American population amounting to 0.1 percent, or eight-tenths of a person. The Native American population of Cherokee, where OMalley planned to stop, was 0.3 percent. Slideshow: On the trail and down to the wire in Iowa >>> Where the candidates stop, the press caravan pulls up nearby and disgorges its hordes, who have been frantically texting back and forth with their colleagues in other entourages, enabling such illuminating exchanges as the one that took place between Cruz, leaving a bar in Fenton (population 279), and a reporter bearing the portentous news that Donald Trump had referred to the Canadian-born senator as an anchor baby. Cruz dramatically paused as cameras scrambled over to shine lights on him. In the spotlight, he turned around and replied, Ha. Ha. Ha. Thats it? a reporter asked. Ha ha ha? As Cruz turned to board his bus, a second bus pulled up nearby, and seeing it, Cruz aides rolled their eyes. It bore a poster of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, who has been stalking Cruz on the trail, and as the Cruz bus left, the Insultmobile pulled out to follow, joining the caravan of staffers and reporters in their cars heading to the next event about 20 miles away. Cruzs bus, in the lead, seemed to be attempting to lose its pursuer, while campaign staffers in a minivan tried to get between them. Arriving at the next stop, his handlers managed to hustle the candidate indoors before he had to confront his puppet nemesis. Republican candidate Gov. John Kasich looks at a book about one of his heroes, former president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News) To Iowans, the quadrennial madness is both a cottage industry and a source of pride, mingled with amusement. The National Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids enjoyed an unusual moment in the national spotlight when Ohio Gov. John Kasich toured it recently, honoring, among other things, his own Czech and Croatian heritage. Iowa makes excellent ice cream of its own, but the caucuses were an excuse for a visit by Ben and Jerry, who created a custom flavor in honor of their preferred candidate, their home state senator, Bernie Sanders. As an election nears, residents in every state display lawn signs for candidates along the roads, but Iowa fans are so ardent that one supporter of Donald Trump commissioned a portrait of his hero, 4 by 8 feet, and mounted it, lit by floodlights, outside his home in West Des Moines. A banner for sale at Raygun, a small Iowa chain of novelty stores specializing in politically themed T-shirts and other campaign paraphernalia, captures the prevailing attitude of locals toward the would-be leaders of the free world: Iowa! For some reason you have to come here to be president. A T-shirt expresses the same sentiment toward the correspondents and bloggers who follow in the candidates wake: Sorry to interrupt your meal, but are you alive and have an opinion on the election? Adam Peters wearing the Berniehead shirt at a Sanders rally in Muscatine, Iowa. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP) It was at a Raygun store that Adam Peters of Iowa City bought the Berniehead shirt that has made him a sensation on Reddit: a black tee covered with pictures of the Vermont senator wearing variations on his characteristic expression, the one that seems to be saying: I ordered my tea 10 minutes ago, young lady! Peters got himself photographed wearing the shirt to Sanders rallies all over the state and soon became a minor political celebrity on social media in his own right, notwithstanding that, as Peters learned from a campaign staffer, Sanders actually thinks the shirt is creepy. Iowa voters get to assess candidates on their own, distinctive terms, such as what kind of shots they are. A wall at CrossRoads Shooting Sports, in a suburb of Des Moines, bears a display of targets that bore the brunt of assaults by various Republican candidates. An early sign of trouble ahead for Bobby Jindal came from the fact that he missed the target entirely, while Cruz put his bullets in a tight cluster right at the bulls-eye, autographing the target later with the emphatic, if slightly chilling inscription, The fight for liberty never ends! For her part, Hillary Clinton turned Iowans fondness for firearms to her own political purposes, telling a rally in Ames how when Ive traveled around Iowa the last couple of months, I have heard about what happens when children, young children, toddlers, kids in elementary school find that loaded gun in the closet or under the bed. And, of course, Iowa voters, at least the Republican ones, take religion seriously. Cruz likes to wrap up his speeches by quoting II Chronicles 7:14 (If my people that are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear their prayer from heaven and forgive their sins and I will keep their land), underscoring his own connection both to God and to the one who now sits at Gods right hand, Ronald Reagan. What the mainstream media dont report, Cruz adds, is that Reagan took his oath of office on a Bible open to that very verse. (If you dont believe it, you can read it right here, in the New York Times.) Cruzs out-of-state supporters, housed in a dormitory in Des Moines, begin each day with a prayer. His wife, Heidi, recently visited Camp Cruz to give a pep talk, which she ended, naturally, with a Biblical citation: It does say in Matthew 10:6 to be clever as a serpent and soft as a dove for God, she said, earnestly, albeit incorrectly: The verse is Matthew 10:16. At the Machine Shed restaurant in a suburb of Des Moines the name refers to the agriculture-themed decor of the place Yahoo News correspondent Holly Bailey and photographer Khue Bui checked with the hostess before sitting down to lunch: Is a candidate here? They are always here, she replied. Republican candidate Dr. Ben Carson leaves lunch at the Machine Shed in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News) The candidate du jour was Ben Carson, who, the waitress confided, would probably soon stop at their table to pose for a picture. But he walked out without doing any campaigning, and Bailey realized, with a bit of a shock, that he was actually in the restaurant to eat lunch. By Monday night, it will all be over, and Iowa will revert to its status as a not very significant (in Electoral College votes) swath of flyover country. Campaigning with his pregnant daughter, Ivanka, on Thursday, Trump jokingly urged her to have her baby in Iowa, which he said would guarantee his victory in the state. It now appears the honor of being the birthplace of Donald Trumps grandchild will go to some other lucky state, but who knows what treats may be in store for Iowa, come 2020? Bernie Sanders campaigns in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Jan. 30. (Photo: Dennis Van Tine/Star Max/IPx via AP) WEST DES MOINES, IOWA Jeff Weaver, the presidential campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., says he is worried Hillary Clintons team is resorting to irregular tactics to win the Iowa caucus on Feb. 1. Weavers concern is based on what he described as an alarming letter received by a voter named Dennis Clifford in Hawarden, Iowa. Although Clifford is a Sanders supporter, the letter, from a Clinton campaign office in Sioux City, urged him to caucus for Clinton and identified a non-resident as his local precinct captain. That would not actually be prohibited, but Weaver, who admitted he wasnt familiar with the rules, claimed it indicated the Clinton campaign is infiltrating the caucuses with out-of-state paid staffers. Clifford, a retiree, told Yahoo about the letter, which he received earlier this month. It was written by a Clinton campaign staffer named Morgan Luther, who was identified as the precinct captain for Hawarden. Im Hillarys captain for your caucus and youll find me at your caucus wearing a blue shirt that says captain, Luther wrote. Its my job to make sure all of Hillarys supporters are in attendance on caucus night to ensure Hillary wins. According to Clifford, he became concerned when he realized that the return address on the letter was a Clinton campaign office in Sioux City, Iowa, which is about 50 miles away from Hawarden. Clifford said he found it unusual that any campaign would name someone a precinct captain who was not from the precinct. Slideshow: On the trail and down to the wire in Iowa >>> Coming from Sioux City into the Hawarden caucus and trying to influence the voters in the Hawarden caucus, I dont know what the rules are, but it certainly is irregular, Clifford said. Luther is working for the Clinton campaign in Iowa although he is not a resident of the state. The Sanders campaign said the letter raised suspicions that the Clinton campaign is packing the caucuses with out-of-state voters. Story continues I think this raises a very serious concern that theyre infiltrating the caucuses with out-of-state paid staffers, Weaver said. I would hope that the media will be able to get to the bottom of this before Iowans go to the caucuses on Monday night. Weaver stressed that hes not concerned about the campaign using staffers in Iowa that are not from the state. Both campaigns have staffers in Iowa who are not from there. Rather, Weaver fretted about the possibility they are having non-residents attempt to participate and be counted in the caucus. People who are in the caucuses are supposed to be Iowa voters. Of course we have out-of-state staff. Im here in Iowa right now and, you know, I dont live in Iowa, Weaver said. But Im not going to the caucuses either to participate. Im not trying to participate in the caucuses. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally at Abraham Lincoln High School in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 31. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP) Luthers letter is not actually evidence the Clinton campaign broke any rules. Precinct captain is a title campaigns have created as part of their organizational efforts to get voters to caucus. It is not an official position. While people who are not residents are not allowed to participate and be counted in a precincts caucus, anyone is allowed to attend and watch. In fact, the Clinton campaign claims to have a 17-year-old volunteer too young to participate serving as a captain in one precinct. While it would not necessarily be against the rules for a precinct captain to come from outside of Iowa, it could offend some Iowa voters. The Clinton campaign maintains all of its precinct captains are Iowans. When Yahoo asked about the letter, a spokesperson for the Clinton campaign claimed their precinct captain in Hawarden, confirmed as of Jan. 25, is a woman from Iowa named Angeline Joy, not Luther. In cases where a precinct captain was not confirmed, the Clinton campaign spokesperson claimed letters to supporters have identified local staffers as captains in the interim. Weaver said he was unaware of whether regulations require precinct captains to be residents, but still has concerns about Luthers letter. He said he has not heard of any other indication the Clinton campaign has someone from out of state serving as a precinct captain. Youd have to talk to the party or somebody else about it. I dont know the answer to that, Weaver said when asked about the rules. I do know that, certainly on its face, it seems highly suspect to have out-of-state paid staffers participating. The Clinton campaign said none of its out-of-state staffers will attempt to participate in the caucus. As Sanders has emerged as a surprisingly strong opponent to Clinton, his team has levied several accusations against her campaign. The Sanders campaign has questioned whether the Democratic National Committee has unfairly coordinated with Clinton, who remains the frontrunner. In recent days, the two camps have argued back and forth about the debate schedule. Sanders has charged his opponent is trying to avoid giving him additional exposure by scheduling more debates. This is not the first time a campaign has been accused of bringing non-residents to Iowa ahead of the caucus. During Clintons unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid, her staff charged Barack Obamas team was systematically trying to manipulate the Iowa caucuses with out-of-state people. In light of the disputed letter, Weaver said it was ironic that the Clinton campaign in the past has suggested that President Obama somehow packed the 2008 caucus with out-of-state people. In her first television interview since endorsing Donald Trump, Sarah Palin sat down with NBC Today show hosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday. But things quickly turned sour when the former Alaska governor was asked about controversial comments she made at a Trump rally suggesting her sons recent domestic violence arrest could be related to posttraumatic stress disorder from serving in Iraq and linking it to what she called President Obamas lack of respect for war veterans. You guys brought me here to talk about Iowa politics and the caucus tonight, not to talk about my kids, Palin said. And that was a promise. But as things go in the world of media, you dont always keep your promises, evidently. Lauer said there were no specific promises made about the content of the interview, only that this would be your first interview since endorsing Donald Trump. Well, I was told this interview was about the caucus tonight, Palin said. And, right on, who will it be to put America back on the right track and restore constitutional government we are lacking today that we so need. And I said, Right on, let me go talk about that. Palins son Track was arrested at the familys Wasilla, Alaska, home last month and charged with assault, interference with the reporting of a domestic violence crime and possession of a firearm while intoxicated after his girlfriend told police he punched and kicked her before threatening to kill himself with an AR-15 rifle. The 26-year-old, who served in Iraq in 2008, reportedly told police the incident began when he learned she had been in touch with an ex-boyfriend. Story continues My son, like so many others they come back a bit different. They come back hardened, Palin said at a Trump rally in Tulsa, Okla., last month, a day after endorsing the Republican frontrunner. They come back wondering if there is that respect for what their fellow soldiers and airmen and every other member of the military have given so sacrificially to this country, and that starts at the top. Palin: They have to look at him and wonder, Do you know what we go through? Do you know what were trying to do to secure America and to secure the freedoms that have been bequeathed us? Related: Veterans assail Palin for pinning sons alleged domestic violence on PTSD On the Today show, Palin denied she was placing blame on the president for her sons PTSD struggles. I never blamed President Obama, she said. What I have blamed President Obama in doing though is this level of disrespect for the United States military that is being manifest in gutting budgets, in not trying to beef it up and let our military do the job that they are trained to do. And in specific issues that were talking about that are so hot today, specifically, lets get in there and utterly destroy ISIS as we know our United States military can do, yet we have a commander in chief who seems to kind of want to kowtow, allow the enemy to be poking at us. And thats unacceptable to most Americans, certainly to me. Palin was asked by Lauer if she regretted laying PTSD at the foot of the president. What did I say that was offensive? Palin replied. I dont regret any comment that I made, because I didnt lay PTSD at the foot of the president. I did say, though, and suggested very adamantly that there is much more that our commander in chief can do to prove that he respects our troops. Kiev may be an unexpected vacation destination, but its so worth it. (Photo: iStock) By Drew Goldberg / The Hungry Partier I have now been to every capital city in Europe and I can proudly say that Kiev is one of my favorites. But why on Earth would you go to Ukraine? Isnt is unsafe? This was the message that several people sent me before my trip, via emails and social media comments. And yes, there was a political revolution here over the winter of 20132014 (you can watch the Oscar-nominated Netflix documentary Winter on Fire: Ukraines Fight for Freedom to understand what happened when the people called for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich), but just because of one event in the past doesnt mean that its unsafe to travel to Ukraine today, despite what the media will tell you. I will admit that the situation is a bit more tense on the Eastern part of Ukraine, but as far as I experienced when I visited a few months ago in the fall of 2015, Kiev is a safe place to visit. Chilling on a bench in front of The Sofiyiskiy Cathedral. (Photo: Drew Goldberg) I walked all around the city during my week long visit. From what I saw with my own eyes, daily life in Kiev unfolds just like Ive seen in any other big city: People ride the underground metro to work, friends hang out in parks, they schmooze in cafes, and they go to bars at night. The city is peaceful during the day and it turns electric when the sun does down. I love it. As I was wandering around Kiev, I noticed how patriotic the people are with a huge sense of national pride. The colors of Ukraine are light blue and yellow (as can be seen in the national flag), and these two colors are painted all around the city on buildings, street signs, walls, and cars. Here are ten more reasons why I fell in love with Kiev: 1. Affordability: Ukraine is one of the cheapest countries in Europe, and likewise, Kiev is one of the cheapest capital cities that Ive comes across in the region. For example, to ride the metro is four hryvnia (about 20 cents USD). I never paid more than five dollars for any meal, and the food is delicious. And any taxi ride across the city wont be more than three dollars (make sure they dont rip you off for being a tourist). Story continues 2. Amazing buildings: I had to pinch myself a few times to believe that what I was seeing was real life. Beautiful colors, massive, golden shrines. Did you know the buildings in Kiev were so gorgeous? Related: The Best Value European Destination Youve Never Heard Of Ill just let the photos do the talking: More amazing churches I just cant get enough of them! (Photo: Drew Goldberg) 3. Lively nightlife: Kiev comes electric at night. The party starts at midnight and goes until noon the next day. There is a wide variety of fun pubs, bars, swanky lounges and insane nightclubs. Beer and vodka shots can be consumed for one or two dollars, and the people are so friendly that youre never going to want the night to end. 4. Open-minded people: Speaking of Ukrainians, I met some really cool people who were down to earth and friendly much friendlier than I found in Ukraines neighboring countries. Its hard to wipe this smile off my face as Im thinking about all the new friends I made during my trip. Some of the friendly Ukrainians that I met while in Kiev. (Photo: Drew Goldberg) 5. The Motherland Monument: Climbing to the top of the 102 meter, stainless-steel Motherland Monument was one of the best travel experiences of my life. The statue is massive and it overlooks the city of Kiev. Only a few people per day are allowed to climb all the way up, and you will need a private guide to take you up the steep ladders and narrow passageways. Related: Hidden Secrets of 10 American Landmarks After about 15 minutes of intense climbing, youll see a tiny window at the top. Open it up see a view like this like you can rule the world! Climbing to the top of the Mother Motherland Monument was my top highlight of Kiev! (Photo: Drew Goldberg) 6. Underground markets: Whenever you need to cross a big street in Kiev, you will do so by walking underground through a giant market and over to the next side. You can find anything youre looking for clothes, electronics, food, hardware, books, and more. Related: Worlds Coolest Underground Wonders 7. Pop-up cafes: Ive never seen a city with more pop-up cafes and bars than Kiev has. Just go to any popular area in the city and youll notice the street corners and sidewalks lined up with pop-ups, which usually take the form of graffitied cars! They all have a different vibe and sell very cheap drinks. Pop-up cafes are everywhere around the city, and they are all unique. (Photo: Drew Goldberg) 8. Cleanliness: Kiev is a very clean city. I was impressed to see the citizens always taking very good care of their home by not throwing trash on the street and putting an effort into maintaining the cleanliness of the buildings. 9. The mix of old and new: I really enjoyed how Kiev has an old and a new feel to it. Many of the buildings in the city center are several hundred years old, but also, I found a variety of impressive 21st-century modern complexes that left me stunned. If anything will make you stay in Kiev for a long time, it will be this. Trying to navigate my way around the city. (Photo: Drew Goldberg) And lastly, I will leave you with a few travel tips before you visit Kiev: Get your hands on a map, because the city is not well marked (and mostly everything is written in Russian/Ukrainan). Dont ever called a Ukrainian person Russian, or mix up Ukraine and Russia. Just dont do it. Learn basic Russian words and phrases. Even though Ukraine does have its own language, Russian is widely spoken and almost everyone in Kiev can speak it. English is not as common as youd think. Exchange your euros or dollars at an exchange office, because you will get a better rate than an ATM. If you cant speak basic Russian, then dont attempt to get in a taxi by yourself (because they will rip you off). You shouldnt pay more than 80 hryvinia to get anywhere in the city. Try to stay in the city center (there are many cheap hotels and hostels). I made the mistake of staying a bit outside and it was a hassle to walk to the metro every time. Or use Couch Surfing if you can! Related: How Couch Surfing Changed One Womans Entire Life Thanks for reading my post about Kiev, and I really hope that this article inspires you to come here and experiences it for yourself! I know that Ill definitely be making a visit back to this wonderful place in the near future! Read more from The Hungry Partier: WATCH: 5 Underrated (and Affordable) European Countries You Should Visit Now Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Hyderabad: The UoH released a circular on Sunday stating that it would function normally from Monday. Interim V-C Dr M. Periasamy said MA and MSc classes will resume from Monday. He said a meeting with all deans will be conducted in the morning at the administration building, which has been blocked by protesting students since for weeks. He said he met with the protesting students and teachers and was assured of cooperation to bring in normalcy in the university. Three teachers from SC ST Teachers Forum P. Thirumal from the SN School of Communication, K.Y. Ratnam of political science and P. Anupama of computer science participated in the relay hunger strike. Two of the suspended dalit research scholars P. Vijay and V. Sunkanna along with another student, Vishal Kumar, are on an indefinite hunger strike. They said they would continue their hunger strike until all their demands are met, the most important of which is the resignation of Prof. Appa Rao Podile as V-C. On Sunday the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice submitted their demands to Dr Periasamy which included that the Proctorial Board must be reformulated to remove Chief Proctor Alok Pandey and that students and teachers from dalit community must be included. Students wanted the UoH to start a Rohith Memorial Lecture, and that a public apology be made for the suspension of five dalit scholars including Rohith Vemula from the hostel. They wanted Dr Vipin Srivastava to be barred from the EC when these demands are looked into. They said the UoH must not act on the resignations sent in by SC ST faculty. Varsity looking at ways to meet fulfill demands University of Hyderabad interim Vice-Chancellor Dr M. Periasamy said on Sunday that he was told by the Union human resource development ministry on Sunday to convey to the executive council to be positive to the demands of students. Dr Periasamy said that, All demands being made by the students cannot be met but we will work towards it. One of the demands is to provide a job to Rohith Vemulas kin. The EC will see what position can be created for Rohiths immediate kin, his brother, in the university based on his qualification and submit the proposal to the ministry. On the demand for the resignation of V-C Prof. Appa Rao Podile, Dr Periaswamy said, it is not in our hands as a judicial committee is looking into it. After it submits its report, a decision will be taken by the MHRD. On Rs 50 lakh compensation for Rohiths family, he said it had come to his knowledge that the TS and AP would provide financial assistance. The university teachers had decided to contribute, Regarding compensations and jobs to kin of dalits who had committed suicide earlier, the EC would contemplate preparing a report on the demand. Druyan touched by Rohiths sad death Documentary producer Ann Druyan, the wife of astrophysicist and writer the late Carl Sagan, has written a touching condolence letter over the suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula. Rohith had mentioned in his suicide note that he wanted to be a science writer like Carl Sagan. To read his suicide note and to learn the details of his predicament is to get a vivid inkling of the actual cost of bias to our civilisation, said Ms Druyan, who produced the science documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. The letter that Ms Druyan wrote to a Kerala journalist, is trending on social media. The journalist had written to her about Rohith. If we could somehow quantify the totality of lost contributions and innovations as a result of prejudice, I believe we would find it staggering, she stated. Is it possible that the attention paid to Rohiths story will lessen its chronic repetition? I am trying to find something hopeful in an otherwise heartbreaking example of needless suffering and squandered potential, she said. Rohith was an ardent fan of Carl Sagan and shared photographs of the science documentary series hosted by Sagan on his Facebook wall. His friends said that he was excited about science and preferred scientific facts over religious myths. Druyan was married to Sagan for 15 years till his death in 1996. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Congress (Mani) chairman K. M. Mani has backed out from meeting national BJP president Amit Shah. BJP sources told DC that it was a publicity stunt from Mr Manis camp as well as a pressure tactic in the UDF. RSS at the national level has been trying to float Isai Manch to woo Christians on the lines of its Muslim Rashtriya Manch. But a senior UDF leader told DC that Manis move did not go down well with the Joseph faction in KC (M). BJP national president Amit Shah is scheduled to arrive in Kochi on Feb 3, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modis trip to Kozhikode. On Feb 4, Mr Shah will address a public programme at Kottayam coinciding with the Kerala Vimochana Yatra of state president Kummanam Rajasekharan. Reports of Mr Mani meeting Mr Shah hogged the news headlines last week. But ever since UDF meeting on Saturday decided to welcome Mr Mani back to the cabinet, he took a turnaround on the meeting. Two prominent leaders of BJP told DC that Mr Rajasekharan broke the silence on Manis imminent meeting only on Saturday. Kummanam had said that Mr Mani is free to meet any BJP leader. It was just a stunt from Mr Manis camp. He is keen to return to the UDF cabinet, but for that he would have to wait until Feb 16 when the vigilance court takes up his case again, echoed BJP leaders. Agitators burn the Ratnachal Express as part of Rail Roko during the Kapu Ikya Garjana near Tuni in East Godavari on Sunday. (Photo: DC) Hyderabad: Sundays violence at Tuni in East Godavari district has been attributed to the failure of the police department, particularly intelligence agencies. In an emergency meeting held with officials in Vijayawada on Sunday evening following the violence by Kapu agitators, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu expressed his anger over the police and intelligence failure. While protesters were gathering in large numbers and given that their leader Mudragada Padmanabham is known for his rebellious methods, the police did nothing. Read: Kapus on warpath in Andhra Pradesh for quota Mr Naidu said: The police didnt smell it. Intelligence didnt smell it. I also didnt anticipate this kind of situation. I only anticipated that other castes may react. Police didnt anticipate the plan of the protesters as the venue of the Kapu Garjana was in a coconut grove near the railway tracks. Read: Committed to reservation for Kapu community, says Chandrababu Naidu Police force maintained restraint, says DGP A senior leader of TD said, Like the May 2010 incident where the meeting was held near Mahbubad railway station in Telangana state, the agitators hurled stones as there are a lot of stones on the tracks. They also found it easy to blockade as the venue was near the tracks. Director general of police J.V. Ramudu said that the police was restrained. Read: Pawan Kalyan to speak on kapu quota There was enough force at the venue. We have 4,000 policeman in East Godavari district. We maintained restraint. They told us it was a small meeting and they did not apply for permission. They turned out in large numbers, he said. The DGP said that it was a planned violence. Most of them were drunk. Liquor was supplied on a large scale to the agitators. It was a planned violence. We will identify all the perpetrators and book them. Read: Forgotten Kapu leader emerges He added, Our superintendent of police was near the police station and he was attacked by the mob. Our forces were told to maintain restraint. Raigad: A picnic by the coast of the Arabian Sea turned tragic on Monday for a group of youngsters from a Pune college with 13 of them drowning off the popular Murud-Janjira beach in adjoining Raigad district in Maharashtra. The incident occurred in the afternoon when altogether 18 students ventured into the sea to swim. The students, aged between 18 and 20, were undergoing BSC and BCA computer courses. According to a Coast Guard spokesperson, 13 bodies were recovered while a few students are still untraced and the Coast Guard and Navy have launched operations to rescue some missing students. The students were part of an around 126-strong group from Inamdar College in Pune who went to Murud in three buses for a picnic. "We received information regarding 15 to 18 students being washed into the sea at about 4pm. Coast Guard aircraft IC117 and two hired fishing boats were deployed for search and rescue. So far, Coast Guard chopper ex-842SGN was launched at 6:03 pm and ICGS 'Achook' has been diverted," the spokesperson said. He said at least six students were taken to hospital. The Navy has also deployed two interceptor craft for the search operations. P A Inamdar, Trustee of the Pune-based college, run by Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society, has confirmed that 13 students died in the mishap. He alleged that the beach where the students had gone apparently had no life guard. A pall of gloom descended over the college following the tragedy. The picnickers were accompanied by around ten staff members including teachers, the college authorities said. Inamdar said the college has received names of the deceased but their parents would be informed only after confirming and establishing their identities by checking the respective rolls. A team of college officials has left for Murud to assist rescue work. Bengaluru: Taking a dig at PM Narendra Modis initiatives to attract investments, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal advised him saying, Dont go after capital, capital should come after you. Addressing an autorickshaw drivers rally here on Sunday, Mr Kejriwal took a dig at the foreign tours of Mr Modi and said the PM should also tour India to understand the problems of common people. Referring to his slogans like Ease of Doing business and Skill India', Mr Kejriwal said Mr Modi should discuss these things with autorickshaw drivers, instead of business tycoons like Mr Adani and Mr Ambani. He should discuss with auto drivers, small shopkeepers and small time businessmen how to make their business easier. They will tell him what the people in India are facing and how they are being harassed by the bureaucracy. I asked my officials to look into all unwanted licenses in Delhi. Now, the report is ready and I will do away with the unwanted license system. The common people should be allowed to do business without red tape. These people talk about the poor only during elections and later, sit with Adanis and Ambanis to prepare policies, he quipped. Taking a dig at the Skill India initiative, he said the government should not kill the existing skills of the people. Dont make people, who have driving skills unemployed. The rule making class VIII pass minimum for obtaining autorickshaw driving license was started only a few years ago. Does that mean autorickshaw drivers before that were bad?, he said. She was received by the senior staff members of Golden Temple, including special staff which usually receives the VVIPs during their visit to the holiest shrine of the sikhs. Amritsar: Ontarios Premier Kathleen Wynne was on Sunday accorded a red carpet welcome at the Golden Temple here but was not offered the traditional Siropa (robe of honour) by the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee due to her views on same-sex marriages. Wynne paid obeisance at the shrine and also cooked food at the community kitchen. She was received by the senior staff members of Golden Temple, including special staff which usually receives the VVIPs during their visit to the holiest shrine of the sikhs. The Premier was presented a gold plated photo of Golden Temple along with a set of Sikh religious books by the Chief Secretary of SGPC, Harcharan Singh but was not offered the Siropa. The SGPC had last evening announced that it would not offer her the 'siropa'. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh said, "The SGPC's decision was correct not to offer her Siropa. To pay obeisance in the Golden Temple is everyone's right, but to give siropa to dignitaries, Sikh tenets need to be followed carefully." Former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti had issued an edict in 2005 against same-sex marriages. Same-sex marriages is a practice opposed by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs. SGPC's senior information officer Gurbachan Singh, said The premier was also apprised about the Sikh history. The apex court also issued a notice on the fresh plea of Tuki against the imposition of President's Rule in the state. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Supreme Court on conceded its "mistake" and recalled a notice to Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa seeking his report to the President recommending central rule even as it rejected the Centre's opposition to giving documents seized from the deposed chief minister and his cabinet colleagues. At the outset of the day's proceedings, a five-judge Constitutional bench headed by Justice J S Khehar said "that (issuing notice) is our mistake" after considering an earlier verdict and the legal position that the Governor enjoys "complete immunity" in court proceedings. The bench made the remarks when Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi pointed out the legal position and referred to a 2006 judgement which had held that Governors cannot be asked to join legal proceedings. Referring to Rohatgi's contention that Governors have "complete immunity" under Article 361 of the Constitution, it said, "We consider it just and appropriate to recall the notice issued to Respondent 2 (the Governor)." The bench, also comprising Justices Dipak Misra, M B Lokur, P C Ghose and N V Ramana, however, clarified that its order recalling the notice would not "preclude" the Arunachal Governor from filing or putting forth his views before it. It also said that earlier senior advocate Satpal Jain, appearing for the Governor, had undertaken, in pursuance of court's direction, to file materials leading to recommendation of President's Rule. The Attorney General said either the leaders including Rajesh Tacho and Speaker Nabam Rebia should agree to delete the name of the Governor from their respective pleas or he would cite the legal position and the case law on the issue. "We can recall the notice, if we have committed the mistake," the bench said. "Having given a thoughtful consideration to the issue in hand, we are inclined to recall the notice. That, however, would not preclude the Governor from filing or putting forth his views before it," the bench said. It, meanwhile, issued notice to the Centre on fresh pleas of former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki and Congress leader Bamang Felix against imposition of President's Rule. Rejecting Centre's opposition to giving former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, his cabinet colleagues and officials certain documents seized after President's rule was imposed, the court said "this is the basic fairness level required for them to assail" the promulgation. The court also directed the Centre to make copies and return "forthwith" by Friday all the seized private letters, files and documents to the former CM, Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries and those which are in the custody of the Administrator through the Chief Secretary. "After hearing counsel for parties at some length, we are of the view that certain records/documents deserve to be furnished to the former Chief Minister, ministers and parliamentary secretaries whose offices have been sealed and from whose offices files/documents have been kept in safe custody," the five-judge constitution bench said. The bench, also comprising Justices Dipak Misra, M B Lokur, P C Ghosh and N V Ramana, accordingly directed the Centre to make copies of all files/documents that were taken from the custody of the former CM, ministers and parliamentary secretaries and furnish them the copies. Further, it said the Centre would furnish the copies of the hard disks of computers, laptops seized from them. After the bench did not accept the contention of Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi that the request by Tuki and other Congress leaders were not genuine, he agreed to its suggestions to provide the copies of the documents. "You are on technicalities and we are on fairness and only on basic fairness," the bench told the Attorney General and added that at the moment they are only contesting that they should have opportunity to defend. "How can you say you will have the sword and he will not have it," the bench remarked. Rohatgi submitted that Tuki's colleagues filed the petition and never protested that they were handicapped in the absence of the copies of the letters exchanged between Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa and the then Chief Minister. During the hearing, the bench also asked Attorney General "can you contradict that as proposition of law, declaration of promulgation can be assailed as malafide. They want to establish there is malafide. They want to establish malafide from the communications between the Governor and the then Chief Minister." Hyderabad: Two students of the C Hostel, who have not paid their mess charges, went on a rampage in Osmania University on Saturday night and destroyed raw material kept in the mess for breakfast on Sunday morning. They destroyed about 40kg of dosa batter along with 20kg of boiled potatoes and mud was mixed with 5 kg of chilly powder. The two students belong to the Arts College, one from the English department and the other from Public Administration. A senior professor of Arts College said that they were double post graduation students who had not paid their mess fees yet. The professor said, Because of their act, the hostellers could not be provided breakfast on Sunday. We have complained to the police against the two students. He said such acts by students were not new, as the university had remained without a vice-chancellor for more than a year. Students do as they please because there is no fear of action from the weak administration, he said. There are 50 double-PG students from Arts College staying in hostels and have not paid the mess fees even after repeated reminders. They threaten us when we ask them to pay their dues, the professor said. According to the professor, the students had gone to the mess late on Saturday. When told that there was no food left for them, they went on the rampage. IT Minister S.R. Patil, Industry Minister R.V. Deshpande, Infrastructure Minister Roshan Baig, Agriculture Minister Krishna Byregowda, Chief Secretary Arvind Jadav and senior bureaucrats Ratnabrabha, P.B. Ramamurthy, V. Manjula, Guarav Gupta and Tanusree Deb Barman took part in the meeting held at the Chief Minister's home office Krishna. Bengaluru: The State High Level Clearance Committee chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday cleared 4 major IT and IT enabled services projects worth Rs 2957.25 crore. Intel India proposes to invest Rs 1,100 crore with an employment potential of 3000. Velankani Electronics Private Limited, an electronic product manufacturing company, got approval for expanding its existing facility. The expansion plan proposes to create employment for more than 2400 people. Saltire Developers Private Limited proposed a SEZ for IT and IT services. The company proposes to invest Rs 463 crore and plans to create employment for 25,000. Rathanamahal Properties will invest Rs 365 crore to generate 4650 jobs. IT Minister S.R. Patil, Industry Minister R.V. Deshpande, Infrastructure Minister Roshan Baig, Agriculture Minister Krishna Byregowda, Chief Secretary Arvind Jadav and senior bureaucrats Ratnabrabha, P.B. Ramamurthy, V. Manjula, Guarav Gupta and Tanusree Deb Barman took part in the meeting held at the Chief Minister's home office Krishna. Later in the evening, the Single Window Clearance Cell which deals with projects worth below Rs 100 cr, chaired by IT Minister S.R. Patil, cleared five IT projects with investment of Rs 139.76 crores. (total Rs Rs 3097 crore). These projects aim to generate employment for 39,755 people. Biggies gracing meet Ratan Tata, chairman, Tata Trust Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman, Aditya Birla Group Anil D. Ambani, founder chairman, Reliance ADAG Sajjan Jindal, CMD, JSW Steel Baba Kalyani, chairman, Kalyani Group Goutan Adani, founder chairman, Adani Group A. S. Kiran Kumar, chairman, ISRO, N. R. Narayan Murthy, co-founder and chairman, Infosys Azim H Premji, founder chairman, Wipro Dr Vishal Sikka, CEO, Infosys Yousuf Ali, MA, CMD, Lulu group, UAE T. V. Mohandas Pai, chairman, Manipal Global Jaitley to cut the tape Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and I&B, Arun Jaitley, will inaugurate the event and the exhibition will be opened by Mr Nitin J. Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, will preside over the function. Additional Chief Secretary: Land banks ready Additional Chief Secretary for Industries and Commerce, K. Ratnaprabha, on Monday asserted that the state government has already created a land bank of 26,268 acres to meet the demands of the corporate sector. She told reporters that the state cabinet had recently decided to hand over 13,000 acres to the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board. "Land is not a problem," she said. No compromise on recruiting locals: Siddaramaiah Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah has declared that the state government would not compromise on the issue of recruiting locals in industries but this exercise will be restricted to lower rank recruitments alone. Speaking at the editors meeting here, he said, Ours is a federal country, we cannot fully insist on 100 per cent recruitment of Kannadigas. As industry needs to recruit highly skilled people, it would not be correct on our part to insist on recruiting only locals. We will insist on recruiting locals in non-technical or non-skilled labour jobs. According to him, the new industrial policy envisaged by him, is aimed at attracting at least Rs 5 lakh crore investment in the next three years and ensure direct employment generation for 15 lakh people. Such being the case, if the state government has direct employment potential of 15 lakh, the majority of the jobs will be for locals only, he said. Hyderabad/ Vijayawada: Alleging that AP Chief Minister Naidu is lying on Kapu reservations and other issues opposition leader Jagan Mohan Reddy asked, Why cant Naidu be called criminal number 1 for cheating Kapus and Boyas in the name of reservations, farmers in the name of loan waivers, jobless in the name of employment and land acquisition and women in the name of self help group loan waivers? Jagan alleged that Naidu has a criminal mind and his involvement in the murder of prominent Kapu leader Vangaveeti Ranga was mentioned by ex-TD Minister Hari Rama Jogaiah. Jagan also said that Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao and Minister Devenini Uma and MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna are all accused in the Ranga murder case. Jagan said the violence that took place is an outburst due to frustration as Naidu failed to implement his poll promises. Reacting to the allegations levelled by Mr Naidu who on Sunday that YSRC is responsible for the violence that broke out in Tuni, the opposition leader said the party is supporting reservations for Kapus without causing loss to BCs. Jagan asked Naidu to put pressure on the Centre and get Constitution amended to ensure that the over all reservation quota is raised above 50 per cent like in TN which has 69 per cent reservation. Jagan pointed out the agitation is supported by all parties including the BJP. Why didnt YSR give quotas: CM Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Monday asked the YSRC why the Kapus had not been not included in the BC list during Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddys government. Speaking to the media, Mr Naidu alleged that YSRC leaders had taken part in the Tuni violence on Sunday. Anti-social aliments with criminal backgrounds from other parts of the state were involved in the incident, he said, adding that the government would establish facts. He also requested the public to inform the police if they had any information. The incident was pre-planned. Why did they attack the train and police stations if they went to the meeting only for extending support, he asked, adding that locals of the area did not have such a criminal history and have never engaged in violence. The Chief Minister said that the government would provide BC reservation for Kapus based on the Manjunatha Commission findings. The government has already identified huge numbers of poor people in the Kapu community and it is committed to complete the process within nine months, he added. Reacting to the demand of implementation of GO 30, Mr Naidu said that the GO did not have any details including section, clause and funds. He said that the Supreme Court had already dismissed the reservations, which were allotted for Jats in seven states. What is the use if the government releases the GO on those lines, he asked. He alleged that the YSRC leaders planned to stop the development of Andhra Praedsh with corrupt money. The Kapu leaders and youth should act wisely by avoiding false campaigns, he requested. The Chief Minister said that the government would discuss the Kapu reservation issue and the present developments with intellectuals and all Kapu leaders. The Cabinet would also discuss the issue in the next three days, he added. Tight security is in place at the ESI hospital and Codissia Grounds ahead of PM Narendra Modis to Coimbatore. (Photo: DC) Coimbatore: Tight security is in place in Coimbatore for Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit on Tuesday. More than 6,000 police personnel roped in from neighbouring districts have been deployed. The Codissia Grounds, venue of Modis public meet and the ESI Hospital, being inaugurated, were brought under a five-tier security ring and round the clock monitoring. Modi, who is expected to arrive by a chartered flight at Coimbatore International airport, will drive straight to inaugurate the ESI Hospital built at a cost of Rs 580 crores in Singanallur at around 3.30 pm. From there, the Prime Minister will reach the Codissia Grounds to address a public meeting, which is likely to draw several lakhs of cadres. A control room has been opened at the Codissia Grounds and a team of Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad sleuths and sniffer dogs have been pressed into service. After the public meet, Modi will leave the city by a special flight at around 6.30 pm. He will be travelling around in a bullet proof car brought from Delhi. On Monday, J.K. Tripathy, ADGP (Law and Order), District Collector Archana Patnaik and City Police Commissioner A. Amalraj discussed the security arrangements for Modis visit. Traffic changes have been effected for Tuesday. Heavy vehicles from Avinashi and Karumathampatty should go by Neelambur, L&T bypass Road to reach Chinthamanipudur junction and take the Trichy road to reach Ramanathapuram Junction to proceed via Lakshmi Mills junction from 10 am on Tuesday. All other vehicles should follow this traffic pattern from 12 noon, a release from the police said. Similarly all heavy duty vehicles leaving the city from Gandhipuram, JM Bakery, and Anna Statue to Avinashi should go via Lakshmi Mills junction, Ramanathapuram, Singanallur and reach Chinthamanipudur to proceed through Neelambur by L&T Bypass road from 10 am. Other vehicles should follow this traffic pattern from 1 pm. Plan to take issue to PM Modi During the Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the city on Tuesday, the Save Avinasilingam University Mission plans to meet him personally to bring to his notice the nebulous and precarious position of the university with regard to its sources of funds. Since 1988, the university has been a public-funded institution, receiving about Rs 50 crore per year from the UGC. But, unfortunately, the memorandum of association submitted by the university in 2015 and approved by the UGC does not conform to that of a public funded deemed university. Therefore, the UGC has decided to stop the grants to the university with effect from April 2017. The latest communication from the UGC says that as of now there is no proposal to stop the grants. Therefore, future funding of this university remains uncertain and precarious, said Pon Chandran one of the members of the Save Avinasilingam University Mission. We earnestly appeal to the Prime Minister to intervene in this matter and take steps so that this premier institution of Coimbatore catering to the educational needs of women students will continue to remain a public-funded institution. Otherwise, a larger number of women students will be deprived of higher education at affordable cost, he added. At present about 5, 000 students are studying in the university. Tell PM to slash fuel price: TPDK members A plea to the visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to slash fuel costs took on a bizarre hue here on Monday at the Public Grievances Day at the district Collectorate when members of a political outfit trooped into the complex carrying a scooter. Members of the TPDK-Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam- in a petition to collector Archana Patnaik, urged her to inform the Prime Minister during his Coimbatore visit on Tuesday about the need to reduce the cost of petrol and diesel. Due to the drop in price of crude oil from US dollars 145 to 30 per barrel, most of the countries had reduced the cost of petrol. Petrol price has to be reduced to Rs 20 per litre in India, as Bangladesh was selling it for Rs 19, and neighboring Pakistan for Rs 20 per litre, they urged, adding, increasing the excise duty on petrol and diesel will only make the cost of living dearer to the people. On behalf of the Coimbatore people, The district collector has to take this demand to PM Modi, the TPDK demanded in its petition. Students of the University of Hyderabad started attending classes on Monday after a conditional truce was reached. Hyderabad: The University of Hyderabad wore almost a deserted look on Monday as the agitators toned down their protests and reached a conditional truce with the university administration. Classes were conducted and for the first time in two weeks, since the suicide of Rohith Vemula, the varsity administration was allowed to function. On Monday, the SC-ST Faculty Forum of UoH called off their relay hunger strike and went back to conducting classes on the condition that Prof. Appa Rao Podile or Dr Vipin Srivastava did not return as vice chancellor of the university. The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, which was spearheading the protests by students in the university, gave an ultimatum of 10 days to the university's administration that is being headed by interim vice chancellor Dr M. Periasamy to fulfill all their demands. The three students who were on indefinite hunger strike including the two Dalit scholars who were suspended along with Vemula were admitted to the university health centre at around Sunday midnight after which they called off the fast. However the JAC said that it would continue the relay hunger strike. The university released a circular that the last date for payment of semester fees and registration was extended to February 8 from January 20. The semester, which was earlier planned to be cut short to four months, from January to April rather than June keeping in mind the water crisis in university, is also expected to be extended. Dontha Prashant, one of the four Dalit research scholars suspended from the hostel along with Vemula said that they would continue their protests by not returning to the hostel until all demands were met. Their suspension was revoked conditionally by the university. Agitators belonging to the Kapu caste set fire to Ratnachal Express when it halted at Tuni railway station in East Godavari district on Sunday afternoon, they were protesting to demand their caste for inclusion in the backward class (Photo: PTI) Tuni (East Godavari)/Hyderabad: As normalcy returned to Tuni on Monday after Sundays violence during the Kapu Ikya Garjana, police booked around 50 criminal cases against Kapunadu leader Mudragada Padmanabham and others for attacking cops, burning police stations, vehicles and railway properties. The police claimed to have found prima facie evidence that antisocial elements with malicious intent from outside from Krishna, Guntur and West Godavari districts had played a key role in the violence. Conspiracy sections of IPC have been added in the FIRs against the accused. Cops having look at video, calls Cops are also examining available video footage and call data records. Authorities are, however, hesitating to arrest the Kapu leader and former minister Mudragada Padman-abham, who is the prime accused in these cases. Meanwhile, Section 144 and Section 30 have been imposed in Tuni and Vizag and other parts of the state to prevent untoward incidents. A senior AP IPS official said, Around 50 cases have been booked including 10 cases pertaining to the railways. We have identified people involved in the arson and stern action will be initiated after collecting evidence. We will also open rowdy-sheets against the prime accused. Mudragada and the owner of the coconut grove were also named as accused in the case as the former was at the helm of the affairs. Around 15 policemen were injured, all of them are out of danger. We are also examining the allegation of TD leaders that YSR Congress leader B. Karunakar Reddy had financed the meet. Police personnel and intelligence sources said that a few leaders of the Opposition parties in Tuni and Payakaraopeta towns had played a key role in guiding the rowdy elements to indulge in violent activities. ADGP (law and order) R.P. Thakur said that the Kapu leader had organised the Garjana without police permission on Sunday. However, the police had made adequate arrangements to manage the traffic. Special branches of district police have also become defunct and are restricted to passport verification and press meet coverage; they seldom gather local intelligence. (Representational image) Hyderabad: Policing in East and West Godavari is more politicised and caste centric than elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh. Deputy inspector generals of police of the region and superintendents of police of the districts have been shunted out earlier when they have refused to follow the line of politicians who patronage gambling and cockfighting. Special branches of district police have also become defunct and are restricted to passport verification and press meet coverage; they seldom gather local intelligence. Gambling, cockfighting, fake currency circulation, sex trafficking and human trafficking are serious issues in these two districts. There are several earlier instances where DIG and SPs have been shifted. Range DIG Mr Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat was transferred few days before he completed a year in office as the then Congress ministers wanted him not to act against violators. Likewise, West Godavari Superintendent of Police Mr Raghurami Reddy was shifted out by the TD government as he had acted tough against cockfighting in 2015. Officials who have been posted in these districts have also been involved in controversial issues like East Godavari SP Mr Trivikrama Varma. A retired IPS official of DG rank said, MLAs patronise gambling and cockfighting gangs. If DIGs and SPs resist and implement the law they get transferred. This also applies to lower rank police officials. For instance an IPS official was called to the guest house of a drunk minister and was given a dressing down during the Congress regime for controlling his subordinate officer who was supporting gambling dens. BENGALURU: Every time he kissed the skies in a made-in-India 'Tejas' at Aero India or elsewhere, Group Captain Suneet Krishna (Retd) had air warriors and aviation enthusiasts alike rooting for more of his heart-stopping manoeuvers. That was till January 31. On February 1, this top gun walked away to the corporate world at the end of a wrangle between the country's defence scientists and the Indian Air Force (IAF). At one point, it reached the office of defence minister Manohar Parrikar, and the minister reportedly advised the top brass of DRDO and IAF to put an end to their disagreement. The row was over denying this ace test pilot, the captains seat (pilot-in-command) in the 'Eye-in-the-sky', the Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), Bengaluru, and undergoing evaluation now ahead of its induction by the IAF later this year. The reason? Group Captain Suneet Krishna (Retd) was considered a 'civilian test pilot' by the air strike wing because he opted for voluntary retirement from IAF in 2012, and therefore could not occupy the captain's seat. "He was torpedoed by the air force though he holds the record of flying all types of fighters, and even some transport jets, for close to 5,000 hours. If Brazilian pilots could occupy the captain's seat when the Embraer-145 aircraft was bought for AEW&C project, how can the IAF prevent its former pilot from doing so? His exit will be a great loss for both 'Tejas' and AEW&C projects because no-one can match his expertise," remarked his former commandant who also played a key role in these projects. The fact that he had served the IAF for more than two decades did not seem to count. Nor did the top brass of IAF, factor in his contribution to making Tejas a completely pilot-friendly and world-class fighter jet because he logged the highest number of hours onboard the indigenous aircraft and his inputs helped modify the cockpit over the years. In fact, he has flown the prototypes, the production and operational versions of Tejas, even test-fired missiles and laser-guided bombs. He was the pilot who demonstrated the military jets agility to Mr Parrikar in Bengaluru on January 17, 2015, the day when Tejas was inducted into the IAFs fleet. In fact, this ace test pilot encountered turbulence the moment he joined CABS in May 2015 with those at the helm at IAF's Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), Bengaluru, insisting that only their officers could occupy the captains seat, although they were junior to Group Captain Suneet Krishna (retired). He flew 100 sorties as the tussle escalated. In the end though, with no solution in sight, he decided to join the corporate world and relocate to Mumbai. Some doctors claimed they were non-locals who opted for Telangana (Representational Image) Hyderabad: Telangana doctors have alleged that the tentative bifurcation list of medical officers shows that school leaving certificates of doctors, nativity documents of their spouses, and status of non-locals were not verified when they were allotted to the state. A team of 12 Telangana doctors is said to have begun checking the list of 1,200 medical practitioners at the director of health and medical education department on Monday. The departments were categorised in alphabetical order, beginning with anatomy. Government doctors from each department was called and the papers scrutinised. Departments till general surgery were checked by late evening. A senior doctor on condition of anonymity said, The spouse certificate does not mention the nativity. Where and for how long they studied in Telangana is not shown. Instead the father of the spouse has given the certificate, which casts a doubt on its authenticity. A minimum of four years of study in Telangana is mandatory to be categorised as a local. Doctors of Gandhi Hospital said that certificates showing school study till Class 7 in Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar and Nizamabad were not valid. A senior doctor said, If these formative years are spent in Telangana, why do they speak in the AP dialect How do we know if these schools really existed 30 years ago? Some doctors claimed they were non-locals who opted for TS. Dr Manish Kumar of the ENT Hospital said, All these anamolies have been pointed out. These discrepancies show that verification should have been carried out by the health officers before uploading the list. The government has taken time till February 28 to make corrections to the list. Unfair share upsets NIMS junior docs Junior doctors have alleged that they have lost 64 per cent of the seats in PG courses at the Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) due to the AP Re-organisation Act. Of the 81 PG seats in Nims, 22 were allotted to TS students, they said. This is minority allotment. We are forced to lose 64 per cent of the seats despite the institute being 100 per cent funded by the Telangana stae government, said Telangana Junior Doctors Association president Dr G. Srinivas. The ratio is 60:40 in each grade, but it is not being followed. Our seats are going to AP students, Dr Srinivas said and demanded that Nims be denotifed from the Presidential order to ensure that TS students benefit. The junior doctors approached Nims director Dr M. Manohar on the issue. Hyderabad: While violence broke out over the Kapu reservations issue that has engulfed neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, the Telangana state government is also sitting on a long list of demands for reservation. The TRS had promised 12 per cent quota each for Muslims and Scheduled Tribes during the 2014 general elections. Muslims now get 4 per cent quota and STs, 7.5 per cent. Except for setting up commissions to study the matter, the government has not made any progress in providing reservations. Minority leaders from the Congress are planning to launch an agitation at Shadnagar, Mahbubnagar, where Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao first announced during the election campaign that the TRS would implement 12 per cent quota for minorities. We are planning to sit on an indefinite hunger strike in Shadnagar. Twenty months have passed since he became CM but he has done nothing except setting up a commission in March last year. He said the commission would submit its report in six months. Its nearly a year now but there is no trace of any report We cant wait any longer, said Mr Mohd Shabbir Ali, senior Congress leader and leader of Opposition in the TS Legislative Council. It was during the tenure of Mr Shabbir Ali as minorities welfare minister in the YSR Cabinet that the 5 per cent quota for Muslims was provided in 2004. This was reduced to 4 per cent in 2006 after the High Court struck down the quota GO after the total reservations crossed the stipulated 50 per cent. Mr Raos promise of 12 per cent quota for Muslims and STs will take up overall quota to 74 per cent, which would not stand legal scrutiny. Mr Rao has not taken any action on his promise of bringing separate legislation along the lines of Karnataka seeking Constitutional amendment to overcome this limitation. In Tamil Nadu, the overall quota is 69 per cent. One man was arrested in Jaisalmer in the case. (Representational Image) Jaipur: Three employees of Postal department were arrested and one detained in border district of Barmer and Jaisalmer for allegedly sharing information related to the Indian Army with a Pakistani spy, a top police officer said on Monday. "State intelligence unit with the help of local police picked up the employees for interrogation. "They allegedly shared Army related information to a Pakistani spy," Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) U R Sahoo said. Two men were arrested and one woman detained in Balotara area of Barmer while one man was arrested in Jaisalmer. Islamuddin and C R Dahiya were arrested and Pramila was detained in Barmer whereas Narendra Sharma was arrested in Jaisalmer, police said. They all are posted with local post offices in Balotara (Barmer) and Pokaran (Jaisalmer) and had shared information through emails. Patna: RJD chief and Bihar strongman Lalu Prasad Yadav on Satuday drew an unusual parallel between Dettol and urine, claiming that the latter could be used as an effective antiseptic in terms of emergency. Talking at the Homeopathic Science Congress, which he attended on behalf of his son and Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav, Lalu said, Earlier, during our childhood days, whenever we used to sustain injuries, we would apply urine, which worked as anti-septic. Now people use Dettol, and some of them now use it (Dettol) to wash their hands. This is the only progress we have made. Expounding its benefits, the former Chief Minister also said that unlike allopathic medicine, homeopathic medicines did not have any side effects, and added that they (allopathic medicine) resorts to surgery for everything. Lalu clarified that he decided to fill in for his son as Tej Pratap was busy. While the AICC interacts with the media at least twice a day at different timings, which are not fixed, its leaders use social media to attack the Modi government to ensure that it keeps the party relevant (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Congress is focusing more on reactions than actions with a calculation that this strategy would help it reconnect with the people after the defeat in the Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly polls. The party also believes that if Narendra Modi became Prime Minister with the help of social and electronic media, then it can return to power by using the same tactics. But a section of the party feels that personal contacts, the right political strategy and a strong organisation are what will ultimately work. While the AICC interacts with the media at least twice a day at different timings, which are not fixed, its leaders use social media to attack the Modi government to ensure that it keeps the party relevant. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is relying on former bureaucrats, their managerial experience and those who believe that NGO-type agitations would help in the partys revival. But this has not been helping the Congress at the ground level. The party got some seats in the Lok Sabha elections due to strong faces and organisational network in states like Kerala, Karnataka and Punjab. The same factors could help it in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The party won seats in the Bihar Assembly polls not due to the charismatic leadership of the Gandhi family, but because of the right alliances against the BJP. Chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav are communicators par excellence and are not dependent on social media. While Mr Sharad Pawar and Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav have been known for their calibre in building organisation, chief minister Naveen Patnaik has been winning elections in Orissa on the plank of good governance. AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa continues to be a charismatic leader in Tamil Nadu. But none on these leaders is influenced by either social media or a strategy to react on every issue. Former Union ministers of the Congress have switched over to their old profession to earn money but they can become ministers once the party returns to power, insiders said. Mr Gandhi, who has been getting more coverage in the media than his mother Sonia Gandhi, is relying on local leaders to deliver in the upcoming Assam and Kerala elections, where the party is in power. Agitators belonging to the Kapu caste set fire to Ratnachal Express when it halted at Tuni railway station in East Godavari district on Sunday afternoon, they were protesting to demand their caste for inclusion in the backward class (Photo: PTI) Hyderabad: While normalcy was restored in Tuni, Godavari district, the South Central Railway officials have found that the railway clips along the Chennai-Howrah line were removed by Kapu protestors after the Ratnachal Express was detained on Sunday. The clips were fixed again and train services were restored from 2.00am on Monday. Read: Kapus on warpath in Andhra Pradesh for quota Meanwhile AP Police has charged protestors for burning a police station and setting the Ratnachal Express on fire, and added that the Kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham was booked among others. Tensions prevailed in Mudragadas hometown Kirlampudi as he had announced an indefinite strike from Monday evening. Read: Forgotten Kapu leader emerges Additional DG Law and Order of AP R P Thakur, who visited the burnt Tuni police station on Monday said, The situation in the town is absolutely normal. We have booked cases and trying to identify the perpetrators of violence with the help of video footage. Police said that Kapu protestors who came from other districts of AP were the ones responsible for violence. The police officials were able to access the riot-hit areas only 12 hours later, on Monday morning. Read: Kapu violence in AP attributed to failure of intelligence agencies Families of police officers vacated the quarters in Tuni following the attacks on police stations. Several of the Kapu leaders raised slogans in honour of erstwhile Kapu leader Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga, who was murdered in Vijayawada two decades ago following caste and political rivalries. Police forces in large number are stationed in Tuni and surrounding areas of East Godavari district and section 144 CrPC has been imposed in the Kapu dominated parts of the district. Rapid Action Force are also being brought in from New Delhi for reinforcement. South-Central Railway Protection Force DIG Sanjay Sankrityayan said, Railway officials are assessing the damage. The Ratnachal Express was totally gutted. We have rushed around 50 to 60 officers from Vijayawada. Local Police and Government Railway police were also giving protection to railway properties. Local police have charged people on the case. Read: Violence planned by YSRC: Chandrababu Naidu He added that the train, commuting between Vishakapatnam and Vijayawada, had no security escorts as it was a day-time train and that it would have not made any difference even if it had any. After the train was burnt, engineers surveyed the track and found that the railway clips were removed by the agitators. The clips were found abandoned close by and so the matter was sorted almost immediately, railway officials said. They added that they did not anticipate the violence as the protestors never announced rail-roko. Senior Divisional Security Commissioner S R Gandhi is stationed in Tuni and supervising the security. New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear the petition filed by Congress Party challenging the imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday. On Wednesday, a five-judge bench headed by Justice J. S. Khehar posted the matter for today. Later, the Centre had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Friday to justify the imposition of President's rule. The affidavit, filed by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), claimed that there was complete breakdown of governance and law and order in the state. The affidavit also referred to six reports forwarded by the Governor to the President and to the Ministry, corroborating the reasons for proclamation of Emergency and maintaining that there was political instability in the state and a 'war-like' situation. The affidavit was settled by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi who was asked by the five-judge Constitution Bench to respond to the petitions challenging the imposition of central rule. The petitions include the plea of Rajesh Tacho, Chief Whip of Congress Legislature party in the state assembly which is now kept under suspended animation. When anyone talks of Indians as a benign people I am reminded of Tagores poem Pujarini which is usually performed as a dance drama but was made into a film (Natir Puja) in 1932. Inspired by a Buddhist tale from the sacred Pali book, Abadan Shatak, it shows that the bigotry that tragically took Rohith Vemulas young life isnt a new phenomenon. Nor was communalism born of the challenge Islam presented to Hindu supremacy. The tale of Sreemoti, the young woman who sacrificed her life for her Buddhist faith, is 2,500 years old. The story goes that Ajatashatru, king of Magadha (491 BC to 461 BC), decreed that whoever worshipped the Buddha would be exiled or executed by being impaled on a stake. That didnt deter Sreemoti, one of the palace maids, who lit her devotional lamp at the Buddhas neglected shrine one evening after the queen-mother and other royal ladies refused to join her worship, warning her of the dire consequences. The poem describes how the palace guards, startled to see the glowing lamp, rushed to the spot and heard Sreemotis dulcet voice proclaiming her identity and faith in Buddhism. Such defiance could have only one outcome. If I remember the words right after more than 60 years, the last arati lamp was extinguished in the blood of the Buddhas last worshipper. Such stories always boast a wealth of contradictory detail. One version has it that the father Ajatashatru murdered to gain the throne was a devout Buddhist which might explain why he did everything he could after seizing power to stamp out Buddhism. Another version, apparently commemorated in the Bharhut sculptures in Madhya Pradesh, makes Ajatashatru confess his crime to the Buddha and beg for absolution. Its also said he rushed to Kushinagar when Buddha died and demanded a share of the relics. Some historians believe Ajatashatru was a Jain who switched to Buddhism; others say he called the First Buddhist Council at Rajagriha. Whatever the truth, monks and monasteries disappeared and Buddhism faded from the land of its birth which returned to Hindu orthodoxy. Recent writing about Nathuram Godse suggests he would not have regarded Hindu restoration as only happenstance. He would have seen it as welcome proof of militancy whose loss he blamed on Mahatma Gandhis ideas on pacifism and non-violence which he felt had weakened Hinduism. The steely ring of Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain (Proudly proclaim you are Hindu) chant also inspired Karan Singh to form the Virat Hindu Samaj in the early Eighties. Dont you look for qualifying phrases when people ask if youre a Hindu? he explained. That he gave up the enterprise because it sounded too much like a Bharatiya Janata Party outfit is another matter. What is relevant is that it aroused Jagjivan Rams hostility: the dalit leader suspected a conspiracy to bring back the Manusmriti. It may also be relevant that the Samaj was founded just after 700 Tamil Nadu harijans converted to Islam in a highly publicised ceremony that sent shock waves through the Hindu ranks. Disregarding Rams criticism, Dr Singh promised that his Samaj would provide a vast platform which can be shared not only by all sects of the Hindus but also by the offshoot religions of Hinduism. Perhaps he meant only that his Samaj would unite the 220 sects and castes that are said to divide 900 million Hindus, but the assertion sounded dangerously like the Bharatiya Janata Partys insistence that all Indians are Hindus, regardless of what faith they profess. Etymologically, the claim may not be too inaccurate. But most of those who voice it have little understanding of the secular geographical roots of the word Hindu. They would probably be less enthusiastic if they knew Hindu isnt a Sanskrit word at all. Some scholars credit the ancient Greeks with inventing the description as a variant of Indus; some give that honour to the Persians. Either way, its a foreign term and politically explosive at that because of the tunnel vision of the people who parrot it nowadays. They might flaunt saffron, but their thinking resembles that of Indira Gandhi who once argued India didnt need Opposition parties because her Congress reflected all shades of opinion. In the days when I edited a newspaper, people sometimes sent me articles that were blatantly Hindu propaganda. That didnt surprise me. What did was their inability to recognise the outpourings as propaganda or even one-sided. One man, a stockbroker, told me in all sincerity that Hinduism covered Buddhism, Christianity and even Islam. Therefore, he said, my paper and I would be serving the cause of ecumenism by publishing an article that focused on some aspect of Hinduism. He was not a card-holding member of the Jana Sangh (this was pre-BJP) and I do think he believed his words. He was a family friend and we argued for a long time. I tried to persuade him that Buddhists, Christians and Muslims might not wish to accept Hinduism as their preferred label. That was immaterial to him. All Indians were Hindus, and Hinduism projected all religions. He interpreted sanatan dharma in the narrowest sense imaginable. No wonder some saffron brigade stalwarts think B.R. Ambedkar was anti-national. One must assume that Hyderabad Universitys former vice-chancellor, Appa Rao Podile, Union minister of state for labour and employment Bandaru Dattatreya, and Smriti Irani, Union minister of human resources development, took a not dissimilar view of the national interest, and what violates it. If so, Rohith Vemula paid with his life for a blinkered political vision that could do incalculable harm to the idea of India. Hazrat Sari Sakti was one of the pioneers of Sufism. Many Islamic historians have asserted that he laid the foundations of Sufism in Baghdad. For him, Sufism was not an intellectual tradition. Rather, he conceived of it as an inner spiritual experience that is attained through ibadat (worship), amal (action), ikhlas (sincerity), lillahiyat (sincerity to God) and al-khawf wal rajaa (fear and hope of Allah). Hazrat Sari Sakti did not receive any formal education or conventional training in Sufism, nor did he embark on the Sufi path through the commonly practised ritual known as Rasme Sajjadgi. Rather, he stumbled on this spiritual path by sheer coincidence that turned out to be a turning point in his life. Afterwards, he devoted all his life to mysticism and tasawwuf (Sufism). Nevertheless, spiritual Islamic terms such as tasawwuf and Sufi have got little mention in his edicts. Only one of his malfuzaat (spiritual utterances), Risalah Qusyairiyah contains the epithet of Sufi, and that too only once. It shows that Hazrat Sari Sakti and other Sufis of early times would seldom call themselves Sufi. In fact, a true Sufi would never tag himself/herself with this lofty epithet. Hazrat Sari Sakti has precisely explained the epithet of a Sufi. He said, A Sufi is one in whose life and character, three qualities are manifest: the noor (light) of his marifah (gnosis) does not extinguish the light of his wara (being cautious about the objectionable actions), s/he does not whisper any thought even to his heart that defies the divine injunctions, and s/he does not try to impress people with the karamat (miracles) that involve prohibited deeds. Tazkirat al-Awliya, a Sufi manual, relays a very interesting and educative incident that happened to Hazrat Sari Sakti in Baghdad. He was maternal uncle and spiritual mentor of a child that later became a renowned Sufi of Baghdad, Hazrat Junaid. In his childhood days, Junaid once found his father crying. When asked, Junaids father said that he had gone to Hazrat Sari Sakti with some amount of zakat (alms), but the latter didnt accept it. He said, I am crying because I spent all my life earning these five-10 dirhams and yet they are not acceptable to a wali (friend of God). Junaid asked his father to give him the amount so he would offer it to Hazrat Sari Sakti. While presenting the money, Junaid appealed to Hazrat Sari Sakti, My dear uncle, kindly accept it in the name of Allah who exalted you and treated my father with justice. Hazrat Sari Sakti was astonished. He asked the child to explain what he meant by his ambiguous, yet meaningful sentence. Junaid replied, God blessed you with mysticism and this is your exalted position, and similarly he engaged my father with mundane pursuits. And all this is Gods will. So whether you accept or decline this charity, it is left to your discretion. But my father is responsible enough to ensure that this money goes to a deserving person. Hazrat Sari Sakti appreciated his nieces reply and said, I accept it and I accept you too, my dear. This story clearly tells that mysticism and material pursuit both have their own exalted positions. None of them can be underestimated. Two years after the Supreme Court dismissed a review petition filed in Suresh Koushal vs Naz Foundation, in which the court had held Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code to be constitutional, the case has been listed for Tuesday in a curative petition challenging this decision. Section 377 of the IPC is a potent device and symbol of institutionalised homophobia and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons in India. Drafted in 1860 by the British in vague and imprecise language, the law uses terms such as carnal intercourse against the order of nature and unnatural offence. The reason partly was that the British administrators were uncomfortable using specific terms for homosexual sex and so they left the law vague. While technically, the law covers all non-penile-vaginal sexual intercourse, over a period of time, this law has been used mostly to arrest non-consensual sex or acts of rape which did not fit into Section 375 and 376 the rape law that were defined very narrowly until the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013. Section 377 was also used in cases of child sexual abuse since there was no specific law to deal with sexual violence against children until the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was enacted in 2012. Section 377 has been used in cases of bestiality, which is not covered by other provisions of the IPC. The case in court, however, does not deal with any of these categories of offences. It challenges the use of Section 377 to arrest adults for consensual sex. In 2009, the Delhi high court, in a much-celebrated decision, read down the law, holding that it was not applicable to consensual sex between adults in private. In effect, this led to the decriminalisation of LGBT persons, since it meant that they were free to have sex with a person of their choice, irrespective of that persons gender or sexual orientation. The Delhi high courts decision came after an eight-year-long legal battle that began to attract massive public attention by the time it reached its climax. The then UPA-I government was divided in its stand in the court, with the health ministry supporting the reading down of the law, while the home ministry opposed it. The Delhi high court in its memorable judgment held that Section 377 was violative of the right to life and dignity, and the right to equality of LGBT persons. The court interpreted sex to mean sexual orientation in Article 15(2), the non-discrimination clause in the Constitution. In words that reverberate loudly even today, the court held that it would uphold constitutional morality rather than popular morality, thus asking the government to abide the secular values of the Constitution rather than the moral codes of any religion. The Delhi high courts decision was challenged in the Supreme Court by an assorted group of religious and conservative groups and individuals. In a peculiar way, the high court judgment seemed to galvanise these conservative groups from across the political spectrum. They claimed that the high court judgment would lead to a breakdown of the moral fabric of the Indian society. They also argued that it was not for the courts to decriminalise homosexuality and that it was the Parliament that was the appropriate forum for this. More than four years after the Delhi high courts decision, the Supreme Court, agreeing with the contentions of this motley bunch of conservative opinion, decided to overturn the high courts decision. In a badly reasoned judgment, the court held that Section 377 was constitutional, but Parliament was free to legislate on the matter. This despite the UPA-II government wholeheartedly supporting a reading down of the law in the court, and very strong evidence in the form of affidavits, reports and testimonies that were presented before the court showing that the law does adversely impact the rights of LGBT persons. The Supreme Courts judgment was challenged in a review petition, which was dismissed. The matter was then argued through a curative petition, a relatively recent judicial innovation that enables the Supreme Court to correct mistakes in judgments where there is gross miscarriage of justice or where principles of natural justice have not been followed. It says something about the grit and determination of LGBT rights activists and the lawyers fighting this case that they were able to get an open hearing for the curative petition. Having come this far, it is understandable that there is much nervous anticipation for Tuesdays court hearing. Since there is hardly any precedence the court cannot rely only on its previous decisions. The Supreme Court has to balance its duty to ensure justice for millions of people whose rights will be affected by this decision, while ensuring that there are cogent reasons that dictate its curative power is exercised in this particular matter. The court has the option of admitting and hearing the matter, referring the matter to a Constitution Bench of five or more judges or dismissing the case. If the curative petition is dismissed, it may be years before another constitutional challenge to 377 is brought before the courts. The 377 litigation has become the defining legal battle of our generation, gathering the support of leading senior lawyers, many of whom will be in court on Tuesday. Whatever the outcome of todays hearing, the legal battle against Section 377 has politicised generations of queer activists, sparked furious public discussion, given rise to fierce debates within the LGBT community, influenced popular culture and raised awareness around sexuality and gender-related issues at an unprecedented scale. All eyes will be on the Supreme Court on Tuesday, with the hope that the court will take the courageous and just step of correcting its mistake. Women across the country and across creeds are asserting their rights and demanding an end to discrimination in the name of religion. After the police stopped women from entering Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtras Ahmednagar district on Republic Day, they appear determined to break the age-old tradition. The Supreme Court has to decide Indian Young Lawyers Associations petition seeking direction to allow entry of women without age restriction on the legality of the ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala. Muslim women are locked in a fierce legal battle with the trustees of Haji Ali Shah Dargah in Mumbai, where they are denied entry on the ground that proximity to a female is not good for a saint. The matter is pending before the Bombay high court which has said that it would await the decision of the Supreme Court in the Sabarimala case. Thus, the ruling of the apex court in this case is going to be a landmark one that will define the rights of women vis-a-vis Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution that guarantee the right to freedom of religion. Though the case is yet to be decided, the oral observation of Justice Dipak Misra, that the Constitution rejects discrimination on the basis of age, gender and caste, has spawned a fierce debate on the issue of discrimination against women in the name of religion. The Kerala high court had upheld the ban on women in Sabarimala in 1993, ruling that the Travancore Devaswom Board, authorised to manage the temple, could deny women in the age group of 10 to 50 entry. Based on Rule 3(b) of the Kerala Hindu Places of Public Worship (Authorisation of Entry) Act, 1965, which bars entry of women at a time during which they are not by custom and usage allowed to enter a place of worship. The Public Interest Litigation says that this decision is violative of Articles 14 (equality before law and equal protection of law), 25 and 26 (freedom of religion) of the Constitution. It may be argued that Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees freedom to practice, profess and propagate any religion, and so the priests are free to decide how it is to be practised. But this right is subject to public order, health, morality and other provisions relating to fundamental rights. Article 25, which guarantees rights to an individual, should be read along with Article 26, which gives such rights to an organised body. The Constitution does not define religion, but the Supreme Court gave a comprehensive definition in Commissioner, HRE vs L.T. Swamiar, 1954, Religion is certainly a matter of faith with individuals or communities and is not necessarily theistic A religion undoubtedly has its base in a system of beliefs or doctrines which are regarded by those who profess that religion as conducive to their spiritual well-being, but it would not be correct to say that religion is nothing else but a doctrine or belief. A religion may not only lay down a code of ethical rules for its followers to accept, it might prescribe rituals and observances, ceremonies and modes of worship which are regarded as integral parts of religion, and these forms and observations might extend even to matters of food and dress. On this basis, it may be ratiocinated that an organised body is free to frame its own code. There is one Attukal Devi temple in Thiruvananthapuram, popularly known as Lady Sabarimala temple, where entry of men is totally banned, irrespective of age. However, it is well-nigh impossible to surmise that Articles 25 and 26 allow for discrimination on the ground of sex, especially when it is a place of public worship. Justice Misras observation, that there is a difference between a temple meant for public worship and a mutt (monastery), appears logical and judicious. During the brief hearing, the bench put a pointed question whether it could say with certainty that no women entered the temple in the last 1,500 years. K.K. Venugopal, counsel for the Kerala government, argued that women who have not attained menopause cannot preserve the purity during the 41-day journey to the temple. Legally speaking, any such ban on the ground of gender is difficult to pass muster. The court is empowered to examine whether a particular practice constitutes an inextricable part of religion. The Supreme Court observed in H.H. Srimad Perarulala Ethiraja Ramanuja Jeeyar Swami vs State of Tamil Nadu, What constitutes an essential part of religion or religious practice has to be decided by the courts with reference to the doctrine of a particular religion and include practices which are regarded by the community as part of its religion. Thus, in Sajjanlal vs State of Rajasthan, the Supreme Court examined the religious tenets as regards the management of Jain religious endowments. In Abdul Jalil vs State of Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court ruled that no text in the Holy Quran prohibits removal or shifting of graves. In N. Adithyan vs Travancore Devaswom Board, the apex court upheld the appointment of a non-brahmin to worship and perform religious rites in a Shiv temple, stating, As long as anyone well-versed, properly trained and qualified to perform the puja in a manner conducive and appropriate to the worship of the particular deity, is appointed as shantikaran dehors his pedigree based on caste, no valid or legally justifiable grievance can be made in a court of law. Now the same Travancore Devaswom Board is facing a challenge in the Supreme Court over the issue of the entry of women in Ayyappa temple. As early as in 1954, the Supreme Court clarified in Ratilal Panachand Gandhi vs State of Bombay that the state can regulate, under Article 25(2)(a), activities which are of an economic, commercial or political character though these may be associated with religious practices. Besides, under Article 25(2)(b), measures of social reform are permissible which cannot be struck down on the ground of interfering with the freedom of religion. Thus, the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, mandating monogamy for Hindus was considered valid providing for social reforms by the Supreme Court in State of Bombay vs Narasu Appa Mali. The case against women entering places of worship, whether menstruating or not, has to be examined from the perspective of patriarchy that has kept all powers over centuries economic, religious and political with men. From abolishing Sati, dowry, domestic violence, to giving women their righful share in fathers/husbands property, to enacting laws against sexual abuse, many of patriarchal provisions and practices have been challenged and what was legally just and right was done. Its now time for another old patriarchal prejudice to go. The National Science Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service this year will start spending $135 million to train teachers over five years. Washington: President Barack Obama said he will ask Congress for billions of dollars to help students learn computer science skills and prepare for jobs in a changing economy. "In the new economy, computer science isn't an optional skill. It's a basic skill, right along with the three R's," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. Obama said only about one-quarter of K-12 schools offer computer science instruction, but that most parents want their children to develop analytical and coding skills. "Today's auto mechanics aren't just sliding under cars to change the oil. They're working on machines that run on as many as 100 million lines of code," Obama said. "That's 100 times more than the Space Shuttle. Nurses are analyzing data and managing electronic health records. Machinists are writing computer programs." The federal budget proposal for 2017 that Obama plans to send Congress on Feb. 9 will seek $4 billion for grants to states and $100 million for competitive grants for school districts over the next three years to teach computer science in elementary, middle and high schools, administration officials said. Separately, the National Science Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service this year will start spending $135 million to train teachers over five years. Obama also wants governors, mayors, business leaders and tech entrepreneurs to become advocates for more widespread computer science education. Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, said computer science education is an "economic and social imperative for the next generation of American students." Smith, who spoke on a media call arranged by the White House, said that up to a million US technology jobs could be left unfilled by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, countries as large as China and as small as Estonia are expanding computer science education, Smith said, but in the US "we're moving, frankly, just more slowly than we need." Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. You are working on your laptop and suddenly the PowerPoint you are editing, freezes. Why? Because your children in the other room started downloading a heavy video from YouTube. Familiar scenario? Happens all the time when you use a Wi-Fi router to share a single broadband connection to the home. Wireless hotspots are limited by the technology they harness. The underlying Wi-Fi technology (called 802.11 a, b, g ,n or ac) that fuels the wireless hotspot at home or office today, can serve only one device at a time. It cycles rapidly from one PC, phone or laptop to the other, creating the illusion that all are being simultaneously served. But when one user gobbles up the gigabytes, other applications grind to a halt. Not anymore. MIMO The first devices that harness an exciting new technology were unveiled last month -- by mid 2016 we can expect to see them in India. The Wi-Fi routers we use today exploit what is called SI MIMO: Single User Multiple In, Multiple Out. That means, while multiple devices can latch on to hotpot, IT only serves one user at a time -- which explains the familiar logjams. The current Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ac has now been updated as 11 ac Wave2 and it enables Multi User or MU MIMO. This means it can serve every user device in the home, simultaneously. No more waiting in queue! Lnksys Linksys says its new Max-Stream series of MU-MIMO-ready routers, which we can expect to buy for between Rs 14,000 and Rs 20,000, "function as if multiple devices have their own dedicated router....the whole household can play video games, listen to music, check email, shop, stream movie all at the same time." A new Wave 2 router alone is not enough; you need a matching wireless adapter at the PC or laptop end. So Linksys has also launched a Max Stream USB adapter for the equivalent of Rs 4,000. Another router leader, TP-Link has gone ahead and announced a MU-MIMO router, the Talon AD7000, that offers the next iteration in data speed beyond 11ac -- that is 11ad . This means serving multiple users at the same time at even higher speeds -- up to 4.6Gbps.. about 3 times faster than all 11ac routers today Who needs these dizzy speeds? Well, you and I will demand them, as we get used to better and sharper TV -- which is already moving from 2K and HD to 4K and Ultra HD. By end 2016, we can expect dish operators to offer more and more content in 4K -- mostly live sports. This will be useless unless we have the means to share such pixel-rich stuff across the home ... and on our phones. MU-MIMO does just that. Acer has already made 3 models in its Aspire series of notebooks, MU-MIMO-ready as has Motorola with its X series phones. The common factor is a chip solution called Qualcomm Vive. Expect to find Vive under the hood of many more smartphones and tablets this year. Meet the MIMO Man: Who better to help us understand what MU-MIMO means for us that the man widely known as the Father of MIMO -- India-born emeritus professor at Stanford University, Dr Arogyaswamy Paulraj? It is exactly 20 years since he invented the MIMO standard and obtained a patent jointly with another Indian and Stanford don, Dr Tom Kailath. Who better to help us understand what MU-MIMO means for us that the man widely known as the Father of MIMO -- India-born emeritus professor at Stanford University, Dr Arogyaswamy Paulraj? "The increased data rate offered by MIMO is distributed across multiple users simultaneously - instead of a single user as in ordinary MIMO", he told me, but adds a caution: "11ac works at 5GHz and is better at going through walls in the home or office. 11ad works at 60GHz and can deliver higher speeds but it doesn't penetrate walls and is useful only within the room " (Which is why products like the TP-Link Talon combine 11ac with ad ) Dr Paulraj who is also known in India as the naval officer-leader of the team which developed the country's first indigenous sonar anti submarine defence system, has received the Marconi Prize for his MIMO work - an honour he shares with Internet greats like Google search creator Larry Page, mobile phone inventor Martin Cooper and Internet protocol author Vint Cerf. In recent weeks he became only the second PIO to be elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering, a position he will take up in June. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Tech giant Apple has showcased some of the best photos shot on the iPhone 6s. (Representational Image) New Delhi: Tech giant Apple has showcased some of the best photos shot on the iPhone 6S to plaster on billboards and magazines all over the world. The California-based company has showcased annual world gallery, which has pulled together fifty-three images from photographers in twenty-six different countries. Like last month's "Start Something New" campaign, the ads are meant to show the range of artistic possibilities that can be achieved with only an iPhone, the Mashable.com reported. iPhone is a line of smartphones designed and marketed by Apple. The first generation iPhone was released on June 29, 2007. The most recent iPhone models are the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, which are equipped with fantastic cameras and modern photographers have rated the device quite highly. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Just before 4 pm (local time) New South Wales Police Advised "Police operations have concluded at a number of schools across Sydney. Investigations are continuing". (Photo: Pixabay) Melbourne: Police operations in Sydney have concluded at nine schools across Australia's largest city after bomb threats were received on Monday following Friday's series of threats that turned out to be hoaxes. According to media reports, one of the schools involved confirmed it had received a bomb threat via an electronic voice message. Just before 4 pm (local time) New South Wales Police Advised "Police operations have concluded at a number of schools across Sydney. Investigations are continuing". A police spokeswoman had earlier confirmed a number of operations were underway. However, she said there was "nothing to substantiate that there is anything serious at any of them at this stage". The NSW Department of Education also confirmed it was working with police after "several schools received threats today". "Each school is taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of its students and no students are in danger," a department spokeswoman said. "Police are attending at each location as a precaution. Concerned parents can contact their child's school." NSW police said the threats were "very low level" and there was "nothing at all" to suggest the threats were related to terrorism. Australia has raised the terror threat alert level to high in September 2014, with the government passing a series of national security laws and police conducting numerous raids across the country. The couple was told to wait for a few hours by the hospital staff. Daniel explained to them that the contractions were only a few minutes apart from the time they woke up. (Pixabay) London: A pair of first-time parents had to deal with an odd situation when their newborn arrived suddenly at their home in Lime Grove, Ruislip, according to reports in UK Mirror. Daniel Hardinges and his wife Sue safely delivered a baby girl in the bathroom sink of their home. Despite having no knowledge of gynaecology, dad Daniel successfully delivered his newborn after his wifes waters broke. When the couple woke up in the morning, Sue began feeling the contractions. Daniel immediately rang the Queen Charlotte's Hospital in Acton in which Sue was due to give birth. The couple was told to wait for a few hours by the hospital staff. Daniel explained to them that the contractions were only a few minutes apart from the time they woke up. Daniel said, About 15 minutes later, I decided we should go to the hospital- this definitely wasn't normal. My wife said she could feel something between her legs, so I had a look and couldn't really see anything at the time. When Sue complained about something stuck between her legs for the second time, Daniel, upon examining, saw something, but did not realise that it was a part of the babys head. As the couple got ready to leave for the hospital, Sue had another contraction and complained of something being trapped in between her legs. Danied pulled out her trousers to see what went wrong when he was shocked to see his newborns head popping out of Sue. I pulled her trousers down and there was a baby's face looking at me up to her nose, said Daniel. He quickly dialled 999, but by the time the couple could figure out what was happening, their newborn was completely out. Daniel rushed Sue to the bathroom where she gave birth to their newborn daughter. The couple had to wait in the awkward position till the medical team arrived as Sues umbical cord was attached to the baby. The entire process took around 20 minutes, although it was not a painful one, says Sue. Daniel and Sue named their daughter Sophie. A baby in front of a ferry at the port of Piraeus near Athens, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Over one million migrants and refugees, many fleeing the Syria conflict, crossed into Europe last year. (Photo: AP) The Hague: Over 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children have disappeared in Europe, the EU police agency Europol said Sunday, fearing many have been whisked into sex trafficking rings or the slave trade. Europols press office confirmed to AFP the figures published in British newspaper The Observer, adding that they covered the last 18-24 months. The agencys chief of staff Brian Donald said the vulnerable children had disappeared from the system after registering with state authorities following their arrival in Europe. Refugees and migrants disembark from the passenger ferry Blue Star arriving from the island of Lesbos at the port of Piraeus on January 31, 2016 in Athens. (Photo: AFP) Its not unreasonable to say that were looking at 10,000-plus children, Donald said, adding that 5,000 had disappeared in Italy alone. Not all of them will be criminally exploited; some might have been passed on to family members. We just dont know where they are, what theyre doing or whom they are with. A migrant boy holds blankets as he disembarked from the passenger ferry Blue Star arriving from the Greek island of Lesbos at the port of Piraeus on January 31, 2016 in Athens. (Photo: AFP) Donald said there was evidence of a criminal infrastructure established over the last 18 months to exploit the migrant flow. The Observer reported that Europol found evidence of links between smuggling rings bringing people into the EU and human trafficking gangs exploiting migrants for sex and slavery. refugee and migrant children, living in a field next door to the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, wait to be registered in Mytilene. (Photo: AFP) There are prisons in Germany and Hungary where the vast majority of people arrested and placed there are in relation to criminal activity surrounding the migrant crisis, Donald said. Moscow: Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin spied on 'Chairman' Mao Zedong and other world leaders in the 1940s by analysing their excrement to construct psychological portraits, a former Soviet agent has claimed. Former Soviet agent Igor Atamanenko claims to have uncovered this unusual project while doing research in the archives of the Russian secret services. The secret lab was headed by Stalin's henchman Lavrenti Beria. Under this, special toilets were allegedly installed for the Chinese Communist Party leader Mao to use when he visited Moscow for 10 days in December 1949. During those 10 days, Mao was piled with food and drink and his waste products whisked off for analysis. The toilets were not connected to sewers, but collected his waste in secret boxes to be taken to the lab and studied for varying levels of potassium and amino acids, which were thought to aid psychological profiling, the BBC reported. Once Mao's stools had been scrutinised and studied, Stalin reportedly poo poo-ed the idea of signing an agreement with him, the report said. "In those days the Soviets didn't have the kind of listening devices which secret services do today," Atamanenko told the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. "That's why our specialists came up with the most extravagant ways of extracting information about a person." "When I contacted Atamanenko, he told me what the Soviet scientists had been looking for in faeces. "For example, if they detected high levels of amino acid Tryptophan," he explained, "they concluded that person was calm and approachable." But a lack of potassium in poo was seen as a sign of a nervous disposition and someone with insomnia." The Pravda reports that Stalin's successor, Nikita Khrushchev, scrapped the project and closed the laboratory. When asked if it could confirm Stalin's secret stool project, Russia's Federal Security Service told the BBC: "We cannot comment on this story." The development comes as President Bashar al-Assad's government faces a demand from the UN Security Council to improve humanitarian access as part of UN-mediated peace talks with an opposition delegation in Geneva. (Photo: AP) Geneva: The Syrian town of Mouadamiya is newly under siege by Syrian government forces, the United Nations said on Sunday, adding 45,000 to the number of people it says are cut off from humanitarian aid and medical help in Syria. The development comes as President Bashar al-Assad's government faces a demand from the UN Security Council to improve humanitarian access as part of UN-mediated peace talks with an opposition delegation in Geneva. It has already attracted global criticism for its siege of Madaya, where dozens have starved to death. Mouadamiya, on the southwestern edge of Damascus, has been under the control of opposition armed groups since mid-2012. Syrian government forces surrounded it in 2013 but began allowing aid access in mid-2014 under a local deal. However, government forces closed the only entry point on December 26 last year, after allowing 50-100 government employees to leave. Other civilians were not warned of the closure, the UN said. "Due to increased closures imposed on the town in December 2015, the UN re-classified (Mouadamiya) as 'besieged' as of 27 January 2016," it said in a statement, adding that the town continued to be subject to sporadic shelling. Living conditions were already dire but deteriorated further since the recent closure reportedly led to severe shortages of food, medicines and other basic commodities, it said. There had been eight deaths reported since January 1 because of lack of proper medical care, and reports of malnutrition but no related deaths, it said. The town has not had electricity since November 2012, and most residents fetch untreated water manually from wells. The last food aid delivery was on December 24, since when the UN has twice asked to bring in a convoy. One request was granted as long as delivery was outside the town, the UN said. Discussions were still going on about getting aid into the town. The UN said there were 486,700 people under siege in Syria, in areas controlled by the government, Islamic State militants and other insurgent groups, among about 4.6 million who are hard to reach with humanitarian aid. Dejailson Arruda holds his daughter Luiza, who was born with microcephaly after her mother was infected with the Zika virus following a mosquito bite, at their house in Santa Cruz do Capibaribe, Pernambuco state, Brazil (Photo: AP) Geneva: The World Health Organization declared a global emergency over the explosive spread of the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas, calling it an "extraordinary event" that poses a public health threat to other parts of the world. The UN agency took the rare step despite a lack of definitive evidence proving the mosquito-borne virus is causing a surge in babies born with brain defects and abnormally small heads in Brazil and following a 2013-14 outbreak in French Polynesia. Read: Brazil urges pregnant women to avoid Olympics over Zika Monday's emergency meeting of independent experts was called in response to the spike in babies born with microcephaly in Brazil since the virus was first found there last year. Officials in French Polynesia also documented a connection between Zika and neurological complications when the virus was spreading there two years ago, at the same time as dengue fever. "After a review of the evidence, the committee advised that the clusters of microcephaly and other neurological complications constitute an extraordinary event and public health threat to other parts of the world," WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said. WHO, which was widely criticized for its sluggish response to the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa, has been eager to show its responsiveness this time. Despite dire warnings that Ebola was out of control in mid-2014, WHO didn't declare an emergency until months later, after nearly 1,000 people had died. "If indeed, the scientific linkage between Zika and microcephaly is established, can you imagine if we do not do all this work now and wait until the scientific evidence comes out?" Chan said. "Then people will say, 'Why didn't you take action?'" WHO estimates there could be up to 4 million cases of Zika in the Americas in the next year, but no recommendations were made to restrict travel or trade. "It is important to understand, there are several measures pregnant women can take," Chan said. "If you can delay travel and it does not affect your other family commitments, it is something to consider." "If they need to travel, they can get advice from their physician and take personal protective measures, like wearing long sleeves and shirts and pants and using mosquito repellent." The US Centers for Disease Control has advised pregnant women to postpone visits to Brazil and other countries in the region with Zika outbreaks, though officials say it's unlikely the virus could cause widespread problems in the US On Monday, health officials added four more destinations to a list that now includes 28 locations, most of them in Latin America and the Caribbean. The last time WHO declared a public health emergency was for the devastating Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people. Similar declarations were made for polio in 2013 and the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Such emergency declarations are meant as an international SOS signal and usually trigger increased money and efforts to halt the outbreak, as well as prompting research into possible treatments and vaccines. There are currently no licensed treatments or vaccines for Zika. WHO officials say it could be six to nine months before science proves or disproves any connection between the virus and babies born in Brazil or elsewhere with abnormally small heads. Zika was first identified in 1947 in Uganda but until last year, it wasn't believed to cause any serious effects; about 80 percent of infected people never experience symptoms. The virus has also been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, which causes muscle weakness and nerve problems. Michael Osterholm, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Minnesota, said it was still unclear how Zika had evolved since it first emerged in Africa, but that even minor genetic changes might have major consequences. "It could have just been some point mutation (in the virus) that has now made a big difference," Osterholm said, adding it would likely take years to curb the mosquito populations capable of spreading Zika - and before local populations gain enough immunity for the number of cases to fall. Jimmy Whitworth, an infectious diseases expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said we might soon see babies born elsewhere with malformed heads as the virus becomes entrenched in other countries. "It could be that we're getting the strongest signal in Brazil," he said. "But having these cases occurring and pinning it to Zika is tough." Whitworth said it was important for WHO to act quickly, despite the lack of definitive evidence that Zika is responsible for the surge in microcephaly cases. "For situations like this, you have to essentially have a 'no regrets' policy," he said. "Maybe this will be a false alarm when more information is available months later, but it's serious enough on the evidence we have right now that we have to act." Syrians gather where three bombs exploded in Sayyda Zeinab, a predominantly Shiite Muslim suburb of the Syrian capital, Syria. (Photo: AP) Beirut: An AFP photographer said the explosions damaged the facade of a nearby building, scorching all of its six storeys. Sayyida Zeinab, south of Damascus, contains the grave of a granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammed and is particularly revered as a pilgrimage site by Shiite Muslims. It has continued to attract pilgrims from Syria and beyond, particularly Shiites from Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq, throughout Syria's nearly five-year brutal conflict. Sunni Muslim extremist groups such as ISIS consider Shiites to be heretics and have frequently targeted them in attacks. In the aftermath of Sunday morning's attack, smoke rose from the twisted carcasses of more than a dozen cars and a bus, as ambulances ferried away the wounded and firefighters worked to put out blazes. In a statement circulated on social media, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying two of its members had detonated suicide bombs. "Two soldiers of the caliphate carried out martyrdom operations in a den of the infidels in the Sayyida Zeinab area, killing nearly 50 and injuring around 120," it said. The area around the shrine has been targeted in previous bomb attacks, including in February 2015 when two suicide attacks killed four people and wounded 13 at a checkpoint. UN Envoy Meets Opposition Also that month, a blast ripped through a bus carrying Lebanese Shiite pilgrims headed to Sayyida Zeinab, killing at least nine people, in an attack claimed by Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front. The area around the shrine is heavily secured with regime checkpoints set up hundreds of metres (yards) away to prevent vehicles from approaching. According to the Observatory, members of Lebanon's powerful Shiite group Hezbollah are among those deployed at the checkpoints. Hezbollah is a staunch ally of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and has dispatched fighters to bolster his troops against the uprising that began in March 2011 with anti-government protests. Early on, the group cited the threat to Sayyida Zeinab as the motivation for its intervention in Syria's conflict. More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which has also displaced upwards of half the country's population internally and abroad. It has evolved into a complex, multi-front war involving rebels, jihadists, regime and allied forces, Kurds and air strikes by both government ally Russia and a US-led coalition battling against ISIS. In a new effort to find a political solution to the conflict, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has invited regime and opposition delegations to Geneva for fresh talks. But while the opposition agreed to travel to Geneva after days of delays, it has so far refused to engage in indirect talks with the government. It is demanding that UN Security Council resolutions on ending sieges and protecting civilians be implemented first. On Sunday, the UN envoy held informal talks with the main opposition delegation, saying afterwards that he remained "optimistic and determined". The Damascus delegation's chief negotiator, Syria's UN envoy Bashar al-Jaafari, accused the opposition of being "not serious" about the talks. The case was filed against Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru for allegedly killing British police officer John P Saunders. (Photo: PTI) Lahore: A Pakistani court will finally hear from Wednesday a petition to prove the innocence of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in the murder case of a British police officer, nearly 85 years after his execution by the colonial government. Lahore High Court (LHC) chief justice Ijazul Ahsan constituted a division bench headed by justice Khalid Mahmood Khan to hear the case from February 3. The petition was last heard by justice Shujaat Ali Khan in May 2013, when he referred the matter to the chief justice for the constitution of a larger bench. Advocate Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi, chairman of the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation, had in November filed a plea in the LHC for early hearing of the matter. In the petition, Qureshi said Bhagat Singh was a freedom fighter and fought for independence of undivided India. The case was filed against Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru for allegedly killing British police officer John P Saunders. Singh was hanged by British rulers on March 23, 1931 at the age of 23, after being tried under charges for hatching a conspiracy against the colonial government. He said Singh was initially jailed for life but later awarded death sentence in another fabricated case. The petitioner further said Bhagat Singh is respected even today in the subcontinent not only by Sikhs but also Muslims as the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah twice paid tribute to him. It is a matter of national importance and should be fixed before a full bench, he said and pleaded the court to set aside the sentence of Singh by exercising principles of review and order the government to honour him with state award. In 2014, Lahore police provided the copy of the original FIR of the killing of Saunders in 1928 to the petitioner on the courts order. Singhs name was not mentioned in the First Information Report of the murder of Saunders for which he was handed down death sentence. Eighty three years after Singhs hanging, Lahore police searched through the record of the Anarkali police station on courts order and managed to find the FIR of the murder of Saunders. Written in Urdu, the FIR was registered with the Anarkali police station on December 17, 1928 at 4.30pm against two unknown gunmen. The case was registered under sections 302, 1201 and 109 of Indian Penal Code. Petitioner Qureshi said special judges of the tribunal handling Singhs case awarded death sentence to him without hearing the 450 witnesses in the case. Singhs lawyers were not given the opportunity of cross-questioning them, he said. I will establish Bhagat Singhs innocence in the Saunders case, Qureshi said. Houbara bustard is an endangered migratory bird, whose meat is prized by elite Arab sheikhs for its aphrodisiac value. (Photo: AFP) Islamabad: Prince of Saudi Arabia's royal family has arrived in Pakistan's Balochistan province for hunting the Houbara bustard, days after the country's Supreme Court lifted a ban on hunting of the endangered bird. Prince Fahad bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, who is also the governor of Tabuk province in Saudi arrived in his special flight at the Dalbandin airport, the Express Tribune reported on Monday. The prince visits Dalbandin and other areas of the Chaghi district every year for hunting of the endangered species in the months of December and January, the daily reported. The visit by the prince is apparently the first after the Supreme Court recently lifted the ban on hunting of Houbara bustard on January 22. Houbara bustard is an endangered migratory bird, whose meat is prized by elite Arab sheikhs for its aphrodisiac value. The ban on the Houbara bustard, about the size of a chicken, was imposed by former chief justice Jawwad S Khawaja on August 20 last year, who also ordered the cancellation of all existing permits issued by government to Arab rulers. The federal and provincial governments in October had challenged the ban, pleading that sustainable hunting should be allowed. A five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali lifted the ban in a verdict on the review petitions. Houbara bustard is listed in the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, also known as the Bonn Convention, and is declared as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN estimates the global population of Houbara bustards at between 50,000 and 100,000 and includes it on its red list of threatened species. Each year, several thousand Houbara bustards traverse a 2,000 km migratory route from Central Asia to the southern deserts of Pakistan and Iran, and return with the onset of summer. Police said Bilal and his brother, also Bachal Mais husband, were earlier taken into custody for sexually assaulting the girl on the complaint of her father Noor Mohammed. (Representational image) Islamabad: A Pakistani woman was allegedly gangraped by four men on the orders of a Panchayat (village council) in Muzaffargarh district in revenge for dishonouring their family. Bachal Mai, 47, of Lundi Pitafi village, near Jatoi, was allegedly brutalised because her husbands younger brother Bilal had reportedly developed illicit relations with a girl. Police said Bilal and his brother, also Bachal Mais husband, were earlier taken into custody for sexually assaulting the girl on the complaint of her father Noor Mohammed. Four of the attackers took her to a room where they allegedly raped her. I live in the part of the country where industrialization began, the first iron mill in the country, the first modern factory in the world, the first assembly line in the world.When the mills had owners, either sole proprietors or partnerships, the ownership were members of the local community, part of their compensation was the position of honor they held in local society.When they sold to corporations, the loyalty to the local people was gone, the mill would move, to find cheap labor, first to the South, then to Asia and Africa, all in search of labor that would work for pennies, in countries where "wasting money on worker health and safety" was not required.I personally administered the equity compensation plan for large multinational pharma company. The games they played had little to do with shareholder value, and everything to do with maximizing executive compensation. Creating a billion dollars in added value for the executives, while the company stock remained priced exactly the same.And recently we had the Market Basket saga play out here, the board of a closely held corporation fired the CEO of the supermarket chain, in response, over 20,000 employees refused to work, the customers stopped shopping there, the board was forced to sell out to the man they had fired.why can't we have more CEOs like Artie T? 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. Delaware County Democrats met for their endorsement meeting last night, and the big news of the night was a snub for incumbent state Rep. Margo Davidson, D-164.Davidson was successful in stopping an endorsement for her primary foe, Upper Darby Council Member Sekela Coles, but saw a vote show more supporters for Coles. Delco Democrats voted 69-64 in support of Coles and against Davidson, who is seeking a fourth term representing Upper Darby in Harrisburg. Its not the first time Davidson has been challenged from inside the party. After winning the seat to succeed longtime Upper Darby Republican Rep. Mario Civera, who gave up his seat to run for a seat on County Council, Davidson was endorsed by the part in 2014, but still faced a challenge. She staved off attorney Billy Smith in a bitter primary fight. Smith had attacked her for her pro-life stance and womens rights issues. Sunday night the county Dems voted 39-34 to back Coles. Todays vote sends a clear message that Democrats in Delaware County do not stand behind Rep.Davidsons record of failing to fund schools, failing to pass a budget and failing to support a womans right to choose, said Daniel McNamara, Coles campaign manager. It shows that Delaware County Democrats are ready for new leadership that will fight for progressive values such as fully funding and equitably funding public education, standing up for women and spurring economic growth in the 164th legislative district. For her part, Davidson this morning said she considers this a victory, since this was not a formal endorsement, and she had indicated the vote means an open primary, which is what she has wantedfrom the time that Coles announced her candidacy. She also claims to have the backing of several mayors in the district. Davidson seemed to downplay the importance of the backing for Coles, blasting the move and saying that committee people are a bunch of party insiders.Coles has represented Upper Darbys 7th District on township council since 2014. She holds a Ph.D. from Walden University and is an adjunct business professor at Harcum College and Delaware County Community. She has served on Bywood Elementarys Parent Involvement Program, Governor Wolfs Transition Committee on Drugs and Alcohol, and the Advisory Board of Delaware County Community Colleges branch campuses. Keep an eye on this one. Davidson has beaten back challenges before - including one launched by those in her own party. Its clear her staunch pro-life beliefs rub a lot of people in the party the wrong way. This one should be a barn-burner. One of the great mysteries of the Heron roots is that my family knows so little about my father's side of the family. Both of my dad's parents died when he was a young boy. He and his brothers were split up and lived with relatives.Maybe that is part of the reason dad rarely ever talked about his youth. And it's probably why we really don't know that much about the many distant cousins from the Heron family tree that are scattered across Philadelphia region and suburbs. We knew vaguely of our connection to the Burkes, Doughertys and McCauleys. Every once in awhile I would stumble across a connection - and in the process discover a distant relative. That's how I came to reconnect with the Rev. Tom Heron. He was a cousin, and was invaluable in shedding light on dad's side of the family. When we first met he was at Good Shepherd parish in the Kingsessing section of Philly. Then he was moved out here to Delaware County at St. Gabriel's in Norwood. Now he's at St. Matthew's in Conshohocken. 'Father Tom' held a reunion for the Herons at St. Gabe's where I met a lot of local people I had no idea I was related to. But I came across another 'heavenly' connection closer to home, or at least what is my second home. A couple of years ago, during Lent, I started making daily walks to St. Eugene Church, which is basically right up the street from our office. It proved a quiet respite in what is usually the hectic, breakneck pace that goes with the job these days. Sadly, I have lapsed a bit in my daily visits. Can't even find the time for those now either. The former pastor, the Rev. Joseph Meehan, noticed my daily visits and we would talk occasionally. But it was another older priest who was in senior residence at the parish who provided an odd family connection. As I was walking out of the church one day, I noticed him walking toward the rectory. He noticed me and smiled. We started talking. He said he knew who I was. Then he stunned me by asking me if I knew we were related. That is how I was introduced to the Rev. Monsignor Michael Burke. I had always known there were Burkes in our family tree, and I knew several of them were priests, but I had no idea one was living right up the street. The monsignor was a fan of my columns, and we would swap emails, talking about life and family. Monsignor Burke died last week. I learned from his obituary that in addition to his time at St. Eugene, he was the former pastor at SS. Philip and James Parish in Exton. I will return to St. Eugene's Tuesday morning to pay my final respects to my cousin. Thanks for the friendship, father. Rest well, Monsignor Mike. When an upcoming book The Man Who Dared To Think Beyond, is the showcasing of Mithila at the global level. Vivekanand Jha Ranchi: It was in the year 2009-... All content on this blog, unless otherwise attributed, is the original work and copyright of Dennis Hodgson. Hostess code for October 2022 for all online orders under 150 MCUUZ6YG If you do place an order online, it would be lovely if you left your contact details so that I can send you a little something in the post to say thank you. If you have an order over 150 please do get in touch so I can place your order and you can get hostess benefits. If you would like to place an order to be delivered to me in Alvaston where you can come to collect, please let me know. One of my favorite stories of forgiveness comes from George and Hanna Miley. She was rescued as a child at the last possible minute; her par... PLEASE NOTE: This blog is a bigotry free zone open to all persons, regardless of age, race, religion, color, national origin, sex, political affiliations, marital status, physical or mental disability, age, or sexual orientation. Further, this blog is open to the broad variety of opinions out there and will not delete any comments based upon point of view. However, comments will be deleted if they are worded in an abusive manner and show disrespect for the intellectual process. 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. We're backing Bernie Sanders at this blog and we urge you to caucus for him tomorrow if you live in Iowa and to contribute what you can to his campaign and to the campaigns of the congressional candidates who have endorsed him and who are running on his progressive platform. As you know, Hillary and her team are campaigning ferociously-- and very negatively-- to win Iowa's caucuses. Let me remind Iowans that in 2012, she privately said the caucus process favors "parties' extremes" (a disparaging way of describing progressives) over moderates (Beltway talk for "conservatives"), which she certainly considers herself. Plain Dealer columnist, H.A. Goodman, described why this election isn't just another crap shoot between a horrid Republican and a somewhat less horrid Democrat. For those of us who weren't alive when FDR was running, Bernie is a Clevelandcolumnist, H.A. Goodman, described why this election isn't just another crap shoot between a horrid Republican and a somewhat less horrid Democrat. For those of us who weren't alive when FDR was running, Bernie is a once in a lifetime candidate While Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump compete to sound more hawkish, only Bernie Sanders says, "I'll be damned if kids in the state of Vermont-- or taxpayers in the state of Vermont-- have to defend the royal Saudi family, which is worth hundreds of billions of dollars." interest alone for both Iraq and Afghanistan, Brown University's Cost of War When people like Paul Krugman evaluate Bernie Sanders and Clinton, the feasibility of a single-payer program is scrutinized, but money spent funding perpetual wars never seems to be evaluated. In terms ofalone for both Iraq and Afghanistan, Brown University's states, "By 2054, interest costs will themselves be at least $7.9 trillion unless the US changes the way that it pays for the wars." Remember the war tax you paid to fund Iraq? Of course not. Many of today's threats to U.S. national security stem from the Bush Administration, and the Democrats who sided with these neocons. Unlike Clinton, who views her Iraq Vote as simply a " mistake ," Bernie Sanders possessed enough wisdom to evaluate the same intelligence Clinton now blames for her mistake. One look at what Bernie Sanders warned in 2002 illustrates his unique status among American politicians. Here's his speech opposing the Iraq War , and ask yourself how much of today's world Sanders was able to foresee: Mr. Speaker, in the brief time I have, let me give five reasons why I am opposed to giving the President a blank check to launch a unilateral invasion and occupation of Iraq and why I will vote against this resolution. One, I have not heard any estimates of how many young American men and women might die in such a war or how many tens of thousands of women and children in Iraq might also be killed... Fifth, I am concerned about the problems of so-called unintended consequences. Who will govern Iraq when Saddam Hussein is removed and what role will the U.S. play in ensuing a civil war that could develop in that country? Will moderate governments in the region who have large Islamic fundamentalist populations be overthrown and replaced by extremists? Did Hillary Clinton possess the wisdom of Bernie Sanders, at a time America needed a leading Democrat to counter the neocons in Bush's administration? Clinton might be "wicked smart," like President Obama states, but Bernie Sanders possesses wisdom. Wisdom and intelligence are different, and if you confuse the two, you're stuck with an endless stream of politicians like Hillary Clinton. With Bernie Sanders, America will get someone who makes decisions based upon principle and value system, not political expediency and evolution. There's a reason The Economist ran a cover with the words, "What does Hillary stand for?" If you've been in the spotlight for decades, yet people don't know what you stand for, then you might be "wicked smart," but your intelligence doesn't correlate to wisdom. New Republic, Benghazi Won't Stick to Hillary Clinton, But the Disastrous Libyan Intervention Should. Furthermore, if you call an Iraq Vote a mistake, then repeat the mistake by advocating the bombing of Libya, the phrase "smart power" is meaningless. As stated in the Also, if Hillary Clinton has been around forever, yet 59% of voters find her "not honest and trustworthy," then her experience hasn't correlated to effective leadership. ...[H]ow many American politicians do you know who would drive a busload of people in need of affordable medication, into Canada? The following is a C-Span transcript of Bernie Sanders describing his trip across the border in search of medication for his constituents: Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, there is not much I can add to the brilliant remarks made by Senator Dorgan. I think he, in a very comprehensive manner, made clear why the Senate and this country should move to prescription drug reimportation. I think he very ably answered the objections that we know are sure to come and made the case as well as could be made. My State borders Canada. Some years ago, I put together what, in fact, turns out to be the very first bus trip to take constituents over the Canadian border to buy low-cost prescription drugs. All of us have days which are transformative where something happens we will never forget, and that is the day I will never forget. On that day we took a busload of Vermonters, mostly women, many of the women struggling with breast cancer. We went from St. Albans, VT, to Montreal, Canada. I will never forget the look on the faces of those women who were struggling for their lives when they bought breast cancer medicine at 10 percent of the cost they were paying in the State of Vermont. The question is a very simple question: How do you have a drug manufactured by a company, manufactured in the same factory, put in the same bottles, sold in Canada, in some cases for one-tenth the price that same medicine is sold in the United States of America? How possibly can that happen? Could you possibly imagine Clinton or Trump driving cancer patients across the border, in search of more affordable medication? The time is now. Today, not tomorrow. Save the cynicism for never-ending wars, not single-payer healthcare. Will you ever see another statesman like Bernie Sanders in your lifetime? only voting for Bernie Sanders in 2016. Herr Trumpf contributed to Hillary. Will you contribute to Bernie? Bernie Sanders is a once in a lifetime presidential candidate and I explain why I'm only voting for Sanders in this YouTube segment . I explain why Bernie Sanders will achieve a dominant victory to become president in my recent appearance on the David Pakman Show . There's a reason Donald Trump donated money to Hillary Clinton and other Democrats, and it's the same reason I'mvoting for Bernie Sanders in 2016. Herr Trumpf contributed to Hillary. Will Quad-City Times, one of the most important media outlets for Iowa Democrats, endorsed Bernie's campaign, pointing out, correctly, that "Americans are tired of the hollow rhetoric" and that Today, the, one of the most important media outlets for Iowa Democrats, endorsed Bernie's campaign, pointing out, correctly, that "Americans are tired of the hollow rhetoric" and that only Bernie can shift the party's paradigm . Clinton's greatest strength, they pointed out is also her greatest weakness: "Clinton embodies the status quo." Few topics are as ripe for debate as the consolidation of wealth and power in the the U.S. among a wealthy few. It's an argument that only Sanders appears to truly appreciate, one that should carry through to November. Democratic Party leaders know that much of its base is tired with the middling "third way" spearheaded by Clinton's husband, Bill, in the 1990s. Think "with your head instead of your heart," party leaders say, a shot at Sanders' alleged lack of electability, while warily eyeing the polls and a lack of enthusiasm for the anointed candidate. But it's also an acknowledgement that much of the rank-and-file identifies with Sanders' core beliefs. His calls to splinter massive financial institutions, implement truly universal, single-payer health care and provide tuition free college strike to the very heart of Democratic principles. The party, however, is asking voters to reject their maxims for more of the same. Then-Sen. Clinton voted for the war in Iraq. Sanders opposed it. She supported the Patriot Act, one of the greatest assaults on civil liberties in the nation's history. Sanders opposed it. She supported the Wall Street bailout. Sanders opposed it. There's a pattern here. Sanders is correct: Experience and judgment aren't one and the same. ...In 2008, voters rejected Clinton for what they thought was a new era of political discourse. Obama has had his moments, for sure. But his supporters didn't get the new-century paradigm shift they desired. The corporatism persisted. Special interests and the wealthy continue to own Washington. Clinton is incapable of changing that. She's just too plugged in. If the Democratic Party is to move forward, it must abandon its compromised policy and differentiate itself come November. Only Sanders can accomplish that goal. Yesterday, Gallup released a survey showing that voter identification with the Democratic Party has sunk to an all-time low , just 29% (slightly better than the GOP's 26%), as more and more people view themselves as independents (42%). Americans haven't abandoned the party of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt; the party of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt-- on every level-- has abandoned them. The Democratic Party is now nearly as much a subsidiary of Wall Street as the GOP is. As Pelosi has grown less and less capable of leading and as Chuck Schumer has consolidated his control in the Senate, the congressional wing of the party is basically in thrall to an ugly combination of K Street and Wall Street. The party is next-to-worthless as a vehicle for social change or for fighting to protect the interests of ordinary working families. Today caucus goers in Iowa will decide if the party is indeed the Clintons' corrupt self-serving establishment or still part of a vision for a better nation for the millions of families who are not wealth elites. Back in December, we looked at why grassroots activists have had their fill of the DCCC and have been increasingly telling corrupt and incompetent Beltway party bosses to stay out of their states. Today everyone reviles the DCCC and identification with the Democratic Party itself is disintegrating because of the likes of Rahm Emanuel, Chris Van Hollen, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Steny Hoyer, Steve Israel and Ben Ray Lujan. Sunday, Javier Panzar, writing for the, looked into how Beltway Democratic Party hacks are destroying the party in California . He focused on the tremendous victory local Democrats in the Santa Clarita/Ventura area had this weekend in humiliating Israel, Lujan, Zoe Lofgren and Pelosi. The clueless party bosses had invented a candidate from Orange County, some rich lawyer named Bryan Caforio, and decided to impose him on local Democrats. Woah-- did that ever not work! Yesterday the state party rejected the DCCC's demands that the party not endorse local candidate Lou Vince. 82% of the party delegates pre-endorsement vote went to Vince despite a month of hysterical calls from DCCC headquarters. In a huge slap in the face of the corrupt DCCC only 6 delegates voted for Caforio (out of 50). Vince will be the official Democratic Party candidate no matter what incompetent Beltway types like Israel, Lujan and Pelosi want. Democrats are eager to oust Knight, a freshman who earned negative headlines and represents the 25th Congressional District in north Los Angeles County and Simi Valley. But first the party's establishment will have to make peace with those local party activists who are upset with Caforio's late entry into the race, his lack of roots in the area and the quick support he has received from national Democrats. The rift in the 25th District and an ongoing dispute between Democratic party leaders and locals in the Central Valley congressional seat offer an inland California flavor to what is a national trend this year: grassroots activists bucking the establishment. Caforio raised $138,835 before the year ended, less than a month into his candidacy, according to federal campaign finance filings. He already has been endorsed by six members of California's congressional delegation and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Four members of Congress or their leadership PACs have contributed to his campaign [including Eric Swalwell, Alan Lowenthal and Zoe Lofgren]. But local partisans are upset that Caforio, a trial lawyer who attended UCLA and Yale Law School, and his wife only recently moved into the district from Los Angeles. Caforio was not registered to vote in the district until late November. When the Simi Valley Democratic Club made its endorsement in the race two weeks ago, all 15 voting members chose Vince. "There was a lot of negativity about the new guy. He is a carpetbagger," said Jodie Cooper, the club's executive vice president. "[Vince] really made a concerted effort to meet with people and then all of a sudden this guy comes in with money?" ...Despite the grassroots support, Vince, who currently serves as a police watch commander, has struggled to raise the money needed to take on an incumbent. His only congressional endorsement has come from Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and that was before Caforio became a candidate. Still, Vince's list of supporters includes local officials and numerous activists. "When it comes down to it, our volunteers are going to be the ones knocking on their neighbors' doors," said Vince's campaign coordinator John Casselberry Jr. Some Vince supporters, like state Democratic Party delegate Patricia Sulpizio, said they could end up voting for Caforio if he makes it through the June 7 primary and Vince doesn't. But they are disappointed that members of Congress and party leaders are coalescing behind a candidate locals don't know or seem to be endorsing in large numbers. Vince supporters have accused the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee of meddling in the primary race, which officials have denied. "You can buy a seat in Congress if you have money or if you have friends and associates with money, and that is really disturbing to me," Sulpizio said. Local Democrats in the Central Valley also have been frustrated with the national party in recent years, said Mark Martinez, a politics professor at Cal State Bakersfield. Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) has trounced Democrats for two cycles in the 21st Congressional District despite the party's 16 percentage point edge over Republicans among registered voters. Prominent locals told the Fresno Bee in December that part of the blame fell on the DCCC for micromanaging failed 2014 candidate Amanda Renteria's campaign. Fowler City Councilman Daniel T. Parra is challenging Valadao in the primary, but he also has not raised much money. Democrat Connie Perez made a big splash when she entered the race but dropped out less than a month later, in part, Martinez said, because of frustrations with the DCCC over campaign staffing. "What you have here is people who think they are masters of the universe," he said. "They are good at reading numbers but they aren't good at reading people." The DCCC reputation is so bad in the area that Bakersfield lawyer Emilio Huerta, who entered the race in early January, has been telling voters he was not recruited by the group. "It's unfortunate that [the] DCCC doesn't have a good track record here in terms of running successful candidates," Huerta said. "They don't take advantage of local clubs or local committees. They bring their playbook to the table and ignore us local folk." My blog provides alternative view on Kashmir dispute and politics of South Asia, especially India Pakistan relations. It aims to educate people that they can make informed judgements. Bones Name: Yaakov Kirschen Location: Israel I started Dry Bones in Jan 1973. Since then I've been known as "Bones" to friends and colleagues. This is the first time I've ever shared the "stories behind the cartoons." Enjoy. more By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations' top human rights official urged Turkey on Monday to investigate the shooting of unarmed people 10 days ago in its largely Kurdish southeast and said any members of the security forces committing rights abuses should be prosecuted. Southeastern Turkey has seen its worst violence in two decades since a 2-1/2-year ceasefire with militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) collapsed last July, reviving a conflict in which 40,000 people have been killed since 1984. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein was referring to an incident on Jan. 20, in which 10 people were wounded in the town of Cizre when their group, including two opposition politicians, came under fire while rescuing people hurt in earlier clashes. "I am urging the Turkish authorities to respect the fundamental rights of civilians in its security operations and to promptly investigate the alleged shooting of a group of unarmed people in the southeastern town of Cizre after shocking video footage emerged last week," Zeid told a news briefing. The footage showed the group, including a man and a woman holding white flags, ferrying bodies across a street, watched from an armoured vehicle. Gunfire breaks out and they duck for cover. The camera falls to the ground and a pool of blood forms. "They are apparently cut down in a hail of gunfire," Zeid said in a statement, expressing concern that the cameraman, who was wounded, might be arrested. "Filming an atrocity is not a crime, but shooting unarmed civilians most certainly is," he said. A senior government official said the incident would be investigated but denied civilians were being targeted. "Turkey began an operation there aimed solely at ending terror ... Of course this incident will be looked into. But the government has not allowed civilian deaths and will not do so," the official said. NEW CLASHES The Turkish army says more than 600 militants have been killed since operations began in Cizre in December, and denies killing large numbers of civilians. Government officials say the PKK, which the United States and European Union class as a terrorist group, has caused civilian deaths by digging trenches and erecting barricades in urban centres. In the latest clashes, the army said five members of the security forces were killed in PKK attacks in the Sur district of the regional capital Diyarbakir on Monday. Zeid said Turkish authorities had told him that 205 members of the security forces had been killed between July 20 and Dec. 28. He said the authorities were entitled to take security measures but must observe human rights law. If "state operatives" violated rights, they must be prosecuted, he said. Zeid said the video footage raised "major question marks about what exactly has been going on" in Cizre and other parts of the southeast, where 24-hour curfews have been imposed in several towns and journalists have little access. He also voiced concern at the prosecution of Can Dundar, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Cumhuriyet, which is critical of the president and government, and its Ankara bureau chief, Erdem Gul. He called for the release of all journalists, academics and human rights activists "detained or prosecuted simply for recording or criticising the actions of the state". (Additional reporting by Seyhmus Cakan in Diyarbakir; Writing by Stephanie Nebehay and Nick Tattersall; Editing by Kevin Liffey) There are also two blogspot blogs which record what I think are my main recent articles here and here . Similar content can be more conveniently accessed via my subject-indexed list of short articles here or here (I rarely write long articles these days)(My frequent reads are starred)Email me here (Hotmail address).The archives provided by blogspot below are rather inconvenient. They break each month up into small bits. If you want to scan whole months at a time, the backup archives will suit better. See here or here Islam Gawish "FB account" : 31 2016 - ... Posted by on Sunday, January 31, 2016 ... #__ Posted by amr eissa sketch on Sunday, January 31, 2016 And after than 24 hours of strange arrest and detention circumstances, popular social media cartoonist Islam Gawish was released without any charges or bail on Monday.The story of Gawish's strange arrest and release started on Sunday when he was arrested from his work by security forces for the most bizarre reasons ever: For running an unlicensed website in Egypt.Islam Gawish, a 26-years old cartoonist is popular among social media for his simple doodle comic Facebook page "Al-Warka" aka "The Paper".It started Sunday afternoon when we found a post from Gawish's colleague and the manager of "ENN" website he works at declaring that the security forces stormed the office and arrested the 26-years old cartoon allegedly for drawing anti-Sisi and anti-regime comics !! That alarming post was confirmed by Islam Gawish's official comics Facebook page "Al-Warka" which declared that it would suspend its activities till his release. That post was deleted later from the FB page.For hours news websites kept sharing a strange list of accusations: managing an unlicensed website, having unlicensed software in the company, running unlicensed Facebook page, broadcasting false news.According to my knowledge, Gawish is not the owner of ENN and he is only a graphic designer in the news site !!!He only manages his Facebook page "Al-Warka" and this does not need any license from anyone !! He does not broadcast news but rather draws cartoons for God's Sake !!Anyhow , hours later the ministry of interior issued an official statement announcing that after receiving a tip that ENN was back online to broadcast news without a permit, the security forces went to search the website headquarter arrested for Islam Gawish , who is responsible for graphics at ENN headquarter and the confiscation of two harddrives and a router !!The statement also added that it turned out that Islam Gawish was running a website "Facebook page" without having license "!!" and he was running fake pirated software on his computer !! "AKA windows OS !!" I do not know what to say !!If the security forces arrested Gawish for owned an unlicensed Facebook page for comics than this will be even a silly joke !!!In media statements, his lawyer Mahmoud Othman said that the security forces did not let him read the arrest warrant or know the kind of charges his client is currently facing.Surprisingly, when Mr. Othman went to the prosecution to wait for his client, he found out that the prosecutor did not have any documents or information about Gawish's arrested.Nevertheless, Othman said that he was being informed verbally that Islam Gawish was arrested for anti-regime comics !!Hours later, the prosecution announced that Gawish would spend his night at the police station till National security finishes its investigations !!!On Sunday during the prosecution's investigations with Gawish , journalists suddenly found statements in their emails from the Prosecution General that the young cartoonist would be released without any charges !!And Islam was released but after several hours without any charges. The Young cartoonist after his release spoke on air on ONTV channel in a telephone call saying that he was officially arrested by mistake and that security forces wanted to arrest the manager of ENN but did not find him and found him instead in the office !!He also revealed that unofficially a police officer inspected his tablet and found his political cartoons and told him that he was accused of insulting the regime ..etc. Still it was unofficial accusation.And because the whole matter was strange , we found President El-Sisi himself speaking on the phone about Gawish with Amr Adib who asked him about the young cartoonist and his anti-regime cartoons." I have only heard about him yesterday , I am not angry from anyone !!" El-Sisi said and honestly I beleive that he did not know Islam Gawish before yesterday. The question is if Islam Gawish was arrested wrongfully because of unlicensed news website "ENN" , why Amr Adib and the HEAD OF THE EGYPTIAN STATE speak about his political cartoons !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!To honest, I was surprised and shocked because Gawish does not criticize Sisi that much on his official Facebook Al-Warka and his doodle comics focus mainly on social issues. Yes from time to time he makes political comics making fun from the regime or Sisi like other cartoonists for example like Andeel or Ahmed Nady.Gawish's popular Facebook page "Al-Warka" was liked by 1.5 million Sunday afternoon before Gawish's arrest but now it is growing in popularity and it is being liked 1.6 million now. All his work and comics criticizing El-Sisi and his policies are being shared online throughout the social media whether Twitter or Facebook.Al-Bediah news website published 43 of his political comics online already. His name "#IslamGawish" has been trending in Egypt and Cairo whether in Arabic or English "#Freedom_For_Islam_Gawish" has been active for several hours now.Eight Egyptian parties and a group of Egyptian political figures issued a statement Sunday evening demanding the release of Gawish immediately and warning from the return of the police state in Egypt.Those parties are: Constitution Party, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, The Socialist Popular alliance, The bread and freedom party, Karma Party, Misr El-Horreya Party, El-Adl Party and the Popular alliance party. In other words, the same old Pro-Democratic, Pro-25 January parties.All this is nothing comparing the solidarity of other cartoonists in Egypt with Gawish especially the young cartoonists from January 25 revolution who decided to hit the Sisi taboo even harder and mock him in their cartoons explicitly.In the lead comes Mohamed Andeel from Mada Misr where he made a comic about the shy president "I do not like to be drawn" . Whether Sisi likes to be drawn or not , he is Andeel's Favorite theme. Other joined Andeel and reminding the regime that it should not stand against cartoonists. Like any globe-spanning organization, the Army National Guard needs to keep the right personnel in the right positions and make sure that their records are accurately maintained. Human Resources (HR) Specialists are vital to this process. As an HR Specialist, you will primarily help Soldiers develop their Army careers and provide personnel support and assistance to all divisions of the Army. 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Posting Notes: IN || Brazil || 100 Forest Park Plz || 47834 || Kroger Stores || [[mfield2]] || Customer Service; Store Operations || Employee || Non-Exempt || Part-Time || None This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 18 years and 38,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going. A group of olive growers in Navalvillar de Pela, Badajoz province. jorge armestar These are ours, weve paid for them, screams a woman at the Civil Guard officers who have caught her and three other people allegedly stealing olives from a remote village in Badajoz province, western Spain. A group of around 20 farmers who own the olive plantation look on as the guards seize the lawnmower-like machines called rodillos used to gather the olives from the ground. That really makes life difficult for them, says Valentin, one of the farmers. Each rodillo costs around 170. Confrontations between farmers and thieves have become increasingly violent, with broken windshields, fights, and even car chases Tired of having their olives stolen every harvest time, farmers in the town of Navalvillar de Pela two months ago decided to organize round-the-clock patrols to protect the 5,000 hectares of olive groves they work. Weve been putting up with theft for years now, says Juan Metidieri, president of the Apag-Extremadura-Asaja cooperative. But the harvest this year is exceptionally good, and there has been an increase in stealing. Even the regional premier of Extremadura, Guillermo Fernandez Vara of the Socialist Party, has taken up the issue, supporting the vigilante groups watching over their olive plantations. In Navalvillar, confrontations between local farmers and thieves have become increasingly violent in recent weeks, with broken windshields, fights, and even car chases. Two weeks ago, after catching a group of thieves red-handed and then escorting them to the cooperative to recover the olives they had gathered illegally, people appeared from nowhere, and things started heating up and then suddenly, the thieves jumped into their car and sped off, running people down. This is a tragedy waiting to happen, says Metidieri. The regional authorities says that this year has seen a 20% drop in theft from the fields of Extremadura, with around a thousand incidents reported. The Civil Guard arrests them, seizes their product and then lets them go. Thats it: no charges It is a widespread problem throughout the Spanish countryside. Farmers in Andalusia say they have noticed an increase in crop theft in recent months. In October, almond growers said their harvest was hit by thieves, while in Valencia, orange growers say thousands of tons of fruit have been illegally picked. The Interior Ministry nevertheless says the problem is slowly declining, with a 12% drop in 2014 on the previous year. The situation is going to explode, says Antonio Masa, responsible for the vigilante initiative in Navalvillar. The Civil Guard arrests them, seizes their product and then lets them go, says David, an olive grower patrolling the area with another farmer. Thats it: no charges. Like many others here, they wont provide any details, fearing the kind of reprisals that happened in nearby La Nava de Santiago. They were going to kill me The battered gray van forced them to stop as they were traveling along a rural road as it grew dark on the evening of January 7. It was a Thursday, says Pedro, a 51-year-old local farmer who has taken part in patrols but doesnt want to give his real name. He recounts how around 10 people jumped out and began beating him around the head with clubs, forcing him into their vehicle. I dont know where they took me, but they were going to kill me. After putting him into the van, the group was about to set off when local farmers turned up. A fight erupted, allowing Pedro to escape in the confusion. Finally, the thieves fled. The Civil Guard has arrested two of those accused of trying to kidnap Pedro. But farmers in Navalvillar want to see more officers on patrol, as well as action taken to prevent thieves from selling their stolen olives In May 2013, when there was a spike in crop theft, the government set up special Civil Guard units, says an Interior Ministry spokesman. But farmers in Navalvillar say more resources are needed, and they have since teamed up with the regional government. They want to see more officers on patrol, as well as action taken to prevent thieves from selling their stolen olives. There are private buyers who pay rock-bottom prices and then sell the olives on at market price, says Valentin, who also takes part in patrols. As the violence escalates, the farmers of La Nava are now considering setting up their own beats to protect their crops, but the villages mayor, Emiliano Cortes, says he understands peoples frustration and fear, but is against the idea: I have asked them not to, because things are already at boiling point. Pedro says the attack on him came a couple of hours after he had chased suspected thieves off the olive grove. Now he admits he can no longer sleep at nights. His nose was broken and his ear badly hurt. I began to think about what they wanted to do to me. Why did they try to drive off with me? If they wanted to give me a beating, they could have left me there. Did they want to kill me and leave my body by the side of the road? A woman and a child peer out from a doorway in Villa 31. RICARDO CEPPI More information La miseria imposible de ocultar en el centro de Buenos Aires It is almost impossible to ignore, but some people still manage to. In the center of Buenos Aires, around 200 meters from one of the citys most expensive neighborhoods, the sprawling Villa 31 shantytown has been a long-standing and somewhat embarrassing fixture in the Argentinean capital. This poor neighborhood of dilapidated makeshift homes is squeezed between train tracks and a major highway. It has resisted dictatorships, crises, recoveries and downturns no one has been able to raze it. The city government has put up walls, installed wire meshing and planted vegetation to protect residents and keep the neighborhood from encroaching upon the highway, according to officials. But many in Villa 31 believe that these are attempts to isolate them and hide the view from passing motorists. Nevertheless, it is almost impossible to cover the entire area. Over the past decade, the population of Villa 31 has doubled. Between 40,000 and 50,000 people now live there in dangerous conditions, with rival Peruvian and Paraguayan drug gangs fighting for control of the trade. Villa 31 has resisted dictatorships, crises, recoveries and downturns no one has been able to raze it Five people, including a 14-year-old, have been killed in the last month a record for Villa 31 despite the fact that murder is not such a rare occurrence in the neighborhood. The situation is red hot, says Jorge, who has been living in Villa 31 for 40 years. The drug traffickers want to map out their own territory now that there is a new government. And while we are down here losing our children to crack cocaine addiction, which they mix with xylazine [a horse tranquilizer], up there they are trying to plant a forest to keep everyone from seeing the poverty from the highway. Jorge has two children who are addicts and runs an organization, Si a la vida (Say yes to life), to help keep youngsters off drugs. Buenos Aires, whose new mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta succeeded Mauricio Macri after he was elected the countrys new president, wants to integrate Villa 31 into the rest of the capital. Villa 31 is squeezed underneath a highway. RICARDO CEPPI The city has no plans to cut off Villa 31, says Diego Fernandez, the citys urban and social integration secretary. Instead, we want to integrate it. He adds that the plants and wire meshing were installed after reaching a consensus with the neighbors, who said they were tired of motorists throwing their trash and other scraps from the vehicles down into the mishmash of dwellings. But Gabriel, who runs a Justice Ministrys aid office inside Villa 31, says the neighborhood was the perfect example of exclusion. The people who live here are those who work in the homes and offices of the wealthy who live in the citys center, he says. The majority of the predominantly migrant workers who live here cannot afford any other place to live. A room without a bath goes for about 1,500 pesos ($110) but the renter doesnt have to pay taxes or utilities, and no one asks for residency papers. The city has no plans to cut off Villa 31. Instead, we want to integrate it Villa 31 has been around for 30 years and those who live in the shantytown are squatters. Many fear that one day the houses will be razed and the area given over to land speculation. Villa 31 is situated in one of the best areas of Buenos Aires, near the Plate River. But not many people seriously believe that the government will be able to evict all 40,000 residents from the neighborhood. During the dictatorship (1976-1983), an attempt by the military to force residents out proved unsuccessful. Other shantytowns were created but people started coming back to Villa 31. Marta, another longtime resident, who helps disabled people, says things have grown more complicated in the last few years. I have been here since 1983 and its worse than ever, she says. I sold my home so that I could help my children leave the shantytown, and I managed it. But I am still here now I rent. I want to be here and help people. I sold my house on the black market, as everyone does there are no papers to sign, it is all done on a persons word. Marta says a lot of people have managed to leave Villa 31 and move to homes in private neighborhoods. They make a lot of money, but everything is negotiated under the table, she explains. Those who travel on the highway want to ignore us but we are here and we need help. Whatever you need, you can find it here. You dont pay for utilities, you dont pay taxes life is given to you here By law, no one can bring construction materials into Villa 31, but at the same time it is not clear who should be stopping them. The police watch several construction workers pass in front of them carrying bags of cement and other materials into the shantytown. I dont know how all these materials are allowed through, but it is becoming more frequent, says one of the officers. Whatever you need, you can find it here. You dont pay for utilities, you dont pay taxes life is given to you here. I am here every day but I would never live in the shantytown. Life is too tough there. Forty officers are assigned to protect 40,000 people. Life isnt worth two mangos here, says Emanuel, another officer who has been assigned to Villa 31 for the past four years. People dont leave here; they just go to work and then they come back. We see it all rapes, murder, physical abuse. At this bar, there was a girl who was being exploited as a prostitute, he says while pointing to El Playon. Over there was a drug distribution point that we broke up, he says, pointing to the floor of one building. This is getting worse by the day, with people getting poorer, Emanuel says. But Andresa, another longtime resident, appears more optimistic. Before, there were no police officers. Now they are here every day so we are a bit better off. They have installed sewers, electricity and water. Yes, there are a lot of drug traffickers but the streets are safer. We learn the next day who died among them. English version by Martin Delfin. Its the police, put the knife down! Its a familiar start to many arrests made by security forces the world over. But when the Mossos dEsquadra Catalan regional police gave the order while trying to detain a man in Barcelonas Poblenou neighborhood on Saturday afternoon, the suspect was unwilling to comply. Instead, the attacker launched himself at the arresting officer, trying to stab him in an incident that was recorded on the camera the policeman had installed in his helmet. When the police appear, Jorge throws himself at one of them with the knife, but the officer stops him with his plastic shield The operation occurred after a neighbor had reported that the man was throwing objects and threatening another resident. He grew more and more violent and the police decided to take action after they suspected he was carrying a knife. In the video, the officers can be heard asking the attacker, named Jorge, to open the door. If you dont open up, well come in, they warn before proceeding to break the door down with a sledgehammer. When the officers appear, Jorge throws himself at one of them with the knife, but the officer stops him with his plastic shield. The police restrain him and an emergency health worker injects him with a sedative. No one was injured in the attack. English version by Nick Funnell. Actor George Clooney advertising Nespresso coffee machines at a bus shelter in Paris. Everybody is aware of the importance of keeping the refrigerator clean in order to ward off harmful bacteria. Likewise, nobody would think of wiping eating utensils with a dirty dishtowel. Yet in our heightened personal awareness about food safety, the coffee machine is the great forgotten element. Just when the classic Italian stovetop coffee pots had been all but relegated to the museum in favor of the single-serve coffeemaker, a recent study by a Spanish research team that was published in Scientific Reports, a unit of the Nature group, has identified all the bacteria that lurk within our home and office coffee machines. As a society, we are always anxious to find new dangers, but the truth is that we have never had it this good, at least not in the Western world -Team chief Manuel Porcar This first-of-its-kind study, conducted by a team from the Cavanilles Institute for Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Valencia, finds that these modern appliances are home to an abundance of bacteria that come in many varieties. In what all three researchers describe as the first systematic analysis of coffee machine-associated bacteria, Manuel Porcar, Alba Iglesias and Cristina Vilanova explain how they sampled the drip tray of 10 different Nespresso machines the brand popularized by an advertising campaign starring US actor George Clooney. Our results reveal the existence of a varied bacterial community in all the machines sampled, and a rapid colonisation process of the coffee leach, reads the paper, which has become one of the most-read articles from the Nature group of publications. Single-serve coffee machines using capsules have become increasingly popular at home and work. Uly Martin But not to worry, says research director Manuel Porcar. It is a totally safe appliance. Neither the capsules nor the coffee contain any kind of micro-organism that we were able to detect, he notes. The drip tray that collects the used capsules is where the contamination takes place. Despite coffees relatively good anti-bacterial properties, there was a large amount of micro-organisms that could be pathogens. Porcar adds that all one needs to do is avoid contact with the liquid that builds up in the lower tray and clean out the machine regularly, around once a week, using soap and water and even a few drops of bleach, and then round it off by washing ones hands. Their research work is in fact part of a line of investigation called bioprospection, which seeks unusual habitats where micro-organisms might be found and ultimately put to good use in industry and biotechnology. The bacterial communities described here, for the first time, are potential drivers of biotechnologically relevant processes including decaffeination and bioremediation, reads the study. Culturally, notes Porcar, people seem to be less concerned about the importance of keeping coffee machines clean than about other kitchen items such as dishcloths or countertops. Scientists note the importance of keeping all kitchen surfaces clean to avoid bacterial growth. We microbiologists see the world differently, and Ive always been surprised by people who drink coffee out of those classic stovetop moka pots, which they leave on the kitchen table for a week as they take sips from it. Nobody would do that with milk. Coffee is still a relatively rich environment for the growth of micro-organisms. Most of the time, these tiny organisms do not inflict any harm, as our bodies are prepared for them. Only in an extreme case of poor hygiene, with the used capsule tray in a state of complete abandonment, could there be a small potential for minor digestive trouble, Porcar notes. But that will only happen if there is significant contact between the accumulated liquid and the coffee that one drinks. Although tiny, the risk serves to illustrate a larger point, says Porcar. Every time we handle food, it is not enough to ensure that what you eat or drink is clean; you also have to consider everything around it. A global impact The fact that many people use coffee machines, coupled with the familiarity of George Clooneys Nespresso ads, has helped this research work quickly become one of the 100 most-viewed articles out of the 120,000 same-age research papers posted by the Nature group, according to the Altmetrics measurement site. The study has been mentioned thousands of times across the globe, including a passing mention in The New York Times. But the researchers were prepared for the international reach of the study. The impact was predictable, says Porcar, whose team has just published a similar report about bacteria on solar panels. One of the reasons is our growing concern over what we eat. But nobody is going to die from drinking coffee. Our article warns that some bacteria are pathogens, but with normal coffee machine maintenance, problems are eliminated. In fact, there are no known cases of intoxication caused by coffee machine contamination. Any headline along the lines of Researchers warn about the risk of... could be interpreted in many ways, and people share that on the social media, underscores Porcar. As a society, we are always anxious to find new dangers, but the truth is that we have never had it this good, at least not in the Western world. English version by Susana Urra. Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias talks to reporters in Madrid on Monday. ANDREA COMAS (REUTERS) Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias said on Monday that he will not support an alliance between the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) and emerging group Ciudadanos, either actively or passively. The head of the anti-austerity party, who has been seeking an alliance of his own with the Socialists in which he would personally become deputy prime minister, said he is not willing to endorse a pact of this nature. It was Ciudadanos who said explicitly that they would not support a government with Podemos in it - Pablo Iglesias We are ready to talk to everybody, said Iglesias on Monday, shortly before meeting with King Felipe VI as part of the protocol ahead of the investiture vote. It was Ciudadanos who said explicitly that they would not support a government with Podemos in it. Instead, Podemoss leader is asking Sanchez to choose between himself and Ciudadanos chief Albert Rivera, because their two platforms are incompatible. Iglesias insisted on his own proposal for a government of change comprising the Socialists, Podemos and the United Left. The idea has met with considerable opposition from high-ranking Socialist officials, however, because of Podemoss support for a Catalan referendum on self-rule. With Spanish politics in gridlock following inconclusive elections in December that yielded a hung parliament, parties have been scrambling to forge alliances for a working government coalition or, failing that, to secure enough support for a yes vote at the upcoming investiture session to name a new prime minister. Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera. Susanna Saez But the incumbent Mariano Rajoy, whose Popular Party (PP) obtained 123 seats on December 20, has been unable to muster enough backing to get himself reinstated and attempt to form a minority government. In fact, Rajoy is declining to be a candidate at the investiture session altogether, but is also refusing to step aside to let another PP official have a try. In the meantime, his Socialist rival Pedro Sanchez has been working on a draft document that could be the basis for an alternative governing alliance. Sanchez wants to reach out to Spains two new national parties, Podemos and Ciudadanos, but also to the United Left and to regional groups in the Basque Country, Catalonia, the Canary Islands and elsewhere. Both Podemos and Ciudadanos burst onto the national scene in recent years, surging ahead in voter opinion polls on similar messages of change for Spain. But while the latter favors pro-market policies, the former began as a Syriza-sympathizing group that has since shifted to the center-left to attract more moderate voters. English version by Susana Urra. Medics remove the body of a woman killed in a gender violence case on January 22. J. JORDAN The year 2016 has had a tragic first month, due to a spike in the number of women killed in cases of domestic violence. According to officials, a total of eight women were killed in attacks perpetrated by their current or ex-partners, according to officials. In past 14 years, only one month of January has seen more such murders, when nine victims were registered in 2006. But the figure is the same as the number of the victims seen in the first month of 2003, 2011 and 2012, which would suggest that legislation aimed at combating domestic violence passed by Congress in 2004 has had little effect in stopping the number of cases. Nevertheless, there have been improvements in the way authorities have been helping victims. More women are calling 016, the telephone number where they can anonymously seek attention. The service, which was launched in 2007, received a record number of 82,000 phone calls last year. In addition to the eight victims, another case last month saw the death of a 17-month-old infant, who was thrown out of an apartment window by a 30-year-old man after the childs mother found him trying to sexually abuse the baby. The 18-year-old mother was hospitalized after being beaten by the aggressor. The suspect was later arrested and is now in custody. Chronology of cases January 4: A 43-year-old woman is strangled to death by her partner in Madrid's Hortaleza district. January 5: A 33-year-old woman is stabbed to death by her partner in Guadalajara. January 8: The body of a 19-year-old woman is found in a reservoir in Alange (Badajoz). January 11: Isabel Ana Cebrian, 55, is stabbed to death in Quintanar de la Orden (Toledo). While investigators initially thought robbery was the motive, her husband was arrested a few hours later as the main suspect. January 13: A 43-year-old woman is killed in Vila-seca (Tarragona). January 22: A 77-year-old man reportedly kills his 73-year-old wife with a kitchen knife and then takes his own life by repeatedly stabbing himself. January 23. A 49-year-old woman is strangled by her husband with the cable from a cellphone charger. January 27: A 45-year-old man beats his 46-year-old wife to death in Aviles (Asturias). English version by Martin Delfin. Armen Navasardyan does not rule out escalation of situation (video) Peace talks over the Syrian issue started in Geneva on January 29. A delegation of 35 representatives of the Syrian opposition is expected to participate in the talks. Armenia does not participate in the Geneva talks, which os not welcomed by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Armen Navasardyan. Why shouldnt we participate in the process? We are part of the Middle East and we should also apply for participation. Only 8000 people have remained from the once big Armenian community in Syria, he said on Monday. Mr Navasardyan says the Geneva talks will not produce positive results. To collect Assads forces and send them there [to Geneva] to thwart the process Clearly, the conflict will not be resolved as long as Turkey and Qatar are also involved. Speaking about Irans role in the Karabakh issue, Mr Navasardyan said, I do not think that Iran can resolve the problem. Moreover, I think the situation around the Karabakh conflict may escalate as Turkey, which was eager to intervene in the process, will act with renewed vigor. Was Ombudsman blackmailed? Nikol Pashinyan asks questions in parliament (video) The National Assembly today approved the composition of a temporary commission of the Audit Committee. Once again, NA Speaker Galust Sahakyan reminded that the commission is composed of four members from the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), two from the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) and one candidate from two factions. Opposition lawmaker Nikol Pashinyan suggested involving members from all factions to avoid differences. For a moment there was silence. The HHK lawmaker, General Seyran Ohanyan remarked, Why did you [Galust Sahakyan] give him [Nikol Pashinyan] a reason to speak? The lawmakers burst out laughing. It is my profession to make people speak, Galust Sahakyan said joking. Pashinyans suggestion to involve two members from each faction was soon put to a vote but it was turned down immediately. Then the National Assembly began to debate the changes in the procedure of electing an Ombudsman. Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, Hovhannes Sahakyan, who was the main reporter, said the new Constitution envisages a change in the order of election: if in the past, 1/5 of the MPs could nominate a candidate for the post, now the nomination has been entrusted to his Committee. Debates continue at the National Assembly SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Google Ad Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully Google Ad The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression 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 Merkel, Poroshenko reject early end to sanctions against Russia German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ruled out on Monday an early end to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow. GALLERY Chancellor Angela Merkel and Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, on 01.02.2016 at a press conference in Berlin. Miners wait to come down to the mine face of _Kalinina_ coal mine in Donetsk, Ukraine, 01 February 2016. From seven to thirteen coal mines total still work on the territory occupied by pro-Russian rebels according to different Ukrainian media. German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on 01 February as tensions between government troops and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine appear to have eased. Berlin/Moscow (dpa) - Speaking in Berlin, both Merkel and Poroshenko said that the sanctions, which were put in place due to Russias involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, could only be lifted once a year-old ceasefire clinched in Minsk is fully implemented."We unfortunately still do not have a sustainable ceasefire," Merkel said, despite signs that tensions between government troops and pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have eased. Fulfilling the conditions set out in the Minsk peace deal is obligatory if Russia wants the sanctions to be withdrawn, EU and US officials have said.In February 2015, Merkel and Poroshenko joined French President Francois Hollande and Russian President Vladimir Putin in negotiating the Minsk agreement, which includes an immediate and full ceasefire in Donetsk and Luhansk as well as the withdrawal of heavy weapons by both sides."We see no alternative to Minsk and no alternative to its full implementation," Poroshenko said Monday, standing alongside Merkel in her office in Berlin. Poroshenko once again lashed out at Russia, describing Moscow and the pro-Russian separatists as the aggressors in the conflict."Its bad and terrible that despite the Minsk agreement there is still no security in the war zone of Donbass," the Ukrainian leader said, referring to the Donetsk Basin, a geographical area that comprises Ukraines two eastern-most regions. Russia has repeatedly rejected allegations by Western governments and Kiev that it has provided troops and weapons for the conflict. Russia maintains that it only supports the separatists cause and is using its influence to seek a resolution to the conflict.Fighting in eastern Ukraine has significantly ebbed since late September, when Moscow began a bombing campaign in Syria.This has prompted speculation that the Kremlin could be more actively pursuing a resolution in Ukraine in hopes of removing crippling Western sanctions against Russia.Initially imposed in mid-2014, the conflict-related sanctions are directed against state companies and banks and are harsher than those that the West introduced in March that year after Moscow occupied Ukraines southern Crimea peninsula. The Crimea-related sanctions are primarily against individuals close to Putin.Russias oil-dependent economy has been in the doldrums as prices for the commodity plummeted over the past year, spurring a drastic devaluation of Russias national currency. The conflict in eastern Ukraine dates back to early 2014, when Kiev ousted its pro-Russian president amid mass protests calling for closer ties to the West.Russia responded by occupying and annexing Crimea, a predominantly Russian-speaking territory and the site of a critical Russian naval base. Soon afterwards, a pro-Russian separatist rebellion erupted in Ukraines two eastern-most regions. More than 8,000 people have died in that conflict, according to estimates by the United Nations. Public joint-stock company Kyivmiskbud Holding, one of the largest construction companies in Ukraine, has sent UAH 23.6 million of dividends for 2014 to the account of the territorial community of Kyiv city, the press service of the Kyiv City Council has reported, referring to Deputy Mayor and Secretary of the Kyiv City Council Volodymyr Prokopiv. "First the city's budget received a large sum from the municipal company. It was managed to achieve the result thanks to the systemic policy that are conducting toward municipal companies and all companies where the Kyiv City Council is a shareholder," Prokopiv said. According to the report, as of January 29, 2016, Kyivmiskbud also paid over UAH 3 million in dividends to 1,157 private shareholders. Kyivmiskbud Board Chairman Volodymyr Slonchak said that the company has fulfilled its liabilities to pay dividends under a decision of the shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting held on July 31, 2015. As reported, the company's shareholders with 99.98% votes in favor made the decision to send UAH 29.559 million or 40% of net profit of Kyivmiskbud to pay dividends for 2014, while earlier it was planned to send 30% of profit to pay dividends. Dividends were paid between November 30, 2015 and January 30, 2016. Kyivmiskbud was set up on the basis of municipally owned construction corporation Kyivmiskbud in 1994 through the merger of controlling stakes in 28 enterprises and other assets in its charter capital. It consists of 40 companies in which the holding owns shares, along with six subsidiaries and 51 associated members. ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) sold 0.5 million tonnes of steel products on the Ukrainian market in 2015, while earlier the enterprise sold 1.5 million tonnes. "In 2015 construction activity declined a lot. Domestic steel demand has reduced significantly. ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih produces around 6 million tonnes of steel per year. At good times we sold at the domestic market about 1.5 million tonnes of steel, but last year indicator reduced to 0.5 million tonnes. Now 87% of production volumes are export ed and only 13% goes to the domestic market. This tendency is determined by significant reduction of construction activity in Ukraine last year and lack of big infrastructure projects," CEO Paramjit Kahlon said in his address at the conference organized by the European Business Association (EBA) held on January 21, 2016. The Kahlon's speech at the conference was published in the Metallurg corporate newspaper on January 29. He said that demand for steel products has gone down globally. Chinese producers are dumping in a big way in all the export markets where ArcelorMittal used to sell from Ukraine. Russian ruble devaluation has taken away all our markets in CIS countries, he said. "We are no longer competitive in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kirgizstan, where we used to sell in big amounts. So from one side China is sitting in exports markets, and from another side Russia has taken CIS countries and it is coming to Ukraine also, total makes situation very tough for us to survive," the top manager said. "In 2016 we hope situation will not remain like in 2015. We have given lot of proposals to the government to be a partner in road building, we could offer slag which is used in road building and our reinforced rebars for the government projects. We have experience in similar projects in EU countries and are the partners there. But as of now nothing concrete is taken place and we do not know whether it is going to start in 2016 or not," he said. He said that the government does not take enough efforts to attract big investors. "In Ukraine red carpet is missing for us or any investor. Rather many times we have to struggle to do business in this country, many times we have to beg our VAT return, for example. Things are changing, but the change is not coming that fast one can expect. We stayed when other investors left," Kahlon said. Kahlon noted that ArcelorMittal believes in a long term strategy and despite a very tough situation today, ArcelorMittal is investing $1.2 billion in 2015-2019 in the modernization of the enterprise. Kahlon expressed his personal belief that Ukraine is a great country and it has everything to be one of the best countries in the world. "Just the right mindset and the right policy is missing," he said. The European Investment Bank (EIB) plans to expand support of large corporate business in Ukraine in 2016, Senior Corporate Banker for EU Neighbouring Countries at the EIB Jean-Jacques Soulacroup has said. "We would like to emphasize the focus that we are putting on this year in Ukraine is increasing our targets with our volumes with the private sector. Not only on SME side and mid-caps, but also on the large caps, the large corporates, because we think that we are now in a position that in the context Ukraine seems to be more and more favorable for financing the large corporates as well," Soulacroup said at the international conference entitled "Focus Ukraine: Global Export Credit Agency and Multilateral Financial Institutions Strategy Meeting." "Our 40% of portfolio dedicated to SME's is basically intermediated through banks, local banks. If I am really looking honestly about the picture of the EIB in Ukraine than on the pure corporate side we have financed basically 11% of our portfolio. So this is still very minor and we want to increase that. We want to do more. What we want to do is to target is to work with champions in Ukraine. When I say the champions I mean the companies that are the leaders in their market or that are the best managed and with best potential for development. I think this is important. But we want to target these champions that are suffering from the current economic environment," he said. The banker said that these companies need not only short-term money, but also long-term money. "What they need, in fact, is a long-term financing. They need eight, ten, twelve years of long maturities. And this is something that we can provide For that we cannot do it by ourselves for that we need the corporations that support all of you We can finance only half of the investment cost of any investment cost, so this leaves the room for the other have to be financed," he said. He also expressed his readiness to work on the guarantee mechanism that would allow cutting the cost of loans. He said that the EIB has EUR800 mln to commit for this year as part of the 2014-2016 portfolio. "We have been part of the package of EU commission for providing 11 billion to Ukraine and we committed ourselves to provide 3 billion. And out of these 3 billion over 2014 2015 and 2016 we've already signed 2.2 billion. As you have understood, we have EUR800 mln to commit for this year. Hopefully in 2017 we might be able to keep it going, probably with these amounts, hopefully with more," he said. The banker said that the bank is already in the discussion with the Ukrainian government for projects in transport, transit energy and possible trade support. Italy's Saipem, which was hired by Gazprom to lay the undersea section of the South Stream gas pipeline, and then the Turkish Stream pipeline, has filed a lawsuit against a subsidiary of the Russian gas giant. Saipem S.p.A. filed a request for arbitration against South Stream Transport B.V. (now a 100% subsidiary of Gazprom) with the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris on November 10, 2015. The sum of the lawsuit is approximately 759 million euro, according to Saipem materials. South Stream Transport's contract with Saipem stipulated drafting of the working documentation and construction of the first strand of the undersea section of the South Stream gas pipeline, as well as installation of shore facilities and onshore pipelines, for roughly 2 billion euro. After Saipem filed the lawsuit, Gazprom reported that Saipem was in the running for a contract to build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a project which is more likely to be implemented. The State Property Fund of Ukraine on February 1, 2016 announced a tender to select an appraiser for 94.6% and 99.6% of shares in public joint-stock company Odesa Port-Side Plant (the two options are in line with current law and the proposed bill), the fund has reported on its website. "The tender will be held at 14:00 on February 19, 2016 in the SPF. Bids can be submitted until 18:00 on February 15," the fund said. As reported, referring to SPF Head Ihor Bilous, support of amendments to the law on privatization would allow putting Odesa Port-Side Plant up for sale in April. The Ukrainian government repeatedly said that it plans to resume large privatization from the sale of 99.5% of shares in Odesa Port-Side Plant. Bilous said that the starting price will be no less than $500 million. The plant's director Valeriy Horbatko assessed it at $600-620 million and Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk raised the assessment to $ 1 billion. The business court of Donetsk region on January 27, 2016 decided to liquidate private joint-stock company Drilling Company Golden Derrick, according to a report of the National Commission for Securities and the Stock Market of Ukraine. The liquidation procedure will last for 12 months. The company's net asset value is UAH 197.353 million, its liabilities total UAH 95.232 million, equity capital is UAH 10.134 million (information from the audited annual report). As reported, in 2015, the higher administrative court of Ukraine has upheld the ruling of a court of lower instance that Golden Derrick LLC was deprived of 19 permits to produce oil and gas. Ukrainian authorities could this week send the updated Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies in the framework of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which will enable the fund within two or three weeks to consider the issue to Kyiv of the third tranche in the amount of SDR1.18 billion ($1.63 billion), Head of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Valeriya Gontareva has said. "I hope we will send the memorandum this week," she said at a meeting with the European Business Association (EBA) in Kyiv. Gontareva noted that the recent discussion of the draft memorandum with the IMF management in Davos, which was also attended by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko, showed that "everything is normal." The four-year EFF program for Ukraine totaling SDR12.348 billion (about $17 billion), opened by the IMF in March 2015, originally foresaw quarterly revisions of the program, the issue of four tranches to Kyiv in 2015, another four in 2016. However, at present the country has received only the first tranche of funds for $5 billion and the second one worth $1.7 billion. The non-combat casualties of the Ukrainian army during the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine exceed 1,000 people, Anatoliy Matios, deputy prosecutor general and chief military prosecutor of Ukraine, said. "I will now give you the number of non-combat irretrievable and sanitary casualties of the Ukrainian army. Three regiments. Over 1,000 people; it's non-combat casualties in the anti-terrorist operation. Friendly fire, careless handling of weapons, crippling dealing to death, cerebral palsy, alleged heart diseases," Matios said in an interview posted on the official website of the chief military prosecutor. He said this situation is due to the approach practice in some military medical commissions where conscripts re examined by doctors. Matios said 54 people from the Aidar battalion have been prosecuted for crimes, including assault and robbery, and the Tornado battalion "had to be stopped using military methods." The militants continued shelling the Ukrainian Armed Forces' positions in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone during Sunday, Kyiv said. Militants have breached the ceasefire 27 times since midnight, the press center of the ATO headquarters reported in a statement posted on the press center's Facebook page on Sunday evening. In the Donetsk airport area the militants have fired grenade launchers and large-caliber machineguns on the checkpoints of the military operation forces in Opytne and Pisky, the statement reads. Militants have fired grenade launchers of different systems and infantry combat vehicles on the Ukrainian army positions not far from Novhorodske, Kyiv said. Militants have waged the most intensive fire on the Ukrainian army fortifications in the Krasnohorivka populated area, the headquarters press center reported. Militants have fired 82mm and 120mm mortars and large-caliber machineguns in this populated area. The Ukrainian army checkpoints in Avdiyivka, Maryinka, Troitske and Verkhniotoretske have also been shelled, the statement said. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NAB) and the Business Ombudsman Council have signed a memorandum of cooperation, the press service of the NAB has reported. "We've signed the memorandum to join efforts in tackling corruption and preventing business malpractice in Ukraine. I am convinced that overcoming corruption will lead to better business climate, economic growth and further reforms," NAB Director Artem Sytnyk said. The NAB said that the agreement with the Business Ombudsman Council will let the NAB to rapidly receive information from businesses about possible corruption instances within the NAB competency. The agencies plan to cooperate in identifying and eliminating the reasons causing criminal offences, providing recommendations to state and municipal authorities to improve anti-corruption legislation, as well as organizing public events on relevant issues. Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has signed decrees dismissing 86 judges for the violation of the oath. In particular, Poroshenko expelled three judges for illegal decisions related to activists of the Revolution of Dignity, the presidential press service said on Saturday. The High Council of Justice reached a decision that Chervonozavodsky District Court in Kharkiv judge Denys Chudovsky, Obolonsky District Court in Kyiv judge Yulia Shvachach and Shevchenkivsky District Court in Kyiv judge Dmytro Kravets violated the oath during Maidan. Therefore, the Council recommended dismissing them. In this respect, the High Council of Justice established that Chudovsky has failed to ensure the principle of independence of judges and hasn't ensured full and comprehensive study of all the aspects of cases, while Kravets hasn't performed his duties in good faith and violated norms of the legislation. By another decree the president dismissed 83 judges in Russia-annexed Crimea for the violation of the oath. U.S. ambassador calls formation of 'Ministry of Truth' serious mistake, urges Ukraine to focus on progress and development U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt has said that the formation of the 'Ministry of Truth' that tries to generate alternative stories would be a big mistake for the Ukrainian authorities and the Ukrainian people, while the information warfare can only be won by the truth and the formation of a successful, European, democratic Ukraine. The ambassador said that the Kremlin as part of its strategy has been deploying a Goebbels-like propaganda machine against Ukraine. "The biggest mistake that we could make, the biggest mistake that Ukraine could make, is to spend all of your time and all of your energy trying to counter those lies to spend all of your breath saying: 'There are no fascists! What are you talking about?' That's exactly what Russia wants," read the ambassador's remarks from the "Countering Information War in Ukraine" conference posted on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. He warned Kyiv about a phenomenon in psychology called mirroring, where one falls into the habit of simply reflecting the behaviors of their opponent. "And that is, for me, one of the risks for Ukraine. It's a huge mistake for the Ukrainian government, for the Ukrainian people, to create a troll factory like St. Petersburg, churning out counter-propaganda in social media. It's a huge mistake to create a 'Ministry of Truth' that tries to generate alternative stories. That is not the way to defeat this information warfare," Pyatt said. He said Ukraine doesn't need more state-sponsored media. "What Ukraine needs is a successful Ukraine. And I would argue the single most powerful refutation to the Kremlin's hybrid war and information campaign against this country is a successful, modernizing, European, democratic Ukraine," Pyatt said. He also added that the number one priority for Ukraine and Ukrainian society in 2016 needs to be prevailing in the war against corruption. "It is the key issue in demonstrating that Ukraine is moving forward. In that regard, I would argue the best weapon against the Kiselyovs of the world is your anti-corruption prosecutor. It's deputy prosecutors general like David Sakvarelidze, who are trying to hold criminals accountable. It's your NABU. All of which are institutions that the United States will strongly support," the ambassador said. Ukraine's Constitutional Court has declared that the revised bill on amendments to the Constitution in the field of justice complies with Articles 157 and 158 of the Fundamental Law. The Constitutional Court made public relevant judgment at its meeting on Monday having considered a relevant request of the Verkhovna Rada. As reported, on January 22, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine declared a bill on amendments into the Constitution of Ukraine on justice reform the one, which complies with the Articles 157 and 158 of the Fundamental Law. The bill contains provisions about the liquidation of judges' immunity from prosecution, the automatic dismissal of judges who fail to pass re-certification, significantly increases the transparency in the selection of judicial personnel and significantly increases the responsibility of judges for the miscarriage of justice. On January 26, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko submitted the updated version of the bill amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine on justice reform to the Verkhovna Rada. According to the updated bill, clause 25 of the Article 85 of the Constitution reinstate a norm under which the Verkhovna Rada is empowered to give is consent to appointment or resignation of the prosecutor general by the head of state, and to express a vote of no confidence in the prosecutor general, which entails his resignation. On January 28, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine put on its session' agenda the bill on Constitutional amendments to the Fundamental Law on Justice (No. 3524) and sent it for the assessment by the Constitutional Court. Parliamentary speakers from Baltic states and Northern Europe will start a visit to Ukraine on Monday. On Monday, the parliamentary speakers have meetings scheduled with their Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Groysman and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk. They will also hold a press conference in Kyiv, where they also have meetings with representatives of the parliamentary factions of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, the press service of the Estonian parliament told the agency. On Tuesday, the parliamentary speakers will hold meetings with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, presidential envoy for Crimea Mustafa Jemilev, and also Crimean Tatar People representative Refat Chubarov. Before the flight to Kyiv, Estonian Parliamentary Chairman Eiki Nestor said that for a number of years as part of the parliamentary cooperation of the Baltic and Northern European states "special attention has been paid to the cooperation with the countries that are currently on the cross-roads." Nestor also said that the members of the delegation intend to demonstrate using the three Baltic countries as an example what, why, how has been done in their countries. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk expects signing and ratification of the free trade area agreement between Ukraine and Canada in 2016. "We have reached a mutual decision that such an agreement [on the free trade area] should be finally signed and submitted to the national parliaments for ratification," the premier said during a meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion in Kyiv on Monday, while speaking about the agenda of the bilateral relations in 2016. Yatseniuk said that this agreement would contribute to the military and economic resistance to the Russian aggression. As reported, in July, 2015, Ukraine and Canada signed an agreement on the completion of the negotiations on the free trade area between the countries. Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko said during her re-examination in the Russian Donetsk city court on Monday that she was volunteering as an instructor in the Aidar battalion. "During my vacation I came [to Aidar battalion] in order to share experience, anything that I could do. I was not a staff instructor. Formally, I wasn't a commander in Aidar. I wasn't officially a member of staff," Savchenko said. Later in the proceedings the Ukrainian pilot said she had no combat sorties. "I would like to clarify one moment: I have no battle sorties. I haven't been flying and shooting at people from the helicopter," Savchenko said. According to Russian investigators, Ukrainian Armed Forces officer Savchenko was at the base of the Aidar battalion near the village of Metallist in the Slovyanoserbsk district of Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine on June 17, where she was conducting secret surveillance and correcting artillery fire targeting a checkpoint of militants from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), as well as civilians sheltering there, among them were three journalists of Russia's VGTRK broadcaster. Two Russian reporters Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin were killed in the attack. Savchenko denies all charges. Savchenko has been held in Russian custody since July 2014. Savchenko went on hunger strike during a hearing in the Donetsk City Court on December 17. She said she was going on hunger strike until the end of the trial of her case. Her lawyers believe the sentence could be handed down in February. Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko has complained in the Russian Donetsk city court on Monday about systematic infringement of the Ukrainian language during the hearing of her court case. Savchenko addressed her complaint to the Russian Human Rights Ombudsman. The court granted it. "Infringement of Ukrainian in Russia takes place in the court. My lawyers have filed four motions that were rejected because they were written in Ukrainian, despite the presence of an interpreter in the court. Motions were dismissed and Ukrainian citizens were recommended to come to court with documents in Russian," Savchenko said. She requested to add her complaint to the court case and this motion was granted by the court. According to Russian investigators, Ukrainian Armed Forces officer Savchenko was at the base of the Aidar battalion near the village of Metallist in the Slovyanoserbsk district of Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine on June 17, where she was conducting secret surveillance and correcting artillery fire targeting a checkpoint of militants from the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), as well as civilians sheltering there, among them were three journalists of Russia's VGTRK broadcaster. Two Russian reporters Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin were killed in the attack. Savchenko denies all charges. Savchenko has been held in Russian custody since July 2014. Savchenko went on hunger strike during a hearing in the Donetsk City Court on December 17. She said she was going on hunger strike until the end of the trial of her case. Her lawyers believe the sentence could be handed down in February. Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has said that the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is still being impeded in conducting its monitoring in Donbas. "The OSCE SMM, which does ceasefire monitoring and verification, encounters limitations during its work in the areas controlled by armed formations. These forbid [monitors] from visiting the places where heavy weapons had been seen in violation of the relevant agreements," he told the media before his talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Monday. Besides, the head of Ukrainian state said that OSCE SMM mission can't reach a part of Russia-Ukraine border that is beyond Ukraine's control. "OSCE SMM by now has no opportunity to visit uncontrolled part of the Ukrainian-Russian border," he said. Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has stressed the need for the sanctions against Russia to remain in place until the Minsk agreements are fully implemented. "It is obvious that the anti-Russian sanctions must remain until Russia has fully implemented the Minsk agreements and has gotten out of Donbas. Until it has taken back its troops, its weapons and until control is restored over the border," he told the media before his talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Monday. He reiterated that sanctions were imposed on Russia for its aggression against Ukraine and they must be extended if this aggression still continues. "We'll cover these topics with Chancellor, and I'll additionally tell the Chancellor what reforms do we carry to stabilize situation in the country, what we precisely do for combating corruption and when take Constitutional amendments, which are to pass voting at the Ukrainian parliament tomorrow," Poroshenko added. On January 20, 2016, members of the organization "SICh" led by MP Ihor Lutsenko committed vandal actions at 15 filling stations of FIE AMIC Ukraine. "Statements of activists as well as the information, spread by some mass media, are doubtful and are not consistent with the reality. Company AMIC Energy Management GmbH is the Austrian company which owns a chain of filling stations FIE AMIC Ukraine. We made this information public on April 29, 2015, after the acquisition of a 100% stake in the enterprise with foreign investments LUKOIL-Ukraine. We hope that the Ukrainian government, having taken the course towards integration into the European Union, will be able to ensure guarantees of our investments and will strive for execution of laws in its territory," Gunter Maier, Managing Director of AMIC Energy GmbH, declared. Lawyers of the company consider that the illegal actions by members of the organization "SICh" led by MP Ihor Lutsenko in territory of AMIC Energy filling stations should be qualified as an attempt of deliberate damage of the company's property. "All the facts of wrongful actions are fixed by surveillance cameras, will be transferred to the prosecutor's office and police and considered though legal proceedings. Our company sustained not only material damage but also moral one. And publications in some mass media are discrediting business reputation, honor and dignity since they distribute the information, which obviously harms the company business reputation, undermines trust of clients, partners and personnel to it. We are the Austrian company and all false statements or applications are guesswork and have nothing in common with the actual state of affairs," noted Radovan Mitas, AMIC Energy GmbH. We are open and ready to provide any information to mass media and other persons interested about activity of company FIE AMIC Ukraine and AMIC Energy Management GmbH in Ukraine.AMIC Energy Management is the Austrian company, which owns a chain of filling stations AMIC Energy in Ukraine. The chain consists of 231 filling stations in 10 regions on all territory of Ukraine, provides more than 2650 workplaces. Since May 01, 2015 (transaction closure and assumption of management over the company) it paid more than UAH 313 million of taxes to the budget of Ukraine and invested in infrastructure development more than several million euros. For all questions and additional information, please contact: press@amicenergy.com.ua North Korea Reportedly Preparing For A Long-Range Ballistic Missile Test, Increased Movement Of Equipment And Personnel Detected At Launch Site North Korea is causing another red alarm at the international community with its recent suspicious activities at its Tongchang-ri launch site which were interpreted by military officials as a possibility that the reclusive country is preparing to test a long-range ballistic missile. The said activity by the North supported the claim by an unnamed Japanese government source which said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be preparing for a missile launch as reported by Japan's Kyodo news agency last Thursday. The increased movement of equipment and addition of personnel in the area came a day after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited China, which apparently is the closest ally of North Korea, on Wednesday. Kerry urged China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi to cooperate in pressuring North after its recent nuclear test, CNN News wrote. Advertisement "We estimate that the North can carry out a missile launch without a notice at any time after it extended its missile launch pad at the facility," an intelligence source said. Experts estimated that last year's upgrades to the Sohae Satellite Launching Station could enable the new launch pad to accommodate a wider range of missiles and travel up to 13,000 kilometers, which is enough to propel one to the United States, as reported by Korea Times. Meanwhile, both the U.S. and South Korea are discouraging the North from continuing the alleged missile launching which would constitute another violation to the United Nations Security Council resolutions. "We urge North Korea to refrain from actions and rhetoric that threaten regional peace and security and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its international commitments and obligations," suggested Navy Commander Bill Urban, the spokesman of the U.S. Defense Department. This is the second time this year that North Korea has caused provocation. On Jan. 6, Kim Jong Un proudly announced the "spectacular success" of its underground hydrogen bomb test, although the 5.1 magnitude tremor detected on seismic monitors had experts debunk his claim as they believed that it was too small for a hydrogen bomb. Advertisement Advertisement Like us and Follow us Follow @Koreaportal and 2022 Korea Portal, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An incursion by a US warship in Chinese territorial waters on Saturday is the latest attempt by Washington to return tension to the South China Sea and encourage more regional stakeholders to challenge China, according to observers. They made the comments after the USS Curtis Wilbur, a guided missile destroyer, intruded into the territorial waters of China's Xisha Islands. Zhang Junshe, a senior researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said the South China Sea situation had been eased for some time before the latest outspoken remarks and intrusion by Washington. One of the US' goals is to bring tension back to the region, Zhang said. Renewing the tension will also showcase support for countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam, encouraging them to take more provocative actions against China on the South China Sea, Zhang said. "In the long run, Washington still defines the South China Sea issue as a tool to contain China,"Zhang added. Liang Fang, a professor of naval studies at the PLA National Defense University, said Washington aims to test Beijing's bottom line on the sea and is also attempting to defy China's sovereignty over the waters. China should stick to its construction plan for the South China Sea and take further countermeasures in case of provocation, Liang said. In recent years, the United States has sent warships and aircraft into Chinese waters and airspace a number of times, leading to brushes between the two militaries. The People's Liberation Army warned the vessel on Saturday and succeeded in driving it away, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Yang Yujun said in a statement on Saturday night. "Chinese troops stationed on the islands, naval ships and airplanes made an immediate response, took countermeasures and conducted identification and verification (action) against the US warship,"Yang said. The US action was "a serious violation of law"and damaged the peace and security of the South China Sea, Yang said. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Saturday that under a Chinese law enacted in 1992, foreign warships entering China's territorial waters must obtain approval from the Chinese government. The Chinese military will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and security regardless of provocative actions by the US, Yang said. Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, drew criticism from Beijing on Wednesday when he told a think tank in Washington that the US will continue to challenge China's position on the South China Sea. Harris also said that in his opinion "those islands do not belong to China. IS claims responsibility for killing 76 in triple bombings in Damascus' Shiite district DAMASCUS, Jan. 31 -- The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for three deadly bombings that rocked a Shiite district south of the capital Damascus on Sunday, killing over 76 people. The triple bombings rocked the sprawling Sayyidah Zaynab district, which is guarded by the Shiite Lebanese Hezbollah group in the southern countryside of Damascus. The first explosion was caused by a booby-trapped car that targeted a passenger bus on the al-Sudan street in that area, state news agency SANA said, adding that after the first bombing, two suicide bombers detonated their explosive belt in a crowed of people, who gathered at the blast site. Meanwhile, a source familiar with the incident told Xinhua that the explosions killed 76 people, adding that the death toll could rise as tens of wounded people are critically wounded. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitor, said 25 Shiite fighters were among those killed. The IS militant group holds deep grudges against the Shiite people, which are considered in the IS methodology as "infidels." The enmity toward the Shiite people also emanates from the group's battles against Hezbollah and the Syrian army across Syria. The Sayyidah Zaynab tomb became a center of religious studies of the adherents of the Shiite sect of Islam and a destination of mass pilgrimage by Shiite Muslims from across the Muslim world. On June 14, 2012, a suicide car bomb tore through that district, wounding around 14 people. Since mid-summer 2012, the district has been under frequent attacks and shelling by the ultra-radical rebels, who aim to attack the Shiite people due to their supportive stance on the Syrian government and their religious background about the Shiite-Sunni conflict. As the district holds religious significance to the Shiite people, Hezbollah sent fighters to protect the shrine and manned checkpoints sounding it. This year alone, the Italian Embassy has rejected close to 290 visa applications from Chinese students. That's nearly 10 percent of the total number of applications in China. The high rate of visa rejection has become a big concern among many Chinese applicants. Those rejected were applying for student visas through a partnership program between Italy and China, the Marco Polo and Turandot Projects, which focus on the arts, music and design. In the past, the projects had a very high visa approval rate with simple requirements for applicants. But Lyu Xun, who applied to a music school through the project, was rejected for not having sufficient and consistent financial support from his family. "I have provided documentation, my parents' salary card, employment certificate letter, a one-year bank statement. They have saved 220-thousand yuan in the bank." The Italian visa application center in Guangzhou and Shanghai have explained applicants only need to provide about 58-hundred euro as a deposit. Many other students have received similar rejection reasons from the Italian Embassy even though their deposit money is much greater than the requirement. Starting from this year, applicants for the Marco Polo and Turandot Projects are required to provide a six-month bank statement. Gao Di'an, with the Italian Embassy in China, used one rejected case to illustrate why the bank statements were needed, to make sure applicants haven't pooled money temporarily in order to obtain a visa. "Before the application there was 49.7 renminbi, he put away money just for the application. In December was the first application, then immediately they withdrew the money. Failure to prove that he has enough money, because he had just made the deposit the night before the application." Gao says this year, around 12 percent of applicants have been found to have made such temporary deposits, which many Chinese think is common. Apart from insufficient proof of financial support, Gao Di'an says a number of visa rejections are also due to the increasing number of fake documents being submitted such as fake bank account documents, bank statements and employment certificates. Gao says once identified as providing fake documents, the applicant's honesty record will be affected for any kind of visa application in the future. "When you submit a fake document, you are doing something illegal, you are lying to government. So, obviously, the expectation of getting a visa should be very very low." Xiong Bingqi with the 21st Century Education Research Institute says honesty is urged not only for students, but also for overseas study agencies, which make a profit out of helping Chinese students get a visa. "Applicants will be influenced if they are identified as using fake documents, but the overseas study agencies will not be punished. The fraud practice is an act of illegal operation and their business licenses should be revoked." This is not the first time that a large number of Chinese students have received visa rejections. Last year, the Australian authorities cancelled nearly 1,800 student visas from Chinese people on the grounds that they were not genuine students. (CNS/Mao Chengshan) Three students from an aviation university dressed themselves up as the "Monkey King" to express their hope to see the "Monkey King" actor Zhang Jinlai on 2016 CCTV Spring Festival Gala. The three "Monkey Kings" are in three different styles: one in classic Peking Opera style, one in rock style and one in modern style. Millions of Chinese are expressing outrage over the fact that their beloved "Monkey King" actor Zhang Jinlai has been left out of the national TV gala celebrating the upcoming Lunar New Year. San Francisco, Jan. 28, --- Over 500 attendees including governmental officials, experts and business leaders from China and the United States discussed bilateral cooperation and opportunities at the first cross-Pacific innovation and credit conference in San Francisco on Wednesday and Thursday. Ed Lee, mayor of San Francisco said in his keynote speech that "As the mayor of San Francisco, I love innovation, and I love lots of credit as well. If work properly, it can make a city like San Francisco predominant in leading the rest of the world to get things done." America has a well developed and mature market of internet finance based on close supervision, sound credit system and effective risk management. Compared to this, the rapid growth of internet financing and its popularity among Chinese people faces many problems, such as insufficient supervision, incomplete personal credit system, and opaque data, which resulted in cheating and swindling. Many online platform operators even absconded with clients money, which casts a shadow over the whole industry. Shi He, COO of Ping An Puhui, a full subsidiary of China's Ping An Group, said that the momentum of the Internet finance in China has outstripped that in the United States. "China has huge potential and that's the advantage." "He also noted that "We need to borrow America's sophisticated credit system and risk management, combined with new technology, to explore and build up a credit and risk management system that suitable to the Chinese market." Pengfeng Shi, CEO of Wangdai Zhijia, Carmen Hearn, senior director of product at Experian, Lingyun Gu, CEO of Ice Kredit and other panelists also discussed the opportunity for Sino-US collaboration in the credit reporting. According to Linquan Luo, Chinese Consul General in San Francisco, as of the end of 2015, there have been 214 registered Chinese companies landing their business in San Francisco. With more and more Chinese companies going global, frequent business exchanges enable Chinese companies to learn and bring back advanced ideas and system, thus promoting the development of the Internet financing industry. Innovation lies at the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area's economy, and this area is considered to be the worlds leading center for innovation, particularly in technology. That's why innovation is also an important theme at the conference. Ron Conway, founder of SV Angel and Investor in Salesforce, addressed to the audience "why innovation in San Francisco has been successful." He said that one of the distinctive elements of the Bay Areas success is venture capital. Venture funding, as well as the funding of very young companies by angel investors, has fueled much of the technology commercialization in the region. The booklet of Continuum SF read that San Francisco produces more patents than any other city in the United States and attracts 48% of the nation's total venture capital investments. Continuum SF Innovation and Credit Conference is initiated by the mayor of San Francisco Ed Lee and co-organized by ChinaSF and SyncUS International. San Francisco, Jan. 29, --- California Governor Jerry Brown, Chinese Consul General Linquan Luo and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee joined local Chinese Americans in San Francisco to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year on Friday. As a routine, the Chinese Consulate General held an annually new year reception today to look back on the past year and welcome the new year with Chinese Americans in San Francisco. Consul General Luo briefly summarized the achievements. He said that the year of 2015 is of great significance for China-US relations, highlighted by President Xi Jinpings state visit to the United States in September. He said that "I sincerely hope that the overseas Chinese in the Bay Area, as President Xi Jining addressed in Seattle to the Chinese community, actively integrate yourselves in the US mainstream society, help to boost China-US cooperation, popularize the Chinese culture, deepen American people's understanding about China." He also send his best wishes to all the Chinese American communities within the consulate's area. This is the first time that Governor Brown attended the new year reception at the Consulate General. He said that there are many issues between China and US, but there is not any problem between California and China. He said that "Chinese President Xi and US President Obama made an agreement on climate change, which encouraged other countries and paved the way for the Paris agreement. It shows the power of Chinese and US cooperation to help not only the two countries but also help solve problems throughout the whole world." He said that since China and US has cooperated to deal with climate change, "let's reduce all the damn nuclear weapons that everybody is building up." Ed Lee, mayor of San Francisco wishes all the Chinese a great and prosperous year in the year of Monkey. More than 500 Chinese Americans, local business leaders and representatives from American communities attended the reception. BAOTOU, Feb. 1, 2016 -- Actors perform on the train Z316, a train heading from Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, to Beijing, capital of China, to celebrate the Xiaonian Festival, Feb. 1, 2016. Feb. 1 is the Xiaonian Festival in China, which marks the start of the countdown to Spring Festival. It falls on the 23rd or 24th day of the 12th month of the Chinese traditional lunar calendar and sets off the beginning of festivities. (Xinhua/Wang Zheng) Donations from the country's top 100 philanthropists reached 12.8 billion yuan last year, and the highest donation was 2.927 billion made by the first woman to top the list, a report by researchers at Beijing Normal University says. Over 5.8 billion yuan made Beijing the city where most personal donations came from. 81% of personal large donations went to foundations, while only 4.51% of donations were received by local charity groups, according to the report published on January 6 by the university's China Philanthropy Research Institute. He Qiaonu is ranked the most generous Chinese philanthropist of 2015 by donating 2.927 billion RMB (about 450 million USD) worth of stocks. She becomes the first woman donor to top the rankings since the list of the 100 Chinese philanthropists was begun in 2011. She is also the first female philanthropist to donate a sum of more than 1 billion yuan. Wanda Group Co Ltd chairman Wang Jianlin donated 360 million to public charities and ranked No. 5 in the list; Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. chairman Jack Ma donated 230 million, ranking the 10th. The leaders of some well-known companies have made large donations in 2015. Among them, Robin Li, the co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Baidu has donated 30 million yuan to Peking Union Medical College, ranking 54th on the list; Richard Liu, the chief executive officer of JD.com Inc. and his wife Zhang Zetian have donated 12 million, including 10 million to rescuers for the Tianjin blast. In 2015, large donations were mainly concentrated in the areas of higher education, environmental protection, basic education such as primary and secondary schools, and poverty alleviation, said the report. About 6.172 billion yuan were used for the building of colleges and universities, and providing scholarships, grants and other projects, accounting for 48.17 percent of total donations. Girl charged with donation fraud sentenced to three years in prison A 19-year-old girl, who was charged with fraud after cheating online donors out of nearly 100,000 yuan ($15,210) by pretending to have lost her father in the Tianjin blasts, was sentenced to imprisonment for three years along with an 8,000 yuan fine, according to Chinanews.com. The court in Fangchenggang city of south Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said that considering the girl named Yang Cailan confessed crimes after being detained and the money was finally returned to the donors, the court showed leniency. On Aug, 13, 2015, Yang published three posts on her Sina Weibo account, the Chinese version of Twitter, claiming that her father was killed in the explosions in Tianjin a day earlier. The post drew a great deal of attention and 3,739 Weibo users donated 96,576.44 yuan to her online. When the police later found her posts to be untrue, Yang was detained by local police. The money had been returned. The court believes Yangs behavior constituted fraud and constituted a bad influence on society. After comprehensive deliberation, the court delivered the aforementioned verdict. Women of the Miao ethnic minority group in Guizhou, southwest China embroider Hundred Bird Costume for upcoming Spring Festival. It is made of 7-10 strips of bands with embroidered patterns of frogs, dragons, birds, butterflies and insects, symbols of the Miaos mystic culture. The Miao hundred bird coat, originally worn on major occasions to worship ancestors, is now festival attire. A complete dress may contain hundreds of embroidered bird patterns, from whence it receives the name "hundred-bird dress." The Miao hundred-bird dress, which features bright colors, exotic patterns, skillful technique, different styles and varied cultural connotations, is an embodiment of Miao culture, and is hailed as an "ethnic epic", worn by the Miao people in southwest China's Guizhou. The hundred-bird dress is the most famous handcraft produced in the ethnic group's embroidery art form which was included in China's first national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006. LONDON Jan. 29 George Frederic Watts was a popular Victorian painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement. Watts studio in Compton, Surrey will open to the public for the first time from the end of January 2016. From January, visitors to Watts Gallery Artists Village will be able to experience the restoration of G F Wattss studio as the artist left it, one of the most dramatic spaces created by a nineteenth-century artist, to be open to the public with its original collection conserved and returned. Many of the artists most important paintings on display in neighbouring Watts Gallery were created in this space. A highlight will be the return of The Court of Death (c.18701902, Tate), Wattss last major work, the epic resolution to a career that stretched back to the age of Turner and Constable in the 1830s, displayed upon a recreation of the original pulley system designed by the artist to allow him to work upon the vast canvas in its entirety. The studio of Mary Watts has been restored and remodelled to present key objects from the Mary Watts Collection. These include a highly decorative frieze, rescued from the Cambridge Military Hospital Chapel in Aldershot, and now conserved. The Compton Gallery will share the story of the Watts's in the village of Compton, from the commissioning of Limnerslease now the last remaining artists house and studio by illustrious Arts and Crafts architect, Ernest George to the foundation of Watts Gallery, the only purpose built art gallery in the UK dedicated to a single professional artist. Perdita Hunt, Director of Watts Gallery Trust, said to People's Daily Online: The opening of the Watts Studios is the next phase in completing the Artists Village in Compton. Watts Gallery, the Watts Chapel, the Pottery Buildings and now the Watts Studios offer a unique window upon the Arts and Crafts Movement and enable the Watts Gallery Trust to take a further step towards creating an internationally important centre where visitors and students can explore Victorian art, social history, craft and design. We are grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund and to the Trusts, Foundations and many generous individuals who are enabling us to save this important part of our cultural heritage, and who share our vision of upholding this incredible legacy by establishing an Artists Village here in Compton. A fire broke out in an agricultural sub-products wholesale market in Beijings Chaoyang District at 2 a.m. Sunday, burning down about 50 vehicles loaded with vegetables and causing great losses to the merchants. About 300 square meters of the market burnt down and luckily no one was injured, according to local 119 fire service center. The fire lit up the night as bright as the day, a merchant surnamed Liu said. Two of her trucks were destroyed by the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but many market vendors believe smoking or burning alcohol for heat by night-shift staff could be the cause of the accident. However, it has not been confirmed by the fire department. Cold weather and flammable tents for vegetable storage attributed to the spreading of the fire which was finally put out by 32 fire engines after two hours, according to on-site firemen. The fire also caused a raise in vegetable prices since the market is the second largest market for local vegetable supply. According to statistics of affected merchants, hundreds of tons of vegetables were destroyed in the accident, and the loss totaled 5 million yuan ($760,000). Since the cause of the fire is yet to be determined, so far no one is accountable for the loss. People in Henan province, central China are crowdfunding for a mother diagnosed with liver cancer and her son, who is suffering from malignant tumor, local media reported. The son, Song Haoxuan, was diagnosed with a malignant tumor at the age of one. Unfortunately, his mother Liu Bo was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer in a blood test when she was trying to give a blood transfusion to save her son. According to the doctor, it is almost impossible to cure Liu. Therefore, she went back to work 3 days after her diagnosis, in order to earn as much money as possible for Haoxuan's treatment. "The family has spent hundreds of thousand yuan on their treatment, including money borrowed from friends and relatives," said Song Jinquan, Haoxuan's grandfather, adding that they can no longer afford further treatment. Learning the story, Huo Yumin, the person in charge of a volunteer service team in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan, posted an article calling for crowdfunding for the family on an Internet social platform established by local Central Committee of the Communist Youth League. Ren Qinghe, an egg seller, also known as "Brother Egg" who gained reputation nationwide for his integrity, followed the article by proposing a charity sale to help the unfortunate family, which was strongly supported by netizens. All of Ren's profit during Dec. 26, 2015 to Jan. 31, 2016 have been donated to Liu and her son through the public account of the Zhengzhou Hope Project. So far, Liu's family has received 128,000 yuan ($19,456) through the charity sale, and still needs about 200,000 more for future treatment. Currently, the charity sale is still underway. On Jan. 30, several U.S. media reported news regarding the USS Curtis Wilbur, a guided missile destroyer, entering the waters of Chinas Xisha Islands without prior notification. Relevant departments including the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry responded immediately. It is the second time that a U.S. warship has intruded into the South China Sea after the USS Lassen illegally entering waters near islands and reefs of Chinas Nansha Islands on Oct. 27, 2015. Compared to the last time, this operation is more calculated. Firstly, the U.S. has paved the way for the incursion through widespread propaganda. For months, the U.S. media have been hyping up the South China Sea issue. During his recent visit to Asia, the U.S. Secretary of State instigated ASEAN countries to unite against China on the issue. Commander of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) stated in his speech that the so-called U.S. freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) in the South China Sea will increase not only in number but also in scope and complexity. Secondly, the location of the operation is well-chosen". The U.S.is fully aware that on May 15, 1996, the Chinese government published a statement on its territorial sea baseline under the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, which determined the baseline of territorial waters adjacent to the Chinese mainland and the baseline of waters adjacent to the Xisha Islands. Incursion into the Xisha Islands is obviously intentional. Thirdly, the U.S. deliberately timed its action for expanded influence. Officials of the U.S. Department of Defense justified their actions to the press as safeguarding so called navigation rights and freedoms. Such diligent calculations are no more than provocations to China in order to interfere with Chinas legitimate activities in the South China Sea and force China to halt construction on the islands. In contrast to the aggressive manner of the U.S., Chinas reaction showed restraint. The troops that are guarding the islands and navy vessels responded immediately and appropriately with surveillance and vocal warning, nothing further. Chinese authorities stated the countrys solemn stance on the U.S. warships incursion and lodged warnings while urging the U.S. side to respect and abide by Chinas relevant laws. China hopes that the U.S. will make greater efforts to increase mutual trust and safeguard regional peace and stability. China had its reasons for adopting a low-profile reaction, because China is perfectly clear that Uncle Sams most recent military action is most likely a bluff. The U.S. military only stated that the vessel entered relevant waters without providing further details, leaving room for the audience to imagine the magnificence of the U.S. military, which in fact was a hasty passing through. Pentagon officials avoid describing the confrontation between Chinese and U.S.militaries, stressing the action is merely an innocent passage. They also lied about not encountering Chinese navy vessels to reduce the acuteness of the conflict. Also, the U.S. will not challenge China on key issues. After showing its military powers, the U.S. reiterated that it wont take any stand on territorial disputes concerning the South China Sea. This indicates the U.S. is unwilling to go head-on-head with China to spin the situation out of control. China never flinches from provocations. As proved many times before, provocations from the U.S. will never force China to give up its territorial interests over the South China Sea. China will continue its legitimate activities and is fully prepared for any provocations regarding the region and is fully capable of defending itself. So who is the U.S. trying to intimidate? Clearly it does not work on China. However, it could cause worries for neighboring countries around the South China Sea. China has always given priority to regional peace and stability with the utmost sincerity and has advised the U.S. not to draw fire back on itself. As a responsible major country, China will never stir up regional tensions. It is the U.S. who has been repeatedly sending vessels against Chinas protestations thus leading to such encounters between both sea and air forces. The U.S. should take both personnel securities into consideration and avoid accidents given its military professionalism. The U.S. should bear in mind that China has never been afraid of paper tigers". Courtesy calls for reciprocity. The U.S. should be a friend, not rival of China. This article is edited and translated from Source People's Daily Overseas Edition. The author is the Deputy Director of the Department for International and Strategic Studies at the China Institute of International Studies. My Favorite Quotes Recent Quotes Portfolio Summary Your most recently viewed tickers will automatically show up here if you type a ticker in the Get Quotes box on the top of the page. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Azerbaijan is ready for cooperation with Indonesia in energy sector, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Natig Aliyev said. He made the remarks within the framework of Azerbaijan-Indonesia energy forum, which takes place Feb. 1 in Baku. Aliyev said that Azerbaijan has great experience in energy sphere and is ready to share it with Indonesia. "Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Indonesia is at a high level," the minister said. "In particular, the SOCAR Trading company sells third parties' oil at the refineries of Indonesia for processing." He said that Azerbaijan fully ensures its energy security. "The country is absolutely independent in this area," the minister said. "We even sell energy and the energy carriers to other countries. At the same time, Azerbaijan, thanks to the reforms held, is reducing its dependence on oil, and the country's economy will develop in the future as well." The minister noted that the sides may cooperate in the exchange of experts as well. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Anakhanum Hidayatova - Trend: In the light of increasing migration crisis in the world, Azerbaijan could share its experience in this regard with other countries, Serhan Aktoprak, head of the office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Azerbaijan, said Feb. 1 in Baku. He made remarks during an event for presentation of the "Handbook of European Legislation on Asylum, Borders and Immigration" translated into Azerbaijani. Aktoprak added that the EU, on its part, will continue to provide assistance to Azerbaijan on migration issues. "There are 250 million migrants in the world. Migration is a natural process, as wars and natural disasters increase in the world," he said. Over the past 16 years, 40,000 migrants died throughout the globe in the process of migration from one country to another, added Aktoprak. European migration crisis erupted in early 2015 due to the sharp growth in the flow of refugees and illegal migrants to the EU from the countries of North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, and the unwillingness of the EU to receive and distribute them. This migration crisis is the biggest in Europe since the World War II. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 Trend: Following the official welcoming ceremony in Abu Dhabi, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met in an expanded format Feb. 1. Prior to the meeting, state and government officials of the United Arab Emirates were introduced to President Aliyev, and members of the Azerbaijani delegation were introduced to Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. President Aliyev thanked Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for inviting him to the United Arab Emirates. The sides hailed the development of bilateral relations between the two countries. The issues of further expansion of cooperation in the political, economic, trade, investment and other areas was discussed. The existence of good opportunities for developing cooperation in tourism field was emphasized. President Aliyev hailed the increase in the number of tourists from Azerbaijan to the United Arab Emirates and from the UAE to the country. The Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was discussed. The president said that 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories were occupied by the Armenian armed forces, with more than one million Azerbaijanis becoming refugees and IDPs. President Aliyev stressed the importance of settling the conflict in compliance with the international law and within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. President Aliyev thanked the United Arab Emirates for supporting the adoption of the resolution on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the UN General Assembly, saying Azerbaijan also backed the United Arab Emirates` position within the UN and other international organizations. The regional security issues were discussed. The sides expressed their confidence that cooperation would be further developed. The president invited Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 Trend: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has arrived in Dubai from Abu Dhabi as he is on an official visit in the United Arab Emirates. President Ilham Aliyev viewed the building of famous Burj Khalifa. The head of state was informed that the construction of Burj Khalifa was carried out in 2004-2009. The building opened in 2010. Measuring 828 metres in height, it was previously called Burj Dubai. It has 165 floors. Located above the occupied reinforced concrete portion of the building is the structural steel spire. Burj Khalifa boasts the world's tallest elevators, which have the world's longest travel distance from lowest to highest stop. In addition to its aesthetic and functional advantages, the spiraling "Y" shaped plan was utilized to shape the structural core of Burj Khalifa. This design helps to reduce the wind forces on the tower. It also has world's highest observation deck, the world's highest mosque, and the world's highest swimming pool. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 Trend: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, who is on an official trip in the United Arab Emirates, visited Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi Feb. 1. The president was informed that the construction of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was initiated by the late president of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. President Aliyev visited the grave of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, which is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates. On Fridays and during holidays the mosque is visited by some 40,000 people. The main prayer hall of the mosque houses the world's largest hand-knotted carpet covering an area of 5,627 square metres and weighing 35 tons. The library of the mosque boasts classic books and publications addressing a range of Islamic subjects: sciences, civilization, calligraphy, the arts, coins and includes some rare publications dating back more than 200 years. The president toured the mosque and signed the guest book. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Feb. 1 By Demir Azizov- Trend: Uzbekistan Airways, the national airline of Uzbekistan, together with the Boeing Company opened Jan. 28 a center for repair of aircraft components at the base of the Uzbekistan Airways Technics aircraft maintenance enterprise, the national airline company told Trend. The enterprise will be repairing major structural components of aircraft made of composite materials. The representative of the airline company said that Boeing has invested $0.5 million in the new area. In 2016, the Uzbek airline company will receive two Boeing-787-800 Dreamliner aircraft and will complete the construction of a hangar for their maintenance totaling $40 million until late 2016. Uzbekistan Airways concluded the contract with Boeing for the purchase of these two aircraft and a spare engine totaling $246.4 million in 2008. Tehran, Iran, January 31 By Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend: Iran is in talks with Chinese and European companies for developing high-speed railroad, Iranian Minister of Transport and Urban Development Abbas Akhondi said. Speaking in a conference, Akhondi said his ministry has prioritized stretching railroad in suburban areas due to heavy traffic and environmental concerns, IRIB news agency reported January 31. "In the government's recent trip to Italy and France, we held numerous talks over refurbishing the railroad system," he said. The minister added that during the talks, Iran pursued hire-purchase contracts as well as agreements on manufacturing railroad equipment inside the country. Akhondi regretted that urban development in Iran has so far been based on streets designed for cars, rather than rail-based transportation. Iran's capital Tehran is host to five million cars, whereas the streets can normally hold only one million of them. Each day, 450 thousand cars enter and leave the city, as cars are the most common way of travelling in the country. Iran's rail system is the same as the first days it came into existence a little short of one century ago. A first-in-its-kind in the country project to electrify the much used Tehran-Mashhad railway has been waiting accomplishment for years. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb. 1 By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend: The marine situation was discussed in Ashgabat as part of a meeting of the Turkmen interdepartmental commission on the Caspian Sea, said the Turkmen government. The commission was established to coordinate the activity of the relevant ministries and departments in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea. The main objectives and priorities of the commission were discussed during the meeting. Turkmenistan stands for a constructive dialogue of the Caspian littoral countries to strengthen peace and harmony, intensify their effective cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats, as well as implement important joint projects and programs for the protection and conservation of the Caspian Sea. The international documents were adopted at the regional level at the initiative of Turkmenistan. Earlier together with other Caspian littoral countries, Turkmenistan was actively involved in the implementation of the Caspian Environment Program. The Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention) was prepared. The Convention entered into force after ratification by the parliaments of all Caspian littoral countries August 12, 2006. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Indonesia has offered Azerbaijan to invest in its energy sector, Ronggo Kuncahyo, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia, said at the Azerbaijan-Indonesia energy forum in Baku Feb. 1. He said that this concerns oil production, refining, electricity generation and distribution. "Indonesia is located on a large number of islands," he said. "This creates difficulties for the electrification of the country and providing the population with electricity. There is a shortage of oil and we are greatly using alternative energy. We offer Azerbaijan to invest in these areas and this will further strengthen our cooperation." He said that it is planned to establish a working group on cooperation in the energy field in the future, which will include the representatives of the companies of the two countries. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb. 1 By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend: Turkmenistan is active in supplying gas to the European market via the planned Trans-Caspian pipeline, the Turkmen oil and gas ministry said Feb. 1. "Turkmenistan has proved itself as a reliable and promising partner in international cooperation, by confirming its status as one of the largest suppliers of gas to the world markets," the statement said. "The national program on energy export diversification envisages developing new routes in the Eastern and European destinations." The diversification of Turkmen energy supply is expected to be discussed during the seventh Turkmenistan Gas Congress, to be held in Avaza May 19-20, 2016. Turkmenistan's gas reserves rank fourth in the world. The country is looking for new sales markets. The best route for delivering Turkmen gas to Europe would be a 300-kilometer long gas pipeline running through the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijani coasts by further connecting it to the Southern Gas Corridor gas pipeline system. A joint commission consisting of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and the EU is working for this purpose. Azerbaijan has expressed readiness to provide its territory, transit opportunities and infrastructure for realization of the project. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb 1 By Aygun Badalova - Trend: Even if a high level deal on oil production cut with OPEC could be done, Russia may face difficulties in delivering it, analysts of the British economic research and consulting company Capital Economics believe. "Saudi Arabia might be willing to change tack and agree to coordinated output cuts, but it is not obvious that Russia would be a reliable partner. For a start, political relations between Saudi Arabia and Russia are poor, not helped by the latter's support for Iran and recent intervention in Syria," analysts said in a report, obtained by Trend. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak confirmed Russia's readiness to meet with producers to discuss oil production. He said that the topic of discussion at the planned OPEC meeting in February with representatives of other oil-producing countries could be the question of oil production reducing for each producer country at the level of five percent, but a general agreement is needed for it. Even if a high level deal could be done, it is not clear that Russia could deliver, according to analysts. "Part of the problem, of course, is that Russia is in recession and has a large number of competing oil firms who are presumably each still keen to sell as much oil as possible at almost any price. This contrasts with the relative wealth of Saudi Arabia and the near-monopoly position of Saudi Aramco," they said. What's more, Russian companies cannot easily turn the taps off and on at this time of year due to the harsh winter weather, according to the analysts. "This makes access to remote sites difficult, and means that it is hard to re-start facilities once they are shut down. Nor does Russia have much spare storage capacity, so it would not be possible simply to hold supply back from the market to support prices," they said. "The upshot is that a sustained recovery in oil prices will have to be built on much stronger foundations than comments from one or two Russian officials," analysts concluded. In its recent summit on December 4, the OPEC failed to put a new ceiling to its output. The cartel members produced 32.182 million barrels per day in December, including some 693,000 barrels per day, produced by new member, Indonesia. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend: The negotiations of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) with other oil producers will likely to give a positive result and the cost of a barrel of oil will reach $50-60, Valentyn Zemlyansky, the director of energy programs at the Center of World Economy and International Relations of Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences, said. Zemlyansky said that at the upcoming meeting, OPEC and other oil producers will likely to talk about the arrangements for the market shares. "A decrease in production must not affect the market share of one country or another," the expert said. "The assumption is slightly utopian. But it is possible that such tacit agreements can be reached to stabilize oil prices. However, it is not worth expecting changes in the price trend earlier than in the second quarter." He said that of course, rise in oil prices will have an impact on consolidating the currency of the exporting countries. As of February 1 morning, Brent futures price (March) reached $35.01, WTI - $30.41 per barrel. According to the EIA, Brent average spot price on FOB terms has amounted to $30.36 per barrel since early January. The maximal Brent price amounting $36.28 in 2016 was observed on January 4 and the minimal price - $25.99 per barrel - January 20. Over the past 30 years, the maximum Brent price reached $143.95 per barrel, which was observed in July 2008. According to the analysts, OPEC oil production will amount to 31.978 mbd in 2016 and 32.152 mbd in 2017. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), as of 2015 oil supplies by OPEC countries amounted to 31.65 mbd. Oil supplies by Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer and exporter in OPEC, amounted to 10.02 mbd in 2015. According to the EIA, Iran supplied 2.8 million barrels per day, Iraq - 4.08 million barrels per day. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend: OPEC's meeting with other oil producers will unlikely to lead to any positive results, says Nadana Fridrikhson, political analyst, journalist and expert of the 'Cube' analytical center. She said that Russia has repeatedly stated that it is technologically difficult for it to reduce the oil production volumes. "Saudi Arabia is not ready to ease up either," she said. "Moreover, Venezuelan oil minister Eulogio Del Pino is trying to negotiate with oil producing countries. Eulogio Del Pino's tour to Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, etc. has been planned." "However, even in case of success, oil prices will not reach $100 per barrel or more as in pre-crisis period following all these attempts," she said. "The era of petrodollars will not occur again." She said that at present, there is a more urgent question, namely, how to prevent a larger decline in oil prices. The recent initiatives have been rather dictated by this circumstance. She said that it will be hard for the countries which have not reformed their economy and which are dependent on oil revenues. The growing economic crisis, social protests will become an integral part of the oil crisis. The expert said that the cause is not only in excess of supply, but a crisis of demand. The global crisis, the sanctions greatly affected the Russian economy. As a result, the purchasing power of people reduced. The expert said that the economy of the post-Soviet countries began collapsing following Russia. "The economic crisis has affected the EU," she said. "All these circumstances reduced the oil demand naturally. Moreover, the sanctions have been lifted from Iran. The market is preparing for a new player's joining and new oil volumes." The expert is skeptical about the improvement of the situation on the oil market. "It is a kind of a vicious circle," she said. "Unfortunately, this is the period of not only economic changes for many countries, but, apparently, political changes, pushed by the growth of social problems." As of February 1 morning, Brent futures price (March) reached $35.01, WTI - $30.41 per barrel. According to the EIA, Brent average spot price on FOB terms has amounted to $30.36 per barrel since early January. The maximal Brent price amounting $36.28 in 2016 was observed on January 4 and the minimal price - $25.99 per barrel - January 20. Over the past 30 years, the maximum Brent price reached $143.95 per barrel, which was observed in July 2008. According to the analysts, OPEC oil production will amount to 31.978 mbd in 2016 and 32.152 mbd in 2017. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), as of 2015 oil supplies by OPEC countries amounted to 31.65 mbd. Oil supplies by Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer and exporter in OPEC, amounted to 10.02 mbd in 2015. According to the EIA, Iran supplied 2.8 million barrels per day, Iraq - 4.08 million barrels per day. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: Iranian and Turkmen gas will not reach Europe in short or medium term, says Professor Jonathan Stern, chairman and senior research fellow at the Natural Gas Research Program of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. "Small volumes from Iran (additional to exports to Turkey) may be possible in the early 2020s," Stern told Trend Feb. 1. The expert noted that the only way to supply Iranian gas to Europe, other than through Turkey, is its delivery as the liquefied natural gas (LNG). Speaking about the prospects for Turkmen gas export to Europe, Stern said that the only route for such supplies would be across the Caspian Sea, unless they can go via Iran. However, he noted that both routes will be costly. EU officials have repeatedly called for diversification of gas supply sources. Iran and Turkmenistan, the proven gas reserves of which, according to BP, amount to 34 trillion cubic meters and 17.5 trillion cubic meters, respectively, can become major gas suppliers to Europe in the long term. On Jan. 16, the US and the EU announced that they lifted their nuclear-related sanctions against Iran. The removal of the sanctions will allow Iranian oil and gas enter the global markets. Iranian officials have stated that LNG export to Europe is a priority for the country. Iran is already developing an LNG plant, which is expected to become operational in 2018 with a production capacity of 10.5 million tons annually. In the next three years the country expects to launch five LNG projects. Reportedly, Iran is also in talks with France, Germany and Belgium for construction of LNG tankers. As for as Turkmen gas supplies to Europe, the EU, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan created a special working group in 2015 at the level of deputy ministers in charge of energy sphere. Moreover, in late 2015, Turkmenistan commissioned the East-West gas pipeline, which could be used for natural gas transfer from Galkynysh - the biggest deposit in the country's eastern regions - to European markets. Earlier, Maros Sefcovic, the vice-president of the European Commission for Energy Union, said Europe will get the Turkmen gas in 2019. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 Trend: At least 8 Kyrgyzstanis were killed in a fire in Moscow. The Embassy of Kyrgyzstan in the Russian Federation reported. According to preliminary data 12 people, including 8 Kyrgyzstanis and one minor, two citizens of the Russian Federation (ethnic Kyrgyz) and two citizens of Uzbekistan were killed in a fire in a sewing room (25-1 Stromynka). Two Kyrgyzstanis, one ethnic Kyrgyz and an Uzbek citizen have managed to save themselves. "A criminal case was initiated on the fact of fire. The investigation is underway," statement said. The Embassy has taken the investigation of the criminal case under special control. Victims and their families will get assistance. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Feb. 1 By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend: The Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan discussed the ongoing work on employment of the population at a meeting, the government's message said. It is reported that the draft "The procedure of rendering services in Turkmenistan on registration of job seekers, and their employment" was prepared based on the legislation. In May 2015, the head of Turkmenistan approved the program to improve the employment sphere and create new jobs in Turkmenistan for 2015-2020 and an action plan for its implementation. This program includes a series of measures, including the modernization of the legal framework in this area. There are institutions in regions of the country, the main task of which is to register job seekers, study the labor market and the demand of employers, and render assistance in employment of citizens. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov at the last governmental meeting focused attention on solving issues of further improvement of the employment policy, the way of rendering the corresponding services and employment of citizens. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran signed a contract with ATR, the Italian manufacturer of turboprop aircraft, to buy 20 planes, the country's official IRNA news agency reported Feb. 1. The contract was signed in Tehran between Iran Air, the Islamic Republic's flag carrier, and the European company. Under the deal Iran will purchase 20 ATR 72 planes. The ATR 72 is a short-haul plane capable of carrying 70 passengers. ATR is co-owned by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and Italian aerospace group Finmeccanica. It was earlier announced that Tehran wants to buy up to 40 planes from ATR. The Islamic Republic is expected to receive two or four passenger planes from ATR during the current year. Iran signed a contract on Jan. 28 for the purchase of 118 Airbus aircraft, during President Hassan Rouhani's trip to France. Iran and Airbus will ink the final contract on the acquisition of the airliners within 20 days, Iran's Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi said last week. It is estimated that Iranian airlines currently have a total of 150 aircraft, which are up to 20 years old. Back in April 2015, the head of Iran Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Ali Abedzadeh said the country needs to buy up to 500 passenger planes in the next 10 years to renovate its ageing fleet. Analysts say Iran's air fleet will grow, however in the near term the country will have to settle for the lease of planes. In December, Gazprom and the National Iranian Gas Company held talks on expanding Iran's underground gas storage and its gas transport network, as well as equipment deliveries from Russia, Sputnik reported. "With regard to Iran's export opportunities, they, of course, exist both in pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas. However, what the purpose of this gas will be, it is still an open question. In addition, we do not exclude our participation in a number of projects in Iran, with export orientation," Alexander Medvedev stated during an Investor Day in New York, commenting on the anti-Iran sanctions lifting and its consequences for cooperation with Gazprom. Iran's priority in the gas sector will be meeting domestic demand, especially in its territorial aspect, he noted. "It is no secret that there is a significant shortage of gas in the northern regions of Iran. It is no coincidence that the use of Russian output to meet Iran's demand for gas has been discussed quite specifically in the course of our recent meetings with Iranian colleagues," Medvedev stressed. On January 20, Chairman of Gazprom's board of directors Viktor Zubkov said the company was exploring the possibilities of closer cooperation with Iran after the international sanctions against the country were lifted. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Khalid Kazimov - Trend: A senior aide to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has arrived in Moscow to discuss regional issues and bilateral ties with senior Russian officials. Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, arrived in Moscow on Feb. 1 for a four-day official visit at the invitation of the head of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies, Leonid Reshetnikov, IRIB news agency reported Feb. 1. Ahead of his departure for Moscow, Velayati described Iran and Russia as two influential countries in the region and the world. Velayati touched upon cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in fight against terrorism and said Iran and Russia are the main pillars of regional cooperation. He is expected to meet high-ranking Russian officials during the Moscow visit. Earlier on Jan. 28, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Moscow to discuss Syrian crisis. Positions of Moscow and Tehran are close on many issues of the Middle East, Amir-Abdollahian was quoted as saying. A UN Security Council resolution on Dec. 18 approved a draft resolution on peace process in Syria. According to the resolution, Syrian government and opposition groups should attend peace talks to find a solution for putting an end to the crisis. A special envoy of the UN is overseeing the Syrian government and the main opposition bloc, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) at the Syrian crisis talks. The HNC has urged the government to release civilians from jails, stop air strikes and allow the humanitarian aid to be delivered into besieged towns. Over 250,000 people have died and at least 11 million have been displaced in Syria, since the crisis broke out in 2011. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Khalid Kazimov - Trend: A senior Iranian official has criticized the country's vetting body, Guardian Council, for excluding Seyyed Hassan Khomeini, a grandson of late founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, from taking part in the upcoming election for the Assembly of experts to be held on Feb.26. "You [presumably the Guardian Council] have disqualified a person [Hassan Khomeini] who is the most similar person to Imam [Ruhollah ] Khomeini. Where have you yourself gotten your qualification from?" ILNA news agency quoted former Iranian president and the current chairman of the Expediency Council, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, as saying. He further cautioned that increasing differences that exist in Iran will eventually harm the country's interests. Rafsanjani made the remarks at a ceremony marking the "Ten Days of Dawn" celebrating the 37th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution when the revolution leader Ayatollah Khomeini returned to the country after almost 15 years of exile. Reportedly, Hassan Khomeini who teaches Islamic sciences at Qom Seminary School refused to attend a test held by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council that qualifies the applicants. However, sources close to Hassan Khomeini who is backed by Iranian reformists said that he was not invited to take the test. The Assembly of Experts is comprised of 86 Islamic scholars (Mujtahids) who are elected by the public to eight-year terms. The Assembly of Experts is an influential body in charge of supervising the supreme leader and organizations under his direct control as well as electing a successor for him. On Dec. 17, Iran started the nominee registration process for the upcoming election of the Assembly of Experts to be held in late February. According to Iranian constitution those who wish to stand as candidates at the election of the assembly of Experts must be educated in Islam and capable of understanding Feqh (religious jurisprudence). Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will travel to Iran for a state visit on February 7-8, the prime minister's press office said Monday, Sputnik reported. Although the detailed program of Tsipras' visit has not been disclosed, Iran's deputy petroleum minister for international and commercial affairs told state media last week the sides planned to sign an energy memorandum of understanding. Greece and Iran launched discussions to resume Iranian oil deliveries to Greece two weeks ago, after Tehran was found in compliance of a landmark nuclear deal allowing the lifting of years-long sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Tsipras' plans to visit Iran were disclosed by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, who traveled to Tehran in early December in anticipation of the January 16 implementation of the Iranian nuclear program. Iran delivered an estimated 100,000 barrels of oil per day to Greece in 2011, a figure equaling one-third of the Hellenic Republic's total oil imports. In 2012, Iran's oil exports were slashed in half after the European Union and the United States imposed sanctions against Tehran as punishment for what they believed was Iran's covert pursuit of nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear program. Head of Strategic Research Center at the Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati and Russia's Special Envoy on Syria Alexander Lavrentiev in a meeting here discussed Syrian crisis. Velayati and Lavrentiev also discussed mutual cooperation within the framework of quadrilateral cooperation between Iran, Russia, Iraq and Syria against the ISIL terrorist group. Velayati embarked on an official visit to Russia at the invitation of the head of the Russian Strategic Studies Institute. He has already met with senior Russian officials on Monday. Earlier today, Velayati said Tehran and Moscow have adopted common stands on Syria. Speaking to reporters, Velayati said the two sides' officials are now mulling current developments in the Middle East region. Relations between Tehran and Moscow throughout history has been very unprecedented and grounds for expansion of all-out mutual, regional and defense cooperation have been developed, he said. Coalition made between Iran, Russia, Iraq and Syria is now bearing fruits, he said. Both Iran and Syria are determined to broaden cooperation to help resolve Syrian crisis, Velayati said. Iran and Russia are opposed to intervention in Syrian affairs and believe that the issue should be resolved through dialogue and for the same reason they back talks on Syria, he said. Russian president has backed Iran's accession to Shanghai as well as Brics, Velayati said. Velayati arrived in Moscow on Monday morning and was welcomed by the Iranian Ambassador Mehdi Sanayee along with a number of Iranian officials residing in Russia. During his stay, Velayati is to confer with Russia's high-ranking officials on issues of mutual interests along with regional and global developments. Iraq and Syria Tuesday called for more cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism, saying the Arab neighbors are required to work closely in the ongoing fight against groups like Daesh and al-Qaeda, Press TV reported. Iraqi President Foad Masum said through joint efforts, Iraq and Syria could facilitate their way to victory against terror groups which have been wreaking havoc in some territories of the two countries. Masum, who made the comments during a meeting with visiting Syrian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Jihad al-Laham, said full cooperation between Iraq and Syria is necessary for eliminating terrorism and the terrorists of al-Qaeda and Daesh. The Syrian official, for his part, highlighted the significance of cooperation between Iraq and Syria in combating terrorism, saying that such joint action can be boosted through the support provided by some regional and extra-regional governments. Laham, who has been in Baghdad to attend the 11th session of the conference of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Member States (PUIC), said, however, that some other regional governments like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, continue to play a negative role in Iraq and Syria by interfering in the internal affairs of those two Arab countries. More than 260,000 people have been killed and millions more have been displaced in more than four years of turmoil in Syria. The government's battle against militants has seen a major boost over the past months especially since late September 2015 when Russia began supporting Damascus through combat sorties against terrorist groups. Iraq has fought its own battle against the Daesh Takfiri group since summer of 2014, with government forces managing to dispel the terrorists from key urban areas in north and west of the country. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The PKK terrorist organization was preparing massive terrorist attacks in such Turkish cities as Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul, Adana, Van and Trabzon, the Turkish Haberturk newspaper wrote Feb. 1 citing the Turkish intelligence sources. PKK was planning to carry out terrorist attacks near police stations and large shopping malls in these cities. Over 200 Turkish servicemen were killed in clashes with the PKK in 2015. The PKK has in recent months become active in the south-east of Turkey, and its attacks on military units and police stations have increased. The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for over 25 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives. The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by the UN and the European Union. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: There are mercenaries from Eastern Europe in the ranks of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu said, the Turkish Kanal7 TV channel reported Feb.1. Davutoglu said that a sniper, a native of Eastern Europe, was detained during the recent special operation against the PKK in one of the south-eastern provinces of the country. Over 200 Turkish servicemen were killed in clashes with the PKK in 2015. The PKK has in recent months become active in the south-east of Turkey, and its attacks on military units and police stations have increased. The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for over 25 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives. The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by the UN and the European Union. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: NATO has decided to deploy the Patriot missile air defense system in Turkey again after Russian Aerospace Defence Forces' jet repeatedly violated its airspace, the Turkish Haber7 newspaper reported Feb. 1. NATO also intends to send its planes to Turkey to support the local air defense system, according to the newspaper. On January 29, Russian Aerospace Defence Forces in Syria violated the Turkish airspace. The Russian side denied the violation. Relations between Russia and Turkey have deteriorated after Turkish Air Force jets shot down the Russian SU-24 bomber when it entered Turkish airspace Nov. 24. After the incident the Russian president signed a decree on measures to ensure national security and on special economic measures in regard to Turkey. Patriot missile air defense system was deployed in Turkey at the request of Ankara in 2012 to protect the country against a possible missile attack from Syria. However, some areas of Turkey still were subject to missile attacks from Syria. Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 1 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Three potential female suicide bombers were detained in the Turkish province of Hakkari in the southeast of the country as a result of a special operation conducted by the police, Turkish Haber7 TV channel reported Feb. 1. According to the TV channel, they were planning to commit terrorist attacks near military units and police stations of the province. The detainees are members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK terrorist organization was preparing massive terrorist attacks in such Turkish cities as Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul, Adana, Van and Trabzon, the Turkish Haberturk newspaper wrote Feb. 1. PKK was planning to carry out terrorist attacks near police stations and large shopping malls in these cities. Over 200 Turkish servicemen were killed in clashes with the PKK in 2015. The PKK has in recent months become active in the south-east of Turkey, and its attacks on military units and police stations have increased. The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for over 25 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives. The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by the UN and the European Union. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick claimed in Oct. 2015 that the company reached 30 to 35 percent market share in China. (Photo : Reuters) Didi and Uber, competing ride-hailing firms in China, are ramping up their operations with new funding and market expansion plans. Uber announced on Tuesday the launch of its services in the central and southern provinces of Hubei, Hunan and Guangdong, making it accessible to more than 55 Chinese cities. Previously Uber had plans to cover 100 Chinese cities, making the country its largest market globally. Advertisement Similarly, Didi has announced its plans to with work China Merchants Bank, which would help it in funding. Both the companies would work together focusing on mobile payment and auto finance. Didi, which was launched early in 2015, was able to raise tens of billions of U.S. dollars from investors throughout the world. Some of them included Alibaba, Temasek, China Investment Corp. and Ping An Ventures, among others. On the other hand, Uber is generating funds to continue its operations in China by having Guangzhou Automotive Group, Baidu, HNA Group and Vanke, among other, as its investors. Both Uber and Didi have progressed and expanded their operations over the last year. Currently the cost of Uber's operations in China is valued at $8 billion, whereas Didi is valued at $16.5 billion, reported China.org.cn. However, there has been growing concern among authorities regarding the overwhelming use of these ride-hailing apps. The companies are often accused of causing traffic congestion in big cities. In addition, local government officials have often raided offices of both Didi and Uber and have taken harsh measures against unlicensed drivers using their private cars with the help of the apps, reported Reuters. Meanwhile, analysts believe that this significant growth is indicative of the rise of shared economy in china. In recent times, Uber has been facing tough competition from Didi, which announced to be the present "market leader" in the cities it operates. It covers 90 percent share in the country's biggest city, Beijing, reported Forbes. However, Uber has been keeping up with the competition from investing profits as much as $1 billion from other cities around the world into China. The PLA has built a new facility to train its new rocket force in various battlefield scenarios. (Photo : REUTERS) A testing facility was built by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to familiarize its new rocket force in various battlefield scenarios, including extreme weather and strong electronic jamming, China Daily reported. Advertisement A statement released by the PLA said that the training base built for the rocket force brigade with short-range ballistic missiles can simulate rain, snow, galeforce winds, fog and lightning, as well as electronic warfare situations. Senior Colonel Shi Hongyan, commander of the brigade, was quoted in the statement as saying that the training for the missile units must use every means to it as realistic as possible, to enable soldiers to understand the complexities of a real battlefield. In a footage aired on China Central Television, missile operators and soldiers in protective gears were shown taking part in a biological warfare scenario with a "heavy rain" simulation at the base. The statement said that the unit has been using simulated launch vehicles and missiles to facilitate training. The PLA Daily reported last week that another short-range ballistic missile unit conducted live-fire drills in a desert in Northwest China in temperatures as low as -30 C. The report was accompanied by a photo of a DF-15 missile being launched. Shao Yongling, a professor of military strategy at the PLA Rocket Force Command College, told China Daily that exercise is part of Chinese military effort to ensure that its personnel can perform under any circumstances. "Rain, snow and the cold do not cause problems to missiles, but lightning does," Shao said. "Normally, operators avoid lightning when they launch missiles. However, we must train our operators in every weather condition, as enemies will not wait for a nice, clear day to strike." Shao added that electronic jamming would have little effect on ballistic missiles which receive in-flight guidance, and unlike cruise missiles, the parameters for ballistic missiles are preset before launch. She said, however, that command and communications equipment is susceptible to electronic jamming and operators need to participate in the drills to find solutions. On Dec. 31, President Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, announced the establishment of the PLA Rocket Force, replacing the former Second Artillery Corps, which had managed China's ballistic missiles since the 1960s. Alibaba records growth in revenue amidst growing concerns about Chinas economy All thanks to farmers and new generation shoppers At a time when concerns are growing about the slow pace of Chinas economy, Alibaba, the countys e-commerce giant, recorded a robust growth in quarterly earnings with an increase of 32 percent. (Photo : YouTube) At a time when concerns are growing about the slow pace of China's economy, Alibaba, the country's e-commerce giant, recorded a robust growth in quarterly earnings with an increase of 32 percent. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. registered a growth in revenue than what was expected in the latest quarter. Besides, this dominant player in Chinese e-commerce sector reached a deal of approximate $900 million for selling its stock in Meituan - Dianping. Advertisement Daniel Zhang, CEO of the company, attributes this growth to the expanding middle class of China. According to him, the new generation middle class people are less worried about saving, as their parents were, and instead, they are becoming more shopping crazy and always finds new interest in online shopping. Another fact that helped the company to increase its revenue is the rural development. More numbers of farmers started using the platform, and other facilities provided by Alibaba, to sell their products to the urbanites. International trade, including the selling of international brands to Chinese is also one important reason of Alibaba's revenue growth. Although, Alibaba recorded high revenue, the company faces many challenges too. It is said that even Alibaba is the major player in Chinese e-commerce sector, with almost 80 percent market share, it has to find ways to maintain and to increase their revenue further. There are many small time players who are growing in greater momentum and are expected to pose challenges in the near future. Meanwhile, the company is confident to meet these challenges that they are facing, as the revenue generated in the last quarter of the year was almost double of what it could generate in the previous quarter. Alibaba's Executive Chairman Joe Tsai expressed confidence that the company can benefit from the change of Chinese Economy that is driven by consumption and services. 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. Both Turkish and NATO radars detected a Russian jet violating Turkish airspace, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Sunday, refuting Russian claims that the violation was "pure propaganda." Turkey said on Saturday a Russian SU-34 jet had violated its airspace despite warnings, once more stoking tensions between two countries involved in Syria's war, but Russia had denied that there had been any incursion. "Russia can not cover up its violation of our airspace. It's not possible to hide such an incident if it did happen, or to make up a violation if it didn't happen," Davutoglu told a press conference in Riyadh. Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov denied late on Saturday that any Russian plane had entered Turkish airspace, and called the Turkish allegation "pure propaganda". In a similar incident in November, Turkey shot down a Russian warplane flying a sortie over Syria that it said had violated its airspace, triggering a diplomatic rupture in which Russia imposed economic sanctions. "Turkey has absolutely no intention of escalating tension with Russia, but we remain sensitive about protecting our airspace," Davutoglu added. Search Keywords: Short link: 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: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will present Sunday a report on climate change at the African Summit in Addis Ababa during a closed session on the second day of the summit, MENA repoerted. El-Sisi will present Egypt's efforts at the climate conference in Paris last November-December, as he was heading the council of African leaders at the conference and managed to convince European countries to offer an aid of $5 billion to help Africa face climate change. Two initiatives to help the continent face the consequences of climate change will be included in the report. The first is about expanding the use of renewable energy and the second is about ways to help Africa adapt to climate change. The Egyptian president seeks to raise financial support of $20 billion for Africa as climate change aid. Search Keywords: Short link: The Doctors union insists 'no one is above the law' after policemen allegedly assault physicians Egypts interior ministry said it has suspended a group of policemen who allegedly assaulted two physicians at Al-Matariya Teaching Hospital. In a phone interview with privately owned AlAssema Channel on Sunday, Abu-Bakr Abdel-Karim, deputy minister for public relations and media said that Cairos Security Chief decided to suspend the lower-ranking policemen on Thursday, when the incident first took place. Abdel-Karim added that the policemen were referred to investigation. We are always keen to support our relationship with the people through changing the mindset of citizens regarding policemen, Abdel-Karim. He added that the police are committed to mutual respect with citizens and doctors, whom he described as our brothers and children. The doctor's syndicates secretary general Ehab El-Taher told Ahram Online on Sunday that even after the suspension of the policemen, the Al-Matariya Teaching Hospital will remain closed. On Saturday, Egypts Doctors Syndicate decided to forcefully shut down Al-Matariya Teaching Hospital, closing the hospital for emergency cases as well, which will be transferred to nearby hospitals like Zeitoun Specialized Hospital. We will suspend the decision to close down the hospital as soon as the policemen are referred to trial, El-Taher said. The head of the syndicate Hussein Khairy, the head of the Cairo doctors syndicate, and Al-Matariya Hospital physicians will meet the general prosecutor on Sunday and file an official complaint against the policemen. No one is above the law, a cover-up of crimes and mistakes increases the gap between citizens and the interior ministry, El-Taher added. According to sources in the hospital, a low-ranking policeman wearing civilian clothes went to the hospital on Thursday morning with a wound on his face, and asked the doctor examining him in the ER to include fake injuries in the medical report, which he refused. In retaliation, the policeman called a group of fellow police officers to the hospital who assaulted the doctor and some of his colleagues before taking them to the police station, where they were later released. The police have said that the man was injured by a drug dealer, adding that when the physician was late or was not convinced that a surgery should be performed, an argument broke out that lead to a fight. According to the syndicate, the two doctors, Ahmed Mahmoud and Moemen Abdel Azeem, were pressured to withdraw their complaints of assault after they discovered that the policemen filed complaints against the doctors. El-Taher condemned the policemens use of medical reports on motorcycle accident injuries to claim that the doctors assaulted them. El-Taher called it fraud and confirmed that the syndicate will file an appeal on those medical reports. An emergency general assembly has been called for by the Doctors Syndicate on Friday 12 February, giving officials a deadline to respond to the demands. "All escalatory steps are available [at the general assembly], leading to a partial strike to protect the dignity of all doctors," the syndicate's statement read. Search Keywords: Short link: Media reports have suggested earlier that the assailants targeted a security checkpoint on the Ring Road Egypts interior ministry said that a security guard at the General Authority for Roads (GAR) was killed, and another guard was injured after two unknown assailants opened fire at a GRA office in Gizas Maryoutiya area. A third guard was able to avoid the shots by the the assailants. Media outlets have earlier said that the victims were police officers who were shot by the perpetrators at a security checkpoint on the Cairo Ring Road. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Dozens of Egyptian policemen have been targeted in drive-by shootings carried out by Islamist militants in the last two years. Egypt's army is waging a war on militants in parts of North Sinai, which has witnessed a decade-long insurgency that spiked after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Hundreds of security forces and army personnel have been killed in the troubled North Sinai. The army also says it has killed hundreds of insurgents during the same period. Search Keywords: Short link: The visiting committee oversees the European Union's external relations Egypt's parliamentary speaker Ali Abdel-Al will receive a delegation of European members of parliament next Saturday. The visit aims to strengthen ties between the countries' parliaments. The delegation will be headed by the chairman of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Elmar Brok. The committee oversees the European Union's external relations. Abdel-Al has previously hosted the Saudi ambassador, the Korean ambassador, and the Spanish ambassador. Egypt's parliament convened on 10 January for the first time since 2012. Search Keywords: Short link: The cause of Mondays fire at Al-Sherouk hospital in Alexandrias Gelim district is still unknown An extensive fire broke out Monday morning at a privately owned hospital in Egypt's Mediterranean city of Alexandria, leaving four dead, the health ministry has said. Twenty-seven others were wounded in the blaze at the Al-Sherouk hospital in the Gelim district in the eastern part of the city, health ministry undersecretary Magdy Hegazy said. Ten fire trucks successfully extinguished the fire, provincial security official Omar Gaballah told Ahram Arabic. Gaballah said that a probe is underway to identify the cause of the blaze. Search Keywords: Short link: Giza governor Mohamed Kamal El-Daly said Sunday evening that families of the victims who died in Al-Ayyat accident in Giza Sunday receive LE5000 each and that every injured individual receives LE2000. The Social Solidarity ministry will also offer compensation for the families of the victims and for the injured. Cabinet spokesperson Hossam Qawish said the PM has asked Social Solidarity minister Ghada Waly to provide a compensation of LE10,000 for the families of the deceased and LE2,000 for the injured. El-Daly said a technical committee will determine the reason why the deadly accident happened. A train had crashed into a truck on Sunday during foggy conditions at a railroad crossing, leaving three dead and seven injured. The crossing, which is operated manually, was open as the train was passing. Egypt's railway system has a low safety level due to poor infrastructure, and to the fact that hundreds of railway crossings are managed manually, based on communication between crossing guards and train drivers. Search Keywords: Short link: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon congratulated Egypt's president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on the newly-convened Egyptian parliament on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Ethiopia's Addis Ababa. Ban expressed to El-Sisi his appreciation for the "Egyptian political leadership and its role in achieving political stability in Egypt," MENA reported. Egypt's presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef said Ban also praised Egypt's effective role in leading African states during the climate change summit in Paris in November-December. El-Sisi praised the global role of the UN in conflict-resolution through diplomacy as well as its humanitarian role and its work in education, health and women and children's interests. He highlighted the importance of coordination between Egypt and the UN, especially on the issues on the Security Council's agenda. Ban and El-Sisi last met during the Paris climate conference, where the Egyptian president shared the African initiatives on renewable energy in a panel hosted by the UN chief. On Sunday, the African Union unanimously adopted two initiatives presented by El-Sisi to use renewable energy sources, to diversify sources of funding for African countries in order to face climate change, and to limit carbon dioxide emissions. Egypt gained a non-permanent seat in 2016-2017 at the UN Security Council. Search Keywords: Short link: The court said all state council courts have no authority to revoke the controversial law that has sent thousands to jail in the last two years Egypts High Administrative Court declined to hear an appeal on Monday against the controversial protest law, citing lack of jurisdiction. The court said all state council courts have no authority to review the law, reasoning that the 2013 law was a legislation proper and not an administrative decision. The law was first challenged last year in front of a lower administrative court, which declined to rule in the case, opting to refer it to the high administrative court. The law was issued in November 2013 by former interim president Adly Mansour in the absence of an elected parliament. It stipulates that individuals must obtain a permit before protesting and punishes violators with heavy fines and prison sentences of 1-3 years. The court's decision ignored a recent recommendation by the board of state commissioners in the high administrative court, which opined that laws/decrees issued by presidents, in the absence of the legislative authority of the parliament, are considered administrative decisions, and, as such, can in fact be appealed on the administrative level. The commissioners' report recommended that the case be reheard in front of a different panel of judges in the administrative court. Lawyers Hossam Karem and Hossam Mohamed filed both the original lawsuit and the appeal. Thousands of Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood supporters as well as hundreds of non-Islamist protesters have been jailed for violating the legislation. According to article 73 of the 2014 Egyptian constitution, citizens have the right to hold peaceful protests after notifiying the authorities. However, the protest law stipulates that the interior minister has the right to ban protests it deems a threat to security. Search Keywords: Short link: An Egyptian court delayed for the third time on Sunday the trial of top auditor Hisham Geneina, the head of the Central Auditing Organisation (CAO), who is accused by the former head of the Judges Club of contempt of the judiciary and slandering a senior judge-turned-minister. The charges were filed in 2014 by now-Justice Minister Ahmed El-Zend over comments Geneina made during a TV interview about alleged corruption in the judiciary. The trial was postponed last Tuesday after Geneina submitted a request to the Higher Judiciary Council charging bias on the part of the judge presiding over the case, who Geneina beat in a Judges Club election in 2002. Geneina's lawyer also argued that since his client holds the rank of minister, he can only be subject to a special inquiry by special prosecutors for any alleged violation of the law, according to a law regulating the operation of the CAO. Geneina has created controversy in recent months as he repeatedly argued that wide-spread corruption exists within the state machinery, including at various ministries. A media gag order was imposed recently by the prosecutor-general in multiple ongoing investigations into Geneina's claims and reports that corruption by public officials in various state institutions has cost the state treasury over LE600 billion in the past four years. Search Keywords: Short link: Related Popular Egyptian cartoonist Islam Gawish arrested Cairo prosecutors ordered on Monday the release of Egyptian cartoonist Islam Gawish without filing charges against him a day after he was arrested. Based on National Security investigations, the prosecution determined that Gawish had no ties with news website Egypt News Network (ENN), and that his relation to the company was only technical. The investigations concluded that Gawish had no connection to any "terrorist organisations or groups." The 26-year-old cartoonist told ONTV channel by phone that he was wrongfully arrested by security forces instead of the owner of ENN. "I refused to sign a statement saying that I'm the manager of ENN. I was not officially charged with anything." Gawish added that during his arrest an officer found comic drawings by Gawish, including political comics, which made the officer unofficially accuse him of insulting the regime. After his release, Gawish headed to the Cairo International Book Fair to attend the signing of a friend's book. 'Pirated computer software' An interior ministry statement said on Sunday that ENN was "publishing news without a license and using pirated computer software". The statement also said that the popular social media cartoonist was arrested for running "his own website" without authorisation from the Ministry of Telecommunications. Gawish, the owner of a satirical caricature Facebook page Gawish Al-Warqa (The Paper), wich has over 1.6 million followers, was arrested on Sunday along with an accountant working for the website at ENN's office. The accountant was later released. Gawishs arrest sparked outrage on social media following media reports on Sunday that he was arrested for his anti-regime cartoons. "I was told unofficially that Islam Gawish was accused of using [means of communication] to spread anti-regime cartoons," Mahmoud Othman, Gawishs lawyer, told Ahram Online on Sunday. Several political parties, including Strong Egypt and the Constitution Party, announced their solidarity with Gawish. Cartoonists also showed expressed solidarity by drawing and posting anti-regime caricatures on their pages. The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights condemned the arrest, describing it as a "flagrant violation of freedom of artistic activity." Gawish gained fame on social media for posting satirical cartoons on his Facebook page dealing with social issues in Egypt. According to Article 67 of Egypts 2014 constitution, "no freedom restricting sanction may be inflicted for crimes committed because of the publicity of artistic, literary or intellectual product." In early January, three independent cultural venues were raided and closed down by local municipality officials as well as the censorship and tax authorities for alleged illegal licensing issues. Search Keywords: Short link: The defendants were convicted of participating in a bomb attack that killed three military academy students outside Kafr El-Sheikh Stadium in April 2015 An Alexandria military court issued a preliminary death sentence to seven supporters of former president Mohamed Morsi for participating in a bomb attack in Kafr El-Sheikh city, Nile Delta, in 2015 that killed three military academy students. The sentences were referred to the Grand Mufti, a necessary procedure before issuing a death sentence according to Egyptian law, though the religious opinion of the Mufti is non-binding. The military court set 2 March as the date for announcing the final verdict. The bombing, which also injured six people, took place in April outside Kafr El-Sheikh Stadium and struck the students as they were waiting for a bus to take them to the academy. Search Keywords: Short link: The embassy dismissed accusations it was reporting on Egyptian activists in Germany leading to their arrest in Egypt The Egyptian embassy in Berlin denied on Monday accusations circulating online that it was sending security reports on Egyptian political activists in Germany, leading to their arrest back home. "Such allegations are only fabrications that reveal an intent to smear the reputation of Egyptian state institutions, including the foreign ministry and its embassies," the embassy said in a statement, according to state-run news agency MENA. "Such claims show a complete ignorance with the basic roles of Egyptian embassies in defending Egypt's national interests and serving its expats." The embassy denied having any prior knowledge that some activists going back to Egypt from Germany would be interrogated by security forces upon arrival. "The arrest warrants and no-fly lists are issued by the judiciary and implemented by the state's executive apparatuses," said the statement. The embassy's statement comes days after security forces at Cairo International Airport barred researcher and political activist Atef Botros from entering the country and deported him after being questioned. In December 2015, Egyptian researcher and journalist Ismail Alexandrani was arrested at the airport after arriving from Germany and is currently detained pending trial on charges of broadcasting false news and joining the banned Muslim Brotherhood group. Search Keywords: Short link: A Palestinian was shot dead on Monday after trying to stab Israeli soldiers near an illegal Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, Israel's army said. "Soldiers were alerted by a suspect attempting to infiltrate the area of Salit, east of Kfar Saba," an army statement said. "When security forces approached the suspect, he tried to stab them, and, facing an imminent threat, the soldiers shot him." Since the start of October, Israeli occupation forces have killed more than 160 Palestinians. Almost daily stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks by frustrated and unarmed Palestinians have killed 25 Israelis and a US citizen. *The story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Saudi authorities on Monday executed a national for murdering a compatriot, bringing to 56 the number of convicts put to death in the kingdom this year. Ahmed al-Harbi was found guilty of stabbing and shooting Fahed al-Balawi in a dispute, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA. He was executed in the northern city of Tabuk. Most executions in Saudi Arabia are done by beheading with a sword. Last year the kingdom executed 153 people, mostly for drug trafficking or murder, according to an AFP tally. On a single day last month it put 47 people to death for "terrorism", including influential Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Amnesty International says the number of executions in Saudi Arabia in 2015 was the highest for two decades. The kingdom practises a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death. Search Keywords: Short link: UN envoy Martin Kobler on Monday urged the speedy formation of a Libyan national unity government and said it should be installed in the capital Tripoli, Algerian state media reported. Kobler said the turmoil that has wracked Libya since the 2011 revolution that toppled dictator Moamer Gaddhafi had created a "political and military vacuum" and helped the spread of the Islamic State group, the APS news agency said. "We must advance on the political process by installing a government in Tripoli," it quoted Kobler as saying after talks in Algiers with the minister in charge of Maghreb affairs, Abdelkader Messahel. Libya has had two rival administrations, with the recognised authorities based in the country's far east and a militia-backed authority in Tripoli since the summer of 2014. In mid-December, a minority of lawmakers from both sides signed a deal to unify the government and said the cabinet should be based in Tripoli. A national unity government headed by businessman Fayez al-Sarraj and comprising 32 ministers was formed in January but was rejected by the recognised parliament. The legislature demanded a trimmed line-up and Sarraj has been holding consultations with several key players to press for its creation. Sarraj, who on Saturday met controversial army chief General Khalifa Haftar who is opposed by the Tripoli-based administration, is expected to announce a new line-up within days. Delaying the formation of a government plays into the hands of IS, Kobler warned. Messahel, also quoted by APS, agreed with his assessment. "We are impatient to see this government installed in Tripoli," he said. On Sunday, France and the African Union also pressed Libya's divided politicians to agree on a unity government in order to curb the spread of IS which both countries see as a threat. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said IS could infiltrate the ranks of refugees using Libya as a springboard to reach Europe via Italy some 300 kilometres (185 miles) away. African Union leaders have also discussed the Libyan turmoil and its repercussions at a summit in Addis Ababa and set up a five-member committee on how they can help push for a solution. On Friday Algeria, which has hosted several rounds of UN-brokered Libyan peace talks, suspended flights between Algiers and Tripoli for security reasons. Search Keywords: Short link: Syria's main opposition group met formally for the first time Monday with the UN special envoy although it was unclear whether they would agree to indirect peace talks with the Assad regime. The preliminary meeting between the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) and Staffan de Mistura came as the UN reported eight more deaths from insufficent medical care in one of the many towns besieged by government or rebel forces. The HNC is insisting that humanitarian aid reach towns under government siege before it will agree to enter indirect talks with President Bashar al-Assad's government, which are scheduled to last six months. The talks are part of the biggest push to date to chart a way out of the tangled Syrian war that has killed more than 260,000 people and forced millions from their homes since the violence began in March 2011. The urgency to find a solution was brought home Sunday when attacks claimed by the Islamic State extremist group killed 71 people near a revered Shiite shrine outside the capital Damascus, according to monitors. The new deaths reported Monday by the UN humanitarian organisation (OCHA) took place in Moadimayet al-Sham southwest of Damascus, the site of a 2013 chemical weapons attack. OCHA said there had been a "sharp deterioration of the humanitarian situation" in the town, which has been besieged by Assad's forces since 2012 although conditions improved after a 2014 truce deal. De Mistura's brief in Geneva is to coax the warring sides into six months of "proximity talks" as part of an ambitious roadmap agreed by the many outside powers embroiled in the war. The plan, hammered out in Vienna in November, envisions elections within 18 months, but the key question about the future of Assad -- backed by Iran and Russia -- was left until later to resolve. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Monday the talks "must deliver a political transition away from Assad" but experts say the West is backing off from demands that he leave before any such transition starts. In addition to humanitarian aid, the HNC -- which only reluctantly arrived in Geneva late on Saturday -- is also demanding the Assad regime free prisoners and that its Russian backers stop bombarding civilians. "We are here for political negotiations but we cannot start those until we have those gestures," HNC spokeswoman Basma Kodmani told reporters on Sunday. A Western diplomat said de Mistura had on Sunday made proposals to a mistrustful HNC during an informal meeting, but that they were still hesitating. The nature of his proposals were not clear. Outside powers were also in Geneva keeping a close eye on proceedings, with the Syrian government's chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari reportedly meeting with the Russian ambassador, and Western envoys touching base with the opposition on Sunday. A US official said that Anne Patterson, US assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs and US Syria envoy Michael Ratney were to meet Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov on Monday in Geneva. Another thorny issue in Geneva is which rebel groups will be involved in the talks, although all sides agree on the exclusion of IS and Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's Syrian branch. The powerful Army of Islam rebel group is part of HNC's delegation, and the HNC's chief negotiator and Army of Islam member Mohammed Alloush -- considered a "terrorist" by Moscow -- arrived in Geneva on Monday. In addition, and in a potentially hopeful sign, Western diplomats said Sunday that Riad Hijab, the head of the HNC and a former Syrian prime minister, was also due in Geneva soon. On Sunday, Jaafari -- who met de Mistura on Friday and was due to meet him again after his talks with the opposition -- denounced the opposition "not serious". "We do not know who is the other side. They don't even have a final list (of negotiators)," said Syria's tall and stern ambassador to the UN. Speaking Monday, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "extremely glad" the talks had started, describing them as "long overdue." "I urge all parties to put the people of Syria at the heart of their discussions, and above partisan interests. Civilians, including children and women, are bearing the brunt of this conflict," Ban said in Oman. Meanwhile, foreign ministers from around 20 countries including US Secretary of State John Kerry were to meet in Rome Tuesday to discuss efforts to combat IS. And on Thursday an international donor conference in London will discuss how to help 13.5 million people vulnerable or displaced inside Syria, as well as 4.2 million Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. Search Keywords: Short link: Bolivian police arrested Sunday the man long wanted over the murder of a prominent Bolivian socialist leader, 35 years after the dictatorship-era killing, President Evo Morales said. Former soldier Froilan Molina, alias "Killer," allegedly murdered Marcelo Quiroga Santa Cruz and had been on the run since he was sentenced to 30 years in prison in the early 1990s. Molina was arrested during a raid on a house in La Paz involving 80 police officers, the president told a press conference. He had been in hiding for three decades and was sheltering in a bedroom behind a fake wall when he was found. The body of Quiroga Santa Cruz, who was killed in 1980, has never been found. "I'm pretty sure Molina must know where the body is," Morales said, expressing hope that will bring closure to the victim's family, who never gave up on finding his killer. Quiroga Santa Cruz vanished in July 1980 during a paramilitary operation against the headquarters of a trade union that rejected the coup led by Colonel Luis Garcia Meza. Search Keywords: Short link: Amnesty International on Monday slammed plans by the Hungarian government to introduce sweeping anti-terror laws including curfews and Internet restrictions, calling the proposal an "attack on human rights". According to a draft leaked to the media last month, the cabinet of right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban wants to amend the constitution by creating a new category of emergency -- "terror threat situation" -- that if declared would enable it to issue decrees, suspend certain laws, and modify others. Among some 30 proposed changes are controls on the Internet, domestic deployment of the army, border closures, and the imposition of curfews in areas affected by a terrorist threat. Amnesty said the government proposal "devolves near absolute power on the executive", which would lead to "a full frontal assault on human rights and the rule of law", in a report released Monday. If adopted, the changes would have "profoundly negative consequences for human rights in Hungary", the campaign group warned. The plans will be debated in parliament when lawmakers reconvene from February 15 following a winter break. After losing a parliamentary supermajority last year, Orban's ruling right-wing Fidesz party needs the support of at least some opposition lawmakers to pass constitutional amendments. So far, however, talks between Fidesz and opposition parties have not led to compromise, and the draft will be proposed in its current form, a government official said last week. "The positions are very far from each other, hence further talks with the opposition are not expected," State Secretary Bence Tuzson said in a television interview Friday. Last month, several hundred demonstrators protested in the capital, Budapest, against the plans. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt rejected a French wheat shipment it said did not meet strict new import rules, rattling traders who said the move could drive up the cost of supplying the world's largest buyer and endanger its ability to provide its poorest citizens bread. The 63,000-tonne shipment arrived to Egypt in December and was initially rejected by agricultural quarantine for containing ergot, a common grains fungus. The shipment was re-inspected, and the results have been eagerly awaited by traders who say they are a crucial test, signalling whether Egypt would stick to new import requirements calling for zero-tolerance toward ergot. Traders say a zero standard is difficult to guarantee and adds a layer of risk that will drive up the cost of supplying. When asked whether Egypt would now have to re-export the idle French wheat sitting at its port, GASC Vice Chairman Mamdouh Abdel Fattah said only: "GASC now has nothing to do with it". The ministry of supplies and GASC have baffled wheat suppliers in recent weeks by continuing to assure them their wheat can contain up to a 0.05 percent level of ergot, a common international standard, even as the agriculture ministry has said it would categorically reject all such shipments. The conflicting policy has created confusion among traders, who turned out in lower numbers than usual at GASC's latest wheat tender this month. "It is uncertain now what GASC is looking for in its wheat," one Cairo-based trader said. Egypt imports around 10 million tonnes of the grain each year, the lion's share of which goes to providing cheap, subsidised bread to feed its population of 90 million. Suppliers will likely demand higher prices following Sunday's decision in order to compensate for the added risk of having massive vessels turned away at the port, another Cairo-based trader said. Egypt says it has enough strategic wheat supplies to last until May 11, but traders say these supply figures are inflated, and include hundreds of thousands of tonnes purchased by GASC but still outside the country, raising the possibility that they too will be rejected before reaching the country's stocks. Suppliers have remained patient -- despite both the new ergot restrictions and a dollar crisis that has delayed opening letters of credit -- simply by way of the country's exceptional size, one trader said. "GASC is still one of the biggest buyers. You cannot leave this market." Search Keywords: Short link: The recent pledges for financial support by Saudi Arabia and China to Egypt are credit positive for the country as they ease the recent balance of payments pressures, said international credit agency Moody's in a statement on Monday. Despite the nascent recovery in the last fiscal year, recent events took their toll on Egypt's balance of payments, hitting tourism, suez canal revenues and exports. Low oil prices hit Egypt's merchandise exports which fell to $21.9 billion from $26.1 billion while suez canal revenues fell on the back of weak global growth. The ailing tourism sector was also hit a blow after showing signs of early recovery when a Russian tourists plane was downed in Sinai governorate. Saudi Arabia recently pledged $20 billion worth of petroleum products to Egypt over five years and China pledged $1.7 billion loans for Egypt's central bank and largest state-owned bank National Bank of Egypt, in addition to $15 billion worth of investments. Egypt has also received $1 billion loan from the World Bank as part of a $3 billion package over 3 years. Although these loans raise Egypt's external obligations, low levels of total external debt mitigate possible resulting risks. The international credit agency saw these packages as a sign Egypt is broadening its pool of support and as a step towards improved funding transperancy regarding funding conditions. Egypt's reserves stood at $16.45 billion at December end, down from $36 billion before the 2011 uprising. Search Keywords: Short link: 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. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: Directed by Mai Masri, the Palestinian film 3000 Nights will close the European Film Festival, which runs in Beirut until 6 February 3000 Nights, a feature film by Palestinian director Mai Masri, will be featured at the closing ceremony of the 22nd European Film Festival, which runs between 25 January and 6 February in Beirut, Lebanon. Co-produced by Palestine, France, Jordan, UAE, Qatar and Lebanon, '3000 Nights' centres on a young newly-wed Palestinian school teacher who is jailed in a top-security Israeli prison where she eventually gives birth. 3000 Nights premiered in September 2015 at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film's US premiere tok place at Palm Springs International Film Festival in California this month. It also made its Arab world premiere in December 2015 as part of the Dubai International Film Festivals 12th edition where it participated in the Muhr Arab Feature Films Competition. Most recently, 3000 Nights opened the 4th edition of Luxor Arab and European Film Festival which runs from 30 January to 5 February. The film was also released in its home country, in Nablus Cinema City on 15 January where it screened until 22 January. 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 director of the Palestinian film 3000 Nights reveals that the film was shot in a real prison Palestinian director May Masri said her film 3000 Nights, which opened the Luxor Arab and European Film Festival, was shot in a real prison, without any set decor, as a way of preserving the film's authenticity. At the press conference for the Luxor Arab and European Film Festival held on Sunday morning, Masri added that the jail where they filmed was neither in Palestine nor Jordan. The film was based on an old story from 1980, where there were jails that kept Israeli women arrested on criminal charges together with Palestinian political prisoners, Masri stated. Co-produced by Palestine, France, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Lebanon, 3000 Nights centres on a young newly-wed Palestinian school teacher who is jailed in an Israeli top-security prison where she eventually gives birth. I am happy with the reception of the film, especially that it presents the Palestinian case in a different light through the character of Leil who (in the film) was arrested and jailed alongside Israelis, El-Masry said. The films star Anahid Fayad was also present at the press conference. It was a great challenge for me, especially as the first cinema role I took on after working in a television drama, Fayad said. A number of critics were also present at the conference, including Nader Adly who commended the director for the film, as well as photography director Said Shimi, who admired the films cinematography and realism. The film premiered in September 2015 at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and made its US premiere at Palm Springs International Film Festival in California in January. It also made its Arab world premiere in December 2015 as part of the Dubai International Film Festivals 12th edition where it participated in the Muhr Arab Feature Films Competition. 300 Nights will also be featured at the closing ceremony of the 22nd European Film Festival that runs between 25 January and 6 February in Beirut, Lebanon. 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 remains of an Old Kingdom wooden boat were unearthed in Abusir necropolis, 25 kilometres from the Giza Plateau To the north of the yet unidentified non-royal mastaba number AS 54 at Saqqara necropolis, a Czech mission from Charles University of Prague, lead by archaeologist Muroslav Barta, unearthed the wooden beams of an Old Kingdom boat. Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty described the discovery as important because it is the first time that such a boat has been found at Saqqara necropolis. It also highlights the importance of the mastaba owner and his direct relationship with the king at the time, Eldamaty added. Although the name of the mastaba owner has not yet been identified due to the bad preservation condition of the shrine, the boat wreck shows that he was a very important man in the royal palace - a top official or a close person to the king but not a royal family, Eldamaty told Ahram Online. He added that both the size of the mastaba tomb, as well as the presence of the boat itself clearly place the deceased within the elite of his time with strong connections to the reigning pharaoh. The minister also explained that a large number of wooden beams and ropes were found that gave archeologists a opportunity to understand the original design of the boat and how ancient Egyptians built it. Most of the previously uncovered Old Kingdom boats are in a very bad preservation condition except those of King Khufu, Eldmaty pointed out. He said, however, that the newly discovered boat would reveal more details about the construction of boats during the Old Kingdom. The Head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Department Mahmoud Afifi said that a collection of clay pots and pans from the end of the third dynasty and the beginning of the fourth dynasty, which were also unearthed, could help reveal the specific date of the construction of the boat and mastaba. Afifif added that preliminary examination of the boat beams reveal that the vessel was originally 18 metres long. The Czech mission uncovered the mastaba tomb AS 54 in 2009. Barta said that the Czech archaeological institute, in collaboration with the Institute of Nautical Achaeology at Texas A&M University, will launch this year a scientific project aimed at studying the techniques ancient Egyptians used in the construction of boats. He went on to say that the construction details are not the only features that make the boat unique. The habit of burying boats beside mastabas began in the Early Dynastic Period. "This phenomenon has been well documented for royal structures, as well as for some tombs belonging to members of the royal family - the elite of society," Barta told Ahram Online. He noted that In fact, this is a highly unusual discovery because boats of such a size and construction were, during this period, reserved solely for top members of the society, who usually belonged to the royal family. This suggests the potential for additional discoveries during the next spring season. Barta explained that scholars continue to debate the purpose of Egyptian boat burials. Did they serve the deceased in the afterlife? Might they have functioned as symbolical solar barques? Or were they used during the journey of the owner through the underworld? The Old Kingdom kings adopted the earlier tradition, and often had several boats buried within their pyramid complexes. Unfortunately, Barta pointed out, most of the pits have been found already empty of any timber, while others contained little more than brown dust in the shape of the original boat. The only exception were the two boats of Khufu that have survived and were reconstructed or are in the process of reconstruction. However, no boat of such dimensions from the Old Kingdom has been found found in a non-royal context before the new discovery at Abusir. It is by all means a remarkable discovery. The careful excavation and recording of the Abusir boat will make a considerable contribution to our understanding of ancient Egyptian watercraft and their place in funerary cult. "And where there is one boat, there very well may be more, Barta concluded. Search Keywords: Short link: (Beijing) The Ministry of Environmental Protection has found toxic chemicals in the soil under a closed pesticide factory across the street from a school in the eastern province of Jiangsu where students have developed health problems. Students at Changzhou Foreign Languages School, a multi-lingual school for students from the seventh to 12th grades, have complained of foul-smelling air since they moved to their new campus in a suburb of Changzhou in September, Xinhua News Agency has reported. The air has given some students sore throats or rashes, parents told the official news agency. Tainted air has even caused some students to vomit, parents complained. The ministry said on January 29 that the odor is coming from the abandoned Jiangsu Changlong Chemicals Co. Ltd., which was operational from 2000 to 2010. The ministry said it found levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons and benzyl chloride that exceeded its standard for soil. Exposure to total petroleum hydrocarbons, chemical compounds that come from crude oil, can harm the lungs, central nervous system, liver and kidney, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says. The chemical benzyl chloride, which is used in a range of manufacturing activities, is intensely irritating to the skin, eyes and mucous membranes. The 153 acre campus of Changzhou Foreign Languages School has accommodated 2,800 students and faculty members since opening in September, the school's website says. Students and parents initially thought the foul smell was from pesticide used on trees planted on the campus, one parent told Caixin, but the smell became more noticeable around December 25. "We parents cannot even bear the smell during the brief time when we drop off and pick up our children," another parent said. "But they have to stay at school and breathe the toxic air the entire day. This is heart-wrenching." Local officials and school administrators met with parent representatives to discuss the matter on January 6, the school's website said. Environmental officials said at the meeting that they hired an organization to monitor air quality and there was no "volatile organic compounds in the air" on January 5. A group of 1,200 parents later wrote and signed a letter demanding to know why the school chose the site for the new campus and how the monitoring group was measuring air quality. Classes have been canceled since January 12, one teacher told Xinhua. (Rewritten by Chen Na) The Zika virus outbreak in Latin America could be a bigger threat to global health than the Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in Africa. That's according to several public health experts who spoke with the Guardian and Examiner newspapers ahead of an emergency meeting of the World Health Organization on Monday, which will decide whether the Zika threat should be rated a global health crisis. Brazilian public health authorities are reporting an increase in cases of microcephaly, a fetal deformation where infants are born with abnormally small heads. The incidence of the normally rare birth defect is 10 times higher than normal. The cause is under investigation, but there appears to be a correlation between the condition and Zika infections in expectant mothers. Silent Infection "In many ways the Zika outbreak is worse than the Ebola epidemic of 2014-15," Jeremy Farrar, head of the Wellcome Trust, told the Guardian. "Most virus carriers are symptomless. It is a silent infection in a group of highly vulnerable individuals, pregnant women, that is associated with a horrible outcome for their babies." There is currently no prospect of a vaccine for Zika, in contrast to Ebola, for which several are now under trial. "The real problem is that trying to develop a vaccine that would have to be tested on pregnant women is a practical and ethical nightmare," said Mike Turner, head of infection and immunobiology at the Wellcome Trust. 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. Threat to U.S. Dr. Peter Hotez told the Examiner newspaper that the Zika outbreak in Brazil poses a "far greater threat to the United States than Ebola," A Zika outbreak has "never been seen on this scale," Hotez said, despite its prevalence in Africa, Asia and the Pacific islands. Zika is a viral illness spread from human to human through the bite of a mosquito. Two species of mosquito are known to carry the virus, the Yellow Fever mosquito and the Asian Tiger mosquito. Both species are found throughout most of the Americas. The Yellow Fever mosquito can be found along the Gulf Coast of the United States while the Asian Tiger mosquito can be found as far north as New York City. Europe's police agency says more than 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children have disappeared in the past two years. Europol chief of staff Brian Donald told Britain's Observer newspaper that organized crime rings and sex traffickers may be involved. "We just do not know where they are, what they are doing or whom they are with," he said Saturday. Even before last year's surge in migrants to Europe, several European agencies documented that up to half of unaccompanied children seeking asylum on the continent went missing after registering with state authorities. "Some 80 percent of our male customers shop for themselves," a staffer there said. "Those in their 20s and 30s largely buy jeans and sneakers, while those in their 40s and 50s are usually looking for belts, shoes, suits or coats." The basement level of Christian Dior's flagship boutique in upscale Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, which opened in June last year, displays men's items only. Looking to boost lackluster sales, luxury brands are shifting their focus to male consumers. Hyundai Department Store's new branch, which opened last August in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, has devoted its entire 6th floor to men's items, offering more than 20 top-end brands as well as electronic devices, bicycle accessories and a barber shop. "Men's shopping lists have expanded from watches, suits and shoes to include clothing and accessories," a Hyundai spokesman said. Hyundai saw the proportion of its sales to male customers rise to 31 percent last year from 27.8 percent in 2013. Shinsegae Department Store is experiencing the same trend. Its sales of men's luxury fashion brands rose 8 percent last year from a year earlier, with clothing sales soaring 30 percent. "Popular items among male customers include sneakers, backpacks, casual shirts and clutch bags," said a merchandiser at Shinsegae. "Young customers prefer new luxury brands like Golden Goose sneakers and Thom Browne shirts." "Men used to spend only on other family members, but recently they have started spending on themselves," said Prof. Kim Joo-young of Sogang University. "Businesses are seizing upon the trend with aggressive marketing activities, so the luxury market for men will continue to expand." "I wish he'd been given the death penalty, but this is the maximum sentence he can get under the law so I have to accept it," the victim's mother, Lee Bok-soo (74), told reporters leaving the court. "I was afraid he would be found not guilty, and I'm grateful to everyone who helped us win the verdict." The Seoul Central District Court on Friday sentenced Arthur Patterson to 20 years in prison for murdering a Korean college student in the toilet of a fast-food joint in Itaewon, Seoul in 1997. Twenty years is the maximum term permitted for a juvenile offender, and Patterson was 17 at the time of the murder. He was convicted of stabbing to death 22-year-old college student Cho Jung-pil in the bathroom of a Burger King franchise in Itaewon, a neighborhood popular with foreigners, because he had "looked at him funny." The man he was with at the time, a Korean American named Edward Lee, was first convicted on Patterson's say-so but later acquitted for lack of evidence. The victim's mother told reporters that she felt as if a load had been taken off of her shoulders but added that the sentence could be lifted on appeal. She filed around 40 petitions with police to get Patterson to stand trial after he fled to the U.S. Patterson was finally extradited last September. But the court also said the Korean American, who cannot be tried again because of double indemnity rules, was an accomplice. The judge said Lee egged Patterson on and did not try to stop him, and even told friends after the crime that they had stabbed somebody "for fun." It said Lee acted as a lookout in front of the toilet while Patterson killed the student. In passing the maximum sentence the court took into consideration the fact that Patterson never admitted the crime and tried to put all the blame on Lee. When the Chinese couple breached security, a door that should have been shut opened automatically, and they easily removed a latch at another gate due to years of disrepair. The Vietnamese man forced open an automated immigration gate during the busy morning hours, but nobody even noticed that the alarm went off at the initial breach. No alarm sounded when he broke through the second gate. Earlier this month a Chinese couple broke through several security gates at the airport in just 14 minutes. Incheon International Airport was reeling on Friday after another serious security breach was exposed. Friday alone saw a hoax bomb being planted in the airport and a Vietnamese individual taking just two minutes to breach two separate security gates. Experts blame lax security on years of focusing on service improvements alone. The airport has topped the international Airport Service Quality survey for the last 10 years, but the main criterion is how fast passengers are processed through immigration. "The government's target for this year is to open the immigration gates at the airport 30 minutes earlier and make the processing time even shorter by setting up more automated booths," an airport staffer said. The result was that the immigration official who should have been watching over the automated booth had to go to a non-automated booth when passengers rushed into the airport. Following a spate of terror attacks by Islamic State, airports around the world are beefing up security at the expense of service points, but Incheon is heading in the opposite direction. Yet a recent baggage jam that caused thousands of passengers to wait days for their belongings threw a spanner in the works on that front too. Former airport chief Kang Dong-seok admitted, "Stressing only customer service has ended up causing officials to overlook security." The security breaches resulted from malfunctioning security systems, security staff who failed to follow rules and lax monitoring of surveillance cameras. If these problems are left unresolved, Korea's gateway remains vulnerable to terror attacks. Critics say this glaring hole has grown even bigger after the top post at the airport was left vacant when former president Park Wan-soo quit late last year to run for the National Assembly. The former Kerala minister, who is no stranger to controversies, had called Devikulam sub-collector Rahul Krishna Sharma a rogue. ABC/Randy HolmesShawn Mendes is only 17, but the Canadian teen has certainly accomplished a lot in his short time on Earth. In the past year alone, his debut album, Handwritten, hit #1, he's won a People's Choice Award, he scored a top-five single with "Stitches" and he sold out an upcoming show at New York's Radio City Music Hall. On top of that, last year, he got to open for Taylor Swift, who he says he admires for her speaking ability as much as for her music. "Shes so good at talking to her crowd," Shawn tells ABC Radio. "Seventy-thousand people and she can just make it feel like its just you and her in the room, you know? And I really respect that. I try to emulate that a bit, too." Shawn's breakout hit "Stitches" is on his album Handwritten, and it's one of only two songs on the disc that he didn't write. But Shawn says the song fit him so well that he might as well have penned it himself. "As a songwriter, we're very much so not toward singing songs that we don't write ourselves, because you don't have that connection," he tells ABC Radio. "But I think every once in a while comes along a song that...you feel like is only meant for you. And that's kind of how 'Stitches' was for me -- I heard that and I was like, really, really into it and wanted to cut that." Shawn says he could really relate to the song, which is about a guy who is in deep emotional pain after being dumped. "I think being emotionally beat up is worse than any type of physical damage," he says. "And I think that puts across the message really well in the song." In case you don't get the idea, watch the song's video, in which Shawn is literally beaten to a pulp by an invisible assailant. Shawn kicks off the North American leg of his headlining tour July 15 in Boca Raton, Florida. He'll play that sold-out show at Radio City Music Hall on March 5. The tour wraps August 21 in Shawn's hometown of Toronto, Canada. Copyright 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. #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... The Revisit Brian Lloyd, movies editor with entertainment.ie, meets popular Irish figures to discuss the movies closest to their hearts. Each guest tells Brian what the movie of their choice means to them, why they love it and the reasons it left such an impact on them. Season 2, out now, features comedian and actor Tommy Tiernan, Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu, Today FM's Gift Grub star Mario Rosenstock, Virgin Media News Correspondent Richard Chambers, 2fm's Ciara King, and actor/writer Emmet Kirwan. Potential US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is fast becoming a firm favourite amongst many musicians in the US, in the same way that many threw their support behind Obama in the run-up to the 2008 election. Vampire Weekend have come out in vocal support of Sanders, even appearing at a concert thrown in his name for the Iowa Presidential Caucus on Saturday. Ezra Koenig and co. shared a stage with the likes of Lissie, actor Josh Hutcherson (aka Peeta from The Hunger Games), Mark Foster of Foster the People and others to speak on the night. It culminated in Sanders joining Vampire Weekend and other musicians for a rendition of 'This Land is Your Land': Vampire Weekend - whose last album was 2013's 'Modern Vampires of the City' - recently revealed that founding member Rostam Batmanglij would not be part of the band going forward, but will continue to write with them. One of the of the biggest talking points from this series of Celebrity Big Brother has been the romance between Irish housemate Jeremy McConnell and Stephanie Davis, mainly because Steph went into the house with a boyfriend already. It caused some of the housemates to turn against her for a bit, while she's public enemy number one if the booing outside the house is anything to go by. Friday night saw the eviction of Jeremy and since then he has been plagued with questions about his relationship with Steph and how he feels about her outside the house. McConnell joined Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on This Morning today and was given a good grilling about his time in the house, including what future he saw with Steph, why he kissed Tiffany in Truth or Dare, while he also apologised to Steph's now ex-boyfriend Sam Reece. Watch below; By Edmund Smith-Asante, ACCRA It comes naturally and it is almost involuntary for a person to wash his or her hands before touc... Current world events seen through the clarifying lens of the LORD's inerrant prophetic word. The Lord's Word proclaims a series of 'latter days' events leading to the second coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His Kingdom upon the earth in this generation. Imagine the Sphinx (or a frog?) next to the pyramids sitting in a reflecting pool of water.... In short, my blogs are a series of thought clusters on the origins of the state, religion, mythology, and their significance today. A major theme is reflected by the story *blogs 8,9) of Prince and Princess Goldenlocks;. http://jesusthebogomil.blogspot.com From time to time, some of the blogs may be edited and revised. PS I remain convinced that humankind must (and will) return to the wood to survive. B&B offers unique lodging experience Updated: 2016-02-01 10:13 By Fan Feifei(China Daily) Zhang Jing, 28, an administrative staff member at a university in Shenzhen, had a different accommodation experience when she traveled to Taipei, Taiwan, last month. She booked the bedroom of an apartment in Ximending, the most prosperous and bustling district in Taipei, for 522 yuan ($80) per night through Airbnb.com. "Before arriving at this apartment, I was worried about my stay because I always stayed at hotels on my previous trips. However, I am thrilled by my decision," she said. "The apartment is very close to the subway station and there are a lot of stores nearby. What's more, the host, Kelvin, was very nice, met me and my friend downstairs in the building, and prepared slippers, toothbrushes and almost everything for us. He even cooked breakfast for us." The host's kind and graceful attitude relieved her anxiety, and she felt very comfortable staying there. "It was the most unforgettable accommodation experience," she added. Bed-and-breakfast facilities - private homes that offer overnight accommodations and breakfast for paying guests - have become an attractive lodging option for young mainland travelers in recent years as they can be closer to local communities and allow guests to immerse themselves in the local culture. The rapid growth of the Chinese outbound tourist market is bringing about huge opportunities for US-based lodging website Airbnb. The Chinese mainland is the fastest growing market for Airbnb, as more and more mainland travelers prefer a unique traveling experience. "The number of Chinese mainland outbound tourists that book accommodation through Airbnb increased by 700 percent in 2015," said Varsha Rao, vice-president of global operations at Airbnb. She is optimistic that its business in China will maintain rapid growth this year as it has become the world's largest outbound tourism market. "We have a very positive outlook for business with outbound travelers in 2016," said Rao. "We are still cultivating people's awareness of B&B, and mainly focusing on millennial travelers born between the early 1980s and 2000s traveling to other parts of the world." "It is different from staying in a hotel. It's about creating stories that you can share with your families and friends when you come back," Rao added. We want your comments and your story tips! geniusofdespair@yahoo.com (use ALL caps in subject line) afarago@bellsouth.net. Actually I never look at my email, Genius, so write to Gimleteye. She did not intend to become the heretic of the checkout line. But as she watches her food bill skyrocket, Deborah feels compelled to make snarky remarks. "Why bother eatingkosher?" she asks those behind her. The patrons tut-tut in agreement and discuss how expensive kosher food has become, and on top of the "tuition crisis" -- the exorbitant expense of Jewish day schools -- how can anyone afford to shop in Glatt markets? But the reality is: the price of kosher is the least of it. "For the record, most items with a kosher certification are not more expensive," says Menachem Lubinsky, an authority on the kosher food industry, CEO of Lubicom Consulting and Founder of Kosherfest, "What are more costly are the specifically produced kosher foods that require extra kosher certification, particularly in meat and dairy. Prices may be 10 percent to 20 percent higher than non-kosher items." He adds that despite higher fuel and commodity prices in recent times, costs of most kosher ethnic foods have either stayed the same or gone up by no more than 3 percent to 5 percent. Lubinsky's information confirms that the cost of kosher food is nothing when compared to the exorbitance of Jewish day school tuition. Deborah is a young mother who is paying $16,000 per year for one of her children to attend a Jewish day school. She asked that I change her name for this article because, as she phrases it, she feels "priced out" of her religion. However, she's determined to figure out this problem because she loves Judaism, she is spiritually connected to every facet of her Modern Orthodox lifestyle, and she should not have to feel this way about costs. When I ask a tuition-paying friend of mine if she feels stressed by religion, she replies "I don't feel stressed. As a matter of fact, religion is my oasis from stress. The cost of Jewish day school is not a product of our religion, rather a malady of sorts that we as a community need to work together to cure. The Torah tells us that for every illness, the cure is already provided -- we just need to work together to find it." Rabbi Saul Zucker of the Orthodox Union explains that "the average price of Jewish day school tuition for grades K-12 is $15,000 per year (as compared to the average Catholic school tuition of $3,383, according to NCEA). For four children that would mean $60,000 per year post taxes, which indicates that one would have to earn approximately $200,000 per year (the top 3 percent of earners in this country) just to support their children's education." Zucker says that Jewish day schools aim to provide the very best possible education, with fine arts curricula, the newest in technology, stellar guidance counseling services, after school programming and other "frills," but that the model is "unsustainable" in the long run. That is why many are seeking other solutions. Recently, the Shalom Academy (SACS), a Hebrew-immersion charter school, was approved for Englewood and Teaneck, N.J. Some Jewish day school parents have decided that a Hebrew language and culture education (despite it not being a Jewish education) is a great secondary option, and have enrolled their children, who were admitted through a lottery, in SACS for this coming September. Others are outraged that their friends would opt for a "non-Jewish" education, and despite struggling with tuition themselves, they are keeping their kids in yeshiva. Many of them also wonder if they'll ever be able to retire. And that's only elementary school. "If you think you're getting off at only 18k per kid with four kids in high school, I have somebaaad news for you," says my friend Josh Lipowsky, a former Assistant Editor at The Jewish Standard. "One high school that I looked at had a base tuition of more than 22 grand and after all the building fees and the annual dinner fee, it is well over 25k. The application fee alone is about $800. We're talking about New Jersey. Manhattan is a whole other story." In fact, Manhattan Jewish high schools cost significantly more. One in particular, known for its stellar academic and extracurricular provisions, costs over $30,000. "Unlike the public schools, the day schools have to raise the majority of their money, Lipowsky explains. "There is very little available from the state -- a few hundred per student for nurses and books, but that's about it. As for the higher costs, it actually costs, according to Agudah N.J., less to educate a day school student than a public school student, but day school parents get the double whammy of paying for both Jewish and secular studies. Starting in the 1970s, day schools began competing not only with each other but with public schools. In order to attract top teachers, they had to offer comparable salaries and benefits. In order to keep students, they had to start offering other services that the public schools offer -- art, music, clubs. And they also had to keep up with the latest in technology in order to compete. You can look at schools with price tags half of other elementary schools but fewer services. They don't have the same number of guidance counselors or music teachers and rely on parental volunteers for special things to keep costs down." A number of Jewish day schools offer scholarships to families below the middle income bracket, largely based on one's tax returns. Those scholarships are often difficult to obtain and involve a lengthy approval process. It is a wonderful option for those who qualify, but not without risk to the recipients, who report feeling singled out and scrutinized by the rigorous and ongoing investigative process to determine worthiness. One mother told me that she is always eager to volunteer her time to the school and goes above and beyond to do so, but she once received a letter that strongly advised her, "as a scholarship recipient," to man the help desk at an event. Word quickly spread throughout the parent body about the tone of the letter. "The letter was very specifically addressed to scholarship families," she laments, "but someone blabbed, and once the event rolled around, those of us volunteering felt like 'Hey, see us behind the desk? We're the scholarship families.' I didn't really want to be outed in this manner to other parents. Don't get me wrong -- I love to help the school. I just didn't love being singled out as the 'poor woman.'" "I didn't grow up around here," one father of Jewish day school children told me, "I feel it's New York and New Jersey that are so expensive." But those from the tri-state-area are certainly not the only ones feeling the crunch. Naomi Sandberg of Silver Spring, Md., breaks it down for me: "40,000 for two kids in Jewish day school, 5,000+ for two kids in Jewish day camp (who can afford sleep away camp?), 1,000+ synagogue dues, the high price of kosher food, the high price of housing in 'Jewish neighborhoods,' Passover food, Purim baskets, High Holiday seats, 500 for school or synagogue banquet, donations to school, synagogue and mikveh, no vacations (who could afford to pay for one even if one has the time off?), no home improvements, except for critical maintenance." When I pose the question "Why don't you just send your kids to public school?" Sandberg says "Day school education immerses kids in Jewish tradition, culture, history and literature. Our kids need to learn not just what we do as Jews -- kashrut, shabbat, mitzvot -- they need to learn why. A good day school education integrates Jewish values and history throughout the curriculum. In P.E., students should be learning the importance of physical fitness, sports skills and good sportsmanship -- being a mensch! When studying American History, they need to be looking at what was going on in the American Jewish community as well." Yitzi Flynn, who I found through the 200K Chump Blog (www.200kchump.blogspot.com) where all sorts of gripes about North Jersey yeshiva tuition are expressed, switched his son from a religious day school to a local public school. He says that his son, who was having difficulty with the fundamentals in reading and comprehension at his former yeshiva, is now thriving in public school. In fact, he recently made honor roll. "The backbone of religiousity and the majority of who the child is comes from the home," Flynn says, explaining that his son prays in the mornings, eats completely kosher, and that teachers and friends' parents bend over backwards to accomodate his religious needs (i.e. kosher food at birthday parties). "200K Chump," who would not reveal his identity via email, says that he started his blog "to give the thousands of families struggling to pay Yeshiva tuition in Bergen County an outlet to come and discuss how the tuition crisis is affecting their lives and to search for real solutions and alternatives to the overpriced legacy yeshiva institutions." He explains that he is an average day school parent paying full tuition and he "got fed-up with the silly band-aid solutions that people in town would talk about which - even if they were successful - would do nothing to lower the cost of tuition and at best would slow the tuition increases." When one administrator told him that despite tuition being unaffordable to the masses, there were no plans to ever lower it, and the best he could hope for was that tuition increases wouldn't outpace the overall rate of inflation, he "knew that we needed to search for real and radical alternatives to these institutions." That is when he began to blog. "As far as reaction, it has been a mixed bag. I have been contacted by so many wonderful supporters who applaud me for my efforts and back me and the blog 100%. However, I also have been threatened, chastised, and called every name in the book. I have been compared to such people as Hitler, Stalin and others." Chump has brought the words "Jewish day school tuition" to the blogosphere in a big way. If you simply input that phrase into google today, his blog and the many reactions (ranging from supportive to skeptical) to his posts are what you'll see first. Many members of the North Jersey orthodox Jewish community who I spoke with admitted to "hating to admit" that they read his blog. Some, active in initiatives to combat the crisis, are avid readers as well. In addition to the Orthodox Union, organizations like UJA Federation and Yeshiva University say they are committed to figuring out a solution to the "tuition crisis." Also, smaller non-profits have formed and are partnering with these larger institutions to help the Jewish day schools. Rabbi Shmuel Goldin of Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood, N.J., founded Jewish Education for Generations (JEFG): "We regularly have representatives of eight local North Jersey Jewish day schools meet, review budgets and try to figure out how to get things under control," he explains. One of the first things JEFG did was establish NNJ Kids (Northern New Jersey Kehillot Investing in Jewish Day Schools), a communal fund that raises money for local yeshiva day schools. "We set up a fund to which anyone and everyone from all the synagogues can contribute to offset tuition needs," Goldin explains. "The money is distributed to the schools for the purpose of scholarship funds and it is spread responsibly. The 'tuition crisis' is a problem that will last past the recession and this fund is something we should have begun working on years ago. Individuals have contributed since we begun, but even $1 million, which sounds like a lot, is a drop in the bucket to tackle this problem." He says that JEFG is in the process of creating another fund, similar to an endowment, in which money will be raised for the middle income bracket of people who can not get scholarships but are struggling with tuition payments. Rabbi Goldin calls the tuition situation "overwhelming." Rabbi Zucker says, "There is no magic bullet." Both know there is a long way to go, a lot of work to be done and are committed to ensuring that kids stay in Jewish schools. For her part, Deborah will be sending her older child to Shalom Academy come September, though she is nervous about the social changes involved in switching from a yeshiva to a charter -- not just for her child, who has friends in yeshiva, but for her as she is friendly with their parents. She plans to supplement the Hebrew education her child will receive with daily after-school tutoring in Judaic studies. Socially, the route she has chosen is the "road less traveled by" in her community. "I'm tired of complaining," she says, "Hopefully, this will make all the difference." SOURCE Jewish Settlers Faked 14 Out Of 15 West Bank Land Deals, Stole Palestinians Lands, Israeli Investigation Finds Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com An investigation by the Israel Police fraud squad has found that 14 out of 15 real estate acquisitions made by a pro-Jewish-settler land acquisition company were forged, Haaretz reported today based on a report by the Israeli Channel 10 news program HaMakor with Raviv Drucker. The company, Al-Watan headed by settler activist Zeev Hever, purports to buy West Bank land from Palestinians and turns that land into illegal Jewish settlements the government often turns a blind eye to. But in the relatively rare occasions when the government tried to stop illegal Jewish settlements or evacuate them, Al-Watan would announce that the land the particular illegal settlement stood on had been secretly purchased its Palestinian owners. And despite the fact that Israel Police initially turned an intentionally blind eye to the fraud and forgeries, it now turns out that once the layers of strawmen are pierced, 14 of those 15 purported land sales were in fact frauds based on forged documents. Perhaps worse yet, one of the Palestinian strawmen used by Hevers Al-Watan was apparently promised residency in Israel proper to protect him from retribution and to allow him to see his children and their families who live in Israel. But those promises made by Hevers Al-Watan were not kept, and the Palestinian man in question, who signed many of the forged documents, now lives in fear. I told them I am signing for all the Palestinians, but let me live in Israel because of my children. My children are in Israel, and I dont see them, and I am always entering Israel and going to jail because I have no permit, and I tell them in the investigation that I am threatened, the Palestinian strawman said. I have a problem in the Palestinian Authority, and I am threatened unless you let me live in Israel. I sold [land] because they would help me, and no one is helping me. I am suffering from complexes now. Two Palestinian strawmen reportedly say that at the signings, an Israeli lawyer from Jerusalem (who is so far unnamed due to gag order), hands them a suitcase with half a million shekels ($126,400). When they go outside, the lawyer takes the suitcase and the money back. The purpose of that charade is to fake the land transaction. [The lawyer] told me that this mans friend cannot put the land under his name because of the Income Tax Authority. I signed on the papers and afterward he gave me a suitcase full of money and told me, Take this. When I went downstairs, he took the money back and told me, Take, this [much smaller amount of money] is what you get. Thats all, the Palestinian reportedly said. Attorney Eytan Lehman is secretly recorded at a meeting with one of the men, which took place at a gas station. Lehman tells the man to call Channel 10s Drucker and tell him that he does not remember anything about the deals. The question is if you can have the conversation with him, Lehman says in the recording. Tell him perhaps I no longer remember the story, blah, blah, blah, and then he will tell you, but dont worry I know the whole story. Tell him what does he mean 'know the whole story,' for you dont remember what I said to the police or something like thatTry to get it out of him without him understanding. Exactly 140 years ago today, the first installment of George Eliots Daniel Deronda, the worlds first great philo-semitic novel was published by a lapsed Christian who had more in common with Baruch Spinoza than she did with any priest, vicar or rabbi. Above: Mary Ann Evans, better known by her pen name, George Eliot On February 1, 1876, exactly 140 years ago today, the first installment of George Eliots Daniel Deronda was published in Great Britain. According a report in Haaretz, the novel, which became known as Eliots Jewish novel, was met with mixed reviews. But the British Jewish community loved Daniel Deronda because Eliot who is now thought of by several important literary critics as the greatest author in British history painted such an accurate and sympathetic portrait of it. And Eliot, whose real name was Mary Ann Evans, did one other thing in Daniel Deronda the British Jews loved: she promoted the idea of a Jewish return to the land of Israel. This was done years before any official Zionist movement, Orthodox or secular, existed. And this is all especially significant because of Eliots own beliefs about religion. Although born into and raised in a pious Anglican Christian home and milieu, Eliot (1819-1880) had already rejected religion by the 1840s and had translated Spinozas Ethics (among other works) into English. Eliot apparently became interested Judaism in 1866 when she met Emanuel Deutsch, a scholar of Semitics and Talmud at the British Museum Library. Deutsch wrote about Jewish issues in the general non-scholarly British press and regularly sent Eliot books and articles about Jewish topics. Eliot did more than read about Judaism, though. The translator in Eliot drove her to study Hebrew. Deutsch was her teacher. This wasnt a religious endeavor for Eliot, it was a scholarly one. Despite its mixed reviews, Daniel Deronda was read by Jews across Europe and in the Americas after it was translated in to several languages. (It even got a Hebrew translation 17 years later, but that translation abridged the book by removing its co-lead non-Jewish storyline. How ironic that a novel written by a very much lapsed Anglican who eschewed religion would serve as an inspiration for many so many Jews and would, in its own way, plant the seeds for what would become 41 years later the Balfour Declaration which reads, His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country. You can read the whole book for free in eBook formats or on the web at Project Gutenberg. "So long as we are in the position of power and influence, we can never give recognition to the Reform [a catch-all phrase that in haredi parlance means all of the non-Orthodox Jewish movements]. Although they are Jews, they will not get any recognition. In Judaism there is only one stream the religious path of Moses and Israel." Above: Aryeh Deri We Will Never Recognize Non-Orthodox Judaism, Israels Interior Minister Says Shmarya Rosenberg FailedMessiah.com Speaking to haredi Radio Kol Chai, Israels Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said Israel will never recognize non-Orthodox Jewish movements. "So long as we are in the position of power and influence, we can never give recognition to the Reform [a catch-all phrase that in haredi parlance means all of the non-Orthodox Jewish movements]. Although they are Jews, they will not get any recognition. In Judaism there is only one stream the religious path of Moses and Israel, Deri, who is also chairman of the Sefardi haredi Shas Party, said, according a report on the radio interview published by Arutz Sheva. Deri, who was handpicked to be Interior Minister by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, went on to say that the Kotel (Western Wall) compromise was a bad thing. "The problem is the government's decision to set up a council that will ostensibly run the [egalitarian complex], which will be composed of members of the Reform and Conservative [movements], Deri said. But Deri insisted the government was forced into doing the bad deal because of the High Court of Justice, which was expected to rule in two weeks that the government had to create an area at the Kotel proper for women to hold women-only prayer services that include public Torah readings and use of tallits and teffilin. That ruling may even have included a ordering a fully egalitarian prayer area be established at the Kotel proper and stripping the haredi Kotel rabbi of exclusive power over the holy site. "You have to understand that the Kotel Rabbi has been arguing for years in the courts saying that the local customs [he accepts at the holy site] are the existing prayer routines, Deri said. The court has already rejected the main argument, saying that even if there is a local custom, there is no exclusive Orthodox interpretation. Unfortunately, the court does not play the regular political game. Related Posts: Reform Movement Loses Almost Everything In New Kotel Deal But Declares "Historic" Victory. Compromise Of Lies And Shame Creates 2 Kotels For 2 Peoples. Powerful Haredi MK To Block Official Government Funding For New Egalitarian Prayer Area At Western Wall. Haredim Block Government Funding For Egalitarian Prayer Area Near Western Wall. Who Is Getting Screwed In The New Kotel Deal? Allegedly, Every Non-Haredi Jew In The World. All Women Of The Wall Kotel Controversy Posts. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari waves during a graduation ceremony at Kaduna State University in Kaduna, Nigeria December 12, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer Nigeria reportedly asked the World Bank and African Development Bank for a $3.5 billion loan. The request comes at a time when Africa's largest economy is dealing with the new(ish) reality of lower oil prices. The loan is intended to help fund the country's $15 billion budget deficit, which has been worsened by a "hefty increase in public spending as [Nigeria] attempts to stimulate a slowing economy," according to the Financial Times. But some analysts don't think this loan would be enough. "A reported US $3.5 billion loan from the World Bank and the [African Development Bank] would only cover about 15% of Nigeria's gross external financing requirement," writes out Capital Economics' John Ashbourne in a recent note. "So even were [the] loan agreed, it would hardly be enough to turn things around for Nigeria." Ashbourne explains in greater depth: Nigeria's external debt servicing requirements are comparatively limited, but the country will still need the better part of $20 billion to cover its gross external financing requirement this year. So even the full value of the loans discussed recently in the press would do relatively little to plug this gap. The government would still have to attract $12-15 billion in private loans or FDI. The latter is particularly unlikely, as FX controls will make prospective investors question whether they will be able to get their money back out. Moreover, "a loan would come with politically difficult conditions, so we doubt a deal will be made in the short term," Ashbourne adds. Screen Shot 2016 02 01 at 9.42.31 AM Neither the World Bank nor the African Development Bank actually confirmed that Nigeria applied for the loan. But once the request is made, Nigeria will have to deal with the agencies' conditions. "The World Bank's are significantly more stringent, as they may require the IMF endorsement that the country is undertaking structural reform. This may be the key sticking point," writes Ashbourne. Story continues "Nigerian authorities have previously refused to heed the advice of the IMF and others who have called for the naira to be devalued. And President Buhari has a difficult history with the Fund as the leader of a 1980s junta he refused to sign a deal with the Washington-based lender, arguing that its loan conditions violated Nigeria's sovereignty." In short, Nigeria's looking at a bunch of hurdles before actually getting a loan. And even if they get it, this might not even be enough. This is the next phase of the oil crash. NOW WATCH: Research reveals why men cheat and it's not what you think More From Business Insider By Daniel Bases and Richard Lough NEW YORK/BUENOS AIRES, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Argentina's government returned to debt talks in New York on Monday, expecting to make an offer this week to U.S. creditors suing over unpaid bonds in a bid to resolve a decade-long stand-off that has locked the country out of global capital markets. A Reuters witness saw Finance Secretary Luis Caputo enter the building that houses the office of mediator Daniel Pollack about one hour before Pollack himself arrived. As Caputo headed into the make-or-break talks, Argentine bonds made fresh gains after the government secured a $5 billion bank load to bolster the central bank's foreign currency reserves. "The bondholders will be here and Argentina will be here," Pollack told reporters on his way into his office to meet with Caputo. Newly elected President Mauricio Macri told Reuters at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 22 that he wanted to find a fair agreement "early this year". He said the biggest sticking point was the issue of penalties on the defaulted bonds. Investors question whether Macri will seal a deal before Argentina's Congress, which must approve any accord, returns in early March. "In their minds, by the planned start of Congress they would have a resolution with the holdouts. I think they're now starting to have some doubts about whether it's going to be possible," said Alejo Costa, chief strategist at Buenos Aires-based investment bank Puente. Even so, foreign investors remain optimistic of a deal this year. The country's defaulted 2033 U.S. dollar discount bonds rose 1.6 cents to 112.6, just three cents off the eight-year highs hit after the election outcome while the 2038 Par bond and a 2038 euro-denominated issue inched up 0.4 cent and 0.3 cent respectively to two-week highs . Macri's predecessor, Cristina Fernandez, refused to settle with the funds that spurned debt restructurings following Argentina's record $100 billion default in 2002. Fernandez called them "vultures". "The big kicker for the country is to settle this as quickly as possible to regain access to international capital markets so that they can start issuing new bonds at reasonable rates," said Rune Hejrskov, senior portfolio manager at Jyske Invest, which holds Argentine debt. (Additional reporting by Tariro Mzezewa in New York, Writing by Richard Lough Editing by W Simon) VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Feb 1, 2016) - ASHBURTON VENTURES INC. (TSX VENTURE:ABR)(FRANKFURT:ARB) ("Ashburton" or the "Company") announces it has acquired the Area 51 Lithium Brine prospect, located in Nye County, Nevada, from an arm's length vendor. The property consists of 85 Federal Placer Claims covering 1,700 acres covering the western portion of the Mud Lake playa adjoining the Nellis Air Force Bombing Range. Mud Lake is the largest playa within 50 km of Clayton Valley and is bordered by the same favorable Middle Tertiary felsic volcanic rocks considered to be the source of lithium at Clayton Valley. The Area 51 Property claims are adjacent to the hills bounding the playa to the west and cover the likely location of subsurface range bounding faults which control the location of brines at Clayton Valley. The claims abut the Nellis Air Force Range to the east which is closed to staking. It is thus possible the claims may cover subsurface drainage in west-dipping strata from a much larger area than the claim footprint. Surface sampling of unconsolidated playa sediment by the vendor returned analyses of 77 ppm to 83 ppm Li from 4 samples collected. The sediment samples collected by the vendor were analyzed by ALS Minerals in Reno NV. Samples were screened to -180um and the fine fraction analyzed by ICP-MS for 53 elements including lithium. "We are very excited to have one of the largest playa's, which is what you are looking for with regards to a brine formation for lithium, outside Clayton valley. Considering that the majority of this substantial playa is under government territory, this means Ashburton is the only company now able to exploit this situation. We eagerly look forward to getting to work to determine the full extent of this high priority target," stated Michael England, CEO of Ashburton Ventures. Terms of the deal call for the issuance of two hundred thousand shares of ASHBURTON and a cash payment of $US 20,000 payable on the first anniversary of the Acquisition. In addition the Company will grant the vendor a 0.5% NSR on mineral production from the Property, 0.25% of which can be purchased back for $500,000 USD at any time prior to the commencement of commercial production. Story continues This transaction is subject to TSX Venture approval. Roger Hulstein, B.Sc., P.Geo, consulting geologist to the Company, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Hulstein has reviewed and approved the disclosure of technical information contained in this news release. Ashburton Ventures Inc. is a Canadian-based junior exploration with active mineral programs in Canada and Nevada, USA. If you would like to be added the news release distribution please send an email to info@ashburtonventures.com. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Michael England, President Forward-Looking Statements: Some of the statements in this news release contain forward-looking information that involves inherent risk and uncertainty affecting the business of Ashburton Ventures Inc. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. As the tax-filing season gets into full swing, many taxpayers turn to paid tax preparers even though there is plenty of free help available. Choose your tax preparer carefully, federal officials warn. Watch out for fraud, which can occur in your name without you even knowing about it. A good place to start? Avoid those who claim they can obtain larger refunds than others, Stephen Boyd, special agent for the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Denver told KUSA-TV this week. Boyd spoke as tax preparers Austin Ray and Anne Rasamee pleaded guilty to charges stemming from accusations they doctored numbers on clients tax returns to ensure large refunds. If clients couldnt pay up-front for the return preparation, Ray and Rasamee would have refunds deposited directly into the account of their firm, Cheapertaxes. The Department of Justices Tax Division and the Internal Revenue Service say they use both civil and criminal enforcement tools to fight tax fraud. The IRS says 204 abusive return preparers were sentenced in fiscal year 2015. Recent cases exemplify two major categories of preparer abuse. 1. Boosting refunds A federal court in Orlando, Florida, issued a preliminary injunction to shut down Jason Stinson, who owns Nation Tax Services that operate in storefronts in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Stinsons businesses target low-income customers with deceptive and misleading advertisements, and prepare and file fraudulent tax returns to increase their customers refunds, officials alleged. The patterns of abuse cited include: Falsely claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit Fabricating businesses and related business income and expenses Fabricating Schedule A (itemized, personal) deductions for unreimbursed employee expenses, charitable deductions, and medical and dental expenses Claiming false education credits Trial for Stinson is scheduled in October. Click here and learn to slash your taxes with our new tax course! Story continues A civil complaint filed against Craig M. Comer of Royal Oak, Michigan, and his business, Comer Inc., alleges that his five Liberty Tax Service franchise locations in the Detroit area fraudulently overstate refunds and claim refundable credits by, among other things, claiming false or inflated Schedule C (business) income and expenses, bogus dependents, false filing statuses, improper education credits and false itemized deductions. Watch the video of Beware the Perils of Crooked Tax Preparers on MoneyTalksNews.com. 2. Stolen identification refund fraud Benita E. Short, a Phenix City, Alabama, resident was sentenced this week to serve 51 months in prison and ordered to pay $116,636 in restitution for her role in a stolen identity refund fraud (SIRF) scheme. Short obtained personal identifiable information, including names, Social Security numbers, addresses and dates of birth, without the individuals authorization, officials charged. Short got the personal details from a co-conspirator who had access to Alabama state databases and obtained Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs) in the names of several tax preparation businesses. Short then used the stolen identities and EFINs to electronically file 326 fraudulent tax returns with the IRS, causing a tax loss of $456,853, officials said. Tax refund checks issued for the fraudulent tax returns were cashed at businesses in Alabama and Georgia. In March 2015, officials say, Short co-conspirator Keshia Lanier, the ringleader of a $24 million SIRF conspiracy, also pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft and was sentenced to 15 years in prison ordered to forfeit $5,811,406. Roland Alexis, 34, and co-conspirator Jim Joseph, 31, both of Miami, Florida, were sentenced in January to 42 months in prison after, officials charged, they conspired to file more than 860 false income tax returns using stolen identities, mainly those of prisoners and deceased individuals, to claim more than $1 million in refunds from the IRS. The two also were ordered to pay restitution. Cheryl Singleton, 28, owner of Advanced Tax Services in the Atlanta area, was indicted this week after allegedly participating in a scheme in which officials say she falsely advised customers that they could apply for a government stimulus payment by providing her business with their personal identification information. Singleton and others in the scheme are accused of using the information to electronically file false income tax returns in those individuals names without their knowledge or consent. These tax returns each claimed fraudulent tax refunds of at least $1,000, officials said. Identity theft and filing false tax returns are serious crimes that inflict tremendous damage on innocent victims, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Departments Tax Division. In short, save yourself the heartache of a tax-time rip-off. Check out the IRS tips for choosing a preparer here and our advice on getting the tax help you need at the right price here. Have you ever encountered a shady tax preparer who made promises that were too good to be true? Share your experiences with us in comments below or on our Facebook page. This article was originally published on MoneyTalksNews.com as 'Beware the Perils of Crooked Tax Preparers'. More from Money Talks News Feb 1 (Reuters) - Lundin Petroleum : * Lundin Petroleum signs farm-out agreements in Malaysia with DYAS covering blocks pm328, sb307/308 and gas holding areas in sb303 with an effective date of 1 july 2015 * The terms of the farm-out agreements are as follows: 1. PSC SB307/308: DYAS to be transferred a 20 percent working interest for paying a promote on certain forward costs in relation to the upcoming exploration campaign on Block SB307/308 in the Sabah region offshore East Malaysia. 2. PSC SB303: DYAS to be transferred a 20 percent working interest in the gas holding area in Block SB303 in Sabah, offshore East Malaysia. 3. PSC PM328: DYAS to be transferred a 15 percent working interest in PM328 in the Malay basin, offshore Peninsular Malaysia. * Subsequent to this transaction, Lundin Petroleum holds a 65 percent working interest in SB307/308, a 55 percent working interest in SB303 and a 35 percent working interest in PM328 * Completion of this transaction is subject to approval from relevant authorities Further company coverage: (Reporting By Oslo Newsroom) VANCOUVER, BC/ ACCESSWIRE / February 1, 2016 / Canarc Resource Corp. (TSX: CCM, OTC-BB: CRCUF, Frankfurt: CAN) announces that it has signed a definitive agreement with the Zacatecas state government to lease and operate the permitted 500 tonne per day "La Plata" ore processing plant in the city of Zacatecas, Mexico, through its wholly owned Mexican subsidiary, Minera Oro Silver. Canarc plans to use the plant for processing ore from the Company's recently acquired, permitted El Compas Mine, located 20 kilometers away from the plant by road. Canarc also agreed to reserve up to 100 tonnes per day for toll milling of ores produced by local small miners in the area. Lease Agreement Highlights - Lease term is 5 years with the right to extend for another 5 years - Canarc assumed responsibility for the plant as of January 29, 2016 - Plant will be exclusively operated by Canarc's Mexican subsidiary, Minera Oro Silver, - Canarc will pay a monthly lease payment of 136,000 Mexican Pesos, approximately US$ 7,500 - Grace period of 6 months to allow time for plant refurbishing - Power and water are available for plant operations - Plant capacity is 500 tonnes per day with possibility to expand - Permitted tailings facilities has a current capacity for approximately 1 million tonnes - Certain plant refurbishment costs will be reimbursed to Canarc by lease payment offsets The plant was constructed by the Zacatecas state government in September 2013 for processing minerals available from local small miners in the state. The plant last operated in October 2014 and it remains a fully permitted crushing, grinding, flotation and tailings facility. Canarc technical staff inspected the plant equipment and found it to be in generally good condition but it requires approximately US$1 million in capital investment to refurbish certain pieces of equipment and recommence operations. Lease Agreement Advantages - Provides Canarc with a clear path to near-term production from the El Compas project - Eliminates the substantial capital cost, risk and time required to permit and build a plant and tailings facility - Agreements are already in place for power and water to support plant operations - Zacatecas is a mining center with a ready supply of mining professionals and workers skilled in mine and plant operations - Significantly shortens the project schedule and reduces completion risks for production in 2016 - Will provide Canarc with additional revenue from processing of local small miners' ores Story continues Canarc will now turn its focus to arranging the estimated US$8 million in pre-production capital financing needed to develop the mine, refurbish the plant and commence production. Discussions with several groups are now underway. Mr. Catalin Chiloflischi, CEO of Canarc, stated: "Today's announcement marks the completion of yet another key step forward by Canarc to transition into a producing gold-silver mining company during 2016. With the lease agreement and PEA now complete, we are now focused on arranging the financing required to develop the mine to production this year." Qualified Person Garry Biles, P. Eng., President & COO for Canarc Resource Corp, is the Qualified Person who reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. "Catalin Chiloflischi" ____________________ Catalin Chiloflischi, CEO CANARC RESOURCE CORP. About Canarc Resource Corp.: Canarc is a growth-oriented, gold exploration and mining company listed on the TSX (CCM) and the OTC-BB (CRCUF). The Company is currently focused on advancing its high grade, underground El Compas gold-silver mine in Zacatecas, Mexico to production. Canarc also owns the high grade, New Polaris gold mine project in BC, Canada and is seeking a partner to drill its prospective Windfall Hills gold property in BC. For More Information, Contact: Catalin Chiloflischi, CEO Toll Free: 1-877-684-9700 Tel: (604) 685-9700 Fax: (604) 685-9744 Email: catalin@canarc.net Website: www.canarc.net Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States private securities litigation reform act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking information that involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the potential economic results of mining activities at the Company's El Compas property, estimates of capital and sustaining costs, operational costs, mineral prices, and mineral recovery rates, mineral resource estimates and the Company's plans and exploration programs for its mineral properties, including the timing of such plans and programs. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "has proven", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "potential", "appears", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "at least", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks related to changes in metals prices; changes in metals recovery rates; changes in capital or operating expenditure requirements; uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources; commodity prices; the ability of the Company to raise sufficient financing for the development of a mine on the El Compas property; changes in general economic conditions; market sentiment; currency exchange rates; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's ability to raise funds through equity financings; risks inherent in mineral exploration; risks related to operations in foreign countries;; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals; government regulation of mining operations; environmental risks; title disputes or claims; limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of litigation. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could affect the Company and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, do not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All statements are made as of the date of this news release and the Company is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that the Company's activities will be in accordance with the Company's public statements and stated goals; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; that all required approvals will be obtained and that there will be no significant disruptions affecting the Company or its properties. SOURCE: Canarc Resource Corp. If you plan to cancel the tropical vacation you've booked to avoid coming down with the Zika virus, you're probably in good company. Worries over travel have picked up in recent days with the news that at least 31 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with the virus including a pregnant woman in New York City, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But canceling raises more questions. Will you be hit with cancellation penalties? Will you be able to get a refund? The good news is that some major airlines and cruise lines are bending their usually strict rules on cancellation for passengers with tickets to the affected areas. But at the same time, you may also need to negotiate for a refund to cancel travel plans. Airlines JetBlue, which was rated the most highly among airlines in our 2015 airline Ratings, has the most forgiving policy among the five largest U.S. carriers we contacted. Customers concerned about Zika and holding tickets to affected areas can cancel travel for a refund even if they purchased non-refundable tickets. Re-bookings can be made without penalty. United and American provide similar options, but only to women who are pregnant or attempting to become pregnant, and their travel companions, and their policies doesn't apply to non-refundable tickets. American requires a note from a doctor and refunds are limited for travel to only 11 countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Panama, and Puerto Rico. Southwest Airlines, also highly rated by our subscribers, has no specific Zika policy, but it never charges penalties for changing flight plans. So any traveler concerned about Zika is free to avoid problem destinations. If you have non-refundable tickets, their full value can be applied to travel elsewhere on Southwest. Delta did not respond to our request for comment, but the airline's website says customers may be able to change their destinations and travel dates without being charged a fee. They may also qualify for a refund if they cancel travel plans. Changes need to be made by February 29. Story continues What you should do. If you're not pregnant or trying to become pregnant and still prefer to cancel, getting a refund may be more difficult. If you bought travel insurance that has a rider that permits cancellation for any reason, that should protect you. If you don't have the insurance, we recommend that you negotiate for a refund from the airlines. That may require that you argue that canceling your trip helps prevent the spread of the virus to the U.S. It is especially advisable if you expect to be in contact with anyone who is pregnant (there are still questions as to how easily this disease gets transmitted). Cruises Consumers who buy tickets for a cruise are typically subject to stiff penalties if they change or cancel travel plans. Payment in full is usually required 90 or more days before departure. If you later want to cancel, you can lose up to 100 percent of your payment depending on when you make that decision. But if the reason for canceling has to do with the Zika virus, the cruise lines are being unusually lenient. Carnival, the largest cruise line, Disney Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises are letting pregnant women cancel travel or change their itineraries to exclude Zika-prone destinations. They can also request credit for a future voyage.* The new policies do not apply to those planning to become pregnant. What you should do. If your cruise line isn't willing to help you avoid cancellation or change fees, remind them of the policies set by the other cruise lines and ask for similar treatment. As with the airlines, if you purchased travel insurance that has a rider that permits cancellation for any reason, that should protect you. We suggest that you don't automatically take the limited insurance policy offerings that the cruise line sells. You're likely to get better coverage and lower fees if you shop the market more broadly by using an online broker such as InsureMyTrip. Lodging Hotel chains have more consumer-friendly cancellation policies and routinely require 48 to 72 hours notice to avoid a charge equal to one nights stay. However, if you cancel a prepaid stay during a peak period, you could forfeit the entire amount. Some resorts may bill you for three nights if you cancel your trip. If you've booked a private vacation home rental through online marketplaces such as Airbnb, HomeAway, or VRBO, the homeowner sets the cancellation policy. What you should do. Given the severity of the warning from the CDC, negotiate for a full refund or a reduced penalty waiver. It can help to contact the hotel or travel agent and explain that your doctor has warned against travel to the area. For private vacation home rentals, check your contract for the owner's cancellation policy to see if you can get out of the deal within the rules. If you are unable to break the agreement, appeal to the owner on a personal level and try to negotiate a fair refund, given the new health threat. *Correction: An earlier version incorrectly stated that Norwegian Cruise Lines allowed women expecting to become pregnant to cancel or change their itineraries if traveling to a Zika-prone area. That benefit applies only to women who are already pregnant. 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. RENO, NV / ACCESSWIRE / February 1, 2016 / Cancer.im Inc. a Viratech Corp. company (OTC: VIRA) and social network for cancer patients, survivors and caretakers, announced today an agreement with Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) to commercialize a device that analyzes metabolic biomarkers present in urine for cancer screening applications. The "P-scan" technology developed by Dr. Yinfa Ma and his research team at Missouri S&T is a rapid, point-of-care test for early screening of cancer that non-invasively monitors levels of pteridine biomarkers in urine. Its unique design delivers excellent sensitivity without the need for costly instrumentation. New technological modifications, such as improved interference filtering, are being used to further enhance device sensitivity and clinical accuracy. New frontiers for health care "The influential U.S. Preventive Services Task Force suggests waiting to start mammogram screening until age 50," says Dr. Kevin Buckman, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Cancer.im Inc. and author of a best-selling book on breast cancer called Find and Stop Breast Cancer. "This is a real dilemma for women under 50 and for those who want a noninvasive means of breast cancer screening. Screening with molecular biomarkers may have advantages over expensive imaging technologies such as CT scans, x-rays, PET scans, mammograms, ultrasounds and other tests, since these metabolic biomarkers can better represent tumor biology. There is an urgent need to find new ways to detect breast cancer at all stages and to monitor cancer treatment following diagnosis. Pteridines present an exciting opportunity given the clinical research that is linking pteridine levels in urine to cancer." The P-Scan device detects pteridines by measuring their fluorescence in urine, but can detect over 70 unique compounds. Some of these unknown compounds have also been shown to associate with presence of cancer. The technology has been deployed in several pilot clinical studies to evaluate the clinical performance of pteridine biomarkers in various cancers and especially breast cancer. Some of the more salient findings from these studies were that (1) Elevated pteridine levels were measured in invasive breast carcinomas; (2) Two pteridine biomarkers, xanthopterin and isoxanthopterin, provided superior performance in detecting invasive breast, and (3) Combining pteridine biomarkers with patient factors like age and previous history of breast cancer provide a new risk screening tool for clinicians that may be used to supplement or replace existing techniques like the mammogram. There are also preliminary findings that some pteridines correlate with cancer stage and may be used to detect early stage cancers that cannot be detected by conventional techniques. Further clinical studies are needed to obtain regulatory approval before the device can be used clinically. Story continues About Cancer.im Cancer.im Inc. is a purpose-driven corporation with a mission " To Change The Way People View and Manage Cancer. " Cancer.im is a for-profit social network that supports a parallel and independently run non-profit. On October 27, 2007, Dr. Nikolaou, on behalf of Fox Chase Medical Center, published a double blind placebo controlled study titled " Quality of Life (QOL) Supersedes the Classic Predictors of Survival in Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)." This study concluded that by raising a cancer patient's quality of life via the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC QLQ-C30 index), you could directly lower the incidence of morbidity in a cancer patient, regardless of treatment . In 2008, Cancer.im CEO Chris Ryan with oncologist Dr. Mahesh Kanojia, Dr. Barkat Charania and Dr. Kevin Buckman adapted the above referenced study into a modular 15-part best practice navigation element and guide on teaching and assisting cancer patients in raising their quality of life. In 2011 this adaption was published under the title "Method of Lowering a Cancer Patients' Morbidity Rate by Increasing Quality of Life of Patient, by Leveraging Cause Based Electronic Support Networks" , and later renamed "The Robert Ryan Cancer Protocol" in honor of the cancer patient who inspired the study. The Cancer.im Inc. vision is based on the Robert Ryan Cancer Protocol with a modular 15-part best practice guide on teaching and assisting cancer patients and their loved ones on the importance of Quality of Life and how to raise it when managing a diagnosis of cancer. "Cancer.im is about empowering the cancer patients, caretakers and survivors of the network. It is an honor to serve this project, for it draws the best people who together through collaboration bring the best out of each other. The purpose of Cancer.im is to convert a cancer patient from hopeless to hopeful, while teaching their support network how to be helpful, while not being a hindrance," says Chris Ryan CEO Cancer.im Inc. This year, nearly 1.6 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer. Of that, 581,000 people are expected to die. Cancer accounts for 1 in every 4 deaths, second only to heart disease as the most common cause of death. The monetary cost seems irrelevant to the loss of life. Overall costs of cancer are projected to exceed $201 billion in 2013: $77 billion for direct medical costs (all health expenditures) as well as over $124 billion for the indirect mortality costs. About Viratech Corp. Viratech is a software company focusing on leveraging its proprietary social network platform in developing disruptor-based applications in the communication broadcasting, work flow management, crowdsourced labor and biotechnology fields. About Missouri University of Science and Technology Founded in 1870 as the University of Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a research university of more than 8,900 students and part of the four-campus University of Missouri System. Located in Rolla, Missouri, Missouri S&T offers 97 degree programs in 39 areas of study and awards bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. degrees in engineering, the sciences, business and information technology, the humanities, and the liberal arts. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu. Forward-Looking Statements Our press releases may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the actual results of operations. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding our belief about the market applications. The following important factors, among others, have affected and, in the future could affect, the our actual results: the effect of new branding and marketing initiatives, the integration of new leadership, the introduction and acceptance of new products, the levels and particular directions of research and product development by our customers, the impact of the growing number of producers of biotechnology research and diagnostics products and related price competition, general economic conditions, the impact of currency exchange rate fluctuations, and the costs and results of our research and product development efforts and those of companies in which we have invested or with which we have formed strategic relationships. For additional information concerning such factors, see the section titled "Risk Factors" in our annual report and quarterly reports. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements we make in our press releases due to new information or future events. Investors are cautioned not to place undue emphasis on these statements. Contact information: Chris Ryan CEO Cancer.im, Inc. www.linkedin.com/in/cancer Fred Schiemann CEO Viratech, Corp. Viratech, Corp. (775) 372(VIRA) SOURCE: Cancer.im, Inc. Screen Shot 2016 02 01 at 11.37.35 AM A Virginia Tech student who was charged Saturday with the murder and abduction of a 13-year-old girl was profiled by ABC 2 in Baltimore as its "Student Athlete of the Week" last March. Eisenhauer, an 18-year-old freshman engineering student at Virginia Tech, was arrested on charges of murdering 13-year-old Nicole Lovell. The two had met on social media, the girl's mother told The Washington Post, saying police had given her that information. A cross country and track star at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Maryland, Eisenhauer came off looking like a perfectionist in his interview with the news station last year. During the two-minute piece, he said "I" more than 15 times and noted his accomplishments as a runner and a student. "I make my personal goals achievable or just out-of-reach of achievable," he said. "That way I'm always striving to better myself. If that goal becomes a record, or if that goal is passed, a record or records get broken in the process. I consider that a milestone goal but that's not where I ultimately want to end up." "I try to just have this internal thing saying I am the best," he continued. "There's no reason why I can't be as good as other people are ... I will personally not stop before I reach my peak performance, which could be anywhere." The news report also highlighted his experiences in a math class focusing on "differential equations," with the reporter expressing admiration for Eisenhauer's desire to push himself in classes perceived to be difficult. "I'm thinking that this is a super hard math class, but now that I'm in it, and I'm being successful in that class, I'm reviving the spirit in myself saying there is no reason why I can't do these things," Eisenhauer said. At the time of the story's upload to YouTube, an anonymous source called out Eisenhauer's integrity, calling him a "phony." Screen Shot 2016 02 01 at 12.04.03 PM Eisenhauer was arrested along with Natalie Keepers, a 19-year-old fellow engineering student and sophomore at Virginia Tech. Keepers was charged with improper disposal of a dead body and accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony. Story continues Lovell was found near the North Carolina border on Saturday after a four-day search. She was found about 90 miles south of her Blacksburg, Virginia home, where Virginia Tech is located, after going missing from her family's home Wednesday. Weeks said she found a nightstand pushed up against her daughter's bedroom door and that her window was open. Lovell, who underwent a liver transplant, was in need of daily medication. God got her through all that, and she fought through all that, and he took her life, Tammy Weeks, Lovell's mother, told The Roanoke Times. That evil bastard took her life. Police haven't revealed the cause of Lovell's death. "I'm so in shock I know nothing more to say," the victim's father, David Lovell, said on Facebook. "I'm broken!" Eisenhauer was a member of Virginia Tech's cross country team. He was named the Howard County Times/Columbia Flier Indoor Track Athlete of the year for 2015. Business Insider has reached out to lawyers for Eisenhauer and Keepers. A lawyer for Eisenhauer declined to comment, and an attorney for Keepers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Here's the March 2015 story from ABC 2: NOW WATCH: Steven Avery's defense attorney admits doubts about his innocence More From Business Insider A security personnel stands guard in front of an OSI's food processing plants in Langfang, Hebei province, July 23, 2014. REUTERS/Paul Carsten By Adam Jourdan SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A Chinese court has fined two domestic units of U.S. food supplier OSI Group [OSIGP.UL] up to 2.4 million yuan ($364,875) and handed prison sentences to 10 of its employees over allegations it reused returned food products to avoid losses. The verdict marks the end of a long-running probe into OSI after a safety scandal in 2014 that hit fast-food giants it supplied - McDonald's Corp (MCD.N) and Yum Brands Inc (YUM.N), owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell in China. The Shanghai Jiading People's Court said in a statement on Monday that Yang Liqun, a general manager at OSI China, would be sentenced to three years in prison and deported. It wasn't clear whether Yang, who the court said was an Australian citizen, would serve jail time in China. The Australian embassy in China had no immediate comment. OSI has criticized the handling of its case by the local food regulator - a rare act in China, where foreign firms steer clear of any public criticism of the authorities. It said on Monday that the verdict, which follows a December trial behind closed doors, was unjust. "The verdict is inconsistent with the facts and evidence that were presented in the court proceedings," it said in a statement. "As such, OSI is forced to consider an appeal through all legal channels in order to eventually be granted a just, evidencebased verdict as merited by the facts of the case." The court statement said Yang and other workers at OSI's China units had reused products from returned or canceled orders, meaning some unapproved products had entered the market. Nine other people in the case would be given shorter jail terms and would have to pay fines. Four of the nine would have their jail sentences suspended, it said. The court added the punishments were relatively lenient because the defendants had cooperated. China is trying to clean up its reputation for food safety scandals, which range from recycled "gutter oil" and "zombie meat" - smuggled frozen meat years beyond its expiry date - to crops tainted with heavy metals. Senior Chinese leaders have said food safety in the country remained "grim". Story continues The scandal dragged down sales at McDonald's and rival Yum in China after a Chinese TV report in July 2014 alleged to show workers at a Shanghai unit of OSI using out-of-date meat and doctoring production dates. A senior executive for OSI in China told the official Xinhua news agency last July the scandal had cost the firm close to a billion dollars in lost revenue. (Reporting by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Adrian Croft) By Nathaniel Taplin SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's manufacturing activity contracted at its fastest pace in almost three-and-a-half years in January, an official survey showed, suggesting the world's second largest economy is off to a weak start in 2016 and adding to the case for near-term stimulus. The official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) stood at 49.4 in January, compared with the previous month's reading of 49.7 and below the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis. It is the weakest index reading since August 2012 and below the median 49.6 forecast from a Reuters poll of economists. The PMI marks the sixth consecutive month of factory activity contraction, highlighting a manufacturing complex under severe pressure from falling prices and overcapacity in key sectors including steel and energy. "The electricity production remained sluggish and the crude steel output continued the weak trend in January, reflecting an ongoing deleveraging process in the industrial sectors," said Zhou Hao, an economist at Commerzbank. "In the meantime, China has started an aggressive capacity reduction in many sectors, which could add downward pressure on the bulk commodity prices over time." The Markit/Caixin factory PMI also showed activity deteriorating, although at a slower pace than in December. The index was 48.4, higher than economists' median forecast of 48.0, and above the December figure of 48.2. The Markit report focuses more on small- and medium-sized firms as opposed to larger state-owned firms in the official survey. Both the official and private factory surveys showed domestic and export demand remained weak and companies continued to shed staff. China's plan to cut its steel production capacity by 100-150 million tonnes will lead to the loss of up to 400,000 jobs, the official Xinhua news agency reported last week. "To maintain growth above 6.5 percent this year the economy will need more policy support," said Ding Shuang, head of Greater China Economic Research at Standard Chartered bank in Hong Kong. Story continues "The fiscal deficit is almost certain to exceed three percent now, and there could be additional support from the policy banks. There is less room now for expansionary monetary policy although we expect the central bank to remain accommodative." Recent statements from central bank officials suggest they are reluctant to implement further broad-based easing measures like cutting bank reserve ratios while pressure on the yuan from capital outflows remain strong. Meanwhile, the official non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to 53.5 from December's 54.4, showing a slight slowdown in services activity growth. With manufacturing decelerating quickly, services have been a crucial source of growth and jobs for China over the past year, and analysts have been watching closely to see if the sector can maintain momentum in 2016. Analysts note headline PMI data in January might be distorted as activity tends to slow in the weeks leading into the Lunar New Year break, which begins this year on Feb. 8. China's economic growth cooled to 6.9 percent in 2015, the slowest pace in 25 years, adding pressure to policymakers who are already struggling to restore the confidence of investors after a renewed plunge in stock markets and the yuan currency. (Reporting By Nathaniel Taplin; Editing by Pete Sweeney and Sam Holmes) A map of China is seen through a magnifying glass on a computer screen showing binary digits in Singapore in this January 2, 2014 photo illustration. REUTERS/Edgar Su/Files By Megha Rajagopalan BEIJING (Reuters) - A new Chinese military outfit will lead the country's push to enhance its cyber warfare, space security and online espionage capabilities, Chinese military observers and analysts said. Senior People's Liberation Army (PLA) officials and other observers have begun to give details of the country's new Strategic Support Force (SSF), whose establishment was announced at the end of last year as part of a major overhaul of the armed forces. "It's going to make them far more effective," said John Costello, a Washington-based analyst who focuses on China's cyber capabilities. "It will most likely increase the sophistication of cyber intrusions and cyber reconnaissance over the long term. It will make them a lot more formidable to sustain cyber operations in a contested environment." The new outfit will also be charged with assisting civilian government departments with cyber defence, analysts said. "(China is) facing many hackers on the Internet engaging in illegal activities against our country, for example online attacks against important government facilities, military facilities, and important civilian facilities," Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo, director of the PLA Navy's Expert Consultation Committee, told the official People's Daily online. "So it's imperative that we're equipped with defensive strength accordingly." Yin, who according to his official biography is considered an expert on communications technology in the military, added that the force would also focus on space assets and global positioning operations. China's growing cyber security prowess has been a source of tension in its relationship with the United States, which has repeatedly accused China of sponsoring hackers to steal data from its companies. Beijing vehemently denies it engages in cyber theft, saying China itself is a victim of such attacks. The Pentagon sees cyber espionage as a top national security concern. A 2014 U.S. indictment accused five Chinese military officers of hacking into American nuclear, metal and solar companies to steal trade secrets. Story continues The indictment singled out Unit 61398 of the People's Liberation Army, which was "hired" to assemble corporate intelligence. China called the charges "made up." "HACKER TROOPS" In an interview with a regional Chinese newspaper that was re-posted on the state-backed Global Times website, Song Zhongping, a respected Beijing-based military expert, said the SSF was more than a support force, and should be considered a military branch in its own right. He added the force was comprised of three parts, including one made up of "hacker troops" for cyber attacks and defence, as well as space and electronic warfare. The space force will focus on all types of reconnaissance and satellite navigation, Song added. The electronic warfare unit would work on interference with enemy radar and communications. Speaking about the military reforms on state television at the end of last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping called the support force a "new-type combat force to maintain national security and an important growth point of the PLA's combat capabilities." The force would facilitate cooperation between defence and civilian sectors, Xi added. The new force could also incorporate civilian technology including cloud computing, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology, state media reported this month. Senior Colonel Shao Yongling, a professor at the PLA Rocket Force Command College in the central province of Hubei, told the official China Daily that the SSF would serve to reduce duplication of tasks in the military and improve the PLA's ability to carry out joint operations. "As for the Strategic Support Force, it better coordinates the cooperation between forces on the battlefield and logistic support," Major General Du Wenlong, PLA Academy of Military Science, told state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV). (Reporting By Megha Rajagopalan; Editing by Mike Collett-White) Costcos power in the auto industry is growing. The warehouse retailer sold 465,000 vehicles through partnerships with auto dealers in 2015, a 16.8% increase from the previous year. Thats not far behind the No. 1 auto retailer in the US, AutoNation, which sold 533,000 vehicles in 2014. Costco has one major perk that traditional car dealerships lack: fixed prices. That means customers can skip the bargaining and upselling that is expected at traditional auto dealers. The company sells cars through 3,000 dealerships to Costco members across the US. Costco also announced that members bought or leased 58,000 vehicles during its 2015 GM Holiday Sales Event, a 34% increase from the previous years holiday-season promotion. More than half of the people who purchased vehicles through the event said they switched to a General Motors brand such as Chevrolet, Buick, or Cadillac because of Costcos promotion. General Motors is pleased that Costco members continue to find our holiday offer with Costco Auto Program valuable, GM spokesman Dan Flores said in a statement. We were able to work with Costco Auto Program to ensure that we offered a diverse vehicle selection and value that resonates with Costco members, and received great results that included conquests from other brands. NOW WATCH: Jaguar revealed its first SUV ever and its the most beautiful SUV on the planet More From Business Insider VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Feb 1, 2016) - East Africa Metals Inc. (TSX VENTURE:EAM) ("East Africa" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has received confirmation from the holder of a 20% participating interest on the Adyabo property that it wishes to convert its 20% interest to a 2% net smelter return ("NSR") royalty. The Company has the option to buy back 1.0% of the NSR for a cash payment of C$5,000,000. Upon execution of an NSR agreement, the Company will hold a 100% undivided interest in the Adyabo property, subject to the 2% NSR. Andrew Lee Smith, the Company's President & C.E.O., stated, "This is a significant development for the Company as we continue to strengthen our asset base and build the Company in challenging times. The Adyabo Project has performed beyond our expectations and we are excited to continue developing the existing Resource." Earlier in 2015, the Company announced the initial Resource for the Adyabo Project (news release of May 5, 2015): Adyabo Resource Inferred Mineral Resources of 9,315,000 tonnes containing 678,000 ounces gold at an average grade of 2.26 g/t gold, 82,100,000 lbs copper at an average grade of 0.40% copper, and 648,000 ounces silver at an average grade of 2.2 g/t silver. The Resource hosts 885,000 gold equivalent ounces1. Adyabo Resource Highlights The Mineral Resource is defined to a depth of 500, 330, and 180 metres for Mato Bula, Da Tambuk, and Mato Bula North respectively, with potential for lateral and depth extension within this large altered system. Copper concentrate grades ranged from 23% to 27% Cu, 170 to 850 g/t Au, and 27 to 240g/t Ag. Total gold recoveries, inclusive of copper floatation and cyanidation tests, ranged from 77% to 97%*. Whole mineralization cyanidation of Da Tambuk and intensive leaching of a Da Tambuk pyrite scavenger concentrate both returned gold recoveries of 97% suggesting that the gold within this composite is not refractory and the flotation-only recovery of 57% could be improved by cyanidation of flotation products. Additional metallurgical optimization is possible through regrind work, collector dosage variation, and comminution testwork. Synergies available as Resources are spatially aligned on a corridor of infrastructure (including the national power grid transmission corridor and paved highway) with the Company's adjacent Terakimti deposit at the Harvest Project, with direct connection to a planned rail network link at Shire. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the mineralized zones contain the majority of gold mineralization in significantly higher grade core areas. Story continues *Da Tambuk whole mineralization leach test and pyrite scavenger concentrate test both returned gold recoveries of 97%. 1 Base Case - Au $1,400/oz, Cu $3.20/lb, Ag $20/oz Work has continued on the Project and subsequently the Company announced highlight intersections from the Mato Bula Silica Hill Resource infill drilling that include (news release dated January 11, 2016); 19.50 metres at 21.67 grams per tonne gold including 8.6 metres at 46.81 grams per tonne gold , from 103.35 metres drill depth (WMD050 - Section 19920N). 20.69 metres at 18.37 grams per tonne gold including 10.67 metres at 34.23 grams per tonne gold, from 87.5 metres drill depth (WMD053 - Section 19880N). Adyabo Project The Mato Bula trend is a greater than 8 kilometre long zone of alteration characterized by sericite, pyrite (10%), carbonate (generally dolomite), and silica mineralization, which has undergone strong shearing. This assemblage comprises many elements consistent with high sulphidation gold rich VMS - submarine porphyry-related systems. The trend hosts additional geochemical targets at surface, and continues to possess significant upside to further discoveries both along strike and at depth. Higher grade gold core shoots are recognized at Mato Bula Main, Mato Bula Silica Hill and at Da Tambuk. Potential resource extraction is supported by favourable topography over the mineralized shoots. Forward Program East Africa will continue to advance both its Harvest and Adyabo Projects in Northern Ethiopia. Infill drilling and trenching has been completed in January 2016 at the Da Tambuk and Mato Bula deposits at Adyabo, and final analyses are anticipated late first quarter. At East Africa's Harvest Project, metallurgical diamond drilling has been completed at the Terakimti Oxide deposit, and samples have been forwarded to an accredited lab for metallurgical evaluation. Quality Control The planning, execution, and monitoring of East Africa's drilling and quality control programs at the Adyabo Project has been conducted under the supervision of Jeff Heidema, P.Geo., East Africa's Vice President Exploration. Mr. Heidema is a "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. Diamond drilling was coordinated by East Africa's contract geologists who also managed the preparation, logging, and sampling of core and rock samples, in addition to carrying out bulk density measurements. During sampling, quality control standards and blanks were introduced at pre-determined intervals to monitor laboratory performance. A system of field, reject, and pulp sample duplicates was also incorporated, as were specific programs of re-assaying and umpire lab assaying to both monitor laboratory performance and also characterize potential mineralization; all consistent with industry best practice. Drill core samples have undergone preliminary preparation at the Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories facility in Ankara, Turkey, and are crushed to 80% passing 10 mesh, and pulverized to 85% passing 200 mesh (PRP70-1KG package). Analyses are conducted at Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories in Vancouver, Canada, with diamond drill core analyses utilizing Aqua Regia digestion and ICP-ES for base metal and silver analyses (AQ370 package), and Infill sample program utilizing Aqua Regia digestion and ICP-MS/ICP-ES (AQ270 package) for base metal and silver analyses. Gold analyses are conducted via Fire Assay Fusion with AA finish, and gravimetric analyses are completed for over-limit samples (FA430, FA530-Au packages). About East Africa The Company's principal assets and interests include both the 70%-owned Harvest polymetallic VMS exploration Project, which covers approximately 116 square kilometres in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, 600 kilometres northnorthwest of the capital city of Addis Ababa, and the Adyabo Project, covering 264 square kilometres immediately west of the Harvest Project. The Company owns 80% of the Adyabo Project, upon execution of an NSR agreement the Company will own 100% of the Adyabo Project, subject to a 2% NSR. East Africa now has mineral resources defined at both projects in Ethiopia and continues to test priority targets. Additionally, the Company owns the 93 square kilometre Handeni Property located in north-eastern Tanzania. Handeni includes the Magambazi Project, a gold deposit discovered in 2009. East Africa has entered into a binding letter agreement with an arm's length private exploration and development company to advance the project. More information on the Company can be viewed at the Company's website: www.eastafricametals.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors: Andrew Lee Smith, P.Geo., CEO Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "forecast", "project", "budget", "schedule", "may", "will", "could", "might", "should" or variations of such words or similar words or expressions. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by East Africa as at the date of such information and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of East Africa to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: early exploration; the closing of the agreement with the exploration and development company to advance the Magambazi Project or identify any other corporate opportunities for the Company; mineral exploration and development; metal and mineral prices; availability of capital; accuracy of East Africa's projections and estimates, including the initial mineral resource for the Adyabo, Harvest and Magambazi Projects; interest and exchange rates; competition; stock price fluctuations; availability of drilling equipment and access; actual results of current exploration activities; government regulation; political or economic developments; foreign taxation risks; environmental risks; insurance risks; capital expenditures; operating or technical difficulties in connection with development activities; personnel relations; the speculative nature of strategic metal exploration and development including the risks of diminishing quantities of grades of reserves; contests over title to properties; and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, as well as those risk factors set out in East Africa's listing application dated July 8, 2013 and Tigray Resources Inc. Management Information Circular dated March 28, 2014. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the successful integration of Tigray Resources Inc.'s business with the Company; the price of gold, silver, copper and zinc; the demand for gold, silver, copper and zinc; the ability to carry on exploration and development activities; the timely receipt of any required approvals; the ability to obtain qualified personnel, equipment and services in a timely and cost-efficient manner; the ability to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner; and the regulatory framework regarding environmental matters, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although East Africa has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. The Company does not update or revise forward looking information even if new information becomes available unless legislation requires the Company do so. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. (Adds Jourova in European Parliament) BRUSSELS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - European and U.S. negotiators missed a deadline to agree a key data transfer pact, the European Union's executive said, with talks snagged over a new oversight role and options for European citizens to seek redress over data privacy violations. While talks are continuing and a deal could be clinched in coming days, national data protection regulators from across Europe are poised to begin meetings on Tuesday to start restricting trans-Atlantic flows of personal data. "There have been constructive but difficult talks over the weekend," a spokesman for the European Commission said on Monday. "Work is still ongoing, we are not there yet, but the Commission is working day and night on achieving a deal." European Union data protection law bars companies from transferring EU citizens' personal data to countries outside the bloc deemed to have insufficient privacy safeguards -- like the United States. Cross-border transfers are used in many industries for sharing employee information or when consumer data is shared to complete credit card, travel or ecommerce transactions. Firms such as Facebook and Google rely on transferring and analysing reams of user data to sell targeted advertising, for example. U.S. officials and American executives have grown increasingly worried about the consequences of not having a new deal in place, despite a flurry of high-level talks in Brussels over the past few weeks. Some U.S. industry representatives, believing they had exhausted their case, flew home this weekend after bringing their pitch directly to regulators across Europe. A U.S. industry source said a deal is "on the table" with what the United States feels is the strongest offer yet, but that Europe apparently still wants to see more. EUROPEAN CONCERNS Negotiators had hoped to reach a deal before Vra Jourova, the EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, reports to the European Parliament on Monday evening. Story continues But that did not happen, with Jourova telling the European lawmakers: "Negotiations are still ongoing, including at the political level." Revelations of mass U.S. surveillance programmes in 2013 prompted the European Commission to demand that "Safe Harbour" a framework which more than 4,000 companies have relied upon to avoid cumbersome EU data transfer rules, be strengthened. The Safe Harbour framework was struck down by an EU court last year over concerns about U.S. Internet surveillance, leaving companies in legal limbo. European Parliament lawmakers expressed scepticism that the United States was serious about ensuring protection for European privacy rights and said what the U.S. side was offering was well short of legally binding assurances. "We must trust them. But at the same time, I say we must check also," Jourova responded. "We need to set up rules that give us as much room as possible for checking how it works there and gives us continuous guarantees." The U.S. side proposed improving oversight of the new data transfer framework by creating an ombudsman to review decisions. The European Commission is pushing for the ombudsman to have the authority to make findings on U.S. surveillance as opposed to just fielding complaints from European citizens and data protection authorities, a person familiar with the talks said. Jourova said the role needed to be independent from U.S. authorities and empowered to seek information on concrete cases. She added there would also be a "clear suspension clause" in the agreement with the United States that would be applicable should the system not work properly, and that the European side would run annual checks on that. (Reporting by Julia Fioretti and Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels, Dustin Volz in Washington D.C., Writing by Eric Auchard and Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Mark Heinrich) Dunkin Donuts When the FBI wants to get a hedge fund portfolio manager to be a cooperating witness in an insider-trading case, they'll literally follow that person everywhere, according to FBI Special Agent David Chaves. Basically, the FBI learns how you take your coffee, what you do in the gym, and whom you're sleeping with. On Thursday evening, Chaves gave a presentation on insider trading at an event hosted by the New York Hedge Fund Round Table at the Penn Club of New York. Since 2009, the government has been cracking down on insider trading in the hedge fund industry with dozens of arrests and convictions made. Finding a cooperating witness has been essential to many of those cases. A cooperating witness is someone who has also committed a crime. The FBI approaches this individual and says if they wear a wire, cooperate, and testify against others, they along with the US Attorney's office will submit a letter to the court explaining how that person helped in the investigation when it's time for their sentencing. To find these people, the FBI has partnered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Together, they look for traders who seemingly guessed right over the last few years on mergers and acquisitions, earnings, or good or bad news affecting a company's stock. "Let's take a look at those people are they the best traders in the world or are they cheating?" The FBI would then examine bank records, trading records, and phone records. They'd look for phone calls with a company insider and then see if it matched up with the timing of a trade in that company's stock. Once they know they have someone, they'd follow that person for months at a time. It's important that they gather intelligence to make sure they have the leverage to get them to cooperate. They can't afford to have them not cooperate and then go back to the hedge fund and sound the alarm that the FBI is onto them. Story continues Here's how Chaves said it works: I could tell you that we would watch these people put their kids on the school bus every morning, watch them drive to work, follow them, get on the subway with them, get on the train with them, follow them to work, watch them at the office, watch them work out at gyms gyms that we work out in so that we could hear, listen to what was going on, who they talked to. We would see them after work, meeting a drug dealer, meeting an escort, meeting a girlfriend. We knew more about them, certainly more than their wives knew about them. And we waited for the right opportunity. And what we did was approach them in places like Dunkin' Donuts where our team knew exactly how they took their coffee. So when they got in the line and it was their turn to order, we'd just get in front of them and say, "Oh we're buying today. He takes three sugars and a cream." Hand that coffee over to them and now they are really off guard. We'd sit them down. We'd say, "That's the door and you can walk out that door right now because you're not under arrest, but let me tell you before you do that, that this is what you've been doing in your professional life, this is what you've been doing in your personal life. And again, you can walk out the door, but in a few weeks you're going to hear a pounding at your door at 6 a.m., the anointed time the FBI arrests people, and your opportunity to cooperate will be no longer. However, pick up the phone right now and call this insider you've been talking to and just talk about that last deal you did and talk about what's on the horizon and we're going to record that call." Nine times out of 10 that's exactly what they do, Chaves said. NOW WATCH: Wall Street's unbelievable secret history More From Business Insider PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwired - February 01, 2016) - The Families Civil Liberties Union (FCLU) has filed notice of federal younger doctrine alert to family court judges in Maricopa (18 judges) and Pima (12 judges) counties. Mentioned, also, are two parenting coordinators. This alert claims they are violating federal statutes. Under this notice, the petitioner would be forced to assert that these criminal acts violate ARS 13-2310, 18 USC 1341, 1349, Chapter 96 and other Federal statutes by exploiting vulnerable families in crisis, including their minor children. This allows the friends of those crafting Rules 72 and 74 take financial advantage of divorced families under the cover of law. The petitioner alleges that actions perpetrated upon the citizens of this State and their innocent minor children would not only be considered grossly disdainful, but criminal. The Younger Doctrine Alert was established by a legal case in 1971 (Younger v. Harris) which allows Federal jurisdiction when there is dereliction or misconduct at State or local levels. It is essentially an administrative remedy to a legal conduct matter. "The problem is some parenting coordinators, who are entrusted by the people to help troubled families of divorce, are abusing their power. Their excessively expensive services, abetted by the judges, take advantage of families undergoing divorce," claims Martin Lynch, President of the Arizona Chapter of FCLU. Specifically mentioned are Rules 72 and 74, which were created by the Arizona Judiciary. These rules address immunity. First, activities which are ministerial and not part of the clinical and reporting functions or activities contrary to a court order are unprotected. Any order issued with the old language which serves to propagate the false and contrived notion of "Judicial Immunity" may render themselves a conspirator in a fraudulent scheme in violation of ARS 13-2310 and/or 18 USC 1341, 1349. Second, no order of appointment may impede anyone's access to the judicial system. The new Rule 74 contains such unlawful language which must be removed either by the Family Court Judge or the Appellate Court or a Federal Court where these infractions may be actionable as Civil Rights violations under 18 USC 241, 242. Story continues On Jan 8, 2016, evidence of the scale of the abuse suffered by the public was filed as CV2015-014152 which is a public document. The Families Civil Liberties Union is a professional, politically neutral, national activist organization headquartered in New York City, with numerous local chapters. Our goal is to protect families from the family court system until the family court system protects families. We are NOT affiliated with the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). We use legislation, litigation, education, industry research, the power of the press and checks and balances to fix a system that damages millions of Americans and our children. The FCLU mission is the education and promotion of equalized gender rights, fair and standardized laws and practices nationally in relation to Family and Domestic Relations Law. We believe matrimonial attorneys and the judicial system enforcing Family and Domestic Relations Law should be held accountable to provide a system that is fair and unbiased -- one that benefits the family as a whole. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/1/30/11G080883/Images/image1-857be7a3b1168c7da92983451bbbcaf8.jpeg MUMBAI (Reuters) - Drugmaker IPCA Laboratories Ltd said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued it a warning letter outlining manufacturing quality lapses observed at three of its Indian factories, pushing its shares down as much as 16 percent. The letter concerns the company's finished-drug plants at Piparia in western India, and Indore in central India, as well as the drug ingredients facility at Ratlam in central India, IPCA said in a statement. The plants have already been banned from supplying to the United States after the FDA inspected them in July 2014, January 2015 and March 2015, and first highlighted the lapses. IPCA said it has since been trying to fix the problems and has been informing the FDA of its remedial measures. "The company is fully committed to resolving these issues at the earliest," it said, without disclosing the content of the letter. The FDA usually posts such letters on its website a week after issuing them to manufacturers, who need to respond to the agency within 15 days with a plan on how they would work on fixing the issues. IPCA, a mid-sized Indian firm with 2015 revenue of about $500 million, has 16 manufacturing plants in India from where it supplies to more than 120 countries. The three sites with U.S. bans also supply to India, UK and Canada. The FDA warning follows similar action on plants of larger rivals Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd in November and December, respectively. Several drug factories in India have been cited by the FDA over the last two years for violating manufacturing quality standards, as the FDA has increased its oversight of the industry, which is a key supplier to the United States. IPCA's stock fell as much as 16 percent on Monday in Mumbai. It pared some losses to trade down 5 percent by 0721 GMT, while the broader market was up 0.1 percent. (Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Mumbai; Editing by Sunil Nair and Muralikumar Anantharaman) reflections, updates and homilies from Deacon Mike Talbot inspired by the following words from my ordination: Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach... Demand for Safe-Haven Treasuries Fell as the Stock Market Rallied (Continued from Prior Part) Four-week Treasury bills auction The U.S. Department of the Treasury conducted the weekly auction for four-week Treasury bills (or T-bills) on January 20, 2016. The issuance was $50 billion, $5 billion higher than in the previous week. The bid-to-cover ratio, depicting overall demand, fell 7.8% from the previous week to 3.1x. Coverage at the one-month T-bills auction averaged 4.1x in 2015. The high discount rate for the January 20 auction came in at 0.25% compared to 0.22% in the previous week. Market demand rose Market demand for the four-week Treasury bills rose from 25.6% in the previous week to 37.1% last week. The percentage of indirect bids rose to 28.8% from 22.4% week-over-week. Indirect bidders include foreign central banks. Domestic investors share rose for the auction held last week. The percentage of direct bids rose to 8.2% from 3.2% week-over-week. Direct bidders include domestic money managers such as BlackRock (BLK) and Wells Fargo (WFC). Primary dealers bids fell to 62.9% from 74.4% in the previous week. Primary dealers are a group of 22 broker-dealers authorized by the Fed. Theyre obligated to bid at US Treasury auctions and take up excess supply. They include companies such as JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Morgan Stanley (MS). Investment impact Mutual funds such as the PIMCO GNMA Fund Class A (PAGNX) and the MFS Government Securities Fund Class A (MFGSX) invest in Treasury securities. The PAGNX provided a week-over-week return of -0.05%. The weekly return of the MFGSX came in at 0.03%. For more analysis on Mutual Funds, please visit Market Realists Mutual Funds page. Browse this series on Market Realist: Look behind any successful online business today and chances are youll find at least one, if not a small army, of virtual assistants. These versatile multitaskers do everything from trudging through email backlogs and responding to customer queries to managing social media profiles and booking their busy bosss root canal. Finding a virtual assistant of your own can be as simple as finding a new pair of shoes online. Job postings for virtual assistant have skyrocketed on Upwork.com (the combination of former freelance sites oDesk and e-lance.com). There were 38,000 VA postings in 2015, up from 25,000 in 2012 and only 2,500 in 2008. The reason behind the trend is obvious: Technology has allowed employers to outsource tasks to freelancers without having to hire a full-time worker. Ryan Johnson, categories director for Upwork, says whats more important is that the rate of clients actually hiring VAs grew 41% in 2015 (the company does not give out specific hiring figures). These arent just folks coming in to hire virtual assistants for small, project-based work, Johnson says. They want somebody in that executive assistant or personal assistant role that can help them be more proficient in their day to day [tasks] and help them focus on the most critical [tasks] for the greatest gain. A handful of companies have popped up to help business owners find virtual assistants and manage their relationship, including Upwork, Toptal and Freelance.com. The cost of a reliable and competent VA can run around $500-$800 a month, according to Virtual CEO Chris Ducker, who matches businesses with virtual assistants through his site Virtual Staff Finder. Finding a VA whos the right fit for your needs is the tricky part. We spoke with a few entrepreneurs to find out how they found their virtual assistants and what makes their working relationship successful. David Greenberg, founder of Miami-based tutoring service Parliament Tutors , which matches thousands of freelance tutors across the country with schools and nonprofit organizations. How did you find your virtual assistant? At first like everyone else I was using odesk or elance.com to secure VAs. But the diamond in the rough I found was a site called VA4U.com. I sent out a mass note to 20 different people explaining what I needed and asked a bunch of questions like what Internet connection do you have? Do you own your own computer? How often are there power outages where you live? Did someone help you prepare the reply to this email? English fluency doesnt matter, comprehension matters. However, I was looking for someone who was going to be a stable long-term partner. Story continues What sort of work do your VA do? The role of VAs really began as a means of data collection when were scoping out an area for developing our business. They would make a list of schools and principals, directors of nonprofit programs, and add them to our marketing list. Now they also handle communications from students and do follow-up emails. How much do you pay? Jojo, my main guy whos been with me for 3-plus years, started at $600 a month and now hes received several raises. Now hes earning $1,000 a month. This is a six-days-a-week job, 8 hours a day. What are the pros and cons to using a VA outside of the U.S.? The number one pitfall of having a VA from the Philippines is the time difference. He works for me 8-9 hours a day, but he works from 5 a.m.-10 a.m. and from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. EST. So a lot of his job is communication, email follow-ups, and those follow-ups are being done in the evening and early morning and were missing the afternoon. The main pro is the savings. He's been on the team for 3+ years (40 months). The alternative would be hiring someone locally to fulfill his job at $2,000 per month. I could quantify that savings at $1,000+ dollars per month, or $40,000+ since he came on-board. And this guy very much appreciates this job. Theres nobody who works harder than this guy that I know. Karin Hurt, former Verizon executive running leadership consultancy firm Lets Grow Leaders How did you find your virtual assistant? I was transitioning from working at Verizon for 15 years and I was used to having an executive assistant. It was a huge shock to go out on my own. How I found my VA was by accident really. A blogger reached out to see if I could have a mentoring conversation with a friend and as I was talking to her I realized she did exactly the kind of work I needed. So I hired her. She lives in South Carolina. What sort of tasks do you give her She does a lot of my social media implementation, taking my blog posts and tweeting out quotes. She handles Facebook and LinkedIn. She makes sure Im showing up all over the place consistently. She also does graphic design for me. How much value has she added to your business? I pay her $30 an hour and I buy chunks of time. She may work 4 hours a week or 20 hours a week, depending on whats going on that week. Having her has taken so many administrative tasks off my lap, which are not my strength. Using a VA is so cost effective, because youre not paying for any wasted time. If theres no work, shes not dipping into the pool. I buy a bucket of hours and she tells me when theyre running low. I trust her own accounting. The first 10 hours I was blown away at how efficient she was. Id say Ive been 30% more productive since I hired her. Are there any tools that make your online relationship easier to manage? We work with programs called CoSchedule and Buffer, which enable her to schedule out all our social media posts. To communicate, we use Zoom, which is my go-to for everything. Its like Skype but stronger. Its a video-conferencing service. Chris Huntley, founder of Huntley Wealth Insurance , a life insurance agency. Photo: Chris Huntley How did you find your virtual assistant? I have three now. I found them through Odesk [now known as upwork.com]. I was looking at first for a fluent English speaker in the Philippines, looking to spend $400 to $500 a month. I did hire a couple people on a full-time basis but neither of the two hires worked out. Both had issues with English proficiency, Internet connectivity problems, their electricity going out, I had a lot of those problems. The problem wasnt how I was finding these people. The problem was that I was underpaying them. What I did for my next couple hires was I learned to hire people and pay them a little bit more. Ive got three VAs now, one is a part-time writer from Canada, the other is a general administrative assistant who lives in Washington and the third is a law school graduate from Canada who helps me with media outreach. How did you find your virtual assistant? Like most busy entrepreneurs, I read The 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss, a few years ago and it became my go-to resource for streamlining my efficiency at my insurance agency. What sort of tasks do you give them? They help me form relationships with bloggers in the insurance and personal finance industry, getting on their radar. One is a writer and the other does general tasks, like sending my wife flowers or paying bills for me, research for articles Im writing. Recently I moved, which meant changing my contact info on hundreds of accounts. My general assistant saved me a full day of work by doing that for me. How much do you pay? I pay one $26 per hour, about $900 a month. I pay my writer $15 an hour and he writes 4-6 articles per month. My general assistant earns $8.25 per hour. Any tips for business owners considering hiring a VA? If you can give your contractor flexibility in their schedule, thats a big plus for them because they often have other contracts. My main assistant can work on her own time which is how shes able to work full-time for me and work for another contract as well. Also, for the first 30 days she worked for me, I asked her to send me an email at the end of every workday telling me what she spent her time on that day and if she had any questions or suggestions. It made our relationship better because it created the boundaries of what I expected from her. Theres a feature on Upwork where workers clock in on Upwork and it takes screenshots of their monitor every 15 or 10 minutes so you can see if theyre working on your projects. They have to agree to this. Its a good way to be sure people stay on task. Whats the payoff? Just from adding my writer a couple years ago, the traffic on my site has gone up 80%. I had been writing insurance articles for five years, posting once per month. Now Im getting 4-6 articles per month. He writes and I edit. What's taken me 3-4 hours a day in the past now takes 30 minutes. Im trying to form systems to get as much of the work I don't have to do myself off my plate as possible. By Aditi Shah NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Carmakers are gearing up to launch affordable hybrid and electric cars for India in the next few years, executives said, lured by government incentives for fuel-efficient vehicles as the country accelerates efforts to cut worsening air pollution. As the industry descends on smog-bound New Delhi for India's biggest car show, starting Wednesday, foreign firms like Toyota Motor Corp will join domestic players like Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra in displaying green cars designed to reel in potential buyers. The stakes are high in one of the fastest-growing car markets in the world. While hybrid and electric cars now make up a tiny fraction of sales, new government aid worth up to $2,000 per car could help catapult green vehicles to nearly a third of a 5 million car market by 2020, IHS Automotive says. "It is not enough to just introduce new technology in India, you have to make it relevant for the market and the buyers," said C.V. Raman, head of engineering at Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, India's top-selling carmaker. India's rampant pollution has forced the government's hand. The Supreme Court last month ordered an overnight temporary ban on the sale of large diesel cars in New Delhi, among the world's most polluted cities. Carmakers were left jittery, many having invested heavily in comparatively cheap diesel technology over the years to conquer India. Reliance on imported parts still makes full-scale hybrid technology cars expensive, but with India's new sales incentives, 'semi-hybrid' technology is seen as a potential longer term solution. HYBRID ACCELERATION To incentivise carmakers, the government introduced a scheme last year called FAME - Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric cars - that offers concessions of up to 138,000 rupees ($2,032) on the sale of such cars. The scheme, introduced before the New Delhi court order and originally planned for two years, will now likely be extended till 2020. To be sure, some carmakers, like General Motors Co, Hyundai Motor Co and Honda Motor Co, are yet to be convinced on hybrid technology potential in India. Instead, they will focus their presence at the New Delhi auto show on gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles. Toyota is among those now looking at bringing in a hybrid variant for future models, as well as cars it now sells in India, which is also moving towards stricter emission norms. "Our strategy is to go for hybridisation," said Naomi Ishii, head of Toyota's India unit. Ishii did not give a specific timeline, but said the Japanese carmaker will first bring hybrid in for its top-end models and then in the mass segment, mainly because of the high cost of imported components. Meanwhile Maruti, majority-owned by Suzuki Motor Corp, has already invested in developing a low-cost version of hybrid technology, irrespective of government incentives. Maruti says the technology combines fuel efficiency and lower emissions, but is not as expensive as existing traditional hybrid technology. ($1 = 67.92 rupees) (Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) donald trump After more than a year of meeting with local leaders, giving speeches on hay bales, and performing local rituals that involve wielding large slabs of grilled meat, Iowans are set to head to their precincts Monday to pick presidential nominees. What a crazy, wild ride it's been. Just like in 2012, Iowa's horse race proved to be an unpredictable yet illuminating lens into the state of the race. Following the midterm elections in November 2014, early polling showed 2008 Iowa caucus winner and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) enjoying the the highest levels of support. Some pundits predicted that Huckabee's win in the state in 2008, as well as a gig as a Fox News host, made him a well-positioned front-runner early on. But the first major movement of the race came two months after the midterms. Almost a dozen eventual presidential candidates visited the weekend-long Iowa Freedom Summit in January 2015. But it was Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) who saw his poll numbers explode after delivering a well-received speech about his record as a pro-business governor willing to duke it out with public employee unions. Here's his support rising early in the year, according to the RealClearPolitics average: Screen Shot 2016 02 01 at 7.50.20 AM The governor managed to sustain his lead in the state for several months. But despite the advantages of being governor of a neighboring state, Walker's star dropped almost as quickly as it rose. Several lackluster debate performances and a campaign strategy that was set on building a national infrastructure but instead burned money too quickly eventually forced him to call it quits after just more than 70 days as an official candidate. But as Walker's campaign was faltering, another candidate's was gaining steam. Immediately after launching his campaign in June, real-estate mogul Donald Trump headed for the Hawkeye state. There, he introduced the early inklings what would become his trademark campaign routine: criticizing US leaders as weak, lobbing rhetorical bombs at his rivals, and bragging about self-funding his campaign. Story continues Within weeks, he doubled, then tripled his initial support which, at the time he entered, was just below 4%, according to the RealClearPolitics average of select state polls. Though pollsters correctly predicted the boom and bust for different candidates, virtually no major pollster or analyst predicted that Trump's early support in Iowa would last. Screen Shot 2016 02 01 at 7.56.30 AM Trump's early surge was met with scoffs and skepticism from political pundits and pollsters wary of reading too far into the short booms and busts of anti-establishment candidates in Iowa, having seen former Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Godfather Pizza CEO Herman Cain's rapid rises and falls in 2011 polls. "I would not construe Trump's support as indicating that he is serious," Princeton University professor and polling expert Sam Wang told Business Insider shortly after Trump's announcement speech in June. Though Trump briefly lost the mantle of Iowa front-runner to retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon's status as the top candidate in Iowa was short-lived. As foreign policy took center stage after the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, some political analysts suggested Carson failed to prove that he could manage complex foreign-policy and national-security situations. Many of the evangelical voters and older conservative voters who initially reported potentially backing Carson flocked to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). But even though Cruz's campaign appeared pleased that his late ascent in December could help him "peak" at the right time, topping Carson and Trump in the polls put a target on his back. The summertime truce between Trump and Cruz abruptly ended as the reality television star went on the offensive against Cruz. Trump called Cruz a "nasty guy," routinely questioning his legitimacy to run for president because of the senator's birthplace, a critique that has clearly resonated with some conservatives. Cruz engaged in a spat over immigration with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), who is aiming at a third place finish. And Cruz hasn't gotten much help from allies in state. Popular Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) raised eyebrows by telling reporters publicly that he wants to see Cruz defeated. Branstad's comments were tied to Cruz's position on ethanol subsidies. Though Cruz's conservative bona fides helped endear him to activists, his ideological opposition to ethanol subsides puts him at odds with many voters in Iowa. Here's a look at how Cruz rose and subsequently fell to Trump in Iowa polls: Screen Shot 2016 02 01 at 8.17.15 AM In the end, pollsters have predicted that the outcome largely hinges on whether Trump's unconventional appeal motivates less-reliable voters or, if Cruz's notably strong ground game proves superior at turning out supporters and convincing those who are on the fence. NOW WATCH: Watch Trump go head-to-head with a reporter and attack Megyn Kelly for being a lightweight reporter More From Business Insider Michael Lee Inc. Recently Gained Clearance to Build in a Neighborhood Subdivision consisting of 217 Housing Units Called Easton Village LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 1, 2016 / Michael Lee Inc., a custom home company specializing in building custom homes and communities in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, recently gained clearance to build part of a neighborhood subdivision of custom built homes in Lake Elmo MN. As a spokesperson for Michael Lee Inc. noted, the community, which will be called Easton Village, will include 217 total housing units of which Michael Lee Inc. will build an undisclosed amount. Easton Village, which will be built on a 98-acre parcel that is conveniently located along Manning Ave. about a quarter mile north of 30th St., will feature homes that are expected to be in the $400,000 range. The local city council voted on and approved the first phase of the Lake Elmo housing development, including preliminary building plats, in a 4 to 1 vote. The final plat for the first phase of the development includes 71 two story single-family homes with attached garages, which will be built just south of the Union Pacific Railway line. The remaining parcel will need to be platted at a later date. As a spokesperson for the company, which has also built custom homes in communities in Woodbury MN noted, Easton Village will also have 24 acres of parkland and open space. The homes will also be connected to Village district's new municipal sewer line. Families who are looking for top-notch schools will find what they are looking for in the Easton Village development, noted the company spokesperson. The new community will be located in Stillwater Area Public School District Number 834, which is recognized as the "Birthplace of Minnesota." Young residents of Easton Village will attend nearby Lake Elmo Elementary School and Stillwater High School, which boasts a high graduation rate. Anyone who may like to learn more about Michael Lee Inc. or the Easton Village subdivision is welcome to visit the company's website; there, they can read more about the custom builder and the new community of homes at Easton Village. Story continues About Michael Lee Inc.: Michael Lee began back in 2003 by David Frosch and was then primarily a remodeling company. In 2009, the company regrouped and started building homes starting in the $300,000 range. Today, Michael Lee Inc. is a home building company specializing in homes and villas priced from $300,000 to $500,000 in east metro and headquartered in Woodbury with sister company Kootenia Homes. They have built in neighborhoods such as the Wyncrest Villas and Pioneer Point Villas. For more information, please visit http://www.michaelleeinc.com/ Contact: Sherry Ortiz admin@rocketfactor.com (949) 555-2861 SOURCE: Michael Lee Inc. 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 much the presidency ages you More From Business Insider NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, pictured on January 28, 2016, called on Russia to "act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace" (AFP Photo/Emmanuel Dunand) (AFP/File) 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. Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama has called for faster research on the quick-moving Zika virus, which is spread by mosquitoes and has been linked to a rise in birth defects in Brazil. Obama on Tuesday urged better diagnostic tests and the development of vaccines and treatments against the virus, which the World Health Organization has said is likely to spread throughout the Americas. As of now, there is no vaccine or medicine to treat Zika virus, and no way to prevent it other than by trying to avoid mosquito bites. Obama was briefed on the situation by top science experts in the US government, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health, according to a White House statement. The CDC also expanded its travel warning for pregnant women and those considering becoming pregnant to avoid 24 areas in Latin America and the Caribbean that have seen cases of Zika virus. Now, travelers are advised to postpone visits to the US Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic, along with Puerto Rico, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Martin, Samoa, Suriname and Venezuela. - US under threat - There have not yet been any cases of local transmission of Zika virus within the United States, although infected travelers have returned to the country after visiting other areas. However, a recent study in The Lancet suggests that Zika virus could reach regions of the United States in which 60 percent of the population lives, or some 200 million Americans. "This highlights the need for NIH and its partners in the public and private sectors to intensify research on Zika virus and to look for new ways to treat the disease and prevent its spread," NIH director Francis Collins wrote on his blog. Zika virus is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, according to the CDC. Story continues Symptoms are usually mild and may include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. However, the virus can pass from a pregnant women to her fetus, and global health authorities are concerned by an apparent link between Zika virus and nearly 4,000 cases of babies born with unusually small heads -- a condition known as microcephaly -- in Brazil. Collins stressed that more research is needed to prove if there is any cause-and-effect between the Zika virus and brain defects. Meanwhile, experts are also concerned about "reports in French Polynesia and Brazil of a possible connection between Zika infection and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a mysterious condition in which the immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system," said the NIH director. He added that US health authorities are "mobilizing swiftly" to respond to Zika, and researchers at the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases are already "working on vaccine candidates to prevent Zika virus from infecting people." The first documented case of human infection with Zika virus was in 1952, according to the World Health Organization. Zika is named after a forest in Uganda where it was first detected in rhesus monkeys 1947. KUWAIT (Reuters) - Iraq's oil minister said on Tuesday that the oil market had become more complicated than before and it was difficult to say whether crude prices had reached a bottom. "In 2015, Brent prices were in the mid-40s (dollars) and we said back then the prices have bottomed and they will go up," Adel Abdel Mahdi told an energy forum in Kuwait City. "Back then we thought the marginal producers will get out of the market and demand will rise, stocks will drop and prices will increase. But what happened is not what we have hoped for," Mahdi said. "Now we realize the situation is more complex than what we thought ... There is a struggle, we are all - the producers in OPEC and non-OPEC - underwater. Those who will fight will get out. But we are underwater without oxygen masks." Mahdi said few OPEC members could continue making profits amid current low oil prices and the cost of production at $10 a barrel. The minister warned that a continued drop in prices would curtail investments, suggesting that any "rise in oil prices could also be tough and surprising". (Reporting by Rania El Gamal, editing by Sami Aboudi and Dale Hudson) NEWPORT BEACH, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 1, 2016) - PIMCO, a leading global investment management firm, has named Craig Dawson as Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, replacing Bill Benz who is retiring after a 30-year career at the company. Mr. Dawson, a Managing Director and Head of PIMCO's Strategic Business Management, will have oversight responsibility for the firm's business in the region, including PIMCO's London, Munich, Milan, Zurich and Amsterdam offices. Mr. Benz will retire at the end of June 2016. Mr. Dawson joined PIMCO in 1999, and has held leadership positions across several key areas of the firm. Previously, he was head of PIMCO's business in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, and Product Management for Europe. Mr. Dawson will relocate to London from Newport Beach, California. "Europe is a strategically important region for PIMCO, where political, sovereign and macroeconomic events have been at the heart of the market forces shaping the global economy," said Mr. Dawson. "I look forward to continuing the great success that Bill and the team have built over the years in their continued focus on providing investors with the performance, market insights and client service that investors have come to expect from PIMCO around the world." PIMCO's EMEA business comprises 460 employees in five offices, including two tradefloors, and almost 200 investment professionals managing $520 billion in assets (EUR477 billion) as of 31 December 2015. "Bill's leadership and dedication have played a significant role in delivering value and excellence to our clients," said Douglas Hodge, Managing Director and PIMCO's Chief Executive Officer. "Bill has built a leading business in the U.K. and across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, which Craig is perfectly placed to build on given his combination of experience in Europe and oversight of PIMCO's strategic initiatives." Added Mr. Benz: "Although much has changed during my 30 years at PIMCO, there are two things that have remained constant and are stronger today than when I joined -- the firm's outstanding commitment to client service, and its unwavering focus on consistent, sustained and risk-adjusted investment outperformance for all clients," said Mr. Benz. Story continues Biographies Craig A. Dawson, CFA Mr. Dawson is a managing director and head of strategic business management. Previously, he was head of PIMCO's business in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, and head of product management for Europe. Prior to joining PIMCO in 1999, Mr. Dawson was with Wilshire Associates, an investment consulting firm. He has 21 years of investment experience and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego. William R. Benz, CFA Mr. Benz is a managing director in the London office and head of PIMCO Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He is the chief executive of PIMCO Europe Ltd., the chairman of PIMCO Funds Global Investors Series plc and is a former member of PIMCO's executive committee. Having joined PIMCO in 1986, he was previously responsible for PIMCO's European client servicing group and, prior to that, oversaw PIMCO's U.S. client servicing efforts out of Newport Beach, California. He has 30 years of investment experience and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School as well as an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. Benz has earned the certified public accountant designation. About PIMCO PIMCO is a leading global investment management firm, with 13 offices in 12 countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1971, PIMCO offers a wide range of innovative solutions to help millions of investors worldwide meet their needs. Our goal is to provide attractive returns while maintaining a strong culture of risk management and long-term discipline. PIMCO is owned by Allianz S.E., a leading global diversified financial services provider. Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the performance of financial markets, the investment performance of PIMCO's sponsored investment products and separately managed accounts, general economic conditions, future acquisitions, competitive conditions and government regulations, including changes in tax laws. Readers should carefully consider such factors. Further, such forward-looking statements speak only on the date at which such statements are made. PIMCO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements. By Jonathan Stempel Feb 1 (Reuters) - SAP SE agreed to pay nearly $3.9 million to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission civil charges over a former executive's scheme to bribe Panama government officials in order to win lucrative technology contracts. The SEC on Monday said SAP's deficient internal controls enabled Vicente Garcia, a former vice president of global and strategic accounts responsible for Latin America sales, to pay $145,000 in bribes to a top Panamanian official and offer bribes to two others in exchange for the contracts. Garcia, of Miami, pleaded guilty last August to a related bribery conspiracy charge. He was sentenced on December 16 to one year, 10 months in prison. SAP had fired him in April 2014. Monday's settlement calls for SAP to give up $3.7 million of profit and pay $189,000 of interest to settle charges that it violated the federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits bribing foreign officials to win business. SAP did not admit or deny wrongdoing, and the penalty reflected the Walldorf, Germany-based company's cooperation and remedial measures, the SEC said. In a statement, SAP confirmed the accord, adding: "SAP is strongly committed to high standards of integrity and business conduct and has zero tolerance for any form of corruption." The SEC said Garcia helped arrange SAP's sale of software licenses at an 82 percent discount to a Panamanian partner, which used the savings to create a "slush fund" for bribes. A Mexican subsidiary of SAP then falsely recorded the slush fund as legitimate discounts on its books, which were later consolidated into SAP's own financial statements, the SEC said. Garcia was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco. In a sentencing order, Breyer identified former Panama president Ricardo Martinelli as one of several alleged conspirators in the SAP scheme. That order was released on December 22 and sealed the next day. Martinelli has not been charged with wrongdoing. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Andrew Hay) SINGAPORE, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell said on Monday it had agreed to sell its shares in Shell Refining Company in Malaysia to a unit of a private Chinese refiner for $66.3 million. It marks the first overseas refinery acquisition by a private Chinese refiner, shortly after Beijing allowed dozens of the country's independent, small oil plants to import crude for the first time. Shell will sell the 51 percent stake to Malaysia Hengyuan International Ltd, while the remaining shares are held by institutional and public shareholders, a Shell spokeswoman said. Malaysia Hengyuan International Ltd is a unit of China's Shandong Hengyuan Petrochemical Company. The transaction is expected to be completed in 2016, subject to regulatory approval, Shell said. "It is (Malaysia Hengyuan's) intention for Shell Refining Company to invest in the upgrades needed to meet the Euro 4M and Euro 5 requirements," the company added, referring to cleaner fuel specifications. Shell Malaysia Trading will continue to supply its retail and commercial customers in Malaysia and honour its existing commitments which include a long-term offtake deal from Shell Refining Company, it said. Shell Refining Company is a key petroleum products supplier to Shell's downstream businesses in Malaysia, its website says. The oil refinery at Port Dickson has a capacity of 156,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) with 90 percent of its oil products consumed within Malaysia. Shell has been exploring options for the company including the sale of the Port Dickson refinery or converting it to a storage terminal since at least January, 2015. "The sale is consistent with Shell's strategy to concentrate its global downstream footprint and businesses where it can be most competitive," the company said in a statement. Shell said earlier this month that it could further cut combined capital investments below the $33 billion targeted for 2016. Its asset sales in the past two years have amounted to more than $20 billion, far outstripping its original plan to make $15 billion worth of divestments. (Reporting by Jessica Jaganathan; additional reporting by Chen Aizhu in Beijing, editing by David Evans) ATHENS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Greece is expected to achieve a small primary surplus in 2015 instead of a deficit as seen in its international bailout programme, which will help Athens during a progress review this week, a government official told Reuters on Monday. "Our revenues were better than expected and instead of a primary deficit we will have a primary surplus," the official told Reuters just before crucial bailout review talks started in Athens on pension reforms and fiscal targets. "This better result will help us during the negotiations with lenders on ways to cover this year's fiscal gap." Athens was seen posting a primary deficit of 0.25 in 2015, according to its bailout programme, and a 0.5 percent surplus this year. (Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas) US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign rally in North Liberty, Iowa, on January 23, 2016 (AFP Photo/Jim Watson) Washington (AFP) - "Top secret" material was sent through Hillary Clinton's private email server during her tenure as secretary of state, it was revealed, just days before voters cast their first ballots in the presidential campaign. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the emails, which he described as "22 documents covering 37 pages" from seven email chains during Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, would therefore not be released publicly. Another 18 emails, from eight email chains, sent between then secretary Clinton and President Barack Obama will also not be released. But Kirby said those exchanges did not contain classified information. Although emails previously released by the State Department have been partially redacted due to the nature of the information they contained, this was the first time entire messages were withheld. The revelation about the top secret emails comes three days before Clinton -- the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination -- goes to battle in the Iowa caucus, the first time the public will cast ballots on the long road to Election Day in November. "These documents were not marked classified at the time they were sent," Kirby told a news briefing, explaining that the emails had been reviewed prior to public release and found to contain top secret information. "The documents are being upgraded at the request" of US intelligence agencies. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that "none" of the email chains originated with Clinton or contained the mandatory markings that are required to accompany classified information when shared. She described the material as being contained in 22 separate emails. "The only reason to hold secretary Clinton responsible for emails that didn't originate with her is for political points, and that's what we've seen over the past several months," Feinstein added. Story continues - New attacks - Clinton's campaign reacted with fury to the announcement, demanding that the emails be released in full, to defuse a burgeoning scandal that could critically damage her 2016 presidential hopes. Campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said the review process "appears to be over-classification run amok." "We understand that these emails were likely originated on the State Department's unclassified system before they were ever shared with Secretary Clinton, and they have remained on the department's unclassified system for years," he said. Kirby said the State Department was separately investigating whether those emails should have been marked classified at the time. The FBI is also probing Clinton's use of a private email server. The disclosures triggered fresh Republican attacks on Clinton. "If someone on my staff did what she did, you know what would happen? They would be fired and they would be prosecuted," said Senator Marco Rubio. "She is disqualified just because of that." Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said that with the latest revelations, "Hillary Clinton has removed all doubt that she cannot be trusted with the presidency." He said her use of a private server "put our national security and diplomatic efforts at risk." Rival Democrat Bernie Sanders, however, called for the legal process reviewing the emails to "not be politicized." In a memorable campaign line, he said during an October presidential debate as he turned to face Clinton: "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails." - 'Loudest and leakiest' - Clinton's successor as US Secretary of State, John Kerry, refused to be drawn on the widening scandal and whether the use of a private server to send the emails had threatened national security. "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," he told reporters. "We don't know about it. It's in other hands," Kerry said, explaining that the State Department's responsibility was to release the mails according to the court order and not to comment on their contents. In the buildup to the scheduled late Friday document dump, several leaks to US media had suggested that highly secret information had been found on Clinton's private server, which she used while in office instead of an official government account. The revelation of the so-called "homebrew" server was an early embarrassment for her campaign, but she has long insisted that no information marked as classified had been put at risk by her unusual arrangement. Her campaign returned to this theme in her statement. "After a process that has been dominated by bureaucratic in-fighting 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 said. "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." LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - February 01, 2016) - Stifel Financial Corp. (SF) today announced that Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited, its wholly-owned European broker-dealer, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ISM Capital LLP ("ISM"), an independent investment bank focused on international debt capital markets. The acquisition of ISM adds significantly to Stifel's debt capital markets origination, sales and research capabilities in Europe, including an end-to-end platform for convertible securities and other equity-linked debt instruments. Based in London, ISM has raised over $2.1 billion for corporate clients since 2009. ISM maintains active dialogues with a core universe of over 180 global institutional investors with a focus on corporate debt. ISM's senior team collectively has over five decades of experience at global investment banks such as Jefferies & Co. and Wasserstein Perella. ISM will become a core element of Stifel's expanding debt capital markets business in Europe. Closing is expected in April 2016, subject to regulatory approvals and closing conditions. "ISM complements Stifel's existing European business, particularly within our fixed income platform. ISM is well regarded in the emerging markets and credit research areas, and will add convertible brokerage capabilities for our institutional clients. We are excited to welcome Cliff and his team to Stifel," said Ronald J. Kruszewski, Chairman and CEO of Stifel. "ISM has a track record of achieving outsized results on a relatively small platform. We believe that our partnership with Stifel is the ideal way to leverage the skills, experience, and both client and investor relationships to jointly grow the ISM business as part of Stifel. Our joint efforts will greatly expand our capabilities, reach and the value proposition we offer our clients," said Cliff Siegel, founder and Executive Chairman of ISM. Stifel Company Information Stifel Financial Corp. (SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifel's broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC; and Century Securities Associates, Inc., and in the United Kingdom and Europe through Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited. The Company's broker-dealer affiliates provide wealth management, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank & Trust offers a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. and 1919 Investment Counsel & Trust Company offer trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Company's web site at www.stifel.com. Story continues Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited, ("SNEL"), is authorized and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") whose address is 25 The North Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HS. SNEL's FCA Firm Reference Number, ("FRN") is 190412 and is incorporated in England and Wales under company number 03719559 and our registered office is 7th Floor, One Broadgate, London, EC2M 2QS. About ISM Capital Founded in 2009, ISM Capital LLP is a full-service investment bank that creates structured financing solutions, enabling middle-market companies to access international capital markets in order to fund growth, develop projects, complete acquisitions and optimize capital structure. The firm's services include the structuring and placement of equity-linked securities, high-yield debt, leveraged loans and private debt, delivered by a team with deep capital markets and advisory experience. ISM has helped its clients raise more than $2.1 billion since the firm's founding. The ISM team has collectively structured and distributed more than $20 billion of securities across a broad spectrum of industries and advised on over $5 billion of restructuring and merger and acquisition transactions. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that are based upon our current expectations and projections about future events. We intend for these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we are including this statement for purposes of these safe harbor provisions. The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the statements. In addition, our past results of operations do not necessarily indicate our future results. These factors include, but are not limited to, the state of the financial markets and the economy, Stifel's ability to implement its strategic initiatives and achieve the expected benefits of the merger with ISM Capital, retain key professionals, as well as other competitive, economic, political, and market conditions and fluctuations, government and industry regulation, risks relating to the merger with ISM Capital, including the effect of the completion of the transaction on Stifel's or ISM Capital's business relationships, operating results and business generally, and other factors. Some of the other factors are those that are discussed in Item 1A "Risk Factors" in Stifel's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, and in Stifel's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC thereafter. We do not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any forward-looking statement, and you should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We are under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements to conform them to actual results or revised expectations. An illustration picture shows a projection of binary code on a man holding a laptop computer, in an office in Warsaw June 24, 2013. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel By Jim Finkle (Reuters) - U.S. utilities are looking hard at their cyber vulnerabilities and whether they can get insurance to cover what could be a multi-billion dollar loss after hackers cut electric power to more than 80,000 Ukrainians last month. The Dec. 23 incident in Ukraine was the first cyber attack to cause a power outage, and is one of just a handful of incidents in which computer hacking has caused physical effects on infrastructure rather than the loss or theft of electronic data. A similar attack in the United States could cripple utilities and leave millions of people in the dark, costing the economy more than $200 billion, an insurance study estimated last year. Security experts, insurance brokers, insurers and attorneys representing utilities told Reuters that the Ukraine attack has exposed long-standing ambiguity over which costs would be covered by insurance in various cyber attack scenarios. "People in the insurance industry never did a great job clarifying the scope of coverage," said Paul Ferrillo, an attorney with Weil, Gotshal & Manges who advises utilities. Cyber insurance typically covers the cost of attacks involving stolen personal data. Some general property and liability policies may cover physical damage from cyber attacks, but insurers do not always provide clear answers about coverage for industrial firms, said Ben Beeson, a partner with broker Lockton Companies. That has led to some unease among U.S. utilities. "When you get these kind of headline-grabbing cyber incidents, there is obviously a flurry of interest," said Dawn Simmons, an executive with Associated Energy and Gas Insurance Services, or AEGIS, a U.S. mutual insurer that provides coverage to its 300 or so members. Getting a policy that includes cyber property damage is not cheap. Sciemus Cyber Ltd, a specialty insurer at the Lloyd's of London insurance market, charges energy utilities roughly $100,000 for $10 million in data breach insurance. The price balloons to as much as seven times that rate to add coverage for attacks that cause physical damage, said Sciemus Chief Executive Rick Welsh. Story continues INDUSTRY WARNINGS Security experts have warned for several years that a cyber attack could cause power outages due to the growing reliance on computer technology in plants that is accessible from the Internet. In the Ukraine attack, hackers likely gained control of systems remotely, then switched breakers to cut power, according to an analysis by the Washington-based SANS Institute. Ukraine's state security service blamed Russia for the attack, while U.S. cyber firm iSight Partners linked it to a Russian hacking group known as Sandworm Team. Utilities are now trying to determine if they have insurance to cover these kinds of attacks, and if not, whether they need it, said Patrick Miller, founder of the Energy Sector Security Consortium, an industry group that shares information on cyber threats. American Electric Power Company Inc (AEP.N), Duke Energy Corp (DUK.N), Nextera Energy Inc (NEE.N) and PG&E Corp (PCG.N) are among publicly-traded utility companies that have warned of their exposure to cyber risks in their most recent annual reports to securities regulators, and that their insurance coverage might not cover all expenses related to an attack. Representatives with AEP, Duke and PG&E declined to disclose the limits of their insurance. Officials with Nextera could not be reached for comment. The potential costs of an attack in the United States are huge. Last year Lloyd's and the University of Cambridge released a 65-page study estimating that simultaneous malware attacks on 50 generators in the Northeastern United States could cut power to as many as 93 million people, resulting in at least $243 billion in economic damage and $21 billion to $71 billion in insurance claims. The study called such a scenario improbable but "technologically possible." There are precedents, including the 2010 'Stuxnet' attack that damaged centrifuges at an Iranian uranium enrichment facility and the 2012 'Shamoon' campaign that crippled business operations at Saudi Aramco and RasGas by wiping drives on tens of thousands of PCs. In late 2014, the German government reported that hackers had damaged an unnamed steel mill, the first attack that damaged industrial equipment. Details remain a mystery. AMBIGUITY OVER COVERAGE "It's getting a little competitive just to get a carrier quoting your policy," said Lynda Bennett, an attorney with Lowenstein Sandler, who helps businesses negotiate insurance. Some insurers have cut back on cyber coverage in response to the increase in the number and types of breaches, she added. American International Group Inc (AIG.N), for example, will only write cyber policies over $5 million for a power utility after an in-depth review of its technology, including the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems that remotely control grid operations. "There are companies that we have walked away from providing coverage to because we had concerns about their controls," said AIG executive Tracie Grella. AIG and AEGIS declined to discuss pricing of policies. It seems likely they will find coverage more in demand after the Ukraine attack. "A lot more companies will be asked by their stakeholders internally: Do we have coverage for this type of thing?" said Robert Wice, an executive with Beazley Plc, which offers cyber insurance. "Whether they actually start to buy more or not will depend on pricing." (Reporting by Jim Finkle; Additional reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Bill Rigby) VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 1, 2016 / Wealth Minerals Ltd. (WML.V) (Frankfurt:EJZ) (SSE:WMLCL) (the "Company" or "Wealth") announces that it has executed a Letter of Intent (the "LOI") with Li3 Energy Inc. ("Li3") to negotiate, on an exclusive basis an agreement to acquire, by way of a corporate arrangement (the "Transaction"), 100% of the outstanding share capital (the "Li3 Shares") of Li3 in consideration for the issuance of common shares of Wealth ("Wealth Shares"), with the result that Li3 will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Wealth and the existing shareholders of Li3 will become shareholders of Wealth. Completion of the Transaction is subject to the satisfaction of a number of significant conditions, as detailed below. About Li3 Energy, Inc. Li3 is a public company incorporated under the laws of Nevada with its head office in Santiago, Chile. Li3's principal asset is a forty-nine (49%) percent shareholding in Minera Li Energy SpA ("Minera Li"), a Chilean company which, in turn, holds (a) a 100% interest in the Cocina 19 to 27 mining concessions and, (b) a 60% interest in the Litio 1 to 6 mining concessions, all located in the northeast section of the Salar de Maricunga in Region III of Atacama in Northern Chile (the Cocina and Litio concessions being collectively referred to as the "Maricunga Lithium Project" or the "Project"). The balance, being fifty-one (51%) percent, of the shares of Minera Li are held by Minera Salar Blanco, SpA, a private Chilean company ("MSB"). MSB manages Minera Li. "Li3 has a strategic partnership with POSCO Canada Ltd and an interest in the Salar de Maricunga, which is the second-largest lithium-bearing salt brine deposit in Chile. These two factors, together with the expertise of Li3's board and connection to a local strategic partner, made Li3 an obvious acquisition target for Wealth," stated Henk van Alphen, Wealth's President & CEO, "Lithium is an emerging commodity which Wealth considers has significant growth potential in the medium and long term. We believe that the interest of Li3 in the Maricunga Lithium Project should provide the shareholders of Wealth with exposure to the Lithium market while supporting clean and green energy initiatives." Proposed Acquisition The LOI provides that Wealth and Li3 will each have a 60 day period to carry out and complete the required due diligence on each other and the Maricunga Lithium Project, including a plannedtest program, and finalize the specific structure of the Transaction. The due diligence period will commence once the parties have agreed upon, and MSB has provided its consent to, the planned test work program on the Maricunga Lithium Project. In consideration for the grant of the exclusive due diligence period by Li3 and its agreement to deal exclusively with Wealth during the due diligence period, Wealth has paid Li3 US$50,000 and will pay an additional US$150,000 on acceptance of the Transaction for filing by the TSXV. As presently envisioned by Wealth and Li3, the principle terms of the Transaction as set out in the LOI are as follows: - Wealth will arrange an equity financing to close immediately prior to, but contingent upon, the completion of the Transaction, in an amount of not less than three million (CAD $3,000,000) dollars (the "Financing"), upon such terms as are determined by Wealth in its sole discretion. - Li3 will continue as a BC company and the parties will participate in a corporate arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (BC) whereby Wealth will acquire the outstanding shares of Li3 in exchange for the issuance of Wealth Shares at a ratio which will result in the Wealth shareholders (post-Financing) holding fifty (50%) percent of the post-Transaction outstanding Wealth Shares, and the existing holders of Li3 Shares holding fifty (50%) percent of the post-Transaction Wealth Shares. - Following the completion of the Transaction, Wealth would have a board of directors made up of the four current Wealth directors and three nominees of Li3 (who may be incumbent directors of Li3). - There will be no change in the existing management or officers of Wealth. The completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions precedent, including the completion of satisfactory due diligence by each company on the other and the Maricunga Lithium Project, the negotiation and settlement of final definitive terms for the Transaction satisfactory to both parties and the execution of formal agreements in that regard, receipt of any required shareholder and court approvals, receipt of any required consent from MSB, the completion of the Financing and the acceptance for filing of the Transaction by the TSX Venture Exchange on behalf of Wealth. The Transaction described herein cannot be closed until all conditions have been satisfied and that there can be no certainty that the Transaction will be completed, either as presently proposed, or at all. This press release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. Any public offering of securities to be made in the United States will be made by means of a prospectus that may be obtained from the issuer or the selling security holder and that will contain detailed information about the issuer and management, as well as financial statements This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Wealth Minerals Ltd. Wealth's strategy is to acquire undervalued projects with low exploration risk, attractive grades and potentially low capital requirements. Management insist that projects be located in stable and development-friendly geopolitical jurisdictions and that capital required for development is not excessive within the context of each commodity. The focus over the past few years has been on the acquisition of precious metals projects. The proposed acquisition of Li3 offers a new kind of opportunity where helping to meet emerging lithium demand is expected to create additional value for shareholders. The Company will also continue to move forward with its existing precious metals projects, such as Yanamina and Valsequillo. On Behalf of the Board of Directors of WEALTH MINERALS LTD. "Hendrik Van Alphen" Hendrik Van Alphen, President & Chief Executive Officer For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's web site ( www.wealthminerals.com ) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . Contact Information Henk Van Alphen or David Smith 604-331-0096 Ext. 3886 or 604-638-3886 info@wealthminerals.com 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 press release, which has been prepared by management. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the proposed acquisition by the Company of Li3 and the shares of Li3, and thereby an interest in the Maricunga Lithium Project; the proposed execution and delivery of the required formal documentation in connection with the acquisition of Li3; the completion of the acquisition of Li3, either as presently proposed or at all, by the Company; the planned completion of a test work program at the Maricunga Lithium Project; the completion of the proposed CAD $3M financing which is a condition precedent to the Transaction and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities, the state of the commodity markets generally, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the inability of the Company to settle the required formal documentation necessary to acquire Li3, to close the transaction even if such documentation is completed; the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its planned activities, including TSXV acceptance and any required court approvals for the acquisition of Li3, the inability of the Company to raise the funds required as a condition precedent to the completion of the Transaction, the inability of the Company to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis and filed with certain securities commissions in Canada. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties. SOURCE: Wealth Minerals Ltd. Image: Bloomberg In a time when the grocery shopping experience is undergoing a change, in audience, service, and merchandising, a name in the food retail industry is making quite the footprint: ALDI. Known for their limited assortment of products and discounted prices, ALDI opened their first store in 1954 in Essen-Schonnebeck, Germany by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht. By 1960, the brothers had built the brand into a chain of 300 stores, and decided to split the business into two operations: ALDI Nord and ALDI Sud. Today, ALDI Nord operates 2,500 stores in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Poland, Spain, Denmark, and Portugal, as well as specialty grocery chain Trader Joes in the U.S.; ALDI Sud operates 1,600 stores throughout the U.S., Austria, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and Switzerland. While the company used to only provide a bare-bones shopping experience for the neediest customers, ALDI has evolved into a grocery store that combines contemporary design with on-trend merchandise, using its carefully crafted discount model to its advantage. Customers can buy almost everything they need at ALDIs, from fresh produce and meat to wine and beer to even a selection of home goods. Now, shopping at ALDIs is an experience, and its discounted selection is not just for the budget-conscious customer. Its for anyone who likes paying less for their groceries. Expansive Selection Image: Glassdoor The company has smartly expanded its product selection to include more specialty items under their Specialty Select house brand and merchandise catered to the health-conscious shopper, with private brands concentrating around gluten-free, better-for-you, and natural and organic products. Forbes recently reported that Aldi is reconfiguring its checkout selection, replacing sugary snacks with healthier items. For example, chocolates and candy bars will be swapped for single-serve packages of nuts, trail mixes, dried fruits, and granola bars. Story continues By introducing healthier checklanes and through a number of other initiatives, we are doing our part to remove temptation at checkout and stocking stores with even more nutritious options, said Jason Hart, CEO of ALDI. He continues, At ALDI, we truly care about our customers, and were responding with guilt-free checkout zones and increased food options they can feel good about. In addition to healthier checkout lanes, ALDI is increasing the amount of fresh food being offered, placing emphasis on produce, meats, and organic fare located on the perimeter inside of its stores over the packaged and processed foods located in their centers. The company is also ensuring that its dairy products are without artificial growth hormones, and its private-label offerings are free from synthetic colors, added MSG, and partially hydrogenated oils. This has allowed ALDI to increase its customer base to include those shoppers who would normally go to Whole Foods Market WFM or other specialty retailers. How Does ALDI Keep Their Prices So Low? By doing a number of things. One of the biggest reasons behind the companys discount business model is that 90% of the products are ALDI-exclusive brands, letting the grocer provide high-quality product without the hidden costs of advertising and marketing usually associated with national name brands. Staffing levels are much lower than a typical grocery chain. Customers need to bring their own bags or can buy reusable bags at the store, and they must bag their own groceries as well. With the shopper doing tasks normally done by a store employee, ALDI saves a lot of money. There is a $0.25 deposit to use a shopping cart (you get it back at the end of your shopping trip), which allows the company to not have to hire anyone to police and round-up shopping carts. In a bold move, ALDI has product arrive at store locations in boxes that have one side missing, so that they can be put onto a shelf without having to be unpacked, thus saving the company the money of having to pay someone to stock shelves. Future Expansion Image: Owensboro Living ALDI is growing into an increasingly considerable threat to American grocery staples like Walmart WMT, the above mentioned Whole Foods, and Kroger KR, among other national and regional grocery store chains. The company has invested $3 billion into a 5-year expansion plan that will add more than 650 new locations by 2018, increasing the number of U.S. stores to 2,000. This plan includes development in the covetable Southern California region, with 45 stores opening next year. ALDIs discount model appears to be the way of the future. More and more customers are looking to pay less for grocery and household items, and with the demand for high quality and freshness on the rise, ALDI is creatively merging the two to create a cheap and unique shopping experience. 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 WAL-MART STORES (WMT): Free Stock Analysis Report KROGER CO (KR): Free Stock Analysis Report WHOLE FOODS MKT (WFM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research 2000 - 2022 24 .- . focus-news.net, () . 24 . 24 . . 24 . We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. To activate the text-to-speech service, please first agree to the privacy policy below. Taipei, Feb. 1 (CNA) New Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan () said Monday the administration of the Legislature has never been subject to supervision because there has never been a transfer of power in the body's leadership, and he vowed to embark on reforms. Taipei, Feb. 1 (CNA) The Ministry of Justice said Monday that it respects the Indonesian judiciary's death sentences on three Taiwanese drug traffickers, but will see if there are any steps that can be taken to ensure that their rights and interests are protected. Former supermodel Tyra Banks and Norwegian photographer Erik Asla, have welcomed a son, York Banks Asla, via gestational surrogate, reps have confirmed. 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, she tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. Tyra goes on to say, 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. The new mom announced the arrival of her baby boy via Tyra's Instagram, with this photo and caption. The best present we worked and prayed so hard for is finally here, Banks, 42, writes. Hes got my fingers and big eyes and his daddy Eriks mouth and chin. She also adds, 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. Who's baby York's dad? Well, here's a few facts: 1. He's Norwegian: "He's from Norway -- like Vikings," Tyra told ET in December. 2. He's a photographer: According to his website, Erik relocated to Los Angeles and "was soon hired as photo assistant to celebrated photographer Herb Ritts." The website goes on to say that Erik has created beautiful images for advertising, commercial and editorial purposes. 3. He has children from a previous relationship: Erik has two daughters of his own, to whom Tyra has loved playing stepmom. 4. He's been dating Tyra for quite some time: They've reportedly been together since 2013. 5. He has a Top Model connection: The couple reportedly met on the set of Norway's Next Top Model, where Asla was a photographer. 6. His work is in major publications: According to his website, Erik's work has been seen in Allure, Bazaar, Elle, Glamour, GQ Australia, Interview, Marie-Claire, The New York Times Magazine, German Vogue, German Vanity Fair and others. 7. He's fun: "We balance each other," Tyra told ET in December. "He's creative. I'm creative. We just have fun! He's my best friend." Nova Scotia Power says move to green exceeds provincial targetsNova Scotia Power says it has exceeded the provincial target of generating 25 per cent of electricity from renewable energy sources in 2015.The province now generates 26.6 per cent of its electricity from sources such as wind, hydro, tidal and biomass.The most rapid growth has come from wind farms, which jumped from supplying one per cent to 10 per cent of the province's electricity since the previous NDP government legislated targets eight years ago."I'm proud to say that in 2015, Nova Scotia Power achieved a new record for renewable energy," said Mark Sidebottom, Nova Scotia Power's vice-president responsible for power generation."By 2020 we will have a greater percentage coming from renewables than Germany, a recognized world leader in renewable energy." Canada vulnerable to major attack: Ex-CIA analystBy Anthony Furey , Postmedia NetworkFirst posted: Saturday, January 30, 2016 05:37 PM EST | Updated: Saturday, January 30, 2016 07:55 PM ESTTHIS IS PART ONE OF A TWO PART SERIES. CHECK BACK ON MONDAY TO LEARN WHAT CANADA CAN DO TO PROTECT ITSELF FROM A CATASTROPHIC ATTACK.Canada and the United States are currently vulnerable to an imminent threat that could topple the pillars of civilization, says the executive director of the EMP Task Force on National Homeland Security, a U.S. Congressional advisory board.In a recent trip to Toronto, Dr. Peter Pry discussed the importance of protecting North American infrastructure from an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack the effects of which would be devastating.A well-planned attack would be a mortal threat to the West, says Pry, whos studied the issue since doing his doctorate in strategic studies and then becoming an analyst with the CIA, where he was their EMP point man.In 1962 the U.S. government conducted a high-altitude nuclear missile test in Hawaii known as Starfish Prime. One of the results that puzzled researchers was why the lights were knocked out and the underground sea cables damaged.Thats when they became aware that one effect of a nuclear explosion was super-energetic radio waves that carried many thousands of volts. If they hit electronics, theyd be fried in mere nanoseconds.The common worry with a nuclear weapon is the on-the-ground explosion it makes. But researchers realized an EMP blast above the ground could have a much different, and arguably worse, impact. The higher up it detonates, the wider the field.If you can come up 300km in the centre of the USA, it will cover all the states and the edge will hit Canada. All with one bomb, Pry says, who later worked with Congress for the House Armed Services Committee where he continued his research.While there are zero deaths from the actual explosion which is in the air the EMP field would fry the entire electrical grid. The power transformers are knocked out. Cars shut off. Traffic lights stop.When the EMP field is created over the whole country its being injected into all your pipelines, all the railroad tracks, all the power lines, all the energy lines, says Pry. Naturally, it will cause everything electronic to collapse. This thing threatens the very existence of our electronic civilization. And we are an electronic civilization everything depends on electronics.North America would be under blackout. And it would be a long blackout. Many power transformers and other major devices would need to be rebuilt which would take a number of months, even years. Emergency generators only have fuel to survive for around 72 hours. And North America only has a food supply to feed people for a couple months.We estimated that given the current fact that the grid is unprotected, if something like this were to happen we could lose up to 90% of the population in a year... 9 out of 10 north Americans could die as a consequence.If youre wondering why this isnt discussed more often, its because it was classified information until a U.S. commission released it in 2004 and 2008. Now Pry is on a mission to educate policy makers and military planners on the issue.Prys not alone in his mission either. A letter sent to President Barack Obama urging him to take action on EMP was signed not just by Pry but a former US ambassador to NATO, a former CIA director and various senators and congressmen.But how serious is this? Could such an attack conceivably happen? Actually, it almost did. In April 2013, North Korea orbited a satellite over the centre of the United States.It went over us at the optimum altitude for putting an EMP field down over all 48 contiguous United States, explains Pry. So North Korean actually practised a satellite EMP attack.Plus, smaller versions of EMP attacks have been conducted by gangs and rebel groups across Europe and Asia.The good news is protecting ourselves from an attack isnt that difficult. We know how to do this, says Pry. It doesnt cost a lot of money. Theres no excuse for us to be vulnerable to this particular threat.***Man-made electromagnetic pulse attacks (EMP) attacks arent the only thing that could take down North Americas electricity grid. Theyre also natural occurrences.Dr. Peter Pry, whos spent much of his professional life studying EMP, warns that coronal mass injections (solar flares) can also cause massive damage to a world thats increasingly dependent upon interconnected but fragile electrical grids.One example of this is the March 1989 geomagnetic storm that took out the Hydro-Quebec power grid. But the big worry is that well see a repeat of the 1859 Carrington Event, which Pry calls the most powerful geokinetic storm known to us.The earth narrowly missed being hit by such a solar storm on July 23, 2012. It would have caused untold damage to electronics throughout the world.NASA estimates the probability of such an event is 12% per decade, notes Pry. That virtually guarantees that during our lifetime or that of our children were going to experience one of these. And sooner than later because were overdue for one.Will EMP impact airplanes?Probably all of them will come crashing down, Peter Pry says. This is where you get into the high fatalities because at any given time there are a half a million people being transported through the skies over North America on over a thousand airliners.Are EMP weapons readily available? Pry and his team gave funding to academics to test if they could independently build them:It took them a year but they built two radio frequency weapons. One of them was designed to fit inside a VW bus and the idea was it would go down Wall St. and shut down the computers and cause an economic crisis. The other one was designed to fit in a shipping crate for a Xerox machine and the idea was you would mail this to the Pentagon and it would sit in their mailroom and fry out all their computers.TIMELINE1962 Starfish Prime test draws attention to nuclear EMP effects2004/2008 U.S. declassifies EMP information, public discussion begins2013 Several U.S. states undertake steps to protect their gridTBA Canada has yet to take steps to harden its grid Well Pete you would be the expert in what a fake looks like. Soon as 'your boys' start losing you get all huffy, that from the good glue days??Really bear those one word insults make it appear you are too stupid to come out with anything original, oh wait, that is the reason for the repetition.Wait till Phase II starts if you want to see what a wingding looks like. This time with boots on the ground. Hope for yoy sake Plan 'b' works better than Plan 'a'. Since France is involved they will start with a bombing run that takes out their own spies in case they have turned and the the UK and the US will take over the actual bombing runs just so the civilian causalities are at their highest possible levels. Trump is winning against all the odds because ordinary people know that Western Culture is in a fight for its life. So when will someone stand up for it here? By Katie Hopkins for MailOnline 1 February 2016Daily MailDo you ever look at yet another picture of the British Chancellor in a Hi-Vis jacket and wish he would stop pretending to be like us?Or see our Prime Minister begging sovereignty back from Europe to persuade us to stay in the Union he despises, and wish he'd just tell it straight?That's why, contrary to the outrage reported in the left-wing press, so many people across Europe and the United States are drawn to Donald Trump.As he strides into the final day of campaigning in Iowa, the first US state to vote in the race for the Republican nomination, he is still out in front with 26% of the Republican vote.The UK General Election 2015 taught us never to trust the polls again. Whilst every poll and commentator declared it was too close to call, the Conservatives ran away with it convincingly on the night.I did call it. And more than that, I promised to leave the country if the idiot on the other side won. There was no way a gurning gimp who committed political fratricide was ever going to decide how my hard earned wages are spent.I refuse to support those who have no intention of supporting themselves; especially if they have eaten themselves disabled or have prioritised breeding over working.This is tough love. And it is something Britain lacks but Trump delivers in spades. He has said it is time for a strong man in the White House, his supporters caution - don't waste your vote on a wimp.And at a time when hard workers are fed up of being at the bottom of the pile, or afraid for the safety of their country and kids, strength is a powerful selling point.Describing some Mexican migrants as murderers and rapists, he has said he would build a wall along the border between Mexico and the United States, arguing he would even get them to pay for it.Whether such a wall is possible or probable is detail swept aside with his grandstanding. But what he expresses with his truthful hyperbole is a sentiment shared by so many, that something dramatic needs to be done.In the UK we are fortunate to have the English Channel - this is our Mexican wall. Without it, we could be Germany with a million migrants arrived over the past year or so, and counting, causing massive social upheaval.But its not perfect, thanks to the Channel Tunnel and European truck drivers happy to traffic people in return for their cut of the deal.We may have the English Channel, but what we don't have is a Donald. We don't have someone speaking for the many, articulating the fear we feel for our country and our kids, determined to defend our borders.Instead of a fist-thumping businessman, we have career politicians who will never know the pride of a job well done or the loneliness of a night-shift for the reward of the companionship of their own little family.British politicians gravitate to the modern establishments middle ground, walking the line of least-offence, and delivering messages scripted to please party donors and big business and starry-eyed tax breaks to the hypocritical, holier-than-thou robber barons of Silicon Valley.Theoretically answerable to the taxpayer, they fail to commit to a single response we need to hear.Donald is primarily self-funded, though donations continue to pour in. He has spent very little on his campaign. Because he hasn't needed to.His message is so popular it sells itself. His showmanship so compelling even the left-minded US mainstream media - who despise and are terrified of him in equal measure - have no choice but to give him more coverage than anyone else.He has spent just $12 million to date, and leads the Republican polls in Iowa by an unexpected 5%. In contrast, Jeb Bush has already squandered $24.3 million to deliver a paltry 2%.Terrifyingly, Hillary Clinton has raised a war chest of $163.5 million. That's the hypocrisy of the left for you, the impossibly wealthy lecturing hard workers on equality.The left seemed determined to downplay the slaughter of fourteen people in San Bernardino. Obama refused to label the attackers as Islamic Extremists, preferring to talk about the less emotive subject of gun control instead. Trump strode into the breach to fill the gaping void.Donald Trump asked for a temporary ban on Muslims entering America, voicing a shared fear that extends well beyond America's shores to our own.Whilst impractical, his suggestion for a temporary ban on Muslims into the USA still resonated with voters, resulting in a poll surge, driving his approval rating to 37% and attracting support from two thirds of Republican voters.Here in the UK outrage over his comments was widely reported. Alarmingly, the rape and attack of white women in Cologne and other European cities on New Year's Eve was stifled by the police and press.Donald speaks of closing borders and building walls - a language which resonates. Meanwhile Europe talks about defending Schengen despite its obvious failure.Donald speaks of action to stop illegal immigration, whilst we react to more dead children in the Med with resignation. Europe is too weak to solve the problem.Our politicians wasted three hours discussing a ridiculous petition to ban Trump from the UK, but have singularly failed to address the fears we now face inside our country from ISIS terrorists who we welcomed to our shores and are powerless to deport.As the people of Iowa head to the polls I envy the choice they have. They can choose the human doormat, Hillary Clinton or Crazy Cruz from the right. But more excitingly, they can back a bullish business man, promising to make America great again.He has said it is time for a strong man in the White House. We need the same at Number Ten.The last last time we saw politics of strength and conviction it was delivered by a chemist from Grantham. She just happened to be a woman. shockingZaynab Khadr, the outspoken sister of former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr , is in custody in Turkey, the Star has learned.It isnt known whether she has been charged or is just being held.Khadr had moved to Turkey around the time her younger brother Omar was transferred from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Canada in September 2012. She reportedly remarried and had two young children.She and her mother, Maha Elsamnah, came under strong criticism in Canada for remarks they made for a March 2004 CBC documentary titledThey were living in Pakistan at the time and criticized what they considered to be Canadas liberal laws. Elsamnah said she would rather raise her children to fight than live in Canada, where they could become homosexuals or addicted to drugs, earning her family the title of Canadians of convenience.In 2005, Zaynab Khadr was under investigation for terrorism offences by the RCMP, but never charged.but anywayWhat the ****s wrong with our security suite? White Zimbabwean farmer frogmarched from farm after claim by British doctor By Peta Thornycroft, Harare and Aislinn Laing in Johannesburg31 Jan 2016The TelegraphA white Zimbabwean farmer has been handcuffed and forcibly removed from his farm after police stormed the property to enforce a claim made by a British doctor. Phillip Rankin was first ordered off his tobacco farm in September last year following a claim for land made by Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro, who was born in Zimbabwe but now has British citizenship.At dawn last Friday police dug their way under the fence around the Rankins' homestead, banged on the side door and told Mr Rankin that they would force their way in if he did not open the door.Eventually, Mr Rankin said he let the police in, who proceeded to take all his furniture outside the house and loaded it onto lorries, then drove away.Mr Rankin said he prepared to leave the house and police dragged him from his vehicle, handcuffed him and drove him to a police station nearly 90 miles from the farm.Mr Rankin, who was later released and is now staying with relatives on a nearby farm told the Telegraph he was terribly shocked. His lawyer said the police had no arrest warrant and told her leave us when the officers were informed their actions were unlawful.Barry Rankin, 32, the older of the three Rankin children who worked on the farm, said on Sunday: I think we have finally accepted that we are not going back to the farm. I have also cleared out our house on the farm to avoid our things being broken up as happened when the police took my parents' furniture and their piano.He took the precaution of moving his wife and three young children to Harare late last year."We have now consulted with our pastor and we know it is over, he said. I dont know what will happen to the tobacco crop as we are not allowed to be here and work.He said his parents were staying with relatives in the area. We are all finished, he said.The Rankins' lawyer Nyarodzoh Maposa said: All of this is lawless. Its disgraceful. Theres no charge against him.An arrest warrant was issued for Mr Rankin, 57, in January when he failed to vacate the property as per the land claim, but was later suspended.Dr Nyatsuro, a 45-year-old GP who runs a slimming clinic in Nottingham, arrived at the tobacco farm, Kingston Deverill, in September with a letter from the government allocating the land to him.Political sources in Harare suggested the doctor - whom Mr Rankin said was accompanied by his wife, Veronica and government officials, had family connections to Grace Mugabe, the presidents wife Two weeks after Dr Nyatsuro departed, around 20 settlers moved into a vacant cottage on the farm in Centenary district, 145 miles north of Harare.When the Telegraph visited the property earlier this month, the settlers were living in the cottage on the estate and one of them was using a car registered to Dr Nyatsuro according to documents at the vehicle registry office in Harare.Mr and Mrs Rankin said they were facing mounting legal bills to defend themselves against a prosecution by the state for allegedly trespassing on the land they had farmed for over 30 years.Earlier this month the Rankins said they could not take the pressure any more, but did not want to leave before harvesting a 300,000 tobacco crop they obtained a loan to plant.I would leave this farm, walk away, if the British pay me compensation for my farm and all the things on it," said Mr Rankin.The couple, who used to own 2,000 acres which has gradually been whittled away, also employ 40 permanent workers who live with their families on the farm and at least 20 casuals during peak season.About 20 white farmers and their workers were killed and many more assaulted during the land invasions that started in 2000 and saw around 90 per cent of white-owned farms seized, helping to bring the countrys economy close to collapse. In February last year, there were warnings that Zimbabwe's approximately 300 remaining white farmers were under renewed threat from a rash of new land claims.Peter Steyl, the president of the Commercial Farmers Union, said that Mr Rankin had been doing the best he could under difficult circumstances.Zimbabwe is in deep trouble and no one is taking responsibility, he said.A Foreign Office spokesman voiced concern that the seizure of the farm "did not follow the process as described by the constitution"."We are aware of the allegation that the beneficiary of this farm may be a British citizen," added the spokesman. "We will consider what further action to take."Lawyers for Dr Nyatsuro said he is a mere third party in the dispute which is between Mr Rankin and the state.They deny Dr Nyatsuros applied for specific ownership of Mr Rankins farm and say it was allocated to him because it was state land and it was up to Mr Rankin to prove otherwise. They also said that the police intervention was not at the behest of Mr Nyatsuro and he has not been awarded possession of the farm following police action.In a statement to the Nottingham Post, a lawyer acting for the couple said they were awarded the farm in full accordance with the requirements of the Governments Minister of Land and Rural Settlement.The statement denied that Dr Nyatsuro was among those who went to take possession of the farm. Canadians dont understand Ted Cruzs health-care battle rabid Sen. Ted Cruz just kidding...sort of. Put on your Sunday clothes because an Arizona lawmaker wants to make church mandatory. We need to build a wall.....yikes...the wackadoodle:The legislatures debate to expand a gun owner's right to carry took a pious turn when state Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake, suggested the real problem behind gun violence was corrupted souls.It is the soul that is corrupt and how we get back to a moral rebirth in this country, I dont know, Allen told the states appropriations committee on Tuesday.But the Republican detailed a solution that she believed would keep people feeling safe without the need to carry a gun. No matter how much it would violate the Constitution seperation of church and state, Allen said she wanted a law requiring citizens to go to church.We are slowly eroding religion at every opportunity that we have. We should probably be debating a bill requiring every American to attend a church of their choice on Sunday to see if we can get back to having a moral rebirth, Allen added.Because a religious bill was not on the plate, Allen voted in favor of gun owners to broaden Second Amendment rights.Her quip, however, quickly leaked out of the hearing when Sen. Steve Farley, D-Tuscan, shared it to social media.Allen defended her flippant comment to the Arizona Capital Times, but said she misses religions place in public places and schools like it was in her childhood, she explained.People prayed, people went to church, Allen told the Times. I remember on Sundays the stores were closed.With News Wire Services. LINCOLN Gov. Pete Ricketts announced the schedule for the 28th Annual Governors Ag Conference, which serves as a key event for Nebraskas agriculture community. The conference is Wednesday and Thursday, March 2-3, at the Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Kearney. This conference brings together leaders in Nebraska agriculture to address challenges facing agriculture and to identify new opportunities for continued growth of our states top industry, said Governor Ricketts. Its also a great chance for Nebraskas farmers, ranchers, agriculture leaders and key agri-business managers to provide input to my administration as we work together to keep Nebraskas ag industry growing. This years Nebraska Governors Ag Conference will focus on subjects designed to spark conversation about key themes on the future of rural Nebraska. The nationally-recognized speakers will focus on topics such as: biotechnology opportunities for Nebraska, positioning the state for advantages in a shifting global trade market, understanding consumers demand for transparency in the food production process, and discussion of the term sustainability and its implications for agriculture. I strongly encourage anyone with a career connected to the agriculture industry to attend this conference, said Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Director Greg Ibach. It is an opportunity to stay on the cutting edge of information in our industry and also to network with colleagues, share ideas and concerns, and prepare for the future with sound advice and policy knowledge. The conference starts 3:30 p.m. March 2 with welcomes and remarks from Ricketts and Ibach followed. Scott Aughenbaugh with the Center for Strategic International Studies will also address attendees. Aughenbaughs world-view analysis of key issues like population growth, technology trends and economics will help to generate dialogue about Nebraskas role in a global economy. The annual Celebrate Nebraska Agriculture reception begins at 6 p.m. that night and features motivational speaker and author Gus Gustafson. A Nebraska native, Gustafson has inspired thousands, telling how he overcame a tragic accident that took one of his arms when he was very young. The conference resumes on March 3 featuring the following: A panel discussion on Nebraskas Place in Biotechnologys Next Frontier. The panel features top experts from Merck Animal Health, Evonik Industries and Bio Nebraska. Cameron Bruett, with meat company JBS USA, defines sustainability and discusses what the term means from the farm gate all the way through the food chain. Charlie Arnot, with the Center of Food Integrity, will present the results of the Centers recent nationwide study on consumers demand for transparency when it comes to the food they buy. Jerry Gulke, Illinois farmer and founder of ag marketing and strategies firm, The Gulke Group, will provide analysis of national and international issues affecting agricultural trade and the impact on agriculture in the United States and specifically Nebraska. Anyone interested in agriculture issues is invited to attend. A $100 registration fee covers participation at activities on both Wednesday and Thursday. Registration and additional information is available online at www.nda.nebraska.gov, or by calling NDA toll-free at (800) 831-0550. There is no such thing as a free lunch, said Milton Friedman, winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. The advisor to President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher also said, Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program. Both of these observations are grounded in truth and both apply to continuing efforts to expand Medicaid in Nebraska. Medicaid is a joint federal and state program designed to be a safety net for the poorest and sickest citizens. Nobody wants to restrict access to healthcare, but we do want to halt the unnecessary expansion of the program which will shift Medicaids focus away from its core mission and expose our states budget to unreasonable risk. Our Unicameral has wisely rejected Medicaid expansion three times in three years. Now, special interest groups and a few senators are pushing for Nebraska to expand Medicaid expansion by using taxpayer dollars to buy private insurance. While this is a new plan, its the same story: Medicaid expansion is an expensive and an unreasonable risk to Nebraska taxpayers. Expanding Medicaid would increase the income limit for eligibility and add primarily able-bodied adults to the program with the federal government promising to match at least 90 percent of the cost. Currently, the federal government generally matches just over 50 percent of Medicaid costs for low-income individuals and families, including pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. States, including Nebraska, have an existing commitment to fund the remaining share to serve the core population of vulnerable citizens. Research shows that numerous healthcare providers dont take Medicaid patients because Medicaid only reimburses about half of what private insurance does. If we approve Medicaid expansion, it will make it more difficult for the children, elderly, and people with disabilities to get access to providers, posing a threat to the original intent of Medicaid. Current Medicaid enrollees will have to compete with tens of thousands of new enrollees for the limited number of providers who take additional Medicaid patients. This years Medicaid expansion proposal, modeled after Arkansas, is an even bigger financial risk to Nebraskas budget than previously rejected ideas. After just six months, the Arkansas expansion was $137 million, or 61 percent, over budget. One of the reasons was because more people signed up than projected. State officials in Arkansas predicted a maximum of 215,000 able-bodied adults would enroll in Medicaid, but after a year and a half that number had surged to almost 300,000. After the surge, more than 40 percent of Arkansas citizens were on Medicaid, making Arkansas one of the most Medicaid-dependent states in the nation. Furthermore, purchasing private insurance with federal dollars costs around $1,700 more per person each year than traditional Medicaid in Arkansas. The U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the Arkansas expansion will cost taxpayers $778 million more in the first three years than basic Medicaid expansion would have. In Nebraska, Medicaid has grown from 2.9 percent to almost 20 percent of our state budget. A study paid for by the State of Nebraska in 2015 found that expanding Medicaid under this plan using private insurance would cost 94 percent more than traditional Medicaid. Supporters of expansion tout federal funding as a reason to expand Medicaid in Nebraska. Doing so would create a massive new entitlement dependent on unreliable federal funding. The federal government has a history of breaking their commitment to states. For example, the federal government originally promised to pay 40 percent of the cost of expanding special education, and now they pay less than 20 percent. This proposal for expanding Medicaid is bad for Nebraska. Every year, the state has to balance our budget, which means we cant spend money we dont have. This Medicaid expansion proposal will shift the focus away from our most vulnerable populations and expose our state to additional risk, which creates barriers to tax relief, infrastructure investment, and expanded educational opportunitiesall of which would create true economic opportunities for people in need. Several Nebraska State Senators recently attended a press conference opposing Medicaid expansion. These senators include: Bloomfield, Brasch, Craighead, Friesen, Fox, Hilkemann, Hughes, Kintner, Kolterman, Kuehn, Lindstrom, Murante, Riepe, Schnoor, and Williams. Others said they wanted to join, but were unable to because of scheduling conflicts. Please consider calling to thank your senator for protecting our budget against the risk of expanding Medicaid, or to encourage them to reject Medicaid expansion again. Senators are listening, so please share your thoughts. You can find information to contact your senator at www.NebraskaLegislature.gov. New Yorks Hometown Airline, JetBlue is further expanding its presence between the east and west coast of United States by launching daily non-stop service between Upstate New York and California. The new service, which begins Thursday, June 16, 2016, will be operated between Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Seats are on sale beginning today with introductory fares starting at $99. Travel must be booked by 2/2/2016. (a) JetBlues announcement comes as the airline prepares to mark the 16th anniversary of its first flight which departed from Buffalo. Today, JetBlue serves nine markets in California nonstop from New York, three times more than any other airline from the Empire State and when the new Buffalo-Los Angeles route takes off JetBlue will operate three dozen unique transcontinental routes. It will also be the only airline to operate a nonstop flight between upstate New York and California, bringing added convenience and value to customers in both regions. Todays announcement reaffirms JetBlues commitment to New York and the eight airports it serves across the Empire State. In December JetBlue started service in Albany and last month added additional service from Syracuse. JetBlue also serves airports in Newburgh, Rochester, and Westchester County, as well as New Yorks LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport. From JetBlues largest base of operations at JFKs award-winning Terminal 5 the airline operates non-stop flights to 70 destinations across the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America. Beginning this summer, JetBlue will fly directly from Buffalo to Los Angeles and back, said Senator Charles Schumer. Los Angeles is the most frequent destination for travelers from Buffalo that does not already have a direct flight. In 2013, I asked JetBlue to add this flight, knowing it would be a game changer for regional tourism in Western New York, and I am now thrilled they have heeded our call. JetBlue continues to grow their presence and service within New York State, and I appreciate their commitment to this region. The addition of this flight will not only dramatically increase travel options for Buffalonians, it will also bring even more Canadian travelers through the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, said Schumer. Western New York residents will have access to new, low cost carrier flying in and out of their local airport. Buffalo will become a welcome mat for visitors from LA and travelers from Canada, who will enjoy our top notch restaurants, hotels, and other tourist attractions during their trip. Buffalo Niagara International Airport, located 11 miles from downtown Buffalo and the U.S. side of the Niagara River, is the busiest airport in upstate New York. In addition to the Buffalo community, the airport is also an attractive gateway to some 2 million Canadian travelers who utilize the airport annually to benefit from lower taxes and more competitive fares to U.S. destinations. Flight Schedule Between Buffalo (BUF) and Los Angeles (LAX) Beginning June 16, 2016 easyJet, Europes leading airline, today celebrated the opening of its 27th base in Europe. The 27th base, which is opened at Venice Marco Polo Airport, will strengthen the airlines Italian strategy that sees expansion at Milan Malpensa and Naples during 2016. Carolyn McCall, CEO of easyJet and Frances Ouseley, easyJets Italy Director, celebrated this important milestone in the airlines Italian expansion plan during a ceremony attended by the President of Marco Polo Airport, Enrico Marchi. The airline unveiled an aircraft with a special livery featuring one of Venices iconic gondolas that will help to promote the city across the 32 countries easyJet flies to. To celebrate the new base, easyJet also turned the popular and spectacular Venices Carnival celebrations orange on Sunday 31 January where the traditional flight of the angel culminated on an easyJet runway on San Marco Square. Speaking from Venice, easyJet CEO Carolyn McCall, commented, In Italy over the course of 2016 easyJet plans to carry over 17 million passengers and employ more than 1100 pilots, cabin crew and other staff, providing the countrys best European network operating on over 180 routes from 17 Italian airports. With the opening of the new base in Venice and our expansion in Milan and Naples easyJet will be providing Italian customers and companies with better choices to travel across our leading network. With the investment in the new base, the airline has increased the number of weekly flights by up to 45% providing consumers a choice of an average of 50 daily flights - with popular business and leisure destinations such as London and Paris connected with up to 6 flights a day, Naples with 4 daily flights and Berlin with 2. It also introduced as many as 10 new destinations widening the choice for passengers departing from Venice Marco Polo Airport that can now choose from 25 destinations, making Venice even better connected to the rest of Europe. In order to celebrate the long lasting relationship with Confindustria (General Confederation of Italian Industry) easyJet have launched a promotion that will allow all Confindustria members who start their journey from Venice airport, flying easyJet by 30 April, to use fast track and lounge services for free at Venice airport. Etihad Airways will host its valued top-tier guests at its new lounge at Abu Dhabi International Airports Terminal 3. The new First Class Lounge can be used by Etihads First Class guests, Etihad Guest Platinum and Etihad Airways Partners Platinum guests, and those staying in The Residence onboard its Airbus A380 fleet. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Commercial Officer, said: The new First Class Lounge in Abu Dhabi will be the jewel in the crown of our ever-growing global lounge portfolio, a showcase of intelligent design and innovation, and the worlds best premium airport experience. We are confident that it will deliver a product and service which is as highly acclaimed as it is inflight and look forward to unveiling its many unique features with great pride. The state-of-the-art space combines modern Arabian design elements and the understated elegance and luxury synonymous with the Etihad Airways brand, demonstrating the airlines legendary hospitality and constant drive for perfection in its multi-award-winning First Class experience, both on the ground and in the air. The lounge will open its doors in May 2016. ftnNEWS talked with Mr. Hossein Hosseini, Director of Marketing & Route Development for Mahan Air, the first Iranian private airline, at EMITT 2016. Mr. Hosseini explained why 2015 was a great year for the carrier and shared his thoughts for 2016. He said that Mahan Air carried 25 percent more international passengers in 2015. And operations to Turkey increased from two daily flights to three daily flights. Mahan Air also carried some 15 to 16 thousand Chinese travelers to Turkey last year. Mr. Hosseini also told us about their growth plan in 2016. Watch our short video (3 minutes) below. In the tradition of Picassos Guernica extended into networked times, artist Mel Alexenberg created this work of blogart to prevent a second Holocaust before Islamists worldwide from Tehran to Gaza execute their plans to wipe Israel off the map. As a wake-up call to those nations who built Holocaust memorials yet turn their backs on today's dangers, Alexenberg offers to double the size of their memorials in advance of the extermination of another 6,000,000 Jews. Never again? Are you interested in getting your company, event, or institution noticed? Advertise with the GRC on Global Geothermal News - Contact at dgroves@geothermal.org At midday on Friday 5 February, 2016 Julian Assange, John Jones QC, Melinda Taylor, Jennifer Robinson and Baltasar Garzon will be speaking at a press conference at the Frontline Club on the decision made by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on the Assange case. The real Glaswegian working class voice in the independence debate read by thousands, the BBC and other related media, secured the first criminal conviction against one of the seven top cybernats outed by the Daily Mail Comments Policy Comments are moderated. I reserve the right not to post spam (comments unrelated to the blog entry, advertisements, and comments posted verbatim to several blogs) or comments that could be considered libelous. Say what you will about me but my family is strictly and completely off limits. Send complaints and private messages to: janeaboveaverage[at]yahoo.com 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... SAN DIEGO, Calif., Feb. 1, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB) today announced that Bill Toti, senior vice president and president of Cubic Global Defense (CGD), was inducted into the 2016 Wash100 list of most influential executives in the government contracting (GovCon) industry by Executive Mosaic, a leadership organization and media company. The Wash100 is the premier group of private and public sector leaders selected by Executive Mosaic's organizational and editorial leadership as influential in the GovCon sector and recognized for their leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision. This year represents the third annual Wash100 award selection. "It is a privilege to be included in this prestigious group of GovCon leaders," said Bill Toti, president of Cubic Global Defense. "Cubic is committed to supporting the advancement of technology and innovation in this sector, and we will continue to deliver industry-leading training technologies and solutions that help with the safe return of our warfighters." "The resilient GovCon market is primed for an exciting year of growth and recovery in 2016. The leaders that will demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement, and vision are included in our selection of this year's 2016 Wash100 awards," said Jim Garrettson, President and Founder of Executive Mosaic. Toti's induction to this year's Wash100 is the second recognition a Cubic executive has received. Cubic President and CEO Brad Feldmann was recognized in the 2015 Wash100 list. # # # About Cubic Corporation Cubic Corporation designs, integrates and operates systems, products and services focused in the transportation, defense training and secure communications markets. As the parent company of two major business units, Cubic's mission is to increase situational awareness and understanding for customers worldwide. Cubic Transportation Systems is a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services to create intelligent travel solutions for transportation authorities and operators. Cubic Global Defense is a leading provider of realistic combat training systems, secure communications and networking and highly specialized support services for military and security forces of the U.S. and allied nations. For more information about Cubic, please visit the company's website at http://www.cubic.com or on Twitter @CubicCorp. About Executive Mosaic Founded in 2002 Executive Mosaic is a leadership organization and media company. It provides its members an opportunity to learn from peer business executives and government thought leaders, while providing an interactive forum to develop key business and partnering relationships. Executive Mosaic offers highly coveted executive events, breaking business news on the Government Contracting industry, and delivers robust and reliable content through seven influential websites and four consequential E-newswires. Executive Mosaic is headquartered in Tysons Corner, VA. Media Contact Laura Chon Corporate Communications Cubic Corporation 858-505-2181 laura.chon(at)cubic(dot)com David Smith Executive Mosaic David.smith(at)executivemosaic(dot)com 703-226-7002 This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/01/prweb13191651.htm Deerfield Beach, FL, Feb. 01, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zion Research has published a new report titled Aqueous PTFE Dispersion Market for Coated Glass Fabric, Battery Binder, Coatings and Others Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2014 2020. According to the report, the global aqueous PTFE dispersion market was valued at USD 864.6 million in 2014 and is expected to generate revenue of USD 1,422.3 million by end of 2020, growing at a CAGR of 8.60% between 2015 and 2020. In terms of volume, the global aqueous PTFE dispersion market stood at 67.9 kilo tons in 2014. Aqueous PTFE dispersion is a sub-type of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). It is an aqueous milky dispersion made up of environmental friendly substitutes emulsifier and consists of very small particles of PTFE resin, stabilized in water by non ionic surfactants. It is generally used as a coating material to provide chemical resistance, non stick and low friction surfaces to metal substrates by dipping, spraying flow coating. High gloss, excellent film forming properties, excellent wetting properties, excellent chemical resistance, and improved hardness are some important properties of aqueous dispersion PTFE resins. Aqueous dispersion PTFE is widely used in coating, battery binder, coated glass fabrics and other applications. Browse the full "Aqueous PTFE Dispersion Market for Coated Glass Fabric, Battery Binder, Coatings & Others Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Segment, Trends & Forecast 2014 2020" report at http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/aqueous-ptfe-dispersion-market-z45986 The major driving factor for aqueous PTFE dispersion market is rapidly expanding market for nonstick coating, coated glass fiber and battery binder applications. The demand for glass fibers are driven by its largest applications, namely, building & construction, and transportation. Moreover, rapid growth in infrastructure development and automotive manufacturing, especially in the Asia Pacific region, augments the glass fibers market. China is the major contributor that accounts over 30% share of total volume consumed for the year 2014 and expected to continue this trend throughout the forecast period. Key application markets for aqueous PTFE dispersions include coated glass fabric, battery binder, coatings and others applications. Coatings applications dominate the market of aqueous PTFE dispersion. In terms of volume, it accounted for more than 25% of shares in overall market in 2014. It is used in variant industrial purpose because it offers outclass chemical and physical properties like good chemical and heat resistance, low coefficient of friction, etc. coated glass fiber and battery binder application are other important outlets that are set for swift augmentation during the years to come. Browse 14 Market Tables and 16 Figures spread through 70 Pages and an in-depth TOC on Aqueous PTFE Dispersion Market - Global Size, Shares, Trends, Segment & Forecast to 2020 Get Sample Research Report at http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/aqueous-ptfe-dispersion-market-z45986#RequestSample Asia Pacific was dominating market for aqueous PTFE dispersions and accounted over 35% of total share in terms of volume in 2014. In terms of consumption of aqueous PTFE dispersions, North America was the second largest region followed by Europe. However, Latin America and Middle East & Africa held the small share of global aqueous PTFE dispersion market in 2014. Global aqueous PTFE dispersion market is dominated by few large players such as DuPont, Daikin, Solvay, 3M, AGC, etc. These five companies accounted for over 70% share of the market share in 2014. DuPont is a leading manufacturer of aqueous PTFE dispersion in 2014 with over 305 shares in global market. Related Published Reports: Fluoropolymers Market: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/fluoropolymers-market-fluorinated-z39325 http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/fluoropolymers-market-fluorinated-z39325 Polytetrafluoroethylene Market: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/polytetrafluoroethylene-market-z39861 http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/polytetrafluoroethylene-market-z39861 Paints and Coatings Market: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/paints-and-coatings-market-by-product-segment-z37356 The report segments the global aqueous PTFE dispersion market as: Global Aqueous PTFE Dispersion Market: Application Segment Analysis Coated Glass Fabric Battery Binder Coatings Others (Films, Medical Implants, Additives, Lubricants, etc.) Global Aqueous PTFE Dispersion Market: Regional Segment Analysis North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa Browse Aqueous PTFE Dispersion Market Press Release: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/news/global-aqueous-ptfe-dispersion-market-149 About Us Market Research Store is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Market Research Store experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge. Each Market Research Store syndicated research report covers a different sector such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food and beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve the overall research requirement of clients. Follow Us LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/market-research-store Follow Us Twitter: https://twitter.com/marketrstore Blog: http://www.custommarketinsights.com/ The "Invest Securities BioMed Event", launched by Invest Securities last Wednesday, January 27 was greatly successful with over 300 business managers and investors throughout the day. PARIS, Feb. 1, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Organized by CF&B Communication, the event gathered 60 European listed and non-listed companies (French, Swiss, Dutch, Belgian, Spanish.), from the sectors of biotechs, health services, pharmaceuticals and medical techs, who met 135 investors, Fund Managers, Family offices, Private Equity funds. The day was busy in presentations and exchanges about these companies' development, challenges and the financing of their growth. In particular, over 600 individual meetings with investors were organized. The first edition of the Invest Securities BioMed Event has demonstrated Invest Securities' expertise in the field of Life Science that is now supported by a dedicated team of 6 experts, analysts and investment bankers. Over the past months, they have assisted many business from the sectors in their equity capital operations, such as Biophytis, OSE Pharma, Quantum Genomics, Safe Orthopaedics. Jean-Emmanuel Vernay, Managing Director, Invest Securities, states: "We were really pleased to welcome so many quality companies and to allow for such proximity for them with investors. Communications between players are all the more important nowadays on ever more complex markets. The BioMed Event has become the greatest pan-European event dedicated to Biotechs' financing and we are already thinking of a 2nd edition." Francis Bader, Chairman, CF&B Communication adds: We were happy to work again with Invest Securities, and their involvement in the making of the event has been the key to its success. By combining Invest Securities' expertise in Life Science sectors together with CF&B Communication's know-how in designing and producing operations dedicated to the financial industry, we have together managed to make the best of the "Invest Securities BioMed Event", that is already a major pan-European event." About Invest Securities (www.invest-securities.fr) Invest Securities is an independant financial services group of more than 90 people, created in 2001 that provides full investment banking services through three specialized entities : Invest Securities Corporate ( Corporate finance), Invest Securities societe de bourse (an investment services provider approved by Banque de France), Amplegest ( an independent asset management company , oversee 1 Billion Euros of assets). A sum of combined skills allowing to handle any type of long term financing operations (M&A, private equity, equity capital markets). More than 170 deals since its creation ( Ipo,Public offerings, private placements, trade sales, mergers.). 1st underwriter on the Euronext Paris and Brussels market with 50 IPO's. A high value-added services full broker ( analysis, intermediation, execution), a full range of services for issuers ( corporate broking, liquidity providing, financial analysis, buy-backs, tender offers, roadshows, sales & trading, primary market .) . An independent asset management company ( 610 M under asset) founded in 2007 with Invest Securities. A team of 22 people with strong values. About CF&B Communication (www.midcapevents.com) Specialized in the organization of meetings between listed companies and institutional investors for 17 years in Europe, CF&B Communication holds over 18 events per year in partnership with Stock Exchanges, Brokers, Banks, communications agencies, etc. For further queries, please contact Thierry ROUSSILHE troussilhe@invest-securities.com or Caroline GILLIUME c.gilliume@cfbcom.fr HUG#1982764 In House Event - Intro by the Admissions Director In House Event - Sample Class - Operations and Technology In House Event - Intro by the Admissions Manager In House Event - Presentation by Career Services In House Event - Q&A with current students Japanese Engineer with 10 yrs work-ex. Lives with wife and son on campus. Brazilian girl with Procurement Management experience. 3-4 years work ex. Columbian Girl with some work-ex in homeland and France. Belgian guy with work-ex in Greek and Chinese olympic games. Has studies Mandarin Studies in UK. In House Event - Cocktail and Snacks with students and Admissions Manager Reaching there and getting out It has been one week since I came back from my INSEAD Campus visit and I think its high time to post a debrief, lest I forget it. The views presented here are mine and might not represent the generic view. I would divide the debrief into multiple parts: The reaching there and getting out bits and the core event bits.This was a general presentation about the INSEAD MBA program and was more or less a repitition of what is already available on the website and the MBA Brochure. The exchange within Campuses and the Wharton Exchange was highlighted in the presentation. The short presentation was followed by a sample class.We had a special class for the In-house event attendees and Prof. Ludo Van der Heyden took the class. He taught at Yale before returning to Europe and joining INSEAD. Must have been in his early 60s.The case study for the class was video based, which i found particularly interesting. The topic was Productivity and the scope was definition of productivity in non conventional businesses like a General Hospital vs. a Speciality Clinic. We saw a video about Shouldice Hospital http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shouldice_Hernia_Centre and discussed the secret behind its success.The Admissions Manager talked about the Admission Criteria and highlited the importance of four core criteria:Leadership Potential: To be shown in essays and recommendation letters.Academic Capacity: GPAs and GMAT.Intercultural Competence/International Outlook: Through travel, work and languauges spoken.Ability to contribute to the INSEAD experience: Through Essays and Alumni Interviews. The interviewers make it a point to see if you fit into the general INSEAD environment and if they can see you as one of their study group mates.She also mentioned that one should ideally press the SUBMIT button on the application a couple of days before the deadline. The day of the deadline is really hectic and one might not be able to submit properly.The Career Services lady talked about the industry contacts that they have and that they function as vital links between the students and Companies. Their services are also available to the INSEAD alumni and its practically a life long connection. They have had a tough time in 2009 and the number of students going to Finance has come down. She showed us the current CV book, which had resumes of about 400 students. Guess the HR departments have a lot to read before they shortlist their candidates. The students get a lot of support from the Career Services and the Alumni, but in the end it all upto the candidate himself. One has to be real good to land the plum job. The brand just gets you the contacts, rest is all upto you.Four current students came to talk to us for about 30 min.A sample of questions:- Their reasons for coming to INSEAD- Their experiences with intercultural study groups- One thing that they would change about INSEAD- most said nothing. One said that the 1 yr was too fast. He would like to spend more time learning.- How to better prepare for joining the program- business courses for engineers.- Chateau parties- Is living in Paris and travelling everyday possible- Straight NOGreat snacks and wine. Very well organized. All credit goes to the organizer Andrew Bueno. I realized that there were people who flew down from Russia, Serbia, London, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania etc for the event. Imagine if the inhouse event was so international, how the actual program would be. We talk to the Admissions Manager about GPA and GMAT criteria and the ways one can demonstrate leadership potential. There were 2-3 guys from the Sept 2010 entry waitlist.Getting there was not as troublefree as I had expected it to be, but was nevertheless great. Arrived on Paris East and had to go to Paris-Lyon for the train to Fontainblau-Avon. The 3 km stretch took 30 min by a taxi. I had read that there is no Metro connection between the two stations and thought that taxi would be a good idea. My bad that I didn't know about the Parisian Traffic. I missed the train I wanted, but was nevertheless on time for the Event.We had a INSEAD bus waiting for us at the Fontainblau Station which took 10 mins to take us there. We met Andrew Bueno at the Reception and he led us to AMPHI 2, where the event was scheduled.A bus took us to the station after the event. Met other visitors on the train and spontaneousily planned a post dinner drinks session in Paris.All in all a very insightful trip and now I can relate very well to INSEAD. I would definitely recommend a visit to anyone applying to INSEAD. Re: Ivey Class Visit [ #permalink 1 Kudos HamptonCokeley wrote: Hello, First, thank you for any help you can provide. My dad is an attorney, so I really am wandering around in the dark with the B-School application process. Schools: Harvard Business School Chicago Booth University of Virginia Darden Duke University Fuqua I am applying to HBS as a long-shot with Darden and Fuqua for admission in the fall of 2017 as more realistic options. I don't really have what I would consider safety schools. Undergraduate: Political Science Major, Spanish Minor 3.7/4.0 from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina GMAT: 690 first try (38V, 47Q, 6.0 AWA, 7 IR) Race/Gender: Male from West Virginia Work: 3 years (4 years at time of admission) Field Director on a U.S. Senate Campaign responsible for campaign operations 1/2 of a swing state; U.S. Senate Legislative Correspondent/Aide; U.S. Senate Field Representative covering 1/3 of the state working in economic development and constituent relations/services. Extracurricular: Active in regional chamber of commerce activities and trying to get involved with some volunteering for poverty alleviation. I studied abroad to three countries during college (England, Spain, Lebanon) and held leadership positions in a number of clubs. Narrative: Poverty alleviation, financial literacy, and infrastructure development in rural America through venture capital, private equity, microfinance, etc. This isn't to say I don't care about the rest of the world, but that we still have a lot of holes to fill in our own backyard. Items of Note: Yes, I originally wanted to go to law school but decided against it at the 11th hour. Most of my internships during undergrad would make me competitive for top law schools - in fact, many of my peers during those internships are at Yale or HLS. I am currently taking accounting courses and will continue to take/brush up on Financial/Cost Accounting, Calculus, Econ, Business Finance, etc. at the local university. I also have some solid alumni connections to all the mentioned schools. Question: Should I retake the GMAT? How will my work experience look since it is more geared toward the legal side of things? What are my chances of getting into the mentioned schools? Thanks! Hey dude,So the short of it is that you have a great profile - The Citadel + Politics = fantastic. I'd love to hear more about your volunteer work and extra curricular activity, because if you have some good stuff there it can help. As for the GMAT, it's kind of low for some of the schools. If you believe you can get higher (and esp. if this was your first take) you should for sure retake. With 40 points more, you will be making it easier for schools to send you that acceptance letter. Plus you have plenty of time. I'd aim to get that done by June, so that you can focus on your essays starting from July.Hope this helps!!!!Best,JF Nuclear Diplomacys Next Stop DENVER The diplomatic harvest from last summers agreement on Irans nuclear program has begun. When United States Navy boats drifted into Iranian waters this month a development that, even just a year ago, probably would have triggered a crisis they were detained only briefly. In the same week, Iran also released five American prisoners; exported enriched uranium, in accordance with the nuclear deal; and reentered world petroleum markets. Relations with Iran still have a long way to go not just in monitoring its compliance with the deal, but also in encouraging its leaders to change their regional approach, including by improving relations with Sunni Arabs, especially Saudi Arabia. Nonetheless, Iran has certainly made a promising new show of cooperation that, despite the risks, is worth pursuing. But Iran is not the only potentially volatile country with nuclear ambitions. Another nuclear wannabe North Korea has shown little interest in negotiating a deal. On the contrary, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un seems to be exhorting his scientists and engineers to accelerate development of nuclear weapons. The prospect of intimidating the world is simply too appealing to give up, it seems, even if it means remaining locked in not-so-splendid isolation. Though North Korea is not yet officially a nuclear-weapons state, with its research and development programs continuing unabated, it could well be one soon. In fact, on January 6, the country conducted what appears to have been a successful nuclear test. Though it probably wasnt, as North Korean media claimed, a hydrogen bomb, whatever it was probably a fission bomb had more than enough explosive power to constitute a serious threat. Clearly, something must be done to curb North Koreas nuclear ambitions. But China the only country that has maintained a normal relationship with the North, including by providing vital aid has been widely criticized for its seeming unwillingness to take strong action. Rightly so. Even Donald Trump the putative frontrunner for the Republican Partys presidential nomination, who is sorely lacking in the foreign-policy department recognizes the need for a stronger Chinese stance vis-a-vis North Korea. (Though, true to form, Trump accompanies this common-sense assertion with the dubious suggestion that the US should cut off trade with China.) What few seem to recognize, however, is that China cannot bear sole responsibility for bringing North Korea into line. The US and, indeed, the rest of the world should also be pursuing policies that support this outcome. US Secretary of State John Kerry has a track record of fearlessness in addressing tough issues, especially in the Middle East. But he should not forget to shift or, lets say, pivot his attention toward East Asian security issues, as well. With smart diplomacy that helps to bring relevant powers objectives into alignment, he could make a real difference on that front. Unfortunately, Kerry has resorted to finger-pointing instead. Just recently, he announced to the press that he had told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi over the phone that Chinas soft approach toward North Korea had failed. Nobody enjoys being criticized through the media, and China seems less accustomed to it than others. No surprise, then, that the Chinese quickly released a statement blaming the lack of progress with North Korea on the US. The Chinese have a point. Americas policy of strategic patience, like Chinas policy of friendly persuasion, has succeeded only in allowing North Korea to advance its nuclear ambitions. If persuading China to take stronger action with regard to North Korea is a key US policy goal, it must expend the appropriate level of diplomatic effort, working with China to develop new solutions. Though US-China relations are highly complex, playing out according to a dynamic often characterized by competition and sometimes even confrontation, the two sides are no strangers to cooperation on matters of mutual self-interest matters like curbing North Koreas nuclear program. In 2003, the US and China launched the Six-Party Talks with South Korea, Japan, Russia, and North Korea, aimed at negotiating an end to the Norths nuclear program. Two years later, a joint statement was agreed that stated the countries obligations including the requirement that North Korea abandon all nuclear programs. Unfortunately, North Korea did not follow through on its commitments, even after several more rounds of talks, and the diplomatic initiative reached a standstill in 2009. The relevant countries should work together on common approaches. For China, that probably means ratcheting up economic incentives on North Korea to change its nuclear policies. And for the US, it means going beyond merely encouraging China to do more, by offering genuine support for Chinese efforts and a straightforward discussion that should stay in traditional diplomatic channels. Recent experience with Iran shows that diplomacy can work, even in seemingly intractable situations. It is time to apply the same commitment and cooperation to achieving a breakthrough on a feasible and viable way forward to end North Koreas nuclear ambitions. Read more at https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/us-china-diplomatic-cooperation-north-korea-by-christopher-r-hill-2016-01#oMgVuI4qWx6zHi9T.99 Flood Map allows you to view the risk of flooding at any location in the world. Using flood map you can set a water elevation height for ... The noise caused by tourist helicopters is apparently so ear-splittingly incessant, the New York Times has deigned to run an op-ed decrying them as a "plague" attacking NYC's waterfront. Hoping to ground the whirlybirds and protect New York City's recent $2 billion investment in "spectacular new waterfront parks," the piece calls for a banning of helicopters that exceed federal noise levels from using heliports in the city. A ban "would instantly improve the citys air quality, and make our parks and neighborhoods once again oases of (relative) quiet," the op-ed argues. And it appears the heli-haters are (mostly) getting their way. A new law will cut the city's tourist helicopter traffic in half, limiting the flights that leave Manhattan's Pier 6 heliport to 28,000 a year, beginning in 2017. The decision by the Economic Development Corp will also end all Sunday flights (with special Predator exemptions). What's more, flight schedules for the remainder of 2016 will be scaled back by 20 percent. The non-stop din of helicopters has been a major quality of life issue for New Yorkers living near heavily trafficked routes, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Today were addressing it. From air pollution to the possible threat of terrorism, the Times' anti-chopper-coppers reassert the presumed need for such a ban and build a decent case. After all, this is New York City, not a military base, right?? [T]hese 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. Then again, perhaps the helicopter haters are overthinking it. Sometimes all you have to do is tweet at them, and they'll fly away! We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today A Harlem restaurateur who calls himself the Harlem Gatsby faces up to a year in jail following a vicious beating inside a Manhattan bodega. Dard Coaxum, a partner at rising burger chainlet Harlem Shake [update below], was in Manhattan Criminal Court recently to defend himself in an incident that left a man with severe brain damage. The alcohol-fueled incident was caught on security cameras inside the deli, though the altercation began earlier in the evening at a Harlem club. According to the Post, Coaxum recovered a credit card belonging to Julio Torres on the floor of Suite 308, a club that appears to have closed since the June 26th incident of last year. After returning the card to Torres, Coaxum allegedly asked for a thank-you drink, which Torres denied. After unintentionally ending up at the same bodega later that night, an allegedly "loud and obnoxious...boisterous drunk" Torres hassled Coaxum and his girlfriend, resulting in an altercation. Coaxum "sucker-punched" Torres in the face, according to prosecutor Joshua Steinglass, after which Torres called Coaxum a "punk [and] f-cking mutt" while following Coaxum and his group around in the store. Coaxum then allegedly repeatedly assaulted Torres, who continued to pursue Coaxum, leading to a final off-camera punch that knocked Torres to the ground. "[Torres] toppled over like a tree that had been chopped down, cracking his head on the pavement," according to another prosecutor. Coaxum's defense attorney Anthony Ricco has argued in front of the jury that Coaxum tried "at least seven times" to walk away from Torres, who continued his allegedly drunken pursuit. The restaurateur faces up to a year in jail if convicted of misdemeanor-assault. Since the incident, Torres has remained unconscious; the event planner and father of a 2-year-old has been unable to speak, walk or feed himself. Update Harlem Shake has released the following statement: "In light of the recent news regarding Harlem resident Dard Coaxum, Harlem Shake would like to clarify that Dard does not currently and has never shared in ownership or management of the restaurant. His daughter Dardra Coaxum is a silent investor who owns a small stake of the project and does not actively oversee restaurant operations." Over 100 Uber drivers protested outside the companys Long Island City offices on Monday afternoon, in reaction to Uber's Friday decision to slash UberX fares by 15% city-wide. The drivers were aiming to kick off a 72-hour strike against the company, and trying to get their voices heard by a company which considers their drivers as partners, but not employees. They cut the cost of their service, and they didnt even ask us, said Tenzin Wangchuk, a Woodside resident who has been driving for Uber for six months, after switching over from a yellow cab. The cost is being reduced from us, not from the company. If they wanted to do a discount that they would pay for, fine by us. But theyre asking us to lose out on a huge part of our fare. As chants of Shame on Uber! were hurled against the brick building which serves as Ubers driver office on Jackson Avenue, drivers tried to persuade anyone leaving the Uber offices to join in the protest. Speakers used a snow pile as a pulpit, trying to unify the drivers in their efforts to raise the wages for Uber drivers back to where they were just months ago. It was good at the beginning, there was a base fare, not as many drivers. You were able to make a living and truly work at your own time, said Dwayne Andrews, who has been driving for Uber for two years. But now you have to do more trips for less money and every month they're putting out more and more drivers, further diluting the market. And now theyre dropping the prices? Everything weve been saving on low gas prices have gotten completely washed out. Many drivers at the protest had leased cars either through Uber or on their own, on the premise that Uber would keep their wages where they were during their initial driver recruitment efforts, which poached drivers from yellow taxi and livery services. With fares steadily dropping during the past year, drivers were already feeling the financial pinch. I pay $1,000 a month for my car, which I financed through Uber, and I pay $500 for insurance, and every year I pay $620 for my TLC license, and we dont even make tips. So it all adds up, said Bakhtiyori Khuseynizoole, who began driving for Uber when he moved to Queens from Tajikistan two years ago. They keep dropping the minimum fare. For me, this is my part-time job. I feel bad for the people who just started their career for Uber. Ill stop driving for Uber if they keep this rate. In smaller pockets at the protest, drivers began to share stories about various indignities they had to put up with in addition to the reduced fare. Uber Pool, which has drivers make multiple stops for a single fare, was a popular source of criticism. One hastily put-together sign had "Uber Pool" crossed out, replaced by "Uber Fool." "UberPool is the absolute worst," one driver lamented. "These two people got into my car at JFK after ordering an UberPool, and I told them we were making a stop at LaGuardia on our way into Manhattan, because that's how pool works. They started crying because they weren't being taken straight to Manhattan. They ended up taking a different cab." Asked about the strike earlier today, an Uber spokesman said that "if for any reason the price cuts are not giving drivers more business and better earnings, we will consider changing them. We are offering to meet individually with every driver who wants to discuss their concerns and review their earnings to show how we think this is helping their business." The protest and strike were organized by an unaffiliated group of drivers, but representatives from the Amalgamated Transit Union and Taxi Workers Alliance were all on hand. Alliance Executive Director Bhairavi Desai mounted the snow pile to rally the drivers, connecting this protest to actions by Uber drivers across the world against unfair treatment by the App thats now valued at $62.5 billion. What weve seen is most Uber drivers are working with 2-3 apps, just to make ends meet. Now that Uber has cut their rates, Lyft is cutting their rates. Its a race to the bottom, Desai told Gothamist. Uber drivers found out about the wage cut from an email that asked them to sign on in support of the wage cut," Desai explained. "If they didnt accept it, they couldnt work that day. These drivers are responding by making Uber feel the economic squeeze of their policies of impoverishment. One year ago on Sunday, a 7-alarm fire ripped through the CitiStorage warehouse on the Williamsburg waterfront, spewing heavy smoke over Brooklyn. The fire also raised fears among locals that the now-charred site would be sold to a wealthy developer, solidifying the pipe-dream status of their long-awaited Bushwick Inlet Park. Back in 2005, then-Mayor Bloomberg promised a 28-acre park encompassing the CitiStorage site as part of a major Williamsburg waterfront rezoning initiative. The fate of CitiStorage is still unclear, and yesterday neighbors and local politicians gathered at the site, urging Mayor de Blasio to make good on a Bloomberg-era promise. "What is there to say other than, 'Where's our park?' The promise was made, and do it. I mean how many different ways can we say that?" said Senator Daniel Squadron on Sunday. In 2011, Bloomberg admitted that he didn't have the money to buy the 11-acre CitiStorage site, which sits between North 10th and North 11th Streets. At the time, he estimated that the site would cost between $60 and $90 million. By last June, the NY Times reports, the city had spent $225 million buying up just nine acres of the proposed 28. For context, Bushwick Inlet has already exceeded the Highline in taxpayer costs. According to Crain's, CitiStorage owner Norman Brodsky has valued the site at $500 million. The news outlet reported a possible $250 million deal in DecemberHudson Yards developer Related Companies would purchase the site with partners Midtown Equities and East End Capital, and convert it into a residential development with some compromise parkland. Mayor de Blasio reportedly shot down the rumored deal, to the relief of local advocates. "The administration would never accept a rezoning here that did not have the support of the councilman and community, he said in a statement. Brodsky has since stated that a deal with Related Companies would not go through without the Mayor's approval. "Most of the people who came to me thought that they could get it rezoned into some sort of housing, and obviously the mayor has taken a position that, without the communitys approval, hes never going to do that," Brodsky told Bedford + Bowery. However, he also told the outlet that he gets bids on the property "every day," and will have to act "sooner rather than latter." As it now stands, members of the advocacy group Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park would like to see the city invoke eminent domain to acquire the property. Over the summer, the Parks Department stated that it was "taking substantive steps" to complete Bushwick Inlet Park. However, asked at a City Council meeting if he was committed to buying CitiStorage, Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver replied, "Ah, I did not say that." 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. Ever stroll through town and wonder what it looked like 100 years ago? Unlike much of the surrounding farmland, many of the main streets in the Hamptons are structurally unchanged. Tenants have moved in and out, but the buildings remain. So what shops used to fill these spaces? Let's take a trip to one of the Hamptons' most prominent retail corners, 1 Main Street at the corner of Newtown Lane in East Hampton, and trace its tenants through time. 1917 The family of Edwin M. & Mary A. Millard builds the structure that still stands today on land previously owned by Christian Schenck, a German immigrant. With his brothers, Schenck owned a successful butcher shop in town. He and his brothers later moved into the grain, feed, and coal business and Schenck Fuels continues to operate in town to this day. Schenck died in 1924. The Millards lease the building to the government for $900 per year for use as a post office. The post office had previously been at 41 Main, now BookHampton. The second floor is leased to the New York Telephone Company for switchboard space. The American Legion Post No. 700 also occupies a portion of the second floor. 1927 The post office building is sold by Mary Millard to H.C. Bohack, Inc., a supermarket chain, for a reported $68,000. The post office moves to a new location on Newtown Lane, currently Theory and at one point Barefoot Contessa. The New York Telephone Company remains but the American Legion moves out. The East Hampton store opens on October 28, 1927 after significant alterations to the storefront at 1 Main. Bohack's was based in Queens and operated a chain of markets throughout Brooklyn, Queens, Westchester, Connecticut, and Long Island, with local stores in Sag Harbor, Riverhead, and Southampton, in addition to their East Hampton store. The chain at one point operated 59 stores but shut down in 1977. 1949 After 22 years, Bohack's moves to 2 Pantigo Road, a building that they built to expand their store (and to no doubt make it easier for the increasing number of customers now driving to do their shopping) and which currently houses Citarella. The store opens on November 17, scuttling previous plans for a proposed gas station on the site. 1950 Trude Shoppe opens in the former Bohack's, selling dresses and sportswear. The store is owned by Donald and Gertrude Katz of Sag Harbor and sells fashions inspired by their Parisian honeymoon. Gertrude is the daughter of the Rosensteins, who own the Fil-Net Shoppe, another dress shop at 96 Main Street in Sag Harbor (currently Brown Harris Stevens). The Katzes eventually open a Trude location in Sag Harbor as well. 1 Main is sold to Gilbert P. Smith of East Hampton. Mr. Smith was co-founder of the Smith Meal Company at Promised Land, near Amagansett. His company was one of the largest menhaden fishing and processing companies in the world operating 15 ports and processing facilities along the east coast. 1971 Dr. Alan York and attorney Joseph Fallon buy 1 Main for $85,000 and divide the ground floor in two. Dr. York moves his optometry shop from 35 Main to part of the ground floor (Willem de Kooning is one of his patients) and Joe Fallon occupies half of the offices upstairs. Dr. York was known for his extensive collection of political paraphernalia, which was the subject of an exhibition at Guild Hall. 1980 Dick and Wendy Engel's Engel Pottery joins Dr. York at 1 Main. The Engels' store sells pottery, baskets, and crafts. The shop was originally in Bridgehampton and then at 13 Newtown Lane (now Orogold Cosmetics) before settling into 1 Main. 1989 When rent is increased to $5500/month (and at $55 per square foot sets a record for East Hampton), Engel Pottery moves to 51 Main Street (now the Corcoran office) replacing the James Marley Stationery store, which had occupied that space for 83 years. Engel buys the building for a reported $510,000. Tom Steele and his wife, Ellen Dooley, open Above the Potatoes at 1 Main and close their other locations in Southampton and Westhampton. The store, which Steele described to Curbed as "a lifestyle store for the entire family," was known for its quirky vibe (window displays with live models), eclectic clientele ("We were mobbed when Puff Daddy had his first White Party [and] Robert Gardiner came from Gardiner's Island to buy his button-down shirts," says Steele), and vibrant decor ("We traveled around the country in the off-season and purchased vintage Americana for our window displays and to sell: vintage Coke machines, enameled advertising signs, gas pumps from the 1940's. An old-time retailer stopped in once and told us 'You do all the wrong things in just the right way'"). The store stayed open on the weekends as late as the customers flowed in (often past midnight) and was popular for its photo-booth (used by local commercial fisherman to take photos for their fishing licenses). Tom and Ellen also open a home goods store for a few years on the west side of the building (where Dr. York had been) called Home on the Range, which then becomes the Ann Kolb Gallery Space followed by the second shop from up-and-coming ceramics designer Jonathan Adler. During this time, upstairs office tenants include the first architectural design office of Fred Stelle and attorney Roy Greenburg. 2000 Above the Potatoes closes after the landlord, Dr. York, seeks a rent increase to $15,000/month. Calypso, the women's clothing store, only recently having doubled the size of its store at 17 Newtown, increases its footprint in town and takes over the ground floor at 1 Main. The building solidifies its position as the pacesetter for town rents. By 2005, Calypso has three stores in town. 2006 Dr. York, who will pass away in 2014, sells the building to Elie Tahari for $7.5 million. The store opens in 2007 and still occupies the building. Thanks to Tom Steele, Gina Piastuck (East Hampton Library), Robert Hessner, Phyllis Katz, and the East Hampton Historical Society. Ethan Feirstein 404 Heather Smith Thomas offers a window into ranching life, its joys and perils, plus updates on her family, her writing. I met John Kasich on the Flathead Lake tour boat, then named the Retta Mary, in the early 1990s. 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 actually 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 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 to write 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. In his time in public office, 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 common people of his congressional district who knew him, however, liked him and in eight races for re-election, he never won by less than 60 percent of the votes. This, in spite of the fact that he was no middle-of-the-roader, compiling a solidly conservative voting record over his 18 year in Congress. The main thing Kasich has been is effective. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee he was repeatedly instrumental in reducing or eliminating wasteful and unnecessary defense spending. In doing so he was able to form alliances with liberal California Democrat Ron Dellums, and then 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, and in 2014 Kasich was rewarded with re-election by Democratic as well as Republican Ohio voters, 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. Bob Brown is a former Montana Secretary of State and State Senate President. Lewis and Clark County will begin assessing the cost to acquire an additional building and renovate the detention centers basement to house overflow inmates. The decision to begin looking at a short-term solution that would serve the countys needs for five to 10 years came during Wednesdays Criminal Justice Coordinating Council meeting. County officials say they need space to house 50 more inmates. The council was created in response to a 2011 jail and justice system assessment for the county that was prepared by the National Institute of Corrections. Leo Gallagher, the county attorney and also a member of the council, said he didnt envision the number of people being incarcerated changing significantly in the short term. Eric Bryson, the countys chief administrative officer, said if no reduction in the numbers was anticipated in the next 18 months, he needed to begin exploring options for holding more inmates. In addition to evaluating the cost to remodel the detention centers basement, Bryson said, he would look at buildings located close to the detention center that may be available. His search, he noted, would not focus solely on downtown properties. Neither option is anticipated to be inexpensive, as more staffing will be required in addition to the costs for renovation or to acquire a building and then renovate it for use as a detention facility. However, the county pays roughly $300,000 annually plus medical and transportation costs to house inmates at detention facilities in other counties. And the county is also foregoing about $400,000 a year that it could receive from the state to hold its prisoners here, it was noted during the meeting. The roughly $700,000 a year between whats spent by the county and lost in state payments would help the county with expanding inmate capacity and staffing, Bryson said. But the county would also need to allocate money in its budget as well as look to its capital improvement fund too, he added. The current detention center opened in 1985 with beds for 54 inmates. Additional beds have been welded into the facility to accommodate 80 inmates. However, this increased capacity falls far short of the space thats needed, which is why voters were asked last year to fund construction and operation of a new detention facility that would have also housed the sheriffs office. Both ballot measures were rejected by voters and the county has been considering what steps to take next. Nothings changed significantly since the defeat of the public safety initiative, Bryson said. On Wednesday, there were 90 inmates at the detention center with 32 others held at contract jails. While addressing the overcrowding is a concern for county officials, so is providing programs that will determine which inmates can be released pending trial, as well as efforts to address mental health needs and assist inmates who are released. The detention center doesnt meet many federal standards for incarceration," Bryson explained and added it doesnt provide a safe place to hold inmates and a safe place for our staff to work in. Sheriff Leo Dutton said he hoped to have a pretrial evaluation process ready to launch within the next month. Its very close to happening currently, Dutton said. Prosecutors are in support of it, as is the Office of the Public Defender, the sheriff added. Judges will have the discretion whether to use the information that will be assembled by pretrial services, Dutton said. My hope is they will take advantage of it and it will speed up process, he explained. Information that a judge would request to determine a persons risk personally and to the community, the need for mental health or social services and to gauge whether the person will show up for trial would be among what is collected by a pretrial services program. The amount of time someone remains incarcerated has been discussed as contributing to the current overcrowded conditions. Gallagher said he hoped the county would hire a full-time employee to help provide discharge planning for inmates to provide a bridge for those transitioning from the detention center back into the community. This could be a person who makes clear the courts expectations for the former inmate, he said. Members of the council were asked for ideas on long-term solutions to the overcrowding before the meeting adjourned. The city of Helena is intending to include some $50,000 of federal funds in its plans to convert the citys single bus route into two routes, although an advisory committee may have other recommendations for that money. These funds had been part of the citys budget, said Phil Hauck, the citys assistant director of public works, but now it will be up for debate. If this money is removed from funding toward a second bus route, the commission would need to increase its $375,000 allocation to the Helena Area Transit Service to make up for the loss of the $50,000, Hauck said. Prior to assembling the current years bus funding budget, the city had contributed $300,000 toward the bus service. City Commissioner Dan Ellison said he didnt like increasing the budget to the $375,000 level and he currently didnt have an appetite to provide $425,000 toward bus service. Deborah Swingley, chairwoman of the Helena Area Transportation Council that advises the city on transit spending, said Steve Larson, the transit systems supervisor, is seeking the roughly $50,000 to help provide transit service under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. It is her understanding, she said, that this money is intended to provide paratransit service. The source of the $50,000 has previously been a part of the citys budget, but the Legislature opened funding requests to go to things other than Montanas larger cities that provide transit service, according to the advisory committees executive committee minutes from Jan. 12. The advisory committee received three requests from organizations for the money the city is including in its budget to create two bus routes. It also had four requests for capital expenditures from other money the bus service relies on. Swingley said the advisory committee will rank the requests it received when it meets today. She plans to attend the city commissions administrative meeting Wednesday to explain that ranking. City commissioners were also advised by City Manager Ron Alles that a consultant studied the proposed bus stops for the two routes. Some of the existing bus stops are incorporated into the new routes. The consultant is recommending $800,000 to bring them into compliance with the federal law on accessibility. This entire $800,000 cost, Hauck said, cant be just ours. Just as the city applies for grant funds to purchases replacement buses, perhaps it can apply for a grant to assist in meeting bus stop accessibility standards, Hauck said. Public Works Director Randall Camp said the city could have two or three years to upgrade existing bus stops to meet federal standards. The time allotted to phase in this work, Hauck added, wouldnt be known until the city submits its application to the state. City commissioners also discussed whether to move ahead with creation of a transit advisory committee, which reflects the ongoing tension between the city and the Helena Area Transportation Advisory Council. City commissioners have expressed concern that unlike other city committees, they dont have a voice in appointments nor a way to ensure representation of city residents. Further complicating this strained relationship is a Montana Human Rights Commission complaint filed against the city by Robert Maffit, a member of the transit advisory committee who is the chief executive officer of the Montana Independent Living Project. City Attorney Thomas Jodoin recommended the city commission formalize the operation of a transit advisory committee to ensure bylaws are in order and it follows correct procedures. Ellison, who has previously been critical of the advisory committee, supported a more formal structure for a committee. Jodoin said he wasnt sure the city needed to delay action on the creation of a committee until the Human Rights Commission complaint was resolved. Commissioner Andres Haladay supported moving forward with a resolution to establish a transit advisory committee and said the time would be good as it would allow the committee the opportunity to become operational before having to make major recommendations to the city. While the commission did not move ahead with a resolution to create a transit advisory committee, after the meeting Alles said the city would explore that option. It just seems that anybody that shows up votes, he explained of his concern with the current transit advisory committee. And the commission showed no interest in handing off the bus service to another entity, which is among possible futures outlined by a consultant. The consultant was among those that worked with the advisory committee on transportation needs, governance models for a bus service and a rebranding and marketing plan. Theres no nonprofit that exists in Helena today thats big enough to take this over, Alles said, adding that Lewis and Clark County is probably the only agency large enough to assume management of the bus service. As a result of that rebranding and marketing plan, the citys white buses are being phased out in favor of indigo blue buses. Hometown: Decatur Family: My wife is Judy. We have two girls, Julie Koshinski Hovis, and Jennifer Dahn, and six grandchildren. Occupation: President and chief executive officer of Investment Planners, Inc., and IPI Wealth Management Inc. Education: Bachelors degree in accounting for Millikin University. Certified Public Accountant. My Id rather be bumper sticker would read, Id rather be cruising. Time on a ship with my wife is when we can step back from the hustle and relax. Hobbies/interests: Flying has been an interest that has provided special times with our grandkids. It has also supported our business and charitable activities. My first job: With the CPA firm of Richardson, Karloski, Pinkley and Kuppler in Decatur. The firm is known today as McGuire, Yuhas, Huffman and Buckley. Why I do what I do: I view the time and talents given to us as a gift that is to be used to honor the One who gave us those gifts. My goal is to create an environment where advisors and staff can use their gifts to provide financial and wealth management services that we describe as Strategic Lifestyle and Wealth Management. We provide council beyond the ultimate investment of assets. Our purpose is to assist our clients in defining their goals in all aspects of their lives and then utilize their assets and their talents to achieve their goals. Personal approaches to challenges: We pride ourselves in turning obstacles into opportunities. We face challenges every day, and we work with a strong team that looks beyond the immediate problem toward a solution that does more than just eliminate the challenge. At IPI, we have created a culture that thrives on finding solutions for others. With this focus, we use challenges to create opportunities to serve others. Community involvement: Our family is excited about the direction of Decatur these past few years and welcomes the opportunity to serve. Pawprint Ministries is a recent addition to our city that serves the hospitals, nursing homes, cancer care, schools and individuals in crisis on a daily basis. We support and are involved with organizations that include Webster Cantrell Hall, Decatur Christian School, Lutheran School Association, Dale's Southlake Pharmacy's Wounded Warrior Project, Richland Community College, Decatur Celebration, Decatur-Forsyth Classic, and others. Tell us a little about Investment Planners Inc. Investment Planners, Inc. was started in 1987 and has grown from a start up to an organization that has national exposure and recognition in the financial services industry. IPI Wealth Management began doing business in 1993 as a registered investment advisory firm. In 2008, IPI Wealth Management was also named one of the Top 10 Fastest Growing Firms by Financial Advisor Magazine in 2008. Today we serve over 10,000 clients in all 50 states. Why should a person consider hiring a financial advisor? Managing our lives and finances has become a complicated and time-consuming endeavor. Our long-term success depends on defining our goals, and then implementing a plan to achieve those goals. When should we start saving? How Much? What should we put it in? Should we use the 401K at work? What about college for the kids? Etc. These questions can become overwhelming. Partnering with an advisor that is properly focused on supporting the client will provide knowledge, accountability and peace of mind as they progress toward their goals. What is your best advice to an investor amid all the recent turmoil on Wall Street? Find an advisor you can trust, and then trust your advisor. Your focus should be on your long-term goals, not short-term volatility. Having the right portfolio built around your goals will help keep short-term volatility in perspective. Did you, or anyone in the company at the time of its founding, ever think it would grow as much as it has? We have been blessed beyond what we could have asked or imagined. We started by creating an environment where assisting clients in planning their future became more important than the next sale or trade. That process takes more time and effort than selling a product, but the advisors and clients that are attracted to the process become long-term clients and partners. To what do you attribute this growth? We have partnered with advisors and staff that are some of the best this industry has to offer. Our staff has helped create a technology platform that supports the advisor, and our advisors have a deep commitment to their clients that extends far beyond their investable assets. Together they provide their clients with the information they need to understand where they are in relation to achieving their goals. This will provide peace of mind, even in volatile market conditions. What advice would you give someone who is looking to start a business? Surround yourself with people that will hold you accountable to a path that can create success. If you are fortunate to have those people in your family start there first. Other business leaders in the community are always willing to assist others that reach out for wise counsel. You are very involved in the community. Why is this important? This community has provided much to our family. Our families have been in Decatur for over 150 years. We are finally starting to turn challenges into opportunities. IPI is attracting young professionals to Decatur. They not only deserve to live in a city that they can be proud of, they are also the people that will be a part of our success. Why are you involved in charitable causes outside this community? The opportunity to live free and to be successful as a person (and as a community) has been given to us because the founders formed this country based on Christian principals. It is important to me that we not only remember where our blessings have originated, but also to do our part to insure that those opportunities are available to the next generation. Judy and I are both committed to causes that remind our national leaders of that legacy. One of those organizations is the Center for Christian Statesmanship in Washington DC. Unlimited vacation time sounds like a pretty good job perk. Social media site LinkedIn last year joined the still-small-but-growing roster of companies offering employees as much time off as theyd like, with the understanding that the coupon is good only if they get their work done. Estimates about how many companies offer open-ended vacations run in the 2 to 4 percent range, mostly small startups but including none other than General Electric, which began offering unlimited vacation time to many of its executives. Whats in it for the companies? Besides being a strong recruitment and retention tool, such policies can free companies from any unused vacation pay liability if they currently allow vacation days to accrue. Proponents say the policies also bestow a sense of ownership among employees that cultivates a more committed workforce. This flexible scheduling has really come into play in the last six months to a year, said Ginger Kochmer, the Philadelphia-based vice president of The Creative Group, a division of Robert Half International. In a survey of 400 advertising and marketing executives and 400 office workers commissioned by The Creative Group, 39 percent of executives said they believed productivity would increase if employees had unlimited time off. And 72 percent of managers and 56 percent of workers said they would probably take the same amount of time off. That second finding is further backed up by a study commissioned by Project: Time Off, a Washington, D.C.-based group affiliated with the U.S. Travel Association. It found 41 percent of Americans did not plan to use all of their paid vacation days in 2014, leading the group to conclude the benefits of vacation were no match for the fears that are keeping them at work. Those fears, in descending order, included the prospect of facing piles of work when they return, a belief that no one else can do their job (a smaller percentage worried they would be replaced) and lingering effects of a struggling national economy. Some workers said they could not afford to take the time off, and others thought foregoing vacation would demonstrate dedication to their employer. There are jobs that dont easily lend themselves to an unlimited vacation policy, acknowledged Kochmer. In sales, for example, The more hours you put in, obviously, the more success youre going to have. And those whove adopted such a policy need to monitor and manage it, perhaps by scheduling quarterly performance reviews, to make sure the employees productivity doesnt tail off. But she said the idea of unlimited vacations is probably here to stay. Because the business environment is changing more drastically, you need to be flexible, said Kochmer. It really is becoming more common. When the state budget stalemate is finally resolved, we must unite behind one message: Never again can we let students become collateral damage in political fights. It may sound like a cliche to say that our children are our future. But in the case of higher education, it is quite literally true. If we do not tend to the education of the next generation, we have no future. The blunt economic facts of higher education bear that out. A federal National Center for Education Statistics study found the median earnings for young adults aged 25 to 34 with a bachelors degree is $48,500; $18,000 more than those with a high school diploma, and more than double what those who do not graduate from high school earn. The students need the opportunity of our campuses. We need their tax dollars spreading in our local and state economies. They fuel our economic centers, providing and supporting jobs and creating opportunities for all Illinoisans. The higher education funding stalemate is much more costly than lost opportunities. Data shows high school graduates under age 25 are three times more likely to be unemployed than their college educated peers, a trend that follows them throughout their lives. Taxpayers pay unemployment costs. The Congressional Budget Office conservatively puts those costs at a staggering more than half a trillion dollars over the past five years. Colleges have had to adapt to the reality that graduation is a tenuous proposition. Completion rates are declining. Any interruption of the college education can doom the completion chances, particularly for lower-income, working students supported by the states Monetary Award Program grant funding. For more than 150 years, Lincoln College has focused on these students. The institution was founded to provide a college education to Central Illinois students whose parents could not send them across the country to East Coast schools. Today, we continue to serve those students and others seeking an affordable opportunity to go to college. A sustainable MAP program is vital to Lincoln Colleges success, as we move to becoming a university with many exciting four-year and advanced degree programs and offer a more complete educational experience. About 80 percent of our full-time students, and two-thirds of all of our students, qualify for MAP grants. MAP funding is an important safety net shoring up the connection between our educational offerings and many of our students. The MAP crisis is hitting our campus this semester, as we have had to make the painful decision to cut by 40 percent the MAP grant funding we have to date covered for our students. We will restore the MAP grants to full funding here as soon as there is a budget resolution, because we know the difficult situation this will create for many of our students and their families. We cannot minimize the impact on older students, a key part of the educational mission at Lincoln College through the successful and growing Accelerated Bridge to Education (ABE) program. These older students ABE is geared for students taking classes while in the workforce to advance their careers are the ones hit hardest, as the largest decline in student enrollment in a college completion survey last fall was among students age 25 and older. We do all we can to help these adult students, but juggling family, career and an uncertain future at school can simply be too much. Illinois cannot succeed without a well-educated, talented, motivated and successful influx of college graduates each and every year. Most students only get one chance to go to college. Anyone who has reached adulthood knows how fleeting time and opportunity can be. Forcing students to put their education on hold while politicians do battle in Springfield isnt an opportunity delayed, it can be an opportunity denied with costly consequences for everyone in Illinois. David Gerlach, president Lincoln College There are two approaches to initiating an entrepreneurial venture perhaps adventure would be a more suitable term. These two approaches provide a general mental framework to help people understand their own journey along this adventure called entrepreneurship. One approach to entrepreneurship is a focus on an individuals talents, skills and passions. Entrepreneurs who leverage these qualities are often, but not always, artists, writers, organic farmers, social entrepreneurs, etc. They are primarily interested in supporting an emotionally rich, creative lifestyle where they can continue to use entrepreneurship as a vehicle for living a life of meaning and value. Examples include dancers and photographers who establish their own studios and individuals who start non-profits to bring awareness to various issues. The other approach to entrepreneurship is opportunity recognition and customer-focused innovation. These entrepreneurs often look for existing unmet needs or inefficiencies in the market. Joy Magnano, who was the inspiration for the 2015 film Joy, used this approach to initiate an entrepreneurial venture. The Miracle Mop was a product designed to meet an unmet need and, for that matter, an unknown need. Another example we use in the Center for Entrepreneurship is that there is an unmet need for a late-night taco vendor on Millikins campus. OK, we laugh about this one, but there might be some value there, right? (WRITER'S NOTE: We aren't actually encouraging anyone to pursue this concept. As much as we like tacos.) These two approaches are clearly not mutually exclusive. A person can have a passion for dancing and at the same time seek out an opportune situation or niche for starting a dance studio such as an under-served location, special instructional techniques, inspiring choreography skills or unique use of technology.. Alternatively, a person with an idea for a new product or service has to become passionately engaged in all aspects of their idea, such as taking the time to become an expert not only in their own product but also all the competitive alternatives, legal considerations to protect their idea and partnerships to support the ideas development. Becoming an expert is in many ways an art form that takes lots of practice. The point. Acknowledge which approach is your primary inclination, then make a conscious effort to appreciate and build on the other. In the Center for Entrepreneurship we talk about these two approaches quite a bit. Millikin is nationally known for its arts entrepreneurship program, and many musicians, theater students, artists and writers enroll in our entrepreneurship courses or visit the Center to consult. For many artists, finding this balance of passion/talent and opportunity recognition is critical throughout their journeys. Lean too far toward the opportunity recognition side and there could be a sense of selling out, while leaning exclusively toward creative passion might make rent hard to pay. Each individuals sense of balance is different, and the journey is defined by ones sense of self and understanding the creative market in which one exists. Again, these are just approaches to the adventure of entrepreneurship. They help define the critical question Why? before entrepreneurs dedicate tremendous time and talent toward a venture. Armenia is one of those countries that imports more than it exportsmuch more. In 2015, Armenia imported US$ 3.254 billion in goods and exported $ 1.487 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $1.767 billion. The top ten countries Armenia imported from in 2015 were Russia (29.1% of overall imports), China (9.7%), Germany (6.2%), Iran (6.1%), Turkey (4.2%), Italy (4.6%0, Ukraine (3.8%), USA (3.3%), Georgia (2.1%), France (2%). Imports from Russia declined by 15.6% in 2015 when compared to 2014; France by 18.4%, Germany by 28.7%, Italy by 17.4%, USA by 18.5%, Iran by 3.9%, Turkey by 41%, China by 24.2%, Georgia by 7.1%, and Ukraine by 38.2%. Georgia is the only country with which Armenia has a positive trade balance. Last year, Armenia exported $116 million in goods to Georgia and imported $67 million. Despite dropping imports, Armenia still imports twice as much as it exports. In 2011 Armenia imported $4.145 billion in goods and exported $1.334 billion. In 2012 Armenia imported $4.261 billion and exported $1.380 billion. In 2013 Armenia imported $4.385 billion and exported $1.478 billion. In 2014 Armenia imported $4.424 billion and exported $1.547 billion. In 2015 Armenia imported $3.254 billion and exported $1.487 billion. Overall, imports from CIS countries dropped by 18.5% and by 31.3% from the European Union. Gagik Makaryan Executive Director of the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia (RUEA) Partner expert of the Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs (AIISA) INTRODUCTION Amid political and economic turbulences of recent years Armenia strives to maintain some balanced status enabling its integration possibilities and cooperation with various economic unions. Following this policy and with hope to exclude extra political and economic impacts, Armenia announced on its intention of engagement with the Customs Union 3 September 2013, at the same time expressing willingness to continue economic cooperation with EU and processes started years before. ON ARMENIAS ECONOMIC SITUATION In the period of January-November 2015 Economic Activity Index (EAI) comprised 102.9%. All major fields of Armenias economy contributed to EAI growth, except construction and trade, where indices declined respectively by 3.1% and 7.1%. Obviously, its reasonable to conclude that trade index reduction is conditioned by 4 main reasons: Decrease in population number due to migration; Decline in population purchasing capacity, resulted by reduction of foreign private transfers, which, in January-November 2015 as compared to the same period of the previous year, has gone down by 37.2%. In the meantime volume of transfers from Russia decreased by 43.4%; Still high level of population poverty comprising 30% by official data, while some analysts argue of its being 60% in regional cities; Unequal conditions of competition for SMEs and micro companies, leading to stagnation of main economic fields. Its noteworthy, that the following main economic dimensions assisted in Armenias EAI growth. 1. Industry Industrial growth comprised 4.6% due to mining industry and exploitation of open cast minesabout 47% with rather high ratio in industryabout 21%. In addition, growth was recorded in the fields of energy, gas and water supply, and sewerage, waste management and treatment, accordingly 4.5% and 10.4%. Growth in these three branches led to the aforementioned 4.6% growth, although decrease is recorded in manufacturing industry (about 5.3%), and more apparently, in beverage manufacturingabout 20%. 2. Export Export decreased by 4.7%, moreover, export to CIS countries has gone down by 27%, and to EUby 5.8%. In the group of CIS countries export has especially decreased to Russiaby 28.1%, and to other EEU countries: Belarus-41.9%, Kazakstan-30.1%, as well as to Ukraine-about 50%. Russias figures are quite decisive, as it holds the second place in Armenias foreign trade. In case of Russia export of alcoholic drinks, canned food and beverages in particular have noticeably reduced. 3. Import In the period of January-November 2015 import has decreased by 26.2%, from which: about 13% only from CIS countries (less than in case of other countries), from EU-by 32.5%, and from other countries- by about 32%. Import volumes by countries diminished in the following way: Russia- 9.8%, Ukraine- 35.7%; EU countries, Germany- 29.5%; Italy- 21.2%, France- 14.8%, Belgium- 45%. Import setback is more noticeable in the group of other countries: from China-25.8%, Iran-4.0%, Turkey-42%, USA-23.7%. Reduction covered all product groups, except that of equipment and devices. ARMENIAS MICROECONOMIC INDICES FOR 2015 Armenia recorded less economic growth due to external developments and Russias existing economic difficulties. Its remarkable that the countrys GDP in 2014 grew by 3.5%, comprising USD 11.644 billion, and GDP per personUSD 3864. If major portion of 2014 GDP growth belonged to the fields of service and agriculture, while industry and construction negatively affected economic growth, then in the period of January-November 2015 EAI comprised 2.9% as compared to the same period of the previous year, mainly, as already mentioned, due to agriculture and industry. Economic cooperation with Russia might be enlarged due to export of fresh and manufactured agricultural products to that country, as well as export of IT, engineering and electrotechnical products, raw materials, construction materials. Import volumes of oil, butter, wheat, chocolate and sweets, as well as vehicles, electronic devices and medication from Russia to Armenia will supposedly grow. Education, healthcare, production of fertilizers and pesticides for agriculture, joint development and production of electrotechnical products have potential to become new fields for bilateral cooperation. FACTOR OF ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN IN THE REGION Gradual softening of sanctions against Iran will undoubtedly rise the latters political and economic weight for Armenia in the region, enabling to lever current Turkey-Azerbaijan tandem and Turkey-Russia conflict. IMPLICATIONS OF RUSSIAS DETERIORATING ECONOMY ON ARMENIA Fundamental trends already observed since 2014 and more stressed within EEU in 2015 were as follows: Reduction of Armenias foreign trade with Russia and EEU member countries (Belarus and Kazakhstan); Worsening of situation in Belarus and Kazakhstan due to external factors and Russias economic decline; Tendency of reduction in number of working migrants from Armenia to Russia; Fall of private transfers by working migrants from Russia to Armeniain 2015 it reduced by 43%; Social impact: higher risks for growth in unemployment and poverty in Armenia may emerge as a result of Russias economic decline. CONCLUSION Thus, although 2015 was a year of miscellaneous political and economic shifts, especially for countries of the region, Armenias economy succeeded in providing EAI by 2.9%. 2015 was also noteworthy, as some strategy documents have been adopted to develop innovation economy and SME, as well as to improve business environment in Armenia (particularly, the draft Tax Code, amendments in the Labor Code and etc.). Some improvements will allow maintaining the obtained results and providing certain economic growth throughout 2016. At the same time, according to assessments by International Monetary Fund, in 2016 Russias economy will record some amelioration trends, thus negative index of GDP will reduce to 0.6%- 0.7%, and may become positive1% in 2017. All these will apparently affect Armenias economy positively: especially export from Armenia to Russia, as well as total amount of working migrants private transfers from Russia to Armenia will grow. Thereby, as per our assessments, Armenias EAI may reach 4%, instead of planned 2.2% for 2016. Improving Security Policy Debates in Armenia Programme (NED) Not for the first time, I must praise Peter Tatchell, the militant campaigner for the rights of homosexuals, for his courage and honesty. Mr Tatchell was badly beaten some years ago in an attempt to protest against Robert Mugabes policies, an act which required considerable physical bravery. And he took part willingly in a Channel Four programme I made some years ago about increasing threats to freedom of speech, criticising police for heavy handed treatment of a couple who had expressed unfashionable views about homosexuality. Mr Tatchell loathed what the couple had said. yet he defended them. He understood the basic principle of liberty, that you can defend someones freedom to say something you dont like. So many campaigners for the fashionable causes of the Left simply dont get this, but Mr Tatchell does, and his good example deserves our praise. Now he has publicly changed his mind on the case of the Gay Cake (this affair is explained at length below) Mr Tatchell says: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/01/gay-cake-row-i-changed-my-mind-ashers-bakery-freedom-of-conscience-religion His key words are: the court erred by ruling that Lee was discriminated against because of his sexual orientation and political opinions. His cake request was refused not because he was gay, but because of the message he asked for. He also goes to the heart of the matter when he says : This finding of political discrimination against Lee sets a worrying precedent. Northern Irelands laws against discrimination on the grounds of political opinion were framed in the context of decades of conflict. They were designed to heal the sectarian divide by preventing the denial of jobs, housing and services to people because of their politics. There was never an intention that this law should compel people to promote political ideas with which they disagreed. And he rightly issues this warning about the implications of the judgement: The judge concluded that service providers are required to facilitate any lawful message, even if they have a conscientious objection. This raises the question: should Muslim printers be obliged to publish cartoons of Mohammed? Or Jewish ones publish the words of a Holocaust denier? Or gay bakers accept orders for cakes with homophobic slurs? If the Ashers verdict stands it could, for example, encourage far-right extremists to demand that bakeries and other service providers facilitate the promotion of anti-migrant and anti-Muslim opinions. It would leave businesses unable to refuse to decorate cakes or print posters with bigoted messages. In my view, it is an infringement of freedom to require businesses to aid the promotion of ideas to which they conscientiously object. Discrimination against people should be unlawful, but not against ideas. I agree wholeheartedly, and made a similar point some time ago(see the end of this article). Most of you will know that a bakery in Northern Ireland, owned and run by Christians, was taken to court by Gareth Lee, with the assistance of the Northern Ireland Equality Commission for refusing to bake a cake iced with (among other things) a contentious statement of opinion, namely Support Gay Marriage . Heres an approving summary of the judgement by Joshua Rozenberg (who I cannot resist mentioning here is married to Melanie Phillips, the commentator for The Times and panellist on The Moral Maze on BBC Radio 4, who many people think of as a conservative, but who is (or at least was) inclined to insist that she is really a liberal distressed by the views of her fellow-liberals). http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/20/gay-cake-ruling-equality-northern-ireland I think Mr Rozenberg is too happy about this . The Judges view that the correct comparison would have been with a heterosexual person ordering a cake that said support heterosexual marriageis gravely mistaken. The comparison would be with an openly and actively sexual liberationist baker being asked to bake a cake which said Gay marriage is wrong or Gay sex is sinful. I would absolutely support such a bakers freedom to refuse such an order. Ive always thought the courts attitude was plain silly. The bakers say they didnt know (which cant be proved) or care (which could be proved easily by the same person asking them to bake a cake without any contentious message on it) about the sexuality of the person giving the order, and would have baked him a cake, as such, without hesitation. https://www.courtsni.gov.uk/en-GB/Judicial%20Decisions/SummaryJudgments/Documents/Court%20Delivers%20Judgment%20in%20Ashers%20Bakery%20Case/j_j_Summary%20of%20judgment%20-%20Ashers%20Bakery.htm The full judgement is here for those interested http://www.courtsni.gov.uk/en-GB/Judicial%20Decisions/PublishedByYear/Documents/2015/[2015]%20NICty%202/j_j_2015NICty2Final.htm Theres a curious passage in this (which I think Mr Rozenberg doesnt get quite right when he says Brownlie found that Ashers must have known that Lee was gay.) . The official case report says: it must have been abundantly clear during those discussions that the plaintiff supported gay marriage and that in all the circumstances the 2nd defendant must either consciously or unconsciously have had the knowledge or perception that the plaintiff was gay and/or was associated with others who are gay. Well, yes, indeed, but it is quite possible to support the causes of homosexual equality without being homosexual. Next, this does not give any reason to assume that, even if the person involved was himself homosexual, this fact influenced the bakers decision. Our knowledge, especially our unconscious knowledge, must not be assumed to have led us into an act of unfairness unless this has been proved by other means. I should have thought the only proof of this would have been a refusal by Ashers to bake a cake, without any message on it, ordered by someone whom they knew to be homosexual. If there is any evidence of Ashers having done this, I have not seen or heard of it. That would surely need to be proven in other ways before anyone could assert it. In which event, the case revolves not around the fair treatment of homosexuals, which the law plainly requires but about the freedom to decline to publish or endorse opinions with which we disagree, which is fundamental to freedom of speech and the press. Imagine if The Guardian could be forced by law to publish a column by me. If you think that ludicrous, then you must say the same of this judgement, with its wholly mistaken concentration on the sale of the cake, and its apparent inability to see the role of the bakers as publishers. How many cakes bearing contentious messages about controversial issues, I wonder, are ordered in UK bakers in any given year? I strongly believe that the complainant could easily have found other bakers willing to bake the required cake with the required declaration, so it is hard to cast Ashers (who as far as I know make their conservative Christian position publicly clear) in the role of censors. This could only be the case if they held a total monopoly of cake-baking which they certainly do not. The issue was about one person being forced to endorse in public an opinion which he did not support. The proposed cake took the form of sponge topped with sugar, but it was for legal purposes a poster or placard in the form of a cake, which Ashers were being required to print and publish, albeit in the form of sugar. If the law can compel any printer or publisher or indeed any person, to print and publish sentiments with which he or she does not agree, then an important liberty is at an end. For this purpose, Ashers were a publisher. In some ways it is even more important than the freedom to say what you want. Authoritarian societies, which are bad, silence opposition. This is evil, but still leaves people able to maintain private independence without having to make public self-abasements. Totalitarian societies, which are worse, require their citizens to shout and speak and sing slogans supporting their rulers, and to display flags on their homes endorsing those rulers. I have seen this done. It makes the flesh creep. Such requirements eat at the soul. I have always remembered Christabel Bielenbergs trick (recounted in her book about living as an Englishwoman married to a German in the Hitler state, The Past is Myself) for avoiding saying Heil Hitler. She would say Drei Liter! (Three Litres!) so emphatically and with such feeling that nobody noticed. Those who read the account many years later may have smiled, but I always thought it a very serious matter. This is how you remain free inside. As I wrote here in July 2014: I dont care about same-sex marriage. It doesnt matter. Its the collapse of heterosexual marriage thats important. But it does matter when triumphalist sexual revolutionaries force their opponents to act against their consciences. So please note this bit of the row about the Belfast Christian bakers who declined to bake a gay-themed cake, whose icing would have proclaimed support for same-sex nuptials. Another baker, by the way, happily complied with the order. But thats not enough. The Christian bakers may now be pursued through the courts. I cannot see how this can be called a free country if the law has any say in such matters. If you can be forced by law to publish a view you disagree with on a cake, then presumably you can be forced to do so in a book, a newspaper or a TV programme. Mr Tatchell is right. The judgement was mistaken. Random musings of one Columbian, a place to connect and to learn more about issues and events in Howard County. If you would like to have me blog on an issue, organization or an upcoming community service event email me at duanestclair@gmail.com To follow HoCo Connect by email enter your email below. FOOD & DRINK Let's Eat: Get crunchy with granola bowls and cold pressed juice at Bowl of Heaven Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. Dane County criminal justice system reform was spurred by prominent protests from the Young, Gifted and Black Coalition and other community groups in 2015. At one time, stores were located at East Towne and West Towne malls in Madison, Brookfield Square and Capitol Court in Milwaukee. The shelves were filled with model rockets, remote-controlled airplanes and trains. But after 64 years in business, the Hobby Horse is closing its last store. Internet sales from companies like Amazon have hit the store hard in recent years and with a lease set to expire in June and retirement age at hand, Jim Biersach announced Jan. 22 that he will close the business founded by his father in 1952. Now located in a strip mall at 1769 Thieier Road on the citys East Side, a sale is underway that will likely close the business by March. Its sweet in that Im going to retire, but sour that the store is closing, said Biersach, 68, who bought the store from his father in 1988. It was an extremely difficult decision. Biersach thought he had a buyer who would have kept the business open but after spending $500 on an attorney to review the offer, the person backed out. For Biersach, selling rocket engines, plastic model planes, cars and boats and balsa wood planes has been his life. Quadcopters, also referred to as drones, are a small part of the business now and much of the inventory has advanced along with other technology. Radio controllers, for example, are more reliable and less expensive than what was sold years ago. The technology has also meant the advent of the Internet and competition, not from just other area hobby stores but from worldwide retailers. Mail order is a big competitor, Biersach said. Its easier for the customer. They dont have to get in their car, its delivered to their door. But when you buy online, youre exporting money out of the community. Madison is home to two other hobby stores. Madison Hobby Stop, 6622 Mineral Point Road, was founded in 2003 and specializes in trains and plastic model kits. Performance Hobby Center, 5728 Monona Drive, founded in 2002, specializes in high-performance radio-controlled vehicles including drones. Biersach began flying model planes when he was 6 years old and was working in his fathers Waukesha store at age 14. After high school, he went to college and served in the Army, where he was stationed in Korea. He moved to Madison in 1971 to help run the West Towne store and, a little later, manage the East Towne store. In 1988, his father retired and sold the Brookfield store with Biersach taking over the Madison operation. Thats when the mall stores closed and he moved the business to a single 3,200-square-foot store, just off of East Washington Avenue. Biersach has also been lucky in that one of his employees, Diane Clapper, has been with him for more than 40 years. She started working at the East Towne Mall store in 1975 but never dreamed she would still be working at the same business all these years later. Clapper and her husband have taken vacations with Biersach and his wife over the years and she has become an integral part of the business. Weve ended up becoming friends, Clapper, 62, said. Its sad. Im going to miss the people. Biersach and his wife, who live in Sun Prairie, plan to be snowbirds and next winter will travel the South and Southwest to test out possible retirement locations. But the change will likely take some adjustment for Biersach. This has been my life, and now Im backing away from it, Biersach said. I feel sorry for my customers. Is Willy Street Co-op a good fit for the North Side?: One of the big retail stories last week was the announcement by Willy Street Co-op that it is studying the Pierces Northside Market site as a potential location for a third store. The announcement likely caught many by surprise, who since August of 2014 had anticipated a third site being considered somewhere on the East Side. The Sherman Plaza site also is in a poorer neighborhood but would likely draw co-op members from the area who would no longer have to trek to the co-op on Williamson Street or to its store in Middleton. Abhar Thakkar, interim director of the Northside Planning Council, credited with starting the discussion with the co-op, said the Pierces site offers plenty of parking and residents of the neighborhood unfamiliar with a co-op would need to be educated on the store. One possibility being considered is that the co-op would use part of its 25,000 square feet to sell more traditional groceries. Willy Streets other two stores are about 10,000 square feet. Were excited about how they can offer a mix. That was a big piece when we approached them. This is a food desert, and we need affordable food, Thakkar said. Our plan is to provide people with that support so they dont feel this is something they cant afford. Co-op officials say they would like to make a decision by March so that if the site is selected, the co-op could open with minimal disruption. La Crosse getting a bump from Duluth: The brick and mortar continues to grow for Duluth Trading Co. The Belleville-based mail-order clothing company, with a sizable presence in downtown Mount Horeb, announced last week that it will open in June a 10,500-square-foot store in La Crosse. The store will occupy the former Doerflingers Department Store in the citys downtown and is the companys 10th retail store. The La Crosse Tribune reported that the store will occupy the buildings first floor, including the primary space previously occupied by Three Rivers Outdoors, a locally owned outdoor outfitter that closed in November after 15 years in the renovated department store. This is going to be a game changer, Mike Keil, the buildings owner told the Tribune. An absolute game changer to have all these people coming to downtown that dont normally come to La Crosse. In 2010, Duluth opened its first store in a 7,500-square-foot space in downtown Mount Horeb that had been home to the Mustard Museum and decades before that a hardware store. Duluth also has stores in Port Washington; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Ankeny, Iowa, and Bloomington, Duluth and Fridley, Minnesota. The company operates outlet stores in Belleville and Oshkosh. After she retired from teaching elementary school in McFarland, Carol Dombroski worked as a long-term substitute in a school library, where she couldnt get her mind around all the books being thrown away. Teachers cant stand to see things thrown away, she said. So in 2005, Dombroski, a Madison resident, started collecting the unwanted books and saving them for a cause. She just didnt know what the cause would be. Then one day she learned of a Rotary International program called Books for the World, which started in Houston, Texas, in 2000. Soon, she and her husband Bob became a big part of that effort. They and other local volunteers pick up boxes of textbooks and other books from schools and libraries and bring them to a warehouse behind Madison Area Technical Colleges Truax Campus that MATC lets them use for free. There, every four to six weeks, volunteer groups from local companies including Epic and American Family Insurance pack the books into boxes that are then neatly stacked and wrapped on pallets. When they accumulate 30 pallets, they hire a freight company to truck them to Houston, where they are transferred to a cargo container for shipment to a local Rotary Club in a developing country, according to volunteer Dave Peterson. Today, the program serves more than 25 countries, including those in southern Africa, Central and South America, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a group of about 20 volunteers was working in the warehouse, where it was about 25 degrees, sorting books and putting them into boxes. Among them was Bill Braun, who isnt a Rotarian but has been volunteering almost from the beginning. This is such a worthwhile project, said Braun, who is retired from doing computer support at TDS Telecom. No. 1, the books dont get landfilled. No. 2, the books are sent to a country where they desperately need books. A third reason he does it, Braun said, is because its Rotary to Rotary to Rotary. Theres no government, no military, nobody else involved. In 2005, before the Dombroskis learned about Books for the World, they took a class about Africa in preparation for a trip there. At the same time, UW-Madison was helping leaders from South Africa hone their math and science teaching skills. When those leaders went back, Carol Dombroski sent a bunch of her collected books with them. Within a couple of years, the Dombroskis joined Rotary and became part of Books for the World. Sending books became more streamlined. Carol Dombroski began calling schools all over South Central Wisconsin and telling them about the project, and what started as two boxes in her basement quickly turned into 8 tons. Gradually, the collection area spread to the entire state of Wisconsin. Hallman Lindsay Paints, based in Sun Prairie, takes paint all over Wisconsin and returns with empty trucks. The company volunteered to bring books back from across the state as long as schools can get the boxes to their doors. The local Books for the World group gets more than 700 volunteers a year between companies and service groups, Bob Dombroski said. Local companies donate pallets, cardboard boxes and packing materials, so that all of the local groups expenses wind up being covered except shipping. The local group gets the books to Houston and then pays $3,000 for every shipping container sent. About 35,000 books fit in each container. The developing countries often establish a library or clinic using the shipping container as the building, Bob Dombroski said. Without money to advertise the states new law requiring voters to bring a photo ID to the polls, state officials are appealing to broadcasters to spread the word. The long-delayed voter ID requirement takes effect in a statewide election for the first time at the Feb. 16 spring primary. Government Accountability Board director Kevin Kennedy on Monday showcased voter ID public service announcements that urge voters to bring it to the ballot. For voters who lack an ID that meets the requirement, they explain how to get one. We think its important, before the election season starts, to remind people about the need to have a picture ID when you get to the polls, Kennedy said. Implementation of the voter ID requirement has been in limbo since it was enacted in 2011 except for a sparsely attended primary in early 2012 while a string of court challenges to the law were being resolved. That changed in March, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of one of the court challenges. Since then, Kennedy said the board has begun preparing for voter ID to take effect. Officials have held educational sessions with community groups to discuss the requirement and created a voter ID website, bringit.wisconsin.gov. They also are asking TV and radio stations to air the public service announcements in place of paid advertising. But nothing requires the stations to do so. Critics note the board has no money for paid advertising to raise awareness of the law, a step taken by other states that implemented voter ID. At least one group, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, has called on lawmakers to provide such funding in the waning days of the 2016 session. Kennedy said Monday that more money would be helpful but added that were not going to sit on our hands if it doesnt materialize. If moneys available, were prepared to go forward, Kennedy said. Efforts to raise public awareness of voter ID have been hampered repeatedly by the stop-and-start nature of the court proceedings related to the law. In 2011, lawmakers provided $1.9 million to the board for voter ID implementation $436,000 of which was set aside for a public education campaign. The board spent about $181,000 of that crafting much of the campaign it showcased Monday. But a 2012 court order halted the implementation of voter ID. What was left of that money either was spent elsewhere or was returned to the state treasury, board spokesman Reid Magney said. In September 2014 with voter ID expected to be in effect for that years general election the board asked lawmakers for about $461,000 for a TV and radio campaign. But days later, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order of its own, blocking implementation of voter ID for the upcoming election. The ID requirement says voters must come to the polls with one of a list of approved photo IDs that include their signature, such as a Wisconsin drivers license, U.S. passport or U.S. military ID. Some student and tribal IDs qualify if theyre not expired. The last six months have been a roller coaster for Wisconsins open records law. After the Legislatures failed attack on the law over the Independence Day holiday, August brought a new threat. A little-known state board expanded the definition of transitory records, which can be immediately destroyed. Once this action was revealed, there was an impressive outcry from the public, and that change was dialed back last month. But there is still cause for concern. The state Public Records Board sets retention schedules for state and local government records. Retention is important if records arent retained, they cant be requested and obtained by the public. State law makes retention the rule, and records can be disposed of only if the Public Records Board grants permission. The boards mandate is to safeguard the legal, financial and historical interests of the state in public records. But in 2010, the board made the questionable decision to allow immediate deletion of some correspondence. Such transitory records were deemed of such temporary value as to not require any retention. State agency employees could simply delete these records after they were created, without any further oversight. On Aug. 24, 2015, the board held a meeting and expanded the transitory records category. Now it included not just correspondence, but other documents such as interim files and recordings used for training purposes. The boards meeting notice and minutes contained no indication of this change, later prompting the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council to file an open meetings complaint with the district attorney. The day after the new definition was passed, the Walker administration notified the Wisconsin State Journal that records it previously requested had already been destroyed as transitory. News outlets then reported the Public Records Boards actions, and reaction was swift. Critics said the change undermined the records law and the publics right to know, inviting abuse. They pointed out that records the board defined as transitory were actually of significant public interest. There also were concerns that whole categories of electronic communications would be deleted as transitory. The Public Records Board was flooded with nearly 1,900 emails. Fortunately, the board listened. At a meeting in January, it rescinded its August decision to expand the definition of transitory records. But the danger has not passed. The old, 2010 definition of transitory records is still in place. Records custodians can still immediately delete some correspondence. Comments from board members in January suggested they are resistant to eliminating this category, despite state law suggesting that no records can be instantly deleted. Board president Matt Blessing said the issue would be revisited at a future meeting. The board next convenes on March 7. Another positive step is a bill being circulated by Democratic lawmakers that would create penalties for destroying public records. As Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca observed, Theres no recourse if agencies destroy records. The bill would shore up existing provisions in the law that deter premature destruction of public records. Lets hope one or both of these potential fixes advance. Otherwise, Wisconsins weak records retention requirements will continue to undermine the publics right to know. Its no secret that Americas immigration system is a confused and disorderly mess. Now the U.S. Supreme Court has a chance to inject a needed dose of clarity into the picture by upholding President Obamas priorities on who stays and who goes. Presidents, as well as prosecutors and law-enforcement officers, have always had the authority to exercise discretion in carrying out the law. Who gets a ticket and who gets a warning. Who gets charged with a felony and who gets charged with a misdemeanor. How far over the speed limit can you drive without getting a ticket? This is the same sort of authority President Obama relied on in November 2014 when he issued an order on deportation declaring that the government would target criminals, such as gang members, while giving a three-year reprieve to other individuals. Those excluded are people whose children are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, who have been here at least since 2010 and who do not have criminal records. The reasons for Obamas order are the same ones that compel police and prosecutors to exercise discretion: limited resources and practicality. It is simply not possible to deport the 11 million individuals who are here without the proper documentation, and its silly to pretend otherwise. The humanitarian impulse was to avoid breaking up families and to allow as many as 5 million people to live here without fear of sudden expulsion. It is also useful to bring all these people out of the shadows so they need no longer fear talking with their neighborhood police or other law-enforcement figures. Some might say theres a big difference between a cop who doesnt issue a speeding ticket to someone going, say, 5 miles over the speed limit, and a president who gives temporary blanket amnesty to millions of people. Obviously, the scope of the presidents order is broader, but theres nothing new about presidents acting unilaterally on immigration when conditions make it imperative. President Reagan in 1987 excluded from deportation the minor children of immigrants who had already been granted amnesty the year before. Three years later, the first President Bush allowed more than 1 million to stay as part of a family fairness process. Neither one consulted Congress. Whats different this time are the large number of immigrants in our cities who have no legal status, the dysfunction in the immigration system and the relentless pressure on the southern border. It has created a perfect political storm that gives rise to a kind of hysteria over immigration. But none of the above should give rise to changes in the law or a ruling that does not follow established precedent upholding presidential authority over immigration. The current lawsuit before the Supreme Court was brought by states claiming harm to themselves because immigrants impose administrative costs, a flimsy argument that the court should disregard given a judicial history of affirming that immigration is the exclusive purview of the federal government even though lower courts have upheld the states argument. However, the court has consistently upheld presidential authority in realm of immigration. As late as 2012, the court ruled against an Arizona law that allowed the state to detain individuals who were in the country illegally. Essentially, the court said, thats the presidents job. That was true then, and it should still be true today. Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-01 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] Negotiations with institutions' representatives to start on Monday, at 17:00 [02] Refugees to travel from Mytilene to Piraeus after seamen's strike suspended [03] No trains and urban railway on Thursday [01] Negotiations with institutions' representatives to start on Monday, at 17:00 The negotiations with the representatives of the institutions within the framework of the first program review will start on Monday, at 17:00. The representatives will remain in Greece until the first phase of the negotiation is completed towards the end of the week. [02] Refugees to travel from Mytilene to Piraeus after seamen's strike suspended A total of 770 refugees left Mytilene as soon as the seamen's federation (PNO) strike ended early on Sunday. Another 680 refugees will leave Mytilene at 20:00 and 1,500 at 21:00. Three more ferries with 800, 350 and 2,500 refugees aboard are scheduled to leave the island between 23:00 and 1:00. Meanwhile, the refugee flows from the Turkish coasts continue unabated. A wooden vessel with at least 200 refugees on board ran aground north of Mytilene late on Saturday. The Greek Coast Guard and the Frontex rescued the refugees and transferred them to the port of Mytilene. In another incident, a body in advanced decomposition was recovered by a fishing boat in western Lesvos. [03] No trains and urban railway on Thursday Trains and urban railway will not run on Thursday due to a 24hour strike declared by GSEE (General Confederation of Greek Workers) and ADEDY (Civil Servants Labour Union). Moreover, all train services scheduled to depart after Wednesday midnight will not be conducted. Metro service to the airport will not be carried out during the strike. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Trump's response was very different in June 2015 than one would expect to hear him say today. Seven months later, some of Trump's responses at the City Club appear in an attack ad focused on his response that day to the illegal alien issue - one that is a key reason so many of his supporters say they are favoring Trump in the GOP primary. CHICAGO - Last June, businessman Donald Trump visited the City Club of Chicago soon after announcing his interest in running for president. Tickets sold out quickly, and the City Club audience was not disappointed. "You have to give them a path and make it possible for them to succeed - you have to do that," he told the City Club of Chicago audience. The ad is funded by Our Principles PAC - founded by Katie Packer, once deputy campaign manager for Mitt Romney. Packer isn't a fan of Trump or Cruz. "I am not focused on that," she said. "I believe personally that if either Ted Cruz or Donald Trump are the nominee, I think we will probably lose in November," Packer told The Hill.com last week. "I think they are both very weak candidates for our party. ... But the problem with Donald Trump is I think he's downright dangerous and he would basically destroy the Republican Party. If you nominate a guy who abandons all the views we have advocated for the last few decades, then we don't have a party." The full City Club speech is HERE. SPRINGFIELD - Medical marijuana may not be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in Illinois many investors banked on it being. There's just not enough legal medical cannabis patrons, a research firm told the Associated Press Monday, and it's partly Governor Rauner's fault. He's refusing to add more conditions to the list of those that can be treated with cannabis. But is Rauner being stubborn, or shrewdly holding at bay an avalanche of employee discrimination lawsuits? Courts are ruling that employees can be legally fired if marijuana is found in drug tests mandated for certain jobs. From the Society for Human Resource Development: "Tonia's business savvy makes her the right candidate to lead the 11th Congressional District in Washington, D.C.," said Sanguinetti. "As an elected official, Tonia has fought tirelessly to maintain a business-friendly environment by opposing tax hikes in DuPage County and will be that same warrior for the 11th District when she's elected to Congress." PLAINFIELD - Republican women are banding together to support DuPage County board member Tonia Khouri in the 11th CD's 3-way GOP primary race. Khouri, who serves as DuPage County Board's Chairman of Economic Development,welcomed Sanguinetti's support. Sanguinetti served on the Wheaton City Council before being elected with Governor Bruce Rauner in 2014. "Lt. Governor Sanguinetti knows we need a pro-growth Representative from the 11th District that will fight for our communities and small businesses, and I will do just that," said Khouri. "I'm grateful for her support and I look forward to taking that same passion with me to Washington when I am elected in November." Khouri has also been endorsed by several D.C. women's groups, including VIEW PAC and Maggie's List in December. She was recognized as "On the Radar" by the National Republican Congressional Committee's Young Guns program in November. Khouri has to win over competitors in the March 15th GOP primary Dr. Nick Stella and Herman White. "In the scheme of things this was nothing. But having my home vandalized was a first for me in the prolife movement," Stanek wrote on her Facebook page. "As if they thought this would make me stop?" MOKENA - When Illinois pro-life activist Jill Stanek returned home Sunday night from a vacation with her family, she found a cinder block had been thrown through their living room window with a note attached saying, "Quit the pro-life bullsh*t." Stanek, who has been active in the pro-life movement since 1999, said the police suggested not publicizing, but she resisted, saying she "wasn't going to let pro-choice violence go unchecked." For years, since being fired as a nurse at Oak Lawn's Christ Hospital for revealing the practice of allowing unwanted babies born alive to die, Stanek has appeared on TV and radio legislative hearings and speaking engagements, telling her story. Over the past six months, Stanek has been traveling the country as pro-life group Susan B. Anthony's national chairman, building support for an aggressive campaign strategy to elect a pro-life president this year and advance legislation like the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. "In the wake of former CDOT official John Bills' guilty verdict, the Citizens to Abolish Red Light Cameras are calling on House Speaker Mike Madigan to immediately bring House Bill 0141 up for a vote in the General Assembly," Mark Wallace, Director of the group, said. Federal prosecutors said Chicago's red light camera provider Redfle x representatives dishonestly acquired $131 million in contracts between 2002 and 2011. The jury found former Chicago Department of Transportation official John Bills guilty of taking bribes. He faces a 20-year prison sentence. CHICAGO, IL - Sunday, Citizens to Abolish Red Light Cameras stood with State Representative Ken Dunkin to call for a floor vote on HB0141, Dunkin's bill to end red light camera and speed camera enforcement in Illinois. "It is time for Speaker Madigan to take responsibility for a corrupt and unfair system that he and his cronies helped bring to Chicago." In the Redflex corruption trial, federal prosecutors linked Bills and Redflex corporation to Mike Madigan and the 13th Ward Democrats through campaign donations and dealings with several well connected lobbyists and attorneys in Chicago, the group said. Bills was at one time a precinct captain and top fundraiser for the 13th Ward Democrat Organization, of which Mike Madigan is Committeeman. "The time to take action against public corruption is now and we are urging all Chicago and Suburban citizens to contact their state representative and demand they vote to repeal Illinois' unsafe, unfair and unconstitutional photo enforcement programs which were born out of corruption and are no longer legitimate," said Wallace. HB0141 calls for the immediate end to Red Light and Speed camera enforcement in Illinois. Disclaimer "The Information in this weblog is provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confers no rights. This weblog does not represent the thoughts, intentions, plans or strategies of my employer. It is solely our opinions. Inappropriate comments will be deleted at the author's discretion. All code samples provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied including but not limited to implied warranties or merchantability and or fitness for a particular purpose. Also this blog is for my own personal ideas, views and purposes." Different types of nuclear radiation and why they are all dangerous. By Ace Hoffman July 7, 2022 NOTE: It is presumed you are looking at... By India Today Web Desk: A monster created in 1818 still larks in the background of every scary story and influences numerous horror movie directors all over the world. The monster created by Doctor Frankenstein is an icon etched into our brains from its representations in cartoons, movies and TV shows. A major misconception among people is that the monster's name was Frankenstein. Actually, it is the creator of the monster, Doctor Frankenstein, on whom Mary Shelley's novel was named. The creator of Frankenstein, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born on August 30, 1797. Although she had written three distinctive novels such as Mathilda (1820), Valperga (1823) and The Last Man (1826), Mary is more popularly known as the author of Frankenstein (1818). Listed below are some facts about Mary Shelley and her novel Frankenstein: advertisement 1. Mary Shelley, then Mary Godwin, had visited Lord Byron in 1816 along with her lover, Percy Bysshe Shelley, her friend, William Polidori, and her sister, Claire Clairmont. Byron had asked each of them to write an original supernatural story. Mary wrote Frankenstein. 2. She did not have the idea just like that. Mary had a bad dream about a dead man reviving and haunting people around. It is believed that Mary's dream was influenced by the untimely death of her 11-day-old girl in 1815. 3. The novel was published three times before it was accepted as an authentic work of Mary Shelley. In 1818, it was published anonymously. As a result, critics claimed it to be written by P B Shelley himself. Later in 1823, Frankenstein appeared as a stage production. Finally in 1831, Frankenstein was published as a novel written by Mary Shelley, after making some changes in the text. 4. Even the name 'Frankenstein' was not chosen randomly. According to Romanian historian Radu Florescu, Mary and Percy once visited a place named Castle Frankenstein on their way to Switzerland. It is believed that a chemist named Konrad Dippel used to experiment with human bodies at the castle. From there, Mary got the idea of the name. 5. The movie Frankenstein was released in the year 1910. James Searle Dawley wrote the screenplay and directed the 12-minute long film. Many sources credit the production to the Edison Studios that was run by Thomas Edison himself. 6. The film distorted the image of the monster. In the novel, the monster is deeply in touch with its conscience and faces emotional turmoil. But in the movie, it is portrayed more as a zombie. 7. She eloped with Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley at the age of 17. Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? Click here to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section. To get more updates on Current Affairs, send in your query by mail toeducation.intoday@gmail.com Amid the escalating political crisis in the UK, UK home secretary Suella Braverman has quit her post. Braverman tweeted her letter of resignation. The resignation came after there was a mistake in using her private email for ministerial communication in London. Watch this to know more. The men were picked by Rajasthan Intelligence Bureau for passing on details about movement of troops which they received through posts. By India Today Web Desk: Three post office employees have been detained in Rajasthan's Barmer for leaking important information about the army to Pakistan. According to reports, the men were picked by Rajasthan Intelligence Bureau for passing on details about movement of troops which they received through posts. Post master Kishan Pal, post office inspector Vasudeo Meghwal and post office computer operator Narendra Sharma are being quizzed by IB officers. Many similar raids have been conducted in the Balotra city of Barmer simultaneously by Rajasthan Police acting on the information provided by the Intelligence Bureau. Taking on private schools in the wake of the death of a six-year old Ryan International School student, the Delhi government has sought a safety report from all schools within a month. By Mail Today: Taking on private schools in the wake of the death of a six-year old Ryan International School student, the Delhi government has sought a safety report from all schools within a month. The government, which is already locked in a legal battle with private schools over the nursery admission row, said the 'arrogant and insensitive behaviour' of private schools will not be tolerated. advertisement "We have asked principals of each school, be it government, MCD or private, to carry out a prima facie inspection and give us a report. As soon as we get the report, we will carry out an inspection based on their report. I will get all 3,500 schools inspected in next one month through SDMs, fire department, PWD, DJB, education department and MCD," Sisodia said. This is the third major action of the AAP government against school authorities. Earlier, the government had decided to conduct an audit of financial accounts of private schools and later ordered the abolition of management quota. This decision has been contested by private schools in the Delhi High Court. The development comes after Divyansh Kakrora, a student of Class 1, was found dead in a water reservoir of Ryan International School in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police said they are looking into all angles and have not ruled out foul play at this point. The investigators said they have questioned school principal Sadhna Sabu and some other staff in connection with the case. An FIR has already been registered Vasant Kunj North Police Station under Section 304 (A) of IPC against unknown persons. School authorities came under severe criticism from several quarters following the incident. The government held a meeting on Sunday where issues related to safety aspects in schools were deliberated upon in detail. Also read: 6-year-old child dies after falling in school's water tank in Delhi --- ENDS --- Taking on private schools in the wake of the death of a six-year old Ryan International School student, the Delhi government has sought a safety report from all schools within a month. By India Today Web Desk: The initial post-mortem report of the 6-year-old boy who died after falling into a water storage tank at a Delhi school is out. The post-mortem report of Divyansh Kakrora says he died due to drowning. As per the report, the boy was alive when he fell into the tank, but died due to asphyxia. Final report on Divyansh Kakrora's death is yet to be submitted. advertisement A team of doctors from AIIMS will visit the school and examine the spot where the boy died. Taking on private schools in the wake of the death of a six-year old Ryan International School student, the Delhi government has sought a safety report from all schools within a month. Divyansh Kakrora, a student of Class 1, was found dead in a water reservoir of Ryan International School in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area on Saturday. School principal and other staff is being questioned in connection with the case. An FIR has already been registered Vasant Kunj North Police Station under Section 304 (A) of IPC against unknown persons. School authorities came under severe criticism from several quarters following the incident. Also read: 6-year-old's death: AAP government seeks safety report from Delhi schools --- ENDS --- Section 144 continues to be imposed in East Godavari district.More police force rushed to East and West Godavari districts. Kapu community leader M Padmanabham wants Naidu to issue govt order by today evening declaring quota. Padmanabham has said he will sit on a hunger strike if the govt order is not issued. By India Today Web Desk: Day after the violent quota agitation in Andhra Pradesh, Kapu community called off the stir today. Police said all the rail and road routes that have been affected due to agitation will soon be cleared. Train services have also resumed. However, Section 144 continues to be imposed in East Godavari district. Additional police has been rushed to east and west Godavari districts. Kapu community's leader M Padmanabham has asked Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu to issue govt order by today evening declaring quota. advertisement Padmanabham has said he will sit on a hunger strike if the govt order is not issued. On Sunday, the stir in Andhra Pradesh had taken a violent turn in East Godavari district. Protests held by members of the Kapu community seeking reservation turned violent when they set the Ratnachal Express on fire, at Tuni railway station in Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. Several bogies of the Ratnachal Express were set on fire by violent protesters seeking inclusion in the Backward Class list. The agitators also damaged police vehicles in the area. The protesters resorted to stone pelting, injuring several railway and police officials. According to sources, one police constable sustained injuries in stone pelting at the spot. The incident forced authorities to stop all trains running between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada stations, causing huge inconvenience to passengers. Last year, the Andhra Pradesh government announced inclusion of Kapu community in Backward Classes category setting up of a panel to study the proportion of reservation to be granted to them. Trains services have been restored The following trains, which were earlier cancelled / diverted in view of the disturbance to train movements on Vijayawada - Rajahmundry - Visakhapatnam section on Vijayawada Division of SCR, are now restored as detailed below 1) Train No. 17487 Tirupati - Visakhapatnam Tirumala Express scheduled to depart Tirupati on January 31, 2016 which was earlier cancelled, is now restored to run. 2) Train No. 12704 Secunderabad - Howrah Falaknuma Express which left Secunderabad on January 31, 2016 which was earlier diverted, is now restored to run on normal route. 3) Train No. 18048 Vasco - Howrah Amravathi Express which left Vasco on January 31, 2016 which was earlier diverted, is now restored to run on normal route. 4) Train No. 12246 Yesvantpur - Howrah Duronto Express which left Yesvantpur on January 31, 2016 which was earlier diverted, is now restored to run on normal route. 5) Train No. 22852 Mangalore - Santragachi (Howrah) Express which left Santragachi on January 31, 2016 which was earlier diverted, is now restored to run on normal route. 6) Train No. 17482 Tirupati - Bilaspur Express which left Tirupati on January 31, 2016 which was earlier diverted, is now restored to run on normal route. advertisement Committed to reservation for Kapu community: Naidu After a stir by Kapu community members seeking reservation under Backward Class category turned violent in Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday said he is committed to reservation for the community. "I am committed to reservation for Kapu community for which a Judicial Commission was also constituted," Naidu told reporters. The Chief Minister said on the basis on the report of the commission, reservation benefits would be extended to the community without exceeding the total reservation by 50 per cent as per the decision of the Supreme Court. "I am condemning the incident and it is unfortunate that some leaders in the guise of politicians (are) acting like 'goondas'," he added. Also Read Kapu protests turn violent, activists set Ratnachal Express on fire --- ENDS --- In a tribute to the tragic and everlasting image of three-year-old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi, dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei lay down on the beach to pose for a powerful image highlighting the plight of refugees. By India Today Web Desk: Last week, a team from Asia's largest English news magazine, India Today, travelled to the Greek island of Lesbos to meet global artist and activist Ai Weiwei. The excursion was part of the inaugural India Today Art Awards 2016's International Spotlight. One of the pictures from our exclusive photo shoot shows Ai Weiwei lying face down on the pebbles next to the sea. This is a tribute to the tragic and everlasting image of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian refugee whose drowned body was washed up on a beach near the Turkish resort town of Bodrum last September. advertisement The India Today team of Group Visual Director Rohit Chawla and Senior Editor Gayatri Jayaraman spent 48 hours with Ai Weiwei, who is creating a memorial in Lesbos for the refugees in order to highlight their plight and spread the message of peace, brotherhood and trust. Ai Weiwei believes that artists don't have to be more political, they just have to be more human. It's a line of thinking that India Today, and the annual India Today Art Awards, subscribes to. We believe that art is not just for art's sake, but for culture's sake, for society's sake, and for politics' sake. "The mission of the magazine has always been to connect the best of India to the world and bring the best of the world to India" says Aroon Purie, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of the India Today Group. "Ai Weiwei is a global icon for using art to make a political statement. We are very pleased to have him use our platform to highlight the issues affecting us all." The photograph of Aylan Kurdi that went viral in September 2015. The result is a world exclusive photograph that has gone viral. The whole story in one image, which is what great art is. And this is what we aim to celebrate with the India Today Art Awards. The full interview with Ai Weiwei and more pictures from the exclusive photo shoot will appear in the next issue of India Today magazine. Ai Weiwei lay down on the pebbles on the beach to pose for the photograph. Twitter/Gayatri Jayaraman Himself an exile since the age of one, now living between Berlin and Greece, Ai Weiwei is Chinese only in paperwork and language."I'm self-contained, I'm outside, it's not a desirable situation, but I've almost no choice," he says. "I don't see myself as a refugee because I've got my passport and can travel freely, and I'm better than refugees that have lost their lives, but in the way many of my friends are still in jail, many of their families don't know where they are and cannot have lawyers and proper records. In one sense of course, we are all refugees. I am not Chinese but I am a human artist, a human right's defender and that's a beautiful thing to defend and a condition we cannot afford to lose," he says. Also read: Drowned Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi's photograph highlights Europe's refugee horror advertisement Also read: After Aylan Kurdi's death, aunt fights to bring family to Canada While using the photograph, please ensure that credit is given to India Today. See the making of the photograph here: Also a vine on the actual making of the @IndiaToday shoot of @aiww on the beach of Lesvos https://t.co/aGLXlPc4ja Gayatri Jayaraman (@Gayatri__J) February 1, 2016 --- ENDS --- By Rakesh Ranjan: Not much seems to have changed for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who is undergoing naturopathy treatment in Bengaluru. Kejriwal, who has been constantly monitoring the sanitation workers' strike in Delhi, addressed a rally of auto rickshaw drivers in Bengaluru on Sunday evening. Interestingly, patients at the Jindal Nature Cure Institute are strictly advised to stay away from the phone and other distractions. advertisement Unlike his previous visit to the institute in March, 2015, when he kept himself disconnected from politics and media, his current stay has been largely dominated by political activities. Sources close to Kejriwal said he had requested doctors at the institute for a 'break' to address the auto rickshaw drivers on Sunday. Kejriwal, however, maintained it was not a political rally but a 'genuine cause' that he was addressing. "The rally was planned long back as part of the AAP's 'bribe free' campaign in Karnataka. Arvind Kejriwal's presence in the rally was primarily aimed at boosting the morale of the auto rickshaw drivers who are harassed by the irrational Motor Vehicles Act which makes it mandatory for them to produce class 8th certificate for obtaining a licence. The Delhi CM had asked for 'special leave' from doctors to extend moral support to the drivers," said Siddharth Sharma, coconvener of AAP's Karnataka unit. Sharma said Kejriwal has been prescribed a strict routine at the nature cure institute; however, political compulsions sometimes force him to step out. "Nobody is allowed to meet him (Kejriwal) at the institute. Like other patients, he has to follow a strict route," Sharma said. "We follow a strict protocol on the premises, as our healing system involves several rigorous practices and our patients should not remain distracted. We have asked the Delhi CM to stay away from any stressinducing circumstances, including any kind of political discussions or telephonic conversations. We attach a lot of importance to discipline as part of the treatment," sources said. Even during his previous stay, Kejriwal was kept away from political discussions with only some of his close officials being allowed to meet him. Notably, the political situation in Delhi aggravated the day Kejriwal was admitted to the institute on January 27, when nearly 1.5 lakh employees of the three MCDs went on indefinite strike demanding their long-due salary. Since then, the Delhi CM has been monitoring the developments in the Capital while lauding the efforts made by his government to deal with the crisis. Through a series of tweets, Kejriwal extended support to striking workers demanding dues. He expressed hope that some solution will emerge after the high court hears the matter next week. "I support demand of protesting MCD employees that they shud get their full salaries. I hope some solution will emerge after Tue HC hearing (sic)," Kejriwal said on Twitter. advertisement The chief minister also lauded the efforts of the state's public works department personnel for working all night to clear garbage, and urged AAP functionaries to help them. "I am told PWD people and trucks worked whole nite to clean up garbage. I wud urge all AAP volunteers to help PWD (sic)," he tweeted. At the rally, Kejriwal demanded the abolition of Rule 8 of Motor Vehicles Act that mandates eighth standard pass certificate for obtaining auto driving license, saying he doesn't have an eighth class certificate himself. "I have heard that here you need to have class eight certificate for getting a badge. I don't have a class eight certificate. I do have degrees but I don't have the eight class certificate," Kejriwal said. "Who keeps the class eighth certificate? An auto driver told me that class eight certificates are available for `20,000," he added. Also read: Garbage crisis in Delhi: BJP demands funds for civic bodies, attacks Kejriwal govt --- ENDS --- advertisement The parents of Divyansh Kakrora, a 6-year-old boy who died after falling into a water storage tank at his school in Delhi, has blamed the teachers and administration for his death, citing negligence on their part to ensure the safety of the child. By India Today Web Desk: The parents of Divyansh Kakrora, a 6-year-old boy who died after falling into a water storage tank at his school in Delhi, has blamed the teachers and administration for his death, citing negligence on their part to ensure the safety of the child. However, the principal of Ryan International School refuted the allegation and claimed that Divyansh was a special child who was "hyperactive" and had a tendency of running away from the classroom. advertisement The father and uncle of the child said they have been trying to contact the principal of the school and the class teacher, but their calls have gone unanswered. They want to know how Divyansh came to fall into the water tank, which was left open, and why they were informed very late about the accident. A team of forensic medicine experts from AIIMS will be visiting the school in south Delhi on February 2 to examine the water tank where Divyansh, a Class I student of the school, was found dead. On News Today with Rajdeep Sardesai, the principal of St. Mary's School, Annie Koshi, was asked if the school can be held accountable for negligence and for not communicating with the parents. "If what the father says is what has happened, then the school is definitely responsible for the boy's death, and the inquiry will bring forth the truth," Koshi said. "As far as the teacher not talking, it could be that she has been told not to speak or that she is too shocked and unable to speak to the parents," she added. To watch the whole debate, click on the video below: Also Read: Govt asks Delhi schools to conduct safety inspection after students' death --- ENDS --- The Delhi government's education department today directed all the city schools to immediately carry out an inspection of their premises to ensure there was no safety hazard for the students. By Press Trust of India: The Delhi government's education department today directed all the city schools to immediately carry out an inspection of their premises to ensure there was no safety hazard for the students. The move by Directorate of Education (DoE) comes in the wake of recent deaths of two students by drowning in septic and water tanks on the school premises. advertisement "The heads of all schools run by government, schools of MCD and NDMC and private schools, are hereby directed to immediately carry out special inspection of whole school building and the premises, including roof-top and boundary wall, to ensure that there is no safety hazard such as open or uncovered sewerage tanks, water storage tanks, manholes, pits, loose or naked live electric wires or windows without grills, which may endanger the life of students," DoE said in a communication to schools. While five-year-old Ankit Kumar died on January 27 after he drowned in an open septic tank in a MCD-run school at Kapashera, a Class I student of Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj, Divyansh Kakrora was found dead in a water reservoir of the school premises on January 30. "If there is any potential hazard then schools should take immediate steps to remove them. Besides, there should be no broken pieces of glass, iron or wooden furniture lying in the staircase or passage which may hinder the free movement of the students," the DoE said. Schools have also been asked to submit an undertaking that their premises are safe for students. "After obtaining such declaration, all the schools will be inspected by special task forces constituted by the government to verify the situation and if any school is found lacking on any safety count, strict action would be taken against the principal or school management," the circular added. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had yesterday called an emergency meeting of the education department officials to review safety aspect for students in both government and private schools. --- ENDS --- The local residents set fire to two cars belonging to the African students, who studied in local colleges in Ganapathinagar on Hesaraghatta Road. By Mail Today: African students were targeted by local residents on Hesaraghatta Road in Bengaluru after a few Sudanese were involved in a hit and run case resulting in the death of a woman on Sunday evening. According to the police, the local residents set fire to two cars belonging to the African students, who studied in local colleges in Ganapathinagar on Hesaraghatta Road. One of the Sudanese, who was behind the wheels of a car, rammed into Shabana Taj ((35) when was she was walking on the footpath and she died on the spot. Shabana and her husband were returning home after attending a wedding. It is alleged that the Sudanese students tried to flee from the scene of accident and the local residents caught hold of them and trashed them black and blue. advertisement It is alleged that the students were in an inebriated condition when they were driving the cars. The police arrested two students and also two local residents in connection with the incident. They also had to cane local residents to restore law and order situation. On Monday, activists of various organizations staged demonstration on Hesaraghatta Road demanding action against the African students. Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut's rumoured affair has been the talk of the town for quite some time now. By India Today Web Desk: Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut's rumoured affair has been the talk of the town for quite some time now. All along, Kangana and Hrithik have both been tight-lipped on their relationship, right from the time the news broke in 2013. ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut and Hrithik Roshan were in a relationship. Here's proof advertisement All was buried for a few months after that, but controversy reared its ugly head yet again. This time around, Kangana was asked whether Hrithik had actually asked her name to be struck out from Aashiqui 3. On this, she had said, "Yes, many lame rumours are doing the rounds, even a dumbass can tell where these rumours are coming from. I don't know why exes do silly things to get your attention. For me, that chapter is over and I don't dig graves." ALSO READ: Hrithik on dating Kangana, more chances of an affair with the Pope than any actress The equation between Hrithik and Kangana got even murkier when Hrithik took to Twitter to share: "Ther r more chances of me having had an affair with d Pope dan any of d (Im sure wonderful)women d media hs ben naming. Thanks but no thanks (sic)." And now, Kangana has responded to Hrithik's tweet. While speaking to NDTV, Kangana said, "I respect the other person's opinion. It's very likely that a person can have a different perspective of the same situation or rather the past. But then, stick to your stand. Don't contradict yourself and slyly pursue people, spy on them and chase them. So, we sign and seal the deal, and then move on." According to sources, Hrithik and Kangana were friends when they were shooting for their film Kites (2010). "Hrithik was going through some trouble in his personal life at that time and he would talk to Kangana about it, and that's how they got close and became friends," a source told NDTV. After Hrithik and wife Sussanne Khan's divorce, "Kangana and Hrithik continued meeting each other till the story of their relationship broke and then Hrithik tweeted denying it all. Their on and off relationship has been going on for a while now, even though Hrithik has not spoken about it openly," the source added. Earlier, Kangana had made it clear that she was single and was not dating Hrithik. However her 'silly exes' comment doesn't go with her earlier statements. After all the stories and statements by both the actors, doesn't look like the Hrithik-Kangana saga is likely to end on a good note. advertisement --- ENDS --- J&K Governor, NN Vohra has written letters to PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti and BJP president, Sat Paul Sharma to clear their stand on government formation.Governor NN Vohra will meet Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday at Raj Bhavan in Jammu.Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said her father's decision to align with BJP was courageous, but it was unpopular. By India Today Web Desk: Amid deadlock in Jammu and Kashmir, the PDP has called its legislator party meeting at Mehbooba Mufti's residence in Srinagar today. On Sunday, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti met top party leaders where discussions were held on govt formation in the state. Jammu and Kashmir Governor, NN Vohra, has given an ultimatum to PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti and state BJP president to clear their stand on formation of an alliance government in the state. advertisement Governor NN Vohra wrote to both presidents giving them time till February 2, 2016 so that he can take decision after there reply. He also called for a meeting with Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday at Raj Bhavan in Jammu. The Governor has written letter after PDP's Sunday meeting in Srinagar in which Mehbooba Mufti had said her father's decision to align with BJP was courageous, but it was unpopular . She had also said that she will take govt formation issue with BJP only after reassessing whether ally BJP at centre would take steps to solve core political and economic issues of J&K in time frame. The alliance with BJP is highly consequential to the formation of the next government in the state. The chief minister's post in Jammu and Kashmir remains vacant after the sudden demise of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7, 2016. Sayeed was heading a coalition government with BJP since March 1 last year after the Assembly elections threw up a fractured mandate. Mehbooba was seen as the successor to her father, but she has maintained suspense over the issue and not yet staked claim to form the government. BJP, with 25 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly, has made it clear that it wants the alliance to continue and were waiting for 27-member PDP to elect its Legislature Party leader. Also Read J&K deadlock: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti to take final call on govt formation Will PDP-BJP form govt in JK? Farooq Abdullah says no political party closes its doors Power projects may decide fate of PDP-BJP alliance --- ENDS --- By Soudhriti Bhabani: Two-and-half-years since West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid her maiden visit to the notorious Kamduni, villagers are still waiting for the basic amenities promised by the CM and top politicians of her party. Works for installing as many as 24 electric posts started along the arterial village road that connects the bus stop with Kamduni village. Locals claim that work began just three days ahead of the court verdict when six of the eight accused were found guilty for the brutal crime. advertisement "We still don't have proper roads, street lights, transport and other civic amenities in our village. We had demanded these basic minimum facilities from our CM when she had come to Kamduni in 2013 (after the gang-rape incident). She had promised that the administration would look into these aspects. But two and a half years gone, nothing has been done on that front," said Subrata Mondal, a villager. Mondal said a secondary school - Dr BR Ambedkar Shiksha Kendra - is also under lock and keys in the village. "Locals had requested the district administration to upgrade this school till the higher secondary level so that girls don't have to travel out. But nothing has been done and as a result the school is virtually lying in a defunct state," he added. Tumpa Kayal and Mousumi Kayal, who had earned the title of Maoists and CPI-M-backed cadres, had raised these issues with the CM who had promised to look into the matter. "The entire belt plunges into darkness after sunset. People are scared to step out of their homes, especially girls. But they are helpless. They have to brave the darkness for the sake of their studies and colleges. Only some Tata-magic vans were introduced in the village recently for commuting locals from the bus stop to village. But that service too is not frequent," alleged Tumpa. "We have requested them to set up a permanent camp at Kamduni village to restore confidence in the people as far as the law and order is concerned. The police have also assured us of necessary help, whenever needed. Now we have to see if they make it happen at all or not," the Tumpa pointed out Also read: Kamduni gangrape case verdict: Kolkata court sentences 3 convicts to death, 3 others to life Kamduni gangrape: Even as struggle for justice comes to an end, uneasy calm grips village --- ENDS --- Mousumi Kayal fought the valiant battle and also went against the state administration, braved social humiliations and the Maoist tag given by none other than West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. By Soudhriti Bhabani: When the Kamduni movement started in a little-known rural outskirts of Kolkata's adjoining North 24-Parganas district, there were many people who supported the protest- both old and the young. Today some of them are not alive but their inspiration still drives people like Mousumi Kayal who fought the valiant battle- going against the state administration, braving social humiliations and Maoist tag given by none other than West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. advertisement "Now when we have got justice I remember the words of my mother-in-law, Sabita Kayal, who had supported me and inspired me to march ahead for the cause. She passed away about one-anda-half-years ago but her inspiration still motivates me to keep the fight on," said Mousumi. Mousumi said when the gangrape and murder had taken place in 2013 her mother-in-law was a septuagenarian. But still she thought it was important to stand and be vocal about justice. "She thought it was a fight for women's right and to reclaim their respect in the society. Whenever I felt low with the social humiliations, my motherin-law used to cheer me up saying: 'Don't buckle down before any pressure and move ahead like this, you will get justice one day in the case,'" she said. Also read: Kamduni gangrape case verdict: Kolkata court sentences 3 convicts to death, 3 others to life Kamduni gangrape: Even as struggle for justice comes to an end, uneasy calm grips village Kamduni village still shrouds in darkness, await basic amenities --- ENDS --- Speaking at a seminar of homeopathy doctors in Patna, Lalu compared urine with Dettol, the famous anti-septic brand, and said that the only progress that "we have seen is that now we wash out hands with urine". By India Today Web Desk: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad believes that urine is an effective anti-septic. Speaking at a seminar of homeopathy doctors in Patna, Lalu compared urine with Dettol, the famous anti-septic brand, and said that the only progress that "we have seen is that now we wash out hands with urine." advertisement "During my childhood, whenever we used to sustain injuries, we would apply urine, which worked as anti-septic. Now people use Dettol, and some of them now use it (Dettol) to wash their hands. This is the only progress we have made," Lalu said triggering a laughter at the Homeopathic Science Congress. Lalu was at the event inplace of his elder son Health Minister Tej Pratap. Lalu said Tej Pratap was busy so he could not attend the seminar. The former Bihar CM also endorsed homeopathy, saying it has no side effects unlike allopathy Lalu has been under attack for acting like a proxy for his minister son after he conducted a surprise check at Patna's Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences recently, but the RJD boss clarified saying, "I just wanted to survey how the hospital was functioning nowadays, since it was built when I was the CM." WATCH: (30/1/16) 'Urine is as effective as Dettol', says Lalu Prasad Yadavhttps://t.co/zTWZbJ4lfy ANI (@ANI_news) February 1, 2016 --- ENDS --- Sanjay alias Krishna Nayak (34) from Dakshina Kannada district had been convicted for murdering his family friend, who owed him money in 2001. By Mail Today: The Bengaluru police managed to arrest a murder convict, who was on the run for the last 7 years, after coming out of the Central Jail on parole. Sanjay alias Krishna Nayak (34) from Dakshina Kannada district had been convicted for murdering his family friend, who owed him money in 2001. He was sent to the Bengaluru Central Jail to serve his prison sentence. After spending 7 years in jail, he was granted parole in 2007. But Sanjay did not return to the jail after completing his parole (15 days). advertisement The police launched an extensive manhunt to search for Sanjay, who was living under a new identity, as an autorickshaw driver in Mysuru. --- ENDS --- By Priya Pathak: Panasonic, which makes consumer electronics and home appliances, has launched two new headphones with support for high-resolution audio and Bluetooth headphones. The company claims that these all new headphones "are the best combination of uncompromising sound quality and portability with a healthy dose of bass, aesthetic design, and an urban appeal". Although Panasonic is a fairly recognised name in the audio and video market, its new headphones - dubbed HD5 and BTD5 - are an attempt by the company to package and market its products in a more consumer-friendly manner. advertisement The HD5, which is the high-resolution headphone, is priced at Rs 9,490 and come packed with 40mm HD driver unit. The model flaunts a unique feature of horizontal slide adjustment that lets the user shift position of the drivers horizontally to suit individual ear position. Next up is the Bluetooth BTD5 headphone. The device has a price of Rs 6,490 and comes with Near Field Technology (NFC) for convenient connectivity. The model is equipped with premium 40mm neodymium drivers and high-capacity Lithium ion battery that delivers 40 hours of high-quality music. BTD5 comes with a built-in remote mic. The ear pad housings have an intuitive touch controls designed on them that help make it quick and easy to turn Bluetooth on and off, adjust volume and change tracks. Talking about the two headphones, Gaurav Ghavri, the product head of Panasonic India said, "Owing to the growing demand for wireless headphones for an active world, Panasonic has introduction the Bluetooth headphones BTD5. Both the new models HD5 and BTD5 are the best bet for headphones with clear and dynamic bass sound and a great design." Panasonic last year launched a headphone range with 33 models under 13 categories. These headphones start at a price of Rs 949. While some of the Panasonic headphones are much liked by critics and consumers alike, the company doesn't have the same brand recognition that more audio-focussed firms like Boss and Sony have. In India, Panasonic also tends to play into the mass-market and not among the niche audiophiles. However, with the latest headphones the firm seems to be changing its tactic and looks to challenge the likes of Sony and Sennheiser. You may also like: Bose SoundLink II and SoundTrue II headphones review: Manna for your ears --- ENDS --- By India Today Web Desk: Delhi-based Mira Rajput tied the knot with actor Shahid Kapoor on July 7 last year in the capital. And since then the two have been spotted several times. ALSO SEE: Shahid Kapoor shares an adorable picture with Mira Rajput, says wife made 2015 totally worth it Shahid Kapoor has always played the perfect chivalrous husband when he is with his wife Mira Rajput. Recently, the lovebirds were spotted outside a high end restaurant in Mumbai. advertisement While Shahid looked sporty in his blue shirt and denims, Mira chose to wear a silver shimmery top and denims for the dinner date. There were rumours that Shahid Kapoor's wife Mira Rajput will soon make her Bollywood debut opposite him in AK vs SK. In an interview Shahid Kapoor was asked by DNA about Mira's acting debut. To which Shahid replied, "I am loving all the stuff that I have been reading everywhere. I won't tell you what's true and what's not. Aap log socho. Mira is my wife, she is not an actress." ALSO SEE: Much-in-love Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput clicked at a Christmas party Recently, Shahid also shared a throwback picture from their wedding album and took to Instagram to say thanks to Mira for a shaandaar year. He had written, "She made this year totally worth it. Happy new year you all. Make others happy this year. Keep it real and always make it count (sic)." On the work front, Shahid Kapoor will next be seen in Rangoon. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the film is scheduled for release on September 30 this year. (Picture Courtesy: Yogen Shah) --- ENDS --- A 15-year-old rape victim, undergoing treatment at the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Jamshedpur, was raped for a second time by a security guard of the hospital. By India Today Web Desk: A 15-year-old rape victim, undergoing treatment at the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Jamshedpur, was raped for a second time by a security guard of the hospital. According to the police the guard took the girl to the bathroom and allegedly raped her. Later the accused was identified as Shambhu Mahto. After the incident the security guard managed to flee the place after allegedly raping the girl. A woman staffer is also accused of helping the security guard to escape from the spot. advertisement Police have launched a hunt for the accused. The security guards posted in the hospital have been thoroughly interrogated. The victim's mother informed the police that the incident happened when she went out to bring medicines for her daughter. The minor girl was earlier raped on January 26 by a 14-year-old boy. He was nabbed and sent to a remand home. The girl suffered serious injuries and was hospitalised. Crimes against women, particularly rape, are rising in Jharkhand. Till November 2015, the total number of rape cases lodged in Jharkhand were 1,124 which was 967 during the same period in 2014. Also read: 10-year-old girl raped on Panchayat chief's order in Jharkhand --- ENDS --- By India Today Web Desk: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the University of Hyderabad has called off its 'chalo Dilli march' which was to be held on February 5. The Joint Action Committee has given 10-day ultimatum to the university to act on their demands. "Classes have resumed, but we have given 10-day ultimatum to the university for our demands," said Sukanna, expelled student and JAC member. advertisement As per the University of Hyderabad PRO, the administrative staff has joined the work and university is functional. Massive protests had erupted after Dalit student Rohith Vemula had committed suicide earlier this month. Classes and other activities at the university were hit ever since the suicide. Rohith Vemula was amongst the five research scholars who were suspended by Hyderabad University in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader. They were also kept out of the hostel. 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 protests and demands for their removal from their posts. Dozens of other students are still on a hunger strike to press the demand for the resignation of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao and action against him and others responsible for the suicide. Also read: It's going to be business as usual for University of Hyderabad from today Rohith Vemula was not a Dalit, says Sushma Swaraj Rohith Vemula offered namaz for Yakub Memon, organised beef parties: BJP's Kailash Vijayvargiya --- ENDS --- As Delhi remained on high alert in wake of security threats in the first half of January, criminals made the most of it with over 1,600 vehicles stolen, over 461 house thefts and 427 snatchings. Security in the Capital was beefed up ahead of Republic Day following terror threat from groups like the ISIS. By Ankur Sharma: While terror threat to the Capital kept the Delhi Police on its toes during the first two weeks of January, local criminals roamed the streets freely. Data shows that from January 1 to January 15, 2016, street crimes like snatching, motor vehicle theft and house theft became rampant. Police officials said up to 40 per cent personnel got deployed in Lutyens' Delhi which forced districts to manage with few men and become the main reason for rise in street crime. advertisement According to data provided by the Delhi Police, from 1st of January to 15th of January this year, Delhi saw 427 cases of snatching. The figure for the month before that i.e. from 1st of December to 15th of December, Delhi saw 394 cases of snatching. And, during the same period last year, i.e. from 1st January to 15th January, 2015, 348 cases of snatching were reported in the city. Same is the case with motor vehicle theft and house theft (see box). According to a DCP, after the attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, districts were asked to provide staff for the security of Republic Day preparations. So, districts had to manage with less staff. While malls and popular markets had heavy deployment of policemen, local criminals managed to strike even at these places. "Every police station, from the first week of January onwards, was forced to operate with 40 per cent less staff. Personnel from every police station got deployed at various locations in Lutyens' Delhi. The rest of Delhi had fewer policemen to deal with local crime. This may be the main reason behind increase in street crimes," a DCP told Mail Today. Strategic deployment At the beginning of January this year, the top brass of Delhi police told their subordinates that policemen from local police stations will be deployed strategically so that khaki is visible on roads of Delhi, malls and markets. The main reason behind this was to instill fear among both criminals and terrorists. However, sources say, due to threat from various terror organisations this year, including the ISIS, the Lutyens' zone saw unprecedented deployment of security staff including Delhi Police officials. This came at the cost of neglecting other areas. What is shocking is the fact that crime graph shot up in Lutyens' zone as well. "This year, after the Pathankot attack, Delhi Police focused mostly on Lutyens' zone. Also, there was a severe threat from the ISIS. Keeping Delhi terror free on Republic day was the priority of the Delhi police." advertisement "During the first half of January, Delhi was not that keen to deal with local criminals as the national capital was facing a major threat from terrorist organisations," a senior police official said. This year, before the Republic Day celebrations, security and investigative agencies arrested 18 suspected terrorists nationwide. Counter-terror raids across the Capital added to the panic. There were fears of Parislike attacks on metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata. Terror suspects were detained in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Meerut and Roorkee. A white Santro car, belonging to an Army doctor, went missing from south Delhi, triggering panic and raising concerns among the security agencies. Now, cops say apart from dealing with crime, their main job will be to manage pendency of cases. According to a senior police official, rising crime figures are giving a tough time to investigating officers due to shortage of staff. They say while they are registering cases, investigation has become a difficult task. "There are very few investigating officers in districts and most of the time they get busy with odd duties. Shortage of staff is damaging the quality of investigation," he said. Also read: Terror alert in Bhubaneshwar, 4 foreigners missing from hotel advertisement Pathankot-style terror warning: Car hijacked, driver killed, Delhi Police issues terror alert --- ENDS --- A video of Delhi Police brutally beating up students who were protesting outside the RSS office in Delhi has gone viral on Twitter. By India Today Web Desk: A video of Delhi Police brutally beating up students who were protesting outside the RSS office in Delhi has gone viral on Twitter. The police action took place on January 30 even as students from All India Students' Association (AISA) were protesting against the death of Rohith Vemula outside the RSS office. The police resorted to a violent lathicharge to disperse the students from the place. During the melee that followed, the police did not spare even the women who were part of the protest. The video shows some policemen brutally thrashing two women and throwing them to the ground. advertisement Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter later in the evening to criticise the ruling BJP government over the incident. "Shocking attack on students. Instead of listening to them, now the Modi govt is brutally beating them up for protesting against the RSS!" he tweeted. The video also shows some people in plain clothes also assaulting the students. It is not yet clear whether the plain clothes men were policemen or not. Some of the protesters later alleged that the men in plain clothes were RSS supporters. Some reports suggest that the police resorted to lathicharge after the protesting students broke through the first barricade. However, the police denied having resorted to force. In a statement to PTI, DCP (Central) Paramaditya said, "No protesters were detained and no forced had to be used at all." Rohith Vemula committed suicide on January 17 at the Hyderabad Central University. According to his suicide note, he committed suicide after he was expelled from the hostel by the HCU authorities. --- ENDS --- "You know, this image of Neanderthals being brutes, is not quite accurate," says paleogenticist Laurits Skov. "The more we learn about them, the more like ... The Zhytomyr regional airport plans to obtain the status of an international airport. An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that the owner of Yanair airline that invests in the airport, Oleksiy Yanchuk, gave this information in Zhytomyr last week. "From today we will use the airport as the servicing base and synchronously develop it. With the gradual development we plan to ask the government to assign the status of an international airport to the airport," he said. Yanchuk added that if the events unfold under the plan, in summer the airport could service charter flights to recreation zones. The owner of the airline did not disclose the sum of investment in the development of the airport, adding that much money has been invested and much more will be invested. Zhytomyr Mayor Serhiy Sukhomlyn said that Yanair last year paid UAH 1.5 million to the city's budget and the development of the airport could create around 400 jobs. After 25 years of the actual idle period on January 29, 2016 the Zhytomyr regional airport serviced the first technical flight of Yanair's Saab 340. The airport's director Serhiy Budiak said that the airport's field can service An-24 and Saab 340 aircraft. In the future it is planned to continue the reconstruction of the airport and expand its capacity. Yanair acts as an investor in the airport, which plans to place the technical servicing base in the airport. Yanair airline plans that fares for flights from Zhytomyr to be 30% cheaper than from Kyiv in future Yanair airline hopes that when the Zhytomyr airport becomes fully operational the cost of air tickets will be 25-30% lower than at airports in Kyiv. An Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported that the owner of Yanair airline that invests in the airport, Oleksiy Yanchuk, gave this information in Zhytomyr last week. "According to our estimates, flights from here could be 25-30% cheaper as it would not have large staff as in Kyiv airports, the land tax is considerably lower here and expenses will be lower," he said. Zhytomyr Mayor Serhiy Sukhomlyn said that the airport would have the departure and landing fee three times lower than Kyiv's airports have. "I also hope that jet fuel will be cheaper here, as we plan to obtain a certificate and have a cheap refueling and authorities agree to this," Yanchuk said. Ten out of the 20 largest banks have signed the program of recapitalization following the results of stress tests conducted by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) and another four banks have no need for additional capitalization, NBU Head Valeriya Gontareva has said. "The first ten banks have signed a recapitalization program for three years," she said at a meeting with the European Business Association (EBA) in Kyiv. Gontareva clarified that mainly European banks that adequately assess their risks do not need capital increase. In mid-January the director of the NBU department of banking supervision, Yekateryna Rozhkova, said that four banks had no need for recapitalization, while five banks have already implemented the program of recapitalization. "Now work with six banks is being actively carried out, three more banks will join them after the approval of the results. The work on two banks is at the final stage," Rozhkova said. Rozhkova said the task for 2016 includes the testing of 40 more banks, which is to begin in May, as well as the testing of transactions with related parties in the entire banking system. To the best of my ability I write about my experience of the Universe Past, Present and Future * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati received the 2022 Adepi Award * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the World Intellectual Property Review's "Influential Women in IP" of 2020. * PermaKat Eleonora Rosati listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2018. * IPKat founder and Blogmeister Emeritus Jeremy Phillips listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2014. * Recommended by the European Patent Office as reading material for candidates for the European Qualifying Examinations, 2013. * Listed as "Top Legal Blog" in The Times Online, March 2011. 2010 ABA Journal 100. * One of the only two non-US blogs listed in the Blawg100. * Court Reporter Top Copyright Blog award winner, November 2010. * Number 1 in the 2010 Top Copyright Blog list compiled by the Copyright Litigation Blog, July 2010. * Selected by the United States Library of Congress for inclusion in its historic collections of Internet materials related to Legal Blawgs as of 2010. * Top Patent Blog poll 2009: 3rd out of 50 in the "Favourite Patent Blog" poll and 2nd out of 50 in the "Most-read" poll. Blog of the Year, 20 August 2008. * ComputerWeekly IT Law and Governance, 20 August 2008. Evangelia Papadaki Alexandra Mogyoros and Karen Walsh with this Kat Christian Geib talks to Roger Burt This moggy was thrilled to be able to attend last Thursday the inaugural running of an event at the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys - a seminar for PhD students. CIPA had contacted everyone that it could think of, and, although the passing on of the invitation had clearly been somewhat patchy, students from a goodly number of institutions had turned up. Some were pursuing studies in IP, others were studying in technical fields but had an interest in patents - this Kat found an applied mathematician, two life scientists and a mechanical engineer.After an introduction from, Vice President of CIPA, we perused a number of poster presentations, and then talks got underway., former CIPA President, discussed the importance of IP to industry, and introduced IP Inclusive (see Katpost here )., Director of Innovation at the Intellectual Property Office, gave an engaging presentation about the work of the IPO (although our dear founder would beg to differ as to the value of Wallace & Gromit in promoting IP awareness).Then we had the pleasure of hearing from three rising stars in the IP firmament about their doctoral studies, and the IPKat has taken the liberty of presenting their topics in their own words., a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, presented a paper on. Her paper set out the current landscape of certification marks and highlighted areas ripe for further research. Mogyoros argued that certification marks, as compared to trademarks, could be of significant value in the marketplace by signaling to consumers that goods and services have been certified as having a specific quality or characteristic. She argues that it is this very certification function, however, that requires further consideration of how certification marks are theorized as well as regulated questions she plans to explore in her doctoral work., PhD student at Bournemouth University, presented on "".Over the last twenty years, the dramatic popularity of the internet has transformed it into an interactive space filled with vast amounts of digital content, capable of being shared among its users. The carriers of this content on the Web are websites. Significant and functional components of websites are hyperlinks which have the ability to connect webpages together or direct users to downloadable digital files. In this respect, hyperlinks may be considered to have by nature an inherent capability of infringing copyright of protected digital content. For example, issues for copyright infringement may arise where a link directs to a work which is released online without the authors consent. The presentation focused on the potential of hyperlinks to infringe the authors exclusive right of communication expressed in Article 3 of the Information Society Directive, examining whether hyperlinking can be an act of communication. In addition to this, a comparative study of European cases, which were adjudicated before the landmarkcase, was presented. This indicated that most European national courts concluded that hyperlinking is not an act of communication to the public. However, acts of infringement by means of hyperlinking had generally been captured under provisions and doctrines on indirect liability, such as contributory infringement or authorisation. Discussing principles expressed initself and drawing conclusions from national case law, the speaker argued that national laws on indirect liability, combined with the provision against the circumvention of technological measures of the Information Society Directive, are sufficient to determine liability in cases where copyright infringement takes place via hyperlinking., another doctoral student at the University of Oxford, presented her paper entitled . This paper assessed the criticisms surrounding the proposed changes to the European patent system by the potential future implementation of the Unitary Patent Package. Walsh predominately focused on the criticisms that the new patent system would add to the territorial and institutional fragmentation that is currently experienced. Her research investigates methods that may be used to reduce this possibility.The final presentation was from, who spoke in his inimitable style - frank, forthright, engaging, and largely unrepeatable - about the state of the IP system today. He considered that the IP world in Europe was not well served either by the European Commission, which put forward poor quality legislation in the first place, or by the Court of Justice, which then failed to interpret it in a sensible, practical or clear way. This Kat was interested to note that Sir Robin considers that EPO Board of Appeal members should not also sit as judges at the Unified Patent Court, as he considers such a link between the granting and enforcement bodies unwise, notwithstanding that Article 149a EPC specifically envisages this. (The matter is moot since the European Patent Office apparently has no plans to release Board of Appeal members for this purpose).The last formal act of the day was for Sir Robin to present the poster prize toof Strathclyde University for his poster on his doctoral studies relating to text mining in journals.This Kat thanks everyone involved in organising and presenting at the event, and hopes that the seminar will become a regular fixture in the CIPA calendar.More pictures and tweets from the event can been seen on Twitter #CIPAPhD Este sitio utiliza cookies para mejorar la experiencia de usuario. Aceptar Ver mas The Dems Pre-New Hampshire Debate ] It was early 1963, over half a century ago. There was no Internet. There were no cell phones or personal computers. Car bodies were of heavy steel, made in the USA. JFK was very much alive. Like most Americans then, I had never heard of Vietnam. I was focusing on my sophomore year at Berkeley, supplementing my scholarship money by working part time. After installing towel bars in dormitories, I became a Head Reader, grading first-year physics exams and supervising other students doing the same thing. One of those I supervised was Man Hoo Kwong. He was of Chinese extraction. He spoke broken English. Although always respectful of me, he didnt seem to follow instructions. Soon I learned to speak to him slowly and distinctly and asked him to repeat what I had said. Thereafter he did precisely as asked. Eventually I got curious about him and took him out to lunch to hear his story. Although just an undergraduate like me, Kwong was 36 years old, twice my own age then. He was married to a woman who studied at San Jose State, 46 miles away. At that time, the trip there or back took about 1.5 hours. Kwong had an unusual work routine. He would work 36 hours straight, without rest or sleep, and then sleep for twelve hours straight. Since 36 plus 12 equals 48, every two days he would be back in synch with the usual diurnal cycle. But evolution didnt build us humans to live like that, certainly not day after day. I couldnt imagine how he did it, and I said so. So Kwong told me about his life before coming to America. He had been an early refugee from Vietnam. An ethic Chinese in a nation that had fought China for most of a millennium, he had been oppressed. He had worked ten or twelve hours per day in a North Vietnamese jute mill. He had done that for 364 days every year, for seven years: seven years with seven days off. Afterexperience, his 36-hours-on, twelve-hours-off life in the US seemed a vacation. So did his separation from his wife, broken only by visits every two weeks. About a decade later, in the midst of our misguided War in Vietnam, I read a similar story. A Vietnamese grunt in the Communist North had had a heavy missile strapped to his back. They gave him nothing but that missile, a backpack, a rifle and a knife. He spent months wending his way along the so-called Ho Chi Minh Trail, through deep jungle, to the South. He ate all the snakes and rats he could catch. When he got to his destination, the commander took his missile, fired it at us Yanks, and told him to go back and get another. That was when he defected, so we got to know his story. Our newspapers published it. Once I read it, I knew we Yanks would never win in Vietnam. Why? Because we were fighting for vapid abstractions like democracy. You know a word is a vapid abstraction when two nations as different as ours and North Koreas use it to describe themselves. (North Koreas official title is The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, or DPRK.) We Yanks were fightinganother vapid abstraction, Communism. The Vietnamese were fighting for their homes, families, and villages, and against the White Devils who were destroying their homes, bombing and napalming their villages, and (mostly unintentionally) killing their women and children. As if that werent enough, the Vietnamese had been carrying on a similar fight against a much closer and much larger giant (China) for most of a millennium. The Vietnamese were fighting for their country and their future. We were fighting for mere words uttered by clueless pols. Relative to the Vietnamese, we were soft and lazy. Even with all our B-52s, napalm, the defoliant Agent Orange, and other high technology, we lost. Dont get me wrong. Enjoy the good life when you can get it. Its not the natural state of Man, or of any other species. But its wonderful while it lasts. Theres just one problem with the good life, which Man has known since Athens and Sparta. It doesnt last long. If itgo on too long, it makes you weak, lazy, selfish and stupid. Then life inevitably gets harder. How can you tell this is happening to us? Just listen to a native-born college kid whine about a cell phone not working or an Uber taxi being ten minutes late. No Man Hoo Kwong would ever complain of such trivia. Nor would a Man Hoo Kwong ever think of voting for a clown like Trump or Cruz. Thats why, among many other reasons, we need more Kwongs, lots more. Recently Bloomberg.com published a long bio of another Vietnamese refugee, named Tri Tran. Hes leading the pack in a very difficult business: delivering tasty, microwaveable meals to city customers on short notice. His bio reads a lot like Kwongs and the missile bearers: a tale of unspeakable hardship, followed by grasping every opportunity that came his way with both hands. Theres nothing special about Vietnamese refugees. What makes them special is what we Yanks. Once upon a time, we were human, if not always humane. We were loyal and true to people whoagainst all odds and unspeakable hardshiptried to help us help them make their lives and nations better. Our misadventure in Vietnam was a ghastly mistake from the very beginning. We picked up a colonial war from the French, not recognizing that Vietnams revolution looked more like our own in 1776 than a falling of fictional Communist dominoes. But at least ourwere good. We thought we might help create something like South Korea, again, with our own blood and sacrifice. When the depths of our folly finally overwhelmed us, we stayed true to the people who had helped us advance our misguided vision. We had airlifts and boat brigades. We built refugee relocation centers. Thousands of ordinary American families sponsored Vietnamese refugees and integrated them into our communities. A comparison with today would be absolutely invidious. We fight wars half-heartedly. We sent far fewer troops to invade and occupyIraq and Afghanistan than Colin Powell sent to liberate tiny Kuwait from Saddam. And now that our half-hearted misadventure is producing region-wide misery and exodus, we take only a token proportion of those fleeing the mess we made. We know the Vietnamese now. Theyve been among us for four decades. So we no longer fear them. But Vietnamese are not somehow better than kids fleeing gang violence in Honduras or El Salvador, or than Syrian families fleeing Assads barrel bombs. Racism is a constant, low-level fever among us, which smart leaders learn to avoid and control. It will always be with us, but it appears to be subsiding, ever so slowly. Whatchanged is our Yankee sense of responsibility and opportunity. Weve lost it. We no longer evento save the human refuse of our big mistakes. And the hurt is ours as much as theirs. Whos going to restore our nations greatness? uneducated racists complaining about having to endure a few words of Spanish spoken in our supermarkets? a Millennial girl complaining about her Internet streaming, who would no more think about taking a course in engineering or math than walk nude on the Moon? our young native-born college student who takes poli-sci and communication courses because theyre easy, and who complains about all the Asian-looking students taking much tougher courses in math, science, engineering and medicine? Or is it Syrian refugees, like Steve Jobs father or the unknown (to me) lady chef in Cleveland who made the best baba ghanoush I ever ate? Is it the orphans from Honduras and El Salvador, who made the thousand-mile trek all on their own, on foot, at a tender age, and carry in their belly an unquenchable fire to do something, be somebody? Is it the refugees like Kwong, the missile-carrier and Tri Tran, who chew on hard problems until they are fully masticated because thats what theyve done all their lives? Is it the people who endure misery and risk death just to get here? We Yanks are not really a nation at all. At least we are not a people in the traditional, evolutionary sense: a single ethnic tribe. Instead, we are an idea. We are the idea that people can be happier and more productive when they are free, when they know how to live and let livethe credo of our Bill of Rights. With that simple credo, we have attracted the best people to our shores, from everywhere, right from our Founding. It all started in 1619, when the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth fleeing religious persecution. Every new group that arrived to taste freedom made us stronger and better. And when the offspring of those who came before inevitably get weak, lazy, selfish and stupid, another new group has always come along to replenish our strength, rejuvenate us and remind us who we are. Up to now, it hasnt mattered whether the refugees wore Puritan hats and bonnets, Lederhosen, Irish green, or yarmulkes. If we start making exceptions for hijabs, beards and turbans, or for sombreros, the flow of new strength and vitality will falter and maybe halt. If really want to close the golden doors, we ought to take down the Statue of Liberty, too; for then she will have no further use. Sure, Islamist extremism and terrorism exist. But the chance of being killed by a Syrian refugee whos a terrorist in hidingespecially after lengthy, expert vettingis less than the chance of dying in an airplane crash. Still we fly. The chance of being killed by a pre-teen who walked all the way from El Salvador to get here, and to escape being killed, is even more minuscule. Why would a kid who went to all that trouble and pain tocommit suicide to kill others? Careful studies have repudiated Trumps demagogic notion that immigrants are criminals. The overwhelming majority are not , and for a simple reason: for the first time in their miserable lives, they have a chance to succeed and be happy. They dont want to blow that chance. They dont want toour rulesthe first fair ones they have ever known; they want to master and use them to pursue happiness, as Jefferson promised. Unbeknownst to historians, we Yanks have solved the riddle of Athens and Sparta. We dont, like the Spartans, have to sleep on cold, bare stone to stay strong. We can have our luxury and our indulgences, as long as we invite a steady stream of immigrants whoslept on cold, bare stoneor worseto renew our strength and restore our hope. If we cant take the tiny risk and incur the tiny collective expense to do what we have always done, from whence will come the endless energy that has powered our society and made us exceptional from the very beginning? Are we going to let the Germans and the Swedes take that away from us? Are we going to retire the Lady with the Lamp in New York Harbor? Are we going to decay slowly, stewing in our own juices, complaining about trivia while strong people whove known and overcomehardship never reach our shores? The answers, as Dylan sung, are blowin in the wind, especially in this years election.Less than two weeks ago, theaired a segment on how cities and ancient city-states created nucleuses of geniuses, such as Florence during the Renaissance. History and the data show they did it by being open to immigration and foreigners. The mixing of cultures encouraged new ideas and sparked genius, just as today it fosters marvelous fusion cuisine.Rick Gladstone, Data Link Immigrants to Low Rates of Crime,, Jan.14, 2016, at A8. Once again, last nights impromptu Dems debate showed their superiority. Unlike the Republican candidates, neither Hillary nor Bernie sounded like a verbal automaton iteratively calculating how to pander to extremists while saving elbow room for reason in the general election. The two candidates disputed substance and their respective records. But both made short work of campaign trivia and gotchas. Bernie even reinforced his disdain for Hillarys e-mail gate. Both wanted to talk about substance, their records and their strengths, and both did. Yet if you want to boil it all down, there were only four big takeaways. The firstand by far the most importantwas how the candidates differentiated themselves. Hillary stressed her ability to get things done, often referring to unnamed experts and named endorsers of her candidacy. While trying to duck her previous self-description as a moderate (and Bernies description of her as the establishment candidate), Hillary touted her ability to work with others, to administer efficiently, and to delegate legislative jobs to the appropriate congressional committees. In foreign policy, she stressed her experience as Secretary of State, which Bernie graciously acknowledged. But as is her wont, Hillary always left herself running room. Asked which foreign threat was greatest, she refused to name any single one, just as she had done in the first debate. Asked what she would try to doas president, she refused to answer directly. While trying to tar Bernie as an impractical idealist, she refused to accept the premise thatpresidents achievements get exponentially harder after the first big expenditure of political capital. She sounded a lot like President Obama in his all of the above energy policy. Unfortunately, a president sometimes has to make choices, often quickly and under tremendous pressure. In contrast, Bernie made a logical pointa matter of cause and effect. He and Hillary agreedeven explicitlyon the most important things they would do, with differences in nuance and emphasis. But, Bernie held, if we dont curtail the oppressive power of big money and big corporations, none of that agenda will likely get done (except by Executive order), let alone all of it. The only thing that will cause real change, he declared, is a political revolution that brings back millions of working voters who have dropped out due to apathy and despair. The second takeaway related to Hillarys experience. In more than one instance, Bernie bowed to her greaterexperience as a fact, although Bernie has had more years in elective office. But Bernie made the crucial distinction between experience and judgment. Hillary had made a mammoth error of judgment in supporting the war in Iraq, and in doing so without even reading the National Intelligence Estimate , which contained secret dissents of the intelligence community. There were other errors of judgment, which I outlined in 2007 . The third takeaway concerns electability. Bernie said that he could win if he and his party could inspire a political revolution of working people, youth and minorities. Without such a revolution, he implied, Congress would continue to impose minority rule on the nation, and nothing much would get done. The final point came toward and at the end of the debate. Both Hillary and Bernie acknowledged their respect and admiration for each other. While neither said so explicitly, both implied that they would support each other as the nominee. One would hope so. If the Dems dont win this years election decisively, the GOP will have captured all three branches of government. Our national drift to the right and toward oligarchy will accelerate dramatically, as will global warming. In the final analysis, which candidate you support depends on your world view. If you believe that experience matters more than judgment, then you should support Hillary. But before you do, just think of Richard Nixon with his finger on The Button during the Cuban Missile Crisis . And if you think that competence sells better than bold but perhaps unattainable ideas, think of Kerry and Dubya in 2004. Kerry ran on competence, but Dubya won . If you think that our democracy and our country are in fine shape and just need a little tweaking, you should vote for Hillary. But before you do, think of minority rule in Congress , the immense power of Wall Street and the Koch brothers, the totally gratuitous Wall-Street-caused Crash of 2008, the bailouts that followed it, our three unnecessary major wars in half a century (Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan), the steady drumbeat of mass murder due to too many guns in many wrong hands, and the repetitive murder of unarmed African-Americans by racist and over-militarized police. They say that Ronald Reagan won because of his morning in America optimism. So Hillary tried to paint Bernie as a pessimist and complainera point which MSNBCs patently slanted first break reemphasized with visual propaganda worthy of Fox. (Go watch it if you want to become a political operative. Its a brilliant hatchet job on Bernie.) But optimism has its limits. Sometimes realism is more practical. Today Republicans own our governorships, the Senate, the House, and the Supreme Court. Still they use all the tools of minority rule (or minority vetoes), push hard for vote suppression and gerrymandering, and are quite successful at all of the above. Still they blame whats wrong with us on Dems and various scapegoats, including African-Americans, Hispanic immigrants, and Muslims. So-called conservative philosophy has become so partisan and so extreme that a major-party candidate can vilify and scapegoat Muslims and Mexican immigrants much as Hitler once did Jews. If you think Hillary is as skilled politically as Obama, to whom she lost, then by all means be an optimist. But if you think, as I do, that Obama and his team represented (and still represent) the apex of political skill, and you notice how small a part of his agenda he got done, then you have to recognize how little reason for optimism there is today, or in the future under business as usual. An all of the above philosophy only goes so far. In energy, President Obama managed to secure extension of solar-energy subsidies in exchange for letting Big Oil sell the fruits of its fracking abroad. Meanwhile, global warming accelerates, as does exhaustion of the fossil fuels on which we utterly depend . Without a revolution in energy policy, our species will slip back to coal, our cities will begin to look and smell like Beijing or Shanghai on a bad day, and we will reach the exponential tipping point of climate change far faster than even todays worst pessimists predict. (Even if we hadnuclear powers plants, which some day we might , we simply couldnt build enough of them fast enough to make a difference, either politically or physically.) So no, dear readers, theres not much reason for optimism today. And thats not even thinking about the explosive, exponential threat of the Zika virus, or the state of water like Flints when clueless, biased pols try to handle real crises. Most GOP pols today cant evenreal crises unless their political operatives or major donors sound the alarm. They dont live in the real world any more. They live in a world of vapid abstractions, ideology, propaganda and public manipulation. Some day, their loss of contact with hard reality will affect them as it has the residents of Flint. We can only hope that the result will not be equivalent suffering of our nation or our species. The worlds leaderour nationis in crisis and decline. The reasons are clear. To reverse that sad state of affairs, we need a political revolution like the ones that Teddy Roosevelt and FDR led. Nothing less will do. And nothing else will bring back voters whove, quite reasonably, dropped out of our democracy. The vast majority of working people see no use in voting; they are just trying to help themselves and their families survive. So do your best for Bernie. Hes not perfect; no one is. But he has the judgment to see the true causes of our national decline and to foresee the sad effects if they are not remedied. If Hillary wins, she will deserve our support, even our enthusiasm, only because of the utter horror of the alternatives. permalink Job Description The John Snow, Inc. (JSI) implemented USAID-supported Strengthening Ethiopias Urban Health Program (SEUHP) is seeking to hire a highly qualified Cluster Coordinator to be based at Kombolcha. The Cluster Coordinator is a full time position and reports to the Regional Public Health Advisors. The Cluster Coordinator will plan, implement and monitor the USAID/Strengthening Ethiopia Urban Health Program (SEUHP) and provide overall direction and technical oversight for the implementation of the program in the target cities/towns. S/he will provide technical support in planning, implementing, and monitoring the Governments Urban Health Extension Program at the Zonal and City/Town levels. The Cluster Coordinator will also provide technical support to the Zonal and City/Town in the effort to build the capacity of UHEP staff to be able to implement Urban Health Extension in general and TB, HIV/AIDS, MNCH, RH/ FP and WASH in particular. Furthermore, the Cluster Coordinator will provide technical guidance and assistance to SEUHP local partners in supportive supervisions, assessments, trainings, sensitization and community mobilization activities and documentation and dissemination of best experiences. Specific duties and Responsibilities: Planning and implementation of SEUHP with special focus on TB/HIV, MNCH, WASH, community mobilization, BCC, and private-public partnership; Provide technical support to Zonal and City/Town Health Offices on the implementation of Ethiopian Urban Health Extension Program with special attention to TB, HIV/AIDS, MNCH, RH/ FP and WASH interventions including M & E, community mobilization, BCC and PPP activities Provide technical support to implementing partners for effective implementation of SEUHP; Coordinate SEUHPs planning, implementation and monitoring at zonal and city/town level; Facilitate the development of effective and functional referral systems and linkage at city/town level. Work closely with Zonal Health Department (ZHD), City/Town Health Office (CTHO) and other sector offices for the implementation of Urban Health Extension Program (UHEP) in the respective region. Coordinate and/or facilitate trainings, review meetings and other events. Continually document and disseminate program successes, case studies and lessons learnt. Represent the project at various forums including but not limited to the government structures, NGOs and other stakeholders. Establish and maintain successful relationships with Government Offices, partners and stakeholders. Support the adaptation of training guides and other job aids and tools. Support the development of M&E plan and its implementation. Work with Regional M&E officer and technical team to set and achieve SEUHP targets. Facilitate the undertakings of assessments and research activities at respective locations; Conduct routine supportive supervision and regular data quality assessments. Compile, review and submit accurate and timely technical, programmatic and financial reports, according to SEUHP reporting requirements, and formats Perform other duties as required. Job Requirements First degree and above in Public Health, Nursing and other related field of study; Minimum of five years experience in coordinating health projects out of which three years in urban areas with an experience of working with governmental bodies including urban Health Extension Professionals; Proven programmatic and technical capacity; Experience in implementing and managing urban health extension program or any other urban community-based interventions; Demonstrated experience in building technical capacity of local partners and government partners Able to work with minimal supervision and follow up; Excellent interpersonal communication skills to coordinate and collaborate effectively with governmental and non-governmental partners; Proven capacity to work in team environment; Knowledge of local context and experience working in the respective regions: Proficiency in written and spoken English and Amharic is mandatory; Demonstrated ability to use computers; Ability and willingness to use motorcycles; Ability to ensure operational efficiency during program implementation ( use of public transport and integration of activity) Flexibility to relocate within the region. Closing date: Feb 14, 2016 Your rating: none Rating: 0 0 votes How to Apply John Snow, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer committed to workplace diversity. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified applicants and employees without regard to age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, gender, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, sexual preference, genetic information, political affiliation, or military status (special disabled veterans or veteran status) in any employment decisions. M/F/V/D. Please indicate on your application which duty station you are applying for. Applications with no duty station expressed will not be considered. All applicants must apply online on ethiojobs.net only JSI reserves the right to reject any application for any reason. 59 total views, 59 today Job Description Exceptional professionals with a passion for Ethiopian development. East African candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Job Location: Bahir Dar or another similarly-sized city. Duration: Minimum two years commitment, full-time job. Job Description As a rapidly growing organization, we are looking to attract Ethiopias top talent. We invest heavily in careers we want to develop our next group of project managers, agricultural experts and innovation researchers and managers. Some areas of specialty might include: Agricultural research: An Agricultural Specialist with may conduct desk-, expert-, station- and field-based research and trials to determine which interventions have the most potential to impact farmer incomes. Agricultural training/advising: Within project execution, such a specialist may have the opportunity to produce farmer training and ToT curriculum, as well as to lead such trainings. Agricultural advising: They may also advise on program design and improvements, or advise farmers institutions on how to maximize their impact. Agricultural communication: A Specialist may communicate agricultural research findings to various stakeholders, seek to understand their priorities and find common ground for program design. Depending on her/his performance, the Agricultural Specialist may advance rapidly. These options & potential growth trajectories will be discussed with you regularly by your manager. Career Growth and Development: One Acre Fund invests heavily in building management and leadership skills. Your manager will invest significant time in your career development. We provide constant, actionable feedback delivered through mentorship and through regular management consulting-style career reviews. We also have regular one-on-one meetings, where we listen to and discuss career goals, and work collaboratively to craft roles that each person can be passionate about. Agricultural Specialists will have access to regular and ongoing professional development opportunities aimed at building the soft and hard skills required for quick rapid professional growth. Because of our rapid growth, we constantly have new roles opening up and opportunities in many functions. This results in fast career growth for our staff. Preferred Start Date: As soon as possible. Compensation: Starts modest. However, this is a career-track role with raises for performance. Benefits: Health stipend and pension contributions. Annual leave and generous holidays. Work expenses are reimbursed. Bonuses are given to high performers. Note: We will not be able to sponsor a visa for this position. Ethiopians, male and female, are encouraged to apply. Qualifications: We are seeking multiple exceptional professional(s) with at least four year(s) of work experience and a demonstrated passion for Ethiopian development. Candidates who fit the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply: Work Experience: Candidates should have at least four years of strong experiences either specifically related to agricultural research, training or project management. Some examples of strong work experiences include: leading an agricultural research project, writing and facilitating agricultural trainings, or starting/managing an agricultural business. Leadership: We are looking for candidates with demonstrated leadership experience at work, or outside of work. Examples of demonstrated leadership experience include managing a team or initiating a new project. Education: Strong undergraduate background at top Ethiopian or International universities. A Masters degree is a plus. Knowledge: Solid understanding of agronomic principles, farm economics and research methodology. Experience/knowledge of seed multiplication a plus, but not necessary. Communication: Excellent written and oral communication in Amharic and English. Candidates should be comfortable in English on the phone with a native speaker. Candidates should be comfortable translating scientific information into everyday speech. Attitude: Humility. We are looking for passionate professionals who combine strong leadership skills with good humor, patience, and a humble approach to service to join our growing family of leaders. This is absolutely critical for any individual wishing to join the Ethiopia team. Rural Fit. A willingness to commit to living outside of Addis Ababa and traveling frequently to the field Other Skills: Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Intermediate or better typing speed. Your rating: none Rating: 0 0 votes How to Apply To apply, go to our site by copying the following link onto your browser: https://www.oneacrefund.org/careers/job-openings?n=Ethiopia-Agricultural-Specialist#sec-145992 20 total views, 20 today Monday, February 01, 2016 More On The "All Crime All The Time" Legislative Session; Law Enforcement Takes Some Hits, Plus: Senate Leader Sanchez Dons Funeral Garb; GOP House Bills To Be Buried, And: Replacement Eyed For Prominent GOP State Senator Not that many of the crime bills are going to get to the Governor's desk. Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez was spotted in his traditional formal funeral clothes over the weekend and carrying a shovel in hand. He was preparing to bury dozens of bills from GOP House legislators. They will be the official mourners at the funeral and their mournful wails promise to fill the Roundhouse for the remaining days of the legislative session. Think of the Wailing Wall. . . CRIME BLAME While Santa Fe and the media are busy blaming the judicial system for the state's crime mess, it's clear that law enforcement shares blame, too. How about the The revelation that the violent career criminal who murdered Officer Webster was selling drugs and a gun to ATF agents days before he murdered Webster raises tough questions for law enforcement. What is more important, taking a violent career criminal off the streets as soon as you have charges? Or do you use that criminal to work yourself up to a bigger crook? And who is making that decision? Has Albuquerque become a dumping ground for violent career criminals because law enforcement is purposely not taking them off the streets? What is the Department of Justice / Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms role? Are we putting citizens and beat cops at risk by not removing these criminals as soon as we have charges against them? The DOJ needs to answer these questions. And how about t How dare you say my agency is 100 percent filled! The chief's contention was easily debunked by the In November, the state police responded to ABQ Free Press questions regarding its staffing levels. At the time, the department said it was budgeted for 678 officers and that it had 642 on staff. The department also said that it had 36 cadets in the states Law Enforcement Training Academy and that they would graduate in December. Those cadets did indeed graduate in December. Add 642 and 36 and what do you get 678! Kassetas has won praise for his performance as chief but he might want to stick to the law. When he made the wrong political play and ran under the skirts of Berry-Martinez he fell victim to an Alligator strike. We hope you heal quickly, Chief. (And sorry, Mayor Berry, your double-dipping bill is as dead as Deming on a Sunday night.) WHITE FOR WILSON A legislative retirement of note appears to be around the corner. ABQ area GOP State Senator BernCo GOP Chairman Frank Ruvolo is putting out the word for White, saying White served in the House from 2009 to 2014 and served 26 years in the Air Force, including Vietnam combat. Beffort, a popular lawmaker on both sides of the aisle and a successful small businesswoman in employment consulting, came to the Senate in 1997. She is the ranking GOP member on the powerful Senate Finance Committee. Her late husband, Steve Beffort, was a cabinet secretary under former Gov. Gary Johnson. Beffort, 69, became a major player in the state GOP by 2006, the year she won the party's nomination for lieutenant governor. She ran as the running mate of John Dendahl. The pair met with defeat at the hands of Dem Gov. Richardson and Lt. Governor Denish. By State Senate standards Beffort is merely middle-aged. From what anyone can tell, 91 year old State Senator John Pinto is prepping for yet another run this year and 83 year old Senate Pro Tem All 112 legislative seats are up for election this November. The primary election is in June. SANTA FE CAN KICKING Santa Fe city government grew too big as the city frolicked like it was 1999. That was indeed a very good year as tourism boomed then and for a number of years after. But the big spending tourists are gone and the Santa Fe jobs bleed continues. Caterpillar just Now City Councilor Carmichael Dominguez SPONSORED CONTENT A 21st century education is the cornerstone for strong communities and a strong economy. On February 2, 2016, your vote of YES! in the upcoming Mill Levy and School Bond election provides this cornerstone for our children and for our city. $575 million dollars will be raised by a vote of YES! and used to cover existing and future costs for transportation, school renovations and restorations, new technologies, and health, safety and security infrastructure. Your YES! vote makes this possible. With your vote your communities, your schools, and your economy are stronger. The APS election is tomorrow. Click This is the home of New Mexico politics. Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. ( c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2016 The "all crime all the time" crowd in Santa Fe is showering us with "lock them up and throw away the key" legislation but they might want to look at this. When it comes to paying our judges, New Mexico ranks last or nearly dead last at every level. That might be kind of relevant as the crime bills would put increased responsibility on the courts as well as the jails. That would cost money that the House R's are not talking about. . .Not that many of the crime bills are going to get to the Governor's desk. Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez was spotted in his traditional formal funeral clothes over the weekend and carrying a shovel in hand. He was preparing to bury dozens of bills from GOP House legislators. They will be the official mourners at the funeral and their mournful wails promise to fill the Roundhouse for the remaining days of the legislative session. Think of the Wailing Wall. . .While Santa Fe and the media are busy blaming the judicial system for the state's crime mess, it's clear that law enforcement shares blame, too. How about the astounding news that federal drug agents were buying heroin and guns from the criminal who allegedly killed APD officer Daniel Webster. They could have arrested the guy. Instead, a couple of weeks after the drug buys he kills Webster. For this one we call in retired APD Seargent Dan Klein:And how about t that outburst of righteous indignation by State Police Chief Pete Kassetas when former ABQ City Councilor Pete Dinelli testified in Santa Fe against the notorious double-dipping bill being pushed by ABQ Mayor Berry. Dinell said the "return to work" bill is not needed by law enforcement because, for example, the State Police Dept. is fully staffed. Kassetas exploded:The chief's contention was easily debunked by the ABQ Free Press Kassetas has won praise for his performance as chief but he might want to stick to the law. When he made the wrong political play and ran under the skirts of Berry-Martinez he fell victim to an Alligator strike. We hope you heal quickly, Chief. (And sorry, Mayor Berry, your double-dipping bill is as dead as Deming on a Sunday night.)A legislative retirement of note appears to be around the corner. ABQ area GOP State Senator Sue Wilson Beffort is set to turn in her office keys at the end of the year and former ABQ GOP State Rep. Jim White hopes to pick them up.BernCo GOP Chairman Frank Ruvolo is putting out the word for White, saying White served in the House from 2009 to 2014 and served 26 years in the Air Force, including Vietnam combat.Beffort, a popular lawmaker on both sides of the aisle and a successful small businesswoman in employment consulting, came to the Senate in 1997. She is the ranking GOP member on the powerful Senate Finance Committee. Her late husband, Steve Beffort, was a cabinet secretary under former Gov. Gary Johnson.Beffort, 69, became a major player in the state GOP by 2006, the year she won the party's nomination for lieutenant governor. She ran as the running mate of John Dendahl. The pair met with defeat at the hands of Dem Gov. Richardson and Lt. Governor Denish.By State Senate standards Beffort is merely middle-aged. From what anyone can tell, 91 year old State Senator John Pinto is prepping for yet another run this year and 83 year old Senate Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen is also expect to seek re-election.All 112 legislative seats are up for election this November. The primary election is in June.Santa Fe city government grew too big as the city frolicked like it was 1999. That was indeed a very good year as tourism boomed then and for a number of years after. But the big spending tourists are gone and the Santa Fe jobs bleed continues. Caterpillar just laid off 50 workers and state government austerity is keeping in check the number of state employees in the city.Now City Councilor Carmichael Dominguez wants to raise an assortment of taxes to plug the huge $15 million city deficit and prevent any layoffs of city workers. He's right to fret over the personal pain but to tax the many to spare the pain of a few shirks the responsibility Dominguez and Mayor Javier Gonzales have to own up to the grave errors of the past and put Santa Fe on the right fiscal path. That means making painful but needed personnel decisions--not kicking the can into the taxpayers corner.Click here for voting locations.This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com) This website is intended for U.S. visitors only. Employers shouldn't be allowed to eavesdrop on social media accounts of their workers or job applicants, says state Sen. Tyson Larson of O'Neill. "It's like asking them for their mail." Larson and four other senators have sponsored measures in the Legislature this year aimed at protecting Nebraskans' digital privacy. The bills are backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which organized similar efforts in 17 states across the country. The Nebraska proposals would restrict employers' access to workers' social networking accounts, strengthen protections against software companies mining student data for business purposes and limit law enforcement's ability to gather sweeping cellphone data or scan vehicle license plates without specific permission. Every person should have the power to decide who they want to share personal, private information with," ACLU of Nebraska executive director Danielle Conrad said in a news release. "Privacy is not about keeping secrets, it is about exercising control over our own lives." Larson's bill (LB821) would prohibit employers from asking workers or job applicants to turn over their social media passwords, log onto their accounts, "friend" their bosses or otherwise change their account settings to allow employers to see content on their social media profile. Employers also would be barred from accessing those profiles indirectly using someone else's account. It wouldn't stop workers or applicants from friend requesting bosses just the other way around. And it wouldn't apply to public content on a person's social media account only posts that aren't visible to the average Internet user. "An employer or prospective employer shouldn't be able to access someone's private social media account and review messages or pictures or anything of that nature," Larson said. The bill will be the subject of a public hearing before the Legislature's Business and Labor Committee in the coming weeks. An exact date hasn't been set. Larson introduced a similar measure in 2013, but it did not advance from committee. A group representing police across the state opposed that bill because it would limit police departments' ability to monitor their officers' conduct online. "We have been entrusted by our communities to ensure both high moral and mental fitness standards for those who serve our agencies," Grand Island Police Chief Steve Lamken said, testifying in 2013 on behalf of the Police Officers Association of Nebraska. He told committee members about an officer in his department who posted derogatory comments about fellow officers and people in the community, as well as a photo of himself in uniform, which violated department policy. The department, by investigating and punishing the officer, would have violated the law under Larson's bill, Lamken said. "It's something that I can understand," Larson said Thursday, "but at the same time, just because you're in one profession or another doesn't mean that the government should allow or even have that access." Committee members and groups such as the Nebraska State Education Association, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and the League of Nebraska Municipalities also raised some technical questions about the 2013 bill, which Larson tried to address in this year's version. The other digital privacy measures introduced this year are relatively new in the Nebraska Legislature. One bill (LB738) by Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete would clamp down on law enforcement's use of devices that mimic cell towers, tricking cellphones into communicating through them instead. The devices, called cell-site simulators and known by the brand name StingRay, can be used to indiscriminately sweep in location data and other information from all cellphones in an area. Another bill (LB831) by Lincoln Sen. Matt Hansen would take a similar approach to automatic license-plate readers, restricting their use to situations in which that information is necessary for a criminal or missing persons investigation. And a bill (LB692) by Lincoln Sen. Adam Morfeld would prohibit technology companies from using student data for commercial purposes like targeted advertising if the data was collected through educational technology used at school. Hearings have already been held on those three bills. A judge has terminated the parental rights of a young father found not guilty in August of negligent child abuse for scalding his 6-week-old daughter in bath water. Reid Alden, 21, had fought the move at a formal hearing in Lancaster County Juvenile Court in September, a month after a jury acquitted him in criminal court. In a written closing argument, his attorney, Candice Wooster, said Alden loves his daughter and wants to be a part of her life. He hasn't been allowed supervised visitation and hasn't been able to see, hold or care for her since April 22, 2014, six days after he called his then-wife and then 911 after he tried to give his daughter a bath for the first time alone and she ended up with burns over nearly 65 percent of her tiny body. The girl is now nearly 2. Wooster said Alden voluntarily completed a psychological evaluation, a parenting class and extra classes related to child care. Deputy County Attorney Christopher Reid argued that the girl should not have to grow up being forced to have a relationship with the man who caused injuries he called horrifying. Instead, he argued, Alden's parental rights should be terminated and his daughter can choose whether she wants contact with him when she is old enough to understand what happened to her. Reid said it was in the girl's best interest. Alden's ex-wife supported the move, as did an attorney who represented the girl and another who represented the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. To terminate parental rights, a judge must find by clear and convincing evidence that the allegations are more probably true than not, and that there are statutory grounds for it. Juvenile Court Judge Toni Thorson also was able to consider evidence the jury could not at trial, including a statement Alden made to police without being given a Miranda warning. In it, he tried to explain healing rib fractures discovered while the baby was being treated for the burns. He said he may have done that when he squeezed her hard one night a month earlier when she wasn't sleeping well. In the juvenile court case, Alden recanted that admission and testified that he had lied to the investigator. Thorson found that Alden had caused two serious nonaccidental injuries to his daughter by the time she was 6 weeks old and acted to protect himself, not his child. The judge said Alden had to have known he severely injured the baby in the bath water but called his wife before dialing 911. "It is difficult to imagine a scenario where a parent utilizing reasonable care would only realize the water was too hot when the baby was turned over and they saw her skin was peeling off," she wrote in her order. The scalding was life-threatening and life-changing, Thorson said, and found that Alden presented an unacceptable risk of harm to the girl. "For all the reasons set out above it is too risky to again entrust the child to his care," the judge wrote. Temperatures soared to 51 degrees in Lincoln on a sunny Sunday. The perfect day for a walk outdoors and a shopping trip to prepare for a blizzard. Yes, Mother Nature is taking us for a roller-coaster ride this week. National Weather Service forecasters on Sunday pinpointed the corridor from south-central Nebraska to west-central Iowa -- including Lincoln and Omaha -- as the area most likely to see at least 8 inches of snow on Tuesday. With strong north winds a sure bet, blizzard watches and warnings were issued for a wide swath of Nebraska beginning Monday evening. "Out in the open, travel will be extremely hazardous, if not impossible," said Weather Service meteorologist Becky Kern. "We're talking over 8 inches of snow, a foot in some places. "With the wind, there's going to be some huge drifts." The worst of the conditions won't arrive until early Tuesday, but preparations for the storm got a jump-start on Sunday. Carrie Ray, an employee of Walgreens at 1301 O St., said she spoke with a man from South Carolina in town for a conference, and helped him find hats, gloves and other winter gear. Elise Coorough, also a Walgreens employee, said she had a weather-related encounter over the weekend with a few girls from Los Angeles, in town for a conference at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They were complaining about how cold it was here, Coorough said. They have no idea. Temperatures on Monday will hold in the 30s, with initially a mix of rain and snow in the afternoon before changing over to all snow sometime Monday evening. Lincoln's snowfall total will depend on a number of factors, Kern said, especially how much rain falls before the precipitation changes over to snow. Forecasters expect a dramatic decline in snowfall totals on the south edge of the system, meaning Falls City might only see a couple inches while the I-80 corridor is slammed. The track the storm ultimately takes will determine where the heaviest snow falls, but forecasters are confident that the Groundhog Day storm will be a major issue over most of the state, with heavy snow at times and winds gusting to near 40 mph by 4 a.m. on Tuesday in Lincoln, causing near white-out conditions. In preparation for the storm, Lincolns street maintenance crews set out Sunday evening to pretreat emergency snow routes, school routes and StarTran bus routes. Omaha, where Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore was headed to set up shop during the storm, went so far as to declare a snow emergency for Tuesday, even as residents enjoyed a pleasant Sunday afternoon. Joe Shreve, an employee at Glenns True Value hardware store in Lincoln, said they've been busy preparing for the storm for days, stocking up on ice salt, sand, shovels, snow blowers, hand and toe warmers and ice scrapers for those in need. A lot of them wait until the last minute, Shreve said. A bill establishing an annual $1.5 million tax credit for Nebraska businesses who help employees pay back student loans drew broad support during a Revenue Committee hearing last week. Introduced by state Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln, the bill (LB685) provides $1,800 in nonrefundable tax credits toward a businesss state income taxes for every employee enrolled in the program beginning next year. The credit equals half of the annual student loan payment, up to $3,600, and could be claimed by up to 20 employees per business, with the loan payment paid directly to the loan provider or servicer. In all, the credit could help as many as 833 people annually in Nebraska, where the average debt upon college graduation has grown to $26,000. Bolz said the incentive addresses the No. 1 concern of the Nebraska State Chamber, calling the program a tool to keep the best and brightest here in the Cornhusker State. Nick Devine, who spoke on behalf of the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, said he believes a student loan repayment program would factor into the decision of some college graduates wishing to remain in the state. Answering a question from Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus, Devine said many students support the program even though they might not qualify. If we continue moving forward and we find this program successful, you might find another student here in two or three years asking for it to be expanded, Devine said. Tip ONeill, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Nebraska, a coalition of 14 institutions, said Nebraska businesses would also find the incentive helpful for recruiting college graduates. We tend to export more highly educated people than we import, ONeill told the committee. We havent created enough jobs for the citizens we have educated here in Nebraska, and this may give some incentive for employers to generate some jobs that will keep some students around. Community college graduates in Nebraska would also be eligible for loan payback, said Dennis Baack, executive director of the Nebraska Community College Association. In the community college system, we keep about 90 percent of our graduates in the state now, but it might provide the other 10 percent the incentive to stay, he said. Evan Fullmer of the Omaha Young Professionals said the bill addressed two big concerns -- talent retention and student loans. No one testified against the bill during Wednesdays hearing. Civil War Voices will return to Lincoln for the citys annual Abraham Lincoln Birthday Celebration in February. The musical written by local attorney and playwright Jim Harris will be presented Feb. 11-21 at the Haymarket Theatre, 803 Q St. The musical was presented to a sold-out audience at the Lied Center as part of the citys Abraham Lincoln Birthday Celebration in 2009. It has since been performed in 14 states, and has been through two major revisions. In 2010, Civil War Voices won six awards, including Best Production of a Musical at the Midtown International Theater Festival in New York City. After seven years of performances in the East and South, its exciting to bring the newest version of this outstanding home-grown musical back to Lincoln, Mayor Chris Beutler said. Eight performances are scheduled: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11-13 and Feb. 18-20, and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Feb. 14 and 21. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at haymarkettheatre.org. (Messages can be left at 402-477-2600, but calls may not be answered for up to 24 hours.) The public is invited to a free preshow birthday party at the theater, 5:30-7 p.m. opening night, Feb. 11. It will feature free birthday cake, historical exhibits and music from local favorite Chris Sayre, who has performed at every city Abraham Lincoln Birthday Celebration. No ticket is required to attend the party, but a ticket is required for those attending the 7:30 p.m. performance. The musical focuses on five people who lived through the Civil War. A key figure is Elizabeth Keckley, a former slave who bought her freedom and became Mary Todd, Lincolns personal assistant and closest friend in the White House. More information is available on the city website at lincoln.ne.gov or by calling 402-441-7831. More information on the musical is available at civilwarvoices.com. CALEDONIA The village seems to be having an identity crisis. And village officials are considering undergoing a face lift to fix it. Caledonia has become a complicated conundrum: The municipality is the largest village by area in the state. Its lush with green space, but welcomes big developments. It has farms, but is close to the city life of Milwaukee and Chicago. It borders Lake Michigan and has plenty of recreational opportunities, but doesnt have its own school district. Village officials are working to wrap their arms and heads around these diverse qualities, hoping to distill the very best of Caledonia into a succinct and successful brand to lure new businesses, attract more homeowners, encourage tourism, and energize current residents. We would like this to generate economic activity, said Lee Wishau, a member of the Village Board and the villages Community Development Authority. We want this to help bring in people to spend money. And creating a brand that stands out is essential in getting those dollars, experts say. Places are just like companies: those with a strong brand find it much easier to sell their products and services and attract people and investment, according to a CEO for Cities report released in March 2006. Seeking a stronger brand The villages Community Development Authority has been discussing creating a new brand, updating the village logo, and reinvigorating the village website since last June, when the CDA started to meet each month. This month the CDA, along with Chad Arents from website consultants Image Management in Racine, hashed out what they thought was good and bad about the village. Among the strengths: diverse zoning, a well-defined land use plan, high-end shops, low unemployment, rural settings, plenty of recreational opportunities, access to Lake Michigan, and proximity to airports in Racine, Milwaukee and Chicago. Among the weaknesses: no separate school system, no defined village center, no unique zip code, and limited public transportation. Several CDA members said the village shared the same traits as Cedarburg, Door County, Mequon or River Hills charming rural areas with easy access to city life. Its a rural oasis in the middle of growth, said CDA member Marla Wishau. We have a balance, said Village Administrator Tom Christensen. We have businesses. We have rural settings. We have room to do it all. The challenge will be to condense all the best attributes and perceived strengths of the village into a single, iconic, memorable brand. New look in Green County Green County, Wisconsin, with 37,090 people that includes the City of Monroe, took almost four years to do that. The county spent about $85,000 half of it coming from a state tourism grant and hired a Nashville, Tenn., firm to create its new brand, said Green County tourism director Noreen Rueckert. Research alone took about a year. You put all these things into a big funnel and when it gets to the bottom, you are left with the essence of what you truly are, she said. The new look incorporated the red and white flag design of Switzerland stressing the areas Swiss roots and passion for precision and craftsmanship along with the slogan theres an art to it. The logo and slogan permeate all Green County marketing collateral and websites. Caledonia is still in the discussion phase and hasnt spent any money yet. In Green County, the process had its detractors for the time and money spent, Rueckert said. Still, the exercise was critical for the countys well-being, she said. I think it was a valuable thing to do because we found out what made us different, and thats the key, she said. I think its the best thing we ever did. It gave us a focus. When the clerk told the suspect that police were on their way, he panicked and tried to break the doors to get out. When he was unable to, he grabbed a drink and threw it at the door, but the door remained closed. Withering on the Vine The Demographic Time Bomb is Most Marked in Japan The demographic time bomb whereby the elderly population assumes a greater and ... Government Sexual Libertinism Coming to a Government School Near You Further to our piece yesterday on the promotion of sexual libertinism in government schools, we rep... Some Random Observations The Aftermath of Mass Pre-Mediated Murder A few observations on the murder of 14 people in San Bernadino and the wounding of many more see... Letter From the UK (About State Tyranny) Ta-ta UK freedoms! Miranda matter outs vindictiveness of wounded police state Annie Machon is a former intelligence of... The Big One The Panoptican State Is Actually Operational Yesterday the "big one" dropped. The Guardian reported that the US and UK spy age... Fraud Central German Professor: NASA Has Fiddled Climate Data On Unbelievable Scale by James Delingpole BreitbartLondon A German professor ha... Statist Groupthink More and More Fashionable The Rise of Liberal Intolerance in America Edward Luce Financial Times I t ought to be a triumphal moment for American liberalism .... Vacuous Greenism Anti-Fracking Luddiocy Think of any technology that involves carbon based energy and its utilisation, and the lunatic fringe can be found ... "It is Finished": the Sixth Word from the Cross It is Finished: our Lords Sixth Word from the Cross What is history? That simple question covers a multitude of complexity, profundity... Former president of El Salvador Francisco Flores died Saturday in San Salvador while under house arrest and waiting to stand trial on embezzlement charges. Officials from his Nationalist Republican Alliance party say [AP report] that the cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage. Flores was charged [Guardian report] with embezzlement and illegal enrichment for allegedly diverting USD $15 million from Taiwanese donations to his personal and political bank accounts. The donations were intended to help victims of a 2001 earthquake in the region. Flores also faced charges [AP report] for failing to report to a committee of the Legislative Assembly [official website, in Spanish] tasked with investigating where the missing donations were deposited. Flores turned himself in [BBC report] to authorities in September 2014 after a warrant was issued for his arrest in May. I have given myself over to the court voluntarily and out of respect for the law, he stated after his surrender. Flores was taken into custody [JURIST report] that month on the corruption charges after public outcry that he remained on house arrest. Flores was returned to house arrest in November 2014. In January 2014 the countrys current president Maurico Funes stated that Flores attempted to flee [BBC report] the country amid the allegations of corruption and embezzlement. Funes claimed that Flores was attempting to escape to the neighboring country of Guatemala. Former Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina is also facing corruption charges [JURIST report] and was recently detained pending investigation. [JURIST] Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] on Sunday accused [HRW report] Iraqi Shiite militias of carrying out revenge attacks against Sunnis in wake of an Islamic State (IS) suicide bombing attack at a local cafe. The militia group has abducted and killed many Sunni residents in the central Iraq town of Muqdadiya, as well as demolishing homes, stores and mosques. The attacks come in response to a double suicide bombing on January 11 claimed by IS in which at least 26 people were killed. IS had also claimed that the attack was intended to target the Shiite militia, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces [TRAC backgrounder]. The rights group went on to note that such unjustified destruction of property when committed in the context of an armed conflict are serious violations of international humanitarian law. IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has perpetrated war crimes on a massive scale in Iraq and Syria. Earlier this week HRW stated in a report that mass graves in Iraq are being disturbed [JURIST report], which could lead to destroyed evidence in proving possible genocide committed against the Yazidi. In December Iraqi government officials ordered Turkey to withdraw [JURIST report] hundreds of troops deployed near Mosul, the largest city currently controlled by IS militants. Iraqi President Fouad Massoum stated that the deployment was a violation of international norms and law and may be considered a hostile act. In November IS claimed responsibility [JURIST report] for a series of coordinated attacks in Paris that killed more than 120 individuals. That same month, US President Barack Obama ordered [JURIST report] an assessment of whether intelligence reports from US Central Command were changed before formal submission to present a more optimistic picture of the American military campaign against the IS. Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] on Monday condemned [press release] the reinstatement of Nigerias senior military general, Major General Ahmadu Mohammed, who is alleged to have actively participated in the mass murder of hundreds of detainees at the Giwa barracks detention center in March 2014. The major general was said to be in charge of the 7 Division and was in command of operations when the military executed more than 640 detainees following a Boko Haram attack on the center. Last June, following the release of an AI investigative report [AI report] into war crimes, Nigeria President Muhammad Buhari [BBC profile] had immediately assured that no stone will be left unturned in its investigation into these allegations. This reinstatement comes seven months after such an assurance, prompting AI to state that, [i]t is unthinkable that Major General Muhammed could resume command of troops before an investigation has even begun and that the reinstatement underlines the monumental failure of the government to stamp out impunity for war crimes at the highest level. AI had previously named the major general along with eight other senior military commanders in June as potentially criminally responsible for their role in war crimes including the deaths of approximately 8,000 other detainees. AIs investigation indicated [AI report] that more than 7,000 people, including young boys, were starved, suffocated and tortured to death in military detention camps since March 2011, while another 1,200 were rounded up and unlawfully executed. AI had then stated that the militarys actions at the detention camps are part of a witch hunt in an effort to locate and fight members of Boko Haram, who threaten the security of the nation. Boko Haram [JURIST news archive], which means Western education is a sin, has been fighting to overthrow the Nigerian government in the interest of creating an Islamist state. Last May the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad Al Hussein, reported that Boko Haram militants in Nigeria have been murdering women and girls [JURIST report] previously taken captive by the group. At the end of March Nigeria held its presidential and gubernatorial elections in spite of violent attacks directed towards voters [JURIST report] by Boko Haram. 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. Your digital subscription includes access to all content on our agricultural websites across the nation. Access unlimited content and the digital versions of our print editions - This Week's Paper. [JURIST] Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] called Sunday for Iranian-backed Yemeni insurgents to stop illegally confiscating aid [press release] to people in the besieged of Taiz. HRW claims that rebels have confiscated items including food, water, cooking gas and medical supplies. HRW Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Joe Stork stated that, [s]eizing property from civilians is already unlawful, but taking their food and medical supplies is simply cruel. Doctors Without Borders [advocacy website] has also had problems in the past trying to get medical supplies into the city but made their first successful delivery of supplies to Taiz in months in the beginning of January. According to UN statistics [DW report] the population of Taiz has plummeted by more than half since the attacks started. The rapidly deteriorating situation in Yemen has sparked significant international concern. Earlier this week UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned [JURIST report] that the use of cluster bombs by a Saudi-led coalition against neighborhoods in Yemen may amount to a war crime. Also this month the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said [JURIST report] that the civilian death toll in Yemen has reached nearly 2,800 over nine months of fighting. Last month the UN World Food Programme appealed to all the parties involved in the Yemen conflict to allow the safe passage of food [JURIST report] to the city of Taiz. In October Amnesty International called for an independent investigation into possible war crimes surrounding the destruction of a hospital [JURIST report] run by Doctors Without Borders in Yemen. [JURIST] The Hangzhou Christian Council on Friday announced that a prominent Chinese Pastor is under investigation for corruption involving the embezzlement of state funds. The pastor, Gu Yuese, is the leader of the Chongyi Church of Zhejiang. The Chongyi Church is the largest Protestant church in the Chinese speaking world [Reuters report] with approximately 10,000 followers. There are limited details surrounding the specific allegations against Gu. In recent days, human rights groups have claimed the allegations are a form of political revenge [BBC report] for Gus public opposition to the Chinese governments policy of forced demolition of crosses displayed on church structures. The Chinese government has increased the prosecution of domestic corruption increased following the appointment of President Xi Jinping [BBC profile] in 2013. In November a Chinese court jailed a top aide to the countrys former security chief [JURIST report] Zhou Yongkang on corruption charges. Li Chongxi was one of the top security advisers before being indicted in April. In October Chinese state media reported that the former head of the countrys biggest oil firm was sentenced to 16 years in prison [JURIST report] for corruption. The former chairman of China National Petroleum Corp, Jiang Jiemin, was tried in April for taking bribes and abuse of power. In September prosecutors in China announced that they will be investigating former China Supreme Court justice Xi Xiaoming on corruption charges [JURIST report]. In August a former general in Chinas Peoples Liberation Army, Gu Junshan, was sentenced [JURIST report] by a Chinese military court to death with a two year reprieve for corruption charges. Gu Junshan is one of the first to face trial under the presidents recent efforts against corruption in the military. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein [official profile] on Monday urged Turkey to investigate the shooting of unarmed civilians [press release]. The incident in Cizre [Reuters report], a city in the mainly Kurdish southeastern region of Turkey, occurred on January 20 and involved security officials shooting at members of the opposition Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that were attempting to rescue people from earlier incidents. Refik Tekin is the journalist that caught the incident on video [WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT], and Zeid called it an extremely shocking film [NYT report]. Overall, around 10 people were wounded, and Zeid wants Turkey to launch an independent investigation to prosecute any state officials that are committing human rights violations. Additionally, Tekin could potentially face charges of belonging to a terrorist organization. When discussing the outcome of this situation as a whole, Zeid said, [f]ilming an atrocity is not a crime, but shooting unarmed civilians most certainly is. In December the EU stated that Turkey must adhere to human rights criteria in order to join [JURIST report]. In November a prominent lawyer was fatally shot while giving a press conference after stating that the PKK is not a terrorist organization [JURIST report]. Earlier in November the EU released a report [press release] criticizing Turkey for human rights and governmental issues [JURIST report], which they said have not been addressed through new reforms. The report discussed how issues such as the refugee crisis and oppression of journalists could be cured by adopting reforms that mirror the standards set by surrounding EU nations. The report stated that [c]ore issues of the rule of law, fundamental rights, strengthening democratic institutions, including public administration reform, as well as economic development and competitiveness remain key priorities. Thank you for responding to this Weblog (blog). We wish to maintain a high level of integrity and responsibility among our participants. 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For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. 10 hurt as SLMM cadres and police clash in Janakpur Violent clash erupted between the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) activists and the security personnel in Janakpur on Sunday after the protesters hurled Molotov cocktail targeting the house of Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Leela Koirala. Govt to offer huge subsidy for solar project Communities across the country can now install solar street lamps in their neighbourhoods with the state deciding to provide up to 70 percent of the installation costs. India wants to keep Nepal confined to 1950 treaty Nepal and India share a long history of mutual support and cooperation. Myanmar to begin new parliament session ending military-only rule Hundreds of MPs are gathering for a new session of Myanmar's parliament, set to choose its first democratically elected government in more than 50 years. Nepal Lit Fest continues to captivate Pokhara The third day of the Nepal Literature Festival consisted of eight sessions of discussions on politics, identity, arts, literature and media, at Nepal Tourism Board in Pardi, Pokhara on January 31. Nepal runs Zika risk post-monsoon With Zika virus spreading rapidly in the Americas, there is a danger of it travelling to Nepal, particularly in the post-monsoon season, given the presence of the mosquito that carries the virus in Nepals major cities including Kathmandu, experts warn. Stricken cargo ship Modern Express heading for French coast A stricken cargo ship is heading towards the French coast but there are hopes it can be towed to safety before it runs aground. The road to revolution Nepal promulgated the new constitution that was believed to address the immediate and long-term concerns of Nepalis. We have invested over Rs80b; we are here to stay The market has been set abuzz after TeliaSonera, the majority shareholder in telecom giant Ncell, decided to pull out from Nepal. Leaders have been urged to be mindful of their utterances bearing in mind the fact that Uganda has a very young population that can be easily misled. This follows growing concerns about threats reportedly made by the NRM Secretary General Justine Lumumba in Nsangi, Wakiso district that the government will shoot-to-kill anyone who dares protest against the outcome of general elections. The Executive Director Womens Democracy Network Perry Aritua says Lumumbas statement was a complete departure from promises her Deputy Richard Todwong made on Friday last week as he received the peace candle on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni. Story By Judith Atim This blog (launched in 2010) focuses on "ethically-tangled aspects of 21st century societies and cultures: in the vein of Charles Darwins 1859 entangled bank metaphora complex and evolving digital ecosystem of difference and dependence, where diverse humans, extant and emerging technologies, ethics, law, policy, data, and information converge and diverge. Kip Currier, PhD, JD January shipments tumble most since 2009 crisis By Choi Kyong-ae Korea's exports marked the worst slump last month in six-and-a-half years due to slowing growth in China and sluggish demand from global markets, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Monday. Exports in January plunged 18.5 percent year-on-year to $36.7 billion, the 13th-straight month of declines and the biggest drop since August 2009 when shipments tumbled 20.9 percent from a year earlier, the ministry said in a statement. "January exports were affected by temporary factors such as fewer working days and a decrease in ship exports in addition to China's slowdown and falling prices for major export products amid low oil prices," the statement said. For the whole of 2015, exports in Korea, the world's seventh-largest exporter, fell 8 percent year-on-year to $526.9 billion. Imports fell 17 percent to $436.5 billion during the same period. In January alone, imports plunged 20 percent to $31.4 billion from a year earlier, according to ministry data. The outlook for this year has become grimmer, hit by weakening demand from China and other major trading partners, officials and analyst said. As there are few signs of recovery in global demand this year, the government plans to seek a paradigm shift to boost slackening exports in the coming years. "The government plans to explore markets such as Iran, Cuba, Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand, while reducing its heavy reliance on exports to China and emerging markets in the long term," a ministry official said. Sweeping economic and financial sanctions long imposed on Iran as punishment for its nuclear weapons ambitions were lifted last month by the international community. The opening of Cuba's economy is widely seen as offering business opportunities to multinational exporters. Analysts raised the chances of the Bank of Korea's cutting its key rate to support the economy following the Bank of Japan's surprise monetary easing last week. Eugene Investment & Securities economist Lee Sang-jae said, "weak overseas demand is not controllable and it takes time for companies to improve the competitiveness of their products. Further monetary easing seems to be needed to lower the value of the Korean won to help exporters." Without monetary easing exports are expected to fall further this year, he said. "Based on our 2.5 percent GDP growth forecast for 2016, we maintain our call that the BOK will cut policy rates by 25 basis points to 1.25 percent in June (from the current 1.5 percent)," Nomura Securities senior economist Kwon Young-sun said. Faced with external risks such as the slowdown in China, foreign-exchange volatility and low oil prices, economists say Seoul badly needs to diversify its export markets, while strengthening promotions to sell core export items such as semiconductors, handsets and vehicles. They also said the government needs to offer tax benefits to companies if they spend more on research and development to stay ahead of their rapidly-emerging rivals in China. Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said the government will take steps to prevent the falling exports from further weakening the economic growth. "The government is considering front-loading some of its planned fiscal spending for this year to stimulate the economy (hit by China's slowdown and slackening exports) and other supportive measures,"Yoo told reporters. The size of the earlier-than-planned fiscal spending will be at least 125 trillion won in the first quarter ending March 31, Yoo said, adding the government plans to announce economic stimulus packages, Wednesday. Meanwhile, Korea posted a $105.9 billion current account surplus in 2015, up 26 percent from $84.4 billion a year earlier. But the surplus was largely due to steeper declines in imports rather than exports in the "recession-type" surplus which continued for a 46th straight month. A government-affiliated foundation said Monday the Chinese-language version of a free mobile application introducing Korean cuisine is now available. The Korean Food Guide 800, which is already in service in English and Spanish, includes information on rice, side dishes and soups that South Koreans enjoy daily, as well as the country's specialty dishes, the Korea Foundation said (FK). The app, which provides information on more than 800 dishes, can be used by Chinese speakers who are traveling to South Korea or those who want to know more about the Korean dish they're trying in their home country, according to the foundation. The content can be searched based on ingredients or recipes and the app also introduces historical and cultural background related to the dish, the Seoul-based foundation said. The application is available via Google Play, iPhone App Store and Chinese search engine Baidu. (Yonhap) No Yes, a light case Yes, two or more light cases One serious case Two or more serious bouts Vote View Results The public is invited to join author Julie Klassen at the La Crescent Public Library at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, to discuss her book The Secret of Pembrooke Park, the 2015 Minnesota Book Award winner for genre fiction. A review of the book from the Minneapolis Star Tribune says, An abandoned estate with a secret, anonymous letters warning of danger and a handsome vicar next door makes Julie Klassens novel a deliciously fun read. Klassen worked in publishing for 16 years (first in advertising, then as a fiction editor) and now writes full time. The Secret of Pembrooke Park won the Minnesota Book Award. Three of her books, The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, The Girl in the Gatehouse, and The Silent Governess have won the Christy Award for historical romance. The Maid of Fairbourne Hall and The Girl in the Gatehouse also won a Midwest Book Award and The Silent Governess was a finalist in Romance Writers of Americas RITA awards. Klassen graduated from the University of Illinois and enjoys travel, research, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps and coffee with her friends. She and her husband have two sons and live near St. Paul. For more information, contact the La Crescent Public Library at 895-4047 or lbeach@selco.info. The event is free and refreshments will be served. The Houston County Historical Society and the Caledonia Chamber of Commerce has nominated the Historic Houston County Jail for the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota Heart Bombing Project, a campaign that sheds light on historic treasures throughout our state. This 1875 Italianate style jail building was built out of St. Lawrence limestone quarried a few miles east of Caledonia. The limestone is representative of Houston County, known for its limestone bluffs in the heart of the Driftless region. About the Heart Bombing Project In our community, area schools are participating in the Heart Bombing Project by making valentines to display around the jail building. As an educational opportunity, these students will also hear stories about the jail from Houston County Historical Society representatives and a community member who lived in the jail when her father was the county sheriff. The Heart Bombing Project valentines will be gathered in the next couple of weeks and then installed as garland around the entrance of the jail at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14. Classrooms from any of the Houston County schools, as well as the general public, are welcome to be part of this project. Contact Deb Wray at 507-495-3265 for details. Raising awareness of this historic building through the PAM Heart Bombing Project will help to preserve it as the community becomes aware of the rich history, beauty and possibilities for re-purposing this county (and state) treasure. Throughout the Heart Bombing campaign, names of interested citizens will be gathered for a Friends of the Jail committee that will develop a preservation plan. History of the jail The historic jail is on the National Register of Historic Places and was used as the county jail for 137 years until 2011 when a new justice center was opened. It is in remarkable condition and has had minimal alterations to the exterior so that it looks much like it did in 1875. It was designed by C. G. Maybury and Son of Winona. The 1882 History of Houston County describes the jail thus: The rear wing in which cells are located, is 40-by-60 feet and is bricked upon the inside. It has two tiers of interior cells of 10 each, with modern appliances for simultaneously closing the doors. The building contains a residence, offices and a mens prison room, is heated by a furnace and supplied with cisterns, tanks and pumps, with hose and other conveniences. When first built, it was claimed to be the best jail in the state. MADISON Experts, and even some regulators, say existing laws are failing to protect Wisconsin and the nation from harmful exposure to lead in drinking water that leaches from aging plumbing a danger illustrated by the public health crisis in Flint, Mich. At least 176,000 lead service lines connect older Wisconsin homes to the iron water mains that deliver municipal water, according to an estimate by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Milwaukee alone, where 60 percent of the states known lead-poisoned children live, has 70,000 lead service lines. Regulators concede that the Lead and Copper Rule, the 25-year-old federal law that seeks to minimize the danger from these lead pipes and indoor plumbing fixtures, is failing on several fronts: Methods for sampling often fail to detect the highest level of lead in a consumers home. Too few homes are sampled, and those that are may not be in the neighborhoods most at risk. The requirement that utilities replace some lead lines when they exceed federal thresholds may actually cause dangerous increases of lead in drinking water. Lead is primarily leached into Wisconsins drinking water by the corrosion of lead pipes and indoor plumbing components. Health effects of lead include irreversible brain damage in children under age 6 and an increased risk of miscarriage in pregnant women. Decades ago, when it became clear that lead was one of the worst toxins for the developing brain, U.S. regulatory agencies began to eliminate the heavy metal from gasoline, paint and new plumbing. But the efforts to address the nations existing water infrastructure were limited. Marc Edwards, an engineering professor at Virginia Tech University and one of the nations foremost experts on lead in drinking water, helped Flint address its massive problem with lead-contaminated drinking water that has poisoned a number of the citys children. Edwards said millions of U.S. homes have some lead components in their water delivery system, although no one knows the exact number. He agreed with some who have called the widespread risk posed by lead pipes and the astronomical cost to replace them one of the biggest environmental disasters in U.S. history. Hazards underestimated The American Water Works Association estimated in 1990 that the U.S. water infrastructure had about 3.3 million lead service lines and 6.4 million connections made of lead, many of them installed well over 100 years ago. Wisconsin is one of nine states, all in the Midwest and Northeast, where they are particularly common. In addition to Milwaukee, several other Wisconsin communities have a high percentage of lead service lines, including Wausau, Wauwatosa and Racine, according to the EPA. A 2008 study found that these service lines account for 50 to 75 percent of lead contamination in public tap water, with most of the remainder due to indoor lead pipes and plumbing components, such as faucets and connections. The risk of these aging pipes is so high that Madisons public water utility made the controversial decision to replace all of its lead service lines beginning in 2001 a move now seen as a model for other cities. The problem posed by lead service lines is likely underestimated in Wisconsin, where census figures show about 27 percent of homes were built before 1950 and 63 percent before 1980. Miguel Del Toral, a regulations manager at the EPAs Chicago office, said that after five years of effort, he could only track down written documentation of lead pipes in 113 Wisconsin communities in 47 counties. The number of lead pipes outside of these communities is anybodys guess. In addition, tap water from only a fraction of the 176,000 buildings in Wisconsin on known lead service lines is tested as part of the federal Lead and Copper Rule. The law requires utilities to collect water samples from households known or suspected to be served by these pipes, but a 1984 EPA survey showed one-third of utilities did not know how many lead pipes they had. Milwaukee Water Works is currently on a reduced monitoring schedule because of a history of compliance with the federal law; it only has to test for lead in 50 homes every three years. Even before this schedule became effective, the city only had to test 100 homes per year for lead. Finally, some testing under the federal rule may not accurately reflect consumers actual lead exposure, according to a study by Del Toral and another by Edwards. Del Torals 2013 study found wide swings in lead levels in Chicago households when tap samples were taken 12 or more times during a single day. He concluded that the existing regulatory sampling protocol under the U.S. Lead and Copper Rule systematically misses high lead levels and potential human exposure. Corrosion control A water utility is compliant with the federal law when at least 90 percent of household samples are below the action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb) of lead. Even when utilities greatly exceed the action level, unless it involves more than 10 percent of the samples, no system-wide remediation efforts are required. If more than 10 percent of samples exceed 15 ppb, a water utility may be required to install or improve corrosion control. This involves adding a chemical, such as orthophosphate, to the water to make it less likely to eat away at lead pipes. Systems required to use corrosion control include those serving 50,000 or more customers and those in which 10 percent or more of the water samples tested above the federal action level. In April 2014, when Flint began drawing its drinking water from the Flint River without adding anti-corrosives, blood lead levels spiked in children, inciting a public health crisis, protests and angry finger-pointing. The city has now switched back to Detroit water. (Corrosion control) is a complicated subject that has kept water quality experts searching and even arguing for decades, said Abigail Cantor, a Madison-based chemical engineer who has worked with several Wisconsin water utilities as a technical consultant. In addition, orthophosphate harms surface water quality. When water treated with orthophosphate is released into lakes by the wastewater treatment plant, it contributes to algal blooms, oxygen depletion and production of toxic chemicals. That is one reason why Madison, a city proud of its lakes, rejected corrosion control and instead replaced all of its lead service lines with copper pipes. Required pipe replacements can boost danger When a utility is not in compliance with the federal law and corrosion control is ineffective or rejected, it must replace 7 percent of the lead service lines that it owns. Additional replacements are required every year until the utility comes back into compliance. The utility-owned portion of the service line typically runs from the water main to the curb stop, while the section between the curb stop and the house is usually privately owned. However, replacing only the utility-owned portion of the pipe, a so-called partial replacement, can have severe unintended consequences: it may increase, rather than decrease, lead levels in consumers tap water. Several factors can cause these lead spikes. One of them is the physical shaking of the pipes during replacement work, which can knock off the lead inside. Del Toral recounted one case in Chicago in which sediment measuring 125,000 ppb of lead came off a pipe. That would pass straight through a kitchen aerator and would put an infant or child in the hospital immediately, if not worse, he said. Lead levels in tap water may also increase after partial replacements due to a chemical phenomenon called galvanic corrosion. When old lead pipe is connected to a new copper pipe, the contact of the two metals creates a battery effect that activates lead, so that it enters the water at an accelerated rate, said Yanna Lambrinidou, one of Edwards colleagues at Virginia Tech University. In 2012, a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found high blood lead levels among children whose homes had undergone partial pipe replacement. The researchers concluded that the practice of partially replacing lead service lines as a method to comply (with the Lead and Copper Rule) should be reconsidered. Water main repairs can also cause a physical disturbance of lead service lines, resulting in the same risk of lead scale particles being released into the water. Milwaukee has hundreds of water main breaks a year. The water main work is the primary disturbance of the lead lines. That is going on, unregulated, on a daily basis in all major water systems in the country, Del Toral said. Thats a very big concern. Paul Biedrzycki, director of environmental health for the city of Milwaukee, shared Del Torals concern. He said such work poses a very real public health threat. Milwaukee Water Works spokeswoman Sandra Rusch Walton countered that the city takes precautions against lead when it repairs broken water mains by flushing the line and asking homeowners to do the same. Cantor said that may not always have the desired effect since flushing sometimes riles up pipe wall debris and makes matters worse. New regulations years away A quick fix of the nations lead pipe problem is unlikely. Lambrinidou was part of an EPA-convened working group tasked with proposing changes to the Lead and Copper Rule. The group released its final report in August. Lambrinidou estimates it will take at least another five to seven years before any revisions go into effect. One of the groups major recommendations: requiring water utilities to pursue full replacement of all lead service lines in collaboration with customers. Edwards said until all lead pipes in the water infrastructure system are safely replaced, consumers are largely on their own when it comes to protecting their families from lead. If we dont make a decision right now to get these lead pipes out of the ground, when are they going to be removed? he asked. They just pose an unreasonable health risk to future generations. Gov. Scott Walkers 2016 State of the State speech assured us of one thing: Even though the Oscar Mayer Co. is leaving Wisconsin, the state will have no shortage of baloney as long as he remains governor. Walker devastated Wisconsins public education system during his first five years in office. Now he says that the key to putting people to work is education. Republicans claim that even though the national economy has greatly improved, the recovery has been slow and weak. Wisconsin has lost several major employers, and wages remain low. Even though Wisconsin ranks well behind the supposedly slow and weak national economy, Walker claims the states economy is strong. Walkers speech may produce a rallying cry for opponents at future campaign events, based on the classic Oscar Mayer jingle: Our baloney has a first name, its S-C-O-T-T. Our baloney has a second name, its W-A-L-K-E-R. Cause Scotty Walker always feeds us B-A-L-O-N-E-Y. The states low-profile effort to educate voters about Wisconsins new voter ID requirement has critics fearing some voters will be caught off-guard when they head to the polls. The voter ID requirement takes effect this year, starting with the spring primary election on Feb. 16 and followed by the spring election and presidential primary on April 5. The voter ID law was enacted in 2011 and briefly took effect for the 2012 spring primary election until court challenges halted its implementation. Wisconsins voter ID requirement is among the most restrictive of any state. Voters must come to the polls with one of a list of approved photo IDs that include their signature, such as a Wisconsin drivers license, U.S. passport or U.S. military ID. Some student and tribal IDs qualify if theyre not expired. Student IDs also must be accompanied by a separate document that proves enrollment, such as a tuition statement. The state elections board has created a website, bringit.wisconsin.gov, to inform the public about voter ID. It also has crafted public service announcements that TV and radio stations may run, and has a staffer conducting voter ID presentations to advocacy groups that work with voters. But the state elections board, the Government Accountability Board, has no funds available for advertising about the new requirement, according to its spokesman, Reid Magney. Larry Dupuis is legal director of ACLU of Wisconsin, one of the groups that has challenged the voter ID law in court. Now that its clear the law will go into effect, Dupuis said he and other groups fear too many voters will be uninformed when they head to the polls. We are worried that theres not a sufficiently robust effort at public education because theres not the money for it, Dupuis said. Other states that implemented voter ID in recent years launched paid media campaigns to educate voters. Pennsylvania spent $5 million on an ad campaign, Alabama ran print ads and Mississippi won advertising awards for its voter ID spots. Wendy Underhill, an elections expert with the National Conference of State Legislatures, said Kansas ran billboards with the slogan: Got Voter ID? Andrea Kaminski is director of League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, another group that has challenged the voter ID law in court. Kaminski said lawmakers should act quickly, before the close of the 2015-2016 legislative session, to set aside funds for voter ID ads on radio and TV. If our lawmakers want people to vote and they should then they should be willing to budget money to help people do that, Kaminski said. The offices of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Senate President Mary Lazich, as well as the leaders of the Assembly and Senate elections committees Rep. Kathy Bernier and Sen. Devin LeMahieu didnt respond to inquiries this week about the matter. For now, Magney said the boards educational strategy on voter ID revolves around the website, the PSAs and earned media or persuading journalists to report on it. The board plans a Monday press conference to call attention to voter ID. The GAB could not have asked lawmakers to fund voter ID education in its funding request for the current state budget. Magney said thats because, at the time state agencies filed their budget requests in late 2014, the voter ID requirement still was on hold due to a court order. That changed in March, when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a legal challenge to the law, allowing for it to start being enforced. League of Women Voters of Wisconsin is doing what it can to educate the public, Kaminski said. The leagues 18 local chapters throughout the state are holding events and dropping literature at public libraries, high schools and seniors centers, and the organization has added a staff member to focus on voter ID education. But Kaminski said her organization can only do so much. Im sure that some people will be surprised on Election Day, she said. [Editor's note: This story has been updated since it was first published to note that the Government Accountability Board is providing TV stations with public service announcements about voter ID, in addition to audio announcements to radio stations.] Norman R. Happel, 98, of Tomah passed away Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, at Touch of Home in Tomah. He received his crown of everlasting life after a short illness. He was born Nov. 2, 1917, on a farm near Hokah, Minn., to John D. and Mary (Wohlers) Happel. After staying on the family farm through his elementary school days, his family moved to La Crosse. Norm was a 1934 graduate, of Logan High School and from Western Wisconsin Technical College. On Aug. 9, 1941, he married Irene Ristow in La Crosse. Shortly thereafter he enlisted in the Army Air Corps for World War II. Upon Norms discharge they moved in 1946, to Tomah, as he began a career in the personnel departments at the Tomah VA Hospital and Fort McCoy that spanned four decades. In addition, he served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard during the 1950s. After retirement, he served as treasurer for the National Association of Retired Federal Employees for many years. He and Irene raised their family in Tomah, and enjoyed the church and community while never turning down a chance to play bridge. After Irenes death in 1994, Norm continued to flourish with the fellowship that came from card playing and going out with friends. He was also able to continue to watch his children, grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren grow and develop. Norm is survived by his children, Doug (Nadine) Happel of La Crosse, and their children, Mark (Kathleen) Happel of Verona, Wis., and their sons, Sean, Matthew, Michael and Justin; Susan (Jared) Johnson of Chippewa Falls, Wis., and their children, Allison, Bradyn, Madeline and Steven; son, Jim (Claudine) Happel of Appleton, Wis.; daughter, Cathy Staege of Kapolei, Hawaii. He was preceded in death by his parents; and siblings, Clarence, Luella (Stoltz), Elmer and George Happel; and also son-in-law, Jim Staege. Funeral services will be 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, at Torkelson Funeral Home in Tomah. Pastor Dawn Lindberg will officiate. Burial with full military honors by the Tomah VFW Post #1382 will follow in Oak Grove Cemetery, Tomah. Family and friends are invited for visitation from 10 a.m. until the time of service Thursday, at Torkelson Funeral Home in Tomah. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given in Norms memory to Peace Lutheran Church, Touch of Home in Tomah, or to the charity of your choice. The family would like to thank all his friends in the greater Tomah community, especially Tim and Mary Larkin, Dianne and Ron Hedrick, Mary Rose, as well as the staff at Touch of Home. Rep. Greg Davids (R-Preston) said there's good news for farmers who were concerned about private ditch mapping being conducted by the Department of Natural Resources as part of Minnesota's buffer law. On Jan. 28, Gov. Mark Dayton ordered the DNR to focus its mapping solely on public ditches. "I was extremely troubled to hear that the DNR had been misinterpreting the buffer law, so I'd like to thank Gov. Dayton for stepping up and doing the right thing," Davids said. Last session the House, Senate and Gov. Dayton reached an agreement stating that buffers of 16.5 feet must be installed on all public ditches by November 2018. But several months ago, lawmakers learned that the DNR had begun mapping private ditches, which greatly exceeded the scope and intent of the compromise according to Davids. "All parties are now following the buffer law as intended, and we hope it will have a positive impact on our water quality," Davids said. Fillmore County teen killed in crash by suspected drunken driver A Fillmore County teenager was killed Jan. 28 in a two-car head-on crash on Hwy. 52. Kaitlyn Hansen, a 16-year-old Canton resident, was southbound on the highway in a Taurus about 8:40 p.m. north of Fountain when her vehicle collided with a northbound GMC pickup that crossed the centerline, driven by Cindy Mueske from Ashland, Ill., according to the Fillmore County Sheriffs Office and the Minnesota State Patrol. Hansen was pronounced dead at the scene. Mueske, who was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the pickup after it rolled, suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, according to the office. Alcohol was detected on Mueske, according to the State Patrol. - Winona Daily News Sparta man gets four years for failing to register as sex offender A Sparta, Wis., man was sentenced Jan. 29 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. - La Crosse Tribune Accused killer charged for fight in jail The man accused of fatally stabbing a Black River Falls, Wis., woman last year has been charged for a fight and damage while in custody in the Clark County Jail. John B. Cook faces the new charges after reportedly getting into a fight with another inmate last November in the neighboring county jail, according to the criminal complaint filed in Clark County Circuit Court. Jail staff found the 24-year-old Cook on top of another inmate on Nov. 2, 2015, and the two were separated before Cook told the other inmate, Didnt think I would do that, did ya. Video surveillance showed Cook push the other inmate and throw punches before the other man pulled Cooks shirt over his head, according to the criminal complaint. Staff also discovered two pieces of metal, which came from sprinkler heads, in Cooks property on the same day. Cook was placed in segregation for two days for the fight and having contraband, according to the complaint. Cook is held in jail after being charged in the May 2015 homicide of 30-year-old Jacinda Muir, whose body was discovered in the town of Brockway area in Jackson County known as the dog park after being stabbed 54 times. Cook is charged with criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct and violating institution laws, all misdemeanors, for the Clark County incident. - Jackson County Chronicle 2 killed, 1 hurt in Hwy. 61 crash near Winona Two people were killed Monday and a third injured after a two-vehicle rollover accident on Hwy. 61 near milepost 15, south of La Moille. The crash occurred about 6 a.m. Monday, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. A Kia Sportage was northbound on Hwy. 61 when it lost control and crossed through the center grass median, rolling over. A Ford Explorer was southbound at the time and struck the rolling Kia. The driver of the Kia was partially ejected, according to the patrol. The vehicles were towed from the scene by 10:30 a.m. The road condition was icy, according to authorities. Two more people were injured in separate one-vehicle rollover accidents Monday morning on Hwy. 61 as well, according to the state patrol. Brianna Hilstad, 22, of Owatonna, suffered non-life threatening injuries in a rollover near milepost 21 shortly before 7 a.m. Hilstad was southbound when her Honda CR-V lost control on icy roads around a curve and rolled. About 10 minutes later, David Mattheis, 47, Winona, suffered non-life threatening injuries in a rollover near the same milepost, according to the patrol. He was southbound when he lost control of his Honda Odyssey and rolled over in the right ditch. - Winona Daily News Two people were killed Monday and a third injured after a two-vehicle rollover accident on Hwy. 61 near milepost 15, south of La Moille. The crash occurred about 6 a.m. Monday, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. A Kia Sportage was northbound on Hwy. 61 when it lost control and crossed through the center grass median, rolling over. A Ford Explorer was southbound at the time and struck the rolling Kia. The driver of the Kia was partially ejected, according to the patrol. The vehicles were towed from the scene by 10:30 a.m. The road condition was icy, according to authorities. Names of the individuals involved have not been released. Two more people were injured in separate one-vehicle rollover accidents Monday morning on Hwy. 61 as well, according to the state patrol. Brianna Hilstad, 22, of Owatonna, suffered non-life threatening injuries in a rollover near milepost 21 shortly before 7 a.m. Hilstad was southbound when her Honda CR-V lost control on icy roads around a curve and rolled. About 10 minutes later, David Mattheis, 47, Winona, suffered non-life threatening injuries in a rollover near the same milepost, according to the patrol. He was southbound when he lost control of his Honda Odyssey and rolled over in the right ditch. The Winona County Sheriffs Department assisted at the scene of all three accidents. State and local authorities have called the narrow, winding portion of Hwy. 61 surrounding milepost 18 one of the most hazardous areas in Winona County. The trees and bluffs shading the highway between La Moille and Homer create cold spots that can send unsuspecting drivers out of control. The Associated Press contributed to this story. 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27 (2) Aug 24 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (1) Aug 18 (3) Aug 16 (1) Aug 15 (1) Aug 14 (1) Aug 11 (1) Aug 08 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 03 (1) Jul 27 (1) Jul 26 (1) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (1) Jul 21 (1) Jul 19 (1) Jul 15 (1) Jul 14 (1) Jul 13 (3) Jul 10 (1) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (1) Jul 06 (1) Jul 03 (1) Jul 01 (1) Jun 28 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 20 (1) Jun 19 (1) Jun 18 (1) Jun 15 (1) Jun 14 (2) Jun 11 (1) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (1) Jun 07 (1) Jun 06 (1) Jun 04 (2) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (1) May 31 (3) May 30 (1) May 29 (1) May 28 (2) May 26 (1) May 25 (1) May 18 (1) May 17 (1) May 15 (1) May 09 (1) May 07 (2) May 02 (1) May 01 (1) Apr 30 (1) Apr 27 (1) Apr 26 (2) Apr 23 (1) Apr 22 (1) Apr 19 (1) Apr 18 (1) Apr 12 (1) Apr 11 (1) Apr 09 (1) Apr 07 (1) Apr 05 (1) Apr 01 (1) Mar 30 (1) Mar 27 (1) Mar 25 (1) Mar 22 (2) Mar 19 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 16 (1) Mar 15 (2) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1) LASSnet, anchored at CSLG, seeks to organise a network conference every 2-3 years, collaborate on specific themes with institutions in South Asia, especially, take the idea of publishing a series of volumes on these themes seriously as well as initiating reading groups/work in progress meetings. LASS Readings. Theinitiated the establishment of the "Law and Social Sciences Research Network" in order to bring together scholars, lawyers and doctoral researchers engaged in research and teaching of issues of law in different social sciences in contemporary South Asian contexts. We believed that the critical work that has emerged from different institutional locations and theoretical frameworks, has yet to find a common forum which can act as a medium for exchange of ideas, work, materials, pedagogies and aspirations for the way law, regulation and society as objects of research as well as sites of praxis have been envisaged variously. The attempt of this network is to create a forum for academics, researchers, and lawyers to interact with each other to find productive conversations with each other as well as enhance these conversations into future directions that law and social sciences scholarship in India might mature into.We also wish to disseminate teaching materials, design syllabi and share pedagogic experiences.So far we have organised 3 network conferences in Delhi and Pune in India and one conference in Sri Lanka. We run a LASSnet Delhi Chapter which meets once in two months allowing researchers to present their ongoing work. We have also started a reading group,We would be delighted if you were to send us names and emails of those you think might want to join this network. We hope that people will also share their work, and ideas.CSLG also has a library that has put together important texts on law and social science scholarship. This network could use the archives at CSLG meaningfully as well as enhance it. If you would like to be part of LASSnet, please send your contact details and short bio to lassnet@gmail.com We began by noting that law is conventionally taught and practiced, in South Asia (though not only there) by treating it as an autonomous and self-sufficient phenomenon. The doctrinal researchers regard law as autonomous and believe it is capable of giving an account of itself. The law also tends to be narrowly conceived as what judges, legislators, or the police do ignoring the diffuse structures of power and governance, and practices of regulation, normalisation, and biopolitics that penetrate bodies and condition behaviour.The notion that law is autonomous (legal formalism or legal positivism) has been subjected to sustained challenge over many decades by scholars who draw on social science methodologies, as well as by the law and literature movement, and by activists who constantly challenge the positivist image of law. Broadly conceived, these scholars seek to explain law as a social, anthropological, historical, and economic artefact which should be understood and studied as such. This implies also that we trace the genealogies of categories which inform law, and the images and imaginings of law in contemporary social science theory. All this suggests that the law is not confined to state law or the appellate judiciary. Not only it remains a fact that state law remains inherently plural; it interacts with plural regimes of customariness. We wish to understand how forms of state and non-state law mutually constitute each other and how they relate to different structures of power and techniques of violence.Methods and techniques drawn from the social sciences are central to understanding the market, legal structures, regulation and statecraft in the era of globalisation. In mapping the field of law and social sciences, we interrogate the place of law and economics in the larger context of the scripting of the transformation of legal and regulatory regimes. We recognise that while regulation has emerged as a field in conversation with the discipline of economics, there is very little work which details the intersection of regulation with law. Moreover, the conversations between regulators and lawyers do not seem to be informed by social science frameworks and methodologies. Thereflects the interests of those scholars who wish to engage with interdisciplinary research on the transformation of legal and regulatory regimes from varying empirical and theoretical viewpoints.recognises that much scholarship informed by the social sciences in South Asia has been engaged with social movements and forms of activism which have challenged laws power to deny, censor, hurt, humiliate and kill. The engagement with this politics of hurt has led to many passionate debates about the place of law in our work and in our politics. Yet in South Asia, the research, teaching and practice of law that draws on the social sciences has been relegated to the margins, and radical activist engagement with law devalued by official discourses of judicial reform.invites reflexive engagements from scholars and activists about the relationship between law and social movements.Thewas constituted to map the field of Law and Social Sciences in South Asia. Its objective is to bring together academics, lawyers and researchers engaged in innovative legal research in South Asia which employs social science methodologies. Building on existing conversations, LASS hopes to stimulate the development of further research into the links between knowledge production, techniques of government, and the ever transforming interdependencies of power, law, and resistance.promotes an examination of how law and/or regulation is constituted as an object of study, and an interrogation of the conditions of its truth claims.may or may not necessarily inhabit the intellectual and political zones of comfort or of distress created by the habitus of postmodern jurisprudence. We invite critical engagement with the global travels of mainstream networks of Law and Economics, Law and Society or Critical Legal Studies, by providing a sustained critique of the fascination of progressive Eurocentric scholarship for South Asian law, economy and society studies.may equally turn its attention to the precious and precocious critiques of the dark side of [European] modernity which rarely attend to the histories of colonization and the Cold War as these have affected South AsiaWe remain sensitive to the fact that the very expression South Asia embodies forms of epistemic geopolitical imperialism.remains particularly anxious concerning this essentialization of identity and by the same token resists its translation into an area studies. Further, it needs saying that some new geopolitics is now in the making.thus calls for an appreciation of the histories of diversity and plurality, within which inescapably new traditions of law/society/humanities tradition of discourse may be further re-imagined. What purchase this may constitute for the tradition of the distinctive European post-Enlightenment critical legal studies tradition is an important thematic inviting further dialogical/discursive fellowships of juristic learning.These methodological challenges are suggested with a view to inviting their further elaboration. Contributors should be mindful of these methodological concerns as they address issues in the following more specific settings. In particular, papers, panels, and presentations were invited on:1.. Has the discourse on constitutionalism met new challenges in relation to changing statecraft, international law, or human rights in South Asia? How does regulation intersect with rights discourses? How do pictures of the written and unwritten scripts of constitutional law circulate in different sites of law and life?. What literary and visual representations of the law and resistance to law exist in the South Asian region? In what ways, the 'poetics' tend to subvert politics? Herein we signal the problematic of the multiplicity of the official languages and the politics of translation. How does the politics of resistance constitute the fields of law, creativity and collective action? What are the trajectories that turn the public domain inside out and force new sensibilities and new paradigms that foreground a different understanding of justice?. What is the politics of law and judicial reform? How are histories of such reform to be archived and evaluated? How do different forms of representations [such as the media or those emanating from social movements] engage with projects of law reform? Do contemporary engagements with reform and resistance benefit with tracing the genealogy of categories, and discursive shifts which create new forms of subjection and subjectivities?The challenges by legal historians and postcolonial theorists in thinking through law and social forms have led to a rich body of literature on law and society in South Asian contexts. We invite contributions interrogating colonial as well as neo-imperial formations of law, governance, and regulation. This panel retains an interest in the contestations on laws past as these relate to the constitution of the nation-state, and reflections on the impact of history in the reconstitution of law as an object of study. The practices of governance in relation to environment, health and sexuality. What are the processes of govermentality which sanitise, medicalise or pathologise some forms of life? What form of regulatory power inhabits the constitution of waste and how does it participate in the formation of public aesthetics? How is the body encountered in public or administrative law? Is gender/sexual orientation/disability a site of recognition that allows us to critique the manifold elisions in the body of the law?. The relationship between science, technology, the body and resources are mediated by the state-corporation alliances in a globalised era. What are the ways in which we may interrogate the deployment of technology to control bodies and life forms, and the regulation of both life and technology through law?How have human rights and social movement discourses pursued this relationship? What images of a risk society remain constitutionally legitimate? Are these ideas revisited in the context of the environmental contemporary discourses, such as the global discourse on climate change?What are the new challenges faced today in thinking through property rights and discourses? What are some new forms of property emerging through new phases of economic reform? What futures one may envisage for agrarian reforms? What kinds if new property stand invested, particularly in relation to the changing regimes of intellectual property rights in South Asia?. What is the relationship between law and regimes of impoverishment in South Asia? In particular, how may globalization affect constitutionally mandated visions of development as most benefiting the worst-off peoples? As concerns workers rights, what legacies may we derive from the histories and narratives of working class movements in South Asia? How may we read these alongside with the globalizationinduced programs aimed at creation of flexible labour markets?. This has multiple dimensions not fully exhausted by the figure of the detainee, torture and disappearance; forms of collective violence and atrocities in everyday and collective contexts; and the modalities of capital punishment and custodial violence have elicited critical research. How is the everyday conceptualised in these contexts? Beyond, and related to this, remains the question of the reproduction of foundational violence of the law. This emerges of course in the context of India-Pakistan partition; yet it also emerges equally fiercely, for example, in Afghanistan, the erstwhile Tibet, and Burma. This conference invites full attention to the postcolonial nacropolitics (to deploy here the phrase-regime of Mbembe).: What is the relation between terror, law and bio-politics? Or what would constitute the jurisprudence of emergency or exception in South Asia today? Put another way, we need to explore fully the law-society relationship between the pre and post 9/11 forms of wars of, and wars against terror. How may have the South Asian studies tradition, at all, addressed terror?: The South Asian experience remains marked by constitutional and extra-constitutional insurgencies. How has the construction of the political been conceptualized and narrated in law and society studies tradition in the region? How does militarization of protest and of governance proceed to reproduce new forms of bare life?The Steering Group particularly welcomed the submission of pre-formed panel proposals. Individual proposals were welcome, as were proposals for full panels. Papers were also considered on any related theme.500 word abstracts weresubmitted no later than. 500 word abstracts were submitted to Pratiksha Baxi at lassnet@gmail.com; abstracts were in Word, WordPerfect, or RTF formats, following this order: author(s), affiliation, email address, title of abstract, body of abstract. We got back to you within 8 weeks. If an abstract was accepted for the conference, a full draft paper was submitted to the conference secretariat and distributed to the discussant and fellow panel members no later thanThe maximum duration of individual presentations within each panel was. The abstracts are hosted at http://www.lassnet.org/ a website dedicated to express views on topical legal issues, thereby generating a cross current of ideas on emerging matters Sunday, January 31, 2016 Conference Organizer Colin Marks of St. Mary's University School of Law has published the schedule for the upcoming edition of this blog's favorite conference--the 11th International Conference on Contracts. KCON XI will be held in picturesque San Antonio on February 26-27. The deadline for booking hotel accommodations in the block at the conference rate is just one week away. For more information on both hotel accommodations and registration, consult the conference website. Meanwhile, take a glance at the schedule below to see the scintillating topics and company you'll be missing if you aren't yet San Antonio bound. Friday, February 26, 2016 8 8:45 a.m. Breakfast and Networking 8:45 9 a.m. Welcome to KCON XI 9 10:30 a.m. Concurrent Sessions Professorial Professions: Creating a Student-centered Contracts Classroom Moderator: Hazel Beh, University of Hawaii Charles Calleros, Arizona State University Myanna Dellinger, University of South Dakota Frank G. Snyder, Texas A&M University Adrian J. Walters, Chicago-Kent College of Law What You Thought You Knew About Remedies in Sales Transactions May Not Be True: Highlights in Article 2 Remedies and Contracting for Limitations Moderator: Wayne Barnes, Texas A&M University Sidney DeLong, Seattle University, The Notice of Breach Dilemma: Conflict and Cooperation in Eastern Airlines v McDonnell Douglas Nancy Kim, California Western School of Law, Teaching UCC Remedies from Concept to Clause Colin Marks, St. Marys University School of Law, On-Line and As Is Jennifer Martin, St. Thomas University 10:30 10:45 a.m. Break (Sponsored by West Academic) 10:45 a.m. 12:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions Innovations in Teaching and Mentoring Moderator: Robert D. Brain, Loyola Law School Los Angeles Keith A. Rowley, UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law Frank G. Snyder, Texas A&M University Ben Templin, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, The New Pedagogy: Heres the ball. Lets play catch Contract Law in an Administrative and Regulatory Context Moderator: James W. Fox Jr., Stetson University College of Law Hazel Beh, University of Hawaii, Insurance as the AntiContract David Friedman, Willamette University College of Law, Refining Advertising Regulation Peter Marchetti, Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Bankruptcy Clawback Provisions: Congress Needs to Amend Section 546 Chris French, Penn State Law, The Illusion of Insurance Contracts 12:15 1:30 p.m. Lunch 1:30 3 p.m. Concurrent Sessions Contract Interpretation and Construction Moderator: Deborah Post, Touro Law Center Gaston de los Reyes Jr., The George Washington University School of Business, Formality in the Choice Architecture of Contracting: The Case of Paradine v. Jane Dan OGorman, Barry University, Closing the Parol-Evidence-Rule Loophole: The Consideration Exception and the Preexisting-Duty Rule Frank Snyder, Texas A&M University, Consumer Preference and Majoritarian Rule Empirical Studies in Default Tender Rules Eric Zacks, Wayne State University, Standardized Contracts: Restatement (Second) of Contracts Section 211: Unfulfilled Expectations Employment Contracts Moderator: Bonita K. Roberts, St. Marys University School of Law Wendy Netter Epstein, DePaul University, Contracting for Results in Health Care? Allen Kamp, John Marshall Law School, Employee Wellness Programs: Fundamental Contract Issues Meredith R. Miller, Touro Law Center, Youre Fired!: The Effect of Involuntary Termination on Restrictive Covenants 3 3:15 p.m. Break Law Classrooms Building Foyer Area 3:15 4:45 p.m. Concurrent Sessions The Impact of Virtual Currencies Moderator: Daniel Barnhizer, Michigan State University College of Law Mark Burge, Texas A&M University, Electronic Payment Systems Catherine Christopher, Texas Tech University, Virtual Currency Angela Walch, St. Marys University School of Law Contract Drafting Moderator: Danielle Hart, Southwestern Law School Nadelle Grossman, Marquette University, Transactional Contracts and Textbook Simulation Discussion Russell Korobkin, UCLA School of Law, Bargaining with the CEO: The Case for Negotiate First, Choose Second Jane Winn, University of Washington, Framework Contracts and the New Managerial Revolution 5:30 9 p.m. Reception Dinner and Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony Honoring Peter Linzer Saturday, February 27, 2016 8 9 a.m. Breakfast and Networking 9 10:30 a.m. Concurrent Sessions Theoretical Perspectives on Contract Law Moderator: Jennifer Martin, St. Thomas University Shawn Bayern, Florida State University, The Failure of Law and Economics Sidney DeLong, Seattle University, Jephthahs Daughter and Morally -Efficient Breach Orit Gan, Sapir College, Peres Academic Center, The Many Faces of Contractual Consent Val D. Ricks, South Texas College of Law, Contract Doctrine as Contract Theory Remedies: Beyond Expectation Damages Moderator: Nancy Kim, California Western School of Law Yehuda Adar, Israel Law School, Pre-Contractual Disgorgement Moshe Gelbard, Israel Law School, Pre-Contractual Disgorgement Caprice Roberts, Savannah Law School, Supreme Disgorgement Roger Halson, University of Leeds, UK, Liquidated Damages and Penalty Clauses in the UK: A New Approach 10:30 10:45 a.m. Break 10:45 a.m. 12:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions Contract Law and Neoliberalism Moderator: Dov Waisman, Southwestern Law School Danielle Hart, Southwestern Law School, Contract Law & Ideology Creola Johnson, The Ohio State Univesity Moritz College of Law, Contractual Duplicity: Creditors Force Consumers into Arbitration While Exploiting the Criminal Justice System to Arrests Consumers Who Cannot Pay Hila Keren, Southwestern Law School, Scalia on Contracts: The Dissemination of Neoliberal Logic Matthew Titolo, West Virginia, Neoliberalisms Fine Print E-Commerce Moderator: Colin P. Marks, St. Marys University School of Law Daniel Barnhizer, Michigan State University College of Law, Contracts and Automation: Exploring the Normativity of Codability Stacy-Ann Elvy, New York Law School, The Internet of Things (IOT) and Bargaining Disparity Max N. Helveston, DePaul University, Regulating the Digital Marketplace 12:15 1:30 p.m. Lunch 1:30 3 p.m. Concurrent Sessions Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Consumer Contracts, and Arbitration Moderator: Peter Linzer, University of Houston Richard Frankel, Drexel University Ramona Lampley, St. Marys University School of Law Jean Sternlight, University of Nevada, Las Vegas International Perspectives on Contract Law Moderator: Val D. Ricks, South Texas College of Law Mateja Durovic, City University of Hong Kong, EU Consumer Contract Law Does it Really Protect Consumers? Dr. Shivprasad Swaminathan, Global Law School, Delhi, India, Consideration and Induced Reliance Qi Gao, Beihang University School of Law, Consumer Protection under Chinese Contract Law 3 p.m. 3:15 p.m. Break 3:15 p.m. 4:45 p.m. Concurrent Sessions International on Contract Law Moderator: Mark Burge, Texas A&M University Pablo Lerner, Israel Law School, Constructive Trusts in Israeli Land Contracts Contract as Key Dr. Lachmi Singh-Rodrigues, University of West of England, Avoidance of the Contract and the Sellers Right to Cure Under the CISG Yashveer Singh Yadav, Hidayatullah National Law University, India (LL.B. Honors, 2016), International Trade: Contract Necessities Including Incoterms Public Policy Considerations in Contract Law Moderator: David A. Grenardo, St. Marys Univ. School of Law Wayne Barnes, Texas A&M University, Arrested Development: Rethinking the Age of Majority in the 21st Century Myanna Dellinger, University of South Dakota, Contracts to Kill Endangered Species: Public Policy Arguments Joan MacLeod Heminway, The University of Tennessee College of Law, The LLC Operating Agreement and its Relation to Contract 5 p.m. 7 p.m. Closing Reception https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/contractsprof_blog/2016/01/kcon-xi-schedule-published.html Alexander Hamilton was not a U.S. president, but he was one of the most important early leaders of the U.S. He fought in the Revolutionary War, wrote powerful arguments to persuade the states to accept the Constitution, and helped create the countrys national banking and economic system. In 1929, the Treasury Department even put Alexander Hamiltons face on the $10 bill. And in 2015, the musical Hamilton became one of the biggest shows on Broadway. But the story of Hamiltons early life did not make this legacy likely. A difficult beginning Hamilton was born in 1755 to poor, unmarried parents in the West Indies. He was a bright child and read every book given to him -- in English, Latin and Greek. Hamilton also learned a great deal about business and economics. He talked about becoming a political leader in the North American colonies. When Hamilton was 11 years old, his mother died. Hamilton got a job as an assistant bookkeeper. He learned how to keep financial records. Even though his situation was difficult, others recognized that Hamilton was smart and talented. Hamiltons boss sent him to New York. He became a student at Kings College, later called Columbia University. Right hand man The American Revolution gave Hamilton the chance to show his abilities. Hamilton supported the colonies war of independence against Britain. He became an aide to the colonies lead general, George Washington. Even though Hamilton was young in his early 20s Washington trusted him as an excellent writer and thinker. Hamilton wrote the generals letters. He had to use all his political and communication skills to get money and supplies for the Revolutionary Army. Love and marriage and money During the war, Hamilton married Elizabeth Schuyler. She was a member of one of the nations wealthiest families. Over time, Eliza and Alexander Hamilton made homes in New York and Philadelphia and raised eight children. Bank of the United States After the Revolutionary War, Hamilton became a lawyer in New York. He used the power of his pen again this time, to defend the U.S. Constitution. Hamilton was one of the authors of The Federalist Papers. The series of newspaper articles urged the newly independent states to adopt the Constitution and create a strong central government. After the states agreed to ratify the Constitution, George Washington became the countrys first president. He asked Hamilton to be the first Secretary of the Treasury. The role of Secretary of the Treasury was critical in the early days of the new nation. Americas most urgent problem was figuring out ways to pay its debts. The country had borrowed or promised a lot of money during the Revolutionary War. Hamilton proposed a national bank. Congress approved the idea in 1791. The bank had $10 million in capital. It could lend the government money and pay off state debts. Hamiltons system also created a federal system to collect taxes. But not everyone accepted Hamiltons views. Many of President Washingtons advisors called his cabinet opposed Hamilton. Opponents expressed many objections to Hamiltons Bank of the United States. Generally, members of Congress from the northern states supported the idea, while those from southern states opposed it. Another political leader, Thomas Jefferson, said the Bank exceeded the powers of the Constitution. Hamilton defended the Bank. He argued for a broad interpretation of the Constitution. He thought it permitted the federal government to do what it needed to do to strengthen the countrys economic system. Hamilton largely won his political arguments. He became the leader of nations first political party, called the Federalist Party. The Federalists, located mainly in the commercial Northeast, supported a strong national government. They laid the foundation of a national economy, created a national judicial system and set up principles of foreign policy. Trouble again But while Hamiltons public life was succeeding, his private life was running into trouble. Hamilton confessed to having an affair to not being faithful to his wife. His oldest son fought a duel to defend Alexander Hamiltons honor and was killed. Hamilton eventually resigned from George Washingtons administration. And he publicly disagreed with other politicians, including the new president, John Adams, and a man named Aaron Burr. Many who disagreed with Hamilton united in an opposition party called the Republicans, or sometimes the Democrat-Republicans. Thomas Jefferson was their leader. Even though Hamilton and Jefferson disagreed about most things, in the presidential election of 1800 Hamilton supported Thomas Jefferson over the other leading candidate, Aaron Burr. Hamilton trusted Jefferson not to abuse the power of the presidency. But Aaron Burr was angry that Hamilton had cost him the election. Later, when Burr ran for governor of New York, Hamilton opposed him again. Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel. Duel to the death At dawn on July 11, 1804, Hamilton and Burr fought a duel on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, near Manhattan. They fired pistols from 10 paces. Hamilton fell to the ground. He was carried to his Manhattan home and died the next day. Just three years earlier, Hamiltons son had been shot on the same spot. Today, Americans remember Alexander Hamilton as the architect of Americas banking and economic system. He was the first secretary of the treasury and created Americas central bank. Hamiltons system gave the new nation the ability to issue paper money, lend the government money and promote business and industry by extending credit. Even though many disagreed with the power Hamilton gave the central government, he helped place the United States on an equal financial footing with the nations of Europe. Im Jonathan Evans. Kelly Kelly and Mary Gotschall wrote this story for The Making of a Nation at Learning English. Kathleen Struck and Hai Do were the editors. Did you know all this information about Alexander Hamilton? Let us know what you think in the Comments section below, or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story argument n. a statement or series of statements for or against something legacy n. something that happened in the past or that comes from someone in the past bookkeeper n. a person whose job is to keep the financial records for a business financial adj. relating to money wealthiest adj. having a lot of money and possessions ratify v. to make (a treaty, agreement, etc.) official by signing it or voting for it treasury n. the place where the money of a government, club, etc., is kept urgent adj. very important and needing immediate attention federal adj. of or relating to a form of government in which power is shared between a central government and individual states, provinces, etc. foundation n. something (such as an idea, a principle, or a fact) that provides support for something judicial adj. of or relating to courts of law or judges confess v. to admit that you did something wrong or illegal duel n. a fight between two people that includes the use of weapons (such as guns or swords) and that usually happens while other people watch resign v. an act of giving up a job or position in a formal or official way pace n. a single step or the length of a single step usually plural architect n. a person who designs and guides a plan, project, etc. footing n. used to describe the kind of relationship that exists between people, countries, etc. People in Iowa will vote for presidential candidates in the Republican and Democratic parties Monday night. Public opinion studies show strong support for two candidates in each party. Businessman Donald Trump leads Senator Ted Cruz in the Republican race. Hillary Clinton leads Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic race. But both races are close. Although Sanders is running as a Democrat, he is an independent. He calls himself a democratic socialist. This voting in states like Iowa is called a caucus. A caucus lets voters of each political party Democrat and Republican say who they favor or prefer at this time. Candidates who win the support of voters in Iowa do not always win the presidency. In 1980, Ronald Reagan lost the Iowa vote but became the Republican party nominee. He won the presidency. There are 12 Republican candidates and three Democratic candidates. On Sunday, many of the candidates held events throughout Iowa. They spoke to their supporters and strongly criticized their opponents. Trump and Cruz are both trying to gain the support of the many Iowans who have strong Christian religious beliefs. Also on Sunday, Sanders and Clinton reached an agreement with Democratic party officials to have more debates. Many people in the party had asked for them. The next primary election will take place February 9 in the northeastern state of New Hampshire. Public opinion studies show Sanders has much more support in the state than Clinton. Sanders is from the state of Vermont, which borders New Hampshire. Im Mario Ritter. VOA's William Gallo reported on this story from Des Moines, Iowa. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted his report for Learning English. Kathleen Struck 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 caucus - n. an event in which members of apolitical party gather for the purpose of choosing candidates for an election primary adj. voting that reduces the number of candidates before a larger election Police, government officials and journalists say they failed the women attacked in Cologne, Germany on New Years Eve. Groups of young men sexually attacked and robbed women that evening. The attacks occurred outside Colognes main train station. Prosecutors said police received 945 complaints from the victims of the attacks. More than 430 were for sex crimes. Prosecutors named 35 suspects, 32 of them from North Africa. The attacks reduced support for immigration in Germany. A poll by YouGov, a European polling agency, found 62 percent of Germans believe there are too many asylum seekers in Germany. That is up nine percentage points from before the Cologne attacks. The Cologne attacks led to painful debates about government, news media and police. Some questioned whether Germany should accept more immigrants. There have been large anti-immigration demonstrations in Cologne and elsewhere in Germany. Police were criticized for what many victims viewed as a slow and inadequate response to the attacks. News organizations were asked why they took so long to provide full coverage of the attacks. Lutz Fruhbrodt is a professor of journalism at Wurzburg-Schweinfurt University. He said some German news organizations failed to report that most attackers were from the Middle East and North Africa. He said they did not want to raise opposition to immigration. But others said the German press encouraged anti-immigrant feelings. They reported over and over that the attackers were from outside Germany, wrote Free University of Berlin Professor Joachim Trebbe. Normally the German media does not report the ethnic or national background of accused criminals, he said. The Cologne attacks also produced charges of sexism and blaming the victim. Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker was widely criticized after she said young women should make themselves less of a target. She also said young women should keep a certain distance from groups of young men. German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said her comments were not acceptable. It is not women who bear responsibility, but the perpetrators, Mass wrote on Twitter. There have been admissions from various officials in recent days that the attacks were not handled well. An internal police report found that police on duty New Years Eve in Cologne could not cope with the attacks. Most took place in the square in front of the citys main train station. It said women were forced to run the gauntlet of gangs of drunken men who groped them, pulled their hair and ran off with phones and wallets. Some news organizations apologized for not giving the story much attention during the first hours and days after the attacks. Elmar Thevessen, deputy news editor of German public broadcaster ZDF, said his news organization waited too long to air a story. The mayor of Cologne took a much tougher stand against the attackers. Women were sexually harassed in a massive way, she told Spiegel Online. I always thought these were the kinds of dangers people faced in very distant countries. It's not something I could have imagined in Germany. We cannot accept it. Syrian refugee Basheer Alzaalan says the attacks by fellow immigrants in his home town of Cologne makes him angry. He says Germany offered him a safe home after he left the civil war in Syria. Germany for the Syrians was some kind of mother, and at the head of that, (Chancellor) Angela Merkel, he told VOA in an interview at a Cologne cafe. Alzaalan says he hopes people understand most refugees are good people. He taught English in Syria before he fled to Germany with his wife and two children. He wrote in the Guardian that he and his family fled their home in 2014 after terrorist groups took over. "I feared for the lives of my wife, our three and four-year-old daughters and our unborn son," he wrote. "Bombs had been dropping where we lived on a daily basis." Alzaalan says he wants to help Germany help refugees adjust to German life. I'm Caty Weaver. Henry Ridgwell reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for Learning English. Kathleen Struck 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 complaint n. a formal charge saying that someone has done something wrong prosecutor n. a lawyer who represents the side in a court case that accuses a person of a crime and who tries to prove that the person is guilty inadequate -- adj. not enough or not good enough encourage v. to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident bear v. to accept or endure something handle v. to touch, feel, hold, or move (something) with your hand gauntlet n. situation in which someone is attacked by many people drunken adj. a person who has had too much to drink grope v. to touch a person in an unwanted sexual way wallet n. a small folding case that holds money and credit cards harass v. to annoy or bother someone. massive n. very big The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the spread of mosquito-borne Zika virus a global public health emergency. On Monday, the global health agency held an emergency meeting in Geneva after warning the public that Zika is spreading "explosively" across the Americas. Dr. Margaret Chan is the director-general of the WHO. She said after the meeting that the cases of microcephaly in regions with Zika cases constitute an extraordinary event and a public health threat to other parts of the world. Last week, health officials confirmed one case of the virus in Denmark, five in Great Britain, three cases in the United States and 18 in its territory of Puerto Rico. The global health organization also predicts that Zika could infect as many as 4 million people in the Americas this year. Symptoms of the zika virus The symptoms from the virus are minor. The symptoms are flu-like and include a rash. But the results for some infected with Zika -- namely pregnant women -- are devastating. The WHO suspects the virus may be linked to brain disorders in babies. Health experts highly suspect there may be a link between the illness and microcephaly. Microcephaly is a birth defect in which babies are born with very small heads and underdeveloped brains. However, a definite link between Zika and microcephaly has not been proven. World Health Organization spokesman Gregory Hartl has this to say: "So, one of the curiosities is why we have so many neurological cases in say the northeast of Brazil, but we have not had it in other places. So, we really need to understand what is existing that causes these microcephaly cases, for example, in children." Zika is not Ebola The last time the WHO declared a public health emergency was for the Ebola outbreak in 2014. The global health agency was criticized at the time for its slow response and the outbreak killed more than 11,000 people. Hartl does not agree with claims that the Zika virus could pose a threat similar to that of Ebola. He says that Ebola is transmitted by contact with bodily fluids from person to person and kills about 50 percent of its victims. "Zika has never killed a person and it is transmitted by the mosquito. So, we know that there are those two fundamental differences at least. Let us say that Zika on its own would not be the consideration of an emergency committee. What is the concern to the international community is the possible link with neurological disorders." How to not get Zika There is currently no treatment or vaccine for Zika. Anthony Fauci is director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). He says it would take "a few years" before a vaccine is readily available to the public. Fauci says what other public health experts are saying for now, the way to fight the disease is "mosquito control." Mosquito control means killing the eggs and larvae and cleaning up standing water where mosquitoes may breed. In addition, Fauci adds that people in areas affected by Zika should practice mosquito avoidance. This means wearing long-sleeved pants and shirts, sleeping with mosquito nets and using mosquito repellent. Where does it come from? The Zika virus gets its name from a forest in Uganda where the virus was first identified in 1947. The virus is known to exist in tropical areas like Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and Western Pacific. People can catch the Zika virus after being bitten by an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. This is the same mosquito that can spread dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says that Brazil reported its first case of Zika virus in May 2015. Since then, the virus has spread by mosquitoes and has caused infections in Brazil and many other countries in Latin America. Zika in Asia The WHO also says Zika has been more common in Southeast Asia than the few cases reported in the region in the past several years. However, the WHO regional office in Southeast Asia says there has also been no link so far between Zika and microcephaly in Southeast Asia. Malaysian and Singaporean public health officials have warned of a high risk of contagion if the virus is introduced there. The Philippines health department is calling Zika a "real and present" risk. They add that warmer, wet weather will likely lead to ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed. Im Jonathan Evans. And Im Anna Matteo. Anna Matteo wrote this story for Learning English based on VOA News reports. Hai Do was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story symptom n. a change in the body or mind which indicates that a disease is present repellent n. serving or tending to drive away or ward off often used in combination contagion n. the transmission of a disease by direct or indirect contact : a disease-producing agent (as a virus) Women in northern European nations are closest to equality with men on wages, education, health and education. That is the finding of a report by the World Economic Forum. The United States ranked 28th. On Friday, President Barack Obama announced the government will require large businesses to report how much they pay men and women. The data will be used to target companies that pay women less to do the same jobs. According to the World Economic Forum report, women worldwide continue to lag behind men on wages. Based on current trends, they will need 126 years to catch up, according to the report. Women are making progress. But they still only earn what men did 10 years ago, say the reports authors. The report measures the gender gap for women in 145 nations for health, education, economic opportunity, and political power. Women have not achieved equality in any of the 145 nations included in the survey, says the report. Women came closest to equality in four Northern European nations Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. Ireland ranks No. 5. At the bottom of the womens gender ratings are Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, Chad, Iran and Jordan. More women than men are attending colleges in 97 nations. But women make up a majority of skilled workers in only 68 nations. Women control the majority of government and political positions in only four. At last weeks World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook, spoke about gender equality. The reason to work towards equality whether woman or man is that it is better for you, Sandberg said. We should be doing this not because its the right thing, but because its the smart thing. So do it because it will help you. The World Economic Forum completed its worldwide 2015 gender gap survey in November. I'm Anne Ball. Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck 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 equity n. fairness in how people are treated opportunity n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done gender n. male or female Disclaimer: Some of the links and banners on Life in Israel are ads, and some are affiliate links. Affiliate links are links that will earn me a commission off any purchases you might make after clicking on the link/banner, though you will not pay more because of that. Chinese smartphone makers Xiaomi and Meizu have been in the headlines a lot over the past few years for their high-quality, low-cost hardware. But no US wireless carrier has offered phones from either company until now. PC Magazine reports that US Mobile is now starting to offer some low-cost phones from Meizu and Xiaomi. But the wireless carrier (which uses T-Mobiles network) is basically just importing phones from China and setting the default language to English. That means you dont get full support for US wireless networks so youll have to settled for 3G or slower data speeds. Update: The product listings have been removed from the US Mobile site, and some have pointed out that it doesnt look like the company had any sort of real relationship with the phone makers in the first place. Here are some of the Chinese phones you can now buy from US Mobile: These phones are aimed at price-conscious shoppers, but the specs arent all that bad. The Xiaomi Mi 4i, for instance, has a 1080p display, a 13MP camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor, and the cheaper Meizu M2 Note has a full HD screen, 13MP camera, and large 3,100 mAh battery. The US Mobile website notes that the phones are actually sold and shipped by a partner called Omni Electronics HK. But US Mobile will provide support for the phones, which may make the companys offering a little more attractive than the idea of just importing a phone from China yourself. On the other hand, if you want 4G data speeds, you might want to wait until Xiaomi or Meizu start offering US-specific versions of their phones. US Mobile offers build-your own plan service, allowing you to select the amount of talk, text, and data you plan to use each month. For instance, a plan with 250 minutes of talk time, 250 text messages, and 1GB of data would run $14 per month, while a 500 minute/500 text/2.5GB plan runs $40. A Regular Commentary on Strategic Affairs from a Leading Commentator and Analyst 2021 book: Future War and the Defence of Europe (Oxford: Oxford University Press) About Me Name: David Yonki Location: Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, United States Political analyst for WBRE TV's Pa. Live program and post election commentator for WBRE TV's Eyewitness News Daybreak show. Author of the book "A Radio Story/We Wish You Well In Your Future Endeavors" and "Leges Vitae" "26 Rules of Life" and the new novel, "Weather Or Knot". The blog editor also writes various news articles and columns as well as upcoming literary projects. The blog editor was a frequent guest on WYOU TV'S INTERACTIVE NEWSCASTS when political issues were discussed on the national, state and local level. Yonki was a weekly panelist on WYLN TV 35's Friday Topic A program. He also appeared on the Hazleton, PA. station on Election Night doing coverage and did special projects and stories for WYLN TV 35's 10PM Newscast "Late Edition". View my complete profile New Delhi: Over 100 ABVP members protested against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday at Delhi University for politicising the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula. ABVP, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), had called for a two-day nationwide protest from January 31 to February 1 to condemn the alleged caste politics being played by the Congress. We are protesting against the attempt to politicise the death of Rohith (Vemula). It is unfortunate that a bright scholar has lost his life and leaders like Rahul Gandhi are trying to get mileage by playing caste politics. This is equally condemnable, ABVP Delhi state secretary Saket Bahuguna said. Vemula committed suicide on January 17 following his suspension along with four other Dalit students over an alleged clash with an ABVP leader. ABVP national general secretary Vinay Bidre on Sunday demanded an apolitical investigation into the suicide, besides a forensic investigation of the suicide note. Bahuguna also condemned police brutality on the students who were protesting outside the RSS office last Saturday. Police should not have lathicharged them. ABVP does not support any such act against students. We strongly condemn this, Bahuguna said. On January 30, students protesting over the suicide of the Dalit research scholar were reportedly assaulted here while marching towards the RSS office. To disperse the students, police used excessive force on the students and lathicharged them. The protest over the suicide of Rohith in the University of Hyderabad intensified when Rahul Gandhi joined the agitators on the campus, observing a day-long fast on Saturday. IANS President Pranab Mukherjee is a treasure trove of contemporary political history. The second part of his memoirs The Turbulent Years (1980-1996) was expected to uncover the countrys most turbulent phase wherein lies buried the secrets that shaped the future. He gives broad hints about them, but disappoints by concealing more than revealing. He appreciates former prime minister Chandrashekhar candidly, but goes rather soft on Rajiv Gandhi who caused the formers government to fall on a flimsy pretext. "Given a viable chance, he may well have proven himself as one of Indias best Prime Ministers, he writes. Further, quoting Atal Behari Vajpayee, he mentions that Chandrashekhar was a rebel at heart whose understanding of the society and politics was excellent. For someone who is scarcely remembered for his four-month stint as prime minister, Chandrasekhars achievements were laudable indeed. Mukherjee could have thrown light on that. As a journalist working with The Times of Indias Lucknow edition in 1991, I was at a loss deciphering the meaning of the slogan written all around the state: chaalis saal banam chaar mahine (40 years versus 4 months). The slogan appeared to be the creation of an imaginative mind seeking to contrast Chandrashekhar with Rajiv Gandhi and it appeared to be lacking in substance. But people close to the former prime minister, known as Adhyakshji among his followers, maintain this was never the case. What the highly respected editor of Prabhat Khabar and Rajya Sabha member from Janata Dal (U), Harivansh, revealed to me, in this context, is startling indeed. According to him Harivansh also served as additional information adviser to prime minister Chandrashekhar the entire story of two constables snooping around Rajiv Gandhis house was concocted by the Congress to pre-empt Chandrashekhar from finding a solution to the Ayodhya dispute. He had roped in his close friend Rajasthan chief minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Sharad Pawar to hold talks with the VHP and leaders of the Babri Masjid action committee. The resolution to the dispute was in sight after various rounds of secret negotiations, when the Congress suddenly pulled the rug from under Chandrashekhars feet, says Harivansh, who watched the events from close quarters. In fact, a scrutiny of Chandrashekhars performance shows extraordinary feats achieved by him in those turbulent times. He took up the reins from VP Singh at a time when the country was highly polarised by Mandal-Mandir politics. He found economy in tatters and made a bold decision of mortgaging gold to fulfill Indias international debt obligation. I know I have a cost to pay for this decision yet it is in national interest, he told his confidants. Despite being in minority, he allowed refueling US planes during the Gulf war, much to the chagrin of the Congress leadership. Harivansh pointed out that in his brief stint Chandrashekhar never tried to prevaricate, or compromised on decisions which he thought needed to be taken. For instance, he is believed to have held secret negotiations with Punjab terrorists sheltered in Pakistan in concert with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to end the impasse in Pakistan. "His own understanding of Punjab was phenomenal," says Harivansh, who subscribes to Mukherjees view that the dhoti-clad Chandrashekhar would have been outstanding prime minister had he been allowed to last longer. But that was not to be, he says ruefully attributing it to jealousies and conspiracies that changed the course of the history. The 186-page book chronicles political events that define the contours of Mukherjees political journey. His appreciation of Sanjay Gandhis leadership ability without any reference to his unsavory side is hardly surprising given the fact that Mukherjee was known to be a part of his cheer-leaders. But his justification of Sanjay Gandhis indiscretions every man has strength and weaknesses is nothing different from a movie-maker discovering virtues in social brigands. As his wont, Mukherjee could not be harsh on anyone and was all praise for his leaders ranging from Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao and Sonia Gandhi. He is somewhat reticent and grudging when he deals with his another boss former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In fact, what enhances the readability of Mukherjees book is the depiction of perpetual insecurity in which top Indian politicians live. Mukherjee was thrown out of the party and rehabilitated in the Congress on the whims of one individual Rajiv Gandhi. He suffered silently his ignominious exit from the party where he was seen to be a rising star during Indira Gandhis term. After Rajiv Gandhis assassination, Narasimha Rao once again kept him out of the cabinet but posted him as deputy chairman of Planning Commission. Rao promised him to tell all one day about the reasons why he was kept out of the cabinet. Though Rao never revealed it, Mukherjee found his bearing after his re-induction as commerce minister, exactly eight years after he was removed as finance minister. Mukherjees book belongs to the genre of memoirs written by leaders like K Natwar Singh, Arjun Singh or LK Advani. In all such books, the writer places himself at the centre, tries to explain his own position and rarely allows critical scrutiny of his ideology or himself. That is the precise reason why reading these refreshes memories but rarely enriches perspective. Thankfully, Mukherjees biography is a shade better than that of his contemporaries. At least 13 students of Pune's Inamdar College on Monday drowned in the sea near Murud beach in Raigad, Maharashtra, according to reports. ANI reported that over 13 bodies have been recovered till now while IANS reported that the death toll is likely to rise as 10-12 students are still missing. The tragedy took place at 4.30 pm on Monday. The incident occurred in afternoon when altogether 18 students ventured into the sea to swim. Coast Guard, police and locals have launched search operations. The Coast Guard has launched search by an interceptor craft and a Chetak helicopter to help bolster rescue operations, reported PTI. A Sea King helicopter has also been pressed into service, a senior official said. "We received information regarding 15 to 18 students being washed into the sea at about 4 pm. Coast Guard aircraft IC117 and two hired fishing boats were deployed for search and rescue. So far, Coast Guard chopper ex-842SGN was launched at 6:03 PM and ICGS 'Achook' has been diverted," a Coast Guard spokesperson said. So far, of an estimated 20-22 students who had gone into the sea, four girls have been rescued till late afternoon and a search continues for the others, reported IANS. "A total of 155 students from Pune went to Murud main beach and some of them went swimming around 3.30 pm this afternoon," said assistant inspector of police Arvind Patil. "Thirteen students are dead due to drowning. The victims were all aged between 19 and 23," he further said. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted about the incident, saying he was "extremely saddened" to know about the incident. Extremely saddened & shocked to know about the Murud incident where 14 students lost their lives. My deepest condolences to the families. Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) February 1, 2016 Instructed the Collector to take care of all students.He informed that 14 bodies recovered,saved lives of 5 girls & are being hospitalised. Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) February 1, 2016 Coast guard has started rescue operation as 1 student is missing.There were 116students,8teachers &3 staff members from Inamdar College,Pune Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) February 1, 2016 Trustee of the Pune-based college PA Inamdar told mediapersons that the senior students, studying computer science, had gone on a college-sponsored annual picnic accompanied by five staff members and other support staff. "We are shocked by this tragedy. We are making all efforts to help the students and their families with the help of the local villagers and police. A team of our trustees has already left Pune for Raigad for rendering further assistance," Inamdar said. He also alleged that the beach where the students had gone apparently had no life guard. He added that the process of ascertaining the identity of the victims and informing their families is underway. Meanwhile, thousands of tourists and locals gathered at the Murud Beach where the bodies of the victims were lined up even as grieving parents and relatives rushed to the college campus or to Murud. A pall of gloom descended over the college following the tragedy. Over hundred students, accompanied by their teachers, were present at the beach, CNN-IBN further reported. The tragic incident, however, has several unfortunate precedents. The fact that such incidents continue to be reported raise a question mark on whether adequate precautionary measures are being taken to prevent such fatalities. Not long ago, in 2014, six persons, all residents of Chembur in Mumbai, died of drowning at Murud-Janjira after they went to the beach after consuming alcohol. Maharashtra has the dubious distinction of having the highest number of deaths caused by drowning in India. The state saw as many as 4,822 such fatalities in the year 2014, according to statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Deaths due to drowning are among the leading causes of accidental deaths in the country, along with road accidents, fires and building crashes. With agency inputs The tragic incident on Monday, in which at least 13 students drowned near Murud beach in Raigad district, has several unfortunate precedents. The fact that such incidents continue to be reported raise a question mark on whether adequate precautionary measures are being taken to prevent such fatalities. Not long ago, in 2014, six persons, all residents of Chembur in Mumbai, died of drowning at Murud-Janjira after they went to the beach after consuming alcohol, according to a report in The Indian Express. One of the survivors had then said that some local persons had warned them that it would not be safe to swim in the area, according to a Mumbai Mirror report. A Times of India report from 2011 said that although lifeguards were deployed at the beach in Murud, the measure was not sufficient. This was particularly so during weekends, when the number of visitors is higher, as mentioned in the report. Maharashtra has the dubious distinction of having the highest number of deaths caused by drowning in India. The state saw as many as 4,822 such fatalities in the year 2014, according to statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Deaths due to drowning are among the leading causes of accidental deaths in the country, along with road accidents, fires and building crashes. In a shocking two-day old video released by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has now gone viral, policemen in Delhi are seen brutally beating up students, who were protesting against the death of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. The policemen, some of whom were in plain clothes, even assaulted some of the female protesters outside the RSS office in Jhandewalan, according to IBNLive. The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has urged the women protesters to record their statements. "I very strongly urge these protesters to come to the DCW. We need to register a case so that action can be taken," DCW chief Swati Maliwal told CNN-IBN. DCW has also questioned why no female police officers were present at the site. The police brutality reportedly took place after the students protesting near the RSS office began marching towards the RSS office. The police also formed a barricade outside the RSS office and soon unexpectedly began beating up the student protesters there. The protesters have said that they were protesting peacefully and did nothing which justified the lathicharge. Apart from the JNU students, there were students from other organisations at the site who were also attacked by policemen. "Boys were pulled by their hair. Cops in plain clothes refused to show their ID," CNN-IBN quoted a woman protester as saying. "Few RSS workers also thrashed us along with cops," she also said. According to NDTV, the police also attacked the media and some of the cameras belonging to mediapersons were also broken. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on this incident, saying that the Modi government seems to be at war with students in India. FTII, Rohith case, Hyd Univ, IITs and now brutal attack on Del students. Modi govt seems to be at war with students all across Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 1, 2016 However, the IBNLive report also said that the Delhi Police, trying to shift the blame on the students, said that it was the students who had provoked them. "It was protesters who provoked first. They threw banners and sticks at us. They broke the first barricade. Then they charged towards the second layer of barricade where max force was deployed," the report quoted Delhi Police DPC (Central) Paramaditya as saying. The Delhi Police also refused to confirm whether women protesters were beaten up. New Delhi: RSS on Monday rejected allegations that some of its workers were involved in thrashing a group of student protesters along with police personnel outside its headquarters in central Delhi two days back. A video on Monday emerged in which some Delhi Police personnel along with some unidentified men were seen thrashing protesters and dragging female activists by their hair outside the RSS office during a demonstration on Saturday over Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide. "No RSS worker was there at that time. If somebody feels that there was some highhandedness then there is option of inquiry, law. Police must have done whatever they found was appropriate," Rajiv Tuli, in charge of RSS media unit of Delhi, said. Reacting strongly to the assault, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, in a press conference, alleged that BJP and RSS workers were involved in thrashing the students along with police. Congress called it a "brutal assualt" by police on a group of "unarmed protesters" and demanded action against guilty policemen. Delhi police Commissioner BS Bassi said he has directed senior officials to investigate the matter and see if there were any "indiscretions". PTI New Delhi: A team of doctors from AIIMS along with forensic experts will visit Ryan International School in South Delhi on Monday and examine the water tank where six-year-old Divyansh Kakrora, a Class I student of the school was found dead. The doctors, who had prepared the preliminary post-mortem report of the boy, want to examine the spot where the incident took place before submitting the final report. The AIIMS' preliminary post-mortem report indicated that Divyansh's death was due to drowning. There were no external injuries on his body that could lead to death. The report pointed to asphyxiation (suffocation) due to aspiration of fluid into air passages as being the probable cause of the death, said sources at AIIMS. Ramhit Meena, father of Divyansh, has blamed the school authorities for his son's death. "It is a conspiracy by the school authorities and someone in the staff must be involved in the incident. I received a call from the school and I rushed to emergency ward at the hospital, where I found the principal at the entrance. "I kept asking everyone what had happened but nobody responded. Then the principal took me to the doctor, who informed me that my son was brought dead to the hospital," he said. Meena, who is a paramedic at AIIMS, further said, "When I sought answers from the principal, she asked me to stay put, claiming that it is for our own good. When I insisted, I was yelled at." However, the principal of the school had refuted the allegation and claimed that Divyansh was a special child, who was "hyperactive" and had a tendency of running away from the classroom. She, however, could not explain how the child fell into the water tank beneath the amphitheatre of the school. Divyansh was last seen before the seventh period on Saturday, 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 amphitheatre in the school's playground. He was then rushed to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. PTI New Delhi: Even as the debate over access to women in the inner sanctum of Haji Ali Dargah rages, several members of the Muslim community have started questioning the practice of disallowing women in graves and graveyards. No religious scripture bars women from visiting graves. Prophet Muhammad himself regularly visited the graveyard and recommended people to do it without any gender discrimination. There is no caste or gender bias in Islam and both men and women have the right to participate in all walks of life equally, said Zeenat Shaukat Ali, professor of Islamic Studies at St Xavier's College, Mumbai. She is also the founder-director general of The World Institute of Islamic Studies for Dialogue, Organisation of Mediation and Gender Justice. The graves, she said quoting Prophet Muhammad, should be frequented by men and women for two reasons: one, it reminds them of death and two, they can pray for the people buried there. Citing instances, she said, Prophet Muhammads wife Hazrat Ayesha Siddiqua used to visit the grave of her brother Abd ar-Rahman. Also, Hazrat Fatima Zehra, the Prophet's daughter, used to visit the grave of her uncle Hazrat Hamza regularly. There is no authentic version Islam, according to her, that proves women are not allowed to visit graveyards. Yes, Prophet Muhammad had earlier forbidden women from visiting graves because attachment to the dead was widespread those days. But later he encouraged everyone to visit the graves and pray for those lying there, she said. To prove her points, she quoted a hadith from Hazrat Ayesha who once asked the Prophet what she should say while visiting graves and he replied, Greetings to you, the people of the abodes among the men and women believers! May Allah grant mercy to those of you and us who went ahead and those who tarried back! Truly we shall if Allah wills join up with you. Noted columnist Sadia Dehlvi, who has authored of Sufism: The Heart of Islam and The Sufi Courtyard: Dargahs of Delhi, believes that all dargahs are generally inclusive. You see men, women and children in the courtyards. However, in some dargahs women are not allowed inside the inner chamber which contains the actual grave. The dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Gharib Nawaz in Ajmer, Rajhastan, is the most famous and most important dargah in Asia. Men and women of all faiths are allowed entry in the inner chamber. However, some dargahs like that of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi do not allow women inside the room that contains the burial chamber. Haji Ali Dargah had previously allowed women to go right inside and should allow it once again. What is interesting is that at some dargahs of women sufis, men are not allowed inside, she said. On the issue of taking the Haji Ali management to court, Dehlvi says, This should have been best resolved through dialogue and not through confrontation. Muslims in charge of sacred spaces should do a rethink and be more welcoming of women. Nothing is more sacred to Muslims than the Kaaba in Mecca, which men and women have circled together for centuries. At Prophet Muhammad's mosque in Medina, there are vast spaces for women to pray. But Islamic feminist writer Sheeba Aslam Fehmi has a completely different view on the topic. According to her, dargahs are the places where common mans sufferings are exploited. They are the centre of corruption, filth, dirt and all sorts of pervert practices. Instead of demanding the rights to enter, women should stop visiting such shrines as it would not empower them in anyway. Every fight for equality is not emancipation, she said. Zakia Soman, co-petitioner of the PIL filed in the Bombay High Court against the restriction at Haji Ali Dargah, blamed the patriarchal mindset of the shrine committee. Islam allows women to enter and pray inside the dargah (sufi shrine) but its trustees discourage women and prevent them to enter the inner sanctorum. It is simply caste discrimination, she alleged. Interestingly, she said, some of the trustees of the Haji Ali Dargah are also the trustees of the Mahim Dargah, where women are allowed. Asked why only dargahs, women are not allowed to visit graveyards, she said, We do not want any place in the world where womens entry is barred. Our religion is universal. It is not restricted to a particular gender. It is for everyone. Such restrictions are being imposed on us by some self-proclaimed clerics whom we refuse to accept. The Bombay High Court, which is hearing Somans petition, said it would wait for Supreme Courts ruling on entry of women in Sabarimala temple of Kerala before deciding on the plea related to the dargah. A bench of justices VM Kanade and Reveti Mohite-Dere had said both matters involved entry of women in the religious shrines, and hence they would like to see what view the apex court would take on the issue before deciding on the PIL pending before them. The next HC hearing will take place on 3 February. Ahead of the 2014 general elections when word was out that the RSS wanted all BJP leaders who had crossed 75 years of age to withdraw from active politics, Yashwant Sinha, then 81, was the first one to opt out of elections. By doing so, Sinha earned sympathy and quite a bit of admiration from the party brass and Parivar. And he also paved the way for Jayant, his son, to take the plunge in politics. Jayant Sinha was just the kind of politician BJP under Narendra Modi was looking for. A technocrat par excellence boasting of a brilliant academic career, Jayant was happily inducted into the party as a candidate from Hazaribagh. Given his credentials, Yashwants son was made the Minister of State in finance ministry, a deputy to PM Modi's close confidante Arun Jaitley. Jayant completed his MBA. with Distinction from the Harvard Business School, MS in Energy Management & Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BTech with Distinction from IIT, Delhi. He has been a partner in McKinsey & Company; a partner at Omidyar Network (ON) and a Managing Director at Courage Capital, a global special situations hedge fund. A first-time MP who had been parachuted into BJP, Sinha juniors induction into the finance ministry was indicative of two things a compensation to Yaswant Sinha for his gracious act and an effort to groom Jayant in a Cabinet noticeably short of talent. The former finance ministers decision to withdraw from the 2014 general elections was all the more appreciable because other elders such as LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, BC Khanduri, Shanta Kumar and Jaswant Singh chose otherwise. Jaswant and Yashwant presented contrasting pictures. The former contested as an Independent after being denied a party ticket and his son Manvendra, an MLA in Rajasthan, paid the price for it. With his father thrown out of the party, Manvendra was not considered for a ministerial position despite the fact that he had spent long years going through the grind in BJPs organisational structure. Yashwant proved to be smarter than Jaswant, the two leading lights of Vajpayee government who in 2002 had swapped their ministerial positions finance and external affairs. But for all his deft moves, Sinha senior undid it all last Saturday. What he purportedly said (and later denied) during a Difficult Dialogues conference in Goa two days ago, published under suggestive headlines Narendra Modi will meet the same fate as Indira Gandhi, India will consign him (Modi) to dust, wait for next elections, has reportedly angered the BJP leadership. Along with Advani, Joshi and Kumar, Yashwant has been critical of the current BJP leadership on many forums. The party has been soft-peddling these remarks as an example of in-house democracy. Many in BJP, however, believe that with Saturdays comments, Yashwant has crossed the proverbial thin line, the Lakshman Rekha, by directly taking on Modi and predicting doomsday for him and the party. Though he subsequently clarified and contended that his remarks had been completely misunderstood and misinterpreted, the damage has been done. The unfortunate part is that his words would end up causing damage to son Jayants political career. A senior BJP leader told Firstpost that Yashwant Sinha cant delink his politics from Jayant Sinha. After all, but for his fathers legacy, Jayant was a nobody in the BJP. Without any experience, without sweating out even for a day for the party, he was straightaway made an MP and a minister. Yashwantji should have considered that it was a reward for him, not for Jayant. By uttering those words in Goa, Yashwant has done immense harm to his sons future prospects bahut sade khadde hi khadde uske liye khod diyen hain (he has some dug deep holes for his son) Whether or not he is retained or dropped as a minister as and when the Prime Minister does a Cabinet reshuffle, Jayant has lost the partys faith and confidence, he felt. For nearly three years, some sections of the media and the opposition in Kerala feasted on the sleaze and blackmail threats by Saritha Nair, an alleged con-woman, because it sullied the reputation of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) government, and most importantly the Chief Minister Oomen Chandys office. The woman, who had been in jail for several months since her arrest in 2013 for cheating, and spent most of her time shuttling between courts in different parts of the state, made salacious disclosures targeting Congress and UDF politicians and even some ministers. The media and rival politicians in Kerala called it a solar scam and the government instituted an eponymous commission of enquiry. Three of Chandys close aides lost their jobs, and one of them was even arrested, because of their curious proximity to the woman, who had a criminal past. However, she continued to spare the Chief Minister, and kept insinuating the involvement of some other ministers and MLAs without spelling out the clear nature of their relationship with her. But last week, deposing before the commission of enquiry, her primary target was Chandy himself. She said she bribed Chandy (Rs 1.9 crore), that he wanted her to partner with his son in a larger solar project, and that she had unfettered access to him, both at work and at home. She also alleged that she bribed the power minister, who is a close ally of Chandy. Speaking to the media outside the commissions office, she challenged Chandy to disprove her. Sarithas allegations were unexpected because in the past she appeared to have taken great care not to drag Chandy or his family into this muck, although the opposition and some sections of the local media have been manufacturing connections between them. But when she finally made the allegations, everything else she said till then paled into absolute nothingness. Chandy is a veteran, and a chief minister who projects himself as frugal, clean and people-friendly. And its his head that the opposition, particularly a sanguineous CPM, has been gunning for. Saritha gave it to them on a platter. Her deposition before the commission is not yet over; neither is her cross-examination, but Chandy has been deemed guilty and corrupt by the local media and the opposition, particularly the CPM. However, what neither of them have highlighted is that till today, all her allegations have been mere allegations and there hasnt been a single piece of admissible evidence of Chandys involvement other than records of phone calls between Saritha Nair and the staff of his office, and possibly some MLAs and ministers. Apparently, many of these calls are late-night conversations. Moreover, during the last three years, she had made several flip-flops and even more outlandish allegations. Particularly noteworthy among them was her allegation that a top CPM leader promised her Rs 10 crore to implicate Chandy. Nobody, including the media that run hour-long prime-time discussions every night on the Solar Scam, has any clue of what exactly happened other than whats obvious - that Saritha Nair and her accomplice, a man who is serving life term for killing his wife, cheated people of a few crore rupees promising joint-ownership in some mega solar projects, installation of solar panels and farms, and windmills by demonstrating proximity to the ruling government, its chief minister and other ministers. From the evidence available in the public domain, all that one can adduce is only this: she got hold of the three men at the chief ministers office, used them at will, and apparently kept appearing there frequently. She also lost no opportunity to get close to the ministers and MLAs and got them interested in her plans to set up solar plans in their constituencies. She got letters of support and photographs with them, and even got them to freely talk to her on the phone. What the apparently vulnerable men at Chandys office, MLAs and ministers - if her claims are true - failed to detect was a carefully laid out blackmail-trap that they had fallen into. Some of them may have easily dropped their guard in their late night conversations. Saritha, in her various interviews had hinted at names who talked dirty with her, which may have been attempts of blackmail and possible extortion. For three years, she has been claiming possession of evidence - both digital and physical - although nothing has materialised so far. But, for the local media and the CPM, mere allegations are enough to proclaim Chandy as guilty. A few weeks ago, her accomplice Biju Radhakrishnan, took the whole state and the commission for a ride when he made them believe that he had in safe custody a video of Saritha and Chandy having sex, but produced nothing. For several hours, the states media showed live the hunt for this video, which involved a six-hour drive to Coimbatore. An undeterred Radhakrishnan continued to claim that he still had the video, and at least two channels - one close to the party and other a failing outfit, headed by a man who is rumoured to be aiming for a CPM seat in the upcoming elections - played it up. The sudden change of heart of Saritha is curious, and the UDF camp believes it is a result of a conspiracy between the CPM and Keralas liquor barons who lost their business because of the state governments ill-conceived and ill-timed prohibition policy. The CPM has made it clear that prohibition will not be its policy if it comes back to power, clearly hinting that it will roll-back the ban on liquor-bars. Clearly, its return to power is absolutely essential for the survival of the liquor lobby. Saritha also needs a lot of help and money to get out of the legal quagmire that shes in. If not a conspiracy, theres certainly a confluence of vested interests in discrediting Chandy and ensuring that the UDF doesnt get re-elected. Unless Saritha produces concrete evidence of the involvement of Chandy and his family, her allegations will remain mere slander except for the motivated media and the opposition. The CPM is desperate to sully Chandy because his government recently poured cold water over the chief ministerial ambitions of its former secretary Pinarayi Vijayan by appealing against his discharge from the infamous Lavalin case by a CBI Court. The government chose to fast-track a case, that the CBI should have pursued, to foment legal trouble for Vijayan at the time of the assembly elections. Posting the case for hearing this month, the HC has already expressed its reservations on the CBI courts discharge of Vijayan. If the HC finally sets aside Vijayans discharge, he will have to face trial, which will kill his chief ministerial possibility at least for some time. Firing from Sarithas shoulders is its blowback. However, even in the absence of any direct evidence so far, there is certainly something fishy in the the Saritha affair that Chandy and company havent come clean on. As the old wisdom goes, there can be no smoke without fire. How can a serial blackmailer with a criminal and slanderous background be so invincible, that too against a veteran politician, who once toppled a veteran from the Emergency era such as K Karunakaran, through bloodless treachery and his ministers? Is it sleaze, money, both or something else? He cannot continue to swear by his conscience and get away as he is doing now. Chandy, his son, the MLAs and ministers who appeared to be on her blackmail list, should take a leaf from the cases of TV presenter David Letterman and entertainer Bill Cosby in America in the late 1990s. Both of them were involved in discreet sexual relationships, but bravely foiled blackmail and extortion efforts by admitting to the charges against them. Both Letterman and Cosby, with huge public images with monetary value to protect, came clean, and sent the blackmailers and extortioners to prosecutors. Its time Chandy and his men came clean about their vulnerability because thats the only way to counter the alleged conspiracy plans of the CPM. If they are indeed guilty, they should be punished - both by courts of law and people. ROME/BRUSSELS Italy will contribute to a 3 billion euro European Union fund to help Turkey tackle the European migration crisis, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Monday, dropping objections blocking implementation of the plan. Under a deal from last November, Ankara is to stem the flood of refugees and migrants leaving for Europe in exchange for the aid. Brussels hopes that would help limit the influx of people fleeing wars and poverty in the Middle East and Africa after more than a million reached Europe last year. Italy, which has locked horns on a number of issues with Brussels recently, has been blocking payouts to Turkey in hope of winning more leeway from the bloc on its 2016 budget. But during a visit to Nigeria on Monday, Renzi spoke to reporters in comments later circulated by a spokesman. "At this point, we will give our contribution to Turkey to save human lives," he said. The EU's executive said earlier on Monday that it had offered in December to exempt any contributions to the Turkey fund from member state's budget deficit calculations under the bloc's accounting rules. That would make the contributions more palatable as the 28 EU states are obliged to stick to prudent spending rules set out in the so-called Stability and Growth Pact or face disciplinary action from Brussels. Renzi welcomed the proposal as "finally something positive" and EU envoys will consider it on Wednesday in Brussels. A source told Reuters the plan includes contributions in 2016 envisaged at 427.5 million euros for Germany, 327.6 million euros for Britain, 309.2 million euros for France and 224.9 million euros for Italy. The source, familiar with the document, said it also included a line allowing for the lowering of the contributions in 2017, and that Cyprus - which has a long-standing feud with Turkey - would pay 2.3 million euros to Jordan and Lebanon instead. While some 2.5 million Syrian refugees are currently in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon have also taken in hundreds of thousands. ITALIAN DEMANDS Renzi's demands have gone further than the exemption proposed by the Commission. The Italian leader, who met German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the matter on Friday, has pressed Brussels to accept up front that Rome would spend an extra 3.2 billion euros this year on migration, increasing its deficit. The Commission says it can only evaluate migration-related spending after it takes place, assessing each item case-by-case. Italy, which is in complex financial talks with Brussels to help its struggling economy, has also been on the front line of migrant multitudes entering Europe, along with Greece. It was not immediately clear whether Italy's other demands were now dropped. In his remarks, Renzi still criticised Brussels' approach to trying to alleviate Europe's worst migration crisis since World War Two. "We have saved thousands of lives while Europe looked the other way. We will keep doing that because before the stability pact, there is a humanity pact," Renzi said. "If they want to open a procedure against Italy, let them, we will go ahead. For us, Europe means values and ideals, not arguments among budget pedants," he said, calling EU officials in Brussels "professional polemicists". ($1 = 0.9186 euros) (Reporting by Francesca Piscioneri in Rome, Gabriela Baczynska, Tom Koerkemeier and Francesco Guarascio in Brussels; Writing by Isla Binnie and Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Tom Heneghan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. London: Eight schools across the UK on Monday received bomb attack threats, including one attended by Pakistani teenage activist and Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai, prompting authorities to launch a probe. The schools in England and Scotland - six in Birmingham alone and two in Glasgow - received the threats on Monday morning following which the buildings were evacuated. Edgbaston High School for Girls in Birmingham, where 18-year-old Malala is enrolled, received a call just after 08:00 GMT (13:30 IST) making a bomb threat. West Midlands Police is still investigating the call but pupils were allowed back into their classes after brief evacuation as the call is believed to be a hoax. The other schools in the city to be hit by hoax calls include Shireland Collegiate Academy, Bristnall Hall Academy, Perryfields High School, Hall Green Secondary School and Oldbury Academy. Monday's calls follow similar calls last week which were also deemed as a hoax. "This morning we have reports of a further six bomb threats, following similar threats made to several schools last week. At this stage there is nothing to suggest there is any credible threat to any of the schools," Detective Inspector Colin Mattison of West Midlands Police said in a statement. "Our response officers have been sent to the locations to ensure there is no threat to anyone's safety and support the schools. A police investigation is ongoing to find the person responsible for these calls," he said. Two schools in Glasgow also received bomb threats on Monday morning and police officers investigating them also said "nothing untoward" was found following an investigation. A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: "Two schools in Glasgow have received a threat via the telephone. Staff and police have searched both school buildings and nothing untoward was found. "Schools are operating as normal and officers are continuing inquiries. At this stage, police are treating these incidents as malicious calls." A number of schools and academies in and around Birmingham were also affected last Thursday. A Russia-based Twitter group had claimed responsibility for threats last week, saying they intended to cause "mayhem". It is unclear whether the same group is involved in the latest round of bomb threats. PTI A "neomasculinist" online group whose supporters believe rape should be legalised on private property and that women are biologically determined to follow the orders of men will meet for the first time in real life in Sydney on Saturday. The meeting, at 8pm in Hyde Park in Sydney and at 43 other locations around the world, is organised by US-based "neomasculinist" and legal rape advocate, Daryush "Roosh" Valizadeh. He has said women, transgender men and homosexual men were not invited. The meetings are being publicised on Valizadeh's news website, Return of Kings, which was established in 2012 and has more than 12,500 Facebook likes and publishes about 15 articles a month. A Sydney student who died after being struck by a car that allegedly ran a red light has been described by friends as having a "bubbly and happy personality" and a bright future. Louisa Huang, 21, was hit while crossing an intersection with two friends in Strathfield just before 9pm on Friday and died in hospital less than two days later. Police allege a 37-year-old man driving a Toyota Corolla ploughed into the trio as they crossed the road on a green pedestrian light. Ms Huang, from Padstow, was taken to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition but she died after her life support was turned off on Sunday afternoon. Unless a dangerous, last-ditch operation on the high seas succeeds, a massive cargo ship will smash into the south-western coast of France in the next 48 hours, authorities say. "We will do everything within our power to succeed," said Vice-Admiral Emmanuel De Oliveira of France's Atlantic Maritime Prefecture of Monday morning's Hail Mary salvage manoeuvre. "If this does not succeed, the Modern Express will run aground on the sandy coast ... between Monday night and Tuesday night." The dramatic maritime salvage operation seems like something out of a Hollywood movie, complete with stormy weather, helicopter rescues and a runaway ship headed towards a national park and a scenic seaside resort. But it's real. 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. Geneva: The World Health Organisation has declared the mosquito-borne Zika virus to be an international public health emergency, as the disease linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil spreads rapidly. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said on Monday an international co-ordinated response was needed, although restrictions on travel or trade were not necessary. The emergency designation was recommended by a committee of independent experts to the United Nations agency following criticism of a hesitant response so far. The move should help fast-track international action and research priorities. Local retail stores have been challenged by the expansion of online shopping, which has found a large majority of its followers in younger audiences. Internet giant Alibaba, through its e-shopping platform Tmall, exceeded its 2014 sales records with sales totaling RMB 91.2 billion exclusively during last years Singles Day. Across the border, Guangdong Province ranked first in value of purchases. As online competition intensifies, traditional stores in Macau especially small businesses run by the self-employed start to fade away. Figures show that the top provinces to purchase the greatest quantity of goods on Singles Day using the Tmall websites were Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Sichuan. A few street traders told local media that running a business is getting more difficult due to the online availability of most products. However, in-store shopping remains strong in Macau, with thousands of tourists visiting local malls and many new shops opening, particularly in the casino-resorts. Mostly located at the Zhuhai Port Plaza (Gongbei), express delivery services are on offer to enhance the on-line shopping experience. As part of this service, customers can pick up the goods that they purchased online. Mr Chen, who has been managing a warehouse at a temporary address over the last six years, is preparing for the last days of shipments, just before couriers cease all mail deliveries in time for the Spring Festival. People who come from Macau have been collecting more parcels in recent days because we are closed for the Spring Festival, and they have also been using the express mail services, said Chen, who also told the Times that Macau residents often retrieve their mail once a week, usually on weekends. Online shoppers from Macau prefer to collect their parcels at the Zhuhai Port Plaza. Due to Macaus status as a Special Administrative Region of China, shipping costs are always more expensive when compared to Zhuhai. Most local online shoppers therefore request their goods be delivered to temporary addresses like Chens. Most of the customers that I am familiar with buy clothes, shoes and car accessories, among many other things. As I said, its very busy on weekends because they all cross the Border Gate to pick up their mail. Its hard to tell their ages. They are mostly young and middle aged, but sometimes one or two older customers come to the store, Chen responded. When interviewed by the Times, a local lady explained that its very convenient to shop online, and there are many choices. Ng, a college student, said, I like to buy daily products online. Normally I go to Zhuhai Port Plaza to pick up the orders once every two weeks. Shopping online is convenient but at the same time inconvenient because I still need to go to Zhuhai to return them. So, I still like to do in-store shopping in Macau. Online retailers have been dealing with large quantities of returned goods, a problem which does not originate with Macaus shoppers according to Chen. Macau customers seldom return their items, he said. Chen also mentioned that he has few elder customers. These older people have learnt how to conduct online shopping from others. Staff reporter Negotiations over a legal agreement between Hong Kong and Macau that would allow the extradition of fugitives between the two Special Administrative Regions has encountered another setback over the case of missing publishers, such as Lee Bo. An unidentified source close to the matter told the SCMP that the negotiations have been put in an even more difficult place, following the bookseller scandal that started in October. Differences between the Hong Kong and Macau legal systems and the unique constitutional status of the two SARs within China meant the negotiations were always going to be difficult, the source said. The Lee [Bo] situation has made things even worse. The talks, which have been in progress for two and a half years, have been subjected to a number of complications in recent months. If it can be concluded, the agreement will be the first of its kind, allowing fugitives who reside in one SAR in order to avoid punishment in the other to be returned to their place of origin. Michael Blanchflower, a key drafter in Hong Kongs implementation of the Organized and Serious Crime Ordinance, told SCMP that the disappearances put into question the ongoing negotiations between Hong and Macau over mutual legal assistance. It also raises the specter of wanted fugitives overseas putting up an argument that they might be subject to mainland legal strictures if returned to Hong Kong, he added. However, political activists already voiced their concerns in relation to further instances of extradition to the mainland. In September, Jason Chao pointed out that cases in which double criminality does not apply may see Hong Kong residents extradited to Beijing via Macau, even though the person in question has not committed a crime according to Macaus Basic Law. Earlier last year, Macaus director of the Law Reform and International Law Bureau, Chu Lam Lam, confidently told lawmakers that the extradition deal would be signed in 2015. Staff reporter CHINA strongly condemned the United States after a U.S. warship deliberately sailed near one of the Beijing-controlled islands in the hotly contested South China Sea to exercise freedom of navigation and challenge Chinas vast sea claims. SINGAPORE Southeast Asias fickle weather forced the organizers of the Singapore Open to delay the completion of the final round until today, just as Jordan Spieth was making a late charge for the title. NIGERIA A survivor hidden in a tree says he watched Boko Haram extremists firebomb huts and heard the screams of children among people burned to death in the latest attack by Nigerias homegrown Islamic extremists. USA Hillary Clinton is holding onto a slim lead over Bernie Sanders in Iowa as Democrats prepare for todays caucuses, though an outpouring of young voters and those who say the system is rigged could enable Sanders to pull off an upset, according to a new poll. RUSSIAN officials say a fire at a textile workshop in Moscow has killed 12 people, including three children. The Investigative Committee, the top state investigative agency, says the fire that erupted late Saturday in northeastern Moscow engulfed an area of 3,000 square meters. It says its looking at arson as one of the possible causes. UK Terry Wogan, whose warm Irish brogue and sly, gentle humor made him a star of British television and radio for decades, has died. He was 77. Wogan died yesterday surrounded by his loved ones after a short but brave battle with cancer, his family said in a statement. 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. EGYPT At least 21 people were killed and 16 injured in a massive multi-car pile-up on a road south of Egypts capital. The Health Ministry said in a statement that fog and excessive speed had led to the massive crash yesterday near Beni Suef, about 95 kilometers south of Cairo, keeping the road closed for three hours. Deadly traffic crashes claim over 10,000 lives annually in Egypt, where roads are poorly maintained and traffic rules often ignored. Singapore has seized a large number of bank accounts in connection with possible money-laundering carried out in the country, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Commercial Affairs Department said in a joint e-mailed statement in response to queries on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). In connection with these investigations, we have sought and are continuing to seek information from several financial institutions, are interviewing various individuals, and have seized a large number of bank accounts, the agencies said in the statement yesterday. Singapore has been actively investigating possible money-laundering and other offences since mid-2015, according to the statement. Neighboring Malaysias government investment fund, whose advisory board is headed by Prime Minister Najib Razak, has been the subject of overlapping investigations in the country, as well as overseas jurisdictions including Switzerland and Hong Kong amid allegations of financial irregularities. Swiss prosecutors said in a Jan. 29 statement that they are seeking legal assistance from the Southeast Asian nation after a probe that they conducted into 1MDB revealed serious indications that about USD4 billion may have been misappropriated. Singapore is cooperating closely with relevant authorities including those in Malaysia, Switzerland and the U.S., the agencies said in the statement. We have responded to all foreign requests for information and have requested for information from relevant counterparts to aid in our investigations, according to the statement. Singapore does not tolerate the use of its financial system as a refuge or conduit for illicit funds. While an initial Malaysian auditor generals report in July on 1MDB didnt reveal any suspicious activity, the nations central bank had made requests for the attorney general to initiate criminal proceedings against the debt-ridden company. The Malaysian attorney generals office dismissed the central banks requests, which alleged that 1MDB breached the Exchange Control Act. Separately, Malaysias attorney-general closed the door on a graft investigation into Najib last month, clearing him of wrongdoing over a personal contribution of $681 million from Saudi Arabias royal family, and funds from a company linked to 1MDB that appeared in his personal bank accounts. Najib has maintained the funds were not used for private benefit, with $620 million later returned to the Saudi donors, although there hasnt been a clear explanation as to what the rest was spent on or where that money is now. Both the premier and 1MDB have consistently denied any wrongdoing. Jasmine Ng, Bloomberg Chinas state-sanctioned Protestant church body says a pastor in a province where authorities have been cracking down on churches is under investigation for suspected misappropriation of funds. The Zhejiang province branch of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement said on its website yesterday that Gu Yuese was also accused of other unspecified economic crimes. The notice expressed deep shock and regret over the news and said Gus alleged crimes were his personal behavior. In an apparent attempt to allay doubts about their allegations, it urged parishoners to be clear-headed about the developments and said all were equal under Chinese law. The Heritage Foundation released yesterday its 2016 report on the Index of Economic Freedom, rating Macaus economy as mostly free for the eighth consecutive year. The MSARs overall score of economic freedom is 70.1, making its economy the 37th freest among 178 economies. In the Asia-Pacific region, Macau maintains its 9th position out of 42 economies, just behind Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia. The Monetary Authority of Macau said in a statement that the region has attracted significant investment since opening up its gaming industry in 2002. Health Bureau prepares for Zika virus The Health Bureau said in a statement yesterday that it has taken steps to prevent the spread of the Zika virus to Macau. Preparatory measures include: enhancing laboratory-based capability for improved disease detection; issuing guidelines to healthcare professionals; and strengthening monitoring and control efforts. The Zika virus is primarily spread to humans through bites from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, and headaches. The government is monitoring the latest developments of the mosquito-borne virus and will follow advice from the World Health Organization. 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 (USD300). 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. 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 Japans 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 dont 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 peoples 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 Uematsus 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 didnt consider asking his fathers family temple as he had heard the prices charged for a family members 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 wasnt a problem. A 24-hour customer service line was also helpful for the couple emotionally devastated by the loss of their son. While it didnt 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 its 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 Buddhas 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 Kakerus photo in a black frame. Im 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 cant offer a helping hand when someone needs us. Mary Yamaguchi, Yachiyo, AP Myanmars parliament, led for the first time by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyis party, began a historic session yesterday that will install the countrys first democratically elected government in more than 50 years. The National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in Nov. 8 elections, taking about 80 percent of the seats at stake in the two houses of parliament to defeat the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. Many legislators expressed hope that yesterday marked the beginning of a new, brighter era following decades of military oppression, civil war and pervasive poverty. This is like a dream for me, said Khin Maung Myint, an NLD lawmaker before the largely ceremonial two-hour session. I never imagined that our party would be able to form the government. Even the public didnt think we could have an NLD government. But now it is like a shock to us and to the world too. Legislators from the two main parties, smaller ethnic minority parties, and military-appointed representatives filed into the cavernous parliament for the lower house session and took a joint oath of office. Most wore the traditional dress of the Burman majority or of the Shan, Karen, Kachin, Lisu and other minorities who make up nearly 40 percent of the countrys 52 million people but in the past have been poorly represented in the central government. The session marks a historic turnaround for the NLD, which for years was suppressed by the military. Generals ruled the country directly or indirectly after seizing power in 1962, and over the years jailed hundreds of NLD leaders, including Suu Kyi, while crushing overt political activity. The Southeast Asian nation started moving away from dictatorship toward democracy in 2011, when the military rulers agreed to hand over power to a nominally civilian government headed by President Thein Sein, a general-turned-reformist. He will step down in late March or early April when an NLD president takes over. Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from taking the presidency because her sons and late husband are British citizens, and has vowed to rule from behind the scenes through a proxy. She has not announced who her party will nominate for president. We dont know exactly when the presidential election will happen. We cannot tell you anything about who will be nominated as the presidential candidates as well, said Zayar Thaw, an NLD legislator. Following two meetings between Suu Kyi and armed forces commander Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, rumors surfaced that she was pressing for the suspension of the constitutional clause that bars her from office. But the speculation was quashed by the armys Myawaddy Daily newspaper, which wrote that for the goodness of the mother country the constitutional clause should not be changed. Despite its landslide victory, the NLD will have to share power with the military because the constitution reserves 25 percent, or 166 of the 664 seats in the two houses of parliament, for military appointees. Thein Seins military-backed USDP won a 2010 election in which the NLD refused to participate, protesting that it was held under unfair conditions. After several changes in the election law, the NLD contested several dozen by-elections in 2012, winning virtually all of them. Suu Kyis party handsomely won the previous general election in 1990, but the results were annulled by the military and many of the partys leading members were harassed and jailed. Suu Kyi had been placed under house arrest prior to that election and spent 15 of the next 22 years mostly confined to her lakeside villa in Yangon. She was under house arrest when she won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Establishing democracy is only one hurdle the country faces. The new government will also have to contend with ethnic rebellions in several parts of the country. Thein Seins government signed a peace pact with more than a dozen smaller ethnic armies before the elections, but major groups have stayed away and fighting continues in many states. Most are fighting for autonomy and rights over their resource-rich land. I hope this will be a good opportunity for us to speak out for the ethnic people and demand indigenous rights, said Lama Naw Aung, a lower house member from the Kachin State Democracy Party, representing the Kachin minority who are fighting the army in the north. I think there will be a change because Aung San Suu Kyi might want to finish the work for the ethnics that her father didnt get a chance to do, he said, referring to independence hero Aung San, who united various national groups. He and six colleagues were assassinated in July 1947, six months before Myanmars independence. Esther Htusan, Naypyitaw, AP British police have arrested a suspected thief with 38 mobile phones stuffed down his trousers. West Midlands Police say they believe the man stole the phones from concertgoers at a show by band The Libertines in Birmingham, central England. The 30-year-old and a second man, who was also arrested, were spotted at the venue with their trousers taped closed at the bottom. Police were on the lookout after reports of phone thefts during an earlier Libertines gig in the northwest England city of Manchester. Police Inspector Gareth Morris said last week that anyone whose phone was taken during Wednesdays show should contact officers. In response to a report addressing the topic of world press freedoms, the Association of Portuguese and English Press in Macau (AIPIM) has issued a statement criticizing the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) for failing to consult with all associations that represent reporters in Macau before reaching a conclusion. The report, compiled by the International Federation of Journalists, deemed press freedom in the greater China region (with the exception of Taiwan) to be on the decline. Press freedom in China, Hong Kong and Macau deteriorated further in 2015, as the Communist Party of China used every means at its disposal to control the media, read the IFJ China Press Freedom report. Propaganda, censorship, surveillance, intimidation, detention, brutality and attacks and televised confessions have become go-to tools for the government as they tighten their grip on the media and the press in 2015, the report continued. The IFJ explained declining press freedoms by making reference to the recent case of the Hong Kong missing booksellers, which they deemed a significant case with implications for all media. It also forecasted the world press freedom outlook for 2016 in mainland China as even worse. But a statement issued by AIPIM said that it regretted the fact that the federation had not consulted all of the associations that represent journalists in Macau. AIPIM added that they had applied to join the federation in 2011 but had not been successful. According to the association, their application is still pending. Staff reporter only 1 in 10 killings are investigated Over the last 25 years at least 2,297 journalists and media staff have been killed, the IFJ has revealed in the report, adding that many of those responsible for the deaths continue to act with impunity. According to the AP, the report said that only one in ten killings is investigated. IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said in an interview that the last ten years were the most dangerous. 2006 was reported as being the worst year since the IFJ began recording the killings of reporters; a total of 155 reporters were killed that year. Switzerlands prosecutors are seeking legal assistance from Malaysia after a probe into a government investment fund revealed serious indications that about USD4 billion may have been misappropriated from state companies in the Southeast Asian nation. The Swiss Attorney-Generals office said in a statement Friday that during an investigation of 1Malaysia Development Bhd., four cases involving allegations of criminal conduct and occurring between 2009 and 2013 have so far come to light. It has been ascertained a small amount of funds were transferred to Swiss accounts of former Malaysian public officials, according to the statement. The Swiss authority is seeking help from the Malaysian attorney general to determine whether funds were misappropriated. The monies believed to have been misappropriated would have been earmarked for investment in economic and social development projects in Malaysia, the Swiss authority said in the statement. To date, however, the Malaysian companies concerned have made no comment on the losses they are believed to have incurred. 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. 1MDB, whose advisory board is headed by Prime Minister Najib Razak, has been the subject of overlapping investigations in Malaysia, as well as overseas jurisdictions including Singapore and Hong Kong amid allegations of financial irregularities. 1MDB said in a statement Saturday that it hasnt been contacted by any foreign legal authorities on any matters relating to the company. 1MDB remains committed to fully cooperating with any lawful authority and investigation, subject to advice from the relevant domestic lawful authorities, and in accordance with international protocols governing such matters, the company said in the statement. Malaysia will cooperate with its Swiss counterparts and review the findings before determining a course of action, Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Alisaid in a statement Saturday. A spokesman for the Prime Ministers Office said they wont be commenting on the matter. Swiss authorities in August opened criminal proceedings against two executives of 1MDB and what it classified as persons unknown on suspicions of bribery of foreign public officials, misconduct in public office, money laundering and criminal mismanagement. The proceedings were based on notifications of suspicious transaction reports by the Swiss financial intelligence unit MROS, the attorney-generals office said in September. While the Swiss statement on Friday didnt identify any individuals, it named companies in connection to its investigation of 1MDB. The suspected cases that were discovered were each involving a systemic course of action carried out by means of complex financial structures, according to the statement. Genting Bhd., one of the companies mentioned by the Swiss prosecutor, declined to comment. 1MDB built an energy business by acquiring assets from Genting and Tanjong Plc. Calls after office hours to Tanjong, another company cited in the statement, werent answered. While an initial Malaysian auditor generals report in July on 1MDB didnt reveal any suspicious activity, the nations central bank had made requests for the attorney general to initiate criminal proceedings against the debt-ridden company. The Malaysian attorney generals office dismissed the central banks requests, which alleged that 1MDB breached the Exchange Control Act. Separately, the attorney general closed the door on a graft investigation into Najib this month, clearing him of wrongdoing over a personal contribution of $681 million from Saudi Arabias royal family, and funds from a company linked to 1MDB that appeared in his personal bank accounts. Under Malaysias federal constitution, the decision to initiate criminal prosecution lies solely with the attorney general. Najib has maintained the funds were not used for private benefit, with $620 million later returned to the Saudi donors, although there hasnt been a clear explanation as to what the rest was spent on or where that money is now. Both the premier and 1MDB have consistently denied any wrongdoing. Shamim Adam, Bloomberg The Tale of the Timorese Coffee Farmer Timor-Lestes booth at the 2015 Milan Expo showcases one of the regions main exports. This exhibition marks the countrys biggest international promotion event to date, representing a significant moment for the countrys ascension onto the world scene. Members of the Timorese government have visited Milan, and a permanent delegation has been established to help promote a country that remains, for the most part, completely unknown around the world. The exhibit conveys much about what Timor-Leste (East Timor) hopes to achieve in terms of its development tourism included and about the challenges it faces in doing so, all against the backdrop of the countrys coffee production. The Timorese coffee farmer who has experienced not only the effects of colonization, war and political upheaval but also has [had] to compete internationally with other much larger and established coffee producing nations globally through means of producing organic, premium coffee has met these challenges by maintaining organic farming in order to promote sustainable development and environmentally friendly practices. This sort of streamlined solution has yet to be achieved in the context of tourism. In tourism, as in coffee, Timor-Leste must bear the burden of its past for example, lack of infrastructure and adequately trained human resources and it faces stiff competition from other established and emerging markets. There are many popular tourism destinations nearby, notably in the vast Indonesian archipelago, where infrastructure is better, prices more accessible, and the tourism sector better prepared. One of the least visited countries in the world (it is difficult to come up with real tourism statistics as most tourism visas are obtained by people who actually work temporarily there), Timor-Leste welcomes perhaps only a few thousand tourists a year. Encountering visitors travelling the country is still quite a novelty, despite the growing number of programmes, tours, options, and destinations. Many simply fly into Dili on prepaid and pre-booked tours to go diving, returning to the airport immediately. Others are political tourists visiting the revolutionary sites and stomping grounds of political change in the newest nation of the 21st century, partaking in the history of a nation that was, in 1999, the focus of global media attention. A study published in early 2015 by the Asia Foundation based on a survey of 700 visitors concludes that the countrys tourism sector is promising. Based on inbound arrivals, it estimates that the industry is currently worth USD14.6 million per annum, placing it close behind coffee, which remains Timor-Lestes primary export in the non-oil economy at USD15 million per annum. The study also indicates high satisfaction with 83 [percent] of travellers believing their experience met their expectations with almost equal proportions saying they would recommend Timor-Leste to their friends and family, the study notes. This satisfaction is not reflected in the numbers, however. Compared to other nations in the region, for example, a recent ANZ analysis confirms that in the case of Timor-Leste, the contribution of tourism to its GDP is n/a, while it represents 13 percent in the Solomon Islands and 40 percent in Fiji. While it is difficult to compete with the huge oil and gas industry (which almost entirely funds the country), tourism should and could have a greater impact. To be sure, Timor-Leste is not currently a major destination on the tourism map, as a recent newspaper article would indicate: Timor-Leste: what its like to travel in a land without tourists. But there have been advancements in the past few years that could turn the tide: there are now regular diving tours, both on the main island as well as on the island of Atauro, and political tourism continues to attract people from all over the world. Personal recommendations often by people who live or have lived in the country also account for a percentage. Overall, the tourism industry has grown significantly: flights to and from the country have increased with availability from Darwin, Bali, and Singapore; there are more boats for hire; accommodation has increased; and the shopping and restaurant industries have expanded. This rapid growth is significant for a country that almost burned to the ground only 16 years ago and has since had to weather a significant civil conflict in 2006. The capital, Dili, is a prime example of Timor-Lestes ability to meet the needs of global events. It hosted the 10th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries in 2014, and accommodated in June of this year (despite the skepticism of many Timorese and foreigners living in Dili), a one-day unprecedented influx of hundreds of tourists from the Pacific Jewel Ship, the first ever cruise ship to dock in Timor-Leste. The citys infrastructure responded well, tours were organized both in Dili and outside the capital, and tourists reported positive experiences overall. But this may not be enough for tourism development to truly thrive. In a highly competitive global tourism market, in a region where tourism is king and visitors already have an unending range of options from luxury to off-the-beaten-track Timor-Leste barely registers, and changing that will require significant investment not just in marketing and brand development. Perhaps more important to determine is what ilk of tourism, exactly, Timor-Leste wants to offer and how to go about laying the groundwork for the development that would accomplish such a goal. The majority of visitors to the country, for example, note that they relied on word-of-mouth recommendations to inform their itinerary ahead of their trip, as there was little or no information available online or in other traditional media sources. Nor was this void filled when they entered the country. For example, hotels offer little or no promotional materials at all for guests. Currently, the governments strategy centres on five pillars: ecological and maritime tourism, historic and cultural tourism, sport and adventure tourism, religious tourism, and tourism partnered with conferences and conventions. Areas, which require shared improvements, such as basic infrastructure, but target completely different audiences and markets therefore require completely different public and private projects, which will prove both costly and inefficient. The strategy planning documents also acknowledge difficulties in a crucial element of any tourism development: human resources. Timor-Leste lacks trained staff particularly in the service industry where better language skills are required and specific technical expertise necessary. Of course, one of the biggest challenges is the lack of infrastructure. Despite the improvements made in the 13 years since independence, much remains to be done, most notably in areas such as roads, water, sanitation, and other basic commodities, which any large-scale tourism strategy requires. Such large-scale promised investments remain on paper, and actual improvements, for example, in roads, have been slow and difficult. On the consumer side, just getting to the country is expensive (from Singapore it can cost upwards of USD500 and from Darwin even more so); travelling in the country is equally expensive (a 4WD car can cost up to USD100 per day); and the accommodation available generally offers little value for money spent, despite recent developments and new spaces. Comparatively, the tourism dollar does not stretch far in Timor-Leste. The Asia Foundation survey, for example, notes that a visit to Timor-Leste (flights excluded) would cost around USD638, suggesting that the annual economic value-add by travellers who have participated in leisure travel during their visit to Timor-Leste is approximately USD14.6 million. For the government, tourism is alongside agriculture and oil and gas one of the pillars for the countrys future economic development. After all, Timor-Leste has considerable advantages in these industries due to the countrys natural resources, geography, and economic profile. Yet, the government recognizes that consolidating this objective is a mid-term endeavour, expecting that it may not be until 2030 that Timor-Leste will have a well-developed tourism industry, attracting a large number of international visitors, contributing substantially to the creation of community benefits, locally and nationally, and creating jobs in the country. The Strategic Development Plan (2011-2030), which serves as a guide for government and state strategy across all areas, considers the natural beauty, rich history, and cultural patrimony of Timor-Leste of containing great potential for the development of tourism as an important industry for economic development. Effectively utilizing this potential towards the end goal, however, has proven more complicated and less realistic: of the objectives for 2015, only one has been achieved the Archive and Museum of the Timorese Resistance. The five Regional Cultural Centres have not been opened; the National Archive and Library remain, largely, a theoretical project; the project of building outdoor cinemas around the country has yet to take off; and the National Creative Arts Academy still does not exist at all. This, unfortunately, points to a sluggish development of the tourism industry. But this cloud may contain a silver lining: for now, visitors to Timor-Leste may have the unique experience of travelling around a country unadulterated with the consequences of tourism. A country in its raw, genuine form. Enjoy it while you can. Maya Leonor, Dili, MDT/Macauhub The President of South Africa has lifted the 30-year ban on leading anti-apartheid group the African National Congress. In a televised speech at the opening of Parliament in Cape Town, President FW de Klerk announced restrictions would be lifted on the ANC, the smaller Pan Africanist Congress and the South African Communist Party, which is allied to the ANC. He also made his first public commitment to release jailed ANC leader Nelson Mandela, but he did not specify a date. The reforms will allow active opposition to apartheid for the first time in 40 years of National Party rule. Many observers were surprised by the scope of the reforms which included a return to press freedom and suspension of the death penalty signalling a partial end to the 25-year-old state of emergency. Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu said: He has taken my breath away. Mr Mandelas wife, Winnie, remained sceptical. She said: We are not going to accept a bone without meat. The unbanning of the ANC, the South African Communist Party and the Pan-African Congress in the prevailing South African climate is simply a recipe for further problems. Other critics complained about the governments failure to completely lift the state of emergency, as the ban on TV and photographic coverage of unrest continues. Mr de Klerk explained this was precautionary so that the authorities could monitor the progress of the reforms. Speaking about the release of political prisoners, he said: It does not signify in the least the approval or condoning of crimes of terrorism or crimes of violence committed under their banner. The Conservative opposition has demanded a referendum on the white reaction to the new measures. World leaders praised Mr de Klerk. US President George Bush said he welcomed the decision to dismantle apartheid but emphasised further action would be needed before economic sanctions could be lifted. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has written to Mr de Klerk to congratulate him for his courage. Courtesy BBC News In context Nelson Mandela was released on 11 February 1990 President FW de Klerk lifted the remaining apartheid legislation in 1991. The ANC became South Africas first democratically elected government in April 1994. Nelson Mandela became the countrys first black president on 10 May 1994 aged 75. He retired in the middle of 1999 and was replaced as president by Thabo Mbeki. Nelson Mandela died on December 5, 2013. The Pentagon confirmed it sent a ship into waters claimed by China, calling it a freedom of navigation operation meant to challenge attempts by that country and others to restrict navigation in the area. The USS Curtis Wilbur got to within 12 nautical miles (22 km) of Triton Island in the South China Sea, Defense Department spokesman Mark Wright said by e-mail Saturday. The island, administered by China, is part of the Paracel islands chain in the South China Sea also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou ignored a rebuke from the U.S. and visited an island in the contested area earlier this week, reiterating claims to the disputed waterway. The operation by the U.S. was intended to affirm sea rights and wasnt meant to take position on competing land sovereignty claims, Wright said. The United States will fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows, Wright said. That is true in the South China Sea, as in other places around the globe. The move on the part of the U.S. is a deliberate provocation, Yang Yujun, Chinas Ministry of National Defense spokesman, said in a statement, according to the official Xinhua News Agency on Saturday. Yang said the move was unprofessional and irresponsible, and may cause extremely dangerous consequences, Xinhua reported. While the U.S. has challenged Chinas expansive maritime claims as part of President Barack Obamas pivot to Asia strategy, the Pentagon emphasized Saturday it was also signaling opposition to actions by other countries vying with China. The 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, Wright said in the e-mail. Vietnam respects harmless travel complying with international rules, Foreign Minister spokesman Le Hai Binh said in comments on the government website yesterday. The U.S. has also said that all sides in various territorial disputes should avoid aggressive actions and claims. As is customary in such operations, no other countries were notified in advance, Wright said. The movements were watched by China and not approved by the nation, Chinese foreign affairs ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement, urging the U.S. to respect and abide by Chinese laws. The passage of the USS Curtis Wilbur near Triton Island was reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal. Alan Bjerga, Bloomberg The number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand is expected to increase by 16 percent compound annual growth in the next five years, despite the decelerating economy in China, according to CLSA. A total of 8.3 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand last year, accounting for 36 percent of total arrivals in 2015. The Tourism Authority of Thailand stated that 8 million Chinese tourists are expected to visit Thailand this year. Flights from Macau to Thailand are readily available to Macau locals, with several flights departing to Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pattaya daily. Connecting flights to Thailands top provinces, such as Phuket and Krabi, are provided by low cost carriers and remain popular among locals. The sharp growth in Chinas outbound tourism is due to rising incomes among the Chinese population fueling a desire to travel, as visa-related restrictions are eased. A survey by CLSA shows that 400 outbound Chinese travelers listed Thailand as the third-most popular overseas destination, just behind South Korea and Japan. TWIN FALLS Bean growers looking ahead to the 2016 growing season are staring at the same challenges facing other commodities: anemic prices. According to the U.S. Department of Agricultures latest market survey, trading is slow based on light demand. As a result, Idaho growers are receiving around $22 per hundredweight sack for pinto beans with small reds bringing $33 to $35 per sack. Demand is too light to determine a price for pinks. We cant control the market, Bill Bitzenburg told fellow bean growers during the Magic Valley Bean School held in Twin Falls last week, but we can help you try to control costs. Bitzenburg is a member of the Idaho Bean Commission, which co-sponsored the event with the University of Idaho Extension. Results from several research projects were shared during the meeting. One of those studies looked at nitrogen fertilizer applications to bean crops. After two years of trials at both Kimberly and Parma, researchers dont have enough information to make changes to the UI fertility guides for dry bean production. But there were some interesting results, nonetheless, reported Steve Hines, UI Extension educator in Jerome County. He worked with Amber Moore, UI Extension soil specialist on the project. According to the fertility guide, the soil test showing 120 units of available nitrogen at the Kimberly location indicated that the beans did not need additional nitrogen fertilizer. Researchers applied three different levels on nitrogen to plots and found a yield response at the middle rate. At the high rate, the beans (a pink cultivar) produced a large amount of additional foliage but not additional yield. Likewise, the low application rate did not show any impact either. Does that mean that pink beans have the ability to use more nitrogen than we think? Hines asked the crowd. Researchers dont know. But its a question that might be worth asking in further trials: Does nitrogen response vary by cultivar? Researchers would also like to look more closely at the bean nitrogen response at different soil nitrogen test results. The IBC is also funding two projects at a private research farm in the Treasure Valley to look at the economics of applying fungicides to dry beans and also biostimulants. Those projects are both in the first year of three-year trials. Initial results showed a 6-sack difference between the untreated check (38 sacks) and the best performing fungicide (44 sacks). But environmental conditions in the spring are still key for deciding if and when to apply a fungicide. Kathy Stewart-Williams, with the Idaho Crop Improvement Association, told growers that the agency certified 9 percent more acres in 2015 with bean seed acres accounting for much of that increase. We looked at 34,000 total acres of bean seed in 2015, Stewart-Williams said. About 40 percent of that was in the Magic Valley. Statewide, ICIA looked at 6,000 more acres of certified bean seed in 2015 than the previous year. One of the unknowns going into next year is how many acres of dry edible beans will be planted nationwide. According to the USDA, 29.7 million sacks of dry edible beans were produced in 2015, up 2 percent from 2014. Planted area was also up 2 percent from 2014. The average United States yield is forecast at 1,743 pounds per acre, a decrease of 10 pounds from last year. Idaho growers averaged 1,800 pounds per acre in both 2015 and 2014. We cant control the market, but we can help you try to control costs. Bill Bitzenburg, member of the Idaho Bean Commision Through a Helping Hands project, the Twin Falls Rabo AgriFinance office has become actively involved with South Central Community Action Partnership (SCCAP) Food Bank located in Twin Falls. Rabo AgriFinance employees spent 8 hours over two days (Oct. 28 and Dec. 1) assisting the SCCAP Food Bank in preparing large food orders for various pantries around southern Idaho. In addition to the volunteers time, Rabo AgriFinance also donated $1,200 to SCCAP. This is Rabo AgriFinance employees fourth year helping with SCCAP. SCCAP Community Services Director Leanne Trappen commented, They did an amazing job for us and saved many dollars that can be put toward direct services rather than labor. I hope you all know just how much you are appreciated. The Twin Falls Rabo AgriFinance office plans to help out SCCAP in the coming years as well. South Central Community Action Partnership, Inc. (SCCAP) has provided programs designed to meet the needs of the community within the eight counties of south central Idaho since 1967. Their mission statement is to provide a wide range of support services in an effort to help individuals and families build bridges toward self-sufficiency. Over the years SCCAP has been instrumental in the development of programs such as Family Health Services, Southern Idaho Head Start, Migrant Head Start, the Boys and Girls Club of Magic Valley, Valley House Homeless Shelter, Fifth Judicial CASA Guardian ad Litem, South Central Idaho Housing Council and four Senior Citizen Centers. Currently, SCCAP operates five core departments. Weatherization Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Mutual Self-Help Housing Transitional Housing Emergency/Supportive Services TWIN FALLS Rhyme, friendship, and mistletoe were some of the final words in the Bellevue Elementary Scripps Spelling Bee that took place Friday morning, January 8th. Earning the chance to move on to the regional Scripps Spelling Bee are Bellevue Elementary students Sam Thornton (5th grade), Caris Holden (5th grade) and Lucas Smith (4th grade). Smith won 1st place in the Scripps Spelling Bee. According to the nations largest and longest-running educational promotion, E.W. Scripps Company, local spelling bees help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives. The regional Scripps Spelling Bee, sponsored by the Times News, will be held on Monday, March 7 at 6:00 p.m. at the Roper Auditorium at Twin Falls High School. Winners of regional competitions earn a chance to advance to the national competition in May in Washington D.C. Scripps recommends that students prepare for the spelling bee by: 1. For inspiration, watch the documentary Spellbound on family movie night. 2. Keep a great words journal for every new and interesting word that you find. 3. Designate a spelling wall in your home. Post new words to the wall each day. 4. For family game night, conduct an impromptu themed spelling bee. Use a newspaper for a current events bee or a cookbook for a cuisine bee. 5. Do like Akeelah did. Spell and jump rope! 6. Ask friends and neighbors to challenge you with great spelling words. 7. Find a good luck charmperhaps shoelaces with a bumblebee design or a special coin. 8. Read great books. Youll be entertained while you effortlessly improve your spelling and increase your vocabulary. 9. Scour the dictionary in search of words to stump your parents and teachers. Bellevue Elementary has sponsored a school spelling bee for the last 2 years. It is organized by 4th grade teacher, Debbie Drewien. It is one of many traditions in the school that encourage students to explore academic, social, and physical talents. Other traditions include the annual cup stacking event, a talent show, Read Across America events, and curriculum-based family nights. HANSEN Hollywood stuntman Eddie Braun still plans to fly over the Snake River Canyon at 400 mph. Braun will ride a replica of the rocket that Evel Knievel rode into the canyon in 1974, he says. The launch ramp is visible from Idaho Highway 50 east of the Hansen bridge. He calls it his Epic dream. The rocket is in Corona, Calif., where she is, painted in her glory, and ready to fly, Braun wrote on Facebook, where he posted a photo of himself with the flight rocket and a nonfunctional show rocket at Troy Lee Designs. Scott Truax, whose father, Robert Truax, designed and built the steam engine that powered Knievels Skycycle, began the Evel Spirit project before his father died in 2010. My dad was a good man and a smart man, Truax said Thursday at his home in Twin Falls. Sadly, this brilliant rocket scientist is best remembered for a failure. He vows to change that. Truax, 48, leads the Return to Snake River team planning to recreate Knievels jump but with a successful landing. The team plans to launch from Kelly Klostermans property in Jerome County, and land on Kami Beals property in Twin Falls County. Jerome County Commissioner Charlie Howell said Friday Truaxs permit to hold a public assembly in the county has expired. But it sounds like he is trying to keep the attendance under 500 so he wont need a permit, Howell said. The law is the same in Twin Falls County. Meanwhile, Texas stuntman Big Ed Beckley who says he has lost $1.7 million in his attempt to secure launching and landing sites for his own jump in honor of the 40th anniversary of Knievels failed attempt has thrown in the towel. The Snake River Canyon jump is over for us, Beckley told the Times-News Thursday. The Twin Falls City government spoiled what couldve been millions of dollars to the local economy. Beckley paid $1 million in 2013 to obtain the rights for the state-owned landing site north of the canyon. After entertaining the idea of Beckley launching from the remnant on Knievels city-owned launch pad, the City Council voted in February 2014 to deny him access to launch. Months later, Beckley was still determined to conquer the canyon. Two weeks ago, I wrote a check to the state of Idaho for another years rent for our landing area, Beckley told the Times-News in November 2014. We are going ahead with our plans to secure a broadcast contract and jump the Snake River Canyon with a rocket-assisted motorcycle in 2015. Beckley refused to talk about the broadcast contract on Thursday. Back in Twin Falls, Truax is scrambling to raise money for the jump he says will vindicate his father. His wife, Yelena, is selling her paintings of Evel Knievel, and he is selling T-shirts and hoodies with a logo that reads: Risk Everything, Regret Nothing, 2016. It just kills me that my dad didnt get to see this, he said. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy This digital age makes it possible to preserve much more than people ever could preserve before, including some of our basic public records. Just because we can does not of course mean we will. Ask the people at the state historical society about trying to preserve, record and make available the masses of records about Idahos history. In the context of overall state budgets, the amount spent on that effort is a drop in an ocean, and not nearly enough to do the job comprehensively. But you never know when those efforts can turn out to be critical. Or at least useful. Here and there, individual efforts are made, and one announced last week by Attorney General Lawrence Wasden is worth some attention and credit. Ever since statehood, the obligations of the attorney general have included publishing each year the offices collected opinions, case activity and related documents. These reports get almost no news attention (theyre a formal compendium of things that have already happened, after all) and probably few people outside the legal system, and only some within it, are even aware of them. But they can be a vital resource for tracing the states legal history, and its history overall. Finding recent copies has usually been easy enough, and sometimes theyve even been elegantly bound. Law libraries often have copies. But even the state law library doesnt have all of them. In fact, no one does. Wasdens office said their own internal collection starts with the 1891-92 report the first and runs to this year. But, The missing volumes are scattered across the decades and include: the biennial report for 1895-96; the annual report for 1953; the period covering January through June 1954; the period for July through December 1973; and the 1974 report. Wasden said, We searched my office, the historical society, the state law library and even former Attorneys General for these missing publications. Its unfortunate the set is incomplete, but Im hoping with public help we can recover these missing volumes. Those they do have have been posted online, at http://www.ag.idaho.gov/publications/op-guide-cert/annualReports/historicAnnualReportIndex.html. Theyre scanned in as images, so they arent always easy to search by text. Some of them actually make for lively reading, maybe the first one especially. AG George Roberts wrote an overview that seemed to betray some exasperation with the job. At that time the state had local district attorneys, and Roberts seems to have been disgusted with many of them. I requested one of the District Attorneys in this State to attend the preliminary examination of a person charged with a peculiarly aggravated and brutal assault upon a woman with a deadly weapon, he wrote. He replied by challenging me to show him the section of the law which made it his duty to do so. I admitted that the law did not compel him to, but that a sense of public duty should impel him to do so ... The resulting trial, he said, was a travesty. Roberts indicated he was hammered for those local foulups: This office has been perpetually harassed by questions affecting the performance of public duty, not only by Boards of County Commissioners, but by Precinct and County officers, and School District officers as well. A candid review. Maybe attorneys general of today could follow in those candid footsteps. You wonder what they might say. The release of these past records might even give them some encouragement. About Me Mohd. Kamal bin Abdullah I am Mohd. Kamal bin Abdullah, who resides in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. I hold a post-graduate law degree from the United Kingdom. I blog to tell MALAYSIANS THE TRUTH. View my complete profile Blog Archive JOAN BENNERT MCMA member Sandy Good and owner of the FOTO-SHOP , will be hosting some young artists.Savin Mattozzi, Samantha Creenan and Alexander Good, during Portland First Friday Art Walk, Oct.1st, 5:00 to 8:00 pm,517 Congress. MCMA member and artistwill exhibiting , Water Colors and Acrylics of Maine and Puerto Rico in the library during First Friday Art Walk and during the month of October. A group affiliated to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) took over the town of Azzan from southern separatists and is trying to impose its authority, setting up checkpoints at the towns entrances. A source said the city council was also stormed by the militants. The gradual empowerment of al-Qaeda in the Yemeni war could lead to the coalition forces, with the support of pro-Hadi militants, opening a new front against the extremist group as it increases territorial gains in the country. Before Azzan, AQAP had seized the southern port city of Mukalla and the southern town of Jaar last year. On Sunday, reports said Commander Sheikh Samhan Abdul Aziz Al-Rawi of the Popular Resistance has been assassinated and his body was found in the Mansoura neighborhood of Aden. The pro-Hadi government is using Aden as its base despite persisting security challenges even after the city was proclaimed liberated several months ago. Al-Rawi could have been kidnapped in the area before being killed, but no group claimed responsibility for his assassination. Al-Rawi, who was one of the leaders of the Popular Resistance in Aden, was reportedly fighting with the resistance during recent clashes with Houthi militias two weeks ago. Before the deployment of ground troops by the Saudi-led coalition, the Popular Resistance was on the ground battling the Houthi Movement. The coalition has recently been subjected to harsh criticism for hurting civilians. Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri announced a high-level independent committee has been set up to investigate airstrikes collateral damage. The announcement came following outcry from Human Rights activists and after a yet to be released UN panel report highlighted that the coalition actions could be likened to crimes against humanity. Palestinian militant movement Hamas in Gaza Sunday hinted at a probable prisoner swap with enemy Israel which will lead to the release of hundreds of Hamas militants jailed in Israel. The resistance has cards in its hands that will force the enemy to release you, Hamas military arm, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said in a statement. The prisoner swap would presumably include handover of the bodies of Israeli soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin killed in the Israeli-Hamas 2015 war. Their bodies are still reportedly kept by Hamas but their fates are unknown. A previous prisoner exchange resulted in the exchange of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for the release of more than 1, 000 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas movement local leader Ismail Haniya Friday said Qassam Brigades were preparing for any future clashes with the Zionist enemy, including by building tunnels on the border with Israel. He further angered Israel as he pointed out that a collapsed tunnel that killed seven militants in Gaza last week was like the one used to capture Shaul. Haniyas comments were confirmed by the movements senior official Khalil al-Haya who said the tunnel in which our seven martyrs died is the same one that was used by Qassam to capture the soldier Oron Shaul. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday vowed to hit back and with greater force if Hamas tries to attack Israel. We are systematically preparing for all threats including from Hamas, he said. If were attacked through tunnels from the Gaza Strip, well act very forcefully against Hamas, with far much greater force than two years ago. I hope we wont need them, but our abilities both defensive and offensive are developing rapidly, and I wouldnt recommend anyone tries them, he said in a speech to Israeli diplomats. Israel accuses Hamas of rebuilding tunnels destroyed during the 50-day war in 2014. The clashes claimed the lives of 2,200 Palestinians and 73 Israeli as well as destruction of thousands of homes in besieged Gaza. Egyptian Justice Minister vowed to make sure that ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood members convicted to death sentence will be executed if the appeal court upholds the sentences. Ahmed al-Zend , critic of the Muslim Brotherhood told local Sada el-Balad channel that all court death sentences handed down to Morsi and other members of the Muslim Brothers organization will be enforced after the entire judicial process ends. I swear to God, Id leave my position immediately [if sentences were not applied.] Egypt is not afraid, and mark my words, and if otherwise happened say whatever about me I swear to God Morsi and everyone else with a final sentence will meet his fair fate, al-Zend said. Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood leading members including Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie were condemned in May 2015 to death on a massive jailbreak charge. A Cairo court accused them of facilitating a jailbreak of several Islamists, convicts, including some Gazas Hamas members as well as Lebanons Hezbollah figures on January 29, 2011. Morsi and other leading Muslim Brotherhood members have also been sentenced to death for conspiracy and providing secret information to enemies. The court decision was upheld in June 2015 after Egypts Grand Mufti expressed his unbinding opinion on the death sentences. However the decision sparked wide condemnation around the world. Leaders around the world as well as human rights groups urged Egyptian authorities to weigh the consequences of the decision warning that Morsis execution would further deteriorate the stability of the country. The courts June 2015 decision is not final. The accused can make an appeal. Reports say so far only one member of the Muslim Brotherhood has been executed. He was charged with throwing teens off a rooftop in Alexandria. In the wake of Morsis overthrow in a 2013 military coup, Egyptian authorities ran a blanket crackdown on members of the Muslim Brotherhood, jailing thousands and killing several. Authorities have also banned the organization and seized its assets. Charles Saint-Prot, Head of the Paris-based Observatory of Geopolitical Studies praised Morocco for its exceptional counter-terrorism strategies which are, he said, the result of King Mohammed VIs clear vision of religious matters. Speaking in an interview with Teathrum Belli published Sunday, the observatory director indicated that Morocco stands out among North African countries as the only stable country with clear and effective strategies against religious extremism. Saint-Prot explained that Morocco scored success in the fight against terrorism thanks to King Mohamed, the Commander of the faithful and the only authority responsible for the religious field. It is worth noting that the Moroccan doctrine is based on Malekism which is the predominant religious rite in the Maghreb and in Africa and which is gaining ground in many Gulf countries (Bahrain, United Arab Emirates) where the Moroccan expertise has gained adherence, Saint-Prot said. For the French expert, Moroccos strategy against extremism tackles two domains namely religion and security. Talking about the religious strategies developed by Morocco, Saint-Prot indicated under the leadership of the King, the country has positioned itself as anti-religious extremism leader thanks to the various brotherhoods including Tijaniya, Qadiriya Boutchichiya which promote a moderate Islam. He also recalled that Morocco has stepped up training programs for Imams from Morocco and from other African and even European countries to help curb expansion of extremism. The Rabat-based Mohammed VI Institute, set up last year, has been offering training to preachers, including women, on moderate Islam, he said. The leading training center dispenses the values of an open, moderate Islam to hundreds of preachers and counselors from all the region of North-West Africa and also from some European countries such as France, the UK and Belgium. The center teaches the precepts of a tolerant and non-violent form of Islam based on Maliki rite, as a means to fight extremism and prevent the use of religion as an excuse for barbarism, regression and terrorism. The Moroccan approach provides the necessary tools to spot early signs of extremism to religious professionals, who are in constant contact with their communities. 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. Technology and financial services are particularly attractive sectors, insiders say Mergers and acquisitions hit a record level in China last year, rising 37 percent year-on-year, a new report has revealed. Global auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers says 9,420 deals were completed during 2015, worth $733.7 billion, which marked an 84 percent increase in value. George Lu, PwC China's transaction services partner, says the firm also expects M&A activity this year to be brisk, growing at similar double-digit pace. The company's latest figures show the number of domestic strategic M&As grew strongly, driven by the ongoing economic transformation, sector consolidation, restructuring and bold inorganic growth strategies. Technology and financial services were particularly attractive sectors, he says, mainly due to higher growth expectations for the technology sector, as well as some industry consolidation. The levels of capital being raised, and the significant pace of development by financial services and online payments operations in China, also contributed. Outbound activity grew 40 percent by volume and 21 percent by value, both new highs. The private sector led the charge, but financial buyers and private equity investors were also active, as state-owned enterprises remained largely subdued. "In 2015, we saw a continuation of the outbound trend, with strategic buyers pursuing inorganic growth strategies, and seeking technologies and brands to bring back to the China market, as well as significant participation from private equity investors and financial buyers acquiring overseas assets with a China angle," says Lu. "There were 40 percent more outbound deals in 2015, and I believe we will see this kind of rate of growth for the next few years as Chinese-led multinational corporations start to emerge on the global stage." The report shows private equity and financial investor deals increased 79 percent by deal volume and 169 percent by deal value. Domestic investors were especially active, although the focus on domestic A-share markets as an exit route made it a tougher environment for foreign private equity investors. Leon Qian, PwC's transaction services northern China leader, says M&A investors were seeking high-growth opportunities as the general economy slowed and, consequently, the VC industry remained active, also reaching record high levels. "M&A activity in China will continue to grow in 2016 at a double-digit pace, led by domestic strategic and outbound activity, as well as robust financial-buyer activity," says Qian. The report predicts continued high levels of activity in the technology and financial service sectors. It says domestic banks will maintain their expansion to support China's overseas infrastructure and the increasingly global activities of domestic customers. The report highlights insurers and financial technology companies as likely to look to acquire new capabilities and brands. Domestic payment companies are stepping up their international expansion to capture business arising from inbound and outbound cashflows, the report says. caixiao@chinadaily.com.cn ( China Daily Africa Weekly 01/29/2016 page28) Entercom Acquires Podcorn Platform matches brands with the most relevant podcast creators to scale native branded content and drive higher ROI for advertisers. Read more David Field Joins Cheddar Entercom Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer discusses interest in audio from consumers and advertisers, and the rise of social audio platforms. Read more Entercom Launches BetQL Audio Network Network to Serve as Home of Companys Sports-gambling Content, Will Launch Companion Broadcast Distribution Channels in Denver and Los Angeles. Learn more Power, People and Politics Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer bring listeners inside Washington for an unfiltered, non-partisan look at every major issue of the day. Learn more RADIO.COM The Long Shot A new Cadence13 and ThreeFourTwo Productions podcast with Miami Heat Forward Duncan Robinson. Learn more Entercom Teams up with the Ad Council on Coping-19 Mental Health Campaign Providing bilingual audio assets with resources to help Americans address mental health challenges. Learn more INSIGHTS Industry Trends In Streaming Audio & Podcast Performance Learn more about setting goals, measuring success with data and benchmarking KPIs across multiple industries. Download eBook OUR PLATFORM 24/7 sports conversation from coast to coast As the nations #1 local sports platform, we give fans access to teams they cant get anywhere else. Visit our stations Creating the industrys most compelling, curated content. Connecting through the influential voices and conversation keepers our communities trust and love. 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Learn more Loved ones of cancer patients are likely to search for further information about the disease online but less inclined to seek emotional support from social media forums, according to a University of Georgia study published recently in the journal Computers, Informatics, Nursing. Individuals frequently suffer negative psychological and emotional effects when the people they care about are diagnosed with cancer. It is fairly common for loved ones of cancer patients to develop depression or anxiety disorders as a result of the diagnosis, but there aren't many studies focusing specifically on cancer patients' caregivers and family members, said the study's author, Carolyn Lauckner. "I think sometimes the loved ones and caregivers get forgotten about," she said. "And that's why I wanted to research this population to see if there are ways that we can better support these individuals." Lauckner, an assistant professor in the College of Public Health's department of health promotion and behavior, surveyed 191 people whose loved ones were diagnosed with cancer in the past year or who were currently acting as caregivers to someone with cancer. The motivation behind the research was personal for Lauckner. "I went through a period of time where I had three loved ones diagnosed within a short amount of time," she said. "I had these experiences where I heard about the diagnosis and I would go online to look it up, and then I would immediately become terrified and freak out about all the stuff I read online." More than three-quarters of participants searched online for information on a loved one's disease. Most looked for treatment options, prevention strategies and risk factors, and prognosis information. "I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people who said that they were looking for prevention information online and detection information because that shows that not only are they concerned for their loved one but they're also concerned about how they themselves can avoid cancer, which from a public health perspective is great," Lauckner said. Respondents were less inclined to view blogs or go online to hear about others' cancer experiences. These kinds of sites were linked to negative emotions for participants, such as fear, sadness and anger. "A lot of people, especially in the cancer realm, they will use blogs or discussion posts to vent and to talk about the harsh realities of living with an illness," she said. "And while I think that that is beneficial for both the person who is writing it and potentially for some people who want an idea of what to expect, when someone is dealing with the prospect of their loved one having to go through that experience, it can be extremely distressing. "You're only getting a snapshot of what that person's cancer experience was like, and you may be seeing the snapshot of the worst day that they had" on blogs and discussion boards. The most commonly visited websites were those of charitable organizations like the American Cancer Society, which were associated with positive emotions. Lauckner said she found this information encouraging because it shows that the participants were consulting reliable sources of information and not being swayed by personal accounts as much. Lauckner ultimately wants to build on the information gleaned in this study to determine the most effective use of social media and technology to distribute cancer prevention and risk reduction messages to the public. Explore further Psychologists aim to help Dr Google More information: Carolyn Lauckner. The Effects of Viewing and Preferences for Online Cancer Information Among Patients' Loved Ones, CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing (2016). Carolyn Lauckner. The Effects of Viewing and Preferences for Online Cancer Information Among Patients' Loved Ones,(2016). DOI: 10.1097/CIN.0000000000000204 (HealthDay)Demand for medical office space for ambulatory care is at a high point and looks likely to continue increasing, according to an article published in Forbes. An already low vacancy rate of below 10 percent in medical office buildings and space for ambulatory care is likely to continue through 2016 and beyond. In the third quarter of 2015 the vacancy rate was 9.5 percent for medical office buildings, which was the lowest rate since 2007 (9.1 percent), and 3.2 percent below that of all office space nationally. Millions of newly insured Americans are now able to seek medical treatment in a doctor's office, urgent care center, retail clinic, or other outpatient site, instead of going to the hospital emergency room. As health insurance companies pay for value and shift reimbursement from fee-for service medicine, insurance payment is pushing more patients to ambulatory care settings. Interest in walk-in space is increasing, and more urgent care centers and physician practices are being opened. "We fully expect vacancy rates to continue their downward trend," Mike Roessle, director of national office research at Colliers International, a real estate services firm, said in the Forbes article. "With the increased spending in health care and an aging population, it's going to continue. Demand will be very robust for years to come." Explore further Possibility for health care legislation changes in 2016 More information: More Information Copyright 2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved. For many people preventing weight gain can seem like an uphill struggle but scientists led by the University of Aberdeen have discovered why it may be even harder for women. Research by the team, led by Professor Lora Heisler from the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health, could now pave the way for a difference in how obesity is tackled between the sexes. The study was primarily funded by the Wellcome Trust and BBSRC and is published in the journal Molecular Metabolism. Leading scientists at the University of Aberdeen, University of Cambridge and University of Michigan used a mouse model to uncover a sex difference in weight gain driven by differences in physical activity and energy expenditure. During the study researchers were able to transform obese male mice with increased appetite and reduced physical activity into lean, healthy mice. The same transformation did not occur in the female mice. Professor Heisler explained: "The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports higher rates of obesity in women worldwide, reaching twice the prevalence of men in some parts of the world. "Currently there is no difference in how obesity is treated in men and women. However, what we have discovered is that the part of the brain that has a significant influence on how we use the calories that we eat is wired differently in males and females. "Cells in this brain region make important brain hormones called pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) peptides that are responsible for regulating our appetite, physical activity, energy expenditure and body weight. Lead scientist Dr Luke Burke explains: "These POMC neurons therefore make a great target for obesity treatment and are, in fact, an important target of an obesity medication used in the USA today." Professor Heisler continued: "What we have discovered is that not every POMC neuron performs the same function. While the subset targeted by obesity medication lorcaserin influences appetite in both males and female mice, in males, this subset has the added benefit of also modulating physical activity and energy expenditure. "In female mice, this source of POMC peptides does not strongly modulate physical activity or energy expenditure. So, while medications targeting this source of POMC peptides may effectively reduce appetite in females, our evidence suggests that they will not tap into the signals in our brain that modulate physical activity and energy expenditure. The findings could have implications for the development of new sex-specific medications to more effectively tackle the obesity epidemic in the future. Professor Heisler continued: "More than half of people in the UK are overweight and 1 in 4 are clinically obese. This is an enormous percentage of the population, and given the links established between obesity and serious medical illnesses including cancer, heart disease and diabetes, it is essential that we strive to find new methods to tackle this epidemic to improve our health. Professor Heisler continued: "This study reveals that a sex difference in physical activity, energy expenditure and body weight is driven by a specific source of brain POMC peptides. This could have broad implications for medications used to combat obesity, which at present largely ignore the sex of the individual." Explore further Scientists reveal new insight into combating the middle-aged spread With approximately two-thirds of deaths among people with type 2 diabetes related to cardiovascular disease, a new report holds hope for improving the treatment of heart disease for one of the country's and the world's most at-risk populations. The report by The Imaging Council of American College of Cardiology, which will be published Feb. 1 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging, finds other tools, such as exercise testing or coronary calcium scanning could be useful in determining the level of risk of heart disease in people with type 2 diabetes. With this information, health care providers could match the intensity of therapy to the level of risk of heart disease in their patients with type 2 diabetes. "By properly evaluating the level of coronary heart disease risk, physicians will know when to prescribe more aggressive and less aggressive treatment strategies for their patients," said Matthew J. Budoff, MD, an LA BioMed lead researcher, Chair of the writing group for the Imaging Council and the corresponding author of the report. "While more recent data indicates the risk of coronary heart disease for people with type 2 diabetes is less than was previously believed, it is still critical for physicians to properly assess risk and provide the appropriate strategies of care." The report notes that several forms of testing can help physicians measure the risk of heart disease in patients with type 2 diabetes. Among these tests is exercise testing, in which patients exercise while attached to monitoring equipment. The report noted that this testing can detect "silent" ischemia, or reductions in the flow of blood to the heart, in patients with no signs of heart disease. Coronary artery disease, which often leads to heart attacks, develops as a result of cholesterol plaque buildup that can calcify in the coronary arteries. This calcium can be detected by a cardiac computed tomographic scan (CT scan), which can help to identify the highest risk patients and lead to better treatments. The report noted that 25% to 30% of people with type 2 diabetes are now considered to be at a low risk of coronary heart disease, based on the absence of coronary atherosclerosis, or plaque in the coronary arteries. The report's authors note that future recommendations may call for screening patients with type 2 diabetes for calcium deposits and the following up with a functional study, in those with substantial calcium buildup, to determine if they are also suffering from ischemia. They also noted further study is needed to determine if this approach would lead to better outcomes. Explore further Study shows minorities had lower risk of coronary heart disease than whites Credit: McGill University Health Centre Sex (biological and physiological characteristics) differences are increasingly being studied to assess symptoms, risk factors and outcomes for various diseases. Now, a new pan-Canadian study led by a team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), suggests that gender rather than sex is associated with the risk of recurrence of cardiovascular events in adults. The results of this innovative research are now published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. "Our study suggests that adults with role and personality traits traditionally ascribed to women have an increased risk of recurrence of premature acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or major adverse cardiac events within 12 months following their first incident, regardless of their biological sex," states the study's lead author, Dr. Louise Pilote, Director of the General Internal Medicine division at the MUHC and Professor of Medicine at McGill University. "It is therefore important, as researchers, to consider gender in addition to biological sex when we analyze the differences between men and women for various diseases." The researchers conducted their study on approximately 1,000 participants from across Canada aged 18 to 55 who had been hospitalized for an ACS between January 2009 and April 2013. The participants were from the cohort GENESIS-PRAXY (Gender and Sex determinants of cardiovascular disease: from bench to beyond: Premature Acute Coronary Syndrome), which was created in order to determine the differences associated with sex (biological and physiological characteristics) and gender (i.e. gender identity, role in society, socio-economic status and interpersonal relationships) in men and women suffering from heart disease. "Patients involved in the study, who had presented with an ACS, were asked to complete an elaborate questionnaire related to gender," explains study's first author, Dr. Roxanne Pelletier, clinical psychologist, who was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the division of Clinical Epidemiology at the RI-MUHC at the time of the study. "The questions addressed different aspects of gender as traditionally ascribed to men and women in society such as the number of hours that the person spends carrying out household chores or taking care of children, the person's salary." Researchers then developed a gender index ranging from 1 to 100 points, going from a very high level of characteristics traditionally ascribed to men (1 point) to another extreme of characteristics traditionally ascribed to women (100 points). "We observed that participants with a very high score of traditional feminine characteristics, regardless of whether they were biologically a man or a woman, were more likely to have a second cardiac event." "In our cohort, characteristics traditionally ascribed to females seemed to adversely affect health outcomes, potentially though increased anxiety related to those characteristics," adds Dr. Pilote. "There are likely multiple reasons to explain the presence of increased anxiety in men and women with characteristics traditionally ascribed to women in our sample. For example, financial difficulties and/or the need to manage housework, child care, and work may represent a daily burden and chronic anxiety may result." "Innovative studies aimed at closing the gender gap in the prevention and treatment of heart disease are an important part of creating more survivors," says Mary Lewis, VP of Research, Advocacy and Health Promotion for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. "Thanks to the generous support of our donors, the Heart and Stroke Foundation is pleased to fund the GENESIS-PRAXY study and looks forward to its ongoing results." Dr. Pilote and colleagues hope that this study will allow other researchers to incorporate gender through their innovative measure in other health fields. According to her, gender can help explain the differences between men and women regarding various diseases. Explore further Younger men receive faster care for heart attacks, angina compared with women of same age Human blood cells have olfactory receptors that respond to Sandalore. This could provide a starting point for new leukaemia therapies, as researchers from Bochum report in in the journal Cell Death Discovery. Human blood cells have olfactory receptors that respond to Sandalore. This could provide a starting point for new leukaemia therapies, as researchers from Bochum report in a current study. Olfactory receptors exist not only in the nose, but also in many other parts of the body, including the liver, the prostate and the intestines. Researchers headed by Prof Dr Dr Dr Hanns Hatt from the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum have now demonstrated them in white blood cells in humans. Together with colleagues from the Essen University Hospital, the Bochum-based group identified the receptor OR2AT4 in a cultivated cell line, taken from patients suffering from chronic myelogenous leukaemia. The researchers identified the same receptor in white blood cells isolated from blood freshly obtained from patients suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia. It is activated by Sandalore, a synthetic odorant with a sandalwood note. In leukaemia patients, too many immature blood cells form in the spinal marrow. In myeloid leukaemia patients, the uncontrolled proliferation is triggered by a certain type of progenitor cells, namely the myeloblasts. The researchers analysed the OR2AT4 receptor in more detail, both in the cultivated cells and in the cells isolated from the blood of patients suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia. If the Sandalore odorant was used to activate the receptor, it effected an inhibition of leukaemia cell growth and caused greater numbers of them to die. The researchers, moreover, observed that more red blood cells formed as a result. Potential starting point for new therapies "This could be a new starting point for the development of leukaemia treatment," says Prof Hanns Hatt. "Acute myeloid leukaemia in particular is a disease for which specific medication is not, as yet, available." With his colleagues, he describes the results in the journal Cell Death Discovery. In 2014, Hanns Hatt's team discovered that the OR2AT4 receptor is present in skin cells and that, by activating it with sandalwood aroma, wound healing is promoted. Following a series of tests, Hatt's team identified the signalling pathways underlying the observed effects. If Sandalore activates the OR2AT4 receptor, processes similar to those in the olfactory cells in the nose start in blood cells. As a result, the concentration of calcium ions in the cells increases. This, in turn, activates signalling pathways in which phosphate groups are transmitted to certain enzymes, namely MAP kinases. In nature, phosphorylation such as this is frequently deployed for the regulation of enzyme activity. The number of olfactory receptors detected in the blood cells amounts to seven in total. The researchers are now studying another receptor in great detail, activated through the faintly green odorant isononyl alcohol. Explore further Sandalwood scent facilitates wound healing and skin regeneration More information: S Manteniotis et al. Functional characterization of the ectopically expressed olfactory receptor 2AT4 in human myelogenous leukemia, Cell Death Discovery (2016). S Manteniotis et al. Functional characterization of the ectopically expressed olfactory receptor 2AT4 in human myelogenous leukemia,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/cddiscovery.2015.70 Welcome to Kittyville Am i a glutton for punishment? Probably, as i bottle raise orphaned kittens. Are they worth what they take out of me? Every bit. DES MOINES -- Jeb Bush isn't spending the night of the Iowa caucuses in Iowa. He's jetting off to New Hampshire, where he has a better shot at a decent electoral result. But that didn't stop him from campaigning first in Iowa's capital Tuesday, holding a rally of several hundred people in downtown Des Moines. "I hope that I can persuade you to go tonight to caucus for me," he said. Without naming any of his Republican presidential rivals, Bush made a dig at Marco Rubio, criticizing candidates like President Barack Obama, whom he called a good speaker unprepared for the White House. "The president shouldnt have been a surprise to the American people, because what was in the background of this gifted orator that would lead you to believe he could actually make a tough decision?" he said. "There was nothing." "I hope we've learned from that lesson," Bush said. @MichaelAuslen Florida House members from Hillsborough County are moving forward with a proposal to stop the county's Public Transportation Commission from banning or regulating ridesharing apps like Uber as if they were taxicab companies. The bill (HB 1439), which was unanimously approved Monday by the House Local Government Affairs Subcommittee, would apply insurance and background check requirements for ridesharing drivers. Most significantly, it would force an end to legal battles between the commission and Uber. House Majority Leader Dana Young, R-Tampa, and Rep. Dan Raulerson, R-Plant City, sponsored the bill. It's similar to a bill (HB 509) that passed last week, applying insurance and background check rules across the state and banning any local government from blocking Uber. There is no Senate version of the legislation. "Basically it's what we voted on last week but with a little local piece," Young said. Tampa has been one of the epicenters of conflict between Uber and local governments. It's also the only county with a public transportation commission. Last year, the commission, tried to ban Uber and ticketed drivers. The commission also filed a lawsuit, asking a judge to intervene and block Uber. Because the Public Transportation Commission is governed by state law, the Legislature can step in to change its rules. Young and Raulerson's bill was approved by the Hillsborough Legislative Delegation in December, although three Tampa Democrats -- Sen. Arthenia Joyner and Reps. Janet Cruz and Ed Narain -- voted against it. There are no Hillsborough County lawmakers on the Local Government Affairs Subcommittee. The commission supports the bill, Executive Director Kyle Cockream said. "Generally, the Commission is in favor of allowing both taxi cabs and transportation network companies to operate evenly, while making sure that the insurance provided covers both the riding public and the drivers," he said in a statement, adding that "the Commission continues to support a statewide resolution to the insurance issue, and sees that as a priority." Throughout his Republican presidential campaign, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has tried to distance himself from his involvement in a 2013 failed bipartisan immigration bill. The legislation has proven to be a liability for Rubio because it contained a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, and some of Rubios opponents say his support for the bill is evidence that hes not tough on immigration. On NBCs Meet the PressJan. 31, host Chuck Todd asked Rubio if he regretted being part of the Gang of Eight senators who authored the bill. "Look, I tried to fix the problem," Rubio said, referring to illegal immigration. "This is a real problem. And where are we today? We are worse off today than we were five years ago. We have more illegal immigrants here. We have two unconstitutional executive orders on amnesty. I went to Washington to fix a problem." Our ears perked up when Rubio said there are more illegal immigrants in the United States than there were five years ago, so we decided to check the numbers. We found that the latest available data doesnt support Rubios statement. Keep reading Lauren Carroll's fact-check from PolitiFact and here is Rubio's full Truth-O-Meter record. @ByKristenMClark A super PAC that launched last spring to support Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy's U.S. Senate bid raised $535,000 from donors since July -- including $200,000 from Murphy's father. The fundraising haul for "Floridians for a Strong Middle Class" was revealed today in the super PAC's end-of-year disclosure report to the Federal Elections Commission, which was due Sunday. The super PAC reports its finances every six months. Through June, the committee had just $25,000 in donations, so its collections in the latter six months of the year reveal a stark increase in activity. Super PACs are not bound by the $2,700 cap on individual contributions -- as candidate's campaign committees are -- nor can they coordinate directly with the candidate. The super PAC's warchest is separate from the $4.3 million Murphy has in the bank for his personal campaign committee. Murphy's father, construction executive Thomas Murphy, gave $200,000 to "Floridians for a Strong Middle Class" just before year's end, the report showed. Thomas Murphy has a history of donating to political candidates in both parties, including his son. Other large donations detailed in the disclosure report include $100,000 from a "Michael Smith" of Boulder, Co. (his employer information wasn't listed), $50,000 from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama and $50,000 from "230 East 63rd-6 Trust LLC." According to Florida business registration filings, that company is an "inactive" business venture associated with Nicholas Mastroianni II. Mastroianni developed the $150 million Harbourside project in Patrick Murphy's home city of Jupiter in Palm Beach County. Mastroianni's son, Anthony, also gave $5,000 to the super PAC, the filing showed. Conservatives aiming to retain the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate quickly jumped on the revelations in the super PAC's disclosure by accusing Murphy's family and friends of "buying him a seat in the Senate." Whether it's his father or a mysterious trust giving him big money, Murphy is nothing but a campaign finance hypocrite who wants to buy his way up the political ladder, said Ian Prior, a spokesman for the Senate Leadership Fund, which is associated with conservative super PAC American Crossroads. Murphy is running in the Democratic primary against fellow U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, and North Palm Beach attorney Pam Keith. @PatriciaMazzei The National Republican Congressional Committee plans to hit voters in Florida's southernmost congressional district with robocalls starting Monday criticizing Annette Taddeo, the Democrat hoping to unseat incumbent Rep. Carlos Curbelo. The automated messages, in English and in Spanish, focus on the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran, and try to tie Taddeo to the agreement. She told the Miami Herald in September that she would have supported it had she been in Congress -- though she noted that "no deal is perfect," something omitted in the NRCC's robocalls. Curbelo opposed the deal. "The people of South Florida should be alarmed that Annette Taddeo is so liberal that she would support a deal that our own Secretary of State admits will fund terrorist groups," the call says, referring to a statement by Secretary John Kerry, who acknowledged two weeks ago that the U.S. couldn't prevent some of its funds from probably winding up in the wrong hands. Republicans are eager for a contested Democratic primary in the 26th district, which stretches from Westchester to Key West and now leans more Democratic than when Curbelo won it in 2014. Trying to weaken Taddeo might prompt other Democrats to take her on. Andrew Korge, the son of Hillary Clinton donor Chris Korge, was considering a challenge but has now gone back to mulling a Florida state Senate run. Former U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia appears poised to run again. Read the full script of the robocall, and give it a listen: Join us Tuesday, May 3, 2022 from 7:00PM 10:00PM at Silver Street Studios, as Houston Foodies come together for Menu of Menus. This event is one of Houstons largest fine food and cocktail festivals, and with this year being the 20th Anniversary, we are expecting it to be the best one yet! Attendees will enjoy an evening of unique tastings from some of our favorite local restaurants, cocktail sampling, and fun-filled activities including shopping, wine tastings, entertainment and more. A foodies dream for a night on the town! Exposing pro-Israel bias, propaganda, disinformation and spin in Australia's mainstream media. Monitoring pro-Israel influence in Australia's public and political arena. Putting my experiences of Life In NYC in a more personal perspective, and checking in with international/national, tech and some other news Got some ideas about economics, policy, science, art or whatever, and you can write? Let us know here , we're looking for contributors! In his posthumously published "When Breath Becomes Air," Paul Kalanithi gets straight to the sudden turning point in his life: the day the Stanford neurosurgery chief resident looked at a scan showing he had advanced cancer and likely little time left. What follows is a poignant account of his life, his quest to find meaning, his efforts to retain his humanity in the grind of becoming a doctor and, ultimately, his thoughts on dying. As he and his wife, Lucy, grapple with whether to become parents in their remaining time together, she asks him: "Don't you think saying goodbye to your child will make your death more painful?" He replies: "Wouldn't it be great if it did?" The heartrending exchange captures Kalanithi's full-throttled approach to living. *** In Kalanithi's childhood and college years, one can see the seeds that created this ethos. When Kalanithi's family moved from New York to a desert town in Arizona, his mother fearing for her children's educational prospects obtained a "college prep reading list," which then-10-year-old Paul began to tackle. "Books became my closest confidants," Kalanithi writes, explaining the profound themes, rich lexicon and literary quotes peppered throughout his writing. One summer while in college, he applied for an internship at a research center as well as a job at a lakeside camp; he was accepted at both and had to choose. "In other words, I could either study meaning or I could experience it." He picked the latter. Back on campus, Kalanithi summarized his dovetailing interests: "I studied literature and philosophy to understand what makes life meaningful, studied neuroscience and worked in an fMRI lab" functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging "to understand how the brain could give rise to an organism capable of finding meaning in the world." It is no surprise, then, that Kalanithi chose the incomparably demanding field of neurosurgery. His reflection on the practice, responsibility, idealism and fallibility of medicine is a must-read for those in the field and those touched by it. When facing brain surgery, "the question is not simply whether to live or die," Kalanithi writes, "but what kind of life is worth living." Would you trade your right hand's function to stop seizures? Would you trade your ability to talk for a few extra months of mute life? In the gravest of cases, Kalanithi writes: "I had to help those families understand that the person they knew the full, vital independent human now lived only in the past and that I needed their input to understand what sort of future he or she would want." The book is full of sage dictums: "A tureen of tragedy was best allotted by the spoonful. Only a few patients demanded the whole at once; most needed time to digest." Despite his close contact with death, it was a dizzying change from doctor to patient. "As a doctor, you have a sense of what it's like to be sick, but until you've gone through it yourself, you don't really know. It's like falling in love or having a kid," Kalanithi writes. When cancer struck, he went back to literature to understand his experience and make sense of death. Ultimately, he made a decision: "Even if I'm dying, until I actually die, I am still living." He worked on building his strength to go back to the operating room. While working 16-hour days, he battled "waves of nausea, pain, and fatigue." But his calling as a neurosurgeon was a strong draw. "Moral duty has weight, things that have weight have gravity, and so the duty to bear mortal responsibility pulled me back into the operating room." A reader can't help but feel deep regret that Kalanithi the unusually introspective doctor, the intellectually driven scientist and the compassionate humanitarian no longer walks this Earth, sharing his gifts. His book is faint consolation. Doctors ought to learn from his compassion for patients; all of us ought to learn from his passion for life. TRAPPER CREEK Last year, Trapper Creek Job Corps students spent just a little more than 29,000 hours fighting wildfire or offering support in fire camps. They turned in another 11,000 hours in training and helping on a variety of natural resource projects around the West. The appraised value of their efforts was $225,540. But beyond all of those numbers, lives were changed forever. When Matthew Perez came to Trapper Creek Job Corps from Colorado Springs, Colorado, the 22-year-old had no marketable skills. I could mow a lawn, but thats about it, Perez said. After a year in the corps wildfire program with actual firefighting experience now under his belt Perez is proud to say that his name is officially on the regional list that U.S. Forest Service officials will consider when putting together fire crews for this upcoming season. Job Corps was the best thing that ever happened for me, Perez said. I was on the wrong path. I was blessed to come to this place. ... It gives you a foundation that you can build your life around. At 23, Perez knows theres no going back to his old life. I have a fresh start on life, Perez said. Its an amazing thing. Sitting on the bleachers just above Perez is his fellow squad leader, Kenneth Gieber. The two have been leading a group of young men and women through a grueling two-hour physical training session that happens five days a week for students enrolled in Trapper Creeks natural resources program. Gieber comes from Polson. He was attracted to the program because it offered him a chance to develop the skills he needed to find work in the outdoors. I love the outdoors, he said. If I had work behind a desk, it would drive me crazy. Gieber was too young to fight wildfires last year. Instead, he was invited to work on the Bitterroot National Forests trail crew. I went out there and killed it, he said proudly. I got good reviews. He was asked to come back this summer to the West Fork Ranger District to work on the trail crew. *** Justin Abbey has seen what this place can do for young men and women struggling to find their way. This is the most rewarding job that Ive ever had, he said. You see lives changed. You watch students change their way of thinking. These students appreciate everything that they are given. And they earn everything thats given to them. Abbey is an assistant fire management officer with the Bitterroot National Forest who serves as a liaison to Trapper Creek Job Corps. Working with two others in Trapper Creeks natural resources program, Abbey helps with training while reaching out to different national forests in the region to place students at ranger districts where they fully integrate into fire crews, live in government housing and work side by side with district personnel in a program called work-based learning. The students are paid when assigned to a wildfire. Otherwise, they serve as volunteers and gain valuable on-the-job experience. Once students obtain the required qualifications, they can serve fire crews. Last summer, 45 students earned their red cards needed to join a crew. They helped fight fires in Alaska, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana. Abbey has been alongside many when they find themselves on the fire line for the first time. They are wide-eyed, man, Abbey said. The adrenaline is pumping. You can see it in them. They have done all this work thats led up to this point. They go from zero to 60. Not everyone who comes to Trapper Creek knows the backwoods. Its kind of a mixed bag, Abbey said. Some are from Montana. Some come from families that have spent a lot of time camping, hunting and fishing. Others are from inner-city in places like Salt Lake (City), Jackson, Mississippi, and Denver. They may have gone camping once and that was enough to open the idea, Abbey said. They come from all different backgrounds. They have faced all sorts of challenges in their young lives, but Abbey said its an amazing thing to see their lives take on new meaning. Some of them have that motivation when they get here, Abbey said. Some are still treading water. They dont know exactly what they want to do. We try to provide them options so they can figure it out. Once the light comes on for them, you cant stop them, he said. Our job is to find them opportunities. What they do with those opportunities is what they do with it. *** From that point on, Abbey said he and the others at Trapper Creek teach them how to exploit their strengths and build off their weaknesses. What I see here are students with a lot of inner drive who want to please people, Abbey said. They want to do the job right and impress the people they are working for. They want to be accepted in the fire community because they know if they are accepted, they will have a better chance of getting a job. They learn what its like to become part of a team, he said. Its like they become part of a family here. What they accomplish together is huge for their lives. The fact that ranger districts are receptive to bringing them on and providing them with valuable experience is huge. The districts really go all out in accepting them, Abbey said. They take them under their wing. In return, our students will bleed for those guys. They come back proudly wearing the districts fire shirts. Students can stay for two years at the center. During that time, they can earn a high school diploma while learning a trade. Once they leave, Abbey said they all know that theyre going to have to compete for jobs with everyone else. We tell them that they have to be in better shape than everyone else, Abbey said. We want them to believe that they have something to prove. We instill a never-quit attitude that they can draw on. We try to make sure that they are as competitive as possible when they leave here, he said. We do that through training and experience. They learn skills here that they will have for the rest of their lives. Here's what happened when a company based in Canada appeared to pay more for Mountain Water Co. than a court proceeding determined it was worth on the eve of a scheduled jury trial, as Mayor John Engen sees it. In court in November, water commissioners unanimously decided the value of the Missoula water system was $88.6 million. Then, Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp. paid $327 million for that system and two others of roughly the same size on the eve of the jury trial this month. Had the trial to review the $88.6 million figure gone forward, Algonquin could have presented the price it paid to jurors as evidence Mountain Water was worth more, Engen said. Instead, the city of Missoula opted out of the jury trial it had initially requested. Mountain Water pleaded with the court to go forward with the trial, but it had earlier missed the deadline to request a jury trial itself. The court accepted the city's notice of withdrawal, and the $88.6 million value was set, the mayor said. "A court in Montana has placed value on the system, and that has been adjudicated," Engen said. "And unless somebody prevails on some appeal somewhere, that's the price of the system. "So what Algonquin does is it loses a really stupid bet." Last June, Missoula County District Court ruled the city of Missoula could use its power of eminent domain to buy Mountain Water Co. The defendants appealed the decision to the Montana Supreme Court, which will hear oral arguments in April. In the meantime, The Carlyle Group sold the utility not to the city, but to Liberty Utilities, a subsidiary of Algonquin. Global equity firm Carlyle walked away with full fare, and Algonquin is facing a value set by the court that looks like far less than it paid. "I think Algonquin got in bed with a company that is far more sophisticated than it will ever be, and Carlyle is smiling all the way to the bank, " Engen said. "And (Algonquin CEO) Ian Robertson ought to be crying in front of his shareholders." *** The deal Carlyle crafted to sell to Algonquin was clever, the mayor said. He believes it wasn't contingent on the outcome of the condemnation case already underway against Mountain Water, which represented roughly one-third of the purchase. "It's my understanding that no other bidders would accept the contingencies that Algonquin accepted," Engen said. "So they paid too much, and they put themselves in a box that no other reputable utility bidder would pay or place themselves in." Now that it has paid a set price for Mountain Water, Algonquin may want more for the company than the $88.6 million determined in court. Mayor Engen, though, does not believe the city will have to pay more. "They took possession of an asset that has been condemned and ... any expectation that they're going to get more money for it than what was allowed by commissioners would be crazy on their part," Engen said. Liberty, the new owner of Mountain Water, is already in trouble with the Montana Public Service Commission. Last week, the commission found the water company in violation of its orders and subject to fines, and potentially in violation of levying fair rates. Engen, though, said he won't pull the trigger on ownership until a few remaining issues are settled in court. In April, the Montana Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in an appeal of the eminent domain decision; in the meantime, in a separate process in District Court, a judge is settling disputes over ancillary costs, ones in addition to the value of the system itself. "We continue to respect the system and are subject to the system, " Engen said. "So pending that appeal, I am not going to ask the Missoula City Council to accept a deal and enter into a contract to purchase this thing." He said the city could do that, but he believes it's more prudent to wait: "We have waited this long, and we are prepared to wait what I think is a relatively short time longer to make sure that we're not moving a step forward and a step back unnecessarily." The mayor said he has confidence in the decision rendered by Judge Karen Townsend, and he does not believe it will be challenged by the high court. "But I am also not so arrogant to say that 100 percent, because I don't know the mind of any of the justices," Engen said. *** On the other hand, the city wants to make sure Liberty doesn't make any changes to Mountain Water in the meantime. The mayor said Liberty may want to put Mountain Water's accounting systems in line with its own, and it may want to make operational changes, or cultural or institutional changes, or make capital expenditures that would affect rates. "We don't want any of that to happen when we are perched to own the company, and just waiting for the Montana Supreme Court," he said. To that end, the city has asked a judge to instate a supervisor to oversee the water company. The city also wants accountability by the parties that showed a "flagrant disregard for the systems in place and the rule of law in Montana" when they sealed the deal on Mountain Water. The buyer and seller, Liberty and Carlyle, omitted reference to the change in ownership at a court hearing about the final condemnation costs just one workday after the sale. And their action truncated the process pending at the PSC. The mayor wants them to answer for those actions. "We'd like Carlyle and Mountain in the form of (director of infrastructure) Robert Dove and (Mountain Water President) John Kappes to stand in front of a District Court judge in Missoula," Engen said. He also noted that the recent sale of Mountain Water took place far outside the arena where parties in Montana generally settle serious disputes. "While we have had disagreements with Carlyle, we have had disagreements with Mountain, we have had disagreements with the Public Service Commission of the state of Montana, all of those disagreements have been brought, quite properly, we believe, through the court system, the place where everybody is equal, or is supposed to be. "And suddenly (Liberty), this short-lived subsidiary of a Canadian company, decided, 'Nah, we don't really need to be bothered.' Carlyle? 'We don't really need to be bothered.' And I think it's fair to have them answer to the disrespect and disregard that I think they showed the court." Macey Newbary has accomplished quite a bit as a softball player. The Big Sky High School senior was on the team that placed second in last years State AA tournament, she was a member of the Montana State Junior Olympics Tournament-winning Bitterroot Sparks, and she and the other members of the Zootown All-Stars finished the summer by winning the Little League Senior Softball World Series. Now she is ready for her next challenge, having been recruited to play softball for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Newbary first visited the West Point campus while she was playing in a softball tournament in New York over the summer. I remember telling my dad I wish I visited West Point first because after I went there I knew that was the place I wanted to go, she said. In October, Newbary returned to the West Point campus for an official visit, which included staying with members of the schools softball team. They said the academic side is extremely challenging, Newbary said. They told me that the team is your family that gets you through it. She was nominated to the academy by all three of Montana's delegates to Washington D.C. Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester as well as Rep. Ryan Zinke. Each had a different set of requirements to consider for a nomination. Even before I was nominated, I had been given a letter of assurance, which meant all I needed to do was finish the application package, Newbary said. That application included writing an essay and going through a fitness assessment, as well as more traditional college application material such as providing standardized test scores and a school transcript, Newbary said. She learned that she had officially been accepted to the academy, which has an admittance record of around 9 percent, at the start of the year. After transferring to Big Sky from Frenchtown as a sophomore, Newbary said, she has tried to always take a challenging course load in school, specifically entering as many science classes as she can. She is also a member of the schools Health Science Academy, a focused set of classes in biology and the medical field. Once I got here, you are really independent on what you get to take, she said. Newbary is planning to continue her interest in science by studying medicine at West Point. They have a life sciences major, which is like their version of pre-med, she said. In addition to softball, Newbary also plays volleyball at Big Sky. While she has a lot of friends who play volleyball on the team with her, softball is her passion and the one she wanted to continue playing in college. Following last years high school season, she was named an all-state pitcher. Newbary said her friends at Big Sky have been a big support to her ever since she found out she would be going to West Point. Many of them told her they werent surprised. They said they can definitely see me there, with my discipline and my work ethic, she said. Newbary said she didnt have any plans yet for what she wanted to accomplish after high school graduation and before she has to report for basic training on June 27. During that six-week period of basic training, all of her communication with people in Missoula will come in the form of letters. That will be the hardest thing for me, leaving my family, she said. One thing Ive heard is just to enjoy your friends and family as much as you can before you go. For what its worth, the Bundy-led takeover of the federal Malheur Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon is about over. Why these misled individuals ever thought they could simply pull out military-style weapons, intimidate local citizens, commandeer a federal facility and threaten federal and state law enforcement officers with deadly force is beyond imagination. That the incident ended with only one suicide by cop is actually miraculous. Those who have been following this debacle will recall that Ammon Bundy, son of rogue Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, told his small band of followers that the Lord had directed him to go to Burns, Oregon, to intervene in the case of two ranchers who were sentenced to federal prison for setting fires on public lands. In at least one case, a witness at their trial, who happened to be a relative, testified that they were intentionally trying to destroy evidence of deer poaching. That these same ranchers had a long history of violating a variety of laws and regulations, as well as endangering a fire-fighting crew with their illegal arson, was apparently something the Lord forgot to tell Ammon Bundy. One has to wonder, now that Bundy and his followers are headed to occupy a different kind of federal facility, namely a penitentiary, if their education ever contained a basic lesson taught to most students. Namely, the tragedy of the commons, a concept put forth in an 1833 essay by William Foster Lloyd to describe what happens when lands held in common by the public are abused by those seeking to exploit the publics lands and resources for their personal enrichment. Ironically, although Lloyd employed a hypothetical example of unregulated grazing on British commons, the Bundy bunch was intent on turning the hypothesis into reality when they destroyed fences on the wildlife refuge intended to keep cattle out of the refuge. Among the many good reasons for the cattle exclusion is the fact that the refuge is also home to Indian artifacts dating back thousands of years and representing the long history of the Paiute tribes habitation of the area. The Bundy abuse of the commons didnt stop there, however. Using federal heavy equipment, they also decided to bulldoze in a new road in an area that had been intentionally left roadless because numerous Indian artifacts were located beneath the surface. As one of the wildlife refuge employees told reporters, if they had wanted a road there, they surely would have built it in the 108 years the refuge has existed. This outrageous and ignorant behavior should come as no surprise to those who followed the equally militant tactics of Cliven Bundy in the Nevada desert in 2014. A serial lawbreaker, for 20 years Bundy has refused to pay the federal government the same incredibly low grazing fees charged all other ranchers who run cattle on federal lands. After running up more than a million dollars in unpaid fees and fines, the Bureau of Land Management closed hundreds of thousands of acres and began a roundup of Bundys free-ranging cattle, which were to be removed and sold to recoup at least part of the debt Bundy owed the government for his illegal trespass and abuse of the lands that are owned by each and every American. After gun-toting militants showed up at the Bundy ranch, erected roadblocks and shut down public roads, the federal agents decided the potential for violence and bloodshed was too high to risk an armed confrontation. Many still feel this was a mistake and set the precedent that drove Cliven Bundys sons to follow in their fathers misdirected footsteps in Oregon a reality Cliven must live with daily as his sons head for prison. In a nation of laws, there is simply no room for Bundy-style anarchy where those with guns take what they want by force of arms. It wont work in the cities, nor will it work in rural areas and especially not when it comes to abuse of public lands and waters. Quite contrary to their intentions, the Bundys have not done any favors for public lands ranchers. Millions of Americans now know it costs less to graze two dozen cows for a month on federal land than to visit a national park or stay a single night in a federal campground. In short, Bundys antics completely backfired, bringing increased scrutiny upon the ranching community and fostering less tolerance for those who would abuse Americas incredible public lands heritage. 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 actually 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 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 to write 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 longtime 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. In his time in public office, Kasich has sometimes been criticized by the NRA, abortion rights groups, the Sierra Club, defense contractors, the Tea Party, public employee unions and the AARP. The common people of his congressional district who knew him, however, liked him and in eight races for re-election, he never won by less than 60 percent of the votes. This, in spite of the fact that he was no middle-of-the-roader, compiling a solidly conservative voting record over his 18 year in Congress. The main thing Kasich has been is effective. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, he was repeatedly instrumental in reducing or eliminating wasteful and unnecessary defense spending. In doing so he was able to form alliances with liberal California Democrat Ron Dellums, and then 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 $two million in the black, and in 2014 Kasich was rewarded for re-election by Democrat as well as Republican Ohio voters, carrying 86 of the states 88 counties. Kasichs 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. WACO, Texas (AP) 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 theyve retired. The Waco Fire Department Honor Guard/Pipes & Drum nonprofit organization is thrilled with the vehicle, which began its history not far from where Lohmers 2003 adventure began. Dillon, a town of about 4,000 residents, bought the truck new in 1956 from an American LaFrance dealership in New York. It still has Dillons 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. Im surprised its in Texas now, Cornell, 76, told the Waco Tribune-Herald. I suppose the weathers better for it. He remembers driving the open-top vehicle around Dillon in temperatures well below zero degrees. This is better than finding out its 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 southwestern Montana, probably bigger than some states back east, Later said. Its 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 mens nonprofit organization that hosts annual events, most notably a rodeo, which is Montanas Biggest Weekend, according to the website. Mike Ferris, a former member of the Dillon Jaycees, said it wasnt used for the rodeo that year because the group had a better option. He said the truck wasnt around much longer, and he wasnt 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 wifes 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 trucks purpose between 1996 and 2003 remains a mystery, but the amount of rust might indicate it wasnt covered. It was a wonderful adventure, Lohmer said. Id stop at a Walmart, 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 5 miles to the gallon. *** It was an appropriate addition to Lohmers 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 didnt 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 didnt refurbish it as much as the Waco Fire Department now plans to. The Honor Guard created a GoFundMe page for the trucks 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, Lohmers neighbor, currently has the truck at his home. Its a nostalgic truck, Denman said. It sits low to the ground. Once we remove the water tank, its a good height for a casket vehicle. It would also be a good parade vehicle because its 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. Its 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 Guards 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. Its one thing to do it, and another thing to do it respectfully. Regardless of the how the 60-year-old truck is used, Wacos 3-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 its important to preserve that, he said. If they didnt, I would myself. Its the same with so many more people. Its very much a reward in itself. About this blog My original site was launched in January 2002, transferring to Blogger eleven years later. In 2016, when I finally completed the transfer of my old content, the site had grown to 1,000+ reviews and interviews totaling more than one and a half million words. I hope you find something of interest. The Mississippi Library Commission is committed through leadership, advocacy, and service to strengthening and enhancing libraries and library services for all Mississippians. I saw this piece somewhere on the internet and it got me laughing. This is totally not true!!!HAHAHA Here are few of the reasons ... The images pouring out of Brazil are haunting: struggling newborns with misshapen heads, cradled by mothers who desperately want to know whether their babies will ever walk or talk. There may be thousands of these children in Brazil, and scientists fear thousands more might come as the Zika virus leaps across Latin America and the Caribbean. But the striking deformity at the center of the epidemic, microcephaly, is not new: It has pained families across the globe and mystified experts for decades. For parents, having a child with microcephaly can mean a life of uncertainty. The diagnosis usually comes halfway through pregnancy, if at all; the cause may never be determined Zika virus is only suspected in the Brazilian cases, while many other factors are well documented. And no one can say what the future might hold for a particular child with microcephaly. For doctors, the diagnosis means an ailment with no treatment, no cure and no clear prognosis. If the condition surges, it will significantly burden a generation of new parents for decades. WASHINGTON The United States has carried out at least a dozen operations including commando raids and airstrikes in the past three weeks against militants in Afghanistan aligned with the Islamic State, expanding the Obama administrations military campaign against the terrorist group beyond Iraq and Syria. The operations followed President Obamas decision last month to broaden the authority of American commanders to attack the Islamic States new branch in Afghanistan. The administration which has been accused by Republicans of not having a strategy to defeat the group is revamping plans for how it fights the terrorist organization in regions where it has developed affiliates. Many of these recent raids and strikes in Afghanistan have been in the Tora Bora region of Nangarhar Province an inhospitable, mountainous area in the eastern part of the country, near the border with Pakistan. It was in Tora Bora that Osama bin Laden and other senior Qaeda militants took refuge during the American-led invasion in 2001, and eventually evaded capture by slipping into Pakistan. American commanders in Afghanistan said they believed that between 90 and 100 Islamic State militants had been killed in the recent operations. Intelligence officials estimate that there are roughly 1,000 Islamic State fighters in Nangarhar Province, and perhaps several thousand more elsewhere in the country. But even the generals leading the missions acknowledge that a resilient militant organization can recruit new fighters to replace those killed in American attacks. In the report, lawyers describe tactics for moving money secretly. Another lawyer, Marc Koplik of Henderson & Koplik L.L.P., said, So we have to scrub it at the beginning, if we can, or scrub it at the intermediary location that I mentioned, according to the report. He also said smaller money managers and trustee firms were closer to what true private bankers used to be. Lawyers who were named in the report, or their representatives, told The Times that they took issue with Global Witnesss undercover methods. And a lawyer for Mr. Jankoff and another lawyer for Mr. Koplik said they were unwilling to comment because Global Witness had not been willing to show them advance versions of the full videos, which were posted on Global Witnesss website and featured in a segment Sunday night on 60 Minutes. In the report, Global Witness also said it had met with James Silkenat, a recent president of the American Bar Association. Mr. Silkenat, who works at Sullivan & Worcester, did tell the investigator that he would have to know more about the ministers money, would have to make sure no crimes were committed before taking him on and would report any crimes he found out about to authorities. Nonetheless, Mr. Silkenat told the investigator that there may be other banking systems that are less rigorous on this than the U.S. and that we could provide you with the list of countries where the banking systems require less detail on ownership or source of funds. Mr. Silkenat told The Times by email that his comment was meant to address privacy concerns that the supposed minister might have. He said he had tried to make clear in the meeting that we would be a wholly ill suited choice as legal counsel for any potential client who was looking to violate U.S. or foreign money laundering or other laws. The American Bar Association suggests that government officials who come in as clients should have enhanced scrutiny, but the associations guidelines are voluntary. In its report, Global Witness said that Mr. Silkenat had sent them a letter from an ethics lawyer who said that there is no expectation that lawyers investigate clients at a first meeting. BEIJING A proposed revision to Chinas Wildlife Protection Law is being criticized by conservationists who fear it could legitimize the commercial exploitation of endangered species, such as tigers, bears and pangolins. This is not a step forward, said Toby Zhang, director of Ta Foundation, an animal protection organization based in Beijing. This is a surrender to the wrong and the benighted. The draft legislation would be the first major revision of the 1989 law, which animal welfare advocates had long faulted as providing inadequate safeguards for wildlife, and some proposed changes have won their praise. For example, the bill opens with a mention of its intent to protect not just animals but also their habitats. And it states for the first time that the state has a responsibility to help maintain biodiversity. The draft legislation was made public on Jan. 1 and open for comment until last Friday. But where the existing law is vague about the legality of trading and breeding endangered species for food and medicine a situation critics said opened too many loopholes for animal exploitation and abuse the proposed revisions make explicit that endangered species are natural resources that can be legally bred in captivity for commercial purposes. And it shifts the power for licensing these activities from the central government to provincial ones, which critics say are more likely to bend to local economic interests. SYDNEY, Australia Health officials in tropical far-north Queensland and Papua New Guinea, to Australias north, have begun monitoring for the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which was declared an international public health emergency on Monday by the World Health Organization. Mosquitoes that are known to transmit the Zika virus are found in Queensland, which last reported a case of the illness in March 2014. Prime Minister Peter ONeill of Papua New Guinea said Monday in a statement that the health authorities there would begin screening tourists and residents returning to the country from overseas for the virus and prepare to manage suspected cases. FAMILY RULE The recent media fit about the famed Muhoozi Project is one that has generated public curiosity at home and abroad. Many... Delhaize Group press release - Delhaize Group and Ahold announce dates for Extraordinary General Meetings, and effectiveness of registration statement on form F-4 and approval of eu prospectus BRUSSELS, Belgium, Feb. 1, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Delhaize Group NV/SA ("Delhaize") and Koninklijke Ahold N.V. ("Ahold") today announced that they have respectively called Extraordinary General Meetings ("EGM"), to be held on March 14, 2016, at which their respective shareholders will consider and vote on proposals to approve the intended merger between Delhaize and Ahold. Delhaize's EGM will be held at the Proximus Lounge, rue Stroobantsstraat 51 in 1140 Brussels, Belgium on March 14, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. (CET). Ahold's EGM will be held at the Amsterdam Rai Convention Center on March 14, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. (CET). Delhaize and Ahold have posted their respective EGM convocation documents and related materials on their respective websites at www.delhaizegroup.com and www.ahold.com. The right of Delhaize shareholders to attend and to vote their shares at the Delhaize EGM is subject to the registration of such shares by 11:59 p.m. (CET) on the record date, which is Monday, February 29, 2016. Delhaize and Ahold also announced today that the registration statement on Form F-4 filed by Ahold ("Registration Statement"), which includes a prospectus ("U.S. Prospectus"), was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on January 28, 2016. The Registration Statement will be available through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov, and the U.S. Prospectus has been posted by Delhaize and Ahold on their respective websites at www.delhaizegroup.com and www.ahold.com, as well as at www.adcombined.com. Delhaize and Ahold announced as well today that the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (Stichting Autoriteit Financiele Markten or "AFM") had approved a prospectus registered with the AFM by Ahold ("EU Prospectus"). The EU Prospectus has been passported into Belgium. The EU Prospectus is required in connection with the admission to listing and trading on Euronext Amsterdam of the Ahold ordinary shares to be issued as part of the intended merger, and in connection with the admission to listing and trading on Euronext Brussels of the Ahold ordinary shares. The EU Prospectus has been posted by Delhaize and Ahold on their respective websites at www.delhaizegroup.com and www.ahold.com, as well as at www.adcombined.com. On June 24, 2015, Delhaize and Ahold announced their intention to merge, creating an international retailer with a portfolio of strong, trusted local brands and more than 375,000 associates serving more than 50 million customers each week in the United States and Europe. Ahold Delhaize will offer enhanced choice and value for customers, provide more compelling opportunities for associates and contribute even more to the local communities it serves. The transaction is expected to be completed in mid-2016, following associate consultation procedures, shareholder approval and regulatory clearances. Delhaize Group Delhaize Group is a Belgian international food retailer present in seven countries on three continents. At the end of 2015, Delhaize Group's sales network consisted of 3 512 stores. In 2015, Delhaize Group posted 24.4 billion ($27.1 billion) in revenues. In 2014, Delhaize Group posted 89 million ($118 million) in net profit (Group share). At the end of 2014, Delhaize Group employed approximately 150 000 people. Delhaize Group's stock islisted on NYSE Euronext Brussels (DELB) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEG). This press release is available in English, French and Dutch. You can also find it on the website http://www.delhaizegroup.com. Questions can be sent to investor@delhaizegroup.com . Contacts Investor Relations: + 32 2 412 2151 Media Relations: + 32 2 412 8669 Press release in PDF http://hugin.info/133961/R/1982435/726432.PDF HUG#1982435 The New Ireland Fund, Inc. Monthly Portfolio Update The New Ireland Fund, Inc. (NYSE: IRL) today released an updated Monthly portfolio statement as of January 31, 2016. The holdings are subject to change at any point in time hereafter. Investment Objective: The New Ireland Fund, Inc. (NYSE: IRL), a closed-end diversified investment company, seeks long-term capital appreciation through investment of at least 80% of its assets in a portfolio of Irish securities. The New Ireland Fund, Inc. is managed by Kleinwort Benson Investors International Ltd., a subsidiary of Kleinwort Benson Investors Dublin Ltd., and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol IRL. For further information, please contact the Fund at (800) 468-6475 or investor.query@newirelandfund.com Website: newirelandfund.com Copyright 2022 HT Digital Streams Ltd All Right Reserved The inspiration to start his own literary press came after Butte-born novelist Matthew R. K. Haynes got rejected by a literary agent on the East Coast. Haynes submitted a manuscript in 2008 to his New York agent, who thought well enough of his work that she took the manuscript with her to the Hamptons, an affluent vacation destination on New York's Long Island, east of New York City. Haynes felt flattered because his agent wanted to read his work while she was away for the Thanksgiving holidays. But after reading Haynes' submission, she contacted him to say she loved the work but found it too literary. She couldn't sell it. "She said, 'There's no way in h*** I can sell this,'" Haynes said. "It broke my heart for the literary world. That it can be too literary didnt make sense to me." COMING HOME So Haynes decided it was time to change things. He moved back to Butte last year after a 22-year absence and started his own literary press, called Educe Press. Haynes says hes undaunted by his lack of business experience. "I know writing and editing, and I want to publish writing I thought should be out in the world and not really care about money." Haynes said his plan is to publish two to three titles a year. Educe Press will publish an international work of poetry Feb. 10. The chapbook which is a small collection of poetry about 40 pages long is called Home, No Home. The author, Naoko Fujimoto, a poet from Nagoya, Japan, received her college and graduate education at Indiana University at South Bend. The chapbook, written in English, is the first in the Oro Fino Chapbook competition. Haynes intends to have a round of chapbook submissions each year. This is not the first publication for Educe Press. Robby Nadler's full-length book of poetry, Jesse Garon Writes a Love Letter, became the first Euduce Press publication, arriving in readers hands last spring. The book was nominated for the prestigious Lambda Literary Award. Haynes has gotten some assistance with his venture, both here and abroad. For help reading the submissions, he brought in two editors, Idaho-based Carrie Seymour and Butte-based Colin Cote. Cote works at the Butte Public Library. The trio received over 400 submissions. Haynes found a designer, Igor Zelenov, who lives in St. Petersburg, Russia, to design the book cover. Haynes met Zelenov when he was traveling through Butte this past fall. Poet Diane Raptosh, previously long-listed for the National Book Award for her book of poetry American Amnesiac in 2013, also helped Haynes and added prestige to his venture by judging the final selection of submissions. Haynes said he chose Raptosh because he admires her poetry. "I thought she'd be a person who would find something that sparkled a little differently," Haynes said. LABOR OF LOVE The endeavor is a labor of love for all involved. No one has gotten paid for their work. Haynes, who read his work in Missoula on Saturday, published his first novel, Moving Towards Home, in 1999. He was a State of Idaho Writing Fellow in 2010. He published a second novel, Friday, last spring. Graduating from Butte High School in 1992, Haynes left Butte when he was still a teenager by hopping a Greyhound bus to explore the West. He got a scholarship to Boise State University, where he received bachelor of arts, master of arts, and master of fine arts degrees. Haynes has traveled the world, spending time in such far-flung places as Paris and Hawaii, but he's happy to be back home. He left his job teaching creative writing at Boise State to return to Butte to be closer to his mother, Kuuipo Haynes, after his father died. To anyone who scoffs at the idea that Butte residents are not interested in new writing, Haynes might disagree. He says the monthly reading series he started at the Imagine Butte Resource Center in Uptown Butte last winter, when he first arrived in town, brought out as many as 52 people at one of the readings. "It was amazing," Haynes said "We never had less than 10 (audience members)." He added that he's attended readings in large cities where only a handful of people came out to hear an author read literary work. Haynes said listeners came from all over Montana as well as Butte to attend the monthly reading series. LITERARY TRADITION Butte-born writer Edwin Dobb, who also relocated to Butte in middle age, is not surprised to learn that there is an independent literary press and a literary reading series here. He says the Mining City has a long-standing literary tradition which connected residents to their Irish roots. "Miners read poetry and wrote poetry. They told stories. They sang songs. That love of language kept the culture alive," Dobbs said via a Facebook message to the Standard. Dobb calls the love of poetry and literature in Butte an extension of "the oral tradition of the Irish and other ethnic groups," who migrated to Butte to go underground and work in the mines. Haynes, who is part Hawaiian and part Irish, said it's great to be back in Butte. He said he felt anxious at first, in part because he was leaving behind such a vibrant artistic community in Boise. But, in time, he found things to love about Butte. Ive always been curious about the idea of returning home, Haynes said. You can never see home the way you see it the first time. HELENA Methamphetamine's grip on Montana not only harms parents who use the drug and their children, but it is also taking a toll on the states public defender office. Thats what the states Supreme Court administrator told the Task Force of State Public Defender Operations, which met Monday in Helena. The 2015 legislative bill that created the task force cited increased caseload, more abuse and neglect cases and 21,000 open cases by the end of fiscal year 2014. In district courts across Montana, abuse and neglect cases have doubled from 2009 to 2015, said Beth McLaughlin, administrator for Montana Supreme Court. The number of abuse and neglect cases rose 700 between 2014 and 2015, McLaughlin said, and hit 2,321 in 2015. She said Billings topped 500 abuse and neglect cases, a level thats never been seen in a single judicial district in Montana. What were hearing from judges is most of the growth is related to an increase in methamphetamine and heroin, McLaughlin said. Several respondents to a survey sent to people who work in or are involved with the public defender office cited these sorts of cases as being a burden on the program. Survey recipients include current and former judges, county and deputy county attorneys, city and deputy city attorneys, sheriffs and deputies, police chiefs and officers, Public Defender Office attorneys and employees and contracted attorneys. About 100 responses to the anonymous online survey were received between Jan. 21 and 29. Results will be collected through February. The survey questions are: what works well with the Office of the State Public Defender; what isnt working well; and what changes could improve the function of the office? McLaughlin said these types of cases mental health cases, guardianship, child abuse and neglect have always been a part of the public defender office. This is not a new assignment for the public defender office, she said. Whats happened is a growth in cases. The task force also raised the issue of who gets public defenders and if the people who are appointed attorneys can afford to pay for representation. Task force members cited the case of Chris Christensen, a Ravalli County doctor who was arrested last year for allegedly providing hundreds of illegal prescriptions to patients, including two who died from an overdose. After his arrest, he was initially appointed a public defender, but the Office of the State Public Defender rescinded the appointment in November following a review of Christensens financial records. Some task force members asked if it would be possible to investigate more fully whether people requesting representation from the public defenders office are truthful when they list their income and assets. On the form, applicants must list how much they make, how much their spouse makes, how much they receive in any federal and state benefits and other sources of income. They must also list any real estate or other property such as vehicles they own, and list monthly expenses. Anyone who receives payments from certain public assistance programs such as Social Security automatically qualifies. People who makes less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level would meet income requirements. For example, a single person would earn $15,654 or less annually. For a household of four, the level is $32,253. People may also qualify under hardship rules, which look at the severity of the crime or crimes charged, time period until the next court date and if local private counsel rates would incur a hardship. Income and assets are verified for 10 percent of applicants. Chief Public Defender Bill Hooks said the office has 11 employees who review applications and a more in-depth investigation wouldnt be possible because it would take too much time. State Sen. David Howard, R-Park City, said the state could use services similar to what banks use to run checks when people apply for loans. Respondents to the survey also cited large caseloads and low pay, which lead to turnover and low morale. I have to work 20 hours of volunteer time a week to give adequate defense for my caseload that averages 2.5 times the maximum amount that I am supposed to work, one respondent wrote. Turnover within the office is an ongoing problem, though its more related to workload than pay, Harry Freebourn, administrative director for the department, told the task force. Freebourn said most people leave the office with five years or less of experience. The average turnover for state employees is 9 to 10 percent, Freebourn said. He thinks thats a good goal for the office. Entry-level pay in Montanas public defender office is $26.27 an hour, which is higher than rates in Idaho ($24.04) and lower than Wyoming ($26.44) North Dakota ($31.86) and South Dakota ($29.32). At the other end of the pay scale, long-term attorneys make $41.87 an hour in Montana. The only state that paid less was Wyoming at $39.39. In Idaho, its $65.51, in South Dakota its $63.05 and it's $45.25 in North Dakota. Contract attorneys make $62 an hour for non-death-penalty cases, which is lower than whats paid in Idaho ($125), North Dakota ($75) and South Dakota ($92). Wyoming does not use contract attorneys. Montana pays $120 for death-penalty cases. Montana Rail Link wont be hiring this year. BNSF Railway's system-wide capital expenditures plan for 2016 is a 25-percent cut from 2015. BNSF isn't saying how many of its Montana workers have been laid off this winter. A spokesman said MRL has furloughed two dozen as we adjust employee levels to meet our customers needs. For now at least, those needs are dramatically fewer than a year ago. Montana Rail Link is a short-line railroad headquartered in Missoula and owned by billionaire Dennis Washingtons Washington Companies. Texas-based BNSF, one of the nations Big 4 railroads, is wholly owned by Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which bought it for $44 billion in 2010. Though neither claims to be in crisis mode, both are feeling the pinch of a freight recession thats battering the rail industry. The Bakken oil boom has busted. Even as the Obama administration imposes a moratorium on new coal leases on federal lands a move already being challenged in Montana and elsewhere overseas markets for coal from southeast Montana and Wyoming are turning to dust. China alone reduced coal imports by 30 percent last year. Nationwide, coal shipped by rail was down by nearly 700,000 carloads in 2015 a decline of 12 percent from 2014. And its only going to get worse in 2016. At this point we expect coal shipments on MRL to decrease 50 percent over volumes experienced in 2014, said Jim Lewis, Rail Link's chief sales and marketing manager. If that comes to pass, Montanans along the Rail Link's main route through Billings, Bozeman, Helena and Missoula will see 70,000 fewer carloads of coal this year than they did two years ago. Compounding the outlook is the global call for renewable energy. The spending bill passed in Congress late last year extended two key federal tax credits supporting wind and solar energy. In his final State of the Union address this month, President Obama said, Weve got to accelerate the transition away from old, dirtier energy sources, and asked, Why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future? As a pundit pointed out, you cant haul sunshine on a train. The 2015 numbers are startling. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) said this month that freight rail traffic in the U.S. in 2015 was down more than 900,000 carloads 6.1 percent from the year before. In the first three weeks of 2016, its dropped 16.6 percent compared to the same three weeks in 2015. Other than a rock-bottom year in 2009, when U.S. rail carloads dropped below 14 million, the 14.3 million loads shipped last year were the fewest since the AAR started keeping track in 1988. The peak year of 2006 leading up to the nations recession was the only one above 17 million carloads. For MRL, the 2015 plummet was steep 15 percent fewer coal cars and 10 percent of its total volume of the year before. That, said Lewis, was before Cloud Peak Energys Spring Creek strip mine in Decker announced it wouldnt be shipping 4 million tons of coal to export destinations in 2016. And it was before the same company laid off 66 workers from its underground Signal Peak Mine in Roundup at year's end and nixed the shipment of 1.5 to 2 million tons of coal. According to Lewis, that equates to some 50,000 fewer carloads a 42-percent drop from even a lean 2015. BNSF, which operates in Montana and 27 other states as well as three Canadian provinces, reported relatively flat freight volumes in 2015, Matt Jones, the company's director of public affairs for Montana, said in an email Friday. However," he said, "we have experienced lower than expected freight-transportation demand from our customers, and the economic outlook is uncertain as we head into 2016. The weakening demand isnt limited to coal, but the coal industry faces several significant headwinds that are reducing U.S. coal transportation demand, said Jones. Those headwinds include additional regulations, low natural gas prices, and a strong dollar, and Jones said they impact rail demand for other commodities like grain, steel and crude oil as well. BNSF is adjusting (its) workforce demand numbers down to match volume and the work required to move that volume, he said. Consequently, in 2016 we will satisfy additional needs by bringing back furloughed employees. Jones said he doesn't know the numbers of workers BNSF has furloughed, but they arent concentrated in any one geographic area. The railroad began handing out furloughs last April. News outlets reported in December that 100 BNSF employees had been laid off at three locations in North Dakota and Minnesota. Ron de Yong worries that Montana railroads will use declining volumes to justify raising their rates. Everythings relative, the state's director of agriculture said Friday from Helena. When you say 'not a good year for producers,' theyre actually losing money. 'Not a good year for railroads' means theyre not going to make quite as much profit as they did before. Just a couple of years ago, the railroads were having entirely different challenges, de Yong pointed out. They shipped huge volumes. They couldnt keep up with volume, he said. Coal, oil, agriculture we were all having service problems, and the railroads made a lot of money. But their rates didnt go down. The rail industry tracks car-load numbers in 20 commodity groups, and across the U.S. all but five showed declines in numbers in 2015. The biggest single exception was grain, which shipped some 36,000 more car loads than in 2014, an increase of 3.4 percent. Car loads in grain mill products also showed a slight increase. The temptation is to balance the books and, as de Yong said, satisfy shareholders demands by charging more when youre hauling less. He fears grain trains are attractive targets. Lewis said that even though MRLs regional shipments were down, its 150 on-line customers in Montana experienced 5-percent growth in 2015. One of his short lines biggest hits is in intermodal cargo, those big industrial containers and trailers. To compete with the Union Pacific Railroad, its Big 4 rival in the West, BNSF spent nearly $3.5 billion during the past few years to provide expedited service for intermodal and standard traffic between Chicago and Seattle. It launched the service in September. Lewis said BNSF is now routing a majority of intermodal traffic along its Hi-Line route instead of the tracks its leases to MRL across southern Montana. Its no coincidence that Rail Links intermodal shipments fell 17 percent in 2015. Both of Montanas largest railroads stress their investments in capital improvements and focus on safety. President and CEO Carl Ice unveiled BNSFs capital expenditure plan for 2016 on Tuesday. The $4.3 billion budget is a big drop from the $5.8 billion spent last year. Our railroad is in the best shape it has ever been, Ice insisted in a press statement. Each year our capital plan works to balance our near-term need to regularly maintain a vast network that is always in motion with the longer-term demand outlook of our customers. Its not yet known how much money BNSF will spend in Montana in 2016. Jones, whos based in Bozeman, expects to have those numbers in coming weeks. He said BNSF spent a record $15.3 billion in capital investments in 2013-15, including $450 million in Montana. According to Lewis figures, Montana Rail Link invested $50 million in capital improvements and maintenance in 2014 and $62 million in 2015. That will be trimmed to $40 million this year. He said that will cover the cost of such items as replacing 133,000 ties, installing 22 miles of new rail, and resurfacing another 245 miles of track despite rail volume being on a downward trend, he said. He called the investment in infrastructure evidence of MRLs commitment to the people and land of the state we call home. Montana's two biggest railroads say theyll ride out their freight recession just as they did an even bigger one following the peak in 2006. MRL is accustomed to the peaks and valleys of the U.S. and global economy, Lewis said. Although the current economic environment will certainly be a challenge for us and some changes will likely be necessary to adjust to current freight volume levels, we will continue to be focused on safety, efficiency and providing the best rail service in the industry. Lewis is not alarmed about plummeting costs and government incentives for wind and solar production. We value the global and local environment in which our employees live, work and play, he said. MRL hauls many different commodities, including wind-power towers/blades and other products related to renewable energies and recyclables. Typically, when volumes of one commodity shrink, growth occurs in another sector. MRL stands ready to haul whatever commodity groups are in demand, Lewis said. The great stabilizer, de Yong said, is agriculture. The railroads got started with agricultural commodities, and at the end of the day, there are going to be agricultural commodities again, he said. Thats what built the railroads. Jamaica's Prime Minister, Portia Simpson-Miller, has set February 25 as the date for general elections. The vote had to come by December, but Simpson-Miller says her People's National Party (PNP) is ready now. She made the announcement at a late Sunday rally in Jamaica's capital to cheering supporters decked out in orange, the color of her party. The contest will pit her party against the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) led by former Andrew Holness - a former prime minister. He led Jamaica More details here... Perception and personal bias by those outside the journalism field seem to play a bigger role in coverage than journalists do sometimes. Ive been accused of pledging allegiance to the Republican Party every day at work before listening to my required amount of time of Rush Limbaugh. Ive also been accused of being just another bleeding-heart liberal with an agenda. The fact of the matter is Im neither and I dont run a newspaper that holds partisan values. But people often form a perception about me because I work in the media or their own bias influences how they see me. I grew up in Kansas, attending an American Baptist church each Sunday and my father listened to Limbaugh on the radio every day in the summer while home from teaching. I attended a small university in the Midwest Pittsburg (Kansas) State University. Yes, there were some very left-leaning professors there trying to push their political agenda, but the most outspoken ones seemed to reside in the English and philosophy departments. Contrary to popular belief, were taught to report unbiasedly in news classes in college. There seems to be a theory by people who have never set foot in a journalism school that were indoctrinated to push a liberal agenda and thats why were in the news media. Personally, I find it insulting to my intelligence that I would throw away 18 years of memories and experiences because a couple college professors held far-left beliefs and told me I needed to do the same. I also find it insulting to you and your neighbors intelligence to suggest that if an article doesnt come out exactly as you like because you feel its not balanced enough that the masses are going to be swayed by that, unable to return to their original thoughts. In one of my college classes we learned about the magic bullet rather, the fact it doesnt exist. The theory goes that the medias messages will go straight to every consumers head and they will all be affected the same way. The fact is, everyone reacts differently to every message based on their past experiences and own political, religious or socioeconomic position. I was listening to a roundtable discussion on media and politics that aired on National Public Radio's All Things Considered this past Saturday and Ryan Grim, Washington bureau chief for the Huffington Post, stated it perfectly: I do think there is a strange idea the media has that if you tell the public what you think they can no longer think for themselves. We know we cant control you with a message and we, at the Journal at least, dont have an agenda to push. Take a moment to realize that were people, too. Everyone in our newsroom has various personal experiences that shape who they are. We have a staff with a mixed set of beliefs and values. We find common ground with each other and our sources. Our job is to to tell the communitys story. This presidential caucus/primary season has been as divisive as Ive seen in a while especially within the parties. And that seems to fuel the theory of media bias. From the article I wrote about the protests at the Trump rally, someone accused me a of fabricating the announcement to the crowd about how to handle protesters. I have most of the announcement on video. Someone pointed out there were only five protesters outside (and proved it with a photo). The protesters said some were coming late and some were leaving early. I have a photo with nearly a dozen people in it and when I walked past them after the rally there were several different people there than when I went in. Everything is not always as it appears. Thats why we try to gather as many facts as we can and present the closest to truth we can put together on deadline. We know you, our readers, are smart enough to discern it on your own. MUSCATINE, Iowa The Muscatine County Parkinson's Support Group will meet at the Muscatine County Extension Office, 1514 Isett Ave. on Thursday, Feb. 11. Social Time is 3:30-4 p.m. followed by the program, the annual Valentine party. Those attending are asked to bring their completed activity sheets for the chance to stump the group. New members whose lives are impacted by Parkinsons disease are welcome. The goal is to provide pertinent information to those in the area who are seeking information on ways to cope with this disease and, at the same time, building a network of families facing similar issues. For more information, contact John and Karen Schaub at 563-263-1866 or Wayne and Pat Corriell at 563-649-2285. MUSCATINE Pauline Curry, 95, of Muscatine, passed away Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, at Lutheran Living. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, at the Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home. The Rev. David Morris will officiate. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, at the Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home. Private burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the Musser Public Library or to the Pilot Club of Muscatine in memory of Pauline. The Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences: www.wittichfuneralhome.com. Pauline was born on May 28, 1920, in Salem, Iowa. She graduated from high school at the age of 17. She then went to the University Hospital School of Nursing in Chicago to complete her nurses training, graduating in 1944. After graduating she returned to Mount Pleasant, Iowa, to begin her nursing career. After moving to Muscatine, she worked 50 years in the field of nursing, helping many. She met James Curry through mutual friends, and they were married in 1952. Pauline had a rich, full life. She loved working as a hospital auxiliary volunteer. She was a member of the Pilots Club, and through the public library she worked for the home delivery service program. She was noticed by the University of Iowa for knitting thousands of lap robes for the patients of the university. Pauline loved to travel. She traveled to many exotic places and loved to share stories of her many adventures. Pauline had many wonderful friends that meant the world to her. She loved to cook, make crafts and visit with her friends. A group of women that were a large part of her life was the knit wits. Many hours were spent laughing and crafting with her friends. Pauline will be deeply missed by her children, Lisa Curry of Davenport, and Amy Danay and her husband, Robert Danay, of Muscatine; her grandchildren, William Danay and his wife, Jorie, of Chicago, and Laura Danay, of Davenport; her sisters, Clara Littell and Ramona Dingus; and one brother, Jiggs McDowell. She is preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Irma McDonald and her brother, Junior McDowell. WASHINGTON Every year, for as long as I can remember, the annual March for Life is about the same: Joyful high-school and college students flood Washington, D.C., in buses. And a few angry counter-protesters show up around the Supreme Court. I'm pretty used to the routine. And yet, I wasn't prepared for this year's annual anti-abortion rally. "Blood-curdling" comes closest to describing the scene. The anger on display by the small band of pro-choice counter-protesters was so intense that I imagined the terror of hell. The shrieks seemed to be coming out of such deep wounds and mammoth fury. As the pro-life marchers made their way up Capitol Hill, a group in white and black descended upon the Supreme Court, seemingly bent on drowning out all other voices. At that particular moment, members of the Charismatic Episcopal Church were praying for an end to abortion and those hurt by it. They expressed their love and prayers for those who were screaming at them. The counter-protesters seemed to have missed that March for Life's theme this year was about loving both a pregnant woman and her child. They didn't seem to be interested in the older woman with the "I Regret My Abortion" placard. The demonstration outside the Court in all its crude, rude, anger was a cry out for help, and not in the way intended. During the same week, Marist polling commissioned by the Knights of Columbus showed that two-thirds of those who describe themselves as pro-choice want some restrictions on abortion. One-third of them, in fact, say that abortion is morally wrong. The "pro-life" label, in other words, doesn't tell the whole story. People want to know that women in tough situations have the help they need, have choices. Choice should not be pressure to abort. Choice should be what former Cosmo writer Sue Ellen Browder described during a March for Life panel as interconnecting bonds of loving support. Every year before the March for Life, high school and college students move into the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception adjacent to the campus of the Catholic University of America, my alma mater, where they hold a vigil. Talking to these students, Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan told the story of a scared mother who left her newborn in the crib of a Nativity display in a Catholic Church in Queens. The mother told a reporter: "I'm very religious, so right away I thought of my church, Holy Child Jesus. I go there a lot, and the priests and people are so good. I just knew if I left him in God's hands, my baby would be OK. So, I ran into my church and put him in the empty crib. Then he started crying. I just hoped he was warm enough. I hid in the back of church, knowing Father would find my baby and the people would help him." Dolan, who is head of the office of the bishops' conference devoted to pro-life ministry and education, said: "God bless that baby -- who I hear is doing well and is named Jose after the foster father of Jesus; God bless that frightened young mom who refused to believe in what Pope Francis has termed our 'throwaway culture'; God bless Holy Child Jesus Parish in Queens for radiating such a spirit of welcome, joy, warmth and outreach that our Mexican mother spontaneously knew her baby would be safe there; God bless this culture of life!" It's that welcome that will end abortion in America. People knowing there is support for those who choose life. There is nothing more self-destructive than turning in on ourselves, lashing out, doubling down on a politics that pits a mother against her child. The shrill sounds of counter-protest seemed to betray the unhappiness at its heart, especially in such stark contrast with the joy and hope that overflowed from those who want to help, and in many cases provide that help in the work of their everyday lives. Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review Online and founding director of Catholic Voices USA. She can be contacted at klopez@nationalreview.com. 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 [] MultiChoice subsidiary M-Net will launch its digital terrestrial TV service GOtv in South Africa soon. The company recently sent invitations to media inviting them to an M-Net digital terrestrial television announcement, to be held on 3 February. Since then, details about the service have started to emerge online. A GOtv decoder will cost R699 once-off, and includes a months subscription to the top-end package on the service called GOtv Value. The decoder works with an antenna, and those without an appropriate antenna can buy a GOtenna for R299. Subscriptions to GOtv Value will cost R99 per month and will include 12 channels at launch: M-Net Movies Zone Africa Magic Epic Mzansi Wethu Mzansi Bioskop TLC Entertainment SuperSport Blitz SuperSport Select NickToons Disney Junior Channel O Mzansi Magic Music Dumisa A cheaper package, GOtv Lite, will cost R45 per quarter (3 months) and has 2 channels: Mzansi Magic Music and Dumisa. Unlike DStv, which has satellite coverage across almost the whole of South Africa, GOtv is broadcast from towers. This limits GOtvs coverage, as shown in the map below. More on MultiChoice and digital TV The impact of Netflix on MultiChoice and the South African TV market MultiChoice is hiring someone to go after online pirates in SA First digital TV set top boxes roll out New launch date for digital TV in South Africa Keep cars healthy, or face up to 30 days in jail, the City of Cape Town has warned. The City of Cape Towns Health Directorate said in a statement on Sunday that cars were the biggest source of air pollution in Cape Town, and appealed to the public to report excessive smoke emissions in vehicles. Cars emitting dark smoke could be towed at the owners expense, the City said. Any person who is guilty of an offence in terms of the Air Quality Management By-law is liable on conviction to imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or to a fine, or to both a fine and imprisonment, the statement said. The Citys mayoral committee member for health, Councillor Siyabulela Mamkeli, said offenders could be reported to the Citys Air Quality Management Unit during office hours. When reporting offenders, the registration number of the vehicle; the make and model; the location and direction of travel; and the date and time that the observation was made would be needed. It is key to get all vehicle owners to assess their behaviour and determine whether theyre contributing to the problem, he said. News24 More motoring news The latest massive upgrades to Kyalami race track Tesla pickup truck likely in the future The only people who will be angry at you for speaking the truth based on real facts are those who perpetuate a life of denial and deceit. Like a ray of sunshine through a crack into a room filled with ignorance and fear, truth seeks out those who are righteous. Y. M. Whoever wins the US election in November and takes office in January will be the oldest president ever inaugurated. Trump was the oldest president to win a first term in 2016, and if he wins a second term he'll by 74 at his 2021 inauguration. If Biden wins, he'll be 78. That's pretty old! But septuagenarian presidents are a common occurrence in Africa. When Robert Mugabe was forced from office at age 93 he was the oldest head of state in the world. I posted the ages of all the presidents in ECOWAS countries two years ago. Five out of 15 were 70 years or older. Todd Moss and Stephanie Majerowicz of the Center for Global Development speculated that large gaps could lead to public anger, protests, and government turnover. We can test that hypothesis over the past two years. Below is the list from 2018; if the president hasn't changed I just posted the new age, and if he was recently re-elected. If the president did change, I post the new president with his new age, an Brigham Young takes over as leader of the LDS Church in 1844 after Prophet Joseph Smith is killed in Carthage, Illinois. Plans begin to move the Saints west away from U.S. government rule to a territory safe from persecution. Elder Samuel Brannan is to begin the planned exodus and is tasked with delivering more than 200 church members (men, women and children) west to California aboard a ship. On Feb. 4, 1846, The Brooklyn, a 450-ton Yankee trading ship, leaves New York harbor. The trip took nearly six months, sailing around Cape Horn and landing at Yerba Buena on July 31, 1846. But this voyage was nearly scuttled only weeks before the scheduled departure. Had it not been for Brannans quick thinking and clever maneuvering, neither California nor Calistoga would be what they are today. It was the first week in January. It had taken weeks to rework the ship to accommodate the many passengers and supplies needed for their journey. As Elder Brannan looked over his now nearly stripped printery (he was the publisher of the Mormon newspaper The Messenger), a stranger walked through the door. Brannan disliked him immediately; there was something suspicious and untrustworthy about the man. This stranger, A.G. Benson, claimed to be an emissary from Washington and wanted to warn Brannan about the Saints planned emigration west. Benson went on to explain that he had been informed of the expedition to colonize Mexican territory by force if necessary by President Polk himself. The president had issued an order, a sloop-of-war is close by. Brannans suspicions grew deeper. Whats your proposition, Mr. Benson? Benson went on to explain that his company along with his partner Amos Kendall, the former postmaster general, could intercede with the president and ensure the ship would sail as planned. The contract would be simple. Benson and Kendall would guarantee safe exit and passage for the Saints, understanding that the agreement would be signed initially by Brannan, and in effect when ratified by Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve. The contract stated, once the Saints had arrived at their destination, one-half of any lands acquired shall belong and be conveyed to Benson, his associate and heirs. Also, if Brannan or any of the Saints shall within 10 years establish any cities or towns that each alternate lot shall belong and be conveyed to Benson and his associates and assigns. Brannan knew if he wanted to remove the church members to safety and on schedule, he would need to agree. The next day Benson brought the contract for Brannans signature. Brannan knew his signature would not be enough, and he knew Brigham Young would never sign such an agreement. This was extortion, plain and simple. Whether President Polk was actually involved or not was unimportant, and there were no chances to be taken, and no time. Brannan sent a carefully written letter to Brigham Young explaining the situation. He made copies of the contract written by hand and sent the original to Young in a separate package. Brannan then sent another letter to Young, still written with words chosen to imply they not agree or sign. Correspondences were sometimes intercepted and Brannan was afraid to bluntly state how he truly felt about Bensons proposal; he could only pray that Brigham Young would read through his words. Brannan was also careful to delay his mailings, thereby making it impossible for a reply to be received by Benson and Kendall prior to the ships sailing. It was a risk but one that had to be taken. Brannan was absolutely correct about Brigham Youngs reaction. Upon receiving Brannans mailings, anger raged and Young tore the contract to pieces. He would not allow the Saints or the church to be blackmailed nor taken advantage of. It was midmorning Feb. 4, 1846, and Elder Samuel Brannan along with his wife Ann Eliza, their small son Samuel Jr., and 235 Latter Day Saints, had safely boarded The Brooklyn. Sail was set for 1 p.m. Brannan stood on deck watching over the side, worried, intrepid and exhilarated. He had beat the blackguards and was about to begin a journey that, unbeknownst to him, would make history. A.G. Benson sat, still waiting for a signed document that never came. Kathy Bazzoli is a board member of the Sharpsteen Museum. Each January, Lucky Penny Productions shifts its theatrics to a higher speed. Stage props are stripped to the bare minimum: a handful of perfume bottles to create a department-store counter, or a table and chairs symbolizing a boondocks cafe (with an outhouse in back) all too aptly called The Dead End. Scene changes take a minute or less cups and chairs and even an entire sofa rushed off and onto the curtain-less parquet floor under extinguished spotlights. And in between the brief pauses come the equally rapid-fire performances in which Lucky Pennys actors have but 10 minutes to grab the attention of their 99 spectators, to transform themselves into a businessmans naive teenage girlfriend, an aged and crotchety couple hilariously savaging each other on their front porch even a boy and girl dog alternately feuding and flirting over their friends grave. The experience is called 8 x 10 theater, a set of eight plays, each 10 minutes long, one after the other. As Napas Lucky Penny troupe launched its festival In Love With the 8 x 10 on Friday, its creators reflected on the special challenges of speed theater and the hooks it can sink into theatergoers, especially newer ones. The audience knows itll be lively, said Dan Monez, a former Napa police chief who now is an actor and vice president for Lucky Penny. Most of the shows have a comedic element, and they like the variety: old love, young love, lost love, found love, even dog love. Since starting its annual short-play program in 2013, Lucky Penny has staged the festival each January, selecting scripts based on a common theme. This years plays, all of which are receiving their stage debuts, were selected by a reading committee from 108 entries nationwide. Theres a different vibe here; this production has a feeling of surprise to it, said Lucky Penny co-founder Barry Martin, who drew inspiration for the Napa festival from similar productions in Santa Cruz. Its not like going to see The Music Man or Our Town, where you basically know the outline of the story going in. Theres an element of the unexpected and you have to quickly figure out whats going and whos who, so its always engaging. If the series of fast-moving stories keeps spectators on their toes, several of the Napa actors feel the same stimulation of keeping up with two or even three characters while trying to do justice to them all. I completely disconnect my brain, treat them as completely separate plays so I can create a full character here and a full character there, Bethany Pollock said backstage before appearing in Heaven Scent and A Rocky Relationship. The difficult aspect is, you have to put the same effort into a full-length play or a 10-minute play, or else its not believable. Its more of a roller coaster, with the moods and feelings changing in each play, said Megan Palagi, who is directing two plays while also acting in Small Talk as a mousy girl who breaks through her shyness in a chance meeting with a deliveryman. One moment youre laughing and laughing, and the next moment, suddenly its a lot more heartfelt. Inside Lucky Pennys intimate, U-shaped theater, a few minutes often were enough to grab audience members hearts or grins. I thought you liked me sniffing your butt! Miles Ainley exclaimed to Bridget Folan as the two actors in jeans and shirts, with no props save the chairs they were sitting on spun out a give-and-take of would-be canine sweethearts in the comedy Labradors in Heat by Wally Carbone. Not now, not today and not ever! Folan shot back to the guffaws of spectators. But for every such splash of fantasy on stage was an experience warmly true to life. During Michael F. Brucks Tea for Two and Tony Too, a single velvet rope became a queue into Radio City Music Hall, a place for an older man and woman to open their hearts about widowhood, knee replacements and the passing of time. As the time neared for the strangers to take in a Tony Bennett concert, the man shyly inquired: This may be a bit forward, but and was rewarded with the stirrings of new love tea for two to the audiences applause. In Love With the 8 x 10 features the following plays: A Rocky Relationship by Chip Bolcik, Thousand Oaks Heaven Scent by Andy Creane, Clifton, Virginia Home Again by Rod McFadden, Martinez Labradors in Heat by Wally Carbone, Germantown, New York Small Talk by David MacGregor, Howell, Michigan Tea for Two and Tony Too by Michael F. Bruck, New York City The Golden Years by Joe Starzyk, Troy, New York The Marriage Game by Joan Anderson and Dorothy Sanders, Fort Worth, Texas The plays will run through Saturday, Feb. 13. Jerry Brown distances himself from embarrassing situations in the state government he ostensibly commands, never adopting Harry Trumans the buck stops here attitude. I mean, look, s- happens, Brown infamously said three years ago, while shunning executive accountability for defects in the Bay Bridge reconstruction. Hes been similarly dismissive or often, just silent on other imbroglios, such as the hidden money scandal in the Department of Parks and Recreation or the rampant cheating, drinking on duty and other misconduct at the firefighting academy. However, a San Francisco judges ruling this week may force Brown to reveal whether he played any role in a scandal that erupted in the state Public Utilities Commission over a secret settlement in the multibillion-dollar closure of the San Onofre nuclear power plant. It was revealed that PUC President Michael Peevey had secretly met with executives of Southern California Edison, co-owner of the plant, and agreed that $3.3 billion of the $4.7 billion shutdown cost should fall on ratepayers of SoCal Edison and co-owner San Diego Gas and Electric. Coincidentally or not SoCal Edison donated $25 million to a climate change research project at UCLA that was a pet project of Peeveys, a former Edison chief executive. Later, Edison was fined by the PUC for taking part in the meeting. There have since been other embarrassing revelations of private PUC dealings with other utilities, including Pacific Gas and Electric, two former executives of which are Browns top two aides. With the scandal snowballing, Peevey stepped down 15 months ago, saying, Twelve years is enough. He had been originally appointed by then-Gov. Gray Davis. A state criminal investigation of Peevey, including a raid of his home, was launched, but that didnt stop politicians and utility executives from throwing a lavish going-away party. Mike Aguirre, the former city attorney of San Diego, has been conducting his own probe of San Onofre and wants to know whether Brown played any role in the case that Peeveys successor, Brown appointee Michael Picker, has refused to reopen. Aguirre has gone to court, seeking any records, especially emails, that connect Brown to the deal, but the PUC has strenuously opposed his demand, claiming that any San Onofre issues must, under state law, be handled by appellate courts. Last week, Judge Ernest Goldsmith declared that Aguirre can pursue his demand within the superior courts, terming it an extraordinary case. Withholding records of allegedly ex parte secret deals resulting in a shifting of utility losses to ratepayers cannot possibly be a regulatory function of the PUC, Goldsmith said. The following day, the Senate passed two new bills to crack down on secret PUC deals in reaction to Browns veto of similar legislation last year. Those vetoes, coupled with stonewalling Aguirre, increase suspicions that Brown does have something to hide. Dan Walters writes for The Sacramento Bee. GUATEMALA CITY Guatemala tries 2 for alleged abuse of women in civil war A retired military officer and a former paramilitary soldier have gone on trial in Guatemala for alleged abuses against women during the Central American nations long and bloody civil war. Former 2nd Lt. Esteelmer Francisco Reyes Giron and Heriberto Valdez Asij are accused of crimes against humanity for the presumed rape, sexual enslavement, killing and disappearance of at least 15 women. Prosecutor Hilda Pineda said Reyes Giron authorized and permitted soldiers under his command to commit sexual violence and other inhuman treatment against indigenous Mayan women. Reyes Giron declined to speak as the trial opened Monday. Valdez Asij said he was innocent, did not hurt anyone and had been unjustly imprisoned. About a dozen of the alleged victims were in the courtroom wearing indigenous dresses with their faces covered. PARIS Rescuers tow capsized cargo ship before it hits French coast Rescuers successfully diverted a cargo ship threatening to run aground in southwestern France after five days adrift, and started towing it Tuesday toward the Spanish port of Bilbao. Broadcast images showed the 164-meter (538-foot) Modern Express listing dramatically as it was towed by another ship via a cable on Monday afternoon. The maritime authority for Frances Atlantic Coast said in a statement later that the towing operation was successful and the ship was towed far enough from the coast to avoid running aground. At its closest point, the ship had been 26 miles from the shore. Spanish authorities agreed to harbor the ship in Bilbao, where its expected to arrive Wednesday morning, according to the French statement. The crew on the Panama-registered vessel was evacuated after issuing a distress call last week. The ship is carrying 3,600 tons of wood and equipment. High winds and 20-foot waves made weekend rescue attempts impossible. TEHRAN, Iran Iran ex-president criticizes disqualification of candidates Irans former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has sharply criticized the countrys constitutional watchdog for barring moderate candidates from running in elections for a top clerical body including Hassan Khomeini, a grandson of the Islamic Republics founder. The Guardian Council barred Khomeini from running in the Feb. 26 election for the Assembly of Experts. The council screens candidates before allowing them to run. It has disqualified thousands of candidates from standing in both the Assembly elections and parliamentary elections scheduled for the same day. Many candidates have been disqualified because they were not seen to be sufficiently loyal to the ruling system in the eyes of the Guardian Council members. Rafsanjani spoke out against the councils decisions in comments posted on his website Monday. MEXICO CITY Mexico: Cross-border cartel sting netted 22 arrests, 2 dead Mexican authorities say a recent raid near the desert border with Arizona resulted in two drug cartel suspects killed and 22 more arrested. National Security commissioner Renato Sales says weeks of investigation led authorities to the property in Sonora state that was apparently being used to warehouse drugs and migrants for transport to the United States. Sales said Monday that when federal police launched the raid by land and air, they came under fire from armed men guarding the site. Agents seized drugs and weapons. Sales did not mention U.S. authorities role in the cross-border sting, nor did he name the criminal organization to which the suspects are believed to belong. U.S. officials said previously that 24 high-level members of the Sinaloa cartel were arrested in Fridays raid. PARIS France calls on US to lift economic embargo on Cuba France called on the U.S. to lift the economic embargo against Cuba during a state visit by the Caribbean countrys president. French President Francois Hollande told journalists Monday during a joint appearance with Cuban President Raul Castro that President (Barack) Obama, who has made numerous gestures (toward Cuba) ... must now follow through and allow this vestige of the Cold War to end. Castro stressed that the U.S. embargo is the main obstacle to the development of the country. France has called for the lifting of the U.S. embargo since 1991. The Obama administration has announced a normalization of relations with the country in December 2014, but the U.S. maintains an economic embargo against Cuba. THE BLOG OF NEVILLE STEPHENS TO WARN PEOPLE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS COMING BACK TO EARTH SOON, AND THAT THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH TO HEAVEN IS VERY CLOSE AT HAND.YESHUA IS COMING SOON AND IS NOW SHAKING THE WORLD (HAGGAI 2:6) TO DRAW PEOPLE UNTO HIMSELF. IT IS NOT THE WILL OF GOD FOR ANY PERSON TO PERISH, SO NOW IS THE TIME TO TURN TO JESUS FOR SALVATION! Yair Lapid: Russia-Iran relations are serious problem for Ukraine, Europe, and whole world Amir-Abdollahian: Iran is against presence of foreigners in this region, both in Azerbaijan and Armenia Pashinyan at EAEU meeting: Fundamental principles of world economic system in question Iranian Foreign Minister's official visit to Yerevan begins Macron says Germany should not isolate itself in Europe EU begins deployment of mission on Armenia-Azerbaijan border 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 YEREVAN. President of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia, Galust Sahakyan, on Monday delivered special remarks at the start of the next four-day session of the NA. Dear colleagues: Last week the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) discussed two Resolutions relating to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, which became a peculiar cornerstone for that European institution. In fact, those Resolutions distorting the reality, impeding the peaceful negotiation process on the Karabakh conflict were an attempt by their authors to discredit that European high platform and deliberately mislead the international community. They were also direct and indirect attempts to cast a shadow, to underestimate the OSCE Minsk Group activities and to make as a participant of the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh issue an institution, which has no such function and authority. Meanwhile, in their statement preceding the discussion of the Resolutions, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs once again reminded the PACE and the international and regional other organizations that the OSCE Minsk Group is the only format for the solution and negotiations on the problem. They urged them not to take such steps which will harm the OSCE Minsk Group mandate or complicate the continuing negotiation process. And in the statement adopted at the next sitting of the European Union-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC) it was noted: The European Parliament recorded that it fully supports the negotiation process going on under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which is the only internationally recognized format of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. The actions preceding the debate of those resolutions and the results of the debates showed that the parliamentary diplomacy is a genuinely strong weapon, which never loses its significance, and which we can reasonably use. Moreover, it refers to both the members of our delegation and our colleagues not involved in it. In this regard, I would like to congratulate all the MPs, who adequately presented the authenticity and implications of the issues raised in the abovementioned Resolutions and their motivations, reasons and possible consequences in the discussions with their colleagues, in different international structures and formats during this period. Dear colleagues: The abovementioned two Resolutions debated in the PACE with their non-pro-Armenian content, in terms of actions had a certain good influence, once again documenting our ability of acting together and the potential of reaching a result with joint efforts. Moreover , I mean not only the parliamentary forces, in honor of which I should say that the inter-party relations and different viewpoints over different issues, disagreements and also disputes did not prevent their consolidated efforts against anti-Armenian manifestations, for the sake of the Republics of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The governmental and non-governmental institutions, public and non-governmental organizations, ruling and opposition, their partner and adverse parties, in short, the citizen and the state directed their actions and possibilities in the service of the benefit of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Being grateful to all of them, I would like also to express my gratitude to our compatriots and organizations of Diaspora, who in this case also with their pro-Armenian actions backed up Armenia and Artsakh. Deal colleagues: Regardless of the ballot results, both the abovementioned Resolution and, in general any other PACE resolution, we should not observe from the point of view of victory or defeat, especially when, they say, defeat is an orphan, and victory has a hundred fathers. The fact is that we are able to realize our force and use it unitedly for the benefit of the country. Though the false remains false, irrespective of its volume, nevertheless, the fact that as a result of everybodys efforts in one of the European most important platforms the so called report with the fake title and content Escalation of Violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan failed, speaks that not everybody in the PACE saw the reality from Baku oil derrick. Taking the advantage, I would like to thank all the PACE members, who abstained from the actions and way of thinking discrediting that organization, turning it into a tribune of anti-truth and self-interest, temptation, to which both the authors of those resolutions and MPs voted against them could not resist. The result of it was that one of the debated resolutions, nevertheless, was adopted. That is why the result was that one of the resolutions under discussion, however, was adopted. However, I think that we should not make it a matter of political and politological cheap speculations, what is more, turn it into unclean and dishonest games. We should be able to work diligently, more devoted and not to consider anything higher than the interest of the country and the people, Armenia, Artsakh and the Armenians. We should carry on our united activities and actions without retreating, looking forward but not back. Our country needs everybodys consolidated, joint work both in peace and war fronts, both on the way of solution of domestic and external problems, Sahakyan said in his remarks. YEREVAN. - Its not the first time the countrys high-rank officials have explained their resignation by being offered another, more profitable job. Armenian opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan said the aforementioned today at the parliamentary debate on appointing a new ombudsman. According to him, this kind of conduct is funny. Pashinyan noted that the aforementioned also relates to one of the former ombudsmen, Armen Harutyunyan, who worked from 2006-2011. A year prior to the termination of his term, the latter stated that he had been offered the office of the Regional Representative of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Central Asia. He was appointed by the legislative authority of Armenia. But it turns out that its all the same to him whether its Armenia or Uzbekistan. And tomorrow he will be told that concrete is poured in Tyumen and more money can be expected there will he go there too? Or the 2014 resignation of Armen Gevorgyan, Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration, which the PM explained by Gevorgyans moving to the private sector. Thus, it turns out he was preparing to work in a private office all his life, and was a Deputy PM since he had nothing else to do. Then lets all together find a super elite office and send all our so-called leadership there. They will thus get rid of is, and we will get rid of them, Pashinyan said. YEREVAN. - The policy of Azerbaijan and Turkey is aimed against the OSCE Minsk Group. Analyst and former Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, Ambassador Arman Navasardyan, told the aforesaid to Armenian News NEWS.am correspondent today. Referring to the recent statement of the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev regarding the OSCE Minsk Group activity, he noted that Azerbaijan and Turkey have started working in that direction now. By leaving the OSCE Minsk Group, Azerbaijan will suffer itself, since currently there is no other institution which deals with the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. The Azerbaijani side doesnt agree with the proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-Chair James Warlick. The issue is the following now: its necessary to normalize the situation on the border and only after that proceed to the talks, since it is not possible to negotiate at the moment, Navasardyan stressed. He didnt exclude Azerbaijans intention to unleash war. When an animal is cornered, it attacks. Azerbaijan has appeared in an analogous situation. I think that even Russia wont be able to stop it. Everything depends on how the events in Syria will develop, the expert said. According to him, in case of war, Azerbaijan will cease to exist as a state, since the situation there is horribly tough. The Talyshs and other ethnic minorities in Azerbaijan are like a real mine. The economic situation in the country is also tough, Navasardyan said. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev 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. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has awarded Emory University a $9.7M contract to develop drugs to treat infections caused by emerging and man-made viral threats. Under the contract, the DTRA funds will be used to advance the development of the lead drug candidate. "The aim of this proposal is to develop small molecule drugs for the treatment of the systemic and encephalitic forms of disease resulting from infection with Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV), Western Equine Encephalitis Virus (WEEV) and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus (VEEV)," says George Painter, PhD, director of the Emory Institute for Drug Development (EIDD). "This contract will allow us to address a major health threat posed by these potentially deadly emerging viruses and at the same time expand our nucleotide/nucleoside analog base of potential drugs for commercially important unmet needs." "This contract demonstrates our abilities to discover and develop drugs for urgent public health needs. Our goal is to help make the world healthier and less dangerous," says Dennis Liotta, PhD, executive director of EIDD. DTRA was founded in 1998 to integrate and focus the capabilities of the Department of Defense that address the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) threat. The mission of DTRA is to safeguard America and its allies from WMD (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high yield explosives) by providing capabilities to reduce, eliminate, and counter the threat, and mitigate its effects. Under DTRA, Department of Defense resources, expertise and capabilities are combined to ensure the United States remains ready and able to address the present and future WMD threats. The EIDD was founded and constructed to provide the multidisciplinary capabilities that are required to effectively advance cutting-edge drug discovery and development programs at the preclinical stage. The EIDD is housed in 12,000 sq. ft. of state-of-the-art, fully equipped laboratory and office space that was specifically designed to support dedicated teams focused on medicinal and process chemistry, virology and molecular biology, bioanalytical chemistry, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics. Jonathan S. Lewin, MD, begins his tenure at Emory University on Feb. 1 with a jam-packed calendar, including stops in Emory Healthcare facilities to meet and talk with clinicians, nurses and staff members. Emory announced Lewins appointment as executive vice president for health affairs and president, CEO, and chair of the board of Emory Healthcare on Dec. 10 after an extensive national search. "I am joining the Emory team at an exciting time," says Lewin. "I am aware of the external challenges we and other academic health centers face, but with such great challenge comes even greater opportunity, and were going to embrace those opportunities together. We have the outstanding talent and drive necessary to redefine the practice of medicine, the education of health professionals, advances in basic and clinical science, and the national dialogue around how we approach health and healing. Woodruff Health Sciences will not merely adapt to change, but we will lead it in ways that are both profound and transformative." Lewin joins Emory from Johns Hopkins where he served as senior vice president for integrated healthcare delivery and as co-chair for strategic planning for Johns Hopkins Medicine. He was also professor and chair of the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science at Johns Hopkins University as well as the radiologist-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital, with secondary appointments as professor of oncology, neurosurgery and biomedical engineering. Before joining Johns Hopkins, Lewin was director of the Division of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and vice chairman for research and academic affairs in the Department of Radiology at Case Western Reserve University and the University Hospitals of Cleveland. Lewin, who grew up in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Brown University in 1981 and his Doctor of Medicine from Yale University in 1985. Following his internship in pediatrics at Yale-New Haven Hospital and residency in diagnostic radiology at University Hospitals of Cleveland, he completed a magnetic resonance research fellowship in Germany, a neuroradiology fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic, and additional training in head and neck radiology at the Pittsburgh Eye and Ear Hospital. Dr. Lewin has been a pioneer in interventional and intraoperative MR imaging and has published approximately 200 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and more than 60 chapters, reviews, commentaries and other invited papers on topics, including the basic science and clinical aspects of interventional MR imaging, functional MR imaging, head and neck imaging, MR angiography, small animal imaging and the imaging of acute stroke. Dr. Lewin is an inventor on more than 25 patents, and has been PI and co-PI on NIH and other federal and state grants with awards of more than $10 million in direct costs, as well as a co-investigator on a number of other grants and projects. He is a Fellow of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and of the American College of Radiology, and has given more than 150 invited lectures on a number of topics in magnetic resonance imaging, intervention and neuroradiology. He has served on numerous national committees, editorial boards and grant review groups for foundations and the NIH, and on the task force on minimally invasive cancer therapy for the National Cancer Institute. He is currently president of the American Roentgen Ray Society (North Americas oldest Radiology professional organization), president of the International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology, president-elect of the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments, and immediate past-president of the Association of University Radiologists and of the Academy for Radiology Research. 12:58 Ambassador T P Sreenivasan, who was manhandled by the Students Federation of India activists before the inauguration session of the Global Education Meet in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, did not let the incident affect him or the prestigious meet. He proceeded to deliver his welcome address, with just a passing mention of what had happened, his wry sense of humour intact. "I should apologise for the delay in convening the Inaugural Session of the Global Education Meet. As you have been informed, a section of students made an effort to block entry to the Convention Centre to protest against what they call "commercialization of higher education'," he said. "Although we had explained the goals of the meet to them including through my op-eds in the Times of India and Mathrubhumi, two leading dailies, they had declared that they would stop the meet at "any cost". I did not realise that the cost was an attack on me, but I am happy to survive it to be here to welcome you. I am sure that our friends from abroad will see it as "militant democracy' in operation." With Chief Minister Oommen Chandy giving the meet a miss, it was left to Prof William Tierney to inaugurate the meet. The Global Education Meet, Ambassador Sreenivasan said, was 'the culmination of a journey my colleagues in the Kerala State Higher Education Council and I began in October 2011. We set an agenda for ourselves to create a Higher Education 2.0 with special attention to infrastructure, teachers training, technology-based learning, autonomy, research and internationalisation. Although the progress on the ground has been modest, we are leaving behind a treasure of recommendations, painstakingly prepared with the participation of some of the best academics in the country. They contain a road map, a way forward, which, if implemented, will transform higher education in Kerala. I am grateful to the Government for entrusting this task to us and for accepting our advice wherever feasible. I hope that we will have the mindset and the money one day to redefine higher education in Kerala. "But as the attack by SFI activists shows, it is not going to be an easy task. But unfazed, this is what the Ambassador had to say about the SFI's fears of 'commercialisation of education. "'Over the centuries, we have welcomed and absorbed the best in many civilisations without being swept away by them. We should not be afraid to learn from others for fear of being overwhelmed by globalization. The message that has come from the World Economic Summit a few days ago was that we are at the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution in the world and we cannot be part of it unless we join the education revolution, which is already under way. At the meet, we are following the sage advice given by the great nationalist, Swami Vivekananda. "Stand on your own feet, and assimilate what you can, learn from every nation, take what is of use to you'," he said. "Education has been a window to the world for India for years. But today, it is an absolute necessity, because India cannot play its legitimate role in global affairs without a higher education system, which matches the best in the world. We should not only innovate constantly but also emulate the best practices in the world and not insist on reinventing the wheel. Fears of commercialisation should not deter us from moving with the times." Now, if only the hotheads in SFI paused to reflect on what Ambassador Sreenivasan said. NEW YORK: Social networking giant Facebook and its photo and video-sharing app Instagram are reportedly set to quietly make your photos incredible by adding computer art to them. According to The Verge, it has been discovered that for every photo you upload to Facebook or Instagram, the company quietly makes an html page that replicates that photo using ASCII or text characters that lets you blow up your images to massive scale. Mathias Bynens, a web standards enthusiast from Belgium, noticed it and tweeted about it . "Take any Facebook/Instagram photo URL Append '.txt' ? ASCII art append '.html' ? colored ASCII art," he wrote in his tweet. If you add ".html" to the end of that URL of the photo, you will get the coloured ASCII version. Similarly, If you add ".txt" to the end of that URL, you will get a black-and-white version. "We have reached out to the company for the reasoning behind this hidden-but-cool 'feature' - there is probably some boring backend explanation," the report noted. READ ALSO: Internet May Soon Carry Traffic at Speed of Light Facebook Records 100 Mn Hours Video Watch in A Day WASHINGTON: Three major Indian IT companies Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro have joined U.S. President Barack Obama's ambitious 'computer science for all' initiative as part of a public-private collaboration, pledging thousands of dollars in grants. Obama announced his 'Computer Sciences for All' plan in his weekly address on Saturday as he emphasized on the need for teaching the subject as a "basic skill" to all children across schools in the country in a changing economy. While Infosys has pledged a $1 million in donation, Tata Consultancy Services is providing support in the form of grants to teachers in 27 US cities, the White House said in a fact sheet, also issued on Saturday Wipro announced a $2.8 million grant for multi-year project in partnership with the Michigan University to involve over a hundred school teachers, with the aim of nurturing excellence in science and mathematics. This would start with the public school systems of Chicago, Obama's hometown. According to White House, the TCS and Infosys pledge is part of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) effort to collaborate with the private sector to support high-school CS teachers. "Infosys Foundation USA will be a founding member of this public-private collaboration with a $1 million philanthropic donation, and, as an initial participant, Tata Consultancy Services is providing additional support in the form of grants to teachers in 27 US cities. "This collaboration will ultimately provide opportunities for as many as 2,000 middle- and high-school teachers to deepen their understanding of CS," said the White House. A joint Wipro and Michigan University statement said the Wipro STEM Fellowship Programme will focus on building leadership in these disciplines in urban schools by leveraging on research validated expertise of the College of Education at the university in designing transformative and innovative instructional experiences. Wipro's initiative is aligned with the US national goal to significantly improve the quality of education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), it said. "Wipro is committed to being an involved participant in its communities. This initiative seeks to develop and inspire young people to contribute to excellence in STEM education," said T K Kurien, chief executive officer and Member of the Board, Wipro Ltd. "There is a critical shortage of excellent math and science teachers nationwide and even more so in urban school districts," said project co-leader Sonya Gunnings-Moton, assistant dean in the College of Education, Michigan State University. Aarti Dhupelia, chief officer of College and Career Success at Chicago Public Schools said this partnership with Wipro and Michigan State University that will have a transformational impact in classrooms and communities. Also Read: 27 Hot Android Apps for 2016 Successful Companies Built By Indian Teenagers Russia and OPEC Not Likely to Meet in February: ProShares Ultra DJ-UBS Crude Oil (NYSEARCA:UCO) Source: Stock Traders Daily Get Notified When our Ratings Change: Take a Trial On Friday I warned about the aggressive up move in oil and I discussed two possible scenarios. One addressed the possibility of a combined 5% cut, and the other, which I also addressed this past weekend, concerned the reality that there would not be a combined meeting between Russia and OPEC. In that Friday warning I also addressed the risks and suggested that ProShares Ultra DJ-UBS Crude Oil (NYSEARCA:UCO) could fall fast towards $8 if that meeting was not going to take place as the media portended. Over this past weekend I also sent an email that added clarification, and I gave you an easy way to find current news on Oil using the algorithmic tools that I created (Home page - drop down - oil - click logos). I further referenced what the news items found. The 5% cut was suggested by Venezuela, not OPEC itself. Venezuela would actually be meeting with Russia and OPEC separately. This is meaningful because Venezuela has little influence, and they have been petitioning for a very long time. It would require Saudi Arabia to come to the table for it to mean anything. The Saudis are willing to participate in something, but this was not their idea, and there does not seem to be any meeting planned between Russia and OPEC. I do understand that Russia may meet with a few smaller players in addition to Venezuela, namely Oman and Abu Dhabi, but not OPEC and not Saudi Arabia. There is a good news and bad news here. The Good News is that the wheels are spinning. In business, one thing is always clear, as we all know, and that is if we sit on our hands nothing gets done. We need to get out there and pound the pavement to get things done, and in many ways the action we are seeing now is akin to 'PICKING UP THE PHONE!' THE BAD NEWS IS NEAR TERM IN NATURE They rallied oil on the media's erred interpretation of the Russian comments, so the logical reaction of traders is to believe that will all be reversed. That's already started. Now, they all know that Venezuela's meetings are happening early this week, so if something surprising happens and Venezuela is actually able to get something done now, which no one really believes will happen, oil can spike right back up, so they are not throwing everything at the trade, but as far as traders are concerned the higher probability is for Oil prices to fall back towards their lows. The good news is that the wheels are spinning, so we are closing in on a bottom, and the bad news is that the next leg may continue down and we may actually see lower than $8 from UCO. The other side of that trade, by the way, is Proshares Trust II (NYSEARCA:SCO). My observation given the admonitions that have hit the market is that we could easily see a 6 handle again. That's roughly a 20% decline in the near term from UCO, but my 3-year target remains the same. As Myanmar moves towards new government formation, Indian Buddhist monks initiated a 'Peace Yatra' in Yangon, Myanmar led by His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, a spiritual regent to His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa. The monks maintained that their peace march was aimed at enabling India and Myanmar to work together for ensuring a smooth transition of power to the democratically-elected government. They also said that India and Myanmar are linked by age-old ties of religion and culture. Presiding over a special prayer ceremony at the world-renowned Shwedagon Pagoda, His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche shared the blessings of the Buddha and messages of compassion, wisdom and loving-kindness. "The Buddha's teachings transcend all time, therefore in today's times of multiple conflicts, we can still rely on the wisdom of Lord Buddha to resolve modern day crisis and to achieve peace and harmony," said His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche. "We brought with us the Buddha's relic to Myanmar to share the blessings, and as a reminder of the beauty of spirituality and our ability to practise genuine spirituality, so that we can all achieve peace, from inner peace to outer peace, from individual peace to collective peace," added Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche. The peace padyatra also witnessed tens of thousands gathered at the 2,500 years old Shwedagon Pagoda, to seek the blessings of the sacred 2,600 year- old-bone relic of the Buddha. The relic contains the strands of Buddha's hair and other holy relics. Sitagu Sayadaw, the elderly spiritual guru of Myanmar, said that the visit of the Indian monks would help strengthen relations between the two countries. In an interview to ANI, Sitagu Sayadaw said, "The Buddha relic comes from India, the birthplace of Buddhism but not the birthplace of the Buddha. The Buddha spent 45 years in India." "Therefore, this is a very significant sign of the peace and stronger relationship between the two countries -- Myanmar and India," added Sitagu Sayadaw. Indian Ambassador to Myanmar Gautam Mukhopadhaya, who also attended the prayer sessions in the Shwedagon Pagoda, said this would definitely help strengthening the India-Myanmar relations. "It's a rare opportunity and definitely a meeting point of two traditions -- the Vajrayana and Theravada schools of Buddhism," he said. On bringing the sacred Buddha bone relic to this country, Mukhopadhaya said that it is a very rare occasion where the relic had been brought out of the Hemis monastery, the oldest monastery of the Drukpa Order in Ladakh. "It's very rare that the bone relic of the Buddha has gone out of the country. The people of Myanmar have a lot of faith in Buddhism. This platform will strengthen religious faith between both the countries," added Gautam Mukhopadhaya. "This will strengthen the historical relations that have been since the colonial period," he added. Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, who is also the chairperson of Druk Padma Karpo Educational Society, runs the famous Druk Padma Karpo School of the Hindi film '3 Idiots' fame. (ANI) Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Spring Airlines will record names of passengers who misbehave while in travelling with them, Xinhua news agency reported. The database will be shared among the airline companies in addition to tourism and civil aviation authorities. Those on the blacklist will be subject to limited services. The five companies, together with their subsidiaries, account for more than 80 percent of China's total air traffic capacity, according to the statement. In September 2015, four poorly behaved Chinese tourists were punished and placed on the "uncivilised tourists' behaviours" blacklist, according to the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). A flight delay at Bangkok airport irked Chinese tourists. The four blacklisted tourists encouraged other tourists to disobey public order at the airport, severely tarnishing the image of Chinese tourists, according to the CNTA. They will stay on the blacklist for up to three years, the CNTA said. The record was first introduced by CNTA in March 2015 amid growing concerns about the behaviour of some Chinese tourists. --Indo-Asian News Service ksk/dg ( 202 Words) 2016-02-01-17:53:33 (IANS) Vice President Hamid Ansari left on Monday for a five-day visit to Brunei and Thailand. This will be the first visit by an Indian vice president to Brunei and the first in 50 years to Thailand. During his visit to Brunei from February 1 to 3, he will meet the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah. "Brunei has become an important partner and ally for India in the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)," Anil Wadhwa, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry, told the media here ahead of the visit. "Brunei has played a very important role as India-Asean coordinator from 2013 to 2015," he added. Brunei supported India's stand on Jammu and Kashmir and its candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. The trade volume between India and Brunei is about $1 billion, most of which is made up of crude oil. Potential gas requirements can also be met from Brunei. "Petroleum products as well as organic chemicals, metal ores and scraps are the other commodities that we import from Brunei," Wadhwa said. "Our main exports to Brunei consist of transportation equipment, meat and meat products and gems and jewellery." He said that during the visit, the issues that would come up for discussion are civil aviation, space, trade and investment, ICT and hydrocarbons. Memorandums of understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed on health and defence cooperation, Wadhwa said. Ansari will also address members of the Indian community. There are over 10,000 Indian professionals in Brunei and, according to Wadhwa, there is a great deal there for them, particularly those who were working as teachers and doctors. Ansari will then visit Thailand from February 3 to 5 at the official invitation of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Apart from holding a meeting with Prayut, Ansari will also have an audience with Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who is a scholar in Sanskrit, Wadhwa said. Ansari will deliver a speech on India's Look East and Act East policy at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and also address members of the Indian community. India-Thailand trade now stands at around $8.66 billion. Ansari will also briefly visit the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. "The relationship between India and Thailand has traditionally been very close," said Wadhwa, adding that Thailand was an important partner in India's strategic partnership with Asean. --Indo-Asian News Service ab/bg ( 405 Words) 2016-02-01-17:53:36 (IANS) "There is great deal that remains unknown about the Zika virus, but the reports and suspected links to birth defects and neurological problems mean that this threat must be taken very seriously," Xinhua news agency reported citing Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. Australian authorities have implemented measures to check the spread of the virus through the Torres Strait with monitoring in the nation's remote north already underway, Xinhua said. "We'll monitor closely through the Torres Strait. We already do that with a number of infectious diseases," Queensland state health minister Cameron Dick said. Dick said the Zika virus does not pose a significant health risk to Queensland "at this time ... but we're going to continue to monitor that". Zika carrying mosquitoes are endemic to tropical and sub-tropical environments. There are currently no reported cases of Zika in Australia. Though the World Health Organisation (WHO) is convening an emergency meeting in Geneva later in the day to determine its response to the spread of the virus, vaccine manufacturers have said a vaccine for wide-scale public use is months, if not years away. Current efforts to combat Zika are focused on protecting people from being bitten and on eradicating mosquitoes, a tough task for many parts of the poverty stricken Pacific islands that have been saving water from the El Nino enforced drought, inadvertently providing a breeding ground for the disease spreading insect. --Indo-Asian News Service ksk/dg ( 276 Words) 2016-02-01-16:29:37 (IANS) Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari will leave for Brunei Darussalam and Thailand this morning on a five-day tour on the invitation of the leaders of the host nations. The trip is aimed at carrying forward India's bilateral engagements with the two key South East Asian nations. This will be the first ever visit of a Vice President of India to Brunei after establishing diplomatic relations between the two nations in May 1984. In Thailand, a Vice President level visit is taking place after fifty years. Enhancing cooperation in various regional and multilateral forums, strengthening traditional bonds in defence, security, health, space, science and technology and a host of other fields will be the focus of the talks during the visit. The Vice President will be joined by Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary, four Members of Parliament and senior officials. Vice President Ansari would address Universities of the two countries. Signing of MoUs in different fields is also expected during the tour. (ANI) Congress Party on Monday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Government at the Centre for questioning the caste of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, who had committed suicide in University of Hyderabad, and said the saffron party was trying to divert the attention of the people from the core issue. "Such a big incident has taken place and the government, instead of inquiring the incident, is trying to divert the attention of the people. They are questioning the caste of Rohith, which is very shameful," Congress leader P.L. Punia told ANI here. "Rohith's father had left the family and it is his mother who has raised the kids. Everyone has certificate, Rohith has a certificate, and based on that he has been given admission in the university," he added. He asked why BJP was investigating Rohith's caste on its own when no questions have been raised about it by anyone. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had on Saturday said that Rohith 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. Rohith, a PhD student at the university, committed suicide by hanging himself in his room. He was among the six research scholars, suspended by the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) in August last year in connection with an alleged attack on an ABVP leader. The HCU has already revoked suspension of the four students, following uproar over his suicide. (ANI) Eminent economists, who had gathered at the Prof M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) for a two-day international seminar on agriculture, have called for a policy change and support for agriculture in India. The international seminar on Agriculture and Rural India after Economic reforms, which concluded here last evening, was organised in honour of noted economist Professor Venkatesh B Athreya by his Ph.D students at the MSSRF, in which several eminent economists from India and abroad came together and discussed about the post-reform scenario in India, the agrarian crisis, changes at grass root level and issues to be addressed. A release from MSSRF said the seminar was divided into six technical sessions over the last two days and discussions ranged from growth pattern of Indian agriculture post reforms, public investment in agriculture and rural infrastructure, rural indebtedness, agricultural price, profitability and markets, gender dimensions of rural employment and wages and status of food and nutritional security in rural India. On the issue of the agrarian crisis, Prof. Narasimha Reddy, IHD cited several cases where collectivisation and working as joint liability groups allowed farmers to come together to deal with this situation, called for an end to ad-hocism on the policy front. MORE UNI GV VV RSS1141 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-566954.Xml At a time when the country is irked with the suicide of a Dalit student, Rohith Vemula, in Hyderabad Central University, the BJP state committee has demanded re-investigation of the suicide of a Muslim student at Agartala Regional Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (RIPSAT) in 2013.According to report, Shahin Yusuf Khan, a bachelor student of RIPSAT, hailed from Barpeta district of Assam, had committed suicide in the hostel on December 31, 2013 allegedly protesting the humiliation and perpetration of Assistant Professor Dr Tarun Kanti Ghosh of Pharmacology.BJP spokesperson Mrinal Kanti Deb today accused Chief Minister Manik Sarkar of saving the accused teacher despite lodging a case by the victim's family against Ghosh followed by the persuasion of Assam government based on the representation of Assam students.The accused teacher Ghosh is a close relative of Sarkar and so the police did not do anything in the case," Mr Deb said. "Finally, the police closed the investigation stating it as a case of unnatural death, which needs to be re-investigate to unearth the truth, he alleged.Referring to the allegations of Shahins father Hanif Khan, Mr Deb said Ghosh had been demanding half of Shahins monthly scholarship but he refused. At a stage Ghosh threatened to mark him fail in the exam. A day before the incident, Ghosh harassed him in the exam hall alleging of cheating, which he informed his father in detail over phone.Allegedly, the victims father had also got a threat call from Agartala of dire consequences if they persuade the case further. Later, the then health minister of Assam had been given a representation by students seeking investigation and accordingly, the minister wrote to Tripura DGP on January 21, 2014 for investigation of the case.Even after three years of filing the case and request from the Assam government, Tripura police did not do anything rather attempted to destroy the evidences at the behest of the Chief Minister, Mr Deb further alleged.UNI BB AD SHS VP1255 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-567038.Xml A Thirty-day National Marine FisheriesCensus in all maritime States including Karnataka and two UnionTerritories began today. The Census, held after a gap of five years, was conducted by theCentral Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), a research bodyunder the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR-CMFRI). The island regions of Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep will beenumerated under the supervision of Fishery Survey of India,according to a CMFRI release here. The Census, taken up at an estimated total expenditure of Rs 3.8crore, includes collecting information about marine fishermenfamilies, fishing crafts and gears, social and educational profileand demographic features of marine fishing villages. The last Census was conducted in 2010. This exercise, funded bythe Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DAHDF)of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, is beingcoordinated by the staff of the regional, research, field centresand headquarters of ICAR-CMFRI located along the maritime coast ofthe country. About 3,000 enumerators trained by the ICAR-CMFRIofficials will visit 11 lakh fishermen families spread across 4,250marine fishing villages located in 73 districts to collect thedetails. The entire process will be monitored and supervised byaround 220 officials of ICAR-CMFRI posted at the 26 Centres. The enumerators will be given schedules formatted to collectdetails pertaining to social, educational, fishing infrastructureaspects of marine fisher families. The schedules devised to collectinformation pertaining to each household on the above said detailsalongside specific fishing occupation particulars such as fishing,processing, handling, marketing and value addition. The schedules used at the household level have been translatedinto eight regional languages, including Kannada, for easy use invarious provinces. Apart from the schedules the personnel involved have beenprovided an instruction booklet to clarify various heads under whichdetails are being collected. Another set of schedules have beendevised to collect information pertaining to the infrastructurefacilities in fishing villages and other fish harvesting andprocessing facilities available in various coastal districts. The ICAR-CMFRI authorities have already conducted trainingprogrammes for supervisors and prospective enumerators at variouslocations along the entire coastline. The data will be analysed bythe scientists of ICARCMFRI to develop a comprehensive Censusdatabase, which will be helpful in facilitating formulation offisheries related plans and policies in the marine sector.UNI MSP VV RSS1227 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-566990.Xml The arbitration verdict is expected to boost Nokia's patent sales by hundreds of millions of euros. Nokia had entered into a binding arbitration with Samsung in 2013 to settle additional compensations for a five-year period starting from early 2014. "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," Nordea analyst Sami Sarkamies said. (ANI) The much awaited Galaxy S7 is expected to look a lot like the Galaxy S6. Speculations indicated Samsung could release the S7 in two models, each with a different processor. According to Mashable.com, one of the model could come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and another with a Samsung-built Exynos chip. Headquartered in Seoul, the South Korean multinational conglomerate company comprises numerous subsidiaries and affiliated businesses, most of them united under the Samsung brand, and is one of the largest business conglomerate. (ANI) Auto major, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, has registered a marginal drop of 1.2 percent in its cumulative sales at 44,230 units for the month of January 2016 as compared with 44,783 units recorded in the same month last year. Domestic sales grew by 9.3 percent to 38,016 units, as compared with34,780 units recorded in the same month last year. Exports fell by 37.9 percent to 6,214 units as compared with 10,003 units in the same month last year. Commenting on the January sales Mr. Rakesh Srivastava, Sr. Vice President Sales and Marketing, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. said, ''Hyundai started the year with a positive note registering the domestic volume of 38,016 units with a growth of 9.3 percent over last year. The growth momentum of last year continued built by strong performance of products like Grand, Creta & i20 Elite/Active. We look forward to presenting the Hyundai Experience at the Auto Expo through our products & technology towards meeting the growing aspirations of the Customers''UNI JS NV SM1311 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-567125.Xml The Government had identified 116 investible projects and washoping to mobilise investments in the three day mega investmentevent, the Chief Minister told a news conference ahead of the InvestKarnataka 2016. He said during the last two years, the Government had clearedprojects worth Rs 1.3 lakh Crores and some of them were alreadyunder steam. The Government wants dispersal of industries in allparts of the state and not just confined around the State Capital. He said there was tremendous response from both foreign andlocal investors for the event partnered by seven countries. Hugedelegations were expected from countries like France, Germany,United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, Japan and South Korea. Each partnercountry would be allowed 90 minutes of time to show case their sideof the investments at the meet. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will be the chief guest atthe inaugural ceremony. Union Surface Transport Minister NitinGadkari too will be taking part in the meet. He said Karnataka Industries Minister R V Deshpande had heldRoad shows in Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai, Paris and Washington to promptthe investors to take part in the Meet. MORE UNI MCN/RS MSP VV RSS1335 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-567105.Xml Hundreds of employees of the municipal corporation staged a noisy demonstration outside Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra's Yamuna Vihar residence in east Delhi and dumped garbage there. "We will continue to dump garbage on the streets of Delhi till our demands are met," Sanjay Gehlot, president of the Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukta Morcha, told IANS. Gehlot warned Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government not to clear the garbage dumped by the protesting workers. "We will not let the government carry out cleaniness drive in any part of the city," he said. The strikers earlier dumped garbage outside the residences of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Transport Minister Gopal Rai. Another section of workers held a demonstration outside the official residence of union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu. On Sunday, hundreds of AAP activists took to the streets and cleaned up piled up garbage in parts of the capital. The three wings of the municipal corporation, controlled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have accused the AAP government of not paying money to the civic bodies, leading to the present financial crisis. The AAP government denies this, saying non-payment of salaries is the result of poor governance in the municipal bodies. The East Delhi, North Delhi and South Delhi municipal corporations account for most of the capital. The two other smaller civic bodies in the city are the Delhi Cantonment Board and the New Delhi Municipal Council. Sanitary employees of three civic corporations have been on strike since January 27, demanding payment of salaries and pending wages. --Indo-Asian News Service ruwa-am/pku/mr/rd ( 300 Words) 2016-02-01-14:19:34 (IANS) Police today said nearly 30 to 40 armed Maoists, belonging to Srikakulum division, arrived at the camp of the contractor last night and asked the Supervisor and other workers to vacate the camp office. The Red rebels then set ablaze six JCP machines, one tractor and two pumps of the camp office and fled the scene leaving some leaflets at the spot. Police said the Maoists had earlier threatened the Supervisor to stop the work of the Tuapadar-Tunia road as they apprehended that after the construction of the road work, a police camp office will be set up there to counter the Naxal activities. The security forces on hearing the news, rushed to the spot and launched combing operation in the area.UNI XC DP AD RSA GC1413 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-567137.Xml A bomb hoax call at Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School in village Pandori Khajoor today kept the police on their toes for over three hours. After hoax call police immediately pressed into service anti-sabotage teams, which searched the premises. According to police sources, a receptionist in Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Sukhwinder Kaur received a call around 745 hrs on her mobile phone that a bomb has been planted in the school premises which would explod at 1100 hrs. She immediately informed the school authorities about the said call. Acting on that, the school authorities called the police and the school was closed. SSP Dhanpreet Kaur told that on receiving information police immediately swung into action. The call was taken seriously, leaving nothing to chance. The school premises and the adjoining area had been thoroughly searched and nothing suspicious was found. She said such calls were not taken lightly and the police took all measures to ensure the safety of the people. Proper checking was being conducted in the entire area.UNI XC SHS GC1404 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-567108.Xml Dholpur Palace had made headlines last year when the Congress Party alleged that Raje's son Dushyant Singh and former IPL chief Lalit Modi were illegally staking claim on the historic building through a private company. They had said that Dholpur Palace was converted into a private property in Dushyant Singh's name under Raje's watch. The Congress Party also accused Dushyant Singh of claiming compensation from the government for the Dholpur Palace, which is a government property. The matter of compensation had come up when some part of Dholpur House's lawn had to be used for expansion of a highway. The Congress had released several documents last year to show that Dholpur was government property which was usurped by Raje's family. (ANI) The Supreme Court today recalled its earlier order to issue a notice to the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh in connection with the imposition of President's rule in the state. A five-judge constitution bench, headed by Justice Jagdish Singh Kehar, gave the ruling, after hearing from the Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for the Central government and Mr Satyapal Jain, the counsel for the state Governor, Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa. The order of the Apex Court signifies that the report in which the Governor recommended President's rule in the state does not have to be shared by him.The Apex Court accepted the Centre's submission that Governor Rajkhowa enjoys certain constitutional immunity and should be covered under this category.On January 29, the Union government had filed a detailed affidavit along with annexures in the Supreme Court in connection with the imposition of President's rule in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.Defending its move, the Centre, in its 316-page affidavit, in a sealed cover, said that the state government's law and order set-up had broken down, as a result of which it had to recommend President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh.The Supreme Court had last week issued a notice to the Central government and the Governor of the state asking both to file a detailed reply by January 29 as to what forced them to take this extreme step.It had expressed strong displeasure over the way the Union of India had imposed the President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh. "It is a very serious issue. You are taking a decision without informing us," the Constitution bench had observed in its order last week and had fixed today, February 1, as the next date of hearing in the case.Former Congress Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Nabam Tuki, had approached the Apex Court seeking its intervention to nullify the Central government's recommendation to promulgat President's rule in the state.The 52-year-old Tuki, the eighth Chief Minister of the state, had said that Arunachal Pradesh is a peaceful state. ''No serious incident has taken place. There was no law and order breakdown. How can the Centre impose Presidents Rule like this?''Terming the imposition of Presidents Rule as an injustice to the people of Arunachal Pradesh, Mr Tuki had said, "The decision taken by the Central government is unconstitutional." The Congress had said that the two-day Assembly session in December could not be held valid because the Chief Minister and his cabinet were not consulted by the Governor.Arunachal Pradesh is one of nine states governed by the Congress.In 2014, Chief Minister Tuki was re-elected for a second term.UNI XC RP1630 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-567543.Xml Standard & Poor's Ratings Services today said India will face challenges in sticking to the fiscal consolidation roadmap due to factors like shortfall in projected revenues and delay in cutting subsidies."Although we expect the administration to pursue its stated fiscal consolidation programme, we foresee that planned revenues may not fully materialise and subsidy cuts may be delayed," S&P Ratings Services said.India has revised its medium-term fiscal consolidation plans. It has kept its fiscal deficit target for 2015-16 at 3.9 per cent, as against the original target of 3.6 per cent as decided earlier. The fiscal deficit target for 2016-17 is envisaged at 3.5 per cent. "India's fiscal challenges reflect both revenue under performance and constraints on expenditure ( subsidies for food, energy, and fertilisers)," India Sovereign Analyst Kyran Curry said.Mr Curry, however, said that in the medium term, S&P expects improved fiscal performance primarily from revenue-side improvements, brought about by the planned introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and administrative efforts to expand the tax base. Meanwhile, a public debate is going on whether the Government should focus on increasing public spending to support the fragile economic recovery instead of bothering too much about fiscal consolidation. RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has warned the government against following a loose fiscal policy, saying it could cause macroeconomic instability. He cited the example of Brazil which tried to boost growth rate through a mixture of increased public spending and loose monetary policy but has seen its growth nose-dive as a consequence.UNI NM ABI 1553 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0311-567428.Xml Taking swift cognizance of a video clip showing its personnel thrashing students outside the RSS office, Delhi Police today ordered a probe into the incident, in which women protestors were also beaten up by male officers. "AISA & JNUSU PROTEST Spl CP (Law & Order) has asked the Jt CP Central Range S K Gautam to look into the incident & submit a report, Delhi Police tweeted. The prompt decision of Delhi Police to probe the incident came after the video clip went viral on social media last night, drawing severe criticism from various quarters, including the political ones. The video shows men in uniform and civil dress beating students including women, dragging them by their hair and slamming them to the ground. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the police was being used by the BJP and the RSS as their private army to terrorise anyone opposing them.Mr Kejriwal, who is currently in Bangalore for naturopathy treatment, strongly condemned the Delhi police attack and tweeted, "Del pol being used by BJP/RSS as their pvt army to terrorize n teach lesson to anyone opposing BJP/RSS. I strongly condemn attck on students.UNI RG SW AE 1657 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0377-567636.Xml Priyanka Gandhi,daughter of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhiand Congress President Songia Gandhi, today put security personnel at the domesticterminal of Chennai airport in a dilemma turning down VIP security en route toPuducherry. Airport sources said Priyanka was on her way to Puducherry where her daughter, an upcoming volleyball player, was to participate in an international level tournament. Her son was also in tow.When she arrived here from New Delhi by an Indigo airlines flight, security personnel offeredto escort her out of the airport throurgh the VIP channel. But Priyanka said she would preferto take the exhit from the arrival terminal meant for common passengers. The common passengers were surprised to see her walking out along with them. Evenoutside, Priyanka turned down the provision of a bulletproof car to travel to Puducherry. Instead, she hired an ordinary Innova vehicle for the journey .UNI XR-VV RSSUNI XR-VV RSS1559 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-567525.Xml "Yes the PDP legislature party meeting is to start at 1500 hrs this afternoon", senior leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar told UNI. He said the meeting will be chaired by Ms Mufti at Fairview Gupkar. However, he said the PDP has already authorised Ms Mufti to take a final call on government formation in the state. Today's meeting followed a general council meeting of the party held here yesterday which was attended by senior party leaders, MPs, legislators, former ministers and office bearers of district and tehsil headquarters. He said ,"there is no agenda for the meeting and every legislator will be free to express his or her view on the issue of government formation and organisational matters." When asked if any decision will be taken on formation of the next government, Mr Akhtar, said "let us wait for what actually will come out from the meeting." However, party sources said, "todays meeting was called to prepare a strategy following call from Governor N N Vohra who had written to PDP and Bharatiya Janata Party heads to clear their stand on the formation of next government in the state. PDP and BJP heads are meeting Mr Vohra tomorrow in the winter capital, Jammu.MORE UNI BAS AE BL1603 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0101-567589.Xml Official sources said here that villagers infuriated over the murder put up a blockade on a local road in protest and when the police personnel arrived at the spot, they started pelting stones on them. The police first resorted to baton charge to disperse the mob but when villagers continued to indulge in unruly behaviour, security personnel opened fire in air to bring the situation under control. Four police personnel including the DSP of Mohania, Manoj Ram were injured in the stone pelting. The injured police personnel had been admitted to a local hospital. Earlier in the day, desperadoes shot dead a youth, Satyansh Kumar alias Nepali Patel (25) when he was going to a nearby field to ease himself. The reason behind the killing was dispute over his affair with a girl, sources added. An FIR had been lodged on the statement of the deceased`s father. Police arrested the main accused Ehshamuddin and 10 others in this connection. A rifle, three pistols and nine live cartridges had been recovered from his possession. He had also confessed to his crime during interrogation. Senior civil and police authorities were camping at the spot with additional police force. UNI XC-DH AKM AJ AS1657 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-567509.Xml Former Judge of Supreme Court Markandey Katju recorded statements of 40 persons as witnesses of October 14, 2015 police firing in which two persons were killed at the Gurdwara of a village at Behbal Kalan. During his two-day visit, the former SC judge also visited Kotkapura where police resorted to lathicharge upon the protests on October 13. Witnesses appeared before the commission and narrated the sequence of events leading to the lathicharge in Kotkapura and firing at Behbal Kalan. Katju recorded the statements of local residents, religious leaders Panthpreet Singh, Satnam Singh Chandar, Harjinder Singh Manjhi and others who appeared before the commission. Senior advocate H S Phoolka also along with senior advocates also reached the village with other lawyers assisting the commission.Pritam Singh grandfather of Gurjit Singh victim of who was killed in the firing and Mahinder Singh father of the second victim Krishan Baghwan Singh also appeared before the commission. Beant Singh who was injured in the firing also appeared before the commission. Seeing his condition Justice Katju himself went up to his vehicle and recorded his statement. It was a learned that 40 people have given written statement to the commission. No police or civil administration officially appeared before the commission. After recording the statements a day earlier, Justice Katju winded up the inquiry and left Behbal Kalan for Delhi last evening. UNI XC AJ AE 1601 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-567378.Xml The members of Justice for Rohit Joint Action Committee, along with various Students' Associations, had organised the protest rally this morning, demanding immediate action on the suicide of Vemula. Students from the various colleges, including social activists, were present to express solidarity with the protesting students. The protest, that unfolded amid police presence in south Mumbai, remained peaceful. Later Republican Party of India (A) chief Parkash Ambedkar address a public meeting at Azad Maidan and demanded that besides stern action against the people responsible for the suicide by Dalit scholar, measures be taken to prevent such types of incidents in future.UNI AAA SS AJ AS1749 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-567701.Xml Kiran Choudhry, Leader of the Haryana Congress Legislature Party (CLP), has accused the BJP Government, led by the Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, of diluting and derailing the UPAs flagship scheme by not allocating adequate funds for the works to be taken up under the scheme. The Congres leader demanded regularisation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers in the state who are agitating to press their demands. In a statement issued here today on eve of completion of 10 years of MGNREGA, the former Excise and Taxation Minister said former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had in 2006 launched the UPA's flagship scheme to provide livelihood security to millions of poor in the villages across the country. The scheme was later rechristened after Mahatma Gandhi. She said the NDA Government planned to dilute the scheme by changing the labour-material ratio from 60:40 to 51:49 in 2014. It meant that if Rs 100 is spent on a work, Rs 51 will be spent on wages and Rs 49 on the material required for construction against Rs 60 on wages and Rs 40 on material. But vehement opposition mounted by the Congress stalled the move.MORE UNI NC AJ AE VN1825 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-567754.Xml Lt Col (retd) Gurcharan Singh, one of the oldest surviving officers and the longest serving commanding officer (CO) of the 7th Light Cavalry, which created history by operating tanks at never seen before heights of 11,000 plus feet in sub zero temperatures to free the Zojila pass of invaders during the 1947-48 Indo-Pak war, turned 96 today. The regiment, now based out of Kapurthala (Punjab), celebrated his birthday by cutting a commemorative cake at his residence here. He was also presented a shawl by the Punjab Sainik Welfare Board. Maj Gen N P Singh, current Colonel of the regiment, drove down from Kapurthala to join other serving and retired officers of the regiment in celebrating the occasion with the veteran soldier. Punjab Sainik Welfare Board Director Brig (retd) J S Arora, who was instrumental in organising the show, also joined in the celebrations alongwith Maj Gen (retd) G S Malhi, who served in theregiment, and Col R S Bagga, OC No. 1 (Independent) Armd. Sqn. Still upright and alert, though his hearing is impaired in one ear, Lt Col (retd) Gurcharan Singh fondly remembered being a Major under the command of legendry Maj Gen Rajinder Singh Sparrow, then Lt Col, when the Stuart light tanks of the regiment blasted the enemy positions at unbelievable heights of upto 11,500 feet under extremely treacherous conditions and freed the crucial Zojila Pass, the gateway to Leh and Ladakh. After aerial reconnaissance and a lot of planning and rigorous training for the final operation, the 7th Light Cavalry Less B Squadron commenced the ascent during a heavy snowfall on October 29. Getting the tanks up the steep winding path, with rocky cliff faces on one side and a sheer drop on the other, was a herculean task; at many acute bends, tank tracks often overshot the edges of the trackway. So steep was the gradient at some places, the tanks had to be winched slowly upwards by 15 CWT winch trucks and pushed by men from behind; all this in temperatures 20 degrees below zero. On November 1, 1948, dawn broke with an overcast sky. As the guns boomed at 1030 hrs, three lead tanks debouched into the Gumri Basin with guns blazing, engaged the enemy bunkers on Mukand and Chabutra positions and knocked them out, enabling the Gorkhas to secure the lower reaches of the Gumri Basin. The tanks then advanced, engaged a mountain gun on North Ridge and knocked that out as well, clearing the whole Gumri Basin of the enemy, who retreated in panic, completely demoralised by the unexpected appearance of tanks at such an unbelievable height.UNI DB DJK AE VN1812 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-567808.Xml All India Youth Congress President Amrinder Singh Raja Warring today lashed out at the ruling SAD-BJP alliance government in Punjab for its failure at all fronts specially on the law and order situation. While addressing the rallies of party workers at Baghapurana and Dharamkot in this district, he called upon the electorates to oust the SAD-BJP alliance government in the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in 2017. Mr Warring criticised the state government for its failure to arrest all those responsible for the sacrilege of the holy book of Sikhs at Bargari in Faridkot district. He also criticised it for its failure to even register the criminal case against those responsible for police firing at Behbal Kalan on October 14 and to check the suicides by the farmers. The Youth Congress leader called upon the people to bring Congress to power in the next vidhan sabha elections and assured them of clean and transparent recruitment through Punjab Public Service Commission. He also supported the party's decision of boycotting Khadoor Sahib bypoll. Congress legislator Paramjit Singh Sikki had resigned on the issue of desecration of holy book of Sikhs at Bargari village and police firing at Behbal Kalan in which two people lost their lives. Mr Sikki raised the issue but it remained unsolved. In this respect there is no point in contesting the byelection, he said. Mr Warring was critical of those, who were opposing the boycott of election. He was also critical of lodging false cases against the Congressmen. He assured that if Congress comes to power, the party would not allow smuggling of drugs, which was prevailing in the state.UNI XC DB RJ AE VN1855 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-567901.Xml "Spl CP (Law & Order) has asked the Jt CP Central Range S.K Gautam to look into the incident & submit a report," the Delhi Police tweeted. Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi also tweeted saying, "DP is bound to protect freedom of free speech & peaceful assembly. Help DP & democracy by agitating at JantarMantar." Earlier today, a video went viral in which Delhi Police personnel were seen beating up protesters outside the RSS office who were protesting against the suicide of Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula. Besides the police, men in plainclothes were also seen joining the brutality by hitting and slapping the protesters. The video also shows a male policeman grabbing a girl by her hair, punching her and dragging her. Meanwhile, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday lashed out Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the Centre was attacking students instead of listening to them. "Shocking attack on students. Instead of listening to them, now the Modi govt is brutally beating them up for protesting against the RSS!," Rahul Gandhi's office tweeted. Echoing similar sentiments, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP and RSS of using the Delhi Police as their 'private army' to terrorise those opposing the Centre. "I strongly condemn attck on students, FTII, Rohith case, Hyd Univ, IITs and now brutal attack on Del students. Modi govt seems to be at war with students all across," Kejriwal tweeted. (ANI) The Delhi Cabinet today passed a resolution requesting Lt Governor Najeeb Jung to direct the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to pay its outstanding tax dues of at least Rs 1,575 crore to the three Municipal Corporations in order to facilitate immediate release of salaries to sanitation workers, teachers and doctors by the North and East Municipal Corporations."As per the directions by the High Court, series of meetings have been convened by various authorities, including Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi on January 21, to resolve the issue, but the DDA has not complied so far."Therefore, the Delhi government has now requested the LG, who is also the chairman DDA, to direct this organisation to pay the long outstanding dues of the three corporations," an official statement said.The Cabinet meeting was chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. As per the information provided by the three civic agencies, North MCD to get Rs 808 crore while South and East MCD to get Rs 593 crore and Rs 353 crore respectively as their outstanding dues against the DDA.Underlining the Property Tax as one of the main sources of revenue generation to the MCDs, the Delhi government claimed that DDA owes more than Rs 1,600 crore to them in terms of Property Tax.Over 1.5 lakh employees of the municipal bodies went on a strike last week over non-payment of their salaries.Taking note of the situation, the High Court has sought the response of the Delhi government, the three municipal bodies and the DDA by February 2.UNI AP SW AE 1950 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0412-568243.Xml On the backdrop of scheduled meeting between the West Bengal CPI(M) leaders with Congress vice- president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, CPI(M) General secretary Sitaram Yechury today said there was no question of any electoral alliance with Congress. " We can strike with Congress and join them in some issues, but there is no question of any electoral alliance," he said. Mr Yechury, who was speaking at a private function in the state capital, said ," I have come to know that Congress had taken some decision on the West Bengal polls, but we are not aware of it at present ." He said CPI(M) is strengthening the non-BJP and non-Congress secular front and at this moment, there is no question of any such electoral pact. However, the CPI(M) leader said that the picture would be clear in the next 2 to 3 days and then, ''we can say something.'' " We had marched to Rashtrapati Bhawan with Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the issue of Land Acquisition Bill and we can do that again on some other issues. But electoral pact is another thing, which we consider, cannot happen now," he stated. UNI MB RJ RK1955 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-568170.Xml Arunachal Pradesh Governor J P Rajkhowa today said Law and order has to be maintained effectively at all cost till a democratically elected government is formed in the state. Addressing media persons at Rajbhawan here, the Governor said, Presidents Rule under Article 356(I) had been promulgated in the state by the President vide an order issued on January 26 is only a temporary measure. "Sooner or later, a democratically elected government will take charge of the state, and till then we have to ensure good governance and contain the menace of corruption," he asserted. Mr Rajkhowa has issued strict messages to the security forces to maintain law and order and at the same time to have humane approach in dealing with the common people. Commenting on few press reports which have been published recent past in different media with miss-led informations and biased reports, the Governor clarified, I did not mention cow slaughtering as appeared in the national media, however, I mentioned the name of Mithun (domesticated animal) sacrificed in front of Rajbhawan in my private report to the President." I never or ever associated with any political party, Mr Rajkhowa emphatically uttered, while commenting on Congress partys charges on his close association with BJP. Considering on the ambiguous news items, he appealed to the media to provide a free, fair and fearless reporting. Without a free, fair, fearless, transparent and truthful Press, democracy would be in danger, he added. Urging press fraternity to present correct picture of the happenings and exercise restraints on sensitive matters, Mr Rajkhowa emphasised, Press should be vigilant and assist in monitoring the development process in the state. The Governor approved and allocated various departments to G S Patnaik (Retd IAS) and Y S Dadwal (Retd. IPS) as Advisor to assist the Governor. Both he advisors were appointed under the Business of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh (Allocation) Rules, 1998, with immediate effect and until further orders. UNI PB BM PY AE BD1954 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-568134.Xml Failing to transfer the benefits of lowcrude price in the internatioal market to common mass, the NDAgovernment at the Centre was resorting to a 'ruthless tax regime' byrepeatedly increasing the Central tax on Petrol and Diesel,Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today alleged. Speaking at a election meeting in Hebbal Assembly segment, whichgoes to bypoll on February 13, he said Indians were denied thebenefit of low prices of oil in the international market by thecentre which increased the tax repeatedly, and left the StateGovernments in a helpless position. ''We have seen how the crude prices fell from USD 120 a barrelduring the UPA rule to less than USD 30 now. But did the people getthe benefit of it. The problem was that the Centre is resorting toruthless tax regime increasing the excise duty on petrol anddiesel," he added. The two motor oils could be sold below Rs 20 a litre, but what isthe prevailing price,'' he questioned. He said the national economy in general and people in particularwere burdened over repeated incerase in central taxes on oil. ''Weneed to raise a major protest against such anti-people policies ofthe BJP led NDA government at the Centre,'' he said at the public meeting. Mr Siddaramaiah said the union government was saving over Rs 1.5lakh crore in oil subsidies due to fall in international crudeprices, but it had not passed on the benefit to the people. ''Isthis the 'achhe din' Mr Modi promised to the people of India. Willwe be able to witness such a day ever,'' he asked. He also asked Mr Modi on his claims of bringing black money backto the country and depositing Rs 15 lakh into accounts of each ofthe poor. We have not seen a single paisa being despisited. He slammed the BJP programme of 'Raita Chaitanya Yatra' thatremained a total failure. The UPA government had written off Rs 72,000 crore of farmers's debt burden. The NDA government couldhave transferred the savings from low international crude price tothe poor, writing off farm loans. "But what we have seen now, thecentre has repeatedly increased the tax on oil. This will beassessed by every citizsen who drives a moped, motorcycle, scooterand a three wheeler,'' he said.UNI RS MSP KVV AK1945 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-568277.Xml Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar has approved a Rs 600 crore project for rehabilitation of Augmentation Canal from 0 to 75.250 kilometres, as it takes off from Hamida head near Yamunanagar, so as to augment the supply of irrigation and drinking water. The project being implemented under Har Khet Ko Pani programme of the present State Government aims at increasing the supply of drinking and irrigation water in Haryana by increasing its discharge capacity from 4,500 cusecs to 6,000 cusecs especially in the southern Haryana where there is deficit of water. While stating this here today, an official spokesman said that the project is being implemented as the vision of Haryana Government to utilise every drop of available water. The rehabilitation and remodelling of the augmentation canal would help meet the ever-growing demand for water in Haryana, especially during paddy season and will meet the requirements of drinking water in southern Haryana. The complete reconstruction work on the augmentation canal would be undertaken for enhancing the capacity of channel including replacement of structures. He said that the augmentation canal was constructed in 1970-71 with capacity of 3,700 cusecs, which was increased to 4,500 cusecs in 1977. While referring to the Jawahar Lal Nehru Feeder System, he said that this system is basically lift canal system in which about 100 Pump Houses have been constructed to supply water to higher reaches. The system has been continuously running for the last 35 years during which no major rehabilitation of pumps or motors has been done. This has resulted in reduced efficiency of pumps by 40-50 per cent, which has further resulted in reduced lifting of discharge. Extra pumps are being run to increase discharge which results in increased energy charges. At present, the energy charges for the system are about Rs 140 crores annually. To resolve this problem, the present Government has approved a project amounting to Rs 143 crores for rehabilitation of Jawahar Lal Nehru Feeder System.MORE UNI NC AY RJ VN2007 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-568188.Xml Reacting to the statement of Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani regarding the Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said the ball on the issue was in the court of the HRD Ministry. He said the land appropriate for the construction of CUHP Campus at Jadrangal had already been recommended to the ministry. The Chief Minister was talking to mediapersons at Dr Rajinder Prasad Govt Medical College, at Tanda this evening after inaugurating the Anatomy block in the college, constructed at a cost of Rs 8.53 crore. Mr Singh said CUHP was the brain child of Congress government and Cabinet decided to bring up an IIT at Mandi and CUHP near Dharamshala. An announcement to this effect was made by the then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in a public meeting, he recalled. He said that IIT was ready and CUHP was in a mess because of BJP MP Anurag Thakur, who was allegedly creating stumbling blocks in the project. The Chief Minister said the delay in bringing up the CUHP near Dharamshala was because of misinformation campaign, being carried out by Mr Thakur and described it as unfortunate. He said to set up CUHP near Dharamshala was because of the facilities, which were in and around the town besides the facility of the Kangra airport. The present land recommended at Jadrangal was flat and appropriate for the setting up of the CUHP, He said, adding that last year, he personally visited Jadrangal and inspected it for half a day. Mr Singh said, "It is flat, good and appropriate for the CUHP". The matter will not be taken up with Prime Minister Narendar Modi as he had utmost faith in the HRD Minister, he added. Mr Singh said the Vice Chancellor of Himachal Pradesh University met him yesterday, who told him that the place is appropriate for CUHP. In reply to a question, the Chief Minister said Congress leader Viplov Thakur has vested interests in demanding CUHP at Dehra. He suggested her that she should desist from carrying a disinformation campaign regarding CUHP. He said that he would not allow politics to create hurdles in establishing the University near Dharamshala in the larger interests of the state. Regarding the super specialty hospital, Mr Singh said the super specialty equipment will be made available by the end of current financial year by HLL Company of Government of India. Regarding the maintenance of the hospital, he said funds will be made available, despite the fact that during the five year tenure of formjer Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, no funds were made available for themaintenance of the hospital.UNI XC DB RJ RK2020 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-568214.Xml Members of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) today held protest and black flag demonstration against Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani. The NSUI workers, carrying NSUI and black flags led by its national Secretary Amit Pathania, gathered at Tanda, 500 meters outside the venue of the CUHP convocation, where the Union HRD Minister was to address, raised slogans against Ms Irani to go back and demanded inquiry into the death of Dalit student Rohit of the University of Hyderabad. Mr Pathania further demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak on the issue and the HRD Minister should resign. After showing black flags to Ms Irani, the protestors threw the black flags on her car and even tried to hinder the movement of the motorcade. Police managed to take her car inside Dr Rajinder Prasad Govt Medical College, Tanda. The NSUI members raised slogans Smriti Irani go back' and broke the police cordon. They ran after the motorcade and entered into the medical college premises. Police failed to stop them and the protestors reached the venue of the convocation. They held demonstration outside the venue. The University officials and police then pushed them back. The agitators tried to sit on a dharna at the gate of the auditorium, but they were pushed away by police. Ms Irani refused to talk to the media after the convocation, saying she was not Rahul Gandhi, who uses University platforms for his politics. However, BJP MP and former chief minister Shanta Kumar, who was scheduled to attened the convocation as guest of honour, was not present during the convocation. Later in the day, Ms Irani addressed the BJP workers at Dharamshala. Without naming Mr Gandhi, the Union HRD Minister said there were some people, who were taking revenge from her of Amethi polls. Do not make education as battle field, she advised and added that she will fight against Mr Gandhi at Amethi more vigorously. The Minister called upon BJP workers to take a pledge and work within the limits of political values and work for the national reconstruction. She said she was not Mr Gandhi, who used the shoulders of students for training gun against her.UNI XC DB RJ BD2042 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-568331.Xml The Union Government has approved in principle Kerala governments proposal of infrastructure development in and around Sabarimala worth Rs 100 crore. A team of high-ranking officials from the Union Tourism Ministry will visit the hill shrine today to evaluate the proposal. Kerala Tourism had sent the proposal for infrastructure development at the Sannidhanam, Pampa and Erumeli under the Sabarimala Spiritual Tourism Circuit plan, a press release said here. The Rs 99.88 crore plan is in addition to the already approved Rs 100 crore for the development of a larger circuit connecting the Sree Padmanabha Swami temple in Thiruvananthapuram and the Parthasarathy temple in Aranmula to the Sabarimala shrine. The central team has expedited the inspection so as to speed up the process of releasing the grant. Construction of a new Aravana Complex at the Sannidhanam, amenities for pilgrims for darshan, a reverse osmosis plant for water purification and a first-aid centre are part of the plan. The spot where pilgrims offer coconuts will be renovated under the plan. The path from Pampa to Sannidhanam will be paved with granite slabs. A solar plant will be installed to light up the paths from Pampa to Sannidhanam. Eight medical points, 13 washrooms and drinking water complexes will also be set-up, the release added.UNI DS KVV AK 2108 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0324-567518.Xml Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu today charged that the congress party which dismissed as many as 100 elected state governments during its rule is now criticizing the centre on Arunachal Pradesh issue. Addressing the party workers here today, Mr.Naidu said that during Congress rule as many as 465 Ordinances were promulgated but now the party was criticising the Prime Minister for one or two ordinances. Stating that the suicide by a student in University of Hyderabad as ` very unfortunate` he said that the enquiry was on. But the Congress was, however, making `much hue and cry` about it and was trying to exploit the issue. "During the Congress rule as many as ten students including some dalit youth had committed suicide in the University of Hyderabad. But the Congress leaders did not bother to visit as there was Congress rule", Mr Naidu alleged.The minister also pointed out that recently three girl students in neighbouring Tamilnadu had committed suicide. But none of the Congress leaders visited the State. `Is not girls` life important to them`, he asked. But now in the wake of suicide by a student in University of Hyderabad the Congress wanted to `defame the government, delay registration, distort the truth and disrupt parliament, Mr Naidu said, asking the cadres` to embark upon a campaign to counter the disinformation campaign by the Congress`. Mounting a scathing attack on the opposition Congress for `not not allowing parliament to function` and pointed out that the Congress `is not ready to reconcile itself to its defeat in the last Parliamentary polls`. Mr.Naidu said that Parliament was a forum where there should be discussion, debate and it was a forum for taking discussions. It is not not meant for any disruption`. He stressed that the BJP workers should be active and meet the people to apprise them of various welfare measures evolved and implemented by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for different sections of the people.He said that the party men should reach out to all sections including Muslims and Christians and strengthen the base among fishermen here. The Prime minister wanted to transform the country by implementing various schemes for the benefit of women, youth, farmers and weaker sections. The important schemes like Make in India, Skill Development, Digital India and Clean India programmes were important programmes. The Prime minister wanted to make India more `dynamic and more attractive`, he said. The minister assured that the Centre would give all the help to Puducherry Union Territory. He said that Puducherry would find a place in the second list of smart cities and added that he had asked the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary to upgrade the plan.Puducherry BJP president V.Swaminathan presided over the function.UNI PAB KVV AK 2105 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0415-568336.Xml Interacting with mediapersons here after inaugurating the state of the art Mattewal Police Station, Mr Majithia said the anti-people stance of this party was the real reason why it had been decimated in the entire region. He said the Congress, instead of taking any lessons from these defeats, was now boycotting elections as it could not face the electorate. Referring to the complete ban imposed on recruitment in various departments by Congress during its regime, Mr Majithia said the party did grave injustice with the youngsters of the State. He said during the SAD-BJP rule, more than one lakh youth had already been recruited and recruitment of another one lakh was in the pipeline. Focus of the ruling alliance was to provide maximum job opportunities to the youth of the state, besides creating job avenues through private sector investments he added.UNI NC VJ RJ RK2105 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0293-568237.Xml Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra on Monday asked the PDP and the BJP to meet him on Tuesday regarding government formation but the two appeared to be drifting apart. Political sources in Srinagar said that after being delayed by three weeks, government formation was looking increasingly a remote possibility. In Srinagar, PDP legislators met and asked their president Mehbooba Mufti to meet Vohra in the winter capital Jammu on Tuesday. "The MLAs authorized Mehbooba Mufti to convey the legislature party's views to the governor," senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar told reporters. The legislators did not elect Mehbooba Mufti, an MP, leader of the legislature party in the 87-member state assembly. Party leaders said the matter was not even discussed. The state came under Governor's Rule on January 8, a day after Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed -- Mehbooba's father -- died. He had headed an alliance of his PDP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mehbooba has said she would not stake claim to power in the state unless the central government gave assurances on time-bound implementation of the agenda of alliance between her party and the BJP. She is not a member of the hung assembly and represents Anantnag in the Lok Sabha. There has been speculation that she may ditch the BJP and embrace the Congress and smaller parties. BJP state president Sat Pal Sharma meanwhile flew to New Delhi with former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh and Lok Sabha MP Jugal Kishore and met party general secretary Ram Madhav and president Amit Shah. Earlier in the day, Sharma said in Jammu that there were no preconditions from the BJP vis-a-vis the PDP. He also said there were no differences between the two parties and hoped that an elected government comprising the PDP and BJP would soon be in place in the state. But he ruled out any further assurances on the alliance agenda. Sources told IANS that BJP has decided not to bow before any pressure from PDP. "Our stand is clear. PDP will have to come forward for the government formation. Let them decided a leader then we will take a call," a BJP leader told IANS on the conditions of anonymity. However, he added, "We have our own plans too if Mehbooba remains rigid to her decision. If she is planning to form government with Congress and others regional parties and independents, this will not be possible. Two of the legislators of Jammu and Kashmir People Conference led by Sajjad Gani Lone and one of the three independents are with us." Governor Vohra has asked both the PDP and the BJP to call on him on Tuesday to discuss government formation. Leaders of both parties will meet him separately. On Sunday, Mehbooba Mufti told her party colleagues she was was not ready to become the chief minister of the state "for nothing". The sources say it is now a game of brinkmanship between the PDP and the BJP. Meanwhile, Vohra is reported to have finalized a list of advisors he needs to run the country's only Muslim-majority state during Governor's Rule. Under its own constitution, the state can be under Governor's Rule for six months. If the governor is convinced there are no chances of a government taking power, he can recommend dissolution of the state assembly and seek fresh elections. --Indo-Asian News Service sq-bns/mr/vd ( 578 Words) 2016-02-01-22:03:35 (IANS) Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party Parliamentarian Subhash Patel, who represents Madhya Pradeshs Khargone, said today that his personal assistant apprehended during Fridays police raid that busted a flesh trade racket at a police officials flat in Indores Hira Nagar area was subsequently dismissed from service. "On January 28 and 29, I was on a visit to Bhubaneswar and learnt yesterday of Chandrashekhar Kushwahs arrest after I reached Delhi. I had appointed Kushwah, keeping in view his financial hardships and am not responsible for his personal life. I have no details about a car registered in my name being seen at the scene of crime. I had sold the vehicle to Kushwah but as he did not pay the entire amount the registration was not transferred," the politician told UNI. During the search, police caught two women, as many touts and three customers including Kushwah.UNI XC-AC RJ VN2240 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-568502.Xml The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday called on People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti to reveal her intentions first on forming a coalition for the state government and added that no condition had been set by the PDP before the Centre so far. "Mehbooba Mufti ji needs to show us her cards first, and then only can we talk about taking the next step. The core committee meeting of state unit was held today. Our state president will meet the governor tomorrow and put forth the party's view, however, we haven't received any conditions yet," BJP general secretary Ram Madhav told the media here. He asserted the BJP is committed to the effective implementation of common minimum programme in 'letter and spirit' which was started together by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mehbooba Mufti. Earlier today, Mehbooba Mufti called a legislature party meeting today to discuss the issue of government formation. The PDP has indicated that it won't go ahead with the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party if the agenda of alliance stitched under the leadership of former chief minister Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was not implemented in letter and spirit. Addressing party workers in Srinagar yesterday, Mehbooba Mufti said the party will take a call on government formation as and when it was confident that the vision and mission of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will be carried forward. The new government is yet to be formed even three weeks after the death of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7. (ANI) A dreaded criminal hailing from Kerala was today arrested from Ulhasnagar town of the district by Thane police for allegedly committing various thefts and recovered the stolen booty of around 954 gm of gold and silver ornaments, collectively worth around Rs 30 lakh. Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Makarand Ranade told newspersons that acting on a tip-off, a police team carried out a combing operation on banks of the Ulhas river in the bushes and as the team spotted him, he jumped into the river and swam away. The police team chased him, while cordoning off both the banks of the river and finally apprehended him. The dreaded criminal, identified as Munna Sayeed alias Kurban (40), originally from Kerala, was hiding in the bushes in the Ulhasnagar town, the police officer said. He committed thefts like chain-snatching and house-breaking in the Ambernath, Badlapur and Dombivli region, along with his accomplices. Giving further details, Mr Ranade said unlike others, Sayeed did not dispose off the booty, instead mortgaged it. He has had accumulated a good property on his name, it was stated. The accused had mortaged the booty in Chikmanglur of Karnataka, where he lived with his in-laws. A police team reached there and recovered the stolen booty of around 954 gm gold and silver ornaments collectively worth around Rs 30 lakh, the ACP added. A black belt in karate, the accused was earlier arrested in connection with as many as 15 offences way back in 2012, but jumped bail. Since past four years, police were on his lookout and he gave a slip to them, Mr Ranade claimed. The accused was later produced before a local court, which remanded him to police custody up to February 4, he added. Meanwhile, police have launched a manhunt for the other accomplices of the accused, who is claimed to have confessed to a record 53 house-breaking thefts in Thane region, the ACP revealed.UNI XR SS RJ VN2300 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-568485.Xml Uttar Pradesh government has initiated process to digitalise land records in around 60,000 Gram Sabhas, which will not only end land disputes going on for decades, but also help Revenue officials to identify the exact land by just A click of the mouse Government has invited private entrepreneurs to set up e-kiosks at each gram Sabha, which would be make the work fast and transparent. These e-kiosks would be over and above Jan Sewa Kendras set up in many parts of the states particularly at the tehsil level. This is not part of Digital India project launched by the Government of India as UP Government had earlier launched National Land Record Modernisation Programme (NLRMP). This pilot project was launched in five districts to preserve land maps and has approved a statewide plan. over 6,000 villages in five districts - Mathura, Barabanki, Ghaziabad, Hapur and Jaunpur have come under this programme. All these villages have digitalised maps. This scheme has been a great success and now Government has plans to extend it to all over the state. The Chief Minister wants technology to reach people at the earliest. So, revenue department has decided to rope in private players. This will not only increase the speed of the work but also bring transparency in the government working, a senior official said here today. The beginning has been made from Jhansi, where Jhansi development authority has invited tenders for digitalisation and super imposition of all the revenue villages of the district. The satellite imagery would be of 385 km. Once we have digitalised information about the villages, the other thing will fall at place. The biggest advantage of this digitalization campaign would be to solve the land disputes. When we have clear cut boundaries with khasra and khatauni numbers this would be very easy for the revenue officers to resolve the issue with the click of the mouse, added. The official said private players have been invited to set up optical fiber in each Gram Sabha to speed up data flow. The government has even held parleys with the telecom giants, who claim 4G services, he addedUNI MB RJ RK2307 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-568184.Xml Tanzanian authorities have launched a manhunt after poachers shot down a helicopter and its British pilot during an operation to track down elephant killers, officials said today. British pilot Roger Gower was tracking poachers on Friday in the Maswa Game Reserve when his helicopter was hit by an AK-47 rifle fired from the ground, Tanzania's tourism and natural resources minister, Jumanne Maghembe, said. The mission had been a collaboration between the Friedkin Conservation Fund and the Tanzanian government, which has struggled to respond to what conservation groups say has been an explosion of "industrial-scale" poaching in recent years. "The government has launched a manhunt to find those responsible for this attack," Maghembe told reporters.Dan Friedkin, chairman of the Friedkin Conservation Fund, said that Gower had been engaged in a coordinated effort with Tanzanian wildlife authorities to track down elephant poachers when his helicopter was shot down. He died in the crash. "This tragic event again highlights the appalling risk and cost of protecting Tanzania's wildlife," Friedkin said in a statement. A June census found that the elephant population in Tanzania, which depends heavily on its safari tourism industry, has declined from 110,000 in 2009 to a little over 43,000 in 2014. Demand for ivory from fast-growing Asian economies such as China and Vietnam, where it is turned into jewels and ornaments, has led to a rise in poaching across sub-Saharan Africa. Tanzanian authorities said they have made progress over the past months in their crackdown on illegal poaching. Last October, it brought charges against a prominent Chinese businesswoman Yang Feng Glan, 66, dubbed the "Ivory Queen," for running a network that smuggled out tusks from 350 elephants. Maghembe's deputy at the ministry, Ramo Makani, told Reuters that five suspects had been arrested since Gower's death and that the operation is still underway for the remaining suspects. He also said that a second person who was travelling in the helicopter had survived the incident and is being treated for minor injuries and shock. REUTERS SA VN1752 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0386-566281.Xml The arrested people in question possessed a hunting rifle and cartridges, added the statement. Even if there was no reference to a probable link between this arrest and recruitment of Moroccans to fight in Libya, the Algerian government has already warned about the existence of Moroccan nationals who join to Daech ranks in Libya through Algerian territory, Xinhua reported. Last week, the Algerian Minister for Maghreb Affairs, the African Union and the Arab League, Abdelkader Messahel, had summoned the ambassador of Morocco to Algeria to inform him of the existence of "massive and unusual" flow of Moroccan nationals heading to violence ridden Libya through Algeria. Soon after this remarks, the Algerian authorities on Friday suspended flights between Algiers and Tripoli until further notice. --Indo-Asian News Service vr/ ( 162 Words) 2016-02-01-05:45:34 (IANS) Last September, Sipila pledged to give his second private residence, located in northern Finland, for use as a home for refugees. He said that this pledge is still valid, but the newcomers must wait, Xinhua reported. His September pledge got international publicity at the time. Sipila told Finnish national radio Yle on Sunday that security specialists considered the vast publicity had created security issues. Sipila did not specify what kind of security issues he meant, but there have been attacks on asylum seekers' accommodations throughout Finland. Not all local residents were pleased with Sipila's initial decision. At the time, Sipila's announcement was viewed by many as a gesture as well. --Indo-Asian News Service vr/ ( 152 Words) 2016-02-01-06:59:41 (IANS) The Dawn reported that US President Barack Obama will host the fourth and the final Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) on April 1 in Washington. The NSS process has been Obama's flagship initiative since his first term when he underlined security of nuclear materials as a priority of his administration. The summit meeting will discuss the future of the nuclear security summit process and will determine pathways to secure and build on the achievements of the whole process. This will be the fourth and final summit as President Obama completes his final term this year. Sharif also attended the last summit in The Hague in 2014. Leaders from 50 countries and international organisations will participate including Chinese President Xi Jinping and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed confidence in 'Pakistan's commitment and dedication to nuclear security and appreciation for Pakistan's efforts to improve its strategic trade controls'.(ANI) Dozens of al Qaeda militants reclaimed the town of Azzan in Yemen's Shabwa province today, residents said, exploiting a security vacuum in the country's south as a civil war rages.Azzan is a major commercial hub of about 70,000 people in an arid and mountainous region and was controlled by al Qaeda for around a year until the group was ejected in 2012 by an alliance of tribesmen and armed residents loyal to Yemen's since ousted central government."Dozens of al Qaeda gunmen arrived in the early hours of the morning and set up checkpoints at the entrances to the town and in its streets. They planted their black flag on government buildings," one resident who declined to be named told Reuters by telephone."They faced no resistance or clashes," the resident said, adding that tribal militia forces quit the area as it was being taken over.Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has expanded during Yemen's civil war, which triggered a military intervention by a Gulf Arab coalition last March, and also controls the major port of Mukalla in a neighbouring province.Sunni Muslim AQAP is viewed by Western analysts as the most dangerous arm of the global militant organisation, and claimed responsibility for the deadly January 2015 attack in Paris on the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo.It has made its advances in Yemen as the Saudi-led coalition forces, which back the ousted government, have clashed with the country's ascendant Houthi movement, which they fear is a proxy for Shi'ite Muslim Iran. The Houthis and Iran deny this.Al Qaeda views the group, hailing from the Zaydi branch of Shi'ite Islam, as apostates.AQAP has suffered setbacks, losing its leader and several top officials to US drone strikes, and is also facing competition from the new Yemen branch of the ultra-violent Islamic State group. REUTERS SA AS1507 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0386-567343.Xml Russian Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev said today that Moscow will not accept any preconditions aimed at creating a united front to combat global terrorism, including IS terrorists in Syria. "It is necessary to give up preconditions when establishing a united front to fight terrorism," Patrushev said, adding "We constantly pursue this line in the contacts with our foreign partners." He said that attempts to divide terrorists into the "good" and "bad" ones are absolutely unacceptable to Russia.He pointed out that Russia already sees that France, Britain, Germany, Italy and the NATO in general are interested in the joint fight against terrorism."There are objective reasons here that are also linked to Russias successful operation in Syria," Tass news agency quoted Paturshev as saying."Here it is important that our actions comply with the international law and are carried out at the request of the legitimate Syrian authorities, he noted."We also note that after this operation started the US and its allies also stepped up their actions against terrorists," Patrushev said. He said that Russia has managed to reach certain progress in consolidating efforts of the international community in this direction."One of the apparent results were the recently adopted resolutions by the UN Security Council aimed at fighting against the IS (the Islamic State) and other terrorist organizations," he said. Patrushev also said understanding was growing in the countries that "one cannot further turn a blind eye to the atrocities of the radical Islamists hoping to use them to topple the legitimate governments." "We are firmly convinced that the fight against terrorism should be consistent. We are showing that by our own example," Patrushev stressed. UNI XC CJ SW1439 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0400-567214.Xml Syrian rebels fought back against an offensive by government forces near a supply route into the city of Aleppo today and said there had been no letup in Russian air strikes, despite a promise of goodwill moves by Damascus to spur peace talks.UN envoy Staffan de Mistura was due later today to meet Syrian opposition groups in Geneva, hoping to launch indirect peace talks after five years of war that has killed 250,000 people. A meeting with the government delegation was postponed because de Mistura had first to meet the opposition.De Mistura pressed on with peace efforts as the death toll from an Islamic State suicide attack near Damascus climbed to more than 70 people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The attack targeted a government-held neighbourhood that is home to Syria's holiest Shi'ite shrine.The Geneva peace talks mark the first attempt in two years to hold negotiations over Syria, whose war has drawn in regional and international powers and forced millions from their homes and into neighbouring states and Europe.The opposition to President Bashar al-Assad agreed late on Friday to travel to Geneva after saying they had received guarantees to improve the situation on the ground, such as a detainee release and a halt to attacks on civilian areas.But the opposition says there has been no easing of the conflict since then, with government and allied forces including Iranian militias pressing offensives across important areas of western Syria, most recently north of Aleppo.It is the first big government offensive for nearly a year in the Aleppo area, which controls access to opposition-held areas of the city from Turkey, a sponsor of the insurgency."The attack started at 2 am, with air strikes and missiles," said rebel commander Ahmed al-Seoud, describing the situation near Aleppo, parts of which are controlled by the government and parts are in opposition hands.Seoud told Reuters his Free Syrian Army group had sent reinforcements to the area near the village of Bashkoy."We took guarantees from America and Saudi to enter the negotiations ... (but) the regime has no goodwill and has not shown us any goodwill," he said from nearby Idlib province.The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces were gaining ground in the area, and had captured most of the village of Duweir al-Zeitun near Bashkoy. It reported dozens of air strikes today morning and Syrian state television said government forces were advancing.NEGOTIATION "UNDER ESCALATION"The opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) has indicated it will leave Geneva unless steps set out in a December 18 Security Council resolution, endorsing peace moves including a lifting of sieges of blockaded areas, are implemented.Bashar al-Jaafari, head of the government delegation, said yesterday Damascus was considering options such as ceasefires, humanitarian corridors and prisoner releases. But he suggested they might come about as a result of the talks, not before them.Opposition delegate Farrah Atassi said government forces were escalating their military campaign, making it hard to justify the opposition's presence in Geneva. Another opposition official highlighted heavy Russian bombardment of the northern Homs area yesterday as one sign that nothing had changed."Today, we are going to Mr De Mistura to demand again and again, for a thousand times, that the Syrian opposition is keen to end the suffering of the Syrian people," Atassi said. "However, we cannot ask the Syrian opposition to engage in any negotiation with the regime under this escalation."A senior Western diplomat said the opposition had shown up so as not to play "directly into the hands of the regime"."They want tangible and visible things straight away, but there are things that realistically can't be done now such as ending the bombing. It's obvious that that is too difficult. The easiest compromises are releasing civilians and children."The HNC was due to meet De Mistura at 5 pm (2130 IST) at the UN headquarters in Geneva.It also met him at a hotel on Sunday where a diplomatic source said they discussed a proposal by De Mistura to help meet their humanitarian concerns.The diplomatic efforts have been beset by difficulties, including a dispute over who should be invited to negotiate with the government. Beyond that, the challenges are enormous and include lingering divisions over Assad's future.TYPE OF GOVERNMENTThe Kurdish PYD party which controls large areas of northern Syria has been excluded in line with the wishes of Turkey, which considers it a terrorist group.The HNC includes some of the foreign-backed rebel groups fighting Assad in western Syria. Islamic State is at war with both Assad and the rebels, and is fighting for its its own "caliphate" rather than a reformed Syria.The United Nations is aiming for six months of talks that would focus on achieving a broad ceasefire, while also working towards a political settlement. The United States, which backs the opposition to Assad, has been urging the HNC to attend.The Syrian government views all the groups fighting it as terrorists and instruments of foreign powers such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey.Another complication is the type of government that will run Syria in any peace settlement. Jaafari said on Sunday Damascus favoured an "enlarged national government", while the opposition want a transitional governing body. REUTERS SA BD2005 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0386-568328.Xml Top-notch job advice can help you make smart decisions, advance your career and keep your spirits high when work gets tough. We tapped seasoned career experts, including college career counselors, authors and CEOs, for the best career advice they've ever received. Their edited responses are below. Debra Lybyer, director of career and advising services, Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho Treat everyone you meet as a potential employer, every task you complete as part of your interview and keep every door open. You'll never know what is out there for you if you don't allow every possible opportunity to come your way. Jude Miller Burke, author of "The Millionaire Mystique: How Working Women Become Wealthy -- And How You Can, Too!" The best career advice I received was to be persistent and resilient and to not let detours or failures derail my career. Successful men and women frequently have failures and detours in their careers, but do not let those bumps dissuade them. In fact, for successful people, failures are seen as a part of success and detours are seen as opportunities to push your career further ahead. Rob VanDorin, associate director of career services and employer relations, Central Michigan University Do your research. You should know the ins and outs of every company that you apply to before you even submit an application or resume. If you don't know them, then you don't know how to make yourself fit. Bob LaBombard, CEO of GradStaff Don't let your college major, previous jobs or money define your career choices. Focus on the skills you possess, the business ideas you are most passionate about and your ability to make positive things happen. This advice is based on input from a variety of people over the years that repeated a lot of the same themes, but I would attribute the most significant influence to my dad, who was a very strong believer in a liberal arts education and the importance of adding value or doing your very best at everything you do. Story continues Keri Burns, director of career services, University of West Georgia The best career advice I ever received was to 'always leave a position or department better than you found it.' Whenever I take on a new role, my goal is to make a positive impact and leave a legacy, either through process improvements, innovative programming, organizational structure or any area that might need attention. I always want my involvement in any position I have held to have made a difference. Walter L. Tarver, III, director of the career center, Stockton University in New Jersey The best piece of career advice I ever received was to take advantage of every single opportunity that an employer presents to you. Though you may be hired into one position with a specific set of responsibilities, do not be afraid to move outside of those areas of responsibility. Volunteer for special projects, volunteer to be on committees and always look for ways to expand your skill set. This will serve you well as you look to move forward and advance in your career. Jan Jones, author of "The CEO's Secret Weapon: How Great Leaders and Their Assistants Maximize Productivity and Effectiveness" My dad told me, "Don't worry about what people say about you. When you're on top, they're talking about you, when you're down, they're talking about you, so just go ahead and live your life." His advice gave me confidence to be myself and fortified me throughout my career. I keep my own counsel and honor my values without feeling intimidated by anyone, regardless of their position. Beth Ricca, director of the Cahill Career Development Center, Ramapo College of New Jersey The best career advice I ever received was from my very first boss 30 years ago. She told me, "Show, don't tell." At your job, on your resume or even in your personal life, don't waste time telling others what you can offer. Instead, do your job very well to show your skills. On your resume, don't list that you have excellent communication skills. Instead, include specific examples that demonstrate your excellent communication. Let your work speak for itself. Caren Merrick, founder and CEO of Pocket Mentor Invest in your communication skills. My first manager after college offered to send me to a communications seminar. I leapt at the opportunity and gained so much out of it that I was soon on the fast track. Periodically throughout my career, I have continued to invest in improving my communication skills -- including workshops, online courses and books. Poor communication breeds problems, and good communication often solves them. Leah Goldson, coordinator of alumni career services, University of Central Florida The best career advice I received was to find a mentor. I've had a few in my life, and they've been instrumental in my career growth and have assisted me with gaining employment and providing valuable advice to keep me motivated in tough times. Susannah Snider is the Careers editor at U.S. News. She previously covered paying for college and graduate school. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at ssnider@usnews.com. A college picnic to the beach turned into a tragedy on Monday when at least thirteen students drowned off India's west coast after they went swimming, police and officials said. The tragedy was the latest drowning incident in India, where many people are unable to swim and lax safety standards mean beaches are often without lifeguards. Dozens of students from Pune city were on an excursion to Murud beach in the Raigad district of the western Indian state of Maharashtra when disaster struck on Monday. "A total of 155 students from Pune went to Murud main beach and some of them went swimming around 3.30 pm (1000 GMT) this afternoon," assistant inspector of Raigad police Arvind Patil told AFP. "Thirteen students are dead due to drowning. The victims were all aged between 19 and 23," Patil said, adding that 10 women and three had men died. The victims were enrolled at Abeda Inamdar College, an arts, science and commerce institute in Pune. P. A. Inamdar, a trustee at the college, told AFP that the students had been on a picnic to Murud, which had been arranged by the educational institute. "They were on an excursion and must have gone into the sea against the advice of the teachers. They were swept away by the tides," Inamdar said. He said that 14 people had drowned, ten women and four men, although police insisted that the death toll was still at 13 late on Monday. Inamdar said all other students had been accounted for while Patil also said everyone else on the excursion was "safe" after a massive rescue operation involving the Indian coast guard and navy. Commander Rahul Sinha, a spokesman for the navy, said up to 18 students had got into difficulty in the water and that six of them had been rescued and taken to hospital. Murud sits on the Konkan coast, which has dozens of beaches popular with locals who prefer it to the internationally renowned tourist state of Goa. Murud is around 140 kilometres (90 miles) south of Mumbai. Story continues - 'Aggrieved and shocked' - Inamdar said between eight and ten college staff had accompanied the students on their trip and he had been told that there hadn't been any lifeguards on duty at the time of the tragedy. "I don't think there were lifeguards on the beach. That is the basic problem," he said. In a statement, the governor of Maharashtra, C. Vidyasagar Rao, expressed his condolences to the families of those who died. I am deeply aggrieved and shocked to know about the drowning of 13 students... who had gone to the Murud beach in Raigad district for a picnic," he said. "My heart goes out to the near and dear ones of all students who lost their life. Monday's incident comes a few weeks after a man drowned off Mumbai trying to save a girl who fell into the sea while taking a selfie. The girl and two friends fell off rocks into the Arabian sea while clicking photos of themselves. A passerby, 37-year-old Ramesh Walanju, jumped in and helped save the two friends but was washed away by the choppy waters and his body was found floating in a nearby creek. The girl is still missing. In February 2014, 29 people died when a passenger boat capsized in the eastern state of Orissa. A month prior to that incident, 21 people were killed when a tourist boat capsized off India's remote Andaman Islands. Monday nights Iowa caucuses will further narrow a Republican presidential primary field that once boasted a whopping 17 White House hopefuls. UPDATE: Click here to see what the lower-tier GOP candidates are doing after Iowa. While billionaire Donald Trump and Sens. Ted Cruz (TX) and Marco Rubio (FL) duke it out to finish in the top three, there are nine other candidates still running. Some of the contenders, like New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Ohio Governor John Kasich, arent putting much stock in the Hawkeye State, instead investing their time and money into winning the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9. Related: Less than 24 Hours Until Iowa Decides If Trump and Clinton Will Hold But some others gambled everything on a strong showing in Iowa that, barring a miracle, simply isnt coming. Heres who you can expect to drop out following Monday nights results (click here for the updated analysis): Rick Santorum. The former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and winner of the caucuses in 2012 has made no secret that Iowa is his slingshot to winning the GOP nomination this summer. Santorum made an early effort to win the backing of evangelicals, but they slipped through his fingers to Trump and, at least for a little while, Ben Carson before the influential bloc rallied to Cruzs campaign. He stands at just 1.2 percent, dead last, in the Real Clear Politics average of recent statewide polls. Over the last 5 years, Ive done over 700 speeches and town-hall meetings all throughout the state of Iowa and its been an incredible ride," Santorum said last week Fox Newss undercard debate in Des Moines, Iowa, giving what likely will be the closing statement of his campaign. Related: How Sanders Could Pull Off an Upset Over Clinton in Iowa Mike Huckabee. The 2008 winner of the Iowa caucuses and former Arkansas governor has been unable to recapture the magic in Iowa, despite unabashed plays for social conservatives like defending Kim Davis, the Kentucky country clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage license to same sex couples. Story continues Unlike Santorum, though, Huckabee is likely to stick around as a pundit for the rest of 2016. He has aligned himself in recent weeks with Trump, appearing at his pro-veteran, counter-debate rally in Iowa last week. Should Trump actually get the nomination, its not hard to imagine Huckabee serving as a campaign surrogate. Beyond Santorum and Huckabee, there are other candidates who are likely to start packing it in: Carly Fiorina. The former Hewlett-Packard CEO saw her public profile skyrocket last summer, only to see it crash down to Earth just in time for the caucuses. Fiorina shook up the race in August when she wowed viewers during the GOP primarys first undercard debate. Related: Trump Takes a Knee As Clock Winds Down in Iowa The break-out performance was enough to get Fiorina onto the primetime debate stage but never translated into a big change in the polls. Sure enough, Fiorina was back at the kids table for the last undercard debate before the caucuses. Despite her bleak prospects, look for Fiorina to stick it out through at least New Hampshire before dropping out. Ben Carson. Its hard to believe, given his single-digit polling numbers, that the retired neurosurgeon once threatened Trump for frontrunner status. The deadly ISIS attacks in Paris in November shifted the entire GOP race to national security and exposed Carson as a novice. He compounded that problem with a confusing scandal about his biography, a very public squabble within his campaign that saw several senior aides leave, and a string of poor, almost bizarre debate performances, all but extinguishing Carsons chances of being the Republican nominee. Still, recent polls show him in the top echelon of candidates in Iowa, owing to the significant amount of time he has spent there and the number of rivals who have given up on the state. Carson will likely stick around until the South Carolina primary on Feb. 20. With at least two more GOP debates slated to happen before then, theres plenty of time for Carson to deliver lines like the one from last week when asked about Russian President Vladimir Putins policies. "Putin is a one-horse country," Carson said. "Oil and energy." UPDATE: Click here to see what the lower-tier GOP candidates are doing after Iowa. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Trafficking in children is a global problem affecting large numbers of children. Some estimates have as many as 1.2 million children being trafficked every year. There is a demand for trafficked children as cheap labour or for sexual exploitation. Children and their families are often unaware of the dangers of trafficking, believing that better employment and lives lie in other countries. Do you know what rights you have at work? You might assume that your employer understands labor law and always follows it, but in reality many employers regularly violate employment law, either knowingly or unknowingly. Here are five of the most common ways that employers break labor laws -- with some of them being so common that most employees don't even realize their rights are being violated. Take a look and see if you spot anything here that your own employer should be doing differently. 1. Telling you that you can't discuss your salary with your co-workers. The National Labor Relations Act says that employers can't prevent most employees from discussing wages among themselves. The reason for that is that employees can't effectively organize or unionize if they're not permitted to discuss wages or uncover potential inequities. But despite the law, an astonishing number of employers have policies against this anyway -- so many that most people think these policies normal and have no idea that they violate the law. 2. Treating you as exempt from overtime pay. Whether or not you're eligible for overtime pay isn't up to your employer. It's supposed to be governed by the type of work you do. The federal government divides all types of jobs into one of two categories: exempt and non-exempt. If your job is categorized as non-exempt, your employer must pay you overtime (time and a half) for all hours you work beyond 40 in any given week. The exempt category is reserved for employees who perform relatively high-level executive or professional work, outside sales employees and a few other narrowly defined categories. But many employers incorrectly categorize employees as exempt when they don't actually meet the government's qualifications for the category, and thus avoid paying overtime to people who the law says should be earning it. 3. Asking or allowing you to work off the clock. If you're a non-exempt employee, you must be paid for all the time you work, including things outside of your normal work hours, such as answering emails or taking calls from home at night or on the weekend. You can't waive this right even if you want to. Your employer is required to pay you for that time. Story continues 4. Hiring independent contractors but treating them like employees. If your employer controls when, where and how you work, the government says that you're an employee and your company needs to pay your payroll taxes and offer you the same benefits it offers to regular employees. Yet despite recent crackdowns on this by the government, many employers continue to hire independent contractors and treat them like employees -- in every way but pay. 5. Disciplining you for complaining about work on social media. The National Labor Relations Act protects employees' ability to discuss wages and working conditions with each other. The National Labor Relations Board has ruled repeatedly that employers' attempts to control or limit what employees post on social media often violate the employees' rights to engage in "protected concerted activity," and that employees must be permitted to band together to try to make changes to their employment conditions, even if all they wish to do is to complain as a group. In many cases, the NLRB has warned employers that workers have the right to say negative things about their jobs in public forums without risk. That said, the NLRB does generally permit employers to prohibit maliciously false statements about the company, harassment, bullying, discrimination or retaliation. Here's what to do if your employer is violating one of these laws. If your employer is violating one of the laws, in most cases the most effective first step is simply to talk to your manager. If you start from the assumption that she doesn't realize that there's a legal issue and that you're being helpful by bringing it to her attention -- as opposed to taking an adversarial stance right off the bat -- you're more likely to get a better outcome, one where the problem gets fixed and you maintain good relations with your employer. For instance, if your boss is asking you to work unpaid overtime when you're non-exempt, try saying something like, "We're actually required by federal law to pay overtime to people in my job category. I can work the overtime if you want me to, but the company would need to pay it. Does it still make sense for me to work the extra hours?" If that doesn't get you the results you need, at that point you could talk to a lawyer or the appropriate government agency to explore what steps are available to you. You may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor or the National Labor Relations Board. By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The African Union will send a team to Burundi to try to convince the government to accept a peacekeeping force that it had rejected, backing away from an earlier plan to send them with or without consent, a top AU official said. The AU's Peace and Security Council announced plans to deploy a 5,000-strong force in December, saying it would, if necessary, invoke an article of the AU's charter that allowed it to intervene whether or not the government agreed. After President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose bid for a third term sparked the crisis, refused to accept the force, some AU members appear to have wavered. Gambia's president, Yahya Jammeh, said some states would only act with Burundi's consent. "We want dialogue with the government of Burundi," Smail Chergui, the AU's Commissioner for Peace and Security, told reporters after an AU summit on Sunday. He said African leaders had "decided to send a high-level delegation to that country so that they hold dialogue with the government on ... the deployment of the force." It highlights sensitivities among some African leaders, who experts say fear that sending troops against a government's will could set a precedent that be turned on them in future. The delay will worry Western powers, who fear Burundi will fall back into ethnic conflict without intervention. U.N. rights officials have said Burundi needs a beefed up international presence to halt the slide into fighting. Violence in the nine-month-old crisis has already killed more than 400 people, in a country that emerged from an ethnically charged civil war in 2005. U.N. assistant secretary general for human rights, Ivan Simonovic, told Reuters on Saturday that the African Union, if it did not send peacekeepers, should at least boost the number of human rights monitors it has there or send some police. Asked if more monitors would go, Chergui told Reuters: "That question is too early. We are sending a high-level delegation so we are hoping that we will achieve an agreement with the government on everything." Diplomats at the summit 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. "The longer this situation continues, the more people will be killed and affected," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "We cannot wait any longer, that is why it is a matter of urgency, that I am urging African leaders to act in one voice," he said in Addis Ababa, adding that Burundi's government should "listen very carefully and engage in inclusive dialogue". (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Edmund Blair and Stephen Powell) By Nia Williams CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - The Canadian oil-producing province of Alberta will offer C$500 million ($357 million) in royalty credits in a bid to attract investment in new petrochemical facilities and help diversify its ailing economy, the government said on Monday. It said the Petrochemicals Diversification Program is expected to support the construction of two or three new facilities that use propane or methane, components of natural gas, as feedstock to produce materials for products including plastics, detergents and textiles. Deron Bilous, minister for economic development and trade, said the program is intended to mitigate the high cost of construction in Alberta, and could attract C$3 billion - C$5 billion in investment and create more than 4,000 jobs. Alberta is the largest source of U.S. oil imports and its previously booming economy has been hard hit by the global crude price slump, with companies slashing billions of dollars in capital spending and laying off tens of thousands of workers. Last week the left-leaning provincial government unveiled a review of energy royalties that left rates unchanged on existing oil wells and oil sands projects, and avoided adding more cost burdens to an industry already reeling from the lowest crude prices in more than a decade. The royalty review included a recommendation that Alberta adopt a strategy of processing its natural gas into higher-value products. "This is another way to diversify our energy economy and create good jobs in Alberta," said Minister of Energy Margaret McCuaig-Boyd. Companies will be able to apply to the government for royalty credits worth up to C$200 million for a single petrochemical facility, and credits will be awarded once the projects are completed and start processing feedstock. Although petrochemical facilities do not pay royalties, the credits they earn can be traded or sold to oil or natural gas producers, who can in turn use them to reduce royalty payments to the government. (Editing by Alan Crosby and Jeffrey Hodgson) By Anya George Tharakan and Supantha Mukherjee REUTERS - How much is Google-parent Alphabet Inc spending on "moonshots" self-driving cars, glucose-monitoring contact lenses, Internet balloons and other ambitious projects? Investors will get their long-awaited answer when Alphabet reports fourth-quarter results after markets close on Monday. The report will be the first time Alphabet will break out results for what it calls "Other Bets," which includes Google Fiber; smart home accessory maker Nest Labs and the secretive "X", home to the self-driving cars project. The results will also show how successful Google was in targeting ads at a fast-growing number of mobile users, especially after Facebook Inc's stellar report. A strong report could boost the stock enough for Alphabet to surpass Apple Inc as the most valuable company in the world. "For the first time they (Alphabet) have a real catalyst to the stock, aside from a standard beat-and-raise," said James Cakmak, an analyst at Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co Inc. The market has wanted four things from Alphabet: consistent revenue growth, margin stabilization, greater disclosure and share buybacks, and they will get all of them this quarter, RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Mahaney said. The reading may not be pretty. A Raymond James survey showed that 72 percent of investors expect "Other Bets" lost more than $1.5 billion in 2015. "We believe revenues from Other Bets will be fairly immaterial for Alphabet given the early stages of most of these businesses," Raymond James analysts wrote in a note. To be sure, almost all of Alphabet's revenue comes from its Google unit. The unit houses its Internet and related businesses such as search, ads, maps, YouTube and Android as well as hardware products such as its Chromebooks. Google's revenue has been bolstered by its efforts to drive sales from its mobile and video advertising as well as Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat's increased discipline on expenses. Ad sales to mobile users is going to be the main driver to Google's results, just as it was at Facebook. Analysts on average are expecting Alphabet's profit to rise to $8.10 per share from $6.88 and revenue to rise 14.7 percent to $20.76 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Alphabet shares closed at $761.35 on Friday, valuing the company at about $517 billion, 4.4 percent shy of Apple's valuation of about $540 billion. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza) RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. officials said on Sunday they did not believe nine U.S. citizens were among 33 suspects detained on terrorism charges in Saudi Arabia over the past week, as reported by a Saudi newspaper. The English-language daily Saudi Gazette, citing an unnamed source, on Sunday reported that four Americans were detained last Monday, followed by another five in the following days. Saudi authorities also detained 14 Saudis, three Yemenis, two Syrians, an Indonesian, a Filipino, a United Arab Emirates citizen, a Palestinian and a citizen of Kazakhstan, the report said. Six U.S. officials told Reuters that the U.S. government could not confirm that any Americans were among the 33 suspects detained. However, two officials said U.S. authorities were still checking names against databases. Saudi authorities were also investigating the citizenship of those detained, one of the officials said. None of the U.S. officials was authorized to speak publicly, and the U.S. embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Saudi Arabia in 2014 declared Islamic State a terrorist organisation and has detained hundreds of its supporters. The group, which controls territory in Iraq and Syria, has staged a series of attacks in the kingdom. On Friday an attack at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Saudi Arabia's al-Ahsa district in Eastern Province killed four people and injured 18, the latest in a string of attacks claimed by Sunni jihadists that have left over 50 dead in the past year. The website of the Interior Ministry's militant rehabilitation centre listed four U.S. citizens as having been detained on January 25 and four more over the previous three months. It did not list any more recent detentions. The Interior Ministry spokesman directed Reuters to the website, which gives information on all people detained as militant suspects, but gave no further comment. The ministry on Saturday identified one of the attackers in al-Ahsa as 22-year-old Abdulrahman al-Tuwaijri, a Saudi citizen, who detonated an explosive vest outside the Imam Rida mosque in the Mahasen district of Hofuf in al-Ahsa. A 27-year-old was also arrested wearing an explosive vest and carrying hand grenades when members of the mosque's congregation seized him after he fired shots at them during the attack, the ministry said. Attacks by supporters of Islamic State in Saudi Arabia include two bombings and two mass shootings at Shi'ite mosques. A mosque used by Sunni security services was also bombed The Saudi clergy have denounced the group as "kharijites", an early Islamic sect reviled by Muslims for its extreme ideology. (Reporting by Angus McDowall in Riyadh; additional reporting by Mark Hosenball and Andrea Shalal in Washington; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Dan Grebler) The burnt eggshell fragments of an ancient giant bird have helped scientists solve a 50,000-year-old whodunit in Australia. Before humans arrived in Australia about 50,000 years ago, these flightless birds lived across much of the continent. But they mysteriously went extinct shortly thereafter. Now, evidence of human-scorched eggshells suggests that the new arrivals were cooking up the eggs for supper, likely putting a large dent in the birds' reproductive success, a new study shows. Notably, the finding supports the idea that ancient people contributed to the bird's eventual demise, the study authors said. These weren't your average chicken eggs. The big bird, known as Genyornis newtoni, stood 7 feet tall (2.1 meters) and weighed a whopping 500 lbs. (227 kilograms). Its eggs were also enormous (about the size of cantaloupes) and weighed about 3.5 lbs. (1.6 kg). [Easter Science: 5 Odd Facts About Eggs] "We consider this the first and only secure evidence that humans were directly preying on now-extinct Australian megafauna," Gifford Miller, a professor of geological sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, said in a statement. "We have documented these characteristically burned Genyornis eggshells at more than 200 sites across the continent." Walking on eggshells Initially, scientists were searching for and locating these eggshells to help them date ancient shorelines. But in the process of studying the shells, they found that some of them were burned and clustered together. Over more than 20 years, they collected unburned G. newtoni eggshells from more than 2,000 sites across Australia, mostly from the sand dunes where these ancient birds nested. From 200 of the sites, they also found burned eggshells. Radiocarbon dating can date once-living organisms that lived within the past 50,000 years, but this method was difficult for these shells, as the birds lived right around that cutoff time. Story continues So the researchers relied mostly on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, a technique that examines when the quartz grains in the eggshells were last exposed to sunlight. OSL helped determine that the burned eggshells were between 44,000 and 54,000 years old "the same time window that the first humans were colonizing Australia," Miller wrote in an email to Live Science. They also relied on amino acid racemization (AAR). Amino acids, the building blocks that make up proteins, decompose in a predictable fashion over time. The burned eggshells have an interesting gradient of amino-acid decomposition within each fragment that suggests they were burned by a localized heat source, such as an ember. The gradient does not indicate that the shells were burned by sustained high heat, such as from a wildfire, the researchers said. [10 Extinct Giants That Once Roamed North America] The researchers suggested that the scorched eggshells were burned in transient, human-made fires, likely to cook the eggs for a prehistoric meal, Miller said. Moreover, many of the burnt eggshells were found in clusters less than 10 feet (3 m) in diameter, with no other eggshell fragments nearby. Some of the pieces had heat gradient differences of almost 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (538 degrees Celsius). These gradients would be almost impossible to create in a wildfire setting, Miller said. "We can't come up with a scenario that a wildfire could produce those tremendous gradients in heat," Miller said. "We instead argue that the conditions are consistent with early humans harvesting Genyornis eggs, cooking them over fires and then randomly discarding the eggshell fragments in and around their cooking fires." Bye, big bird G. newtoni is hardly the only megafauna (animals weighing more than 100 lbs., or 45 kg) that lived about 50,000 years ago in Australia. There was a 1,000-lb. (450 kg) kangaroo, a 2-ton wombat, a 25-foot-long (7.6 m) lizard and a tortoise the size of a Volkswagen. However, more than 85 percent of the continent's megafauna went extinct not long after humans arrived. The reasons for these extinctions are hotly debated. Some scientists say humans are to blame, others credit climate change and some say it's likely a mixture of both. But the continental drying of Australia, from about 60,000 to 40,000 years ago, is likely not the main reason for these animals' extinctions, Miller said. The rate and magnitude of this climate change was as severe as earlier climate shifts, but large megafauna extinctions did not accompany these earlier changes, he said. "Ours is the first study to show with direct evidence that early humans in Australia also preyed on the now-extinct megafauna," he told Live Science. The study was published online today (Jan. 29) in the journal Nature Communications. Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. 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. Diamonds love Antwerp. At least, that is the official slogan of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), the public/private company (it's part government-owned) that oversees the diamond trade in Antwerp, Belgium, the world's leading city for buying and selling the stone. In 2014 some $59 billion worth of diamonds (in USD) were brought into or exported out of Antwerpmore than 5% of the GDP of Belgium. The AWDC serves as a watchdog for the industry, sets standards and promotes the market, and has a commercial arm that counts all the world's leading diamond dealers as members. But lately, the global market doesn't love diamonds. Sales declined across the board last year, and Antwerp saw its own trade volume fall some 18%, from $59 billion to $48.3 billion. (AWDC points out that "competitors such as India and Israel endured much steeper declines.") To address the diamond downturn, AWDC is turning to unlikely partners: fintech startups. It announced today a "pilot project" with San Francisco-based Uphold and Belgium-based FX4BIZ. Both are payment platforms that allow for fast and free conversion between many different currencies, including fiat and virtual currency, and commodities. "We, as the industrys representative organization, are always searching for new technologies and ways to distinguish ourselves from our competitors," said AWDC CEO Ari Epstein in a statement. Last year the AWDC held a diamond investment symposium with Morgan Stanley (MS), and Epstein says the two new partnerships are a result of the symposium. For Uphold, which markets itself as a sort of cloud-money vault, this deal brings not just financial potential, but the legitimacy of a global market partner to a still-nascent platform that rebranded at the end of last year. Uphold launched in 2014 as BitReserve, and originally customers needed to deposit funds in the virtual currency bitcoin. They could convert money into dollars, pesos, francs, and other currencies or even precious metals, but they had to start in bitcoin. That is no longer the case, and Uphold dropped the "bit" from its name, seemingly to distance itself from the controversy and stigma of the digital coin. Story continues The web site now allows for conversion into 23 different fiat currencies (including dollar, euro, pound, shekel, rupee, and yen), plus four metals (silver, gold, palladium and platinum) and bitcoin. About $836 million in transactions has been moved around on Uphold, with $85 million currently held in Uphold wallets. "Some of the legacy players in this space are very focused on specific virtual currencies," says Uphold CEO Anthony Watson, likely referring to bitcoin, "but... I predict in the next 5-10 years virtual currencies will become vertical to support vertical businesses and industries. If you look at our platform, we deal in all forms of currency. We'll support any and all types of value that the market supports." Watson, a former chief information officer at Barclays (BCS) and then at Nike (NKE), surprised many when he left to join Bitreserve. Its founder, Halsey Minor, a founder of technology news site CNET, brought Watson on for his banking experience, then made him Uphold's CEO after only a few months. Watson has said he hopes Uphold can serve to level the financial playing field, bringing banking service to the unbanked and underbanked. Thanks to the AWDC partnership, "We get to showcase our platform in something that hasn't been done before," he tells Yahoo Finance. As for AWDC, "They needed a real-time platform that allows for payment processing and clearing for their traders and dealers." Uphold says using its platform will save diamond traders "tens of millions of dollars each year." As a result of the partnership, Uphold is also opening a new office in Antwerp. AWDC will encourage its member companies, which in turn have relationships with some 2,000 diamond dealers around the world, to use Uphold or FX4BIZ for their banking services, foreign exchange and money transfer services. The value proposition of these startups is that they allow for the conversion and transmission of funds much faster and cheaper than traditional wire transfer. Whether diamond traders will hop on board is a different question. -- Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering sports business and technology. Read more: Bitcoin's biggest investor bought its leading news site Here's a sign that PayPal is embracing Bitcoin Bitcoin industry consolidates: Why Kraken bought Coinsetter By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - An Asian elephant that was moved from Seattle to an Oklahoma zoo died over the weekend, renewing debate over whether 37-year-old Chai should have been retired to a California wildlife sanctuary instead. The Oklahoma City Zoo conducted a necropsy on Chai, who arrived in May from Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo along with 48-year-old female elephant Bamboo. The elephants were moved because the Seattle zoo was closing its elephant exhibit. The zoo said it found no definitive cause of death or obvious signs of infectious disease. "Our hearts are broken," said Tara Henson, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma City Zoo. "There were no clinical signs of health issues with Chai." Chai is the second elephant to die at the Oklahoma Zoo in the last four months. In October, a 4-year-old Asian elephant named Malee died of a viral infection. Asian elephants, an endangered species, can live up to 60 years in the wild, according to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants, which wanted the elephants to go to a sanctuary, posted on Facebook: Chai's death has highlighted the growing nationwide concern about keeping and breeding elephants in zoo captivity. Over the last few years animal-rights groups have pushed for elephants to be kept in sanctuaries with large areas to roam and more social interaction than typically available in zoos. Groups have filed lawsuits in several states to move elephants to sanctuaries or block zoos from importing them. The Oklahoma City Zoo was chosen for its breeding program, multigenerational herd and staff expertise, the Seattle zoo said. The wildlife sanctuary in California also has Asian and African elephants, as well as hundreds of acres of varied natural terrain and a warmer climate. (Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) WATERLOO, Iowa With a day to go until the Iowa caucuses, Bernie Sanders spent the first part of his speech to about 1,200 people there comparing his campaign with that of Hillary Clinton. It is fair to say that of any objective assessment of Secretary Clintons campaign and my campaign she has some really good people, I am not knocking her but I think the excitement and energy is with our campaign, he said. In his closing argument to voters, Sanders is still laser-focused on delivering what he sarcastically calls a radical concept. We are telling the Americans the truth, he says. But hes also focused on soothing concerns that he will not be electable should he be the nominee. At his speech, he pointed out that although she led the latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll, he is just three points behind, compared to 41 points eight months ago. A Clinton-supporting SuperPAC raised $45 million, he noted; he says they have raised zero for our SuperPAC, and instead have collected a record 3.2 million individual contributions. Then he went into the list of polls in states, like Iowa and New Hampshire, where he does better in match ups against Donald Trump than she does. Sanders and Trump dont share much policy in common, but they are both political disrupters, now trying to close the deal with voters. Its not hard to notice that Sanders is aiming for some of the same organizational and messaging magic that propelled Barack Obama to defeat Clinton in the Iowa caucuses in 2008. Sanders slogan is A Future to Believe In; Obamas was Change We Can Believe In. Sanders is depending on heavy turnout from college-age students and young men and women in their 20s and 30s. At this event, someone from the crowd shouted, We love you Bernie, the same type of calls that would greet Obama (and, it should be noted, also are being shouted at Trump). Sanders isnt Obama, but his speeches, focused on his populist message, are laced with a tad more humor and even a few personal details, like mentions of his wife and his sons. Story continues He even caught himself in an awkward moment, when talking about the Affordable Care Act. But. And this is a big but He paused, the crowd laughed, and he added, I didnt mean it that way. The crowd got its most excited when he talked about free college tuition and refinancing debt at lower rates, as well as the message of income inequality that drew unexpected attention back when he got in the race in April, when, as he notes, people joked about his hair (which he also shares in common with Trump). One family, the Walton family of Wal-Mart, owns more wealth than the bottom 40% in this country, Sanders tells the crowd, in a style that arcs with emphasis on the most outrageous statistics to prove his point. Ann Grove, 56, who specializes in refugee support for a community action agency in Waterloo, said that she thought long about whether to support Clinton or Sanders and recently decided to caucus for Sanders. I have gone back and forth to be honest the last few months, but thought I think a lot of his ideas will be hard to implement. Fundamentally he believes in a lot of the same things I do, and that is a respect for the individual no matter how much money you have, she said. You have a respect for the power for the people, which is what this country is all about. And a willingness to challenge the status quo, which at this stage of his life is pretty impressive. She likes what Clinton did as secretary of state for refugees, but had misgivings of a husband and wife duo in the White House. I just have a problem with that. I dont think that is where we as a country want to go, she said. Tom Rounds, 67, a retired human resources director from Cedar Falls, said that he would probably caucus for Clinton. He is volunteering for AARP. I love what he says, I just hope he can get it done. It is going to be really difficult, he said. Even though it is incremental, there is more of a chance of some of the things that she is pushing for can get done. Even though Sanders talks about his position in the polls against a Republican opponent, Rounds said, Hillary has been through the fire. The Clintons have been through it. It is going to be really tough. Republicans havent started on the socialist president of Sweden thing to the extent that is going to happen this fall if Bernie is the nominee. Its going to be hard. Even if Hillary is it, it is going to be hard. Related stories Hillary Clinton Closes Iowa Campaign With Contrast to Bernie Sanders Thomas Tull, Haim Saban Give Seven-Figure Sums to Pro-Clinton SuperPAC MSNBC to Host Democratic Debate on Thursday A new congressional bill is calling for greater transparency in how District of Columbia judges report their financial ties, a response to a 2013 Center for Public Integrity investigation that gave the city a failing grade. D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton plans to introduce legislation on Monday that would put the financial disclosure requirements of D.C. court judges closer in line with those of federal judges. Its out of sync with other states courts, said the longstanding Democratic representative. I dont see why Congress should stand in the way. The legislation must go through Congress, rather than the D.C. Council, because of the peculiar relationship the city has as the nations capital. And that quirk highlights the oddity of the existing situation: District of Columbia Court judges paychecks come from the federal government, but the judges currently arent held to the same standard as federal judges when it comes to publicly disclosing where they invest that money. Annual disclosure reports typically show judges income, investments, debts and gifts. But in the case of the disclosures from the citys Court of Appeals and Superior Court judges, only two of the disclosure forms 10 sections Business and Charitable Affiliations and Honorarium are open for public inspection. That makes it difficult for those coming before the courts to have confidence that judges personal financial interests are not affecting their cases. As a result, the Center for Public Integrity gave the District an F for its poor judicial disclosure and ranked it tied for 47th among state high courts nationwide. Related story: D.C. mulls changes to judicial transparency Related story: State supreme court judges reveal scant financial information This story is part of Justice Obscured. Lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding the financial holdings and activities of the nations most powerful judges. Click here to read more stories in this investigation. Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email. The only states that scored worse Montana, Idaho and Utah did not require judges to publicly file annual reports at all. (In light of the Centers report, however, Montanas Supreme Court has since ordered judges to file the same financial disclosures as other statewide officials.) Story continues Nortons bill calls for making the D.C. judges reports available for public inspection, with provisions for information to be redacted if specific personal details could endanger a judge or a family member. She told the Center for Public Integrity that she wants the District to go even further than the federal government in making the information accessible. She said she plans to ask the D.C. Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure, which collects the reports, to make them available online. News of the legislation was welcomed by the D.C. Open Government Coalition, which had been working behind the scenes since 2014 to reform the disclosure rules. This was an anomaly and the bill will help correct a longstanding problem, said Fritz Mulhauser, a coalition member who championed a change. We look forward to the passage of the bill. Norton is optimistic the reform will pass even though she is a Democratic non-voting delegate in a Republican-run Congress plagued by legislative logjams. This is the kind of bill I have been able to get through, Norton said. I certainly am going to give it an old school try. Related story: Montana judges to disclose financial ties after Center report This story is part of Justice Obscured. Lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding the financial holdings and activities of the nations most powerful judges. Click here to read more stories in this investigation. 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. A suicide car bomb rocked a police base in central Kabul on Monday, leaving several bodies strewn around the area, officials and an AFP photographer at the scene reported. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes during the Taliban's unprecedented winter offensive despite a renewed push to restart formal peace talks. "A suicide car bomb in the vicinity of a police base in Kabul city," interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP. "There are some possible casualties." An AFP photographer saw at least 10 bodies around the base, but it was not immediately possible to determine the number of fatalities. Ambulances rushed to the scene, which was cordoned off by authorities. The attack comes just ahead of a third round of four-country "roadmap talks" trying to lay the groundwork for direct dialogue between Kabul and the Islamist group. Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are set to convene in Islamabad on February 6 in a bid to seek a negotiated end to the 14-year Taliban insurgency. The Taliban have stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets in Afghanistan this winter, when fighting usually abates, underscoring a worsening security situation. Observers say the intensifying insurgency highlights a push by the militants to seize more territory in an attempt to wrangle greater concessions during talks. At least 86 people died on Saturday night after members of the militant group Boko Haram attacked the northeastern Nigerian town of Dalori and two nearby refugee camps housing 25,000 people, reports the Associated Press. A team of attackers assaulted the village and camps with guns and explosives for four hours, survivor Alamin Bakura told the AP. As Bakura hid in a hollowed out tree trunk, he says he heard the screams of children burning to death. According to the AP, the attack continued as three more members of the terrorist group attacked survivors in the nearby village of Gamori. Agence France-Presse cited a lower death toll of 50 from the attacks. Warning: The photos below contain graphic material. "We had just finished evening prayers when the gunmen came to our village and indiscriminately opened fire and setting fire to homes," local Kulo Sheriff told CNN. "They detonated two bombs, which added to our fright and confusion. Everybody fled into the bush from where we saw our homes burning." Boko Haram began as a movement calling for Nigeria to adopt Sharia law in 2001, but in the ensuing years turned into a violent extremist insurgency that has claimed 20,000 lives and displaced 2.5 million people, reports the AP. It has launched additional attacks in Chad, Cameroon and Niger, and is allied with the Islamic State group. Last year, Boko Haram was dubbed the world's deadliest terrorist organization by the Institute of Economics & Peace, which released a report saying the group was responsible for 6,664 deaths in 2014. Attacks by the group have displaced more than 1.4 million children, according to the U.N. Militants in the group infamously use young children as suicide bombers. Nigerian military forces have had success reclaiming territory from the group, but Boko Haram has responded by increasing their attacks on civilian targets. The Long War Journal's Laura Grossman argues the loss of territory has hurt Boko Haram, but not brought the Nigerian government much closer to a final victory. An attack by Boko Haram militants on a village in northeastern Nigeria has killed as many as 86 people. Survivors described in gruesome detail the attack on Dalori village on Saturday. Alamin Bakura, one of those who survived, told the Associated Press the militants firebombed huts, and that he could hear the screams of children who were burned to death. The AP, citing witnesses and soldiers at the village, put the toll at 86. Other news organizations reported a lower toll: Reuters said at least 65 people were killed and AFP put the number of dead at 50. The village of Dalori and two nearby camps house about 25,000 refugees, and the area is about 3 miles from Maiduguri, where Boko Haram was born. Government troops who arrived at the village later on Saturday were unable to push the militants back, but reinforcements, which arrived later, prompted a retreat by Boko Haram, the AP reported. Reuters adds: It was the third attack this week suspected to have been carried out by the insurgent group - and the most deadly. Since it started losing control of territory, Boko Haram has reverted to hit-and-run attacks on villages as well as suicide bombings on places of worship or markets. Borno state, where the attack occurred, is at the heart of Boko Harams fight to set up an Islamic state. More than 2 million people have been displaced and thousands killed in the uprising. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. BOSTON (Reuters) - A Boston-area college student has gotten into hot water with his school for trying to rent out his dorm room on the online home-sharing service AirBNB. The student listed his dorm room at Emerson College in downtown Boston on the site last month, according to a petition on the website Change.Org tiled "Free Jack Worth," which is asking the school to drop disciplinary proceedings against him. "There is nothing criminal with providing cheap housing to travelers," said a supporter and fellow student, Ari Howorth, on the petition. (https://www.change.org/p/emerson-college-free-jack-worth) "Jack Worth gave travelers from far and wide a taste of Boston life and the Emerson experience simply because he wanted to help those who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to stay in the downtown area." The petition, which 180 people had signed in support by Monday, said that Worth had already faced $150 in fines and could be dismissed from the school as a result of pending misconduct charges. An Emerson spokesman declined to comment on the particular case, citing privacy rules, but said that the school does not allow students to sublet their dorm rooms. "The Emerson College residence hall policy and the housing contract that undergraduate residents sign prohibit students from subleasing or renting College housing units or beds to protect residents and the community from exposure to safety and security risks," spokesman Andy Tiedemann said in an e-mail. The San Francisco-based start up, which has been expanding rapidly, has faced criticism that it skirts laws intended to protect hotel guests and collect taxes. The $25.5 billion company last year successfully fought off an effort to restrict short-term rentals in its home city. "We ask all of our hosts to follow their local rules and regulations," said AirBNB spokesman Christopher Nulty. Efforts to reach the student for comment were unsuccessful. (Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by James Dalgleish) SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The impact of the rapidly spreading Zika virus on air travel is still unclear, Edmar Lopes, the chief financial officer of Brazilian airline Gol Linhas Aereas SA , said on a Monday call with analysts. Gol and other airlines have offered to reschedule and reroute travel for pregnant women with flights booked to areas affected by Zika, after clinical evidence linking the virus to microcephaly and other birth defects. (Reporting by Priscila Jordao and Brad Haynes; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) LONDON (Reuters) - A British mother who took her 14-month-old son to Syria to join Islamic State fighters and allowed him to be photographed wearing a balaclava next to an assault rifle, was jailed for six years on Monday. Tareena Shakil, 26, left Britain in October 2014 and journeyed to the militant group's stronghold of Raqqa with the toddler, despite describing the Syrian city as the most dangerous place on earth, Birmingham Crown Court was told. She was convicted last Friday of being a member of Islamic State (IS) and encouraging terrorism on social media. She is believed to be the first woman to have gone on trial accused of joining the militants, media reports said. Sentencing her to six years in prison, Judge Melbourne Inman said she had told lie after lie about her actions. "The most abhorrent photographs ... were those taken of your son wearing a balaclava with an ISIS logo and specifically the photograph of your son, no more than a toddler, standing next to an AK-47 under a title which translated from the Arabic means 'Father of the British Jihad,'" Inman said. The court heard she had published statements and pictures on Twitter in support of IS. A photograph uncovered by police showed her posing in Syria underneath an IS flag. Police said it was not known why she left Syria in January 2015. She was arrested by counter-terrorism officers when she returned to Britain on Feb. 18 after landing at Heathrow Airport and her son was taken into care. "However unclear the true picture is, I will assume in your favour that you decided to leave because you had a change of heart," Inman said. "That mitigation is very limited however because you pleaded not guilty and having seen you give evidence I saw no evidence of remorse about what you had done or done to your son." Security services estimate up to 800 people have travelled to Iraq and Syria, many to join Islamic State, and about half have returned home. (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison) (Reuters) - Two E.coli outbreaks linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc that affected more than 50 people across 14 states appear to be over, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday. The announcement assuaged some investors concerns, sending the popular burrito chains shares up 4 percent. The regulator, however, was not able to identify the ingredient that was responsible for the contamination after a three-month probe. The CDC said 55 people were affected in the initial E.coli outbreak that spread across 11 states, adding that a smaller outbreak involving a rare and different E.coli strain affected five people in three states. Chipotle has been grappling to overcome a series of food-borne illnesses linked to its chain since October that have driven away diners, hammered its high-flying stock and spawned both a federal criminal probe and a shareholder lawsuit. The company was served with a subpoena last month in a federal criminal probe linked to a norovirus outbreak in California in August. Adding to investors worries, Chipotle also forecast in January its first-ever drop in quarterly same-store sales. The company is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results on Tuesday. The most recent E.coli illness reported to the CDC was on Dec. 1, the regulator said on Monday. Testing of multiple food items collected from Chipotle restaurant locations did not show the presence of the bacteria, the CDC said. Chipotle said last month it was confident that the steps it had undertaken to tighten food safety would stop future food poisoning outbreaks. The Wall Street Journal first reported the CDCs findings on Sunday. Chipotles stock has fallen nearly 30 percent since the end of October when the first case of E.coli was reported. (Reporting by Yashaswini Swamynathan in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Maju Samuel) BEIJING (Reuters) - China accused the United States on Monday of seeking maritime hegemony in the name of freedom of navigation after a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of a disputed island in the South China Sea. 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. The guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur passed near Triton Island in the Paracel Islands, in what the Pentagon said was a challenge to attempts by China, Taiwan and Vietnam to restrict navigation rights and freedoms. The Chinese government, which moved swiftly to condemn to sailing on Saturday, said the United States was acting dangerously and irresponsibly. "The so-called freedom of navigation plans and acts that the United States has upheld for many years in reality do not accord with generally recognized international law," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a daily news briefing. It also "ignores numerous littoral states' sovereignty and security and maritime rights, seriously harming relevant regional peace and stability", he added. "Its essence is to push the United States' maritime hegemony in the name of freedom of navigation, which has always been resolutely opposed by most of the international community, especially certain developing nations. What the United States has done is dangerous and irresponsible." One of the main causes of the militarization of the South China Sea is the United States' playing the freedom of navigation card and "creating tensions", Lu said. The U.S. Navy conducted a similar exercise in October in which the guided-missile destroyer Lassen sailed close to one of China's man-made islands, also drawing a rebuke from Beijing. In an editorial on Monday, the influential state-run Chinese tabloid the Global Times said the latest move by the United States showed how Washington was "circling to contain" China and that China's military had few ways of stopping such patrols. China thus needs to spend more on its armed forces, the paper added. "There is a long way to go before China can have an equal footing with the U.S. Such equality can only be achieved with the build-up of strategic strength," it said. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Michael Perry) BEIJING (Reuters) - China has sentenced two men to death for the 2013 killing of a prominent Tibetan religious leader, state media said, in what had been one of Tibet's most closely watched murder cases. Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche, who lived in exile in Scotland and became a British citizen, was among the first spiritual leaders to teach Tibetan Buddhism to followers in the West. He, his nephew and his driver were killed in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu in October 2013 over what police had said was a financial dispute. One of those sentenced was Thubten Kunsal, who had been an artist at Akong Rinpoche's monastery in Britain between 2002 and 2011, the Chengdu intermediate court said in a statement carried by the official Xinhua news agency on Sunday. He and another man, Tsering Paljor, were given the death sentence for stabbing the three men to death in a confrontation at the monk's Chengdu home over 2.7 million yuan ($410,000) in wages that Thubten Kunsal said he was owed. A third man was given three years in prison for hiding the knives used in the killings. Questions surrounding the murders had underscored the distrust that many Tibetans have of the Chinese government, which has ruled Tibet with an iron first since "peacefully liberating" it in 1950. Analysts have said that among exiled Tibetans, there was a widespread assumption that there must have been a political plot behind the crime, though there was no evidence for that. Thubten Kunsal and Tsering Paljor had admitted to involvement in the crime, according to earlier statements by their lawyer, but had argued the deaths were not intentional. "The defendants' methods were ruthless, the details extremely malicious, and the result extremely serious," the court said in the statement. Lawyers for the three men could not be reached after the sentencing, but the court said Thubten Kunsal and Tsering Paljor would appeal. The third man had not decided whether to appeal, it said. Akong Rinpoche was one of the few Tibetan religious leaders who succeeded at balancing the interests of the Chinese government and Tibetans, and he was revered by Tibetans in China for his work with charities and in promoting education. The Samye Ling monastery, founded by Akong Rinpoche in Scotland, did not mention the case on its website and could not be reached immediately for comment. (Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Robert Birsel) BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Monday inaugurated the military's five new "battle zones", the Defense Ministry said, the latest step in President Xi Jinping's efforts to reform the country's armed forces. Xi's push to reform the military coincides with China becoming more assertive in its territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas, and as its navy invests in submarines and aircraft carriers and its air force develops stealth fighters. The reforms include establishing a joint operational command structure by 2020 and rejigging existing military regions, as well as cutting troop numbers by 300,000, a surprise announcement he made in September. Late last year, Xi, the ruling Communist Party chief and also chairman of the Central Military Commission which runs the military, inaugurated a general command unit for the People's Liberation Army (PLA), a missile force and a strategic support force. Weeks later, he split the PLA's four military headquarters into 15 new units - covering everything from logistics to equipment development, political work and fighting corruption. Monday's move, which had been flagged in advance by state media, reclassified seven military regions into five - the East, West, South, North and Middle battle zones. They will constitute what the Defense Ministry said in an online statement was each zone's "highest-level joint combat command structure". Xi said the new zones shoulder the responsibility of responding to their respective "security threats, upholding peace and constraining conflict". "All battle zones must unwaveringly listen to the Party's direction, insist upon the Party's absolute leadership," Xi said. State media showed Xi handing flags to the zone's new commanders. Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said in a separate statement posted online that China would maintain its "defensive national defense policy" and that the country's development and foreign policy would be unchanged. China has been moving rapidly to upgrade its military hardware, but integration of complex systems across a regionalized command structure has been a major challenge. The troop cuts and broader reforms have proven controversial, though, and the military's newspaper has published a series of commentaries warning of opposition to the reforms and concern about job losses. Xi has also made rooting out deeply entrenched corruption in the military a top priority. (Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Robert Birsel) BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese man walked free on Monday having spent the last 23 years in jail after a court overturned a murder and arson conviction, state media said, the latest wrongful verdict to be overturned in the country. Chen Man was arrested in 1992, accused of burning down a house in which a man died. He was later given a suspended death penalty. But after numerous appeals, a court found there was insufficient evidence to sustain the verdict and ordered him freed, the official China Daily reported on its website. The government has tried to improve the way courts handle cases of miscarriages of justice under efforts by President Xi Jinping to bolster the rule of law and increase public confidence in the legal system. Wrongful executions have stirred particular outrage, though the death penalty itself remains widely popular. In 2014, a court posthumously acquitted an ethnic Mongol called Huugjilt who had been executed for raping and killing a woman in a public restroom. Another man was later sentenced to death for the crime. State news agency Xinhua said late on Sunday that 27 people had been penalised over Huugjilt's wrongful conviction, mostly being given administrative punishments. But one of them, a former deputy police chief, may face criminal charges, it said. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel) Des Moines (United States) (AFP) - Democracy is a contact sport. US presidential candidates know that all too well and are deploying all their efforts to reach voters on the eve of Monday's caucuses in Iowa that kick off the presidential nomination contest. Bernie Sanders campaign volunteers Bob Swope, from Missouri, and Australian-Irish national Fergus Wilson spent the first three hours of their Sunday morning knocking on the doors of 35 different homes in a working-class neighborhood of Iowa's capital Des Moines. Only Democratic and pro-Sanders eligible voters were on the list. The point is to nudge them to fight the bitter cold to attend a caucus, the meeting to select candidates that takes the place of primaries in the Midwestern state. A woman covered in tattoos opens the door. She seems suspicious. "Good morning, I'm sorry to bother you on a Sunday morning. I'm with the Bernie Sanders campaign," Swope, 57, begins. But before he can finish, the woman lets out: "I don't have time for all of this. I'm sick of hearing about it." A man yells from inside the house: "Shut the door!" This is going to be a "rough" neighborhood to canvass, Swope acknowledges. "It's like Scranton here, people are beaten down, they've lost hope," he adds, referring to the blue-collar Pennsylvania town. The Sanders volunteers have no better luck at their next try. "I'll vote for Hillary Clinton," a man says, slamming the door. The next address also seems a tough one, with a "private property, no trespassing" placard in front. "Sometimes you say a little prayer," whispers Swope. No one answers, so he leaves a door tag with the caucus location. The volunteers retreat when they arrive at one of the few houses with a support sign for Clinton, Sanders' main rival. - 'Ready to go' - Later, a couple opens the door to their home. They are Democrats and are hesitating between Clinton and Sanders. A man who gives his name as Eric is a member of a union. Story continues "Bernie has been endorsed by all the unions," says Swope, as he launches into a somewhat lengthy soliloquy. "Hillary is much more conventional... the wife of a former president." Eric responds that he and his partner "might split" their votes, each going for a different candidate. There will be 1,681 precinct caucus locations in Iowa on Monday. The challenge for candidates is that voters need to arrive at the locations by 7:00 pm, which explains in part why participation has historically hovered around 20 percent. One man the volunteers visit says he won't be able to make it because he needs to watch his children while his wife works at night. Swope encourages the man to bring his children to the caucus, adding hopefully: "It won't take that long, it's a good civics lesson!" The man promises to "think about it." The two volunteers do have a few successes. A Mexican permanent resident who can't vote yet asks for a sign so he can put it in his yard, explaining that his 19-year-old daughter "loves Bernie." Clinton's campaign insists that its ground operations are larger, inspired by Barack Obama's 2008 efforts. "We have literally thousands of people who are already trained and ready to go," Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said during a brief stop at an African American festival on Saturday. "We feel very good about it." - Telemarketing - The Ted Cruz campaign, which is targeting the religious right, did no such ground work on Sunday morning. The candidate himself was at the vast Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, where he took part in mass with more than 1,000 faithful. He then spent about 20 minutes shaking hands, kissing babies and posing for selfies. "I prayed that God's will be done," he told reporters as he was leaving the church. Asked if he had prayed for top Republican rivals Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, Cruz nodded and said, "I actually did." "One of the things that the pastor asked was pray for any who are your opponents," he said. About 100 pro-Cruz activists took their spots in rows of telephones at campaign headquarters around lunch time. In the afternoon, a prize goes to the volunteer who has made more than 1,000 calls. On Saturday, more than 27,000 calls were made from this location. "I never felt like I could get behind a candidate before Senator Cruz," says Nancy Anderson, who has been volunteering since October. Cruz's mother and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick are also among those making these all-important calls to potential voters in telemarketing style. Patrick recalls one conversation he had with a voter hesitating between Cruz and his arch rival Trump. "I said, 'If you're for Trump, stay at home with your kids, if you're for Cruz, then be sure to get out and caucus!'" Patrick tells AFP. If it seems as if the current culture couldn't conjure a greater '70s fashion moment (thank you, Saint Laurent's Hedi Slimane) or more '70s rock nostalgia with the recent deaths of David Bowie and Glenn Frey, wait until you get a load of HBO's drama series Vinyl, premiering Feb. 14. It's got the ultimate period-detail cred, executive-produced by Martin Scorsese (who also directed the pilot), Mick Jagger, showrunner Terence Winter (who was a CBGB patron in his teens), Jagger's longtime producing partner Victoria Pearman (Get On Up) and Scorsese colleague Emma Tillinger Koskoff along with industry vets Rick Yorn, John Melfi, Allen Coulter and George Mastras. With this team, you know the costumes worn by Bobby Cannavale as record exec Richie Finestra, Olivia Wilde as his wife Devon, Ray Romano as a sleazy exec, Juno Temple as an aspiring ambitious A & R girl - and James Jagger (yes, one of Mick's many offspring) as a Richard Hell-type rock star - are going to be a veritable rock feast for the eyes. "Few people know this," says Tillinger Koskoff, "but Marty is very passionate and particular - about fashion. His parents worked in the Garment District and instilled him with fashion fascination at a very young age. I think the importance he puts on costume is especially felt in this series. Luckily for us, that influence has generated a look and feel so spectacularly genuine. Our series costume design John Dunn is incredibly meticulous and I think, in the two weeks he had to produce the myriad costumes for each episode made true artistry." Read more Martin Scorsese Anticipates Greater Involvement With 'Vinyl' Than 'Boardwalk Empire' Dunns sketch, drawn exclusively for THR, of Wildes character in a backless Halston-inspired dress, which she wears when shes helping Richie sign a Sly Stone sort of artist, so shes going glam. After the pilot's costumes were designed by Oscar nominated film costume designer Mark Bridges, Dunn - who cut his teeth with Scorsese on New York Stories, Casino and Boardwalk Empire came in to do the series, with Vinyl being a horse of many many difference colors: "Unlike Boardwalk, he describes, we could get a hold of actual clothing through vintage dealers and not have it disintegrate in our hands!" Story continues While many authentic '70s pieces were used, Dunn and his team designed most of the costumes for the principals, referencing high-fashion labels of the time like Halston, Stephen Burrows, and Biba and Thea Porter from the U.K. They also worked with a variety of high end vintage stores like Decades in L.A. Says Terence Winter: "If you stop and freeze-frame, you'll see what a stickler for detail John is. He's like a fashion historian." Dunn does confess to one shortcut: "When we had time sensitivities, '70s styles from Topshop and Uniqlo were lifesavers in a pinch!" Susan Heyward as Richie Finestras assistant. Of course, NYC 1973 was the zenith of cool a mashup of glam rock, punk and disco. "I think Marty, Terry and Mick picked it because it was the birth of a new culture," says Dunn. "Max's Kansas City was at its height: Andy Warhol's crowd, Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground, Bowie, Robert Mapplethorpe, Alice Cooper hung out there, and it's extremely well documented." Scorsese maintains that people related to clothing differently back then with "all these different uniforms: the mod double-knit stuff worn by Richie and his friends; the glam kids with the sequins, spangles and feather boas; the dressed- down look of the punks; the mob guys with the silk suits all these approaches to life crisscrossing. With Vinyl, I was going back and looking at a period that I had lived through. Of course I had memories but when making the picture I left like an archeologist, because that world is as gone as the New York of The Age of Innocence. Getting back to that feeling of the city in the early seventies was like performing an excavation. The brilliant costumes helped give us the world of 1973." Pearman adds, The fashion authenticity is particularly fascinating as it is so well documented. Growing up in the UK, my fashion icons were Ossie Clark and Biba very much the look of Vinyl. Cannavale makes leisure suits look good, laughs Winter. In the 70s, it was all about polyester, says Dunn. Some of it is bad, horrible stuff. One would think Jagger, who signed off on final looks ("we would see all the costumes before they went on camera to critique and adjust if necessary," says Pearman), would have weighed in on fashion specifics, but Dunn laughs: "I kept asking him, 'Is this right?' And he joked, 'Don't ask me. I don't remember any of that!' But he was like Zelig: There was barely a research photo from New York or London that didn't have Mick Jagger in it." Jagger demurs: "As far as the clothes, of course I did live it and knew lots of the players of the times. Lots of the execs would dress according to the artists they represented." Read more HBO's 'Vinyl' Unveils Soundtrack, Weekly Release Schedule To convey aspirations of cool among the younger record execs, Dunn relied on New York vintage store Cherry for its "most extraordinary collection of platform shoes. They were the hardest thing to find, the gold standard, since they were only in fashion for two years." Dunn decked out Cannavale in Savile Row wool suits and leather jackets: "Richie's at the top of his game, and he has to operate with gangster types and rock stars like Robert Plant, who don't trust 'a suit.' It was also a time of major polyester. Some of it bad horrible stuff. Cherry had a lot of that. We ever coordinated belt buckles with the shoes because thats what trying-to-be-cool executives in music did back then. While Cannavales character doesnt wear a ton of polyester, he did don a little and I told him hes the rare guy who can make polyester look good, says Winter. He grimaced but he didnt disagree. Wilde in a 70s maxidress. Dunn says the women on the show couldnt wear bras as it was a burn your bra era. Dunn describes Wilde's character Devon as "a New York artist who finds herself in Connecticut with a kid. In her heart, she's bohemian. So we reference Patti Smith in her Chelsea Hotel period, but also Georgia O'Keeffe and Frida Kahlo." Seventies nostalgia isn't likely to go away anytime soon (Dunn says the show hoarded its costumes to maintain distinctiveness: "We had to fight the new Baz Luhrmann show and some cop shows for resources!"). After all, it's one of the last decades of fashion that was flamboyant, rebellious, individual and optimistic. "If it's fun for those of us who remember it," says the costumer, "imagine what it's like for young people who don't and who weren't even around for the countless revivals. My young staff is just bedazzled by it. This story first appeared in the Feb. 5 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Twenty policemen were killed Monday when a Taliban suicide bomber struck their base in Kabul Monday, officials said, just days before a fresh round of international talks aimed at reviving dialogue with the Islamist group. Scores of people were also wounded as the attacker blew himself up in a queue of police officers waiting to enter the base, leaving several bodies and charred debris strewn around the area. The carnage marks one of the worst attacks on Afghan forces in recent months, despite a renewed international push to restart formal peace talks which stalled last year. "As a result of the terrorist attack near the Afghan National Civil Order Police headquarters... 20 people were martyred and 29 others were wounded," the interior ministry said in a statement. A senior ministry source told AFP that all of those killed were policemen, and at least three critically wounded officers were battling for their lives in hospital. The health ministry said some of those wounded were hit in the chest by flying shrapnel. Ambulances rushed to the scene, which was cordoned off by authorities after the bombing that coincides with the Taliban's unprecedented winter offensive. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with insurgent spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claiming on Twitter that up to 40 police were killed and wounded. "Once again, terrorists have targeted a populated area with no regard for innocent lives," NATO said in a statement, adding that civilians were among those wounded. "The Taliban have no plan for the development of Afghanistan. Targeting those who defend their fellow Afghans does not advance the cause of peace." - Worsening security - The carnage comes just ahead of a third round of four-country "roadmap talks" trying to lay the groundwork for direct dialogue between Kabul and the Islamist group. Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are set to convene in Islamabad on February 6 in a bid to seek a negotiated end to the Taliban insurgency, now in its fifteenth year. Story continues The Taliban have stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets in Afghanistan this winter, when fighting usually abates, underscoring a worsening security situation. Afghan security forces have suffered record casualties since NATO ended its combat mission in December 2014, leaving them to battle the resurgent Taliban largely on their own. In recent months the Taliban briefly captured the northern city of Kunduz, the first urban centre to fall to the insurgents, and have seized territory in the opium-growing southern province of Helmand. Observers say the intensifying insurgency highlights a push by the militants to seize more territory in an attempt to wrangle greater concessions during talks. Pakistan -- the Taliban's historic backers -- hosted a milestone first round of talks directly with the Taliban in July. But the negotiations stalled when the insurgents belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar, sparking infighting within the group. The first and second round of the four-country talks were held last month in Islamabad and Kabul respectively. Cairo (AFP) - An Egyptian cartoonist known for mocking President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been released after he was detained for running a website without permission, his lawyer and the prosecution service said Monday. Islam Gawish, known on social media networks for his cartoons mocking Egyptian officials, was arrested on Sunday, in a move that raised fresh alarm over freedom of expression in Egypt. "He has been released after interrogation," his lawyer Ahmed Abdel Raham told AFP. The prosecution service confirmed that Gawish had been freed without any charges. Gawish was arrested at work, the office of a local information website that operates without the required legal permits, the interior ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It said he was detained for "administering a personal site on the Internet without a licence in violation of the law", and also accused him of using pirated computer software. Gawish's cartoons are posted on a Facebook page followed by more than 1.6 million people. He also runs a website. A joint statement by several small opposition parties had demanded the cartoonist's "immediate release", and had denounced what it called a policy of "restricting freedom of opinion and expression adopted recently by the state apparatus". "We warn about the consequences of a return to the police state and the repression of freedoms," said the statement signed by eight parties including the liberal Al-Dostour, founded by Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei. Since Sisi overthrew his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the authorities have been accused of cracking down on all forms of opposition. Gawish's arrest coincided with the fifth anniversary of the 2011 popular uprising that forced strongman Hosni Mubarak to step down after three decades in power. In the aftermath of Morsi's ouster, more than 1,400 Islamist protesters demanding his reinstatement were killed by police and soldiers, and more than 15,000 jailed. Initially targeting Morsi supporters, the police crackdown has been extended to include secular and leftist movements. In his final speech before Iowa caucus day, Donald Trump renewed his old promise to build a lavish White House ballroom and pay for it himself. "Every time the top people come over from China ... they put up a tent at the White House," he said, during his final event Sunday in Sioux City, Iowa. "We'll have a ballroom at the White House." He said he had long ago come up with a plan for the new facility. "We'll get the top people, the top everything, we'll have the best ballroom. Because I notice they always put tents up on the lawn. Number one, it's not a good security thing. Number two, the guy that owns the tents is making a fortune," he said. Trump said he once called David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Obama, offering to build a ballroom worth "at least $100 million" for free. "We'll put it someplace so it works contextually, magnificently," Trump said of his construction offer. "I never heard back." Contacted by TIME Sunday night, Axelrod confirmed that Trump had contacted the White House about a ballroom. "He did offer to build one," Axelrod confirmed to TIME in an email. "I don't recall him saying he would pay for it. I passed his offer along to the social secretary." Read More: Why Trump Is Winning Over Christian Conservatives This was not the first time Trump had made a new addition to the White House an issue in connection with his own presidential run. As far back as 2011, when Trump was flirting with a presidential campaign against Barack Obama, Trump had floated the idea of a White House ballroom on the Rush Limbaugh radio program. "We'll go through committees. We'll pick the one they like. We'll pick the architect everybody likes. We'll pick something that works. We'll do 10 designs," he said of his offer to the White House. "You'll pick the one that's the greatest with the greatest architecture. I will build it free. So that's anywhere from 50 to 100 million-dollar gift. I will give that, and I mean, I'm talking, Rush -- it's the first time I've said this. I'm talking to the biggest person, one of the biggest people at the White House. I'm not talking to a low-level person." Story continues At his final event, Trump also attacked his main rival Texas Senator Ted Cruz during the Sioux City appearance, knocking him for a controversial mailer his team sent out designed to look like an official government document. "Its so terrible, Ive never seen anything like it," Trump said. "Its a fraud as far as Im concerned." The latest Des Moines Register poll, released Saturday, found that Trump was leading the delegate race in Iowa, with 28% of likely caucus goers, compared with 23% for Cruz. Cairo (AFP) - Two Egyptian policemen and two soldiers were killed on Sunday in two bombing attacks in the country's restive Sinai Peninsula, where Islamic State (IS) jihadists have regularly attacked security forces. In one attack at dawn, a remotely-detonated bomb hit a police vehicle as security forces were carrying out a search operation in the Rafah region, on the border with the Gaza Strip, killing two policemen, officials said. An army officer and a soldier were also killed in a similar attack in the Sheikh Zuwaid region of northern Sinai, the officials added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the region is an IS stronghold. Jihadists have regularly attacked security forces in the peninsula since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. They say their attacks are in retaliation for a government crackdown targeting Morsi supporters that has left hundreds dead and thousands imprisoned. The authorities say hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been killed in attacks, mainly in North Sinai, since 2013. Egypt's branch of IS also said it planted a bomb that caused the crash of a Russian airliner in the Sinai in October, killing all 224 people on board. CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt plans to launch an agricultural-focused commodities trading exchange, the first of its kind in the Middle East, by the end of 2016, Supplies Minister Khaled Hanafi said on Monday. Egypt announced plans to set up a global commodities centre in 2014, but gave few details at the time. Hanafi said that a feasibility study had been completed and the next step was to draw up regulations and establish the electronic infrastructure to connect farmers with traders. "We're going to set up the first commodities exchange in Egypt and the Middle East," Iman al Mutlaq, chief executive of Sigma Investments, which is involved in the project, said. The bourse would begin with eight commodities -- six agricultural commodities, oil and gold -- and that this small number would help promote high initial volumes, he added. "We aren't going to simply copy and paste other exchanges. This is going to be an Egyptian exchange. There will be price discovery, and we will put prices in Egyptian pounds," said Mutlaq. The exchange will feature spot, derivative and futures trading. As part of the exchange's launch, a mobile application will be offered to Egyptian farmers that will allow them to have their agricultural output tracked by the market, electronically linking their crops to the exchange, Mutlaq said. (Reporting by Eric Knecht, writing by Lin Noueihed, editing by Louise Heavens and Alexander Smith) Naypyidaw (Myanmar) (AFP) - Myanmar entered a new political era Monday as Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy MPs took their seats in parliament, bearing the hopes of a nation subjugated for decades by the military. Wearing pastel orange uniforms, lawmakers from the National League for Democracy (NLD) arrived for their first day of work in the capital Naypyidaw, buoyed by a massive popular mandate from November's election. That poll saw the NLD wrest a majority from the army establishment and has spurred hopes of a new political dawn in the long-repressed nation. Suu Kyi, the centrepiece of Myanmar's struggle for democracy, entered the cavernous parliament building without comment. She took a seat alone for the short opening session which saw the lawmakers sworn in and the appointment of a close ally, Win Myint, as lower house speaker. "Today is a day to be proud of in Myanmar's political history and for the democratic transition," Win Myint said in an acceptance speech. The new government faces a daunting rebuilding task in one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries, whose economy was crushed by almost half a century of junta rule. Many NLD MPs are also political novices, unskilled in the business of government. They must swiftly adapt to a difficult decision-making process in a legislature where unelected soldiers occupy 25 percent of all seats. "It's a historic moment for the country," said Myanmar political analyst Khin Zaw Win. The country will now choose a new president to succeed President Thein Sein, the former general who in 2011 launched dramatic political and economic reforms which culminated in the election. Suu Kyi herself is barred from the post by a military-scripted constitution because she married and had children with a foreigner. The 70-year-old has vowed to sidestep this hurdle by ruling "above" a proxy president, although she has yet to reveal her choice for the role. Story continues While there is no clear schedule for the selection of candidates, it could be within days. Elected members of both houses and the military will nominate three candidates to replace Thein Sein, who retains his post until the end of March. The new president will then be chosen by a vote of the combined houses. - Great expectations - Observers are closely watching Suu Kyi's relationship with the still-powerful military, which holds key ministries as well as the 25 percent parliamentary bloc. Suu Kyi may try to persuade the army to help her change the charter clause that blocks her path to power, analysts say, although it has so far baulked at any attempt to redraft it. After decades under the military yoke, Myanmar's people queued in their thousands to cast ballots for Suu Kyi and her party last November, throwing their support behind her simple campaign message of "change". With a resounding parliamentary majority, her lawmakers are -- at least initially -- expected to act as a rubber-stamp for her government. While the NLD majority will need to time to find their feet, the military has had plenty of time to prepare for the handover. A quasi-civilian government has steered reforms since outright army rule ended in 2011. The military has appointed "more senior and experienced, and probably better prepared" soldiers to parliament, according to Renaud Egreteau, an analyst who has studied Myanmar's legislature. Thein Sein has led the opening up of the long-isolated country, spurring international investment with sweeping political reforms. But Myanmar remains blighted by civil wars and ethnic and religious divisions. Poverty rates are high and the bureaucracy is poorly funded and riven with corruption. On the streets of Yangon, however, ordinary people were optimistic about what Suu Kyi could achieve. "We have been hoping for an NLD government for a long time. I feel happy now," said 22-year-old dentist Kyaw Htet. Brussels (AFP) - EU president Donald Tusk said he will unveil proposals on Tuesday for changes to Britain's membership of the bloc, paving the way for David Cameron to try for a tricky deal at a summit later this month. Former Polish premier Tusk acknowledged that there were still "outstanding issues" but said there had been progress in the day since his talks with Prime Minister Cameron in London ended without agreement Sunday. A deal sealed in February would allow Cameron to push ahead with a referendum on Britain's European Union membership in his favoured month of June, although he must first overcome opposition from several EU states. "Tomorrow around noon (1100 GMT) I will table proposal for a new settlement for #UKinEU. Good progress last 24 hours but still outstanding issues," Tusk wrote on Twitter. The announcement came 22 hours after he and Cameron set diplomats a 24-hour deadline to thrash out an agreement. There was no immediate reaction from the British government. London's bid to transform its membership of the EU has sparked turmoil, coming as the 28-nation alliance struggles with the biggest influx of migrants since World War II and the fallout from the eurozone debt crisis. - 'Hard work' - Cameron's spokesman had earlier warned that there was more work to do before any proposal from Tusk was likely. "There is more hard work to be done," the spokesman told reporters in London. "We are making progress but there's more work to do in all four areas -- more work in some areas than others." The four demands include safeguarding EU countries like Britain that are not part of the euro single currency, ensuring greater EU economic competitiveness, opting out of the goal of ever closer union and restricting access to benefits for EU workers in Britain. Downing Street hailed "substantial" signals from the European Commission on a deal for a so-called "welfare brake" that would allow London to exclude EU migrants from benefits, such as income top-ups for low-paid workers. Story continues The Commission -- the powerful executive arm of the EU which is responsible for initiating legislation -- said earlier there was "progress" but stressed that any deal still needed the backing of all 28 EU nations. "We are not there yet. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed," Margaritis Schinas, spokesman for Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, told reporters. Although Cameron has only set a deadline of the end of 2017 to hold the in-out EU referendum and insists he is in "no hurry" for a deal, sources have said he is keen to push a vote through by June. That would avoid any new flare-up in Europe's migration crisis this summer and before British eurosceptics, particularly in his own Conservative party, become even more unruly. - French red line - Other countries have objected strongly to Cameron's demands for a limit to benefits for EU workers, saying it was discriminatory and could require change to the EU's founding treaties, a very difficult procedure. Central European states with hundreds of thousands of citizens working in Britain have been particularly vocal about the plans. But a new challenge arose on Sunday when Paris set a red line by warning London that it would block the proposal on protection for non-euro countries if it went too far. "To French officials, any provisions giving non-euro countries power to indefinitely stall eurozone votes are unacceptable," the Financial Times reported, saying France would reject any "backdoor veto" for the City of London finance hub. Cameron's spokesman played down the report. "We're not seeking to stand in the way of further euro integration," he said. "It's not about the UK being able to veto further eurozone integration, it's about having clear principles on the way for enforcing it," he added Opinion polls are largely split on whether Britons would vote to leave the EU in a so-called "Brexit". It will be the British public's first vote on the country's EU membership since 1975, two years after it joined what was then the European Economic Community. MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's High Court said on Monday it would open a trial against former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Rodrigo Rato and dozens of other people alleged to have misused credit cards for personal expenses while at Spanish lender Bankia. Rato, a former Spanish finance minister and one-time leadership contender for the ruling center-right People's Party (PP), has denied wrongdoing in the case and in other investigations related to Bankia. The announcement of Rato's trial comes after a series of corruption investigations into other individuals closely linked to the PP, which lost its outright majority in December's general election partly as result of public exasperation over a slew of graft scandals. Last week in Valencia police arrested 24 people, including a former regional head of the PP and many others involved in the party, following a corruption investigation into public work contracts. In the expenses case, prosecutors have been pushing for a four-and-a-half year prison sentence for Rato, Bankia's chairman shortly before it needed a state bailout in 2012. Reuters was not able to contact a lawyer representing Rato. Bankia's stock market listing, which took place under Rato's watch in mid-2011, is also being investigated by the High Court, though there is no decision yet whether that case will go to trial. Many ordinary Spaniards lost money after their shares plummeted in value following the bank's bailout less than a year later at the height of the euro zone debt crisis. The court also said Miguel Blesa, Rato's predecessor at Caja Madrid, which merged with other banks to form Bankia in 2011, would go on trial, along with 64 other people. The Spanish prosecutor has called for a six year prison sentence and 9.34 million euros in damages for Blesa, a friend of former PP Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. Blesa also denies any wrongdoing. The court statement showed that between 2003 and 2012, during the tenure of both Rato and Blesa, former board members and executives at Caja Madrid and later Bankia spent just over 12 million euros on company credit cards. "A sort of compensation system was established that lacked any legal protection," the court document said of the scheme. When news of the scandal first emerged two years ago, the purchases, a mix of the mundane and the extravagant -- from cinema tickets, groceries and flowers to jewels, holidays and clothes -- fueled Spaniards' anger against graft as they suffered through a deep recession. Corruption has been Spaniards' second-biggest concern since early 2013, official polls show, behind only the country's sky-high unemployment rate. ($1 = 0.9189 euros) (Reporting by Angus Berwick and Rodrigo de Miguel; Editing by Sarah White and Mark Potter) Madrid (AFP) - Rodrigo Rato, a former chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is to stand trial for misusing funds when he was head of a bailed-out Spanish bank, a court in Madrid said Monday. One time Spanish finance minister Rato is one of 66 accused in a scandal that allegedly saw executives and board members at Caja Madrid and Bankia -- the group whose near-collapse sparked an EU bailout of Spain's financial sector -- spend around 12 million euros ($13 million) on themselves between 2003 and 2012, with some media reports putting the total figure above 15 million euros. The court said the investigating magistrate found there was "sufficient merit" in pursuing a case against the group. No date has been fixed for the trial of Rato and his co-defendants who allegedly benefited from undeclared credit cards for personal expenses between 1999 and 2012 at Caja Madrid, which merged with six other savings banks to create Bankia. According to media reports the group used the accounts for expenses ranging from safari trips to buying jewelry. Rato is accused of racking up more than 99,000 euros ($108,000) on his account. Close to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Rato was forced to quit the ruling Popular Party after the scandal broke in January of last year. Rato, who also served for a year as deputy prime minister, was finance minister from 1996 to 2004. He then had a three-year stint as IMF head. Thereafter he was chairman of Caja Madrid and then Bankia from December 2010 to May 2012 as the bank went bankrupt less than a year after listing on the stock exchange. It ultimately required a state bailout. He was arrested on April 16 for alleged fraud, embezzlement and money laundering. Rato could face as much as ten years in jail if found guilty. (Reuters) - A former Maryland state judge pleaded guilty on Monday to ordering a deputy sheriff to activate a stun cuff on a defendant during a court hearing, federal prosecutors said. The defendant fell to the floor screaming in pain after the electrical charge ordered by then Charles County Circuit Court Judge Robert Nalley, Jr in July 2014, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Maryland said. Nalley, 72, pleaded guilty to deprivation of rights under color of law, and sentencing is scheduled for March. He faces up to a year in prison followed by a year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $100,000. During a pretrial hearing in July 2014, the victim read a statement in which he objected to Nalley's authority to oversee the proceedings, the statement said. The man twice ignored Nalley's orders to stop reading the statement. Nalley ordered the deputy sheriff to activate the stun cuff, which delivered an electrical jolt for about five seconds. Nalley then recessed the hearing. The Maryland Court of Appeals removed him from the bench in September 2014. (Reporting by Ian Simpson, editing by G Crosse) By Anthony Boadle and Lisandra Paraguassu BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's top health official said on Monday that the Zika virus outbreak is proving to be worse than believed because most cases show no symptoms, but improved testing should allow the country to get a better grip on the burgeoning public health crisis. Health Minister Marcelo Castro told Reuters that Brazil will start mandatory reporting of cases by local governments next week when most states will have labs equipped to test for Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that has quickly spread through Latin America. The virus has no vaccine or cure at present. On Monday, the World Health Organization declared the Zika outbreak to be a global emergency, a decision that should help fast-track international action and research priorities. In Brazil, believed to be the country hit hardest by Zika, the outbreak has sparked fear especially among pregnant women after local experts linked the virus to thousands of cases of microcephaly, or abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains, in newborns. "Eighty percent of the people infected by Zika do not develop significant symptoms. A large number of people have the virus with no symptoms, so the situation is more serious that we can imagine," Castro said in an interview. "Our big hope is finding a vaccine," he added. The Zika emergency comes at a particularly bad time for President Dilma Rousseff's unpopular government, adding a new burden to a public health system hit by budget cuts in the midst of a severe recession. It has also cast a shadow on Brazil's hosting of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August. The Rousseff government said there was no chance the Games will be called due to the health scare. "We have to explain to those coming to Brazil, the athletes, that there is zero risk if you are not a pregnant woman," Rousseff's chief of staff Jaques Wagner told reporters. The Brazilian government suspects the virus was brought to Brazil during the 2014 soccer World Cup by a visitor from Africa or Oceania where Zika is endemic. An estimated 1.5 million Brazilians have caught Zika, a virus first detected in Africa in the 1947 and unknown in the Americas until it appeared in May in the poverty-stricken northeastern region of Brazil. The Pan-American health Organization said the virus has since spread to 24 countries and territories in the hemisphere. WORKING WITH U.S. ON VACCINE Castro, a psychiatrist from Rio, said the virus cannot be transmitted from person to person, only by mosquito, addressing fears that it could be spread through saliva, semen or urine. By next week, labs in all but three of Brazil's states will be able to test whether a person has had Zika or not, he said. And by next month, the labs will have a test that can detect all three viruses borne by the Aedes aegypti mosquito - dengue, chikungunya and Zika. The test, however, will only be effective during the initial infection period of five days. Castro said Brazilian researchers are convinced that Zika is the cause of the 3,700 confirmed and suspected cases in Brazil of microcephaly in newborns. Ninety percent of children born with the condition will have retarded mental and physical development, experts say. "The microcephaly cases are increasing by the week and we do not have an estimate of how many there will be. The situation is serious and worrying," Castro said. Brazilian biomedical research centers are joining forces with U.S. counterparts to try to find a Zika vaccine in record time, Castro said. A partnership between the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Brazil's Butantan Institute will seek to develop a vaccine by adding a gene to an existing one for dengue, he said. Until there is a breakthrough on a vaccine, Brazil's only option is to try to eradicate the mosquito that spreads the virus, Castro said, with the government mobilizing all its possible resources and people, including tens of thousands of soldiers, to go door-to-door seeking places where the insect breeds. Rousseff signed a temporary decree on Monday that makes it obligatory for residents to allow health workers to inspect their homes and properties for still water deposits where the Aedes aegypti mosquito lays its eggs. Asked if Brazil would ease its restrictions on abortion to allow women with Zika to terminate pregnancies, Castro said it would be up to Congress to make that change. The government, he said, is sticking with the current law that makes abortion in the world's largest Roman Catholic country illegal except in cases of rape and risk to the mother's life. Brazil will follow the U.S. decision last week to prohibit blood donations from people who have been infected with Zika, Castro said. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, has said it is planning to require people who have traveled to an affected country to defer giving blood, but details on how that might work are still being determined. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Mary Milliken, Bernard Orr) MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian drugmaker IPCA Laboratories Ltd said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued it a warning letter outlining manufacturing quality lapses observed at three of its Indian factories, pushing its shares down as much as 16 percent. The letter concerns the company's finished-drug plants at Piparia in western India, and Indore in central India, as well as the drug ingredients facility at Ratlam in central India, IPCA said in a statement. The plants have already been banned from supplying to the United States after the FDA inspected them in July 2014, January 2015 and March 2015, and first highlighted the lapses. IPCA said it has since been trying to fix the problems and has been informing the FDA of its remedial measures. "The company is fully committed to resolving these issues at the earliest," it said, without disclosing the content of the letter. The FDA usually posts such letters on its website a week after issuing them to manufacturers, who need to respond to the agency within 15 days with a plan on how they would work on fixing the issues. IPCA, a mid-sized Indian firm with 2015 revenue of about $500 million, has 16 manufacturing plants in India from where it supplies to more than 120 countries. The three sites with U.S. bans also supply to India, UK and Canada. The FDA warning follows similar action on plants of larger rivals Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd in November and December, respectively. Several drug factories in India have been cited by the FDA over the last two years for violating manufacturing quality standards, as the FDA has increased its oversight of the industry, which is a key supplier to the United States. IPCA's stock fell as much as 16 percent on Monday in Mumbai. It pared some losses to trade down 5 percent by 0721 GMT, while the broader market was up 0.1 percent. (Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Mumbai; Editing by Sunil Nair and Muralikumar Anantharaman) A young Dutch geologist in northern Norway loses his way and his reason in Beyond Sleep, an elliptical tale that contrasts its protagonists instability with the immutability of Mother Nature. No doubt the novel by celebrated Dutch author Willem Frederik Hermans is one of those books usually mentioned in conjunction with the word unfilmable, yet the pic does an impressive job in capturing a sense of unsettled interiority contrasted with the fixed, vast open spaces. Even so, Boudewijn Kooles follow-up to Kauwboy is unapologetic arthouse fare with limited traction except in Holland, where Hermans work is required reading. To get inside the head of his main character, Arthur (Reinout Scholten van Aschat), the helmer-scripter ensures that audiences themselves dont immediately know how to distinguish between reality and nightmare via a montage of short scenes that destabilize with their sense of minor temporal displacement. Arthur wants to prove that the mountain lakes of northern Norway were formed by meteors rather than glaciers, so hes on a research trip with Arne (Pal Sverre Hagen). Arthurs commitment to this quest is unclear, and very little background information is provided apart from the fact, revealed early on, that his geologist father fell into a crevice and died when his son was 7. In a topsy-turvy way, this perhaps explains Arthurs reckless hiking style as he jumps over rock fissures with a heavy backpack, wades into quicksand-like marsh, etc. Is he daring fate, proving his (awkward) capabilities, or just slowly losing his mind? In any event, he and Arne join up with two Norwegian colleagues (Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Thorbjorn Harr), big Vikings whose lone-wolf nature antagonizes Arthurs awkward need for companionship. When they depart, this splendid isolation becomes more intense, exacerbating Arthurs ebbing grip on sanity. It surely helps to understand the causes of Arthurs mental state if one has read the novel beforehand, as the lack of such information will leave viewers with an uneasy appreciation of character and obsession. However, even without this knowledge, auds will be conscious of the way Koole uses the stark yet stunning landscape as both foil and catalyst to Arthurs neuroses. From the constant presence of mosquitoes and their buzzing to the sense of dislocation fostered by the vast terrain and the summer sun, the locale conspires to overwhelm fragile reason through its unalterable, soft-toned grandeur. Story continues Lensing by Melle van Essen plays with focal lengths, which draws attention to the tension between wide open expanses versus Arthurs shallow focus containment. Norways lichen-blanketed moors and silent mountain lakes are shot in full majesty, with attention paid to the quality of the summer light. A final grace note is provided by an understated scene with a young teenage girl in a bus, played by Maria Annette Tandero Berglyd. Related stories Film Review: 'Innocence of Memories' Rotterdam-Berlin: FiGa/Br Introduces 'Where I Grow Old' (EXCLUSIVE) Film Review: 'Above and Below' This piece by Roger Ross Williams, a member of the Academy's documentary branch who won the best documentary short Oscar for 2010's Music for Prudence and the Sundance Film Festival's award for best director of a documentary for 2016's Life, Animated, is part of an ongoing series of guest columns by Academy members about the #OscarsSoWhite controversy and the Academy's response to it. Dont boycott the Oscars. Staying away from something that needs to change is no way to change it. Instead, lets help them lead the way in promoting diversity in Hollywood. This week, as I premiered my latest film, Life, Animated, at Sundance, I have been asked repeatedly about the Academys diversity problem. This is why, as the first African-American to win an Academy Award for directing, I felt I should weigh in on the debate that is presently underway. I would be remiss if I didnt say that it has been troubling for me to work within an institution that does not seem to recognize that I am a statistic. I simply shouldnt have been the first. I received my Oscar 81 years after the Academy first began bestowing the award. The Academy should reflect the diversity of our society as a whole, and until now that has not been the case. This is why I applaud Cheryl Boone Isaacs and the Board of Governors for the changes they are making. I do agree that it could and should happen faster, but I also think of it as my job, as a member, to help push those boundaries. Read More: #OscarsSoWhite: Academy Chiefs Reveal Behind-the-Scenes Drama That Led to Historic Change (Exclusive) Why should someone be allowed to remain a voting member of the Academy if they are no longer active in the industry? This is one of the main problems as I see it. There are simply too many Academy members who were voted in during a less inclusive era and still remain a large voting bloc even though they havent worked in the field for decades. We need to promote a young and diverse membership that reflects the true face of America. If Hollywood refuses to keep up with the ever-widening variance of ethnic presence in the population, then we should not wait around until they choose to do so. The Academy has done so many wonderful things in the interest of promoting film as the preeminent reflection of our society, and now this is another chance for the Academy to lead the way in promoting diversity in Hollywood. This is why I wholeheartedly support the Academys new rule changes. PRAGUE/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Five Czech citizens who went missing in Lebanon in July are now with the Lebanese security services, a security source told Reuters on Monday. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the five, who went missing in eastern Lebanon last year, were found late on Monday. "We will send a plane for them as soon as possible," the Czech foreign minister, Lubomir Zaoralek, on a visit to Oman, said on his Twitter account. The disappearance, which Czech authorities treated as a possible kidnapping, may have been related to organized crime and the drugs and arms trade, Lebanon's interior minister said in July. One of the missing Czechs was an attorney to Ali Fayad, a man of Lebanese origin who was in custody in the Czech Republic awaiting a decision on a U.S. extradition request. The United States has accused Fayad of trying to sell arms and drugs to the Colombian guerrilla group FARC. His Czech lawyer has traveled to Lebanon several times in relation to the case, according to his office. The abandoned vehicle of the five Czech nationals and one Lebanese man who went missing was found near Kefraya, in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, in July. This incident was near to where seven Estonian cyclists were kidnapped in 2011 and held for four months. Neither the security source nor the Czech ministry said if the Lebanese driver had also been found. (Reporting by Jan Lopatka; and Lisa Barrington; Editing by Leslie Adler) By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin DUBAI (Reuters) - Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Monday criticized the disqualification of reformist candidates by hardliners from national elections later this month, deepening a dispute between the two factions. The Guardian Council, a vetting body made up of clerics and jurists, excluded thousands of parliamentary hopefuls and four-fifths of the candidates for the body that will choose Iran's next Supreme Leader. The move was a setback to moderate President Hassan Rouhani and Rafsanjani, his powerful ally who was president between 1989 and 1997. Among those excluded was Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the Islamic Republic's first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who has close ties to reformists. "They disqualified the grandson of Imam Khomeini, who is the most similar person to his grandfather," Rafsanjani said, according to ISNA news agency, at a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of Khomeini's return to Tehran from France during the 1979 revolution. "Who decided you are qualified to judge the others? Who gave you the right to take all the guns, have all the Friday prayer platform and run state television?" he added, referring to hardliners. Rafsanjani's comments indirectly target Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is commander-in-chief of the armed forces and who appoints the head of state television, the Friday prayer leaders around the country and half of the members of the Guardian Council. Rafsanjani, 78, was Friday prayer leader in Tehran before he was dismissed from the position when he backed the opposition movement whose protests were crushed after the last, disputed election in 2009. The Guardian Council disqualified him from the next presidential election. Elections to the 290-seat parliament and 88-member Assembly of Experts are due to take place on Feb. 26. Iran's success in winning an end to international sanctions in exchange for curbing its disputed nuclear program is expected to intensify a power struggle within an elite split into conservative and moderate-reformist factions. Khamenei grudgingly allowed Rouhani to negotiate the nuclear deal after the moderate cleric won a landslide election in 2013 on a pledge of easing Iran's isolation abroad and repression at home. But hardliners now fear that voters, hoping living standards can rise with sanctions out of the way, will reward pro-Rouhani candidates in the elections, with the vote for the Assembly of Experts in particular crucial in shaping Iran's future path. (This version of the story corrects election time in lead , Rafsanjani reference in third paragraph) (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, editing by Sami Aboudi and Angus MacSwan) Paris (AFP) - Cuba's President Raul Castro began an official state visit to France on Monday, his first ever to Europe, which is being seen as a key step in rebuilding his island nation's ties with the West. The Cuban leader was welcomed under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris before being driven down a virtually deserted Champs-Elysees avenue, decked out in Cuban flags. Police severely restricted access to spectators, and just a few groups of supporters of the Cuban regime were present. Castro, 84, is on his first official trip to the European Union since taking over from his elder brother Fidel in 2006, and spent the weekend in the French capital on a private visit. France has led the way in welcoming Cuba back into the diplomatic fold since it restored relations last year with the United States after they were broken off for more than half a century. French President Francois Hollande, who was to hold talks with Castro later Monday, has described the visit as "a new stage in the strengthening of relations between the two countries". It builds on Hollande's own state visit to Cuba last May, the first by a head of state from the West in more than half a century. Castro is the second former pariah to be welcomed to Paris in a matter of days, after Hollande hosted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani last week. "This visit is important for Cuba's image," said Eduardo Perera, an international relations expert at Havana University. "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 trade embargo on Cuba, US and European businesses are jockeying for a place in the market as the island's economy gradually opens up. Story continues 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 sun-drenched Caribbean beaches, a draw for tourists. Cuba, meanwhile, needs to tap new sources of income as its main ally and financial backer, Venezuela, is mired in economic and political crisis. Trade between the two countries currently adds up to a modest $195 million (180 million euros), which is "not in line with our ambitions," France's minister of state for foreign trade Matthias Fekl told L'Humanite newspaper. - Debt write-off - The French trip is the first by a Cuban head of state since Fidel Castro visited then president Francois Mitterrand in 1995. Castro will also attend a state dinner before meeting various French officials on Tuesday. 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. France 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. A diplomatic source in Paris said human rights "will be discussed" during the talks. Hollande faced criticism from rights groups after meeting with Fidel Castro last year. There were also demonstrations against Rouhani's visit last week, although Hollande hailed a "new relationship" after sealing a slew of lucrative trade deals drawn up after nuclear sanctions on Iran were lifted. Paris (AFP) - The Paris appeals court on Monday confirmed charges against British banking giant HSBC Holdings PLC as part of a tax fraud probe, sources close to the case told AFP. The court rejected an appeal by HSBC that charges first brought in April for facilitating tax fraud and illegal practices be dropped. Investigating magistrates accuse HSBC of failing in its supervisory role over its Swiss unit HSBC Private Bank, which is suspected of having set up tax fraud schemes for its customers, mostly French. "We are disappointed by the outcome of the appeals procedure," HSBC said in a statement. "We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously." HSBC Private Banking is suspected of offering its customers several ways of hiding assets from the French taxman, notably via the use of offshore tax havens. The case began when French authorities in late 2008 received files stolen by Herve Falciani, a former HSBC employee whose disclosures uncorked the so-called "Swissleaks" scandal on bank-supported tax evasion. He was sentenced in absentia in November in Switzerland to five years in prison. The 43-year-old French-Italian national -- dubbed by some media as "The Edward Snowden of banking" -- leaked a cache of documents allegedly indicating the bank's Swiss private banking arm helped more than 120,000 clients hide 180.6 billion euros ($205.4 billion) from tax authorities from November 2006 to March 2007. The leaked files led to investigations by tax authorities in several European countries, including Spain and Belgium besides France. French judges have conducted other investigations into tax fraud, including into Swiss bank UBS which was fined a record 1.1 billion euros in 2014. By Susan Cornwell and Megan Cassella WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Anyone seeking a table at Carmine's Italian restaurant near Capitol Hill on a Tuesday or Wednesday needs to battle a mid-week crush of Congress members and their staff. But Mondays are far quieter -- just like the floor of Congress. There are usually around nine events on a Monday, compared to as many as 30 on a midweek day, says Kelly Fitzgerald, Carmine's director of special events and catering. The mid-week crunch at Carmine's underscores a trend: members of the U.S. Congress have been spending fewer days working in Washington since the late 2000s, according to a Reuters review of congressional records going back 18 years. Lawmakers increasingly try to cram their legislative work into the middle of the week in Washington and then rush back home. Their absence from the capital reinforces the effects of a deepening partisan divide in recent years that has led to high-profile deadlocks over legislation previously seen as routine, according to some former lawmakers and political analysts. Under pressure to spend more time in their home constituencies, often fund-raising for campaigns, members have less time to attend debates and mingle with other lawmakers. "In any work setting, if you don't know your colleagues, it makes it much more difficult to get things done," said Dan Glickman, who was a Democratic House member from Kansas for 18 years until the mid-1990s and recalls more working days and fuller debates than the current Congress. "...It makes it more difficult to build relationships," said Glickman, who was U.S. secretary of agriculture after Congress. He was a member of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Commission on Political Reform, which recommended in 2014 that Congress be in session conducting legislative business for 180 to 200 days a year. (Graphic on congressional working days: http://tmsnrt.rs/1VsssoZ) In 2015, the first year of a two-year Congress, the House of Representatives put in 130 working days, the Reuters review found. Compared with the first years of recent Congresses, that number has declined steadily since 2007, when the House worked 153 days -- the high since 1998. House members typically meet more often in the first year of a Congress because in the second year they have to run for reelection. This year, an election year, the House calendar foresees 111 working days in Washington, in line with the total in recent election years. The House cancelled its entire schedule last week after a snowstorm hit the East Coast. The Senate's annual working days have not risen above 156 since reaching a peak of 188 in 2009. The decline in working days in recent years has coincided with a slide in Americans' approval rating for the legislature as the reputation of a "do-nothing" Congress has taken hold. Since fiscal 1997, Congress has failed every year to enact on time all of the government appropriations bills needed for a full federal budget, the Congressional Research Service said. More recently, polarized lawmakers often have been unable to find middle ground on pressing issues such as immigration, tax reform and gun safety. As of the end of 2014, about 75 percent of major issues were in deadlock, according to a calculation by Sarah Binder of the Brookings Institution think tank. MID-WEEK SQUEEZE To be sure, members of the House and the Senate, who are paid $174,000 a year, do important work outside of Washington. They meet with constituents in their home districts and raise campaign money by appearing and speaking at events. Representative Ryan Zinke, a freshman Republican and former U.S. Navy Seal, said Congress could use more "team-building" activities, but he has not felt the need for more days in legislative session. Zinke is the only House member representing the large, sparsely populated state of Montana, and says he needs lots of travel time just to see his constituents. "Last week I think I put on about 2,500 miles (4,000 km) traveling around Montana, and I saw about a third of the state," he said. Staying in legislative session more does not necessarily equate to getting more work done, said Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican. "It's a matter of what you do with the time you are here, not just the total time you are here," he said. The Republican-led Congress had a relatively productive year in 2015, fixing a funding formula for Medicare doctors, passing a highway bill and approving fast-track authority for trade deals. In 2011 and 2013, the total number of bills passed by Congress dipped below triple figures to 90 and 72 respectively. Last year's Congress managed to enact 113. Many bills are minor, however, so the total number does not necessarily correspond to productivity. "PRO-FORMA" SESSIONS The recent decline in overall working days does not tell the whole story. There has also been a rise in so-called "pro-forma" days when lawmakers go into session sometimes for just a few minutes or even seconds, for procedural reasons. They are formally counted as sessions of the House and Senate, but Reuters did not include them in its tally. Last year the House had 27 pro-forma days, none of which lasted more than seven minutes, the Reuters review found. In each of the last five years the House had more pro-forma days than in previous Congresses going back to 2002. Those days are usually scheduled for Monday or Friday, enabling lawmakers to fly in and out of Washington without missing mid-week votes. The typical House member returns to their district 40 or more times a year, said Brad Fitch of Congressional Management Foundation, a nonprofit that advises lawmakers on managing their offices. It did a study showing that in 2013, the average House freshman spent $53,170 of taxpayer money on travel. These days, fewer lawmakers move their families to the capital to live, said John Fortier, director of the Democracy Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank. Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican who has been Speaker of the House since October, sleeps on a cot in his Washington office during the congressional work-week and flies home to his family in Wisconsin on the weekend. Vin Weber, who was a Republican congressman from Minnesota in the 1980s and 1990s, said that in the attempt to juggle all the demands they face at home and in Washington, today's lawmakers have set themselves an impossible schedule. "They are on planes constantly, back and forth, all the time," he said. "There's no rationality to it at all." The rising cost of election campaigns mean lawmakers have to devote more time to fund-raising outside Washington, said Glickman, now a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center. As a congressman, Glickman said, he often went to the House floor just to listen to the debate. "If I did that now, I would be guilty of malpractice," he said. "You need to be either in committee doing your work or raising money." (This story has been refiled to correct this week to last week in paragraph 11) (Additional reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Stuart Grudgings) San Salvador (AFP) - Politicians, diplomats and business leaders in El Salvador on Monday bid farewell to Francisco Flores, a former president who died on the weekend aged 56 while awaiting trial on graft charges. However no government representative turned out for a funeral mass in his honor in a San Salvador basilica where his coffin, draped with the national flag, was put on display ahead of a private family cremation. Flores, who led the Central American country from 1999 to 2004, was to have been tried of charges of embezzling $15 million donated by Taiwan for victims of a 2001 earthquake. But he died on Saturday while in a coma brought on by a massive stroke suffered a week earlier said to have caused irreversible brain damage. One figure attending the mass was a former Guatemalan president, Alfonso Portillo, who held office at the same time as Flores, and who had served more than a year and a half in a US prison for money laundering. He said he and Flores had often spoken "as good friends," and added: "I didn't doubt his honesty." KABUL (Reuters) - German Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere promised Afghanistan financial help to help reintegrate returned migrants during a visit to Kabul on Monday overshadowed by the latest in a series of deadly suicide bomb attacks. De Maiziere said Germany, with some 850 soldiers in Afghanistan as part of NATO's Resolute Support mission, would remain "as long as necessary" but he said an exodus of educated Afghans had to be prevented. "The clear message that I want to send today is, 'we will stay' and so the clear expectation that we have for the people of Afghanistan is 'stay here to build up this country'." While acknowledging the security situation was "complicated", he said most Afghans coming to Germany were not motivated by security fears but wanted a better life. "That is understandable from a human point of view but it doesn't give them the right to protection," he said. The comment was made only hours after a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up outside a Kabul police station, killing at least 10 civilians and wounding 20 others in the latest bloody attack in the Afghan capital. Thousands of civilians and members of the security forces have been killed over the past year as Afghan security forces have struggled to contain the widening Taliban insurgency. De Maiziere said police cooperation would continue and Berlin would help in the fight against illegal immigration with a communication campaign aimed at persuading Afghans not to attempt to come to Germany. The visit underlines the growing alarm in Berlin at the scale of the refugee and migrant crisis facing Germany, which took in around one million immigrants last year. After first welcoming Syrian refugees last year, the public mood toward migrants from countries including Afghanistan has shifted, particularly after reports of widespread sexual assaults on New Year's Eve by Arab and North African men. Last year Afghans made up the second largest group of refugees coming to Europe, behind Syrians. "We can only get support in Germany for the major engagement in Afghanistan if the German population has the firm impression that the youth and the people of Afghanistan have faith in their future," de Maiziere said. (Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Tom Heneghan) Berlin (AFP) - Germany opened Monday its first shelter for gay and lesbian refugees, as fears grew over threats to sexual minorities in overcrowded accommodations. The new housing in southern Germany's Nuremberg can host up to eight people, said Michael Glas, who runs an association called Fliederlich that started the initiative. "No one has moved in yet but it's a question of a day or two, the accommodation is ready," he told AFP. "Four people from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Ethiopia have made requests" for a bed in the "small two-storey house," he added. The association had decided to open a shelter after being contacted by 20 refugees who said they felt threatened in the shelters they were put up in. "Prejudices don't disappear when one crosses the borders," Glas said, adding that those who are persecuted in their home countries for being gay are also being targeted in refugee shelters in Germany. Beyond the Nuremberg shelter, Berlin is also due to open a far larger accommodation in February with 120 beds. No data is available on the number of attacks against homosexual refugees across Germany, which took in 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015. But the gay and lesbian association for the states of Berlin and Brandenburg said it had recorded 95 cases between August 1 to December 31, last year, including physical violence, sexual attacks and threats. Brussels (AFP) - Germany's environment minister Barbara Hendricks said Monday she was reassured for the moment over the safety of Belgian nuclear power plants that have also worried the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Hendricks was the latest European minister to hold talks with Belgian officials following similar meetings last month involving Luxembourg and the Netherlands about the ageing Doel and Tihange nuclear power plants. "For now I am reassured. We will see," Hendricks said after talks with Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon. "Belgium has assured us that experts will respond to the catalogue of questions from the German government in February," she added. In March, she said, the two sides will hold an ad hoc working group of experts. Jambon said each side would visit the other's plants to conduct inspections. The concerns have largely emerged since the Belgian government's decision in December to extend the lives of 40-year-old reactors Doel 1 and Doel 2 until 2025 under a deal to preserve jobs and invest in the transition to cleaner energy. It had originally shuttered Doel 1, the country's oldest reactor, in February 2015, but just three days after it was restarted in December it had to be closed due to a generator problem. It has now been restarted for a second time. Tiny cracks discovered in 2012 in the reactor pressure vessels of Doel 3 and Tihange 2 also caused lengthy closures of those two reactors. They were both restarted at the end of last year, one having to close quickly again, for a few days, after a water leak. And the Doel 4 reactor was also shut down urgently in August 2014 after a leak in the turbine hall, caused by tampering, gushed out 65,000 litres of oil lubricant. The investigation continues. By 6:00 pm (1700 GMT), there were more than 770,000 signatures on a petition circulated by the activist group Avaaz, calling for a cross-border environmental impact study of all the Belgian nuclear reactors. The plants should be closed pending the conclusions of the study, Avaaz said. Athens (AFP) - Greece and its creditors on Monday began a first review of the country's new bailout amid a wave of demonstrations by farmers and professionals against a controversial pension reform that is part of the fiscal overhaul. Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos's office said the first phase of talks with the senior EU-IMF representatives would be held until the end of the week. "The negotiation...will be held in two phases. The first will last a few days, as there will be a break at the end of this week," the finance minister's office said. Headlining the agenda is the pension reform which the leftist government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has in the works to reduce state spending on retirement schemes, which is the highest in the European Union. The government 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. The plan has been criticised by a wide array of professional classes, from lawyers and engineers to sailors and farmers, and Greek unions have called a general strike -- the third in as many months -- on Thursday. Separately, the farmers have formed protest hubs at dozens of locations on Greece's national highways, intermittently blocking traffic with tractors in recent days. On Monday, they moved to block traffic into Bulgaria for several hours, causing long queues to form at the border. 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. During their stay the creditor mission chiefs will also discuss the non-performing loans burdening Greek banks. Greece hopes to conclude the review by early April in order to proceed with talks with its creditors on renegotiating its enormous public debt -- nearly 200 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). "The timely conclusion of the first review will pave the way to solving the Gordian Knot of the debt issue," Tsipras said on Monday. "The sooner the evaluation of the Greek programme is completed, the sooner we will tackle the viability of the debt," French Finance Minister Michel Sapin told Kathimerini daily on Sunday. Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Outgoing Haiti President Michel Martelly, a former music star, has found fresh success with a sexually loaded song attacking his critics, amid a political crisis over who will succeed him. The popular six-minute carnival song by Sweet Micky -- the president's stage name -- takes particular aim at a famous Haitian female journalist and is loaded with sexual innuendo and double entendre. Translated from the local Creole language, the song is called "Give her the banana." That seemingly is inspired from the campaign slogan, "Banana Man," of Jovenel Moise, an agricultural entrepreneur and Martelly's pick for the next president. Martelly's main target is well-known journalist Liliane Pierre-Paul, and the song has been popular on the playlist of some Haitian DJs. It also had success with listeners checking out carnival hits, racking up more than 100,000 plays online in less than 24 hours. The Haitian carnival takes place February 7-9 in the capital Port-au-Prince, although preparations have been lagging. The annual carnival, usually a time for the poorest country in the Americas to forget about its litany of ills, has been overshadowed by a roiling political crisis after the January 24 presidential vote runoff was canceled over security concerns. Martelly's term ends Sunday, and with no successor in place, Haiti is facing constitutional crisis yet again. When it comes to billionaire Elon Musk's lofty vision for the Hyperloop, a theoretical high speed transportation structure, there's one pod to rule them all. Last weekend, at the Hyperloop Pod design competition at Texas A&M University, 2 lucky pod-designing teams moved one step closer to glory. The competition was intended to narrow the field of designs for the Hyperloop's pod the vehicle that will whiz around the system's tubes. 120 teams from around the world (mostly made up of university and high school students) entered the competition, but only a handful were selected to move on. Massachusetts Institute of Technology's team took the top spot, winning the award for best overall design. Other winners included teams from Delft University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Virginia Tech and the University of California, Irvine. A photo posted by Aditya Sridhar (@aditya_sridhar) on Jan 30, 2016 at 6:38pm PST MIT team captain Philippe Kirschen believes his team's design was successful thanks to its practical nature, focused on safety and scalability. "When I was applying to university when I was 16, I wrote about working on maglev (magnetic levitation) trains," he told Engadget. "Now six years down the line and I'm working on a maglev train." According to the team's description, MIT's pod "is approximately 2.5 meters long and uses permanent magnet arrays for electrodynamic levitation." A photo posted by Zac Mcclelland (@bearcat4) on Jan 30, 2016 at 4:47pm PST SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk himself made an appearance at the competition, heaping praise on the teams and their designs. "I feel really good about this," he said, according to Engadget. "I think the work that you guys are doing is going to blow people's minds." He added that SpaceX would likely hold similar competitions in the future. "The public wants something new," Musk said, according to the Verge. "And you're going to give it to them." Story continues A photo posted by Texas A&M University (@tamu) on Jan 30, 2016 at 4:55pm PST A video posted by willy (@willythawhale) on Jan 30, 2016 at 1:09pm PST A photo posted by @andi_fireflyyoga on Jan 30, 2016 at 7:41am PST A photo posted by girguis sedky (@girguissedky) on Jan 30, 2016 at 6:39am PST Other pod designs included New York University's S.L.A.T.E "a safe, economically viable and practical implementation of the Hyperloop concept" and Rutgers University's effort, which "features a sleek outer mold, magnetic levitation system and air-powered braking system." The Hyperloop competition starts today in Texas http://pops.ci/FweuHl pic.twitter.com/PFc56RlJOc https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZ5Oq6EXEAAScND.png:large Hyperloop competition has students vying to test pods in Hawthorne http://lat.ms/1m3y6BY pic.twitter.com/nUpVlHz5lm https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZ9lfPwWwAAvTZK.jpg:large Carnegie Mellon University joins SpaceX Hyperloop Pod competition http://bit.ly/1Pk5wrP pic.twitter.com/oXbrpbbxC7 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZxJgcrWYAATdhZ.jpg:large A photo posted by Derek Gregg (@derekgregg) on Jan 29, 2016 at 12:57pm PST The winners are now set to build human-sized versions of their pods, which they'll reportedly test this summer at a mile-long test track next to Musk's SpaceX California headquarters. Below, the full list of winners: Best Overall Design Award: MIT Hyperloop Team, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Pod Innovation Award: Delft Hyperloop, Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands) Pod Technical Excellence Award: Badgerloop, University of Wisconsin-Madison Pod Technical Excellence Award: Hyperloop at Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech Pod Technical Excellence Award: HyperXite, University of California, Irvine And advancing teams This year could be big one for marijuana legalization, with states like Arizona, Maine and Vermont likely to jump on the bandwagon, which is already led by Alaska, Colorado and Washington. As of June, marijuana was legalized in some way in 23 states and Washington D.C, proving that a revolution is already underway. But federally, marijuana is still considered a Schedule I drug along with heroin and LSD meaning that it has a high potential for abuse. That's left both the industry and consumers in a confusing gray area, since in states like Washington, people over the age of of 21 can walk into a commercial dispensary to buy an ounce of marijuana. President Barack Obama has said on record that he supports "carefully prescribed medical use" of marijuana, and reducing incarceration rates from marijuana possession and crime, according to the Huffington Post. Marijuana crimes account for about 30% of drug arrests, advocacy group Norml found. "At a certain point, if enough states end up decriminalizing, Congress may then reschedule marijuana," he told Vice's Shane Smith in March. To illustrate what's actually going in the nation regarding marijuana legalization, below is a map that shows which states have decriminalized marijuana and to what extent, according to Leafly and as of Feb. 1. The dark green represents states with recreational marijuana; the red represents states where marijuana is illegal; the yellow represents states where marijuana is decriminalized; the light green represents states where there's legal medical marijuana. Here's a Map of Every State and Their Marijuana Laws States where marijuana is still illegal include Idaho, South Dakota, Arkansas and Kansas. The change will probably be worth it. If marijuana is decriminalized, Norml estimates government savings in taxes and law enforcement costs to range from $8 to $16 billion per year. And in 2015, legal marijuana sales reached $5.4 billion, which is 17.4% more than 2014's $4.6 billion, according to data from cannabis industry-tracking company the ArcView Group, CNBC reported. Story continues These are states with legal recreational marijuana: 1. Alaska 2. Colorado 3. Oregon 4. Washington These are states with legal medical marijuana: 1. Alaska 2. Arizona 3. California 4. Colorado 5. Connecticut 6. Delaware 7. Hawaii 8. Illinois 9. Maine 10. Maryland 11. Massachusetts 12. Michigan 13. Minnesota 14. Montana 15. Nevada 16. New Hampshire 17. New Jersey 18. New Mexico 19. New York 20. Oregon 21. Rhode Island 22. Vermont 23. Washington Paris (AFP) - French President Francois Hollande called Monday for an end to US sanctions on Cuba during a historic visit to Paris by President Raul Castro, seen as a key step in rebuilding ties with the West. "President Obama... must, and he's said it himself, go all the way and bring an end to this vestige of the Cold War," Hollande said after meeting with the 84-year-old Cuban leader. Castro is on his first official trip to the European Union since taking over from his elder brother Fidel in 2006. France has led the way in welcoming Cuba back into the diplomatic fold since the Caribbean island restored relations last year with the United States, after more than half a century of enmity. The visit builds on Hollande's own state visit to Cuba last May, the first by a Western head of state in more than half a century. Castro is the second former pariah to be welcomed to Paris in a matter of days, after Hollande hosted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani last week. He was formally welcomed on Monday under the Arc de Triomphe before being driven down a virtually deserted Champs-Elysees avenue decked out in Cuban flags. Police severely restricted access to spectators, and just a few groups of supporters of the Cuban regime were present. 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, Cuba's deputy foreign minister. Although Washington has yet to lift its trade embargo on Cuba -- that dates back to 1962 -- US and European businesses are jockeying for position as the communist island's economy gradually opens up. Trade delegations have been flocking to Cuba, hoping to cash in on its highly trained workforce and natural assets such as its sun-drenched Caribbean beaches, a draw for tourists. Cuba, meanwhile, needs to tap new sources of income as its main ally and financial backer, Venezuela, is mired in economic and political crisis. Story continues France and Cuba signed deals on tourism, transport and fairtrade goods. Some of France's largest companies already invest in Cuba, including telecoms group Alcatel-Lucent, and energy firms Total and Alstom. France's Pernod-Ricard has produced Havana Club rum in Cuba for two decades, although the same drink is also produced in Puerto Rico by Bacardi, Cuba's best-known rum maker, which was forced into exile in 1960. On Monday, Bacardi launched a lawsuit to head off plans to allow the sale of the Cuban Havana Club in the United States once sanctions are dropped. - Debt write-off - The trip to France is the first by a Cuban head of state since Fidel Castro visited then president Francois Mitterrand in 1995. Raoul Castro was due to attend a state dinner before meeting various French officials on Tuesday. France recently engineered an agreement among the Paris Club of international creditors to write off $8.5 billion (7.8 billion euros) of Cuba's debt. It agreed to further debt relief on Monday, converting 200 million euros of debt into an investment fund. France 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. A diplomatic source in Paris said human rights "will be discussed" during the talks. Hollande faced criticism from rights groups after meeting with Fidel Castro last year. There were also demonstrations against Rouhani's visit last week, although Hollande hailed a "new relationship" after sealing a slew of lucrative trade deals drawn up after nuclear sanctions on Iran were lifted. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans plan to bring a bill addressing Puerto Rico's debt crisis to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives by the end of March, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Monday. McCarthy, speaking to reporters at a press briefing, offered no details on the content of the planned legislation. He said two House committees will be in charge of developing legislation, adding that one of them is looking at a "control panel" to help the Caribbean island U.S. territory out of its debt problems. The U.S. Treasury Department has called on Congress to create a fiscal control board for Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla has said his administration would seek to ensure that any such board would respect the island's autonomy. "Chapter 9" bankruptcy for municipalities also has been discussed, McCarthy said. Last year, House Speaker Paul Ryan said he wanted the Republican-led House to come up with a response to Puerto Rico's fiscal crisis during the first quarter of 2016. "It's our intention to meet that deadline to get a bill ... on the floor, before the end of the first quarter," McCarthy said. Separately on Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Ryan was likely to discuss Puerto Rico's crisis during Tuesday's scheduled meeting at the White House with President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. (Reporting by Richard Cowan; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chris Reese and Will Dunham) Washington (AFP) - On Monday, residents of the US state of Iowa will cast the first votes in the months-long 2016 race for the White House. Instead of holding primaries, the state hosts local meetings known as caucuses, which are organized by the Democratic and Republican parties as they launch the process to determine who will be their nominees in November's general election. The parties use distinct and different methods. Here's a look at the crucial process, which can seem like a byzantine puzzle to those not familiar with it. - Who votes? - In Iowa, as in many states, voters register as Democrat, Republican or independent. Among Iowa's 3.1 million inhabitants, there are currently about 584,000 active Democratic voters, 611,000 active Republican voters, and 725,000 registered under no party affiliation, according to Iowa's secretary of state. Only Republicans can vote in Republican caucuses, and Democrats in Democratic caucuses. Voters are allowed to register on site. Those who turn 18 by election day on November 8 are eligible to participate in the February 1 caucuses. Turnout was about 20 percent for Republicans in 2012 and 39 percent for Democrats in 2008, an exceptional year due to the high-profile clash between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. - Where are the polls? - Each party organizes precinct meeting locations, mostly in public places like schools, libraries and other government buildings, but also in private homes. The Republican and Democratic caucuses are often located close to one another, sometimes just down the hall in the same building. Democrats will host some 1,681 caucuses, and Republicans roughly the same. There will also be a virtual "tele-caucus" for US military personnel deployed out of state or overseas, and "satellite" caucuses at locations including nursing homes, where people are not mobile. For both parties, most meetings begin at 7:00 pm local time (0100 GMT). - Republican method - Story continues Republican voters gather at the appointed time and, after some organizational formalities, candidates' representatives each make a short speech urging voters for support. A secret ballot is then held. The polling station reports the results to the party, which aggregates the results from the precincts and announces the winner who has received the most votes at the state level. The precinct results for Republicans -- and for Democrats too -- will be delivered via a new digital application specially developed by Microsoft, which will replace an outdated telephone system. - Democratic method - It's complicated. Among Democrats, there is no secret ballot, and some critics argue the process subverts the "one person, one vote" principle proclaimed by the US Supreme Court. Following initial formalities, supporters of each candidate gather in one area of the caucus room -- backers of Hillary Clinton, say, in one corner and those favoring Bernie Sanders in another. Candidate groups lacking a minimum of 15 percent support are eliminated, and their backers are then invited to join another preference group. It is during this realignment that leaders try to rally supporters to their candidates. The groups' supporters are then counted, and a candidate is attributed a certain number of delegates proportionally. Due to rounding, a stronger candidate may end up with the same number of delegates as one with fewer caucus supporters. These delegates are technically designated for county conventions in Iowa's 99 counties. The evening is not over yet. The party calculates a ratio by which a candidate's delegates to the state convention are determined, based on the number of county delegates a candidate receives. The candidate who accrues the most state delegates, out of a total of 1,406, is proclaimed the winner of the party's caucuses. Tehran (AFP) - Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani lashed out Monday at Iran's vote vetting panel over its exclusion of a grandson of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic republic. "Who gave you the right to judge? Who gave you the stand to address Friday (weekly) prayers and state television?" he said, referring to Hassan Khomeini's failed candidacy for elections to Iran's powerful Assembly of Experts. "May God forgive you," said Rafsanjani, a veteran of Iranian politics and two-term president, quoted by state news agency IRNA. "Without Imam (Ruhollah) Khomeini, none of these people (on the vetting panel) would have existed." Hassan Khomeini, a cleric aged 43 who has ties to reformists in Iran, said Friday he would appeal being barred from running in the polls. He is among hundreds who have been excluded from elections next month for the assembly, which monitors the work of Iran's supreme leader and has the authority to replace him. The Guardian Council, a conservative-dominated panel that decides who can run for public office, said only 166 of 800 candidates were approved. Khomeini, who failed to attend a qualifying exam, said other candidates had been vetted even without taking the test. Voting for the 88-member assembly, of which Rafsanjani is a member and for which he is running again, will take place on February 26, the same day as parliamentary polls. Both elected bodies are dominated by conservatives. The Guardian Council said last week that 60 percent of 12,000 candidates for the elections to parliament had been excluded. Only one percent of reformist hopefuls won approval. Iran's incumbent reformist President Hassan Rouhani is hoping for a strong electoral showing by the pro-reform camp to press ahead with his political and social programmes. By Luke Baker JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel, Cyprus and Greece have agreed to deepen their energy, security and tourism ties in the Eastern Mediterranean, a deal that may have implications for Israel's testy relationship with the European Union, too. The agreement, signed in Nicosia last week by a beaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Greek premier Alexis Tsipras and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, focused on energy and the exploitation of natural gas deposits off Israel and Cyprus. The Leviathan and Aphrodite fields are unlikely to start exporting before 2019 or 2020. Nevertheless, the ambition is to transport gas by pipeline, possibly via Turkey, or in liquefied form by ship to Europe, plugging the East Mediterranean into Europe's grid and providing an alternative to Russia - which has far worse relations with the EU due to the Ukraine crisis. With global energy prices expected to remain low for some time, analysts question whether East Mediterranean gas will be the bonanza investors hope, but that didn't prevent the leaders singing the praises of their joint declaration. "We live in a turbulent, fluid environment," said Netanyahu, emphasizing working together on policies from tourism to water-management would make all three states stronger. "We have an unprecedented opportunity to advance our common goals," he said, adding: "We have been blessed with natural gas." Israel and the two EU members all have sound commercial, defense and political reasons for closer cooperation. As well as attracting more visitors and investment, Cyprus and Greece hope some of Israel's high-tech success will rub off on them and lift their economies, both bailed out by the EU and IMF. There's also Israeli know-how in defense, migration, cyber-security and counter-terrorism to draw on. Israel hopes to sell its expertise in these areas, as well as gaining extra allies in a region where it feels isolated, with Syria at war on its northern border, Lebanon's Hezbollah a threat and ties with the Palestinians as troubled as ever. Israel has already used the presence of a Russian-made air defense system located in Greece, which was originally supplied to Cyprus and traded to Athens, to train fighter pilots on how to thwart technology now being deployed in Syria. EU RELATIONS There is also a more nuanced potential benefit for Netanyahu: more partners inside the EU who may be inclined to defend Israel's interests or at least not lean immediately towards the Palestinians on Middle East issues. With France issuing an ultimatum to Israel at the weekend - saying it would recognize Palestine as a state if a new peace initiative doesn't succeed - Israel is hoping its new allegiances in the EU will help head off the French threat. Greece has traditionally been pro-Palestinian and was expected to remain so when Tsipras, a leftist, was elected last year. The same went for Cyprus to an extent. But the Palestinians now regard both as having shifted allegiance. "The emerging tripartite alliance ... weakens the strong and solid relationship that the Palestinian people have always maintained with Cyprus and Greece," said Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization. "As such, this agreement will only embolden Israel to pursue dangerous policies that have serious ramifications on the whole region. We call on Cyprus and Greece ... to maintain the earlier integrity of their support for the Palestinian cause." In EU debates, Israel has traditionally looked to Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, among others, to protect its interests, including through using the veto that member states effectively have in foreign policy decisions. With the new regional alliance, Greece and Cyprus may be more inclined towards Israel, which has also had some success at winning over Italy, another pro-Palestinian nation in the past. When EU foreign ministers issued a hard-hitting statement on the Middle East peace process on Jan. 18, diplomats said the critical language towards Israel was softened slightly after Greece refused at first to sign off on it. Relations between the EU and Israel remain rocky, notably over the European policy of labeling goods produced in Israeli settlements as coming from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem - lands the Palestinians seek for their own state - rather than as "Made in Israel". But Netanyahu points out that while relations with the EU as a whole may need a "reset", those with a number of individual states are good. Israeli diplomats are fond of listing those they can count as friends and those they regard as unfriendly. In looking to fend off France, it may need all the friends it can get. (Writing by Luke Baker; editing by David Stamp) By Rami Amichay and Nidal al-Mughrabi PRI GAN, Israel/GAZA (Reuters) - Nissim Hakmon and his neighbors say they hear banging and clattering at night. They are convinced it can only mean one thing: Hamas is tunneling under their homes from Gaza and will one day emerge, guns blazing, to attack or kidnap them. The Israeli government says its investigations have not come up with any evidence the night-time noises reported by villagers living near Gaza emanate from tunnels, but assertions by Hamas of extensive cross-border digging has only fueled concern. "The fear among everyone here is constant," Hakmon told Reuters in his village of Pri Gan, near the Gaza Strip. "I've heard the sound of a hammer and chisel and my neighbor says she can hear them digging under the cement. We're stressed out." The Palestinian Islamist group which runs Gaza used tunnels running out of the strip to give its heavily outgunned fighters the advantage of surprise during its 2014 war with Israel. Twelve soldiers were killed by Hamas tunnel raiders and one was kidnapped. No civilians have been targeted by the fighters, who describe the tunnels as a defensive tool in case of future conflict. But that is little reassurance to the villagers. Underground infiltration by gunmen from Gaza "is something we know deep inside is just a matter of time, even though we tell the kids everything is okay," Hakmon said. POLITICAL PRESSURE Hakmon's worry is being echoed by some others who live on the Gaza periphery, putting extra political pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the standoff with the Palestinian territory since the war in 2014. Beset by a months-long surge of street attacks by Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, Israel has little desire to see a fresh flare-up in Gaza, where Hamas has mostly held its fire in the past 18 months. The movement announced last week it had rehabilitated cross-border tunnels destroyed during the war - a muscle-flexing message to Israel, its security partner Egypt and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Islamists' U.S.-backed rival. "The resistance factions are in a state of ongoing preparation underground, above ground, on land and sea," Hamas deputy leader Ismail Haniyeh said at a rally called to honor seven tunnelers who were killed in a cave-in on Tuesday. Hamas has twice the number of tunnels as those used in the Vietnam war against U.S. forces, Haniyeh said - a tall order, but bold enough a claim to shore up the worries voiced in Pri Gan, 4 km (2 miles) away from the Gaza border, and elsewhere. The residents' alarm, amplified by local media, and calls for preemptive military action by opposition politicians, roused Netanyahu to warn Hamas on Sunday. "Should we be attacked through Gaza Strip tunnels, we will take forceful action against Hamas, with far greater force than was used in Protective Edge," he said, referring to the 2014 war, which killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, most civilians. "We are working systematically and level-headedly against all threats, including the Hamas threat, through both defensive and offensive measures." Israel lost six civilians in the war as well as 67 soldiers. Military engineers unearthed and destroyed 32 tunnels, Israeli officials say, and have since, with U.S. help, been developing a half-dozen technologies for detecting digs along the sandy, 65-km (40 mile) frontier with Gaza. When those counter-measures might be ready is a closely guarded secret. Hamas, for its part, may be hoping to lay down as many new tunnels as possible before the system is in place. "We are not asking for war, but getting ready for one should Israel launch it," Hamas military spokesman Abu Ubaida said. "GUNS DRAWN" Israel's refusal to elaborate on its anti-tunnel efforts has fanned fears in the 30-odd villages near the Gaza frontier. Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon told Israel Radio on Monday that military experts "rush anywhere that someone claims to hear noises (but) those tests have not shown that the noise is from the digging of tunnels". The conservative government has found itself in the unfamiliar situation of preaching restraint after center-left opposition leader Isaac Herzog demanded any tunnels be bombed. "What are the prime minister and defense minister waiting for? For terrorists to surface with guns drawn?" Herzog said. Yaalon shot back that such discussions should be held behind closed doors, and argued that the passive build-up of an enemy's capabilities did not necessarily warrant initiating hostilities. "It might also be proposed that we go and attack (Lebanese guerrilla group) Hezbollah's 100,000 rockets in the north or the hundreds of missiles that Iran has aimed at us," Yaalon said. Hakmon does not share the government's equanimity, and says he and other Pri Gan residents are going around armed, locking their doors and shuttering their windows as a precaution. "We are waiting for the army, or, God forbid, for the worst to happen," he said. (Writing by Dan Williams; editing by Philippa Fletcher) J.J. Abrams recently opened up about his and his wife's support of Hillary Clinton. I will say we are supporting Hillary, the Force Awakens director told The Daily Beast. In June, Abrams and wife Katie McGrath each donated $500,000 to Clinton super PAC Priorities USA. We believe in her as the strongest candidate," said Abrams. "She does have the experience and the politics. She is compassionate, and right. When I look at the people who need the support that arent necessarily getting it, I believe that she would provide that." He continued, "That is really the way that we have to approach how we vote: look around and ask yourself, who needs to be brought up? Who needs to be emphasized? Who needs compassion? And I find that thats something that shes got. In October, Abrams and McGrath hosted a $33,400-per-person roundtable discussion with President Barack Obama at their home. The proceeds benefited the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Read More: J.J. Abrams to Host Obama at $33,400-Per-Person Roundtable Discussion A Japanese artist charged with obscenity for distributing a design for a kayak shaped like her vagina scoffed on Monday at a demand by prosecutors to punish her with a $6,600 fine and vowed to appeal if found guilty. Megumi Igarashi's case has drawn widespread attention and sparked accusations of heavy-handed censorship in a country known for its multi-billion-dollar pornography industry but where actual depictions of genitalia are banned. Igarashi was arrested in July 2014 for trying to raise funds online to pay for the construction of the kayak by disseminating a coded 3D image of her genitals. The artist, who calls herself Rokude Nashiko -- slang that loosely translates as "reprobate child" -- was released days later following a legal appeal and after thousands of people signed a petition demanding her freedom. But several months later, Tokyo police arrested her again on three counts of distributing "obscene" data -- namely CD-ROMs containing computer code for a 3D printer that would allow users to make copies of the vagina-shaped kayak. She was held in custody for around a month before being granted bail. Japan has a prolific pornography industry that caters to all imaginable tastes. But tough obscenity laws ban the showing of actual genitalia, which normally appear pixellated or blacked out. Prosecutors on Monday demanded that she be fined 800,000 yen (about $6,600) at a hearing at Tokyo District Court. A defiant Igarashi, however, said that she was resigned to the fact that prosecutors will probably appeal the case if she is found not guilty in May when the verdict will be handed down. "And if I am found guilty, I will of course continue fighting," she told reporters after the court session. "This battle is expected to be a long one." Takashi Yamaguchi, one of Igarashi's lawyers, said that the prosecution was intent on making an example of Igarashi ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. "I believe the Olympics is definitely one of the factors" behind the decision to seek such a hefty fine, he added. Zurich (AFP) - Swiss private bank Julius Baer said Monday that net profit plummeted in 2015 due to a provision linked to a US probe into the bank's suspected role in helping Americans evade taxes. The bank said net profit dropped 67 percent to 121.2 million Swiss francs (109 million euros, $119 million) last year. The fall comes after the Zurich-based bank put aside a provision of just over $547 million to cover a fine it faces as a settlement in the US criminal investigation. Authorities around the world have been clamping down on tax evasion in the wake of the global financial crisis. Chief Executive Boris Collardi said in a statement that the bank expected it would "soon be able to complete the court process and announce the final resolution" following the final approval of the settlement. Julius Baer was among around a dozen Swiss banks placed under criminal investigation by the US Justice Department, including the country's second largest bank Credit Suisse, which was slapped with a $2.8-billion fine. Without the US provision, Julius Baer said profits would have grown last year by a fifth to just over 700 million Swiss francs. While acquisitions in the banking sector have slowed in Switzerland over the past year, Julius Baer has remained very active on this front. The group's acquisitions have included the activities in Switzerland of Israel's Leumi Private Bank, the Geneva bank Fransad, the German activities of Commerzbank at Luxembourg and an increase in its stake in Italy's Kairos bank. Julius Baer has also finalised its integration of the wealth management operations that it bought four years ago from US investment bank Merrill Lynch. "We will take a careful look at targets," Collardi told journalists and analysts at a conference in Zurich Monday about possible more acquisitions. "Big elephants don't cross the road that often." He added however that "there are a cluster of large banks that are not doing so well these days... Something might come on the table". Story continues When asked about the FIFA investigation, Collardil explained that the bank was cooperating with the authorities without commenting further as the inquiry is currently under way. Julius Baer is part of a list of several banks that were cited in the indictment against top officials of international football federation over alleged bribes. "An investigation has been launched, also for us internally," said Collardi, noting that the bank has dismissed a client adviser. "There are no reasons for fears," he added. In mid-afternoon trade, shares of Julius Baer were down 3.24 percent in Zurich with the overall market there slipping 0.25 percent. By Julia Edwards WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Monday it would launch a review of the San Francisco Police following requests from city officials and community members. Although the American Civil Liberties Union had asked for a federal investigation into the San Francisco Police Department following the death of Mario Woods, 26, at the hands of police, the review will only result in recommendations, not court-enforceable reforms. "We will examine the San Francisco Police Department's current operational policies, training practices and accountability systems, and help identify key areas for improvement going forward," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement. At the conclusion of the review, the Justice Department will give San Francisco police a list of best practices it can follow to insure fairness in its interactions with citizens. San Francisco police will then report back to the Justice Department on a periodic basis to show it is following the practices, a Justice Department official said. Other police departments, such as Baltimore, have asked the Justice Department to conduct similar reviews of its policies following accusations of discrimination. In the case of Baltimore, a review was ongoing before the death of black detainee Freddie Gray. Gray's death then prompted a more formal investigation, the results of which will be enforceable by law. (Reporting by Eric Beech and Julia Edwards; Editing by Eric Beech and Sandra Maler) By Chris Michaud (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice said on Sunday it was set to announce a "comprehensive review" of the San Francisco Police Department, which was the target of protests after a black man was shot and killed by police in December. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Brian Stretch and Ronald Davis, the U.S. Department of Justices Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Director, would hold a news conference in San Francisco on Monday at 2 p.m. PST (1700 GMT Sunday), it said in a statement. The statement gave no details about the nature or reason for the investigation. Protests broke out in the city in December over the police killing of a black man earlier that month, with demands that the city's police chief be fired. San Francisco's Mayor Edwin Lee and police chief Greg Suhr were also slated to attend the news conference, the Justice Department statement said. Protesters have railed against Suhr numerous times over the shooting death of 26-year-old Mario Woods, which was captured on camera by bystanders and described as unnecessary by the San Francisco public defender. Suhr said Woods, who was a suspect in a stabbing, was a threat to officers. He has called for equipping his police force with Tasers to prevent similar shootings in the future. Police said they first tried using pepper spray and firing bean bag rounds at Woods, who they said refused orders to drop a knife he was holding. Video of the shooting showed one of about a dozen officers in a phalanx move directly in front of Woods, who was attempting to walk away. Officers opened fire, killing him in a hail of gunfire. Police said in a statement he was a danger to others and that "officers could not allow him room to harm anyone else." Woods' family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city in December. The San Francisco shooting came amid U.S. unrest over high-profile police killings of black people from cities like Ferguson, Missouri, to Chicago and Baltimore since mid-2014, and a renewed civil rights movement under the name Black Lives Matter. Story continues In May, San Francisco's district attorney appointed three retired judges to review the integrity of 3,000 arrests involving more than a dozen police officers who engaged in racist and homophobic text messages. District Attorney George Gascon said the officers' actions compromised public trust in law enforcement. (Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Paul Tait) By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - A gun and knife fight at a Denver motorcycle show that left one person dead and seven wounded was between an outlaw biker gang and a club with many law enforcement members, lawyers for both groups said on Sunday. Lawyers for the Iron Order Motorcycle Club, whose members include large numbers of law enforcement and the military, and the Mongols Motorcycle Club, which federal authorities deem an outlaw motorcycle gang, each blamed the other side for starting Saturday's brawl. John C. Whitfield, an attorney for the Iron Order, said a handful of members of that group acted in self-defense after they were surrounded by at least 30 Mongols. One of our members is African-American and one of the Mongols made a racial slur, and a fight ensued, Whitfield said. But Stephen Stubbs, a lawyer for the Mongols, said the two groups got into a fist fight after exchanging words, and once the Mongols got the better of them, an Iron Order member brandished a handgun, and began firing. None of the Mongols had a gun, Stubbs said. Denver police said they had not yet arrested anyone in connection with Saturday's violence at the Denver Motorcycle Expo, an annual show and swap meet at the city-owned National Western Complex, although one "person of interest" was questioned by investigators. Four people were shot, one fatally, one person was stabbed and three others sustained injuries that did not involve weapons during the fight, police said. A second day of the motorcycle show planned for Sunday was canceled. The incident recalled a shootout last May outside a restaurant in Waco, Texas, where nine bikers were killed, 18 injured, and scores arrested. Both lawyers said that the man killed in Saturday's brawl was a member of the Mongols, although Denver police would not confirm that, or name the groups involved. Thats all still part of the investigation, police spokeswoman Raquel Lopez said. The U.S. Department of Justice has said the Mongols are heavily involved in drug dealing and racketeering. (Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Muralikumar Anantharaman) Madrid (AFP) - Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has confirmed that Denis Cheryshev is likely to leave the club on Monday with the Premier League the most likely destination for the Russian international. "Cheryshev may go because it is important for him to have more playing time," Zidane said after Madrid's 6-0 thrashing of Espanyol on Sunday. "He is a kid that works very hard, but he needs time and I wish him the best." Cheryshev has been linked with Manchester United and Chelsea, but reports in England put Liverpool at the head of the queue for the 25-year-old's services. He has made just six appearances for Real this season since returning from a successful loan spell at Villarreal last season. However, his most telling contribution saw Madrid thrown out of the Copa del Rey for fielding Cheryshev against Cadiz when he was suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards from his time at Villarreal. Driving to a Buddhist temple on the northern fringes of Bangkok, beauty salon owner Natsuda Jantaptim is running through her youngest daughter's likes and dislikes. "We sleep in the same bed together, she has her own pillow and blankets," she told AFP, her daughter sitting quietly in the front passenger seat. "We didn't switch the air-con on two nights ago because she was cold. In the morning, she likes to drink strawberry milk," she added. On first reckoning, it sounds like the everyday observations of a dedicated mother. Except the daughter Natsuda refers to isn't real. Certainly not in the living, breathing flesh and blood sense. She is a meticulously groomed plastic doll, part of the latest celebrity-fuelled superstitious craze that has swept the country -- much to the dismay of the kingdom's conservative military rulers. Known in Thai as "luuk thep" (child angels), the pricey dolls, which can cost up to $600, were first popularised a little over a year ago by celebrities who claimed dressing up and feeding the dolls had brought them professional success. Believers say the dolls -- many of which are blessed and have sacred scripts drawn on them by a monk -- contain the spirit of a real child and must be treated as a living being. The theory runs that those who look after their dolls like members of the family will see good fortune returned to them. As a result, plastic dolls are now taking their seats at restaurant tables, cinemas and even on airplanes. - Luck, magic and belief - Natsuda, 45, lives with her very real 21-year-old daughter. But that has not dimmed her affection for the doll, auspiciously named 'Ruay Jang' (So Rich). "Since I got 'Ruay Jang' my life has really changed. For example I won the lottery which I had never won before," she explained. After praying for help from her doll, she added, a friend paid back a significant loan after years of fruitless efforts to chase it down. Story continues Asked what she would say to those who think her credulous she replied: "It's a personal belief, I cannot blame those who don't believe in it but I believe in what I worship." In many ways Thailand's child angel craze is simply the latest manifestation of a deeply superstitious society that places enormous emphasis on warding away bad luck and making good merit. More than 90 percent of Thais identify themselves as Buddhist. But the country's Buddhism is known for its syncretism, comfortably blending many animist and Hindu traditions into daily worship. Many Thais fervently believe in good and malevolent spirits -- and that offerings or the latest lucky charm will ward off bad karma. In the late 2000s a style of large amulet became the latest "must have" item -- often selling for thousands of dollars each -- following the death of a popular police officer who claimed the charms helped him solve a murder case. The luuk thep craze appears to have divided Thais. Some see it as a natural extension of their merit-making traditions while others deride it as a commercial ruse and symbol of the dumbing down of Buddhism. "I freak out sometimes when I see them on the train," admitted Lakkhana Ole, a 31-year-old graphic designer from Bangkok who says she spots dolls increasingly often around the city. A poll this week by Bangkok's Suan Dusit Rajabhat University found two-thirds of Thais saw the dolls as something positive if it gave them direction or helped alleviate loneliness. But the same poll also found that 72 percent of respondents dismissed them as the hocus-pocus of overly superstitious people. - 'Damn you, you idiot' - "It reflects that society is perverse," Phra Buddha Issara, a conservative nationalist monk, famous for his fiery denunciations of commercialism with mainstream Thai Buddhism told AFP. "If you're lonely... you can just go out and talk to your neighbours, interact more with others, do good things for public, help the blind, sweep floors or grow plants," he added. Asked if he would he bless someone's doll he replied: "The only thing they would receive from me is: 'Damn you, you idiot." Issara's criticism has been matched by Thailand's justice minister, a former general, and the country's top police officer, both of whom have publicly fretted that the craze is getting out of control. Phra Ajarn Supachai, a monk in Nonthaburi's Bangchak temple has no such qualms. He regularly conducts prayer sessions for luuk thep dolls and their owners -- for a donation. "People began turning up with the dolls about three years ago," he told AFP. "Now we get around ten people a week." Natsuda's friend Mae Ning is a regular. Last week she took Natsuda to chant prayers as the saffron-robed Supachai anointed all those present, dolls included, with a stick soaked in sacred water. Mae Ning, an avid collector and trader in luuk thep dolls, believes many Thais are looking for comfort in uncertain times. "Some people are stressed about Thailand's bad economy, its politics, their jobs and finances, so they want something to attach to," she explained. "When people have the dolls, they feel that they are happy just like they are in another world." Natsuda, admits many find her attachment to Ruay Jang unusual. "But honestly I don't care because what I do doesn't cause anyone trouble," she said. The days of in-flight austerity seem to be over. After the banishment of complimentary pretzels and crackers over the last decade, in-flight snacks are back. One after the other, United and American Airlines announced plans to bring back the in-flight snack for economy class passengers Monday, in a move that points to an industry-wide recovery following the brutal years of post 9/11 aviation. Beginning Monday, flyers on United Airlines morning flights will be offered Dutch waffle cookies, also known as stroopwafels, to go with their coffee or tea. On flights leaving after 9:45 am, passengers will be offered an assortment of munchies that include crackers, sesame sticks, wasabi peas, pretzel sticks, Cajun corn sticks and ranch soy nuts. American Airlines also announced plans to provide complimentary cookies or pretzels over the next few months, starting with transcontinental flights. Delta has continued to provide free snacks over the years. While United has maintained complimentary economy-class meals on select long-haul flights, American Airlines also announced plans to bring back the free economy meal beginning in May for economy-class passengers flying between Hawaii and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The development should come as welcome news for passengers who are being squeezed left, right, and center with airline fees. By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai will seek to inspire world leaders at a conference in London on Thursday to commit $1.4 billion this year to give Syrian refugee children access to education, she told Reuters on Sunday. Heads of state and government and ministers from countries around the world will converge on London for the "Supporting Syria and the region" conference, which aims to raise funds for humanitarian crises caused by the Syrian war. Some 700,000 Syrian children living in refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon and in other Middle Eastern countries are out of school, according to a report issued by the Malala Fund, which campaigns and fundraises for educational causes. "I have met so many Syrian refugee children, they are still in my mind. I can't forget them. The thought that they won't be able to go to school in their whole life is completely shocking and I cannot accept it," Malala said in a telephone interview. "We can still help them, we can still protect them. They are not lost yet. They need schools. They need books. They need teachers. This is the way we can protect the future of Syria." A Pakistani teenage education activist who came to prominence when a Taliban gunman shot her in the head on her school bus in 2012, Malala continued campaigning on the world stage and in 2014 became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner. Now 18, she lives in Britain but devotes much of her time and energy to the cause of education for Syrian refugee children. An accomplished public speaker who brought a United Nations audience to its feet in a celebrated speech in 2013, she hopes to make a powerful impact at the London event. "WE CAN'T WAIT" "I'm hoping to encourage and inspire world leaders to take action. I'm not going to wait. We can't wait. It needs to happen." She will appear at the London conference alongside 17-year-old schoolgirl Muzoon Almellehan, who will be the only young Syrian refugee to address world leaders at the event. "Without education we cannot do anything," Muzoon said on the same call as Malala. She said she was working hard on improving her English so she could complete her schooling in Britain and go to university, but also wanted to dedicate herself with "my sister" Malala to the cause of education for fellow Syrian refugees. The pair first met in 2014 at the sprawling Zaatari refugee camp in the Jordanian desert, and were reunited in December last year when Muzoon was resettled in northern England. "She is the one that I want people to listen to. Her story is so powerful, it's so inspiring. She's going to tell world leaders that these children have a right to an education and they must not ignore it," said Malala. Co-hosted by the United Nations and the governments of Britain, Germany, Norway and Kuwait, the London conference is not limited to education but aims to obtain pledges from countries to meet a range of Syrian humanitarian needs. U.N. agencies are appealing for a total of $7.73 billion to cope with Syria's needs this year and an additional $1.2 billion are required by regional governments for their own plans to deal with the impact of Syria's conflict. In previous years, donor funding has fallen short of U.N. appeals. (Editing by Stephen Powell) When Malala Yousafzai the youngest Nobel laureate ever, assassination-attempt survivor and renowned advocate speaks, powerful people listen. At least that's what the activist is counting on this Thursday, when she'll ask powerful international leaders attending the "Supporting Syria and the Region" conference to contribute $1.4 billion to Syrian refugee children's access to education, Reuters reported on Sunday. "I have met so many Syrian refugee children, they are still in my mind," Yousafzai told Reuters. "The thought that they won't be able to go to school in their whole life is completely shocking and I cannot accept it." "Without education we cannot do anything," said Muzoon Almellehan, a 17-year-old Syrian refugee who will attend the conference with Yousafzai. Yousafzai's efforts are particularly meaningful considering the Syrian refugee population is predominantly composed of children. Of the more than 4 million registered Syrian refugees, about 51% are children under 17, according to a 2016 United Nations report. Between 2 and 3 million Syrian children are not attending school, according to World Vision, and at least 5,000 Syrian schools are unusable due to damage, destruction or conversion to shelter, according to a 2015 UNICEF report. Reaching this fundraising goal would add to an already impressive legacy of advocacy and aid. The Malala Fund has raised millions of dollars toward the cause of girls' education and has implemented programs in nations like Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya and Sierra Leone. Access to education is hardly the only barrier Syrian refugees face, though. More than 50% of Syria's population is currently displaced, according to Amnesty International, and many struggle to access basic needs like food and shelter. Reports have also surfaced of sexual assault perpetrated against female refugees in camps, and plenty likely grapple with the psychological aftermath of experiencing conflict. Yousafzai, therefore, will have to contend with the millions also required to address these issues as well as the funds needed by other nations grappling with the effects of the conflict on their own nations. But even so, education is crucial and cannot be forgotten. As Yousafzai concluded to Reuters, "This is the way we can protect the future of Syria." h/t Business Insider (Reuters) - A Virginia man on an airplane bound for Florida attacked a fellow passenger, fought with the flight crew and tried to exit the plane mid-flight before he was subdued, authorities said on Monday. Joseph Sharkey, 36, of Reston, Virginia, faces a federal charge of assault or intimidation of a flight crew, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, according to a statement released Monday by U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III. Sharkey was on a Jet Blue flight from Washington, D.C., to Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday when he put a fellow passenger into a headlock, the statement said. When a flight attendant ordered him back to his seat, he assaulted the flight attendant and tried to leave the plane through an exit door, Bentley said. Sharkey then kneed another flight attendant in the groin, and was eventually subdued and put into flexicuffs by flight attendants and volunteers on the plane, Bentley said. The plane landed safely in Jacksonville, and Sharkey was escorted off the plane by local police, Bentley said. He remained in police custody on Monday, the statement said. (Reporting by Karen Brooks in Austin, Texas; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) "Heroes" actor Masi Oka is rumored to be in talks over hosting a new-format Japanese game show. The star, who played Hiro Nakamura in the hit show and also had a starring role in "Hawaii 5-0" as Doctor Max Bergman, is in discussions with Japan's Yoshimoto Kogyo and the UK's Zig Zag Productions over the project, Variety reports. Titled "PrankStars," the show will feature a crack team of comedians, magicians and special effects artists working together to help people (including celebrities) prank their friends and family. No broadcaster has been announced as of yet. Mexico City (AFP) - Mexico has arrested the alleged leader of the remnants of the once-powerful Beltran Leyva drug cartel, officials said Monday. Francisco Javier Hernandez Garcia, alias "2000," was arrested Saturday in Sinaloa state on charges of running drug trafficking operations from five northern Mexican states into the United States. Hernandez Garcia, 47, is accused of taking over the cartel after the 2014 arrest of Hector "The H" Beltran Leyva, the last of the five brothers who founded the gang, said National Security Commissioner Renato Sales. The Beltran Leyva cartel, which split violently from recently recaptured drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa cartel, was one of Mexico's most powerful drug gangs in the 2000s. But its power began to decline in 2009, when the army killed kingpin Arturo Beltran Leyva, "The Boss of Bosses." Hernandez Garcia allegedly started out as a bodyguard for the Beltran Leyva family in the 1990s, then worked his way up as the authorities took out the organization's leaders. He is accused of striking an alliance with the Zeta cartel to fight the Sinaloa and Gulf cartels in a bloody turf war. He featured on the Mexican government's list of 122 most-wanted drug traffickers. He was arrested along with another man in a vehicle carrying four guns and suspected drugs, said Sales. Michelin's inspectors awarded a coveted third star to Alain Ducasse's "natural" style of cuisine at the Plaza Athenee restaurant in Paris for the 2016 edition of the guide to dining in France. As expected, Christian Le Squer, head chef at Le Cinq, also in Paris, became the second -- and last -- chef in this latest edition to receive three stars. The list of new stars was announced Monday, February 1 in Paris. The gastronomic restaurant at the Plaza Athenee hotel in Paris reopened in September 2014 after being taken over by Alain Ducasse. With chef Romain Meder at the helm, Ducasse's restaurant shook up the traditional and long-established codes of Parisian fine dining by removing meat from the menu. Instead, Ducasse -- also head of the Louis XV restaurant in Monaco -- designed a menu based on fish, vegetables and grains. This culinary revolution inspired by a natural approach to high-end gastronomy missed out on a third Michelin star in 2015 with the authors of the Red Guide instead preferring to wait a year before giving this mark of distinction to the Plaza Athenee, whose interior was created by designer Patrick Jouin. Both of this year's new three-star restaurants are found in Paris's "triangle d'or" -- or golden triangle -- a chic part of the 8th arrondissement taking in the Champs-Elysees. A stone's throw from the red awnings of the Plaza Athenee on Avenue Montaigne, restauranteurs at the Four Seasons Georges V hotel were also holding their breath waiting for the 2016 Michelin Red Guide results. Hired to take over the kitchen at Le Cinq in October 2014, Christian Le Squer had made no secret of his goal to attain a three-star rating. The chef, a native of France's Brittany region, had become accustomed to three-star status in his 12 years heading up the kitchen at the Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris. Two stars for Robuchon's Bordeaux address Joel Robuchon and businessman Bernard Magrez opened La Grande Maison in Bordeaux too late at the end of 2014 to be inspected by Michelin for 2015. And in this year's edition the world's most starred chef got a ranking of two stars for the location. Jean-Francois Piege impressed inspectors with his Grand Restaurant, which opened in Paris last September. Piege, a jury member from the French version of TV cooking contest "Top Chef," gets two stars from the outset. While the Michelin Guide shines the spotlight on Paris, Bordeaux has got the culinary world talking this year too, as Scottish chef Gordon Ramsay -- freshly arrived at the Pressoir d'Argent gastronomic restaurant at the Grand Hotel -- got one star in the 2016 honors. The Michelin Guide 2016 awarded 54 new stars for its 2016 edition, due out on February 5, in an ambiance overshadowed by the death of the renowned Franco-Swiss chef Benoit Violier. A new NASA organization dedicated to protecting Earth from dangerous asteroids has hit the ground running. In early January, NASA announced the establishment of a Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), which will synchronize U.S. efforts to deal with threatening near-Earth objects (NEOs) and will supervise all NASA-funded projects to find and characterize asteroids and comets that visit Earth's neighborhood. "There is no identified threat that we know of right now," said Lindley Johnson, NASA's new planetary defense officer. [Photos: Potentially Dangerous Asteroids in Space] "Our job is to look for that and identify a NEO as far in advance as we can," Johnson told Space.com in an exclusive interview. "Doing so means we have the maximum amount of time to appropriately deal with the object, be it a small impactor or something that's larger, calling for a kinetic impactor mission, or whatever needs to be done." Busy agenda The PDCO is getting right to work. Next month, for example, the organization will conduct an open forum in Vienna, Austria, during a meeting of the United Nation's Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). That UN subcommittee has formalized the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and a Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG) of U.N. member states that have space agencies. "Our intent is to work within the international forums," Johnson said, "and encourage more involvement by other countries." Johnson said that he'll also be working closely with his European Space Agency (ESA) counterparts on NEOs. "We congratulate NASA for the establishment of their planetary defense office," said Detlef Koschny, head of the NEO Segment within the Space Situational Awareness Program Office at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Center in Noordwijk, Netherlands. Story continues ESA is active in the field of NEOs, Koschny said, citing the NEO Coordination Centre at ESA's European Space Research Institute in Italy. "We are fully supporting the work on defending our planet from potential asteroid impacts," Koschny told Space.com. [Photos: Asteroids in Deep Space] NASA's European colleagues are eager to coordinate on the planetary-defense effort, Koschny's NEO Segment colleague Gerhard Drolshagen told Space.com. "We look forward to working with the new Planetary Defense Coordination Office, building on long-standing international and inter-agency cooperation in the domain of NEO detection, risk assessment and mitigation," Drolshagen said. NASA also recently signed a charter with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency to create a Planetary Impact Emergency Response Working Group, Johnson said. The working group will meet regularly initially, twice a year, Johnson said with the goal of bringing more people up to speed on the NEO hazard, and discussing how best to handle a potential impact. Upcoming decisions By the end of 2016, Johnson said, it should be clear whether ESA will go ahead with the proposed Asteroid Impact & Deflection Assessment mission (AIDA), and whether NASA will be a part of the project. As it's currently envisioned, AIDA would launch two different spacecraft to the binary asteroid system Didymos: Europe's AIM probe and the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) craft, which would be built by the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. DART would slam into the smaller of the two asteroids in the Didymos system, and AIM would observe the results, as a way of gauging the effectiveness of this asteroid-deflection strategy. Another decision expected this year is a go/no-go call on the Near-Earth Object Camera (NEOCam) mission, which NASA selected in September 2015 as a finalist for its next Discovery-class mission. NEOCam would survey the regions of space closest to Earth's orbit, where potentially hazardous asteroids are most likely to be found. Among other duties, the space telescope would assess the present-day risk of NEO impacts. NEOCam is competing with four other mission concepts for a Discovery slot (though it's also possible NASA could pick two of these ideas, officials have said). A decision will likely be announced in September 2016. Last-chance warning system Also this year, the second Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope is expected to be up and operating. The ATLAS project developed by the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii is designed to spot dangerous asteroids shortly before their final plunge to Earth. The first ATLAS instrument is at work on the Haleakala volcano, on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The second telescope should be operational on the Big Island's Mauna Loa this year, Johnson said. "ATLAS is funded by NASA's NEO Observations Program, which is now integral to the Planetary Defense Coordination Office," he said. "It makes sure nothing on the small end gets through without us knowing about it at least days to weeks before the impact." Johnson said that he is looking forward to a good year, "finding another 1,500 to 2,000 of these objects with the current capability and getting a higher percentage of the NEO population in our catalog." Currently, astronomers have identified and tracked nearly 14,000 NEOs, out of a population thought to number in the millions. Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. He is former director of research for the National Commission on Space and is co-author of Buzz Aldrin's 2013 book "Mission to Mars My Vision for Space Exploration" published by National Geographic with a new updated paperback version released in May 2015. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Copyright 2016 SPACE.com, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Sunday for a more "sober" approach towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in dismissing a French peace initiative as only encouraging Palestinians to shun compromise. The proposal on Friday by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius for an international peace conference was the latest sign of Western frustration over the absence of movement toward a two-state solution since the collapse of U.S.-brokered negotiations in 2014. Fabius said that if the French plan did not break the deadlock, Paris would recognise a Palestinian state. Such a step would raise concern in Israel that other European countries, also long opposed to its settlement-building in occupied territory, would follow suit. In public remarks to his cabinet, Netanyahu did not explicitly reject the notion of an international conference - an aide said Israel would examine such a request once it was received - but he made clear that reported details of the plan made it a non-starter. Netanyahu said a "threat" to recognise a Palestinian state if France's peace efforts did not succeed, constituted "an incentive to the Palestinians to come along and not compromise". "I assess that there will be a sobering up regarding this matter," Netanyahu added. "In any event, we will make effort so that there is a sobering up here, and our position is very clear: We are prepared to enter direct negotiation without preconditions and without dictated terms." On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the French proposal, telling an African summit in Ethiopia that "the status quo cannot continue". But Washington responded with caution to the French move, saying it continued to prefer that Israel and the Palestinians reach an agreement on final-status issues through direct talks. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Abbas and the two discussed the French initiative and "the tense political situation in the region," WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency reported on Sunday. While aware the initiative may struggle to get off the ground, French officials said Paris had a responsibility to act now in the face of Israeli settlement activity and the prospect of continued diplomatic inaction as the United States focuses on a presidential election in November. And, the officials said, Netanyahu had gone a step too far in accusing U.N. Secretary of State Ban Ki-moon of giving a "tailwind to terrorism" by laying some of the blame for four months of stabbings and car rammings by Palestinians at Israel's door. Ban angered Israel by saying last week that it is "human nature to react to occupation". The United States, European Union - Israel's closest allies - have also issued unusually stern criticism of Israel in recent weeks, reflecting their own frustration with the policies of Netanyahu's right-wing government. The criticism, particularly about the settlements, where some 550,000 Jews live in around 250 communities scattered across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, has raised Palestinian hopes that world powers might finally be minded to support a U.N. resolution condemning Israel's policy outright. WEST BANK ATTACK Since October, Palestinian attacks, partly fuelled by tensions over the freeze in peace talks, have killed 26 Israelis and a U.S. citizen. In an incident on Sunday, a Palestinian gunman wounded three Israelis near the West Bank settlement of Beit El and was then shot dead by soldiers, the Israeli army said. Palestinian officials said he worked as a bodyguard for a Palestinian prosecutor in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Shortly after that attack, a Palestinian motorist was shot and wounded when he tried to run down soldiers at a military checkpoint in the West Bank, the army said. Over the past four months, Israeli forces have killed at least 152 Palestinians, 98 of them assailants according to authorities. Most the others have died in violent protests. "I don't see anything that warrants living as long as the occupation smothers us and kills our brothers and sisters ... You were first and I am following you," the Beit El assailant, Amjad Abu Omar, wrote on Facebook. Palestinians seek a state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, parts of which have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war. Palestine has non-member observer status at the United Nations and its flag flies with those of member states at UN headquarters in New York. Sweden became the first EU member nation to recognise the Palestinian state in 2014. A total of 136 U.N.-member countries, mostly in Africa, Latin America and Asia, now do so. (Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris, Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Ali Sawafta in Ramallah, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Editing by Stephen Powell) LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria has held exploratory talks with the World Bank to borrow in order to help fund a record budget in 2016 but has not applied for any emergency loans, Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun said on Sunday. Africa's top oil producer is planning to borrow as much as $5 billion to help fund a budget deficit due to a slump in vital oil revenues, of which $4 billion might come from international institutions and the rest from Eurobonds, Adeosun had said earlier this month. "We have held exploratory talks with the World Bank. We have not applied for emergency loans," she told Reuters late on Sunday. Borrowing from international institutions such as the World Bank would be a cost-effective way to raise money to fund the increased capital expenditure in the 2016 budget, she said. The Financial Times had earlier reported on its website that the West African nation had asked the World Bank and the African Development Bank for $3.5 billion in emergency loans. In a written statement, Adeosun's ministry also said Africa's biggest economy was looking at "options" to borrow from the African Development Bank and export credit agencies such as China Exim Bank "due to their concessionary rates of interest". Nigeria expects a budget deficit of 3 trillion naira in 2016, up from 2.2 trillion naira previously estimated, as a slump in oil revenues has eroded public finances and hit its currency. (Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram; Writing by Ulf Laessing) By Joseph Guyler Delva PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - A special mission sent by the Organization of American States met Haiti's President Michel Martelly on Sunday as part of intensifying efforts to resolve an electoral crisis that threatens stability in the Caribbean nation. Martelly is due to leave office on Feb. 7 but has no successor because violent protests over alleged fraud in a flawed first round led electoral authorities to call off a runoff vote scheduled to be held a week ago. The government and the opposition remain at loggerheads, with each side holding protests almost daily and no agreement on who will rule the country if Martelly leaves office without an elected replacement. "The OAS mission discussed with president Martelly and they will meet representatives of different sectors to help us find a solution likely to facilitate the completion of the electoral process", Fritz Jean-Louis, a minister dealing with election issues, told Reuters on Sunday. Criticism of the Oct. 25 first round focused on hundreds of thousands of party agents permitted to vote in any polling station, which the OAS has said was "seen as one of the main sources of irregularities." The runoff, with tighter controls on voting by party representatives, was supposed to be disputed between ruling party favorite Jovenel Moise and opposition challenger Jude Celestin. Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has struggled for decades to build a stable democracy, with critics saying that foreign assistance has often fallen short of expectations, including after the devastating 2010 earthquake. Jean-Louis said Martelly requested OAS help to avoid the political crisis worsening after Feb. 7. Anti-government protesters have voiced opposition to the OAS initiative, which they believe may help Martelly remain in power beyond the constitutional date for his departure. At least four proposals for what to do after Feb. 7 are on the table, including options for an interim government that would be tasked with organising elections. The proposal most strongly resisted by the opposition is for Martelly to stay on until elections are held. The opposition, which includes members of several parties who dispute the results of a first round election, threatens to intensify protests. The crisis deepened this week when members of the nine-member electoral council resigned. Only three remain in office. Organizing a vote will be difficult if they are not replaced quickly. Proposals under discussion include nominating a Supreme Court judge or the current prime minister as provisional president. Another idea is that the National Assembly appoint an interim president. Martelly said this week he would not leave if there was no agreement about what happened after Feb. 7. (Editing by Frank Jack Daniel) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is likely to discuss a range of issues from international trade to Puerto Rico's fiscal crisis when he meets with House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Speaking to reporters at a press briefing on Monday, Earnest said the leaders will probably discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership, earned income tax credit, and heroin addiction problem. He added that Obama and Ryan will meet privately for lunch at the White House following the meeting. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton, Doina Chiacu and Mohammad Zargham; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chris Reese) On Jan. 26, the Obama administration rolled out a new slate of regulatory reforms that further relax the embargo against Cuba the third such action since Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced their intention to normalize relations in December 2014. The goal is to stimulate commerce and create a constituency in the business community that will defend Obamas legacy of better relations with Cuba even if theres a Republican in the White House in 2017. The Obama administrations recent moves lower some long-standing barriers to U.S.-Cuba commerce. The big changes include one that will license U.S. firms to privately finance authorized exports, and another to allow sales to Cuban state enterprises, so long as the sales meet the needs of the Cuban people, as determined by the Department of Commerce. Another obstacle that will disappear: the ban on letting Cuba buy U.S. products on credit, which has put U.S. exporters at a major disadvantage to competitors in Europe and Asia. Under the new rules, this restriction will now be lifted across all sectors of approved trade except in agriculture, where credits are still prohibited by the 2000 Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act. By allowing U.S. firms to sell to state enterprises so long as these sales benefit the Cuban people, the new regulations open a potentially wide field of exports, although the exact scope of what is permissible has been left intentionally vague. Among the examples of eligible goods are those for artistic endeavors, education, food processing, public health and sanitation, and residential construction by no means an exhaustive list, but one can imagine that most consumer staples might be eligible for export. But despite opening these important new avenues for business, the regulations did not go nearly far enough to calm the fears and remove the regulatory obstacles that still impede U.S. business deals with Cuba. Without some notable commercial successes, the business community could lose interest in Cuba and in lobbying Congress to lift the embargo, leaving Obamas normalization project dead in the water. Like the dog that didnt bark, several anticipated regulatory changes were left out of the new package. The prohibition on U.S. investments (except in telecommunications) remains intact, as does the prohibition on almost all imports from the island, rendering trade with Cuba a one-way street that the government in Havana is loathe to accept as normal. From low-end commodities like sugar and nickel to high-end luxury goods like rum and cigars, Cuban products would find a ready market in the United States. U.S. financial institutions are still barred from processing most international dollar-denominated transactions between Cuba and foreign firms or banks (so-called u-turn transactions). This extraterritorial extension of the embargo has led to billions of dollars in fines against foreign banks, hampered Cubas reintegration into the global economy, and angered U.S. allies. President Obama could have issued a general license for U.S. banks to process these transactions. That would ease the fears that many banks, both foreign and domestic, have of doing business with Cuba because the current financial regulations are so complex. Finance is the lifeblood of commerce; if funds cannot be easily transferred, business will not get off the ground. In addition, people-to-people travel to Cuba is still limited to prepackaged trips by traveler providers like National Geographic, RoadScholar Adventures, and Classic Journeys. Individuals cannot organize their own educational program or travel independently. To be sure, travel providers have concocted tours for every imaginable interest, but these package tours are not cheap. If, as Obama contends, the best ambassadors for American values and interests are the American people, they should be free to exercise their right to travel to Cuba with their own itinerary. The President could have issued a general license for self-directed people-to-people educational travel. President Obama is proud of his opening to Cuba, mentioning it as a signal achievement in each of his final two State of the Union addresses. But this chapter of his legacy is not yet finished, and if he isnt careful, a Republican in the Oval Office could write its closing. Most of the Republican presidential candidates oppose Obamas opening to Cuba Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz most stridently. On Jan. 26, Rubio denounced the new regulations as one-sided concessions intended to give the Cuban regime an economic windfall. When the United States and Cuba restored diplomatic relations last July, Cruz accused Obama of unconditional surrender. (Donald Trump has hedged his bets, declaring that a deal with Cuba isnt necessarily a bad idea in principle but that he, of course, would have gotten a better one!) If a Republican wins the White House in November, his conservative instincts and his hard-line Cuban-American base in Florida will predispose him to roll back Obamas opening to Cuba. And a new president could do it with the stroke of his pen? Why? Because all of Obamas actions have relied on his executive authority, since Congress has done nothing in response to his calls to lift the embargo. In my recent conversations with U.S. and Cuban officials, the one thing that both sides agree on is that deeper, broader commercial relations offer the greatest hope of creating powerful political constituencies in both countries willing to defend normalization making rapprochement irreversible. We have a window of opportunity here, said David Sepulveda, State Department coordinator for international communications and information policy, during a recent trip to Cuba to discuss telecommunications. We need to have some solid wins to give [U.S. business] confidence. Yet, very few deals have been signed so far, in part because of the limits on commerce still imposed by the U.S. embargo. Thats the political context in which the new regulations have to be understood: Obama is trying to jump-start business deals to forge economic ties between the two countries that will be hard for his successor or Raul Castros (when he steps down in early 2018) to sever. But time is short, and skeptical bureaucrats in Washington and Havana alike are slowing progress. In Havana, every business proposition is approached with suspicion, as if it were the Trojan Horse of capitalism. When Google offered to blanket Cuba with Wi-Fi at little or no cost, for example, Cuban officials were leery of entrusting their digital infrastructure to a U.S. company when Washington has tried repeatedly in the past to use the internet to foment opposition to the Cuban government. In Washington, meanwhile, every proposal to further relax the embargo is subjected to microscopic legal and political nitpicking inside the executive branch bureaucracy. Rather than pushing the limits of presidential executive authority now, so that commerce has time to flourish before the next president takes office, the Departments of Commerce and Treasury are rolling out piecemeal changes which are necessary but will not get the job done. To break through the timidity of the Washington bureaucracy, the White House must stay on top of the issue, continually reminding officials from cabinet secretaries on down that advancing relations with Cuba is a presidential priority, and that their marching orders are to find ways to get it done, not find excuses why they cant. President Barack Obama has less influence over Havanas bureaucracy, but there is one way he could put U.S.-Cuban relations at the top of the Cuban governments agenda: Go to Havana to make the case in person. Photo Credit: Pool By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will ask Congress for $755 million in his budget next week to jumpstart cancer research in a "moonshot" push to find cancer cures and treatments, the White House said on Monday. Vice President Joe Biden, whose son Beau died from brain cancer last year, is leading a push to bring together private and public researchers to accelerate their work on cancer, which will kill an estimated 600,000 Americans this year. "With something as big of cancer, we have to think big. We need a new model," a senior administration official told reporters on a conference call. Obama and Biden are slated to meet with cabinet members and health officials at the White House on Monday to discuss the path forward. The push will begin this year with $195 million in new cancer work at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Congress already approved that funding at the end of last year as part of a budget deal. Obama also will ask for $755 million in new, mandatory multi-year spending, mainly for the NIH. The money would be spent on developing vaccines, genomic analysis, early cancer detection tests, and cancer immunotherapy and combination therapy research. Rare pediatric cancers will be a specific focus, the White House said. The Food and Drug Administration would receive $75 million under the plan, which would need approval from Congress. The money would be spent on a new "virtual" Oncology Center of Excellence, and on data sharing initiatives. The proposal will include a new "Vice President's Exceptional Opportunities in Cancer Research Fund" to provide "flexible" competitive funding for high-risk, high-return research, and partnerships with industry and philanthropic groups, the White House said. More details on that fund will be released in coming weeks. The administration will also ask for additional funding for the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs for "centers of excellence" on specific cancers, the White House said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Doina Chiacu and David Gregorio) By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An Ohio man accused of shooting and killing a police officer could face the death penalty after a grand jury on Monday returned aggravated murder charges against him, county prosecutors said. A Knox County grand jury handed up a 10-count indictment that included aggravated murder, grand theft auto and tampering with evidence against Herschel R. Jones III for the murder of Danville Police Officer Thomas Cottrell in January. Knox County Prosecutor Mitch McConville said his office plans to seek the death penalty for the Jan. 17 shooting. Cottrell was found shot dead behind a municipal building in the central Ohio village of Danville, about 60 miles northeast of Columbus, less than 30 minutes after police received a call from a woman warning her ex-boyfriend, "had left with weapons and was looking to kill an officer. Cottrell was found shot in the head, and his gun and police cruiser were missing. Two hours later, officers spotted Jones, 32, running from a home, officials said. After a short foot chase, he was captured. Jones, who has been held in police custody on a parole violation, attempted to burn Cottrells clothing and dispose of his gun and police cruiser after the shooting, prosecutors charged. Jones was also charged with aggravated burglary, kidnapping and assault stemming from a separate incident in November. A judge has not yet been assigned to try the case. (Reporting by Kim Palmer; Editing by Ben Klayman and Jonathan Oatis) By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil prices fell 6 percent on Monday as weak economic data from China, the world's largest energy consumer, reversed a four-day rally from last week and an OPEC source undermined chances of an emergency meeting to stem the decline. China's manufacturing sector contracted at the fastest pace since 2012 in January, adding to worries about demand from the world's second-biggest economy at a time when the market is already weighed down by a large supply overhang. "China is the last standing consumer of oil outside of the U.S.. The problem is that everyone is relying on them," said Carl Larry, director of business development at Frost & Sullivan in Houston. "As long as we keep in this scenario where China is the only real consumer to pick up the pace, we're going to see moves lower every time China has an issue with their economy." Brent April crude futures were down $1.64, or 4.6 percent, at $34.35 a barrel by 12:09 p.m. EST. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell $1.99, or 5.9 percent, to $31.63. A drop in all three major U.S. stock indexes after data showed manufacturing activity was weak in January and consumer spending was unchanged in December, also weighed on oil prices. Traders have been watching the equity markets closely to get a reading of the health of the economy. A mild winter has also dented demand for oil and latest weather forecasts calling for warm weather through mid-February sent U.S. New York Harbor heating oil futures down 5 percent. A senior OPEC source told a Saudi Arabian newspaper on Monday it was too early to talk about an emergency meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Oil prices soared last week, with Brent crude surging over 30 percent from the 12-year low touched earlier in the month, after Russian energy officials said they had received proposals from OPEC lynchpin Saudi Arabia on managing output and were ready to talk. In a sign investors were speculating on an oil rebound, data from the InterContinental Exchange showed net long positions in Brent rose the most in four years last week. But analysts raised doubts about the possibility of a cutback on production, particularly as OPEC member Iran, which last month was allowed to return fully to markets after years of sanctions, is so far unwilling to participate in cuts. Iraq, another OPEC member determined to ramp up production, reported rising exports in January. "Seems like every time market participants say prices have bottomed, they have been wrong," said Dominick Chirichella, senior partner at Energy Management Institute in New York. "There's nothing that says prices have bottomed - supply is still greater than demand by a lot, Chinese demand may be slackening, the global economy may be slackening and the likelihood of an OPEC emergency meeting seems very low, as it did last week" (Additional reporting by Karolin Schaps in London and Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy) Jerusalem (AFP) - A Palestinian was shot dead on Monday after trying to stab Israeli soldiers near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, Israel's army said. "(Soldiers) identified a suspect infiltrating the security fence near the community of Salit, east of Kfar Saba," an army statement said. "When forces arrived at the scene the assailant drew a knife and attempted to stab the soldiers. "Responding to the imminent threat, the force fired towards the attacker, resulting in his death." A Palestinian security source named the assailant as Ahmed Toba, 17, from a village in the northern West Bank. Salit settlement, south of the city of Tulkarem, is situated close to Israeli territory. A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks erupted in October. Most of the attacks have been stabbings, although there have also been occasional shootings. The violence has killed 25 Israelis, as well as an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count. At the same time, 161 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks but others during clashes and demonstrations. NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / February 1, 2016 / PCG Advisory Group a leading investor and public relations agency, specializing in social and digital media, today announced Gold level sponsorship of SeeThruEquity and The Brewer Group's 2ND Annual Innovations Investor Conference, which will be held on Monday, February 22, 2016 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST. The conference will be held at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, Florida. Organizers are anticipating over 40 presenting companies and microcap focused investors, sponsors, and industry professionals. The Conference will feature 30-minute presentations by presenting companies as well as one-on-one meetings scheduled with investors. If you are interested in presenting or attending this conference please contact us. Investors can register to attend at www.steconference.com. Jeff Ramson, Founder and CEO of PCG Advisory said, "We are pleased to once again serve as a sponsor of SeeThruEquity & The Brewer Group's conference. The greater Miami area is an investment powerhouse with numerous wealth managers, high net worth individuals, family offices and investment clubs. The conference will be a unique opportunity to bring together emerging companies and those interested in learning their stories." PCG will have a team on site, please follow us on our social media channels: Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin | Google+ | Stocktwits | ABOUT PCG ADVISORY GROUP Founded in 2008, PCG Advisory Group is dedicated to the delivery of top tier capital markets advisory services, strategic and tactical digital and social media communications and cutting edge media and public relations for public and privately held companies. The team at PCG has extensive experience with life sciences and healthcare, high technology, metals and mining, financial services and emerging growth companies from around the globe. PCG's Capital Markets Advisory Services include overall investor strategy development to increase and leverage investor awareness, visibility and credibility. PCG's Social and Digital Media services include leveraging social and professional digital media sites to effectively and accurately communicate client stories. As an aggregation, distribution, and engagement platform, PCG reaches thousands of individual, retail and institutional investors using proprietary techniques, search engine optimization, online marketing, website development and our proprietary and extensive distribution network. PCG's Media and Public Relations services are a strategic and integral component of all Corporate Communications. The media and public relations team works with print, broadcast, online news sites and bloggers to communicate the best client story at the right time. PCG also has the capabilities to assist a company during a merger, acquisition or crisis. Story continues Communicating the client's story accurately and effectively is tantamount to maximizing exposure to its current and potential stakeholders. Contacts: Investors: Kirin M. Smith ksmith@pcgadvisory.com Chief Operating Officer D: 646.863.6519 Media: Sean Leous sleous@pcgadvisory.com Chief Communications Officer D: 646-893-8998 PCGAdvisory.com SOURCE: PCG Advisory Group Warsaw (AFP) - A Polish rapper-turned-politician on Monday presented a draft bill on legalising medical marijuana in an EU nation where two-thirds of people back the idea. "This draft crowns everything I've said over the years, especially during the election campaign," said MP Piotr Liroy-Marzec, better known by his stage name Liroy, who pioneered Poland's rap scene in the 1990s. "I promised people I met who were ill that I would do everything possible to table this draft," he said, quoted by the Polish PAP news agency. The measure does not address the legalisation of marijuana for recreational purposes. The heavily tattooed 44-year-old made his debut in parliament after a successful bid in October's general election. He ran on the ticket of the Kukiz'15 anti-establishment party set up by punk rocker Pawel Kukiz that burst out of nowhere to capture third spot by wooing younger, disillusioned voters. The election handed an unprecedented majority to the rightwing, populist Law and Justice (PiS) party after eight years in opposition. It is not clear whether PiS would back the rapper's draft, which has no chance of becoming law without the party's support. Last July, a survey by the independent PBS agency showed two-thirds of Poles -- or 68 percent -- were in favour of legalising medical marijuana. Almost one in five people, or 18 percent, wanted marijuana in all forms to remain illegal, while 14 percent had no opinion. While opponents cite studies saying marijuana causes lung cancer or psychosis, advocates contend the plant can be used for pain relief and seizure management. Medical marijuana made Polish headlines last year after a doctor at a leading children's hospital imported it from the Netherlands to treat a child's life-threatening seizures after conventional treatments failed. The child recovered. The Czech Republic, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain have already legalised medical marijuana -- as have 23 US states. In 2013, Uruguay became the world's first country to fully legalise marijuana. Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis told gossip-loving priests and nuns to bite their tongues on Monday, and warned those breaking their vow of obedience to fall into line sharpish. "If you get an urge to say something against a brother or a sister, to drop a gossip bomb, bite your tongue! Hard!" the pontiff said in an improvised speech to members of the clergy marking the end of the Year of Consecrated Life. The Argentine warned against those abusing their religious vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, describing "anarchy" as the "daughter of the devil". And he bemoaned a drop in the number of people signing up for a religious life, but warned against taking just anyone. "Why is the womb of consecrated live becoming so sterile?" he asked. "Some congregations experiment with 'artificial insemination'. What do they do? They welcome... 'Yes come, come, come'. And then there are problems," he said. "No. We must be serious about who we take. We must clearly distinguish if it is a real vocation, and help it to grow." The Roman Catholic Church is still smarting from the clerical sex abuse scandal, which hurt the institution globally and saw many believers, particularly in the West, turn their back on the centuries-old institution. The number of priests and nuns in industrialised countries is in sharp decline, though the Church still counts 693,000 nuns around the world and 55,000 priests. Paris (AFP) - Paris Saint-Germain must face Marseille at the Stade Velodrome this weekend without their travelling fans, the local police ordered on Monday. "It's forbidden for anyone who is a PSG supporter to enter the Stade Velodrome", or drive or park their cars in the streets around the ground, a police statement declared. Sunday's clash is considered high risk with trouble flaring at numerous meetings between Marseille and PSG fans over the years. "Relations between Marseille and PSG fans have been marked by animosity for many years," the police noted. This is the second time in a week that PSG have been deprived of their supporters after their fans were banned from Sunday's trip to Saint Etienne. PSG won that fixture 2-0 to stretch their lead at the top of ligue 1 to 24 points. UPDATED: Relativity Media will have to wait at least one more day before it gets court approval to emerge from bankruptcy. After lasting through much of Monday, the companys confirmation hearing will reconvene at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. During Mondays hearing, it emerged that Relativity has raised only $20 million of the approximately $100 million it hoped to come up with in equity financing, but Joseph Nicholas, an investor in the company, said there were more than 50 parties interested in putting money in the company. We definitely can raise the moneyits really about what kind of valuation will we be able to raise it at, Nicholas testified in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Monday. Nicholas said that companies were interested in putting between $5 million and $100 million into the bankrupt studio behind The Immortals and Limitless. The major hold up is that these parties dont want to risk their investment while the company is still in Chapter 11. Marni Weishofer, a film finance expert from Mesa Global, agreed with Nicholas assessment, predicting that there would be a feeding frenzy of investors once bankruptcy was over. Judge Michael Wiles expressed some frustration with the lack of details about the studios financing, telling Nicholas, I appreciate your confidence on your ability to raise equity .but its a little short on specifics. Despite falling short of its projected capital raise, Matthew Niemann, a senior member of Houlihan Lokeys Financial Restructuring Group and an adviser to the studio, told the court that Relativity is sufficiently well capitalized and deleveraged to function for two to three years. We wont be back seeking protection from our creditors as a result of the business plan and financing that we the debtors seek to embark on, said Niemann. Relativity, which filed for bankruptcy protection last summer, citing nearly $1 billion in debts, has now unwound $630 million in liabilities, Niemann claimed. He said the studio still had material debt, owing $280 million to creditors, but said the studios reorganization plan would allow it to succeed and thrive going forward. Story continues A key part of plan involves the involvement of Kevin Spacey and his producing partner Dana Brunetti, as Relativitys newly appointed chairman and president, and the two men who would be granted carte blanche greenlight authority. Calling the appointment of Spacey as chairman and Brunetti as president of Relativity Studios a game changer, Richard Wynne, an attorney for the debtors, predicted that the producers of Captain Phillips and The Social Network, would attract higher-quality projects. You have to make movies people want to see, said Wynne. It was an unorthodox hearing, one with a lot of razzle dazzle to go along with spreadsheets and financial data. Relativity screened trailers for the Zach Galifianakis comedy Masterminds and the Halle Berry thriller Kidnapped and shared a pre-taped video endorsement for its emergence from Spacey. At one point, Relativity founder Ryan Kavanaugh sprang from his seat to fix two recalcitrant television screens, so that they could broadcast financial data. Are you taking over as chief of IT now?, quipped Judge Michael Wiles. It may have been the first bankruptcy hearing to boast a clip from the Screen Actors Guild Awards. But the taped segment ended with Spaceys speech, in which he gave a shout out to the theory of relativity. Spacey told Judge Wiles that allowing Relativity to emerge from bankruptcy, would enable to company to produce some great films in the future. Contrary to press reports, attorneys for Relativity said that Trigger Street, the pairs production company, has not been acquired outright. Spacey and Brunetti will have greenlight authority over the studios film and television production, but Trigger Streets assets were not purchased. It was also a day dense in numerical data, from long-winded discussions about the financial lifespan of a movie to the opaque nature of Relativitys capital structure. For the first time since Relativity filed for bankruptcy, Kavanaugh was in court, flanked by his wife Jessica Roffey, the companys managing director Carol Genis, and his parents, Jack and Leslie Kavanaugh, who he embraced warmly during the lunch break. The hearing Monday came after a wave of new disclosures, the resolution of objections from many creditors, a few remaining complaints about the reorganization plan and fighting between Relativity and some of its creditors. Both CIT Bank and Netflix asked for the hearing to be postponed but Judge Wiles rejected the streaming services call for a delay of at least a week and CIT bank reached a late settlement with Relativity. The holdouts against the reorganization said that Relativity had not been transparent enough about how it would fund itself after emerging from Chapter 11. Relativity filed additional disclosures and declarations supporting the reorganization in the days before the hearing, including a statement from Chicago investor Joseph G. Nicholas, who said he had invested nearly $80 million over the last year in the studio. Unmollified by the disclosure was Netflix. The streaming service said it had no proof that Relativitys new financial model would work and allow it to release films. Scott McNutt, an attorney, for Netflix was stymied in his efforts to have the hearing delayed, with Judge Wiles faulting the lawyer for a lack of preparedness and for failing to ask for discovery. CIT Bank initially voiced similar doubts, but they had been resolved by Mondays hearing. The bank was owed some $34 million it loaned Relativity to make two still unreleased films: Masterminds and The Disappointments Room, a horror film starring Kate Beckinsale. Since entering bankruptcy, press outlets have reported that Kavanaugh and his team spent extravagantly. Nicholas said that as a condition of investing, he mandated that be co-manage the business and take over its financial accounting. He praised the companys commitment to cutting costs and overhead by two-thirds since entering bankruptcy and reducing its bloated infrastructure. He also implied he would be a sobering influence on Kavanaugh. Ryans like an electric motor and Im going to try to act as governor to that motor, said Nicholas. Related stories Relativity Says It Can Function Post-Bankruptcy Without Promised $100 Million Relativity Confirmation Hearing: Kevin Spacey 'Enormously Excited' to Take Over Studio Relativity Case: Bankruptcy Judge Declines to Delay Monday's Reorganization Hearing Berlin (AFP) - Ukraine's president Monday accused Russia of sending troops and weapons into the ex-Soviet state's conflict-torn east, and warned that a fragile peace deal was not being fully implemented. "It's terrible that after the Minsk agreement ... we still face serious security problems in the Donbass," Petro Poroshenko said in reference to the pro-Russian separatist region, ahead of talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Kiev and Moscow finalised a ceasefire deal brokered by France and Germany in the Belarus capital of Minsk last February, but sporadic clashes still took place on the frontline. Poroshenko accused "Russia and its proxies" of failing to observe the ceasefire, and of some 1,200 shellings in January alone. Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are denied access to the border, he said, adding that "this is not surprising as Russia still supplies troops, heavy weapons and ammunition to Donbass over the border and does not want witnesses to these illicit activities." Merkel also noted that "unfortunately we still, as before, do not have a sustainable ceasefire". Noting that full implementation of the peace deal was a prerequisite to any easing of Western sanctions against Russia, the German leader said: "We think it is for the good of everybody if Minsk is implemented." Kiev and the West have accused Russia of supporting the insurgency and sending regular troops across the border, claims that Moscow has repeatedly denied. Over 9,000 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in the conflict in Ukraine since April 2014, according to the United Nations. Dublin (AFP) - Irish no-frills airline Ryanair said Monday that third-quarter net profit more than doubled on surging passenger numbers, and unveiled an 800-million-euro ($866-million) share buyback programme. Earnings after taxation rocketed 110 percent to 103 million euros in the three months to the end of December, or third quarter of its financial year, compared with 49 million euros a year earlier, Ryanair said in a results statement. Customer traffic jumped by a fifth to 25 million people in the reporting period. The Dublin-based carrier added it would return 800 million euros to investors via a share buyback, and cited its rising profitability and improving cashflow. Price promotions and heavy discounts offset the impact of weaker demand following last November's deadly Paris attacks. "Following a strong first half of Q3, we noted weaker pricing and bookings immediately after the terrorist events in Paris and Brussels," said chief executive Michael O'Leary. "We reacted to this softness by running price promotions and discounted fares to stimulate double digit traffic growth." The company added that a modest dip in average fares was offset by lower costs, largely because of tumbling oil prices. Looking ahead, Ryanair predicted that fourth-quarter traffic would grow by 26 percent. That marked an increase of four percentage points on its previous forecast. Full-year net profits were expected to sit towards the upper end of a forecast range between 1.175 billion euros and 1.225 billion euros. Analysts welcomed the quarterly results and accompanying share buyback. "Ryanair continues to deliver very strong profit," said Davy Stockbrokers in a note to clients, adding that the airline's cash generation was "spectacular". The global airline sector has meanwhile won a massive boost from collapsing oil prices because kerosene, or jet fuel, is refined from crude. Over the past few weeks, almost everything worth knowing about Samsungs upcoming lineup of Galaxy S7 devices has leaked. From display resolutions and storage capacities all the way down to a release date, the Galaxy S7 isnt exactly a device shrouded in mystery. DONT MISS: Google is going to give Chrome a big visual makeover here are the first images Indeed, the only missing piece of the Galaxy S7 puzzle was an unveiling date. Well, Samsung late last night erased that question mark when it announced that it will be holding a Samsung Unpacked media event on February 21 in Barcelona. If the date sounds somewhat familiar, its because Mobile World Congress is slated to kick off just one day afterwards. For those who cant make the trip to Barcelona (read: most everyone reading this), not to worry; Samsung will be live streaming the event via YouTube. In conjunction with the aforementioned announcement, Samsung also released a teaser video for its Unpacked event that doesnt really give us any interesting information aside from some allusions to VR. But onto the good stuff; a number of previous leaks have pointed to the Galaxy S7 housing the following specs and features: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip 4GB of RAM 2560 x 1140 Quad HD display microSD support 12 megapixel camera on the back with dual pixel autofocus 5 megapixel front facing camera Larger battery capacity. In fact, a recent report claims the S7 will be able to play video for 17 hours straight. Vivi Photos (similar in functionality to Live Photos on the iPhone) Android 6.01 Marshmellow Weve also seen rumors that the S7 may come with a pressure sensitive display similar in nature to 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. And lets not forget that we know exactly what Samsungs new flagship phone will look like thanks to leaked images. Related stories Galaxy S7's release date looks set for March 11 This is the Galaxy S7 Samsung's Galaxy S7 will extend its lead over the iPhone in one key area More from BGR: Google is going to give Chrome a big visual makeover here are the first images This article was originally published on BGR.com DUBAI (Reuters) - A Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen regrets civilian deaths, which it says are unintentional, and is improving its targeting mechanisms with Western help, the alliance said on Sunday. The coalition "greatly regrets civilian casualties in Yemen", it said in a statement posted by Saudi Arabia's mission to the United Nations on its Twitter page. A U.N. report seen by Reuters on Wednesday said the Saudi-led coalition has targeted civilians in Yemen, documenting 119 sorties it said related to violations of international humanitarian law. "The Arab coalition announces the formation of a high-level independent committee ... to evaluate the events, identification and targeting mechanisms and developing them," the Saudi mission's statement said. In March, the Saudi-led alliance began a military campaign in Yemen to prevent Houthi fighters, whom it sees as a proxy for Iran, from taking complete control of Yemen after seizing much of the north. The Houthis deny any backing from Tehran and accuse the coalition of launching a war of aggression. Around 6,000 people, about half of them civilians according to the United Nations, have been killed in fighting and air strikes since the intervention began. In a news conference in Riyadh on Sunday, Saudi coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri acknowledged mistakes in air operations in Yemen, but mostly defended the alliance's record while noting that its Western allies were helping to improve their performance. "Experts from the United States ... (will) work on extensive reports and develop operating mechanisms, together with the British side," Asseri said, adding that the advisers held a workshop in recent days at the coalition headquarters. Asseri said the coalition was responsible for the bombing of a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital in northern Yemen on October 27 which it had denied at the time, explaining to reporters that planes had targeted Houthi fighters near the facility. (Reporting By Noah Browning and Ali Abdelaty; Editing by Dominic Evans) New York (AFP) - Men's fashion week kicked off in New York on Monday for a second season, playing catch up after chic shows in London, Milan and Paris. Still in its infancy, the fall/winter 2016 season is already a step up from the spring/summer 2016 men's fashion week debut that graced New York last July. There are 60 shows compared to 51, and nearly double the number of media accreditation requests -- 800 up from 500. Although it's called a week, the shows are spread across four days and concentrated in Manhattan's west Soho. It will also whet appetites for the style explosion and buyers' bonanza that is New York fashion week for women -- the main event -- due to begin February 11. "The success of the inaugural 'New York Fashion Week: Men's' surpassed our expectations," Steven Kolb head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America told AFP in an email interview. Bruce Pask, men's fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman, said the first week was well attended by US and New York-based retailers and journalists, as well as "great support and attendance from the international menswear community." But there is a long way to go. One of America's most celebrated designers, Ralph Lauren, chose instead to unveil his high-end Purple Label in Milan last month. Calvin Klein will show only a capsule collection of evening wear. "We are only in our second season so we still need to prove that what we are doing is worth the attention of journalists and retailers," said Kolb. He said the response from within the United States was strong from the beginning but that he would "like to see the international attendance grow." If the schedule over the next four days is not as chic as Paris or Milan, it does not lack panache. Among the big names are Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Theory and John Varvatos, lured last July from Milan. - Timing clash - Riding the wave of trendy street wear, a new generation of designers will compete for the attentions of fashion editors and bloggers on the lookout for new icons of cool -- among them Californian label Stampd, which won GQ's prize for best new men's wear designer in 2015. Story continues Others to look out for are Greg Lauren the nephew of Ralph, Siki Im and its art installations, Gypsy Sport, winner of the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund prize in 2015, Robert Geller, suit specialist Joseph Abboud, Uri Minkoff, brother of designer Rebecca and Californian labels Second/Layer and Jeffrey Rudes. "It's exciting to get a platform for all of us here," said David Hart, a designer with his eponymous label who said his collection is inspired by the Jazz age. "There are a lot of exciting things happening for men," he said in a packed and overheated room close to his models posing with a saxophone and trumpet in hand. "It's getting bigger and bigger!" Among those absent are the highly regarded Thom Browne, who is staying in Paris, Rag and Bone, which will unveil a men and women's show on February 15, and Michael Bastian, the long-time champion of men's fashion week. This time he will instead organize a private shoot in his studio, his team said. Experts say there's nothing surprising in that, given the scheduling conflict that this season's men's fashion week presents: sandwiched between the European shows in January and New York's main fashion week for women. "That is a bit unfortunate in terms of timing," said Vincenzo Gatto, a men's fashion expert who teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. January would be too close to the shows in Europe. But in early February, retail clients outside the New York metropolitan area are generally back home in Florida, the Mid West and California, Gatto said. But he said the concept itself was great. "Otherwise it gets lost," he told AFP. "It's good for retail, for innovation." Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) (AFP) - TV reports on the crimes against humanity trial of former Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo in The Hague have been banned on Equatorial Guinea's state broadcaster. "We've been forbidden from airing Laurent Gbagbo's trial due to his friendship with our president," a ranking state media official told AFP, referring to President Teodoro Obiang Nguema. The RTNGE network in Spanish is watched by around 85 percent of the population. The charges against Gbagbo are linked to post-election violence in Ivory Coast in 2010-2011, which also was ordered kept off screens in Equatorial Guinea because of what authorities said was the principle of "non-intervention in another country's internal affairs." Gbagbo went on trial last week before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the violence, that left some 3,000 people dead. But when he was transferred to The Hague in 2011 following his arrest, Obiang urged Africans to boycott the ICC. The leader of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, who is 73, is Africa's longest-serving ruler after initially taking office in an August 1979 coup. He has said he will seek another seven-year term at elections this year in the country. Equatorial Guinea regularly comes under attack from rights groups as well as anti-corruption watchdogs. JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The two South African men who beat and stabbed a Mozambican man to death during a wave xenophobic violence in April last year were sentenced to 17 and 10 years in prison on Monday, local media reported. Mthinta Bhengu and Sifundo Mzimela, who were caught on camera attacking Mozambican national Emmanuel Sithole in a township in the economic hub of Johannesburg, were found guilty of murder in November. Bhengu, who has a previous conviction for violent crime, received the harsher sentence, 702 Talk Radio reported. Magistrate Van der Schyff said Bhengu continued to attack the Mozambican vendor even while the victim was begging for mercy, the radio said. "It is not acceptable that a person should be killed in this manner," said Van der Schyff. The wave of anti-immigrant attacks first surfaced in the eastern KwaZulu Natal province in April before flaring up in Johannesburg. At least seven people were killed, while hundreds of foreigners fled to safety camps as South Africa's government sent in troops to quell the unrest. (Reporting by TJ Strydom; Editing by James Macharia) Seoul (AFP) - South Korea's exports, the main driver of the national economy, suffered their sharpest drop in more than six years in January, extending what is now a 13-month losing streak. Government data released on Monday showed exports down 18.5 percent from the same month last year at $36.7 billion -- the steepest decline since August 2009. The report cited a host of factors, such as slowdowns in major economies, including South Korea's biggest trade partner China which accounts for a quarter of the country's exports. Falling global oil prices also contributed to the dismal figure, hitting petroleum products that are a mainstay export item for Asia's fourth largest economy. South Korea's exports declined every single month last year, resulting in the slowest annual economic growth since 2012. Overseas shipments for the entire year were down 8.0 percent -- the first annual contraction for three years. South Korea's economy expanded by 2.6 percent in 2015, coming in just under the forecast 2.7 percent. Addis Ababa (AFP) - South Sudan government troops killed about 50 people by stuffing them into a shipping container in baking heat, ceasefire monitors said in a report noting the latest atrocities in two years of war. Despite an August peace deal, fighting continues, and the conflict now involves multiple militia forces who pay little heed to paper peace deals, driven by local agendas or revenge attacks. The report, by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), was submitted to the African Union (AU) summit and made public late Sunday. The atrocity, titled "concerning the killing of civilians in Unity State", was one of several listed as examples of ceasefire violations carried out by forces on both sides. "About 50 people suffocated in a container on about 22 October. The investigation was protracted. Attribution of responsibility: Government Forces," the report read. In South Sudan, metal containers are often used as makeshift prison cells. Temperatures in the northern battleground state of Unity regularly top 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Other crimes listed include rape and murder, and the capture and looting of UN river barges. There was no immediate response from South Sudan's army, but spokesmen have rejected a long list of previous reports detailing accusations of atrocities. - Aid blocked - UN rights experts last month described "gang-rape, sexual slavery and forced abortion". A UN panel of experts has also said South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar should face sanctions for their role in the war. JMEC chief Festus Mogae, a former Botswana president appointed to the role by regional bloc IGAD, warned that efforts to force through a unity government had stalled after Kiir nearly tripled the number of regional states, undermining a fundamental pillar of the power-sharing deal. "The government's action has led to an impasse," Mogae said, in an appeal to the AU. Story continues "Given the fragility of the security situation in South Sudan, the renewed risk of conflict, and continued insecurity affecting the humanitarian relief effort, emphatic, stern measures should be taken by the African Union... rhetoric alone can only do so much," Mogae said. Both the government and rebel sides have been accused of perpetrating ethnic massacres, recruiting and killing children and carrying out widespread rape, torture and forced displacement of populations to "cleanse" areas of their opponents. East Africa's IGAD bloc also called on rival forces to allow food into conflict zones on the brink of famine, where aid workers have warned tens of thousands may be dying of starvation. - Millions spent on arms - IGAD said it was "appalled by the deterioration in the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, and demands immediate action by the parties to ensure unconditional humanitarian access." More than 200,000 South Sudanese civilians are sheltering inside UN camps ringed by razor wire, a bleak barometer of ongoing conflict despite peace efforts. UN experts last month said Kiir has spent or committed spent $78 million to purchase eight Mi-24 attack helicopters, while rebels have received ammunition, weapons and uniforms from Sudan. Mogae criticised the spending. "Amidst rapidly declining oil revenues, the public resources of the country have been largely squandered on financing the conflict," Mogae added. But Nhial Deng Nhial, South Sudan's government negotiator in peace talks, dismissed concerns negotiations were deadlocked, with violence ongoing and fears of potential famine. "As far as were concerned, the implementation of the peace process still remains on track," Nhial told AFP during AU talks on Saturday. A star-studded cast has been lined up for new the new Amazon period family saga "The Collection". Richard Coyle, Tom Riley, Frances de la Tour and Mamie Gummer are all set to star in the drama, set in the Paris fashion world in the post-war years, Deadline reports. The story tells the tale of two fashion designer brothers, Paul and Claude Sabine, played by Coyle and Riley respectively. Gummer plays the American expat wife of Paul, while de la Tour takes on the role of the ambitious matriarch. The series was created and written by "Ugly Betty" screenwriter Oliver Goldstick, who will also act as executive producer. Sony Pictures Classics has nabbed North American rights to the YA-friendly adventure documentary The Eagle Huntress. The specialty label, which also acquired the Wall Street-set thriller Equity and John Krasinski's The Hollars, also picked up Eagle Huntress' rights for Latin America, Germany, Australia/New Zealand, Scandinavia and Asia. The deal was pegged around $2 million, a source told The Hollywood Reporter. Directed by Otto Bell, the film centers on a teenaged girl named Ashol-Pan (Aisholpan Nurgaiv) living in the mountains of northwestern Mongolia who learns all aspects of falconry, from taming her very own eagle to training for an annual competition, where she competes against 70 eagle hunters on her quest to gain acceptance in a male-dominated field. Playing in the new Sundance Kids section of the festival, Eagle Huntress made its world premiere Jan. 24 and received a rousing response from buyers who were clamoring for dibs on the girl-empowerment tale, despite the fact that the film is in Kazakh with English subtitles (The Weinstein Co. had also been pursing). Read more: Sundance Wrap: Race, Politics and a Pet Wolf The film also benefits from some Star Wars star power, as Daisy Ridley recently came onboard as an executive producer and will narrate for English audiences. Nurgaiv Rys and Alma Dalaykhan also star. "Without question Sony Pictures Classics is the dream distributor for our film," Bell said. "Now audiences around the world can enjoy Aisholpan's story on the big screen. We are all very grateful for SPC's passionate belief in this film." Stacey Reiss and Sharon Chang produced, while Morgan Spurlock, Jeremy Chilnick, Susan MacLaury, Barbara Dobkin, Dan Cogan, Regina K. Scully and Marc H. Simon executive produced. Aisholpan Nurgaiv, together with her father and mother, made the 6,000-mile journey from Mongolia to Park City to present the film and participate in deal-making. CAA repped the filmmakers. Geneva (AFP) - The UN special envoy for Syria faced an uphill task in Geneva on Monday to get talks to end the brutal civil war off the ground, as the opposition hesitated to join negotiations with the regime. The urgency to find a solution to the four-year war was brought home Sunday when multiple explosions killed 71 people near a revered Shiite shrine outside the capital Damascus, according to a Britain-based monitor. The blasts were claimed by Islamic State, the extremist group that is running swathes of Syria and Iraq which has launched attacks worldwide, including in Paris in November when 130 people were murdered. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the new atrocity in Syria was "clearly aimed to disrupt the attempts to start a political process". The deaths added to the more than 260,000 people to have perished since 2011 in a highly complex conflict sucking in a host of outside powers -- and on different sides. Half the population has been displaced, seeking refuge in neighbouring countries or risking their lives to make it to Europe, creating a major political headache there. Present in Geneva are the main opposition umbrella group the High Negotiation Committee (HNC) and representatives of President Bashar al-Assad. Under an ambitious roadmap agreed in November in Vienna by all the outside powers embroiled in the war, the "proximity talks" -- so not face-to-face -- are due to last six months. The plan envisions elections within 18 months, but the key question of the future of Assad -- backed by Iran and Russia -- was left until later to resolve. But the Saudi-backed HNC is refusing to play ball unless Assad's regime first allows humanitarian access to besieged towns, stops bombarding civilians and releases prisoners. A Western diplomat said that on Sunday UN envoy Staffan de Mistura made proposals to a mistrustful HNC in talks in a Geneva hotel, but that they were still hesitating. Story continues "We only came to Geneva after written commitments on the fact that there would be serious progress on the humanitarian issues," HNC spokeswoman Basma Kodmani told reporters on Sunday. "We are here for political negotiations but we cannot start those until we have those gestures," she said. But Damascus's chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari -- who met de Mistura on Friday -- on Sunday called the opposition "not serious". "We do not know who is the other side. They don't even have a final list," the tall and stern Syrian ambassador to the UN told a packed news conference. - Kerry appeal - US Secretary of State John Kerry urged on Sunday both sides "to make the most of this moment" in an online statement broadcast from Washington. Kerry urged the opposition to drop their preconditions, but also had hard words for their foes, accusing Assad's forces of deliberately starving besieged towns. He described the talks in Geneva as being at a "pivotal phase" and said the HNC represented an "inclusive opposition." Another thorny issue is which rebel groups will be involved in the talks, although all sides agree on the exclusion of IS and Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's Syrian branch. The powerful Army of Islam rebel group is part of HNC's delegation to Geneva, and the HNC's chief negotiator and Army of Islam member Mohammed Alloush was expected in Geneva on Monday. The choice of Alloush has been controversial, with Syria's ally Moscow saying it considers Army of Islam as "terrorists" and other opposition groups insisting it was unacceptable for the delegation to be led by a member of an armed group. But Alloush dismissed the criticism on Sunday. "Bashar al-Assad is the one who is the terrorist," he told AFP. In addition, and in a potentially hopeful sign, Western diplomats said Sunday that Riad Hijab, the head of the HNC and a former Syrian prime minister, was also expected in Geneva on Monday. BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Syrian opposition official said on Monday the government must within a few days state its readiness to implement goodwill measures on the ground, accusing the U.N. peace envoy of overstepping the mark by declaring the start of peace talks. The Syrian opposition has travelled to Geneva, where peace talks to end the country's five year old conflict began on Friday, but has repeatedly said it will not enter negotiations without humanitarian measures, such as the lifting of sieges, being implemented first. Monzer Makhous, an official from the Syrian opposition's High Negotiations Committee, told Arabic news channel Al Arabiya: "The Syrian regime must state directly, frankly and without ambiguity that it is ready to implement (United Nations) Articles 12 and 13 immediately, and it must not take more than a few days." "If not, the High Negotiations Committee will not take part in any other process," Monzer said. "We told (U.N. envoy Staffan De Mistura) clearly that he must not interpret any interaction with him as being the start of the negotiations process," he said. Separately, Monzer told Reuters Television: "We are here for a few days. Just to be clear, only a few days. If there (is) no progress on the ground, we are leaving ... We are not here for negotiations, we are here to test the regime's intentions. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington in Beirut and Ali Abdelaty in Cairo; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Geneva (AFP) - The UN's special envoy warned all hope to resolve Syria's civil war would be lost if the latest attempt at peace talks failed, after the opposition said Russian airstrikes threatened to derail the discussions before they had begun. The main opposition umbrella group attending the talks said Russia's "unprecedented" bombardment near Aleppo -- 270 raids since Monday morning, according to monitors -- threatened to scupper efforts to end the almost five-year conflict. "Since last night a big massacre is taking place in Syria and nobody is doing anything. Nobody is saying anything, the international community is completely blind," said Salem al-Meslet from the High Negotiations Committee (HNC). On Monday, UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura declared that indirect talks between the government and the opposition had officially begun in Switzerland, saying he hoped to "achieve something" by February 11. But as cracks began to emerge on Tuesday he warned they were the last chance to bring about an end to a conflict that has left 260,000 people dead and forced more than half of Syria's population to flee their homes. "If there is a failure this time, after two previous meetings in Geneva on Syria, then all hope will be lost," he told Swiss TV channel Radio Television Suisse. Chief negotiator for Syria's government, Bashar al-Jaafari, had earlier cast doubt on the gravity of the talks, saying they were still "in a preparatory phase", the opposition had not named its negotiating team and there was no agenda. And the HNC cancelled a meeting with the UN envoy scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, with member Farah Atassi saying that "at this moment, there is no reason to repeat ourselves with de Mistura". The group has demanded the regime allow humanitarian access to besieged towns, stop bombing civilians and release thousands of prisoners -- some of them children -- languishing in regime jails. Story continues It also expressed outrage at the regime offensive, backed by Russian jets and allied militants, that allowed government forces to edge closer to breaking a long-running rebel siege on two government-held Shiite villages in Aleppo province. - 'Unprecedented' bombings - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said at least 18 civilians had been killed in the raids on Tuesday, including five women, three children and two emergency workers. "We have never seen things like this since the beginning of the revolution," HNC spokeswoman Basma Kodmani said, calling the air raids "unprecedented". "The regime's and Russia's actions gravely threaten the political process at this early stage," fellow HNC member Atassi said. US Secretary of State John Kerry weighed in Tuesday, urging the Syrian opposition to remain in peace talks despite the Russian bombing, adding that he was "extraordinarily sympathetic" to their difficult situation. "But the agreement at the United Nations and the agreement in Vienna is that when the political dialogue begins there will be a ceasefire. So the hope, the expectation is that it shouldn't take long and we're not requiring people to sit at the table for months," Kerry said. Russia said it was willing to coordinate efforts toward a Syria ceasefire with the US, according to Russian news agency Interfax. It also quoted deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov saying de Mistura would again meet the opposition negotiators "tomorrow or the day after tomorrow" and they "will announce the make-up of the delegation that will participate in talks". - Last chance talks - In a November meeting in Vienna, world powers agreed on an ambitious road map that foresees six months of intra-Syrian talks, leading to a new constitution and free elections within 18 months. But it left unresolved the future of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The conflict has dragged in a range of international players, from Iran, Turkey and the Gulf states -- the latter two on the opposition side -- to Western nations and, since late September, Russia. The chaos has also fuelled the rise of the Islamic State group, which has overrun swathes of Syria and Iraq and staged a series of deadly attacks across the globe, including in Paris in November. The extremist Sunni Muslim group claimed responsibility for multiple blasts on Sunday on a revered Shiite shrine south of Damascus that killed at least 70 people. In Geneva, Assad's government has been objecting to the inclusion in the Saudi-backed HNC of certain rebels it denounces as "terrorists", a stance supported by Moscow and by Iran, Riyadh's arch rival. One of these is Mohammed Alloush, a member of the powerful Army of Islam armed rebel group who arrived in Geneva late Monday to act as the HNC's chief negotiator. Taiwan's parliament on Monday elected its first-ever speaker from the China-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party after the DPP triumphed in elections last month. Su Chia-chuan immediately relinquished his party titles after his election, as a first step towards parliamentary reform. "This was the first transition of power at parliament. People will have high expectations of the new parliament. If we let them down, we will betray their mandate," Su told reporters. The DPP won a crushing victory in parliamentary and presidential elections on January 16. Its chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen will on May 20 become the island's first female president after voters turned their backs on closer China ties under the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) party. The DPP also won 68 out of the 113 parliamentary seats while the KMT's seats shrank from 64 to 35. Su takes over as speaker from Wang Jin-pyng of the KMT, who held the post for 17 years. One of the major tasks facing the new parliament is to pass a bill providing for oversight of agreements with China. It has been on ice since the 2014 Sunflower movement, which saw the occupation of parliament for more than three weeks in protest at a planned cross-strait services trade pact. The services pact is also on hold pending the passage of the oversight bill -- a key demand of protesters fearful of secret deals with Beijing. The thaw in ties with China under current KMT President Ma Ying-jeou saw a rise in trade and tourism, but concerns over growing Chinese influence led to a public backlash. China and Taiwan split in 1949 after a civil war but Beijing still considers the self-ruled island part of its territory awaiting reunification. It has not ruled out using force should Taipei declare independence. By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A teacher arrested in connection with the escape of three inmates from a Southern California jail was ordered freed on Monday after prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence to charge her with a crime. Authorities had previously said that teacher Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, met inmate Hossein Nayeri, the 37-year-old accused mastermind of the escape, in an English-as-a-second-language class at the Orange County Jail and that their relationship had progressed beyond that of teacher and student before the Jan. 22 breakout. But Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas told a news conference on Monday that Ravaghi had been cooperative with investigators since being taken into custody last week and that there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against her. Rackauckas also said that a man accused of smuggling jail-break tools the three men had been arrested and would face charges in the high-profile escape. It was not immediately clear what connection that man, identified as Loc Ba Nguyen, had to the escapees. Nayeri, who is accused of the 2012 mutilation torture of a kidnap victim, broke out of the Orange County jail along with fellow inmates Bac Duong, 43, and Jonathan Tieu, 20. Duong surrendered to authorities on Friday in Santa Ana. Nayeri and Tieu were captured about 375 miles away in San Francisco after their stolen van was spotted in a Whole Foods supermarket parking lot. During a separate news conference on Monday, Orange County Sheriff's Captain Jeff Hallock gave additional details of the fugitives' movements during the time they were on the lam. He said they kidnapped a taxi driver and held him hostage for several days. Hallock said the three men drove with the taxi driver to the San Francisco Bay area, where Nayeri and Duong had a "physical fight" over whether to kill their captive and bury his body. All three men have been returned to the Orange County Jail and placed in one-man isolation cells to guard against another escape, Hallock said. Story continues Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has expressed concern that the men's escape went unnoticed by jail guards for 16 hours. She has launched an internal investigation of the incident. Nayeri, Tieu and Duong 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 bed sheets. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Dan Grebler) Archaeologists surveying an ancient cemetery in Israel say they have discovered 1,700-year-old inscriptions in stone that may mark the burial place of elite rabbis. The inscriptions were uncovered at Zippori, also known as Sepphoris, which was once the Jewish capital of Galilee in northern Israel. For the past three years, archaeologist Motti Aviam, of the Kinneret Institute for Galilean Archaeology, and his colleagues have documented several hundred ancient tombs of Zippori. The burial grounds were used between the 2nd and late 4th centuries A.D., Aviam said. Sarcophagi, ossuaries and other burial chambers have been found inside the boundaries of a national park (which also contains ancient streets, mosaic floors and a Roman-style theater) as well as inside the modern moshav, or village. Some tombs have even been found in residents' backyards, the archaeologists said. [The Holy Land: 7 Amazing Archaeological Finds] By hiking the area and looking into holes and under bushes, Aviam and his team have mostly been marking tombs that can been seen on the surface. (Actual excavations are rarer, as the digging up of ancient cemeteries in Israel is sometimes controversial, prompting protests from religious groups who want the tombs left undisturbed.) A few weeks ago, locals told the archaeologists about a place on the edge of the modern moshav where they remembered seeing a few stones with inscriptions. The researchers investigated, and indeed, they discovered three inscriptions one written in Greek and the other two in Aramaic on stone lintels that would have rested above the entrance to the graves. "Everyone who stood in front of the tombs would have been able to read it," Aviam told Live Science. He said the finding was surprising, because inscriptions are not common archaeological discoveries in Israel. "Most of the inscriptions are on mosaic floors of synagogues and churches," Aviam said. "Finding these three inscriptions together in one day is a great contribution to our historical knowledge." Story continues The Greek inscription mentions the name "Jose," according to an announcement from the Israel Antiquities Authority. The two Aramaic inscriptions each claim to mark the burial place of a "rabbi." Aviam said it is not clear if the title "Rabbi" had the same meaning 1,700 years ago as it did today, though important rabbis were undoubtedly social and religious leaders as was the case with the 2nd century A.D. Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi, a famous resident of Zippori, who compiled the Mishnah, the written version of oral Jewish law. The Israel Antiquities Authority has taken the stone artifacts into storage, and specialists in Aramaic and Greek will take a closer look at the inscriptions to decipher words that are not clear, such as the names of the rabbis. The researchers plan to publish their findings in an academic journal. For now, they can tell that one of the lintels has the phrase "from Tiberias," perhaps indicating the person buried there came from Tiberias, another city in Galilee that eventually eclipsed Zippori in terms of political importance. The other tomb marker bears the Aramaic epitaph "le-olam," which means "forever." Aviam said this word had special significance in the ancient world. "In the ancient periods, some people sometimes took over old tombs," he said. "So what he means is, 'Don't interrupt my resting place I want to be here forever.'" Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Tokyo (AFP) - Toyota said on Monday that it would temporarily stop its vehicle production in Japan due to a parts shortage following an explosion at a supplier. The world's top automaker said assembly lines in its home market would go offline for a week from February 8 owing to a lack of components from affiliate Aichi Steel. Overseas production would not be suspended, it added. Toyota publishes its nine-month financial results this week. It did not say if the temporary production shutdown would affect its results in the current quarter. "Operations are scheduled to recommence on February 15, and vehicle production on lines outside Japan will not be suspended," the company said. "Toyota will continue to take any measures necessary to minimise the impact of this incident on vehicle production." Toyota said it may get parts made on alternate production lines operated by Aichi Steel and also could procure components from other steelmakers to meet its needs. Aichi Steel, which produces speciality steel products among other items, was hit by an explosion on January 8 which badly damaged parts of its production site. Aichi Steel is expected to return to full operation in March. Toyota said it does not disclose its daily production plans, but the firm has said it produced 14,000 units a day in 2015. The company, which surpassed Volkswagen in 2015 to keep the title of world's top-selling automaker, produced more than four million cars in Japan last year and over 10 million worldwide. At the Tokyo Stocks Exchange, Toyota shares rose 1.31 percent to 7,294 in early trade, mirroring the headline Nikkei index, which added 1.27 percent. Drones have a pesky habit of flying into inappropriate places, including the flight path of airplanes. Governments around the world are working out ways to crack down on off-course drones, which include jamming radios, geofencing and hacking them to force a landing. The Dutch National Police is trying a slightly different tack: training eagles to bring down drones. Like the raptors they evolved from, these eagles are trained to snatch a drone out of the sky and fly it safely away from most people. This prevents the drones from spiraling into a crowd. Whether this anti-drone system is safe for the birds and their exposed toes has yet to be seen. However, from the video it's clear that these birds have no problem grabbing even a fairly sizable DJI drone. This method, developed by a group called Guard From Above, would most definitely be illegal in the U.S. But eagles in the wild have shown a natural inclination to attack drones on sight (as have hawks and chimps). Dutch police will run the tests for a few months before they decide if it is a viable technique for combating errant (or poorly flown) drones in the friendly skies. Japanese officials are toying with the idea of using a net to capture rogue drones. Which do you think is the smarter solution? Sound off in the comments below. Copyright 2016 Toms Guides , a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. By Steve Holland and James Oliphant DES MOINES, Iowa/COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (Reuters) - Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz battled on Sunday to persuade their supporters to turn out and tried to lower expectations on how well they will do in the first U.S. presidential nominating contest in Iowa on Monday. Iowa will set the tone in the race for the Nov. 8 election, offering the first measure of the strength of outsider candidates like billionaire businessman Trump and democratic socialist Bernie Sanders against more traditional politicians like Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. The day before Iowa's caucuses, Trump and Cruz, a senator from Texas and conservative Tea Party favorite, reflected anxiety about the unpredictability of the race in the Midwestern state as they and other candidates made their final pitches at rallies across Iowa. A Des Moines Register/Bloomberg News poll of Iowa voters released on Saturday showed Trump in the lead among Republicans with 28 percent, Cruz second at 23 percent and Rubio in third with 15 percent. In rallies in Council Bluffs and Sioux City, Trump displayed a more low-key style than his usual flame-throwing flourishes in an apparent bid to appeal to Iowa religious conservatives who have for the most part backed Cruz. Trump, sitting on stage, was asked friendly questions by religious leader Jerry Falwell Jr., who portrayed Trump as a family man and supporter of Christian charities who served cheeseburgers instead of caviar on his plane. In Council Bluffs earlier, Trump brought his wife and daughter on stage and implored Republicans to pick him, noting that Iowa's 2008 winner, Mike Huckabee, and 2012 victor Rick Santorum both ultimately failed to win the Republican nomination. You have a lousy record - 16 years you havent picked a winner. Please pick a winner this time, he said. In Iowa City, Cruz urged about 500 supporters crammed into a building at the county fairgrounds to turn out for the caucuses if they wanted to help him break the cycle of politics as usual in Washington. "Join us, commit tomorrow night to come out and caucus for us. Stand up and speak for us. If we stand together, we will win," he said. TOSS-UP? Among Democrats, Clinton, a former secretary of state, senator and first lady, clung to a narrow 45 percent to 42 percent lead over Sanders, putting the senator from Vermont in position for a potential upset win that would be a harsh blow to Clinton. In Marshalltown, Iowa, Sanders called the race basically a toss-up. "My prediction is that if tomorrow night there is a large voter turnout, we win," Sanders said. "On the other hand, if there is a low voter turnout, we'll probably lose." Although Clinton spent much of her time at a rally in Council Bluffs contrasting her vision with those of the Republican candidates, she said that while she and Sanders shared the goal of achieving universal healthcare, he had a "different view" of how to accomplish it. Sanders backs a single-payer system paid for by higher taxes, while Clinton would build on President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law. The Sanders and Clinton campaigns have been squabbling over adding more debates to the relatively skimpy schedule of six debates organized by the Democratic National Committee. MNSBC said on Sunday both candidates had agreed to join former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley at a previously announced debate in New Hampshire on Thursday. 'DON'T HAVE TO WIN IT' The central mystery about Trump's campaign in Iowa has been whether the real estate mogul and former reality TV star can convert voter enthusiasm for his candidacy into actual turnout at the caucuses. Trump, who has never sat through a nerve-wracking night of vote counting, was not predicting victory in Iowa in interviews and stump speeches on Sunday. "No, I don't have to win it," he told CBS' "Face the Nation" when asked whether he needed to win Iowa. "But I think it would be really good to win Iowa." Cruz, who saw his lead in the state overtaken by Trump but may have a stronger turnout operation, also tried to lower expectations. "No, we don't view any state as a must-win," Cruz told CNN. "We are positioned to do very well." Ten Republicans and three Democrats are campaigning in Iowa for their parties' nominations, but much of the focus has been on the fight between Cruz and Trump and their uneasy relationship with the Republican establishment. Trump described Cruz as a "nasty guy" who had not scored key endorsements in the Senate, and would have trouble leading change in Washington. "Nobody likes him," Trump told ABC's "This Week." Cruz attacked Trump on CNN's "State of the Union," calling Trump's refusal to appear onstage at Thursday's Republican debate in Des Moines "a real mistake," and likening Trump's views to those of Democratic President Barack Obama and Sanders. (Addtional reporting by John Whitesides and Amanda Becker in Iowa and Andrea Shalal and Alana Wise in Washington; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Mary Milliken, Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney) TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian police have clashed with Islamist gunmen in a remote mountainous area in the southern region of Gabes, killing at least two militants, the interior ministry said on Monday. Tunisia's security forces are on a campaign against Islamist militants who have targeted military checkpoints and patrols in outlying areas. Islamic State has also claimed three deadly urban attacks last year that hit Tunisia's tourism industry. "During counter-terrorism operations, police exchanged fire with a group of terrorists. First indications are that two terrorists were killed and a policeman injured," the ministry said in a statement. Tunisia has escaped major upheaval and violence suffered by other countries who ousted longstanding leaders in the 2011 Arab Spring revolts. It has been held up as a model for democratic transition since the uprising against Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. But its young democracy and economy were tested by three major attacks last year, including Islamic State shootings targeting foreigners at a Sousse beach hotel and a Tunis museum, and also a suicide bombing in the capital. (Reporting by Tarek Amara; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Mark Heinrich) Santiago (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday his country has spent more than $9 billion on services for 2.5 million refugees from conflict-torn Syria and Iraq. "Turkey has opened its doors without distinction to more than 2.5 million Syrian and Iraqi refugees. So far, the amount we have spent surpasses $9 billion," he said during a visit to Chile. Turkey has seen a massive influx of migrants as violence rages in neighboring Syria and Iraq. "All these refugee dramas we see on television, these dead people's bodies, are the symbols of this conflict," Erdogan told a press conference after meeting Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who praised Turkey's role in dealing with the humanitarian crisis. Erdogan, who arrived in Santiago Sunday, is on a three-country South American tour focused on expanding Turkey's ties outside its traditional sphere of influence. The European Union is pressing Turkey to implement tighter border controls to stop migrants crossing the country and streaming into the EU. Turkey has more refugees than any other country in the world, including more than 2.5 million from the almost five-year-old war in Syria, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Guatemala City (AFP) - Two retired soldiers were in court Monday facing charges of murder, forced disappearance, and forcing 11 indigenous women into sexual slavery during Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war. Prosecutors accuse Esteelmer Reyes, a 59-year-old retired colonel, of "authorizing and consenting for soldiers under his command to exercise sexual violence and inhuman, cruel and degrading treatment against Maya-Q'eqchi' women." His co-accused was Heriberto Valdez, a 74-year-old former soldier. The two allegedly carried out the crimes in 1982 and 1983 in the northeastern town of Sepur Zarco, where the military was deployed. Earlier in the trial, indigenous women with their faces and heads covered told the court of what they had suffered as sexual slaves. Guatemala's 36-year civil war left more than 200,000 people dead or missing, according to the United Nations, which cast most of the responsibility for wartime atrocities and excesses on the government forces. More than 40 percent of Guatemala's population of 16 million is indigenous, and that group was the most affected by human rights violations committed at the time. By Colleen Jenkins BLACKSBURG, Va. (Reuters) - Students walking among the limestone-studded buildings on Virginia Tech's campus on Monday said they were rattled by the news of two engineering majors charged in the abduction and murder of a 13-year-old local girl from the college town of Blacksburg. "This guy lived under me?" said freshman Faraz Alam, 18, who lives in the same residence hall as one of the students charged. "It could have happened to any of my friends." First-year students David Eisenhauer, 18, and Natalie Keepers, 19, appeared in court on Monday in nearby Christiansburg but did not enter a plea and were being held in jail without bond. Lawyers for both students declined to comment. Keepers, handcuffed and dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, appeared to cry softly as a judge read her charges. Blacksburg, Virginia, police said Eisenhauer, a member of the cross country team at Virginia Tech, kidnapped and killed the girl, Nicole Lovell, and Keepers helped him dispose of the body. But most other details in the case remain unknown. Lovell's remains were found in North Carolina, about 90 miles south of her home in Blacksburg, on Saturday, four days after she was reported missing. Police have not said how she died on or about Jan. 27. An arrest warrant, however, said a gun was not used to kill her. The result of an autopsy performed Monday was not expected until just before the next court hearing on March 28, the prosecutor's office said. The charges seem at odds with details emerging about the pair. Eisenhauer was a three-time state champion in high school track events, according to a now-deleted page from the Virginia Tech cross country team's online roster. "He was an excellent student," James LeMon, principal at the high school in Columbia, Maryland, said in a telephone interview. "He had a lot of friends here." Keepers, also a good student, was involved in the theater program at a high school roughly five miles away in the same town, Howard County public schools spokesman John White said. She volunteered at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Laurel, Maryland, said a person answering the phone at the church who declined further comment. If convicted, Eisenhauer could face 20 years to life in prison on the murder charge and Keepers up to five years on the charges of transporting and concealing a body. Police have not said how Keepers got involved. Keepers and Eisenhauer lived in residence halls just a few minutes apart on the Virginia Tech campus, which has 31,000 full-time students. The university has dealt with tragedy before - in 2007, student Seung-Hui Cho gunned down 32 people there before taking his own life. Nicole Lovell's mother, Tammy Weeks, told the Washington Post that investigators said her daughter may have met Eisenhauer on social media recently. Weeks declined an interview with Reuters. Blacksburg police have said Eisenhauer and Lovell became acquainted before her disappearance, but a spokesman would not elaborate. (Additional reporting by Amy Tennery and Gina Cherelus in New York; editing by Grant McCool) ROME (Reuters) - The United States would not hesitate to act upon any perceived threat toward it from Libya, but would bring other parties in to discussion on any broader action, a senior State Department official said on Monday. "First and foremost, when we see a threat to the United States or external plotting, we will not hesitate to act upon that threat," the official told reporters in Rome. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said: "Anything broader, I think, would require discussion with the Libyans and with, obviously, coalition partners The Italians, the French, obviously many of our coalition partners are looking quite closely at Libya." (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed, writing by Isla Binnie) ROME (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy to the coalition against Islamic State said on Monday his weekend trip to Kurdish-controlled northern Syria was not tied to peace talks in Geneva. "It was long planned, so it was not tied to the process going on in Geneva in any way," Brett McGurk told a small group of reporters in Rome. McGurk said the purpose of his trip, the first by a U.S. official to Syrian territory in several years, was to assess the state of the counter-Islamic State campaign in Syria, adding that there had been questions about the Geneva peace talks. "Of course, there were questions about that process and we repeated what is in (U.N.) Security Council resolution 2254 about the need for a unified Syria, a multi-ethnic, multi-sectarian Syria where the rights of all components are protected, and, of course, an inclusive process." (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed, writing by Isla Binnie) By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - Federal investigators on Monday released thousands of pages about the fatal derailment of an Amtrak passenger train last year in Philadelphia, but the central mystery of what caused the crash remained unexplained. The documents, posted online by the National Transportation Safety Board, include two interviews with the train's engineer, Brandon Bostian, who said he had no recollection of the moments before the accident that killed eight people. "Unfortunately, the last memory I have on the way back is approaching and passing the platforms in North Philadelphia," Bostian, who suffered a concussion, told investigators three days after the crash. "The next thing that I remember is when I came to my senses, I was standing up in the locomotive cab after the accident." The Amtrak regional train, headed from Washington, D.C., to New York, went off the tracks on May 12 along a curve in Philadelphia while traveling at more than twice the 50 mile-per-hour (80 kilometer-per-hour) speed limit. Eight people were killed and more than 200 hurt in the incident. The documents provide a painstakingly detailed account of the crash, while leaving unanswered the key question of what caused it. The material released on Monday contains no "smoking guns," according to an NTSB official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. With the fact-finding phase complete, investigators will now focus on identifying a likely cause. That analysis will be included in a final report reviewed by the NTSB in the spring. The documents appear to rule out several possible causes as investigators found no evidence of malfunction in the locomotive, tracks or signals. The NTSB also concluded that Bostian did not use his cell phone during the journey. An off-duty Amtrak employee riding the train encountered an injured and bleeding Bostian sitting up minutes after the crash. "I said, 'What happened?'" the employee, Joseph Brennan, told investigators. "And he just looked at me and he said, 'I don't know.'" Story continues In a subsequent interview, Bostian said he vaguely recalled feeling the train was about to tip over as it navigated the curve and trying to apply the brake, but he said his memory may be suspect. He said he was not tired on the day of the incident and had not been taking any medication. He also tested negative for drugs and alcohol. Bostian has been "extremely cooperative," the NTSB official said. Several other Amtrak employees praised Bostian as an excellent engineer, according to the NTSB. (Editing by Scott Malone and Bernadette Baum) By Yeganeh Torbati and Joel Schectman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge has challenged the U.S. government's move to drop charges against an Iranian man accused of sanctions violations as part of a U.S. prisoner trade agreed with Iran last month. Federal prosecutors filed a motion on Jan. 16 to drop the case against Alireza Moazami Goudarzi, an Iranian man accused in 2012 of trying to buy aircraft parts for Iran, including those for military aircraft engines. The dismissal was part of a wider deal which also saw U.S. officials move to drop international arrest orders and any charges against 13 other Iranians outside America. The administration also offered clemency deals to seven Iranians in the United States, mostly imprisoned for or charged with sanctions violations. In return, Iran released five Americans it had been holding, including Iranian-American Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian. The release of the Americans coincided with the lifting of economic sanctions against Iran in return for curbs on Tehran's nuclear program. U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel in New York threatened in a court order last week to deny the government's dismissal of charges against Goudarzi unless prosecutors could justify "significant foreign policy interests" they had cited as a reason to drop the case. Castel wrote in his order that the court should not approve such a request if it is prompted by "considerations clearly contrary to the public interest." Castel is the only judge so far who is known to have questioned the dismissals, which were also filed in jurisdictions including Arizona, Washington, D.C. and California, Reuters found in a review of court records. The prisoner swap left President Barack Obama's administration open to criticism from Republicans that it had offered too much to Iran in return for the release of the Americans. In a response to Castel's order, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cronan said on Monday that the prisoner swap was a "one-time, unique agreement based on extraordinary circumstances" that had been reached in order to obtain the release of American prisoners held in Iran. "The United States Government has made clear to the Government of Iran that the United States does not expect to repeat these actions," Cronan said in a court brief. He also added that U.S. authorities had been unable to locate Goudarzi since he was released from Malaysian custody after being detained there in 2012, and there was no "realistic prospect" of arrest and extradition in the near future. It is rare for judges to challenge dismissals by prosecutors, which are usually granted without extensive further inquiry, said David L. Hall, a former federal prosecutor. "The court is basically saying, 'I'm not a rubber stamp,'" said Hall, now a partner at law firm Wiggin and Dana in Philadelphia. (Editing by Soyoung Kim and Jonathan Oatis) (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice was set on Monday to unveil a comprehensive review of the San Francisco Police Department, which was the target of demonstrations by civil right activists because of the shooting death of a black man in December. The protesters had demanded the departure of Police Chief Greg Suhr, who is due to appear alongside Mayor Edwin Lee and federal officials at a news conference at 2 p.m. PST (2200 GMT), according to a Justice Department statement on Sunday. The statement did not specify what is covered in the review but said Brian Stretch, acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California, and Ronald Davis, director of the police department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, will address reporters. Protests flared in San Francisco over the fatal police shooting on Dec. 2 of Mario Woods, 26, which was filmed by bystanders and described by San Francisco's public defender as unnecessary. The death came amid unrest across the United States over high-profile police killings of black victims in cities such as Ferguson, Missouri, Chicago and Baltimore since mid-2014, and a renewed civil rights movement dubbed Black Lives Matter. Woods' family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city in December for wrongful death, describing his killing as an "horrific public execution." Suhr has said that Woods was a suspect in a stabbing, was holding a knife and was a threat to officers who had tried to subdue him with pepper spray and bean bag rounds. The police chief has called for his force to be equipped with Tasers to prevent similar shootings in the future. In video recorded by onlookers, officers could be seen with their weapons pointed at Woods, who was standing with his back against the wall of a building. Woods does not seem to be holding anything when he is shot multiple times, although police have said they recovered a kitchen knife from the scene. (Reporting by Daniel Wallis in Denver; Editing by Bill Trott) UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is concerned a stalemate in the peace process between Israel and Palestinians is reaching the point of no return for a two-state solution. "The time has come for Israelis, Palestinians and the international community to read the writing on the wall: The status quo is untenable," Ban wrote in an opinion piece published in the New York Times late on Sunday. "Keeping another people under indefinite occupation undermines the security and the future of both Israelis and Palestinians." The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem - areas Israel captured in a 1967 war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Ban last week, saying he gave a "tailwind to terrorism" after the secretary-general put some of the blame on Israel for four months of stabbings and car rammings by Palestinians. Ban, who will step down at the end of 2016 after 10 years as U.N. chief, had told the U.N. Security Council that it is "human nature to react to occupation." "I will always stand up to those who challenge Israels right to exist," Ban said in the Times, "just as I will always defend the right of Palestinians to have a state of their own. That is why I am so concerned that we are reaching a point of no return for the two-state solution." The United States and the European Union - Israel's closest allies - also have had unusually stern criticism of Israel in recent weeks, reflecting their frustrations with Netanyahu's right-wing government. "When heartfelt concerns about shortsighted or morally damaging policies emanate from so many sources, including Israel's closest friends, it cannot be sustainable to keep lashing out at every well-intentioned critic," Ban wrote. U.S.-led efforts to broker a "two-state solution" collapsed in 2014. France said on Friday it will recognize a Palestinian state if a final push that Paris plans to lead for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians fails. "The stalemate carries grave risks for both sides: a continuation of the deadly wave of terrorism and killings; the collapse of the Palestinian Authority; greater isolation of and international pressure on Israel," Ban wrote. He said the Palestinians must bring Gaza and the West Bank under a single democratic-governing authority and take action to stop attacks on Israel, including an immediate end to the building of Gaza tunnels into Israel. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Bill Trott) By Yeganeh Torbati and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is willing to deploy Apache attack helicopters and advisers to help Iraq retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State as it considers options to speed up the campaign against the militant group, a top U.S. general said on Monday. U.S. officials, including President Barack Obama, have said they want to accelerate the campaign against Islamic State militants, and have called on allies to increase their military contributions to efforts to destroy the group in Iraq and Syria. U.S. Army Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland, the head of the U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, said he is looking to retake Mosul as quickly as possible, but did not say whether he agreed with Iraqi estimates that it could be wrested from Islamic State control by the end of this year. "I don't want to put a date out there," MacFarland said. "I would like to get this wrapped up as fast as I possibly can." Past steps to speed up the campaign have included the deployment of dozens of U.S. special operations forces in northern Syria, and an elite targeting force to work with Iraqi forces to go after Islamic State targets. It could also include deployment of more military and police trainers, including from the United States. MacFarland said the U.S.-led coalition has trained more than 17,500 Iraqi soldiers, and about 2,000 police, with another 3,000 soldiers and police in training now. MacFarland said the proposals he is drawing up do not necessarily require the commitment of more U.S. troops, who have largely stayed away from the front lines of combat. Instead, coalition partners could contribute troops, he said. "As we extend operations across Iraq and into Syria ... there is a good potential that we'll need additional capabilities, additional forces to provide those capabilities and we're looking at the right mix," MacFarland said. The United States is also ready to send Apache attack helicopters and deploy advisers to help Iraqi and Kurdish forces retake Mosul if requested, MacFarland said. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in December that the United States was ready to send the advisers and helicopters if requested by Iraq to help in the fight to retake Ramadi, but Iraqi officials did not ask for the extra help. Iraqi forces retook Ramadi, a provincial capital just a short drive west of Baghdad, late last year. "We can't inflict help on somebody, they have to ask for it, they have to want it, and were here to provide it as required," MacFarland said. "Everything that the secretary said is really still on the table." (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) London (AFP) - A mother who took her toddler to Syria and joined the Islamic State (IS) group was sentenced to six years in prison on Monday after becoming the first British woman to be convicted after returning home. Tareena Shakil, 26, was found guilty by a court in Birmingham, central England, of IS membership and encouraging terrorism in posts on Twitter before leaving Britain. "You were well aware that the future which you had subjected your son to was very likely to be indoctrination and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter," Judge Melbourne Inman said. The court heard that Shakil was radicalised online and in October 2014 told her family she was going to Turkey for a beach holiday. Instead, she crossed the border into Syria and went to IS stronghold Raqa. "I left to build us all a house in heaven, Allah promised us heaven if we sacrifice our worldly life," she wrote in a message to a relative. "I'm not coming back." In Raqa, she was kept in a large house with other single women and posed with her son for a selfie while wearing a black balaclava branded with the IS symbol. Other pictures found on her phone showed her posing with an AK-47 assault rifle and a hand gun. However, Shakil found life under IS rules too strict. In January 2015, after repeatedly looking up "I want to leave ISIS" on the Internet, she and her son travelled by road to the Turkish border. They ran one kilometre to escape into Turkey, dodging a three-man IS patrol before handing themselves into the Turkish military, she told the court. She was arrested when police boarded her flight home at London's Heathrow Airport last February. During her trial, Shakil claimed she only travelled to Syria because she wanted to live under sharia law. Washington (AFP) - The US Justice Department announced the launch of an investigation into the police force in San Francisco, the latest to face national scrutiny over the use of excessive force in fatal incidents involving African Americans. The federal investigation comes two months after the fatal shooting of a black man triggered outrage in the Californian city, and follows similar probes into suspected police misconduct in Baltimore, Ferguson and, most recently, Chicago. Local residents and citizen groups in San Francisco were calling for the federal government to step in after video footage of a 26-year-old black man named Mario Woods dying in a hail of police bullets went viral in December. Monday's announcement of the review -- which did not refer specifically to the Woods case -- comes two days after hundreds of protesters marched in the city to demand the resignation of its police chief Greg Suhr. "In the days and months ahead, we will examine the San Francisco Police Department's current operational policies, training practices and accountability systems, and help identify key areas for improvement going forward," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement. Carried out by the Justice Department's community policing division, the independent inquiry aims to ensure, she said, that "every member of the San Francisco community has the protection and service they deserve." San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee wrote to Lynch asking her to open the review in the interest of transparency and preserving trust between police and the population. The city's police department issued a statement promising its full cooperation with the review. "In regards to the Mario Woods case, there are three ongoing active investigations. The officers involved in the case are on paid administrative duties," it added. San Francisco's police force previously defended the conduct of its officers in the events leading to Woods's death on December 2, saying he was a suspect in an earlier stabbing, was armed with a knife and was refusing to drop his weapon. Story continues It said they fired their guns after failing to disarm him using non-lethal force. Allegations of racial bias by US police have been the subject of an intense national debate since riots erupted in Ferguson, Missouri in August 2014 over the shooting death of an unarmed black teen, 18-year-old Michael Brown. - Videos triggered probes - Police in cities across the United States have since come under criticism for using excessive force against suspects, many of them black, and often with lethal effect. The city of Ferguson last week reached a deal with the Justice Department to reform its police force and courts. A probe launched in the wake of the Brown shooting had found a widespread pattern of racial discrimination and rights violations in the St Louis suburb. In May last year, the Justice Department opened a similar investigation into Baltimore's police force following the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, a black man who suffered a snapped spine while being transported unrestrained in the rear of a police van. And in Chicago, it opened an investigation into city police tactics two months ago following the death of black teenager Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times as he was walking away from officers. As in San Francisco, a video of the Chicago shooting incident triggered the probe. The city of Cleveland, Ohio, pledged to overhaul its police force and aspire to "bias-free" law enforcement last year, after a Justice Department probe found that its police had engaged in a pattern of using excessive force. But the city's police made headlines once against in December after a grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against officers involved in the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice -- a black child who was carrying a replica gun in a playground. The investigation in San Francisco will be carried out by the Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which will make its findings and recommendations public and will assess their implementation. "The findings will allow the police department to implement best practices in law enforcement and empower the community to hold the department to those standards," COPS Director Ronald Davis said. By Alexandra Ulmer CARACAS (Reuters) - President Nicolas Maduro's government is likely underestimating the number of Zika cases in Venezuela, which could hurt efforts to combat the virus-bearing mosquito, according to local doctors, opposition politicians and neighboring Colombia. Some 4,700 cases of suspected Zika have been reported in the hot and humid country, Venezuela's Health Minister Luisana Melo said last week in the first official estimate of the virus, which has been linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil. The ministry stopped issuing weekly health bulletins over a year ago, meaning there is no public historical data or geographic statistics for unusual fever outbreaks. Alarmed doctors say Venezuela, which is mired in economic crisis and has chronic shortages of products ranging from fever relievers to repellent, actually has far a greater incidence of Zika. The number of cases could range between 240,000 and 500,000, according to infectious disease specialist Julio Castro, who bases his estimates on algorithmic projections and leaked health bulletins. "The government is hiding information," said Jose Manuel Olivares, a radiation oncologist and newly-elected opposition lawmaker who works closely with Castro. A Health Ministry spokesman was not immediately available for comment. Complicating efforts in any country to get a handle on numbers, some 80 percent of people who contract Zika show no symptoms. Olivares said the official estimate of around 255 cases of Guillain-Barre, an autoimmune syndrome that can cause paralysis, was a further indication of Zika's spread in Venezuela. Like the birth defect known as microcephaly, Guillain-Barre is suspected to be linked with Zika, although the connection is not yet definitive. "If the government doesn't recognize the magnitude of the crisis it won't act on it. The number of Zika cases is going to increase," added Olivares, president of the congressional health commission. NO REPELLENT, LOTS OF TRASH Scarcity of condoms and birth control pills have contributed to unwanted pregnancies in Venezuela, where abortion is illegal unless a woman's health is at risk and teenage pregnancy rates are high. The fight against Zika is complicated by repellent shortages and uncollected trash. Shortages might also hinder diagnosis of Zika and possible associated problems. Colombia, whose center-right government often clashes with Socialist-run Caracas, said on Monday the cases of Guillain-Barre reported in Venezuela suggested it had far more cases of Zika. "The Zika situation in Venezuela might be much more serious than in our country," Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria told BLU Radio. Colombia on Saturday reported 20,297 confirmed Zika cases, with 2,116 of them pregnant women. (Editing by Brian Ellsworth and Frances Kerry) Its hard to say who pounced more quickly, the Iranians or the rest of the world, when punishing international sanctions were lifted last month. In a matter of days, the Islamic Republic is back in business. As expected, the European Union was flying exploratory trade missions to Tehran months before the accord was signed last July. But American businesses arent going to party with the Iranians along with the Europeans, Russians, and Chinese. US companies, it turns out, are constrained by lingering restrictions and the still-quarrelsome atmospherics between Washington and Tehran. Related: Heres the Bomb the US Hopes It Never Has to Use Against Iran Plainly enough, were watching another case of ideologically driven American policies working against on-the-ground American interests. The Obama administration didnt invent this contradiction, fair to say, but it has worsened over the past seven years. Europeans and the leading non-Western economies bear no such baggage. Heres what this looks like just two weeks after Iran was formally declared in compliance with the July agreement and sanctions were officially lifted: On Thursday, Iran contracted to buy 118 planes from Airbus Industrie, the cross-border European manufacturer, for $25 billion. The deal also covers pilot training, airport operations, and air-traffic management. Airbus will need U.S. export licenses to cover American-made components. Washington could withhold these, in my estimation, only at the risk of a lot of bad blood across the Atlantic. Sputnik, the Russian news service, quoted a senior civil aviation official Friday saying that Iran will begin very soon to purchase Sukhoi Superjet-100 passenger planes from the Russian manufacturer. There have been reports since last autumn that Sukhoi is also in talks to sell the Iranian air force a fleet of Su-30 fighter jets. Related: Kerry Just Confirmed the GOP's Worst Fears About the Iran Deal Daimler, the German vehicle maker, just signed letters of intent with two Iranian firms, Khodro Diesel and the Mammut Group, to resume assembly of Daimler trucks in Iran after a six-year hiatus. Khodro simultaneously signed a $430 million production deal with Peugeot-Citroen. Story continues Aeroports de Paris and Bouygues, the French construction giant, have agreed to participate with Iranian firms in the construction of a new terminal at the Tehran airporta $2.8 billion dealand in renovations and management at the airports in Mashhad and Isfahan, the nations second- and third-largest cities. Over the weekend the Financial Times reported that British banking regulators just started an agency to help Iranian institutionslong frozen out of international marketsto reintegrate. This seems a potentially ominous sign given that Treasury continues to bar U.S. banks, which are by tradition essential in global transactions from handling Iranian money. Other marquee agreements: Danieli, the Italian metal fabricator, has a new contract to supply $6 billion worth of heavy machinery; Saipem, the Italian oil and gas contractor, has a $4 billion deal to bring decrepit Iranian refineries back to life. Many of these deals were formally concluded during President Hassan Rouhanis high-profile swing through Italy and France last week. The reformist who led Iran into the nuclear accord finished up with $40 billion in new business commitments. Related: Heres How Iran Will Rejoin the Global Financial System France is available for Iran, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said during the Rouhani visit. Thats to speak for all of Europe, but then there are non-Western nations. Given Russias historical advantage by way of a long, complex relationship with Iran, the Sukhoi deals are somewhat expected. Nalco, Indias state-owned aluminum smelter is in talks to build a $2 billion plant for the Iranians, and this, too, is sure to prove a first-of-many. Xi Jinping, the first head of state to visit Iran after sanctions were lifted, returned to Beijing with 17 investment and cooperation agreements, a commitment to increase trade tenfold, to $600 billion, and plans to integrate Iran into its ambitious Silk Road project, which is to connect China to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Where, oh where, are the Americans, you have to ask. There are two answers. One, the Obama administrations insistence that the nuclear pact would bear no wider implications leaves in place many sanctions-related restrictions on business and banking. The imposition of new restrictions because of Irans ballistic missile violation forced President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry to make as little as possible of the accord, and American companies now suffer the consequences. Related: 4 Reasons to Worry About Iran's Oil Coming to Market Two, so long as high-pitched political opposition to the accord continuesnot least among Republican presidential aspirantsthe investment climate will remain too uncertain. The action in Iran is in oil and gas, heavy industry, and big-ticket capital equipment. CEOs have to know their country is available to Iran, as Manuel Valls put it, to take a seat at this table. Its early days in Irans return to the global community but we may well be watching shifts of historic significance. From the C.I.A.s 1953 coup until the 1979 revolution, U.S. influence was dominant in Iran. It looks now as if the Europeans have at least a chance to re-assume something of their prewar position. Well have to wait to see. Far more certainly, Russia and China are now announcing the non-West as a credible alternative source of capital, industrial investment, technology transfer, and manufactures for the Iranians. Over time, this is sure to play out in political, diplomatic, and strategic terms, too. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Amsterdam (AFP) - Nearly a century after she was shot as an alleged spy, the story of the world's ultimate femme fatale, Mata Hari, is to be staged for the first time as a ballet in her native Netherlands. "Mata Hari" will open to an already sold-out premiere at the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam on February 6, aiming to bring to life through dance the woman whose name has become synonymous with unbridled sensuality and ultimately, fatal betrayal. Frisian-born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, known by her stage name Mata Hari, was executed by a French firing squad on October 15, 1917 after being accused of spying for Germany during World War I. She was just 41. In the years before the war, her daring exotic striptease act had brought her notoriety, fame and adoration and she's widely regarded as one of the world's first-ever exotic dancers. Her Oriental "sacred dances" act in pre-war Parisian halls pushed the boundaries of the buttoned-down mores of the late Victorian era and often saw her stripping to little more than a bejewelled brassiere and a silk veil -- making her an overnight sensation in the French capital and elsewhere in Europe. - 'Dramatic ballet' - Now her story is being told "en pointe" for the first time. "I wanted to make a dramatic ballet... and I was looking for a subject matter to create dance, so there had to be a connection with dance," said Ted Brandsen, Dutch National Ballet director and the show's choreographer. "Mata Hari was a person who always fascinated me and she was Dutch. A lot of people actually don't know that," Brandsen told AFP. The idea of creating a major new ballet began four years ago -- and when Brandsen shared his plans with two-time Grammy-nominated British composer Tarik O'Regan, it all came to life. More than 60 dancers will perform during the two-hour production featuring a kaleidoscope of experiences from Mata Hari's life. Story continues Much of the ballet is set in Paris, where she kept a string of lovers said to include famous Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. "Much like Mata Hari had a fast-paced life, so do we want to tell her story in a fast-paced way on stage," said Brandsen. Richly complementing the dance, is a wardrobe of more than 300 lavish costumes designed by Francois-Noel Cherpin -- who began working on the designs three years ago. Deep inside the company's building next to the Amstel River, Brandsen and his co-producers are hard at work. Principle dancer, Russian ballerina Anna Tsygankova, glided effortlessly through rehearsals to which AFP was given special access. "To touch upon her life story is a great opportunity for me to get to know Mata Hari better," Tsygankova, who trained at the Bolshoi ballet, told AFP between sessions. "She is an enigma to me. Who can say for sure? Was she just a dancer? Was she really a spy, or perhaps a victim of her circumstances?" - Exotic dancer - After a rancorous divorce from a Dutch officer in the colonial army left Zelle penniless, she fled to Paris in 1904 to start a new life. There she quickly reinvented herself as "Mata Hari", an Indonesian word for "Eye of the Day" and adopted Javanese dancing in an erotic act that often left little to the imagination. Fame of her "exotic beauty" quickly spread across Europe and almost overnight she became a celebrity, who also raised eyebrows for her many affairs. "She went to Paris and completely reinvented herself. That idea is what intrigues me about her," said Brandsen. "She became comparable to somebody like Madonna, or Lady Gaga today. She became famous very quickly," he said. By 1914 however her popularity was waning and she found herself in Berlin when war broke out. She was recruited by the Germans to spy on France and Britain. But today it is widely believed she never really took the deadly business of spying seriously, but rather agreed because of the money -- and the glamour. After trying to reach the front to meet a young Russian officer, her lover at the time, Mata Hari was arrested by a French officer and charged with being a double agent. On a cold October morning she was shot in the Parisian suburb of Vincennes. Her iconic status as the ultimate femme fatale was cemented in 1931 when Swedish actress Greta Garbo played her in the film "Mata Hari". Brandsen and Tsygankova say they are telling a story of a free-spirited woman who got caught up in a changing world she didn't understand. On the day of her execution, Mata Hari is said to have declined a blindfold and blew kisses to her executors. "She died with her head held high," Brandsen said. Mata Hari runs from February 6 to 26 at the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam. (Reuters) - New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday that the state's health department would offer free advanced tests for individuals with symptoms of Zika, a mosquito-borne virus that is spreading rapidly. The tests would also include screening and confirmatory tests for antibodies against Zika and other related viruses, according to a statement released by the Governor's office. Nine people in the state have tested positive for Zika and they have recently returned from countries where a travel alert related to the virus has been issued, the statement said. The World Health Organization has declared Zika, which has been linked to thousands of suspected cases of birth defects in Brazil, an international public health emergency. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday added more countries and territories to a growing list of places where travelers risk being infected with Zika. (Reporting by Natalie Grover in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza) Schoolgirl raped by classmate According to reports, the girl was at the school awaiting transportation, at about 3.30 pm, when she was grabbed by a male student of the school who forced her into a classroom. Another male student was in the classroom and he sexually assaulted the teenager while the other schoolboy looked on. The girl managed to run out of the classroom and reported the incident to teachers at the school. She was taken to the Rio Claro Police Station where a report was made. She was also taken for medical examination. The two schoolboys, both 16, were detained yesterday in connection with the incident and charges are expected to be laid shortly . Lockdown at PoS Prison The exercise was ordered by senior prison and police officers following weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering. Officers also received support from the National Operations Centre (NOC). According to reports, at about 4.30 am yesterday police officers, as well as a team of prison officers, cordoned off areas close to the Frederick Street Prison and locked-down the facility. Some officers, who wore masks, were accompanied by police officers with sniffer dogs and all the cells at the prison were searched. Prisoners who were asleep at the time were awakened and searched by the raiding party. While some protested claiming that they were unfairly targeted, others cooperated. During the search officers found cell phones, improvised weapons, drugs, and other contraband items. Some of the items were found expertly concealed in the ceiling, under mattresses, and some in walls. While the searches were taking place, some prisoners used obscene and threatening language to the officers, however this did not deter them from their initiative, sources said. Yesterday, Superintendent Bruce of the Prison Service said that the exercise was lead by his colleague Senior Superintendent Lutchman. Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon said that the exercise was aimed at raiding the prison of contraband items illegally smuggled in. Two weeks ago, Minister Dillon and Attorney General Fairs Al- Rawi visited the Remand Section of the Golden Grove Prison as well as the Women Prison, both in Arouca, where they had a first hand look at the two facilities and took the opportunity to interact with inmates. Two thieves shot Carrying revolvers, the men entered CNA Supermarket, located along North Trace, New Grant, and announced a hold up. The men pointed their guns at the cashier and demanded that she hand over all the money from the cash register. At the same time, an Estate Inspector on duty pulled out his licenced firearm and shot one of the burglars. The second gunman began shooting at the guard. Within minutes police officers from the Tableland Police Station arrived on the scene and managed to capture the second gunman as well as a third man who was in a waiting vehicle parked near to the supermarket. The injured suspect was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital via ambulance where he remains under police guard. The suspects are said to be in their twenties. In a separate incident, another burglar was shot by police officers minutes after robbing a passenger of a taxi in Gasparillo. At about midday on Saturday, reports state that two men boarded a PH taxi in San Fernando on the Gasparillo Taxi Stand and when the driver reached the vicinity of Gasparillo, the men demanded money and a cellphone from the passenger in the car. The driver of the vehicle was bundled into the truck of his car while one of the thieves drove off with it. The car later crashed near Bonne Aventure. One of the suspects was later seen by police walking along Henry Street. There was an exchange of gunfire and the suspect was shot in his leg. He was captured and taken to hospital where he too is under police guard. Market vendor fined for store break-in Wellington fined him $4,000 to be paid within two days failing which he would serve nine months in prison. Hosein pleaded guilty before Wellington, who presides over the First Court, charged with breaking into Caribbean Touch Clothing Store at A&S Mall, on High Street, San Fernando, with intent to steal. Acting Cpl Travis Mohess, of San Fernando CID, laid the charge. Court prosecutor, attorney Cleydon Seedan, told the court that the store owner secured the business on January 14 last, at about 6 pm and went away. The following day he returned at about 5 am when he discovered a window broken, but no items were missing. On Thursday, police met Hosein at the police station where he admitted he broke into the place. Hosein yesterday apologized to the court yesterday as well as to the store owner. I was under the influence of alcohol. I dont know what made me do that. My Honour, I dont thief. I have a stall in the market, Hosein said. Granny held for sex acts on 7-year-old She also carried out similar acts on the child. Sources said the boy had been left in his grandmothers care since 2013 while his mother operated a casino in Central Trinidad. The boy allegedly told his mother of the acts of his grandmother. The 31-year-old woman went to the Cunupia Police Station and officers there contacted their colleagues at the Child Protection Unit in the Eastern Division. According to reports, WPC Rampersad removed the child from the home and he was taken to a doctor where he was medically examined. Information was also gathered from him. Sources said police officers late on Friday went to the grandmothers home in Sangre Grande and arrested her. She allegedly denied the allegations against her and said she was being targeted because of her complaints that the children were being kept in a gambling den. Up to late yesterday, the grandmother was said to be still at the Sangre Grande police station. She is expected to be charged with several counts of serious indecency. Sources said the child also told the officers of the CPU he was threatened with punishment if he told anyone his story. He told the police that the alleged sex acts took place in his grandmothers bedroom and that he was very ashamed. Source said the boy said he often cried when alone and was afraid to let anyone know of what was happening to him. Newsday was told that the boy, his mother and other siblings will be provided with counselling by the Witness and Victim Support Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service(TTPS). Police officers are also expected to interview the childs other siblings ascertain if they too were victims of similar acts. In an immediate reaction, Head of the Victim and Witness Support Unit, Margaret Sampson -Browne said while she could not comment on the details of the case as it was the first time she was hearing about it nevertheless warned that predators are all around. She said though that she had never heard of a case where a grandmother was the perpetrator. The world is not a safe place. In at least 70 percent of cases children are hurt by people they love and trust and respect. While calling for support for the victims, she also commended her officers for their dedication to duty in bringing sexual predators to justice. According to statistics, the highests incidents of serious indecency and sex acts against minors are committed in the South and South Western Districts. In 2015, there were 70 reports of sex acts and serious indecency committed against children in these regions. The other divisions where police recorded the second highest incidents of such reports were in the Eastern Division followed by the Northern Division. Two weeks ago, two men, ages 20 and 48, were arrested by Rio Claro Police in connection with the sexual assault of a 13-month-old baby girl. One of the suspects is said to be the boyfriend of the babys mother. The child was left in the care of the younger man while the mother attended classes. The two men are continuing to assist police in their investigations. That case is one of top priority for the Child Protection Unit whose head, Margaret Sampson- Browne, commended the victims grandmother for observing signs of the assault and calling in the police. The child was treated at the Sangre Grande District Hospital where a medical examination of the childs vagina, police sources said, revealed there was a widening of the area which was swollen and red. The discovery was made by the babys 42-year-old grandmother while giving the child a bath at their home in East Trinidad. She later contacted police and the men were arrested. The Child Protection Unit of the TT Police Service was informed and a report sent to the Childrens Authority. Man killed in Grande crash Marvin Sookdeo, of High School Road, Matura, was killed on Saturday after the car he was in crashed into a parked LPG gas truck at Foster Road in Sangre Grande. His death brings to 19 the number of road deaths for the year. According to police reports, Sookdeo was a passenger in a white Nissan B12 motor car which was heading north along Foster Road, Sangre Grande, at around 3.30 pm. Sookdeo, who was a front seat passenger, was decapitated after the vehicle crashed into the parked gas truck, when the 40-year-old driver lost control of the vehicle. Officers of the Sangre Grande Police Station visited the scene. An autopsy is expectecd to be conducted on Sookdeos body today. Eastern Division Police are continuing with inquires. Contractors seek meeting with minister However, they have also signaled their intention to simultaneously explore their legal options to ensure that the approximately 70 contractors are paid the monies owed to them by the highways main contractor. Speaking following a two-hour meeting at OASs main administrative building, Golconda, San Fernando contractors representative William Asbhy, said the meeting did not produce any solution to the issue. Sad to say that we did have the meeting, however coming out of the meeting there were no new movements in that the status remains the same, OAS said that they are willing to continue to work with us to find a solution, however we have been hearing that for the past seven months, Ashby said. He said the National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (NIDCO), together with AECOM had also been invited to the meeting to bring some clarity because what we realise is that AECOM, NIDCO and OAS they are not singing from the same hymn book. So we sought to have these people present so that we can get to the bottom of this and finally to get to the truth, but NIDCO did not show up, AECOM did not show up so the meeting went on in their absence and they (OAS), are willing to work with us, however we have been hearing that for the past 7 months, Ashby said. So our option now is, we have decided coming out of the meeting is we are trying our best we have sent out some invitations to have a meeting, sometime next week with the Minister of Transport, Mr Hinds, AECOM, NIDCO and OAS where we could get to the bottom of this problem in terms of payment for the contractors, Ashby said, adding, Simultaneously we will be exploring our legal options as to where we go from here. Told that the Minister had said he had not been informed about the cash flow problems to the contractors, Ashby explained that the contractors sought to use proper protocol and approach OAS before writing the Minister. We did not inform the Minister because we thought it best in all fairness to give OAS a chance to respond, because we believe in doing things the right way, you must have proper protocol so we went through the stages that we believe we are supposed to go to, now that we did not get the response that was expected and the Minister said he wasnt aware, we will now be seeking a meeting with the Minister to bring him up to date because we have all the minutes and everything from the meeting, both hard and soft copies, Ashby said. NATUC backs TTTI on Clico In a statement, NATUC said in July 2015, Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh ruled that the Finance Minister was obliged to provide information relating to CL Financials financial statements. NATUC expressed grave concern that then finance minister Larry Howai chose to appeal this High Court ruling. Saying that Howais action denied citizens of their basic right of access to information, according to the Freedom of Information Act, NATUC claimed it appears as if Finance Minister Colm Imbert, has chosen to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, and continue with the aforementioned appeal against the full disclosure of the CLICO bailout. Further alleging this is a direct contradiction by the new Peoples National Movement (PNM) administration to act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner, NATUC said citizens have a right to full disclosure on the details of the CL Financial bailout which it claimed will cost taxpayers in excess of $20 billion. NATUC recalled that in 2009, citizens were told that the bailout would cost taxpayers some $5 billion. According to NATUC, by April 3, 2012, then Finance Minister Winston Dookeran confirmed that $12 billion had been spent. By April, 2014, (then) Finance Minister, Larry Howai told the Parliament that the cost to the country was some $20 billion, NATUC said. Stressing that clarity on this matter is of critical importance at this time, NATUC said. We urge the Government to honour the High Court ruling and release the details on the CL Financial bailout forthwith especially in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. NATUC said these details should include the audited accounts for CL Financial 2008 2014 or any interim, preliminary, draft or unaudited statements of CL Financial Limited; full details of the official briefing to Independent Senators in September 2011 preparatory to the debate on The Central Bank (Amendment) Bill and The Purchase of Rights and Validation Bill 2011 (to include copies of all slides and details of the funds paid in the bailout Radha Permanand new CEO of TTCSI The new TTCSI CEO holds a first degree in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and has been called to the Bar of England and Wales, and in Trinidad and Tobago. In 2001 she was awarded a British Chevening Scholarship to attend the University of Nottingham where she earned her Masters in International Commercial Law (Distinction). She is a Certified Court Executive, and became a Fellow of the Institute of Court Management, Virginia USA in 2010. TTCSI President, Angela Lee Loy, yesterday said she and the Board were confident that Permanand will play a key role in providing the blue print to take the organisation forward by implementing high quality strategies and solutions to not only build the capacity of the TTCSI, but the Services sector as a whole. Lee Loy also said Permanand brings a useful combination of legal knowledge and management skills, having had an almost 20- year career in various roles. The TTCSI noted that its new CEOs experience ranges from criminal and civil litigation, corporate law, and competition law to court administration. She spent almost a decade at the Caribbean Court of Justice before moving to the CARICOM Competition Commission in Suriname. Thereafter, she has been in private practice. She has a proven track record of managing projects from concept to execution, capacity building and institutional strengthening, which would be a great asset to the TTCSI. She has worked in Montserrat and Suriname, and is well acquainted with the region, its challenges and its opportunities, the TTCSI stated. THA, Gopee-Scoon to collaborate The Minister noted that these meetings were held, with the objective of building business there are things that are unique to Tobago that we need to make known to the rest of the world. Lengthy, focused discussions were led by the Chief Secretary on the potential of Tobagos tourism, agro-processing and creative sectors. Also present at that courtesy call were Tracy Davidson-Celestine, THA Secretary for Tourism and Ray Sandy, Administrator of the THA; along with Norris Herbert, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry; Imtiaz Ahamad, chairman of eTecK, Randall Karim, Director of Policy and Strategy at the Ministry of Trade and Industry; Yolande Agard-Simmons, Manager of the Ministrys Corporate Communications and Mario Romany, Industry Specialist, Ministry of Trade and Industry. This was followed by a meeting with Dr Denise Tsoiafatt-Angus, THA Secretary in the Division of Community Development and Culture (DCDC). Discussions were held on the film, fashion and music sectors, and Dr Tsoiafatt shared details on the success of some of the Tobago designers, to which Minister Gopee-Scoon said, I am very impressed! Another critical meeting was held with Joel Jack, THA Secretary, Division of Finance and Enterprise Development who noted that, we are happy with the renewed impetus, stating that, this is a move in the right direction since any investment in Tobago is an investment in national development. At a media conference hosted at the end of the days series of meetings, Dr Tsoiafatt-Angus, said that the meetings were a, breath of fresh air and a light of hope. She said it was both a productive and rewarding meeting, as we were able to discuss a number of issues and establish a process for collaboration. For his part, Secretary Jack said that the Minister should be commended for continuing the dialogue with the Division for Finance and Enterprise Development, the people of Tobago should appreciate her keen sense of respect for the THA. He noted that he was particularly pleased as the team sought to leverage the expertise of the Ministry to support the initiatives of the Division as we seek to promote Tobagos products and services, regionally and internationally. Key outcomes of the series of meetings included: DCDC to submit a proposal to the Ministry of Trade and Industry seeking funding via the Aid for Trade Strategy; DCDC and CreativeTT to organize a symposium in March to address areas of mutual interest regarding the development of the Creative Industries (Film, Fashion, and Music). The purpose is to ensure that programmes undertaken by CreativeTT are made fully accessible and to obtain input from THA when developing policy InvesTT and ExporTT to be instructed to ensure coordination with the THA when hosting trade missions and other developmental initiatives; the Strategic Plan for the Fashion Industry to be shared with the DCDC for feedback; explore avenues for enhancing opportunities for Tobagonians to increase their exports and the THA, eTecK and Magdalena Hotel to meet before the end of February to discuss urgent matters pertaining to the management of the hotel facility Fuad: Revisit immigration policies In a statement, Khan said, This can ensure the migrant workforce and entrepreneurs entering our shores are bringing benefits rather than burdens to our society, and will regulate the aggregate immigrant population to ensure they do not pose any significant threat to our nationals. Consideration should also be given, he said, to TTs obligation to the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) that will give preference to other CARICOM nationals ahead of international immigrants, in the spirit of regional solidarity and good will. As TT grapples with an economic recession due to the consistent decrease of oil and gas prices on the global market and Governments inability to implement measures to stabilise the economy, Khan said, the time has come to revisit immigration policies and practices to determine the impact that migrants have on the nation, and whether or not the economy can sustain having them. While larger and more industrial countries can benefit from a broad immigrant workforce, he said that TT, a small country that has to contend with a shrinking GDP, needs to place the needs of citizens before foreigners who are unregulated by local legislation, but who also export their earnings back to their native countries. The expansion of immigrants, especially in the construction sector, retail businesses including fast food shops, he said, threaten both our local labour market and small business owners, due to the lack of regulations that these foreigners enjoy. He noted that there was no legislation that governs the salaries or working conditions of migrant workers, which earns them an unfair advantage over locals, as they are able to work longer hours for smaller salaries. This also creates inequity with local retail stores, as the foreign business owners can sell their items at reduced prices as a result of lower overhead costs, he said. In addition, Khan said, are the plethora of criminal activities that are allegedly conducted by many of these immigrants that are either ignored or unseen by local authorities, that requires investigation by the government. Instances of human trafficking and smuggling, he claimed occur regularly among immigrants, who in an attempt to extort the services of persons of their own nationality, either deceive or coerce others to migrate to TT, then hold their passports in an effort to force them into servitude. He noted too illegal gambling, conducted by immigrants operate alongside the national lottery draws, but instead of the bets and payments occurring through the National Lotteries Commission Board, the entire financial aspect takes place outside of the established system. The illegal gaming negatively impacts on the NLCB revenue collected by Government to fund developmental projects and social welfare grants. With unemployment among nationals increasing as a result of the immigrant labour market, Khan said, considerations should also be placed on the fact that this creates an environment where crime becomes appealing to many who may find themselves in a situation where they believe that they are without any alternative options. With these considerations in mind, it was Governments duty to deliberate and determine their priorities with regards to immigration policies in serving TTs best interests. Cuffie defends Moses appointment Cuffie was responding to questions from the media about Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses appointment as Minister in the Ministry of National Security. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley made the surprise announcement in the Parliament last Wednesday. Cuffie spoke as he paid a visit last week to the owner of the Wonderful Supermarket, Tumpuna Road, Arima, where Chang Cao was gunned down outside the business place about two weeks ago. When asked to explain Moses background and qualifications, Cuffie responded: I think that shows your conception of the Ministry of National Security. The ministry does not only hire someone with a disciplinary service background. The Ministry of National Security is responsible for mediation, counter-terrorism, treating with international cooperation and international security matters. There a number of international security matters that fall under the Ministry of National Security. Its not just a policeman or an army personnel who can serve as a Minister of National Security. If you check the history of the ministry you will find that most of the members of the Ministry of National Security would not have military or police background, Cuffie said. Asked if the appointment was a catalyst behind the murders of the two school boys, Mark Richards and De-Neil Smith, Cuffie said the Prime Minister had addressed the country on the issue via the media in the Parliament. He said that this would not be business as usual. He has ramped up security in a number of areas and following that decision, he has also appointed a Minister in the Ministry of National Security. You connect the dots. The PM announced that he was putting greater resources in the Ministry of National Security and then he announced the appointment of a Minister in the Ministry of national security. I dont think I should go further than that, Cuffie said. SOL JOSE VANZI E-mail: sjvanzi@newsflash.org Sol Jose Vanzi started her journalism career even while in college in 1963 as art critic of Don Chino Roces' WOMEN'S MAGAZINE, men's fashion writer for Daily Mirror, feature writer for the Saturday Mirror Magazine. After getting wounded while covering the local elections in Ilocos Sur, she left print journalism for television, joining pioneer broadcast journalist Marita Manuel at Channel 5, moving to ABS-CBN later. She covered Malacanang as ABS-CBN Presidential reporter, while at the same time writing and producing a daily TV newscast. The Proclamation of Martial Law in 1972 found her working at Malacanang as Broadcast Censor, a job she left to become Information Officer for the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and spokesman for CCP President, business mogul Fred Elizalde. Ted Koppel and Ken Kashiwahara finally convinced her in 1975 to cover the Philippines for ABC NEWS. She headed the Manila Bureau until 1986, when her independent TV production outfit STRINGER, INC. was representing 17 international TV News organizations covering the presidential snap elections. Her company provided cameras, crew, reporters, coordinated coverages and satellite transmissions around the world for the Ninoy assasination, the Agrava Commission hearings, 1986 Snap Election campaign, the EDSA uprising, and the numerous coups that followed. In November 1991, she was the person behind the scenes of one of the biggest international news events of the year: Imelda Marcos' return to the Philippines from exile in the United States. More than a hundred journalists from 40 countries boarded a 747 Evergreen chartered plane in New York to accompany and cover the tearful homecoming of the widow of President Ferdinand Marcos. While in self-proclaimed retirement, Sol wrote food, travel and human interest columns for the Manila daily newspaper TODAY, the weekly MIRROR Magazine, the inflight publication of Cebu Pacific, LIFESTYLE ASIA, and now the Philippine Headline News Online (PHNO). Recently Sol has resumed working as a foreign correspondent, doing reporting and research work for the Los Angeles Times, Voice of America, The Australian and Finland and Australian TV networks. She's also been commissioned to produce several episodes for the History Channel. She has covered six Philippine presidents from Diosdado Macapagal to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Considered a professional chef by the Philippine food industry, Sol developed original recipes and executed the very successful print and Internet DISCOVER COOKING campaign of the banana catsup company UFC. She's held cooking demos all over the Philippines and at several Bloomingdale's stores in the US East Coast. She's married to American journalist Vic Vanzi, former UPI deputy news editor for Asia and first Manila Bureau Chief of CNN. They live in Manila in blissful semi-retirement, enjoying weekend visits from their five adopted children and seven grandchildren, while raising their first grandson Kyle, a budding scientist.(Updated October 2004)> Syrias Phony Peace Talks - WSJ mikenova shared this story . Regarding the Syrian peace talks that began over the weekend in Geneva, allow us to raise two questions: What peaceand what talks? The regime of Bashar Assad is intensifying its longstanding sta... After Sanctions, Iran's Growing Role in the Caucasus mikenova shared this story . Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, President Hassan Rouhani and Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov attend the opening session of a two-day conference of the Economic Cooperation Organ... Fraternal Order Of Police Hacked, Private Files Reveal Criticism Of Obama, Sonya Sotomayor mikenova shared this story from International Business Times. Electronic files of the Fraternal Order of Police the United States largest police union were hacked Thursday, revealing a series of forum posts cr... Death of the GRU Commander mikenova shared this story from Defense One - All Content. In February 2014 , contact ceased between U.S. and Russian military intelligence as part of an overall shutdown of defense relations in the wake of Russias illegal annexat... , mikenova shared this story . , ... - mikenova shared this story . &#... mikenova shared this story . &#... Putin Lives in Fear of Another Chechen War mikenova shared this story from Newsweek. This article first appeared on the Atlantic Council site . I ask Ramzan Akhmatovich for forgiveness and thank him for not yet killing me. This is an example of the messages Russian ... 4,130,3524,130,352 4,130,352 4,130,352 This post has been generated by Page2RSS 2016-01-30Syria Kurds leave Geneva without peace talks invites: sources 2016-01-30 Syria Kurds leave Geneva without peace talks invites: sources | NATO - News: Statement by the NATO Secretary General on Russian air space violation, 30-Jan.-2016 | Welcome to the Age of the Commando - NYTimes.com | Judge rules... New BBG CEO John Lansing is having a positive impact, but is it enough? mikenova shared this story from BBG Watch. BBGWatcher January 29, 2016 Featured News , Hot Tub Blog BBG , David Ensor , defunct , employee morale , H.R. 2323 , Hillary Clinton , IBB , International Broadcasting Bureau , Jeff Shell , John... 4,130,2614,130,261 4,130,261 4,130,261 This post has been generated by Page2RSS This post has been generated by Page2RSS 4,126,6034,126,6032016-01-29U.N. launches Syria peace talks despite opposition boycott | Reuters 4,126,603 4,126,603 2016-01-29 U.N. launches Syria peace talks despite opposition boycott | Reuters - Mike Nova's Shared NewsLinks Review Mike Nova's Shared NewsLinks Review From The Major News Sources 2016-01-29U.N. launches Syria... 2016-01-29U.N. launches Syria peace talks despite opposition boycott | Reuters 2016-01-29 U.N. launches Syria peace talks despite opposition boycott | Reuters | Exclusive: EgyptAir mechanic suspected in Russian plane crash | Reuters | Hacker exposes private data of Americas biggest police union RT USA | Homeland... Puerto Rico Non-Profits Tax Filings Raise Questions mikenova shared this story from Washington Free Beacon. Alejandro Javier Garcia Padilla / AP BY: Alana Goodman Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla urged the public this week to ignore concerns about a corporate-funded charity t... 4,126,5184,126,518 4,126,518 4,126,518 This post has been generated by Page2RSS 2016-01-28**"A Comprehensive Threat" The Daily Vertical: A Comprehensive Threat 2016-01-28 **"A Comprehensive Threat" The Daily Vertical: A Comprehensive Threat M.N.: A threat? Most definitely, yes. An "enemy"? "Definitely not" (hopefully) , or not yet. Gen. Breedlove put it very well: "Stop hugging the Russian bear... Zika Virus Is Spreading Explosively, WHO Chief Says mikenova shared this story . The head of the World Health Organization said Thursday she would form an emergency committee that will meet in Geneva Monday to discuss the Zika virus, which she said is spreading explosively. ... 4,123,7184,123,7182016-01-27Russia And Ukraine Again Rank As Most Corrupt Nations In Eastern 4,123,718 4,123,718 2016-01-27 Russia And Ukraine Again Rank As Most Corrupt Nations In Eastern Europe | Kurds won't attend Syria talks, Saudi-backed opponents to take lead: Fabius - Reuters | One shot dead as FBI arrests Oregon occupati... Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia mikenova shared this story . The news agency Adnkronos reported in 2009 that Khalid Sheik Mohammed, under an assumed name, had traveled to Bosnia in 1995, as a humanitarian aid worker for Egyptian Relief. [ 20 ] Adnkronos quoted the Sara... Alexander Litvinenko inquiry: Friend of murdered spy sent T-shirt threatening him with polonium poisoning mikenova shared this story from RSS Feed for ministry127.com. A friend of Alexander Litvinenko received a T-shirt appearing to threaten him with polonium poisoning four years after the murder of the former spy. One of Mr Litvinenko's all... Alexander Litvinenko assassination theories - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia mikenova shared this story . Several theories on the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko were circulated following his death from polonium 210 poisoning on 23 November 2006. Litvinenko was a former officer of Russian Federal Security S... Exploring Al-Qaidas Russian Connection | The XX Committee mikenova shared this story from The XX Committee. [Note: This is an unusually controversial piece, even for my blog, for reasons that will quickly become obvious. Linkages between Al-Qaida and Russian intelligence have been discus... Chechen Nuclear Bomb Explodes in Renewed Litvinenko Inquest mikenova shared this story from Russian and Eurasian Politics Gordon M. Hahn. by Gordon M. Hahn Two years ago I suggested that the alleged November 2006 murder of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovskiis associate and former Russian co... The Real Crime of M. Khodorkovsky, by F. William Engdahl mikenova shared this story from . The Obama administration, in an unusual public rebuke, condemned a Moscow court for finding oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his former partner guilty of embezzling, saying it appears to be... Putin's Russia Is More Stable Than It Seems mikenova shared this story . By Steven L. Hall A quick scan of the press, social media and even some scholarly literature reveals significant discussion about the prospects for instability that are facing Russia. The general theory usual... How Russia Manipulates Islamic Terrorism mikenova shared this story from The Syrian Intifada. By Kyle Orton ( @KyleWOrton ) on September 8, 2015 Shamil Basayev and Murad Margoshvili (a.k.a. Muslem a-Shishani) Last year I wrote about the murky role Russia was playing in the Syri... mikenova shared this story from .. ... Did Putin Strike in the Heart of Washington, D.C.? mikenova shared this story from Accuracy In Media. Home AIM Column Did Putin Strike in the Heart of Washington, D.C.? Did Putin Strike in the Heart of Washington, D.C.? With the release of the British report into the role o... Vladimir Putin asked Bashar al-Assad to step down mikenova shared this story . Getty Images; AFP/Getty Images Igor Sergun was asked by Vladimir Putin in 2015 to propose to Bashar al-Assad that he step down. The answer was no Just weeks before his death on January 3, Colonel-Genera... Shifting and Uneasy Alliances Dot the Mideast Landscape mikenova shared this story . The Middle East once had two types of countries: Americas allies, who usually abstained from fighting one another, and Americas foes, whom the U.S. helped contain or defeat. Today, after years o... High court raises doubts over Puerto Rico sovereignty mikenova shared this story . WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Wednesday raised doubts about whether Puerto Rico should be treated as a sovereign state with powers that go beyond its status as a territory of the United States.... Human Traffickers Found to Exploit U.S. Visas and Data-Sharing Failures mikenova shared this story . WASHINGTON Human traffickers used fiance and work visas to bring dozens of victims to the United States, exploiting a lack of data sharing between immigration offices within the Department of Hom... WELCOME Welcome to Nicholas V's Blog on Blogger I have been blogging daily on this platform for several years now. It is surprising that I have persisted as the world is changing and "microblogging" is now the norm. I blog to amuse myself, make comment on current affairs, externalise some of my creativity, keep notes on things that interest me, learn something new and to surprise myself with things that I discover about this wonderful, and sometimes crazy, world we live in. I sometimes get the impression that I am on a soapbox delivering a monologue, so your comments are welcome. Please note that unless otherwise stated, all original material of whatever nature created by Nicholas V. in this weblog is and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No-Derivs 2.5 licence. http:// creativecommons.org 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 I'd love to hear from you, and take those ideas and blend them with mine. And if you're in favor of the continuing existence of the PLCB, well, send me that , too. If it makes sense, I'll publish; if it doesn't, I'll publish it also, but I may have to disagree with you. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. " ... 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 President Erdogan warned Russia to refrain from violating Turkeys airspace or it will endure the consequences. The warning was expressed after the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that a Russian SU-34 fighter jet violated Turkish airspace on Friday. Russia violated Turkish airspace in November and Ankara responded by firing down the jet after repeated warnings but Moscow refuted the claims stressing that it was within Syrian airspace. Erdogan told reporters upon departure for Chile that the latest Russian infringement which came despite all our warnings in Russian and in English is meant to escalate the crisis in the region. He warned that its continuity will lead to consequences without going into details as he lamented that these irresponsible steps do not help the Russian Federation, NATO-Russia relations or regional and global peace because they are detrimental. Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov of the Russian Defense Ministry said the allegations are part of Ankaras unsubstantiated propaganda as he questioned their ability to determine the aircrafts nationality. He explained that Turkey has not provided any proof of visual contact because it is the only way to establish the national identity of a warplane flying in combat missions with its transponder turned off. Konashenkov added that Turkeys airspace controlling radar stations can only determine the altitude, flight line, and speed of an aerial vehicle, but not its type or state affiliation. NATO and the US confirmed the allegations that Russia violated Turkish airspace and they both called for calm as they reiterated their support for the respect of Turkeys territorial integrity. Following the violations, Ankara has raised its military security alert to orange, its highest level of combat readiness. The would-be talks in Syria are proving to be a tug of war between the United Nations, the Syrian opposition High Negotiators Council (HNC) and the Assad-led government as conditions under which they should be held continue to be a source of disagreement. The HNC, the main opposition group, wants humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns, bombings to be halted and prisoners to be released before it can attend while Damascus insists on no preconditions. The UN which is leading the talks under the auspices of special envoy Staffan de Mistura wants the rebel coalition group to attend the negotiations so that it can push forward its arguments. After a meeting between the HNC delegation and de Mistura, the group threatened to leave Geneva with its leader Riad Hijab in Riyadh stating that their presence will not be justified if Damascus continues to commit these crimes and the UN and world powers are unable to stop these violations. HNC Spokesman Salim Muslet in Geneva said they are always optimistic but the problem is the will of the Syrian dictatorship to solve problems. The delegation of the Syrian government is in Geneva but seems to keep a low profile as the fanfare continues to hover around the participation of the HNC while the Syrian Kurdish group, the PYD regarded by Turkey as a terror group, the so-called Islamic State and al-Nusra Front are not among the invitees. Other opposition groups are serving as advisers in the talks. UN secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the warring parties to work in harmony as children and women in particular have borne the brunt of this fighting and it is time now to see the end of the fighting and other human rights abuses that have dominated the war. France is seemingly readying to recognize Palestine as the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius Friday announced that his country will move on to recognize the Palestinian State in the coming weeks if efforts to end the 50-year long conflict bear no fruits. If France recognizes the Palestinian state, it will join the list of Europe countries including the UK and Sweden which have irked Israel and stood in sympathy with the Palestinian people. France will engage in the coming weeks in the preparation of an international conference bringing together the Israeli and Palestinian parties and their main partners, American, European, Arab, notably to preserve and make happen the solution of two States, Fabius said. France as member of the UN Security Council has a responsibility to continue efforts to reach a two-state solution between the Israelis and Palestinians. France and the EU have started efforts to relaunch failed talks between Palestinians and Israelis. Last year during his last visit to the region, Fabius met with Palestines Mahmoud Abbas and Israels Benjamin Netanyahu and reminded both sides of the urgency to resume peace talks and to realize that only a two-state solution could help end animosity between the two people. Peace talks revived by the Obama administration failed in 2014 after parties traded accusations. Relations between Palestinians and Israelis have deteriorated since October last year when repeated clashes resulted in the death of around 150 Palestinians and 25 Israelis. This week, Prime Minister Netanyahu green-lighted another expansion project in the West Bank. UN Chief Ban Kin-Moon condemned the move saying it was an affront to the Palestinian people and to the international community. Palestinian frustration is growing under the weight of a half century of occupation and the paralysis of the peace process, Ban Ki-Moon said during a UN Security Council periodic debate on the Middle East. Netanyahu hit back saying that Ban Ki-Moons comments encourage terror. Egyptian popular cartoonist Islam Gaweesh has been arrested Sunday for publishing cartoons deemed critical of the regime. According to his lawyer Mahmoud Othman, the cartoonist was arrested in Cairo at his office at Egypt News Network headquarters, owner of the al-Warka paper. His laptop and other computers were seized. The interior ministry which accused him of publishing drawings that are offensive to the regime said in a statement that Gaweesh was arrested after official investigation revealed that his webpage was publishing news without license. Egypt News Network has been operational since 2011. Gaweeshs cartoons are said critical of the regimes unpopular policies and undemocratic management of the country including crackdown on political dissenters. His cartoons have become so popular and al-Warka paper publishing the cartoons has received more than 1.6 million likes. The cartoons have also been published in two volumes of comic books. Following the overthrow of Islamist and first democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, Egyptian authorities cracked down on regimes critics. Thousands of people including young pro-democracy activists have been arrested and jailed or are reported missing. Peaceful protesters, politicians and journalists have borne the brunt of a ruthless campaign against legitimate dissent by the government and state security forces. Tens of thousands have been arrested and the countrys prisons are now overflowing, with widespread reports of torture and hundreds held without charge or trial, Amnesty International complained in a statement last week. Also, according to Reporter Without Borderss 2015 report, Egypt is home to the largest prison for journalists in Africa and second around the world behind China, with 22 journalists locked up behind bars in 2015. DAVE KAUP NEW YORK (Reuters) - A 26-year-old former campaign staffer for Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has accused the campaign of sex discrimination, the New York Times reported on Sunday. Elizabeth Mae Davidson, who worked as an organizer in Iowa for the New York businessman, filed a complaint with the Davenport, Iowa, Civil Rights Commission, claiming female staffers were paid less than male staffers, according to the report. She claimed her requests to plan and speak at Trump's campaign rallies were ignored while her male peers were allowed to do so, it said. Davidson also claimed that Trump had addressed her and a young female volunteer with a remark that referred to the women's appearances, saying "you guys could do a lot of damage," the Times report said. According to the Times, Trump, in an interview on Sunday, denied having made the remark to the two women. He did not address the other two allegations, the Times said, and he said he did not remember Davidson but had been told she had done "a terrible job" while working on the campaign. Davidson, who was fired on Jan. 14, and her lawyer Dorothy O'Brien did not respond to requests for comment. Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for Trump, said the campaign had not been notified that a complaint had been filed. "These claims from a disgruntled former part-time employee are without merit," Hicks said. "She is in violation of her contract and continues to disparage the campaign with falsehoods, which, in addition to doing a terrible job, is why she was terminated weeks ago." (Reporting By Emily Flitter; Editing by Dan Grebler) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency. By Emily Stephenson and Emily Flitter By Emily Stephenson and Emily Flitter EXETER, N.H./MILFORD, N.H. (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, emerging from the first presidential nominating contest in Iowa as the leading Republican mainstream contender, portrayed himself in New Hampshire on Tuesday as the party's best hope to recapture the White House. But Rubio, 44, a U.S. senator from Florida, faces a strong field of establishment rivals in next week's New Hampshire primary after his stronger-than-expected third-place finish in Iowa behind front-runners Ted Cruz, 45, and Donald Trump, 69. "If I am the nominee, we are going to beat Hillary Clinton and it won't be by the flip of a coin," Rubio told supporters in Exeter, New Hampshire, taking a jab at the close Democratic race in Iowa between Clinton and challenger Bernie Sanders, where some precincts were decided on a coin flip. Other more mainstream Republicans including former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Ohio Governor John Kasich and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, are expected to do better in New Hampshire than in Iowa and vie with Rubio to become the establishment favorite. Cruz and Trump also headed to New Hampshire as the presidential race shifted to the second nominating contest in the state-by-state battle to pick nominees for the Nov. 8 election to replace Democratic President Barack Obama. Trump told a news conference before a rally in Milford, New Hampshire, that he felt "a tinge" of disappointment at losing to Cruz in Iowa.. The billionaire businessman also picked up an endorsement from former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown. Cruz told New Hampshire supporters he was like former Republican President Ronald Reagan, urging the state to help ensure his nomination by giving him a win in the Feb. 9 primary. "Every day from now until Election Day here in New Hampshire, I'm going to continue asking for the men and women of New Hampshire to make that same fateful decision yet again so that we can reignite the promise of America," Cruz said. Cruz, a conservative U.S. senator from Texas, beat Trump in Iowa's Republican caucuses with the help of the state's large bloc of evangelical Christians, but he might struggle to finish on top in New Hampshire, where Republican voters have a more secular and libertarian streak. Cruz apologized to rival Ben Carson over an email his campaign sent on Monday night implying Carson was dropping out of the race and his Iowa backers should switch to Cruz. "This was a mistake from our end, and for that I apologize to Dr. Carson," Cruz wrote. The campaign for Carson, who finished fourth in Iowa, said the retired neurosurgeon had accepted Cruz's apology but that the incident was the sort of "dirty trick" politics that Carson was trying to fight. The Democratic presidential contenders, Clinton and Sanders, also headed to New Hampshire after their close duel in Iowa, where the former secretary of state narrowly edged out the insurgent U.S. senator from Vermont. Vermont borders New Hampshire, and that proximity may give Sanders an advantage in next Tuesday's primary. Clinton's razor-thin margin was the smallest in Iowa Democratic caucus history. Concerns about the income gap and economic insecurity have helped Sanders, 74, a self-described democratic socialist who came from far behind in polls to throw a scare into the front-runner in Iowa. Clinton, 68, acknowledged she had to try harder to win younger Democrats, who backed Sanders in Iowa in large numbers. "Im going to have some work to do to reach out to young voters, maybe first-time voters, who have to make a tough decision, she told CNN. The two Democrats also renewed a days-old battle over when and where to have more face-to-face debates, and were still talking about potentially meeting in a televised debate on Thursday night in New Hampshire. 'HARD SELL?' On the Republican side, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who dropped out of the race in December, said a recent hardening of Rubio's position on immigration and the strength of his anti-abortion stance might cost him. Running to the right to win Iowa is going to be a hard sell here in New Hampshire, Graham, a supporter of Bush, told Reuters in Rindge, New Hampshire. The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio said he was the candidate to unite the Republicans in the November election, when the party hopes to regain the White House after Obama's two four-year terms. "People realized on the Republican side that we cannot afford - this country cannot afford - to lose this election, and that I give the party the best chance not just to unify our party but to grow it," Rubio told ABC's "Good Morning America" from Manchester, New Hampshire. The fluent Spanish speaker hopes to win back some of the Latino vote the party lost in recent years as it toughened its stance on immigration. A foreign policy hawk, Rubio advocates a tough approach to Iran, the Islamic State militant group and other U.S. foes. Iowans who supported Rubio at the caucuses said they responded to his relatively positive message and viewed him as the candidate most likely to beat Clinton should she be the Democratic nominee. Worries about issues such as immigration and terrorism have fueled the campaigns of Trump and Cruz. Christie on Tuesday accused Cruz and Rubio of lacking executive experience for the job of president. What do they do exactly in the United States Senate? They talk and they talk. They are not responsible for doing anything, Christie said at his campaign's New Hampshire headquarters in Bedford. Opinion polls of Republicans show Trump leading nationally and in New Hampshire. But the state has a long tradition of bucking trends in presidential primaries. Trump, the outspoken real estate magnate who dominated the Republican race for months, broke an unusual silence of more than 12 hours on Twitter after his defeat in Iowa. "Because I was told I could not do well in Iowa, I spent very little there - a fraction of Cruz & Rubio. Came in a strong second. Great honor," he wrote on Twitter on Tuesday where he has regularly posted scathing criticism of his opponents. (Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Mohammed Zargham and Megan Cassella in Washington, Ginger Gibson and John Whitesides in Iowa; Writing by Alistair Bell and John Whitesides; Editing by Frances Kerry, Howard Goller and Peter Cooney) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency. I am currently focusing on my work supporting Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action (gzcenter.org), so you will not find me posting here (except on rare occasion). I am, however, keeping my extensive listing of links related to (almost) all things nuclear up to date. Drop me an email at outreach@gzcenter.org if you find a broken or out-of-date link. Thanks and Peace, Leonard As the demand for housing in New York City continues to rise, one solution that city officials have proposed is relaxing the rules on minimum sizes for apartmentscurrently, new apartments can measure no smaller than 400 square feet. One building that's an exception to that rule is Carmel Place, NYC's first all-micro-unit building, where the largest apartment measures only 350 square feet. Interest in those apartments has been highmore than 60,000 people applied for the Kips Bay development's 14 affordable unitsbut how do they compare, rent-wise, to a more traditional studio? Real estate data gurus NeighborhoodX compared the rental price per square foot at Carmel Place to smaller apartments citywide, with interesting results. Rents in the Kips Bay development begin at $2,650 for a 250-square-foot unit, which comes to about $106 per square foot, which is nearly double the neighborhood average of $57 per square foot. So what's behind the jump in price? Apartments in Carmel Place are brand-new, for one (and some are even fully furnished), but also come with a whole slew of amenities, including a residents' lounge, an apartment "manager" (sort of like a combination of a butler and a super), social events, and work-live spaces in the building. Compare that to the rental below, at 300 East 33rd Street, which is 480 square feet and rents for $2,300 per month; it's in a doorman building, with amenities like bike storage, a gym, a "party room," and more. Outside of Kips Bay, the gap between prices per square foot narrowsin the West Village, for example, the average price is $100 per square foot, and in Soho, it's $99. Head north, though, and you can find better deals: East Harlem apartments average around $42 per square foot, for example. The data doesn't look at Brooklyn and Queens rentals, but a quick look through StreetEasy shows that prices vary across the board, with new rentals predictably commanding a higher price per square foot. One of the criticisms of micro-apartments, particularly the ones built using modular construction, is that they're pricier to build and developand thus, rent outthan a traditional apartment. So are they worth the price? We'll let you be the judge. NeighborhoodX: Studios vs. Micro-Rentals [NeighborhoodX] 9 New York City Micro-Apartments That Bolster the Tiny-Living Trend [Curbed] Inside the Surprisingly Spacious Model Unit at NYC's First Micro Building [Curbed] All Microdwellings Coverage [Curbed] A venerable Lower East Side institution is set to make its presence known across the East River. The Brooklyn Navy Yard announced that Russ & Daughters, founded in 1914, will be the anchor tenant of the forthcoming food hall at the massive Building 77 (h/t WSJ). The business will have 14,000 square feet on the ground floor of the renovated 16-story building. Brooklyn Navy Yard President & CEO David Ehrenberg called the Lower East Side appetizing shop a "quintessential New York institution" in a press release. "We are home to some of NY's biggest and most innovative manufacturers and are continuing that tradition by adding Russ & Daughters to our community," he continued. "Russ & Daughters will be an integral part of a bustling ecosystem at Building 77 and will also help attract and support a next generation of food entrepreneurs." "Russ & Daughters has been a part of the fabric of New York for 102 years. We hope to be around for at least as many more. The opportunity to continue our growthwithin the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 200 year old force of industry and development in New Yorkis not only incredibly exciting, it's a natural fit," said Niki Russ Federman, fourth generation owner of Russ & Daughters. Russ & Daughters will be doing quite a lot at their Brooklyn digs. Of course, you'll get the business's well-known retail operation, but that's just for starters. There will also be bakery operations, a nationwide shipping center, food production, catering for on-site and off-site functions, training for company employees, and classes for the public. The company will be adding 30 jobs when they open this space. The 60,000-square-foot ground floor space, which will be designed by Marvel Architects, is looking for more businesses and has launched a Request For Expressions of Interest for the enormous structure. Upstairs at Building 77, there will be commercial space, and a roof deck atop the 15th floor. In addition to Building 77, redevelopment at the Brooklyn Navy Yard includes Admiral's Row, which is slated to be the site of a Wegmans supermarket. There is also Green Manufacturing Center, which was projected to generate 800 jobs. Russ & Daughters Heads to Navy Yard [WSJ] See the Brooklyn Navy Yard's Colossal Building 77 Before Reno [Curbed] Marvel Architects to Design Food Court for Brooklyn Navy Yard [Curbed] NYC's First Wegmans Chosen to Replace Admiral's Row [Curbed] Request for Expressions of Interest in Building 77 Ground Floor [Official] All Brooklyn Navy Yard coverage [Curbed] Last week, the Independent Journal Review discovered that Ted Cruzs presidential campaign was sending out mailers in Iowa that attempted to use social pressure to drive voters to the polls. The mailers, which said VOTING VIOLATION at the top, offered recipients a report-card-like evaluation of their and their neighbors voting history, complete with real-looking scores and poor resulting grades. The mailers also, of course, encouraged recipients to CAUCUS ON MONDAY TO IMPROVE YOUR SCORE, and drag their neighbors along too. They even suggested, as a little extra motivation, that a follow-up grade might be issued following the caucuses. Written at the bottom, the mailers add that Voting registration and voter history records are public records distributed by the Iowa Secretary of State and/or county election clerks. This data is not available for use for commercial purposes use is limited by law. Scores reflect participation in recent elections. The only problem is thats really, really misleading, according to the actual Iowa Secretary of State, Republican Paul Pate, who as BuzzFeed News points out, strongly rebuked the Cruz campaign after learning of the mailers: Today I was shown a piece of literature from the Cruz for President campaign that misrepresents the role of my office, and worse, misrepresents Iowa election law. Accusing citizens of Iowa of a voting violation based on Iowa Caucus participation, or lack thereof, is false representation of an official act. There is no such thing as an election violation related to frequency of voting. Any insinuation or statement to the contrary is wrong and I believe it is not in keeping in the spirit of the Iowa Caucuses. Pate also explained how voters are never graded based on their participation, and neither the state nor local election officials track caucus participation in the first place. Voter records are also sold to campaigns, not distributed, he said. The Cruz campaign is generally thought to have one of the the best Iowa ground games in action this cycle, and case-in-point, they used real political science to come up with these mailers. A 2008 study out of Yale indicated that voters were indeed more likely to vote if they felt their participation would be made public after the fact. To get deeper into that, the Washington Posts Dave Weigel talked to Iowa political scientist Christopher Larimer: As a researcher who has done randomized field experiments with get out the vote mailings, Larimer wrote in an email, what I can say is that mailings that call attention to an individuals vote history as well as that of their neighbors have been shown to be effective in terms of significantly increasing voter turnout. We draw on norm compliance theory which suggests that publicizing behavior regarding a social norm increases the likelihood of norm compliance. That was if the ad was crafted in a smart way. The Cruz mailing is more negative than anything we have done and has the potential to elicit a negative response or what psychologists call reactance or boomerang effect, warned Larimer. And theres another problem. Though the neighbors names on the mailer seem to be real, the participation scores are likely fake, as the New Yorkers Ryan Lizza discovered: Dave Peterson, who happens to be a political scientist at Iowa State University and is well-acquainted with the research on social pressure turnout techniques, received a mailer last week. The Cruz campaign pegged his voting percentage at fifty-five per cent, which seems to be the most common score that the campaign gives out. (All of the neighbors listed on Petersons mailer also received a score of fifty-five per cent.) Peterson, who is actually a Hillary Clinton supporter, moved to Iowa in 2009. He told me that he has voted in three out of the last three general elections and in two out of the last three primaries. There are other people listed on my mailer who live in my neighborhood that are all different ages, but everyone on this sheet has the same score of fifty-five per cent, he said. Some are significantly younger and would have not been eligible to vote in these elections, and others are older and have voted consistently going back years. There is no way to get to us all having the same score. So far the Cruz campaign has been anything but repentant, insisting that the mailers are common practice, and that these specific ones used very narrow targeting, according to IJReview. And Cruz himself told reporters on Saturday that I will apologize to nobody for using every tool we can to encourage Iowa voters to come out and vote. Lizza got campaign spokeswoman Catherine Frazier on the record as well: This was a mailer designed from public information and modeled on past successful mailers used by the Iowa GOP to turn out voters, so that we can have as high of a turnout as possible on caucus day, she said. Ill leave it at that. She did not explain the methodology used nor did she answer my question about whether the numbers were made up. Sure enough, MoveOn controversially deployed similarly-themed mailers in 2012 to support President Obamas reelection bid, thought they didnt go nearly as far as the Cruz campaigns ones did: Needless to say, many, including Cruz rivals Rand Paul and Marco Rubio have criticized the mailers, though Rubio may want to call his office: So Team Rubio also put out a mailer like Cruz's this weekend, but it's got a different tone to it: pic.twitter.com/3BzqhmHS12 Alexandra Jaffe (@ajjaffe) January 31, 2016 And we all know that Donald Trump never misses an opportunity to point out someone elses bad press, especially if it reinforces the somewhat routine assertions that Cruz is a bit of a jerk: The Cruz campaign issued a dishonest and deceptive get out the vote ad calling voters "in violation." They are now under investigation. Bad! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 31, 2016 Trump has also now referred to the mailers as One of the most disgraceful things Ive seen in politics I think its one of the most horrible things in politics, which coming from Trump is, well, some sort of context. Exactly which way actual voters will be motivated by the mailers isnt clear, but there is at least anecdotal evidence that some Republican voters have been turned off of Cruz because of the ads. One woman who received the mailer told Ryan Lizza at the New Yorker that Im crippled, so I cant go to the caucus, adding that when it comes to being shamed in front of her neighbors, Thats what you call a bully. Participating in a prayer circle before speaking. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images WEST DES MOINES As we all wait for Mike Huckabee and special guest Chuck Grassley to show up for an eve-of-the-caucus event at a coffee shop here in Iowa, the talk is mostly about the weather: Will it keep campaign and media people from getting out of the state on Tuesday? Unlike, say, the Hillary Clinton rally at Lincoln High in Southside Des Moines tonight, or the Ted Cruz rally out at the state fairgrounds a bit later, there are no concerns about getting in the door or finding a seat. Parking was no more of a problem than it ever is in the Valley Junction retail-and-arts complex, and even the coffee line was short. Thats the way it goes for a candidate tied for a distant seventh in the final Des Moines Register poll. Unlike some of the other bottom-feeders, however, Huck doesnt have the money to move on to New Hampshire. Hes publicly said hell pack it in if he doesnt finish in the top three here. Thats currently as far away as the presidency of East Timor. So the end is very near. Ive talked to a couple of Huckabee volunteers from Arkansas, who have been on the long road with him (they actually have known him originally as their pastor for thirty years) and are understandably ready to bring this stage of Hucks political career to a merciful end. Its a bit sad for two reasons. The first is that he was the runaway winner in the caucuses eight years ago. The second is that he did everything he could to position himself as a populist candidate with strong conservative evangelical support this time around. But then Donald Trump showed up and ate half his lunch while Ted Cruz ate the other half. So here he is, accompanied by Senator Chuck Grassley, who is running out the string of ecumenical appearances he agreed to after he shocked Iowans by introducing Donald Trump at one of the tycoons rallies. The assembled Huckabee supporters at Inspired Grounds coffee shop in West Des Moines. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images The crowds actually respectable, which may reflect a residual affection for Huck, or perhaps just the ancient advance-staff wisdom of always choosing a venue smaller than what you you need. Huck was introduced by Arkansas attorney general Leslie Rutledge, who went biblical right off the bat, comparing her candidate to the prophet Nehemiah and not providing any hint that she expected anything other than total victory tomorrow. Huck does a nice tribute to Grassley, and the crowds sufficiently green or nonlocal enough to get a belly laugh out of the old saw about calling campaigning in all 99 Iowa counties the full Grassley. In keeping with the idea that theres something at stake in the caucuses, Huck goes indirectly after Ted Cruz he who ate the conservative-evangelical half of Huckabees lunch for messing with Grassleys accomplishments in subsidizing ethanol. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images Grassley (who has indicated he is running for a seventh Senate term this November) does a standard-brand GOP speech attacking Obama, and reminds people Iowa is a general-election battleground state. By way of turning the mike back over to Huck, the very senior senator rambled through shout-outs to the Second Amendment and the anti-choice cause. But they love him here. Huck begins with a random attack on east coast pollsters who presumably underestimated him; unfortunately, he cannot so easily dismiss Iowan Ann Selzer. He then thanks two very-former right-wing elected officials, Duncan Hunter of California and Andre Bauer of South Carolina. Then he climbs into the wayback machine and starts thanking the Arkansans who have been with him forever. But his voice doesnt quaver, and he moved right along to let the crowd know his campaign is sponsoring a special showing of the upcoming Christian-Right cinematic classic, Gods Not Dead II. Indeed, Huck gets the room fired up by citing an extremely vague prediction by Iowa governor Terry Branstad that Huckabee might surprise people at the caucuses (anything over 5 percent would be a big surprise indeed). And then hes into his stock speech, executing another drive-by on Ted Cruz as a freshman senator whos never accomplished a thing. In another example of how hes just running for the wrong gig at the wrong time, he offers a paean to the power of sweet reasonableness and good government. With a final tribute to God and to the crowd, whose hands he says he trusts to implement the divine will, he cuts it short, exactly a half-hour after the event formally began. I dont know if Mike Huckabee has a cabinet position in his future (hes probably too poor for an ambassadorship) or if Ive just watched his political valediction, but he, like everyone else here, is almost certainly watching the weather for a quick departure Tuesday morning. All we are saying is give Trump a chance. Photo: William Thomas Cain/Newsmakers/Liaison For much of Blue America, a White House occupied by Donald Trump is about as desirable as one occupied by space aliens. No other Republican candidate has anywhere near Trumps unpopularity among the general public. Yet its far from clear whether Trump would do more harm to progressive priorities than his GOP rivals: The mogul is actually to the left of his party on health care, entitlements, and infrastructure spending. Now, as details of Trumps foreign-policy worldview begin to emerge, antiwar Democrats may find that the Donald is a more appealing commander-in-chief than the putative moderates hes up against. In an interview with Bloombergs Josh Rogin on Sunday, Trumps chief policy adviser Sam Clovis laid out the three planks of the GOP front-runners foreign-policy doctrine: One, we want to take a very clear worldview in our foreign policy, dealing with the national interest, and let that be our organizing principles. Two is that we want to make sure that we engage in free markets, but we want those markets to be fairer as well. And three, if we do not have strong economic recovery, we cant do the other two if thats not a Trump doctrine, I dont know what is. Rogin notes that Trumps definition of the national interest is much narrower than GOP orthodoxy usually demands, essentially ruling out the use of military force for the purposes of democracy promotion or humanitarian intervention. Rather than seeking to change unfriendly, autocratic regimes militarily, Trump believes that economic engagement will lead to political opening in the long run, Rogin writes. He doesnt think the U.S. government should spend blood or treasure on trying to change other countries systems. In Cloviss telling, Trumps geopolitical strategy hearkens back to classical realism, a doctrine that prizes pragmatism over ideology one that bears greater resemblance to Obamas second-term positions than the interventionist neoconservatism of Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio. Reagan would go after Qaddafi, but he would do business with Saddam, Clovis told Bloomberg, likening Trumps doctrine to Reagans realpolitik. Its a case-by-case basis of whats in American interests. Although Trump has fiercely derided Obamas nuclear agreement with Iran, his criticism has focused on the terms of the deal, not on the desirability of dealing with Iran diplomatically. Trumps foreign-policy rhetoric brims with machismo, but his fantasies of alpha domination are most often set at a negotiating table, not a battlefield. Whereas Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and Hillary Clinton have all called for establishing a no-fly zone in Syria an act that would effectively entail shooting down Russian airplanes Trump has shown no inclination to kick off a second Cold War. The mogul has proposed total war against ISIS, but he seems to believe that genuine states, even hostile ones, can be reasoned with. According to Clovis, Trump views Putin and other dictators as businessmen simply trying to advance the interests of their respective organizations. This perspective puts a corporatist gloss on the empathetic diplomacy that progressive realists like Robert Wright have championed. To be sure, there is still much for liberals to fear and loathe about commander-in-chief Trump. At times, the GOP front-runner sounds like he is skeptical of human rights not only as a grounds for intervention but also as a concept worth honoring in any way. In multiple speeches, Trump has called for the collective punishment of women and children in ISIS territory. And liberal internationalists will find little to cheer in Trumps fondness for friendly autocrats, including ousted Egyptian kleptocrat Hosni Mubarak. But after the neoconservatives catastrophe in Iraq, and humanitarian interventionists Libya disaster, many progressives should see appeal in Trumps hands-off attitude toward foreign affairs. In fact, many of Bernie Sanderss foreign-policy statements his skepticism toward intervention, insistence that the mooslems take ownership of Middle East conflicts, and his praise of Jordans autocratic leader are all in keeping with the Trump doctrine. A Trump presidency is surely a frightening prospect. But the Donald may actually be a more trustworthy steward of the nuclear codes than Establishment hawks like Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush so long as no foreign leader insults him on Twitter, anyway. Migrants and refugees arriving from Austria wait to be registered at a processing center in Passau, Germany. Photo: Johannes Simon/Getty Images Germany accepted more than 1 million migrants and refugees in 2015, and more keep coming as thousands of people risk the journey to Europe by the week. But now Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has opened the country to asylum-seekers, is backtracking a bit on the warm welcome. In remarks over the weekend, she said that she doesnt expect refugees from Syria or Iraq to be long-term residents, and that they should return to their homelands once the regional conflict ends. This is a temporary residential status, Merkel said over the weekend during a meeting of her political party, the Christian Democratic Union. 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. Merkel and, by extension, the Christian Democratic Union have come under scrutiny for what many see as a too-lax policy toward refugees. The chancellors position became increasingly controversial after many sexual assaults occurred in Cologne over New Years, some of them allegedly committed by asylum-seekers from the Middle East and North Africa. Protests against Merkels stance have popped up across the country, and support is swelling for one far-right party whose leader called on German police to shoot migrants trying to cross the border illegally. A new German poll, according to The Telegraph, shows support for Merkel and her party at a three-year low, and found that nearly 40 percent of her constituents say they think Merkel should resign over her handling of the refugee crisis. A Confederate battle flag at an anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim protest in Germany? https://t.co/kqzSJFviqU via @welt pic.twitter.com/UZqJ4Qxjsr Roland Klose (@rwklose) January 31, 2016 Still, Merkel has refused to completely close off Germany to desperate refugees though the country has tightened borders and, post-Cologne, tried to pass laws that would make it easier to deport asylum-seekers accused of violent crimes. Germany has also been strict about turning away economic immigrants from parts of Africa and Balkan states that are relatively peaceful. Even so, more than 62,000 people fled to Europe in just the first month of this year, as Germany and the rest of the European Union scramble to deal with the million-plus whove already arrived. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images The vibe at Jeb Bushs downtown Des Moines caucus briefing Monday afternoon is upbeat and upscale but its taking place under the shadow of reports circulating in the right-wing media that the campaign is paying an army of seat fillers $25 an hour to make this rally look full. Paid or unpaid, the attendees are more Young Republican than the Baptist-camp-meeting look that prevailed at the Mike Huckabee rally I attended Sunday. But Huck and Jeb are roughly in the same place going into Monday nights caucuses that is, tied for seventh place with Kasich, Fiorina, and Santorum in the final Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll. On the other hand, Huck isnt going anywhere but out of the race tomorrow, and by most accounts Jeb has enough of an investment in New Hampshire and enough left of his shock-and-awe super-pac haul to push on (indeed, hes heading out to the Granite State right after this event). The deadly threat to him (aside from the plenary threat Donald Trump poses to all Establishment Republicans) in Iowa is a Marco Rubio finish that excites former Jeb backers into switching horses and pressuring the Bush campaign to stop its snippy-gram ads criticizing the Florida senator. When Jeb walks in, the crowd starts chanting President Bush! President Bush! which sounds familiar. A Congressional Medal of Honor winner who begins the proceedings refers to him as George er, Jeb Bush. Governor Terry Branstad introduces Jeb today (after a tribute to wounded veterans). Like Chuck Grassley, hes doing a lot of that, without endorsing anyone but without question, Branstads brand of Republicanism is a lot closer to Jebs than to that of the two candidates likely to finish at the top tonight. He does his governors are better leaders number, which ol Terry has done countless times in previous cycles, and then rolls through Bushs resume, with special emphasis on one of Jebs Achilles-heel issues, education, which is interesting. Amazingly, Branstad concludes without mentioning ethanol, and turns it over to Jeb with an awkward reference to a fund-raiser Bush did for him in Florida. Suddenly, two young men stand up and yell out, Weve been here for two hours and havent gotten paid. They are quickly ejected by security. The interruption is yet another recapitulation of the general sense of failure that has haunted Jebs campaign from around the time Trump entered the race. When he finally gets going, Jeb attacks Obama as someone who blamed his predecessor (President Bush! President Bush!) for the countrys problems, and failed to keep his promise which Bush locates in his 2008 Iowa victory speech rather than the 2004 convention speech to be bipartisan. This isnt news anymore, but Jeb now unabashedly cites his brother along with his father as examples of presidents who got it right on national security. At one point, he defiantly announces his brother is the most popular Republican alive today. No problems with that in this crowd. What strikes one most while listening to Bush is that he just cant manage the apocalyptic tone of most of his Republican rivals. For him, ISIS or even radical Islamic terrorism, to use the obligatory incantation is an external threat like others the country has faced, but not an existential threat, much less an ally of the bad, bad people in the Democratic Party plotting to destroy America from the inside out. His altar call is perfunctory; after all, people are waiting in New Hampshire. But no, hes taking some questions. The first is about federal budget deficits, which seems to fit this crowd pretty well. Jeb gets most animated talking about civil service reform, which isnt a phrase one hears often on the 2016 campaign trail. And Lord, heres a question about the death tax. Interestingly, Jeb goes off on a tangent about civility and not impugning peoples motives, and flips that over into a call for term limits on the grounds that pols are too worried about being primaried. All in all, I feel like Im listening to a Republican candidate from 20 or 30 years ago. But thats a reflection less on Jeb Bush than on how rapidly the Republican Party has moved to the right. And its interesting to see that, having spent $80 million or so to descend from the front-running position to where he is now, hes not frantically signalling his right-wing bona fides. Having said all that, the odds are pretty low that Jeb Bush will still be in this race by the time his own state comes up on the primary calendar on March 15. So if you like his brand of Republicanism, dont blink. The bombings occurred in Sayyida Zeinab, a district just outside Damascus. Photo: LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images On Sunday, the day after envoys arrived in Geneva to attempt to resolve the Syrian war, a triple bombing by the Islamic State near Damascus killed more than 70 people and wounded more than 100. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the attack targeted a bus full of Shiite militiamen 42 of those killed were fighters with ties to the Syrian government, the New York Times reports. (The Islamic States fighters are Sunni Muslims who consider Shiites to be heretical.) Attackers first detonated a car bomb near a bus stop, and as people rushed in to help, two suicide bombers set off more explosives. The attack occurred in the Sayeda Zeinab district, which is home to one of the holiest shrines for Shiite Muslims. The shrine was undamaged. The attack comes as envoys arrive in Geneva for the first Syrian peace talks in two years. On Saturday, the leader of a group of envoys that opposes Syrias Bashar al-Assad told Reuters they were keen to make this negotiation a success, but Bashar Jaafari, the head of the Syrian delegation, said Sundays attack confirm[s] what the Syrian government has stated before: that there is a link between terrorism and the sponsors of terrorism from one side. Assads government refers to all those fighting to overthrow it as terrorists, but in this case Jaafari seems to suggest a link between ISIS, a Sunni group, and the anti-Assad Syrian rebels, who are also mostly Sunni. On Friday a U.N. mediator met only with the Syrian government delegation; the rebels the Saudi-backed Higher Negotiations Committee refused to participate in the conversation until detainees were released, government blockades were lifted on rebel-held areas, and Russian and Syrian forces stopped bombing civilian areas. But on Sunday the HNC relaxed its stance, and the U.N. mediator said hes still optimistic and determined that the talks will proceed. The U.N.s goal for these meetings is to impose a cease-fire and find a political solution to the Syrian war, which has killed at least 250,000 people, among them yesterdays victims. Sarah Palins inevitable endorsement of Donald Trump involved a speech that at least one person Florida representative Alan Grayson has suggested was written by a bunch of drunk monkeys sitting at typewriters. It was mostly catchphrases loosely joined together, but it did contain a few contentious moments, like the lines in which she appeared to blame President Obama for her son Tracks arrest on a domestic-violence charge after he beat up his girlfriend. During an appearance on Today Monday morning, Palin flatly denied blaming Obama for anything. I dont regret any comment that I made, because I didnt lay PTSD at the foot of the president, she told Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie. I didnt say that. Well, okay. Lets look at the speech: My son, like so many others they come back a bit different. They come back hardened. They come back wondering if there is that respect for what it is that their fellow soldiers and airmen and every other member of the military so sacrificially have given to this country. And that starts from the top. Its a shame that our military personnel even have to wonder, if they have to question if they are respected anymore. That comes from our own president. Where they have to look at him and wonder, Do you know what we go through? Do you know what were trying to do to secure America? So when my own son is going through what he goes through coming back, I can certainly relate with other families who kind of feel these ramifications of some PTSD and some of the woundedness that our soldiers do return with. Instead of admitting that, yes, she sure made it sound like she blames Obama for her sons condition, Palin instead accused Guthrie and Lauer of going back on a (nonexistent) promise to discuss only Iowa politics. As things go in the world of media, you guys dont always keep your promises, she told them, because its definitely the Today shows fault that she speaks almost entirely in word salad. Several U.S. cities and states are currently considering laws to regulate the small, personal-use quadcopters weve all agreed to call drones, but once those laws are in place, how do you stop drone pilots who violate them? The Dutch National Police are way ahead of us on that one: Theyve been training eagles to take down unruly drones. A video hit YouTube Monday showing an eagle trained by Dutch police and the Hague-based raptor-training firm Guard From Above as it snatches a drone from midair without suffering any damage from its spinning props. At the IEEEs Spectrum blog, Evan Ackerman raised some concerns Monday about the safety risks of using birds as anti-drone weapons, especially in the U.S., where some eagle species are legally protected. Guard From Above has an answer to the question of bird safety, although its not exactly reassuring: In nature, birds of prey often overpower large and dangerous prey. Their talons have scales, which protect them, naturally, from their victims bites. Of course, we are continuously investigating any extra possible protective measures we can take in order to protect our birds. The Dutch National Police have also commissioned a study to make sure that drone-snatching wont damage the birds claws. Meanwhile, in the U.S., a Kentucky judge ruled in whats being called the drone-slayer case that a man was within his rights to shoot down a hobby drone that had hovered over his property multiple times. The drone-slayer, William Merideth, used a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with buckshot to remove the offending drone. His neighbor, the drone pilot, is currently suing in federal court, asking a judge to determine whether flying a drone over private property qualifies as trespassing. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg Finance LP/Getty Images Over the weekend, news spread that Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, seeking to drum up support during Mondays Iowa caucus, had done something pretty sleazy: His camp had sent out official-looking mailers to Iowa voters with VOTING VIOLATION stamped ominously in red on them. As you can see, the mailers graded voters on their past voting attendance and encouraged them to CAUCUS ON MONDAY TO IMPROVE YOUR SCORE. In addition to the fact that theres no such thing as a voting violation, meaning this mailing probably freaked out a bunch of Iowans who had done nothing wrong, Mother Jones makes a strong case that the scores were likely made up, anyway amusingly, the Cruz campaign sent a mailer to a political-science professor at Iowa State who is very familiar with his own voting record, and he told MoJo that he was given a score of F despite having voted in five of the last six primary and general elections. But setting aside the morality of this, its fair to ask: Would it be likely to work? This is, after all, a behavioral-economics-flavored attempt to nudge peoples behavior in one particular direction, toward voting, and theres been a lot of research on this. MoJo notes that This direct-mail strategy is inspired by social science that shows that a citizen is more likely to vote if he knows his neighbors will be told whether he went to the polls. Indeed, the mailer contains a line indicating that A follow-up issue may be issued following Mondays caucuses, hinting at a wee bit of public shaming should someone fail to vote. Thats true, but theres an element of the mailer that may also nudge voters away from voting even setting aside the ick factor surely spreading over Iowa this morning as people find out about the dishonest mailing. Look at the numbers in the above tweet: It suggests everyone in his immediate neighborhood is crappy at voting. Theres a chance that voters response to this wouldnt be Oh, I better vote, but rather Hmmm, I guess voting just isnt that important to my local community, so Im not going to bother. In my 2014 article on why awareness-raising is overrated, I noted the possibility for this sort of backfire effect during certain types of campaigns: In the most unfortunate cases, raising awareness can have the opposite of its intended effect. In one study famous to social scientists, visitors to Arizonas Petrified Forest National Park appeared to be more likely to steal petrified wood when presented with information about the high frequency of other park visitors pilching, because the information normalise[d] undesirable conduct, as the researchers put it if everyone else is stealing wood, who cares if I take some, too? (The same logic applies to promoting other sorts of environmentally conscious behavior.) The authors of an International Rescue Committee literature review on preventing gender-based violence came to a similar conclusion: Awareness campaigns [about gender-based violence] often propagate a descriptive norm that [violent] behavior is prevalent in the community, perhaps licensing violent behavior rather than activating behavior to reduce GBV, they wrote. One of the co-authors, Laurie Ball Cooper, told me that the #YesAllWomen campaign could be an example of this. If your focus is on how common the behavior is, you may actually reduce the likelihood of a bystander stepping in to to stop it, or you may reaffirm the perpetrators belief that they can do whatever the undesirable behavior is without repercussion, she said. (Though she also pointed out that the campaign could have important goals beyond behavior change, like giving heretofore silent women a forum for relating what happened to them.) Now, the Cruz mailer didnt only describe neighbors voting behavior. Theres other stuff in there, too. Dr. Hana Shepherd of Rutgers, who recently co-authored an important paper on using social-norm nudging to fight bullying, told me in an email that the Cruz mailer is basically pitting the power of social norms (in the negative sense, as you noted) against the power of public shaming. I dont know any research that pits them against each other, probably because it would be impossible to get lying about your neighbors through an IRB So its unclear whether the shaming aspect would win out over the nobodys-voting aspect, in other words. Not that thats close to the biggest reason this mailer was a bad idea. Photo: BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images A lot of people have a lot of conflicted feelings about the ethics of gene-editing, and the news out of the U.K. this morning is sure to amplify them. A British scientist just got approval from the governing body over fertility research in that country to begin experiments on embryos using CRISPR, the controversial gene-editing therapy technique. That decision, which is the worlds first approval of public funding for this type of experimentation, will allow scientist Dr. Kathy Niakan of Londons Francis Crick Institute to start work she argues may help advance infertility treatments, such as reducing miscarriage rates and improving in vitro fertilization methods. Niakin and the rest of her team want to understand more about what goes wrong in the earliest stages of embryonic development, and through their study, they believe they may be able to learn more about those genetic changes that cause those errors in development; through the use of the CRISPR technology, they say they may be able to snip away the problematic parts of DNA that cause them. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority the Department of Health group that approved Niakans request also ruled that Niakan and her team cannot implant the genetically modified embryos into women; also, the scientists will only be able to use the donated embryos for no more than 14 days. In other words: This specific set of experiments is not itself about designer babies. Still, the ethics of such experimentation are tricky to wade through, to put it mildly. This news, for instance, comes nearly one year after Chinese scientists reported that they had experimented with gene-editing embryos. Those trials failed either with the death of the embryo or the failure to alter its genes and were met with sharp criticism from some leading members of the global scientific community. Their study should give pause to any practitioner who thinks the technology is ready for testing to eradicate disease genes during I.V.F., Dr. George Q. Daley, a Harvard researcher who studies stem cells, told the New York Times last April. This is an unsafe procedure and should not be practiced at this time, and perhaps never. Similar experiments are not likely to begin in the U.S. any time soon, as the Chinese scientists experiments prompted the National Institutes of Health last spring to confirm its ban on research involving genetically modifying embryos. Even so, the rapid advances in gene-editing are going to be fascinating to watch. Photos from Rita Labib and Jay William Washington, as seen on @BeBeautifulLA Photo: jwilliamwashington.com, Rita Labib Shawanna Davis was trying to fight tears. On the phone from L.A., she recalled a comment from a follower who said she was barely holding on after a bad breakup. When you actually talk to someone who is sobbing and she doesnt know what she can do, what her next move is in life, and she wants to hear your voice to calm her down, it changes everything. Thats when I realized it wasnt about me anymore. Davis isnt a therapist, a celebrity, or even a spiritual leader. She curates @BeBeautifulLA, the Instagram account thats unapologetically redefining what it means to be black and beautiful. Right now there are nearly 8,500 photos under @BeBeautifulLA. A young girl with an afro, smiling; Naomi Campbell on the cover of Vogue Portugal; Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas; a naked woman with her back to the camera, stretch marks and rolls of flesh in full view. Its easy to tell that each image is selected with an artists eye. Most of the photos are editorials sourced from magazines, or theyre scooped from photographers who capture black women in all of our varied states: whimsical, stoical, fragile, and passionate. Along with each image, Davis attaches a poem in the caption. She looks all over the internet to strike the perfect match between photo and verse. Tumblr and submissions from young, eager poets are helpful. The process is only a little different from the early days of @BeBeautifulLA, when, Davis says, I would go online and just type in the word love. From there I would find a quote or a poem. The roots of @BeBeautifulLA reach back to 2012. Actually, they reach back further than that, but lets begin there, when Davis, an artist who earns a living by consulting beauty brands, held an art show at Papillion Art in L.A. She commissioned the work of black female artists because she dreamed of a space that praised images of black women, made by black women, that told stories about black women. But she was nervous. What if no one came to the show? It was a rainy day in March. My boyfriend and I pull up and it is like a packed house. People are outside the door waiting to come in. That was the moment when you can literally feel your wings start to spread. Its a feeling of Oh my God, you have to dream bigger. That show brought me to Instagram, where I can do that every day. Looking back on the opening night of that show, gallery founder Michelle Joan Papillion remembered the speech Davis gave: She started explaining to the audience that when she was a little girl she would sit in her room and dream about having a place where she could put beautiful art and beautiful people together. She teared up during that speech because that moment was happening. In retrospect, its not surprising that someone like Davis created a space to celebrate black beauty. Born in Tulare, a tiny inland Californian town that sits at the midpoint of San Francisco and Los Angeles, Davis grew up with beauty on her mind. Her mother, four aunts, and grandmother were the stylish women of the town. Piles of fashion magazines occupied her living room with regularity. As a child, Davis would cut out the clothes worn by models like Iman and Naomi Sims in magazines and attach them to her childhood paper dolls. Neither popular nor an outcast, she struggled to find footing in a world that didnt underscore the intersection of self-aware black girls who enjoyed pieces of white popular culture. I was the awkward black girl Issa Rae talks about. I was loving New Kids on the Block but still all up in my Essence magazine, trying to realize why Joey McIntyre didnt love me. Id kind of go back to my younger self and give her a little nudge to let her know its okay, you know. Davis says @BeBeautifulLA was launched because of a few factors. She was living in L.A. and needed a creative outlet. There was the art show, of course, that was a wild success. Her friends and boyfriend could also see she had a knack for celebrating beauty in a thoughtful way. Davis first launched a blog, but quickly abandoned it the rhythm of that world wasnt quite right for her. She finally landed on Instagram in 2012. I wanted it to feel very much as if you were in my home. When my friends come to my home, there are books and we like to read, we like to play with beauty products, and we like to talk about hair. This is my vision board. Instead of doing a journal every day, Ill put up a picture with a poem and it will be about black girls and Im not going to apologize for only posting black women. When I go to a newsstand theres no apology that I only see three of me. Black women have to find a way to know that theyre beautiful. It wasnt long before famous faces discovered @BeBeautifulLA. Tracee Ellis Ross, Sanaa Lathan, Gabrielle Union, and Kelly Rowland follow the page. Skrillex, surprisingly, does too. The notoriety is exciting, yet strange to Davis. I never thought I would get celebrities to follow me. There are a few of them and they tag their ultracelebrity friends and Im like oh my gosh. I used to be tempted, when theyre commenting on my posts, to put it up on my page, but my page isnt about that. Thats their safe conversation, thats their safe space to talk and be sista-friends. Her Instagram is like a painters jumper cables, artist Donald Robertson wrote to me in an email. It just gets you going. Its flesh and fashion and color. All the stuff that makes me pull out my paints. Her eye and her edit is a constant inspiration to me. You can tell the respect between Davis and Robertson flows both ways. Talking to Donald is like Warhol status. Hes given me a certain platform, the little blue check mark that I dont have. And hes not a black man, hes a white man, but he understands it, he doesnt question it. He knows that what Im doing matters to someone, and that means a lot. Thats not to say @BeBeautifulLA runs clear of the pernicious commenters of Instagram. In fact, there are plenty. I get racist comments daily. And Im like really, thats what you saw in that poem and that picture of a beautiful woman? There are 900 million Instagram pages and you found me. So what does Davis do to counter malicious comments? Delete. I have no time. Im not here to educate you when you want to say baboon, monkey, look at that darkie. Her vigilant stance in honoring women extends to size as well. I make sure that big women are represented on my page. I feel like its my duty to let the world know that I have 80,000 people now, and that this woman is brave and shes beautiful and were not cookie-cutter. That shes vulnerable enough to show the rolls in her back, the stretch marks on her body, the cellulite in her thighs. I take it personally when people want to come over and write a laughing emoji. There might be a girl who may look just like that woman in that picture and that woman may never meet that girl, but that girls going to screenshot that picture and shes going to look at herself differently. You can call @BeBeautifulLA many things, but unfiltered honesty sits at its core. Nude black bodies and equally raw poetry fill the feed. Davis curates these images with a precise purpose. We need to see the black female form naked. Little black girls with big butts and full lips, theyre getting teased because the European look with the black girl features is the norm now. I need little black girls to know that, your natural hair with these lips, it all makes sense. Davis began @BeBeautifulLA during a time of selfie-nation, as she calls it. She didnt want the account to be about her, and that set it apart. Though she now sprinkles the account with her own image every ninth photo or so just to peek through and say Im here! @BeBeautifulLA will always be for black girls, young and old. She dreams of breaking through the wall of digital and into print with a @BeBeautifulLA book. Its going to go right back to little Shawanna she used to make books of paper dolls and fashion and words. It would be a collaborative thing because my page is about the sum of us. Are we having fun? Photo: NBC On Wednesday at 4 p.m., I was eating a turkey club at Senor Frogs in Times Square. (I am the writer, so I dont have to tell you why.) While a tremendously nice man with a septum piercing forged two snazzy balloon hats for my friend and me, we chatted with him about his job how long had he been in the balloon-hat-fashioning business? Im a professional dancer as my full-time thing. I just do this because its good money. He pulled a red and a blue balloon from a bunch tied together like a haystack, and twisted them into a flower bud. I paid for his service, shoved the magnificent creation onto my head, and continued to eat my turkey club. Go figure: The sandwich sucked. Because the Senor Frogs of New York City is subterranean, cell-phone service is more or less garbage, and though I briefly entertained the idea of connecting to the Wi-Fi to brag to people that Id just seen Hamilton, I resisted. My friend and I had played hooky to catch the show and wed spent the last five hours in places where cell phones either werent permitted or didnt work. The workday from our noon departure onward passed blithely by without us. By the time I got home that night and logged onto the web, I noticed something discomforting: Though I had been unconnected to the virtual world for hours, that didnt mean it had had ceased to carry on. Kanye West had started a new beef, the Zika virus was spreading, some sort of raccoon monkey tried to wife a woman. Leonardo DiCaprio met the pope? I logged into Slack, the work-chat app that ordinarily sucks up all of my time, but scrolling back through the jokes, commentary, and general discussion of the days news was overwhelming, almost impossible to keep up with. Like an archaeologist on a virtual dig, I attempted to piece together the conversation: This joke referenced this thing, which connected to this, which led to this embedded tweet. The bones didnt add up to make even half of a conversation dinosaur. I pouted. I had missed a day of playful water-cooler banter. Why were my co-workers having online fun without me? Slack now has more than a million users a day, but even if it didnt exist, thered be Gchat, HipChat, fun reply-all email chains to use as welcome distractions from the daunting crush of the never-ending workday. Even Twitter serves as a place for professionally slacking off, because although tweeting at other industry people looks like work, its just fucking around to the tune of a thousand jerk-off GIFs in an echo chamber. But the relaxed interface of Slack, one that is reminiscent of AOL chat rooms of yore but with emoji and GIFs and plug-ins, makes missing it the equivalent of all your friends going to a party when you didnt get the invite. It doesnt matter if the party wasnt even fun (it is work, after all) youre still a little bummed you werent there. The debate over whether we should be checking work email at home is dreary and overwrought most people now seem resigned to the fact that they will do it even if they dont want to. In a recent New Yorker profile of Ford Foundation president Darren Walker, Walker admitted that hed had to train himself to not email his staffers during off hours, or else they became distressed and resentful because they felt obliged to respond quickly. Slack, on the other hand, makes a simple DM from your boss at 9 p.m. on a Thursday seem less threatening. Oh, Ill just answer her question now, you think, so she believes Im still at this party though I left a long time ago for a different, better one. The different, better party is, subsequently, your real life. With your real friends. And checking in on Slack, no matter how harmless it feels, is one way of pushing an eight-hour workday to 10, 12, 18 hours. The last person anyone wants sliding into their DMs is their boss. To its credit, last month Slack introduced the extremely necessary Do Not Disturb function to its software: That means even more control over when you receive notifications, so you can take a little time to yourself when you need it. But what if you dont think you need it? The vast majority of people I know (myself included) have the Slack app on their phones, and willingly check it as one more distraction from the unhinged thoughts in their heads. At intermission during Hamilton, my friend pulled out her phone to a stream of Slack notifications. The news and party dont stop just because youre out there living. Slack FOMO is real. And its ruining my life. Group chats are similar to office holiday parties in how they make people who would never hang out with each other feel uninhibited. With the awkwardness of real-life interaction removed, its easy to find yourself getting to know your colleagues likes, dislikes, and preferred sex positions without ever having to talk to them face-to-face. But though Andrew W.K. may have said, We do what we like and we like what we do, the distinction between the two is actually essential. Find yourself riddled with Slack anxiety? Enable Do Not Disturb, storm down the steps of the nearest Senor Frogs, and order up a turkey club. Your mind will be somewhere else in no time. Photo: Getty Images New Yorks Sex Diaries series asks anonymous city dwellers to record a week in their sex lives with comic, tragic, often sexy, and always revealing results. This week, a 27-year-old copywriter dating on Bumble: female, 27, UES, single, straight. DAY ONE 10 a.m. My thoughts are preoccupied with the Vet, a guy I met on Bumble who works overnight emergency shifts at an animal hospital. As a pescatarian and friend to all animals, Im putty in his hands, but he keeps texting on and off and playing games. Weve been out twice, and after our first date he texted me nonstop and double-texted. We hooked up the second time just the tip and his texting game disintegrated. 10:01 a.m. Im Bumbling up a storm. The guys on Bumble are superior to any other app, and the sheer number of them is encouraging. Its Pandoras dick in a box. 12:30 p.m. I go to get my hair blown out at Julien Farel. The sink chairs fully recline and massage you, which feels phenomenal. 11 p.m. Go out on the LES with my roommate. Every single guy at this bar is in a relationship. I resort to texting the Doctor I banged twice last night, and eventually the Vet. I ask the Vet repeatedly what he wants from me. He says that he likes me but I scare him. I dont think a guy has ever admitted this to me before, and Im tickled. The Vet agrees to a house call for my puss. DAY TWO 2 a.m. When he arrives, my roommate interrogates him regarding his intentions. She thinks hes using me as a distraction until he finds a Jewish wife. I slink to the floor as my roommate makes him admit that he likes me. I then crawl to my bedroom, where he arrives minutes later. Im wearing a low-cut dress with no bra, which is basically my signature move (#freethenipple). I love my perky breasts and curvy hips. Society doesnt clamor for medium-size breasts, but they are seriously the best of both worlds. The Vet lays on the bed and I unbutton his shirt. I make a mental note of his pink shirt its so clueless and I love a clueless dresser. I straddle him. He pushes my dress over an inch on each side to reveal my nips, and then tells me to take the whole thing off. He starts eating me out. Usually, Im an all-you-can eat buffet, but this time I stop him and get on top. I bend backward to grab his ankles. I know he wants me to take control but overall Im too drunk/exhausted from doctor sex last night. His long dick hurts. He comes in missionary, a good ol fashioned fuck. Bright spot: His ass is squishier than his scrawny frame would suggest. 2 p.m. Really lamenting the fact that the Vet and I finally slept together and I had whiskey clit. I text to tell him and he doesnt even know what whiskey clit is, or that I had it. Hes a sweet lover but maybe inexperienced. 4 p.m. Im so hung-over, I watch Master of None for the umpteenth time with my roommate. I Seamless a pizza with pineapple, and the chunks are so huge they scrape off the cheese. UGH. DAY THREE 9:30 a.m. I wake up and walk 40 blocks to my office. I miss the days when the Vet sexted with enthusiasm about examining my puss. The week after our first date was en fuego. Our conversation made me need to change my underwear at work. 3 p.m. Working which really means reading the entire internet. I think about the inevitable conversation that occurs when the person youre dating asks you what you want. I dont understand how anyone can know what they want or how someone will fit into their lives until they actually know them. Im looking for reciprocal passion, intrigue, and elocution. The term sapiosexual is thrown around with reckless abandon, but in any case, so true. Im not into get-money types; I like a guy who has fucking values, interests, and hobbies. And I live for the moment when I take off my own clothes. 11:45 p.m. I text to see if the Vet is working overnight shifts, hoping he can assist me in rubbing one out. No response, but I contemplate his disinterest as I use a contraption designed to massage eye cream into your under-eyes to get me off. DAY FOUR 10 a.m. Im at work. I have a feeling that this company is folding: 2016 is the year Ill lose my job and my childhood home, and my best friend will move abroad with her husband. I text her status updates about the Vet. My friends are the kind who make you feel like everything you go through, they go through. Close female friendships make the world go round. 2 p.m. Bumble message. Its a guy I matched with weeks ago, before the holidays. He is back from Florida and wants to meet up for a drink. Im disconcerted by his lack of photos (only two) but like that he lives on the Upper West and works for a nonprofit. 3 p.m. I Google the Vet and read his bio, which is a huge mistake. If you have the tendency to idealize men based on intangible qualities, stay off the World Wide Web. He traveled to Thailand for two summers to neuter stray animals; I went for the Full Moon party. 7 p.m. I walk home from the office with my work wife. We spontaneously decide to cook pasta at hers, but we do this most weeks. Her boy toy has just returned from Colombia and comes over so tan. Theyre happy, and it makes me want someone to bring around with my friends. DAY FIVE 11:30 a.m. Guys are so flirty on the street. I enjoy walking up and down Lexington and being looked up and down. Why does nothing ever come of sidewalk flirtation? 7 p.m. I respond to my expiring Bumble matches. I send every guy the same boilerplate message and just change the name. I consider banter to be my best commodity, and I dont like to give it away for free. 7:30 p.m. Ive settled on a sweater and tights with flats for my date with Nonprofit. I should really wear boots or heels, but were going to Jacobs Pickles. 8 p.m. Nonprofit turns out to be Columbia grad student/military Special Forces. Jacobs Pickles turns into a shitty UWS bar that boasts available seating. Despite my stereotypes about military guys, he seems liberal enough for me. We down Sambuca and Sauv blanc and eat shrimp. I have no qualms and bring him home. DAY SIX 125 a.m. We try, unsuccessfully, to fuck. Neither of us can sleep, so we cuddle and watch Black Mirror. He tells me stories of living abroad and I realize and then say that he craves intimacy. Its so interesting to be with a man who craves intimacy. He holds me tight. 6 a.m. We drift in and out of conversation and sleep. As I come to, I realize he is smart, principled, and fucking hot, and I want to unravel him. He puts his hand near my clit but doesnt move it. The anticipation is incredible. 7 a.m. He fingers me until I come. Despite the fact Im not completely sold on him, I go under the covers to retrieve his dick and spy a babys arm. Seriously, the fattest D is staring at me and I dont remember this at all. I ask him if hes kidding with this D. I try to spit on it but dont have enough saliva. He climbs over me, fingers me with his D without me even asking him to, and then enters me. I feel like I have never had sex before this moment. He fingers my clit and fucks me while I dig my fingernails into his back. He flips me over and continues the c-stimulation all the while. Im making noises Ive never made before and he comes on my back. 11:30 a.m. I have a work lunch at the Smith, so I strut down Lex and listen to Ive Got You Babe with the biggest smirk on my face. Many cuties at the Smith, but I am completely satiated. Im glowing. 7 p.m. I call my mom and relay everything that has happened in less detail. She lives in Texas, where I grew up. She says Im selling [myself] short by sleeping with whomever I want whenever I want. Its taken me 27 years to unlearn everything I learned down there. 9 p.m. My friends have the opposite reaction. We laugh about going through most of our lives as sexual prey, and turning into sexual predators the day we turned 27. DAY SEVEN 5 p.m. Im so grateful for the sex I had yesterday, and that Special Forces is texting me. I would crawl across Central Park over hot coals to have this guys D again. Maybe this is my cuff. 2 a.m. (Technically Day Eight) Look what the cat dragged in. The Vet texts, Hi. I wont respond to that, ever. It stings, but I know he doesnt want me like I want him. Life doesnt just tie itself up like that, but alas, the journaling must end here Want to submit a sex diary? Email sexdiaries@nymag.com and tell us a little about yourself. Discerning market pessimism from fundamental-based movements can be difficult, especially with all the moving oil has done in the last year plus. And to be sure, both have played significant roles to date. Still, any way you slice it, the current downturn is fundamentally sound, i.e., reinforced by inventories, seasonality, and the supply and demand balance. Thus, the question is really two-fold. Firstly, how long and to what extent will the glut persist? And, secondly, to what degree will China influence matters? Lets begin with the excess oil. Recent data puts the supply and demand differential at an average of 1.94 million barrels per day (mbpd) for 2015, or more than double what it was in 2014. Crude oil and liquid fuels production was up across the board 4 percent in North America, 4 percent in Latin America, 1 percent for Russia and the Caspian Region, 2 percent in the North Sea, and 3 percent among OPEC countries. Most notably, Iraqi, Saudi, and US crude production grew 20, 3, and 10 percent respectively, adding roughly 1.8 mbpd combined through the first 9 months of 2015. On the whole, production growth this year will not be as robust as in 2015, especially relative to consumption growth. Notable decline will take hold in several areas. In the United States, crude oil drilling productivity on the seven most prolific plays fell by some 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) in Q4 2015 and is projected to drop another 100,000 bpd by the end of February. Looking further ahead, US crude production is expected to average 8.7 mbpd in 2016, down 700,000 bpd from 2015. Russian output will also slip, though more slowly, from its record levels, and the North Sea will slink back into decay. Related: Only Recession Can Prevent An Oil Price Spike Still, OPEC looks to continue its onslaught, however disjointed. Saudi Arabia has no intention of cutting its vigorous production and Iran could flood the market with up to 750,000 additional bpd by the end of 2016 as international sanctions are stepped down. As such, global markets will remain oversupplied for most of the year, with demand not significantly rising until Q3. With consideration given to all the moving parts at least to the extent possible the global glut will likely sit fluidly between 0.8-1.5 mbpd through 2016. Related: 60 Reasons Why Oil Investors Should Hang On Now, the above assumes Chinese demand remains steady, which is to say growing; though the extent of said growth is a topic of uncertainty. The IEA, for one, expects Chinese demand growth to sink to 350,000 bpd in 2016, a projection borne out the countrys broader economic headwinds, which have fueled oil bears. Still, Chinese crude demand was up 4.8 percent in 2015 and crude imports surged nearly 9 percent as the country looked to fill government and commercial reserves with cheap oil. Overall economic growth looks to slow further to 6.3 percent in 2016 and 6 percent in 2017, but the consumptive indicators remain relatively positive. Related: Oil Crash Only The Tip Of The Iceberg Chinese vehicle sales well exceeded expectations in 2015 and the strong upward pressure on gasoline is expected to continue through 2016. More broadly, Chinas consumer economy is projected to expand nearly $600 billion in 2016; the number of upper-middle-class households and the rate at which those households spend are both rapidly rising. Industrial output should match, if not exceed the pace in 2015. For its part, China sees its crude demand rising to 11.32 mbpd in 2016, up approximately 460,000 bpd from last year. Net crude imports are slated to swell 7.3 percent to 7.14 mbpd Saudi Arabia being the primary beneficiary. Further, China seeks to dramatically expand its strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) by 2020. Some 360 million barrels of capacity still wait, and 2016 could see China import 150 million barrels of SPR-destined crude. While reduced, Chinas moderate-to-strong demand both current and projected is hardly the singular force behind oils dramatic slump. In fact, its one of the few positives, keeping the floor from utterly collapsing. China wont absorb the glut alone, but it doesnt have to; deferred capital expenditures and/or a minor geopolitical shock should take care of that before too long. By Colin Chilcoat of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Russias LukOil may have dropped some of its other new exploration projects as sliding oil prices curtail spending, but the specter of declining Russian crude production has it redirecting operations elsewhere, and the first stop is Iran. LukOil has reportedly closed a $6 million deal with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) to restart development of two key deposits in southwestern Iran. And work has already begun. Like many other oil companies, slumping oil prices have pressed Lukoil to drop some of its operations such as in Cote DIvoire, where the company had been operating five deepwater offshore exploration projects since 2006. In todays oil price climate, these operations have become unviable. Even at home, LukoilRussias largest produceris facing the same problems as its local sector players: field depletion. Most of Russias major deposits are old, and their operators have been growing production recently in a bid to squeeze out as much as possible before they are forced to retire them. This problem is aggravated by Western sanctions that have stifled profits, eating away earnings historically used for new exploration. Related: Only Recession Can Prevent An Oil Price Spike LukOil expects Russian oil output to drop this yearfor the first time in years. In fact, its predicting a 2-3 percent decline, and maybe even more if the Kremlin moves to raise taxes. Against this backdrop, Lukoils re-entry into Iran makes sense. LukOil has had a presence there since the early 2000s, and was forced to leave only after sanctions were imposed against Tehran over its alleged nuclear program. Negotiations for Lukoils return to Iranian oilfields took place last year, with the promise of sanctions-lifting looming large. The company reopened its offices in Iran last April. From a geopolitical alliance perspective, it also makes sense. Iran and Russia have both suffered under international sanctions, and they share an allianceor at least part of an end gameover the conflict in Syria as well. Related: 60 Reasons Why Oil Investors Should Hang On And while Iran is negotiating with Italian Eni, French Total, and Shell, according to media reports, LukOils track record in Iran gives it an advantage. Its already working on two deposits and will now simply resume work at one of them, Changouleh in the Anaran block, which it used to develop with Norways Statoil. LukOil and Statoil started the Anaran development in 2003, but sanctions forced them to pull out in 2011. But the fields, which lie near the border with Iraq, are estimated to contain 2 billion barrels of oil. The first time around, LukOil said it lost $63 million when it had to pull out of this project. Lukoil has a strategic focus on E&P and apparently the means to keep it, even though chief executive Vagit Alekperov admitted earlier in January that if Brent fell to $24 or lower, a lot of ongoing projects would have to be suspended. Related: Oil Crash Only The Tip Of The Iceberg At the moment, freshly emerging from sanctions, Iran is a very attractive new opening in the oil patch. According to OPEC, the country has proven oil reserves of 157.53 billion barrels, with exports at just 1.1 million. But from a legal standpoint, these waters are still very muddy. And even if they arent, the important thing is that traders think they are. A better picture should emerge over the coming weeks, but for now, traders arent rushing to buy Iranian oil because there is still a fair amount of sanction uncertainty to sift through. Even Lukoil isnt 100 percent clear on this, conceding last week that it was not sure that Italian- and Dutch-based refineries could buy Iranian oil yet. The twist is this: All the trading hesitancy is helping to boost an emerging price war. With Iran hoping to start crude shipments to the European Union already in Februarydespite the legal uncertaintiesRussia and Saudi Arabia continue to discount their crude sales to Europe in hopes of cornering market share here. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Short but potentially very important note for the oil market over the weekend. From a place thats been one of the major focus points for the petroleum industry lately. Thats Iran. Where the threat of rising oil exports has been weighing on crude prices now that Western sanctions against the former rogue nation are being lifted. That has led many analysts to conclude that supplies from Iran could ramp up fast over the coming months. But events this past Saturday suggest it may not be quite that easy. Related: Is China The Big Sponge That Absorbs The Oil Glut? Bloomberg reported over the weekend that protesters in Tehran had surrounded Irans oil ministry. With the crowd demanding a re-examination of new oil and gas contracts being offered to foreign companies working Iranian fields. Sources told the news service that protesters were chanting give us back our oil and cancel the IPC in reference to the Iran Petroleum Contract that has been proposed as a new model for foreign investment in Irans oil and gas sector. Sources noted that a severe confrontation had taken place between protesters and authorities. Suggesting that local opposition to the opening of Irans oil and gas fields could be stronger than most observers had anticipated. Related: U.S Drillers Post Billions In Losses As Hedges Roll Off As an interesting twist, officials from the National Iranian Oil Company also said over the weekend they are cancelling an oil and gas event in London that had been planned for February to promote investment in Irans new petroleum contracts. The company blamed British authorities saying that Iranian attendees for the event are having trouble obtaining visas to enter the U.K. The timing of the protests and the event cancellation however, are suspiciously coincidental. Raising the possibility that Iran could be rethinking its oil and gas strategy in light of internal opposition. Watch for more news on this front over the coming months including a possible rescheduling of the petroleum contracts showcase. In the meantime, its worth considering that Irans return to the crude market may not be as smooth as many analysts have been expecting. Heres to getting your house in order By Dave Forest More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Today is Harry Styles 22nd birthday, and accordingly the crude complex is heading in one direction. (Down). We burst into February today, and get hit by a wave of global manufacturing numbers, as well as the ongoing debate re will-they-wont-they cut production. (they wont). China kicked things off overnight, setting a cautious tone with its worst official manufacturing print since August 2012. The Caixin manufacturing release also showed ongoing contraction from the sector, but in contrast was better than consensus. Eurozone manufacturing was in line with consensus, boosted by Germany and Spain, held back by Italy and France. Japan was below consensus, but showing expansion; Brazil was above consensus, but showing contraction. The U.S. is on deck shortly, likely showing ongoing contraction too. The crude complex is getting a solid dose of the WBWs (whoop-bang-wallops) today, as Chinese economic worries weigh and expectations of a coordinated cut wane. The latest CFTC data show an interesting quirk; not only did we see short positions cut (that bit isnt so surprising), but we also saw speculative long positions increase significantly. This means that net-longs increased by the most (in percentage terms) since October 2010: Related: LukOil Back In Iran As Russias Output Faces Decline The chart below is from this piece over the weekend, which takes a look at the historical contribution of the oil and gas sector to the U.S. economy. While in the late 1990s its share accounted for less than 1 percent of the economy (as the broader economy boomed), the deterioration of the sector in the midst of the great recession meant it was a drag on the economy in 2009. Related: Oversold Oil Markets Rally On Rumors Of OPEC Cut Last year it accounted for 3.1 percent of GDP, but after providing a boost to the economy for the majority of the five-year period from 2010-2014, it has been dragging it lower for the last two quarters. That said, this drop doesnt account for the offsetting benefit from lower fuel prices. Nonetheless, while emphasis remains on the lopsided oversupplied nature of the market, global demand is continuing to see the benefit of lower fuel prices. Bank of America suggest (via Bloomberg) that the mother lode of wealth transference is underway. If the current price plunge persists, we will see the equivalent of $3 trillion a year being passed from oil producers to global consumers. Accordingly, the bank sees oil demand growth continuing to hold well above one million barrels per day, in a similar vein to our three musketeers EIA, IEA, and OPEC. Related: Is Eagle Ford Making A Comeback? Finally, it looks like things are going to get worse before they get better for the U.S. oil and gas sector. According to IHS, North American E&Ps have only hedged 14 percent of their oil production volumes in 2016. Small U.S. E&Ps have 47 percent of their oil production hedged for this year (at $74.31/bbl), while midsize U.S. E&Ps have 43 percent hedged (at $60.54/bbl); large U.S. E&Ps only have 6 percent hedged (at $53.85/bbl). This means 2016 is set to be a year of increasing financial stress on the sector, amid dwindling revenues By Matt Smith More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Its human nature to pay close attention to market indicators when they seem to be working and show neglect or indifference when theyre not. That is not, however, necessarily the way to buy low and sell high. Take the WTI crude oil to gold ratio. This is one of the oldest indicators in the market, comparing the price of the worlds most traded commodity with the worlds oldest store of value. For that reason, there is a large data set from which to draw. In addition, gold has always played an important role in commercial transactions and in particular with crude oil in the Middle East. Aside from the gold culture prevalent in the region, transactions were frequently conducted in gold for crude before any kind of sophisticated financial infrastructure was in place. When a number of major countries brought a change to end the decades-old practice of buying and selling oil in U.S. dollars in 2009, gold was included in the currency basket in addition to all the usual suspects. As recently as 2012, in a widely-reported event, Turkey exchanged nearly 60 tons of gold, worth about $3 billion, for several million tons of Iranian crude oil to circumvent Western sanctions against Irans energy sector. One suspects that wasnt an isolated event. Related: The Wealthiest Oil & Gas Billionaires In The U.S. Since World War 2, the annual average ratio has reflected the fact that one ounce of gold could buy precisely 14.83 barrels of oil. Therefore, whenever one ounce of gold can buy more than 14.83 barrels of oil, either oil is comparatively cheap or gold is comparatively expensive. Conversely, whenever an ounce of gold can buy fewer than 14.83 barrels, then oil is expensive or gold is cheap. Spread traders and hedgers pay attention to changes in this ratio to create arbitrage opportunities which are in a sense directionless because they are predicated on convergence or a form of mean reversion. Currently, the ratio, which bottomed at about 21 at the end of 2016 (see chart), has risen to just over 26. Most importantly, as Dennis Gartman remarked recently (The Gartman Letter, 24 March 2017), the ratio has now clearly broken the trend line that had been established since it peaked in early 2016 at just above 45. So 45 barrels per ounce reflects very cheap oil or very expensive gold; 21 reflects very expensive oil or very cheap gold. This kind of information can either constitute fodder for a game of Trivial Pursuit or a trading opportunity. Generally, the weaker the ratio, the higher the probability that gold will rise in value and oil will fall, which suggests a pair trade that is still viable. Trade execution implementation could be through short WTI futures and long Comex gold, or via the relevant ETFs, or using cash and/or futures options to create comparable synthetic exposure. Timing is everything, but it may also be possible to leg into the position on a pro rata basis. Follow the Commitments of Traders (COT) report each week from the U.S. CFTC of speculator/investor and commercial interest in the underlying futures markets as your preferred sentiment indicator. Blather from raving gold bulls or blither from OPECs propaganda machine is infinitely less reliable. Related: Asias Top LNG Players Forming Buyers Club There are no guarantees in life, but no one ever went broke buying cheap and selling dear. (Click to enlarge) Since bottoming at the end of 2016 at roughly 21, the ratio has jumped to around 26, an increase of almost 24 percent. (Click to enlarge) By Brian Noble for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Japan has taken another step toward making nuclear power a key part of its energy profile, but some say that step, while small in terms of generating electricity, could be a major threat to public safety. On Friday, Kansai Electric Power Co. restarted the No. 3 reactor at the Takahama nuclear plant in Fukui prefecture about 90 miles northeast of Kyoto. The next day it reached criticality, meaning it had achieved enough mass to sustain a chain reaction. Commercial operations are expected to resume in late February. Japan shut down its 43 nuclear reactors after the huge offshore earthquake and tsunami that swamped the Fukushima Daiichi power plant on the countrys Pacific coast, causing a meltdown at the facility owned by Tokyo Electric Power Co. in March 2011. So far only three Japanese reactors, including the unit at Takahama, have been restarted, and 25 more are seeking permission to resume operations. The Japanese government appears eager to accommodate them, as it has set a goal of generating 22 percent of the countrys energy needs with nuclear power by 2030. Related: This Could Be A Big Setback For Irans Oil Export Plans Not everyone in Japan shares the governments eagerness to once again increase reliance on nuclear power. The Takahama reactor was restarted despite a protest by dozens of people outside the power plant. Of the three reactors restarted since the Fukushima disaster, two use conventional fuel. The Takahama No. 3 reactor uses a hybrid of plutonium and uranium called mixed oxide or MOX. Japan began using MOX in its reactors in 2009. It is believed to be safe to use it for as much as one-third of the mix of fuel in a reactor, but the substance emits more radioactive material and could be an impediment when engineers need to suppress a chain reaction when necessary. Fukui, on the Sea of Japan, has more nuclear power plants than any other prefecture, and many residents of the neighboring prefectures of Kyoto and Shiga are concerned for their safety. They are especially worried about the possible contamination of Shigas Lake Biwa, which provides much of the drinking water for the countrys western regions. Related: Oil Prices Tank As Chinese Economic Data Continues To Disappoint But it appears the government believes their concerns are exaggerated, and is pressing ahead with efforts to resume nuclear power generation as quickly as possible. The No. 1 reactor at Kyushu Electric Power Cos Sendai plant in southern Japans Kagoshima prefecture was the first to resume operations in August 2015. The plants No. 2 reactor was back on line two months later. Restarting the Takahama reactor underscores the countrys commitment to returning to nuclear energy, said Rob Chang, a managing director and head of metals and mining for the investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald Canada. He told Bloomberg he expects three Japanese reactors will resume operations in 2016, eight more will reopen in 2017 and all 37 will be back online by 2020. Related: Sales Tax Dispute Could Send Billions to Texas Oil Industry And from the standpoint of energy independence alone, the governments effort to restore a robust contribution from nuclear energy appears to be working already. The Finance Ministry reports that Japan imported 85 million metric tons of liquid natural gas (LNG) in 2015, a decline of 3.9 percent from 2014. LNG imports are likely to decline even further next year, according to the energy consultancy Energy Aspects Ltd. of London. It forecast a drop of 2.4 million tons in LNG imports this year and 2.2 million tons more in 2017, again because of Japans steady return to its reliance on nuclear power. By Andy Tully of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Senator Marco Rubiio is the junior Republican senator from Florida, his birthday is May 28, 1971. A Wikepedia site says his net personal worth is $200,000 (pending projected income from the book he peddles). Nevertheless, his campaign contributions' "war chest", as of November 2015, was reported at $55,560,872 . Is it any wonder Senator Rubio (aka "Blinky bottle Rubio") is running for President of the United States? It seems self evident to me. Senator Rubio is a Cuban-American, who should openly support immigration reform, allowing a path to citizenship for people, just like his immigrant family. Cuban Flag - Cubans, once the majority of Hispanic Floridians, are a plurality, 29% of the Hispanic population, in Florida's Miami-Dade County, Cubans share the city, if not power, with hosts of new immigrants from Latin America. Spanish accents, music and food have become more diverse. St. John Bosco, the Little Havana Catholic church that welcomed and served so many Cubans that it became known as the "exile's cathedral," now has a Nicaraguan pastor.http://www.floridatrend.com/article/15521/snapshots-of-floridas-hispanic-community In fact, Senator Rubio lives the American dream. As a descendant of Cuban immigrants, who has benefited from American immigrations and now a United States Senator, the Rubio immigration policy is, incredulously, incoherent. Bar any company abusing H1 visas from future visas (Oh boy, what is an H1 visa is about? From the answer, I don't get a sense from Senator Rubio that he knows, either.) Q: Y ou support dramatically increasing immigration visas called H1B, for workers with special skills. But Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) says the tech industry uses this program to undercut hiring and wages for highly qualified Americans. Why is he wrong? RUBIO: If a company gets caught doing that, they should never be able to use the program again. But we also need to add reforms, not just increase the numbers. For example, before you hire anyone from abroad, you should have to advertise that job for 180 days. You also have to prove that you're not undercutting that you would pay [an American] by bringing in cheap labor. Q: It sounds like you think Sen. Sessions is wrong to believe there is abuse in that program? RUBIO: Well, I believe that there are abuses; those companies should be permanently barred from ever using the program again and we should put strict standards in place to ensure that they're not being abused, like the prevailing wage requirement and like the advertising requirement. Obviously, the Q&A is difficult to understand and it hardly articulates a positioin statement. When being interviewed, Senator Rubio always whines about how news media aren't quoting him properly. In fact, it's difficult to understand what Senator Rubio is saying. He does not articulate his thoughts clearly and succinctly. Moreover, I find Senator Rubio's website and social media communications to be amateurish. Why Senator Rubio continues to be a national presidential candidate mystifies me. Yet, Rubio's position (or lack thereof) on immigration is the most confusing of all his communications. This deficit is, probably, significant because immigration is such a part of America's political discussion. Therefore, he should have a clear opinion, but I can't find one (at least not one I can understand.) In my opinion, Senator Rubio comes across as a political opportunist who used his Cuban ancestry to gain a political seat in the Florida State Senate. From there, he leveraged his political base to launch him into the US Senate, where he is notorious for not attending voting forums because he is a coward about having his name appear either "for" or "against" legislation. Is it possible Rubio doesn't understand many bills being voted on in the Senate? On immigration policy, Senator Rubio is, simply put, a hypocrite. He should stand up for a path to citizenship for all immigrants who meet the criteria in the immigration reform legislation now stalled in the US Congress. Senator Rubio is a Cuban American. On immigration policy, he is clearly a hypocrite: www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocrite or feelings . ... : a person who acts in a way that goes against what he or she claims to believe or feel as,"She's a hypocrite who complains about (Maine Writer addendum....complains about...immigrants who live in the US illegally but who's parents were at one time without immigration status themselves...). In fact, Rubio's parents were Cubans who immigrated to the United States in 1956, prior to the A person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion. 2 : A person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs. ... : a person who acts in a way that goes against what he or she claims to believeas,"She's a hypocrite who complains about (......). In fact, Rubio's parents were Cubans who immigrated to the United States in 1956, prior to the rise of Fidel Castro in January 1959. His mother made at least four trips back to Cuba, after Castros victory, including for a month in 1961. Neither of Rubio's parents was a U.S. citizen at the time of Rubios birth, but ultimately his parents applied for U.S. citizenship and were naturalized in 1975. It's impossible for me to understand how Senator Marco Rubio can be opposed to a path towards citizenship for immigrants living in the United States, when his own political rise has been the direct result of America's benevolent immigration policy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Rubio Labels: Cuban-American, Florida Hispanics, immigration reform (Off for the Summer.) 6:00 PM Evening Worship Service Wednesday 5:00 PM Fellowship Supper (Off for the Summer.) 6:30 PM Preschool and Children Mission Groups and Choir Youth Bible Study Adult Prayer Service and Bible Study 409 Main Street NCarthage, TN 37030(615) 735-1929www.fbccarthage.comService TimesSundays9:00 AM Sunday School for all ages10:00 AM Morning Worship Service #25:30 PM AWANA Groups for Babies through High School Reprinted from Middle East Eye Far-right activists spying on Israeli human rights community received hidden funds from Netanyahu government JERUSALEM -- Israeli government funds have been secretly transferred to far-right organizations leading a smear campaign against groups opposed to the occupation, investigations show. The right-wing groups have received tens of millions of dollars in state funding, either directly from the government or via Israeli local authorities representing the settlements in the West Bank. In three known cases, publicly funded far-right organizations launched spying operations on human rights groups. Other state money has gone towards ad campaigns claiming to expose peace activists as "moles" planted by foreign governments to damage Israel. Human rights activists, the campaigns claim, are betraying their country by providing information that fuels criticism overseas of Israel and helps to bolster an international boycott movement. That message closely echoes the justifications offered by government ministers for new legislation to weaken Israeli organizations that monitor abuses of Palestinians in the occupied territories. The United States and Europe have condemned the Israeli government's draft bill, with the European Union describing it as "reminiscent of totalitarian regimes." "This is a campaign of intimidation and incitement, and it is being orchestrated at the highest levels of the Israeli political establishment," said Yehuda Shaul, a former Israeli military commander and co-founder of Breaking the Silence, which collects testimonies from serving Israeli soldiers that highlight abuses against Palestinians. "Netanyahu and his ministers want to shut down all voices in Israel that oppose the occupation. They are doing what fascists always do -- looking to blame an enemy within." Sarit Michaeli, a spokeswoman for B'Tselem, a prominent Israeli group monitoring human rights violations in the occupied territories, agreed. "We are seeing a general assault by the government and right-wing groups on those parts of Israeli society that are still standing up for democratic values," she said. "The aim is to silence us." Breaking the Silence and B'Tselem have been the target of intense criticism from both Netanyahu's government and far-right groups. One, Im Tirtzu, published a report released last month accusing several anti-occupation groups of being "shtulim" -- the Hebrew word for "moles" -- on behalf of European governments. An associated video shows a Palestinian stabbing with a knife and suggests that human rights groups like Breaking the Silence and B'Tselem will help him evade justice. Illustrated with face shots of four leading peace activists, it concludes: "While we fight terror, they fight us." War is hell. Unless, of course, you happen to be a global corporate peddler of rockets, drones, bombs, and all the other hellish weaponry of military conflict. In that case, war is manna from hell. So bring it on. Indeed, it seems as if Beelzebub himself is in charge these days, with U.S. military forces enmeshed in at least 135 countries in 2015 alone. Plus, such chicken hawks as Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are maniacally beating their flabby chests and screeching for even more military adventurism. This perpetual warmongering is music to the ears of the people who serve as the CEOs and biggest investors in the war machine. It means a windfall of perpetual profits for them. In a rare admission of their war-profiteering ethic, a group of major military contracters spoke late last year about how splendid war is. In leaked tapes from a wealthy investor conference reported by The Intercept, top weapon makers exulted about the spreading horror of the Islamic State and escalating wars across the Middle East and Africa. Hailing the rising conflict in Syria, for example, Lockheed Martin honcho Bruce Tanner enchanted the potential investors with the happy news that Lockheed's profits would enjoy "an intangible lift because of the dynamics of that [war's] environment and [sales] of our products." Raytheon CEO Tom Kennedy chimed in that his corporation was upbeat because of "a significant uptick for defense solutions across the board in multiple countries in the Middle East." And all of these masters of war celebrated the joyous news that Congress had just delivered a $607 billion budget to the Pentagon -- meaning more sales and more profit for war investors. "We think we did very well," exclaimed one. Many go to war and die, but a few go to war and thrive. So, see -- it balances out. The concoction of the "Bernie Bro" narrative by pro-Clinton journalists has been a potent political tactic -- and a journalistic disgrace. It's intended to imply two equally false claims: (1) a refusal to march enthusiastically behind the Wall Street-enriched, multiple-war-advocating, despot-embracing Hillary Clinton is explainable not by ideology or political conviction, but largely if not exclusively by sexism: demonstrated by the fact that men, not women, support Sanders (his supporters are "bros"); and (2) Sanders supporters are uniquely abusive and misogynistic in their online behavior. Needless to say, a crucial tactical prong of this innuendo is that any attempt to refute it is itself proof of insensitivity to sexism if not sexism itself (as the accusatory reactions to this article will instantly illustrate). It's become such an all-purpose, handy pro-Clinton smear that even consummate, actual "bros" for whom the term was originally coined -- straight guys who act with entitlement and aggression, such as Paul Krugman -- are now reflexively (and unironically) applying it to anyone who speaks ill of Hillary Clinton, even when they know nothing else about the people they're smearing, including their gender, age, or sexual orientation. Thus, a male policy analyst who criticized Sanders' health care plan "is getting the Bernie Bro treatment," sneered Krugman. Unfortunately for the New York Times Bro, that analyst, Charles Gaba, said in response that he's "really not comfortable with [Krugman's] referring to die-hard Bernie Sanders supporters as 'Bernie Bros'" because it "implies that only college-age men support Sen. Sanders, which obviously isn't the case." It is indeed "obviously not the case." There are literally millions of women who support Sanders over Clinton. A new Iowa poll yesterday shows Sanders with a 15-point lead over Clinton among women under 45, while one-third of Iowa women over 45 support him. A USA Today/Rock the Vote poll from two weeks ago found Sanders nationally "with a 19-point lead over front-runner Hillary Clinton, 50 percent to 31 percent, among Democratic and independent women ages 18 to 34." One has to be willing to belittle the views and erase the existence of a huge number of American women to wield this "Bernie Bro" smear. Click Here to Read Whole Article Reprinted from Truthdig Larry -- not his real name -- is 38. He is serving a 30-year sentence for murder in a New Jersey prison. He will not be eligible for parole until 2032, when he will be 55. His impoverished and nightmarish childhood mirrors that of nearly all prisoners I have worked with who were convicted of violent crimes. And as governmental austerity and chronic poverty consume the American landscape, as little is done to blunt poverty's disintegration of families, as mass incarceration and indiscriminant police violence continue to have a catastrophic impact on communities, Larry's childhood is becoming the norm for millions of boys and girls. As a child, Larry, along with his sister, was beaten routinely by his stepfather, especially when the man was drunk. "My sister and I would have to make up stories about the bruises we had, but she was a much better liar than me and I found myself telling a teacher everything that was going on," Larry said to me. His admission to the teacher caused New Jersey child-protection authorities to intervene. His stepfather held back for a while, but he mercilessly beat and choked Larry when the boy was about 8. "I was struggling for breath and there were tears streaming down my cheeks," Larry remembered. "He eased up on my neck and slammed my head against the tile, which split my head open and knocked me unconscious. I woke up in a hospital. I was told he was arrested and put in jail. I never saw him again. All I have to remember him now is a few bad memories and frequent migraines, which I get three times a week thanks to the concussion he gave me." Larry, like many others among the long-term incarcerated, made the rounds of group homes and youth shelters. When he was 10, his biological father took him to live in Florida. "It started out as a vacation," Larry said, "but it soon became hell. My father had gone out to a strip club one night and met some prostitute that introduced him to coke. It was a lifestyle he was unfamiliar with, but cocaine didn't discriminate. It stripped him. It robbed him of everything we had. He pawned everything from the TV to my Walkman. Nothing seemed to be off limits. My father had my grandparents wire him money nearly every week. It wasn't long until he drained them of their retirement fund and broke their hearts in two. "He swore he would change his life, but it was too late for that," Larry went on. "We moved back to Jersey. He took with us a garbage bag full of clothes and an ex-stripper that had recently turned him on to heroin. We went from motel to motel. Instead of going to school, I was taught by my father how to hotwire cars, bypass certain security systems and boost whatever I wanted. I helped support his habit that had spiraled completely out of control. He was shooting up a couple times a day. In about 11 months he had turned into this little skeleton of a man. It got so bad that he had to hit the veins in his foot because the ones in his arms had collapsed. He told me he was going to stop -- 'any day now' -- but he never did. He died with a needle in his leg at the Park Rest Motel in Edison from an overdose when I was a few months short of turning 14. I remember thinking it was just a bad dream, that everything was going to be fine. Rosa, his girlfriend, took what she could and ran off, leaving me with him until the ambulance arrived. He never woke up." Larry could barely speak for the next nine months. Until he turned 18, he again was in a succession of group homes and foster homes. Then, woefully unprepared psychologically and financially to cope with the world, he was on his own. He hitchhiked to California. He began using drugs. "Without them," he said, "life became colorless." He moved back to New Jersey, found a job and rented a house, but he could not keep it together. "My life spiraled out of control," he said. "One day, in the blink of an eye, my life had changed forever," he said of the murder charge pressed against him. "I was in jail, facing more time than I had lived." Violent criminals are socialized into violence. And a society that permits this to take place is culpable. Over 15 million of our children go to bed hungry. Every fifth child (16.1 million) in America is poor. Every 10th child (7.1 million) is extremely poor. We have 25 percent of the world's prison population. We have scaled back or cut social services, including welfare. Our infrastructures -- including our inner-city schools, little more than warehouses -- are crumbling. Police regularly gun down unarmed people in the streets. The poor spend years, sometimes lifetimes, without meaningful work or nurturing environments. And these forms of state violence fuel acts of personal violence. Violent criminals, like all of us, begin as vulnerable, fragile children. They are made. They are repeatedly violated and traumatized as children, often to the point of numbness. And as adults they turn on a world that violated them, as the criminologist Lonnie Athens -- himself raised in a violent household -- has pointed out. All of us, Athens says, carry within us phantom communities, those personalities and experiences that shape us and tell us how to interpret the world. The impact of these phantom communities, Athens writes, "is no less than [that of] the people who are present during our social experiences." The phantom community, Athens says, is "where someone is coming from." When your phantom community is a place of violence, you act out with violence. Violent criminal behavior is not a product of race. It is not even, finally, a product of poverty. It is a product of repeated acts of violence by figures of authority, including the state, upon the child. "Violent actors act violently not because they are mentally ill or come from violent subcultures or are brain damaged or have low self-esteem but because they have different phantom communities from the rest of us," Richard Rhodes writes in his book about Lonnie Athens, "Why They Kill: The Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist." "The difference is the reason they attach different, violent meanings to their social experiences." If our phantom communities have been violent, Athens argues in his book "The Creation of Dangerous Violent Criminals," then we will read violent intent into the motives of others based on our past experience. We are the product of our social experiences. Those who carry out violent crimes "always have some violence-related experiences in their backgrounds," Athens writes. "They [these phantom communities] tell us how an experience that we are undergoing will unfold before it actually ends, which can create in us a powerful self-fulfilling prophecy," Athens writes. "Ironically, such self-fulfilling prophecies can stir such deep emotions in us that they can bring about the very experiences imagined." The slashing of state and federal programs for children and the failure to address the poverty that now grips half the country are creating a vast underclass of the young who often live in constant insecurity and fear, at times terror, and are schooled daily in the language of violence. As Athens has pointed out, "[T]he creation of dangerous violent criminals is largely preventable, as is much of the human carnage which follows in the wake of their birth. Therefore, if society fails to take any significant steps to stop the process behind the creation of dangerous criminals, it tacitly becomes an accomplice in creating them." 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 13 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 View All (21 comments) SHARE Why is the Left helping Donald Trump to win the Presidency? The only candidate helped by all of the Hillary Hatred coming from the Left is the Despicable Donald Trump. It would be tragic for this horrid man to achieve the presidency through use of all the dirt some alleged progressives throw at Hillary. Sunday, May 8, 2016The only candidate helped by all of the Hillary Hatred coming from the Left is the Despicable Donald Trump. It would be tragic for this horrid man to achieve the presidency through use of all the dirt some alleged progressives throw at Hillary. (41 comments) SHARE Who Will Watch the Watchers -- at OpEdNews.com? OpEdNews.com appears to have recent and strong policies governing comments on articles, which limit the content of such comments via some kind of unspecified monitoring combined with some highly-specified threats. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ALL THIS REGULATION OF OUR FREE SPEECH? Thursday, May 5, 2016OpEdNews.com appears to have recent and strong policies governing comments on articles, which limit the content of such comments via some kind of unspecified monitoring combined with some highly-specified threats. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ALL THIS REGULATION OF OUR FREE SPEECH? (56 comments) SHARE Fuhrer Donald Trump and His New America First Movement! America and all Americans, but especially progressives, must see through Donald Trump's misguided America First trumpetings. This article provides some history on the comparable America First rhetoric of the 1930s and early 1940s, which was not only offensive to the world, but to American interests as well. We absolutely should not repeat those mistakes -- rather, we must learn from them! Saturday, April 30, 2016America and all Americans, but especially progressives, must see through Donald Trump's misguided America First trumpetings. This article provides some history on the comparable America First rhetoric of the 1930s and early 1940s, which was not only offensive to the world, but to American interests as well. We absolutely should not repeat those mistakes -- rather, we must learn from them! (14 comments) SHARE Why Progressives Risk Losing -- Again! The case for the Democratic candidacy of Hillary Clinton is made in this article, which focuses on why progressives must support her, and defeat Donald the Despicable. Thursday, April 28, 2016The case for the Democratic candidacy of Hillary Clinton is made in this article, which focuses on why progressives must support her, and defeat Donald the Despicable. (2 comments) SHARE A 2016 Passover Message on the World Refugee Crisis Just as Passover celebrates freedom and renewal, the present world refugee crisis requires a worldwide commitment to make the freedom and renewal of the lives of wartorn and terror-torn refugees a top United Nations priority. In simple humanity and common decency, we must do no less -- and should try to do even more. Friday, April 22, 2016Just as Passover celebrates freedom and renewal, the present world refugee crisis requires a worldwide commitment to make the freedom and renewal of the lives of wartorn and terror-torn refugees a top United Nations priority. In simple humanity and common decency, we must do no less -- and should try to do even more. (9 comments) SHARE The Upcoming Decline and Fall of the Donald J. Trump Republican Presidential Campaign! The superficial successes to date for Donald J. Trump's Republican Presidential campaign mask his fundamental weakness, and indeed disqualification, as a candidate. One plausible scenario for Trump's decline and fall is outlined in this article. Friday, March 4, 2016The superficial successes to date for Donald J. Trump's Republican Presidential campaign mask his fundamental weakness, and indeed disqualification, as a candidate. One plausible scenario for Trump's decline and fall is outlined in this article. (2 comments) SHARE Donald J. Trump: Constitutionally Disqualified from Ever Becoming President of the USA Donald J. Trump may be the first presidential candidate in history to ever violate the presidential oath of office in advance. Were he to ever be elected, God Fobid, he would be unable to honor his own Oath of Office. Those who have made him, temporarily, the leading Republican candidate, need to take a good, hard look at those realities. The Donald is not only crude and rude, he also appears unglued! Tuesday, February 9, 2016Donald J. Trump may be the first presidential candidate in history to ever violate the presidential oath of office in advance. Were he to ever be elected, God Fobid, he would be unable to honor his own Oath of Office. Those who have made him, temporarily, the leading Republican candidate, need to take a good, hard look at those realities. The Donald is not only crude and rude, he also appears unglued! (2 comments) SHARE Help the AARP lose its undeserved IRS tax-exempt status now! The AARP, once the American Association of Retired Persons, no longer advocates significantly for the elderly here. Instead, it partners with a host of purveyors of commercial stuff to our senior citizens. That decline is shameful enough -- getting tax-exempt status for selling often-unneeded stuff is even worse. This article offers an opportunity for seniors to strike back! Monday, February 8, 2016The AARP, once the American Association of Retired Persons, no longer advocates significantly for the elderly here. Instead, it partners with a host of purveyors of commercial stuff to our senior citizens. That decline is shameful enough -- getting tax-exempt status for selling often-unneeded stuff is even worse. This article offers an opportunity for seniors to strike back! (5 comments) SHARE After the New Hampshire Republican Debate: Who is the Best of the Worst? By analyzing the performance of the major Republican candidates in the recent New Hampshire presidential debate, the severe weaknesses of nearly all of those candidates stand out clearly. Sunday, February 7, 2016By analyzing the performance of the major Republican candidates in the recent New Hampshire presidential debate, the severe weaknesses of nearly all of those candidates stand out clearly. (12 comments) SHARE "The Bern" or "The Hill"? After the New Hampshire Debate, I'm still with The Hill! The recent New Hampshire Democratic Town Meeting, and then Debate, between the Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders sheds considerable light on those two candidates, one of whom should be the next American President. This article makes the case for Hillary Clinton to win that crucial position in 2016. Friday, February 5, 2016The recent New Hampshire Democratic Town Meeting, and then Debate, between the Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders sheds considerable light on those two candidates, one of whom should be the next American President. This article makes the case for Hillary Clinton to win that crucial position in 2016. (1 comments) SHARE Who Won and Who Lost in the Iowa Caucuses? An analysis of the results of the Iowa caucus process, which leads to some guidance for the upcoming presidential campaign primaries. The future of America is at stake. Thursday, February 4, 2016An analysis of the results of the Iowa caucus process, which leads to some guidance for the upcoming presidential campaign primaries. The future of America is at stake. (41 comments) SHARE One More Strong Endorsement: Hillary Clinton for President in 2016 This well-reasoned comparison between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton as presidential candidates leads to a strong endorsement for Hillary, while much praise for Bernie is in order too. Both of them, of course, are far better than anyone that the opposition has to offer. Monday, February 1, 2016This well-reasoned comparison between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton as presidential candidates leads to a strong endorsement for Hillary, while much praise for Bernie is in order too. Both of them, of course, are far better than anyone that the opposition has to offer. (1 comments) SHARE The Muddled Maundering on Stock Market Malaise! The major securities market volatility since the start of 2016 has been blamed on the decline in oil prices -- which actually should be "fueling" a rising market. This article focuses instead on the growth of so-called program trading: trades carried out automatically, particularly in falling markets, which are very destabilizing and dangerous as well. Enhanced regulatory rules are needed immediately to control such trades. Monday, January 25, 2016The major securities market volatility since the start of 2016 has been blamed on the decline in oil prices -- which actually should be "fueling" a rising market. This article focuses instead on the growth of so-called program trading: trades carried out automatically, particularly in falling markets, which are very destabilizing and dangerous as well. Enhanced regulatory rules are needed immediately to control such trades. (6 comments) SHARE The Two Worst Governors in the United States! Governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and Rick Snyder of Michigan, both Republicans, are indeed The Two Worst Governors in the United States. While the situations may be different, what they share is a complete disregard for the wellbeing of their citizens, and complete failure to honor their oaths of office. Wednesday, January 20, 2016Governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and Rick Snyder of Michigan, both Republicans, are indeed The Two Worst Governors in the United States. While the situations may be different, what they share is a complete disregard for the wellbeing of their citizens, and complete failure to honor their oaths of office. (1 comments) SHARE The Republican 2016 Candidates: A Field of Fantasies from a Field of Fanatics This analysis of the first Republican so-called Presidential Debate casts severe doubt on the judgment of nearly all of the participants, and even more severe doubt on their capability to serve as our President. Friday, January 15, 2016This analysis of the first Republican so-called Presidential Debate casts severe doubt on the judgment of nearly all of the participants, and even more severe doubt on their capability to serve as our President. (1 comments) SHARE A Letter to Hillary Clinton Recent attacks by Hillary Clinton on Senator Bernie Sanders mainly damage her own presidential campaign. Using her daughter Chelsea to make such attacks should be beneath her, particularly when the attacks are not truthful. Thursday, January 14, 2016Recent attacks by Hillary Clinton on Senator Bernie Sanders mainly damage her own presidential campaign. Using her daughter Chelsea to make such attacks should be beneath her, particularly when the attacks are not truthful. (1 comments) SHARE A Most Misbegotten STATE OF THE UNION for Seniors: The Union of AARP and The Hartford Insurance Companies! By highlighting the defects in the well-known AARP The Hartford insurance program for senior citizens, this article hope that either major improvements will occur, or America's seniors will go elsewhere for their insurance -- while establishing an activist agency to really meet our needs. The cause is just and urgent; the time is now! Thursday, January 14, 2016By highlighting the defects in the well-known AARP The Hartford insurance program for senior citizens, this article hope that either major improvements will occur, or America's seniors will go elsewhere for their insurance -- while establishing an activist agency to really meet our needs. The cause is just and urgent; the time is now! (4 comments) SHARE Donald Trump and Ethan Couch: Two Peas in the "Affluenza" Pod! Comparing the misbehavior of Republican Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump and teenage drunk-driving killer Ethan Couch shows similarities in their sociopathy, as outlined in this article. So-called "affluenza" is no excuse for either. Saturday, January 2, 2016Comparing the misbehavior of Republican Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump and teenage drunk-driving killer Ethan Couch shows similarities in their sociopathy, as outlined in this article. So-called "affluenza" is no excuse for either. (4 comments) SHARE A 2016 Agenda for America's Senior Citizens! So far in the 2016 presidential campaigns, neither major party has addressed the needs of America's growing population of Senior Citizens -- and the many ways in which seniors can contribute to the nation. This article is intended to motivate such discussions now. Thursday, December 31, 2015So far in the 2016 presidential campaigns, neither major party has addressed the needs of America's growing population of Senior Citizens -- and the many ways in which seniors can contribute to the nation. This article is intended to motivate such discussions now. (2 comments) SHARE "Disgusting" Donald Trump turns the 2016 presidential campaign into bad bathroom humor! As silly and offensive as Donald Trump's recent attacks on Hillary Clinton appear to be, they do cast some light on The Donald's own serious psychological issues and misguided proclivities. He appears to badly need professional help, rather than any high office at all. Wednesday, December 23, 2015As silly and offensive as Donald Trump's recent attacks on Hillary Clinton appear to be, they do cast some light on The Donald's own serious psychological issues and misguided proclivities. He appears to badly need professional help, rather than any high office at all. Page 1 of 13 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 View All Would you like to know how many people have visited this page? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too. Chris Hedges spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He has reported from more than 50 countries and has worked for The Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times, for which he was a foreign correspondent for 15 years. Hedges was part of the team of reporters at The New York Times awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for the paper's coverage of global terrorism. He also received the Amnesty International Global Award for Human Rights Journalism in 2002. The Los Angeles Press Club honored Hedges' original columns in Truthdig by naming the author the Online Journalist of the Year in 2009, and granted him the Best Online Column award in 2010 for his Truthdig essay "One Day We'll All Be Terrorists." Hedges is a senior fellow at The Nation Institute in New York City and has taught at Columbia University, New York University and Princeton University. He currently teaches inmates at a correctional facility in New Jersey. Hedges began his career reporting the war in El Salvador. Following six years in Latin America, he took time off to study Arabic and then went to Jerusalem and later Cairo. He spent seven years in the Middle East, most of them as the bureau chief there for The New York Times. He left the Middle East in 1995 for Sarajevo to cover the war in Bosnia and later reported the war in Kosovo. Afterward, he joined the Times' investigative team and was based in Paris to cover al-Qaida. He left the Times after being issued a formal reprimand for denouncing the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq. He has written nine books, including "Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle" (2009), "I Don't Believe in Atheists" (2008) and the best-selling "American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America" (2008). His book "War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning" (2003) was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction. His latest book is "Death of the Liberal Class" (2010) Hedges holds a B.A. in English literature from Colgate University and a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard University. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, Calif. Hedges speaks Arabic, French and Spanish and knows ancient Greek and Latin. In addition to writing a weekly original column for Truthdig, he has written for Harper's Magazine, The New Statesman, The New York Review of Books, Adbusters, Granta, Foreign Affairs and other publications. 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 17 First Last Back Next 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 View All (9 comments) SHARE Where Is Joe? This Crisis of Democracy Demands a Leader, Not a Lame Duck It's a serious handicap for an elected leader to be considered a lame duck. Far worse, though, for the "leader" to be considered just plain lame. Thursday, July 7, 2022It's a serious handicap for an elected leader to be considered a lame duck. Far worse, though, for the "leader" to be considered just plain lame. (1 comments) SHARE Joe Biden Stop Telling People You're on Their Side and Start Showing Them You Are The key to winning is not by schmoozing McConnell and Manchin but by going into the countryside and rallying the majority of people fed up with corporate arrogance and abuse. Wednesday, April 20, 2022The key to winning is not by schmoozing McConnell and Manchin but by going into the countryside and rallying the majority of people fed up with corporate arrogance and abuse. (1 comments) SHARE Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, And You. Which One Pays Taxes? In leaked IRS data, the 25 richest Americans were exposed for using tricks and loopholes to pay barely 3 percent of their enormous riches to our public treasury -- while ordinary working people shell out about 24 percent of their meager income. Sunday, June 20, 2021In leaked IRS data, the 25 richest Americans were exposed for using tricks and loopholes to pay barely 3 percent of their enormous riches to our public treasury -- while ordinary working people shell out about 24 percent of their meager income. (5 comments) SHARE The Hamptons: Where Wealth and Poverty Clash It's tough being rich. For one thing, you have to be on constant alert to keep commoners from encroaching on your turf and upsetting your sense of proper social order. Friday, May 7, 2021It's tough being rich. For one thing, you have to be on constant alert to keep commoners from encroaching on your turf and upsetting your sense of proper social order. SHARE Where Does the Buck Stop in Texas? There is a weasel word that politicians use whenever something goes wrong on their watch: "unacceptable." We just heard it slither out of the mouth of Texas governor Greg Abbott in response to the state's failure to prepare for a killer winter storm. "What happened this week to our fellow Texans is unacceptable," he fumed. Sunday, March 7, 2021There is a weasel word that politicians use whenever something goes wrong on their watch: "unacceptable." We just heard it slither out of the mouth of Texas governor Greg Abbott in response to the state's failure to prepare for a killer winter storm. "What happened this week to our fellow Texans is unacceptable," he fumed. SHARE Planet Plastic We now live on Planet Plastic, where billions of tons of waste from everyday products made of these chemical contaminants are strewn literally everywhere on the highest mountaintops, in the deepest seabeds, in dense tropical jungles, and all across barren deserts. Saturday, January 30, 2021We now live on Planet Plastic, where billions of tons of waste from everyday products made of these chemical contaminants are strewn literally everywhere on the highest mountaintops, in the deepest seabeds, in dense tropical jungles, and all across barren deserts. (5 comments) SHARE Two Timeless Truths For Thrse Trying Times Has the savagery, selfishness, and raw, animal hatred within the human species finally come out of the darkness to devour our society? Friday, January 15, 2021Has the savagery, selfishness, and raw, animal hatred within the human species finally come out of the darkness to devour our society? (2 comments) SHARE My Christmas List The gifts I gave to some of America's power elites for Christmas should make them better people. Sunday, December 20, 2020The gifts I gave to some of America's power elites for Christmas should make them better people. SHARE This Holiday Season, Choose A New Food Future America certainly has an abundance of food, even though many Americans do not. We face a momentous choice of whether to pursue a food future rooted in the ethic of sustainable agri-culture or one based on the exploitative ethic of agri-industry. Saturday, December 12, 2020America certainly has an abundance of food, even though many Americans do not. We face a momentous choice of whether to pursue a food future rooted in the ethic of sustainable agri-culture or one based on the exploitative ethic of agri-industry. (1 comments) SHARE The First Thanksgiving? Wherever it began, and whatever the purists claim is "official," Thanksgiving today is as multicultural as America. So let's enjoy even if we're in smaller groups or observing virtually this year. Tuesday, November 24, 2020Wherever it began, and whatever the purists claim is "official," Thanksgiving today is as multicultural as America. So let's enjoy even if we're in smaller groups or observing virtually this year. (1 comments) SHARE The Pandemic Has Been A Bonanza For The Rich Rich is nice, but billionaire-rich is over the moon and the wealth of billionaires is now zooming out of this world. Wednesday, October 28, 2020Rich is nice, but billionaire-rich is over the moon and the wealth of billionaires is now zooming out of this world. SHARE Florida Republicans Are Nakedly Suppressing Votes How nasty is the Republican Party's massive campaign to thwart democracy? Ask the good people of Florida. This was one of only three states that permanently took away the voting rights of people with felonies who'd completed their punishment. Saturday, October 10, 2020How nasty is the Republican Party's massive campaign to thwart democracy? Ask the good people of Florida. This was one of only three states that permanently took away the voting rights of people with felonies who'd completed their punishment. (2 comments) SHARE Beware Corporate COVID Propaganda The ethical crime here is not merely in the cynical fudging of numbers, but that even in this unprecedented time of national crisis, the elites who've converted capitalism into a system of plutocratic plunder still feel entitled to cheat. Monday, September 21, 2020The ethical crime here is not merely in the cynical fudging of numbers, but that even in this unprecedented time of national crisis, the elites who've converted capitalism into a system of plutocratic plunder still feel entitled to cheat. SHARE There's nothing left of the Republican Party but Trump's Maniacal Cackle Instead of a political party, the GOP of 2020 has become a pathetic puppet show of weakling officials and sycophantic subordinates being jerked around by the maniacal whims of a bloated ego with despotic fantasies. Thursday, September 3, 2020Instead of a political party, the GOP of 2020 has become a pathetic puppet show of weakling officials and sycophantic subordinates being jerked around by the maniacal whims of a bloated ego with despotic fantasies. SHARE COVID-19: This Pandemic Brings Out the Worst in Our CEOs Jim Hightower spotlights the "me-first" greed of a corporate chieftain. Wednesday, August 19, 2020Jim Hightower spotlights the "me-first" greed of a corporate chieftain. SHARE The Militarization of "Officer Friendly" From 1776 forward, Americans have opposed having soldiers do police work on our soil, but in recent years, Pentagon chiefs have teamed up with police chiefs to circumvent that prohibition. How? Simply by militarizing police departments Thursday, June 4, 2020From 1776 forward, Americans have opposed having soldiers do police work on our soil, but in recent years, Pentagon chiefs have teamed up with police chiefs to circumvent that prohibition. How? Simply by militarizing police departments SHARE CEOs Aren't Pigs.That's Unfair -- To Pigs. Pigs are remarkably intelligent animals with a sense of social responsibility to the common good of the group. Compare that to the pompous and petulant corporate executives like hotel magnate Monty Bennett, who recently grabbed millions of dollars in economic relief meant for small businesses. Friday, May 15, 2020Pigs are remarkably intelligent animals with a sense of social responsibility to the common good of the group. Compare that to the pompous and petulant corporate executives like hotel magnate Monty Bennett, who recently grabbed millions of dollars in economic relief meant for small businesses. SHARE Trump Blasts Into a New Frontier ... for War President Donald Trump is on a mission to turn science fiction into official military policy. Or is it the reverse? Either way, he's casting himself as a cosmic warrior with a heroic vision to turn the spectacular majesty of space into, as he put it, "the world's new war-fighting domain." How fantastic is that? Wednesday, May 13, 2020President Donald Trump is on a mission to turn science fiction into official military policy. Or is it the reverse? Either way, he's casting himself as a cosmic warrior with a heroic vision to turn the spectacular majesty of space into, as he put it, "the world's new war-fighting domain." How fantastic is that? SHARE Don't Let Trump Gut The Post Office Trump's provisos are postal poison pills, for they would destroy the agency's morale and service, undermine popular support, and clear the political path for profiteering corporations to seize, privatize, and plunder this public treasure. Wednesday, May 6, 2020Trump's provisos are postal poison pills, for they would destroy the agency's morale and service, undermine popular support, and clear the political path for profiteering corporations to seize, privatize, and plunder this public treasure. (1 comments) SHARE Coronavirus And Small Government Sociopathy Nothing like a spreading coronavirus pandemic to bring home the need that all of us have -- both as individuals and as a society -- for an adequately funded, fully functioning, competent government capable of serving all. Wednesday, April 15, 2020Nothing like a spreading coronavirus pandemic to bring home the need that all of us have -- both as individuals and as a society -- for an adequately funded, fully functioning, competent government capable of serving all. Page 1 of 17 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 3 First Last Back Next 2 3 View All (7 comments) SHARE Not Yet Inaugurated; Already a New War The struggle between the military industrial complex, the Intelligence Agencies, and corporate media vs. Trump, over the narrative about Russia is the real major story that no one is willing to discuss. Saturday, January 14, 2017The struggle between the military industrial complex, the Intelligence Agencies, and corporate media vs. Trump, over the narrative about Russia is the real major story that no one is willing to discuss. (28 comments) SHARE Russian Hacking: The CIA Never Lies? The CIA has offered no proof whatsoever of Russian hacking or interfering in our election. Do you believe? Friday, December 23, 2016The CIA has offered no proof whatsoever of Russian hacking or interfering in our election. Do you believe? (1 comments) SHARE Mainstream Media on Syria and Russia: "Fake News If you rely on mainstream media and the cable outlets as your primary source of information on Syria, Aleppo, and Russia, you are subjected to a great deal of propaganda. Saturday, December 17, 2016If you rely on mainstream media and the cable outlets as your primary source of information on Syria, Aleppo, and Russia, you are subjected to a great deal of propaganda. (10 comments) SHARE The Fake News Controversy is Larger than you Think "Fake News" is a smokescreen for future censorship and control of alternative media. Because corporate media has no credibility and has lost control of the public, they are attempting to eliminate alternative media under the guise of it being "fake news". Saturday, December 10, 2016"Fake News" is a smokescreen for future censorship and control of alternative media. Because corporate media has no credibility and has lost control of the public, they are attempting to eliminate alternative media under the guise of it being "fake news". (11 comments) SHARE Hillary Clinton is Playing With Thermonuclear Fire, and You Will be Glowing Hillary Clinton is more dangerous to world security, and a victory will most likely lead to a war with Russia Wednesday, October 26, 2016Hillary Clinton is more dangerous to world security, and a victory will most likely lead to a war with Russia (7 comments) SHARE The Vietnam War and Our Latest war on Yemen Have One Thing in Common-- Nonexistent Attacks. The questionable attack on a US Navy ship in the Gulf of Tonkin precipitated escalation of the useless Vietnam War. Now, years later we have almost an identical questionable attack on a US Navy ship off the coast of Yemen. It may have never occurred, but mainstream media has chose to ignore the non existent attack on the US. Saturday, October 22, 2016The questionable attack on a US Navy ship in the Gulf of Tonkin precipitated escalation of the useless Vietnam War. Now, years later we have almost an identical questionable attack on a US Navy ship off the coast of Yemen. It may have never occurred, but mainstream media has chose to ignore the non existent attack on the US. (17 comments) SHARE Mainstream Media's Propaganda War on Syria and Russia: What You Really Need to Know. Democracy cannot exist without an informed public. Mainstream Corporate Media no longer informs. It acts as a propaganda machine and a reliable parrot in repeating the official government line. This article contains facts denied you by MSM and facts you need to make informed decisions. Monday, October 10, 2016Democracy cannot exist without an informed public. Mainstream Corporate Media no longer informs. It acts as a propaganda machine and a reliable parrot in repeating the official government line. This article contains facts denied you by MSM and facts you need to make informed decisions. (16 comments) SHARE The One Trillion Dollar War with Absolutely Nothing to Show for it. The longest war in our history continues without end and has cost over one trillion dollars and is is not even a presidential campaign issue. The Empire just continues endless war all around the world and it is not even an issue. A sad commentary on the state of the US. Friday, August 19, 2016The longest war in our history continues without end and has cost over one trillion dollars and is is not even a presidential campaign issue. The Empire just continues endless war all around the world and it is not even an issue. A sad commentary on the state of the US. (13 comments) SHARE The Warrior Queen or the Wacko? Who is the Lesser of Two Evils? You may not know it but you do have a logical alternative to the clown show Presidential race. For those who languish in their choice of Trump vs. Clinton, I suggest Trump might just be the lesser of two evils. Fortunately I have a rational sane candidate to support. Wednesday, August 3, 2016You may not know it but you do have a logical alternative to the clown show Presidential race. For those who languish in their choice of Trump vs. Clinton, I suggest Trump might just be the lesser of two evils. Fortunately I have a rational sane candidate to support. (5 comments) SHARE Corporate Media and Neocon Propaganda Will Get Millions Killed Corporate media and neocon allies are planing a war with Russia by using the same propaganda techniques employed to make war on Iraq and Libya. The difference is however, this war could cost you your life and millions of others. Thursday, July 28, 2016Corporate media and neocon allies are planing a war with Russia by using the same propaganda techniques employed to make war on Iraq and Libya. The difference is however, this war could cost you your life and millions of others. (3 comments) SHARE Did Senator Jack Reed Sell his Morality for $11,000? Senator Jack Reed's support of cluster bombs illustrates the threat to democracy; the influence of money in politics. Reed does what almost the entire Congress does. It is a corrupt system that can only be ended by taking all money out of campaigns. Monday, July 11, 2016Senator Jack Reed's support of cluster bombs illustrates the threat to democracy; the influence of money in politics. Reed does what almost the entire Congress does. It is a corrupt system that can only be ended by taking all money out of campaigns. (13 comments) SHARE If Sanders is a True Progressive, He Has One Winnable Option Left If Bernie Sanders is a true progressive he only has one option left to play out. Tuesday, July 5, 2016If Bernie Sanders is a true progressive he only has one option left to play out. (12 comments) SHARE Why We Have So Many Mass Killings? Look in a Mirror. Why so many mass murders in this country? Take a close look at the US government, for government always sets the example for the people to follow. Friday, July 1, 2016Why so many mass murders in this country? Take a close look at the US government, for government always sets the example for the people to follow. SHARE How are Shooting a 12-Year-Old on a Playground and Bombing Hospitals Related? Reverence for the military has carried over to society, and both the military and now police are allowed to kill innocents without being held accountable. Monday, May 2, 2016Reverence for the military has carried over to society, and both the military and now police are allowed to kill innocents without being held accountable. (4 comments) SHARE Letting Banks Fail and Putting Bankers in Jail? Iceland Did, but You Were Not Told This article compares the way the US government handled the bank collapse, and contrasts it with the way the bank failure was handled in Iceland. They, unlike us, refused to bail out banks and prosecuted bankers for negligence. Monday, February 1, 2016This article compares the way the US government handled the bank collapse, and contrasts it with the way the bank failure was handled in Iceland. They, unlike us, refused to bail out banks and prosecuted bankers for negligence. (10 comments) SHARE Your Choice: Thirteen-Billion-Dollar Aircraft Carrier vs. Cure for Cancer This article discusses the misguided military spending policy of the US and how all else is sacrificed by such spending. Tuesday, January 19, 2016This article discusses the misguided military spending policy of the US and how all else is sacrificed by such spending. (4 comments) SHARE Mass Murderers Follow the Example set by their Government Since the US openly defies international law and acts as a lawless nation every day, should we not expect our citizens to follow the example of our government? Sunday, December 13, 2015Since the US openly defies international law and acts as a lawless nation every day, should we not expect our citizens to follow the example of our government? (2 comments) SHARE If This is Not "Newsworthy, What Is?" This article discusses the lack of any media coverage by the major "news" outlets of government bombings of hospitals, and contrasts the non coverage with the over coverage by mainstream media of the mass murders, as in San Bernardino. Wednesday, December 9, 2015This article discusses the lack of any media coverage by the major "news" outlets of government bombings of hospitals, and contrasts the non coverage with the over coverage by mainstream media of the mass murders, as in San Bernardino. (1 comments) SHARE Terrorism: Things You Should Know but Might Not We are getting round the clock coverage of the tragic Paris attacks, and our hearts go out to the families of victims, but there was very little media coverage of the US bombing of a hospital killing doctors, patients,and staff. Why not? Tuesday, November 17, 2015We are getting round the clock coverage of the tragic Paris attacks, and our hearts go out to the families of victims, but there was very little media coverage of the US bombing of a hospital killing doctors, patients,and staff. Why not? (1 comments) SHARE Another Bombed Hospital, Another day in the Empire. US bombs another hospital and after 4 or 5 different stories settles on "mistake". It was not a mistake. It has happened too many times to be a mistake. It is what the American Empire does. Wednesday, October 7, 2015US bombs another hospital and after 4 or 5 different stories settles on "mistake". It was not a mistake. It has happened too many times to be a mistake. It is what the American Empire does. Page 1 of 3 First Last Back Next 2 3 View All By Bobbie Jager On Sunday the fifth-annual National School Choice Week concluded, and states across the nation have had much to celebrate. In the past decade, choice advocates across the political spectrum have worked to pass legislation including full funding for online and charter schools, education savings accounts, scholarship tax credits for children with disabilities, and open enrollment, which allows children to register freely beyond school district borders. School choice advocates in states like Indiana, Colorado, and Florida are also working to break down the walls between the K-12 education system and higher education so students not only earn a high school diploma, but are well on their way to earning an associates degree. When our state decided to create a Common School Fund, it was with the belief that a successful society was dependent upon having a skilled and educated citizenry, and that it was in the publics interest to pay for public education. But the Common School Fund was merely a funding mechanism. It was agnostic on the delivery mechanism. In todays society, we expect customization and personalization in every aspect of our life. Have you considered that maybe our education system is failing not because we lack funding, but, rather, because were still relying on a one-size-fits-all system for 550,000 students with little consideration for the needs of the individual student? Often, Oregon politicians talk about strengthening peoples rights to freely make choices about their lives, yet when it comes to school choice, families in Oregon are severely restricted. The resistance to school choice by education leaders in Oregon isnt limited to simply expanding new options. Unfortunately, there is a constant effort to undo the few choice options available to Oregon families. In 2011, a bipartisan Oregon legislature successfully increased options by expanding enrollment caps for online schools, creating a modified open enrollment option, and allowing colleges and universities to act as charter sponsors. Once caps were lifted, more Oregon students and their families chose online schooling. In turn, more public schools made online schooling an offering to stay competitive with their public charter school counterparts. The cap, however, is artificial. We should do away with it altogether and let parents have full access to that option. When Oregon enacted open enrollment, hundreds of families across the state made the decision to leave their local school district for one that better suited the needs of their child. Unless the legislature acts in 2016, that choice will expire. Living in such a progressive state, doesnt it make sense that we would continue to expand choices for parents instead of limit them? Progressive Democrats from around the nation are moving in this direction. For example, former California Senate President Gloria Romero, a Democrat and an educator, passed the nations first parent trigger law. The law empowers parents whose children attend public schools that are in the bottom 20 percent of Californias system with one of three choices: implement a turn-around model with the district and new staff, transition the school into a charter school, or vote to shut the school down. Gloria understood empowering parents with choices would help children escape failing schools. As a mother of 13 children, I quickly learned not every child fits into the same educational box. My children have attended public schools, including charter schools, private schools, experienced home schooling, and attended international schools when my family was stationed in Saudi Arabia. My kids fill the spectrum from special needs to children identified as talented and gifted. To assume each child is well-served by the exact same educational delivery formula is a recipe for disaster. We now see the results of that thinking in Oregons poor graduation rates. My message to Oregon legislators is to look at what Democrats in other states are doing to end inequality in their education systems. Their efforts are based on choice and empowering parents to make necessary changes. Lets end our practice of tying a childs educational future to their ZIP code and their income. Its time to give all Oregon school children the choice for a better future. Bobbie Jager is the executive director of Building Excellent Schools Together (BEST), a nonpartisan organization committed to parent empowerment and increasing the options for education delivery in our public school system. She was named Oregon Mother of the Year in 2012. Ms. Jager is a guest contributor at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregons free market public policy research organization. A version of this commentary was originally published in The Oregonian on January 24, 2016 as Oregon Legislature should preserve open enrollment in public schools. by NW Spotlight The 2016 Regular Session of the 78th Oregon Legislative Assembly convened today. This session is the short session of the 78th Oregon Legislative Assembly. The Oregon State Legislature web site explains Regular sessions convene each February and may last 160 days in odd-numbered years and 35 days in even-numbered years. This short session will end on March 5, 2016, or sooner. Prior to Measure 71 which passed in 2010, the Oregon Legislature met every two years except when special sessions were called. Through the mentorship of faculty, our orthopaedic surgery residency program offers a resident trainee the opportunity to design a personalized international experience and participate in the practice of global medicine. Reflections on My So-Called Life as a Senior Citizen. As they say, growing old is not for the faint-hearted, but its perks and quirks should provide interesting fodder for a blog....or maybe not. At least now, I will have a venue to publish all those essays that have been taking up precious space in my brain. I hope somebody out there, besides me, will get something out of it. Advice to the Reader: "Dismiss whatever insults your soul." --Walt Whitman Welcome to my cocktail of old writing scraps, special memories, and current personal opinion. Please feel free to comment, criticize, or remark in any way that makes you feel better. This effort is lovingly dedicated to my grandchildren, Boone Agustus Macy, Sebastian Phoenix Files, Judah Blue Winter Files, Olive Noel Macy, Willow Midnight Seraphina Files, and Sullivan Charles Macy - golden portals to the future. -- Pa Rock 50 ppl killed in three bomb blasts near shrine of Hazrat Zainab (RA) DAMASCUS: At least 50 people were killed and 110 wounded on Sunday in three bomb blasts near the revered shrine of Hazrat Zainab (RA) outside the Syrian capital Damascus, state media said. State news agency SANA said the first blast was caused by a car bomb that detonated at a bus station near the shrine. It said two suicide bombers then detonated their explosive belts when people gathered at the scene. The eyewitnesses said the blasts caused massive damage, shattering windows and ripping a huge crater in the road. Smoke rose from the twisted carcasses of more than a dozen cars and a bus damaged in the blasts, as ambulances ferried away the wounded and firefighters worked to put out blazes started by the bombings. The shrine south of the capital contains the grave of a granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and is particularly revered as a pilgrimage site by Muslims. It has continued to attract pilgrims from Syria and beyond, particularly from Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq, throughout the war, and has been targeted in previous bomb attacks. In February 2015, two suicide attacks killed four people and wounded 13 at a checkpoint near the shrine. Also that month, a blast ripped through a bus carrying Lebanese pilgrims headed to Hazrat Zainab (RA), killing at least nine people, in an attack claimed by Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sunday's attack. The area around the shrine is heavily secured with regime checkpoints set up hundreds of metres away to prevent vehicles from getting close to the shrine of Hazrat Zainab (RA). According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, members of Lebanon's powerful group Hezbollah are among those deployed at the checkpoints. The Britain-based monitor said 47 people were killed in the blasts, including a car bomb that targeted a checkpoint, and included non-Syrian militants without specifying their nationalities. Hezbollah is a staunch ally of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and has dispatched fighters to bolster his troops against the uprising that began in March 2011 with anti-government protests. More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which has also displaced over half the country's population internally and abroad. Maleeha Lodhi acted as messenger between Obama administration and Ashfaq Kayani WASHINGTON: Pakistans current envoy to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi apparently acted as an informal messenger between the Obama administration and former army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, according to an email former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received from a senior aide. On Friday, the US State Department released some 1,000 pages of emails of Ms Clinton when she headed the department but sometimes used a private email and a private server to communicate. In one of the emails, Vali Nasr, then a senior adviser in the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, informs Secretary Clinton that Ms Lodhi had shared with him a message from Gen Kayani. I got a call from Maleeha Lodhi, who is in London. She gave a message from Kayani, Mr Nasr wrote on January 21, 2011. But the entire message that Ms Lodhi supposedly shared with Mr Nasr has been edited out. Ms Lodhi, who has also served as Pakistans ambassador in the US and Britain, was not a government official when she supposedly conveyed this message. She was a prominent columnist for Pakistani and international newspapers. Mr Nasr, a prominent academic, has lived in Pakistan and has many friends in the country. The text shows that Mr Nasrs message ran into two paragraphs and was sent three days after Raymond Davis was arrested on charges of killing two men in Lahore. The incident had resulted in a crisis in the US-Pak relationship. On Jan 30, 2011, Secretary Clinton asked her aide Lauren C. Jiloty to print the mail. Please print, she wrote in the email with the subject latest from Pakistan on Kayani 3.0. While most emails about Pakistan have been heavily redacted, one does contain the entire text of the July 3, 2012 phone call between Secretary Clinton and Pakistans then foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar. 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, Ms Clinton writes. On Nov 26, 2011, US helicopters and planes attacked a Pakistani military post at Salala, near the Afghan border, and killed 28 Pakistani soldiers. The incident further strained already tense relations between Pakistan and the United States and Islamabad demanded an apology from Washington over this incident. While Washington did issue a brief statement regretting the incident, the email contains details that have never been disclosed publicly. 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, Secretary Clinton wrote. We are committed to working closely with Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent this from ever happening again, she said. As I told the former prime minister of Pakistan days after the Salala incident, America respects Pakistans sovereignty and is committed to working together in pursuit of shared objectives on the basis of mutual interests and mutual respect, she said. Ms Clinton said that in this telephone call foreign minister Khar and she also talked about the importance of taking coordinated action against terrorists who threaten Pakistan, the US and the region. She also emphasised the need for supporting Afghanistans security, stability and efforts towards reconciliation. Ms Clinton also talked about and 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. She told Ms Khar that the US and Pakistan 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. It has taken a watchdog outside group, the Parents Coalition of Montgomery County, to ferret out this waste. The coalition, driven by its sharp curiosity, frequently uses the Maryland Public Information Act to request public records and keep track of district decisions and spending. We commend the coalition for its important work on this front. It is saving county residents money as inappropriate spending has been uncovered. July 16, 2014 If You Enjoy My Articles, Please Consider Supporting My Writing By Giving A Donation Of Any Amount. Thank you! Meteorologist Paul Douglas writes about Minnesota weather daily, trying to go beyond the "highs" and "lows" of the weather story to discuss current trends and some of the how's and why's of meteorology. Rarely is our weather dull - every day is a new forecast challenge. Why is the weather doing what it's doing? Is climate change a real concern, and if so, how will my family be affected? Climate is flavoring all weather now, and I'll include links to timely stories that resonate with me. Headline : New York Times , 2/4/2022 At least someone had the good sense to smack upside the head! Boston Globe , 5/12/2022 During the h... About Penplusbytes www.penplusbytes.org is a registered non profit since 18th July 2001. Vision "To be the leading institution for promoting effective governance using technology in Africa". We have options beyond resignation? complacency? or denial? By: Romeo O. Encarnacion Deep Hypersaline Anoxic Basins, or DHABs, are lakes of ultra-salty, no-oxygen water more than a mile below the surface of the ocean. They are some of the most extreme environments on Earth. Credit: Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution In 2010, a research team garnered attention when it published evidence of finding the first animals living in permanently anoxic conditions at the bottom of the sea. But a new study, led by scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), raises doubts. One alternative scenario is that cadavers of multicellular organisms were inhabited by bacteria capable of living in anoxic conditions, and these "bodysnatchers" made it seem that the dead animals were living, said Joan Bernhard, a geobiologist with WHOI and the lead author of the new study published in the December 2015 issue of the scientific journal BMC Biology. Bernhard and Virginia Edgcomb, her colleague at WHOI, led an expedition in 2011 that returned to the site of the initial findings: a deep hypersaline anoxic basin (or DHAB) two miles deep in the Mediterranean Sea. DHABs are curious phenomena. They exist in depressions on the seafloor, where long-buried salt deposits become exposed to seawater and dissolve into the sea. The hypersaline water is extremely dense and remains separated, like oil and water, from surrounding normal seawater. It forms "lakes" on the seafloor, tens to hundreds of meters deep, that are extremely salty and devoid of oxygen. "We have known for a long time that some metazoans inhabit extreme anoxic habitats on a periodic or even semi-permanent basis," Bernhard said. "But scientists have thought that metazoan's high-energy activities, such as reproduction, would require oxygen. If these loriciferans spend their whole lives and reproduce in a zero-oxygen environment, we would have to reconsider our concepts of animal metabolism. It was important to revisit the DHABs to confirm and understand those previous remarkable findings." Pilots used Jason's manipulator arms to push plastic cylinders (right) into the seafloor, including the light-colored area that scientists called "the beach" at the edge of a DHAB. The pushcores collected samples of sediments and anything living within them. Credit: Cherie Winner, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution In the 2010 study published in the same journal, researchers from Polytechnic University of Marche and the Natural History Museum of Denmark, led by Roberto Danovaro, analyzed samples collected from a Mediterranean DHAB called L'Atalante. They reported finding multicellular animals (or metazoans), including previously unknown species of a type of tiny animals called loriciferans. The contrast between conditions at the seafloor and at the surface makes it nearly impossible to recover live specimens, and so in the past, metazoan specimens collected from DHABs have been "interpreted as the result of a rain of cadavers that sunk to the anoxic zone from adjacent oxygenated areas," according to the Danovaro study. But the scientists conducted experiments with fluorescent tags, taken up only by metabolically active organisms, which gave indications that the loriciferans had been alive. In addition, a few loriciferans appeared to have reproductive structures called oocytes (or eggs), indicating that the organisms were reproducing. Intrigued by these findings, Bernhard and Edgcomb returned to L'Atalante and other nearby DHABs in 2011 to further investigate aboard the research vessel Atlantis. They collected sediment and water from the edges of three brine pools with different chemical compositions, using WHOI's remotely operated vehicle Jason to visually guide carefully targeted push-core samples. Samples were taken from points in the upper, middle, and lower levels of the layer of water immediately overlying the brine lake. This so-called "interface zone" is where normal seawater at the top transitions to the brine at the bottom, becoming more concentrated and anoxic the closer to the brine. The highly dense, saline, chemical-laden and oxygen-depleted water in all three pools was too dense for Jason to fully penetrate. Control samples from nearby sediment and water of normal oxygen and salinity were also collected. "It's very difficult to get these samples," Bernhard said. "We specifically targeted the interface zone, to have the best chance of finding living organisms." In some control samples, which were mud and water of normal oxygen levels, and also in some samples from the upper level of the interface zones, which have a low level of oxygen, Bernhard and colleagues found the same loriciferan species from L'Atalante reported by Danovaro and colleagues in the 2010 paper and formally named in a 2014 publication. Bernhard et al found the greatest number of metazoans were nematode worms, with much smaller numbers of bryozoans, crustaceans, and loriciferans, including the same three loriciferan genera Danovaro and colleagues reported. More metazoans were in the upper layer and far fewer in the middle and lower layers of the interface zone. The WHOI-led team used a combination of techniques (including incubation with a marker of living tissue, ribosomal RNA sequencing to identify species, epifluorescence imagery, differential interference and phase contrast imagery, and ultrastructural examination of individual specimens, and more) to examine the metazoans collected in the samples. The team's results provided evidence that some nematodes were alive in both the normal sediment and the upper level of the interface zones. But in the lower interface, with almost no oxygen, the metazoans seen were degraded or only their outer coverings, called cuticles. "We found no evidence that these metazoans were living or reproducing in the deepest part of the interface," Bernhard said. They argue that it is very unlikely that the same loriciferan species that they found in normal (control) sediment would also be physiologically able live in the two very different hypersaline, hyperdense, hyper-chemical brine pools where they were collected, because the range of conditions is too wide to adapt to. "The likelihood that they'd have the physiology to cope with all of that would be very low," Bernhard said. "One alternative scenario," the authors write, "is that remnant metazoa bodies were inhabited by [living] anaerobic bacteria and/or archaea," which they colloquially called "bodysnatchers." "The possibility of a viable metazoan community in brines of DHABs is not supported by our data at this time," the authors wrote in their new paper. "That earlier group's 2010 paper came out with such a splash," Bernhard said. "But based on our detailed observations, our paper offers a different perspective on the assertion that there are permanently anoxic metazoans. Maybe people will see our paper and think 'Maybe we don't have to rewrite the basic biology textbooks yet.' " Explore further Scientists discover first multicellular life that doesn't need oxygen More information: Joan M. Bernhard et al. Metazoans of redoxcline sediments in Mediterranean deep-sea hypersaline anoxic basins, BMC Biology (2015). Journal information: BMC Biology Joan M. Bernhard et al. Metazoans of redoxcline sediments in Mediterranean deep-sea hypersaline anoxic basins,(2015). DOI: 10.1186/s12915-015-0213-6 An interdisciplinary team from the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory is playing a key role in development of connected autonomous vehicles(CAVs) that have the potential to transform the lives of isolated older adults through creation of independent travel options. The 'Flourish' project announced today is co-funded by Innovate UK and involves partners from across the South West who will work together to develop a CAV that integrates the mobility needs of older adults with a secure and connected infrastructure. The development has the potential to revolutionise mobility for older adults, reducing loneliness and giving people who do not drive the freedom to make spontaneous choices without relying on others. The work also promises to lead to thousands of new jobs in the South West, in supply chain and product development. Associate Professor Praminda Caleb-Solly from Bristol Robotics Laboratory explains, "Ageing brings a host of physical and cognitive impairments, together with long-term conditions, resulting in the need for added support. Maintaining health and independence, and participating as active members of society, requires people to be mobile. "Studies show that cessation of driving can lead to reduced social activity, poor health and depression. In the UK, over one million older adults say they always, or often, feel lonely. This research would mean that people in this situation wouldn't have to depend on others for transportation and would have the ability to make spontaneous choices. "UWE researchers with expertise in applied psychology and human factors, assistive technology and understanding people's transport requirements, will work with older adults with a range of needs and expectations. "This will result in the development of a set of key scenarios considering people's travel needs and barriers and constraints related to the participants' accessibility needs. Our research findings will further support inclusive public service design and policymaking." The team will also contribute to the design and development (through ongoing human factors testing) of adaptable Human-Machine interfaces (HMIs) which are responsive to people's different accessibility needs. Target-user groups will have a complex range of co-morbidities which can result in impaired vision, loss of hearing, painful or restricted mobility, poor movement control and issues with balance and difficulties with speech, memory and attention, including occasional confusion. Enabling these user groups to communicate intuitively, confidently and safely with an autonomous vehicle requires sophisticated multi-modal interaction capability, and intelligent sensing and responsiveness, which mainstream autonomous vehicles won't necessarily support. The research will address these challenges by building on the teams' world class experience of human factors, assistive technology design and psychology. Associate Professor Caleb-Solly continues, "We will develop a driving simulator that will be integrated into a pod shell and trialled with end-users as part of an iterative design process. This will enable us to optimise the designs of the vehicle interfaces to make them intuitive and easy to use, providing useful journey information and enhancing the journey experience." The findings from working on the simulator development and testing will be transferred to designing the actual physical interfaces which will be integrated into a real pod. A series of physical trials in a range of contexts to test usability and integration with other information sources will then be conducted. Real-world trials with older adults will also assess user experience and user interaction with the human-machine interfaces, focussing on subjective, performance and physiological response measures. Experience of running the trials will enable the development of a standard assessment framework to determine HMI and vehicle adaptations needed for different types of disability needs. This will give car manufacturers incorporating this technology a competitive edge in the market, attracting a wider range of customers and increasing market penetration. The UWE contribution to FLOURISH continues 'the pathway to Driverless Cars' (Department for Transport Feb 2015) building on the platform provided by the VENTURER project and moving closer to the realisation of connected autonomous vehicles(CAVs) sharing roads with current manually driven vehicles and other road users. In FLOURISH, co-designing with people with some level of cognitive and physical age-related impairments, the resulting simulator test environment and adaptable user interface for CAV operation will also be suitable for others with special needs as well as the wider public. As part of their research on assistive robotics for independent living, the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) at UWE collaborate closely with Designability, who have expertise in developing assistive technologies for older adults, and working with researchers in applied psychology and human factors, will extend their expertise in this area. The UWE Bristol and Bristol Robotics Laboratory team (BRL) comprises: Professor Tony Pipe from BRL who will research the security systems used to drive the vehicle. Professor Pipe said, "Security of the systems driving the vehicles is absolutely essential. We don't want the cars to be hacked. Systems anticipate total connectivity to real time traffic conditions so that routes can be controlled and monitored." Associate Professor Praminda Caleb-Solly from BRL will contribute to the design of the adaptable Human-Machine Interfaces and evaluation studies, investigating innovate ways for visualising data from multiple sources to provide contextually relevant and engaging information to the person in the vehicle, through a range of modalities. Professor Graham Parkhurst and Dr Ian Shergold from UWE Bristol's Centre for Transport and Society will contribute their expertise on older citizens' mobility needs and the importance of being mobile both for practical reasons but also due to the wellbeing benefits of being socially connected through movement. Professor Parkhurst said, "It is important that the products developed by Flourish work effectively alongside the existing services for supporting older citizen's travel. The CTS input will focus on ensuring that successful integration." Professor Chris Alford and Dr Phil Morgan from UWE Bristol Department of Psychology will be leading the applied psychology and human factors aspects of the project. Professor Chris Alford adds: "We will be looking at human factors aspects by devising an adaptive human-machine interface connected to various in-car systems using simulated tests that emulate journeys so that we can be sure that people feel confident and comfortable. For example this might include making the instruments like speedometers larger so that people with visual impairments can view speeds easily." Dr Phil Morgan adds: "AVs are the future of driving and are already developing at a galloping pace. Through FLOURISH, we have the perfect opportunity to influence the design of interfaces that people will interact with when using AVs and CAVs. We will optimise the design and usability of these interfaces through psychology and human factors testing and multiple rounds of user-trials so that design is informed by, for example, human needs, expectations, and cognitive ability. We recognise that it is not simply the case of designing a one-size-fits-all interface, especially as the sample we will be designing for during this project are likely to have varying requirements. For example, whereas one person may benefit from larger and less crowded displays, another may benefit more from more audible information. Bespoke solutions are crucial and cutting-edge CAV interfaces for use by older adults should be adaptable based upon individual requirements. We also need to get the balance of interface information right, such that people have access to enough information (e.g., vehicle related, external conditions related) without feeling over-loaded or indeed under-loaded. The FLOURISH project and partnership will allow us to achieve all of this and more." Explore further New Anchor Robotics facility opens to develop robots that help elderly to live independently Big eared townsend bat (Corynorhinus townsendii) Credit: Public Domain (Phys.org)A team of researchers with members from several institutions in New Zealand and the U.S. has found, via modeling, that little brown bats in North America are likely more susceptible to dying due to a certain fungal infection than bigger brown bats, due to their size and habitat. The team has published their results in the journal Science Advances. Scientists and environmentalists alike have become concerned as the number of little brown bats in North America dying due to a fungal infection known as white-nose syndrome, has climbed into the millions. The fungus attacks the facial skin while the bats are hibernating, causing them to wake from hibernation earlythat in turn causes them to die from exposure due to early expenditure of energy reserves. Prior studies have shown that other bats in North America and Europe are not harmed by the fungus and that has led to this newest effort to find out why there is such a stark difference between species. To learn more, the researchers conducted simulations to better understand the conditions that lead to fungal growth and then developed models based on the simulations they ran. Next they built models that mimicked the energy requirements of hibernating bats, taking into account the energy needs for the little brown bats, big brown bats, and also their European cousins, serotine and greater mouse-eared bats. They also noted that white-nose syndrome is relatively new to North Americaprior studies have indicated the fungus migrated from Europe. In studying the results offered by all of the models, the researchers found that the energy requirements of hibernating bats varied by species as did metabolic rates, and that both were related to size. They also found that the fungus showed faster growth in areas of high humidity. The team also noted that the little brown bats, besides being smaller than all the others under study, also tended to hibernate in more humid parts of the country. Taken together, the data from the models suggests that it is likely the reason that little brown bats are more susceptible to dying from the fungus is because of their smaller size and because they hibernate in areas where the fungus grows faster. The team also suggests that European bats may have evolved traits that help them fight off the fungusover their much longer history with the disease. Explore further Explaining species differences in bat mortality from white-nose syndrome More information: D. T. S. Hayman et al. Environment, host, and fungal traits predict continental-scale white-nose syndrome in bats, Science Advances (2016). Journal information: Science Advances D. T. S. Hayman et al. Environment, host, and fungal traits predict continental-scale white-nose syndrome in bats,(2016). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1500831 2016 Phys.org Mathematically, coexistence means that a path through the interaction matrix, formed by all species in the food web, can be found. The figure visualizes an example interaction matrix, with white boxes connecting neighbor trophic levels contain non-zero elements. The path consists of using the combination of a given row and column only once, as shown by blue boxes. The connections to the nutrient source, shown by yellow, which feeds all species at the bottom layer, can - but need not - be used as a part of the path. In the given case, there are 4 basal species, e.g. plants, 5 plant eaters, and 2 top predators. Credit: Jan Harter, Niels Bohr Institutet We humans are affecting nature to a greater and greater degree and this is contributing to the reduction of biodiversity globally. To better assess the consequences requires a better understanding of the environmental conditions that the species in an ecosystem live under. A group of biophysicists from the Niels Bohr Institute have therefore analysed data and calculated how the species in an area affect each other and how an ecosystem can be in balance or out of balance. The results are published in the scientific journal, PLoS Computational Biology. In nature, animals move around and encroach into new areas where other animals have their habitat. Here they might be prey for some of the original animals and they can also be eaten themselves. They are all part of the food chain. This pattern of eating and being eaten can be in balance or it can lead to disturbances in the environment, for example when rabbits were introduced in Australia and the rabbits multiplied dramatically, as they had no natural enemies. But how do you know if an ecosystem is in balance? Can you even formulate it? Yes, a group of biophysicists from the Niels Bohr Institute has done it. The formula is called Lotka-Volterra and it is used to calculate the mutual influence, which is a key factor in a sustainable coexistence. Statistical analysis of biology "We have used data from biological observations and analysed the relationship between the different species and their place in the food chain. Some species eat plants, while others eat other animals. We can see that it is extremely important that there is a balance between who eats what and how many are hunting the same prey," explains Namiko Mitarai, Associate Professor of biophysics at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen. She, along with Assistant Professor Jan Harter and Professor Kim Sneppen, both from the research group Biocomplexity at the Niels Bohr Institute, performed the comprehensive statistical calculations. Specific food web formed by plants, plant eaters and top predators and their feeding connections. Plants are capable of using basic chemical or physical nutrients to live and reproduce, this means there is a flow of energy from the nutrients to the plants. Plant-eating animals may live exclusively on the available plants while top predators feed on other animals. Credit: Jan Harter, Niels Bohr Institutet Namiko Mitarai explains that they first used the classical calculations from the theories about ecosystems that say that two predators cannot exist simultaneously if they both live exclusively on the same prey. But in their analysis, they have modified the mutual competition by saying that the two competing predators might well exist side by side, if only they are prey for other predators. Predators may also be prey Whatever is eating grass is eaten by a carnivore, which is eaten by another carnivore and so on. If two species are chasing the same prey, it is important that the two species are also being hunted by other animals. Without it, one of the two species - say the one better at catching the pray, will eventually outcompete the other species because not enough pray is left for the other. But if the "better" species is also hunted by other animals, the "worse" species can have enough food to survive. Hence the "links" between species are very important. What they can also see is the combination of species in the different links of the food chain. As you can also see in the data from field studies, it turns out that these 'rules' that predators have to be prey for other predators means that there are far more species in the middle part of the food chain than at the bottom and the top. In addition, the research shows that animals that are both herbivores and carnivores - so-called omnivores, may have a special role in stabilising the food chain as they combine several nutrient chains. "In a larger perspective, our calculation method enables us to predict which types of invasive species can cause major changes and perhaps even the collapse of the ecosystem in a given area and the method could also be used to predict the later extinction of species due to the removal of native animals in the area," explains Namiko Mitarai. Explore further Invasive species as junk food for predators 50 METRES HIGH: Most glaciers in the world are classic calving glaciers, like the Lilliehook glacier in Northern Svalbard. Its front is to kilometers wide and almost 50 metres high. Every time it calves, huge roars can be heard across the fjord. The researchers have now examined another type of glaciers that behave very differently. Credit: Yngve Vogt Many glaciers on Svalbard behave very differently from other glaciers worldwide. They advance massively for some years and then quickly retreat and then remain quiescent for fifty to a hundred years before they once again start to advance. One of the many dangers resulting from global warming is the melting of glaciers. To ascertain how this will affect sea levels in the future, it is important to know how glaciers behave. Five years ago, Professor Jon Ove Hagen at the Department of Geosciences at UiO affirmed in Apollon that the melting of the smaller glaciers in the Arctic was just as important for the rise in sea level as the melting of glaciers on Greenland. Melting in the Arctic is staggering. During three summer months, the Svalbard glaciers alone lost four and a half million tonnes of meltwater per hour. The Nordic Centre of Excellence in Arctic Research, Stability and Variations of Arctic Land Ice, headed by Jon Ove Hagen has studied a unique type of glacier found on Svalbard, which behaves quite differently from most other glaciers worldwide. These glaciers can remain almost quiescent for 50 to 100 years, before advancing at an unprecedented velocity for some years. Then they retreat once again and remain quiescent for a further fifty to a hundred years before suddenly advancing once again. PULSATING GLACIERS: Basin 3, the southern part of the Austfonna glacier, is the largest ice cap in Europe. Its at the northern most part of Svalbard, and is a typical pulsating glacier. A pulsating glacier advances rapidly for a few years, before retreating and remaining quiescent for 50-100 years before advancing again. A few years ago the fastest moving parts of the glacier moved twenty metres per day, and the cracks were up to ten metres wide. Credit: Thorben Dunse "A better understanding of the dynamics of these glaciers will increase knowledge of how the tributaries of the large glaciers on Greenland and in the Antarctic behave. This will enable us to predict more accurately how much sea levels will rise when these glaciers melt," says Jon Ove Hagen. Remarkable phenomenon These special glaciers are termed surging glaciers. In this article Apollon refers to them as pulsating glaciers. Pulsating glaciers behave so differently from the majority of glaciers worldwide that researchers have been attempting to explain this remarkable phenomenon for a considerable number of years. At least one of five glaciers on Svalbard pulsates. Globally, the number is one in a hundred. This means that pulsating glaciers are twenty times more common on Svalbard than in the rest of the world. Some glaciologists claim that as many as nine out of ten Svalbard glaciers pulsate. A 1993 glacier atlas estimates a total of a hundred pulsating glaciers in the period from 1860 to 1992, but many of these observations are imprecise. Only a few glaciers pulsate at the same time. In some seasons all of them may be quiescent. There are no pulsating glaciers on mainland Norway, or in the Alps. In contrast, some glaciers in Alaska and Iceland wake to life and move in the same way. Some of the glaciers on Greenland and in the Antarctic also pulsate. "Svalbard is therefore the best place in the world to study this remarkable phenomenon. These are living glaciers with their own special behaviour," says French researcher Heidi Sevestre. In her PhD thesis at the University of Oslo and the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), she has attempted to explain why these glaciers behave in such a strange way. Viscous mass All glaciers resemble a viscous mass. Because of the enormous weight of the ice, these masses flow slowly towards the ocean. Most large glaciers move a few metres on an ordinary summer's day. The classic glacier is the calving glacier. The glacier front ends in the sea, and blocks of ice detach and fall into the fjord. These glaciers are now receding faster and faster, and are continually losing more ice, like the Kongsbreen glacier innermost in Kongsfjorden near Ny-Alesund. Over the last 30 years, the glacier has receded by five kilometers, i.e. 166 metres annually. The Nathorstbreen glacier in Van Keulenfjorden, 90 kilometres south of Longyearbyen, is an example of a pulsating glacier. It actually consists of many branches that join together to form one large glacier. In the course of a mere three years, from 2009 to 2011, the front advanced 20 kilometres. "At the most, the Nathorstbreen glacier has moved over twenty metres per day, or ten times faster than a normal glacier. All the ice that ends up in the fjord will gradually melt, resulting in the ice front receding," Jon Ove Hagen relates. But even though they are affected by climate change like all other glaciers, this is not the explanation for their pulsation. Normal glaciers move at a steady pace thanks to the high pressure exerted by snow masses on the ice caps. Pulsating glaciers are unable to move fast enough to dispose of the excess snow. Some of the upper parts of these glaciers become a few tens of metres higher before starting to spread. When they have become heavy enough, the enormous weight will result in the glacier sliding faster and advancing. The volume of the glacier will nevertheless remain the same. The Nathorstbreen glacier is 200400 metres thick and 56 kilometres wide, thus consisting of many million tonnes of ice. The reason why this huge mass of ice can move over ten metres per day is that meltwater is formed between the glacier and its bed. There are two types of ice. One is cold ice with a temperature that is constantly below melting point. Friction against the glacier bed is therefore so great that the ice moves slowly. The other type is called warm or temperate ice. Here the temperature is close to melting point. When water is formed under the ice, the glacier slides more rapidly. "When the glacier becomes thicker, the pressure in the ice increases, resulting in some increase in temperature. At the bottom of thick glaciers, the ice is so warm that it starts to melt. The secret of such pulsating glaciers is therefore increased pressure from above. As long as the meltwater does not run away, the ice surfs on the water," explains Sevestre. When the meltwater under the ice drains off, the friction increases and the movement of the glacier comes to a halt. Dangerous crevasses It is of most interest to study pulsating glaciers when their speed has increased, but at that time it may be extremely dangerous to walk on the glacier to put measuring instruments in place. "It is impossible to walk on glaciers that are moving fast. The entire glacier surface is a chaos of dangerous crevasses. The only period when you can study them properly is when they are moving slowly, but doing research at that time is of less interest. When the glaciers have started to advance, it is too late to find out anything about how the advance started," Jon Ove Hagen asserts. A stroke of luck on the glacier By a stroke of luck, the research group succeeded in placing five permanent GPS sensors on the south side of Europe's largest glacier, Austfonna on Nordaustlandet, some years ago, before discovering that the glacier segment with the uninspiring name Basseng 3 [Basin 3], was a pulsating glacier. The sensors were placed five to twenty kilometres from the glacier front, but unfortunately not on the parts of the glacier that moved at the greatest velocity some years later. The glacier began to move faster in 2009, and the velocity gradually increased every summer. Even though the velocity naturally decreased somewhat in winter, it doubled in relation to the preceding winter nevertheless. The gradual increase lasted for three years. In 2012, the movement of the glacier rocketed. The fastest moving parts of the glacier moved twenty metres per day, and the cracks were up to ten metres wide. The annual glacier calving rate for the entire ice cap of Austfonna is usually two and a half cubic kilometres of ice annually. Now the enormous ice discharge has tripled but this phenomenon is of short duration. "We have also observed on Greenland that the speed is increasing on many tributaries. We can therefore learn from Austfonna on Svalbard something about what is happening to other big ice caps and ice sheets. The key question is how stable the tributaries are in Greenland and in Antarctica. This can be of considerable significance for sea levels," says Hagen. To measure the movements and changes in the elevation of the glacier on Austfonna, both satellite measurements and GPS measurements on the glacier itself are employed. Previously, snowmobiles have been used to take radar measurements of the thickness of the ice. The glacier has become thicker in the central zones and thinner along the edge. Now it has become so dangerous that helicopters must be used to put measuring instruments in place. This past autumn, the glaciologists travelled to the Tunabreen glacier, which is located a little to the south of the Russian settlement Pyramiden. The glacier advanced enormously ten years ago but is now receding. Here the glaciologists have installed instruments on the glacier and a camera on the mountain to take photographs at regular intervals over a period of months in order to measure the speed of the glacier. They will also study the topography of the fjord. Heidi Sevestre has studied fifteen pulsating glaciers on Svalbard. The glaciers do not advance at the same time. While some are now expanding, others are receding. Thanks to satellite photographs, one can see which glaciers are changing. In the 1930s, Svalbard experienced a warm period. Then it grew colder and then warmer again. Now the Svalbard glaciers are reacting strongly to climate change. "Even though the process in the pulsating glaciers strictly speaking has nothing to do with the climate, the climate may affect how often they advance," emphasises Jon Ove Hagen. Calculating the snow masses In order to understand the movements of the glaciers, researchers must also take into account the volume of precipitation on the glaciers. Unfortunately they know little about local variations in precipitation. "Regrettably we have far too few permanent weather stations on Svalbard. There is one in Hornsund, in the very south of Svalbard, one in Longyearbyen, one in Ny-Alesund and one in the very north of the archipelago. That's not enough. We need more weather stations. For the time being we have to use mathematical models to estimate the volume of precipitation on the glaciers, explains Sevestre. Explore further Glaciers melt faster than ever Turn on a skillet and let it heat up until it is well above the boiling point of water. Then sprinkle a teaspoon of water on the skillet and watch. Water droplets will bounce up, form spheres and scurry across the surface. What you have just observed is an example of the Leidenfrost effect, named for Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost, an 18th-century German physician and scientist. The phenomenon occurs when a liquid, upon approaching an object that is much hotter than the liquid's boiling point, produces a vapor which insulates the liquid from the surface of the object. This repulsive force, say scientists, has two consequences. It prevents droplets of the liquid from making physical contact with the surface, causing them instead to hover over the surface. And it causes the droplets to boil off more slowly than they would on a surface with a lower temperature that is still above the liquid's boiling point. Researchers in Hong Kong and at Lehigh University recently demonstrated that it is possible to exploit the Leidenfrost effect to control the direction and destination of liquid droplets on a surface and thus to cool it more efficiently. They achieved this by lithographically patterning a surface with microscale features that convert excess surface tension into a kinetic energy that propels droplets to "hot spots" on the surface. The discovery, say Zuankai Wang of the City University of Hong Kong and Manoj Chaudhury of Lehigh, has the potential to improve technologies that involve microfluidics, heat transfer, heat exchange, micro-heat exchange, water management and thermal management. "Many applications, such as power plant reactors, require the management and control of the movement of water droplets at very high temperatures," says Wang, an associate professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering at City University. "Typically, the cooling of extremely hot surfaces has been accomplished with spray cooling. You spray a lot of water droplets onto a surface and as they boil, they take away the heat. "At a high temperature, however, this doesn't work because the Leidenfrost effect prevents the droplets from making sufficient contact with the surface to cool it. Thus it takes too long to cool a surface by boiling off water." Wang, Chaudhury and their colleagues reported their results today (Feb. 1) in Nature Physics, a journal of Nature magazine, in an article titled "Directional transport of high-temperature Janus droplets mediated by structural topography." The article's lead author is Jing Li, a Ph.D. candidate in the department of mechanical and biomedical engineering at City University. Contrasting topographies Scientists in the last 20 years have learned to control the movement of liquid droplets on a solid surface by breaking the wetting symmetry that results from the impact of a droplet on a surface. They have accomplished this by harnessing gradients of surface energy and by utilizing light, temperature, electric force and mechanical vibration. Chaudhury, the Franklin J. Howes Jr. Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Lehigh, for example, has published articles with his students in Science and Langmuir describing their successful efforts to direct the movement of water droplets on surfaces. But scientists have not yet achieved this control on surfaces heated to Leidenfrost temperatures and above, or on surfaces with extremely hot local spots. Two years ago, Wang came up with the idea of creating topographical contrasts on a silicon wafer by etching the wafer surface with micropillars and arranging the pillars in zones that vary according to the density of the pillars and the contact angle of the pillars with the surface. "The Leidenfrost Effect has been extensively studied for drag reduction, while the presence of the undesired vapor layer also prevents efficient heat transfer," says Wang. "Thus, we came up with the idea of creating an asymmetric surface to control droplet motion at high temperatures." In their Nature Physics article, the researchers reported that their experiments, which were conducted in Hong Kong, showed that "judicious control of the structural topography and operating temperature range of the solid substrate" served to break the wetting symmetry of droplets. The group also reported a "new physical phenomenon in which two concurrent wetting statesLeidenfrost and contact-boilingcan be designed in a single droplet [heated] above its boiling point." The droplet, the researchers wrote in Nature Physics, "exhibits a contrasting (or Janus) thermal state with a lower contact angle in the boiling region, but a higher angle in the Leidenfrost region." This contrast generates "a gradient of curvature, and thus a gradient of Laplace pressure." "As the [droplet's] viscous dissipation is minimal," the researchers wrote, "the resulting excess surface energy of the droplet is converted to kinetic energy, naturally causing it to dislodge from the surface and take flight into the air. The droplet eventually gets deposited in the contact-boiling region." A similar phenomenon in nature The researchers liken this phenomenon to the action of a slingshot and note that something similar occurs with a filamentous mushroom called Basidiomycota. Each spore of the fungus is part hydrophobic, with a shape like a thin film, and part hydrophilic, with a shape like a sphere. When the two regions make contact, they coalesce, and the tension between hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions creates a force that carries the entire spore into the air. "This is a chemical effect that nature produces," says Shuhuai Yao, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. "At the point of coalescence, there is an asymmetry but the desire for symmetry causes a transitory state and generates a force that propels the spore." The contrasting topographies of the micropillars on Wang's silicon wafer create a similar phenomenon. At a high temperature, as one part of the droplet is boiling and one is non-boiling, an asymmetry is created. But as with the Basidiomycota, the natural tendency toward symmetry creates the slingshot effect that propels the droplet. There is, however, a critical difference between the two phenomena, the researchers say. While nature makes no effort to guide a spore but instead merely to release it, a droplet on a bio-inspired surface can be targeted to a specific place and made to land on a hot spot and boil off. Explore further Leidenfrost thermostat uses levitating water droplets to keep cool More information: Jing Li et al. Directional transport of high-temperature Janus droplets mediated by structural topography, Nature Physics (2016). Journal information: Nature Physics Jing Li et al. Directional transport of high-temperature Janus droplets mediated by structural topography,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/NPHYS3643 This post originally appeared on Syria Deeply. Political wrangling in the lead up to Fridays U.N.-brokered peace talks has dramatically lowered expectations. But continued inaction at the diplomatic level, writes Elise Baker of Physicians for Human Rights, is a death sentence for many Syrians trapped in besieged or remote areas across the country As world leaders gather in Geneva for the latest round of talks on the Syrian conflict, I cant help recalling what a Syrian doctor told me a few months ago in Gaziantep, Turkey. Nobody wants to end the conflict in Syria, he said. They want to run the conflict in Syria, but not to end it If I could say something, I would say stop it all. But the world will not listen. I find it hard to be optimistic about these talks. While all parties to the negotiations agree in principle on the need for a ceasefire, they have not been willing to make the necessary concessions to achieve one. In the interim, dozens of civilians are killed each day as Russia and Syria increase their assault on opposition-controlled areas. Hospitals, schools and markets are destroyed. Entire towns and cities are demolished. And hundreds of Syrians are forced to flee with their children and few belongings to yet another town, where they will live in yet another abandoned building before it, too, is bombed and they are forced to flee again. All parties agree on the need for unhindered humanitarian access to those in need, but one million Syrians continue to live under siege. They go to bed hungry, and outbreaks of flesh-eating diseases go untreated. They hope their children will survive living off one bowl of rice every other day for months on end. But hundreds have not been so lucky. They have starved to death in towns only miles away from food-filled warehouses, where aid sits ready to be delivered. The U.N. says it must deliver aid to all Syrians in need, and the Security Council has authorized U.N. agencies to do so without approval from the Syrian government. Yet these U.N. agencies continue to request permission for such deliveries from the Syrian government, which time after time has ignored or rejected these requests. Despite the fact that all parties have agreed, in principle, on the need to combat the self-declared Islamic State (ISIS), its members continue to terrorize, imprison, rape, execute, threaten and abuse entire populations. They parade their antics on the Internet for the world to witness and decry. Then they feed off this publicity, garnering more followers who will commit even more atrocities. The United States has spent 18 months and more than $5 billion bombing ISIS, yet the group controls more territory in Syria than it did 18 months ago. Meanwhile, Russia continues to bomb opposition-controlled areas under the pretense that it is fighting terrorism. As world leaders gather to negotiate ceasefires, humanitarian aid and fighting ISIS, I worry that they have grown too numb to the everyday reality Syrians are forced to live through. I worry that anyone who works on Syria has become inured to this horrifying conflict the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives to barrel bombs and indiscriminate shelling, to car bombs, starvation and beheadings. But mostly I worry that the politics of stalemate and inaction, which have repeatedly prevented a resolution to the conflict, will stall these peace talks. I hope these leaders recall the past five years of the Syrian conflict and internalize the incredibly high cost of inaction. I hope negotiators keep in mind the millions of lives that hang in the balance. Millions of Syrians individuals with families and friends, hopes and careers could be saved from their current fate of displacement and death if the talks succeed. Millions of Syrians lives depend on these talks. I hope these leaders act with urgency on the principles they tout. If these talks do not succeed, who knows how many more Syrians will be lost to bombs, starvation, and denial of health care? How many millions of refugees will risk their lives seeking safety in an increasingly unwelcoming Europe? How many more agonizing years will Syrians have to endure before politicians again summon the political will to resolve this brutal conflict? As world leaders gather in Geneva, I hope they understand that for the Syrians who suffer from their inaction, failure of these talks is a death sentence. Polyamory in the News! . . . by Alan M. The Afghan government has launched a major campaign to round up and relocate drug addicts from Kabul to a new rehab camp in the city. Now, hundreds of drug users find themselves at Camp Phoenix working their way through the painful road to recovery. Ghayor Waziri visited the camp to find out more. Afghan government workers are arriving at Pol-E- Sokhta in western Kabul, a place where hundreds of drug addicts gather each day. They have been tasked with rounding up the citys drug users and moving them to a former NATO base, less than 10 kilometers away. The counter-narcotics, public health and economy ministries have joined together in the initiative to provide treatment for drug addicts at the camp. Salamat Azimi, the Counter Narcotics Minister, explains. We are ready to treat thousands of drug addicts in this camp, which has a key role for counter narcotics in the country, says Azimi, We will open the next camp in eastern Afghanistan as well, which can treat a thousand addicts. We plan to provide services to those who are addicted to drugs and are living in a very bad situation. Thirty-five-year-old Gul Aqa has been using a cocktail of drugs, from morphine to opium, for about three years now. Some of his fingers are burnt from accidentally lighting his hands while smoking drugs. Gul says he needs help to treat his addiction. I want to be treated so I can return to my old life, he says, Nobody has offered to provide treatment before, so I am happy to go to this rehab center. In the past few days, hundreds of drug users have been collected from the streets and moved to Camp Phoenix. From outside the camp looks like a military base, but inside the rooms are modern and clean. Its here where Kabuls addicts will be treated and trained in skills such as carpentry and painting Public Health Minister Ferozuddin Feroz says they plan to help as many users as possible. Our aim is to collect drug addicts who are homeless, abandoned by their relatives, and are living on the street, he explains, The campaign will continue over the coming days. Alongside treatment at the camp, they will be trained in different skills and professions to stimulate their minds and encourage to move away from drugs. Playing musical instruments is one form of therapy at Camp Phoenix. The music seems to help them forget their troubles, or the path that led to drugs in the first place. Thirty-year-old Habiballah is a former soldier for the Afghan army. He served in the war-torn province of Helmand, and started using drugs to cope with the pressure of fighting against the Taliban and their violent ambushes Habiballah has been at Camp Phoenix for a week now. Before he became an addict he was a sergeant in the army in Helmand province. During the fighting and insurgency there I had a lot of mental stress, thats why I started using drugs, he says, And when I got addicted my relationship with my wife and daughters and other family members fell apart, and I also had to leave the army. I dont know where my family is now... So far the treatment has been good, I feel happy and healthy and hope to get back to normal. But not every drug user is happy to be taken to Camp Phoenix. A number of addicts that live under a bridge in the western part of Kabul refuse to move. Relapsed drug user Mohammad Yasin became addicted to morphine while living as a refugee in Iran 12 years ago. Once I was treated and stopped taking drugs, but when I became unemployed for months, I started it again, says Yasin, When I cant find money to buy drugs, I receive drugs from people who sell it and I then I sell it for them, so I get the drug for free. Sometime addicts also steal, from shops, houses and people, so they can find the money. According to the government there is an estimated 3.5 million people addicted to drugs in Afghanistan. Civil society activists say the governments campaign is a good way to prevent the production and smuggling of drugs across the country. But for a country like Afghanistan one of the biggest producers of narcotics in the world it wont be easy for everyone to kick the habit. Gafatars' homes were stoned and burnt to the ground in Kalimantan. (Photo: Antara) After several of its members disappeared the Fajar Nusantara Movement or Gafatar has continued to be dogged by controversy. The Indonesian government has described the group as a deviant sect, while Islamic groups have threatened to sue. But Gafatar denies the rumors swirling around the group, saying they just want to farm in peace on their remote property in Kalimantan... From the capital, Jakarta, Kate Lancaster investigates. After their homes were stoned and burnt to the ground earlier this week, Gafatar members in Kalimantan were forced to flee. Critics say the group follows a cocktail of religions, fusing elements of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Its the reason why Gafatar has been labeled a deviant sect, and why in the worlds largest Muslim-majority nation, the group is viewed with deep suspicion. But Gafatar member Yanuar says the group only follows Pancasila Indonesias state ideology. Gafatar was established on August 14, 2009. Its vision and mission were good, to implement the order of life in the community, nation and the welfare state, based on Pancasila, he explains, As the noble values of Pancasila have been in decline, I want to uphold them, to encourage the nation to be a peaceful and prosperous state. The Home Ministry first disbanded Gafatar in 2012. But over recent months thousands of members have moved to Gafatars 13.5 hectare property in Mempawah in a remote part of West Kalimantan. Dr. Monica, who asked to use her first name only, is a doctor who lives close by the Gafatar property. Speaking via telephone via Kalimantan, she told me how the locals viewed the group when they first arrived in August last year. Some of them thought this group was quite exclusive. They have their own group and they dont send their kids to school. Its just theyre, in the Gafatar, being exclusive, says Dr. Monica, So that community was suspicious of them but they still lived peacefully with each other and no conflict. Gafatar member Yanuar says that before the tension erupted the group spent their days farming planting rice, water spinach and flowers. But they could feel the tension with the local community growing. Locals accused the group of isolating themselves, and not going to the mosque to pray. That escalated further when authorities started to question whether Gafatar had permission to be there in the first place. Yanuar says that at first they asked permission from the local authorities but the permission was in spoken, not written form. When the tension began, we strived to provide our records about our existence from the beginning. But it seemed that was not important anymore, or not important to them. It was too late, he says. Gafatar drew national attention in December last year when a missing mother and her child turned up at the groups Kalimantan property two weeks later. Other disappearances have since followed. Then last week more than 1,000 Gafatar members were relocated from their homes by police, and taken to the capital of West Kalimantan. Dr. Monica explains. They gave them an ultimatum, You have to leave this village in 48 hours, she explains, So they had to pack their things and then they left. Actually, the government facilitated them, and then they put them in the barracks. I think there were about 400, almost 400 people in the barracks. As the Gafatar members were leaving, their village was ransacked, stoned and burned by a mob of angry residents. Dr. Monica says the members were scared but had little choice but to cooperate. They were depressed, they were clearly depressed about this, but they didnt fight back, she says, They didnt fight back [against] the government, but they were really depressed, and they were threatened and they were afraid as well. Actually, they asked if there was a possibility to get asylum. Following the evacuation three Indonesian naval vessels were dispatched to transport the Gafatar members back to their homes across Indonesia. But Dr. Monica says some of the members are too afraid to return home. Because they know that in their own original areas, they are not accepted as well, so its dangerous for them to go back to their own area, says Dr. Monica, their original area. By law in Indonesia, each citizen must subscribe to one of the six official religions. But you cant mix and match, which is why people have reacted so strongly against Gafatar. Yet, regardless of what they believe, activists like Rafendi Djamin, the director of Indonesias Human Rights Working Group, says their fundamental rights have been violated. And that Indonesia needs to respect religious freedom. That is the problem in our society, he says, Once you are caught as a deviant, then it is as if you have a legitimacy to crush them, to destroy them. That is one thing that Indonesia has to learn. That is not the correct way of living in a country where we embrace democracy and human rights. Gafatar members now face an uncertain future. Since being relocated they are being compelled to undergo what the government calls religious re-education. Rohit Vemula has become a symbol of protest against Dalit persecution. (Photo: Bismillah Geelani) The recent suicide of a student from Indias Dalit caste at a university in southern India has evoked nation-wide protests. And reinvigorated discussion about the plight of the long oppressed Dalit community. As Bismillah Geelani reports, discrimination and atrocities against Dalits are widespread in India but often remain unrecognized. Calls are now growing louder for immediate reforms to end the persecution of the community. For some people life itself is a curse. My birth is my fatal accident. These two sentences were included in the suicide note Vemula Rohit left behind before hanging himself. Undertaking his doctorate at the Central University in Hyderabad, Rohit would have turned 27 this week. He wanted to be a science writer, like Carl Sagan but suddenly decided to end his life. Shocked fellow students, like Radhika, believe he was forced to take the extreme step. He didnt just commit suicide, there was something that pushed him over the edge and we need to find out that, says Radhika, We want the culprits to face the punishment they deserve and thats why we are here trying to protest against the system that clearly doesnt protect us anymore. Rohit belonged to a Dalit family and was expelled from the university along with 5 other Dalit students after an alleged scuffle with another student group, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Praishad, or ABVP. The ABVP is the student wing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or the BJP. The BJP leaders, including some ministers in the central government, are accused of putting pressure on the university authorities to take action against the Dalit group. Krishna Kumar is a Dalit Activist. These are first generation Dalit students who are coming to theses campuses with a great effort to show the society that this is our society and everybody is part of it, he explains, but this attack which has come majorly from the BJP because Rohit was a Dalit has led him to end his life. This is not a suicide; we will call it an institutionalized murder. Students and members of the Dalit community from across the country have taken to the streets demanding accountability. Following the widespread protests, the government has ordered an enquiry into the matter, but the BJP insists that it should not be seen as a caste-driven conflict. But this is not an isolated incident. At least 20 Dalit students have committed suicide in Indian universities in the last few years. Sukhdev Thorat, a former chairman of the University Grants Commission, says there is a deep-rooted prejudice against Dalits in educational institutions. Why are so many Dalits committing suicide? The fact is Dalit students go through various forms of discrimination in the universities and colleges, explains Thorat, It is between the students, between the student and the teacher, in the classroom, in the cultural functions and all this is leading to deep divisions. And when politics enters the arena it becomes even worse. Dalits, earlier known as untouchables, have been the subject of oppression in Indian society for thousands of years. Though there is a law criminalizing discrimination against Dalits, the situation on the ground hasnt changed much in the nearly 7 decades following Indias independence. Apoorvanand is professor of sociology at Delhi University. He led a study on the social behaviors towards Dalits and found the results rather depressing. You see the biases and prejudices manifest themselves at the very basic level. Even the children have internalized all these prejudices, he says, In schools where the Dalit women cook mid-day meals the children refuse to eat it and the entire villages have boycotted those schools. Apoorvanand says this mentality intensifies as you go upwards. They [the Dalits] are perceived as a threat and become the subject of scorn and jealousy because they are now occupying positions where the upper caste people had a monopoly as a birth right, he says. After a long and violent movement Dalits were provided a quota in education and government jobs in the 1990s. While it increased their representation, it did little to lift their social status. Thorat, from the University Grants Commission, says a much more serious and practical approach is needed. Something along the lines of what America did to address racism, through the implementation of civil rights education. They devised courses that addressed the problems of racism, sexism and colour and made those almost compulsory for all undergraduate students in order to sensitize them, says Thorat, Thats how we can make students value the pluralism and diversity in the country and respect it. Until then, it seems clear it will be a tough road achieving dignity and respect for Indias 200 million Dalits. Australia celebrated its national holiday on Tuesday, for most it was a day of relaxing with friends and family. However the date of Australia Day, January 26th is marred by controversy as it marks the beginning of British colonial settlement in Australia. Indigenous Australians refer to the date as Invasion Day and each year protests are held against the national celebrations. Asia Callings Jarni Blakkarly attended one in Sydney. To me it is a resistance against Australia Day, says one rally participant, It pushes nation-hood and nation-hood is linked to whiteness, whiteness is linked to violence and colonialism. They are still perpetuating that myth that Aboriginal people dont belong in Australia. Several thousand Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians are marching through the streets of Sydney to protest against the celebration of the countrys national holiday Australia Day. The rally weaves its way through Sydneys city streets, in between massive skyscrapers. Its not far from here, that in 1788 a British Admiral landed a fleet of ships and planted Englands flag, declaring the land part of the British Empire. After 228 years of colonisation, violence and dispossession, many Indigenous Australians dont think the date is anything to celebrate Caine Carrol joined the protest with his family, one child sitting on his shoulders above the crowds. A lot of blood shed was on this land and I dont think it is recognised, still today in the younger generations, says Carrol, Thats why I brought my boys along to show them a significance of what Australia Day really means, it is a national day of mourning not a national day of celebration Their forefathers died fighting for this land and still today we are fighting for our freedom. As the rally moved along Sydneys busy streets, many people out to celebrate the holiday stop to watch and take photos. Some are flying flags or wearing Australia-themed t-shirts. But many non-Indigenous Australians also shunned the more traditional barbeques and beers and joined the rally. Hannah is among them. I definitely think it is important for non-Indigenous Australians to come to these rallies, she says, In terms of the treatment they have had since white settlement I think it incumbent on all of us to show our support in any way we can. Indigenous Australians continue to face significant social and economic disadvantage in Australia. They are much more likely to face extreme poverty, unemployment, homelessness and imprisonment. Always was always will be Aboriginal land, chant the crowd, always was always will be Aboriginal land. The way in which the government celebrates Australia Day has also changed significantly in recent years. Many citizenship ceremonies, where migrants increasingly from Asia become Australians, are held on the day. However Nakkiah Lui - who is an actress and playwright of Gamilaroi heritage says that the more multicultural Australia being represented today doesnt change how Aboriginal people feel about the date. I think with the ever changing nature of Australia Day and what we have seen it morph into, with this idea of a New Australia of a multicultural Australia, I still think that erases Aboriginality, she says, The date is always going to be contentious and really big decisions need to be made in order for Australia to change. So as another January 26 comes and goes, the debate over how Australia celebrates its colonial history and modern identity comes up again and then disappears until next year. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the backcountry. Across New York, DECs Forest Rangers are on the front lines helping people safely enjoy the great outdoors, said Acting DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. Their knowledge of first aid, land navigation and technical rescue techniques are critical to the success of their missions which take them from remote wilderness areas, with rugged mountainous peaks to white-water rivers, and throughout our vast forested areas statewide. Recent missions carried out by DEC Forest Rangers include: Warren County Town of Lake George Lake George Wild Forest Injured hiker: On January 27, 2016 at 11:19 a.m., Warren County 911 transferred a call to DEC Ray Brook Dispatch from a 56-year-old woman from Queensbury, NY with a lower leg injury on Prospect Mountain. The woman managed to get to the first intersection of Prospect Mountain Road and the trail with help from her hiking companion. DEC Forest Rangers responded and reached the woman at 11:47 a.m. They administered First Aid and transported the pair back to their vehicle where the woman said she would seek medical attention on her own. The incident concluded at 12:15 p.m. The Lake George Fire Department and Rescue squad assisted in the rescue. Essex County Town of Keene High Peaks Wilderness Distressed hiker: On January 31, 2016 at 1:18 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a radio transmission from the Adirondack Mountain Club's Johns Brook Lodge (JBL) staff requesting assistance for a 55-year-old man from Sanbornton, NH. The man was at Camp Peggy O'Brien and unable to move. Trail conditions in the area prohibited motorized access to the injured hiker. JBL staff and members of the hiking party brought the man by litter to the DEC Johns Brook interior outpost at 2:30 p.m. New York State Police Aviation responded with one DEC Forest Ranger to the outpost. They transported the man via helicopter to Marcy Field to the awaiting Keene Valley Rescue Squad, which took him by ambulance to the Elizabethtown Community Hospital for treatment. The incident concluded at 3:15 p.m. Greene County Town of Lexington Hunter-West Kill Wilderness Injured Hiker: On January 31, 2016, at 1:30 p.m., DEC dispatch received a call requesting assistance for an injured hiker near the summit of Sherrill Mountain. The 71-year-old woman from the town of Marbletown (Ulster County) sustained an ankle injury after sliding down an icy section of trail between Sherrill and North Dome mountains. Five DEC Forest Rangers and two volunteers from the town of Lexington fire department hiked with rescue equipment over three miles of trail-less terrain to reach the injured hiker near the summit at 5:45 p.m. Rangers provided first aid and stabilized the hikers injured left ankle. The Rangers and volunteers then carried the hiker out using an improvised backpack carry and an improvised litter to the parking area. Due to the very rough terrain, the rescue took more than seven hours and concluded at 1:15 a.m. The patient declined further medical treatment at the scene and stated she would seek additional medical care at a later time. Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DECs Hiking Safety (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28708.html) and Adirondack Trail Information (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7865.html) webpage for more information. BALLSTON SPA | The Wilton man who hit three Skidmore College students as they walked along a road Oct. 31, killing one and seriously injuring two others, pleaded guilty Monday to vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault. Thomas H. Gorman, 65, pleaded guilty to driving drunk when hitting the three students as they walked along Clinton Street in the town of Greenfield, killing Michael Hedges, 19, of Lenox, Massachusetts. He pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault, both felonies. He had a blood alcohol content of 0.20 percent. Gorman agreed to serve a sentence ranging from 4 to 12 years in state prison to a maximum of 5 to 15 years, according to Post-Star news partner NewsChannel 13. The other two students who were hit, Oban Galbraith, 18, of Shelburne, Vermont, and Toby Freeman, 19, of New York City, were hospitalized for extended periods of time and are still recovering. Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen said in a news release that Gorman had a "callous and wanton disregard for the safety of others" by driving drunk. Gorman was a former Skidmore employee who knew the road was one that students frequently walked along. Gorman is being held in Saratoga County Jail pending sentencing March 21 by Saratoga County Judge James Murphy. The first few laps Picking up where I left off from my last post, I was ambling down East Dayton to try and find the house I lived in back... M WAQAR..... "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary.Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --Albert Einstein !!! NEWS,ARTICLES,EDITORIALS,MUSIC... Ze chi pe mayeen yum da agha pukhtunistan de.....(Liberal,Progressive,Secular World.)''Secularism is not against religion; it is the message of humanity.'' He died of shotgun injuries in what was believed to be a suicide. Violier, 44, ran the Restaurant de lHotel de Ville in Crissier, near Lausanne, which was named the best in the world in December by La Liste. In 2013 he was named chef of the year by the influential Gault et Millau guide, second only to the Michelin guide among gourmets. He was due to attend the unveiling of the new Michelin guide in Paris on Monday. The Coalition, in October 2015 suspended its nationwide strike in relation to the salary arrears following pleas from its mother association, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives' Association and government to rescind their decision while payment process continued. "January we were expecting that they will pay us, but nothing came. So we've been working on it. We've been going to the Ministry of Health, we've been going to Controller; We talked to the Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, he gave us the assurance that he will ensure that the money will be paid. But ending January nothing was showing like that. So we have planned to embark on a strike." Black Star International Film Festival (BSIFF) has been officially launched in Accra, as part of efforts to help bridge the local and international film industry.According to the Executive Director, Juliet Asante, through the Black Star International Film Festival, they would open the door to stories that drive the narrative of Africa.This she said, will also pave way for African film makers to share their experiences with international audience while allowing international filmmakers also to share in the rich culture of Africa.We believe that the images we see and stories we tell are important to who we are as a people, she stated.According to her, Ghana is poised to welcome film makers from around the globe annually to celebrate the Art of Filmmaking.The Deputy Minister for Tourism and Creative Arts Hon. Dzifa Gomashie, lauded the initiative. This is a timely platform being created to help make our movie industry to the next level.She has therefore urged stakeholders to endeavour to make the initiative resounding success.The Sector Minister also pledged her outfits support to help achieve the desired goal.An award-winning Filmmaker, writer, Producer and a respected voice in the Nigerian movie industry and also the Executive Director of the popular I- Represent International Documentary Film Festival Lagos, Mr. Femi Odugbemi expressed admiration for the initiative and pledged his support to the success of the Festival.The Black Star International Film Festival (BSIFF) is set up to research global industry policies, to mobilize and sensitize stakeholders and to identify partners to advocate for Industry friendly policies.The annual festival that brings together film makers from all over the world , will screen and celebrate films and their makers.The Festival will take place in August 2016. The actor in an interview with Big Shark on Krapa based Metro Fm stated that he has heeded to the advice from his own conscious not to involve himself for nomination.According to him, their awards are empty and pointless.He argued that the entire award scheme is waste of time and resources and cannot be compared to other international awards.Livid Kwaku Manu who refused to show up at the events ground told Big Shark that it will be unfair for the award organizers to give five awards to one person at a time.He expressed his displeasure in the organizers for consistently showing gross disrespectful to artistesKwaku Manu urged Samdackus the CEO of the awards to stop using the awards to eulogize his whims and caprices. "if Sammy fails to stop using the awards to praised his cronies, the awards will continue to be a waste he added. He has a Lovers share Love programme this Valentine's Day where individuals and couples can show love by joining a trip to rural villages in the Volta region to feed them, teach, learn and help build and inspire the vulnerable. People who go along will be able to help feed those in need by assisting in cooking and serving the meals. The programme will also include sightseeing and soul-searching with packages ranging from day trips to overnight stays in hotels. Amoo Addo and his group of volunteers spend their Saturdays visiting various vulnerable communities around Ghana for the Share Your Breakfast programme where they use donated goods to serve nutritious meals. The February 13 - 14 event will commemorate the essence of love, he said. He started Food for All Ghana last year, inspired to stop food wastage and feed those in need. He approaches companies for donations and over the past year has been feeding those in need through though Ghana. He has a three prong approach to halting food waste and ensuring everyone gets to eat. Theres the free breakfasts and soup kitchens which make use of donated foods, a farming programme designed to help the vulnerable help themselves through sustainable crop and livestock farming, and thirdly, a forum for stakeholders within the food industry to combat supply inefficiencies within the food supply chain. Amoo Addo was selling tickets for the Valentine's trip and asking for donations to redistribute including cash, clothing, books and food. Samia Nkrumah had subsequently alleged that vote buying caused her defeat in the partys presidential primary. She said most of the delegates received between 200 and 500 Ghana cedis to vote for Mr Ivor Greenstreet. However, the National Chairman of the party, Prof Delle has described her comments as unfortunate. Im deeply disappointed I didnt expect leading members of the party to speak in that way. Im saddened by it and I think we should respect delegates, he told Accra-based Joy FM. Prof Delle further advised Samia to apologise for her comments. I am confident that our former chair and leader will think about it and probably come back to withdraw it because it is not in the interest of the party, he added. I am pleading with the delegates not take this as an offence...They should just accept it as some of the fallouts of electionssome people are not good loser, he said. He described as "untrue" and "unfortunate" claims that he induced delegates at Saturdays congress. He stated that he did not engage in media hype but rather adopted a "covert campaigning strategy" which worked in his favour. Read more: He said he will unite his challengers in the flagbearer race because the CPP believes in working as a team. Samia Nkrumah, has alleged that vote buying caused her defeat in the partys presidential primary. She said most of the delegates received between 200 and 500 Ghana cedis to vote for Mr Ivor Greenstreet. Samia polled 579 votes, representing about 28.9% of the total votes cast, while Mr Greenstreet polled 1,288 votes to win the contest. Speaking to journalists after her defeat at the congress, Samia said she would continue to support the party despite what she said was the bribery that characterised the election. "No; Im obviously not happy with the results, but I accept them. The fact of the matter is that every delegate was paid GH200 and GH500 actually, among many other things. So, it was down to money and of course we cannot be happy about that but we accept the results, and we move on. "There is a lot of work to be done and I will always serve the party. Its a vision to serve not for an individual," she said. Mr Greenstreet on his part speaking after the congress said politicians should serve the people of Ghana rather than themselves with citizens getting equal opportunity to national resources. "You cannot be showing love, if you are a policeman and you extort money from your poor citizens. You cannot be showing love, if you are a judge and you deny a poor man justice. You cannot be showing love, if you are a politician and you serve yourself and not the people of Ghana. See also: He stated that "Ghanas first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah sacrificed his life for the nation so we would be dependent on ourselves, fight for our own sovereign country, and for us to get the maximum from our own resources." Samia who was defeated at the party's congress on Saturday, 30 January, 2016, by former General Secretary, Mr Ivor Greenstreet said she is ready to contest the Jomoro parliamentary seat again in the 2016 general elections. Samia after the elections polled 579 votes, representing about 28.9% of the total votes cast, while Mr Greenstreet polled 1,288 votes to win the contest. She alleged that vote buying caused her defeat in the partys presidential primary. She said most of the delegates received between 200 and 500 Ghana cedis to vote for Mr Ivor Greenstreet. Speaking to Accra-based Kasapa FM on Monday morning, she said, "I wanted the party to be independent at all times and so the forces against the independence of the party fought against me. There is evidence of how I made sure the party always had a different position from the NDC and NPP on matters of national interest at all times." She noted that "I would be happy to serve my party in any way possible including going back to Jomoro". Meanwhile, the newly elected flagbearer Ivor Kobina Greenstreet has denied allegations made by Samia Yabah Nkrumah of bribing delegates in the just ended presidential polls of the party. He described as "untrue" and "unfortunate" claims that he induced delegates at Saturdays congress. He stated that he did not engage in media hype but rather adopted a "covert campaigning strategy" which worked in his favour. Read more: 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! Addressing the press on Monday, 1 February, 2016, in Accra, the Executive Director, Nana Atoborah Quaicoo said, "the Danquah Institute calls on the Electoral Commission to heed to the proposal from its own panel of experts and implement the option of validation as a credible and viable means of giving Ghanaians a register that can be seen by all as credible for an election that we simply cannot afford for it not to be seen as credible." "The Danquah Institute by this news conference is asking the EC to postpone the date for the limited registration for another month or six weeks to consider the proposal of the panel and work towards incorporating validation with the limited exercise." He said "Failure to heed to this wise counsel would risk taking Ghana into this years crucial polls with serious doubts on the credibility of the base document." Mr Atoborah added that "validation is a viable option for cleaning up the register of people who have since migrated from Ghana. It is important to remember that the law states that before one can register to vote in both presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana one must not only be eligible" Read the full report: Limited date for registration should be postponed - Danquah Institute "Based on the reported number of registered voters in 2014 which shows that as many as 584,892 estimated number of voter death could have occurred cumulatively by the year 2016, and may well remain in the register of voters. This constitutes about 4% of eligible voters on the register. On the one hand, the margin is almost twice the margin by which presidential elections were won and more than 10 times the margin in the precedent elections. See also: The summit which was held on on January 30th by StartupYourLife, a non-profit organization that empowers innovative entrepreneurs in Morocco, held the premier edition of the Seedstars Africa Summit. Over 300 startup founders, investors, ecosystem players, leading corporations and successful entrepreneurs from Africa, Middle East, Europe and the US were at the event. Some of the other startups that pitched at the event were; InterShip from Uganda; SolarizEgypt from Egypt among others. Punch reports that the 49-year-old man of God, took the ultimate decision at his residence at Abari Street in the Mulero, Dopemu area of Lagos State. It was gathered that Pastor Bassey left a suicide note for his wife and son, Emmanuel, stating clearly why he had to take the decision and intimated that his family has no hand in his suicide. Preliminary investigations by the police has revealed that the pastor seemed to be frustrated after he was accused by the church of diverting the undisclosed sum. A police source said: The knife used by the pastor to kill himself has been recovered. He also wrote that he killed himself. We learnt that he was accused by his church of diverting money. He was probably frustrated because his neighbours described him as a God-fearing and honest person. We are still trying to find out the actual amount involved. A neighbour of the deceased pastor, Seun Oladimeji, said the pastor had been awake in the night, walking around the passage. I dont know whether he (pastor) did it because of the money issue, but he and his wife were very friendly. He woke up around 3am that day. I learnt his wife and son, Emmanuel, later begged him to go back to bed. At about 5am, the woman screamed for help. We all gathered in their room and saw blood gushing out of the pastors neck. Unknown to the woman, he hid a knife which he used to slash his throat. Before he died, he wrote on a piece of paper I, myself, not my wife. I can say it anywhere that it was not his wife who killed him. The son was just crying; he was not himself. Both of them were arrested. Another resident, Olatunde Olasunbo, said the pastor moved to the area with his family two years ago. I did not know his church, but he was God-fearing and very nice. He was always with his bible. Even if he diverted the church funds, suicide is not the solution. He and his wife related like siblings. They moved to this area two years ago. They accused are : Rotimi Alabi, 30, of No. 16, Ajiboye St., Orile-Agege and Austine Friday, 37, of No. 15, Shitta St., Agege, both suburbs of Lagos . Others are: Chukwudi Tabili, 30, of No. 4, Lisabi St., Agbado and Sheriff Adeoye, 32, of No. 7, Adekunle St. in Sango, Ogun. They are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing. The prosecutor, Insp. Essien Ndarake, told the court that the accused committed the offences on Jan. 24 at Agege. Ndarake said the accused conspired to steal Guinness Nigeria PLC Orijin drinks valued at N470, 000. "The accused, who were all staff of the complainant, stole pallets of Orijin drinks worth N470, 000," he said. Ndarake said that the accused loaded two pallets of the drinks into a truck and attempted to drive it out of the companys premises but the security guard on duty intercepted them. "The theft was discovered when the guard stopped the truck being driven by accused at the exit and searched it. The offences, Ndarake said, contravened Sections 285 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 285 prescribes a three-year jail term if the accused is found guilty. The accused pleaded innocence of the offences and were granted bail in the sum of N100, 000 each with two sureties each in like sum. Nzube was arrested at his hideout in the Obosi area of Anambra State when the operatives stormed the area after he had been in hiding for months. In a statement by the police, Nzube hacked into the Twitter handle of the woman and posted a photoshopped picture of the woman carrying a human skull and later contacted her and threatened to expose the page to the whole world if she did not pay him the sum. Nzube hacked into the twitter handle of Mrs. Timu Alade Abiola, downloaded her pictures and designed a web page, depicting the woman carrying a human skull in preparation for rituals. He later contacted the woman and threatened to expose the web page to the whole world if she didnt pay $5,000, the statement said. During his confession, the suspect said: I started following Mrs. Timu Alade Abiola on Twitter. I got her pictures. I felt she was a good catch and I decided to blackmail her. I used photoshop to make her look like she was carrying a human skull. I designed a web page with a little gossip story on it that she was caught for ritual. I sent her the link and when she saw it, I demanded she pay me $5,000 or I would show it to the whole world. One of her friends came in and begged that I shouldnt do it, that they were ready to pay me $2,000. I rejected the money. I insisted that I must collect the amount I demanded. Later they discovered I was Igbo and gave my number to an Igbo girl who started talking to me. I accepted their offer. What got me angry was that while we were still talking, they sent a fishing link that destroyed my website which I had been maintaining for more than four years. That website paid me the little money I used in sustaining myself. I told the Igbo girl about it and told her that if I dont get the money before the end of the week, I will show the web page to the whole world. She asked for my account, I gave it to her but before I knew what was happening, the police came and arrested me. Unknown to Nzube, Mrs. Abiola had written a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, on the blackmail and the IG drafted his team to track him down and arrest him. Apart from the woman, Nzube was said to also blackmail a senator as well as other prominent Nigerians. I specialised in , but I later ventured into blackmail. I felt it was more lucrative. I normally spend hours on the social media, searching for prominent Nigerians. My targets are mainly rich politicians, popular businessmen and socialites. I go after these people because I believe they are more sensitive to what is being said about them in public. I dont understand why she had to bring in the police. I told the Igbo girl that what I needed was for her to tell her madam to just pay me for my website they destroyed. 37% of Pulse Nigeria Poll voters say the maid must leave the house if they are such a situation. Read the letter here: "My name is Chidinma and I have been married for five years, still praying for a fruit of the womb. I have a problem which I hope your readers can help with good advice. Presently, I am between the devil and the deep sea because either way, I may be the loser in. Two months ago, I caught my husband red handed , a girl I brought from the village to live with us. I was so mad and attacked my husband but instead of being sober and apologising for what he did, my husband beat me up severely and later told me I have to live with the fact that he is sleeping with my maid and that she is already pregnant for him. He warned me against sending her out of the house as well as treating her as a maid henceforth. He even gave me an ultimatum: I either accept her or I leave his house. I have tried to talk to him to see reasons but it seems he has made up his mind. His mother too is in support of his actions as she wants a grandchild and she even told me that I am now the second wife. I don't know what to do in this situation I have found myself. Chidinma." The teaser for the day was: How Nigeria voted: 37% - I will make sure she leaves the house 33% - I will divorce him 32% - I will also sleep with his friend Kangiwa said We now have 58 others with serious injuries undergoing treatment in hospitals in Gombi and Yola towns. Reports said the market attracts large crowd including people from Cameroon and other neighbouring countries. Meanwhile, former President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed reports that he attempted to broker a deal with Boko Haram. He made the clarification in an interview with a news website, Quartz, in Geneva, Switzerland. He said his administration did not set up any negotiating team. Also, following the recent suicide bomb attacks in the North-East region of Nigeria, President Buhari has issued a statement saying the Boko Haram sect are out to embarrass his government. The attack, which involved shooting, burning and explosions from three suicide bombers reportedly lasted four hours without any intervention from the military. We were helpless as no one came to our aid when the insurgents struck on Saturday night. I am still mourning as I lost 11 persons in the siege. At present, I am still looking for five of my children, who went missing during the attack, a resident, Mallam Abba Dalori told Punch. Another resident, Imam Ibrahim said the insurgents dressed like military personnel and opened fire on everybody. All our wives and children were brutally killed; our livestock were equally consumed in a great inferno that engulfed the village, Ibrahim said. The attack left 86 persons dead according to Mohammed Kanar, the area coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), while 62 others sustained injuries. In a statement released by the Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, he said Buhari would stop at Strasbourg in France and depart to Britain on February 3. The statement read: The presidents address is expected to focus on terrorism, violent extremism, corruption, Nigeria and Africas current security, economic and developmental challenges, as well as the need for greater support from the European Union and advanced nations for their rapid resolution. President Buhari will also hold talks with the president of the European Parliament, Mr. Martin Schulz and the president of the European Commission, Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker on the same issues before leaving Strasbourg for London to join other world leaders at the Supporting Syria and The Region Conference scheduled to open in the British capital on Thursday, February 4, 2016. The president will use the opportunity of his participation in the conference which is being co-hosted by Britain, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations to continue his push for more global understanding, collaboration and support for Nigeria and other countries in the frontlines of the war against terrorism who are striving to overcome its very adverse effects on affected populations. According to the presidential spokesman, Buhari will return to Nigeria this weekend. This was revealed in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu. The statement said I urge all citizens wherever they live to own the war against terror and to be part of the fight because it is the only way we can finish the remaining work that needs to be done to make our country safe again. Having lost the war, they (the insurgents) are seeking ways and means to gradually find their way back into society. They are not returning to contribute but to cause more havoc. They are so desperate to embarrass the government and the people that they have no qualms attacking isolated communities and markets. The President also added that the military onslaught against the sect is making progress. This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the presidents Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu. The statement said President Buhari was reacting to the spate of suicide bombings in Chibok market, Dolari Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Borno, and the Gombi market in Adamawa. The President noted that the materials for the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were locally sourced by the insurgents, and urged Nigerians to be more circumspect and report suspicious purchases and movements of unusual components across the country. He noted that the insurgents had suffered immensely from the sustained bombardments of their camps and hideouts by the Nigerian military and had resorted to using desperate measures to gain cheap media attention. "I urge all citizens, wherever they live, to own the war against terror and to be part of the fight, because it is the only way we can finish the remaining work that needs to be done to make our country safe again, he said. He further noted that the terrorists had been forced to find their way back into the society to wreak havoc, like the case of the Dolari IDP camp. "Having lost the war, they are seeking ways and means to gradually find their way back into society. "They are not returning to contribute, but to cause more havoc. "They are so desperate to embarrass the government and the people that they have no qualms attacking isolated communities and markets, he added. Buhari made the comment while speaking at the 26th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopiaon Sunday, July 31, 2016, Vanguard reports. We have all shed blood for Africa to be free, but the irony is that, today, we are now killing each other, he said. Rather than facing the developmental challenges confronting us, we are spending our scarce resources killing our children and inflicting unspeakable horrors and unimaginable hardship on our brothers and sisters. That is truly a tragedy and it must stop. Enough is Enough! Within the framework of the African Union, we have to, as a matter of urgency, reach a consensus on how to silence the guns. Not by 2020 but now. Why must we wait? We must say no to wars and conflicts on our continent. Buhari was speaking with regards to the conflicts in South Sudan and Burundi. Leader of Shiite Muslims in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim El Zakzaky was reportedly flown to France to receive treatment for injuries he sustained during a clash between the group and the Nigerian Army in December 2015. Even though the Islamic Movement in Nigeria also known as Shiites said they won't be part of the committee, the group spokesman told Pulse that the formation of the commission of enquiry was already one sided. Speaking during the inauguration, Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir Elrufai said Since the government announced its decision to constitute the Judicial commission of Inquiry they have been asked why the inquiry in the light of certain actions the government has taken. "Our response is that it is neither right nor prudent for the Kaduna State Government to abdicate its constitutional responsibility, and to conceal this under the cover of a commission of inquiry. Governance cannot be suspended even for processes as weighty as a Judicial Commission of Inquiry. Where the government has evidence that crimes have been committed, it is only proper that prosecutions be initiated," Elrufai said. "Let it be clear that the Kaduna State Government is convinced that a Judicial Commission of Inquiry provides a chance to understand the events that happened, their background, establish casualties, assign responsibilities and make appropriate recommendations to the federal and state governments, so that such tragedies may be avoided in future. Those that wrongly believe that a federal government inquiry is necessary to satisfy them should note that under the 1999 Constitution, only State Governments can institute judicial commissions of inquiry in their states," Elrufai added. But the group said they won't be part of the judicial commission adding that there was no way they will be part of a commission without knowing the whereabouts of their leader, Sheik Ibrahim Zakzaky and hundreds of members allegedly under detention. The group through their spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, told Pulse by a telephone that they have so far got over 700 names of their members that are missing adding that the numbers are still counting. Musa said government must released over 800 corpses of their members killed if it is interested to hear their own side of the story. "We are not going to be part of this judicial commission because of the following reasons: The government should released our Leader, all our members that are in detention, and they should released all corpses of the people they killed. We want to give our members they killed a befitting burial." "We are compiling the list of our people that are still in detention, killed or missing. So far, we have more than 700 names of the missing people and the names are still coming. Let me tell you, we do not belief in the commission because they are not independent bodies. They are not human rights organisation," Ibrahim said. Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has said that he almost got killed by the Shiites Muslim sect during theSaturday encounter between his convoy and the sect group in Zaria Kaduna state last December. Buratai who spoke for the first time on the issue when he had a closed door session with the Senate committee on Defence said it was the powers of God that saved his life. "You want to know how I escaped? It was by the will of God that I was able to escape from that place. "I think NTA was there and they aired the clip, it was very clear. They were violent, definitely this is very clear, the clips are there. That was what happened. Nobody should take the law into his hands", he said. Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba is the Chairman of the judicial commission that will look into the Zaria Army/ Shiites clash. Lawan and the committee's ex-Secretary, Boniface Emenalo are facing trial for allegedly obtaining $620,000 bribe money from chairman of Forte Oil, Femi Otedola. They were for arraigned on February 2, 2013, before Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, Abuja, on a seven-count charge. In the charge filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Commission (ICPC), the $620,000 bribe they collected was so that they could exclude the names of Otedolas companies, Zenon Petroleumand Gas as well as Synopsis Enterprises Limited, from the list of companies found to have allegedly defrauded the Federal Government of billions of naira in the petroleum subsidy scam, which their committee was created to investigate. According to The Nation, before the prosecution could proceed to trial, Lawan and Emenalo appealed the decision of a High Court, to the effect that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against them On May 12, 2014 the Court of Appeal, Abuja dismissed their appeal on the ground that was without merit. But before proceedings could resume again at the trial court, Justice Oniyangi was elevated to the Court of Appeal, prompting the courts Chief Judge to reassign the case to another judge, Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Gudu division of the High Court of the FCT. Lawan and Emenalo later compelled Justice Banjoko to withdraw from the case when they wrote a petition against her, alleging that she was likely to be bias in handling the case. Lawan had in a petition addressed to the courts Chief Judge, sought the re-assignment of the case to another judge on the ground that Justice Banjoko was close to Otedola, who was the accuser and a proposed prosecution witness in the case. Shortly after the petition, Lawans lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) filed a motion and requested Justice Banjoko to disqualify herself from further handling the case on the same grounds of likelihood of bias. Justice Banjoko subsequently withdrew from the case on November 2014 and returned the case file to courts Chief Judge. According to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, who spoke to State House correspondents in Abuja, the trips are in connection to the recovery of Nigeria's looted funds. He said the President's trips abroad have yielded agreements and understanding with various countries on recovery and repatriation of stolen funds. He said: You also see gradually the strategic efforts to go after the stolen funds abroad. The UAE is very important to the country. Dont be surprised that in the coming week or two, you will see high level security officials leaving Nigeria for the UAE to begin to give expression to our wish to enjoy this new cooperation between the two countries with a view to recovering stolen assets". Shehu noted that thereare numerous agreements the government has also signed with the UAE, including drugs, human trafficking and assets that have been stolen abroad. The disclosure was made by Acting Director of Defence information, Rabe Abubakar via a warning statement released over the weekend. The statement reads: It has come to the notice of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) that Boko Haram members, 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 2 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. According to the Public Relations Officer of the Borno State Police Command, Mr Victor Isuku, the explosives were planted by suspected members of the terror group, Boko Haram. "I can confirm that it was a joint police/military operation that demobilised the IEDs but thank God, no live was lost or injuries recorded", Isuku told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview. It was gathered that no casualty was recorded. He disclosed this while updating the state deputy governor and a military commander on the attack which occurred on Saturday, February 6, in Dalori, about 12 kilometres (seven miles) from Maiduguri, the state capital. A total of 65 bodies were deposited at the specialist hospital, 10 others are being deposited at UMTH (another hospital), while another 10 were buried yesterday evening at the Dalori community cemetery", Mshelia said. According to him, 16 villagers were unaccounted for. Bulama Malum, an eyewitness said he saw more than 20 bodies burnt beyond recognition and that 15 villagers were missing. Other residents and an unidentified aid worker on Sunday said that about 50 people were killed in the attack. Speaking to AFP, a member of the civilian joint task force, Musa Adamu, said over 100 people were killed in the attack. Even as at last night the people that died were over 100. I am sure many could have died today. Anybody that tells you that the figure is less than 100 is just not saying the truth, Adamu said. Ogbon, who is the Ohworode of Olomu in Ughelli North Local Government Area, made the call while interacting with newsmen in his palace on Sunday. He condemned Fridays abduction of the Odion-Ologbo of Olomoro, Josiah Umukoro Aghaza I, by unknown gunmen from his palace and called for his immediate release. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that about two weeks ago, the Obi of Ubulu-Uku, Akaeze Ofulue, in Aniocha South Local Government Area of the state, was kidnapped and his decomposing body was discovered four days after. Ogbon said that it was wrong to kidnap a royal father. ''It is wrong for the kidnappers to kidnap a monarch, a revered king. We have just lost the king of Ubulu-Uku through kidnap, and that portends that our security as traditional rulers is not guaranteed in the state. ''We demand for the immediate and unconditional release of the Olomoro king by his abductors and that security should be beefed up around the kings in the state to forestall recurrence,'' he said. The monarch warned criminals to desist from kidnapping kings, saying that there were grave consequences in toiling with royalty. She made the denial via a statement released on Sunday, January 31, 2016, The Nation reports. The statement reads: I am not the owner of the property on the said location and neither do I have any link whatsoever with the property. The publication was done maliciously and in bad taste; the authors could have simply contacted me or The Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development to confirm the veracity of the claim that I am the owner of the building before going ahead to publish it. It is indeed a smack of journalistic laziness that the ownership of a building could be foisted on me simply because its owner named it Adejoke Court as if I am the only Adejoke in the world. I have also instructed my lawyers to commence legal actions against all those involved in the defamation of my hard earned reputation and integrity. NAN reports that the hut was razed by the fire that occurred at about 3.30p.m. Some NAN staff members and security personnel on duty were, however, able to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the centre. NAN security men on duty apprehended the two suspects as they saw them flee the area after the fire occured. After brief questioning of the suspects by NAN security men, they were handed over to the police at Iponri Division, Surulere, for further interrogation. The suspects, who claimed to be welders at a nearby construction site, told NAN they were also engaged as security guards at the abandoned Nigeria Press Council premises behind the media centre. Justice John gave three reasons for not granting the IPOB leader bail. The reasons are that: 1. Nnamdi Kanu is a national security risk. 2. The IPOB leader might commit the offence he is being charged for, again. 3. Kanu might jump bail, due to his dual citizenship. Faulting the reasons, the IPOB spokesperson in UK, Mr. Emma Nmezu said While the first and the third reasons are very clear, but unsustainable statements, we are at loss with the second reason and do not know exactly what the Hon. Justice meant by (might commit the same offense again). He also said To the best of our knowledge, Mazi Kanu has not even been tried in the court not to talk of being convicted, therefore, we do not understand the offence he was found guilty of committing and for which he will likely commit again if released, according to Hon. Justice Tsoho. We are however shocked on the third reason, to hear that a denial of bail will be based on the accused persons dual citizenship, even though the Honourable Judge did not mention the other country to which Nnamdi Kanu is a citizen, we know he was referring to Britain, the statement said. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of planning to secretly execute Radio Biafra Director.. Find out what is making headlines all over the country from the covers of The Punch, Vanguard, The Guardian and more. For today, Monday, February 1, 2016: VANGUARD NEWSPAPER Alleged N1trn rail contracts scam: Reps invite Amaechi, NRC MD, others ABUJAMEMBERS of the adhoc committee of the House of Representatives on failed rail contracts have summoned the Minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Amaechi; Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, Seyi Sijuwade; former Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr Mohammed Bello Haliru; and former Minister of Transport, Idris Umar, to explain their roles in the alleged N1 trillion rail contracts scam. Judiciary, my main headache in anti-graft war Buhari Addis Ababa President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, said in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that the judiciary remained his main headache in the fight against corruption. According to him, corruption is so pervasive in the country that it requires the strong support of the judiciary to effectively fight. N5.2trn Pension fund: Fashola advocates investment in real sector Federal government efforts at containing the massive corruption embedded in pension fund in time past may have achieve results but not enough to allow the N5.2trillion lay fallow, says the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola The Minister at the Nigerian Pension Industry Strategy Implementation Road Map Retreat organised by the National Pension Commission (PenCom) retreat held in Abuja penultimate Friday, advocated proper use of pension fund to build the required infrastructures for a rapid development for the country. READ MORE: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER How we rigged Ekiti poll for Fayose Ex-PDP secretary A former Secretary of the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Temitope Aluko, has alleged that former President Goodluck Jonathan gave Governor Ayo Fayose N4.7bn cash to prosecute the June 21, 2014 governorship election in the state. Aluko said the money was used to defeat the then Governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress. Anti-corruption war: Judiciary, my main headache, says Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday said as far his administrations ongoing anti-corruption fight was concerned, the nations judiciary remained his major headache. He said the fight against corruption in Nigeria could only be effectively tackled with the strong support of the judiciary. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President spoke in Addis Ababa at a town hall meeting he held with Nigerians living in Ethiopia Boko Haram burns children, kills 86 in Borno attacks Terror group, Boko Haram, was alleged to have burnt some children to death when the militants overran Dalori, a village four kilometres outside Maiduguri, where about 80 residents of the community were killed on Saturday night. The Area Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency in Borno State, Mohammed Kanar, said 86 bodies were picked up in the village on Sunday. Hospital sources added that no fewer than 70 persons were receiving treatment in hospitals around the area. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE GUARDIAN Protest as new electricity tariffs begin today THERE is apprehension among residential and commercial electricity consumers across the country as the new Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO 2015) takes off today amid doubts over commensurate electricity supply. A meeting called by the regulator, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) on Friday failed to convince the manufacturers to drop their earlier opposition to the new tariff regime. The Guardian learnt that at the meeting with NERC management, MAN insisted that its members would not discuss the tariffs because the matter was in court. How PDP spent $37m in Ekiti guber poll, by Aluko Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Temitope Kolawole Aluko, yesterday confessed that he played major role in the 2014 governorship election that brought incumbent governor Ayo Fayose to power. He claimed that former President Goodluck Jonathan and his minister of state for Defence, Musliu Obanikoro spent more than $37 million to rig Fayose into office. The bulk of the money, according to him, was delivered in his (Alukos) presence to some military officers and other stakeholders in the election. Judiciary my main headache in anti-graft drive, says Buhari PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has described the judiciary as his major headache in his administrations campaign against corruption. For him, the ongoing fight against corruption could only be effectively tackled with a strong, supportive judiciary. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE NATION NEWSPAPER PDP chief: Jonathan gave Fayose $37m for Ekiti poll Former President Goodluck Jonathan gave Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose $37 million cash for the June 21, 2014 governorship election, it was learnt yesterday. A former Secretary of the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Temitope Aluko, a member of the team that prosecuted the election, said Dr. Jonathan gave Fayose $2 million in March 2014 for the primary election. He alleged that the cash was collected at the NNPC Towers in Abuja from businessman Ifeanyi Uba, who last night denied playing any role in the election or giving Fayose any money. Aluko is desperate, says governor Governor Ayo Fayose yesterday condemned the statement by a former secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Tope Aluko, saying he does not deserve a response. The governor spoke through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media Mr. Lere Olayinka. He said Aluko was beclouded by his desperation to seek revenge against Fayose because of his refusal to make him his Chief of Staff. He (Aluko) is not mindful of committing the criminal offence of perjury, the statement added. Nigeria imported N20.2tr fuel in five years Nigeria spent N20.2 trillion to import petrol, diesel and kerosene between January 2010 and September 2015, the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said. Figures jointly compiled by both the NBS and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) released at the weekend indicate that N12, 529, 746, 397, 978. 48 was spent on the importation of 102,374,588,480.91 litres of petrol (Premium Motor Spirit). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Business Day $2.1bn arms deal: My sons are innocent, Obanikoro tells EFCC Immediate past minister of state for foreign affairs, Musiliu Obanikoro, has challenged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and online media platform, Sahara Reporters to publish the names of the directors and signatories to the alleged Sylvan McNamara Limited account to the public. The company was said to have received about N4.8 billion from the $2.1 billion arms deal allegedly diverted to other purposes by the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. Coca-Cola acquires 40% equity in Nigerias Chi Limited Coca-Cola Company has acquired 40 percent shareholding in Nigerias Chi Limited, Nigerias dairy and juice company and manufacturer of Chivita brand. Cola Cola also intends to increase ownership to 100 percent within three years, subject to regulatory approvals, while working on other long-term commercial structures. The binding agreement for Coca Cola investment in Chi was Forte Oil profit rises on other income, lower finance charges When pictures started circulating in the social media about the 'critical' condition of the Leader of Shiite Muslims in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim El Zakzaky, he was reportedly flown to France to receive treatment. Nigerian authorities have not commented on the condition of the sect leader. Even though the Islamic Movement in Nigeria also known as Shiites said they won't be part of the committee, the group spokesman said the formation of the commission of enquiry was already one sided. Speaking during the inauguration in Kaduna, a state governor, Malam Nasir Elrufai said Since the government announced its decision to constitute the Judicial commission of Inquiry they have been asked why the inquiry in the light of certain actions the government has taken. "Our response is that it is neither right nor prudent for the Kaduna State Government to abdicate its constitutional responsibility, and to conceal this under the cover of a commission of inquiry. Governance cannot be suspended even for processes as weighty as a Judicial Commission of Inquiry. Where the government has evidence that crimes have been committed, it is only proper that prosecutions be initiated," Elrufai said. "Let it be clear that the Kaduna State Government is convinced that a Judicial Commission of Inquiry provides a chance to understand the events that happened, their background, establish casualties, assign responsibilities and make appropriate recommendations to the federal and state governments, so that such tragedies may be avoided in future. Those that wrongly believe that a federal government inquiry is necessary to satisfy them should note that under the 1999 Constitution, only State Governments can institute judicial commissions of inquiry in their states," Elrufai added.But the group said they won't be part of the judicial commission adding that there was no way they will be part of a commission without knowing the whereabout of their leader, Sheik Ibrahim Zakzaky and hundreds of members allegedly under detention.The group through their spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, said they have so far got over 700 names of their members that are missing adding that the numbers are still counting.Musa said government must released over 800 corpses of their members killed if it is interested to hear their own side of the story. "We are not going to be part of this judicial commission because of the following reasons: The government should released our Leader, all our members that are in detention, and they should released all corpses of the people they killed. We want to give our members they killed a befitting burial." "We are compiling the list of our people that are still in detention, killed or missing. So far, we have more than 700 names of the missing people and the names are still coming. Let me tell you, we do not belief in the commission because they are not independent bodies. They are not human rights organisation," Ibrahim said. Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has said that he almost got killed by the Shiites Muslim sect during the Saturday encounter between his convoy and the sect group in Zaria Kaduna state last December.Buratai who spoke for the first time on the issue when he had a closed door session with the Nigeria Senate committee on Defence, said it was the powers of God that saved his life."You want to know how I escaped? It was by the will of God that I was able to escape from that place."I think NTA was there and they aired the clip, it was very clear. They were violent, definitely this is very clear, the clips are there. That was what happened. Nobody should take the law into his hands", he said. Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba is the Chairman of the judicial commission that will look into the Zaria Army/ Shiites clash. The APCs demand comes after Ekiti PDP member and former Fayose ally, Tope Aluko alleged that the governor had received $37 million from former president, Goodluck Jonathan to rig elections in the state. The partys comments were contained in a statement released by Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun on Monday, February 1, 2016. It reads: By Alukos revelations, we are justified in our claim that our candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, never lost that election, but was criminally toppled by a coup detat orchestrated by Fayose in cahoots with President Goodluck Jonathans administration that illegally deployed money and the military to ensure victory for Fayose. It is interesting that more names are coming up in the biggest election scam ever witnessed in Nigeria with the alleged participation of Ifeanyi Ubah of the infamous Transformation Agenda for Nigeria (TAN), a shadowy campaign group for former President Jonathan in the fraud. No wonder Ubah was compensated with a honorary Fellow by Fayose at the Ekiti State College of Education for a job well done. It is in the light of this that we are calling on the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute all the suspects in the election fraud for treasonable felony to preserve the integrity of the Nigerian Constitution. The military men were mere agents used by Fayose to rig the election. Some of the officers implicated in Fayoses crime had been recommended for various sanctions, including losing their jobs while others are to face prosecution by the EFCC and court martial, according to the military rules and administrative procedure. These military men should not be made to suffer alone for the crime committed in conjunction with Fayose and his fellow conspirators in PDP who are still working free as if there is no law in this country. Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the Governor said "For Aluko to be taken seriously, he must first have to report himself to the police to be tried for perjury and committed to prison for three years, since what he is now saying is different from what he said under oath at the Election Tribunal being the only witness called by the PDP and Governor Fayose. "If after giving evidence under oath at the tribunal that the Election was free, fair and credible and that security agents, including soldiers performed their duties creditably well, saying something else more than one year after is an admittance by Aluko himself that he is not a stable character. "It is also a demonstration of the fact that giving the right offer tomorrow, the same Aluko can also address the press tomorrow to deny all what he said today. He can even deny his own existence since he can deny what he said under oath just because he was not made Chief of Staff. Fayose described Alukos allegations as a distraction from the All Progressives Congress (APC). He further stated that the former PDP secretary is angry because his request to become the Governors Chief of Staff was rejected. The statement also said "Therefore, we won't bother ourselves, responding to what a political parasite chooses to say because he wouldn't have said what he is now saying today if he had been made Chief of Staff to Governor Fayose and it is sure that if he is called today, and given the right offer, he will begin to sing another song. "Also, the APC bad losers in Ekiti State should know that it will take more than recruiting and paying a disgruntled TKO Aluko to discredit an election adjudged by both local and international observers, including the United States government as free, fair and credible. They will probably need to pay INEC to tell Nigerians that an election it conducted, in which an incumbent governor lost in his own local government was not credible. The Governor also admitted that he got financial support from various sources. Speaking today, February 1, at the inaugural conference of the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, held at the University of Ibadan, he said corruption returned to the country on a high scale after he left office. Obasanjo said he set up anti-graft agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) when he became the President in 1999 after he realised that corruption is Nigeria's major problem. He said: Leaders who call for sacrifice from the citizenry cannot be living in obscene opulence. We must address these foundational issues to make the economy work, to strengthen our institutions, build public confidence in government and deal with our peace and security challenges. We must address the issue of employment for our teeming population particularly for our youths. Leadership must mentor the young, and provide them with hope about their future as part of a process of inter-generational conversation. Nigeria is a country where some governors have become sole administrators, acting like emperors. These governors have rendered public institutions irrelevant and useless. Is there development work going on in the 774 constitutionally recognised local government councils, which have been merely appropriated as private estates of some governors? Some governors have hijacked the resources of the local governments and this has crippled the developments of the local government councils in the country. The National Assembly must also open its budgets to public scrutiny. Obasanjo added: The drastic fall in the price of oil in the international market has unraveled the weakness of governance in Nigeria. The Minister of Finance has recently announced that the 2016 budget deficit may be increased from the current N2.2 trillion in the draft document before the National Assembly, to N3 trillion due to decline in the price of crude oil. If the current fiscal challenge is not creatively addressed, Nigeria may be on its way to another episode of debt overhang which may not be good for the country." Reports say Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state has declared his support for the acting national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus. Dickson , in a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson said There cant be a vacuum and as servants of the law, we must be seen at all times to be people who are duty bound to uphold the law and to do the right things at all times in the eyes of the law. The Bayelsa Governor also condemned Ahmed Gulak for forcefully declaring himself the national chairman of the PDP. You will recall that Gulak, on Wednesday, January 27, 2016, at about 1.45 p.m, arrived at the PDP national headquarters, Abuja, and immediately addressed a news conference announcing himself as the new PDP national Chairman. The PDP Governors forum also issued a statement, through its chairman, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo state asking Secondus to step down and let the national secretary take over. Secondus on his part, issued a statement through the PDP National Legal Adviser, Mr. Victor Kwon saying There has not been any change whatsoever in the leadership composition of the party at the national level. In a statement signed by the party's Acting National Chairman, Uche Secondus , it alleged that the Presidency plots to "blackmail and stampede the judiciary to deliver judgments against the PDP in various pending cases involving our party and some of our leaders in the courts." The statement urged "the judiciary to ensure that it adequately guards its flanks from all external influences, we also caution the executive to focus on governance, while respecting the constitutionally guaranteed principle of separation of powers by allowing the judiciary and the legislature indeed, all statutory arms of government to freely operate within the bounds provided by our laws." This message was passed through Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Nigerias minister of Information and Culture, during a recent visit to the institution to deliver a lecture titled Nexus between corruption and underdevelopment of Nigeria. According to Punch, the students lamented the state of their school hostels and asked that the Federal Government look into the situation. It is not only at the national level that the government should concentrate its fight against corruption, it should come to universities and we welcome President Buharis war against corruption on OAU campus. Vice chancellor of the institution, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, during the matriculation ceremony, urge the students to be of good character and focus on their education. In his speech, tagged, Character and Learning he encouraged the students to work hard and uphold the university code of ethics. The vice chancellor said the institution would not hesitate to expel any student found wanting as learning without character is futile. Ambali noted that out of 103,000 students who applied for admission in the university, only 11,057 were successful. He explained that the Faculty of Agriculture had the highest students with 1,398 admitted, while the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences had 56 admitted students, among other faculties. While reading the university oath to the students, Prof. Emmanuel Dada, Registrar of the university, warned the students against involving in pornography or indecent dressing and cultist activity. Operating under the username brunetelovex2, the woman received money from Brandon Gressette who was arrested last year for sexual exploitation and child pornography charges Romanian authorities were informed that the woman had allegedly received money from Gressette via Western Union. It was later revealed that between June 2014 and October 2015, she had also received a total of 7,000 through 13 transfers from seven people in the USA, the UK, Belgium and Holland. In an TV interview Onu said she carried out the abuse believing the baby would not be emotionally effected and avoided involving her three-year-old boy in the video chat activities, because "he is older and he could have been affected emotionally". She said. "I accepted to do these things with my daughter because I thought that she couldn't have suffered any trauma. I thought that it was all just a game." She said: "After graduating high-school I got involved in videochat activities. It was my idea to involve my baby girl. Some of my clients knew that I had been giving birth to a baby. They asked me to undress her and to touch her. I agreed to do that in exchange of money. Some of them were paying me with 500 dollars, other with 100.` "She wants to cooperate because she has nothing to hide," local newspaper Reforma quoted her father, Eric del Castillo, as saying in its Wednesday edition. "She will present herself at the consulate in Los Angeles. She has proof ... she is clean." There was not yet a date set for her to appear at the consulate, he added. An official at the attorney general's office said on Monday she would be questioned by authorities next week. The Mexican government has said a meeting between the actress, who played a drug boss in the television series "La Reina del Sur", Oscar-winning actor Penn and Guzman was essential to the kingpin's recapture earlier this month. Sipila, a former telecoms executive, stirred controversy in September by saying he would open his second home in northern Finland to refugees. But on Sunday he told public YLE radio that he had had to put the plan on hold, though he would support a refugee family in other ways until the situation changed. "I asked security experts to evaluate whether it would be safe for a family with children to move in. Due to the heavy publicity, the situation is such that it would not be reasonable right now." Some politicians and members of the public had accused Sipila of encouraging asylum seekers to come to Finland with his offer. A solid Western has ridden into town and if you like gritty films about this era, youll want to make its acquaintance. This is not the kind of Western that remains within the conventional censorship guidelines of the genres heyday. Its focus is a woman who lives in a harsh setting a woman who has enjoyed few, if any, breaks. Jane Got a Gun is the woefully unattractive title for this film that stars Natalie Portman as Jane Hammond, a homesteader who lives in an isolated cabin in the New Mexico territory with her husband Bill (Noah Emmerich, Warrior) and their little girl. One day her husband returns, nearly dead, with several bullets in him. Jane sets to work to remove the bullets. Thought the torment, her husband hangs on, although he is weak and unable to walk. It turns out that he was ambushed by villain Colin Bishop (Ewan McGregor) from the couples past not too surprising when you find out that Bill has quite a past of his own. Jane knows that soon Bishop and his armed men will arrive at her home. So she takes her daughter out of harms way and rides to the home of Dan Frost (Joel Edgerton, who also was in Warrior,) her former lover from years ago. She pleads with him to help her fight off the impending violence, and hires him for the job. Director Gavin OConnor has directed some interesting movies, including Warrior and Miracle,) so its no wonder that he makes this one work. He takes things slowly, particularly when it comes to learning about the relationships and histories of its three main characters. Instead of being gray and misty, his numerous flashbacks are full of brightness and color in sharp contrast to the characters present situations. Edgerton is one of those actors who will be on the Oh! That guy! list for many viewers. Although he may not be a household name, hes a terrific performer, and he gives his character the right balance of resiliency and empathy to make him appealing. Portman is convincing as a woman who, despite the odds stacked against her, continues to make the best of a bad situation that turns worse. Theres no point in going into the films turbulent past and delayed release, because the end result makes all of that moot. This is an entertaining Western thats well worth riding out to catch it on the big screen. A Davenport man was sentenced Friday to 15 months in federal prison after prosecutors say he continued receiving disability benefits while he was serving prison time in an unrelated case. James Clayton Bailey, 67, must serve three years of supervised release once he gets out of prison. There is no parole in the federal system. He also was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie Rose to pay $52,441.20 to the Social Security Administration for benefits he received while in prison. Bailey pleaded guilty on Oct. 26 in U.S. District Court, Davenport, to theft of government property. Prosecutors say Bailey began receiving Social Security Disability benefits in 2003. On Oct. 29, 2009, Bailey was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison on a third-degree sexual abuse charge out of Clinton County. He was released from prison on May 9, 2014. While he was in prison, Bailey failed to notify SSA he was incarcerated and continued to receive his disability payments, knowing he was not qualified to receive such benefits, according to prosecutors. An East Moline man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison in connection with two home burglaries in April. Michael J. Schram, 31, pleaded guilty Jan. 27 in Rock Island County Circuit Court to two counts of residential burglary. Once released from prison, Schram must serve two years of supervised release. He was given credit for time already served in the Rock Island County Jail. At 12:05 p.m. April 30, East Moline police officers were called to a home burglary in the 730 block of Oaklawn Avenue, East Moline. The homeowner said she had come home and found a man inside her house. The man fled the house and rode away on a bicycle. On April 23, a resident in the 4300 block of 8th Street told police about a man he saw attempting to break into a nearby residence. A description of the man led officers to Schram on April 30. Police say Schram was in possession of jewelry stolen from the residence at 739 Oaklawn Ave. There also were items matching those taken from an April 23 burglary at a home in the 4100 block of 3rd Street A, according to police. Schram has previous felony convictions. He was convicted Aug. 12, 2005, for possession of cannabis and was sentenced to 18 months in the Illinois Department of Corrections. On March 3, 2011, Schram pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver. He was sentenced to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. On Oct. 11, 2013, he pleaded guilty to felony escape and felony criminal damage to government property. He was sentenced to 24 months on probation. In the final sprint to Monday night's caucuses, Ted Cruz warned a large crowd in Davenport about trusting too much in the promises of politicians. "We've been burned over and over and over again. The stakes are too high. We cannot be burned again," Cruz told hundreds of people crowded into Adventure Christian Community in northwest Davenport. With just a day before the caucuses, Cruz said that he has fought the Affordable Care Act and illegal immigration and that he has backed up his promises. Cruz is leaning heavily on evangelical Christians in Monday's caucuses. But in the latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll, he was trailing Donald Trump by five points, 28 percent to 23 percent. Cruz barley alluded to Trump, who was in the Quad-Cities on Saturday night. But radio show host and author Glenn Beck, who introduced the Texas senator, didn't shy away from commenting on Trump. At his own mention of Trump's name, Beck stopped and pleaded with the audience. "Please, for my children's sake, Please, dear God, if you're thinking about it, go to the bar tomorrow instead. It will do you more good, anyway." Cruz's Davenport stop was one of three he was making Sunday, and he was joined by his wife, Heidi Cruz. Cruz told the crowd that he is optimistic in what he said is the assault on constitutional rights and a shrinking American posture in the world. "There is an awakening and a spirit of revival," Cruz said. Darlene Jeffries, of Davenport, said she was leaning to Cruz before the event and was sure of her support by the end. She said she's worried that the country is moving away from constitutional principles. "The country needs to stay with the constitution," she said. Cruz has argued he's an enemy of the GOP establishment. But Jeffries said it's the establishment that is preventing things from getting done. "They want it that way," she said. CLINTON, Iowa A few minutes before former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush appeared Sunday night, Idelette Mussman sat patiently, holding a framed portrait in her lap. Mussman, of Camanche, Iowa, and her husband, Larry, were among about 125 Bush supporters who gathered to see the candidate Sunday night at Eagle Heights Elementary School, Clinton. Bush later appeared at a rally in Davenport. The portrait that Mussman held was of herself, years ago, standing with Jeb Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush. "I met him in DeWitt," she said, adding that she plans to caucus for Jeb Bush on Monday night in Camanche. Mussman said it would be the first time she's met Jeb Bush, and that was the case for others as well. Lori Seastrand, of Charlotte, came, too, saying she was curious about the governor. She does not plan to caucus for anyone, however. Marianne and Paul Wenzel, of Clinton, both plan to caucus as Republicans, but maybe not the same one. "I voted for his father and his brother," Marianne Wenzel said. "I'm still looking at candidates," Paul Wenzel said. Bush spoke for about 55 minutes in Clinton, spending some time criticizing fellow candidate Donald Trump. Trump lacks leadership skills, and "is a threat to Western civilization" with his views on foreign policy. Answering a question from a farmer about how Trump's position on China might affect farm exports, the candidate said bombastic language could adversely impact the nation's agricultural relationship with China. "You will frame the next stages of the primary process," Bush told the crowd. "Iowans have a chance, and a responsibility, to do the right thing." "I'd love to have your help," Bush said. "I do believe I will win this nomination." Four Republican presidential candidates worked to gather the support of the remaining undecided caucus-goers with campaign stops in the Quad-Cities Sunday. The candidates exhorted their supporters to head to tonight's caucuses and made their final cases for votes. Ted Cruz In the final sprint to tonight, caucuses, Ted Cruz warned a large crowd in Davenport about trusting too much in the promises of politicians. "We've been burned over and over and over again. The stakes are too high. We cannot be burned again," Cruz told hundreds of people crowded into Adventure Christian Community in northwest Davenport. With just a day before the caucuses, Cruz said that he has fought the Affordable Care Act and illegal immigration and that he has backed up his promises. Cruz is leaning heavily on evangelical Christians in tonight's caucuses. But in the latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll, he was trailing Donald Trump by five points, 28 percent to 23 percent. Cruz barley alluded to Trump, who was in the Quad-Cities on Saturday night. But radio show host and author Glenn Beck, who introduced the Texas senator, didn't shy away from commenting on Trump. At his own mention of Trump's name, Beck stopped and pleaded with the audience. "Please, for my children's sake, Please, dear God, if you're thinking about it, go to the bar tomorrow instead. It will do you more good, anyway." Cruz's Davenport stop was one of three he was making Sunday, and he was joined by his wife, Heidi. Cruz told the crowd that he is optimistic in what he said is the assault on constitutional rights and a shrinking American posture in the world. "There is an awakening and a spirit of revival," Cruz said. Darlene Jeffries, of Davenport, said she was leaning to Cruz before the event and was sure of her support by the end. She said she's worried that the country is moving away from constitutional principles. "The country needs to stay with the constitution," she said. Cruz has argued he's an enemy of the GOP establishment. But Jeffries said it's the establishment that is preventing things from getting done. "They want it that way," she said. Ed Tibbetts Marco Rubio When they got married, Andrew and Rene Mulka thought they'd have their student loans paid off by their 30th birthdays. "I'm turning 30 this week, and it's still one of our biggest worries," Rene Mulka, of Blue Grass, said. "It's not something that just goes away, so were on board for someone who wants to fix that. So, when Sen. Marco Rubio talked about his own student loans at a rally in Davenport on Sunday, the young couple threw support his way. They both pledged to caucus for Rubio at a site in Walcott on Monday night. Hes focused on the younger generation, trying to build them up and a lot of other candidates are focused on the older generations, Andrew Mulka said. Young people like us dont have the money to pay for things because were stuck in loans, and he's the one talking about that." In his final campaign event in Iowa before the caucuses, Rubio spoke to a few hundred people inside St. Ambrose Universitys Rogalski Center, urging young voters to caucus Monday night. He made stops in Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids earlier in the day. During a half-hour long speech, the 44-year-old Florida senator stressed protecting religious freedom, free enterprise and rebuilding U.S. military forces to make way for a real war on terror. Youre here today and youll caucus tomorrow because you know that 2016 is not just another election 2016 is a turning point, Rubio said. Rubio's talking points struck a chord with Kathleen Hall, a sophomore at St. Ambrose who walked about three minutes from her dorm to the rally on Sunday. Rubio is her favorite candidate, but she won't caucus because she has dance practice on Monday night. Im sure a lot of students dont think the election is affecting them and just dont even know who the candidates are," she said. But having them come on campus makes you more aware I think." Amanda Hancock Jeb Bush A few minutes before former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush appeared Sunday night in Clinton, Iowa, Idelette Mussman sat patiently, holding a framed portrait in her lap. Mussman, of Camanche, Iowa, and her husband, Larry, were among about 125 Bush supporters who gathered to see the candidate Sunday night at Eagle Heights Elementary School, Clinton. Bush later appeared at a rally in Davenport. The portrait that Mussman held was of herself, years ago, standing with Jeb Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush. "I met him in DeWitt," she said, adding that she plans to caucus for Jeb Bush tonight in Camanche. Mussman said it would be the first time she's met Jeb Bush, and that was the case for others as well. Lori Seastrand, of Charlotte, came, too, saying she was curious about the governor. She does not plan to caucus for anyone, however. Marianne and Paul Wenzel, of Clinton, both plan to caucus as Republicans, but maybe not the same one. "I voted for his father and his brother," Marianne Wenzel said. "I'm still looking at candidates," Paul Wenzel said. Bush spoke for about 55 minutes in Clinton, spending some time criticizing fellow candidate Donald Trump. Trump lacks leadership skills, and "is a threat to Western civilization" with his views on foreign policy. Answering a question from a farmer about how Trump's position on China might affect farm exports, the candidate said bombastic language could adversely impact the nation's agricultural relationship with China. "You will frame the next stages of the primary process," Bush told the crowd. "Iowans have a chance, and a responsibility, to do the right thing." "I'd love to have your help," Bush said. "I do believe I will win this nomination." Deirdre Cox Baker Carly Fiorina Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina mingled with a standing-room-only crowd in Davenport after her campaign stop Sunday and was happy to pose for photos. Heres the rule: One picture, one vote! the former CEO of Hewlett Packard said at the Holiday Inn and Suites on Elmore Avenue, Davenport. She urged the crowd to be wary of polls. The media, she said, think they have figured out who will win, but you havent voted yet, she said. Recent polls show her clumped with others at about 2 percent. She emphasized points she has made often during her campaign: simplify the tax code, pass zero-based budgeting, repeal the Affordable Care Act and reduce the size of government. Government has grown bigger and bigger for 50 years, Fiorina said, adding that she is tired of Americans feeling that they are powerless to control their own government. Fiorina was accompanied by her husband, Frank, and she told how they met when she was an entry-level sales person at AT&T and he was a technical expert. Several supporters, including Howard Berchtold, of Davenport, smiled when they left the rally. He especially appreciates her stance on smaller government and revision of the tax code, he said. I think she was right on the money on most of that, he said. Harold Wollenhaupt and Dorothy Petrach, both of Bettendorf, plan to caucus for Fiorina. I think its time we got a woman in as president, Petrach said. Fiorina said that she would win a debate with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, calling her a "liar. She took a shot at Republican candidate Donald Trump, too, calling him the ultimate Crony capitalist. You cant have someone who is of the system challenge the system. Linda Cook The months of campaigning come to a close tonight as thousands of Iowans flock to caucus sites around the state to kick off the presidential nominating process. Here is some last-minute information you need to know: The caucuses: The precinct caucuses will be held in 1,681 locations across the state at 7 p.m. You must be registered or in line to register by 7 p.m. to participate. Party officials urge caucus-goers to arrive early to sign in. Caucus sites: Scott County precinct locations can be found on our website at qctimes.com/caucussites. The Republican Party of Iowa has a precinct finder at yourcaucus.com. The Iowa Democratic Party has a precinct finder at iowademocrats.org/2016-democratic-caucus-locations. Eligible voters: Registered voters can participate in the caucuses. They must be registered in the party whose caucus they are attending, but they can enroll in the party or switch party affiliations at the caucus site. Eligible people also can register to vote at the caucus site. Those who will be 18 years old on or before the general election on Nov. 8 also can participate. Again, participants are encouraged to arrive up to an hour early to accommodate registrations. Party information: State Republican caucus information is available at iowagop.org; local GOP caucus information is available at scottcountyrepublicans.org. State Democratic caucus information is available at iowademocrats.org; local Democratic caucus information is available at scottcountydems.org. Weather: Quad-City caucus-goers wont need to worry about the weather tonight, according to the National Weather Service, Davenport. Meteorologist Tim Gross said what little snow or freezing precipitation the Quad-Cities will receive will be after midnight. Today will be partly sunny, with highs in the upper 30s and light northwest winds about 5 mph, he said. The low tonight will be in the upper 20s, he said. The contenders: Republicans will have 12 candidates on the ballot in Scott County, although not all counties in Iowa use ballots. The Scott County ballot includes Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum and Donald Trump. Democrats won't have a ballot, but the candidates are Hillary Clinton, Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders. The results: The Quad-City Times will have multiple reporters at area caucus sites and in Des Moines. And Times Editorial Page Editor Jon Alexander will host a live chat Monday night. You can participate in the chat and follow reporters' tweets at qctimes.com/caucus. Full results, along with previous caucus coverage, can be found at qctimes.com/elections. Recordings of candidate visits with the Times editorial board are available at qctimes.com/soundcloud. And pick up the print edition of the Times on Tuesday morning for full local and state coverage. WATERLOO, Iowa Sen. Bernie Sanders called on his Iowa supporters to show the world the country is ready for a new direction. Sanders, speaking to more than 650 supporters Sunday at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in downtown Waterloo, fired up supporters as new polls show him nearly in a dead heat with Hillary Clinton heading into Monday's Iowa Democratic caucus. "Not only will the entire country be looking at Iowa, actually much of the world will be looking at Iowa," Sanders said. "And what they will be looking at is not just to see who wins the caucus. "What they will really be looking at is to see whether or not Iowa is prepared to move this country away from establishment politics and establishment economics and move us in a very, very different direction," he said. Sanders, who trails Clinton by 3 percentage points in the Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll released Saturday, drew cheers when he noted the same poll eight months ago showed him trailing the former secretary of state by 41 percentage points. His stump speech focused on the same progressive themes he's been espousing throughout the campaign: raising the minimum wage, addressing income inequality, free college tuition, women's rights, climate change and criminal justice reform. "We have have more inequality in America today than at anytime since 1928, and it is worse here now than almost any major country on earth," Sanders said. "The top one-tenth of 1 percent now owns almost as much as the bottom 90 percent." The words resonated with Alex Scholl, a University of Northern Iowa student, who plans to caucus for Sanders on Monday. "He's been consistent and he's been consistent for 50 years," Scholl said. "He's somebody who cares about the people. When you hear him speak he's actually talking to the people and with the people and for the people." Krissy Haglund won't be caucusing for Sanders. But the Minneapolis physician couldn't resist driving to Waterloo Sunday to support her candidate, who acknowledged her home-made pizza box poster calling for student loan reform. "Finally someone who matches my values," said Haglund, who said the high cost of education was preventing a needed influx of new medical professionals. Sanders also picked up an endorsement shortly before hitting the podium. Black Hawk County Democratic chairwoman Pat Sass, who had endorsed Clinton in October, switched her support to Sanders. "I believe in what he's for," Sass said. "I also think he's really for unions big time, and that's really important." Sarah Werkmeister, of Evansdale, has attended a couple of Sanders rallies and began writing him with her ideas. "I've never actually caucused because I wasn't into politics," she said. "But now I realize how important it is. "He's like that grandpa for the country," Werkmeister added. "He cares." Sanders was expected to attend a concert and rally in Iowa City later Sunday night. WATERLOO, Iowa Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump made clear in a pre-caucus stop in Waterloo that hes taking nothing for granted in winning tonight, as Iowans begin the presidential selection process. He spoke for about 35 minutes in Waterloo before traveling to Cedar Rapids to make his last appeal to voters ahead of tonights voting at 1,681 precincts across the state. Win, lose or draw, I love you folks all, Trump said, but he encouraged the about 600 people present to show up on Monday night. If the doctor says you cannot leave, I dont care, get out of bed. Despite his usual appeals to build a wall across the Mexican border and be a better negotiator on the world stage, Trump appeared more subdued in his stop. The Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center was a little more than half-full, but most of the enthusiastic crowd stood up throughout his speech that focused less on his polling lead and his business success. Instead, the real estate mogul stressed the importance of family and how his political success is due to the movement that supports him. They all say the more people who go out, the better were going to do, and I dont say me, I say we, because it is we, Trump said. Its a movement. Its a movement. He brought his wife, Melania Trump, as well as daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, on the stage, before stressing that success is about more than making money. Ivanka Trump also encouraged people to show up at the precinct caucuses. Trump also offered a $100,000 check to the Waterloo nonprofit Americans for Independent Living that helps modify homes to accommodate veterans that have suffered major injuries since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The funding for the donation came from the event Trump held last Thursday that competed with the most recent Republican presidential debate. He said he raised $6 million from the event and plans to hand out 22 to 24 checks to groups that help veterans. The vets have been vetted, because what weve done is we wanted to make sure that these people that get these checks are amazing, amazing people, Trump said. John Thoma of Waterloo has been a supporter of Trumps since he first announced his candidacy, but he got his final reassurance on Monday when Trump told him hed support farmers as president. He says it like it needs to be said. He cuts to the chase, doesnt mix words and hes going to make this country great again, Thoma said. I just think theres a lot of great things about him. Though Thoma considers himself a Republican/Independent, he said hell be making his first appearance at a caucus Monday night to support Trump. Kolby Raymond, a University of Northern Iowa student, said hes still debating between supporting Trump or Republicans Marco Rubio or Ben Carson at tonights caucuses. He plans to do more research throughout the day before going to his first caucus, but he likes what he heard first-hand from Trump, particularly on helping people. No matter whether it was the a lot of deaths in Paris, or it was the 14 deaths in California, he was always worried about the individual deaths, and how we could stop it, even if it was only a couple, Raymond said, adding, Im still deciding, after this, it was definitely an eye-opener, and I did like what I heard, but Im still making some decisions, and thats why I have time before tonight. When they got married, Andrew and Rene Mulka thought they'd have their student loans paid off by their 30th birthdays. "I'm turning 30 this week, and it's still one of our biggest worries," Rene Mulka, of Blue Grass, said. "It's not something that just goes away, so were on board for someone who wants to fix that. So, when Sen. Marco Rubio talked about his own student loans at a rally in Davenport on Sunday, the young couple threw support his way. They both pledged to caucus for Rubio at a site in Walcott on Monday night. Hes focused on the younger generation, trying to build them up and a lot of other candidates are focused on the older generations, Andrew Mulka said. Young people like us dont have the money to pay for things because were stuck in loans, and he's the one talking about that." In his final campaign event in Iowa before the caucuses, Rubio spoke to a few hundred people inside St. Ambrose Universitys Rogalski Center, urging young voters to caucus Monday night. He made stops in Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids earlier in the day. During a half-hour long speech, the 44-year-old Florida senator stressed protecting religious freedom, free enterprise and rebuilding U.S. military forces to make way for a real war on terror. Youre here today and youll caucus tomorrow because you know that 2016 is not just another election 2016 is a turning point, Rubio said. Rubio's talking points struck a chord with Kathleen Hall, a sophomore at St. Ambrose who walked about three minutes from her dorm to the rally on Sunday. Rubio is her favorite candidate, but she won't caucus because she has dance practice on Monday night. Im sure a lot of students dont think the election is affecting them and just dont even know who the candidates are," she said. But having them come on campus makes you more aware I think." Jose Pepe Delucio never wanted to leave his home in Fresnillo, Zacatecas, located in north central Mexico. In the early 2000s, when his mother and three siblings immigrated to the United States, he stayed put to finish high school. At age 20, though, in hopes of attending an American college or university, Delucio followed his family, who had settled in Los Angeles. But I hated it, the 33-year-old recently recalled. It was so busy, and people were rude. So, when a factory job surfaced in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where a relative lived, Delucio packed his bags and moved to the Hawkeye State, which he initially solely associated with the heavy metal band Slipknot from Des Moines. Upon arrival, though, struck by the generosity of his co-workers and others in the community there, Delucio said he thought he finally found the real America. Today, Delucio lives in west Davenport with his fiancee, a Louisa County native he met during his brief time in school at Southeastern Community College in Burlington, Iowa. While hes currently unemployed, the longtime Spanish-singing musician serves as the frontman for RONIN, a local synth-pop group. Tonight, after band practice, Delucio plans to check out a caucus site for the first time. Even though he is in the process of securing his citizenship here and cannot vote in the first-in-the-nation contest, Delucio wants to witness the political process in action. I can go and watch, and to me, thats important, said Delucio, who noted he would caucus for Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders if he could. I might not be able to vote, but I want someone that will help me in the future. Although he thinks Sanders plan for free higher education sounds kind of unreal, he believes the Vermont senator is willing to help the little people. Delucio, who has now lived in the Quad-Cities for about five years, considers it home, but worries that hell have to move again if he cannot find work soon. Im an immigrant, so I really just go where the moneys at, he said. I like it here, but I dont want to be a starving artist because I cannot survive this way. Tonights the night For more on voter eligibility, on-site registration and precinct locations visit qctimes.com to learn what you need to know about tonights caucuses. Iowans must be registered or in line to register by 7 p.m. to participate in the caucuses, which will be held in 1,681 locations across the state. Times Editorial Page Editor Jon Alexander will host a live chat tonight. Feel free to participate in the chat and follow reporters tweets from multiple area caucus sites and in Des Moines at qctimes.com/caucus. For full results, along with previous caucus coverage, check out qctimes.com/elections. Weather bubble The storm system that might dump more than 8 inches of snow Tuesday in parts of Iowa will leave about an inch of snow in the Quad-Cities, Linda Cook reports. The National Weather Service predicts the Quad-City area will get hit with a mix of rain, sleet and snow. Heavy snow is expected to fall north and west of the Quad-Cities. GO & DO Daytrotter will host a post-caucus party tonight at Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave., Rock Island. Open to all ages. Music starts at 9 p.m. WATERLOO, Iowa Presidential hopeful Martin O'Malley is urging his supporters to "hold strong" during Monday's Democratic caucus. The former Maryland governor and Baltimore mayor spoke to about 50 people gathered in the Volks Haus in downtown Waterloo on Sunday night and would not surrender to polls showing him in a distant third behind frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. "I've learned something about the character of the people of Iowa," O'Malley said. "You guys always have a way of sorting through the noise and, on caucus night, finding a way to surprise the pollsters and the pundits and all those talking heads from back East. "You guys feel you have a birthright to upset the apple cart on caucus night," he added. "And with only three of us in this Democratic race, there's only one of us who can still upset the apple cart." O'Malley said he felt a surge in support after the last televised Democratic debate, when he was allowed more time to discuss his views. "My gut and my sense from the phone calls we're making is this I sensed that people listened and we cut through," he said. O'Malley's stop at Volks Haus followed a day of campaigning in Des Moines, Johnston and Cedar Rapids and culminated in him leading a phone banking effort from his Waterloo campaign office. His speech touched on the need for immigration reform with a path to citizenship, equal pay for women, expanded family leave, the right to join a labor union, building the economy by addressing climate change, providing a debt-free college option and helping build wages. "The hard and tough truth of our times is this: 70 percent of us are earning the same or less than we were 12 years ago," he said. "And nothing works very well in America unless wages go up when people work hard." O'Malley also supported cracking down on Wall Street abuses, like those which led to the last recession. "What have you come to as a country that you can get pulled over for a broken taillight but if you wreck our economy you're untouchable?" he said. Lifelong Democrat and current O'Malley supporter Jerry Hageman has been knocking on doors for his candidate and plans to fight for him at the caucus site. "It's a little disappointing that we've only polled about 4 percent nationally, but I'd like to see him continue on," Hageman said. "I think it's important to keep him in the mix." Hageman suggested a stronger-than-expected showing in Iowa would propel O'Malley going into New Hampshire while helping him stay in the race should either of the current front runners flame out. IOWA CITY At a rally on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul hammered home his hallmark small government positions such as limited military intervention and ending phone surveillance. Im the only one in this race who doesnt want dominion over you, Paul said. I want to set you free. I want government so small you can barely see it. He railed on leading GOP candidates businessman Donald Trump, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for excess in spending and personality. He used government to get rich and bully his competition and now he asks you to give him power, Paul said of Republican frontrunner Trump at a campaign stop on the University of Iowa campus. Electing Gollum should not be our objective, he said, referring to the evil character in Lord of the Rings. He knocked Rubio and Cruz for support of an amendment to increase military spending by $200 billion. Thats the story of Washington, Paul said. Everyone wants to spend, and no one wants to cut anything. If Im president, we will look at all spending across the board. The inconvenient truth is you cant be a conservative if you are liberal with military spending. We dont become stronger or a safer nation if we borrow from China. Paul was joined by his father, former Republican Texas Rep. Ron Paul, at an event dubbed The Revolution Continues Rally at the Iowa Memorial Union. The elder Paul is an iconic libertarian who helped make liberty principles mainstream within the Republican Party. Ron Paul, who ran for president in 1988, 2008 and 2012, finished third in the 2012 Iowa caucuses with 21 percent of the vote. Liberty is a moral issue and built around an idea of non-aggression, Ron Paul said. Theres a lot of talk about humility. It pays off to be a bit humble at times. Libertarianism encourages you to be humble. It encourages you to recognize what you dont know. The rally of about 800 people with a heavy dose of students broke into chants familiar on the campaign trail of both the older and younger Paul: End the fed. Rand Paul stopped in Iowa City as part of a five day, 12-city tour of Iowa, which ends today with a whirlwind of stops leading up to the caucuses. Paul heads into the first-in-the-nation caucus trailing by a large margin, according to Saturdays Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll. It showed Paul in fifth place with 5 percent support. Ian Dunshee, 22, a University of Iowa senior and Paul supporter, came with friend Emma Husar, 21, a junior who said shes leaning toward Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democrat, but has not made up her mind and is open to Paul. Dunshee gravitated to Paul early in the campaign season largely because he agrees with his libertarian values on the economy and reserved military engagement. I agree with a philosophy of not messing with everybody, but having diplomatic engagement with everyone, Dunshee said. Recognizing Paul is lagging in the polls, Dunshee said his hope is the Kentucky senator can beat expectations and build momentum from there. A former paid campaign organizer for Donald Trump who was fired is accusing his presidential campaign of sex discrimination, the New York Times is reporting. Elizabeth Mae Davidson, 26, of Bettendorf, who was the Trump campaigns field organizer in Davenport, said in a discrimination complaint that men doing the same jobs were paid more, the newspaper reported. Additionally, she charges that the men were allowed to plan and speak at rallies, while her requests to do so were ignored. She also said that when she and a young female volunteer met. Trump at a rally last summer, he told them, You guys could do a lot of damage, referring to their looks, the New York Times reported. The complaint was filed on Thursday with the Davenport Civil Rights Commission. Davidson referred questions Sunday from the Quad-City Times to her attorney. The newspaper could not get a copy of the complaint Sunday. In a telephone interview with the New York Times on Sunday, Trump denied making the remark, but he did not address the other two allegations. That is not my language, he told the newspaper, adding, that is the worst thing to say, its not a phrase Ive ever used. Trump told the newspaper that he did know Davidson, but that in checking with his staff, he was told she was a disgruntled employee. My people tell me she did a terrible job. He criticized the New York Times for reporting the complaint the day before the caucuses, adding, A story like this could damage my chances. Davidson was fired on Jan. 14, the day after a New York Times article portrayed problems with the campaigns senior Iowa leadership, to whom she reported, the newspaper reported. In her complaint, the Times reported that Davidson wrote that she was told she was fired for making disparaging comments about senior campaign leaders to third parties and breaking a nondisclosure clause in her employment contract. She denied saying anything disparaging about campaign leaders to the news media. Davidson was described in The Times article as one of the campaigns most effective organizers and was quoted as she tried to enlist supporters to volunteer as precinct leaders during a Trump rally in Ottumwa on Jan. 9. Elsewhere in the article, the campaign was described as amateurish and halting, committing basic organizing errors. Davidsons complaint states that men with the same job title district representatives were quoted in news accounts without being fired by the Trump campaign, the newspaper reported. Her complaint continues that she was the only woman with that title and that men with the same title were also paid more. In an interview with the New York Times, Davidson said she was paid $2,000 a month and was classified as a part-time worker because she also had a job as a paralegal. But she said another field representative, Marc Elcock, was paid more though he, too, has a day job, as a lawyer. According to the Trump campaigns public filings, several men who held the title of district representative, including Elcock, were paid $3,500 to $4,000 a month, the Times reported. Trumps remark to. Davidson and a female volunteer that they could do a lot of damage occurred when they were introduced to. Trump last summer, according to the complaint, which included no other details about the exchange, the newspaper reported. Ms. Davidsons complaint concludes, As a result of this discrimination I have suffered lost wages, mental anguish and damage to my career. Davidsons lawyer, Dorothy A. OBrien, said the complaint would trigger an investigation by the Davenport Civil Rights Commission, the newspaper reported. After 60 days, Davidson would have the option of continuing to let the agency investigate or filing suit in state court. Davidson is the daughter of Judy Davidson, the Republican chairwoman of Scott County. The English language is so flexible -- so bedeviling, even -- that the word "tie" can actually mean "cut." "Sterilization" can mean "cleaning" but also the impeding of the ability to produce offspring. The new Independent Lens documentary "No Mas Bebes" -- No More Babies -- uncovers the story of how low-income women in 30 states were duped during childbirth with such words, or just plain bullied, into agreeing to be sterilized in the late 1960s and '70s. It does so through the stories of six women, all Hispanic, who went through the traumatizing ordeal at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center -- although poor white Appalachian women and low-income black women went through much the same in other cities. Some were in life-or-death situations in which doctors told them they could not have the emergency C-sections they needed to ensure their babies would live unless they agreed to have their "tubes tied." Others were asked, during the final, most painful hours of their labor if they wanted "(BEG ITAL)no mas bebes(END ITAL)" by being sterilized -- but were not made to understand that this involved a severing of the fallopian tubes that could not be undone. A few women, incredibly, didn't even know they'd been sterilized until years later, after an outspoken doctor had made evidence of the wrongdoing public and a group of just-out-of-school Mexican-American lawyers broke the news to them during the process of gathering witnesses to make a case against the USC Medical Center. The testimony of the women and the doctors involved in the Madrigal v. Quilligan lawsuit is so compelling that, unfortunately, it didn't leave time for the filmmakers, Renee Tajima-Pena and Virginia Espino, to mention that, though the lawsuit did eventually lead to nationwide reforms to protect women from coercive sterilizations, the issue is far from over. Forced sterilization in this country goes back to the late 1800s, but incarcerated women in California prisons recently proved that as many as 150 inmates were unwillingly sterilized between 2006 and 2010. In 2015, a Tennessee prosecutor was found to have offered probation in exchange for sterilization. That said, the context in which the fight for these low-income Mexican women's civil rights occurred is surely the most fascinating take-away from this new film. Gloria Molina, an East Los Angeles activist, illustrates how, at the time, the women had no allies: "We were talking about abortion rights and all issues of feminism at that time. [But] the Chicano movement, unfortunately, was all led by men [with] very much a very sexist kind of approach. So when we raised these issues to our brothers ... it was always considered a secondary issue to them. "We wanted to create a waiting period for sterilization because we wanted to make sure we had truly informed consent, [but] this was totally offensive to white feminists. The feminists wanted sterilization upon demand. They basically opposed our waiting period -- they weren't really taking into account that if you're Spanish-speaking or if you don't speak English, you were being denied a right, totally." Equally riveting are the interviews the filmmakers scored with some of the doctors and administrators of the USC obstetrics and gynecology department who were named in the lawsuit. They are treated fairly in this film, but their self-defensive comments betray a lack of understanding of the biases and cultural blind spots that might have contributed to their role in irrevocably damaging these women's lives. Joseph Levin, one of the women's lawyers, attributed the physicians' reluctance to cop to any wrongdoing to the fact that the women had signed their consent, albeit under duress: "If all they're going to do is look at a piece of paper and not think about who the patient is, what language the patient speaks, or where the patient came from, then, yeah, they can quite honestly, to themselves, rationalize it by saying, 'Well, I had a piece of paper.'" Dr. Bernard Rosenfeld, the whistleblower who imperiled his own career to bring the women's mistreatment to light, put it this way: "No private doctor, ever, would go up to a woman in a private hospital while she was in labor and ask her if she wanted to get her tubes tied. He would have gotten probably thrown out of the hospital and sued by the patient." "No Mas Bebes" is living history well worth learning about. The film airs at 10 p.m. Eastern tonight on local PBS stations. Random Things Through My Letterbox does not share personal information with third-parties nor do we store information we collect about your visit to this blog for use other than to analyze content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at anyt ime by modifying your Internet browser's settings. We are not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice." The Rooster Rush Cacklin Community Award is presented to a community for their efforts in creating excitement during pheasant season. This year, Aberdeen businesses and organizations joined forces to create a welcoming environment for hunters coming to their area. Businesses in Aberdeen wore black or orange Rooster Rush t-shirts during pheasant season and displayed bright orange signage, hunting posters, giant hay bale pheasant decorations, and larger than life cardboard cut out pheasants to invite hunters to shop and stay at their business. The Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, along with other Aberdeen area organizations, planned events to welcome hunters at the airport and hotels where they provided promotional items to visitors. The CVB and its partners also held social media contests, live radio remotes, meet and greets, and hosted outdoor writers to to showcase hunting opportunities in the area. Aberdeen was the recipient of this award last year at the 2015 Governor's Conference, and once before in 2009. For more Aberdeen area hunting information, please visit HuntFishSD.com. Washington, D.C. | As part of the Interior Departments reform agenda for a cleaner, more secure energy future, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today proposed to update 30 year-old regulations in order to reduce the wasteful release of natural gas into the atmosphere from oil and gas operations on public and American Indian lands. The proposed rule on venting, flaring and leaking will help curb waste of our nations natural gas supplies, reduce harmful methane emissions and provide a fair return on public resources for federal taxpayers, Tribes and States. I think most people would agree that we should be using our nations natural gas to power our economy not wasting it by venting and flaring it into the atmosphere, said Secretary Sally Jewell. We need to modernize decades-old standards to reflect existing technologies so that we can cut down on harmful methane emissions and use this captured natural gas to generate power and provide a return to taxpayers, tribes and states for this public resource. We look forward to hearing from the public on this proposal. U.S. oil production is at its highest level in nearly 30 years and the nation is now the largest natural gas producer in the world, providing an abundant source of clean-burning fuel to power and heat American homes and businesses. At the same time, venting and leaks during oil and gas operations are major sources of harmful methane emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas about 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. U.S. methane emissions are projected to increase substantially without additional steps to lower them. The proposal announced today is consistent with the Obama Administrations goal to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40 to 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025. Currently, vast amounts of natural gas from public and Indian lands are lost through venting, flaring and leaks from oil and gas operations. Between 2009 and 2014, enough natural gas was lost through venting, flaring and leaks to power more than 5 million homes for a year. States, Tribes and federal taxpayers also lose royalty revenues when natural gas is wasted as much as $23 million annually in royalty revenue for the Federal Government and the States that share it, according to a 2010 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. Developed by Interiors Bureau of Land Managements (BLM), the proposed rule would require oil and gas producers to adopt currently available technologies, processes and equipment that would limit the rate of flaring at oil wells on public and tribal lands, and would require operators to periodically inspect their operations for leaks, and to replace outdated equipment that vents large quantities of gas into the air. Operators would also be required to limit venting from storage tanks and use best practices to limit gas losses when removing liquids from wells. The new measures would also clarify when operators owe royalties on flared gas, and ensure that BLMs regulations provide congressionally authorized flexibility to set royalty rates at or above 12.5 percent of the value of production. The commonsense and cost-effective measures we are proposing reflect the recommendations of several government studies as well as stakeholder views and tribal consultation over the last two years, said Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Janice Schneider. These updated regulations, which would be phased in over several years to allow operators to make the transition more cost efficiently, would not only get more of our nations natural gas into pipelines and delivered to market but also reduce pollution and cut greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change. The BLMs current rules addressing venting and flaring were adopted over 30 years ago, long before new technologies unlocked vast new natural gas supplies in the United States. Recent technological advances allow operators to produce more oil and gas with less waste. About 40 percent of natural gas now vented or flared from onshore Federal leases could be economically captured with currently available technologies, according to the 2010 GAO report. Several oversight reviews, including studies by the Interior Departments Inspector General and the GAO, have raised concerns about the waste of gas from oil and gas operations on public lands and found BLMs existing requirements insufficient. Several states, including Colorado, North Dakota, Wyoming, and most recently Pennsylvania, as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have also taken steps to limit venting, flaring and/or leaks. Its time to modernize our regulations to reflect todays technologies and meet todays priorities, said BLM Director Kornze. By asking operators to take simple, common-sense actions to reduce waste like swapping out old equipment and checking for leaks we expect to cut this waste almost in half. The gas saved would be enough to supply every household in the cities of Dallas and Denver combined every year. The BLM has worked to ensure that the proposed regulations would not impose conflicting or redundant requirements. In developing this proposal, the BLM looked to the States requirements and worked closely with the EPA to align the agencies proposals as much as possible, consistent with specific statutory authorities and responsibilities. The BLM is committed to continue coordinating with the EPA, as well as with individual States, to streamline regulations. In developing this proposal, the BLM engaged in substantial stakeholder outreach, including a series of public forums in 2014 and 2015 to consult with tribal and state governments and to solicit stakeholder views. The BLM held public meetings in Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Washington, D.C., as well as separate tribal outreach sessions. The agency also accepted informal comments generated as a result of the public and tribal outreach sessions. The public will have 60 days to submit comments on the proposal once it is published in the Federal Register. The BLM also plans to hold a series of public meetings on the proposed rule in February and March. The proposed rule, subject to minor, unsubstantive editorial changes from the Federal Register, may be found here, along with the Regulatory Impact Analysis and Environmental Assessment. The rule includes information on how to comment. A fact sheet also is available. ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. | Over the past six months, spouses of deployed 28th Bomb Wing personnel walked, ran, biked and swam the distance from Rapid City to the location of their Airmen in Southwest Asia. The spouses accumulated 7,500 miles in what is known as "Tiger Tracking," a long-term event hosted by the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, many of whom are deployed as part of the 37th Aircraft Maintenance Unit. Named after the 37th Bomb Squadron "Tigers," it is a way to boost morale and remind spouses they are not on their own. "At any given time there are others going through the same thing," said Loretta Luck, spouse of Tech. Sgt. Edwin Luck, 28th AMXS crew chief. "You're never alone." While they contributed independently and recorded their miles to be included in the total, the spouses also gathered bi-monthly for a group activity. Eva Burley, spouse of Master Sgt. Richard Burley, 28th AMXS production supervisor, held walks twice a month to symbolize the enduring strength and support the spouses have for their deployed Airmen, who are down range proving combat air power for combatant commanders in deployed areas of responsibility. "I get sentimental thinking about the fact we're covering the miles from (Ellsworth) to there," Burley said tearing. "(We can) let them know our mission is to support them as spouses and families." They held their final walk Jan. 17 in the Pride Hangar at Ellsworth AFB. Approximately 28 families and base leadership, including Col. Gentry Boswell, 28th Bomb Wing commander, added to the cause. The cumulative effort of sweat and determination allowed the group to cover the distance from Los Angeles to Chicago and back to LA on the historic Route 66. The spouses described the time away from their loved one as difficult sometimes, but stated they are able to get through it due to comradery amongst each other. "There are so many reasons to not get up and move, because we're sad, or we don't have that other partner here," Burley said. "So when we're all struggling to get up and move, this gives us that reason." Sen. Ben Sasse is doing Nebraska and the rest of the country a great favor in stepping to the head of the Dump Trump movement. We wish him success. Let us list a few of the ways in Donald Trump would be a disaster as president. He exhibits an appalling disdain of facts. His policies could never stand a reality test, starting with his boast that he would make Mexico pay for a wall along the border. He has unleashed the hounds of bigotry and hatred by demonizing immigrants with skins of a non-white hue. He has no discernible core of enduring political values; hes simply an opportunist in search of power. In the past he has been pro-choice and in favor of tax increases. Now Trump claims to have flipped by 180 degrees. In the past Sasse made comments that were interpreted as anti-Trump, but he refrained from naming the billionaire reality television star who would be the leader of the free world. Sasses criticism became more pointed in a series of tweets @RealDonaldTrump. Attracting much attention was a tweet in which Sasse asked Trump if he had repented his affairs with married women. (Trump has bragged of his record as a seducer.) Mainly however, Sasse seems more concerned about how Trump would handle his role as president. In his Twitterstorm Sasse employed a device seldom used in this particular form of social media, putting (cont) at the end of a 140-character tweet to show that the sentence would be continued in the next tweet. In Twitterspeak it came across this way Do you agree that exec unilateralism is very bad? Because you talk A LOT about running the country as though (cont) ..as tho 1 man shld run America." Questn5: Will you commit to rolling back Exec power & undoing Obama unilateral habit? In a statement with a more conventional use of the English language, Sasse wrote, We have a president who does not believe in executive restraint. We do not need another. And Im pro-Constitution and that makes me anti-Trump, thats Mr. Trumps problem. Sasses efforts to derail Trump included several campaign appearances in Iowa with Trumps Republican rivals Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Sasse said he may appear with other constitutional candidates. In recent days the Republican split over Trumps candidacy has become more pronounced, with the National Review magazine devoted an issue to its stand against Trump. "Donald Trump is a menace to American conservatism who would take the work of generations and trample it underfoot in behalf of a populism as heedless and crude as the Donald himself," the editors wrote. The Journal Star editorial board hopes that the work by Sasse and his allies results in a ballot in Nebraskas May 10 presidential primary on which Trumps name is nowhere to be found. Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star MOSCOW, February 1 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court has upheld a lower courts decision to extend detention of Zaur Dadayev, an alleged killer of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, until February 28, RAPSI reports from the courtroom. Defense lawyer, Shamsutdin Tsakayev, asked the court to release Dadayev as the investigation is completed and he cannot obstruct evidence gathering or put the heat on witnesses. All the suspects will get acquainted with case materials soon, and then they would be forwarded to the prosecutor's office for indictment. Nemtsov, 55, was murdered in central Moscow as he walked across a bridge near the Kremlin on February 28, 2015. Five suspects were detained in the case, including the suspected trigger man Zaur Dadayev. He initially confessed to the killing but later said in court that he made the admission under pressure. In December, police named the alleged mastermind behind the high-profile murder, Ruslan Mukhudinov, a former officer in Chechen Interior Ministry. Mukhudinov was added to a federal wanted list and placed on an international wanted list. He fled Russia using a fake passport, according to investigators. Vadim Prokhorov, a lawyer for the Nemtsov family, said that Mukhudinov was unable to have masterminded the murder. Sberbank demands $92.1 mln in Transaero bankruptcy case MOSCOW, February 1 (RAPSI) Sberbank filed two motions with the Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region demanding 7 billion rubles ($92.1 million) from troubled airline Transaero in the latter companys bankruptcy case, RAPSI learnt in the court on Monday. The court will study validity of these claims and will make a judgement on April 20. Transaero found itself unable to pay its debts estimating 250 billion rubles ($3.5 billion). Government-approved plan of transferring 75% of companys shares to Aeroflot failed. Its problems resulted in a large number of flight cancels and delays. In October, Sberbank and Alfa Bank filed bankruptcy petitions against the troubled airline. The Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region initiated a bankruptcy procedure against Transaero on December 16. HELENA - 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. BILLINGS - Police and firefighters were called to investigate a suspicious package at the Wells Fargo Operations Center at about 10 a.m. on Monday. Members of the Billings Regional Hazardous Materials Team and the bomb squad also responded. Billings Battalion Chief Terry Larson said the risk was contained and no evacuations were planned. Police were planning to X-ray the suspicious package. The mailroom of the same building was evacuated on Jan. 19 on the report of a suspicious powder, which turned out to be cocaine. FREE people are not equal...... EQUAL PEOPLE are not FREE... America must return to conservative principles of less government,reduced taxes, less spending and a balanced budget! Cut,cap and balance! 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. A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay leftist leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma from California to Minas Gerais, Brasil. EU parliament worries about deteriorating situation in Yemen BRUSSELS, 29 Jan. (Saba) - The European Union (EU) Parliament has expressed concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen and infrastructure destruction due to the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes. The parliament pointed out that over 80 percent of the population need urgent humanitarian aid due to the lack of food and water and basic medical services. Urging to put an immediate end to attacks against medical facilities, the EU parliament demanded all parties to respect the international humanitarian law and avoid targeting civilians or civil installations. It called for an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian organizations to provide assistance and food and medical aid and fuel to those who are in need for help. In this regard, it called on the EU and other donors to respond to the United Nations humanitarian appeal regarding the financial support for Yemen. The EU parliament condemned the Saudi-led coalition air strikes, calling on the coalition to suspend its raids immediately and lift the blockade to allow access of humanitarian aid to those in need, and create conditions for dialogue between the parties. It stressed that the only possible solution in Yemen is political. BA Saba Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Telegram Email Email Print Print [30/January/2016] 1.) Bacha Khan University: Schools under attack as Taliban vows to kill Pakistans future leaders in their nurseries By freelance journalist Ashraf Ali in Pakistan Updated An eerie cold mist now shrouds Bacha Khan University in Pakistans north-west. Key points: Pakistan suffers more terrorist attacks on schools than any other country Hundreds of schools have been blown up Teachers given pistols to fight terrorist attackers Literacy rate in tribal areas at 17 per cent for men, 10 per cent for women After last weeks murderous terrorist attack it is swarming with security personnel and closed. Its reopening date is unknown a another victory for the Taliban, and their war on education. One of the 21 people killed was Haider Ali, who had been studying for his final exams in the universitys hostel. He telephoned his father to say he would leave for home after completing his English literature exam. Shortly after, 26-year-old Ali was shot in the head and died almost immediately. One professor and three security guards were among those killed in the assault on the facility at Charsadda, 20 kilometres from Peshawar. Another 21 people were injured, mostly students. Four militants were killed, others have been arrested. Haider Ali left behind a widow and his two-month-old baby boy, Abu Bakar. "Haider went to university only to die," his distraught father, Muntazir Shah, a local farmer, said. "The message is clear for his baby son Abu Bakar; dont go to school if you want to live long." Why not kill them in their nurseries: Tempo of terror quickens Those sentiments would have been welcomed by the Taliban group, led by Khalifa Omar Mansur, which claimed responsibility for the attack. They are the same militants who were responsible for the assault on the Army Public School in Peshawar a little over a year ago, an attack which left 147 dead and more than 100 injured. Many educational institutions are regarded as bastions of government authority and have been accused by the militants of promoting Western decadence. "This should not be taken as an attack on the university," former Bacha Khan Education Trust managing director Professor Dr Khadim Hussain said. "This is an attack on knowledge, intellect and critical thinking." Security and education authorities now fear the tempo of terror will quicken. Khalifa Omar Mansur declared in a six-minute video tape: "We will attack every educational institution that produces lawyers and judges who then run a parallel legal system a a system repugnant to the existing Law of God [Sharia]." "We will also attack the institutions that produce soldiers a captains, majors and generals a who then fight against us. "Why not kill them in their nurseries?" 550 schools blown up since 2004 According to the Global Terrorism Database, Pakistan has suffered the most attacks on educational institutions in recent decades, followed by Nigeria. The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) Secretariat said more than 550 schools were blown up by terrorists in the FATA alone since 2004. The FATA borders Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, where last weeks university attack took place. KP Education Minister Atif Ur Rahman put the number of schools destroyed in his province at 750 over recent years. A large number of schools also remain closed in the troubled FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan provinces due to Taliban threats and intimidation. "The militants deliberately attack educational institutions, as they view the futures educated [people] as a potential threat to their interests," Fazle Haq College Professor Ijaz Ahmad said. Dr Sajjad Akhtar, who heads a government college in Peshawar, said ignorance was the friend of the Taliban. "This is a deliberate attempt by the militants to maintain the already existing low literacy rate and find them space while banking on the enhanced ignorance," he said. Teachers given pistols to fight terrorists The overall literacy rate in the FATA is 17 per cent, and about 10 per cent for females. The national average is 56 per cent. Unsurprisingly, the militant attacks have triggered panic among parents, given the vulnerability of education institutions. "In this case, the offensive capability of the attackers always frustrates the defensive mechanism of the state a because the threat can never be accurately measured," Brigadier Said Nazir, a retired army officer and security analyst based in Islamabad, said. Meanwhile, the Kyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has encouraged teaching staff to arm themselves against terrorists, drawing criticism from parents and teachers alike. "This may turn the educational institutions into a laboratory of weapons," said Nooran Shah, the father of a student wounded in last weeks university attack. And armed teachers are rarely a match for militants. Professor Hamid Hussain died at Bacha Khan university while defending his students with his pistol. He joined the department of chemistry at the university only last year. o o o 2.) Dhaka Tribune, January 29, 2016 Why do militants attack educational institutions? by Azeem Ibrahim There is no bigger threat to Islamic militancy than educated young Muslims The massacre at Bacha Khan University is the latest example of Islamic extremistsa intolerance towards education Photo- Reuters Just as we started celebrating Pakistanas progress in the last year in cracking down on domestic terrorism, we hear about the attack on Bacha Khan University in the north-west of the country. In another brazen attack, carried out on January 20, gunmen killed 19 people and injured 17. Just like the late 2014 attack on the Peshawar school, which forced the countryas leadership into the recent crackdown on militants, this attack is a highly symbolic one targeting aWestern,a as opposed to Taliban, education. The university is named after a Pashtun nationalist leader who believed in non-violent struggle and would thus have been anathema to the militantsa ethos. The university provides education in English and teaches sciences to young people from this area near Afghanistan. Targeting institutions providing aWesterna education is a common feature for many Islamist groups. Teaching boys English and science is one thing, for example, but teaching girls anything at all is especially frowned upon. In Afghanistan, burning down girls schools has been common practice. Malala became an international symbol as a result of this mindset. We should also not forget the other tens of thousands of girls which have been, and continue to be, affected by this problem. At the other end of the Islamic world, in Nigeria, we see a very similar phenomenon with Boko Haram. The militant groupas name literally means (Western) books, or aBoko,a are aharam,a or prohibited. So anon-Islamic or Western education is forbidden,a especially for women. No ideological dogma But, for these groups this isnat just some ideological dogma but an obvious tactical requirement. The biggest threat to the propagation of ideas that these militants are trying to push and to their survival in the long run are educated young Muslims who can recognise the vacuousness and perversity of their ideology. There is no greater threat to them than people who can read Islamic history and who know how much a betrayal of Islam this latter-day jihadism is. These organisations can only be successful and survive if they have an unlimited supply of recruits who are uneducated and thus can be easily brainwashed into their little cults. That was the function of some of the madrasas in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In most cases, this was the only education available to swathes of the country, especially for the children of the poorest. I have found that this distinction does become pertinent very quickly. When I visited Pakistan almost a decade ago for some field research into militancy, I found that the leaders of some of the very large ultra-conservative groups, who openly supported extremist elements, do not advocate strict Taliban education for everyone. After meeting them, I was surprised at two things: How good an English they spoke and how they boasted that their children are studying in the West. One of them mentioned that his daughter was attending the University of Virginia, another mentioned Bradford in England, while another one mentioned some university in Australia. I took away two things from these meetings: The leaders of these groups are not so keen on their own children having a aproper, Islamica education, or indeed becoming martyrs. That honour is bestowed on other peopleas children, usually those from the poorest families. I also found it very surprising that they could afford to send their children to Western universities. Having worked as an academic in the US, I know very well that to send a couple of children to study there is not cheap, let alone for someone from a village in Pakistan. Ultimately, it is also a profoundly interesting choice. Think how many Kalashnikovs and mortar bombs you could buy for that money to fight your aholy war.a And yet, when given the opportunity, they would choose to use that money to buy Western education. Very interesting indeed. Azeem Ibrahim is a Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College and an International Security Lecturer at the University of Chicago. o o o 3.) The Washington Post - January 29, 2016 Grade Point Education is becoming an extremist battleground in Pakistan by Tahir Andrabi and Asim Ijaz Khwaja This commentary, by professors at Pomona College and the Harvard Kennedy School who have long studied Pakistan, argues that the Talibanas attacks on schools and colleges there are a particularly dangerous threat to that nationas future. The one year anniversary commemorations of the heinous attack on a Peshawar public school were barely over when gunmen once again went from classroom to classroom killing students and staff at a Pakistani university nearby. The sickening attack confirmed that the Taliban is waging a carefully considered ideological war in Pakistan a and the nationas more than 200,000 public and private schools are now at the front lines. In doing so, they are attacking the one area of Pakistani society where there is clear reason for optimism, as the growth of low-cost private schools in recent decades has given more and more young people, particularly girls, access to education. There are very visible casualties of this strategy: not only Malala Yousafzai, now world-famous and a Nobel laureate, but Aitzaz Hasan, the 15-year-old boy who died preventing a suicide bomber from entering his school in the northern district of Hangu and chemistry professor Hamid Hussain, who died while trying to stave off the Taliban gunmen so his students could escape. [War on Education: Links between the university attack in Pakistan and threats and violence on U.S. campuses] Raw revenge is clearly a motive as the Taliban protest against military bombings of their hideouts in the tribal areas. But the Global Terrorism Database shows something more systematic is unfolding. Attacks on all educational institutions in Pakistan have gone up dramatically in recent years: from 82 between 2000 and 2008, to 642 from 2009 to 2013. The data also seem to suggest that the Taliban are shifting tactics. Pakistani rescuers shift an injured victim outside the Bacha Khan university following an attack by gunmen in Charsadda, about 50 kilometres from Peshawar, on January 20, 2016. (AFP PHOTO/A MAJEEDA Majeed/AFP/Getty Images) While the earlier attacks appeared largely focused on destroying school buildings, more recent attacks have resulted in more deaths: from 2010 to 2013 the number of fatalities per attack almost quadrupled. The Dec. 16 attack claimed 10 times as many lives as the next worst attack on education. In economics terms, the Pakistani Taliban has shifted from attacking the supply side of education a the school building and staff a to attacking the demand side a the student. The Taliban has already been successful with this approach on other fronts. Their attacks on polio aid workers have proven effective in disrupting the countryas entire public health system, causing enough doubt in the population and fear in healthcare providers that polio eradication efforts have faltered. Pakistan remains one of just three countries in the world where polio still exists, and the number of reported cases has risen. [In deadly attack on Pakistani college, extremists take new aim at students] Now the key area of education a where so much progress has been made a is becoming a target for similar tactics. Together with Jishnu Das of the World Bank, we have been researching Pakistanas education sector for nearly 20 years. During this time, Pakistan has undergone a transformation in education, with low-cost mainstream private schools now constituting a third of overall enrollment a and briskly outperforming government schools in educational outcomes. Girls in particular have benefited from this school boom: more are in school than ever. The number of girls in higher education in Pakistan has exploded during the past decade, and there are now more girls than boys in college. And that means more children overall in Pakistan are getting an education a a particularly important fact for a developing nation where at least a third of the population is of school age. This reality runs against perceptions in the West, where the notion that Pakistan is full of ideologically driven religious schools persists even though enrollment is well below five percent. Research shows that the education debate in Pakistan is similar to the education debate in any other country: parents grapple with a choice of schools based on the usual set of considerations: Which of the schools nearby is best? How much should we pay? Is our child getting the best quality education? Perhaps this very normalcy is why the Taliban is stepping up its attacks on schools. The terror group has long gone after army installations, transportation hubs, police stations, and public services such as security and health care in an attempt to weaken the government. But education is a unique service a not only because it involves a countryas most precious resource, its children a but also because, by increasing human capital, it strengthens the state not only in the present, but in the future. The fact that this mutually bolstering interaction is one of the few things holding Pakistani society together is precisely why the Taliban wants to destroy it. Will Pakistani citizens a and parents a maintain their growing commitment to education in the face of Taliban brutality? How much risk is too much? In surveys, we find that parents of Pakistani students are progressive, forward-looking, and donat want religious indoctrination for their children. But if violence disrupts their mental calculus a if in addition to a schoolas price, distance, and quality they add the consideration that their child could be killed a then parents may no longer behave normally, despite their preferences. Instead fear might compel them to withdraw from schools entirely. As we speak, many schools are announcing temporary closure of facilities in the aftermath of the latest attack. The government has ominously warned that the Taliban may be winning psychologically a even as the army operation against them weakens their military capabilities. Protecting more than 30 million children spread across thousands of locations is not something the security forces can accomplish by themselves or simply by targeting militant strongholds. Ordinary citizens must affirm by their beliefs, words, and actions in everyday life that they recognize the danger that resides among them. Until they can actualize their own agency in protecting these children, the most progressive social current in the country will be lost a and with time, so might Pakistan itself. Tahir Andrabi is Stedman-Sumner Professor of Economics at Pomona College and a founding board member of Center for Economic Research in Pakistan. He has served as a member of the Economic Advisory Board of the Pakistan Ministry of Finance, a consultant to DFID UK and the World Bank. He has been involved in research, policy engagement and civil society initiatives in education in Pakistan for more than two decades. Asim I. Khwaja is a Professor of International Finance and Development at the Harvard Kennedy School. He received the Tamgha-i-Imitiaz, Pakistanas fourth-highest civilian award, for his work in education and was awarded a Carnegie Fellowship in 2009. He has published in American Economic Review and the Quarterly Journal of Economics on finance and institutions, and his work has been covered by numerous media outlets, including The Economist, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Al-Jazeera, BBC and CNN. ndtv.com - 30 January 2016 In the academic session 2002-03, I was an MA student at the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the Aligarh Muslim University. Over jokes and smokes under the giant banyan tree that overlooked our department, we would everyday see a man who appeared to be in his 50s, grey hair, always dressed in a black jacket and trousers with a khadi bag hanging down his right shoulder, entering and coming out of the Department of Modern Indian Languages that was next door to ours. "He must be a professor of some language," we gathered, and never cared to know any further. But he caught everyones eye almost everyday as he walked in and out of his department simply because he was always alone, never seen talking to anyone, except maybe to a few students on the odd occasion. His loneliness stood him apart in the university crowd. Most people would notice him but would not know him. Early in April 2010, the suicide of a gay professor at AMU made national headlines. Some hurried calls to Aligarh informed me that it was the same professor who I had seen walking in and out of the Modern Languages Department everyday for two years. He was Professor Srinivas Ramchandra Siras. He taught Marathi at the AMU and was an award-winning poet in the language. Professor Siras was gay. He kept his sexual orientation secret for over 20 years that he taught at the AMU for fear of harassment and persecution. And his fears proved right. The world around him didnt let him live for more than a couple of months after it got to know of his sexual orientation. The buzz around the soon-to-be-released Aligarh is the right moment to revisit the tragedy of Professor Siras and renew the demand to seek justice for him. The Manoj Vajpayee-starrer and Hansal Mehta-directed Aligarh is the story of Professor Siras - his loneliness, his persecution, his tragic end. It is important today to remember that Professor Siras didnt kill himself. His was a societal/institutional murder. The AMU administration, the Aligarh district administration and society at large connived to push the 60-year-old to such an extreme that he preferred to die rather than live. His ordeal began one night in February in 2010 when two local stringers barged into his official university accommodation and filmed him having consensual sex with a rickshawpuller. There were some credible reports that some members of the university faculty and administration were also part of the group that blatantly breached Professor Siras privacy. The act of this bunch of thugs was in complete violation of the rights of an individual. And as it happens with the LGBT community in our country, social persecution followed. What compounds Professor Siras tragedy is that this happened to him in the period when homosexuality was decriminalised. The Delhi High Court struck down Section 377 in 2009. No one had any moral or legal right to raid Professor Siras and film him. But they did. Sadly, society and his immediate surroundings were far more regressive than the law. Professor Siras was totally traumatised and heartbroken. "He would say that I managed to hide my sexual orientation all these years and now had to face persecution and torture at this stage of my life," Professor Tariq Islam of Dept of Philosophy, AMU, still remembers him saying. Professor Islam is one of the very few people at AMU that Professor Siras would talk to. "He had no friends at all. He never spoke of his sexual preferences to anyone. Even among the few people he would talk to, no one knew. We all had just known him a as gentle soul, a very learned man. During the course of those terrible two months, he told me that he was satisfied that he managed to keep this (homosexual) part of his life a secret. But see what I have to go through at this stage in my life," Professor Islam recalled him as saying. He was let down by his university. AMU, forget standing behind a wronged faculty member, actually victimised him. Professor Siras was thrown out of his official accommodation, was suspended from his job, had a probe instituted against him. The conservative establishment spread all sorts of stories about him. Barring a few liberals on campus, Professor Islam among them, no one stood up for the rights of a colleague. In no time, Professor Siras was painted a villain rather than a victim. A well-learned professor suddenly was depicted as a bad influence; from an unknown person on campus, he suddenly became the object of collective hate. "AMU failed to protect Professor Siras," laments Professor Islam today. "The then VC PK Abdul Aziz, who was facing severe corruption charges, saw in the Siras episode an opportunity to deflect heat from himself and turn into a darling of the orthodox sections on the campus." A group of students even started a "Sack Siras" signature campaign claiming that he had become a threat to the Muslim culture of AMU. Demonstrations were held against him, effigies were burnt. A gentle soul was demonised by the collective conspiracy of the campus. The AMU community has Prof Siras blood on its hands. The movie on his life is a fitting tribute to Professor Siras, but thats only half the job done. This is a moment for all who believe in liberal principles and value human life and dignity to demand justice for Professor Siras. The AMU administration should at least now, after six years, apologise for violating Professor Siras privacy and driving him to suicide. There must be action against members of the faculty and administrative staff who were reportedly part of the raiding party on that February night. If guilty, they should be booked for abetting suicide. AMU needs to atone itself of this sin. A good gesture will be to name the Department of Modern India Languages at AMU after Professor Siras and start a scholarship in his name. (Mohd Asim is Senior News Editor, NDTV 24x7) o o o see also: Video: Aligarh - Why Court Needs To Watch This Movie Before Deciding On Section 377 (February 1, 2016 | Duration: 53 min, 35 sec) http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/the-buck-stops-here/scrap377-nothing-criminal-about-love/401732?pfrom=home-lateststories Section 377, Aligarh and the Curious Case of Dr. Siras by Manash Bhattacharjee http://thewire.in/2016/02/02/section-377-aligarh-and-the-curious-case-of-dr-siras-20617/ The News on Sunday - 31 January 2016 Dealing with a radicalised society Farah Zia How did we become a society that calls Mumtaz Qadri a hero and Malala Yousafzai a villain? Just how? The biggest challenge in fighting this war against terrorism and extremism comes from within the society itself. The society is radicalised beyond belief and no action plan is taking this into account. Unfortunately, the response is knee-jerk and the solutions are security-oriented. Execution of terrorists, setting up of military courts and, yet, resorting to extrajudicial killing of hardened sectarian killers may not assert the legitimacy of the state as desired and instead brutalise the society further. And then there are certain issues on which the state likes to keeps its distance, like in the case of Mumtaz Qadri, the murderer of former Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer. It lets crowds in their thousands to march in protest against the punishment prescribed by normal courts to Qadri and demand for his release; they were again on Lahoreas Mall Road only this week, some days after the Charsadda university attack. It is not easy to isolate the society from the workings of the state and its policies. The country has a peculiar history of being a state that was created in the name of Islam. And the lessons of history cannot be discounted, especially when terrorism too has a religious face. The violence wrought in the wake of partition set the tone for a country where twenty per cent of the population comprised of migrants who had become brutalised having seen brutal murders, rape, loss of property and what not. So despite the progressive moorings of the partition leadership that created Pakistan a no they did not utter the word secular to describe themselves a the state chose to have a religion because it was only legitimate to have one; otherwise why create a new country. It, therefore, set itself on a path of propagating hatred against other religions; the stateas discourse was all about having one version of truth. Nor was this state clear about the political system, the constitution, the freedoms etc. It kept juggling with this system and that, losing one half of the country in the process. After being able to frame a consensus constitution, it still instituted bad laws and discriminatory clauses in the constitution. With religion as a clear marker of stateas identity, there were experiments with various kinds of military dictatorships and controlled democracy, inadvertently shaping the society in its own mould. Today, in 2016, we look around and marvel at how we became a people for whom, as Ghazi Salahuddin said in a seminar recently, Mumtaz Qadri is a hero and Malala Yousafzai a villain. How did we become a people who swear by any wild conspiracy theory? Just how? The roots of the current state of radicalisation of Pakistani society are traced in the Islamisation drive started by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and almost culminating with Ziaul Haq (it has only been reinforced in subsequent years and impossible to roll back). There was systematic Islamisation a of education, economics, politics and of course laws. The other source of extremism here, according to political scientist Mohammad Waseem, was the labour force sent to the Gulf region in the last forty years. The Indo-Iranian and Central Asian cultural influences were replaced by an Arabist shift, he thinks. It was not the Northern Arabist tier which was all about Arab socialism and nationalism. The Southern tier was all about Islamic extremism. This extremist influence was further enhanced with the first Gulf war when most people in Pakistan were opposed to the invading coalition forces led by the US. Thereafter, the country saw a direct Arab onslaught in the shape of Salafi mosques and madrssas. An anti-Shia proxy war was fought in this country by the Sunni majoritarian factions supported by the state. Waseem thinks the third source of doctrinaire and extremist Islam came to Pakistan from Afghanistan, especially after the stateas policies of supporting the Mujahideen and later Taliban. In the post 9/11 decade, in Pakistan, the entire commercial and educated middle class showed a passive acquiescence to the Taliban, including the political leadership of PML-N and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf. The tools for instilling radicalisation have been the media and the textbooks, and the effects are mainly felt by the youth. The private news media invites clerics day after day to discuss matters of state and society, thus over-representing athe unrepresentative elements of the societya . While examining history textbooks in 1984, educationists A.H. Nayyar and Pervez Hoodbhoy had noted that aA new concept of education now prevails, the full impact of which will probably be felt by the turn of the century, when the present generation of school children attains maturitya . In an interview, A.H. Nayyar had called todayas youth the aspiritual children of Ziaul Haqa . Finally, a big challenge for the society is the meta-identity of a globalised Islam which essentially means Islam versus the West. In the words of Mohammad Waseem, the expatriate Pakistani Muslims are all experiencing a deculturation: athey think of themselves as Muslims first and then Pakistanisa . This meta-identity has curbed national identities. Thus, the state has a tough task at hand. It has to reform itself as well as a radicalised society. The task would perhaps become easier if the representative institutions start taking decisions for the country. Seeing the likes of Zaid Hamid on television again, spewing hatred against these representative institutions, does not make one too hopeful though. I give my consent to Sakshi Post to be in touch with me via email for the purpose of event marketing and corporate communications. Privacy Policy SNc Channels: Search About Salem-News.com Jan-31-2016 20:51 TweetFollow @OregonNews Is Israel Behind the Attacks in Paris? Israel had warned France before that voting in favor of Palestine will have consequences in international forums. Greta Berlin and Mary Hughes Thompson (SALEM, Ore.) - A human rights activist, referring to Israeli anger over the European boycott against its commercial goods, has accused the regime of involvement in the Paris deadly attacks. According to AWD News, a European news database, after multiple attacks on Paris Mary Hughes Thompson, a leader of the Palestinian liberation movement said she believed that Israel was behind these deadly attacks. In the aftermath of the attacks, she wrote on her Twitter page: I think Israel is accused of participating in the attack, and I know that Netanyahu is angry of the European boycott, and that for a regime that kills thousands of children and women in occupied territories, killing hundreds of people in Europe is not difficult. A co-founder of the Free Gaza movement, Mary Hughes-Thompson, who blames Israel as the main culprit of terrorist attacks in Paris, wrote this on her Twitter account after the attack to the "Charlie Hebdo" magazine headquarters not long ago: "We cannot afford to pay attention to false and deceptive information Mossad spies tell us." Greta Berlin, another human rights and a member of the Free Gaza Movement also accuses Israel of involvement in the attack on Charlie Hebdo headquarters. She said: "Mossad attacked Charlie Hebdo to divert public opinions and hurt our Palestine-France relationships." Israel had warned France before that voting in favor of Palestine will have consequences in international forums and that even a 4-year-old can understand who is responsible for this attack. _________________________________________ Foreign-affairs | Human-rights | Military | Business | Most Commented on Articles for January 31, 2016 | Articles for February 1, 2016 Hello beauties, welcome to Asoebi fashion Friday!! We refuse to let you go into this weekend without looking glamorous and fabulous in your... 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. The Southern District of Florida blog was started in 2005 by David Oscar Markus , who is a criminal trial and appellate lawyer in Miami, Florida. He frequently practices in federal courts around the country, including his hometown, the Southern District of Florida and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a former law clerk to then-Chief Judge of the District, Edward B. Davis. Notable new parallel studies on comparable execution patterns in two notable states | Main | "Accommodating Justice: Victim Impact Statements in the Sentencing Process" February 1, 2016 Seventh Circuit panel upholds Wisconsin's lifetime GPS monitoring for certain sex offenders against various constitutional complaints As reported in this local Wisconsin article, headlined "Court upholds GPS tracking of sex offender convicted before law passed," a Seventh Circuit panel late last week reversed a district judge's determination that a Wisconsin law requiring lifetime GPS tracking of certain sex offenders was constitutionally problematic. Here are the basics from the start of the news report: Making a Wisconsin sex offender wear a GPS anklet for life, when he was convicted before that was the law, does not violate the constitutional prohibition against retroactive punishment, a federal appeals court has ruled. A three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday reversed a Green Bay federal judge who found the lifetime tracking improper for 72-year-old Michael Belleau. The case had been argued before the court earlier this month. In 2012, two years after Department of Corrections officials affixed an ankle bracelet on him after his discharge from civil commitment, Belleau sued, claiming the practice amounted to an ex post facto law, banned by the Constitution, as well as unreasonable search and seizure without a warrant. In September, Chief U.S. District Judge William Griesbach agreed, saying Belleau had served his sentences and couldn't be punished further just because the state now thinks the original sentence was too lenient. "Nor may the state force Belleau to wear a GPS tracking device around his ankle so that it can record his movement minute-by-minute for the rest of his life because it believes he might commit another crime in the future," Griesbach wrote. "The state's authority over the individual is not unlimited." But Judge Richard Posner agreed with the state's position that the GPS monitoring is merely regulatory, not punitive, and doesn't limit where Belleau can go, like someone on probation. Posner also agreed that it's not an illegal retroactive law because the monitoring was triggered by Belleau's discharge from civil commitment in 2010, after the GPS law took effect in 2006, not his earlier criminal convictions. "So if civil commitment is not punishment, as the Supreme Court has ruled, then a fortiori neither is having to wear an anklet monitor." The full ruling in Belleau v. Wall, No. 15-3225 (7th Cir. Jan. 29, 2016), which rejects both a Fourth Amendment claim and an ex post facto claim lodged by the sex offender to the lifetime GPS requirement, is available at this link. February 1, 2016 at 02:45 PM | Permalink Comments Since it is not criminal punishment--merely regulatory--then neither prosecutors nor judges themselves have any basis to complain when the people--in their righteous indignation--rise up and regulate the bar profession by requiring prosecutors and judges to wear GPS ankle monitors for life. Posted by: Daniel | Feb 1, 2016 2:52:41 PM What happens if that former sex offender decides to get even with this law by targeting prosecutors and politicians for revenge, God forbid? Posted by: william r. delzell | Feb 1, 2016 3:57:03 PM What happens if that former sex offender decides to get even with this law by targeting prosecutors and politicians for revenge, God forbid? DEATH ANOXIA QUADRAPLEGIA ? Posted by: Docile Jim Brady the Nemo Me Impune Lacessit guy in Oregon | Feb 1, 2016 5:38:13 PM The 7th Circuit demonstrates that George W. was right: The Constitution isn't worth the paper it was written on and the "State" can do ANYTHING it likes to any individual at any time. Freedom of movement IS limited by merely needing to recharge the batteries. Also, who is paying for the damn thing, uh Posner you apologist you? Tracking is probation you idiots! Posted by: albeed | Feb 1, 2016 6:13:06 PM Posner really mailed this one in. First of all, while he is undoubtedly correct that commitment is much more intrusive than GPS monitoring, it is also equally true that commitment requires a hearing--the GPS statute does not. Second, he pooh-poohs the privacy interests--while there is no privacy interest in one's movement in public places, there is certainly a privacy interest in one;s movement in private locations. Moreover, there's the privacy interest in one's bodily integrity--Posner's incremental argument overstates the privacy interests (i think he's thinking more about consumer protection law, not the constiution) that the RSO has lost (has to tell government address and the government can tell everyone about his convictions---gee do people have a privacy right to keep convictions quiet?--who knew) and Posner understates the rights of the RSO--i.e., the right to be free of bodily invasions, Just a weak opinion, Posted by: federalist | Feb 1, 2016 9:15:19 PM Fed: I know that you and I do not see eye to eye on many things but you are being too kind. Posner not only mailed it in, he passed gas into the manila envelope because he thinks federal judges gas doesn't stink and that's all he mailed in, and I am being KIND! PS: I thought the civil commitment turd was polished by claiming that it was for treatment of "mental abnormalities" and not additional monitoring/punishment. I wonder what kind of treatment the GPS is providing, does it have a microphone and is a PO whispering sweet nothings into his ear? Ah, the false mantra of "safety", which the government CANNOT reasonably provide as proscribed in a previous USSC judgment that LEOs are not obligated to protect the people who pay them. It is a wonderful world our guberment is making, all feelz and no substance. Posted by: albeed | Feb 2, 2016 11:04:32 AM albeed---your comment needs more analysis--a lack of analysis convinces no one. Posted by: federalist | Feb 2, 2016 11:38:02 AM "...lack of analysis....". What's good for the goose.... Nobody owes anybody anything. Legal analysis is often the misuse of the common meaning and understanding of words and I thank God every morning that I am not a lawyer. Posted by: albeed | Feb 2, 2016 2:46:14 PM Post a comment 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. A little more than a week after San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee called for a federal investigation into the San Francisco Police Department's caught-on-video shooting of Mario Woods, he has his answer: The Department of Justice will be launching a full review of the SFPD. The December 2, 2015 shooting of Woods, who was fatally fired upon by five police officers after he allegedly slashed a man in the arm then refused to drop his knife, made national headlines and has sparked a series of protests across the Bay Area. On Thursday, January 21, Lee sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch requesting an investigation into the shooting and asking for further guidance and counsel on what we can do as a City to prevent these incidents whenever possible in the future," the Ex reported at the time. And apparently the DoJ was all for it, as in a press release sent to media Sunday night, the federal agency says that the "Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Brian Stretch and U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Director Ronald Davis will conduct a press conference regarding the San Francisco Police Department on MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1." According to an email sent by the mayor's office, the purpose of the presser, planned for 2 p.m., is to "announce [a] comprehensive review of policies & procedures of San Francisco Police Department." Lee and SFPD Chief Greg Suhr will also attend the event, Lee's office says. Davis, who was named executive director of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing in 2014, was the Police Chief of East Palo Alto for eight years, following 20 years with Oakland's Police Department, according to his bio on the COPS site. You might recall his testimony in a November Senate hearing, in which he "rejected the so-called Ferguson effect that holds police aren't protecting their communities to avoid being scorned on social media." "This is a very tough time to be a cop," the Huffington Post quoted Davis as saying in November. "With intense scrutiny, with social media and videotaping, clearly it's adding to the stress of being a cop. But these new stresses are not an effect. They are going to be the challenges of policing in the 21st century." Also in attendance at this afternoon's media event will be John Burris, the well-known police-battling attorney, who announced in December that he'd be filing a civil rights lawsuit against the SFPD in the Woods case. "This can be the first step in healing the division between the minority communities and the police department," Burris said in a statement late Sunday night. Burris spokesperson Lee Houskeeper also notes that Lee's was not the first request for Federal eyes on SFPD that the agency had received, saying that "John Burris sent a letter to the Department of Justice requesting their involvement in investigating the SF Police Department. The Mayor's letter supports his letter and the resolution passed by the Board of Supervisors." In addition to the Supes' request for federal intervention, Suhr himself asked for DoJ review of SFPD training, policy, and procedure following a meeting with Black leaders on the Woods shooting last month. Obviously, however, there are more issues with the SFPD than Woods' slaying. There's the reportedly law-abiding Black cyclist pulled over and detained by police, the rape survivor whose case reportedly went uninvestigated, the questions raised over the shooting of Alex Nieto, the officers who exchanged racist and homophobic tests who got off scot-free, and allegations of racial profiling and sexual assault by SFPD against Tenderloin suspects. And those are just the headlines from December and January! It's unclear, however, how wide the DoJ's scope will be, and a DoJ spokesperson declined comment on the investigation's focus Sunday night. Conspicuous in his absence from the DoJ announcements is San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, who excoriated both Lee and Suhr last week over what he said was their refusal to cooperate with his office's efforts to investigate SFPD misconduct. In a letter sent to Lee on January 28 (you can read the whole thing here), Gascon, who was SFPD's chief from August 7, 2009, to January 9, 2011, said that he was pleased to hear that Lee had requested the DoJ's help, but that he hoped Lee's office would reconsider "its lack of support" in Gascon's efforts to reform the police department. It is, perhaps, this letter Burris was thinking about Sunday night, when he said that "A successful investigation requires cooperation, transparency, and accountability from the police chief and political leaders." "The investigation should be without limitations," Burris said, "and should allow for a wide open investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting and the policies, procedures and training and let the 'chips fall where they may.'" All of SFist's coverage of the San Francisco Police Department can be found here Residents of San Francisco's newest neighborhood the tent city located on Division Street under the overpass are worried. But as the Super Bowl approaches and the city swells with tourists, the homeless living densely packed along the sidewalk have more to fear than just the normal stresses of life on the street. Instead, rumor has spread through the camp that city officials plan to pack them into a warehouse so as to be out of sight of the cameras and decidedly out of mind of the tourists. Rumor has it the week before the Super Bowl, [Lee's] going to try to basically corral the homeless into some building down on Embarcadero, one of the warehouses, Hoyt Walker, a resident of the tent city, explained to SF Weekly. When it's spread out, it doesn't look bad," Walker noted. "They didn't really know how many people were out here. Walker may perhaps be responding to statements from elected officials, notably Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisor Scott Wiener, that the homeless would have to "leave" during the Super Bowl and that the tents should be removed. Where Walker and the other residents of Tent City are getting their information is unclear, and it is unknown if there is any truth to the the rumor that city officials are going to try and stick them in some warehouse somewhere. However, the Weekly thinks it's a real possibility and calls out a warehouse on 3rd and Cesar Chavez that city officials have been scrambling to get ready as a low-threshold shelter. Jennifer Friedenbach, Executive Director of the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness, told the paper that yes, such a makeshift shelter is in the works. It has not opened up yet, noted Friedenbach. They're still trying to get the permitting through. For Walker and the other people living on Division Street everything is up in the air, but they'll likely find out the truth (or lack thereof) of the rumors soon enough as city officials make any end-run moves this week. As for Walker, in a video uploaded to YouTube, he made it clear what he thinks is behind efforts to hide the members of San Francisco's homeless community. "[Mayor Lee] didn't want none of us by the off-ramps, for when the Super Bowl come, because he is pretty much trying to keep it like it ain't happening. [...] Mayor Lee don't give a fuck about us, evidently." Previously: Uproar Begins As Supervisor Wiener Tries To Enforce Tent Ban On Homeless Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. SIOUX CITY | Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton leaned heavily on wonkish policy details rather than attacks on other candidates as she sought in a Sunday stop to get Northwest Iowans to caucus for her Monday night. "If you stand up to caucus for me tomorrow (Monday) night, I will stand up for you," Clinton told the crowd of 500 at the Sioux City Convention Center. Clinton only once mentioned her chief Democratic rival, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, and also once cited the top polling Republican Donald Trump. Business mogul Trump, coincidentally, was beginning his remarks at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Sioux City, as Clinton was nearing the end of her 40-minute speech four blocks away. Clinton's reference to Sanders was made in discussing why she should be president, in order to halt Republicans who wish to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act that brought health care reform. Sanders did not campaign in Sioux City in the final days before the caucuses. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, the third Democratic candidate who is polling lowest, made a Friday appearance at his city campaign office. Clinton peppered her remarks with references to memorable people she had met and places she had visited in Iowa, which she said would inform the policies she will pursue to help the middle class. She cited the need to make college more affordable, increase infrastructure jobs, deliver rural economic development opportunities and take action on climate change. "I will raise your wages, not your taxes. I will not raise middle class taxes," Clinton said. Clinton's Sioux City stop was her next-to-last event in Iowa during the caucus cycle. She moved to finish up in Des Moines late Sunday night. In Sioux City, Clinton was joined by her daughter, Chelsea Clinton. Tina Birgess, of Hawarden, Iowa, has liked Clinton since she was first lady with President Bill Clinton. Birgess likes Clinton's position on health care, and said she would support her in the caucuses, which are the first contest in the 2016 presidential nominee selection process. "She comes across very well. She cares. She is fighting for us and I think that is good," Birgess said. Rich Pope, of Sloan, Iowa, will participate in the Democratic caucuses. "I walked in here undecided and I am leaning toward Hillary," Pope said. "I liked the general tenor of what she said." Pope mentioned the attacks that people air at Clinton over authenticity, including concerns that she used a private email server to conduct government business when serving as U.S. secretary of state. "I hear people who say she is a liar. That is just political rhetoric," Pope said. Clinton cited $6 million in super PAC spending on advertising to paint her negatively. "It hasn't worked," a woman yelled out. Said Clinton, "No, I know. I find it perversely flattering, because they would not be spending this money if they weren't worried." MARINETTE, Wis. | Mary Winnefeld couldn't be more thrilled to be the sponsor of a ship named for Sioux City. Sponsoring a ship named for a Midwestern city makes the honor special, said Winnefeld, herself a Midwest native from Menomonie, Wisconsin, who's proud to represent the hard-working spirit of the people in the middle of the country. "The Midwest represents America well," she said. A Navy tradition, a ship's sponsor is involved with the ship and her crew for a lifetime. Winnefeld broke the ceremonial bottle of champagne across the bow of the ship before Saturday's launching, and she'll plan the ship's commissioning, which will take place sometime in 2017. Winnefeld plans to make sure the crews that serve on board the Sioux City know who she is. Her job, she said, is to bestow her spirit and divine protection for the ship. As part of that recognition, her initials were welded into the ship's keel during the keel-laying ceremony in February 2014. "I'm especially proud and honored to bestow these qualities on the USS Sioux City," she said. "You form a bond with the ship. Crews come and go, but you hope your spirit remains. "Count on me to be an integral part of her life." A ship's sponsor, usually a woman, is someone who has dedicated her life to public service. Winnefeld fits that description. She's volunteered for organizations, many of which are involved with supporting military families, such as the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Tragedy Assistance for Survivors and the Cohen Veteran Network Foundation. She's especially known for her work with wounded servicemen and women, Adm. Michelle Howard, vice chief of Naval Operations told those gathered for Saturday's launching. Winnefeld has become such a fixture advocating for the wounded warriors and their families at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, D.C., that she's known by many there as "Aunt Mary." "The lives of our servicemen and women, they were willing to put their lives on the line for us. I feel we owe it to them to help get their lives back to normal," said Winnefeld, who lives in northern Virginia with her husband, retired Adm. James Winnefeld Jr., who also served as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Being the wife of a high-ranking Navy officer, plus having a father and in-laws who served in the Navy, as well as a son currently in the Naval Academy, Winnefeld said the military is a family for her. With her sponsorship of the USS Sioux City, her family has grown. "I feel all those serving on the ship in the future to be part of my family," said Winnefeld, who was named sponsor by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. Having never been to Sioux City, Winnefeld said she looks forward to visiting. She and her husband were invited by mayor Bob Scott and Siouxland Chamber of Commerce president Chris McGowan, both of whom she met and spent time with Friday and Saturday. Through their interactions, she said she gained an appreciation for Sioux City and its residents. She can feel their pride in the ship, and it makes her proud to sponsor the ship bearing the city's name. "I love their enthusiasm," she said. "It's a real honor." SIOUX CITY | In his last campaign rally in Siouxland before the Iowa caucuses Monday, Donald Trump spoke to about 1,700 inside the Orpheum Theatre Sunday, receiving a standing ovation when he announced a $100,000 donation to Support Siouxland Soldiers. The money was gathered from a charity rally Trump held Thursday after declining to participate in a Republican debate on Fox News. Support Siouxland Soldiers provides services for veterans and their families, including groceries. On Sunday, Trump toned down his rhetoric, thanking those for attending and imploring them to caucus for him Monday. Just four blocks away, Hillary Clinton was wrapping up a rally with about 500 at the Sioux City Convention Center as Trump took the stage. Introduced by Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, Trump immediately came out swinging against fellow Republican candidate and Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. I thought real estate people in New York were bad, Trump joked. He said the Cruz campaigns recent use of Voter Violation mailers that graded residents based on how often they vote was fraud. Its terrible, Ive never seen anything like it, Trump said, before lamenting Mitt Romneys loss of the 2012 election. That was an election we should have won. Now we have a failed president, Trump said. Falwell asked Trump about matters concerning foreign policy, the economy and the Second Amendment. On the economy, Trump said he would bring jobs back from overseas while being tougher on China and cutting down on wasteful spending. China has taken our jobs, money, base and heart. We have a leader who has no idea what to do, if you want to call him a leader at all, Trump said. On gun rights, the real estate mogul said they would only be strengthened after his election. He referenced the Dec. 2 shootings in San Bernardino, California, and the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, saying both would have turned out differently if the victims had been armed with guns. Its practically impossible to own a gun in France, except for bad guys, he said. In California, if a couple of those people had guns, it would have been a different story. On foreign policy, Trump derided the recent nuclear deal with Iran, equating it to giving terrorists $150 billion to do with as they please. He said, if elected, he would strengthen the military so much that no one would ever want to play with us. Before closing, Trump took time to throw a jab at candidates Lindsey Graham and Jeb Bush. Bush has spent $110 million, and hes in last place. Isnt that insane? Trump asked the crowd. Looking forward to Monday night and the caucuses, Trump said, semi-jokingly, that even if his supporters are sick with a 104-degree fever, they should still go out to caucus. Go through the storm if you have to, Trump said of the snow that may fall Monday night. We want to have such strength if we come out of Iowa with a nice victory. SIOUX CITY | Happy Singh is doing what makes him...well...happy. "Food was a hobby," says Singh, who co-owns and operates Shahi Palace Indian Grill in Sioux City and Sioux Falls with his brother, Parminder Singh. "You should do what you love." The Singhs, natives of Punjab, India, came to the U.S. in 2002, and both worked as truck drivers, Happy for two years and Parminder for about seven years. It wasn't until Happy moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in 2009, that Happy turned his passion into a vocation. "I became a chef in St. Louis while working at House of India," he says. The Singhs moved north and west to Sioux Falls four years ago. They opened Shahi Palace and, encouraged by its success, expanded to Sioux City in 2014. Shahi, means "royal," and that's the kind of experience these brothers seek for their diners. Siouxland residents, who may, at first, hesitate to try Indian food, have been returning in strong numbers. "We hear people just love it," says Happy Singh, 31. "Sioux City loves us. We have gotten great reviews." This, despite the fact there aren't droves of India natives in Siouxland. The challenge, according to Happy Singh, involves enticing while educating the public about Indian foods, their spices and flavors. "People often think that Indian food is really spicy, but that's not the case," Singh says. "When you make it all from scratch, you can pick your level of spice." Flavor, he notes, comes from a mix of spices, not heat. Items like garlic naan, chicken tikka, chicken krai, gulab jamun, buttered chicken and masala, come largely from scratch. The brothers note they learned from their mother, Charnjit Kaur, a vegetarian who excelled in making lentils and vegetable dishes. Kaur and her husband, Harbhajan Sing, relocated to Sioux City in May 2014. Harbhajan Singh resided in Greece for a quarter-century. He now helps their sons in the restaurants. Consider this scenario: Demo day at your accelerator is coming up soon and the organizers have asked you and the other start-ups in your cohort to sign up for a time to deliver your pitch to investors. Should you pick the first slot, the last slot, or a time in the middle? The technical guys on your team all tell you it doesnt matter. What you say matters more than when you pitch, they argue. But you remember enough of your behavioral economics and marketing classes from college to know that investors wont react to the early pitches the same way as the later ones. You just cant figure out the direction of the effect. Demo Day Pitch: First, Last or Somewhere in the Middle? Some Experts Suggest Pitching First Investors will be more favorably disposed in the beginning, they say. The financiers wont be tired (or bored) from watching multiple pitches, and they wont have been away from their emails and texts for very long. Most importantly, the investors wont have seen other businesses that will be competing with yours for their attention. Others Recommend Pitching Last Financiers, they argue, have to calibrate their evaluation of the pitches. Going into the session, many in the audience will be expecting to see pitches from the next Airbnb, Uber, Facebook or Dropbox. But the average pitch from your demo day cohort isnt likely to be that good. So they are going to be disappointed. That means that, initially, the investors reaction going to be negative. Their disappointment will make them critical. But, as they see more ventures, they will recalibrate their expectations. They will begin to judge the ventures less harshly, comparing them to each other, not an idealized standard. There Isnt a Lot of Research to Guide Your Decision Few researchers have explored the effect of pitch order on performance at presenting to investors in these kinds of situations. But recently a Case Western Reserve University colleague and I ran an experiment that sheds light on this question. We randomly assigned the order in which presenters delivered 90 second elevator pitches to panels of three-to-four accredited-investor judges in four elevator pitch competitions in Northeast Ohio in the fall of 2015. The judges were asked to evaluate the pitches on a one-to-seven scale that represented the degree to which they would would pursue a follow up meeting to learn more about the venture the entrepreneurs main goal in delivering elevator pitch. The entrepreneurs were competing for a $2,500 first prize and the investors were asked to treat the elevator pitches in the competition the same way they would treat elevator pitches they saw elsewhere. So the scenario is reasonably realistic. The results are shown in the image above. While the order in which people pitched was completely random, the average score of entrepreneurs who pitched first, second or third was considerably lower than that of entrepreneurs who pitched the panels later. That is, the judges were less likely to agree to pursue a follow-up meeting with the first three presenters than with the later presenters. The twitter length message of the study for entrepreneurs is simple: Dont sign up for early slots in elevator pitch competitions; your chances with investors are greater if you pitch later. 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 The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless. The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well. By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism. PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: http://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at http://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at http://so.md/expungeme. (Feb. 1, 2016)The Calvert County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.WEEKLY SUMMARY: During the week of January 26 through January 31, deputies responded to 1,220 calls for service throughout the community.BURGLARY CASE #16-4515: On January 26, 2016 Deputy C. Ward responded to Lyons Glen Court, in Dunkirk, for the report of a burglary in progress. The homeowner, upon returning home, discovered the suspect, Nicholas Davis, 24, of Dunkirk, in his home and was able to detain him until Deputies could arrive. Davis was taken into custody and charged with 1st and 3rd degree burglary, burglary 4th degree dwelling, burglary 4th degree theft, burglary 4th degree/ tools, theft less $1,000.00, malicious destruction of property less than $1,000.00 and CDS administer equipment possession (hypodermic needle).CDS VIOLATION CASE #16-5554: On January 31, 2016 Deputy C. Ward conducted a patrol check on East Chesapeake Beach Road, in Owings and discovered Terry Jones, 28, of Laurel, DE, to be in possession of a controlled dangerous substance (Oxycontin). He was transported to the Detention Center where he will wait to appear before a District Court Commissioner for prosecution.CDS VIOLATION CASE #16-5227: On January 29, 2016 Deputy C. Childress responded to the Detention Center for the report of an inmate in possession of a controlled dangerous substance. Melissa Johnson, 33, of Lusby, MD, was charged with possession of Alprazolam, as well as for possessing or receiving CDS while confined.CDS VIOLATION CASE #16-5182: On January 29, 2016 Deputy K. Williamson conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being operated in an unsafe manner. He determined Brent Whittaker, 33, of Shady Side, MD, to be in possession of a controlled dangerous substance (Hydrocodone/Vicodone) and Paraphernalia (cut straw). He was transported to the Detention Center for processing.CDS VIOLATION CASE #16-4994: On January 28, 2016, while Deputy V. O'Donnell arrested a wanted subject on Old Plum Point Road, in Huntingtown, he discovered Cody Poore, 22, of Huntingtown, to be possession of a controlled dangerous substance. He was transported to the Detention Center and charged with possession of Adderall and for possession of drug paraphernalia (grinder).DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY CASE #16-4715: On January 27, 2016 Deputy P. Wood responded to the Lusby Post Office for the report of a destruction of property. The mailbox unit, located at Santa Rosa Road/Golden West Way in Lusby, was damaged on January 21 between 4:30pm and 9:00am the next morning. The locking security bar was bent, which allowed access to the mailboxes. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office.MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT CASE #16-4859: On January 28, 2016 Deputy P. Wood, responded to Catalina Drive in Lusby for the report of a theft. It was determined that overnight, between 1:30am - 7:00am, a blue 1998/99 Yamaha Warrior 350 4-wheeler ATV was stolen from the victim's yard. If anyone observed anything suspicious during that time, they are asked to contact the Sheriff's Office.THEFT CASE #16-5409: On January 30, 2016 Deputy A. Woodford responded to the parking lot of the Dunkirk Safeway on Southern Maryland Boulevard for the report of a theft. Between the hours of 9:30am - 6:00pm, an unknown suspect(s) had stolen a tire, rim and lug nuts off a vehicle as it was parked in the parking lot.THEFT CASE #16-4523: On January 22, 2016 Deputy J. Migliaccio was called to a home on Southern Maryland Boulevard in Owings for the report of a theft. A 4-year old male Chesapeake Bay Retriever was removed from an outside crate. There are no suspects or witnesses at this time.THEFT CASE #16-4493: On January 26, 2016 Deputy J. Migliaccio was dispatched to the 7-11 store located on West Chesapeake Beach Road, in Dunkirk, for the report of a shoplifting. A female had left the store without paying for three (3) pairs of sunglasses. The Log Cabin Republican's "pro-gay" presidential candidate said that he would consider appointing justices to the Supreme Court who may overturn the decision on same-sex marriage. In an interview Sunday with Fox News' Chris Wallace, GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump expressed his displeasure with the United States Supreme Court's 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage. "They have ruled on it," Trump told Wallace. "I wished it had been done by the states. I disagree with the Supreme Court from the standpoint that it should be a states rights issue and that's the way it should have been ruled on, Chris. Not the way they did it. This was a very surprising ruling. And I can see changes coming down the line frankly." Pursuing the issue, Wallace asked Trump to clarify his position. "Are you saying that if you become President you might try to appoint justices to overrule the decision on same-sex marriage?" he asked. Sunday's comments mark a reversal on the position for Trump, who in September said, "You have to go with it. The decision is the law of the land." In January, conservative gay group Log Cabin Republicans touted Trump on their Facebook page as being gay-friendly by pointing to a Slate.com article about his previous stance on LGBT issues. "Donald Trump simply has no reason to be homophobic," they wrote. Kabul in blackout as govt struggles to fix power lines At least 20 policemen were killed Monday when a suicide bomber struck a police base in Kabul Monday.Scores of people were also wounded as the attacker blew himself up in a queue of police officers waiting to enter the base, leaving several bodies and charred debris strewn around the area.The carnage marks one of the worst attacks on Afghan forces in recent months, despite a renewed push international push to restart formal peace talks which stalled last year.As a result of the terrorist attack near the Afghan National Civil Order Police headquarters... 20 people were martyred and 29 others were wounded, the interior ministry said in a statement.A senior ministry source told AFP that all of those killed were policemen, and at least three critically wounded officers were battling for their lives in hospital.The health ministry said some of those wounded were hit in the chest by flying shrapnel.Ambulances rushed to the scene, which was cordoned off by authorities after the bombing which comes amid the Taliban's unprecedented winter offensive.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with insurgent spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claiming on Twitter that up to 40 police were killed and wounded.The attack comes just ahead of a third round of four-country roadmap talks trying to lay the groundwork for direct dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban.Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are set to convene in Islamabad on February 6 in a bid to seek a negotiated end to the 14-year Taliban insurgency.The Taliban have stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets in Afghanistan this winter, when fighting usually abates, underscoring a worsening security situation.Observers say the intensifying insurgency highlights a push by the militants to seize more territory in an attempt to wrangle greater concessions during talks.Militants and bad weather in northern Afghanistan have hampered efforts to repair power lines that were destroyed last week, cutting electricity in the capital, Kabul, to about six hours a day, officials said on Monday.Insurgents last week destroyed an electricity pylon in the Dand Shahabuddin district of Baghlan province that brought power from Uzbekistan to meet almost half of Kabul's 600 megawatt daily requirement.Mirwais Alami, chief commercial officer at Afghanistan's national power company, said repair crews had been unable to get close to the power lines because of mines and the threat from insurgents and said residents reported that more pylons had been brought down.Enemy forces have brought machine saws and have been cutting down electricity pylons, he said.The Taliban has denied being responsible for bringing down the power lines, saying such tactics, which hit ordinary people, do not fit with their fight against the foreign-backed government.The destruction of the power lines has hit businesses and industry and added further misery for Kabul's long-suffering residents, already tested by a series of suicide bomb attacks this year.For the well-off with private generators, the cuts have meant higher fuel bills but for those who rely on the public grid, they have meant dark nights and reliance on wood-burning stoves to fight the winter cold.Abdul Satar Barez, the provincial governor of Baghlan, said operations to secure the area in order to allow repair crews to work on the pylons had been suspended due to fog and bad weather.Taliban are still in the area, they are a threat and danger and we cannot launch our operation now. We are waiting for the weather to get better, he said. Marketing strategy is one step to promote Slovakia abroad, ministry says. Font size: A - | A + DESPITE being 22 years on the global scene, Slovakia still lacks its own brand to promote itself abroad. This may, however, change soon as the Foreign Affairs Ministry has already taken steps to adopt a strategy for the countrys promotion. Initial results of this process may soon be introduced to the public. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Though there have been several attempts to create a country brand for Slovakia since 1993, none of them has succeeded, Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak told the press in February 2014, before launching a public discussion about what the brand should be. Yet the lack of a brand negatively impacts the future outlook for the country. Only a well-known and positively perceived country can raise long-term trust of strategic foreign investors or draw more tourists, Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak told the press in February 2014. Creating a brand does not mean only an eye-catching logo and a good motto, experts agree. Though these are the first things people notice, they are only the tip of the iceberg. It is important that the countrys promotion is based on its strong sides, interprets them abroad and underlines it all with the performance of real policies, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Peter Stano told The Slovak Spectator. He stressed that country branding is a comprehensive and long-term process impacted by several factors. Its main task is to help the country distinguish itself from others and fulfil its interests. Country branding has much to do with the national identity, explains Marian Timoracky, managing partner at United Consultants, who was a member of the working group for coordinated presentation of Slovakia abroad. Last year, however, he left in order to attend the competition over preparing the strategy for Slovakias branding. The final brand of Slovakia has to be not only attractive, unique and competitive for abroad, but also authentic and confident, especially for the locals, Timoracky added. Choosing a brand The process of creating country branding began already in 2009. Since then, several projects have been carried out. One of them was a framework for promoting Slovakia in 2011. The key findings were then assessed by representatives of various ministries, entrepreneurs active in tourism, designers, journalists, and students, said Timoracky. The Foreign Affairs Ministry also supported the creation of a special website to collect peoples opinions of what the brand should be like, and ordered a survey among people to collect their ideas of a brand, Stano said. The ministry launched a competition to prepare the country branding strategy in October 2015. The submitted proposals were assessed by a commission composed of experts and personalities who are somehow connected with creating a brand, including Stanislav Stankoci, rector of the University of Visual Arts, sociologist and presidents advisor Martin Butora, Michal Mesko, co-founder of Martinus bookshop, as well as representatives of the Slovak Tourist Board (SACR) and the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO). At its mid-January meeting, the commission chose the winning proposal, and it is expected that the ministry will begin negotiations with the selected bidder soon, Stano added. This is, however, not the end of activities. The ministry plans to continue cooperating with other ministries and agencies to increase the attractiveness of Slovakia for foreigners interested in tourism, improve conditions for drawing foreign investments, support the export of Slovak products to global markets, and communicate the Slovak brand via Slovak culture and sport, Stano said. Following the brand creation, corresponding governmental policies should be introduced, which will transform the brands messages into specific solutions, he added. Building a brand When creating a brand, it is important to know what people like and how they feel about their country, said Timoracky. In order to learn more about peoples preferences, the Foreign Affairs Ministry ordered a survey which was carried out by Focus polling agency at the turn of January and February 2015 on 1,010 respondents. It showed that 83 percent of respondents think it is necessary to invest into creating the brand thanks to which Slovakia will be better recognisable in the world. About 84 percent of respondents consider skilfulness to be a typical feature of Slovaks, while three-quarters think it is adaptability, and more than 68 percent identify with the claim that Slovakia is a diverse country which offers many contrasts in a small area, the Foreign Affairs Ministrys press department informed the SITA newswire. The survey also suggests that when promoting Slovakia, folklore could be used. Moreover, 23 percent of respondents said that among the most apt features of Slovaks are warm-heartedness or hospitality; while 12 percent think it is industriousness or diligence. When asked which words they associate with Slovakia, 25 percent said it is homeland, while 22 percent said beautiful nature and 10 percent the Tatras, as reported by SITA. As many as 84 percent of respondents assume that the visual image of brand Slovakia should contain the tricolour (i.e. white, blue and red), while 81 percent say it would be good to use the national emblem. It was confirmed that most Slovaks agree with the vision to promote Slovakia in the world as a modern and diverse country where skilful and inventive people live and that they can identify its positives and characteristics and they want us to invest into its professional promotion, Stano said. The results of the survey were used to prepare conditions for the public competition, he added. Another source which the ministry worked with was the Brandingslovenska.com website, ran by the University of Ss Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Mass Media Communication in Trnava. It published several videos with Slovak personalities, including President Andrej Kiska, discussing how the branding should look. It also opened a discussion for people where they could present their own opinions. The feedback from people who participated in the discussion moved things forward, helped to clarify some messages and adjust the attributes of Slovakness, Timoracky said. Presidency will play a role Another important role in increasing the image of Slovakia abroad will be played by the countrys presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2016. It will, however, only partially impact the branding process, Stano said. The ministry plans to use this time to support the positive awareness of Slovakia. It also launched a competition to find a logo the country will use exclusively during its presidency of the EU Council, which ran separately from the competition to create the branding strategy, Stano added. During the EU Council presidency the promotion will be based on the same frameworks as for promoting the country brand, according to Timoracky. After all, Slovakia wants to contribute to the world being nicer, more interesting and a more secure place for living, he added. There are many lessons learned from past experience. The first is to ensure that newcomers can work when they arrive. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled As of January 23, Canada has now welcomed more than 12,425 Syrian refugees to our country as part of the #WelcomeRefugees initiative, bringing us closer to our goal of welcoming 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February 2016. Thousands more have applied to come to Canada and their applications are being processed by Canadian officials. Their stories have been featured on television, in newspapers, magazines, in front of church groups and in community centres across the country. The personal tales are full of misery and hardship, separated families and lost dreams. But in Canada they will start to build new lives with the support of Canadians around them, many of whom were immigrants themselves at one point in time. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement The Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, John McCallum, said that people across the country were working day and nightopening their communities and their hearts to welcome them. When the first Syrian refugees arrived in December 2015, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was at the Toronto airport to receive newcomers escaping war and trauma in their homeland. The Prime Minister handed out winter jackets, boots, hats and mittens saying, this will keep you warm, welcome to Canada. Canada committed to identify, transport and provide integration services for 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February 2016 as part of the #WelcomeRefugees initiative and we are on track to meet this target. Canada has extensive experience integrating newcomers. We are a land of immigrants and we celebrate multiculturalism. For Canada, accepting nearly 250,000 new immigrants every year for the past 10 years has greatly enhanced the richness of the cultural fabric of our country. There are many lessons learned from past experience. The first is to ensure that newcomers can work when they arrive. As part of the #WelcomeRefugees initiative, refugees have full permanent resident status upon arrival in Canada. What this means is that they have the right to: Most of the social benefits that Canadian citizens receive, including health care coverage; The right to live, work or study anywhere in Canada; The right to apply for Canadian citizenship after four years; and, Protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. There are also responsibilities that come from being a Canadian permanent resident. These include paying taxes and respecting all Canadian laws at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. The two things that distinguish a permanent resident from a Canadian citizen is the fact that a permanent resident cannot vote or run for political office and that they must live in Canada for at least two years of every five year period to maintain their status. The second lesson learned from our experience in welcoming refugees in Canada is the importance of medical and security screening. A full immigration medical examination, including screening for communicable diseases such as tuberculosis is conducted. As with other permanent residents, refugees may be medically inadmissible to Canada if their health is a danger to public health or public. Our screening process has proven effective. It includes comprehensive interviews and the collection of detailed biographical information and biometrics to confirm identity. Officials check this identity across a range of databases. All of this is done before refugees arrive in Canada. In an effort to maximize the success in resettlement while minimizing security risks, Canada is prioritizing immigration approvals for complete families, women at risk, and persons identified as vulnerable due to membership in the LGBTI community. For the Canadian government, this is primarily a humanitarian effort. In Syria, after four years of war, over 11 million Syrians more than half the population have been driven from their homes and over 250,000 have been killed, including over 12,000 children. The Syrian people have been terrorized and killed by their own government, ISIL and other extremist groups. Under the rule of Bashar al-Assad, the regime has used chemical weapons on its own citizens, and is responsible for torturing and killing hundreds of thousands of people. Inviting refuges to resettle in Canada is one part of the equation. In addition, Canada has committed over $969 million in humanitarian, development and security assistance in response to the Syria crisis. The Government of Canada will invest up to $678 million over six years towards expediting the resettlement and ensuring integration support for these Syrian refugees. It is important to keep in mind that even though we have taken on this ambitious humanitarian effort, Canada will continue to process applications and accept immigrants and temporary residents in all categories. Canada has several multi-year refugee commitments that we have already met or are continuing to pursue. These include: - an additional 3,000 Iraqi refugees by the end of 2015. As of November 2, 2015, 23,218 Iraqi refugees had been resettled to Canada. - 6,500 Bhutanese were resettled by the end of 2015; - 900 Colombians by the end of 2017; - 5,000 Iraqis and Iranians by the end of 2018; - 2,500 Congolese by the end of 2018; and - 4,000 Eritreans by the end of 2019. What we have learned from the experience of welcoming refugees and providing them with access to settlement services funded by the government, is that this helps with integration. If refugees are happy and feel like they are part of an inclusive Canadian society, security risks will be minimized. As part of settlement services, refugees have access to free language classes; employment services such as help finding jobs; professional mentorship programs and workshops that focus on the requirements for building a successful life in Canada and fully integrating into Canadian society. Prime Minister Trudeau said that the accelerated refugee integration program is possible in Canada, because we define a Canadian not by a skin colour or a language or a religion or a background, but by a shared set of values, aspirations, hopes and dreams that not just Canadians but people around the world share. Another element in welcoming refugees and immigrants from all over the world to Canada is economic. Consistently, the research on the Canadian experience demonstrates that immigrants are essential to economic growth. In Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, he emphasized the need for societies that recognize diversity as a source of strength, not a source of weakness. Our Prime Minister stated that diversity is something leaders can do much about and that it wasnt just sound social policy but that it was the engine of invention. It generates creativity that enriches the world. We believe it is possible to embrace diversity and the new ideas that spring from it, while simultaneously fostering a shared identity and shared values in safe, stable communities that work. As he concluded, The result is creativity that enriches Canada and the world. For proof, plan a visit to Canada! By Kathy Bunka, Canadian Charge dAffaires in Slovakia IN THE upcoming months, vast construction and beautifying works in the streets of the Slovak capital will start, that have been unseen for years. Font size: A - | A + Bratislava will patch and improve all that can be done in the short time until June, to raise its appeal to the expected 20,000 visitors and delegates who will arrive in the capital of the country presiding over the EU Council. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Both the city administration and government want the city to look as much like a European metropolis as possible and therefore, from mid-March until June, asphalt surfaces on the main roads will be repaired, thus putting Bratislavans before traffic limitations and closures, the etrend.sk website cheekily wrote on January 28. The repairs will involve the busiest roads and some central squares, as well as the zoo. The surface of the road on the SNP bridge will be repaired during three weeks of the presidency in August, during which no meetings and sessions are planned in the capital. With this one exception, no other repairs are foreseen between July and December, except for emergency cases. Bratislava city administration received 15 million for a face-lift of the capital, of which 14 million will go to road surface repairs on two dozen roads, painting bridge rails, renovation of three pedestrian underpasses, addition of benches and greens and printing of promotional materials. In the Old Town, free wi-fi will be installed, and repairs to above-ground toilets, flower beds, and paving on main streets will be made all that for one million euros. Free wi-fi should simplify orientation for visitors and participants of sessions but it should also be a benefit for local inhabitants who will endure some limitations during the presidency, etrend wrote. It should become a permanent feature, not just a temporary on, and includes the area of the Bratislava Castle. Until then, the Old Town would like to make historical Zidovska / Jewish Street a pedestrian zone, connecting the historical centre with the castle hill. For monuments, only the Castle will undergo a complete renovation; this has been planned since 2008 and it will be completed by the time Slovakias presidency starts. Some other minor partial repairs will also be done at the Mirbach Palace, Clarissen Church, the clock dial on the town hall tower, and the Primates Palace. During the six months of its presidency, Bratislava will host 20 top events and 200 more at the expert level. Around 20,000 delegates are expected to arrive. WHEN nurses resignation notices became effective on Monday, February 1, at least two hospitals experienced serious problems: the teaching hospitals in Zilina and Presov where about one-fifth of all nurses have resigned. Font size: A - | A + In total, about 600 nurses in eight Slovak hospitals resigned in protest against the recent amendment to the law on health care that does not stipulate that their wages should be calculated based on years of practice, and nor that wages should be re-evaluated every three years. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement In Presov, operation will be limited and wards merged, the Sme daily wrote. The total number of nurses who did not appear on that day in the local hospital is 304. In association with the departure of some nurses the management of the Jan Adam Reiman Faculty Hospital in Presov has asked the Army of the Slovak Republic for cooperation: according to its spokeswoman Renata Cenkova, they are to reinforce the anesthesiology team. In Zilina, about 175 nurses out of 6000 failed to come to work. Patients, especially of some emergency wards, have been transferred to hospitals in nearby towns. The possible worsening of health care associated with this step might encourage undecided and hesitating voters to go to the polls in March. It might also help center-right parties, say election geographer Tibor Madlenak and political scientist Grigorij Meseznikov. According to Madlenak, Smer might suffer certain losses also directly in Presov and Zilina where the highest number of nurses quit. No nurse took back her notice in Zilina and Presov on January 29 when their notice period ended. Nurses and Midwives Labour Union head Monika Kavecka said for Sme that nurses are not concerned at all that they would not find a job. The chamber has been getting job offers from various countries on a daily basis for two months, added a member of the chambers presidium Milan Laurinc. Nurses would like to see an extraordinary parliamentary session summoned because of their resignations, and support MPs move to this end. They are addressing all political parties present in parliament. Nurses in other cities and towns of Trnava, Trencin, Dolny Kubin and Martin are also leaving their jobs. Health Minister Viliam Cislak filed a criminal complaint against nurses on February 1 at noon, for spreading alarming news about a million patients being threatened in connection with the mass resignations, he announced at a briefing. With the United States boosting oil production by over 50 percent between 2005 and 2013, the country increased its market share in the global oil market from around seven percent in 2010 to 12 percent by 2014, according to US Energy Information Agency data. This was significantly higher than Saudi Arabia's increase from 12 percent to 13 percent over the same period. OPEC's share, excluding Saudi Arabia, decreased from 31 percent to 28 percent over the same years. Much of the US market share increase has been driven by shale oil production, which has taken a hit during the recent price slump. Despite a significant number of closures and job redundancies in the US oil sector, production has remained steady, Dargin said. Larger companies remained in business by consolidating and focusing on profitable wells, while smaller companies filed for bankruptcy, he said, stressing that a continued slump will put pressure even on larger companies to suspend operations. Higher prices, on the other hand, will fuel investment in the sector and a restart of shale production. Iran will eventually also favor higher oil prices, he added. "[Iran's] oil was basically artificially shut out of the global market. So, even at such a low price, Iran's economic prospects are much better selling its excess oil, at least for the short term, than it was before. But, even Iran, once it offloads its approximately 50 million barrels held in storage, would want a better price for its oil," Dargin said. Some European countries have strongly opposed the project . Earlier, Polish President Andrzej Duda said the pipeline undermines European energy security and would end transit via Ukraine. It is unclear what losses Poland will sustain if the pipeline is built, but Ukraine is expected to lose at least $2 billion. Italy has also joined the choir of opposition to Nord Stream-2. Italys ENI was set to build South Stream with Gazprom, but finally Russia cancelled the project. Lithuania has also criticized the initiative. In order to calm the concerns, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said the project can go ahead only if Russia guarantees gas flows to Eastern Europe. According to the journalist, the Russian pipeline can be blamed for the flaws in the European energy security system. "I think what Germany is doing now is calming the concerns of Eastern European states. Some of these states now risk losing hundreds of millions of euros if transit of Russian gas ends," Igor Yushkov, an analyst at the National Energy Security Fund, told Svobodnaya Pressa. "As for 'guarantees from Russia', it is unclear what Gabriel meant. If it is about long-term contracts it should be settled via multilateral talks. But I think Germanys main concern is Ukraine which would lose over $2 billion of transit incomes that cannot be compensated. If this happens, the EU, and particularly Berlin, would have to help Kiev. This is why Gabriel has urged a compromise building Nord Stream-2, but with guaranteed gas supplies to Ukraine," the expert pointed out. "The pipeline expansion may not benefit some individual member states, but the project is on aggregate beneficial for Europe," Tim Boersma, acting director in the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at Brookings, was quoted as saying by the author. "Counterintuitive as it may sound, Nord Stream-2 is a good idea provided that EU member states continue their so far successful efforts to further integrate energy markets. The fact that they have not done so already is something Europe should hold against itself, and it is not the result of Russian mingling," he added. In order to provide energy security in the EU, member states should implement legislation, fight corruption and step up efforts to complete the internal market. Those efforts should be made in Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland and in Brussels, Boersma said. "You cannot sit and write your novel when Can Dundar is in jail In democratic countries, people do not have to repeat like a parrot the opinions of the (party) that won the last election," he emphasized. On Wednesday prosecutors demanded life sentences for two journalists in a case being seen as a clampdown on freedom of speech. Prosecutors want the editor-in-chief of the Cumhuriyet newspaper, Can Dundar, and its Ankara bureau chief, Erdem Gul, each to be handed one aggravated life sentence, one ordinary life sentence and 30 years in jail, according to the Dogan news agency, which saw was covering the indictment. A report by Cumhuriyet had alleged that a shipment of weapons seized at the border in January 2014 was going to rebels in Syria. It also claimed that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the head of Turkish intelligence, Hakan Fidan, were both in on the deal. Shortly after the report was published an enraged President Erdogan demanded that a criminal case be opened against the newspaper and its editor-in-chief. Last year, NATO already carried two simulations of that kind which mainly went unnoticed by the media and public, German newspaper Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten (DWN) reported. The next meeting of NATO defense ministers is expected to take place in mid-February in Brussels, during which NATO will simulate an attack on the alliance from the East and train a corresponding response, German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported, citing high-ranking NATO officials. "They will practice crisis management," a NATO spokesman told the newspaper, calling it a "standard procedure in the alliance." Newcomers aren't feeling much better in Sweden either. Last week, it was reported that groups of young Swedish men, presumably the supporters of far-right organizations, attacked refugees and anyone, who didn't happen to look like an ethnic Swede. "There were groups of men on the streets dressed in black and wearing masks on their faces they were beating up newcomers. I saw how they started harassing three of them," a witness told AFP. Things for refugees are rotten in the state of Denmark as well. The Danish government is working on a new, controversial law that will allow police to seize valuables of refugees worth more than $1,450 in order to cover housing and food costs. The bill has been criticized by human rights organizations and international media which compared it with policies in Nazi Germany, when the government of Third Reich stole valuables from Jews and other marginalized groups. "Publishers have to consider [following issues]: How do I sell my paper? How much profit do I make?" Wickert said, adding that financial interests significantly infringe on the freedom of speech and the power of media as the Fourth Estate. The journalist stressed that the main task of the media is to inform the reader so that he or she can form an opinion by themselves. "But I observe a false understanding of tolerance and democracy, because some things are labeled as taboo. There are, for instance, moments when you have to admit that there were Algerian or Moroccan or Tunisian youths who behaved in a way we do not tolerate here in Germany," the journalist stated. "The interesting thing is that they started to discuss problems in connection with people from North Africa only after the New Year's Eve in Cologne, because it proved to be a mass phenomenon. But then it suddenly turned out that it had been existing by us for a long time! However, earlier it was a taboo," Wickert stated. Mr Justice McCloskey states the "heavy emphasis on the primacy of security, public order, policing and breaches of the law" and the "plight and predicament of the human beings involved qualifies for secondary consideration only." Under the EU's Dublin Regulations, an asylum seeker must make their claim in the first country they arrive in. Because the young Syrian family were living in the migrant camp in Calais, the Home Secretary said their claim must be processed in France. However, the Tribunal ruled in 2014 that the British government must operate the Dublin system whilst respecting human rights. This meant the Tribunal found in favor of the Syrian asylum seekers and ordered the Home Office to immediately allow three unaccompanied Syrian children and an adult to be reunited with their family in the UK. "The claimants do not have adequate access to the basic necessities of life to ensure that they are able to live with dignity. Instead they live under constant threat of violence from camp residents and the French authorities," the Tribunal found. According to human rights group, Liberty, "Their cases demonstrate the importance of our [Britain's] Human Rights Act in protecting children and families, often in extremely dire circumstances. "Cases like these are exactly why Article 8, along with all the other rights protected by our [Britain's] HRA, is so important." Upper Tribunal's grimly illuminating #Calais judgment shows how vital our HRA is for protecting children & families: https://t.co/9DnjS5o9Du Liberty (@libertyhq) January 31, 2016 The ruling has been described by campaigners as a "great day for families and a terrible one for people traffickers." The detailed summary of the Tribunal concretes the reputation of the refugee camp in France. There are grave fears for many residents caught up in the fighting between government forces and rebel militia groups, with reports that as many as six civilians have been killed, while many others are being denied access to basic supplies and medical attention. Turkey's Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said that 31 people, including some in a critical condition, had been trapped inside the basement of a building in Cizre, while many ambulances have been denied access to some areas. Amnesty International's Turkey Researcher Andrew Gardner has accused the Turkish government of failing to respond to the desperate pleas of those injured and trapped. "This is a desperate situation: injured individuals, some of whom are apparently bleeding heavily, are at grave risk of dying if they do not urgently receive medical care. "Lives are dangling in the balance and it defies belief that the authorities cannot find a solution. Whatever the circumstances which led to these men's injuries, they have a right to receive life-saving medical treatment and the state should facilitate, not impede, such care." Turkish authorities have imposed 24-hour curfews in some Kurdish-majority areas in the country's southeast, after violence between Ankara and those affiliated to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) reignited in July 2015. More than 150 civilians are reported to have been killed in the clashes, including women, children and the elderly. Russia, China and Vietnam have already offered financial help to bring Dr. Canaveros plan to fruition. In an interview with Sputnik Dr. Canavero said that inability to reconnect a severed spinal cord had always been a major problem, but experiments with rats using technology to be employed during operations on humans resulted in rats with re-fused spinal cords able to move again. What is really important here is that the fused spinal cords functioned again, which means that the door is now open to perform such operations also on humans, Dr. Canavero said. According to Canavero, his good friend Xiaoping Ren at Harbin Medical University in China, performed a head transplant on a monkey. He connected up the blood supply between the head and the new body, but did not connect the spinal cord. Canavero said the experiment, which repeats the work of Robert White in the US in 1970, demonstrates that if the head is cooled to 15 C, a monkey can survive the procedure without suffering brain injury. The monkey fully survived the procedure without any neurological injury of whatever kind, says Canavero, adding that the animal was kept alive for only 20 hours after the procedure for ethical reasons. When asked whether Russia planned to take part in the project, Dr. Canavero said that he had already discussed the matter with many Russian surgeons and scientists. They showed a great deal of interest in the project but said they did not have the money to make it happen. I have asked several billionaires to pay for Valerys operation. Dr. Xiaoping Ren told me he was ready to assist a Russian team of surgeons. Russia could join in the project with a parallel program, but it could become the first if we only get necessary funding. When asked when he was going to operate on Valery, Dr.Canavero said it was slated for next year in China We have already proved everything we had to prove, he said. In October 2015, the Commission ruled that Luxembourg and the Netherlands have granted selective tax advantages to Fiat and Starbucks, respectively. The Commission also has three ongoing in-depth investigations into concerns that tax rulings may give rise to state aid issues, concerning Apple in Ireland, Amazon in Luxembourg and McDonald's in Luxembourg. Calls for Public Disclosure The European Commission last week published a series of proposals to stamp out such schemes including legally-binding measures to block the most common methods used by companies to avoid paying tax. It also proposed a recommendation to member states on how to prevent tax treaty abuse and a proposal for member states to share tax-related information on multinationals operating in the EU. EU to stop companies from creating artificial debt arrangements to avoid tax. #FairTaxation https://t.co/rrlja5b28s pic.twitter.com/8aZgzrjDG7 EU Taxation&Customs (@EU_Taxud) January 29, 2016 However, according to Transparency International, the EU should instead live up to its rhetoric on tax transparency and bring about the public reporting of multinational profits, taxes and other information, as is already the case in other sectors. European Commission Press release Fair Taxation: Commission presents new measures against corporate tax avoidance https://t.co/lveD4IjEfM Open Europe (@OpenEurope) January 28, 2016 Elena Gaita told Sputnik that the European Commission is acting in a bizarre way by investigating tax avoidance practices on the one hand, while also failing to allow for the public access to corporate tax practices, as major companies will only have to disclose their profits to the tax authorities in private. "It seems bizarre that one hand of the Commission spends so much time investigating tax rulings when another hand could save the hassle and simply make corporate tax practices transparent," Gaita told Sputnik. "Research in the UK and Europe shows that the costs of migration to the economy are much less than the benefits. They work harder; they're more productive and contribute energy and ideas to society. "It's not a matter of thinking that allowing more migrants would be detrimental to the economy, on the contrary Chancellor George Osborne's own forecast of budget surplus up to 2020 is based on allowing more migrants into the country we need more not fewer. "The posturing by the British government is something close to disgusting it is disgusting," Professor Standing told Sputnik. Professor Standing, one of the signatories, told Sputnik that countries that have allowed large numbers of migrants to enter in the past have benefited "enormously." "The influx of refugees from East Africa in the 1970s was both beneficial for migrants and refugees and the British economy. "This is a long term test for all of us in Europe, including Russia and Eastern Europe. We're talking about a tiny number of refugees. We've always allowed more into Britain in the past we cannot regard ourselves as a feeble economy. "It's one of the saddest chapters of our civilization in our lifetime. It's tragic," said Professor Standing. 'Playing Dirty Politics' Professor Standing points out that it isn't just a moral and humanitarian issue but an economic one too. "From an economics perspective, the policy doesn't make sense. It's playing dirty politics to appeal to far right voters to avoid UKIP gaining more ground. The politicians should feel ashamed but they don't." The public however, according to Professor Standing is in danger of becoming saturated by tales of human suffering. "There is a real danger all us can be so saturated by stories of human suffering that people will lose the ability to feel any empathy or express any sympathy." @HackneyAbbott how many homeless kids already in the UK? will these new arrivals leapfrog them into a new home? Aldo (@loveworm) January 28, 2016 "We are witnessing enormous tragedies. These disappearing children, the orphans, the breakup of families and the suffering is on such a scale that we must keep it at the forefront of our minds." It's estimated that around 300,000 people have been killed and ten million displaced since the start of the Syrian crisis. 'Despicable, Shameful & Insulting' By making the documentary, Moreira wanted to challenge the commonly accepted narrative in France when it comes to the start of the Ukrainian crisis. The filmmaker was shocked by how few people in France knew about the role of neo-Nazi groups during the Maidan events and in the Odessa massacre that killed 45 people at the heart of Europe. When it comes to understanding the Ukrainian revolution there isn't media pluralism, Moreira said. That's why he made the documentary in which he made his own investigation and decided to share his thought with the general public. "My investigation was contrary to the commonly accepted narrative," Moreira said, according to his own statement on the website of the independent TV production company Premieres Lignes. In his documentary, Moreira concluded that the Ukrainian government needs to raise the question of ultra-nationalist groups and make a proper investigation of their actions during and after the 2014 coup. It is these extreme right-wing groups that are the greatest threat to Ukrainian democracy. "The Ukrainian revolution has created a monster that will soon turn against its creator," the filmmaker said. Moreira Responds to His Critics It wasnt until the jihadists ransacked the ancient Christian monastery at Maaloula that they finally realized that the very same fate awaited their own community. Shortly afterwards, seven militant Muslim groups joined forces in laying siege to Sadad. As the jihadists prepared to storm the town its defenders decided to fight to the bitter end. And fight they did until the Syrian Army arrived and drove out the enemy. With Sadad liberated, the towns defenders are now setting their sights on Al-Karyatein another Christian town and the terrorists last remaining stronghold in Homs province. The militants took many locals hostage and threatened to kill them all if the Army decided to storm the town. All of the Christian hostages are now free having either run away or were ransomed out. After the Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber in November many in Sadad gathered in the local churches to pray for the Russian pilot Oleg Peshkov who was killed in that unwarranted attack. Sadad is a peaceful town now, but traces of the recent fighting are everywhere with many houses on the towns central square pockmarked with deep gouges from ricochets and direct gunfire. We live in a terrible time, when all the values accumulated by mankind in its history, are being destroyed right before our eyes. Even in war there is a code of conduct, unwritten code, formed over many centuries. But now it is not valid, none of those rules. Between statements of Ankara and the actual situation in Cizre there is a gulf. We are talking about either a very well-planned conspiracy, or the security forces that conduct counter-terrorist operation in Cizre, do not recognize or obey the authorities, Bayderim said. Yarallardan 20 saattir haber alnamyor https://t.co/dpHWO5qbCd pic.twitter.com/ti1Z4tchHg Dicle Haber Ajans (@DicleHaberAjans) January 31, 2016 The deputy further said that the government officials claim that the PKK members shoot at ambulances, but that is complete lies. Yesterday, while we were at the Ministry office, we spoke on the speakerphone with the driver of one of the ambulances. They tried to get to the scene 11 times and each time the road was blocked. When it was just 100 meters to the building, the security forces said, What order of the Prime Minister? We know nothing, and they opened fire at the cars. The authorities were listening on the speaker and shrugging their shoulders, saying You see we cannot do anything. Bayderim criticized the Turkish president saying that, War destroys not only people, but also the truth. What the government is now striving to achieve today together with the media is an open attack on truth. Authorities are trying to destroy the truth. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Earlier in the day, the Russian daily Kommersant reported, citing a source in Russia's Federal Security Service, that the Turkish nationalist group Grey Wolves linked to Daesh jihadist group and operating in many Arab countries, including Egypt, could be involved in the explosion aboard the Russian airliner. "We do not have any information about the relationship of the Turkish organization Grey Wolves to the Russian A321 flight crash. The Interior Ministry denied last Saturday the arrest of suspects, who could have participated in the [incident] where 224 people were killed," Helmy said. On October 31, 2015, the Russia-operated Airbus A321 crashed en route from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg as a result of an explosion on board. The crash has become the largest civil aviation disaster in Russian history. Daesh, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries, claimed responsibility for the crash. This is a new generation system, capable of destroying aerial offensive targets as well intercontinental ballistic missiles and near space targets. The new system not only combines the best feats of the previous systems, but also offers completely new possibilities in the field of air, missile and space defense, according to the member of advisory council of the Military-Industrial Commission Viktor Murakhovski. Almaz-Antei Defense Company is working on a complex of S-500 Promethey surface-to-air missiles from 2010. Russia is "seen to be on the Kurdish side and this makes Ankara much more nervous because they see the Kurds as a threat to their territorial integrity," McCauley noted. "Turkey is in a pretty nervous state. President Erdogan is in a pretty nervous state. The Turkish economy is not doing very well." This is the reason why Russia's relations with Turkey are in "a state of deep freeze," the analyst added. "Turkey does not really believe what the Russians say and Russia does not really believe what Turkey says. And there is really no dialogue between the two of them. Therefore what one side regards as a slightest violation is than taken as a provocation," McCauley observed. "If relations between Moscow and Ankara were good, something like this would be sorted out very quickly." On Saturday, Ankara accused a Russian Su-34 fighter jet of violating Turkish airspace. Later that day, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a statement providing a detailed explanation of why Ankara's allegations are unfounded. DES MOINES (Sputnik) In July, Iran and the international negotiators signed a peace deal ensuring the safe nature of Tehrans nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions imposed on it. On January 16, the United States and the European Union announced the lifting of sanctions against Iran. [Russia is] aligning again with Iran, which is a principal sponsor of terrorists, Santorum stated. And why you would align with country that does so is a little bit of curious to me. But then again, we have our President [Barack Obama] who has done aligning with Iran, that I dont agree with either. The US presidential candidate continued that he also does not support Russias activities in Syria. Moscow and Washington agree on almost all disputable issues on the intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said. "Firstly, we do not have any particularly contentious issues [with the United States]. We compared notes with them on the issues related to the launch of intra-Syrian negotiations," Gatilov told RIA Novosti on Monday. According to the Russian deputy foreign minister, the Russian and US delegations, as well as the United Nations representatives may hold a trilateral meeting on Syria as early as Tuesday. Gatilov added that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry would not hold any talks on the Syrian issue until their meeting in Munich on February 11. US Agrees With Russia on Inviting Syrian Kurds to Geneva Talks Washington and the United Nations agree with Moscow that the Syrian conflict should be resolved taking into account the Syrian Kurds interests, Gatilov also said. "The Kurds are a very significant part of the Syrian opposition. Americans generally share our views. Unfortunately, there is a Turkish factor involved, who insists that the Kurds are excluded from the negotiations and a political settlement," Gatilov told RIA Novosti on Monday. UN Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura also agreed that the Syrian Kurds should be included in the intra-Syrian peace talks, but the launch of the negotiations between the conflicting sides was more important at the moment, according to the Russian deputy foreign minister. But have there been many concrete problems involving the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea? More than 100,000 vessels of various countries sail through the South China Sea annually without a single incident, Chinese newspaper People's Daily Online wrote. There can't be much evidence on how exactly freedom of navigation has been harmed or how shipping lanes have been threatened. So what is that again that America is protecting? And how come it protects freedom in total disregard of international law? According to the newspaper, the move is simply incomprehensible, taking into account how the world has changed over the last few decades and all the newly emerged heated disputes with countries like the Philippines and Vietnam. Considering all these issues, one would understand that sending a warship to another country's territorial waters without the permission of its government wouldn't promote peace and stability. By asserting maritime power like this, one must really want to escalate the situation, the newspaper suggests, and that makes China wonder whether the US does really want peace. A reminder for anyone planning on making a contribution to the Silent Auction taking place at the 2015 OBrien Awards, please contact the Industry Marketing Department before Friday, February 5. The proceeds from this years Silent Auction will go towards a permanent memorial in honour of the horses lost in the fire at Classy Lane Training Centre. Canadas harness racing champions will be honoured at the OBrien Awards Black Tie Gala on Saturday, February 13, 2016 at the Hilton Mississauga / Meadowvale Hotel in Mississauga, Ontario. This years Black Tie Gala features an Old Hollywood Theme. The evening kicks off at 6:00 p.m. with a cocktail reception & silent auction in the Graydon Hall Foyer. At 7:00 p.m. dinner will get underway with a delectable four-course gourmet meal. The award presentations will start at about 9:15 p.m. and a dance will round out the evening. Willliam (Bill) Andrew will be presented with the Cam Fella Award at the OBriens. Coveted OBrien busts and a Horse of the Year trophy will be handed out to the winners in 18 categories along with a unique trophy for Outstanding Groom and three unique trophies for the Media Excellence Awards. To take a look at this years finalists, click here. Following dinner, guests will be able to dance the night away to the music of Saturday Night Jive, a local band who specializes in entertaining at weddings and corporate events. Trot Insider has learned that horseman Ron Coleman of Virden, MB recently passed away at his residence at the age of 86. Coleman was a fine mechanic and hard-working farmer. He and wife, Merle, also raised, trained and raced Standardbreds, mostly on the Manitoba Great Western Circuit. His favourite mare, Coles Hope A Lot, raised many decent racehorses, three of which are in their twenties and thirties and still reside on the Coleman farm. Ron was a gentle, patient, honest man who never gave up, even when Coles Bill Payer took several attempts to get qualified, and went on to be one of their best racers! Many horsemen and racing fans have benefitted from Rons ever-present tool kit and expert automotive knowledge. The head numbers that are used on the circuit were made by Ron. He leaves his wife, Merle; daughter, Dreda Braybrook (Leonard Hill); and grandson, Clayton Braybrook (Glenda Giles), all of whom are involved in the sport. A funeral service will take place this Friday (February 5) at 2:00 p.m., at St. Paul's United Church in Virden, MB. In care of Carscaddens Funeral Home. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Ron Coleman. Thomas D'Altrui, the influential harness racing pioneer in the state of New Jersey, passed away on Friday, January 29. The devoted family man was 96. D'Altrui served the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey as director for 34 years (Man of the Year, 1983), director of Harness Horse International for 34 years (Man of the Year, 2000) and director of the United States Trotting Association for 18 years. His lifelong love of harness racing forged the creation of DI Farms in Hillsborough, N.J. He was a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Tom is survived by his wife of 26 years, Sandra (Koster); his son, Thomas (Cheryl); stepsons, Michael (Theresa), Steven (Kirk); grandchildren, Matthew, Jessica, Matthew, Adam; five great-grandchildren, and sister, Carmela Santaniello. He was predeceased by his wife of 41 years, Minnie (Danna), and their daughter, Marianne. Visitation will be at the Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home of Livingston, 145 E. Mount Pleasant Ave., on Wednesday, February 3, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral mass will take place on Thursday, February 4, at 10 a.m. at St. Philomena's Church, 386 S. Livingston Ave., Livingston. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover, N.J. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The ARC of Somerset County, 141 S. Main St., Manville, N.J. 08835 or The Standardbred Retirement Foundation, P.O. Box 312, Perrineville, N.J. 08535. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Thomas D'Altrui. (With files from the SBOANJ) After the death of President Nasser in September 1970, Egypt's War Minister, General Mohammed Fawzi, opposed Nasser's successor, Anwar Sadat. Fearing Sadat would deviate from Nasser's policies, Fawzi and others, such as Aly Sabry, planned a coup. To ensure that Egypt stayed close to its Soviet backer, which alone could supply sufficient weapons to take on Israel, Sadat had to go. The plot was, however, uncovered in May 1971. Several men including Fawzi were forced to resign, and sentenced to prison. Did this outcome leave Egypt better or worse off?Believing the US was the key to peace, Sadat sought its help to resolve the conflict with Israel. This effort failed, forcing Cairo to prepare for war. To improve Egypt's chances, Sadat sought more advanced weapons, such as the MIG-23. The Kremlin refused to supply them, no doubt in part because it didn't trust Sadat. Egyptian-Soviet relations would've been far better had Fawzi won. Cairo's forces would've been better armed. That wouldn't have been the only advantage--far from it.As a military commander Sadat was abysmally bad. His blunders almost erased the hard won victories of Shazly.On October 14, 1973, despite near-unanimous opposition from his generals, Sadat squandered much of Egypt's armored reserve. The offensive was doomed from the start, costing Egypt over 100 tanks. The next day, Sadat angrily refused Shazly's suggestion to return some units to the west bank, to counter a possible Israeli crossing of the canal. Even after the Israelis did just that, he rejected a withdrawal of units from the east bank to stop them. Instead Sadat sent the 25th armored brigade into an Israeli trap, and squandered the 1st armored brigade in another futile attack. At the same time he rejected Kosygin's plea that Egypt accept a cease fire. Essentially Sadat deprived Egyptian forces on the west bank of sufficient strength to contain the Israelis and granted the latter ample time to reach their objectives. The result was the catastrophic entrapment of Egypt's Third Army. What should've been a great Egyptian victory nearly became a worse rout than the Six Day war.Had Fawzi and his allies succeeded in May 1971, Egypt would've been stronger and better led. In his writings (translated in) Fawzi demonstrated a good grasp of his nation's military problems. During his tenure as War Minister (1968-71) Egyptian forces arose, phoenix-like, from the disaster of 1967. Militarily, Fawzi and his associates werethan Sadat. But was a continued relationship with the Soviet Union politically wise?It is true that the USSR had no future. The US ultimately won the Cold war. In the 1970s, however, the Kremlin was still a good benefactor. With additional help, and without Sadat's incompetence, Egypt would've won the '73 war. That would've paved the way for an comprehensive settlement, possibly by 1975. Afterwards, Cairo could've managed without extensive Soviet aid and ideological influence (reflected in arab socialism) and opted for a more capitalist system, as other nations did when the communist world began to crumble in the late 1980s. Creative music should challenge us, make us think and move us forward. Music can make one's life better and fuller, one of life's greatest pleasures. News websites around the world have been reporting the plight of stricken cargo vessel Modern Express, who five days after making an initial distress call, had been evacuated, was listing some 50 degrees, being battered by swells up to 5m and 80km/h winds, and had come within miles of the surfing beaches of the Landes coast. With news crews reporting live on national TV from Capbreton and Hossegor last (Sunday) night, this morning reports were claiming the Mimizan Contis resorts further up the coast were the anticipated grounding place of the vessel. However, possible disaster has been at least temporarily averted with the successful attachment of lines to the vessel from a Spanish tug, with the convoy reportedly headed west out to sea at a rate of 3 knots. The priority is getting the vessel away from the coast, said Louis-Xavier Renaux, spokesman of the French Atlantic Maritime authority. With tow lines already having been snapped last Friday and Saturday, the latter incident injuring a member of the rescue team, cautious optimism currently prevails that a port of refuge may be reached before the next big hit of swell and wind, expected at the end of the week. LABELLE, FL. -- A young male was an apparent murder victim at the Port LaBelle Inn this morning, presumably from a handgun bullet. On scene ... OROSI, Calif. Emilio Isazaga says he hopes education will get himself and his family out of the struggle. The 17-year-old participates in an after-school program called Tech Connect in Orosi that teaches computer repair, tax preparation and community service. For many, the class is a chance at a brighter future. Every high school senior in Tech Connect has gone off to attend college a great feat, especially considering that 62 percent of adults in Cutler-Orosi dont have a high school diploma, compared to 32 percent throughout Tulare County, according to a 2013 survey. Miguel Castaneda started Tech Connect in 2009, inspired by a similar program in San Francisco. Castaneda, who grew up in Delano, Calif., thought students in rural communities should have access to the same opportunities as those in more affluent areas. Its hard out here, he says of Cutler-Orosi, adding that many people work as farm laborers and there are lots of gangs. There are regularly over 100 high school students in the Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District who apply for 30 slots in his yearlong Tech Connect class. Castaneda doesnt choose participants based on grade point average. He looks, foremost, for students with a passion, and need, for learning. Emilio is one of those young people. Honestly miss, Emilio says, Ive been through some things, you know? Im trying to learn some things. Emilios mother was deported to Mexico. He lives with his grandmother and younger sister. Hes currently on probation, although he managed to graduate high school at age 16. He loves Tech Connect. Castaneda has become a father figure. Outside the classroom last week, we hear the scream of sirens in the distance. Right now, its helping me stay out of those sirens, right? It will help me build some character, help out my people, you know? I feel like its a good choice, to help out. Tech Connect students are required to do community service. They clean up graffiti around town, feed the homeless, teach adults how to use computers and, starting again next month, will volunteer doing taxes for low-income residents on Saturdays at the Community Services Employment Training office in Orosi. Each year, all of Castanedas students have become certified in tax preparation. Castaneda also takes students on field trips to colleges, tutors those who need additional help with school, and helps connect them with jobs in the community. Adylene Saucedo, 15, says Castaneda is a great leader. He will do whatever he can to help you out. Tech Connect is a CSET program that is also funded by the Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District and the Central Valley Community Foundation, formerly known as the Fresno Regional Foundation. Castaneda is also a senior program specialist for CSET. Hes just really good at what he does, says Elizabeth Gonzalez, a grant writer for the program, while watching Castaneda teach students about computer parts last week. This subject could be really boring, but as you can see, the kids are really engaged. Hes just very giving, very giving. Emilio agrees. Mr. Miguel, hes really nice to us, you know? So I think thats good for a teacher. Hes a role model. Emilios classmates share similar thoughts. My family is so unstable right now, says Sara Rabadan, 17. He doesnt give up on people. He literally told us, a couple of times, hes not going to give up even if we put up the struggles. I think thats nice cuz there are parents that give up on you, ya know. He teaches us to help your community, help other people, says Christian Salacup, 15, and by doing that, now it gives us at least a little bit of a habit to help others. He said in one of our first meetings that he had a rough past, bad people around him, I guess, and even though he went through all of that, he was still able to find a way to help others and himself succeed. Emilio says he will likely attend College of the Sequoias, hopefully for a good while before transferring somewhere else if they want me. Hes still deciding what hed like to study, but is sure the skills hes learned through Tech Connect will help him. Hopefully I get to get out of my struggle too, ya know, and will learn a little something along the way. And do some good for a change, right? tech2 News Staff After its foray into providing high-speed Internet with Google Fiber, Google is looking to provide telephone services as well. Dubbed Google Fiber Phone, Washington Post has reported some of Google's high-speed Internet subscribers receive invitations to the experimental telephone service. According to the report, the service is similar to Google Voice where the application will let users link all their telephones -- landline and mobile devices to a single phone number. The report adds that Fiber Phone comes with other Google Voice features too, such as voicemail transcriptions and automatic call screening based on time of day. Currently available to members of the Google Fiber Trusted Tester program, if it rolls out to a wider audience the Internet giant is well poised to take out the cable industry with a triple whammy of broadband, television and telephony services, finds The Washington Post. There are also reports of Google's mobile Internet service Project Fi being linked to Fiber Phone in the future, since both rely on Google Voice to provide a network backbone to make it all work with a phone number. 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 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. PTI hidden 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 license deal with Apple 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. Reuters Naina Khedekar The auto industry is on the brink of a revolution. This isn't an overnight revelation, and in fact, an Accenture report back in 2013, had revealed how the next-gen in-car technologies could help shape the future demand for sales and bring a sustained revenue stream to the automotive industry. It was been touted that drivers, even in emerging economies, are likely to choose a car based on in-vehicle technology over its performance. Looks like, Google and Apple have been quite attentive and geared up to leverage on the auto tech segment. From driverless cars to connected cars, everything seems like a part of this plan. After all, technology needs to evolve! The longevity of the smartphone era depends upon what goes on around it, which will ensure it doesnt meet the same fate as the tablet. The reports about stagnancy in market and prediction about Apple's first ever dip in iPhone sales has made them sit back straight and take notice of the foreseeable future. Now, we are aware of the whole transformation that Tesla Motors and Elon Musk plan to bring in the auto space. You may argue that Electric cars form an almost negligible part of the auto market, but there is no denying that slowly yet steadily the perception is changing. In fact, there is a herd following in the tech industry, especially when the innovation is triggered by Apple. Now, several reports have been pointing at Apple being in talks to build an electric car. Need we say more? On the other hand, Google has been testing its autonomous car since 2009. The driverless or self-driving car has been tested for millions of miles, so far. Technologies like IoT and Artificial Intelligence, penetration of Internet, rise and popularity of smartphones, cloud have all together contributed at believing tech and auto are in invincible part of each other. In the past, both Google and Apple, had put their best foot forward to get to drivers dashboards. We already have seen Android Auto and Apple Car Play, with interfaces echoing their respective OSes. From maps and navigation to audio streaming and messages, they bring it all. Probably, thats not enough! The idea could have always been starting with some in-built tech controls and then eventually building their own cars. On the other hand, auto makers are also looking to leverage on the mobile growth and bring some additional, lucrative features to attract audiences. Smart car investments have begun galore, be it Samsung, Baidu or Nokia. And, both Google and Apple want to ensure they get the biggest bite of the pie. In January 2014, Google along with partners Audi, GM, Honda, Hyundai and Nvidia, formed the Open Automotive Alliance, a coalition aimed at bringing the Android platform to the car. Google has formed a separate division for smart car under the Alphabet umbrella, and also plans to add more partners. Apple released Car Play at the Geneva International Motor Show the same year. While both have been active in the auto space since then, there is no denying that at the end the decision, to a great extent, relies on automotive manufacturers if they want to side with Google or Apple, or simply play their own terms. This clearly means the next battle is winged in the car as Google and Apple try to get to the driver's seat. hidden By Mishi Chowdhary The Internet creates new problems in competition policy, but they are not unprecedented. Traditional patterns of anti-competitive conduct recur, but the complexity and unfamiliarity of the technological details affords rich opportunities for obfuscation and confusion. In the current inquiry, two different problems, neither particularly intricate, have been conflated by Telecommunications and platform companies, seeking to avoid limitations on anti-competitive conduct who believe they benefit from the resulting confusion. The two problems, simple in themselves, are: 1. Should it be prohibited for a regulated telecommunications network operator to sell the traffic it carries for its low-income subscribers, in bulk, to a data-mining company for surveillance and analysis, which thereby achieves a competitive advantage in the sale of Internet-based advertising? If this practice should be forbidden as anti-competitive in general, is it legitimized by applying the purchase price of the packets to the subsidization of some fraction of the packet transmission involved, offering "partly-free" data service, at the data-miner's option, to the network operator's low-income subscribers? In simple words: FreeBasics by Facebook. 2. Should telecommunications network operators be common carriers, or should they be allowed to offer discriminatory pricing structures to favored operators of data services, including themselves or their business partners? Conflating these inquiries, and applying the gloriously indefinite, non-specific label of "network neutrality" to the combination, results in an uncertainty merely apparent, not real. Vast expenditures on public relations, including the best scholarly commentary money can buy, have created the confusion intended, but it is one to which no well-informed regulator need succumb. The greatest asset of the expert is firm grasp on the obvious, which is all we need confidently and correctly to resolve the issues posed. "Network neutrality," for present regulatory purposes, means neither more nor less than "rules prohibiting anti-competitive routing practices." The phrase denotes a regulatory conclusion, not an analytic category or a standard of review. Trai is presently asking for consultation on whether the behaviors described above involve anti-competitive practices in network routing that should be prohibited for their socially-undesirable effects on the market, what the US antitrust law calls "unreasonable restraint of trade." For different reasons, connected with their different anti-competitive effects in different markets, these two practices (which we can call for convenience "free basics" and "differential pricing") should be prohibited. Practice #1, the sale of packets for surveillance and analysis by third party "advertising platform companies" involves a routing step (the transmission of all traffic through the routing proxy of the data-miner) unnecessary to the technical completion of the interconnection service the customer buys. Any step in routing or retransmitting customer data unnecessary to the actual interconnection requested by the customer (to the particular endpoint address and port to which connection is sought) should be subjected to more stringent analysis in any situation. In this instance, the routing step of no functional value to the interconnection of endpoints enables the network operator and its data-mining business partner to capture the full value for advertising purposes of surveilling the customer. The network operator would be prohibited from spying on the customer in this fashion for its own profit: no one has argued or believes that this is an acceptable practice for a regulated operator. Competing operators of advertising placement businesses are excluded from the market, or face substantially higher barriers to entry, because of the collusion between the surveillance agent and the network operator. This anti-competitive effect is not negated by rebating a portion of the value to the network subscriber that makes some of the subscriber's packet traffic "free." This is a fixed price for the subscriber's valuable personal information, set by the collusion of the operator and the data-miner. We can expect the price to be substantially below the competitive price that would be paid in a free market for the right to spy on the customer. Naturally, this practice should be prohibited for additional reasons beyond its directly anti-competitive effect in leveraging the network operator's "natural" oligopoly in packet carriage into unrelated markets for personal data and advertising placement. The practice's noxious effects on personal privacy and network security, its particular implementation when nationally-regulated operators are selling citizens' data abroad to foreign corporate surveillance platforms, are independent reasons why prohibition should be imposed. But the nature of the anti-competitive effect in this situation is familiar from competition policy analysis in more traditional industries. In the US, for example, federal and state regulators overwhelmingly prohibited the telephone operating companies from owning the "Yellow Pages" business directories through which telephone subscribers located businesses by category, and where businesses bought display advertising. Even those that did not prohibit ownership of Yellow Pages by telephone operating companies would never have approved exclusive-dealing arrangements by which the phone company could pick and choose among potential publishers of Yellow Pages. The fact that the directories were provided at no cost to households, which was invariably the case, had no effect on that analysis. The second question, whether to permit discriminatory pricing of packets in the network for favored endpoints, is even simpler, despite all the lavish dancing to distract our eye. Packet-transmission is a form of transport business in which the number of units moved is astronomical and the marginal cost of moving each individual packet approaches zero. Any operator, therefore, can--if allowed to discriminate freely in the price charged per packet among potential transmitters and receivers--price any particular fraction of the immense volume it moves at zero. By eliminating cost of communication between businesses and customers in any market for digital goods or services, the network operator gains the power to pick winners and losers, for substantial periods, as it chooses. Obviously, whether the rules permit the operator to discriminate in favor of its own businesses is irrelevant: unless the network operators are common carriers, harms to competition are eventually inevitable. No party, no matter how audacious its taste in obfuscation, has ever asserted that vertical integration and price discrimination will *never* result in serious competitive harm. Instead, the expensive talent and fancy titles are employed to argue that in specific situations a wise regulator might discover occasional reasons why the dangers of such arrangements are absent or can be behaviorally confined. The cost of such a system, however, falls on the society and its regulators: the regulators must be committed to an indefinite series of complex reviews of individual deals, which the regulated parties evolve to make the task of the regulators as difficult and time-consuming as possible.^[Any acquaintance with the processes of merger approval or rule-making at the Federal Communications Commission in the United States, and the years of additional litigation that usually follow, shows the depths into which such regulators can be dragged.] Any failures of regulatory scrutiny are visited on society through the costs in diverse markets of collusion between some market participants and the transportation infrastructure providers. The alternative is to prohibit all such arrangements. This deprives society of some value, which accrues from the small number of arrangements facially suspect, but which a perfectly vigilant regulator with infinite resources for analysis and deliberation would have discovered to be justified exceptions to the general rule. Despite all the shaded rectangles in all the graphs in all the articles by the best and highest-priced "independent" scholars, there is little reason to believe that game is worth the candle. Blanket prohibition on vertical integration of telecommunications network infrastructure with "layer seven" services, and similarly broad prohibition on discriminatory or differential pricing--that is, the treatment of telecomms operators as common carriers--is a better and simpler solution. Some speculative welfare loss from over-regulation can be identified, more easily in theory than in reality. Vast harms otherwise difficult to reverse and productive of significant dangers to democracy, are cheaply and reliably avoided. Mishi Choudhary is Technology lawyer and Executive Director at SFLC.IN. Living in the great out there. Pennsylvania HSR is a blog that addresses restoring rail passenger service and creation of high speed rail passenger service for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and other states. Of great interest is the Keystone Corridor West (Pittsburgh to Harrisburg) and the Keystone Corridor East (Harrisburg to Philadelphia). This is the former mainline of the defunct Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) now owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railroad Company (NS) west and Amtrak east. Perendale Publishers Limited produces a range of services for the aquaculture industry as well as the global grain, feed and flour milling field. To find out more please visit: www.perendale.com Tk2.35b export orders received, Tk710m more over last yr Badrul Ahsan : The Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) 2016 concluded on Sunday with manufacturers receiving export orders worth Tk 2.35 billion, Tk 710 million more over the previous year. This was informed at the closing session of the month-long fair at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed attended the closing ceremony as the chief guest, while Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Commerce Tajul Islam Chowdhury, Senior Secretary of Commerce Ministry Hedayet Ullah Al Mamoon and President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Abdul Matlub Ahmad were the special guests. Vice-Chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Mafruha Sultana chaired the session that was attended by leaders of country's trade bodies, exhibitors and visitors. "We have been very successful in receiving export orders and concluding a successful event in all respects," said Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed at the fair's closing ceremony on Sunday. The minister stressed the importance of product diversification to attract foreign buyers, adding that the government, too, is working on this, by exploring new markets. Tofail assured that the fair, organised jointly by the Export Promotion Bureau and the Commerce Ministry every year at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar for the past 21 years, would soon be given a permanent venue complete with structures at Purbachol. "The fair provides a strong platform for the country's vendors," said Tajul Islam Chowdhury, chief of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Commerce. FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmad stressed the need for exploring new markets, while urging the government to designate a permanent venue for the fair. The country's biggest trade show that came to a close yesterday was meant to be an annual venue for local and a small group of foreign manufacturers to display a diverse array of products and help them network with overseas buyers. However, according to the organizers, a record amount of VAT has been collected during the fair although they could not give the exact figure of the collected amount. Meanwhile, manufacturers and traders from both home and abroad displayed their goods in a total of 553 stalls, pavilions and mini pavilions. Last year there were 497 stalls and pavilions in the DITF. According to fair organising committee, 56 stalls have been allotted to companies from 21 foreign countries. Huge arms and ammo recovered in Sherpur Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members in a drive recovered a huge cache of firearms and ammunition from Kalapani area in Bhurunga border area of Nalitabari upazila on Tuesday. Additional superintendent of police Abdul Warif said a team of Rab-5 detained four suspected people from Rajshahi on Sunday. According to their information, a team of the elite force conducted a drive in Bhurunga border area of Nalitabari upazila and recovered the arms and ammo in the morning. The operation is still on. Details of the haul will be disclosed later. -- Sherpur, Feb 1 (UNB) Over 10,000 migrant children missing: Europol Children pose as they wait with other migrants and refugees in line for a security check after crossing the Macedonian border. AFP, The Hague :Over 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children have disappeared in Europe, the EU police agency Europol said Sunday, fearing many have been whisked into sex trafficking rings or the slave trade.Europol's press office confirmed to AFP the figures published in British newspaper The Observer, adding that they covered the last 18-24 months.The agency's chief of staff Brian Donald said the vulnerable children had disappeared from the system after registering with state authorities following their arrival in Europe."It's not unreasonable to say that we're looking at 10,000-plus children," Donald said, adding that 5,000 had disappeared in Italy alone."Not all of them will be criminally exploited; some might have been passed on to family members. We just don't know where they are, what they're doing or whom they are with."Donald said there was evidence of a "criminal infrastructure" established over the last 18 months to exploit the migrant flow.The Observer reported that Europol found evidence of links between smuggling rings bringing people into the EU and human trafficking gangs exploiting migrants for sex and slavery."There are prisons in Germany and Hungary where the vast majority of people arrested and placed there are in relation to criminal activity surrounding the migrant crisis," Donald said.Over one million migrants and refugees, many fleeing the Syria conflict, crossed into Europe last year."Whether they are registered or not, we're talking about 270,000 children," Donald told the paper."Not all of those are unaccompanied, but we also have evidence that a large proportion might be," he said, adding that the 10,000 is likely to be a conservative estimate.He said many of the children are "visible", and not "spirited away and held in the middle of forests". Tareen pairs up with Mir Sabbir in Valentine`s Day play Sheikh Arif Bulbon :In last Eid-ul-Azha, popular TV actress Tareen worked with popular actor and director Mir Sabbir in a play titled Rataney Ratan Chiney. After a break of few months, they again worked together in a single episode play titled Meghhin Bhalobasha. Kona Reza wrote story of the play. Mehedi Bin Ashraf made its script and also gave its direction. Poly and Sadek have eight years old conjugal. Happy-sorrow and various aspects of their conjugal life revolve in the story of the play. Shooting of the play was wrapped up last week in a house in the citys Uttara area. While talking about the one-hour long play Meghhin Bhalobasha actor Mir Sabbir told this correspondent, Kona Apas written story is really outstanding. There was a huge scope to work in her play. My co-actress Tareen became a good friend of mine while working in the play. As a friend, she is really nice. She is so amicable and simple actress so that we could work successfully. I believe viewers will enjoy our acting in the play.Tareen shared her feelings by this way, It was my first work under Mehedi Bin Ashrafs direction. Though it was a Valentines Day play despite being sick I took part in shooting. I think after telecasting the play viewers will give their judgments.Meghhin Bhalobasha has been made to telecast on Channel i on February 14, Valentines Day, Kona Reza said.Meanwhile, after a break of three years, Tareen performed as a model in a TV commercial. Therefore, Tareens acting in a serial titled Ujan Ganger Naiya is being aired on ATN Bangla now. On the other hand, Mir Sabbir acted and directed a serial Noashal has already come into limelight among the viewers. For this reason, Sabbir now wants to continue this serial. In the middle of this month, he will again become busy with the shooting of this serial, Sabbir said. President for tapping Blue Economy potentials President Abdul Hamid on Monday advised Bangladesh Navy to utilize the potentials of Blue Economy with a view to accelerating the country's economic development. The President said this when newly appointed Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Mohammed Nizamuddin Ahmed made a courtesy call on the President at Bangabhaban here. During the meeting, President Hamid advised the navy chief to take necessary steps to remove river pollution, especially from the Buriganga river, President's Press Secretary Joynal Abedin told BSS. He hoped the development of Bangladesh Navy would continue during the tenure of the navy chief. Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed expressed gratitude to the President as he was made the navy chief. He said Bangladesh Navy would continue to make efforts for development of the country by exploiting the marine resources. The new navy chief sought the President's cooperation in discharging his duties. Secretaries concerned to the President were present. Suspension of air cargo to Australia bad for Bangladesh A NATIONAL daily reported on Monday that Bangladesh's export to Australia by air cargo remained suspended for more than a month following restrictions on security grounds causing huge losses mainly to readymade garment exports. Australia is a friendly country offering duty-free export to Bangladesh but the action has stunned many in the business circle as very harmful based on fear of explosive in cargo parcels that may endanger life and property at the airports. President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) quoted officials of two largest air courier service providers - DHL and FedEx as saying that the Australian authority has asked them not to carry any parcels from Bangladesh to Australia. This restriction has its origin visibly in attacks on foreign nationals in Bangladesh in September and October last year and terrorist attacks by Islamic militants in some other countries including France. He said there is no presence of Islamic State (IS) terrorists in Bangladesh, it is amply clear, except some home-grown militants who have no capacity to pose potential threat to Australian national security. He also said the Australian authority is not right in putting the name of Bangladesh with some terrorists infested countries like Somalia. Such outlook is totally unfair. As it appears, Bangladesh Foreign Ministry has so far failed to resolve the issue diplomatically with Canberra but we believe that more vigorous attempts must be made to convince Australia to review its decision. What appears hurting the most is that exporters can't send even samples to buyers to confirm new orders and the limit on cargo parcel at 500mg do not allow a small item to reach buyers. Sending samples by ship is time consuming. Australia is a growing export market for Bangladesh that Canberra facilitated by allowing duty-free export. Bangladesh's export stood at $605 millions in 2015. Nurturing this market now needs more sustained care and relentless efforts but the ongoing situation is not supportive any way to trade expansion. We believe even the Australian authorities may not mean it. But it is also true continued restrictions hurting our trade expansion. Bangladesh government should be active to protect its export business. We expect the government to assure Australia about security requirements for taking cargo by air. It is sad that though government talks big and asks foreign missions to facilitate export, but concerned people in Bangladesh seen not serious. The situation is continuing over a month. Translate Bangla literature for world readers Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurating the month-long Ekushey Boi Mela at the Bangla Academy premises on Monday. UNB, Dhaka : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday asked the authorities concerned for the translation of classical and well-selected Bangla literature works into different international languages to introduce the world readers with the ocean of Bangla literature. "I urge you for the translation of the vast classical and well-selected Bangla works of literature to take those to the world readers," she said. The Prime Minister was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair on the Bangla Academy premises. Noting that books for children are too inadequate, Sheikh Hasina said there should be more books for the country's future generation. "I think there's a necessity to publish more books for our children." Praising the Bangla Academy authorities for publishing brail books on Bangladesh's Liberation War history and its leaders for blind children, the Prime Minister said her government is also providing brail books free every year as part of countrywide distribution of free textbooks among students up to secondary level. Turning to the background of the 1952 Language Movement, she paid respects to the language martyrs, founders of Bangla Academy, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, four national leaders and Liberation War martyrs. She said, Amar Ekushey got government recognition when Awami League had assumed office in 1956 for the first time. The Prime Minister mentioned that the killing of Salam, Jabbar, Rafiq, Barkat and Shafiul was not only a blow to the pro-language movement but it was also to Bangali nationalism. Following the language movement, she said, the suppressed Bangali people staged Education Movement, Six-Point Demand, Mass Upsurge in 1969 and historic national assembly election in 1970 and finally the War of Liberation in 1971. Referring to the international recognition of Amar Ekushey, Hasina described her prompt action in 1999 to have the recognition of it as International Mother Language Day by Unesco. She said her government set up International Mother Language Institute and it got class-II status from Unesco, which has now taken initiatives to preserve various regional languages. The Prime Minister also lauded Bangla Academy for its efforts in this regard. She elaborated her government steps for the development of the Bangla Academy, including its infrastructure development, saying, "Amar Ekushey gives us the inspiration to move aheadBangladesh is advancing with its head high on the global stage." Bangla Academy Chairman and Professor Emeritus at Dhaka University Dr Anisuzzaman presided over the inaugural session, while Bangla Academy Director General Prof Shamsuzzaman Khan delivered the welcome speech. Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA) Richard Charkin, Publisher of Onno Prokash Mazharul Islam, British poet and poet Jibanananda Das' s translator Joe Winter, Czech writer-researcher Ribek Martin and Cultural Affairs Secretary Aktari Mamtaz also spoke on the occasion. The theme of this year's book fair is 'Diamond Jubilee of Bangla Academy' marking its 60 years. The fair will open at 3:00pm and continue till 8:00pm on working days, while from 11:00am to 8:00pm on holidays. The fair time was 2:30pm to 8:30pm last year. There will be a seminar at the main stage of the fair at 4:00pm every day from February 2 to 29. Like the previous year, the venue of the fair has been extended to nearby Suhrawardy Udyan. The authorities have allotted a total of 651 units - 111 at the Bangla Academy ground to 82 organisatons and 540 to 320 organisations at Suhrawardy Udyan. Besides, 15 pavilions have been allocated for 14 publishing houses, including Bangla Academy. A four-tier security has been arranged for the fair and there will be enough lighting in and around the venue as the spot where blogger Avijit Roy was killed last year had the shadows of darkness. Special security will be provided to writers, bogglers and publishers if they feel insecure during the Ekushey Fook Fair, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia. A total of 200 CC cameras and nine watchtowers have been set up at the fair venue from where security personnel will observe the fair activities with binoculars. First freely elected Myanmar parliament opens Aung San Suu Kyi along with hundreds of newly elected NLD party MPs entering the first opening session and the parliament on Monday.Internet photo The first freely elected parliament in Myanmar for 50 years has held its opening session. Hundreds of new MPs, mostly from the National League for Democracy (NLD) but also some smaller parties, have been sworn and taken their seats. The NLD, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won 80% of contested seats in November's historic election. But a quarter of all seats are reserved for the military, which also retains control of key ministries. One of the new parliament's first jobs will be to choose a new president when outgoing leader Thein Sein steps down at the end of March. Ms Suu Kyi, who spent 15 years under house arrest under the former military government, cannot take the top job. A clause in the constitution which was widely seen as specifically targeting her says anyone whose children are foreign cannot be president. Her sons are British not Burmese. She has been very clear, however, that she intends to run Myanmar anyway, saying she would be "above the president". Ms Suu Kyi, who has not named a possible candidate, did not speak to reporters as she entered the building. But NLD MP Nyein Thit told the AFP news agency: "We will work to get human rights and democracy as well as peace." Another NLD MP, Khin Maung Myint, told Associated Press: "I never imagined that our party would be able to form the government. Even the public didn't think we could have an NLD government. But now it is like a shock to us and to the world too." Lama Naw Aung, an MP for the minority Kachin State Democracy Party, said a seat in parliament was "a good opportunity for us to speak out for the ethnic people and demand indigenous rights", AP reports. For most of the last 20 years Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD has been treated as the enemy here, its activities suppressed and its leaders jailed. Now hundreds of them are being sworn in as MPs. Even when the 25% of army-appointed representatives are included the NLD still have a majority. The identity of the country's next president is still a closely guarded secret. For it to be Ms Suu Kyi there would have to be an incredible last-minute deal and constitutional change. Most likely it will be one of her most trusted confidantes, possibly her doctor. The parliament in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, began its session by electing NLD stalwart U Win Myint as Speaker of the lower house, as expected. U Ti Khun Myat of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party was voted in as his deputy. The transition from military-only rule will go on until the NLD government officially starts its term in April. The army overthrew the last democratically elected parliament in 1962. SSC exams begin 6,826 didn't turn up: 2 invigilators and 5 examinees suspended on 1st day M M Jasim :The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent examinations began under ten education boards on Monday. Meanwhile, at least 6,826 students were absent and five students and two invigilators were suspended due to irregularities in the examination halls on the first day of the examinations. No report of question paper leakage was found. A total of 16,44, 697 students out of 16,51,523 appeared in the examinations. Of the absent students, 847 in Dhaka Board, 423 in Jessore, 421 in Rajshahi, 510 in Comilla, 279 in Chittagong, 252 in Sylhet, 250 in Barisal, 306 in Dinajpur, 2,597 in Madrasah and 941 in Technical Board. For the first time, students this year answered the multiple choice questions (MCQ) first, followed by the creative or written part. Students with disabilities got 20 extra minutes to complete the examinations with the help of their scribes.For the first time, seven examinees with autism appeared in the SSC examination this year.Meanwhile, the Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid has dismissed possibilities of question paper leakage during this year's Secondary School Certificate and equivalent examinations. "We have taken adequate measures, so we are hopeful that it won't be possible to leak question papers," said the minister while visiting an examination centre at Tejgaon Government Girls' School in the morning.He also asked the parents not to give any attention to rumours of question paper leaks in Facebook and other social media platforms, saying now it is quite impossible to leak questions of SSC examinations using any online platforms. "If any person tries to leak question papers through Facebook and other social media, the BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission) will take proper action," he said.The education minister urged the teachers to be more responsible in evaluating answer sheets. "We are not under any pressure over low success rates. Give them the points they actually deserve. Do not give them more or less than that." "They will have to face actions if they do not do their job properly." Fear of social stigma costs life of a newborn Staff Reporter : A teenage mother tried to kill her new born baby boy - who was only minutes old - by throwing him from a sixth-floor balcony because she feared adverse social reaction of the unsocial birth, officials said. It was really miracle! Beauty Begum's naked and bloody baby boy was still breathing when police rescued the victim from the sunshade of a first floor apartment at Bailey Road under Ramna Police Station in the city on Monday morning. The infant was fighting for survival lying in the bed of Ad-din Hospital in Mogbazar area till the time of filing this report last night. On the other hand, the mother Beauty Begum was sent by police to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) for recovery. Raman police said Beauty, 15, daughter of Abu Bakkar, had been working as housemaid in the residence of Azmal Hoque at sixth-floor of Property Housing at Bailey Road since last nine years. When contacted, Sub Inspector of Ramna Police Station Aminul Islam told The New Nation last night, "The woman [Beauty] tried to kill her newborn baby throwing him from the sixth-floor of an apartment. The teenaged mother became pregnant being allegedly raped by her elder sister's husband when she visited Comilla last year." Police said they would conduct an investigation to unearth the mystery behind the incident. Amar Ekushey Boi Mela begins Abir Rayhan : The month-long Amar Ekushey Boi Mela-2016 began on the Bangla Academy premises and in a portion of Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital amid tight security on Monday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country's largest book festival, commemorating the Language Movement of 1952. She later visited several stalls on the fair premises after the formal inauguration. As soon as the Prime Minister left the fair venue, people from all walks of life, especially students and young men and women, started thronging Bangla Academy premises. The whole area of Dhaka University campus, particularly Curzon Hall, TSC and Suhrawardy Udyan, wore a festive mood as booklovers thronged the venue to collect new books. Many people became happy soon after getting new books. Many of them were seen smelling the books as their favourite writers have written those. "I am very happy because I have waited for the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela. I always buy many books from the Mela. I have also bought two books on the opening day," Nabila Akhter, a student of Economics Department of Dhaka University, told The New Nation on Monday. The authorities have allotted a total of 651 stalls - 111 at the Bangla Academy ground to 82 organisatons and 540 at Suhrawardy Udyan to 320 organisations. Besides, 15 pavilions have been allocated for 14 publishing houses, including Bangla Academy. Many of the publishers were seen to prepare their stalls to attract the book lovers. Nasir Uddin Ahmed Selim, Publisher of Kakoli Prokashoni, told The New Nation that this year's Boi Mela would be fruitful as the preparations of Bangla Academy authorities and publishers are effective than the previous years. Highest security measures have been taken in and around the venue of Ekushey Boi Mela to avert any untoward incident. Besides, arraignment of enough lighting in and around the fair venue has also been made this year. As the spot where Blogger Avijit Roy was killed last year had the shadow of darkness. A discussion titled "Bangla Academir Hirokjoyanti: Bangla Academike Ferey Dekha" will be held on the main podium of the academy today (Tuesday) at 4:00pm. Md Abdul Quiyum will preside over the discussion while Shafiul Alam will present the keynote paper. Fazlay Rabbi, Azizur Rahman Aziz, Begum Akhter Kamal and Mohit Kamal will be present there as the discussants. A fascinating cultural festival will be held in the evening. Girl raped in Gazipur Our Correspondent : A-12-year-old schoolgirl has reportedly been raped at Dhanua village of Sreepur upazila in Gazipur. Police arrested one of the accused, Masud Rana, 16, on Monday morning, a day after the incident took place. Victim's brother filed a case with Sreepur police station against Masud Rana and his accomplice Uzzal, 26, reports our Gazipur Correspondent. According to the case statement, Masud and his accomplice Uzzal intercepted the victim on her way back home from school on Sunday morning.Later, Masud dragged her to a nearby house with the help of Uzzal and raped her. The brother of the victim told The New Nation that her sister was regularly stalked and harassed by Masud. He said: "We asked him to stop harassing my sister several times but he paid no heed." Officer-in Charge of Sreepur Police Station Hafizur Rahman said the victim has been sent to Gazipur Shaheed Taj Uddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital for medical check-up. Is abducted banker still alive? Police in the dark Joynal Abedin Khan with Rajshahi Correspondent : Police still in the dark about the kidnapping case of Akhtaruzzaman Kochi prompting many to ponder whether he is alive or not. Kochi, a suspended Senior Assistant Vice-President of Exim Bank's Rajshahi branch, was abducted by a gang of unidentified miscreants in front of a tea stall at Sultanabad in Rajshahi on January 21. Six unidentified miscreants picked up him in a micro-bus at noon when he was taking tea there, according the case statement filed with Boalia Police Station. The case was filed by victim's father Afsaruddin."So long, we had faith in police that they would find him out. But nothing happened even after ten days of his abduction," said victim's wife Shamima Zaman while speaking at a demonstrations on Monday. Busting into tears, Shamima said, "We are feeling insecure following the incident as it took place in broad daylight. Even the police department is yet to make any headway in the abduction case making my family helpless." She also sought Prime Minister's intervention to rescue her husband immediately. The demonstration was held in front of the Senate Building at the Rajshahi University in the morning organized by students of the Business Studies Department in the morning. Several hundred students, senior teachers and staff took part in the demonstration demanding immediate rescue of Kochi. They expressed fear that he may be dead. "He is missing for so many days. I doubt whether his captors have kept him alive," said a student of the varsity. "Police are not sincere to rescue Kochi leading us to utter frustration," said another student. The protesters also demanded the arrest of the culprits and sought the intervention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to rescue the victim. Amzad Hossain, Dean of Business Studies Department, also spoke at the protest rally. "We have taken the issue seriously and trying to gather information from various sources to make headway in the abduction case," AKM Nahidul Islam, Deputy Commissioner (West) of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) told The New Nation on Monday night. He said: "Drives are on to rescue Kochi." The RMP official expressed his hope that the victim will be rescued soon. When asked, Nahidul Islam said, the incident might be committed following dispute over loan distribution. "We are trying to gather information regarding the matter and whether he had enmity with someone in loan disbursement," he added. Admitting the incident, Shahadat Hossain Khan, Officer-in-charge of Boalia Police Station, said, "Police are investigating the incident. A team was assigned to find Kochi out." This post is a bit of a cheat because it is the same one posted a few days ago. The reason why I am doing this is because after re-read... . 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 The Gay Courier has been established to provide news, information and info on, from and about the gay community, and other social events and happenings from around the world, from all sorts of sources, to all who are interested in this news, information and info! The postings are as is, and all copyrights and or ownerships are and remain with the original copyright-holder and or owner! 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. Were here to get comments. We cant say if it can change, Stantec associate Gary Heitman told Bruce Conque, whom Heitman probably didnt realize was a newly elected Lafayette City-Parish councilman. Gary Heitman of Stantec Consulting Photo by Robin May Were here to get comments. We cant say if it can change, Stantec associate Gary Heitman told Bruce Conque, whom Heitman probably didnt realize was a newly elected Lafayette City-Parish councilman. Conque, flying incognito in a breakout seminar of the state Department of Transportation and Developments Jan. 23 Vision and Values Workshop at the Progressive Outreach Center, had asked if the land gobbling interchanges planned for the I-49 Connectors crossings at Second/Third Street and Johnston Street could instead be slip lanes or half-interchanges, thereby reducing physical impact and integrating more harmoniously with the surrounding neighborhoods. The Second Street interchange, as currently designed, would reportedly consume 32 acres of land and impose 2,100 feet of concrete morass for pedestrians to cross. Some workshop attendees took the exercise as an opportunity to fight the Connector altogether. Photo by Robin May While Heitman didnt exactly dismiss Conques idea, his terse response stopped the momentary diversion of his Path To Progress presentation, an overview of the Connectors snaking alignment, and returned the proceedings to script. Thirty minutes is not a lot of time to explain a divisive highway project to a room full of leering skeptics. He resumed the monotone of his presentation, slowly gesturing to the bends, heights and intersections of the proposed freeway from its starting point at I-10 to its terminus by the Lafayette Regional Airport. The workshops three brisk seminars, run by professionals associated with DOTD-contracted consultants Stantec and AECOM, were among the most intimate interactions between the public and the Connectors shepherds to date. But the presentations and input exercises imposed a rigidity to the curriculum that left attendees, many of whom walked in expecting to be disappointed, unconvinced that this was more than show and tell. Billed as a public input session, attendees often seemed too busy learning to formulate substantive questions that would generate the sort of existential data the words vision and value conjure. It was in that same Pathway workshop that Conque, and several others around him, heard for the first time of a neargrade earthen berm set to straddle the Jefferson Street underpass with 11 feet of compacted dirt. The structure gave him, and others in his rotating break-out group, considerable pause. Prior to the workshop, Conques concept of the Connectors basic urban overlay was a highway elevated from Taft Street to Willow Street. That a barrier or a nice retaining wall as Heitman put it would separate Downtown from the neighborhoods east of the Connectors Evangeline Thruway alignment negates the potential connectivity that DOTD and its private contractors have touted as one of the projects major benefits. If you have a berm at the point, youre effectively separating the Downtown area from the neighborhood across the track, Conque told The Independent in a phone interview. I thought this was about connecting Downtown with that area. That berm sparked a brief roundtable of Connector engineers and concerned citizens, who were otherwise distracted affixing sticky notes with their thoughts to a map of the Connectors alignment. I was concerned about dividing the community in the first place, longtime Connector opponent Sally Donlon told us at the workshop. I noticed in the pictures of [elevated freeways in] Austin they cleared out the homeless people for the pictures underneath. This [retaining wall] is stunning. This could be a wall for three blocks where people cant even see each other. Sally Donlon, center, listens to a workshop presentation. Photo by Robin May In a breakout session covering the history of the Connectors environmental studies, erstwhile students were asked to prioritize mitigation commitments enshrined in the projects 2003 Record of Decision. Check the green box if you think water quality is most important, check the red one if you think signage is least important, and so on. Not surprisingly, analysis of that input by the Connector team later showed that folks ranked protecting the Chicot Aquifer, Lafayettes source of drinking water, as the most important commitment in the Record of Decision. A seminar on bridge design showed pictures of crawfish or accordion-inspired bridge pylons designed by an eminent architect from the United Kingdom. (Data collected showed folks really didnt like those options.) What was ostensibly a presentation of design elements for a so-called signature bridge concept included slide after slide of cable-stayed bridges soaring over water with gaps 10 feet and greater between spans. Meanwhile, the bridge, as currently conceived, sits 22 feet above land with a gap of 1.5 feet between spans to accommodate six lanes of traffic. The three-hour summit culminated with all 200 some-odd attendees reconvening in the main hall to participate in a Placemaking visual preference survey of design elements. Towering screens flashed design options for multimodal transportation, intersections, lighting, pedestrian traffic integration and public art, among other constituent design elements. Participants were instructed to vote their preference on a five-point scale via smart phone or paper ballot. Many openly questioned the use of such an exercise. Others were confused if they were voting for adding the elements depicted to the Connectors design, or simply indicating general preference. Its the difference between saying, I would like to add a bike lane to the Connector and I like bikes. Still others saw no connection between what was shown and what they understood to be possible in Lafayette. What was given to me as a choice just simply does not fit the neighborhood that I know, Freetown resident Marcella Peron told The IND, refering to the various slides she saw in the exercise, particularly those of bridges over water. I learned that theyre more full of shit than I thought. Workshop attendees participate in a Pathway to Progress exercise while Stantec's Gary Heitman, left, looks on. Photo by Robin May A basic mistrust has dogged the Connector since the studies for the projects Environmental Impact Statement began in the late 1980s. Following a Sierra Clubsponsored forum in December, which condensed that cloud into a punch in the nose, the Connector partners announced that five more months of outreach would be added to the $21 million, 18-month Context Sensitive Solutions schedule. Officials with DOTD have not confirmed if the schedule change has altered the scope or length of their consultants contracts, but its a good bet that more time will mean more money spent. Some of what DOTD and its partners need to suss out, at least in terms of public messaging, is how to convey the range of flexibility in the Connectors most fundamental design elements. At a Community Work Group meeting a few days after the workshop, John McNamara, vice president for DOTD consultant AECOM, left the possibility of removing or redesigning interchanges decidedly on the table. The priority of that future discussion was generated from feedback data collected at the workshop. No doubt had Stantecs Hetiman felt able to supply that answer to Conque at the earlier workshop, the exchange would have sent a different message to the councilman and the public around him. McNamara spoke at length at the Community Work Group meeting of the need for the Connector to stitch neighborhoods back together, a laudable and culturally sensitive goal. But candor like that has yet to be on display in larger, more hostile public events. While the workshop proved valuable as an informational tool, attendees still walked away feeling stonewalled and faced with the Connector as an inevitability. Much of that was due to the rigidity of the workshops agenda. With only 54 percent of attendees reportedly satisfied with the workshop according to DOTDs data, the Connector team has a long way to go to convince the public of its good intentions. When people walk into a room expecting to get railroaded and see tracks, its hard to convince them a train isnt coming. DOTD will host more public workshops later in the year. In the meantime, meetings of the Community Work Group and the Technical Advisory Committee are open to public observation and take place roughly once a month. You can find a schedule of events by visiting lafayetteconnector.com. Click here to see more photos from the workshop. When Lee Michael Berg opened his first store in Baton Rouge in 1978 he wanted to bring fine jewelry home. He wanted to build a store that allowed customers to find brands and pieces once only available to those who traveled. As his son, Scott, gives a tour of the companys new 5,000-plus square-foot free-standing store on Ambassador Caffery in front of Whole Foods, the mission remains the same. You dont have to leave your city to find jewelry or fashion, he says just feet from a Rolex corner display and across from luxury lines like Roberto Coin and Marco Bicego. One example of how the new store brings home those beloved national lines is the stunning David Yurman display that feels like a store within a store. Its a space that looks both uniquely Yurman and still Lee Michaels. A tour of the store covers a variety of pieces from Louisiana-themed wares priced less than $100 to glamorous mammoth gem stones in bright colors, and rows and rows of hand-selected diamonds. But, at the essence of the store, Scott says, is not the jewelry itself. At the end of the day we talk about the beauty of the store and the jewelry. But, it boils down to people, Scott says. Its Kim (store manager Kim Henry) and her team that make it what it is. Its building relationships and building experiences. Dark Roux owner/cheft Ryan Trahan garnishes a plate of Kung Pao chicken. Photos by Robin May Walking into Dark Rouxs dim sum pop-up in January, I was at least casually familiar with the Chinese dining style a cacophony of small plates, roughly analogous to Spanish tapas yet the vegetable austerity of the menu had me cocksure that an entire chefs menu would be no match for my appetite, especially with the aid of three dining pals. Surely 18 some-odd sundries of spicy tofu, fermented bok choy, garlic pastes, sauces sweet and sour, rice, noodles, soup, pork, shrimp and crab Rangoon couldnt be more than four erstwhile adult appetites could handle. Were Americans for Gods sake. We crush nations with our discarded pizza boxes. Suffice it to say that Avant-Garde, as Dark Roux honchos Ryan Trahan and Corey Bourgeois call their series of globetrotting pop-up restaurant transformations, presented that anomalously cold evening a dining event true to the spirit of Chinese medieval torture methods. Dim sum partaken with such typical American hubris joins lingchi death by a thousand cuts and Chinese water torture in the pantheon of gradualist execution methods. (Side note: In researching this article, I learned that the Chinese probably did not invent water torture. From what I read, water torture was a punitive technique found mostly in Europe. They called it Chinese to add to the concept a sense of deviousness and mystery. That may color our proceedings here with some unexorcized racism.) To call it torture has nothing to do with the quality of fare provided by Trahan, Bourgeois and their guest executioner Mary Patout, of Mary Mary Markets. Quite simply, the food was decadently good, the presentation effortlessly attractive and the service fast and courteous. In that sense, it was the opposite of torture: pleasant, efficient and humane. But by ordering and summarily devouring a legion of tiny plates, we appointed gluttony our jailor. To be honest, the last half of the dinner is a black out. There could be a mild sedative in bok choy or Singapore noodles that Uncle Sam and the jerks at Big Pharma are hiding from us. Through the haze, my memory of it all pivots on fried trout collar. The outside batter formed a salty and crunchy seal for the white flaky morsels inside. I took perverse pleasure in pinching off bites with my chopsticks and dipping them in a stray saucer of what appeared to be ponzu. I dip liberally. Working backward from there, the first half of the course was an exercise in balanced and harnessed acidity, as well as a painful reminder that Chinese cuisine of this caliber is sorely lacking in Lafayette. Theres real discipline in balancing spice and fermentation in a sauce that allows the inherent crunch and sweetness of Chinese vegetables to be retained. Sauce can be decoration or sauce can be a cover up. An early favorite was the garlic and chili bok choy with spicy tofu. On any given night, I could get through 80 percent of the previous dish/sentence sweating with anticipation, only to be deflated by the specter of tofu. But when Patout makes the soy cubes, they pop with a dense and porous texture that sponges lingering chili brine into its essence. Not being that familiar with traditional dim sum, I cant say if the dinner was in any sense authentic, though, from dish to dish, the flavors proved conventional and familiar enough to appeal to anyone whos tried a Chinese buffet, which I assume means everyone in the world. Dont get me wrong, Dark Rouxs dim sum and your average Chinese buffet have about as much in common as a Tamagotchi game and an actual baby. Use context clues, youll figure out what that means. By dinners end, I begged for mercy. Eighteen plates in and I had my comeuppance at a bargain price. Tragically, the torture was replaced with one far more profound the knowledge that a dim sum restaurant could work so well in this town, and yet one doesnt already exist. From the ceremony marking his residency in the plaza in April 1922 until some time in the late 1930s, when a new City Hall was built 20 yards away, Alfred faced slightly northeast his marble arms crossed defiantly and his visage resolute as he... Photo by Robin May Let's talk about the general. Jean Jacques Alfred Alexandre Mouton Alfred, as he was known by contemporaries. He has stood as a sentinel at one of Downtown Lafayettes gateways in a triangular plaza at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Lee Avenue for 94 years. Most residents in Lafayette for whom Downtown is a faraway place have probably never laid eyes on him outside of photos. From the ceremony marking his residency in the plaza in April 1922 until some time in the late 1930s, when a new City Hall was built 20 yards away, Alfred faced slightly northeast his marble arms crossed defiantly and his visage resolute as he stood, swathed in the uniform of a Confederate general, gazing in the direction from which came the Union armies. After City Hall was built he was turned 180 or so degrees. Secondary statuary, that look in old photos like pedestals awaiting future Confederate figures, were removed. Most of us in his daily proximity Downtown, especially the melanin-deficient, pay Alfred little accord. But not everyone. What makes our country great is our ability to evolve, says Greg Davis, the longtime director of the Cajundome and a public education activist. This Confederate monument further inhibits our ability to reconcile the past. In January, Davis, who is black and whose parents lived through the toxic dregs of Jim Crow in rural southeast Louisiana, sent a letter to the chairman of the City-Parish Council requesting a public discussion on Feb. 23 three quarters into Black History Month about Alfred. Its a topic that, before the murders of nine black parishioners in Charleston, S.C., and the roiling self-examination of Confederate iconography across the South that followed, was a non-starter: Move the general. Not destroying him. Not banishing him to the moldering shadows of a warehouse. Simply moving him three blocks away to the grounds of the Lafayette Museum, also known as the Mouton House the home of Alfreds father, former Louisiana Gov. Alexandre Mouton, himself the son of Jean Mouton, the founder of Lafayette (nee Vermilionville). (Jean Mouton came to Louisiana with the original Acadians expelled by the British from Canada in the mid-1700s; the Mouton name is as deeply and genuinely Cajun as they get.) I remember the pervasiveness of Jim Crow in every segment of ordinary life that drilled in me and my siblings the concept of white supremacy and therefore black inferiority, Davis writes in his letter to the council. I was conditioned to hate myself simply because of the color of my skin. I actually thought that people like me were less than human. Racism is that sick. PLACE-MAKING Photo by Robin May The discussion on Alfred really commenced in Lafayette in December when the Downtown Development Authority, whose office is in the old City Hall behind the Gen. Mouton monument, held a public meeting in Alfreds shadow concerning plans to renovate what DDA has dubbed Place Mouton. Davis attended that meeting, as did about 70 others, most of them with concerns about pulling up the grass in the plaza and covering it with a hard surface. Also present were representatives of a Facebook group called Why Alfred, which is advocating for moving the monument. We can find a better symbol to represent our community, such as a statue of Alfreds grandfather, Jean Mouton, the actual founder of the city, writes Why Alfred representative Frank Crocco in his own letter to the council. I am not suggesting that the General Alfred Mouton Monument be destroyed, merely that it be moved to a more appropriate location. Davis and Crocco met with the DDA board in early January to ask that the agency not commence renovations on the plaza until the disposition of the monument is settled. DDA Marketing Director Kate Durio says the agency has no official position on the monument but that, regardless, work on the site wouldnt commence until well after the Feb. 23 council meeting. Since the beginning of that planning process, there have been no plans to move the statute, but the design accommodates keeping the statute or replacing it with another statute, a water feature, a piece of art or anything else decided, Durio says. BIO...DEGRADABLE To the extent there was leisure in the 19th century, Alfred was a son of it. Born in Opelousas in 1829, he was educated at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, then the premier center of learning in what we now call Acadiana. His familys plantation wealth and connections got him into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he graduated 38th among 44 cadets in 1850, a relatively poor performance likely due more to his imperfect command of English than to his study habits. His father, Alexandre, operated one of the largest sugar plantations in Louisiana Ile Copal, located where LeRosen Elementary stands today at the Pinhook-Evangeline Thruway intersection. Thousands of acres of sugar cane spread out to the northwest over what is now the Freetown-Port Rico neighborhood. Slaves, hundreds of them, worked the fields. A 1925 aerial photo of the General Mouton memorial Downtown shows secondary statuary at the site, possibly pedestals for more Confederate figures, although no one seems to recall what they were. The photo obviously predates construction of Lafayette City Hall and the now-former federal courthouse, both of which stand today on the block. A well-worn path from the memorial site to the long-ago razed Central School suggests the monument served as an assembly or commons area for the school. Close examination of the photo shows that the statue of Mouton originally faced northeast but was later turned 180 degrees, likely when City Hall was built in the late 1930s. After West Point, Mouton worked for a time as an engineer for the railroad and as an officer in the state militia. He also led the Lafayette Parish Police Jury, overseeing an aggressive expansion of the Code Noir, or Black Code, that governed and severely limited the movement and assembly of blacks. In addition to operating his own slave-labored plantation adjacent to his fathers, Mouton led an armed, roving cavalry of vigilantes that exacted rough justice on anyone, black or white, deemed unlawful or undesirable. We dont know if he was noble, outside of his station as a member of a patrician planter family. But Alfred Mouton was most certainly brave. He resigned his West Point commission at the outbreak of the Civil War, led the 18th Louisiana Infantry as a colonel into battle at Shiloh where he was wounded, convalesced in New Orleans, was promoted to brigadier general and died in battle at Mansfield in 1864, picked off by a Union sniper. He was 35 years old. Ten years after his death, his remains were moved from Mansfield in North Louisiana to St. John Cemetery behind the cathedral in Lafayette. A Sons of Confederate Veterans chapter in Opelousas is named for him. It has a monument to Alfred, too. SINS OF THE FATHER Photo by Robin May In ginning up support for moving Alfred from the plaza to his ancestral home and out of a place of public reverence some, like the Why Alfred group on Facebook, often point to his slave ownership, his command in the Confederacy and his association with antebellum vigilantism, a phenomenon that after the war would evolve into groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Thats well and good, but even progressiveminded folks like musician-activist-cultural preservationist Zachary Richard have misgivings about this approach. Its difficult for me to accept the imposition of a social point of view on a different time period, Richard says. I cant pretend to judge the motivations of the people who actually erected the statue. Richard, who holds a bachelors degree in history from Tulane, has advocated for addition rather than subtraction, calling for the placement of a monument to zydeco trailblazer Clifton Chenier in Downtown Lafayette. If were going to address the real problem, its not about removing a statue, its about trying to eradicate racism, Richard continues. So, what I would respectfully suggest, rather than spending a dollar on moving a statue that probably has little significance for a majority of the people, I would much prefer that we devote the same amount of energy and resources to programs which would help under-privileged children in Lafayette, for example; or do something to address the problems of racism that persist in our society. Can we do both? Can we place Alfred in proper context, either by moving his memorial or providing context at the current location, and still work toward tangible improvements in the wealth and health of our black neighborhoods? LAST GASP OF THE LOST CAUSE Some will never be swayed; they greet any suggestion that Alfred or any Confederate iconography for that matter be cast from the public sphere with disdain, often a disdain cloaked in the robes of a scholar. John Francois, a Navy veteran and author of historical novels about Cajun Confederates, sniffs at the prospect of removing Confederate monuments from public spaces. Hes even given the phenomenon a name Latter-day Reconstruction Fever and argues its the by-product of historical ignorance and political correctness. There are those who firmly and ignorantly believe that the South fought a terribly devastating war for four long years, losing hundreds of thousands of their best and brightest, all in order to maintain the institution of slavery, Francois says. Rather, this war, this Cause, was fought by the South because armed invaders were sent by an oppressive, northern-controlled government which denied the right of sovereign states to peacefully break away and form their own government, just as the 13 original colonies did. And there you have it, folks: the Lost Cause in 100 words or less. (The Lost Cause is a term given by historians to the myth-making that swept the Deep South in the decades after the Civil War in which white Southerners downplayed slaverys role in the war, reframing the conflict as a noble struggle for sovereignty expressed in hundreds of public monuments to Confederate figures.) Francois hits most of the points their best and brightest, Cause with a capital C, armed invaders, oppressive, northern-controlled government, sovereign states, equating the Confederacy with the Founding Fathers. In the secession statements filed by the 13 state legislatures that would comprise the Confederacy, slavery or the states right to maintain it is almost universally cited as the compelling reason for dissolving the Union. Mississippis begins, after a short preamble, Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery. Texas emphasizes the importance of maintaining and protecting the institution known as negro slavery. Georgias statement makes reference to the political and social inequality of the African race. And so on and so forth. As LSU history Professor Gaines Foster wrote in 2013: The refusal to confront the evil of slavery or acknowledge any role for it in the conflict contributed to making the cause more honorable. By claiming that the South did not fight to preserve slavery, white southerners also tried to deny the Confederacys defeat any role in justifying racial change. Indeed, the Lost Cause served an opposite function: it helped preserve white supremacy. Most scholars who have studied the white Souths memory of the Civil War or the Old South conclude that both portrayed a past society in which whites were in charge and blacks faithful and subservient. Here, as in so many ways, the vision of the past served as a model for the present and future. Which brings us to April 1922. Why Alfred indeed? What is the context for the United Daughters of the Confederacy celebrating Gen. Alfred Mouton with a monument in what was a prominent intersection in Lafayette nearly 60 years after his death? John Francois and many others have their own ideas, but the words of a Mrs. Youree of the UDC, as quoted by The Daily Advertiser in a day-after report on the unveiling, are telling: In honoring General Mouton we are honoring ourselves, for we are today perpetuating the very best that has been achieved by our great and truly noble Southern race. It is impossible to imagine black folks in that spring of Jim Crow being present at the unveiling, much less believing those words were in any way directed at them. The more we peel away the layers, who Alfred Mouton was matters less. What is important is the context in which the monument came to exist. It isnt hard to separate the man and his monument from the myth, but that was never the point: The monument is the myth. Like all the other memorials that were erected across the Old South in the five or so decades after the Civil War, overlapping the lives of the wars veterans who would have been in their mid 70s by the 1920s, the Mouton monument gave expression to this mythology of the Lost Cause and its white supremacist underpinnings. His memorial came late to the place-making of Southern mythology, a phenomenon that mostly petered out by the Great Depression. Our marble Alfred in this context is a last gasp of the Lost Cause. Lets retire it to his fathers house. Click here to see more images of the monument. Click here for a Mouton's perspective. A simple blood test at birth is what stands in the way of a death sentence for children like Anniston Bazar. The Lafayette 2-year-old diagnosed with Krabbe disease after a series of ambiguous symptoms, which began in her first few months of life, has already outlived the average child with Krabbe. The doctors told us she may not live until 2, says her mother, Reesa Bazar. They didnt really know much about it or treatment because its so rare. In fact, Bazar is the one who pushed vehemently for her daughter to be tested for the disease that affects one in 100,000 people in the U.S. after recalling her own cousin who had the inherited disorder that destroys the protective coating of nerve cells in the brain and throughout the nervous system. There is no cure for Krabbe, whose signs mimic other diseases and disorders. The most effective treatment is simple, but there is a catch it must happen before the first symptoms arise. And the majority of signs appear before 6 months of age. If infants are tested early they can then receive a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, which Bazar explains is similar to having an IV and is not painful or invasive to the child. Once the symptoms are there, its usually too late, Bazar says. Too much damage has been done. Such was the case for Anniston. At 5 months old she was screaming all day. They said maybe its reflux, and we tried everything. They did CT scans to ease our minds. There was nothing alarming. We finally went to New Orleans [Childrens Hospital], and they basically laughed at me when I asked about Krabbe. I knew something was wrong. She had legs that were stiff and fists clinched. She quit nursing because they lose the ability to suck. After 14 days there they finally tested her, Bazar says. The results of the test were clear. Her daughter had Krabbe, which meant both she and her husband (unbeknownst to them) were carriers. They have two other healthy children, both of whom will soon be tested because there is a later onset Krabbe as well. The Bazars are now on a mission to raise awareness about Krabbe and the one way to prevent the kind of outcome Anniston is likely to face. In March, Annistons Act will be presented in the Louisiana House of Representatives to test infants for the disease. The greatest cost to the state for the new measure would be the lab required to do the testing, which Bazar says has a price tag of $2 million. It may cost $2 million to build the lab, but it costs just $6 per kid for testing, and when you think about it, our daughter has already cost the state close to a million dollars because of hospital stays and surgery, she says. There are few (if any) local resources for Annistons treatment. The Bazars travel every six months to Pittsburgh, where doctors have been studying Krabbe for 16 years. The journey to treat Annistons symptoms began with good old-fashioned Google research by the Bazars, and today Reesa Bazar is on a mission to spread not only awareness about Krabbe and the legislation they hope to pass, but about the value of life, as well. I was so depressed at first I couldnt speak about her. I just wanted to shut the door. When they told me I was bawling my eyes out and holding my baby, Bazar says. I would beg God for a miracle, and now I realize she is the miracle. She will change peoples lives whether shes here for four years or 24 or 44 years. She will make a difference. You have to start looking at your life differently. Bazar speaks at local schools and to civic groups wherever theyll take her, she says, wherever she can speak about how every life matters. People look at her. Shes artificially fed. She cant speak. Yet she has touched thousands of lives. How can you not say thats an important life? I kept saying I need a miracle, and I realized God gave me one and I was doing nothing with it. We need to show people what its like to have a special needs child and let other people know they are not alone. FIGHTING FOR ANNISTON For more information on how to help, upcoming speaking events and more information as the legislative session arrives, go to on Facebook or check out Reesas blog Our Bazar Life at reesabara.blogspot.com. KRABBE IN INFANTS Common signs and symptoms early in the course of the disease include: Feeding difficulties Unexplained crying Extreme irritability Fever with no sign of infection Declines in alertness Delays in typical developmental milestones Muscle spasms Loss of head control Frequent vomiting As the disease progresses, signs and symptoms become more severe. They may include: Seizures Loss of developmental abilities Progressive loss of hearing and sight Rigid, constricted muscles Stiff, fixed posture Progressive loss of ability to swallow and breathe SOURCE: Mayo Clinic Oil, fuel and cleaning solvents dispersed in a former rail yard could threaten the Chicot Aquifer, according to the petition filed Feb. 1. Attorney Bill Goodell, center, claims that Union Pacific has not sufficiently addressed contamination on sites owned by the rail company. Also pictured, from left to right, are attorneys Elizabeth Roche, Korey Nelson, Joseph "Buzzy" Joy and Gordon Schoeffler. Photo by Wynce Nolley Two Lafayette property owners have filed suit against Union Pacific Railroad Company alleging that the company has failed to clean up contamination that threatens Lafayettes drinking water. The land in question, 40 acres along the Evangeline Thruway in Lafayettes urban center, was once the site of a rail yard and sits above the Chicot Aquifer, the source of Lafayettes public drinking water. The Feb. 1 petition alleges that, despite knowledge of a migrating superfund of contaminants resulting from spilled oil, fuel and cleaning agents, Union Pacific and co-defendants Consolidated Companies Inc. and Union Pacific subsidiary Southern Pacific Motor Trucking Company have actively concealed and intentionally failed to disclose evidence of the contamination." Existence of the contamination plume spurred two earlier suits involving Union Pacific as a defendant, both of which settled out of court. Evidence of contamination throughout the site can be found in court records associated with those case and inspection reports by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The purpose and object of the suit is to get the people, the state and responsible parties to the table with us and our experts, said plaintiff attorney William Goodell of Lafayette. Lets hammer out a plan on this. Lets come up with a way to figure out exactly whats out there and what needs to be done to eliminate this very clear threat thats been identified in prior lawsuits, and identified by state agencies. Nothing significant has been done to address this. The filing includes an expert report by former Louisiana DEQ head Dr. Paul H. Templet, now an environmental consultant, which claims abandoned water wells could serve as "conduits to move contaminated groundwater deep into the Chicot Aquifer." The plaintiffs attorney Barry Sallinger, the Salvation Army and Sallinger's Cypress Street Properties own properties adjacent to the former rail site. The legal team representing them includes Goodell, Joseph Buzzy Joy of Lafayette, Elizabeth Roche and Korey Nelson of the New Orleans firm Burns Charest and Gordon Schoeffler of Lafayette. Schoefflers father, Harold Schoeffler of the Acadiana Group of the Sierra Club, has long lobbied for clean up of the former rail site, particularly as it pertains to the construction of the proposed I-49 Connector through the area. The petition claims that construction of the Connector could create potential migratory conduits for the standing plume. In 2003, DOTD committed to excavating and trucking out contaminated soil along the Connectors alignment, as well as to taking measures to protect the Chicot Aquifer from impact resulting from the Connectors construction. The former rail site, which Union Pacific purchased from Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1960s, was partitioned into four contiguous parcels, one of which was sold to food distributor Consolidated Companies. In 1998, Consolidated Companies sued Union Pacific for damages accruing from a contamination plume that spread from parcels owned by Union Pacific on to property then owned by Consolidated Companies. The Federal suit held that for the purposes of remediation and assessment of damages, all contiguous parcels in the site, then presently or formerly owned by Union Pacific, would constitute a single facility. Union Pacific would therefore be responsible for environmental remediation of the entire former rail yard. Consolidated Companies ultimately sold its parcel as part of a secret and illegal out-of-court settlement with Union Pacific, according to the Feb. 1 petition. A second suit against Union Pacific relating to the site, as part of a class action claim against Georgia Pacific Corporation, was dismissed in 2011 following an out-of-court settlement. During the 2004 bench trial for Consolidated Companies suit of Union Pacific, it was noted that an exploratory boring conducted on the parcel located along Chestnut Street found contaminants as deep as 42 feet beneath the surface. Hydrologist Stewart Stover Jr. testified at the trial that the contamination increased at increasing depth, but did not reach levels generally considered hazardous. The shallowest portion of the aquifer under the rail yard is 37 feet, according to the Feb. 1 petition. The LaDEQ has issued No Further Action letters for portions of the former rail yard, most recently for the so-called Former PMT Facility at 810 Southwest Evangeline Thruway in 2012. Still, Sallinger et al. claim that comprehensive evaluation of potential damage to the Chicot Aquifer, and thus Lafayettes water supply, has not been conducted by the LaDEQ or Union Pacific. Decisions contained in NFA letters are not final, and site monitoring and corrective action procedures can be resumed should evidence further contamination arise, or if the site is to be rezoned. Contamination standards for industrial or commercial sites are lower than those of residential sites. The petitioners are seeking compensatory, private and punitive damages in addition to a declaratory judgment requiring contamination remediation and evaluation and an injunction to cease polluting activities. Louisiana AG Jeff Landry [UPDATE: AG Jeff Landry today confirmed that six people were arrested in a joint investigation between his office and the FBI in connection with the bribery scheme involving former District Attorney Mike Harson's office. Also arrested today along with the three individuals named in this story were Ken Franques, a reserve Lafayette deputy city marshal who also works for the Maurice Police Department; Kevin Ozene of the Lafayette Clerk of Court's office; and Joy Trahan of the Louisiana Department of Motor Vehicles.] Newly minted Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry says he will make a major public corruption announcement today at 3 p.m. outside of the Lafayette Parish courthouse. AG spokesman Millard Mule tells The IND the press conference will be held on the south side of the courthouse near the flag pole. The FBI also will be attending, he says. Mule declined to comment on rampant speculation that the announcement involves state charges stemming from the pay-for-plea OWI scandal that rocked the 15th Judicial District Attorneys office, led to federal charges against six people and helped end the tenure of longtime District Attorney Mike Harson. Harson was defeated in late 2014 by his former assistant, Keith Stutes. IND sources, however, say local attorneys, at least one more person from the DAs office and others are expected to be named in the bribery case at todays press conference. Booking records appear to support that information. Arrested and booked today (Monday) into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center were attorneys Dan Kennison and Luke Edwards. Also arrested was Justina Ina, whose LinkedIn profile indicates she most recently was a paralegal/probation officer for the local DAs office. Booking records for Kennison indicate that he is facing charges of corrupt influencing (bribe to), criminal conspiracy and accessory after the fact. Edwards is facing corrupt influencing (bribe to), and Ina is looking at a malfeasance in office charge. The online records only give a year of birth for those booked. Kennison is in his early 60s, Edwards his mid-40s and Ina her early 60s. No mug shots were provided, and all three have court dates set for Feb. 2. Capt. John Babin of the Lafayette Parish Sheriffs Office referred inquiries about the charges to Landrys office, saying they involve a state attorney general investigation. In early 2013 The IND reported that Edwards, who once worked as an ADA and then as a public defender in the 15th Judicial District, was one of an unknown number of Lafayette lawyers being investigated by the feds for his alleged role in the bribery conspiracy that had taken place under Harson's nose for years. At the time, sources with knowledge of the investigation, which involved OWI and other criminal cases prosecuted by Harsons office, told The IND Edwards received a target letter from U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finleys office, giving him an opportunity to cooperate in exchange for reduced charges. In August 2013, then-AG Buddy Caldwell said no state charges would be filed in the case. More than a year later, however, his son, Assistant AG David Caldwell, hinted that state charges in the case may indeed be forthcoming. That shift in position came in November 2014, after Stutes was elected. It was Stutes who had forwarded an investigative report on the AG's office, hoping the office would look into possible violations of state law. The years-long federal bribery investigation had implicated six people in 2013, including Harsons administrator, Barna Haynes, who had worked for him for three decades, and two others in the office. Robert Williamson, the 67-year-old private investigator who masterminded the scheme, was sentenced to 6.5 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy, one count of bribery and one count of Social Security fraud. Williamson, who began serving the sentence in November, also got three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $77,677.20 in restitution. Co-defendants Haynes, 61, former ADA Greg Williams, 47, and Sandra Degeyter, 64, all of Lafayette, were sentenced in July on one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Co-defendants Denease Curry, 49, of Broussard, and Elaine Crump, 62, of Lafayette, were also sentenced at that time on one count of misprision of a felony for failure to report bribes offered and received by employees of the DAs office. Haynes received 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. Williams, Degeyter, Curry and Crump received two years of probation. Additionally, Williams and Degeyter were sentenced to six months of home confinement. Curry is a former employee of the district attorneys office. Degeyter and Crump are former employees of Acadiana Outreach. Check back at the ind.com for more details after todays press conference. 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! Updated 10:15pm: DU QUOIN Employees of Du Quoin Wal-Mart received an extended break from their duties Sunday evening when they were asked by Du Quoin Police to evacuate the building. An unidentified employee said police told them there was a bomb threat. Police officers at the scene would neither confirm or deny those claims. The employees were relocated to a nearby McDonalds restaurant. They said they were asked to leave the parking lot, too, but were not allowed to move their cars and trucks. By 7 p.m., at least eight emergency police cars, an ambulance and a firetruck had arrived at Wal-Mart parking lot, including officers from Du Quoin Police Department, Perry County Sheriffs Department and Illinois State Police and Du Quoin ambulance service and fire department. Officers blocked the entrance to Wal-Marts parking lot and held positions at the perimeter of the lot. Shortly after 7 p.m., Wal-Mart Store Manager Jamey Fowlkes arrived at McDonalds. He had been in West Frankfort. I got a call and I came. Thats all I know at this time, he said. The mood of employees lightened after Fowlkes bought ice cream for everyone. During the ordeal, several people arrived at Wal-Mart to shop and were turned back by police. Several sat in cars and watched in nearby parking lots. Illinois Secretary of State Police Bomb Squad arrived at 7:45 p.m. from its base at Williamson County Airport in Marion. Secretary of State Police officers and two canines checked trash cans and the front of the store, as well as vehicles parked near the building. They entered the building at around 7:55 p.m. Officers and dogs left the building around 8:35 p.m., and other police vehicles moved closer to the building. Fowlkes was given the OK by police to allow employees back into the building at 8:41 p.m. He walked back into McDonalds and told everyone to they could go back to work. Du Quoin Police are expected to release more details Monday morning. Updated 7:55 p.m.: The Secretary of State Police bomb squad is on scene and have entered the building. Two canines are assisting. Original story: Du Quoin Police Department, Perry County Sheriff and Illinois State Police have entrances to Wal-Mart parking lot blocked Sunday evening. Wal-Mart employees who were sitting in McDonald's nearby said they were evacuated by police and told there was a bomb threat. Police officers at the scene did not confirm or deny those claims. -- Marilyn Halstead Following is a listing of events celebrating Black History Month, which starts Monday. Sundays in February 2016 (Feb. 7, 14, 21 and 28) "Art Workshops Inspired by Black History Month" at the Carbondale Public Library, Carbondale. Learn about and draw West African Adinkra symbols to decorate your home with DeSande R. (Feb. 7); learn basketweaving with Maat & Adah Mays (Feb. 14); painting inspired by the Harlem Renaissance (Feb. 21 and make African paper beads with Patrick Convy (Feb. 28). Check beforehand for any pre-requisites to participating. For more information, contact the Carbondale Public Library at (618) 457-0354 or go to http://carbondalepubliclibrary.org. Feb. 1, 2016, 6 p.m., Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. "Black History Month Kickoff: Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memory," SIU's Student Center Old Man Lounge. The movie "Selma" will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Student Center Auditorium. For more information on this event and others being hosted by SIU, please visit www.tinyurl.com/BHM2016siu. Feb. 2, 2016, 7 p.m., Kaskaskia/Missouri Room, SIU Student Center. Film screening of "Dear White People." For more information on this event and others being hosted by SIU, please visit www.tinyurl.com/BHM2016siu. Feb. 3, 2016, 5:30 p.m. at SIU "The Black Mammy Monument: Site for Remembering and (Mis) Remembering the Slave Past" presented by history instructor Tiffany Player. For more information on this event and others being hosted by SIU, please visit www.tinyurl.com/BHM2016siu. Feb. 4, 2016, 5:30 p.m., SIUC Morris Library's John C. Guyon Auditorium. Shown will be the movie Banished, which tells the story of three American towns that forced their entire African American populations to move from the communities in the early 20th century and ponders if anything can be done to repair past racial injustices. For more information on this event and others being hosted by SIU, please visit www.tinyurl.com/BHM2016siu. Feb. 8, 2016, 8 p.m., at Morris Library on SIUC campus. "Racism on Campuses in the United States," presented by author, journalist and lecturer Lawrence C. Ross Jr. For more information on this event and others being hosted by SIU, please visit www.tinyurl.com/BHM2016siu. Feb, 9, 2016, 7 p.m., African American Museum in Carbondale. "African American Women Breaking Barriers (Science, Technology Engineering and Math, or STEM fields)" presenting Faith Miller, associate professor of dental hygiene at Southern Illinois University, guest speaker at the American Association of University Women (AAUW) meeting. Feb. 10, 2016, 6 p.m., John C. Guyon Auditorium, Morris Library, SIU. Film screening of "Meet Me at the Bottom," in coopration with the Big Muddy Film Festival. Feb. 11, 2016, 7 p.m., SIU University Museum Auditorium. Film screening of "The Mirror Boy," part of the African Film Series. Feb. 13, 2016, 5:30 p.m., C.H. Moe Theater, Communications Building, SIU. The Africana Theater Laboratory presents an original play, "A Nightingale for Du Bois." The play also runs at 2 p.m. Feb. 14. Feb. 21, 2016, 3:30 p.m., African American Museum of Southern Illinois. Public unveiling of the first in a portrait series called "Invisible Heroes" by Crawford Wilson. The portrait is of Benjamin A. Shepherd of Carbondale. Feb. 23, 2016, 5:30 p.m ., SIUC Student Center's Illinois Room Showing of the documentary "778 Bullets," by SIU cinema Angela Aguayo, about the 1970 shooting by university, local and state police of a reanal house where some suspected members of the Black Panthers were believed to be living. For more information on this and others events being hosted by or at SIU, please visit www.tinyurl.com/BHM2016siu. Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, 6:00 p.m. "A Blast from the Past" music, dance and drumming celebration hosted by the Beautiful Ones of Murphysboro. Murphysboro Youth and Recreation, 1818 Walnut St. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for children. Call 618-565-7349. Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. "Taste of Blackness" at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Carbondale. For ticket information, contact Dennis James at (618) 203-4888. CHICAGO Democrats are unlikely to address Illinois's worst-in-the-nation pension crisis until the state has a budget, despite a rare agreement between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Senate President John Cullerton and calls from the governor to send him a bill "right away." Rauner announced last month that he's backing a Cullerton plan to give workers a choice in retirement benefits as a way to chip away at Illinois' $111 billion unfunded pension liability. He struck an optimistic tone in last week's State of the State speech, calling it one of the most critical steps lawmakers can take to save taxpayers money. But Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, says it will be even tougher than usual to pass pension legislation this year because of upcoming elections, opposition from labor unions, an Illinois Supreme Court ruling that declared a previous law unconstitutional and the ongoing state budget saga. A pension bill could be part of a broader deal between Rauner and majority Democrats on a budget and other issues, he said a process that's likely to take several months, if not longer. "With the union opposition and without 100 percent of Republicans on board, it's going to be difficult," Cullerton said. "Just like everything else this year, people want to know what the big picture is." Rauner's office said Monday that "there should be no good policy reason to delay moving the bill" once it's drafted, noting the governor has agreed to use language written by Cullerton's staff. "Failure to act swiftly on pension reform could be a signal the legislature is putting politics ahead of good policy, so we expect both Chambers to act on it right away," Rauner deputy chief of staff Mike Schrimpf said in an emailed statement. Cullerton called Rauner's support "very important," but said it's not as simple as the governor seems to think. "Passing a bill is something I've had more experience at that than he has," he said. Illinois is providing only about 40 percent of what's needed to pay pension benefits, due largely to lawmakers who for years skipped making the state's contributions. As a result, its annual payments have ballooned to about $7 billion roughly one-fifth of Illinois's general funds budget. Lawmakers approved legislation in 2013 that cut pension benefits, but unions sued, saying the Illinois Constitution prohibits retirement benefits from being reduced. In May, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed. AFL-CIO President Michael Carrigan, a spokesman for a coalition of unions that's led the fight to protect pensions, said they believe Cullerton's plan also is unconstitutional. He said the unions are willing to discuss other options, but "the phone hasn't rung in a long, long time." "Our (public employees) worked long and hard to battle for their pension benefits, and there is no appetite to sit down and discuss legislation that's going to diminish those benefits," Carrigan said, adding that getting a budget is unions' top priority. Cullerton said he believes his approach is constitutional and he plans to sit down with union officials to discuss both the "legal side" and the "political side." He also will present the legislation to Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan once it's drafted. Schrimpf said Cullerton's attorneys are expected to send their legislative language to Rauner's office by the middle of this week. President to speak to Illinois lawmakers amid budget deadlock SPRINGFIELD President Barack Obama will return next month to the place where his political Rauner and majority Democrats have been at odds over how to close a roughly $5 billion budget deficit, leaving Illinois without a spending plan for the fiscal year that started July 1 and causing deep cuts to social services and other programs. Rauner wants pro-business changes before he will sign off on a tax increase, but Democrats say his agenda would hurt the middle class. Cullerton said he's hopeful a budget deal could be reached by May, adding he doesn't think the stalemate will last through the November elections. "I hope not," he said. "I can't imagine it." HARRISBURG The loss of coal mining jobs continued recently in Southern Illinois after Peabody Energys Arclar Mine Complex announced 75 layoffs at two mines. Peabody said the workforce reduction at the mines, Wildcat Hills in Gallatin County and Cottage Grove just east of Harrisburg, were in response to market conditions and production requirements. Arch Coal files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection NEW YORK Arch Coal, which has been hurt by the weakening demand for coal, filed for Chapte The Illinois mines will continue to safely produce coal at volumes targeted to meet customer demand, the company said in an emailed statement. The company regrets the negative impact this action will have on affected employees, their families and local communities." The layoffs went into effect immediately. Those losing their jobs were offered severance benefits and will be given help finding new work, the statement read. A resident and staunch opponent of one mine as the company extended it within a few hundred feet of her and her neighbors homes expressed frustration with the news. Judy Kellen, a Cottage Township resident, questions why the Rocky Branch Mine, an extension of Cottage Grove, ever started operations in a down coal market. Kellen and other Rocky Branch homeowners started fighting Peabodys permit application for Rocky Branch more than two years ago even as President Barack Obama was calling for stricter regulations and access to natural gas became plentiful. Kellen maintains, based on her observations, that work at the Rocky Branch Mine has slowed. And here they tore this community up," she said. "It used to be you looked forward to coming home. "Now, its just depressing." Saline County saw its share of mine layoffs last year as nearly 250 American Coal Co. employees in Galatia lost their jobs. In June, Peabody also cut its workforce by 250, including at its corporate headquarters in St. Louis while also shuttering a regional office in Evansville, Indiana. Market conditions, from increased use of lower-cost natural gas to stricter environmental regulations, have been the culprit mine companies have blamed for shrinking their labor force. American Coal also plans to close one of its two mines in Galatia later this year, but thats because its reserves are nearly exhausted, a company official has said. ST. LOUIS The heavy flooding of December 2015 underscores the need to strengthen levees in Southwestern Illinois. Chuck Etwert is a one-man engineering team tasked with doing just that. Etwert is chief supervisor of construction with the Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District Council, an organization formed partly because of threats to pull federal accreditation of the levee system. Even though the levees withstood a 300-year flood in 1993, the Army Corps of Engineers determined a better understanding of design methods following Hurricane Katrina necessitated improvements. It wasnt that maintenance of the levees hadnt been done, Etwert told members of the St. Louis AgriBusiness Club. The levee districts had done a good job. There was just a change in the standards. The Corps had reduced confidence the levees could withstand a 100-year flood. The result was the creation of the flood prevention district by three Illinois counties Madison, St. Clair and Monroe. The district stretches from Alton to Columbia along the Mississippi River. It covers 174 square miles, 156,000 residents and four levee districts, plus the Chain of Rocks levee maintained by the Corps of Engineers In the north there is a lot of warehousing; in the middle, you have a lot of population plus manufacturing; in the southern area, a lot of farms, Etwert said. Following the Corps determination the levees were inadequate to meet future flood events, the Federal Emergency Management Agency threatened to pull accreditation from the region. That would have had dire consequences. There was an estimate that flood insurance costs would go up as much as $50 million a year for residents and businesses, Etwert said. Building standards would change and property values would decrease, leading to a negative business climate. Who wants to develop or do anything in an area thats going to flood? That led to a series of events leading to the creation of the Illinois Flood Prevention District Act in 2008. That allowed Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties each to create a flood prevention district, Etwert said. It also allowed them to join together, generate revenue through taxes, issue bonds up to 25 years and hire a chief supervisor of construction. Thats me. Its a one-person office with a title that was written into law. The individual county boards approved tax assessments that bring in about $11.3 million annually. Madison and St. Clair counties are responsible for most of the budget, each contributing 47.5 percent, with Monroe County chipping in 5 percent. Everyone thinks were building the levees higher; were not, Etwert said. Our levees are high enough. Were improving to correct seepage going underneath the levee or through the levee. Such work includes installing clay caps on the river side, building landside berms and finding low spots. In addition, a number of relief wells are being drilled so that floodwater can be collected and taken to pump stations or a natural drainage area. Estimated cost for the nine current projects under way is $71 million. Of that, $44 million of work has been completed, according to Etwert. Were about 60 percent done with the 100-year level projects, he said. We got more than 200 easements, including some from three railroads. Those take forever. Our goal is to have all projects completed by September of this year. We hope to get that FEMA accreditation by late summer 2017. CHICAGO A market research company is growing pessimistic about Illinois medical marijuana, telling investors that retail sales could reach just $15.6 million in 2016 due at least in part to moves by Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration to limit the program's expansion. ArcView Market Research released its projections Monday exclusively to The Associated Press to coincide with the company's annual guide, which estimates the national cannabis market for 2016 at $6.7 billion. Rauner administration again rejects new marijuana conditions CHICAGO For the second time in five months, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signaled his dist Last year, the California-based company was predicting an Illinois market of $36 million in 2016. CEO Troy Dayton said a change in methods means comparing the two predictions "isn't apples to apples," but that Rauner administration decisions did affect this year's gloomier forecast. The Illinois figure takes into account a decision Friday by state officials not to expand the state's program to chronic pain and seven other conditions. About 4,000 Illinois patients can buy the drug, and Dayton predicted some Illinois businesses will close if the slow pace of patient approvals continues. "Either there is going to be some shift in the coming years to expand things or you will probably see some of these businesses fail," Dayton said. Attorney Bob Morgan, who helped write the marijuana regulations in former Gov. Pat Quinn's administration, sees a brighter picture. "Most of these Illinois businesses have long-term financial security and knew it would take several years to recoup their investments," Morgan said Monday. ArcView's report predicts the Illinois market will reach $23 million in 2017, the year the four-year pilot program is set to expire. Only two of 23 states with medical marijuana programs have sunset clauses: Rhode Island had one, but later made its program permanent. New York's law, enacted in 2014, expires after seven years. Illinois medical marijuana advocates push for expansion SPRINGFIELD Illinois medical marijuana advocates say they delivered 25,000 signatures to G The Illinois Legislature could extend the program with the governor's signature. Pharmacist Joseph Friedman, co-owner of a suburban Chicago cannabis dispensary, said he fears Rauner will justify letting the program die based on low patient numbers and physicians' lack of interest. "In two years, the governor will look at it and say, 'Doctors aren't really behind it, let's cancel it.' It will be a self-fulfilling prophesy," Friedman said. Still, he said, he's in for the long haul. "No one's going out of business right away, including us," Friedman said. "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 SANTEE -- It may have been the hope of gleaning knowledge to lift them out of a devastating crop year or the fact that it was a rainy day that saw a record crowd of more than 400 turn out for this years South Carolina Peanut Growers Meeting Thursday at the Santee Conference Center. Either way, the atmosphere was not of doom and gloom but of planning a strategy to rebound from one of the worst years for farmers that most in attendance had ever seen. Torrential rains at digging and harvest time resulted in monumental losses for peanut growers, who face limited resources for disaster aid. Despite their losses, farmers were looking ahead to the coming 2016 season, taking advantage of a large trade show and presentations on the latest research geared toward increasing their profits in the year to come. Dr. Dan Anco was introduced by S.C. Peanut Board Chair Richard Rentz as the new peanut specialist with Clemson University. Rentz encouraged growers to get with Anco, who began work at Edisto Research and Education Center this past summer, and to take advantage of his extensive knowledge of peanut production. South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers, a peanut grower himself, spoke on the current efforts to secure financial assistance for farmers who suffered devastating loses in 2016. We are working on getting financial relief from the federal, state and private sectors, Weathers said. We are trying to get additional funds to come to South Carolina farmers. Weathers pointed out that the impact of farmers on the states economy is significant. South Carolina Agriculture and Forestry industries have a $41.7 billion economic impact on the state, reflecting a 23 percent growth since 2006. These industries account for more than 212,000 jobs, Weathers said. Marianne Copelan, S.C. Department of Agriculture marketing specialist, gave an update on the success of 2015 promotions and a briefing on activities scheduled for 2016. March is National Peanut Month and promotions will be prevalent across numerous media such as newspapers, Facebook and Twitter, Copelan said. South Carolina peanut product displays continue to be a part of events across the state that draw large crowds, such as the Cooper River Bridge run and the South Carolina State Fair. Dell Cotton, manager of the Peanut Growers Cooperative Marketing Association, provided the latest figures on acres grown, yields and production of peanuts in South Carolina, the Southeast and other major peanut-growing states. A total of 109,000 acres were planted in South Carolina in 2015. 2015 saw the second largest number of acres ever planted in the Southeast even though we had a much lower contract price, Cotton said. United States acres were up 22 percent from 2014 to 2015. Cotton emphasized the need to not only look at acres planted but to take into account yields per acre, which have steadily increased because of improved varieties and production methods. We just have to not grow too many peanuts when we are going into a season when we have a surplus on hand, Cotton said. You also have to know where your peanuts are going to be stored to have a home for your excess. The mindset of peanut farmers is, Cotton said, is What else am I going to grow? We have to hope that domestic consumption will increase and count on exports going up significantly. Wesley Porter, Clemson Extension precision agriculture and irrigation specialist with the University of Georgia, spoke on the importance of irrigation scheduling in peanuts. Even though it may seem odd to talk about irrigation when we have just been through a year with so much rain, scheduling is important in both dry and wet years. Scheduling irrigation involves determining how much water is needed and when to apply it to the field to meet crop demands, Porter said. The main purpose is to increase profitability and/or quality of the crop by increasing the efficiency of using water and energy or by increasing crop productivity. Porter pointed out that many growers base their decisions on when to apply water by looking for visible stress, which if often too late for best results. Farmers need to be aware of the differing soil types in their field as that is also a crucial determining factor in scheduling the frequency and depth of irrigation. Nathan Smith with Clemson University covered the 2016 cost and returns outlook. He encouraged growers to pay close attention to their input costs and to think about what to plant as well as whether to plant on unproductive land. Production has caught up with demand and thats keeping prices down, Smith said. It would take some type of production event or increase in exports for this to change. This is where we are right now. Anco gave a summary of research conducted in 2016 at Edisto REC, including variety trials, fungicide updates and thrips/virus-control options. Attendees were given a copy of the Peanut Money-maker 2016 Production Guide, which included all the latest recommendation for growing peanuts. The publication is available with this story and in The Spot at TheTandD.com. Other presentations were: Ryan Lepicier with the National Peanut Board discussed the organizations plans to market peanuts to the next generation the millennials. Though consumption is high among this age group, they also have to deal with conflicting information about peanut allergies. Patrick Archer, president of the American Peanut Council, gave an update on the organizations activities. Marshall Thomas with the South Carolina Farm Bureau spoke on current efforts to get more funding for farmers who had suffered losses in 2015. Sarah Adams filled in growers and industry reps on changes that will affect peanut-buying stations, including training regarding certified seed. Tyrone Spearman with the Spearman Agency in Tifton, Georgia, covered Peanuts, Politics and Markets. Mike Marshall with Clemson University gave a weed-control update and Kendall Kirk covered precision agriculture applications in peanut production. Jay Chapin, who served as the state peanut specialist for many years, was honored with a plaque followed by several prize drawings. South Carolina Peanut Board members include Richard Rentz, chairman; Harry Wimberly, vice chairman; Dupree Atkinson, Brent Cogdill, Brent Crapse, Tommy Lee, James W. Mole and Marianne Copelan, marketing specialist. National Peanut Board representatives include Bud Bowers and Steven Neal Baxley, Jr. (alternate). A current copy of the Virginia-Carolinas Peanut News can be found with this story and in The Spot at TheTandD.com. For more information on the meeting and on peanut production, contact Dan Anco at 803-284-3343 extension 261 or 630-207-4926. Email him at danco@clemson.edu . Rachel and I have now made it over the border and into the chilled out jungle town of Luang Prabang, Laos. Like all cute places, I'm already in love and considering staying forever. The journey to get here was long and stressful, though, due largely to the fact that we didn't plan ahead very well, and information on how to do it isn't very good. Things do change rapidly here, and information isn't disseminated very well, so its understandable. However, I'm going to map out our research and how we did it so you don't also end up nearly getting stuck in the sticks on a Laos roadside like we did.The first thing you should know is that there are two bus stations that service Chiang Rai. There is the old station (Station 1) in the city center which is currently under construction and kind of a cluster. There is a new station (Station 2) outside of the center which you pass on the way in from Chiang Mai. Not all buses got to both stations, so be aware of which station you are choosing when you book a bus to get across the border.Rachel and I booked a last minute slow boat ride with a private company, Shompoo , because we had heard so many mixed reviews about the public slow boats. Shompoo's guide meets you outside of Lao immigration and takes you to the pier for the boat, but pickup is by 9:45am at the very latest (they prefer you to be there by 9:15am). Had we know this ahead of time, we would have made it to Chiang Khong the night before to expedite border crossing in the morning. Since we booked the day before the cruise, we weren't able to make it to Chiang Khong the day before, thus leaving us scrambling to get to the border crossing very early in the morning. There is a local red bus which leaves from Station 1, but the first bus isn't until 6:00am and takes two hours, which didn't seem to leave us enough time to get through Thai immigration, across the Friendship Bridge, and through Lao immigration.The local red bus is a very reasonable 65 baht, but we were concerned about time, so we went to a travel agency in Chiang Rai, Kochaporn Travel & Service, who booked us on a private bus to the border for 750 baht. We explained our time constraints and were guaranteed to leave by 6:30am at the latest- an hour and a half ride, still cutting it close but doable. Long story short, the driver was very late and we didn't leave Chiang Rai until 7:30am. They took a very beautiful, creative shortcut through misty rice patties which was enjoyable, but we didn't arrive to the Thai border until 8:45am.Crossing through Thai immigration was a quick breeze (keep your departure card and have it filled out ahead of time!! But if you happen to have lost it, they do have replacements). The bus over the Friendship Bridge had been taken care of by the travel agency, but it is 20 baht with an extra 5 baht fee if you're riding on an off time or the weekend. The bus won't leave until its full and the ride across the bridge is incredibly brief (about three minutes). On the other side you then begin the process of getting your Visa on Arrival into Laos. It was now 9:15am.There was already a sizable queue waiting for visa processing. We scrambled to fill in our paperwork and join the throng of people who turned out to be waiting for only two Lao officials. There was quite a bit of pushing at the front of the line. Once we made it to the front, which took about an hour, we handed our passports, completed paperwork and one passport photo to the official. They take all this and your visa application is then processed while you wait.Approved applications and passports are then brought in the order received to the payment window. They flash your passport information page and you approach the window to pay the fee- $35 USD, more or less depending on your country. Be aware that, again, during off times and weekends, you'll be charged an extra dollar "overtime fee". Off times are early morning, the lunch hour midday and later in the evening...basically all day. Just have an extra dollar on you. I handed out a few spare dollars to people who had brought exact change. You can pay in baht, but you'll be charged more. Try to have as close to exact change as you can. They'll make change for you, but they don't like it.The processing took another hour, which meant we had, as they say, missed the boat. This was a weekend and later morning, so it is likely faster other times, but from border to border, this whole process took two and a half hours. Be prepared for that. I was in touch with Shompoo's rep, Alex, who informed me that we could make it to the evening stop in Pakbeng on another boat and meet up with the Shompoo cruise the next morning. Through this whole ordeal, Alex was incredibly helpful and supportive. The local Lao reps for the Chiang Rai travel agency were also very helpful and sympathetic to our situation. They were very apologetic for the lateness of their driver and understanding that it was the company's fault for our missing our boat. I asked that the company pay for Rachel and I's slow boat tickets to Pakbeng (110,000 kip each) but the company's owner refused my request and to take responsibility for her driver's lateness, instead blaming our missed boat on Lao immigration. As it were, had we arrived on time, the queue would've been shorter and we would've made it through to meet our local Shompoo guide.The local Lao rep, Lan, took incredible care of Rachel and I, though. We didn't have enough kip to pay for the public slow boat, so he took us in his car to an ATM, then drove us to the slow boat pier and helped us get our tickets. He is a wonderful man! If you're so inclined, please say a little blessing for Lan and his family. We also met a group of fun travelers on our (late) bus ride who we rode the slow boat with, spent a very fun evening with in Pakbeng and continue to see around Luang Prabang.The public slow boat was an experience. Like many boats we had read about, the owner crams as many people in as possible. We had about 160 on our boat that day. It got quite hot and there was very little room to stretch and move about. The motor was very loud and where we were in the back of the boat would occasionally and inexplicably get splashes of mysterious water from overhead. The ride is so incredibly gorgeous, though. I'm officially obsessed with the Mekong.Our overnight in Pakbeng was really fun, and I wish we could've spent a bit longer. Rachel and I split a pre-booked $28 USD room at Monesavanh Guest House, which was really lovely and highly recommended. It's run by a sweet family that also has a restaurant and bakery, and our morning cashew banana muffins and croissants were pretty spectacular. On the way to dinner in the evening we ran into friends from the boat and ended up in a colorful and wild restaurant whose proprietor lured us in dancing outside yelling, "BANANA WHISKEY!" We had a delicious first Lao dinner and a whole lot of laughs before enjoying hot showers and an early bedtime. Also, due to the remoteness of tiny Pakbeng, there is almost no light pollution and the most visibly starry sky I've ever seen.In stark contrast to the public slow boat, the Shompoo cruise is deliriously, deliciously luxurious. It is $150 USD, which is about five times the cost of the public slow boat, but if you're going to splurge on any part of an otherwise budget conscious trip, do it here. We were among 19 people on the boat, we had tables with cushioned seats, lounge chairs and enough room in the back for me to roll out my mat and do yoga. There was also a deck at the front for sunning, reading or just taking in the breathtaking views. It was foggy chilly in the morning and they had blankets for as and all the coffee or tea you like. At lunchtime we were served an incredible traditional Lao meal, and made interesting stops at Pak Ou Caves and a Lao "whiskey village" where some impressive weaving was also taking place. It was an incredibly comfortable and relaxing day. When we arrived in Luang Prabang, porters brought our bags up the steep hillside stairs from the river and we were driven in a van to the door of our hostel. You get what you pay for, and this is a lovely experience worth every penny.Summary of Lessons Learned:-DO NOT BOOK ANYTHING WITH KOCHAPORN TRAVEL IN CHIANG RAI. They do very bad business. Take the local red bus. Don't pay over ten times as much for lateness and poor service.-Either stay overnight in Chiang Khong to expedite the morning border crossing or go all the way into Huay Xai, the Lao border town, and stay at a hostel near the pier. The distance between Lao immigration and the pier is quite far and requires a tuk tuk ride. We didn't pay for that part, so I don't know how much it usually costs, but link up with other travelers to get a better deal.-Get kip before you arrive at the pier. There isn't an ATM there and it's cash only. You can change out your currency at a window as you leave Thai immigration or get kip from an ATM at Lao immigration.-If you do happen to try to make it from Chiang Rai in the morning, plan for the border crossing to take at least two hours.-Have exact change for your Lao Visa on Arrival, and bring an extra dollar overtime fee for yourself or a friend if you happen to arrive during off hours or a weekend day.-We read that the public slow boat leaves at 11:00am, but the boat we were on left at 12:30pm. I don't know if that was just a lucky happenstance but it seems that perhaps there's a later boat if you do get caught up at immigration.-When you arrive in Pakbeng, there will be hostel owners hawking rooms at their places. We had heard that there aren't many options and to book in advance, which we did. If you don't, you'll have choices but if you like to be picky, screen and book ahead of time.-Shompoo was a wonderful experience for quality but the local slow boat was, generally speaking, more fun for company. We did meet some well traveled folks with good advice on the Shompoo cruise, but the budget traveler crowd are the friends we continue to hang out with around Luang Prabang. I'm glad we got to experience both, but I'm also sad to have missed out on Day 1 with Shompoo. I would cruise all the bodies of water with them. If you need a gentle, calm travel experience, that's the way to go.-It's also possible to take an overnight bus from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang. That's 12-14 hours on rough roads in an area not know for bus safety. Just take the slow boat. The Mekong, man. It's wildly beautiful.Joyous times to you, intrepid Southeast Asia travelers! I hope this helps you understand how to get from Thailand to Laos over "Friendship Bridge No. 4."xoxox 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. /By AzerNews/ By Aynur Karimova Azerbaijan is keen to support the cotton producers in the country to give a new life to cotton production industry. In this regard, the government plans allocate farmers preferential loans and participate in the formation of purchasing prices. Economy and Industry Minister Shahin Mustafayev made the remark while addressing a conference dedicated to the experience of Azerbaijan and Turkey in the development of promising areas of agriculture held in Baku on January 29. "When forming the purchasing price the companies should consider the world prices for cotton and devaluation rate in the country. We are in negotiations with these companies to propose more favorable prices for agricultural producers," he said. "It is necessary to facilitate access of cotton producers to the financial resources," Mustafayev added. Cotton production is traditionally wide-spread in the country's Saatli, Sabirabad, Beylagan, Barda and Zardab regions. Azerbaijan was famous for high production of "white gold" in the 20th century and was even a leading cotton producer in the Soviet Union. However, over the past 18 years, production has dipped six fold in Azerbaijan due to diminishing interest to this field of agriculture. As a result, areas grown under cotton reduced by nine times. According to the State Statistics Committee, Azerbaijan collected 35,000 tons of cotton in 2015, which is 14.6 percent less than in 2014. "This is the lowest indicator of cotton production in Azerbaijan since 2010," the agency noted. The average yield in the country stood at 18.7 quintals per hectare, which is 4.5 percent more than in 2014. The highest yield in 2014 was recorded in Yevlakh and Barda regions with a production of 34.1 and 30.7 quintals per hectare, respectively. Exporting countries have created an artificial market with low prices, which has hampered opportunities for selling Azerbaijani cotton. Depending on types of cotton, 1 ton of the product is received from a producer at a price of from 380 ($233.24) to 330 ($202.55) manats. Today, the cotton processing enterprises buy cotton from the Azerbaijani farmers at a price of 0.42 manats ($0.26) per kilogram, which is disadvantageous to farmers. Thus, low price is the main reason that hinders the development of the cotton production industry. Azerbaijani experts in agriculture say that cotton production is not the easiest operation, and despite the heavy demand, the decrease in interest in cotton resulted from the low profitability margins of cotton production. Moreover, an increasing use of artificial materials worldwide has negatively affected the cotton-growing sector. They believe that to boost this sphere, new technologies, minerals, and varieties are needed to lower the cost of cotton production. In this case, Azerbaijani cotton would be competitive in world markets. Earlier the Economy and Industry Ministry told Trend that the government will assist the farmers engaged in the cotton-breeding to purchase seeds, fertilizers and conduct agro-technical works. The volume of funds allocated to farmers and processing enterprises on preferential conditions will be increased as well. Allocation of funds allocated through the National Fund for Entrepreneurs Support under the Economy and Industry Ministry will allow decreasing expenditures on processing of cotton, and the enterprises will be able to purchase cotton at a higher price. Works in this regard are already underway. The Ministry of Finance of Azerbaijan disagrees with the rating of the international rating agency Standard & Poor's, which was published yesterday, Ministry's website reported. According to the ministry the report contained a number of inaccuracies. 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". "Ministry of Finance hopes that Standard & Poor's, which due to lower prices for oil and oil products immediately downgraded the credit rating of Azerbaijan, will show the same efficiency if commodity prices would increase and would restore the investment rating of the country", - the report says. Azerbaijani Finance Ministry did not agree and regret the decision of the agency. /By Trend/ The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmens recent statement on Nagorno-Karabakh once again showed that the co-chairmen support only the aggressor and occupation, Bakhtiyar Aliyev, the Azerbaijani MP, told Trend Jan. 30. Aliyev made this statement in connection with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs criticism over the Minsk Group. President Aliyev stressed at a meeting with a group of Azerbaijani young people that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen aspire to freeze the conflict, rather than resolve it. The president said that they do not even put pressure on Armenia, moreover, they protect it from possible problems. The MP said that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmens recent statement on Nagorno-Karabakh shows that they will never seek for the just and peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "One can say that they deny the fact of occupation of Azerbaijani territories, the MP said. Therefore, Azerbaijani citizens express distrust to the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen. 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 withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. /By 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 administrations 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. /By Azernews/ By Nigar Orujova Anyone who is not familiar with the realities of the region may seem strange that the five countries for more than 20 years decide what to call the water basin, on the banks of which they are situated. However, the situation is exactly so with the Caspian Sea, let us call it a sea, as it is commonly known in the world. The Caspian Sea region is one of the oldest oil-producing areas around the world and still is an important source of global energy production. During the Soviet era, the sea was distributed between only two states the USSR and Iran. However, after the collapse of the Union, Iran has faced four more countries each wanting their own slab of cake Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. The aspiration of Azerbaijan is not extraordinary, as this country is the first that started offshore oil production in the Caspian Sea in the world. The country has all the infrastructure for the extraction of hydrocarbons and was eager to continue the production. Meanwhile, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan were also not ready to give in without a struggle. By now, the five littoral states are mixed up in the decades lasting talks and the end for negotiations is not even observed because of the present economic situation in the world. The dominancy in the Caspian Sea is a large power to control region and Russia cannot leave hold of this trump card. From the other hand, four other states want their part of the hydrocarbons. In two decades of talks, three countries Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have managed to come to a single decision, while Turkmenistan and Iran are still on talks. Today, when Iran got out of the Western sanctions, it may be interested to facilitate the problem as soon as possible. In this scenario, Turkmenistan will have no option, but solve the negotiations with other countries mainly with Azerbaijan, with whom it dispute over the ownership of potentially lucrative sections of the sea. However, today when the prices for oil decreases day by day, another opportunities of the Caspian Sea is on the agenda with the transportation as one of the main. The Caspian Sea is located on the ancient Silk Road and its favorable position between East and West is still important, especially after Russia introduced bans for a number of countries. In this situation, Ukraine and Turkey, which previously used Russia as their pass to East, now looking for the Caspian Sea opportunities, while China is also concerned to use it to reach Europe. Turkmenistan has also recently expressed interest to create the Caspian Sea regional transport and logistics center. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan and China are already involved into the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which simplifies transportation a lot. In this connection, solution of the Caspian status could further boost the transportation importance of the worlds largest inland water body. On February 4, the CIS headquarters in Minsk will host a ministerial consultations dedicated to cooperation in the framework of CIS in 2016. The 2-day event will discuss the following issues: Kazakhstan`s proposals regarding the transformation of CIS; priorities of the presidency Kyrgyzstan of CIS in 2016; the interaction between foreign policy departments to ensure implementation of the plan of events dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the CIS; draft plan of multilevel ministerial consultations within the Commonwealth in 2016. CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev is expected to attend the meeting. /By AzerTac/ At least 71 people have died in blasts near the Shia shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, south of Syria's capital Damascus. A bus station and a building housing military headquarters were hit by the blasts, which mangled nearby vehicles. It happened as the government and opposition groups gathered in Geneva in a bid to start talks aimed at a political solution to the conflict. The attack, claimed by the Islamic State group, was aimed at disrupting the talks, the EU said. Both the Syrian government and opposition are in Geneva but the talks have yet to begin. The main opposition group says the government must first meet key humanitarian demands. US Secretary of State John Kerry urged both sides to seize the opportunity to end the bloodshed. Mr Kerry said there was "no military solution" to the spiralling crisis, which he warned could engulf the region if the tentative UN-sponsored negotiations fail as previous attempts have. The UN envoy to Syria has scheduled separate discussions with both sides in Geneva on Monday. Sunday's attacks near Sayyida Zeinab were carried out by two suicide bombers, but some witnesses spoke of three blasts. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that, of the 71 people killed, 42 were fighters loyal to the Assad regime. The group said another 29 civilians, including five children, died. The blasts took place several hundred metres from the golden-domed shrine, which was not itself damaged - although it has been previously targeted, most recently in February last year. It contains the grave of one of the Prophet Muhammad's grand-daughters and continues to draw many Shia pilgrims, despite the civil war. /By BBC/ A senior aide to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has arrived in Moscow to discuss regional issues and bilateral ties with senior Russian officials. Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, arrived in Moscow on Feb. 1 for a four-day official visit at the invitation of the head of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies, Leonid Reshetnikov, IRIB news agency reported Feb. 1. Ahead of his departure for Moscow, Velayati described Iran and Russia as two influential countries in the region and the world. Velayati touched upon cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in fight against terrorism and said Iran and Russia are the main pillars of regional cooperation. He is expected to meet high-ranking Russian officials during the Moscow visit. Earlier on Jan. 28, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Moscow to discuss Syrian crisis. Positions of Moscow and Tehran are close on many issues of the Middle East, Amir-Abdollahian was quoted as saying. A UN Security Council resolution on Dec. 18 approved a draft resolution on peace process in Syria. According to the resolution, Syrian government and opposition groups should attend peace talks to find a solution for putting an end to the crisis. A special envoy of the UN is overseeing the Syrian government and the main opposition bloc, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) at the Syrian crisis talks. The HNC has urged the government to release civilians from jails, stop air strikes and allow the humanitarian aid to be delivered into besieged towns. Over 250,000 people have died and at least 11 million have been displaced in Syria, since the crisis broke out in 2011. /By Trend/ There are mercenaries from Eastern Europe in the ranks of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu said, the Turkish Kanal7 TV channel reported Feb.1. Davutoglu said that a sniper, a native of Eastern Europe, was detained during the recent special operation against the PKK in one of the south-eastern provinces of the country. Over 200 Turkish servicemen were killed in clashes with the PKK in 2015. The PKK has in recent months become active in the south-east of Turkey, and its attacks on military units and police stations have increased. The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for over 25 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives. The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by the UN and the European Union. /By Trend/ A blog devoted to equitable international development and women's, human and labor rights Qatar National Bank (QNB), the largest lender in the Gulf Arab region, said on Sunday its shareholders had approved the issuance of capital-boosting bonds. QNB's shareholders granted the bank permission to issue bonds, which could either enhance its core Tier 1 capital or its supplementary Tier 2 capital, at a meeting on Sunday. The meeting also approved the appointment of Ernst & Young as auditors for the year 2016, a QNB statement said. QNB said on Jan. 13 that its board had approved issuing the Basel III-compliant bonds to maintain its reserves above regulatory minimums and support future growth. Reuters Majid Al Futtaim Properties, one of the leading diversified property companies in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, has registered a total revenue of Dh4 billion ($1.08 billion) in 2015, up seven per cent over the year before. The property unit of Majid Al Futtaim, a leading shopping mall, retail and leisure pioneer in the region, expanded its portfolio in 2015, while the Ebitda rose by nine per cent to Dh2.6 billion ($707 million). The occupancy across all shopping malls remained strong at 98 per cent, it stated. With completed expansions at Mall of the Emirates and City Centre Muscat and the opening of City Centre Meaisem, the company welcomed 171 million customers throughout 2015, up three per cent over 2014. Alain Bejjani, the CEO of Majid Al Futtaim - Holding, said: "Majid Al Futtaims 2015 financial performance has demonstrated the strength and resilience of our business against a backdrop of a regional economic slowdown." "Weve achieved this by continually listening to our customers and evolving our offerings in line with their changing needs. During the past year, we enhanced our offering in Dubai, successfully completing a number of retail and leisure projects, including the 36,000 sq m expansion at Mall of the Emirates," he stated. "We will continue to leverage our local experience and operational excellence across the region, in line with plans to create more great moments for more customers in more countries. With several large scale developments currently in the pipeline in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Africa, we are well positioned to fully leverage the significant growth potential of the Middle East and North/East Africa region, he added. According to him, Majid Al Futtaims expansion programmes are progressing as per schedule. Although UAE remains the core focus for the company, it is on track to solidify its presence in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Oman, and establish a stronger foothold in Africa and Eurasia through its Carrefour business, he stated. Majid Al Futtaim has announced plans to develop a second My City Centre, a 5,000 sq m mall in Al Barsha that is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2016. The group is also expanding its presence with shopping mall concepts in Saudi Arabia.- TradeArabia News Service Arcadis, a leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets, said it has appointed Graham Reid, currently the companys global design director, as the new chief executive for the Middle East region. Reid took over the new role from today (February 1) succeeding Wael Allan, who has stepped down to pursue new opportunities outside of Arcadis, said a statement from the company. Reporting to executive board member Stephan Ritter, Reid will be responsible for leading a 2,200-person business, focused on winning and delivering major programs by combining the firms design and consultancy capabilities, it stated. In the past year, Reid has led the expansion of the global design excellence centers, delivering operational excellence and making them a key differentiator for the business. He previously served as the managing director and a member of the executive board of Hyder UK, where he completed three acquisitions and enabled the firm to achieve quality and sustainable solutions through focused client partnerships. Under his leadership, Reid was also involved in winning some of the regions best known projects, including parts of the Doha Metro program, road and drainage works in Doha and the gas turbine power plant in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. On the key appointment, Ritter said: "Reid is a collaborative and results-oriented leader with a strong track record." "We are pleased to welcome Graham to the regional operations of the Middle East and look forward to his leadership approach in helping our clients solve their business challenges and our people in working together as the leading Design & Consultancy firm," he added. Wael Allan, who served as Middle East CEO, left the firm at the end of January. Lauding Allan's contribution, Ritter said: "He has played an instrumental role in the transition to one Arcadis in the region during the companys integration of Hyder Consulting." "He is one of the most respected leaders in the Middle East construction and engineering industry and I wish him well with his next endeavours," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Eighty 80 per cent of fresh graduates in the Mena are leaving university unprepared for the workforce claiming college did not help them identify suitable job opportunities, a report said. Just under one-third (29 per cent) of young people surveyed were unemployed graduates, added the study conducted in collaboration with Injaz Al-Arab, Bayt.com, a leading job site in the region and and YouGov a global market research leader as a part of the Injaz Al-Arab Expand Your Horizon initiative which attempts to combat the high levels of youth unemployment in the Mena region. This figure was even more accentuated among young women (43 per cent of those surveyed were unemployed graduates) and fresh graduates (59 per cent of 18-24 year olds were unemployed). Surveying employed and unemployed graduates and current students across 19 Mena countries, the research revealed that certain sectors in the region are also often overlooked by Arab youth. Indeed, most respondents claimed to be unsure about the availability of jobs particularly in hospitality, aviation and media. Overall, two-thirds of respondents claimed to have insufficient knowledge to consider a career in the hospitality, aviation and media sectors and less than half believed they provided good opportunities for career enhancement. The results suggest youth across the region is not aware of the breadth of opportunities available to them in those sectors, with just 12 per cent expecting job growth within aviation, 24 per cent expecting growth within media and 25 per cent expecting growth within hospitality. Needless to say those sectors were also particularly unpopular in which to forge a career, with just 3 per cent of fresh graduates citing their willingness to work in each sector respectively. In contrast, the majority of respondents still believed that traditional, more well-established sectors such as construction (expected growth - 42 per cent) and gas/energy and petrochemicals (expected growth - 35 per cent) provide the best employment prospects. This old-fashioned focus is giving them a very limited and limiting view of their opportunities. The research suggested young peoples education choices as well as the regions education system are not helping combat the current unemployment crisis, with less than one-third (31 per cent) of respondents claiming to have selected their degree based on the perceived career opportunities in that field. Instead, the largest proportion (48 per cent) chose a field of study that best fitted their career goals. Just 17 per cent selected a degree because it matched their strengths. When deciding on a job, salary (59 per cent) and long-term career prospects (46 per cent) were amongst the most important aspects influencing students and graduates decisions. Salary seemed to be of higher importance for men (61 per cent) than women (54 per cent). Ultimately, the results highlight the need for an awareness campaign targeted at youth to better align their perceptions and expectations with the reality on the ground. When speaking with graduates and job seekers about the new growth sectors, the competitive salaries and strong long term career prospects in these industries should be emphasized since these emerged as the main drivers of job choice. Given youth aged 15-24 years old make up almost 40 per cent of the working age population throughout the Mena region*, their lack of work readiness and little awareness of the wide range of opportunities available outside more traditional sectors such as construction and gas/energy, gives reason for alarm which calls for urgent action. Since its launch, Bayt.com has always strived to provide a realistic overview of the opportunities available within the wide variety of industries across the Mena region. Young graduates and students, as well as their families, have to be educated about the wider career choices and options available to them, said Suhail Masri, vice president of Sales, and Bayt.com. Our aim is to provide information about the job market with an aim to empower the youth and ensure that they are making sound decisions when it comes to their future career paths. While the majority of Arab youth still continue to look to the public sector or the traditional trilogy of medicine, engineering and law for employment, we want to show them the breadth of career options available to them in other industries as well. The study demonstrated that many young people across the region had never considered alternative sectors such as hospitality, aviation and media as viable career options. Through this survey, we aimed to gain a better understanding of the decision-making process among youth when selecting a degree or a career. Results suggested youths lack of consideration for a wider range of sectors is often related to lack of information and knowledge. The findings highlight the need for an awareness campaign among youth in the region to inform them of the wide range of opportunities available in these sectors and come to further reinforce our commitment to bridging the gap between young talent and successful and lasting employment in the Mena region, said Joao Neves, senior director for Education and Human Resources research, YouGov. Akef Aqrabawi, president and CEO of JA Middle East/ North Africa, INJAZ Al-Arab, said: Unemployment is a growing concern in the Middle East for Arab youth. Hence, our research is considered vital as it portrays the big gap between the educational system and the labour market. It also sheds light on the reality of our youth and their lack of awareness when it comes to choosing their careers after graduating. The outcomes of this research would provide more information about the most growing industries and opportunities available for youth. TradeArabia News Service UAE-based shipyard Gulf Craft has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ajman University of Science and Technology (AUST) to promote industry research and help development of future UAE professionals. The new partnership will facilitate the exchange of information and expertise, and will enable AUST students to apply theoretical knowledge in an industrial setting at Gulf Crafts award-winning yacht and boat building facilities, said a statement from the company. Distinguished students will also have an opportunity to intern at Gulf Craft across various fields, ranging from communications and information technology, to interior design and engineering, it said. Erwin Bamps, CEO of Gulf Craft, said: Research and development plays a critical role in the progress of the leisure maritime sector, and that is why we continue to forge new relationships and build on existing ones that support us in our endeavor to continuously innovate. Technology is constantly changing, and our ability to produce oceangoing yet comfortable craft that meet evolving market requirements relies on credible and scholarly information. We look forward to working closely with AUST towards our mutual goal of disseminating knowledge and advancing the UAE as a global and regional industrial hub, he added. The partnership will also support the development of new university programmes that cater to changing industry needs, said the statement. Professor Ahmed Ankit, assistant to president of external relations, said: Nurturing homegrown talent with the right skills mix is critical to the success of a countrys economy, and there is no better way to prepare students for the real world than to immerse them in it. This agreement will give our students an exciting opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom in a real work setting, empowering them with the knowledge and experience they need to excel in their careers and realize their potential, he added. TradeArabia News Service More than 10,000 delegates from around the world are expected to attend the second edition of the World Nuclear Exhibition, an international trade event, which will take place later this year in France. The event will be held from June 28 to 30, at the Paris Le Bourget. The biennial event covers the entire civil nuclear industry and will enable all those involved to present their know-how, to discuss experiences and best practices, to forge partnerships, to find new suppliers and to build their exports, said a statement. The theme of this years WNE is The civil nuclear industry in the global energy mix, it said. Additionally, extending the operating lives and maintaining existing power plants, new projects and future technologies, the fuel cycle, finance, skills and training, are among the key themes that will be addressed during the various events that will take place during WNE 2016: the Awards Ceremony, panel discussions, exhibitor workshops followed by networking sessions, business meetings, side events for professionals and visits to industrial sites. TradeArabia News Service Young Presidents Organization (YPO), a global network of young business leaders, has announced that Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the UN, will deliver an address at its annual landmark event, YPO EDGE, in Dubai, UAE. For two days in March, YPO members, their spouses, partners and invited guests from more than 100 countries will convene with world-renowned global thought leaders to address key issues in business, politics, philanthropy and humanities. Topics of discussion include innovations in social entrepreneurship, medical breakthroughs, the future of business around the world, and women entrepreneurship, among others. The event, held on a different continent every year, offers exceptional educational opportunities while helping the global leaders of today shape the world of tomorrow. Kofi Annan is a transformational leader for the world, said Scott Mordell, CEO, YPO. His ability to build partnerships around the globe and harness the power of human potential is truly remarkable, and we are thrilled to welcome him in Dubai as our keynote speaker for the EDGE 2016. YPO recently announced that, for the first time, the EDGE event will be hosted in the Middle East region with more than 2,000 innovative business leaders from around the world attending the event. According to Mordell, the continued growth of the region makes it the perfect platform for EDGE. Mena is one of the most consistently growing regions globally, and Dubai in particular has solidified its position as an economic development hub among the leading growth centres of the world, he said. At YPO, our common goal is to create better business leadership through education and idea exchange, supporting businesses and communities around the world. The theme of the 2016 event is Vision to Reality, and no other region in the world represents this as well as Mena. We look forward to welcoming all of our speakers and members from around the globe to Dubai in March. Founded in 1950, YPO today provides 23,000 CEOs and their families in 130 countries with access to unique experiences, extraordinary educational resources, access to alliances with leading institutions, and participation in specialized networks to support their business, community and personal leadership. TradeArabia News Service Syria's main opposition group is considering a proposal by UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura that could pave the way to the delegation pressing ahead with talks after holding their first meeting with him on Sunday, a Western diplomatic source said. Representatives of the Saudi-backed Higher Negotiation Committee (HNC), which includes political and militant opponents of President Bashar al-Assad, had warned earlier in the day that they may yet walk away from the Geneva talks unless the suffering of civilians in the five-year conflict is eased. With Islamic State bombers killing over 60 people near the country's holiest Shi'ite shrine, the Syrian government's chief delegate retorted that the blasts in Damascus merely confirmed the link between the opposition and terrorism - even though Islamic State has been excluded from the talks. The United Nations is aiming for six months of talks that would focus on achieving a broad ceasefire, while working toward a political settlement to the civil war that has killed over 250,000 people, driven more than 10 million from their homes and drawn in global powers. After the HNC initially insisted air strikes and sieges of Syrian towns must end before it joins the "proximity talks", in which de Mistura would meet each side in separate rooms, there appeared to be some signs of a softening in their position on Sunday evening. HNC spokesman Salim al-Muslat described discussions with de Mistura as very positive and encouraging "concerning humanitarian issues." The delegation met for several hours later on Sunday to debate the proposal. The UN special envoy's office said he would meet the Syrian government delegation on Monday at 1100 (1000 GMT) and the HNC at 1700 (1600 GMT). "De Mistura made them a proposition, and that's tempting them to enter the negotiations. They are very prudent," a Western diplomatic source said, adding he was not aware of the content of the offer. The delegation representing the HNC is seeking a halt to attacks on civilian areas, the release of detainees and a lifting of blockades. It has a list of 3,000 women and children in Syrian government jails. The measures were mentioned in a Security Council resolution approved last month that endorsed the peace process for Syria. "They want tangible and visible things immediately. Things they can give to their grassroots," the source said. "Certain things aren't possible immediately like the end of the bombings, but the easiest is the release of civilians, women and children." "TOTAL" SIEGES UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the talks - the first in two years - as long overdue. "I urge all parties to put the people of Syria at the heart of their discussions, and above partisan interests," he said during a visit to Ethiopia. In Washington, US Secretary of State John Kerry urged both sides to seize the opportunity to make progress. "In the end there is no military solution to the conflict," he said in a televised statement. The Syrian government's delegation head in Geneva, Bashar al-Jaafari, said Damascus was considering options such as ceasefires, humanitarian corridors and prisoner releases, but suggested they might come about as a result of the talks, not before them. "Absolutely, this is part of the agenda that we agreed upon and that will be one of the very important topics we will discuss among ourselves as Syrian citizens," Jaafari said. Russian air strikes have killed nearly 1,400 civilians since Moscow started its aerial campaign in support of Assad nearly four months ago, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Saturday. Opposition delegate Bassma Kodmani said the bombings had increased in the last week. "In preparations for the negotiations, everything has intensified. The sieges have become total," she said, adding later that her delegation was likely to stay at least three to four days in Geneva. On Sunday, the United Nations said that Mouadamiya, a rebel-held town of 45,000 on the southwestern edge of Damascus, faced a new siege by government forces. Moscow has objected to two Islamist rebel groups, Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham, taking any part in the talks. However, a negotiator from Jaish al-Islam, Mohamed Alloush, told Reuters he was going to Geneva to show that the Syrian government was not serious about seeking a political solution. In another sign that talks may gather pace, the Western diplomat and a source close to the opposition said the HNC's main coordinator Riad Hijab could also arrive on Monday. ISLAMIC STATE CLAIM Islamic State claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks in the Sayeda Zeinab district of Damascus, according to Amaq, a news agency that supports the militant group. It said two operations "hit the most important stronghold of Shi'ite militias in Damascus." The Britain-based Observatory put the death toll at over 60, including 25 Shi'ite fighters. Earlier, the Interior Ministry had reported at least 45 dead and 110 people wounded, while state television showed footage of burning buildings and wrecked cars in the neighbourhood. The heavily populated area of southern Damascus is a site of pilgrimage for Shi'ites from Iran, Lebanon and other parts of the Muslim world. The shrine houses the grave of the daughter of Ali ibn Abi Taleb, whom Shi'ites consider the rightful successor to Prophet Mohammad. The dispute over the succession led to the major Sunni-Shi'ite schism in Islam. Islamic State has been excluded from the talks as the UN has classified it a terrorist group. Nevertheless Jaafari said the blasts confirmed the link between the opposition and terrorism, pointing to the attacks and comments from a leader of the Southern Front, another rebel coalition. "This confirms what the Syrian government has said over and over again - that there is a link between terrorism and those who sponsor terrorism from one side and some political groups that pretend to be against terrorism," he said. Jaafari added that Damascus favoured "an enlarged national government" as one phase of the process, but made no mention of creating a transitional administration without Assad, as the opposition demands. Reuters Gulf Energy Corporation, a UAE-based privately-held energy company, has signed an agreement regarding its offer to purchase a share in an oil and gas field in the US state of New Mexico. The offer includes the purchase of a share in the deep gas development well to be drilled in 2017, and start the development of the field after the completion of the geophysical surveys and the drilling of the first well in the field, to ensure the presence of helium gas reserves in commercial quantities. Chris Tate, managing director of Gulf Energy Corporation, said: "The aim of the forthcoming deeper drilling phase is to develop the field, which has been proven to contain sources and reserves of helium gas. The current gas price for crude helium is quite attractive for investment opportunities, if we look to what was published on the Bureau of Land Management website regarding the latest crude helium gas deal sold at auction, during which the bids ranged from $100 to $106 per Mcf, he added. Tate explained that such a deal contributes to the development of the investments of Gulf Energy in a strategic sector that is witnessing a high demand globally. The offer includes the acquisition of all rights to exploit the oil, gas and helium reserves in the entire field, including the first well returns, to provide immediate cash flow for Gulf Energy Corporation if the deal is completed. Under this agreement, Gulf Energy is to be entitled to access to all the operational, accounting and legal files and records, the buildings and property of the company (the seller) and its correspondence with the federal government in New Mexico. This offer is valid until March 31, 2017, while the value of the deal is determined according to the results of the first wells tests to be drilled in the second half of 2016, in order to set a purchase and sale agreement between the two parties with a view to complete the deal by the specified date, a statement said. The demand for helium gas has increased since 2013 and throughout 2014, and the European markets have suffered for years from a lack of the Algerian gas supplies. Various global markets were affected in varying degrees because of the lack of helium supply and production, thus making the investment in production and manufacturing both useful and promising. International oil and gas markets experts expect the demand for helium gas to increase with the predicted growth of the electronics industry, semiconductor, LCD screens and fibre optics in Asia and the Middle East. TradeArabia News Service GE Oil & Gas has signed a landmark long-term, multi-million dollar contract with Petroleum Development Oman to supply integrated Reciprocating Rod Pump equipment (RRP) and related services commencing in the second quarter of 2016. Joining hands with its local partner Edgo, this is GEs first-ever contract awarded by PDO for the provision of integrated RRP equipment and services, and is aligned with PDOs In Country Value initiative. The In Country Value strategy aims to promote localized manufacturing, develop Local Community Contractors (LCCs) and strengthen Omani talent development through training programmes. GE Oil & Gas will sub-contract the manufacturing and fabrication of specific pumping units structural components in Oman and also assemble selected Lufkin Automation products in the country using local companies. The local contractors will also be trained on the various aspects of RRP assembly. The engagement of the LCCs and the sub-contracting of work to the LCCs is crucial to the success of the local talent development and local economy for the people of South Oman. A PDO spokesperson said: Historically, we have sourced individual RRP components from individual manufacturers and had to rely on various contractors for its installation and maintenance. This contract marks the first-ever integrated approach in the installation and service of RRP systems, which will contribute significantly in addressing all associated logistical challenges and enhance our operational efficiency. In Country Value was an important feature of the negotiations and this contract is further evidence of our commitment to secure long-term sustainable economic benefits for the Sultanate. Rami Qasem, president & CEO, GE Oil & Gas for Mena and Turkey, said: The contract builds on our long-term partnership with PDO and underlines our commitment to investing in Oman and supporting PDO to achieve their long-term goals. The provision of advanced equipment and services will help in meeting and exceeding the average run-life of the rod pump equipment, a critical component in PDOs operations. As part of the deal, GE Oil & Gas will provide a wide range of specialised equipment including Lufkin C912, C1280 beam pumps, and Lufkin automation products. GE Oil & Gas will also provide preventive and corrective maintenance for a number of inherited RRP systems; supervise their use in well interventions and provide technical training to the concerned team. TradeArabia News Service The Egyptian government aims to engage development finance institutions (DFIs) and investors to fund and build 30GW of electricity projects in the country. This month Egypt's government, regulators and public sector stakeholders will discuss the role of the DFIs and the private sector in these projects at a key seminar in Cairo. The electricity generation, transmission and distribution projects, which are ready for tendering, will require additional investments and partnerships for successful completion, said industry experts ahead of The Egypt Energy Investment Summit to be held from February 16 to 18. The event is designed to drive forward investments into Egypt's energy sector. It will cover central issues including the progress in the renewable energy FIT programme, the 'Build-Own-Operate' projects and the IPP scheme, showcasing the pro-activeness of government to engage credible investors efficiently and commercially. The event will also see Egypt's National Energy Strategy 2035 being discussed with all stakeholders including; the New and Renewable Energy Authority, EgyptERA, Egyptian Electricity Holding Company as well as the leading private and international investors Elsewedy, Egas, World Bank, AfDB, IFC, EBRD, KfW, The Egyptian Exchange, Schneider Electric, Siemens and ABB. Commenting on the aims of the energy strategy, Hatem Waheed, the managing director, Egyptian Electricity Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency, said: "Egypt will create a highly competitive and proper environment for new investment in conventional and renewable energy and energy efficiency." Speaking recently about the signing of the Dairut IPP deal, Dr Mohamed Shaker El Markabi, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, said: "Egypt is committed to meeting its energy needs and access to electricity to promote economic growth is an absolute priority." In a major boost to South Africa-Egypt trade ties, the country's Department of Energy and IPP Office will participate at the meeting, sharing experience of their hugely well-received REIPPP Programme and collaborating with Egyptian stakeholders to promote renewable energy development in the country. Additionally the visiting delegation will focus heavily on the future of Egypt's gas strategy and discuss what role Egypt could play in South Africa's Gas IPPP Programme, as well the potential for South African coal in Egypt's massive Coal IPP Programme. The scale of this partnership would create a South: East Africa Trade Corridor, drawing in countries such as Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya, boosting agriculture, mining and all sectors, increasing energy access and wealth for billions of people across the region, said the experts. "This is such an important meeting, we hope that our long standing partners will take advantage of the platform and contribute to this unparalleled opportunity for energy investors," they added.-TradeArabia News Service VisitBritain, UK's national tourism agency, is teaming up with social media celebrities from the GCC to attract more international visitors to Britain as part of its biggest campaign for the year Great Britain Great Moments. The aim is to inspire and encourage visitors to explore more of regional Britain and find their own amazing moments. The Great Britain Great Moments Campaign was launched on January 31, at a reception held at the Ritz Carlton Dubai, in attendance of Her Majesty's consul general to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, Paul Fox; VisitBritains regional general manager Asia Pacific Middle East, Sumathi Ramanathan; and UAEs key media, tourism trade and industry representatives. Fox said: The UAE has a long standing relationship with the UK and the bilateral relationship is as strong as ever. The UKs rich legacy of heritage, cultural evolution, innovation, vibrant music and some of the best sport in the world, makes it a top destination for Emirati travellers. We have and will continue to invest in this market, with new campaigns, strategic partnerships and innovative and flexible services to maintain the UKs position as the favourite destination for all kinds of visitors from the UAE, whether it be for business or pleasure. The campaigns first phase drove visitors to engage with VisitBritains social celebrities, directing them to a landing page with fascinating images, cinemagraphs and videos from the exciting and bespoke influencers trips. From the UAE, Diala Ali, presenter at Dubai Media, indulged in the tranquillity and picturesque setting of the Highlands of Scotland, whilst Bader Najeeb, Emirati chef, explored the culinary treasures of Birmingham and the dramatic charm of Shakespeare's England. Visitors to the site and followers of VisitBritains social media accounts were also invited to share these images through their own social media channels using the hashtag #nothingnicer and, by doing so, had the chance to win a dream vacation to their favourite British countryside destination. The second phase of the campaign gets underway this month. This phase will feature a partnership with Qatar Airways to drive conversion and provide promotional offers for travellers to fly into some of the Britains most exciting destinations including Manchester, Edinburgh, London and the soon to launch Birmingham route. Ramanathan said: Britain is one of the top visited destinations for Gulf nationals. Our confidence in the market is shared by our partners and working with Qatar Airways who has recently launched a new route to Birmingham, will allow us to showcase the regional destinations of Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and London to the wider audience that we have connected with through our influencers. Qatar Airways Vice President GCC, Levant, Iran, Iraq & Yemen Ishfaq Jalal said: Qatar Airways is proud to partner with Visit Britain to showcase to our passengers in the GCC our destinations in the United Kingdom such as London, Manchester, Edinburgh and our newest destination Birmingham. We will start our direct service between Hamed International Airport Doha and Birmingham on March 30. There were 576,000 international visits to the UK from the GCC in the first nine months of 2015, up 18 per cent on the same period in 2014 with visitors spending 1.2 billion, up 6 per cent. Latest forecasts from VisitBritain show that the number of overseas visitors overall to the UK is expected to rise this year to 36.7 million visits, up 3.8 per cent on 2015. Spending by overseas visitors overall is predicted to reach almost 23 billion this year, up 4.2 per cent on last year. TradeArabia News Service A new $840 million Royal Atlantis Hotel will soon be built in Dubai following award of the construction contract of the project to Korean builder Ssangyong, said a report. A total of three projects were awarded to Ssangyong, worth $1.6 billion, through a three-way joint venture with European contractor Besix and China State Construction Engineering Corporation, reported The Korea Times. The consortium will first build the Royal Atlantis Hotel followed by the $386-million Palm Gateway project and an unnamed office building complex for an estimated cost of $370 million. Of the $1.6 billion contracts, Ssangyong, which was recently acquired by the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), will take $730 million, stated the report. As per the deal, Ssangyong Engineering & Construction will build the new Royal Atlantis resort at Palm Jumeirah alongside contractor Besix (Belhasa Six Construct). The Royal Atlantis Hotel will be a 47-storey hotel with 795 rooms and a 37-storey apartment building with 231 units. The Palm Gateway is an upscale apartment complex with three buildings and 1,265 units. The third project is constructing several high-rise office buildings, said the report. "It is very meaningful for us to secure a construction project in Dubai again, our first deal in 13 years," remarked a Ssangyong E&C spokesman. The acquisition by ICD, which has nearly $200 billion under its management, is seen helping Ssangyong secure more lucrative deals in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere. The company spokesman said the latest projects will help Ssangyong emerge as one of the world's leading construction powerhouses. "We will continue to win more deals in the UAE and nearby Middle Eastern countries," he added. SALT LAKE CITY As a dietary worker at a big hospital in Orem, Lydia Mead fears her workplace could someday become a target for a mass shooter. So when Mead found out that Orem Police would be one of the first Utah law enforcement agencies to offer a course to the public about how to survive an active shooter situation, she hurried to sign up. She's one of 100 people who quickly filled the available slots for the first class scheduled for late February. "If somebody walked in with a gun, I don't think I would be very prepared," Mead said. "Most of us would just panic. I'd rather be educated and be able to help." Orem Police first decided to offer the class to area businesses after the December mass shooting at a county office building in San Bernardino, California, Orem Police detective Michael Paraskeva (Pear-a-skeeva) said. That went so well with a handful of businesses, police leaders chose to open the courses to all residents, he said. Paraskeva said Orem's one-hour program is based on the tenets of a Department of Homeland Security program. It also includes parts of a course developed by Los Angeles Police, Paraskeva said. The first class filled up quickly after the agency posted a notice on Facebook earlier this week and KSL-TV in Salt Lake aired a story about the program, Paraskeva said. They are likely to offer several more courses in the future. "Unfortunately, this is the society that we live in now," Paraskeva said. "People are interested because it's a real possibility now that they may be involved with that (a mass shooting) during the course of their lifetime. God willing it never does happen, but they want to prepare themselves." The last major mass shooting in Utah was 2007 when a shooter killed five people and wounded four others at Salt Lake City's Trolley Square mall. Homeland Security has hosted active shooter workshops across the country for private businesses and police agencies since 2011, agency spokesman S.Y. Lee aid. Another 549,000 people have taken a separate online course, "Active Shooter: What You Can Do," which includes basic lessons about what a person should do if they encounter a shooter, Lee said. "Our goal is to ensure awareness of actions that can be taken before, during, and after an incident," Lee said in a statement. The premise of the teaching is based on the model of "run, hide and fight," Paraskeva said. People are taught to first look for a safe way to exit. If that's not possible, they should find a place out of the shooter's view where they can hide and be covered by something that could block a bullet. The last case scenario is fighting back rather than just giving up, Paraskeva said. Anything you can find can be used as a weapon, he said, such as a pen, fire extinguisher, screwdriver, a chair or a mop. "We don't want you to just lay down and be a duck in a barrel," Paraskeva said. "Active shooters are there for a body count, they're not expecting people to fight back." Participants are also given context on the type of places where mass shootings have happened and characteristics of shooters, all based on research about past events. They also hear about how to manage the physiological effects people often feel in mass shootings: panic, time distortion and fainting. For instance, they are taught to take four deep breaths to slow down their heart rates and calm down, he said. Orem Police's program for businesses not only teaches employees what to do, but also provides the company with an assessment of how secure its facilities are and what improvements could be made. The classes are free. Police consider it an investment in the community, Paraskeva said. Orem is a city of about 92,000 people located 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. "If there's a situation in our community, potentially we could save lives by having this program," he said Mead said she receives brief online tutorials about what to do in emergency situations, but she doesn't think that's sufficient. She hopes others sign up for future classes too. "We should all know about what to do and not just assume somebody else will do it for us," Mead said. 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 Speaker John Boehner, 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 Congress most important gavel, all because the committees previous chairman, Paul Ryan, 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 GDP will grow from todays $16.3 trillion 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 Americas 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 like Pfizer, which recently moved its headquarters to Ireland for tax purposes, to remain here. In the last 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 persons of modest means. Trump, who works himself into a lather because Nabisco is making some Oreo cookies outside the country, is obsessed with Americas trade with China. Were going to get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country, says he, 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 Wal-Mart 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 Wal-Mart, perhaps the one in Secaucus, New Jersey, just 7 miles from his Fifth Avenue penthouse. RIO DE JANEIRO Two Brazilian women, two pregnancies, one nightmare. But two very different stories. Regina de Lima and Tainara Lourenco became pregnant at a scary moment the dawn of an extraordinary Zika outbreak, as authorities came to suspect that the virus was causing an alarming spike in a rare birth defect called microcephaly. Both have reason to fear for their unborn offspring. But that is where the similarities end. Lima is well-off, and took advantage of the options of affluence. Lourenco lives in a slum. She has no options, except to hope for the best. When Lima learned she was pregnant, her initial rush of happiness was almost immediately smothered by dread. Lima and her husband had been trying to start a family but decided to put the project on hold in late November, after the Brazilian government announced a possible link between mosquito-borne Zika and microcephaly, in which infants are born with unusually small heads and can sometimes suffer mental retardation or a host of other serious problems. The connection between Zika and microcephaly is not yet understood, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is strong evidence of a link. And with more than 3,700 confirmed or suspected cases of microcephaly here since October compared with fewer than 150 cases in all of 2014 the Brazilian government took the drastic step of urging would-be parents to put off pregnancies. But for Lima, an audiovisual producer from Rio de Janeiro, it was too late. She was already pregnant, and her first trimester thought to be when the fetus is most susceptible to Zika would coincide with Rios mosquito season. So Lima did what growing numbers of wealthy Brazilian women are doing: She requested an extended vacation from work, packed her bags and left for Europe. She plans to stay at least through the end of the dicey first trimester. Unemployed and five months pregnant, 21-year-old Lourenco lives in a slum at the epicenter of Brazils tandem Zika and microcephaly outbreaks in the impoverished and underdeveloped northeast. Her shack is cobbled together from bits of wood and perches on stilts over a giant puddle of fetid water. To eke out a living for herself and her 2-year-old daughter, she ventures into a swamp to hunt for crustaceans she hawks for $2.50 a kilogram. Zika is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is well-adapted to humans and can breed in even a bottle-caps-worth of stagnant water . While anyone can be bitten by Aedes, public health experts agree that the poor are more vulnerable because they often lack amenities that diminish the risk, such as air conditioning and screens. The government has pledged to start providing repellent to low-income women and promises to deploy some of the armed forces to help eliminate Aedes breeding places . If you have to get sick you will get sick, Lourenco said. Its everywhere. CAMPBELL, Calif. Police in Northern California are searching for a woman and a man accused of ramming into a patrol car, injuring an officer and stealing his patrol car. Campbell police say Itse Murillo, Christian Hernandez and a third suspect who was arrested rammed the stolen car they were riding against a police patrol car Saturday. The two men took off running and the officer gave chase on foot, which allowed Murillo to jump into the empty police car and drive off. KTVU reports (http://bit.ly/1SS74f9) another officer tried to stop the woman but was dragged and thrown to the ground. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. The patrol car was found later Saturday. Investigators say Reyes has been caught but Murillo and Hernandez remain on the loose Sunday. DAYTON, Ohio (AP) Two large wastewater plants in southwestern Ohio are appealing an order to reduce how much phosphorus is released into a tributary of the Ohio River. Dayton and Montgomery County said changing their operations to comply with the new rules could cost up to $2 million. Both want the Ohio Environmental Review Appeals Commission to force the state's environmental regulators to delay establishing limits until another study of the river is completed. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency said the restrictions will cut down a key ingredient in the toxic algae blooms that have become a growing concern around the state. The state EPA has proposed phasing in new discharge limits over the next three years at the plants. The two plants, which send wastewater into the Great Miami River, would face the same limits as plants whose wastewater ends up in Lake Erie, said EPA spokeswoman Dina Pierce. Costs should not be a problem because other water treatment plants have had this limit and have not found the expenses a burden, she said. The new limits would be the first imposed on public wastewater plants on the Great Miami River. Two industrial plants that discharge treated water into the river also must comply with new phosphorus limits. Agency officials decided to impose the limits following a 2010 water quality study of the lower Great Miami River, which flows into the Ohio River west of Cincinnati. The study showed during the summer and early fall most of the phosphorus in the river comes from the Dayton and Montgomery plant discharges, Pierce said. The new limits would be in place only during those months. Operators of both wastewater plants said the EPA should wait until the two systems complete their own study of all sources of pollution in the river. Tammi Clements, the head of Dayton's water department, told the Dayton Daily News (http://bit.ly/23vYRB6) that the study may find that working with farms would do more to reduce phosphorus in the river. The study, which is being done with 14 other communities that discharge into the river, should help show how phosphorus levels are affected by urban runoff and farming, as well as the treatment plants. What about Tucson's water? "Lead is something that we regularly test for and so everything is always reported," Tucson Water spokesman Fernando Molina said. "While we do test within our system, there are some folks, particularly in older homes, whose plumbing may have really old pipes. If there is concern about that then folks can have their own water tested." Molina added that with the scaling that occurs on pipes here, even if the home does have lead, the scaling generally tends to provide a protective coating. "The issue that's going on in Flint, Michigan, is the protective coatings that had built up in those pipes were washed away with the change in water quality there," Molina said. "It was the pipes and the water coming in touch." To see Tucson Water's water quality reports go to https://www.tucsonaz.gov/water/water-quality online Two people were killed and 22 suspected members of the Sinaloa Cartel were arrested during an unprecedented operation in Sonoyta, Sonora, across the border from Lukeville, Mexican authorities said. Mexican officials had been investigating a stash house for drugs and people in a rural area of the border town of Sonoyta before Friday's raid, where federal officers exchanged fire with armed men guarding the property. The names of those killed and arrested have not been provided, but ICE said over the weekend they were in custody of the Mexican government and U.S. authorities are going to seek the extradition of those who face criminal charges here. The operation was staged across the border in Lukeville with the assistance of U.S. law enforcement agencies, which some call a first. "I've been living here for 15 years and there's no precedent for a mega operation, even less so of a binational one," said Hugo Regalado, Sonoyta's city manager. He said city officials have been talking with long-time Sonoyta residents and no one remembers seeing anything like it before. The operation, dubbed Diablo Express, involved about 15 to 20 federal police vehicles and four or five helicopters, Regalado said, adding that the city was also awaiting specific information since they were not notified before the raid. The New York Times reported in 2011 that the Obama administration was allowing the Mexican police to stage cross-border drug raids from inside the United States. During the rare operations, the New York Times said, Mexican commandos assembled in designated areas in the United States and dispatched helicopter missions back across the border aimed at suspected drug traffickers, which is what witnesses described happened Friday. Tony Coulson, who retired as the agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Tucson office in 2010, said he had never seen anything like it. "Ive never heard of anything like this, where armed Mexican police is brought to this side to actually stage an operation into Mexico," he said. Authorities also confiscated 15 assault weapons, three handguns and more than 500 pounds of marijuana. Coulson said the drugs and weapons are far less important than who they arrested. "You want to get at the highest level of who controls that corridor in order to totally disrupt and dismantle that group," he said. "Your whole goal of an operation like that is to get key lieutenants who run the command and control the infrastructure of that area or group." Sonoyta is strategically important for the trafficking of drugs into Southern California, Coulson said. "The corridor from Rocky Point to Sonoyta is a critical part of whoever controls the Baja California and Tijuana plaza," he said. This has at times led to spates of violence. Last summer, Sonoyta and the rural communities to the east, all part of the municipality of Plutarco Elias Calles, have been the battleground for rival cartel factions vying to control that valuable territory. The Sinaloa Cartel is one of worlds most-notorious drug-trafficking rings, led by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, recently arrested after he escaped from a high-security Mexican prison. The Sinaloa cell has been responsible for trafficking millions of pounds of drugs, including marijuana, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, into the United States from Mexico, officials have said. Friday's operation shows the Mexican government's commitment to dismantling Guzman's cartel, said Coulson. "Hes been quite an embarrassment to the Mexican government and his recent capture again shows a pretty good level of commitment to get rid of Chapo and everything surrounding Chapo," he said. How that translates to all the other cartels in Mexico, he said, is yet to be seen. Policia Federal detiene a 22 presuntos integrantes de un grupo... Derivado de labores de investigacion de campo en Sonoyta, Sonora, ubicamos una vivienda custodiada por gente armada. Al arribar al lugar las personas detonaron armas de fuego por lo que repelimos la agresion.Se aseguraron a 22 presuntos integrantes de un grupo delictivo, 250 kilos de marihuana, 18 armas de fuego, 3 armas corta y cartuchos utiles de diversos calibres. Los detenidos y lo asegurado fueron puestos a disposicion del Agente de Ministerio Publico de la Federacion.Mas informacion: http://bit.ly/1SSfC5z Posted by Policia Federal de Mexico on Sunday, January 31, 2016 As the midterm elections come ever closer, it can feel as if were stewing in a cauldron of tribalism, of our side vs. their side with no middle ground and little agreement on much of anything. That makes it a good time to take a breath and realize the consensus weve reached on some issues that were incredibly contentious not long ago. It gives us hope in the angry days ahead. Some residents of Southern Arizona have launched a campaign to have Chiricahua National Monument southeast of Willcox redesignated as Chiricahua National Park, and theyre getting support from a member of Congress. U.S. Rep. Martha McSally says she is planning to introduce legislation to authorize the change, which requires an act of Congress. Chiricahua Monument a preserve of 11,985 acres known for its spectacular rock formations, scenic viewpoints and extensive network of trails would have no significant changes other than a name change, said Allen Etheridge, superintendent of the monument. Designation as a national park wouldnt change boundaries or increase the budget. Bob Gent, a member of the Sierra Vista Tourism Commission and coordinator of the Campaign for Chiricahua National Park, said he and others in Southern Arizona strongly believe that a redesignation is merited. Chiricahua National Monument truly is a geologic wonder of the world, and it deserves national park status, Gent said. Its unique in its scenic beauty. He said park status could bring economic benefits. Basically, all the chambers of commerce in the Cochise County area are in support of this, Gent said. We think its a good idea to attract visitors to Arizona. As a tourism commissioner, one of my jobs is to let people know that Arizona is a beautiful place to visit. What better way to do that than to have a new national park declared? LOCAL SUPPORT Kevin Dahl, Arizona senior program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association and a supporter of the Chiricahua proposal, said, I think it is significant that the strong voice for changing Chiricahua National Monument into a national park has come from business and political leaders in Cochise County. The history of our national park system is filled with stories of such strong local support for instance, when Saguaro National Monument was established by President Herbert Hoover in 1933, and then when Congress expanded its borders and made it a national park in 1994. CONGRESSIONAL ACTION McSally, a Republican representing Arizonas Second Congressional District, said she is planning to introduce legislation for national park status in the near future. Making Chiricahua into a national park is a win-win for Southern Arizona, McSally said. The designation would recognize the incredible history, diversity and beauty of this area, and help attract further business and tourism to our communities. Chiricahua was designated as a national monument in 1924 by President Calvin Coolidge. McSally noted that designation as a national park, unlike national monument designation, requires an act of Congress. Im aiming to introduce legislation in the near future designating Chiricahua a national park. We got a decent snowstorm and Lyla really wanted to help me shovel the driveway Pancakes and strawberries Lyla was a festive little leprechaun on St. ... 7 years ago German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has come up with a new idea to solve the economic problems caused by the tide of immigrants flooding into EU member nations. Schaeuble's plan illustrates more graphically than ever how out of touch with the mood of the people European leaders are. The new idea is to impose a pan European Tax on petrol, the revenue raised to be used to finance efforts to manage the migrant crisis and pay social welfare benefits to immigrants. The plan has already won support from European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, according to Germany's Der Spiegel."A gasoline tax, be it on a national or on a European level, could be a possible source of funding, especially when you consider that the oil price is at a historically low level now," Dombrovskis told Der Spiegel. The idea failed to gain widespread support and was ridiculed in Germany and elsewhere in Europe however. It is not the first time this month Schaeuble has courted controversy by supporting the pro - immigrant (ant - European accoding to critics) line taken by Chancellor Angela Merkel. When asked at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland about the Austrian government's decision to introduce upper limits to the number of refugees it will accept, he replied: "I had to gasp a bit when I heard that we were not closely consulted on the decision. In recent months, the German chancellor has always made an effort to consult closely with Austria. But we know that the abilities of European Union member states are not infinite. As such, it makes little sense for us to criticize each other. All of us accepted Sweden's decision to introduce border controls too. And that is a country that was for decades the most open to Immigration." One has to "gasp a bit" at the arrogance of the German government when a senior official can assume that the elected government of Austria, a sovereign nation, should consult with its neighbours on issues relating to control of its own borders. The interviewer on that occasion must have been somewhat shocked too and suggested Germany would soon be completely alone with its refugee policies, after trying and failing to bully its European partners into accepting refugee quotas defined by German government officials in conjunction with the Brussels bureaucratic dictatorship. Schauble replied: "No. In the EU, we agree that the pressures causing migration must be reduced. If the Schengen system (of border-free travel) is destroyed, Europe will be seriously endangered, politically and economically." European voters, already suffering economic hardship because of the punitive taxes imposed to prop up the European Single Currency system are much less enthusiastic about the idea, especially in those inner city areas where the arrival of large numbers of immigrants has lead to a breakdown in law and order. According to the latest figures released by the European border agency Frontex, there were some 1.2 million irregular entries to the European Union in the first 10 months of 2015, four times more than in the whole of 2014. This is along with a larger number of legal immigrants (i.e. having passports, visas and work permits) than previously. It should be noted that the Schengen agreement which has been used to justify the open borders policies of Germany, France, Sweden and other EU nations, provides for free movement of E U citizens within the zones members, it was never intended to facilitate free movement throughout Europe for those who enter the European Union illegally. It's happened. The first of three plans to expand Magna Park distribution centre near Lutterworth hasreceived the green light fromHarborough District Council. If all three plans are approved (the other two will be considered later this year), the park will be double its original size and bigger than Lutterworth itself. This proposed expansion makes no sense. It has nothing to offerthe people who live in and around this small market town but more pollution of every kind. UK's first distribution centre Magna Parkwas built on the site of a former airfield in the late 1980s and was the UKs firstdedicated distribution centre. It sits in the golden triangle of the M1, M6 and M69, making it ideally suited, say the planners and members of the local chamber of commerce, for developing further to bring more business and jobs to the area. Most of the councillors at Harborough District Council seem to agree with this thinking. The first plan, now approved, is for one million square feet of new warehousing. The second and third plans would bring the total area needed for the expansion to eight million square feet. That's the equivalent of eight O2 arenas all to be built on adjoining farmland. Action group Cotesbach Action Group, named after the small village just outside Lutterworth and close to the park, are driving the campaign to oppose the expansion. Their message of Magna Park is big enough has strong support from across the area. At the last count (as shown on the group'swebsite)1,760 objections to the plans had been lodged withHarborough District Council. More traffic, less countryside Much of the traffic in and out of Magna Park uses the M1. Lutterworth is literally on the way, which means that as many as 3,000 heavy goods vehicles are passing through the town and near to villages like Cotesbach on a daily basis. Given that theair quality in this area falls well short of EU standards, you can only imagine the effect yet more traffic would have when the new warehouses become operative. Then theres the loss of valuablefarmland; looking onto a sea of warehouses where once there were green fields would dispirit anyone, let alone those who have long appreciated being surrounded by open countryside. No need to build here One of the action group's main arguments is that there's no need to build here when there are more suitable locations with railheads (like East Midlands hub and Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal) or next to motorway junctions (like Rugby Gateway) not too far away. Another reason not to expand Magna Park is that the jobs created by the expansion are not needed. Lutterworth has virtuallyno unemployment(currently around0.4%),whichmeans that the new jobs created at Magna Park would have to taken up by people living further afield, who would have to travel to work by car. And the effect of all this? Yet more traffic causingyet more pollution. Support from the local MP Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire,is giving his full support to the campaign. He has spoken out against the plans and has written a letter objecting to them to Harborough District Council. His constituency does not need this development he says. It should be taken to an areaof the East Midlandsthatdoes. You have to wonder how many ofthose voting in favour of this expansion actually live in or near Lutterworth. Probably none, because if they did, surelythey would see thatthe needs of the people living there should come before the need for commercial growth. Is this a plan to kill of homeless people? Is it hypocritical to speak out against hunting? Elliott Panyi Wins the UKIPT5 Series 3 For 16,590 February 01 2016 Matthew Pitt Editor The Hippodrome Casino in London played host to the UKIPT5 Series 3 this weekend, a 250+25 buy-in tournament that attracted a bumper crowd of 351, who created a prize pool of 87,750. Some 16,590 of that is now in the bank account of Elliott Panyi, the latest player to secure a UKIPT Series title. UKIPT5 Series 3 Final Table Results Place Player Prize 1 Elliott Panyi 16,590 2 Azarya Levy 10,540 3 Kwokwah Man 7,900 4 William Funnell 6,390 5 Gerald Candy 5,040 6 Michael Matar 3,850 7 Nicholas Case 2,830 8 Dean Perry 2,088 This latest live victory is Panys fourth win of his career so far. Payni won a 500+50 buy-in event in London in 2011 for 11,700 and won two more events in 2012, one being the Genting Poker Series London leg for 66,900. Panyi went into Day 2 with a healthy stack of 139,300 chips, but with 106 players returning to the action on Sunday having a large stack far from guaranteed success. With 47 places paid, the worst position to finish was 48th so spare a thought for Shane DMoirah who got his stack into the middle with on a board reading against the of Jay Samani only for the to land on the river to improve Samani to the best hand and resign DMoirah to the rail with the unwanted title of bubble boy. The likes of Daiva Baltic Blond Barauskaite, Hippodrome Team Pro Chris Gordon, Andrew King, and Timothy TimTim Timotheuo bust in the money place, with Scotlands Erasmo Marco falling ninth place to set the official final table. UKIPT Series 3 Final Table Seat Player Chips 1 William Funnell 224,000 2 Kwokwah Man 1,470,000 3 Gerald Candy 440,000 4 Dean Perry 435,000 5 Azarya Levy 905,000 6 Michael Matar 745,000 7 Elliott Panyi 2,140,000 8 Nicholas Case 485,000 With blinds at 25,000/50,000/5,000a, both Dean Perry and Nicholas Case were looking to secure a double early on so it wasnt surprising to see them both collide early into final table proceedings. Having raise-folded the hand prior, Perry pushed all-in for 210,000 with and Case called with the dominating . No drama from the board, and Perry was gone in eighth place. Twenty minutes after Perrys exit, Case followed him to the rail. Azarya Levy raised to 200,000 with and quickly called when case three-bet all-in for around 700,000 chips with to create a similar spot that cost Perry his tournament life. The end result was also the same, a final board reading that kept the ace-king as the best hand; game over for Case. Michael Matar was the next player to fall. Blinds increased to 30,000/60,000/10,000a and Matar pushed all-in for 400,000 with and lost to William Funnells when the board ran . Down to fumes, Matar got his last few chips in with , Panyi looked him up with , which held on a board. The flurry of eliminations continued with the exit of Gerald Candy in fifth place as the clocks displayed 9:15 pm. Candy pushed all-in from the button for 440,000 with and Panyi, who had mistakenly tried to fold preflop thinking he was under the gun, called from the big blind with and was rewarded with five community cards reading , which gifted him a straight. Four-handed play lasted for an hour and 40 minutes, during which time the tournament was anyones for the taking. As 11:00 pm approached, Panyi opened to 325,000 from the button with blinds of 60,000/120,000/10,000a, Funnell three-bet to 825,000 from the small blind, Panyi shoved, and Funnell called. Funnell had a legitimate hand in the shape of , but Panyis was superior and stayed that way as the five community cards fell . Heads-up was set 10-minutes later when Kwokwah Man bust in third place. Man raised to 375,000 leaving himself seven big blinds behind. These went into the middle when Panyi re-raised all-in from the big blind, Panyi holding and Man . The flop gave Man some outs to a straight, but the and failed to melt Panyis snowmen, and Man headed to the cashiers desk to collect third place money. Panyi went into heads-up with an 8-to-1 chip lead, and although Levy managed to double he still only had five big blinds. The final hand saw Levy push all-in with and Panyi called with . A few seconds later the board was in view, Levy bust, and Panyi left to add 16,590 to his lifetime winnings. Thanks to the PokerStars Blog for the data and lead image used in creating this article Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+! Chinese restaurants thriving beyond takeout Updated: 2016-02-01 11:36 By Niu Yue in New York(China Daily USA) The Chinese restaurant industry in the US is moving away from typical takeout toward fancier establishments, according to Ming Lin, executive director of the Chinese American Restaurant Association (CARA). Lin said that in the past decade there has been a gradual decline in the profit margin of "four dishes plus one soup"-type menus, Chinese fast food that usually prices under $6 per meal. The number of such low-end restaurants registered in CARA has been shrinking at an annual rate of 7 percent, down from 15,000 a decade ago to almost 8,000 now, Lin said. Zheng Dazhou, owner of a Chinese takeout restaurant in Elmhurst, Queens, and a first-generation Chinese immigrant to the US, told China Daily that he was going to upgrade his business to a more lucrative model. "The net margin of economic takeout food was usually under 15 percent," he said. "However, the average margin for a fancier Chinese restaurant could end up with a margin of nearly 35 percent." Zheng said he used to operate four branches of the same low-end takeout restaurants, but now only the Elmhurst one remains open. After the Chinese Lunar New Year, he will renovate the interior of the Elmhurst restaurant with "Canton nutritional stylistics". "Our targeted price per person will be $25," Zheng said. "I also want to recruit a new staff in the restaurant with better English fluency." Yiming Wang, owner of Cafe China restaurant, which is rated one star by Michelin, and of China Blue, both in Manhattan, said she wants to make the Chinese restaurant a place for cultural experience rather than a takeout bargain. "Most of the low-end takeout restaurants are mainly selling Americanized Chinese food, which are standardized fried ingredients such as pork or chicken with sweet-flavored sauce," said Wang. "My restaurant features good decor and service." Wang's business card also carries the title of designer. She said some of her celebrity clients visit just because they like the well-mannered waiters and waitress. The change in approach applies not only to New York City but also to Washington. China Boy, a top-rated takeout Chinese restaurant with limited seating in Washington's Chinatown, announced a long-anticipated upgrade recently. Feedback on Yelp on the restaurant's food has been overwhelmingly positive, except for the "shabby and crowded dinning environment", one commenter wrote. "They have the best fried rice in the area, and it's a good price," said Laura Sun, a regular customer. "Bad things are cash-only policy and limited space to sit inside." Liu Jiachang, the owner of China Boy, said he was planning to retire soon and the upgrade is on the way. China Boy had only two tables in its dine-in area with a maximum capacity of 10 diners indoors simultaneously. However, its kitchen was disproportionately spacious, part of which will be renovated into a dining area. "I am in my 70s and not in the mood for any change," Liu said. "This project will be handled by my son. After my retirement, this restaurant will be totally new." The impression of Chinese food in the United States is also changing, experts said. "Most Americans today view Chinese cuisine as a step above fast food but still as a quick, cheap meal," said Charlotte Brooks, a professor of China studies at City University of New York. "For many people, Chinese food is the quintessential takeout meal or buffet option." Chinese food was also one of the first and only ethnic foods most Americans encountered a generation or two ago, as there were Chinese restaurants even in many small towns in the US, Brooks said. "American food culture is far more developed, so Chinese food no longer seems as unusual or exotic as it once did," she said. "The current trend of Chinese food going high-end is a welcome change," Brooks said. "Most Americans still tend to think of Chinese food as Cantonese food and as a quick, cheap meal. This ignores the incredible diversity, nuance and sophistication of Chinese food." Brooks said that there was nothing wrong with the typical inexpensive Chinese restaurant, but the menus at such places were almost always standardized and limited, and the food was still more of a Chinese-American hybrid than actual Chinese. "High-end Chinese food will give Americans a glimpse of the sophistication and nuance of Chinese regional cuisines and may put pressure on low-end Chinese restaurants to improve their offerings." Changes and upgrades in the Chinese restaurant industry moved with the flow of Chinese immigration, according to research by Yong Chen, a professor of Asian-American history at the University of California-Irvine. In the 19th century, the earliest Chinese-run restaurants tended to serve Western food, not Chinese food, Chen said. By the 1890s, middle-class "slummers" thought it quite adventurous to visit Chinatowns and eat at Chinese restaurants. Long Yifan in New York contributed to the story. (China Daily USA 02/01/2016 page2) Recognizing best foreign talent Updated: 2016-02-01 13:50 By Yang Ziman(China Daily USA) 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. yangziman@chinadaily.com.cn Savanah Oliveira Kunz (center), from Brazil, is one of the 10 excellent overseas employees of China Communications Construction Company. Zou Hong / China Daily (China Daily USA 02/01/2016 page13) DC rings in Year of the Monkey Updated: 2016-02-01 11:36 By Chen Weihua in Washington(China Daily USA) The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington was transformed into a scene of Chinese New Year celebration over the weekend. Just as the doors opened at 11:30 am on Jan 31, crowds of mostly parents with young children poured into the Kogod Courtyard, with its Greek Revival architecture. Inside the enclosed courtyard with glass canopy, the lion dancers from Johns Hopkins University were getting ready. After a brief lion-awakening ceremony - whose participants included Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the US; Richard Kurin, the Smithsonian Institution undersecretary for history, art and culture; and Elizabeth Broun, the American Art Museum director - the lion dance proceeded to the main stage, accompanied by the sounds of drum and gong and traditional Chinese folk music. A suona (a double-reeded horn) solo for the Lantern Festival; a flute solo of Hanging Red Lanterns followed by erhu (Chinese two-string fiddle) in a solo of New Horse Racing were performed by artists from central China's Henan province. The music filled the 28,000-square-foot space of the courtyard with a festive air. Many parents standing in the back of the huge crowds had to lift their children onto their shoulders to see the performance. Matts Wycoff propped up his 2-year-old son Max, dressed in a bright-blue silk Chinese costume. "We enjoyed the dragon dance; we saw the panda, the monkey," said Wycoff, who stood with his wife Michelle. The family was traveling from Arizona. Many people often mistakenly refer to the lion dance as the 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, whose wife is Vietnamese and Chinese. Nearby, 4-year-old Asa Darlington was playing with a small 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 showing children how to make the figurines. There were more than a dozen similar tables in the courtyard, filled with children learning and practicing everything from paper-cutting, farmers painting, calligraphy, mask coloring, and Chinese knot-making and lantern-making. Callun DeLele, 4, was done with his red paper lantern. "I made it by myself," he said, with a sense of pride. In another corner, Christina Trifonova, of Rockville, Maryland, was putting on a colorful Chinese costume with the help of a volunteer. Her two daughters, Ales, 9, and Sinona, 5, were already dressed up. They then posed for numerous photos. "It's really interesting for us to learn something from a different country and culture," said Trifonova, who said they were in a hurry to catch the next lion dance. It was the third year that the American Art Museum hosted the Chinese New Year Family Festival. Visitors on Jan 30 were estimated at 7,300, according to the museum, in comparison with 4,800 last year. "So this is part of our regular program respecting the people and culture of the world," Kurin said. "We want people to come together, to understand each other and celebrate each other's culture." Two years ago, the Smithsonian Institution held a Chinese Folk Art Festival on the National Mall, drawing a million visitors. A celebration to usher in the Year of the Monkey, which falls on Feb 8 this year, also was held at Delaware State University in Dover on Sunday. Similar events will take place at the Country Club Mall in Cumberland, Maryland, on Wednesday; at the Kennedy Center in Washington from Feb 5-8 (including a concert by the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra), and in the Virginian Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond on Feb 13. chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com Kennedy Center to celebrate Lunar New Year Updated: 2016-02-02 01:05 By Hua Shengdun in Washington(China Daily USA) A decoration of Chinese paper cuts representing the Year of the Monkey is mounted on one of the walls in the Hall of States at the Kennedy Center in Washington in preparation for the Chinese New Year celebrations from Feb 5 -8. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY BY THE KENNEDY CENTER As the Spring Festival draws near, the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington is gearing up to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year for the first time with a weekend series of performances from Feb 5-8. We are thrilled to present performers from a variety of genres, therefore showcasing Chinas diverse background and artistic styles, said Alicia Adams, vice-president for dance and international programming at the Kennedy Center. The celebration features performances on the Millennium Stage, a family day event with Chinese arts and crafts and the debut of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in the Concert Hall. The Millennium Stage is a program that makes the performing arts accessible to everyone at the Kennedy Center. The stage performances during the Chinese New Year include a pop music show, highlighting an array of popular Chinese acts, a recital by an all-girls choir from Shenzhen; and a multidisciplinary production by an arts troupe from Henan province, which showcases opera artists, acrobats and traditional Chinese music. The Lunar New Year Celebration at the Kennedy Center gives us the opportunity to present this year some of Chinas most established artists, as well as its rising stars, Adams said. Chinese contemporary music shows can always attract not only young Chinese audience but people from the US, because the youngsters can connect more with modern music, and some of them are also here for celebrities in the shows, Adams said. Family Day is a new event that was added to the schedule by the Kennedy Center this year, which offers fun activities and learning opportunities for children, such as Beijing Opera stage make-up demonstrations, Monkey King mask-decorating, and Chinese paper-cutting and paper lantern-making lessons, according to the schedule. We are pleased to make these fun family activities and educational arts experiences accessible by offering most of them at no cost to our audiences, Adams said. That James Webb Space Telescope can see everything! However, as powerful as it is, it may not be able to encompass the massive scale of this... DeJa-Vu: With no shared sacrifices being asked of civilians after Sept. 11" , Decades and War From, All Over Again!! Especially for the Corporate and Wealthy Community, investors in Defense Industries, and for these, Afghanistan and Iraq, came Two Huge Tax Cuts, with more sweetheart deals to same from states and the fed!! Thousands of people across America dont just talk about honoring Veterans; they walk the walk. Dedicated Volunteers Serve Veterans for Decades On this Executive Administration, it's Cabinet and those directly around same, "Best - Ever": "We haven't had this kind of visibility from the White Houseever." Joyce Raezer National Military Family Association - Dec. 30, 2011, and plenty more of similar since Joyce, others, spoke and continues! Ask yourself: If the Veterans Administration is so corrupt and mismanaged, as the conservative ideology, under which the seeds of are planted when they control, wants everyone to buy into as they obstruct the budgets and do extremely little after they charge same, then why does the Private sector, many problems within rarely heard about, adopt so many practices and advanced technologies developed within the VA, for free?! The VA, DoD, and in partnership with Universities and Colleges, not just Health Care are constantly in R&D and that developed that works is quickly moved into the private, for profit, sector, even as the VA is long under funded, decades, and especially during and after our wars that the few are sent into! * * * * * President Obama 26 August 2014 Fact: "This is not just a job of government. Its not just a job of the veterans organizations. Every American needs to join us in taking care of those who've taken care of us. Because only 1 percent of Americans may be fighting our wars, but 100 percent of Americans benefit from that 1 percent. A hundred percent need to be supporting our troops. A hundred percent need to be supporting our veterans. A hundred percent need to be supporting our military families." Fact: "Weve been able to accomplish historic increases to veterans funding. Weve protected veterans health care from Washington politics with advanced appropriations. Weve been able to make VA benefits available to more than 2 million veterans who didn't have them before, including more Vietnam vets who were exposed to Agent Orange. Weve dedicated major new resources for mental health care. Weve helped more than 1 million veterans and their families pursue their education under the Post-9/11 GI Bill." August 26, 2014 - Secretary Robert A. McDonald's Remarks for the American Legion's 96th Annual Convention, Charlotte, NC Fact: "Unlike, P&G, VA may not be concerned about quarterly profit and loss statements or shareholder value, but it does have a bottom lineVeterans. " {which is why No Government agency should be turned into a private corporate entity feeding for profit off the Countries duty and responsibility, especially the VA} * * * * * 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. pressure mounted today on Libya to form a national unity government as the Islamic State jihadist group expands at the doorstep of Europe and the rest of Africa. In Libya itself, prime minister-designate Fayez al-Sarraj met controversial army chief General Khalifa Haftar as part of a series of encounters to press the creation of a UN-backed unity cabinet. The meeting came as African Union leaders at a summit in Addis Ababa called for a political solution in Libya to curb the spread of ISIS. In Paris, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said IS could infiltrate the ranks of refugees using Libya as a springboard to reach Europe, adding that a unity government could help "eradicate" ISIS. Libya has been in political turmoil and rocked by violence since the 2011 toppling of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Since the summer of 2014, the country has had two rival administrations, with the recognised authorities based in the country's far east and a militia-backed authority in Tripoli. The situation has been further compromised with the emergence of IS in the oil-rich North African country and a brisk business by people smugglers ferrying migrants to Europe. The jihadist group, which controls swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, has claimed several attacks and beheadings in Libya and last year captured the coastal city of Sirte. In January, ISIS jihadists pushed east from Sirte in an attempt to seize oil terminals in Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra, which lie in an "oil crescent" along the northern coast. That same month it claimed responsibility for a January 7 truck bombing at a police school in Zliten, east of Tripoli, that killed more than 50 people, the deadliest attack since the 2011 revolt. The community has pressed Libya's rival politicians to accept a power-sharing agreement it hopes will help to reverse ISIS's territorial gains. Sarraj's official Facebook page said he met Haftar in the eastern city of Al-Marj yesterday to assess "the opinions, fears and worries of influential sides in the crisis". Sarraj and Haftar discussed "finding a practical solution to the war in Benghazi", Libya's second city where Haftar's forces have been fighting Islamists, it said. It said Sarraj was seeking a "realistic" solution based on "realities on the ground" to reach a political consensus between all parties. Israeli and Turkish energy firms signed an agreement on Sunday to sell $1.3 billion worth of gas to Edeltech, Israel's Leviathan natural gas field offshore partners announced. The Leviathan natural gas field was discovered in 2010 and holds an estimated 622 billion cubic metres (bcm) natural gas reserves, according to Xinhua. The partners said they commit to providing 6 bcm within 18 years. Edeltech and Zorlu Enerji, a Turkish energy conglomerate, will employ the gas to operate two new energy plants being established in southern Israel. Both plants will provide energy to the industrial sector. The privately owned Edeltech and Zorlu have already become partners with three energy plants in southern Israel. The deal involves selling the first gas from the Leviathan reservoir to the Israeli market. The agreement ensues two memorandums of understandings signed by the partners with neighboring Jordan and Egypt last year. The Leviathan gas field and the smaller Tamar field are controlled by a consortium headed by Texas-based Noble Energy and Israel-based Delek Group. Gas production in Tamar, however, kicked off in March 2013. Noble believes that gas from Leviathan could be sold as soon as 2019, despite plummetting gas prices. The long-awaited agreement allowing Noble and Delek to develop the Leviathan was finally signed in December 2015 by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Approval followed years of political upheaval and widespread public protest, with weekly rallies in major cities protesting against "selling out" the country's natural resources to a monopoly. 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. CEDAR FALLS Gun dealers across the region say sales are booming, thanks in part to political cries for more gun control after a December terrorist attack in California. On Jan. 4, President Barack Obama announced plans to issue an executive action on gun control in the wake of a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., that killed 14 people and seriously injured 22 others. Critics of Obamas plan say he overstepped his Constitutional authority in issuing such orders. They also point out that Californias strict gun laws couldnt have prevented Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, from carrying out the attack on Farooks office Christmas/holiday party Dec. 2. Mr. Obama is the greatest gun salesman this country has ever seen, said Mike Rosteck, owner of Mr. Guns, at 305 Roosevelt St. in Cedar Falls. Rosteck said Jan. 22 that sales at his store were up by about 52 percent from a year earlier. Last year, they were up too, he said. It doesnt take a genius to figure it out. The insecurities we get from the federal government, people cant take it. Rosteck recently moved his store from a smaller location on First Street in Cedar Falls to space more than twice as large about 7,000 square feet. It has room for indoor archery and for conceal-carry classes the business offers. Mr. Guns offers two classes each month, and about half of enrollees have been women, Rosteck said. Class sizes are limited, and generally attract more interest than they have capacity, he added. The class is required for anyone applying for a conceal-carry permit with the county, Rosteck said. Some people just want to keep it at home, he said. Handguns are some of the biggest sellers, Rosteck noted. Anything from a carry gun to a target gun, he said. Scott Wilms, owner of Midwest Guns & Ammo LLC in Waterloo, also noted gun sales were trending upward. Gun and ammo sales have been up quite a bit, he said. Willms didnt speculate on the reasons. I really dont know, but we go to gun shows and the crowd at shows is good and theyre buyers, he said. The people you talk to, you get a variety of answers. Some dont care about the political situation. Some are afraid they wont be available. Willms company has manufactured ammunition for the last 4 1/2 years, he said. It has gone pretty well, he said. We decided to do that when you couldnt buy ammo back in 2012. Availability of ammunition currently depends on what youre after, Willlms said. The .22s are hard to get, and the rimfire are still hard to get, he said. Availability goes in spurts in general, he said. Theyll just kinda fool you and dangle that carrot say that its gonna be available, he said. Sales have been rising at Davis Firearms Specialists in West Union, as well, said Darrin Davis, owner. Its been increasing, especially in handguns and AR15-stye rifles the one the media keeps calling the assault (rifle), he said. Buyers are a variety of young to old, he said. Sales havent changed from a year ago, Davis said. About the same, maybe a little higher since the terrorist attack in California, he said. Immediately after the San Bernardino killings, there was a small spike in sales, Davis said. I had people wanting more handguns, more self-defense-type weapons, he said. With increased gun sales come sales upturns in gun-storage equipment, said Mark Zanotti, owner of gun-safe manufacturer Zanotti Armor in Waterloo. I tell you, the last three to four years have been spectacular, he said. Zanottis company has a seven-month turnaround time on its orders, he said. Were on the back end, he said. More and more Americans are realizing that to be a responsible gun owner, you need to keep your guns locked up so bad guys cant get to them. He also noted his companys safes are sold as personal security closets for valuables, but most of what we sell is for guns. CEDAR RAPIDS Fueled by a big lead among first-time likely Iowa GOP caucusgoers, Donald Trump has opened up a 31 percent to 24 percent lead over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released this morning. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders appears to be winning the support of first-time Democratic likely caucusgoers giving him a 49 percent to 46 percent led over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heading into tonights first-in-the-nation presidential precinct caucuses. A Jan. 26 Quinnipiac poll showed Trump leading the GOP field 31 percent to 29 percent and Sanders leading Clinton 49 to 45 percent. Only 3 percent of Republican likely caucusgoers remain undecided and 28 percent who named a candidate said they might change their mind before the caucuses at 7 p.m. tonight. On the Democratic side, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley polled 3 percent with 2 percent undecided, but 14 percent of those who named a candidate said they might change their mind. The key for both Trump and Sanders is first-time caucus goers, according to Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll, who points to these key findings: Trump leads Cruz 40 to 22 percent among these first-timers, while Republicans who attended prior caucuses go 26 percent for Cruz and 25 percent for Trump. Sanders tops Clinton 62 to 35 percent among Democratic first-timers, while Clinton leads a 52 to 41 percent among voters who attended prior caucuses. 44 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of Democrats said this will be their first caucus. The size of the turnout tonight will likely be the key factor, especially on the Democratic side, Brown said. High turnouts with lots of new caucus participants likely would mean a good night for Sen. Bernie Sanders, and for Donald Trump. Trump holds his own, while Sen. Ted Cruz seems to lose momentum in this final Quinnipiac University poll, finished less than 24 hours before the caucuses begin, Brown added. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is showing some last-minute strength, raising the longshot possibility he could challenge for second place, Brown said. Rubio scored 17 percent, up from 15 percent in the Jan. 26 poll. Among Iowa likely Republican caucusgoers, 35 percent say they would definitely not support Trump, while 15 percent say no to Cruz. Men favor Trump over Cruz 38 to 24 percent. While women are divided 24 percent for Cruz and 23 percent for Trump. There is a huge gender gap among likely Democratic caucus participants, with men backing Sanders over Clinton 63 to 32 percent and women backing Clinton 56 to 39 percent. Sanders leads Clinton 52 to 43 percent among Democrats who said the economy and jobs is most important and 66 to 30 percent among those who list climate change. Clinton is up 50 to 46 percent among those who identified health care as most important. From Jan. 25-31, Quinnipiac surveyed 890 Iowa likely Republican caucus participants with a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points and 919 Iowa likely Democratic Caucus participants with a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percentage points. Live interviewers called landlines and cellphones. For more on the poll, visit www.quinnipiac.edu/polling. WATERLOO Presidential hopeful Martin OMalley urged his supporters to hold strong during tonights Democratic caucus. The former Maryland governor and Baltimore mayor spoke to about 50 people gathered in the Volks Haus in downtown Waterloo Sunday night and would not surrender to polls showing him in a distant third behind front-runners Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Ive learned something about the character of the people of Iowa, OMalley said. You guys always have a way of sorting through the noise and, on caucus night, finding a way to surprise the pollsters and the pundits and all those talking heads from back East. You guys feel you have a birthright to upset the apple cart on caucus night, he added. And with only three of us in this Democratic race, theres only one of us who can still upset the apple cart. OMalley said he felt a surge in support after the last televised Democratic debate, when he was allowed more time to discuss his views. My gut and my sense from the phone calls were making is this I sensed that people listened and we cut through, he said. OMalleys stop at Volks Haus followed a day of campaigning in Des Moines, Johnston and Cedar Rapids and culminated in him leading a phone banking effort from his Waterloo campaign office. His speech touched on the need for immigration reform with a path to citizenship, equal pay for women, expanded family leave, the right to join a labor union, building the economy by addressing climate change, providing a debt-free college option and helping build wages. The hard and tough truth of our times is this: 70 percent of us are earning the same or less than we were 12 years ago, he said. And nothing works very well in America unless wages go up when people work hard. OMalley also supported cracking down on Wall Street abuses like those which led to the last recession. What have you come to as a country that you can get pulled over for a broken taillight, but if you wreck our economy youre untouchable? he said. Lifelong Democrat and current OMalley supporter Jerry Hageman has been knocking on doors for his candidate and plans to fight for him at the caucus site. Its a little disappointing that weve only polled about 4 percent nationally, but Id like to see him continue on, Hageman said. I think its important to keep him in the mix. Hageman suggested a stronger-than-expected showing in Iowa would propel OMalley going into New Hampshire while helping him stay in the race should either of the current front-runners flame out. WATERLOO -- Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump made clear in a pre-caucus stop in Waterloo that hes taking nothing for granted in winning tonight, as Iowans begin the presidential selection process. He spoke for about 35 minutes in Waterloo before driving to Cedar Rapids to make his last appeal to voters ahead of tonights voting at 1,681 precincts across the state. Win, lose or draw, I love you folks all, Trump said, but he encouraged the about 600 people present to show up on Monday night. If the doctor says you cannot leave, I dont care, get out of bed. Despite his usual appeals to build a wall across the Mexican border and be a better negotiator on the world stage, Trump appeared more subdued in his stop. The Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center was a little more than half-full, but most of the enthusiastic crowd stood up throughout his speech that focused less on his polling lead and his business success. Instead, the real estate mogul stressed the importance of family and how his political success is due to the movement that supports him. They all say the more people who go out, the better were going to do, and I dont say me, I say we, because it is we, Trump said. Its a movement, its a movement. He brought his wife Melania Trump, as well as daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner on the stage, before stressing that success is about more than making money. His daughter Ivanka also encouraged people to show up at the precinct caucuses. Trump also offered a $100,000 check to the Waterloo nonprofit Americans for Independent Living that helps modify homes to accommodate veterans that have suffered major injuries since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The funding for the donation came from the event Trump held last Thursday that competed with the most recent Republican presidential debate. He said he raised $6 million from the event and plans to hand out 22 to 24 checks to groups that help veterans. The vets have been vetted, because what weve done is we wanted to make sure that these people that get these checks are amazing, amazing people, Trump said. John Thoma of Waterloo has been a supporter of Trumps since he first announced his candidacy, but he got his final reassurance on Monday when Trump told him hed support farmers as president. He says it like it needs to be said. He cuts to the chase, doesnt mix words and hes going to make this country great again, Thoma said. I just think theres a lot of great things about him. Though Thoma considers himself a Republican/Independent, he said hell be making his first appearance at a caucus Monday night to support Trump. Kolby Raymond, a University of Northern Iowa student, said hes still debating between supporting Trump or Republicans Marco Rubio or Ben Carson at tonights caucuses. He plans to do more research throughout the day before going to his first caucus, but he likes what he heard first-hand from Trump, particularly on helping people. No matter whether it was the a lot of deaths in Paris, or it was the 14 deaths in California, he was always worried about the individual deaths, and how we could stop it, even if it was only a couple, Raymond said, adding, Im still deciding, after this, it was definitely an eye-opener, and I did like what I heard, but Im still making some decisions, and thats why I have time before tonight. WATERLOO | The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa held its Black Hawk County fall 2015 grant cycle awards ceremony Wednesday, announcing the distribution of $556,274 in grants to 55 area nonprofits and government agencies. This is the largest amount ever awarded by CFNEIA through a single grant cycle. The foundation, now located in Cedar Falls, made the awards at a presentation at the Waterloo Center for the Arts in Waterloo. The work these deserving organizations do to create a stronger Black Hawk County is critical to making our communities places where everyone can thrive, said Kaye Englin, CFNEIA president and CEO. The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa is proud to be a partner in their work, and we are thankful for the generosity of so many community-minded people who make this significant impact possible. CFNEIA is able to award these grants because of donors who have contributed to, and established, discretionary funds. These funds allow the Community Foundation board of directors to make grants requested by nonprofits serving Black Hawk County through a grant application process. Donors who have advised funds also are notified of grant applications that need funding, and several contributed to the grants awarded in this cycle. Fall 2015 grant recipients and the project the grant will fund are listed below by funding areas. Art & Culture City of Cedar Falls, Hearst classroom renovation. Hawkeye Community College Foundation, Hawkeye Celebrates the Arts! Artist Series 2015-2016 season. Metropolitan Chorale, Metropolitan Chorale spring 2016. North End Cultural Center, North End Arts and Music Fest 2016. UNI Foundation, Midwest International Piano Competition at the University of Northern Iowa School of Music. Waterloo Center for the Arts, PlayScape at the Phelps Youth Pavilion. Waterloo Community Playhouse/Black Hawk Childrens Theatre, centennial season. Community Betterment Cedar Bend Humane Society, Community Outreach facility expansion. Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers, Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers. City of Evansdale Public Library, Lego Block PartyLegos in the Library. Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, CFNEIA Opportunity Fund. Link Christian Development, Youth Art Team Urban Intervention Project. National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum, Dan Gable kids wrestling program. St. Pauls United Methodist Church, Community Center. Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley, Service-Learning: Engaging youth in service to the Cedar Valley. Waterloo Exchange Club, Waterloo Exchange childrens trike track. Education Back to School Project, back to school project 2016. Covenant Medical Center, RSVP Primetime program. Greater Cedar Valley Alliance Foundation, Leader in Me: empowering academics. Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa, inspiring future innovation through Junior Achievements entrepreneurship educational programs. Quota International of Waterloo, Cops n Kids literacy program. The Job Foundation, financial stewardship mentoring program. Environment City of Waterloo, Home Park Boulevard tree replacement. The Nature Conservancy in Iowa, Wetlands Upstream of Cedar Falls/Waterloo for reduced flood risk and improved water quality. Health IHOPE Free Medical Clinic, operational support. Human service Allen Memorial Hospital, Allen child protection center. Americans For Independent Living. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa, one-to-one mentoring. Black Hawk Foster and Adoptive Parent Association, Black Hawk Foster and Adoptive Parent Association Support Group. Cedar Valley Friends of the Family, emergency safe shelter and housing assistance. Cedar Valley GearHeads Ministry, CV Gearheads 16 in 2016. City of Denver Ambulance Service, CPR LUCAS. Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northeastern Iowa, ending the debt cycle. Exceptional Persons Inc., employment services Enclave. Family & Childrens Council, parent education. First Childrens Finance, nonprofit child care director training and consulting. Getting Ahead in the Cedar Valley Project, Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin-By World program. Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, leadership and character building for girls. Goodwill Industries of Northeast Iowa, Waterloos Goodwill retail center Grout Museum District, museum school. House of Hope. Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, Irving Square development. Jesse Cosby Neighborhood Center, No One Without A Home. Love Inc. of the Cedar Valley. Lutheran Services in Iowa, Black Hawk County interpretation. New Directions Community Services, anger management services. Northeast Iowa Food Bank, perishable program. Operation Threshold, housing and fair lending program. Riverview Center, awareness of services and recruitment of volunteers campaign. SuccessLink, SuccessLink/Success Street. The Arc of Cedar Valley, adaptive recreation. The Salvation Army, security system upgrade. Waypoint Services, building a safety net for women experiencing domestic violence. Wildwood Hills Ranch of Iowa, Black Hawk County at-risk childrens scholarships. YWCA of Black Hawk County, Latino and multicultural services. CFNEIAs spring 2016 grant cycle is now open. To apply, go to www.cfneia.org/grants. The deadline to apply for grants for the spring 2016 grant cycle is April 1. Grant applicants must be a 501(3) designated organization (or government entity) serving the Black Hawk County in order to be considered for funding. IOWA CITY Steve Reed remembers a different kind of presidential campaign from when he was young. They did not last as long as they do now, the personal chef and Carlisle Republican said. Now? Well, its just that Iowa has a continuous, it seems like its a continuous cycle, Reed, 50, said. It never ends in Iowa. When I was a kid or a teenager it seemed like we would always have at least two years, maybe three years before we had to think about caucuses again. Reeds comments are a common refrain in Iowa, where the nations first presidential test happens during tonights precinct caucuses. His comments are linked hand-in-hand with another one: Many Iowans say they will be glad when the candidates have moved on to New Hampshire, South Carolina and the rest of the states that still must judge this years offerings for the presidency. Probably the same reason as everyone else is: the advertising, the constant bombardment of ads and people knocking at my door, said Benjamin Chalky, 51, of North Liberty. Chalky, a Democrat, said he will caucus for Hillary Clinton. Iowans certainly have had to deal with a lot of ads on television and also via other channels, such as YouTube and social media. Even before this home stretch the Wesleyan Media Project and Center for Responsive Politics were reporting Des Moines area television viewers had been bombarded by 11,042 ads worth $7 million from Jan. 1 through Dec. 9, 2015. That trailed only the much larger Boston area in terms of volume and spending on the presidential campaign, the groups reported. Super PACs sponsored four of every five ads Iowans saw in 2015, the groups reported. That was up 71 percent from 2011 and 12,000 percent from 2007, the watchdog groups reported. The whole season of politics is super-annoying. Its like, people coming and going, and ads and stuff, Emma Rehnberg, 23, of Ames said. But it will be cool to be part of it, still. The Iowa State University student was deciding in the week leading up to the caucuses whether or not to attend. If she does, she said, she will caucus as a Democrat for Bernie Sanders. Rehnberg was one of several Iowa voters who spoke to reporters involved in an IowaWatch/College Media Voices of the Caucus project. College student journalists from several campuses have interviewed voters for the project since late last year. Reed, who indicated he probably will caucus for Ted Cruz, said he already knows whats coming next year. I can guarantee you that whoever wins the election in 2016, whether its a Republican or a Democrat, then people in the media will start speculating on whos going to run in 2020, he said. One on one For all of the talk about whether or not presidential campaigns are in Iowa too long, a fact remains: People in early nominating states like Iowa and New Hampshire have rare opportunities. Do you wish you could just get five minutes with someone with power to do something about this country? Iowans get to do that if they speak to the right candidate. I just think that we need to send the illegal immigrants home, and Senator Santorum and Mr. Trump are the ones who have said that. Everybody else has squished on it, Kathryn Hove, 63, of Solon said Jan. 25 at the Hamburg Inn restaurant in Iowa City, referring to Republican candidates Rick Santorum and Donald Trump. The restaurant is known for hosting political candidates for campaign stops. Santorum started his day there with an omelet kitchen workers let him prepare. As Santorum took the first of what ended up being only few bites of his breakfast, Hove, sitting a few feet away, shared her views. I found that remarkable. I did not think that I was going to get that opportunity, Hove said later. I think thats just a real privilege that Iowans have and they should take that seriously. Opposite Santorum at the restaurant counter sat Bill Warner, 68, of Coralville. Retired after first working in Chicago and then at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Iowa City, he said he has seen several candidates from both political parties. Warner said he has enjoyed the caucus campaign. However, he said, I have to admit, it is refreshing right afterwards to finally see a Coca-Cola commercial, or whatever. Yeah, you do kind of get inundated. Warner has been interviewed more than once for news stories. The Des Moines Register reported some 1,600 journalists from around the world will cover tonights caucuses. Star power Donald Trumps unorthodox campaign for the Republican nomination has generated plenty of the attention. Campaign appearances, including the one in Ames on Jan. 20 where former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin endorsed him, increasingly feature protesters being escorted out of the event. Spouses, including former President Bill Clinton, are making visits, but so are celebrity surrogates like Lena Dunham for Hillary Clinton; Susan Sarandon for Bernie Sanders; Pawn Stars host Rick Harrison for Marco Rubio; and Kirk Cameron for Ben Carson, to list a few. With so much to pay attention to in Iowa this winter, Sanders comment at the beginning of a University of Northern Iowa West Gym appearance on Jan. 24, came off as a punchline, albeit with a serious edge: We are going to talk about the most important issues that face our country. Were going to talk about them in depth, and Im going to bore the hell out of you, he told about 1,250 people in attendance. Primed for today Plenty of Iowans say they are ready to move on from the caucuses; others, like Reid Slaughter, 24, of Waterloo said they will go to the caucuses energized. He plans on supporting Trump after backing Ron Paul in 2012, Slaughters first caucus See, I like politics, Slaughter said. It goes on year-round anyway. Yeah, I am a little tired of the commercials because its not really effective marketing at all. What works for Trump is the rallies. Tanner Strudthoff said he is looking forward to his first caucus. Concerned about national security in particular, Strudthoff, 18, is a University of Northern Iowa student from Victor studying public administration and political science. He was a coveted commodity undecided but planning to participate in the Republican Party. Strudthoff said he will not miss the daily clamor after Mondays caucuses. Itll be nice to get it over, he said. On the other hand this is my first time caucusing, too, so Im excited for that. Assisting with reporting for this story were Clare McCarthy in Mount Vernon and North Liberty; Nicholas Fisher in Cedar Falls; Brittany Robb in Indianola; Clinton Olsasky in Cedar Falls; and Makayla Tendall, Alex Hanson and Michaela Ramm in Ames. This story was produced by the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism-IowaWatch.org, a non-profit, online news Website that collaborates with Iowa news organizations to produce explanatory and investigative reporting. DES MOINES WellCare of Iowa, one of the four companies initially awarded a state contract to help manage Iowas $5 billion Medicaid program, fought Monday to keep its foothold after a state arbiter ruled its contract should be thrown out in December. The company went before a district court judge to appeal a decision by Director of the State Department of Administrative Services Janet Phipps, who in December said the company had failed to disclose in its bid a corporate integrity agreement and information regarding $137.5 million in fines to resolve false claims litigation. The transition of the states more than 560,000 Medicaid recipients and 30,000 Medicaid providers from a fee-for-service system to a managed-care system is scheduled to begin March 1, pending federal approval. Lawyers for the Tampa-based company said that information was provided after the state committee in charge of evaluating the managed-care bid applicants asked a clarifying question in regard to false claims litigation. WellCare officials said it provided detailed information about its corporate integrity agreement as well as why it had to pay substantial fines. Robert Highsmith, an Atlanta-based attorney for WellCare, argued that Iowa Department of Human Services Director Charles Palmer acknowledged in a September letter as well as during an October hearing in front of an administrative law judge that he knew about the settlement and chose to not disqualify WellCare from the bid process. But Highsmith conceded to Polk County District Judge Robert Blink that the company did not disclose the specific dollar amount it paid in fines in the clarifying question, adding that nowhere in those questions does it say, List a specific amount. Also discussed during Mondays hearing was whether WellCare violated any rules that should result in disqualification when Christopher Rants, a lobbyist, had conversations with Michael Bousselot Gov. Terry Branstads chief of staff who was his policy director and legal counsel at the time. WellCare and the states disagreement centers around a rule that laid out who the company could and could not be in contact with during the request-for-proposal process. The state contends the communication was inappropriate, while WellCare argued the rule only prohibited the bidders from communicating with Department of Human Services employees. Amy Licht, a state attorney, said the rule, which contains the phrasing other employees, means WellCare and the other bidders were not to have communication with any state employees as well as members of the executive, judicial or legislative branches, including those branch employees. But WellCare contended the rule is too vague. If youre going to limit communications with an elected official and his or her staff, you do it with narrow specificity, Highsmith said. You have to do it clearly. But Licht said Rants conversations, when paired with conversations between Renee Schulte a WellCare consultant and Mikki Stier director of the Iowa Medicaid Enterprise during a blackout period paints a picture that suggests WellCare manipulated the rules to win the contract. This was a clear technical violation of the terms of the RFP, Licht said. Public integrity is an agency priority. ... This is a huge procurement, in both dollars and people affected. Its important to take steps so that people are confident. Judge Blink said he recognizes the go-live date for the Medicaid transition is a month away and will work quickly to produce a ruling. Go to caucuses ANITA KEVE CEDAR FALLS I encourage everyone to get out and caucus tonight for your chosen candidate. We are in the national eye and should take advantage of that opportunity to show what leadership looks like. Candidates and their entourages spend a lot of time and money in Iowa for a reason. They recognize how important the opinions of Iowans are in the political process. Lets make sure they get a good representation of us and can see a good many of us are watching them and not just a select few. Let them know we take our right to vote very seriously and they have to work for it. It is our duty as citizens of the greatest country in history and of all time. Lets keep it that way. No to school bond NICK GREEN WATERLOO Unbelievable! The schools want more money, a new tax, a surtax on our state income tax. But they dont know at what rate the surtax will be yet, and they wont establish a rate until after the election. The school board says it might be 4 percent, but it could be a lot higher. We already have a fine tech center at Hawkeye Community College and a career center at Central. The board has already used most of the sales tax money it has coming in future years to build new schools now. Vote no on Tuesday. Positive ad PAULA NICHOLSON DENVER I have lived in Iowa my entire life, and I am proud of it. Forty-seven years ago, Simon and Garfunkel inspired us with their song America. How beautiful to see an inspirational ad that portrays the lives of ordinary people like you and me. It brought a tear to my eye. Having seen so many young people inspired to participate in the process of choosing a president makes me so proud, glimpses of life in Iowa, brings us back to the roots of who we are. I am thankful for this ad, a positive message for all of us. Vote yes in Denver TERRI SEEGERS DENVER Denver Community School District residents have the opportunity on Tuesday to vote for a bond issue that will have a long-term positive impact on the children, residents, school district and community. The property valuations that will be used for 2016-2017 tax calculation reflect a 16 percent increase over the prior year. This higher valuation allows for spreading the tax asking over a larger base and for more bonding capacity. As you make your voting decision please base it on facts and not misconceptions used to inappropriately sway you. For the tax calculation, residential is rolled back to 55.6 percent of assessed valuation, ag land and buildings to 46.1 percent, commercial to 90 percent and all other to a weighted average of 63.5 percent. After this adjustment, residential property pays 67 percent of the total tax bill, ag land and buildings pay 16 percent, commercial pays 6 percent and all other pay 11 percent. Great things are taking place in the Denver school district. Better school facilities and excellent academic achievements will attract more new residents; more residents will attract more business; all these additions will result in more tax valuation base for future improvements. Support this positive trend and vote yes on Tuesday. Support Denver Schools LARRY ZARS DENVER History shows if there is a need, it will be met ... eventually. History also shows the no vote costs everyone more money in the long run. Thirty years ago in 1986, there was a need for an elementary school in Denver. The first vote was for a little over $2 million. It was voted down several times. Had it passed, the elementary school would be fully paid for. However, the need did not go away. It was eventually met with separate buildings that together cost approximately $5 million, more than double the cost of the original proposal. Today we have yet another vote on the table to meet a need that is not new. The proposal for a gym and auditorium has already been voted down twice. The only thing that will change if we continue to push off this need is it will cost the more money perhaps more than double the original proposal. History shows us this need will be met ... eventually. Lets not let history repeat itself. We are better than that and so are all of the current and future students in the Denver School District. Warning signs DAVID K. VOIGTS JESUP In olden days miners took canaries into the mine to give them an early warning if toxic gases were present. Now birds in the natural world are giving us a warning. Over the past 50 years, more than 60 percent of the wintering North American bird species have shifted their winter range northward, according to an analysis of data from the annual National Audubon Societys Christmas Bird Counts that take place each year all across the country. Among the 305 widespread North American bird species, the average midwinter center of abundance has moved northward by more than 40 miles although 82 species have shifted southward. The purple finch has shown the biggest shift and has moved more than 400 miles northward. Other Midwestern bird species with larger winter movement included the wild turkey, red-breasted nuthatch, American goldfinch, American robin, red-breasted merganser and the rufous-sided towhee. The birds are moving north in response to a warming climate. We need to heed their clear warning and get busy. The methods to use to combat climate change can be debated, but it can no longer be denied that our world is warming. Joyce Tyldesley is the member of the Honorary Research group at the Liverpool University School of Archeology, Classics, and Oriental Studies (Penguin Books). The author of numerous books, Tyldesley is lecturer on Egyptian archeology and a freelance writer (Penguin Books). Tyldesley has extensive practical excavation experience and participates in several television projects as a consultant. She lives in Lancashire and is married to a famous Egyptologist Steven Snape (Penguin Books). Cleopatra Last Queen of Egypt is only one of numerous Tyldesleys books others include Nefertiti Egypts Sun Queen, Crime and Punishment in Ancient Egypt, and others (Penguin Books).That every book has one or several definite purposes is difficult to deny. Tyldesleys book is not an exception. In Cleopatra Last Queen of Egypt, the author seeks to close the existing knowledge gap. The fact is in that despite Cleopatras popularity, professional Egyptologists ignore her figure and the role she played in the history of Egypt (2). More often than not, the studies of Egypt are confined to the dynasties preceding the arrival of Alexander (Tyldesley 2). Tyldesley justifies regular negligence toward the Ptolemies by the fact that they were foreigners in Egypt (3). Yet, she is confident that placing the Ptolemies in a historical and cultural ghetto is both irrational and wrong (3). Tyldesley recognizes the lack of evidence regarding the life of Cleopatra and wants to break the long-standing tradition of discussing history through the prism of nations and not personalities. The aim of Tyldesleys book is to provide historical and archeological evidence that underpins Cleopatras story and creates a comprehensible picture of her life.Tyldesley does not have any clear thesis, nor does she try to defend one single point of view. Rather, the author performs a step-by-step analysis of Cleopatras life. She begins her story with the events that preceded Cleopatras becoming the princess of Egypt the death of Ptolemy and his bride, Egypts search for a new queen, and the life in Egypt just before Cleopatra became the princess of Egypt (15). Tyldesley then proceeds to the discussion of Cleopatras ruling and the political and cultural implications of her leadership. Tyldesleys book is not Cleopatras biography in a traditional sense of word but is a compilation of stories which discuss several different stages of Cleopatras life. These include Cleopatras relations with Julius Caesar, the role of Mark Antony in Cleopatras life, as well as Cleopatras children. Tyldesley tries to systematize the current knowledge about Cleopatra. She does not pursue the biographical sequence of events but wants to educate readers about the most problematic and the least known aspects of Cleopatras political and personal life.Tyldesley tries her best to be objective in her historical and personal judgments. First, Tyldesley recognizes the lack of archeological evidence for Cleopatras reign such evidence either sank in the Mediterranean Sea or was buried beneath modern buildings (5). Second, Tyldesley admits that she cannot familiarize herself with Cleopatras writings, because Cleopatra rarely engaged in handwriting and one cannot read Cleopatras own version of events (6). Finally, Tyldesley suggests that writing a conventional biography of Cleopatra is virtually impossible because too many details are missing (7). The author uses a variety of primary resources and briefly evaluates them for example, the Tyldesley does not think that Herodotus description of Egypt before Cleopatra is an infallible source (17). Herodotus, according to Tyldesley, was culturally anti-Persian, pro-Greek, and pro-Egyptian as a result, his judgments about Egypt bordered on subjectivity and exaggeration (17). In a similar vein, Tyldesley evaluates and criticizes other primary sources.Tyldesley provides an extensive list of sources at the end of her book. The list of references is well-structured and systematized along the two major categories classical readings and further reading. Classical texts include those written by Athenaeus, Julius Caesar, Cassius Dio, Herodotus, Plutarch and Virgil. The list of further (recommended) readings covers the resources which do not appear within the body of the book but which readers can use to improve their knowledge about Cleopatra. The list of recommended readings includes modern sources of information about Cleopatra and the queens of Egypt.The most important aspect of the book is in that Tyldesley tries to reconsider Cleopatras personality in a new, more advantageous light without distorting the historical evidence. Tyldesley tries to persuade the reader that Cleopatra was an extremely strong and unbelievably powerful woman. Throughout history, Cleopatra was regularly judged for her choices and decisions, while her beauty turned into a legend. Tyldesley tries to argue the established attitudes toward Cleopatra and equips readers with a better understanding of primary resources which described Cleopatra and her life (4). The reader is left alone to judge Cleopatras actions through the prism of the historical conditions in which she was bound to live. Tyldesley simply puts Cleopatra back into her own social and historical context. She does not deny or reduce the biases that are characteristic of the primary sources and thus makes the book even more challenging.I would recommend this book for several reasons. First, everything about Cleopatra is always interesting and new. Second, that Tyldesley is a professional historian archeologist and relies on primary resources adds relevance and objectivity to her book. Third, Tyldesley does not impose her personal opinion on readers but lets them change their views on Cleopatra, based on what they find in primary sources. Finally, the book is easy to read and centers on the most problematic aspects of Cleopatras life this information is extremely useful to those who want to explore the history of Egypt in more detail. We currently live in an era where if you even suggest in the slightest that Leonardo DiCaprio isn't The Greatest Thing To Ever Happen To Us Ever, then you're obviously an idiot, a moron who doesn't understand the geniusof Leo's work; doesn't understand the transient beauty of that gif from The Great Gatsby where he lifts the champagne glass and gives off that little smirk that should be registered as a lethal weapon to women everywhere. That he hasn't won an Oscar yet is a perceived tragedy, an embarrassment on behalf of The Academy, who clearly should've given the 41-year-old DiCaprio the award he has deserved for what feels like an age. Sarcasm aside, the reasons for DiCaprio's "slight" are multiple, and it remains that, great as he can be, he probably hasn't won for a reason. Whether that's on the actor himself or The Academy is up for debate, but what people really need to understand is that it doesn't in any way lessen his status as a performer. Still, people can no longer seem to separate Leo the Actor from Leo the Neglected, and no amount of reasoning will ever convince Leo's Oscar Groupies (look out for them in the comments section) that you might have a point when you suggest that maybe the 41-year-old actor is only half-way through his life's work as an actor, and that an Oscar win is meaningless in the context of his career outside of meme-land anyway. With that in mind, here's seven reasons why Leonardo DiCaprio hasn't won an Oscar yet. The statue of Christ the Redeemer is located at the top of Corcovado Mountain. The entire monument of statue of Christ the Redeemer is 38m ... 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. 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This is currently quite a controversial political issue in Japan, where a court case is ongoing against 3D printed vagina artist Megumi Igarashi (also known as Rokudenashiko or 'bad girl'). Despite living in a country with a multi-billion dollar porn industry that also proudly displays gigantic phallic statues at fertility festivals, the artist is on trial for publicly sharing works of art based on her own vagina, including 3D printed copies. It was just revealed that the prosecutors in the case have called on the judge to fine Megumi Igarashi 800,000 (or approximately $6600) for breaking the law. If you follow Asian news at all, it will have been difficult to miss this issue. Back in July 2014, Megumi Igarashi reached headlines when she was arrested by Japanese police after they discovered she shared 3D printable files of her vagina online. She had been working on a line of art inspired by 3D scans made of her own genitals. This has already resulted in some remarkable works, including a kayak (made with 3D printing), a manga series, various household items (such as a chandelier), and even a mascot suit. Released five days later, Rokudenashiko was again arrested in December 2015 for her 3D printed vagina creations. The trial for the 43-year-old woman is now becoming something of illustrative case for the strange laws governing a womans sexuality. In particular, she is now on trial for possessing obscene materials with the purpose of selling them, something that could be punished with as much as a 2.5 million yen ($21,000) fine and/or two years of jail time. This is a court case that highlights a very controversial issue in Japanese society, which is known for being very patriarchal. Its a place where a womans sexual identity has absolutely no rights in the public sphere something that even touches children. When just a child, Megumi Igarashi quickly learnt that the word manko (vagina) could not be said out loud. My dad had written a little song about penises and vaginas, but when I sang it in the street, people would look at me, horrified, the artist recalls. Chinko or penis, however, was just fine. I realized there was a taboo surrounding these parts of our anatomy. This is also even reflected in that multi-billion-dollar porn industry, in which even animated depictions of female genitalia are often blurred out. The simple mention of the word vagina on television could lead to the hosts dismissal, she says. It also affected herself as a young woman, as she underwent plastic surgery to make her vagina more conform to male desire. However, this also made her realize that something was horribly wrong. I realized how I had internalized the psyche disseminated by men and used against women as an oppression tool, she says. Chris McGrath/Getty Images. But for the outsider, things get even stranger when male sexual identity is taken into account, as men are not at all subjected to such limitations. Japan is a very patriarchal society, very generous towards male sexual desire, Rokudenashiko says. A typical Japanese newsstand sells pornographic books and magazines aimed at men right next to the newspapers, while the annual Kanamara Matsuri festival in Kawasaki attracts thousands of visitors. Held in early April, Kanamara Matsuri surrounds a shrine that originally attracted prostitutes who prayed for good health and good business, and later women praying for fertility and healthy children. Over time, the image of the penis became more and more important at the shrine, and today the festival is absolutely packed with penises. People eating penis-shaped lollipops, penis-shaped vegetables are on sale, and three gigantic penises (one pink) are actually carried around by worshippers. Most important is a large iron penis, which is a tribute to a story in which a metal phallus was used to drive demon teeth out of a womans vagina. Importantly, the festival isnt about debauchery, but is open, free and also attracts families with small children. Images credit: timetravelturtle So why is this possible? How can the depiction of penises and the censorship of vaginas be okay under a single law? As the Japanese-based Portuguese researcher Joaquim da Silva explains, the current laws are fully open to interpretation. It forbids the distribution of obscene material, but doesnt define whats obscene, thus giving way to wide interpretations from judges, da Silva said. It continues to target sexual minorities and feminist militants. Over the last few years, Rokudenashiko has been trying to raise awareness for these very contradictory laws with the help of her own genitals. Coffee mugs, an iPhone case, a manga character and more she covered it all with her own vagina. I want women to reclaim that part of their anatomy that men so often violate and abuse, she says. 3D printing is a key technology in that artistic process, as it can be used to rapidly reproduce 3D scans of her vagina. Even the vulva-shaped kayak was made with the help of 3D printing. Images credit: Broadly To increase awareness, she also collaborated with an exhibition in Hong Kong, that involved eleven other artists from Hong Kong and Japan, organized by Hitomi Hasegawa. I wanted to show the parallel between the freedom of speech infringement endured by this artist and that which Hong Kong protesters experienced in 2014 during the umbrella revolution, she explains. It was also about giving a voice to young female artists, who are ignored too often in Asia, which represents another form of censorship. All exhibited works of art address the gender issue and link it to attacks on free speech in Hong Kong. What happened to Megumi Igarashi echoes the enormous pressure that China is currently applying on Hong Kong, argues fellow artist Yuk Kin Tan. Megumi Igarashi also sees parallels between these government crackdowns on expression. I recently met with Ai WeiWei, she says of the renowned and controversial Chinese artist. Hes also trying to show with his art what authorities are trying to hide. He told me that my vagina was now my passport, Igarashi says, laughing. Below: with Ai WeiWei. Images: Megumi Igarashi's Facebook. Her court case is thus part of a greater issue. In the face of the 800,000 fine for distributing 3D printable vagina models, Megumi Igarashi called for an impartial judgment. Having created works that defy the (existing) image associated with genitalia, I cannot agree with my arrest, she said. Her lawyer further said that obscenity wasnt her goal, but simply distributed the files to allow supporters to create new artistic works. The models were specifically sent to people who supported the crowdfunding campaign for her vagina kayak. The prosecution, meanwhile, argues that Igarashi is enabling the creation of obscene objects through 3D printing. The shape is easy to clearly understand, said the prosecutors. Rather than an ornament it emphasizes the original. In a previous hearing, a professor of art history argued that Igarashis works do not appear to be obscene [materials] that cause sexual arousal. A decision is expected to be handed down on May 9. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Feb 1, 2016 | By Tess The United Nations Childrens Fund, perhaps better known as UNICEF, has recently launched a new initiative through which they will begin to invest more money into technology start-ups that have the potential to better the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable children all over the world. The new initiative, called Innovation Fund, has put a special focus on certain technologies that have the potential to help children, which include 3D printing, blockchain, wearables and sensors, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy. UNICEF, the United Nations program that has as its mandate the promotion of childrens rights all over the world, has through its Innovation initiative put its focus on progessive projects and ideas that have the potential to help their cause. As stated on their website, UNICEF Innovation is tasked with identifying, prototyping, and scaling technologies and practices that strengthen UNICEFs work. UNICEF is currently accepting submissions from various start-ups until February 26, 2016 through their website, though there are some requirements for being considered for funding. Firstly, any submitted tech projects must be open source, and must already have a working prototype. The projects do not necessarily have to be wholly new technologies, however, as UNICEF explains they can also simply improve on existing technology. Christopher Fabian, UNICEF Innovation Co-Lead says, The purpose of the UNICEF Innovation Fund is to invest in open source technologies for children. Well be identifying opportunities from countries around the world including some that may not see a lot of capital investment in technology start-ups. We are hoping to identify communities of problem-solvers and help them develop simple solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing children. So far, the UNICEF Innovation Fund has raised $9 million, which they will begin to invest in tech start-ups they find most worthy. Submitted applications will be considered for their relevance to children, for the strength of the team behind the project, as well as how much potential the technology could have in the future. Below are the three main portfolio areas that UNICEF is seeking to focus its investments on: Products for youth under 25 to address a range of needs including learning and youth participation; Real-time information for decision making; and Infrastructure to increase access to services and information, including connectivity, power, finance, sensors and transport. Christopher Fabian says, These three areas are ripe for investment due to rapidly changing technologies such as blockchain, 3D printing, wearables and sensors, artificial intelligence and renewable energy. Some of UNICEF Innovations previous and most successful technology investments include RapidSMS, RapidPro, and U-Report, which are now available to millions of users worldwide. At 3Ders, we have and continue to see how 3D printing as a technology can shape and improve the lives of children through fields like STEM education, even in more disenfranchised communities. The potential is certainly there, and we anticipate great things from the 3D printing projects that receive investments from UNICEFs Innovation Fund. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: by Misha Lepetic No sooner does man discover intelligence than he tries to involve it in his own stupidity. ~ Jacques Yves Cousteau Over the course of my last few posts I have been groping towards some kind of meeting point between, on the one hand, the current wave of information technologies, as represented by artificial intelligence (AI), social media and robotics; and on the other, what might be termed, for the sake of brevity, the social condition. The thought experiment is hardly virtual, and is in fact unfolding before us in real time, but as I have been considering the issues at stake, there are significant blind spots that will demand elaboration by many commentators in the years and decades to come. Assuming that, as Marc Andreessen put it, software (and the physical objects in which it is increasingly becoming embodied) will continue to eat the world, how can we expect these technological goods to be distributed across society? It's actually kind of difficult to envision this as even being a problem in the first place. It's true that, up until in the first years of this century, there was some discussion of the so-called digital divide', where certain segments of the population would not be able to get onto the Internet superhighway' (another term that has fallen into disuse, perhaps because it feels like we never get out of our cars anymore). These were the segments of society that were already disadvantaged in some respect, where circumstances of poverty and/or geography prevented the delivery of physical and therefore digital services. Less so, those on the wrong side of the divide may have also landed there because of language proficiency or age. The digital divide hasn't really gone away, it's just been smoothed over by the fact that access has increased dramatically over the last 15 years. But according to the most recent Pew Research Center survey, the disparities still exist, and in exactly the places in which you would expect it: only 30% of Americans 65 or older have a smartphone; 58.2% of Native American households use the Internet; 68% of those who didn't graduate from high school are online; and less than half of households making less than $25,000/year are accessing the Internet. In contrast, the top two or three segments in each of these metrics has adoption rates somewhere in the mid- to upper-90th percentile. Still, it's worth noting that in recent years, the main battle around Internet access have not been fought around primary access, but rather the notion of network neutrality', or the idea that the delivery of any one type of content should be privileged over that of any other. Regardless of who is on what side, it's clear that the people with skin in this game are already wired up. Even more interestingly, following the Edward Snowden NSA leaks, the other main battle has been around the curtailing of government-sanctioned surveillance, which implies the idea that there is perhaps just a little too much connection going on. (It's true that the digital divide conversation is still quite vibrant in the developing world, but even as Internet and mobile penetration increase everywhere, I'll venture that the same sort of lumpiness will abide.) Consider for a moment the population characteristics used by the Pew survey: education, income, age, ethnicity, geography. (Curiously, gender is not discussed.) These are time-honored sociological categories that have been used by policy-makers and scholars to come to a more finely grained understanding of what our society looks like. The whole point of the US Census asking these sorts of questions is to help the government figure out how to spread around hundreds of billions of dollars of development money. But something interesting has happened as the years have advanced and digital divide' has fallen out of usage: the categories themselves are disappearing from the discourse. Instead, what is being talked about is users'. There is no one other than the user: anyone who secures access to the Internet is reincarnated into one monolithic and anodyne group. And if there is only one group, there are in fact no groups at all. We are all fish in the same water. To be fair, this usage was always hard-wired into software development, it's just that software development has had the misfortune to find itself with such enormous purchase on our lives. But as a professor of mine was fond of remarking in graduate school, there are only two professions that call their clients users': drug dealers and software engineers. I mean, even madams refer to their interested parties as clients'. This gap only becomes more apparent when you start paying attention to how we are talked to about technology. The basic Silicon Valley line is something like this: Each user (or group of users) has a problem, usually with an old industry that's in need of disruption. As a result, said user is just primed for some service or product, usually in the form of an app, that will unlock the value of a currently moribund market, or establish an entirely new one. If I were genuinely careful, I would corral every noun in the preceding sentence with quotation marks, since there are enough assumptions keeping this sentence duct-taped together that I almost want to stop writing and go take a shower. But what is relevant to our current discussion is that the user' is what makes Silicon Valley pay attention, whether these are people who pay in hard currency, or in the currency of their own information. On the Internet, no one cares if you're a dog, as long as you're a dog with a profile that could be of use to some marketer. And if you're a rural Native American over the age of 65 with less than a high school education, then you're not on anyone's radar to begin with. * In a sense, we shouldn't be at all surprised that this has taken place. It's merely the latest extension of our post-Enlightenment condition. Whereas the categories I mention above take it as a given that we are dealing with aspects of the social, the Enlightenment, or at least as it has been handed down to us, is about the individual. The user is merely the next logical manifestation of this, the individual. Furthermore, the ersatz grouping of users into markets accomplishes nothing whatsoever in helping us understand the social, since markets are fickle, transaction-bounded entities, which individuals enter and exit with few obligations, let alone knowledge of one another. This suits the creators of technology just fine. I don't mean this in a malicious sense. This isn't about persuading a group of voters that they have no common cause, or breaking the institutions that were responsible for collective bargaining for much of the last century. It's a much subtler set-up. Once the discourse is revised downwards to only accommodate descriptions of individuals and markets, the conversations that describe the social conditions upon which technology comes to rest also become scarce. Soon enough, our very capacity to discuss these phenomena is diminished, and what we cannot talk about we must pass over in silence. Actually, those categories are still with us in two senses, but in both cases they are submerged. The first is on the side of the technologies themselves: thanks to massive databases of user information and the algorithmic tools that parse them, they can slice and dice users of their services and products into ever finer and more accurate groups. In this unregulated twilight zone there is an entire industry dedicated to be always right in these matters. Thus the aspects of the social take on the narrowed importance of a means to an end. Of course, the other aspect in which these categories still abide is reality itself. As much as it compliments itself on being the great leveler, technology is just as adept in accentuating and exacerbating difference. Let's take one of the more obvious differentiators: wealth. The wealthy are the early adopters they are the ones who can afford the technologies as they first ascend into prominence, whether we are talking about iPhones or bicycles. There is a period of ascendancy, as the use of a technology seeps into an already extant network, and the further network effects allow that social group to internally reinforce its bonds or perhaps further enrich itself. The technology becomes vital for the overt use of a group's members, as well as a sign by which the group differentiates itself from those outside it that is, those people who lack such access, for whatever reason. Facebook went from an exclusive social network to something as general and inclusive as a telephone. This of course does not mean that everyone has access to Facebook, just as not everyone has access to a telephone. For its part, Facebook has had to contend with the consequences of its ubiquity, as teens and young adults flock to other platforms, such as Instagram and SnapChat, where they feel like they can preserve some of the integrity of their groups. For their part, the rich have been setting up their own social networks since at least 2007. Of course, this being Silicon Valley, even the wealthy are constantly at risk of getting disrupted. Relationship Science has built its business model on facilitating connections to the wealthy, celebrities and various and sundry movers and shakers, assuming you can fork over the $3,000 annual fee. As journalist Greg Lindsay dubs it, Rel-Sci is a LinkedIn for the 1%. However, there is a tipping point at which a technology ceases to provide a sizable return on investment, or exclusivity. Consider what wealthy people seek out when it comes to services; that would be other people. A very specific sort of other people, who are well-trained and discreet. The doorman of a Park Avenue co-op, the hotel concierge or the maitre d' of a favorite restaurant are just as capable of receiving packages and making recommendations as they are turning a blind eye when it's so desired. Drivers, cooks, au pairs you could populate a Richard Scarry children's book with all the people who help the wealthy live their lives as frictionlessly as possible. I think that this tendency points out one of the great misconceptions concerning the progression of software and robotics. As the cost of these innovations declines and their presence spreads, we are better off asking, who is the most likely to be enwoven into these technologies? And by who' I mean what groups'? Much attention has been paid to the effects of automation on employment, and rightly so. Partly because this is something tangible we can measure jobs lost and partly because it speaks to our grandiose fears of apocalypse-by-automation (the current specter is the loss of 3.5 million trucking jobs to driverless cars). But there is also a flip-side. Once innovative products and services are adopted by and assimilated into the lifestyles of the wealthy, or educated, or urban, those technologies will continue to spread. After all, capitalism dictates that a firm must continue growing and capturing market share. It's not like privileged groups have grown out of using phones. But as an example, consider what we expect when we use our phones. Voice recognition technology has progressed to the point where it's not unusual to conduct entire transactions with a software system. This is especially conducive to instances where outcomes and exceptions are rigorously definable, such as banking and airline reservations. Sometimes it is the only choice, as call center staff have been cut in favor of these automated systems. On the other hand, those in a position of privilege have this privilege reified by the fact that they can speak to a personal banker or airline agent similar to the above examples of concierge and doorman, a well-trained human that is discreet and effective. This is what I mean by the future already seeping its way throughout our present. So a good way to start thinking about this is to embrace those categories of the social that we already have. Which groups are the most likely to become the subjects of a particular technology, and why? This is not to say that they will simply be ignored. Rather, we should instead think about the ways in which these groups will eventually be served by technology that may keep things running smoothly, but is ultimately dehumanizing and fragmenting, a la Neil Blomkamp's 2013 dystopia Elysium. Obviously, there is a long leap between an automated phone system and the hellish endgame described in Elysium but it's a much straighter line if everyone is treated only as an individual or a user while actually being targeted as a member of a social group. So who are the vulnerable? A few groups come to mind. The elderly, who are already being assigned robot nurses, because who has time or money to care for the elderly. Children, who are expensive to educate and a pain in the ass to constantly watch over, are already being stimulated (I simply cannot bring myself to write educated') via toys that have a direct line to IBM's Watson AI. The mentally ill, who need to be sequestered, drugged and monitored. Other institutionalized populations, such as convicts how great would a fully automated prison be? That way any blame could be laid at the feet of the inmates. And finally, the poor, with whom no one wants to interact anyway. These groups will be the greatest beneficiaries' of technology that is only just beginning to manifest itself. You get the idea of who is left and what a perfect reproduction of privilege it will be. As a final thought, consider what is lost as we move deeper into a future in which we are ever more deeply entangled with technology: our collective cultural memory. As William Gibson noted in a 2011 interview in the Paris Review, It's harder to imagine the past that went away than it is to imagine the future. What we were prior to our latest batch of technology is, in a way, unknowable. It would be harder to accurately imagine what New York City was like the day before the advent of broadcast television than to imagine what it will be like after life-size broadcast holography comes online. But actually the New York without the television is more mysterious, because we've already been there and nobody paid any attention. That world is gone. In a very real sense, we are co-creating our own ongoing forgetting. I consider myself fortunate to have grown up in a pre-Internet era. And anyone who has witnessed a child attempt to swipe or pinch a magazine page, in the mistaken belief that it is as interactive as an iPad screen, cannot but help feel discomfort at the way in which new generations expect reality to behave around them. Or perhaps they see it as a business opportunity. Difference cannot but persist. What is really at stake is what we choose to do about it. Magnolia LNG Extends Binding Agreement with Meridian LNG Perth, Feb 1, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd ( ASX:LNG ) ( LNGLY:OTCMKTS ) (LNGL or Company) is pleased to advise that its 100% owned project company, Magnolia LNG, LLC (Magnolia) and Meridian LNG Holdings Corp (Meridian LNG) have agreed to extend the financial close date condition precedent for Magnolia LNG from 30 June 2016 to 31 December 2016. On 23 July 2015, the company announced the signing of a legally binding agreement with Meridian LNG for firm capacity rights for up to 2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) at Magnolia LNG, located on the Calcasieu shipping channel in the Lake Charles District, State of Louisiana, USA. Under the liquefaction tolling agreement (LTA) Magnolia will provide liquefaction services to Meridian LNG over the term of the contract in return for monthly capacity payments. Meridian LNG is responsible for procurement and delivery of feed gas to the liquefaction plant and for arranging all LNG shipping required to transport the LNG from the liquefaction plant to its customers. Key terms of the LTA include: - Initial term of 20 years, with option to extend by a further 5 years; - Firm annual capacity of 1.7 mtpa with a further 0.3 mtpa to be offered at Magnolia's discretion. Meridian LNG plans to deliver the LNG to Port Meridian (www.portmeridian.com), its Hoegh LNG (www.hoeghlng.com) operated floating re-gasification terminal in the UK with the gas delivered to E.ON Global Commodities (EGC) (www.eon.com) under the 20-year gas sales agreement (GSA) executed and announced by Meridian LNG on 23 April 2015. The EGC contract with Meridian LNG is for 750 million standard cubic feet a day (~5.3 mtpa) for 20 years. LNGL Managing Director/CEO and President of Magnolia LNG, Maurice Brand, said that "financial close date for the Magnolia LNG project is dependent on the execution of further binding offtake agreements the timing of which is uncertain due to current market conditions. The extension of time with Meridian LNG provides additional time for Magnolia LNG to finalise additional offtake agreements and allows for a typical timeline to conclude both project equity and debt following the execution of offtake agreements." About Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd Liquefied Natural Gas Limited ( ASX:LNG) ( OTCMKTS:LNGLY) (LNGL) is an ASX listed company whose portfolio consists of 100% ownership of the following companies: - Magnolia LNG, LLC (Magnolia LNG), a US-based subsidiary, which is developing an eight mtpa or greater LNG export terminal, in the Port of Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA; - Bear Head LNG Corporation Inc. (Bear Head LNG), a Canadian-based subsidiary, which is developing an 8 12 mtpa LNG export terminal in Richmond County, Nova Scotia, Canada with potential for further expansion; - Bear Paw Pipeline Corporation Inc. (Bear Paw), which is proposing to construct and operate a 62.5 km gas pipeline lateral to connect gas supply to Bear Head LNG; and - LNG Technology Pty Ltd, a subsidiary which owns and develops the Company's OSMR LNG liquefaction process, a midscale LNG business model that plans to deliver lower capital and operating costs, faster construction, and improved efficiency, relative to larger traditional LNG projects. Quarterly Review and Appendix 4C Perth, Feb 1, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Yonder & Beyond Group Ltd ( ASX:YNB ) (the Company) has released its Appendix 4C for the three-month period to 31 December 2015, a period in which portfolio companies entered or advanced "go to market" activities commenced in previous quarters. Highlights - Gophr achieves 264% increase in Q4 revenue against Q3 revenues (to $54k), and partners with Beats by Dr Dre to deliver headphones in London - Boppl increased order volume by 252% and dollar value of transactions through the app by 288% - Mysquar achieved 2m user accounts as at 31 December 2015, up 150% since 31 May 2015 - Key partnerships agreed with major organisations for Boppl, Gophr, Prism Digital and MeU mobile - Gophr featured in The Daily Telegraph as number 1 for '10 Best Apps for a Stress Free Christmas' - $1m funding via drawdown convertible note secured with CEO Over the quarter YNB continued to increase its involvement within its portfolio companies and identify and introduce synergies across the group, resulting in increased sales, revenue and customer acquisition. Based on the specific requirements of each of the companies in its portfolio, YNB has been involved in securing partnerships, streamlining processes and operations, implementing technical products and finalising business/marketing plans and strategies. YNB is satisfied of the growth in sales and revenue each of the companies is experiencing given their relative infancy, particularly Gophr and Boppl. Both companies increased their sales numbers, revenue and clients over the period, surpassing their growth from Q3. During the period the Company also brought in-house key capabilities and resources enabling it to develop its own bespoke technology based products and solutions for portfolio companies and others. It is expected that this capability, which will directly service clients design, develop and deploy their technology products and services. will be more formally recognised within the group in the coming period. Partnerships Partnerships have, and will continue to be, a key element of the portfolio companies marketing and growth strategies. During the period the following key partnerships were established: - Gophr x Beats: In December, Gophr partnered with renowned music brand, Beats by Dr Dre to be their official delivery provider. - Boppl x Epos Now: With over 10,000 venues in the UK, Epos Now is a leader in cloud POS technology. This partnership allows for Boppl to be available in every Epos Now venue. - MeU mobile x Student Edge: Australia's largest student member organisation with over 750,000 members. MeU has partnered with Student Edge to provide exclusive deals to members. Press Coverage During the period portfolio companies continued to generate positive press coverage within mainstream and technology focused media outlets. Below is a selection of key coverage generated during the period. - An article in The Telegraph mentioning Gophr as the number 1 'The 10 Best Apps For a Stress Free Christmas' - An article in The Australian on the MeU mobile partnership with Student Edge. - An article on Digital Look website about the success Burma has been for MySQUAR Cash Receipts On 31 December YNB announced that CEO Shashi Fernando had committed a further $1m in funds via issue of a draw down convertible note to the company. Outlook Shashi Fernando, Yonder and Beyond CEO said, "the company's outlook continues to be positive, with a number of assets operating in fast growing sectors continuing to develop and gain ground on a daily basis. 2016 will see YNB's assets continue to focus on growing their market share and growing their revenue base. To view the full report, and portfolio of companies, please visit: http://media.abnnewswire.net/media/en/docs/ASX-YNB-751299.pdf About Yonder & Beyond Group Ltd Yonder & Beyond Group Ltd (Y&B) (ASX:YNB) is a portfolio of synergistic technology assets with a focus on mobile businesses. These include Gophr, Boppl, Prism Digital, PlayMeet and MeU Mobile. Yonder & Beyond's strategy is to identify and develop disruptive applications with high commercialisation and scalability potential. Yonder & Beyond equip startups with vital capabilities beyond capital. Our philosophy is to invest in people, as well as invest in their business, so they can both grow and succeed. We are dedicated to contributing to the development of businesses through our resources, experience and relationships. Intuit announced that Death Wish Coffee Company, a small business coffee roaster, won the Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Big Game contest, which awards one company a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl Feb. 7. Death Wish Coffee Company was established in 2012 by Michael Brown, a former government accountant who once headed the revenue refund unit for New York State, after registering customer demand for stronger coffee. Death Wish Coffee now roasts and packs what it refers to as some of the worlds strongest coffee. As winners of the QuickBooks contest, the company worked with agency RPA to convey this differentiator in a commercial depicting an epic, over-the-top Vikings ship that shows off the strength of our coffee, Brown said. Round Lake, N.Y.-based Death Wish Coffee was chosen by public vote from more than 15,000 entries that collectively garnered hundreds of thousands of votes. In addition to the commercial airing during the third quarter of Super Bowl 50, Death Wish won a free, lifetime use of QuickBooks Enterprise. America ultimately chose [the winner] because its a story they related to, said Bill Rancic, entrepreneur and spokesperson for the campaign. Mike encompasses what the American entrepreneur is all about. He put his life savings on the line, moved back in with his mom, proving the American dream is still alive. And its a catchy, high-quality product that really jumps off the page at you. Relying on public exposure to win the contest required Brown and his 11-person team to step up their already strong social media efforts, he said. We had a decent social following, but it took us outside our comfort zone and focused the teams effort on building a stronger social component, which included tapping into influencers who could amplify the companys message. Brown chased his entrepreneurial dream down the path from government accountant to small business owner, relying on the experiences of others to guide him as he rapidly amassed his own. I made mistakes early and listened to other small business owner recommendations. You should find someone who is already an expert in the field who will help others out, and use that network. You have to tap into that knowledge bank and learn from others. A panel of Intuit judges selected the top 10 finalists of Small Business Big Game in September, chosen from more than 15,000 contenders that applied via Intuits Own It: A Small Business Network networking app. Two runners-up, Chubbies Shorts and Vidlers 5 & 10, received $25,000 and local media and advertising valued at up to $15,000. The seven other finalists received a $10,000 prize and a congratulatory ad in their local paper. The accountants of all 10 finalists received $10,000 and local advertising. This is the second year QuickBooks has posted the program, won in its inaugural year by Oakland, Calif.-based company GoldieBlox in 2014. The Supreme Court ruling on January 29, 2016, wherein it dismissed the plea of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) challenging Delhi High Courts order allowing the participation of Sun TVs Red FM in the FM Phase 3 auctions last year, has brought much cheer to the FM players camp. Reacting to the judgement, Nisha Narayanan, COO, Red FM, said, We are extremely happy with the decision of the Supreme Court to dismiss the plea of the MIB against the judgment of the Delhi High Court. This just reaffirms our faith in the judicial system and we at Red FM like any other responsible media house are totally committed to give our listeners a quality product like we have done in the past decade. Being a market leader, we are all charged up to strengthen brand Red and launch Red FM in newer markets and build a strong brand there too. It may be recalled that the Delhi High Court in its order dated July 26, 2015, had allowed Red FM to take part in the FM Phase 3 auctions that took place in July-August last year. The MIB had earlier prevented Red FMs participation in the Phase 3 auctions stating that the Home Ministry had not granted it security clearance on grounds that Kalanithi Maran, CMD, Sun TV (which controls Digital Radio Broadcasting of which Red FM is a part), was facing charges of alleged money laundering. Digital Radio Broadcasting moved the Delhi High Court against the MIBs decision, following which the Court permitted Red FM to participate in the Phase 3 auctions. The Court had held that the condition of the security clearance did not extend to the shareholders. In its January 29, 2016 ruling, the Supreme Court stated that only when a company or its directors faced criminal action could security clearance be held back, but the same condition could not be extended to shareholders facing criminal charges. ShopClues, Indias first and largest managed marketplace has bagged two prestigious awards at The Effies 2015. The most coveted advertising awards organised by The Advertising Club, Mumbai, felicitated ShopClues with the Silver award in the retail and in the David vs Goliath category for its Ghar Wapsi campaign. The campaign was conceptualised and created by Enormous Brands for ShopClues. The award ceremony was held in Mumbai on January 27, 2016. In the retail category, ShopClues has managed to stand out and surpass many of its peers in the realm of e-commerce. The awards reinstate ShopClues focus on reaching out to and engaging with the masses most effectively. The Ghar Wapsi campaign pioneered the concept of commute commerce in India. It offered an exclusive sale for consumers who like to shop on their mobile phones on their way home during the rush hour between 6-9 PM in the evening. The ad campaign around this concept ably encapsulated the excitement that commute commerce infuses in the mundane travel from work to home. The core proposition of the campaign was captured in its tagline: Har roz hamare app pe, surprising evening deals. The campaign was named Ghar Wapsi as this is a phrase that is colloquial as well as self-explanatory. Speaking on the awards, Radhika Aggarwal, Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer, ShopClues, said, We are thrilled at the felicitation received from one of the most prestigious advertising awards in the country. The Ghar Wapsi campaign was one of our most innovative initiatives this year and we are pleased to see that industry doyens have appreciated its appeal. We would also like to congratulate Enormous Brands for doing a fabulous job and executing our creative vision to the letter with the TVC. The Effie awards are special because they celebrate brands who effectively change the landscape of marketing. ShopClues saw something that everyone else missed- the fact that commuters returning home from work between 6 to 9pm spent a lot of time thumbing through e-commerce websites. Thats how we came up with the Ghar Wapsi sale, and introduced commute-commerce to the industry. Our challenge was to own this space before competition jumped on the bandwagon. With our campaign, we made sure that we seized the initiative. Said Ashish Kazanchi, Managing Partner, Enormous Brands. One of the most widely celebrated and followed award ceremonies in the Indian advertising industry, The Effies registered participation from 57 agencies with 603 entries this year. These entries were adjudged by a strong panel of representatives from brands and advertising agencies. The jury included 285 members that scrutinised each and every entry to identify the best and most worthy campaigns. Star World and Star World HD gear up to bid goodbye and air the final season of the award-winning series Downton Abbey. The show is widely credited not only for reigniting passion for British drama but is also regarded as one of the most-watched shows on television. With 51 Emmy nominations, more than any other British show in Emmy history, Downton Abbey is one of the most honored series on television. It has won 11 Emmys, 3 Golden Globes, 3 Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Producers Guild Award, and 3 BAFTAs. For the shows sixth and final season the viewers are in for a treat as they return to the sumptuous setting of Downton Abbey, home to the illustrious Crawley family. The family, and the servants who work for them, remain inseparably interlinked as they face new challenges and begin forging different paths in a rapidly changing world. In the upcoming season the viewers will see how secrets threaten the unity of the family, while those downstairs continue to navigate social changes, which put their futures in jeopardy. This season of the multi-award winning series offers all the highs and lows, joy and sorrow, that viewers across the globe have grown to love, and follows all our favorite characters as they strive to find happiness once and for all. The shows distinguished cast includes British acting powerhouse Dame Maggie Smith, alongside Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Penelope Wilton and Michelle Dockery amongst others. Bid adieu to Britains most loved TV family as the final season of Downton Abbey airs from 17th February,Monday Friday at 9pm only on Star World and Star World HD. Vatika Group, a diversified organization with interests in Real Estate, Hotels, Fine-Dining Restaurants, Education, Business Centers and Facilities Management across the country, announces its plans to diversify in the Quick Service restaurants business with an initial investment of Rs 30 crores taking the make in India Baton forward. The QSR market has been steadily growing at 20% CAGR and is likely to reach 1900 USD Million mark soon. The space of Indian centric QSR remains vacant. Indian cuisine is widely accepted as one of the most broad-ranging and interesting cuisines worldwide. The regional diversity manifests and is visible in the spread and strength of regional cuisines. Thus, Nukkadwala spent two years to create an all-inclusive menu after extensive research of flavors found across the length and breadth of India. Nukkadwala aims to present local favorites and nostalgia centric flavors food in an organized and hygienic environment, something that has never been attempted before. The quick service model shall allow attending to the time-poverty of todays consumers and rapidly expanding the footprint to venture into newer parts of India and catering to the widespread, value-centric Indian audience. Nukkadwala is being positioned as age-, class-, and occasion-agnostic and with a low cost-to-sales ratio. Indian food will not only continue to be relevant in India, but will thrive and reach new pinnacles of innovation and rediscovery in the years to come. This will happen largely because of, and not despite, a huge youth population in the country, which is as happy to consume ethnic local foods as much as Pizzas and Burgers. Nukkadwala would be India's newest chain of Quick service smart and stylish quick service restaurant chain, for the value conscious. A new category altogether, Say a Pret range of restaurants. Young, Vibrant, Stylish. Best in the industry workforce, superior processes, state of the art technology, efficient operations, supply chain and intelligent Capex planning allows us to offer top service without charging heavily. Located in business centers and other high traffic areas each establishment shall have its its own personality on one hand and the same brand spirit on the other. Smart, Stylish and Smiling Inspired by a billion foodies, Nukkadwala revives the zing and essence of India's rich culinary heritage. Nukkadwala shall allow one to savour the same authentic flavors and relish the rush with every bite. Nukkadwala offers the choicest delectable treats from the streets across India, right in your neighborhood all under one roof. Now, Nukkadwala is aiming at making Indian flavors recognized globally, just like McDonalds customized their burgers according to our tastes. The idea is to popularize local Indian flavors across the world, just like our mouth waters at the mere mention of Italian pizza. Deployment of state of the art technology would aim to enhance the guest experience, aid the operations and drive down the costs said Mr Gaurav Bhalla, Managing Director, Vatika Group. Nukkadwala aims to enrich to the experience of each of its customers with unique encounter unanimous to all our locations. This experience encompasses the signature style with which we extend our hospitality to all our guests, including unrivaled cuisine added Mr Gaurav Bhalla, Managing Director, Vatika Group. Vatika Group is opening the first such outlet at Sohna Road a premium locality in Gurgaon. With a vision to grow rapidly in the QSR business the group has signed up another four locations in the NCR. Mr. Bhalla added, Vatika Hotels were the first to establish Starwoods Westin Brand in India and currently own Westin Gurgaon & Westin Sohna with Jaipur & Pondicherry properties under active planning. We also own Vatika Business Centre, operating 3000 seats over 0.5 million sq. ft across India. Vatika Business Centre plans to double its capacity over the next 36 months. Vatika is also managing 45 million sq. ft of space through its Facilities Management Division ENVIRO. We also plan to expand our award winning premium restaurant Brands 56 Ristorante Italiano & Coriander Leaf across India. Combining the worlds of glamour and fashion with adrenaline-pumping top class horse racing, Kingfisher Ultra, the hugely successful brand from United Breweries, announced its first ever association with the Indian Derby, leading to the 2016 running of the Grade 1 Indian Derby being called THE KINGFISHER ULTRA INDIAN DERBY partnered by Signature Packaged Drinking Water. The week-long countdown to the Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby partnered by Signature Packaged Drinking Water which will be held on Sunday, 7thFebruary was kicked off with the unveiling of the prestigious Silver horse winners trophy at the Mahalaxmi Race Course today. Samar Singh Sheikhawat, Senior Vice President - Marketing, United Breweries Limited along with Mr. Zavaray S. Poonawalla, Chairman of the Royal Western India Turf Club and Mr. Vivek Jain, Chairman of the Marketing Committee, RWITC, unveiled the coveted trophy, which is inspired by the regal legacy of equestrian racing. The Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby partnered by Signature Packaged Drinking Water is one of the richest sporting events in India boasting an unmatched stake money in excess of Rs. 3 crore, and a spectacular exhibition of equine power and high fashion.Over 30,000 guests, including many of Mumbais hip and fashionable set are expected to descend onto the Mahalaxmi Race Course for this iconic event. Commenting on Kingfisher Ultras sponsorship of the Indian Derby, Samar Singh Sheikhawat, Senior Vice President - Marketing, United Breweries Limited said, Kingfisher Ultra is a super-premium mild beer brand and is one of the fastest growing brands in our portfolio. Ultra is the only beer brand in the country that associates itself with fashion. We have leveraged fashion and lifestyle to create a distinct premium identity for Ultra, and the Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby is Indias biggest show of fashion, apart from being the most prestigious horse race in the country. We look forward to delighting consumers with the Ultra Experience The Emperor of Good Times Subroto Geed, Senior Vice President Marketing, United Spirits Limited said, USL will continue to partner with RWITC through revised terms of engagement for the remaining two years of the existing contract - in 2016 and 2017. USL and RWITC have had an unprecedented long and mutually beneficial relationship for over 3 decades, with USL building the Indian Derby to its current stature as Indias premier racing and lifestyle event. USL through Signature Packaged Drinking Water will continue partnering with the Indian Derby as a title partner as the title transitions to the new sponsorship. The upcoming extravaganza will boast internationally acclaimed jockeys and their prime stallions battling it out on the turf as the city gears up to put their best fashion foot forward. The Indian Derby is the single largest attended event in Mumbai and one of the leading community celebrations in the world. Zavaray Poonawalla, Chairman RWITC, said, "The Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby partnered by Signature Packaged Drinking Water is India's biggest race by far. We are privileged to host it once again with our usual pomp and pageantry." Vivek Jain, Marketing Head RWITC stated, "This year will be the first co-branded Indian Derby in history. We are delighted that two leading brands in their respective fields Kingfisher Ultra and Signature will partner to bring this iconic race to our Turf. The promotion and build up will be mammoth and we are committed to host yet another grand weekend." Says one of our racing experts, The 2016 running of this iconic event is amongst the most open in decades and has compelling stories emerging with just a week to go. The Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby partnered by Signature Packaged Drinking Water is the second leg of the Indian Triple Crown and is run over a mile and a half which requires the perfect balance of speed and stamina to win this prestigious race. It is expected that while the front runners will be colts or geldings, the emergence of a star filly from Pesi Shroffs stable, called Myrtlewood is giving the boys sleepless nights and many believe that she will win this battle. The races will be telecast live on the Neo Network and a recent arrangement with Bloomberg TV will increase the footprint even further. The races start at 12:30 and go on till sundown. Tickets are easily available at the venue. ZenithOptimedia Group and Google have partnered to present Zoogle Day, a first of its kind event on digital and mobile marketing. The event will unfold on 4 February 2016 at Le Meridien, Gurgaon. The ZenithOptimedia leadership, along with top executives from Google will share learnings, insights and case studies where brands have taken the lead in a mobile inevitable world. Some of the subjects that the summit will focus on includes how mobile commerce is shaping up sectors such as banking insurance and telecom, how data driven planning driving programmatic, top trends in ecommerce, the success story of Alibaba and other future-facing business models that are reaping the benefits of a digital economy. The conference will also have a key address by Craig Greenfield, Chief Operating Officer of Performics Worldwide. Since 2005, Craig Greenfields expertise in scaling large client programs and developing company-wide processes and this has helped Performics successfully transition into the first truly global performance marketing agency. In his current position, Craig leads global technology and innovation; a dynamic network of change agents focused on identifying, evaluating and developing new products, services and systems to ensure competitiveness and improved operational efficiency. Craig works in tandem with Performicss worldwide leadership, client teams and external partners to help clients identify and capture new business opportunities, negotiate strategic partnerships and enhance operational efficiency. Anupriya Acharya, Group CEO, ZenithOptimedia says, ZenithOptimedia and Google host Zoogle Day in many top markets around the world and we are very excited to bring this premier event to India. Given the way mobile is increasingly shaping consumer behavior and commerce, we felt this is an opportune time for us to hold this event. Both ZenithOptimedia and Google are leaders in mobile marketing and have valuable lessons and insights to share on the transformation that India is witnessing. Tanmay Mohanty, Managing Director of Performics and Resultrix says, We share a long fulfilling relationship with Google and this event cements this relationship further. They, like us, are driven by the Live ROI philosophy, and have unique data driven insights that help clients derive sizeable share. Mohanty added that the ZenithOptimedia Group has been on a growth curve. Digital, particularly mobile has been top priority for us. The launch of Performics Mobile in 2014, setup of a media technology and analytics division in Bangalore last year, and creating Centre of Excellence teams out of Mumbai and Delhi, all help us augment our efforts on Mobile. Zoogle Day is another move in the same direction, in partnership with one of our most significant partners. Punitha Arumugam Director Agency Business India and SEA, Google says With an estimated 5mn smartphone users being added very month, India's online populations is expected to cross 500MN by 2018. The Zoogle day chapter we are extending to India is tailored to this reality and will address the mobile and commerce future of this market. Brian Fisher | February 01, 2016 I knew High Mowing School from my days as boarding school faculty member in northern New England. I know High Mowing is Waldorf boarding high school, but I didnt know what that meant. What does it mean to be a Waldorf boarding high school? I ran into Theo Groh- High Mowing alumnus- and, now, a faculty member at a conference and he put me in touch with Susan Lunt Childress, who works on High Mowing communications. Childress is also a High Mowing alumna and the parent of a High Mowing graduate. I posed some questions in an e-mail interview with Childress to try to gain an understanding of what it means to be the only Waldorf boarding high school in America. What do Waldorf schools actually do differently and are the results really so distinctive? Once considered counter culture, Waldorf education is now accepted as one of the longest-running alternatives to conventional education, with some 900 Waldorf schools in 80 countries. By definition Waldorf epitomizes a sort of humanist ideal: while teaching real-world knowledge and skills, it strives to meet students where they are in their journey, seeing them as beings of a threefold nature; mind, spirit and body, and engaging them with compassion, infusing art, music and movement in every day curricula whose rhythms and transitions match those found in nature. Its not hard to like an idea like that. But how does it actually work? What do Waldorf schools do that makes students experience uniquely Waldorf? That the answer differs slightly depending on where you are in the world and who is teaching is an important tenet itself. Waldorf education was designed to respond to cultural changes. Classroom teachers work in freedom (in agreement with their colleagues) and are expected to meet the needs of students holistically, out of their own insight and according to the circumstances of the school. This freedom is tempered by the quality of the education the average teacher has received a four-year degree and one to five additional years of Waldorf certificate and specialization work and a universally held aim: to educate each pupil in how they learn best; to inspire life-long learning in all students, according to the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) and to enable them to fully develop their unique capacities through the carefully chosen subject at hand. Carefully planned block classes bring age-appropriate content and methods to each stage of a students development. A Waldorf teachers methods in the classroom are often so intuitive that even a casual observer could easily and enjoyably enter into the teaching moment, as either teacher or learner. In Algebra, instead of explaining the derivation of an equation on the chalk board as students follow along, a Waldorf teacher might ask her students to work together with her to narrate the steps in deriving the formula, the source of the equation. I do not tell the students what we are doing, she explains. I ask them, how did I get from the first equation to the second? Hesitantly, after a lengthy pause, a student identifies the operation involved in that step. I then hold the student to using the correct terminology in expressing the otherwise correct answer. Likewise, the study of geology might begin with students examining exposed bedrock just outside the classroom, noticing for the first time clearly identifiable components of granite. While subsequent splitting of rock samples, quarry visits, microscopic work and journaling carry the students deep into scientific observations and theories, working together to repair an ancient stone wall and learning Helen Kellers poem The Chant of the Stone Wall, or Charles Simics, Go Inside a Stone, connects students to the subject in other, equally profound ways. How do Waldorf students stand out? By the time they get to high school, most Waldorf students understand how their experience is different from that of their non-Waldorf peers. Good Waldorf students are critical thinkers, says Jack, a High Mowing School senior. No matter their skill set, whether it is engineering, or writing, they will be highly valued for their critical thinking. Another senior, Federica, who attended Waldorf schools in Europe and is now at High Mowing, says it was the tendency toward self-reliance that distinguishes her and her peers from others. You are guided in experiencing things for yourself, in a way that is not from a book or a second-hand narrative, she said. Most importantly, it is about searching for the right question, in order to gather your own experience of something. When you look that deeply into something, you are able to see connections with other things, she said. Some people tell me I ask the weirdest questions (due to learning in this different way) but in the end I feel I come away with a greater understanding, added Jack. What does a Waldorf graduate bring to the world? Waldorf teachers measure their success not by test scores, but by the graduates themselves. The AWSNA website reaffirms that ideal: Music, dance and theater, writing, literature, legends and myths are not simply subjects to be read about and tested. They are experienced. Through these experiences, Waldorf students cultivate their intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual capacities to be individuals certain of their paths and to be of service to the world. For actual graduates, proofing what theyve learned is often much simpler and deeply personal. Waldorf graduates tend to be calm. They are not at war with themselves over someone elses idea of how they are supposed to be, said Robert Amburn, a New York City-based fixture designer. They are socially evolved, he added. They can express themselves well and without fear. They are used to dealing with conflict. How does the typical Waldorf graduate fare when applying to college? Not surprisingly, Waldorf graduates are often drawn to smaller, progressive colleges. But, in general, they compete across the board, and are favored among admissions officers for their self-assurance. We love our High Mowing girls, says Lia Brassord, at Smith College, in Massachusetts. In my experience in admissions, I feel like they are self-motivated. They have a love for learning. These students have learned..no, not learned, they have cultivated an excitement for things. They take charge of their education. They arent just checking boxes. Waldorf students are a good match for us, says Heather Albert-Knopf, Dean of Admissions at College of the Atlantic, in Bar Harbor, Maine. They are especially community minded, active and thoughtful, with a willingness to participate in the institution. There is self-awareness and also awareness of those around them. There is an empathy and compassion; a wish to make an impact. Ramstein hosts 8th CMSAF Ramstein Air Base hosted the eighth chief master sergeant of the Air Force for a visit of the base Jan. 25-29. Retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Sam E. Parish spoke with more than 700 of the Air Force's newest chiefs and future NCOs during his visit. He saw the mission of the 86th Airlift Wing, the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing and the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing. He also visited with U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa Airmen. "To be able to see the looks on the (faces of Airmen) when you are talking to them is just absolutely awesome," Parish said. "Knowing what they (what challenges they face) and that I have lived it and to try to convey the message that it can be a great life is unbelievable. It's a great honor to serve and to be able to meet with these young Airmen." The Airmen of the 86th AW demonstrated to Parish how they generate and employ air mobility enabling theater and strategic airpower by operating a key Air Force power projection platform at Ramstein AB. For one Airman who briefed Parish, the most rewarding thing of the event was hearing the contrast of when Parish retired and today's Air Force. "It was an honor and privilege because we got to show him how the Air Force has advanced and how Airmen perform," said Tech. Sgt. Greg Flores, a 37th Airlift Squadron loadmaster. "It's great to hear the differences of how he came up in the Air Force and how we are operating now." Many things have changed around Ramstein AB since Parish was the command chief at USAFE. Fighters use to fly from the ramps of the base, and nowadays cargo movers dominate the skyline. "It's great and unbelievable to be back in USAFE (and) to see the changes," Parish said. "Nobody would believe what I saw when I first came to Ramstein and now it's as different as night and day." New wings, missions and faces but the same great Air Force, Parish said. But some things live on such as paying respect to the Airmen reaching the highest enlisted rank, chief master sergeant. Parish ended his visit by helping induct the newest chief master sergeants during their ceremony. Retired Col. Richard Toliver graduated from Tuskegee Institute University in January 1963 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering.He began his Air Force career in February 1963 as a project engineer and completed pilot training in June 1965. He was one of the first five African American F-4 Phantom II pilots to serve under the famed Tuskegee Airman Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James.Toliver was twice deployed during the Vietnam War and flew 446 missions and 860 combat hours in fighter jets.During his 26 years of service, Toliver served throughout the United States, Southeast Asia, Europe, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf. He commanded a number of units and held key staff positions in major commands of the Air Force. He was a command pilot with 4,000 flying hours in the F-4, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, OT-37 Tweet, O-2 Skymaster, T-33 Shooting Star, and several civilian aircraft.His many military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with 27 oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal. For Tolivers complete Veterans in Blue profile, click here. For information on African American History Month, click here. Elmo, Big Bird and Abby Cadabby are teaming up with the Defense Department to support thousands of military families as they transition to civilian life, according to Transition to Veterans Program Office officials.On Jan. 27, the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, launched a website devoted to helping families cope with the changes associated with transitioning into civilian life, the officials said. Sesame Workshop includes several videos for children and adults, an activity book called My Story, My Big Adventure Activity Book, and other resources that military parents can use to help their families communicate through the transition process, the officials said.The products are intended to increase the ability of parents to communicate with young children in age-appropriate ways and create awareness among transition service providers of the importance of including the whole family, particularly children, when addressing transitions for active duty service members, the officials said. The products are available online and will be distributed through a variety of networks where military families and children are present, both on and off military installations, the officials said.We are grateful to Sesame Workshop for their efforts to assist our transitioning military families, said Susan Kelly, the director of the DODs Transition to Veterans Program Office. Transitioning out of the military can be challenging for families, and we hope these products will help ease that transition.The DOD has worked with the Sesame Workshop in the past to use Sesame Streets familiar characters to help preschool-aged military children understand aspects of military life, such as the deployment of a parent, moving to a new home, and the injury or even death of a parent, the officials said. Previous examples of resources that have been developed through this collaboration between the Sesame Workshop and the Department of Defense can be found through Military OneSource , the officials saidThe latest collection of resources about the transition of military families comes through collaboration with the National Center for Telehealth and Technology of the Defense Centers for Excellence, along with personnel from DODs Transition to Veterans Program Office and the Military Community and Family Policy office, the officials said.The department assisted the Sesame Workshop in conducting research on this effort by organizing focus groups in 2015 with transitioning families at installations across the nation, including Fort Riley, Kansas; Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virgina; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Stewart, Georgia; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.; Joint Base Andrews, Maryland; Robins Air Force Base, Georgia; Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina; Vandenberg AFB, California; Miramar AFB, California; Camp Pendleton, California; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, New York; the officials said.According to the Sesame Workshop, focus group responses indicated that transition-related challenges, such as finding employment and adjusting to a change in family roles, could increase anxiety in military children, possibly resulting in academic or behavioral challenges, the officials said. The workshops materials emphasize communication throughout the transition process and underscore the benefits of making new friends and maintaining a positive attitude through change, the officials said.Rosemary Williams, the deputy assistant defense secretary for military community and family policy, said the long-standing working relationship with Sesame Workshop has great benefits for military families.Their unique ability to translate difficult topics into language easily understood by children and trusted by their parents is most unique, Williams said. These fun and engaging products will only help military families as they adjust to new changes with the same resilience that marked their service to our nation.The products can also be found at the Sesame Street for Military Families website and through a mobile app available for Apple and Android users under the same name, the officials said. Analyzing failure, realizing success The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Air Force, Defense Department or the U.S. Government. We have an issue. Ill call him in and figure out why he failed to said the supervisor who walked into my office that sunny day. Stop, I said, find out the facts, let me see the outcome of the mistake, and let me see if I own it before you say he failed. A puzzled look from the supervisor ensued. The details of the individual and the failure are inconsequential. Tying failure immediately to an individual seemed too easy a conclusion for me. What mattered was the process of analyzing failure in hopes of realizing unit success. After all, in the military we are surrounded by amazing patriots every day who strive to make a positive difference. A rush to judge the professional who experienced failure before engaging in a rational evaluation of all the details is detrimental to building a team who is eager to serve, learn, fix, and better execute our Air Forces diverse missions. In over 22 years of service, I have come to firmly believe nearly 97 percent of all events we deem as failures by a person or a team are attributed to one of three reasons; and supervisors and leaders own them. Lets evaluate: First, did you properly set out expectations and provide appropriate and robust feedback? It is the foundation for everything. Where those on your team finish is rooted in where you ask them to start. If you have not set out clear priorities, expectations, limitations and goals, take caution criticizing the paths they take. Course corrections ingrained with open and consistent communication are paramount to setting up professionals and their teams for success. If you are in charge, listen intently, ponder more and talk less. Seek feedback, provide it and make your expectations concise. Second, did you properly train; but more importantly, educate the professionals with whom you serve? The demands of training for the multitude of missions Airmen are asked to accomplish often drive us to one-on-one computer-based training (CBT) modules and short slideshows. That is training and it is an important step, but it is not education. The bedrock of our military success is comprised of a professionally educated, not just trained, force. Only through consistent supervisor follow up, experience-driven opportunities, team discussions, leadership engagement, and an open and collaborative review of failures are professionals truly educated. Click, click, click, print certificate doesnt work. Education is a multifaceted process. If you are provided with only a CBT to train you, then supervisors and leaders own any failures as a result. Third, did you take time to see if the procedures by which your teams operate are broken, inefficient or ineffective? Did the process fail the professional? In the military, we operate in one of the most dynamic environments on the planet. For those in the deployed environment, challenge what you see and how you operate if it is not leading to successful mission execution. When we apply an organize, train and equip in-garrison mentality to the deployed environment we run the risk of experiencing mission-impacting negative consequences. We risk failing. Processes must be challenged and fixed as we are not organized and resourced like the bases we left. Ensuring your team adheres to disciplined execution of their tasks starts with a sound process supervisors and leaders own. Repeat failures usually mean the process is broken and Airmen are being set up to fail. Unless a process is bounded by the laws of physics or chemistry, fix it if its leading to repeated failure. Before rushing to judgement, as a supervisor and a leader, regardless of rank, apply some critical thinking and ask yourself those three basic questions when analyzing failure. For the 3 percent who do not know the difference between a mistake and a crime, who willingly disregard technical order guidance and instructions, or who refuse to uphold the standards required in the profession of arms, we have ways of holding them accountable and we should to the maximum extent possible. We are all responsible for our actions. For the 97 percent, I believe supervisors and leaders owe them the flexibility to learn from mistakes, make the team stronger from those mistakes, and foster a culture which allows the discussion of those mistakes void of unnecessary repercussions to realize unit success. If you do not encourage a systemic look at failure when it occurs, you run the risk of destroying effective chain of command communication, team cohesion, honest feedback and also the prospect of the building of effective learning organizations. Honest mistakes are part of everyones learning process. High performing professionals and teams are not driven by a fear of the consequences of their actions, but rather by the belief they are accomplishing something of importance with the support of their leadership. Standards must be set and followed. Failure is rare when taken into context with the billions of actions and decisions our military professionals make daily. However, if an Airman or team fails, first ask yourself, Do I own it? Have I looked at the big three -- expectations, education and process? Analyze failure, then watch your team realize success. If you start there, you may find the great people who have chosen to join the worlds most effective air, space and cyber force will bring forward more issues to solve and ideas for success than you can handle. But that is a risk worth taking. By the way, the failure I first mentioned above was mine to fix. I owned it. As a supervisor and a leader, will you? African Migration, Global Inequalities, and Human Rights: Connecting the Dots William Minter Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Uppsala, 2011 PDF available for download at http://nai.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:442755 HTML version available at links in table of contents below. CONTENTS Foreword Executive Summary Introduction Framing Migration The Diversity of African Migration Migration Frameworks: International and Internal Migration and Global Inequalities Migration and Development Migration and Human Rights Varieties of Migrants' Rights Organizing Framing Advocacy Agendas References: Books, Reports, and Articles References: Websites Annex: Implications for Development Goals and Measures next section | Table of Contents FOREWORD The era of the so-called Washington consensus of market fundamentalism is long past. The developed countries are mired in structural economic crises, while emerging powers such as China, India and Brazil are advancing their economic presence on the world scene and inspiring new policy debates about the prerequisites for development. And a recent joint study by China's International Poverty Reduction Centre and the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) suggests that "Africa will be the next big emerging region". The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set poverty-reduction targets for the year 2015, but they did not fundamentally break with the ideology of market fundamentalism. Addressing only "poverty", these goals avoided fundamental issues of international inequality and social injustice. However, it is now clear to many people, including many policymakers in both rich and poor countries, that economic growth is meaningless unless it is accompanied by measures to reduce the structural inequalities in societies. The post-MDG agenda must focus on addressing the underlying structures of production, distribution and ownership and of power that perpetuate imbalances. In Africa, that means we need developmental states that have the capacity to advance both economic growth and social justice. We need new politics that empower the poor and values that advance common objectives and ethical principles. We need new institutions that really work on behalf of the marginalised segments of society. There must be incentives to improve productivity growth, jobs and incomes, as well as resources for realising human aspirations and human security. But in our globalised and globalising world, no country, large or small, can advance its own interests without considering its neighbours, its trading partners, its region and, indeed, the entire global order. Developmental states need a developmental world. In this essay commissioned by the Nordic Africa Institute, William Minter takes migration as an indicator of the need to move beyond the national dimension. Migration, he argues, should not be seen as a self- contained issue, considered in the destination countries as a problem to be managed or in countries of origin as an adjunct to development. Rather, migration should be understood as a process emerging from the relationships between countries, especially inequalities of power and wealth. New measures beyond the MDGs must include the national level of analysis, but also directly address the imbalances between countries. One must also focus on the rights of migrants themselves. Bringing together results from areas of research most often considered separately, Minter stresses that fundamental human rights are due both to those who decide to leave their countries and those who decide to stay. The rights of migrants are threatened by anti-migrant sentiment, xenophobia and the criminalisation of migration in places as diverse as Norway, Italy, Libya and South Africa. And the rights of the global majority in developing countries are still threatened by a systematically biased global economic order. Until fundamental inequalities between countries are addressed, the pattern of migration in today's world will continue to evoke the spectre of South Africa's apartheid era, when authorities tried to confine blacks to their "homelands", except when their labour was needed elsewhere. African development and global development, in short, require more than measures to address growth and poverty. Conflicts over migration are dramatic indicators that "development" must also directly confront morally unacceptable global inequalities. Professor Fantu Cheru Research Director The Nordic Africa Institute previous section | next section | Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The concerns of destination countries and the framing of migration as a problem have long dominated public debate on international migration, and to a lesser extent, policy analysis and scholarly research. Anti-migrant sentiment, leading to restrictive legislation, official abuses against immigrants, and in extreme cases xenophobic violence, is widespread in countries as diverse as South Africa, Libya, Italy, Switzerland, and the United States. Migrants are widely blamed for crime, for "taking our jobs," and for threatening national identity. Empirical evidence to the contrary has had relatively little impact on public opinion. At the same time, there has been increasing attention in recent years to the impact of migration on the development of migrants' countries of origin, with emphasis on the potential contributions of remittances, efforts to counter the "brain drain" of skilled professionals, and the role of the diaspora in investment and "co-development." Migrants' rights organisations, particularly in Western Europe, have taken the lead in highlighting the need for protection against abuses of the human rights of migrants themselves. There is also increasing scholarly attention to the topic, as well as multilateral institutional attention by, for example, the UN's Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Migrants and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. But it is still true that the rights of migrants themselves are most often marginalized in official discussions between migrant-receiving and migrant-sending countries. In 2009, the UNDP Human Development Report called for "win-win-win" approaches to migration policy that would provide benefits for receiving countries, sending countries, and migrants. Such scenarios will have little chance of success unless steps are also taken to address fundamental issues of global inequality so that both those who stay and those who move have access to fundamental human rights. The growing phenomenon of irregular migration, and more generally of "problem" migration that leads to conflict, does not result only from specific national policies. It also derives from rising inequality within and between nations, combined with the technological changes that make migration a conceivable option for larger and larger numbers. Thus trends in migration do not only point to problems or opportunities for development; they also signal fundamental issues facing both those who move and those who do not. This essay highlights the relationships between different migration issues and the broader context of global inequalities. It "connects the dots" rather than exploring any one issue in depth. It is intended to stimulate further debate and research that can contribute to re-framing migration not as a technical issue for migration specialists, but as one of the fundamental issues that must be addressed in order to bring about a more just global order. While African refugees, numbering some 2.8 million at the end of 2009, are prominent in the international image of African migrants, they constitute less than 10% of all African-born migrants living outside their country of birth. The majority of African migrants, like the majority of migrants from other world regions, do not fit the definition of refugees fleeing violence or political persecution; rather, they are seeking to escape economic hardship and find better living conditions. Much of that migration is indeed "forced," but the force involved is that of economic inequality between countries and regions. This paper first reviews African migration by region and then traces frameworks for understanding migration, particularly the links between migration and global inequalities. This sets the context for exploring the specific issues of migration and development and migration and human rights. The paper concludes with examples of migrants' rights organizing, observations on framing advocacy agendas, and an annex suggesting the implications of migration for expanding development goals and measures. In North Africa, the majority of migrants go to Europe or the Middle East. In Africa's other regions, most migrants move to countries within the African continent, with smaller proportions moving to Europe, North America, the Middle East, or other regions. In West Africa, the movement is largely within the region, from inland to the coast. In Southern Africa, migrants flow predominantly to South Africa. In Central and East Africa, the flows vary markedly by country, depending on geography and on the history of colonial and linguistic ties. In considering migration and development, the dominant themes of research and debate have been remittances and the flow of skilled labour (brain drain/ gain). There has been more attention in recent years to the broader roles of the diaspora population, but the complexity of diaspora relationships remains one of the major areas that needs further attention. In practice, protection of the rights of migrants, including both refugees and other migrants, falls far short of that already agreed in international law. Although the 1990 Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers has been ratified by only 44 states, including no major destination country, multiple international human rights agreements require respect for the rights of all people, regardless of migrant status. The failure to respect these universal human rights, and particularly the rights of irregular migrants, is reinforced by anti-immigrant public opinion, by right-wing political mobilisation, and by the practices of governments in their management of migration systems. Any effective defence of migrants' human rights will require greater organization by migrants themselves, as well as coalitions with other allies committed to justice and human rights. As illustration, the essay includes brief mentions of four cases of migration-related activism in different contexts: the Sans-Papiers in France, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration in California, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), and the Migrants' Rights Network in the United Kingdom. A final section lays out summary observations about advocacy related to migrants' rights in destination and transit countries, to immigration "reform" and "managed migration," and to migration and global human development. An annex proposes possible additions to measures of progress based on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), stressing (1) measures of global inequality and inequality between countries involved in migration systems, (2) measures that might make the MDG goal 8 of "partnership" less vague, and (3) measures for countries of origin on policies related to emigration and relationships with their diaspora populations. Great Zimbabwe: An African empire Built by the Shona (1100-1500 AD), the empire of Great Zimbabwe, one of Africas greatest civilizations like Egypt and Meroe , stood between present-day Zimbabwe, eastern Botswana and south-east Mozambique. The empires highly developed architecture overwhelmed discoverers. And much in the same manner as German anthropologist Doctor Frobenius ignorantly mistook the Kingdom of Ife in Nigeria for the lost kingdom of Atlantis in 1911, some Europeans blatantly refused to believe that Great Zimbabwe was built by Africans. Dawson Munjeri, former director of Great Zimbabwe, a World Heritage site, discusses the history of the exceptional Zimbabwe empire. Amidst all controversies and fighting his legal battles, Bhujbal still leads the country on the International front. Even though NCP leader and former deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbals name has been cropped up in various scams but he remains undeterred and will represent India at the international arena. Bhujbal has left for Washington DC for participating in a three day event organised by the US Congress. The function will be attended by senior US Senators, Diplomats, high ranking officials and members of US Judiciary & Administration as well as select representatives invited from 140 countries all over the world. US President Barack Obama will be interacting with the distinguished attendees on Thursday i.e. 4th February. During the three day program, discussions will be held on various issues pertaining to Social Justice, Education and Inclusive Society etc. with focus on mutual co-operation and promoting harmony across the world. Bhujbal has received an invitation for the conference where leaders will speak about social justice and education cooperation. Thus, he remains unaffected by controversies and is keen to work for the upliftment of society. There were many other leaders who possess clean image but they didnt receive any invite to participate in the conference, said the source. While leaving for the conference Bhujbal said to Afternoon Voice that his intentions are good and he has always worked for the welfare of the society and state. Let the enquiries happen and Im confident that I will come out clean. Several baseless rumours are being spread to tarnish my reputation. When asked about his objective behind attending the conference, Bhujbal replied, I will exchange my views with the attendees and also work for the betterment of the society. The ED had registered two Economic Case Information Reports (ECIR) against Bhujbal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Another case was registered by Navi Mumbai police concerning a housing project scam wherein Rs. 44 crores were collected from over 2,000 people for houses in a project Hex World, promoted by a realty firm owned by the Bhujbal family. The ACB had in June last year registered two FIRs against Bhujbal. The first one was related to alleged irregularities in allotment of a prime plot at Kalina in Mumbai to a developer. The second case was for alleged rampant corruption and large-scale irregularities in the construction of the new Maharashtra Sadan, the state governments guest house in Delhi. The Public Works Department (PWD) under Bhujbal had then allegedly awarded sub-contracts to firms, in blatant violation of rules, in the Maharashtra Sadan case. The FIR named him, his son Pankaj, nephew Samir and 14 others. The new Maharashtra Sadan was built at the cost of Rs. 100 crores when the Congress-NCP coalition was in power in Maharashtra. In a shocking two-day old video released by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has now gone viral, policemen in Delhi are seen brutally beating up students, who were protesting against the death of scholar Rohith Vemula. The policemen, some of whom were in plain clothes, even assaulted female protesters outside the RSS office in Jhandewalan. The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has urged the women protesters to record their statements. The police brutality reportedly took place after the students protesting near the RSS office began marching towards the office. The police also formed a barricade outside the RSS office and soon unexpectedly began beating up the student protesters there. The protesters have said that they were protesting peacefully and did nothing that justified the lathicharge. Apart from the JNU students, there were students from other organisations at the site who were also attacked by policemen. Cops in plain clothes refused to show their ID. The police also attacked the media and some of the cameras belonging to mediapersons were also broken. However, the Delhi Police trying to shift the blame on the students said that it was the students who had provoked them. They also refused to confirm whether women protesters were beaten up. This is not the first time but Delhi police has always failed to maintained law and order situation in the state. Either it is throwing ink on Delhi CM or brutally beating students, they have always taken wrong steps. Rohith Vemulas suicide on 17 January, 2016 sparked protests and outrage across India and gained widespread media attention as an alleged case of discrimination against Dalits and low status caste classes in India, in which elite educational institutions have been purportedly seen as an enduring vestige of caste-based discrimination against students belonging to lower classes. According to the suicide note, he committed suicide in the room of one Umma Anna, in whose room he was staying after being expelled from the hostel by the authorities at the Hyderabad Central University. His death occurred after a controversy which extended over several months starting in July 2015, when the University reportedly stopped paying him the fellowship of Rs. 25,000 per month and expelled him from the hostel along with five other members of the Ambedkar Students Association (ASA). ABVP activists expressed objection to Rohiths alleged protest against the death penalty for Yakub Memon, a convict in 1993 Serial bomb blasts in Mumbai (then Bombay) in which 257 people were killed and also his condemnation of the ABVP attack on the screening of the documentary Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai in Delhi University. Action was taken against Rohith by college due to his involvement in an alleged attack on ABVP activist Nandanam Susheel Kumar. But according to reports, Susheel Kumar who was admitted to hospital on August 4 by his brother was operated upon for acute appendicitis on August 7. A university official denied the allegation of non-payment of scholarship, blaming the delay on paperwork. Rohiths suicide has been called an institutional murder by many, including Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati, Sitaram Yechury of Communist Party of India (Marxist), Kavita Krishnan of Communist Party of India (MarxistLeninist), Dalit author and activist Meena Kandasamy. Even Rahul Gandhi of Congress and Arvind Kejriwal of AAP took active participation in Rohith death protest. If we recollect the suicide note that Vemula has written has humble request towards all mankind. He stated that I am writing this kind of letter for the first time. My first and a final letter. Forgive me if I fail to make sense. May be I was wrong, all the while, in understanding the world. In understanding love, pain, life, death. There was no urgency. But I always was rushing. Desperate to start a life. 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.(SIC) On August 5, the university set up an inquiry against Rohith and four other ASA members, two days after they allegedly assaulted ABVP leader N Susheel Kumar. On August 17, a central minister Bandaru Dattatreya wrote to HRD Minister urging action and claiming that the Hyderabad Central Universityhas in the recent past, become a den of casteist, extremist and anti-national politics. After a series of flip-flops, the five were suspended in September. On December 17, the decision was upheld. On January 3, after the sanction was confirmed, the five moved out of their hostel rooms to a tent they set up inside the campus and began a relay hunger protest. Many writers have alleged that the death of Vemula is a continuation of the long history of discrimination against Dalits which continues today, including institutions of higher learning. The poet Ashok Vajpeyi returned his D.Litt degree awarded to him by the Hyderabad Central University in protest against the circumstances which led to the death of Vemula, for which Vajpeyi holds the University culpable. His father, Manikumar has alleged that his sons death was not a suicide and demanded a judicial inquiry. Israel on Monday blocked entry for non-residents to the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is based, after a shooting attack the previous day that wounded three soldiers, the army said. In accordance with situation assessments following yesterday`s shooting attack in Beit El, security measures have been taken in the area and only residents of Ramallah are allowed to enter the city, a military spokeswoman said. The measure applied to foreigners as well, she said. Municipal schools in central Mumbais Shivaji Nagar and Deonar, which were closed for two days last week due to smog caused by a recent fire at the Deonar garbage dumping ground, reopened on Monday. The municipal schools which were closed on Friday and Saturday due to smog reopened today, a senior BMC official said. Parts of Mumbai have been engulfed in a thick blanket of smog since Thursday due to the fire and other reasons, including a drop in temperature and vehicular pollution. On Friday, the fire at Deonar dumping ground led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to shut down 74 schools run by it, as the smoke from the ground veiled the area causing breathing difficulties. The schools are located in M-ward where people are complaining about a 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, were closed for two days last week. Deonar is one of the biggest dumping grounds in Mumbai and the amount of garbage has been increasing since years. WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2016 - Critics of ethanol are rehashing proposals to curb biofuel policy, and Republicans may force another vote on the waters of the United States rule as the Senate debates a comprehensive bipartisan energy bill this week. The bills managers are working to prevent any such poison pill amendments, however, to smooth the way for passage of the legislation. But the biggest challenge for corn growers and the ethanol industry may well be in the first-in the-nation Iowa caucuses on Monday, not in the Senate debate. Many in the states ethanol industry and corn growers have been working into the final days to stop Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, an opponent of the Renewable Fuel Standard, from winning the Republican caucuses Cruzs support has been slipping in recent weeks, and the final Des Moines Register-Bloomberg Politics poll, released Saturday night, showed Donald Trump leading him, 28 percent to 23 percent. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was third at 15 percent. On the Democratic side, the poll showed Hillary Clinton up by just three points, 45 to 42 percent, over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Bob Hemesath, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, had a clear message for voters on the final weekend of the states campaign: Vote for anybody but Cruz. There are 12 candidates that support the RFS to choose from, Hemesath said, referring to all of the other candidates in both parties except for Cruz and Rand Paul. Agriculture and ethanol do not matter for only Iowa in this presidential election. Please go out and caucus for a candidate that supports the RFS. The Senate resumes consideration Tuesday of the energy bill, which includes popular provisions to update the electricity grid, accelerate the export of liquefied natural gas and promote energy efficiency in homes and businesses. Congress hasnt passed a major energy bill since 2007, but the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved this measure by a wide margin, 18-4. This clearly doesnt go as far as I would like it to go, and it doesnt go as far as the other side would like it to go in certain areas, said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. Its taking steps in the right direction. When the Senate broke for the weekend on Thursday, 11 amendments had been approved for debate out of 190 that had been filed. Barrasso is considering forcing another vote on the WOTUS rule through an amendment that incorporates a bill that Democrats blocked from advancing last fall. The bill would have required the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to write a new rule under tight restrictions on how expansive it could be. The bill, however, failed to get the 60 votes necessary to overcome a Democratic filibuster when only four Democrats broke ranks to support it. The amendment also would require 60 votes and there is no evidence that other Democrats are reconsidering their position. Were still working on persuading other Democrats, Barrasso told Agri-Pulse. Sponsors of the anti-ethanol amendments conceded that they might not get the needed votes and that the measures would be difficult to pass in any case. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., has proposed to repeal the RFS, but he acknowledged that getting the 60 votes needed to approve the amendment would be a tough row. He alleged that RFS drives up gasoline and food costs without benefit to the environment. With the abundance of our domestic oil, with our increased vehicular efficiency standards, there is no need for the RFS, he said. Another amendment by Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., would block the Agriculture Department from continuing to fund ethanol blender pumps. The ethanol blender pump program encourages wasteful subsidies for the corn industries, harms the environment, and damages vehicle engines that use ethanol, Flake said. Last fall, USDA announced a $210 million effort, using some state and private money, in 21 states to nearly double the number of gas station pumps nationwide that supply renewable fuels to American motorists. Despite the possibility of such poison pill amendments, there is optimism that the most contentious measures will be shelved in favor of passing a bipartisan bill next week. One hopeful sign for the bill was the Senates 62-29 vote last week for an amendment by Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey that would require annual reports for three years on the effects of ending the ban on U.S. crude oil exports. Led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., 29 Republican senators voted against the amendment. But in a significant bipartisan gesture, Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and 19 other Republicans voted for Markeys measure. Did you know Agri-Pulse subscribers get our Daily Harvest email Monday through Friday mornings, a 16-page newsletter on Wednesdays, and access to premium content on our ag and rural policy website? Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription. The House Agriculture Committee is holding a pair of hearings this week, including one Tuesday that will focus on the challenges of small-scale farmers who are selling directly to restaurants or consumers, through farmers and Community Supported Agriculture groups (CSAs). The hearing reflects an effort by the committee, chaired by Mike Conaway, R-Texas, to broaden political support for farm bills. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, which sometimes clashes with the interests of more conventional farm groups, recommended witnesses for the hearing. Heres a list of agriculture- or rural-related events scheduled for this week in Washington and elsewhere: Monday, Feb. 1 Iowa presidential caucuses. National Association of State Departments of Agriculture annual meeting, Grand Hyatt, Washington. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman is in Beijing for bilateral meetings through Tuesday. Assistant USTR for Africa Florie Liser and Assistant USTR for Agricultural Affairs Sharon Bomer Lauritsen are in South Africa all week for bilateral meetings. USTRs chief agricultural negotiator, Darcy Vetter, speaks to the National Barley Growers Association. 1 p.m. - House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady speaks on U.S. Economic Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave NE. 1 p.m. - Tufts Universitys Global Development and Environment Institute holds press briefing on its economic modeling study of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Trading Down: Unemployment, Inequality, and Other Risks of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, National Press Club. Tuesday, Feb. 2 9:30 a.m. - House Agriculture Committee considers its budget views and estimates letter for agencies under its jurisdiction, 1300 Longworth. 10 a.m. - House Agriculture subcommittee hearing on opportunities and challenges of direct marketing for farmers, 1300 Longworth. 10 a.m. - House Science, Space and Technology hearing, Paris Climate Promise: A Bad Deal for America, 2318 Rayburn. 10 a.m. - House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Reaching Americas Potential: Delivering Growth and Opportunity for All Americans, 1100 Longworth. 10:30 a.m. - House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee roundtable to discuss priorities for the next Water Resources Development Act, 2167 Rayburn. Wednesday, Feb. 3 Froman goes to New Zealand for the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and for bilateral meetings, through Saturday. 8 a.m. - Rep. Collin Peterson, Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack speak at NASDA. 10 a.m. - House Agriculture subcommittee hearing on incentives to increase low-income families purchasing of fruits and vegetables, 1300 Longworth. Thursday, Feb. 4 USTRs Vetter travels to Belgium for negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. All day - National Academy of Sciences meeting on domestic transportation of petroleum, natural gas and ethanol, 500 5th Street, NW. 8:30 a.m. - USDA releases Weekly Export Sales report. Friday, Feb. 5 (Jonathan Harsch contributed to this report.) #30 For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com Mideast Christian Suffering, U.S. Denial An Islamic fighter covers the Cross of an Assyrian church in Sinjar with the black flag of ISIS. (When a 1,400-year-old Iraqi Christian monastery was destroyed by the Islamic State (ISIS) most of the world condemned the demolition -- except for spokesman for the U.S. military's Operation Inherent Resolve, Col. Steve Warren. "Thousands [of Iraqi Christians] have been killed, hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee," said CNN's Wolf Blitzer in an interview with Col. Warren the other week. "There is legitimate fear -- you're there in Baghdad -- that the long history of Christians living peacefully, productively in Iraq, is coming to an end. How worried should we be about the Christian community in Iraq?" Col. Warren's response: "Wolf, ISIL doesn't care if you're a Christian ... We've seen no specific evidence of a specific targeting towards Christians." Except that roughly two-thirds of Iraq's 1.5 million Christian citizens have been killed or forced to flee the country by ISIS and its jihadi predecessors over the past decade. This has nothing to do with their religious identity? In Iraq and everywhere else it has conquered, ISIS has, at a minimum, rigorously enforced on pain of death Islam's dhimmi laws, which require Christians to pay extortion money (jizya) for "protection," and agree to live by a set of degrading rules. Often, ISIS fighters skip these formalities and simply torture to death Christians who refuse to convert to Islam. ISIS then releases the footage online for propaganda purposes. Most notable are two videotaped mass executions of 21 Egyptians and 30 Ethiopians in Libya last spring, but there have been many lesser-known instances. When, in 2014, a group of Iraqi Christian children refused to renounce Christ and said, "No, we love Jesus," ISIS decapitated [them] and mangled their bodies. Also, last summer in Aleppo, Syria, ISIS tortured, mutilated, publicly raped, beheaded and crucified 12 Christians for refusing to convert. Escaped eyewitnesses have reported that ISIS places Iraqi and Syrian Christians in cages or coffins and sets them on fire. ISIS kidnaps Christians and demands ransom payments for their release. It forces female captives into sexual slavery. A 12-year-old girl, raped by an Islamic State fighter, was told that "what he was about to do was not a sin" because she "practiced a religion other than Islam." ISIS has sent operatives disguised as refugees into U.N. refugee camps in Jordan to kidnap young Christian girls to sell or use as slaves. The Islamic State seems committed to expunging all physical traces of Christianity in areas it conquers. It has demolished dozens of ancient churches -- up to 400 churches have been destroyed during the war in Syria alone -- not to mention countless crucifixes, statues, graves, and other relics. The Islamic State has ordered the University of Mosul to burn all books written by Christians, and decreed that the names be changed of all Christian schools in Mosul and the Nineveh Plain. Some schools have been there since the 1700s. ISIS's destruction of a 1,400-year-old monastery is nothing new. Last summer, ISIS set fire to a 1,800 year-old church in Mosul and bulldozed a 1,600-year-old monastery in Homs as a response to "worshipping a God other than Allah." In short, Christians are absolutely experiencing "specific targeting" by the Islamic State. ISIS also kills Muslims who get in its way, but only non-Muslims -- chief among them Christians -- are enslaved, raped, and sometimes forced to convert to Islam on pain of death. Although Islamic law, or Sharia, legitimizes the killing, enslavement, and rape of non-Muslims, it prohibits treating fellow Muslims that way, unless they are deemed takfir [excommunicated] or apostates. Few informed observers dispute that the Iraqi Christian community is severely threatened by ISIS. According to the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial, ISIS persecution of Christians "fits the definition of ethnic cleansing." David Saperstein, the United States ambassador at large for religious freedom, also acknowledges that it is "primarily Christians" being persecuted for their faith in Iraq. For the official spokesman of the U.S. military's fight against ISIS to make such remark is deeply disconcerting. But what if Col. Warren is not to blame -- what if he is just a military man doing his best to comply with demands from politicians up at the top not to acknowledge the suffering of Middle East Christians? January 30, 2016 US lawmakers have identified a new potential source of poorly vetted Syrian refugees: Canada. The Senate Homeland Security Committee is slated to hold a hearing Feb. 3, on Canada's so-called fast-track refugee plan and its implications for US national security. Canadian experts and a US Border Patrol agent are slated to testify. The hearing comes as new Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees over the next year. Trudeau initially planned to admit them in just six weeks, but was forced to review that timeline amid worries that they could not be properly vetted in such a short time. US lawmakers, particularly Republicans, remain worried that even the new plan remains far too ambitious and could put America at risk since Western intelligence agencies have little information about Syrian applicants. The House voted in November to pause President Barack Obama's plan to bring in 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year. The bill died in the Senate on Jan. 20 on a strict party-line vote. Separately, the House is slated to bring up another partisan bill Feb. 2, that would restrict Obamas ability to lift sanctions on Iran. This will be the second time the lower chamber votes on the legislation from Armed Services member Steve Russell, R-Okla. New House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who has tried to instill greater punctuality in members, had to vacate an initial vote on the Iran bill Jan. 13 after 137 lawmakers failed to make it to the floor in time. Obama has vowed to veto the bill, arguing that it would make it impossible for the United States to live up to its commitments under the nuclear deal with Iran. The Senate has so far shown no interest in bringing it up. Also on Feb. 2, the House Oversight Committee's national security panel is scheduled to hold a hearing titled "Seeking Justice for the Victims of Palestinian Terrorism in Israel. On Feb. 3, the House Financial Services Committees terror finance task force will hold a hearing on "Trading with the Enemy: Trade-Based Money Laundering is the Growth Industry in Terror Finance. That same day, the Foreign Affairs Committee's Europe panel has scheduled a hearing on "Turkey: Political trends in 2016." Finally, the Senate Armed Services Committee's emerging threats panel holds a closed hearing Feb. 3 on "Counterterrorism Strategy: Understanding ISIL [Islamic State]. January 28, 2016 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip The lights were dim and the audience whispered. The viewers watched the screen to see what would happen to the hero of the film Oversized Coat, which screened Dec. 26 at the Red Crescent Society hall. Gazans watched the film in an uplifted mood, one the city had been not seen for decades. Before the outbreak of Al-Aqsa intifada in 1987, around six film theaters could be found in the Gaza Strip. However, screenings in these theaters stopped after Gazans priorities shifted toward resistance, and after some opposed the content of the films shown and deemed them immoral. Messaab al-Hindi, the director of Ain Media who organized the film screening, said that the film premiere initiative was taken by the director of "Oversized Coat," Nawras Abu Saleh, a Palestinian refugee residing in Jordan. He had contacted Ain Media and expressed his desire to screen the film for a second time in a private atmosphere that could restore the cinema spirit in Gaza. The film premiere took place on Dec. 15, marking the 28th anniversary of Al-Aqsa intifada, in the conference room of the Islamic University of Gaza. But the turnout was low, given that the announcement was only made to the students. The university hall is dedicated to the students and staff and is not open to the public. Therefore, people asked for a second screening. Hindi told Al-Monitor, For the second screening [at the Red Crescent Society hall], we tried to create a cinematic atmosphere with dim lights and seats that rise in steps. We sold tickets at $2.50 each to cover the hall rental and give a humble financial reward to the organizers and ticket sellers. "The lack of film theaters in Gaza made Gazans crave any attempt aimed at providing a [cinematic] atmosphere, Hindi said. Asked about the obstacles faced by the company in regard to the second screening, Hindi said that there were no problems; the Red Crescent Society hall was selected, then the ad was designed and tickets were sold. He noted that all the ticket holders did not fit in the hall as it was not designed to screen films to a large audience. More seats were added, but still not everyone found a place to sit. Asked about the ticket price in light of the Israeli siege and the financial crisis plaguing the Gazan governments civil servants, Hindi said that they are planning to contact the Palestinian Red Crescent Society management in a bid to reduce the hall rental rate, which initially amounted to $354. He said that should the companys request be met, the ticket price would be reduced for further screenings because the primary goal is to support Palestinian drama, not make financial profits. Should someone show up and say they cannot afford the ticket price, we will allow them free entry, Hindi said. Asked why they chose the Palestinian Red Crescent Society hall, Hindi said, Halls suitable for film screenings are limited in Gaza, but this hall was selected based on its size and the equipment it provides. The hall seats 200 people, and the Red Crescent Society allows the holding of activities and events in return for money. The hall also provided suitable logistics for the screening. The premiere at the university was free as it is an educational institution, but as the public was unable to attend the screening there Ain Media decided to launch the Gaza Cinema program, which screens a Palestinian drama every Saturday at the hall. Asked about the company's future plans, Hindi said that it will contact the Ministry of Culture to garner support for the Gaza Cinema program, and that they will make some changes to the hall to make it look like a real film theater. He added that a number of Palestinian filmmakers will also be contacted, to add more Palestinian-produced films to the Gaza Cinema program, which will run as long as there is sufficient interest. In regard to Oversized Coat, Abu Saleh said that the film addresses the Palestinian reality between 1987 and 2011, a period that was never tackled in any other drama despite the importance of the events that took place and that brought the Palestinian cause to its current state. Abu Saleh said that he launched Al-Mia (100) initiative in a bid to collect donations from 100 people to cover the expenses of the film's production costs. Asked about the reasons that led him to screen the film, Abu Saleh said, I wanted the largest number of Palestinian people to watch it, especially considering that the Gaza Strip is far from the cinema atmosphere. In general, the Palestinian film industry is facing several funding obstacles, production difficulties and a lack of interest, as people focus on things that are far removed from cinema in light of the political situation. The Palestinian film industry is new. Although there were film theaters in Gaza before [Al-Aqsa] intifada, these were limited to Egyptian films in the absence of Palestinian films. The industry needs a well-thought-out strategy that can support it and put it on the right track to globally support the Palestinian cause, being an art that can easily convey the message to viewers, Abu Saleh said. In regard to the Palestinians opinion about the need for theaters in Gaza, journalist Khouloud Nassar who watched the second screening of "Oversized Coat," told Al-Monitor, Gazans need theaters [that show films] that reflect the concerns and dreams of the Palestinian cause and serve as a haven away from the political differences. He said, It is not fair for the film theaters in Gaza to remain closed under the pretext of poor economic conditions and the siege on the Gaza Strip." For his part, Atef Asqool, director general of the Arts and Heritage Department at the Ministry of Culture, emphasized the role of cinemas in society, as they ease the pressure that Gaza residents face given the successive crises that plague Gaza. Asqool pointed to some of the achievements made by the ministry in a bid to support cinemas. He referred to Mahmoud al-Zahars film Imad Akel, about the practices of the Israeli Defense Forces against Palestinians in a refugee camp. The film was a quantum leap on the local level in the field of Palestinian drama, along with the Palestine International Film Festival for Children in 2013. Asqool said that the reason behind the lack of cinemas in Gaza is not because the Hamas government has an Islamic inclination, but because the Hamas government does not support initiatives aimed at reactivating the role of cinemas. He said that the ministry is partnering with the relevant supportive authorities that are interested in films and cultural events given the lack of financial resources at the ministry. But the ministry firmly believes in the social and cultural importance of having cinemas in Gaza, which prompts it to revive those theaters. Asked about the ministrys direction, Asqool said, [The ministry] agreed with a group of young entrepreneurs to set up an expanded workshop and discuss ways to strengthen Gazan cinema. He added that they contacted the Italian Center for Cultural Exchange and agreed on establishing a Palestinian Italian Film Week, which will be shortly announced and will include the simultaneous screening of films in Gaza and Italy. The center, in principle, will cover Gazan film theaters restoration expenses in the near future. February 1, 2016 TEHRAN, Iran A grandson of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been disqualified from running for the Assembly of Experts; The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action has reached a deadlock; The bodybuilding champion of Iran and the world has been killed in a street fight; and Following in the footsteps of Djibouti and Sudan, Tunisia has also severed its ties with Iran. These are some of the stories that have been widely circulated among Iranians in recent weeks but they weren't reported by any of the licensed Iranian media outlets. Thanks to the power of social media, where ordinary Iranians can produce and broadcast their own news, many of these stories find their way into peoples homes. The same, unfortunately, also goes for mere rumors. First it was Facebook, and then the smartphone messaging apps Viber and Line. Now, however, the hottest communication tool among Iranians is Telegram. It has more advanced features than its predecessors, and enjoys a high level of influence in Iranian society. Information and Communications Technology Minister Mahmoud Vaezi said there are roughly 13 million to 14 million Telegram users in Iran. More recent surveys, however, put this figure at over 20 million. The simplicity and ease associated with using Telegram has prompted users to see themselves as a rival of licensed media outlets. In fact, many governmental organizations are now using Telegram to create a bridge to communicate with their audiences. Ali, who works for a contracting company in Tehran, told Al-Monitor that he spends more than six hours a day on Telegram. At work, while commuting and even when Im relaxing at home I constantly have my cellphone in hand and am either communicating with friends or reading the latest news stories on the different Telegram groups and channels. I think with all the mental stress that exists today, it is impossible to browse through all the newspapers and news websites; Telegram gives you the headlines in a clear and concise way, Ali said. Some surveys suggest that the average person in Iran only spends two to 17 minutes per day reading, leading senior establishment officials to voice their concern. Sociologists believe the decline in time spent on reading is due to the increased amount of time people spend on social media networks. Mozhgan, a Tehran-based food industry expert, told Al-Monitor, I use Telegram about four to five hours a day to learn about the news and also to see how my friends are doing. Mozhgan is fully aware that the news broadcast through Telegram is not always precise. He said, Telegram hasnt replaced newspapers, magazines or websites for me, because false information and rumors have many times been broadcast through social media networks in the context of news or [expert] analysis. Inaccurate news reporting is not the only problem that social media networks, and especially Telegram, are to blame for in Iran. The main problem is perhaps these messaging services impact on licensed media outlets. For instance, Telegram groups and channels have the ability to broadcast news without the usual restrictions and censorship placed on the licensed media. Problems arise when this creates uncertainty about the accuracy and precision of the stories in question. Telegram groups and channels are mushrooming in Iran, encouraging ordinary Iranians to create channels of their own where they can share news stories with people they choose, and those people's followers. In several instances, it is unclear who the administrators of Telegram groups and channels are; they, at times, have turned out to be more influential than the licensed media. Indeed, many of the rumors that are eventually dismissed by official media outlets often have their roots in Telegram. For instance, when several Arab and African countries cut ties with the Islamic Republic after the Jan. 2 attacks on Saudi diplomatic facilities in Iran, a Telegram channel with an unknown administrator broadcast the claim that Tunisia had also severed ties with Iran. The rumor gained such circulation on Telegram that it even found its way to the government. One source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said, The rumor about Tunisia severing relations created a challenge for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because a high-ranking official saw the news on Telegram and asked the ministry to provide more details on the matter all the while we knew that this was only a rumor. The real question is perhaps why Iranians are so welcoming of news reported on Telegram. Roya Salehi, a psychologist based in Tehran, told Al-Monitor, Concerns associated with modern life, low levels of interest in reading and the appeal of odd and controversial stories have steered people toward such news. This is not to mention the absence of the usual restrictions associated with official media outlets that has caused Telegram users to turn to what I call the copy/paste industry. In addition, there are those who are pursuing a specific political, economic or personal agenda and therefore broadcast their news stories accordingly. The staggering speed of the spread of news and rumors on Telegram has caused serious challenges for licensed media outlets. Mohammad Mehdi Rahimi, political and foreign policy editor of Mehr News Agency, told Al-Monitor, Telegram users are not looking for in-depth topics and prefer to review things by using simple language without any complexities and in a limited number of words. This means that the spread of Telegram will also affect the official media, because the media whose main task is to attract audiences will lose their audience. An example of this can be seen in the recent ranking of Iranian news sites by web analytics firm Alexa. Ultimately, the impact of Telegram on Irans media landscape can be more influential than most people can imagine." He added, An environment like this will prompt official media outlets to move toward the interests of the audience in order to attract more people, thereby showing further interest in channels such as Telegram. This is a cause for further problems such as imposing limitations on word count, lack of precision in preparing stories, preferring speed over accuracy and so on. All of this goes against the main responsibilities of the professional media and journalism. February 1, 2016 Five Iranian commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who were behind the detention of 10 US sailors who trespassed into Iranian waters near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf, received Fath medals from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Jan. 31. The Jan. 12 detention of the US sailors had the potential to become another international crisis between Iran and United States, which have been steadily reducing tensions as a result of a landmark nuclear deal that was implemented last January. The IRGC released footage of the confrontation with American soldiers in their boats on their knees with their hands on their heads. The release of the video and pictures shocked and angered many Americans. The American sailors were released 16 hours after their capture. However, Iran has sought to depict the incident as a sign of strength of its forces in the Persian Gulf waters. Khamenei first met with the Iranian sailors on Jan. 24, showering them with praise. In a video clip that was televised and shared on Khameneis personal Web page, he said that the sailors showed bravery. But it was not only bravery. It was bravery accompanied with faith and an understanding of the moment. Meaning they acted on time. He called the incident the work of God. IRGC Navy Commander Rear Adm. Ali Fadavi spoke Feb. 1 at an open session of parliament about the incident. He said that this is the fourth time that IRGC naval forces have arrested foreign forces. He did not elaborate on the previous times, but said twice before American sailors were apprehended and twice British sailors were apprehended. Fadavi boasted, Nowhere else in the world can someone apprehend an American boat. He said the American sailors intended to humiliate Iran as the nuclear deal was being implemented and added there was no plan by Iran to take the sailors beforehand. According to US officials, the incident was the result of engine trouble and poor navigation. Fadavi said that if US officials are upset by the video of American soldiers on their knees with their hands on their heads, they should know that Iran has other video footage that will increase their humiliation by 100 times. He warned that if American maliciousness continues, this video will be aired. According to Fadavi, information from the cellphones and laptops of the sailors was removed, amounting to hundreds of pages of information. BBC Persian journalist Hossein Bastani wrote that the special attention from Khamenei to this incident has to do with political considerations post-nuclear deal. Bastani wrote that Khameneis website did not specify which medal the IRGC commanders received, but based on the images released, it became clear that they received Fath 1 medals. He wrote that, up to now, very few Fath 1 medals have been awarded and they were mostly given to people who held important roles in the Iran-Iraq War, including Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani; Ali Sayad Shirazi, commander of the ground forces during the war; and Mohsen Rezai, commander of the IRGC during the war. According to Bastani, even well-known and famous commanders of the Iran-Iraq War, such as Mehdi Bakeri and Mohammad-Ibrahim Hemat, had received Fath 2 medals, and only years after their deaths. Bastani speculates that the publicity of this incident and other instances in the Persian Gulf, such as IRGC releasing drone footage of a US ship, are an uncompromising message being sent from Iran after the nuclear compromise. February 1, 2016 BABIL, Iraq Ali al-Jubouri, a farmer from the Babil countryside, patiently waits every year for the rainwater to evaporate from local natural salt lakes. He and his family then collect the salt left behind to sell to merchants. Ali is among a group of poor farmers forced by now-arid lands to find makeshift opportunities to earn income and provide for their families. Many residents have left for the cities, while those who remain have resorted to harvesting salt, which brings in little money. Um Ali, Jubouri's wife, along with five other female family members including her daughters, wade into the stagnant water at dawn to begin collecting salt. By noon, they manage to fill nearly seven bags, which they will sell for $1 a piece. When the work is done, Jubouri drives his old truck to the site to pick up the day's collection. Harvesting salt is seasonal work. The family waits through the scarce rains of winter in Babil's al-Mahawil district, and then they wait some more, as the water evaporates from ponds and lakes in summer. As Jubouri told Al-Monitor, The high temperatures [of summer], reaching 50 degrees Celsius [122 degrees Fahrenheit], cause the water to evaporate rapidly in the lakes, leaving the salt behind to be easily harvested. The family works for a few weeks each year collecting salt. In Iraq, one finds salt ponds on the outskirts of cities, in rural areas and along the border of desert lands. In these areas, residents and Bedouin work in the salt water that remains after most of it has evaporated. In Kish, south of Babil, the Abu Hussein family also harvests salt in addition to practicing agriculture, the familys main source of income. There are salt lakes only a few kilometers from Abu Husseins residence, and he and his family head there with their bags in the evening before sunset. Al-Monitor accompanied them on one occasion. Pointing toward the lake in front of us, Abu Hussein said, Those salt piles are the product of the past few days of work. We left them for several days to dry in the sun and get rid of the remaining humidity. Then, we will put the salt in large boxes and leave it until the humidity is totally gone. Finally, we put the salt in bags and sell it to merchants. Abu Hussein's heels are cracked and damaged from the salt. He asked, Is there any Iraqi farmer whose hands and heels are not cracked due to the primitive methods used in agriculture or in the extraction of salt? Salt harvesting is typically done by individuals and is not overseen by any professional or regulatory organization. This hard work barely pays off at this time of the year. It is restricted to hot, sunny periods. In summer, the income might increase to $150, said Abu Hussein. The rural exodus of youths seeking jobs in the cities is creating difficulties for the people reliant on salt harvesting and sales. Iraqis' income from salt is already low, and that is now being threatened by salt imports from neighboring countries. Still, Abu Issam, a Bedouin who arrived in al-Mahawil in 1970, recalls a time when the process was even harder. He told Al-Monitor, We used to put the salt in bags on the backs of camels and walk the cities neighborhoods to sell it to the people. When Abu Issam sold salt, it was through the barter system. He would provide salt in exchange for desserts, soap, kitchen utensils or other items. Salt has long played a role in Mesopotamian civilizations. The Assyrians used it as a weapon against enemies, sprinkling it on the heads of residents in the cities they conquered as a symbol of the curse that had befallen them. In The Story of Civilization, American author, philosopher and historian William James Durant wrote about Assyrian King Ashurbanipalon's offensive against Elam. Ashurbanipalon is quoted as saying, I devastated the provinces of Elam and on their lands I sowed salt. The Babylonian epic of Atrahasis remarks on the prevalence of the color white in the fields of ancient Mesopotamia, referring to the presence of salt. Issam Kazim, an Iraqi merchant who imports foodstuffs including salt from Iran, told Al-Monitor that the salt industry is still primitive despite the long history of salt in Mesopotamia. The Iraqi market is full of imported salt from neighboring countries, which has had an effect on the Bedouin and farmers' primitive extraction, as it has become limited due to the foreign competition. This has caused them to relinquish these jobs, which generate a small amount of money. The remuneration is not commensurate with the effort they are making. Hassan al-Kallabi is a social researcher and health worker at the Hamza al-Gharbi Hospital, which serves communities of farmers and Bedouins. Speaking to Al-Monitor about the health problems that salt collectors face, he said, They suffer from cracked, dry skin and rheumatic disease because their feet remain in salt water for a long period of time. Kallabi added, They do not wear gloves or protect their feet to prevent injuries. The risk they are under is their own fault and stems from their lack of awareness regarding the health hazards of the job. Kallabi said salt lakes could be used to heal skin diseases, but he advocates the development of local salt production to meet Iraqis needs and use of local salt in the pharmaceutical and food industries, such as for antacids and medical salts and in the meat and dairy industries and tanneries. Iraq annually imports salt worth $250 million, though it has one of the largest salt ponds in the world. It seems a viable idea to invest in the country's salt industry to further the economy. February 1, 2016 Intifadas have rules of their own. At first the field bubbles with economic distress, clashes with settlers, despair and hopelessness. Then a singular event sparks a fire and builds the first circle of recruits to the intifada. In the current uprising, this circle is made up of young assailants who lack organizational affiliation and carry out mostly knife attacks without directives from anyone. But as time passes and the number of casualties on the Palestinian side increases, the circle of recruits widens. The desire to take revenge for the deaths of the attackers becomes the main motive for what is seen by many Palestinians as a war of no choice. At a certain point the pressure to join also affects members of the Palestinian security forces. The population in the territories believes these forces are supposed to defend it and maintain security in the face of any threat, and the main argument is that when they sit on the fence, the weapons they carry become meaningless. In the first intifada, armed members of Palestinian organizations (Fatah, the Popular Front and Hamas) joined the multitudes who protested at the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza. In the second intifada, Palestinian police, including the Preventive Security Forces in Gaza and the West Bank, were forced off the fence and into the circle of recruits against Israel. Now we're seeing the first signs that the "individual intifada" has reached this stage. Amjad a-Sukari, a police officer who worked as the personal security guard of the Palestinian Authority's public prosecutor in Ramallah, Ahmad Hanun, carried out a shooting attack on the morning of Jan. 31 near the Beit El settlement and injured three Israeli soldiers. On his Facebook page, a-Sukari wrote before the attack, It is right to live in this land, but sadly I see nothing justifying life as long as the occupation overshadows our souls and kills our brothers and sisters, our dead, may they rest in peace. May God heal our wounds and free our prisoners. He wrote to the "shahids" (martyrs) of the current intifada: You are the first and we, with Gods help, are coming after you. A-Sukari, a resident of the village of Jamain near Nablus, is a married father of four, the youngest being a six-month old infant. This isnt the first time that a member of the Palestinian security forces has contributed to the current cycle of violence: Two months ago, Mazan Hasan Ariba of Abu Dis, a member of the Palestinian intelligence services and a relative of senior PA official Saeb Erekat, fired at the Hizma roadblock in the West Bank, injured two Israelis and was shot and killed. Ariba and a-Sukari are likely the first two of many. The social pressure from their surroundings is heavy, particularly for officers living in refugee camps and impoverished Palestinian villages. Security personnel find it hard to stand up to this pressure and many come to believe they must defend their honor. Karam Abu Warda, a resident of the Balata refugee camp near Nablus, told Al-Monitor that in the refugee camps, members of the security forces have become a subject of ridicule for the residents for what is interpreted as their fear of Israelis. One joke goes, What does a Palestinian police officer do when he sees Israelis fire at a freedom fighter? The answer, Raises a white flag and joins the Israelis. The PA is aware of the great pressure on its security personnel. It directs the police officers to explain to residents that the authority is working by diplomatic means that have already borne fruit, and that the PA must maintain order and security to protect its sovereignty. If Israel damages the security forces again, as happened during the second intifada when Israel directly attacked its buildings in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, it may hurt Palestinian interests. At the instruction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the senior ranks of the Palestinian police forces are making a serious effort to stop any organization of Palestinian officers or other armed men in the PA's territories and prevent their joining the uprising. About a month ago, members of the Palestinian security forces arrested a Palestinian police officer who fired at an Israel Defense Forces patrol near the village of Silwad near Ramallah. The father of the shooter turned him in to the PA, and he was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment by a court in Ramallah. A report on the arrest and the sentence was given to Israel in the framework of security cooperation meetings between the sides, probably to demonstrate to the Israeli side that the PA is taking a tough stance on officers who take such actions. The assumption in Israel is that the PA very much fears a deterioration of the situation and the potential Israeli response. For this reason, the security establishments conduct since the outbreak of violence in October has been cautious and balanced. It's also the reason, said Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Gen. Yoav (Poli) Mordechai Jan. 31, why the Palestinian public has not taken to the streets and demonstrations have significantly decreased. Will the PA be able to maintain control and prevent additional police from following in the footsteps of a-Sukari and Ariba? And what will influence Palestinian security personnel more: social and environmental pressure and the urge to defend what they see as their lost honor, or perhaps the PA's efforts to deter anyone from violating Palestinian interests? The answer to these questions lies in the biggest unknown of all: How much longer will the individual attacks last, and how will Israel respond to them? As the number of Palestinians killed increases, so will the pressure and desire of Palestinians to rise up in response. Assuming that Israel does not currently have a military answer to the escalation of violence, it seems that the Israeli restraint favored by Mordechai is not enough. As stated, intifadas have their own rules. One worrying development is already clear: a transition from stabbing attacks by frustrated youths to the use of firearms by those wishing to take revenge for their deaths. Such shooting attacks threaten to change the nature of the uprising and force Israel to modify its response. February 1, 2016 WASHINGTON Syrian peace talks seemed to pick up pace Feb. 1 after a highly uncertain start, as the Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) signaled it would join the Geneva talks to press for an end to devastating sieges starving millions of Syrians, and for the release of prisoners, especially women and children. We have come to Geneva to seek relief for our people by insisting UN Security Council resolution 2254 is implemented, which means humanitarian relief, the lifting of sieges and the end of attacks on civilians, HNC spokesman Salem al-Meslet said. We are intensifying our efforts to ensure that action is taken to end the suffering in Syria. As far as we are concerned, [the HNCs] arrival is the official beginning of the Geneva talks, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters after a two-hour meeting with an HNC delegation at the UN in Geneva Feb. 1. Declaring the official beginning of the Syrian peace talks, de Mistura said it was now up to the 20-member International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to begin parallel discussions on a Syria cease-fire. The Syrian people have seen suffering enough; they need to see something concrete in terms of a reduction in violence on the ground for the talks to succeed, de Mistura said. With the official start of the Geneva talks, the international community should begin to hold serious discussions about a cease-fire, the envoy pressed. I am reminding International Syria Support Group members of what they actually indicated, that when talks start, they themselves would start helping in ensuring there would be a discussion about an overall cease-fire in the Syrian conflict, de Mistura said. If that takes place, that would be the strongest message of all to the Syrian people that this round of Syrian peace talks is different from failed earlier attempts. Foreign ministers from the ISSG, comprised of the United States, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other key regional players, are expected to meet in Munich Feb. 11, de Mistura said. The UN envoy acknowledged he would consider it a success if he is able to keep both the Syrian opposition and government delegations in Geneva talking with his team until the international contact group meeting takes place in 10 days time. Positions have so hardened and fractured in the five-year-old conflict that there are no current plans for face-to-face talks between the two sides, but rather has de Mistura and his team going between the delegations in different rooms. Exacerbating tensions, the Riyadh-backed HNC picked as its chief negotiator in Geneva Mohammad Alloush, a member of Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam). Alloush reportedly arrived in Geneva Feb. 1. De Mistura declined to discuss Alloush's role. "I am not discussing people I see, de Mistura said. [I am] discussing what they will deliver." As de Mistura held initial discussions with the HNC, senior US and Russian diplomats met in Geneva Feb. 1 to try to maintain common ground even as they still fundamentally disagree on whether Syria will ever be stable under Bashar al-Assad's regime. Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Anne Patterson and US special envoy for Syria Michael Ratney met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister [Gennady] Gatilov today in Geneva to discuss our support for the UN-sponsored negotiations on Syria, a State Department official said in a statement reading out the meeting Feb. 1. Assistant Secretary Patterson underscored the need to work toward a political transition as outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and urged Russia to use its influence with the Assad regime to push for full humanitarian access to all Syrians in need, the readout continued. The two sides agreed to remain in close contact on Syria as the UN-led negotiations proceed. Secretary of State John Kerry, currently in Rome for a meeting of the global coalition countering the Islamic State (IS), will travel to London Feb. 3-4 for a UK-hosted international donors conference for Syria. Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is also due to be in London Feb. 4, and it seems likely the two would meet. Separately, Brett McGurk, President Barack Obamas special envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, traveled to Rojava and Kobane, Syria, to meet anti-IS fighters over the weekend, he said on Twitter Feb. 1, posting photos of the trip. Spent two days in northern Syria this past weekend to review the ongoing fight against [IS], McGurk wrote Feb. 1. Also discussed next steps in Syria campaign with battle-tested and multi-ethnic anti-[IS] fighters. February 1, 2016 DIYARBAKIR, Turkey In his 1853 travelogue about Diyarbakir, German orientalist Julius Heinrich Petermann described how he reached the city after sunset to find the fortress gates locked and had to wait for the morning to enter the city. More than 160 years later, those waiting at the gates of the old walled city now Diyarbakirs district of Sur are its own Kurdish residents, forced out from their homes amid clashes between the Turkish security forces and armed militants entrenched in residential areas. On a cold winter day last week, dozens of people refugees in their own city waited at the checkpoint at the entrance of Sur, desperate to be let in to take a few belongings from their homes, since they had fled with only the clothes on their backs. The police would not budge, leading one resident to exclaim, Weve sheltered the Syrians, but who is going to shelter us? Five neighborhoods in Sur have been sealed off under a round-the-clock curfew for almost two months as the police and the army battle militants of the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement (YDG-H), the youth wing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The rebels have been holding out behind trenches and barricades in narrow residential streets, often planted with explosives and booby traps. On Jan. 27, the scope of the curfew was extended to six other neighborhoods, where YDG-H militants were found to be holed up. Residents were ordered to evacuate their homes some by the police, others by the YDG-H but the sound of gunfire rang out before they were able to leave. The civilians flight from the area was a run for their lives. Ramazan Mutlu, a 65-year-old who waited at the checkpoint on Jan. 29, recounted how the rattle of spades startled him one night around midnight last week. When he went out to check, he saw masked men digging a ditch. He admonished them, but they would not stop. Shortly, the police arrived and the diggers ran away. The police ordered Mutlus building evacuated. Some 40 people, all from the same clan, left the three-story building in haste, taking refuge with relatives in other neighborhoods or nearby villages. Because they dug trenches, vehicles could not enter the neighborhood. The police told us to leave and come back in the morning to collect our stuff, Mutlu told Al-Monitor as he waited in vain for the promised permission to go back and collect belongings. We are now left homeless. Some of us went to the village; others were scattered around [the city]. Different people have sheltered me in their homes during the nights. If we cant take our belongings tomorrow as well, well probably go to the village and become shepherds, Mutlu said. He waited some more at the checkpoint, but the police were unrelenting. As Mutlu walked away probably to look for a place to spend the night an agitated woman argued with the police. Let me go and take a blanket at least, she pleaded in vain. We left only with the clothes we had on, she told Al-Monitor, refusing to give her name or have her picture taken. My eldest son is doing his military service, and I dont have a husband. What is a single woman like me supposed to do? The woman said the order to evacuate their home, which was on a street where clashes were taking place, came from the police. There was nowhere for me and my children to go. A charitable man offered us shelter. He gave us a room in his home, but we have no belongings with us. We all sleep on the floor, she said. The womans long wait at the checkpoint also proved futile. Desperate, she walked away as another woman sought to negotiate with the police. Pointing at her legs, she pleaded, Look, this is still the pantyhose with which I left. Other residents, who lived in a building close to Surs gate, said they were ordered to leave by YDG-H militants, who also blew up the buildings electric transformer. As the crowd at the checkpoint grew, the police announced with a loudspeaker that no one would be allowed to cross and urged the people to disperse. Soon, the crowd dwindled. Mansur Izgi, too, walked away, grumbling. He had hoped to go to Sur to collect the belongings of his parents and siblings, who had taken shelter in his house. For Izgi, the plight of his family and other Sur residents was little different from that of the refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria. If they let us go, well take my parents belongings and settle them in another place, Izgi told Al-Monitor. Weve become refugees in our own lands. The Syrians came and Turkey took them in, but who is going to take us in? In another corner of Sur, throngs of panicked people made their way out, even though the expanded restrictions did not cover their neighborhoods. The exodus was triggered by rumors that the clashes would soon spread to that neighborhood. Better-off residents rented trucks to take along their belongings, while others hurried away with big bundles on their backs. The authorities sought to dispel the rumors, but few seemed to take notice. Human rights groups estimate that some 30,000 residents of Sur, roughly a fourth of the districts population, have fled, in addition to tens of thousands more displaced across the mainly Kurdish southeast, where urban clashes have been raging since the summer. According to a report presented at a recent meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party, the clashes in Sur and the towns of Silopi, Cizre and Nusaybin, the main theaters of the fighting, have affected 220,000 people out of a total population of 439,000, caused 93,000 people to migrate and damaged 10,300 small businesses. The report said more than 520 PKK militants were killed, but it made no mention of civilian deaths, which the Turkish Human Rights Foundation put at 124 in late December. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, for his part, said last week that 600 families were forced to flee their homes in Sur, promising financial assistance for their accommodations and reconstruction projects for the ancient quarter. At present, however, the old city remains in the grips of deadly unrest and human suffering. On Jan. 29, the security forces seized the YDG-Hs largest weapons cache so far in a house in Sur. Five soldiers were killed and four others were wounded in clashes in the next two days, mostly by sniper fire. February 1, 2016 Turkey is transforming its National Intelligence Agency (MIT), expanding not only its headquarters, but its operations and reach. The MIT traditionally has been seen as a domestically oriented, meek secret service, mainly spying on its own citizens. Now, however, it is engaged in border security and surveillance, coordinating paramilitary troops abroad and developing its own internal structure to include foreign and domestic intelligence operations. For example, new laws allow the MIT to monitor the activities of the financial crimes investigation board. On Jan. 27, Deputy Prime Minister Lutfi Elvan told the media that the MIT will have significantly higher expenses this year due to capital investments, particularly for a new headquarters. That figure represents an increase of almost 48% for 2016 about $140 million (414 million Turkish lira) most of which is designated for a new compound. The agency has been criticized roundly in the media for lavish spending. When word of the preliminary budget first was announced in October, the daily Cumhuriyet penned a searing analysis titled Rewarding the fiasco: Raising MITs budget. It said the exorbitant increase was perplexing, since the agency has failed to provide accurate information to prevent the increasing terror attacks. When the final budget figures became public Jan. 27, Turkish social media was flooded with criticism. Most saw it as lavish and unnecessary spending. Satirical site Eksisozluk asked, Why spend 400 million Turkish lira for MIT, which cannot even catch a suicide bomber before he blows up? Al-Monitor spoke with senior MIT bureaucrats by phone, asking them why Turkish taxpayers should spend $135-140 million for a new building. The following answers were crossed-checked with other sources. Currently, MIT headquarters is in an area that was once a distant suburb of Ankara, but now has become part of the capital. To put it in perspective, Ankaras population has almost doubled since 1990. Hence, MIT headquarters, with buildings dating back to the 1970s, is now in the middle of the bustling city. This causes some serious security concerns, as all buildings in the vicinity have to be constantly monitored but are too old to accommodate newer technology. With the widespread use of drones and satellite imagery, all movements at the current headquarters can be easily tracked by outsiders, again increasing vulnerability and costs. The current complex has five or six unattached buildings, making it easy to identify anyone entering any building. Despite patchwork attempts over the years to maintain the MIT's buildings and keep their infrastructure up to date, the agency has experienced losses of classified information. MIT officials said they are quite concerned about personnel data and other information being subject to cyberattacks. Officials determined that it would be too expensive to retrofit the existing buildings and that such efforts would fail to provide even the minimum advanced security requirements. Other countries have experienced similar issues; in recent years, intelligence agencies in Germany, Australia and other countries have moved into new compounds. In addition, the MIT's urban location is making city planning and zoning quite difficult for the neighborhood. For example, in 2014, the city of Ankara and the MIT disagreed about the proposed path of cable cars connecting a major park with public transportation. The path would have passed over MIT headquarters, which the MIT considered a security concern, so the cable cars route was rearranged. Today, MIT offices are scattered over Ankara. The new complex will allow headquarters operations to be consolidated in one place, decreasing the cost of communications and security. The move is expected to improve performance, the officials said. The rise of the US dollar against the Turkish lira has not helped the MIT, either. Expenses for electronic and signals intelligence and foreign operations divisions are incurred overwhelmingly in US dollars. The MIT's budget has increased 419% in the past decade, but officials pointed out that the agency has had to expand its staff, functions and space during that period. Once again, senior MIT bureaucrats cited the need for a larger location that is better suited to accommodate cybersecurity technology, growing foreign intelligence gathering and analysis units. The MIT plans to sell its current buildings and land to TOKI, the Housing Development Administration, to help cover the expenses of its new compound. The old and outdated buildings are not particularly worth much, but because the city has grown, the land has gained significant value. The sale is expected to pay for a large part of the new headquarters. Al-Monitor has reported in detail the agency's restructuring under Hakan Fidan, who took command in 2010. Foreign intelligence and espionage operations targeting Turkey have grown substantially in recent years with Turkey's increasing role in Syria and the changing nature of the Kurdish conflict in the region. In 2011, the MIT established its own academy, another sign that it aims to curtail its dependence on other ministries and agencies in Turkey and increase its cooperation with foreign intelligence services. What we are observing here is a national intelligence agency that has become a prominent player in the decision-making process for Turkish politics. Open-source reports show that Fidan acts as a shadow foreign minister. He is present in almost all high-level meetings with the president and prime minister. It is an open secret that both the president and the prime minister trust Fidan more than any other bureaucrat. Fidan's omnipresence has generated stiff competition among Ankaras other bureaucratic agencies. Social media postings and print media comments express serious concerns that Turkey is becoming a police state. Yet regardless of such claims, we see that as Turkey closes down certain embassies and pulls its diplomats from sensitive locations in a sense, diminishing the global outreach of its Foreign Ministry the MIT continues to develop networks and connections in these and other countries that do not have official or friendly relations with Turkey. In many countries, particularly Syria and Iraq, the MIT has been much more active than Turkey's foreign and defense ministries. This is a trend we can observe in other Middle Eastern countries such as Israel and Iran. Would it be wise for Turkey not to invest in foreign intelligence gathering and analysis while its neighbors and allies are expanding their reach? About a year ago, Ankara was bustling with rumors that Fidan was destined to become the foreign minister, which is seen as a more prestigious position than MIT chief. Given the recent developments, we can now wonder whether it is better, for the countrys interests and for him personally, for Fidan to remain undersecretary of national intelligence whose position includes the shadow roles of the foreign and defense ministers. Business confidence rose to 53.0 on the first quarter 2016 Alabama Business Confidence Index (ABCI) survey, conducted by the Center for Business and Economic Research in UA's Culverhouse College of Commerce. The index increased 1.8 points but closed at its second lowest level since the first quarter of 2014. Panelists are now less optimistic than a year ago when the ABCI registered 57.4. An index value above 50 indicates positive outlook. Panelists continue to see expansion in the Alabama economy, but are less optimistic about the national economy. The outlook for the state economy rose to a moderately confident 54.6, while the national economy index remained below the neutral mark at a slightly negative 49.2. Every industry indicator moved higher on the survey and all remain positive. The sales index again tops the list at 55.8, while expectations for capital expenditures, hiring, and profits all rose to easily positive readings. Overall, firms in manufacturing, professional services, miscellaneous services and healthcare are the most optimistic this quarter, all posting index levels of 55.0 or more. Retailers, however, continue to see the economic environment as a negative. The largest four metro areas all posted positive readings, even as confidence declined by almost a point in Birmingham - confidence increased in Huntsville and Mobile, while Montgomery confidence remains the same as last quarter. Mobile enjoys the highest confidence among the large metros with an index of 57.3. Business executives expect the state's economy to continue its expansion in the first quarter of 2016. At 54.6, the index is up 2.6 points from last quarter, but down 2.8 points compared to a year ago. Almost 33 percent of panelists expect stronger economic growth this quarter and approximately 53 percent expect the state's economy to perform about the same as last quarter. The mixed sentiment of ABCI panelists in a broad range of industries supports the recent preliminary 2016 forecast from the Center for Business and Economic Research. CBER expects the state's economic growth to slow from 2.4 percent in 2015 to 2.3 percent this year. Employment growth is forecasted to decelerate from around 1.2 percent in 2015 to 1.0 percent in 2016, while tax revenues are forecasted to rise 3.3 percent in FY2016 compared to last year's 4.0 percent increase. Report: Results of the first quarter 2016 ABCI survey are available at http://cber.cba.ua.edu/ABCI. The survey, which is in its 15th year, was completed online December 1-15 by 259 Alabama business executives. Media Contacts: Gregg Bell, Ph.D., Socioeconomic Analyst, 205-348-3781, gbell@cba.ua.edu Viktoria Riiman, Socioeconomic Analyst, 205-348-3757, vriiman@cba.ua.edu Spikes Leather Bar rendering A rendering of the signage for Spike's Leather Bar presented to the Birmingham Design Review Committee Aug. 26, 2015. Birmingham's only leather bar will open this month. Spike's Leather Club will open in Lakeview on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 620 27th St. S., the former home of Cabbages and Kings gift shop. Spikes will have an open house later on. The Spike's website describes itself as "a multi-faceted space offering our guests an experience that will open their eyes and minds," with a special focus on leather, queer art and music. It'll have both a dance club and a leather shop and be available for private events. Spikes will be open 4 p.m. until 2 a.m. seven days a week. Walter Energy Brookwood Walter Energy declared bankruptcy amidst plummeting coal prices in July. Walter Energy has reached a deal to sell Walter Coke and other non-core assets as part of its bankruptcy proceedings, the company announced Monday. After the coal company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July, it entered into an agreement to sell its core assets to a company composed of its biggest lenders, including its No. 4 and No. 7 mines. Monday's announcement only affects non-core assets not included in that sale, including Walter Coke and Taft in Alabama. It also includes Walter's West Virginia assets, including the Gauley Eagle and Maple properties. It doesn't affect Walter's mines in Canada or the United Kingdom. The deal is with Seminole Coal Resources, LLC; ERP Compliant Coke, LLC; and ERP Environmental Fund, Inc., all related to ERP Compliant Fuels, LLC, an affiliate of Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund. "The asset sale agreements we have negotiated during Walter Energy's restructuring process--first with members of our senior lender group and now with ERP and VCLF--together represent the best possible outcome for Walter Energy, its creditors, employees, and other stakeholders under the very difficult circumstances we have faced in our industry," Walter CEO Walt Scheller said in a statement. The group only paid $1 for the assets but they also assume all liabilities. "Over the last several months we have worked hard to build a path forward for our operations, while also ensuring the Company's environmental obligations are appropriately addressed to the highest standards," Scheller said. "VCLF has established a strong track record in this area, and we are very pleased to be partnering with them in this transaction." PJT Partners is serving as financial advisor. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings are Walter Energy's lawyers. l.jpg Jordan Fisher in "Grease: Live" (FOX) (Picasa) For those that can't get enough of Birmingham native Jordan Fisher following his performance in Sunday night's "Grease: Live," there's a new song you need to hear. The 21-year-old, who played "Doody" in FOX's live production of the famous musical, is banking in on all the attention by releasing a new song, "Counterfeit," for fans to enjoy. Fisher got his start singing and dancing in Birmingham before moving to Los Angeles in 2011. In addition to "Grease: Live," Fisher has also landed roles on Disney's "Teen Beach Movie" and its sequel, "Liv and Maddie," "Teen Wolf," "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and more. During "Grease: Live," left his mark on the audience by portraying the likable and sweet Doody. He also served up a memorable performance of "Those Magic Changes." You can listen to "Counterfeit" as well as watch his performance of "Those Magic Changes" below. Fallon Hodges.jpg University of Alabama student Ben Clark put Jimmy Fallon next to Pastor Chris Hodges and says they're lookalikes. (BuzzFeed) Benjamin Clark, a senior journalism major at the University of Alabama, just made his first community post on BuzzFeed.com. And it's getting some buzz. He argued that Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon has a doppelganger, or lookalike, in Alabama: Church of the Highlands Pastor Chris Hodges. Clark said he recently attended a service of the Church of the Highlands. "I visited the Tuscaloosa branch," Clark said. "The first time I went, the second I saw him I couldn't figure out why he looked so familiar." Then it dawned on him. Watching a sermon by Hodges reminded him of watching Fallon on late night TV. "I really like Jimmy Fallon," Clark said. "The more I see it, their personalities are similar." So he wrote a post called "Jimmy Fallon has a doppelganger" for BuzzFeed Community, where anyone can share posts. "It's my first post," Clark said. "It's a new experience. I'm studying journalism. It was a dream to write for them and get published. Ideally I'd like to work with Buzzfeed or somebody like that." Church of the Highlands is opening its 13th location on Feb. 7 in Gadsden. Weekly attendance is about 40,000. The main campus is on Grants Mill Road in Irondale. All the locations receive a video feed of Hodges' sermon. "More than anything, it's a community," Clark said. "I really like the message. I really like Pastor Chris. In the entire area, a lot of people go to that church or know somebody who goes there." Efforts to reach Hodges and Fallon to discuss whether they think they look alike have so far been unsuccessful. But Karol Hobbs, executive assistant to Hodges, said the topic has come up previously. "Several people have told Chris that he looks like Jimmy Fallon before and he doesn't think he does," she said. "I don't either." But the BuzzFeed post has gotten Clark some social media attention. "Members of that church have shared it," Clark said. "Over 1,000 have viewed it." Alabama Department of Transportation representatives will address questions and outline the next steps of the I-20/59 bridge project on Monday afternoon. The Birmingham City Council's public safety and transportation committee is set to meet at 4 p.m. in council chambers. The ALDOT meeting will take place immediately after the committee meeting. Committee Chairman Steven Hoyt said he is eager to hear ALDOT's presentation. "It is our fiduciary duty to make sure that we are making decisions that will not temporarily fix the problem but that will provide long-term solutions that will benefit the citizens of Birmingham," Hoyt said. "Any transportation issue that we vote on is very critical, and my colleagues and I want to make sure that we are well-versed on what's needed to correct an issue that involves so many entities." According to the agenda for Tuesday's meeting of the full council, they are set to discuss a proposed resolution opposing the project and halting it until an alternative is found. The project aims to replace the bridges of Interstate 20/59 through downtown Birmingham. It is expected to take about four years and cost about $450 million. Opponents of the plan have been vocal, with many calling for officials to "Rethink 20/59." Move I-20/59, a non-profit formed this year, is advocating for a holistic analysis to determine the best solution. In November, a group of city and community leaders filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt the project, asking that all reasonable alternatives be considered and requesting a new environmental assessment. Federal and state highway officials in January responded to the suit, saying they have followed all environmental laws and considered alternatives while planning the project. ALDOT Director John Cooper also wrote a column for AL.com describing why he believes the plan works for Birmingham. "My deep understanding of the project leaves me convinced that the plan to replace and improve the bridges is not only the best option, it is the only viable solution from among many that have been considered," he wrote. Leeds Burglary Suspect.jpg Adam Avery was identified after Leeds police released surveillance camera footage from a Jan. 26 break-in. (Leeds Police Department) A Leeds man who unknowingly mugged for a surveillance camera during a business break-in is now identified and in custody. Leeds police Detective Kevin Palmer today announced the arrest of 31-year-old Adam Nicholas Avery. Avery was arrested Friday and held without bond over the weekend pending an appearance today in St. Clair County District Court. The burglaries happened about 11 p.m. Jan. 26 at Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant and Cash Monster, a title loan business. The burglar, Palmer said, broke out windows in both businesses, stealing a laptop and cash from a locked box that he pried open. Those businesses, Palmer said, had excellent video of the crimes, which Palmer later posted on social media for help in identifying the suspect. After two days of receiving multiple tips from various people claiming to know the suspect's identity, one tip in particular led Palmer to Avery. Investigators carried out surveillance on Avery for more than 48 hours and eventually approached him to talk with him. He agreed to be interviewed by police, and ultimately confessed to the crimes, Palmer said. "Avery was convinced that we didn't know for sure that he was the burglar, however, when I told him that he made a huge mistake by pushing his sleeve up as he was breaking into the Cash Monster, his eyes got teary,'' Palmer said. "He knew then that I was referring to his tattoos that go all the way down to his wrist. The tattoo was plainly visible in the video of him outside, that there was no doubt that I had the right guy." Court records show Avery was convicted of burglary in 2007. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with one year to serve. He was also convicted of theft of property in 2014, and sentenced to eight years in prison with 13 months to serve. A Missouri couple on the run after two abductions and a robbery attempt in Alabama on Sunday morning is now charged in the Tuscaloosa kidnapping and robbery of a hotel clerk. U.S. Marshals and police are still searching for Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Harper, and the U.S. Marshal's Service is offering a $5,000 reward for the capture of each, for a total of $10,000. They are suspects in the abduction and hotel robbery in Tuscaloosa, an attempted robbery of a McDonald's manager in Hoover, and the home invasion and abduction of a Vestavia Hills woman, all within a two-hour span Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the Tuscaloosa County Homicide Unit today announced robbery, kidnapping and theft charges against Fitzgerald and Harper, both 30. Late this afternoon, Hoover police also announced first-degree robbery charges against the pair. There is no bond on the charges. Police said the crime spree began about 6 a.m. when Fitzgerald and Harper stopped at the Microtel Inn and Suites in Tuscaloosa. A 26-year-old hotel employee was abducted from the lobby, and forced at gunpoint into his girlfriend's car, a blue Volkswagon Jetta, that he had driven to work that morning. Initially the victim was told that they were only going to get gas, but instead they ended up in Jefferson County. Police in Tuscaloosa said they were made aware of the crime there when the dayshift clerk arrived at work and the overnight clerk wasn't there. The money in the cash register was missing. Officers began to review security video and discovered the robbery and kidnapping. While they were investigating, they received word from Vestavia Hills police that the 26-year-old clerk had been found unharmed. Tuscaloosa County Homicide Unit Lt. Kip Hart said today that after leaving Microtel, they made a stop at the Home Depot on Veteran's Memorial Parkway next to the hotel and one of the suspect's got items from an SUV parked there. Investigators later learned the SUV was reported stolen in Joplin, MO. Their next known stop was at the McDonald's on U.S. 31 in Hoover across the street from the Riverchase Galleria. The restaurant's manager, Zora Harris, had just arrived in the parking lot on the south side of the store about 7:45 a.m. She said she had just gotten out of her car when the suspect pulled up next to her. As she got out, she said the suspect opened his jacket to show her the gun and said, ''I'm fixing to rob you." "He said, 'Give me the (expletive) car and that's when he pulled the gun and said, 'I'm not (expletive) playing with you,'' Harris said. She said she yelled to another coworker and threw her keys in his direction. Another man also came to her rescue. Harris said she didn't know until later about the abductions in Tuscaloosa and Hoover. "That could have been me,'' she said. "He could have abducted me." The Tuscaloosa victim was in the back seat, covered by a blanket, during the Hoover holdup, police said. She said they got the suspect's tag number, and called police. She said she had no idea there was another victim in the suspect's car, and said she will pay more attention to her surroundings in the future. "I believe God had to be intervening,'' Harris said. "I think I was covered by an angel today." The suspects then headed north and ended up at Montreat condominiums. Vestavia Hills resident Connor Graves said he was leaving Sunday morning for a Student Life mission trip in Kenya and left his condominium to go get breakfast before catching his flight. That's when he saw a man running toward him at his condominium complex. "He starts coming directly at my car trying to flag me down. I rolled down my window down and he asked if he had cell phone,'' Graves said Sunday. "He said, 'I was kidnapped in Tuscaloosa and they brought me here, dropped me off.''' Graves said he then called 911 for the victim and started talking to the dispatcher. He told Graves the suspects hid him under a blanket in the Jetta while they carried out the attempted robbery in Hoover. "It was crazy,'' Graves said. "He was a little frantic and kept saying, 'you can't make this up.''' Graves waited with the victim until police arrived and then went on to catch his flight to Atlanta, and then Kenya. "I was just kind of freaking out the whole time,'' Graves said. Within 15 minutes of the Hoover attempted robbery, and less than a block away from where the Tuscaloosa victim sought help, a Vestavia Hills woman eating breakfast with her family before church this morning was abducted. Police and family said the woman was eating breakfast with her husband and children before going to church when a gunman, later identified as Fitzgerald, entered the home on Monte Vista drive about 7:45 a.m. through an opened garage door and went upstairs into the home. He told the family he was having car trouble. He then pulled a gun and demanded the keys to the family's vehicle. When the husband went to call 911, the gunman took the keys to the family's 2010 silver Ford Edge. He then forced the wife into the vehicle, and a female accomplice joined them, York said. They drove east on Highway 280 and dropped the victim off at or near the Grandview Emergency Room entrance. The woman flagged down a passerby who then brought her home, York said. York said the family was not specifically targeted, and it was simply a crime of opportunity. There were children home at the time, but the victim's father said they were unharmed and hopefully too young to realize what happened. Dennis Dawson said he received a call from his daughter this morning and she said, "Daddy, I've been kidnapped,'' Dawson told AL.com. He got in his car and rushed to Vestavia Hills to be with his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. He said his daughter was on the phone with police the entire time and they were at her house waiting for her when she got home. "This is a nice neighborhood and bad things don't usually happen here,'' an emotional Dawson said. "But she is safe, the kids are safe. God took care of them." The Vestavia Hills woman posted this statement on her Facebook page Sunday evening: "Today has been the worst day of my families life. Being kidnapped and separated from my family not knowing what was going to happen to me. I prayed to God to save me but to keep my family safe as well. My cousin shared this with me today through all this: 'As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." -Genesis 50:20' "The out pouring of love for all of us leaves us without words. There is going to be a recovery time, but God will get us through. Thank You to the Vestavia Police Department. Our gratitude for you will never be able to be put into words." York said investigators have not yet determined whether there was any criminal activity before the suspects reached Alabama, or after the Vestavia Hills crime. He said they have no yet heard reports of any additional crimes. In Vestavia Hills, Fitzgerald is charged with one count of first-degree burglary, one count of first-degree kidnapping and one count of first-degree theft of property. Harper is charged with one count of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree theft of property. There is a no-bond on all of the charges. Vestavia Hills police Lt. Kevin York said more charges are expected against Fitzgerald and Harper. He said the pair should be considered armed and dangerous. It's not Fitzgerald's first brush with the law. He was arrested in Missouri in 2013 after police say he and another man robbed a 63-year-old woman at knifepoint, and again last year. He is currently on probation in Missouri. Fitzgerald was charged in Jasper County Missouri in 2013 with felony first-degree burglary, vehicle tampering and theft. Police responded to the reported burglary at 2:21 a.m., according to The Joplin Globe. The 63-year-old female victim said the intruders were wearing cloth masks, broke into the house and robbed her at knife point, taking prescription medicine, cash and electronic equipment. They left in the victim's vehicle. According to the Missouri publication, Fitzgerald was also arrested on a drunken-driving accident injured two people and destroyed a fence. The Joplin Globe said he received "shock prison time" in those cases. Shock imprisonment is a boot-camp type of program as an alternative to prison geared toward rehabilitation. Last year, he received a suspended imposition of sentence for felony assault of another man at a nightclub. In that case, he pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in a plea agreement allowing probation but requiring the defendant to pay the victim's $17,596 in restitution. Vestavia Hills police said the Alabama license plate number for the silver Ford Edge is 2720AG7. York said if anyone sees the vehicle, they shouldn't approach them but should called Vestavia Hills police at 205-978-0140. Updated at 4:10 p.m. with additional charges from Hoover police against the pair. madison county courthouse Madison County Courthouse in downtown Huntsville. (Bob Gathany/bgathany@al.com) It's one month until the Democratic and Republican primaries in Alabama, including the much-touted SEC Primary for the presidential candidates. Voters will head to the polls on March 1 to cast ballots in either the Democratic or Republican primary - your choice. But you can only vote in one. In Madison County, sample ballots are already available for review. Click here for the Democratic ballot. Click here for the Republican ballot. The Democratic ballot again has the footnote urging primary voters to support whoever the Democratic nominees may be in the general election. The Republican primary ballot has no such footnote. Of interest on the Democratic ballot: Executive committee chair Tom Ryan is a candidate to be a male delegate for Bernie Sanders while former north Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith is a candidate to be a male delegate for Martin O'Malley. Only one local race has a contested Democratic primary: District 6 of the Madison Commission, currently held by Bob Harrison. He is being challenged by Vernon McCants. Of interest on the Republican ballot: Lindsey Graham, who dropped his presidential bid in December, is still on the Alabama ballot; Martha Brooks, wife of U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, is on the ballot as a delegate candidate for Ted Cruz. Mo Brooks is chairing Cruz's Alabama campaign. The only local races with contested GOP primaries are two districts each on the Madison County school board and Madison County Commission. District 4 school board member David Vess and District 3 commission member Eddie Sisk are the only incumbents facing primary challenges on the Republican ballot. Click here for additional information on elections in Madison County, including key upcoming dates. Why cant we see the painful historic echoes in our treatment of refugees? Weeks ago, 12-year-olds at a school on the south coast of England walked into an English lesson to find a large image projected on to the whiteboard of a street in which all the houses had red doors. Next to the image, their teacher had written: If all asylum seekers doors are painted bright red, what impact do you think this would have? Discuss. The class, of mostly white, working-class children had just been reading Anne Franks The Diary of A Young Girl and learning about the yellow stars that Jews had been forced to wear in Nazi Germany. Around the same time, The Times of London ran a piece headlined Apartheid of the asylum seekers on British streets describing how asylum seekers in Middlesbrough, in the northeast of the country, had been accommodated in housing with red doors so that they were marked out, and consequently suffered abuse. The schoolchildren discussing the red doors couldnt understand why asylum seekers were so housed. They found it sad that people coming from a country that wasnt safe should be treated like that even if unintentionally. They thought Britain was better than that. Targets of abuse Britain, meanwhile, had also been branding asylum seekers with red wristbands. Those staying in accommodation provided by a private government contractor in Cardiff, Wales, were told they must wear them in order to get access to food. The red bands marked these people as asylum seekers, turning them into targets for abuse. As Mogdad Abdeen, a 24-year-old human rights activist from Sudan, told The Guardian newspaper: This wristband is discrimination, clear and simple. No band, no food. We are made to feel that we are second-class humans. People in Lynx House [where the accommodation is provided to asylum seekers] are scared of meeting new people in case they see the wristband and give them problems. READ MORE: Denmark immigration law: A sign of things to come? And its not just Britain. Across Europe, the treatment of refugees at an official level has raised alarm, because of wincingly painful historical associations. In Denmark, the government announced that arriving migrants would have their valuables taken from them. Policies of 'othering', of marking a group of people as separate, different and somehow lesser, are taking place in a Europe that was supposed to be vigilant to early warning signals... by In the Czech Republic, refugees had processing numbers inked on to their arms an awful reminder of the serial numbers tattooed on to Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz. Across Europe, images of migrants show them in camps, on trains, amid barbed wire and guards and border patrols. Of course, none of this is to suggest that Europe is treating Syrian migrants in the same way Germany treated Jews. Nobody is saying that this is comparable to the systematic murder of six million Jews. But these policies of othering, of marking a group of people as separate, different and somehow lesser, are taking place in a Europe that was supposed to be vigilant to early warning signals, to signs of discrimination, to practices that can so often lead to persecution. Refugee crisis When we talk about history in relation to the refugee crisis, it is to say that todays mass movement of people is the largest since World War II. It is to point out that Europes legal obligation to take in refugees was set in place at the end of that war, because it was unavoidably clear that, had Europe (and the United States) not turned back boats of Jewish migrants during the 1930s, countless lives might have been saved. Some might also say that, back in the 1930s just as today, there was hostility towards refugees amid financially strained times, and prejudice over the culture that aliens then Jews (albeit European); now Muslims would bring with them. We talk less about what we have missed, in our current treatment of migrants desperately fleeing war and persecution the lapse in comprehension, the chasm over which our historical knowledge cant leap into the present day. This inability to make the past relevant to the present day is a discussion point within the teaching profession. Richard Harris, an associate professor in history education at Reading University who has worked with the Council of Europe on education training, says: The big debate is over the difference between teaching an account of something, and teaching to prevent something. He adds that, while people do learn about the Holocaust, It is safely tucked away in the past, so they arent forced to confront the reality of present-day behaviour. READ MORE: Why Al Jazeera will not say Mediterranean migrants On top of which, European history tends to be taught in a context of nation states and such a framing automatically creates boundaries and differences. Another approach, says Harris, might be to teach through transnational issues, such as histories of migration, protest or diversity. Brutal persecutions And the unpalatable element to this is that the positions that give rise to brutal persecutions, or genocides, or industrialised slaughter on a mass scale, have not disappeared. We might legislate against them, as Europe did after the Holocaust. We might warn against them, with our collective never again commitments. But those views still live, submerged, diffused, shape-shifting but ever-present. Thats one of the reasons why the various policies marking migrants in Europe caused so much painful recoil: because the repetition feels like revival; because in that moment, the individual policy enactor has lost sight of what is being done, at a collective level. As Europe is transformed by the rise of a xenophobic far-right because such movements flourish in the misery of economic insecurity, work instability and a refugee crisis our vigilance against persecution becomes ever more vital. And it is only by reaffirming, by writing again, declaring anew, by recreating every day and with every generation, that such commitment remains current and functioning. Somehow, a classroom of 12-year-olds in England managed to grasp that. Lets hope that, across Europe, the rest of us can, too. Rachel Shabi is a journalist and author of Not the Enemy: Israels Jews from Arab Lands. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. It is important that the successor listens to the suffering of Palestinians. It is not clear what the chief of Palestinian intelligence, Majid Faraj, had in mind when he gave an interview to the United States-based website Defence News. If the aim was to improve his chances of succeeding Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, it was clearly a misstep. However, if he was simply protecting his boss, he will be remembered as the soldier who attempted to take a bullet for his general. Not many people read the 3,000-word article that also featured chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. In the piece, Faraj revealed the extent of the Palestinian security cooperation with Israel. He boasted that the security apparatus under his direction had prevented some 200 attempted violent acts against Israelis, and arrested more than 100 Palestinians who had intended to carry out violent resistant acts. The storm that followed with some attacking him as a traitor forced Fatah cadres and eventually President Abbas himself to come to the rescue of the usually quiet Faraj. Publicly talking about security cooperation at a time of almost daily Palestinian deaths by summary execution might be music to the ears of Israelis and the Americans, but it doesnt bode well for local sentiments. In his defence of Faraj, President Abbas said that the intelligence chief carried out orders and that security cooperation was still ongoing, but hinted that this coordination would not go on for a long time. It is expected that the cooperation will be seriously revisited following the expected meeting between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the forthcoming international summit in Paris on radicalisation. These political nuances, however, dont answer the simple question of why a security intelligence chief who has been in charge for years breaks his silence with such controversial statements. OPINION: The year of Palestinian leadership change has begun Analysts and pundits have already discussed various Palestinian leaders who might be considered to replace Abbas. The Palestinian leader has refused to hand-pick his successor and has insisted that it should be done through a democratic process with the Palestinian public making the decision, not him. While Abbas position is lamentable, many of the would-be successors believe that it is more important to win the approval of the international community and, indirectly, Israel rather than that of the Palestinian public. Observers often compare the support of different countries in the region and beyond for the potential successors. Some even evaluate the support that the new Palestinian leader would get from Israel. There are no Palestinians on this planet who can please both their own people and their people's adversaries. by There is no doubt that whoever is given the task of leading the Palestinian people must have a variety of credentials, and will need to be on good terms with various regional and international players. But any leader must have the genuine and strong support of the people they represent. Without this as a starting point, all the other credentials are void. The debacle that has come upon the Palestinian intelligence chief should be a lesson to all. The basics of the leadership succession begin and end with an understanding and empathy with your own people and their national aspirations. Tactics and nuances aimed at widening international support should be given a back seat, and the priority should be being in touch with your own people and their national ambitions. The lesson that we hope Majid Faraj learned from his one-off interaction with the media is that it is futile for analysts and pundits as well as many within the leadership circles to pick a leader. Leaders are not chosen through some kind of foreign approval, through a positive media blitz or a warm write-up. OPINION: Mahmoud Abbas, your time is running out When it comes to the issue of succession, the formula for success is clear: There are no Palestinians on this planet who can please their own people and their peoples adversaries so it is best always to side with your people. Farajs fingers were burned as he attempted to play in a field that he is totally unfamiliar with. It is important that he and those with a similar role learn this lesson, and keep their ears as close as possible to the suffering of their own people. Once they do that honestly and genuinely, all other issues will find their way to resolution. Daoud Kuttab, an award-winning Palestinian journalist, is a former Ferris professor of journalism at Princeton University. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. They say all politics is domestic, but Taiwans domestic politics carries major ramifications for the region and beyond. For the past few years, the South and East China Seas have been at the centre of Beijings security calculus. Since 2009, China has pursued its maritime claims in adjacent waters with particular ferocity, dispatching an armada of paramilitary vessels to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, while more aggressively disrupting Vietnamese and Filipino energy exploration activities within their respective waters in the South China Sea. By 2012, after weeks of tense standoff, China managed to wrest control of the Philippine-claimed Scarborough Shoal, which lies within the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone but is 900km away from Chinas southernmost province of Hainan. Having consolidated its control over the Vietnamese-claimed Paracel chain of islands in the northern portion of the South China Sea, Beijing has spent the past two years building a sprawling network of dual-purpose bases across artificially augmented disputed features in the Spratly chain of islands. The sheer scale and speed of Chinas maritime assertiveness in the area has provoked a largely dovish Obama administration to more aggressively conduct Freedom of Navigation Operations close to Chinese-occupied land features in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, the constitutionally pacifist Japan has stepped up to the challenge by augmenting its defensive position in the East China Sea, recently approving its biggest ever defence budget to counter Chinese maritime ambitions. The landslide election victory of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party in the latest Taiwanese parliamentary and presidential elections, however, could dramatically shift Beijings strategic focus to what it considers as a renegade province. Taiwan is once again at the centre of the global geopolitical chessboard, with both Beijing and Washington carefully considering their options. Distinct identity Though the majority of Taiwans population are of mainland Chinese descent, particularly from southern provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, the island nation has historically preserved a distinct identity. For the past centuries, it has experienced Chinese suzerainty, European colonisation, Japanese occupation, and a short-lived period of formal independence under the former rulers of China, the Kuomintang. Against the backdrop of rising anti-China sentiment, Tsai Ing-wen and her allies in the Democratic Progressive Party managed to capture, for the first time in history, both the office of the president and the parliament, respectively. by But Taiwan, which hosts much of Chinas greatest treasures, never entirely severed its umbilical cord with the mainland. If anything, it actually played a key role in Chinas industrialisation in the past three decades. Taiwanese foreign direct investments in the mainland exponentially increased from only few million dollars in the 1980s to as much as $9.9bn in 1993. Three years later, the figure reached a whopping $40bn, tantamount to 5 percent of Taiwans gross domestic product. Nonetheless, as a prosperous and democratic nation, Taiwan never felt fully comfortable with the idea of integrating into a Beijing-led Greater China. Amid a blossoming economic relationship with China, Taiwanese leaders began to agitate for formal independence, culminating in the 1995-1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis, which saw Beijing openly threatening Taipei with military invasion but no actual invasion or attack was planned. Short-lived golden age Bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which compels Washington to aid Taiwan against threats from the mainland, the United States responded by dispatching two aircraft carriers to keep China at bay. Recognising its military inferiority, Beijing backed down in momentary humiliation, but spent the next two decades obsessively honing its conventional and asymmetrical military capabilities. The whole episode was a poignant reminder of the delicate nature of cross-strait relations. Worried about the prospects of conflict, the Taiwanese electorate opted for a more calibrated cross-strait diplomacy, represented by President Ma Ying-jeou, who oversaw a golden age of Taiwan-China relations, paving the way for a dramatic increase in bilateral trade, investments, and people-to-people interaction. OPINION: Can democracy work in a Chinese culture? It didnt take long, however, before the Taiwanese electorate, particularly the youth, began to oppose what they saw as a scandalously cosy relationship between the Ma administration and autocratic China. Gradually, people came to worry about the growing Chinese economic grip on Taiwan, which became dangerously dependent on the mainland market. In 2013, China absorbed as much as 40 percent of Taiwans exports, amounting to $121bn. Things came to a head the next year, when ongoing negotiations over the controversial Cross Strait Services Trade Agreement sparked massive protests, giving birth to the sunflower movement. Back to the future Beyond the concern over corruption, growing inequality and the prospects of Taiwan being entirely sucked into the Chinese economic sphere, the protests were fundamentally about reassertion of Taiwanese identity. Back in 2008, when Ma was elected to office, as many as 43 percent of people expressed their attachment to both Taiwan and China. By 2014, that number was down to 33, with as many as 60 percent of the respondents identifying themselves as (exclusively) Taiwanese. OPINION: China and Taiwan normal is the new normal Against the backdrop of rising anti-China sentiment, Tsai Ing-wen and her allies in the Democratic Progressive Party managed to capture, for the first time in history, both the office of the president and the parliament, respectively. This represents nothing short of a potential regime change, given the DPPs left-leaning socioeconomic policies as well as its refusal to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus on the One China Principle. No wonder then, that Tsais election was immediately met by stern warning from Beijing, which is considering a military option to stave off a fully-fledged Taiwanese bid for independence. In response, the Obama administration is also preparing for any possible contingency, having cleared more than $12bn in arms sales to Taiwan in recent years. Astonishingly, China is now openly threatening US companies with sanctions if they continue to provide arms to Taiwan. They say all politics is domestic, but Taiwans domestic politics carries major ramifications for the region and beyond. The world will carefully watch out for Tsais next moves. Richard Javad Heydarian is a specialist in Asian geopolitical/economic affairs and author of Asias New Battlefield: US, China, and the Struggle for Western Pacific. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Dura, occupied West Bank Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qiq has been on hunger strike for more than two months to protest against his detention without charge or trial. Qiq, a reporter for the Saudi-owned TV channel Almajd and a father of two, is one of 660 Palestinians being held in administrative detention the highest number since 2008, according to data released in December. Under international law, administrative detention is only permissible as a last resort and in cases of an immediate threat. The Israeli Supreme Court heard a petition this week asking for Qiqs release, but the court postponed making a decision, saying that it would continue to follow his health condition. Last July, Israel passed a law allowing the force-feeding of prisoners on hunger strike, which met strong opposition from the Israeli medical community. Al-Qiq was not force-fed, but he was given liquids intravenously without his consent until his lawyer intervened. As Qiqs condition at the HaEmek Medical Centre in Afula, Israel, continued to deteriorate, Al Jazeera spoke with his wife, Fayha Shalash, 28, a journalist, in his West Bank hometown of Dura, where friends and family gathered over the weekend in support. INTERACTIVE: Palestine Remix Al Jazeera: How did you find out Mohammed had started a hunger strike? Fayha Shalash: He was arrested on November 21. Around 15 soldiers came to the house and confiscated phones and his laptop. After five days, we discovered that he was being kept at al-Jalame military detention and interrogation centre in the north of the West Bank. I knew from my work as a journalist that this is one of the worst. Later, we found out he had been psychologically and physically tortured. He was interrogated for 25 days and was only allowed to see his lawyer on day 20. On December 3, he was taken to a court to extend his detention. He was still not allowed to talk to a lawyer and told a judge he had started a hunger strike on November 25, while still under interrogation, to protest at the conditions of his detention. Thats how we found out. Al Jazeera: What did you learn about his interrogation? Shalash: They kept him tied to a chair and blindfolded. He was cursed at, screamed at, spat at. They threatened to sexually assault him and stop him from having children. He asked that we accept the outcome of his hunger strike, even his death. He said, 'I either live free or I die in dignity.' by During his interrogation, he was accused of media incitement, and given two options either he confessed, or he would spend seven years in administrative detention. But thats against his ethics, and if he confessed to that, it would be a problem for the rest of his life for his work as a journalist When he refused to confess to the accusation [of media incitement], they started using the fact that he used to belong to Hamas. He was already arrested and charged for his political activity eight years ago. Al Jazeera: Has he been arrested by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the past, as well as by Israel? Shalash: He was arrested twice by the PA, each time for a month, and three times by Israel. The last was in 2008, when he was sentenced to 16 months for being the head of a student block at Birzeit University. All three times, he was charged for supporting the students in what Israel deems illegal acts. He was given charges and served his time in prison. But this time, he feels this is an unlawful arrest. There are no charges against him, no real reason for his detention. Al Jazeera: Have you been able to communicate with him or see him? Shalash: The last time I saw him was in the military Jeep on the day of his arrest. We asked for permits to visit him through the Red Cross, but his father, brothers and myself were all rejected. I communicate with him through his lawyers. Al Jazeera: Do you feel theres enough support from the public, the PA and international institutions? Shalash: In the last week, when his medical condition worsened, we got in touch with all sorts of leaders and organisations. We received a phone call from the prime ministers office and [President Mahmoud Abbas] issued a statement about Mohammeds condition. But we are demanding more pressure and action on their part. There isnt any negotiation at the moment. The issue of hunger strikes for Palestinians is a very important battle. Its a real confrontation with the occupation. There are hundreds of administrative detainees, and at least 18 imprisoned journalists the majority in administrative detention. There is a lot of public support for him, and it will only increase should anything happen to him. His condition is very bad. He is doing the Irish hunger strike and refuses medical checks and supplements. The longest time anyone has survived such a strike is 67 days. He asked that we accept the outcome of his hunger strike, even his death. He said, I either live free or I die in dignity. Al Jazeera: Are you 100 percent behind that statement? Shalash: I support him fully, and adopt his point of view. We dont like hunger and we dont like death, but it becomes an issue of dignity, and this is the story of every Palestinian. He signed a paper where he refuses any medical treatment, even if he loses consciousness. His decision is very clear: either free or dead, not in between. He isnt just fighting a personal battle. He sent a message to Palestinian journalists from prison, saying that freedom is not something given to you by your position or authority. It comes from your stance. His refusal of administrative detention this is how he is taking a stance. Despite the pressure, he made sure to send me a birthday gift a hair straightener I asked for a year ago. He always supports me; he encouraged me to study for a masters degree. The Israeli occupation tries to remove this beautiful image of him as a human being. They try to show that we like to live this horrific life. But what Mohammed is doing is actually the greatest example that we love life and freedom, and that wed like to live like everybody else. Staffan de Mistura says duration of complicated and difficult Geneva talks depends on determination of both sides. UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said that talks on ending the civil war in Syria have now officially started, after initial resistance by the countrys main opposition bloc over humanitarian demands. Speaking to reporters after meeting delegates of the opposition bloc in Geneva on Monday, de Mistura said: We are starting officially the Geneva talks The discussions are starting. The Swedish-Italian diplomat said he expected the talks to be complicated and difficult, but that Syrias people deserved to see something concrete, apart from a long, painful negotiation. The first immediate objective is to make sure the talks continue and that everyone is on board, de Mistura said. He could not comment on how long he expected the first round of talks to last, but said he hoped negotiations achieve something by February 11. The duration of the negotiations depends on the willingness and the determination of both sides, he added. The announcement came hours after the UN said that the government of President Bashar al Assad approved in principle to allow aid be delivered to the besieged Syrian towns of Madaya, al-Foua and Kefraya. Salim al-Muslet, the spokesman of the oppositions High Negotiations Committee (HNC), said: We came here to discuss with the special envoy UN resolution 2254; lifting the sieges and stopping the crimes done by Russian air strikes in Syria, and I believe we received positive messages. The preliminary meeting between the HNC and de Mistura came as the UN reported eight more deaths from insufficient medical care in one of the many towns besieged by government or rebel forces. The HNC insisted that humanitarian aid reach towns under government siege before it would agree to enter indirect talks with Assads government, which are scheduled to last six months. The talks are part of the biggest push to date to chart a way out of the tangled Syrian war that has killed more than 260,000 people and forced millions from their homes since the violence began in March 2011. The urgency to find a solution was brought home on Sunday when attacks claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group killed 71 people near a revered Shia shrine outside the capital Damascus, according to monitors. The new deaths reported on Monday by the UN humanitarian organisation OCHA took place in Moadimayet al-Sham, southwest of Damascus, the site of a 2013 chemical weapons attack. OCHA said there had been a sharp deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the town, which has been besieged by Assads forces since 2012, although conditions improved after a 2014 truce deal. Government says call by anti-refugee party that German police should shoot if necessary at refugees is unlawful. The German interior ministry has rejected a call by a populist right-wing party to provide police with powers to use firearms to prevent migrants and refugees from entering the country illegally. Frauke Petry, leader of anti-refugee Alternative for Germany party (AfD) told the local paper Mannheimer Morgen on January 23 that officers should use firearms if necessary to prevent illegal border crossings. No policeman wants to fire on a refugee and I dont want that either. But police must stop refugees entering German soil, she said. On Monday, Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Dimroth reaffirmed the governments rejection of the proposal. It goes without saying: No German policeman will use a firearm against people who are searching for protection in Germany, Dimroth told a press conference. And it goes without saying that the use of firearms against people to stop an illegal border crossing is unlawful. Earlier this week, Peter Altmaier, Merkels chief of staff, described Petrys suggestion as absurd and inhuman. RELATED: Anti-refugee protesters rampage through German city Opinion polls currently put the AfD in third place, behind Merkels conservative party and her centre-left coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD). The AfD has seen a surge in support amid increasing tensions between migrants and locals, with attacks on refugees and claims of sexual assaults by foreigners in the country. Merkel has been under increasing pressure over her open-door policy for refugees as more than one million streamed into Germany last year, and some regions have complained that they are being overwhelmed. Islamic Society of Baltimore to host US leaders first official visit to an American mosque on Wednesday. Muslims have welcomed the announcement that US President Barack Obama will make his first official visit to an American mosque as an exciting and long-awaited development. In the final year of his presidency, the American leader will visit the Islamic Society of Baltimore (ISB) on Wednesday, according to the White House. We at the ISB are honoured to welcome President Obama at our centre, Maqbool Patel, ISB president, told Al Jazeera. ISB is among largest organisations in the nation, and thousands of families are affiliated with this Islamic Centre. INTERACTIVE: American Muslims speak out On Saturday, a White House aide said the visit is to celebrate the contributions Muslim Americans make to our nation and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom to our way of life. The president will hold a roundtable with community members and deliver remarks, where 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 nations tradition of religious freedom. The visit comes amid a growing number of hate crimes towards members of Americas Muslim minority, which is approximately about 3.3 million people or one percent of the total population. The mosque is about five minutes from my parents home, so its a double honour, Zainab Chaudry, the Maryland representative for the Council on American Relations (CAIR), told Al Jazeera. Were very excited that he [Obama] is making this long-awaited trip. Hate crimes rising A study by CAIR, a US Muslim advocacy and civil rights group, said the number of incidents targeting mosques in America reached a record in 2015, citing harassment and intimidation. Many organisations, including ours, have been calling on Obama to visit a mosque, specifically to address the anti-Muslim sentiment that we see more recently, said Chaudry, who was born and raised in Baltimore, a city of more than 600,000 people of which she estimates 10 percent is Muslim. His visit has been the subject of many dinner table conversations, added Chaudry. The local Muslim community is extremely excited. Since the announcement, however, reports emerged accusing that the chosen mosque was radical and politically linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. READ MORE: US anti-Islamic bills create environment of fear That was to be expected, said Chaudry. There is anti-Muslim bigotry and the people that make such claims have a vested interest in tearing down a momentous occasion. Zak Nur, a 27-year-old Baltimore native, told Al Jazeera that the ISB is seen as a safe haven. Characterising the Baltimore Muslim community is an extremely difficult and arduous task as it is composed of converts and immigrant Muslims representing dozens of countries, all of which practice the religion to varying degrees of religiosity, he said. Because the ISB is one of the oldest Islamic institutions in Maryland, it has provided as a safe haven and at the very basic level, a community centre. He added that Obamas planned visit represents inclusion, and is a positive step. The visit is a symbol of the rich tradition of inclusivity in the American story, despite the polarising political climate that were in currently, he said. Instead of being angry that it has taken Obama this long to visit an American mosque, Im more angry of the idea that visiting an American mosque has to be controversial. As well as providing a place for prayer, the ISB provides classes in internet safety and the Arabic and Urdu languages. It also holds fundraising events for students planning a trip to Mecca (Saudi Arabia) for Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage. On Thanksgiving, the centre hosted a dinner, complete with turkey and mashed potatoes. The mosque was also made famous in 2014; it was featured in the popular American podcast Serial which documented the story of Adnan Syed, a teenager who was accused of killing his former girlfriend. Ibrahim Hooper, also of CAIR, said: Were pleased that Obama is going to an American mosque. Weve been making that request for a number of years now. It took until this point of his presidency; perhaps its because of this tremendous increase in anti-Muslim sentiment in our society that hes responded to the requests. Follow Anealla Safdar on Twitter: @anealla Report says troops shoved civilians into a metal container, used as makeshift prison cell, leading to their deaths. At least 50 people suffocated to death when they were shoved into metal containers in sweltering conditions by troops belonging to South Sudan, a commission monitoring the ceasefire between rival factions said. The incident was one of several listed as examples of ceasefire violations carried out by forces on both sides, outlined in a report compiled by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), which was made public at the African Union (AU) summit on Sunday. About 50 people suffocated in a container on about October 22. The investigation was protracted. Attribution of responsibility: Government Forces, the report said in a section titled concerning the killing of civilians in Unity State. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Angelos Agok, director in the office of the chief of general staff of the army, denied that the incident happened. Report: Mass graves, rape and cannibalism in South Sudan Despite an August peace deal, fighting continues in the country, and the conflict now involves multiple militias who according to the AU report are driven by local agendas and revenge attacks. In South Sudan, metal containers are often used as makeshift prison cells. Temperatures in the northern battleground state of Unity regularly top 40 degrees Celsius. Last month, a United Nations panel of experts said South Sudans President Salva Kiir and rebel chief Riek Machar should face sanctions for their role in the war. JMEC chief Festus Mogae, a former Botswana president, said the AU had a duty to respond to the allegations laid out in the report. Given the fragility of the security situation in South Sudan, the renewed risk of conflict, and continued insecurity affecting the humanitarian relief effort, emphatic, stern measures should be taken by the African Union rhetoric alone can only do so much, Mogae said. Both the government and rebel sides have been accused of perpetrating ethnic massacres, recruiting and killing children and carrying out widespread rape, torture and forced displacement of populations to cleanse areas of their opponents. Taliban claims responsibility after at least 20 people are killed and 25 wounded in blast near police building in Kabul. At least 20 people were killed and 25 wounded when a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up trying to enter a police building in Afghanistans capital Kabul, a senior police source has told Al Jazeera. The area was sealed off by police as ambulances rushed to the scene of what witnesses described as a powerful blast on Monday. Al Jazeeras Jennifer Glasse, reporting from Kabul, said the attack happened at about 2pm local time. The suicide bomber blew himself up in front of a civil order police building in the centre of the city, she said. The attack was five days before another scheduled round of peace talks in the presence of Afghan, Pakistan, Chinese and US officials. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement that said 40 police officers had been killed or wounded. The group often makes exaggerated casualty claims for its attacks. Kabul was hit by a series of suicide attacks last month, including one that killed seven journalists from a private television station, as the Taliban stepped up its campaign against the Western-backed government. The attacks coincided with renewed efforts to revive a peace process with the armed group that stalled last year. UN secretary-general says the opportunity for a two-state solution is quickly disappearing amid lack of negotiations. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern that a stalemate in the negotiations between Israel and Palestinians is reaching the point of no return for a two-state solution. The time has come for Israelis, Palestinians and the international community to read the writing on the wall: The status quo is untenable, Ban wrote in an opinion piece published in the New York Times late on Sunday. Keeping another people under indefinite occupation undermines the security and the future of both Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli settlements make money at Palestinian expense: Human Rights Watch More than 600,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homeland and turned into refugees in neighbouring countries during Israels 1948 establishment. They have swelled to more than five million UN-registered refugees in camps across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the occupied Palestinian territories. Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has occupied the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. Israel also occupies Syrias Golan Heights, home to some 20,000 Syrian Arabs from the Druze religious sect. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Ban last week, saying he gave a tailwind to terrorism after the secretary-general put some of the blame on Israel for four months of stabbings and car rammings by Palestinians. Protests against Israels ongoing occupation in the Palestinian territories have boiled over into violence in recent months. Since October 1, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 167 Palestinians, including bystanders, unarmed demonstrators and attackers. At least 25 Israelis have been killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians. Ban, who will step down at the end of 2016 after 10 years as UN chief, had told the UN Security Council that it is human nature to react to occupation. I will always stand up to those who challenge Israels right to exist, Ban said in the Times, just as I will always defend the right of Palestinians to have a state of their own. That is why I am so concerned that we are reaching a point of no return for the two-state solution. The United States and the European Union Israels closest allies also have had unusually stern criticism of Israel in recent weeks, reflecting their frustrations with Netanyahus right-wing government. OPINION: A new Palestinian leader for all? US-led efforts to broker a two-state solution collapsed in 2014. France said on Friday it would recognise a Palestinian state if a final push that Paris plans to lead for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians fails. The stalemate carries grave risks for both sides: a continuation of the deadly wave of terrorism and killings; the collapse of the Palestinian Authority; greater isolation of and international pressure on Israel, Ban wrote. He said the Palestinians must bring Gaza and the West Bank under a single democratic-governing authority and take action to stop attacks on Israel, including an immediate end to the building of Gaza tunnels into Israel. UpFront Headliner: Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat On Sunday, a Palestinian Authority police officer was shot dead while attacking and injuring three Israeli soldiers in the Ramallah area of the West Bank. Israeli forces quickly imposed a siege on Ramallah, where the PA is based. According a poll conducted in December by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research, two-thirds of Palestinians polled believe a two-state solution is no longer viable, while 65 percent believe that PA President Mahmoud Abbas should resign. Alaa Tartir, programmes director at Al-Shabaka, a Palestinian policy network, told Al Jazeera that Palestinians have already paid a high price for negotiations that have failed to end the Israeli occupation. Nowadays, the youth revolting in the streets of Palestine are challenging the Israeli matrix of control, but they are also challenging the PAs failed strategy and its illegitimate leadership, effectively saying that enough is enough, he added. UN human rights chief says that crimes against humanity must be prosecuted as fraught talks over war continue in Geneva. The United Nations has said that there should be no amnesty for people suspected of committing war crimes as talks aimed at ending Syrias war continued to struggle in Geneva. Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the top UN human rights official, maintained on Monday that the deliberate starvation of Syrians was a potential war crime and a crime against humanity that should be prosecuted and not covered by any amnesty that may be agreed as part of a peace deal. In the case of Syria, we are there to remind everyone that where there are allegations that reach the threshold of war crimes or crimes against humanity, that amnesties are not permissible, he told reporters in Geneva. LIVE BLOG: Follow the Syria talks in real-time Pointing to what he said was the starvation of people in the town of Madaya, and sieges of 15 other towns and cities in the country, Hussein called it not just a war crime but a crime against humanity if proven in court. On Saturday, Doctors Without Borders warned that at least 16 residents of Madaya, a rebel-held town near the Lebanese border that has been under siege for months, continued to die of starvation despite the delivery of aid three weeks ago. The group said that the town was in urgent need of emergency aid as an estimated 320 people were suffering from malnutrition, 33 of whom were in danger of death if they did not receive treatment quickly. Trading charges Separately, meetings continued in Geneva as part of UN-sponsored talks to end a war that has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people and forced millions from their homes. Members of the main opposition Syrian bloc, the Saudi Arabia-based High National Committee (HNC), were expected to meet UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura later on Monday. Speaking before the meeting, HNC representative Bassma Kodmani reiterated that the bloc would not join the talks before a number of conditions were met by the government. The meeting [with de Mistura] will exclusively focus on how we can get the implementation of international humanitarian law regarding air bombings by Russia and the regime, regarding the prisoners as well as the besieged areas which are suffering and need very urgent relief, Kodmani told Al Jazeera. READ MORE: Syria rivals trade blame over stalled talks On Sunday, Syrian ambassador to the UN Bashar Jaafari, who is leading the government delegation in Geneva, said Damascus was open to discussing humanitarian concerns. He added, though, that such issues should be debated as part of the talks and not ahead of them. Branding the opposition as terrorists backed by foreign powers, Jaafari said that the government would not accept preconditions for negotiations. We dont deal with terrorists, Jaafari said. There are foreign powers endorsing foreign agendas, aiming at making political pressure on the Syrian government by using terrorism as a political weapon. Asked if the government was considering moves such as the creation of humanitarian corridors, ceasefires or prisoner releases, he said: Absolutely, this is part of the agenda that we agreed upon and that will be one of the very important topics we will discuss among ourselves as Syrian citizens. UN health agency set to determine whether virus outbreak should be declared a global health emergency. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is meeting in Geneva to discuss whether the Zika virus outbreak should be declared a global health emergency. Mondays meeting comes after warnings by the UN health agency that the mosquito-borne virus, which is strongly suspected of causing birth defects, was spreading explosively in the Americas WHO is expecting up to four million cases in the region this year. Q&A: All you need to know about Zika Senior WHO officials, joined by representatives of affected countries and experts from around the globe, will meet behind closed doors to determine if Zika should be considered a public health emergency of international concern. Tarik Jasarevic, a WHO spokesman, said that the meeting will look really into what we know and will also see what level of health emergency this represents. A decision is not to be made public until Tuesday at the earliest. WHO under pressure WHO is under pressure to act quickly in the fight against Zika, after admitting it was slow to respond to the recent Ebola outbreak that ravaged parts of West Africa and killed more than 11,000 people. Zika virus is a mosquito-transmitted infection related to dengue, yellow fever and West Nile virus. Symptoms are mild and include fever, rashes and joint pain. Yet, the disease is strongly suspected to be linked to microcephaly, a birth defect characterised by incomplete brain development and an unusually small head. Brazil is the hardest-hit country and 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. READ MORE: Mosquito-borne Zika virus spreading explosively A number of countries, including Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, have warned women to delay pregnancies until the Zika outbreak is brought under control amid worries over the recent surge in cases. Worries over Zika have spread beyond the affected areas to Europe and North America, where dozens of cases have been identified among people returning from vacation or business abroad. There is no vaccine or specific medicine currently available and treatment is normally focused on relieving the symptoms. Research is being done to develop a rapid test which could look for antibodies after a patient has recovered from the virus, making it possible to test for immunity. Only one in five people infected becomes ill, while treatment in hospital is uncommon and deaths are rare. The case against Assange is as political as it is legal; where does it go from here? Plus, Kenyas election influencers. Stock Option Plans are an extremely popular method of attracting, motivating, and retaining employees, especially when a company is unable to pay high salaries. A Stock Option Plan gives a company the flexibility to award stock options to employees, officers, directors, advisors, and consultants, allowing these people to buy stock in the company when they exercise the option. Stock Option Plans permit employees to share in a companys success without requiring a startup business to spend precious cash. In fact, Stock Option Plans can actually contribute capital to a company as employees pay the exercise price for their options. The primary disadvantage of Stock Option Plans is the possible dilution of other shareholders equity when employees exercise their stock options. For employees, the main disadvantage of stock options in a private companycompared to cash bonuses or higher compensationis the lack of liquidity. Until a company creates a public market for its stock, is acquired, or offers to buy the employees options or stock, the options will not be the equivalent of cash benefits. And, if the company does not grow bigger, and its stock does not become more valuable, the options may ultimately prove worthless. Thousands of people have become millionaires through stock options, making these options very appealing to employees. (Indeed, Facebook has made many employees into millionaires from stock options.) The spectacular success of Silicon Valley companies and the resulting economic riches of employees who held stock options have made Stock Option Plans a powerful motivational tool for employees to work for a companys long-term success. How does a stock option work? The following shows how stock options are granted and exercised: ABC Inc. hires employee John Smith. As part of his employment package, ABC grants John options to acquire 40,000 shares of ABCs common stock at 25 cents per share (the fair market value of a share of ABC common stock at the time of grant). The options are subject to a four-year vesting with one-year cliff vesting, which means that John has to stay employed with ABC for one year before he gets the right to exercise 10,000 of the options, and then he vests the remaining 30,000 options at the rate of 1/36 a month over the next 36 months of employment. If John leaves ABC or is fired before the end of his first year, he doesnt get any of the options. After his options are vested (become exercisable), he has the option to buy the stock at 25 cents per share, even if the share value has gone up dramatically. After four years, all 40,000 of his option shares are vested if he has continued to work for ABC. ABC becomes successful and goes public; its stock trades at $20 per share. John exercises his options and buys 40,000 shares for $10,000 (40,000 x 25 cents). John turns around and sells all 40,000 shares for $800,000 (40,000 x the $20 per share publicly traded price), making a nice profit of $790,000. Why do companies issue stock options? Companies issue options typically for one or more of the following reasons: Options can be used to attract and retain talented employees. Options can help motivate employees and make them more dedicated. Options can be a cost-effective employee benefit plan, in lieu of additional cash compensation or bonus. Options can help smaller companies compete with larger companies in attracting great employees. Key issues with stock options A company needs to address a number of key issues before adopting a Stock Option Plan and issuing options. Generally, a company wants to adopt a plan that gives it maximum flexibility. Here are some important considerations: Total number of shares. The stock option plan must reserve a maximum number of shares to be issued under the plan. This total number is generally based on what the board of directors believes is appropriate, but typically ranges from 10% to 15% of the companys outstanding stock, depending on the stage of the companys growth. Of course, not all options reserved for issuances have to be granted. Also, venture capital investors in the company may have some contractual restrictions on the size of the option pool to prevent too much dilution. The stock option plan must reserve a maximum number of shares to be issued under the plan. This total number is generally based on what the board of directors believes is appropriate, but typically ranges from 10% to 15% of the companys outstanding stock, depending on the stage of the companys growth. Of course, not all options reserved for issuances have to be granted. Also, venture capital investors in the company may have some contractual restrictions on the size of the option pool to prevent too much dilution. Number of options granted to an employee. There is no formula as to how many options a company will grant to a prospective employee. Its all negotiable, although the company can set internal guidelines by job position within the company. And what is important is not the number of options, but what the number represents as a percentage of the fully diluted number of shares outstanding. For example, if you are awarded 100,000 options, but there are 100 million shares outstanding, that only represents roughly 1/10 of 1% of the company. But if you are awarded 100,000 options and there are only 900,000 shares outstanding, then that represents 10% of the company. There is no formula as to how many options a company will grant to a prospective employee. Its all negotiable, although the company can set internal guidelines by job position within the company. And what is important is not the number of options, but what the number represents as a percentage of the fully diluted number of shares outstanding. For example, if you are awarded 100,000 options, but there are 100 million shares outstanding, that only represents roughly 1/10 of 1% of the company. But if you are awarded 100,000 options and there are only 900,000 shares outstanding, then that represents 10% of the company. Plan administration. Although most plans appoint the board of directors as administrator, the plan should also allow the board to delegate responsibilities to a committee. The board or the committee should have broad discretion as to the optionees, the types of options granted, and other terms. Although most plans appoint the board of directors as administrator, the plan should also allow the board to delegate responsibilities to a committee. The board or the committee should have broad discretion as to the optionees, the types of options granted, and other terms. Consideration. The plan should give the board of directors maximum flexibility in determining how the exercise price can be paid, subject to compliance with applicable corporate law. So, for example, the consideration can include cash, deferred payment, promissory note, or stock. A cashless feature can be particularly attractive, where the optionee can use the buildup in the value of his or her option (the difference between the exercise price and the stocks fair market value) as the currency to exercise the option. The plan should give the board of directors maximum flexibility in determining how the exercise price can be paid, subject to compliance with applicable corporate law. So, for example, the consideration can include cash, deferred payment, promissory note, or stock. A cashless feature can be particularly attractive, where the optionee can use the buildup in the value of his or her option (the difference between the exercise price and the stocks fair market value) as the currency to exercise the option. Shareholder approval. The company should generally have shareholders approve the plan, both for securities law reasons and to cement the ability to offer tax-advantaged incentive stock options. The company should generally have shareholders approve the plan, both for securities law reasons and to cement the ability to offer tax-advantaged incentive stock options. Right to terminate employment. To prevent giving employees an implied promise of employment, the plan should clearly state that the grant of stock options does not guarantee any employee a continued relationship with the company. To prevent giving employees an implied promise of employment, the plan should clearly state that the grant of stock options does not guarantee any employee a continued relationship with the company. Right of first refusal. The plan (and related Stock Option Agreement) can also provide that in the event the option is exercised, the shareholder grants the company a right of first refusal on transfers of the underlying shares. Doing so allows the company to keep share ownership in the company to a limited group of shareholders. The plan (and related Stock Option Agreement) can also provide that in the event the option is exercised, the shareholder grants the company a right of first refusal on transfers of the underlying shares. Doing so allows the company to keep share ownership in the company to a limited group of shareholders. Financial reports. For securities law reasons, the plan may require that periodic financial information and reports are delivered to option holders. For securities law reasons, the plan may require that periodic financial information and reports are delivered to option holders. Vesting. How do options vest? Most companies provide a vesting schedule, where the employee or advisor has to continue to work for the company for some period of time before the optionees rights vest. For example, an employee may be awarded options to acquire 10,000 shares with 25% vested after the first full year of employment, and then monthly vesting for the remaining shares over a 36-month vesting period. How do options vest? Most companies provide a vesting schedule, where the employee or advisor has to continue to work for the company for some period of time before the optionees rights vest. For example, an employee may be awarded options to acquire 10,000 shares with 25% vested after the first full year of employment, and then monthly vesting for the remaining shares over a 36-month vesting period. Exercise price. How much does the optionee have to pay for the stock when he or she exercises their options? Typically, the price is set at the stocks fair market value at the time the option is granted. If the stocks value goes up, the option becomes valuable because the optionee has the right to buy the stock at the cheaper price. How much does the optionee have to pay for the stock when he or she exercises their options? Typically, the price is set at the stocks fair market value at the time the option is granted. If the stocks value goes up, the option becomes valuable because the optionee has the right to buy the stock at the cheaper price. 409A valuation. The company needs to make a determination of the fair market value of its common stock in order to set the exercise price of the option, pursuant to Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. This is often done by hiring a third-party valuation expert. The company needs to make a determination of the fair market value of its common stock in order to set the exercise price of the option, pursuant to Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. This is often done by hiring a third-party valuation expert. Exercise period. How long does the optionee have the right to exercise the option? The Stock Option Agreement typically sets a date when the option must be exercised (the date is usually shortened on termination of employment or death). Most employees only have 30 to 90 days to exercise an option after their employment with the company has terminated. This can be burdensome, particularly since the optionee may not have been able to sell any of the underlying shares to help pay the tax resulting from the exercise of the option. How long does the optionee have the right to exercise the option? The Stock Option Agreement typically sets a date when the option must be exercised (the date is usually shortened on termination of employment or death). Most employees only have 30 to 90 days to exercise an option after their employment with the company has terminated. This can be burdensome, particularly since the optionee may not have been able to sell any of the underlying shares to help pay the tax resulting from the exercise of the option. Transferability issues. What restrictions apply to the transfer of the option and underlying stock? Most Stock Option Agreements provide that the option is nontransferable. The agreements also state that the stock purchased by exercising the option may be subject to rights of purchase or rights of first refusal on any potential transfers. What restrictions apply to the transfer of the option and underlying stock? Most Stock Option Agreements provide that the option is nontransferable. The agreements also state that the stock purchased by exercising the option may be subject to rights of purchase or rights of first refusal on any potential transfers. Securities law compliance. The issuance of options and underlying shares requires compliance with federal and state securities laws. Experienced corporate counsel should be involved here. The issuance of options and underlying shares requires compliance with federal and state securities laws. Experienced corporate counsel should be involved here. Cash usually needed. To exercise an option, the option holder typically has to pay cash out of pocket for the exercise (unless the company allows cashless exercise). To exercise an option, the option holder typically has to pay cash out of pocket for the exercise (unless the company allows cashless exercise). ISOs. An employee holding tax advantaged Incentive Stock Options (ISOs) does not have a tax (or tax withholding) event upon exercise. The employee will report taxable income when they sell the stock, but will need to include the difference in income between the exercise price and the current fair market value at the time of exercise (the spread) for purposes of calculating any additional tax obligation under the alternative minimum tax rules. If certain holding periods are met before selling the stock, all of the gain (back to the exercise price) may be taxed at the more favorable long-term capital gain rates. An employee holding tax advantaged Incentive Stock Options (ISOs) does not have a tax (or tax withholding) event upon exercise. The employee will report taxable income when they sell the stock, but will need to include the difference in income between the exercise price and the current fair market value at the time of exercise (the spread) for purposes of calculating any additional tax obligation under the alternative minimum tax rules. If certain holding periods are met before selling the stock, all of the gain (back to the exercise price) may be taxed at the more favorable long-term capital gain rates. NSOs. If the options are not tax advantaged ISOs, they are non-qualified stock options (NSOs), and the spread upon exercise will be taxed at the more unfavorable ordinary income rates (as opposed to the capital gains rates). Additionally, as the exercise date is a taxable event, the company will have to report the spread as taxable income on the employees Form W-2 in the year of exercise, and withhold applicable taxes on the amount of the spread, which generally means that the employee will have to write a check to the company to cover the tax withholding liability. If the options are not tax advantaged ISOs, they are non-qualified stock options (NSOs), and the spread upon exercise will be taxed at the more unfavorable ordinary income rates (as opposed to the capital gains rates). Additionally, as the exercise date is a taxable event, the company will have to report the spread as taxable income on the employees Form W-2 in the year of exercise, and withhold applicable taxes on the amount of the spread, which generally means that the employee will have to write a check to the company to cover the tax withholding liability. Illiquidity. Stock in privately held companies is typically not liquid and is difficult to sell. Read all of Richard Harrochs articles on AllBusiness.com. Related Articles on AllBusiness: Copyright by Richard D. Harroch. All Rights Reserved. High school students from across the state travelled to UF this weekend to debate global issues while acting in two new committees. UFs Model United Nations hosted its 13th annual GatorMUN, a conference that brings high school model UN clubs to UF for a weekend, said Jonathan Munoz, the events secretary general. About 730 students, each representing a different country, were split into 21 committees. They debated topics such as climate change, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and poverty. One new committee, GRIMM: Department of the Crown, had students use fairy tales to act out mock political situations, such as Frozens Elsa destroying the people of Arendelle. Munoz, a UF economics and international studies junior, said the conference is the largest in the southeastern U.S. This year, more students attended than ever before. The 20-year-old said the conference, which is entirely run by UF students, helps participants develop speaking and conflict resolution skills. The most important thing is learning how to cooperate with people who have different ideas than you, he said. Students at the conference also participated in the Press Corps committee for the first time. Theyre all so much smarter than me, said Caitie Switalski, the Press Corps director. I never expected the level of quality theyre throwing out at us. Emilio Arias, a high school senior from Miami Palmetto Senior High School, said the conference gave him the opportunity to hear other students ideas. I like how you get to interact with different people, the 18-year-old said. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Students learned to bust a move while registering to vote Saturday. UFs Asian American Student Union hosted Pop It to the Polls for the first time on the Reitz Union North Lawn. The dance workshop taught participants Filipino, modern and Bhangra dances. Students could also register to vote in the primaries while there. DJ Fontenot, a UF political science senior, said he organized the event with the hopes of increasing voter registration among Asian Americans. Dance is something the AASU community is very passionate about, the 21-year-old said. It is a big part of their culture. We wanted to combine it with an issue that affects the Asian community, such as voter turnout. At any time during the event, participants could register to vote through organizations, including Rock the Vote, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote and Chomp the Vote, Fontenot said. About five students registered to vote. The Icla da Silva Foundation, which aims to help minorities with leukemia, also registered students to be bone marrow donors, he said. There are not enough Asian American donors, he said. Four students signed up. During the event, choreographers from AASU taught different dances and a step routine. A choreographer and UFs Filipino Student Association led about 25 students in the dances. The Filipino Student Association is currently prepping for Barrio Fiesta, a dance event that takes place in March, Fontenot said. So they are pretty well-versed in teaching people how to dance. Before students began dancing, they were split into five groups of three and participated in a workshop that taught them how to improve issues in their organizations. The workshop also discussed how they could use dance to reach others. The participants then presented their ideas to everyone else. After a short break, they started dancing. Radhika Gopalan, a UF psychology and sociology senior, helped choreograph the event, and she taught participants the Bhangra routine. Bhangra is very high-energy, the 21-year-old said. Theres a lot of variety in it, too. It has a story and a meaning. It connects me to my culture. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Gopalan said she has been dancing since she was 4. She tried out for the UF Bhangra team as a freshman and has been creating dances ever since, she said. The hardest part is making sure that it is something other people can pick up, Gopalan said. You have to make sure everyone is on the same level. Kennedy Ho, a UF nutrition senior, danced in the event. Dancing keeps us active; it is one of our passions and brings the community together to learn about an issue: voting, the 21-year-old said. Students learn to dance a Bhangra routine outside the Reitz Union on Saturday morning. The Asian American Student Union hosted the Pop It to the Polls event to encourage students to register while learning how to dance. Students can now wear hijabs and get free henna tattoos as part of Islam Appreciation Month. While UFs Islam On Campus has hosted an appreciation month every February for several years, they wanted to have more interesting events this year, said Maria Ilyas, the chair of the appreciation month. The month, which will feature eight events, aims to give students an appreciation for Islamic beliefs and traditions. We just want to expose people to our side of the story and explain what Islam really is, because a lot of times its very different than the light that the media paints us in, the 20-year-old said. IOC began preparing for the month last summer, the UF microbiology junior said. The first event is the Islam Fair on the Plaza of the Americas, which will run today and Tuesday. All events for the month are open to the public. The events are for all students, not just those who practice Islam, said Sameer Saboungi, a current IOC member and the former vice president of external affairs. Members of the club see the month as a time to clarify rumors surrounding Islamic culture. Once students come out to our events and meet IOC members, they soon find out theres nothing scary, mysterious or narrow-minded about us, the UF international studies and political science senior said. Were fun students struggling with school like everyone else, the 21-year-old said. IAM (Islam Appreciation Month) can break any assumptions people may have about IOC. More information about the Islam Appreciation Month events can be found on the IOCs Facebook page. Gainesville residents waged a war against invasive plants Saturday. Armed with gardening gloves and buckets, hundreds of volunteers removed the plants during the second annual Great Invader Raider Rally. Hosted by the Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, this years event centered on the elimination of coral ardisia, an exotic plant of Asian origin. More than 500 volunteers registered to combat invasive plants in 20 habitats throughout the city, according to a press release. Stephen Enloe, a UF invasive plant extensive specialist, said coral ardisia is a serious problem across Florida. When coral ardisia starts outcompeting native species, you lose those native species, Enloe said. And when you start pulling out native species from an ecosystem, there are a lot of ramifications. When the plants berries fall to the ground, they grow under existing plants, thickening the shrub and overall problem, he said. Coral ardisia lacks a natural enemy, and a number of birds will eat the berries and spread the plant, Enloe said. So the problem can spread pretty rapidly. Sandra Vardaman, an Alachua County lands biologist, led the rallys Evergreen Cemetery site. She said volunteers cleared soil that was previously unseen under the plants dark green leaves. You can really see how much of a difference everyones efforts are making, she said. Still, plenty of coral ardisia remains. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Vardaman said its crucial for volunteers to learn about invasive species and use that knowledge at home. Volunteer Jacob Tillmann, a 38-year-old pharmacist, said the event taught his 6-year-old son, Grant, to recognize coral ardisia. Grant can look at a species and say, Hey, thats the bad plant, Tillmann said. And thats because of these events. After the rally, Wells Fargo representatives awarded the city of Gainesville a $60,000 grant to fund the Gainesville Greenway Challenge. The effort aims to restore 47 acres of habitat in eight nature parks, according to the press release. Reflecting on the future, Enloe said events like the Great Invader Raider Rally will play a key role in the fight against invasive species. With these efforts, we can begin to see an increase in an ecosystems richness and diversity, Enloe said. Jacob Tillmann, 38, removes coral ardisia, an invasive plant species, with his son Grant Tillmann, 6, from the Evergreen Cemetery during the Great Invader Raider Rally event Saturday morning. Grant can look at a species and say, Hey, that's a bad plant, Tillmann said. And that's because of these events. As journalists, it is our obligation to maintain a cool head when parsing through information and drafting a story. Although we in the Opinions section are not held to the same standards of objectivity as the rest of the paper, it is still up to us to collect and pore over as much information as possible; whether our findings align with our worldview, it remains our job to share and dissect what we may stumble upon in a comprehensive manner. But every once in awhile, a story or issue comes along that is so transparently awful, so blatantly offensive and nauseating, that any pretense of a calm, reassuring authorial voice has no choice but to be thrown out the window. We would venture to guess when asked what an oppressive, inhumane prison looks like, the average American would most likely conjure up stereotypes of the Gulag in the mid-20th century Soviet Union or perhaps those seen in Hollywood blockbusters: Torture and dehumanization are dished out wantonly, with no regard for a prisoners physical or mental state; the structure itself is looming and bare, serving no purpose other than to house horrors and inspire fear in those imprisoned. For many Americans, the associations carried with institutions of that sort are so far removed from their daily lives it is utterly impossible to imagine such atrocities happening in the land of the free. However, not only have these happened here and continue to happen, but for over a century the punishments deemed fit for fictional action heroes were committed against Floridas children under the auspices of the state itself. It was reported last week that state legislators Sen. Arthenia Joyner and Rep. Ed Narain had drafted legislation to compensate families for the burial expenses of those who had died at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys. For those unaware, the Dozier School for Boys, situated in Marianna, Florida, was ostensibly meant to serve as a correctional facility for young, troubled men. However, rather than rehabilitating and healing, Dozier inflicted only pain and suffering. An investigation by anthropologists and archaeologists from the University of South Florida in 2013 has only contributed to the fear and loathing that hang over the school, having found scores of bodies in paupers graves across the schools grounds. Beyond the stunning fact that Dozier was a state-sanctioned horror, its very existence is a testament to the troubling and haunting realities Americans seem frightened or unwilling to acknowledge: Our government, whether in ways insidious or overt, is capable of great evil. Those who resided at Dozier prior to its eventual close poor, lower-class young men, both black and white remain on the fringes of American society. Look no further at the willful negligence and disinterest that led to the crisis in Flint to see a modern manifestation of the sensibilities that allowed Dozier to even exist. Now, as it was then, those on the fringes of American society continue to be marginalized in social, economic and physical fashion; we sincerely doubt that $7,500 in funeral expenses can heal the knowledge for families where the state, not circumstance, was directly responsible for each childs early passing. The African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Mrs. Aisha Laraba Abdullahi together with representatives from AU Organs and Institutions dealing with human rights issues, jointly addressed the press on the African Year of Human Rights with Special Focus on the Rights of Women. The press briefing took place on 30 January 2016 at the margin []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... The Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) held its 16th General Assembly from 30 to 31January 2016 under the theme Advancing sustainable Partnership to end pediatric AIDS and improve Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights. In the course of the meeting it was reported that many Member States have made great strides in []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... The Secretary-General met with the President of Somalia on the margins of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, and he commended the tangible progress achieved in Somalia in the past four years following the establishment of the Federal Government and emphasized the need to continue to make more progress so as address the multi-faceted []http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric... Seychelles has formally announced its withdrawal as the East African Candidate for the Non-Permanent Seat of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2017-2018 at the 28th meeting of the Executive Council of African Foreign Ministers of the African Union. Addressing the gathering of Ministers, the Seychelles Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport, Mr. []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] Despite its astounding growth in recent years, the marijuana industry remains hampered by its own banking crisis. Marijuana businesses' difficulty in accessing financial services has created problems for businesses and government alike. Billions of dollars from marijuana sales legal in multiple states remain largely outside the sanctioned financial system, impeding the ability of public officials both to tax marijuana businesses and to prevent marijuana-related funds from financing criminal activity. And most marijuana businesses continue to hit a wall in getting financial services, which is limiting their growth. Without bank accounts or payment processing relationships, businesses must endure the dangers of transacting in cash a concern that former Attorney General Eric Holder recognized explicitly in 2014. Absent bank loans, business owners are forced to give up equity or pay enormous interest on private debt to finance growth. These challenges are the byproduct of the stark contrast between federal and certain states' laws concerning marijuana. Federal bank regulators have attempted to sound open to pot banking, endorsing guidance by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. But despite the legality of at least medical marijuana in many states, and the Department of Justice's mostly hands-off approach to state-legal businesses, the federal ban still means that every financial institution serving marijuana businesses is theoretically violating anti-money laundering laws every time they accept a deposit, transfer money, or facilitate a payment using the proceeds of a marijuana sale. Yet the rigidity of federal laws is not stopping all advances in the growing legal marijuana sector. While the federal government is unlikely to legalize marijuana in 2016, several other developments such as private sector innovations and state ballot initiatives will lead to both progress and new challenges. Here are four predictions: State Ballot Efforts May Help Motivate Congress to Act Although marijuana advocates can claim some victories in Congress, federal legislation to solve the marijuana banking issue has not gained any significant traction. That may change in 2016, when many populous and politically-important states are expected to vote on legalizing or expanding the legalization of marijuana. California, Nevada, and Massachusetts are among states likely to hold state ballot votes on recreational marijuana, while Florida voters will consider legalizing medical marijuana. Legalization advocates have high hopes for 2016. One weapon in the arsenal for supporters is the fact that the parade of horribles the consequences of legalization cited by anti-marijuana activists has largely not materialized as more states allow marijuana use. If legalization at the state level expands, then the constituencies demanding congressional action will also grow. These constituencies include not only marijuana businesses themselves but also the financial institutions that will profit from serving the industry as well as other groups concerned about so much business being conducted in cash. With such widespread interest in a banking solution, Congress may finally provide much-needed relief. Small Banks Will Face Challenges Serving Marijuana Businesses Some marijuana businesses do have bank accounts for now. For the most part, banks serving them are smaller community banks. But those banks often lack the resources necessary to ensure that businesses are in compliance with state marijuana laws and federal enforcement guidance. As a result, such banks often close marijuana businesses' accounts once they realize the true costs and burdens of a thorough compliance program. As case studies, look no further than the 2015 decisions of MBank in Oregon and First Security Bank of Nevada to cease serving marijuana businesses. Both banks essentially declared that the compliance resources required to bank such businesses in accordance with federal guidance were too great to justify the potential revenue from servicing such customers. The small banks that continue serving marijuana businesses are likely to follow one of two paths. They may charge extraordinary fees. Indeed, reports are common of banks charging marijuana businesses as much as $2,000 a month for the privilege of maintaining an account. Second, small banks simply may not perform sufficient due diligence to ensure their clients' compliance. Neither of these paths is conducive to industry growth, but they will remain options for many small banks and desperate businesses, absent legislation. Bigger Banks Will Become More Interested For banks, the question of whether to serve marijuana businesses is one of risk versus reward. For larger banks with more sophisticated compliance operations, the risk of serving the marijuana industry has been too high and the potential rewards too low. But recently, the marijuana industry's growing size has increased the profit potential, while more effective cost-efficient risk mitigation methods have become more available. There are many new tools that banks can leverage to reduce the risk that marijuana industry clients are violating state laws or federal enforcement priorities. For example, many firms with expertise in marijuana regulation now conduct efficient and thorough compliance audits that are tailored to the marijuana laws of a given jurisdiction. These audits, which are often conducted at marijuana business' expense, can reduce the amount of in-house resources needed for the bank to perform compliance due diligence and monitoring. Additionally, data about the licensure and beneficial ownership structures of marijuana businesses is becoming more accessible, giving banks comfort that they know their customers' true identities, as is required by federal law. Better compliance tools at a lower cost, along with higher potential profits, are likely to change the risk-reward calculus of some larger banks. Federal Regulators Will Remain Reluctant to Push Major Policy Changes The New Year opened with a big blow to the most credible effort to date to form a new financial institution designed to serve marijuana businesses. On Jan. 5, a federal court ruled that the Federal Reserve is not required to open a master account for The Fourth Corner Credit Union, thus denying Fourth Corner the ability to participate in the banking system. The district court explained that because marijuana remains federally illegal, the court would be forcing the Fed to commit a crime if it ordered the master account be granted. Moreover, the court noted the lack of utility of Fincen's guidance, saying that only congressional action legalizing marijuana would allow banks to serve marijuana businesses. Because the court punted the issue to Congress, already risk-averse regulators are unlikely to offer further guidance or regulations that would encourage or facilitate marijuana banking on a national level. Douglas Fischer is an associate at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, whose practice includes advising investors in the marijuana industry. Jodi Avergun is a partner at Cadwalader in the White Collar Defense and Investigations Group. She previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, chief of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and chief of staff to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Bank of America's blockchain patent push shows how bankers' attitudes toward the technology of cryptocurrencies have changed over the last few years from dismissing it, to sizing it up to trying to protect their interests in it. B of A is seeking 20 blockchain-related patents in addition to the 15 it previously filed in 2014. The move raises questions about the legality of patenting software whose original code is open source: free for anyone to access, use or modify. Blockchain technology has been touted as a potential game-changing technology for the banking industry. But as the once obscure technology inches closer to the mainstream, bankers are essentially trying to establish a legal framework for blockchains. "'We want to patent so we don't have to worry about getting sued because we have the IP,' is one way to justify B of A's patent strategy," said Brian Knight, associate director of the Milken Institute's Center for Financial Markets. "The other is due diligence, where they don't know if it's patentable if they try and the [U.S. Patent and Trademark Office] refuses on the grounds that it's not, they know they won't be sued by anyone else." The bank's strategy is pragmatic, observers say. Even if it hasn't yet determined what blockchains' commercial use would be for it specifically, it's smart for companies to protect their intellectual property early. "You can take open source code, modify it and patent around the modification of it," said Carol Van Cleef, a partner at law firm Manatt Phelps & Phillips. "It's really a race to the courthouse." What really matters is how much different B of A's claims are than something else that already exists. That it filed a patent application at all comes with the assumption that it has an interesting twist on the technology. "The scope [of the patent application] would have to be limited to the specific new feature that they add," said Paul Overhauser, managing partner at Overhauser Law Offices, a firm that specializes in intellectual property cases. "They could not get patent protection so broad as to give them any patent rights to the original source code idea of having a blockchain." Bank of America did not respond to calls or emails, but Cathy Bessant, its technology and operations chief, discussed the patents at a CNBC event in Davos recently. Bessant has been vocal about the bank's overall strategy in patenting technology for instance, she touted its place as one of the top 10 patent holders of bank-related patents in a BankThink post she wrote prior to the Sibos conference last year. "Our patents and awards portfolio is at 2,800 and climbing, and we are frequently cited in patent applications by the likes of Apple, eBay, Google, and Microsoft," she said. Because of bitcoin's open source nature, banks can't patent its software. They would have to build somethingcompletely new and useful. "If they have a unique process that they utilized the blockchain for, but the actual process itself is novel, then it is possible they could patent that process," he said. "They don't get any user IP claim to the underlying blockchain but they do for their unique process, for whatever they're building on top of the blockchain." Banks are currently exploring how they can use blockchain technology for their own commercial gain, by creating their own iterations of bitcoin for internal testing. Bank of New York Mellon, for example, created BKoins to learn more about the technology and demonstrate it across its organization. Citibank did the same in creating CitiCoin. (Neither of those companies sought patents for their creations.) Though blockchains are repeatedly touted as disruptors to the banking industry, long wary of its unchartered waters, Van Cleef said they may just be the next wave of something the industry is already used to: another funds transfer network. "The banks have a long record of collaborating with each other especially since they need to interact efficiently to facilitate payments and interbank transfers. Swift, ACH, FedWire and even the credit card networks are a testament to such collaboration," she said. "This could be next generation of such interaction." Until individual banks figure out what blockchains' successful commercial use will be for them, it's no wonder they'll want to preserve whatever intellectual capital they have. Van Cleef predicts they will continue filing patents around them, if they're using open source code, but that by virtue of being open source, the code won't prevent anyone from going in and using it. "We should expect that we're just going to see more of this more patents being filed, especially as people are working on proprietary projects." Overhauser agreed. "Even if they don't know it's going to be a commercial success, that's just a standard process of protecting your IP," he said. The key to the blockchain's success is adoption by a large number of people, he added. The big banks see the writing on the wall; that this technology will eventually become more favored, and to the extent that they can come up with their own iterations of cryptocurrencies and get them accepted in the market place, they would have a leg up on their competitors. "Large financial institutions have tried to be dismissive of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, but [the interest] just continues to grow and grow," he said. B of A is at least the third bank to pursue cryptocurrency-related patents. In December the USPTO published a filing by Goldman Sachs to create its own crptyocurrency, SETLcoin, for instant post-trade settlement. In December 2013, 175 patent filings by JPMorgan Chase for alternative bitcoin-like payments systems were denied. Van Cleef pointed out that language has since become more sophisticated and people particular about how they refer to the technology and distinguish it from the currency. One of bitcoin's appeals has been the elimination of mediators in opening and closing transactions for a profit. To bitcoin's earliest adopters, there may be something perhaps invasive about financial institutions who not so long ago outwardly disregarded cryptocurrencies looking to occupy blockchain's open source territory. "There's a real philosophical divide with respect to open-source coding," Van Cleef said. "Those who buy into the concept are religious to the concept." Serving small businesses can be a challenge, in part because they often need a lot of attention yet don't add much to the bottom line. That's why the largest banks tend to pass over this segment in pursuit of bigger businesses. The void creates an opportunity for small banks, but only if they can figure out how to make the time-intensive relationships pay off. Univest Corp. of Pennsylvania believes it has an answer. Over the past year and a half, Univest's small-business division has overhauled its loan application process, introduced add-on services that customers typically wouldn't find at a bank and developed a subscription model that allows them to pay a flat rate based on what services they want. "If we came into that vacuum left by the big banks with the same old labor model, we'd soon figure out the same thing they did," says Hugh Connelly, who oversees Univest's small-business banking. He also serves as president of the bank's national equipment finance company, called Univest Capital. "Our history is built on being small-business lenders, but without technology, it can be a fairly expensive segment to serve. So what do you do?" The $2.8 billion-asset Univest, in Souderton, Pa., invested in a technology project that allowed for significantly quicker credit decisions and loan funding now loans are done in just a couple of days, instead of weeks while also dramatically cutting expenses. Such speed gives the bank the ability to better compete with the growing crowd of alternative lenders that offer swift approval and funding, Connelly says. The ability to deliver fast matters, even though most borrowers aren't actually demanding it, he says. "People want to know it can happen quickly, but don't necessarily need it to happen." Sam Kilmer, senior director of Cornerstone Advisors, says online competitors have changed the landscape for small-business lending significantly, with their speed and convenience. Banks realize they have to adapt, Kilmer says, because borrowers care a lot more about getting funding than who provides the funding. "When you're a small-business owner, you're not thinking about the 'who,' you're thinking about the money and getting the money now," he says. So instead of trying to fit small businesses into other platforms either commercial banking or consumer banking more banks are looking into what they can do from a technology perspective to better serve this segment. Univest's small-business makeover began about 18 months ago with the adoption of nCino's Bank Operating System which the bank has been customizing ever since. The system, designed by the prolific small-business lenders at Live Oak Bancshares in Wilmington, N.C., streamlines commercial loans by eliminating repetitive processes. The system has helped catapult the $1 billion-asset Live Oak to second place on the list of most active lenders in the Small Business Administration's 7(a) loan program. It is sandwiched between Wells Fargo and U.S. Bancorp, with $1.15 billion in SBA loans written in fiscal 2015. Live Oak spun out nCino a few years ago. "It is a sophisticated tool out of the box, but we've adjusted it and modified it," Connelly says. "Not everyone uses the software the same way." nCino runs on top of Salesforce's customer relationship manager, which brings more efficiency to the credit process by tying the marketing, sales and underwriting together. While nCino is perhaps the most notable example of such a product, others are popping up. For instance, in the fall the private equity firm Riverside Co. bought Baker Hill, a credit origination platform, from Experian and is pairing it with Database Marketing Agency. "We are seeing marketing, sales and service converging around the delivery channel," Kilmer says. Expect more banks to adopt such solutions too, rather than pair with an alternative lender. "Most banks looking to grow in a highly competitive market will take their brand directly to market by upgrading their technology," Kilmer says. Since moving on to the nCino platform, Univest has made some tweaks, including incorporating its homegrown credit decision modeling into the platform. Univest has been building the model for a decade and wanted to keep it. Univest also built electronic signature capabilities into the system. Through its upgrades, Univest managed to shrink the up-front costs of processing a loan 92% between 2014 and 2015. "Something that may have cost a couple of thousand now is a couple of hundred," Connelly says. While Univest was researching how it could better serve small businesses, it asked those business owners about all of their pain points, not just those associated with traditional banking. From there, it created a list of offerings and bundled them similar to the way cable companies offer telephone and internet services with their cable TV. "We asked them, 'What are the things you need? What are the things you wish you had? And if we put them together and charged you a fair, reasonable fee, would you pay it?' " Connelly says. "The feedback was, if we built it, they would buy it." The general thinking is that small businesses, much like retail customers, are averse to paying fees. But a good deal makes all the difference, Connelly says. "Americans are fed up with fees, but they don't mind paying for value." Univest Prime, which is what the bank calls the bundle of services it offers to small businesses, comes in three forms: a basic package for $24.99; a premium package for $49.99; and a professional package for $74.99. All three packages cover typical small-business banking, cash management and credit. The basic package adds perks such as five cashier checks a month and mobile deposits. The professional package includes 15 cashier checks a month, terminals for deposits and payments processing, and LifeLock's "ultimate" identity theft protection. Connelly says identity theft protection can be especially helpful to small-business owners, because they tend to share their personal information more widely than the average consumer. For instance, office managers may know their boss' Social Security number and mother's maiden name, in order to transact on their behalf. Univest compares its pricing structure to the one Netflix uses, where customers can choose what they pay based on the level of service they want. Univest Prime began beta testing a year ago and went live in the summer. Connelly says the products have been well received. The premium package has been the most successful, and users are getting about $2 worth of bank services for every $1 they spend for the bundled package. Univest also partnered with a local AT&T distributor to offer all of its small-business customers cheaper cell phone rates. Essentially Univest negotiated a group discount that allows its customers to save between 10% and 30% on their cell phone bills. The benefits have been an attention-getter, Connelly says. Some customers are initially skeptical of the offer, but more often they are intrigued. Noncustomers wonder why their bank isn't offering something similar. "As we went down this path, we knew we needed to be more holistic," Connelly says. "We could continue to just be traditional bankers, but I don't think we would have been happy long term." The grand theme of the 2016 presidential election is that voters are flocking to candidates who oppose the "Establishment." The champions of this crusadecome from everywhere: Rand Paul, Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump, just to name a few. But is anyone really running against the real Establishment in America? Surely the Establishment means those protected elitists who run, without accountability, America. So who are these folks? Big Academia ought to top the list. Hillary and Bernie are both falling over themselves to promise free college educations, but neither is willing to address why poor and middle-class families have to mortgage their futures for the dubious benefit of a college degree. The professorial class lives like medieval nobility, condescending occasionally and conspicuously to do a bit of work and extracting a great price for these lame efforts. Why not, instead of subsidizing Big Academia, create a way for anyone of any age to acquire by testing almost any college degree he might seek? Why not also pay the huge pool of unemployed older Americans who have no money, lots of time, and a life of practical experience to educate, at a cost much less than a college credit hour, any willing students? Give hope, in one reform, to those facing the gargantuan cost of a college education with a very cheap alternative, and give meaningful jobs to all those unemployed Americans who have worked in truly productive jobs. Big Bureaucracy ought to be next on the list. Consider the obscenity of Veterans Administration executives getting tens of millions in bonuses while they preside over the most criminally neglectful agency in government. Consider the IRS executives who conveniently destroy every record of their misconduct. Consider the State Department bureaucrats who cannot produce, even under court order, emails that are the property of the people. Why not reform the Civil Service System so that any employee can be fired at any time, while replacements can be hired only through the merit system, which would keep the spoils systems dead and make every civil servant an at-will employee? Why not why in Heaven's name not abolish every single independent regulatory agency as well, so that the law-making now done by these shadowy entities must be done, instead, by Congress and so that every action of these agencies, all of which are now effectively immune to sanction, would be owned politically by the president? Big Law is at least as bad as the prior two elements of the Establishment. When Chris Christie in the Republican debate said that the Kentucky court clerk must "obey the law," he revealed the grim reality that judges have unconstitutionally arrogated to themselves a power never given to them to make laws. When prosecutors indict those who reveal the crimes of Planned Parenthood while ignoring those sellers of baby parts, then the rottenness of the legal system ought to be clear for all to see. Why not pass a federal statute removing from all federal courts the subject matter jurisdiction to legislate in any way and make all public prosecutors personally liable for any bias in indicting or prosecuting individuals or organizations for political reasons? Why not create a process through which citizens by petition could convene a federal grand jury and also appoint a special federal prosecutor, independent of the Executive Branch, to prosecute any grand jury indictments? Finally, why is no one running against Big Washington? The wealthiest part of America, the part that luxuriates in prosperity while the rest of the land suffers, is the environs of Washington. While part of the answer is to remove power from the federal government, another part is to physically move federal offices and agencies throughout the nation so that the jobs and influence of the federal government can be shared by the rest of America. The next president might promise to have his federal residence in New Mexico, for example, and the next Congress might elect to meet in Wichita. The physical diffusion of federal administration would not only spread the rich lard of federal costs back to those regions that pay the taxes, but also compel federal gnomes to think more like real Americans. Everyone claims to be running on our behalf against the Establishment. What if some candidate actually did that? He could win a true mandate to really shake up the Establishment and produce the real and great reforms our nation needs. Many commentators and political pundits have wondered why Hillary Clinton who's hardly at the top of the public opinion polls for likability and trustworthiness has so intensely tied her campaign to Obama. After all, Obama's own popularity and trustworthiness ratings are anemic. In his final two years, he seems to be sliding into a morass of public unlikability. Of course, many lame-duck presidents decline in popularity during the "home stretch" of their presidencies, but Obama seems to be during worse than most. The highly regarded Rasmussen daily tracking poll for Friday, January 29, 2016 gives Obama a majority-negative ranking for job performance (50%). Twenty-eight percent of American voters strongly approve of the president's job performance, while 39% strongly disapprove of what Obama is doing as president. This, according to Rasmussen, gives Obama a "Presidential Approval Index" of negative 11. It doesn't get much worse than that. Yet in the face of that staggering disapproval, Hillary has done her best to join her campaign at the hip to the fading, failing Obama presidency. For instance, she has all but promised to deliver what would basically be a third Obama term, affirming the continuation of all of his hugely unpopular programs. This past week, she even suggested that the man who shreds the constitution before breakfast with his incessant series of clearly unconstitutional executive orders would make a great Supreme Court nominee. This strategy seems like a losing one, even within the ranks of Democrat primary voters. Obama's disapproval rankings are so low that the numbers must include Democrats as well as Republicans and independents. Why would anyone go so far as to sabotage her own campaign? Probably because she has an ulterior motive. When the State Department released the latest drip-drip-drip of classified emails from Hillary's server, I think we finally discovered the reason behind her sure-to-lose strategy. And we've also discovered that not only is the strategy sure to lose with voters, but it has now also "lost" with the one man it was targeted to court. Fox News reported: The intelligence community has deemed some of Hillary Clinton's emails "too damaging" to national security to release under any circumstances, according to a U.S. government official close to the ongoing review. A second source, who was not authorized to speak on the record, backed up the finding. Other sources cite that the classified document experts who have been screening Hillary's emails prior to their public dissemination have hit a brick wall. As Fox noted, some of her emails are "too damaging" to release. Not even redaction will sanitize these emails they are so deeply classified that someone who's previously hacked her email (but didn't realize what he had) could see the redacted email and figure out just how highly classified the original email was, or should have been. But that's just the start of the damage. Clearly unwilling to tie himself to Clinton even in the face of promises to keep all of his pet programs going, and even in the face of an offer to make Obama a Supreme Court justice the president is cutting his losses. And here's why. According to the Associated Press on January 29: The Obama administration confirmed for the first time Friday that Hillary Clinton's home server contained closely-guarded government secrets. (The Obama administration is) censoring 22 emails that contained material requiring one of the highest levels of classification. The Associated Press learned that seven email chains are being 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 State Department is also withholding eight email chains, totaling 18 messages, between President Barack Obama and Clinton. Regardless of subject, these emails are automatically classified at the highest level, "to protect the president's ability to receive unvarnished advice and counsel." This is exactly what Hillary had hoped to avoid the president has intervened, issuing statements through his staff that basically throw Hillary under the bus, admitting that wrongs were done and leaving it to her to sort them out. While the administration willingly threw Hillary under the bus, presidential spokesman Josh Earnest offered her a very limited, very qualified fig leaf. According to the National Review, when Earnest was asked, "Can you say with certainty and confidence that Secretary Clinton will not be indicted because of this email scandal?," Earnest replied: That will be a decision made by the Department of Justice and prosecutors over there[.] ... What I know that some officials over there have said is that she is not a target of the investigation. So that does not seem to be the direction that it's trending. But I'm certainly not going to weigh in on a decision or in that process in any way. That is a decision to be made solely by independent prosecutors but again, based on what we know from the Department of Justice, it does not seem to be headed in that direction. When you pare away the "happy talk," you can see that the White House is no longer standing behind its former secretary of state. When coupled with their announcement about the above-top-secret classified documents found on her server including highly classified exchanges with the president himself it's clear that Hillary is now twisting slowly, slowly in the wind, at least as far as President Obama is concerned. Apparently, promising to continue all of Obama's most cherished initiatives, as well as protecting his executive orders and even putting him forth as a nominee for the Supreme Court was, in the end, not a sufficient set of "inducements" to keep the president from piling on as Clinton tries to survive her self-inflicted email wounds. Separate reports published January 29 suggested that the FBI director wants to indict Clinton and a key staff member a "standard" tactic to encourage the staff member to testify against her boss in exchange for immunity. In addition to asking about presidential preferences, the Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll asked voters if they were bothered by certain information about the candidates. By far, the most bothersome bit of information tested about either candidate: "Donald Trump supports the use of eminent domain to take private property for public or private projects, with compensation to the landowners." Presented with this information, 60 percent of Republican voters said it bothered them, compared with 35 percent who said it did not. As we approach the Iowa caucus one line of criticism seems to be sticking to Trump, but it is only one example of his modus operandi: enrich himself at the expense of the people. Philip Klein of the Washington Examiner reports that one ad critical of Donald Trump is resonating with Iowans as the primary battles begins in earnest: Eminent domain is a big issue in Iowa, where projects involving the government seizure of private property have drawn the ire of farmers. As my colleague Al Weaver reported last week, Trump touted the use of eminent domain in an area where farmers have been protesting a proposed regional airport that would involve land seizures. Driving around Iowa over the past few days, I've noticed a number of signs on farms on the side of the road reading, "Stop Eminent Domain Abuse." But Trump's defense of eminent domain goes beyond even situations in which it's being used for public use. As a casino owner, he tried to use government power to take away the home of a wealthy widow for a fraction of what she had been offered for the property in order to build a limo parking lot for one of his Atlantic City properties. Donald Trump deployed all his forces and political connections to try to take away the home of a then-elderly widow, Vera Coking, where she had lived for decades. Corkings lawyers charged that when she resisted, his construction crews continually vandalized her house. Trump exercised his pull with the government to use eminent domain to try to evict her and take over her house. Vera fought back in the truest American tradition and the Superior Court of New Jersey ruled against Trump and his friends in the government agency that tried to take the house from Vera. She later called Trump a maggot, a cockroach and crumb. Trump has subsequently fictionalized this true blight on his record by telling a lie about what had transpired that, of course, burnished his own shameful record. In a previous column of mine (Is Trump a Democrat?) I also pointed out that his stance on eminent domain was just one reason to question his bona fides as a conservative. Abuse of eminent domain is also one more example that his primary role has been that of a crony capitalist -- the antithesis of being for the little guy. He has routinely used the tricks of he crony capitalist trade, including supporting the bailout and stimulus boondoggle that American taxpayers will be paying off for decades to come (but that helped save his -- or his dads -- real estate empire) and currying favor with Democrats, including the Clintons -- plying them not just with fulsome praise but showering money on them and their so-called foundation. Indeed, his entire history belies his claim to care about anyone other than himself. This abuse of the little guy is part of pattern with the billionaire heir from New York. Columnist Ross Douthat suggested in The Way to Stop Trump that critics focus on how often he has screwed the little guy as con men are wont do to do. Qhen Trump started appearing at conventions to pitch get rich quick deals I was often puzzled. Was he so greedy that he would collect millions from the gullible who fall victim to this sort of hucksterism? Apparently the answer is ye -- -or maybe he just so loves the spotlight he calculated the spillover effect would help him sell Trump cologne, Trump hotels and casinos and Trump Air and whatever doodads and shtick he pasted his name to over the years, Douthat pointed out other examples of the con man who suckers people out of their money -- and in the months to come their votes. He counsels the campaign strategy for other GOP candidates to follow, and that we can count on the Democrat nominee to use if Trump gets the Republican nod. Tell people that he isnt the incredible self-made genius that he plays on TV. Tell them about all the money he inherited from his daddy. Tell them about the bailouts that saved him from ruin. Tell them about all his cratered companies. Then find people who suffered from those fiascos workers laid off following his bankruptcies, homeowners who bought through Trump Mortgage, people who ponied up for sham degrees from Trump University. What was Trump University? It might as well have been named Screw U. That venture was a scam that took many millions of dollars from people who were fraudulently promised Trump would run a real estate program that would make them rich. The reality, as outlined by New Yorks Attorney General: people were fleeced: According to Schneiderman, more than 5,000 people paid Trump University some $40 million, a quarter of which went straight to Trump himself. "Mr. Trump used his celebrity status and personally appeared in commercials making false promises to convince people to spend tens of thousands of dollars they couldn't afford on lessons they never got," Schniederman said in a press release. In the filing, he accuses Trump University of "deceptive acts and practices," false advertising, "operating an unlicensed private school," refusing to provide mandated refunds, and other misdeeds. Nine specific allegations were charged, andthey do not make pleasant reading about the man who supposedly stands up for the little guy, but actually only cares about the man who looks at in the gilded mirrors that no doubt line the walls of his numerous mansions and high-rise condos. Trump has latched onto the care of veterans to build support -- and they well deserve it because our nation has treated veterans shamefully over the years. But how truthful are his claims of concern? His much heralded Trump charity has barley supported them, despite his claims to the contrary. His Donald J. Trump Foundation (couldnt he name it after his parents, the source of his wealth?). Emily Canal of Forbes reported of this miserly history: The Donald J. Trump Foundation has donated $5.5 million to 298 charities between 2009 and 2013 (the most recent year available), according to the non-profit's 990 tax forms from those years. Of that, only $57,000 has been donated to seven organizations that directly benefit military veterans or their families, Forbes found. Wounded Warriors was not among the organizations Trump's foundation gave to in that time period. Some veterans say that the billionaire has been AWOL when it comes to helping veterans. "Donald Trump is not a leader in veterans' philanthropy, unless he's donated a lot of money that nobody knows about," Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told the New York Times in July. "We were founded in New York. We are headquartered in New York. I've been here 10 years, and I don't think I've ever even seen Donald Trump." Trump has converted his business failures into clever triumphs over the banks and investors who entrusted their money to him. He used bankruptcy laws to escape responsibility for his debts. That option is sometimes is necessary for individuals -- that is why the laws exist. But has anyone pointed out that these actions have harmed the little guy to benefit the billionaire? Who were his investors? Pension funds of workers, retirement plans, 401K owners, and shareholders who owned stock in the banks he left holding the bag for his mistakes. Did any bank executives ever lose their jobs -- ever get the message Youre Fired for trusting Trump? Incidentally, didnt he take delight as Theodore Roosevelt might say whenever he humiliated people on his television show by dressing them down publicly and then delectably declaring Youre Fired? Who can have fun firing people? Didnt Romney get excoriated by Democrats by foolishly announcing he liked firing people when hey didnt perform? Romneys statement was misused by Democrats but the damage was done. There are dozens of dozens of clips of Trump gleefully firing people on national television. Anyone who has ever been demoted, criticized, or fired by a boss -- or had a loved one suffer such indignities -- will be bombarded by stories of Trump making life miserable for the little people he has fired on his show (and off his show, too). How many people were laid off by Trump over the years? One can rest assured that Democrats will have a field day should Trump win the primary or run as a third-party candidate. No doubt they are salivating now. So Iowans and all people should be forewarned. You are entrusting your precious support and vote for a man who has fraudulently represented himself as someone standing up for the little guy. In reality, he has only cared about the man whose name he emblazons on every item he could. His campaign is not about you -- it is about him. And he will screw you, as he always has done. Three feet of snow on the streets of New York and Washington is mocking global warming alarmists. The natural sciences tell us that the alarmists got everything wrong: anthropogenic carbon release is not dangerous or even harmful, but extremely beneficial. 15% of the worlds agricultural production is due to the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the air. Whats more, the global mean temperature has not been increasing for 19 years, and the slight warming expected from the emission of the infra-red absorbing gases is expected to be beneficial in itself. And contrary to the alarmists claims, ocean water is alkaline, not acidic. See this short summary of science for more. Listing all the scientific errors made by the alarmists would take many pages, not to mention their logical fallacies, economic delusions, civic blunders, etc. So how did it happen that such a worthless agenda became so powerful? In large degree, its because it was worthless! The weakness (or absence) of scientific support behind climate alarmism became its political strength. Normally, political issues are real, in the sense that they represent real problems or real conflicts in society. Real issues -- drug addiction, poverty, illness, or abortion -- allow people to express different views or to take different sides. But the issue that gave birth to climate alarmism is different: the alleged problem (possible harm or danger from carbon dioxide emissions) simply does not exist. Most people are not interested in imaginary problems, and quite a few scientists, statesmen, and journalists came to the correct conclusion that the carbon dioxide/global warming/climate change problem did not exist. Naturally, they did not participate in research or discussion on this topic, which allowed those who believed in the alleged problem to monopolize the topic. And the more strongly somebody believed, the stronger his or her voice was in the discussion. This happened even before they gain enough power and money to chase away sceptics or buy supporters. Let me clarify a few points before I get into the history. Climate change is real. The climate change problem is not. Scientists have opposed climate alarmism from the beginning to protect the integrity of science. Some of them recognized the alarmism as a problem in itself. Good, competent people passed on addressing the alleged climate problem because they were not convinced of its significance, especially compared with other changes happening in the world. That said, even if all the reasonable scientific uncertainties were resolved in favor of alarmism, and even if we accepted many of the alarmist fallacies, that still wouldnt justify the alarm. It all started in the 1970s, when the possibility of global warming from anthropogenic release of carbon dioxide was seriously addressed as a potential concern. At that time there were significant scientific uncertainties regarding the issue, so some scientists concluded that some concern was justified, while others concluded that it was not. The government tried to convene a group of top scientists to consider this potential concern. But top scientists can choose what to work on, so there was considerable self-selection: the concerned scientists were overrepresented in the discussion, while the skeptical views were underrepresented. One result of this self-selection: in 1979 both the Charney and MacDonald (JASON) committees, apparently working independently of each other, arrived at the same climate sensitivity value, almost double the number that Guy Callendar calculated in 1938. And Callendar's result was more accurate! But so far, so good -- no real harm done, just an interesting social dynamic that can be recognized only in hindsight. Scientists who expressed concerns did so because they developed or accepted theories exaggerating the possible negative consequences of CO 2 . This led to a one-sided selection of the science as well: more alarming climate theories, models, and scenarios received broader consideration than non-alarming ones. Despite this adverse selection and exaggerated estimate of the climate sensitivity, neither committee sounded alarm or recommended that the government take any action but to continue research. Then, for no good reason, Congress authorized the Carbon Dioxide Assessment Committee (CDAC), and tasked it with a comprehensive evaluation of the possible dangers from CO 2 release. Naturally, CDAC had to consider (or even develop) the most alarming theories and scenarios. In 1983 CDAC delivered what became known as Nierenberg Report, advising concern, not panic and rejecting climate alarmism once again. Unfortunately, UN agencies and environmental NGOs (mostly of foreign origin) picked up the issue and started running with it. There was no shadow of good faith in the way in which they handpicked experts from the environmentalist movement and from the bottom of the scientific establishment, fishing for yes-men worldwide. These bottom-dwellers went on cherry picking not only the data, but even the physical effects. This was not hard, because the real scientists and those who cared to consult them were staying out of the topic, rather than opposing the alarmist agenda. As Richard Lindzen wrote in 1992: "As most scientists concerned with climate, I was eager to stay out of what seemed like a public circus." Cherry picking was made easier by the huge amounts of money lavished on climate science starting in the 1980s. It might sound surprising today, but the alarmists announced "scientific consensus" as early as 1988, following the infamous Toronto Conference. After that, the intimidation and persecution of openly dissenting scientists started. From the same article by Lindzen: "But in the summer of 1988 Lester Lave, a professor of economics at Carnegie Mellon University, wrote to me about being dismissed from a Senate hearing for suggesting that the issue of global warming was scientifically controversial. I assured him that the issue was not only controversial but also unlikely. In the winter of 1989 Reginald Newell, a professor of meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, lost National Science Foundation funding for data analyses that were failing to show net warming over the past century. Reviewers suggested that his results were dangerous to humanity." Thus, fear of retaliation buttressed the normal reluctance of competent scientists to engage with a non-existing problem. When Al Gore became Vice President in 1993, all hell broke loose, but thats a story for another article. It looks like the climate alarmists understood how lucrative the pursuit of imaginary problems could be for them. Many environmentalist scares started as similarly non-existent issues, which only became real (in the sense defined above) when lawmakers tried to address them. The proposed laws naturally affected the public, thus creating an opposition. In many cases the enviros won anyway, but at least there was a fight. It seems like the climate alarmists learned from that experience, so they started proposing solutions so unrealistic that they were beyond sane discussion. One example is their crowning demand to keep future Earth temperature change below 2C forever. Do they really think that humans control Earths temperature? At COP21, they went even further and tightened this "goal" to 1.5C. Another example is the call to lower CO 2 in the air to 350 ppm, down from the current 400 ppm. 350.org, one of the most visible alarmist organizations, took its name from this number. When the Senate rejected the Kyoto protocol before it was even signed (with a 95-0 vote), it removed this alleged problem from the table for some time, but let it keep its cloak of effective obscurity. In the absence of any organized opposition, the alarmists were able to appoint an enemy at will. They selected fossil fuel corporations as the strawman target. Energy and oil companies have no more interest in opposing climate alarmism than anybody else, are forbidden from opposing it by laws and court decisions, suffer from negative public image, and present an attractive target for trial lawyers. The fate of British Petroleum (BP) following the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion is an illustration of how vulnerable our society is to political attacks on its energy suppliers. Unlike climate change, climate alarmism is a problem, a large and underestimated social problem, not something confined to the energy sector. Its fingerprints are everywhere, from corruption of American universities and scientific institutions to the extreme political polarization. Trying to minimize economic damages is not enough - we should address the problem itself. Further reading: Richard Lindzen. Global Warming: The Origin and Nature of the Alleged Scientific Consensus, 1992. This short article contains firsthand witness testimony on how climate science was subverted by Climatism. Lindzens succinct analysis is still relevant today. If you want to read only one article on the origins of the climate hysteria, this is the one. Rupert Darwall. The Age of Global Warming: A History, 2014. A book about the history of climate politics, written from a neutral perspective. Ari Halperin researches and writes about climate alarmism as a complex and dangerous phenomenon. Congressman Darrell Issa has predicted that Hillary and Huma will never be indicted for leaking top-secret information through their illegal email scam. "I think the FBI director would like to indict both Huma and Hillary as we speak," the Republican heavyweight told the Washington Examiner Thursday[.] ... "I think he's in a position where he's being forced to triple-time make a case of what would otherwise be, what they call, a slam dunk[.] You can't have 1,300 highly sensitive emails that contain highly sensitive material that's taken all, or in part from classified documents, and have it be an accident[.] There's no question, she knew she had a responsibility and she circumvented it. And she circumvented it a second time when she knowingly let highly-classified material get onto emails in an unclassified format." Issa's comments come just two days after former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, claimed he has friends in the FBI who "tell [him] they're ready to indict and they're ready to recommend an indictment. ... They also say that if the attorney general does not indict, they're going public," DeLay said Tuesday during an interview on Newsmax TV. If H&H are not indicted soon, FBI and DOJ career lawyers may retaliate by leaking additional evidence about Hillary's criminal, irresponsible, and dangerous malfeasance in high office. Hillary is therefore deeply implicated in the worst hostile penetration of the U.S. government since Stalin. Huma's lifelong collaboration with the Nazi-era Muslim Brotherhood has been thoroughly documented. Four Americans died in Benghazi while Hillary and Obama dodged their constitutional responsibility to order U.S. rescue forces to knock down attackers belonging to al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) apparently because Obama was convinced he could do a deal with al-Qaeda. We know how well that worked out. Our Cairo embassy was assaulted by an organized jihad mob on the same day 9/11/12 and the Ikhwan was almost certainly involved in both assaults. Mohammed Morsi, the Ikhwan chieftain, was president at that time and was therefore responsible under international law for protecting the American embassy in Cairo. We now know a great deal about Hillary's email scam, but we do not know the most crucial pieces namely, who received Hillary's and Huma's secret emails? Emails have recipients. In the case of the Clintons, they also have quid pro quos. When Hillary's confidants deliberately removed USG classification markers from the State Department's secure email system, they engaged in criminal violations of the U.S. Code, including forgery by deletion of legally required classification labels. Others, like General Petraeus, have been convicted for far less egregious violations of law. The Constitution states that impeachment and trial by the Senate apply to the secretary of state (Article II). If we had a U.S. Congress worth its salt, Hillary would already be in the dock. We have not been told yet who received Hillary's emails. But we can make reasonable guesses, because we know the Clintons. They will happily sell out national security for big money, just as in Bill's eight years. The Clintons welcomed White House visitors with known links to the Chinese mafia, because they were shielded by the most treacherous and corrupt media in American history. Without media collusion, the Clintons would have been gone long ago, along with the Obamas. But Clinton/Obama sleaze reflects the entire Democrat/RINO/media complex. The fish rots from the head and from the tail. So where did Hillary and Huma send those emails? Here are some guesses. 1. To Bill Clinton, who was almost certainly in collusion with H&H, and to Sid "Vicious" Blumenthal. 2. To the Saudis, including Walid Bin Talal and Mohammed Salman, the new "defense minister" of Saudi Arabia, who is the very aggressive power behind the Saudi king. (King Salman is said to be suffering from senile dementia). The former head of the Wahhabi priesthood just told the world that ISIS's bloodthirsty campaign is following religiously sanctioned jihad. Just to give you some idea about our friends the Saudis, they are unbelievably primitive. Other likely email recipients: 3. Jihad supporters in Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE. 4. The mullahs and their enablers in Iran and Dubai. 5. European politicians and businesses who made big money from Obama's surrender to Iranian nukes. Germany has tripled its nuclear machinery sales to Iran since Obama's surrender "agreement." 6. George Soros, the biggest string-pulling money man in the Democratic Party. 7. Above all, the Muslim Brotherhood, including Huma's family, a major jihadist network with tentacles in Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Libya, Turkey, and other Sunni countries. The mass murderers of ISIS are also a product of the Ikhwan, the Muslim Broederbund, along with Gulf oil kleptocracies. Early in this administration, Obama supported the Egyptian Ikhwan in its successful effort to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak. The coup against Mubarak was then reversed by Egypt's political-military establishment, which is all too familiar with the murderous fanaticism of the Moobs. Today a mainstream political general, El-Sisi, has taken over in Egypt, and the regime is at open war with the Ikhwan, which also spawned Hamas and forty years ago assassinated Anwar Sadat for making peace with Israel. The Ikhwan is now allied with ISIS in the Sinai Desert, whence it launches attacks on Egypt. Just as there is no doubt whom Obama and Hillary were helping in the Benghazi betrayal, there is no doubt who their friends are in the email scam. Some reports claim that Obama's own email practices are just as shady as Hillary's, which puts the White House in yet another flaming conflict of interest. The email scam displays a mix of gross incompetence and criminal intent that is typical of the Obama/Clinton years. They simply don't care, because they know they have establishment protection. The U.S. has had similar periods of corruption after the Civil War, for example. But we were not a nuclear power then, and post-Civil War corruption did not endanger the entire world. Today's Obama/Clinton sleaze is closely linked to Obama's destruction of sixty years of Pax Americana, which has already killed hundreds of thousands in Syria. Bare-faced violations of law at the top also corrupt and demoralize other levels of government, as well as those who depend on the United States to say alive in an increasingly dangerous world. Did Hillary just offer Obama a bribe in front of the entire world? Clinton campaign events are known for being highly scripted and at least some questions from Hillarys audiences most certainly are plants, providing the candidate a setup to respond in such a way as to make her look like a really nice, downhome person or really on top of a particular subject. Such was the situation recently when a questioner at a Hillary Q&A seemingly admitted that he had been given his softball question for the frontrunner about which former president she most admired. Such situations are not new for Hillary with charges of planted questions arising in all of her past and current campaigns. With that in mind, one has to be very suspicious of the recent question asked of Hillary about whether she would consider appointing Obama to the Supreme Court if she becomes president. We all know Hillary is a less than skilled public speaker so the feigned surprise she shows at the question and her prepared response are far from genuine: "Wow, what a great idea. No one has ever suggested that to me, I love that, wow. He may have a few other things to do but I tell you that's a great idea." Sorry, Hill, while your acting skills just arent up to carrying that off as being a spontaneous occurrence, thats only part of the problem because Im sure I wasnt the only American watching that arranged exchange whose initial response was, Whoa, did I just hear the Democrat frontrunner for president float a bribe to the sitting Democrat President of the United States right in front of the entire world? Anyone watching could see the unspoken implication was, Hey, Barack, make sure no indictment prevents my election and one of the most coveted, lifetime positions in the world can be yours when your presidential term is over, wink, wink. While that, folks, was even less subtle than dragging a hundred dollar bill through a trailer park, you do have to admire the way it was set up so as to shield Clinton from any political charge of attempted bribery or obstruction of justice by her opponents. Unsurprisingly it comes on the heels of Hillarys recent proclivity to gushingly praise the Obama presidency whereas earlier shed done everything possible to distance herself from that failed administration. Pundits mull that changing position as being an attempt to stay ahead of her uber-liberal opponent, Bernie Sanders. Cynics like me see it as a naked attempt to stay ahead of an obviously justified indictment from the Obama Justice Department. Whether or not that indictment ultimately happens while Obama is in office is clearly freighted with such enormous political weight that crudely dangled bribes for a cushy sinecure arent likely to affect it. Besides, Hillary, Supreme Court Justices probably dont get enough time on the links to appeal to Barack Obama; plus they are based in Washington, D.C. not Oahu. Nice try though; at least we know you Clintons are still dragging those hundred dollar bills, so to speak. The Woods daughter was forced to profess and to write out the Shahada in worksheets and quizzes. The Shahada is the Islamic Creed, There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. For non-Muslims, reciting the statement is sufficient to convert one to Islam. Moreover, the second part of the statement, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, signifies the person has accepted Muhammad as their spiritual leader. The teenager was also required to memorize and recite the Five Pillars of Islam. The Thomas More Law Center, which is a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has filed (1/27/16) a federal lawsuit on behalf of former Marine, John Kevin Wood, and his wife, Melissa, who refused to allow their teenage daughter to be subjected to Islamic indoctrination and propaganda in her high school World History class. The lawsuit was filed against the Charles County Public Schools, the Board of Education, and the Principal and Vice-Principal of La Plata High School located in La Plata, Maryland. Among the facts that the students had to learn are the following: Islam, at heart, is a peaceful religion To Muslims, Allah is the same God that is worshiped in Christianity and Judaism. Radical Islamist fundamentalists are opposed to Western civilizations way of life and imperialist pursuits Jihad: a holy war waged on the behalf of Islam as a religious duty; a personal struggle in devotion to Islam, especially involving spiritual discipline No where (sic) in the Koran does it say you will go to paradise if you martyr yourself with a suicide bomb. To comment on the first two. Islam, at heart, is a peaceful religion True if the pre-Medina (Muhammads first battlefield victory) verses are cited Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His path, and who receive guidance. (16:125) Nor can goodness and evil be equal. Repel (evil) with what is better. (41:34) False if post-Medina verses are cited: But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them: for God is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (9:5) Fight those who believe not in God nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by God and His Apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book (Christians and Jews), until they pay the jizya [tribute] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (9:29). Historically, blatantly false. In fact, right after Mohammeds death (632), Caliph Omar launched the Muslim conquests: Syria was conquered around 636, Egypt 641, Mesopotamia and the Persian Empire, 650. By the early 8th century, all of north Africa and Spain to the west, and the lands of central Asia and India to the east, were also brought under Islamic suzerainty. All by the sword. The laughable disclaimer is that all were first offered conversion to Islam or dhimmitude (jizya) and therefore they chose to be conquered. To Muslims, Allah is the same God that is worshiped in Christianity and Judaism. This can be given the short shrift. The God of Islam is an Old Testament-based God: a vengeful, unforgiving, controlling God who demanded obedience and submission. What Islam adds is world domination. By contrast the God of the New Testament is a God of love and forgiveness. As an Old Testament-based God, Allah cares not a whit for your heartfelt beliefs or love. It is submission and obedience or punishment. Even the fact sheet from La Plata got that one right: Islam: submission to the will of Allah Muslim: one who has submitted But the real problem in high school education is the presumption that students should be educated (indoctrinated?) by being given the Board of Education version of the most accurate distilled truth -- that students cant handle controversy. How about being given the pros and cons of claims made about culture and history. Fine. Present the claim that Islam is the religion of peace. But then give the arguments pro and con. The idea that a fair-minded committee should feed the students the final distilled version of the truth is a recipe for indoctrination, not education. To end on a humorous if woeful note, one of the positive points about Islam the students at La Plata high school had to learn is the following: Islam is a peaceful religion and they treated conquered nations with kindness and respect. Mount Thor, officially called the Thor Peak, in Auyuittuq National Park, on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada, is a granite peak that features the worlds tallest purely vertical drop. The drop measures 1250m and angles inwards at 105 degrees making it more of an overhang. To put the height in context, the Eiffel Tower is 324m, the Empire State Building is 381m, the CN Tower is 553m, and the Burj Khalifa 828m. Mount Thor is part of the Baffin Mountains which in turn form part of the Arctic Cordillera mountain range. The mountain is made of granite and is the most famous of Canada's mountains named "Thor". Despite the fact the mountain is in a remote area, it's a popular destination for avid mountain climbers. Mount Thor was first climbed in 1965 during the Alpine Club of Canada by an expedition led by Pat Baird. In July 2006, the first successful longest rappel was set on Mount Thor by an American team. Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit For the last 150 years archeologists have been digging up a peculiar class of objects in north-east Scotland. They are small carved stone balls of a relative similar size and decorated with carved evenly-spaced patterns of circular bosses or knobs around the surface of the sphere. Some balls have as few as three knobs, while some have up to one hundred-sixty, but mostly they have six knobs. Some of the knobs are further decorated with spirals or concentric circles and some have patterns of straight incised lines and hatchings. The absence of damage or any sign of use on these carved balls or the context in which they have been found have been baffling archeologists because they are unable to tie these objects to a specific function. Some believe these carved balls served simply as totems of power and prestige, yet their precise symmetrical form cannot be ignored. So far over 400 stone balls have been discovered and nearly all of them conform to a type of geometrical form known as Platonic solid, suggesting that the knowledge of geometry prevailed as early as the Neolithic age. The Towie ball. The Platonic solids are prominent in the philosophy of Plato. He taught that these five solids were the core patterns of physical creation, associating each form to the four classical elements (earth, air, water, and fire), while the fifth one was held to be the building block of heaven itself. Examples of Platonic solids in nature are plenty crystal structures, many viruses, and the arrangement of atoms in a molecule. One of the most outstanding specimen is the so called Towie ball, so named because it was found in Towie, in Aberdeenshire. It is believed to date from about 2500 BC. This carved stone ball is about three inch in diameter and has four knobs, three of them decorated with spirals or dots and rings. The designs closely resemble those pecked into the stones of the passage mound at Newgrange in Ireland. In my view, these Neolithic people were experimenting with solid geometry and making wonderful finds, writes Ian Begg, a retired Scottish architect, who is currently designing a planetarium whose structure will be based on these mysterious carved stones. These stone balls are very important and shows what weve seen demonstrated by Pythagorus nearly 2,000 years after the Scots, he said. Not everyone believes the stones were created specifically to study geometry. Some say the balls were used as bolas a kind of trap made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, designed to capture animals by entangling their legs, while others suggest they served as movable poises on a primitive weighing machine, or in the working of hides. The purpose of the balls are still a mystery. Sources: www.ashmolean.org / Ancient Wisdom / www.ianbeggarchitect.co.uk / Wikipedia Samsungs Unpacked 2016 event has already been rumored for a little while to happen either on February 20th or February 21st, and earlier this morning a leaked image teased that Samsung would be unveiling the next Galaxy on February 21st, further suggesting that the 21st was the actual day of their upcoming Unpacked event. That day has now been confirmed by Samsung as they have just sent out invites to the press for the event stating that their next Galaxy Unpacked happens on the 21st of next month, and that doors will be opening promptly at 6PM CET with the event starting 7PM CET. While Samsung (for obvious reasons) doesnt give any details up about what they will be unveiling, the words Galaxy on the event invitation image makes it pretty clear what the star of the show is going to be. This means that in three weeks Samsung will be showing off their latest and greatest flagship device which should include the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge variant. In addition to the invites being sent out to press, Samsung has also posted a YouTube video on their Samsung Mobile page which also confirms the February 21st event date. Advertisement The short video shows an individual placing a Gear VR headset on and then reaching forward to grab a cube shaped object in the virtual reality space. While this video could mean nothing and its just Samsungs way of announcing the event date and time, its also possible that it suggests they will be setting the event up to be viewed in virtual reality, although this is simply a guess with no details to support or confirm the notion. While its now confirmed that the public will get to see the Galaxy S7 and possible variants at Galaxy Unpacked 2016 in just a few weeks, no actual details about the devices are known just yet, however, Samsung states that users should be ready to rethink what a phone can do. This statement in itself suggests that the Galaxy S7 will have som potentially compelling and interesting features that users will want to get their hands on. While no one has seen the Galaxy S7 officially yet, a pair of leaked press renders from a couple of days ago could have showcased what the design of the phone will look like. https://youtu.be/3g3O94WALV8 Xiaomi Mi 5 is definitely one of the most anticipated devices this year. Xiaomis new flagship has been rumored for quite some time now, and most of us were expecting it to launch last year considering its predecessor arrived in July 2014. That being said, Xiaomi has confirmed that the Mi 5 will be announced on February 24th, both in China and Barcelona during MWC. The first confirmation came from the companys Senior Vice President, Liwan Jiang. Speaking of Mr. Jiang, he just release yet another interesting piece of information, read on. We already know that the Mi 5 will be fueled by the Snapdragon 820 SoC, one of the companys execs confirmed that quite recently. Well, mr. Jiang has just confirmed yet another piece of info, and its a rather surprising one. According to him, the Mi 5 will ship with a 1080p display, not a QHD one. Some rumors were saying that the Mi 5 will sport both 1080p and QHD display variants, but it seems like XIaomi has opted to include a fullHD panel only. The companys Senior VP also mentioned Black Screen Technology which will, presumably, also be a part of the Mi 5. Now, were not sure what Xiaomis Senior VP meant by Black Screen Technology, but were assuming hes pointing towards an OLED panel, or something of the sort. As you all know, OLED panels provide great contrast, and have deep black colors. Advertisement According to the info we have thus far, the Xiaomi Mi 5 will sport a 5.1 or 5.2-inch 1080p (1920 x 1080) display, along with 3 / 4GB of RAM and various internal storage options. The device will be fueled by the Snapdragon 820 SoC, along with an Adreno 530 GPU for graphics. Some rumors said that Xiaomi will opt to release both the all-metal and glass + metal variants of this device, but well see. The 3,600mAh battery has also been mentioned, and you can expect this phone to come with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, with Xiaomis MIUI 7 OS on top of it. The physical home button will probably also be included, at least according to leak, and same can be said for a fingerprint scanner. The Samsung Galaxy S7 announcement event is right around the corner, the company has confirmed that theyll hold their Unpacked press event on February 21st. Now, the timing of this event goes hand-in-hand with the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, which is something Samsung does every year. The company will most probably announce the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge devices at the event, thought the Galaxy S7 Edge+ might make an appearance as well. While were waiting for Samsung to unveil their new flagship offerings, were here to talk about the Galaxy Note 5, the companys current flagship phablet. The Galaxy Note 5 has been around for quite some time now, and it seems like Samsung is looking to promote their brand even further in their homeland, South Korea. The company has partnered up with SK Telecom, which is the largest mobile carrier in the country, and will provide free Galaxy Note 5 devices to tourists who are visiting South Korea. This promotion will kick off at the end of this month, and the tourists will be allowed to use the device for up to 5 days. Along with the device, they will also get 1GB of free mobile data. Now promotion is actually a part of the program which promotes South Koreas top-tier mobile tech. Samsung and SK Telekom have also partnered up with Korea Tourism Organization in order to pull this off, and you can expect more promotion offers to come along in the coming months. The three parties actually plan to offer free smartphones and data to approximately 250 tourists a week, but they need to arrive to Korea via the Seoul-Incheon International Airport. Advertisement This is a sweet offer for tourists, and a great way for not only Samsung, but South Korea to promote themselves. The Galaxy Note 5 is quite a powerful handset, and the best Samsung has to offer at the moment. It is powered by the Exynos 7420 64-bit octa-core SoC, while it packs 4GB of RAM on the inside. The 16-megapixel OIS camera is placed on the back, and this phablet also comes with the S Pen stylus, which is certainly one of its most unique features. Before the Finnish companys decline that started with the ageing Symbian OS, before they signed a deal with Microsoft that led to the companys exit from the smartphone business, Nokia was the name in cell phones. They might not have been all that big in North America, but across Europe and further afield, Nokia was the only brand of phone to own. Things have changed for the firm, but if you have as long a history in a particular field as Nokia, then youre sure to have a war chest of patents lying around to defend your name and innovations. Now, Nokia has finally settled a dispute with South Korean giant, Samsung, which will give Nokia a pretty big boost in terms of earnings. The International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (phew) has come to a decision concerning a case between Nokia and Samsung, and has awarded Nokia extra payment for patents used by Samsung outside of an already-existing license agreement starting January 1st 2014. This deal means that Samsung will have to pay Nokia up to the end of 2018, and Nokia have said that this will bring them an extra a1.02 billion ($1.1 billion) in revenue for 2015 and a further a1.3 billion ($1.4 billion) from 2016 to 2018. Despite this good news money for existing patents is always good news for a firm like Nokia shareholders and investors arent as happy as they thought they would be, and stocks have fallen by as much as 10%. Advertisement This is because analysts and shareholders were hoping for an increase of sales to a900 million, instead of the a800 million ($868 million) that this deal has resulted in. Of course, this is better than nothing, and it does show that Nokia can still bring in the cash from their some 30,000 or so patents. Nokia could be poised for a resurgence of sorts throughout 2016, and theyve already made their intentions clear to join the growing virtual reality market, and the firm will soon be allowed to market and sell smartphones under their own name again soon, with expectations of Android-powered devices like the Nokia N1 to hit the market. The Finnish firm will be in attendance during Mobile World Congress, so itll be interesting to see if they have anything new to announce. We recently covered how Samsungs approach to software used to be considered convoluted, confusing and resulted in a less than ideal situation for customers. Samsung itself has hinted that it will improve how competitive its products and services are in the 2015 Q4 results, but did not include any of the detail that we were hoping for. Instead, we appear set to see Samsung reinvent the user interface and applications present on a device well continue to see the TouchWiz user interface on Samsung Galaxy Android devices, plus Samsungs own applications competing with the Google equivalents. One of these competing applications is the web browser, while many other smartphone manufacturers prefer to include Google Chrome as their browser. Samsung is apparently preparing an update to their own web browser, bringing it to the fourth generation, in an attempt to lure customers into using the Samsung browser instead of Google Chrome. The fourth generation browser has been improved across the board and now boasts a higher compatibility with the world wide web standards than most other mobile browsers. It now also includes the ability to use ad-blocker plugins, but Samsung have not included their own technology and instead are leaving this up to third parties. Theres a privacy mode, which prevents the device from caching pages, cookies, passwords and histories when enabled. Furthermore, the browser will include access to the push notification parts of Android, meaning the browser can be used to receive updates (as Googles Chrome browser already does). This particular piece of functionality uses the Service Worker API, which also improves web application performance when in areas of slow, poor or intermittent connectivity of coverage. Samsung are integrating (presumably Samsung Galaxy only) sensor technology into the browser, such as the finger print scanner and other biometric sensors. These improvements, Samsung hopes, will be enough to prevent users from simply ticking set as default the first time he or she accesses a web site link from a brand new Galaxy S device and then tapping on the Google Chrome browser. Advertisement Samsung have said that their new browser concentrates on three key features: privacy, developers and virtual reality. Virtual reality is rapidly becoming a new battleground for the worlds mobile technology manufacturers and here, Samsung are setting up their browser to work with their Gear VR device. The idea here is that the Gear VR will be another platform for the browser and the source notes that this means the virtual reality device will provide an immersive internet experience and allow seamless connectivity and sharing of users information. Unfortunately, its not clear if the Samsung browser will work on non-Samsung hardware. One of the reasons why the Google Chrome browser has quickly become popular is because it is included onto most new devices and runs on almost every Android device from version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and later (although the later versions require Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and higher). Another reason is because it is available for other platforms and because it makes it easy to share web pages and bookmarks between devices. Its possible that many customers wont care too much for a few points difference in the world wide web compatibility score tests. Lets hope Samsungs focus on developers will open up the browser to other devices. Chinese smartphone market is still the largest smartphone market in the world. India has been growing at an incredible pace for quite some time now, but its still not close to China. This Asian country is home to a ton of smartphone manufacturing companies, which produce a significant number of devices every year. Huawei has actually managed to sell around 109 million smartphones globally last year, while Xiaomi hit the 70 million number. Oppo has shipped out 50 million devices, while Meizu managed to sell 20 million units. That being said, these are global numbers, and Strategy Analytics released some China-only sales number recently. According to the market analysts, Chinese smartphone shipments grew 3 percent annually, and have hit a record of 438 million shipped units in 2015. Xiaomi has managed to maintain the number one spot in China last year, with 17.5 million shipped smartphones, and 15% market share in Q4 2015. This means that Xiaomis shipments grew 11% annually. Huawei has shipped 17.9 million smartphones in Q4 2015, and has actually managed to top Xiaomi in that aspect last quarter. Now, as far as yearly shipments go, Strategy Analytics says that Xiaomi shipped 67.5 million units in China, and Huawei managed to sell 62.2 million devices. So, as you can see, Xiaomi is still the number one smartphone OEM in China, though Huawei si not that far behind. Things are significantly different when we look at global shipments, as Ive mentioned earlier in this article. Advertisement Now, if we take a look at results of other companies in 2015, well get to see that Apple actually took the 3rd place by shipping 49.5 million iPhone units, and the Cupertino giant is followed by Vivo and Oppo who managed to sell 36.7 and 33.2 million devices, respectively. Now, as far as market share goes, Xiaomi is also in the lead, and is followed by Huawei, Apple, Vivo and Oppo. Xiaomi holds 15.4% of the market, while the rest of the companies hold 14.2%, 11.3%, 8.4%, and 7.6%, respectively. Its a toss-up between Xiaomi and Huawei in China it seems, and it will surely going to be interesting to see what happens this year. Huawei has managed to grow immensely in 2015, and has become worlds third largest smartphone manufacturer. Xiaomi is planning to expand to a number of global markets this year, at least according to reports, so well see what happens. (ANSA) - Accra, February 1 - Premier Matteo Renzi said after meeting Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja Monday that "for too long Italy has neglected Africa, it has not considered it a priority while Italy must be a bridge with Africa". Renzi stressed that "international cooperation with Nigeria is a great priority". He said Nigeria "is a country full of resources and talent. "We are here to discuss investments but for me the most important thing are common values. "We must do everything possible to make this planet more humane". (ANSA) - Brussels, February 1 - A European Commission spokesperson on Friday said that the EU executive will decide whether it has granted Italy's request to have flexibility in the application of budget regulations for its spending on asylum seekers in "spring". The spokesperson added that the valuation will be made "on a case-per-case basis, ex post, on the basis of the expenditure undertaken". On Friday Italian Premier Matteo Renzi said after a bilateral meeting in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he hoped Brussels would give a response to Italy on the budget flexibility request this week. European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said that the EU executive stated in December that member States' contributions to a package of three billion euros in aid for Turkey in exchange for cooperation over the refugee crisis are excluded from deficit calculations. Italy has been accused of holding up the aid package. Premier Matteo Renzi had said the money must be outside the parameters of the Growth and Stability Pact. "The Commission had already clarified in December that the national contributions to the three-billion-euro fund for Turkey are not considered in the deficit calculations for the Stability and Growth Pact," Schinas said. (ANSA) - Brussels, January 29 - European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said Monday that the EU executive stated in December that member States' contributions to a package of three billion euros in aid for Turkey in exchange for cooperation over the refugee crisis are excluded from deficit calculations. Italy has been accused of holding up the aid package. Premier Matteo Renzi had said the money must be outside the parameters of the Growth and Stability Pact. "The Commission had already clarified in December that the national contributions to the three-billion-euro fund for Turkey are not considered in the deficit calculations for the Stability and Growth Pact," Schinas said. (ANSA) - Rome, February 1 - Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni has asked his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry for "maximum effort" in the search for Italian doctoral student Giulio Regeni. Regeni went missing in Cairo on January 25, the day of demonstrations marking the fifth anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution. Italy's Foreign Ministry announced the disappearance, which it said took place under "mysterious" circumstances, on Sunday. On the day of the demonstrations, Egyptian authorities arrested about a dozen people in the country's capital. (ANSA) - Rome, February 1 - Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti told French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian Monday that "Italy is not keeping its guard high against terrorism, but very high, I tell my French colleague". She said "we know the risks of the ISIS threat and the migration situation well. Italy is aware of its role. We are proud of what we are doing". Le Drian said Sunday that ISIS militants who may be lurking amid migrants travelling from Libya to Lampedusa represented a "great risk" for Europe. France and other countries have raised the possibility of a threat of ISIS members hiding among refugees travelling from Libya. (ANSA) - Accra, February 1 - Premier Matteo Renzi on Monday said Italy would make its contribution to aid for Turkey for the refugee crisis, ending resistance that had spurred friction with Brussels. "At this point we will give our contribution to Turkey to save human beings," Renzi said in Nigeria. "And we will make every effort to save human lives in the Mediterranean: we have saved, and we will continue to do so, thousands of lives while Europe turned the other way. Before the Stability (and Growth) Pact there is a pact of humanity". Earlier the European Commission clarified that, as stated in December, the aid for Turkey would be outside the parameters of the Stability and Growth Pact. (by Stefania Fumo). (ANSA) - Rome, February 1 - Premier Matteo Renzi set off on a mission to Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal on Monday. "If we want to fight poverty, uproot terrorism, and affirm shared values, Africa is our priority today," he wrote on his website. "We must do everything possible to make this planet more humane," he said in the Nigerian capital of Abuja after meeting with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. "Italy has neglected Africa for too long," he said. "International cooperation with Nigeria is a great priority... Nigeria is a country full of resources and talent. We are here to discuss investments, but for me the most important thing are common values". To this end, Renzi told Buhari that Italy stands with Nigeria in its battle against Islamist terror group Boko Haram, which is responsible for a string of atrocities in northern Nigeria where it is trying to carve out its own state. Voicing his condolences for a Boko Haram attack on Sunday that claimed 86 lives, including those of many children who were burned alive, Renzi said "we will destroy all forms of terrorism with determination". "We will back your leadership in the fight against terrorism," Renzi told Buhari. "Italy is with you, with your people, in the effort against the Boko Haram enemy". On the economic front, Renzi said Italy looks forward to economic collaboration with Nigeria in the energy, farming, logistics and infrastructure, and small and medium business sectors. "I consider the possibility of growth in energy and oil investments very positive - particularly with (Italian oil and gas giant) ENI - but also in infrastructure and logistics," he said. The two leaders agreed that "agriculture and small and medium businesses are a shared priority", said Renzi. "They are a very important asset for Italy," he explained. At the end of the first leg of his Africa tour, Renzi reaffirmed his commitment to helping Nigerian migrants in their home country. "Most immigrants who arrive in Italy by boat are from Nigeria," Renzi wrote on his Facebook page after leaving Abuja for Ghana. "To the kind souls who say 'let's help them in their own homelands' I say this what we're trying to do - but we do it by maintaining our sense of humanity, our values, our ideals: this is Italy's vocation". "We are departing Abuja for Ghana with a certainty," the premier wrote. "Winning the challenge against extremism in Nigeria and in this part of Africa is decisive for the future of the whole planet. Italy is here," the premier added. Renzi is due to end his Africa mission in Senegal. (see related)(ANSA) - Rome, February 1 - Premier Matteo Renzi reaffirmed his commitment to helping Nigerian migrants in their home country at the end of the first leg of his Africa tour on Monday. "Most immigrants who arrive in Italy by boat are from Nigeria: to the kind souls who say to us 'Let's help them in their own home' I say that is what we are trying to do," wrote Renzi in a post to his Facebook page after leaving the Nigerian capital Abuja for Ghana. "But we do it by maintaining our sense of humanity, our values, our ideals: this is Italy's vocation," he added. "We are departing Abuja for Ghana with a certainty," Renzi said. "Winning the challenge against extremism in Nigeria and in this part of Africa is decisive for the future of the whole planet. Italy is here," the premier added. Renzi is due to end his Africa mission in Senegal. (ANSA) - Rome, February 1 - Italy looks forward to economic collaboration with Nigeria in the energy, farming, logistics and infrastructure, and small and medium business sectors, Premier Matteo Renzi said Monday at a joint press conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in the capital city of Abuja. "I consider the possibility of growth in energy and oil investments very positive - particularly with (Italian oil and gas giant) ENI - but also in infrastructure and logistics," he said. The two leaders agreed that "agriculture and small and medium businesses are a shared priority", said Renzi. "They are a very important asset for Italy," he explained. (ANSA) - Rome, February 1 - Italian Premier Matteo Renzi on Monday said Italy would make its contribution to the Turkey refugee aid package, ending a weeks-long resistance that had sparked friction with Brussels. "At this point we will give our contribution to Turkey to save human beings," Renzi said on a visit to Nigeria, while insisting that the EU could open all the infringement procedures it liked for exceeding budget parameters but Italy would keep on saving lives in the Mediterranean. "We will make every effort to save human lives in the Mediterranean: we have saved, and we will continue to do so, thousands of lives while Europe turned the other way. Before the Stability (and Growth) Pact there is a pact of humanity". Renzi went on to say that all migrants are equal and Italy will not be provoked by the EU. "We think all migrants are equal," the premier said in the Nigerian capital. "To envisage treating differently the cost of saving Eritrean children seems absurd to me - just a bureaucratic perversion. "But we will not be provoked, in spite of the professional quarrelers in Brussels trying to relaunch from Brussels as though there were Serie A and Serie B lives". Earlier, Renzi had reiterated that Italy was no longer taking orders from the European Union, amid the fresh clash over the cost of coping with the migrant and refugee crisis. In his e-news, the combative premier asserted that far from following diktats from Brussels, Italy was now in fact leading the EU. The premier spoke as the European Commission made it clear that an aid package to Turkey for the refugee emergency was not to be counted in the Stability and Growth Pact. The EC also reminded Rome Monday that a decision on its request for budget flexibility will be made, along with the final verdict on the 2016 budget, in the spring. Italy is "no longer taking orders" from the EU, Renzi wrote on his website. "Reforms are now laws, and economic fundamentals have returned to a plus sign after three years of recession," he wrote. "We can go back to doing our job, which is to lead Europe - not to go take orders in some palace in Brussels". Italy is no longer indebted to Europe, Renzi went on. "For years, Italy was morally indebted to European institutions (and to) its own citizens, because it spoke of reforms it didn't carry out," he added. Italy has been quarreling with the European Commission recently over its veto of a fund for refugees in Turkey, saying it will only contribute to the fund if the EU agrees to free its spending on migrant rescue, processing and hosting from Stability Pact constraints. European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas, meanwhile, said that the EU executive stated in December that member States' contributions to the package of three billion euros in aid for Turkey in exchange for cooperation over the refugee crisis are excluded from deficit calculations. Italy has been accused of holding up the aid package, with Renzi saying the money must be outside the parameters of the Stability and Growth Pact. "The Commission had already clarified in December that the national contributions to the three-billion-euro fund for Turkey are notconsidered in the deficit calculations for the Stability and Growth Pact," Schinas said. Also Monday in Brussels, another European Commission spokesperson said that the EU executive will decide whether it has granted Italy's request to have flexibility in the application of budget regulations for its spending on asylum seekers in "spring". The spokesperson added that the valuation will be made "on a case-per-case basis, ex post, on the basis of the expenditure undertaken". On Friday Renzi said after a bilateral meeting in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he hoped Brussels would give a response to Italy on the budget flexibility request this week. Italy has also requested flexibility for the terrorism emergency, among other things. TUNIS - The University of Urbino in the Marche region through its Restauration and Conservation School of Cultural Heritage coordinated by Professor Laura Baratin is crossing Italian borders and landing in Tunisia within the framework of a EU-financed project for the creation of a new three-year degree on the Conservation and Restauration of Cultural Heritage in Euro-Mediterranean countries. Together with the University of Urbino - leading the project - there are other eleven bodies, two Italian ones UNIMED, (Union of the Universities of the Mediterranean and of Rome) IUAV, (MeLa Multimedia Laboratory of Venice), a Spanish one, the University of Barcelona, a French one, ENSAM-ARTS, (Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Arts et Metiers Paris Tech), six Tunisian universities, ISMTP, Universite de Tunis, UMA, Universite de la Manouba, UC, Universite de Sousse, UNIVGB, Universite de Gabes, USS, Universite de Sfax, UZ, Universite Zitouna, and the Ministry of Higher Education of Tunis. The project is financed with 1,133,506.64 Euros, of which 90% are supported by the European Commission within the framework of the Tempus programme. The project was presented at the Tunis Business School with diplomatic representatives of the embassies of the countries involved, INP, responsible for the protection of Tunisian heritage, ONAT, category association for artisinal handicraft, as well as a wide representation of teachers and students coming from all over Tunisia. A three-year degree developed by Tunisian universities with a common academic programme in the first year and a specific one in the following two was also presented. "This will guarantee a differentiation between schools as well as academic programmes focusing on a wide array of instruments supporting works of art, whether on stone, wood, paper, fabric or carpet", Professor Laura Baratin of University of Urbino's Restauration and Conservation School of Cultural Heritage told ANSAmed. By drawing academic programmes in line with European ones, the authorities decided to lend a hand to Tunisian students interested in continuing their two-year specialisation at European and Italian universities involved in the project and, in particular, in Urbano. Tempus Infobc is employing the European system for the accumulation and transfer of credits (ECTS) and the recognition of diplomas and qualifications. (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV - Russia has deployed a large number of warplanes and missile batteries at Latakia in Syria, where Moscow is supporting the regime of Bashar al-Assad, according to a series of satellite photographs to be shown Tuesday by the Israeli Fisher Institute at a conference on space research at Herzlyia. The photos show S400 missile batteries alongside SA22 missile systems. There are also 30 warplanes on runways. The Fisher Institute for strategic studies in the air and in space explained in a statement that the photographs it analysed were taken some days ago by the Israeli satellite Eros, which is managed by Isi (ImageSat International). According to the director of the space research centre Tal Inbar, the S400 batteries are now operational and SA22 Pantsyr batteries have been installed next to them - a reinforcement of defence measures that the Institute speculates may have been arranged for fear of an eventual military escalation against Turkey. On the day the photos were taken Russian warplanes on the Latakia airport runways included 11 Sukhoi 24 jets, 10 Sukhoi 25s, seven Sukhoi 34s and four Sukhoi 30s while other aircraft based at the facility may have been elsewhere on mission, the Insitute said. The Institute added that Sukhoi 24 engines that seized up during repeated attacks in Syria are having new engines installed at the facility.(ANSAmed). Egypt: formalisation of charges against cartoonist expected Lawyer, arrested because 'critical of the regime' (ANSAmed) - CAIRO, FEBRUARY 1 - Charges against Egyptian cartoonist Islam Gawish arrested by the police in Cairo yesterday and accused of running a website without a licence from the ministry of information, are expected to be formalised today, reported the New York Times. Islam has voiced criticism towards government members on a number of occasions. According to the cartoonist's lawyer the fact that Gawish - who has over 1.6 million admirers on Facebook - was detained is a consequence of the "regime being concerned about any creative work" and the only accusation against the young man is "the publication of comics offensive towards the regime". One of Gawish's colleagues added that the police stormed into the offices of the website "Egypt News Network" (active since 2011 but blocked in Egypt as of this morning) and he confirmed that police officers "were looking for Islam because his comic strips are critical of the regime". Gawish's personal Facebook page (spelt Gaweesh in English) is followed by almost 170 thousand users while the comics "al-Warka" of which he calls himself "managing director and founder" is liked by over one million and 676 thousand people. His comic strips mostly deal with everyday life (recently the cold spat) but Gawish made fun of a pro-government parlamentarian, Mortada Mansour, who has recently been named as the head of the Parliamentary Commission on Human Rights, despite the fact he does not refrain to threaten his opponents about the likelihood of him hitting them with a shoe. In the comic strip at the centre of the controversy Mansour calls on his torturers to beat up a victim ''gently''.(ANSAmed). Less Syrian migrants arrive in Greece in December, Frontex Tighter controls curb false nationality claims (ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, FEBRUARY 1 - The percentage of declared Syrians among all of the migrants landing on the Greek islands has fallen considerably in the last several months, according to the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders, FRONTEX. For 2015 as a whole as many as 59% of the total number of migrants said they were Syrian but in December it was 39%, in November 43% and in October 51%. "With increased Frontex and Greek personnel presence there was an improvement in screening migrants," said Frontex executive director Fabrice Leggeri, "this means that the numer of people who could declare a false nationality has fallen". The percentage of Iraqis has increased in the last three months reaching as mich as 25% of the total in December, more than double the 11% in October and 12% in November. Afghans were between a quarter and a third of the total number of migrants identified at Greek frontiers. Total number of migrants arriving in Greece by sea in November 2015 was 151,000, or an average of 4,560 a day, according to Greek official figures contained in a report of the EU Agency for fundamental rights (FRA). In December arrivals dropped to some 109,000 due mainly to bad weather, the EU agency report said. The principal point of access was the island of Lesbos followed by the isles of Kos, Samos and Leros. In all there were 286 migrant accidents requiring intervention by the Greek Coast Guard with a total of 7,435 people rescued. The total number of children arriving in Greece in December was 19,500. (ANSAmed). Mideast: Israeli army closed access to Ramallah For the first time since latest wave of tensions (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, FEBRUARY 1 - The Israeli army closed all access to Ramallah, the administrative capital of the West Bank overnight and it is the first time this happens since the beginning of the latest wave of tensions. Access is currently allowed only residents, officials of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and for humanitarian reasons. According to a military spokesman, the move is based on "operative reasons". A Palestinian security official opened fire against Israeli soldiers yesterday, injuring three of them at an army control post. The military spokesperson - quoted by the media - added that the decision is also linked to the gunfire that erupted yesterday at the control post of Beit El - the designated post for diplomatic representatives, journalists and PNA officials - close to Ramallah. The town, which sits north of Jerusalem, hosts Palestinian civil and military administration vital bodies such as the PNA headquarters and the Muqata presidential palace, where Yasser Arafat is buried. (ANSAmed). ANSAmed - Weekly diary from February 1 until February 7 (ANSAmed) - ROME, FEBRUARY 1 - Weekly diary of the main events scheduled in the Euro-Mediterranean area from February 1 to February 7, 2016: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1 No major events scheduled. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2 ROME - Ministerial meeting of the Global anti-Daesh/Isil Coalition, "Small group", with Italian Foreign Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Federica Mogherini, US Secretary of State, John Kerry and US Special Envoy for the Coalition, Brett Mc Gurk. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3 STRASBURG - EP, plenary session of the European Parliament with the EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4 LONDON - Conference on the Syrian crisis with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5 BRUSSELS - EU, visit by Turkish minister of Foreign Affairs Volkan Bozkir meeting EU commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Neven Mimica. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6 AMSTERDAM - EU, informal meeting between European Ministers of Foreign Affairs with EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn. DUBAI - EU, visit by European Commissioner Christos Stylianides (also on FEBRUARY 7). (ANSAmed). Italy aware of its role agst ISIS, Pinotti says We know the risks, proud of what we're doing (ANSA) - ROME, FEBRUARY 1 - Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti told French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian Monday that "Italy is not keeping its guard high against terrorism, but very high, I tell my French colleague". She said "we know the risks of the ISIS threat and the migration situation well. Italy is aware of its role. We are proud of what we are doing". Le Drian said Sunday that ISIS militants who may be lurking amid migrants travelling from Libya to Lampedusa represented a "great risk" for Europe. Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti told French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian Monday that "Italy is not keeping its guard high against terrorism, but very high, I tell my French colleague". She said "we know the risks of the ISIS threat and the migration situation well. Italy is aware of its role. We are proud of what we are doing". Le Drian said Sunday that ISIS militants who may be lurking amid migrants travelling from Libya to Lampedusa represented a "great risk" for Europe. France and other countries have raised the possibility of a threat of ISIS members hiding among refugees travelling from Libya. (ANSAmed). Renzi says Italy will give Turkey aid contribution But fresh clash emerges on migrant crisis costs (By Denis Greenan). (ANSA) - Rome, February 1 - Italian Premier Matteo Renzi on Monday said Italy would make its contribution to the Turkey refugee aid package, ending a weeks-long resistance that had sparked friction with Brussels. "At this point we will give our contribution to Turkey to save human beings," Renzi said on a visit to Nigeria, while insisting that the EU could open all the infringement procedures it liked for exceeding budget parameters but Italy would keep on saving lives in the Mediterranean. "We will make every effort to save human lives in the Mediterranean: we have saved, and we will continue to do so, thousands of lives while Europe turned the other way. Before the Stability (and Growth) Pact there is a pact of humanity". Renzi went on to say that all migrants are equal and Italy will not be provoked by the EU. "We think all migrants are equal," the premier said in the Nigerian capital. "To envisage treating differently the cost of saving Eritrean children seems absurd to me - just a bureaucratic perversion. "But we will not be provoked, in spite of the professional quarrelers in Brussels trying to relaunch from Brussels as though there were Serie A and Serie B lives". Earlier, Renzi had reiterated that Italy was no longer taking orders from the European Union, amid the fresh clash over the cost of coping with the migrant and refugee crisis. In his e-news, the combative premier asserted that far from following diktats from Brussels, Italy was now in fact leading the EU. The premier spoke as the European Commission made it clear that an aid package to Turkey for the refugee emergency was not to be counted in the Stability and Growth Pact. The EC also reminded Rome Monday that a decision on its request for budget flexibility will be made, along with the final verdict on the 2016 budget, in the spring. Italy is "no longer taking orders" from the EU, Renzi wrote on his website. "Reforms are now laws, and economic fundamentals have returned to a plus sign after three years of recession," he wrote. "We can go back to doing our job, which is to lead Europe - not to go take orders in some palace in Brussels". Italy is no longer indebted to Europe, Renzi went on. "For years, Italy was morally indebted to European institutions (and to) its own citizens, because it spoke of reforms it didn't carry out," he added. Italy has been quarreling with the European Commission recently over its veto of a fund for refugees in Turkey, saying it will only contribute to the fund if the EU agrees to free its spending on migrant rescue, processing and hosting from Stability Pact constraints. European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas, meanwhile, said that the EU executive stated in December that member States' contributions to the package of three billion euros in aid for Turkey in exchange for cooperation over the refugee crisis are excluded from deficit calculations. Italy has been accused of holding up the aid package, with Renzi saying the money must be outside the parameters of the Stability and Growth Pact. "The Commission had already clarified in December that the national contributions to the three-billion-euro fund for Turkey are notconsidered in the deficit calculations for the Stability and Growth Pact," Schinas said. Also Monday in Brussels, another European Commission spokesperson said that the EU executive will decide whether it has granted Italy's request to have flexibility in the application of budget regulations for its spending on asylum seekers in "spring". The spokesperson added that the valuation will be made "on a case-per-case basis, ex post, on the basis of the expenditure undertaken". On Friday Renzi said after a bilateral meeting in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he hoped Brussels would give a response to Italy on the budget flexibility request this week. Italy has also requested flexibility for the terrorism emergency, among other things. (ANSAmed). The law prohibiting smoking in public places has been enacted Friday by President Klaus Iohannis, the Presidential Administration informs.Thus, smoking will be banned in restaurants and clubs starting mid-March, since the entry into force is made within 45 days of its publication in the Official Journal.In Romania, according to numbers provided, there are more than 3 million smokers and five people die every hour because of tobacco.On January 27, the Constitutional Court ruled that the law banning smoking in public places is constitutional. The judges voted unanimously to reject the referral submitted.The document filed with the Court, argued that by defining the closed public space as any space for collective use, regardless of ownership, the law introduces a form of discrimination.The initiators of the referral argue in the quoted document, that the law regulating smoking in public areas creates a discrimination between persons in custody and those in prisons and those in transit at an airport, who are allowed to smoke in a closed public space and the other citizens smokers.The law against smoking bans smoke-free areas in the workplace and in any playground for children, whether in the open or closed space.The prohibition also applies for transportation means, for public health units, as well as for all units for the children education , protection and assistance, state and private.Failure to comply with the anti-smoking law by individuals is punishable by a fine from 100 lei to 500 lei, and failure to comply by legal persons is punishable by a fine of RON 5,000 for the first offense to a fine of 10,000 lei and with additional penalties such as the suspension of work until the remedy of the situation that led to the suspension of operations.Committing a new offense under the anti-smoking law is punishable by a fine of 15,000 lei and with the complementary sanction of closing down the unit.Antismoking Law was initiated by PSD deputy Aurelia Cristea, who was supported by several NGOs in promoting this project. Cristea said she did nothing more than take the law from PSD deputy Manuela Mitrea and amended it following a request for public debate based on the best practices of European countries.Currently, 17 from the 28 European Union countries prohibit all smoking in enclosed public places, on public transport and at work. Norwegian law protects those who pollute the Russian coast Norwegian law protects those who pollute: Norway does not take responsibility for oil spills that are transported with the ocean currents and hit the northern coast of Russia. Ecosystems may be destroyed as a result. WHEN OIL SPILLS CROSS THE LINE: In 2010 Norway and Russia agreed on the location of the demarcation line between the two countries. Although Norwegian authorities have taken the initiative on oil activity in the north and have recognised the need for strict compensation rules, they have chosen not to safeguard Russian interests, says professor Erik Rsg. Illustration: Hanne Utigard The Barents Sea is one of the last clean, rich and highly productive marine ecosystems in the world. It is teeming with life: huge stocks of cod, herring and capelin, sea mammals and some of the worlds largest colonies of seabirds. This large, biological production is the result of a fortunate combination of favourable ocean currents and shallow waters; the Barents Sea has an average depth of 230 metres. The most food and the greatest productivity are found at the polar front, where warm water from the Atlantic Ocean meets cold water from the Arctic Ocean. But the ecosystems are vulnerable. In fact, there is less biological diversity here than farther south, and the food chains are shorter. THE NORWEGIAN legislator has consciously sought to limit the scope of the Law, says Erik Rsg. Photo: Trine Nickelsen However, riches of a different kind are found as well underneath the oceans surface: Vast, undiscovered petroleum resources. In 2010, after more than 40 years of negotiations, Norway and Russia agreed on the location of the demarcation line between the two countries. And not long after, the Norwegian government opened up new opportunities for oil and gas exploration through the 23rd licensing round. Critics have pointed out how catastrophic the results of an oil spill in the Barents Sea can be, especially near the sea ice cap in the Arctic. Fortunately, the compensation rules are rather strict. The polluter must pay. The marine life must be safeguarded. But the laws good intentions have their geographic limitations, says Professor Erik Rsg of the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law at the University of Oslo. The philosophy is clearly to safeguard Norwegian, not foreign, interests. Rsg is referring to the Norwegian Petroleum Act, which regulates how the authorities manage Norwegian oil and gas resources on the Norwegian continental shelf. An entire chapter is dedicated to rules for compensation when an accident has occurred when oil gushes uncontrollably from platforms and other installations in the Norwegian sector. According to legislation, it doesnt matter whether the oil company responsible for an oil spill is Norwegian, Swedish, American or Mexican, for that matter. What matters is where the damage occurs, says Rsg to the research magazin, Apollon. Rsg has thoroughly analysed the Norwegian rules on liability and the legal issues related to compensation that may arise. Its important to understand the consequences of what the law says. What if the oil spill flows into other areas? What if the oil simply does not respect the Norwegian-Russian border? He asks us to imagine that an oil spill has occurred from an oil platform in one of the Norwegian fields located very close to the Russian border, that is, along the new demarcation line. The case is clear-cut for any injured parties who are Norwegian: Hotels and cabin owners whose beaches are spoiled, fishermen whose nets are ruined, and others can sue the licensees. The licensees are those who have been awarded the concession to extract oil, for example, whether they are Norwegian or foreign oil companies, explains Rsg. The compensation rules are strict much stricter than in many other countries. The injured party will receive compensation on objective grounds, without fault and without limitation, as the law stipulates. This means that it is not necessary to show an error has been made. And whereas an oil tanker that leaks oil is liable only up to a certain amount, there is no ceiling on liability for pollution from oil activity. Does not apply to Russians But what if the oil flows eastward and hits the vulnerable coastal environment on the Russian side? If I were Russian, I would get a rather different response: Sorry, but the Norwegian Act applies mainly to damage that has occurred on the Norwegian continental shelf. The damage you want compensation for, however, lies outside of our area of responsibility. Therefore, you cannot demand compensation under Norwegian law. The Act also explicitly states that the licensee can only be held responsible for pollution-induced damage under the provision of this law. It was when Rsg was working on a chapter in his book Offshore Contracts and Liabilities, which was published last year that he gained a full understanding of Russias unfavourable position. I was quite surprised, he says to Apollon. How do you interpret this? I look at it like this: Although Norwegian authorities have taken the initiative on oil activity in the north and have recognised the need for strict compensation rules, they have chosen not to safeguard Russian interests. Does not recognise a court judgment Rsg notes that if he were Russian, he could of course approach a Russian court and sue the polluter via that route. This is very usual, and it happens in Norway too: When a foreign ship pollutes our coast, we sue that ship in Norway. But according to Rsg, the problem does not stop there. There is every reason to believe that you, as a Russian, would get a judgment in your favour in a Russian court, he asserts. The Russian compensation rules are extensive, and they will often award a greater amount of compensation than the corresponding Norwegian rules. But if the licensee on the Norwegian side does not recognise the judgment, and thus refuses to pay the compensation, a problem arises. In fact, there is no way to force the polluter to pay. We have no agreement with Russia, like we have with most other European countries, on mutual recognition and execution of court judgments. Why doesnt Norwegian law safeguard Russian interests in a better way? First of all, I think the Norwegian authorities have thought that the most important thing, after all, is to look after our own interests. Secondly, the intention has probably been to try to push through bilateral treaties, meaning agreements between two parties, in this case Norway and Russia. In fact, the law allows for this. Norway has several treaties with its neighbouring countries in the east on the pollution issue. But no treaty on compensation arising from an oil spill that crosses the demarcation line exists. Rsg does not think it is by chance that the rules are so restrictive. On the contrary. The Norwegian legislator has consciously sought to limit the scope of the law. I see at least two clear indications of this: The law contains special provisions for damage to fishing equipment and the like outside the continental shelf. But the rules apply only to Norwegian fishing equipment. Here we see our fierce nationalism coming to the fore, says Rsg. Rsg finds another clear indication that the Norwegian compensation rules are not intended to apply to Russia in the Nordic Environmental Protection Convention from 1974 between Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden. The convention ensures equal rights for Nordic citizens, so that citizenship is not significant for the right to compensation. It would have been natural to interpret the convention on this point to mean that it applies to the continental shelf of the Nordic countries. But in Norway we dont see it like that. No, in the Petroleum Act the legislators have chosen to interpret the Environmental Protection Convention in a restrictive manner, so that it only applies to the countries land mass and territorial waters, that is, up to 12 nautical miles from land. Outside, on the continental shelf, Danes and Swedes are treated like Russians. There is nonetheless an important difference between our small Nordic brethren and our big brother to the east: As mentioned, the Nordic countries have signed treaties on mutual recognition and execution of court judgments. A judgment against a Norwegian licensee in these countries can be enforced in Norway. As an injured party with Russian citizenship, you will still find yourself at a disadvantage, states the legal scholar. Spoil things for ourselves Erik Rsg reminds us of something we might not think about, but that may be relevant in this context: A Norwegian court does not always use Norwegian law. For example, when taking a decision as to whether or not a marriage is valid, the outcome cannot depend on the country in which the legal proceedings are brought. When lawsuits regarding compensation for oil-spill damage come before a Norwegian court, it may be said that the case has a closer connection to Russia and that we therefore will apply Russian law. Such a provision was originally incorporated into the Act, but it was removed. This small loophole was closed again in the new Petroleum Act of 1996, says the professor. He thinks Norways restrictive attitude is extremely unfortunate including for Norway. The ocean currents in the Barents Sea where oil extraction is planned flow eastward. It is therefore likely that a spill on the Norwegian side will end up on the Russian side. The vast, marine ecosystems in the Barents Sea straddle the demarcation line. One of these systems lies north of Norway and Russia. When an oil company on the Norwegian side does not pay for pollution-induced damage that affects the Russian part of the Barents Sea and the coastal environment there, the risk is high that it will not be cleaned up. In this case, we are also destroying our own ecosystem. Assessment of environmental damage How does the oil industry view this? Compensation liability under Norwegian law is strict, and it is recognised by the industry. But Norwegian law only addresses the strictly economic damage of oil spills. The Russians, however, have added ecology to their calculations. If an oil spill results in the death of fish fry, yes, compensation must be paid. A large amount. The Russians have formulas for calculating this. This is why it is probably better for the oil companies to be sued in Norway than in Russia. Rsg mentions another thing that means oil companies that have polluted the Russia coast might prefer to have the lawsuit heard in Norway. The procedural rules in Norway make it attractive to bring a lawsuit in Norway. Here the rule is that all cases must be heard in a single court, and deadlines for bringing a case to court may be set. In addition, all responsibility from the licensees that operate an oil field and from those who have made an error is channelled to one individual operator. When all the claims are combined in this way, they are much easier to deal with. Rsg points out that it is also better to file a lawsuit and know what you are getting than to risk a potentially long, uncertain process in Russia. I think the oil industry views this like I do, that they would be better served by expanding the Norwegian rules. Must be adapted to the reality Apollon contacted the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association, a professional body and employers organisation for oil and supply companies on the Norwegian continental shelf. How does the oil industry view a possible expansion of the Norwegian rules? The Norwegian Oil and Gas Association complies with the current legal compensation rules as they are laid down in the Petroleum Act, the Pollution Control Act and international conventions, says Oluf Bjrndal, Manager of Legal Affairs, to Apollon. We are concerned that the framework at any given point in time is adapted to the reality we are living in, he emphasises. Petroleum activity in the northern areas makes it natural to discuss this situation with the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. International Can Norway afford to be so selective in terms of who it gives the legal right of compensation to? What does international law say about this? According to Erik Rsg, there are no clear, international rules on this. Most countries, and Norway above all others, build on the principle that polluters must pay. The line of thinking is this: It should not be free to pollute, because then there is even more pollution. The compensation rules in the Norwegian Petroleum Act contradict this principle, he points out. Are there any rules in international law that make an entity liable for compensation? That would be a bit difficult, and the rules apply regardless of the states liability. If the state has allowed an activity that should not have been allowed, it may be held responsible. But it would be better to have effective, international rules regarding liability for those who carry out oil activity. The UN International Law Commission has prepared draft rules on this issue. In fact, the commission refers to the Nordic Environmental Protection Convention, and has said that companies must be on equal footing with the local populations. But this has not yet been recognised as an international principle, says Rsg. Glaciers on Svalbard behave differently Many glaciers on Svalbard behave very differently from other glaciers worldwide. They advance massively for some years and then quickly retreat and then remain quiescent for fifty to a hundred years before they once again start to advance. 50 METRES HIGH: Most glaciers in the world are classic calving glaciers, like the Lilliehook glacier in Northern Svalbard. Its front is to kilometers wide and almost 50 metres high. Every time it calves, huge roars can be heard across the fjord. The researchers have now examined another type of glaciers that behave very differently. Photo: Yngve Vogt One of the many dangers resulting from global warming is the melting of glaciers. To ascertain how this will affect sea levels in the future, it is important to know how glaciers behave. Five years ago, Professor Jon Ove Hagen at the Department of Geosciences at UiO affirmed in Apollon that the melting of the smaller glaciers in the Arctic was just as important for the rise in sea level as the melting of glaciers on Greenland. Melting in the Arctic is staggering. During three summer months, the Svalbard glaciers alone lost four and a half million tonnes of meltwater per hour. The Nordic Centre of Excellence in Arctic Research, Stability and Variations of Arctic Land Ice, headed by Jon Ove Hagen has studied a unique type of glacier found on Svalbard, which behaves quite differently from most other glaciers worldwide. These glaciers can remain almost quiescent for 50 to 100 years, before advancing at an unprecedented velocity for some years. Then they retreat once again and remain quiescent for a further fifty to a hundred years before suddenly advancing once again. A better understanding of the dynamics of these glaciers will increase knowledge of how the tributaries of the large glaciers on Greenland and in the Antarctic behave. This will enable us to predict more accurately how much sea levels will rise when these glaciers melt, says Jon Ove Hagen. Remarkable phenomenon These special glaciers are termed surging glaciers. In this article Apollon refers to them as pulsating glaciers. Pulsating glaciers behave so differently from the majority of glaciers worldwide that researchers have been attempting to explain this remarkable phenomenon for a considerable number of years. At least one of five glaciers on Svalbard pulsates. Globally, the number is one in a hundred. This means that pulsating glaciers are twenty times more common on Svalbard than in the rest of the world. Some glaciologists claim that as many as nine out of ten Svalbard glaciers pulsate. A 1993 glacier atlas estimates a total of a hundred pulsating glaciers in the period from 1860 to 1992, but many of these observations are imprecise. Only a few glaciers pulsate at the same time. In some seasons all of them may be quiescent. There are no pulsating glaciers on mainland Norway, or in the Alps. In contrast, some glaciers in Alaska and Iceland wake to life and move in the same way. Some of the glaciers on Greenland and in the Antarctic also pulsate. Svalbard is therefore the best place in the world to study this remarkable phenomenon. These are living glaciers with their own special behaviour, says French researcher Heidi Sevestre. LIVING GLACIERS: - Svalbard is the best place in the world to examine pulsating glaciers, says Heidi Sevestre. Photo: Yngve Vogt In her PhD thesis at the University of Oslo and the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), she has attempted to explain why these glaciers behave in such a strange way. Viscous mass All glaciers resemble a viscous mass. Because of the enormous weight of the ice, these masses flow slowly towards the ocean. Most large glaciers move a few metres on an ordinary summers day. The classic glacier is the calving glacier. The glacier front ends in the sea, and blocks of ice detach and fall into the fjord. These glaciers are now receding faster and faster, and are continually losing more ice, like the Kongsbreen glacier innermost in Kongsfjorden near Ny-Alesund. Over the last 30 years, the glacier has receded by five kilometers, i.e. 166 metres annually. The Nathorstbreen glacier in Van Keulenfjorden, 90 kilometres south of Longyearbyen, is an example of a pulsating glacier. It actually consists of many branches that join together to form one large glacier. In the course of a mere three years, from 2009 to 2011, the front advanced 20 kilometres. At the most, the Nathorstbreen glacier has moved over twenty metres per day, or ten times faster than a normal glacier. All the ice that ends up in the fjord will gradually melt, resulting in the ice front receding, Jon Ove Hagen relates. But even though they are affected by climate change like all other glaciers, this is not the explanation for their pulsation. Normal glaciers move at a steady pace thanks to the high pressure exerted by snow masses on the ice caps. Pulsating glaciers are unable to move fast enough to dispose of the excess snow. Some of the upper parts of these glaciers become a few tens of metres higher before starting to spread. When they have become heavy enough, the enormous weight will result in the glacier sliding faster and advancing. The volume of the glacier will nevertheless remain the same. The Nathorstbreen glacier is 200400 metres thick and 56 kilometres wide, thus consisting of many million tonnes of ice. The reason why this huge mass of ice can move over ten metres per day is that meltwater is formed between the glacier and its bed. There are two types of ice. One is cold ice with a temperature that is constantly below melting point. Friction against the glacier bed is therefore so great that the ice moves slowly. The other type is called warm or temperate ice. Here the temperature is close to melting point. When water is formed under the ice, the glacier slides more rapidly. When the glacier becomes thicker, the pressure in the ice increases, resulting in some increase in temperature. At the bottom of thick glaciers, the ice is so warm that it starts to melt. The secret of such pulsating glaciers is therefore increased pressure from above. As long as the meltwater does not run away, the ice surfs on the water, explains Sevestre. When the meltwater under the ice drains off, the friction increases and the movement of the glacier comes to a halt. Dangerous crevasses It is of most interest to study pulsating glaciers when their speed has increased, but at that time it may be extremely dangerous to walk on the glacier to put measuring instruments in place. FIELDWORK: Jon Ove Hagen has been doing fieldwork for years in Svalbard to examine how and how much the glaciers are moving. Photo: private It is impossible to walk on glaciers that are moving fast. The entire glacier surface is a chaos of dangerous crevasses. The only period when you can study them properly is when they are moving slowly, but doing research at that time is of less interest. When the glaciers have started to advance, it is too late to find out anything about how the advance started, Jon Ove Hagen asserts. A stroke of luck on the glacier By a stroke of luck, the research group succeeded in placing five permanent GPS sensors on the south side of Europes largest glacier, Austfonna on Nordaustlandet, some years ago, before discovering that the glacier segment with the uninspiring name Basseng 3 [Basin 3], was a pulsating glacier. The sensors were placed five to twenty kilometres from the glacier front, but unfortunately not on the parts of the glacier that moved at the greatest velocity some years later. The glacier began to move faster in 2009, and the velocity gradually increased every summer. Even though the velocity naturally decreased somewhat in winter, it doubled in relation to the preceding winter nevertheless. The gradual increase lasted for three years. In 2012, the movement of the glacier rocketed. The fastest moving parts of the glacier moved twenty metres per day, and the cracks were up to ten metres wide. The annual glacier calving rate for the entire ice cap of Austfonna is usually two and a half cubic kilometres of ice annually. Now the enormous ice discharge has tripled but this phenomenon is of short duration. We have also observed on Greenland that the speed is increasing on many tributaries. We can therefore learn from Austfonna on Svalbard something about what is happening to other big ice caps and ice sheets. The key question is how stable the tributaries are in Greenland and in Antarctica. This can be of considerable significance for sea levels, says Hagen. To measure the movements and changes in the elevation of the glacier on Austfonna, both satellite measurements and GPS measurements on the glacier itself are employed. Previously, snowmobiles have been used to take radar measurements of the thickness of the ice. The glacier has become thicker in the central zones and thinner along the edge. Now it has become so dangerous that helicopters must be used to put measuring instruments in place. This past autumn, the glaciologists travelled to the Tunabreen glacier, which is located a little to the south of the Russian settlement Pyramiden. The glacier advanced enormously ten years ago but is now receding. Here the glaciologists have installed instruments on the glacier and a camera on the mountain to take photographs at regular intervals over a period of months in order to measure the speed of the glacier. They will also study the topography of the fjord. Heidi Sevestre has studied fifteen pulsating glaciers on Svalbard. The glaciers do not advance at the same time. While some are now expanding, others are receding. Thanks to satellite photographs, one can see which glaciers are changing. In the 1930s, Svalbard experienced a warm period. Then it grew colder and then warmer again. Now the Svalbard glaciers are reacting strongly to climate change. Even though the process in the pulsating glaciers strictly speaking has nothing to do with the climate, the climate may affect how often they advance, emphasises Jon Ove Hagen. Calculating the snow masses In order to understand the movements of the glaciers, researchers must also take into account the volume of precipitation on the glaciers. Unfortunately they know little about local variations in precipitation. Regrettably we have far too few permanent weather stations on Svalbard. There is one in Hornsund, in the very south of Svalbard, one in Longyearbyen, one in Ny-Alesund and one in the very north of the archipelago. Thats not enough. We need more weather stations. For the time being we have to use mathematical models to estimate the volume of precipitation on the glaciers, explains Sevestre. 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. Overall, AUH experienced a 17.2% increase in passenger traffic compared to 2014, with the first quarter alone showing 21.1% growth. Ahmad Al Haddabi, chief operations officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: We continue to witness double digit traffic growth at Abu Dhabi International 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. 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. The national airline of the UAE carried 17.4 million passengers in 2015, 18.4% more than in 2014. The expansion of its network through Alitalia and Jet Airways contributed to passenger figures to Italy, India and the USA, 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 Airways contributed significantly to these traffic figures as more than 74% of the total passengers to and from Abu Dhabi International Airport in 2015 were carried by our national airline, added Al Haddabi. Aircraft movements went up by 11.6% in 2015 in comparison to 2014. Last year there were 172,819 movements 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. Traffic between Abu Dhabi and the USA surged by 39.4% last year with the launch of several new direct Etihad services. 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% growth registered in 2015. Other busy routes from AUH included Australia, up 30%, and Germany, up 15%. ADP and Bouygues Batiment International, a subsidiary of the Bouygues Group, begin talks on upgrading of Tehran's Imam Khomeini International airport (Pictured above) which would include the renovation of the existing terminal and also the design, construction and operation of new terminals to bring the capacity of the airport up to its current 6. 5m passengers per year to 34 million passengers. Separately, Vinci has entered discussions aimed at establishing concessions to renovate, extend and operate Mashhad and Isfahan airport with work beginning during this year. "No, it is not on the table," he told Arabian Aerospace on the sidelines of an industry conference. "Truly it is a nice machine, but Ataturk Airport is not suited for that type." Media reports have repeatedly linked Turkish Airlines to a possible A380 deal. In November, Ahmet Bolat, the flag-carriers chief investment and technology officer, seemed to corroborate the rumours when he told The National newspaper that the type was under evaluation. Aviation news website Flightglobal also last year linked Turkish Airlines to the double-decker type, citing unidentified sources who said that two units would be sub-leased from Malaysia Airlines. But Kotil dismissed any such transaction, describing Turkish Airlines' A330-300s and 777-300ERs as "big enough" for its requirements. "Also, if we buy it [the A380] we can't buy just one or two. We would need a dozen," the airline boss added, referring to the need for economies of scale when inducting a new aircraft type. "So it's not on the table." Despite Turkish Airlines' lack of interest, Airbus has had a positive start to the year for its A380 programme. The Iranian government last week said it will buy 12 units for flag-carrier Iran Air, while Japan's All Nippon Airways announced an order for three units earlier in January. The 2016 Guard and Reserve Factsheets are now available online at the Air Reserve Personnel Center website here . The comprehensive guide to the Reserve Component contains the following information:How to contact total Force Service CenterVirtual Personnel Center DashboardMyPers applications and servicesReserve Force DevelopmentOfficer promotionsOfficer performance reportsEnlisted promotionsEnlisted performance reportsReserve assignmentsFinding new assignmentsAccessionsAir Force Reserve Direct Officer AppointmentsNon-Extended Active Duty Airmen Commissioning ProgramOfficer Training School for Reserve CommissioningReduced retirement ageReserve drill payBasic active duty payActivation of Reserve MembersNotification of activationRetired ReserveRegular, Guard and Reserve retired payGuard/Reserve point valuation chartIndividual Reserve management at Headquarters Individual Reservist Readiness Integration OrganizationAge 60 retirement benefitsSpace-A travelVeterans benefitsReserve Component Survivor Benefit PlanServicemembers Group Life InsuranceSGLI coverage for family membersVeterans Group Life InsuranceThrift Savings PlanDefense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting SystemClaims for service creditTRICAREANG/Reservist entitlements tableANG/Reservist retirement benefits tableANG/Reservist survivor benefits tableVoluntary separation incentive and special separation benefitReserve categoriesAir Reserve Component field trainingAir Force Instructions All the latest Ashbourne news. Ashbourne is an historic market town in Derbyshire. Situated on the southern edge of the Peak District, it is known as the 'Gateway to Dovedale' and the 'Gateway to the Peak District'. Ashbourne is famous for the annual Royal Shrovetide Football Match, which has been played since at least 1667, although its origins may date back centuries earlier. Ashbourne became a Fairtrade town in March 2005. The popular Tissington Trail, which follows the route of the former Ashbourne to Buxton railway, starts on the edge of town. Keep up to date with the latest news from the town by signing up for our newsletter. by Sumon Corraya Created by Pope Francis on 29 December, the Diocese of Barisal is located 123 km south of Dhaka and is home to 16,000 Catholics who live in an area with a population of 15 million. Mgr Lawrence Subroto, the new bishop, welcomes the decision to detach it from the Diocese of Chittagong. After ten years of requests, their efforts have been successful. Now the pastoral outreach will give priority to service, not only for Catholics, but also for others, to bring them the witness of Christ. Dhaka (AsiaNews) The new diocese will give priority to service, not only for Catholics, but also for others, to bring them the witness of Christ," said Mgr Lawrence Subroto Howlader during the ceremony at Udayan High School that marked the official inauguration of the new Diocese of Barisal. With the latter, Bangladesh now has seven dioceses, plus the Archdiocese of Dhaka. Some 2,500 people, including two archbishops, six bishops and 200 priests from all over Bangladesh, attended the event. The diocese is home to 16,000 Catholics in an area inhabited by 15 million people, its new bishop said. "We serve with care and love. The diocese runs three high schools, six clinics and many other facilities. Born in Nobogram, Barisal, the prelate was until its new post the auxiliary bishop of Chittagong, which used to include Barisal, 123 kilometers south of Dhaka. "I thank priests, nuns, religious brothers, and catechists who have nurtured Catholics faith in this area, which is why we have created a new diocese." Pope Francis established the Diocese of Barisal on 29 December 2015. However, "We started the process of making Barisal a diocese ten years ago, said Mgr Patrick D'Rozario, archbishop of Dhaka. Thanks to our efforts we have been successful. Now the new bishop will be able to fulfill Gods will in the new diocese." by Weena Kowitwanij Somchai Chaopatanawong is a member of a Basic Ecclesial Community in his native Thailand. Along with other fellow Thais, he flew to the Philippines for the conference, which ended on Sunday, 31 January. For him, it was a wonderful 'miracle' to see so many Catholics and people from other religions meet." Bangkok (AsiaNews) - Somchai Chaopatanawong, a Thai Catholic and member of a Basic Ecclesial Community, spoke to AsiaNews about the challenge that awaits those who travelled to Cebu, Philippines, for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC), which ended yesterday, 31 January. For him, evangelisation means sharing with my friends the experience that I had by participating in the Eucharistic Congress. It is the easiest way to do it: telling them about the wonderful 'miracle' of seeing so many Catholics and people from other religions meet." Somchai was especially impressed by the testimony of Fr Thomas Rosica, a Canadian priest, who spoke about Evangelisation in a secular world. "According to Fr Rosica, this evangelisation requires three steps. The first is humility; the second is to imitate the example of our brave martyrs (like Saint Pedro Calungsod for the Philippines) in bearing witness to God; and lastly to be useful to other Catholics by proclaiming the Word of God." Pornchanok Pantutamungkurn also came to Cebu from Thailand. "It is the second time that I take part in an IEC, she said. The first time was in Ireland in 2012. I am very glad to have seen people from all over the world who profess their faith in Jesus Christ. This made me realise the true value of Christ in communion. This time, in Cebu, I felt at home. Many people used the 'language of love, smiling and practicing the message of 'being one in Jesus'." For Pornchanok, evangelisation begins with "praying for everyone I know, for the Church, for the souls in Purgatory, for the sick, the homeless and the neglected of society. I am also concerned that my family receive the faith my ancestors passed onto me. I consider myself very lucky because my husband, a devout Buddhist, takes me to church every Sunday." "From the IEC, she noted, I also learnt that the Eucharist has to do with the poor. I remembered the words of the vicar general of the diocese of Bangkok, Fr Wudhilert Haelome, who said, 'For the Jubilee of Mercy, it is not necessary to organise charity activities. What we have to do is look around and help those we see in trouble. Somehow, this is an automatic way to proclaim the Catholic faith." by Francis Khoo Thwe The Burmese bishop, who acted as papal legate at the congress in Cebu, led the final Mass of the event. In his homily, he came down hard on the attacks on the family, the basic unit of society. He also praised the Philippines, a light for evangelisation and the mission of the third millennium. The Eucharist remains the source and summit of a life commitment. Cebu (AsiaNews) In his homily during the final Mass of the 51st international Eucharistic Congress (IEC), which was held in Cebu (Philippines) on 25-31 January, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, archbishop of Yangon and papal legate, said that Asia and Africa struggle with families that are poor, that are oppressed. Rich countries have diverted the attention of poverty and oppression with great discourses in new forms of families, new forms of parenthood. More than any nuclear bomb, more than any terrorism, a mortal danger awaits humanity because some countries have chosen a path of destroying families through laws. Centred on the theme "Christ in us Hope of glory", the congress provided a venue to discuss evangelisation and mission not only in Asia but also around the world. In his address, the cardinal came down hard on those who threaten the basis of life and the family unity. At the same time, he praised the role of the Philippines as a beacon of evangelisation in the third millennium. The Eucharist is sown and grown in the family, he said. The family is the first communion. The family is the nuclear church. Table fellowship is held regularly in the family. [The] Family breaks the bread every day. For this reason, it needs to be protected and promoted and nurtured. Pope Francis, the prelate added, has been concerned [for the] last three years with three major dangers to the world. They include environmental injustice, economic injustice, but the greatest danger to humanity today is the destruction of the family. Sadly, even among the Catholic Church understanding of the family is contested. Speaking about the week of meetings and reflections that just ended, the archbishop of Yangon said that "We came from various Countries, we spoke various languages. But like the day of the Pentecost, the Eucharist deepened our relationships." This was a moment "of Grace", enriched by the hospitality of the Philippines and its people, whom the Burmese cardinal called "apostles of smiling". In his homily, which he sent to AsiaNews, the prelate stressed the centrality of the Philippines for the mission in the third millennium. As the only Asian country with a Catholic majority, its destiny is glory and prosperity and spirituality. It will become the lamp set on the mountain, becoming a light not only to Asia but to the whole world. For the papal legate, "The Philippines needs Hope. The church needs hope. Our families need Hope. The world today needs a four-letter word: HOPE. As the biggest Catholic Country in Asia, the Philippines holds great hope, he noted. I do not deny the challenges poverty, unsafe migration etc., but this nation holds great promises to the Catholic world. Philippines! The star from the East! Rejoice. Your time with destiny has arrived. You will be the chosen one, not only for Asia, but for the world in this millennium. Filipinas: go, multiply your missionaries! Go and populate those countries where Christianity is becoming minorities! Go to countries that have more pets than children! On the issue of the family, Card Bo said that the Filipinos have two great graces. Your family integrity is strong. You have the lowest divorce rates in the region. Many rich countries have money but no families. Second, you have a high number of young people. What a blessing! Finally, the prelate stressed "centrality" of the Eucharist, which "remains the source and summit of your life commitment. [. . .] we need to be energized by the theology of the Eucharist," he explained. Let us not forget that the first Eucharist was celebrated by a condemned man, a powerless man, a man whose heart was troubled. Yet, The power of Eucharist flowed from those empty hands, and it continues to inspire us. Eucharist is true presence; Eucharist is the mission; Eucharist is the service. by Kamran Chaudhry The Council for the Islamic ideology has proposed to amend the blasphemy laws in order to bring them into line with the Koran and the Sunna. Catholics fear a further tightening of laws which have already led to violence. Between 1987 and 2014, 166 Christians sentenced to death for insulting Muhammad; another 25 cases in 2015. Lahore (AsiaNews) - The Catholic Church of Pakistan and Christian activists condemn the proposed revision of the blasphemy laws by the Council for Islamic ideology. Catholics are concerned about the initiative which was proposed by the head of the ulema in recent days and finds that an amendment by the Islamic leaders can lead "to a further tightening of such laws", which have already caused hundreds of incidents of violence and death sentences handed down against Catholics and "heretics". The Catholic Church in Pakistan swiftly rejected Muhammad Khan Sheranis proposal. The initiative of the head of the Council was reported by Reuters, according to whom the religious leader said the Council was willing "to reopen cases and examine if judgments were rigorous and the death penalty correctly imposed". The Council for the Islamic ideology is a constitutional body in Pakistan, which is supposed to advise government regarding compliance of State laws to the dictates of the Koran and the Sunna. In this regard, Sherani said: "The government of Pakistan should defer the blasphemy law to the Islamic Council. On this issue there are different opinions among the religious. That is why the Council can seriously address the matter and say whether it is necessary to confirm the law, tighten it or soften it. Christian leaders fear, however, that a review by the ulema could lead to more restrictions against minorities. In Pakistan, many Catholics are tried for blasphemy, often without evidence. There are also numerous incidents of violence against religious groups considered "heretics". Fr. Emmanuel Yousaf Mani, director of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Bishops' Conference of Pakistan, expresses deep concern about the proposal. "The ulema he told AsiaNews - may even worsen the law. It is true that there are gaps that need to be addressed and also that sometimes there is an inappropriate use of the law, but we are concerned. These advisory bodies should not exist. The government should adopt their own procedures to change the blasphemy laws. " Samson Salamat, director of the Center for Human Rights Education, believes that similar bodies "undermine the power of Parliament. If they change the law, nobody will have the chance to change the verdict. We have been asking for some time for the abolition of the current blasphemy laws, but this power cannot be left in the hands of just one body. This is unconstitutional and undemocratic". He concludes: We can only accept the opinion of Parliament, representing 182 million Pakistanis. Parliamentarians should discuss this topic and appoint legal experts who can provide critical analysis. According to the Justice and Peace Commission, in the period between 1987 and 2014 a total of 166 Christians have been accused of insulting the Koran or Muhammad and have paid with their lives for their alleged guilt. In 2015 there were 25 cases. The charges affect not only Christians, but also Muslims, Ahmadis, Hindus and members of other confessions. Between 1986 and 2009 at least 964 people were indicted: among them 479 were Muslims; 119 Christians; 340 Ahmadis; 14 Hindu; 10 from other religions. Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Prophecy, proximity and hope are the three ingredients consecrated people need to courageously renew every day their 'yes' to Jesus personal call to each of them. They were also the focus of the speech that Francis addressed to five consecrated men and women whom he received in the Paul VI on the occasion of their Jubilee, the 20th day dedicated to them and closing of the Year of Life consecrated. Francis left aside his prepared text and spoke entirely off the cuff, "I have prepared a speech for the occasion on the issues of religious life and on the three pillars; there are others, but three important ones of consecrated life. The first is prophecy, the next is proximity and the third is the hope. Prophecy, proximity, hope. I handed the Cardinal Prefect the text, it is a little boring to read it and I'd rather talk to you from the heart. Do you agree?". His words were welcomed by a very warm applause. The Pope went on to specify the three "words", condemn the "terrorism of gossip", as "a bomb", describe obedience not as a "military" command, not a "discipline" but is "gifting of the heart", like that of Jesus. He also recommended the consecrated not to think about money, to place true hope "only" in the Lord, and to pray for the gift of new vocations, so that the communities as they get older - many monasteries are "carried forward by 4-5 nuns, old ladies" - avoid the "artificial insemination", of welcoming candidates without "seriousness". "Men and women religious - he said - that is, men and women consecrated to the service of the Lord, who exercise in the Church a strong poverty, a chaste love that leads them to a spiritual fatherhood and motherhood for the whole Church, in obedience ... But in this obedience there is always something missing, because perfect obedience is that of the Son of God, who humbled himself, became man by obedience unto death on the Cross. But there are some of you men and women who live strong obedience, obedience ... - not military obedience, no, no; that is discipline, that is another thing - an obedience of hear. And this is prophecy. 'But did you not want to do something else? ...' - 'Yes, but according to the rules I have to do this, this and this. And in accordance with this, this and this. And if I see something clear, I talk to the boss, with the superior, and, after this talk, obey '. This is prophecy, against the seed of anarchy, which the devil sows. 'What are you doing?' - 'I will do what I like'. Anarchy of will is the daughter of the devil, it is not a child of God. The Son of God was not an anarchist, he did not call for resistance against his enemies. " "Prophecy is to tell people that there is a road of happiness, a great road, a road that fills you with joy, that is the way of Jesus. It is the way to be close to Jesus. A gift, a charism is the prophecy and you must ask the Holy Spirit: to know the right word to say in the right moment; to do the right thing at the right time; that my life, all of it, is a prophecy. Men and women prophets. And this is very important. 'Well, we will do like everyone else ...'. No. The prophecy is to say that there is something more real, more beautiful, bigger, better to which all are called". "Then the other word is proximity. Consecrated men and women, but not to distance yourselves from people and enjoy all comforts, no, to approach and understand the lives of Christians and non-Christians, the sufferings, the problems, the many things you only understand if a consecrated man and a consecrated women become close to others. 'But, Father, I am a cloistered nun, what should I do?'. Think of St. Therese of Lisieux, patroness of the missions, who with her fiery heart was close to others, and the letters she received from the missionaries brought her closer to the people. Proximity. Becoming a consecrated person does not mean moving up one, two, three steps in society. True, many times we hear parents: 'You know Father, I have a daughter, sister, I have a son, brother!'. And they say it with pride. And it is true! It is a satisfaction for parents to have their children consecrated, this is true. But for the consecrated life is not a status that makes us look the other way [detachment]. Consecrated life must lead me to be close to people: physical, spiritual closeness, to know people". "Proximity! Who is the first neighbor of a consecrated person? Your brother or sister of the community. This is your first neighbor. And this closeness, proximity, should be a kind, good, loving closeness. I know that you never gossip in your communities never, never ... Gossip distances people. Listen up: do not gossip, gossip is terrorism. Those who gossip are terrorists. Like a terrorist in the midst of the community, firing words like bombs against this person or that person, and then quietly walking away. This destroys! Those who do so destroy, like a bomb attack, and then walk away. This, the apostle James said it was perhaps the most difficult virtue, the hardest human and spiritual virtue to obtain, that is to master ones tongue. If you are to say something against a brother or sister, fire off words like a bomb, bite your tongue! Hard! Terrorism in the community, no! 'But Father if there is something, a flaw, something that needs to be fixed?'. You say to the person: you have this attitude that bothers me, or that is not good. Whether or not it is convenient - because sometimes it's not safe - you say it to the person who can fix it, who can solve the problem and to no other. Got it? There is no need for rumors. 'But in the chapter?'. There yes! In public, say everything you want to say; because there is a temptation not to say things in chapter, but then say them outside: 'Did you see the prioress? Have you seen the abbess? Did you see the boss? ... '. But why did you not bring the matter up there? ... Is that clear? They are virtues of proximity. And the Saints had this, the consecrated Saints had this. Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus never, ever complained about work, the nuisance of having to carry the nun to the refectory, every night, from the choir to the refectory. Never! Why this poor nun was very old, almost paralytic, she walked badly, and was in pain - I understand! She was also a bit 'neurotic ... she never, never went to another sister to say:' What a bother this is! '. What did she do? She helped her to sit down, brought her napkin, broke bread and made her smile. This is called proximity. Be close! If you fire a gossip bomb into the midst of your community, this is not proximity: this is going to war! This causes distances, anarchy in the community. And if, in this Year of Mercy, each of never gossip or spread rumors, it would be a success for the Church, a great success of holiness! Take heart! Be close". "And then hope. And I confess that it pains me greatly to see the decline in vocations, when I receive bishops and ask them: 'How many seminarians do you have?' - '4, 5 ...'. When you, in your religious communities - male or female - have one novice, two ... and the community is aging, aging .... When there are monasteries, great monasteries, and Cardinal Amigo Vallejo [the Pope turns to him] can tell us, in Spain, how many there are, that are kept going by four or five little old nuns, until the end ... Here I see a temptation that goes against hope: 'But, Lord, what is happening? Why has the womb of the consecrated life becomes so barren? '. Some congregations experiment with 'artificial insemination'. What do they do? They accept everyone...: 'Yes, come, come, come ...'. And then there are problems... No. You have to accept with seriousness! You must discern whether this is a true vocation and help it grow. And I think it is the temptation to lose hope produces this sterility, we must pray more. And pray tirelessly. To me it does so much good to read that passage of Scripture, in which Anne - the mother of Samuel - prayed and asked for a son. She prayed and moved her lips, and prayed ... And the old priest, who was a bit 'blind and could not see well, thought she was drunk. But this womans heart [said to God]: 'I want a baby!'. I ask you, your heart, in front of this decline in vocations, to pray with this intensity. Our congregation needs children, our Congregation needs to daughters ...'. The Lord has been generous enough never to refuse His promise. But we have to ask. We have to knock on the door of His heart. Because there is a danger - and this is bad, but I have to say it - when a religious congregation sees that it has no children and grandchildren and is beginning to grow smaller, it clings to money. And you know that money is the dung of devil. When they cannot have the grace to have vocations and children they think money will save lives; and they think of their old age and worry that nothing should be lacking ... And so there is no hope! The only hope is in the Lord! Money can never give you this. On the contrary: it will only drag you down! Got it?". "I wanted to tell you all of this, instead of reading the pages that the Cardinal Prefect will give you after... And thank you so much for what you do. Consecrated persons - each with its own charisma. And I want to emphasize the religious, the nuns. What would the Church be if there were no nuns? That's why I said it once: when you go to the hospital, colleges, parishes, neighborhoods, missions, men and women who gave their lives ... In the last trip to Africa - that's why I told you, I think , in an audience - I met a nun of 83 years, Italian. She told me: I have been here a nurse in this hospital - I do not remember if she said since she was 23 or 26. Just think the 26 to 83! 'And I wrote to my family in Italy that I will never come back. When you go to a cemetery and see that there are many religious missionaries who died and many sisters died at age 40 because they contracted a disease, these fevers of those countries, they burned with life ... You say these are saints! These are seeds! We must tell the Lord to come down a bit 'on these cemeteries and see what happened to our ancestors and give us more vocations, because we need it. " "Thank you so much for this visit, I thank the Cardinal Prefect, Monsignor Secretary, the Undersecretaries for what you have done in this Year of the Consecrated Life. But, please, do not forget the prophecy of obedience, proximity, the next most important, your closest neighbor is your brother and sister in the of the community, and then hope. May the Lord make birth to sons and daughters in your congregations. And pray for me. Thank you!". Commenting on the story of King David, Francis notes that he was a sinner, but not corrupt. "The end of David, which is holiness, is through the humiliation. The end of the holiness that God gives to His children, gives to the Church, is through the humiliation of His Son, who is insulted and hung on the cross - unfairly ... And this Son of God who humbles himself, He is the path holiness. " Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Humility is the way to holiness and "the only path to humility is through humiliation, said Pope Francis at Mass this morning at Casa Santa Marta, commenting on the story of King David who, aware of his sin, accepts his humiliation in a spirit of trust in the Lord. Though he is a sinner, David is not corrupt - the Pope notes - because "the corrupt do not realize that they are: "It takes a special grace to change the heart of a corrupt person. And David who had a noble heart, said: 'Oh, it's true: I have sinned!' He acknowledges his guilt. And what does Nathan say? 'The Lord forgives your sin, but the corruption that you have sown will grow. You killed an innocent man to hide adultery. The sword shall never depart from your house.' God forgives the sin; David converts but the wounds of corruption are difficult to heal. We see this in many parts of the world." David finds his son Absalom has become corrupt, waging war on him. But the king gathers his men and decides to leave the city, allowing the Ark to return. He does not call on God to defend him. He leaves "to save his people." And this, Pope Francis reveals, is the way of holiness that David, after that moment of corruption, begins to follow." David, with covered head and weeping, leaves the city amid the jeers of some. Among these, Shimei calls him "murderous" and curses him. David accepts this because, the Pope says, if he is cursed, it is the Lords doing: "Then David said to his servants: 'My own son, who came forth from my loins, is seeking my life: Absalom. And then, let this Benjaminite go on cursing since it was the Lord who ordered him to. David knows how to see the signs: it is his moment of humiliation, it is the moment in which he is paying for his guilt. 'Perhaps the Lord will look upon my affliction, and make it up to me with benefits for the curses he is uttering this day. And he puts himself in the hands of the Lord. This is the path of David, from the moment of corruption to this entrusting of himself into the hands of the Lord. And this is holiness. This is humility. I think all of us, if somebody says something bad to us, would immediately say that its not true." Or we do as Shimei does: "We offer an even uglier response." "Humility, the Pope stresses, can only get into the heart via humiliation. There is no humility without humiliation, and if you are not able to put up with some humiliations in your life, you are not humble." Its simply "mathematical," the Pope stresses: "The only way to humility is through humiliation. Davids destiny, which is holiness, comes through humiliation. The destiny of that holiness which God gives to his children, gives to the Church, comes through the humiliation of his Son, who allows himself to be insulted, who allows himself to be placed on the cross - unjustly ... And this Son of God who humbles himself, this is the way of holiness. And David, through his behavior, prophesizes this humiliation of Jesus. Let us ask the Lord for the grace of humility for each of us, for the whole Church - but also for the grace to understand that humility cannot be achieved without humiliation". The National Palace Museum is one of the largest museum in the world, certainly the one with the largest collection of Chinese antiquities. An exhibition on the relationship between the Catholic faith and China through sinicisation by the first missionaries opens on 2 February until 5 May. Among the artifacts on display are the tiara of Blessed Pius IX, the reliquary of Saint Francis Xavier and the Vatican Mandylion. Taipei (AsiaNews) The National Palace Museum (NPM) of Taiwan is set to open a special exhibition. Titled Treasures from Heaven: A Special Exhibition of Artifacts from the Holy See, the show presents beautiful works of art from the Vatican. Organised by the Vaticans Office of Liturgical Celebrations and the NPM, the event, which opens tomorrow until May 2, is one of the largest in the world. Among the pieces on display will be the tiara of Blessed Pius IX, the chasuble with stole and maniple of Pius XI, and the reliquary of Saint Francis Xavier. Also on exhibit will be the first texts translated in Chinese by the early missionaries, the first examples of inculturation and sinicisation of the faith. The Vatican Mandyllion (face of Christ) will also be on view. The exhibition is divided into six sections: "The Holy See," "The Liturgical Year," "The Altar," "The Pope and History," "The Sacraments," and "Catholicism Spreads East." Together, they represent the close relationship between the liturgy of the Church, the pope and the history and development of Catholicism. Several texts translated by missionaries into Chinese are also on display. They include documents ranging from natural science and philosophy to calendars and mathematics, which had a great impact on Chinas development. There is great anticipation for some of the more valuable Vatican artifacts. One is the aureate chasuble with stole and maniple worn by Pope Pius XI (1922-1939). It features golden embroidered damask silk with gold filaments and coloured silk portraying scenes from the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. Another piece is the tiara of Blessed Pius IX (1846-1878), offered to pontiff by Queen Isabella II of Spain in 1854. It shows three levels that symbolise the three authorities of the Pope as Father of kings, Governor of the world, and Vicar of Christ. A third important piece is the Vatican Mandylion, i.e. the face of Christ, which symbolises the principle that dialogue is possible only when one presents the truth of ones face. The Reliquary and relic of Saint Francis Xavier, the apostle of Asia, will also be on display. One of the founders of the Society of Jesus, Saint Francis Xavier pioneered the mission in the Far East. After reaching Goa in India, he headed to Southeast Asia and Japan to spread the faith. His dream of reaching China to proclaim the Gospel ended on Shangchuan Island off the coast of Guangdong. Soon after, he became regarded as the spiritual father of Catholicism in the East and patron of missions. by John Ai The Protestant minister Gu Yuese (official) is the head of Chongyi, the largest Protestant community in the country with about 10 thousand faithful. He was arrested by police on charges of "embezzlement". He had publically opposed the demolition of crosses in Zhejiang and defended the rights of the church. His arrest could kick off a new wave of persecution against Christians. Hangzhou (AsiaNews) - Chinese state media have confirmed the arrest of official Protestant Pastor Yuese Gu, also known as Joseph Gu. The pastor leads the Chongyi Church, which is the largest Protestant community in the country with about 10 thousand faithful. He was arrested by police on charges of "embezzlement", but no further details were given about his case. In an open letter sent to his congregation, he speaks of "a cold storm that is heading for Hangzhou", the provincial capital. Gu was removed from office on Jan. 18, 2016. On the 27 of the same month he disappeared with his wife Zhou Lianmei. Two days later, church officials announced that the man was working with the police" over allegations of misappropriation of community funds. The Chongyi then received a formal police notification that read: the pastor is being held "under the house arrest in a chosen location". The term is a euphemism increasingly used by the Chinese authorities to indicate de facto illegal detention. Under national law, a citizen who is legally detained - even while waiting to appear before the court - has a number of rights: to communicate with their family, to meet with their lawyer and dispute the charge against them. If the suspect "is cooperating with the authorities" and is under "house arrest", these rights do not apply. Beijing has reserved the same treatment for the five publishers who, critical of the authorities, "disappeared" from Hong Kong. The sudden dismissal of Gu which took place without following mandatory procedures - has shocked the congregation. In an open letter to the faithful, and his wife Gu warns: "A rare freezing, cold will befall Hangzhou... Chongyi Church is also experiencing unprecedented, chilling trails. Gu opposed authorities' campaign of the demolition of the crosses publicly during these two years. In May, 2015, Chongyi Church posted a statement against the new regulation for religious building and demolition of crosses on its website. The website was temporarily offline later. In later July, Gu signed an open letter to Zhejiang religion bureau on behalf of the patriotic church. Over 1800 crosses on the churches have been removed since the campaign began in 2014. Huang Ziyi, the pastor who resisted demolishing cross was sentenced to one year in jail for "provoking social unrest". Lawyer Zhang Kai who defended for church was detained by police secretly in last August. Gu Yuese, the latest to fall, is the most important member of the so-called patriotic church to be imprisoned since the Cultural Revoltion. A young Brisbane lawyer has created a legal Webjet, allowing users to search and compare lawyers for different legal matters. Melissa Sinopoli said she created LawyerQuote when she realised how confusing people find navigating the legal market. Being a lawyer myself I know people often find it challenging to find lawyers and find the right one and find the right price for the legal services they need, Sinopoli told The Brisbane Times. I knew we wanted to do something that gave people better access to lawyers and gave them that access online, 24 hours a day seven days a week. It gives you the fixed prices instantly with all the lawyers are including the same thing in their price. Sinopoli said the service is equally as useful for lawyers is equally as useful for lawyers who find it very difficult to access the market where people are googling lawyers. We see it as working with them to give them greater access to the online market, so it is a win win for everyone. The Queensland Law Society president Bill Potts told the Times that while he welcomes the service, he warned consumers not to solely rely on the site and its rating system to find the right lawyer. "Because it is a free market, any initiative that gives choice to the consumer is a positive development, having said that it is important that consumers understand that many legal matters are not always straightforward or can be properly quoted on without knowing the many facts surrounding the case," Mr Potts said. Consumers, in making a decision as to their legal representatives, must not only have regard to cost but also to the quality of the service and the exact extent and scope of that service. These types of things are always subject to some degree of concern, you may not know who is providing the quotes or the ratings. Free newsletter Subscribe to our FREE newsletter service and well keep you up-to-date with the latest breaking news, cutting edge opinion, and expert analysis affecting both your business and the industry as whole. Please enter your email address below and click on Sign Up for daily newsletters from Australasian Lawyer. The simple fact is that the Court of Appeal got it wrong, he said.The former interstate judge has withheld his identity to avoid controversy, according to The Courier Mail.The Court of Appeal completely endorsed the view that the evidence in the Baden-Clay case was capable of supporting the conclusion that the appellant had caused his wifes death by an unlawful act but they reasoned that in the particular circumstances a finding of an intent to kill could not be sustained.To reach this conclusion the Court embarked upon a detailed assessment of the evidence given at the trial and consideration of competing submissions by counsel during the appeal.I have not had an opportunity to read the transcript of the evidence given at the trial but I have no reason to believe that the Court of Appeal in its judgment has failed to mention any relevant part of the evidence as to the circumstances surrounding the killing of Mrs Baden-Clay, he said.Read his full opinion on The Courier Mail website. A high profile Dallas lawyer has earned a hefty sanction after he constructed a push poll of potential jurors supporting his defence strategy. Judge Ruben Reyes found the lawyer had committed misconduct by attempting to improperly influence potential jurors in a West Texas wrongful death and products liability case. The judge described his behavior as unprofessional and unethical. He has been ordered to pay more than $133,000 and take 10 hours of legal ethics courses after he appeared nonchalant and uncaring during his sanctions hearing, Above The Law reported. The case was over allegations that Titeflex Corp. had poorly made tubing that caused a gas explosion, killing a boy. But Titeflex denied any wrongdoing and the defence lawyer then brought on a polling company, Public Opinion Strategies to survey the population. Reyes determined that the poll went beyond just polling and crossed a line when it began calling witnesses and other parties to the case. The court finds Mr. Brewers actions were not merely a negligent act, a mistake or the result of poor judgment, and Mr. Brewers explanation that he bears clean hands because the poll was a blind study conducted by a third party vendor is insulting to the court, Reyes wrote in his ruling. Reyes even said that his unprofessional conduct was threatening to the judicial system. The lawyer denied any wrongdoing, claiming that polling was on the rise and that contact with people involved in the case was purely coincidental. The judge said if the lawyer appeals, the sanctions would increase to $173,000. According to Denver police chief Robert White, the melee broke out at around 1 pm at the Colorado Motorcycle Expo at the National Western Complex. An investigation was started, but the circumstances that led to the escalation of violence are not known entirely.Reportedly, the incident involved members of two motorcycle gangs, one of which was confirmed to be the Mongols MC. The other is said to be the Iron Order, a motorcycle club that has a lot of military and police personnel. According to Reuters , it was one of the Mongols who got shot and killed.Lawyers of both MCs provided declarations that blame the other part for starting the fight. Stephen Stubbs, a lawyer for the Mongols MC, says that none of the members had guns, and it was one of the Iron Order members that produced a firearm during a brawl, starting to shoot.Iron Order's lawyer John C. Whitfield says that the fight broke out when one of the Mongols made a racial slur at one of the former club's Afro-American members and shots were fired in self-defense, after his clients were surrounded.The police made no arrests so far, even though a "person of interest" was questioned by the investigators. Pools of blood were reportedly seen at the scene of the melee, but the motorcycle expo continued as officers arrived and started the investigation. Police forces were stationed at the National Western Complex to keep the peace.This incident reminds us of the shooting in Waco, Texas , from May last year, when members of the Cossacks and Bandidos motorcycle gangs were involved in a massive shooting that left nine dead, dozens injured and almost 200 arrested. MPV The car the Pope rode in on all his official trips through Philadelphia last fall went under the hammer at a black tie event during the Philadelphia Auto Show. The auction had 19 bidders and took 11 minutes to reach the $82,000 top bid. The proceedings from the sale will be donated to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which will distribute the funds to their special education schools and other charities.The winning bid was placed by Michael and Kate Chapman of Chapman Auto Stores, Automotive News reports. The new owners of the car have not specified what they will do with the vehicle. After all, using it would significantly drop its value, so theres a chance it will be placed in an exhibit. The Chapman Auto group sells Nissan, Ford, Lincoln, Volkswagen, Chevrolet, Mazda, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles.A new Fiat 500L starts at almost $20,000 in the United States of America, so the Chapmans paid four times the starting price of the car just because the 79-year-old Pontiff was its passenger. This particular unit was part of a six-vehicle motorcade, but only the one utilized by the Pope was sold at auction. The other car Pope Francis rode in, a white Jeep known as a Popemobile, will not be sold.Back in September 2015, the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church used the Fiat 500L instead of bullet-proof limousines in a bid to make a point of his environmental concerns. Pope Francis is known for his desire to live a moderate lifestyle and to impose such values on the Church he leads. Since personal example is a big thing in any culture, what better way to show you are humble than giving up on armored cars for a regular Fiat SUV The production version of MGs upcomingwill be shown in its final production form at this years London Motor Show, the premiere being scheduled for May 6. The MG GS is the brands first SUV, and the company has released the first design sketches of its upcoming model.The illustration shows several design elements in common with the example shown at last years Shanghai Motor Show . Back then, it was a concept called CS in the first teaser images, but ended up being showcased as the GTS.The MG GTS concept had a size similar to the current generation Honda CR-V. At first, the SUV was supposed to be sold only in China, but it appears that the SAIC-owned British brand has changed its mind.After all, the company prides itself on being the fastest growing brand in Britain in 2014 according to official figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Furthermore, MG has the fastest growing network of dealers in the UK, as the company is registering a continuous increase in sales.The first production MG GS SUVs will roam British roads in June this year. The car was designed in Longbridge, Birmingham, and is described by its makers as the next big leap.The people at MG are euphoric about what they turned the GS into and expect it to be a competitive car in one of Europes most attractive segments. All that is left to see is if the design language, described as confident and dynamic, will be matched by the powertrain offer and the price range.If all these boxes are checked, the car has a shot at Europes SUV market, a challenging atmosphere thats growing in sales. However, just making an SUV is not the key to success in Europe, as some carmakers have learned. By the end of next year, well find out if MG got their recipe right. Well, yeah, we kind of knew that already - its hard to find ten people in one place that think alike on a subject, so imagine the odds for the millions living in Michigan - you dont have to be extremely clever to figure that out. The thing is that now, one of those who oppose this decision has embarked on a mission to solve the problem on Teslas behalf.Meet Mick Yuille, a fresh graduate from the University of Michigan specializing in - coincidence or not - political science. The 22-year-old is looking to gather some field experience and make sure his favorite electric car becomes available for sale to his fellow Michiganders as well.The plan is simple in nature, but might prove more difficult in practice: Mick Yuille needs to gather 252,000 signatures by June 1, so he can present his case in front of the Michigan legislature this session. Then, its up to them to decide against or in favor of his proposal. In case the former happens, the decision will be left in the voters' hands, who will get to give their yay or nay in November.Mick doesnt yet know how hes going to collect the signatures, but hes feeling optimistic about it and says that its up to him to succeed now.The funny part is that his efforts may prove to be in vain, apart from all the experience hes undoubtedly going to get. And even funnier is that the one company jeopardizing his initiative is none other than Tesla Motors.As hard as it may be to believe, Tesla Motors filed for a Class A license in the State of Michigan that would allow Elon Musks company to open up dealerships in the Northern State home to the US car making industry. In other words, Musk seems to be giving up on his well-known reluctance to sell cars using a dealership network so that he can compete with the other brands (most notably the Chevrolet Bolt) on their home turf. Oh, this just got even more interesting. For the sake of comparison, the first Sepang pre-season test of 2015 saw 1'58"867 as the best lap, with Marc Marquez being the fastest rider of the entire meeting. Surely, this is only the first day in Malaysia, and the lap times are expected to drop as teams refine the settings of the bikes and riders assess the track conditions better.The weather at Sepang is hot, maybe a tad too hot, but this was not the key element the teams struggled with. The 2016 season comes with a standard, unified software for all the bikes on the grid and new tires supplied by Michelin.According to Danny Aldridge, MotoGP Technical Director, the software should not represent a major issue, as the teams had access to it since early in 2015 and were asked to provide input for building the current version. They should be around 70% through the development of a race-ready version, Aldridge says. Likewise, he adds that Michelin are not newcomers in premier class racing either, and he expresses his confidence that the 2016 season will be just alright.The biggest surprise in the debut of the Sepang test is seeing Ducati machinery of all sorts looking exceptionally competitive on the track. And what should be a tad worrying for the rest of the guys and their teams is the fact that three completely different Ducati machines ended the Sepang Day 1 in places 4, 5 and 6.Valentino Rossi was second, 1"033 behind Lorenzo, and Dani Pedrosa followed very close to him, at 0.063 seconds. Danilo Petrucci put an Octo Pramac Yakhnich Ducati fourth on the time sheets, 31 thousandths of a second behind Pedrosa (and therefore, within striking range of Rossi).Ducati's fastest factory bike was ridden by Andrea Iannone to a finish in the fifth place, one-tenth of a second behind the satellite one, while Avintia's Hector Barbera put the Desmosedici GP14.2 sixth on the charts, almost three tenths ahead of Marc Marquez.Scott Redding's Pramac Ducati was eighth, ahead of Aleix Espargaro's Suzuki and Cal Crutchlow's LCR Honda, who rounded up the top ten. Yamaha Tech3 had a rather disappointing debut, with Pol Espargaro 12th and Bradley Smith 15th.Unsurprisingly, Aprilia's old bikes were last on the grid, with all hopes for better days once the 2016 machines are ready. Two riders crashed, with Smith wiping off at the last turn and escaping without injuries, while his bike was only scratched a bit.However, Eugene Laverty suffered a violent crash at Turn 4 and was rushed to the hospital for full investigations. He is feared to have fractured a wrist, which would definitely sideline him for at least three or four weeks. The forks of his Ducati also broke off during the crash. @mcderose Never underestimate the power of caregiving! MC = stay @ home Dad to 2 awesome sons... and planning "THE Return" #IOMTT'16 #120MPH MotoCzysz (@MotoCzysz) August 21, 2015 Just like the team did on other occasions, Mugen says that the Shinden Go machine will be an all-new design. Now, we looked back at the bikes Mugen brought at the Snaefell Mountain, and despite similar statements from Mugen, each new incarnation only sported minute, incremental changes.For 2016, Team Mugen is sticking with the same two riders who brought 1-2 podiums in 2014 and 2015. 23-time TT winner John McGuinnness and 20-time Snaefell victor Bruce Anstey will be behind the handlebars of the two Shinden Go machines, with the team hoping to add new accolades to the existing ones.The aim for 2016 is to break the 120 mph (193 km/h) lap time barrier, a success that the new Mugen machines might finally achieve. The Japanese bikes gradually improved their performance and are now comparable to the lap times of the petrol-powered Lightweight TT 650cc machines.The Tokyo Motorcycle Show is the moment Mugen chose to unveil the Shinden Go. On March 25, 2016, the team will pull the wraps off the bike, but spy shots are most likely to surface earlier.Frankly, we don't expect to see huge differences on the aesthetic side. Just like with the previous iterations of the machine, the biggest modifications were made in the tech department, and we guess that the "recipe" hasn't changed. And by the way, Mugen has not abandoned the Japanese numeral naming code: "Go" means "five" in Japanese.Mugen's machine had little competition during the last two TT races, with the distance from the first two bikes and the third, which by the way, was a Victory Empulse, being a significant one. The rest of the machines were even further behind, namely Sarolea and the bike fielded by the University of Nottingham.However, we came across an older message posted by Moto Czysz last year, in response to a question about the future, and which hinted at a TT Zero comeback in 2016, also with the (still) mythical 120 mph in sight. If Moto Czysz returns to the Isle, the electric TT will be all the more interesting, as Czysz' machines look like the only ones capable of giving Mugen a run for their money and put up serious competition.With an increasingly strong presence in Europe, we wonder how long it will take until Zero Motorcycles starts thinking about preparing an SR for IOM... If youre not working for one of those well-known enterprises in question, you might enjoy this kind of story, but if Google, Apple, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, GM and so on are the ones issuing your paycheck, this newcomer might seem like more of a nuisance.But GATEway isnt looking to steal anybodys bread. The 8 million ($11.4 million) project called Greenwich Automated Transport Environment (GATEway) is a joint venture between three British firms - Heathrow Enterprises, Oxbotica and Westfield Sportscars - and it aims to develop autonomous transport pods that can navigate freely and safely through the city without human intervention.The design of the pods themselves hasnt been settled yet, but it is reported that it will rely heavily on the Ultra PODS already in use at the Heathrow Airport. Only the sole tracks the new vehicles will be riding on will be the imaginary ones set out by their CPUs after analyzing the environment.The nature of the three firms involved makes a strong case for the projects success - they have a little bit of everything - and depending on how quickly they can come up with a prototype for the vehicles, public tests might begin as soon as this summer. The autonomous cars (or pods) will be zooming around Greenwich, London, but a clear route is yet to be set.The tests seek to establish the main issues these vehicles would have to face in an urban environment, as well as the publics level of engagement and how easily they can accommodate with the idea of sharing the road with driverless cars. Initially, the trials are scheduled to last anywhere between three to six weeks, but the period might be extended. Professor Nick Reed, technical lead of the GATEway project, hopes the public will be curious (and adventurous, it has to be said) enough to book a ride in the shuttles during the testing phase.Speaking to CNBC via email, he said, "The purpose of the project is to understand and overcome the technical, legal and societal barriers of implementing automated vehicles in an urban environment. Once we understand the issues and challenges surrounding automated vehicles, we can then see how deployment can best work."So these are not your typical autonomous cars everyone else is trying to create. In fact, the whole project seems more like a realistic version of the NEXT futuristic public transportation idea, only this one could actually see the light of day sometime sooner than 2050. Just think of GATEway as a sort of micro public transport solution that doesnt come with a driver. To all of us who have ever taken a cab, that must sound very, very enticing. MPV As per the report of Michigan Information & Research Service Inc. (subscription required), the manufacturer itself applied to the Michigan Secretary of State for dealership license. More curiously, a Class A dealership license is usually applied by anyone other than the car manufacturer itself.From our point of view, this unexpected turn of events comes as a consequence of the fact that Tesla Motors lost the battle to sell its EVs in the Wolverine State because the GM-backed Michigan Automobile Dealers Association pulled some strings back in October 2014 Dont think for a moment that Elon Musk lost its mind and gave in to the greedy games played by traditional dealerships. When push came to shove, Tesla Motors responded the best way it could to make its presence felt in Michigan. More so if you consider that the Chevrolet Bolt EV will duke it out with the Tesla Model 3.According to the Michigan Secretary of State, a decision will be made no later than two months from now. Our view of the direct sales ban of Tesla vehicles is that it is protectionist in nature. In the land of the free, prohibitions on direct sales to consumers dont really fit in.The best revenge Tesla could get on the General Motors-backed sales ban in Michigan is to outperform and outsell the Bolt. If the Palo Alto-based company manages to undercut the pricing of the Bolt by at least $1,000, that should be enough to convince people to buy the Model 3 instead of Chevy's electriccrossover. A Delta Air Lines flight from LAX to MSP last week diverted to Salt Lake City after what is reported to have been a fistfight involving at least two flight attendants. The Aviation Herald is reporting the captain of Flight 2598 headed the Boeing 757 for Salt Lake Jan. 22 after two flight attendants were in a dispute that got physical. Another woman (its not clear if she was a Delta employee) reportedly got between them and got a knuckle sandwich for her trouble. Thats when the purser decided to send them back to their corners by letting the captain in on the situation. The Herald said the captain reportedly told air traffic control that he wanted to hear from his flight attendants. An email request late Sunday for comment from Delta was not immediately answered. After 80 minutes on the ground in Salt Lake the aircraft left for Minneapolis, according to FlightAware. Its not clear if the combatants continued the flight or whether Delta managed to replace them in a little more than an hour in Salt Lake. Passengers reportedly got a letter from the airline apologizing for bringing UFC to the cabin saying some of our team members did not display their best behavior. We expect our flight crew to be nothing but courteous and professional at all times and what you experienced was far from that. I am sorry we didnt deliver on our brand promise for you today. The flight was about 75 minutes late getting into MSP, according to FlightAware. image: Associated Press A World War II-era Zero fighter plane flew above Japan last week, offering a sight seldom seen since the end of World War II. Flown by retired U.S. Air Force pilot Skip Holm, the restored airplane took off from a naval base in Kanoya, near the southernmost tip of the country. I wanted for the people of Japan and especially young people to know about this Zero airplane, as well as those who are old who remember the past, said Masahiro Ishizuka, who bought the airplane in the U.S. and brought it to Japan last year. Each of them should have different thoughts and perspectives on this, but I just want people to know how Japan has developed its technology. The Model 22 fighter, with rounded wingtips, is believed to be the first flying Zero to be based in Japan since the end of the war. Nearly 11,000 Zeroes were built during the war, but fewer than 10 remain in flying condition. Ishizukas airplane had been found in Papua New Guinea in the 1970s, in decaying condition, and was bought by an American who restored it. The airplane had flown at events in the U.S. and also made an appearance in the Hollywood film Pearl Harbor. Although last weeks flight was originally reported as the first time a Zero had flown above Japan since the end of the war, The Associated Press later said rented Zeroes have flown in Japan on occasion in the past. The airfield in Kanoya used for the first flight had been a staging area for kamikaze pilots attacking U.S. ships in the Pacific during World War II. 1 February 2016 14:38 (UTC+04:00) By Hans-Helmut Kotz The long-held dream of a borderless Europe, which became reality in the mid-1990s, is fading fast. Italy is blocking a European Union decision to bribe Turkey to keep refugees from crossing over into Greece on their way to Germany, Sweden, or other northern European countries. In response, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble has called for solidarity, warning that otherwise the border guards might soon be back at their posts, beginning with the German-Austrian frontier. To be sure, the dissolution of the Schengen Agreement, which instituted passport-free travel within most of the EU starting in 1995, need not mark the end of the European project, at least not in principle. Economically, border controls act just like taxes; they distort activity, by increasing transaction costs and reducing cross-border flows of goods and services. Without them and, more important, with a single currency a market is more effective. That does not mean, of course, that the single market cannot work with border controls or multiple currencies. It simply means that such renationalization would carry enormous costs, in the form of substantially reduced productivity and significantly lower output. Given these costs, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has rightly stressed that killing Schengen would undermine the EUs foundational goal of ever closer union an objective to which, admittedly, several EU members have signed up only reluctantly. The United Kingdom is the most vocal skeptic, but Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and pretty much the rest of Eastern Europe have never been enthusiastic about shifting their focus from national prerogatives. The refugee crisis has thrown this discord into sharp relief. As a result, Europes densely knit network of interdependencies is beginning to unravel. The benevolent hegemon, which used to be the French-German couple, is missing. A focus on national (and in some places, like Catalonia and Scotland, regional) issues is gaining ground, in line with the incentives of policymakers, whose constituencies are national (or regional). Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzis call for a quid pro quo a loosening of the eurozones fiscal rules in exchange for accepting the deal with Turkey is entirely understandable in this light. But it puts the EU on a slippery slope. The irony in all of this is that Germany, which was perceived as ruthless during the European sovereign (and private) debt crises, is now calling for solidarity. Supported by other northern European creditors, Germany enforced its fiscal principles relentlessly, despite the systemic consequences for those it was pressuring (Greece and Spain, for example, now have different governments). Whether the adjustment policies have been successful remains a subject of heated debate; what is not in doubt is that they produced many losers most notably among the most vulnerable, who now largely perceive the EU-Germany consensus as threatening. Against this background, anti-establishment parties across Europe oppose policies that reflect this German-inspired approach. This explains, for example, the similarity of the economic platforms offered by the far left and far right in France. Even mainstream parties are under pressure to cater to this insurgent sentiment; defending EU policy proposals is a surefire way to lose an election. That is why, as Germany struggles to cope with some 1.5 million refugees, Schaubles call for solidarity is falling on barren ground. Everybody, beginning with France, is hiding. Its payback time. Burden-sharing that is, a fair allocation of refugees throughout the EU (to be hashed out politically) appears to be a pipe dream. Economically, accommodating refugees will be a challenge for quite some time. But if one takes a longer view, absorbing the newcomers should be an opportunity if it is appropriately handled. In the meantime, however, not only Germany, but also Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, and others, are running up against what is deemed to be politically feasible. This implies that no EU-wide response can be expected, and thus that Schengen is probably doomed. This would be more than a symbolic loss for European citizens. And, of course, re-erecting national borders does nothing to address the underlying issue. Refugees would just be pushed back to Greece, the most fragile and vulnerable link in the chain. As uninspiring as this might sound, we must now consider the prospect of the end of the European Monetary Union and the EU as we have known it. The goal is not simply to highlight the lost opportunities associated with such an outcome; those would clearly be sizable, especially if the currency union had to be untied. The point is also to show that the minimal conditions for the EU and the eurozone to work in their current form are lacking. Foremost among these conditions is a shared diagnosis of the EUs problems and a common philosophy. Renzi and Schauble, for example, have strikingly contradictory views on crucial issues, from fiscal policy to the banking sector. Renzi criticizes the EU, while laying the blame for the consequences of new creditor bail-in regulations squarely at Germanys door. For the same reasons, French President Francois Hollande puts internal security first (possibly in line with the preferences of his electorate), and honors fiscal rules inconsistently. It doesnt help that applying German or EU proposals on refugee policy would not exactly strengthen his re-election chances in 2017. If EU member states were to pursue their enlightened self-interest, they would nurture ever closer union, with solidarity fiscal and otherwise between North and South. Instead, they are increasingly scapegoating Europe and embracing a national discourse. Once again, Europe seems to be sleepwalking into crisis. One hopes that it wakes up in a safer place than it has in the past. Copyright: Project Syndicate: Payback time in schengen land --- Follow us on Twitter: @Azernews 1 February 2016 17:54 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Orujova Anyone who is not familiar with the realities of the region may seem strange that the five countries for more than 20 years decide what to call the water basin, on the banks of which they are situated. However, the situation is exactly so with the Caspian Sea, let us call it a sea, as it is commonly known in the world. The Caspian Sea region is one of the oldest oil-producing areas around the world and still is an important source of global energy production. During the Soviet era, the sea was distributed between only two states the USSR and Iran. However, after the collapse of the Union, Iran has faced four more countries each wanting their own slab of cake Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. The aspiration of Azerbaijan is not extraordinary, as this country is the first that started offshore oil production in the Caspian Sea in the world. The country has all the infrastructure for the extraction of hydrocarbons and was eager to continue the production. Meanwhile, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan were also not ready to give in without a struggle. By now, the five littoral states are mixed up in the decades lasting talks and the end for negotiations is not even observed because of the present economic situation in the world. The dominancy in the Caspian Sea is a large power to control region and Russia cannot leave hold of this trump card. From the other hand, four other states want their part of the hydrocarbons. In two decades of talks, three countries Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have managed to come to a single decision, while Turkmenistan and Iran are still on talks. Today, when Iran got out of the Western sanctions, it may be interested to facilitate the problem as soon as possible. In this scenario, Turkmenistan will have no option, but solve the negotiations with other countries mainly with Azerbaijan, with whom it dispute over the ownership of potentially lucrative sections of the sea. However, today when the prices for oil decreases day by day, another opportunities of the Caspian Sea is on the agenda with the transportation as one of the main. The Caspian Sea is located on the ancient Silk Road and its favorable position between East and West is still important, especially after Russia introduced bans for a number of countries. In this situation, Ukraine and Turkey, which previously used Russia as their pass to East, now looking for the Caspian Sea opportunities, while China is also concerned to use it to reach Europe. Turkmenistan has also recently expressed interest to create the Caspian Sea regional transport and logistics center. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan and China are already involved into the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, which simplifies transportation a lot. In this connection, solution of the Caspian status could further boost the transportation importance of the worlds largest inland water body. __ Nigar Orujova is AzerNewss staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 17:53 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Orujova The government of Azerbaijan is keeping constant focus on the social protection of people, and health sector is one of the most important areas in this regard. Deputy Prime Minister Ali Ahmadov has announced that currently the issue of VAT exemption on drugs is on the agenda of the government. We are considering this issue, and I think that a decision, that is acceptable to Azerbaijan, will be made, he said noting that in some countries, drugs are exempt from VAT and subject to VAT in varying degrees. In general, important works are carried out and will be continued in Azerbaijan to provide citizens with medicines of high quality, which prices are not artificially inflated, he told reporters on January 30. The goal is to ensure pharmaceutical market of Azerbaijan to function based on sound principles, Ahmadov said. The import of medicines is subject to VAT in Azerbaijan from autumn 2015, while the market was exempt from VAT for 15 years earlier. Moreover, the country continues fight with artificial overpricing in the pharmacies as well. The country started regulation of prices on drugs from mid 2015 to make them affordable to all the population at the reasonable rate. The regulation process is continuing and may be finalized by mid-2016. If the import of drugs in Azerbaijan is not exempt from VAT, this could lead to shortages in the country, MP Kamaladdin Gafarov said at the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Health on January 28. Noting that today Azerbaijan not observes a shortage of medicines, he said the country may face such a shortage in case the drug import not exempt from VAT. Meanwhile, MP Musa Guliyev urged private clinics of Baku and the regions to carry out free medical examinations once a week for a special group of population in need. Private clinics in Ganja carry out free check-ups for veterans of the Karabakh war and martyrs families once a week, he said. If possible, once a month they even organize their treatment. The MP believes this would be a positive step, if private clinics in Baku and regions operate like this. Because in the current situation each institution must understood its social responsibility., he said. Many MPs supported the initiative. __ Nigar Orujova is AzerNews staff journalist. Follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar Follow us on Twitter: @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 11:15 (UTC+04:00) Youth Wing of the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) has held a meeting to discuss the results of its last year activities. First deputy chairman of the Parliament Ziyafat Asgarov highly appreciated the organizations activity during the past twenty years. He said young members of YAP are actively taking part in the public and political life of Azerbaijan. Asgarov stressed the importance of President Ilham Aliyev`s meeting with youth. Deputy chairperson of the Parliament Bahar Muradova said: We have familiarized ourselves with the activities of YAP Youth Wing for the past year. We see how colorful, multifaceted activities the organization carries out. Deputy Prime Minister, deputy chairman and executive secretary of the New Azerbaijan Party Ali Ahmadov noted that the Youth Day in Azerbaijan set up by national leader Heydar Aliyev has contributed to the promotion of youth movement in the country. Success, accomplishments and development of the youth are a source of proud for each of us, he said. Ahmadov stressed that YAP Youth Wing is an active part of the youth movement in the country. The meeting featured a ceremony to award active members of YAP Youth Wing and public figures. The Youth Day takes its origin from the first Youth Forum held in 1996. A year later, national leader Heydar Aliyev signed a decree according to which 2 February was declared the Day of Azerbaijani Youth. From that time Azerbaijan became the first country among the CIS and Eastern Europe states to solemnly celebrate this day. Today the youth policy has become an important part of the state policy in Azerbaijan. The young people are active in the implementation of different projects, initiatives and scaly developments. They are good athletes, talented musicians and successful inventors. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 15:05 (UTC+04:00) By Nigar Orujova Young people are usually considered to represent the future by bringing novelty and emerging energy into the system ruled by the worldly-wise. In Azerbaijan, youth is also believed to be one of the main sources for the countrys development. Young Azerbaijani state celebrates the day of its youth on February 2. This year, the day is celebrated for the 20th time, which means that the country has managed to breed a new generation. Being young and constantly developing country, Azerbaijan itself has changed a lot in these years and todays youth cannot be compared to those who lived tens of years ago. This tendency is observed around the world, and quite obvious in Azerbaijan too. Ahead of the big day, President Ilham Aliyev has met with representatives of the younger generation to congratulate on the occasion and present honorary diploma. The meeting discussed many spheres of interest for the young generation including education, opportunities for young entrepreneurs, attracting young people to science and youth policy, volunteering, development of intellectual games and much more. Representatives of youth organizations have used the opportunity to share their aspirations and ideas. The head of state described the past 20 years as a period of development and stability, stressing that the main goal now is ensuring the sustainable development of the country, where the crucial role belongs to the youth. However, the number one task is the liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, the president stressed. He noted that young generation should be well aware of the situation on the global scale. The head of state has specially noticed that there is a great need for serious reforms in the economic sphere in Azerbaijan. The upcoming years will be a period of innovation, the key word say the technology, so it is necessary to completely eliminate dependence on oil. Here again, the role of the youth cannot be underestimated as young people as they are the main participants of the process. The head of state assured that the state would continue supporting the youth in their initiatives. The state is proud of its young generation and implements different programs to make the young people more advanced and cultured. A number of projects were realized for better education of the youth. They are open to the world and thousands of students were sent to study at the best universities worldwide. Azerbaijani youth takes an active part in the different projects, initiatives and developments. They are good athletes, talented musicians and inventors. The state policy holds the opinion that in the presence of creativity, qualitative education and hard work, innovative consciousness inherent in youth, can radically change the face of civilization. There is no doubt that many of the problems in the world today will be resolved precisely because of boundless energy and determination of young people. At present, over 2.5 million people, aged between 14 and 29, are considered as youth in 9.5 million people Azerbaijan. This constantly growing index is positive tendency for the country. In the era of steadily progressing technology, it is a well known fact that the youth grasps in a single flash and today when the country needs them to bring innovation for further development, the young generation should be helping the homeland to prosper henceforward. __ Nigar Orujova is AzerNewss staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 16:42 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Azerbaijan could share its experiences with other countries in the light of increasing migration crisis in the world. The statement was made by Head of the International Organization for Migration in Baku Serhan Aktorpak on February 1. He said that the European Union will continue to support Azerbaijan on migration issues. There are some 250 million migrants in the world. Migration is a natural process, as the world's growing number of wars and natural disasters, Aktorpak noted. Some 40,000 migrants have died during the migration process in the world over the past 16 years, he said. Deputy Chief of the State Migration Service Parviz Musayev, in turn, stressed Azerbaijan is the only country, where foreigners do not pay a fee for a license to work. He said the fee is paid by the company, which invites foreigners to work in Azerbaijan. The company makes a profit because of it. Under the law, If a foreigner lives and works in Azerbaijan after the completion of his work, he or she must either leave the country or extend the period of its location here, he said. In Azerbaijan, migration has begun to develop in the 1990s. Tolerant environment and traditions of multiculturalism existing in Azerbaijan is one of the reasons that stimulate the flow of migrants into the country. Some 12,000 foreigners were issued a work license in Azerbaijan in 2014, which was by 6.6 times more compared to 2003. As of December 2015, almost 30,000 foreigners, who represent 115 countries, have been registered in the country. Previously, there was a gap in the law, Musayev said, noting that when the period ends, the foreigner should immediately leave the country. Now this problem is solved and the foreigner has an opportunity to stay for another 10 days. Sometimes the company, inviting the employee shows negligence, and does not extend the time of a work permit. Such companies are punished, he said. The deputy chief said the State Migration Service has established the Public Council, which recently held a meeting and prepared proposals, based on claims of foreigners due to loopholes in the law. Some of these proposals have been reviewed and directed to the appropriate authorities. Musayev added that issues related to readmission between Azerbaijan and the EU will be resolved with the support of the International Organization for Migration and the EU. He said sometimes people migrating to other countries face difficulties with registration. "Both migrants and host countries are guilty in this issues." Musayev stressed that they should be either registered or returned back. "Today these people are in the process of readmission in Azerbaijan, and they need support, he added. Migrant workers flow to Azerbaijan from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Iran, and they are generally engaged in the construction sector, in the trade market, and the service sector. EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan Malena Mard stressed the EU and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on readmission, adding that the problem of migration has long been on the agenda of bilateral cooperation. She emphasized, the EU will allocate 3.5 million euro up to 2017 to solve the migration process in Azerbaijan. Mard also noted the EU plans of allocating 400,000 euro tech support to resolve the problems of migration. She highlighted the EU interest in a large flow of Azerbaijani tourists to the EU, as well as tourists from EU to Azerbaijan. Mard said the current relations between the two sides are different from those that existed at the beginning of the 1990s, adding that Azerbaijan and the EU are strategic partners. The EU is the biggest trade partner and investor of Azerbaijan, adding that the two sides cooperate in many areas, including tourism and agriculture, she added. According to the State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the EU were estimated at $9.69 billion in 2015, what is 1.5 times less compared to 2014. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 February 2016 10:08 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova President Ilham Aliyev embarked on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates on February 1. At the Abu Dhabi airport decorated with the national flags of Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates, the head of state was welcomed by Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other officials. An official welcoming ceremony for President Aliyev was held at the Abu Dhabi airport, and a guard of honor was arranged here. The national anthems of Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates were played. The chief of the guard of honor reported to the Azerbaijani president. Following the official welcoming ceremony, President Aliyev and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met in an expanded format. Prior to the meeting, state and government officials of the United Arab Emirates were introduced to President Aliyev, and members of the Azerbaijani delegation were introduced to Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. President Aliyev thanked Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for inviting him to the UAE. The sides hailed the development of bilateral relations between the two countries, and discussed the issues of further expansion of cooperation in the political, economic, trade, investment and other fields. They also stressed existence of good opportunities for developing cooperation in tourism field. President Aliyev hailed the increase in the number of tourists from Azerbaijan to the UAE and vice versa. The Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was among the discussed issues as well. The head of state said that 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories were occupied by the Armenian armed forces, with more than one million Azerbaijanis becoming refugees and IDPs. President Aliyev stressed the importance of settling the conflict in compliance with the international law and within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. The President thanked the UAE for supporting the adoption of the resolution on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the UN General Assembly, saying Azerbaijan also backed the UAE' position within the UN and other international organizations. The sides expressed their confidence that cooperation will be further developed. The head of state invited Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan. President Aliyev later visited Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. The President visited the grave of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, which is located on the grounds beside the mosque. It is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates. On Fridays and during holidays the mosque is visited by 40,000 people. After the head of state toured the mosque, a picture was taken. President Aliyev signed the guest book of the mosque. Later, President Aliyev arrived in Dubai from Abu Dhabi and viewed the building of famous Burj Khalifa. The head of state was informed that the construction of Burj Khalifa was carried out in 2004-2009. The building opened in 2010 as part of the new development. Measuring 828 metres in height, it was previously called Burj Dubai. It has 165 floors. Located above the occupied reinforced concrete portion of the building is the structural steel spire. Burj Khalifa boasts the world's tallest elevators, which have the world's longest travel distance from lowest to highest stop. In addition to its aesthetic and functional advantages, the spiraling Y shaped plan was utilized to shape the structural core of Burj Khalifa. This design helps to reduce the wind forces on the tower. It also has world's highest observation deck, the world's highest mosque, and the world's highest swimming pool. Azerbaijan and UAE enjoy fruitful cooperation in various fields and their mutual relations are developing both in the political, economic and cultural fields with ascending line. The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992. The Azerbaijan State Customs Committee statistics show that in January-September 2015 the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $46.78 million, $42.2 million of which fell on import to Azerbaijan. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 18:32 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Azerbaijan's Parliamentary Committee on public associations and religious structures is drafting amendments to the law "On political parties." Siyavush Novruzov, the chairman of the committee, said that such a decision was taken to ensure the transparency. Addressing the plenary session on February 1, he said that under the amendments, Azerbaijan's political parties financed and not financed from the state budget should submit a report on their activities. "But, unfortunately, several parties do not submit a report on their activities," he added. Currently, over 40 political parties operate in Azerbaijan. In turn, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Press Council, MP Aflatun Amashov highlighted problems of the country's print media arisen after the devaluation of the national currency. He proposed to abolish VAT on imports of newsprint papers and printing editions. "After the devaluation [of the manat], the price of the newsprint paper has increased by 100 percent, and the expenditures on printing - by 50 percent. It is necessary to include the question of abolition of VAT on printing products in the agenda," Amashov noted. He also stressed the importance of adopting the law "On defamation". Journalists should not be arrested for written material. This concern is understandable, because various materials are published in the press. But in fact no one in the country is brought to responsibility for defamation (article 147) and insult (article 148 of the Criminal Code). Therefore, the Press Council has prepared specific proposals in this regard, that have passed the examination of the OSCE Office in Baku," the MP added. Later MP Azay Guliyev addressed the session, noting that law "On public control" has been submitted to the discussion of the parliament. "In his speech at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers President Ilham Aliyev has given instructions for the implementation of social control and stressed its importance," he noted. The MP said that it is necessary to improve the mechanism of interaction between the bodies of the executive power and the society. "This mechanism should be sufficiently clear and understandable, activities of state agencies should be organized at the highest level, and other mechanisms should be involved as well. Therefore, I am sure that we will be able to provide more optimal version of the bill after its discussion," Guliyev said. The plenary session of the parliament also approved the new composition of the Disciplinary and Accounting commissions. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Azerbaijan is keen to support the cotton producers in the country to give a new life to cotton production industry. In this regard, the government plans allocate farmers preferential loans and participate in the formation of purchasing prices. Economy and Industry Minister Shahin Mustafayev made the remark while addressing a conference dedicated to the experience of Azerbaijan and Turkey in the development of promising areas of agriculture held in Baku on January 29. "When forming the purchasing price the companies should consider the world prices for cotton and devaluation rate in the country. We are in negotiations with these companies to propose more favorable prices for agricultural producers," he said. "It is necessary to facilitate access of cotton producers to the financial resources," Mustafayev added. Cotton production is traditionally wide-spread in the country's Saatli, Sabirabad, Beylagan, Barda and Zardab regions. Azerbaijan was famous for high production of "white gold" in the 20th century and was even a leading cotton producer in the Soviet Union. However, over the past 18 years, production has dipped six fold in Azerbaijan due to diminishing interest to this field of agriculture. As a result, areas grown under cotton reduced by nine times. According to the State Statistics Committee, Azerbaijan collected 35,000 tons of cotton in 2015, which is 14.6 percent less than in 2014. "This is the lowest indicator of cotton production in Azerbaijan since 2010," the agency noted. The average yield in the country stood at 18.7 quintals per hectare, which is 4.5 percent more than in 2014. The highest yield in 2014 was recorded in Yevlakh and Barda regions with a production of 34.1 and 30.7 quintals per hectare, respectively. Exporting countries have created an artificial market with low prices, which has hampered opportunities for selling Azerbaijani cotton. Depending on types of cotton, 1 ton of the product is received from a producer at a price of from 380 ($233.24) to 330 ($202.55) manats. Today, the cotton processing enterprises buy cotton from the Azerbaijani farmers at a price of 0.42 manats ($0.26) per kilogram, which is disadvantageous to farmers. Thus, low price is the main reason that hinders the development of the cotton production industry. Azerbaijani experts in agriculture say that cotton production is not the easiest operation, and despite the heavy demand, the decrease in interest in cotton resulted from the low profitability margins of cotton production. Moreover, an increasing use of artificial materials worldwide has negatively affected the cotton-growing sector. They believe that to boost this sphere, new technologies, minerals, and varieties are needed to lower the cost of cotton production. In this case, Azerbaijani cotton would be competitive in world markets. Earlier the Economy and Industry Ministry told Trend that the government will assist the farmers engaged in the cotton-breeding to purchase seeds, fertilizers and conduct agro-technical works. The volume of funds allocated to farmers and processing enterprises on preferential conditions will be increased as well. Allocation of funds allocated through the National Fund for Entrepreneurs Support under the Economy and Industry Ministry will allow decreasing expenditures on processing of cotton, and the enterprises will be able to purchase cotton at a higher price. Works in this regard are already underway. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 14:13 (UTC+04:00) WOWOMAN is a women empowerment platform. The vision of the platform is to create space for women to express themselves, to develop personal and professional skills, to connect and grow together, to inspire and make them more self-confident, independent and able to set and follow big dreams. During the year there were organized more than 30 seminars, trainings and master classes, 2 long-term courses, 1 special IT project - Tech-Tech Xanm, WOWOMAN PRO trainings, which is the real commitment to development of women. Trainings and courses were provided by local and international experts Shams Mustafayeva, Sema Abiyeva, Joshgun Karimov, Anna Petrova, Fahri Agayev, Mytro Okle, Rafig Hunaltay, Mushvig Hasanov, Yelena Sidorenko, Sabina Shahi and others. Were received more than 5200 applications and welcomed 1600+ participants. WOWOMAN will bring together famous & successful women, media representatives and members to celebrate first year anniversary at Fairmont Hotel Baku on February 6. During the event there will be presented special video "Qorxmasaydim" (If I wouldnt be afraid) prepared with participation of Zara Apetrei Huseynova, Nigar Kocharli, Gunay Malikqizi, Elnara Nahmedova, Nigar Arpadarai, Zeynab Mammadyarova, Zahra Badalbayli and other successful women, as well as launch of Express Yourself online platform. As Zara Apetrei Huseynova, Founder of WOWOMAN, informed us, the goal of the platform will stay the same: to support women personal and professional development. WOWOMAN will always be for women who dare to dream, by creating for them the space to realize these dreams. If you are one of them or want to be, we are happy to support you on your journey, claimed Ms. Huseynova. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 13:12 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Natig Aliyev has voiced the countrys needs in investments to bring the energy distribution network into operation. The minister also did not exclude the possibility of privatizations in the energy sector. He told journalists on February 1 that subsidiary and service companies, as well as enterprises operating in the energy sector, not the producing ones, may be privatized. It is necessary to make $4 billion investment for the existing energy distribution network to meet international standards, he said. In case of privatization, it is unlikely that individuals will be able to make such investment, so only large companies can do it. Aliyev believes that for this reason, it is early to talk about privatization of energy distribution companies and producers. At the same time, subsidiary companies in the power industry sphere can be privatized, he added. Recently, President Ilham Aliyev has noted the need to prepare a broad program of privatization, attracting both foreign and local investors, to improve the business environment and accelerate business revival in Azerbaijan. Last year some 685 small state enterprises, unfinished buildings, vehicles, 456 plots of land, and 20 joint-stock companies were privatized in the country. Finance Minister Samir Sharifov recently noted this year Azerbaijan expects to receive some 100 million manats ($61.35 million) from the privatization of state property. Drop in oil prices cannot last for long Aliyev believes that falling oil prices cannot last for long. He said the current low oil prices are caused by economic reasons rather than political. The oil price cannot remain at the current level for long, because today these prices are caused not by economic, but political reasons, and President Ilham Aliyev also noted this. This harms not only oil exporters but also importers. These political games must end, and only economy can dictate which prices for oil and energy in general should be. This price should be acceptable for both importers and exporters, he said. Aliyev also stated that it is important for all oil-exporting countries unite together and discuss the processes taking place in the world and their impact on the global economy. Today it is necessary that both the OPEC countries and countries outside the Cartel come together to some sort of agreement, he said. One needs to understand what the optimal price for oil on world markets is. OPEC countries have repeatedly discussed this, and noted at the time that the optimal price for oil is $70-$80 per barrel for both exporters and importers. Aliyev went on to add that the situation with prices will change maximum before late 2016. Its difficult to make any specific predictions, the minister said. In order to make any forecast, it is necessary to analyze more than 20 factors. At one time, when in 1998 the prices of oil fell to $10 a barrel, all experts said that this situation would last at least until 2002. But after 1999 the prices of oil began to rise, and even passed the barrier of $100. Aliyev expressed confidence that major changes should take place this year, "because no global economy can stand the current situation. Half of works on Shah Deniz-2 completed Aliyev also spoke about works conducted as part of the Shah Deniz-2 project. He said that over 50 percent of works on this project has been already completed. He also added that a lot of work has been done on the expansion of the South Caucasus gas pipeline as well. "More than 20 percent of the pipeline has been built. The construction of compressor stations in the territory of Georgia has been started. We have repeatedly reported that works are underway ahead of schedule. The process of delivery of pipes for the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline has been completed, and welding works have been started. We plan to start construction of the Trans-Adriatic pipeline this year," the minister stated. The gas which will be produced at the second stage of development of the giant Shah Deniz field will be exported to Turkey and to the European markets through the expansion of the South Caucasus gas pipeline and the construction of the TANAP and TAP pipelines. It is expected that gas production will increase from 9 billion to 16 billion cubic meters per year as part of the Shah Deniz-2. Shah Deniz Stage 2 gas will make a 3,500 kilometer journey from the Caspian Sea into Europe. This requires upgrading the existing infrastructure and the development of a chain of new pipelines. The Southern Gas Corridor is set to change the energy map of the entire region, connecting gas supplies in the Caspian to markets in Europe for the very first time. The first gas supplies through the corridor to Georgia and Turkey are given a target date of late 2018. Gas deliveries to Europe are expected just over a year after the first gas is produced offshore in Azerbaijan. The Southern Gas Corridor pipeline system has been designed to be scalable to twice its initial capacity to accommodate additional gas supplies in the future. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 15:49 (UTC+04:00) By Aynur Karimova Energy-rich Azerbaijan, which enjoys great experience in the oil and gas industry, has expressed readiness to cooperate with Indonesia in this sector. Energy Minister Natig Aliyev, who addressed an Azerbaijan-Indonesia energy forum in Baku on February 1, said that Baku is keen to share its experience in the energy sector with Jakarta. Noting that cooperation between Azerbaijan and Indonesia is at a high level, the minister said SOCAR Trading sells third parties oil at the refineries of Indonesia for processing. Aliyev highlighted that oil sector plays an important part in the economies of Azerbaijan and Indonesia. Important projects initiated by Azerbaijan are being carried out in order to meet the energy demand not only of the region, but also the European continent, the minister added. The minister emphasized that today Azerbaijan fully ensures its energy security. The country is absolutely independent in this area, the minister said. We even sell energy and the energy carriers to other countries. At the same time, Azerbaijan, thanks to the reforms held, is reducing its dependence on oil, and the countrys economy will develop in the future as well. Ronggo Kuncahyo, the Senior Adviser to the Energy and Mineral Resources Minister of Indonesia, invited the Azerbaijani companies to invest in Indonesian energy sector. He said the two countries can cooperate both in the field of oil production and processing, as well as the production and distribution of electricity. "Indonesia is located on a large number of islands, which creates difficulties for the electrification of the country and providing the population with electricity. There is also a certain shortage of oil, and we are increasingly using alternative energy. We invite Azerbaijan to invest in these fields, which will further strengthen our cooperation," he stated. Kuncahyo also revealed a plan to establish a working group on cooperation in the energy field, which will include representatives of companies of the two countries. Gusti Nyoman Wiratmaja Puja, the Director General for Oil and Gas at Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, believes that mutual investment in the field of energy, particularly active participation of the private sector, will make a significant contribution to the development of the bilateral relations. Indonesia is interested in mutual investments in the oil and gas industry together with Azerbaijan, SOCAR's Deputy Vice President for Investments and Marketing Vitaliy Baylarbayov told Trend. There are no specific proposals for now, and only interest was expressed, as Indonesia experiences a certain lack of oil and condensate and intends to fill it in both through the ongoing supply of high-quality and environmentally friendlier Azeri Light and the possible increase of volumes by direct participation in Azerbaijani projects, said Baylarbayov. He noted that the Azerbaijani side is interested in these opportunities. There is a certain interest in increasing the supply of Azerbaijani oil and oil products to Indonesia and the investments in infrastructure projects in Indonesia, for example, in the construction or expansion of terminals for storage and transshipment of oil and oil products, he said. Indonesia recognized Azerbaijans independence on December 28, 1991. Bilateral relations between the two republics were established on September 24, 1992. The embassy of Azerbaijan in Indonesia was established in 2006, while the embassy of Indonesia in Azerbaijan was opened in 2010. The trade between Azerbaijan and Indonesia is mostly related to the energy sector, as Azerbaijan emerged as the second biggest supplier of crude oil to Indonesia after Saudi Arabia. The bilateral trade between Azerbaijan and Indonesia reached $101 million in 2007 and increased to $2.5 billion in 2014. The trade balance is heavily in favor to Azerbaijan, as the trade volume mainly dominated by Indonesian imports for Azerbaijan's oil. -- Aynur Karimova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 11:27 (UTC+04:00) The Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan discussed the ongoing work on employment of the population at a meeting, the government reported. A draft on The procedure of rendering services in Turkmenistan on registration of job seekers, and their employment was prepared based on the legislation. In May 2015, the Turkmen leader approved the program to improve the employment sphere and create new jobs in Turkmenistan for 2015-2020 and an action plan for its implementation. This program includes a series of measures, including the modernization of the legal framework in this area. There are institutions in regions of the country, the main task of which is to register job seekers, study the labor market and the demand of employers, and render assistance in employment of citizens. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov at the last governmental meeting focused attention on solving issues of further improvement of the employment policy, the way of rendering the corresponding services and employment of citizens. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 10:41 (UTC+04:00) Banking ties between Tehran and Ankara have been normalized, Ali Reza Bikdeli, Irans Ambassador to Turkey wrote on his Facebook page. Bikdeli said the normalization of banking ties between Iran and Turkey was announced at a meeting with Erdem Basc, governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) on January 30. The ambassador added that the three branches of Iran's Bank Mellat in Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara cities have resumed their activity. Lat week, Bank Melli Iran announced that its subsidiary in London been authorized to resume activity following the removal of international sanctions against Iran. Since March 2012, as part of measures taken in a bid to intensify the sanctions on Tehran due to its nuclear program, several restrictions have been imposed against Irans banking system, which had a catastrophic impact on Irans economy. In a joint statement on Jan. 16, the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced the implementation of the JCPOA, aka nuclear deal, and the removal of economic sanctions on Iran. According to the statement, EU confirmed that legal framework, providing for lifting of its nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions, is effective. Following the implementation statement, SWIFT announced that those banks that are de-listed by the Implementing Regulation will now automatically be able to reconnect to SWIFT. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 12:47 (UTC+04:00) Iran's long-term view is to use foreign economic relations as a tool to improve political power balance across the world, Iranian deputy minister of economy, Mohammad Khazaei, said during a press conference in Tehran on February 1. Speaking of foreign investments, Khazaei said not every investment is welcomed in Iran, adding that Tehran only agrees to foreign investments which would add value to the country, Trend's correspondent reported from the event. The official noted that Iran seeks to create new job opportunities, boost exports and improve technology and environment. The Iranian government is expected to approve several projects funded by foreigners worth $7 billion until March 21, he added. Under plans and the ongoing negotiations, Iran has room for $45 billion investment in 2016, said the official. One week after the removal of international nuclear program -related sanctions on the Islamic Republic, President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Italy for the first stop of his European tour on January 25 followed by a visit to Paris on January 27 inking a draft of business deals. President Rouhani welcomed foreigners to invest in Irans untapped market. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 February 2016 15:29 (UTC+04:00) Iran has signed a deal with ATR, the Italian manufacturer of turboprop aircraft, to buy 20 planes, IRNA news agency reported on February 1. The contract was signed in Tehran between Iran Air, the Islamic Republics flag carrier, and the European company. Under the deal Iran will purchase 20 ATR 72 planes. The ATR 72 is a short-haul plane capable of carrying 70 passengers. ATR is co-owned by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and Italian aerospace group Finmeccanica. Earlier it was announced that Tehran wants to buy up to 40 planes from ATR. The Islamic Republic is expected to receive two or four passenger planes from ATR during the current year. Iran signed a contract on January 28 for the purchase of 118 Airbus aircraft, during President Hassan Rouhanis trip to France. Iran and Airbus will ink the final contract on the acquisition of the airliners within 20 days, Iran's Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi said last week. It is estimated that Iranian airlines currently have a total of 150 aircraft, which are up to 20 years old. Back in April 2015, the head of Iran Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Ali Abedzadeh said the country needs to buy up to 500 passenger planes in the next 10 years to renovate its ageing fleet. Analysts say Irans air fleet will grow, however in the near term the country will have to settle for the lease of planes. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 3.0 ( - - ): editor [at] bahrainmirror.com Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Grahams Bakery in Northern Ireland has won a contract to supply its baked goods to a United Arab Emirates (UAE) supermarket giant. The deal with one of Dubais top four multiples means that Grahams will be stocking the supermarket with sponge cakes and pastries. This is the second Middle Eastern deal made by the Dromore company the first was in 2014 with Spinneys, in Dubai, which Grahams supplies with a mini-bite range including shortbread biscuits, brownies, Viennese whirls and Swiss rolls. Tim Graham runs the business, alongside his father Dennis, and sisters Lois and Esther. He explained that family heritage helped the brand to appeal to more traditional countries. He said: The business was started by my granny 60 years ago and then my dad and my two sisters joined it, and then me. I think that goes across well in the Middle East, where family is still a very strong part of culture. He added that on every packet there was a quote from a different member of the family about the products, as they wanted the brand to represent heritage. He also said food from Ireland was growing in popularity overseas: People pay a premium because of the taste and because its from Ireland or the UK. Northern Ireland internationally is building a reputation for quality and trustworthy food. That means that people will pay a little bit more for it. The latest deal is an initial trial for the products, but Graham said he was confident of the deal being secured. The supermarket concerned cannot be identified for commercial reasons. Grahams already supplies Tesco Northern Ireland. Finsbury Foods, the retail and foodservice bakery group, has a new non-executive director in Marnie Millard. The UK manufacturer of cake, bread and morning goods for both the retail and foodservice channels announced Millards appointment this morning, with immediate effect. Currently group chief executive of Nichols PLC, an international branded soft drinks group, Milllard has worked in the soft drinks industry for 20 years, in a number of senior roles with Macaw Soft Drinks and Refresco Gerber. She was appointed chief executive of the Nichols group in 2013. Elsewhere, Paul Monk, non-executive deputy chairman will step down from the board in November. Monk has been on the board since 2002 and he has been deputy chairman since 2007. He will remain a consultant to the group. Welcome and thank you Peter Baker, non-executive chairman of Finsbury, said: I am very pleased to welcome Marnie to the group as non-executive director. Finsbury Food has a strong position within the market and we continue to shape the expertise and capabilities of the board accordingly as we grow and diversify. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Paul for his support and dedication to the group throughout the years. He has been pivotal in Finsburys development, helping to reach its current position in the market. The board is delighted that Pauls contribution to the group will not be lost and we look forward to continuing to benefit from his skills and experience going forward. 'El Diablo' Leads Legends of Puerto Vallarta Night Tour Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - How about a new way to experience Puerto Vallarta's Old Town? Sounds inviting, right? Come and join El Diablo and his friends on a tour of downtown Vallarta by Night for a really unique experience... a magical and mysterious way in which to feel and get to know the city. Have fun while exploring the downtown streets, the Rio Cuale Island, the Market, the Presidencia (City Hall) and the many other mystical places to be discovered in the downtown area on a new night tour conducted by the "Histrionic" Theater group of Zacatecas. Led by "The Devil" and his family of followers, who will share amazing stories, legends and anecdotes along the way, this fabulous tour is quickly becoming a success, since its something very different to do in Puerto Vallarta. Proposed and promoted by the head of the Municipal Tourism Board, Ramon Gonzalez Lomeli, who expressed that he has been working on activities to bring tourists into the city's center, this entertaining and fun night tour, called Legends of Vallarta, starts off at the Seahorse (Caballito) statue on the Malecon and takes you on a tour through the shadowy streets and some enigmatic places in El Centro, every day except for Tuesday. There are two tours daily. Departures are scheduled at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm starting from the Malecon's famous Seahorse. This is, for the most part, a walking tour, however, sometimes a ride on the Viva Tequila train is included. The Histrionic Theater Group from Zacatecas is responsible for conducting these tours, which consist of four stage actors, plus the main character, Emmanuel Arzate, who plays "El Diablo," an archetypal figure who shares spine-chilling stories of certain beings who continue to pay penitence for past deeds and haunt certain places around town. After seeing a successful presentation of a similar tour at the International Tourism Fair in Zacatecas, Municipal Tourism director Ramon Gonzalez invited this theater group to perform a night tour here in our city. With the help of local historian and chronicle researcher, Jose Manuel Encarnacion, the tour was adapted to highlight the history and legends of Puerto Vallarta. As the tour weaves it's way past the Church of Guadalupe through downtown, participants of all ages are captivated by El Diablo's wit and sarcasm as he fascinates the group with stories of "La Malinche." As he interacts with his "family of followers" (tour participants) along the way, other legends begin to take shape. From the streets of downtown Puerto Vallarta, the tour takes you to Playa de Los Muertos ("The Beach of the Dead"), where another legend was born; then heads across a swinging bridge to the Rio Cuale Island, where the weeping willows and stray cats are part of the Rastras de Los Arboles Llorones ("The Scraping of the Crying Trees") story. The dim light of the street lamps and restaurants help create the perfect atmosphere and stage for this particular performance. You'll also enjoy the legends of La Carambada, where the actors end up being the spectators; La Coqueta and Los Hermanos Manzanares among other stories, which are sometimes the same, sometimes different, but all inspired by Puerto Vallarta and its past. This unique tour has been running for just over a month with the hope that it will continue to be a success so it can become a permanent part of the family-friendly activities available in PV. I personally can not find a better way to experience the Old Town neighborhood than through the Downtown Puerto Vallarta by Night tour. The stage actors who work with 'The Devil' are: Monica Mata 21, Andre Robles 19 and Armando Pereida 20. Young and inspiring people ready to make your night memorable. Tickets for the Downtown Puerto Vallarta by Night tour are for sale at the Tourist information module near the Hotel Rosita located at the north end of the Malecon. Adults $150, children $100 pesos. If by any chance you don't make it on time to buy your tickets at the module just catch up with the tour when its taking off, you can pay them directly, giving you the opportunity to enjoy a different experience in PV. ExPats in Vallarta February Happy Hours and Events Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - ExPats in Vallarta, a totally social group with informal fellowship and assistance for Expat residents or visitors living, working or investing around Vallarta or considering it, has announced this month's schedule of events. During the month of February, ExPats in Vallarta will be having two Happy Hour gatherings at Langostinos from 5-7 pm. The first one will be on Tuesday, February 2nd and the second on Tuesday the 16th. Langostinos is located on the beach just north of Los Muertos pier. Join them for a couple cool ones and some of Langostinos' great food. Getting out is great therapy for everyone. If you are a first-timer let them know and they will introduce you to other ExPats living in the greater Banderas Bay area. A Neighborhood Coffee will be held on Monday, February 15th at 10 am at Starbucks in Marina Vallarta (across the street from the Whale statue.) Grab a cup of coffee and come outside on the patio and meet other ExPats. Bring along your contact information to share with your new friends and neighbors. Reservations are not needed. Free Zumba classes with Cathy will be held each Tuesday morning at 9 am at the plaza next to the Catholic Church on Albatros in Marina Vallarta. No reservations are necessary. Wine and Appetizer evenings are scheduled for Friday, February 19th in the Marina area, and Friday, February 26th in the Amapas area. Both events are from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Bring a bottle of wine or your favorite beverage and an appetizer to share with approximately 40 people and have an enjoyable, relaxing evening with fellow expats. Since these events are held in private homes, seating is limited and advance reservations are necessary. To make reservations email sarawise45(at)gmail.com A Special Event dinner will be held on Tuesday, February 23rd at Las Adelitas. Advance reservations are necessary. To make your reservations, email sarawise45(at)gmail.com. No tickets sold at the door, make your reservations today. The local group of Expats In Vallarta is open to all ExPat residents, visitors and investors from other countries. The purpose of the group is informal fellowship and assistance for ExPats around Vallarta for those considering the area. There is no membership fee or requirement; everyone pays for only what they use or consume. For more information, to join the group, or for insight on what others have experienced during their move to Vallarta, visit ExpatsInVallarta.com. A Melbourne woman letting her two small dogs out was startled Monday morning by what they found: the largest snake she's ever seen. Leisa Remsberg was letting her dogs out in her yard near Woodbury Road and Westchester Avenue when she noticed that one of them approached something large. The green anaconda, about 9 to 10 feet long, was basking in the sun in plain view. "My one dog ran right over to it. And the snake reared its head," Remsberg said. She ran to a neighbor's house for help. Fortunately, that neighbor had experience with snakes. Texas native Bill Motley held the anaconda at bay with a shovel handle and put it in a container until animal services arrived. "I've dealt with rattlers, and copperheads and moccasins -- but never anything like that," Motley said. It was taken by animal control workers to Incredible Pets on Wickham Road until Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials could take it. A Florida Tech professor identified it as a green anaconda, nonvenomous and likely less than 2 years old. The South American natives average some 20 feet in length fully grown. FWC is scanning the snake for a microchip to check to see whether it's owned. A green anaconda was found in the yard of a Melbourne-area home Monday, Feb. 1, 2016 and turned over to animal control officials. (Courtesy of viewer Matthew Scripter) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Harvey Johnson knew Port Arthur was segregated before he realized there was another side of the railroad tracks. His first exposure to racism didn't come until middle school, because Johnson's mother kept her four children sheltered from the harsh realities of the 1950s and 1960s. She feared if they truly understood the state of affairs, her sons might be inclined to buck the system. "In doing so, we may have met an early mortality," Johnson said. "I had to find myself - who I was as a human species, as a personality and as a culture. Because we were told that we didn't have a culture - that we were a culture of zero and everybody wanted us to look like them and act like them." Johnson was in town Saturday to launch his painting exhibit, "A Triple Middle Passage: The Angels Done Bowed Down," which will run through April 4 at the Museum of the Gulf Coast. He prefers to call the work visual poetry, rather than art, since he says everyone is an artist. The paintings illustrate his experience with Southeast Texas black culture. "The images themselves are reminiscent of that time period and that experience that is very much rooted in our area," said Sarah Bellian, the museum's curator. "You'll see a lot of shotgun houses and other things that creep up in the imagery that he creates. These images are reminiscent of this part of Texas in the late 1950s, things people will remember." Women are featured a lot in Johnson's work - mothers with their children or standing in line at church. He points out that women, as matriarchs of families, were not featured prominently enough at the time. Johnson traveled throughout East Texas and Louisiana in the 1970s, when he was an instructor at Texas Southern University, trying to capture aesthetics of domestic objects, like quilts, made by women. "I wanted to tell my people, at least in my small world, that our African culture still exists to this day," Johnson said. Now, when Johnson visits the city's west side, where he was born in 1947, he does not even recognize the place. Buildings he was familiar with are either boarded up or demolished. Johnson likened the scene to "a desert storm," a stark contrast from the community he remembers. Johnson says it's impossible to explain everything without tracing the African-American journey back to slavery. The challenge is to contest myths about black inferiority and remember ancestors' sense of community. He talks of "opening the healing doors of liberty" to create new spiritual value. Johnson sees African culture even in today's hip-hop, which speaks a far different language than what he grew up with. "These kids are geniuses creating new definitions and new vocabularies that define a conversation that we need for the future instead of the old stagnant standardization of conversations we've been having," Johnson said. BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/BrandonKScott This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate This year's Mardi Gras! Galveston festivities kick off Jan. 29 and run through Feb. 9. That's when crowds of locals head to the island to laissez les bon temps rouler for just a weekend or two. Other Texans, however, live in true New Orleans style every day. Get in the Mardi Gras spirit by touring some of the the Lone Star State's most beautiful New Orleans-style houses: Bartonville, Texas property: Out in Bartonville is a mansion that exudes Big Easy charm throughout every inch of the 11,466-square-foot interior. Dramatic staircases, generous use of exposed brick walls and distressed-wood accents contrast with sparkling chandeliers to pull together a true-to-Louisiana aesthetic. The Creole structure is ornate and opulent, much more detailed than a Cajun design might be. RELATED: Mansions for sale in small Texas towns 230 Paseo Encinal in San Antonio: This Olmos Park home features the elaborate iron railings and double-gallery facade that are typical of elegant New Orleans-style estates. The interior is as true to the style as the exterior, with vaulted ceilings and vibrant pendants filling the spaces. 714 Rutland in Houston: The Heights home is a newer addition to this neighborhood, which has welcomed rows of shotgun-style houses and double-gallery townhomes. This particular property is unique because it has a swimming pool and another double-gallery set of porches in the backyard. Elegant pendants and paneling feature prominently throughout the interior. 74 North Bay in The Woodlands, Texas: At one year old, this beautiful New Orleans-style property's interior is filled with brick walls, door frames and fireplace mantles. The exposed brick in this home is distressed to create a rustic appearance. The house also includes a pub with walls and floors made of tan-colored bricks. RELATED: Exotic opulence in Sugar Land listed at nearly $7M 4015 Chatham in Houston: Highland Village is home to a stunning, classic New Orleans-style estate. The Big Easy design extends to the home's backyard area, where a brick courtyard and wrought iron features make the space an ideal place for entertaining. The interior strays from the Louisiana aesthetic to include eclectic modern spaces. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SOUTHEAST TEXAS TALES HEMPHILL L.J. Schrieber didn't see the breakup of the space shuttle Columbia just seconds after 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003, because he was fogged in at the Twin Dikes Marina on Lake Sam Rayburn. But he and his friends heard it. "It was like a sonic boom, but we didn't know what it was. It was an explosion like you never heard in your life," he said. Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Where: 375 Sabine Suite 6, Hemphill Info: (409) 787-4827; nasacolumbiamuseum.com Cost: Adults $5; children: $3 See More Collapse Schrieber is now a volunteer at the Patricia Huffman Smith Columbia Museum in Hemphill, which will commemorate the loss at 7:45 a.m. Feb. 1. The Columbia tragedy followed by 17 years - almost to the date - the Challenger disaster on Jan. 28, 1986, in which the seven astronauts aboard died when the shuttle broke up 73 seconds after liftoff. It was determined that the rings that were supposed to seal the solid rocket boosters failed in the unexpected cold at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Columbia was doomed 82 seconds after launch, because foam debris from its rocket boosters damaged the craft's left wing, leaving it vulnerable to superheated gases during re-entry. Searchers discovered a piece of debris near Lubbock, the westernmost discovery of its trail, but more than 83,000 pieces, along with the remains of the six astronauts, were recovered in an area from three to 10 miles around Hemphill in Sabine County. The astronaut crew included Air Force Col. Rick D. Husband; Navy Cmdr. William C. McCool; Air Force Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson; Israeli Air Force Col. Ilan Ramon; Indian-born aerospace engineer Kalpana Chawla; Navy Capt. David M. Brown; and Navy Capt. Laurel Blair Salton Clark. The Columbia museum, endowed by Smith's family, is the only NASA-affiliated private museum of its kind, Schrieber said. Although it has no pieces from the shuttle, each of the families of the astronauts contributed artifacts and photographs of each. The museum also features a 1/15th-scale replica of the orbiter, which was on its 28th mission. "Each family took part in the decision-making of the museum," Schrieber said of the 3,700-square-foot site in Hemphill, a one-red-light town that was overwhelmed by the world's media and searchers within a couple of days of the shuttle's loss. NASA made it clear that souvenir-keeping would be prosecuted and that it would allow a very short grace period for anyone thinking otherwise to turn in items. "Everything collected was wrapped up and shielded from view and taken to Barksdale Air Force base in Shreveport, Louisiana, and then to the Kennedy Space Center where it is today," Schrieber said. The museum also has a 15-minute video it has produced from an hour-long version about the shuttle and its service history. In March or April, the museum will receive a shuttle flight simulator for visitors to see for themselves what a flight feels like in the cockpit. He said the museum hopes to have it operational by May. Southeast Texas Tales is a weekly feature that revisits regional history. DWallach@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/dwallach Financially troubled hospitals in Brooklyn, N.Y., have received millions of dollars in support from the state, including $325 million in 2015. At a recent state budget hearing, Kenneth Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association, made a proposal to help the distressed hospitals survive. There are 28 Brooklyn hospitals that would likely close without their safety-net status, government subsidies and political pressure, according to a "watch list" issued by the state Department of Health. These facilities are also undesirable from the view of would-be acquirers, making it unlikely they will join forces with a larger system to remain viable, according to Crain's New York Business. To solve the issues plaguing these struggling hospitals, Mr. Raske proposed the state pay the wealthiest hospital systems $2.5 billion over five years to "adopt and adapt these facilities to the new world," according to the report. Some large health systems, including New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System and Great Neck, N.Y.-based Northwell Health, want to expand their presence in Brooklyn, making Mr. Raske's plan popular among the hospitals in desperate need of the financial help. "Places like central Brooklyn that don't have the more attractive payer mix are in a position where it's more of a challenge to get a larger system interested," said Linda Brady, MD, president and CEO of Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn. "This is exactly why the governor put this in his budget proposal, and it's why Ken Raske is advocating for this." In the fiscal year that begins April 1, New York Gov. An drew Cuomo recommends an additional $450 million for the 28 struggling hospitals. However, Mr. Raske's plan has already received criticism. A spokeswoman for the New York Health Plan Association told Crain's, "We certainly object to allocating healthcare dollars which are stretched thin to begin with to already profitable hospitals that are looking to strengthen market power through consolidation." More articles on healthcare finance: State Rep.: Philadelphia hospital closure could leave 1,100 employees without jobs 8 latest CFO moves in hospitals, health systems 5 hospitals with strong finances The following are the 10 most-read health IT stories on Beckers Hospital Review in January. 1. Mayo Clinic sells data center to Epic for $46M Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic and Epic Systems have entered a $46 million sale-leaseback deal for the health system's 62,000 square-foot data center. Read more 2. CMS Andy Slavitt hints at MUs finale: 6 things to know CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt delivered the news Tuesday that many in health IT have waited for: The end of the meaningful use program is near. Read more 3. athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush administers CPR to man suffering heart attack Jonathan Bush, cofounder and CEO of athenahealth, put his emergency medical training to use when he noticed a main who suffered an apparent heart attack and proceeded to administer CPR. Read more 4. Behind the scenes of 10 startups working to change healthcare Healthcare has been ripe for drastic change, but only recently has it seemed feasible for a fledging group of people with little more than an idea to step in and shake things up. Now, startups are breaking into healthcare every week, announcing funding rounds in the tens of millions of dollars, or unexpected partnerships with legacy health systems and vendors who recognize the worth of a good idea with the right platform behind it. Read more 5. Pa. health system CIO hit by car, driver faces felony charges Sharon (Pa.) Regional Health System CIO Donna Walters was struck by a vehicle crossing the street on the way to the hospital when she was hit by an SUV. Read more 6. Cerners Neal Patterson announces cancer diagnosis Neal Patterson, chairman, co-founder and CEO of Cerner, was diagnosed with cancer early in the year. Mr. Patterson announced the news in a note provided to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Jan. 25. Read more 7. While top leaders leave Denver Health, CEO says Epic rollout is under budget and on time Come April, Denver Health is scheduled to go live on its new Epic EHR. Although the system's CEO says implementation remains under budget, concerns about the investment remain, largely from the health system's former CIO. Read more 8. 20 hospitals, health systems seeking Cerner, Epic, MEDITECH talent The top three vendors hospitals use to attest to the meaningful use program are Cerner, MEDITECH and Epic, according to March 2015 ONC data. Here are 20 hospitals and health systems that posted job listings seeking EHR and IT expertise for these platforms in the past week. Read more 9. 8 CIO concerns for 2016 CIOs arguably have some of the hardest jobs in healthcare today. These men and women face interoperability barriers, IT decisions that require significant financial investments and protecting hospital networks and patient records from aggressive hackers and vulnerabilities. Here are eight key events, themes and challenges for CIOs to focus on in the upcoming year. Read more 10. Boston Medical Center CIO Arthur Harvey talks Epic go-live, EHR costs and the end of MU In May 2015, Boston Medical Center completed its go-live of Epic's EHR. The hospital's ambulatory go-live was the last department to start using the new platform, which the hospital named eMERGE. After a $100 million investment, Arthur Harvey, vice president and CIO of Boston Medical Center, says the first nine months of using Epic are moving along "quite well. Read more More articles on health IT: 50 things to know about Epic and Judy Faulkner 10 latest data breaches Strict tech security for 'gadget geek' President Obama Physicians continually strive to prevent medical errors, but they still happen. When a serious medical error occurs, physicians must learn to accept them and use the error to grow professionally, despite the challenging nature of such experiences. A recent study in Academic Medicine found that although "healthcare institutions are increasingly recognizing the physician as the 'second victim' of medical error, more attention needs to be placed on reframing the error into a positive post-learning event, rather than a 'coping' or 'surviving' framework." To understand what helps physicians manage distress and find support after making harmful errors, professors at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, the University of Florida in Gainesville and Harvard Medical School in Boston spent three years interviewing 61 experienced physicians who volunteered to discuss their most serious self-reported medical errors. Here are seven steps that helped the interviewed physicians learn and heal after committing a medical error, according to the study. 1. Talking about the medical error. The majority of the physician respondents said "being able to talk about it" helped them the most. "[M]ost felt that having someone who could understand the experience from a clinical context was helpful," the study authors wrote. Physicians also said speaking with colleagues who didn't attempt to minimize the seriousness of the error or dismiss its associated emotions was important. 2. Forgiving oneself. Some physicians make the decision to explicitly forgive themselves, a process that requires self-acceptance and self-awareness, according to the report. 3. Having a strong moral context to encourage themselves to do the right thing. Physicians indicated having moral standards in place including a professional code of conduct, spiritual teachings or a strong sense of humanism helped them see the right thing to do after committing the medical error, according to the study. Some discussed important values with their mentors. 4. Learning to accept imperfection. Physicians are often burdened by an unrealistic question for perfection. For many physicians who committed serious medical errors, admitting vulnerability to their peers helped. "By talking with colleagues, they began to realize that other very good doctors had made mistakes too, which gave them permission to change their perfectionist understanding of themselves," the study authors wrote. 5. Gaining expertise on whatever caused the mistake. For many physicians, committing a medical error drove them to "become an expert in whatever they felt was the knowledge or technical deficiency that caused the error," according to the study. To accomplish this, some physicians made career changes, while others mastered new topics or techniques related to their previous medical error. 6. Enhancing teamwork. Several physicians said they decided to closely analyze their errors to understand how to avoid them in the future, while emphasizing the importance of teamwork to address and prevent errors. 7. Teaching others how to prevent the same error. There was an average of eight years between the time the medical error was committed and the time of the interviews for this study, which shows the process of "recovery and growth in the wake of a medical error" requires time. In addition to talking about their errors, many of the physicians interviewed said they decided to help teach others how to prevent the errors they made from occurring again. The following hospital mergers, acquisitions and general transactions took place or were announced in January, beginning with the most recent. 1. Jameson gets clearance to merge with UPMC pending consent decree The Pennsylvania attorney general will not oppose a proposed merger between New Castle, Pa.-based Jameson Health System and Pittsburgh-based UPMC, allowing the deal to move forward if a consent decree is reached. 2.Alpena Regional, MidMichigan sign affiliation deal: 3 things to know Alpena (Mich.) Regional Medical Center signed a definitive agreement to partner with nonprofit MidMichigan Health in Midland, an affiliate of Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Health System. 3. CHI St. Luke's expands footprint in Texas Brazosport Regional Health System in Lake Jackson, Texas, signed an affiliation agreement to become part of Houston-based CHI St. Luke's Health. 4. Montefiore Health System expands NY footprint Bronx, N.Y.-based Montefiore Health System expanded its hospital network, as a deal for St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh, N.Y., to become a member of Montefiore received regulatory approval. 5. 2 Philadelphia health systems finalize merger deal Aria Health System and Jefferson a newly formed organization that includes Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health entered into a definitive agreement, which lays out the terms of how the two Philadelphia-based systems will integrate. 6. Jefferson and Kennedy Health explore merger Philadelphia-based Jefferson health system and Kennedy Health in Voorhees, N.J., signed a letter of intent to pursue integration. 7. Catholic Medical Center to partner with Monadnock Community Hospital Catholic Medical Center, a 330-bed hospital in Manchester, N.H., and Monadnock Community Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Peterborough, N.H., signed a letter of intent to explore an affiliation. 8. Anderson Hospital, Community Memorial Hospital sign affiliation deal Anderson Hospital in Maryville, Ill., and Community Memorial Hospital in Staunton, Ill., signed a letter of intent to affiliate, allowing the two hospitals to move into a due diligence period to work out the exact structure of the deal. 9. Peconic Bay Medical Center officially joins Northwell Health Riverhead, N.Y.-based Peconic Bay Medical Center officially joined Great Neck, N.Y.-based Northwell Health, formerly North Shore-LIJ Health System, Jan. 15. 10. Kaiser to manage Maui hospitals: 6 things to know Hawaii Gov. David Ige signed a transfer agreement Jan. 14 allowing Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente to manage the three state-owned hospitals in Maui County. 11. CHI St. Luke's acquires 5 freestanding ERs Houston-based CHI St. Luke's Health formed a joint venture with Bellaire, Texas-based The Larkin Group to purchase five independent, freestanding PhysiciansER centers. 12. BCBS, Baptist Health, UAMS partner to share services A partnership formed by some of the largest healthcare organizations in Arkansas expects to save its members millions of dollars. 13. Prospect finalizes deal to acquire Crozer-Keystone Health Prospect Medical Holdings, a for-profit hospital operator based in Los Angeles, inked a definitive agreement to acquire Springfield, Pa.-based Crozer-Keystone Health System. 14. CHRISTUS Health to expand footprint in Texas Tyler, Texas-based Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics signed a letter of intent to become part of Irving, Texas-based CHRISTUS Health. 15. Salina Regional partners with Cloud County Health Center in Kansas Salina (Kan.) Regional Health Center and Cloud County Health Center in Concordia, Kan., will enter into an operational and clinical affiliation beginning May 1. 16. University of Maryland Medical System, St. Agnes Healthcare ink affiliation deal University of Maryland Medical System and Saint Agnes Healthcare, both based in Baltimore, developed a formal affiliation to create a regional, clinically integrated health system. 17. Novant, UVA Health create new regional system in Virginia Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health and University of Virginia Health System, based in Charlottesville, closed on a deal to create a new organization called Novant Health UVA Health System. 18. FTC approves Virginia Mason-Yakima Valley Memorial merger The merger between Yakima (Wash.) Valley Memorial Hospital and Seattle-based Virginia Mason Medical Center was made official on Jan. 1 after the Federal Trade Commission approved the deal. 19. Meridian Health finalizes merger with Raritan Bay Medical Center: 5 things to know Neptune, N.J.-based Meridian Health completed its merger with Raritan Bay Medical Center a two-hospital system based in Perth Amboy, N.J. 20. Trinity Health expands network in Connecticut Johnson Memorial Medical Center in Stafford Springs, Conn., officially joined Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health's New England region on Jan. 1. 21. Tenet completes joint venture with Baylor Scott & White to own 5 Texas hospitals Baylor Scott & White Health and Tenet Healthcare, both based in Dallas, completed a joint venture to own five Texas hospitals a deal aimed at improving population health. 22. Duke LifePoint acquires Tenet's North Carolina hospitals Brentwood, Tenn.-based Duke LifePoint Healthcare expanded its reach in North Carolina with the acquisition of two hospitals, which were previously owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare. 23. LifePoint completes purchase of financially troubled Georgia hospital Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Health expanded its network with the acquisition of 376-bed St. Francis Hospital in Columbus, Ga. 24. BayCare closes deal to acquire CHS hospital in Florida After nearly 20 years under the ownership of for-profit hospital chains, Bartow (Fla.) Regional Medical Center was purchased by BayCare Health System, a nonprofit hospital network based in Clearwater, Fla. 25. Tuomey Healthcare, Palmetto Health finalize merger deal Columbia, S.C.-based Palmetto Health and Sumter, S.C.-based Tuomey Healthcare System finalized their merger, a deal which has been in the works since February. 26. Foundation Healthcare acquires University General Hospital for $33M Oklahoma City-based Foundation HealthCare, which owns and operates surgical hospitals, acquired 69-bed University General Hospital in Houston, which filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2015. A surgeon at Baptist Health Paducah (Ky.) was arrested last week after having a melt down during surgery, according to the West Kentucky Star. Ted Jefferson, DO, allegedly began using profane language in surgery on Tuesday and mentioned an assault rifle more than once. While in surgery, Dr. Jefferson said, "I guess administration will be happy if I come in here with an assault rifle," according to a report by Paducah Police. After being confronted by hospital administration, Dr. Jefferson was given 30 minutes to cool off, but his behavior allegedly did not improve once he went back into surgery, according to the report. Dr. Jefferson began demanding to know who in the surgery suite contacted administration about his behavior. He was once again confronted by hospital administration, and he allegedly made another reference to an assault rifle at that point. Security escorted Dr. Jefferson out of the hospital Tuesday, and he was suspended for three days. The following morning at around 3:15 a.m. Paducah Police saw Dr. Jefferson in the hospital parking lot. During a conversation with two officers, Dr. Jefferson said he was upset over "unsanitary" medical supplies. He also told the officers, who were wearing body cameras, that the only way to "get anything done is to go home and get a pistol or rifle." Dr. Jefferson was arrested on terroristic threatening and disorderly conduct charges, 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 In early December, 14 people were killed and more than 20 were injured when two people who opened fire on a crowd during an office holiday party in San Bernardino, California. One of the shooters, Tashfeen Malik, had pledged allegiance to ISIS on Facebook prior to the shooting. Now, nearly two months later, leaders from a hospital that treated victims have written to the Los Angeles Times to say thank you. Victims of the attacks were treated at two area hospitals, one of which was Loma Linda (Calif.) University Medical Center. Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, president of Loma Linda University Health, and Kerry Heinrich, CEO of Loma Linda University Medical Center, wrote a joint letter to the Times to express their gratitude for the support they received. "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," the letter said. Mr. Hart and Mr. Heinrich said they have received an enormous amount of assistance and support from local organizations. During the wake of the attack, other area hospitals offered to send staff, and anonymous nurses from outside the state sent pizza deliveries for the hospital's workers. In the weeks after the attack, the hospital received cards, gift baskets, banners and even letters from children at local schools. "Each gesture of support came without fanfare," the letter said. "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." More news and analysis: Man fatally shoots himself in Fla. ER after traffic accident How healthy is Bernie Sanders? 5 things to know about the Republican debate on healthcare, what Trump was doing instead After open enrollment closed Jan. 31, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina said it expects to lose over $400 million on its Affordable Care Act business for 2014 and 2015, according to The News & Observer. Here are five things to know about Blue Cross Blue Shield's anticipated losses. 1. The losses exist despite a recent premium rate raise. The insurer raised rates by an average of 32.5 percent for 2016, but the raise has no effect on BCBS' 2015 results, according to the report. The insurer might be able to recover a portion of its losses through federal assistance. 2. The ACA losses started occurring in 2014. BCBS of NC reported a $50.6 million loss in 2014, primarily due to its ACA and Medicare Advantage businesses. Despite $343 million from reinsurance and other federal financial aid programs, the insurer lost a total of $123 million on ACA plans in 2014. 3. BCBS of NC is eliminating sales commissions for agents selling ACA policies. This choice, which was announced during a Jan. 28 webinar, has frustrated a number of agents throughout the state. BCBS was one of the last insurers to offer agent commissions. "We were committed to paying commissions in 2016 until UHC and Aetna stopped paying commissions. We have made this decision to ensure the sustainability of our company for our customers," said an FAQ page on the BCBS website, according to the report. 4. In an effort to screen ACA applicants and ensure they're eligible for insurance, BCBS of NC will stop accepting online applications. The insurer hopes this will decrease unnecessary costs. "Let's face it, we've got a crisis here," said Wanda Stephens, an agent in Raleigh, according to the report. "They point-blank said: If you have a quoting link for Blue Cross on your website, that you should take it off." BCBS of NC declined to comment. 5. The losses have public health officials worried as well. Calling it a "matter of very high priority concern," North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin plans to send a letter to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell next week. Mr. Goodwin is also concerned about BCBS of NC's recent system failure, which has prompted more than 600 complaints to the North Carolina Department of Insurance. More articles on payer issues: Health insurers in the news: Jan. 21-27 Aetna, Boston Children's Hospital resolve contract dispute MNsure audit found nearly $200M in insurance errors The World Health Organization declared Monday the Zika virus and the subsequent birth defect linked to the virus constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Zika virus, which is spread through mosquito bites, has been common in tropical areas and is poised to spread throughout the world as the mosquitoes also spread. An emergency committee of 18 experts put together by WHO examined the association between Zika virus infections during pregnancy and microcephaly, a condition in which a baby's head is much smaller than expected, and neurological disorders. The committee looked into a cluster of such cases in Brazil and in French Polynesia in recent years. Because of these clusters, WHO declared an international public health emergency and called for a "coordinated international response" to improve surveillance and detection of infections, better control mosquito populations and speed up test and vaccine development to protect people who are at risk, especially people who are pregnant. There is currently no vaccine for Zika virus, but some are in the works. The WHO committee also found "no public health justification" for restricting travel to prevent the spread of Zika. The United States' CDC has recommended pregnant women not travel to effected countries. More articles about Zika: CDC confirms 31 travel-associated Zika cases in continental US, AHA publishes hospital readiness advisory Researchers call for more action from WHO on Zika threat CDC issues interim guidance on Zika testing for infants Originally posted in the Brandon Sun, December 19, 2014 Appleton Estates Rum Factory in rural Jamaica. Im a beer columnist and generally dont drink any other sort of alcoholic beverages such as wine, ciders or other spirits. When you visit another part of the world, sometimes beer isnt the most popular alcoholic beverage like it is here in Canada. A lot of it has to do with resources that are available in the region. Seeing that Manitoba is plentiful in barley and wheat, a lot of it is used in beer and whisky, so we tend to see a million different varieties of beers and whiskies here. In Jamaica, for the most part they have to import barley from Canada and the European Union, so they rely on sugar cane, which is one of their largest resources. Also, sugar cane isnt known as an ingredient that can be malted to make a traditional beer, so it ends up going into making rums and liqueurs. Im not a rum fan, but seeing I was in the neighbourhood, I just had to make a visit to thein rural Jamaica. At $25 USD per person for a tour, its quite a bit more expensive than going on a beer tour as the most Ive ever paid for a beer tour was $0.00. However, seeing that Appleton Estates is one of the largest rum manufacturers on the planet, I was willing to cough up the money just so I could say I visited Appleton Estates. When you arrive, theres a rum sampling station, a large bar and dining room and a store where you can buy Appletons products. Since I opted for a tour, I was told to wait in the dining room where I was immediately greeted and served some of Appletons homemade rum punch, a delicious beverage of a blend of tropical Jamaican fruits and a good amount of rum to give it a bit of a kick. During the tour, the tour guide Peter was passionate about the distillery, teaching us about the history of the Appleton distillery, that before electricity was introduced on the island, the distillery would rely on donkeys pulling on a grinding station to turn freshly harvested sugar cane into a liquid that would eventually be fermented and turned into molasses, as well as until the last few decades, there would be train service between the sugar cane fields and the distillery to bring the sugar cane right to the distillery as the countrys roads werent improved until the last 30 years or so. Another thing that was interesting is that rum doesnt just all of a sudden turn into 40% booze, it takes a lot of boiling and steam release for the product to go from 7% to 40%. After the rum is boiled and fermented, it is barrelled and dated in their warehouse, where it is aged for no less than three years. Some of the barrels I saw in the warehouse were between seven and ten years old, but they make rums that are aged to up to even 21 years. Unfortunately for us, the blending of the rum takes place in Kingston, so what happens is that once the Kingston factory needs three year old rum or rum of a certain age, they will bring some barrels up from the warehouse and use it for their blends. From there, they will blend it with various barrels of their rum and make sure it has the distinct Appleton Estates flavours to it. From there, its bottled and sent all over the world. Appletons rum demand is now being sold in more countries around the world to the point that they are running out of capacity, so that means they are currently in works to expand their distillery to allow for easier production for North American and Asian markets. At the end of the tour, we were given samples of their rums and coffee rum liqueurs. While at the end of the tour I still wasnt a rum fan, their Sangsters Coffee Rum Liqueur was very delicious and comparable, if not better than Baileys. Sangsters is currently not available in Manitoba but its available elsewhere in Canada. Looking here in Manitoba, we have a very comparable operation in our own back yard with Diageos Crown Royal distillery in Gimli. Gimli is the only place in the world where Crown Royal Whisky is distilled. Unfortunately for us, unlike Appleton Estates, they dont give public tours anymore. So that sucks. If youre in Jamaica, you should check out the Appleton Estates rum factory. The history buff in me really enjoyed learning about how the distillery came to be, but the lover of all things booze related loved being around hundreds of oak rum barrels. Aside from Appletons Sangsters Rum Liqueur, you can find most of Appletons rums at almost any Liquor Mart or small town off-sales liquor store. If you were hoping for a beer review: I recommend checking out Jamaicas Dragon Stout. What surprises me about Dragon Stout is that for a beer made in a very tropical country, it is a very thick, molassesy and strong beer, perfect for a dessert after a quarter jerk chicken meal. Belfast adventure centre We Are Vertigo is bouncing across the border as it creates 120 new jobs with a venue in Co Louth. The 5m enterprise in Dundalk by husband and wife team Gareth and Lorna Murphy has just won planning permission from Louth County Council. And the couple said they were talking to companies around Europe about possible franchising opportunities for their brand. Mr Murphy, who opened We Are Vertigo in Belfast in 2013, said the project would be a huge asset to Dundalk, bringing new visitors to the area as well as new jobs. He said: "Belfast's We Are Vertigo has been an enormous success, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and we were keen to replicate the experience for families and businesses in the Republic of Ireland. "Having assessed a number of locations, Dundalk was a clear winner in terms of location with its proximity to both Belfast and Dublin, the town's infrastructure and the welcome we received, and we can't wait to get started on the construction of this new project." The Dundalk development will replicate the trampoline park, adventure centre, spa and restaurant on the Belfast site at Newtownbreda Industrial Estate. But it will also feature ninja assault courses, an indoor skydiving centre and gym. Mr Murphy added: "We are delighted that this new project has been granted approval by Louth County Council and we've been working closely to ensure Dundalk benefits from what looks set to be a major visitor attraction in the area." He said the company employed a research and development team to develop new activities for its centres. And he added: "In addition to our all-island growth, we are in discussion with several companies across the UK and Europe who are interested in franchise opportunities and as such we are very excited for the future." Model Cara Delevingne is the subject of new portraits by artist Jonathan Yeo New paintings of model Cara Delevingne will feature in an exhibition of work by British artist Jonathan Yeo. Already a favoured muse of designer Karl Lagerfeld, Delevingne has posed for Yeo six times in an ongoing series over the last 15 months to help create the 12 new portraits, eight or nine of which will appear alongside noted works from his 25-year career in a Danish retrospective. Yeo said: "I'm honoured to be having such a major exhibition at Denmark's prestigious National History Museum and also to have been collaborating with one of the most interesting cultural figures of her generation on several new works. "Cara Delevingne and I have been working for over a year on a series of portraits themed around the challenge of depicting subjects who are increasingly adept at manipulating and changing their own image." Yeo hailed Delevingne "a brilliant chameleon" and the "perfect subject and muse" for his exploration of the construction of identity through social media and the sharing of selfies as a form of portraiture. The self-taught artist is world-renowned for his portraits of cultural, media and political figures, including Tony Blair, Idris Elba, Sienna Miller, Malala Yousafzai and Sir David Attenborough. The exhibition, entitled Jonathan Yeo Portraits, will be the largest showing of his work and the first by a British artist at the Danish museum. As well as his collaboration with Delevingne, Yeo will unveil a new portrait of House Of Cards actor Kevin Spacey later this month at the Smithsonian Gallery in Washington DC. Jonathan Yeo Portraits will run from March 20 to June 30 at The Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle, near Copenhagen. Kimberley Walsh said her wedding to long-term love Justin Scott was everything she hoped it would be. The Girls Aloud star tied the knot with former Triple 8 band member Scott in Barbados on Saturday with her band mates Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Nicola Roberts as bridesmaids, and t he couple's 17-month-old son Bobby as pageboy. The wedding celebrations kicked off with a beachside welcome party, before the couple, who have been together for almost 14 years, exchanged vows at St James Parish Church. Walsh told Hello! magazine: "I might just push it to the limit on keeping him waiting, since he's kept me waiting pretty much our whole relationship. "But it's been worth it. It's lived up to everything we wanted our wedding to be. Everyone we love has been waiting for this wedding for so long and are all the more emotional for that." Fernandez-Versini told the magazine: "The way they've done it is so perfect and right for them. It's exactly the kind of place I envisaged them getting married - chilled and elegant - and I'm just so excited and ecstatic for them." Speaking about their destination choice, Scott said: "I don't think either of us had ever felt that a wedding in the UK was for us, whereas everything about Barbados just felt so right." :: Read the full article in Hello!, out now. Coldplay, Ellie Goulding and Craig David will perform at Radio 1's Big Weekend 2016. Nick Grimshaw announced the line-up during his BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show, and he confirmed the event will take place on May 28 and 29 in Exeter. Other performers will include Chase and Status, and Bring Me the Horizon. Coldplay will take a break from their A Head Full Of Dreams tour, stopping in Exeter in between their performances in Spain on May 27 and Germany on June 1. Frontman Chris Martin said: "I was born and raised in Exeter so being part of Radio 1's Big Weekend this year means a huge amount to me personally. I lived the first few years of my life less than 500 yards from where we'll be performing, so this couldn't be more of a homecoming for me." Goulding performed at the Big Weekend event in 2010, 2011 and 2013. She said: "Radio 1's Big Weekend is always a great event, and I'm really looking forward to being a part of it again this year." Noughties star David is staging a comeback in the UK, with his new album Following My Intuition expected later this year - following the recent release of his single When The Bassline Drops. He said: "I've always been a huge fan of Radio 1's Big Weekend and I'm excited to be a part of it this year. "From hearing When The Bassline Drops on the station to playing it live for the fans, this has been one of the most exciting journeys of my career." Big Weekend, now in its 13th year, is Europe's largest free ticketed festival. Thousands of fans will be able to attend the event at Powderham Castle, while listeners will be able to tune in to the festival on Radio 1. Grimshaw said: "Big Weekend is my highlight of the year - I can't wait to bring you the best in live music and to spend a weekend celebrating the start of the summer in Exeter." Ben Cooper, controller of Radio 1 and 1Xtra, said: "We've taken Lady Gaga to Carlisle, Taylor Swift to Norwich and now we're taking Chris Martin back home. "We're very proud to be able to bring such a diverse range of acts to Exeter, where they'll be part of our biggest weekend of the year." Almost half of parents think their child is missing out on the best nutrition because they're a fussy eater, unwilling to try new foods. New research shows that of the 45% of parents who say their child is fussy, 67% put it down to an unwillingness to try new food, particularly vegetables (53%), fruit (39%) and fish (32%). In a bid to encourage children to sample a much wider variety of food, cookery writer Alex Hollywood has teamed up with the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) and Sainsbury's Active Kids to launch the Taste Buddies Challenge, which features Hollywood's own recipes, plus activities and advice to help parents overcome some of the barriers faced when introducing children to new foods. Mother-of-one Hollywood says: "As a mum, I understand the struggles of getting kids to try out new foods, and I want to pass on my experience and create some really easy recipes that make trying new foods fun for the whole family, so you don't need to be cooking extra meals just to satisfy different taste buds." A Sainsbury's Active Kids survey of 2,000 UK parents found that the barrier to trying new foods isn't always about disliking the taste, but is often linked to its appearance (50%), smell (37%) and texture (36%), followed by taste (30%), or even an exotic or unusual-sounding name (8%). Yet more than half of parents consider their children's palate 'adventurous', and 52% agree their children would change their mind about a food they previously didn't like after trying it several times. To get kids to try new foods, effective measures are: Encouraging them to help cook the meal Getting them to try new food at home Letting them pick their own food at the supermarket Presenting food in a fun way Using food as part of an activity, eg creating kebabs Using older or younger siblings as key influencers Hollywood says taking children shopping for food helps them to become more familiar with different foods, their names and appearance. "This is really important in the vegetable aisle with often unusual-looking fruits and vegetables," she says. "Allow them to make some of the choices - the whole point is they get to choose something 'new'." Getting children involved in food preparation and then eating the results together is a great way of spending family time together and encouraging kids to try new foods, says Hollywood. "I grew up cooking with my mum and I believe teaching your kids the basics of cooking is a really important skill to take into adult life. Leaving home able to make a stew, a roast dinner and a couple of pasta dishes is a great start, and imagine how popular your kids will be at university or when they set up their own home." Hollywood suggests parents introduce foods little and often, and shouldn't feel the need to make every meal an event. "Just a spoonful of a new veg on the side of the plate or letting them try a taste of what you're eating - if it's different - is a great way to encourage them to explore without making every meal a battleground. "Making it fun is much more productive than making it hard work for everyone concerned." In addition, she says, creating traditional meals with unusual ingredients, by adding a twist for extra flavour, is also a great way to tempt kids. "My mushroom and chilli beef lasagne, for example, uses soft tortillas instead of traditional pasta and some gentle spicing, which will help children on a journey to enjoying hotter foods," she says. Mushroom and chilli beef lasagne 2tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1tsp chilli powder, hot or mild 2tsp ground cumin 1tsp ground coriander 500g lean minced beef 2tbsp tomato puree 1 x 390g carton chopped tomatoes 400g chestnut mushrooms, sliced Juice of one lime Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 large wholemeal tortilla wraps 30g low-fat cheddar, grated 8tbsp half-fat creme fraiche Heat the oil in a saucepan, then add the onion. Cook for two minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic, chilli powder, cumin and coriander. Stir well and cook for one minute. Add the beef, coat in the spices and brown. Once the meat has browned, add the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes and mushrooms. Fill half the empty tomato tin with water and add this to the pan, stir well, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. It should be thick, not watery, once cooked. Season with salt and pepper and add a dash of lime juice. Pre-heat the oven to 180c/ Gas mark 4. Place two of the wraps in the bottom of the dish, top with half the beef mix followed by a handful of grated cheddar and a few dollops of creme fraiche. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and beef, finishing with cheese and creme fraiche, then bake for 25-30 minutes. For more information and recipes, visit the website activekids.sainsburys.co.uk It's recommended children are assessed within 13 weeks so they can get the care and education they need There are currently 2,079 children waiting for an autism spectrum assessment in Northern Ireland. In the Belfast Trust area, children are waiting for up to 20 months to receive a diagnosis. The shocking figures were revealed on Monday's BBC Nolan Show after pleas for help from despairing parents. "There are many of you writing to me, asking for help," said presenter Stephen Nolan. "You're saying you don't know what to do, that your child is desperate and that the authorities are not delivering. "I looked at my emails over the weekend and there is a constant stream now of parents saying 'please do something for us'." He revealed that the longest waiting time is in the Belfast Trust area, where children are facing a near two-year wait. Of the 2,079 children currently waiting for an autism spectrum assessment in Northern Ireland, 279 have already been waiting for over a year. They cannot get care packages or the specialised education they need without a statement of diagnosis. Rodney Morton of the Health and Social Care Board told Nolan: "We are deeply sorry for the unacceptable delays - it's not what we want." He said the system was modelled a few years ago on anticipating 1,500 children coming each year forward to autism services - but that number has increased to 3,000 children a year. "We simply don't have the resources," said Mr Morton. "We have been trying to secure additional funding. "2.8 million is what we're looking to address the gap in autism services. If we don't get that money I suppose regrettably I don't see any improvement in the waiting times at all. "We've been asking for the money for the last 18 months." Stephen Nolan responded: "Just let every elected representative hear that this morning. "Let it ring around Stormont, let it ring around the new First Minister Arlene Foster and the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness who are at the top of the tree up there. "They've been keeping children waiting for 18 months to give them funding and it's still not delivered." Referring to the long-running row over Stormont's budget, he added: "Children have been caught up in politics for 18 months." Waiting times vary across health trusts: Belfast - up to 94 weeks Northern - up to 65 weeks Western - up to 50 weeks Southeastern - up to 19 weeks Southern - up to 12 weeks Belfast Telegraph readers have responded to the figures with their own stories. Co Antrim mum Emma Manton said: "The waiting times are a disgrace, my child was referred in July to the autism assessment team, this was 18 months after he was referred to paediatrics by our GP. "We have had a phone call from the assessment team in our area to say they will send someone to do a school observation but it could be a year before he is fully assessed by the team. So we are two years into the journey looking at possibly another year. "The lack of communication between teams and departments is shocking and there is such a reluctance to diagnose when research in other countries clearly states early diagnosis provides the best hopes and chances for these children." Another mum Deborah Calvert said: "My son has been on the waiting list 20 months now since his first ASD assessment. I phoned the ASD service this morning and was told he'll be seen next month. "It's an absolute disgrace, these kids need early intervention. Educational psychology is another service letting our children down, we shouldn't have to fight nail and tooth for these services, parents of kids with special needs are already stressed enough, we need help and support not more worry." Carrickfergus man Ryan Hendry said: "This is getting beyond a joke now. I was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (part of the ASD spectrum) back in 2007/2008. The process itself took almost two and a half years, and it's clearly not improving. "The wider issue of mental health in this country has been allowed to fall to pieces, as the health service has been decimated." Belfast woman Helena Hall-Booth said: "Absolute shambles. The folk on the hill have a lot to answer. Time to work for their money." Abbey Insurance has bought rival firm Open and Direct. It nearly doubles the size of the Carrickfergus-based broker from more than 220 staff to more than 400. Open and Direct operates 13 branches and Abbey 15. Since 2009 Open and Direct had been owned by the UK-based Swinton Insurance Group. All Open and Direct staff have transferred across to Abbey. Trevor Shaw, chief executive of Abbey, said: "We are very pleased that through this acquisition, we have almost doubled the size of the Abbey Insurance Brokers business and extended our branch network right across Northern Ireland. "Over 40-plus years in the local market, Abbey Insurance has built a very strong business, focused on customer service excellence, which is demonstrated in the fact that almost 90% of our customers return to us year after year. "In order to secure significant further growth, we recognised the need to acquire another business. We looked carefully at Open and Direct and considered it to be a good fit with Abbey, in terms of its professional local staff, the strength of its operation and its geographical footprint. "Through this newly increased scale and the associated buying power, Abbey Insurance will continue to search for the very best insurance deals for all of our customers, now with an even broader range of insurance providers." The deal was financed by Ulster Bank. Kenton Hilman, head of corporate and property banking at Ulster Bank, said: "We are delighted to support Abbey Insurance in their plans for sustainable growth. This acquisition is an important step in that strategy, and we are happy to be working closely with them to assist a growing local business in further developing its presence. "This is one of the largest transactions of its type to have taken place in Northern Ireland in recent times, and is a welcome sign of renewed appetite for larger-scale deals in the market." Unexplained bruising on a newborn baby was not properly investigated by medical staff, a review said. It took three visits to hospital emergency departments to discover fractured ribs and bleeding to the brain of baby Francis, the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland said. Bruising had been noticed even before the child was discharged from hospital after he was born prematurely and treated in intensive care. The infant had been in residential care with his mother, whose family was known to social services, and her partner. The report said: "It is of concern that different hospital-based medical and nursing staff noticed bruising to Francis, but did not explore whether these might have been caused through non-accidental injury rather than having a medical cause. "Insufficient use was made of child protection specialists in both medicine and nursing, who could have helped staff to see the bruises to Francis within the wider context of the child's social circumstances. "There must be acceptance among disciplines that robust challenge, as the occasion demands it, is a healthy state. "When physical trauma to Francis was still not considered a potential explanation for the child's bruises by hospital medical staff, other disciplines were not prepared to sufficiently challenge this view." The answer to who or what caused the multiple rib fractures and bleeding to Francis' brain, and precisely how the injuries occurred, remains the subject of speculation, the report said. The baby suffered the injuries through physical trauma, which were eventually diagnosed following scans after a number of days and repeated admissions to emergency departments. Francis' mother and her partner were the main carers when the injuries were incurred. The mother's family had been known to social services and other community professionals during her own childhood in relation to allegations of physical abuse, neglect and emotional abuse when support services had been provided on an intensive basis. "Francis' mother and her siblings were eventually placed in care. The report said in a non-mobile infant the cause of Francis' injuries had to be either an accidental or non-accidental injury. "Inquiries did not produce a plausible accidental cause. "Francis' mother and her partner have continued to deny that they either individually, or, as a couple, ever physically abused Francis. "In the absence of any explanation that Francis suffered an accidental injury, it therefore remains probable that the injuries were caused by a non-accidental physical trauma." Francis suffers from a range of long term physical and cognitive disabilities, and is currently in state care. The report said: "It remains a grey area as to exactly what extent Francis' various disabilities were caused by injury as a result of major trauma, an infection during pregnancy or a possible genetic syndrome." A spokeswoman from NSPCC Northern Ireland said it was absolutely imperative that professionals ask hard questions if there are any doubts about a child's injuries. "This is especially important in cases where the victim is too young to speak out and their only hope lies with those in positions of authority. "Child abuse is completely unacceptable and we would urge neighbours, relatives and friends to be the eyes and ears which protect a child. "Anyone who has concerns should contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 where our trained, experienced counsellors will be able to help." Stephen McCully said the assessment should be 'more reflective of economic conditions' Business rates in Northern Ireland should be based on the ability to pay, the Chamber of Commerce said. President Stephen McCully said the assessment should switch from one based on the size of the business to one more reflective of economic conditions. He also called for greater transparency over what the business levy pays for and said it should be linked to the level and quality of public services. "Members were also strongly of the view that more effective public sector efficiency savings should be introduced which would in turn reduce the burden on business to contribute so much of the government's revenue through the business rating system." The Chamber responded to the Department of Finance and Personnel's Review of Northern Ireland's Non-Domestic Rating System, which closed last week. Mr McCully added: " The majority of NI Chamber members (78%) believe that the current rates system is in need of reform particularly to make it more reflective of economic conditions. "Our members believe that a business rating system should be based on the ability to pay (for example on the basis of profits) as opposed to the size of business (for example on the basis of jobs)." Belfast International Airport is expecting an increase in passenger numbers with the arrival of Ryanair Belfast International Airport is expecting an increase in passenger numbers with the arrival of Ryanair The economic benefits of opening a railway line to Belfast International Airport are obvious, the Assembly has been told. Alliance Party MLA Trevor Lunn called for better future planning and claimed the arrival of Ryanair was likely to bring a significant jump in passenger numbers. He said: "The economic case for re-opening the Knockmore line is fairly obvious although it is expensive. "Ryanair is now coming to Belfast International. "That is obviously going to produce a major uplift in the number of passengers. Do we really need to wait until we have 10 million plus one before we do something about this or can we not anticipate what is liable to happen in the next few years?" The comments were made during Question Time at the Assembly Regional Development Minister Michelle McIlveen said her department had set a target of 10 million passengers to make the line viable. She said: "Obviously there is an economic benefit in relation to the Antrim to Knockmore line and there are opportunities to establish a rail link to Belfast International Airport. "Although my understanding is that the usage around the airport would need to increase to around 10 million passengers just to make that rail link viable. "I suppose in some ways it is aspirational but it is something that would be seen as something very positive for Northern Ireland if we were able to open such a line again." The Minister also reminded MLAs there was a "very good bus link" to the airport at present. A prominent dissident republican activist charged with encouraging terrorism is no longer barred from making any public speeches. The prohibition imposed on Damien "Dee" Fennell was relaxed at the High Court to allow him to address community events. But a judge stressed that the 33-year-old must not address any meetings promoting terrorism or the interests of a paramilitary grouping. Fennell, from the Ardoyne area of north Belfast, is also accused of inviting support for a proscribed organisation. The charges relate to a speech he gave during a 1916 commemoration event at St Colman's graveyard in Lurgan, Co Armagh on Easter Sunday last year. His address was recorded and broadcast on the internet, only to be removed following media reports that police were investigating the contents. At a previous hearing the prosecution said PSNI officers searched Fennell's home last April and recovered one page of the hand-written speech behind a kitchen microwave. The accused denied encouraging any terrorism following his arrest. In a prepared statement during police interviews he described comments about the armed struggle and existence of the IRA as his personal opinion. Fennell, a spokesman for the Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective, which opposes Orange Order marches through his neighbourhood, was said to have been addressing an event organised by the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association. Part of the speech claimed a "British micro-minister" would later be attending the same graveyard. Prosecution counsel said this was believed to be a reference to one of the Sinn Fein ministers at Stormont. Fennell has been on bail since June last year, with his conditions including a blanket ban on making public speeches. His lawyer applied today for a variation on that, arguing that it was disproportionate. Peter Corrigan also contended that the defendants entitlement to freedom of expression, under the European Convention on Human Rights, should be considered. Granting the application, His Honour Judge Lynch emphasised that while the criminal case is continuing Fennell can only speak at meetings to promote community interests. The defendant remains banned from posting any material on social media or online. Daniel and Amy McArthur of Ashers Baking Company were found to have discriminated against a gay man A bakery found to have discriminated against a gay man has been vandalised and critical letters sent to its owner. A judge at Belfast County Court ruled Ashers Baking Company acted unlawfully by declining an order from gay rights activist Gareth Lee last year. Objects were thrown at Ashers' premises in Belfast's Royal Avenue, although they did not break the shop front glass. The attacks happened before the original court case was heard last spring. Bakery manager Daniel McArthur said: "Outside of a few random acts of vandalism and several fairly meanly-worded letters, there has been no adverse effects on the business." Mr Lee, a member of the LGBT advocacy group Queer Space, wanted a cake featuring Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie with the slogan Support Gay Marriage. An appeal is due to be heard in Belfast on Wednesday. Mr McArthur and his wife Amy said the legal battle has strengthened their marriage and faith in God. Lawyers have agreed to test whether the judge was correct as a matter of law to hold that the bakery had discriminated against Mr Lee directly on grounds of sexual orientation, a lobby group supporting Ashers said. They will also challenge whether district judge Isobel Brownlie was correct as a matter of law to hold that Ashers discriminated against Mr Lee directly on grounds of religious belief or political opinion. The cake was ordered for a private function in Bangor, Co Down, to mark International Anti Homophobia Day last May. Mr Lee, who paid in full when placing the order at Ashers' Belfast branch, said he was left feeling like a lesser person when he was told his request could not be fulfilled. The publicly-funded Northern Ireland Equality Commission, which has a statutory duty to monitor anti-discrimination laws, brought the legal action on his behalf. Ashers, owned by the McArthur family, employs almost 80 people across six branches and delivers throughout the UK and Ireland. The family said they opposed same-sex marriage on religious grounds and could not produce the cake with a message that was contrary to their deeply-held Christian beliefs. District judge Brownlie found the bakers discriminated against Mr Lee on grounds of his sexual orientation and his political beliefs. Ashers was ordered to pay agreed damages of 500. Justice Minister David Ford has called on the Government to fund an investigation into the IRA informer Stakeknife Northern Ireland's justice minister David Ford has called on the British Government to directly fund a murder investigation into the IRA's most senior security force informer. The Army double agent was known as Stakeknife, a shadowy figure responsible for finding and killing those it believed passed information to the British security services during the Troubles. Freddie Scappaticci has strongly denied being the man behind the codename. A police watchdog passed information to prosecutors after examining the circumstances of at least 24 murders attributed to Stakeknife's IRA "internal security team". It is thought the Army agent could ultimately be linked to twice that number of Troubles killings. At the heart of victims' concerns is whether those deaths could have been prevented and whether collusion in murder penetrated to the top of the British Government. Mr Ford told RTE the British Government, not the Stormont power-sharing administration, must pay for the investigation. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Northern Ireland, Barra McGrory QC, asked police to investigate potential offences committed by Stakeknife. Recently, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it wanted to bring in detectives and staff from other UK police forces to investigate the activities of Stakeknife, given the size, scale and complexity of any investigation. "Such an option would contribute towards community confidence and reduce the impact on the organisation's ability to provide a policing service today," the force said. The investigation is expected to be one of the largest ever conducted in Northern Ireland into the activities of a single individual and could cost millions of pounds. Former Met Police commissioner Lord Stevens led three government investigations into security force collusion. Relatives of the victims have pressed for a fourth more comprehensive and independent probe or public inquiry. Frank Mulhern, whose IRA member son Joe was discovered in 1993 in a ditch near the Irish border in Co Tyrone, with his body riddled by bullets, has said there needed to be an independent investigation by an international police force. Mr McGrory requested two separate investigations, a probe of broad scope, seeking to examine the full range of potential offences that may have been committed by Stakeknife. It will also include an investigation into any potential criminal activity that may have been carried out by security service agents, the senior law officer said. A Northern Ireland Office spokeswoman said: "Any such investigation is a matter for the PSNI. It is the Department of Justice and the wider Northern Ireland Executive who have the responsibility for funding the PSNI. "This is another reason why we need to build the necessary political consensus to deal with all aspects of Northern Ireland's past - and we believe we are closer to this than ever before. "The Government has made it clear that there is an additional 150 million available over five years to support new bodies to be set up to investigate the past." Stormont ministers are to stage special talks on the rising scourge of suicide in Northern Ireland. Health Minister Simon Hamilton revealed there are early indications of an increase in people taking their own lives - but said the reasons are unknown. Now he is organising a meeting of Executive ministers on February 29 to assess existing strategies. In an Assembly answer, he said the suicide rate in the province has remained "relatively constant" over the last eight years - around an annual 280 deaths. He added, however: "The toll of loss is unacceptably high and early indications are that there has been a rise in 2015. The reason for this is not known." Mr Hamilton also told the Assembly: "Academic research estimates that, for every suicide, there are at least six members of the close family who are deeply affected and up to 60 other people who know the deceased and are touched by the death. "That indicates that, over the past 10 years alone, some 17,000 people in Northern Ireland have been profoundly affected by suicide, and at least 10% of our population know someone well who has died by suicide." Men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women - and the majority of people who die by suicide are not previously known to mental health services, he said. In a written answer to Sinn Fein MLA Bronwyn McGahan - asking how he plans to address the increase in the number of suicides - the minister said he continued to prioritise funding for suicide prevention services such as community-based intervention charity Lifeline, training and awareness raising, and bereavement support. "In addition, I will ensure that best practice in suicide prevention is applied in the delivery of mental health services," he said. "However, in the longer term, it is necessary to address the broader societal factors that increase the risk of suicide in our communities. These include poverty, unemployment, debt, low educational attainment, violence and anti-social behaviour, and social isolation. "Programmes and strategies are in place across Government to address these issues. In a broader sense, these strategies are part of the drive against suicide and I will be meeting with ministerial colleagues on February 29 to ensure continued cross-departmental engagement on mental health promotion and suicide prevention." A 2014 University of Ulster study of 1,671 suicides and probable suicides in Northern Ireland from 2005 to 2011 showed that 77% of those who died were male and 23% female. Just half of those who died by suicide were known to have a mental health disorder. Police are investigating the death of Anthony McErlain in Ballycastle, Co Antrim A 33-year-old homeless man has been remanded in custody charged with murder. Christopher Keenan, of no fixed abode, appeared before a judge at Coleraine Magistrates' Court. No details about the death of Anthony McErlain w ere given during the short hearing. The 48-year-old's body was discovered in a house in the Broombeg View area of Ballycastle, Co Antrim, on January 28. Police have previously said he suffered a traumatic and frightening death. Keenan, who was dressed in a light grey tracksuit and had short dark hair and stubble, stood in the dock with his hands clasped to his front, flanked by two male prison guards. He only spoke once and replied "yeah" when asked if he understood the single murder charge levied against him. A senior detective told Deputy District Judge John Connolly he believed he could connect the accused to the charges. Defence solicitor Eoghan Devlin had no questions for the officer and did not make an application for bail. However the lawyer said given the seriousness of the offence, he would be requesting legal aid for counsel as the defendant had previously been in receipt of benefits. "This is the most serious matter," the solicitor said. The case was adjourned until February 29 and Keenan was ordered to re-appear via videolink. A 50-year-old man is still being questioned by detectives in connection with the death after police were granted a 24-hour extension. Martin McGuinness said it is important that he and Arlene Foster engage with Scotland, Wales and the Prime Minister on the timing of the referendum Martin McGuinness has warned David Cameron against having a referendum on Europe within a month of elections to Stormont. A poll is due on a new Northern Ireland Assembly in May. Public representatives have claimed holding a referendum in June would not allow enough time for a proper debate. The Deputy First Minister said he shared those fears. "It is no secret to anybody that I have huge concerns about the prospect that the strategy being adopted by David Cameron effectively is sleepwalking all of us into an exit from Europe." Democratic Unionists also believe a later vote on the UK's position in Europe would allow more time for proper debate. Mr McGuinness, who leads Sinn Fein at Stormont, said the question put to people around Europe is even more important. He said with a June referendum being flagged up, it is important that he and First Minister Arlene Foster engage with Scotland, Wales and the Prime Minister on the timing of the referendum. "We here would also share concerns about close proximity of a referendum to the elections here." Mr McGuinness noted most CBI members in Northern Ireland are against exit. He said the financial implications of an exit could be massive and Common Agricultural Policy funding had been vital to the growth of farming. The minister warned Northern Ireland is a net beneficiary of European money, including structural and regional development funds used for peace building and cross-border regeneration. He said loss of funding could be devastating and claimed the British Government had not involved or consulted his Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister about negotiations with European leaders on EU membership. Former Stormont minister Michelle Gildernew's political career appears to be over after she failed to be selected by Sinn Fein to contest May's Assembly election. However, outspoken Sinn Fein MLA Phil Flanagan has been chosen as a candidate after the party ordered a re-run of the selection process. Ms Gildernew had initially been selected in December to run for her party in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, but then failed to get the nod at last night's re-run. In December, Ms Gildernew, current MLA Sean Lynch and local councillor John Feely were selected by the party, which meant controversial sitting MLA Mr Flanagan lost out. However, in an unusual twist, the party's Ard Chomhairle ordered a new vote and in Enniskillen last night Mr Flanagan emerged as one of the party's three candidates, along with Mr Lynch and Mr Feely. The other candidates in the process - Ms Gildernew and current MLA Bronwyn McGahan - failed to secure enough backing from around 150 party members. Ms McGahan, from Killeshill in Co Tyrone, was co-opted in 2012 after Ms Gildernew stepped down from the Assembly to concentrate on her role as an MP. However, after losing out to the Ulster Unionist Party's Tom Elliott in last year's Westminster election, the former Agriculture Minister announced her intention to seek a return to Stormont. Ms Gildernew famously won her Westminster seat by a margin of just four votes in 2010, before losing out to Mr Elliott. Mr Flanagan, meanwhile, was thrown a lifeline by Sinn Fein after its leadership agreed to hold another selection convention in Fermanagh. Sinn Fein had declared the December selection vote void. Mr Flanagan - who had been involved in some controversy recently - is now back in the fold. Sinn Fein's official Twitter feed confirmed its selection with a tweeted photo. Mr Feely, from Belleek, Co Fermanagh, is currently a councillor on Fermanagh & Omagh District Council. Five people had been seeking the three Sinn Fein nominations in the constituency. The party's first effort in December to pick the three candidates to go forward resulted in Mr Flanagan being de-selected. But then in January, Sinn Fein confirmed it would re-run the selection process, and Mr Flanagan threw his hat back in the ring. Although the party has kept tight-lipped over the reason for the repeat, there were reports of an apparent discrepancy over the final tally at the first meeting. One source said two votes went missing on the night and Mr Flanagan lost out by a narrow margin at that meeting. Mr Flanagan got into trouble last year for comments he made on Twitter about Mr Elliott. He was ordered to pay libel damages to the MP for falsely suggesting he had harassed and shot people. He also apologised and costs were awarded. Ms McGahan had announced she would not be seeking re-election ahead of the first selection convention - but she then put her name forward for the second. Meanwhile, Michelle Gildernew's future remains unclear. In the 2015 Westminster election she lost the seat by 530 votes to Mr Elliott, despite almost no change in her percentage share of the vote and an increase in the number of her votes by 1,774 votes. There has been speculation that she could be selected to run in Mid Ulster after Martin McGuinness announced he will be seeking a seat in his home constituency of Foyle. However, last night Ms Gildernew appeared to rule out a move, tweeting: "For the record to those of you speculating tonight, Mid Ulster has excellent candidates to replace Martin McGuinness and my heart's in Fermanagh South Tyrone." Soldiers from the North Irish Horse Squadron and their Scottish regimental colleagues parade through Carrickfergus An army unit proudly marched through a town with a rich military history after a recently formed council conferred its first Freedom of the Borough accolade. Soldiers of the North Irish Horse paraded in Carrickfergus as Mid and East Antrim Borough Council dignitaries looked on. DUP Mayor Billy Ashe said: "By conferring the Freedom of the Borough on the North Irish Horse Squadron we are honouring the service and dedication of the present regiment and those that have served in the past. The North Irish Horse were recognised for distinguished service during the Second World War and the current squadron has recently completed deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans." Guests included Mrs Joan Christie, the Lord Lieutenant for Co Antrim. Regimental Honorary Colonel Dr Melfort Campbell said: "I am delighted that the council is recognising the contribution of the North Irish Horse Squadron to the people of Mid and East Antrim and to Northern Ireland by conferring the prestigious Freedom of the Borough on them." A recruitment process has started for a school that does not yet exist. The Education Authority has advertised a job as principal for Enniskillen Royal Grammar School. This is the proposed name for the amalgamation of Collegiate Grammar and Portora. Education Minister John O'Dowd announced in 2014 that he planned to merge the schools, however, it has been challenged in the high court. Collegiate suffered a low enrolment last year and accepted historically low transfer test grades, which the principal has blamed on the minister's announcement putting parents off. The high court judgment on the judicial review will be out this week. However, a board of governors for the proposed school has already been set up. It is understood interviews took place for a principal late last year, but now the role of interim principal has been advertised. The interim principal job advert references the high court battle. "Potential candidates should be aware that there is an ongoing Judicial Review challenge to the Minister for Education's decision to approve the establishment of the new Voluntary Grammar School (Enniskillen Royal Grammar School) and the discontinuance of Collegiate Grammar School and Portora Royal School," the ad reads. "It is not known when the High Court will deliver a judgment on the Judicial Review, though the actual hearing has concluded. "The Interim Board of Governors for the Enniskillen Royal Grammar School has, however, taken the decision to continue the recruitment process for the post of Principal Designate." However, both Portora and the Collegiate will hold open days for the 2016/17 academic year. Last week, the Belfast Telegraph revealed that Collegiate Grammar was the only undersubscribed grammar school in NI, with 62 applications for 70 places. Fermanagh Ulster Unionist MP Tom Elliott said he was concerned about the effect of the uncertainly on the pupils of the two schools. "It is a very, very difficult process where there is so much uncertainty," he said. "We do not want the pupils to suffer, we must put the pupils first." A commission of investigation is to be set up into allegations of abuse and cover-up at a foster home in the south east. The scandal involves a woman with intellectual disabilities being kept in the home until 2009 - 13 years after other foster children were removed amid concerns over risk. The Health Service Executive (HSE) further compounded the controversy after it emerged the agency did not apologise to the woman and her family even though it told a parliamentary committee it had. The Public Accounts Committee claimed it had been misled and lied to over the affair after whistleblowers wrote to TDs and exposed the inaction by the HSE and allegations of horrific abuse. Junior minister in the Department of Health Kathleen Lynch has support from Health Minister Leo Varadkar for the statutory commission of investigation. "We need to be precise and focused on the questions that remain unanswered. I strongly believe it is in the public interest that we establish the facts surrounding vulnerable people who were placed in this foster home," she said. Barrister Conor Dignam SC was already tasked with reviewing standards in the foster home when the allegations of abuse and cover-up reignited almost a year after they were first reported. His report is expected by the end of April. The ministers have sought copies of two other reports on allegations about abuse at the care home. "We believe that direct access by us to these reports - using these legislative powers - will greatly assist us in understanding the facts surrounding the disturbing allegations about events in a foster home in the south east of the country which have been the subject of much attention recently," Ms Lynch said. The ministers met HSE chiefs over the affair for two hours today. Ms Lynch said: "It is clear that there have been failures in protecting vulnerable people in our care. "For a number of reasons, it has been difficult to establish the facts with certainty. This has been acknowledged and I am confident that through the commission of investigation we can resolve this. "While this is very much in the public interest, it is also in the interest of those vulnerable people who are directly affected and their families." Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Joan Burton met to discuss the plans for the statutory inquiry and for the two ministers to brief the rest of cabinet on the issue. HSE director general Tony O'Brien is due before the Public Accounts Committee tomorrow over the handling of the abuse allegations and questions over claims apologies were made to affected families. The case centres around a foster home in the south east where 47 adults and children with intellectual disabilities were placed by the health services between 1983 and 2013. The vast majority of the foster children were removed by 1996 after allegations of abuse emerged. At least one woman remained in the home until 2009 and is alleged to have suffered sexual abuse despite authorities having been warned by social workers over the risks. It is understood a number of others were placed in the home privately after concerns were first raised. The HSE said a statutory commission of investigation would assist the former residents and families who are most affected to get information. "This is particularly important as the HSE has not been in a position to publish its two completed reports... due to an ongoing An Garda investigation," the agency said. "A statutory commission such as this would also serve to provide absolute clarity to many of the conflicting accounts concerning certain matters that have been reported by different media outlets over the past number of months." It's feared many Fine Gael voters will be more concerned with travelling to the Ireland Six Nations rugby match against England in Twickenham on February 27, than voting. Taoiseach Enda Kenny is facing an extraordinary standoff with Environment Minister Alan Kelly over the General Election date. Labour is putting sustained pressure on Mr Kenny to hold the election on Friday, February 26, to allow younger voters attending universities and colleges to travel home to vote, according to the Sunday Independent. But Fine Gael wants the election to take place a day before, on the Thursday, to allow party supporters to vote and then travel to a Six Nations rugby match that Saturday. The latest tensions between the Coalition parties come as Mr Kenny is expected to call the election this week. With as many as 13 Government ministers in danger of losing their seats, both Coalition parties are anxious to maximise their potential vote. Mr Kelly is one of those said to be at risk, as is the Labour leader Joan Burton and other Labour senior ministers, Jan O'Sullivan and Alex White, while Fine Gael minister Paschal Donohoe is also in danger of losing his seat. Yesterday, Mr Kelly was privately telling colleagues he will only sign off on the election day "as long as it's on Friday the 26th". Separately, in an interview with the Sunday Independent this weekend, he boasts of his ambition and ruthlessness and states: "I am very direct. I am very decisive... and I am in a hurry all the time. I am very quick to make my views known." The unprecedented standoff between Mr Kelly and Mr Kenny will this weekend be seized on by the opposition parties as the latest example of Coalition 'instability'. Yesterday Fianna Fail's environment spokesman, Barry Cowen, said: "So much for stability. They can't even agree on this. What a joke they have become - squabbling with each other right down to the end." The Dail can only be dissolved by the President on the advice of the Taoiseach. A general election must be held within 30 days of the dissolution. The procedure is that the clerk of the Dail issues a writ to the returning officer in each constituency instructing him or her to hold an election. But responsibility for appointing the polling day actually falls to the minister for the environment. And speaking at the Labour Party conference in Mullingar yesterday, Mr Kelly insisted: "I believe that elections should always be on a Friday." He sought to play down the rift somewhat: "That will be decided by the Government in the coming days. Legally, I have to move the writ but I'm sure at Government level we'll agree a date." Pressed on whether he would make an issue of the election date if Fine Gael were to push for a Thursday vote, Mr Kelly replied: "After coming through what we've come through in the last five years I'm sure we'll agree on a date." However, Mr Kelly has broad support within Labour for his stance on the election date with some members insisting it would be a "scandal" if Mr Kenny did not hold the election at the weekend to allow more young people vote. The Tanaiste Joan Burton does not have any " huge desire" for either date but does favour a Friday vote, according to sources. In his interview with the Sunday Independent, Mr Kelly said of Ms Burton: "We are very different charactersJoan is more reflective." He also described himself as his own "boss". There is strong support for Mr Kelly's position on the election date within Labour. Yesterday Education Minister Jan O'Sullivan said: "The most important thing with an election is that it should be held at a time when people will actually come out and vote. It seems that Friday is the best day in terms of turnout. We tried Saturday for referenda and it wasn't all that successful in terms of numbers," she said. Former minister and influential Labour TD Willie Penrose said holding the election on a Thursday would "deprive" young people and workers from voting. "It would deprive people of their opportunity to exercise their franchise. I'd like to see the maximum number of people have that opportunity," he said, adding that it is "critical" young people can make it home to vote. In Fine Gael, Thursday is the preferred date among senior members close to the Taoiseach and those involved in election preparations. Among the concerns discussed by strategists is the Ireland Six Nations rugby match against England in Twickenham on Saturday, February 27. It is feared many of those travelling to the match are potential Fine Gael voters and will be more concerned with making flights or catching ferries than voting on the Friday before the high- profile rugby international. Mr Kenny's advisors believe the party will get a strong turnout of their core vote if they hold the election on Thursday and it will also reduce the impact of the Sinn Fein vote. Philip Ryan, Niamh Horan, Niall O'Connor, Sunday Independent Actor Frank Finlay, who was nominated for an Oscar, has died at 89, reports say The family of Frank Finlay has remembered him as a "damn fine actor" and an "amazing storyteller" following his death at 89. The veteran screen star died from heart failure after a short illness at home in Weybridge, Surrey, on Saturday, surrounded by his family. In a career spanning more than 60 years he graced stage and screen, starring in The Three Musketeers in 1973, alongside Oliver Reed and Richard Chamberlain, as well as Roman Polanski's The Pianist. He was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe and Bafta for his portrayal of Iago in the 1965 film of Shakespeare's tragedy Othello, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. A founder member of the National Theatre, he also starred in the 1976 television series Bouquet Of Barbed Wire, regarded as one of the most controversial dramas of the era, and played Casanova in a TV series in 1971. He was made a CBE in 1984. Widely respected in his profession, his family said he was "renowned for his kindness and generosity", adding that his death was an "inestimable loss to the acting world". Paying tribute, they said: "Goodbye to a wonderful father, loving grandfather and a damn fine actor. At home, very peacefully, surrounded by his family." Two of his children, Daniel and Cathy, added: "Our dad was a magnificent actor - honest, uncompromisingly truthful, rigorous, fearless and funny. "As a loving father and besotted grandpa, he held his family at the centre of his life. He and our mum, Doreen, had a long and happy marriage and together they loved and looked after us all. We are all immensely proud of him." His grandson Josh Coombes, a drummer with the band Tigress, added: "RIP my grandfather Frank Finlay CBE. Funny, loving, amazing storyteller, inspiration and one of the best actors this country has ever seen." Tributes have been paid to Finlay by stars on Twitter. Actor and writer Mark Gatiss said: "Bouquets to the great Frank Finlay. Musketeer, vampire hunter, green-eyed Iago. A wonderfully fiery presence on stage and screen. RIP." Sir Roger Moore said Finlay was "a great co-star" in 1978's The Wild Geese, while John Challis, who played Boycie in Only Fools And Horses, wrote: "Such sad news to hear that dear Frank Finlay has died. Happy times with him touring Laughter on the 23rd Floor." Reports of Finlay's death came as stars led an outpouring of grief on Twitter following the death of Sir Terry Wogan. Presenter Alexander Armstrong wrote: "Oh Lord, and Frank Finlay too. My father-in-law in Life Begins, an astonishing actor and wonderful man. What a sad, sad day." David Essex tweeted: "So sorry that dear Frank Finlay passed away yesterday. He was a wonderful Actor and a gentleman. As Bligh in Mutiny he was inspiring RIP." Actor Colin Baker wrote: "Very sad to hear we have lost the lovely, gentle, talented Frank Finlay. And now Sir Terry. Too many greats leaving us." Born 1926, in Farnworth, Lancashire, Finlay left school at the age of 14 and took on several odd jobs to make ends meet. During this time, he began appearing with amateur theatre groups and realised his future lay on the stage. After landing his first professional role in Scotland in 1951, he won a scholarship to London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before appearing in rep in Guildford. He did not appear in the West End until he was 31, and after making a series of acclaimed performances in various plays was invited to join Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company. He starred opposite the legendary actor in Othello before reprising his role on the big screen. Dr Chaand Nagpaul said the Government was moving increasing numbers of people into the community who would previously have been in hospital GPs have insisted they should no longer be obliged to look after thousands of care home residents. Doctors on a British Medical Association (BMA) committee have passed a motion calling for such patients to be covered by a separate contract recognising their "complex needs". Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the committee, said the Government was moving increasing numbers of people into the community who would previously have been in hospital. "Such patients have complex needs, additional needs, they have multiple problems including social issues and mental health problems. The idea that these patients are no different from the other patients we look after is a complete misnomer," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. "What this motion has suggested is not that GPs don't look after patients in care homes, but a separate contract that recognises the additional needs of such patients, making sure that GPs can provide that dedicated support." Dr Nagpaul stressed that the patient's existing GP practice could continue to provide care, but under separate arrangements and not if it was too stretched. "This is a Government policy of moving many ill patients who need to be receiving specialist care outside of a hospital setting," he said. "The idea that GPs suddenly take on this work when in fact such patients do need specialist care "What we have got at the moment is a contract that really makes no differentiation." Following the vote on Saturday, the BMA could now lobby the Government to remove responsibility for looking after residents from the GP contract. Ministers are expected to announce a new contract later this month, which is set to be subject to fierce negotiations. David Cameron has received an early boost for his EU renegotiation drive after Home Secretary Theresa May said proposals unveiled in Brussels were "a basis for a deal". Mrs May - who had been tipped as a possible leader of the "out" campaign - said that more work needed to be done on the plan set out by European Council president Donald Tusk. But she said that the proposals did address key UK concerns about the "abuse" of EU free movement rules and the use of European law to block the deportation of foreign criminals. Although she stopped short of firmly endorsing the proposed deal, her comments will come as a relief to Mr Cameron amid concerns among supporters of his renegotiation drive that she could provide a dangerous focal point for the anti-EU lobby. At the same time they are likely to disappoint campaigners for Britain to leave the EU who had hoped that Mrs May - who had been thought to be sceptical about Mr Cameron's efforts - could provide them with a powerful figurehead. In a statement, Mrs May said: "EU free movement rules have been abused for too long and EU law has stopped us deporting dangerous foreign criminals. "That is plainly wrong and it is encouraging that the commission has agreed with the UK that we should take action to address these two issues. "So we have made progress and negotiations continue ahead of the February council. As the Prime Minister has said, more work needs to be done, but this is a basis for a deal." Earlier, the Prime Minister said Britain could be "better off, more secure, more prosperous" in the EU under the terms of the Tusk package. The plan - which offers an "emergency brake" on migrant welfare, protections for non-eurozone states and a legally-binding assurance that the UK is not expected to pursue integration through "ever-closer union" - offered Britain "the best of both worlds" by giving it access to the single market and a voice around the table at the European Council while allowing it to remain outside the euro and the Schengen border-free area, said Mr Cameron. But Brexit campaign group Leave.EU branded the proposals a "fudge and a farce" while Ukip leader Nigel Farage said they were "truly pathetic - No treaty change, no repatriation of powers, no ability to control our own laws, our money or our borders". There was concern that Mr Tusk left open the question of how long any welfare curbs could remain in place, and the period for which the brake could be renewed. Britain is believed to be pushing for a seven-year period. And in an unexpected move, he proposed that in-work benefits for EU migrants should be phased in gradually over a four-year period while the brake is in operation, rather than being banned outright as the PM wanted. Under the proposals, EU states could apply to use the mechanism if "exceptional" levels of migration are harming their social security system, jobs market or public services. In a key concession to Mr Cameron, the European Commission issued a declaration that the UK already meets this threshold. But the lengthy process of introducing necessary regulations could delay the implementation of the brake in Britain until 2017 at the earliest. The publication of the Tusk proposals kicks off an intensive period of negotiation with the other 27 EU states ahead of a crunch European Council summit on February 18-19, starting with a visit to Poland and Denmark by Mr Cameron on Friday. Downing Street stressed that the whole package remains open to negotiation with other member-states. Failure to win unanimous support from all 27 would almost certainly delay the referendum until after the summer. But Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond indicated that stiff resistance was not expected, telling Sky News: "I would be very surprised if we have significant negative reaction across the EU to the text that's been tabled." Speaking in Chippenham, Wiltshire, Mr Cameron said Britain could survive and succeed outside the EU and acknowledged that the EU will not be "a perfect and unblemished organisation" after the implementation of the reforms. But he added: "I think we will be able to show - if we can secure what's in this document, finish off the details and improve it still further - that on balance Britain is better off, more secure, more prosperous, has a better chance of success for all of our families and all our people inside this reformed European Union." In a letter to EU leaders, Mr Tusk said the package was "a good basis for a compromise", adding that "there are still challenging negotiations ahead. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed". As expected, the document proposes measures to improve EU competitiveness, a 55% threshold for national parliaments to force the EU to alter or scrap proposed laws, as well as assurances that non-euro states are not required to help bail out single currency members. And it proposes a new mechanism for them to escalate concerns about possible discrimination in favour of the eurozone for discussion by the full European Council, as the Prime Minister has demanded. The document states in law for the first time that the euro is not the EU's only currency and that the commitment to "ever-closer union" does not oblige all member states to "aim for a common destination". Junior doctors will strike on February 10, the British Medical Association has said, as it accused the Government of putting "politics before patients". The Government could push ahead with imposing a new contract on junior doctors if agreement cannot be reached in the next few weeks. The British Medical Association (BMA) has announced its intention to go ahead with a strike on February 10 after talks broke down in the bitter dispute over pay and conditions. The main sticking point remains weekend pay and the point at which a premium rate of pay kicks in for junior doctors. In a letter to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Sir David Dalton - who has been drafted in to broker a deal - said there was no point to future negotiations unless the BMA signalled its willingness to shift its position on Saturday rates of pay. He said agreement must be reached by mid-February to give time to implement the new contract. Currently, 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and the whole of Saturday and Sunday attract a premium rate of pay for junior doctors. An offer from the Government in November said doctors would receive time and a half for any hours worked Monday to Sunday between 10pm and 7am, and time and a third for any hours worked between 7pm and 10pm on Saturdays and 7am and 10pm on Sundays. But in a new offer, dated January 16, Sir David said that, as part of an overall agreement, a premium rate of pay could kick in from 5pm on Saturdays rather than 7pm. Furthermore, premium pay could start at 9pm Monday to Friday. In his letter to Mr Hunt, Sir David said: "The BMA re-stated that they would not negotiate on this issue - and would not concede to any plain time (normal pay) working on Saturdays." He said he was hoping to continue talks with the BMA but added: " I do not believe negotiations should restart unless the BMA state beforehand that they will negotiate on the principal outstanding issues." He continued: " Should the BMA confirm that they will not negotiate and compromise on weekday and weekend plain time/unsocial hours then I will have to conclude that there is no opportunity for a negotiated settlement, and I would then need to advise you accordingly. " Specifically, if effective implementation is to be assured for junior doctors then agreement is required by no later than mid-February." Earlier, the BMA said the talks had "foundered following the Government's continued refusal to put reason before politics in agreeing a fair solution". A full walkout has been scrapped but thousands of operations, procedures and appointments will still need to be cancelled. Junior doctors will provide emergency care only from 8am on Wednesday February 10 to 8am on Thursday February 11. Dr Johann Malawana, chairman of the BMA's junior doctor committee, welcomed the involvement of Sir David but said an agreement could still not be reached. He said Sir David's "understanding of the realities of a health service buckling under mounting pressures and commitment to reaching a fair agreement has resulted in good progress on a number of issues". He added: "It is therefore particularly frustrating that the Government is still digging in its heels. "The Government's position - based on ideology rather than reason - risks souring relations with an entire generation of junior doctors, the very doctors who the Secretary of State has acknowledged as the backbone of the NHS. "The Government's entrenched position in refusing to recognise Saturday working as unsocial hours, together with its continued threat to impose a contract so fiercely resisted by junior doctors across England, leaves us with no alternative but to continue with industrial action." Shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander said it was " deeply disappointing" that the strike would go ahead. "I am pleased that junior doctors will be covering emergency care services, but patients who see their operations and appointments cancelled next week deserve an apology from Jeremy Hunt," she said. A No 10 spokesman said: "Clearly it is regrettable that the BMA has decided to proceed with further unnecessary industrial action. "We will continue to stay at the table, to stay talking, to try and reach an agreement." Libya is a "major concern" for terrorism, migration and regional stability, the Prime Minister's National Security Adviser has told parliamentarians. The comment came as Downing Street insisted that no decision had been taken on whether to deploy UK troops in any international military intervention in the north African state. The US and French governments have been pressing for direct action against the Islamic State terror group - also known as Daesh, Isil or Isis - in Libya, where it has established around the city of Sirte amid the chaos following the overthrow of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Asked about press reports that the UK was considering sending as many as 1,000 troops to the country, Prime Minister David Cameron's official spokeswoman said: "No decisions have been made about the deployment of any British forces to Libya as part of an international force." The spokeswoman said that discussions were under way among Britain's international partners on how to support a viable Libyan national unity government. Agreement was reached in December on unifying two rival administrations in capital Tripoli, but this decision has yet to take effect. National Security Adviser Sir Mark Lyall Grant confirmed that Libya was regularly discussed by the National Security Council chaired by Mr Cameron. Sir Mark told the parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy: "We have discussed Libya in the National Security Council certainly two or three times in the last six months. "It is an issue of major concern in a number of different contexts - in the counter-terrorism context, the stability context and the migration context. "When we discuss counter-terrorism, Libya is a feature. When we discuss migration, Libya is a feature. But we have also discussed Libya itself in terms of instability and the political progress. We take them into account on all of these issues. "There is a regular, almost weekly, meeting chaired either by me or my deputy to look at the Libya situation. The Foreign Secretary regularly offers advice to the Prime Minister on Libyan policy, what the next step should be, and how we should react to developments." Mr Cameron has said the UK will do "everything we can" to support a new Libyan government in its efforts to combat IS and the criminal gangs behind the migrant boats heading to Europe. The Sunday Times claimed that RAF officers, MI6 operatives and diplomats joined US and French colleagues at an airbase in Tobruk controlled by pro-western militia forces to establish potential targets. Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk is being investigated over his expenses Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk has condemned "poorly worded" expenses rules which punish "modern families" after an investigation was launched into his accommodation claims. The divorced politician is alleged to have received thousands of pounds in funding to have his children stay with him in London - even though they hardly ever visited his flat. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) allows MPs to claim an extra 2,425 a year towards accommodation costs for each dependant. The system gives them scope to rent a flat with more than one bedroom, and means they can " maintain contact with their families during the course of their parliamentary work", according to the watchdog. But Ipsa compliance officer Peter Davis has announced a formal probe into Mr Danczuk after a member of the public complained that the rules were being abused. Mr Danczuk, who has been suspended by the Labour Party over separate allegations, has two children with first wife Sonia Rossington, and two with second wife Karen Danczuk. His 18-year old son George told the Rochdale Online website last week he stayed with his father in London just once, in February 2012. "That's the only time I've stayed with him in London," he said. In a statement Mr Danczuk said: "My original claim was made properly and based on my honest interpretation of the Ipsa regulations. "I maintain that the existing rules are poorly worded and not fit for purpose when it comes to modern families like mine. "Some of my Parliamentary colleagues have approached me in the last week to say they agree with me on this point and that they have interpreted the rules the same way. "I'll be meeting with the chief executive of Ipsa about this and I will stress the need for the system to be more flexible to reflect the living arrangements of modern families. "I am co-operating fully with the investigation and welcome the chance to get this matter cleared up." Police are thought to have declined to investigate the allegations. Camila Batmanghelidjh was said to have excellent contacts with ministers MPs have called for a "radical change" in charity regulation to prevent a repeat of the "extraordinary catalogue of failures of governance and control" across the board that led to the collapse of Kids Company. The youth organisation folded amid a storm of controversy in August 2015 - just days after receiving a 3 million government grant in a final bid to keep it afloat. In the latest scathing assessment of the fiasco, the Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee found failings by the charity itself, senior ministers, watchdogs and auditors all played a part. But they were accused by the former Kids Company trustees of hiding behind parliamentary privilege to present an "inaccurate, unbalanced and irresponsible" account that accused them of ignoring repeated warnings of financial peril and concerns about the behaviour of staff. They said the publication of the report only days after a Scotland Yard investigation into reports of physical and sexual abuse linked to Kids Company was dropped for lack of evidence highlighted "the committee members' naivety in believing the claims of a few detractors". Among wide-ranging changes backed by the MPs is statutory regulation of charities with safeguarding responsibilities for children or vulnerable adults by an independent watchdog such as Ofsted or the Care Quality Commission. The report also calls for much stricter controls on "unorthodox" payments to favoured causes by ministers, including a ban on handing cash to charities under investigation and removing responsibility from the Cabinet Office. And it demanded the Charity Commission do more to encourage people to report suspicions about mismanagement and be given extra resources and powers to launch earlier investigations into good causes. The charity received more than 42 million of Whitehall funding between 1996 and 2015, thanks in some part to its charismatic founder Camila Batmanghelidjh winning "unique, privileged and significant access to senior ministers and prime minsters". That included 17 million in direct, non-competitive grants - some made in defiance of the objection of senior mandarins - which the committee said were "unjustifiable in future". Committee chairman Bernard Jenkin blamed a "catastrophic confluence of factors". "In the course of this inquiry the committee has heard what can only be described as an extraordinary catalogue of failures of governance and control at every level: trustees, auditors, inspectors, regulators and government," he said. "Proper mechanisms must be put in place to allow dispassionate, transparent, accountable decisions to be made about charity funding and regulation in the future." "There must be a radical change in our approach to charity regulation at every level." Cabinet Office minister Oliver Letwin - who was criticised by the committee for releasing 3 million in defiance of officials - stood by the decision to give the charity "one last chance" but said procedures were being reviewed. The committee said ministers approved a multi-million pound lifeline "on the basis of little more than their relationship with a charismatic leader, small-scale studies and anecdotes, and no more than two visits made by Mr Letwin more than 10 years previously". Mr Letwin said: "We will of course pay careful attention to this report and in light of what we now know about Kids Company we will be reviewing our grant-giving process." In a statement, the former trustees accused MPs of having "naively accepted allegations made in the media and by a small number of individuals, some with vested interests in damaging Kids Company" at the expense of the evidence of expert witnesses. "It is a regrettable feature of British democracy that the committee can use the curtain of parliamentary privilege to produce what is an irresponsible report, immune from the defamation claims that would inevitably follow without this privilege," they said. But Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said Kids Company had been "reckless" and welcomed calls for stronger controls. There are fears that creative subjects are being squeezed out as part of a Government drive over more traditional qualifications Music and drama could become the "preserve of the elite" as a result of a drive for teenagers to take traditional academic subjects at GCSE level, school leaders have warned. Under Government proposals, most pupils in England could be required to take subjects included in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) in the future. But the move could mean that creative subjects are squeezed out of the curriculum, according to the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), which said it would be a tragedy if schools were forced to axe these courses. Millions of pounds has been pumped into arts education and the numbers taking these subjects at GCSE is rising, the Department for Education (DfE) argued. The union said it had calculated that the EBacc, plus other curriculum requirements, would leave just 20% of a student's time for creative and technology courses, which could restrict the number of options they are able to take. There are concerns that this will lead to a decline in student numbers for these GCSEs, and make some unsustainable, ASCL said. Music and drama are particularly at risk because uptake for these courses is already lower than for many others, it added. Macolm Trobe, ASCL's interim general secretary said: "It would be a tragedy if an unintended consequence of EBacc is that it becomes impossible for schools to run music and drama courses. "The danger is that these subjects will then end up becoming the preserve of the elite, accessible only to those who can afford private tuition. "We agree with the Government that learning core academic subjects is crucial to the future of young people. We think that the EBacc needs to be more flexible to leave room for creative and technology subjects. "These subjects are important for young people and for the economy. Creative industries alone are worth nearly 80 billion a year to the UK and account for 1.7 million jobs." The Government has said that by 2020, it wants at least 90% of pupils in England to be taking seven GCSEs in EBacc subjects - including English, maths, two science subjects, history or geography and a language. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has previously argued that every child should study a "strong academic core" up to age 16 and that these subjects are the "foundations of a good education that will ultimately keep options open for young people's future". Arts subjects are compulsory part of the national curriculum up to age 14, the DfE said, adding that the numbers of teenagers taking an arts GCSE has risen from 45% in 2010 to 49% in 2015. Last year, 38.7% of pupils in state schools were entered for the EBacc, compared to 21.8% in 2010. A DfE spokeswoman said: "ASCL aren't just being disingenuous, they are ignoring the facts. All young people should study the core academic subjects that give them the skills to succeed but it is a myth to suggest this must come at the expense of the arts. "Last summer's results showed thousands more students taking GCSEs in arts or music subjects compared to the previous year and the percentage of pupils in state-funded schools with at least one arts GCSE has increased since the EBacc was introduced. "The arts are a key component of the broad and balanced education we expect all pupils to receive and this Government has invested millions in arts projects, including schemes to help talented musicians and dancers from all backgrounds attend world-class institutions like the Royal Ballet School." First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the original proposals and what has been tabled more recently 'would reduce the Scottish budget by potentially billions' Scotland stands to lose billions of pounds over the next few years under Treasury proposals for devolving new powers, the First Minister has warned. Nicola Sturgeon criticised the current offer from the UK Government on the financial arrangements accompanying the Scotland Bill in advance of crucial talks in London. The Bill, which arose from the recommendations of the post-referendum Smith Commission, will bring new powers over tax and welfare to Holyrood but the Scottish and UK governments have yet to agree on the fiscal framework underpinning it. An agreement would set out how Scotland's annual block grant from the Treasury will be adjusted to take account of the new tax powers. Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney is meeting Chief Secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands for another round of negotiations. Ahead of the talks, Ms Sturgeon highlighted support for the Scottish Government's position from Glasgow University principal Professor Anton Muscatelli. Writing in the Herald newspaper, Mr Muscatelli said Mr Swinney's preferred option, a mechanism known as per capita indexed deduction, "provides a fair deal for both Scotland and the rest of the UK". He said: " This method ensures that the simple transfer of the new tax powers would not in itself lead to an increase or cut in Scotland's budget. "This is of crucial importance, as it retains the Barnett formula as the principal determinant of public spending in Scotland, something that was central to the Smith recommendations." He warned that under an alternative method known as index deduction, Scotland could lose around 3.5 billion from its block grant in the first 10 years of the new powers. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, Ms Sturgeon said: "From what we've heard from the Treasury, both the original proposals and what has been tabled in the last few days would still reduce the Scottish budget by potentially billions of pounds over the next few years and wouldn't live up to the principle that was at the heart of the Smith report, which is no detriment. "That means that if over the next few years Scotland matches the economic performance of the UK, if we don't change tax rates, then we should be no better or worse off than if these powers had never been devolved." She added: "I want to stress two things here. I want to get a deal. I want to have new powers, it is no secret that I would rather have many more new powers, but I want to have these powers so that we can use them. So I want to get a deal and we'll be continuing to work very hard to achieve that. "Secondly, I'm not asking for any special favours here for Scotland. I'm simply asking for a fair deal and as First Minister I wouldn't be doing my job properly and I wouldn't be serving the people of Scotland well if I signed up to a deal that over the next few years would strip billions of pounds out of the Scottish budget regardless of the decisions the Scottish Government took. "If we were to sign up to a deal, the kind of deal that is currently on the table from the Treasury right now that would take billions of pounds out of the Scottish budget over the next few years, then we'd be making it much harder not just for this Scottish Government but for any future Scottish Government to exercise these powers in the interest of the people of Scotland." A UK Government spokesman said: "The UK Government is absolutely committed to implementing the Smith agreement if full. The powers being devolved to the Scottish Parliament will make it the most powerful devolved parliament in the world. "From the outset our position on the fiscal framework has been clear - we stand ready to do a deal that is fair for Scotland and fair for the rest of the UK." Sir Terry Wogan's friend Father Brian D'Arcy has spoken of their emotional "last shake hands" and goodbye. Father D'Arcy, a regular contributor to BBC Radio 2's Wake Up To Wogan for 20 years, knew Sir Terry for more than four decades and was also close to the broadcaster's wife Lady Helen and the couple's children. Sir Terry had spoken in recent years about not believing in God after the death of his three-week-old daughter Vanessa in 1966. Father D'Arcy told The Chris Evans Show: "He said, 'everything's going to be all right, old boy, and you'd better say a few prayers if you have any influence up there, if there's anyone up there'. You know how he used to go on with this atheism." The Co Fermanagh priest said he noticed a change in Sir Terry after Christmas. "I went over last Thursday and I am never as glad that I did, I just dropped everything and went over as he had often done for me over the years," he said. "I wasn't sure if it was goodbye, but as soon as I saw Terry I knew it was the last time I was going to see him, and the shake hands was the last shake hands I'd ever have with him." His voice cracked as he added: "It was a beautiful day, a day I'll never forget, a sad day, because it was the end of a beautiful friendship." He told Evans he had first worried when illness forced Sir Terry to pull out of hosting Children In Need last year. The 77-year-old had been the face of the telethon since 1980. David Cameron also paid tribute to Sir Terry, hailing him as "a wonderful human being" on Jeremy Vine's BBC Radio 2 show. "To call someone a national treasure is sometimes a bit of a cliche, but with Terry Wogan that is absolutely what he was. I mean, someone my age very much just feels you grew up with this man," he said. "When I used to travel around in the car with my mum, she listened to him on the radio and she felt he was speaking directly to her, and I remember growing up watching Blankety Blank and then the Eurovision Song Contest, and he always made you smile, made you laugh." The Prime Minister added: "He has this fantastic sense of humour and then later, seeing what he did with Children In Need, and seeing that quite close up, just immensely impressive. So a great sense of humour, a wonderful human being but also a very passionate man." Leading figures in showbusiness and politics paid tribute to the much-loved star after his death from cancer. The veteran broadcaster, known for his velvety voice on radio and television, was one of the UK and Ireland's best known stars. Limerick-born Sir Terry was last on air on BBC Radio 2 just under three months ago, on Sunday November 8. His career spanned more than four decades and he was known for his work on his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, Children In Need and the Eurovision Song Contest. A Clarence House spokeswoman said the Duchess of Cornwall, who has described herself in the past as one of Terry's Old Geezers and Gals (TOG), was moved after learning about the death of the veteran broadcaster. She said: "The Duchess of Cornwall, an ardent TOG and admirer, was very sad to hear about the death of the great Terry Wogan." The claimant is yet to attend the National Lottery headquarters in person A ticketholder in Ireland has come forward to claim a 66 million euro (50 million) share of Friday's EuroMillions jackpot. The claimant has been in contact with the National Lottery in Ireland to say that they have the ticket, but still has to attend the headquarters in person to officially claim the prize. They have 90 days from the date of the draw in which to do so. A spokeswoman for the National Lottery in Dublin said: "They have been in contact with National Lottery HQ just to say 'we have got the winning ticket, we would like to come in and claim it'." The massive jackpot prize was shared between two winning tickets, with the other winner coming from France. The winning numbers were 01, 05, 23, 29, 32 and the lucky stars were 01 and 07. Six UK tickets matched five main numbers and one lucky star to each win 303,465.20. Last week Camelot warned that it would take action against anyone who tried to con it out of a massive 33 million jackpot following a Lotto draw on January 9. The lottery operator had been investigating hundreds of claims of lost, damaged or stolen tickets in Worcester before the punter who scooped the half-share came forward. The winner has chosen to remain anonymous. After Camelot announced the ticket had been bought in Worcester, hundreds of people came forward claiming to have a lost, damaged or stolen ticket with the six winning numbers, including grandmother Susanne Hinte, who said she put hers through the wash. Ms Hinte, 48, from Worcester, reportedly made contact with Camelot advisers, claiming her winning ticket no longer had a readable date or barcode. Married couple David and Carol Martin, both 54, from Hawick in the Scottish Borders, won the other half of the massive payout from the January 9 draw. Concerns have been raised about the lack of diversity at the UK's elite universities University chiefs are meeting with ministers to discuss ways to secure more places for black students amid disagreement over David Cameron's vow to introduce new laws to "shame" them into ending race inequality. Elite institutions, who strongly defended their record from attack by the Prime Minister and pointed the finger at poor schooling, have been summoned to talks with Business Secretary Sajid Javid. At the weekend, Mr Cameron warned educational institutions, the police, the military and the courts they were all the focus of a new effort to tackle social inequality, suggesting it might be fuelled by "ingrained, institutional and insidious" racism. The PM said the absence of any black generals, the fact that just 4% of FTSE 100 chief executives were from ethnic minorities and that young black men were more likely to be in prison than at a top university "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 wrote in The Sunday Times, warning it would otherwise only "feed those who preach a message of grievance and victimhood". Universities have been summoned to a meeting with Mr Javid to discuss the plan to force them to publish detailed breakdowns of application success rates by race as well as course, gender and socio-economic background. He said it was "striking" that the 2,500-strong 2014 intake at his own university - Oxford - included only 27 black students and suggested it was "not doing enough to attract talent from across our country". But Oxford said it did "not see the need" for such legislation and insisted the effects of social inequality were "already pronounced before children begin formal schooling" and could not be addressed by higher education alone. "Any serious solution to the problem of unequal educational progression must take into account the unequal distribution of high attainment across schools, socio-economic groups, even geography," a spokesman said. He said 367 undergraduates from ethnic minority backgrounds were accepted in 2015, 15% more than in 2010 - 64 of those being black students, up from 39 five years ago. "We are constantly working to update what information we provide and although we do not see the need for further legislation, we would welcome discussions on what more information we could publish," the spokesman said. Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of elite universities, said universities invested a "huge amount of time, effort and resources" into broadening the student mix but needed more help from others. "There are still far too many children from disadvantaged backgrounds underachieving at school and receiving poor advice and guidance. "It will take time, commitment, and sustained action from a range of agencies to raise pupils' aspirations, increase attainment and improve the advice and guidance offered." Labour MP David Lammy has also been recruited by Number 10 to carry out a major review into discrimination in the criminal justice system, including why black offenders are more likely to be jailed for the same offences as their white criminal counterpart. The university access watchdog said only universities with a commitment to "focus more sharply" on successful equalities work would be granted permission to charge higher fees. Les Ebdon, the director of Fair Access To Higher Education who approves "access agreements", said he would "challenge them to match the Prime Minister's ambition". "He is right to highlight the wide gaps - both in access and outcomes - between students of different ethnic backgrounds" despite the sustained progress of the last decade, Professor Ebdon said. "Under the access agreements they must agree with me if they want to charge higher tuition fees, universities and colleges plan to invest 750 million annually by 2019-20 on activities and financial support to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds to access higher education and succeed in their studies. "The Prime Minister has set out ambitious goals on fair access and it's important that universities and colleges have the tools, support and challenge to make further and faster progress. "I will shortly be publishing guidance for institutions who wish to have an access agreement in 2017-18. This guidance will make clear that universities must focus more sharply on the outcomes of their fair access work. I will challenge them to match the Prime Minister's ambition so that anyone with the ability to succeed in higher education has the opportunity to do so, whatever their background." Pride And Prejudice And Zombies took to the blood red carpet at London's Leicester Square for its European premiere. Actress Lily James, 26, plays heroine Elizabeth Bennet in the mash-up movie of corpses and corsets in the horror/romance spoof of the Jane Austen classic novel Pride And Prejudice. Boyfriend and former Doctor Who star Matt Smith, 33, is also among the cast. The film is based on the 2009 novel by Seth Grahame-Smith and transforms Austen's most famous heroine Bennet into a master of martial arts and weaponry. James, who appeared in BBC's War And Peace and ITV's Downton Abbey as Lady Rose, said: "I got to fight. I got to save the men. I got to be part of the Bennet sisters who are the coolest group of girls and I got to be an action hero. "We had such camaraderie on Downton as well because we were this family and we worked together for so long. This was really cool because we were all playing sisters and we were really tight. We also had to train. There was blood, sweat and tears and we fought together and that really bonded us in a strong way, I think." The "intensive" training for this film included pushing cars around car parks. The spoof sees as a plague falls upon 19th century England and Elizabeth unites with Mr Darcy to rid the country of the terrifying zombie menace. Smith said he would have quite liked to have "got in to a bit of zombie action" did not think it would fit in with character of the pompous cleric Mr Collins. Smith also said he like that fact that women were taking charge in this film. He said: "Isn't that quite nice though that it is the women who are the kick-arse ninjas? I think that is quite cool, a refreshing spin and quite sexy." Asked if it is was quite attractive to be going out with someone who can do all that he said "yeah." He also thinks that Jane Austen would approve of this new take on her writing. He said: "I think she would have really liked it because her work is being retold. Isn't it a testament to her and her work that it can survive a zombie apocalypse and that people are returning to it and trying to retell it and that her Bennet sisters are still a bunch of kick-arse ninjas?" Charles Dance, 69, whose earliest global success was in playing the leading part of Guy Perron in the television miniseries The Jewel In The Crown in 1984 - before many of his co-stars was born, said it was fun working with a young cast who were "a bunch of extremely talented and mostly very beautiful people." Dance, who plays the patriarch Mr Bennet, had high praise for Smith's comic turn as the pompous cleric Mr Collins in the film. Smith had people laughing both on and off camera and "steals this film", according to Dance. He said: "I am not surprised because the few scenes I had with him it was very difficult to keep a straight face. He is very very funny. He is a very talented man. "I do not think that Jane Austen or her most ardent admirers would be offended by this (film). It is done with great affection." German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier accused Russia of using the case as propaganda A 13-year-old Russian-German teenager has confessed to making up claims that she was kidnapped and raped by migrants in Germany. The parents of the teenager, named only as Lisa F, reported her missing on 11 January after she failed to appear at school in Berlin. She reappeared 30 hours later telling her parents she had been attacked by men of Middle Eastern or north African appearance. The allegations triggered outrage in the country and a brief diplomatic dispute between Germany and Russia. Last week Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed in a news conference that the case had been "hushed up for a long time for some reason" and that the girl's disappearance was not voluntarily. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier accused Russia of using the case as "propaganda". Now prosecutors in Berlin have announced that they believe the rape allegations were fabricated. Analysis of mobile phone records showed the teenager spent the night with a friend, who is not being treated as a suspect. "Using data from her broken mobile phone, we were able to access information about a young German man aged 19 an acquaintance of the 13-year-old girl," spokesman Martin Steltner told AFP on Friday. "The young girl wanted to hide at his house because she was having problems in school." The teenager's mother reportedly told Der Spiegel on Sunday that her daughter was receiving treatment for mental health problems and doing very badly. Burma's parliament has begun a new and historic session dominated by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, which will install the country's first democratically-elected government in more than 50 years. The National League for Democracy won a landslide in the November 8 elections, winning 80% of the seats in the two houses of parliament to defeat the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. Legislators from the two parties and from smaller ethnic minority parties as well as nominated military representatives filed into the cavernous parliament in the capital Naypyitaw for the session in which the members took a joint oath of office. The session marks a historic turnaround for the NLD, which for years was suppressed by the military, which had ruled the country directly or indirectly after seizing power in 1962. NLD leaders including Oxford-educated Ms Suu Kyi, 70, and other critics were jailed, and overt political activity was crushed. The south-east Asian nation started moving away from dictatorship towards democracy in 2011, when the military rulers agreed to hand over power to a nominally civilian government headed by President Thein Sein, a general-turned reformist. He will stand down in late March or early April when an NLD president takes over. Ms Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from taking the presidency and has vowed to rule from behind the scenes through a proxy. She has not announced who her party will nominate for president. "We don't know exactly when the presidential election will happen. We cannot tell you anything about who will be nominated as the presidential candidates as well," said Zayar Thaw, an NLD politician. Despite its landslide victory, the NLD will in practice have to share power with the military, for which the constitution reserves 25% of the seats in parliament. Ms Suu Kyi has met senior military leaders to try to ensure a smooth change of government and they have vowed not to interfere. Thein Sein's military-backed USDP won a 2010 election in which the NLD refused to participate, protesting that it was held under unfair conditions. After several changes in the election law, the NLD contested several dozen by-elections in 2012, winning virtually all of them. The military called an election in 1990, which Ms Suu Kyi's party won handsomely, only to see the results annulled by the military and many of its leading members harassed and jailed. Ms Suu Kyi was put under house arrest prior to the 1990 election and spent 15 of the next 22 years mostly confined to her lakeside villa in Rangoon. She was under house arrest when she won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Establishing democracy is only one hurdle the country, also known as Myanmar, faces. The new government will also have to contend with various ethnic rebellions in several parts of the country. The military-backed government signed a peace pact with more than dozen smaller ethnic armies before the elections but major groups have stayed away, and fighting continues in many states. Most are fighting for autonomy and rights over their resource-rich land. "I hope this will be a good opportunity for us to speak out for the ethnic people and demand indigenous rights," said Lama Naw Aung, a lower house member from the Kachin State Democracy Party, representing the Kachin minority engaged in ongoing battles with the army in the east of the country. "I think there will be a change because Aung San Suu Kyi might want to finish the work for the ethnics that her father didn't get a chance to do," he said, referring to Burma's independence hero Aung San who united various national groups. He and six of his colleagues were assassinated in July 1947, six months before Burma's independence. Cuba is launching its first broadband home internet service in two Havana neighbourhoods as a pilot project aimed at bringing home access to one of the world's least-connected nations. State telecommunications company ETESCA said it would allow Cubans in Old Havana, the colonial centre that is one of the communist island's main tourist attractions, through fibre optic connections operated with Chinese telecom firm Huawei. Odalys Rodriguez del Toro, Etesca's director for Havana, said the government would also begin allowing cafes, bars and restaurants to begin ordering broadband service. She offered no timeline for the pilot project or roll-out of broader access and said prices would be announced in the future. Still, fibre-optic home connections would be an important milestone in Cuba, where broadband home service is currently legal only for diplomats and employees of foreign companies who pay hundreds of dollars a month for connections for internet connections that are a fraction of the average speed in other countries. Some Cubans have dial-up home service or restricted mobile phone connections that allow access only to state-run email. General public access to broadband internet began only last year, with the opening of dozens of public wi-fi spots that cost two dollars (1.40) an hour - about a tenth of the average monthly salary in Cuba. Ms Del Toro said Etesca would open 30 more wi-fi spots in Havana alone this year, which by itself would double the number of access points in Cuba. She did not say how many more were planned for other cities. The United States has been pushing Cuba to show that it is improving conditions for its citizens as President Barack Obama loosens the half-century old US trade embargo on the island through a series of executive actions. Mr Obama hopes to travel to Cuba this year to celebrate his re-establishment of diplomatic relations, but has said he would visit only if he believed his presence would help improve the lives of ordinary Cubans by moving the island towards greater freedom. US Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler traveled to Havana this month to meet Cuban officials about increasing Cuba's connections to the internet. Last week the FCC gave US companies blanket permission to provide voice and data connections to Cuba, doing away with the requirement for special commission permission. An excavator knocks down buildings including a makeshift mosque and Evangelical Church, in the so-called "Jungle" migrant cap in Calais, on February 1, 2016. / AFP / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images The Priest of an Evangelist church tries to prevent the demolition a makeshift structure used as his church in the so-called "Jungle" migrant cap in Calais, on February 1, 2016. / AFP / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images Officers of the French CRS anti-riot police force stand guard during demolition operations of makeshift structures including an abandonned structure used as a mosque and an Evangelist Church in the so-called "Jungle" migrant camp in Calais, on February 1, 2016. / AFP / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images The Priest of an Evangelist church tries to prevent the demolition a makeshift structure used as his church in the so-called "Jungle" migrant cap in Calais, on February 1, 2016. / AFP / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images TOPSHOT - Officers of the French CRS anti-riot police force stand guard during demolition operations of makeshift structures including a structure used as a mosque and an Evangelist Church in the so-called "Jungle" migrant camp in Calais, on February 1, 2016. / AFP / PHILIPPE HUGUENPHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In this frame grab from APTN taken on Monday Feb. 1, 2016, a policeman stands guard as a mechanical digger destroys a makeshift church at a migrant camp in Calais, France. A regional official said the operation Monday was the culmination of a two-week effort to clear a 100-meter security zone around the perimeter of the camp. The official said authorities the migrants and charity groups helping them were informed Jan. 19 of the pending demolition, and that no one was hurt in the operation. (AP Photo/APTN) In this frame grab from APTN taken on Monday Feb. 1, 2016, a policeman stands guard as a mechanical digger destroys a makeshift church at a migrant camp in Calais, France. (AP Photo/APTN) After allowing believers one last chance to pray, French authorities demolished a makeshift church and mosque on Monday as part of a security operation at a camp in Calais populated by thousands of migrants. Authorities are trying to re-establish order in the long-lawless camp, and Monday's operation was the culmination of a two-week effort to clear a 100-metre security zone around the perimeter of the camp, a regional official said. The migrants and charity groups helping them were informed on January 19 of the pending demolition, the official said, adding that no one was hurt in the operation. However, the pastor of the church said authorities had told him the church was "safe" from destruction. The Reverend Teferi Shuremo clashed with police holding riot shields as excavation machines crushed the simple structure, leaving an empty muddy field beneath. "They are trying to destroy peace," he told reporters, clinging to a huge wooden cross salvaged from the church. About 4,000 people from Syria, Sudan and other countries are estimated to be camped out in Calais as they try to reach Britain, some recently moving into new facilities but most still sleeping in what has been called Europe's biggest slum. The French government has come under fire for failing to provide basic care for the migrants, who have built their own shelters, schools, stores and places of worship. The regional official said the mosque had already been abandoned and no one protested its being razed. He said migrants are free to construct new places of worship. Mr Shuremo pledged to build another church. Asked where, he said: "I don't know. God will give me help." Before the mechanical shovels started their work, churchgoers held one last prayer, hand-in-hand, and worked with volunteer activists to clear the site. British volunteer Joshua Williams said activists have worked to protect some shelters from demolition, and salvage wiring and other useful material. "This is a church. This is a powerful symbol for these people," he said in televised remarks. The UN special envoy for Syria has announced the official start of peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition leaders. Staffan di Mistura spoke after hosting envoys from the main Syrian opposition group at the UN offices in Geneva. He had previously met a government delegation on Friday. Mr di Mistura laid out the positions of the opposition group. He said he planned to take up further talks in a new meeting with government representatives on Tuesday, and his first goal is to keep the talks going. The talks are aimed at ending a five-year conflict that has killed 250,000 people and displaced millions, leaving vast areas of the country in ruins. They have been slow in starting, largely because of disputes over which opposition groups can take part and opposition demands that the government allow aid into besieged rebel-held areas and halt its bombardments of civilians before the talks start. "We have come to Geneva to seek relief for our people by insisting UN Security Council resolution 2254 is implemented, which means humanitarian relief, the lifting of sieges, and the end of attacks on civilians," opposition spokesman Salem al-Mislet said in a statement. The talks are part of a process outlined in last month's UN resolution that envisions an 18-month timetable for a political transition, including the drafting of a new constitution and elections. In Jordan, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: "We expect both sides to participate in these talks in Geneva in good faith, and finally to provide the peace that the Syrian people deserve." Mr Hammond, who said Britain backs the moderate opposition, called for "complete and unfettered humanitarian access across Syria and an end to all violations of international humanitarian law, including the indiscriminate bombing of civilian populations". Benoit Violier at his restaurant Hotel de Ville in Crissier, Switzerland (AP) Top chef Benoit Violier, whose restaurant near Lausanne recently topped a list of the world's best, has been found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot, Swiss police have said. He was 44. A police statement said Violier was found dead in his home in the municipality of Crissier late on Sunday afternoon. An investigation has been launched to determine the exact circumstances of the death, police said. Violier's three-star Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier served dishes such as saddle of Pyrenean young lamb and crispy Landes duck foie gras. Last year it was ranked first on a French government-sponsored list of the world's top 1,000 restaurants. US presidential candidates vying for their party nominations are toning down attacks against their rivals opting instead for messages of reflection on the morning of the country's Iowa caucuses. Speaking to US broadcaster NBC, billionaire Donald Trump declined to predict the outcome of the caucuses, noting that fellow Republican Senator Ted Cruz is "a talented guy". And on ABC's Good Morning America, Mr Trump admitted: "You have to be a little bit nervous." Florida Senator Marco Rubio also praised the drive of rival Mr Cruz, who he has repeatedly clashed with on a range of issues, saying he "has a very strong ground game". Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton praised her campaign staff and said that rival Senator Bernie Sanders has run the campaign he wants to run, noting simply, "we have differences". Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin said she has no regrets having endorsed Mr Trump for president over Mr Cruz, who she endorsed during his run for a seat in the US Senate. Ms Palin said her support "added some momentum" to Mr Cruz's campaign and as the senator from Texas, he has gone on to fight for the American people. "I want to keep him in the Senate and I want Donald Trump to be our president," she said. Ms Palin also defended comments she made at one of Mr Trump's rallies when she blamed her son's behaviour on President Barack Obama for not doing more to help veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Ms Palin insisted that the US needs a new president who she says will not "kowtow, allow the enemy to be poking at us". United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon has described Israel's criticism of attacks on its settlements policy as unsustainable. The world body chief's opinion piece in the New York Times followed earlier comments that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said encouraged terrorism. In the article, entitled Don't Shoot The Messenger, Israel, Mr Ban reiterates many of his earlier comments, calling Israeli settlement activity "an affront to the Palestinian people" and adding that "it is human nature to resist occupation". He also calls for a freeze on settlement activity. "Criticism of the United Nations - or attacks against me - comes with the territory. But when heartfelt concerns about shortsighted or morally damaging policies emanate from so many sources, including Israel's closest friends, it cannot be sustainable to keep lashing out at every well-intentioned critic," he wrote. Mr Ban said he would always stand up for Israel's right to exist, but added: "The time has come for Israelis, Palestinians and the international community to read the writing on the wall: The status quo is untenable. Keeping another people under indefinite occupation undermines the security and the future of both Israelis and Palestinians." Mr Ban's criticism was sparked by Israel's recent approval of 150 new homes in settlements on the West Bank. The UN human rights chief has called on Turkey to investigate the alleged shooting of unarmed people in the country after footage of the incident emerged online. Zeid Raad al-Hussein also voiced concern over reports that the cameraman, Refik Tekin, faces arrest over possible charges of membership in the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, when he leaves a hospital where he is treated for gunshot wounds sustained in the shooting in the south-eastern town of Cizre. Turkish authorities have imposed curfews in Cizre and other towns and districts to flush out militants from urban areas in Turkey's mostly Kurdish south-east since the collapse in July of a peace process with the PKK. The Turkish Human Rights Foundation says at least 198 civilians, including 39 children, have died in combat areas under curfew since August. The video in question purportedly shows people wheeling a dead body on a handcart behind a man and a woman who are waving white flags, before they are apparently targeted by gunfire. Mr Tekin, who works for the pro-Kurdish IMC television, continues to film despite being hit and blood is seen streaming past his camera. The video does not show who fired the shots but earlier footage had shown a Turkish armoured military vehicle at a distance blocking the road. It was not known if anyone was killed in the shooting. In a statement released in Geneva, Mr Zeid said: "filming an atrocity is not a crime, but shooting unarmed civilians most certainly is. "The emergence of this video raises major question marks about what exactly has been going on in Cizre and other parts of south-eastern Turkey which the security forces have allegedly sealed off from the outside world," he said. The curfews bar independent observers from monitoring the conflicts zones, which has heightened concerns over human rights abuses, including the fate of some 20 people who were reportedly wounded during fighting in Cizre a week ago and were allegedly trapped inside a basement awaiting medical treatment. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and other authorities have said medical teams are unable to reach the building where the wounded are stranded due to attacks by militants, including sharp shooters. A pro-Kurdish party has suggested that it is attacks by the security forces that are preventing the medical teams' access to the wounded. It said it lost contact with the wounded on Saturday and three politicians from the party have embarked on a hunger strike to draw attention to their plight. There was no immediate Turkish reaction to Mr Zeid's statement, but deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus has said the security forces are taking care to "distinguish between the terror organisation and the civilians and to ensure that the battle is being waged within the rule of law." The government has vowed to keep up its operations until the militants, who are linked to the PKK, are rooted out from the urban areas. The PKK is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies. WHEN Arlene Foster took over as leader of the DUP and became First Minister, she spoke with optimism and hope for better days ahead for Northern Ireland, with the Fresh Start agreement as the process to achieve this objective. The New Year has only just started and, rather than a Fresh Start for Northern Ireland and its people, we are still haunted and scarred by events of the past. January 5 saw the 40th anniversary of the Kingsmills massacre in 1976, when 10 Protestants were murdered by the IRA. A memorial service was held last weekend, but the victims are no nearer to getting the truth - let alone convictions, or justice, for their loved ones callously murdered that night. On January 17, the relatives of the victims of the Teebane massacre in 1992 met again for a memorial service on the Cookstown-Omagh Road to remember their eight loved ones murdered by an IRA roadside bomb. Again, there have been no arrests, or convictions, and Jean Caldwell, whose husband was murdered in the atrocity, has blamed the politicians for failing them. On January 25, the Shankill Road bomb victims heard the horrific news that this attack could have been prevented as classified documents stolen in the 2001 Castlereagh break-in by the IRA and seen by media sources show that the IRA commander in Ardoyne at that time was an informer and he had informed his handlers of the plan to blow up Frizzell's fish shop in 1993, where nine innocent civilians were murdered. Why was this attack not prevented? Whose decision allowed this attack to take place? And whose "political agenda" would such an attack assist? When a sovereign government - be it at Westminster or Stormont - fails to either protect its citizens, or look after its victims of terrorism, then there can never be a Fresh Start or hope for a better future. WALTER MILLAR Traditional Unionist Voice Cookstown, Co Tyrone Country crooner Dominic Kirwan's wife sensationally welcomed her love rat hubby back to the family home this weekend. Petite blonde Louise is even planning a Caribbean cruise with the cheat just days after we exposed his affair with a sexy superfan. In an exclusive interview, mum-of-four Louise revealed she will NOT be divorcing the Ulster country legend. Louise told last week's Sunday Life how her trust in her husband of 27 years had been shattered and admitted she had consulted a solicitor after discovering he was having an affair. But speaking from the family's luxury home outside Omagh on Friday, Louise said: "I'm not going to divorce or anything like that. "Yes, there is a family holiday organised and yes, we will all be going on it. He's at the house today. I'm not suing for divorce." While the couple are fighting to save their troubled marriage, Louise admitted the future's not clear. When asked if they'd managed to patch things up, she said: "Well, we don't know what's happening at the minute." But she denied they'd separated, saying: "He's at the house today, put it like that." Last week Sunday Life exclusively revealed that housewives' favourite Kirwan (47) had set up a cosy love nest with blonde 32-year-old Helen Wall. His wife revealed she'd known about the affair for a month and was seeking legal advice. But on Friday night Louise was standing by her man by joining Dominic in Castleblayney his first concert in Ireland since news of his steamy affair broke. And instead of planning divorce proceedings, she's preparing to watch him take to the stage again when Dominic performs on the All Star Irish Caribbean Charter Cruise next month. While on board the luxury MS Westerdam, the couple will enjoy breathtaking views and five course dinners. The online brochure promises: "A gracious, white-gloved steward escorts you to your stateroom. "You are aboard a five star ship ... experiencing the joys of luxury cruising as a few have." The eight-day cruise around the Bahamas will seem like a million miles away from the thatched cottage in Southport where Dominic had a love nest with mother-of-one Helen Wall. When Sunday Life called at the cottage last weekend, we were told the loved-up couple were spending the weekend in Wales. And when we approached Helen's heartbroken husband, Jeff Wall, he accused the country star of stealing his wife. "I found out very quickly after we first split in March 2006 that she was seeing Dominic Kirwan. "We made a separation agreement when we split, but we were going to stay married and I believed that we could have got back together again," the single dad said. "But because she was sleeping with Dominic Kirwan there was no chance. That led to our divorce in February of last year." Last night Helen Wall wasn't available to comment about the country star's plans to set sail with his forgiving wife. But in a love letter to the crooner, the stunning blonde once declared her undying love for him. The letter said: "I want to stay with you for always. Everything about you makes me smile. I think about you and I get butterflies. I have never got so close to someone so quickly and allowed it to happen so easily ... I love being close to you ... You have reminded me of so many feelings I had forgotten." When contacted by Sunday Life yesterday Jeff Wall said: "Its taken me two years to get over the upset and pain of our divorce. "When I found out about the letter I was totally gobsmacked. It hurt so much. "The very person that I used to pay for her to go and see. I really do feel for Louise and her children. They must be devastated like I was a few years ago." But this weekend loyal wife Louise claimed she was "fine" and that her hus band was "grand". gedgar@belfasttelegraph.co.uk The standard argument against transparency needs to be ridiculed for the nonsense it is. It always sounds exactly the same. Want to label GMO products? Want to label products made in Israeli illegal settlements in Palestine? Want to show people that their email inbox is raided and read on a daily basis by US spies and Google is doing nothing to prevent it, no matter what country they live in? Apparently, the above acts are political conspiracies, bias, a kind of activism, and terrorism. That is the argument always given against transparency, of any kind. It is the argument almost certain to be given by US Republican Party lawmakers against President Obamas possible dark money executive order (read this NYT article!). An order for large government contractors to reveal which parties and pressure groups they are donating campaign gifts to. Apparently, giving that information to the public is breaching the political rights of those corporations. Merely showing people what is really going on is likened by opponents of transparency to a type of advocacy. It isnt. Revealing the facts is revealing the facts. It is the most neutral, most balanced and purest act a person can do. For Obama to do something good for truth will earn him good President points in a lot of peoples book, and this is something he needs before he leaves office. Bravo, if you go through with this executive order, and even more so if you ignore the fools sitting in Congress who already contaminate the US political system with their corporate money. But what of the political rights of the public to know who is controlling their government, funding their officials to get into office? What about the rights of people to know the truth? All these phony arguments offered against transparency have done is reveal that power and excess have apologists. I would not be surprised if the apologists have received generous campaign gifts of their own, and this is why they find it so biased and unfair that their dirty dealings are going to be exposed. Dont buy into the despicable reasoning against transparency and truth. There is nothing affecting the the health and prosperity of the public that can be legitimately hidden from the public eye. The standard, oft-repeated cry that people trying to reveal the truth to the public are conspirators with a harmful agenda against some firm, nation or other is absurd, and must be rejected as a lie as soon as it is it is uttered. Vodafone is temporarily waiving its $5 per day roaming fee for customers visiting New Zealand. We've previously reported on Vodafone's $5 roaming option that allows customers to use their normal plan inclusions when overseas. The $5 charge is levied the first time the phone is used on a particular day, and after that the tariffs and inclusions are the same as in Australia. More than 50 countries are covered by this arrangement. Now, Vodafone is waiving the roaming fee for customers visiting New Zealand. This applies to Red and SIM Only plans, and (understandably) $5 roaming must be active on the account - it has been automatically activated for all new subscribers since March 2014. Newsletter Signup Get the latest business tech news, reviews and guides delivered to your inbox. SIGN UP I have read and accept the privacy policy and terms and conditions and by submitting my email address I agree to receive the Business IT newsletter and receive special offers on behalf of Business IT, nextmedia and its valued partners. We will not share your details with third parties. The bad news is that it is only a limited-time offer, expiring on 1 December 2016. "Australia and New Zealand have a wonderful cooperative relationship. As allies, we have many ties across business, industry and government, as well as on the sporting field," said Vodafone Chief Marketing Officer Loo Fun Chee. "Today I am pleased to announce that Vodafone Australia is strengthening its ties to New Zealand by opening its 'network borders' to include New Zealand." Let's hope those words - and the fact that 1 December 2016 marks the end of the current $5 roaming offer - signal some prospect of that openness becoming a lasting one, and that free roaming might be extended to additional countries. Nigeria is popular for a lot of things and most recently, fashion is in the fore. People all over the world, including international celebrities like Chris Brown, Rihanna and Beyonce have been spotted wearing different Nigerian clothing - both traditional and contemporary. Several fashion shows have been held in New York, London, Paris and Milan featuring pieces with Nigerian influences on them. Considering the consequent surge in the rate of online searches for 'Nigerian Fashion' and the demand for luxury pieces by visitors to the country, Jovago.com, Africa's No.1 online hotel booking website gives reasons why this country's fashion is highly sought after. High exposure on the social media It is no secret that social media connects the people from all over the world and allows them share information with ease and speed. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest has been fundamental to selling Nigerian fashion to the world at large and enforcing a love for their style. Nigerian designers have handles on these different platforms where they promote their designs and the followers who repost and share spread them far and wide across countries and continents. The favourable comments and recommendations serve also to lure most foreigners on board, subsequently boosting this global awareness. Creative variety Nigerian fashion pieces are no longer restricted to local or cultural pieces. The designs offered by Nigerian designers have improved over the years in terms of standard and their designs evolved. Not only is Nigerian fashion becoming more contemporary, a plethora of pieces feature influences from foreign cultures, adapting foreign styles and merging local design with international ones. This has spurred interest worldwide so that even those who previously did not really have interest, due to not seeing anything they liked, now have abundant choices that they can relate with. Support from Nigerians in Diaspora From hosting fashion themed parties to incorporating them in their street style, Nigerians in the diaspora have served as key propagators of fashion abroad. The increased interest shown by foreigners over the last few years, have been spurred by their exposure to these brands in foreign lands. You now find Nigerian pieces being stocked and sold in departmental stores and online shops in the UK, USA and other parts of Europe. Online stores like Etsy and Net-a-porter now also stock these local pieces. In today's social media world, you cannot do without pictures. This is because images add beauty to the layout of your webpage and can attract friends and followers. It is, therefore, essential to upload the correct picture sizes for your different accounts. As a matter of fact, using overlapping images does not make you appear professional. Each of these sites - Facebook, Twitter and Google+ have specific image sizes. If you are having problems with getting the correct image size for your social media platforms, Jovago.com, Africa's No 1 hotel booking portal outlines some tools that can help you properly crop, edit and upload pictures for social media use. Ap Social Media Image Maker This is an exciting tool that cuts across all social media platforms. It can create fitting images for Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter. Just scroll down and select the social media account you want. It is free and also one of the best image resizing tools for social media. Social Image Resizer tool There are specific sizes of images for Facebook cover page and Twitter profiles. To get this predefined sizes, use the social image resizer tool. With this application, you can edit, resize and upload perfectly sized pictures. Timeline cover banner This is a Facebook tool for creating amazing cover banners. It helps you edit and enhances your pictures and ensures that it uniquely complements your profile. Header cover If you want an awesome header for your Twitter account, then the Header Cover tool is highly recommended. It allows you select a cover from a collection of themes. In the same way, if you decide to upload your picture, the result will be similar like when you use any of the themes. Thameleon This is the best available tool for resizing your profile and background twitter pictures because it is supported by Twitter. This gives you access to an unlimited number of themes which you can choose from for your header image. In order, to have unhindered access to Thameleon, you need to sign in with your Twitter account. Easy cover maker The Easy cover maker has limited functions but a few unique features that are simple and easy to use. Users can upload photos, tweak its size, and update the photos simultaneously. This is not possible with other tools. Easy cover maker is a Facebook tool. Traditionally February is dedicated to all things design on Biz, thanks to the wealth of inspiration we derive from our longstanding partnership with Design Indaba festival. Image courtesy of Louis Minnaar interviewed today by Ruth Cooper This year we're rolling out the design theme, with a multi-industry Design Month feature on how design is influencing 18 sectors locally and globally. Expect interviews with leading design influencers, African design players, fashion, jewellery, hospitality, interior and service design in retail and how design is a growth area in sectors such as tourism, logistics, automotive, shipping, agriculture, medical and more, so keep an eye on all Biz industry portals. Warren Harding will devote a full episode of BizTakeouts to design. Visit the Design Indaba Special section on Biz to get in the design headspace with DI's MBOISA. To contribute design thought leadership in your sector contact moc.ytinummoczib@rotide, or to claim a high-value presence for Press Office branded content or promotions contact moc.ytinummoczib@selas. Brands and sense Don't miss a moment of Brand Manager Month in March when we'll be showcasing selected brand managers, brand strategy, channels, creativity and content, across all 20 of our industry sectors as well as full coverage and analysis of the Bookmark Awards as part of our longstanding partnership with SA's top digital marketing awards event. Design your marketing plan The full Biz Content Highlight Calendar 2016 has been designed to attract more eyes than ever to your content on Biz and to help you plan. You may want to consider focusing your Press Office contributions or client sponsorship around these high value content themes. View the full calendar. In case you've missed it, January has been a spectacular Trend Month on Biz, with over 40 multi-industry influencers contributing to the BizTrends2016 Report. Watch out for the collated PDF Report. Don't forget to join the conversation by using #DesignMonth when you tweet us! Burundi police said Friday they had arrested two respected foreign journalists working in the capital, as they reported on gunmen opposed to the government in the troubled central African country. French journalist Jean-Philippe Remy, Africa bureau chief for French daily Le Monde, and British photojournalist Phil Moore, were arrested on Thursday afternoon. Both have covered the region for years and have won several awards for their reporting and photography. "The two foreigners were arrested in the company of armed criminals," the security ministry said in a statement. Police said a mortar, a Kalashnikov rifle and pistols were also seized. Presidential press chief Willy Nyamitwe said he had been due to meet Remy on Thursday afternoon, confirming the two journalists were among 17 arrested by police. The Foreign Correspondents Association of East Africa (FCAEA) said it was, "extremely concerned about the arrests of our esteemed and dear colleagues, Phil Moore and Jean-Philippe Remy yesterday in Burundi". "We know them to be consummate professionals and are disturbed by news of their detention while they were doing their jobs in Bujumbura," the FCAEA said in a statement Friday morning. Burundi has been in crisis since April when President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a controversial third term, sparking street protests, a failed coup, regular killings and a nascent rebellion. The government has cracked down on the press, forcing independent media to shut down and driving some journalists into exile. Source: AFP The protest arose in response to the abduction of villagers from Mongwi and Hopang villages in Namkham Township by the TNLA troops on 27 November last year and not seen since. Nang Kham, a Hopang resident who also joined the protest said: They [the TNLA army] arrested my brother. I dont know where I can find him, I dont know whether he is still alive or if he is dead. A representative at the protest said there had been no information about the abducted villagers since their arrests. They accused the TNLA of being responsible for their detention. Loong Sai, a Mongwi Village resident who also joined the protest said: Please release all of the detainees. We ask that all the leaders understand our situation and release our people... Please do not harm any of them." On 6 December the TNLA Information Department published a statement declaring that they had not abducted civilians. They said they would not detain civilians because civilians support their cause. The arrests came during fighting between the TNLA and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S), the latter of which is one of the eight signatories to Burmas controversial Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). Clashes between the two groups are ongoing and have caused hundreds of villagers to flee their homes. By SAI AW / Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N) Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI It looks like you have reached this page in error ... The content you are looking for has either moved, or if you typed in the address there might have been a mistake. If you believe there has been a technical error please let us know. Most Popular Destinations Her own party and even some members of her own family don't like her but Liz Cheney, daughter of Darth Cheney, is running for office again. Liz Cheney is getting back into politics, kicking off a run for Wyoming's one U.S. House seat. [...] The 49-year-old lawyer, author and former State Department official filed paperwork for her candidacy Friday and is expected to make a formal announcement Monday that she will run for the seat being vacated by four-term Republican Rep. Cynthia Lummis. As you may recall, Cheney upset a lot of Republicans because she told Senator Mike Enzi (R) that she wouldn't run against him but did so anyway. Cheney also publicly fought with her lesbian sister over gay marriage. The Associated Press speculates that Cheney will base her 2016 campaign on the so-called "War on Coal" and her goal of reversing environmental regulations. I wonder what Republicans will run on when the coal industry is dead and buried. Screen Actors Guild Awards 2016: Fashion Highlights That You Might Have Missed Fashion Kaustubha The Hollywood stars were dressed in splendid ensembles at the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards 2016 on Saturday night in Los Angeles. Hollywood set the venue ablaze with a lot of skin show at this award night. The fashion was dominated by bling, sequin, solid colours, trains and lack of cloth. We thought Tina Fey looked the best but then we saw Kate Winslet and then Nicole Kidman, and we couldn't conclude so we left it on you guys to decide. Take a look at the gallery below and tell us which dress swoon your heart: Tina Fey In Prabal Gurung Tina Fey opted for a gorgeous red and she made a right choice. Rachel McAdams In Elie Saab Rachel looked phenomenon in a lace train dress by Elie Saab. Claire Dame In Beautiful Blue Claire rocked the show in Stella McCartney dress. Rooney Mara Super Hot In Black Rooney Mara wore a dress by Valentino. She looked lovely in her plunging neckline dress. Emilia Clarke In Pink Mother of Dragons looked chic in a pink ball gown. It was a piece by Dior. Nicole Kidman In Printed Pink Nicole picked a perfect colour for her eyes. She looked stunning in a straight gown for the night. Kate Winslet In Pretty Green Kate Winslet was gorgeous in her lovely fishcut gown. 9 Proved And Easy Scientific Tips To Get Pregnant With A Baby Boy Prenatal oi-Iram Zaz Do you know that it depends on the father when it comes to your baby's gender. Mother has both XX chromosomes and a father has XY. When the X chromosome from mother and Y chromosome from the father combine, it results in a baby boy. When X chromosome from the mother combines with the X chromosome from the sperm of the father it results in a baby girl. Therefore, mothers have the potential for both, as it depends on which chromosome of the male sperm combines with the female X chromosome of the egg. A research has shown that you can do something to get the desired sex of your baby. There are some best scientific tips to get pregnant with a baby boy. Y sperms on combination with the female egg result in the formation of a baby boy. These Y sperms are short lived but fast. On the contrary, X sperms when on combination with female egg result in the formation of a baby girl. These sperms survive for a longer duration in the uterus but are slow to reach the uterus. Here is how you can give birth to a baby boy or can make a male's Y chromosome meet your egg to get pregnant with a baby boy. Timed Intercourse In order to give birth to a baby boy or a baby girl, you have to time your intercourse. You need to know when you are ovulating. If you want a baby boy, try to have an intercourse on the same day that you ovulate, or as close as possible to the start of the ovulation process. Sperm X And Y It has been seen that Y sperms, which are responsible for a baby boy, are smaller faster and more fragile than X sperms that result in the formation of a baby girl. X sperms are fragile slower in movement and are larger, but can survive for a longer period of time in the uterus. Refrain From Sex You have to avoid intercourse 4-5 days before ovulation, so that your partner's sperm count can build up during those days. Why To Refrain From Sex? If you will have sex some days before your ovulation date; even if Y sperm gets released, it won't be able to survive till you ovulate. It is only the X chromosomes that can form a baby girl, which will survive for long in the uterus. When Both X And Y Sperms Are Released If both X and Y chromosomes are released at the time of ovulation then only Y chromosome, that is a chromosome for a baby boy, will succeed to meet the egg and form a baby boy. This is because sperms having Y chromosomes are faster than the X sperms. Cervical Mucous Also Favours If you want to give birth to a baby boy, try to have sex close to the ovulation date, as there is another factor that can support it. The cervical mucous, before ovulation, offers a suitable environment for the Y sperm to survive. It is alkaline in nature and best for Y sperm, as the Y sperms can get killed in the acidic conditions of the vagina. Having Orgasm A research has shown that if the female partner has an orgasm at the same time or just before the intercourse then you will have a baby boy. This is because the Y sperm will move up by the contractions and shrinking of the vagina and cervix, hence reaching the uterus faster. Position Of Sex There are many positions that claim to give a XY combination, that is a male child, and one such position is the position that allows deep penetration. Deep penetration will reduce the travel time of the sperm and thus the sperm will be directly introduced at the opening of the uterus, which has an alkaline environment and where the chances of the Y sperm to fertilise with the egg are far more. For A Baby Girl If you want a baby girl, try to make love some days before ovulation, so that there is a possibility that only X sperms released will fertilise with the egg, as they can survive in the uterus till the lady ovulates. GET THE BEST BOLDSKY STORIES! Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 1, 2016, 17:03 [IST] WASHINGTON The House can meet a March 31 deadline to have a responsible legislative package to help Puerto Rico, even as it is negotiating with creditors on a new bond exchange proposal, House Natural Resources Committee chair Rob Bishop, R-Utah, said on Monday. Bishop made his remarks in a press call ahead of a hearing on Puerto Rico to be held Tuesday by the House Natural Resources Committee's Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs. The hearing will address the need for a federal oversight board in Puerto Rico and examine possible workable solutions to help the commonwealth's struggles with its nearly $70 billion of debt. The March 31 deadline was set by House Speaker Paul Ryan in late December when he instructed House committees with jurisdiction over Puerto Rico to have a legislative solution by then. "Yeah, we can get it done, especially if people don't take off and try to make it into some partisan endeavor," Bishop said. "We want to make this as open as we possibly can. As long as everyone keeps in those parameters and plays that game, yes we can meet those deadlines." He added that the committee is keeping Puerto Rico's representative in Congress, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, informed of all steps it is taking and that Pierluisi will "be a key player in whatever we are going to do." Bishop also said the committee is working with the Treasury Department, which released its own proposal for Puerto Rico in October of last year that called for, among other things, Chapter 9 bankruptcy coupled with a federal oversight board. While Bishop said there are a number of ways people have proposed to address the situation, including some he said are "nothing more than buzzwords and political posturing," he distilled the possible solutions down to three: bankruptcy, establishing an advisory board group, and establishing a strong control authority board. The solution Congress eventually works toward should take into account both short-term problems like the looming debt service payments, as well as long term issues like promoting economic growth, he said. "There are people who are pushing for an advisory [board], controlling [board], and straight bankruptcy," Bishop said. "I think what [committee members] are trying to do is come up with something that will be a good outcome, trying to be as objective as possible." The panel's witnesses on Tuesday should provide a better foundation for a legislative solution, he said. Bishop's comments come as Puerto Rico's government has announced a bond exchange proposal that would reduce its debt burden by 46% to $26.5 billion from $49.2 billion. The two bonds the commonwealth is asking the creditors to exchange their current bonds for are a "Base Bond" with a fixed rate of interest and amortization schedule, and a "Growth Bond" that is payable only if the commonwealth's revenues exceed certain levels, according to the government's release. The bonds also come with more secure backing like statutory liens and pledges on certain commonwealth revenues like income tax receipts. Interest payments on the Base Bonds would start in January 2018 and scale up to 5% per year by fiscal year 2021, when principal payments would start. The Growth Bonds would only be payable when the commonwealth exceeds its baseline projections as a result of real economic growth on the island, the release said. The first payments, if they can be made, would begin in the tenth year after the close of the exchange offer and in any given year when the Growth Bond would be payable, creditors would receive payment up to 25% of such revenues. The proposal is an attempt to lower Puerto Rico's debt service-to-revenue ratio on tax-supported debt to about 15% from the current 36%. If Puerto Rico's economy grows similarly to what is expected from the United States overall, investors will be able to recover the full principal amount of their investments through payments on the growth bonds, the commonwealth said. "This proposal is a reflection of our commitment to work with our creditors on a sustainable solution that does not place the burden on one stakeholder group along," said Puerto Rico secretary of state Victor Suarez. However, the plan requires "very high participation levels" from creditor groups along with the federal government maintaining at least its current percentage levels of support for the commonwealth, the government said. If either condition is not met, the terms will need to be adjusted. Bishop acknowledged the release of the proposal during the call, but said there is a "pattern of inaction with deadlines [that] is not particularly new to the island." "Time will tell how serious that effort really is," he added. Triet Nguyen, a managing director at NewOak Capital LLC, said the Puerto Rico proposal "is clearly only the first salvo in what will surely be a protracted legal battle." "First and foremost, [Puerto Rico] needs to convince creditors that the promised 'statutory lien' on the new bonds is superior to the constitutional protection of the [general obligation bonds] or the lockbox mechanism for COFINA [bonds]. Secondly, in our view, the 'Growth Bond' concept is only viable if there is a federal control board in place to make sure the financial disclosure is timely and accurate and that government spending is kept under control to generate enough 'excess revenues' to repay bondholders." Assured Guaranty issued a statement on the proposal. "It is extremely disappointing, but not unexpected based on recent behavior, that the Commonwealth did not seek any input from its creditors before releasing its initial restructuring proposal, which appears to ignore bondholder protections provided by its constitution including protections that have been acknowledged by various Puerto Rican governmental officials," the company said. "We continue to stress that constructive consensual solutions are achievable, which should be pursued in a meaningful process with all affected parties." Bill Fallon, chief executive officer of National Public Finance Guarantee Corp., said the proposal "fails to appropriately recognize the roles that the capital markets have played in Puerto Rico's development and will need to play in Puerto Rico's pursuit of economic stability and future growth." The witnesses for the hearing are: Anthony Williams, the former mayor of Washington D.C. and a senior advisor with Dentons US; Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network in Washington; Carlos Garcia, the former chairman and president of Puerto Rico Government Development Bank; Simon Johnson, a professor of global economics and management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Thomas Moers Mayer, a partner with Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel law firm in New York, according to a congressional aide. NEW DELHI (PTI): With Mangalyaan already an orbiter, putting a lander on Mars would be an interesting prospect and France is ready to work with India on it, says the chief of French Space Agency. In an interview, Jean-Yves Le Gall hopes that Indian and French flags could fly to Mars and Venus. Here are the excerpts of an interview: Q) What is the agreement that has been signed between India and France on the upcoming mission to Mars? A) It is related to exploring Mars. We know the ambitions of India to explore the Red Planet. We are very very impressed with what India is doing with Mangalyaan, which is currently orbiting Mars. In France, we have very skilled scientists for both Mars and Venus. Since there is already a project to explore Mars in India, we implemented an agreement to co-operate in the future on this project. Q) So can one say, India & France will jointly go to Mars whenever the next mission happens? A) On the next Indian mission to Mars, there will be a piece of French expertise. We are very proud of that since we have a long-standing co-operation with India in many different fields and now we are opening a new field with exploration of space. Q) So will France consider putting a lander on Mars along with India, since Mangalyaan is already an orbiter? A) It is clear that once you put a satellite in the orbit of Mars, the next step is a lander. It is not so easy, but since we are very skilled I am quite optimistic. Q) So France is looking for a lander, which is one-step ahead and a big jump for India? A) A lander on Mars would be very interesting, and we are ready to work on it. Q) What do you think of India's maiden mission to Mars, Mangalyaan? A) The mission is very impressive, it is a good example of 'Make in India' because total cost of Mangalyaan is US$ 60 million, which is lower than the cost of making the Hollywood blockbuster movie, Gravity. So it clearly shows that without big means but being very very smart you can perform very ambitious space missions, perhaps we can say at a low cost. Q) Is France also looking for co-operation with India to study planet Venus? A) With the global cost of space missions coming down, a mission to Venus can be considered at a much lower cost than a few years ago, so it is feasible. Hence, why not go to Venus. Q) France and India also inked an agreement to make a new thermal imaging satellite, what is this mission? A) This new satellite mission is really a follow up of the climate change meeting that took place recently in Paris and we decided to take it forward. We already have two joint satellites in space that are devoted to observation of climate, Megha-Tropiques that was launched in 2011 and SARAL-ALTIKA that was launched in 2013. Now we are going to develop a new satellite specifically devoted to the observation of climate change. Observing the earth's surface in thermal-infrared. This special band of wavelength will help monitor climate change. This will help understand what are the effects of climate change on vegetation. The three Indo-French joint earth observation satellites will help provide a better picture on how climate is changing. Q) At the Indo-French Summit more agreements were signed on space than other areas, what is the third agreement about? A) On India's upcoming OceanSAT satellite France will put an ARGOS payload, which will be devoted for search and rescue beacons using space as a platform. Q) Where is the Indo-French partnership headed? A) Both countries have great heritage of co-operating in space, both on rockets and satellites. French launchers launch Indian communications satellites and Indian rockets have launched French satellites. Today India is becoming the second biggest partner of France in space technologies, outside of Europe. Q) How do you rate and compare the Indian space agency with other space agencies of the world? A) I am always very impressed when I visit centres of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). What is most impressive is that people are fully dedicated; they have the same level of dedication as we had or America had in the early days of the space programme. In India there is the kind of enthusiasm and freshness, which is very very refreshing, which leaves a lot of room for optimism in the future. VISAKHAPATNAM (PTI): Preparations are in full swing for the International Fleet Review (IFR) to be held in Visakhapatnam from February 4 to 8. Security has been beefed up for the mega event which will see participation of top naval officials from across the globe, officials from Visakhapatnam district administration said. "54 countries have confirmed their participation. 24 warships from foreign countries and 24 foreign Naval chiefs, 90 foreign delegates will be attending IFR", Naval sources said on Saturday. President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will attend the event. District Collector Visakhapatnam N Yuvraj reviewed the arrangements at the beach road and at the galleries which have the capacity to accommodate 20,000 spectators. "Mukherjee would review the fleet on February 6. INS Sumitra, an indigenously built Naval offshore patrol vessel would be the Presidential Yacht and lead the President Column," Naval sources added. However, they said the events will commence on February 4 with Chandrababu Naidu laying a wreath at the War Memorial at Rama Krishna beach in Visakhapatnam in remembrance of the martyrs of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Naidu will also inaugurate the maritime exhibition, which will showcase various entrepreneurs in the maritime domain, they said. During the IFR, Modi is also scheduled to address the gathering and also release a book on the maritime heritage of India. On February 7, a two-day 'International Maritime Conference' would be inaugurated by Parrikar on the theme 'partnering together for a secure maritime future'. "On the same evening, there will be operational demonstration followed by 'International City Parade' which would include marching contingents and bands from the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Coast Guard," they added. IFR will conclude on February 8 with a joint international band concert at the Naval Officers Institute followed by a closing ceremony, they added. From security viewpoint, 15,000 police personnel will be deployed and use of drones have been banned, City Police Commissioner Amit Garg said. "All NGOs, organisations and individuals have been banned from using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones in the city from January 27 to February 9," he said. Police said personnel from National Security Guards, Special Protection Group (SPG) and other Paramilitary forces will also be deployed. US Navy's guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur. The warship had sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Zhongjian Dao (Triton Island), part of the Xisha Islands (Paracel Islands) -- an archipelago claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. BEIJING (PTI): China on Sunday hit out at US' "irresponsible" move to send a warship near a disputed island in the strategic South China Sea to challenge its sovereignty, warning that America's deliberate provocations would have "extremely dangerous consequences" to regional stability. The Chinese armed forces will take whatever measures necessary to safeguard China's sovereignty and security, no matter what provocations the US side may take, China's Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said. Yang's statement came hours after the USS Curtis Wilbur, a guided missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Zhongjian Dao (Triton Island), part of the Xisha Islands (Paracel Islands) -- an archipelago claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. "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," a US Defence Department spokesman Commander Bill Urban said in Washington on Saturday. But Yang described the US move as "very unprofessional and irresponsible" for the safety of the troops of both sides, and may cause "extremely dangerous consequences". He said the US act severely violated Chinese law, sabotaged the peace, security and good order of the waters, and undermined the region's peace and stability. The Chinese Defence Ministry is firmly against this, he said. The South China Sea is rich in natural resources. It is also a major shipping lane. Over half of the world's commercial shipping passes through the Indo-Pacific waterways. 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. In October, USS Lassen, a guided missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island China is building in the Spratly Islands. Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry also came out with a separate statement, calling on the US to respect and abide by China's laws, and not to undermine the mutual trust and regional peace and stability. "The US warship violated Chinese law and entered China's territorial sea without authorisation. The Chinese side conducted surveillance and vocal warnings to the US warship," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. Defence Ministry spokesman Yang claimed that China's law on the territorial sea and contiguous zone accords with the international law and practice. "The US side is fully aware of this, yet it still sent its warship into China's territorial sea without authorisation. It is a deliberate provocation," Yang said, adding that Chinese military "warned and expelled" the US warship from the South China Sea area "swiftly". Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/01/2016 (2455 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Soldiers wives not to be trusted while their men fight on the front! Young ladies vulnerable to the battalions of men housed in the city! Such were public perceptions following a request for a policewoman made to Brandon City Council in October 1915. It was a day that would be later dubbed the famous policewoman meeting. Public outrage was likely the furthest thing from Alex Frasers mind when he threw his support behind the petition to employ a policewoman. But the freshly minted police magistrate found himself embroiled in a controversy lasting until the new year. Image courtesy of the 26th Field/XIIth Manitoba Dragoons Museum The 45th Battalion Draft. Sergeants C.W. Tubbs and G.B. Gillespie and Privates S. Whittaker, B. Sproston, F. Stevens and G. Bamling of the Second 45th Battalion Draft wrote to the Sun in defence of the wives of men on active service. (The soldiers all survived the war.) While Manitoba was a mere four months away from granting women the right to vote, hiring a policewoman was not seen as a progressive move by Brandon citizens. Soldiers and their wives were insulted by the idea. Many editorials, articles and letters on the top appeared in the Brandon Daily Sun. The controversy began when Brandons Local Council of Women (LCW) gathered at the council meeting on Oct. 4, 1915. The LCW believed many young girls were in danger on the streets of Brandon and suggested a policewoman was required to advise, warn or even arrest them. To support their argument, Fraser presented the case of a woman who needed looking after. The woman in question was the alcoholic wife of a soldier. The soldier was about to leave for the front and he was concerned for his children as his wife often disappeared on drinking sprees. Fraser believed a policewoman could exert some influence in this case and in a number of others deserving such attention. Council passed the matter over to the Police Committee. And thus began Frasers woes. Editors at the Brandon Daily Sun reserved judgment. They wished to see statistics concerning court cases and other instances involving women. Meeting trains, advising lone female travellers or searching female prisoners were construed as appropriate tasks for a policewoman and were typical of the duties of female officers in other jurisdictions. Advising women who fell into bad company, however, was not. Before the Police Committee had even met, the newspaper reported two applications for the policewoman position had been submitted. The local Salvation Army offered its services in providing the personnel as well as the space for female probationers. It also suggested the policewomans annual salary be $1,500 (or $32,000 in todays dollars). The organization would later defend itself from accusations that it was behind the agitation to hire a policewoman from which they would directly benefit. Police Chief Esslemont was underwhelmed by the idea of a full-time policewoman for light duty. His statistics showed that 50 women had been arrested the previous year. He suggested female prisoners be searched by the wife of the city hall caretaker, since she was available. Home visits to individuals not conducting themselves with sufficient propriety were better suited to the church, unless a law was being broken. The LCW then expressed concern that soldiers barracked for the winter would increase the number of men in Brandon and, consequently, young women would require a greater need of protection. Three days after the initial petition, editors at the Sun took their stance. The good name of Brandon was being besmirched by worthy, albeit misguided, people. Shocking immorality did not prevail on the streets or in the homes of Brandon. Furthermore, significant efforts had been made to secure the quartering of more than 1,500 troops in the city. Citizens would be better occupied in providing the soldiers with clubs and leisure activities than in fixating on their vices. Concerns were voiced that the troops would not feel welcome in the community and perhaps even withdraw. Image source: George Bryces History of Manitoba Toronto: The Canadian History Co., 1906) Alexander Cumming Fraser came to Brandon in 1881. A prominent businessman and politician, he established the dry goods emporium A.C. Fraser and Company, which is now home to Fraser Sneath Coffee on Rosser Avenue. Fraser served as police magistrate from 1915 to 1934. The Sun went so far as to interview prominent lawyers and businessmen, the majority of whom did not see the need for a policewoman. The former police magistrate, W.H. Bates, called the employment of a policewoman a perfect farce. The Police Committee, which met on Oct. 15, 1915, deferred a decision, wishing first to see what other communities were doing. The city clerk was tasked with sending nearly 100 letters of inquiry regarding policewomen to communities with more than 5,000 inhabitants. Replies trickled in, with the opinion being policewomen were luxuries or ornaments. By November, word of the policewoman matter had reached Brandon soldiers serving overseas. Six members of the 45th Battalion Draft were harsh in their criticism of Fraser in a letter to the Sun. The men called the magistrate an office-holding robber of fair reputations and contended he was a narrow-minded man who threw clouds of suspicion over people under the guise of moral superiority. Likely feeling beleaguered, Fraser replied to the soldiers letter, complaining that he had been misquoted by the Sun. Editors, in turn, pithily commented that Fraser had quickly learned the difference between expressing opinions as a private citizen and as a public officeholder. By years end, council decided against appointing a policewoman. Although it was agreed a woman should be responsible for patting down female prisoners, a female police officer was deemed unnecessary. It was not until 64 years later that the Brandon Police Service hired its first female police constable, Carol Fisher. Hired in 1979, Fisher retired in 2012 after 33 years on the job. Suyoko Tsukamoto is a Brandonite who has spent three seasons in the archeology field at the Camp Hughes National Historic Site. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 01/02/2016 (2453 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. VANCOUVER Bitter opponents faced with the realities of economics and endless protests shook hands Monday on a truce 20 years in the making to protect much of British Columbias magnificent Great Bear Rainforest. The protections limiting logging and banning the commercial grizzly hunt were helped by the spiritual presence of the rare white bear that roams B.C.s central coast forests amid 1,000-year-old cedars. We kind of all grew up and understood we needed to work together to find solutions, Rick Jeffery, the president of the Coast Forest Products Association, said Monday after the agreement was released. One of the successes and magic about today is weve demonstrated to the world that collaboration and finding solutions can work. Daniel Cranmer, of the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation, from left to right, Andy Everson, of the K'moks First Nation, and B.C. Premier Christy Clark listen during an announcement regarding protecting British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest, at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday February 1, 2016. An agreement has been reached to protect 85 per cent of British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest from logging, ending a decades-long battle to safeguard the central coast rainforest. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Premier Christy Clark announced the deal between First Nations, environmental groups, forest companies and her government to protect 85 per cent of the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world from logging. The Great Bear Rainforest is located on B.C.s remote coast about 700 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. Its 6.4 million hectares and stretches from the Discovery Islands northwards to Alaska, and more than half is covered by ancient forests. The agreement ensures 3.1 million hectares of forest ecosystem are permanently off limits to logging. Environmental groups, First Nations and the forest industry admitted the hard-fought agreement was forged in conflict dating back to the 1990s, but painstaking negotiations where everybody knew there was no turning back sealed the deal. Other folks in other parts of the world in forestry and other natural resource sectors could do a lot to learn by what happened in this place, said Jeffery. ForestEthics Solutions Val Langer said the agreement emerged out of the realization one of us was going to die. B.C.s pulp mills and lumber companies were feeling pressure from buyers who didnt want to buy wood from protest zones and the environmentalists were told to find solutions that didnt involve constant battles, said Langer. The change between the environmentalists and forest companies happened when the marketplace threw down the challenge to us and said, We need you guys to work it out, she said. We just knew we couldnt maintain this and we couldnt be in conflict forever. Jeffery largely agreed, saying customers didnt want to sell products labelled as destroyers of the environment, despite industry attempts to explain their forest practices. They just said to us, We want the conflict gone, he said. Clarks government will introduce legislation this spring that enshrines the deal and includes benefit-sharing agreements with area First Nations. The plan also ends the commercial grizzly bear hunt and protects habitat for the marbled murrelet, northern goshawk, mountain goat and tailed frog. Langer said the Great Bear Rainforests white kermode bear, widely known as the spirit bear, became the galvanizing symbol of the areas other-worldly quality and the necessity for its protection. She said the eco-management deal to protect the area is complex and comprehensive but the spirit bear symbolizes its meaning and generational value. Its iconic, she said. What is simple is the understanding of what is at stake and the spirit bear is the icon of whats at stake. Twenty-six area First Nations signed the agreement. Nanwakolas Tribal Council president Dallas Smith said three B.C. premiers, 94 First Nations chiefs and 183 councillors were involved in Great Bear Rainforest talks over the past two decades. Its frustrating for us as First Nations people that it took the white spirit bear to draw the international attention that it did when my communities have been living in third-world conditions from the start, he said. But we have a choice. We can either get mad about that or we can be proactive and use the opportunity to bring some awareness to the issues that our communities face. By Dirk Meissner in Victoria and Geordon Omand in Vancouver. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 01/02/2016 (2453 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Our new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, made quite a splash recently in Davos, Switzerland, meeting with the global business and political elite at the World Economic Forum. The international development non-governmental agency Oxfam used this annual event as a backdrop to releasing its latest look at global poverty, announcing that the worlds 62 richest people now own as much wealth as the poorest 3.6 billion people on our planet (half its population). Not only is that quite an alarming figure, but when put on a timeline, the trend is definitely toward more wealth being concentrated in fewer hands every year. In 2010, 388 people controlled that amount of wealth and in 2015, 80 did and now it is 62. Oxfam acknowledged, in its study, that the number of people living in extreme poverty in our world has also declined, but argues that if the concentration of wealth in so few hands had been spread out, hundreds of millions more people could have exited extreme poverty, which means earning US$1.25 per day or less. The Oxfam report offers many more statistics than can be outlined here, but one example they use is the pay for U.S. CEOs. Since 1978, chief executive officers have seen their pay increase by approximately 1,000 per cent while the typical U.S. workers wage has increased by just 11 per cent. Since 2009, CEO pay has increased by about 54 per cent, while ordinary wages have remained stagnant. These global trends are mirrored by Canadian reality. There are five Canadians at the top of our society who have the same wealth as the bottom 30 per cent 11 million people! Meanwhile, the poorest 10 per cent of Canadians have had a wage increase on average over the past 25 years of only $2.30 per day. Oxfam cites tax havens as the tool most used by our elite to maximize their financial position. It estimates that $7.6 trillion sits offshore and tax-free. Collecting taxes on these funds would bring $190 billion into government programming. The new government has promised tax relief for the middle class and a tax hike on the rich, but Oxfam asks what about those in our country who are barely getting by? Says Oxfams Canadian director: For a prime minister who has championed womens equality, it should be a no-brainer to use the money otherwise lost in tax havens to provide more and better health care, education and child care, which benefits the poor and particularly women. Another issue that affects women and the poor is the wage gap, and Oxfam encourages our government to deal with the fact that Canadian women are still paid $8,000 less than men for the same job. Governments, they say, need to look at what a living wage would be in each province rather than having a minimum wage. That gap in some provinces may be as much as $4 per hour! There is also a growing wage gap between those able to get their high school diploma or post-secondary education and training and those who drop out. It is most often the poor who drop out, fuelling the multi-generational cycle of poverty. Being poor, lacking proper nutrition, not being able to afford community participation, lacking books, the young and poor end up in long-term menial labour, McJobs and short-term positions, never having enough money to save, using food banks more and more, and becoming economically disenfranchised. As one might expect, there has been an outcry of criticism about Oxfams study. While it is a snapshot of world economics, the report supports certain political ideologies and offends others. The response of one business editor, in an article in the New Yorker magazine, was that Oxfams critics may have a point that some of their research is flawed, but that the general point is still true the richer are getting richer and the poor, relatively speaking, are getting poorer. As well, says the New Yorker, this trend indicates that a small and getting smaller group of people have power over the rest of us concentrated in their hands. They are the ones who have the most goods, travel the most, have the best access to education and health care and so on, but they are also the people who can participate in the World Economic Forum and defend their position, and who can hire the best tax lawyers to maintain their position to the detriment of the rest of us. The other side of the coin to the World Economic Forum is the World Social Forum, a gathering of thousands of activists from around the globe. The next one is scheduled for Montreal next Aug. 9-14 in Montreal. One hopes that Justin Trudeau will be there to listen and learn, and continue to renew Canadas commitment to social development locally and globally. Zack Gross is a former executive director of Brandon-Westmans international development and educational organization, the Marquis Project. By Daniel McConnell, Political Editor Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan has told the Public Accounts Committee that she has ordered an investigation into allegations State employees may have acted in a criminal manner when placing vulnerable individuals with a foster family in the southeast. It is not clear is this investigation is separate to to ongoing criminal probes into the placing of disabled children in the foster home, where some of the most "savage" rape and abuse took place. Last week, the PAC referred the matter to the Commissioner's office, particularly about the alleged possible criminal misconduct by State employees citing evidence social workers had raised concerns inside the health service about placements in the home. Environment Minister Alan Kelly is the latest minister to say he would not rule out the possibility of a public inquiry being held into the abuse case. He described the case as "shocking" and said he was "very surprised" at the manner in which the case was being dealt with. The Irish Examiner first revealed the story of how the HSE first admitted liability for the failings in the care of a young woman, known as 'Grace', who spent 13 years in a foster home despite the facility being subject to serious sex abuse allegations. The HSE has been forced to admit that it failed to apologise directly to Grace, despite initially insisting it had done so. Yesterday, the HSE revealed that another young person remained in the foster care setting at the centre of these allegations after the removal of 'Grace' in 2009. This placement ceased in October 2013 following advice from the HSE that there were historical concerns relating to the care of children in the home. In a written response to the PAC sent last Friday, the Commissioners private secretary said the matter has been forwarded to the Deputy Commissioner with responsibility for Operations. PAC member and Fine Gael TD for Waterford John Deasy said it was necessary the people responsible for what allegedly happened in the foster home accounted for themselves. This morning, the chairperson of the Irish Association of Social Workers Donal O'Malley said he is not confident there are enough safeguards in place to prevent another case like that of 'Grace' happening again. A bakery in the North found to have discriminated against a gay man has been vandalised and critical letters sent to its owner. A judge at Belfast County Court ruled Ashers Baking Company acted unlawfully by declining an order from gay rights activist Gareth Lee last year. Objects were thrown at Ashers premises in Belfasts Royal Avenue, although they did not break the shop front glass. The attacks happened before the original court case was heard last spring. Bakery manager Daniel McArthur said: Outside of a few random acts of vandalism and several fairly meanly-worded letters, there has been no adverse effects on the business. Mr Lee, a member of the LGBT advocacy group Queer Space, wanted a cake featuring Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie with the slogan Support Gay Marriage. An appeal is due to be heard in Belfast on Wednesday. Mr McArthur and his wife Amy said the legal battle has strengthened their marriage and faith in God. Lawyers have agreed to test whether the judge was correct as a matter of law to hold that the bakery had discriminated against Mr Lee directly on grounds of sexual orientation, a lobby group supporting Ashers said. They will also challenge whether district judge Isobel Brownlie was correct as a matter of law to hold that Ashers discriminated against Mr Lee directly on grounds of religious belief or political opinion. The cake was ordered for a private function in Bangor, Co Down, to mark International Anti Homophobia Day last May. Mr Lee, who paid in full when placing the order at Ashers Belfast branch, said he was left feeling like a lesser person when he was told his request could not be fulfilled. The publicly-funded Northern Ireland Equality Commission, which has a statutory duty to monitor anti-discrimination laws, brought the legal action on his behalf. Ashers, owned by the McArthur family, employs almost 80 people across six branches and delivers throughout the UK and Ireland. The family said they opposed same-sex marriage on religious grounds and could not produce the cake with a message that was contrary to their deeply-held Christian beliefs. District judge Brownlie found the bakers discriminated against Mr Lee on grounds of his sexual orientation and his political beliefs. Ashers was ordered to pay agreed damages of 500. By Daniel McConnell and Elaine Loughlin Update 5.43pm: According to a statement from the Government Press Office, Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Joan Burton have met to discuss the proposal from Ministers Varadkar and Lynch in the Department of Health. Both Ministers will attend cabinet tomorrow to outline their proposals for the establishment of a Commission of Investigation. Earlier: The Government has moved to establish a Statutory Commission of Inquiry into the 'savage' rape and abuse of physically and intellectually disabled children in a foster home in the South East. Junior Health Minister Kathleen Lynch supported by Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, is recommending that the Government establish a statutory Commission of Investigation. The HSE has been on the back foot since the Irish Examiner revealed it had finally admitted liability in the standards of care of 'Grace', who languished in the foster home for 13 years after allegations were first raised. The Commission will draw on the work currently underway by Senior Counsel Conor Dignam into the allegations of abuse at the foster home. The work that is underway by Mr Conor Dignam SC will greatly inform the drafting of the terms of reference for a Commission of Investigation, said Minister Lynch. We need to be precise and focussed on the questions that remain unanswered. I strongly believe it is in the public interest that we establish the facts surrounding vulnerable people who were placed in this foster home, said Minister Lynch. Minister Lynch confirmed that additional resources have been approved in order to allow Mr Dignam expedite his ongoing review. It is now anticipated that this will be completed by the end of April 2016. Ministers Lynch and Varadkar are requesting copies of the Devine Report and the Resilience report from the HSE under section Section 40C of the Health Act 2004. Following a meeting with HSE bosses, Ms Lynch said major failings in care standards occurred. She said: It is clear that there have been failures in protecting vulnerable people in our care. For a number of reasons, it has been difficult to establish the facts with certainty. This has been acknowledged and I am confident that through the Commission of Investigation we can resolve this. While this is very much in the public interest, it is also in the interest of those vulnerable people who are directly affected and their families." By David Raleigh The Mayor of Limerick city and county has said he wants to see a lasting tribute erected in Limerick in memory of Terry Wogan. Plans for the permanent tribute are to be discussed at a special meeting of the council this coming Friday. Mayor Liam Galvin, Fine Gael, was first to sign a Book of Condolences this morning at City Hall, which was opened in memory of Mr Wogan, who was born in the Treaty City. "It's certainly something I won't rule out, and that will be for the council to decide. I think there should be a lasting tribute," mayor Galvin said. "The special meeting will decide on that." He added: "I intend to go to the funeral whether it's on in Limerick or London. People from Limerick need to be represented at the funeral both by (council) management and by myself." People began arriving at City Hall from 10am to sign the Book of Condolences, which will be sent to Mr Wogan's family. Jim McAllister, from Ballinacurra Weston was the first member of the public to sign the book. "I knew Terry Wogan a long long time. He was a very nice man," he explained. "I hadn't seen him in donkey's years, but I knew him when he was younger." Mr McAllister, aged 78, added: "I didn't hear it until this morning and I got a shock to be honest with you, because he was a wonderful person...He was very good." Mary Barrett, from Westbury, also signed the book. "I signed it because he is one of our own," she said. "I always had time for him, he was always a good character, and had a good personality. He did a lot for Limerick....He put Limerick on the map," she added. "He was a likeable person. We're proud of him," she said. Mayor Galvin said Wogan had a special place in the hearts of all Limerick people. "Terry Wogan meant a lot to the people of Limerick, and I can safely say that yesterday my mobile phone didn't stop raining with people asking me what were (the council) going to do to mark the death of Terry Wogan," he said. "Certainly he was a massive asset to the city." "He wanted Limerick, not alone to be the best city in Ireland, but to be the best city in Europe." "He always said, 'why speak negatively about a city like Limerick, when there is so many positives', and that is one thing we were very grateful for, the way he spoke up for Limerick." "Today, you can see people already coming and going singing the Book of Condolences, and it just shows the respect in which the man was held," the mayor added. Members of the public are also invited to sign Books of Condolences at Council Headquarters in Dooradoyle, or online at www.limerick.ie/council. Books of condolence will open in Limerick this morning in honour of Terry Wogan. The broadcasting legend passed away from cancer yesterday, at the age of 77. His career spanned five decades, most notably he became the voice of Eurovision for more than 30 years. Mayor of Limerick Liam Galvin says people in the county were immensely proud of Terry. Limerick Council will open the books of condolence online and at their offices in Dooradolye and at Merchant's Quay in the city. Books of Condolences for Terry Wogan will open tomorrow in our Dooradoyle & Merchant's Quay offices & online #RIPTerryWogan Limerick Council - Comhairle Luimnigh (@LimerickCouncil) January 31, 2016 He said: "He has been a wonderful ambassador for Limerick, while he spent the majority of his career and the majority of his time working with the BBC, he never forgot where he came from. "There is an old saying 'you can take the man out of the bog, but you can't take the bog out of the man', but certainly with Terry Wogan, you can take a man out of Limerick but you can't take Limerick out of a man. "That is all I can say about Terry Wogan." A statement said the Limerick-born broadcaster died surrounded by his family after a short but brave battle with cancer. Mayor Galvin told Sky News: These books of condolences afford Limerick people at home and abroad the opportunity to convey their sympathies to the family of the late Terry Wogan, a true son of Limerick and a broadcasting institution whose passing will be mourned by millions. A family statement issued by the BBC said: Sir Terry Wogan died today after a short but brave battle with cancer. He passed away surrounded by his family. While we understand he will be missed by many, the family ask that their privacy is respected at this time. Thirteen college students on a school picnic have drowned while swimming in the sea in western India. Senior police official Raja Pawar said the 10 female and three male students were swept away after they went into the water in Murud, a beach town about 95 miles south of Mumbai. The UN special envoy for Syria has announced the official start of peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition leaders. Staffan di Mistura spoke after hosting envoys from the main Syrian opposition group at the UN offices in Geneva. He had previously met a government delegation on Friday. Mr di Mistura laid out the positions of the opposition group. He said he planned to take up further talks in a new meeting with government representatives on Tuesday, and his first goal is to keep the talks going. The talks are aimed at ending a five-year conflict that has killed 250,000 people and displaced millions, leaving vast areas of the country in ruins. They have been slow in starting, largely because of disputes over which opposition groups can take part and opposition demands that the government allow aid into besieged rebel-held areas and halt its bombardments of civilians before the talks start. We have come to Geneva to seek relief for our people by insisting UN Security Council resolution 2254 is implemented, which means humanitarian relief, the lifting of sieges, and the end of attacks on civilians, opposition spokesman Salem al-Mislet said in a statement. The talks are part of a process outlined in last months UN resolution that envisions an 18-month timetable for a political transition, including the drafting of a new constitution and elections. In Jordan, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: We expect both sides to participate in these talks in Geneva in good faith, and finally to provide the peace that the Syrian people deserve. Mr Hammond, who said Britain backs the moderate opposition, called for complete and unfettered humanitarian access across Syria and an end to all violations of international humanitarian law, including the indiscriminate bombing of civilian populations. Don't Miss the Latest News Subscribing is the best way to get our best stories immediately. LAHORE: While there is no let up in the spread of dengue, the Punjab government has increased the number of beds for... LONDON: Liz Truss said on Thursday she would resign as British prime minister, brought down just six weeks into the... Whether it wins or not, the Oscar nominee with the greatest impact - saving the lives of perhaps thousands of girls - may be one you've never heard of. It stars not Leonardo DiCaprio but a real-life 19-year-old Pakistani woman named Saba Qaiser. Saba Qaiser in A Girl in the River. Credit:HBO Her odyssey began when she fell in love against her family's 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 "honour 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 family's good name. The commodities slump will push up Australian banks' bad debt costs from historic lows, even though the banks' lending to the resources sector is relatively small, credit ratings agency Moody's says. After meeting with a range of foreign investors in the local banks, Moody's analysts Ilya Serov and Patrick Winsbury say the "great majority" of investors it spoke to have concerns about how the local economy, and therefore the banks, will be affected by slowing in China, and lower commodity prices. Moody's expects banks' credit costs will increase "moderately" because of the commodities slump. Credit:Bloomberg They said another key concern overseas is the state of the housing market where the ratings agency expects softer growth after a crackdown on lending to property investors. In a note to clients, the analysts argue the value of resources sector loans at risk is relatively small, but banks' costs from soured loans will still rise "moderately" as softer commodity prices crimp economic growth. After being temporarily turfed from his offices on Melbourne's Collins Street just before Christmas, Pollster Gary Morgan, may have been hoping for better news from the gold miner which has soaked up the fortune he made from Roy Morgan Research. Haoma Mining's quarterly activities report, which was released Monday, certainly had some promise. Anti-CSG protestors present letters to the Sydney office of Santos' new chief executive, Kevin Gallagher. Credit:Edwina Pickles For the moment, let's overlook the $1.83 million before tax loss for the three months ending December 31, and the fact that it burnt through $521,000 of operating cash for the quarter, leaving it with $15,000 cash. Haoma said its first production run at Bamboo Creek Pilot Plant "has been successful". Russian oligarch Vladimir Iorich's investment house Pala Investments has had $116 million worth of Australian shares frozen at the request of the Australian Taxation Office's Project Wickenby team. Swiss-based Pala Investments, which in 2013 grabbed headlines in Australia after accusing former NSW premier Nick Greiner of bid-rigging while he was chairman of Bradken Resources, is in the sights of the ATO over a $34 million disputed tax bill. The Australian Taxation Office has successfully had more than $100 million in shares frozen. Credit:Louie Douvis The case, and the freezing of Pala's Australian shareholdings, marks one of the biggest actions against a single taxpayer from the ATO through its Project Wickenby taskforce. Pala's $107 million worth of shares in mid-tier gold miner Alacer Gold were frozen by the Federal Court, as was the group's 6 per cent holding in Perth-based uranium explorer Peninsula Energy, valued at more than $9 million. Gina Rinehart's Roy Hill mine is struggling to make a profit at current iron ore prices, according to one of Mrs Rinehart's partners in the project. Korean steelmaker POSCO has revealed that Roy Hill, which shipped its first product from Port Hedland in December, requires an iron ore price in the low-$US40-a-tonne range to be in the black. Gina Rinehart's Korean joint-venture partner has revealed the iron ore price needed for the company to break even. Credit:Joe Armao POSCO owns 12.5 per cent of Roy Hill, in partnership with China Steel Corporation, Japanese company Marubeni and Mrs Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting, which owns 70 per cent. The steel giant said Roy Hill's marginal cost of production would fall into the mid-$US30-a-tonne range once the mine was producing at full capacity, which is expected to happen in 2017. Who knows what persuaded Tony Abbott to stay in Parliament but a lot of people will surmise that he is positioning himself as a comeback leader under the banner of conservatism. If that is his plan, he is making a mistake. The Liberal party room is nothing like the Tea Party in the US and is much more focused on practical policy. If anything, a conservative badge would represent a message that in the future he would divide the Liberals, not bring them together. Former prime minister Tony Abbott would be best to keep his head down and improve his policy approach on the issues that count for the Australian people., Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Abbott is entitled to his views on social policy but he is not aligned with many public attitudes. Most Australians expect issues to be decided on their merits. A badge will only end up as trouble for him. The truth is that Abbott is no more a conservative than anyone else and at times barely a conservative at all. Outrage over political donations is once more marring the start of a federal parliamentary year. Voters are entitled to be appalled that the struggling business empire of Queensland millionaire and federal MP Clive Palmer donated almost $10 million to his Palmer United Party in 2014-15. The sum included nearly $6 million from Queensland Nickel, the Palmer-linked company that sacked 237 workers before it entered administration last month. And despite his claims not to have been involved in the company for three years, Fairfax Media reports that records at the corporate regulator show Mr Palmer was director for 26 days from January 22, 2015. During that time the company donated more than $700,000. Clive Palmer's 2014-15 donations were belatedly revealed in official Australian Electoral Commission figures. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The most galling thing is that this abrogation of public trust exacerbated by the $26 million or so Palmer-linked businesses donated to PUP in 2013-14 is, on the face of it, perfectly legal. Indeed, it's the logical outcome of deeply flawed political donations and voting systems. Without an immediate overhaul, we the people remain vulnerable to vested interests with money who want to skew the nation's direction to their benefit. Long-term funding of the Turnbull government's keystone climate policy remains in doubt as mixed messages emerged from the government about whether further funds will be allocated beyond the current $2.55billion. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann was reported on Monday as saying that there was no funding for the Emissions Reduction Fund beyond the 10-year period out to 2024 covered by the first phase of the fund. Power play: what happens when Direct Action runs out of money? Credit:Fairfax "Future funding for the Emissions Reduction Fund beyond 2024 will need to be considered through a future budget process," a spokeswoman for Mr Cormann told Fairfax Media on Monday. The budget for 2016-17, due to be released in May, is yet to be finalised, she said. Asylum seekers at the Manus Island detention centre have accused guards of deliberately building tensions by escalating their presence and searches ahead of Wednesday's High Court decision. Behnam Satah, an eye-witness to the killing of Reza Barati two years ago, also claims some guards who took part in the violence against detainees in February 2014 have returned to the centre. Mr Satah, who is now receiving torture and trauma counselling, said he had reported the return of one of those who supervised guards who beat detainees during the 2014 riots. Political donations to the major political parties slumped in 2014-15, with the Liberal Party recording a $50 million drop on the previous year. Overall financial receipts totalled about $179 million during the financial year, a $100 million drop on the previous year, according to the Australian Electoral Commission's latest annual financial disclosure returns. Released on Monday, the returns show the Liberals attracted the most money, with receipts of $75 million. South Australian Labor Premier Jay Weatherill has declared that no solution will be found to the potentially disastrous funding shortfall of state health services if the right question is not asked to begin with. Launching a frontal attack on federal Treasurer Scott Morrison, Mr Weatherill said it was impossible to get a proper national debate going about how to meet projected burgeoning cost growth for hospitals and schools, if Mr Morrison would not concede there was a revenue problem. Speaking to the ABC's Leigh Sales in a joint interview with NSW Liberal Premier Mike Baird, the two premiers of different political stripes have joined forces in an attempt to push Canberra to consider bold tax reform rather than the usual incremental changes arising from political argument. The ACT government has defended its right to seek access to Canberrans' private phone and internet records without a warrant, in moves designed to assist law enforcement and anti-tax evasion efforts. Among dozens of federal, state and territory agencies which have sought access to citizens' metadata for criminal investigations or protection of government funds are the ACT Revenue Office and the Access Canberra agency, which sits as part of Chief Minister Andrew Barr's Treasury and Economic Development Directorate. The metadata received by the ACT government "was used to inform investigations into active non-compliance with territory-based tax laws". Credit:iStock Last month, the federal government issued a list of 61 non-law enforcement agencies that had applied for the right to access metadata. Australia Post, the Australian Taxation Office, the RSPCA, seven federal departments and local councils are included on the list. Various state agencies from NSW, Victoria and Western Australia are also on the list, including some of those responsible for tax revenue. Cindy Crawford has quietly announced what appears to be her retirement. The 49-year-old, who turns 50 on February 20, told United Airlines' Rhapsody magazine she thought it was time to "move on" from modelling. Cindy Crawford is stepping away from modeling, though still expects to be a target for the paparazzi for a few more years. Credit:Getty Promoting her new book, Becoming By Cindy Crawford, the supermodel said the writing process had assisted her to "maybe not say goodbye but move on" from the profession she has been in since she was a teenager. "I'm sure I'll have my picture taken for 10 more years, but not as a model any more," Crawford said. Mike Baird's new proposal to lift the GST to meet the health and education funding needs of the states still relies on the Commonwealth agreeing to $7 billion in additional spending, possibly from the economic growth produced by tax cuts. The revelation has led opposition leader Luke Foley to accuse the NSW Premier of relying on "trickle down economics" to fund his plan. In a proposal released on Monday, Mr Baird says increasing the GST from 10 to 15 per cent without broadening its base from 2017 would deliver an extra $32.5 billion a year before a funding renegotiation in 2020. The proposal raises the option of using $16 billion to reduce income tax by about 7 per cent, $8 billion to cut company tax from 30 to 25 per cent and $8 billion to compensate low income earners. Gerard Baden-Clay's murder conviction over the death of his wife Allison should not have been downgraded to manslaughter because he did not argue the possibility of manslaughter at his trial, according to appeal documents lodged with the High Court. Mr Baden-Clay's original murder conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal, which replaced it with a conviction for manslaughter. Following a public outcry that included thousands of people rallying in Brisbane, the Director of Public Prosecutions lodged an appeal to have the downgrading of Mr Baden-Clay's conviction reversed. Documents lodged in support of the appeal argued Queensland's Court of Appeal erred when it downgraded the murder conviction to manslaughter. Three people smuggled lethal drugs into Australian hospitals last year so their loved ones could secretly take their own lives when nobody was watching, euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke claims. The head of Exit International said all three patients were elderly people with serious illnesses when they took a lethal drug in their hospital beds. They were being cared for at the Royal Prince Alfred and Concord hospitals in Sydney and the Austin hospital in Melbourne. People have smuggled lethal drugs into hospitals so their loved ones can die, Philip Nitschke says. In each case, a partner or adult child took the lethal drug to them in hospital, Mr Nitschke said. The patients had previously acquired the drug in case they wanted to take their own lives one day. Mr Nitschke, a former medical practitioner, said the three people took their drug overnight while no hospital staff were watching. The next morning, their deaths were recorded with no suspicion about how they died. An 81-year-old former teacher and principal who sexually assaulted young girls at a Melbourne school four decades ago has been jailed for a second time inside two years. Trevor Crocker was considered a father figure by some grade two girls he taught at a primary school in Melbourne's north-eastern suburbs in 1975 and 1976, but breached that trust by indecently assaulting three girls aged between six and eight. Trevor Crocker outside the Melbourne Magistrates Court. Credit:Penny Stephens Crocker indecently assaulted one girl when she sat on his lap, offended against another when he held her on his hip and brazenly abused another while giving her a piggy back ride in front of classmates, prosecutor Matt Fisher told Melbourne Magistrates Court. The offending also included sexual assaults behind a shelter shed, Mr Fisher said, and after music class. Just over a millimetre of rain on Sunday proved to be significant for Perth as it ensured a record breaking January for the city. So if you thought it was a particularly grey start to the year, you wouldn't be wrong, with Sunday taking the amount of rain affected days in January to nine - the most since records began way back in 1876. January had more rain days than ever before. Credit:Tony Moore Early on Sunday morning it looked like this January was going to equal the record, until the Perth rain gauge got a drop over one millimetre. The previous record of eight days was shared in 1916 and 1990, while Perth, on average, usually gets 2.4 days of rain in January. The only time I met Donald Trump told me all I needed to know. It was at an American Red Cross dinner-dance to raise money to fight cancer, held at his opulent Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, a few years ago. It was, of course, extremely generous of him to lay on the place gratis for the night, and the evening did indeed raise more than $US5 million, but in personally deciding the placement for the dinner he did something that exposed the real man in all his egotistical vulgarity. He sat his wife at the same table as a lady - and I must be careful here - who several of his friends present strongly believed was his mistress. London: Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai will seek to inspire world leaders at a conference in London on Thursday to commit $1.98 billion this year to give Syrian refugee children access to education. Heads of state and government and ministers from countries around the world will converge on London for the "Supporting Syria and the region" conference, which aims to raise funds for humanitarian crises caused by the Syrian war. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will be among those attending. Malala Yousafzai visits a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan in 2014. Credit:Fox Searchlight Pictures Some 700,000 Syrian children living in refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon and in other Middle Eastern countries are out of school, according to a report issued by the Malala Fund, which campaigns and raises funds for educational causes. "I have met so many Syrian refugee children, they are still in my mind. I can't forget them. The thought that they won't be able to go to school in their whole life is completely shocking and I cannot accept it," Malala said in a telephone interview. Des Moines, Iowa: A day before the first votes in the United States' long election season are cast in the Iowa caucuses, both major parties are facing knife-edge competitions, driven by powerful insurgent campaigns. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is just three percentage points ahead of Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist senator from Vermont who has captured the imagination of younger voters, according to the final poll by the Des Moines Register, considered the gold standard in this state. The Republican race is thoroughly dominated by insurgents against the party's establishment, with the populist Donald Trump five percentage points ahead of the hard-right junior senator from Texas, Ted Cruz. Latest News Australian Mortgage Awards 2022 broker winners reflect on big night Best of the best celebrate achievements Household Capital enters strategic partnership with Genworth The insurer now has a 22% share of the firm Last month, a Melbourne-based broker and former CEO of the Australian Institute of Professional Brokers penned an open letter to the regulators, government and central bank demanding a frank conversation about the National Consumer Credit Protection Act (NCCP) and the role of the regulators.Speaking to Australian Broker about her open letter, Maria Rigoni, founder and owner of Universal Wealth Management, claimed ASICs recent crackdown on interest-only lending illustrates the lack of protection the current consumer protection laws offer and the need for a complete overhaul of the NCCP.Lenders have said ASIC has approached them and ASICs opinion is if people want interest-only loans to keep their repayments low then the lender should not accommodate them. The clients requirements and objectives which make [an interest-only] loan a not unsuitable loan have been ignored. ASIC have turned around and said it should be an unsuitable loan, Rigoni told Australian Broker.The NCCP is nonsensical consumer protection. The consumer protection laws are not protecting the consumer and they are not protecting me either.What I would like to see is a total overhaul of the NCCP. The whole focus of the NCCP does not give any power for a borrower to be a responsible borrower. It is all about the lender having the power and control.Rigoni is not alone. Other brokers have expressed their agreement in the Australian Broker forum. One commenter, L Best, said the whole Act should be scrapped and done over.Any loan decision should be shared an equal responsibility for the decision to borrow and the decision to lend should be 50/50 between the parties. Not a decision that is borne 100% by the lender. We are dealing with adults that should understand and make informed decisions for themselves, with guidance from their legal and financial advisersScrap the whole Act and start again and look for a measured an equal means to regulate. Latest News Australian Mortgage Awards 2022 broker winners reflect on big night Best of the best celebrate achievements Household Capital enters strategic partnership with Genworth The insurer now has a 22% share of the firm Non-bank lender Homeloans Limited has launched a new near-prime home and commercial loan.The new product, Homeloans Envizion, is suited to both PAYG and self-employed borrowers and business owners seeking a loan where the borrower is considered on merit rather than their credit score.With Envizion, we are offering a niche product that will benefit borrowers who may not meet standard credit scoring models and those with loan purposes such as cash out or debt consolidation, Ray Hair, Homeloans general manager national sales said.Like many of the products we offer, its not a one size fits all loan. We understand that everyones circumstances and needs are different. Its why we have tailored this product for a common sense credit assessment approach, allowing for a flexible, responsive and simple lending solution.The product offers a number of variations based on varying levels of credit impairment, including mortgage arrears, defaults, judgements, writs, summons and bankruptcy. It is available for a range of purposes including unlimited cash out, Australian Taxation Office (ATO) debts and business purposes. It is also available as a full doc, lo doc or commercial loan.The launch of Envizion early in 2016 is all about providing alternative lending solutions for brokers and their clients under the Homeloans brand, with Homeloans customer service and broker support, Hair told Australian Broker.Our comprehensive range of prime and near prime loans is enhanced further by Envizion and we will work with brokers to identify client needs that can now be met by Envizion, for which Homeloans may not have previously had a solution. Latest News Australian Mortgage Awards 2022 broker winners reflect on big night Best of the best celebrate achievements Household Capital enters strategic partnership with Genworth The insurer now has a 22% share of the firm Melbourne has been crowned the best performing property market as Sydney records its weakest annual growth in house prices in 29 months.Melbourne house prices increased by 2.5% in January, according to figures from CoreLogic RP Data, bringing the southern citys year-on-year capital growth to 11%. Sydney house prices, on the other hand, increased by 10.5% over the year after recording minimal capital gains of just 0.5% in January.Corelogic RP Data head of research Tim Lawless says this is a record low for the harbour city.While still a high rate of annual growth, Sydneys annual rate of capital gain is now at a 29 month low and has been progressively softening since peaking at 18.4% in July last year, he said.According to Lawless, the power shift between Sydney and Melbourne has only happened within the last six months as Melbournes housing market shows more resilience in the face of slowing growth conditions.Previously, during the height of the growth phase, there was a large separation between Sydneys housing market, which was streaking ahead, and Melbournes, where the rate of capital gain was substantial but still well below the heights being recorded in Sydney. The latest data reveals Sydneys housing market is now playing second fiddle to Melbournes, at least in annual growth terms, he said.In fact, over the past six months, the performance gap between Sydney and Melbourne is stark. Sydney dwelling values have reduced by 0.6% between July last year and the end of January 2016, compared with a 3% rise across Melbourne dwelling values.The last six months have also seen capital gains in Brisbane and Canberra, with house prices up 2%, and in Hobart where house prices rose 1.3%. Adelaide house prices remained virtually flat over the past six months with a 0.1% rise.Over the past twelve months, six of the eight Australian capital cities recorded capital gains. After Sydney, Canberra recorded annual house price growth of 6%, followed by Brisbane (2.8%), Hobart (2.3%) and Adelaide (1.1%).Perth and Darwin were the only two capitals to record year-on-year decreases. In Perth house prices dropped 4.1% while values dropped 2.5% in Darwin.Across the combined capital cities, house prices cooled by 0.6% over the quarter ending January, brining toe annual capital growth rate to 7.4% over the 12 months to January. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams The city has reached a surprise deal to halve the helicopter-tour traffic thundering in and out of the heliport across from Brooklyn Heights over the next year, and will eliminate all flights on Sundays, the mayors office announced on Friday. Weve reached an agreement that will significantly cut down on the number of helicopter tours near residential areas and major parks, while keeping this part of our tourism sector active and viable, said Mayor DeBlasio. The agreement requires tour operators to halve the number of flights at the Manhattan heliport by January 2017, and to end all flights on Sundays by April 1 this year. The reduction will be phased in over the course of the year, with a 20-percent reduction from 2015 levels beginning June 1, and a 40-percent reduction by Oct. 1. The city estimates that by this time next year, the agreement will have eliminated nearly 30,000 helicopter flights annually. The din of helicopters has been a major quality of life issue for New Yorkers living near heavily trafficked routes, said DeBlasio. Today were addressing it. And none too soon. The deal was hammered out by the citys Economic Development Corporation, which owns the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, in order to preempt far more drastic legislation under consideration by the Council that would effectively banish the helicopter-tour industry from the city. The Council members who pushed the chopper-banning bill nevertheless claimed victory for forcing the corporations hand. As Council members, we are proud to have pushed forward legislation that helped give our constituents a voice and a rallying point in the fight to reduce noise and air pollution caused by the increasing number of tourist helicopter flights, said Councilman Carlos Menchaca (DRed Hook), in a joint statement with Councilwoman Margaret Chin (DManhattan) and Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal (DManhattan). The deal is also vindication for Heights and Hook residents who have long complained about the din caused by the tour-copters rumbling past their homes, they said. This is an important recognition of the impact that noise has on the quality of life for New Yorkers and the start of a less noisy and more livable city for those in the flight path, the trio said. Helicopter tour operators will have to provide monthly reports on the number of flights, and if they are determined to have violated key terms of the agreement, the Economic Development Corporation will have authority to impose further reductions. Saker Aviation, the concessionaire for the heliport, also agreed to establish a system to monitor air quality in the vicinity and to provide monthly reports. Saker has also promised to reduce idling by helicopters between flights. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams Theyre on a junior high! The city will open a new middle school in the Pacific Park mega-development, education honchos unexpectedly announced Thursday, delighting locals who have been pushing for months to secure a dedicated learning space for tweens on the site. It was a great surprise, I can tell from the reactions from a lot of parents that it was very, very well received, said Prospect Heights resident Gib Veconi. The news came during a public forum with schools Chancellor Carmen Farina, where Veconi asked the education czar about the citys plans for the school space in the development formerly known as Atlantic Yards, expecting she might confirm discussions were at least in the works. Instead, she responded that it was a done deal. I was very surprised, said Veconi. I wasnt expecting her to come out with the plan. The city previously planned to use the Dean Street school space which developer Bruce Ratner promised to include in the sprawling development in order to accommodate some of the thousands of new families it will bring to the area as a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade facility. But local residents and pols had other ideas, insisting what the areas school district which also encompasses Brooklyn Heights, Downtown, Dumbo, Fort Greene, and Clinton Hill really needs is a dedicated middle school, and launched a campaign in July last year demanding the city stick one there. The activists renewed their demands in December after the developer unveiled broad designs for the seven-story, 616-desk school which will be part of an apartment building insisting the education department make a decision while the designs were still in the early stages so it could fit out the building with middle-schoolers in mind. Veconi said he is now looking forward to working with other residents and education honchos to come up with a plan for the new school. The activists have been pitching a curriculum featuring software engineering and robotics, French and Spanish dual-language programs, and drama workshops with local theaters a sentiment shared by the boroughs commander-in-chief, who backed the middle-school plan. The planning process to come should be an exciting and robust dialogue that includes a focus on infusing science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum and dual-language studies into high-quality classroom experiences, said Borough President Adams. The announcement came on the same day the education department unveiled plans for its redesign of struggling Vinegar Hills MS 313, which will move into a new building in Dumbo this fall upping the ante for middle schools in the district, Veconi said. All of a sudden were looking at a future where we have some really good middle-school options in District 13, he said. Construction on the Atlantic Yards school got underway in December and is slated to open in 2018. photos by Greg Cristman Robyn Hitchcock @ The Landmark, Port Washington, NY 1/29/2016 Alt-rock vet and polkadot fan, Robyn Hitchcock is currently on an acoustic tour with Emma Swift that hit Port Washington, NY's Landmark on Saturday, January 29. Drawing from his exceedingly rich catalog -- including "Madonna of the Wasps," "Raymond Chandler Evening," "Balloon Man" -- Hitchcock entertains equally with his between-song stories and non sequiturs. For his encore, Robyn paid tribute to David Bowie with four covers, including "Five Years," "The Prettiest Star," "Quicksand," and "Soul Love." Video of "Quicksand" and "Soul Love" covers (plus a couple Hitchcock originals) from the Landmark show, as well as the setlist, below. The next day (1/30), Robyn visited WFMU for Todd-O-Phonic Todd's show for an interview and live session. You can listen to that here. Robyn and Emma will be touring together again in March and April. No NYC show, but there are a few in NY, NJ and CT. All dates are listed, along with more photos from the Landmark show, below. --- Emma Swift Robyn Hitchcock SETLIST: Robyn Hitchcock @ The Landmark, Port Washington, NY 1/29/20161/29/2016 I Pray When I'm Drunk Madonna of the Wasps Balloon Man Luminous Rose Linctus House The Cheese Alarm Raymond Chandler Evening Nietzsche's Way Follow Your Money Driving Aloud (Radio Storm) Full Moon in My Soul Encore: Five Years Soul Love The Prettiest Star Quicksand by Andrew Sacher photo: Voivod at Gramercy Theatre in 2015 (more by Mathieu Bredeau) Prog-thrash greats Voivod are releasing a new EP called Post Society on February 26 via Century Media (pre-order), their first release with current bassist Rocky. It features "We Are Connected" off their split with At the Gates, "Forever Mountain" off their split with Napalm Death, and the EP's brand new title track. It's the kind of eccentric song that Voivod are built to pull off, heavy, psychedelic and alien-sounding. Listen below. The EP also honors Lemmy with a cover of Hawkwind's "Silver Machine," and if there's a metal band who might actually be more fit to take on Hawkwind than Motorhead, it's Voivod. Stay tuned for that one. Voivod are hitting the road soon with Vektor and Eight Bells. The tour stops in NYC on February 7 at Gramercy Theatre, also with Extinction AD. Tickets for that show are still available. --- Just more than half of Coloradans eligible for food stamps are receiving the assistance, placing Colorado near the bottom of states in the ability to get food to the needy. Colorado ranks 46th in the nation in the latest food stamp report from Hunger Free Colorado, released Thursday. The national average is 75 percent of eligible people receiving food stamps, compared with Colorados 57 percent. It needs to become more of a priority in Colorado, said Michelle Ray, communications director for Hunger Free Colorado. There are long-standing issues with the administration of food stamps in our state and access for those who are eligible. At minimum, we should be average. Colorado has improved since 1994, when just 36 percent of people eligible for food stamps were receiving them. Still, Colorados state-supervised, county-based system for enrolling people in the food assistance program underperforms compared with the rest of the country. Colorados food stamp program has long faced criticism over delays in processing applications and spending practices. The state struggled for years to comply with federal standards for processing food-stamp applications. Last year, Colorado agreed to pay the federal government $1 million and make changes to its benefits management system to settle a complaint that the state misused money in the program. For the first time, Hunger Free Colorado released county-specific data, revealing a vast range in counties abilities to get food stamps to people who need them. Pitkin County had the lowest enrollment in the state at 10 percent. El Paso County, meanwhile, was among the highest-performing, enrolling 71 percent of eligible people. Denver County was at 59 percent, according to the analysis based on 2013 data. The report also found major differences across counties in the costs reported for enrollment in food assistance. In Boulder County, it costs the county $286 per enrollee, while in Pueblo County, the per-person cost is $80, according to the report. Nationally, 12 other states besides Colorado have county-run systems, and none ranked in the top 25 percent in the report. That raises questions about states ability to provide proper oversight, Ray said. This data can be a great conversation starter with counties and communities so we can figure out what are the barriers a county is facing, she said. Officials at the Colorado Department of Human Services, which administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, said they had not yet thoroughly reviewed the report but emphasized the importance of ensuring the economic well-being of needy families. We work closely with counties to ensure Coloradans in need are receiving the right amount of benefits in a timely fashion and are committed to continuous improvement on food assistance measures, said Robert Thompson, communications director. Hunger Free Colorado estimated Colorado loses more than $686 million in annual grocery sales by not serving all of those eligible for food stamps. Jennifer Brown: 303-954-1593, jenbrown@denverpost.com or @jbrowndpost 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. 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 ... While Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) reported a 1.23 per cent dip in total sales in January, as compared to the same month in 2015, its domestic sales were up by 9.3 per cent. According to HMIL, while it sold 38,016 units in the domestic market in January (as against 34,780 units last January), exports plunged by a huge 37.9 per cent from 10,003 units to 6,214. Domestic sales were up on the back of growing demand for its best-seller, the Elite i20 and the compact SUV Creta. HMIL is Indias largest exporter and the second-largest car manufacturer. The sharp fall in exports has been attributed to the severe floods in Chennai, which had adversely impacted its production facilities. The growth momentum of last year continued built by strong performance of products like Grand, Creta and i20 Elite/Active, said Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice-president, sales and marketing, HMIL. At the forthcoming Auto Expo, the Korean major will be unveiling its global SUV, the Tucson besides showcasing global products signifying a leap in the global SUV line-up engineering process at Hyundai. Source : BS Motoring Alert residents of Bangalore have reported more than 17,000 violations relating to number plates by informing the traffic police through its unique Public Eye app. Just five months after its launch, the app has caught the imagination of Bangaloreans who have kept an eye open for such violations. According to Bangalore police, of the 17,455 cases of violation reported by citizens, 9,087 cases have been booked. It is quite common in many Indian cities for motorists to use fancy number plates, personalised numbers and elaborately designed plates, which often confuse citizens wanting to complain about traffic violations. According to a Bangalore police spokesperson, a common violation is to use words instead of numerals for instance BOSS in lieu of 8055. Others use tiny fonts or over-size number plates, which confuses other motorists, pedestrians and even traffic cops. The police impose a fine of Rs400, which has to be paid on the spot by those violating the rules. The Bangalore traffic police has been proactively seeking cooperation of ordinary residents in its drive to haul violators of various traffic rules. In 2015, it booked 77,000 people for various traffic violations. Source : BS Motoring Driving into Dynamatic Technologies' production facilities, an hour from central Bengaluru, is a transition from the grey anonymity of an industrial zone into a pleasing green layout of buildings with cheerful canary-yellow facade. A sprightly, grey-haired man receives me in a foyer. I recognise Ravish Malhotra, the icy-cool test pilot the Air Force had shortlisted to be India's first astronaut. As it turned out, his compatriot, Rakesh Sharma, hurtled into space on a Russian Soyuz spaceship. But, until blast-off, it could have been either. Dynamatic started out in licence-raj India as a manufacturer of hydraulic pumps. Still in that business, the company's revenue now comes mostly from automotive components built in Chennai and Germany for a range of carmakers, including BMW, Mercedes Benz and Audi. Meanwhile, it moves steadily towards becoming a large fabricator of aerospace components and systems: the gold standard of precision manufacturing. While the National Democratic Alliance talks up the "Make in India" project as a quick fix for galvanising indigenisation, it has taken Dynamatic thirty years to build this capability. Today, Dynamatic builds "flap track beam assemblies" for every one of the 54 single-aisle airliners that Airbus assembles each month. If this assembly, critical for an airliner's balance, lift and turn, isn't delivered on time and to precise specifications, the assembly of A-318, A-319, A-320 and A-321 aircraft in France (50 per month) and China (four) would grind to a halt. Dynamatic is also a growing supplier to Boeing. Starting with an offset-linked order for mission and power cabinets for the Indian Navy's eight Boeing P8-I multi-mission maritime aircraft, Boeing quickly expanded the order to encompass every P8 aircraft being built for the US and Australian navies. Pleased with what it saw, Boeing then placed orders on Dynamatic for the Chinook CH-47E helicopters that India is buying. The Chinook's main pylon and ramp, which will start being delivered next month, are the most sophisticated aero structures being exported from India. For the Indian aerospace market, Dynamatic builds one-sixth of the airframe of the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter, shipping the parts to Nashik where Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) integrates them into the fighter. When Indo-US defence cooperation needed a co-development showpiece during President Barack Obama's visit to India last January, one of the projects highlighted was a next-generation micro-UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) called the Cheel. Dynamatic Technologies will co-develop this with the global leader in micro-UAVs, an American firm called AeroVironment. Malhotra escorts me to the boardroom, where Udayant Malhoutra, Dynamatic's 50-year-old chief executive and majority stake owner, offers me coffee. A trim, man with a keen awareness of what is going on around him, Malhoutra joined his father's debt-loaded company, then called Dynamatic Hydraulics, as a 20-year-old. Since taking the helm, his focus on manufacturing "highly engineered products" has transformed its products, vision and fortunes: last year, turnover was a quarter of a billion dollars (Rs 1,629 crore), with a net profit of $11 million (Rs 79 crore). As he conducts me around the aerospace units, the compulsively hands-on Malhoutra calls practically every worker by name. He explains that Dynamatic's growing success rests on its global production model. Instead of providing foreign vendors with a sweatshop for reducing costs through low-wage labour, Dynamatic has fashioned a multi-national capability based on comparative advantage. In 2008, Dynamatics bought over Bristol-based, family-owned Oldland. In 2011, it acquired a 630-year-old German automotive components manufacturer, Eisenwerke Erla, gaining access to a world-class foundry and cutting-edge research facilities. "In fabricating aerospace and high-tech automotive components, each part of us does what it is best at. We machine the most complex parts in Bristol, and ship those to India, where we do the final assembly. Western Europe is the best place for complex, five-axis robotic machining. We use robotic machining facilities there, since labour is expensive, while capital is cheap - just 2 per cent, compared to 12 per cent here. Then we transport those machined components to India, where our strength is artisanal manufacture, and assemble them here. This global delivery model is winning us business against global competition," says Malhoutra. In three decades, Dynamatic has shifted from manufacturing 3,000 hydraulic pumps a day, to fabricating one aerospace assembly from 3,000 precisely machined sub-components. Dynamatic carefully cultivates its heritage, even that obtained through buyouts. After buying Oldland, its aerospace brand was changed to Dynamatic-Oldland Aerospace. Eisenwerke Erla too retains its unique brand identity, as a company that dates back to pre-medieval times. Value addition Dynamatic lays emphasis on doing more for customers than just providing manufacturing and assembly capacity. This is highlighted to me at the Bell-407 helicopter cabin assembly unit, which was set up after a $243 million deal in 2013 for building cabins over the succeeding ten years. I learn that a bevy of Bell Helicopter technicians hovering over the assembly line are overseeing the conversion by Dynamatic of two-dimension paper blueprints that Bell Helicopter provides, into three-dimension computer model that are more precise, and have tighter tolerances than the old paper drawings. Digitising the drawings creates a baseline configuration for greater accuracy. This streamlines manufacture, while also benefiting the customer. Malhoutra recounts that when Dynamatic first began digitising a drawing, his overseas customer cautioned that this was not part of the contract and would not be paid for. But when the digitisation was complete, it was evident that manufacturing according to the two-dimensional paper blueprint would leave tiny gaps between the different components in the assembly. Earlier, as per twentieth-century manufacturing practice, the tiny gaps between components were filled with shims. But by digitising blueprints, those tiny gaps could be entirely eliminated during manufacture. Dynamatic is also eyeing the homeland security market, for which it signed a "teaming agreement" in 2013 with AeroVironment to co-develop the Cheel, though there are no orders on hand from India's security forces. Company executives lament the slowness in inducting UAVs, which they point out would have been able to locate the terrorists who attacked Pathankot Air Base last month. The company's balance sheet, a mostly rising graph, has two notable blips. One, the current year's figures will take a notable dip, with the global slowdown hitting all three lines of the company's business: automotive components, hydraulics and aerospace. Two, a debt burden of over Rs 600 crore, carried over from the purchase of Oldland and Eisenwerke Erla, continues to require expensive servicing. The chief financial officer, Hanuman Sharma, downplays concerns about the debt, which he says is moderate given the company's size and turnover. He forecasts a credit rating rise over the next two quarters, from BBB Plus at present to A, which will bring down the cost of capital from a peak of 17 per cent to about 13 per cent. Meanwhile, turnover is set to grow. Flap track beam assemblies for Airbus' long-range airliners, like the A330, will start being shipped shortly. Bell Helicopters, which has traditionally built products in-house, is expected to lean more on Dynamatic. Space for more The company has acquired 27 acres of land adjoining the Bangalore International Airport. Here, Dynamatic Aerotropolis will cater for the expansion of all aerospace activities. With its own helipad, control tower and airspace management system, the company hopes to set up an assembly line for light helicopters and UAVs, as it transitions from a Tier-1 assembly supplier to a "prime contractor" that does the lucrative work of systems integration. Dynamatic is making a major strategic shift from manufacturing hydraulics and automotive components towards aerospace manufacture-a high profit margin, but capital intensive, business. Sharma says aerospace, which makes just 20 per cent of the group's profits currently, will account for 50 per cent in another three years. Meanwhile, automotive parts will drop from 50 per cent today, to about 25 per cent; with hydraulics dropping marginally from the present 30 per cent to about 25 per cent. From the production lines, we go back to the boardroom for lunch with company executives. This is a simple meal of Subway sandwiches and pizzas, served up by the executives' drivers. "Nobody in the company sits idle. After bringing us here in the morning, the drivers man offices, move documents around, cut vegetables, serve lunch, and then drive us back home in the evening", explains Malhoutra. "We like our employees to command and demand high wages." Even as Dynamatic grows its order book, moving up the value chain to systems integration - or assembling entire aircraft from assemblies and components supplied by Tier-1 and Tier-2 vendors - is not supported by government policy. The defence ministry's Aatre Task Force has recommended that only companies with annual consolidated turnover of at least Rs 4,000 crore for each of the last three financial years, and capital assets of Rs 2,000 crore, should be accepted as "strategic partners" to the government in fabricating weapon systems. To unlock the future of Dynamatic Technologies, the defence ministry would need to give credit to proven manufacturing competence rather than just size and turnover. Kolkata based FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) major Emami Ltd is expecting to clear its outstanding debt of Rs 850 crore latest by 2017-18 and will bring it down to Rs 600 crore by the end of March this year. The company had taken this debt to partly fund its acquisition of the Kesh King brand of haircare products from SBS Biotech in June 2015 for a total amount of Rs 1,684 crore. Further, the amortisation cost for the brand acquisition will also be over in the coming 7-8 years' timeframe. This overhead, which has pulled down the company's bottomline of Rs 134 crore during the quarter ended December 31, 2015 will be paid in installments of Rs 68 crore each financial quarter over the aforesaid time-period. After the Kesh King buy-out, it was alleged that SBS Biotech had misinformed Emami about the outstanding stocks in the market which had initially impacted the offtake. However, Naresh Bhansali, CEO of finance, strategy and business development at Emami said the situation is under control and the unsold stocks in the market then was because of the wholesale-based distribution structure of the brand's original owner firm. "As per their ( SBS Biotech's) books, the stocks reported were correct", he said adding that a "proper distribution structure" for Kesh King is in place now which will give his company the data as well as substantial control over the stock and inventory. Acquisition of the Kesh King brand was lucrative for the company as the product portfolio had a minimum 40 per cent EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) when compared to the 20-25 per cent EBITDA -- normal for FMCG products. "We are expecting a good growth for the Kesh King brand in 2016-17 as the product integration will be completed by the end of 2015-16 and the product strategy is being finalised", he said. The company will be initially focusing on strengthening the hair-oil sold under the brand-name while other products - shampoo, conditioner and medicinal pills - will also attract marketing attention gradually. "Once we are clear on the foundation working, we'll explore the southern market", he said. Kesh King, a medicinal hair-oil, is sold primarily in northern India while the south Indian medicinal hair-oil market is dominated by Indulekha commanding a 36-37 per cent market share. Global steel major, ArcelorMittal has scrapped the proposed Rs 30,000 crore steel factory in Karnataka due to global steel crisis and asked the state to change the usage policy for 1,800 acres of land it had acquired for the plant in Bellary, the government said on Monday. ArcelorMittal has backed out, said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ahead of Invest Karnataka, the states investor meet that begins in February 3. The steel giant had signed a pact during the global investors meet in 2010 to set up a six million tonnes per annum (TPA) steel plant in Bellary in Northern Karnataka, which has rich iron ore resources. The plant would have entailed investments of Rs 30,000 crore. State industries minister R V Deshpande attributed the change in ArcelorMittal's stance to the global steel crash caused by a glut in production in China, the world's largest consumer of steel. They have asked.. please help us change the land usage for other purposes, said Deshpande. He said that the state had rejected another proposal for an investment in a steel plant in Bellary due to a global crisis in steel prices. According to Deshpande, the Karnataka government has cleared investment proposals of Rs 1.3 lakh crore in the last two years, many of which are in different stages of implementation. The projects include GSK's pharma plant, Asian Paints expansion and Shahi Exports new unit in the state. Its not the best of times for the steel industry with cheap imports and global overcapacity affecting pricing. Group Executive Directorexplains to Ishita Ayan Dutt why the company is adding capacity in uncertain times. Edited excerpts:Tata Steel has a long-term view on Indias underlying demand and steel sector growth. The company has been contributing to the industrial growth of India for around 100 years and our Odisha project has been conceived and implemented to serve the countrys long-term needs through high-end and best-in-class steel products. The Kalinganagar plant is yet another milestone in our journey of sustainable and value accretive growth for Tata Steel and demonstrates our commitment to Odisha and is aligned to the Make in India strategy. It is not possible to perfectly time the market especially with greenfield projects that take a long time to implement. However, the new capacity at Kalinganagar will enhance the companys portfolio by producing high-grade flat products for sectors like lifting & excavation, ship building, defence equipment, energy & power, infrastructure, etc. We have already seeded the market and are confident well be able to sell the volumes we produce. We also hope the government will be sensitive to the needs of the domestic industry and take steps to provide a level-playing field against unfairly priced imports that are coming into India. In the global cost curve, Indian steel industry is fairly competitive but when imports come in without regard to sustainable pricing structure capturing all the factors of production including capital costs, we have unfair and unsustainable trade, which must be acted upon by the national government. How much of the raw material requirements would be met from captive sources? Would Tata Steel have to import iron ore for Kalinganagar? For iron ore, the company continues to remain fully integrated and the entire iron ore requirement for the Kalinganagar project is proposed to be sourced from captive mines and we are ramping up our mining capacity to meet the incremental demand. However, in coal, our integration level would come down from the current levels as we would be sourcing externally the additional coal requirement for the Kalinganagar project. With falling raw material prices, are captive linkages losing sheen given that the latest round of coal block auctions had to be called off due to low bids? Tata Steel has been in mining for over a century now and as an institution, it has seen several commodity cycles. Over decades, we have invested in assets, infrastructure, capabilities and communities in our mining locations in Jharkhand and Odisha. We believe our mining practices are very efficient in spite of the fact that Indian ores are not the best in the world. Our plant locations in Jamshedpur and Kalinganagar were also planned to be near the raw material sources to be logistically efficient and our operating practices on captive raw material usage have also been uniquely adapted to the available resources. So, as a long-term mining and steel player, we have an embedded strategic and structural view that captive sourcing especially in India creates long-term systemic value across cycles even if the current commodity cycle can potentially be lower and longer than the last one. We will always look for first quartile mining options in India and overseas for long-term sustenance. As far as your question on coal auction is concerned, the auction of mineral resources is a unique model in India. I think it will be a hard time for auctions and if the current commodity cycle continues for a longer period, monetisation of value of resources cannot be the primary objective. Enhancing process transparency, development of resources efficiently and helping the domestic user industry to grow competitively would have to be the priority. Can Kalinganagar mitigate the uncertainty of European operations? From an addressable market, our Indian capacity is primarily for Indian markets given the underlying growth potential, while our European facilities fundamentally cater to the European and adjacent markets. From a performance point of view, the Kalinganagar Steel Plant at its rated capacity would have best in class operating profile and profitability potential. The European operations in Ijmuiden in the Netherlands is also very resilient and robust operations and has been one of the most profitable steel facilities in western Europe in the past couple of years. The asset profile in the UK have most of the challenges due to various factors and we have been taking various strategic initiatives in this regard. So, in Tata Steel Groups operating ecosystem, we have Jamshedpur, Ijmuiden and Kalinganagar as very strong world-class operating units with robust asset quality, good cost position and product differentiation capabilities. To conclude on this point, when Kalinganagar reaches its rated capacity, it will certainly augment Tata Steels operating, marketing and financial positions significantly in the coming years. Greybull is in talks to buy Tata Steel's UK-based long products division. What is the outlook on Tata Steel Europe? As you would be aware, Tata Steel UK has already announced that it has entered into an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with regard to a potential sale of the long products business to Greybull. This process will move to more substantive discussions between the two parties and the relevant stakeholders in the new year before any definitive decisions are taken. The underlying business conditions are extremely challenging in the UK with significant low-priced imports resulting in low spreads (between raw material prices and steel prices), very adverse impact of a strong pound on purchase of imported raw material and export of finished goods to mainland Europe, weak domestic industrial demand and high energy costs. While mainland Europe is also facing headwinds from the macro environment, the intensity of the challenge is extremely high in the UK. How would the recent refinancing help Tata Steel's debt to equity ratio? The recent refinancing of $1.5 billion replaced the term debt in TSGH (T S Global Holdings, a subsidiary of Tata Steel incorporated in Singapore). This is more of an optimisation exercise where, based on the opportunity in the market, we have replaced the existing loan with more flexible terms and better priced new debt. The recent refinancing does not impact the overall leverage in the company - it is merely the replacement of one type of debt with another and, hence, does not impact the debt-to-equity ratio. Ipca Laboratories has received warning letters from the US Food and Drugs Administration (USFDA) for its three manufacturing units in Madhya Pradesh and Silvassa. The warning letter indicates a continuation of regulatory problems for the company and is a setback to the quick revival of its US business and follows import alert against its plants. Ipca Laboratories earns about 10% of its revenue from US market (Rs 304 crore in FY 15) and its plants at Ratlam, Indore and Silvassa have import alerts against them. The Ratlam facility is used to manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) while units in Indore and Silvassa manufacture formulations. The alerts were issued following FDA inspections in 2014 and 2015. The company said now warning letters has been issued for violation of good manufacturing practices at these plants. In a notification to the stock exchange today, Ipca Laboratories said it had voluntarily suspended shipments of its drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients to the US till FDA observations are resolved. The company added that it has not shipped any drugs or APIs to the US since July 2014 except the products which are exempt from import alert. Overseas business which contributes over 55% of revenue has declined in FY 2015 and first half of current fiscal owing to regulatory challenges. Angel Broking however expects a revival in exports in FY 16 and 17. "The company has responded to the US FDA inspection observations with its remediation measures and has been since working also with external consultants to ensure that its remedial activities are undertaken in a proper and timely manner. The company is fully committed in resolving this issue at the earliest. The company is also committed to its philosophy of highest quality in manufacturing, operations, systems integrity and cGMP (current good manufacturing practice) culture," IPCA Laboratories said in its notification. Karnataka government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ASTRAC Group for setting up a technology cluster in Dharwad that will house foreign that are looking to tap Indian talent for research and development (R&D) purposes. ASTRAC will setup the technology cluster on a private bank of land spanning 200 acres situated close to IIT Dharwad and will invest close to Rs 500 crore. The project will not house large IT services companies, but instead those looking to carry out core R&D in India. The company is targeting medium and large enterprises in the core technology, biotechnology and pharma spaces from China, South Korea, Japan, Finland, UK, etc which so far do not have a significant presence in India. ASTRAC also hopes that the lure of great talent from IIT Dharwad will bring to setup base in the city. "We want to make sure that the IIT students stay here. We will also try to make these work with students in Dharwad," said Kishor Musale, chairman and MD of the ASTRAC Group. The project which is expected to take off within a year will be aided by the Karnataka government in terms of providing water, uninterrupted power, drainage and improvement of roads in the area. Further, the government could extend support to foreign companies through subsidies and even financial aid if it feels compelled to. Musale expects the project to bring a few billion dollars to the state's kitty over the next five years in terms of revenue, despite not employing a large number of people. "Employment won't be high, but the kind of investments these companies will make in R&D will be high," he said. Apart from keeping a strict check on the type of companies that setup shop in Dharwad, the project could see a lot of tertiary industries coming up to support these large corporates. In addition, ASTRAC is in talks to invite international schools and also other amenities. Further, the company has also approached the Karnataka government with the proposal of making available low-interest loans for foreign companies that might want be a part of the project through Chinese lenders. The first month of 2016 started on a weak note for car makers. After months of high single/double digit growth, sales of passenger vehicles cars, utility vehicles and vans grew by a low single digit two per cent in January, pulled down by a flat performance by Maruti Suzuki, which has a 47 per cent market share. The industrys April-December sales growth stood at a high 9 per cent. Maruti Suzuki, the countrys largest car maker, reported a low single digit growth of 0.8 per cent in domestic sales in January. The companys sales had grown 14 per cent in the April-December period. The low January sales have pulled down the April-January growth to 12.4 per cent. Maruti sold 106,383 units in the domestic market last month. The company attributed the decline to lesser number of working days in the month on account of holidays. Whatever was produced in January has been dispatched, said a spokesperson. In December, sales had grown 13.5 per cent. Reacting to the sales data, the companys stock at the BSE slipped 3.68 per cent to close at Rs 3,946.80 on Monday. The second largest player, Hyundai, was able to hold fort, posting a growth of 9.3 per cent in January. The company sold 38,016 units in the domestic market. The growth momentum of last year continued on account of strong performance of products like Grand, Creta and i20 Elite/Active, said Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice president (sales and marketing). Mahindra & Mahindra made a strong comeback after the diesel vehicle (2,000cc and above) sale ban in Delhi and the national capital region, imposed by the Supreme Court in mid December. The ban is in place till March 31. The company saw a growth of 13 per cent in the month, helped by sales of TUV300 and the recently launched KUV100. Last month, it launched a 1,990cc engine to power Scorpio and XUV500 as sales of these vehicles had come to a halt in Delhi NCR following the ban that was imposed to control pollution. Volkswagen saw an increase in sales after four consecutive months of decline, beginning September when the company came under attack due to global diesel emission scandal. The German car makers January sales grew 7.61 per cent. Ford continued the growth path helped by the launch of Figo and Figo Aspire last year. Its sales grew 6 per cent last month. Japanese car maker Toyota continued to see a decline in sales. Its January sales declined by a steep 33 per cent. N Raja, director and senior vice president (sales and marketing) said, Our monthly sales have been affected and part of it is a repercussion of the recent ban on registration of diesel vehicles in Delhi and NCR. The region accounted for 1,000 units of Innova and Fortuner a month. Tata Motors saw another month of decline in January, with a near 18 per cent cut. Honda also saw a decline of 6.5 per cent last month. French car-maker Renault saw a sharp jump of 150 per cent in sales, riding on the demand for its new hatchback Kwid. The company has seen 90,000 bookings for the vehicle that was launched last September. Buoyed by an order of the state power regulator here, diversified metals and mining major Vedanta Ltd is gearing up to ramp up capacity at its aluminium smelter SEZ (Special Economic Zone) at Jharsuguda from the next fiscal. "The state power regulator, OERC (Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission), has allowed us to use three 600 Mw units (or 1800 Mw) from our own 2,400 Mw power station to run our smelter. The OERC order will facilitate us to expand our aluminium smelting capacity. With the availability of our own captive power, we hope to ramp up operations from our aluminium SEZ from the next fiscal", a senior Vedanta executive told Business Standard. Vedanta owns two aluminium smelting facilities at Jharsuguda. While the standalone smelter of 0.5 million tonne per annum (mtpa) is running at full capacity, the other smelting unit of 1.25 mtpa capacity, within its product specific SEZ, was running at depleted capacity for want of power. In the October-December period of this fiscal, the SEZ smelter produced 19,000 tonne of aluminium. Initially, the first potline of the SEZ smelter with 0.3 mtpa capacity would be put to operations, the official said. Vedanta's product specific SEZ includes an aluminium smelter complex where the proponent has already invested Rs 12,000 crore. The commissioning of the SEZ facility promised to boost the local economy by generating business potential worth Rs 15,000 crore every year. Direct and indirect employment opportunities for nearly 12,000 persons are set to be created. Vedanta runs a 2,400 Mw (4x600) coal-fired power station at Bhurkamunda in the vicinity of its smelting facilities. With the recept of the OERC order, Vedanta can use up to 1800 Mw power to run its smelter operations. Three units of 600 Mw each (or 1,800 Mw) would get the status of CPP (captive power plant) provided Vedanta uses at least 51 per cent of the power for its captive consumption. The other unit of 600 Mw would be dedicated to supply power to state-owned Gridco as per the power purchase agreement signed between the two entities. The use of captive power would mean substantial savings for Vedanta on power since supply of power from CPP does not attract cross subsidy surcharge (CSS). Thus, it is expected to scale down aluminium production cost for Vedanta as power contributes 40-50 per cent to the cost of production of the metal. In its production release for the quarter ended December 31, Vedanta said its aluminium production cost declined seven per cent quarter-on-quarter, driven by cost optimisation measures. On December 1, the cost of production (CoP) at Jharsuguda smelter was $1,485 per tonne compared to $1,599 per tonne in the previous quarter, primarily due to lower alumina cost and lower power cost driven by coal prices. Also, the CoP at its Korba smelter improved significantly to $1,599 per tonne, compared to $1,725 per tonne. The significant cost improvement was on account of lower alumina price and reduced power cost driven by improved coal mix and lower coal prices. As he takes charge as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of Wipro, India's third largest information technology services company, Abidali Neemuchwala has set an ambitious target to double the firm's revenues to $15 billion with an operating margin of 23 per cent over the next four years. Detailing his plans in an internal mail to the employees on Monday, the new CEO has also reposed strong faith on the company's 'rich heritage of technology innovation' and workforce to achieve the dream. Last month, the Bengaluru-based company had nominated Neemuchwala, who was then its group president and chief operating officer, as the CEO of the company, with effect from February 1. It had also elevated the former CEO T K Kurien as executive vice-chairman. "I have no doubt that this is a goal grounded in reality," Neemuchwala wrote to employees after assuming charge. "My confidence stems from a multitude of factors - our rich heritage of technology, innovation, desire to excel and the unlimited potential of what we can achieve together." Wipro's target to touch $15 billion revenue comes at a time when its peer Infosys, under its new CEO Vishal Sikka, has also set an ambitious goal of touching $20 billion in revenue with an operating margin of 30 per cent by 2020. Neemuchwala said Wipro's leadership team is busy in fleshing out the details of this ambition, which would require detailed plans and discipline to execute. He said that Wipro had over the past several months simplified its structure to create a more agile organisation. The company has already seen early signs of success as these measures have helped it accelerate its ability to respond to the customers, ensure deeper employee engagement and improve win rates, he said, adding that bringing in the 'start-up culture' within the company would help it in this effort. "I have no doubt that we must begin to think like a start-up - where there is nothing from the past that is so sacred that it can't be questioned - and create a workforce that is a melting pot of diverse ideas. Plurality of ideas amid commonality of purpose is important," he added. The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)-led government has revived the proposal for uniform power tariff in Mumbai for consumers in the 0-500 units a month bracket. The Congress-NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) government during 2010-11 had initiated it but had to face regulatory hurdle. Maharashtra energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule last week held a preliminary meeting with power distribution companies and asked them to come up with a proposal. There would be a meeting with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as well to work out a plan of implementation as the government will have to sort out major issues with regard to budgetary allocation towards subsidy to distribution companies. Currently, Tata Power and Reliance Infrastructure are the two private distributors while the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation arm BrihanMumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) supplies in south Mumbai. State-run MahaVitaran distributes in eastern suburbs. The tariff ranges between Rs 2.05 per unit and Rs 9.95 per unit. Supporting the plan, a Tata Power spokesperson said, "We believe that the consumer should have the option to choose her supplier based on the service rather than mere tariffs. However, Reliance Infrastructure preferred not to comment. Kameswara Rao, PwC Partner (energy, utilities and mining) said, ''the financial requirement for uniform tariff should not be met by burdening industrial and commercial consumers as that could lead to an exodus, with consequent loss of taxes and employment from the city. The government should take a stand to follow the national Tariff Policy, which caps the cross-subsidy burden on industrial consumers, and propose use of targeted direct subsidy transfer for lifeline consumers.'' Given the higher cost of living, a higher threshold for lifeline consumption could be set, he added. However, Debasish Mishra, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India Partner (consulting), said when there were efforts towards separating carrier and content in electricity distribution and bringing in efficiency through competition, uniform retail tariff made little sense. A government official recalled that a similar proposal was discussed during the Congress-NCP government but did not find favour with the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC). The Congress-NCP government had expressed its inability to provide about Rs 2,000 crore as subsidy to private generators and distributors, especially Tata Power and Reliance Infrastructure. MERC in its June 2008 order ruled that it was not feasible to have uniform tariffs across different licensees due to inherent differences, such as revenue requirement, consumer mix, consumption mix, and low tension: high tension ratio. Further, MERC in a letter to the state government on July 11, 2011, said, ''The commission is of the view that the government support in the form of subsidy under Section 65 of the Electricity Act, 2003, is the only method to implement uniform tariff in Mumbai.'' Barely a year after criticising the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as an example of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's failures, the Narendra Modi government on Monday hailed the scheme, saying its achievements are a "cause of national pride and celebration". On the eve of flagship rural job guarantee scheme completing 10 years on February 2, the government also said the last financial year had seen a 'revival' of the programme. It said the focus in the coming years would be to simplify the procedures and build sustainable assets to benefit the poor. Some announcements are expected on Tuesday, when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will deliver a keynote address at MGNREGA Sammelan-2016 in New Delhi. The government said, in a statement, the expenditure on the programme since inception has touched Rs 3,13,845 crore, of which 71 per cent has been spent on wage payments to workers. "Of the workers, the percentage of Scheduled Caste workers has consistently been about 20 per cent and Scheduled Tribe workers has been 17 per cent," it said, adding that a total of 19.8 billion person-days have been generated so far, out of which the percentage worked by women has steadily increased much above the statutory minimum of 33 per cent. "Sustainable assets have been created linked to conservation of natural resources and overall development of gram panchayats. More than 65 per cent of the works taken up under the programme are linked to agriculture and allied activities," it said. "The person-day generation is the highest in the second quarter (459 million) and third quarter (461 million) than it has been in the past five years," the government said, adding that there will be renewed focus on sustainable individual assets to benefit the poor and vulnerable households under the scheme in future. To mark the completion of 10 years of NREGA - announced by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in February 2006 - Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will on Tuesday visit Bandlapalli village of Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh from where the scheme had taken off. In February last year, Modi had lashed out at the Congress for what he described as a 'monument of the UPA government's failures'. JOB SCHEME AT A GLANCE CHANGING VIEW MGNREGA ALLOCATION UNDER NDA REGIME Jaitley allocates Rs 34,699 crore to the scheme for 2015-16; tops it up with Rs 7,000 crore, making it the highest-ever allocation for any year In 2015-16: The person-day generation is the highest in the second quarter (459 million) and third quarter (461 million) than it has been in the last five years Big boost expected in next year's Budget as well STORY SO FAR MGNREGA notified on September 7, 2005; first in 200 districts; all country covered since 2008 MGNREGA credited with bringing UPA back to power in 2009 Around Rs 313,844.55 crore has been spent, of this 71 per cent has been spent on wage payments to workers since 2005 More than 65 per cent of the works linked to agriculture and allied activities Total 20 billion person-days generated so far CONTROVERSIES A 2013 CAG report showed only 20 per cent of total allocated fund under the scheme has been released for Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, which account for 46 per cent of the rural poor in India from 2009-10 to 2011-12 A study by former CACP head Ashok Gulati showed real farm wages rose by almost 6.8 per cent per annum from 2006-07 onwards but the impact of overall GDP, agriculture GDP and construction GDP was almost 4-6 times higher than the MGNREGA MGNREGS spending fluctuated between 2010-11 and 2013-14, while growth in rural wages declined consistently from 20.61 per cent in 2010-11 to 10.12 per cent in 2013-14 But, a 2015 study done by NCAER showed that the Act has helped in lowering poverty by almost 32 per cent between 2004-05 to 2011-12 In October 2014, a group of around 30 leading economists from India and abroad wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to dilute or restrict the provisions of MGNREGA "MGNREGA should stay as a proof of your failings. I will ensure MGNREGA is never discontinued. After so many years of being in power, all you were able to deliver is for a poor man to dig ditches a few days a month"In February 2015"MGNREGA's achievements of a decade are a cause of national pride and celebration"In February 2016Compiled by To incentivise setting up of BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) and ITes (IT enabled services) in North-eastern region under the Centres flagship Digital India programme, the Union government has come up with a North East BPO Promotion Scheme (NEBPS) with a dream to make the region a back-office hub. The scheme primarily aims at employment generation through BPO and ITes operations and balanced growth of IT and ITes sectors in the region, said Rajiv Kumar, joint secretary, department of electronics and information technology, Government of India. With a robust pool of English speaking population, North-eastern region scores predominantly in providing skilled manpower, both in communication and soft skills, for the BPO industry countrywide. However, various efforts in past to attract BPO industry to set up shop in the region failed miserably. Evoking no interest from the industry to venture into the region, the Centre has been of late tweaking its policies to make the region attractive. The NEBPS, with an outlay of Rs 50 crore, provides capital support of up to 50% of expenditure incurred on admissible items with a cap of Rs 1 lakh per seat, or whichever is lower. There are also special incentives for promoting local entrepreneur, women employment, performance and training support, said Kumar. The nodal agency for implementation of the scheme would be Software Technology Park of India (STPI), Guwahati. Kumar said there would also be training incentive of up to 50% of training expenditure with a cap of Rs 6,000 per employee. He said a NEBPS Management Committee (NMC) has been constituted for monitoring and reviewing the scheme on a regular basis. About 85% of IT revenues are presently generated by the leader cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. A Nasscom-Kushman and Wakefield Report of 2014 had recommended the Centre to come up with a dedicated policy aimed at further growth of the industry with adequate support from the state government for emerging locations. IKF Technologies, Serco BPO, Anjaybee Infotech and SS NetCom Pvt Ltd are few of the BPO firms currently operating in the region on smaller scales. There are five STPI centres in operation in the region which provide subsides rental spaces for BPO/ITes firms. A 2008 NASSCOM-AT Kearney Report found Guwahati and Gangtok as aspiring cities and Agartala, Shillong, Aizawl as potential locations for BPO and ITes industry. As per government figures, BPO industry has been registering a 8% year-on-year domestic growth and the country has more than 3,500 firms. With Indian BPO companies serving more than 78 countries worldwide, the year-on-year export growth of BPO industry has been 11%. Iron ore exporters, battered by a meltdown in global prices, have demanded complete waiver of export duty on all grades of the ore.With iron ore prices plunging to $38 a tonne, a steep export duty of 30 per cent and 10 per cent export duty on iron ore up to 58 per cent Fe grade had killed the market for exporters.Exporters led by the Goa Mineral Ore Export Association have written to the Prime Ministers Office, urging it to remove the 10 per cent export duty on iron ore fines with Fe content below 58 per cent and the 30 per cent export duty on iron ore lumps irrespective of the grade. The exporters have argued that the proposal could fetch Rs 5,000 crore as revenue annually for the government. The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries has also backed the demand of the exporters. According to the association, major global suppliers in Australia and Brazil were flooding the international market with iron ore.Goa produces low-grade iron ore (with Fe content of 55-58 per cent) which is exported to countries such as China and Japan. Goas iron ore is not consumed by domestic steel firms as the stock requires higher quantity of expensive cooking coal, which is mainly imported, and also because inland freight and logistics costs make it uneconomical.Fimi Secretary-General R K Sharma said in his letter to Union mines minister Narendra Singh Tomar: One cannot think of exporting iron ore with 30 per cent export duty. Iron ore miners are out of the international market for the last three years and it will be a Herculean task to revive exports but it (removal of export duty) will definitely be the first positive step. Fimi said there was a huge stockpile of iron ore in the country 128.06 million tonnes. Iron ore stockpile in Odisha was 77 million tonnes while in Jharkhand, it was 25 million tonnes. Steel producers have been battling a hostile environment and struggling to keep their operations afloat. They launched a scathing attack on the proposal of iron ore exporters. We must conserve our non-renewal natural resources as we have only four per cent share of iron ore reserves in the world and are producing about 10 per cent of global production. In case export of iron ore is encouraged with waiver/reduction of export duty for short-term financial gain, it would deplete our national resources at an exponential rate and adversely impact the future of value addition industries, impair the vision of attaining the countrys goal of production of 300 million tonnes of steel by 2020 as well as the sustainable mineral security of the country, said Manish Kharbanda, executive director and group head, mines & minerals, Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. Steel industry in the country with a huge investment of Rs 5 lakh crore, is now the third largest in the world, with an installed capacity of 110 million tonne per annum. While the steel industry has made huge investment on value addition and employment, the merchant miners are making huge profits. To support domestic manufacturing, the government on Monday barred duty-free import of capital goods for power generation and transmission projects under the Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme. The EPCG scheme allows zero-duty import of capital goods on the condition that goods produced be exported worth six times of the duty saved under the scheme in six years. "Authorisation under the EPCG scheme shall not be issued for import of any capital goods for generation/transmission of power (including captive plants and power generator sets of any kind)," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in an order. The impact of the DGFT notification is minimal on domestic producers because they do not export much to comply with the obligation under the EPCG scheme. Besides, in an earlier notification two years ago, the government had clarified that power supply to special economic zones and export oriented units would not qualify as exports to comply with the outbound shipment obligation under the EPCG scheme. A senior executive at BHEL said the order would not have a major impact on the company as power equipment does not fall under its purview. BHEL is the largest manufacturer and EPC contractor for the power sector. Ajay Sahai, director-general and CEO of FIEO, said the notification was in line with the objective of plugging misuse of the scheme as power generators or suppliers were not really exporters. "The scheme should be applicable for power generators as well and the power supply to SEZs and EOUs should be allowed to meet the export obligation condition. This would ensure smooth power supply to manufacturing units in these export zones, considering that they pass on the capital goods duty benefit in the form of lower tariff," Sahai added. However, small capital goods producers hailed the move. "The decision will have a positive impact on the indigenous power equipment industry. In the past few years, the domestic power equipment capacity was underutilised as cheap imports flooded the market and orders shrank," said Babu Babel, president, Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers' Association (IEEMA). "This order would not only provide us the much-needed level playing field but encourage 'Make in India'. We would like to also convey that the Indian power equipment industry is prepared to meet the demand," Babel added. IEEMA is the representative association for the whole value chain in power generation, transmission and distribution equipment manufacturers. The government has set a target of 88,537 MW capacity addition for the 12th Plan period ending 2016-17. Till December, 72,240.12 MW, or 81.59 per cent of the target, has been achieved, according to the Central Electricity Authority. In the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 the government reduced the export obligation for those procuring capital goods domestically to 4.5 times of imports as against 6 times under the EPCG scheme, which will encourage the domestic capital goods industry. To make it easier for companies to do business, a panel constituted to suggest amendments in the Companies Act, 2013 has recommended, among other things, doing away with any kind of government intervention in managerial remuneration and allowing start-ups to issue more sweat equity and employee stock options (ESOPs). The panel, headed by corporate affairs secretary Tapan Ray, has said that for managerial remuneration shareholders' approval should suffice and no government nod should be needed. Further, only ordinary resolution, nod from 50 per cent of shareholders, would be enough. At present, approval from 75 per cent shareholders is required. The committee also suggested relaxing norms for start-ups to issue sweat equity. Now, 50 per cent of the paid up capital could be issued as sweat equity, against the existing norm of 25 per cent. The panel said employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) norms be relaxed for start-ups. Currently, ESOPs cannot be issued to promoters or promoter directors even if they are employees of the company. The committee felt this rule should be relaxed to enable issuance of ESOPs to promoters who are working as employees or employee directors or whole-time directors. This would help the promoters gain from increase in future valuation of the company without in impacting finances of the company during its initial years. On norms for associate companies, the panel suggested a company would only be considered an 'associate company' if the parent company controls at least twenty per cent of total voting power, instead of the current norm based on the share capital. The ten-member panel recommended the removal of provision under Section 2(87), which prohibited the companies to not have more than two levels of subsidiaries. "The panel has tried to address various transitional challenges for companies as well as lots of inconsistencies because of different provisions in the Companies Act, accounting standards and Sebi regulations," said Yogesh Sharma, Partner, Grant Thornton India. The panel found that Section 447 - which lays down the punishment for any person found guilty of fraud to minimum six months imprisonment - has a potential of being misused and may also have a negative impact on attracting professionals in the post of directors etc. It has recommended that only those frauds which involve Rs 10 lakh or above, or one per cent of the company's turnover, whichever is lower, may be punishable under Section 447. In order to bring the Companies Act in harmony with the Sebi regulations, the panel said that independent director should not have any kind of pecuniary relationship with the company. It has recommended there should be a test of materiality so that a 'pecuniary relationship' can be established and, subsequently, prohibited if it is affecting the director's independence. Sections 194 and 195 of the Companies Act - which restrict forward dealing and insider trading by directors and key managerial professionals (KMPs) of any company - have also been recommended to be removed. These issues are already covered under Sebi regulations. "The Committee deliberated on the issues involved and noted that Sebi regulations are comprehensive in the matter (and also apply to companies intending to get listed), and in view of the practical difficulties expressed by stakeholders, sections 194 and 195 may be omitted from the Act," said the panel report. This means the norms governing insider trading and forward dealing would not apply to unlisted entities. In a major jolt to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the panel has recommended formation of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) under Section 132 of the Act. The Committee said, "in view of the critical nature of responsibilities wherein lapses have been seen to cause serious repercussions, the need for an independent body to oversee the profession is a requirement of the day." MAJOR CHANGES SUGGESTED IN COMPANIES ACT The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended a public-private partnership (PPP) model for BharatNet, an ambitious project involving setting up a broadband network in rural India. A model with private incentives and long-term service delivery similar to the build-own-operate transfer or build-operate-transfer models of implementation would be the preferred means of implementation, Trai said in its recommendations announced on Monday. PPPs seek to combine the private sectors capacity for delivery with the Governments role as an enabler and regulator to overcome market failures. PPPs must be viewed as not just an instrument for easing finance and capacity constraints, but as an effective tool towards ensuring competition in service delivery and improvement in quality of service, Trai said. A special purpose vehicle, the Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), under the telecom ministry is now handling rolling out the optical fibre network being executed by BSNL, Railtel and Power Grid. The previous government had approved a project cost of Rs 20,000 crore for laying optical fibre network in 2011 but progress has been poor. It is expected that BharatNet will be completed by 2017-18, after missing many deadlines. Even the project cost has increased to about Rs 70,000 crore over the years. The project was earlier named the national optical fibre network but later renamed BharatNet by the current government. The national optical fibre network (NOFN) project had failed in achieving its original objective of increasing broadband subscription in the country. The task of rolling out a broadband network should be given to a concessionaire selected through reverse bidding. Funding should be done to bridge the loss incurred due to higher operational expenses and lower commercial accruals, Trai said. It can be safely concluded that the NOFN has failed in achieving its original objectives, the regulator said. Focusing on the design of the finance and investment model for future roll-out of broadband is critical. The National Telecom Policy of 2012 (NTP 2012) envisaged broadband on demand by 2015, and 175 million broadband subscribers by 2017 with a minimum speed of 2 Mbps and up to 100 Mbps on demand. As of September 2015, the total number of broadband (defined as download speeds >=512 Kbps) subscribers stood at 120.88 million (largely concentrated in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu), with only 27.20 million rural subscribers. This internet divide between rural and urban India has become more relevant as the scope of activities carried out on the Internet has expanded beyond what was previously imagined, Trai said. Moreover, rural broadband access will help address multiple service deficits that arise due to other infrastructure related constraints widespread among the rural population. The potential gains from increasing such access are tremendous the Report of the Committee on NOFN in its projections of the economic benefit from BharatNet estimated that an additional 25 million Internet users by 2018-19 would result in economic benefits of Rs 66,465 crore due to the direct, indirect and spillover benefits of Internet access. It also recommended that the central and state governments become anchor clients of this project and purchase a bandwidth of 100 megabytes per second at market rate. To ensure that the concessionaire does not discriminate between service providers in granting access of optical fibres, Trai has recommended arm's length relationship between concessionaire and service providers, adding that 50 per cent of the optical fibre should be reserved for telecom and cable service providers. Besides, the government should become a minority partner of the concessionaire with 26 per cent stake as this would lower financing cost and risk. "In addition, this can help the government check monopolistic behaviour on the part of the concessionaire," Trai added. The tax authorities have solved transfer pricing disputes with two Indian subsidiaries of a UK company involved in manufacturing of automotive and industrial component. The disputes were solved through bilateral advance pricing agreements (APAs), signed with these companies and the British government. The APAs cover 2013-14 to 2017-18 and also have a "rollback" provision for two years (2011-12 and 2012-13). Transfer pricing disputes on similar transactions were recently resolved under a mutual agreement procedure (MAP) for each of these companies for 2006-07 to 2010-11. With the signing of the bilateral APAs, the two Indian companies have been provided with tax certainty for 12 years each (five years under MAP and seven years under APA). The two APAs are significant because these address the issues of payment of management & service charges and payment of royalty. These transactions generally face prolonged and multilayered transfer pricing disputes. With this signing, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has so far signed 41 APAs - 38 unilateral and three bilateral. A bilateral APA was signed with Japan in December 2014. In unilateral APAs, only the companies concerned and Indian tax authorities are involved. However, in bilateral APAs, the government of the country the multinational concerned is headquartered is also involved. The government has expedited resolving transfer pricing disputes. It has solved over 100 transfer pricing disputes over the previous year with US companies engaged in sectors such as information technology (software development) services [ITS] and information technology enabled services [ITeS] segments. This is expected to pave the way for greater transfer pricing cooperation and enhance foreign investment flow. More cases are expected to be solved by the end of the financial year. Joining the Startup India bandwagon, Uttar Pradesh has finalised its own start-up policy to promote the 'start-up culture' and entrepreneurship in the state. UP Information Technology & Start-up policy 2016 is aimed at facilitating both small and large IT/ ITeS industry spanning start-ups and micro, small, and medium enterprises by providing incentives and a conducive policy framework. The draft of the policy is ready and would now be placed before the state cabinet for approval. States like Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh etc have already laid out their respective start-up policies or are in the process of hitting the trail soon to promote their bunch of budding entrepreneurs. Under the proposed policy, UP would promote start-ups through the INFUSE model (Incubators-Fund of Funds-Start-up entrepreneurs), wherein it would provide financial support to incubators, start-ups and venture capitalists. The government would create an initial corpus (seed fund) of Rs 100 crore to promote incubators and mobilise start-ups. The seed fund could also be increased depending upon the requirement and scalability. However, the funds would not be invested directly into a start-up, but injected in Sebi-approved venture capital (VC) funds. For UP-based start-ups, the state government would match 25% of the money invested by the VC. The corpus would be professionally managed like a private equity (PE)/venture fund and a permanent fund manager would be appointed to manage the funds granted by the government, the policy draft reads. The policy has trifurcated UP in three tiers, wherein Tier I includes Noida and Greater Noida. Tier II comprises Lucknow, Agra, Kanpur, Allahabad, Meerut, Varanasi and other cities having population of over 2 million, including the Agra-Greater Noida Yamuna Expressway region. Tier III includes cities having population of less than 2 million. A state level Empowered Committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary would monitor the implementation of the policy. It would also comprise senior bureaucrats and principal secretaries of the departments of IT, finance, planning, small industries, commercial tax, energy, transport, revenue, housing etc. The government also proposes to promote establishment of new incubators. In the first phase, the government would encourage government/semi-government institutions like IITs, IIMs etc to set up incubators/accelerators to build the start-up ecosystem. Of late, the incumbent Akhilesh Yadav government has been trying to boost economic activity in the state for speedy job creation and economic development. The government has announced fresh policies in all the major sectors spanning agriculture, industry, solar power, rooftop solar power plant, dairy etc to attract private investment and improve the ease of doing business environment in the state. It has been organising investors' conclaves and roping in non-resident Indians (NRI) to promote 'Brand UP' and attract investment. In a recent pan-India survey on 'Ease of Doing Business' conducted by the World Bank Group in consort with KPMG and CII, UP had stood tenth in the tally, which was topped by Gujarat and followed by Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand. Odisha and Karnataka, which had secured the seventh and ninth position respectively, were the only non-BJP-ally ruled states to figure in the top 10 states, which assessed them on eight reform parameters viz. setting up business, land allotment, construction permit, labour reforms, environmental clearances procedure etc. With UP polls due early next year, the Akhilesh dispensation is on an overdrive to complete development projects underway. Dr. Mahesh Sharma addresses at All India Conference of Regional Editors at Jaipur . . Dr. Mahesh Sharma, the Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism and Culture and Minister of State for Civil Aviation addressed the All India Conference of Regional Editors" at Jaipur, Rajasthan today. The two days Conference has been organized by Press Information Bureau, Government of India to familiarize Regional Media persons with the various ongoing programmes and schemes of the Government of India. Later the Minister interacted with the visiting media persons on achievements and many successes of the Ministry of Tourism. . . Dr. Sharma informed the media persons that India has moved 13 positions ahead from 65th to 52nd rank in Tourism and Travel Competitive Index as per the World Economic Forum (Davos) Report. . . The Minister said that Ministry of Tourism has announced the constitution of the Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Board on 27th September, 2015. The Board has been formed to tap the potential and advantages that India has in the field of medical and wellness tourism. The Board will provide leadership of the Government within a framework of prudent and effective measures, thereby enabling promotion and positioning of India as a competent and credible medical and wellness tourism destination. The Board is chaired by the Union Tourism Minister and consists of members representing the related Government Departments, Tourism & Hospitality sector and experts in the Medical, Wellness and Yoga. . . He said that his Ministry has launched a Welcome Booklet for distribution at immigration counters to tourists arriving at international airports. The Welcome Booklet contains information on Dos and Donts for Tourists, contact details of Indiatourism domestic offices and Tourist Helpline Number. The Booklet is intended to be a helpful aid to foreign tourist immediately on arrival. . . The Minister informed the media persons that Ministry of Tourism has launched a 24x7 Incredible India Help Line in December, 2014 to provide the tourist with valuable information and to guide them during emergencies. It is intended to provide a sense of security to the tourists. The service is available toll free on telephone no. 1800111363 or on a short code 1363. . . He informed them that in the year 2015, the Ministry of Tourism has signed MoUs/Agreements with many countries which include Peoples Republic of China; United Republic of Tanzania; Republic of Uzbekistan; Government of Turkmenistan; Arab Republic of Egypt; United Arab Emirates; and Royal Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia; . . He said that Foreign Tourist Arrivals (Provisional) from January to December, 2015 were 8.02 million, representing an increase of 4.4% over the same period of the previous year, which was 7.68 million. Foreign Exchange Earnings (Provisional) of Rs. 1,26,211 crore during the period January to December, 2015 representing an increase of 2.3% over the same period of previous year, which was Rs. 1,23,320 crore. . . The Minister said that a path breaking initiative by the Government, e-Tourist Visa launched on 27th November, 2014, which enables the prospective visitor to apply for an Indian Visa from his/her home country online without visiting the Indian Mission and also pay the visa online. Till December, 2014 e-Tourist Visa was available to the citizens of 43 countries. During the year 2015, 70 more countries were covered under e-Tourist Visa regime. This facility is now available for citizens of 113 countries arriving at 16 Airports in India. During January- December, 2015 a total number of 4,45,300 tourist arrived on e-Tourist Visa while during the same period in 2014 a total number of 39,046 tourist arrived on e-tourist visa registering a growth rate of 1040.4%. The percentage share of top 10 source countries availing e-Tourist Visa facility during December, 2015 were as follows:- UK (23.81%), USA (19.59%), Russian Fed. (9.33%), Australia (5.44%), Germany (4.86%), France (4.44%), Canada (4.40%), China (3.10%), Republic of Korea (1.83%) and Ukraine (1.67%).. . He said that Swadesh Darshan Scheme aims at integrated development of circuits having tourist potential in a planned and prioritized manner, promoting cultural heritage of country, development world-class infrastructure in circuit destinations, pro-poor tourism approach, promoting local arts, handicrafts, cuisine and generating employment. 13 Circuits have been identified for development under the scheme namely Swadesh Darshan. The Circuits are:- North-East India Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit. Three projects were sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan during the year 2014-15 at a total cost of Rs. 153.00 crore. Fifteen projects have been sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan during the year 2015-16 at a total cost of Rs. 1330.82 crores. . . The Minister informed them that National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) aims at integrated development of pilgrimage destinations to provide complete religious and spiritual tourism experience. 13 cities identified for implementation in first phase Varanasi, Amritsar, Ajmer, Mathura, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Velankanni, Dwarka, Puri, Amaravati, Kedarnath, Kamakhya and Patna. Four projects have been sanctioned under PRASAD during the year 2014-15 at a total cost of Rs. 78.57 crore. Five projects have been sanctioned under PRASAD during the year 2015-16 at a total cost of Rs. 150.77 crore. . . He said that the initiatives of Swachh Bharat Swachh Paryatan Swachh Bharat Swachh Smarak and Swachh Bharat Swachh Pakwan were announced during the celebrations of Good Governance Day on 26th December, 2014. A Nation-wide Sanitation/Cleanliness Campaign from 25th September 31st October, 2015 was observed by Ministry of Tourism and its subordinate offices and affiliated Institutes. . . Environment Ministers Message on World Wetlands Day . . Wetlands for our Future Sustainable Livelihoods" is this Years Theme . . The following is the text of the message of Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar, on the occasion of World Wetlands Day, being celebrated tomorrow, February 2, 2016: . . The World Wetlands Day, celebrated on 2nd February each year around the world to mark the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in the city of Ramsar in Iran in 1971, is a day to promote, create awareness and ensure positive & affirmative action for conservation of wetlands. . . Water is life, and wetlands are the life support systems that ensure functioning of the water cycle. Wetlands help recharge groundwater aquifers, cleanse polluted waters, protect shorelines and act as sponges to mitigate floods. The extensive food chain and biological diversity in wetlands make them biological supermarkets. Wetlands are valuable as sources, sink and transformers of a multitude of biological, chemical and genetic material. In addition, wetlands have special attributes as cultural heritage of humanity, and have deep connections with our beliefs and practices. They are indeed an important part of our natural wealth and liquid assets". . . The theme of World Wetlands Day this year is Wetlands for our Future Sustainable Livelihoods. The theme highlights the value of wetlands in securing local livelihoods through activities as fishing, rice farming, tourism, and water provision. Ever since civilizations began, wetlands have played an important role in development of human society. The wise use principle of wetland management encapsulates the linkages between wetland functioning and livelihoods, on sustainable basis guided by ecosystem approaches. . . The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will continue to accord high priority to conservation and wise use of wetlands in the country. The National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) provides the policy framework and support to State Governments for integrated management of wetlands. The Ministry has also initiated the process of revising the existing regulatory framework on wetlands to enable a greater role and ownership by State Governments in management of wetlands, particularly as water and land are State subjects. The State Wetland Authorities are envisaged to be entrusted the role of management and regulation of wetlands within their jurisdiction. . . In a strategic step towards increasing the capacity of wetland managers in integrated and holistic management, upgrading the existing Wetland Research and Training Centre of Chilika Development Authority at Barkul, Odisha into the National Capacity Development Centre for Wetlands is also being envisaged. . . This year the World Wetlands Day is being celebrated by the Ministry, in collaboration with the Government of West Bengal at Sunderbans, one of the largest single block of estuarine mangrove forests in the world, which provides habitat to numerous plant and animal species, including the Royal Bengal Tiger. . . The Ministry looks forward to working with State Governments, experts, NGOs, private sector and concerned citizens from all walks of life to secure these natural resource endowments." . . Prime Minister meets Dr Abdullah Abdullah, the Chief Executive of Afghanistan . Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met the Chief Executive of Afghanistan, Dr Abdullah Abdullah today. . . Prime Minister extended a warm welcome to Dr Abdullah who would be delivering a Keynote Address at the Conference on Counter-terrorism-2016 being held in Jaipur. . . Dr Abdullah Abdullah recalled positively the maiden and successful visit of the Prime Minister to Afghanistan in December 2015. He said that the visit reenergised the strategic partnership between the two countries. He deeply appreciated the support being extended by India for infrastructure development and capacity building in Afghanistan. . . Prime Minister expressed deep gratitude towards the Government and the National Security Forces of Afghanistan for their bravery and sacrifice in order to protect the Indians, especially during the attack on the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif on January 4-5, 2016. Prime Minister reiterated India's commitment to extend all possible support to the efforts of the Afghan people in building a peaceful, stable, prosperous, inclusive and democratic country. . . The two leaders shared views on further deepening the strategic partnership, both in the bilateral and regional context. . . An Agreement for visa free travel for diplomatic passport holders of the two countries was exchanged in the presence of the two leaders. . . Training Programme Inaugurated as Part of Indo-Thai Geo Spatial Cooperation Project . . Seven trainees from Thailand started their 4-week long training at Indian Institute of Surveying and Mapping (IISM) of Survey of India here on Monday as part of Indo-Thai Geo Spatial Cooperation Project. The trainees are from Geo informatics & Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), Thailand. The cooperation project seeks to share and demonstrate capabilities and expertise gained by the Survey of India in Urban Mapping by undertaking survey of a chosen town of area about 100 sq km, in Thailand and for imparting training in surveying and mapping techniques officials of GISTDA at the Indian Institute of Surveying and Mapping (IISM). . . In year 2013 a memorandum of understanding was signed during the visit of the Prime Minister of India to the Thailand between Royal Kingdom of Thailand and Government of India, which envisages cooperation between the two countries in the field of Science, Technology and Education. Department of Science & Technology, Government of India is monitoring this joint project on behalf of Government of India. Joint Secretary, DST is the nodal officer for the implementation of the project. To implement the objectives envisaged in the MOU, a group of officers accompanied with their Managers from the Kingdom of Thailand had visited Indian Institute of Surveying & Mapping, Hyderabad (Survey of India). Survey of India & DST Officers also visited Thailand to firm up the further modalities and terms of the cooperation. . . During this one month they will be taking training in different specialization of surveying and mapping like Photogrammetry, Geodesy and Topographical mapping. After the training they will use the knowledge gained during the training for various types of mapping including the urban mapping in that land. . . llSM was established in 1967, is pioneer institute in lndia in field of training in Surveying and Mapping and has already trained more than 30000 lndian personnel at various levels and more than 600 Jrom other Asian-African country in field of Survey and Mapping. Officers and Personnel from almost all state government came regularly to llSM. SOl, the India premier national mapping agency, is serving the country for nearly past 250 years by generating and providing the quality geospatial data and map to the country. . . Shri R. M. Tripathi, Surveyor General of India, Shri U.N Gurjar, Addl Surveyor General, Shri U.N. Mishra, Deputy Surveyor General and Course Co-ordinator Shri S.V. Singh and Shri Tatiya Chuentragun, Director Product Development, GISTDA, Ms.Varaiporn Sintop, Co-ordinator, GISTDA from the Government of Thailand were present at the inaugural of the training programme. . . Vietnam Lifts Ban on Import of Indian Groundnut- Major Step Forward in Securing Market Access . . Vietnam has formally lifted the ban on import of Indian Groundnut, thereby providing market access after nine months. The Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (MARD) have formally communicated the decision to the Indian Government stating that Plant Protection Department of Vietnam (PPD) will issue import permits for groundnuts for January 18th 2016. . . The lifting of ban has come in the wake of visit of Vietnam delegation to India in December 2015. The delegation was satisfied after seeing fumigation facilities, export procedures and export certification system for export of groundnuts export from India, as per the Standard Operating Procedure developed by Directorate of plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Faridabad. . . Background . . Vietnam had temporarily suspended import of groundnuts from India w.e.f, 6th April, 2015 due to interceptions of quarantine pests living Caryedon serratus and Trogodrma granarium intercepted in consignments of groundnuts exported since January, 2015. . . In order to resolve this problem, DAC&FW forwarded technical information for finalizing the Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) of the groundnut bruchid (Caryedon serratus Olivier), detailed report on investigation and remedial measures taken along with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and action taken in the matter to Vietnam. . . SS/CP Aung San Suu Kyi's party assumed control of Myanmar's parliament on Monday as more than half a century of military rule comes to an end, though who will lead the government and what its priorities will be remain shrouded in secrecy. Members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), which trounced the military-backed ruling party by a nearly 10-1 margin in November's poll, posed for photos outside the parliament building in Naypyidaw, though they offered few clues as to what the government would look like. "We expect big change for the country," said Soe ... Nokia said it had settled a lengthy patent dispute with South Korea's Samsung on Monday, but investors were disappointed by the financial terms of the deal. Nokia's shares fell more than 10 per cent after the Finnish firm, headed by Rajeev Suri, said the Samsung deal would lift patent unit Nokia Technologies' sales to around Euro 1.02 billion ($1.1 billion) in 2015, from Euro 578 million in 2014. The patent business is set to become a smaller part of Nokia after its proposed Euro 15.6-billion takeover of French network gear rival Alcatel-Lucent, whose shares fell by 11 per cent following news of the Samsung patent deal. Samsung's stock was up by 1.1 per cent. Nokia shares have fallen since the announcement of Alcatel-Lucent deal last April, partly due to the dilution of the patents business and also due to worries about integration. The annualised run-rate for its patent unit following the Samsung deal is now about Euro 800 million, Nokia said. This compared with average analysts' forecasts for the unit's 2016 sales of about Euro 900 million. "There have been expectations that Nokia could make more money with their patent portfolio than (rival) Ericsson This outcome did not support that... Estimates will be revised," said Nordea analyst Sami Sarkamies, who has a "hold" rating on Nokia. Sweden's Ericsson, which recently signed a licence deal with Apple, has a patent sales run-rate of about Euro 1.2 billion. In 2014, Nokia sold its once-dominant phone business to Microsoft, leaving it focused on telecom network equipment while retaining a large portfolio of handset patents. Samsung and Nokia entered into a binding arbitration in 2013 to settle additional compensations for Nokia's phone patents for a five-year period starting from early 2014. Nokia added it expects to receive at least Euro 1.3 billion of cash during 2016-2018 related to its settled and ongoing arbitrations, including the Samsung award. Nokia currently has a similar dispute with LG Electronics . It is expected to start talks over a new contract with Apple in the coming years. Some investors criticised the way Nokia had communicated the settlement, while expressing surprise over the scale of the share price movement given the relatively sizes of Nokia Technologies to its networks business. "The company should be more explicit, investors are left wondering for example on the Technologies (unit's) actual topline forecast for 2016," said Juha Varis, a fund manager at Danske Capital. "I'm mostly surprised over the share reaction. Considering the increasing significance of (the) network business for the stock, this is a very strong movement," Varis, whose fund owned 0.08 per cent of Nokia shares as of end-December, said. American and European officials failed on Sunday to reach an agreement over how digital data - including financial information and social media posts - could be transferred between the two regions. Despite last-minute talks, the two sides remained far apart on specific details required to approve a comprehensive deal. Without an agreement, companies that regularly move data, including tech giants like Google and non-tech companies like General Electric, could find themselves in murky legal waters. European and American officials had until Sunday evening to meet a deadline set by Europe's national privacy agencies, some of which have promised aggressive legal action if the current negotiations founder. Those agencies will publish their own judgment on how data can be moved safely between the two regions on Wednesday. With time ticking down, the two sides are now hoping to agree to a broad deal before European national regulators act on Wednesday, according to several officials with direct knowledge of the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. Still, negotiators said sticking points remained - including over how Europeans' data would be protected from surveillance by the American government and how Europeans could seek legal remedies in American courts - and neither side could guarantee the final outcome. The rules governing the transfer of online data have become a vital issue for many businesses. Facebook and Google, for example, use the information to help tailor the advertisements that are central to their businesses. Many non-tech companies, like GE, move data related to their customers and employees, as well as on how their products are used. No big American company is expected to change how it does business immediately. But many have gathered teams of lawyers to protect themselves in case no deal emerges. "There's a lot of uncertainty," said Tanguy Van Overstraeten, global head of privacy and data protection at the Brussels office of the Linklaters law firm, who represents companies that may become tangled up in the standoff. "We need a solution. Global business relies on transferring data. You cannot stop that." The most recent talks have been taking place in Brussels. Senior officials from the Commerce Department, the Federal Trade Commission and other American agencies travelled there last week. They have been meeting with the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union that is in charge of the negotiations, along with senior national politicians from across Europe. With the talks increasingly stalled, Penny Pritzker, the United States commerce secretary, was expected to call Vera Jourova, the European commissioner of justice, on Sunday in the hopes of brokering a deal. The negotiations began three months ago after Europe's highest court invalidated a 15-year-old data-transfer pact, a so-called safe harbour agreement. The judges ruled that Europeans' data was not sufficiently protected when being transferred to the United States. European and American negotiators had been talking for years about a new deal, but the court's decision - which went into effect immediately - made action increasingly urgent. In recent weeks, American officials have offered a number of concessions to their European counterparts. They include increased oversight over American intelligence agencies' access to European data, according to several officials involved in the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. American officials have also proposed the creation of a so-called data ombudsman within the State Department. That office, according to officials, would give Europeans a direct point of contact in the United States if they believed government agencies had misused their data. Europeans also may seek arbitration directly with American companies that they accuse of unlawfully using their digital information. European officials, though, have expressed doubts that those moves would hold up if challenged in European courts. They have asked the Americans to provide specific details about how the current proposals would work in practice, according to two officials. In particular, Europeans want more information on the limits to American intelligence agencies' access to European data, and on how Europeans can file legal claims in the United States. American officials have argued that their proposals will stand up to European legal challenges. They also believe the United States has levels of data protection comparable to those in the European Union, where privacy is valued as highly as freedom of expression. "We've agreed to make major changes," Bruce H Andrews, the deputy secretary of the Commerce Department, said on January 15. "The US takes individuals' privacy very seriously." Any company - large or small - that transfers information between the two regions may face legal challenges. But the most likely targets for litigation, privacy advocates say, are large American tech giants like Google and Facebook that rely so heavily on people's data. Several of Europe's national data regulators, including Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, the French privacy chief who is chairwoman of a Pan-European data protection group, have said they will back a new data-transfer agreement if all of Europe's privacy rights are upheld in the United States. But if a new pact is not approved - or does not meet national regulators' standards - some European privacy watchdogs may demand new limits on the movement of data. Several consumer groups plan to file complaints about how companies transfer data as soon as Monday, arguing that people's rights are not upheld when information is moved to the United States. "These issues are going to end up back in court," said Peter Swire, a law professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who helped negotiate the original safe harbour agreement while working for the Clinton administration. The importance of the deal to the companies and privacy groups has crystallized in recent weeks, as American executives and government officials made it a top priority. At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, for instance, Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of the social network Facebook, held high-level discussions with a number of European and American politicians to voice the company's concerns about the pending deadline, according to several people with knowledge of the matter. Secretary Pritzker also met with Andrus Ansip, the European official in charge of the region's digital agenda, among other local policy makers, at Davos to discuss the new pact. On their way to negotiations in Brussels, a delegation of American officials made a stop in Paris last week, sitting down with a group of European national regulators to address concerns over how their citizens' data was used in the United States. In Brussels, several trade groups regularly shuttled between meetings with senior European officials last week. The groups representing the tech industry came armed with a series of legal opinions from leading data protection experts that played down the differences in the way privacy was handled in the two regions. The legal arguments included details about why current United States rules were on par with those of Europe - a view that critics of America's position jumped on almost immediately. "That assessment just isn't true," said Jan Philipp Albrecht, a German politician who has called for stronger data protection rules. "There's a massive difference over how this issue is treated in Europe compared to the US." 2016 The New York Times News Service Cotton production is likely to decline by over 14 per cent to a five-year low in 2015-16 due to a decline in yield of the standing crop in north India. The trade estimates cotton output at around 33 million bales (170 kg each) for the October 2015-September 2016 crop year against 38 million bales in the previous year. Anticipating lower output, the Cotton Advisory Board, in its first estimate in November, forecast output at 36.5 million bales. The agriculture ministry had in September forecast cotton output at 33.51 million bales. The decline assumes significance in states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra where suicides by farmers were a matter of concern. "We estimate lower cotton output this year. The quantity of output will be ascertained in the next Cotton Advisory Board meeting on Tuesday," Textiles Commissioner Kavita Gupta told Business Standard. Trade sources have sent their assessments to the textiles commissioner's office. A majority of them have forecast output at 33.5-36 million bales and the Cotton Association of India's estimate was 34.5 million bales. "In our view, cotton output will not surpass 32.5 million bales this year. Unlike last season, when one or two spells of rainfall supported flowering, development and maturing of pods, the lack of winter showers has hit cotton yield," said M B Lal, past chairman of the Cotton Corporation of India and managing director of Shail Exports, a city-based cotton exporter. The 15 per cent decline in average acreage in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra was likely to hit farmers. In Karnataka alone, the cotton output was estimated at 1.7-1.8 million bales, down from 3.0 million bales last year. Whiteflies infestation in Punjab and Haryana was set to reduce output of this region to 4.05 million bales from 5.2 million bales in the previous year. The output in Gujarat is also likely to slump to 9-9.5 million bales this year from 12.2 million bales a year ago. "The government needs to take strict action against trade malpractices. In Punjab and Haryana, the yield was impacted because of spurious seeds supplied to farmers. Also, ginners are mixing sub-standard cotton in Gujarat. These practices need to be curbed immediately," said Arun Sakseria, managing director, DD Cotton, a cotton exporter. Engineers India Ltd (EIL) today informed its Offer for Sale (OFS) has been oversubscribed 2.54 times indicating enthusiastic response from all category of investors. Under the OFS, the government is offering 33.6 million shares to the public thereby disinvesting 10 per cent of its equity in the Public Sector Undertaking (PSU). The floor price for the share sale was fixed at Rs 189 per share of face value of Rs 5. "The EIL OFS received overwhelming response from retail investors which is borne out from the fact that the OFS registered participation of 3.9 times from this category of investors," the company said in a statement. It added the investor enthusiasm for the OFS is borne out by the fact that the indicative price for the offer was Rs 190.63 which is above the floor price. The success of the offer raises hopes for the government's disinvestment programme in the remainder of the current fiscal, according to EIL. OnMobile Global has moved higher by 7% to Rs 140 on the BSE after the company announced share buyback plan. A meeting of the board of directors of the company will be held on February 04, 2016, to consider a proposal of buyback of equity shares of the company, OnMobile Global said in a BSE filing. In past two weeks, the stock zoomed 52% from Rs 92 on January 18, as compared to 3% rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. Last week, on January 28, the company announced that it had secured a three year deal from Reliance Communications (RCom) to provide Ring Back Tones to its customers on GSM and CDMA networks across India. The company engaged in providing value added services in telecom business, on January 19 said that it has bagged a three years renewal for its Ring Back Tone (RBT) offering with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in South & East Zone with an option to extend for the fourth year as well. At 02:40 PM, the stock was up 3% at Rs 134 on the BSE on back of two-fold jump in trading volumes. A combined 3.99 million shares changed hands on the BSE and NSE. At least 15 Taliban insurgents and three policemen have been killed in clashes with security forces in northern Faryab province of Afghanistan. TOLONews reported 15 other insurgents were also injured in the clash. The insurgents were killed in the insecure parts of the province after they clashed with the security forces, Provincial Security Official Abdul Qadir Sayad said. Qadir added that the security forces have also discovered several mines in the areas. The Taliban however has not yet commented on the clashes. At least 15 Taliban insurgents and three policemen has been killed in clashes with security forces in northern Faryab province of Afghanistan. TOLO News reported 15 other insurgents were also injured in the clash. The insurgents were killed in the insecure parts of the province after they started clashes with the security forces, Provincial Security Official Abdul Qadir Sayad said. Qadir added that the security forces have also discovered several mines in the areas. The Taliban however has not yet commented on the clashes. After successfully launching its services in Mumbai and Pune, Aasaanjobs is now set for a launch of its recruitment portal for entry level and blue collar workers and job seekers based in the capital. "The job market in Delhi is ripe with opportunities. Migration from neighboring cities/states creates an exodus of people who still lack access to a regulated job search mechanism. Our particular aim is to reach out to all these people by finding the best professional avenues for them based on their skill sets," said Dinesh Goel, founder and CEO, Aasaanjobs. "This also eases the pressure off companies who are looking to hire but don't have the time to micromanage and screen through to get the best candidate for the job. We have started catering to a number of clients that we had acquired already from Mumbai and Pune, which should give us a good head start for this city," added Goel. The company's diligently created and managed repertoire of job seekers and hiring companies is adept at narrowing the search down through a tech-enabled system. It has a multilingual website that engages with people from diverse backgrounds apart from a user-friendly WAP website for those who don't own smartphones. The Aasaanjobs app can be accessed by a job seeker to sift through job openings, seek feedback, schedule interviews and track progress literally on-the-go. They can also indulge in selfie videos that speed up the hiring process while cutting unnecessary delays. The portal's focused approach and proactive understanding of the recruiter requirements have given it a professional edge. Aasaanjobs' verified database and one-click feedback mechanism that is well integrated with the job seeker's rating enable prospective employers to make hiring decisions smartly. Their service is tailored to offer contract staffing services that can also handle bulk hiring right to the point of payroll disbursement and compliance management Aasaanjobs intends on making in-roads into three more cities in the future. To this end, it is also onboarding 200 new employees to strengthen its operations. The Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Council of the Ministers of Afghanistan Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, who is on a five-day trip to India, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Monday. Abdullah is primarily visiting India to attend a conference on counter-terrorism in Jaipur on Tuesday. The event is being organised by India Foundation in association with Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice. Abdullah will deliver an address at the counter-terrorism conference, which will be attended by President Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar is also expected to deliver a special lecture at the conference. Abdullah is also expected to meet Security Adviser Ajit Doval on the sidelines of the conference, before he leaves for Kabul on Wednesday. Both Pathankot and Mazar-e-Sharif attacks will be discussed between the two. The All India Regional Editors Conference is set to begin in Jaipur today. Union ministers and editors from different parts of the country will discuss crucial policy decisions and programmes of the Centre. Information and Broadcasting Ministry said that the Union Ministers representing the core social and infrastructure ministries would address various sessions. The two days conference is being organised by Press Information Bureau and over hundred media persons are expected to take part in the conference. Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, J. P. Nadda, Kiren Rijiju, Jitendra Singh, Najma Heptulla, Chaudhary Birender Singh, Sudarshan Bhagat, Mahesh Sharma and Thaawarchand Gehlot will participate in the Conference. The Bangladesh Cabinet has given a final nod to a draft of a law that expands the existing scope for getting dual citizenship. Array Bangladeshis living in countries with which Bangladesh has diplomatic ties would be able to get dual citizenships through the government's gazette notification. Array The approval came at a regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at the Prime Minister's Office with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Array Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said that the proposed law has been amended and the laws are -The Citizenship Act 1951 and the Bangladesh Citizenship Temporary Provisions Order 1972. Array The law incorporated and expanded the scope for getting dual citizenship by the expatriate Bangladeshi nationals. Array The countries exclude the SAARC states, Myanmar and Israel. Bangladesh does not have any diplomatic relations with Israel. Array The approval came at a regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at the Prime Minister's Office with Sheikh Hasina in the chair. The core group of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir is currently meeting to discuss the demands of key ally, the People's Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP had earlier indicated that it won't go ahead with the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party if the agenda of alliance stitched under the leadership of former chief minister Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was not implemented in letter and spirit. Meanwhile, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti has called for a legislature party meeting in Srinagar today to discuss the issue of government formation. Mehbooba had yesterday said the party will take a call on government formation as and when it was confident that the vision and mission of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will be carried forward. According to reports, Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra has told both PDP and BJP that they must clarify by tomorrow evening whether they will form government in the state again. The new government is yet to be formed even three weeks after the death of former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on January 7. The Janata Dal (United) on Monday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government is fanning the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) workers' strike in the capital and stopping the AAP state government from functioning. "The situation in Delhi is due to non-cooperation by the central government. An elected government is being stopped from carrying out its duties," JD (U) leader K C Tyagi told ANI. Tyagi's comments come in the wake of the MCD workers' strike entering its sixth day over non-payment of salaries. The strike seems to be snowballing into a crisis with MCD school teachers also deciding to join the agitation from today. Delhi Ministers, AAP MLAs and hundreds of party workers yesterday hit the streets to clear overflowing garbage dumps. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today said his government's attempt to clean the roads of Delhi was not a photo opportunity, asserting that garbage was actually being picked. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday accused the Congress of having a history of misusing constitutional machineries. "The Supreme Court is looking into the matter (President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh) and its judgement will be supreme and will be valid for everyone. As far as the Congress Party is concerned, the party is known for misusing the constitutional machineries. If a party which has a history of misusing the Constitution in a cruel and shameless way gives us sermons about the Constitution, it is laughable," he said. Naqvi also said that the BJP-led Government understood its responsibility in resolving the Constitutional crisis in Arunachal Pradesh. "We know that we (Central Government) are committed towards the Constitution. We understand that it is our duty to solve any constitutional crisis that arises in any state. We are fulfilling this responsibility," he added. The Supreme Court will hear the petition filed by Congress Party challenging the imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh today. When Barack Obama chose Kendrick Lamar over Drake, he couldn't digest it. The 29-year-old rapper has recently responded in a rap to the President's choice for number one, reports TMZ.com. Earlier, when Obama was asked who would win in a rap battle Drake or Lamar, he chose Kendrick because the lyrics in his last album were outstanding. Well, this is what Drake said in his rap, "Looking for revenge To do what you couldn't do Tell Obama that my verses are just like the whips that he in They bulletproof Minus twenty we in Pitfield That Kai's kitchen in a Canada Goose Famous as f*** but I'm still in the cut when they round up the troops I'm just a sicko a real sicko when you get to know me n***** I let the diss record drop, you was staying right below me, n**** Why would I put a vest I expect you to aim for his head? I coulda killed you the first time Canadian beef ... it's tough. New Delhi, Feb.1 (ANI): As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) indulge in blame game over non-payment of salaries of municipal workers, it is Delhi which is paying a heavy price. Nobody knows who is speaking the truth or who is lying, but the fact is that the people of Delhi are being made to suffer. In this tussle of one upmanship between the BJP and the AAP, politicians have been playing with the lives of the people. Politicians should hang their heads in shame for stooping so low just only to belittle their rivals. Whosoever is behind this crass kind of politics is the worst enemy of humankind! Keeping the city clean is the job of the municipal corporation. When it can't do its job properly, then questions will be raised about the need of such a money guzzler body. Will Delhi not be better off if the job of cleanliness is outsourced to a private party which will be answerable? There is no doubt that the municipal corporation is plagued with corruption, and presided over by inept officials. There are a large number of ghost employees who are in cahoots with corrupt higher officials and drawing monthly salaries. Then, there are many registered employees who have outsourced their work to poor rag pickers and are doing side business. One gets to see the so-called MCD employee during important festivals like Diwali and Holi when they drop in to demand "bakshish". A close scrutiny of the corporation books will unmask the ugly and corrupt accounting practices. Never before has Delhi witnessed such a culture of MCD employees dumping garbage at important intersections of the city? And, this time, it became dirtier when the protesting employees deposited heaps of garbage outside the residences of government ministers to express their anger. Their anguish is understandable. Running the house without getting salaries for months is not a joke. And that too, when prices of essential commodities are hitting the roof! "Achche Din" is nothing but a "jumla" for them. What do you say, Mr. Amit Shah? Going on strike is the fundamental right of municipal employees when the state fails them. But, it would have been better had they opted for some other novel method. Delhi generates roughly 9,000 metric tonnes of garbage every day. If this is not collected for days together, one can understand the amount of garbage littered across the city. It is unhygienic for the city. Uncollected garbage poses serious health hazards which can cause outbreaks of various diseases. And these diseases can strike anybody, including sanitation workers and their families. Therefore, this practice of protest should best be avoided. One must complement the Public Works Department, Delhi Jal Board and the volunteers of AAP who came forward to clean the city. Had the garbage not been cleared and rains had come, the situation could have been very grave. Here again, politics came to the fore with the BJP terming it a photo-op act by AAP functionaries. The BJP forgets that Prime Minister Narendra Modi also wielded a broom in Delhi's Valmiki Colony and a spade in Varanasi at the ghats of the Ganges as part of his "Swatch Bharat Abhiyan". Was that also a political stunt then? Unlike the Prime Minister, who did "shram daan" only for a few minutes before a battery of cameramen and photographers, the AAP volunteers were seen collecting the stinking garbage. The BJP could have escaped the censure had it taken the initiative. All the three municipal corporations are ruled by the BJP. And, if the sanitation workers stopped work, the BJP, which claims to be the world's largest political party among the democratic countries, could have asked its volunteers to do the job and contribute to the Prime Minister's "Swatch Bharat Abhiyan". Sadly, the BJP's refrain is -- will not do anything and not let others do it as well. Delhi has been suffering since the BJP was decimated by the rookie party in last year's elections. The people of Delhi are being punished for voting overwhelmingly for the AAP. The BJP will do well not to resort to the "revenge" politics. Not only did it face ignominious defeat in Delhi, it had to bite the dust in Bihar as well. The forthcoming elections in four states and a union territory also don't seem to bring any good news for the country's ruling party. The country needs development and not garbage. And stinking politics will only sink the party which practices it. . New Delhi, Feb.1 (ANI): The Indian armed forces have suffered from time and technology challenges over the last 30 years, but apparently to make up for the lost time, the government has now approved the Indian Air Force's (IAF) requirements for unmanned combat aircraft, technically called Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs). India has been buying Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from Israel from the late 1990s for the Army for surveillance (only) in border areas. But the success of US combat drones in Afghanistan in neutralising hostile targets with precision had prompted the Indian Air Force (IAF) to ask for these deadly pilotless attack machines several years back. Reliable sources told India Strategic (www.indiastrategic.in) that India has officially mentioned the requirement for Predator C, built by General Atomics, during the visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to Washington in December, and that this is likely to be on the US-India bilateral agenda during the official visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi there March-end. He will be paying his first offical visit to the US this time at the invitation of President Barack Obama, and discussions are on between the officials of the two countries to prepare for what should be on the table for appending signatures during the high-level visit. India has interest in both Predator XP, which is available for export right away after procedural clearance from the US Departments of State and Defense as it only carries cameras and surveillance equipment, and the Predator C, which can execute precision attacks on terrorists and their vehicles and houses alike. The armed version however cannot be acquired by India from any country unless it is cleared by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), one of the four denial regimes set up against India after its 1974 nuclear test. The United States, which has spearheaded a campaign for global cooperation with India after 2005 in civil nuclear energy, has promised to have this restriction lifted. The only reservation is from Italy, which is upset over the trial of two of its naval crew after they shot an Indian fisherman, mistaking him for a terrorist (The 34-member grouping requires unanimity in decision-making, and India's application for membership is pending since June 2015). Notably, IAF has serious problems in the number of combat aircraft in its inventory, although now an agreement with France for the acquisition of 36 - or more - Rafale Medium Multi role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) is on the anvil. The acquisition of UCAVs however is a parallel requirement, and this was stated as such some years back by the then Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne as a natural progression, particularly keeping in mind the hostile terror-infested environment around India. Understandably both the UAVs and UCAVs are required by IAF, as these are strategically important - they have no pilots onboard and can be controlled from anywhere in the world through satellite communications. There could also be UCAV requirements from the Navy and Army, depending upon the capabilities of the emerging systems and cost factors. India has been using Israeli Searcher and Heron UAVs. Israel successfully demonstrated the role of UCAVs before the US Air Force (USAF) inducted them, but it is not known if they are available to India as yet. Perhaps yes, as Israel has sold some sophisticated Electronic Warfare (EW) systems including radars to India already. But MTCR restriction would still need to be cleared. The Indian Army first purchased the Israeli Searcher Mark-1 UAVs in view of the Pakistan's Kargil attacks in 1999, and then the IAF and Navy followed with their own requirements. The UAVs are used for surveillance in the border areas and at sea around the Indian Navy formations. The armed version is a natural progression since then, and whether Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria or Libya, the western forces have extensively used them there to locate and destroy hostile targets without putting their pilots at harm's way. The Predator C, also called Avenger, can fly for about 18 hours, carry some 1,400 kilos of weapons and missiles, and can be triggered into firing them from a command centre on land, ship or air. There is no official confirmation from New Delhi - these are hardly stated to the press anyway - but there have been media reports in the recent past in this regard. And of course, as India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is yet far away in delivering an indigenous system, the country has to look elsewhere. General Atomics is a US jewel in technology in nuclear, electromagnetic propulsion and aerial systems. It picked up Dr Vivek Lall, who had successfully led Boeing's campaigns for selling military aircraft to the IAF and Indian Navy, as its Chief Executive, US and International Strategic Development. Although he has global responsibilities, India is his immediate focus given the fast-developing cooperation between Washington and New Delhi in defence and impending civil nuclear energy. A renowned aerospace scientist, Dr Lall is an American of Indian descent, and has worked also with NASA and Raytheon. One of the items on his agenda is the sale of unmanned systems to friendly countries that the company designates in its lingo as Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Asked about India's interest in Predator series of UAVs and UCAVs, Dr Lall said he was aware of it but could only say that while the Predator XP was available without any MTCR-related restrictions, any combat drone could only be sold by the US after Congressional clearance and export laws. He said he could not however confirm or deny if India had indeed asked for these lethal flying machines. He commented though: The Predator-series RPA have been updated with state-of-the-art technologies, including an automatic takeoff and landing capability, redundant flight control surfaces, enhanced avionics, and triple-redundant flight control computers. GA-ASI (General Atomics - Aeronautical Systems Inc.) is also committed to developing a Detect and Avoid (DAA) capability for its RPA." They are also useful in disaster relief operations on land and sea, giving real time information of critical areas and help guide personnel and equipment. Another advantage, according to Dr Lall, was the interoperability of GA-supplied systems with US origin aircraft with IAF and Indian Navy. Asked about possible transfer of technology and coproduction in India in view of the Indian Government's Make in India programme, he said General Atomics would be willing to work with international industrial partners, but that this would depend upon the agreements and diplomatic understandings between the US and India. Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) workers staged a protest outside Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra's residence on Monday, even as the latter said he supported their demand for salary reimbursements. "If by becoming happy about you throwing garbage outside my house, the people of BJP give you your pending salaries, then I will be glad that I came of use to you," read a poster put up by his supporters. The showdown between the AAP Government and the BJP-led municipal corporations over funding of salaries escalated further as city-wide protests marked the sixth day of a civic workers' strike, leaving roads strewn with garbage and several hospitals locked. Amid outrage over the brutal incident where the Delhi Police personnel were seen thrashing the students protesting outside the RSS office, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday lashed out Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the Centre was attacking students instead of listening to them. "Shocking attack on students. Instead of listening to them, now the Modi govt is brutally beating them up for protesting against the RSS!," Rahul Gandhi's office tweeted. Echoing similar sentiments, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP and RSS of using the Delhi Police as their 'private army' to terrorise those opposing the Centre. "I strongly condemn attck on students, FTII, Rohith case, Hyd Univ, IITs and now brutal attack on Del students. Modi govt seems to be at war with students all across," Kejriwal tweeted. Earlier today, a video went viral in which Delhi Police personnel were seen beating up protesters outside the RSS office who were protesting against the suicide of Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula. Array Besides the police, men in plainclothes were also seen joining the brutality by hitting and slapping the protesters. Array The video also shows a male policeman grabbing a girl by her hair, punching her and dragging her. As the Indian Coast Guard celebrates its 39th anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he was proud of the maritime agency personnel. "From guarding coasts, saving lives at sea & preventing marine pollution, we are proud of our Coast Guard personnel," said the Prime Minister in a tweet. The India Coast Guard came into existence on February 1, 1977. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Kerala and Tamil Nadu tomorrow, ahead of Assembly Elections in both states. The Prime Minister will arrive in Kozhikode, where he will deliver an address at the third global ayurveda festival. He will inaugurate the building of the ESIC medical college and hospital in Coimbatore, and hand it over to the government of Tamil Nadu. Prime Minister Modi has not been to Puducherry since he assumed office, however, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah was in the former French colony last year in August. President Pranab Mukherjee will visit Jaipur to inaugurate the Counter-Terrorism Conference 2016 tomorrow. The Counter-Terrorism Conference is being organized by India Foundation in collaboration with the Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, Jodhpur. The conference will bring together counter terrorism practitioners, policy makers and public intellectuals from India and abroad. The first Counter-Terrorism Conference was held in March, 2015 in Jaipur. Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Monday said that it was the Gujarat Government's repeated failure that the Supreme Court was forced to intervene and slam them for not implementing the Food Security Act (NFSA) In a series of tweets, Patel said that the state, which once advertised its efficiency on Gujarat Model, has no explanation as to why it is delaying the rollout of NFSA. "It's a sad day for Gujarat. State govt's repeated failure to implement Food Security Act has finally forced the Supreme Court to intervene. The state govt which once advertised its efficiency as #Gujarat Model has no explanation as to why it is delaying the rollout of NFSA," he tweeted. He also said that the delay has denied the poor their rights. "This delay has denied the poor their rights. I wrote to the CM seven months ago and have not received any reply," he said. The apex court today slammed the Gujarat Government for not implementing the Food Security Act, asking if it was not part of India or wanted to break away. Taking exception to the Gujarat Government's stand that it had not implemented the Food Security Act since it had some issues with the law, an apex court bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice NV Ramana asked the state government to tell whether they believe in the Parliament or law passed by it. The apex court asked if Gujarat was 'unique' and said its stand amounted to undermining the law. The bench said if the court was to accept Gujarat's stand, other states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana besides others would say that they would not implement the said law because Gujarat was not doing so. The court pulled up the Gujarat Government during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a non-governmental organisation 'Swaraj Abhiyan', seeking relief for people living in the drought-affected states. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif enforced the Essential Services (Maintenance) Act 1952 for six months to effectively prevent protesting members of the Pakistan International Airlines(PIA) from participating in any union activity. Array The Dawn reports that any person found guilty of an offence under this act shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year and shall also be liable to paying a fine. Array The aviation division had sent a summary to Sharif which was approved today. Array Employees of the national carrier threatened to go on strike from Tuesday, February 2, because of what they called the government's refusal to accept their main demand of calling off the organisation's privatisation plan. Array PML-N Senator 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. A leader of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress Party said Monday that he recently sent an open letter to veteran actor Anupam Kher that was apparently critical of him to stop him from making negative remarks about intolerance and was taken aback when he indulged in vitriol and mudslinging. In his statement issued to the media, Salman Nizami, said, "I was upset with Anupam Kher's negative remarks on intolerance and for a particular community and using the other for his personal gains." "We, in a sensitive state like Jammu and Kashmir, have a syncretic culture and have to tread carefully to maintain harmony. As an ordinary citizen of India, I expressed my hurt in an open letter to Kher - which was an effort at intellectual engagement - but was taken aback by his vitriol and mud-slinging," he added. "Have we reached such a pass that any disagreement will be answered in this bigoted manner? Kher could have chosen to reply in a civilized manner, chosen not to respond or simply 'tolerated' my letter. Instead, he resorted to slandering, egging on his followers, who trolled me for days on the end," Nizami further stated. He asked, "Does it behove a 'Padma' winner and a popular actor to act like a bigot and hurl random abuse at anyone who critiques the merits and demerits of his award? Is he above criticism? . "Kher's rants and subsequent undignified tweets proves my open letter to him was right," Nizami concluded in his statement. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Naren Chakraborty was arrested last night at the Kolkata airport for carrying a pistol and cartridges in his check-in luggage. According to the Airport rules and regulations, Guns and Firearm are among the banned items which are not permitted to be carried on person or in cabin baggage or in registered baggage while travelling on board. Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari will leave for Brunei Darussalam and Thailand this morning on a five-day tour on the invitation of the leaders of the host nations. The trip is aimed at carrying forward India's bilateral engagements with the two key South East Asian nations. This will be the first ever visit of a Vice President of India to Brunei after establishing diplomatic relations between the two nations in May 1984. In Thailand, a Vice President level visit is taking place after fifty years. Enhancing cooperation in various regional and multilateral forums, strengthening traditional bonds in defence, security, health, space, science and technology and a host of other fields will be the focus of the talks during the visit. The Vice President will be joined by Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary, four Members of Parliament and senior officials. Vice President Ansari would address Universities of the two countries. Signing of MoUs in different fields is also expected during the tour. Ryan International School, which is under scrutiny after a six-year-old child was found dead inside the school premises, on Monday said that they would wait for the outcome of inquiry and added that action would be taken accordingly. "We are sorry if any of our statements have hurt sentiments of the parents. It was not our intention to hurt anyone," Sudha, the spokesperson of Ryan International School, told ANI. Array "Inquiry is going on. We would like to wait for outcome of inquiry and will take appropriate action against the culprits," she added. Array The Delhi Government had yesterday ordered all schools to file a "safety report" within a month following an outrage over the death of a six-year-old boy Divyansh Kakrora, who was found dead on Saturday in a water reservoir at the school premises. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had earlier on Saturday evening ordered a magisterial probe in the case. Volkswagen is planning to localise the production of its 2.0 litre diesel engine, which powers its numerous cars including Skoda Octavia and Audi A3 sold in India. The decision came at a time when the German carmaker localised the making of their 1.5-litre diesel powerhouse last year, now assembled at its Chakan plant, Pune. The 2.0 litre mill complies with BS-VI norms, which are yet to be implemented in India. This means, the carmaker has nothing to worry about, especially when it comes to upgradation of emission norms followed in India. The government plans to skip BS-V standards and directly jump on to BS-VI by 2020. The huge investment required in this venture looks justified, keeping in mind the growing sales of cars in this segment. Localisation will be beneficial for the automaker as it will speed up the manufacturing process and spare part supply. Also known as EA288, the mill will be employed in Volkswagens upcoming cars like new-gen Audi A4 and new Skoda Superb. The MQB platform mostly runs on EA288 engines and future models are also likely to use the same. Volkswagen has been creating a buzz by releasing teasers for its to-be-launched car Ameo. The car is likely to make its way to the 2016 Expo. It is also expected to be powered by two 4-cylinder 1.5-liter mills as offered in Vento and Polo viz. 90PS and 105 PS variants. Also Read: VW India Teases Ameo Again! Source : CarDekho India's telecom regulator recommended a reserve price yesterday of INR115bn (USD1.7bn) per MHz for pan-India 700MHz spectrum. Fitch Ratings believes that efficiency gains from deploying 4G services on 700MHz will be insufficient to offset the relatively high price. The reserve price is about 2.0x, 3.4x and 4.0x of the recommended reserve price for 800MHz, 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum, respectively. As such, the price for 700MHz spectrum could exert further pressure on participating telcos' balance sheets and cash flow, and limit their ability to invest in capex over the medium term. The top four telcos - Bharti Airtel (Bharti, BBB-/Stable), Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications (Rcom, BB-/Stable) - may hesitate to bid for 700MHz spectrum, given their stretched balance sheets and need to preserve cash in light of impending competition from the entry of Reliance Jio (part of Reliance Industries (BBB-/Stable)) in March-April 2016. The FFO-adjusted net leverage of these telcos ranges from 2.0x (Bharti) to 5.0x (Rcom). Consequently, the 700MHz spectrum auction planned in 2H16 may not be attractive to telcos, given limited device availability and that telcos possess alternative spectrum (850MHz/1800MHz/2300MHz) to roll out 4G services. For example, market leader Bharti owns about 40% of the private telcos' 900MHz, and will offer 4G services in 1800MHz and 2300MHz. Reliance Jio, after having invested about USD15bn on spectrum and networks, has access to the pan-India 800MHz/850MHz spectrum. In March 2015, the telcos committed the largest-ever investment of USD17.7bn, 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. Furthermore, the regulator's approval in September 2015 to allow spectrum sharing and trading will allow telcos to buy or share spectrum among themselves, and could make bidding in spectrum auctions unattractive. The industry is consolidating gradually into six major participants. During 2015, Rcom announced its equity-merger with Sistema JSFC's (BB-/Stable) Indian unit, MTS India, and has further plans to merge its wireless unit into Maxis Berhard's Indian unit, Aircel. Fitch believes that smaller and weaker telcos will further seek M&A or exit the industry, in light of the high spectrum prices and stretched balance sheets. Videocon India, one of the smaller firms which is struggling, has agreed to sell its 4G spectrum assets to the third-largest telco, Idea Cellular. Fitch has a negative outlook on Indian telcos for 2016. We expect competition to intensify upon Jio's entry in the market, as it is likely to provide cheaper and faster data-focussed tariff plans armed with sufficient spectrum and access to funds. Blended monthly average revenue per user could fall by 5%-6% to around INR160 (2015: INR170) due to a decline in data tariffs, which will more than offset the rise in data usage. The top-four telcos' average operating EBITDAR margin will narrow by 100bp-200bp (2015: 35%) due to competition and greater marketing spend. The telecom regulator's recommendations on the reserve price of a spectrum are subject to approval by government. Powered by Capital Market - Live News For three of its manufacturing units Ipca Laboratories announced that the United State Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to the Company's manufacturing units at Ratlam (Madhva Pradesh), SEZ Indore (Pithampur) and Piparia (Silvassa). The Company has already suspended shipments of its APIs and formulations for the US market till USFDA inspection observations are resolved. Therefore, since July 2014 the Company has not shipped any APIs or formulations to US market except the products which are exempted from the import alert. Powered by Capital Market - Live News Ten people were killed and 20 others wounded in a suicide blast that rocked Kabul city on Monday. The blast took place in Dehmazang area where compounds of border and civil order police are located, Khaama Press reported. Mohammad Ayoub Salangi, a top police official, confirmed the casualties. "In the Dehmazang square suicide attack, 10 people have been reportedly killed and 20 wounded. Most of them are civilians," read a post on the official twitter account of Gen. Salangi. No group had yet claimed responsibility for the incident. But the Taliban militants carried out several explosions in Kabul city last month, including a suicide bombing that claimed the lives of seven journalists. At least 14 college students - part of a group of 130 on a picnic - drowned in the Arabian Sea at Murud Beach in Raigad district, around 150 km south of Mumbai, police said here on Monday. The toll is expected to rise as 10-12 students are still missing. The Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard deployed a Chetak helicopter and a speed boat besides police divers for the combined mega rescue operations. Among the victims are at least four girl students. Four girls were successfully rescued while another six have been rushed to nearby hospitals. The cause of the massive tragedy is still not clear. The students were part of a group of more than 130 from Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society's Abeda Inamdar College and had come to the picturesque Murud beach for a picnic, Superintendent of Police Suvez Haque said. The MCES president, P.A. Inamdar, told IANS that the 130 senior students, studying in first, second and third year B.Sc. (Computer Science) and BCA (Computer Applications), had gone on a college-sponsored annual picnic accompanied by at least five staff members and other support staff. "We are shocked by this tragedy. We are making all efforts to help the students and their families with the help of the local villagers and police. A team of our trustees has already left Pune for Raigad for rendering further assistance," Inamdar said. He added that the process of ascertaining the identity of the victims and informing their families is underway. According to available information, the number of casualties may go up as some more students were reporting missing in the waters. Rescue operations are underway in full swing by locals and the Raigad police with help from nearby police stations and now joined by Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. Meanwhile, thousands of tourists and locals gathered at the Murud Beach where the bodies of the victims were lined up even as grieving parents and relatives rushed to the college campus or to Murud. At least 14 collegians from Pune -- a teacher and students including 10 girls, who were part of a group of 130 on a picnic -- drowned on Monday in the Arabian Sea at Murud beach in Maharashtra's Raigad district, around 150 km south of Mumbai, police said. The toll is expected to rise as some more students are still reported missing. The Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard deployed three helicopters, including a Chetak and a Seaking chopper, and an Interceptor 117 speedboat, while ICG ship Achook was diverted to the area for 'locate and rescue' operation, a defence spokesperson said. Police divers and local villagers also jumped in for the combined mega rescue operation. Among the victims who met their accidental death at sea were at least 10 girls, while six students, including four girls, were rescued and rushed to hospitals. The cause of the massive tragedy, which occurred around 3 p.m., was still not clear. However, local people speculated that some of the students ventured too far out into the waters and were probably caught by the tidal currents, which swept them away. The students were part of a group of 130 from Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society's Abeda Inamdar College and had come to the picturesque Murud beach for an annual picnic, Superintendent of Police Suvez Haque said. MCES president P.A. Inamdar told IANS that the 130 students, of the first, second and third year BSc (Computer Science) and BCA (Computer Applications) courses, were on a college-sponsored picnic accompanied by at least half a dozen staff members and other support staff. "We are shocked by this tragedy. We are making all efforts to help the students and their families with the help of local villagers and police. A team of our trustees has already left Pune for Raigad for rendering further assistance," Inamdar told IANS. He said the process of informing their families was underway and 10 ambulances have been dispatched for relief work. Aged between 19 and 23 years, the victims were mostly Muslim students of BSc (Computer Science) of the minority-run institution in the Azam Campus of Pune's Camp area. They were identified as Rafiya Ansari, Shafiya Ansari, Sumaiya Ansari, Sheefa Kazi, Supriya Pan, Sana Shaikh, Swapnali Salgar, Sajeed Choudhary, Iftekar Shaikh, Samreen Shaikh, Mohammed Ansari, Farin Sayyed, and college teacher Rajlaxmi Pandugayala. One person, Saif Madki, was identified as among those reported missing in the treacherous waters off Murud beach which has witnessed many such tragedies in the past. Rescue operations were underway in full swing by locals and police with help from the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard. Meanwhile, thousands of tourists and locals gathered at the beach where the bodies of the victims were lined up even as wailing parents and stunned relatives rushed to the college campus in Pune or to Murud. Murud village is globally renowned for the famous 15th century sea monument -- the imposing Murud-Janjira Fort, around one km off the coast in the Arabian Sea and approachable only by boat. At least 17 people were killed and 25 wounded when a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up trying to enter a police building in Afghanistan's capital Kabul. The area was sealed off by police as ambulances rushed to the scene of what witnesses described as a powerful blast on Monday, reports Al Jazeera. "The suicide bomber blew himself up in front of a civil order police building in the centre of the city," the TV report said. The blast took place in Dehmazang area. Earlier, General Mohammad Ayoub Salangi, a top police official, posted on his official Twitter account: "In the Dehmazang square suicide attack, 10 people have been reportedly killed and 20 wounded. Most of them are civilians." The attack comes five days before another scheduled round of peace talks in the presence of Afghan, Pakistan, Chinese and the US officials. Kabul was hit by a series of suicide attacks last month, including one that killed seven journalists from a private television station, as the Taliban stepped up its campaign against the West-backed government. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the incident. At least 849 Iraqis were killed and 1,450 wounded in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in January across Iraq, a UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement on Monday. The statement said that a total of 490 civilians and 359 security members were killed, while 1,157 civilians, including 47 civilian policemen, and 293 security members, were wounded. The UNAMI excluded the casualties in Anbar province where fierce clashes were underway between the Iraqi forces and the Islamic State militant group which has seized most of the province, Xinhua reported. "In general, the UNAMI has been hindered in effectively verifying casualties in conflict areas," it said, adding that "the figures reported have to be considered as the absolute minimum." It added that there are an unknown number of people who died from secondary effects of violence after having fled their homes due to exposure to the elements, lack of water, food, medicine and health care. According to the statement, Iraqi capital Baghdad was the worst affected province with 1,084 civilian casualties, including 299 killed and 785 injured, while the provinces of Diyala, Nineveh, Kirkuk and Salahudin followed in the list. Iraq is currently witnessing a wave of violence since the IS terrorist group took control of parts of the country's northern and western regions in June 2014. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told US Secretary of State John Kerry that it is important to back the French initiative for holding an international conference for peace in the Middle East. A report published by the Palestinian state-run news agency (WAFA) quoted Nabil Abu Rdineh, an aide to President Abbas as saying that Kerry telephoned Abbas, who is currently in Amman, Xinhua reported. Abu Rdineh stated to Wafa that the telephone conversation between the two men focused on the French initiative. "President Abbas stressed to Kerry that he welcomes the initiative and it is necessary to back it, end the current stalemate and create the proper atmosphere to end the Israeli occupation," said Abu Rdineh. The Palestinian presidency had earlier on Friday welcomed the declaration of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius that his country will soon renew its efforts to move up its project of holding an international peace conference to succeed the two-state principle between Israel and Palestine." Israel criticised the French initiative and said that it would encourage the Palestinians not to make concessions for peace, where the US expressed reservations. Over 100 ABVP members protested against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday at Delhi University for "politicising" the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula. ABVP, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), had called for a two-day nationwide protest from January 31 to February 1 to condemn the alleged caste being played by the Congress. "We are protesting against the attempt to politicise the death of Rohith (Vemula). It is unfortunate that a bright scholar has lost his life and leaders like Rahul Gandhi are trying to get mileage by playing caste . This is equally condemnable," ABVP Delhi state secretary Saket Bahuguna told IANS. Vemula committed suicide on January 17 following his suspension along with four other Dalit students over an alleged clash with an ABVP leader. ABVP national general secretary Vinay Bidre on Sunday demanded an apolitical investigation into the suicide, besides a forensic investigation of the suicide note. Bahuguna also condemned police brutality on the students who were protesting outside the RSS office last Saturday. "Police should not have lathicharged them. ABVP does not support any such act against students. We strongly condemn this," Bahuguna said. On January 30, students protesting over the suicide of the Dalit research scholar were reportedly assaulted here while marching towards the RSS office. To disperse the students, police used excessive force on the students and lathicharged them. The protest over the suicide of Rohith in the University of Hyderabad intensified when Rahul Gandhi joined the agitators on the campus, observing a day-long fast on Saturday. Afghan Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Council of Ministers Abdullah Abdullah called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Monday. "Sustained engagement with Afghanistan. Chief Executive @DrAAbdullah meets PM @narendramodi in Delhi," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup. Abdullah Abdullah, who arrived here on Sunday on a five-day visit to India, is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. He will leave for Jaipur on Tuesday where he will attend a conference on counter-terrorism. 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. Often called an 'iron man' in political circles due to his dour demeanour, CPI-M leader Pinarayi Vijayan nowadays can be seen sporting a smile as he drums up support for his party ahead of the Kerala assembly elections. Though there is a significant change in his tough body language, the 72-year-old veteran politician insists there has been no change whatsoever in him as he undertakes a statewide yatra. "...what needs to be noted is that I am now no longer a party secretary. Hence, I am not under frequent attack now," the Communist Party of India-Marxist leader told IANS on Sunday. Vijayan was secretary of the Kerala state committee of the CPI-M from 1998 to 2015, the longest tenure in the party's history. Quizzed further on a palpable change in his demeanour, he countered: "Are these not just perceptions and impressions of the people?" At present, Vijayan is busy leading his party's 'Nava Kerala March' to warm up the CPI-M rank and file in the southern state for the assembly polls, likely to be held in April/May. Ever since the beginning of his yatra, Vijayan has been drawing huge crowds. He said there has been good public response to his yatra. "This time, there appears to be a huge response from women and children, who waited in front of their homes to see the yatra pass by," the leftist leader said. Saying that the BJP will not be able to open its account in the Kerala assembly in the coming elections, Vijayan said the recent political alliance between Hindu Ezhava strongman Vellapalli Natesan and the Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh combine had been rejected by the supporters and followers of both. "The BJP will in no way open its account in the assembly. If the ruling Congress and the BJP try to enter into some sort of secret pact, the end result will be similar to what happened in the past... in such case, secular people will turn towards us," Vijayan said. As for the ways to tackle corruption, the leftist leader said there was need to take a closer look at a few administrative reforms committee recommendations gathering dust in the state secretariat. Asked about the next chief minister of Kerala, he said that his party did not go to polls by projecting a candidate for the top political post in the state. Questioned if there will be a contest for the top post between him and 92-year-old V.S. Achuthanandan, Vijayan said there had never been such a contest in the Kerala CPI-M. (Sanu George can be contacted at sanu.g@ians.in) Algerian army troops on Sunday arrested nine illegal immigrants in the province of Ouargla, 800 km of the capital Algiers, defence ministry said in a statement. The arrested people in question possessed a hunting rifle and cartridges, added the statement. Even if there was no reference to a probable link between this arrest and recruitment of Moroccans to fight in Libya, the Algerian government has already warned about the existence of Moroccan nationals who join to Daech ranks in Libya through Algerian territory, Xinhua reported. Last week, the Algerian Minister for Maghreb Affairs, the African Union and the Arab League, Abdelkader Messahel, had summoned the ambassador of Morocco to Algeria to inform him of the existence of "massive and unusual" flow of Moroccan nationals heading to violence ridden Libya through Algeria. Soon after this remarks, the Algerian authorities on Friday suspended flights between Algiers and Tripoli until further notice. Australia and Pacific island countries are on high alert for the mosquito-borne Zika virus that has been linked to severe birth defects, the media reported on Monday. "There is great deal that remains unknown about the Zika virus, but the reports and suspected links to birth defects and neurological problems mean that this threat must be taken very seriously," Xinhua news agency reported citing Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. Australian authorities have implemented measures to check the spread of the virus through the Torres Strait with monitoring in the nation's remote north already underway, Xinhua said. "We'll monitor closely through the Torres Strait. We already do that with a number of infectious diseases," Queensland state health minister Cameron Dick said. Dick said the Zika virus does not pose a significant health risk to Queensland "at this time ... but we're going to continue to monitor that". Zika carrying mosquitoes are endemic to tropical and sub-tropical environments. There are currently no reported cases of Zika in Australia. Though the World Health Organisation (WHO) is convening an emergency meeting in Geneva later in the day to determine its response to the spread of the virus, vaccine manufacturers have said a vaccine for wide-scale public use is months, if not years away. Current efforts to combat Zika are focused on protecting people from being bitten and on eradicating mosquitoes, a tough task for many parts of the poverty stricken Pacific islands that have been saving water from the El Nino enforced drought, inadvertently providing a breeding ground for the disease spreading insect. Construction and real estate development in areas where coconut trees have been cut should be banned, the Goa unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) demanded on Monday. The opposition, meanwhile, continued to badger the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government over the controversial new law which derecognises coconut palms as trees. "To save Goa's coconut trees, the BJP should come out with an ordinance to ensure that areas where coconut trees are chopped should be barred for construction. Only agricultural activity should be allowed in these areas," Nationalist Congress Party senior vice president Trajano D'Mello told reporters on Monday. The comment comes two days after forest minister Rajendra Arlekar, while denying any ulterior motive behind the change in official nomenclature, said that the Goa, Daman and Diu Protection of Trees Act, 1984 had been changed so that farmers could replace existing coconut varieties with newer breeds which have better yield. "Goan varieties now produce on an average about 32 coconuts per tree every year, but new varieties produce 300 to 350 coconuts per tree, per year. The old trees need to be replaced with new ones and to do that under the earlier law needed a lot of formalities," Arlekar said on Saturday. During the recently concluded winter session of the Goa legislative assembly, the government had passed a controversial amendment to the Goa, Daman and Diu Protection of Trees Act, 1984, to formally derecognise the coconut palm as a tree. The move had invited a lot of criticism from the opposition, coalition partners as well as from civil society both in India and abroad. Soon after the act was passed in the state legislative assembly, Opposition MLAs as well as civil society activists alleged several instances where chunks of coconut groves were chopped to make way for development of the land for real estate and industrial projects. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday accused the BJP of using Delhi Police as a "private army" -- after a video showed policemen thrashing students protesting here two days ago. Delhi Police "being used by BJP/RSS as their (private) army to terrorize and teach (a) lesson to anyone opposing the BJP/RSS," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader tweeted. "I strongly condemn (the) attack on students" on January 30, he added. The video, released by the AAP, showed policemen both in uniform and in civilian clothes charging at students from the Jawaharlal Nehru University and beating them with lathis. Some officers were also caught on the camera fisting and thrashing student activists, and physically pushing them to the ground. Delhi Police has not denied the authenticity of the video. Referring to the earlier student protests at the Film and Television Insitute of India (FTII) and Hyderabad University, Kejriwal said: "FTII, Rohith case, Hyd Univ, IITs and now brutal attack on Delhi students. "Modi government seems to be at war with students all across." Delhi Police does not report to the Kejriwal government but to the central home ministry and Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung. Rome, Feb 1 (IANS/AKI) An explosion at a villa in northwest Italy killed a 76-year-old woman on Monday and injured Italian actor Gabriel Garko, who was treated in hospital for a head injury, cuts and grazes. The blast in the coastal city of Sanremo is believed to have been caused by a gas leak and occurred around 9 a.m. A part of the building collapsed, killing Maria Grazia Gugliermetti, who was crushed to death by falling masonry. Garko is due to appear at the popular Sanremo musical Festival next week, but his agent said it was too early to say if the 43-year-old actor would be fit enough to take part. Gugliermetti was the mother of the villa's owner. --IANS/AKI mr/ Caution over the upcoming monetary policy review, coupled with negative global indices and a weak rupee dented the Indian equity markets on Monday. This led to a barometer index of the Indian equity markets to provisionally close the day's trade on a flat-to-negative note -- down 46 points. Initially, both the Indian bellwether indices of the Indian equity markets opened on a positive note, following their steep rise on last Friday. However, sentiments were soon subdued due to negative Asian markets, selling pressure in the banking sector and a weak rupee. Investors were seen cautious ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) upcoming monetary policy review. The RBI is expected to conduct its sixth and final bi-monthly monetary policy review on February 2. Besides, a weak rupee unnerved investors. It weakened to 67.81 against a US dollar from its previous close of 67.78 to a greenback during the intra-day trade. The weakness in the rupee value indicates the massive outflow of foreign funds from the Indian equity and debt markets. During 2016, FPIs (Foreign Portfolio Investors) have been major net sellers in every trading session. In total, FPIs have sold equities worth Rs.13,966 crore during January. "Rupee yo-yoed against the US dollar, thanks to the see-saw moves in domestic bond and equity markets. The BoJ's (Bank of Japan) lead risk-on failed to carry markets through today, as risk of competitive devaluations from other Asian countries, like China, has increased," Anindya Banerjee, associate vice president for currency derivatives with Kotak Securities, told IANS. "Rupee too weakened from the day's high of 67.64 to 67.81 levels on spot, around the levels, where it had closed on last Friday. Demand for US Dollars from importers at lower levels is now supporting the pair." Even the flat-to-negative European indices disappointed the Indian equity markets. In addition, investors seem to have ignored positives such as a rising PMI (Purchasing Managers index) for January and a firm crude oil prices around $33 to a barrel. The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) closed lower by 46 points, or 0.18 percent. Similarly, the wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) ended the day's trade flat. It inched down by 14 points, or 0.18 percent, at 7,550.05 points. The S&P BSE Sensex, which opened at 24,982.22 points, provisionally closed at 24,824.83 points (at 3.30 p.m.) -- 45.86 points or 0.18 percent from the previous day's close at 24,870.69 points. It touched a high of 25,002.32 points and a low of 24,788.58 points during the intra-day trade. The S&P BSE market breadth was flat, though it marginally favoured the bulls -- with 1,425 advances and 1,265 declines. "Caution over RBI's monetary policy review and a weak rupee subdued investors' risk-taking appetite. Negative Asian markets and flat-to-negative European indices, too, dented sentiments," Anand James, co-head, technical research desk with Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services, told IANS. Caution over the upcoming monetary policy review, coupled with negative global indices and a weak rupee dented the Indian equity markets on Monday. This led to a barometer index of the Indian equity markets to close the day's trade on a flat-to-negative note -- down 46 points. Initially, both the bellwether indices of the Indian equity markets opened on a positive note, following their steep rise on last Friday. However, sentiments were soon subdued due to negative Asian markets, and selling pressure in the banking and the automobile sectors. Investors were also seen to be cautious ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) upcoming monetary policy review. The RBI is expected to conduct its sixth and the fiscal's final bi-monthly monetary policy review on February 2. Besides, a weak rupee unnerved investors. It weakened by six paise to close at 67.84 to a US dollar from its previous close of 67.78 to a greenback. "Rupee yo-yoed against the US dollar, thanks to the see-saw moves in domestic bond and equity markets. The BoJ's (Bank of Japan) lead risk-on failed to carry markets through today, as risk of competitive devaluations from other Asian countries, like China, has increased," Anindya Banerjee, associate vice president for currency derivatives with Kotak Securities, told IANS. "Rupee too weakened from the day's high of 67.64 to 67.84 levels on spot. Demand for US dollars from importers at lower levels supported the pair." Even the flat-to-negative European indices disappointed the Indian equity markets. In addition, investors seem to have ignored positives such as a rising PMI (Purchasing Managers index) for January and firm crude oil prices which stood around $33 to a barrel of 159 litres. The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) closed lower by 46 points, or 0.18 percent. Similarly, the wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) ended the day's trade flat. It inched down by eight points, or 0.10 percent, at 7,555.95 points. On the bright side, Nifty touched an intra-day high of 7,600 points -- first time since January 14. The S&P BSE Sensex, which opened at 24,982.22 points, closed at 24,824.83 points -- down 45.86 points or 0.18 percent from the previous day's close at 24,870.69 points. It touched a high of 25,002.32 points and a low of 24,788.58 points during the intra-day trade. The S&P BSE market breadth ended flat, though it marginally favoured the bulls -- with 1,423 advances and 1,278 declines. "Caution over RBI's monetary policy review and a weak rupee subdued investors' risk-taking appetite. Negative Asian markets and flat-to-negative European indices, too, dented sentiments," Anand James, co-head, technical research desk with Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services, told IANS. Vaibhav Agarwal, vice president and research head at Angel Broking, elaborated that markets ended in the red after trading in the positive territory for most part of the day. "We expect RBI to maintain status quo in tomorrow's bi-monthly monetary policy. Although CPI (Consumer Price Index) has inched up, it remains within the RBI targets," pointed out Agarwal. "Also, despite a weak IIP (Index of Industrial Production) data, we believe the RBI would follow a wait and watch approach and seek more clarity from the upcoming union budget, before taking a call." Nitasha Shankar, vice president for research with YES Securities, cited that Indian markets ended trade marginally in the red amidst thin volumes indicating a pause before it resumes a pullback rally. "Moreover, equity markets globally are witnessing profit booking post recent rise leading to this weakness in our markets. Broader markets, however, ended in the green outperforming the headline indices as high beta stocks witnessed buying interest," Shankar noted. "Banking index continued to be a major drag in trade as PSU (public sector undertaking) banks witnessed fresh round of selling dragging the PSU index down 3.5 percent." According to Shankar, metal, FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) and IT (information technology) indices ended in the green, while bank, auto, energy, media and pharma indices ended in red. The S&P BSE capital goods index augmented by 120.60 points, FMCG index gained 72.58 points and IT index swelled by 63.59 points. However, the S&P BSE banking index plunged by 246.93 points, automobile index receded by 60.95 points and finance index depleted by 26.33 points. The domestic institutional investors (DIIs) turned net sellers, while foreign institutional investors' (FIIs) were net buyers during the day's trade. The data with stock exchanges showed that DIIs divested Rs.535.70 crore, while the FIIs' picked up stocks worth Rs.253.88 crore. Major Sensex gainers during Monday's trade were Adani Ports, up 3.67 percent at Rs.220.50; Coal India, up 2.67 percent at Rs.328.60; Bharti Airtel, up 2.35 percent at Rs.296.50; Asian Paints, up 2.12 percent at Rs.887.25; and Cipla, up 2.07 percent at Rs.597.80. Major Sensex losers during the day's trade were ICICI Bank, down 5.63 percent at Rs.217.15; State Bank of India (SBI), down 3.92 percent at Rs.172.90; Maruti Suzuki, down 3.68 percent at Rs.3,946.80; Axis Bank, down 2.17 percent at Rs.399.30; and Hindustan Unilever, down 1.96 percent at Rs.800.90. After two weeks of massive protests over the suicide of a Dalit research scholar, classes resumed at the University of Hyderabad on Monday. Normalcy returned to the campus of the central university after protesting students allowed the administration to conduct the classes and lifted siege of the administrative block. The Joint Action Committee (JAC) for Social Justice, an umbrella grouping of student bodies, however continued its peaceful protest and relay hunger strike on the campus to press its demands, including the sacking of Vice Chancellor P. Appa Rao. The JAC, which submitted its demands to interim vice chancellor Periasamy on Sunday, gave 10-day ultimatum to the administration to fulfill them. The JAC also said that Vipin Srivastava should not return as interim vice chancellor after his four-day leave. Srivatsava, who went on leave on Friday, is unacceptable to the JAC as he headed the committee which suspended five Dalit students, including Rohith Vemula who eventually committed suicide. Srivatsava had taken over as the incharge after Appa Rao proceeded on leave on January 24. The JAC blamed Appa Rao for the suspension and suicide of Rohith. Periasamy, who held talks with the protesting students on Sunday, said their demands don't come under the purview of the university. He advised the JAC to raise the demands with the human resource development ministry, whose officials are expected to visit the university soon. The JAC also plans to take its protest to the New Delhi on February 4. Rohith committed suicide on January 17, triggering widespread protests. The JAC launched the protest, demanding the resignation of the vice chancellor and demanding action against central ministers Smriti Irani, Bandaru Dattatreya and others, blaming them for the suicide. The Dalit students were suspended in September following a clash with a leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The human resource development ministry has set up a judicial commission to probe the suicide. The university also revoked the suspension of the four Dalit students and announced a compensation of Rs.8 lakh to the family of Rohith. The majority of the members of a team from the West Bengal Congress on Monday expressed their willingness for an alliance with the Left Front for the upcoming assembly polls, after meeting party vice president Rahul Gandhi. According to one of the members of the delegation of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, almost all members were against tying up with the Trinamool Congress. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will take a final call on a possible alliance. "We had a long discussion with our vice president Rahul Gandhi ji. I must appreciate that Rahul Gandhi ji gave us a patient hearing," the Congress's Bengal unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told media persons. "He (Gandhi) listened to us with rapt attention, although everyone present there expressed independent views. Rahul ji has assured us that all the views expressed will be taken into account. After having a threadbare discussion with Sonia ji, we will be sitting together again and at that time, the views of the Congress party will be announced," he said. On the possibility of an alliance with the Left Front, he said: "I cannot say that an alliance between the Congress and CPI-M has been done. "Rahul Gandhi assured us that in consultation with Sonia Gandhi, he will be able to conclude the chapter of alliance, either yes or no." Chowdhury is believed to be among those leaders who are of the view that an alliance with the Left Front was the only way to challenge the ruling Trinamool in Bengal. "Everybody expressed their views in the meeting. There were only few of them who said that the Congress should go alone in the polls," Chowdhury told IANS. Meanwhile, state Congress spokesperson Omprakash Mishra, who has been advocating a tie-up with the Left Front, said: "We hope that decisions on seat-sharing adjustments with the Left will be finalised soon. "We had a good meeting with Rahul ji and it was an interactive discussion. It was very democratic and transparent. "Everyone expressed their views and almost everybody pitched in for seat-sharing adjustments with the Left. Not a single member was in support of an alliance with the Trinamool Congress. Only two of them wanted that the Congress should contest the elections alone and (former state Congress chief) Manas Bhunia was one of them," Mishra told IANS. "To this, most of us gave an explanation that if we go alone, then we will get only 15-16 seats," Mishra added. Asked about Rahul Gandhi's reaction, Mishra said: "Rahul Gandhi ji said he was yet to get a complete picture of the situation and only after discussions with Congress president Sonia ji, he will be able to come to a conclusion." Cuban President Raul Castro on Monday paid a historic state visit to France, the first ever by a Cuban leader in two decades, with a view to reinforce bilateral ties, increase trade links, and discuss debt relief. The two-day visit reflects Cuba's "friendship and high esteem," the French president's office said in a press release, Xinhua reported. At the Elysee Palace, French President Francois Hollande rolled out the red carpet for the Cuban leader, who is seeking to bolster Havana's connections with the West after being isolated for decades. During a one-hour talk, both leaders were to discuss ways to inject dynamism into a bilateral economic partnership via tourism and transport, in addition to development accords. Besides, they are to sign an agreement to write off $8.5 billion of Cuba's $11.9-billion debt, to convert it into financing for development projects expected to help Havana quicken its growth. France's sales to Cuba totalled 131 million euros ($142.8 million) for January to November 2015, down from 157 million euros in 2014, figures which, according to Mathias Fekl, junior minister in charge of foreign trade and tourism, were "not in line with our ambitions". In December 2014, the US and Cuba decided to restore their diplomatic ties, which had been severed for 54 years. The European Union also said, led by France, the Netherlands and Spain, that it was interested in resuming ties with the Caribbean island. Several months after, Hollande flew to Havana in a move to further bolster relations and open new business opportunities in Cuba and neighbouring Latin American countries. France's economic presence in Cuba is mainly in the hotel industry, construction, telecommunications, energy and banking. Some 60 French firms already operate in Cuba, according to official figures. Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday condoled the death of the wife of West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi. Sudha Tripathi, who had suffered a brain stroke last week and was flown from Allahabad to the union capital for treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), passed away earlier in the day. Naik mourned her death, while expressing his sadness, Akhilesh Yadav said that he was praying for peace to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved family. Hundreds of well-wishers have been thronging the Civil Lines residence of Tripathi, a former UP assembly speaker, ever since the news broke. Hollywood star Russell Crowe warned actor Douglas Booth that working with him would be the most "interesting" thing he ever did. The 23-year-old actor ran into trouble with his "Noah" co-star because he spent a lot of time on the set of the blockbuster texting his then-girlfriend, but following the telling off, he now leaves his phone in his trailer, reports femalefirst.co.uk. "I was on set in New York and always on my phone texting and I remember Russell coming up to me and saying, 'You're never going to be doing anything more interesting than working with me and (director) Darren Aronofsky. What are you doing on your phone?'" Booth said. "And he was completely right. Now my phone doesn't come on to set so I stay present in every moment," Booth told Britain's Marie Claire magazine. Booth has just finished filming "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" with actors Lily James, Matt Smith, Suki Waterhouse and Sam Riley and found working on the comedy a "pleasure". "Some movies are a slog to get through. Sometimes you think, 'Why are we all here?' Slogging these long hours, going through hell, but you do it because you're making something wonderful and you're immensely proud at the end," he added. "We all hung out and had a wonderful time. It was a pleasure to go to work every day." Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to secure the release of nine Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan navy on January 30. In letter to Modi, Jayalalithaa said: "I urge your personal intervention to prevent the aggravation that the Sri Lankan authorities and navy are causing to our fishermen." She requested Modi to direct the external affairs ministry to take up the matter with Sri Lankan authorities urgently and secure the release of the 15 fishermen and 69 fishing boats in Sri Lankan custody. These include the nine fishermen and their two fishing boats seized on January 30. India and Sri Lanka are divided by a narrow strip of sea, and Sri Lankan authorities routinely arrest fishermen from Tamil Nadu who they say fish in the island nation's waters. Fishing boats are also seized. Jammu and Governor N.N. Vohra on Monday asked the PDP and the BJP to meet him on Tuesday regarding government formation but the two appeared to be drifting apart. Political sources in Srinagar said that after being delayed by three weeks, government formation was looking increasingly a remote possibility. In Srinagar, PDP legislators met and asked their president Mehbooba Mufti to meet Vohra in the winter capital Jammu on Tuesday. "The MLAs authorized Mehbooba Mufti to convey the legislature party's views to the governor," senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar told reporters. The legislators did not elect Mehbooba Mufti, an MP, leader of the legislature party in the 87-member state assembly. Party leaders said the matter was not even discussed. The state came under Governor's Rule on January 8, a day after Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed -- Mehbooba's father -- died. He had headed an alliance of his PDP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mehbooba has said she would not stake claim to power in the state unless the central government gave assurances on time-bound implementation of the agenda of alliance between her party and the BJP. She is not a member of the hung assembly and represents Anantnag in the Lok Sabha. There has been speculation that she may ditch the BJP and embrace the Congress and smaller parties. BJP state president Sat Pal Sharma meanwhile flew to New Delhi with former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh and Lok Sabha MP Jugal Kishore and met party general secretary Ram Madhav and president Amit Shah. Earlier in the day, Sharma said in Jammu that there were no preconditions from the BJP vis-a-vis the PDP. He also said there were no differences between the two parties and hoped that an elected government comprising the PDP and BJP would soon be in place in the state. But he ruled out any further assurances on the alliance agenda. Sources told IANS that BJP has decided not to bow before any pressure from PDP. "Our stand is clear. PDP will have to come forward for the government formation. Let them decided a leader then we will take a call," a BJP leader told IANS on the conditions of anonymity. However, he added, "We have our own plans too if Mehbooba remains rigid to her decision. If she is planning to form government with Congress and others regional parties and independents, this will not be possible. Two of the legislators of Jammu and People Conference led by Sajjad Gani Lone and one of the three independents are with us." Governor Vohra has asked both the PDP and the BJP to call on him on Tuesday to discuss government formation. Leaders of both parties will meet him separately. On Sunday, Mehbooba Mufti told her party colleagues she was was not ready to become the chief minister of the state "for nothing". The sources say it is now a game of brinkmanship between the PDP and the BJP. Meanwhile, Vohra is reported to have finalized a list of advisors he needs to run the country's only Muslim-majority state during Governor's Rule. Under its own constitution, the state can be under Governor's Rule for six months. If the governor is convinced there are no chances of a government taking power, he can recommend dissolution of the state assembly and seek fresh elections. Jammu and Governor N.N. Vohra on Monday asked the PDP and the BJP to meet him on Tuesday regarding government formation but the two appeared to be drifting apart. Political sources in Srinagar said that after being delayed by three weeks, government formation was looking increasingly a remote possibility. In Srinagar, PDP legislators met and asked their president Mehbooba Mufti to meet Vohra in the winter capital Jammu on Tuesday. "The MLAs authorized Mehbooba Mufti to convey the legislature party's views to the governor," senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar told reporters. The legislators did not elect Mehbooba Mufti, an MP, leader of the legislature party in the 87-member state assembly. Party leaders said the matter was not even discussed. The state came under Governor's Rule on January 8, a day after Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed -- Mehbooba's father -- died. He had headed an alliance of his PDP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mehbooba has said she would not stake claim to power in the state unless the central government gave assurances on time-bound implementation of the agenda of alliance between her party and the BJP. She is not a member of the hung assembly and represents Anantnag in the Lok Sabha. There has been speculation that she may ditch the BJP and embrace the Congress and smaller parties. BJP state president Sat Pal Sharma meanwhile flew to New Delhi with former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh and Lok Sabha MP Jugal Kishore to meet party leaders. Sharma said there were no preconditions from the BJP vis-a-vis the PDP. He also said there were no differences between the two parties and hoped that an elected government comprising the PDP and BJP would soon be in place in the state. But he ruled out any further assurances on the alliance agenda. Governor Vohra has asked both the PDP and the BJP to call on him on Tuesday to discuss government formation. Leaders of both parties will meet him separately. On Sunday, Mehbooba Mufti told her party colleagues she was was not ready to become the chief minister of the state "for nothing". The sources say it is now a game of brinkmanship between the PDP and the BJP. Meanwhile, Vohra is reported to have finalized a list of advisors he needs to run the country's only Muslim-majority state during Governor's Rule. Under its own constitution, the state can be under Governor's Rule for six months. If the governor is convinced there are no chances of a government taking power, he can recommend dissolution of the state assembly and seek fresh elections. India's second largest carmaker Hyundai Motor India Ltd. on Monday said its total sales last month, including exports, went down marginally by 1.2%. In a statement here, the company said it sold 44,230 units (domestic 38,016 units, exports 6,214 units) last month -- down from 44,783 units (domestic 34,780 units, exports 10,003 units) sold during January 2015. "Hyundai started the year with a positive note registering the domestic volume of 38,016 units with a growth of 9.3% over last year," Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice president -- sales and marketing, was quoted as saying in the statement. India and Bangladesh on Monday discussed ways to take forward multi-sectoral cooperation following the agreements signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka last year. The issues came up for discussion during talks between Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and his visiting Bangladeshi counterpart Shahidul Haque here. "Building the partnership with another close neighbour," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted. "The foreign secretaries of India and Bangladesh hold talks." India and Bangladesh signed 22 key agreements during Modi's visit last June, including on prevention of human trafficking, circulation of fake currency notes, setting up an Indian economic zone in Bangladesh and extending a new Indian line of credit of $2 billion. India and Afghanistan on Monday signed an agreement on allowing their diplomats visa-free travel. The agreement was signed as Afghan Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Council of Ministers Abdullah Abdullah called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. "Promoting stronger diplomatic ties. During CE @DrAAbdullah''s visit, India & Afghanistan sign agreement on visa free travel for diplomats," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted "Sustained engagement with Afghanistan. Chief Executive @DrAAbdullah meets PM @narendramodi in Delhi," he stated in an earlier tweet. Abdullah Abdullah, who arrived here on Sunday on a five-day visit to India, is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. He will leave for Jaipur on Tuesday where he will attend a conference on counter-terrorism. 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. The Karnataka government on Monday cleared nine IT projects with a combined investment of Rs.3,097 crore, including a proposal by global chip maker Intel's Indian subsidiary. "The state high level clearance committee, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, cleared four major IT projects, with combined investment of Rs.2,957 cores, while the single window clearance cell, chaired by IT Minister S.R. Patil, cleared five projects with combined investment of Rs.140 crore," said an official statement. Intel will invest Rs.1,100 crore to set up its second computer software development centre and hardware design services facility in the city's southeast suburb with job potential for 3,000 engineers. Velankani Electronics Ltd will invest Rs.1,130 crore in the electronics city to expand its capacity to make electronic products and generate jobs for 2,400 people. Saltire Developers Ltd to invest Rs.463 crore for setting up a special economic zone for IT/IT-enabled services with job potential for 25,000 people. Amin Properties will invest Rs.265 crore to set up a SEZ at Devanahalli near the city's airport for IT/IT-enabled services with job potential for 8,000 people. The five other IT projects are from Alisa Agency (Rs.14 crore), Regen Environ Management Services (Rs.7 crore), Itwine Technologies (Rs.7.5 crore), Sol Biz Consulting Ltd (Rs.16.5 crore) and Hical Technologies (Rs.95 crore) with a combined job potential for 1,355 people. The approvals come two days ahead of the global investors meet (GIM) from Wednesday in the city to attract global investments in diverse sectors. Saritha Nair, one of the prime accused in the solar panel scam in Kerala, on Monday deposed before a judicial commission, and said she was "used physically and mentally" by many politicians. Nair also handed over three CDs and documents to prove her allegations. In her deposition before the judicial commission, she said she was "used physically and mentally" by many politicians of the state. "Today, I handed over CDs -- both audio and video -- that include conversations between Congress leader Thampanoor Ravi, Congress legislator Benny Behanan, Oommen Chandy's ousted security guard Salim Raj and businessman Abraham Kallimannel, who is in a threatening mood asking me not to divulge anything more. "I will bring more evidence," Nair told reporters after her deposition for the fourth consecutive day. Nair and her live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan were arrested in 2013 on charges of cheating numerous investors, who paid money for solar panels. Over 30 cases of cheating against the two have been registered in various courts. Police estimate that they cheated investors to the tune of over Rs.6 crore. While Nair is out on bail, Radhakrishnan is in jail on charges of murdering his first wife. Nair alleged that she paid Rs.1.9 crore in two instalments which, she claimed, was part of the Rs.7 crore bribe demanded by Chief Minister Chandy. She also said Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed was given Rs.40 lakh as bribe. Chandy and Mohammed have both denied the allegations. In a related development, Thrissur vigilance court judge S.S. Vasan, who ordered further probe against Excise Minister K. Babu in the bar scam and also an FIR to be registered against Chandy and Aryadan Mohammed in the solar panel case, on Monday took back his resignation. He had put in his papers, seeking voluntary retirement, following a dressing down by the Kerala High Court which stayed both his orders. A man suspected to be working for the Islamic State terrorist group was on Monday arrested in the Madhya Pradesh capital by a team of state police and the NIA, officials said. The man named Azhar, who was wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), was arrested from Tila Jamalpura area, Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Shailendra Singh Chauhan told IANS. Azhar, a resident of Obaidullah Ganj town in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, was hiding in his paternal uncle's house in Bhopal, from which he was arrested by a team of NIA and Crime Branch officials. Human rights activists are demanding action against Manipur's police brass over a head constable's confession that he killed an unarmed former militant on the orders of his seniors. Thounaojam Heroijit, the head constable who has admitted to shooting an unarmed Chungkham Sanjit on July 23, 2009, has said Superintendent of Police Akoijam Jhalajit gave the order to kill. The senior officer reportedly said that both Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and then director general of police Yumnam Joykumar were in the know of the matter. Joykumar is now a prominent member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Manipur BJP president Thounaojam Chaoba has demanded the chief minister's resignation over the cold-blooded killing that has sent shockwaves across the state. Chaoba says Okram Ibobi should own moral responsibility for the ex-militant's death. Meanwhile, family members of Thokchom Rabina, who was killed a few minutes before Sanjit was shot dead, are demanding to know the identity of the policeman who killed her. The police version is that Sanjit killed her and that in the follow-up police action, he (Sanjit) got killed. Anand Meitei, president of the Threatened Indigenous Peoples Group, said a meeting of rights and civil society groups as well as families of the victims of staged encounters will be held on February 6. Activists say that in the last 30 years of violence in the state, at least 1,528 people have been killed in so-called "encounters". Some human rights activists wondered why Superintendent of Police Jhalajit had not filed a defamation case against Herojit if the latter was lying. Herojit earlier said he was staying with "some well-wishers" and he has spurned an offer of Home Minister Gaikhangam to accept security. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislators on Monday authorized party president Mehbooba Mufti to convey the party viewpoint on a government formation in Jammu and to Governor N.N.Vohra. Addressing media ater a meeting of the PDP legislature party at the Gupkar Road residence of the Muftis here, senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar said: "Party MLAs today (on Monday) authorised president Mehbooba Mufti to convey its viewpoint on government formation in the state to governor, N.N.Vohra whom she is meeting tomorrow (on Tuesday)." He did not specify whether the party lawmakers had elected her as leader of the legislature party during the meeting. Mehbooba Mufti is not a member of the 87-member state legislative assembly and is currently representing the Anantnag constituency in the Lok Sabha. Her late father and chief minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, represented Anantnag assembly constituency. Vohra had asked Mehbooba Mufti to call on him at the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday to discuss government formation. State Bharatiya Janata Party leaders are also meeting Vohra in Jammu on Tuesday to convey their views on government formation. The PDP president has stated categorically that she wants assurances from the Narendra Modi-led central government for time-bound implementation of the agenda of alliance between her party and the BJP before she stakes claim to power. The alliance ruled the state in coalition till January 7 when Sayeed passed a way after a brief illness at the AIIMS in New Delhi. The state was placed under governor's rule on January 8 after Mehbooba Mufti did not come forward to stake her claim to form the government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reiterated India's commitment for building a peaceful Afghanistan when Afghanistan's Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Council of Ministers Abdullah Abdullah called on him here. "The prime minister expressed deep gratitude towards the government and the national security forces of Afghanistan for their bravery and sacrifice in order to protect the Indians, especially during the attack on the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif on January 4-5, 2016," the external affairs ministry said in a statement. "The prime minister reiterated India's commitment to extend all possible support to the efforts of the Afghan people in building a peaceful, stable, prosperous, inclusive and democratic country," it stated. On his part, Abdullah Abdullah recalled positively the maiden and successful visit of Modi to Afghanistan in December last year. During Modi's visit to Kabul on December 25, the new Afghan parliament building, constructed with India's aid, was inaugurated. At Monday's meeting, Abdullah Abdullah said that the visit re-energised the strategic partnership between the two countries. "He deeply appreciated the support being extended by India for infrastructure development and capacity building in Afghanistan," the external affairs ministry statement said. "The two leaders shared views on further deepening the strategic partnership, both in the bilateral and regional context." An agreement for visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders of the two countries was exchanged in the presence of Modi and Abdullah Abdullah. The Afghanistan Chief Executive later held a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during the course of which India approved the third phase of 92 small development projects in Afghanistan. External affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted that Sushma Swaraj has approved the "strategic partnership for the benefit of (Afghan) people". Abdullah Abdullah, who arrived here on Sunday on a five-day visit to India, will leave for Jaipur on Tuesday where he will deliver the keynote address at a conference on counter-terrorism organised by the India Foundation in collaboration with Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, Jodhpur. President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the conference on Tuesday. The conference will bring together counter-terrorism practitioners, policy makers and public intellectuals from India and abroad, the president's secretariat said in a statement. The first counter-terrorism conference was held in March 2015 in Jaipur. The 45-minute speech that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti delivered to her party leaders in Srinagar on Sunday was surcharged with emotion -- but its political import was missed by none. After the PDP core group meeting ended, Governor N.N. Vohra sent a fax message to Mehbooba Mufti, seeking a meeting with her at the Raj Bhavan in Jammu on Tuesday. Like the PDP rank and file, as also PDP ally BJP and rival National Conference, Vohra had heard the message loud and clear: Mehbooba Mufti was not ready to form the new government in Jammu and as a status quoist politician. "I am ready to burn my fingers, but I will not burn them for nothing," she told her party leaders as they met in Srinagar on Sunday to discuss party issues, including government-formation in the state. She could not hide her bitterness, or grief, over her father's death. "Non-fulfilment of promises made by us to the people in the last 10 months taxed Mufti sahib heavily," she said while referring to her late father and chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The PDP leader said, for the first time since Sayeed passed away on January 7 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, that her father died a sad man. "Till the time he was talking in the Intensive Care Unit of AIIMS, Mufti sahib asked me whether a relief package promised by the Centre had reached the state." "I said yes. I lied to my father," Mehbooba Mufti said. Addressing the opinion voiced by PDP legislators and senior leaders that the party was answerable to the people who had given it the mandate, though fractured, to form the government, she said: "Mufti sahib took a courageous but unpopular decision to form an alliance with the BJP but the alliance has not delivered so far." "I am not averse to government formation, but that can only happen if the government of India gives assurances on time-bound implementation of the agenda of alliance." "My father had broad shoulders. He could take huge burden. I don't have shoulders as strong as he had," the PDP president said. "If anyone among you still feels we must form the government, as it has been during the last 10 months, you are free to make your choice. I am prepared to begin alone a battle for the realisation of Mufti sahib's vision, beginning from scratch if it has to be so." Her rivals in the National Conference though are calling it posturing to mount pressure on the BJP. While NC patron and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah said in a statement that "Modi will give them nothing", others in the opposition party said it was a fixed-match between the PDP and the BJP. "The BJP will again say it is reposing trust in her. She will say the BJP leadership has made fresh assurances. I am not ready to believe she will not form the government and thereby choose to remain in wilderness for long," said a senior NC leader and former minister in Jammu. The BJP leadership has, meanwhile, decided to wait and watch without doing anything that could unsettle its relationship with the PDP. "We have already signed an agenda of alliance with the PDP. What further assurances can there be on a written document? Yes, we also agree that the implementation has to be time-bound. "It is already stated in the agenda that the terms of the alliance will be implemented during the six-year PDP-BJP rule. What further assurances are needed," said a senior BJP leader in Jammu. Top BJP sources in Delhi told IANS that it was highly unlikely that either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP president Amit Shah will make any announcement in response to Mehbooba Mufti's statement. So, is Jammu and headed for a mid-term poll? Obviously yes, unless the PDP and the NC -- both poles apart in state politics -- decide to bury acrimony to come closer to address the problems of the people of Jammu and . Truly, as Mufti Sayeed used to say, politics is the art of the possible, even in impossible situations. An NRI, working with a private airline in Saudi Arabia, has been booked on charges of raping a divorcee in Gurgaon on the pretext of marrying her, police said on Monday. The 33-year-old woman, who works in a private firm at Delhi airport, lodged a complaint against the man named Kshitij. The woman said Kshitij came in contact with her through a person working in her company. He had come to India in November 2015 for a week and established physical relations with her on many occasions on the pretext of marrying her. She said Kshitij went back to Saudi Arabia and blocked her on various social networking sites as well as her phone numbers. Police have registered a case on charges of rape and criminal intimidation, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hawa Singh told IANS. New Zealand welcomed a record 121,900 migrants, mostly from Asia in 2015, the government statistics agency said on Monday. According to Statistics New Zealand, the country had a net gain - more arrivals than departures - of 5,500 migrants in December, down from the record high of 6,200 in November, Xinhua news agency reported. Of the migrant arrivals in 2015, 25,300 were from Australia, 14,500 were from India, with three-quarters having student visas, and 11,000 were from China, with almost half having student visas. Around 13,400 came from Britain, with almost half having work visas. It resulted from a record 121,900 migrant arrivals and 57,000 migrant departures, said a statement from the agency. Reserve Bank of New Zealand governor Graeme Wheeler said last week that continued strong net migration, along with tourism, would help raise New Zealand's slowing economic growth this year. Over 137 million foreign tourists will visit China in 2016, a jump of 2.5 percent from the previous year, authorities said on Monday. This would be the second year of growth in inbound tourism after the country saw years of decline in foreign tourists since 2011, the China Daily reported. During the annual meeting held on January 29, the China National Tourism Administration set its development goal for 2016 with international tourism revenue this year expected to reach $121 billion, an increase of 6.5 percent. Earlier, the China Tourism Academy, a think tank under the China National Tourism Academy, also confirmed the trend. It predicted more than 138 million overseas tourists would visit China. Li Shihong, deputy head of administration, said second and third tier cities, as well as small towns including Wuzhen in Zhejiang province, Yueyang in Hunan province and Tongli in Jiangsu province will play a leading role in attracting overseas tourists. "Second and third tier cities and small towns have unique culture symbols, beautiful landscape and have persevered history in their daily lives better (than modern cities). All those are attractive factors to frequent visitors to China," said Li. "Besides, the high-speed railway network has connected small towns and also made them more accessible than before. It is a great timing for them to develop inbound tourism industry." Odisha Police rescued at least 515 missing children in January as part of its 'Operation Smile-II' programme, a top official said on Monday. Special Director General of Police (Crime) B.K. Sharma said 330 missing children, including 41 child labourers, were rescued in Odisha while 185 children were tracked down outside the state. "They have been handed over either to their parents or rehabilitated in child care institutions," a police statement said. In the first phase, police rescued 122 children in Odisha during January 1-15, while the rest were rescued in the later part of the month. Police and the Women and Child Development department, in a joint effort, carried out the operation from January 1 to rescue and rehabilitate the missing children. In the second phase, 10 police teams along with representatives from the Women and Child Development department visited many states, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, to trace the missing children. As many as 185 missing children were rescued from these states, the statement added. A Pakistani team investigating the terror attack on the Indian Air Force base in Punjab's Pathankot town has asked Islamabad to seek more evidence from India, saying there had been "no headway" so far in the probe, a media report said on Monday. "The team has almost completed its investigation into five cellphone numbers, allegedly used for making calls from Pakistan to India, provided by the Indian government. No further leads were found from these numbers because they were un-registered and had fake identities," Dawn quoted a source as saying. "The probe is not heading further. The team needs more evidence. Therefore, it has written to the government to speak to India and apprise it of the situation and demand more evidence to move forward in investigation here," he said. Answering a question about the people, including Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, detained in connection with the January 2 terror strike, the source said: "Let first more evidence come from India." Six terrorists of the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammad stormed the Indian Air Force base in Indian Punjab's Pathankot town, killing seven security personnel. All the six terrorists were also killed by the security forces. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had formed the six-member investigation team headed by the additional inspector general of Punjab's counter terrorism department (CTD) in the second week of January to look into Indian government's allegations that the JeM was behind the Pathankot attack. The prime minister told reporters here on Saturday that the investigation was under way and its findings would be made public. "Whatever facts come out we will bring them forth before everyone," he said, adding that Pakistan would go to "any length" to uncover the alleged use of its soil in the Pathankot attack. "It is our responsibility to uncover if our soil was used in the attack. We will do this and the ongoing investigation will be completed soon," he said. Bengal Warriors are expected to have a tough task on hand when they start their campaign in the third season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) against hosts Telugu Titans here on Tuesday. The Titans have had mixed results in the two matches they have played so far. They lost very narrowly to defending champions U Mumba by a mere two points (25-27) and edged past a new look Puneri Paltan 27-26 with star raider Rahul Chaudhari capping a sluggish performance with a valuable point in the last raid of the match. But despite recovering from the loss to Mumbai, the Titans may be a tad worried about the form of Rahul in both the outings. But the first two matches had a bright spot in Sukesh Hegde. He did well against U Mumba and scored a couple of points against Pune in the second last raid and helped snatch the lead for the Titans at 26-25. The Titans need to go on the offensive right from the start against the Warriors. After seeing Meraj Sheykh excel for the Titans in both offence and defence with his tackles and fast raids, Bhendigiri would surely evolve a strategy revolving around this ace Iranian player. But the Titans attack, especially Rahul and Sukesh, will have to contend with the Warriors' ace tackler Nilesh Shinde. Bajirao Hodage, one of the best midfielders in the Bengal ranks, always does well in the company of Nilesh. Bengal's defence also has Girish Ernak from Thane, a potent tackler at the left corner. He has developed a fine combination with Nilesh. This helps both to close in on their quarry and Rahul, who is an impulsive player, has to be aware of the threat they can pose. In the attack, the Warriors are likely to rely on Dinesh Kumar and Mahendra Rajput. Dinesh is a gutsy player and a fine escape artist, but a spate of injuries duirng his career have taken their toll. But if he is on song on Tuesday, then he could be more than a handful for the Titans. South Korean star Jang Kun Lee could also play a crucial role for Bengal. What the Korean lacks in technique and physical size as compared to Indians, the former martial arts exponent makes up for with his speed, agility and endurance. Last season the Titans leaked points due to an unstable and unorganised defence. They have tried to overcome this deficiency through 40-year-old veteran Dharmaraj Cherlathan. How, 'Anna', as he is addressed on the circuit, responds to the challenge will be the key to Titans' success in this phase of the PKL before the tournament shifts to Bengaluru for the second phase. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kerala for the Global Ayurveda Festival, and Tamil Nadu, an official statement said. On Tuesday, the prime minister will arrive at Kerala's Kozhikode, where he will deliver an address at the Third Global Ayurveda Festival. He will then leave for Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore, where he will inaugurate the building of the ESIC Medical College and Hospital, and hand it over to the Tamil Nadu government, the statement added. The AAP and the Congress on Monday hit out at the central government after a video showed Delhi Police attacking viciously students protesting against a Dalit student's suicide in Hyderabad. After initially trying to justify the police action on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students here on January 30, Delhi Police ordered a probe "for necessary action". The origin of the video was not clear. It appeared to have been shot by a student. It went viral after Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) shared it on its Twitter handle. The video showed policemen in uniform and in plainclothes raining lathisc on the students protesting against the January 17 suicide by Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula. Some officials were caught on camera using fisticuffs on the students, including women, and pushing them to the ground. A young woman who saw the beating said on Monday they would file an FIR against police. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Delhi Police was "being used by the BJP/RSS as their (private) army to terrorise and teach (a) lesson to anyone opposing the BJP/RSS. "I strongly condemn (the) attack on students," the AAP leader added. Referring to earlier student protests at the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and Hyderabad University, Kejriwal said: "FTII, Rohith case, Hyd Univ, IITs and now brutal attack on Delhi students. Modi government seems to be at war with students." Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia demanded the suspension of the police personnel. Another AAP leader, Sanjay Singh, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "immediately intervene and take action against the responsible police personnel". Delhi Police does not report to the Kejriwal government but to the central home ministry and Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said the Modi government "has become completely apathetic to the voice of students, in addition to being anti-Dalit and anti-poor. "This insane crushing of dissent by using state machinery will not go down well with the youth of this country," he said. Police did not deny the authenticity of the video, and ordered an inquiry to be supervised by Deputy Commissioner Parmaditya. Parmaditya told IANS that police were so far unaware of the assault. "The whole issue will be investigated. We will be able to comment on it only after it is over," he said. "We will take necessary action after the inquiry." He, however, accused the students of breaking police barricades and of misbehaving with police personnel. The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Monday issued notice to Delhi Police and demanded a report. In a notice to Joint Commissioner of Police Sunil Kumar Gautam, DCW chief Swati Maliwal said: "It is observed in the video that no female police personnel are present and male police personnel are beating protesters. "The video is extremely disturbing," she said, and sought the names and designations of the officers who approved the police action against the students. The Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) also condemned the assault and said that BJP government was using Delhi Police to crush the voice of students. President Pranab Mukherjee will on Tuesday inaugurate the Counter-Terrorism Conference 2016 in Jaipur. The two-day event is being organised by India Foundation, led by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's son Shaurya Doval, in collaboration with the Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, Jodhpur. The conference will bring together counter-terrorism practitioners, policy makers and intellectuals from India and abroad. The first Counter-Terrorism Conference was held in March 2015 at Jaipur. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi during a meeting with partymen from West Bengal on Monday conceded that it was "not a wise decision" to contest so few seats in the 2011 assembly elections in alliance with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. At the meeting with a delegation of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, Gandhi asked all the leaders if the Trinamool would have won the 2011 elections without the Congress's support. Everyone present replied "no". "Following this, the Congress vice president conceded that the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress won that elections at the cost of the Congress and it was not a wise decision to contest the elections with so few seats (65)," said West Bengal Congress spokesperson Omprakash Mishra. The majority of the delegation members after meeting Gandhi expressed their willingness for an alliance with the Left Front for the upcoming assembly polls. According to one of the members, almost everyone was against tying up with the Trinamool Congress. C.P. Joshi, general secretary in charge of party affairs in West Bengal, was also present in the meeting. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will take a final call on a possible alliance. "We had a long discussion with our vice president Rahul Gandhi ji. I must appreciate that Rahul Gandhi ji gave us a patient hearing," Congress's Bengal unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told media persons. "He (Gandhi) listened to us with rapt attention, although everyone present there expressed independent views. Rahul ji has assured us that all the views expressed will be taken into account. After having a threadbare discussion with Sonia ji, we will be sitting together again and at that time, the views of the Congress party will be announced," he said. On the possibility of an alliance with the Left Front, he said: "I cannot say that an alliance between the Congress and CPI-M has been done." "Rahul Gandhi assured us that in consultation with Sonia Gandhi, he will be able to conclude the chapter of alliance, either yes or no." Chowdhury is believed to be among those leaders who are of the view that an alliance with the Left Front was the only way to challenge the ruling Trinamool in Bengal. "Everybody expressed their views in the meeting. There were only few of them who said that the Congress should go alone in the polls," Chowdhury told IANS. Meanwhile, Omprakash Mishra, who has been advocating a tie-up with the Left Front, said: "We hope that decisions on seat-sharing adjustments with the Left will be finalised soon." "We had a good meeting with Rahul ji and it was an interactive discussion. It was very democratic and transparent," he added. "Everyone expressed their views and almost everybody pitched in for seat-sharing adjustments with the Left. Not a single member was in support of an alliance with the Trinamool Congress. Only two of them wanted that the Congress should contest the elections alone and (former state Congress chief) Manas Bhunia was one of them," Mishra told IANS. "To this, most of us gave an explanation that if we go alone, then we will get only 15-16 seats," Mishra added. Asked about Rahul Gandhi's reaction, Mishra said: "Rahul Gandhi ji said he was yet to get a complete picture of the situation and only after discussions with Congress president Sonia ji, he will be able to come to a conclusion." "I raised the issue of the 2019 general elections. I told Rahul ji that the Trinamool Congress must be defeated in the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal to thwart their chances of winning the elections in 2019. If Mamata Banerjee is defeated in 2016, then her overall influence and hold over the state will reduce. She is basically a soft ally of the BJP," said Mishra. "It is imperative to defeat the TMC in order to save Bengal," he added. Sanitary workers of Delhi's three main civic bodies on Monday protested for a sixth day against non-payment of salaries, directing their ire at both the Delhi and central governments. Hundreds of employees of the municipal corporation staged a noisy demonstration outside Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra's Yamuna Vihar residence in east Delhi and dumped garbage there. "We will continue to dump garbage on the streets of Delhi till our demands are met," Sanjay Gehlot, president of the Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukta Morcha, told IANS. Gehlot warned Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government not to clear the garbage dumped by the protesting workers. "We will not let the government carry out cleaniness drive in any part of the city," he said. The strikers earlier dumped garbage outside the residences of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Transport Minister Gopal Rai. Another section of workers held a demonstration outside the official residence of union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu. On Sunday, hundreds of AAP activists took to the streets and cleaned up piled up garbage in parts of the capital. The three wings of the municipal corporation, controlled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have accused the AAP government of not paying money to the civic bodies, leading to the present financial crisis. The AAP government denies this, saying non-payment of salaries is the result of poor governance in the municipal bodies. The East Delhi, North Delhi and South Delhi municipal corporations account for most of the capital. The two other smaller civic bodies in the city are the Delhi Cantonment Board and the New Delhi Municipal Council. Sanitary employees of three civic corporations have been on strike since January 27, demanding payment of salaries and pending wages. Riyadh, Feb 1 (IANS/AKI) Saudi Arabia on Monday put a man to death in the northern city of Tabuk for murdering another Saudi citizen, bringing to 56 the number of people executed this year. Ahmed al-Harbi was executed after he was convicted of stabbing and shooting Fahed al-Balawi during a dispute, the interior ministry said in a statement quoted by the state-run SPA news agency. Amid an ongoing spike in executions in the kingdom, Saudi authorities put 47 people to death for "terrorism" on a single day last month, including influential Shia cleric and political dissident Nimr al-Nimr. A vocal critic of the Saudi government, Nimr was among seven activists whose death sentences were upheld this year after they were arrested for taking part in protests in the predominantly Shia Eastern Province in 2011 and for urging political reform. Saudi Arabia executed at least 151 people between January and November last year, its highest recorded number of executions in two decades, according to Amnesty International. Most executions in Saudi Arabia are done by beheading with a sword and some by firing-squad. Murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death under the kingdom's strict Islamic legal code. --IANS/AKI mr/ Fresh weather warnings were issued on Monday as Scotland prepared for the arrival of storm Henry. According to the Met Office, gusts of 70-80mph were expected widely, with 90mph gusts possible in exposed areas, especially in the west, BBC reported. All schools in the Western Isles were ordered closed and some rail services were also likely to be suspended later in the day. The office will issue an amber "be prepared" alert which will remain in force until 9.00 a.m. on Tuesday. Lesser yellow "be aware" warning were in place for Northern Ireland, Wales and northern England. "Gale to severe gale-force, west to south-westerly winds are expected to develop on the southern and western flanks of this system, firstly affecting western Scotland from late afternoon before progressing east through the evening and overnight," said the assessment by the Met Office chief forecaster. "Storm-force winds are likely in the most exposed areas. Winds should ease early on Tuesday morning as the system clears away to the north east," it said. A court here on Monday sent Maulana Anzar Shah, a suspected Al Qaeda member, and another accused to judicial custody till February 10. Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh remanded Shah and Abdul Sami in judicial custody after Shah was presented before him after expiry of his police custody. Delhi Police told court that accused are not required for further custodial interrogation. Shah was arrested on January 6 by the anti-terrorist Special Cell from Bengaluru on the charge of plotting to carry out a series of terror strikes in the country. He was in police custody till February 1. Sami, a resident of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, was arrested from Nuh, the district headquarter of Mewat on the Delhi-Alwar highway, about 45 km from Gurgaon on January 18 and was presented before a Delhi court, which had sent him to two weeks police custody. Sami is the fifth terrorist to be arrested within a month in the ongoing operation by the Delhi Police's Special Cell against the Al Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent (AQIS). The Special Cell had in December last year arrested three AQIS operatives -- Zafar Masood, Abdul Rehman and Mohammed Asif. All the three accused are in judicial custody. Asif was the recruitment and training head of AQIS. They have been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The ruling TDP and the opposition YSR Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh on Monday blamed each other for the violence in Tuni town during a protest by the Kapu community. While the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) held the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) responsible for the Sunday violence, the latter said the ruling party had hatched a conspiracy to defame the opposition. Deputy Chief Minister N. Chinarajappa, who also holds the home portfolio, and Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana also targeted Kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham, who had given a call for blocking rail and road traffic during a public meeting at Tuni in East Godavari district. The protesters set fire to a train, two police stations and 25 vehicles. Fifteen policemen and four railway employees were injured in different incidents. Chinnarajappa said the violence was a conspiracy hatched by Padmanabham and YSRCP leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy against the Chandrababu Naidu government. The two ministers said Padmanabham had instigated over a lakh people who gathered for the public meeting. Earlier, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu termed the violence pre-planned and said "outsiders" were involved. "A criminal is behind this violence," he told reporters in Vijayawada on Sunday night in an indirect reference to the leader of the opposition, Jaganmohan Reddy. The YSRCP chief on Monday hit back at Naidu, describing him as "criminal number one" and alleged that the chief minister was trying to create hatred between the Kapus and the backward classes. Jaganmohan said the TDP indulged in violence as it was afraid that a huge response to the public meeting will make the Kapu community and the opposition parties more popular. Jagan said that the Kapus, irrespective of their political affiliation, held the meeting to demand that the TDP fulfil its election promise to provide backward class status to the community. The YSR Congress leader said the Kapus were agitated because Naidu betrayed them by going back on the promise. He said hurdles by the government on holding the public meeting through restrictions further agitated the community. The state ministers, however, said the government was working sincerely to implement the election promise. They pointed out that a commission had been appointed to finalise the guidelines for including Kapus in the backward classes. They said Padmanabham should wait for nine months for the commission to submit its report. A Pakistani minister has said that Islamabad had always kept the Kashmir dispute on the top of the agenda in its talks with India, but terrorists seem to be toppling it, media reported on Monday. Pervaiz Rashid, the federal minister for information and technology, said here on Sunday that terrorist activities have dealt a serious blow to the Kashmir cause, the Nation reported. The foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India are expected to meet in Islamabad this month to work out the schedule and agenda for talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries later. The capital market of China's Tibet region is prospering, with a market value far exceeding the region's gross domestic product. Tibet's 12 listed companies reported a total market value of 140.76 yuan ($21.4 billion) at the end of 2015, about 1.37 times as much as the region's GDP for that year, Xinhua cited the regional securities regulator as saying on Sunday. The plateau region has 11 companies listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and another one listed on the Hong Kong bourse. The companies cover diverse sectors including food, beverage, tourism, medicine, mining and construction. Meanwhile, Tibet's equity market is thriving with security firms, futures sales office, public fund management institution and private equity managers. In March last year, China Securities Regulatory Commission vowed to help Tibet's businesses expand through a multi-layer equity market with continued prior handling of initial public offerings (IPOs). The commission promised to help Tibet's businesses to issue corporate bonds on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges and the new national stock transfer system for smaller firms. The commission also encouraged private funds to invest in Tibet, especially in farming and husbandry, Tibetan medicine and handicrafts. About 33 Tibetan businesses are planning to go public. "The capital market has proven an important part of Tibet's economy and has played a vital role in deepening corporate reforms, optimise allocation of resources, improve economic structures and foster special industries," said Wang Daiyuan, a specialist on economic strategies with Tibet's Regional Academy of Social Sciences. Wang said he was expecting more listed companies in health and hydropower industries in the coming five years. Tibet had its first listed company in 1995. US presidential aspirants are making a final push before Monday's first nominating contest in Iowa where Donald Trump leads the Republican side while Bernie Sanders poses a top challenge to Hillary Clinton among Democrats. The former secretary of state Clinton, clinging to a narrow 45 to 42 percent lead over Sanders, spent much of Sunday in western Iowa with her daughter, Chelsea, before heading back to Des Moines, Iowa, for a rally with former president Bill Clinton. In an apparent jab at Sanders, who has drawn huge crowds with his attacks on the Wall Street and the rich, Bill Clinton decried politicians who did little more than voice the frustration of voters. "When you're angry and frustrated, the typical thing to do-and it's so emotionally satisfying for about 30 seconds-is to label and blame, label and blame, label and blame," Clinton said. As he rallied in Waterloo, Sanders complained he could not keep up with distortions of his record by the Clinton camp which has taken ads suggesting he is attacking Planned Parenthood and protecting the interests of the National Rifle Association. "I think the excitement and the energy is with our campaign," said the Vermont senator who is maintaining a wide lead over Clinton in New Hampshire which holds the first in the nation primary on Feb 9. On the Republican side, poised for a stunning win in Monday night caucuses, Trump who in latest polls leads his nearest Republican rival Ted Cruz by five points (28-23 percent) called him a "liar" as he made his final pitch in the heart of evangelical Iowa. He announced that Sarah Palin will again join him Monday for a final get-out-the-vote effort and in an interview with ABC News Trump bragged about "how well I'm doing with evangelicals." Texas Senator Cruz questioned his rival's conservative authenticity on abortion and religious liberty and appeared alongside Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson, who branded same sex marriage "wicked" and "evil." Meanwhile according to a new CNN/WMUR poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Centre, Trump backed by 30 percent likely Republican primary voters continues to hold more than double the support over Cruz (12 percent) in New Hampshire. In the Democratic race, Sanders continues to lead Hillary Clinton by a wide margin, 57 percent to 34 percent in the new poll. Sanders holds an edge across nearly all demographic groups measured in the poll, though Clinton fares better among women than men, and she splits voters age 65 or older with Sanders about evenly, while trailing Sanders by a significant margin among younger voters. (Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) Vice President Hamid Ansari left on Monday for a five-day visit to Brunei and Thailand. This will be the first visit by an Indian vice president to Brunei and the first in 50 years to Thailand. During his visit to Brunei from February 1 to 3, he will meet the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah. "Brunei has become an important partner and ally for India in the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)," Anil Wadhwa, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry, told the media here ahead of the visit. "Brunei has played a very important role as India-Asean coordinator from 2013 to 2015," he added. Brunei supported India's stand on Jammu and Kashmir and its candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. The trade volume between India and Brunei is about $1 billion, most of which is made up of crude oil. Potential gas requirements can also be met from Brunei. "Petroleum products as well as organic chemicals, metal ores and scraps are the other commodities that we import from Brunei," Wadhwa said. "Our main exports to Brunei consist of transportation equipment, meat and meat products and gems and jewellery." He said that during the visit, the issues that would come up for discussion are civil aviation, space, trade and investment, ICT and hydrocarbons. Memorandums of understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed on health and defence cooperation, Wadhwa said. Ansari will also address members of the Indian community. There are over 10,000 Indian professionals in Brunei and, according to Wadhwa, there is a great deal there for them, particularly those who were working as teachers and doctors. Ansari will then visit Thailand from February 3 to 5 at the official invitation of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Apart from holding a meeting with Prayut, Ansari will also have an audience with Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who is a scholar in Sanskrit, Wadhwa said. Ansari will deliver a speech on India's Look East and Act East policy at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and also address members of the Indian community. India-Thailand trade now stands at around $8.66 billion. Ansari will also briefly visit the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. "The relationship between India and Thailand has traditionally been very close," said Wadhwa, adding that Thailand was an important partner in India's strategic partnership with Asean. Chef Benoit Violier, whose Swiss restaurant was named the best in the world in December 2015, has been found dead at his home, the media reported on Monday. Violier, 44, ran the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier, near the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, BBC reported. It earned three Michelin stars and came top in France's La Liste ranking of the world's 1,000 best eateries. Swiss police said Violier, who was born in France, appeared to have shot himself. The Swiss news website 24 Heures said that Violier had been due to attend the launch of the new Michelin guide in Paris on Monday. His death comes some six months after that of Philippe Rochat, his mentor and predecessor at the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville. Having worked at the restaurant since 1996, Violier took it over along with his wife Brigitte in 2012, before obtaining Swiss nationality. A keen hunter, he was known for signature dishes including game, and produced a weighty book on game meat last year. The allocation of funds to defence in the forthcoming Budget, and its distribution between various services, arms and departments, will again be a depressingly incremental affair. Marginal increases or decreases in allocations to the same old heads will testify to the absence of any new thinking, or any new solutions to the familiar problems of defence. While secrecy obscures much of the thinking and policy making relating to defence, significant changes in direction invariably leave a money trail - which canny eyes can glean from the Budget documents. However, judging from the lack of any major change, India is perfectly secure. For the most part, our old-school generals, admirals, air marshals and intelligence officials define security as keeping our borders inviolate, and preventing China and Pakistan from crossing into India. It seems almost incidental to them that we continue losing lives to terrorism, as in Pathankot and Gurdaspur; that large parts of India remain mired in armed conflicts; that we continue to be criticised, both in India and abroad, for using draconian laws to impose order; and that asymmetric, hybrid threats like cyber attacks, narcotics trade and the spread of counterfeit currency assault our sense of well-being. It is convenient and comfortable to throw a few lakh crore rupees at nominally securing a distant borderline, instead of focusing on how those borders are being bypassed by new-generation threats. The recent suicide by three female students of a private medical college in Tamil Nadu leaving behind a note blaming their college for excessive fees, no proper classes or teachers and there being "nothing to learn" highlights the serious maladies afflicting private education in India. If the system remains unchanged, things will get worse over time. The Indian higher education system in particular is already the third largest in the world. It will seek to catch up with global levels - rising from its current 13.8 per cent gross enrolment ratio, against a world average of 26 per cent, according to a 2011 Ernst & Young study conducted on behalf of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Demand is likely to grow, thanks to the combined effect of rapidly rising incomes and demographic pressure. At both school and college levels, the state of private higher education is critical - state-run establishments will struggle to address this demand alone. The Sinhas of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it appears, are on a warpath. Senior party leader Yashwant Sinha was quoted as having said at the Difficult Dialogues conference that "the people of India will consign him to the dust, you just have to wait for the next elections", without putting a name to "him". Sinha is one of the four party veterans who, after the Bihar debacle, had criticised the centralisation of decision-making in the BJP and so most people were inclined to conclude the "he" meant the prime minister. In a series of tweets on Sunday, Jayant Sinha, Yashwant Sinha's son and minister of state for finance, was quick to point out that his father had been misquoted. For corroboration, he retweeted BJP leader Shazia Ilmi's tweet that she was present at the conference and Sinha senior was indeed misquoted. There was eventually a denial from Yashwant Sinha as well. "Anyone who has reported this has completely misunderstood what I have said," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann ki Baat has urged farmers to avail of crop insurance. Crop insurance is not new, but farmers are either not aware of it or bad experiences in settling claims prevent them from paying premium. Unlike assets insurance, loss resulting from crop failure is merely based on the assessment by the person concerned. This is where the farmers feel let down and cheated, as claims payment is delayed or only a meagre amount is paid. The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), an RBI subsidiary, used to reimburse priority sector loan losses of banks and deposit insurance. The loan failure claims of up to 75 per cent dues were settled. But over time, banks lodged so many claims that DICGC could not meet them as it was short of funds and capital. RBI stopped credit insurance and has continued deposit insurance, but this too is just Rs 1 lakh per depositor, per bank. This limit was set decades ago and it has to be raised to at least Rs 10 lakh. Else, there should be no limit at all, as here the deposit loss amount is certain and the very purpose of insurance is to get 100 per cent cover from any loss. Farmers get water and electricity at very concessional rates and still do not pay bills. The government pays for losses suffered by farmers due to crop failure. Then, why not provide free crop insurance to all farmers irrespective of the size of landholding? Sudhir Keshav Bhave Mumbai can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201E-mail: letters@bsmail.in India took a great leap across the gender divide after the Delhi High Court passed a landmark judgement enabling the eldest female member of a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) to be a karta, the term used to describe the family member who has full authority to manage the clan's property and other affairs. This judgement builds on a significant amendment to the Hindu Succession Act by Parliament in 2005, introducing Section 6, which gave women equal rights of inheritance - in legal terms, making them "co-parcenors" - in HUF property. That was a progressive move that signalled independent India's readiness to move further away from the 12th-century Mitakshara School of law that excluded women from inheritance and, like other ancient religious statutes, had long outlived its utility in modern society. The karta judgement, the result of a court case between the oldest surviving child of a Delhi business family and a younger male cousin, was based on the strictly logical extension of the provisions of Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act. Before the amendment, the judge pointed out, the main reason a female member was precluded from becoming a karta was that she did not possess the necessary qualification of co-parcenorship; once Section 6 had removed that impediment, there was no further reason to exclude her. It's hard to bury a big scandal. That is the awkward lesson that Najib Razak is learning. The Malaysian prime minister is attempting to draw a line under a multi-pronged financial controversy that almost toppled him. But initial findings from Switzerland's attorney general that around $4 billion may have been misappropriated from Malaysian state firms is a sharp reminder of the lingering threat posed by foreign investigations. Even by the standards of Malaysian politics, it has been an extraordinary few days. On January 26, the country's chief prosecutor concluded that $681 million that was transferred into the prime minister's personal account in 2013 was a donation from the royal family in Saudi Arabia, not money from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, an indebted fund he championed. Najib was cleared of graft. Three days later, however, Swiss authorities published preliminary conclusions from its own probe into 1MDB which found that billions may have been squirrelled away between 2009 and 2013. The Swiss findings implicate former Malaysian officials and current and former ones in the United Arab Emirates. Four companies are in the frame: PetroSaudi, a privately-held Saudi oil company; former 1MDB subsidiary SRC International; Malaysian conglomerate Genting, and ADMIC, a joint venture with Aabar Investments - which is ultimately backed by Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan. The findings are also uncomfortable for Goldman Sachs as the Wall Street bank, which helped raised $6.5 billion for 1MDB, was closely involved with two of these entities. However, Najib himself does not appear to be the focus of the inquiry. It is highly doubtful that any of the four ongoing Malaysian probes into 1MDB will result in any outcome that hurts the prime minister. After all, the present attorney general's predecessor was axed by Najib at the height of the funding furore. The happiest outcome for Najib would be for the investigations in Switzerland and elsewhere to also fizzle out. Malaysia says it will cooperate with its Swiss counterparts. Yet foreign investigators' dependence on domestic help has helped to stymie past inquiries, including a more than decade-long probe into alleged money laundering by former president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and his late wife former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto - both of whom always denied the charges. Najib still has the domestic support he needs to stay on top. But the foreign probes into 1MDB are a continued embarrassment at best. At worst, further revelations could prove a fat tail risk for the prime minister - and for Malaysia. The government has called an all-party meeting on Thursday to seek views about a possible rescheduling of the Budget session in view of the coming Assembly polls. Elections to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry, are due by April. Several members of Parliament (MPs) have conveyed to the government that their attendance might be intermittent in Parliament as the session would coincide with campaigning and voting in these states. The five states send as many as 115 MPs to the Lok Sabha.. Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016 The cabinet committee on political affairs, headed by Union home minister Rajnath Singh, would also meet on Thursday to decide on the Budget session. The all-party meeting is scheduled before the cabinet committees meeting. The Budget session usually begins in the last week of February and the Budget is presented on the last working day of the month, February 29 this time. The session has a month-long break before Holi and meets again in the third week of April. The government claims to be keen that the goods and services tax (GST) Constitution amendment Bill is passed in the Budget session. This could enable the government to roll out the GST regime by the middle of the financial year. On Sunday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had said the government was open to discussions on the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula as also its decision to put Arunachal Pradesh under Presidents Rule. He had said the government would talk to other political parties to see if the session could be advanced. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has struggled to find a suitable interlocutor to reach out to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief, Mehbooba Mufti, for over a month now. The alliance-government in Jammu & Kashmir is seemingly on the brink, but the BJP is hopeful that PDP would not walk out. The BJP leadership, which was to meet on Monday evening here, was willing to be patient but had decided to be unbending on any further demands from the PDP chief. But the uncertainty in the BJP camp is primarily because neither of the two leaders who had last year led the negotiations between the two parties PDPs Hasib Drabu and Ram Madhav of BJP have found access to Mehbooba after the passing away of her father and the then chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, on January 7. On Sunday, Governor N N Vohra asked Mehbooba and state BJP chief Satpal Sharma to clarify the stand of their respective parties on government formation. The PDP Legislature Party met in Srinagar on Monday. In its first meeting after the Muftis demise, the legislators authorised Mehbooba to convey the partys point of view on government formation to the governor. PDP sources didnt clarify if Mehbooba was elected the leader of the legislature party. At a party meeting on Sunday, the PDP chief told party leaders she would take a call after reassessing whether ally BJPs government at the Centre would take substantive steps in a set timeframe to address the core political and economic issues of the state. National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah said on Monday if the PDP was not ready to form the government, fresh elections should be held. We have only 15 MLAs and are in no capacity to form a government, Abdullah said. The state BJP chief said in Srinagar it would be premature to speak about fresh polls. He said the party had not received anything in writing from the PDP about the Centre transferring power projects to the state government. The Bengal unit of the Congress wants no alliance with the ruling Trinamool Congress for the Assembly polls, due by April, but is divided on a coalition with the Left Front. The leaders of the Bengal Congress on Monday met Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and conveyed to him that they were unanimous that the party shouldn't have any alliance with the Trinamool Congress. At the interaction, Manas Bhunia and Deepa Dasmunshi opposed the idea of the Congress aligning with the Left Front for the upcoming polls. State Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was the most vociferous in arguing for a Left Front-Congress tie up. Chowdhury claimed that people at large wanted a Congress-Left Front alliance. Gandhi told the leaders that party President Sonia Gandhi would take a decision. He suggested that the Congress could be a "determining factor" in the West Bengal polls. Any decision the Congress takes will have a bearing on its strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Those arguing for a Congress-Left Front alliance are convinced that a multi-polar contest would help Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sweep the polls. But Bengal will go to polls alongside Kerala and three other states. The Congress-led United Democratic Front and the Left Democratic Front are main rivals in Kerala. Some in the Congress have pointed out that Congress-Left alliance in Bengal would be difficult to explain for both in Kerala and could strengthen the BJP in the southern state. Nearly 1,450 cadres of different militant groups were arrested across the state last year and a huge cache of arms and ammunition seized, Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya informed the Assembly. "During 2015, the security forces apprehended 1,449 cadres of different militant groups," Acharya said in his address to the House on the first day of the February Session. The Governor's speech, which was disrupted due to interruption by a united opposition, was considered read. "The security forces also recovered 577 assorted arms, 15,515 rounds of live ammunition, 58 IEDs, 307 grenades, 144 kg of explosives, 2,979 detonators and cash amounting to Rs 29,85,510 from different extremist elements," he added. Acharya also said 58 militants and 10 civilians were killed last year in encounters, while 49 other people were kidnapped in extremist-related incidents. "Identification of one module of JMB in the state in the wake of the blast in Khagragarh, Burdwan district, West Bengal, led to the arrest of 30 members of the module from Barpeta, Nalbari and Chirang districts of Assam as well as recovery of 10 bombs," he added. Acharya said efforts are going on to apprehend the remaining members of the module. Currently 13 militant groups are on the path of joining the mainstream after laying down their arms, he said. "My government would also like to appeal to Shri Paresh Baruah and his faction of the ULFA and other insurgent groups to give up the path of violence and come back to the national mainstream in the interest of the people of Assam and the country at large," he added. On the illegal immigrants issue, Acharya said 2.26 lakh cases are pending before various foreigners tribunal, including transferred IM(D)T and 'D' voter cases. "My government has made available the services of over 39,000 state employees for the purpose of NRC updation," he added. The Governor said the contribution of agriculture to GDP has increased by 40 per cent currently compared to 2000-01 with the sector witnessing a growth of 3.16 per cent during the 2014-15 financial year. Tragedy struck a group of picnicers, as 13 students from a Pune college today drowned off the popular Murud-Janjira beach in Maharashtra's Raigad district. The deceased comprise 10 boys and three girls, police said. Altogether 18 students had gone to swim and five were rescued, a local revenue official said. The students were part of an around 130-strong picnic group from Inamdar College in Pune. They had gone to Murud in three buses. Help of Coast Guard and fishermen has been sought in the rescue operation, the official said. (REOPENS BOM26) Meanwhile, the Coast Guard has launched search by an interceptor craft and a Chetak helicopter to help bolster rescue operations. A Sea King helicopter has also been pressed into service, a senior official said. A college picnic to a coast of the Arabian Sea turned tragic today for a group of students from Pune as 14 of them drowned off the popular Murud-Janjira beach in adjoining Raigad district. The incident occurred when 18 students were swept into the sea when they went for a swim in the afternoon. The students, aged between 18 and 20, were undergoing BSC and BCA computer courses in Pune's Inamdar College. One student was still missing and search was on for him. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted that "extremely saddened & shocked to know about the Murud incident where 14 students lost their lives." "Instructed the Collector to take care of all students. He informed that 14 bodies recovered, saved lives of 5 girls & are being hospitalised," he said. The Chief Minister said the "coast guard has started rescue operation as 1 student is missing. There were 116 students, 8 teachers &3 staff members from Inamdar College,Pune." According to a Coast Guard spokesperson, 13 bodies were recovered while a few students are still untraced and the Coast Guard and Navy have launched operations to rescue some missing students. A defence official said in a statement here that of the 13 bodies, ten were those of male and three of female. The students were part of a group from Inamdar College in Pune who went to Murud in three buses for a picnic. "We received information regarding 15 to 18 students being washed into the sea at about 4 PM. Coast Guard aircraft IC117 and two hired fishing boats were deployed for search and rescue. A defence official said in a statement that at least six students were taken to hospital. "As of now, 13 dead bodies (10 girls and 3 boys) have been recovered. 6 students were rescued or managed to reach the shore and were taken to hospital. 1 student is still missing," he said. The official said search along the coast is in progress for the missing boy named M Saife Ahmad. The Navy has deployed two interceptor craft for the search operations. P A Inamdar, Trustee of the Pune-based college, run by Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society, alleged that the beach where the students went apparently had no life guard. A pall of gloom descended over the college following the tragedy. The picnickers were accompanied by around ten staff members including teachers, the college authorities said. Inamdar said the college has received names of the deceased but their parents would be informed only after confirming and establishing their identities by checking the respective rolls. A team of college officials has left for Murud to assist rescue work. A defence official said in a statement that information was received by Indian Coast Guard that 15-18 students were swept away into sea at Murud Beach at about 4:00 PM today. "Coast Guard initiated a search operations and Indian Navy provided assistance in search. Pakistani authorities have sealed 182 'madrassas' since the deadly Peshawar school attack in 2014, in a countrywide crackdown on religious seminaries allegedly involved in extremism, a media report said today. The madarassas were closed in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because of their involvement in promoting extremism and other suspicious activities, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported. The action was taken under the National Action Plan (NAP) that was put in place after militants stormed an army school in December, 2014 killing at least 150 people, mostly schoolchildren. As part of the strategy to choke terror financing, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has so far frozen Rs 1 billion in 126 accounts which have a link to banned militant groups. ALSO READ: Pak scuttles Peshawar school attack game after criticism Law-enforcement agencies have also recovered around Rs 251 million in cash. The government has put names of 8,195 people in the fourth schedule and 188 on the Exit Control List while movement of 2,052 hardcore militants has been restricted. Similarly, the government has registered 1,026 cases and arrested 230 terror suspects. There were 64 banned organisations in the country while 74 have been declared unlawful by the UN. Activities of some organisations are constantly being monitored and their activists are under surveillance. With regard to hate speech, over 1,500 books and other hate material have been confiscated and 73 shops sealed. Law-enforcement agencies have registered 2,337 cases for hate speeches and material and arrested 2,195 people. Two Virginia Tech engineering students have been arrested in connection with the death of a 13-year-old girl whose disappearance last week from her Virginia home set off a frantic, four-day search. Blacksburg Police say David Eisenhauer, 18, was arrested Saturday and charged with first-degree murder and abduction in the death of Nicole Madison Lovell, who disappeared from her home Wednesday. Natalie Keepers, 19, of Laurel, Maryland, was arrested yesterday and faces charges of improper disposal of a body and accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony. Both are being held without bond at the Montgomery County Jail. "Based on the evidence collected to date, investigators have determined that Eisenhauer and Nicole were acquainted prior to her disappearance. Eisenhauer used this relationship to his advantage to abduct the 13-year-old and then kill her. Keepers helped Eisenhauer dispose of Nicole's body," Blacksburg police said in a statement. Virginia State Police located Lovell's remains Saturday afternoon in Surry County, North Carolina, just over the Virginia border. Hours later, police announced the arrest of Eisenhauer, a freshman from Columbia, Maryland. The Roanoke Times newspaper quoted Blacksburg Police Chief Anthony 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. Police initially charged Eisenhauer with abduction; he was charged with murder after the girl's remains were found. The girl had been missing since last week. Her family says she disappeared after pushing a dresser in front of her bedroom door and climbing out a window. Lovell's family members did not immediately return messages seeking comment yesterday. Davy Draper, who said he's a close family friend who knew Lovell most of her life, said she had a liver transplant when she was a child and had to take daily medication. But despite her health problems, Draper said Lovell was an energetic and outspoken girl who got along with everyone. "She was an awesome little girl. She was an angel here on Earth and she's an angel now," Draper said. Eisenhauer was as a standout track and field athlete in high school, who was named Boys Indoor Track Performer of the Year by the Baltimore Sun newspaper in March. The Sun said Eisenhauer had moved to Columbia from Yakima, Washington state, for his junior year. Joe Keating, who said he was a co-captain alongside Eisenhauer on the Wilde Lake High School track team, described him as a normal kid who seemed to enjoy being at school and never started any problems. Keating said he's "appalled" by the thought that Eisenhauer could be involved in Lovell's death. "All of my friends that knew him, that graduated with him, as well as everyone on the team, we're just in total shock about this entire thing. We would never have seen this coming," Keating said. Government today said 238 villages were electrified across the country during last week under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram JyotiYojna (DDUGJY). "238 villages have been electrified across the country during last week (from 25th to 31st January 2016) under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram JyotiYojna (DDUGJY)," an official statement said. Out of these electrified villages, 2 villages belong to Assam, 3 to Bihar, 40 to Jharkhand, 34 to Chhattisgarh, 143 in Odisha, 7 in Rajasthan, 3 in Tripura, 5 in Uttar Pradesh and one village in Madhya Pradesh, respectively. In view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation on Independence Day, the government has decided to electrify remaining 18,452 unelectrified villages within 1,000 days i.E. By 1st May, 2018, it added. The project has been taken on mission mode and strategy for electrification consists of squeezing the implementation schedule to 12 months and dividing village electrification process in 12 stage milestones with defined timelines for monitoring. During 2015-16, 4,781 villages have been electrified till date, the statement said. Out of remaining 13,671 villages, 10,690 villages are to be electrified through grid, 1,998 villages through off-grid where grid solutions are out of reach due to geographical barriers and 983 villages are to be electrified by state government, it added. "Total 1,654 villages were electrified during April 2015 to August 14, 2015 and after taking initiative by Government of India for taking it on mission mode, 3,127 additional villages have been electrified from 15th August 2015 to 31st January," the statement said. In a shocking incident, a 25-year-old youth died after he was severely beaten up with sticks in broad daylight by a four-member gang at Vakkom in the district today, police said. The youth died this afternoon at the Medical College Hospital here after he was thrashed by the gang with sticks near a railway level crossing over a trivial issue yesterday, Rural Superintendent of police Shefeen Ahamed K said. A WhatsApp video footage aired by a television channel this evening showed the victim, riding a scooter, being pulled down and attacked by the gang members with sticks. The four accused, who are absconding, have been identified as hailing from Vakkom and police has formed a special team to nab the culprits, he said. The victim had reportedly made certain remarks against the father of one of the gang members which infuriated them, police added. Four clerics were detained today and three madrassas sealed in Pakistan's restive Baluchistan province, amid reports that militants were planning a new terror strike on educational institutions in the country. The religious seminaries were sealed as part of a new countrywide crackdown on terrorists and their sympathisers after 20 people, mostly students, were killed in a brazen attack on prestigious Bacha Khan University near Peshawar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on January 20. Earlier today, media reports claimed that as many as 182 'madrassas' have been sealed in the country since the deadly Peshawar school attack in 2014, in a crackdown on religious seminaries allegedly involved in extremism. A senior police official said that three madrassas were raided near Quetta's Eastern Bypass area this morning after information that it was being used for anti-state activities. "The Madrassah Hussainia, Madrassah Taleemul Quran and Madrassah Abu Bakar Siddique have all been sealed under the National Action Plan," the official said on condition of anonymity. He said four clerics- Qari Saifur Rehman, Surat Shah, Habibullah, and Qari Wali - have also been detained. The action was taken under the National Action Plan (NAP) that was put in place after militants stormed an army school in December, 2014, killing at least 150 people, mostly schoolchildren. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has also frozen Rs 1 billion in 126 accounts which have a link to banned militant groups, as part of the strategy to choke terror financing. The new crackdown comes amidst intelligence reports that terrorists were planning to carry out more attacks on educational institutions in the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and Baluchistan provinces. The crackdown was protested by some of the religious parties with prominent religious leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman blaming the government for deteriorating security situation in the country. Rehman said raiding religious seminaries of any sect would yield no results as these were used for imparting religious education and not terrorism. There are around 3000 registered religious seminaries in the Baluchistan province. Two Egyptian policemen and two soldiers were killed and four others were injured in two separate bomb attacks in the restive North Sinai region. A roadside bomb went off when a police vehicle carrying security forces passed by early yesterday in Rafah, killing two policemen and injuring four others, security sources said. In a separate attack in Sheikh Zuwaid city in North Sinai, an army officer and a conscript were killed in a bomb attack which targeted their vehicle, the sources added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by any terrorist group. At the same time, militants torched two houses of two policemen in North Sinai without any casualties, the sources said. North Sinai has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January 2011 revolution that toppled former dictator Hosni Mubarak. The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by the military following massive protests against his rule. Over 700 security personnel have been reported killed since then. Chinese technology giant Lenovo today said more than half of the devices it sells in India this year under the 'Moto' and 'Vibe' brands will be manufactured at the facility in Tamil Nadu. In August last year, Lenovo had partnered contract manufacturer Flextronics to start making Motorola and Lenovo smartphones in India at the latter's unit at Sriperumbudur near Chennai. The plant has a capacity of six million units. "Outside China, India is the only country where we are manufacturing both Moto and Lenovo phones. We intend to enhance our manufacturing capabilities in India and in 2016, more than half of the smartphones we sell here would be Made in India," Lenovo India Director Smartphones Sudhin Mathur told reporters here. In 2014, Lenovo had acquired Motorola from Google in a USD 2.9 billion deal. The company had said it will continue to sell the US brand as a separate label in India, which is one of its "most important" markets. Lenovo and Motorola sold over 8 million devices last year, a 1.6x growth of 2014 when its sales stood at 4.9 million units. Citing a report by research firm Canalys, the group said it is the third-largest smartphone company in the country, after Samsung and Micromax. "We will continue with both the Moto and Vibe brands. While Moto will focus on flagship experiences, Vibe will be our challenger brand (to other brands)," Mathur said. Talking about the focus in 2016, he said Lenovo is looking at strengthening its position among the top 3 and is enhancing its retail presence as well. The group is also expanding its service centres from 60 to 100 by June. Motorola today also launched its new smartphone -- Moto X Force -- priced at Rs 49,999 (32GB) and Rs 53,999 (64GB). The device, featuring shatterproof screen, will be available from February 8 on Flipkart and Amazon as well as offline retail stores like Croma and Spice Retail. "One of the constant complaints we heard from customers was screens shattering and the replacement sometimes costing as much as the phone itself. This is the problem that we wanted to solve," Motorola India General Manager Amit Boni said. The handset features 5.4-inch display, 3GB RAM, 2GHz octa- core processor, 21MP rear and 5MP front cameras and 3,760 mAh battery as well as external storage of up to 2 TB. Delhi government today claimed it has facilitated the removal of around 80 per cent of the rubbish from city roads following the strike by sanitation workers that entered its sixth day today. During a cleanliness drive undertaken by the Public Works Department (PWD) and Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia claimed that garbage lifting has been going on round-the-clock for over 60 hours now. According to Delhi government, teams of PWD and DJB staffers have "successfully" cleaned 'dhalaos' in several areas with the garbage disposed of at designated landfill sites. "In Gandhi Nagar, Viswas Nagar, Shahdara, Seemapuri, Rohtas Nagar and Gokalpur, 70 per cent of the garbage was lifted by PWD and DJB teams. Besides, 95 per cent of the waste was removed in Patparganj, Krishna Nagar and Laxmi Nagar," Sisodia told reporters. Among the areas where 80 per cent of the garbage has been removed were Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Burari, Matia Mahal, Ballimaran and Karol Bagh, he said. A senior government official said that DJB and PWD workers will continue their cleanliness drive until the strike by sanitation workers in the BJP-ruled municipal corporations has ended. Delhi ministers, AAP MLAs and hundreds of party workers hit the streets yesterday to clear garbage. Over 60,000 sanitation workers are on strike in protest against non-payment of their salaries. At least 85 people were killed in a weekend attack by Boko Haram insurgents in a village near the restive north-east Nigerian city of Maiduguri, a state commissioner said today. Borno State health commissioner Haruna Mshelia said 75 bodies were brought into the hospitals, while 10 others had been buried yesterday. He gave the new toll while briefing the state deputy governor and a military commander on Saturday's attack in Dalori, some 12 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital. Local residents and an unidentified aid worker had said yesterday that some 50 people were killed in the attack. "A total of 65 bodies were deposited at the specialist hospital, 10 others are being deposited at UMTH (another hospital), while another 10 were buried yesterday evening at the Dalori community cemetery" Mshelia said. He said 16 villagers were unaccounted for. An eyewitness Bulama Malum said he saw more than 20 bodies burnt beyond recognition and that 15 villagers were missing. A member of the civilian joint task force, assisting the military in the fight against Boko Haram said more than 100 were killed in the incident, the latest to hit the restive region. "Even as at last night the people that died were over 100. I am sure many could have died today," vigilante Musa Adamu told AFP. "Anybody that tells you that the figure is less than 100 is just not saying the truth," he said. Saturday's attack occurred near a camp for people displaced by the seven-year Boko Haram violence. It also came as thousands of internally-displaced people were returning to camps. The Borno State government has said it was planning to return some 50,000 displaced people to their home towns in the coming days. The Boko Haram insurgency has killed some 17,000 people and forced more than 2.6 million to flee their homes since 2009. The group which seeks to impose strict sharia law in mainly-Muslim northern Nigeria has also made cross border attacks into Cameroon, Chad and Niger. AAP today alleged that BJP and RSS were "involved" in the purported assault on the protesters, including women, demonstrating near the RSS head office here and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the matter. The party also demanded action against Delhi Police personnel "responsible" for the assault on the agitators protesting over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. "BJP and RSS were also involved in the assault on the protesters. The police are acting at the behest of the Sangh," senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh claimed. He was referring to people in civilian clothes in the video of the purported assault. "Action should also be taken against the people dressed in civilian clothes. Those who were in civilian clothes and were seen attacking protesters should be probed," he said. The party also slammed Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi, demanding "an explanation for the act by the police". "This (the incident) shows the cruel face of Delhi Police where even women protesters were assaulted. This has been happening in the national capital. "During the (Delhi Assembly) election campaign, the Prime Minister had said that he stays in Delhi and it is his home. How can he allow attack on women by his police?" Singh questioned. He demanded "urgent intervention" by the PM and urged him to "take action against the erring police officials and fix responsibility". "The PM should intervene as he talks about 'Selfie with Daughter'...Talks about the security of women from the Red Fort. If his police is assaulting women, then there can't be a more serious thing than this," he said. Attacking BJP, AAP leader Ashutosh said, "Comments made by the BJP leaders reflect insensitivity of the party towards Dalits. In fact, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that Rohith was not a Dalit." Delhi Police today drew flak as a video emerged in which male police constables can be seen purportedly assaulting protesters, including women, during the demonstration. The video went viral on social media, triggering sharp reactions. The AAP government today urged Lt Governor Najeeb Jung to direct Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to release dues running into crores to the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD) as the strike by over 60,000 sanitation workers entered the sixth day. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who chaired a meeting of the state cabinet that passed a resolution in this regard, also slammed the civic bodies for failing to collect taxes properly, thereby forcing the state government to shell out more funds. "The Delhi Government is concerned about the continuous strike of sanitation workers who are making a reasonable demand as they have not received salaries for several months. DDA owes 353 crore to East MCD. Besides, it also owes Rs 808 crore and Rs 593 crore to North and South municipal corporations respectively. "Why aren't the BJP-led municipal corporations demanding their dues from the DDA? In view of this, the Delhi Cabinet today passed a resolution requesting the Lt Governor, who is also the chairman of the DDA, to intervene in the matter and get all dues cleared by the DDA immediately," Sisodia told a press conference here. He said being the LG and the chairman of DDA, it was Jung's responsibility to get all dues cleared. If MCD doesn't collect tax properly and asks the government to give funds for its staff's salaries, how will it be possible for the Delhi government? In case, we accept the demand, government will have to cut salaries of its teachers, doctors who will be in trouble then, he said. Sisodia claimed that the AAP government has released more non-revenue (salaries) fund to all the three civic bodies - NDMC, EDMC and SDMC - as compared to the past three years. "In 2012-13, the then Sheila Dikshit government had given Rs 269 crore to EDMC, followed by Rs 288 crore in 2013-14. During the President's Rule when Delhi was under the BJP-led Centre, Rs 366 crore was released to the East MCD. But, the AAP government gave Rs 466 crore during 2015-16," he said. Sisodia added that similarly, the city government had given NDMC Rs 526 crore in 2013-14 and Rs 559 crore in 2013-14 and in 2014-15, Rs 545 crore was released to the corporation, but in the current financial year, the Delhi government has released Rs 893 crore. Earlier in the day, sanitation workers staged protests across the city as their strike entered the sixth day even as thousands of teachers of MCD schools, too, refused to report for duty. The teachers, who had earlier announced a 'chalk-down' strike, today decided to go on a complete strike. The strike by nearly 12,000 teachers of about 1,100 NDMC and EDMC schools will affect around 7 lakh students, a senior municipal official said. Cooking oil maker and distributor Adani Wilmar (AWL) today unveiled diabetes care oil brand 'Fortune VIVO'. The company, a JV between Adani Group and Singapore-based Wilmar International, claimed that the product is the country's first diabetes care oil which will help in controlling Type II diabetes. "With the launch of Fortune VIVO, India's first diabetes care oil, we have made a significant addition to our wide range of products. Diabetes is a disease fast growing in the country and VIVO is our contribution towards controlling it," AWL CEO Atul Chaturvedi told reporters here. Initially, the company will roll out 'Fortune VIVO' in 18 cities and by March 31, the product will be available across the country, he added. "This product is mainly targeted at upper segment with a higher income bracket who are likely to get life style diseases. We are not looking at VIVO as a mass oil, but as a niche product. VIVO will cost around Rs 135 per litre, which will be 30-40 per cent more than the normal refined oil in the market," Chaturvedi said. "VIVO would benefit Type-2 Diabetes patients. It is clinically proven ... Research papers submitted & accepted to one of the best medical journals of the world," he said. The company, which is manufacturing VIVO from its Krishnapatnam plant in Andhra Pradesh with an annual capacity of 40,000-50,000 tonne, is expecting this brand to add 2-3 per cent to its topline. "As this is a niche product targeted at a specific segment, we are expecting this brand to contribute 2-3 per cent to our revenues," AWL COO Angshu Mallick said. He also said the company is planning to launch a new product in the food category in June this year. "We are working on a new product in the food segment for which the research and development is going on. We expect to launch this product by June this year," he added. Speaking about the company's overall performance, he said, the topline is expected to remain flat this financial year as the commodity prices in the international market were weak. African leaders have backed a Kenyan proposal pushing for a pullout from the International Criminal Court, leaders have said, repeating claims it unfairly targets the continent. Chad's President Idriss Deby, elected African Union chairman at the two-day summit, criticised the court for focusing its efforts on African leaders. "Elsewhere in the world, many things happen -- many flagrant violations of human rights -- but nobody cares," Deby said at the close of the summit late Sunday, which had an official theme of protecting human rights. No legally binding decision was made, and the decision to leave the ICC's founding Rome Statute is up to an individual nation. The decision is a "proposal...For the AU to develop a road map for the withdrawal of African nations", a Kenyan presidential statement read. The war crimes trial of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo began last week, rekindling a bitter row across Africa over the international justice system. Set up in 2002 as the last resort to try war criminals and perpetrators of genocide never tried at home, the ICC has opened probes involving eight nations, all of them African: Kenya, Ivory Coast, Libya, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda and Mali. The AU, led in particular by Kenya, has accused the court of unfairly targeting Africans for prosecution as the majority of its cases come from the continent. This included a failed case to try Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and a faltering case against his deputy William Ruto, for allegedly masterminding deadly post-election violence in the east African country in 2007-2008 in which some 1,200 people died. "We refuse to be carried along in a vehicle that has strayed off course to the detriment of our sovereignty, security and dignity as Africans," Kenyatta said in a statement. In November 2015, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom, speaking for the AU at an annual meeting between the 123 countries that have signed up to the Hague-based ICC's founding statute, said it was "no longer a court for all." Around one-third of its member states are in Africa. But while leaders criticised the court, others said that was a mistake. Hundreds of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) activists today blocked the Delhi-Dehradun National Highway at Nawla Kothi in the district, demanding cane dues and revision in prices of sugarcane. The agitation disrupted traffic on the route. BKU is demanding that the government clear dues of sugarcanes farmers and revise the price in the state. The activists have set up a temporary shack to block traffic on the highway, prompting district authorities to divert traffic to alternate routes, police added. Security has been tightened and extra police and PAC personnel have been deployed on the spot. Vice President Hamid Ansari today left on a five-day visit to Brunei and Thailand, where he will hold bilateral talks with the leadership of the two South East Asian countries besides participating in a number of other events. His visit to Brunei at the invitation of crown prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah is the first high-level trip from India since the establishment of diplomatic relations with that country in May 1984. Brunei was on the itinerary of Ansari's two-nation trip in November, but he had to return home from Indonesia, which was hit by volcanic activity. The Vice President is accompanied by Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, four MPs and senior officials. In Bandar Seri Begawan, Ansari will hold talks with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Billah tomorrow on issues of bilateral and multilateral significance including civil aviation, space, trade and investment, hydrocarbons, information and communication. Cooperation in ASEAN and East Asia Summit and other multilateral fora will also be on the agenda and a couple of MoUs on health and defence cooperation will be signed. Ansari will deliver an address at the University of Brunei Darussalam and address the Indian community at a reception. Brunei is an important partner for India in ASEAN and besides contributing to energy security, hosts a 10,000-strong Indian community. From Brunei, Ansari will go to Thailand on February 3 at the invitation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, making it the first visit by an Indian Vice President after a gap of 50 years. In Thailand, he will hold talks with Chan-o-cha and have an audience with Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. He will also deliver a speech at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok on 'From Look East to Act East: India's Partnership with Thailand and ASEAN' and address the Indian community at a reception to be hosted by the Indian Ambassador to Thailand. India's relations with Thailand are an important and integral component of its strategic partnership with ASEAN. India's 'Act East' policy is complemented by Thailand's 'Look West' policy in bringing the two countries closer. Assam government today criticised the Centre over its economic and industrial policies towards the state. "Unfortunately, of late, the Central fund released for Assam's planned development have been curtailed significantly, thereby raising the possibility of hampering the growth of the state," Assam Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya said during his address to the Assembly. Interestingly, Acharya has repeatedly been accused of working as an "agent" of BJP by the state government which prepared the speech read by the Governor at the beginning of an Assembly session. "My government has sought for the continuance of the special category status for Assam at the highest level as unlike many other states, Assam does not have the benefit of attracting significant private investment and Central financial support to maintain the momentum of growth of the last decade or so and to take it to higher levels," he added. Acharya said the state government has urged the Centre to allow 100 per cent Central funding or to continue Centre- State funding on the pattern of 90:10 to Assam. He, however, acknowledged the Central government's support in the state's growth story. On industrial policies, the Governor said the state had attracted a large number of investments because of the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP), which has helped creating jobs and wealth in Assam. "Unfortunately, industrial growth and job creation have been adversely affected because of suspension of the operation of the Policy by the Central government last year. "My government would like to appeal to the Central government not only to continue with the incentives provided in the NEIIPP, but also to expand its scope to facilitate industrialisation in the state," he added. For 'Make in India' to be successful and meaningful, 'Make in Assam' must be ensured as well and this can be facilitated by the resumption of NEIIPP and other enabling policies of the Centre. The Governor's speech, which was incomplete due to interruption by a united opposition, was considered read. Bacardi filed suit today against the United States demanding an explanation of its decision to let Cuba sell Havana Club rum in America once the US trade embargo against the communist island is lifted. That green light, granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office, is illegal, Bacardi said in the latest salvo of a long-running legal battle that goes back to the Cuban revolution of 1959. Bacardi, which had made rum in Cuba under its own name and that of Havana Club, left the island in 1960 after Fidel Castro came to power. Bacardi filed the new request under the Freedom of Information Act and wants all documents, communications and files that were created, used, or maintained by US authorities to grant Cuba the Havana Club trademark registration. Bacardi makes rum in Puerto Rico and markets it in the United States and elsewhere. The USPTO decision was made in violation of the language and spirit of US law, Bacardi said in a statement. "The American people have the right to know the truth of how and why this unprecedented, sudden and silent action was taken by the United States government to reverse long-standing US and international public policy and law that protects against the recognition or acceptance of confiscations of foreign governments," Bacardi senior vice president and general counsel Eduardo Sanchez said. Bacardi insists it bought the rights to Havana Club from the Arechabala family, which made the rum until its distillery was seized by the Cuban government after the revolution. Bacardi said it will pursue all legal options to defend it position in the Havana Club legal wrangle, which has dragged on for decades. In 1976, Cuba, which also continued to produce Havana Club, was able to register the trademark in the United States. But it lost the trademark in 2006 when it could not present the necessary license to the Treasury Department. Cuba and the United States restored diplomatic relations in July of last year. So Cuba received special permission from the US government in January and was able to file a new request for the Havana Club trademark registration. The Bacha Khan University authorities today decided to keep the varsity closed till foolproof security is provided, even as it rejected investigation committee report that held the Vice Chancellor responsible for the January 20 attack that killed 21 people. The special meeting of the teaching and administrative staff with Vice Chancellor Fazl Raheem Marwat was called to review security arrangements and reopening of the varsity near here that has remained shut since the January 20 terror attack that killed 21 people, mostly students. They also demanded the Ministry of Interior to provide at least 25 fully trained security guards to the varsity for security purpose. Registrar of the University Professor Hamidullah and spokesman Saeedullah Khan Khalid said that the varsity has not yet received report of the investigation committee, constituted in the aftermath of the brazen attack. The meeting rejected the committee's findings holding the Vice Chancellor and Security Chief of the varsity responsible for the attack and threatened to protest against all government officers in Dera Ismail Khan jailbreak and other incidents of terrorism. The meeting demanded judicial inquiry into the attack and said that Higher Education Commission was repeatedly asked to provide grant for security arrangements but all the requests remained unheard. It was also decided to provide 100,000 rupees to bereaved families of the victims and cash prize to security guards who demonstrated valour during the attack. The meeting vowed to defend the Vice Chancellor in case the authorities attempt to sack him. The investigation committee, headed by Commissioner Peshawar Dr. Fakhre Alam, compiled a report which held the Vice Chancellor and security in-charge responsible for negligence. Findings of the committee suggested that as many as eight guards were absent from their duties when attackers stormed the Bacha Khan University taking advantage of dense fog. The university had not informed the administration about special routine followed on the day of attack pertaining to anniversary of Bacha Khan. Report also stated that the Vice Chancellor had left the security responsibility with a PhD professor without discussing the matter with the syndicate. The committee had recommended to sack the Vice Chancellor and security in-charge and hire trained security personnel on daily-wage basis. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the matter related to public stock holding of grains for food security of nations and Special Safeguard Mechanism to be discussed at a session in Geneva. Badal has urged Modi to take up the issue forcefully during the special session of Committee on Agriculture there. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Badal said that the central government should mobilise an opinion amongst the developing countries to support these issues during the negotiations in the committee in the larger interest of small farmers of these countries, more importantly the food security of our country. The Chief Minister apprised Modi that WTO ministerial meeting at Nairobi in December, 2015 ended with a declaration which welcomed the progress on Doha Development Agenda, which embodied the decision of Special Safeguard Mechanism for developing country members and public stock holding for food security purposes. He also informed that Nairobi declaration provided that the members should pursue the negotiations on Special Safeguard Mechanism for developing country members in dedicated sessions of Committee on Agriculture in a special session. Similarly, regarding Public Stock Holding for food-security purposes, the member should engage constructively to agree and adopt a permanent solution to the issue. Further, to achieve such a permanent solution, the negotiations should be held in the Committee on Agriculture in dedicated sessions and in an accelerated time-frame, distinct from the agriculture negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda. Badal further mentioned that the food-grain requirements of the country would increase with the increase in population in the coming years and to ensure the food security for its people, the public stock holding to meet the requirements under the country's Food Security Act was a must. The Chief Minister wrote, "We don't consider the public stock holding as a distortion in the market in our situation as it is of paramount importance for us to provide access to food at affordable prices to our growing population. Further, sufficient stocks also need to be maintained to ensure availability in case of a crop failure in a situation where more than half of the agriculture production is received from un-irrigated areas." The absence of Special Safeguard Mechanism would expose the domestic market to the cheap imports from the developed countries and would seriously impair the agricultural production and thereby the livelihoods and welfare of small and marginal farmers of the country," Badal added. Badal said that throughout his life he had struggled hard to safeguard the interests of the state and its people. He said the announcement of Congress leaders to resign if any judgement against the interests of state on SYL was given by the apex court was nothing more than a political gimmick. "Only three months are left for term of this assembly to expire so Congress leaders just want to mislead the people by indulging in such tantrums", he added. On resignation by Delhi Minister in wake of release of CD, he said that this incident had exposed the real face of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which claims to be a party with high moral value and character. Badal alleged that AAP leadership was bereft of any ideological commitment and morality. "They just make tall statements and hollow promises to mislead the people but in reality they were lacking character", he said. He alleged the AAP government's failure on all fronts in Delhi was a testimony to the fact that the party just attained power by showing greener pastures to people and dumped them after coming to power. He claimed the people of the state would not fall prey to the gimmicks of such leaders and would teach them a lesson in the upcoming polls. The Belgian and French prime ministers hold talks in Brussels today aimed at bolstering counter-terror cooperation after Belgium came under fire for failing to help prevent the Paris attacks. Charles Michel of Belgium and Manuel Valls of France, joined by their interior and justice ministers, will also tackle the broader threat of terrorism across the European Union and the Schengen passport-free zone that allows unhindered travel, a French official said. The mini-summit, due to start at 1545 GMT (2115 IST), will focus on "French-Belgian cooperation on the subject of fighting terrorism and radicalisation" and how to "reinforce it," a French official said following tensions between the two neighbours over the issue. The two sides will study in particular how to improve the flow of intelligence sharing, the official said. Belgium has rejected French criticism of its police and intelligence services over alleged failings in the run-up to the November 13 attacks that killed 130 people and were claimed by the Islamic State group. Michel insisted "Belgium is not a lawless area" after investigators revealed some of the Paris assailants and those who allegedly helped them had come from the troubled immigrant neighbourhood of Molenbeek in the Belgian capital Brussels. Islamic State said four of the nine assailants were of Belgian origin, including one of the organisers, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was killed in a French police raid days after the massacre. Three others were French and two were Iraqi. Since mid-November, 11 people have been arrested and charged in Belgium in connection with the massacre. A key suspect, Salah Abdeslam, and his friend Mohamed Abrini, who are both from Molenbeek, are still at large. Despite the undercurrent of tension, France and Belgium hail their cooperation. "The cooperation between our services is excellent and is yielding results," Michel told Belgium's diplomatic corps recently. "It also shows what can be improved and what needs to be reinforced." In addition to French-Belgian cooperation, a French official said, the two sides will study "what actions can be taken" to fight terrorism at the European Union level and in the 26-nation Schengen zone, which includes most EU countries. Paris in particular is pushing for a deal on sharing the names of airline passengers to help trace returning jihadists. Bumper potato production is expected in the current year in West Bengal with the tuber yield likely to touch 13.8 million tonne, though late blight could be a threat. Agriculture Minister Purnendu Basu said he is optimistic that potato production in the state will be around 13.8 million tonnes. Last year, the production was 12 million tonnes. But, due to unfavourable climatic conditions, there are some reports of late blight disease, Basu said. Cold Storage Association, however, said so far there are no worrying reports on late blight. Basu said 'Krishi Bhavan' will be constructed at Salt Lake to bring all department offices under one roof for operational efficiency. He did not divulge details of the project. Hindus can perform 'puja' and Muslims can offer namaz at the disputed Bhojshala monument in the district on 'Basant Panchmi' festival on February 12, the Archaeological Survey of India said in an order. Tension has been brewing up in the district since last one month in run up to the festival as members of both the communities could not arrive at an mutually agreeable solution over paying obeisance as per their respective faith at the protected archaeological structure. Hindus consider Bhojshala as the temple of Goddess Waghdevi (Saraswati), whereas Muslims treat it as Kamal Moula mosque. According to the ASI order released today by the district public relation office, "In the ancient protected monument Bhojshala/Kamal Moula Mosque, both puja and namaz will take place on February 12, Basant Panchmi festival. The order is effective for that day only." In the past too, tension had prevailed in Dhar city whenever 'Basant Panchmi' festival fell on a Friday, once forcing the administration to impose a curfew to conduct namaz at the designated time. As per the ASI order, Hindus will perform puja from sunrise to 12 noon and from 3.30 PM to sunset on the day of the festival, while Muslims can offer namaz between 1-3 PM. The order was issued by ASI Director General Rakesh Tiwari on January 20, 2016, under the Provisions of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958 and the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Rule 1959. It also mentioned an order issued on February 5, 1998 by the ASI. The entry in Bhojshala premises will be free for both the communities on Basant Panchmi. In the normal course, Hindus are allowed to perform puja on every Tuesday while Muslims can offer namaz every Friday, while the structure is open to all on rest of days. Maritime experts today successfully managed to tow a stricken cargo ship away from France and prevent it from crashing into the country's picturesque Atlantic coast. Louis-Xavier Renaux, a spokesman for local maritime authorities, said a Spanish tugboat had successfully been connected to the ship, which is tilting heavily, "and managed to pivot it, point it towards the open sea and begin towing it." After seven days drifting in rough seas, the Panamanian-registered Modern Express was only 44 kilometres from the French coast when authorities launched a final bid to attach a tow line and stop it from hitting the coast. Experts from Dutch company SMIT Salvage, which specialises in helping ships in distress, were lowered by helicopter onto the vessel as it tilted at 40 to 50 degrees while buffeted by large waves. Renaux said the priority now was to distance the cargo ship from the coastline as much as possible in case the tow line snaps in the rough seas. The ship's crew sent a distress signal last Tuesday after the vessel listed strongly to one side, probably due to its cargo coming loose in the hull. The 22 crew were evacuated by helicopter as they clung to the ship. Three earlier efforts to attach the tow line failed, with the cable snapping on Saturday due to the movement of the vessels in the rough seas. "The difficulty is a combination of several things: the wind, the swell and the angle of the boat which is like climbing a mountain, but which is moving," a spokesperson for SMIT Salvage told AFP over the weekend. Renaux said that if the tow line holds, the Modern Express could be pulled into a "refuge port" to be stabilised and straightened. Such a port had yet to be chosen, but could be in either France or Spain. The Modern Express was carrying diggers and 3,600 tonnes of timber from Gabon in west Africa to the port of Le Havre in Normandy. If the towing operation failed, the Modern Express would likely have crashed onto the coastline of the Bay of Arcachon, where it would have been dismantled or cut up. With around 300 tonnes of fuel in its tanks, French authorities said there was a limited risk of pollution in the event of a crash. Delhi-based startup Big Fish Ventures is in talks with private equity funds to raise Rs 160-175 crore and a deal is likely to be announced within a couple of months. Big Fish, which runs premium dining lounges like the Junkyard Cafe, the Vault Cafe, also plans to increase by then its outlets count to 12 in Delhi. The company also plans to launch over 40 outlets across the country and also overseas in coming two years. "We are in talks with private equity funds to raise about Rs 160-Rs 175 crore. The funding deal is likely to be completed by March or mid-April," Big Fish Ventures Chief Mentor Nishant Singhal told PTI. He added the company will be expanding its outlets across the country in two years and has already finalised space at Mumbai, Chandigarh, Murthal and Dubai. The company currently has 8 outlets in Delhi and four more will be opened in two months. Big Fish Ventures also launched a mobile application today that will allow its customers to make reservations and avail promotional offers. It believes that the application will cater to its 60,000 customer base who frequent the restaurants every month in a better way, and plans to bring over 2 lakh customers by the end of 2016. "We will bring over 2 lakh customers on our mobile app by end of 2016 and will be doing over 5,000 table reservations per day by June 2016. We plan to invest over USD 3-4 million over next 3 years," Big Fish Ventures founder Umang Tewari said. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Maulana Sajjad Nomani today accused the BJP-led NDA government of "thrusting" the "Hindutva" on citizens. "Compulsion of doing Yoga and Suryanamskar, making singing of Vande Mataram compulsory etc. Are directed towards thrusting Hindu culture on the country," Nomani told reporters at a press conference in Mumbra. He said a two-day meet on "Save faith save Constitution" will be held in Mumbra on February 24 and 25 as a part of the AIMPLB's nationwide mass awareness programme. Nomani also demanded that 'namaz' should be taught to students of schools and government employees if the BJP government is bent on making "Hindu practices" like yoga and suryanamaskar compulsory for them. "Yoga is part of Hindu religion. We are not against doing Yogasanas (postures). But if you make school students and government employees to practice yoga, then teach them 'namaz' as well," he said in response to a query. Nomani alleged that the Central government was doing everything against Constitution. "The BJP-led government is playing with Constitution and is disturbing the secular democratic fabric of country. There is a well-planned conspiracy to disturb different castes and religions by thrusting Hindutva on citizens," he claimed. He said like-minded groups including Muslims, BAMCEF (The All India Backward (SC, ST, OBC) And Minority Communities Employees Federation), and people from Lingayat community have come together and drafted a Common Minimum Programme that will be undertaken as part of the awareness campaign. Nomani clarified that AIMPLB was not opposed to practicing yoga but are against making it compulsory. "Minorities of this secular, democratic country want to say that any kind of mischief with the Constitution to tarnish the democratic fabric will not tolerated," he added. Senior BAMCEF leader Waman Meshram alleged that "it is a conspiracy by government and ministers to thrust Brahminism in country". A 15-year-old boy drowned in the Krishna river after he went to swim, police said today. The incident occurred yesterday when M Sriram, a class 10th student and native of Kodavatikallu village, had gone to the river with his friends to have a swim, a police official attached with Chandarlapadu police said. He drowned in the river. His friends tried to save him, but he washed away in the water. A search operation was initiated yesterday and his body was found this morning, he said. The body has been sent for post mortem and a case has been registered in this regard, police said. A 'selfie' moment ended in a tragedy for a 16-year-old student who was run over a speeding train while trying to click a picture of himself besides the train. Dinesh Kumar, a Class XI student, was walking along the railway track with a friend at suburban Vandalur on Sunday evening when the incident happened, police said today. He tried to click a picture of himself with the speeding suburban train behind him when it ran over him, killing the teenager on the spot, they added. The victim's body was sent for post-mortem and further probe was on. The incident comes close on the heels of a man and a girl drowning in Arabian Sea in Mumbai recently. The man had perished trying to save the girl who fell into the sea while attempting a selfie. Doctors have been warning that taking too many selfies could result in "Selfitis," which they describe as a mental disorder. A team of doctors from AIIMS along with forensic experts will today visit Ryan International School in South Delhi and examine the water tank where six-year-old Divyansh Kakrora, a Class I student of the school was found dead. The doctors, who had prepared the preliminary post-mortem report of the boy, want to examine the spot where the incident took place before submitting the final report. The AIIMS' preliminary post-mortem report indicated that Divyansh's death was due to drowning. There were no external injuries on his body that could lead to death. The report pointed to asphyxiation (suffocation) due to aspiration of fluid into air passages as being the probable cause of the death, said sources at AIIMS. Ramhit Meena, father of Divyansh, has blamed the school authorities for his son's death. "It is a conspiracy by the school authorities and someone in the staff must be involved in the incident. I received a call from the school and I rushed to emergency ward at the hospital, where I found the principal at the entrance. "I kept asking everyone what had happened but nobody responded. Then the principal took me to the doctor, who informed me that my son was brought dead to the hospital," he said. Meena, who is a paramedic at AIIMS, further said, "When I sought answers from the principal, she asked me to stay put, claiming that it is for our own good. When I insisted, I was yelled at." However, the principal of the school had refuted the allegation and claimed that Divyansh was a special child, who was "hyperactive" and had a tendency of running away from the classroom. She, however, could not explain how the child fell into the water tank beneath the amphitheatre of the school. Divyansh was last seen before the seventh period on Saturday, 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 amphitheatre in the school's playground. He was then rushed to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Actor Bradley Cooper and model Irina Shyak are still together. There were reports that the couple have broken up after supermodel clashed with the Hollywood actor's mother. However, according to a source Irina, 30 and the "American Sniper" star's mother are very close to each other, reported E! online. "They are still very much together. Irina gets along great with Bradley's mother. They are extremely close and hang out even when Bradley is not around. They have a vacation coming up as well," the source said. The couple started dating last year around May. European Union and British diplomats held "intensive" talks in Brussels today in a race against time to seal a deal on changes to Britain's membership of the crisis-ridden bloc by the end of the day. British Prime Minister David Cameron and EU President Donald Tusk failed to reach an agreement over dinner in London yesterday and so decided on a 24-hour extension for further discussion in a bid to reach an accord by the self-imposed deadline. But with only one of the four policy areas or baskets demanded by Cameron having been agreed so far, according to EU officials, the negotiations to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc promise to be difficult. The turmoil over Britain's membership comes as the EU is struggling with the biggest influx of migrants since World War II, and the ongoing fallout over the eurozone debt crisis. "Intensive work in next 24 (hours) crucial," Tusk wrote on Twitter last night. "Only one basket is really 'closed'," an EU source told AFP. "Negotiations continue." Failure to reach an agreement on Monday will mean that Tusk is likely unable to issue a draft proposal for other EU leaders this week, in time for a full deal at an EU summit Brussels on February 18-19. Cameron, whose Conservative party has long been split by the issue of Europe, had hoped for a deal at the summit to give him time to call a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU this June, the first since 1975. Although he has set a deadline of the end of 2017 to hold a referendum, he is keen to push a vote through before any new flare up in the migration crisis and before British eurosceptics, particularly in his own party, become even more unruly. His main goal is to exclude EU migrants from benefits such as income top-ups for low-paid workers until they have paid into the British system, under a so-called "emergency brake" system. Downing Street insisted there had been a "significant breakthrough" on Sunday, with the European Commission having agreed the brake could be applied immediately under a rule that would require countries to show their welfare system was under strain. According to government sources, Cameron is prepared to accept the "emergency brake" in place of a previously proposed four-year curb on EU migrants claiming benefits. The next generation of British Poetry movement believes more in "free verse, going beyond traditional forms," said the winner of prestigious Eric Gregory award in 2005 for his first collection of prose poems 'The Solex Brothers.' Luke Kennerd, the leading Next Generation poet of UK, is on a visit to the city organised by British Council. "I like prose poetry. I like the form. I like mixing. I actually see a poem as showpiece which needs lots of engagement from the present age generations," Luke, whose 'The Harbour Beyond the Movie' made him the youngest poet ever to be nominated for the Forward Poetry Prize for Best Collection told PTI. About Next Generation Poetry movement, he said 20 poets are selected in UK and Ireland every 10 years from hundreds of poets. "Once the poets are among the 20 front-ranking next generation group, they become more familiar names in the literary circuit of the country attending festivals and getting nominated to awards depending on the nature of their works. "It (the new generation) has become sort of a popularity contest but in Britain, we the new age poets or others, have a really passionate audience who don't want to hear silent performances, a lot of people to come to hear and see a poet," he said. "But it is a far smaller audience than fiction," he admits. "You have to give the audience something. Something which captures the vision. You have to make them engaged. Sometimes silent then again boisterous. You have to carry them beyond the books. So in poetry festivals we do have music festivals and we turn performers," Luke, whose criticism had appeared in Poetry London and The Times Literary Supplement, explained. "For instance in the Jaipur Literary Festival, where we attended this year, there was this Rajasthani poet whose words and phrases were instantly evoking laughter from the audience though we could not follow the dialect. We later got the translations of the lines and felt we did not miss much on the humour front," the leading poet said. "In such performances, it is all about being funny about a serious subject and we all can connect despite language barriers. That is what poetry in present form is all about," he said. About the New Generation poets, he said, "We all have something in common. To celebrate smallest personal materials in the form of poetry. ... All we have is a kind of vision which captures the variety of individual styles," Luke said. "I quite like transliteration. You can tell as closely as possible," he said expressing how amazed he felt to be in company of poets in Bengal after north India being floored by their passion and imageries in lines. "The English speaking audience and literary circle is amazing, make us feel at home," he said. Luke, who loves the metaphysical school of British poetry, said his fifth collection of poetry, 'Cain', will be published in 2016 and his debut novel, 'The Transition' in 2017. "I see fiction as an extension of my poetic endeavour." Another Next Generation poet Melissa Lee-Houghton, who is making rounds to literary meets along with Luke, said she found the country, especially Kolkata, "vibrant, noisy absolutely incredible and enchanting". Strongly reacting to the suggestion that women poets are more prone to emotional outpourings, Melissa, whose 'Beautiful Girls' was published in 2013 and was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation, said being emotional is a "subjective thing" and relevant to any poet. "I believe from where I live, coming here is a purely emotional thing. There is nothing like being emotional for being a woman," she signed off. A UK mother found guilty of taking her 14-month-old baby to war-torn Syria to join Islamic State (ISIS) was today sentenced to six years in prison, becoming the first British woman to be convicted after returning home. Tareena Shakil, 26, told her family she was leaving for a holiday in Turkey in October 2014 but instead travelled to the city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIS in northern Syria, Birmingham Crown Court was told this week. Sentencing her, Justice Melbourne Inman said the woman had shown no remorse. "Most alarmingly you took your toddler son to Syria knowing how he would be used - his future would be as an ISIS fighter. You embraced your role in providing fighters of the future. You allowed him to be photographed next to an AK47," the judge said. He sentenced her to four years in prison for ISIS membership, plus two years for encouraging acts of terror. Shakil had told the court she went to Syria on 20 October 2014 with her son to escape an "unhappy family life" and claimed 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, the jury had concluded last week that she was guilty of terrorism related activity. 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 son for pictures wearing an ISIS- branded balaclava after secretly running away to Syria. "The most abhorrent photographs were those taken of your son wearing a balaclava with an ISIS logo. And specifically the photograph of your son, no more than a toddler, standing next to anAK47 under a title which translated from the Arabic means 'Father of the British Jihadi'. "You were well aware that the future to which you had subjected your son was very likely to be indoctrination and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter," Judge Inman said. "You told lie after lie to the police and in court between February and November 2015," he told her. As Shakil'sfamily looked on in court today, the judge added: "You told your father you wanted to die as a martyr. No doubt because of your mindset you were embraced by ISIS. Your role [in Raqqa] would not be to fight but to be a wife and mother to produce the next generation of fighters." Her defence team had claimed she had been "groomed" by ISIS recruiters who preyed on her vulnerability following the collapse of her marriage. Shakil claims to have become disillusioned and frightened of ISIS and flew back to the UK earlier this year where she was arrested by British police at Heathrow airport. Leading stock exchange BSE's CEO Ashishkumar Chauhan has been named Chairperson of the Board of Governors of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Manipur. Chauhan has been nominated to the post with effect from January 13, 2016 for a period of three years. He has been nominated by President of India in his capacity as the visitor of NITs, an official order by the Ministry of Human Resource Development said. Chauhan is a BTech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay and a PGDM from IIM Calcutta. National Institute of Technology Manipur, a centrally funded institution, started its first session in August 2010. The institute offers degrees in various disciplines of engineering like Civil, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronics, among others. The police found the complaint of a car snatching lodged by a man from Dashmesh Nagar to be fake and said he had concocted the story to get car insurance claim. Varun Jain, resident of Dashmesh Nagar on January 30 had lodged a complaint with the police that four armed men had allegedly snatched his Tata Indigo car from him at a gunpoint in the wee hours here. During investigation, it came to light that Varun along with his friend Harjit Singh, alias Billu had allegedly planned to "create a drama", in order to get car insurance claim after lodging a false complaint of car snatching, police said. "Varun was not in good financial condition. Then he along with Harjit concocted a story under a well thought conspiracy to get insurance claim," a police official said. After getting insurance claim, both had also planned to sell the car in Meerut's scrap market, he further said. Police traced the car at a house in Deep Nagar here, he said. A case has been registered against Varun and Harjit, police said. The commander of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria today dismissed calls to carpet- bomb the jihadists. "We are bound by the laws of armed conflict. It doesn't only matter whether or not you win, it matters how you win," Baghdad-based Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland told reporters in a video call. "Indiscriminate bombing where we don't care if we are killing innocents or combattants is just inconsistent with our values." In recent weeks, hawkish opponents of President Barack Obama's battleplan to defeat the IS group have called for stepped-up actions against the extremists, even if these lead to higher numbers of civilian deaths. Most notably, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who is vying to become the Republican Party's presidential nominee, in December said America should be carpet-bombing parts of Iraq and Syria. MacFarland said that is exactly the tactic Russia is accused of using as it wages a separate air campaign in Syria to prop up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. "Right now, we have the moral high ground and I think that's where we need to stay," the three-star general said. US commanders have officially recognized the deaths of only 21 civilians in the 18-month-long campaign, which has seen some 10,000 bombs dropped in Iraq and Syria. Officials frequently point out that many of these munitions are highly sophisticated and can hit a target with great accuracy. Critics, though, say the number of civilian deaths is likely to be far higher. MacFarland claimed the anti-IS fight is making progress in both Iraq and Syria, and said the jihadists had lost about 40 percent of the territory they once held. The most important event to date was the recapture of Ramadi by Iraqi security forces at the end of last year, he said. But he cautioned that many months of fighting remain, and said Iraqi generals did not think they would be able to recapture Mosul -- another key Iraqi city -- until the end of 2016 or early 2017 at the soonest. CBDT has signed bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with two UK-based firms, a move that will help reduce transfer pricing disputes concerning intra-group transactions. "The two bilateral APAs were signed with two Indian group entities of a UK-based multi-national company. The APAs cover the period 2013-14 to 2017-18 and also have a rollback provision for two years (2011-12 and 2012-13)," a finance ministry statement said today. With the signing of the bilateral APAs on January 29, the two Indian companies have been provided with tax certainty for 12 years each (5 years under Mutual Agreement Procedure and 7 years under APA). "This is a significant step towards providing a stable and predictable tax regime," the statement added. This takes the total number of bilateral APAs signed by CBDT to three. The first bilateral APA was signed with Japan in December 2014. An APA, usually for multiple years, is signed between a taxpayer and the tax authority (Central Board of Direct Taxes in India) on an appropriate transfer pricing methodology for determining the price and ensuing taxes on intra-group overseas transactions. "The APAs have been entered into soon after the Competent Authorities of India and UK finalised the terms of the bilateral arrangement under the Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) process contained in the India-UK DTAA," it added. Transfer pricing disputes on the same transaction were recently resolved under MAP for each of these two companies for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11. "The two APAs are also significant because they address the issues of payment of management, service charges and payment of royalty. These transactions generally face prolonged and multi-layered transfer pricing disputes," it added. CBDT has in all signed 41 APAs out of which 38 are unilateral and 3 are bilateral. ALSO READ: CBDT lists norms for faster refund in pending tax demand cases The CBI is considering going for a third opinion on the weapon used in the murders of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and M M Kalburgi and activist Govind Pansare, after Bangalore and Mumbai forensic labs differed on the issue, the agency told the Bombay High Court today. While the Bangalore forensic science laboratory (FSL) was of the opinion that different weapons were used in the murders, the Kalina FSL in Mumbai opined that the weapon used in all the three cases were the same. Counsel Anil Singh, appearing for CBI (which is probing the Dabholkar murder), today told a division bench headed by Justice R V More that the agency was considering seeking third opinion on the ballistic reports from experts in Scotland. Singh said this would take at least two months. The CBI, probing the Dabholkar case, and the state CID, which is investigating the Pansare murder case, submitted investigation reports in the court today. The bench, after perusing it, said the investigation is at a crucial stage and both the agencies are making sincere efforts. Advocate Abhay Nevgi, appearing for the kin of Dabholkar and Pansare who petitioned the high court seeking setting up of an independent investigation team to probe the murders, wanted the probe to be transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The court, however, noted that the CBI is in touch with NIA and hence there is no need to hand over probe to the latter at this stage. The court posted the petition for hearing on February 29 and sought progress reports from CBI and CID. Dabholkar was killed in August 2013, while Pansare was shot dead on February 16 last year. The CBI and CID have been submitting periodical progress reports to HC. The CBI had said it was probing the role of right wing organisation Sanatan Sanstha in the murder of Dabholkar. Pro-Kremlin Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who rules his southern Russian region with an iron grip, today published a video showing opposition figures in the cross hairs of a sniper scope. The clip, posted on Kadyrov's popular Instagram page, features former Russian prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov -- who heads the Parnas opposition party -- alongside Vladimir Kara-Murza, the party's deputy leader, targeted in the sights. "Whoever did not get it will get it now!" Kadyrov wrote in the video's description, which also alleged the ex-premier had gone to France to raise money for the Russian opposition. Kara-Murza told AFP he and Kasyanov considered Kadyrov's Instagram post a "direct incitement to murder." "This is the result of the impunity that has reigned since Boris Nemtsov's murder," Kara-Murza said, referring to the opposition politician gunned down steps from the Kremlin last year. Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin "does not monitor Kadyrov's Instagram account" but would look into the matter. Kasyanov, who served as prime minister between 2000 and 2004, wrote on his Facebook page that Putin, who appointed Kadyrov in 2007, should be held accountable for the Chechen leader's actions. "As the guarantor of the Constitution and citizens' rights and freedoms, Putin must stop this presumptuous official and provide a public assessment of his actions," Kasyanov wrote. "Putin bears personal responsibility for Kadyrov's actions." The former prime minister also said he would file a complaint with law enforcement authorities "in the near future." Mikhail Fedotov, the head of the Kremlin's human rights council, warned that Kadyrov's Instagram post could prompt some "unstable" people to assassinate politicians. "In the country, there are mentally unstable people who may think that the head of a Russian region is calling for the murder of a political figure and interpret his words as a call for action," Interfax agency quoted Fedotov as saying. Kara-Murza said the footage used in Kadyrov's post was filmed by LifeNews, a sensationalist channel known for its ties to Russian security services. It was shot while the two men took part in meetings -- including one dedicated to Nemtsov -- of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) last month in the eastern French city of Strasbourg. Russian parliamentarians have snubbed PACE since 2014 after the body disqualified Russia from voting over Moscow's annexation of Crimea. Kadyrov, who rules a North Caucasus region that was the scene of two separatist wars, has threatened Kremlin critics on several occasions in the past. China has arrested 21 people allegedly involved in a massive online Ponzi finance scheme in which some 900,000 investors lost over USD 7.6 billion, the state media reported today. Ezubao, an online financing platform, was launched in July 2014 in the country's eastern Anhui province. It offered investors annual returns of between nine per cent and 14.6 per cent on various projects, sate-run Global Times reported, far more than currently offered by Chinese banks' wealth management products. The platform had amassed more than 50 billion yuan (USD 7.6 billion) by December. A estimated 900,000 investors had fallen victim to the scam, the report said. After noticing some abnormal activities on the platform at the end of 2015, the authorities launched an investigation into the company. Ding Ning, chairman of Yucheng and 20 others who work for Ezubao, were arrested on January 14. "Ezubao is a typical Ponzi scam," said Zhang Min, president of its owner Yucheng Group and one of those arrested, as saying in custody. Yucheng's chairman Ding Ning said the company spent more than 800 million yuan buying corporate information to invent the fraudulent projects, the report said. Yucheng and its affiliates did not have sufficient cash flow to operate normally as of December 5. Also, the company had transferred some of its capital and destroyed certain evidence, and some senior people in the company have fled police said. Ezubao fabricated most of the projects on its website and paid old debts with money from new investors, the report said. Efforts are still underway to collect evidence and recover some of the money, to minimise losses for investors, investigators said. Japan today denied that it carries out espionage activities abroad as it announced that Chinese authorities have formally arrested a fourth Japanese citizen on suspicion of spying. China and Japan have been taking steps for more than a year to improve relations that remain plagued by tensions over the legacy of World War II as well as a maritime dispute. Ties, however, remain shaky and the Chinese allegations of spying by Japanese nationals have become a new irritant. The arrests also come as China has detained people of other nationalities on security-related suspicions. Yoshihide Suga, Japan's top government spokesman, said China informed Japan last month that a fourth Japanese had been formally arrested after being detained in Beijing in June. "Japan does not engage in spying activities in any country," Suga told reporters. "The government is preparing to support (those citizens) properly through diplomatic offices overseas." Few details have been released about the detained Japanese. Suga previously announced that three are men and one is a woman. All were apprehended last year, with of the formal arrests coming in stages. The arrests of the Japanese came after China in 2014 detained a Canadian missionary couple for alleged espionage. China said Friday that it has charged one of the Canadians with spying and stealing state secrets. Last month Swedish activist Peter Dahlin was held on suspicion of endangering national security, apparently caught up in a crackdown on human rights lawyers. He was deported last week. China passed a new "national security" law in July that was criticised by rights groups for the vague wording of its references to "security". This raised fears it could give police wide-ranging discretionary powers over civil society. A man jailed in China more than two decades ago for murder was acquitted today, the latest in a series of wrongful convictions overturned in the country. Chen Man was handed a suspended death sentence for killing a man on China's southern island province Hainan in November 1994. But the high court of China's eastern Zhejiang province, where he was originally convicted, pronounced Chen not guilty due to "lack of evidence", it said on a social media account today. The case is the latest to highlight miscarriages of justice in China, where forced confessions are widespread and more than 99 percent of criminal defendants are found guilty. China's top court ordered Chen's case to be re-opened in April 2015 after he appealed. Chen -- who is in his early 50s -- was convicted solely on the basis of confessions which were "inconsistent" during two trials which convicted him, court judge Zhang Qin said in a statement today. China's courts are tightly controlled by the ruling Communist party, which has vowed to overturn mistaken verdicts in the face of widespread public anger. Of those exonerated in recent years, Chen spent the longest time in prison, state media said. For others, the new verdicts have come too late. A court in the Inner Mongolia region in 2014 cleared a man named Hugjiltu, who was convicted, sentenced and executed for rape and murder in 1996 at the age of 18. The declaration of innocence came nine years after another man confessed to the crime. Twenty-seven officials in China have been "penalised" for his wrongful execution, state agency Xinhua reported late Sunday. But only one person will face criminal prosecution, it added, with 26 others facing lighter "administrative penalties". A Chinese court today jailed six employees of a US company which supplied fast food outlets including KFC and McDonald's with sub-standard meat in a high-profile scandal. Ten employees of OSI Group were convicted of packaging out-of-date and substandard meat as new product, a court in the commercial hub Shanghai said on an official social media account. The case highlighted the risks of foreign firms attempting to profit from rapidly growing demand for meat in China, where lax legal enforcement is often the cause of lurid food safety scandals. OSI staff marked products with false expiration dates to "retrieve economic losses", the court said. It sentenced Australian national Yang Liqun, general manager of OSI China's deep processing department, to three years in jail followed by deportation. Yang was also fined 100,000 yuan (USD 15,000) by the court, while two branches of OSI in Shanghai and the northern province of Hebei were each fined 1.2 million yuan. Five Chinese OSI employees were jailed for up to two years and eight months, the court said. Four others received suspended sentences. The scandal came to light in 2014 when a Shanghai television station showed workers on the production line scooping meat off the floor and putting it back into processing machinery. China has seen a series of scandals over food safety, but the case shook consumers since Western chain restaurants were widely seen as upholding higher standards. McDonald's said its sales in China, a key growth market, were hit by frenzied media coverage at the time. OSI apologised over the scandal. The China office of Illinois-based OSI could not immediately be reached for comment. China today condemned as "dangerous and irresponsible" the weekend transit of a US warship within 12 nautical miles of a disputed island in the South China Sea. Tensions have mounted in the Sea over Beijing's construction of artificial islands. The Pentagon said the guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur made the "innocent passage" Saturday off Triton Island in the Paracel island chain, which is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. The US action was "highly dangerous and irresponsible", Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular press briefing, adding it "gravely harmed the peace and stability of the relevant region" in the pursuit of "American naval hegemony". A commentary by the official Xinhua service said the sail-by "violated both Chinese and international law". "It is advisable for Washington to contribute more to regional peace and cooperation, rather than making waves in the South China Sea and then pointing a finger at others on trumped-up charges," it said. China claims virtually all of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all have rival claims. Beijing has asserted its claims by rapidly building artificial islands in another South China Sea island chain, the Spratlys, raising tensions in the region. Port facilities, airstrips and military buildings have gone up on the man-made islands, prompting US warnings that it would assert its rights to "fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows". While the United States takes no position on the various claims to the islands, it does not recognise any claimant's right to territorial waters. In October the US Navy sent a guided missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles of one of the Spratlys to press home the point. The US has said that China's construction has led to militarisation of the region, and threatens free access to its waters and airspace. China denies the claims, saying the facilities are mainly for civilian and defensive purposes. "The US flexing of military muscle under the banner of 'freedom of navigation', its manufacturing of tensions, these are precisely the greatest causes currently pushing forward militarisation in the South China Sea", Lu said. From US perspective, China, Russia and India are all threatening its status as a superpower. The US does not want to see a stronger India, it said. "In fact, the likelihood for India to station its naval forces in the South China Sea remains quite low. Yet, it may strengthen its military presence in the Indian Ocean. For instance, there is Indian Navy's ambitious Project Seabird, which pursues the construction of facilities to berth the nation's aircraft carriers," the article said. "In addition, it may also cooperate with Vietnam by selling equipment to Hanoi, conducting military drills, regularly visiting Hanoi's ports, inspecting ships and so forth. Maintaining a close military bond with Vietnam conforms to India's Act East strategy," it said. "Strengthening its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region is the ultimate purpose for the US to propose US-India joint naval patrols. Washington believes that Beijing, which has already broken through the first island chain, is challenging its maritime hegemony," it said. "Freedom of navigation is never an issue in the region. The White House is just finding excuses to enter the waters and even attempting to station its forces in Philippine naval bases," it said. "Apart from drawing countries outside the region, such as India, Japan, South Korea and Australia, the US is also inciting South China Sea claimants to stir up trouble in the region. Over time, these countries will realise that it is the US, rather than China, that is militarising the South China Sea and destroying the peaceful and stable environment there," it said. Unruly air passengers in China will be blacklisted under a new regulation that came into effect today, the government's latest bid to curb growing incidents of air rage that gave a bad name to the Communist giant. Five top Chinese airlines - Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Spring Airlines - also decided today to limit services to passengers deemed "uncivilised". The five companies, together with their subsidiaries, account for more than 80 per cent of China's total air traffic capacity, will record passengers who misbehave, such as those who disrupt air traffic. The database will be shared among the airline companies in addition to tourism and civil aviation authorities. Those on the blacklist will be subject to limited services, state- run Xinhua agency reported. Under the new regulations issued by the China Air Transport Association, 10 types of misconduct such as blocking and attacking check-in counters, security check passages and boarding gates would attract action by authorities. They also include fighting inside the airport or on board the aircraft, attempts to force entry to the cockpit or to open the emergency exits without instruction and spreading false information about terrorist attacks. The record will be kept for one to two years, the official Xinhua agency reported. In recent years, the media has reported numerous dramatic incidents involving irate passengers, ranging from blocking moving aircraft on an active runway to fistfights with airport employees -- embarrassing image-conscious authorities. In one of the most recent episodes, a flight departing a city in southwestern China was canceled after irate passengers opened three emergency exits following a seven-hour delay. Recently, a China Eastern passenger opened an emergency exit on an aircraft so that he could get off the plane faster. Chinese authorities have repeatedly asked its nationals to behave in public places, saying their tantrums had "severely damaged the overall image of Chinese people". In September last year, four poorly behaved Chinese tourists who created a ruccus at Bangkok airport following a flight delay were punished and placed on the "uncivilised tourists' behaviours" blacklist. They will stay on the blacklist for up to three years, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) had said. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), China is expected to overtake the US as the world's largest passenger market by 2029. In 2034, China will account for some 1.19 billion passengers, 758 million more than 2014 with an average annual growth rate of 5.2 per cent. The local Church has joined the chorus of those opposing heli-tourism in Goa, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow, citing that it will harm the bio-diversity of Aguada plateau and also affect the business there. "I have enlightened people during my services (religious mass) yesterday in the Church that we should oppose it. I have appealed the people to object to it," said Fr Rodany Rebello, parish priest, Sinquerim Church. Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) and Pawan Hans company have joined hands to commence heli-tourism in the state. The first phase will include flight between Panaji to Aguada helipad, located on a plateau across Mandovi River. GTDC had announced that the commercial operations will begin from February 2. Fr Rebello said the locals are not getting any benefit from this project. "On the other hand it will disturb the business, already settled in that area," the priest said addressing reporters alongwith Congress spokesman Agnelo Fernandes today. Fr Rebello said the Aguada plateau has rich bio diversity and home for several birds and peacocks besides other animals. "We cannot let this bio-diversity get affected for the sake of tourism," he commented. The priest claimed his counterparts (other priests) from Calangute and Candolim Churches have also extended their support for the group which is opposing heli-tourism at Aguada plateau. The official launch of heli-tourism was scheduled to be held on January 31 but was cancelled later. The GTDC officials had claimed that the launch was not held because Union Tourism minister Mahesh Sharma was pre-occupied with some other engagements. Meanwhile, the Congress party has petitioned State Chief Secretary R K Srivastava against the heli-tourism listing out the objections for the project. "We will also start a signature campaign against the project," Congress spokesman Agnelo Fernandes said. Significantly, BJP MLA Michael Lobo has joined hands with Ferandnes to launch agitation against his own government's (BJP) project. After a fortnight-long unrest over the suicide of dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, classes at the Hyderabad Central University resumed today even as the agitating students continued the stir over their demands by launching a relay hunger strike. "Classes are going on. Administration is also working," a spokesperson for Joint Action Committee (JAC) spearheading the campaign said. "We have set a deadline of ten days. We will continue our agitation in the form of relay hunger strike and organising seminars and rallies peacefully. People from outside also have come to express solidarity with our agitation. (VC) Professor Appa Rao should go. There is no change in that demand," JAC spokesperson Dickens Leonard told PTI. The SC/ST Faculty Forum, whose members had lent firm support to the agitation, said the teachers had also resumed academic and administrative responsibilities on the request of in-charge Vice Chancellor M Periasamy. Periasamy had yesterday held a meeting of the representatives of JAC to discuss the demands put forward by the student body. Periasamy took charge of the varsity after in-charge VC Vipin Srivastava proceeded on leave on Saturday in the wake of the agitators objecting to him being asked to officiate in the absence of Appa Rao, who had gone on leave after the stir escalated. The HCU sailed through rough weather with agitations ever since Vemula committed suicide in a hostel room on the campus on January 17. He was one of the five students suspended from using hostel facilities for their alleged role in a case related to the attack of ABVP leader N Susheel Kumar. Subsequently, after Vemula's suicide,the university terminated the suspension of the four students. The agitation had received support from almost all non-BJP parties and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi visited the campus twice. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy, CPI(M) general Secretary Sitaram Yechury, YSRCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy and MIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi had also made it to the campus to express solidarity with the agitating students. A JAC leader said the indefinite hunger strike being undertaken by three students has been converted into a relay hunger strike. Earlier, two batches of seven students each had undertaken the indefinite hunger strike seeking the removal and arrest of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao, among other demands. They had been shifted to the university health centre following deterioration of their health condition. A close aide of CPI (Maoist) zonal commander Arvindji was today arrested from Mohuadand market in Left Wing Extremism affected district of Latehar in Jharkhand. Rahmatullah Khan alias Tullaji was arrested when police, acting on a tip-off, raided the market, where he had gone to buy provisions for the Maoist zonal commander, now hiding in Pundag in adjoining Chhattisgarh, DIG (Kolhan) Saket Kumar Singh said. Two live cartridges were seized from him, Singh said adding his interrogation is on. Rahamatullah, a native of Chunchun village in Balarampur distirct of Chhattisgarh, had been in prison thrice in the past. The Congress government in Karnataka alone could not be blamed for the decision to implement Yettinahole river diversion project as it was approvedduring the previous BJP regime, State Forests and Environment MinisterB Ramanath Rai said here today. Addressing reporters, Rai, who is alsothe district-in-charge minister, said BJP's Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel was only trying to gain publicity and political mileage with his opposition to the project. Kateel'sstance is just a political drama for personal and political gains, he alleged while adding that all the BJP members in the assemblysupported the project. "If Kateel is against it, let him comeout of the party and convince BJP MLAs with the reasons for his opposition to the project and urge them to press an adjournment motion in the House," he said. Rai pointed out that infact BJP's Late VS Acharya had mooted the projectwhen he was the minister in the B S Yeddyurappa government in2009. He had also said that 10 per cent water from Nethravati rivercould be diverted to drought-hit districts through the Yettinahole project. The project was announced by Yeddyurappa in the budget, Rai observed while stating that the diversion of Nethravati waters would notaffect the water supply to coastal districts. All the previousgovernments had cleared the project and now it is in the hands of ChiefMinister Siddaramaiah, he added. The Opposition Congress has lashed out at BJP-led Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) for its "utter" failure to get the 'Orange city' in the Centre's first list for the Smart City project. "Nagpur was among the top ten cities in the nation in every manner under Congress rule. Unfortunately, the city has now slipped to the 256th place in 'Swachh Bharat' rankings," Congress leader in the NMC, Vikas Thakre told reporters here yesterday. Blaming the BJP-led ruling alliance at NMC "for degrading the city's position", Thakre said, "It (BJP) has failed to control the administration and irregularities in its nine-year rule". Thakre, who is also the president of Nagpur City and District Congress Committee demanded that city mayor Pravin Datke and Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar should reveal the reasons to the tax payers, on why Nagpur failed to make it to the first list of the cities announced under the 'Smart City' project. He ridiculed NMC for its announcement that it would participate again in the 'Smart City' contest in the next fiscal. "The Opposition Congress had extended all support to the BJP-led ruling alliance for gaining a place in the list. Nagpurians (Nagpur citizens) have been greatly disappointed when cities like Solapur, Guwahati, Jabalpur can make it to 20 city-list, why not Nagpur," Thakre questioned. "Presentation before the Centre should not be an issue since it was prepared by spending crores on consultants. (The) BJP hyped the Smart City project too much. It would have taken credit if it had been selected for the project. Therefore, now BJP and (the) mayor should come before public and general body to reveal reasons and take responsibility for insulting the city," he added. BJP and Shiv Sena share power in the Nagpur civic body. "BJP is in power at the Centre and state. Still the Centre has not selected the city in top 20, which proves BJP's failure at NMC," the Congress leader said. Thakre also hinted that Maharashtra and city BJP might put pressure on the Centre and get into Smart City list in next fiscal when the Municipal Corporation elections are around in early 2017. Bhubaneswar emerged on top among 20 cities, including Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Bhopal, that have been selected as part of the first batch of the Smart City initiative for which the NDMC area of Delhi has also made the grade. The announcement was made by the Centre on January 28. The Bihar legislators would be given a short course by Constitution experts to raise the standard of debate in the House, Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said today. Constitution experts - Subhash Kashyap and G C Malhotra - would deliver lectures to the law makers during a two-day programme from February 7, being organised to mark the Foundation Day of the Assembly building, Chaudhary told reporters. Kashyap, secretary general of the 7th, 8th and 9th Lok Sabha and Malhotra, secretary general of 12th and 13th Lok Sabha, would address 317 MLAs and MLCs, he said. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would inaugurate the function on February 7, the speaker said. Malhotra would educate the legislators on ways of raising starred, unstarred questions. He would also speak about raising issues during zero hour and call attention, he said. Kashyap would discuss budgetary procedures and privileges of the legislators. The crash course holds importance considering the fact that the present 243-membered Bihar Assembly has 99 first-timers. Scores of volunteers of Chatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), the students' wing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), today staged a protest outside the BJP headquarters on Ashoka Road over the police assault on students. The CYSS activists raised slogans against BJP and Delhi Police, which is under control of the Union Home Ministry, over the assault on students during a protest outside the RSS office over the death of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula at Hyderabad Central University. During the protest, more than 100 students were taken into custody by police and moved to the Parliament Street police station. A section of Ashoka Road leading towards the the BJP office had to be closed for traffic for sometime. Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal today hit out at Delhi Police alleging that it was being used as RSS and BJP's "private army" under a political dispensation that is at "war" with students across the country whereas senior party leader Sanjay Singh claimed the involvement of RSS and BJP behind the attack. A sessions court in Surat today adjourned till Monday the hearing of a bail petition filed by quota agitation leader Hardik Patel as the investigating officer in the case could not file a reply opposing the plea. Hardik, lodged in Surat jail on charges of sedition (section 124 A), abetment of offence (section 115), and causing disappearance of evidence (section 201) of IPC , had moved the plea on January 22. The matter came up for hearing on January 27 but was adjourned after police sought more time to submit their reply. Principal district judge Geeta Gopi adjourned the hearing today as the investigating officer remained absent as he is currently visiting Delhi in connection with the case. Police had filed a chargesheet against Hardik in Surat on January 8 on the charge of sedition. The 22-year-old Patel leader had on October 3 last year allegedly advised a Surat-based activist from his community to kill cops rather than end his life. "If you have so much courage...Then go and kill a couple of policemen. Patels never commit suicide," Hardik had allegedly told one Vipul Desai, who had vowed to commit suicide in support of the quota agitation. Meanwhile, Hardik's bail plea in a second sedition case filed against him in Ahmedabad is scheduled to be heard by the city sessions court tomorrow. A 58-year-old businessman has been convicted by a court here for raping a Delhi University student after abducting her in his car from outside her college in 2010. Additional Sessions Judge Pawan Kumar Matto held Mukesh Singhal, a father of two daughters, guilty of raping the 17- year-old victim, a first-year honours student of a West Delhi college. The court relied on the testimony of the girl and the medical records while convicting the man for the offences of rape, abduction and threatening to kill her under the IPC. "Relying upon the statements of material witnesses i.E. prosecutrix and statement of doctor who has proved her MLC and in view of prompt arrest of the accused, registration of FIR, medical examination of prosecutrix, and of the accused ... I am inclined to hold that prosecution has successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt that accused Mukesh Singhal had forcibly kidnapped the prosecutrix, threatened to kill her and after putting her in the fear of her death. He has raped a minor girl...," the judge said. The court is likely to pronounce order on sentence later this week. The court also said Singhal had concocted the story that the victim had taken lift from him or demanded money from him. According to the prosecution, the incident took place on the evening of August 4, 2010 when the girl was returning home from her college and Ashok Vihar resident Singhal stopped his car near her and asked the way to a hospital. When the girl told him that she did not know about it, he dragged her in the car and threatened to kill her if she raised an alarm, it said, adding he took her to a secluded street near Moti Nagar in West Delhi and raped her. When the man started his car, the victim jumped out of the running vehicle and shouted for help after which he was caught by the passers-by, beaten up by them and handed over to the police, it said. Delhi Commission for Women's counsel Shubhra Mendiratta said the victim was under great shock and trauma after the incident and she had to counsel her several times. During trial, Singhal denied the allegations levelled against him and claimed that the girl had taken a lift from him outside her college. He alleged that she started blackmailing and demanding money from him and on refusal, she falsely implicated him in the case. The judge said the court was able to understand that after such an incident of rape, the victim who was a minor would have suffered a jolt. He also said the girl's testimony was reliable, trustworthy and inspired confidence. The court said that though conviction can be based on the sole testimony of the victim, in such cases which cast a doubt in the mind of the judge, it is not safe to rely on the victim's uncorroborated version. "Iamconsciousofthelegalpropositionthatthe convictioninsuch casescanbemadeonsoletestimony oftheprosecutrixeven withoutanymedicalcorroborationand theversionofthevictiminrape commands great respect and acceptability but if there are some circumstanceswhichcast doubtinthemindofthecourtoftheveracityof victim's evidencethenitisnotsafetorelyontheuncorroborated versionofthevictimofrape," the judge observed. According to the prosecution, it was alleged that the woman, who had come from Mumbai for business, had met the accused through a common friend for professional purpose in December 2009. Later, the accused invited her to Haryana State Guest House and after a few meetings he proposed to her and promised her that he will divorce his wife to marry her, it said. It said she consented to the proposal and they had physical relations but their affair ended in 2012 when the accused deserted her on the ground that he would not be able to face his daughter if she found about their relationship. The accused had denied the allegations and claimed he had started avoiding her becauseofherunreasonabledemands and threats. He statedthatafalsecasewasregisteredagainsthim withoutmaking preliminaryinquiry and she had given a false statement toextortmoneyandto blackmailhim. Cuba's President Raul Castro began an official state visit to France today, his first ever to Europe, which is being seen as a key step in rebuilding his island nation's ties with the West. The Cuban leader was welcomed under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris before being driven down a virtually deserted Champs-Elysees avenue, decked out in Cuban flags. Police severely restricted access to spectators, and just a few groups of supporters of the Cuban regime were present. Castro, 84, is on his first official trip to the European Union since taking over from his elder brother Fidel in 2006, and spent the weekend in the French capital on a private visit. France has led the way in welcoming Cuba back into the diplomatic fold since it restored relations last year with the United States after they were broken off for more than half a century. French President Francois Hollande, who was to hold talks with Castro later Monday, has described the visit as "a new stage in the strengthening of relations between the two countries". It builds on Hollande's own state visit to Cuba last May, the first by a head of state from the West in more than half a century. Castro is the second former pariah to be welcomed to Paris in a matter of days, after Hollande hosted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani last week. "This visit is important for Cuba's image," said Eduardo Perera, an international relations expert at Havana University. "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 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 sun-drenched Caribbean beaches, a draw for tourists. Cuba, meanwhile, needs to tap new sources of income as its main ally and financial backer, Venezuela, is mired in economic and political crisis. Trade between the two countries currently adds up to a modest USD 195 million (180 million euros), which is "not in line with our ambitions," France's minister of state for foreign trade Matthias Fekl told L'Humanite newspaper. Classes resumed today in Hyderabad Central University, two weeks after the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula and subsequent agitation by the varsity students. "Classes are going on. Administration is also working," a JAC spokesperson Dickens told PTI. "We have set a deadline of ten days. We will continue our agitation in the form of relay hunger strike and organising seminars and rallies peacefully. People from outside also have come to express solidarity to our agitation. (VC) Professor Appa Rao should go. There is no change in that demand," he said. When contacted, SC/ST Faculty Forum convener Sudhakar Babu said they (teachers) are attending classes. He also said as per the request by in-charge Vice Chancellor M Periasamy, the faculty members would also continue in the administrative position. Earlier, the teachers' body said they had laid down papers from the administrative position. Periasamy yesterday held a meeting with representatives of Join Action Committee for Social Justice and discussed the demands put forward by the student body. Periasamy took charge of the varsity after in-charge VC Vipin Srivastava proceeded on leave on Saturday. Srivastava was given charge after the regular VC, Appa Rao Podile, went on leave following the row over Vemula's suicide. The agitating students earlier said they would accept Srivastava, who was the sub-committee chairman that barred the five Dalit students including Vemula from accessing hostel facilities, as in-charge VC. The HCU sailed through rough weathers with agitations ever since Vemula committed suicide in a hostel room on the campus on January 17. He was one of the five students suspended from using hostel facilities for their alleged role in a case related to the attack of ABVP leader N Susheel Kumar. Subsequently, after Vemula's suicide, the university terminated the suspension of the four students. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi visited the campus twice while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy, CPI(M) general Secretary Sitaram Yechury, YSRCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy and MIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi were among the prominent political leaders who visited the campus and expressed solidarity with the agitating students. The death toll due to swine flu in Punjab rose to 17 from four in just about 10 days, raising concern among health officials. "There are 17 deaths because of swine flu till now," State Nodal Officer for Swine Flu (Punjab), Gagandeep Singh Grover said today. Those who died because of the virus, belonged to Muktsar, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Moga and Mansa. Notably, till January 20, H1N1 virus had claimed four lives in the state. Out of 124 samples collected, 33 have been tested positive, Grover said. "We are concerned about why the patients are coming to hospitals at the late stage," Grover said. "If patients with swine flu symptoms come early, they can be treated. We have everything like sufficient Tamiflu tablets etc, but if they do not come to us, what can we do," he asked. "This time, we have made medicines available at community health centres and village level as against last year when it was provided at the district level," Grover added. Health officials feel that people with symptoms of cough and cold or high fever are taking medicines without consulting doctors. When it gets out of control, they go to doctors but by then their condition has worsened, officials said. All government hospitals have been directed to set up separate 'flu corner' to treat patients with swine flu. An advisory had already been issued to government and private hospitals to provide immediate swine flu treatment to patients without conducting tests. The test, which is free, is being conducted at Government College Amritsar and PGIMER, Chandigarh, Grover said. Meanwhile, in Haryana swine flu has claimed one life. "There is only one death due to swine flu in Haryana," said Aprajita, State Surveillance Officer (IDSP), Haryana. The patient who died, belonged to Hisar district. So far eight persons have tested positive for swine flu out of 27 samples from across the state, she said. In Chandigarh, there has been no casualty because of the H1N1 virus so far. "Out of 14 samples collected so far, only 2 were tested positive," a health official said. Delhi Police today came under severe criticism after a video emerged in which its personnel were seen thrashing protesters and dragging female activists by their hair outside the RSS headquarters here during a demonstration against dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide. The video of Saturday's incident went viral on social media, triggering sharp reactions, with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleging the police force was being used as RSS and BJP's "private army" under a political dispensation that is at "war" with students across the country. Two journalists, who have alleged they were beaten up while covering the protest, claimed the police action was "unprovoked" and that the protesters were beaten up mercilessly. In the 30-second clip, apart from police, some men in civilian clothes are also seen beating up the protesters. The student protesters were holding a demonstration outside the RSS office at Jhandewalan in central Delhi demanding justice for Vemula, the Hyderabad university research scholar whose suicide last month triggered nationwide outrage. In the video, a constable is seen dragging a woman protester by hair and pushing her down when she remonstrated against the assault on a fellow demonstrator. Reacting to the video, Delhi police Commissioner BS Bassi said he has directed senior officials to investigate the matter and see if there were any "indiscretions". "As soon as I was informed about the video, I spoke to Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deepak Mishra, who later asked Joint Commissioner (Central range) S K Gautam to look into the matter. "We will see if there was any indiscretion. We shall also talk to some of the eyewitnesses apart from analysing the content of the video," Bassi said. Addressing a press conference, AAP leader Sanjay Singh alleged BJP and RSS workers were also involved in assaulting the students along with police. Congress called it a "brutal assualt" by police on a group of "unarmed protesters" and demanded action against guilty policemen. Kejriwal, who is undergoing naturopathy treatment in Bengaluru, condemned the police's alleged highhandedness, including with women. "Delhi Police being used by BJP/RSS as their private army to terrorize and teach lesson to anyone opposing BJP/RSS. I strongly condemn attack on students. "FTII, Rohith case, Hyderabad University, IITs and now brutal attack on Delhi students. Modi govt seems to be at war with students all across," Kejriwal tweeted. One of the journalists who was allegedly beaten up, said, "I had gone to cover the protest and found myself being assaulted by members of Delhi Police who also shattered my camera. These policemen were aggressive, possibly because I was shooting pictures at the back of the rally. "Male personnel manhandled the female students, dragging and pushing them, scenes that I was about to capture with my camera. This was when the police attacked me," he claimed on a portal. He and another photojournalist, who was also covering the protest, claimed their cameras were snatched away and smashed by police. "This kind of police brutality on unarmed students is unacceptable. We strongly condemn it and guilty policemen must be punished," DPCC President Ajay Maken said. AAP leader Sanjay Singh also demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in ensuring punishment to erring police personnel. "This shows the cruel face of the Delhi Police where even women protesters were assaulted. This has been happening in the national capital. During the (Delhi assembly) election campaign, the Prime Minister had said that he stays in Delhi and it is his home. So how can he then allow attack on women by his police? "The PM should intervene as he talks about Selfie with Daughter, talks about the security of women from the Red Fort. If his police is assaulting women, there can't be anything more serious," he said. The AAP leader said Delhi Police owes an explanation for the "attack". "The BJP and RSS too was assaulting the protesters. The police is acting at the behest of the Sangh," Singh alleged. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders hope to translate voter enthusiasm into victories as today's Iowa caucuses kick off the 2016 presidential nominating contests, while Ted Cruz and Hillary Clinton rely on sophisticated get-out-the vote operations. The caucuses mark a new phase in a tumultuous election that has exposed Americans' deep frustration with Washington and given rise to candidates few expected to present a serious challenge for their party's nomination when they first entered the race. Candidates will be awarded delegates to the parties' national conventions based on the caucus votes. But given Iowa's relatively small population, another prize is the boost of publicity and fundraising heading into the New Hampshire primary and later contests. Iowa has mixed results in picking the parties' eventual nominees. The past two Republican caucus winners former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum faded as the race stretched on. But Barack Obama's unexpected 2008 victory was instrumental in his path to the nomination. After months of campaigning and more than USD 200 million already spent on advertising, the current race in Iowa is close in both parties. Among Republicans, the billionaire Trump appears to hold a slim edge over Cruz, a fiery conservative senator from Texas. Clinton and Sanders are in a surprisingly tight Democratic race, reviving memories of the former secretary of state's disappointing showing in Iowa eight years ago. Sanders, the Vermont senator who has been generating big, youthful crowds, urged voters to help him "make history." In a show of financial strength, Sanders' campaign announced yesterday it raised USD 20 million in January alone. Today's contest will also offer the first hard evidence of whether Trump can turn the legion of fans drawn to his plainspoken populism into voters. His closest rival, Cruz, has modeled his campaign after past Iowa winners, visiting all of the state's 99 counties and courting influential evangelical and conservative leaders. Cruz has spent the closing days of the Iowa campaign focused intensely on Marco Rubio, trying to ensure the Florida senator doesn't inch into second place. Rubio is viewed by many Republicans as a more mainstream alternative to Trump and Cruz. Chairperson of Infosys Sudha Murthy today said that when she first approached a group of devdasis in Karnataka around 20 years back with a view to transform their lives, she had faced resistance from them. Murthy, known for her work among the devdasis of Karnataka, shared her experiences while delivering the inaugural lecture of D D Kosambi Festival of Ideas organised by Goa government here today. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar inaugurated the festival. Murthy, who regaled the audience with her interesting anecdotes, said, "I was a girl with bobbed hair wearing jeans, who went to devadasis to educate them about AIDS. But, I was greeted with chappals (slippers). I went there again, but this time, they threw tomatoes on me," Murthy said. Murthy went there again, wearing a saree and accompanied by her father, who was a doctor, and offered scholarships to children of devdasis. Since then, the 65-year-old social worker has been working to eradicate the practice of devdasis. Two years back, around 3,000 of such women took to various business after procuring loan from a bank set up for devdasis. "I went to attend that function. I was choked to tears. I could not utter even a couple of words," she said. Murthy, known for her insightful books, including "Wise and Otherwise", remembered her initial days of struggle after her marriage, when Infosys was a new entity. "I left my fifty-day old child for five years with my mother so that I can work. I am a daughter of middle class doctor, who is now a rich man's wife," she said. Murthy's foundation is a force behind constructing 13,000 toilets. She recalled how being the only woman student in her engineering college at Hubli in Karnataka, she had to walk home to use the rest room. "I understood how it is without a toilet. With Infosys Foundation we constructed 13,000 toilets," she said. The Delhi government's education department today directed all the city schools to immediately carry out an inspection of their premises to ensure there was no safety hazard for the students. The move by Directorate of Education (DoE) comes in the wake of recent deaths of two students by drowning in septic and water tanks on the school premises. "The heads of all schools run by government, schools of MCD and NDMC and private schools, are hereby directed to immediately carry out special inspection of whole school building and the premises, including roof-top and boundary wall, to ensure that there is no safety hazard such as open or uncovered sewerage tanks, water storage tanks, manholes, pits, loose or naked live electric wires or windows without grills, which may endanger the life of students," DoE said in a communication to schools. While five-year-old Ankit Kumar died on January 27 after he drowned in an open septic tank in a MCD-run school at Kapashera, a Class I student of Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj, Divyansh Kakrora was found dead in a water reservoir of the school premises on January 30. "If there is any potential hazard then schools should take immediate steps to remove them. Besides, there should be no broken pieces of glass, iron or wooden furniture lying in the staircase or passage which may hinder the free movement of the students," the DoE said. Schools have also been asked to submit an undertaking that their premises are safe for students. "After obtaining such declaration, all the schools will be inspected by special task forces constituted by the government to verify the situation and if any school is found lacking on any safety count, strict action would be taken against the principal or school management," the circular added. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had yesterday called an emergency meeting of the education department officials to review safety aspect for students in both government and private schools. Donors at the African Union summit pledged today USD 250 million (229 million euros) for the fight against Boko Haram insurgents, AU Peace and Security Council chief Smail Chergui said. Boko Haram, facing the heat of a military onslaught in Nigeria, has in the past year stepped up cross-border attacks in Niger, Chad and Cameroon, while continuing shooting and suicide assaults on markets, mosques and other mostly civilian targets within Nigeria itself. Despite offensives by the regional force with troops from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, the Islamist jihadists maintain strongholds in areas that are difficult to access. But Chergui praised the success of the force at the close of an AU summit yesterday, saying territory had been wrested back. "Great results have been achieved and we must consolidate these gains," he said. Chergui said USD 110 million came from Nigeria, with the European Union offering 50 million euros, as well as donations from Britain and Switzerland. Chad's President Idriss Deby, the African Union chairman, said it was crucial the money pledged was actually paid to show "our firm commitment in the fight against terrorism." Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said gains had been made but much more needed to be done. "Boko Haram is no longer able to operate freely as in the past or control territories as they did," he said. "We are making tremendous progress in this battle, but we still need to remain vigilant, we need to share information and cooperate. Russell Crowe warned Douglas Booth that working with him would be the most "interesting" thing he ever did. The 23-year-old actor ran into trouble with his "Noah" co-star because he spent so much time on the set of the blockbuster texting his then-girlfriend, reported Femalefirst. "I was on set in New York and always on my phone texting and I remember Russell coming up to me and saying, 'You're never going to be doing anything more interesting than working with me and (director) Darren Aronofsky. What are you doing on your phone?' "And he was completely right. Now my phone doesn't come on to set so I stay present in every moment," Douglas said. Douglas - who previously dated actress Vanessa Kirby and has also been linked with Taylor Swift, Emma Watson and Cara Delevingne - has just finished filming "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" with Lily James, Matt Smith, Suki Waterhouse and Sam Riley. As part of its review of election preparedness in poll-bound states, the Election Commission will visit Kerala from February 3 to 5 to interact with officers of the state administration and other stakeholders, including political parties. The three Election Commissioners, along with other senior officers of the poll panel, are also likely to visit Tamil Nadu and Puducherry next week for three days, sources said. Assembly elections are likely be held in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in April-May. The EC has already visited West Bengal and Assam to take stock of poll preparedness in the two states. While the term of assemblies in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal is coming to an end in May, the tenure of those in Kerala, Puducherry and Assam is coming to an end in June. The 'full' Commission comprising Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and fellow Commissioners A K Joti and O P Rawat would reach Kerala on Wednesday and return to Delhi on February 5. The Commissioners will meet top administration and police officials besides representatives of political parties before taking a call on fixing the poll schedule. The Commission is likely to announce the poll schedule for the five states in March. Since the elections are in five states at the same time, the EC will take into consideration the availability of central forces while deciding the schedule. The Commission will also factor in festivals, weather conditions and school examinations while working out the schedule. The Enforcement Directorate today conducted searches on at least nine premises in the city in connection with its probe against senior NCP leader and former Maharashtra PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal and others. ED officials said the premises covered under the action include properties and offices belonging to Bhujbal, son Pankaj, ex-MP nephew Samir and few others. A team of 20 officers of the Mumbai zonal unit of the agency is conducting the operation, they said. The officials said the investigating officer of the case is also recording the statement of Samir at the ED office here after he was summoned for questioning sometime back. The agency's action came days after the Bombay High Court, on January 28, sought progress reports from the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau and the ED in four weeks on their probe against Bhujbal and his family members. The agency has filed two FIRs against the Bhujbals and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), based on earlier filed Mumbai police FIRs, to probe the Delhi-based Maharashtra Sadan construction scam and the Kalina land grabbing case. The agency has also brought out three property attachment orders worth over Rs 280 crore in this probe case under money laundering laws. Government, in the last Parliament session in December, had said that PMLA investigations against Bhujbal and others have showed that entities which have subscribed to companies controlled by the politician's family were "dubious" and their transactions were done only on paper. Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha, in a written reply in Lok Sabha on December 18, had said a case has been registered by the ED against Bhujbal, his family members including MLA son Pankaj, ex-MP nephew Samir, a firm called Ms K S Chamankar Enterprises and others. "Investigation conducted so far has revealed that the entities which have subscribed to the companies controlled by Bhujbals were dubious companies which existed only on paper and their transactions are not genuine transactions," he had said. The Bombay High Court, in December 2014, had constituted a Special Investigation Team comprising the ED Director and the Director General of state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to conduct the inquiry against the politician and others and submit a report to it. The Mumbai police complaint names Pankaj and Samir and they had been booked under IPC Sections related to cheating, criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and relevant provisions of Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act. Two Egyptian policemen and two soldiers were killed in two bombing attacks in the country's restive Sinai Peninsula, where Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists have regularly attacked security forces. In one attack at dawn yesterday, a remotely-detonated bomb hit a police vehicle as security forces were carrying out a search operation in the Rafah region, on the border with the Gaza Strip, killing two policemen, officials said. An army officer and a soldier were also killed in a similar attack yesterday in the Sheikh Zuwaid region of northern Sinai, the officials added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the region is an ISIS stronghold. Jihadists have regularly attacked security forces in the peninsula since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. They say their attacks are in retaliation for a government crackdown targeting Morsi supporters that has left hundreds dead and thousands imprisoned. The authorities say hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been killed in attacks, mainly in North Sinai, since 2013. Egypt's branch of ISIS also said it planted a bomb that caused the crash of a Russian airliner in the Sinai in October, killing all 224 people on board. FMCG firm Emami is expecting to commission its Guwahati plant in October this year. "We are expecting to commission the Guwahati plant this October. This will be a mega plant which will manufacture personal care products," Emami CEO Naresh Bhansali said here. The plant would be built at a cost of Rs 200 crore, he told reporters, adding it is part of capacity expansion plans. About the performance of the brand's products during the last few quarters, Bhansali said Emami had been able to post a good growth despite facing challenges in Nepal and Russia markets. On the acquisition of Kesh King brand, he said in the last nine months, there had been some challenges in integration. "We are taking steps to grow this brand. In the next fiscal, the brand is expected to generate a revenue of around Rs 330 crore to Rs 350 crore," the CEO said. Bhansali said Emami is also planning to introduce other hair care products under the Kesh King brand after consolidating its position in the hair oil segment. Asked about Patanjali's entry into similar product lines, Bhansali said this will help the market for ayurvedic and herbal products to grow in the country. EU president Donald Tusk said he will unveil a proposal for a deal to change Britain's membership of the bloc after "progress" in talks that followed a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron. "Tomorrow around noon (1100 GMT) I will table proposal for a new settlement for #UKinEU. Good progress last 24 hours but still outstanding issues," Tusk wrote on Twitter. Former Polish premier Tusk and Cameron had set a 24-hour deadline for diplomats to thrash out a draft accord after their talks over dinner in London broke down yesterday night without any agreement. The proposal will then go to all 28 European Union member states to try to reach a deal on Britain's demands at a summit on February 18. That would in turn pave the way for Cameron to hold his promised referendum on Britain's EU membership in June, his preferred date. London's bid to transform its membership of the EU has sparked turmoil, coming as the grouping struggles with the biggest influx of migrants since World War II and the fallout from the eurozone debt crisis. Cameron's spokesman had earlier warned that there was more work to do before any agreement. "There is more hard work to be done," the spokesman told reporters in London. "We are making progress but there's more work to do in all four areas -- more work in some areas than others." The four demands include safeguarding EU countries like Britain that are not part of the euro single currency, ensuring greater EU economic competitiveness, opting out of the goal of ever closer union and restricting access to benefits for EU workers in Britain. Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj speaks in the Lok Sabha in New Delhi. Photo: PTI Lines of credit extended by the Export Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) have helped many Indian exporters enter new and non-traditional markets, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today. The Minister today interacted with top management of the bank, Exim Bank said in a statement. Swaraj also noted Exim Bank's initiatives under GoI's 'Act East' policy in assessing business opportunities for India in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV), it said. Swaraj was briefed about the recent initiatives of the Bank for export promotion and facilitation through the Bank's range of products and services like the Overseas Investment Finance Programme, Project Exports Finance, Buyers' Credit under the National Export Insurance Account (NEIA), Lines of Credit (LOC) and advisory services, the statement said. The statement further said the minister was also apprised of the Exim Bank's issuance of Green Bonds in 2015. Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) is engaged in financing, facilitating and promoting India's international trade and investment. A fair price shop dealer has been booked for his alleged involvement in black marketing in Paroli Suhagpur village, police said. An FIR was lodged yesterday against the fair price shop dealer, Vijay Veer Singh, following a complaint by Supply Inspector Gautam Kumar in Paroli Suhagpur village under Jaithera police station, they said. The complaint was lodged after a raid was carried out at Singh's shop on directions of the district magistrate who had ordered an inquiry into the allegations of black marketing against him, they said. Police are investigating the matter. Ryan Reynolds has credited movie fans with helping to get his dream project "Deadpool" into production after 11 years of delays. The "Green Lantern" star was given the chance to reprise his role as an X-Men mutant in the spin-off in the comic book film franchise in 2009, five years after the project was first mooted. However, the production was hit with a series of delays, including fears the script was too dark and violent, and it was only when a small sample of the intended movie was leaked online that Hollywood bosses realised the support for the film and gave it the go-ahead. "It's the best and worst relationship I've ever had - it took 11 years. We even made a taster but that sat on the shelf for four years until someone leaked it on the web and then within 24 hours it got the green light. I tried to make it happen for all that time but the fans got it made," he said. "Deadpool", due out later this year, stars Ryan as the title character and his alter-ego Wade Wilson, a cancer-stricken mercenary who becomes an indestructible mutant following a genetic experiment. Actor Eddie Redmayne says his upcoming film, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is something out of this world. In a behind-the-scenes clip, the 34-year-old British actor said he has never been a part of something like this before, reported Digital Spy. This world, it's been a wonder really. It's unlike anything I've ever been a part of ... It's like imagination taken to the extreme," Redmayne said. The video also features Alison Sudol and Katherine Waterston, alongside director David Yates and producer David Heyman, sharing a little more about the film. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" will arrive in cinemas on November 18, 2016. Over 3500 delegates from India and US, UK, China and Pakistan will come together for the first global summit on critical care medicine here this week. The summit, which will be held from February 3 to 7, will be inaugurated by HRD minister Smriti Irani. "This conference will not only help exchange information on critical care but also give a boost to medical tourism in the city of Taj," said Dr Deepmala Agrawal, scientific chair person of the organizing committee. "More than 3500 delegates from India and US, UK, China, Pakistan and other neighbouring countries will participate," said Dr Ranvir Singh Tyagi, organising secretary of the World Congress. He said that over 150 research papers will be presented at the summit and workshops on 14 new fields of critical care will be beneficial for doctors. The workshops will be held on February 3 and 4, while the conference will take place from February 5 to 7 at hotel Jaypee Palace here. France and the Netherlands have signed a historic deal acquiring two large Rembrandt portraits for 160 million euros (USD 174 million), the French culture ministry announced. The agreement, signed by French culture minister Fleur Pellerin and her Dutch counterpart Jet Bussemaker yesterday seals the multi-million dollar deal agreed upon in September for two of the Dutch master's works. The acquisition -- costing the Louvre 80 million euros -- is the largest ever made by a French museum. The portraits, dating from 1634, are of prominent Dutchman Marten Soolmans and his future wife Oopjen Coppit, both wearing black with white lace on the eve of their marriage. The ministry said in a statement that the two works will be unveiled at the Louvre "in the coming weeks" before being shipped off to the Netherlands for restoration. The works will then be shared between the Paris museum and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam which both house some of the largest public art collections in the world. France and the Netherlands acquired the paintings from the French branch of the Rothschild family, one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the world. Over the past 150 years the public was only able to catch a glimpse of the valuable portraits during an exhibition organised in 1956. The deal was reached after a series of twists and turns after the Louvre turned down the Rothschild's initial price in 2013. French President Francois Hollande today called for an end to US sanctions on Cuba during a historic visit to Paris by President Raul Castro, seen as a key step in rebuilding ties with the West. "President Obama... Must, and he's said it himself, go all the way and bring an end to this vestige of the Cold War," Hollande said after meeting with the 84-year-old Cuban leader. Castro is on his first official trip to the European Union since taking over from his elder brother Fidel in 2006. France has led the way in welcoming Cuba back into the diplomatic fold since the Caribbean island restored relations last year with the United States, after more than half a century of enmity. The visit builds on Hollande's own state visit to Cuba last May, the first by a Western head of state in more than half a century. Castro is the second former pariah to be welcomed to Paris in a matter of days, after Hollande hosted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani last week. He was formally welcomed today under the Arc de Triomphe before being driven down a virtually deserted Champs-Elysees avenue decked out in Cuban flags. Police severely restricted access to spectators, and just a few groups of supporters of the Cuban regime were present. 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, Cuba's deputy foreign minister. Although Washington has yet to lift its trade embargo on Cuba -- that dates back to 1962 -- US and European businesses are jockeying for position as the communist island's economy gradually opens up. Trade delegations have been flocking to Cuba, hoping to cash in on its highly trained workforce and natural assets such as its sun-drenched Caribbean beaches, a draw for tourists. Cuba, meanwhile, needs to tap new sources of income as its main ally and financial backer, Venezuela, is mired in economic and political crisis. France and Cuba signed deals on tourism, transport and fairtrade goods. Some of France's largest companies already invest in Cuba, including telecoms group Alcatel-Lucent, and energy firms Total and Alstom. France's Pernod-Ricard has produced Havana Club rum in Cuba for two decades, although the same drink is also produced in Puerto Rico by Bacardi, Cuba's best-known rum maker, which was forced into exile in 1960. French authorities demolished a makeshift church and mosque today at a camp in Calais populated by thousands of migrants. The operation was the culmination of a two-week effort to clear a 100-meter security zone around the perimeter of the camp, a regional official said. The migrants and charity groups helping them were informed January 19 of the pending demolition, the official said, adding that no one was hurt in the operation. The pastor for the church clashed with police holding riot shields as excavation machines crushed the simple structure, leaving an empty muddy field beneath. Rev Teferi Shuremo said authorities had told him the church was "safe" from demolition. "They are trying to destroy peace," he said, clinging to a huge wooden cross and pledging to build another church. The regional official, who was not authorised to be publicly named, said the mosque had already been abandoned and no one protested it being razed. He said migrants were free to build new places of worship. About 4,000 people from Syria, Sudan and other countries are estimated to be at the camp as they try to reach Britain. The French government has come under fire for failing to provide basic care for the migrants, who have built their own shelters, schools, stores and places of worship. Anup Sardesai, whose controversial book "Nathuram Godse - The Story of an Assassin" kicked up a political storm in Goa on its release on the martyrdom day of Mahatma Gandhi, says Gandhi's killer should neither be glorified nor vilified. "As far as murder is concerned, the killing should never be justified. I must confess that while writing the book I was neither condemning the murder nor glorifying it. My personal opinion is that Nathuram Godse should not be vilified nor glorified," Sardesai told PTI. "If we understand his (Godse's) psyche, such murders can be prevented in future. In India even today, a common man has no voice...This is why violence goes to the extreme," the 44-year-old author said. Sardesai said while writing the book he had spent a considerable time with Godse's family in Pune. "I met Godse's family in Pune. They are well off, but even today they are called as the family of Gandhi's killers. There was a Facebook post by Vaidehi Godse on Gandhi Jayanti. She said even today we respect Gandhi," Sardesai said, adding "don't glorify him as an assassin but don't vilify the family." About the book, Sardesai said it was launched in mid- October last year online on Flipkart and Amazon. "I was waiting for the official launch of the book to see the response from the people. It was sold online and people accepted it. No one sought a ban on it," he said referring to the controversy raised by the newly formed party Goa Forward and Independent legislator Vijai Sardesai during the book launch. On January 29, the BJP-led government in Goa had disallowed use of its premises for the scheduled release of the book on January 30 (Mahatma's death anniversary) amid protests and to possibly avoid a potential controversy. Goa Forward, launched by former State Election Commissioner Prabhkar Timble recently, opposed letting out of the government premises for the release of the book which it termed as an "unpatriotic cause". BJP leader Damodar Naik, chairman of Ravindra Bhavan, was initially expected to release the book at the state-owoned auditorium but it was later done by Satyaki Savarkar, the grand nephew of Godse, after it courted controversy. Sardesai said the book has four chapters. The first chapter deals with childhood, youth and professional life of Godse, how he met Savarkar, how he started a newspaper, right up to India's partition. "The second chapter is the assassination. That is the modus operandi, how he and his friends went to Delhi. Their January 20 attempt was unsuccessful...After that they came back. Then Godse took it upon himself to kill Mahatma on 30th. "Of these two chapters, 90 per cent is in public domain, only thing is that newspaper articles which Godse wrote for 'Agrani' (newspaper) were not in any books," he said. The writer claims the third chapter touches upon something entirely new which the Indians are unaware of. "After Mahatma was killed there were riots from February 1 onwards. Government record says only 25-30 people died but the toll actually was over 300-400. VD Savarkar's younger brother was killed. Nathuram's sister-in-law along with two children were thrown on to roads,their house was burnt," he claimed. Sardesai says he thought of writing this book after reading "The Man who Killed Gandhi" by Manohar Mulgaonkar and "Let's Kill Gandhi" by Tushar Gandhi. Ashish Kumar Goel, an Indian Railway Stores Service officer of 1979 batch, today took over as general manager of Eastern Railway in addition to being the general manager of South Eastern Railway. Goel, a mechanical engineer from Regional Engineering College, Allahabad, had joined Indian Railways as materials manager, a Railways release here said. Goel has experience of working as controller of stores in Central Organisation For Modernisation of Workshops (COFMOW), Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW)/Varanasi and as chief materials manager, South Eastern Railway and Northern Railway, the release said. He was involved in successful implementation of e-procurement and e-auction project for Indian Railways and finalization of Marhowra and Madhepura Loco Manufacturing Projects as additional member, Railway Stores, besides being divisional railway manager of Madurai division of Southern Railways and executive director of Railway Board. Goel is also the Chair of President, Indian Railways Institute of Logistics and Materials Management, it added. Government today approved five projects with a grant of Rs 175 crore related to the capital goods space for companies including HMT Machine Tools Ltd. "Government today approved five projects leading to further enhancement in the competitiveness of the Indian capital goods sector and giving impetus to the Make in India campaign of the Prime Minister. "Government support in form of grant of about Rs 175 crore will be given from a scheme of the Department of Heavy Industry titled Enhancement of Global Competitiveness of Indian Capital Goods Sector," an official statement said. Launched in November, 2014, the scheme has an outlay of Rs 975 crore including grant component of Rs 580 crore. The first project relates to a joint venture between the Centre and the Government of Karnataka. Under this, 500 acres of land has been earmarked for the first of its kind Integrated Machine Tools Park to be set up near the Japanese park in NMIZ, Tumkur. The project cost of Rs 421 crore will be partially met from the Government of India grant support of Rs 125 crore. When implemented fully, the park is expected to double Indian turnover of machine tools to Rs 9,000 crore, with matching saving in imports/forex. More than one lakh jobs in primary and secondary manufacturing sectors as well as in commercial/ administrative arena will be created. The second project relates to setting up a welding technology Centre of Excellence in PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore. The Centre of Excellence will support Indian manufacturers by proving latest technologies developed by the Centre for home-made welding machine tools, consumables and locally trained manpower particularly in high-end welding jobs required by strategic sectors. The total budget excluding land and building (to be provided by PSG) is estimated to be Rs 26.7 crore. Out of this, the government will provide Rs 21.10 crore. The third approval given to HMT Machine Tools Limited is related to manufacturing lathe and turning mill centre in collaboration with M/s Fraunhofer of Germany. "As a result, HMT will be in a position to supply modern range of machines to railways, defence, shipping, aviation and aerospace etc. A grant of Rs 1.54 crore will be given to the company. This will be the first step by the company towards technology modernization," the statement said. The fourth proposal is from HEC, Ranchi. Under the present approval, HEC has collaborated with Messrs CNIITMASH - a Russian government Industrial Technology Research Institute. The proposal is for imparting training to 1,350 engineers in three years in the latest technologies relating to electro slag re-melting, welding, gear box manufacturing and non-destructive testing. The project size is envisaged at Rs 50 crore, out of which the government component will be Rs 30 crore, which will be given to the Russian institute for their knowledge support in creating the four training centers. Government has called an all-party meeting on February 4 to discuss the duration of the budget session of Parliament in view of assembly elections in five states. The meeting will be held before the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, meets to finalise a broad schedule of the session which is likely to begin on February 23. In a letter to opposition leaders, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said he would like to seek their advice regarding "ensuing budget session that is coinciding with the election schedule of five states". Government sources say there are precedents when the budget session had been held without a break but declined to divulge whether the all-party meeting has been called to achieve a consensus for a similar approach. 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. However, 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. The other option could be doing away with the recess between the two parts of the budget session in order to finish it before the schedule of assembly polls. Government's efforts to reach out to the Opposition came at a time when the opposition parties have decided to corner it on issues like imposition of President's Rule in Congress-ruled Arunachal Pradesh and the suicide by a Dalit student in Hyderabad Central University. Raising questions over the process of the appointment of Vice Chancellors in JNU and Delhi University, a number of Opposition parties have also came together against the government, accusing it of "undermining" the autonomy of the institutions. The main focus of the session will be the transaction of 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. 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 near washout of the previous sessions, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had on January 30 expressed the hope that Congress will "see reason" and help in the passage of GST legislation, which is stuck in the Rajya Sabha. (REOPENS DEL77) 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. 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 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 despite repeated uproar by Congress over various issues. The budget session is also likely to begin on a stormy note. Congress is expected to convene a meeting of opposition leaders ahead of the budget session of Parliament so as to ensure coordination among them on the floor of the House to corner the government on various issues including the Pathankot terror strike. Private unaided schools today told Delhi High Court that the AAP government's decision to scrap certain criteria as well as management quota in nursery admissions was an "out of the hat" exercise. The schools contended before Justice Manmohan that the government ought to have identified the institutions which have criteria like preference to kids of vegetarians, non- smokers and non-alcoholics and taken action against them, instead of bracketing all private unaided schools together. "It (Delhi government's decision) is a general circular that brackets 5,000 schools. It is a populist and innocuous move to take power that they do not have," they contended. Justice Manmohan said some criteria were untenable and asked the schools if they were willing to confine their challenge to only 10-13 criteria out of the 62 scrapped by the government. The schools will communicate their decision on this aspect to the court tomorrow. The court also asked Delhi government whether its January 6 order scrapping 62 criteria, including management quota, in nursery admissions was applicable to minority institutions. During brief arguments, the private schools contended before the court how could there be 2500 admission criteria as claimed by the government. In response, the government said the figure was arrived at after going through all the criteria uploaded by each of the thousands of private schools. The court will continue to hear arguments tomorrow. It was hearing pleas filed by Action Committee Unaided Recognised Private Schools and Forum for Promotion of Quality Education For All challenging government's January 6 order. A government-appointed panel today suggested nearly 100 amendments to the new Companies Act to make it easier to do business in India, including for simpler laws for incorporating a company and for raising funds, as also for insider trading and dealings with top executives. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs Ministry has decided to launch a public consultation process on the suggested changes and has invited comments from all concerned stakeholders till February 15 in this regard. The Ministry had constituted the Companies Law Committee in June 2015 for examining and making recommendations on the issues arising out of implementation of the Companies Act, 2013. The Committee, chaired by Corporate Affairs Secretary, submitted its report today. The panel also had nominees from RBI, Sebi, industry bodies, as also from Institute of Cost Accountants of India, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and Institute of Company Secretaries of India. The committee held extensive consultations with stakeholders before making its recommendations and received more than 2000 suggestions during the process. The stakeholders consulted included all industry chambers, professional institutes, law firms, financial sector entities and other regulators. The panel said that its endeavour has been to address difficulties and challenges expressed by various stakeholders and also to further the government's objective of improving ease of doing business, encouraging start-ups and the need for harmonising various laws. The suggestions also include measures to bring in greater clarity in the Act and Rules and harmonising the various provisions thereof while making its recommendations. The panel has proposed changes in 78 sections of the Companies Act, 2013, which along with consequential changes, would result in about 100 amendments to the Act. Approximately 50 amendments to the Rules have also been proposed. The recommendations cover significant areas of the Act, including definitions, raising of capital, accounts and audit, corporate governance, managerial remuneration, companies incorporated outside India and offences/penalties. Changes have been suggested for easier regulations for shareholders' approval to the managerial remuneration. It has also been suggested to change definition of associate company and subsidiary company to ensure that 'equity share capital' is the basis for deciding holding-subsidiary relationship rather than 'both equity and preference share capital'. The panel further said that private placement process be substantially simplified, while doing away with separate offer letter and reducing the number of filings to Register. It also suggests making valuation details public. Another suggestion relates to making incorporation process easier and allowing greater flexibility to companies. "An unrestricted objects clause (needs) to be allowed in the Memorandum of Association dispensing with detailed listing of objects," the panel suggested while suggesting self-declarations to replace affidavits from subscribers to memorandum and first directors. It also wants changes in various forms. The panel has also recommended that provisions relating to forward dealing and insider trading be omitted from the Companies Act as listed companies are covered under Sebi regulations. It also wants companies being allowed to give loans to entities in which directors are interested after passing special resolution and adhering to disclosure requirement. The restriction on layers of subsidiaries and investment companies has also been sought to be removed, while change in the definition of term 'relative' has been suggested for determining disqualification of auditor. The committee also wants rationalising penal provisions with reduced liability for procedural and technical defaults, while penal provisions for small companies has been sought to be reduced. It wants no filing fees if financial statements and annual returns filed within prescribed time. Also, it has been suggested that auditors can report on internal financial controls with regard to financial statements. Frauds less than Rs 10 lakh has been sought to be made compoundable offences, while bigger frauds can continue to be non-compoundable. The panel has suggested reducing requirement for maintaining deposit repayment reserve account from 15 per cent each for last two years to 20 per cent during maturing year. The foreign companies having insignificant/incidental transactions through electronic mode should be exempted from registering and compliance regime under Companies Act, 2013, the panel further said. It also wants disclosures in the Directors' Report to be simplified, while duplications with Sebi's disclosure requirements and financial statements can be removed while retaining the informative content for shareholders. It has also recommended increased threshold for unlisted companies for compliance in context of requirement for Independent Directors, Audit Committee and Nomination and Remuneration Committee. A test of materiality can be introduced for pecuniary interest for testing independence of Independent Directors, while thresholds for relatives' pecuniary interest can be revised to make it more practical, it said. Another suggestion involves doing away with the requirement for a managerial person to be resident in India for 12 months prior to appointment. The panel also wants disclosures in the prospectus required under the Companies Act and Sebi Regulations to be aligned, with a view to make these simpler, by allowing prescriptions to be as per Sebi Regulations. It has also suggested allowing ESOPs to promoters working as employees/directors. The sweat equity limit has been proposed to be hiked from 25 per cent of paid up capital to 50 per cent for startups. Proposing a new section, the panel wants recognition of the concept of beneficial owner of a company and also a new clause for the need for a register of beneficial owners to be maintained by a company and and filed with the Registrar. The panel also wants the provisions with regard to consolidation of accounts to be reviewed and those with respect to attachment of standalone accounts of foreign subsidiaries to be relaxed in certain cases. It has also recommended re-opening of accounts to be limited to 8 years, and removing the requirement for annual ratification of appointment/continuance of auditor. The mandatory requirement of taking up some items only through postal ballot should be relaxed in case of a company that is required to provide electronic voting at its General Meetings. (REOPENS DCM 123) Sai Venkateshwaran, Partner (Advisory and India Head) at KPMG, in India said the committee's recommendations are clearly a step in the right direction and aimed at improving ease of doing business. The suggested changes seek to remove practical difficulties in complying with the law in its current form without diluting the intent, he added. "The speed with which many of these recommendations can be implemented is key, as it goes beyond just the executive powers of the government and will require legislative due process to be followed, including a possible reference to a Parliamentary Standing Committee," he said in a statement. Granite industry in the country has been "suffering" due to "absence" of a uniform national policy, the Federation of Indian Graniteand Stone Industry (FIGSI) said today. Shortage of raw materials dueto "non-grant of fresh leases and non-renewal of existingleases" affected its growth, the trade body said. "Stone products come under Minor Mineral Concessions Rules, the powers rest with the respective stategovernments. Since each state is handling it in its ownway, we are not getting a uniform policy for this industry,that's why industry is suffering," FIGSI President R Shekar told reporters here. "Some states provide for a five-yearlease, whereas a few others offer 10 and even up to 20years. In a few states there have been no renewals at all," he said adding "in Karnataka alone about 4,000 applications arepending since last 15 years." However, Shekar noted that there would be a uniform policy once the Granite Development Council, reconstituted by the Union Mines Secretary submit its report in about three months. "Once it is submitted, Ithink there will be uniform policy," he added. Shekar said there are close to one lakh leases available across the country, but due to various reasons about 60 per cent of them are operational. Meanwhile, FIGSI will hold its international stone exhibition 'STONA 2016' here from February 3. According to FIGSI, the export value of stone trade is USD 2billion and accounts for 2 per cent of the world trade and the domestic industry is also almost of the same size. It also observed that India exports products to over 90 countries while it imports from other countries for only process and re-export. Shekar also suggested that importing the raw materials from Scandinavian countries or South Africa would be cheaper compared to procuring them from Rajasthan or Odisha. Further, he appealed to the Central government to permit them to import raw materials under OGL (Open General License). Responding to a question on exports, he said: "A global recession is underway and economic conditions are not favorable for the industry, which is facing shortage of raw materials. The trade body added that about 15 lakh people are employed in the quarryingoperations in the country and the situation has also affected creation of jobs in the sector. Greece and its creditors today began a first review of the country's new bailout amid a wave of demonstrations by farmers and professionals against a controversial pension reform that is part of the fiscal overhaul. Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos's office said the first phase of talks with the senior EU-IMF representatives would be held until the end of the week. "The negotiation...Will be held in two phases. The first will last a few days, as there will be a break at the end of this week," the finance minister's office said. Headlining the agenda is the pension reform which the leftist government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has in the works to reduce state spending on retirement schemes, which is the highest in the European Union. The government plans to lower the maximum pension to 2,300 euros (USD 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. The plan has been criticised by a wide array of professional classes, from lawyers and engineers to sailors and farmers, and Greek unions have called a general strike -- the third in as many months -- on Thursday. Separately, the farmers have formed protest hubs at dozens of locations on Greece's national highways, intermittently blocking traffic with tractors in recent days. Today, they moved to block traffic into Bulgaria for several hours, causing long queues to form at the border. 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. During their stay the creditor mission chiefs will also discuss the non-performing loans burdening Greek banks. Greece hopes to conclude the review by early April in order to proceed with talks with its creditors on renegotiating its enormous public debt -- nearly 200 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). "The timely conclusion of the first review will pave the way to solving the Gordian Knot of the debt issue," Tsipras said on Monday. "The sooner the evaluation of the Greek programme is completed, the sooner we will tackle the viability of the debt," French Finance Minister Michel Sapin told Kathimerini daily today. A day after jailed 22-year-old leader Hardik Patel threatened to start second round of quota stir, Gujarat Minister Rajni Patel today said the state government is trying to arrive at a compromise formula with the help of various leaders from the community. When asked about Hardik's latest warning, Patel, Minister of State for Home, told reporters here that various (Patel) community leaders are mediating to solve the issue. "Our government is trying to resolve this issue of agitation. With the help of some (Patel) community leaders, we are moving towards arriving at a compromise formula," he said on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of a new police station here. Hardik yesterday had threatened to launch another round of agitation for reservation under OBC category and accused the Gujarat government of "failing" to resolve the main issue. In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Anandiben Patel yesterday, Hardik, who is lodged in Surat jail, said if the issue was not sorted out soon, the BJP will face the wrath of Patels in 2017 Assembly elections. In the letter, Hardik also distanced himself from the community leaders, who are reportedly mediating with the government on behalf of the Patel community. "Some selfish leaders of our community are holding talks with the government. They are doing it for their own benefit, not for the interest of the community. It seems that no one has yet conveyed you the actual demands of our community," he had said in his letter. Armed assailants today looted guns from the security guards of a private company in Chitrakoot district, police said. Six to seven assailants looted 12 bore DBBL guns from the security guards of Gayatri Project Limited in Karvi police station area this morning, IG Law and Order Bhagwan Swarup said. As per the preliminary inquiry, it appears to be the handiwork of some criminal gang, he added. A criminal gang from Satna and another local one is being investigated, he added. Actress Gwendoline Christie did not get enough screen time in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" but her character Captain Phasma will have a lengthy appearance in the next film. The actress confirmed the while speaking on the red carpet for the Screen Actors Guild Awards pre-show, reported People magazine. "I will be in the next Star Wars movie," she said, before revealing how excited she is to be involved in the entire franchise. "I made no secret of the fact that I really campaigned for the part for a long time. And then I was delighted when JJ Abrams wanted to have me in the film and then wanted to cast me in this role that had originally been designed for a man. "I felt it encouraged diversity and it was doing something new and it was an interesting bit of casting for women, and I hope that in something that was such a mainstream success it would breed more of those kind of opportunities for other women." Captain Phasma will return in "Star Wars: Episode 8" on its new scheduled release date of December 17, 2017, after being postponed seven months from a May 2017 release date in an attempt to replicate the massive success of "The Force Awakens". Pooja Batra has joined the growing list of Indian actors landing their big break in Hollywood and the actress says she is happy to see the acceptance of Bollywood actors in the west. Indian actors Irrfan, Priyanka Chopra and Nimrat Kaur have made a mark in mainstream Hollywood projects recently. Pooja, 42, who will play the lead in Hollywood sci-fi "One Under The Sun" directed by Vincent Tran and Riyaana Hartley, said the audience is also opening up to Indian actors. "Indian actors did not get work before but in the last four or five years, things have changed. Even the audition feature requirements for Indian actors. A lot of Indian actors are booking shows in Hollywood like 'Quantico' and 'Homeland', and the audience is accepting that," Pooja told PTI. The "Virasat" actress, who is settled in Los Angeles for over 10 years now, is excited about her Hollywood debut in which she essays the role of an astronaut. She is the lone survivor of a failed space expedition and when she returns back on earth to reunite with her terminally ill daughter, she is treated as a fugitive. And in order to prepare for the role, Pooja has taken cues from Indian astronauts Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams in terms of looks and body language. "It is a very proud moment for me to play a lead in my first Hollywood film. The role was originally written for an African-American actress but when the makers saw my audition, they changed the script and took me on board. "It is a great role. In order to prepare for it I needed a character sketch. So, for my physical appearance I took hints from Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams. I copied their hair, got it cut short and coloured it black," she said. The actress said the film will be screened at Cannes Film Festival besides Comic Con events. Pooja, a former Miss India, bid adieu to Bollywood in 2003 to marry LA-based orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Sonu Ahluwalia but is now divorced. The actress, who recently made a guest appearance in "ABCD 2", however, said she is still in touch with all her Indian producers and hopes to star in a Hindi film soon. "I am in a lookout for interesting projects but nothing has materialised yet. I am playing a Canadian-Indian politician in a Hindi film but it is not a mainstream movie like my previous Bollywood films. Haryana government would support budding entrepreneurs who set up their units related to art and culture, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said here today. Khattar said that during the Global Investors Summit to be held in Gurgaon on March 7 and 8, a special session on start ups would be held where the youth would be able to give suggestions on various issues concerning art and culture. He was speaking at a function where Haryana government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) for exchange of cultural activities and to promote Haryana's rich cultural heritage abroad. The MoU was signed by Haryana's Principal Secretary and Director General, Information, Public Relations and Cultural Affairs Department, Abhilaksh Likhi and ICCR Deputy Director General Namrata Kumar in the presence of the Chief Minister. Speaking on the occasion, Namrata said ICCR has signed agreements with six states in India and today's agreement is the seventh in the series. ICCR has 36 centres abroad and 20 centres within the country. The event was attended by Vietnam Ambassador Ton Sinh Thanh and noted actor Randeep Hooda, an official release said. Delhi High Court today asked the AAP government where it got the power to fix an upper age limit for admission to entry-level classes in private unaided schools at four years. "From where are you getting the power to fix the maximum age," Justice Manmohan asked while also observing that the Delhi government's notification, by which the upper limit was fixed, did not appear to have a legal sanctity as it was not issued by the Lt Governor or under any statute. "The 2007 order (on admission procedure of private unaided schools) was issued by the LG. Your notification does not have any legal sanctity. Where is it coming from, I do not know. Only the administrator (LG) can issue the notification. How can you overcome a statutory order of 2007 by an executive order," the judge asked. The 2007 order issued by the LG gives freedom to private unaided recognised schools to frame their own guidelines for nursery admissions. The court was also of the view that the notification had taken away the flexibility and discretion that a child or his or her parents had about when to send the kid to school and added there cannot be a "straight-jacket formula" for such a "complicated" issue. It also opined that the government's December 18, 2015, decision took everyone by surprise as parents did not get time to plan their affairs regarding their kids' education. On these issues, the government contended that the decision was taken on the basis of a panel of experts, who were principals of leading schools. The directorate of education (DoE) said the flexibility under the statute, which only provides a minimum age for admission into class one, has not been taken away and only a measure of certainty has been brought in. It also said that by a 2001 order, the power to issue the notification has been delegated to the respective minister and from him to the concerned departmental official. Justice Manmohan, however, was not satisfied with the government's arguments and said the issues required a larger debate and as last date of application process was February 5, he would issue interim orders tomorrow. It also asked the government to inform it tomorrow whether the notification would apply to minority institutions as well. The court was hearing a number of pleas by minors, filed through their counsel Akhil Sachar, challenging the government's December 18, 2015 order fixing the maximum age for nursery in private unaided schools at four years. The Madras High has directed the Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department of the state government to inform the Tamil Nadu Medical Council about the colleges in which 21 Medical Students of Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, could be permitted to undergo CRRI training. The direction ws given recently by Justice M M Sundresh, on a batch of 21 petitions filed by MBBS students seeking to direct Tamil Nadu Medical Council to provide temporary Registration Certificate and CRRI training during the academic year 2015-16. The Judge said "taking into consideration all the facts and circumstances of the case and in the light of the decision of the Supreme Court, it would be appropriate to permit the petitioners to approach the Health Secretary who will inform the Tamil Nadu Medical Council about the colleges in which the petitioner students can be permitted to undergo CRRI Training." The petitioners had joined the Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi College for the academic year 2009-10 and 2010-11, through Government Quota and Management Quota. At the time of Joining the College had the permission/ recognition from the Concerned Authorities including Medical Council of India, New Delhi. As the college had certain deficiencies and as it was found that those were not complied with the recognition was not given to the above college. Hence the petitioners were unable to continue and complete CRRI training followed by issuance of permanent registration of MBBS Course and approached the High Court to issue direction to the Health Secretary and Tamil Nadu Medical Council to issue temporary registration Certificate and transfer them to any other approved colleges in Chennai to undergo the CRRI training. The Counsel for Tamil Nadu Medical Council submitted that the students have to approach the Health Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu indicating their options for undergoing the CRRI training with the approved/recognized colleges under it. The council further said based on the letter of the State, the Tamil Nadu Medical Council, would issue temporary Registration Certificate. The Medical Council of India submitted that only after obtaining the temporary registration certificate from Tamil Nadu Medical Council the question of CRRI training followed by permanent Registration would arise. The Judge after going through the submissions in his order said "as the issue involved with respect to the rights of the students to get appropriate relief is already dealt with by this Court in other similar matter in the year 2015 the petitioners are entitled for appropriate relief. The Bombay High Court today issued notice to the Goa government on a petition filed by a social worker challenging the order of a lower court declining to transfer a case pertaining to renting of a building when Manohar Parrikar was Chief Minister. Justice S B Shukre of the Goa bench of the court, after issuing the notice, adjourned the hearing to February 15. Social activist Aires Rodrigues had petitioned the High Court that the case against renting the 'Spaces' building should not be heard in the courts which are currently shifted to the same building. The order also stayed further proceedings of the case, which is currently pending before the court of Panaji Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashley Noronha located in Spaces building. All the lower courts in Panaji were recently shifted from a Portuguese-era structure to Spaces building located on the city outskirts. In his petition before the High Court, Rodrigues had sought attention of the bench that "itwould not be proper and conducive that the case pertaining toSpacesbuilding be heard by a court sitting in that very premises". The activist-cum-lawyer urged the High Court to itself hear the case or transfer it to any other court, preferably to South Goa, in the interest of justice and to ensure there is no room for any conflict of interest. In a complaint filed on February 6 last year at the Panaji Police Station, Rodrigues had alleged that Parrikar and building owner Nilesh Amonkar committed offences under sections 420, 406, 409 read with Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code by having conspired, cheated and caused loss to the state exchequer in the renting of office premises at'Spaces' and 'Kamat Towers' in Patto Plazaat an exorbitant annual rent of over Rs 5.5 crores. Later, in his petition filed before the Panaji Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) under section 156(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code, Rodrigues had charged that the Panaji Police was acting as "caged parrots" in shielding the politically influential accused Parrikar and Amonkar. Rodrigues, in his petition, also sought that the police be directed to promptly investigate the case and that the court monitor the investigations. In fresh trouble for the UDF government in Kerala in the bar scam, hotelier Biju Ramesh has renewed his bribery charges against Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and Health Minister V S Shivakumar. Participating in a current affairs programme on a Malayalam television channel, Ramesh, working president of the Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Association, alleged Rs two crore were paid to Chennithala when he was KPCC chief in 2012 and Rs 25 lakh to Sivakumar. He had earlier levelled bribery charges against former Finance Minister K M Mani and Excise Minister K Babu. Mani, against whom an FIR was registered by the Vigilance, was forced to resign after the Kerala High Court made stinging observations against him. Babu, too, tendered his resignation to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy after a Vigilance court ordered filing of an FIR and conduct of a probe. However, he withdrew it after UDF requested him to do so following the High Court stay on the Vigilance Court order. Ramesh alleged the amount was handed over to a personal secretary of Sivakumar at his residence, while it was directly given to Chennithala. He said the amount was paid before the Neyyatinkara by by-election in early 2012. Denying the charge, Shivakumar said no money was given to him or his private secretary by the bar hotelier. He pointed out it was only in 2013 that the bribery charges were levelled by Ramesh while Neyyatinkara by-poll was held in early 2012. "Neither me nor my personal staff have taken any money from anyone for the elections," he said. Meanwhile, CPI leader and former state minister C Divakaran said the present allegations were more severe than the ones made earlier by Ramesh. "There is need for political ethics," he said, adding the Governor should intervene in the matter. Divakaran said the opposition would meet Governor P Sathasivam onFebruary 3 prior to the commencement of the assembly session on February 5. Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) today reported 1.23% dip in total sales at 44,230 units in January. The company had sold 44,783 units in the same month last year, HMIL said in a statement. In the domestic market, the company sold 38,016 units last month compared with 34,780 units in January 2015, up 9.3%. However, the company's exports declined by 37.87% to 6,214 units as against 10,003 units. HMIL senior Vice-President (Sales and Marketing) Rakesh Srivastava said the company has started the year on a positive note registering the domestic volume of 38,016 units with a growth of 9.3% over last year. "The growth momentum of last year continued built by strong performance of products like Grand, Creta and i20 Elite/Active," he added. On the upcoming Auto Expo, Srivastava said, "We look forward to presenting the Hyundai Experience at the Auto Expo through our products and technology towards meeting the growing aspirations of the customers. India and Afghanistan today inked a pact for visa-free travel by their diplomats following Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which they discussed key bilateral and regional issues including security cooperation. "Sustained engagement with Afghanistan. Chief Executive Abdullah meets the Prime Minister... Promoting stronger diplomatic ties...India and Afghanistan sign agreement on visa free travel for diplomats," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. It is learnt that during the meeting Abdullah thanked Modi for consistent assistance from India in various spheres including defence and for meeting his country's developmental needs. India had given three multi-role Mi-35 helicopters to Afghanistan in December for combating terrorism in the war-torn country. Later, the visiting leader held talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during which they discussed the security situation, Afghan peace process, internal political situation in the strife-ravaged country as also the regional security situation, official sources said. "The two leaders also discussed the role of international community to ensure peace and stability in Afghanistan and to defeat challenge of terrorism," sources said. Swaraj informed Abdullah about India's efforts to expedite implementation of as many as 92 small developmental projects in Afghanistan that are nearing completion. The minister also assured Abdullah of government's help in facilitating participation of a strong Afghan contingent in the 12th SAF games to be held in Guwahati and Shillong. The Afghan leader's visit comes nearly a month after Modi's trip to Kabul during which he inaugurated the new Afghan Parliament building, constructed with India's aid. Abdullah, who arrived here yesterday, is in India primarily to attend a conference on counter-terrorism in Jaipur organised by India Foundation in association with Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice. He will leave for Jaipur tomorrow. Vice President Hamid Ansari today said India is exploring the possibility of setting up a fertiliser plant in Brunei using the gas from the country, the fourth largest producer of LNG in the world. "We buy about a million dollar worth of oil from Brunei. They don't have much gas for us (exporting directly) because their gas is contracted out on a long-term basis. So we are exploring with them the possibility of using their gas locally for setting up a fertiliser unit," Ansari told reporters on his way to Brunei. Brunei is the fourth largest producer of LNG in the world and among the largest gas exporters with 9 per cent share of the export market. Ansari, who is on a five-day visit to Brunei and Thailand, said some discussions on the proposal have taken place. "Maybe we will discuss a little more. That should be a good proposition. We have already tried this formula in Oman where we manufacture urea there and bring it to India. In terms of freight and all also it is cheaper," he said. More than 90 per cent of Brunei's gas production is converted into LNG for exports with most of LNG taken up by South Korea. Indian imports with Brunei in 2015 (up to October) stood at 642.79 million Brunei dollars while the exports figure was 29.86 million Brunei dollars. During Ansari's visit, India will sign three MoUs with Brunei on defence cooperation, health and youth affairs and sports. Ansari said Brunei has been country coordinator for India with the ASEAN grouping for three years and "our experience has been very positive". He termed India's relations with Thailand as more "substantive" and added that there is a lot of possibility of improving trade relations with the country. The last few years have seen a rapid growth in bilateral trade. India-Thailand trade in 2014-15 was worth USD 9.32 billion while in April-September this year it was USD 3.42 billion. On the government's Act East policy, he said, "Look East which developed into Act East is part of our strategic perception in immediate neighbourhood to the east. This is a policy which has been consciously developed over a period of time to have good political, strategic and economic ties with ASEAN countries. It is a very concerted policy developed very carefully and now it has depth and content. The Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX), a leading derivatives exchange in the Middle East, has welcomed Zee Gold DMCC as a broker member which is a subsidiary of India's first and largest gold refinery. Zee Gold DMCC, a subsidiary of Shirpur Gold Refinery Limited and part of Essel Group, will play active role in developing Dubai Spot Gold Contract. "We are pleased to welcome Zee Gold DMCC to the DGCX community. As a key bullion industry participant, we look forward to working closely to build our recently launched Dubai Spot Gold Contract that promotes transparent Loco Dubai price discovery and facilitates physical delivery of 1 kg gold bars on a safe and well regulated, government owned exchange platform," Gaurang Desai, Chief Executive Officer DGCX, said. "This alliance with DGCX will help create a paradigm shift for the UAE bullion industry and the gold souk participants by providing them access to Loco Dubai gold prices on a federally regulated trading platform," Jeff Rhodes, CEO, Zee Gold DMCC said yesterday. Dubai Spot Gold Contract, launched in December last year, is the first of its kind in the Middle East. It is aimed at taking the Emirate from being a regional to a more international trading center for the precious metal. The Shirpur Gold Refinery is India's first and largest gold refinery with an installed refining capacity of 217 Metric Ton per annum of Gold and Silver. DGCX, established in 2005 and a leading derivatives exchange in the Middle East, is a subsidiary of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), Government of Dubai's initiative to enhance commodity trade flows through the Emirate by providing the appropriate physical, market, financial infrastructure and services required. The disclosure of documents related to the visit of OgyenTrinleyDorje, one of the claimants to the title of 17thKarmapa, to Sikkim can adversly affect internal security and strategic interest of India, the CIC has ruled allowing Home Ministry to withhold the records. OneKarmaTshutlimBhutiahad sought to know from the Home Ministry in 2013 whether therewas anyrequest from anywhere including Dorje seeking permission to allow him to visit Sikkim, action taken by the ministry and related documents. The Ministry had refused to disclose the documents citing section 8(1)(a) of the RTI act which allows a public authority to withhold records, disclosure of which would prejudicially affect sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State, relation with foreign State or lead to incitement of an offence. It reiterated its stand during the hearing before the Commission which agreed to the contention. "The Commission observes that the information sought by the appellant would prejudicially affect the internal security and strategic interest of India. Therefore, the Commission holds that the information sought is exempted under Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act and hence cannot be provided," Information Commissioner Sudhir Bhargava held in his order. Dorje had escaped Tibet in December 1999 and arrived in Dharmasala in January 2000. Centre has restricted his movement and he is not allowed to visit Rumtek monastry in Sikkim. Reportedly, central security agencies are not convinced about the circumstances in which he managed to escape from Chinese rule. Shares of Ipca Laboratories staged a significant recovery after a massive intra-day plunge of over 16 per cent after the company received a warning letter from the US health regulator for its three facilities. After plunging 16.27 per cent to Rs 560, its 52-week low on BSE during the day, the stock later saw some recovery and finally ended 2.02 per cent lower at Rs 655.35. On NSE, shares of the company settled at Rs 655.15, down 2 per cent from its previous close. The company's market valuation fell by Rs 171.38 crore to Rs 8,268.62 crore. Drug firm Ipca Laboratories has received warning letter from the US health regulator for three facilities on which the regulator had earlier imposed an import ban for not adhering to the good manufacturing norms. "We wish to inform you that United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has now issued a warning letter to these manufacturing units," Ipca Laboratories said in a BSE filing. The company is fully committed in resolving the issue at the earliest, it added. The company, however, did not provide the details of the warning letter. Earlier in regulatory filings to the bourses, Ipca had said that USFDA after inspections at its manufacturing units situated at Ratlam, SEZ Indore and Piparia had issued Form 483 observations "which subsequently resulted in issuance of import alert on these manufacturing units. Drug firm Ipca Laboratories has received warning letter from the US health regulator for three facilities on which the regulator had earlier imposed a import ban for not adhering to the good manufacturing norms. "We wish to inform you that United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has now issued a warning letter to these manufacturing units," Ipca Laboratories said in a BSE filing. The company is fully committed in resolving the issue at the earliest, it added. The company, however, did not provide the details of the warning letter. Earlier in regulatory filings to the bourses, Ipca had said that USFDA after inspections at its manufacturing units situated at Ratlam, SEZ Indore and Piparia had issued Form 483 observations "which subsequently resulted in issuance of import alert on these manufacturing units." The company has already voluntarily suspended shipments of its APls and formulations for the US market and since July 2014 has not shipped any APls or formulations to the US market except the products which are exempted from import alert, it added. "The company has responded to the USFDA inspection observations with its remediation measures and has been since working with external consultants to ensure that its remedial activities are undertaken in a proper and timely manner," Ipca Laboratories said. Shares of Ipca Laboratories were trading at Rs 642.50 in the afternoon trade on BSE, down 3.94 per cent. Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani lashed out today at Iran's vote vetting panel over its exclusion of a grandson of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic republic. "Who gave you the right to judge? Who gave you the stand to address Friday (weekly) prayers and state television?" he said, referring to Hassan Khomeini's failed candidacy for elections to Iran's powerful Assembly of Experts. "May God forgive you," said Rafsanjani, a veteran of Iranian politics and two-term president, quoted by state agency IRNA. "Without Imam (Ruhollah) Khomeini, none of these people (on the vetting panel) would have existed." Hassan Khomeini, a cleric aged 43 who has ties to reformists in Iran, said Friday he would appeal being barred from running in the polls. He is among hundreds who have been excluded from elections next month for the assembly, which monitors the work of Iran's supreme leader and has the authority to replace him. The Guardian Council, a conservative-dominated panel that decides who can run for public office, said only 166 of 800 candidates were approved. Khomeini, who failed to attend a qualifying exam, said other candidates had been vetted even without taking the test. Voting for the 88-member assembly, of which Rafsanjani is a member and for which he is running again, will take place on February 26, the same day as parliamentary polls. Both elected bodies are dominated by conservatives. The Guardian Council said last week that 60 percent of 12,000 candidates for the elections to parliament had been excluded. Only one percent of reformist hopefuls won approval. Iran's incumbent reformist President Hassan Rouhani is hoping for a strong electoral showing by the pro-reform camp to press ahead with his political and social programmes. Iran said today it now has access to more than USD 100 billion worth of frozen overseas assets following the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal with world powers. Government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht said much of the money had been piling up in banks in China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey since international sanctions were tightened in 2012 over Tehran's nuclear programme. Iran's semi-official ISNA agency meanwhile quoted central bank official Nasser Hakimi as saying nine Iranian banks are now reconnected to SWIFT, a Belgian-based cooperative that handles wire transfers between financial institutions. No foreign banks operate in Iran, and ATMs in Iran are not yet linked to the global system. The historic agreement brought about the lifting of international sanctions last month after the UN certified that Iran has met all its commitments to curbing its nuclear activities under last summer's accord. "These assets (USD 100 billion) have fully been released and we can use them," Nobakht said in comments posted on the website of state-run Press TV. He said much of the money belongs to Iran's central bank and National Development Fund. He said Iran will not bring all the money back because it can be spent on purchasing goods. Iran expects an economic breakthrough after the lifting of sanctions, which will allow it to access overseas assets and sell crude oil more freely. Mohsen Jalalpour, the head of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, said on state TV today that Iranian businessmen are already able to open letters of credit for transactions in other countries. Israel today blocked entry for non-residents to the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is based, after a shooting attack the previous day that wounded three soldiers, the army said. "In accordance with situation assessments following yesterday's shooting attack in Beit El, security measures have been taken in the area and only residents of Ramallah are allowed to enter the city," a military spokeswoman said. The measure applied to foreigners as well, she said. The spokeswoman said a decision on when to lift the measure would depend on security assessments. A Palestinian who had worked as a guard for the attorney general's office in Ramallah opened fire at a checkpoint outside the city on Sunday, wounding three Israeli soldiers before being shot dead. The same checkpoint, regularly used by diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers, was closed today morning, an AFP journalist reported, as were other entrances in the area. Vehicles were being allowed to enter through at least one road after being searched, with a long line of cars waiting to pass through. A large number of Palestinians, aid workers and diplomats commute to Ramallah for work on a daily basis. A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks erupted in October. Most of the attacks have been stabbings, although there have also been occasional shootings. The violence has killed 25 Israelis, as well as an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count. At the same time, 161 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks but others during clashes and demonstrations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the Islamic militant group Hamas that rules Gaza that his country will retaliate with "greater force" than deployed in the 2014 Gaza war if cross-border tunnels are used to attack Israel. Hamas has built a sophisticated network of tunnels that it has used to penetrate Israel in order to carry out attacks against civilians and soldiers. Israelis living near Gaza have reported hearing tunneling sounds under their homes. "We are operating systematically and calmly against all threats, including those from Hamas, both with defensive and offensive means, and of course in the event we are attacked by tunnels in Gaza we will operate with great force against Hamas, with much greater force than what we used in Operation Protective Edge," Netanyahu said in a speech to diplomats last night, referring to the 50-day war with Gaza gunmen in 2014 by its military name. "I think that is understood in the region, its understood in the world. I hope we won't need to do it but our abilities both defensive and offensive are developing rapidly and I wouldn't recommend anyone to try us," he said. A senior Hamas leader boasted on Friday that Gaza militants dig tunnels and test rockets to attack Israel "every day." Ismail Haniyeh spoke at the funeral of seven militants who died this week when a tunnel from Gaza to Israel collapsed while they were repairing it. He said the tunnels are a "preparation" for war with Israel and boasted Hamas has "has built tunnels two times more than Vietnam tunnels. The 2014 Gaza war was sparked by after a chain of events stemming from the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank by Hamas gunmen and the kidnapping of a Palestinian teenager who was killed by Israeli extremists in a revenge attack. Israel arrested hundreds of Hamas members in raids in the West Bank, prompting militant groups in Gaza to escalate rocket attacks on Israeli cities. More than 2,200 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians, were killed during the fighting. In Israel, 66 soldiers and seven civilians were killed. Parts of Gaza were devastated in the fighting. Earlier yesterday, a Palestinian opened fire at a West Bank checkpoint and wounded three soldiers before he was shot and killed by troops, the military said. Palestinians identified the gunman as Amjad Sukkari, a 34-year-old policeman who worked as a bodyguard for the Palestinian attorney general. Posts on his Facebook page from just hours before the attacks read "your mourning will be victorious," ''there is nothing worth living for on this earth as long as the occupation strangles our breaths" and "everyday someone dies, I may be the next." Gaza's Islamic militant Hamas rulers praised the shooting attack, the latest in four months of near-daily Palestinian assaults on Israeli civilians and soldiers. President of newly-launched Jan Andolan party Harka Bahadur Chhetri today said that he will lodge an FIR against Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung, new Morcha member R Moktan and Anuradha Pradhan for issuing an "open threat" to JAP. Chhetri told a press meet that Gurung had asserted at a Morcha meeting on Thursday last that JAP would exist for one and half months, which Chhetri considered to be an "open threat. " "What does it mean... He can hire a person to kill us? He used the word 'kuincha' which means it will not last long. We are feeling threatened. R Moktan told 'Janta le Chodaina' that too is a threat and Anuradha Pradhan told 'Nangojar Parchu'-- all these terms used in mela ground by Morcha members are threats and we have decided to file an FIR against all three of them", Chhetri said. The JAP, he said, has sent a memorandum to Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Home secretary R Singh to act against, what he termed as the "anti national statement" of Bimal Gurung who had reportedly said that Kalimpong is a part of Bhutan and that it is not yet fully integrated into Indian territory. Chhetri, a former GJM leader and Kalimpong MLA, on Wednesday had announced formation of the Jan Andolan Party. The formation of JAP assumes significance as it comes ahead of the Assembly polls. Japan's ShinMaywa Industries, the manufacturer of US-2 amphibious aircraft that India is eyeing, is betting big on the 'Make in India' initiative and has offered to set up a plant here to cater to international demands. The move comes as the Navy plans to procure six such aircraft, under a government to government deal, between 2017 and 2022. Six are proposed to be bought in the next phase. "The deal when inked will have a 30 per cent offset clause. Under this offset clause, ShinMaywa wants to set up a plant in India to cater to the global market since the demand for the aircraft is high," defence sources said. The project has been in the works since 2011 but got a renewed push following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan in 2014 and a return trip by Japanese PM Shinzo Abe here last December. Sources said the deal could be be a "government to government" exercise with the initial purchase being off the shelf. "It is not simple to start manufacturing here. There has to be the necessary infrastructure and expertise," sources said. If the deal goes through, it would be the first major export of Japanese defence item after it lifted decades-long self-imposed embargo on export of weapons. The aircraft, which can land on choppy waters and have long-range civilian and military applications, are being sought by the Navy to monitor India's vast coastline, islands and for use is disaster relief. Sources said that for the Indian Navy, the next priority project is the P-75 India, under which it plans to build six more conventional submarines. Also on priority are six nuclear-powered submarines for which the Cabinet Committee on Security had given the go ahead last February. "P75I and nuclear submarines are the main focus right now besides the development of next indigenous aircraft carrier," sources said. Amphibian aircraft can take off and land on both land and water. Seven of these aircraft are operated as Search and Rescue Amphibians by Japanese military. Including its predecessor US-1, the amphibians have been dispatched over 900 times to rescue victims of maritime accidents. A ShinMaywa representative said it has not tied up with any Indian firm for the project but has been in talks with several of them since 2011. BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit today said it will hold consultations with central leadership before meeting the Governor to discuss government formation, a day after PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti indicated she was "reassessing" whether to continue alliance with it. BJP's core group in the state met this morning after Governor N N Vohra asked leaders of the party and PDP to meet him tomorrow to clarify their stand on government formation. After the meeting, which also discussed Mehbooba's statement made yesterday, BJP leaders asserted that there was "no concrete" demand or condition from the PDP and their party was committed to the implementation of "Agenda of Alliance". "The Governor has called us in the evening (tomorrow) to discuss about the formation of the government. "Today, we have decided in the core group meeting that our 2-3 members will go to Delhi and discuss the issues with the central leadership," state BJP President Sat Sharma told reporters here. "We will meet him (governor) and today's meeting was regarding our stand on the issue of the formation of government," Sharma said after the core group met at the residence of the state general secretary Ashok Kaul in Gandhi Nagar here. The BJP leader said if any issue is raised by PDP, it can be resolved. "In the past ten months, the development which has taken place was not seen in the past 60 years. Agenda of Alliance is the vision of Narendra Modi and Mufti Mohammed Sayeed to take Jammu and Kashmir forward. If you think the development was slow, then we will make sure that it is speeded up," Sharma said. Asked if BJP was ready for fresh elections in the state, Sharma said that "it would be premature to speak about the issue". On reports that PDP has made certains demands like power projects to the state, he said, "We will discuss with the centre and if any such issue comes up, we will tell you for sure. "PDP might have said it but we have not received anything from them in written. When such an issue arises, we will let you know," he added. Replying to queries on Mehbooba Mufti's concerns and demands on the issue of implementation of Agenda of Alliance, he said,"No condition has come to us, nobody has discussed anything with us till now. If we get anything in concrete, we will discuss on it. Our condition is only the Agenda of Alliance." "We will take it forward with full spirit and implement it in the six years period and make sure that we go a step further then what is written in this Agenda of Alliance," Sharma said. BJP MP from Jammu Jugal Kishore Sharma said any further step would be taken after discussions between the state and the central leaderships. On how long the government formation process could take, he said "nothing can be said in this regard". Sharma said the party yesterday received a letter from the Governor, in which he invited them for a meeting at 6 PM tomorrow. (REOPENS DEL17) "In the last ten months you can see the pace of development. Peace has been restored in Jammu and Kashmir," Sharma said. "We got a package of Rs 80,000 crore. The people who were displaced never got their rights in the past 60 years. Everything was taken care in the past ten months," he added. Replying to another question on whether PDP has put forth demands, Sharma said, "Nothing concrete has come. When we get something concrete, we will keep our point in the core group meeting and before the Centre." On the issue of rotational Chief Minister, he said that "there is no such controversy from our side". Asked about the possibility of reforging the alliance, he said, "Right now nothing can be said on this issue as I said we will discuss the issue with the Centre and will talk to the Governor and whatever concrete will come after that the decision will be conveyed". Indian squash players Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal were ousted from the Cleveland Classic after going down in the quarterfinals here. The sixth-seeded Joshna had the misfortune of meeting top seed Camille Serme of France. Even though she managed to put up a fight, Joshna went down in four games, losing 4-11, 11-5, 8-11, 2-11 to the French who is ranked four in the world. On the other hand, Dipika, who was unseeded, failed to put up any resistance against Amanda Sobhy, the fourth seed. The US player exploited the relatively weak backhand of Dipika to win in straight games 11-6, 11-7, 11-8. Betting big on the upcoming global investors meet, the Karnataka government is looking to attract twice the Rs 1.30 lakh crore investment it has wooed in the last two years. Ahead of the three-day mega event, Invest Karnataka 2016, beginning here on February 3, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters that with a thriving eco-system for investment the state's expectations were "realistic". Several mega investment projects would be announced at the meet. Besides, the government hopes to mobilise investments in 116 investible projects identified already, he said. He added that the state government has cleared proposals worth Rs 1.30 lakh crore in the last two years after he took over as the Chief Minister and they were in different stages of implementation. The government is expecting to attract double the investment received so far, he said. The CM further said that the state would reach the targets set in the new 2014-19 industrial policy, one year ahead of the timeframe. The new policy envisages 12 per cent industrial growth, Rs 5 lakh crore investment and generation of 15 lakh jobs. On the common refrain by the corporate sector regarding non-availability of land, he said the state cabinet had recently decided to hand over 13,000 acres to Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board. "Land is not a problem. Karnataka has already created a land bank of 26,268 acres," noted Rathna Prabha, Additional Chief Secretary (Industries and Commerce). Over 100 top global and Indian leaders, including marquee investors, would take part in the meet, besides CEOs of domestic and global corporations, he pointed out. Among the attendees would be Ratan Tata, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Anil D Ambani, Gautam Adani, Uday Kotak, N R Narayana Murthy, Sajjan Jindal and Baba Kalyani, officials said. Fourteen sectors, including defence and textiles, have been identified for the meet, for which seven partner nations - France, Germany, UK, Italy, Sweden, Japan and South Korea - are arriving with huge delegations, Minister for Large and Medium Industries R V Deshpande said. (Reopen MDS 3) Both Siddaramaiah and Deshpande described as "tremendous" the response to the event, preceded by roadshows held within the country as well as overseas. "We are confident that it will be hugely successful," Siddaramaiah said. On infrastructure bottlenecks, particularly in Bengaluru, a main source of concern for the investors, he said the government was trying to overcome them. He said at a meeting recently, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari had responded "positively" to a state proposal regarding funding the 70-km long peripheral road project for Bengaluru. The project, which envisaged upgrading the roads into national highways and elevated corridors to connect them, required Rs 8,000 crore for land acquisition and Rs 3,000 crore for laying roads, he observed. To a query on frequent complaints by the state government about lack of cooperation from the Centre, Siddaramaiah said, "We expect cooperation from the Centre. They will have to cooperate. Ours is a federal structure." Meanwhile, responding to a question on stiff competition from other states, Deshpande said that Karnataka with its inherent strengths and advantages continued to draw investment despite states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana vying with it. "Incentives and concessions are not the only answers for investment," he said, emphasising that Karnataka has historically been a progressive state with a vibrant and productive industrial ecosystem. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley would inaugurate the event, which will also see the presence of several union ministers including Nirmala Sitharaman, Suresh Prabhu and Nitin Gadkari. Kashmir cannot be separated from India despite efforts by the neighbouring country in this regard, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has said. Abdullah, who was speaking at a programme at Abu Road in Sirohi last evening, said efforts to raise new problems were being made by terror outfits but the day is not far when the problem of terrorism would be eradicated from the world. Abdullah also advocated for empowerment of women and said politicians should play sincere role for ensuring women their rights. Congress-led UDF government in Kerala continued to be under attack over the bar and solar scams with bribe charges being levelled against two other ministers and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, once again coming under fire. In her deposition before the Justice Sivarajan commission probing the solar scam, prime accused Saritha S Nair today alleged that it was at the insistence of a senior Congress leader close to Chandy that she had filed a sexual harassment case against party MLA A P Abdullakutty. She also told the panel that she had given a statement before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Ernakulam) N V Raju that some people had sexually abused her. "That's true. I have said about it", she said when the commission pointed out to the Magistrate's statement given to it last year. Giving more headache to the government, Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Association Working President Biju Ramesh, renewed his charge that Rs two crore had been paid to Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala when he was the KPCC President in 2012 and Rs 25 lakh to state Health Minister, V S Sivakumar, but both rejected the charge as "baseless". Ramesh alleged Rs 25 lakh was handed over to a personal secretary of Sivakumar at his residence, while Rs 2 crore was directly handed over to Chennithala before the Neyyatinkara assembly by-election held in early 2012. Rejecting the charge, Chennithala said no donation was accepted without receipt by the party. Stating that all political parties, including Congress, function by accepting donations from public, he said, "Donations are accepted in KPCC by issuing receipts. KPCC also gave its audited accounts to all constitutional bodies including Election Commission," he said in a statement. "KPCC did not have the habit of accepting donations without issuing receipts. No one has given money to KPCC on the request of Chief Minister and other Ministers," he added. Sivakumar also refuted the allegations by stating that no money was handed over to him or his private secretary by the bar hotelier. He also pointed out that it was only in 2013 that the bribery charges were levelled by Biju Ramesh while the bypoll was held in early 2012. "Neither me nor my personal staff have taken any money from anyone for the elections", the minister added. Biju had earlier levelled bribery charges against then Finance Minister K M Mani and Excise minister K Babu, that led to their resignations. Babu returned to the cabinet today after nine days as the UDF wanted him to take back his resignation following High Court staying the vigilance court order against him. However, Mani who resigned after strong observations by the High Court against him, had said he was in no hurry to rejoin the cabinet even though UDF had wanted him also to return to Ministry. Seizing on the new developments, CPI(M) state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan stepped up pressure demanding the resignation of Chandy. The under-fire DDCA officials today deposited an amount of Rs 83 lakh as land assessment fee of Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium to the Land & Development Office (L&DO) as 520 seats are set to be removed under the new regulations set by Municipal Corporation of Delhi. "We have got the acknowledgement receipt for the draft that we have submitted. Expected by Wednesday, we will get the NOC from the L&DO. The MCD engineers today inspected the stadium and told us about all the requirements. The removal of 520 seats, which was a deviation from stadium plan, has already started. The work has started for areas allocated for toilets which were earlier changed into food courts," a senior DDCA official told PTI today. The DDCA official also said that top officials from GMR group, the owner of Delhi Daredevils, will be meeting Justice Mukul Mudgal tomorrow to discuss smooth conduct of IPL matches. When a GMR official was contacted in this regard, he refused to divulge any details about the said meeting. "Please do not read too much into this meeting. We have met Justice Mudgal earlier also and this is a courtesy meeting," the official of the local IPL franchise said. Tamil Nadu unit BJP president Tamilisai Soundarajan today said the list of those joining the party was growing as it was the "last hope" for the nation's development and a corruption-free administration. "Several anti-corruption crusaders, philanthropists and neutral public figures are joining BJP as it is the last hope for the nation's growth and to provide a corruption-free administration," she told reporters here. She was replying to a question on whether Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth would join BJP at a public meeting to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here tomorrow. Evading the question, she merely said, "The list of those joining BJP is long and going on." When reporters asked the same question to BJP national secretary Muralidhar Rao, he said "all things" would be answered by the Prime Minister in the public meeting. BJP is looking for a strong alliance for the coming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Modi had met Rajinikanth weeks before the commencement of Lok Sabha elections in 2014 at his residence in Chennai, but the actor had described it as a courtesy call. Both had also exchanged birthday greetings in the past. The London Metropolitan Police today cancelled the bail conditions placed on Pakistan's Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation. The MQM said in a statement tonight in Karachi that the police had remove bail conditions for 61-year-old Hussain and two other party leaders - Muhammad Anwar and Tariq Mir. MQM sources said the police informed the three men that "there is no need for any of you to attend the police station. The bail conditions currently in place are therefore removed." The police notice stated that "at the time of writing there is insufficient evidence to bring a criminal charge", according to the MQM statement. The police had been pursuing the money laundering case against Hussain after his arrest on June 3, 2014. The MQM chief, who has lived in and led the party from the UK since 1991, said he was "relieved". Hussain's bail was extended for a fifth time on October 5, 2015 and he was due to appear at a South London police station today as part of the ongoing investigations when the police informed him bail conditions had been removed. The sources said that the cancellation of police bail meant that there would be no restriction on Hussain's international travel and he would not be bound to appear before investigators until they got any fresh evidence. A senior party leader said Hussain's passport would be returned to him, sparking wild celebrations at the party headquarters in Karachi, where scores of workers and supporters gathered and danced to the tunes of party songs. Lt Gen Sarath Chand today took over as the General Officer Commanding -in Chief (GOC-in C) of the Jaipur based South Western Command of the Indian Army here at a ceremony in the Jaipur military station. On taking over, the Army Commander paid tributes to martyrs at the Prerna Sthal and reviewed a special Guard of Honour presented to him by the soldiers of 2 Garhwal Rifles, Defence Spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha said. Lt Gen Sarath Chand was commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in June 1979. An alumnus of Sainik School, Kazhakootam (Trivandrum), National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, Pune and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, he is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, the Higher Command Course and the National Defence College, New Delhi. In a military career spanning almost 37 years, the officer has participated in many active combat leadership roles at every stage of command in the Army. Lt Gen Sarath Chand took over the reins of the South Western Command from Lt Gen Arun Kumar Sahni who retired yesterday. Eight schools across the UK today received bomb attack threats, including one attended by Pakistani teenage activist and Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai, prompting authorities to launch a probe. The schools in England and Scotland - six in Birmingham alone and two in Glasgow - received the threats this morning following which the buildings were evacuated. Edgbaston High School for Girls in Birmingham, where 18-year-old Malala is enrolled, received a call just after 0800 GMT (1330 IST) making a bomb threat. West Midlands Police is still investigating the call but pupils were allowed back into their classes after brief evacuation as the call is believed to be a hoax. The other schools in the city to be hit by hoax calls include Shireland Collegiate Academy, Bristnall Hall Academy, Perryfields High School, Hall Green Secondary School and Oldbury Academy. Today's calls follow similar calls last week which were also deemed as a hoax. "This morning we have reports of a further six bomb threats, following similar threats made to several schools last week. At this stage there is nothing to suggest there is any credible threat to any of the schools," Detective Inspector Colin Mattison of West Midlands Police said in a statement. "Our response officers have been sent to the locations to ensure there is no threat to anyone's safety and support the schools. A police investigation is ongoing to find the person responsible for these calls," he said. Two schools in Glasgow also received bomb threats this morning and police officers investigating them also said "nothing untoward" was found following an investigation. A spokesperson for Police Scotlandsaid: "Two schools in Glasgow have received a threat via the telephone. Staff and police have searched both school buildings and nothing untoward was found. "Schools are operating as normal and officers are continuing inquiries. At this stage, police are treating these incidents as malicious calls." A number of schools and academies in and around Birmingham were also affected last Thursday. A Russia-based Twitter group had claimed responsibility for threats last week, saying they intended to cause "mayhem". It is unclear whether the same group is involved in the latest round of bomb threats. Telecom services company Manana Innovations plans to invest Rs 500 crore to build its mobile services business in India and abroad over the next five years. "We are looking at international roaming business. In India, this market is estimated to be around Rs 18,000 crore. We are looking to capture five per cent of it i.E Rs 900 crore in two years and ten per cent in three years," Manana Innovations Founder and Director Chandan Ghosh told PTI. He said that the company sells SIM cards and provides mobile applications for voice calling. "We are going to apply for International Long Distance licence and internet service provider C class licence in India. This will enable us to integrate our global network with India. We will also go for other permits, if required, for operations," Ghosh said. The company is also planning to acquire a mobile virtual network operator in Europe within couple of months. "The permits in India, MVNO acquisition will help us launching our own SIM card. Currently, we provide country specific SIMs of operators from 20 countries. We also have a global SIM card that can work in 195 countries. The ISP licence will help us support VoIP (internet calling) offering to our customers in India," Ghosh said. He said that the company does not intend to compete with local telecom operators instead it is looking at terminating calls in India. The company already provides services from Singapore. He said that Manana's target customers are migrants in the South Asia and Latin America. "We are looking at providing integrated services like machine-to-machine, value-added services in our SIM. Low cost service and our own network are going to differentiate us from others. In the US, we offer SIM cards for USD 50 which provides unlimited calls to 15 countries including India. It also offers 2.5 GB data at 4G speed and post that it offers 2G only," he added. A group of farmers from a remote district of Manipur today left for a fortnight-long tour to Delhi to learn about modern agriculture systems. Officials said 20 farmers from Sajik Tampak in Chandel district will tour Delhi from February 1 to 12 as part of a national integration tour under Assam Rifles Military Civic Action programme. "The tour has been organised to provide farmers with an opportunity to gain knowledge about modern Indian agriculture system instead of the prevalent 'jhum' (slash and burn) cultivation, which in addition to giving very low crop yields is also detrimental for the eco-system," Assam Rifles officials said. A special visit to PUSA Agricultural Institute in New Delhi has been scheduled, they said. Manipuri adaptation of William Shakespeare's celebrated play "Macbeth" directed by theatre veteran Ratan Thiyam today opened the 18th edition of Bharat Rang Mahotsav here with Nana Patekar being the guest of honour. The play presented by Chorus Repertory Theatre from Imphal, showcased Macbeth as a "disease" spreading at an unbelievable pace in the contemporary world. The theatre presentation as well as the protagonist, portrayed the "ugliest version of human species that is growing in numbers with each passing day". The theatre festival was inaugurated by N K Sinha, Secretary for Culture Ministry, Patekar, National School of Drama (NSD) alumnus Anupam Kher. It was presided by Thiyam, Chairman, NSD Society along with NSD director Waman Kendre. "Bharat Rang Mahotsav is already Asia's biggest theatre festival. We started with seven-eight solo acts and now we are in our 18th year showcasing 15 international and 65 Indian plays," Kendre said. Patekar was amazed with the turn out at the inaugral ceremony and expressed his desire to return to the stage. "I started of with theatre but haven't come back to stage since past 15 years. But, the way Waman Kendre has been taking it forward is amazing. I am grateful that I have done theatre. Silence has its own language and thats what theatre teaches you. The way people have gathered here is unbelievable. I now feel I will surely come back to the stage again and compete with the young generation," he said. Former chairperson of the NSD Kher was the special guest and the day back to his alma mater made him nostalgic. The actor went on to recall his days at the school under the guidance of Ebrahim Alkazi. "NSD has not taught us only about drama, theatre or cinema, it has made us understand the way life should be lived. The three years I spent in NSD the were the best years of my life. Today whatever I am, the Padma Bhushan I have received I owe it to this school," he said. With the theme of "Rediscovering the magic of theatre",the 21-day-long festival, which began today, has introduced a theatre bazaar and master class from veteran thespians. International countries include China, USA, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, Austria and Italy. There is also a Pakistani play this year. Several performances such as folk arts, master classes, Living Legend series are also scheduled. With intention to promote theatre in other parts of the country, Bharat Rang Mahotsav will also be held in Jammu, Ahmedabad Thiruvananthapuram and Bhubaneswar. A special performance of theatre music by NSD Repertory Company will bring the curtains down on February 21. Opposing a road construction work, Maoists set ablaze at least seven vehicles used in the road work at Pottangi in Odisha's Koraput district on Sunday midnight. Sources said the Maoists attacked the construction company's camp situated at Kau Padar village, situated at a distance of about 70 km from here, under Pottangi police limits around midnight and set at least five JCB machines, one tractor and one mixture machine on fire. "The Srikakulam-Koraput divisional committee of the CPI (Maoist) is behind the attack and we have launched a combing operation to nab the Naxals," said SP (Koraput) Charan Singh Meena. The Maoists through posters and banners left the spot, have warned not to continue with the road work as it will be used for the movement of security personnel in the area. Officials said two months ago work had started for nearly 11 roads with a budget of Rs 11 crore to connect Kotia panchayat with Kunduli. Healthcare services, except the emergency ward, in many hospitals run by municipal corporations in Delhi witnessed a shutdown today as doctors, nurses and medical staff suspended work as part of the indefinite strike by municipal corporation employees. Around 2,000 consultants, 5,000 resident doctors and 13,000 nurses have joined the strike by municipal corporation employees over non-payment of salaries for the past three months. All the doctors, municipal-based dispensaries, maternity homes, polyclinics, para-medical staff, technicians and four major hospitals of civic agencies, including Bara Hindu Rao, Swami Dayanand and Rajan Babu Tuberculosis hospitals, have halted their medical services till the corporation releases their salary. "For the past one year, we are facing the same problem. We have not been getting our salaries. Every time, we have to agitate to get our payments. "We want a solution to the problem and this can only be done by unification of all three corporations and timely payment of MCD employees," Dr R R Gautam, President of Municipal Corporation Doctors' Association, said. "We really apologise for the inconvenience caused to patients, but we are helpless," he said. "All the patients who were not critical have been discharged and we are not taking any new admissions. Even in the emergency ward, we are treating only the critical patients," Dr Aditya Gupta, president of the resident doctors' association at Hindu Rao hospital, the biggest run by the MCD, said. He said they were referring all patients to Delhi government-run hospitals. Bara Hindu Rao hospital caters to more than 10,000 patients in its OPDs per day. Nearly one lakh MCD employees, including doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, technicians, sanitation workers and other class III and IV staff, who have not been paid salaries for up to three months, are on indefinite strike demanding the release of their salaries. Mega trade agreement TPP will certainly have an impact on India's exports in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, textiles and chemicals, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today. She, however, said that the country is preparing itself to deal with the adverse impact of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a mega trade deal among 12 countries, including the US. "We have certainly started looking into all the implications of any possible diversion in trade ... So keeping that diversion possibility which will happen and which can negatively affect India we are certainly looking at those sectors which will be bearing the brunt immediately after the TPP comes into the force," she told reporters here. She said that the government is also looking and identifying countries where Indian investments for manufacturing can happen. Talking about negative impact of Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), she said there also will surge in imports into India. "The TPP will certainly have an impact on India's exports and it is most likely to affect sector like leather goods, plastics, chemicals, textiles and clothing," she said. On investments, the minister said the investor-State dispute mechanism will have a "serious bearing" on countries like India which are not part of the TPP. Besides, India would have to look at the labour laws, rules of origin of products, intellectual property rights and product standards. She said that this trade pact could impact the overall trade scenario and countries like India would have to look at their policy stance to cope up with the implications. To deal with the situation both the industry and the policy makers will have to work together in this situation, she added. The TPP is a trade agreement among 12 countries, including Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the US and Vietnam. The TPP agreement has been concluded but is not yet ratified for implementation by the participating countries. Sitharaman said trading and manufacturing public sector units would be impacted from the TPP and "we should be conscious of that also". She said that questions will be raised on India's pharmaceuticals sector as "evergreeing" of patents will get eased in the TPP countries. "...I think it is as much a challenge as post 1991 where the structural adjustments were to be made in the Indian economy in a comprehensive and far reaching ways," she added. The minister asked the industry to look at regions like Africa and CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) to enhance investments and take advantage of TPP norms and export to those economies. Further, she said India is also part of a mega trade deal - Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, which is under negotiations. The 16-member bloc RCEP comprises 10 ASEAN members (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam) and their six FTA partners -- India, China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. She also said that talks are on for bilateral trade pacts with countries, including Canada and Australia. "We are working on all the FTAs. So, India is not just sitting and watching the TPP. It is ensuring that it is moving in the right direction and making sure that the details of TPP are being looked into with great interest," she said. The minister said that experts are working to see the net impact of this agreement on India's trade and after few weeks, the complete picture would arise. Sitharaman said that Indian industry also needs to work on their product standards to enhance competitiveness. She added that the way global trade is changing, the policy space is going to be restricted each time. "India is also making a very serious attempt at getting into APEC...So Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is another way in which we shall also make sure that we are not out of trading reality which are emerging into this world," she said. And investment too - in both directions - is well below what it could, and perhaps should, be, she added. She also said that as India has a much larger population, there is a view in some quarters that this means the country can satisfy its growth requirements through its large domestic market. "But I think India would be selling itself well short were it to take this stance. We can look at China, a country of similar dimensions to India, to see an example of the enormous contribution that international trade can make to national economic growth," she said. The Indian economy has become more market-oriented, including easier access for foreign investment and reductions in tariffs "albeit to still high average levels," she added. Sidhu further said trade is not about winning more than the other party, it is about win-win. Talking about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), she said it allows for new members to join in the future, which will amplify its benefits. About RCEP, she said it holds significant economic potential. "Through commitments on goods, services and investment RCEP will provide the economic architecture to support ongoing trade and investment liberalisation in the region. And its potential significance for India should not be underestimated. It represents a substantial market for Indian goods, services, but also for Indian technology, intellectual property and human capital," she said. It would also help provide India access to the region's vast pools of capital, vital to building the infrastructure necessary to support a modern, thriving economy, she said. "From my perspective, India should have a regional voice commensurate with its size and economic weight. Australia supports India's growing participation in the economic architecture of the region," the High Commissioner said. "Our increasing reference to the 'Indo-Pacific', rather than the earlier term of 'Asia-Pacific', reflects this desire to embrace India as a key contributor to building regional cooperation and integration," she said. RCEP provides an ideal forum in which India can contribute in shaping and influencing the rules governing trade and investment in the region and Australia is keen to work with India to achieve a sufficiently ambitious RCEP outcome, she added. A militant attack on a police checkpoint in Egypt's Giza city killed a policeman today. One person was also injured in a critical condition, a security source said. The incident came a day after four police and army personnel killed in two separate attacks in North Sinai yesterday. The country has witnessed many violent attacks by militants since the January, 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Hosni Mubarak. The attacks targeting police and military increased after the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule. The farmers of Madhya Pradesh will felicitate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for implementing the crop insurance scheme, during his visit to the state on February 18, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said. Describing the 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana' as "best", Chouhan said, "Now farmers will get 25 per cent amount immediately." Chouhan was addressing a function at his residence last evening to felicitate agriculturists at a farmers' convention on the conferment of 'Krishi Karman Award' to Madhya Pradesh for fourth time for its outstanding performance in food grain production. He informed that farmers of the state will felicitate the Prime Minister during his visit to the state on February 18. On the occasion, he also honoured field officers for extending cooperation to farmers in increasing farm production and productivity. The convention was organised by Farmers' Welfare and Agriculture Development Department. "Madhya Pradesh has won this award due to the hard work of farmers who produced good crops despite adverse conditions," the Chief Minister said. On the suggestion of farmers, he announced to re-structure the 'Balram Talab Yojana'. "A scheme will also be chalked out to take water of rivulets and nullahs to fields. It is a priority of the state government to irrigate every field," he said. Meanwhile, Chouhan also announced that 1,000 progressive farmers will be sent to foreign countries to study modern farming systems and that a farmers' advisory board will also be constituted. "The board will comprise progressive farmers of every crop to give advice to government to frame policies and strategies," he said. Principal Secretary Agriculture Rajesh Rajora informed that the state has made unprecedented progress in agriculture during last one decade. "Ten years ago, food grains production in the state was 123 lakh MT, which has gone up to 321 lakh MT now," he said. The state is second in the country in wheat production, seventh in paddy production, fourth in maize and second in total food grains production. Earlier, 46 lakh hectares were under irrigation, which has increased to 104 lakh hectares now, he added. Officials from the state secretariat said the function to felicitate the PM is likely to be held in Sehore district. Madhya Pradesh government will construct 35,000 new homes for its police force in next five years, including 10,000 this year. "The government is making earnest efforts to ensure that all police families are provided houses and will construct 10,000 houses for them this year and another 25,000 in next five years," Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said yesterday, after dedicating 286 newly-constructed homes to the police personnel. The houses have been constructed by the MP Police Housing Corporation. Terming police duties as difficult, Chouhan said, "It is not just a job but a dharma. When people celebrate festivals, police personnel patrol on roads to maintain peace. The police brings smiles to the people by ensuring law and order effectively in the state." He said that new recruitments are being made continuously in the police to strengthen and increase the number of police personnel in the force. The Chief Minister said efforts were on to ensure that police personnel get minimum one weekly-off through rotation to enable them to spend quality time with their families. He also asked state Director General of Police to chalk out a scheme for this. The achievements of police in the state are laudable. They have successfully maintained Madhya Pradesh's status as "island of peace", despite facing various challenges, Chouhan said. Policemen work in adverse conditions and to de-stress them, 'dhyan' and yoga programmes should also be conducted on regular basis, he said. On the occasion, MP Police Housing Corporation Managing Director Sanjay Rana informed that the 286 houses were constructed for Rs 30 crore, including the cost of development of land. State Home Minister Babulal Gaur and DGP Surendra Singh were among others present on the occasion. Voicing concern over frequent Parliament disruptions, Vice President Hamid Ansari today said "arming the Chair with police powers" to punish errant MPs was not the solution and there was a need to develop attitude to discuss, debate and decide. Interacting with the media accompanying him on way to Brunei on the first leg of his two-nation visit, Ansari, who is also the Rajya Sabha Chairperson, said Parliament has been disrupted from time-to-time for one reason or another. "The issue is not that of powers. Parliamentary democracy presupposes, as the President has also talked about discussion, debate and then decision. Now, for one reason or another, Parliament has got disrupted from time to time," he said in reply to a query whether he would seek more powers for the Presiding Officers of Rajya Sabha to punish those who disrupt functioning of the House. "So, the question is not of arming the chair with police powers. That is neither here nor there. Question is to develop an attitude in which all sections of the House consider it more appropriate to discuss, debate and decide," he said. Ansari has repeatedly voiced his anguish over frequent disruptions in the House. Last month, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien pitched for laws to deny salary and allowances to members who do not allow the Houses to function. When asked whether the forthcoming Budget Session will continue to witness disruptions, Ansari said: "I am not an astrologer." Ansari, who will go to Thailand from Brunei, said India is satisfied with that country on the issue of cooperation on counter-terrorism. "Counter-terrorism is a field where the two governments (India and Thailand) are talking at the appropriate level. That is work which is ongoing," he said. On the rise of ISIS in Southeast Asia, he said: "There are two aspects to it. One is an ideology of achieving some political objectives through terror acts. This phenomenon can surface in different countries which will deal with it the way they deal with terror. "Then there is the West Asia phenomenon of ISIS with occasional overflow to other countries," he said without elaborating. Art historians today revealed that a painting stored for decades at an American museum was in fact a work by Dutch master Hieronymus Bosch. The surprise discovery comes as 's-Hertogenbosch, the hometown of the artist whose nightmarish visions on canvas earned him the moniker of "the devil's painter", marks the 500th anniversary of his death. The newly-uncovered painting has been lying forgotten for years in storage at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, which acquired it in the 1930s. Entitled "The Temptation of Saint Anthony", it shows the saint gathering water in a jug as he leans on a staff in what was probably part of a larger panel, possibly a triptych. Initially it had been believed to be the work of one of the many students who flocked to Bosch's workshop in 's-Hertogenbosch. But a team of international researchers who carried out a five-year research project using sophisticated infra-red technology determined that the painting was in fact by the master himself. The canvas, which was likely painted between 1500 to 1510, "is a significant addition to the small body of existent work produced by Hieronymus Bosch," the researchers said in a statement. "Although the image was heavily retouched and overpainted during a 20th century restoration, Bosch's hand is still clearly recognisable in the original brushwork," they said. The painting was unveiled today at the Noordbrabants Museum in Bosch's hometown which has succeeded in bringing together over 20 of his 25 or so surviving works for an unprecedented retrospective which opens on February 13. "The little monsters in the panel are typically 'Boschian'," the researchers said, highlighting a monster with a fox's head, and a toad clambering out of the water. Even a floating sausage can be found in other artworks by Bosch. It is the second work that the Bosch Research and Conservation Project (BRCP) has recently determined was by the Dutch master. Late last year, the team also revealed that a drawing called "The Infernal Landscape" was drawn by him. The exhibition marks the culmination of a nine-year quest by museum director Charles de Mooij to reunite Bosch's unique artistic legacy in the place where he worked, lived and died. UN envoy Martin Kobler today urged the speedy formation of a Libyan national unity government and said it should be installed in the capital Tripoli, Algerian state media reported. Kobler said the turmoil that has wracked Libya since the 2011 revolution that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi had created a "political and military vacuum" and helped the spread of the Islamic State group, the APS agency said. "We must advance on the political process by installing a government in Tripoli," it quoted Kobler as saying after talks in Algiers with the minister in charge of Maghreb affairs, Abdelkader Messahel. Libya has had two rival administrations, with the recognised authorities based in the country's far east and a militia-backed authority in Tripoli since the summer of 2014. In mid-December, a minority of lawmakers from both sides signed a deal to unify the government and said the cabinet should be based in Tripoli. A national unity government headed by businessman Fayez al-Sarraj and comprising 32 ministers was formed in January but was rejected by the recognised parliament. The legislature demanded a trimmed line-up and Sarraj has been holding consultations with several key players to press for its creation. Sarraj, who on Saturday met controversial army chief General Khalifa Haftar who is opposed by the Tripoli-based administration, is expected to announce a new line-up within days. Delaying the formation of a government plays into the hands of IS, Kobler warned. Messahel, also quoted by APS, agreed with his assessment. "We are impatient to see this government installed in Tripoli," he said. Yesterday, France and the African Union also pressed Libya's divided politicians to agree on a unity government in order to curb the spread of IS which both countries see as a threat. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said IS could infiltrate the ranks of refugees using Libya as a springboard to reach Europe via Italy some 300 kilometres away. African Union leaders have also discussed the Libyan turmoil and its repercussions at a summit in Addis Ababa and set up a five-member committee on how they can help push for a solution. National Investigation Agency today arrested a 24-year-old ISIS suspect from Bhopal as part of the agency's crackdown on sympathisers of the terror group. The youth, identified as Azhar Iqbal, was the 16th person to be arrested in connection with a case registered in Delhi under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act by the agency on December 9 last year, a senior police officer said. "NIA team arrested Azhar Iqbal from Putli Ghar area where he was hiding in residence of one Laik Ahmed," DIG, Bhopal, Raman Singh told PTI. Iqbal is a resident of Barkheda in Obaidullaganj tehsil in neighbouring Raisen district, he said. "Bhopal police assisted NIA in arresting the accused," the officer said. "A total of 16 persons were booked by NIA on December 9, 2015 in the (UAPA) case,and rest 15 were already arrested by the agency. This was the 16th arrest in the case," he said. The DIG said Iqbal might have come into contact with others during his stay in Darul-Uloom, Deoband. He said only NIA could provide more details. The NSE benchmark Nifty eased marginally by 7.60 points with negative bias ahead of RBI monetary policy review to be announced tomorrow. Selling were seen mainly in, PSU banks, MNC, energy and auto sectors which dragged down the Nifty, while infra, IT, FMCG, metal and realty were contributing to gains. Nifty had touched 7,600 intra-day high but was seen struggling below the psychological level swinging between positive and negative zone. In overseas markets, European stocks edged lower on disappointing Chinese manufacturing data. In Asian stocks, China edged lower after disappointing manufacturing data for January while, Japanese stocks extended a rally registered during the previous trading session, triggered by the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) announcement of expansion monetary stimulus. The 50-share Nifty resumed higher at 7,589.50 and hovered in a range of 7,600.45 and 7,541.25 before closing at 7,555.95 a marginal loss of 07.60 points or 0.14 per cent from its last Friday's close. Major sectoral losers were, PSU banks down by 3.39 per cent, other banks (1.34 per cent), finance (1.21 per cent), MNC (0.79 per cent), energy (0.54 per cent) and auto by (0.46 per cent). While, infra climbed up by 0.97 per cent, FMCG by 0.79 per cent, IT by 0.61 per cent, metal by 0.32 per cent and realty by 0.20 per cent. Midcap-100 and Smallcap-100 gained by 0.46 per cent and 0.34 per cent respectively, outperformed the Nifty50 Index. The key index losers included ICICI Bank by 5.63 per cent, SBIN 3.97 per cent, Maruti 3.60 per cent, Bank of Baroda 2.55 per cent, Axis Bank 2.23 per cent, Hindalco 2.07 per cent and Vedl by 2.02 per cent. However, Adaniports rose by 4.17 per cent, followed by Yes Bank 3.43 per cent, Coal India 2.69 per cent, Acc 2.56 per cent, Cipla 2.45 per cent and Idea 2.04 per cent. Of the total 1,623 securities, 843 advanced, 693 declined while, 87 remained unchanged. Turnover in cash segment fell to Rs 16,623.65 crore from Rs 20,637.33 crore last Friday. A total of 8,125.47 lakh shares changed hands in 75,76,598 trades. The market capitalisation of NSE stood at Rs 92,24,069 crore. A teenager's 15th birthday party became the scene of a ghastly massacre in southern Mexico where nine people were fatally shot, including two minors, officials said today. The shooting occurred Friday at a "quinceanera" coming-of-age celebration in the Mexican state of Guerrero, not far from the border with Michoacan, where drug-related crimes, including homicides, are a regular occurrence. Soldiers and police arriving on the scene were met with a hail of bullets, said Governor Hector Astudillo. Once the gunfire died down, they found the dead bodies of two minors, whose ages were not given, and seven men ranging in age from 18 to 50-years-old. Astudillo initially gave a death toll of 11, but prosecutors later lowered it to nine. No security force members were reported wounded. A woman was also killed when gunmen opened fire on a couple Sunday near the same municipality, Coyuca de Catalan, officials said. The couple was driving toward the Pacific resort town of Zihuatanejo when they came under attack. The woman, 29, was badly wounded and later died in hospital. Like Michoacan, Guerrero, one of the poorest states in Mexico, has seen an explosion in drug-related abductions and homicides. Southern Guerrero is also where 43 students disappeared in September 2014, after being attacked by municipal police and delivered to a drug cartel, which allegedly killed them. Resuming his public interaction programme, 'Janata Ke Darbar Mein Mukhya Mantri', that lasted over nine hours continuing till late in the evening, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today met over 1,000 complainants. "The CM interacted with people for over nine hours and heard grievance of a total of 1,007 people, including 218 women," a statement from the Chief Minister's Office said. Kumar looked into the complaints regarding police, land reforms, general administration, and registration department and directed the state police chief P K Thakur and other senior police officials to help the complainants. Today was the first 'Janata Ke Darbar Mein' programme of Chief Minister Kumar after formation of the Mahagathbandhan government in the state. Kumar had launched the interaction programme after coming to power in 2005. He meets people every Monday on the first three weeks of month. Advertisements are released ahead of the programme about departments related to which complaints would be entertained. Some women complainants were shouting and demanding immediate police intervention into their problems. (Reopens CES7) An official statement said here that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi telephoned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to greet him on his birthday. Kumar enjoys good relations with Gandhi, who was instrumental in stitching the grand secular alliance in Bihar of which Congress is a constituent. RJD president Lalu Prasad greeted Kumar on his birthday and extended good wishes to him, the statement said. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Bihar Governor Ramnath Kovind also wished Kumar on the occasion. At home, Kumar received greetings from senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav and Chairman of Legislative Council Awdesh Narayan Singh among others. The CM thanked all who had wished him on his birthday, the statement added. The United Nations human rights chief today said that no amnesty should be possible for people suspected of committing war crimes or crimes against humanity, as Geneva hosted troubled talks aimed at ending Syria's war. "We do have a principled position in the United Nations that no amnesties should be considered for those suspected of having committed crimes against humanity or war crimes," UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein told reporters in Geneva. His comments came as indirect UN-brokered talks between Syria's warring parties, which had been scheduled to start last week, continued to struggle to get off the ground. Zeid said the talks must go forward and secure a swift end to the violence. "Naturally after five years of this most gruesome spectacle of seeing the Syrian public subjected to public executions we hope and pray that the talks being mediated by (UN Syria envoy) Staffan de Mistura will lead to the end of all of these horrific abuses, human rights abuses, violations of international humanitarian law," he said. He condemned the tragic scenes unfolding in the besieged city of Madaya, where 46 people have starved to death since December, according to the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity, which warned Saturday dozens more were on the verge of death. "Clearly, when looking most recently at the forced starvation of the people of Madaya, and knowing there are 15 other besieged towns and cities, this is not just a war crime but a crime against humanity, if proven in court," Zeid said. He also said that his office estimates that "tens of thousands of persons (in Syria) are currently being held under arbitrary detention." "Clearly they need to be released." More than a quarter of a million people have been killed since the conflict erupted in 2011, and half the country's population has been forced to flee their homes. While urging a swift end to Syria's war, Zeid said negotiations needed to steer clear of offering amnesties for the worst of the crimes committed. "It is clear that in some circumstances, when looking at the end of conflict, amnesties are being thought of, and there is much discussion in many contexts about this," he said. "In the case of Syria, we are here to remind everyone that where allegations reach the threshold of war crimes or crimes against humanity, amnesties are not permissible. Dissident Congress MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh today demanded the removal of deposed Chief Minister Nabam Tuki from leadership of the CLP so that the party can continue to have a government and ruled out supporting a BJP-led coalition. The 21 dissident MLAs said they continue to be in Congress and have nothing against party President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi but against the style and functioning of Tuki. They acussed senior party leader V Narayanswami of being responsible for the current political mess. "We are Congress MLAs. We want a Congress government not a BJP government. We have nothing against our high command. If Tuki is removed from the leadership, everything will be resolved and a Congress government will be installed in Itanagar," MLA and spokesperson of the rebel group Pasang Dorjee told PTI. He said the rebels have been waiting for months in vain for an audience with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul. "But if the Congress leadership agrees to listen to our grievances, we will happily meet them. It is Congress leader Narayanswami, who is in-charge of party affairs in the state, who is putting hurdle. He is completely responsible for not allowing us to meet Congress President and Vice-President," Dorjee said. Asked whether Congress dissidents would support BJP to form the next government in Arunachal Pradesh, Dorjee said, the question does not arise at all as his group has more MLAs. "We (Congress rebels) have 21 MLAs and BJP has 11 MLAs. There are two independent MLAs too. We are ready to take support from anyone as it will be a Congress-led government," he said. He claimed Tuki has support of just 26 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly. Asked whether BJP would support a Congress-led government as claimed by him, Dorjee said that in the interest of Arunachal Pradesh, BJP would be ready to support the Congress rebel group. "We are for development of Arunachal Pradesh. BJP is also for development of Arunachal Pradesh. So, why will not they support us?" he said. Dorjee said they have already projected former Minister and veteran state Congress leader Kalikho Pul as the next Chief Minister of the state. Shiromani Akali Dal today said it will raise the issue of the absence of a Sikh regiment contingent in this year's Republic Day parade in the coming session of Parliament. SAD Secretary General and Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa told reporters here. The absence of a Sikh regiment contingent at the Republic Day parade where French President Francois Hollande was the chief guest, was a setback to the struggle of Sikhs who have been fighting for their rights in France. He said that the issue would be raised in the coming session of Parliament. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had yesterday written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. Badal had described the absence of the Sikh regiment as "sad and regrettable" while Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh termed it as a "grave omission". Shares in Finnish telecom giant Nokia plummeted today after the group announced it had settled a patent dispute with South Korea's Samsung whose terms disappointed investors. Nokia's shares fell by more than 11 percent on the Helsinki stock market following the announcement of the settlement. "The International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce has issued its award for the binding arbitration between Nokia and Samsung," the Finnish company said in a statement, referring to its patents used by Samsung between 2014 and 2018. Nokia, which is currently merging with its French-American rival Alcatel-Lucent via a share exchange offer, said the court's decision would have a "positive financial impact" for its licensing business Nokia Technologies. The exact terms of the patent deal with Samsung were not given, but Kepler Cheuvreux analyst Sebastien Sztabowicz, cited by the Bloomberg agency, said Nokia probably gained around 200 million euros (USD 218 million), compared with market expectations of 250 million. "It seems that some investors were disappointed that Nokia did not get a lot more than," said equity strategist Kristian Tammela at Nordea Wealth Management. Nokia itself said the deal would raise net sales for its Nokia Technologies unit for last year to some 1 billion euros (USD 1.1 billion) from 578 million euros a year earlier. All in all Nokia Technologies expects to gain at least 1.3 billion euros from its patent portfolio between 2016 and 2018, it said. One analyst in Paris, where Nokia shares are also listed, said the disappointing patent deal alone was not enough to explain the sharp stock decline. "It's possible that the fact that the share exchange deal between Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent expires on Wednesday is having an impact. Some shareholders who don't want to take part are probably selling their stock," the analyst said. Nokia, which now concentrates on network equipment, was taken over by Samsung as the global number one in handsets in 2012, after failing to adapt to the rapid rise of smartphones. City-based NTR Trust, a not-for- profit social welfare organisation, and cab aggregator Uber today signed a pact to create 20,000 new entrepreneurial opportunities in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Under the Memorandum of Understanding, both will focus on providing skill training and co-create development programmes for driver partners, NTR Trust said in a statement. NTR Trust will help source, train, screen and facilitate seed funding and bank linkages for youngsters who will go on to become micro-entrepreneurs on the Uber platform. NTR Trust and Uber will reach out to the potential candidates through awareness programmes and mobilisation drives, it said. Besides on completion of their training, Uber will help eligible candidates procure loans from top financial institutions through specialised vehicle financing programmes, the statement added. "We are excited to partner with Uber to contribute to the economic development of the two Telugu-speaking states through skill training and creation of thousands of flexible and sustainable entrepreneurial opportunities for the people of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana," T Vishnu Vardhan, CEO, NTR Trust said. Cuban President Raul Castro is paying an historic state visit to France as the Caribbean island opens up its economy. The trip comes after a breakthrough deal was reached in Paris in December to lighten Cuba's foreign debt and days after France hosted the leader of another long-time pariah state: Iran. Castro, 84, is on his first official trip to Europe since taking over from his elder brother Fidel in 2006. The Cuban president briefly stopped to Rome last year to meet with Pope Francis. He received a formal welcome Monday at the Arc de Triomphe monument. He will attend later a state dinner with President Francois Hollande. The Cuban delegation is also meeting French business leaders and the UNESCO chief. The French government was instrumental in securing the debt relief deal. In December, the Paris Club of creditor countries forgave USD 8.5 billion of overdue Cuban interest payments in exchange for Cuba's promise to pay off USD 2.6 billion in loans from developed countries over the next year and a half. France, to which Cuba owed USD 4 billion in overdue loans, led the creditors' negotiations. Hollande was the first French leader to visit Cuba in a half-century, with a trip in May aimed at boosting trade. French companies are looking for business opportunities to open up especially in tourism, transport, food and environmental industries. Cuba has seen a touristic boom last year in the wake of the normalization of its relations with the U.S. The number of French visiting the country has increased by 30 percent in 2015 compared to previous years. A dozen bilateral agreements are expected to be signed during Castro's visit, including one regarding Cuba's remaining debt to France, which amounts to USD 390 million (360 million euros). The two countries are also hoping to develop university and scientific exchanges. Police arrested one person from near Kilohdha village and seized a huge cache of Indian made foreign liquor from him. Bhojpur Police Station, SHO,Rajesh Sharma said that during a routine checking a police team stopped a small truck on the intervening night of January 31 and February 1 and recovered 260 cartoons of liquor bearing marking 'for sale in Arunanchal Pradesh only'. The truck driver Sarjeet Singh a native of Fatehgarh district in Punjab was arrested and the vehicle has been impounded, the SHO added. "How To Get Away with Murder" actress Viola Davis thinks "openness" is more important than "boycotting". The 50-year-old actress believes it is "fine" for people to attend the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony, which stars including Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith are refusing to attend due to the lack of diversity, reported People magazine. Asked her thoughts on the boycott, she said, "People should do what they want to do with the Oscars. "If they want to watch it, that's fine. If they don't, that's fine. I think more importantly, when you walk into a theatre, whether it be a movie theatre or a live theatre, be open to the experience of the story. "I think that sometimes people feel like stories about people of colour are not inclusive. They are very much inclusive. I mean, the work of August Wilson -- which really, pretty much made my career -- is everyone's story. So I'm just saying, plop your money down to see 'Race', to see 'Dope', to see 'Straight Outta Compton', to see 'Selma', to support directors like Ava DuVernay, Lee Daniels, Spike Lee... Their stories are just as valid and as important as anyone else. More important than boycotting is openness." Davis insists diversity shouldn't be a "trending topic" and has never placed any limitations on herself when it comes to looking for roles because of her ethnicity. Speaking backstage at the recent Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards - where she picked up the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series prize - David said, "We've become a society of trending topics. Diversity is not a trending topic. It's just not. "I've always considered myself an actor since I got my equity card in 1988. I've never put any limitations on myself.'I felt like I can play Chekov, any character in Chekov, in Shakespeare, in Miller, in August Wilson. I see myself as an actor. "No matter what is going on in the business, I will find a way to practice my art. And all of the actors of color that I know don't place limitations on themselves either. So regardless of what is going on with the Academy, regardless of what is going on in Hollywood, they will find a way to be excellent. We always have and we always will. More than half a million people have put their names to an online petition calling for Greek islanders on the frontline of Europe's migrant crisis to be awarded the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. In a similar move, noted academics from prestigious universities around the world have reportedly drafted their own submission ahead of a February 1 deadline for Nobel nominations in a move which has won support from European MPs, artists, politicians and the Greek media. And several prominent Greek figures have also sent a letter to the Nobel Committee, nominating a Greek pensioner and a fisherman for the award, along with Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon, the Athens News Agency reported. Emilia Kamvysis, 85, and Stratis Valiamos, 40, have become local celebrities for their volunteer work while Sarandon has been nominated for raising awareness about the migrant crisis through her visit to the island of Lesbos and volunteer work there. By 2100 GMT, the number of signatures on petition on the website of campaign group Avaaz had reached 597,697. "The native populations of the Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea have done and are doing anything possible to help the displaced Syrian refugees, despite being subjected to a severe economic crisis for many years," says the petition which was created by Alkmini Papadaki, an architect from Crete. "Their acts and sacrifices shall not go unnoticed, because they are significant contributors to world peace and stability," it says. Nikos Voutsis, president of the Greek parliament, has also backed the islanders' nomination. "The citizens of the Aegean islands, and especially Lesbos, constitute an example for European civilisation," he said. According to the Organization for Migration, over 800,000 migrants and refugees arrived on Greece's shores in 2015. So far this year, a daily average of more than 1,900 people have landed on the Greek islands after making a perilous journey by sea from Turkey, UN figures show. More than half of them -- over 31,000 -- have been registered in Lesbos. With no headway made in the probe into the Pathankot terror attack, Pakistan plans to seek more evidence from India, a media report said today, days after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the outcome of the investigation into the assault would be made public soon. A Pakistani government team investigating the Pathankot airbase attack will ask the foreign ministry to seek more evidence from India. "The team has almost completed its investigation into five cellphone numbers (allegedly used for making calls from Pakistan to India) provided by the Indian government. No further leads were found from these numbers because they were unregistered and had fake identities," Dawn newspaper quoted a source as saying. "The probe is not heading further. The team needs more evidence. Therefore, it has written to the government to speak to India and apprise it of the situation and demand more evidence to move forward in investigation here," he said. Answering a question about the people, including banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, detained in connection with the Pathankot incident, the source said, "Let first more evidence come from India." Sharif had formed the six-member investigation team headed by the Additional Inspector General of Punjab's Counter- Terrorism Department (CTD) in the second week of January to look into India's allegations that the JeM was behind the January 2 attack. The team headed by AIG Counter Terror Department, Punjab Rai Tahir has so far held two meetings. The prime minister told reporters in Lahore on Saturday that the investigation was underway and its findings would be made public. "Whatever facts come out we will bring them forth before everyone," he said, adding that Pakistan would go to "any length" to uncover the alleged use of its soil in the Pathankot attack. "It is our responsibility to uncover if our soil was used in the attack. We will do this and the ongoing investigation will be completed soon," he said. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies have not produced before court any of the suspects arrested in connection with the attack over the past two weeks since their detention. The government has not disclosed the number of suspects detained. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah only confirmed that Maulana Masood Azhar had been taken into "protective custody", along with some of his "accomplices". "He (Masood) is not arrested," the minister clarified. India says Masood Azhar was the mastermind of the attack. It alleges that his brother Rauf and five were also involved in the attack which killed all six terrorists and seven Indian soldiers. With no headway made in the probe into the Pathankot terror attack, Pakistan plans to seek more evidence from India, a media report said today, days after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the outcome of the investigation into the assault would be made public soon. The six-member Pakistani government team investigating the Pathankot attack has written to the foreign ministry to seek more "leads" from India. "The ball is back in India's court again as we need more evidence to move forward in the probe," a source in the investigation team told PTI. "The team has almost completed its investigation into five cellphone numbers (allegedly used for making calls from Pakistan to India) provided by the Indian government. No further leads were found from these numbers because they were unregistered and had fake identities," the source said. "The probe is not heading further. The team needs more evidence. Therefore, it has written to the government to speak to India and apprise it of the situation and demand more evidence to move forward in investigation here," he said. Answering a question about the people, including banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, detained in connection with the Pathankot incident, the source said "First let more evidence come from India". Sharif had formed the six-member investigation team headed by Additional Inspector General of Punjab's Counter-Terrorism Department Rai Tahir in the second week of January to look into India's allegations that the JeM was behind last month's attack. The team has so far held two meetings. Sharif had said the Pakistani team would also visit India to collect further information on the attack. The prime minister said on Saturday that the investigation was underway and its findings would be made public. "Whatever facts come out we will bring them forth before everyone," he said, adding that Pakistan would go to "any length" to uncover the alleged use of its soil in the attack. "It is our responsibility to uncover if our soil was used in the attack. We will do this and the ongoing investigation will be completed soon," he said. Pakistani law enforcement agencies have not produced any of the suspects arrested in connection with the attack in court over the past two weeks since their detention. The government has not disclosed the number of suspects detained. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah only confirmed that Maulana Masood Azhar had been taken into "protective custody", along with some of his "accomplices". "He (Masood) is not arrested," the minister clarified. India says Masood Azhar was the mastermind of the attack. It alleges that his brother Rauf and five others were also involved in the attack which left all six terrorists and seven Indian soldiers dead. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today made a pitch for reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward communities in private sector jobs. Paswan, leader of the Lok Janshankti Party (LJP) and minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution, said his party feels that private companies, who have been availing benefits from the government, should provide reservation to Dalits in employment. The Union minister also made a strong pitch for increasing state and Central budgetary allocation for SCs and Scheduled Tribes, in proportion to their population. "There should also be enhanced representation to the backward classes in judiciary," Paswan told PTI here. The Modi government at the Centre is committed to welfare of Dalits, Paswan said. Development of Chaityabhumi at Mumbai and Deekshabhumi at Nagpur are being expedited, coinciding with the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, he added. Paswan, who undertook a tour of Aurangabad in Marathwada region to inaugurate a function to mark 20 months of the NDA government at the Centre, said various initiatives like PM's Jan Dhan Yojana, Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Crop Insurance Scheme, will prove to be 'Ramban' (panacea) for the common man. "At Aurangabad, I met leaders of BJP, LJP, Shiv Sena and addressed a public meeting," the Union minister said. Asked about his views on the performance of the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar, Paswan said, "the present regime there has failed miserably on the law and order front." "Jungle Raj has returned in Bihar," the Union minister said. Paswan said the new Consumer Protection Act is likely to be passed in the budget session of Parliament, adding the government has taken efforts to make it user-friendly. "The amended bill, now with the Standing Committee, caters to the interests of the 125 crore consumers in this era of e-commerce," Paswan said. "On the compensation front, we have raised the powers of district consumer forums, from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1 crore," he said. The minister also addressed a review meeting of the Food Corporation of India here. Paswan said during his visit to the drought-hit Marathwada, he received representation from various parties and organisations, seeking relief for affected farmers. "Our government will protect interests of farmers and give necessary help," the minister said. The PDP Legislature Party, which met here today nearly a month after the demise of then Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed, authorised party president Mehbooba Mufti to convey its point of view on government formation to Governor N N Vohra tomorrow. There was, however, no clarity on whether Mehbooba was elected as the Legislature Party leader, a requirement for her formal projection as the Chief Ministerial candidate. "The Legislature Party has authorised Mehbooba ji to convey the PDP point of view to the Governor," party leader Naeem AKhtar told reporters after the meeting. Mehbooba will be meeting the Governor in the afternoon tomorrow. However, Akhtar did not spell out whether Mehbooba was elected as the leader of the PDP Legislature Party. This was the first meeting of the PDP Legislature Party since the demise of Sayeed on January 7 and came against the backdrop of Vohra's invitation to the PDP president for consultations on government formation in the state. Vohra yesterday sent invitations to Mehbooba and BJP state president Sat Pal Sharma for separate meetings tomorrow to clarify their stand on government formation in the state which is under Governor's Rule since January 8. PDP, with 27 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly and BJP with 25 legislators, ran a coalition government headed by Sayeed for 10 months before his demise on January 7. At a party meeting yesterday, the PDP chief talked tough with regard to continuance of alliance with BJP yesterday. Mehbooba, who is seen as a successor to her father as Chief Minister, had said she will take a call after "reassessing" whether ally BJP's government at the Centre would take substantive steps in a "set timeframe" to address the "core" political and economic issues of the state. She has said she would not become the Chief Minister just for the sake of power but wanted assurances from the Narendra Modi government on implementation of Agenda of Alliance, reached with the BJP by her late father. Alleged pirated copies of top selling books of a Delhi based publisher on preparing for competitive exams worth Rs.Five lakh was seized and a man arrested, police said today. Mohammed Arif was arrested after alleged pirated versions of titles published by S Chand and Company, Delhi on preparing for a range of competitive exams was found stacked in his store here for sale by police. His two godowns were raided and totally 525 pirated books worth Rs.Five lakh of the Delhi based publisher was seized. He was produced before a court and sent to judicial custody. The action comes days after the publisher lodged a complaint with police here that pirated versions of its top titles were being sold here. Central crime branch and video piracy prevention team personnel conducted the raid, police said. Union Minister Maneka Gandhi today said that the Himachal Pradesh government should plant fruit trees in forests to prevent monkeys from straying into urban areas in search of food. Speaking at the All India Regional Editors Conference here, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development said though the number of monkeys in Himachal Pradesh has come down but still there was a problem because the monkeys do not get food in forests due to lack of fruit trees and strays into human habitats. "Fruit trees were removed from forest areas in Himachal after an officer wrote to the Forest department. That time, it was not felt that the issue of monkeys would arise and now it is there. "Since there are no trees of fruit so monkeys stray into urban areas in search of food," she said, while suggesting for a campaign to plant fruit trees in forests to address the problem. The Union Minister also criticised the Himachal Pradesh government for its monkey sterilization programme saying it was not the solution. The state of Himachal Pradesh is facing the conflict between monkeys and human and damage to crops by monkeys. With the assembly elections a few months away in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will tomorrow address a public meeting here, being billed by the party as the launch of its poll campaign and "a turning point rally" in the history of the state . On a five-hour visit to the textile city in Western Tamil Nadu, which is among the 20 cities choosen for the Centre's Smart City Project, Modi would also launch an ESI Medical College here. While the elections are yet to be announced and all parties, including the Dravidian majors ruling AIADMK and DMK, are in the preparatory mode, state BJP leaders have said Modi's rally would mark the launch of its campaign. BJP, which led a rainbow seven-party alliance for the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, is aiming to form a strong combine for the assembly polls, due in a few months. As such, the public meeting being held at the sprawling CODISSIA grounds is also seen as a show of strength by the BJP to enhance its bargaining power during the seat-sharing exercise with possible NDA allies. Incidentally, Modi had addressed a public meeting as part of the NDA's campaign at the same venue in 2014. In the last Lok Sabha polls, the BJP-led NDA also comprised DMDK, PMK, MDMK, IJK, New Justice Party and Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi, but the front managed to win only two of the 39 seats -- one by PMK and another by the Saffron party itself. While MDMK led by Vaiko snapped its ties with NDA soon after the polls, PMK has been critical of various policies of the Modi Government and even announced its youth wing leader as its "Chief Ministerial candidate", indicating it would lead an alliance for the assembly polls. Actor-politician Vijayakant's DMDK, which is being wooed by various parties, has kept everyone, including BJP, guessing. Though BJP has officially claimed it was not desperate for an alliance, party sources say it wanted the tie-up with DMDK to continue. Seeking to make the Modi rally a grand show, BJP has been making arrangements to mobilise at least five lakh people from the region, including from nearby Erode, Nilgiris, Tirupur and Salem districts. A galaxy of party leaders, including union ministers, have been camping in the city for the past few days overseeing the arrangements for the rally, which they say would mark the launch of BJP's campaign for the polls. Senior party leader from the state and Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan had said last week that Modi's "pre-assembly poll campaign will have a lasting impact on entire Tamil Nadu which would reflect during the elections." State BJP President Tamilisai Sounderarajan has claimed that BJP, after enrolling 50 lakh members in the state, had become strong and no party could form the government without its support. She had said Modi's public rally would be a "turning point in the history of Tamil Nadu politics". Multi-layer security arrangements have been made for the PM's visit with the deployment of more than 6,000 personnel, drawn from state police, Special Protection Group, Quick Reaction Team and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The personnel with the help of sniffer dogs and bomb detection squad would carry out thorough checks every 15 minutes at the meeting venue and along the route to be taken by the Prime Minister, police said. Meanwhile, some political parties, organisations and student unions have planned to organise a demonstration here tomorrow over the issue of the suicide of Rohit Vemula of University of Hdyerabad. The protest was aimed against Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, who is likely to accompany the Prime Minister, for the dedication of the ESI Medical College, police said. An FIR has been filed against Dattatreya in connection with the suicide of the Dalit scholar. A Delhi School of Social Work (DSSW) student, who was at the receiving end of police assault near RSS headquarters as seen in a video, today alleged police took turns to "brutally" thrash him and did not even let him have water. A number of other protesters, predominantly JNU and Delhi University students, also painted a grim picture of the police action against them during a demonstration over dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide on January 30. "I spotted a few men, who were not in uniform, pulling a few of our woman activists. When I raised my voice against it, someone from the police counted 1,2,3 and launched an assault on us and cornered me. "After the first round of assault, I was sitting on a road divider. Friends offered me water. At that very moment, police once again started beating me up," Samudra Sanghka, a final-year MA student at DSSW, told PTI. Sanghka, who hails from Assam, said he received multiple injuries following which he was administered an injection at RML Hospital and is on painkillers since then. Pratim Ghosal, an M.Phil student at JNU, said the incident happened around 4 PM when the protesters, numbering around 250, under the aegis of Joint Action Committee For Social Justice, tried to hold a meet in front of the RSS office. "We could cross the first barricade in front of Ambedkar Bhawan and were stopped ahead of the second barricade. A view emerged that we should hold a protest meet and within minutes police started thrashing us. I have been to many protests but the brutality was unprecedented," Ghosal, a DSF activist, said. Prashant Mukherjee, another final-year student at DSSW and SFI activist, said they were not planning to break the last barricade put up by the police but "all of a sudden" a number of hooligans launched the assault. S Republican and Democratic candidates made last-gasp appeals to Iowa voters just hours before the first nominating contest of the 2016 campaign, with their White House aspirations on the line. By late today, presidential hopefuls will learn whether the time, effort and money they poured into their campaigns have been rewarded with the kind of strong showing here that would lend huge momentum to their cause when the race shifts toward the next vote, in New Hampshire. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton both were leading in the polls, but not by enough to assure victory for either candidate in Monday's caucuses. Will an establishment Republican - Marco Rubio, perhaps - outperform the polls and make it a three-way race with Trump and conservative Ted Cruz? And will self-declared Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders convert the excitement about his political revolution into enough votes to upset Clinton's second shot at history? Iowa - and early momentum in the presidential race - is up for grabs. Throwing a wrench in the works, forecasters say a major winter storm is brewing in the west, threatening to bring snow and a dangerous wintry mix to parts of Iowa just as residents are caucusing. Armies of volunteers fanned out through the Midwestern state yesterday, knocking on doors or manning phone banks to get out the vote, while candidates dominated the air waves with talk show appearances and a relentless barrage of campaign ads. Most of the 12 Republicans and three Democrats in the race were holding several weekend events to press the flesh and win over voters. By evening, several leading candidates were rallying their faithful, pleading with them to defy snow or freezing rain and bring friends and neighbors to caucus. Clinton, seeking to stave off a surge by Sanders, was leaving nothing to chance, stumping in the heartland this weekend and warning that the policy proposals of her main rival were pie-in-the-sky idealism. "I don't think America can wait, I don't think it can wait for ideas that sound good on paper then can't go through the gridlock," Clinton told about 2,600 people at a rally in a Des Moines high school. Sanders, a senator from Vermont, declared his race with Clinton a "tossup." A Bloomberg/Des Moines Register poll published late Saturday put Clinton just ahead of Sanders in Iowa, 45 to 42 per cent, within the four per cent margin of error. President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate a conference on counter-terrorism in Jaipur tomorrow. The counter-terrorism conference is being organised by India Foundation in collaboration with Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, Jodhpur, a press release issued today by the President's office said. The conference will bring together counter-terrorism practitioners, policy makers and intellectuals from India and abroad, it said. The first counter-terrorism conference was held in March, 2015 at Jaipur. (REOPENS DES 30) Meanwhile, a report from Jaipur said that the Chief Executive of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah will deliver the special keynote address in the counter terrorism conference. Over 250 intellectuals, academics and scholars from India and other parts of the world will attend the conference which has the theme 'Tackling Global Terror Outfits,' a release said here. The conference will bring together field operatives, senior officials from security agencies, policy makers, scholars and government leaders involved in counter-terrorism operations, planning and sensitization. The conference will emphasis on understanding the phenomenon of the mushrooming terror outfits in the Middle East and its neighbourhood, their methodology, motivation and resources. The inaugural event will be attended by the Governorof Rajasthan Kalyan Singh,Chief MinisterVasundhara Raje, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and former Army Chief VP Malik. The Valedictory session on February 3 will be chaired byRajasthan GovernorandUnion Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be the Chief Guest while Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Malaysia Datuk Nur Juzlan Mohamed will give a special address at the session. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Shahriar Alam will deliver special lectures at the conference. (Reopens DEL32) Putting the decision of separating accounts from audit in a perspective, Mukherjee said, "the founding fathers of our Constitution placed significant importance on accounts and audit of the Union Government and States. "Several constitutional provisions prescribe for the financial accountability of the Executive to Parliament, and the financial management of the affairs of the Union and the States," he said. Government recognised that if the process of development is to be speeded up, and plans and programmes are to be properly implemented, reforms had become necessary in the field of public financial administration, he said, adding separation of accounts from audit was therefore clearly the right decision to take. He emphasised on the need of e-Governance initiatives to fulfil the dream of becoming a welfare nation. The government today said that it has initiated the process of revising the existing regulatory framework for wetlands as its conservation and wise use are its top priority. On the eve of World Wetlands Day, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the government is also mulling upgrading the existing Wetland Research and Training Centre of Chilika Development Authority at Barkul in Odisha into the National Capacity Development Centre for Wetlands. "The Environment Ministry will continue to accord high priority to conservation and wise use of wetlands in the country. "The Ministry has also initiated the process of revising the existing regulatory framework on wetlands to enable a greater role and ownership by state governments in management of wetlands, particularly as water and land are state subjects," Javadekar said in his message. He observed that the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) provides the policy framework and support to state governments for integrated management of wetlands while the the state wetland authorities are envisaged to be entrusted the role of management and regulation of wetlands within their jurisdiction. "In a strategic step towards increasing the capacity of wetland managers in integrated and holistic management, upgrading the existing Wetland Research and Training Centre of Chilika Development Authority at Barkul, Odisha into the National Capacity Development Centre for Wetlands is also being envisaged," he said. This year the World Wetlands Day is being celebrated by the Ministry in collaboration with the West Bengal government at Sunderbans which is one of the largest single block of estuarine mangrove forests in the world and provides habitat to numerous plant and animal species, including the Royal Bengal Tiger. Noting that the theme of this year's World Wetlands Day is 'Wetlands for our Future - Sustainable Livelihoods', Javadekar said that the theme highlights the value of wetlands in securing local livelihoods through activities as fishing, rice farming, tourism, and water provision. Javadekar noted that ever since civilisations began, wetlands have played an important role in development of human society and the "wise use" principle of wetland management encapsulates the linkages between wetland functioning and livelihoods on sustainable basis guided by ecosystem approaches. He said that World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2 each year around the globe to mark the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in the city of Ramsar in Iran in 1971 and is a day to promote, create awareness and ensure positive and affirmative action for conservation of wetlands. "Water is life and wetlands are the life support systems that ensure functioning of the water cycle. Wetlands help recharge groundwater aquifers, cleanse polluted waters, protect shorelines and act as sponges to mitigate floods. "The extensive food chain and biological diversity in wetlands make them 'biological supermarkets'. Wetlands are valuable as sources, sink and transformers of a multitude of biological, chemical and genetic material," he said. He said that his ministry will look forward to working with state governments, experts, NGOs, private sector and concerned citizens from all walks of life to secure these natural resource endowments. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today targeted the Modi government over the "shocking attack" on students protesting against Hyderabad research scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide outside RSS office in Delhi. He insisted the demonstrators were "brutally" beaten as they were "protesting against the RSS". "Shocking attack on students. Instead of listening to them, now the Modi govt is brutally beating them up for protesting against the RSS!", the Congress leader tweeted. Rahul's tweet came as the Delhi Police faced criticism following emergence of a video in which its personnel were seen thrashing protesters and dragging female activists by their hair outside the RSS office here during a demonstration against dalit student Vemula's suicide. The video of Saturday's incident went viral on social media, triggering sharp reactions, with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleging the police force was being used as RSS and BJP's "private army" under a political dispensation that is at "war" with students across the country. (Reopens Del 48) At the Congress' official briefing, party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said there was a "clear pattern and paradigm of autocratic behavior bordering on fascism" in the incident. "There is a brutal assault on silent protesters of various dalit organisations exercising free speech rights merely because the venue of the protest happens to be near or at the RSS Headquarters," he said. Senior IPS officer Archana Ramasundram was today appointed Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the first woman to head a paramilitary force. Ramasundram is currently Director, National Crime Records Bureau. She has been appointed to the post till the date of her superannuation September 30, next year, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said. 58-year-old Ramasundram is the first woman police officer to have been appointed as the chief of a paramilitary force. The SSB is entrusted with guarding the country's frontiers with Nepal and Bhutan. There are five paramilitary forces-- SSB, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force and Indo Tibetan Border Police-- and none has ever had a woman chief. The Tamil Nadu cadre officer was in in 2014 over her appointment as Additional Director in the CBI. Her appointment was also challenged in the Supreme Court after which she was moved to the NCRB as its chief. Besides her, IPS officers--K Durga Prasad and K K Sharma--have been appointed Director Generals of CRPF and BSF, respectively. They will take over after the incumbent chiefs of these forces retire at the end of this month. Prasad, a 1981 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, was in 2014 unceremoniously removed as chief of the Special Protection Group, which provides security to the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their family members, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Nepal to attend the Saarc summit. He was in January last year appointed Special Director General of the CRPF, the force entrusted with multiple duties in the internal security domain including, anti-naxal operations. K K Sharma is currently Special Director General, BSF, which guards the country's border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. M K Singla, a 1982-batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre, has been appointed Special Secretary (Internal Security) in Ministry of Home Affairs. He is at present serving as Special DG (West) in the BSF. In his new posting, Singla will be entrusted with the task of dealing with matters related to policing, law and order and analysing threats from terror groups, Maoists and other anti-national forces. Both Singla and Durga Prasad will hold the post till their retirement, i.E. February 28, 2017. Sharma will hold the post till September 30, 2018, when he superannuates. A R K Kinni has been appointed as Director NCRB in place of Ramasundram. Kinni, a 1981 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre, is currently Special DG in Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D). All these appointments were approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister. The ACC has approved Kinni's appointment by temporarily upgrading the post of Director, NCRB to that of DG-level upto the date of his superannuation i.E. November 30, 2017. Private sector Karur Vysya Bank today said the RBI has given its nod for the appointment of Independent Director B Swaminathan as the Non-Executive (Part-Time) Chairman of the bank for three years. The Board of the Tamil Nadu-based bank had recommended Swaminathan in November 2015 for the post, subject to the approval of country's apex bank. In a notification to stock exchanges today, Karur Vysya Bank said that RBI has conveyed its approval for Swaminathan's appointment as Non-Executive part-time Chairman for a three-year period. Shares of the bank were trading at Rs 459.80 apiece, up by 2.57 per cent over previous close in afternoon BSE. French car giant Renault opened its first car factory in China today, the last major manufacturer to set up a plant in the country as it looks to tap into the world's biggest auto market. The factory in Wuhan, a carmaking hub in the central province of Hubei, is a joint venture with Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng and will be able to produce 150,000 vehicles a year at full capacity. China remains "a growth driver for the global auto industry", Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn said at the inauguration. The factory was a "first big step" for the development of the Dongfeng-Renault joint venture and for the growth of Renault, he added. China is crucial to foreign auto makers, both as the world's largest market and a key source of revenue outside Europe and the United States, but until now, the French firm has largely left it to its Japanese alliance partner Nissan. At first the Wuhan factory will build Kadjars, Renault's latest crossover model, a key sector for Chinese consumers. "We see this niche exploding in China, and it's not going to stop," said Jacques Daniel, CEO of the joint venture. "We're arriving late, but with the right product." But he acknowledged that the current situation in China is challenging. Sales grew at their slowest pace in three years in 2015, as a slowing economy and a stock market rout slammed into demand. A total of 24.60 million cars were sold in 2015, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) up 4.7 per cent on the previous year, but only about a third of the near-14-percent growth seen in 2013. Also, the economy, the world's second largest, grew 6.9 per cent in 2015, its slowest pace in 25 years. Car makers responded by slashing prices while some even cut production. The market for high-priced luxury cars has been hit by a government crackdown on corruption and an austerity campaign, launched after President Xi Jinping took office three years ago. The Chinese industry group forecasts sales will still gain around six percent to top 26 million units this year. US auto giant General Motors was the top foreign brand in China last year, delivering a record 3.61 million vehicles, to beat German rival Volkswagen which is struggling with a global scandal over emissions cheating. Conservationists confirmed the existence of lions in a remote national park in Ethiopia, a rare piece of good for a threatened species whose numbers have plunged in many parts of Africa, a wildlife charity said today. The discovery was made in Alatash National Park in northwest Ethiopia, on the border with Sudan, the Britain-based Born Free Foundation said in a statement. Conservationists obtained camera trap images of lions and also identified lion tracks, confirming reports from local residents that lions were in the area, it said. Born Free funded the research, which was carried out by a team led by Hans Bauer. He works for the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford University in Britain. Ethiopian conservationists were also involved. In a report, Bauer also concluded there are lions in the adjacent Dinder National Park in Sudan. He estimated a population of 100 to 200 lions in the "entire ecosystem," of which between 27 and 54 are in Alatash park, according to the report. It said the park has never been visited by tourists and that its tourism potential is low, "mainly due to remoteness, climate, occasional insecurity and low probability of observing flagship species of wildlife." Africa's lion population has declined from up to 500,000 early in the 1900s, down to less than 200,000 by the middle of the century, and now as few as 20,000 remaining in the wild, according to estimates. The drop in numbers is due to the loss of habitat and prey, as well as growing conflicts with people trying to protect their livestock. The welfare of lions came under increased scrutiny last year when an American dentist killed a well-known lion named Cecil in Zimbabwe in what authorities there said was an illegal hunt. The case prompted an international outcry and renewed debate about the ethics of hunting threatened species. A few rare Abyssinian lions are still kept at the Ethiopian national palace in the capital, Addis Ababa, and US President Barack Obama was taken to visit them during a trip to Ethiopia last year. The lions, which have black manes, have long been associated with Ethiopia's former imperial dynasty and still appear on the local currency. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju today visited India-Pakistan border and reviewed the situation along the forward areas. During his visit to border outpost Mahwa in Amritsar, Rijiju got himself acquainted with the situation along the international border and functioning of BSF troops which guard the border. He assured the paramilitary personnel of all help from the government in removing any kind of hindrance for effective domination on border areas. Commending the hard work by BSF in forward areas, the Minister of State for Home said the force is well known for its culture and duties. "I am well aware of the hardship faced by BSF troops while performing their duties and look into the matter and try my best to provide all kind of assistance to ease the hardship faced by them," he said. British aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce said today that it has won a lucrative engines contract from Scandinavian carrier Norwegian in a deal worth USD 2.7 billion. "Rolls-Royce has won a USD 2.7bn order from Norwegian for Trent 1000 engines... For 19 new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft," it said in a statement adding that the deal included long-term service support. The contract also includes servicing for another 11 leased Boeing 787s that have yet to enter service. "This decision further develops our relationship with Rolls-Royce and we look forward to operating aircraft powered by the latest version of the Trent 1000," said Bjorn Kjos, chief executive of Norwegian. Norwegian also has options for a further 10 aircraft which, if confirmed, would be powered by the Trent 1000 engine, Rolls-Royce added. The Russian military has beefed up its air group in Syria with state-of-the art fighter jets amid tensions with Turkey. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said today that Su-35 fighters have been deployed to Hemeimeem air base in Syria. Konashenkov today didn't say how many Su-35s had been sent to Syria, but Russian media reports said there were four of them and state television showed them parked in Hemeimeem. Russian warplanes so far have flown about 6,000 missions since Moscow launched its air campaign four months ago. The Kremlin says its planes have struck the Islamic State group and other extremists, but the US and its allies have accused Russia of also targeting moderate opposition groups. Russian air strikes have helped Syrian President Bashar Assad's army win more ground in recent weeks. They have strengthened Assad's hand just as Syrian peace talks have got underway in Geneva. The negotiations are intended to pave the way for a new constitution and new elections in a year and half. Konashenkov said Russian warplanes flew 468 combat missions last week alone. He said that all Russian strike aircraft are now being accompanied by Russian or Syrian fighter jets. Russia added fighter escorts after a Turkish fighter jet downed a Russian bomber at the border with Syria on November 24. The Russian military has vowed to fend off any future threats to its warplanes with fighters and long-range air defense missiles at Hemeimeem. The downing of the Russian jet was the first time in more than half a century that a NATO member had shot down a Russian plane. The incident badly strained previously close ties between the two countries, with Moscow slamming Turkey with an array of economic sanctions. Turkey said another Russian warplane violated its airspace Friday, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Moscow that it would be forced to "endure the consequences" if its jets continue to violate Turkish airspace. Konashenkov today denied the Turkish claim, adding that Ankara has failed to provide any proof. Ukraine's president today accused Russia of sending troops and weapons into the ex-Soviet state's conflict-torn east, and warned that a fragile peace deal was not being fully implemented. "It's terrible that after the Minsk agreement ... We still face serious security problems in the Donbass," Petro Poroshenko said in reference to the pro-Russian separatist region, ahead of talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Kiev and Moscow finalised a ceasefire deal brokered by France and Germany in the Belarus capital of Minsk last February, but sporadic clashes still took place on the frontline. Poroshenko accused "Russia and its proxies" of failing to observe the ceasefire, and of some 1,200 shellings in January alone. Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are denied access to the border, he said, adding that "this is not surprising as Russia still supplies troops, heavy weapons and ammunition to Donbass over the border and does not want witnesses to these illicit activities." Merkel also noted that "unfortunately we still, as before, do not have a sustainable ceasefire". Noting that full implementation of the peace deal was a prerequisite to any easing of Western sanctions against Russia, the German leader said: "We think it is for the good of everybody if Minsk is implemented." Kiev and the West have accused Russia of supporting the insurgency and sending regular troops across the border, claims that Moscow has repeatedly denied. Over 9,000 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in the conflict in Ukraine since April 2014, according to the United Nations. Sanitation workers staged protests across the city as their strike entered the sixth day today even as thousands of teachers of MCD schools, too, refused to report for duty, hitting academic work. The teachers, who had earlier announced a 'chalk-down' strike, today decided to go on a complete strike. The strike by nearly 12,000 teachers of about 1,100 NDMC and EDMC schools will affect around 7 lakh students, a senior municipal officer said. "We have been on a 'chalk down' strike, but today the teachers of the north and east corporation schools went on a complete strike," said Ram Niwas Solanki, general secretary of Nagar Nigam Shikshak Sangh. "The teachers are facing problems as they have not been paid salaries for 2-3 months. Not only this, other payments, like pension, GPF and arrears, too, haven't been cleared," he claimed. A group of striking employees today met Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and took up their problems with him. "We met the Lt Governor and placed our problems and demands before him. We requested him that Rs 5,000 crore were needed to solve the crisis over the non-payment of salaries and arrears of the employees," said Sanjay Gehlot, president of Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha. "The LG assured us that he would write to Delhi government and asked us to meet him on February 3," he added. The United Front of MCD Employees said that protests in various parts of the city continued as the demands of the striking employees are yet to be fulfilled. "All the municipal corporation employees, including sanitation workers, teachers, doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, engineers and other technical and non-technical staff are on strike," said Rajendra Mishra, president of the Front. Sanitation workers staged protests in front of the residences of AAP ministers and MLAs across the city. Protesters threw garbage at the residences and offices of AAP minister Kapil Mishra and MLAs Akhilesh Tripathi and Somdutt as they demanded that the Delhi government extend funds to the municipal corporations. "Protests were held in front of the residences and offices of minister Kapil Mishra, AAP Model Town MLA Tripathi and the part's Sadar Bazar MLA Som Dutt," said a leader of the protesters. The striking workers said they threw garbage and held demonstrations in Laxmi Nagar, Sangam Park, Uttam Nagar and other areas of north and east Delhi, he added. Meanwhile, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has issued a public notice warning of "administrative action" against any employee for going on strike. The civic body said the workers were being paid timely salaries every month and there was no salary-related problems. (REOPENS DES26) Meanwhile, the leaders of United Front of MCD Employees criticised the Lt Governor for not inviting them for a meeting to discuss the issues vis-a-vis the strike. "It's disgusting that the LG called a union leader associated with BJP instead of United Front -- which represents all cadres (of employees) -- just because we are not associated with any political party," said the United Front of MCD Employees president. Saudi authorities said today that an Egyptian man was the second assailant in the weekend suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque which killed four people and wounded 36 others. The interior ministry identified the man who was overpowered by worshippers during Friday's attack as Talha Hisham Mohammed Abdo. Witnesses had said he randomly shot at worshippers before he was disarmed. The attacker who blew himself up at Al-Rida mosque in Eastern Province was identified Sunday by authorities as Saudi national Abdulrahman al-Tuwaijri. So far there has been no claim for the attack, the latest in a series of assaults against members of the Shiite community in Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia. The Sunni extremist Islamic State group, which considers Shiites heretics, has claimed responsibility for previous bombings and shootings. A prince of Saudi Arabia's royal family has arrived in Pakistan's Balochistan province for hunting the Houbara bustard, days after the country's Supreme Court lifted a ban on hunting of the endangered bird. Prince Fahad bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, who is also the governor of Tabuk province in Saudi arrived in his special flight at the Dalbandin airport, the Express Tribune reported today. The prince visits Dalbandin and other areas of the Chaghi district every year for hunting of the endangered species in the months of December and January, the daily reported. The visit by the prince is apparently the first after the Supreme Court recently lifted the ban on hunting of Houbara bustard on January 22. Houbara bustard is an endangered migratory bird, whose meat is prized by elite Arab sheikhs for its aphrodisiac value. The ban on the Houbara bustard, about the size of a chicken, was imposed by former chief justice Jawwad S Khawaja on August 20 last year, who also ordered the cancellation of all existing permits issued by government to Arab rulers. The federal and provincial governments in October had challenged the ban, pleading that sustainable hunting should be allowed. A five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali lifted the ban in a verdict on the review petitions. Houbara bustard is listed in the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, also known as the Bonn Convention, and is declared as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN estimates the global population of Houbara bustards at between 50,000 and 100,000 and includes it on its red list of threatened species. Each year, several thousand Houbara bustards traverse a 2,000 km migratory route from Central Asia to the southern deserts of Pakistan and Iran, and return with the onset of summer. (REOPENS FES73) Meanwhile, wildlife authorities briefly detained six Arab hunters for not carrying permits for hunting endangered houbara bustard in the Thatta district in the southern Sindh province. The six Arab hunters who had come with 11 falcons for hunting the endangered bird were held by wildlife staffers as they did not have hunting permits but were released later and sent back to Karachi, officials said. "They are from Qatar and have not yet returned for hunting," an official said today. The official said the Arab hunters were camped near the famous Keenjhar Lake and were guests of a local politician and could not produce hunting permits when approached by wildlife staffers. Hyderabad deputy wildlife conservator Ghulam Mohammad Gadani alleged that instead of protecting the wildlife staffers the local host had called police to scare the wildlife staffers who were doing their duty. "The staffers contacted me and I informed the Thatta police chief, who ordered the police to assist them," Gadani said. The Supreme Court recently revised an earlier decision of banning the hunting of houbara bustard but on condition that the government will issue special permits only out of utter necessity. The Supreme Court on Monday came down heavily on certain states for not implementing welfare legislation National Food Security Act saying why a state like Gujarat is not implementing the law passed by Parliament. What is Parliament doing? Is Gujarat not a part of India? Tomorrow somebody can say it is not going to implement the CrPC, IPC and the Evidence Act, a Bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur said. It also asked Centre to collate information from drought-hit states on the status of welfare schemes like MGNREGA, National Food Security and mid-day meal. It asked the Centre to file the affidavit by February 10 and posted the matter for further hearing two days thereafter. The apex court had on January 18 asked the Centre to give information about implementation of schemes under NREGS, Food Security Act and the mid-day meal schemes as to whether those affected were being provided the minimum required employment and food or not. The bench was hearing a PIL which alleged that parts of states like Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana and Chattisgarh have been hit by drought and the authorities were not providing adequate relief. The PIL, filed by NGO Swaraj Abhiyan, run by persons like psephologist Yogendra Yadav, had sought implementation of the National Food Security Act which guarantees 5 kg of food grains per person per month. It also sought a direction to authorities that affected families be given pulses and edible oils. The plea had said that school-going children should be given milk and eggs under the mid-day meal scheme. It had also sought adequate and timely compensation for crop loss and input subsidy for the next crop to the farmers affected by drought and subsidised cattle fodder for animals. The PIL, filed through advocate Prashant Bhushan, had alleged that the Centre and states "have been highly negligent in performing their obligations, causing enormous damage to the lives of the people due to their inaction, which is in contravention of the rights guaranteed under Articles 21 and 14 of the Constitution of India". The petition submitted that the drought has led to severe decline in farm employment available to the rural poor. The Supreme Court today agreed to hear tomorrow an appeal of Maharashtra government against the Bombay High Court order denying permission to hold an event at Girgaum Chowpaty in Mumbai to kickstart the 'Make in India Week' programme, which will be attended by the Prime Minister. A three-judge bench headed by Justice T S Thakur said it will hear the petition when Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the state, cited urgency for an early decision. "The idea behind holding such an event is to attract investments in Maharashtra and certain events have been allowed to be held at Girgaum beach in the past also," the Solicitor General said. "Besides the Prime Minister, five to six heads of nations are also likely to take part in the event to be held from February 13-18," he said, adding that it is part of the 'Make in India' campaign of the Central government. The Bombay High Court had last week refused to allow the state to hold the event at Girgaum Chowpatty in south Mumbai. The Maharashtra government had filed an application before the high court after a committee, appointed by HC in 2001 to monitor activities on the beach, asked the government to seek the court's permission. The HC-appointed committee had in 2005 submitted the guidelines on what activities and functions can be permitted to be held at the Girgaum Chowpatty beach. The high court, while refusing to grant permission to the state government, had observed that permitting the government to hold such functions on the beach will be "faulty" to the guidelines of the committee. In its application, the state had said it proposed to host a 'Maharashtra Night' on February 14 at Girgaum Chowpatty, to showcase its art and culture and industrial development, adding that the event will end with a laser show and fireworks display. "This 'Make in India' event is much grand and important. At least three Prime Ministers of different countries are excepted to attend the event along with several other VIPs and foreign delegates. The function will be open to the public also," the state had told the high court. The court, however, had refused to accept the state's contention, saying, "Make in India programme can't be equated with the solemn function of celebrating the existence of Maharashtra for 50 years. The presence of VIPs and foreign delegates does not mean the guidelines accepted by the high court earlier have to be modified. The Bombay High Court had in its order also noted that the state government never objected to the committee's guidelines when it was recommended and even when it was accepted by the court in 2005. The state, through its counsel had informed the court that while the function will be held on February 14 for four hours in the evening, the government will start construction of stage, toilets and other temporary structures from today. Around two lakh sq ft area on the beach will be used for the function with 500 to 600 chairs for VIPs and other guests after which the place will be open to public, it had said. When the court questioned as to why the function has to be held on the beach, the state had said, "It would be picturesque to hold such a function to showcase Mumbai with the Marine drive and sea in the backdrop. In a breakthrough, scientists have linked the symptoms of schizophrenia with the brain's anatomical features by using sophisticated brain-imaging techniques, a finding that may lead to new treatments for the disorder. By analysing the brain's anatomy, researchers have demonstrated the existence of distinctive subgroups among patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, who suffer from different symptoms. The findings by researchers from the University of Granada in Spain, Washington University in St Louis, and University of South Florida in US could herald a significant step forward in the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia. For the study, researchers employed a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique called 'diffusion tensor imaging' on 36 healthy subjects and 47 schizophrenic subjects. The tests conducted on the schizophrenic subjects showed that they had various abnormalities in certain parts of their corpus callosum, a bundle of neural fibres that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres and is considered essential for effective interhemispheric communication. When the researchers detected anomalies in the brain's entire corpus callosum, they discovered that certain characteristic features revealed in the brain scans coincided with specific schizophrenic symptoms. For instance, patients with specific features in a particular part of the corpus callosum exhibited strange and disorganised behaviour. In other subjects, the irregularities observed in a different part of this brain structure were associated with disorganised thought and speech, and negative symptoms such as a lack of emotion. Other anomalies in the brain's corpus callosum were associated with hallucinations. "The current study provides further evidence that schizophrenia is a heterogeneous group of disorders, as opposed to a single illness, as was previously thought to be case," said Igor Zwir from University of Granada. In order to conduct the analysis of both the gene groups and brain scans, the researchers developed a new, complex analysis of the relationships between different types of data and recommendations concerning new data. Currently, treatments for schizophrenia tend to be generic, regardless of the symptoms exhibited by each individual patient. The findings were published in the journal NeuroImage. Municipal schools in central Mumbai's Shivaji Nagar and Deonar, which were closed for two days last week due to smog caused by a recent fire at the Deonar garbage dumping ground, reopened today. "The municipal schools which were closed on Friday and Saturday due to smog reopened today," a senior BMC official told PTI. Parts of Mumbai have been engulfed in a thick blanket of smog since Thursday due to the fire and other reasons, including a drop in temperature and vehicular pollution. On Friday, the fire at Deonar dumping ground led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to shut down 74 schools run by it, as the smoke from the ground veiled the area causing breathing difficulties. The schools are located in M-ward where people are complaining about a 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, were closed for two days last week. Deonar is one of the biggest dumping grounds in Mumbai and the amount of garbage has been increasing since years. The deep folds that give the adult human brain its wrinkled walnut appearance were Nature's solution to fitting a large, powerful processor into a small skull. Like a piece of flat, square paper crumpled together to fit into a small, round hole, folding allows more neurons to be packed closer together, with shorter, faster connections between them. While scientists have long understood why there are folds in the brain's outer layer, called the cerebral cortex or grey matter, the how has remained a mystery. Do the creases develop as a result of genetic, biological or chemical signals? Or are they caused by physical forces? Today, a team of researchers from the United States and Europe said the folds can be explained by physics -- a discovery that may have important implications for understanding certain brain disorders. Folds in the cortex develop through buckling in weak spots which develop as the foetal brain grows, they said. The brains of human foetuses are smooth for about the first 20 weeks, when folding begins and continues until the child is about 18 months old. The surface area covered by the folded cortex is almost three times that of a smooth brain the size of our head, study co-author Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan from Harvard University in Massachusetts told AFP. "The number, size, shape and position of neuronal cells during brain growth all lead to the expansion of the gray matter, known as the cortex, relative to the underlying white matter," he said by email. "This puts the cortex under compression, leading to a mechanical instability that causes it to crease locally. "This simple evolutionary innovation... Allows for the thin but expansive cortex to be packed into a small volume, and is the dominant cause behind brain folding." Mahadevan and a team used MRI scans of smooth foetus brains to build a three-dimensional gel model. They coated the surface with a thin layer of elastomer gel to represent the cortex. To mimic brain growth, they immersed the gel brain in a solvent that was absorbed by the outer layer, causing it to swell relative to the deeper region. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today reaffirmed Paksitan's "unflinching" resolve that terrorism will be eliminated from "every nook and corner" of the country as he vowed to defeat forces threatening the children from going to schools. Sharif chaired a high-level meeting to review the progress on the implementation of National Action Plan all over the country. The meeting was briefed about different stages of implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP), with Sharif saying that successful implementation of NAP was an imperative for everyone, according to a statement. The Prime Minister stated that "terrorism will be eliminated from every nook and corner of the country". "He also stated that the national resolve to fight terrorism and extremism is unflinching and those who are threatening our kids from going to schools will be defeated," according to the statement. He chaired a similar high-level meeting three days ago during which he was briefed in detail on the January 20 Bacha Khan University attack in Charsadda that killed 21 people mostly students and the investigations made so far. Chief of army staff General Raheel Sharif, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan, Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence Lt. General Rizwan Akhtar, National Security Advisor Lt. General (R) Nasser Khan Janjua and other senior civil and military officials attended the meeting. Meanwhile, the government has taken elaborate measures to foil the protest and any effort to lockdown the capital as PTI chief Khan has threatened in several speeches. All entry points to the capital are being monitored and scores of PTI workers have been arrested. Last night a major rally led by chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was teargassed and forced to return. The PTI is in power in KP and hopes for a major influx of youth from the province to boost the strength of the protest. In Punjab, which is controlled by Sharif's ruling PML-N, hundreds of PTI workers have been arrested. Official sources said close to 2,000 people were arrested to maintain law and order. But Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will travel to the US in March to attend the Nuclear Security Summit, President Barack Obama's flagship initiative. Obama is likely to host the fourth and the final Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in the last week of March in Washington. The outgoing Obama administration would try to reach some understanding with recognised and unrecognised nuclear states to control proliferation, official sources here were quoted as saying by Dawn . Earlier this week, Pakistan attended a preparatory meeting for the summit in San Francisco. Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry and Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani represented Pakistan at the meeting. Leaders from 50 countries and international organisations will participate in the summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are also scheduled to attend the meeting. The NSS process has been Obama's flagship initiative since his first term when he underlined security of nuclear materials as a priority of his administration. Nuclear Security Summits have taken place in 2010, 2012 and 2014. This will be the fourth and final summit as President Obama completes his final term this year. Mexican authorities say eight people including a 13-year-old girl were killed in a string of shootouts between gunmen and security forces that caused panic in the border city of Matamoros. A Tamaulipas state government statement says seven of those killed yesterday in the city across from Brownsville, Texas, were presumed criminals. The girl was a bystander at a shopping mall with her family during one of the shootings. The statement said she was struck by a bullet fired by one of the suspects. The violence began in the afternoon with a traffic stop in which the occupants of an SUV with Texas license plates allegedly opened fire on authorities. Three suspects were killed. That unleashed a series of chases, roadblocks and shootouts in which the other victims died. Singapore announced today that it has seized a large number of bank accounts in a probe into alleged misappropriations related to an indebted Malaysian state investment fund. Investigations of "possible money laundering and other offenses carried out in Singapore" in connection with the 1MDB fund have been continuing since mid-2015, said the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Commercial Affairs Department, which polices white-collar crime. Singapore is working closely with authorities in Malaysia, Switzerland and the United States in the investigation, the agencies said in a joint statement. "In connection with these investigations, we have sought and are continuing to seek information from several financial institutions, are interviewing various individuals, and have seized a large number of bank accounts," they said. "As investigations are still ongoing, we are not able to provide more details at this stage." Singapore's stable economy and openness to foreign investment have made it a prominent destination for businesses in the region and farther abroad. External investigations into 1MDB have indicated that USD 4 billion, earmarked for investment in economic and social development projects in Malaysia, may have been misappropriated from state-own companies. Switzerland's top prosecutor has sought Malaysia's help after an investigation 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 unknown individuals on suspicion of bribery of foreign public officials, misconduct in public office, money laundering and criminal mismanagement. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who formed 1MDB in 2009, became embroiled in the scandal after documents were leaked last year suggesting some USD 700 million deposited into his accounts may have come from entities linked to 1MDB. Malaysian Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali cleared Najib of any wrongdoing last Tuesday, saying it was a private donation from the Saudi royal family. Six persons were injured in a blast in a slum house at Tiljala Road area of the city in the early hours today, police said. "The police are yet to ascertain the reson of the blast. "As of now it seems that the blast was not from a cooking gas cylinder or a bomb. We are investigating," an officer of Topsia Police station said. The incident took place at around 3 am and neighbours informed the police. The six injured inhabitants of the slum house were taken to a nearby hospital where they were released after primary medical treatment, he added. Skipper Ltd, which is engaged in manufacturing of PVC pipes and transmission towers has reported 9.55 per cent rise in net profit to Rs 18.69 crore for the third quarter ended December 31. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 17.06 crore in the year-ago period, it said in a BSE filing. The income from operations during the quarter increased to Rs 371.77 crore from Rs 322.74 crore in the year-ago period. The company's managing director Sajan Kumar Bansal said: "We are proud to announce a Rs 1,000 crore gross turnover in the first 9 months with our asset light and low capex business structure. In the backdrop of conducive government policies in the power sector, Skipper Ltd has witnessed a 22 per cent revenue growth in the first nine months of the financial year." Skipper will keep focusing on both national and international markets by expanding manufacturing capacity in the upcoming quarter, Bansal said. In a separate BSE filing, the company said that it proposes to commence production of PVC products at its new unit in Sikandrabad, Uttar Pradesh from tomorrow. This is the company's fourth manufacturing unit for PVC products after Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Assam, taking the company's combined installed capacity for PVC products to 35,000 million tonnes. Maharashtra government today informed the Bombay High Court that it has recently come out with a resolution allowing student writers for slow learners or those suffering from learning disability in the forthcoming SSC and HSC Board examinations in the state. The information was given by the state government pleader to a bench of Justices V M Kanade and Anil Menon who were hearing a public interest litigation taken up suo motu after child psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty and other doctors attached copies of reports with their letter to it on March 30. In their letter to the high court, the doctors said that in denying the services of writers, the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) had allegedly violated child rights. Later, the high court issued notices to NIOS after which the open school decided to provide writers to slow learners. The government pleader informed the high court that the Government Resolution (GR) had been issued by the Maharashtra government on January 8 in which it been declared that writers would be provided to students with learning disability in the board examinations. The state had also decided to introduce learning disability centres in medical colleges. Out of the 15 such centres to be set up, six had already come up in various places including Dhule, Chandrapur, Kolhapur, Miraj and Pune. The remaining would start from second week of this month, the high court was told. The government also said that it would soon display on its website the recent GR on allowing writers in examinations for students with learning disability. In Mumbai and Pune, additionally learning disability centres would be opened, the government told the high court. As per details given by the government to the court earlier, there are a total of 37,358 school students found suffering from learning disability in the state. A total of 2,013 students in Mumbai city and 2,468 in its suburbs were identified with learning disability. In an earlier order, the high court had directed the state to set up special centres to help students with learning disability to get their certificates and assessment done. The court had suggested the state to set up one such centre in each district. Currently, there are only four centres - three in Mumbai and one in Pune. In other places, learning disability assessment and certificate issuance is the work of civil surgeons. An affidavit filed by Dr Shetty said that around 80,000 students in Urdu-medium schools were suffering from learning disability and there is no centre in the state to identify this disorder. Because of this, thousands of children drop out - disillusioned, confused, sad and angry. While a test in English existed, that of Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati were developed in 2008 by S.N.D.T funded by association of adoptive families, it said. The Madras High Court today adjourned hearing on an advance bail plea by the Vice-Chairman of SVS Naturopathy and Yoga College in Villupuram district who apprehended arrest in connection with the suicide of three of its students last month. Justice K Kalyanasundaram, before whom the application was filed by Subramanian has come up, adjourned the matter for Wednesday for filing a counter by the Chinna Salem Police who registered a case against him. In his plea, Subramanian submitted that he had undergone a kidney transplantation and his wife Vasuki, the women head of the college, who had been looking after him, was arrested in connection with the same case. Subramaanian submitted that there was nobody to take care of him. He said he is a doctor by profession with reputation and he has no bad anticedents. Meanwhile, the impleading petition filed by Tamilarasan, father of one of the deceased girl, also came up for hearing and he objected to advance bail for Subramanian. This would also be taken up on Wednesday. The suicide over allegations of exorbitant fee on January 23 by the three girl students had sent shock waves across Tamil Nadu. The controversial chief negotiator for the main Syrian opposition body, Mohammed Alloush from the powerful Army of Islam rebel group, arrived in Geneva today to participate in peace talks. "We came to find a solution," Alloush said after arriving, adding however: "There is no common ground with the regime. The regime wants to eliminate the opposition." The Syrian government and its ally Moscow consider the Islamist Army of Islam, or Jaish al-Islam, to be "terrorists" who should not be part of negotiations to end Syria's almost five-year-old civil war. Other opposition groups have also said it is unacceptable for the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) delegation to be led by a member of an armed group. Alloush heads the political division of Army of Islam and is the cousin of slain Jaish al-Islam head Zahran Alloush, killed in an air strike claimed by Syria's government on December 25. Jaish al-Islam, which is opposed to both the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the Islamic State group, is believed to receive wide backing from Saudi Arabia. The comments came as the HNC held talks in Geneva with the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, aimed at entering six months of indirect peace talks with Assad's government. The main Syrian opposition umbrella group will "strive to join the political process" on ending the country's civil war, a spokesman said today after receiving "positive messages" from the UN special envoy. "We will strive to join the political process," Salem al-Meslet said after a first formal meeting between UN envoy Staffan de Mistura and the High Negotiations Committee in Geneva. "We came here to discuss with the special envoy UN resolution 2254 lifting the sieges and stopping the crimes done by Russian air strikes in Syria, and I believe we received positive messages," he said. The opposition delegation has insisted it will not formally join peace talks until those humanitarian demands are met. Meslet said the HNC was waiting to hear more from de Mistura after his meeting with the government delegation Tuesday. He also accused the Russian government -- a stalwart ally of the regime in Damascus -- of helping to turn Syrian President Bashar al-Assad into a "new Hitler." "(The) Russian regime will create a new Hitler. We are suffering from a Hitler in Syria," Meslet told journalists. More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria's nearly five-year war, which has drawn in world powers including Gulf states, Russia, and the United States. A Taliban suicide bomber struck a police base in central Kabul today, killing at least nine people just days before a fresh round of talks aimed at reviving dialogue with the Islamist group. Scores of people were also wounded in the bombing at the entrance of the base, which left several bodies and charred debris strewn around the area. The attack comes amid the Taliban's unprecedented winter offensive despite a renewed push to restart formal peace talks. The interior ministry initially reported the attack as a suicide car bomb, but later said the attacker appeared to be on foot and detonated himself in a queue of people waiting to get inside the base. "Ten people were reported killed and 20 others were wounded in a suicide attack in Deh Mazang square of Kabul city," deputy interior minister Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said on Twitter. "Most of the victims were civilians." Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid reported a death toll of nine, adding that as many as 12 people including a woman were wounded. The health ministry said some of those wounded were hit in the chest by flying shrapnel and are in critical condition. Ambulances rushed to the scene, which was cordoned off by authorities. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with insurgent spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claiming on Twitter that up to 40 police were killed and wounded. The militants routinely exaggerate the toll in attacks on the Afghan government. The carnage comes just ahead of a third round of four-country "roadmap talks" trying to lay the groundwork for direct dialogue between Kabul and the Islamist group. Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are set to convene in Islamabad on February 6 in a bid to seek a negotiated end to the Taliban insurgency, now in its fifteenth year. The Taliban have stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets in Afghanistan this winter, when fighting usually abates, underscoring a worsening security situation. In recent months the Taliban briefly captured the northern city of Kunduz, the first urban centre to fall to the insurgents, and have seized territory in the opium-growing southern province of Helmand. Observers say the intensifying insurgency highlights a push by the militants to seize more territory in an attempt to wrangle greater concessions during talks. Pakistan -- the Taliban's historic backers -- hosted a milestone first round of talks directly with the Taliban in July. But the negotiations stalled when the insurgents belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar, sparking infighting within the group. The first and second round of the four-country talks were held last month in Islamabad and Kabul respectively. Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) today announced a new 5.5 million-pound project to road test driverless, futuristic cars in the UK, aimed at making driving safer and avoiding traffic jams. The 'UK-CITE' or UK Connected Intelligent Transport Environment project will create the first test route capable of testing next-generation connected and autonomous vehicle technologies. A fleet of 100 smart tech research vehicles, including Jaguar and Land Rover models, will test new systems that enable cars to communicate with each other, aimed at making driving safer and cutting traffic jams. The plans by the luxury car brand - that has become UK's largest car maker - include creation of a new "living laboratory" aimed at developing "Connected and Autonomous Vehicle" (CAV) technologies with the help of a new CAV test corridor to evaluate new systems in real-world driving conditions. The corridor includes 41 miles of roads around Coventry and Solihull in the West Midlands. Dr Wolfgang Epple, director of research and technology at JLR, said: "This real-life laboratory will allow Jaguar Land Rover's research team and project partners to test new connected and autonomous vehicle technologies on five different types of roads and junctions. "Similar research corridors already exist in other parts of Europe so this test route is exactly the sort of innovation infrastructure the UK needs to compete globally. "The connected and autonomous vehicle features we will be testing will improve road safety, enhance the driving experience, reduce the potential for traffic jams and improve traffic flow. These technologies will also help us meet the increasing customer demand for connected services whilst on the move." New roadside communications equipment will be installed along the route during the three-year UK-CITE project to enable the testing of a fleet of up to 100 connected and highly automated cars, including five Jaguar and Land Rover research vehicles. This fleet will test a range of different communication technologies that could share information at very high speeds between cars, and between cars and roadside infrastructure, including traffic lights and overhead gantries or flashing road signs used on UK highways. The announcement coincides with the UK government's support for UK-CITE research with a 3.41 million pounds grant from the country's innovation agency, Innovate UK. This funding for collaborative research is part of the government's 100 million pound CAV fund. CAV technologies are aimed at helping traffic authorities monitor and manage traffic flow by capturing data from all connected vehicles and then provide the driver or a driverless car with guidance to optimise the journey. To improve traffic flow, connected cars could cooperate and work together to make lane changing and exiting from junctions more efficient and safer. Technologies like Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) would enable vehicles to autonomously follow each other in close formation, known as platooning, making driving safer and ensuring road space is used more efficiently. Dr Epple added: "A well-informed driver is a safer driver, while an autonomous vehicle will need to receive information about the driving environment ahead. The benefits of smarter vehicles communicating with each other and their surroundings include a car sending a warning that it is braking heavily or stopping in a queue of traffic or around a bend. This will enable an autonomous car to take direct action and respond. "Drivers would receive a visual and audible warning that another car is causing a hazard out of sight or over the horizon. "The approach of an emergency vehicle can often be stressful for drivers. If we can inform the driver, or the autonomous car, much earlier that an emergency vehicle is approaching, we can ensure that the best decisions are made to move the vehicle out of the way safely and conveniently, to let the emergency vehicle pass by." It is hoped that in future, warning messages that are today flashed onto overhead sign boards above a road could be sent directly to the dashboard and repeated if necessary. Besides warning drivers, these would inform future autonomous vehicles, helping them react and respond to hazards and changing traffic conditions automatically. Tata Motors today reported 10% rise in sales at 47,034 units in January compared to 42,595 vehicles in the same month last year. Domestic sales of Tata Motors' commercial and passenger vehicles rose by 7% at 41,398 units during the month as against 38,634 units sold in January, 2015. Sales of passenger vehicles in the domestic market in January this year stood at 10,728 units as against 13,047 units in the same month previous year, down 18%, Tata Motors said in a statement. As for passenger cars, the sales were 20% lower at 9,350 units in January, as compared to 11,637 units in the same period of last year. Utility vehicle sales declined by 2% during the last month to 1,378 units, compared to the year-ago period. In the commercial vehicles segment, the company's domestic sales stood at 30,670 units, up 20% over January 2015, the company said. Exports during the month stood at 5,636 units as compared to 3,961 units in January 2015, up 42%. A 28-year-old thief was killed when his accomplice opened fire, "accidentally" hitting him in his head, while they were allegedly attempting a theft. The incident occurred last night when two men, who remain unidentified, broke into the house of one Phoolchandra for taking away his buffaloes, police said. However, when confronted by Phoolchandra and his son, one of them opened fire, accidentally hitting the other in his head, they added. He died on the spot whereas the other managed to escape, police added. A city court today fixed February 4 as the date for the test identification parade (TIP) of the three accused in the Red Road hit-and-run case that claimed the life of an Air Force officer during a Republic Day parade rehearsal. City Sessions Court Metropolitan Magistrate Amitabha Das set Thursday as the date for the TIP for accused Sambia Sohrab, Sonu alias Shahnawaz Khan and Johnny at the Presidency Jail. As per a Kolkata Police official, witnesses would be present at the TIP to identify the driver who was behind the wheels of the Audi that broke three guard rails before speeding to the venue and hitting 21-year-old Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud on January 13. "The TIP will be on 1:10 basis. The three accused will be standing along with 27 others during the TIP and the witnesses will have to identify the person who was driving the Audi," the officer told PTI. There are around 20 witnesses of the January 13 mishap to identify the person driving the car. The main accused Sohrab, son of Mohammed Sohrab, a former RJD MLA and said to be a Trinamool Congress member now, had during interrogation confessed that he was in the driving seat during the January 13 mishap. Sambia, the officer said, has also admitted that he was alone in the car while Sonu and Johnny were in another vehicle. In fact, Sonu and Johnny have claimed that they were not travelling in the Audi, which was being driven by Sambia but were in a Skoda which Kolkata Police have seized. The three arrested have been booked under IPC sections 120(B)(criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 212 (harbouring offender) and 427 (mischief causing damage). A look out notice was also issued by a city court for Mohammed Sohrab and his elder son Ambia. Voicing concern over detention of boats and gear of arrested Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, Tamil Nadu government has sought Central intervention in securing their release, besides that of nine fishermen arrested recently. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that though Indian fishermen from her state arrested by Lankan Navy in 2015 had been released due to her "repeated requests and the Government of India's efforts," their gear had, however, not been given back. "Their boats and fishing gear, which are essential to earn their livelihood, have not yet been released, aggravating the sense of frustration and despondency amongst the fisherfolk of Tamil Nadu," she said in a letter to him. Referring to the latest instance of arrest of nine Indian fishermen from Pudukottai district on Saturday, she sought Modi's personal intervention for their release. "I urge your personal intervention to prevent the aggravation that the Sri Lankan authorities and Navy are causing to our fishermen," she said in the letter dated January 31, which was released today by the government. "I specifically request you to direct the Ministry of External Affairs to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan authorities urgently and secure the immediate release of the 15 fishermen and 69 fishing boats in Sri Lankan custody," she said. The fishing boats and gear should be restored "in a refurbished condition by the Government of India at the earliest," the Chief Minister added. She also reiterated her demand for a Rs 1,520 crore deep sea fishing package for her state and insisted that the Indo- Sri Lankan agreements of 1974 and 1976 ceding Katchatheevu islet to the island nation was "unconstitutional." She pointed out to a case in Supreme Court filed by her in this regard. Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) today reported 33.31% decline in vehicles sales at 9,579 units in January as against 14,364 units in the same month last year. The company sold 8,793 units in the domestic market compared with 12,650 units in the same month last year, down 30.49%, TKM said in a statement. Exports during the month declined by 54.14% to 786 units from 1,714 units in the year-ago month. "Our monthly sales have been affected and part of it is a repercussion of the recent ban on registration of diesel vehicles with engine capacity of more than 2000cc in Delhi & NCR," said N Raja, Director and Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motor. The NCR region contributes to the extent of around 1,000 vehicles, which comprises of the Innova and the Fortuner, he added. Telecom regulator Trai today recommended public private partnership (PPP) model for rolling out broadband network in rural India which has missed various deadlines of completion. A PPP model that aligns private incentives with long term service delivery in the vein of the build-own-operate-transfer/ build-operate-transfer models of implementation be the preferred means of implementation, said the regulator. The concessionaire's should be handed over task of deployment and implementation of the optical fibre cable and other network infrastructure as well as operating the network during the period of contract. The regulator has also suggested that contract period should be of 25 years which can be further extended in blocks of 10, 20 or 30 years. At present, a special purpose vehicle, Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), under telecom ministry is handling roll out of optical fibre network. The project is being executed by BSNL, Railtel and Power Grid. The UPA government had approved Rs 20,000 crore for laying optical fibre network in 2011 but the project has missed all deadlines. The present NDA government had fixed this deadline for completing the roll out of optical fibre in a phased manner by December 2016. In January, then telecom secretary Rakesh Garg said that it will be completed by 2018. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has maintained that the national optical fibre network project has failed in achieving its original objectives on increasing broadband subscription in the country. Trai has also said that the task of rolling out broadband network should be given to a concessionaire selected through reverse bidding process to arrive at fund to be provided for provided by government. The funding should be done to bridge the loss incurred due to higher operational expenses and lower commercial accruals, known as viability gap fund. Trai has recommended that central and state government should become anchor client of this project to purchase minimum bandwidth of 100 megabit per second at market rate. To ensure that the concessionaire does not discriminate between service provider in granting access of optical fibres to service providers, Trai has recommended arm's length relationship between concessionaire and service providers, adding that 50% of the optical fibre should be reserved for telecom and cable service providers. Trai has suggested that government become minority partner of the concessionaire with 26% stake as it will lower cost of obtaining finances for the project as well as solve the risks associated with windfall profits. "In addition, this can help the Government check monopolistic behaviour on the part of the concessionaire," Trai said. Two suspected operatives of Al Qaida in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), arrested for allegedly radicalising youths and propagating the terror agenda of the output, were today remanded to judicial custody till February 10 by a Delhi court. Abdul Sami and Syed Anzar Shah were produced before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh after expiry of their police custody and the Special Cell of Delhi Police requested the court to send them to judicial custody. The police told the court that the two accused were not required for further custodial interrogation at this stage and since probe in the case was going on, they should be remanded to judicial custody. The court after hearing the submissions remanded both the accused to judicial custody till February 10. Besides Shah and Sami, the other arrested accused in the case are Mohammed Asif, Zafar Masood and Mulana Mohd Abdul Rehman Kasmi. Police had earlier said that Rahman ran a madrassa in Uttar Pradesh where several students were enrolled and he was allegedly trying to radicalise them for terror activities. It had claimed that Masood was propagating the terror agenda of AQIS among the youths and trying to attract them towards the outfit. While Asif (41), was held from Seelampur in north-east Delhi, Rahman (37) was arrested from Jagatpur area of Cuttack in Odisha, police had said. They have been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. According to the special cell, Rahman is suspected to have international links in countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Dubai. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura will meet with the Syrian opposition but is not expected to launch indirect talks with the government as hoped today. De Mistura had planned to meet with a government delegation today morning before meeting with the opposition, but the earlier meeting was postponed, his spokeswoman Khawla Mattar said. The envoy had officially met with the government delegation on Friday but only paid a courtesy visit to the opposition yesterday. Mattar said the today morning meeting would be rescheduled because de Mistura wanted to hold an official meeting with the opposition before launching the indirect talks. The talks in Geneva are aimed at ending a five-year conflict that has killed 250,000 people and displaced millions, leaving vast swaths of the country in ruins. 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 between them. He has tamped down expectations by saying he expects talks to last for six months. Earlier in the day, de Mistura's office said his meeting with the government delegation planned for today morning has been rescheduled. The opposition delegation, known as the High Negotiations Committee, or HNC, said it will meet de Mistura in his office Monday afternoon after receiving reassurances from several countries as well as the UN envoy regarding sieges on rebel-held areas and bombardment of civilians. Opposition figures have said that they will only go to the UN headquarters in Geneva, where the talks will take place, once the bombardment by Russians and Syrian warplanes stops and aid is allowed to enter besieged rebel-held areas. "We have come to Geneva to seek relief for our people by insisting UN Security Council resolution 2254 is implemented, which means humanitarian relief, the lifting of sieges, and the end of attacks on civilians," spokesman Salem al-Mislet said in a statement. The talks in Geneva are part of a process outlined in last month's UN resolution that envisions an 18-month timetable for a political transition in Syria, including the drafting of a new constitution and elections. Another HNC member told The Associated Press that they will give de Mistura "a roadmap for the implementation of humanitarian demands." Farah Atassi said the top priority should be to stop the "unprecedented bombardment by the Syrian regime yesterday by dropping 52 barrel bombs on Moadamiyeh." She was referring to a besieged suburb of the capital Damascus that opposition activists say was subjected to intense bombardment yesterday. The UN human rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, meanwhile told reporters in Geneva he hopes that peace talks "will lead to the end of all these horrific abuses - human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law - that we are all too familiar with. Even as Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia and Bhandara districts in eastern Vidarbha region have a low human development index, they have the capacity and enough resources to be developed into a model region, Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said here. Mungantiwar, while speaking during a water, agriculture, animal husbandry and allied businesses program organised by the district administration of Chandrapur, said, "Vidarbha region has water, forest, land and minerals to develop backward districts in the region and rise as a model for other regions." Union Minister for State for Chemicals and fertilisers Hansraj Ahir was also part of the program. Mungantiwar added that there are more than 6400 small lakes in eastern Vidarbha region. "Reparation work will start at all these lakes soon and it will help in bringing more land under irrigation. These lakes can be further utilised for pisciculture. Water conservation is the need of the hour and participation of people to educate about it will lead to a change. 'Jalyukt Shivar' will be implemented in forest buffer zone as well," Mungantiwar said. He further said that Rs 250 crore have been allocated for 'Jalyukt Shivar' scheme and mass awareness can help to bring in transparency. He appealed to corporates to co-operate with the government through their CSR funds so that villages can be developed through the 'Van Dhan' scheme. Vietnam has formally lifted the ban on import of Indian groundnut, thereby providing market access after nine months, the Agriculture Ministry said today. The country had suspended import of Indian groundnuts from April 6, due to interception of quarantine pests Caryedon serratus and Trogodrma granarium in consignments exported since January, 2015. "The Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) have formally communicated the decision to the Indian Government stating that Plant Protection Department of Vietnam (PPD) will issue import permits for groundnuts for January 18th 2016," the ministry said in a statement. The lifting of ban comes in the wake of the visit of a delegation from Vietnam to India in December, which was satisfied after seeing the fumigation facilities, export procedures and export certification system for export of groundnuts from India, as per the Standard Operating Procedure developed by the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Faridabad, it said. In order to resolve this problem, India forwarded to Vietnman all technical information for finalising the Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) of the groundnut bruchid (Caryedon serratus Olivier), detailed report on investigation and remedial measures taken along with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and action taken in the matter, it added. Congress leaders from West Bengal today unanimously rejected the idea of any alliance with Trinamool Congress but remained divided on a tie-up with the Left as party Vice President Rahul Gandhi held consultations with them ahead of Assembly elections in the state this year. State Party Chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that at the meeting state party leaders were totally against having any truck with Trinamool Congress while some pitched for a tie-up with the Left. The Congress Vice President heard them patiently, telling them that party chief Sonia Gandhi will take a decision on the issue soon. His refrain was that in the emerging situation Congress is a "determining factor" in West Bengal. Congress is weighing options in poll-bound West Bengal about which party would help it check BJP's march in the next Lok Sabha elections. The AICC has so far remained tight-lipped about the CPI(M)'s overtures to join hands to "save" the state from the ruling TMC. Former West Bengal chief minister and CPI(M) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had only three days ago urged the Congress to join hands with the party. Congress had contested the last Assembly elections in alliance with Mamata Banerjee's party which dislodged the CPI(M)-led Left Front after 34 years. The two parties, however, parted ways in September 2012 after Trinamool Congress walked out of the UPA-II government at the Centre. The Left is hoping that an alliance with the Congress this time around could queer the pitch for the ruling party, which is almost sure to win the upcoming Assembly elections, a view shared by a section of the Congress too. Congress is said to be weighing which party can help it prevent BJP's forward march in the state. Sources said the view of the state unit in this regard will also carry weight. Mamata's visit to 10 Janpath on December 9 where she greeted Congress President Sonia Gandhi on her birthday, had set off speculation whether the so-called "birthday diplomacy" could signal the coming together of their parties. Trinamool had been supportive of the Congress on various issues in the last session of Parliament with several in the Congress seeing it as a move by Mamata to keep the Congress away from the Left in West Bengal. With the West Bengal assembly elections about three months away, a section of state Congress leaders has been harping on the need for an electoral alliance with the Left Front to take on Trinamool Congress. The Mamata baiters in Congress also say that the Trinamool Congress shared power at the Centre with the BJP in the past, while the Left have been "good allies" at the Centre during the UPA-I. A 25-year-old woman was allegedly raped by her brother-in-law after he threatened to kill her and her 6-month-old baby in Leesadi police station area here, police said today. According to police, the victim's husband was away in Delhi on business when the accused, 35-year-old Mehraj, her brother-in-law, came to her house and threatened to kill her and her child. He then allegedly raped her, police said. When the victim's husband returned, she told him about the incident. On the basis of the complaint lodged by the victim a probe was initiated though no arrest has been made so far, they said. Police said the victim has been sent for medical examination and only after the investigation is complete, a case would be lodged against the accused and any arrest made. An 11-year-old child was killed and nine members of his family were wounded today when a rocket fired from Yemen hit their house in a border region of Saudi Arabia, civil defence authorities said. The child died instantly while the rest of the family were taken to hospital, according to Lieutenant Colonel Ali bin Omair al-Shahrani, who was quoted by the official SPA agency. Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen have intensified cross-border rocket attacks since late last year. Around 90 civilians and soldiers have died from shelling and skirmishes in Saudi border regions since March when a Saudi-led military coalition began air and ground action in Yemen. The coalition is backing the Yemen government in a bid to push back Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels who had taken over the capital Sanaa. In Yemen, more than 5,800 people have been killed since March, about half of them civilians, and 27,000 wounded, according to the United Nations. MUMBAI (Reuters) - Drugmaker IPCA Laboratories Ltd said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued it a warning letter outlining manufacturing quality lapses observed at three of its Indian factories, pushing its shares down as much as 16 percent. The letter concerns the company's finished-drug plants at Piparia in western India, and Indore in central India, as well as the drug ingredients facility at Ratlam in central India, IPCA said in a statement. The plants have already been banned from supplying to the United States after the FDA inspected them in July 2014, January 2015 and March 2015, and first highlighted the lapses. IPCA said it has since been trying to fix the problems and has been informing the FDA of its remedial measures. "The company is fully committed to resolving these issues at the earliest," it said, without disclosing the content of the letter. The FDA usually posts such letters on its website a week after issuing them to manufacturers, who need to respond to the agency within 15 days with a plan on how they would work on fixing the issues. IPCA, a mid-sized Indian firm with 2015 revenue of about $500 million, has 16 manufacturing plants in India from where it supplies to more than 120 countries. The three sites with U.S. bans also supply to India, UK and Canada. The FDA warning follows similar action on plants of larger rivals Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd in November and December, respectively. Several drug factories in India have been cited by the FDA over the last two years for violating manufacturing quality standards, as the FDA has increased its oversight of the industry, which is a key supplier to the United States. IPCA's stock fell as much as 16 percent on Monday in Mumbai. It pared some losses to trade down 5 percent by 0721 GMT, while the broader market was up 0.1 percent. (Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Mumbai; Editing by Sunil Nair and Muralikumar Anantharaman) Carmakers are gearing up to launch affordable hybrid and electric cars for India in the next few years, executives said, lured by government incentives for fuel-efficient vehicles as the country accelerates efforts to cut worsening air pollution. As the industry descends on smog-bound New Delhi for India's biggest car show, starting on Wednesday, foreign firms like Toyota Motor will join domestic players like Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra in displaying green cars designed to reel in potential buyers. The stakes are high in one of the fastest-growing car markets in the world. While hybrid and electric cars now make up a tiny fraction of sales, new government aid worth up to $2,000 per car could help catapult green vehicles to nearly a third of a five-million car market by 2020, IHS Automotive says. It is not enough to just introduce new technology in India, you have to make it relevant for the market and the buyers," said C V Raman, head of engineering at Maruti Suzuki India, India's top-selling carmaker. India's rampant pollution has forced the government's hand. The Supreme Court (SC) last month ordered an overnight temporary ban on the sale of large diesel cars in New Delhi, among the world's most polluted cities. Carmakers were left jittery, many having invested heavily in comparatively cheap diesel technology over the years to conquer India. Reliance on imported parts still makes full-scale hybrid technology cars expensive, but with India's new sales incentives, 'semi-hybrid' technology is seen as a potential longer term solution. Hybrid Acceleration To incentivise carmakers, the government introduced a scheme last year called FAME Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric cars that offers concessions of up to Rs 1,38,000 ($2,032) on the sale of such cars. The scheme, introduced before the New Delhi court order and originally planned for two years, will now likely be extended till 2020. To be sure, some carmakers, like General Motors Co, Hyundai Motor Co and Honda Motor Co, are yet to be convinced on hybrid technology potential in India. Instead, they will focus their presence at the New Delhi auto show on gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles. Toyota is among those now looking at bringing in a hybrid variant for future models, as well as cars it now sells in India, which is also moving towards stricter emission norms. "Our strategy is to go for hybridisation," said Naomi Ishii, head of Toyota's India unit. Ishii did not give a specific timeline, but said the Japanese carmaker will first bring hybrid in for its top-end models and then in the mass segment, mainly because of the high cost of imported components. Meanwhile Maruti, majority-owned by Suzuki Motor, has already invested in developing a low-cost version of hybrid technology, irrespective of government incentives. Maruti says the technology combines fuel efficiency and lower emissions, but is not as expensive as existing traditional hybrid technology. Indian sugar mills have contracted to sell one million tonnes of sugar in the 2015/2016 season and expect to sign deals for another million tonnes this season as exports head for China, the president of an industry body said on Monday. One million tonnes have been contracted and another one million tonnes will be contracted," Tarun Sawhney, president of the Indian Sugar Mills Association told a conference in Dubai. Of the total one million tonnes contracted, around 700,000 tonnes have already moved out of the country. Sawhney said many of the current and future contracts were with Myanmar, where they are expected to be smuggled into China, the world's top importer. "It will go to China," he said. "The contracts are all through Myanmar and from there its just being taken up country." The smuggling of agricultural products along China's borders with Vietnam and Myanmar has long been a problem. China's sugar industry has urged the government to tackle a resurgence in smuggling across the country's southern borders, after huge volumes of cheap sugar were estimated to have illegally entered the country in recent months. Sawhney also said domestic sugar production would reach 26 million tonnes in the 2015/2016 season, which runs from October to September and would probably see the same figure for the coming 2016/2017 season. India produced 28.3 million tonnes in the 2014/2015 season. "It is too early to tell but most likely there will no decrease and no increase," Sawhney said. "Uttar Pradesh will most likely compensate for the drop in Maharashtra and Karnataka," he said. The first back-to-back drought in nearly three decades has hit cane plantation in Indias key producing states Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. One Indian official previously estimated that the drop in plantings for the 2016/17 season means that acreage could fall by about a third after a faltering monsoon damaged thousands of hectares of cane in the world's second-biggest producer. Sawhney said India would meet its target of blending 5% ethanol in all gasoline sold this sugar year for the first time and surpass it. "We can cross 5% ethanol blending," he said. Oil companies have never met the current 5% blending target as ethanol derived from molasses, the thick syrup produced by boiling down sugarcane juice in sugar refining, costs more than gasoline without including taxes. By Maha El Dahan DUBAI (Reuters) - Indian sugar mills have already contracted to sell one million tonnes of sugar in the 2015-16 season and expect to sign deals for another million as exports head for China, the head of an industry group said on Monday. "One million tonnes have been contracted and another one million tonnes will be contracted," Indian Sugar Mills Association President Tarun Sawhney told a conference in Dubai. Of the million tonnes already contracted, about 700,000 tonnes have left the country. Sawhney said many of the current and future contracts were with Myanmar, where the sugar is expected to be smuggled into top importer China. "It will go to China," he said. "The contracts are all through Myanmar and from there it's just being taken up country." The smuggling of agricultural products along China's borders with Vietnam and Myanmar has long been a problem. China's sugar industry has urged the government to tackle a resurgence in smuggling there, with huge volumes of cheap sugar estimated to have illegally entered in recent months. Sawhney said domestic Indian sugar production would reach 26 million tonnes in the 2015-16 season, which runs from October to September, and would probably see the same figure for 2016-17. India produced 28.3 million tonnes in the 2014-15 season. "It is too early to tell but most likely there will no decrease and no increase," he said. "Uttar Pradesh will most likely compensate for the drop in Maharashtra and Karnataka." The first back-to-back drought in nearly three decades has hit cane plantations in India's key producing states Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. "Maharashtra and Karnataka will certainly have lower planting and lower availability of sugar cane next year," Sawhney said. Sawhney said India would meet its target of blending 5 percent ethanol in all gasoline sold in 2015-16 for the first time, and even surpass it. "We can cross 5 percent ethanol blending," he said. Oil companies have never met the current 5 percent blending target as ethanol derived from molasses, the thick syrup produced by boiling down sugarcane juice in sugar refining, costs more than gasoline, without including taxes. (Reporting by Maha El Dahan; additional reporting by Rania El Gamal, editing by David Brough and David Clarke) By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell 4 percent on Monday as weak economic data from China, the world's largest energy consumer, weighed on prices and an OPEC source played down talk of an emergency meeting to stem the decline. China's manufacturing sector contracted at the fastest pace since 2012 in January, adding to worries about demand from the world's second-biggest economy at a time when the market is already weighed down by a large supply overhang. "The weak China PMI (purchasing managers index) is driving down prices because China weighs on the entire commodities sector from the demand side of the equation," said Carsten Fritsch, senior oil analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt. Brent April crude futures were down $1.44, or 4 percent, at $34.55 a barrel at 1451 GMT. The March Brent contract, which expired on Friday, settled at $34.74 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was down $1.56, or 4.6 percent, at $32.06 a barrel. A senior OPEC source told a Saudi Arabian newspaper it was too early to talk about an emergency meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Oil prices jumped last week after Russian energy officials said they had received proposals from OPEC lynchpin Saudi Arabia on managing output and were ready to talk. "We do not expect such a cut will occur unless global growth weakens sharply from current levels, which is not our economists' forecast," investment bank Goldman Sachs said in a report. OPEC member Iran, which last month was allowed to return fully to markets after years of sanctions, is so far unwilling to participate in cuts. Partly because of Iran's return, OPEC output has jumped to 32.6 million barrels per day (bpd), its highest in years, adding to supply of more than 1 million bpd in excess of demand which has pulled prices down 70 percent since mid-2014. Oil exports from OPEC member Iraq rose in January, its oil ministry said on Monday, reaching an average of 3.285 million bpd, up from 3.215 million bpd the previous month. However, overall production from its southern fields fell last month from a record high reached at the end of last year. Brent crude prices have surged more than 30 percent in just under two weeks since contracts hit a 12-year low. In a sign investors are speculating on an oil rebound, data from the InterContinental Exchange showed net long positions in Brent rose the most in four years last week. "Part of the bullish action in Brent crude oil ... is from fundamentals in Asia where parts of the oil complex are supportive with very strong China imports of NGL (natural gas liquids) and naphtha, which has put these products in backwardation both in Asia and in Europe," said Bjarne Schieldrop, chief commodities analyst at SEB Markets in Oslo. (Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Jan Harvey and David Clarke) By Karolin Schaps LONDON (Reuters) - Oil fell on Monday as weak economic data from China, the world's largest energy consumer, weighed on prices and an OPEC source played down talk of an emergency meeting to stem the decline. China's manufacturing sector contracted at the fastest pace since 2012 in January, adding to worries about demand from the world's second-biggest economy at a time when the market is already weighed down by a large supply overhang. "The weak China PMI (purchasing managers' index) is driving down prices because China weighs on the entire commodities sector from the demand side of the equation," said Carsten Fritsch, senior oil analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt. Brent April crude futures were down 35 cents at $35.64 a barrel at 1023 GMT. The March Brent contract, which expired on Friday, settled at $34.74 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was down 57 cents at $33.05 a barrel. A senior OPEC source told a Saudi Arabian newspaper it was too early to talk about an emergency meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Oil prices jumped last week after Russian energy officials said they had received proposals from OPEC lynchpin Saudi Arabia on managing output and were ready to talk. "We do not expect such a cut will occur unless global growth weakens sharply from current levels, which is not our economists' forecast," investment bank Goldman Sachs said in a report. OPEC member Iran, which last month was allowed to return fully to markets after years of sanctions, is so far unwilling to participate in cuts. Partly because of Iran's return, OPEC production has jumped to 32.60 million barrels per day (bpd), its highest in years, adding to a global glut of over 1 million bpd in excess of demand, which has pulled down oil prices 70 percent since mid-2014. Oil exports from OPEC member Iraq rose in January, its oil ministry said on Monday, reaching an average of 3.285 million bpd, up from 3.215 million bpd the previous month. However overall production from its southern fields fell last month, slipping from a record high reached at the end of last year. BMI Research has cut its oil price outlook for Brent to a 2016 average of $40 per barrel from $42.50 previously, and said WTI would average $39.50. "Counteracting oil's upside momentum in 2016 will be the weakness of the Chinese yuan, lingering concerns over global economic growth and the well-stocked inventories of crude and fuels," BMI said, adding that a gradual price rise was expected in the second half of the year. (Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Dale Hudson and Jan Harvey) By Saeed Azhar SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore has seized a large number of bank accounts in recent months as part of an investigation into possible money-laundering linked to Malaysian state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), authorities said on Monday. Singapore is cooperating with authorities in Malaysia, Switzerland and the United States who are investigating 1MDB, said the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Commercial Affairs Department, the city-state's white-collar crime agency. "In connection with these investigations, we have sought and are continuing to seek information from several financial institutions, are interviewing various individuals, and have seized a large number of bank accounts," the two agencies said in a joint statement. "Since the middle of last year, the Commercial Affairs Department and the Monetary Authority of Singapore have been actively investigating possible money-laundering and other offences carried out in Singapore," they said. The statement did not offer any further details. In July, local police said they had only frozen two bank accounts linked to the 1MDB probe. The statement comes a week after Switzerland's chief prosecutor said a criminal investigation into 1MDB had revealed that about $4 billion appeared to have been misappropriated from Malaysian state companies. In a statement issued late on Monday, 1MDB said it had not been contacted by Singapore authorities. "As we have previously stated, 1MDB has not been contacted by any foreign legal authorities on any matters relating to the company," it said, adding that 1MDB remains committed to fully cooperating with any lawful authority and investigation. 1MDB, whose advisory board is chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, has been investigated by Malaysian authorities following accusations of financial mismanagement and graft. 1MDB has denied these allegations. Last week, Malaysia's attorney general cleared Najib 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 and no further action needed to be taken. The Monetary Authority of Singapore has been in touch with Malaysian regulators since last year, when Malaysia's government said 1MDB had redeemed $1.1 billion from the Cayman Islands and placed it in the Singapore unit of Swiss private bank BSI. BSI has declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that investigators had traced nearly $700 million from an account at Falcon Private Bank in Singapore to accounts in Malaysia they believed belonged to the prime minister. Falcon Private Bank, a Swiss private bank owned by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund International Petroleum Investment Company, has said it is in contact with Singapore's central bank and will cooperate with authorities. (Reporting by Saeed Azhar; Editing by Anshuman Daga, Katharine Houreld and Kim Coghill) Dancers from the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh wait to perform at a cultural show in Agartala, capital of Indias northeastern state of Tripura. * Indias fastest-growing state is Meghalaya, with a growth rate of 9.7% in 2013-14, higher than the fastest-growing big state, Madhya Pradesh, at 9.5%. Arunachal Pradesh grew faster than Gujarat. * Fewer people, 12.8 million, live below the poverty line in the entire northeast than in just one large state, Karnataka, which has 12.9 million poor people. * Tripura reported Indias highest unemployment rate, 25.2% in urban areas, followed closely by Nagaland with 23.8% in 2011-12. The highest unemployment in the urban areas of a large state was 7%, in Jammu and Kashmir. The eight north-eastern statesArunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim (added in 2002) and Tripuraare growing fast, educating their people at a rate much faster than the rest of India, reducing their dependence on agriculture, and generally prospering, IndiaSpend research has revealed, but the growth is not creating enough jobs and livelihood opportunities. Other thing evident is that while northeast states are often clubbed together, we found, in many cases, wide differences; for example, Manipurs high poverty rate and Sikkims prosperity. Some of the economic indices are Indias highest, and some are Indias lowest. Today, in the first of a three-part series, we analyse the northeasts economic indicators, such as gross state domestic product (GSDP), unemployment, and population below the poverty line. Growth driven by services, industry Meghalaya, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh recorded the highest growth rates in GSDP in 2013-14. Meghalayas growth in GSDP of 9.7% was equivalent to Bihar, which had a GSDP growth rate of 9.1%. Arunachal Pradesh, with a growth rate in GSDP of 8.9% grew faster than Gujarat, which reported 8.7%. The share of the industrial sector for all eight states has increased while the share of agriculture and allied activities has declined. In Mizoram, for example, the growth rate for agriculture and allied activities went down from 16.4% in 2010-11 to 0.07% in 2013-14. Unemployment higher in urban areas Unemployment in urban areas across all north-eastern states is higher than rural areas, and is in line with the national pattern. The growth in manufacturing has not been accompanied by a commensurate growth of employment opportunity for the local population, Sumarbin Umdor, professor of Economics at North-Eastern Hill University, wrote in The Shillong Times. Given the lack of job creation in other formal sectors, most of the employment outside agriculture is therefore in the low productivity informal sector, particularly in informal construction, retail trade and transportation. Tripura recorded the highest unemployment rate in urban areas at 25.2% in 2011-12, Indias highest jobless rate, followed by Nagaland with 23.8%, Indias second-highest rate, and Manipur with 7.1%. Meghalaya had Indias second-lowest unemployment rate (after Gujarat), with 0.4% in rural areas and 2.8% in urban areas in 2011-12. A caveat: Unemployment rates in rural India are always lower than urban, since they do not account for hidden or partial employment. In general, employment rates do not adequately reflect reality, but only offer an indication. Poverty unevenly spread: Manipur is poorest; Sikkim richest The northeast has widely varying rates of poverty, which largely reflect unrest and insurgency. While 36.9% people live below the poverty line (the ability to spend Rs 1,170 per family per month in urban areas, Rs 1,118 in rural) in Manipur, where a cocktail of insurgent groups have crippled the economy, only 8.2% of the population is below the poverty line in Sikkim (Rs 1,226 in urban, Rs 930 in rural), where plentiful hydro power has raised incomes, as IndiaSpend has reported. Meghalaya and Sikkim have seen some of the largest falls in poverty in India. For instance, the percentage of population below the poverty line in Sikkim was 13.1% in 2009-10 and it fell to 8.2% in 2011-12. In comparison, poverty in Bihar and Madhya Pradeshthe large states most successful in cutting povertyfell from 36.7% to 31.7% and 37.7% to 29.4% over the same period. Similarly, in Meghalaya, the percentage of population below the poverty line was 17.1% in 2009-10 and fell to 11.9% in 2011-12. Although the number of people below the poverty line might be lower than the national average, the intensity of poverty in these states is much higher, according to the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD). Poverty in the northeast, like the rest of India, is a more rural phenomenon than urban: 11.6 million people of the 12.8 million living below the poverty line are in rural areas. The two main reasons for poverty are under-developed agriculture and unskilled labour, according to NIRD. To address the regions development challenges, including infrastructure, the Central government created the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region in 2004, allocating Rs 2,362 crore to the ministry in 2015-16. The grants from the Centre and their share in Central taxes together form 79% of their total revenue, according to the Reserve Bank of India. Some of the grants like the ones given out by the Ministry are influenced by politics as well. For example, from 2010-11 to 2012-13, Arunachal Pradesh received the highest grants with almost 19% of the total allocations. Later, when the government wanted to sign the Naga Peace accord of 2015, the allocation to Nagaland was increased (to 20%) and Arunachal Pradesh had come down. (IndiaSpend is a data-driven, public interest journalism non-profit) Even as the finance ministry is grappling with the dilemma of whether to adhere to the path of fiscal consolidation or perk up the economy, the NITI Aayog has asked the ministry not to defer the fiscal consolidation road map in 2016-17. The ministry had already postponed the road map by a year in the 2015-16 . According to sources, the Aayog was of the view that more space could have been taken with regard to the fiscal deficit in this year's . From 2016-17, the commitment to meet the deficit target should be adhered to, said the body which replaced the Planning Commission in January 2015.. Read our full coverage on Union Budget 2016 . . According to the Aayog, postponement of the road map for two years in a row would damage the perception of investors about India. Finance minister Arun Jaitley had received three pieces of advice from economists and industry about adhering to the fiscal deficit targets. While some said it should be adhered to, others said it should be deferred. A third set of people asked the minister not to bind himself with any deficit target. "I came across all shades of opinion on the fiscal consolidation road map. While industry wants more spending, economists are sharply divided," the finance minister had said at an event recently. According to him, the target of fiscal deficit depends on the growth projection and revenue buoyancy. On Friday, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan had advised the government not to defer the fiscal consolidation road map. On the other hand, an overwhelming majority of economists polled by Reuters had wanted Jaitley to postpone the road map for one more year. "The consolidated fiscal deficit of the states and the Centre in India is by far the largest among countries we like to compare ourselves with; at present only Brazil rivals us on this measure," Rajan had said. He had cited International Monetary Fund estimates to state the consolidated fiscal deficit of the Centre and states went up from seven per cent in 2014 to 7.2 per cent in 2015. "So we expanded the aggregate deficit in the last calendar year. With Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana, the scheme to revive state power distribution companies, coming into operation in the next financial year, it is unlikely that states will be shrinking their deficits, which puts pressure on the Centre to adjust more," he had said while adding it is the IMF figures which investors watch. He had also questioned arguments by those favouring the fiscal expansion on the grounds that it is necessary to generate the growth needed to put our debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio back on a sustainable path. "This is a novel argument. Ordinarily, one would think that a government should borrow less, that is, run lower fiscal deficits, in order to reduce its debt. But, there is indeed a theoretical possibility that the growth generated by the fiscal expansion is so great as to outweigh the additional debt that is taken on. Unfortunately, the growth multipliers on government spending at this juncture are likely to be much smaller; so more spending will probably hurt debt dynamics," he said. Many believe RBI might not cut rates at its policy review on Tuesday. They said, the central bank would see the government commitment to fiscal deficit before cutting the policy rate. On the other hand, the mid-year analysis of the for 2015-16 advocated the need to review fiscal consolidation road map due to the one rank one pension and the implementation of the seventh pay commission, which will add an additional 0.65 per cent of GDP to expenditure. The government has already deferred a fiscal consolidation road map for one year. The ultimate target of reining in the deficit at three per cent of GDP was to be originally met next year. But, it was deferred to 2017-18. For the next year, the target was relaxed to 3.5 per cent. For the current financial year, the target was adjusted to 3.9 per cent of GDP or Rs 5.5 lakh crore against the original target of 3.6 per cent. As much as 88 per cent of that target was met by December. Intel have appointed Irishwoman, Ann-Marie Holmes, as Vice President in what they say is a significant endorsement of the contribution of Irish talent to Intel. Roscommon-born Ann-Marie joined Intel Corporation in 1991 as a new college graduate from Trinity and since then has gone on to work in all four of the Fabrication/Sort manufacturing facilities in Ireland Fab10, Fab14, Ireland Fab Organisation (IFO) and Fab24. In 2012 Ann-Marie was named as the factory manager of Intels Fab 24 facility in Ireland one of the worlds most advanced facilities and the location of production of Intels latest process technology. As Fab 24 Factory Manager Ann-Marie is responsible for all aspects of advanced manufacturing taking place in the fab on the 14nm process technology node which was recently introduced to Ireland following a $5 billion investment by Intel to upgrade the Irish facilities. This brings to eight the number of Irish people who now hold Vice President positions in the company. Cork born Ann Kelleher is Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Technology and Manufacturing Group. Eamonn Sinnott, General Manger of Intel Ireland; and Joe McDonnell, Fab 22 Plant Manager, who is based in Arizona; are both Vice Presidents of Intels Technology and Manufacturing Group. Rory McInerney, based at Intels headquarters in Santa Clara, is Vice President of Intels Architecture Group, Martin Curley is Vice President of Intel Labs, Philip Moynagh is Vice President of the Internet of Things Group and U.S. based Margaret Burgraff is Vice President of the Software and Services Group. Source: www.businessworld.ie About us There was good news for Mayo over the weekend after retail software company, CBE, announced 40 new jobs due to major expansion in the UK and significant contract wins in Ireland. The official announcement was made by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny on Saturday when he visited CBEs international head office in Claremorris where the jobs will be primarily based. CBE were established in 1980 and develop and supply point of sale (POS) solutions for the retail and hospitality sectors. They have grown to become the largest retail IT company in Ireland and the fastest growing supplier of POS solutions in the UK. CBEs global expansion continues as they now support installations in Canada, Australia, The Isle of Man and Algeria. Furthermore, following significant market research they are preparing to enter the US market. Their client list includes James Hall Group (UK), Sewell Retail (UK), Musgrave, SuperValu, Centra, BWG, Spar, Mace, Costcutter, Gala, Spar UK, Louis Fitzgerald Group, Aramark, Elior, Compass, IBM and Bewleys among others. Taoiseach Enda Kenny said of the company, "CBE are a success story for Claremorris, for Mayo, and for the West of Ireland. CBE have proven, and continue to prove, that indigenous Irish companies can compete and win on a global scale. Gerard Concannon and the CBE team deserve enormous credit for what they have created here in Claremorris. "Their export led expansion into markets like the UK ensures that CBE will continue to grow and with plans afoot to enter the US market the future is incredibly bright for CBE which is a great boost to the local and national economy." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us Rents increased by an average of 12% nationally in 2015 and are now outperforming property appreciation across all regions according to a report from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI). Furthermore, property values increased by an average of 8.8% nationally in 2015. The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) now expect the price of an average three bedroom semi-detached property to increase by between 4-8% in 2016 depending on location. In Leinster (excl Dublin), values are estimated to have increased by 9.4% while in Munster and Connacht/Ulster they rose by 10.4% and 8.8% respectively. In Dublin, rents increased by an average of approximately 12.1%, in Leinster by 14.2%, in Munster by 11.1% and in Connacht/Ulster by 9.4%. According to respondents, the supply of housing will continue to be an issue in 2016. Eighty per cent of respondents believe the supply of new homes will be less than demand in Dublin while the figure in Munster is 69%. Almost half of Dublin surveyors believe the Central Bank rules dampened price increases in Dublin by 5 to 10% Chairman of the SCSI Residential Agency Professional Group, John OSullivan commented, "There were some welcome policy developments in 2015, however as we look forward to the General Election and the 32nd Dail, it is imperative that the present focus on housing is maintained. "According to the ESRI we need to build up to 25,000 units a year up to 2029. Its estimated the completions figure for 2015 will be around half this at 12,500. "It's clear more needs to be done in terms of tackling construction costs, the availability of development finance and speeding up the planning process. The setting up of a National Housing Authority to co-ordinate the delivery of housing is vitally important to address our chronic housing shortage." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us Ryanair forecast record passenger numbers will enable it to hit its annual profit target, despite falling ticket prices due to security alerts in Europe and cheaper oil. The low-cost giant said on Monday average fares will continue to fall in the coming months as more airlines take advantage of lower fuel prices. It also announced an 800 million euro share buyback over the next nine months. Ryanair hiked its full-year profit forecast by 25 percent in early September, citing poor summer weather in Northern Europe, weak sterling and the impact of improved customer service. But security alerts after attacks in Paris in November and strong competition has since forced it to cut average fares, which fell 1 percent in the last three months of 2015 and will fall 6 percent in the first three months of 2016. "We expect the lower fare environment to continue for the foreseeable future" with some respite during the summer months, Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said in a video presentation. Rival easyJet last week said its revenue per seat fell 3.7 percent in the three months to Dec. 31 and that it would continue to fall in early 2016. O'Leary said he expected to pass on a "significant amount" of 430 million euros of Ryanair's fuel cost savings, but that would be offset by a further 8 percent increase in passenger numbers in 2016. Ryanair last year was the first airline in the world to carry 100 million international passengers and on Monday increased its forecast for its financial year to March 31 to 106 million from 105 million. It plans to carry 26 percent more passengers in the first three months of 2016 compared to the same period last year. 'LITTLE UPSIDE' ON PROFIT Ryanair re-affirmed its expectation to post net profit at the upper end of a range of 1.175 billion to 1.225 billion euros for its financial year. O'Leary said that the current forecast was heavily dependent on a strong Easter and the presumption there will be no major militant attacks in Europe. Ryanair will start its 800 million euro share buyback in the coming days, but said it had no plans to commit to a regular dividend or share buy back, and that these would be ad hoc. Shares in the airline closed Friday up 36 percent on the year at 13.69 euros, while the Thomson Reuters European Airline Index was flat. Ryanair shares have fallen 8.8 percent since the start of the year, compared to a fall of 10 percent in the index. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie About us It was announced today that Sky has awarded a contract to business process management company, Abtran. As part of the new deal, Abtran will be recruiting 130 new staff to support Skys customer service operations. The announcement was made in Cork by Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Agriculture, Food and The Marine together with JD Buckley, Managing Director and Derek Stalley, Customer Operations Director of Sky Ireland and Michael Fitzgerald, CEO of Abtran. Sky is the fastest growing broadband provider in the country and employs 900 people at its offices in Dublin. The new roles will join the team already in place at Abtran to support the demands of Skys growing business in Ireland. The positions are being recruited immediately. Minister Coveney today commented, "I'm delighted to welcome these new jobs in Cork where Sky has chosen Abtran as its business process partner for customer service operations. "Both companies are leaders in their respective industry sectors and both are committed to the highest standards of quality and customer service delivery. I particularly welcome the continuing growth of Abtran which is a deeply innovative and impressive Irish business and I wish both companies ongoing success in the future." Managing Director of Sky Ireland, JD Buckley added, "As a growing business, our customer contact centres play an integral role in meeting customer requirements. "Were really pleased to continue our growth and development through this partnership with Abtran which further adds to our strong commitment to provide the highest standards of service for all of our customers throughout Ireland. Source: www.businessworld.ie About us It was announced today that Centra will open 16 new stores this year, resulting in 480 jobs being added to the Centra network as part of a 16 million investment. The convenience retailer recorded sales of 1.54 billion in 2015. They claim this was largely due to their new health strategy with the launch of Live Well in July, which helps people make healthier choices on-the-go. Centra has already seen additional sales of 6 million in Live Well products such as salad boxes, fruit pots and avocados. Centra employs almost 11,000 people and serves over three million customers per week. Furthermore, they invest over 240 million in local communities per annum, which is the equivalent of 4.5 million per week through a combination of payments to local suppliers, acquisition of local business services, wages, charitable donations and local sponsorships. Managing Director of Centra, Martin Kelleher today commented, "2015 marked another successful year for Centra as leaders in the convenience market, with sales reaching 1.54 billion. We are delighted to announce that our sales figures show a 1.6% growth on the previous year. "This is testament to our 460 local retailers nationwide whose hard work ensures that Centra continues to lead the market in terms of value, choice and quality." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us The Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC) have been named the Worlds Top University Associated Business Incubator by the UBI Global World Top University Business Incubator and Accelerator Rankings. The UBI Global World Top University Business Incubator and Accelerator Rankings assess 1,200 university incubators around the world and rank them according to value for ecosystem, value for clients, and attractiveness. This year, 330 of the 1,200 incubator entrants, including the GEC, were benchmarked. The Guinness Enterprise Centre scored 78/100 compared to a global average of 53/100. Contribution to job growth and support for graduate start-ups were highlighted among the GECs top attributes. The GEC is managed by Dublin BIC, which also manages the AIB Seed Capital Fund and Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN), helping start-ups become investor ready, access finance and grow their companies domestically and internationally. More than 90 start-ups call the GEC home, with an additional 70 support companies housed in the centre. Many of these are graduate-led companies, started through collaboration with various universities. More than 370 people work in the incubator, with close to 1,000 employed globally by the start-ups it houses. They work closely with top universities and institutions in Ireland, including Trinity, DCU, DIT, UCD Smurfit and Ballyfermot College of Education. The centre also frequently collaborates with universities abroad including the University of Phoenix, Arizona; Northeastern University, Boston; and University of Padua, Italy. Chairman of thed Guinness Enterprise Centre, David Varian said, "We understand that our ability to help commercialise projects was a key factor behind our success. Working closely with universities has been a core part of what we do since the GEC was born in 1999. "We hone the talents of ambitious graduate start-up leaders from Ireland and abroad to give them a base, help them develop their skills, and connect them with the right people to grow. Ireland is a globally recognised start-up hub and were delighted to play a part in this and be recognised for our work." Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton added, "This is great news for the Guinness Enterprise Centre and a great boost for our efforts to make Ireland a great place to start a business. "Business incubators in general, and those associated with universities in particular, are a crucial part of any countrys start-up environment, and we have made a concerted effort through our Action Plan for Jobs to improve the availability of these facilities in Ireland. I am delighted to congratulate Eamonn and all his team on this major award, and wish them every success in the future." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us It has been confirmed today that Irish company, Topaz have been bought by Global company, Couche-Tard. The transaction has been approved by the EU Commission and all final closing requirements have now been completed. Couche-Tard is one of the worlds leading convenience and fuel retail businesses. The company has approximately 15,000 sites across its network in North America (U.S. and Canada), Europe (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, the Baltics and Russia), Asia and the Middle East. They employ approximately 100,000 people in their network across the world. Niall Anderton, formerly the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Topaz, has been appointed Managing Director in succession to Emmet ONeil. ONeill stepped down on the completion of the transaction, as was previously announced. Speaking today, Jrn Madsen, Couche-Tards EVP for Central & Eastern Europe and responsible for their business in Ireland said, "We are very pleased to have closed the transaction in such a timely manner and are ready to shift our focus to fully integrating Topaz into the Couche-Tard family." He added, "We are particularly pleased that Niall will take over as the leader of our business in Ireland. We have been working closely with Niall over the last few months and we are certain that he is the right person to lead Topaz through the next phase of its development." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us Telecom provider, BT Ireland, have today released their latest revenue report which shows revenue was up 4.7% this quarter, their best result for more than seven years. The company claim they are making good progress towards their goal of sustainable profitable revenue growth. The growth has been attributed to increased equipment sales, strong data and call volumes and acquisition of new major deals including a five-year BT Cloud Contact deal with RSA Insurance and a renewed wholesale contract with Three Ireland. Managing director, BT Corporate UK and Ireland, Colm ONeill said, "Todays results reflect yet another positive quarter for our business with growth in both revenue and profit. "Our recent investment in people, products and services, and our global network is yielding strong results, as we continue to secure major wholesale and business deals and capture greater market share of Irelands growing multinational base." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us It was announced today that University College Dublin (UCD) will be joining forces with Bekaert, a belgian company who specialise in steel wire transformation and coating technologies to establish the Bekaert University Technology Centre (UTC). It will be located within the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and will focus on world-class research in characterisation, design and optimisation of materials, components and processes. It is hoped that this will lead to advanced next generation wire products. Bekaert is a global producer and supplier of highly specialised steel wires and solutions for a wide range of applications. They have customers in 120 countries, a combined sales turnover of 4 billion and approximately 30,000 employees worldwide. They have invested 500,000 in the establishment of the Centre which includes the appointment of Dr Philip Cardiff as Bekaert Lecturer in Materials Processing, along with PhD project and technical support. Professor Orla Feely, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact said, "Building on core competencies of processing, characterisation, simulation and optimisation, the industrially focused projects to be undertaken at the Centre will combine innovation with world-class research and facilities to provide unique insights into the Bekaert processes and the design of more advanced materials." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us Europe's largest lender, HSBC, is imposing a hiring and pay freeze across the bank globally in 2016, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. An email was sent to staff on Friday detailing the latest cost-saving measures, according to the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. Like numerous other global banks, HSBC is in the midst of a cost-cutting drive to boost profitability and returns to shareholders, and is pushing through with plans for annual cost savings of up to $5 billion by 2017. Europe's biggest bank said in June that it planned to slash nearly one in five jobs and shrink its investment bank by a third in response to sluggish economic growth and tighter global regulation of bank balance sheet risk. "As flagged in our Investor Update we have targeted significant cost reductions by the end of 2017," a spokeswoman for HSBC told Reuters, confirming the content of the staff email. In October, contractors at its investment banking division in London had their pay cut by 10 percent in line with the bank's efforts to rein in costs, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters at the time. News of the pay and hiring freeze follows a significant week for HSBC, after its board met last week to consider moving headquarters to Hong Kong and to focus on the bank's strategy. A decision on the domicile issue could come early next week, a senior source at the bank told Reuters on Jan. 27. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie About us The International Monetary Fund said on Friday it is leaving the door open to large bailout loans for countries with questionable ability to repay debt, but has revised its rules for such rescues. Last week, the IMF ended the 2010 lending exemption that allowed major bailout loans to Greece, Ireland and Portugal and helped to ease a European sovereign debt crisis. In a press release detailing changes in its lending practices, the IMF said it will allow larger loans to countries that do not have a "high probability" of debt sustainability if they are also able to maintain private-sourced credit on terms that allow gradual improvement of their fiscal situation. IMF officials said doing so may require a reprofiling of existing debt by extending maturities or other terms, but it would be less than a full restructuring that cut interest payments or principal, which they said could disrupt markets. The aim is to get a debtor country back on its feet more quickly while instilling confidence in the loan program. If private creditors are simply paid off with IMF money, there is less incentive for a country to pursue reforms needed to improve its debt profile. The changes allow the IMF to still handle debt crises like the one that engulfed Greece in 2010, in which a country's debt falls in between the Fund's previous categories of being clearly unsustainable and having a "high probability" of being repaid. In 2010, the IMF created a "systemic exemption" that allowed it to make a 30 billion euro loan to Greece as part of a wider 110 billion euro bailout that also included the European Union and European Central Bank. The exemption, intended partly to keep the debt crisis from spreading, was later invoked for loans to Ireland and Portugal and has been used dozens of time since. Republicans in the U.S. Congress required efforts to remove the exemption before they supported legislation in December to implement a long-delayed reform of the Fund's quota system to give more voting power to emerging markets including China and Brazil. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie About us File photo The city of Weston, Idaho was recently awarded a $27,000 grant from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality for drinking water planning. The funds will be used to prepare a drinking water planning study and environmental information document. According to the Idaho DEQ, the purpose of the project is to evaluate the existing drinking water system in Weston, identify any deficiencies, and develop alternatives for needed improvements. While the city has been granted $27,000 for the study, the total eligible cost of the project is $54,000. The remaining $27,000 will be funded by the city. Weekend: Schedule for Week of January 31, 2016 January 2016: Unofficial Problem Bank list declines to 238 Institutions Monday: At 8:30 AM ET, Personal Income and Outlays for December. The consensus is for a 0.3% increase in personal income, and for a 0.1% increase in personal spending. And for the Core PCE price index to increase 0.1%. At 10:00 AM, ISM Manufacturing Index for January. The consensus is for the ISM to be at 48.3, up from 48.2 in December. Also at 10:00 AM, Construction Spending for December. The consensus is for a 0.6% increase in construction spending. At 1:00 PM, Discussion, Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer, Recent Monetary Policy, Council on Foreign Relations Event: C. Peter McColough Series on International Economics, New York, N.Y. From CNBC: Pre-Market Data and Bloomberg futures: currently S&P futures are down 7 and DOW futures are down 60 (fair value). Oil prices were up over the last week with WTI futures at $33.29 per barrel and Brent at $35.56 per barrel. A year ago, WTI was at $45, and Brent was at $47 - so prices are down about 30% year-over-year. Here is a graph from Gasbuddy.com for nationwide gasoline prices. Nationally prices are at $1.79 per gallon (down over $0.20 per gallon from a year ago). SHARE Contributed photo Map of affected area By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times Crews flushed water lines and ran several tests in Ingleside Sunday, but about 200 residents remained under a "do not drink" water advisory. The city issued alerts through social media Saturday 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 a news release. The city continued to investigate two areas suspected of being contaminated and installed three additional backflow preventers to isolate the contamination, according to Ingleside Police Department Facebook post. The advisory extends to food preparation, making ice cubes or brushing teeth. The post stated the city is working to have test results by Tuesday afternoon and city officials believe the incident remains contained within the outlined areas including, Kenny Lane from Avenue A to Highway 361; 12th Street from Avenue A to Highway 361; Indian Trail from Avenue A to Highway 361; Pinoak; Lenore; Cardinal Circle; Kelly and Hackberry streets. Residents are encouraged to call Ingleside Public Works after hours line at 361-776-7409 for information. Natalia Contreras/Caller-Times Members of Abundant Life Fellowship Church along with elected officials broke ground Sunday for a 210 feet tall cross at Interstate 37 and Carbon Plant Road, across the highway from the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery. SHARE Natalia Contreras/Caller-Times About 150 people gathered Sunday at the site where a 210 feet tall cross will be raised off Interstate 37 and Carbon Plant Road. By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times Iris Molina felt happy to know she and her 2-year-old son, Zeke, were part of an effort to make a difference in the lives of people in Corpus Christi. They joined about 150 others, including members of Abundant Life Fellowship Church and elected officials, who gathered Sunday to pray and break ground for a cross. Church officials said it will be among the tallest in the Western hemisphere. "We are so happy to see this happening. I can't wait until the cross goes up and he can see it and we can tell him that he was there for the ground breaking," Molina said. "If this cross can help at least one person and give them hope then this will be 100 percent worth it." Plans for the cross, which will be 210 feet tall, began about three years ago after Abundant Life Fellowship Church pastors visited a cross outside of Galveston, which is about 170 feet tall. The Corpus Christi cross will be at Interstate 37 and Carbon Plant Road, across the highway from the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery, and will be visible from about 3 miles away. "That cross we saw in Galveston encouraged us. We live in a country so removed from God so when you see something like that it stirs a motion in your heart," Abundant Life Fellowship family pastor Danny Isom said. "We thought it would be great to have something like that in Corpus Christi, the name of our city means 'the body of Christ'." Isom said the purpose of the cross is to give hope. He said the world's largest cross is in Madrid, Spain, and it stands at 492 feet. The site will also feature a baptistery, which other churches can use to do baptisms, Isom said. The church has raised about $145,000 of the $1 million needed to complete the project. Isom said the church hopes to raise the cross by this time next year. Mayor Nelda Martinez, who was among several elected officials at the event, said once raised, she hopes the cross will become a landmark. "It touches my heart that with this cross people will be able understand the true meaning of the name of our city," Martinez said. "We hope that anyone who sees it will find it inspirational and that it will reflect the name of our city." Twitter: @CallerNatalia HOW TO HELP Donate to Corpus Christi Cross project http://corpuschristicross.com/ or in person at Abundant Life Fellowship Church, 9550 Leopard St. Information: 361-241-4460 Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Gerald Flores works on his website at Southside Barbacoa on Friday, January 8, 2016. Flores sells T-shirts, hats and other merchandise related to the love of tacos. SHARE Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Gerald Flores works on his website at Southside Barbacoa on Friday, January 8, 2016. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Gerald Flores works on his website at Southside Barbacoa on Friday, January 8, 2016. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Gerald Flores shows off a new tattoo that features a taco. He has a business that sells merchandise celebrating the love of tacos. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Monique Garcia, a waitress at Southside Barbacoa, looks through merchandise sold by Gerald Flores at the restaurant on Friday, January 8, 2016. Flores says the Blood, Sweat and Tacos design is one of his favorites. I was watching something and I saw blood, sweat and tears and any time I can incorporate tacos, I will do it, he said. By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times Gerald Flores took his love of tacos to another level. He wears that love on his sleeve literally. The 32-year-old recently launched a taco-inspired line of T-shirts, sweatshirts, tank tops and hats. And for the self-taught graphic designer, it all began with a simple design in 2002. When he was about 21 he was asked to create an advertisement for a wellness company where he worked at the time. He took a risk, and without any previous design experience, he did it. The Corpus Christi native said working on that ad ignited an interest in graphic design and the ideas have not stopped flowing since. After several years of taking the initiative of designing flyers, business cards, logos and websites for several local businesses, Flores decided to launch a graphic-design company. "I knew that's what I wanted to do," Flores said. "I started to get more hungry to create and to learn." When it came down to thinking of a name for his company he thought of his love for tacos. Taco Creative was born in 2012 after Flores and his wife Elena were on a road trip to Eagle Pass to visit family. "Some of my best thinking is done when I drive," Flores said. "And I do eat a lot of tacos. I like tacos and I'm creative so I said, why not?" That's why in late 2014 he thought about buying a taco T-shirt. He looked everywhere online and could not find one he truly liked. "The ones I saw were not that unique. So I just decided to make one," Flores. "And that's how Taco Gear was born." Flores said the ideas for his T-shirt designs come from everyday routines, when sitting at home with his wife, while working on his website and while eating tacos at his favorite taqueria in town, Southside Barbacoa. "If I have an idea I write it down," he said. "Like the 'Pound it' shirt it just came to me. You order barbacoa by the pound. Pound it." Flores has also served as one of Corpus Christi's taco ambassadors when "The Tacos of Texas" author Mando Rayo visited Corpus Christi on a taco tour in August. Flores took Rayo to popular taquerias in Corpus Christi, which led to an opportunity for the pair to collaborate on a customized taco hat. "I saw that taco hat on an Instagram post and I decided to get a hold of him," Rayo said. "What caught my eye was the fact that he was incorporating culture in his product. "I love working with people with a goal to get others to eat more tacos," Rayo said. "We wear tacos in our hearts and on the outside now, too." Flores has sold his merchandise in 53 cities in 13 states in the U.S. and in Canada and Australia. He said it has taken a lot of work and a lot of late nights to get to where he is at. However, he said it is worth it because he gets to do what he loves the most. "I love it here and I've seen our community supporting a lot more local businesses lately," Flores said. Ambrose Gonzalez, owner of Atelier Salon has worked with Flores for a few years. He said he was glad to find a graphic designer like Flores locally. "I am so glad I did not have to go looking anywhere else," Gonzalez said. "An advantage of having someone so talented locally is the fact that we can build a relationship and he really gets to know what we are about. That then translates to the end product." Flores continues to work as a graphic designer for local businesses and plans on having new taco merchandise this year. Find taco gear at http://www.tacocreative.com/ CAMEROUN :: Cameroon:Three Scammers Arrested in Douala Three scammers have been arrested in Douala, as they tried to carry out a scamming deal that involved the sale of two lion and two cheetah cubs. The three were arrested during a crackdown operation carried out by wildlife officials of the Littoral Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife and the judicial police with technical assistance from The Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA). According to sources close to the operation, two of the arrested suspects aged 21 and 24 are law students of the Soa University, in their first and third year respectively and are equally brothers while a third who is suspected to be the ring leader is an accountant aged 30 and a cousin to the two brothers and works with a Douala-based company. The two brothers were arrested in Akwa Douala as they attempted to finalise a transaction for the purported sale of the protected wildlife species.. During the illegal transaction with a white lady to whom they claimed they could export the feline cubs to Uzbekistan where she is supposed to be based, the gang used falsified documents including a CITES permit; a document issued by the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife to those who are interested in exporting wildlife species from the country. A CITES permit is signed by the Minister but the scammers forged one, faked the signature of the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Ngole Philip Ngwese and used it as proof of authorization to convince the buyer they could legally export feline cubs. The main suspect used the false name Peter Caldwell during the entire transaction that was done principally on the internet. After the arrest and detention of the two who had travelled over the night of Friday 29th January 2016 from Yaounde to Douala to complete their scamming operation, investigations by judicial police and wildlife officials would quickly lead to the localization at the Feu Bessingue neighbourhood in Douala of the third suspect. Preliminary investigations revealed that this was not their only scamming deal as they had done other deals before. Other falsified documents found include a contract form showing they were an animal export company based in Douala and in the contract they had to ship a cheetah cub to Jakarta , Indonesia. The offences are punishable under section 158 of the 1994 wildlife law with a prison term of up to 3 years and or payment of a fine of up to 10 million francs CFA and section 203 of the Cameroon penal code gives a maximum of 20 years to anyone found guilty of forging government stamps and documents. Whoever forges or alters the signature of any Minister or any government stamps shall be punished with imprisonment for from ten to twenty years, states the penal code. While this could be an act of pure scamming alone when scammers claim to be able to supply live wildlife species to interested buyers and then when money is transferred to them, they disappear, changing addresses and phone numbers, it might as well also be an attempt at illegally exporting wildlife species, wildlife law enforcement experts say. This situation had once been observed in Muyuka a couple of years back when a scammer was arrested and it was later found out that he had been exporting primate skulls to the US. A delegation from the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development assessed progress on the Sithe Global Sustainable Oils Cameroon recently. ADS The Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT), through the Director General of Planning and Regional Development, Oum Eloma Janvier, was in Sithe Global Sustainable Oils Cameroon, Ltd SG SOC, last week for a three-day working visit to the South West Region. The objectives revolved on what is going on in the field concerning SG SOC activities and difficulties encountered. While hailing what the new management of SG SOC is doing in the field in terms of job creation, employment of youths and increasing productivity, the Director General reiterated Government's appreciation with initiative of the management of SG SOC to improve on the living conditions of the people of the communities concerned. Upon their arrival, the new Director of SG SOC, Chief Dr. Blessed Okole, took the Director General and his entourage to their plantations and nurseries in Nguti, Talangaye, Fabe and Lapanja1 where they have over 500,000 seedlings in pre-nurseries and 90,798 were transplanted between April and May, 2015. The Director General also visited and encouraged some small holders palm plantations in Ediango and Nguti. Farmers explained that they have received aid from SG SOC through farm inputs. They have been advised and encouraged to create cooperatives and two have already been created namely Golden Palms Cooperative Society Ltd and Standard Palms Cooperative Society Ltd. The Sithe Global Sustainable Oils Cameroon Ltd was established in September 2009, with mission to address the complex issues of global food security through the development of a sustainable and commercially viable agricultural initiative in Cameroon. It establishes a sustainable and commercially viable agricultural enterprise, provides training and employment opportunities and contributes to the development of the economy by improving the livelihoods of local communities. The Director of SG SOC stressed that a one tonne per hour oil mill to cater for fruits that will be harvested from 2012-2013 plantings has been ordered and the mill will be located at Talangaye and will go operational before the end of 2016. SG SOC has also given educational support, health and quality potable water to the communities. SG SOC has spent over FCFA 21.859 billion from 2009 to June 2015 and is expecting to spend over FCFA 29.664 billion from June 2015-2020 given a total of over FCFA 51.523 billion. All this is for planting, clearing, construction of infrastructures, purchase of equipment, payment of salaries, road rehabilitation and construction, just to name but these. ADS In fact, the companys chief marketing officer, Pauline Png, goes so far as to use the word "happy" when discussing the brand's mission, and the same word appears in its advertising tagline: 'Where happier matters'. Most people think of insurance as something thats boring, and that dealing with issues like claims will never be a happy experience, she told Campaign Asia-Pacific late last year. But thats our message to the market: that things happen in life but when it does, the insurance part can be a positive experience. Png admitted landing that message is a tall order, but one DirectAsia is determined to fulfill. Founded in Singapore in 2010 and launched into Hong Kong in 2012 and Thailand in 2013, DirectAsia is a direct-to-consumer online operation. Its primary business is auto insurance, and it has ancillary lines in travel, personal accident, healthcare and life. In 2013, it was reported that the company had gross written premiums of US$25.3 million, employing 140 across its three markets. Png shared that the company currently has more than 100,000 active clients, with the bulk of them in Singapore. The decision to take such a bold stance in differentiating itself from other providers followed the companys acquisition from the Whittington Group by global specialist insurance group Hiscox in mid-2014 for a reported US$55 million plus an earn out over four years. At the time of the announcement, Hiscox said it had significant plans to invest in the business, which it said would complement its existing direct-to-consumer retail offering. That investment commitment has granted DirectAsia the breathing room and resources required to reposition itself. Before, we were very focused on tactical marketing, centred around the pricing of our products, said Png. But now were taking a step away from this and focusing on building our brand. DirectAsia as a brand now strives to be trustworthy and approachable, with concrete articulation of its benefits. Building a brand and purpose The company launched its first major campaign in October last year, unveiling a new brand purpose "to deliver a more positive experience when it comes to insurance" and visual identity as part of a "multimillion-dollar campaign" across Singapore and Hong Kong. While unable to disclose a concrete figure for spending on the campaign, Png said that it cost more than US$1 million in Singapore alone. The campaign also rolled out in Thailand early this year. This is our move to humanise the brand, she added. While our products might not be the cheapest in the market, were moving forward with a value proposition of price plus service. Lowe and Partners worked on the campaign for DirectAsia, having been awarded the account by Hiscox, in November 2014. The win marked the first piece of integrated business won jointly by Lowe and digital division Lowe Profero in Asia since the acquisition of Profero earlier that year, with the scope covering regional brand, digital, activation and experiential marketing. Png said the team has a close working relationship with all its agency partners, with Initiative and iProspect also on its agency roster. In the case of Lowe and the creative work it does for the brand, it boiled down to the desire to do distinctive work. We wanted an agency that was excited about the journey they would be taking with us, she added. Lowe demonstrated that they were willing to ride along and eager to do different work and were energised by the brand. But this brand campaign is but a first step in a direction that holds its fair share of challenges, with the biggest one being the need to break free from industry legacy. DirectAsia embarked on market research last year with Lowe as part of its efforts to better understand what it stood for and identify target market segments. There are the early adopters, who are confident and knowledgeable about their financial needs, said Png. They are willing to take risks and are in control of their decisions and have a sense of joy in making the right decision. These are the customers that would gravitate towards what DirectAsia has to offer. The other group finds matters of insurance complex and can get overwhelmed by the amount of information available in the market. We have to engage these customers and their baggage of experience with different legacy players in the insurance space, said Png. Most of us only hear about the bad news, and that remains top of mind for many, theres a lot of distrust with the industry. While the chances of one company single-handedly changing things is of course on the low side, Png said that at the very least, it's a start. We also hope that other players will continue these efforts to make the insurance space an easier one for consumers to understand and navigate, she added. Next steps The key to the execution of the companys brand purpose, is consistency in both the companys internal processes and external customer experience journey. After 20 years as a marketer, Png is a big proponent of the power of brand and business when aligned in purpose. To get both loyal customers and employees, the business needs to be meaningful in its pursuit and not just be about selling something, she said. And the brand purposed must be reflected throughout. The teams focus for the coming year will be centred on working to deliver its promise of positive experiences, and work is underway on tightening processes in sales and services departments, with retraining and reinforcing the brand mission. And while it is executing mass-marketing campaigns to raise brand awareness, it is also seeking to engage with vehicle owners a lot more, via more targeted channels. About 50 percent of its lead generation comes via its website and other digital channels, and the company is working to improve the customer support and service experience with its in-country call centre operations. We will be doing a lot of partner tie-ups with relevant online niche media to reach our target audience, said Png. And also more on-ground events such as participating in car road shows and events to sign up new customers. With existing customers, the team is focused on building brand loyalty with consistent communications in managing relationships. We want to delight our customers with random acts of happiness, she added. For example, instead of a renewal letter for their car insurance, we send them or their car rather, a birthday card. Thats what were having a lot of fun brainstorming over now. These acts, said Png, will be on top of the functional layer of customer support that the company delivers. We are re-looking the entire process from start to finish, she added. And will be doing another in-depth study of key segments this year to get an even deeper understanding of our customers, which will not only inform our marketing approach but also product development and the crafting of new services to serve them better. From its roots as a demand-side platform, MediaMath has grown to record sales of US$800 million in 2015, according to a Forbes interview with founder and CEO Joe Zawadzki, with some of the growth coming from acquisitions, four of which were completed in 2014. Most of MediaMaths revenue, about 85 percent, comes from software licensing; the balance comes from the company supplying a managed solution to clients. The New York City-headquartered company has about 750 employees, 300 partners, and some 60,000 global deals. Its programmes reportedly power the marketing of some 3,500 companies, and generate a tenfold return on investment, according to the company. Its flagship TerminalOne platform enables marketers and ad agencies to buy targeted ads online at the best price. In October last year, the company announced the appointment of Joanna OConnell to the role of chief marketing officer. In an email interview, O'Connell shares some insights into her plans for the company and brand. You stepped into the role of CMO in October. How has the transition been for you, moving from analyst / researcher to marketer? I was a research analyst for three years with Forrester Research, and later the founding member of AdExchanger Research, where I spent two years. When youre a research analyst for that long, it can start to feel a little theoretical, removed from the realities of the market. The ad-tech landscape is constantly changing and improving, and I started feeling that it was a problem to be that far away from the action. I wanted to get back into what was really happening, and truly immerse myself into it. Way back in 2007, when I was a media supervisor at Razorfish, MediaMath was the first DSP Id ever encountered. The concept of buying media (think impression-level buying, de-averaged pricing, tech-driven, real-time decision-making) struck me as revolutionary. Fast forward to today, it is a great time to be at MediaMath because it feels like everyone is ready to think about things in a new way. Im coming in at a time where things are changing in a useful direction, and I want to help harness that energy of change. What is your personal philosophy or approach to marketing? To be human. As more revolutionary technology and processes emerge, I think its important to remember that marketing is done by people for people. Youre trying to connect with a human being and tap into their needs and desires, and programmatic is the brilliant matchmaker. What are your immediate objectives for the brand? My immediate objectives are to listen and learn. Im going to rely on all of the people at MediaMath who are experts at what they do. Using that, I will be an internal and external voice for marketing at MediaMath. We have a compelling story to tell, and we are working on new and better ways to tell it. Theres so much room to grow in this space and as a company. Whats the long-term big picture? In terms of the big picture, we do feel we are at the forefront of a larger shift in the industry. Addressable inventory, including for TV, custom attribution models, the next phase of mar-tech meeting ad techthese are all things that are not just on our radar, but things we are embracing. We want to continue to challenge the status quo on how marketers think about their goals and improve the marketing infrastructure for everyone who has a stake in it. What will be your biggest challenge in terms of fulfilling marketing ambitions? MediaMath is truly a global company, and because of this our marketing team necessarily is global too, sitting across four regions. We want to ensure we are taking an increasingly global approach to marketing while supporting each region as they require based on geography, market, language and other factors. One of the ways to combat that will be to get a better sense of their landscape so we can bolster their efforts, which is one of the reasons I am visiting the APAC region in February. When it comes to the Asia-Pacific region, what will the approach or strategy be in terms of engaging with target audiences? What are your plans for the region and what is your opinion on the challenges or potential of markets here? The region, generally, is less mature in terms of understanding programmatic marketing and all its benefits. While media markets like Australia and Japan are progressive, developing ones, such as Indonesia and Thailand, have massive potential for programmatic adoption, especially with the rapid uptake of mobile technologies. Therefore, I think education is key. While we continue to engage audiences across APAC in a language they can understand and at an appropriate level that they can appreciate, our New Marketing Institute will also play a significant part in contributing to marketers knowledge on programmatic through training programs and masterclasses for senior leaders and practitioners alike. We also believe in win-win-win partnerships, in particular, the triumvirate that is the brand-agency-technology vendor micro-ecosystem. Our strategic plan is to actively partner with both brand and agency clients and prospects across the region to enable programmatic thinking within their organisations through education and consultative engagements. Any advice for fellow marketers currently grappling with Ad Tech? Focus on what good advertising looks like. Dont get caught up in the latest technology, approach, bright, shiny object. Youre a consumer, toowhat types of advertising appeal to you? What is the visual, what is the message, how do you respond differently depending on channel and device? Apply this mindset to your customers, with the aim to delight them. Programmatic should be in support of these things. The Social Team will be headed up Ivan Ng and Kimberley Olsen, who joined Mirum in January 2015 to set up a specialist department in order to drive the agencys social business. Ng, who has been appointed head of social, will take on a more strategic role while Olsen will focus on business development across the region. The pair will report to Nanda Ivens, Asia Pacific CEO of Mirum, and to Peter Womersley, CEO of JWT Singapore. Speaking to Campaign Asia-Pacific, Olsen said that the goal of the unit was to act as a bridge between the two agencies. JWT has a strong heritage in content with in-house production capabilities while Mirum is known for its digital transformation work, she added. By combining these specialities into a single unit, we will be able to offer better support to clients. The 12-person team comprises a dedicated staff of writers, designers, analysts and strategists drawn from both agencies. It will continue to service existing clients across both agencies, while working in tandem with account teams across both agencies to expand its client roster. Ng said that the key role to be played by the new unit is to amplify content generated in a landscape increasingly dominated by digital channels. This is where we come in, he said. To figure out how best to push out content on all channels, which these days are 80 percent digital to amplify campaigns. Its about how we leverage existing tools and analytics to produce more reactive content and capture the opportunities in social conversations and buzz. Olsen added that the units formation is the start of a more aggressive and focused offering aimed at landing new business accounts. Existing clients it is currently servicing include Crabtree & Evelyn, American Tourister, Samsonite, Dulux Paint, CocoLife, Kit Kat and Berocca. The units new focus lies on building communities that aim to connect people on a deeper, emotional level to brands, using both creative content and data to engage and convert these communities into passionate brand advocates. Olsen pointed out that the biggest challenge for brands today is how to do more with their communities. The challenge lies in getting to know their communities better in terms of how they consume content and what their habits are, she said. Brands for a long time were just focused on getting fans and likes and may have realised they are not doing anything with these communities theyve built up. Now is on how best to interact with fans on a regular basis, and how to turn these interactions into sustained conversations and turn fans into advocates, she added. In a statement, Ivens described the move as creating "synergies" for clients. It made sense, from the clients point of view, to bring together a best of team to deliver the social media strategy and content they need, he added. Womersley added that The Social Team had been set up in response to "the increasing clamour from clients" for a specialist team of experts who use data to inform content planning and manage real time engagement communications. Brands are finding it increasingly challenging to cut through the morass of information available in the social world and I am incredibly excited by the unique service this new venture will offer, added Womersley. At this time of year, Ad Nut likes to rummage through the pile of treats stored at the back of the drey for the long nights of hibernation. The recent cold snap in Hong Kong set shivering paws searching out for something special: theres nothing like snuggling down to a healthy helping of schadenfreude. Shaking your head in disbelief gets the blood flowing nicely. As more and more brands jump on the content bandwagon, its no surprise that some fall flat on their faces, often with accidentally comical results. That tends to be smaller brands trying to make a shoestring budget stretch too far, but some of the big boys take a spectacular tumble. So shoo out the goat and welcome in the monkey, and lets all hope that cheeky simian trickster ushers in some content that is every bit as entertaining as these turkeysbut preferably intentionally so. 5. Mistaken identity In this 'social experiment', Canon Australia set out to show how the same subject of a photograph can be greatly influenced by the mind of the person behind the lensthe photographer. But by framing it as 'prank' video, the piece completely misdirects the audience into thinking its message was: "Look how easily we duped these photographers." That wasn't the intended message, but it's the one most viewers were left scratching their heads about. As we said in our original post on this video, it is amazing that the photograhers did such a great job of turning the same subject into compelling portraits of a millionaire, a fisherman, a criminal, a psychic, a recovering alcoholic and a life-saving hero. It also says a lot about the model's acting skills that he portrayed these different persona so convincingly the snappers had no clue they were being misled. It's just a shame the brand got the tone so wrong. 4. The ring that rang wrong This one is a true guilty pleasure. Ad Nut has difficulty trying to imagine a way to add to the sheer awfulness of this videofrom the script to the acting to the dubbing to the editing to the pacing of every single sequence, it is just perfectly out of kilter. This is a thing of cringe-enducing beauty, and we just can't stop watching it, chomping on cashews like popcorn. Ad Nut was previously certain that the devicea voice-activated smartphone ring which the designers at Whynot Tech can't seem to decide whether to call "ARING" or "VRING"didn't really exist. But from the look of the company's Facebook page, it seems it has been showing off the gizmo's functions at several trade shows in Taiwan, even though several fundraisers have failed to hit their targets. Perhaps there really is no such thing as bad advertising. Let's hope it performs better than this clanger from Logbar (more from them below) a couple of years ago. 3. Pile of pants Ad Nut really isnt sure where to begin with this. No matter how many times we watch this, we can't shake the feeling we're experiencing some kind of bizarre flu-enduced hallucination. Japanese ads have a tendency to seem pretty off the wall to foreign eyesnot to mention rodent onesbut this spot for teen music video station Space Shower TV takes the casual objectification of women to a new level. The ad, plus its extended 'making of' video and accompanying online game, consists of a bizarre, elaborate set-up to use the power of music to perve at a young model's underwear: she stands on a gigantic upturned speaker, and blasts of air created by thumping bass beats lift the hem of her skirts. The press release from Dot by Dot, the creative agency responsible for this abomination, actually boasts that the 60-second version of the ad contains "twenty different panty shots". Classy. It is all framed as though it were somehow just the harmless realisation of a pubescent male fantasy, but as creative director Kyosuke Taniguchi admits in the statement, this was executed by "full-grown adults". Once again, Ad Nut is left scratching our furry ears trying to work out what makes these crazy humans tick. 2. Creep me out, Computer What was it with white people and wearables in Asia this year? Following up on its aforementioned crashed-and-burned smart ring, Logbar decided to crank the cringe-factor right up to 11 with this ill-advised lech-fest. The instant translator is a classic sci-fi trope, so it is doubly bizarre that the first use the company could think of for it was to give it to a sleazy pick-up artist. But that is what they did. There was such a storm of outrage when this video of an Englishman prowling the streets of Tokyo cajoling women for a kisseven at one point chasing one woman around a parkthat Logbar had to issue a statement clarifying it was all a set-up, and that all the women involved were paid actresses. That doesn't make the inferred sexual coercion a whole lot easier to watch, however. If it really works as well as the video claims, then the iLi Wearable Translator is an impressive piece of kit. Unfortunately, anyone seen with one dangling from their necks now runs the risk of being labelled a sex pest. 1. Dont drink and direct Diageo is always careful to remind consumers to enjoy its products responsiblyand rightly sobut Ad Nut has to wonder whether the director of this disaster got the memo. With a star-studded cast, a seemingly limitless budget, cameos from legendary F1 drivers, enviably glamorous locations and postcard-perfect scenery, and not to mention an iconic brand to showcase, it should have been impossible to go wrong. Yet wrong is exactly where it goes. For 11 interminable minutes. And for squandering all that excellent potential, it tops our list. Bonus round: Students take brands back to school To stop you getting too depressed about all those wasted dollars, here is proof that big budgets are no match for a good idea executed with grace and style. This beautiful and touching tribute to brotherhoodand Johnnie Walker, of courseby film students Dorian Lebherz and Daniel Titz puts the professionals to shame. Somebody give these guys a job. Sharpish. | BY Lynchy | Last night marked the Student Graduation of the 28th year of AWARD School, sponsored by Google and held at The Loft, Sydney. The award for top AWARD School student in Sydney went to Simon Gibson. Second place went to Luke Chard, while Kate Holdsworth placed third. Michael Ashton, Edwin Kua Woon Chiun, Kim Davies, Toby Fisher, Sam Holt, Robert Johnson and Brad Jones took out the 4th to the 10th place. Sydney AWARD School 2011 received close to 300 applications, with a 100 students graduating from the program. Having spent 16 weeks learning to offer creative solutions to product challenges, to craft ideas and understand how creativity feeds popular culture, graduates now have a body of work they can present to prospective employers. Hosted by AWARD Chairman, Craig Davis and AWARD School co-heads Dustin Lane and Adrian McNamara, the evening saw creatives, students, tutors, guest speakers and media come together to welcome the next generation of creative talent and enjoy an exhibition of students top work. AWARD Chairman Craig Davis (left) thanked gold sponsor Google, as well as FSM. He extended a special thank you to the school heads for their dedication to AWARD School and said dedicating your to run this program is a real act of generosity and sacrifice. He went on to congratulate the students and said it was an opportune time for them to enter the industry as Creativity is more relevant, potent and powerful than ever before, and more valued by clients and business. Adds Daniel Leesong, CEO The Communications Council: Thank you to all those guest speakers, school heads, tutors and judges that worked tirelessly to guide this years graduates on their path to creative enlightenment. Well done to those students for their commitment over the past 16 weeks. We look forward to following your progress as you venture into the world of commercial creativity. The judging panel responsible for selection of the top students and the work on the wall included: Ben OBrien- Kastner & Partners, Shane Bradnick BMF, Gavin McLeod Integer/ TBWA, Luke Chess Clemenger BBDO, Graham Johnson- M&C Saatchi, Richard Morgan Holler, Julian Watt- GPY&R. AWARD School wishes to thank the following guest speakers: Ray Black; Chris Polites- Google; Simon Veksner- DDB; Warren Brown BMF, Pete Buckley & Tim Brown Disciple; Ralph Van Dijk -Eardrum; Julian Watt -GPY&R; Ben OBrien- Kastner & Partners -Chris James, Ogilvy; Steve Coll Euro RSCG; Richard Morgan -Holler. AWARD also wishes to thank the following agencies for their involvement in tutoring in New South Wales: 12 Below, 303, BMF, Bondi Advertising, BWM, Clemenger BBDO, DDB, Draft FCB, Droga5, Innocean, JWT, Kastner & Partners, M&C Saatchi, Momentum, Moon Group, Saatchi & Saatchi, The Works and Whybin TBWA. Google AWARD School will host its Melbourne Graduation party tomorrow night August 11th, Brisbanes graduation is scheduled for Tuesday the 16th August, and Adelaide, Perth and Hobart are set for Thursday the 18th of August. | BY Ricki Green | Today Ogilvy & Mather Myanmar has named Aussie expat industry veteran Guy Winston as executive creative director to develop and lead creative standards in the country. Says Andy Annett, managing director of Today O&M Myanmar: We are very lucky to have someone of Guys reputation and experience joining us and I cant wait to work alongside him. There is great potential in Myanmar and Today Ogilvy is leading the development of the industry here. Guy will put us on the international creative map, not just for our agency but for the country as a whole. I have no doubt he will raise standards across the board and be a great mentor to the new generation of Myanmar creative. Winston has worked with an array of top agencies and brands throughout his career, which includes vast experience throughout Asia. Previously executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi Hong Kong where he was responsible for the P&G business across Greater China and was regional creative director on Pampers. Winston has also worked as regional creative director for JWT based out of Bangkok where he led Fords creative product across Asia Pacific and Africa. Throughout his career Winston has led creative teams for major agencies in China, Australia, New York and the UK as well as a stint with JWT in Pakistan. Winston was deputy CD of JWT Sydney from 1987 to 1991 followed by an eight year stint as executive CD of Lintas Australia, based in Sydney. Winstons work has garnered accolades across mediums. Highlights include multiple recognitions from Cannes Lions, Clio Awards and D&AD Awards, to name a few. Says Winston: It is an exciting time to be in Myanmar. There is a palpable sense of energy with the country making positive changes at a tremendously fast rate. There is so much potential within the local team here and a large part of my role is cultivating that talent. Today Ogilvy Myanmar has ambitious plans and I not only look forward to developing and fueling creativity within the agency, but also within the country as a whole. | BY Kim Shaw | The Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards has named Charles Cadell (pictured left), Asia Pacific President, McCann Worldgroup as Chairman of the Overall Executive Jury, and David Guerrero (right), Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Guerrero, as Jury President of the Creative Executive Jury. It is an honour to lead the Jury in Tambulis 10th Anniversary year. Over the last decade, the APAC Tambuli Awards has championed the excellent results that come from great work derived off the platform of Human Good. Today, this platform is globally accepted as a critical piece of the marketing communication mix for all Clients as their customers demand their preferred brands play a socially responsible role in the world. The work coming from Asia Pacific in this field is regarded as world class and I look forward to seeing more in 2016, said Cadell. The APAC Tambuli Awards honors brands that do good and do well showing the seamless integration of creativity + human good + results. Case study entries must demonstrate how brands uplift society, create positive change, and correlate purpose with purchase. The APAC Tambuli Awards is not an award on charity, advocacy, pro bono, or CSR advertising, even if those campaigns are welcome and encouraged to enter. The award, however, focuses on mainstream brand campaigns that celebrate humanity, inspire purpose, and deliver results. Guerrero said, The dominant trend in our industry is, arguably, the increasing alignment of brands, creativity and the promotion of good in the wider community. And in dedicating themselves to recognizing the best work in that area, the APAC Tambuli awards were ahead of their time. So it is with great enthusiasm that I will be sitting down with this incredibly talented and high-achieving jury to judge the entries to this years show. We are all dedicated to take the time to understand and appreciate the best work. To be inspired by it. To inspire others with the work we recognize. And to keep the best of the good work coming. The Overall Executive jury determines the top awards to be given out in this competition the grand prix and platinum winners. The Creative Executive jury on the other hand, evaluates entries under the creative effectiveness, design for good, innovation for good, startup for good, and a special award to be given out on its 10th year anniversary, the Best of the Decade. Brand campaigns for good with impressive results that were produced and released between January 2005 and December 2015 are qualified to enter the special category on Best of the Decade. The members of the executive juries will be announced soon. | BY Lynchy | Media iQ, the global analytics and technology specialist, is to open offices in The Rocks in Sydney and St Kilda in Melbourne. The company, which already has offices across North America, Europe and Asia, opens its new premises as part of its ambition to be the leader in technology and analytics by delivering meaningful insights to clients across the globe. Australia is the fifth most advanced media market in the world and Media iQ believes the markets business model is well suited to them. The companys ambition is to deliver up to $10 million billings in the first year of trading, making Australia one of its top three operating markets within two years. As part of the expansion, Media iQ has developed strategic partnerships with Australian sales houses, Regital and Trade Indy to help bring its products to the market. The agency is also looking to partner with one of the largest, market leading independent Australian data providers to provide a holistic view of the market. Both offices will act as strategic hubs for sales and trading in the Australian market. In the coming months Media iQ will be employing up to 20 people made up of Analysts and Traders who will be supported by a dedicated team of Campaign Analysts based in Bangalore, India; the Tech, Analytics and R&D HQ. Founded in 2010 by Gurman Hundal and Lee Puri (pictured above), Media iQ is a privately funded $100 million business. Headquartered in the UK, it uses its superior analytical platform AiQ to unlock insights from data to drive business growth. International clients include major advertisers working closely with agency groups including Group M, Omnicom, Aegis and Publicis. Puriwill lead the integration of the new teams in Australia and will be looking to appoint a general manager in the first 12 months. | BY Ricki Green | News Corp Australia, in partnership with online learning provider LiteracyPlanet, has launched Raise A Reader a national editorial-driven campaign that aims to inspire families to respond to Australias waning literacy levels by raising a reader. The month-long campaign to be led by all metropolitan mastheads highlights that Australias reading and writing levels are falling behind global standards. It aims to spark a conversation that encourages parents and caregivers to take the time to read to their children and impress upon them an appreciation for the enjoyment and benefits of reading and writing. Incumbent Australian Childrens Laureate and 2015 Senior Australian of the Year, Jackie French (left), will be a Raise a Reader ambassador. French is the author of more than 170 books including the iconic Diary of a Wombat and Pete the Sheep. Says French: Reading is muscle building for the brain. If we want intelligent adults, give our kids books. If we want creative kids wholl work out how to mine the asteroids, give our kids books. If we want kids who learn to understand themselves as well as strangers, give kids books. Reading is the gateway for the future of our children, and our planet. Says Damian Eales, managing director for metro and regional publishing, News Corp Australia: February is a critical month on the national literacy calendar with over 3.5 million Australians returning to school. It is also the perfect time for parents and caregivers to start forming new habits about reading and writing in the home. Research continues to show that good reading and writing skills learned as a child are vital in setting up adults for future success. As the number one publishing brand in Australia, News Corp wants to advocate more on behalf of raising the issue of literacy and improving reading and writing skills of all Australians. To launch Raise A Reader News Corp Australia mastheads are donating a combined total of 10,000 books to The Smith Family. The books will be distributed to families, schools and early literacy initiative, Lets Read, a partnership between Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and The Smith Family that promotes reading with children from birth to five years. Says Adam McArthur, CEO, LiteracyPlanet: We are proud to partner with News Corp Australia on this important initiative to raise readers around Australia. Literacy skills are the building blocks of success in later life and a critical development skill for children. Our research shows that 86 per cent of parents are concerned about the development of their childs literacy skills with parents of primary schoolers spending more than three hours a week with their children developing these skills. LiteracyPlanet is passionate about creating engaging online learning tools that help parents and teachers improve childrens literacy skills in a fun and easy way. Raise A Reader starts today and runs until 29 February. Campaign Touchpoints 1. Dedicated Editorial: News Corp Australias metro newspapers will support the initiative with editorial that starts a conversation about the importance of reading and literacy teaching and give parents and caregivers further guidance on how they can be better role models to their children. 2. Exclusive Book Collection: For two weeks in February, families will be able to relive the magic of prolific childrens author Dr. Seuss by purchasing an affordable 14-day book collectible that has been produced by HarperCollins will be available with the purchase of any of News Corp metro and regional newspapers. The first in the collection is The Cat in the Hat, which, together with a Collectors Seuss-case, comes free with each purchase of the newspaper from participating newsagents and supermarkets. Subsequent books will be available for $2.60 each with purchase of the paper. 3. National Competition: In partnership with LiteracyPlanet, News Corp Australia metro newspapers will launch a national competition on February 13. Readers will be invited to challenge their word building skills by completing a Word Mania game, for a chance to win daily prizes and up to $10,000 cash that can be won by parents towards their familys education expenses or by teachers to use towards school literacy programs. 4. 10,000 books: News Corp Australia is donating 10,000 childrens books to The Smith Family that will be distributed to schools, families and Lets Read, an existing national literacy program created by the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and administered by charity. 5. 500 annual subscriptions: LiteracyPlanet is donating 500 eLearning annual subscription programs that will be distributed by The Smith Family to children and their families/carers. | BY Ricki Green | CB Exclusive It is tough, it is structurally and technologically one of the best, its engineering is second to none, it has now been proven on the roughest terrain by the toughest of critics and it was naked. No one knew what badge it bore. Over the past week Australians have been asked to Guess the Naked Ute via a teaser campaign via DDB Sydney, on television, social and online, with more than 100,000 ute lovers voting in an online poll. The big reveal of the campaign came yesterday when Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles unveiled the identity of the highly talked about Naked Ute the Volkswagen Amarok. Says Toby Talbot, chief creative officer, DDB Group Sydney: Australians long held the perception the Amarok was a city ute. We felt the most authentic way to challenge this perception was by stripping it bare and allowing pure performance to do the talking. We took the Amarok and removed the badges, removed the luxuries and comfort previously synonymous with the brand and put it to the tough test in very rough conditions by staunch critics. You cant argue with that. DDB deputy ECD Cam Hoelter said the agency jumped at the chance to show that a ute engineered in Germany had all that it takes to take on Australias tough conditions. Says Hoelter: Blind taste tests have always been used to challenge preconceptions of products in advertising. But never when it comes to cars. So we asked what if people couldnt judge the Amarok by its cover, but by performance alone would they reconsider what they thought of it? The Naked Ute is a fully integrated, through the line campaign and was launched via TVC, print and digital as well as a highly successful content campaign delivered primarily through Facebook. The campaign started with a week long teaser period with a stripped back naked ute featuring in a 15 TVC that called on the public to Guess the Naked Ute. This was supported by a promoted social campaign that had separate content whereby viewers were introduced to four Aussie ute lovers who put the Naked Ute through its grueling paces. New content was rolled out each day driving traffic to thenakedute.com to vote or view more. Says Ralph Beckmann, marketing manager, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles: We wanted to really challenge some of the misconceptions around Amarok and develop a disruptive campaign to bring this to life. We believed many couldnt see beyond the Volkswagen badge and the good looking exterior. So we decided to take it away and the response has been phenomenal. In our first week alone, the engagement far exceeded our expectations and it also showed us that a lot of people know their Amaroks down to bolts, suspension, stance and even the shape of the rear window. The campaign was produced in partnership with The Glue Society/Will ORourke with Matt Devine directing the TVCs and Jonathan Kneebone taking on the content challenge. The campaign moved into its full integrated reveal phase on Sunday (January 31) with a 30sec TVC and new social content supported by online and print. MARKETING MANAGER: Ralph Beckman PRODUCT MARKETING MANAGER: Nick Reid MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS DIGITAL SPECIALIST: Emma Johnson CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER:Toby Talbot DEPUTY EXEC CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Cam Hoelter SENIOR ART DIRECTOR: Jade Manning SENIOR WRITER: Vincent Osmond DESIGNER:Domenic Bartolo MANAGING PARTNER: Amanda Wheeler BUSINESS DIRECTOR: John Larkin BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Astrid Noble BUSINESS MANAGER: Chelsea Riddington STRATEGIST: Fran Clayton HEAD OF INTEGRATED CONTENT: Sevda Cemo SENIOR PRODUCER: Claire Seffrin DIGITAL SNR BUSINESS DIR: Parker Mason CONTENT CREATOR: Robert Crispe SOCIAL CONTENT CREATOR: Liana Rossi CREATIVE TEC DIRECTOR: Shaun OConnor EXECUTIVE DIGITAL PRODUCER: Sora Nobari SNR DIGITAL PRODUCER: Jdy Lau DIGITAL PRODUCER:Will Kerr FRONT END DEVELOPER: Sarah Hawes FRONT END DEVELOPER/DESIGNER: Jennifer Wong SENIOR PRINT PRODUCER: John Wood SOCIAL COMMS MGR: Salil Kumar PRODUCTION PARTNERS: PRODUCTION HOUSE: Will ORourke DIRECTOR TVC: The Glue Societys Matt Devine DIRECTOR CONTENT: The Glue Societys Jonathan Kneebone MANAGING DIRECTOR/ EP : Michael Ritchie EP /HEAD OF PROJECTS: Josh Mullens PRODUCER: Serena Paull DOP: Ryley Brown POST PRODUCTION: TV/CONTENT EDITOR: Luke Crethar COLOURIST: Yoomin Lee POST PRODUCTION CONTENT: The Glue Society POST PRODUCER: Scott Stirling TV/VFX POST PROD: Heckler Films EP POST/VFX PRODUCER: Will Alexander POST PRODUCTION VFX/TV: Bonnie Law PHOTOGRAPHY/SOUND: SOUND COMPANY: Sound Reservoir CREATIVE/SOUND ENGINEER: Paul Taylor PHOTOGRAPHY: Janyon Boshoff RETOUCHING: Limehouse creative LIBRARY MUSIC: AMCOS LIBRARY MUSIC: AUDIONET Dominion Lending Centres President Gary Mauris got the chance of a lifetime a few weeks ago: the opportunity to question Prime Minister Justin Trudeau face to face. That interview, which taped in the prime minsters office, aired tonight on CBC. Mauris had two questions for the PM. He began by grilling Trudeau on Liberal tax increases for Canadians making over $200,000 a year. Top income earners are largely small business owers who create jobs, Mauris said. Their incentive to do so has diminished with punishing marginal tax rates well in excess of 50%. Mauris said other jurisdictions, like the U.K., have rolled back tax hikes on higher-income earners because they actually resulted in less tax revenue overall. Youre not Robin Hood and the countrys not Sherwood Forest. Gary Mauris to Justin Trudeau Trudeau replied, Were actually lowering taxes for small business down to 9%. But more importantly, he added, Median household incomes have stalled for a generation of middle-class Canadians. Trudeau said his plan to take from the wealthy to give to the middle class addressed this problem, to which Mauris retorted, Youre not Robin Hood and the countrys not Sherwood Forest. Mauriss second question centred on consumer debt. Theres been a lot of tightening of the mortgage guidelines, Mauris said, but mortgage debt isnt the problem. People are paying their mortgage payments in CanadaWe have the lowest default rates anywhere in the Western world. The biggest challenge is lack of credit card regulation, he suggested. [Canadians] arent refinancing their mortgages to use it as an ATM and go on a spending spree. Theyre using it to refinance high-interest unsecured credit card debtat 16-20% interest. Theyre getting buried by [that interest], Mauris stressed. Trudeau agreed, noting, We need to create opportunity to grow the economy and improve financial literacy. Were now carrying more debt than the United StatesIm really worried about household debt in this country. The prime minister said his administration was working with banks and policymakers on the issue. Mauris, always the deal maker, closed the interview with a special offer for the prime minister: When you get around to doing that reno on 24 Sussex, well give you the lowest rate in the country, and save you lots of money. Registered political parties, candidates, local branches and other associated entities are required to lodge annual financial disclosure returns with the Australian Electoral Commission. Donors who gave more than $12,800 in the 2014-15 financial year have to be disclosed publicly. While still sensitive to a level of unease among some families to the move, Dr Garrick said he was heartened by the overall response to the decision, which he maintained was the correct one to take, not just for the benefit of all students but for the financial stability of the school. [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 Three college students who first met while attending a Catholic high school in Florida have launched a scholarship fund to help others experience faithful Catholic education at a Newman Guide college. As we went off to different colleges, we kept in touch and found time to catch up whenever we returned [] Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Toyota announced the suspension of all production on its Japan-based manufacturing facilities after an explosion at a steel plant of one of their partners. The explosion happened at an Aichi Steel factory and is expected to impact the production output of the No.1 car maker in the world, which produces around 40% of its products locally in Japan. Toyota released the following statement: Due to parts shortages resulting from an explosion that occurred on January 8 at an Aichi Steel Corporation (Aichi Steel) manufacturing facility, Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) will suspend all production on its vehicle assembly lines within Japan from February 8 through 13. Operations are scheduled to recommence on February 15, and vehicle production on lines outside Japan will not be suspended. Toyota will continue to take any measures necessary to minimize the impact of this incident on vehicle production. Such measures may include production on alternate lines operated by Aichi Steel and procurement from other steelmakers. With models like the all-new Prius hybrid produced in Japan, Toyotas plan to build 10.2 million cars worldwide this year is off to a rough start. PHOTO GALLERY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org In Yangon, Frederick Rawski, Frederick.rawski@mail.cceom.org In Burmese > ATLANTA The Carter Center congratulates the people of Myanmar on the sitting of the newly elected union and state/regional legislative assemblies. The results of the historic elections on Nov. 8, 2015, delivered a strong mandate to incoming representatives to press forward with Myanmar's ongoing transition from authoritarian rule to democracy. "With the sitting of the new assemblies, Myanmar is experiencing another historic moment in its democratic transition," former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said. "Many challenges lie ahead. The peace process is incomplete; ethnic and religious divisions persist; and restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly remain. I encourage the incoming legislators to use this opportunity to advance reforms and fully commit the government to democratic principles and human rights." President Carter visited Myanmar in April and September of 2013. The Carter Center has been observing the political and electoral environment in Myanmar since 2014 and deployed a delegation of more than 60 observers during the November 2015 general elections. In itspreliminary statement, Carter Center observers assessed the conduct of voting and counting as positive in 95 percent of the polling stations visited on election day and acknowledged the important efforts of the Union Election Commission to make the electoral process more transparent. It noted, however, that aspects of the electoral and constitutional framework are inconsistent with recognized international standards for democratic elections. The Carter Center continues to deploy observers to assess the post-election environment and monitor the complaints tribunal process being conducted by the Union Election Commission. Later this year, the Center will release its final report on the observation of the 2015 elections, which will include detailed recommendations for the new government and legislators to consider while pursuing further reform of the electoral framework. ### "Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope." A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org In Tunisia, Fida Nasrallah, fida.nasrallah@cartercenter.org TUNIS - It has been a little more than a year since Tunisia's Assembly of the Representatives of the People took up its work. The Carter Center commends the ARP for the important strides it has made in consolidating the rule of law - through the timely implementation of the Provisional Authority for the Control of the Constitutionality of Draft Laws - and for adopting legislation creating the Constitutional Court. The Center equally appreciates the actions of the provisional authority that has worked rigorously to review the constitutionality of draft laws. However, the Center notes that there have been delays in adopting laws in several crucial areas and urges the assembly to continue efforts to establish the constitutional bodies and pass the laws needed to reap the full benefits of the revolution. While there are various reasons for these legislative delays - some beyond the control of the ARP - urgent action is needed to meet the constitutional deadlines for the establishment of the High Judicial Council and the Constitutional Court. Electoral legislation, including a law governing municipal boundary delimitations, is also critical in order to hold municipal and regional elections as scheduled. One of the main goals in post-revolutionary Tunisia is to ensure the separation of powers between an independent judiciary and the executive. The Carter Center is especially concerned about delays in establishing the HJC, which is constitutionally mandated to safeguard the tenure of judges and to provide guarantees to magistrates in matters of nomination, promotion, and discipline. The establishment of the judicial council will help guarantee the independence and proper functioning of the justice system. Legislation governing its establishment has been repeatedly hampered by the authority's failure to pass constitutional review. The HJC bill has faced multiple hurdles. The assembly passed the bill twice, only to see it twice rejected on constitutionality by the provisional authority. In the future, the legislative branch should exert greater rigor in its examination of draft legislation, even pieces submitted by the government, to facilitate their later implementation. The Carter Center is also concerned about delays in the actual establishment of the Constitutional Court, which was mandated by the constitution to be in place by November 2015. Delays in the creation of the higher judicial council directly affect the establishment of the constitutional court, as the council is responsible for nominating four of its 12 members. The urgency in the need to establish the court derives from the temporary nature of the provisional authority. The body's transient character and limited powers have hindered the constitutional review process of legislation passed under the Ben Ali regime and prevented the body from pronouncing on some matters with long-term ramifications. The lack of progress also threatens the timeline for the regional and municipal elections, scheduled for Oct. 30, 2016. Although the government has recently presented a project to amend the electoral law that integrates provisions for regional and municipal elections to the assembly for urgent review, accompanying legislation to establish municipal boundary delimitations is still needed. This legislation should be introduced to the assembly as soon as possible, as it will require an inclusive review process. Moreover, the election authority, political parties, and civil society organizations cannot prepare effectively for the municipal elections until new boundaries are created. If elections are to be held in 2016, the ARP should fast-track this legislation. It is also advisable that it pass a law on decentralization well in advance of municipal and regional elections to facilitate greater understanding of the roles and powers of elected municipal and regional bodies. The Center also urges the ARP to respect chapter 6 of the constitution, which calls for the legislative branch to create and facilitate the work of five independent authorities. Of the five independent authorities, three are yet to be established (the Human Rights Authority, the Authority for Sustainable Development and the Rights of Future Generations, and the Good Governance and Anti-Corruption Authority). One should be reformed (the Audio-Visual Communication Authority), and, though already established, the Independent High Authority for Elections requires selection and approval of some new members. While urgent progress should be made on the legislative front, The Carter Center also encourages the election authority to move forward to implement the recommendations made in its report following the 2014 elections. Several could be implemented without further action from the assembly, including increasing civic engagement for the municipal elections and engaging with political parties and civil society on voter outreach. Since the completion of Tunisia's parliamentary and presidential elections in December 2014, The Carter Center has been closely following the work of the assembly, including the process of harmonizing the ideals of the new constitution with existing domestic legislation and new legislation under consideration. In the spirit of respect and support, The Carter Center makes the following recommendations to help advance the process: To the president of the republic: Use the powers provided under the constitution to select the final four members of the Constitutional Court to achieve gender parity among its members, if needed. Use these same powers to take into account the need for diversity in juridical and non-juridical expertise among the Constitutional Court members to contribute to its optimal and effective functioning. To the assembly: Pass the law on the High Judicial Council so that the Constitutional Court can be created and reform of the judiciary can move forward. Pass the law for the regional and municipal elections, and associated legislation governing boundary delimitations, according to the proposed roadmap, so that elections can be held without undue delay. Elections have been suggested for Oct. 30, 2016, which will require significant efforts. Conduct a transparent and inclusive review of the electoral constituency boundaries for all levels of elections. On a municipal level, ensure that boundaries are based on objective criteria. New municipal boundaries should also undergo a thorough review process in the localities that will be affected by them. To the election authority: Begin conducting a voter education campaign with political parties and civil society organizations, focusing on the need to update voter registration information before the municipal elections. This should include steps to encourage young people and rural women who do not yet possess a national identity card to obtain one to allow their inclusion in the electoral register. Hold regular meetings with representatives of NGOs, political parties and potential independent candidates to enhance the participatory approach of the election authority. ### "Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope." A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. Slamdances honorable mention for animated short was awarded to Josh Shaffner for Flaws. The jurys statement: Flaws brilliantly portrays the trajectory of life and death within a world of helplessness. It beautifully interlaces images, icons, words and music to deliver a powerful piece of thought-provoking cinema in under three minutes. Back at Sundance, animation-influenced movies weaved their way into the winners circle on the feature film side as well. In the U.S. dramatic category, the best directing honor went to Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan collectively known as the Internet virality makers Daniels for their feature directing debut Swiss Army Man. The polarizing film, starring Daniel Radcliffe as a magical farting corpse, generated heated discussions at the festival (I fell firmly in the loved it crowd), but Scheinert and Kwan more than earned their directing award. With Swiss Army Man, they crafted a fiercely stylish, structurally inventive film that combines the language of Internet filmmaking, music videos, and animation into a grand feature-length experiment. Animator Kirsten Lepore also contributed dozens of shots that incorporated animation to the finished film. The animation community will likely be impressed by the imagination on display throughout Swiss Army Man. Take, for example, this comment by Patrick Osborne, director of Disneys Feast: Saw the Daniel Radcliffe farting corpse movie and kinda loved it #sundance2016 Patrick Osborne (@PatrickTOsborne) January 27, 2016 Finally, at Sundance, Roger Ross Williams won the directing award in the U.S. documentary category for Life, Animated, a feature-length film about how an autistic boy learned to exress himself by watching Disney films, and how his family subsequently communicated with him through Disney dialogue and song. Toyota has been forced to stall production in Japan, after a blast at one of its affiliated steel factories. The worlds largest automaker will halt production for one week, between February 8 and 13, at all car assembly plants in Japan. Toyota issued a statement that the blast at Aichi Steel Plant on January 8 has hit production of steel that is used in auto parts including engine, transmission and chassis. The company is looking at procuring it from other steel makers. The company produced close to 40 lakh cars in Japan last year, 46 per cent of which were exported. The statement also clarified that the stoppage will not affect any other Toyota facility outside of Japan. Toyota believes that the production will be back on track from February 15. This new doesnt seem to have affected Toyota too baldy, in fact the market value of its shares went up by 1.8 per cent today. Photo: Contributed Support Childhood Cancer Research, on B.C. Family Day, by skating with your loved ones at the Royal LePage Arena. The third annual Princess and Superhero Family Skate Day is taking place from 10 a.m. to noon in West Kelowna, with all proceeds supporting The Paige Foundation. Paige passed away in Aug. 2013 from Leukemia and her family is keeping her memory alive by inviting children, and those who are kids at heart, to dress up for a good cause and take to the ice. The Paige Foundation was born out of the desperate and direct need for pediatric cancer research funding, according to Paiges mother Natelle Moench. There are wonderful doctors and scientists doing great work to save our children, but their efforts are not being funded adequately, said Moench, in 2013 when researching her daughters disease. The shortfall of cancer research funding for our children is astonishing and its preventable, that is why we are doing what we are doing. Paige was diagnosed with a cancer called Acute Myeloid Leukemia on Feb. 15, 2013. She did not respond well to treatment and unfortunately passed away only six months after being diagnosed. Now, as her family continues to keep Paiges memory alive they also hope to raise awareness of the pediatric cancer funding gap, and to raise money to fund new research. The event will include music and door prizes, as well as donated children's toque and mitten sets, from Bed, Bath and Beyond, which will be selling for $2. For more information on the Paige Foundation click here. Photo: The Canadian Press Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef concedes Canada's first-past-the-post electoral system has its advantages. And, whatever its flaws, she acknowledges it would be welcomed in fledgling democracies like Afghanistan, from whence she fled as a youngster. But a mature democracy like Canada can do better, she says. Monsef has been put in charge of delivering on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's pledge to make last fall's federal election the last conducted under FPTP. The objective, she says, is to engage voters, improve turn out during elections and make all Canadians feel like their votes count. That means "a stronger democratic system that allows for a higher voter turnout, that engages the voices of those who at the moment feel like they're ignored, those who feel like their issues don't matter and that their hopes and aspirations don't count," Monsef said in an interview. "We have an opportunity, with this government as we approach the 150th anniversary, to strengthen and modernize our democratic institutions and bring them into the 21st Century and that is the mandate that we got from Canadians." Monsef has used the mandate argument to deflect Conservative demands for a Canada-wide referendum on whatever electoral reform is eventually recommended by a soon-to-be-constituted, special all-party committee. In the interview, she continued to throw cold water on the referendum idea, but didn't absolutely rule it out. "We need to consider different ways of voting, yes, but we also need to consider online voting, we also need to consider mandatory voting. There are some who suggest that we need to consider the voting age... "So, to reduce this national conversation to a simple 'Yes' or 'No' is taking a short cut and doing a great disservice to Canadians and to this incredible opportunity we have here to engage Canadians." Still, Monsef said she's "not ready to commit" to a categorical rejection of a referendum. In the meantime, she said the all-party committee can decide for itself how to conduct broad consultations with Canadians. She'll be conducting her own extensive consultations at the same time, she added. Referendums have shot down electoral reform proposals in British Columbia, Ontario and P.E.I. On a national scale, a referendum would be even more difficult, with any proposal having to garner signficant support in all regions, if not all provinces. Some polls have suggested Canadians aren't particularly keen on changing the familiar FPTP system, in which the candidate who wins the most votes in a riding wins the seat, frequently with considerably less than 50 per cent of the vote. But Monsef scoffed at the suggestion that all her consultations might produce a consensus to stick with the status quo. "Our entire campaign platform was based on the conversations that the prime minister had across the country for years and so ... we heard Canadians and we developed a set of proposals accordingly." The Conservatives have accused Trudeau of planning to rig the system to ensure Liberal election victories in perpetuity. Trudeau has in the past expressed a personal preference for a ranked ballot system, in which voters rank their preferences and trailing candidates' second choices are counted until one emerges with more than 50 per cent of the vote. Conservatives contend that would favour the centrist Liberals, who are most likely to be the second choice of other parties' supporters. However, Monsef noted that Trudeau has specifically asked her to explore all options, including various models of proportional representation. And she said one of the reasons he chose her to lead on the file is precisely because she has "no preconceived notions." "I have no preference and it's quite liberating to bring that level of objectivity to a file like this one." Photo: The Canadian Press The accused killers of a Hamilton man who disappeared after taking two men out for a test drive of his pickup truck nearly three years ago have pleaded not guilty. Dellen Millard, of Toronto, and Mark Smich, from Oakville, Ont., are both charged with first-degree murder in Tim Bosma's death. Bosma left his home on May 6, 2013 and was never seen alive again his body was found "burned beyond recognition" more than a week later. Seven men and seven women were selected to the jury a process that took a little more than a week. Justice Andrew Goodman excused one juror, who was replaced with an alternate. The judge, who told the jury the trial is expected to last four months, gave them a rundown of their responsibilities for almost 45 minutes today in a packed Hamilton courtroom filled mostly with Bosma's friends and family. "You are judges of the facts," Goodman said to the jury. "You are not lawyers and you are not investigators. You must not seek out or do any research of the case." Goodman repeated on several occasions that Millard and Smich are presumed innocent and "they start this trial with a clean slate." The judge told the jury they have to decide the case against each accused individually. "You do not have to make the same decision for each person," Goodman said. Bosma's wife, Sharlene, said goodbye to her husband around 9:20 p.m. A few days later, she told the media, her husband told her with a smile on his face that he'd be right back. When she hadn't heard from him after an hour, she called police. By the next morning, a massive manhunt was on. "I ask and I beg and I plead to whomever has my husband to please let him go," she said through tears at the news conference. "It was just a truck, it was just a truck." Bosma was 32 years old at the time of his death and left behind a young daughter. According to police, a man phoned Bosma to arrange a test drive for his black, 2007 Dodge Ram pickup that he had advertised for sale online. That night in May, two men showed up at his house. The search for Bosma was massive, with more than 150 police officers from several regions in southern Ontario taking part. Police have said they believe Bosma was killed shortly after he went missing. Millard, the heir to an aviation business started by his grandfather nearly 50 years ago, was arrested on May 10 and charged with forcible confinement and theft of a vehicle. Several days later, police found Bosma's body "burned beyond recognition." On May 22, police arrested Mark Smich. Both men were charged with first-degree murder. In mid-July 2014, the attorney general's office approved a direct indictment that sent the case straight to trial on the first-degree murder charge alone against Millard and Smich, skipping the preliminary hearing a rare legal move in Ontario. Three Crown attorneys will prosecute the case while Millard and Smich are each represented by two lawyers. Photo: The Canadian Press Donald Trump may have caught the imagination of Americans during his presidential run, but he doesn't seem to be winning as many fans north of the border. An online survey by Insights West shows 67 per cent of people north of the U.S. border believe an American presidency headed by Trump would be bad for Canada including 49 per cent who consider it very bad. Distaste for Trump appears to be strongest in B.C. where four in five people rejected him as a potential president. The survey was conducted Jan. 24-26 among 1,002 Canadian adults and has a +/- 3.1 per cent margin of error. Republican presidential candidates usually fare well with Canadas Conservative voters, but Trump continues to be perceived negatively, said Mario Canseco, Insights West vice president. In fact, Trump is regarded as a bad choice for Canada by 57 per cent of those who voted for the Tories in last years Canadian federal election. The survey shows 55 per cent of Canadians gave a thumbs up to former first lady and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The proportion of Canadians who do not know Bernie Sanders, another Democratic Party hopeful running against Clinton, dropped to 26 per cent in January. Photo: The Canadian Press Former prime minister Stephen Harper wanted to pull Canada out of one of Europe's leading security organization four years ago, but U.S. President Barack Obama helped convince him to stay. Three European ambassadors described on Monday what happened in 2012, when Harper suggested Canada would withdraw from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a 57-country alliance that includes NATO and European Union countries. The diplomats said Harper believed the OSCE was no longer relevant because Europe was mainly peaceful and that view was widely shared at the time. The outbreak of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine would later change that. The diplomats said Canada was persuaded to stay with Obama's help and would later become a major participant in the OSCE, especially when the Ukraine crisis began to escalate. The German, Serbian and Austrian ambassadors recalled the events of 2012. Harper "didn't see it as important any longer," said Werner Wnendt, German ambassador. The Harper government echoed a widespread feeling that the organization didn't have a job to do because there was no more conflict in Europe, said Wnendt. "The best news is we won't need the OSCE in the future, because everything will be resolved." Arno Riedel, the Austrian ambassador, said Canada was only raising questions that other states also asked, because "we all thought we defused tension in Europe." But the flare-up of the Ukraine-Russia conflict has since highlighted the importance of the OSCE, he said. "We need to have channels where we can communicate. And that is the OSCE." The organization has played a major role in monitoring on the ground since Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014, sparking the worst crisis between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War. Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion is going to Ukraine this week to once again pledge Canada's solidarity. Meanwhile, the OSCE is trying to gain more access to eastern Ukraine, which is held by Russian-backed separatists, to monitor what has been a shaky ceasefire. Fighting between Russian-backed rebels and Ukraine forces in the eastern part of the country has killed 9,000 people since April 2014. Riedel said Ukraine has been relatively quiet since December, but no one knows what Russia might do next. The OSCE has a large presence on the ground doing technical work to keep the situation stable, he said. In the last year, the number of OSCE monitors in Ukraine has grown to 600 from 200, said Mihailo Papazoglu, the Serbian ambassador. The previous Harper government was a vocal supporter of Ukraine's sovereignty, as is the current Liberal government. Both parties condemn Russia's incursions, however the Conservatives have accused the Liberals of cozying up to the Russians because they want to open diplomatic lines of communication. There are about 1.3 million Canadians of Ukrainian descent, which makes them an important constituency domestically. Wnendt said the current Liberal government is "keen to support" the OSCE. He also noted that the new Liberal foreign policy has stressed the need for Canada to play a greater role in international organizations. Photo: Darren Handschuh Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy A local man and woman have been arrested after they were caught wearing their ill-gotten gains. On Jan. 30 at 11 a.m., Vernon RCMP were called to the parking lot at the corner of 29th Street and 29th Avenue for a report of a vehicle break-in. Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy said the back window of the car had been smashed and numerous items stolen including clothes, change and a backpack. Then at 12:30 p.m., the owner of the vehicle spotted the two suspects walking downtown in her stolen clothing. A 30-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, both known to police, were arrested and were scheduled to appear in a Vernon court room Monday. Noseworthy said the stolen items were in plain sight in the vehicle and once again police are asking area residents not to leave any valuables in the open. Photo: Google Maps A two-year-old boy is safe after an 11-hour standoff in a northeastern British Columbia home, but police say a man who allegedly held the child has died. Fort St. John RCMP say officers entered the residence in Charlie Lake northwest of Fort St. John at about 11 p.m. Sunday. Mounties say the man was found dead but the toddler was unharmed. Police surrounded the home at around noon Sunday after a woman reported she escaped from the property during a domestic dispute, leaving her son behind. The Independent Investigations Office has taken over the case. IIO members are called in all cases where death or serious injury results during police-related incidents. Photo: The Canadian Press Former radio star Jian Ghomeshi came across as a humble, charming and chivalrous gentleman who, without warning, would turn violent, his sexual assault trial heard Monday. In opening testimony, a woman who once considered Ghomeshi good dating material described how he had shocked her by going from sweet and polite to pulling her hair so hard, it hurt. "It felt almost like a rage that wasn't there the second before he did it," said the woman, who can't be identified. "It was very confusing." The incident, in December 2002, occurred as they sat in his yellow VW Beetle near the CBC building in Toronto, she told court. The woman, then 41, had met Ghomeshi at a Christmas party and he had invited her to a show taping, after which they went for a drink. Ghomeshi had been flirtatious, but she had no qualms accepting a ride with him. "I remember thinking: he's funny, he's intelligent, he opens doors, he's a perfect gentleman." After the hair-grabbing, he seemed to "switch back" to the charming guy of earlier, she said, leaving her wondering if he simply didn't know his own strength. On a "happy night" about a month later, on their third encounter, she agreed to go with him to his house. They were standing up kissing when he went behind her, grabbed her hair, and yanked her down to her knees, she told prosecutor Michael Callaghan. "At the same time, he's punching me in the head. Multiple times. I'm terrified. Then I start to cry," she testified. "He threw me out like trash. He had nothing to say. I didn't know what he was going to do. I was frozen in fear and sadness." The woman said she never went to police at the time, saying she didn't think she had any recourse or anyone would listen to her. Still, what had happened preyed on her, especially as he grew in popularity and became more publicly visible. "Something that I was trying to bury kept resurfacing and I had to relive the violence over and over," she said. It was only in 2014 when Ghomeshi, now 48, went on Facebook to say he had "rough" but only consensual sex that she began to think about speaking out and did so after Toronto's then-police chief urged victims to come forward. The day of the Facebook posting, the CBC announced it had fired Ghomeshi after seeing "graphic evidence'' he had physically injured a woman. Ghomeshi listened quietly to the proceedings, at times fiddling with his hands, but showing little emotion. The former host of CBC Radio's popular culture show "Q" has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual assault two of which relate to the first witness and one count of overcoming resistance by choking. He is being tried by judge alone. Earlier, a clean-shaven Ghomeshi wearing a black coat, white shirt and black tie, worked his way through a throng of media as he entered the downtown Toronto courthouse. Ghomeshi's lawyer, Marie Henein, known for her take-no-prisoners style, elicited from the witness that police interviewed her only once for about an hour before charging him over the alleged incidents. Henein also made much of the fact that the woman talked to the media about what had happened. The lawyer also suggested the witness had told a friend at the time she was "smitten" with Ghomeshi, something the woman denied. "I really liked him. It was that one incident that I had had," she said of the first hair-pulling. "I did want to see him again." She never did see him after the second incident. Only one of the three complainants in the case can be identified publicly, actress Lucy DeCoutere, best known for her role in the TV series "Trailer Park Boys." "To state the obvious, this trial has attracted an extraordinary amount of media attention," Ontario court Judge William Horkins said as proceedings got underway. Horkins said even sensitive exhibits such as video and audio recordings would, as a rule, be made available. Ghomeshi also faces one other count of sexual assault involving a fourth complainant that will be tried separately in June. If convicted of sexual assault, Ghomeshi faces a maximum sentence of 18 months behind bars. The choking charge, however, carries a potential life sentence. Photo: YouTube - Fraser Institute A University of Pennsylvania survey has ranked the Fraser Institute the top think tank in Canada. The 2015 Global Go To Think Tank Index published by the university ranks the institute 17th worldwide. Being recognized as one of the top 20 think tanks in the world speaks volumes about the quality of research and programs produced by our diverse staff and senior fellows across Canada and the United States, said Niels Veldhuis, Fraser Institute president. The University of Pennsylvania ranking is validation that the Fraser Institute continues to successfully study and broadly communicate the effects of government policies on the well-being of Canadians. The annual index ranked nearly 100 Canadian policy-oriented organizations (think tanks) in Canada this year and 6,846 think tanks from 50 countries around the world. In addition to its overall ranking, the Fraser Institute also ranked: third in the world for social policy sixth in the world for domestic health policy seventh in the world for global health policy seventh for best quality assurance and integrity of policy procedures 15th for best use of external relations and public engagement 16th for most innovative policy ideas The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to measure, study, and communicate the impact of competitive markets and government intervention on the welfare of individuals. To protect the Institutes independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Fourteen other international think tanks, members of the Fraser Institute's Economic Freedom Network, also ranked among the top 175 think tanks in the survey. We would like to congratulate all of our partners around the world who work tirelessly, and often under very difficult circumstances, to educate people on the hugely positive impact that greater economic freedom has on prosperity and social progress, Veldhuis said. If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... FLSmidth receives third O&M contract from Egyptian producer 01 February 2016 FLSmidth has signed a contract with Arabian Cement Company (ACC) for operation and maintenance of the production lines at its cement plant located near the city of Suez in Egypt. The parties have agreed not to disclose the value of the contract, which covers five years of operation and maintenance of two production lines with a capacity of 6000tpd each. FLSmidth has been operating and maintaining the two lines since 2008 and 2010, respectively. Both lines were built by FLSmidth. The scope of supply includes operation and maintenance of two clinker production lines, one coal mill, two alternative fuel handling and dosing installations, four cement mills and six packing lines. The operation and maintenance of the mills and packing lines is an addition to the current scope. "Arabian Cement Company was our first operation and maintenance customer and we have supplied operation and maintenance services at their plant since 2008. The demonstrated performance over the past nearly eight years was the main motive for ACC to expand and continue the cooperation with us. The prolongation of the O&M contract illustrates the strength of our productivity enhancing 'Design-Build-Operate'-model, where we offer to design, build and operate customers' plants," says Group Executive Vice President, Cement Division, Per Mejnert Kristensen. The contract will contribute beneficially to FLSmidth's earnings until it expires in early 2021. Published under Lucky Cement not to proceed with court challenge 01 February 2016 Lucky Cement has decided to drop its South African court challenge regarding the imposition of anti-dumping duties by the International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) on Portland cement imports originating from Pakistan. The company said it had instead decided to put its faith in the Pakistan government's approach to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to challenge and revoke the anti-dumping duties. Muhammad Faisal, the financial director of Lucky Cement, confirmed to Business Report last week that "as of now" the company would not proceed with a High Court application to set aside the definitive anti-dumping duties imposed by Itac. "Pakistan has gone to the WTO (to rule) against the anti-dumping duties imposed by South Africa against exports from Pakistan. "We believe that this matter will be better handled by the government of Pakistan and there is no need to go into litigation separately as a company at this juncture," he said. Itac made a final determination in December on the anti-dumping duties and imposed duties ranging between 14.29 per cent and 77.15 per cent following an investigation in response to complaints submitted by a number of local cement producers, including PPC, Lafarge, NPC Cimpor and AfriSam. Published under Tennessees upcoming tourism news is consolidated for your convenience below. For a complete list of Tennessee events, visit tnvacation.com/calendar.Bristol, TN/VA To celebrate Groundhog Day, enjoy ticket deals and a furry keepsake giveaway that includes Tenneva Phil, Punxatawnys southern cousin, throughout the month of February at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.Feb. 1-11Chattanooga The IMAX 3D Film Festival shows a plethora of 3D films at the IMAX 3D Theater.College students can receive half-off admission to the Tennessee Aquarium and the Film Festival through the month of February.Feb. 2-3Nashville Diana Ross with the Nashville Symphony takes center stage for two unforgettable performances 7:30 p.m. CT at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.Feb. 4-5Nashville The B-52s with the Nashville Symphony perform mega hits like Love Shack, Rock Lobster, Summer of Love, and Legal Tender at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.Feb. 4-7Jackson The classic musical Oliver! is based on Charles Dickens Oliver Twist and is on the stage 7 p.m. CT at The Ned.Feb. 5Clarksville Blues in the Night heats things up through Feb. 20 at the Roxy Regional Theatre.Jackson Live at the Carnegie features a priceless collection of historic guitars and the music of Jackson 7 p.m. CT at The Carnegie.Feb. 6Crossville Step into the chocolate factory with the new musical Roald Dahls Willy Wonka through March 4 at the Cumberland County Playhouse.Nashville Songwriter Al Anderson shares stories and songs on Poets and Prophets 1:30 p.m. CT at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.Feb. 6-7Jackson Browse through the Love Day Pop-up Shop featuring stationary, flowers and gifts by local artists for sale 2-9 p.m. CT at The Neely House.Feb. 7Union City Enjoy the animal program Wings to SOAR at Discovery Park of America.Nashville Anthology: Visual Narratives from Nashvilles Print Community closes at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.Memphis Spend the afternoon celebrating the opening reception of Contemporary Classics for Champagne Sunday noon to 2 p.m. CT at The Metal Museum.Feb. 9-14Memphis The Tony Award-winning A Gentlemans Guide to Love & Murder is a musical comedy for the ages at The Orpheum Theatre.Feb. 11-27Nashville Enjoy 25 percent off tickets of Good Monsters, which explores how human beings maneuver through tragedy at The Nashville Rep.Feb. 12Athens Melinda Doolittle: It Must Be Love comes just in time for Valentines Day 7:30 p.m. ET to The Arts Center.Memphis The Daddy Daughter Dance includes a chance to win a free birthday celebration, games and more 5 p.m. CT at Incredible Pizza.Feb. 13Jonesborough Chocolate Fest hosts more than 20 businesses offering special chocolate treats from strawberries to peanuts to clusters 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET in downtown Jonesborough.Jackson Enjoy a performance by the Jackson Symphony as they present An Evening with Anthony Kearns 7:30 p.m. CT at the Carl Perkins Civic Center.Greeneville Appraisers, antique dealers, museums, historical attractions and more are on sight for the Antique Appraisal Fair & Show 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET at the Greeneville High School.Maryville The Harp Ensemble Valentines Concert features multiple, full-size harps and multiple harpists from East Tennessee under the instruction of William Lovelace 2 p.m. ET in the Reading Rotunda of the Blount County Public Library.Feb. 13-14Woodbury Enjoy a romantic dinner for two with a performance by pianist Heather Moulder at Stillhouse Restaurant.Feb. 14Nashville Phantom Bodies: The Human Aura in Art closes at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.###Explore more at tnvacation.com and join other Tennessee travelers by following tnvacation on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube. As of February 1, 2016, KRAHN CHEMIE will take over the distribution of OXEA specialty esters in France. For this purpose, its establishing a local sales team that will operate from the French branch of the sister company ALBIS PLASTIC during the initial phase. KRAHN CHEMIE plans on further expanding its presence in France and setting up its own subsidiary in the near term. OXEA and KRAHN CHEMIE have been working together in the field of specialty esters in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Eastern Europe for many years now. In recent years, we have come to appreciate KRAHN CHEMIE as an extremely competent partner who successfully distributes our specialty esters on the market with a great deal of dedication and technical understanding, says Jacco de Haas, Commercial Business Director Specialty Esters at OXEA GmbH. As such, the expansion of our cooperation to France is a logical move. To be a Chicagoan in 2016 is to live in a world where it's possible to never set foot inside a restaurant, a cobbler or a grocery store. And for those who don't know bleach from Borax, the past two years have brought a steady stream of new on-demand laundry and dry cleaning services. Advertisement Most recently, Procter & Gamble said it was testing its Tide Spin laundry and dry clean delivery service in select Chicago ZIP codes. The service will compete with local companies like Dryv and Starchup along with Washio, a California-based company that has received nearly $17 million in funding and operates in six markets. Tide Spin offers wash-and-fold laundry service for $1.59 a pound as well as dry cleaning services, with no delivery or minimum charges. Pickups and drop-offs are coordinated through an app and cleaned at Tide Wash centers. Chicago-based startup Starchup built the app for the service. Advertisement A similar model was tried here by Dryv, which pivoted last year after hiring its own drivers and contracting the cleaning to wholesalers for its first year in business. The Chicago-based company which has expanded to Detroit and Los Angeles now considers itself more of a software platform and tech enabler for retail cleaners, said co-founder Dan Parsons. "We find the best cleaners, partner with them and give them the tools to perform this more modern service," he said. Plus, he said, "You don't have a stranger driving around picking up bags of clothes and dropping it at some depot." For laundry service at an address in Lakeview, the company charges $17.50 for the first 10 pounds of clothing, with a minimum order of $20. A typical top-loading washing machine can hold 12 to 16 pounds of items, according to CNET. Starchup, which launched in Chicago last year, also offers back-end services for retail dry cleaners. The company has two components: an eponymous customer-facing app that co-founder Nick Chapleau describes as a "GrubHub-style marketplace," and white-label apps for retail dry cleaners. The company takes a monthly subscription fee and transaction fee from the dry cleaners. Starchup works with two cleaners in Chicago, not including Tide Spin, and aims to be working with 100 across all markets by the end of 2016. "We found that there's a lot of savvy operators out there," Chapleau said. "They really know how to clean clothes, they've been doing it for years, they just don't have mobile app developers working for them." Chapleau said the model is a leaner way to conduct the business. "We don't have to spend a lot of marketing money on acquiring end users, we can leverage an already-existing brand and already happy customers," he said. Advertisement In 2014, Michael Facchinello and Tyler Mikev launched another on-demand laundry and dry cleaning service, Laundrymate. The company operated for about four months, Facchinello said. Now, Mikev is director of mobile at Dryv and Facchinello is a user experience architect at Clique Studios. "The nature of that type of business is just that it's not very defensible unless there's some unique value," he said. Laundry app companies, "if they do it a little bit cheaper, then that's a value but it's hard to do it cheaper." Then there's the issue of convenience. "The way that people decide on which dry cleaner to use is based on the closest one to them ... but in the city of Chicago, if you look at a map, you're not walking more than five minutes usually," Facchinello said. Washio's CEO Jordan Metzner said the market for such services will likely shake out as it has for ridesharing companies with one dominant player and another trailing behind. He said he believes his company's investment in each part of the process will help it win. In Chicago, the company operates a distribution center and contracts drivers for pickups and deliveries. Advertisement "Operating our business is very costly; we spend millions and millions in software development and technology," Metzner said. He said for other companies buying third-party software, building a "unique customer experience will be very challenging for them." mgraham@tribpub.com Twitter @megancgraham Police arrested the maverick founder of China's largest online finance business on suspicion of fleecing 900,000 investors of $7.6 billion, in what could be the biggest financial fraud in Chinese history. State media outlets reported the arrest of Ding Ning and 20 of his employees late Sunday. State broadcaster CCTV aired purported confessions from two former employees at Ezubao, an Anhui Province outfit that rose from obscurity to become China's largest online financing platform in the span of about 18 months. Ezubao was the most spectacular player in a booming online investment industry that Chinese authorities have been struggling to regulate. Firms ranging from established Internet companies such as Alibaba to virtually unknown upstarts have flooded into the business, promising higher returns than those at state-run banks, which often offer interest rates below inflation. Ezubao promised investors that borrowers would pay back loans at interest rates between 9 percent and 14.6 percent, but 95 percent of those borrowers were fictional entities created by Ezubao, a former company executive told investigators. Behind the firm's rise was 34-year old Ding Ning, an Anhui native who dropped out of school at 17 to work at his mother's hardware factory, where he first gained experience running online sales, according to media reports. With no technical or financial training, Ding launched Ezubao in July 2014 and opened multiple marketing offices across China. The venture bought expensive ad spots that aired just before the widely viewed nightly CCTV newscast, the state broadcaster's flagship program. Ezubao appeared to gain Beijing's imprimatur when the gov.cn government website published an interview with Ding in July discussing his life as an entrepreneur. The interview has since been removed from the site. State media took a far different tone on Sunday as CCTV aired Ding's confession and footage of officials hauling away bags of cash from his home. The Xinhua news agency detailed Ding's extravagant lifestyle and the gifts he lavished on a business partner Zhang Min, including a $20 million villa in Singapore and a $1.8 million pink diamond ring. "The truth is that it's a fraud ... it's a typical Ponzi scheme," Zhang, the associate, said in her aired confession. Despite the vast sums cited in the case, Ezubao, which also went by Ezubo on its website, represented just a sliver of China's shadow banking industry estimated to be worth $1.5 trillion as of the end of June, according to Chinese banking regulators. Independent economists and party officials alike have warned about the danger of unchecked private lending and the political spillover of a large-scale collapse. After police shut down Ezubao in December, scores of protesters gathered outside a Beijing government building to demand their money back. Simmering anger on social media also spurred public security officials to phone Internet users to warn them against criticizing the Communist Party online. One investor from Northeast China who lost close to $80,000 told The Associated Press in December that police confiscated her computer and cell phone after she posted online that she might file a petition with the central government. Fu Weigang, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute for Finance and Law, said difficulty obtaining financing in a state-dominated banking system has for decades driven Chinese citizens into underground borrowing and lending, which also gave rise to countless Ponzi schemes. But Ezubao was able to take advantage of an influx of mom-and-pop investors in recent years using an Internet model, Fu said, effectively pushing small-scale scams to a countrywide level. "What they were doing was nothing new in China," Fu said. "But how they were doing it online, and the scale, was unprecedented." Associated Press Merrillville resident Jane Gordon will be honored at the 2016 Hearts of Hope tree lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10 at St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart. The annual Hearts of Hope campaign raises funds for the Cardiovascular Research program at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System. The ceremony will feature an update on current advances in cardiovascular research by St. Mary Medical Center cardiologist, Hussam Suradi, MD, FACC, and remarks by Janice Ryba, hospital CEO. The event will also feature a Heart Health Fair, from 3 to 5 p.m. and an educational seminar by Suradi at 4 pm. Advertisement During the ceremony, Gordon will share her personal experience with heart disease. In 2008, she underwent open heart surgery for an aortic valve replacement. However, within a year, she was told that the valve was leaking, and that she would need to have a second open heart procedure to replace it. "The surgery was such an ordeal for me," says Gordon. "I couldn't even think about going through that again. I refused." Advertisement After multiple hospitalizations over seven years, Gordon learned about Suradi, who is the only Northwest Indiana physician fellowship-trained in structural cardiology. "Dr. Suradi reviewed my case, and said he thought he could help repair my leaky valve without the need for another open heart surgery," says Gordon. Suradi scheduled a series of tests for Gordon to determine if she would be a candidate for a minimally-invasive valve replacement called transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). It was during that workup when Suradi discovered that Gordon's heart valve was working fine. The leak was coming from torn tissue located just outside the valve frame. "This problem, called paravalvular leakage, is a common complication following surgical valve replacement and usually requires a redo surgery to treat it," says Suradi. "But instead, we were able to offer her another non-surgical approach that can be performed in the cardiac catheterization lab by delivering a 'plug' through a small groin incision to cover the leak. That is what we did, and she did remarkably well; discharged home the next day from St. Mary Medical Center." Gordon's was the first paravalvular leak closure performed in Northwest Indiana. "I feel so much better," confirms Gordon. "I have a stronger voice, I'm no longer out of breath and I have much more stamina. Finding Dr. Suradi was a blessing." For more information about the Hearts of Hope events at St. Mary Medical Center, log onto comhs.org/HeartsofHope. As the conversation about making Hollywood more equitable has intensified, one of the proposed solutions has been to storm the gates of some of the movie industry's biggest products. Cast Idris Elba as James Bond! Make a woman the titular alien in the long-running British fantasy series "Doctor Who"! And among the most celebrated developments have been opportunities for women to be the leads - or at least part of the core ensemble - in action movies. Here's the potential downside, though. There's value in suggesting that - on-screen, at least - a woman can do anything a man can do. But if that means telling stories about women who behave exactly like men, focusing on making women the stars in action movies could produce more jobs for women without expanding the kinds of stories and perspectives that appear on our screens. Advertisement Actress Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft in "Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life." (Paramount Pictures) The turn of the century saw a proliferation of these sorts of movies. Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie), the main character in the "Tomb Raider" movies, a globe-trotting adventurer with the same absent-father issues that have plagued so many strong and silent types. Selene (Kate Beckinsale), the "Underworld" franchise vampire caught up in a war between her people and a race of super-powered werewolves, had the same fancy weapons and dramatic romances that a male action hero might have had in her place. Men in the audience for action movies might have wanted to be James Bond or John McClane of "Die Hard." The directors of the "Tomb Raider" and "Underworld" movies were careful to make Lara Croft and Selene characters those men would want to possess. They might have been as tough as the men who traditionally played those roles, but they wore alluring if impractical skin-tight outfits and exhibited the kind of sexual appetites that would give their devotees plenty of fantasy fodder. Advertisement Something far more intriguing can happen when an action movie puts a woman at the center - and the action changes as a result. The recent wave of action movies that have focused on women often have stories that emphasize collaboration rather than the acts of a lone hero. And at times, these stories can be uneasy rather than triumphant, asking uncomfortable questions about the social conditions that made violent action necessary, rather than simply celebrating the hero who puts the world back to rights. In "The Hunger Games" series, both the novels by Suzanne Collins and the movies adapted from them, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence in the films) is as adept as any man at fighting her way through the brutal reality competitions organized by the dictatorial government of the dystopian Panem. But she takes no joy in her capacity for violence. And although she becomes a symbol of the rebellion against the Panem government, Katniss comes to believe that there is less difference than she might have hoped between the old regime and the new. Rather than ending the series as a conquering hero, she withdraws into private life, creating the peace and safety for her family that she couldn't achieve on a national level. Tom Hardy, center, as Max Rockatansky and Charlize Theron, right, as Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max:Fury Road." (Warner Bros. Pictures) While "The Hunger Games" has always focused on Katniss's experiences, the "Mad Max" franchise was defined by Mel Gibson's iconic performance in the title role - until 2015, when director George Miller turned his eye in a different direction. Max, now played by Tom Hardy, was captured in the opening sequence of "Mad Max: Fury Road," and the action shifted to Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), an agent of the dictatorial Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Furiosa betrays her boss to help rescue his wives, who have come to connect Joe's brand of hyper-masculinity to the post-apocalpytic destruction that has surrounded them. Miller told the Guardian's Paul MacInnes that once he conceived the story, he knew the person helping Joe's wives escape had to be a woman, because otherwise "that's a different story, the man stealing five wives of a tyrant. She had to be female, she had to be an experienced road warrior. Of course with that simple idea the rest came organically. The feminist notions of the film simply came out of the character and her behavior." Between her gender and the prosthesis that has replaced one of her arms below the elbow, Furiosa is far from a typical action heroine. And the action that surrounds her isn't typical either. In "Fury Road," Miller has made a movie that emphasizes cross-gender and cross-generational collaboration rather than lone heroism. Furiosa frees Max; Max helps her steady a gun and fire; the older women who raised Furiosa team up to help the young wives fight for their freedom; and the wives help one of Immortan Joe's brainwashed, suicidal War Boys, Nux (Nicholas Hoult) break free of Joe's influence and find a cause he genuinely wants to fight for. At a moment when the world has been destroyed on-screen with such frequency and grandiosity that the sight of a destroyed city skyline is more enervating than unnerving, "Mad Max: Fury Road" cared as much about solidarity and character growth as the fate of Immortan Joe's citadel. Advertisement Daisy Ridley, right, as Rey, and John Boyega as Finn, in a scene from the film, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." (LucasFilm) And most recently, "Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens" broke with the tradition of the previous six installments to focus on a young woman - Daisy Ridley's Rey - with great power in the Force, rather than a young man like Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) or Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Like her predecessors, Rey grew up on a desert planet, knowing nothing about her talents until visitors from far away thrust them all into galaxy-wide conflicts. But where Luke Skywalker yearned for adventure, Rey is reluctant to leave her home planet of Jakku. And if the Force has traditionally been a way to tell stories about the struggle to be a good man, Rey's presence in the center of the new "Star Wars" trilogy gives the franchise an opportunity to explore what it means for a woman to step up to an unexpected destiny. The critical and commercial success of these movies doesn't necessarily mean that the old-fashioned, dude-centric blockbuster is a thing of the past. The "Fast and Furious" franchise, populated by muscley dudes, ride-or-die chicks, and fast cars is still going strong and finding new places to stage seriously reckless driving. Michael Bay's "13 Hours" tells the story of Benghazi through the rippling muscles and extravagant facial hair of a group of ex-CIA contractors who are characterized mostly by their extreme skill at shooting guns. But the contrast between these old-school action flicks and the new, innovative projects suggests that what's good for women in action movies might also be what's good for action movies themselves. Any requirement that action heroes be stoic, hyper-competent tough guys who act alone places just as many restrictions on men as on women. Reporting from Manchester, N.H. John Kasich has New Hampshire all to himself, and he knows it's not going to last. So there he was Sunday, the man who has held more events in New Hampshire than any other Republican presidential candidate, trying to hone movement into momentum. The other candidates were slogging out in Iowa through the final hours before Monday's caucuses, and none was due to arrive here before Monday afternoon, eight days before the state's primary. The Ohio governor was holding his 85th and 86th New Hampshire town halls, after three on Saturday. Advertisement His most direct competitors among the party's establishment-oriented candidates -- former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio -- are hoping a success in Iowa, a miracle for some, will propel them here. For Kasich there won't be a bungee cord snap out of the Midwest. He will win it or lose it in New Hampshire, and a win would come only if events magically combine to reach some critical mass. So he is here campaigning, taking questions from the high school student in Salem who wants to know what he would do about climate change, and the healthcare worker who feels like he has a better solution to Ebola than the U.S. government, and the older man who has some very specific ideas about political strategy -- "Make Bill Clinton the lightning rod. We don't want to look at him for eight years." Advertisement And he is taking a question at a town hall in Bow from 12-year-old Emily, who wants to know how he would prevent terrorists from taking one more American life. Her question is a like a fat and easy pitch lofted directly at a presidential candidate's bat, offering Kasich an enticing opportunity to knock President Obama and rev up the fear that has come to define this presidential campaign. Except he lets it pass. He asks if she is worried. He tells her about the nation's law enforcement structure, set up to prevent terrorism here. "When they hear bad people doing stuff, they disrupt them and they try to protect us and they do a really, really good job," he said. "Nothing is 100%, sweetheart, in this world, but I believe [that] very strongly." Maybe he underestimated her knowledge -- at 12, she probably knew there was a Pakistan and that the pyramids were in Egypt, though he asked her. Still, his response was freighted with concern. "But I don't want you to worry about this," he said. "I want you to worry about your math, your English, your computing. What do you want to be when you grow up? An archaeologist? Then you've got to go to the pyramids!" To see Kasich in New Hampshire is to see a throwback squared. He holds town hall after town hall, riding the hilly two-lane roads of New Hampshire in a straining bus, only to do it all over again two hours later, the way campaigns here used to do it before the rise of the celebrity candidate and prodigious super PACs. He is by turns goofy and serious, with a penchant for old-style jokes, like a "Let's Make a Deal" host leading a political campaign. What he wants to do if he gets to the White House is another throwback. Donald Trump engages in a running mockery of all things Washington; Ted Cruz, the Texas senator, brags that no one in Washington likes him, as if that were an indictment of them, not him. Advertisement Kasich is sentimental about his time in Washington as a member of Congress, days when both sides fought, compromised and then went out to shoot some hoops. He describes this as if his is the last memory of a civilization that vanished before his audience was born. "We extended the life of Social Security," he said midway through his town hall in Bow. "How did it happen? Republicans and Democrats said, 'We're not going to let this thing go away.' We did it and there was no demagoguery." Yes, that was a long time ago. Kasich's town halls are decidedly low-brow. There are flags and an automated debt clock -- on Sunday, the per-person bill coming due was closing in on $59,000 -- a couple of endorsers like Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Kasich himself, surrounded by a few hundred New Hampshirites. "Are we in a good mood today? Are we having a lot of fun?" he asks in Salem, then quickly veers off in a Kasich way: David Bowie ("Anybody here know David Bowie?") How he once sat with someone at a Cleveland speech who'd told him he had snuck out of his room to see the Beatles and the man said his mother "beat the living daylights out of me but it was worth it all." How George Harrison once invited Eric Clapton to his house for breakfast and demanded that he come before dawn (at which point Kasich invited a fur-hatted troubadour who follows him around to sing a few lines of "Here Comes the Sun.") And then back to the campaign. It says something about Kasich's relatively new rise to minimal prominence that he's still introducing himself to voters here: that he is the son of a mailman, the grandson of a coal miner who would come home from work with some of his lunch because "there were a lot of kids," about his grandmother's inability to speak English. Advertisement Then it was on to what he would do as president, including sending welfare and Medicaid back to the states, creating jobs, a one-year ban on regulations. "You don't mind regulations, as long as they're not goofy?" he asked the crowd. Notable in his pitch is the lack of red meat that provides a full meal for the rest of the Republican field this year. In both Salem and Bow on Sunday he emphasized his support for a path to legal status for immigrants in the country without legal authorization, which other candidates have raced to avoid mentioning. "If they haven't committed a crime since they've been here, we'll make them pay a fine and put them on a path to legalization because we're not deporting eleven and a half million people," he said in Salem. There, he takes a question from a high school student whose father is recording him -- a rite of passage in New Hampshire, this -- and jokes that in 10 years the kid will wish he'd gotten a haircut. But he offers up an answer to the student that's another 180 away from what the other candidates will say. Advertisement "Do I believe that human beings affect the climate? I do," he said, and goes on to talk about the need to develop renewable energy and make the use of power more efficient. And then off he veers. His friend has a Tesla. "It's the coolest car I've ever seen! There's no engine!" Kasich ran for president once before, a campaign that was notable for its excesses of bowling in Iowa and mushing sled dogs in New Hampshire, but also for its brevity: He was out by the summer of 1999, a good half year before the first votes were taken in the 2000 campaign. Whether voters are remembering his failure last time or are just worrying about whether a reasonable man can be trusted to whack the opponent in November, the subject of Kasich's demeanor does come up. One man in Salem asked him: Since you're a gentleman, how will you "expose" Hillary Clinton? Another forwarded the notion of making Bill Clinton the lightning rod -- and, he said, he was in a bowling alley the other day and every single person in it was supporting Kasich. "You know what, that might be the most compelling thing I've ever heard," Kasich replied, after the man had also suggested Kasich contact all the state's Congregational churches, since their leader was from Ohio. Advertisement "Where is the bowling alley?" Not everyone in every bowling alley is supporting him, to be sure. He has new endorsements to brag about, from the New York Times and the Boston Globe, although he hastens to add that more important to him are the seven endorsements he has received from New Hampshire papers. While that has been a traditional marker of viability, it's not clear how endorsements will play to a Republican electorate that seems intent on upending anything resembling the establishment in this campaign year. And in any case, a new University of New Hampshire poll was released during Kasich's event in Bow: Trump 30%, Cruz 12%, Rubio 11%, Kasich 9%. It came out about the time Kasich was explaining why he wasn't in Iowa, why he was here in New Hampshire, trolling by himself for votes. "Not enough resources," he said. Then he added: "I'll tell you why I came here. Because of this. This is it. Six minutes in a debate -- you can't learn what anybody's like. But you come here and you look and you poke, once in a while you smell and you try to decide: Is this our leader?" "I believe in this process. I believe the folks in New Hampshire are the best screeners America can have." Advertisement But he'd like the state a lot better, he said, if he won. cathleen.decker@latimes.com For political news and analysis, follow me on Twitter: @cathleendecker . For more on politics, go to latimes.com/decker. Dr. Nadia Qureshi talks with a patient's mother during a routine examination at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. Qureshi has worked hard to persuade parents to have their children get the HPV vaccine. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) The country's leading doctors on Monday issued annual recommendations for childhood and adolescent immunizations, including that 11-year-olds get a newly improved HPV vaccine that has the ability to prevent more strains of cancer-causing human papillomavirus infections. Nine years after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other leading physicians groups first advised that children be immunized against HPV, which is most commonly transmitted through sexual contact, the vaccine is still largely unused. And local pediatricians say persuading parents to approve the vaccine for their children is an ongoing challenge. Advertisement "There's definitely more emotion around this vaccine than others," said Dr. Frank Belmonte, vice president of pediatric population health at Advocate Children's Hospital. "I think there's this connotation that (because) it has something to do with sexual activity ... people just can't see their children in that light." The 2016 vaccination schedule released Monday by the CDC includes the recommendation that 11- or 12-year-old boys and girls receive the 9vHPV vaccine, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2014. The new vaccine is an improvement over the previous one, medical experts say, because it covers nine strains of HPV, offering protection against at least 80 percent of the cervical, vulvar and anal cancers caused by HPV, compared with 65 percent covered by earlier vaccines. Advertisement The new guidelines, which also were approved by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, also recommend that children as young as 9 years old who have been exposed to sexual abuse or sexual trauma begin the three-dose HPV immunization. Research shows that these children are more likely to engage in unsafe sexual practices and to become infected by HPV in the future, said Dr. H. Cody Meissner, professor of pediatrics at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, who sat on the committee that helped draft the recommendations. Medical experts say the HPV vaccine recommendation remains the least followed. In 2014, about 40 percent of girls and 22 percent of boys across the U.S. between the ages of 13 and 17 had received three doses of the HPV vaccine. This compares with almost 91 percent of children in the same age group who received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, according to data from the CDC. "The vaccine continues to be controversial, and it's unfortunate that it's gotten wrapped up in the politics and ethical issues," Meissner said. "We've always wanted a vaccine that protects against cancer, and now we've got one and people aren't using it as widely as they should." It's a frustrating situation for medical experts, who say that research has dismissed earlier questions about whether the HPV vaccine loses effectiveness over time. The latest studies show that patients who receive the three-dose HPV vaccine as early as 9 years old should not require a booster or update later, Meissner said. HPV is a group of more than 150 related viruses transmitted through intimate skin-to-skin contact. The viruses can lead to genital warts and cancer. About 79 million Americans are infected with HPV, about 360,000 people in the U.S. get genital warts each year, and more than 11,000 women in the U.S. get cervical cancer each year, according to the CDC. To be effective, the HPV vaccine is administered in three separate doses at around 11 years old, one to two months later, and six months after that. Because it is recommended by the CDC, its cost is covered by most insurance providers. The vaccine is available for free to uninsured patients through the federally funded Vaccines for Children program, doctors said. The CDC is not recommending that patients who have received an earlier version of the vaccine receive the new one, but available data show no serious safety concerns for those who do. Patients should consult with their health care professionals if they are interested, CDC officials said. Advertisement Nadia Qureshi, a pediatric infectious disease physician for Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, said she routinely deals with parents who are reluctant to consent to the HPV vaccine for their 11-year-olds. A few years ago, the hesitation could mostly be attributed to lack of awareness about the virus, or confusion about whether males also should be immunized. But in the last couple of years, parents' reluctance stems from feeling uncomfortable with the idea of talking about sex in regards to their pre-teens. Yet parents regularly consent to the hepatitis B vaccine for newborn babies an immunization that prevents another disease that can be sexually transmitted, Qureshi noted. "It's just the time of transitioning from late childhood to adolescence," Qureshi said. "People have this premonition that if they're going to vaccinate their child against a sexually transmitted disease, then they're going to be more at risk of having sexually active behavior." Further complicating matters is that most schools do not require the HPV vaccine for enrollment because it is not required by the Illinois State Board of Education. That gives some parents pause, Qureshi said. In the interest of protecting her patients, Qureshi said she has become mindful of the way she discusses needed vaccines during physicals for 11-year-olds. Instead of singling out the HPV vaccine as one not required by schools, she simply tells parents that there are three vaccines recommended for children at that age by the American Academy of Pediatrics and CDC: meningococcal, tetanus, diphtheria toxoids and accellular pertussis (Tdap) and HPV. Other additions to the immunization schedule released Monday include a new vaccine, meningococcal B, for children 10 years or older who are considered at increased risk for serogroup B meningococcal disease, which, while rare, prompted some colleges to require the vaccine after isolated outbreaks in recent years, Meissner said. For those 16 to 18 and not high risk, the vaccine can be administered at the discretion of a doctor. Advertisement The information about the many vaccines available and recommended can be daunting for parents. Belmonte, at Advocate Children's Hospital, said he has become accustomed to counseling parents through the process. At the hospital, the hesitation from parents over the HPV vaccine can be seen not only in doctor's office conversations, but also in the high number of patients who do not complete the three-vaccine series. Failure to complete the three-dose series is a problem nationally as well. Of the 13- to 17-year-olds offered the first dose in 2014, 69 percent of girls received the next two doses, and 58 percent of boys, according to CDC data. Hospital officials have put in place systemwide changes in an effort to encourage more patients to receive the full HPV vaccine. In recent years, nurses have been allowed to put in the order for the vaccine, not just doctors. The hospital also has begun making calls to patients to remind them of second and third doses needed, Belmonte said. But ultimately, Belmonte believes being matter-of-fact with parents about the HPV vaccine is the best way to encourage its use. "Really, we need to treat it like any other vaccine," Belmonte said. "The minute we show trepidation in our thought process, that reinforces parents' fear." Advertisement vortiz@tribpub.com Twitter @vikkiortiz Democrats and some Republicans are pushing ahead with an attempt to overhaul the way Illinois doles out tax dollars to elementary and high schools. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune) For the past seven months, Illinois residents have been forced to stand by and watch Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan compete in a callous game of the millionaire vs. the power broker. At first, many of us chose sides, eagerly cheering for the wealthy Republican governor who wants to balance the state budget by eliminating millions in funding for human services, or for the Democratic boss who insists that the wealthy pay more taxes. Advertisement I have to admit that in the beginning, it was interesting to watch these fierce competitors battle it out in Springfield. It was like watching our own "Game of Thrones," a kind of political grudge match we hadn't seen in Illinois for a long time. But it has gone on too long, and there's no end in sight. Many of us have reached the point where we don't care which team wins; we just want the game to be over. Advertisement Of course, neither Rauner nor Madigan will budge. But that shouldn't surprise anyone. In order to qualify for such a sadistic competition, both challengers had to possess unabashed stubbornness, a trait that renders one insensitive to the well-being of his constituents. If nothing were at stake but bragging rights for the victor, the rest of us probably wouldn't care if these two egomaniacs battled it out to their political death. But, in this case, there are too many potential casualties people on the sidelines who have done nothing to deserve the pain and suffering thrust onto them. We all know that whether Rauner or Madigan emerges victorious, Illinois' most vulnerable residents will be the biggest losers. The obvious pawns in this game are our poor, our mentally ill, our veterans, our children and our elderly. But ultimately, all of us will pay a price. The immediate victims are the people who are barely making it from day to day, people who had very little to begin with and are on the verge of having nothing. We all knew that things were getting worse in Illinois each day that passes without a state budget. Last week, the United Way of Illinois released a survey showing us just how bad things are. According to the report, 23 percent of the agencies that offer support to struggling residents said they would be hard-pressed to operate at existing levels if the state does not have a budget by March. Already, 85 percent of these support agencies have cut back on the number of clients they serve. Nearly as many have had to cut programs for the mentally ill and the disabled, as well as programs supporting seniors, children and adults seeking education or jobs. We all should have compassion for the regular people who are being penalized for the budget impasse. But that's not what bothers me most about this standoff. It is clear that Illinois is near its breaking point. Yet, our elected officials in Springfield keep pulling harder and harder on the lever. I fear that once the lever breaks, we won't be able to fix it. Advertisement The longer this standoff goes on, the closer the state gets to a place where the toll is too substantial, both economically and socially, to ever return to normal. Social services always have been America's way of extending a hand to citizens who are down on their luck. Public assistance was never intended to be a substitute for hard work or a crutch for those who have no desire to better themselves. And while some people abuse the system, greater numbers of people use it in the way it was intended as a short-term supplement that helps them over the hump and back onto their feet. They are the working-poor, the 30 percent of families in Illinois in which at least one person holds a job and takes care of the household. With manufacturing jobs on the decline in Illinois, these people go to work every day in retail or service jobs where earnings are so minimal that they live on the cusp. These are the people who are almost always overlooked or forgotten. Though the political foes don't agree on the reasons for it, Rauner acknowledged in his state of the state address last week that the average working family is making less than it was eight years ago. And, he pointed out, Illinois is home to the hardest working people in America. No one can argue with that. But even before the budget impasse, many of these hard-working residents were barely hanging on. A food pantry, medical assistance, home-delivered meals and the chance for a college education gave them the opportunity to remain productive citizens. All it would take is a nudge to knock them over the edge and into deep poverty. Advertisement If we are not careful, this impasse will create a pipeline to a permanent underclass for decent, hard-working citizens who are no longer self-sufficient. Illinois can't afford to add more people to its poverty rolls; we need to do all we can to wrest people out of poverty. That will never happen as long as we're jerking at the safety net. With resources drying up, Illinois can't afford to double or maybe triple the number of families who will rely on dwindling services from the state if this happens. Our table is already filled with people who cannot contribute. What we should be doing instead is helping our residents build a solid table of their own. That's how we strengthen families. That's how we grow the tax base. That's how we get Illinois back on the right track. In Chicago, we've seen what can happen when we allow our politicians to go unchecked. It's time to let Rauner and Madigan know that we're tired of them playing around. It's no secret to either of them that Illinois citizens have lost faith in our government's ability to do right by us. The only way they can begin to gain it back is to put away the board game and call it a draw. dglanton@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter @dahleeng At home in Chicago on Jan. 28, 2016, Gwendolyn Holiday talks about her son DeAndre Holiday, who was the first person killed in Chicago in 2016. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune) Two hours into 2016, DeAndre Holiday, a 24-year-old father of three, became another sad statistic of Chicago's runaway violence, fatally shot in the chest as he left a New Year's Eve party in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. In the weeks since, the tally of those killed has hit 50, making January the deadliest start to a year in Chicago in at least 16 years. Advertisement As many people died in January as in many summer months, the usual peak season for violence. Holiday's mother, Gwendolyn, is trying to persuade her two other children and possibly her grandchildren to move with her to her native Atlanta. Advertisement "The violence is not gonna end. It's getting worse," said the 51-year-old, her eyes watering as she sat on her bed last week in her apartment in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. "Every day when you turn the news on somebody's child, son, father, brother has lost their lives for no reason. It's senseless to me. It makes no sense. None." By 8 a.m. Sunday, the final day of the month, about 280 people had been shot in January, according to a Tribune analysis of Police Department data. Shootings nearly doubled from last January and perhaps more worrisome jumped nearly 60 percent from the first month of 2012, the last year in which homicides rose above 500. In all, 50 were killed as of Sunday morning a figure that includes three beating and stabbing deaths, the analysis showed. That's the most homicides in January since at least 2000 as far back as publicly available city statistics go. The Police Department was unable to provide numbers further back. The timing of the upsurge in violence comes at a particularly stressful time for a department that has been roiled in the fallout over the court-ordered release two months ago of a disturbing dashboard camera video showing a Chicago police officer shoot Laquan McDonald 16 times as the 17-year-old walked away from police with a knife in his hand. That has led to murder charges against Officer Jason Van Dyke, weeks of street protests, the firing of longtime police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, calls for the resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the launch of a U.S. Justice Department investigation of the Police Department. Police activity down, violence up In a telephone interview Saturday, John Escalante, the interim police superintendent, said while major cities across the country saw upticks in violence last year, Chicago was "literally alone" with its bloody start to 2016. The 29-year department veteran expressed concern about morale after hearing worries from officers about being put under the microscope for merely doing their jobs. He acknowledged that the number of street stops has dropped sharply so far this year, though he couldn't provide any figures. "I've gone to the roll calls and I've heard their concerns about not wanting to be the next viral video," he said. "Even when they're doing something right, it may not be perceived that way." Advertisement Escalante couldn't say if the drop in police activity has contributed to the rise in violence, but he implied that the numbers might suggest that. "We do know that the violent crimes are increasing and the activity that we would normally see from officers seems to have decreased significantly," he said. It's important to keep in mind that the violence is far reduced from decades ago when homicides sometimes exceeded 900 in a year. But what continues to be troubling is the fact that Chicago's level of violence far outpaces New York and Los Angeles, both more populous. The two had comparable numbers through about Jan. 23 some 60 shot or injured, 20 of them fatally, according to the most recent numbers provided. By comparison, at that point, some 210 people had been shot or injured in Chicago, at least 33 of them fatally. Andrew Holmes, a familiar face at shooting scenes in his work for Chicago Survivors, which assists grieving families who have lost loved ones through violence, is concerned the city will have a disaster on its hands "if we don't get a handle on this right now." It's "very dangerous looking ahead into the spring because it's in the red zone already," he said. Crime experts caution about making month-by-month or even year-by-year comparisons of homicides, arguing that long-term trends give a better understanding of how the level of violence in a city has changed over time. Advertisement "There's certain volatility in crime statistics, particularly homicides, where numbers can go up and down to some extent randomly and not because of any particular cause," said James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University in Boston. "So when you have a narrow time frame ... the numbers can be somewhat unreliable ... in terms of indicating a trend." But what makes January's numbers so troubling is that the uptick in violence follows two successive years in which shootings rose by double-digits. Homicides also rose by about 12.5 percent last year over 2014. What is driving the violence is unclear other than Chicago's unrelenting gang woes in impoverished, segregated pockets of the city's South and West sides. Escalante acknowledged his frustration over the year's violent start. He blamed gang disputes, the easy availability of guns and the use of social media to spark slights and animosities, but he admitted the department is uncertain over the exact causes for the uptick. "We can't put our finger on any one or two things that are driving this really big spike in violence, especially with the murders," he said. "We look at it every day, talk about it every day, trying to find where we can deploy resources better or what we can look for to try to predict the next potential shooting location." To increase police visibility in the city's most dangerous neighborhoods, 380 officers and sergeants assigned to foot patrols on the South and West sides have been moved into police cars. That would seem to run counter to department efforts to bridge its gap with minority communities, but Escalante stressed in the interview that the change was temporary. Advertisement In recent weeks, Cook County sheriff's officers have joined with Chicago police to go after gangs and guns on the West Side. In addition, Escalante has ordered the department's 22 district commanders to increase their home visits to known gang members as part of a project to offer them social services if they give up the gang life. 'It's gonna be a war' Even with a few days left in the month, January had already recorded more homicides than any since at least 2000. And a forecast of an unseasonably warm final weekend of the month raised fears that the numbers could grow. Three more killings took place Friday night and early Saturday, including a 31-year-old man found shot to death inside a vehicle in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side. Police said the victim had been killed in a possible drive-by shooting shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday. Officers blocked off Washington Boulevard at Kilbourn Avenue with yellow and red crime tape. An Audi SUV could be seen with its doors open. Officers were shining flashlights on a cluster of at least four shell casings lying in the street. Advertisement About a dozen people gathered nearby. A man in a black jacket bent down and let out a moan, then sat on the ground. A few moments later, a woman walked up, crying. "What the (expletive)? Why?" she asked, holding up both of her arms in the air. The man in the black jacket walked up to the crime tape and tried to pass under it to view his friend's body. "I need to see my homie," he repeated three times. A pair of police officers stopped him and were joined by other officers who explained that the crime scene was off-limits while police were investigating. Advertisement "Do you wanna get arrested tonight?" one officer asked. "Man, I don't care if I get arrested," he shouted. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "You gotta let us do our job," said another officer, trying to calm the situation. The man stepped back and began pacing near the scene. "It's gonna be a war that's coming. It's gonna be a war," he said as he walked back and forth. jgorner@tribpub.com Advertisement achachkevitch@tribpub.com Twitter @JeremyGorner Twitter @chachkevitch Two weeks ago, two Washington Post reporters each found three Iowa voters who had not made up their minds about whom to support in Monday's caucuses. DelReal spoke to Republicans; Phillip spoke to Democrats. Here is what those voters said, in separate interviews, as the caucuses approached: --- Advertisement Republican: Matt Mousel, 43, Rock City Matt Mousel went to a Donald Trump rally in mid-January in Sioux City, looking for someone to bring compromise to Washington. Advertisement Despite the billionaire's bombast, his closing pitch highlighted business experience bringing people together. A first-time caucus-goer and independent, Mousel left torn between Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., whom he admired for early efforts on immigration reform. Mousel continued to consider Trump as the caucuses approached. In a primary election for which voters in both parties have placed a premium on ideological purity, Mousel remained committed to choosing a candidate he believed could uphold conservative ideas but work with both parties. About a week before the caucuses, Trump still held appeal because of his background in negotiations, Mousel said. The turning point came pm Thursday during the seventh GOP primary debate. Trump skipped it. "They were so close that something like that, that small, would make my decision," he said Saturday. "Rubio has my vote. His performance in the debate helped a lot and then the fact that Donald didn't go kind of disappointed me." Of Rubio, he added: "He's shown that he's willing to reach across the aisle." Sal Meyers, a college professor, poses for a portrait in her office at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa on Tuesday, January 26, 2016. (Cassi Alexandra / For The Washington Post) Democrat: Sal Meyers, 49, Osceola Sal Meyers doesn't think the country responded well to the election of President Barack Obama. "I think racism has gotten worse," she said. "And I would hate to see sexism get worse too." Meyers, a psychology professor at Simpson College in Indianola, said there's a lot to like about Hillary Clinton. But her core beliefs line up with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. "He's talking about a lot of the right issues, but I'm worried that he won't be able to win in a general election." A week after seeing the former secretary of state speak at Simpson College, Meyers said she felt more comfortable supporting her - though she still hadn't made up her mind. Another factor weighing on her: seeing a woman in the White House. "I guess she did better at appealing to my heart when I listened to her," Meyers said. "There's also a big part of me that would love to see a woman president, and she's a good woman to be president." Meyers still worries that both Clinton and Sanders would struggle working with a Republican Congress. But in recent days, a colleague noted that a Donald Trump presidency could result in a lot of legislation - just not the type she wanted. "That vision was very real to me," Meyers said. "I'm scared to death by the Republican options, and I think that Hillary's got a better chance in the general election." Advertisement Republican: Mike McInerney, 25, West Des Moines Mike McInerney talks energetically about politics. He is president of the Des Moines Bull Moose Club for Republicans younger than 40. An informed voter, he researches policy in his spare time. But with one week left before the caucuses, he remained torn between Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and mogul Trump. "Usually, I'm settled by this point but I'm not sure yet," McInerney said. McInerney continued thinking about Trump's business experience as caucus day approached. Eight days ahead of voting, he told The Post that he had still not decided - but he kept returning to Trump's attempts to explain eminent domain, a wonky position on expropriation of private property that most voters tune out. McInerney thought that Trump's knowledge of the issue revealed "a depth of understanding" with which he is not frequently credited. Advertisement Although, in previous elections, McInerney has supported establishment choices John McCain and Mitt Romney, Trump is his candidate this cycle, he said on Friday. "Without operating a successful company on such a large scale, I probably would not be very eager to support him," he said. "Sometimes you have to think outside of the box. He's an innovator, and unfortunately we just don't have that in Washington." Democrat: Don Hanson, 58, Cedar Rapids It isn't unusual for Don Hanson to be undecided before the caucuses, and this year is no different. He thinks Sanders is "sincere as hell" - with a liability: "Sometimes he has that mad professor look," Hanson said, waving his hands wildly. Hanson passed on Clinton in 2008, turned off by his view that she was making too much of being a woman. This time, he's open to her candidacy, but he worries about her sincerity. After seeing Clinton speak briefly at a campaign event in Iowa City, Hanson was compelled by her experience argument. The deciding factor for Hanson is "probably electability," he said. Of Sanders, he said: "A lot of these programs sound good, but they'll never get through a Republican Congress." He hasn't completely warmed to Clinton, but he thinks that her foreign policy experience makes a difference. Advertisement "I'm pretty much settled on Hillary," Hanson said. But there's one lingering concern: her emails. The controversy over Clinton's use of a private server to send and receive State Department emails is the kind that worries him about her. "It's something to consider." Ultimately, Hanson doesn't see huge differences between the two: "I want the one that can beat Cruz and Trump." Republican: Phillip J. Kuhlenbeck, 49, Clive Phillip J. Kuhlenbeck grew up in Iowa but has never attended a caucus before. This year "is historic and I want to participate," he said at a Trump campaign rally in mid-January. The Internet entrepreneur and real estate developer lived in Austin and cheered on Cruz during his unlikely Senate win in 2012. But he has kept an eye on Trump as well. Ten days before the caucuses, he liked them both. Kuhlenbeck was looking for a candidate to shake up Washington; with one week to go, Trump and Cruz were still his finalists to do that. Advertisement "The irony is that we want to send someone to D.C. to fix or change D.C. You see the irony?" he said. "They're running around saying, 'We want to go to D.C., but we don't like D.C.' It's a tricky message." One hesitation about Cruz: his position on the Renewable Fuel Standard. Ultimately, Kuhlenbeck's concerns did not outweigh his gut instinct. With the caucuses looming, Phil texted to confirm late Sunday afternoon that he would be caucusing for Cruz. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Ultimately, Cruz's underdog bid for the Senate showed Kuhlenbeck that Cruz was the right candidate to challenge the status quo in Washington. "I've talked to my adviser, my spiritual adviser and my wife," he said. "I'm all in for Ted." Democrat: Matthew Peterson, 30, Ames Matthew Peterson prefers to vote with his gut on caucus day. In 2008, it was for Obama. He calls himself "pragmatic" and primarily focused on ensuring that whoever wins the White House will continue Obama's legacy. "He helped get Sonia Sotomayor on the Supreme Court, and now we've had gay marriage become the law," said Peterson, who works on heating and air-conditioning systems in Ames. "That's important to me." Advertisement Peterson said that he understands the excitement and energy Sanders has garnered among younger voters - especially the ones who are attracted to Sanders's plan for free college tuition. But he's just as concerned that Sanders could motivate voters on the other side. "I'm afraid that he would get the Republican Party just as excited," Peterson said. "Then the last seven or eight years will be down the drain quickly." As the caucuses approach, Peterson says that he's still on the fence but is leaning more toward Clinton. He probably will remain undecided until he walks into the room and participates in the debate for both candidates. "I like to let myself do it that way," Peterson said. "I try to be as much of a blank slate as possible and let the process happen. "I feel like that's what the caucuses are for." Blowing snow and biting wind did not steal the moment last month when the Simonson family saw their dream come true at Starved Rock State Park. Their family's White Oak Campground is now the 51-acre Curt & Helen Simonson Canyon Unit of Starved Rock, which will become a day-use area for park visitors. The land had been in the Simonson family since 1835. "This is awesome," said their son, Curtis Simonson, of Pittsfield. "You can't ask for anything more or anything nicer than this." Curtis Simonson was joined by family members, park staff and Illinois Department of Natural Resources officials, including DNR Director Wayne Rosenthal, for a dedication. "IDNR has been working to acquire this land since August of 1985, so this has been a long time coming," Rosenthal said. "We are very appreciative to the Simonson family and their mother and father for the opportunity to acquire this property." The land, north of Grand Bear Lodge along Route 178, is on a wooded bluff surrounded by steep hills, ravines and a canyon with a waterfall. The DNR bought the site for $900,000 in the fall of 2013 from the estate of the late Helen M. Simonson, of Ottawa, who along with her husband, Curtis, owned and operated the campground from 1965 to 2002. Curtis Simonson died in 2002 and Helen Simonson died in 2011. Their surviving children, Curtis Simonson, Laurie Cunniff, of Ottawa, and Dawn Swanson, of Streator, continued managing the campground before selling it to the state, which was their parents' wish. The site was originally owned by the children's great-great-grandfather, Col. Daniel Hitt, the state's first land surveyor who bought Starved Rock and surrounding land for a reported $85 in 1835 from the U.S. government. In 1891, Hitt sold a parcel to Ferdinand Walthers, who in turn sold the land for $146,000 to the state, leading to formation of the state park in 1911. The campground land remained in the family. Andrew Hitt named one canyon "Hitt" and another "Curtis" for his wife's family. The land was passed on to Ethel (Hitt) Simonson, to Curtis Simonson and lastly to the children who sold it to the state. The land is contiguous to the Starved Rock Nature Preserve and will protect against incompatible development, Rosenthal said. The site is classified as a land and water reserve and will offer hiking, nature observation and bird watching, he said. "The acquisition of the property also was important for the preservation of archaeological sites and threatened and endangered species," Rosenthal said. The state must finish developing and implementing plans for the area before it is opened to the public, said Todd Rettig, director of the office of land management. Curtis Simonson told a story at the dedication about an important artifact from Starved Rock, a cross worn by Jacques Marquette, who with Louis Jolliet were the first Europeans to discover the area in the 1670s. "Our grandmother, Ethel (Hitt) Simonson, gave that cross to the Illinois State Museum and it was held in a depository there for many years but we could never find it," he said. The cross was later found in the museum's collection and a replica was made, which is displayed at the park visitor center, Simonson said. WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Bob Dold, a Republican from Kenilworth, leads Democratic rivals in fundraising in the 10th Congressional District, new campaign reports show. Meanwhile Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi far outpaces other candidates for the open seat in the 8th Congressional District. Advertisement Two Democrats are vying for the nomination to challenge Dold. Former Democratic Congressman Brad Schneider surpassed rival Nancy Rotering in fundraising in the last three months of last year, though her campaign started out 2016 with more cash on hand because of another large loan she made to her treasury, according to reports to the Federal Election Commission. Schneider, from Deerfield, and Rotering, the Highland Park mayor, will meet in a March 15 primary for the chance to challenge Dold. The 10th Congressional District takes in the North Shore and communities in the northwest suburbs and extends to the Wisconsin border. Advertisement Dold raised more than either Democrat in the period from October through December, as he has since the race kicked off. His overall receipts since his 2014 win: almost $2.4 million. He has no GOP primary rival and had about $1.49 million in the bank at the start of year, reports show. That figure does not take into account about $139,000 in the Dold campaign's debts and obligations. Dold has won two, nonconsecutive terms in the House and was ousted in 2012 by Schneider, who is trying for a comeback. Dold's wins were in 2010 and 2014. In the last quarter, Dold raised about $464,000 while Schneider raised about $391,000 and Rotering raised about $265,000, which includes a $100,000 loan she made to her campaign. Rotering has loaned her campaign $345,000 overall. Schneider has loaned his campaign $5,000. Schneider started the year with less in the bank: $882,000 to Rotering's $936,000. Some political handicappers now say it's a toss-up whether Dold can retain his seat in what is a predominantly Democratic district. The general election is Nov. 8. Other analysts think the race leans in favor of a Democratic congressional candidate since the presidency is on the ballot and Illinois regularly prefers a Democrat for the White House. In the 8th Congressional District, Krishnamoorthi, who is from Schaumburg, maintained his commanding lead in campaign fundraising. His campaign opened the year with more than $1.27 million in the bank after picking up $453,000 in the quarter. He has raised more than $1.49 million overall. Krishnamoorthi is a former Illinois deputy treasurer who lost a primary race for state comptroller in 2010 and later a primary election for the House seat Tammy Duckworth captured in 2012. Duckworth's House seat is on the ballot because she is running in the U.S. Senate Democratic primary against former Chicago Urban League President Andrea Zopp and state Sen. Napoleon Harris. Analysts now think there's a strong chance that the House seat could stay with a Democrat in the 8th District. Krishnamoorthi's Democratic rivals include state Sen. Mike Noland of Elgin, who collected about $68,000 in the last quarter of the year and $210,000 overall. Noland had about $64,000 in the bank to start the year. Advertisement Another Democratic rival is Villa Park Village President Deborah Bullwinkel, whose campaign technically is in the red. It had $14,000 in the bank and its debts and obligations were greater: $24,500. The obligations include a $5,000 loan she made to her campaign treasury. She raised almost $26,000 in the last quarter and overall, about $67,000. On the Republican side, DuPage County Board member Peter DiCianni of Elmhurst raised almost $111,000 in the quarter and had almost $82,000 remaining heading into 2016. DiCianni, the former mayor of Elmhurst, has no rival for the GOP nomination. The 8th District encompasses communities in the northwest and west suburbs. kskiba@tribpub.com Twitter @KatherineSkiba Mayor Rahm Emanuel is facing a crisis of confidence in his leadership in the fallout of the Laquan McDonald case. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) A vast majority of Chicagoans don't consider Mayor Rahm Emanuel to be honest and trustworthy, don't think he was justified in withholding the Laquan McDonald video and don't believe his statements about the controversial police shooting, all fueling a record-low job approval, a new Chicago Tribune poll has found. The survey results confirm a public crisis in confidence for the second-term mayor, who has faced weeks of street protests, accusations of a cover-up and a federal civil rights probe of his Police Department after fighting the public release of police dash-cam video that showed the shooting of the African-American teen by a white police officer. Advertisement Some protesters have called for Emanuel to resign, but the poll revealed that a bare majority of Chicago voters don't think the mayor's missteps have been so grave that he should quit. Still, 4 in 10 surveyed do want the mayor to resign, including half of black and Latino voters. The poll reveals the deep public distrust of Emanuel that has developed since the McDonald shooting video was released in late November. Nearly 75 percent of Chicago voters do not believe the mayor's explanation of how he learned of the details of McDonald's shooting death, and more than two-thirds say the mayor was not justified in withholding the shooting video. Advertisement But the negative voter attitudes toward Emanuel extend beyond his handling of the McDonald case, accentuated by public concern over crime in general, policing, the fate of the city's public school system and the mayor's inability to relate to Chicagoans, the poll found. All of it has led to an all-time low job approval for Emanuel as mayor: Only 27 percent of Chicagoans approve of his job performance, while a record 63 percent disapprove. The poll was conducted by Research America Inc., featuring live landline and cellphone interviews with 985 registered city voters from Jan. 20-28. It has an error margin of 3.2 percentage points. The mayor's job approval is down by nearly half from a poll conducted in March 2015, when Emanuel was locked in a runoff election with Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia. At that time, 52 percent of voters approved of Emanuel's job performance while 33 percent disapproved. The mayor's previous low job-approval rating was 35 percent in August 2014, as he prepared his re-election bid. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 9 A year ago, Emanuel was able to boost his approval rating after spending millions of dollars airing a steady stream of TV ads designed to rehabilitate his political image. The success was thanks in large part to African-Americans coming back around. In August 2014, only 26 percent of black voters approved of the mayor's job performance, but that number jumped to 51 percent during the campaign. Now, in the aftermath of the McDonald shooting, only 20 percent of African-American voters approve of Emanuel's leadership while a record 71 percent disapproved. Among Hispanic voters, two-thirds said they don't like the job Emanuel is doing, while only 23 percent approve. A majority of white voters 55 percent also aren't satisfied with his job performance, while 37 percent approve. Those approval numbers from both groups are record lows for Emanuel in Tribune polling. Underlying that deep public disapproval is a widespread lack of trust in Emanuel, the poll found. Overall, 59 percent of city voters said they viewed Emanuel as not honest and trustworthy, including 64 percent of Hispanics, 63 percent of African Americans and 51 percent of whites. Only 27 percent of city voters said they considered the mayor to be honest and trustworthy. The loss of public confidence in Emanuel can be traced to voters' poll responses when asked about the mayor's handling of, and reaction to, the McDonald shooting. Advertisement 68 percent said Emanuel's decision to fight the Laquan McDonald shooting video release was not justified. Chicago Tribune poll In October 2014, Officer Jason Van Dyke unloaded 16 shots into McDonald, many of them as the teen lay in a stretch of Pulaski Road on the Southwest Side. Police have said Van Dyke and other officers were responding to a call alleging McDonald had been breaking into vehicles in a nearby trucking yard. They've also said McDonald used a knife with a 3-inch blade to slash the front tire of a squad car that tried to block his path, and a coroner's report found the hallucinogenic drug PCP in the teen's system. The police dash-cam video showed McDonald walking down the middle of the street and away from Van Dyke when he was shot. Less than a month after the shooting, Emanuel's Law Department requested the in-car videos from the incident. The mayor and city attorneys fought for most of 2015 to prevent the video from being released, citing state and federal investigations into the shooting. As attorneys wrangled privately, Emanuel won re-election in April. A week after the election, the city agreed to a $5 million settlement with McDonald's family before a lawsuit was ever filed. On Nov. 19, Cook County Judge Franklin Valderrama ruled that Emanuel had to make the video public, saying releasing the footage would not jeopardize any investigations. And so the mayor released the video 13 months after the shooting. That timeline has led some to allege Emanuel sought to cover up details of the shooting as he pursued a second term, allegations the mayor has denied. The Tribune poll found most don't side with the mayor's reasoning for withholding the video. Only 21 percent of voters agreed with Emanuel's decision to fight the McDonald shooting video release, while 68 percent said the mayor's actions to delay the release were not justified. Advertisement Even voters who approved of Emanuel's overall job performance were sharply split over his handling of the McDonald video, with 45 percent saying the mayor was justified and 40 percent saying he wasn't. Among those who disapproved of his job performance, 82 percent said Emanuel was not justified in fighting to keep the McDonald video secret. Emanuel has said he was not aware of the gravity of the McDonald shooting until six months after it happened, shortly before the city agreed to its April settlement with the dead 17-year-old's family. The mayor has said he did not watch the shooting video until it was released publicly, and has said he was not aware police reports contradicted the video until around 13 months after the shooting, when the reports were released to the public. Asked if they found those statements believable, only 17 percent of voters said they believed Emanuel's explanation of how he learned the details of the case. An additional 74 percent said they did not believe Emanuel's version of how the events unfolded, including 83 percent of African-Americans, 76 percent of Hispanics and 67 percent of whites. The poll's margin of error among racial and ethnic subgroups was 5.7 percentage points. Even among those who supported the mayor's overall job performance, more said they didn't believe the mayor 47 percent than believed him 40 percent. Among those who disapproved of Emanuel's job performance, 88 percent did not believe the mayor's statements on the McDonald case. The mayor's handling of the McDonald case also could be a factor for the low marks poll respondents gave Emanuel on his transparency. While the mayor has made more city data and information available online, he also has been sued for not disclosing public records, including two lawsuits filed by the Chicago Tribune. Only 18 percent of city voters said they believed Emanuel runs a transparent administration while 70 percent said he does not. The numbers were consistent across racial groups, with only 16 percent of blacks, 17 percent of Hispanics and 20 percent of white voters saying they believe Emanuel is transparent. Advertisement Overall, the poll found that voters have a bleak perception of the city under Emanuel's leadership, which has been marked not only by the McDonald case and continued struggles with tamping down violent crime, but the mayor's frequent disagreements with the Chicago Teachers Union and his passage of a record $755 million property tax increase last year to pay for police and fire pensions. All told, only 13 percent of voters believe Chicago is better off since Emanuel took office in May 2011 another new low for the mayor in Tribune polls. A record-high 42 percent said they believe Chicago is worse off under Emanuel while another 43 percent said the city is about the same. The growing dissatisfaction among minority voters toward the mayor was evident in the results, with only 6 percent of African-Americans and 8 percent of Hispanics saying they saw improvement in the city under Emanuel. At the same time, 47 percent of blacks and 44 percent of Hispanics said they viewed the city as worse off during the mayor's tenure. Contrast that with a March 2015 Tribune poll that found 20 percent of African-American voters and 19 percent of Hispanics saying the city was better off under Emanuel. That same poll showed 19 percent of African-American voters and 29 percent of Hispanics said Chicago was worse off. Faced with a runoff campaign last year, Emanuel changed his message, telling voters he was listening to their concerns and was aware of his aggressive and abrasive approach to running the city. Part of that rehab of his public persona included what now is referred to in City Hall circles as the "fuzzy sweater ad." In the closing campaign ad, Emanuel donned a sweater, looked into the camera and proclaimed, "Chicago's a great city, but we can do even better," before pointing a finger at his chest. "And yeah, I hear ya. So can I." Advertisement The mayor's approach worked so well that just before that election, a Tribune poll found more voters thought Emanuel was more "in touch" with people like themselves than Garcia, his challenger who was running a man-of-the-people campaign. In the latest survey, however, a record-high 66 percent of voters said Emanuel was not in touch with people like themselves. Only 1 in 4 voters said the mayor identifies with them. Three-quarters of black voters, 70 percent of Hispanic voters and 58 percent of white voters said they didn't think Emanuel can relate to them. Despite the common theme of dissatisfaction throughout the poll, there was one somewhat bright spot for Emanuel. Asked if the mayor should resign from office, 51 percent said Emanuel should not resign, while 41 percent said he should step down. That finding is largely due to support from white voters. Almost 7 in 10 white voters say the mayor should not step down, compared with 26 percent who want him to resign. But 51 percent of black voters and 50 percent of Hispanic voters said Emanuel should quit the office, while 40 percent of each group said he should stay. More Chicagoans supported a measure in Springfield that would allow city voters to recall a mayor from office, the poll showed. Overall, 55 percent of voters supported the recall bill while 36 percent opposed it. Advertisement The measure is unlikely to gain much traction in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly and has severe legal questions about whether it could apply to Emanuel in his current term. But the proposal still received the backing of 60 percent of Hispanic voters and 58 percent of black voters, while white voters were almost equally split. rap30@aol.com bruthhart@tribpub.com U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a veteran seen here at the city's Veterans Day ceremony at Soldier Field on Nov. 11, 2015, has been endorsed by the Illinois Federation of Teachers. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune) Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Topspin It's Monday, Feb. 1, and U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth has gotten a new endorsement in her primary campaign for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination. Advertisement The Illinois Federation of Teachers is backing the two-term member of Congress as she seeks a promotion. Dan Montgomery, the union's president, pointedly noted that one of Duckworth's rivals, Andrea Zopp, "voted to close 50 public schools and rubber-stamped a contract that criminally misused public resources" while serving on the Chicago Board of Education. "As an advocate, veteran and mother, Tammy Duckworth knows firsthand what sacrifice and commitment mean," Montgomery said. "She has always fought tirelessly for our communities and we're thrilled to endorse her campaign for U.S. Senate." Advertisement State Sen. Napoleon Harris also is running in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary. The winner faces Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk in November. The union also backed former U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Deerfield in his Democratic primary bid against Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering for the 10th Congressional District seat against re-election-seeking Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Dold. But the teachers group made no choice in the west and northwest suburban 8th Congressional District, the seat that Duckworth is giving up to make her Senate bid. Schaumburg businessman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Elgin state Sen. Mike Noland and Villa Park Village President Deb Bullwinkel are vying for the Democratic nomination. In legislative races, the union backed Republican state Sen. Sam McCann in his Downstate bid to win renomination against primary challenger Bryce Benton of Springfield, who is backed by pro-Rauner forces. And the union is supporting Democratic primary challenger Juliana Stratton in Chicago's 5th House District over state Rep. Ken Dunkin. Recent votes by Dunkin that backed Rauner angered public employees' unions. (Rick Pearson) What's on tap *Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be in New York trying to salvage CPS' bond deal after it was yanked last week. *Gov. Bruce Rauner has no public schedule. *This week, the City Club of Chicago will hold a Tuesday lunch where officials from Chicago Shakespeare Theater will talk about Shakespeare 400 Chicago, a yearlong series of events to mark the playwright's 400th birthday. Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin will speak to the City Club on Friday. What we're writing *Red light verdict casts harsh light on rationale for cameras. *Emanuel gets runway, doesn't solve delays. *Rauner administration says no on expanding medical marijuana conditions list. *Small group of Chicago cops costs taxpayers settlement money. Advertisement *Claypool brings network of colleagues, political supporters to CPS. *Chicago teachers would pay more toward pensions under contract offer. *Obama coming to Springfield to address lawmakers. *Former Illinois Senate President Phil Rock dies at 78. What we're reading *Indian women seeking jobs confront taboos, threats. *No Starship Enterprise if you're hitting Smithsonian anytime soon. Advertisement *Pan-Asian dinner wins River Forest girl cooking show crown. From the notebook *Why Gutierrez dropped Alvarez: U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez said it was tough for him to remove his support from Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez in the upcoming Democratic primary election, but her handling of the Laquan McDonald shooting investigation compelled him to do it. The longtime congressman, whose district includes parts of the Northwest Side, the West Side and the western suburbs, pulled his backing in a letter to Alvarez within weeks of the late November release of a video showing a white police officer fatally shooting McDonald, 17. Alvarez charged the officer, Jason Van Dyke, with murder on the day the video was released, more than a year after the shooting. Alvarez has faced intense criticism over how long it took but has defended the investigation by saying it's important to be thorough before indicting a police officer because of the difficulty of getting a conviction in such cases. "My point was the following: Laquan McDonald, there wasn't fairness, there wasn't justice for him," Gutierrez said of his decision not to endorse Alvarez after having done so in the past. "I thought her office took just too long, 14 months." Gutierrez pointed out he didn't call for Alvarez to step down over the delay, noting that her powerful position has been a point of pride for Cook County Latinos. "I mean, she's a symbol of pride for us, especially being, my last name is Gutierrez. I'm proud when somebody named Alvarez does so well. And I touted that everywhere I went," the congressman said while appearing with Mayor Emanuel at a Friday citizenship event for immigrants in Pilsen. "But notwithstanding that, I had to say to Anita, 'I'm not going to be part of your re-election efforts.' " Though it was difficult to step away from Alvarez, Gutierrez said he expects to not remain neutral in the primary race between Alvarez and challengers Donna More and Kim Foxx. "I will eventually make an announcement," he said when asked if he was staying out of the race. The election takes place March 15. (John Byrne) *606 trail homes protest: Protesters held an event Saturday against new luxury homes going up in Humboldt Park near the 606 trail. Fears that gentrification would push residents out of their homes accompanied the trail's opening last year, as the Tribune chronicled. *Kelly Nobel nomination: The deadline for nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize is Monday, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson will join other elected officials on the South Side to announce they are recommending Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston, S.C., for the honor. Advertisement The church is where nine people, including the pastor, were killed last June in a racially motivated rampage by a man who had dropped in for a Bible study meeting. President Barack Obama later eulogized the victims and sang "Amazing Grace" at a memorial service. Families of some victims expressed forgiveness for the assailant or urged him to repent. Kelly has been working on the nomination with House Democrat James Clyburn of South Carolina and others, an aide to Kelly said. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to 129 Nobel laureates since 1901. Obama won the prize in 2009. (Katherine Skiba) *The Sunday Spin: On this week's show on WGN-AM 720, statehouse public radio reporter Amanda Vinicky talked about Gov. Rauner's State of the State speech. And Tribune political writer Rick Pearson led a roundtable discussion on the Iowa caucuses with Monmouth College professor and political strategist Robin Johnson, former Iowa GOP chairman Matt Strawn, Argus/Dispatch Managing Editor Roger Ruthhart and retired Tribune reporter Bob Secter. Full show here. Follow the money *Democratic Senate President John Cullerton continues to collect union campaign contributions. On Friday, he reported $88,400 to his namesake campaign fund, including $48,900 from a Service Employees Healthcare PAC. And the Senate Democratic Victory Fund reported collecting $259,400, including $53,900 from the SEIU health care PAC, $53,900 from the Working Forward PAC (a trial lawyer's fund), $48,900 from AFSCME Council 31 and $21,600 each from ComEd and Exelon. Advertisement *Track campaign contribution reports in real time with this Tribune Twitter account: https://twitter.com/ILCampaignCash Beyond Chicago *Presidential race, Republican side: Des Moines Register poll has Trump over Cruz ahead of today's caucuses. *Presidential race, Democratic side: And Clinton has a slim lead over Sanders as she tries to avoid potential 0-for-2 start. *That NYT presidential candidates' video. *Frenzied final weekend of campaigning in Iowa. These undated booking photos provided by the Orange County, Calif., Sheriff's Department show, from left, 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu, 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri and 43-year-old Bac Duong, three jail inmates charged with violent crimes, who escaped from the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Calif. (AP) SANTA ANA, Calif. Three inmates who pulled off an intricate getaway from a California jail had outside help from a man who slipped them escape tools and gave them a ride to safety before they kidnapped a taxi driver at gunpoint and held him captive for a week while arguing over whether to kill him, authorities said Monday. The details emerged at news conferences by prosecutors and the Sheriff's Department that answered many of the remaining questions surrounding the escape and eight-day manhunt that ended with the capture of all three fugitives. Advertisement Hossein Nayeri, who was awaiting trial on charges of torture and kidnapping, planned the escape for five months before co-conspirator Bac Duong was booked into Central Men's Jail in Orange County in December and helped with an outside contact who smuggled in a knife and other items, authorities said. Jonathan Tieu, who was awaiting trial on a gang-related murder charge, also joined the plot, authorities said. Advertisement "This took a while," Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said. "To defeat these security systems, to defeat these metal grates, to defeat these 1-inch bars, it took some time." Once out, the three were picked up by an accomplice and driven to safety. That night, Duong kidnapped a taxi driver at gunpoint and stole a van the following day in Los Angeles, authorities said. The fugitives and the cab driver spent three nights at a motel in Southern California before they drove 400 miles north to the San Francisco Bay Area in the taxi and van. Nayeri and Duong later had a fist fight in a San Jose motel room over whether to kill the taxi driver, sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock said. Nayeri wanted to kill the cab driver and Duong did not, authorities believe. When Nayeri and Tieu left to get the van's windows tinted later the next day, Duong drove back to Southern California with the cab driver and surrendered Friday at an auto repair shop in Orange County just miles from the jail. Nayeri and Tieu were arrested Saturday in San Francisco after a man spotted the stolen van near a Whole Foods Market parking lot. Prosecutors said Monday they would not charge a teacher at the jail who sheriff's investigators suspect of helping Nayeri, an Iranian-born former Marine. Advertisement As part of his plan, Nayeri cultivated a relationship with 44-year-old Nooshafarin Ravaghi, an Iranian-born woman who taught English as a second language to jail inmates, authorities said. At some point, she provided him with a Google Earth map that showed an aerial view of the entire jail complex, Hallock said. Ravaghi was arrested last week and booked on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony, but District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said Monday there wasn't enough evidence to hold her and said he's asked investigators to keep digging. She was released late in the day. Loc Ba Nguyen, who knew Duong, visited the jail several times and provided the men with items to aid their escape, including a knife authorities said. He also picked them up after they escaped, Hallock said. It wasn't immediately clear what tools Nguyen might have provided or what his relationship was with Duong, but authorities said he did not work inside the jail. Nguyen has been charged with felony counts of possession of a weapon in a place of custody, carrying or sending a useful aid to escape from a jail or prison and aiding escape, with a criminal enhancement for being in possession of a dangerous or deadly weapon. Advertisement He will be arraigned later this month and has not entered a plea. He is free on $300,000 bail. In their detailed account of the escape, authorities said the trio waited until after a 5 a.m. head count on Jan. 22 then slipped through a hole they had sawed in a metal grate that led to a plumbing tunnel. From there, they crawled through piping inside the jail walls to reach the roof, pushed aside barbed wire and rappelled down four stories to freedom using a rope made of bed linens. By 5:15 a.m., they were outside and picked up. They bounced from one home to the next that day, moving among three different Orange County cities. At 9:30 p.m. as guards realized they were missing the trio took a cab to a Target in suburban Los Angeles. They shopped for unknown items then kidnapped the taxi driver, authorities said. The next day, Duong stole the white GMC van during a test drive and the inmates got haircuts before checking into a hotel in Rosemead with the cab driver still a hostage. Advertisement It was the first escape in nearly three decades from the California facility built in 1968. The three men were all housed together in a holding tank with 65 other inmates when they escaped and were awaiting trial on separate charges. Hallock said the three inmates will now be held in isolation cells. Associated Press As Republican front-runner Donald Trump arrived in Iowa this weekend for a final burst of campaigning ahead of the Monday caucuses, he did so in his usual over-the-top fashion: rolling his jet to a stop in front of an airport hangar filled with supporters in this eastern Iowa river town. The arrival - set to the theme song from the movie "Air Force One" - captured the surreal theatrics that have defined Trump's candidacy, attracting attention in a way that prompts many to ask: "Is this for real? Is he for real?" In any other election year, with any other candidate, Trump's consistently high poll numbers and massive rally crowds would earn him the title of presumed nominee. But this year is unlike any other and Trump is unlike any other GOP candidate - a thrice-married billionaire real estate developer who has never held elected office, wears white shoes to the Iowa State Fair, curses at his rallies and gives rides to children in his Trump-emblazoned helicopter. Yet Trump is on the cusp of something historic: A candidate who has broken nearly every rule of traditional campaigning is favored to win the Iowa caucuses and several primary contests to follow. The prospect has continued to baffle political pundits, strategists and party leaders, many of whom don't seem to want to believe what is happening until they see some proof. The Monday caucuses provide Trump with the opportunity to provide some. "It's very frustrating because if anybody had the numbers and the turnout and the support that Donald Trump has, I don't think the media would have any problem saying the normal stuff - that he's a shoo-in," said Ted Hacker, 39, who lives in Dubuque and started a trucking company with his wife a year ago. He plans to caucus for the first time on Monday, casting his vote for Trump in hopes of proving that the candidate's supporters aren't just fans looking to be entertained. "It's very frustrating." After landing in Iowa, Trump held three rallies on Saturday in eastern Iowa and two on Sunday in the western part of the state, with two more planned for Monday. A poll released by the Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics on Saturday showed Trump in the lead with 28 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers saying they will vote for him, compared with 23 percent who would pick Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and 15 percent for Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. On Sunday morning, Trump fired off a round of attack tweets before the sun had come up in Iowa, then was interviewed on three of the five major morning talk shows and went to church with his wife. His message to Iowans throughout the weekend: You have to caucus. "Unless I win, I will consider this a big, fat, beautiful - and, by the way, very expensive - waste of time," Trump said of his historic candidacy during a 35-minute speech at an airport hangar here on Saturday. "I really believe that, just a waste of time. So you've got to get out and caucus. You have to get out there." A year ago, the Republican field was crowded with politicians battling over which camp was better prepared for the White House - governors who had run a state or senators who had worked in Washington. This was supposed to be the election that allowed the Republican Party to reinvent itself, attracting a broader diversity of voters and shifting away from divisive issues. Trump was everything the party didn't think it wanted, with his plans for mass deportation and a "great, great wall" on the U.S.-Mexico border. But he seemed to be exactly what many Republican voters wanted: an outsider who has never held elected office and is pumping his own money into his presidential campaign rather than relying on a super PAC. He wasn't afraid to attack the Republican establishment, his GOP rivals or Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. Plus, he made debates fun to watch. "He's got everybody stirred up, and that's a good thing," said Vickie Hagen, 57, a school-bus driver who lives in Davenport and went to Trump's last event on Saturday. She plans to caucus for the first time on Monday, voting for Trump so that he can win her state and prove his doubters wrong. "He's an anomaly, so it's like: Let's find out if he's really real. I know he can do what he does. He's a great businessman." As Trump tweeted, attacked and gained in the polls, he grew increasingly frustrated that the media and the party were not taking him seriously. At the third Republican debate in Colorado in late October, moderator John Harwood of CNBC listed off some of Trump's more outlandish promises - building the border wall and forcing Mexico to pay for it, deporting 11 million people and cutting taxes by $10 trillion without adding to the debt. "Is this a comic book version of a presidential campaign?" Harwood asked. As the debate audience laughed, Trump responded curtly: "No, not a comic book, and it's not a very nicely asked question the way you say that." Since then, Trump has had to continue to answer such questions, especially after he went on a 95-minute-long, deeply personal rant about one of his rivals, retired surgeon Ben Carson, during a town hall in Iowa. And after he stumbled through questions about whether or not he would set up a database to track Muslims. And after he called for a temporary ban on allowing nearly all foreign Muslims into the country. And again, just last week, when he skipped the last GOP debate before the caucuses. "A lot of people have laughed at me over the years," Trump said at a rally in New Hampshire on Friday, the morning after the debate. "But they're not laughing at me anymore." The Iowa caucuses are upon us. I've spent the past two years or so reporting, writing and thinking about this day. So, here are seven things I think I know about the race in Iowa - before a single vote has been cast. 1. Establishment Republicans need not apply. The race for first is between businessman Donald Trump, who has proudly touted his hard-line stance on immigration, and Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas, who has positioned himself as the leading choice of social conservatives. Advertisement The likes of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich - three of the leading "establishment" choices - took a combined 7 percent in the Des Moines Register/Bloomberg News poll released Saturday night. Combine those results with the fact that the past two winners of contested Iowa GOP caucuses - Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Rick Santorum in 2012 - were social conservatives who didn't wind up as the nominee and you are left with one conclusion: Skipping Iowa may well be the only course for future establishment candidates. Speaking of which . . . Advertisement 2. Bush should have skipped Iowa. Way back in May, when Bush was still the race's front-runner and Trump was just a twinkle in the eyes of Republican voters, I wrote that the former governor should take a pass on Iowa - for exactly the reasons outlined above. The Bush people laughed. But the eight months that followed that column have made it clear that Bush never really had much of a chance of convincing a socially conservative electorate that looked askance at the dynastic politics of his merits. In a concession to that reality, Bush will spend caucus night in New Hampshire - the state he always had a better chance in. 3. Iowa isn't Hillary Clinton country. On the Democratic side, the former secretary of state may well win narrowly over Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) on Monday night. But it won't be nearly as easy at it looked six months ago. For Clinton, it must feel like deja vu all over again, facing a more serious-than-expected challenge from a lesser-regarded rival running to her ideological left. And, like Barack Obama in 2008, Sanders has managed to position himself as the "heart" candidate to Clinton's pragmatic "head" candidacy. Remember that the Clintons have never had much success in Iowa. Bill Clinton skipped the state entirely in 1992 because of the candidacy of native son Sen. Tom Harkin. 4. Cruz mismanaged the expectations game. Cruz has run one of the best - and most disciplined - campaigns. And, for months and months, he and his team were pitch perfect about keeping expectations low in Iowa even though his profile as a Southerner and a social conservative were an obvious fit for the state. About six weeks ago, that discipline went out the window amid a series of polls that showed Cruz surging past Trump in the Hawkeye State. Suddenly, the idea that Cruz was putting Iowa away - and positioning himself as the favorite as the race turned southward after New Hampshire - was everywhere. All of which leaves Cruz facing potential disappointment under every scenario except a clean win over Trump. Should Cruz get passed by Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) for second, he will spend the eight days between Iowa and New Hampshire insisting he remains viable. Speaking of which . . . Advertisement 5. Rubio feels very confident about Iowa. The senator went on every Sunday chat show he could find to proclaim that he is right where he wants to be. "We know it's a tough hill to climb, but we feel very good about our campaign and very positive about what it means going into New Hampshire," he said on CBS's "Face the Nation." You don't talk a big game like that - and have your campaign send a press release to reporters noting that you talked a big game - unless you are supremely confident that momentum is behind you and that there is a very high likelihood that you will overperform the public polling (and the expectations). For Rubio, leapfrogging Cruz into second place would be a major boost heading into New Hampshire, and probably would make him the favorite to finish in the runner-up slot behind Trump in the Granite State. A muddled second-third result in Iowa - Cruz ahead but barely - also would work to Rubio's advantage although less so than a clean second. 6. The "Iowa way" of campaigning may be no more. Eight years ago, Iowa reasserted the cliched-but-mostly-true idea that even the most famous candidates had to earn every vote by planting themselves in living rooms and VFW halls for months leading up to the caucuses. Rudy Giuliani was never a factor; Clinton finished third. Trump has eschewed almost all of that sort of campaigning, preferring to fly in on his jet, give a speech, shake a few hands, and then fly back to his home in New York City that night. (Trump has spent slightly more nights in the state in the final few weeks of the campaign.) A Trump win would be validation that social media and wall-to-wall cable coverage might be a substitute for moving your family to Iowa. (Chris Dodd!) Of course, it's also possible that Trump's celebrity is the secret sauce here - which is harder for another politician in the future, with the exception of Kanye West, to replicate. Advertisement 7. Martin O'Malley is the most important person in the Democratic race. The former Maryland governor isn't going to make the viability threshold in lots and lots of caucuses around the state. (He's at a meager 3 percent in the final Register/Bloomberg News poll.) Once O'Malley doesn't reach viability in these caucuses, his supporters will be offered the chance to re-caucus with either Sanders supporters or Clinton backers. Has the governor made clear to his key organizers whom he would prefer his support to go to? And if not, what do his people decide to do: Choose Clinton or Sanders or simply walk away? The margins between Sanders and Clinton in the caucuses look likely to be quite close. That means how the O'Malley supporters choose between the two front-runners could be decisive. Carly Fiorina, the failed California U.S. Senate candidate who had a brief burst of momentum in the GOP presidential race , finished with just under 2% of the vote Monday. The candidate, a former business chief executive who unsuccessfully ran for the Senate seat held by Barbara Boxer in 2010, received fewer than 3,500 votes in the Iowa caucuses. She finished seventh of 12 candidates. Her campaign and the super PAC backing Fiorinas bid did not respond to requests for comment. Fiorina tweeted Monday night that she was boarding a plane: "See you soon, New Hampshire." Fox News reported that Fiorina skipped her own caucus party because of an incoming blizzard. In the days leading up to the caucuses, Fiorina had pledged she would surprise the political observers who had declared her White House bid dead. I'm here to tell you ... on Monday we're going to surprise people here in Iowa, and we're going to leave here with the wind at our back," she told supporters at a photography exhibit here last week. Its unclear whether the poor showing will prompt Fiorina to leave the race. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who finished with 139 fewer votes than Fiorina, announced Monday night he was suspending his campaign. A spokeswoman for the Fiorina super PAC tweeted Sunday that it had $4.5 million in cash on hand, more than enough money to continue its effort. And in Fiorinas 2010 Senate race, she refused to concede until the day after votes were cast, despite losing by 10 points. Fiorina invested heavily in Iowa, crisscrossing the state and holding 138 town halls, rallies and meet-and-greets, among the most appearances for a GOP candidate. Her charisma on the stump, which she displayed in her unsuccessful Senate run, was indisputable. For a brief moment as summer turned to fall, Fiorina rose in the polls. During the first GOP debate in Cleveland in August, she was relegated to the undercard debate for second-tier candidates because polls showed she had little support. A sterling performance drove up her numbers, landing her a spot on stage at the September prime-time debate at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. She again delivered a well-regarded performance and memorably confronted GOP front-runner Donald Trump, who had made critical remarks about her appearance. In the aftermath, Fiorina's polling hit double digits in Iowa. But since October, the former Hewlett-Packard chief has been mired in the low single digits. In the Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll released Saturday, Fiorina drew the support of 2% of likely Iowa GOP caucusgoers, tied for last place. The decline, according to political observers, was a consequence of her squandering her post-Reagan debate momentum, the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino placing an even greater emphasis on foreign policy experience, and a crowded GOP field. IOWA CITY Ted Cruz is the Bernie Sanders of the Republican race, and Bernie Sanders the Ted Cruz of the Democratic race. No matter how you look at it, three delusions drive both candidates' campaign narratives. Delusion Number 1: We will transform the country, uniting it behind an expansive agenda that will move the nation's politics sharply away from center. The country must see that it agrees with us and has all along. Advertisement "All across this country, millions of people rose up and became the Reagan revolution," Cruz said to an overflowing hotel auditorium in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, citing a moment in which a Republican who was called too conservative converted a generation of working-class Democrats. "The same thing is happening again. All over this country people are waking up." "This campaign . . . is about political revolution and transforming America," Bernie Sanders told a crowd of 3,500 packed into a college gymnasium in Iowa City on Saturday. "What I will do . . . is start to make the United States Congress listen to what the American people want by mobilizing the American people," Sanders said in Des Moines on Thursday. The point is punctuated at Sanders rallies by Jill Sobule's " Democratic Socialist Marching Song," which declares that "There's nothing to fear, just look in the mirror, you are a socialist, too." Advertisement Cruz and Sanders cannot lead simultaneous popular political revolutions. And, in fact, neither will. As my colleague Ruth Marcus pointed out last week, President Barack Obama had the best chance in decades to revolutionize American politics, and he failed. Cruz and Sanders, each offering far more radical agendas than Obama did, each appealing to slices of the country eager for ideologically comforting wishful thinking, will not even get the chance. Delusion Number 2: The nation is primed for a revolution because things are terrible. The country is "staring at the edge of a cliff," Cruz said in Ames, warning of another four to eight years of Obama-like leadership. "Our Constitution is hanging by a thread," Cruz's warm-up act, Glenn Beck, declared. "We are facing enemies foreign and domestic." Because of Citizens United, Sanders claimed in Iowa City, the United States is an "oligarchy" in which the top expropriates money from the bottom and the next generation is all but doomed to crushing student debt and a lower standard of living. "I don't think (Sanders) is a McGovern. I think he's an FDR," Berner Lisa Avelleyra said at Saturday's Sanders rally, comparing the nation's current conditions with the Great Depression that propelled Franklin Roosevelt into office with a massive congressional majority and mandate. Sanders' hyperbole is somewhat more palatable than Cruz's; income inequality and campaign finance reform are more serious issues than overblown tales of the death of American freedom. But both candidates take real problems income inequality, political money, inefficient government programs, the use of executive orders over the past two presidencies and amp them up into high national emergencies at a time when the economy, the jobs picture and healthcare access are all steadily improving, when the United States stands among the freest places on Earth, and when Americans enjoy advanced levels of protection from all sorts of threats, from terrorism to disease. The country faces big challenges, but the fundamentals are not dire . Delusion Number 3: The country is in its current state because of the corrupt or otherwise illegitimate actions of others. Cruz warned about the "root threat of progressivism" and declared that in his first day in office he will revoke all of President Obama's "illegal and unconstitutional executive actions," begin the process of repealing Obamacare and end the Common Core educational standards. "Washington is fundamentally broken," Cruz explained, because of "bipartisan corruption." He makes jokes about Democrats stealing elections with voter fraud. Sanders reliably traces the country's problems to "these huge financial institutions that . . . control the economic and political life of this nation." In a 20-minute speech Saturday night he mentioned billionaires more times than I could count. Advertisement Delusion Number 3 is crucial. It makes the country's problems seem easy to solve rescind Obama's executive actions! Overturn Citizens United! and it implies that those who oppose the program are complicit in the corruption. But, of course, reality is more complicated. Cruz ignores analyses finding that the regulatory drag from the president's Environmental Protection Agency climate change actions, for example, is simply too small to seriously harm the national economy. Sanders blaming Wall Street for everything ignores all sorts of evidence that disagreements in the United States reflect much more than simple election-buying; corporate America did not want the government shutdowns or the debt-limit shenanigans of the past several years, yet the GOP went through with both, anyway. A core reason the United States is not already an arch-conservative country or a democratic socialist country is the political system's many checks and balances combined with voters' preferences. In other words, people disagree. Which is exactly what most Americans will do if the Republicans nominate Cruz or the Democrats nominate Sanders. Washington Post Stephen Stromberg is a Washington Post editorial writer. The biggest stories of this young political year are the surprising surges of the outsider presidential candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Close behind is the possible collapse of the once-formidable front-runner, Jeb Bush. Only a year ago, the Washington cognoscenti, the less politically sophisticated big donors and the London oddsmakers all figured that the son and brother of presidents was a solid favorite to clinch the Republican nomination. Six months ago, the former Florida governor thought he had a real shot at winning Iowa, the first nominating contest. Yet as the state's voters prepare to gather for the traditional caucuses on Monday night, he barely registers in the polls. Advertisement There is already a debate in Republican circles over what went wrong: Was he just a bad candidate? Was he ill-served by the chief strategist of the richly funded Bush super-PAC? Or was this just a bad year for any establishment figure? In the first half of 2015, when Bush could have dominated the agenda, his campaign essentially had one message: financial shock and awe, we'll have more money than anyone ever. Little effort went into defining the candidate, or reminding voters that Bush, who'd been out of office for almost a decade, was a conservative reform governor. Policy expertise, including from influential social right leaders, was brushed aside. Advertisement The campaign then decided that the super PAC, Right to Rise, run by Bush's longtime confidant Mike Murphy, would be the prime player. The PAC has spent $70 million on broadcast, cable and radio advertising, almost 30 percent of the total spent by all Republican and Democratic candidates and their political action committees. The returns, the numbers suggest, have been minimal. Even ads that created buzz attacks on Sen. Marco Rubio that poked fun at his fancy boots or pointed out his flip-flopping on issues didn't help Bush or hurt their target. They did create bitterness among establishment Republicans, who complain, privately, that while Bush insisted that he was the only one who was taking on the front-runner Trump, Murphy was going after Rubio. The tension with Rubio, a fellow Floridian who had been a Bush protege, also illustrated Bush's weakness as a candidate. In an early debate, he sought to attack Rubio's spotty attendance in the Senate. Rubio turned the attack back on a flat-footed Bush. He also stumbled over whether he would have supported the ill-fated war in Iraq waged by his brother, President George W. Bush. He should have anticipated this potential pitfall, but he was never able to effectively deal with the legacy of his brother, who some top Iowa Republicans say is a big albatross in the state. (The Bush camp hopes that won't be the case elsewhere. They are reportedly planning to have the 43rd president campaign for his younger sibling in South Carolina.) But Bush suffered most from being savaged by Trump, who derided him, insulted his family ties and mocked him with the lasting epithet that he was "low energy." Bush has improved as a candidate. In Iowa this past week, he was more substantive than most of his rivals on domestic issues and national security. But when he riffs on topics such as Civil Service reform, the Trump shot echoes. In the Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll released this weekend, Bush is in a four-way tie for seventh place with only 2 percent, and has the highest negatives of any Republican candidate. Advertisement If that reflects his showing in the caucuses, he will have to come back and beat the other establishment candidates in New Hampshire next week; otherwise, all pathways to the nomination will be closed. The campaigning in Iowa and the multitude of debates provided evidence that Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are the two Republican candidates best prepared to govern. That quality appears to matter little in this crazy year. Bloomberg View Albert R. Hunt is a Bloomberg View columnist. In ancient times, bacteria and viruses could not travel between different countries and regions faster than humans could migrate on foot. Distant populations were relatively safe from foreign diseases. The transmissibility of disease expanded tremendously when travel by horse, and then sailing ship, became common. With the 20th century development of intercontinental jet travel, global trade, tourism and human migration, the "new normal" is epidemics and exotic diseases that can travel faster, farther and in larger numbers than ever before in history. Witness the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which was barely on the World Health Organization radar a year ago but was declared an international emergency on Monday. It suddenly ravages South America, with a projected 4 million cases this year, and it has already infected more than 1 million people in Brazil. Advertisement Zika infection is usually not life-threatening, however it may occasionally be associated with the severe neurological condition, Guillain-Barre syndrome. And health officials now are investigating Zika's connection to microcephaly, a birth defect that can lead to severe brain damage. An alarming number of women who contracted Zika while pregnant have delivered babies with microcephaly. There is currently no vaccine or cure for Zika infection. To date, there are no cases of locally transmitted cases in the continental United States, but there have been more than 30 cases in returning travelers. While officials believe a major outbreak unlikely, the United States may experience more cases as the weather warms and the mosquitoes that transmit Zika become more prevalent across the country. Advertisement One area of concern is the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August. The Zika virus could pose a risk for American athletes and spectators traveling to Brazil. Moreover, it is possible that if infected these people could, on return home, become a reservoir for certain mosquito breeds to carry the disease in the warmer climes of the United States. Recall only a year and a half ago a Dallas hospital, as a result of bureaucracy and inadequate preparation, misdiagnosed the first case of Ebola virus in the United States in a patient traveling from Liberia. The infected patient was released from the hospital but returned three days later, and by then it was too late. He subsequently died, two nurses who had contact with him contracted the virus, and nearly 150 people had to be monitored for six weeks. Fortunately, Ebola is not easily transmissible, otherwise the situation could easily have been disastrous. The history of the Western Hemisphere is replete with examples of deadly contagions brought from distant parts of the world. While most transmission of exotic diseases today is from less developed countries to more developed ones, it was not always so. In the Middle Ages, smallpox was unknown to the Native American tribes. Ships with the first European settlers brought the disease, killing a large percentage of Native Americans in what is now the United States and Canada. Smallpox was also critical to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires of Mexico and South America. In the 18th century, yellow fever, originating in either Africa or Central America, ravaged the major port cities of the eastern United States. In the 19th century, cholera, brought from Central Asia to England, and ultimately by ship to America, caused epidemics in urban areas including Chicago (federal troops sent via the Great Lakes to fight the Black Hawk War brought cholera to the city). The successful battles to control cholera and yellow fever are two of the underappreciated heroic stories in American history. The influenza pandemic of 1918 was the country's worst infectious disease catastrophe. It is estimated that one-quarter of all Americans contracted the virus, and in only one year an estimated 675,000 died, 10 times as many as in World War I. The epidemic was fueled by the return of American soldiers who contracted the disease in Europe. Ships carrying returning doughboys and wounded veterans were a virtual incubation laboratory for the influenza virus. Later in the 20th century, the United States fortunately avoided an epidemic of avian influenza (bird flu), caused by a related influenza virus that originated in South China. Today, the greatest fear of epidemiologists and infectious disease experts is the prospect of another lethally mutating influenza virus. In our generation, the deadliest American epidemic has been AIDS, and the responsible virus, HIV, originated in Central Africa. The HIV virus has been responsible for nearly as many American deaths as the 1918 influenza pandemic virus, albeit over a 40-year period. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the United States has also faced threats from the SARS virus, which originated in China, and the West Nile virus, first identified in East Africa. In all of these cases, the spread to America was abetted by global air travel moving infected victims, or aircraft and ships moving mosquitoes or mosquito eggs. We cannot roll back the clock on global travel and trade, or their consequences. The Zika virus is merely the latest, but not the last, reminder of how advances in transportation leave us susceptible to once-unimaginable diseases. Luck is essential to avoiding these epidemics, but a famous scientific aphorism reminds us that chance favors the prepared mind. This will mean heightened levels of national and international preparation, including increased mosquito control, accelerated vaccine research and advanced computer-assisted disease mapping and contact tracing. Advertisement Cory Franklin is a Wilmette physician and the author of "Cook County ICU: 30 Years of Unforgettable Patients and Odd Cases." GARNAVILLO, Iowa Traveling north on U.S. Highway 52, as the road descends from the bluffs toward the river town of Guttenberg, there's a view of the partially frozen Mississippi River that makes you believe everything is going to be just fine. Snow is smeared across its icy surface, like giants were turned loose with white finger paint. The river is beautiful, and it's big. And it carries on. Advertisement Heading north and west from there the land levels out into rolling prairie, where the highest points are silos, cell towers and church steeples. On the Sunday morning before the Iowa caucuses, under one of those steeples in the tiny town of Garnavillo, the day's second reading included these words: "If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." Advertisement This state has had its fill of noisy gongs and clanging cymbals, as Republican and Democratic candidates have spent the better part of a year expressing their supposed love for the people of Iowa. When voters gather tonight to caucus, casting the first votes in the 2016 presidential race, they will know, if they believe the bombastic speeches and hyperbolic advertising, that the very fate of the country rests in their hands. It doesn't, of course. This is only the beginning, and regardless of who winds up in the White House, this country, like the river I passed on the way to Garnavillo, will carry on. We forget that sometimes. It's drowned out by the gongs and cymbals. Pastor Hillary Burns-Kite of St. Peter Lutheran Church spoke with me after the service about to borrow from Dr. Seuss the noise, noise, noise, noise. "I've been relieved lately to hear other people saying that they find all the noise to be as ridiculous as I do," she said. "It's so frustrating. And a lot of the loudness is fear-based. In our faith, as Christians, we're called not to live in fear. But there's this message of fear all the time. I find myself trying to be very much the opposite on Sundays." That's a realistic way to be, and it's a good reminder, as the presidential primaries officially begin, that the people yelling on TV and the people ALL-CAPS YELLING on the Internet are not representative of the real world. Pastor Hillary and her congregation, and all 18,000 or so people here in northeast Iowa's Clayton County, are the real world. I don't mean that demographically, of course, or even economically or socially. I just mean that they're a community people living and working and socializing together. County political leaders say the area is about half Democratic and half Republican, and while there are disagreements and differences of opinion, everybody has to deal with everybody else, so nobody's going to get too enraged over who you think should be president. Advertisement It's not particularly productive, and it's certainly not very neighborly. You don't have to be in rural Iowa to find that behavior. Most people in America aren't screaming at each other. But we consume so much political conflict and commentary that it seems the country is about to rip itself in two. It's not. In Elkader, about 10 miles west of Garnavillo, Joe Sylvester, the third-generation owner of a bowling alley, said political talk is standard fare between strikes and spares. "We have a lot of good conversation," he said. "But it's nothing too heated." Advertisement Josh Pope, the mayor of Elkader, concurred: "It's a small community. You have to be careful with what you do and what you say." Lori Keppler, who does social media and communications work with the Clayton County Republican Party, said that what matters most to Iowa voters aren't the ads or the aforementioned noise but the personal connections candidates make with people. She said Rick Santorum was in the county and spent two hours with a group of only five voters. Mike Huckabee has been there, and Ben Carson as well. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump were in nearby Dubuque. Santorum even gave Keppler his cellphone number in case she ever needed to reach him. She texted him on Christmas to wish his family well and he texted back. Pope said: "When you actually get to hear them speak and shake their hand, that makes a huge difference." I think that's because Iowans, and the rest of us, are human beings, and we don't want to have the crap scared out of us, or get yelled at, or feel pressured to yell at someone else. Advertisement We want to shake hands and be reasonable. Before Pastor Hillary's congregation broke to shake hands Sunday morning, she quoted from the Bible: "Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace." Not bad advice, particularly on the eve of the start of a presidential campaign that will, undoubtedly, be anything but peaceful. There are big decisions to make, and they are important. But we are not a country coming apart at the seams, and we'd be wise to remember that as the gongs and the cymbals are clanging. I wish everyone could see that view of the Mississippi River from the bluffs above Guttenberg. Because the perspective that comes from witnessing something so grand, even for a moment, is enough to give you confidence that no matter who gets elected, America will manage to carry on. rhuppke@tribpub.com "People are so separated from this war by time," he said. "They're not going to connect with abstract figures." He wants visitors to see a reflection of themselves in the sculptures and to touch them. "If you can have a sensory experience, then you'll make a memory of your own," he said. "In that way, you'll have a connection with the war." Buffalo Grove police Lt. Scott Eisenmenger at the police station Friday. The department colleceted donations of bottled water to be sent to Flint, Mich. (Brian O'Mahoney / Pioneer Press) When he lived on East Court Street in Flint, Mich., a seventh-grader named Elliott Hartstein looked up to the "inspirational" rabbi of Temple Beth El and enjoyed the one year he spent at Whittier Junior High. Years later, after Hartstein served as the village president of Buffalo Grove, he and the rest of the nation found Flint in the news, for a dire reason: toxic drinking water. This week, Hartstein was one of hundreds of residents of Chicago's northwest suburbs to donate to the Buffalo Grove Police Department's drive for bottled water. Advertisement "It's beyond comprehension, what needs to be done," Hartstein said of the crisis in Flint, a former industry town about 70 miles northwest of Detroit. "It's going to take a lot of money to rectify that mess." On Jan. 25, the Buffalo Grove police announced that they wanted to collect new cases of bottled water, to send to officers and firefighters in Flint. Their plan, at that time, was to load up their trailer and haul whatever they got on the morning of Jan. 30. Advertisement "It's been an overwhelming response," deputy chief Mike Szos said, while an 18-wheeled big rig sat in the station's back parking lot. "It's great." "We filled up our second truck last night," officer Jim Harris, who works inspection and enforcement of major transportation, said on Jan. 29. "By the end of tonight, we'll have our third halfway full." By Szos' calculations, the BGPD loaded about 2,500 cases of bottled water onto 51 pallets. Other police and fire departments, village halls and community groups, have made contributions, he said. "We're taking everyone's name, who's donating water," Szos said. That list includes fire departments and districts, police departments and organizations that represent firefighters, officers and police chiefs in Schiller Park, Lake Zurich, Union, Arlington Heights, McHenry County, Barrington, Countryside, Grayslake and more. Hillside Transportation of Arlington Heights, Graebel Van Lines of Buffalo Grove and A Express Towing from Palatine donated 18-wheelers; Harris said all three had "really stepped up" and donated their services. Officials with Flint's police and fire departments did not return calls for comment last week, but Szos wrote in an email Monday that the off-load went smoothly. "Flint PD was ready with a forklift and were able to put the water in a storage area and underground garage," Szos wrote. "It took us a little over 2 hours to unload." Advertisement Harris had a laugh at the logistics headache the effort had turned into for Szos. "He's been out there in the back, trying to calculate how much we have and how many trucks we'll need to move it all," Harris said. Jeff Weiss, founder of Buffalo Grove's Environmental Action Team and the Buffalo Creek Clean Water Commission, said that he used to live in Detroit while working as an insurance claims adjuster, and that because Flint was part of his territory, he visited it frequently. As the titles of the groups he has created here suggest, he isn't big on plastic water bottles. But for Flint, he made an exception. "My goal for this morning is to go out and buy a case of water to donate," Weiss said Jan. 29. "Even though I don't like plastic bottles, that's what it is right now." Hartstein, the former village president, wondered about the quagmire of costs that municipal, state and other agencies will face to rebuild the Flint water system, settle lawsuits and take care of immediate health concerns. He worried what would become of the city he spent a slice of his childhood in. Advertisement "It's going to be a long road," Hartstein said. "And, unfortunately, a sad road." rwachter@pioneerlocal.com Twitter: @RonnieAtPioneer Running a marijuana dispensary in Illinois is tough, but one manager says it's tougher now that Springfield has refused to add new conditions to the list of 39 that are eligible for treatment by medical marijuana. "Every qualifying condition that has been reviewed and approved by the Illinois Medical Cannabis Advisory Board has been vetoed 11 conditions last year and now eight (this year)," said Joseph Friedman, a pharmacist and chief operations officer of Professional Dispensaries of Illinois in Buffalo Grove. Advertisement Friedman aired his frustrations with the Friday announcement, ahead of PDI's Feb. 6 Medical Marijuana Educational Expo. Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration recently rejected the advisory board's recommendations to add osteoarthritis, irritable bowel syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder, among others, to the list of conditions treatable by the drug. The administration rejected 11 conditions that included anorexia and migraines earlier last year. Advertisement "We hope [Rauner] starts seeing the benefits of medical marijuana for patients and that he doesn't use the excuse that the program needs more time to be evaluated," Friedman said. The four-year pilot program is already about halfway over. Friedman and PDI Medical CEO Mark Mandel, also a pharmacist, are among dispensary owners in the state saying that they need more patients to be viable. They built the losses into their business model, but could only stand so much. Even so, Friedman says PDI Medical which officially opened on Dec. 21 is here to stay. They are one of three groups in Lake County with a license to dispense medical marijuana. His hope is that Saturday's expo will generate some new patients, prescribing doctors and supportive caregivers. The expo will take place 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1615 Barclay Blvd. in Buffalo Grove, a few doors down from PDI. It's free and open to the public. James Beard Award winning Chicago pastry chef Mindy Segal will be on hand, too, passing out samples of her medical marijuana edibles from 11 a.m. to noon. These edibles won't, however, contain marijuana. More than the pastries, the expo will have health experts, pharmacists and cultivation center professionals available to help answer questions and register patients for Illinois medical marijuana cards. Advertisement "There's still a lot of educating that needs to happen," Friedman said. Friedman understands that doctors are still wary about prescribing medical marijuana; they can't open peer reviewed journals and find double-blind, controlled studies detailing its benefits, and it is still categorized as a Schedule I drug. The U.S. government's demonization, as he calls it, of marijuana has prevented the necessary studies from being done. But the floodgates are slowly opening, he says. "There is a lot of anecdotal evidence and studies that have been done overseas," Friedman said. "This is something that is real that's been helping people for eonsnot something from 'Dr. Oz.'" Those interested in attending the expo can visit pdimedical.com for more information. Laura Pavin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press Archbishop Blase Cupich led a special Mass on Sunday at SS. Cyril and Methodius Church in Lemont. (Frank Vaisvilas / Daily Southtown) Archbishop Blase Cupich encouraged parishioners at SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish in Lemont to keep faithful and to serve. Cupich's special Sunday Mass marked the beginning of Catholic Schools Week, which highlights the importance of Catholic education. Advertisement About 400 people attended the service, which included special recognition and blessings for SSCM school teachers. Cupich also gave a special blessing to Andy Guzy and his family, who has four children starting their education at SSCM school. Advertisement "It gives them great values, and also a great education," Guzy said of enrolling his children in the Catholic school. Cupich, who oversees Cook and Lake counties, where 85,000 students are enrolled, said Catholic education remains important despite continued school closings and consolidations. "We've been teaching longer than public schools," Cupich said. SSCM Principal Shirley Tkachuk said faith and monthly service projects are important parts of her students' education. "We don't just provide our kids with an academic education," she said. "Everything we do revolves around our faith." Tkachuk said it can be a challenge sometimes keeping enrollment high because of the cost of tuition. Catholic elementary school tuition costs range from about $2,600 to $4,200, according to the National Catholic Educational Association. The Chicago Archdiocese announced in January that three schools would close at the end of the year because of low enrollment, including Seton Academy High School in South Holland. Advertisement Tkachuk said SSCM's enrollment has been steady at nearly 350 students, and officials are focusing on offering more pre-kindergarten services in an effort to attract more families. Cupich said he visited the Lemont church on Sunday because of its energy and growth. Its members are raising $4.5 million for a new parish center. Cupich based his message during the service around the theme of Catholic Schools Week, which is "faith, knowledge and service." Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > "We need to know the Lord more," he preached. "God wants us to be happy. He wants the greatest good for us even when there are setbacks." Parishioners certainly appreciated the positive message and Cupich's visit. "(His visit) is definitely a privilege and great experience for this church and parish," said parishioner Frank Gabreilow. "It reinforces our community and makes our community more alive." Advertisement SSCM Pastor Waldemar Stawiarski said he was honored to have Cupich visit and it shows that that Archdiocese supports churches away from downtown Chicago. Cupich stood for some time to talk with people and take photos at an open house at the school after Mass before heading to the airport for a flight to Croatia and Albania for the Bishops' Conference. Tkachuk said the school community will continue to celebrate Catholic Schools Week with events such as a visit by World War 2 veterans who will be going on the "honor flight" Wednesday and a talent show on Thursday. Frank Vaisvilas is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Police go through the process of removing the bodies of 5 women killed in a shooting at Lane Bryant store in Brookside Marketplace shopping center on 191st Street in Tinley Park on February 2, 2008. (Scott Strazzante / Chicago Tribune) Despite the passage of time, Maurice Hamilton says his hopes haven't dimmed that the man responsible for his sister's killing will be found. Eight years ago, she and four other women were shot to death inside a Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park, a crime police believe was initially intended to be a robbery. Advertisement Since the slayings Feb. 2, 2008, investigators have received nearly 7,000 leads, and tips still come in regularly to the Tinley Park Police Department, which has two detectives assigned to the case. Along with Hamilton's sister, 42-year-old store manager Rhoda McFarland of Joliet, also killed were Jennifer Bishop, 34, of South Bend, Ind.; Sarah Szafranski, 22, of Oak Forest; Connie Woolfolk, 37, of Flossmoor; and Carrie Hudek Chiuso, 33, of Frankfort. A sixth woman, also a store employee, suffered a gunshot wound to the neck but survived and was able to provide police with a description of the killer. Advertisement Hamilton said that "it's not frustrating" that so many years have passed without an arrest. He said his family and the families of the other women are trying their best to move on with their lives. "It's hard," he said. "You don't stop thinking about her." A reward of $100,000 much of it coming from the parent company of Lane Bryant, and the payout not contingent on a conviction in the killings hasn't yet loosened any lips, although investigators are convinced that someone has information vital to solving the case. "I firmly believe there is a small number of people aside from the offender who know who the offender is," said Tinley Park Detective Ray Violetto, who's been involved with the investigation almost from the beginning. Hamilton said that is the hope the families have, that "someday, somebody will step up to the plate and do the right thing." "You just hope and pray they do the right thing," he said. I firmly believe there is a small number of people aside from the offender who know who the offender is. Tinley Park Det. Ray Violetto McFarland wasn't scheduled to work at the store that day but stopped in to help get ready for a big clearance sale that was coming up. "She was a very committed person," her brother said. "She was very dedicated." Advertisement Bishop, a nurse, and her husband were in the area for a conference he was attending; while Hudek Chiuso, a counselor at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, was shopping for clothes for a get-together with college friends. Szafranski had stopped at the store to look for clothes to wear to her new job in the accounting department at CNA Financial in downtown Chicago. Woolfolk, a single mother of two boys, was getting ready to enjoy a night out with friends who were gathering later that day for a birthday party at Ed & Joe's Pizza in Tinley. She was previously a longtime employee for the village of Park Forest and had worked as a mortgage lender. Shortly after 10 a.m. that day, an African-American man about 6 feet to 6-foot-2, with a husky build and broad shoulders, came into the store posing as a delivery man. Police, based on the description by the surviving witness, said he had three to five "puffy" corn rows running from the back of his head to the front, with one strand with green beads hanging over his right cheek. He wore a black jacket and a charcoal gray knit cap, police said. Four women, including McFarland and the other employee, were in the store at the time. The man pulled out a gun, a .40-caliber Glock pistol, told them he was robbing the store, then herded the women into a back room, where they were bound with duct tape and ordered to lay face-down on the floor. Two other women who came into the store were also similarly restrained. McFarland managed to call 911 on her cellphone, whispering her location to an operator, who told her to stay on the line. McFarland pleaded "hurry" before the connection was lost. Police early in the case said that a "very large amount" of evidence was taken from the scene and sent to Illinois State Police crime lab for examination. Violetto said that the "majority" of the evidence has been studied, but that "we did not receive the results we hoped we would," referring to a crucial piece of evidence that would lead police to the killer. Advertisement Violetto said that police "haven't discussed any of the evidence that was recovered," such as whether the killer left behind fingerprints or DNA. A computer-generated image of the suspect in the Lane Bryant murders, issued by police in June 2008. (HANDOUT) He said the investigation didn't uncover any evidence to suggest that any of the women knew the assailant. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > The survivor, whose identity hasn't been released for her protection, made a statement through police a few days after the killings, calling it "an unspeakable tragedy," in which "five of the bravest women I have ever met were senselessly murdered and taken from their families." Violetto, who is the lead investigator in the case, said the department averages 11/2 tips each week in the case, which Violetto said is encouraging because of how much time has passed. The department has a tip line for the investigation, (708) 444-5394, and an email address, lanebryant.tipline@tinleypark.org. Being closely connected with the case for so many years, Violetto says that he experiences "up and downs," noting that leads that might seem encouraging at first can end up fizzling out. "You just have to keep moving on," he said Advertisement A detective with Tinley Park for 17 years, he said the goal in any case is closure, not just for those working the investigation but for the victim or his or her family. "You always have closure in a case," Violetto said. "We haven't been able to provide them (families of victims) any closure in this case." mnolan@tribpub.com Karen Kraemer, right, addresses approximately 60 of her fellow members of the Palos Health and Fitness Center in the cafe at Barnes and Noble in Orland Park about the planned May 1 closing of the health center. A public hearing on the issue will be held at 10 a.m. on Feb. 18 before the Illinois Health Facility and Services Review Board at the Orland Park Civic Center. (Patricia Trebe / Daily Southtown) Anne Matty joined approximately 60 other members of the Palos Health and Fitness Center who crammed into the cafe at Barnes and Noble in Orland Park on Sunday to learn what they can do to stop the May 1 closing of their health club to make way for a $133 million Palos Community Hospital expansion project. For Matty of Orland Park, the closing is particularly painful. For the past 14 years, she and 40 others with multiple sclerosis have attended a unique class for people with the disease. The class, with members who come from as far away as Indiana and Lake Zurich to attend, acts as a support group while putting participants through one day of yoga and two days of swimming each week. Advertisement "There isn't another facility in the entire Chicagoland area that can accommodate our needs," Matty said. "The facilities at Palos are perfect for us and we need it. If you take the pool away, you are taking away our quality of life. It keeps me going." All the meeting attendees were on hand Sunday to express their anger at the planned closing and demolition of the 78,000-square-foot fitness center on the corner of 153rd Street and West Avenue. Advertisement The center will make way for a proposed development that will include the construction of a four-story, 107,760-square-foot medical office building with offices, diagnostic and treatment space for medical specialties. In addition, a 16,000-square-foot, three-story building connection will join two existing office buildings and the new medical facility. A 125,000-square-foot below-grade parking garage, as well as site improvements, are also included in a project plan submitted to the Illinois Health Facility and Services Review Board this month. On Friday, plans were sent to the Village of Orland Park. If approved, hospital administrators say the project will be completed by June 2019. The project will expand the space available for physicians, as well as add specialty services such as oncology, orthopedics and surgery, and allow for a higher level of imaging services, said Tim Brosnan, vice president for planning at Palos Community Hospital "We are aware that this is a big disappointment for our members," Brosnan said. "As an organization, our first priority is to deliver quality medical care and services. And we had to prioritize our resources. We know it is a difficulty (for our members). But Palos continues to be committed to the health care of this community. "We are planning for the future, and this project is really about delivering advanced health care in the southwest suburbs," he added. The hospital's south campus in Orland Park has been at that location since 1985, and it is the ideal place for the expansion of health care services, Brosnan said. "It is the most logical and rational place in terms of access points, location and services that are already there," he added. When fitness club member Karen Kraemer first learned of the proposed closing she said she immediately thought of the senior citizens and others with ailments ranging from MS to arthritis as well as the children from the Orland Park Special Recreation program who participate in swim meets on Saturdays, she said. Advertisement "It is such a diverse group of people who use this beautiful facility," Kraemer said. "Where are all these people going to go to get these kinds of services?" Kraemer and others intend to fight the closing and have requested a public hearing with the Illinois Health Facility and Services Review Board. The public hearing is scheduled for the Orland Park Civic Center at 10 a.m. Feb. 18. "We made a formal request because this is such a unique facility that serves a medical need for many," Kraemer said. "I think (the review board) needs to hear how important this facility is to us." After reviewing the application online, Kraemer said she discovered there was no mention of closing the fitness center, which made her more angry and determined. "I find that to be very telling. They have this great facility, but they haven't let the Illinois Health Facility and Services Review Board know that they are closing it to build more office buildings," Kraemer said. A letter of support from state Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-18th, was included in the application to the review board. Cunningham said he is often called upon to support certificates of need by health facilities. Advertisement "I think it's a good thing to expand health services in my district," he said. But once members started learning about the closing, calls soon came into Cunningham's office, he said. "Fast-forward to (Jan. 25) and I get a call from a constituent who complained about the closing of the fitness center, and it was the first I heard of that. Nothing in their request letter mentioned that the building would be demolished and replaced," Cunningham said. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > On Friday, Cunningham sent a letter to Palos Community Hospital which puts a condition on his support for the hospital's plan. In the letter, he wrote, "I am dismayed to learn that the fitness center is going to be closed. I urge Palos Community Hospital to reconsider it's decision to close the fitness center. If the existing fitness center cannot be preserved as part of the expansion plan, I urge Palos to include a similar fitness center in the new facility, should Palos receive a Certificate of Need from the state board." Members said they have been given information on other health clubs in the area, but none has the facilities provided by Palos Fitness Center. Advertisement On the center's website, it claims to offer members an alternative to fitness and health maintenance "as the only medically integrated fitness center in Orland Park and the surrounding area." The facility houses a lap pool and a therapy pool, indoor track, spa, and cafe, and partners with health professionals. Barbara Harper, of Homer Glen and a member of the health club for 14 years, said she uses the facility for medical purposes after several hip and knee surgeries. "I was one of the people crying, sitting in the pool when I heard," Harper said. "This is not just a gym. It's a health community. Most of the people here aren't here with svelte bodies. They are fighting for their lives because they have chronic problems and being active, in that environment, helps them stay active and alive." Patricia Trebe is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown. Will County Associate Judge Robert Brumund was on the bench Monday, just two days after he accidentally shot himself in the hand. Brumund, who presides over family court, confirmed the accident and said he was "embarrassed" by it. Advertisement "It's an unfortunate accident that occurred when I was handling my gun," he said. "(It was) a stupid incident." He said no one else was injured and that his hand was fine. Advertisement "Nothing was done intentionally," said Brumund, who has been a judge since 2005. Although Joliet police would not name Brumund, they said they responded to an incident when asked about a possible accidental shooting involving a judge. Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday > According to police, officers responded to a call of an accidental shooting about 3:25 p.m. Saturday. When officers arrived, they found the victim with a gunshot wound in the hand, Joliet police Deputy Chief Edgar Gregory said. The weapon was a semi-automatic handgun, Gregory said. Gregory said the victim told police he had just returned from a shooting range and was about to clean his weapon when it discharged. Gregory could not say whether the victim knew there were still bullets in the gun or not. The bullet entered the palm and exited through the back of the hand. Gregory said the victim was taken to Presence St. Joseph Hospital where he was treated for his injury. Gregory said the victim's wife was home at the time, but she was not injured. Police took the gun from the home, said Gregory, adding that the case is still being reviewed. The victim had a valid Firearm Owners' Identification card, Gregory said. Advertisement Alicia Fabbre is a freelancer. Childrens book author Janet Riehecky takes time out before her presentation to meet readers and sign books at the Elgin Literary Festival. (Melanie Kalmar / The Courier-News) Book lovers and writers came out for the second annual Elgin Literary Festival this weekend, to celebrate books from a variety of genres and meet the authors who penned them. "I write the books children check out at the library when they write a report," author Janet Riehecky said during the book signing before her presentation. Advertisement "I hope to give encouragement to aspiring writers and those who hope to move to the next level in their writing," Riehecky said. Of the 126 children's books The Judson University writing teacher has published, 15 are fiction. Her fascination with dinosaurs led her to write 35 books about the pre-historic creatures. "One year, my husband gave me a dinosaur bone for Christmas," she said. "It was the best, romantic gift ever." Riehecky also travels to schools teaching children writing workshops and lessons about dinosaurs. Advertisement It didn't take any nudging to get her on board for the festival. "Any celebration of books, I'm there," she said. Open to the public, the free event sponsored by the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission, the Hemmens Cultural Center, the Palmer Foundation and Side Street Studio Arts took place on Friday and Saturday, at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin. The festival kicked off Friday afternoon at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Avenue in Elgin, with activities for children award-winning books read by local celebrities and workshops that featured Lego building, comic book writing and hand-puppet crafting. Afterward, it moved to Hemmens, with panel discussions, workshops and keynote talks by authors who shared their literary journeys and advice for breaking into the industry. "There's something for everybody," said Amanda Harris, a member of the committee that organized the event. "The festival has inspired a lot of conversations." Based on feedback from last year, she said that she and her fellow committee members Erin Rehberg, Karly Kirkpatrick and Jamey Bouwmeester decided to host all of the events in one place, rather than at multiple locations. It allowed them to offer the same amount of programming in less time and double the number of keynote speakers. "Most conferences are $100," said freelance writer Debra Kollar of Elgin, a two-time festival attendee whose work has been published in anthologies. "It's amazing that this is free." "I'm writing a series of crime novels and looking for an agent," said retired Naperville attorney Bo Thunboe, after listening to a panel of authors discuss the pros and cons of electronic versus print publishing and self-publishing versus hiring an agent. "I'm exploring publishing options and I wanted to see what I can learn here." In writing briefs, Thunboe, who specialized in employment law and business litigation, always had to determine the best way to tell his clients stories. About 10 years ago, he parlayed that experience into writing short stories for online journals. Now he's working on crime novels, a genre that he said utilizes ancient story arcs. Before her keynote address on Saturday, author Kate Quinn took time out to buy a book and sign copies of her historical fiction novels. "I hope to entertain people and send them away wanting to read historical fiction," she said. "And if they want to write it, knowing more about how to do so." Advertisement Melanie Kalmar is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News. A Waukegan man who allegedly told police he wanted to join ISIS has pleaded guilty to weapons charges and was sentenced to 18 months probation. Hakeem Shaifer will also be required to undergo a mental health evaluation and treatment. Advertisement Shaifer, of the 100 block of Drew Lane in Waukegan, pleaded guilty Thursday to misdemeanor charges of illegal possession of ammunition and unlawful use of a "blackjack" knife. Additional weapons and a marijuana possession charge were dismissed. The plea deal, approved by Judge Helen Rozenberg, also prohibits Shaifer from driving, possessing weapons, consuming alcohol and drugs and entering bars. Advertisement If Shaifer complies with all the terms of his probation he won't have to serve a 180-day jail sentence. He was given credit for 23 days already spent in Lake County Jail. State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said Monday that an investigation uncovered no indication Shaifer was a terrorist threat. Even though the charges against Shaifer are misdemeanors, Nerheim said the state insisted that mental health treatment be included in any negotiated resolution. Shaifer has already been evaluated since being taken into custody, and will be required to undergo a follow-up evaluation in addition to treatment, Nerheim said. Shaifer, 38, arrived for a Dec. 21 court hearing in Lake County Circuit Court wearing a bulletproof vest, then left the courtroom when approached by deputies asking about the vest, authorities said. A deputy later overheard Shaifer making a comment that he owned automatic weapons, according to authorities. A subsequent court-ordered search of his home uncovered ammunition, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to the Lake County sheriff's office. He was charged with several counts of unlawful possession of ammunition, not having a Firearm Owners Identification Card, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia. Shaifer's Dec. 21 hearing was related to an arrest by the Lake Forest Police Department. While in Lake Forest custody, he allegedly told officers that he was joining the terrorist group ISIS, authorities said. Lake Forest police initially arrested Shaifer Nov. 28 on Route 41 near Route 60. Brass knuckles and pistol ammunition were found in his car, police said. He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and released on a $1,500 bond. Advertisement After Shaifer left the Dec. 21 hearing, Judge George Strickland issued an arrest warrant for Shaifer's alleged violations of court orders involving the Lake Forest case, said Det. Christopher Covelli, a sheriff's office spokesman. Before the plea deal, officials expressed concern about the motivation behind Shaifer's behavior and alleged comments. "This conduct is certainly bizarre," Nerheim said. A mental health evaluation was requested to help both the investigation into the incidents and court proceedings, Nerheim said. "Based on his behavior and his comments in custody, we would support the need to determine if he has mental health issues," Undersheriff Ray Rose said. "Either way, there are issues that need to be addressed because we have concerns about the safety of the public." Covelli said an investigation found that Shaifer's claim about joining ISIS was not credible. Advertisement The sheriff's office worked with local police agencies and the FBI in investigating Shaifer, Undersheriff Ray Rose said. jrnewton@tribpub.com Twitter @jimnewton5 Parking tickets issued prior to Jan. 1, 2015, can be paid for their original amount without late fees under an amnesty program announced Monday by Waukegan officials. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Waukegan parking tickets issued before Jan. 1, 2015, can be paid without late fees under an amnesty program announced Monday nearly a year after the concept was first discussed before the City Council. "This program is the perfect opportunity for those that are eligible to have their vehicle immobilized by a boot for unpaid tickets to have their vehicle removed from the boot list, or for anyone that has had their driver's license suspended for these types of tickets to regain their driver's license," Waukegan Police Chief Wayne Walles said in a statement released Monday. Advertisement The amnesty period is scheduled to run from Feb. 15 through March 31, and will allow violators to pay the original ticket amount plus a 20 percent administrative-costs fee. For example, a ticket that originally carried a fine of $10 would have added up to $50 with maxed-out late penalties, which in all cases are double the original fine plus $30. Under the amnesty, payment would be $12. The arrangement is an expansion of a proposal discussed in March 2015, when aldermen voted unanimously to write off nearly $250,000 in unpaid-ticket debt dating to December 2011. Last spring, city officials reported that an amnesty program would be established to recover the original costs of unpaid tickets, but nothing came forward as 2015 played out. Advertisement Under Waukegan ordinances, any individual who has accumulated "five or more unpaid parking, compliance or photo red-light tickets, or any combination of five or more of those violations, is subject to having their vehicle immobilized by a vehicle boot." Compliance tickets are issued for violations like broken vehicle lights. Booted vehicles can be immobilized for up to 24 hours and are subjected to being towed and stored if the outstanding fines are not paid. Release of a towed vehicle comes with additional costs, and vehicles that are not claimed within 30 days can be disposed of by the towing company. Police said Monday people with five or more unpaid photo red light tickets or ten or more unpaid parking or compliance tickets are subject to having their driver's license suspended. Fines in those cases must be paid in full before the suspension is lifted. Payments for the amnesty program reportedly can be made in person at the Police Records and Traffic Division office on the first floor of City Hall at 100 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. Online payments can be made directly to the city's collection agency, Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, via its website, www.lgbswebpayments.com or by calling (888) 344-2302. Individuals looking to find out how much they owe are asked to call the collection agency or the Waukegan Police Department's Traffic Division at (847) 599-2637. Officials said all eligible fines not paid in full during the amnesty period will revert back to the full amount after March 31, noting the city can pursue collection of unpaid fines through income-tax returns as part of the Local Debt Recovery Program administered by the Illinois Office of the Comptroller. danmoran@tribpub.com Twitter: @NewsSunDanMoran By the end of the 10 Citizens Police Academy, the goal for the police department, officials said, is to leave students with a better understanding of the ins-and-outs of police work, from how local gang and drug investigations are carried out to how a DUI arrest is made, and how to shoot a gun. (Morton Grove Police Department / Handout) When the Morton Grove Police Department announced plans last year for the town's first-ever full-scale citizen police academy, the two officers charged with running the course weren't sure how much interest it would stir. But a year later, officers Gina Lietz and Adam Tabor are looking back on a successful first year that ended with a full class of 20 residents graduating as honorary police academy traineesa designation earned by attending a 10-week course covering the fundamentals of police work. Advertisement Hoping to ride on the success of last year's program, officials said, the police department has announced plans to host a second citizens police academy starting March 22. The course is free, and open to residents above age 18 who pass a background check. Five additional spots were added to the class this year to accommodate more students, according to Lietz, who said 11 people were added to a wait list last year. The class meets weekly for two hours on Tuesday nights in a classroom in the basement of the police department, where students bond over a shared interest in crime and law enforcement. Advertisement By the end of the 10 weeks, the goal for the police department, officials said, is to leave students with a better understanding of the ins-and-outs of police work, from how local gang and drug investigations are carried out to how a DUI arrest is made, and how to shoot a gun. Aside from learning the mechanics of their local police department, the program is designed to strengthen the rapport between police and the community. Lietz said the hope is that opening the doors to the community will help build better trust with the residents of Morton Grove. "It helps break down the misconceptions about police that are out there by letting people get to know cops on a human level," she said. "We still have a relationship with people who took the class last yearwhen they see us they always smile and stop to chat." Some of the content in this year's citizens police academy was reshaped based on surveys from last year's students, but this year's course will mostly cover the same topics as last year, including information about the history of the department, the hiring process to become a police officer, evidence processing procedures, gun safety and shooting practice, and DUI enforcement. The procedure for DUI arrests was among the most popular topics covered last year, according to feedback from students, Lietz said. Instead of grouping DUIs into one class with patrol functions, officers teaching the classes this year will dedicate an entire class to DUIs. During that class, students wear what police call "fatal vision goggles," which simulate the experience of an impaired driver by blurring the vision of a driver at different blood alcohol levels, from under the limit at .04 to as high as .12. "Some people don't want to try it because they're afraid of losing their balance," Lietz said. A demonstration that shows how detectives investigate crime scenes is another popular class. Taught by forensic specialist Detective Jeremy Schuette, students learn how to test blood stains, dust for fingerprints, and take crime scene photos. Advertisement Morton Grove resident Nancy Lanning is married to a retired officer, and said she signed up for the class last year to learn more about his career. "To be a cop todayall the work they have to go through is unbelievable," she said. "There's a lot more that goes on behind the scenes than what I thought." Most of the class time is set-up in a lecture format, but the course also offers hands-on learning experiences both during and outside of class time. Students spend one class learning to shoot a firearm at the police department's shooting range, and have the option of signing up for a four-hour ride along with an officer. "We hope that the instruction will strengthen police-community rapport through an educational process, increase understanding of police practices and procedures, and dispose of misconceptions," Commander Paul Yaras said in an email. "The police in turn become more aware of the concerns and questions of the community." Applications for the Citizens Police Academy are due Feb. 12 and are available for pick-up at the police department, or online at the village of Morton Grove's website. Advertisement For more information call the police department at 847-470-5200. Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. As he talked to the dozens of people gathered Sunday to remember his daughter, Jeff Skemp talked of the bond they all shared. Like many of the others gathered, Skemp knew what it was like to have a missing child. His daughter, Rachel Mellon, disappeared on Jan. 31, 1996. Many gathered Sunday at Rachel's former school in Bolingbrook to mark the 20th anniversary of her disappearance and remember the hundreds of other missing people from Illinois. Advertisement "We're a family," Skemp said. "We're all going through the same thing ... the hardest part is not having an answer." Rachel Mellon had stayed home from school with a sore throat the day she disappeared. Her stepfather, Vince Mellon, told police Rachel was taking a nap when he left their home in the 600 block of Melissa Drive to walk the dog. One of her siblings was the first to notice she was missing later that frigid day. Advertisement Vince Mellon and Rachel's mother, Amy Mellon, were subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury in 2000. Investigators took hair, blood and saliva samples from Vince Mellon, the last person to have seen her. No one has ever been charged in her disappearance. "It is the biggest disappointment and failure of my life," Terry Kernc said tearfully as she talked at the memorial. Kernc, who for a time was the lead detective on Rachel's case, is retired from the Bolingbrook Police Department, and he said she still thinks of Rachel and her disappearance. Though 20 years have passed since her disappearance, Bolingbrook police said the investigation continues and is active. Lt. Carter Larry, a spokesman for the Bolingbrook Police Department, said investigators recently met with the Will County State's Attorney's Office to review Mellon's case and other open cases. "Somebody knows what happened to Rachel," said Kernc, who now serves as mayor in Diamond. "For the sake of the family, they need to come forward." Friends and relatives of others missing from Illinois also remembered their own loved ones at Sunday's memorial. Among them were the sister of Stacy Peterson, the sister of a missing Will County sheriff's deputy, and a private investigator hired by the family of two girls missing from Chicago. "My hope is that everyone is found and can be given the appropriate resting place they deserve," said Sue Olsen, whose son, Bradley, went missing in 2007. Her son, who lived in Maple Park, was 26 when he disappeared from the DeKalb area. Olsen and others shared hugs and words of support following the memorial. "We all hurt," said Jody Walsh. Her sister, Robin Abrams, was a Will County sheriff's deputy when she went missing in October of 1990. Advertisement But, she said, being around others who have experienced the same thing can be "very healing." "It helps because it shows she's not forgotten, and we're not alone with what we're going through," said Carrie Scaglione, who was Rachel's best friend and helped organize Sunday's memorial. Many also said events like Sunday's memorial help to keep their loved ones names and faces out in the public, raising awareness for the missing. The 210 names read at Sunday's event are all listed on www.namus.gov, a national registry of missing and unidentified people. Information about Rachel's case also can be found on www.rachelfind.com. "There's many missing, too many missing and too many unanswered questions," Walsh said. "We want them home and we'll never give up." Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. NapervilleSun@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter: @NapervilleSun Niles voters will for the second time in as many years will be asked in March whether or not the village mayor should have the power to appoint candidates to fill vacant trustee seats. Residents were reminded to register to vote by Feb. 16 for the March primary election at a recent Village Board meeting. In addition to choosing which presidential candidate to vote for in the primary, Niles residents will also have the chance to weigh in on three local issues. Advertisement In the November 2014 election, a majority of voters in Niles more than 75 percent -- supported a binding referendum measure to restrict mayoral appointment powers by requiring vacant trustee seats be voted on during a consolidated election. Village trustees subsequently voted to change Niles' municipal code to reflect the results of the referendum. Advertisement Mayor Andrew Przybylo, who staunchly opposed the 2014 referendum measure and attempted to have it removed from the ballot, said during a meeting last November that the issue of trustee vacancies and whether the mayor should have the ability to fill them was not about power but about "common sense." The board approved a resolution at their meeting in November to place a referendum question on the March ballot asking whether such vacancies should be filled "by appointment of the mayor with the advice and consent of the Village Board" as allowed by the Illinois Municipal Code. "God forbid there's somebody laid up or out of town, in a car accident or what have you," said Trustee George Alpogianis in November. He added that it's possible enough vacancies on the board could prevent village government from functioning as it should. "I also think that, once again, (the residents) put us up here and this question also reasserts the fact they have trust in us in helping us appoint somebody if need be," he said. At the board meeting last November, Trustee Joe LoVerde called the previous referendum on the ballot in the 2014 election "confusing." "I know it's not a power issue with you," he said to Przybylo. "We've had this conversation many times." Residents will also have the opportunity in March to weigh in on an advisory question which asks whether or not the village should continue to fund social, health and economic programs, which include the Senior Center, Family Services, Teen Center and the Family Fitness Center. Trustees approved the inclusion of the non-binding referendum on the March ballot at their meeting last November. "The reason why we are asking this is so people are fully aware of what it does costs to run these services, not that we're trying to get rid of them," Alpogianis said at the November meeting. Advertisement The total annual cost to operate the services cited in the advisory question is nearly $2.6 million, per figures obtained from the village. Przybylo said in November that he didn't think Niles residents would opt to defund the services, "the only question is how well will they affirm a commitment to social, economic and health programs." Voters will also be asked in March to weigh in on an advisory question regarding the enhancement of the Leaning Tower of Niles, the iconic half-sized replica of its Italian counterpart, and adjoining property. In November, the village board voted to purchase the Leaning Tower of Niles from the YMCA of Metro Chicago and spend nearly $550,000 on repairs to the 94-foot-tall steel, stone and concrete structure on Touhy Avenue. During a discussion of the advisory question, which was also approved at the board's November meeting, Przybylo said it behooved the village to project itself "as a destination for people to come and spend money and provide the sales tax we need to run the government." Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. When Sandy Kimmich of Schererville took a Genealogy class during her senior year in high school, she had no idea the information she received would become an important part of her life. "That class piqued my interest," she said of the required course, taken decades ago. "I decided to do more when it was over." Advertisement In the years since, Kimmich ending up researching not only her own family, but also helped out friends and assisted school children on various projects. She currently is helping a relative complete her family tree. Advertisement "I'm working with my cousin on her family line," she said during a recent genealogy class at the Lake County Public Library. "There are so many ways to get information. I want to share my experiences." About a dozen library patrons joined Kimmich at the event as they learned about Social Security applications and research assistance. Reference librarian Lynn Jackson welcomed the visitors. "There are many avenues to researching genealogy, so we've broken it down to various sessions on specific topics," Jackson said. "Social Security records can give us a lot of information, such as where the number was issued and/or the parents' names." During the class, participants shared their individual experiences as they filled in their family's branches. One participant said older relatives can be a treasure trove of information, filling in gaps for times and places. She ran into a problem because 90-year-old aunt couldn't hear very well, so interviewing her was a hassle. A fellow class member suggested that she send a questionnaire to this relative and if she couldn't read it, she could have someone read it to her, with that person writing down the answers. Others related that it's never too early or too late to begin a search. "Over the years, I've put aside bits and pieces of information about my relatives (in Texas). I never did much with it," said Lisa Lakin of Schererville. "When I retired in September, I finally decided it was time. When I called the library, they mentioned one of the software resources they use Ancestry Library Edition." Advertisement The program, which must be purchased but is available to use for free at the library, includes a database of Social Security records. "I followed the usual procedure many people use when searching for family," said Pat Harrington of Merrillville. "I looked through high school yearbooks and old newspapers for birth and death announcements. But it became much easier when I starting going online. There's even a few sites for newcomers to the genealogy search." Future genealogy class topics at the Merrillville branch of the Lake County Public Library include using naturalization records and a guide to genealogical and historical resources available in the library's Genealogy and Indiana rooms. More information about the genealogy classes is at 219-769-3451. " ... Ah, but fortunately I have the key to escape reality "And you may see me tonight with an illegal smile Advertisement "It don't cost very much but it lasts a long while "Won't you please tell the man I didn't kill anyone Advertisement "No I'm just trying to have me some fun "Well done, hot dog bun, my sister's a nun" John Prine John Carpenter is not the guy who directed the movie "Halloween," but he is the guy who has owned and operated Thunderclap Recording, 7122 Madison Ave., Hammond, for the past 26 years. Carpenter, 61, also lives in Hammond with Kate, his wife of 30 years. She is head of the medical library at University of Illinois at Chicago. *** High school? "Hammond Gavit," he said. "After Gavit, I went to Indiana University where I earned a degree in outdoor recreation and education. I planned on getting into park service. I was really into the out of doors at that point in time. But then I discovered music while at college." Advertisement Ever bump into an up-and-comer playing guitar on the IU campus by the name of John Cougar? "No, I never saw John Mellencamp down there, but I saw a lot of other musicians." Something tells me you didn't become a park ranger. "I decided I wanted to learn how to build guitars, so I went to a program in Arizona for four months called Roberto-Venn School of Luthery. I built two guitars, an electric and an acoustic. That was kinda their program. My acoustic turned out pretty good, my electric, not so much. "Roberto-Venn also would try to hook you up with a guitar repair shop in your area. I got hooked up with a place called Makin' Music out of Maywood, Ill." Ever bump into a former Maywood mailcarrier by the name of John Prine? Advertisement "No, but what a lyricist and musician he became. We spent many a party sittin' around playin' John Prine songs." How long did you ply the trade of a luthier? "Not long. My parents operated a Chicken Galore here in Hammond on 173rd (Street) and Calumet (Avenue). My dad had heart problems, and I grew up in the business, so I quit my job in Maywood to run the restaurant. I ended up buying my ma and dad out, but after 10 years of that I discovered I really didn't like the restaurant business." The next leg of your excellent adventure? "I met a girl from Rockford, Ill., and I married her. We're still together." Ever bump into a local band from Rockford called Cheap Trick? Advertisement "No, but we went to their 30th anniversary show they did in Rockford." Name a few of your favorite musicians since the psychedelic '60s? "When I was real young I liked Ricky Nelson a lot. I remember getting a broomstick and trying to emulate him singing in front of a mirror. I used to watch 'The Ozzie and Harriet Show,' thinking that was so cool because Ricky would always do a song at the end of the show. Ricky was kind of rockabilly, but a little smoother. "But when the Beatles hit the scene, that kind of changed everything. I had a sister who was six years older than me. She had a listening party. I was about 9 or 10 at the time. It was the first time I heard the Beatles. I was mesmerized by their music. I remember their record 'Meet The Beatles,' all you could see was their faces with the light shining on the front. And then there was (Jimi) Hendrix. 'Are You Experienced.' I also loved the Kinks and was a big fan of the Who. Thunderclap Recording? "A buddy of mine named Mike Jones and I decided to pool our resources and purchase some equipment. At that time, the recording industry was starting to change." Advertisement What time frame are we talking? "From the early '80s to the late '80s. They were coming out with equipment that could record eight tracks on a quarter-inch reel-to-reel. It wasn't great quality, but you could get your ideas down, get your feet wet and learn how to record. During the '80s, it was more or less a hobby for us. We set up right here in the basement of this house. Mike lived here. "In 1990, I decided to make a go of it. Mike was with me about three years. Business was starting to pick up. I'm sure it was intrusive on their (the Jones family) personal lives. Like I said, they lived here and I was bringing strangers in the house. Mike and Kate decided to buy a house in Munster and my wife and I decided to buy this house in order to keep the business going." Did you buy out Mike's share of the business? "Yes. We're still great friends." You mentioned there were a lot of changes in the industry during the '80s. Without getting too technical on me, what about changes in the 21st century? Advertisement "When I started this studio I was doing all analog, nothing was digital yet. Today, I use a recording program called Pro Tools, which has become pretty much an industry standard for the high-end stuff. I'm getting ready to upgrade again. It's never ending." Jobs besides music? "Voice-overs of all kinds, corporate videos I've done video for the past six years or so. I also do CD and DVD duplication and I do printing on CDs. I can transfer old tapes and records for people. I can clean up and restore old family heirlooms." How's business in 2016? "After about six years into it, things got pretty good. I actually hired several people to take on some of the sessions. All through the early 2000s, business was good. Then, when the economy hit the skids in 2007 and 2008, it really affected my business as it did so many other people. It was really scary for a while." Some people have very short memories. This country was near collapse in 2008. Advertisement "President Obama has done a great job of bringing it back in spite of a Congress that is totally dysfunctional. It's infuriating. The last three or four years, things are slowly coming back. Last year was a really good year for me." John, I enjoy films the way you enjoy music. Have you ever seen a documentary called "Beware of Mr. Baker"? It's the story of the late legendary drummer Ginger Baker. "As a matter of fact, I have. And by the way ... " Yeah? "I bumped into his son the other day. Kofi Baker now makes his home here in Northwest Indiana. Like his father, he's an excellent drummer." *** Advertisement In his spare time, John Carpenter plays in a band called Nomad Planets. They perform all original music and have been together nearly 18 years. Jeff Manes is freelance columnist for the Post-Tribune jeffmanes@sbcglobal.net The vacant Famous Dave's building located on Townline Road between Deerpath and Aspen drives is once again getting attention from restaurateurs. In this latest proposal, the building could be transformed into a McAlister's Deli. (Rick Kambic / Pioneer Press) The long-vacant Famous Dave's building on Townline Road in Vernon Hills once again has a chance at new life. A suburban businessman wants to operate a McAlister's Deli in 4,100 square feet of the building and then rent the remaining 2,200 square feet to a retailer or breakfast restaurant, according to a Vernon Hills memo. Advertisement Syam Thotakura approached village trustees during a Jan. 19 committee of the whole meeting to present his plan and get general feedback, as seen in a video published by the village. McAlister's Deli is a "fast casual" sandwich-based restaurant that also offers soups and salads, according to Thotakura, and is commonly compared to Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Jason's Deli. Advertisement The corporation's website shows only two McAlister's Deli restaurants in suburban Chicago one in Naperville and another in Geneva. Thotakura said he's in line to get a franchise license for the third location and he wants it to be in Vernon Hills. If approved, Thotakura's plans involve constructing a drive-thru window and accompanying lane around the building, while also having 127 seats inside his portion of the building. The McAlister's Deli entrance would be visible to commuters driving west on Townline Road, just like Famous Dave's was arranged. "[Vernon Hills] is a small town with demographics that are different than the big city," Thotakura told Pioneer Press in a Jan. 28 interview. "We can get a lot of business people at lunch time, then a lot of families from the neighborhoods behind us later on." Thotakura said he would invest more than $800,000 into the endeavor. Thotakura said he hopes to open the McAlister's Deli by May or June, depending on Vernon Hills' zoning and permitting review process. His Jan. 19 presentation was designed to give him a preview of that process, so he can adjust his proposal if necessary. Village trustees were not opposed to the McAlister's Deli idea, but they weren't enthusiastic either. "I'd like to see this become a viable, operating building again. With that said, I was really hoping for a breakfast restaurant," Trustee James Schultz said on Jan. 19. "The two guys who were in here a year ago, I really appreciated the concept they brought. If Famous Dave's couldn't make it, could yet another deli shop make it?" Trustee Barbara Williams said the restaurant located in that building before Famous Dave's had great turnouts for breakfast but couldn't survive the lunch and dinner hours. Advertisement "I agree with Trustee Schultz. What we need is a sit-down restaurant like Elly's [Pancake House] in Mundelein," Williams said. "If you guys don't update your menu to include breakfast, maybe you should look for a breakfast joint for your extra 2,000 square feet." Mayor Roger Byrne asked if Thotakura has any leads on renting out that extra space. He said Thotakura owns six Dunkin' Donuts franchise stores and asked if a seventh could be opened in that storefront. "We're open to anything except mattress stores. You already have enough mattress stores in Vernon Hills," Thotakura jokingly told Byrne. "Other Dunkin' Donuts stores are too close. They did some research and said me [having one] could impact the other stores, so they said 'no.'" Thotakura said he has three Dunkin' Donuts shops in Arlington Heights, two in Elk Grove and one in Bensenville. He said the Dunkin' Donuts in Hawthorn Mall and another store at Milwaukee Avenue and Townline Road are owned by someone else. During his Jan. 28 interview with Pioneer Press, Thotakura confirmed he bought the old Famous Dave's building and is about to formally submit his construction plans to Vernon Hills' building department. Thotakura said he's not discouraged by Vernon Hills' insistence on a breakfast restaurant, and that he's now working with village employees to find one he can lease the extra space to. Advertisement This newest proposal comes after Vernon Hills gave an unofficial endorsement to two other men in August 2014, which was the plan Schultz mentioned. The two owners of the Tilted Kilt on Milwaukee Avenue had closed their restaurant earlier that year and proposed plans to build two restaurants within the Famous Dave's building. In their 2014 proposal, the men said they would create the Happy Oak Cafe on one side and a second restaurant called Townline American Grill that serves lunch, dinner and alcohol in the other half of the building. Assistant Village Manager Joe Carey said the two men began working with Vernon Hills' building department in the early review phases, but they withdrew their project before their case was submitted to the village's planning and zoning commission. Carey said he doesn't know why the duo backed out. rkambic@pioneerlocal.com Advertisement Twitter @Rick_Kambic With the scope and penalties of Chinas social credit system being further clarified in 2021, legal and regulatory compliance has become more important than... Authorities have intensified an investigation into a collapse at a gypsum mine in Shandong province after four miners trapped more than 200 meters underground for 36 days were rescued on Friday. They are also preparing to repair land damaged by gypsum mining. A team comprising experts and government officials was set up on Saturday to investigate the cause of the accident and to help with the search for those still missing, the local government said. The four survivors rescued on Friday were trapped when the collapse occurred at a mine belonging to the Yurong Trade and Commerce Co in Pingyi county on Dec 25. The four, who were spotted by life detection systems on Dec 30, had been provided with food and water. Eleven other survivors were rescued within a day of the accident occurring. As of Sunday, one worker was confirmed to have died in the collapse and 13 had not been located. Zhang Shuping, the mayor of Linyi, the city that governs Pinyi, said: "We have never given up search and rescue efforts for the missing 13. We are organizing experts to come up with new rescue solutions." Zhang said the authorities will inspect all 212 non-coal mining companies in the city and ban those with safety risks from operating. He also said the city will organize professional teams to repair more than 1 million square meters of land affected by mining to prevent collapses from happening. The four miners were in stable condition after being transferred from intensive care wards to regular wards on Sunday, China Central Television reported. Wu Dawei, an intensive care unit doctor at Shandong University's Qilu Hospital, said the four miners must remain under observation after being underground for so long. Guan Guozhong, the son of Guan Qingji, one of the four workers rescued, said the past month had been "torture" for his family. With rescue work and an investigation continuing, farmland at the rescue site and in nearby villages is still subsiding. In some areas, the land has subsided by several meters. Deep cracks can be seen on roads and some houses near the site, while a hole several meters in diameter and about 10 meters deep lies on farmland nearby. "The land has subsided so much," one villager said. "I think the government will have to repair it so we can grow crops on the land again." Gypsum mining has been an important source of income for Wanzhuang, a village near the scene of the collapse, according to a report in Jinan Times, a local newspaper. Twenty-seven officials were penalized over the wrongful conviction and execution of a man 20 years ago, authorities in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region said in a statement Sunday night. One of the blacklisted officials responsible for the wrongful conviction of Huugjilt, Feng Zhiming, was suspected of job-related crimes and was subject to further investigation, it said. Feng, formerly deputy chief of the Xincheng District branch of the public security bureau of the regional capital Hohhot, may face criminal charges, according to the statement. The other 26 officials received administrative penalties including admonitions and record of demerit. On the blacklist were 11 former police officers with the public security bureau of Hohhot and its Xincheng District branch, including Wang Zhi, former chief of the bureau. Seven were former officials with the people's procuratorate of Hohhot, including Wen Da, former chief procurator. Five were former officials with the region's higher people's court, and three were from the intermediate people's court in Hohhot. The wrong conviction of Huugjilt is one of the most notorious cases of judicial injustice in China in the recent decade. The teenager was declared guilty of raping and then murdering a woman in a public toilet. He was posthumously acquitted of the crimes in December 2014. The real convict, Zhao Zhihong, was apprehended in 2005 and given death penalty last year. Shenzhen is to set up a 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) fund to improve public safety, part of efforts to build a modern, international city. Rescue work continues in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, after a huge landslide of dirt and construction waste buried buildings on Sunday. [Photo/Xinhua] This year, officials have vowed to step up checks to spot and remove potential hazards such as sites used to dump construction waste and landfills, according to a government work report. "We'll make efforts to deal with the 'diseases affecting the city' and enhance our ability to ensure public safety based on precise management," Mayor Xu Qin said when he delivered the report at the opening of the annual local legislative session on Sunday. On Dec 20, a landslide in Shenzhen caused by the illegal dumping of construction waste killed more than 70 people and destroyed or damaged 33 buildings. After three decades of rapid economic development, Shenzhen, an industrial metropolis in Guangdong province, now faces a series of challenges, not least from the huge amount of waste created by the building of new properties and the city's subway network. Hidden danger Political advisers say the urban management system needs to be improved so that the city can achieve sustainable development. "With the acceleration of the urbanization process, construction waste has become a hidden danger, as evidenced by the landslide in Guangming New District in December," said Zhang Yuqiang, a member of Shenzhen committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top advisory body. The large-scale construction of underground parking is one of the main concerns, Zhang told China Daily, adding that the "root cause lies with regulation". He said that, due to the tight controls on property companies or individuals changing the stipulated usage of a plot of land, "many developers are choosing to expand underground parking areas, which results in a large amount of construction waste". Zhang, a top policy adviser on housing and construction, has suggested the city amend the regulation to encourage developers to build above-ground parking, which is less costly and more environmentally friendly. Main focus In recent years, China has produced an annual average of 1.55 billion to 2.4 billion metric tons of construction waste, accounting for 40 percent of all urban waste, according to an industry development report published in March. Shenzhen CPPCC member Li Zhen has also urged the city government to improve urban management by allowing greater participation by social organizations, which "need our full support to ... develop healthily and provide a basis and guarantee for innovation in urban management". Shenzhen's main focus will be urban management and governance in 2016, according to Dai Beifang, the city's top political adviser. "We'll focus on the consultation and supervision of urban management and governance issues, organize CPPCC members to carry out more research, find any shortcomings, and give useful suggestions and advice," he said at the opening of the second session of the local CPPCC on Friday. The number of wealthy Chinese continues to rise, prompting greater demand for highly trained domestic servants. Sascha Seiler, an instructor from Germany, shows students how to greet a guest arriving by car. 'Can a newspaper really be ironed, and what for?" asked Pei Yuchen, an office clerk at a State-owned enterprise, after reading about a school for butlers in Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan. The 30-something's second question was: "Can a butler really make 1 million yuan ($152,000) a year?" Pei, who grew up in a rural family in East China's Shandong province, is now considering quitting her job, which describes as "boring and predictable", because she believes working as a butler for a wealthy family will not only fatten her purse, but also be an eye-opening experience. Tang Yang, public relations manager of the International Butler Academy in Chengdu, said she often received phone calls from people such as Pei, after the media reported the opening of the school, the first of its kind on the Chinese mainland, in July 2014. The academy is affiliated to the academy headquartered in the Netherlands run by a veteran butler Robert Wennekes, who was born into a butlering family. Wennekes established the academy in 1999 in a 14th-century castle, after recognizing the great difficulty of finding high-quality, professional butlers for his clients. As more billionaires appeared in China, Wennekes opened the Chengdu school in 2014, in cooperation with a local businesswoman in the real estate industry. Forbes magazine's 2015 edition of the China Rich List, published on Oct 28, identified a record 335 billionaires from the Chinese mainland, second only to the United States, a rise of 93 individuals, or 38 percent year-on-year. In the past two years, China has seen about three to four new billionaires every week. "After mansions, cars, yachts, jets and bodyguards, wealthy Chinese families need butlers. Higher-end property projects are also in a dire need of senior butlers to improve the quality of their services," said Pu Yan, the school's marketing director. "The level of butler service directly indicates the taste of the masters. And China's new rich will pursue higher tastes of etiquette and higher-quality family life, which entails quality butler services," she added. The Chengdu school has two teaching sitesone in a luxury villa in the city's suburbs, the other in a private club in a high-rise in an up-market residential community in the city, with a grand view of the Jinjiang River. Owned by Wennekes' Chinese business partner, the two sites provide a real-life household environment in which to instruct students. After paying 40,000 yuan ($6,000) in tuition feesenough to pay for eight years of college tuition in Sichuanthe trainee butlers receive six weeks' "intensive and professional" training from instructors from the US, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, in addition to three meals a day and a butler's suit. The first few days of training are the most interesting, according to Vincenzo Matarrese, an Italian instructor and former bartender at a five-star hotel in Europe. He said that in the first few days, the Chinese students learn to become familiar with a whole range of Western etiquette and protocols, from personal grooming to laying tables and pouring wine. He displays different kinds of grapes on the table and explains the differences between various types of wines. "In Europe, people have an understanding of wine. But in China, that knowledge is new," he said. Liu Kecheng, former manager of a five-star hotel and now a travel consultant for wealthy Chengdu residents, attended the training sessions through his company's cooperation with the school. "It was the first time I learned that it takes about two hours to clean a pair of shoes through 12 procedures. I realized how considerate, meticulous and good at handling multiple tasks a successful butler should be," Liu said. "It's life-changing experience, because the training not only gives me new status, but also a new angle to see hospitality work." Cultural differences Christopher Noble, an Ohioan who is director of training at the Chengdu school, graduated from the academy in the Netherlands in 2012. He said China was one of the first civilizations in history to have butlers, called guanjia, or "housekeeper". "What we are reintroducing here already existed for hundreds of years," he said. But the cultural differences between the West and China constitute a major obstacle for the instructors. Noble, who worked as a consultant and a trainer for salespeople in the expensive residential community where the club is located before he joined the academy, has noticed that there are many differences between serving a Western employer and a Chinese one. "Chinese businessmen and businesswomen tend to hold their household staff at arm's length. In the West, they give the butlers trust and the butlers are in the inner circle. Butlers sometimes even know more about their masters than the other family members do," he said. "I should know everything about you, and your personal life, not because I am nosy, because the knowledge can help me better serve you." Although the Chengdu academy instructs trainees in Western standards, most of the students have to adapt to the practical circumstances in their future Chinese principals' homes. Noble said it is unfortunate that servants are looked down upon in traditional Chinese culture: "It's a career, and there should be mutual respect between the butler and the employer." Tang, the public relations manager, is optimistic that the relationship between butlers and employers is likely to improve gradually, as China becomes more open to other cultures. "That the TV series Downton Abbey is popular on the Internet with Chinese audiences, especially the young who are fluent in English, proves that there is a lot of space for British-style butler services among Chinese employers, and their attitudes to servants will change gradually," said Tang. Although the tuition fees are expensive, the school attracts many Chinese lured by the potential of a high salary. He Lianping, a 51-year-old babysitter from Henan province, paid the fees for the expensive training sessions herself. "I felt I would have been left behind by the times if I continued to work as a babysitter like before," she said, as an explanation of why she traveled from Henan province to Chengdu. So far, about 40 four-term Chinese students have graduated from the academy. A new term for 10 students will start in early March, and places have been booked until early winter, according to the school's website. Tang hopes the school will be able to open more branches in the next five years, in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou in Guangdong province. "Most of the potential employers of our trainees are concentrated in big cities in East China," she said. So far, the academy has not undertaken any advertising campaigns in China, she said, adding that apart from some trainees from its partner hotels and real estate sales centers, most candidates contact the school directly. She said many of the candidates are quite young: "Some are college graduates, accompanied by their parents, who look forward to having a well-paid job as a butler." However, the students' youth may be a disadvantage at times. "Chinese employers tend to look for more experienced butlers, older than 30, but our trainees are all in their mid-20s," Tang said. She recently received a call from a wealthy businessman in Fujian province. "He had heard of our school and was looking for an experienced, veteran butler in his mid-30s or older to look after his two villas and large family. But our trainees are all in their mid 20s and did not meet his requirements," she said. In addition, the media have exaggerated butlers' income and downplayed their sacrifices, she added" "A high salary comes from good service, and good service originates from a heart that values loyalty, passion and patience." Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. A high speed train carrying some 600 migrant workers has arrived in south China's Guangxi region on Sunday. He Jiyun, working in a factory in south China's Guangdong province, said it was his first time taking a high speed train. "They have said that how come you've never taken the high speed trains. You are working in Guangdong. And now I have the chance. I'm a bit curious. What does it look like? Is it fast?" HE used to ride his motorcycle home but, last year, he ran into an accident which prompted him to try a new service offered by the local transport authority. Authorities offered to transport the bikes on a freight train while riders took a high speed train. HE's bike left on Tuesday and arrived at a depot near his home on Saturday. After getting off the train, 4 free shuffle buses took HE and other migrant workers to the depot to get their motorcycles. They would then ride the last stretch of their way home. Six trains are scheduled to carry these riders home from Sunday to next Friday. Li Ziyu, a traffic police officer in Guangxi, said riding motorcycles has become a regular way home for many workers in the region. "They are all somewhat related. They may come from the same village, or work at the same factory or in the same region. Gradually, they form this large group. And now riding motorcycles has developed into one of the regular ways to go home." Named the "Motorcycle Army" by the media, the group started in the 1990s in the southern part of China as train tickets were extremely difficult to get during the travel peak. They have now grown to a population of hundreds of thousands. One of the riders Tan Shuixiang said riding motorcycles cost much less than taking buses or trains. He also said it is more convenient. "I rode my motorcycle back home in the Spring Festival. I can use it to visit my relatives. When I want to go back to Guangdong, I don't have to book tickets. I can go whenever I want." Other migrant workers added that public transport cannot reach their villages so they might as well ride motorcycles. But authorities consider this way of travelling very dangerous. According to official data, on one section road in Zhaoqing in west Guangdong, 48 riders were killed during the travel rush in the past 4 years. Rain will also soak the region this week, putting riders in even more danger. A swan with a bird band on its throat at the Gahai Wetland in Gansu province in January, marking the fifth consecutive year it was seen there.[ZHANG YONG/CHINA DAILY] Conservationists are calling for more efforts to be made to protect wildlife habitats. They want mandatory provisions to be included in a revised draft of the Law on Protection of Wildlife, along with support measures. The revised draft was presented to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation on Dec 21. After the deliberation, the NPC posted a notice on its website seeking public opinions on the draft, and the consultation period ended on Friday. It is the first time that the law has been revised since it took effect on March 1, 1989. Yi Lan, deputy head of the Forest and Ocean Unit at Greenpeace East Asia, said it is the first time that habitat protection has been addressed by the law, marking huge progress in safeguarding China's wildlife. "The loss and fragmentation of wildlife habitats are the direct, or even the most important reason, behind wildlife extinction," Yi said. "However, the articles (in the draft) relating to habitat protection are not focused and not strong enough. There should be a separate chapter dealing with habitat delineation, management and related legal responsibilities." WWF China has offered many suggestions relating to habitat protection. The organization said that habitat areas not only refer to areas where wildlife species live, but also to migration areas. It said there should be regular investigations, evaluations and monitoring of habitat status organized by governments, with specific time requirements such as evaluations being carried out every 10 years. "If the revised law doesn't specify a time requirement, then there is a high possibility that it will not be enforced," the organization said. Yi said that habitat protection in the revised law still focuses on habitats within nature reserves. "However, the fact is that many habitats do not fall within these reserves. "Take the giant panda for example. Only 66.8 percent of its habitat is within the nature reserve network," Yi said. "Without proper protection from the law, those areas outside reserves risk being sabotaged." Zhang Boju, director of Friends of Nature in Beijing, a nonprofit organization, said that even nature reserves are facing commercial development issues. Zhang said one of the articles in the draft, which covers economic development and construction affecting wildlife and its habitats, should include a requirement that the effect of such work should be assessed. There should also be a provision involving a recovery plan for any damage caused to wildlife and habitats before a project is started, according to Zhang. Gao Tianpei contributed to the story. Millions of Ethiopians are in dire need of life-saving aid as their country struggles to cope with its worst drought in 30 years, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned yesterday. At least 10.2 million Ethiopians need food aid, a figure the UN has said could rise sharply, as "forecasts indicate that it could double within months," casting a fifth of the population into hunger. Floods and failed rains caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon have sparked a dramatic rise in the number of people going hungry in large parts of Africa, with Ethiopia of special concern. "People of the country are facing the worst drought in 30 years. ...the scale of emergency is too much for any single government," Ban told reporters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. "Immediate support will save lives and also support the impressive development that Ethiopia has made during the last decade." Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen warned that his country had less than half of the US$1.4 billion needed. "Last year Ethiopia was hit by one of the strongest El Nino events on record ... the scale and severity of humanitarian needs have significantly increased," he said. Food insecurity is a sensitive issue in Ethiopia, which has struggled to change its image following a devastating famine in 1984-85 after extreme drought. "Those who remember Ethiopia in the 1980s may feel a disturbing sense of deja vu," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report earlier this month. "The country is once again facing devastating climatic conditions: rains have failed; millions of people need food aid; and children are suffering from severe malnutrition." Thousands have left the hardest-hit regions, with a stream of refugees still travelling across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen despite the conflict raging there. Nearly 100,000 Ethiopians and Somalis last year travelled by boat to Yemen, according to UN figures. El Nino is triggered by a warming in sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. It can cause unusually heavy rains in some parts of the world and drought elsewhere. China firmly upholds her sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua] In disregard to China's call not to disturb peace in the South China Sea, the United States has carried out another "freedom of navigation" mission there, with a U.S. Navy destroyer sailing within 12 nautical miles off Zhongjian Dao, part of China-owned Xisha Islands. Washington has long claimed that the so-called freedom of navigation operations by the U.S. military aims to safeguard public access to waters and airspace as allowed by the international law. However, citing seemingly lofty motives will not obscure the fact that the U.S. maneuvers in South China Sea threaten China's sovereignty and security interests, endanger regional peace and stability and constitute a grave violation of the international law. As ironic as it is, Washington has always defended its arbitrary move by referring to international law, but it has so far not approved the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which establishes legal order and regulations on international waters. The calculation behind such a move is crystal clear: The United States is unwilling to be bound by an international treaty, which it claims as severely flawed, because the sole superpower has already controlled such maritime resources as oil and gas deposits through military power. Another irony is that Uncle Sam asserts that it maintains freedom of navigation in the South China Sea on the legal basis of international law, but it applies standards unilaterally defined by itself. Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation. Flash At least 69 dead bodies have been registered in a morgue following multiple suicide attacks in a community near Maiduguri, capital of Borno State in Nigeria's volatile northeast region, sources at a government-run hospital said on Sunday. An unnamed senior medical officer at the Borno State General Hospital said 55 others have been admitted into the emergency section of the health facility, following the suicide attacks, late Saturday, in Dalori and Walori settlement in the province. A mortuary attendant said victims of the incident were conveyed to the hospital by officials of the Red Cross, the State Emergency Management Agency and some policemen. Confirming the incident to Xinhua, Col. Mustapha Ankas, spokesman of Nigeria's counter-terrorism team, said heavy shooting followed the explosions which rocked Dalori and Walori settlement, while houses were razed as residents ran for their lives. Three female suicide bombers blew up themselves after running into a crowd of people in the settlement, he said, adding the insurgents also attempted to penetrate an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, located near the area but "the attempt was resisted by troops which resulted into detonation of improvised explosive devices by the attackers". Boko Haram, a Nigeria-based terror group operating in the Lake Chad region, is suspected to be behind the attacks, the military spokesman said. The Nigerian government said it has "technically" defeated the ruthless Boko Haram group but the unrelenting fighters have continued to carry out attacks in the West African country. Last Wednesday, the group launched multiple suicide attacks in Chibok town of Borno State, killing at least 13 people and injured almost 30. This was followed by another attack in which at least 18 people were killed and many injured at a crowded market in the neighboring Adamawa State last Friday. Boko Haram has been fighting to enshrine the Islamic Sharia law in Nigeria's constitution since 2009. Flash The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for three deadly bombings that rocked a Shiite district south of the capital Damascus on Sunday, killing over 76 people. Syrians gather at the site of an explosion in a Shiite district in Damascus on Jan. 31, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] The triple bombings rocked the sprawling Sayyidah Zaynab district, which is guarded by the Shiite Lebanese Hezbollah group in the southern countryside of Damascus. The first explosion was caused by a booby-trapped car that targeted a passenger bus on the al-Sudan street in that area, state news agency SANA said, adding that after the first bombing, two suicide bombers detonated their explosive belt in a crowed of people, who gathered at the blast site. Meanwhile, a source familiar with the incident told Xinhua that the explosions killed 76 people, adding that the death toll could rise as tens of wounded people are critically wounded. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitor, said 25 Shiite fighters were among those killed. The IS militant group holds deep grudges against the Shiite people, which are considered in the IS methodology as "infidels." The enmity toward the Shiite people also emanates from the group's battles against Hezbollah and the Syrian army across Syria. The Sayyidah Zaynab tomb became a center of religious studies of the adherents of the Shiite sect of Islam and a destination of mass pilgrimage by Shiite Muslims from across the Muslim world. On June 14, 2012, a suicide car bomb tore through that district, wounding around 14 people. Since mid-summer 2012, the district has been under frequent attacks and shelling by the ultra-radical rebels, who aim to attack the Shiite people due to their supportive stance on the Syrian government and their religious background about the Shiite-Sunni conflict. As the district holds religious significance to the Shiite people, Hezbollah sent fighters to protect the shrine and manned checkpoints surrounding it. Flash Belgium has charged three people, including a couple with two young children, on suspicion of joining jihadists in Syria, local media reported on Sunday. They were arrested during police raids in the Belgian town of Jumet, about 60 km south of Belgian capital Brussels, on Saturday. Another person, who was also detained on Saturday, was released after questioning. The couple was identified by local newspaper group Sudpresse as 23-year-old "A.", which was the initial of the suspect, and his partner Yamine. "A." had been the subject of telephone surveillance since November last year and is suspected of planning a trip to Syria, Sudpresse reported. He is also accused of introducing a local woman to a suspected jihadist with whom she planned to marry and fight in Syria. Yamine is suspected of making radical Islamist remarks and had reportedly been on a police watch-list for some time. The couple were taken away after anti-terror police raided their home on Saturday morning. The couple's two children, aged two and seven respectively, will be cared by their relatives. The third person being charged was identified by Sudpresse as Bilal, who is reportedly a friend of A. Bilal had the intention of leaving for Syria and was charged with belonging to a terrorist organisation. You are here: Home Flash Jordan said Sunday it is incapable of servicing Syrian refugees without support from the international community, reported the state-run Petra news agency. Syrian refugees play at Azraq Syrian refugee camp in Jordan, Jan. 30, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] "Jordan cannot be abandoned to face the consequences of the influx of substantial numbers of Syrians into the country," said the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Emad Fakhoury Sunday, implying the potential of adopting measures which may divert refugees to Europe. During a meeting with United Nations (UN) agencies and donor countries' representatives, the minister reiterated the challenges Jordan faces due to hosting 1.3 million Syrian refugees. Furthermore, he also revised the government's efforts in reducing the pressure inflicted upon it via the influx of Syrian refugees. He then called on the international community's support to Jordan during this crucial stage, to enable it to continue servicing Syrians and host communities. A donors' conference will be held in London at the end of this week. The minister said the event will provide Jordan with the opportunity to win over the international community's attention concerning Syria, and the consequences confronting it servicing Syrian refugees. Flash Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that it is important to back the French initiative for holding an international conference for peace in the Middle East. A report published by the Palestinian state-run news agency (WAFA) quoted Nabil Abu Rdineh, an aide to President Abbas as saying that Kerry telephoned Abbas, who is currently in Amman. Abu Rdineh stated to Wafa that the telephone conversation between the two men focused on the French Initiative. "President Abbas stressed to Kerry that he welcomes the initiative and it is necessary to back it, end the current stalemate and create the proper atmosphere to end the Israeli occupation," said Abu Rdineh. The Palestinian Presidency had earlier on Friday welcomed the declaration of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius that his country will soon renew its efforts to move up its project of holding an international peace conference to succeed the two-state principle between Israel and Palestine." Israel criticized the French initiative and said that it would encourage the Palestinians not to make concessions for peace, where the United States expressed reservations. You are here: Home Flash The Saudi-led coalition launched an investigation into allegations of violations in Yemen Sunday, including the death of innocent people via friendly fire, reported Al Arabiya local news agency. The coalition command in a statement described the media reports and human rights organizations' allegations concerning the death of innocent civilians due to friendly fire as unfortunate and lacking proof. The coalition stressed its respect of all international laws and decrees, announcing it would launch a probe to investigate the claims of human rights violations, adding its comprehensive report will be released and will include all involved cases. The coalition command gave the go ahead for the probe team to assign experts to assist in the investigation. The team will be visiting sites and collecting information. A Doctors Without Borders hospital was recently hit in Yemen by friendly fire. The coalition highlighted that the hospital was in the protected zone, while they were after a moving target beside the hospital, which explains the hospital's external damage. Subsequently the coalition discussed with the Doctors Without Borders team measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. On March 26, the coalition will mark one year of battle against Houthis in Yemen, which includes numerous deaths and casualties from both sides. Flash Israel's President Reuven Rivlin said Sunday that the country should raise initiative moves to advance peace with the Palestinians, amid a recent call by a French official to hold a peace summit. The president criticized the Israeli government's inaction in this regard, which set the background for the recent proposal by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius to conduct a peace summit. "It must not be allowed in the current absence of a political process that we will be condemned to passivity," Rivlin told the Israeli diplomats on Sunday afternoon, according to a statement from his office. "The improvement in the state of the relations between the two peoples is a distinct Israeli interest," Rivlin said, adding that Israel should take on a more hands-on approach rather than react to other initiatives. Over the weekend, Fabius said that if the peace summit will not materialize, France will acknowledge a Palestinian state. Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the proposal, and its accompanying ultimatum. "The French bid gives incentive for the Palestinians not to compromise," Netanyahu said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting, adding that he is "willing to resume direct negotiations without preconditions." The Palestinians, on their part, welcomed the initiative, adding they will not hold negotiations with Israel "simply for the sake of negotiations." The last round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, mediated by the United States, ended abruptly in April 2014. The Palestinians then accused Israel of making irrational security demands, and foot dragging and expanding the Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Israel, on its part, charged that the Palestinians should recognize a Jewish state's right to exist and decried a reconciliation pact reached between Fatah and Hamas, brought about after seven years of internal fighting. Israel deems Hamas a terrorist organization and had fought several rounds of battles against it in the Gaza Strip in recent years. Israel occupied the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in 1967 Mideast War. The Palestinians wish to establish an independent state on these territories, in accordance with the two-state solution. Flash Visiting European Council President Donald Tusk said "no deal" had been reached yet over Britain's future in Europe after his talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron at Downing Street on Sunday. Cameron and Tusk met and held talks over dinner at Downing Street on Sunday, seeking to finalize a package of measures over Britain's relationship with the EU. "No deal yet. Intensive work in next 24 (hours) crucial," Tusk tweeted after he left the crunch talks with Cameron. Cameron, on his part, announced on his Twitter account that he had "a good meeting" with Tusk, who has agreed to another 24 hours of talks before publishing the draft of British renegotiation text. After the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said the two leaders had "a productive working dinner." "Much progress has been made, particularly in the last 48 hours since the Prime Minister's meeting with President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday, but there is still more hard work required," the spokesperson said in a statement. On welfare, the European Commission have tabled a text making clear that Britain's current circumstances meet the criteria for triggering the emergency brake, according to the statement. "This is a significant breakthrough, meaning the Prime Minister can deliver on his commitment to restrict in work benefits to EU migrants for four years," the spokesperson noted. The statement added: "But there are still areas where there is more to do and both agreed it was therefore worth taking the extra time to make further progress." Such areas, according to the spokesperson, include the issues of economic governance and abuse of free movement. "In the spirit of a constructive meeting, Tusk signaled that he plans to circulate a draft text to all Member States on Tuesday," spokesperson said. Earlier on Sunday, Tusk said he would present solutions to Cameron "on all baskets", but agreement must be acceptable for al 28 EU member states, and there would be "no compromise on fundamental freedoms." As part of his key demands to renegotiate a better deal for Britain in the EU, Cameron has been pushing for a ban on the in-work benefits for EU migrants for four years. But EU officials have hinted that Britain could only adopt an "emergency brake" on EU migrants' benefits for up to four years under the condition that it could prove its welfare system was "under excessive strain". According to the current EU proposal, the "emergency brake" could be imposed within three months after Britain applies and other EU members states agree. Cameron said the EU proposal is "not good enough" and wanted the brake to be enforced right after Britain's EU referendum with no time limit. Cameron has pledged to hold an "in or out" referendum on whether Britain should withdraw from the EU by 2017. He promised to campaign for his country to remain in the bloc if the EU agrees to reform as Britain has requested. Flash 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 neighborhood. "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 kilometers 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 kilometers south of the capital Mogadishu, early this week. Government and regional leaders said they are going to take a major operation against Al-Qaida 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 Jan. 15 and attack on a beach restaurant in Mogadishu last week. Flash Europe is seeing an increasing number of refugees arriving in the continent despite harsh winter conditions, which has triggered growing anti-migrant sentiment in the EU and mounting pressure on politicians over immigration policies. Migrants and refugees wait in line for a security check after crossing the Macedonian border into Serbia, near the village of Miratovac, on January 26, 2016.[Photo/Xinhua] GROWING TENSION OVER IMMIGRATION In Sweden, two arrestes have been made after dozens of masked men believed to belong to neo-Nazi gangs gathered Friday night in Stockholm and handed out leaflets calling for attacks against young migrants, police said on Saturday. Police had beefed up their presence in the city center, deploying anti-riot and helicopter units after learning that extremists were planning "aggression on unaccompanied migrant minors" in the city late Friday. The Swedish government announced earlier this week that it plans to deport up to 80,000 asylum seekers over the next few years, In Britain's Dover, a town in Kent county, southeast England, clashes took place Saturday between anti-immigration and anti-racism groups, with media reports of smoke bombs and bricks being thrown. Kent police said one person suffered a broken arm and five people sustained minor injuries during the demonstrations in the port town, which faces France across the strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel. It is a 90-minute ferry journey to Dover 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 the English town as a stopover point before trying to enter Britain. In southwest Germany, some 80 far-right demonstrators and 150 "anti-fascist initiative and citizen movement members as well as refugees themselves" showed up Saturday in the Black Forest town of Villingen-Schwenningen, police said. The demonstration took place after a hand grenade was thrown early Friday morning into a refugee shelter in the town, where about 20 refugees were sleeping. The device did not explode and no damage or injuries were reported. German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said the attack represented a new level of "hate and violence" that must be addressed by local and federal authorities. Germany, which received roughly 1.1 million asylum seekers in 2015, is seeing rising violence against them, especially after the sexual assaults on New Year's Eve in Cologne that were blamed largely on foreigners. More than 1,000 attacks against refugee shelters occurred in Germany last year, nearly five times the amount of similar incidents in 2014, with more than 900 attacks relating to right-wing extremism, according to the data released by the Federal Criminal Police Office on Thursday. Frauke Petry, head of the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party, told local media Saturday that border security officials should use their guns "as a last resort" to prevent illegal immigration. MOUNTING PRESSURE German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come under increased pressure to reverse her open-arms policy to those asylum seekers. The chancellor on Saturday tried to placate the critics, insisting that most of asylum seekers from Syria and Iraq should go home once the conflicts there end. "We expect, once there is peace in Syria again, once the IS (Islamic State) has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country with the knowledge that you have gained," Merkel told a regional meeting of her Christian Democratic Union. Speaking of the EU's response to the refugee issue, Merkel said that she was disappointed with the current cooperation within the bloc, and urged other European countries to offer more help. "The numbers (of refugees) need to be reduced even further and must not start to rise again, especially in spring," she said. All EU states, she added, would suffer if the internal passport-free Schengen zone collapsed and national borders were closed. Merkel's remarks came after leaders of the German ruling coalition on Thursday struck a compromise on changes to asylum laws that highlights family reunion for refugees. The deal was reached following months-long debate over who should initially be blocked from bringing relatives to Germany. DANGEROUS JOURNEYS Despite the growing anti-immigrant sentiment within the bloc, refugees are still trying to reach Europe, very often through treacherous means. At least 39 refugees, including children, drowned as their boat capsized off Turkey's Aegean coast early on Saturday, Turkish media reported. The 17-meter-long boat overturned off Bademli coast in western Turkey soon after departing from Turkey's Canakkale province for the Greek island of Lesbos. Latest reports said the boat was carrying more than 100 refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Myanmar, and the Turkish coast guard rescued 62 people from the sea. The drownings added to the recent tragedies that happened in the refugees' Europe-bound sea voyage. Since the beginning of the year, some 55,528 refugees and migrants have entered Europe by way of the Mediterranean Sea, the International Organization for Migration reported on Friday. The report said 244 people died attempting to reach European shores in the first 28 days of January. A total of 218 fatalities were recorded on the Eastern Mediterranean route separating Turkey and Greece, while 26 people lost their lives on the central Mediterranean passage linking North Africa and Italy. The European Union has urged both Turkey and Greece to take steps to stem the inflow of refugees into the continent. A child poses for a photo in front of a Lane Crawford franchise store decorated with Disney-themed pictures and statue in Shanghai. GAO ERQIANG/CHINA DAILY Despite the chill on a windy, mid-winter Sunday in Shanghai, Zhu Yanzi, a 23-year-old woman from Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, took a two-hour train ride and then made an hour-long subway dash to reach the city's downtown Huanghai Road to "join the events" at department stores. Such is the pull of these events at retailers that consumers from near and far feel compelled to troop in, and end up spending much more than they had initially planned. Zhu, for one, planned a tightly-scheduled one-day trip to Shanghai with a budget of 500 yuan ($79.4) for travel tickets, dining and beverages. At the end of the day, however, the one-day Shanghai visit set her back by more than 1,000 yuan. Thousands of shoppers who visit Shanghai will probably identify with Zhu. They are the targets of brick-and-mortal retailers who are renovating/upgrading their premises and holding thoughtfully conceptualized events at their stores. The idea is to not only withstand the online shopping onslaught but thrive amid slowing GDP growth that is threatening to keep consumers tight-fisted, market researchers said. Retailers' comeback efforts are somewhat akin to cinemas that weathered the threat from electronic and digital media by adopting similar strategies to offer moviegoers wholesome lifestyle "experiences". So, these days, consumers visiting Shanghai retailers have much more than shopping on mind: they can enjoy art installations, exhibitions, painting shows, cartoon images, music performances or interactive programs. In other words, "experiences" await them, especially younger ones, something that online shopping doesn't offer. Yet. These events find their audience, people such as Zhu, through online social networks and messaging apps such as WeChat. During her Shanghai visit, Zhu first took pictures with Ali, a red fox cartoon image at Shanghai Times Square, and bought some mugs with Ali images. Then, she went to Salvadore Dali at K11 Chi Art Space and bought fridge-door magnets and postcards. Next, she lined up for one hour in a queue to get into the flagship store of Japanese retailer Muji. She bought a pair of gloves. After that, she met friends at Joy City, visited an exhibition of UK-style installations, and polished off her visit with a hearty meal at a Hong Kong style restaurant. "I spent more than I had expected ... on beverages, a pair of shoes on discount, and souvenirs (toys). I can't say I spent irrationally because the overall experience was quite different from ordinary shopping at department stores without these art events. But with these events around, you don't feel you are shopping but spending in an amusement park, like a kid. It was fun," said Zhu. Carlby Xie Jingyu, director of research at Colliers China, said every store, mall and complex in Shanghai is trying to have its own distinct features and themes worth exploring. "The retail market has been celebrating variety. Numerous overseas brands are entering China, bringing fresh experiences to niche-market consumers. At the same time, developers are attaching more importance to community experiences, in central locations, city outskirts and suburban areas. So much so, consumers now expect a variety of experiences inside shopping areas. For developers, such expectations are opportunities," said Xie. More than 40 new retail properties are expected to come up this year in Shanghai. This will likely further intensify competition, said market insiders. A report by DTZ Cushman & Wakefield said projects that offer a quality time to shoppers may stand out from others. Amid demographic change that is leading to more and more nuclear families, typically comprising a young couple with one or two children, shopping areas are aspiring to be weekend destinations. These days, it is almost essential for a shopping mall to have a playground or an enrichment program center for children, in order to attract parents. Indoor activities such as handicraft lessons, music events and cooking workshops are popular with parents seeking to spend quality time with their kids, the report said. Experts said new experiences require more than upgraded services, creative activities, novel products, new brands and attractive premises. Kenith Kong, director and head of retail services with DTZ China, said it takes quality management - thorough research, thoughtful planning and effective execution - to deliver rich lifestyle experiences at shopping areas. And to ensure consumers recognize such efforts is a challenge in itself. "Consumers may initially feel quite surprised finding a mini zoo inside a department store, but they will soon get bored if they find similar things at other stores. Operators, developers and investors need to think and innovate rather than just become a copycat," said Kong. Workers of Broad Homes prepare building materials for precast residential houses in Suriname.Provided to CHINA DAILY Broad Homes is going big with its precast structures, design, consulting in countries like Suriname, Brazil For many private-sector Chinese companies, South America offers a wealth of growth opportunities amid a less competitive atmosphere, as housing firm Broad Homes Industrial International Co Ltd is realizing. Broad Homes, a subsidiary of Hunan-based Broad Homes Industrial Co Ltd, will supply 18,000 precast residential houses to Suriname this year. It also plans to deploy more resources and manpower in South American countries such as Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia over the next three years, to diversify its global sales platform. As living standards improve across the continent, more and more South Americans desire to own homes, hence the steady demand for real estate. "Clients want their houses to reflect their lifestyle changes," said Tang Fen, president of Broad Homes. For more than two decades, the company has been a specialist in pre-fabricated concrete structures like residential buildings, commercial buildings, public facilities, industrial facilities and infrastructure. Its operations span South America and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Indonesia and Laos. Tang said growth opportunities abound in South America's surging demand for housing infrastructure projects, especially in fast-growing markets such as Suriname, Guyana and Brazil where focus is on sustainable development amid urbanization and industrialization. Broad Homes invested $20 million on a plant in Suriname in 2014. Supported by more than 200 Chinese and local employees, the factory's total production capacity has reached 200,000 square meters per year. Its Suriname project involves building 18,000 precast residential units in coastal cities and towns. As per the agreement between Broad Homes and the Surinamese authorities, 65 percent of these precast houses will be bought by Suriname to provide low-cost homes to financially weaker sections of the local society. The rest 35 percent will be sold as commercial properties, which is expected to help develop the local real estate sector. Compared with China, the housing construction business in many South American countries is unusual in that contractors are required to deliver the houses to clients much earlier than anywhere else. Strict quality checks are carried out by a number of government branches, usually over a period of two months, putting enormous pressure on contractors' cash flow. "Therefore, building partnerships with local businesses to resolve issues related to logistics, customs clearance and building materials, is an effective way to reduce financial risk in a new market. Our local dealers are familiar with both the market environment and the demand of clients," said Tang. "We both (the company and its partners) are out to make a profit, and they (the government agencies) want a return on their outlay as soon as possible." In South America, Broad Homes also offers technical services and consulting related to precast concrete manufacturing and construction, and technical support for the whole life cycle of construction projects. Tang said even though there are a lot of competitors from the United States, Spain, Portugal, Lebanon and India, "we have the right recipe, and the main selling point is price". With images from Disney's animation film Big Hero 6 providing the background, models enliven a hotel project's promotional event at Yichang, Hubei province. The upcoming Disney resort in Shanghai is expected to have a positive impact on the realty sector across the Chinese mainland, not just the metropolis.Provided to CHINA DAILY As the scheduled June opening of Shanghai Disney Resort nears, hospitality firms gird up their loins Hotel companies in the Yangtze River Delta area have been planning years in advance to cash in on anticipated surge in visitors to the area in whose heart Shanghai Disney Resort will open in June. Such plans took the shape of new hotels, renovation and expansion of properties, and conversion of existing rooms into affordable family suites. Now, as June nears, they can't wait for action to explode. Xu Weiluo, branding executive of Homeinns Co Ltd, a leading budget hotel group headquartered in Shanghai, said: "We've developed a strategy in anticipation of the opening of the Disney resort many years ago." Homeinns and other leading hotel chains chose locations close to the rail stations on subway lines 2 and 11 that connect the Disney resort to Shanghai city. Subway line 11 will extend to Shanghai East Station and Pudong International Airport while line 2 will extend to Shanghai Wild Animal Park. About 30 percent of the 2,600 hotels of brands such as Yitel, Homeinn Plus, Motel and Fairyland are located near the Yangtze River Delta. Hotels that can be reached in an hour or two from Shanghai are also coming up, to serve as backups for visitors to the Disney resort, said Xu. Some hotels have even become licensed sellers of Disney entry tickets, which they intend to package with hotel and pick-up services. On Jan 21, seven Douhao youth-oriented apartment hotels comprising 600 rooms, funded by Homeinns and Sequoia Capital, were launched in the Chuansha area. The Douhao brand will expand to first-tier cities like Beijing, Guangzhou and Xi'an in future. And to think the Shanghai Disney Resort itself has two hotels with Disney themes - the 420-room Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and the 800-room Toy Story Hotel, located next to the Shanghai Disneyland! Zeng Guang, chief analyst of Guosen Securities, told media the Disney theme park opening in June is just as well because the run-up to the summer, when visitors are expected to peak, will act like a warm-up period. The Yangtze River Delta and its neighboring provinces are China's most prosperous region. Thanks to high-speed express trains, most provincial capitals are just one or two hours away. Expected visits by families are raising expectations of repeat trips. Families are expected to boost all-round consumption in the area through longer/overnight stays, said Zeng. Jiang Yiyi, director of the China Tourism Academy's International Tourism Development Institute, said the Shanghai Disney Resort will also likely lure foreigners, especially from neighboring countries, given its unique attractions and Chinese characteristics. Chris Yoshii, vice-president and global director of Leisure Asia AECOM (Hong Kong), a US-based consultancy group, said the theme park market in Asia had a good year in 2015 with tourism and domestic consumption continuing to increase. "We would expect the Chinese mainland to have a GDP growth of around 7 percent this year, although Hong Kong may show a slight decline due to falling traveler visits. We would expect Japan and South Korea to be relatively flat since few new attractions opened there. "The outlook for 2016 is positive as the opening of Shanghai Disney Resort will likely be the big event in Asia," said Yoshii. Chinese couples pose in front of the south Bavarian castle Neuschwanstein, in Schwangau, near Fuessen, Germany.[Photo/Agencies] A niche market has developed for themed tours in China, as Chinese consumers enjoy increasing amounts of disposable income and leisure time. Popular themes include wedding photography, visiting colleges, outdoor pursuits, and medical tourism, in addition to yoga, tea ceremonies and the arts. In the next three years, the themed tour market is expected to maintain rapid growth and become a key economic driver in the tourism market. Sales could potentially break 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion), according to a data projection by Tuniu Corp, a Nanjing-based online travel service provider. Last year, Tuniu offered more than 100 different products for its photography themed tours with transaction volume increasing more than 100 percent quarter-on-quarter. The company recorded 3.2 million yuan in sales revenue in December just for a photography trip to Sanya, Hainan province, which served 500 new couples. "Global photography tours have become a brand new tour style, and it is especially sought after by the younger generations, such as those who were born in the 1980s and 1990s. The wedding photography market has experienced a significant boom," said Wang Liangfen, chief director of themed tours at Tuniu. Currently, the main consumers of themed tours are younger travelers that live in major cities with middle to high incomes, Wang said. Du Ni, a 26-year-old white-collar worker in Beijing, said: "I think a photography themed tour sounds very interesting. In the future, I would like to take a wedding photography themed tour in Europe, as I'm attracted to the scenery there. "I would prefer to visit some tourist attractions and go shopping too, in addition to the themed tour, otherwise it would be too simple," she said. In January, Tuniu signed cooperation agreements with more than 200 themed tour providers, including Roman Holiday Wedding Photography Chain Group, San Fun Leisure Travel Network, and Tripolers, a travel agency that specializes in themed tours to the South and North poles. "We will enhance the leadership position in the themed tour travel category by continuously innovating and introducing new themes, while expanding the product offerings of existing themes," Wang said. Visitors check out smartphones and other gadgets at the Lenovo stand at the 2015 IFA consumer electronics and appliances trade fair on Sept 4, 2015 in Berlin.SEAN GALLUP/GETTY IMAGES As Chinese companies ramp up their presence on the international stage with a string of headline-grabbing acquisitions catapulting them to global fame, some experts urge caution: Most still cannot be called true multinationals. "I think there are a small number of Chinese companies that are already global companies, but it is a very small number, like Lenovo and Huawei," said Stephen Phillips, chief executive of the China-Britain Business Council. "Some Chinese banks have a very significant international presence as well, but they mostly serve the Chinese customer base, rather than serve the international customer base, so they are only part of the way to becoming truly global in my view." Despite many State-owned enterprises that have an international presence and private sector companies that are beginning to internationalize quite rapidly, there are very few that are globally recognized. "But it is changing really quickly, much more quickly than probably any other country," he said. Phillips said the world will continue to see more and more Chinese companies internationalizing, and they need to do it for at least two reasons: one is to diversify markets and the other is, if they genuinely want to be leaders in that field, they need to be exposed to global competition, whether in services or products, and by going outside the home market and competing with the best of the world. "If companies manage that in that process, both accessing new markets and moving up the value curve, then they are going to be very successful, but not all of them will succeed. It is not easy, it is very competitive." Zhang Yang, a senior consultant with Spencer Stuart, a leading executive search and leadership consultancy, said that increasing overseas assets and income are only partial parameters of internationalization. "If a company just invests in cheap resources overseas and then makes profit out of it, it is not truly internationalization, because they may not be a global company that adopts international standards and rules." She said international companies have different strategies and targets for different markets, and operate globally. Their management systems, governance and diverse talent would be important measuring standards. But if Chinese companies are gauged by these aspects, most of them would get low grades. She cited talent as an example. In many multinational companies, about 20 to 40 percent of the senior executive positions are held by talent sought globally, but in Chinese companies, the percentage is usually quite low: less than 10 percent. Qiao Jian, vice-president of the world's largest personal computer maker, Lenovo Group, said that globalization is not just products or capital going global, but a global enterprise's culture and leadership are key, which is what she learned from Lenovo's failed experiences in the past. She said that in the first four to five years after Lenovo acquired the personal computer business of IBM, its business met great setbacks. "When we reflect on it, at that time, we paid a lot of attention to products and strategy, but ignored the culture and leadership components," she said. "Managing people from different countries is not merely relying on policies and regulations but more about winning recognition from local customers, executives and employees culturally, so that we do business holding the same values." She said since 2008, Lenovo has made great efforts in global enterprise culture building, and its revenue is 15 times that of 10 years ago. Sun Yongfu, former head of the department of European affairs in the Ministry of Commerce, said that a company's ability to integrate with the cultural and social environment in a given country is an important part of successful internationalization. "We have seen many unsuccessful cases of Chinese companies going global, and the key is the differences in cultures, standards and concepts between the home country and the destination countries," he said. "We are used to some ways of operating in China and would bring them to Europe and other parts of the world, but their culture, traditions and laws are quite different from us," he says. For example, Chinese employees would work overtime to get double pay, but Europeans might not hold the same view, he said. He said that Chinese companies should be able to adopt the destination country's ways of operating and managing companies. "They need to integrate with the local culture, respect local rules, get familiar with their management ways, do good in local communities and strengthen corporate social responsibilities. Currently, many companies are still deficient in these aspects." A Jeep and Chrysler dealership in Qingdao, Shandong province. Dealers of Jeep and Chrysler cars are requesting financial compensation from GAC Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to offset their losses in revenue last year. HUANG XIANJIE/CHINA DAILY Chamber says automaker failed to offer solution after complaints of losses and soaring inventories Dealerships for imported Jeep and Chrysler cars are seeking more than 1 billion yuan ($152.7 million) in compensation from GAC Fiat Chrysler Automobiles after they claim to have lost 1.2 billion yuan in revenue from failing to sell Chrysler China's high-priced vehicles. A letter issued by the China Auto Dealers Chamber of Commerce on its website on Dec 21 claims that Chrysler Group China Sales Ltd failed to offer a solution after dealers in China complained of soaring inventories. GAC Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is the joint venture between Guangzhou Automobile Group Co and Fiat Chrysler. The issue, the dealerships say, centers around the imported vehicles' high wholesale prices that Chrysler China imposed on its dealers. Fiat and Chrysler completed their merger in 2014. The separate Chrysler China is mainly responsible for selling imported Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge vehicles. The exorbitant prices turned buyers away and in turn pushed up the dealers' inventory of cars, the chamber claims. Gu Jiaying, Chrysler China's chief marketing officer, could not be reached by press time. In the letter, the chamber said Chrysler China's "wrong business policy ... caused dealers to lose more than 1.2 billion yuan ... from the second half of 2014 to the end of 2015. The chamber, on behalf of the dealers, is proposing that the company give 440 million yuan to support showroom operations and 767 million yuan as subsidies for the sales of its cars". Zhu Kongyuan, the chamber's secretary-general, said Chrysler China is not "admitting its mistakes ... is not compensating and is not actively communicating". "I hope they can sit down to negotiate, instead of hide," Zhu said. "Dealers and carmakers both expect a win-win situation." Many major auto dealerships in China sell imported cars from Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge, such as Pang Da Automobile Trade Co, Sinomach Automobile Co and Zhongsheng Goup. Zhu said Chrysler China informed the chamber that it would communicate individually with dealers, though he said the dealers do not want one-on-one negotiations. "The dealers are in a weaker position in the industrial chain. The chamber is representing the dealers to negotiate with the carmaker." A recent survey by the chamber found that dealers selling Chrysler China's vehicles each suffered average losses of about 3.5 million yuan last year. It also said approximately 85 percent of dealers selling the automaker's vehicles have seen declines in revenue for three consecutive years. Dong Yang, executive vice-president of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said in a news conference on Jan 12 that he hoped current regulations to protect car dealers could be strengthened. Last year, a number of German automakers agreed to pay billions of yuan as compensation to dealers for forcing them to continue buying their vehicles despite climbing inventories. Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo Cars and Toyota followed suit. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Jaguar Land Rover established communication systems to hear the opinions of dealers. They also set lower sales targets and issued support plans to help dealers overcome their financial difficulties. "Dealers need a lower sales target this year.... Last year, dealers still accepted unpopular models from automakers when they were really in need of a popular model to sell," Zhu said. He said one dealership was not given its Jeep sales bonus until it sold a certain quota of Dodge vehicles. In China, popular Jeep SUVs include the iconic Cherokee and Compass. Cherokee has been locally produced from July 2015 and is offered at a low price. In contrast, the Chrysler 300C and Dodge Journey are less popular to Chinese customers. "The problem is that it's not violating the current antimonopoly regulations," Zhu said. Chrysler Group China was fined 31.68 million yuan for its anticompetitve actions in September 2014, a figure that is equivalent to 3 percent of its sales revenue in 2013. Three dealers of Chrysler were fined 2.14 million yuan for colluding to set prices on auto parts in Shanghai. Dong said he is confident that China's anti-monopoly guidelines "will make a leap forward and it will focus on building a fair and justified environment". Xu Haidong, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said the government is soliciting opinion for future anti-monopoly guidelines. "There will be more detailed terms. Carmakers are going to obey the rules as long as they see the specific terms so that they won't be fined," Xu said. Last year, China's auto market grew at 4.7 percent, a far cry from the projected growth of 7 percent at the end of 2014. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said its annual sales dropped 19 percent in China "due to strong competitive pressure from local producers, a transition to local production and an interruption in supply from the Tianjin Port explosion," said the group on Wednesday. haoyan@chinadaily.com.cn Some foreign companies in Shanghai asked their employees to work from home on Monday when the city was shrouded in acrid smog, Oriental Morning Post reported on Tuesday. The move, adopted by multinational consumer goods company Unilever and some other companies, drew admiration from those who had to leave their homes when the air quality index published by the US Consulate reached 442, or hazardous, at 7 am on Monday. As early as Dec 6, Unilever said in a post on its micro-blogging service that the company advised its workers to avoid venturing out and to stay at home to deal with their jobs on Monday. It reminded its workers to regularly check their e-mails and the company's micro blog while working from home. The decision was confirmed by the company's employees, who told the newspaper Unilever sent the notice to workers via other channels, such as e-mail and mobile messaging services. Employees said they were not surprised by the decision as they have been allowed to work from home before in the event of disastrous weather conditions including typhoons and heavy rainstorms. Another global sportswear company, which the newspaper didn't identify, also asked its employees to stay at home on Monday to "make its team members' safety a priority". Li Sanren (L) and Shang Aiyun, parents of Huugjilt, who was wrongly executed for rape and murder at age 18, show the verdict of state compensation totaling more than 2 million yuan (about $322,000) in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on Dec 31, 2014. On Dec 15, 2014, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Higher People's Court overturned Huugjilt's previous conviction and ruled he was not guilty of rape and murder, saying that the facts of his case were unclear and evidence was inadequate. [Photo/Xinhua] HOHHOT - Twenty-seven officials were penalized over the wrongful conviction and execution of a man 20 years ago, authorities in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region said in a statement Sunday night. One of the blacklisted officials responsible for the wrongful conviction of Huugjilt, Feng Zhiming, was suspected of job-related crimes and was subject to further investigation, it said. Feng, formerly deputy chief of the Xincheng District branch of the public security bureau of the regional capital Hohhot, may face criminal charges, according to the statement. The other 26 officials received administrative penalties including admonitions and record of demerit. On the blacklist were 11 former police officers with the public security bureau of Hohhot and its Xincheng District branch, including Wang Zhi, former chief of the bureau. Seven were former officials with the people's procuratorate of Hohhot, including Wen Da, former chief procurator. Five were former officials with the region's higher people's court, and three were from the intermediate people's court in Hohhot. Hugjiltu's mother, Shang Aiyun, holds a photo of her son, who was wrongfully executed 18 years ago. [Photo by Guo Tieliu/for China Daily] The wrong conviction of Huugjilt is one of the most notorious cases of judicial injustice in China in the recent decade. The teenager was declared guilty of raping and then murdering a woman in a public toilet. He was posthumously acquitted of the crimes in December 2014. The real convict, Zhao Zhihong, was apprehended in 2005 and given death penalty last year. A foreign tourist bargains for a deal at a market in Beijing. Inbound visitors are able to claim tax refunds on purchases made in China at designated stores, but purchases from private vendors are not eligible. [Photo/China Daily] More than 137 million overseas tourists will visit China in 2016, a jump by 2.5 percent from the previous year. This would be the second year of growth in inbound tourism after the country saw years of decline in foreign tourists since 2011. During the annual work meeting held on Jan 29, China National Tourism Administration set its development goal of 2016. The international tourism revenue in 2016 is expected to reach $121 billion, an increase by 6.5 percent. Earlier, China Tourism Academy, a think tank under China National Tourism Academy, also confirmed the trend. It predicted more than 138 million overseas tourist would visit China. Li Shihong, deputy head of the administration, said second- and third-tier cities, as well as small towns including Wuzhen of Zhejiang province, Yueyang of Hunan province and Tongli of Jiangsu province will play a leading role in attracting overseas tourists. Second- and third-tier cities and small towns have unique culture symbols, beautiful landscape and have persevered history in their daily lives better (than modern cities). All those are attractive factors to frequent visitors to China, said Li. Besides, the high-speed railway network has connected small towns and also made them more accessible than before. It is a great timing for them to develop inbound tourism industry. City announces fund to remove hazards and prevent a repeat of landslide that killed 70 Rescue work continues in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, after a huge landslide of dirt and construction waste buried buildings on Sunday. JIN LIANGKUAI/XINHUA Shenzhen is to set up a 15 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) fund to improve public safety, part of efforts to build a modern, international city. This year, officials have vowed to step up checks to spot and remove potential hazards such as sites used to dump construction waste and landfills, according to a government work report. "We'll make efforts to deal with the 'diseases affecting the city' and enhance our ability to ensure public safety based on precise management," Mayor Xu Qin said when he delivered the report at the opening of the annual local legislative session on Sunday. On Dec 20, a landslide in Shenzhen caused by the illegal dumping of construction waste killed more than 70 people and destroyed or damaged 33 buildings. After three decades of rapid economic development, Shenzhen, an industrial metropolis in Guangdong province, now faces a series of challenges, not least from the huge amount of waste created by the building of new properties and the city's subway network. Hidden danger Political advisers say the urban management system needs to be improved so that the city can achieve sustainable development. "With the acceleration of the urbanization process, construction waste has become a hidden danger, as evidenced by the landslide in Guangming New District in December," said Zhang Yuqiang, a member of Shenzhen committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top advisory body. The large-scale construction of underground parking is one of the main concerns, Zhang told China Daily, adding that the "root cause lies with regulation". He said that, due to the tight controls on property companies or individuals changing the stipulated usage of a plot of land, "many developers are choosing to expand underground parking areas, which results in a large amount of construction waste". Zhang, a top policy adviser on housing and construction, has suggested the city amend the regulation to encourage developers to build above-ground parking, which is less costly and more environmentally friendly. Yuan Geng, a prominent figure in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) and a pioneer of China's reform and opening-up, has died. He was 99. Yuan was born Ouyang Rushan in Guangdong province's Bao'an county in April 1917 and joined the Communist Party of China at 21. In 1939, he joined the Dongjiang Column of the Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Aggression Guerrilla Force, which was led by the CPC in southern China. When Hong Kong was occupied by Japanese troops in 1942, Yuan helped save more than 800 people who supported the Chinese people's revolutionary cause. He was appointed head of the Dongjiang Column's liaison division in August 1944 and provided large amounts of valuable information to the United States Pacific Fleet and the US 14th Army Air Force. In September 1945, immediately after Japan's surrender at the end of World War II, Yuan was sent to Hong Kong to set up a liaison office which would become the Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong Branch. He then headed to Yantai, Shandong province, where the Dongjiang Column took part in more than a dozen battles from 1945 to 1949. Following the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Yuan continued in intelligence work and ensured the safety of the Chinese delegation at the Bandung Conference of 1955 including delegation head Zhou Enlai. Wrongfully imprisoned during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), Yuan was reinstated upon his release in October 1975, and appointed head of foreign affairs in the then Transport Ministry. In June 1978, he was assigned to help set up a bureau of merchants services in Hong Kong and was in charge of the bureau's affairs from October that same year. The Shekou Industrial Zone he helped set up in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, was a flagship program of China's reform and opening-up - introducing new ways of distributing wages and housing based on performance and market values. Yuan also played a major role in establishing China Merchants Bank, the country's first joint-stock commercial bank, in 1987 and Ping An Insurance Company of China, the first commercial insurance company founded by merchants in May 1988. Ma Xingrui, the Party chief of Shenzhen and Xu Qin, the mayor of the city, paid respects to Yuan and expressed condolences to his family on Sunday. The People's Liberation Army has said it is testing its new rocket force with various battlefield scenarios, including extreme weather and strong electronic jamming. A rocket force brigade, which is equipped with short-range ballistic missiles, has built a training base that can simulate rain, snow, galeforce winds, fog and lightning, as well as electronic warfare situations, according to a PLA statement. Senior Colonel Shi Hongyan, commander of the brigade, was quoted in the statement as saying that missile units must use every means to make training as realistic as possible, so that soldiers can understand the complexities of a real battlefield. China Central Television has aired footage that shows missile operators during a "heavy rain" simulation at the base, as well as soldiers in protective suits taking part in a biological warfare scenario. In addition, the force has been using simulated launch vehicles and missiles to facilitate training, the PLA statement said. Last week, another short-range ballistic missile unit held live-fire drills in a desert in Northwest China in temperatures as low as-30 C, PLA Daily reported. The story was accompanied by an image of a DF-15 missile being launched. Shao Yongling, a professor of military strategy at the PLA Rocket Force Command College, told China Daily that the Chinese military has spared no effort in making sure its personnel are able to perform in any circumstances. "Rain, snow and the cold do not cause problems to missiles, but lightning does," she said. "Normally, operators avoid lightning when they launch missiles. However, we must train our operators in every weather condition, as enemies will not wait for a nice, clear day to strike." On electronic jamming, Shao said the measure would have little effect on ballistic missiles because unlike cruise missiles, which receive in-flight guidance, the parameters for ballistic missiles are preset before launch. Yet command and communications equipment is susceptible to electronic jamming, so operators need to use drills to find solutions, she said. President Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, announced on Dec 31 the establishment of the PLA Rocket Force to replace the former Second Artillery Corps, which had managed China's ballistic missiles since the 1960s. Two convicted drug dealers stood trial on new trafficking charges at Beijing No 4 Intermediate People's Court on Monday, accused of transporting nearly 4 kilos of drugs by bus. Yu Linxiang and Wang Xinqiu, from Taoyuan county in Hunan province, transported the drugs from Zhongshan city in Guangdong province to Beijing last May, prosecutors said. Wang pleaded guilty to trafficking the drugs, but told the court that he did not know what was in the package that Yu asked him to carry. "Yu promised me to pay me 20,000 yuan ($3,040)," but did not make the payment in the end, Wang said. Wang was arrested on arrival in Beijing on May 9. In 2007, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for drug trafficking. He had been administratively detained for three days in 2004 for using drugs. Yu received 10-day administrative detentions for drug use in 2009 and 2010. He was also sentenced to one year in jail for drug trafficking in 2001 and received a six-month prison sentence for theft in 2009. The prosecutors urged a heavy penalty for the two because of their drug-related previous crimes. The verdict is pending. North China's Shanxi province is seeking to double its GDP growth rate to 6 percent in 2016 on an overhaul of its coal industry. The province, which produces more than a quarter of the nation's overall coal supply, raised its GDP growth target even as coal prices have dipped amid overcapacity. "Our province is under strong pressure from the economic slowdown, but there is a large potential for further growth," Governor Li Xiaopeng said in a report to the Shanxi Provincial People's Congress. Most of China's provinces have lowered their GDP growth targets for 2016 as the country seeks slower, but more sustainable growth. Shanxi is one of the few that adjusted it upward, even though its 2015 growth of 3.1 percent was among the lowest of all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. In his report, Li outlined ways the province will achieve its goal, including turning coal into clean energy, the integration of coal mining and power plants, the development of new coal-based materials and the production of aluminum. In addition to coal-related industries, he said the province will propel growth through the development of modern service industries, tourism and agriculture. Xu Hongcai, a researcher at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said Shanxi might meet its goal if it effectively adjusts its economic structure. The province has economic potential, but it must exploit its resources in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way, Xu said. Chen Man waves to the camera after he was released from a prison in Hainan on Feb 1, 2016. [Photo/CFP] A man who spent 23 years in prison was acquitted on Monday, a top court in Zhejiang province announced on its official micro blog, citing insufficient evidence to sustain the verdict. The president of Hainan Provincial High People's Court bowed to Chen Man, who was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for homicide and arson in November 1994 in the province. The court gave Chen 5,000 as consolation money, and he is also eligible to apply for further compensation from the state. In 1992, Chen from Sichuan province was accused of killing a man in Hainan and of destroying the evidence by setting a house on fire. Since then, Chen has been detained. In 1994, the Haikou Intermediate People's Court sentenced Chen to a suspended death sentence, and the provincial high people's court upheld the verdict in April 1999. From then on, the defendant and his family continued their appeals. The national top prosecuting authority lodged a protest against Chen's judgment and the Zhejiang Provincial High People's Court retried the case on April 24. The top court ruled on Monday that Chen should be acquitted because the facts in the case were unclear and there was insufficient evidence, adding that the decision was in line with current Chinese Criminal Procedure Law. Chen's lawyer and the family said that they have been informed on Monday that they have the right to apply for state compensation for the wrong verdict and they will submit the application in line with laws. Chen was regarded as the person who was wrongfully detained for the longest time among cases which were disclosed in which defendants were named innocent. Since 2013, under a rule of law requirement promoted by the central leadership, Chinese judicial bodies have accelerated efforts to correct cases in which there was a miscarriage of justice. The monkey appears to be showing its wound to He's young son. [Photo/Weibo.com] The image of an injured wild monkey in Southwest China went viral online, attracting the attention of a local wildlife organization which has come up with three plans to help it. Monkeys on Mount Emei, the country's biggest natural monkey reserve in Sichuan province, are a must-see attraction for tourists. The injured 12-year-old, photographed by a tourist surnamed He, suffered a hurt leg and is reportedly the king of a 40-plus member community. On its right leg can be seen a nylon cord in a wound with blood seeping, while the skin and flesh around the cord is swollen. The photo appears to depict the monkey showing its wound to He's son while looking at the boy. "I think the monkey is asking us for help", said He, who asked authorities at the scenic spot to help it as he wasn't able to untie the nylon cord. The photo became an instant online hit after He posted it on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo on Saturday afternoon. The hot topic with the hashtag #Monkey in Mount Emei asks a passerby for help# has attracted around 3.75 million Internet users' attention, while more than 2,000 commented. Chen makes phone calls to his family after he was released from prison. The president of Hainan Provincial High People's Court bowed to Chen Man, who was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for "homicide and arson" in November 1994 in the province. [Photo/CFP] The acquittal of 54-year-old Chen Man who spent 23 years in prison having been wrongly convicted of arson and murder became an instant hot topic minutes after his release on Monday. Chen from Sichuan province was handed a suspended death sentence in 1994 having been accused of killing a man in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, and then setting a fire to destroy evidence. Officials from the Hainan Provincial People's Court bowed and apologized to Chen, informing him that he has the right to apply for state compensation. Wang Wanqiong, Chen's lawyer, spoke highly of the apology, saying that it was good for her client's family to witness the progress of rule of law. Wang said the correction of the case due to insufficient evidence and unclear facts reflects the principle of "no punishment in doubtful cases" under current Chinese Criminal Procedure Law. Cheng Lei, an associate law professor at Renmin University of China, agreed, saying that the strength and determination in correcting wrongful verdicts should be applauded, especially in recent years. "Such correction, I believe, will urge police to be more careful in investigations and also avoid evidence illegally gained by torture," Cheng said. Chen's case also sparked heated debate online where the topic of "23-year Chen Man's case" attracted 177,000 readers on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo within eight hours of the announcement of his acquittal. Chen Man waves to the camera after he was released from a prison in Hainan on Feb 1, 2016. [Photo/CFP] A man wrongfully imprisoned for 23 years in China was declared innocent on Monday due to insufficient evidence and was released from a prison in Hainan province. Chen Man, 53, from Sichuan province, who was given a two-year suspended death sentence in 1994 for homicide and arson, was freed in Haikou, the provincial capital. He had been held in prison before being sentenced. Chen said after being released that he was happy and could not wait to return home to celebrate Spring Festival with his parents, who are in their 80s. His lawyer, Wang Wanqiong, who took up the case in 2013, said he was excited about Chen's acquittal, adding that it marks progress with the rule of law in China. "The correction of my client's verdict shows that judicial bodies in our country have changed their ideas about dealing with cases where there is doubt," Wang said. "They are upholding the principle that, under the Criminal Procedure Law, there should be no punishment in such cases." Officials at Hainan High People's Court bowed and apologized to Chen on Monday and told him that he could apply for State compensation, Wang said. L iu Bo attends a session of the political advisory body in Shenzhen. HUO JIANBIN / FOR CHINA DAILY A 14-year-old student from Shenzhen suggested that the government should step up educational reform when he took part in the annual meeting of the local political advisory body. His appearance at the meeting attracted widespread attention and marked the first time that young people from the city in Guangdong province had been invited to the local "two sessions". The meetings of the legislature and political advisory body began on Friday and are due to end on Thursday. Liu Bo, a junior second-grade student at Shenzhen Experimental School, said the "two sessions" were different from other youth-related meetings he had attended, as they focused on social issues. Liu, one of the 10 youth representatives attending the sessions, said taking part in the meetings made him consider social problems such as air pollution, urban construction and development. As a representative of a student group, Liu said the current exam-oriented education system places students under great pressure. He said students hoped that educational reforms could be continued, and that the shortcomings of the education system could be eliminated, with more emphasis placed on students' abilities and personal qualities. An official at the China Communist Youth League's Shenzhen Committee, which is responsible for recommending youth representatives, said, "We are ... encouraging and guiding young people in the city to pay more attention to social development while, at the same time, making their voices heard." Premier meets with rural families, offers encouragement Premier Li Keqiang ladles dumplings to Ma Ancang, an elderly ethnic Hui local resident, at an elderly care center in Guyuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Monday.[LIU ZHEN / CHINA NEWS SERVICE] Visiting people and households living in poverty has been an annual routine for Premier Li Keqiang before the Chinese Lunar New Year for the past two years, bringing them greetings as well as learning more about their living conditions. This year, Li's visit to families in poverty took him to a village in Guyuan, in the southern part of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, where he arrived on Monday. This is Li's fourth visit to Ningxia in the past six years. The previous three times, beginning in 2010 when he was the country's vice-premier, mostly centered on deepening the region's western development strategy as well as boosting local economies. His visit to Ningxia on Monday focused on lifting poverty. Banzigou village in southern Ningxia has more than 1,300 people, all of them of the Hui ethnic group. Among them, 523 have been living below the poverty line of an annual income of 2,300 yuan ($350). On Monday afternoon, 15-year-old Wang Yansi was helping his elder sister with cooking when Premier Li and his entourage from Beijing stepped into their room. The middle-school student said he was "so nervous and surprised that he almost held his breath". The village of Xiji county, more than an hour drive from Guyuan, faces extremely severe drought conditions as well as dilapidated roads. The county was once defined by the United Nations as one of the places with "the worst living conditions". Wang's house is on a mountain, so it can only be reached by climbing. The house has no lights, no chairs, no indoor toilet and no tap water. Only a mobile phone connects the family of five with the outside world. The family needs to walk 5 kilometers to get water. Li was touched by the dilapidated scene. He turned to the Wang Jinbao, a 50-year-old farmer, to learn about the family's annual income. The family, which has an annual income of about 4,500 yuan, plants potatoes and corn for food. After learning that for years the family has needed to walk far to get water, using five big plastic barrels, Li encouraged the father by saying that the village will soon be moving to an area with better natural conditions. Editor's Note: A start-up frenzy has gripped China since Premier Li Keqiang encouraged people to innovate and start their own businesses last March. The country's "post-90s generation" of entrepreneurs a term describing those born in the 1990s has come of age. They are bold digital natives brought up in the founding era of Internet giants like Tencent and Alibaba, and unafraid of failure. Products of the Internet, and rapid economic growth and globalization, these young entrepreneurs have their own stories to tell. "You can disagree with them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them. That's the philosophy of my life", said 25-year-old Zhang Tianyi, CEO of restaurant chain Fu Niu Tang (F.N.T), as the sound of a famous Apple advertisement video "Here's to the crazy ones" drew to a close on his phone. As the Apple video advocates, Zhang is a young businessman who "thinks different". Zhang, a post-90s postgraduate of Peking University, settled in a high-rise office building in Beijing's CBD by becoming a restaurant owner rather than a white-collar worker like most of his classmates. He opened the first F.N.T restaurant specializing in rice noodles from his home province of Hunan in April last year, two months before graduation. Now, he has his fourth restaurant newly opened in the capital. "Stepping into society from school means you are forced to be changed by a set of strong rules. I regard startups as a way against the rules. I hope I can innovate," he said, sitting in the corner of his small but well-organized restaurant. With the Internet applied to the catering industry, he found an innovative way of developing business by drawing benefits from numerous and active online fans. "My thinking is to build a platform to connect people," Zhang said with his upper body leaning forward and an intense look into your reporter's eyes. Zhang Jing, 28, an administrative staff member at a university in Shenzhen, had a different accommodation experience when she traveled to Taipei, Taiwan, last month. She booked the bedroom of an apartment in Ximending, the most prosperous and bustling district in Taipei, for 522 yuan ($80) per night through Airbnb.com. "Before arriving at this apartment, I was worried about my stay because I always stayed at hotels on my previous trips. However, I am thrilled by my decision," she said. Broad Homes is going big with its precast structures, design, consulting in countries like Suriname, Brazil For many private-sector Chinese companies, South America offers a wealth of growth opportunities amid a less competitive atmosphere, as housing firm Broad Homes Industrial International Co Ltd is realizing. Broad Homes, a subsidiary of Hunan-based Broad Homes Industrial Co Ltd, will supply 18,000 precast residential houses to Suriname this year. It also plans to deploy more resources and manpower in South American countries such as Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia over the next three years, to diversify its global sales platform. Romeo and Juliet is one of the Shakespearean productions that will feature in the program. Photos provided to China Daily The "Bard of Avon" will be fondly remembered by China's literary circles and the general public through the year as a series of events to mark his 400th death anniversary begins. William Shakespeare's plays and poems, and musicals and movies related to him will all feature in the British Council initiative, Shakespeare Lives, which was launched in Beijing on Thursday. Born in the English town of Stratford-upon-Avon, he was one of the greatest storytellers of all time. Carma Elliot, director of British Council China and also an official at the British embassy, says the yearlong program aims to celebrate the playwright's influence on culture, education and society. "Shakespeare is one of the world's greatest cultural icons. Though he died 400 years ago, his legacy is enduring, thrilling audiences across the globe," says Elliot. A highlight of Shakespeare Lives will be the Royal Shakespeare Company's tour of Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, from Feb 18 to March 13, with acclaimed productions of plays like Henry IV Part I, Henry IV Part II and Henry V. The National Theater of China will also present for Chinese audiences, National Theater Live, a project by the National Theatre of Great Britain under which plays are broadcast live worldwide from a London stage. Among Shakespearean plays to be shown this way, Othello starring Adrian Lester, King Lear starring Simon Russell Beale and Hamlet starring Benedict Cumberbatch can be watched in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou and Xi'an, from January to May. In addition, a tour of films in China showcasing some of the best adaptations of Shakespeare's works will be curated by the British Film Institute. A special Year of the Monkey stamp was issued by China Post on Jan 5, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] Another special Year of the Monkey stamp was issued by China Post on Jan 5, 2016. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn] Amid the brisk, festive air of Chinese New Year, monkey-themed stamps are being issued by postal services all over the world to welcome the Year of the Monkey. Chinese mainland Special Year of the Monkey stamps, designed by artist Huang Yongyu, were issued on Jan 5 in the Chinese mainland. The monkey stamps contain two designs. One depicts a monkey holding onto a vine with a longevity peach in its hand while the other shows an adult monkey with babies sitting to its left and right, symbolizing happiness, longevity and family. Since 1980, when China Post issued its first monkey stamp, China has released stamps with one of the 12 zodiac animals before every Spring Festival. The stamps are the first sign of the Chinese zodiac to be commemorated in the fourth series of China's zodiac stamp collection. Huang, 92, designed the first monkey stamps 36 years ago. As we swing into the Year of the Monkey, Erik Nilsson looks at eight great places to watch playful primates go wild in the wild. "Emei's elves" are thieves. Indeed, it wasn't my wife rustling through the pack on my back. It was a Tibetan macaque. (My spouse, for the record, is human.) The animal was up to its furry armpit, swishing around for the peanuts, in my bag. I asked Carol what she wanted - then noticed her some distance away. I turned around to find myself staring into its eyes. Not hers. A tug-of-war ensued. I guess it makes sense you'd wield upper body strength disproportionate to your size if you performed treetop acrobatics all day. (I still won. Barely.) The monkeys on Sichuan province's Emei Mountains are colloquially known as "little beggars". More like "little burglars". That said, I chased another species out of our tree house in Yunnan province's Xishuangbanna before it could snatch anything. Primates flash-flooded around - sometimes over - our feet at Qianling Mountain Park in Guizhou province's capital, Guiyang, where they're the main attraction. Some napped while limpidly draped over signs advertising their presence, without any sense of irony. We Homo sapiens perhaps love monkeys because they sway from a nearby branch of our evolutionary tree. They're cousins that call for family reunions, typically via ecotourism. China is home to about a dozen species - plus one ape group, the gibbon - that entice travelers every year. They hold a special place in Chinese culture - making the cut of the 12 creatures esteemed as worthy of zodiac reverence. In the spirit of the Year of the Monkey that starts in two weeks, we explore the country's best destinations to visit the primates that climb close to us up the web of life. 1 Monkey Island Nanwan Monkey Island is a place where trained macaques reportedly greet guests with salutes and flags. Yet they lack discipline and often break formation or even squabble at the site in Lingshui county, in southeastern Hainan province. Most simian denizens of the country's only macaque reserve are truly wild. And, apparently, love to dive and swim. 2 Lianyungang Jiangsu province's Huaguo Mountains are peaks upon which some monkeys frolic. Others are frozen in stone. The living primates scuttle up sculptures of the mischievous Monkey King, the protagonist of one - arguably the zaniest - of China's four great novels, Journey to the West. The heights are said to be the saucy superhero's home. Visitors can pose with a trained monkey dressed as the Monkey King in front of the Water Curtain Cave through which the deity dashed to become supreme ruler of his kind. That is, before splashing through to the other side, cultivating magical powers and questing to India. 3 Shennongjia Golden monkeys scamper through this forest reserve in Hubei province. Legend whispers that another primate lumbers along this territory - the Yeren, or Wild Man - China's Big Foot. That said, the place itself is named after a pseudo-mythical horned pharmacologist from whom all ethnic Han are believed to have descended. Basically, Shennong is like a Chinese Abraham with an ox scalp, who gobbled unidentified herbs to discover if they wielded medicinal purposes - or poison. (It's said his intestines ruptured, fatally, after he digested a toxic yellow flower.) The UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve remains a botanist's playground. Roughly 3,500 species of flora flourish. So do golden monkeys - and, perhaps consequently, the lore of Yeren. 4 Foping Snub-nosed monkeys play supporting roles to the stars of Shaanxi province's Foping National Nature Reserve - the world's densest wild panda population. Exceedingly rare brown-and-white giant pandas, leopards and Asiatic black bears also amble over this wilderness. Red and white giant flying squirrels sail its canopies, while takin trot atop its soil. 5 Zhouzhi The Qinling Mountains' golden snub-nosed monkeys are blue in the face - especially their lips. The reason for their visage's complexion remains unknown. Their flat features are likely an adaptation to prevent frostbitten proboscises. The species' Latin name, Rhinopithecus roxellana, is said to hail from their resemblance to a 1500s concubine with a squashed schnoz. About 4,000 of these primates roam the Zhouzhi nature reserve in Shaanxi province in bands of up to 400. 6 Gaoligong Assorted gibbons, langurs and macaques scuttle through the Gaoligong Mountains. The UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in Yunnan province bristles with one of the country's best-preserved woodlands. Clouded leopards, red pandas and pangolins also prowl its topography. A critically endangered snub-nosed monkey species, Rhinopithecus strykeri, was discovered there in 2011. 7 Chongzuo Chongzuo Ecology Park is where you can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with scientists from the elite Peking University to observe black-headed langurs and white-headed leaf monkeys only found in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. The research base near the road is open to the public. Simians snooze in caves at night and jettison across hilltops during daytimes. 8 Zhangjiajie Monkeys swirl among 8,000 stone shards of this terrain, which inspired the extraterrestrial world featured in the blockbuster, Avatar. Both the film and actual place - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - are otherworldly landscapes occupied by primates who, well, aren't us - but are pretty proximate. That is, almost human, but not quite. Contact the writer at erik_nilsson@chinadaily.com.cn Wang Xiaoying/China Daily Those of marriageable age who return home for the Chinese New Year reunion tend to hear the giant sucking sound of the institution of marriage, reminding them that to be single is shameful. The Lunar New Year is the most festive of all Chinese holidays, with family reunion as the centerpiece, somewhat akin to Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one. Now that the twin pet peeves have receded into the backgroundthe massive human migration has been made easier by the nation's fast expanding high-speed train network and the New Year's Eve Gala has exhausted all forms of grumblingthere is renewed interest in the age-old custom of pestering marriage-age children with a weeklong bombast of questions and advice. Isn't it time to consider settling down with someone? I know someone who knows someone in your city who can fix you up with someone of your choice. Why are you so picky? Once you are over a certain age, your value will plummet in the eyes of those looking for a spouse. Be realistic! Find someone, even if he does not meet all your requirements. While the advice may sound well meaning, some exasperated parents may issue an ultimatum: Bring back a regular date or a fiance(e), or I'll disown you! Grandparents are usually less straightforward. But there is equal or more weight in their veiled threats: You know I'm getting old. Can you satisfy my wish of seeing a great-grandchild before I breathe my last? The Chinese parents' urge to dictate their children's lives is legendary. I don't know if this is a match for the fabled Jewish mom, but it definitely does not pale in comparison. While most parents will discourage their children from dating while in college, they expect the youngsters to find an ideal partner a year or two after graduation. And many find it unsettling for them if you show up for the all-important Lunar New Year without even a date when you are approaching 30. And it is not just the parents; it is the whole village, so to speak, that can come out and join the chorus. Your high-school buddy may visit you with a toddler in tow; your neighbors may greet you with a friendly "Are you home by yourself?" And someone with the virtue of frankness could simply blurt out: "You're not getting younger. You should consider the institution." A student at Beijing Film Academy on Sept 7, 2015. [Photo/ Chinanews.com] An increasing number of Chinese universities plan to expand by building new campuses in suburban areas. China Youth Daily highlights the latent risks of universities relocating away from city centers with regard to talent recruitment and teacher-student relationships. It suggests that universities should think twice before rushing to relocate. After years of enrollment expansion, many universities want to build new campuses in the suburbs as they are struggling to accommodate more students. Local governments of suburban areas are also keen to attract universities as the new campuses will encourage further development around them and so push up the local land prices. However, it is possible that a relocated university will become culturally isolated from the city center, dealing a blow to the traditional closeness between teachers and students. Aged professors who live in the urban districts, for instance, would be unlikely to travel hours to the new campuses except to give compulsory courses. Admittedly, they can communicate via social media tools in their spare time, but that is hardly as efficient and inspiring as face-to-face interactions. Besides, students in the new campus might be granted limited access to certain public facilities, such as theaters, arts galleries, and libraries, which are mostly located in city centers. For a university with a unique cultural environment and long history, which cannot be replicated elsewhere, moving to a new campus is not the best choice, despite the increased student capacity. They should take all the aforementioned issues into consideration before making any decisions about relocating. One of the four surviving miners is lifted out after being trapped in a collapsed mine 36 days in Pingyi, East China's Shandong province, on Jan 29, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] Four miners were rescued on Friday after being trapped more than 200 meters underground for 36 days, after a tunnel collapsed in a gypsum mine in Pingyi county, East China's Shandong province. The collapse trapped 29 miners working underground on Dec 25. Eleven escaped or were rescued, one is confirmed dead and 13 others are still missing. The rescue is worth praising, but what caused the disaster needs investigating, says Beijing News. The four rescued miners deserve respect for their arduous struggle to stay alive. So too do the rescuers, who must continue their efforts as 13 people remain missing. Although long and costly, the Pingyi rescue should be remembered for its never-give-up spirit, it is also important to heed the lessons of the disaster to prevent similar accidents from happening again. This is the best way to show respect to those that lost their lives. That is why the State Administration of Work Safety has urged relevant departments to find out what caused the tragedy, and has pledged to hold accountable all responsible. Such a response may sound harsh, because there is no guarantee that all precautionary measures can be taken as not all risks can be foreseen. However, the lessons from such accidents must be learned. In the Pingyi tragedy, for example, whether the minor underground shocks noticed by some local residents before the collapse, were dismissed by the local authorities remains to be determined. Should that prove to be true, more efforts are needed to supervise the inspections of mines, in order to ensure that all necessary safety precautions are implemented to the letter. The chairman of the board of directors of the mine has already committed suicide by jumping to his death in a mine pit. And four leaders of the local county government have also been dismissed from their official posts. Still much more needs to be done to find out exactly what measures the company failed to take to prevent the accident from happening. It should also need to be made clear what the local county government could have done but it failed to do to stop the company from sending miners down to work in such a dangerous mine shaft. It is never too late to mend the fences after the sheep are lost. A gavel in a court. [Photo/IC] Fenggang county government in Southwest China's Guizhou province has reportedly issued a draft regulation on local wedding banquets, forbidding those who remarry from holding celebratory feasts. Rednet.cn attributes Fenggang government's move to a lack of legal awareness and calls for the legal authorities to play a bigger role in local governance. In Fenggang's case, what is even more noteworthy than the local government's flawed regulation is that the legal affairs office has been marginalized. Much-criticized local regulations, such as Fenggang's ban on celebratory banquets being held by remarried couples, points to the fact that local legal affairs authorities are often excluded from decision-making. That explains why some local governments overreach their authority and, without even consulting residents, make unwise decisions under the name of opposing "extravagance and waste". Unlike some corrupt officials who brazenly violate relevant laws and Party regulations for illicit gains, the highhanded decision-makers can always manage to walk away with impunity, claiming that their decisions are made for the sake of residents' well-being, about which they are very much concerned. However, such an attitude reveals another sort of incompetence. Against the backdrop of the ongoing nationwide promotion of the rule of law, that some governments still push for ill-considered regulations has a lot to do with their flawed operating mechanism, in which local legal affairs offices have a limited role. To make sure governments exercise their power properly and protect the legal rights of residents from being infringed upon, the legal affairs officials should not only participate in but also help streamline the decision-making process. The Wuwei city government will definitely become embroiled in conspiracy theories unless it comes clean as soon as possible about the three reporters who were arrested by local police on suspicion of blackmailing and extorting money from their clients. An open letter allegedly posted online by Lanzhou Morning Post, the employer of one of the three reporters, casts doubts on the allegations of the Wuwei police, strongly believing that the reporters have been framed for their critical reporting on local affairs. Until the Liangzhou district procuratorate announced their arrest on Jan 25, the three journalists were missing, and both their employers and their families had no idea about their whereabouts for more than two weeks. Had the three reporters committed the crime of extorting money or gifts from their clients, which has happened in other cases in the past, it should have been no problem for the local police and prosecutors to investigate and detain them for trial if they found evidence to support the charges. Nevertheless, the covert way the local police detained the reporters and that their arrest was made in such a hasty manner and not announced until more than two weeks had passed, providing enough fodder for conspiracy theories. It is thus natural for the reporters' employers and the majority of the public to suspect that the local Wuwei government is deeply involved in their arrest. Should that be the case, it would be a serious abuse of both administrative and judicial power. The Gansu provincial procuratorate sent an investigation team to look into the matter on Sunday. Hopefully, the team will investigate in an objective manner and uncover the truth behind the arrests. It is not just the fate of three journalists that the public is concerned about. They also want to know whether local judiciaries can operate independent of local governments Visitors at Shanghai's Bund on a rainy night. Photos provided to China Daily The Yangtze River Delta's six-day visa-free policy that started Saturday will lure more visitors to enjoy lengthier sojourns through the 'land of fish and rice'. Erik Nilsson explores one city per day. The Yangtze River Delta's Golden Triangle is set to sparkle brighter and linger in foreign travelers' imaginations. Starting last Saturday, transit visitors from 51 countries can spend six days in Shanghai, and Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces without a visa. Unlike under the old 72-hour visa-free scheme, the 144-hour arrangement allows visitors to take trains, making it possible to roughly cover a city a day among the trio of administrative regions. Traveling at about that pace in the order listed belowor in reversehigh-octane tourists can speed through at least most of the main destinations between Shanghai and Zhejiang's provincial capital, Hangzhou. (Two of the three cities from which visitors without visas are allowed to enter and exit the country.) Or they could take shortcuts to spend longer relishing specific spots. After all, the point of the policy is that you command more time to do as you wishrush or relax. Either way, visitors without visas can chew through more of the "land of fish and rice"at whatever pace. Shanghai The "Paris of the East" is the delta's easiest port of entry, given the international flight volume. Many visitors step off the plane and hop aboard the Huangpu River night cruise. The bright lights of the big city are reflected in the ripples as mirror images of such icons as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the Bund's 52 Gothic and Baroque buildings, and Pudong's sparkling skyscrapers. A relative newcomer to Shanghai's cityscape is ancient Xintiandi, where old edifices have been retrofitted into hip hangoutsgalleries, cafes and theme restaurants. Kids enjoy prowling the Shanghai Wild Animal Park, which hosts 10,000 critters, including 200 rare species like golden takin and golden snub-nosed monkeys. And Shanghai is poised to become even more popular among family types when Disneyland opens on June 16. The water town of Zhouzhuang is crowded with visitors during a festival. Photos provided to China Daily Southeastern China hosts various Venices. The waterlogged region is a patchwork of canal-laced settlements that each claim to be "the Venice of the East". Perhaps the only way in which they exaggerate is by boasting exclusivity. They all fit the bill. They're places of reflection. Visitors can contemplate the slower pace of traditional life while gazing into the mirrored images of the settlements that dance atop the waterways' ripples. Before announcing six-day visa-free travel for foreigners transiting through China via the Yangtze River Delta starting last Saturday, the China National Tourism Administration recommended an equal number of ancient water towns. The new rules afford time to coast, rather than rush, through these traditional communities. Here are six water towns in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Zhouzhuang Jiangsu's Zhouzhuang, built in 1086, claims to be the country's oldest water town. Keeping pace with its historical feel, no motorized transport is allowed on roads or canals. Cobblestone streets are traversed by foot and rickshaw, while singing gondoliers sail beneath 14 bridges that frame the reflections cast in the water's surface. Tongli Tongli is flanked by five lakes that feed canals crowned by over 40 bridges. The town flanking Jiangsu's Suzhou city, first settled in 1271, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and hosts the Chinese Sex Museum. The museum that moved here from Shanghai displays 1,200 artifacts dating as far back as 2000 BC. It's where ancient meets ooh-la-la. BEIJING -- A Chinese ship, Dong Hai Jiu 101, will arrive in South Indian Ocean on Feb. 10 to join the ongoing search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The vessel set sail on Sunday after it was refitted with deep-water search equipment in Singapore, the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center under the Ministry of Transport said on Monday. China will make all-out efforts to search the plane and closely coordinate with Malaysia and Australia, Transport Minister Yang Chuantang said. The Australian-led operation completed a search of 86,423 square km of waters by Jan. 30 and is expected to cover all 120,000 square km of key areas in June. Flight MH370 disappeared with 239 people on board on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014. Already grappling with construction delays, budget cuts, pollution and a sinking economy, Rio 2016 organizers now face a health alert as they prepare for this summer's Olympic Games. Brazil is battling to contain an outbreak of the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects and the paralysis-causing Guillain-Barre syndrome. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned pregnant women against traveling to Brazil and other countries where the virus is present. Officials in Rio said measures were being taken to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water, which is a breeding ground for the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries the virus. "Rio 2016 will continue to monitor the issue closely and follow the guidance of the ministry of health," the organizing committee said in a statement. The Olympics will be held from Aug 5-21, during Brazil's dry season, and officials say this means the mosquitoes will be less prevalent. The Zika virus outbreak also comes as Rio prepares for its annual Carnival celebration, which begins on Feb 5. Brazil is mobilizing 220,000 troops to curb the spread of the Zika virus. The troops will be dispatched to states most affected by the disease following warnings by the country's health officials that Brazil was "losing the battle" against the mosquitoes. According to Nancy Bellei, coordinator of clinical virology at Brazil's infectious diseases institute, current high humidity means tourists face a greater risk. "This is the worst time to deal with an epidemic of a virus we know very little about," she said. "The government is trying to raise awareness and fight the mosquitoes but we won't achieve control in the short term under the current circumstances." Bellei added that the virus could easily spread to other countries by infected visitors. Sanders' campaign calls for universal healthcare coverage, $15 minimum wage, reining in Wall Street Bernie Sanders, the Democratic presidential hopeful beating Hillary Clinton in the Iowa polls, is the country's longest serving independent Congressman who is calling for a political revolution in America. An outsider like Donald Trump, albeit at the opposite end of the spectrum, the 74-year-old democratic socialist may be the eldest contender in the White House race but he has done the most to inspire passionate support among young liberals. Outwardly serious - even friends call him grumpy - the senator from Vermont has spent a lifetime in public office addressing income inequality and fumes that the top 0.1 percent of Americans owns as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. Bernie, as he is known to fans, calls inequality the great moral, economic and political issue of the times, and demands campaign finance reform that would prevent billionaires from spending unlimited funds in propelling their candidates to the White House. He has drawn thousands to his rallies, winning endorsements from Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon and Ben and Jerry's ice cream, which concocted a new flavor "Bernie's Yearning" in his honor. "We are touching a nerve with the American people who understand that establishment politics is just not good enough. We need bold changes, we need a political revolution," he said during a CNN townhall debate in Iowa on Monday. Written off by his opponents as a wacky socialist, Sanders admits to being taken aback by the extent to which his message has resonated in a Democratic race where Hillary Clinton is expected to win the nomination. He has run a progressive campaign calling for universal healthcare coverage, a $15 minimum wage, reining in Wall Street, free tuition at public universities, taxing the wealthy and pulling 27 million Americans out of poverty. The big question, as with Trump, is whether Sanders can transform his popularity among people who generally do not vote into turnout on Monday. Struggled for money Born in Brooklyn, New York on Sept 8, 1941 and brought up in a hard-working Jewish family that could never afford to move out of their small apartment, he has spoken of knowing first hand the struggle for money. His father was a Polish immigrant whose family was wiped out in the Holocaust. He attended James Madison High School and Brooklyn College, before transferring to the University of Chicago. As a student, he became involved in the civil rights movement and took part in the march on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. After graduating, Sanders worked on an Israeli kibbutz and moved to Vermont where he worked as a carpenter and filmmaker. In 1981, he was elected as mayor of Burlington, the state's largest city, by a mere 10-vote victory and went on to win another three terms. Under his administration, the city made strides in affordable housing, progressive taxation, environmental protection, child care and women's rights. In 1990, he was elected to the House of Representatives as an independent for Vermont, taking his fight against inequality to Congress. After 16 years in the House, he was elected to the Senate and is serving his second term after winning re-election in 2012 with 71 percent of the vote. (China Daily 02/01/2016 page11) WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has pledged more than $4.2 billion in funding to expand computer science education in the country's schools. "In the new economy, computer science isn't an optional skill -- it's a basic skill, right along with the three 'Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic)," Obama said in his weekly radio address at the weekend. Obama emphasized that nine out of 10 parents surveyed last year in the United States want computer science taught at their children's schools. He also cited estimates that just one quarter of all the K-12 schools in the country offer computer science classes and that 22 of the 50 US states still don't allow computer science courses to count toward a diploma. "So I've got a plan to help make sure all our kids get an opportunity to learn computer science, especially girls and minorities. It's called Computer Science For All," Obama said. "And it means just what it says -- giving every student in America an early start at learning the skills they'll need to get ahead in the new economy." Under the plan, the US Department of Education will provide four billion dollars in funding over the next three years to states that propose comprehensive five-year "Computer Science for All" plans. In addition to state-level grants, the budget plan will dedicate 100 million dollars in competitive grants directly for schools to execute computer science expansion efforts for all students, including traditionally underrepresented students, and serve as models for national replication. The US government will also leverage existing resources, including 135 million dollars from the National Science Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service, to train more computer science teachers for the initiative. In 2014, Obama became the first US president to write a line of code, and issued a broad call to action to expand computer science across the nation's classrooms. He also mentioned his computer science push in his last State of the Union earlier this month. A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the US Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency.[Photo/Agencies] SEOUL -- South Korea's defense ministry Monday reiterated the need for the deployment of a US missile defense system on the Korean peninsula to better deal with ballistic missile and nuclear threats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Moon Sang-Kyun, newly appointed spokesman of the defense ministry, told his first regular press briefing that it would be "of course" helpful to defense and security of South Korea if the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is deployed on the peninsula. Moon said the THAAD deployment will help South Korea's national defense as the advanced US missile defense system is one of tools to defend the country against the DPRK's nuclear and missile threats. His comments are the repetition of former spokesman Kim Min-Seok's remarks made last Friday during a press briefing. It indicated South Korea's possible change in position over the THAAD deployment as Seoul had stressed the development of its indigenous missile defense system. Asked whether the THAAD is necessary for South Korea even after completing the development of its indigenous missile defense system, Moon said that the THAAD deployment would be helpful to South Korea's security as the two are separate systems with different ranges and operational systems. South Korea's military plans to complete the development of its own missile defense system, called the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), with homegrown technology. The military is developing the long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) and medium-range surface-to-air missile (M-SAM) to establish a multi-layered missile defense system. Washington is flexing its military muscle and creating tension in the name of "freedom of navigation", Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said. "China urges the US to stop behavior that harms others, without benefiting itself, as soon as possible," Lu said in a regular press conference in Beijing on Monday. The comments were made in response to a Saturday statement made by Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis, who claimed that a US warship "conducted a freedom of navigation operation" in the South China Sea early on Saturday. The USS Curtis Wilbur guided missile destroyer intruded on Chinese territorial waters off the Xisha Islands, and the People's liberation Army reacted immediately, issued warnings and drove it away. Davis said the US destroyer was conducting an "innocent passage" through the waters there, and the operation was conducted "to challenge excessive maritime claims of parties", AFP reported later on Saturday. Lu said the so-called Freedom of Navigation program, conducted by the US, "has not abided by the publicly recognized international law, has ignored the sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests of a large number of coastal countries, and has seriously damaged regional peace and stability". The nature behind such actions is seeking maritime hegemony in the name of "freedom of navigation", and this has drawn firm opposition by many countries in the world, especially a wide range of developing countries, Lu said. "Such US action is dangerous and irresponsible," Lu added. China has always respected and supported various countries to enjoy freedom of navigation in the South China Sea through abiding by international law, Lu said. However, China resolutely opposes any attempt by anyone to damage China's sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests with such excuses as "freedom of navigation", Lu added. Students from the University of Nottingham practice painting peonies on pieces of paper at their first class, Jan 28, 2016. [Photo by Song Wei/chinadaily.com.cn] Jiang Hongsheng claims he has "a secret that can make people fall for traditional Chinese art at the very first sight". This genial, bright-eyed man in a black jacket says his job is to "unravel the richness of Chinese art through brush painting", and he can do it in just two hours of painting a peony. "The peony is the Chinese national flower, an important emblem symbolizing happiness, peace and good wishes," Jiang explains. The artist, 49, who is fluent in English, arrived in the UK at the invitation of the University of Nottingham on January 11 as part of Chinese New Year celebrations. We met at his studio, where he holds workshops, on the first floor of Nottingham Lakeside Arts, and 30 of his masterpieces are displayed on the ground floor. Jiang's approach to the brush painting class is highly unorthodox. He spends just 15 minutes to introduce the art form and to demonstrate how to paint peonies, then three fourths of the time is given to the first-time students to paint their own. "Here come my two secrets," he winked, about to reveal the secrets that help first timers finish a peony painting within one hour of learning. First are the "three steps" - from getting the right amount of water on the brushes to blending colors and doing simple strokes and dabs, summarized by Jiang from his years of teaching. The steps are an excellent walkthrough for first time learners. Secondly, Jiang always uses concise but enchanting Chinese cultural elements, such as poems and anecdotes, to inspire students' inner creativity. "It sounds uniquely Chinese , but somehow it could trigger their imagination and they are able to find something similar in their own culture," he said. "It's like 'give me a fulcrum, I shall move the world'", he said with a big smile, "I have just found the fulcrum in my students." After a few sheets of practice paper, students are ready to do their final work on a 100-meter-long piece of Xuan paper on which traditional Chinese paintings are usually done. Jiang said he came up with the idea of letting first-time students paint peonies on the 100-meter scroll just a couple of days ago. "Each bloom is delicate and delightful," Jiang said while looking at the half-done scroll. "Some suggested the scroll be exhibited at museums like the British Museum when it's finished. It would be such an honor," he said. The British students, ranging from primary school kids to retirees, have broken the record by finishing the painting of peonies within one hour of learning, according to Jiang. He said it usually takes his students a couple of classes to practice until the final work is done. BUCHAREST -- Romanian tourism authorities anounced Monday to ease visa rules for Chinese tourists within two weeks, which would help them get their visa in a week at most. According to the National Authority for Tourism (ANT), a protocol will be signed in this respect among the authorities, the General Inspectorate for Immigrations, the Foreign Ministry and the National Tourism Agencies' Association. Above-mentioned facilities will be available only for tourists traveling through tour operators, stressed ANT president Anca Pavel-Nedea. Some 2 million foreign tourists visited Romania annually, based on incoming data received from Romanian tourist accommodation units. Most of the foreign tourists, over three-quarters, are from Europe, while those from Asia accounted for some 12 percent. Chinese tourists in the true sense are rare in Romania and local travel operators complained that visa difficulties, especially long visa waiting time, are among the main obstacles which affect the rapid growth of Chinese tourists in the country. LAGOS -- Nigeria has expressed its growing interest in China's expertise to help build a world class railway networks in the west African country. Speaking at a town hall meeting with Nigerians living in Ethiopia on Sunday, President Muhammadu Buhari said he had ordered a review of several railway transport projects signed by the previous administration with the Chinese government. He said the Chinese government was very generous to Nigeria on the projects signed with the previous government because they agreed to pay 85 percent of the project. But, the Nigerian government was unable to meet up with its counterpart funding of 15 percent, so the Chinese government was unable to make any impact on the project, he said. The president said he had directed the Ministers of Transportation, Finance, and Power, Works and Housing, to revisit the agreements and explore ways of re-approaching the Chinese government for assistance. Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Gu Xiaojie met with Nigeria's Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, and the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi a few days ago in Abuja to exchange views on cooperation in investment and financing areas. He said that 2016 is the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Nigeria. The envoy told the ministers that China is willing to take this opportunity to strengthen cooperation in investment and financing areas so as to further promote the development of bilateral relations. Chinese boys look at a large turtle illegally for sale by a vendor (not seen) as they cross a street on June 13, 2014 in Beijing, China. Many Chinese consumers eat turtles as a delicacy and their parts are often sought after for use in traditional Chinese medicines. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images) Advertisement Authorities in Shanghai have seized more than 2,000 endangered turtles last November, in what can be considered as the largest turtle smuggling attempt in the city, the official Xinhua news agency has reported. According to the Shanghai Bureau of Customs, operatives discovered the more than 2,000 live turtles sneaked into Shanghai from Indonesia on 19 November. The discovery of the smuggled turtles was only reported over the weekend. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The turtles were purposely placed among crabs in six containers imported from Indonesia. The authorities waited for someone to claim the cargoes, which were later claimed by a company in Shanghai. Among the species of turtles in the crab containers were endangered ones, such as Amboina box turtle, pig-nosed turtle and spotted pond turtle. "The turtles have been turned over to local zoos for proper handling and care," one Customs official told Xinhua in an interview. The authorities in Shanghai did not provide further details about the confiscation of the more than 2,000 endangered turtles. It was also not disclosed if charges have already been filed against the Shanghai company that claimed the illegal cargo. "An investigation is still going on," one official said. Turtles are considered as one of the rare and exotic pets that have gained popularity among Chinese people, triggering the rise in the number of smuggling cases involving such animals. Turtles are also popular exotic delicacies in China but the Chinese government continues to ban the importation of such rare animals. Chinese laws impose stiff penalties, including prison terms, to those found violating the country's anti-smuggling rules. Advertisement TagsChina Smuggling, China Endangered Species, China Turtles (Photo : Photo by Stefan Postles - Pool/Getty Images) Australia's Minister for Defence Marise Payne. Australia has defended the US' recent action in the South China Sea and said it will conduct its own naval and air operations in the region. Advertisement Backing the US' latest incursion into the South China Sea, Australian authorities said that Washington was upholding international law when it sent its guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur near a disputed island in the international waterway. In a statement released on Sunday, Australia said it strongly supports the US' action in the disputed waters which military observers have described as 'provocative' and 'challenging.' Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Following Saturday's exercise in which USS Curtis Wilbur sailed near China-controlled Triton island in the Paracel Islands, Australia issued a statement defending the US' action and at the same time hinting that it will conduct its own naval and air missions in the South China Sea. International law "It is important to recognise that all states have a right under international law to freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight, including in the South China Sea. Australia strongly supports these rights," Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne said. Payne said Australia has a large stake and legitimate interest in the maintenance of peace and stability in the South China Sea region and will exercise its right to free trade, freedom of navigation and overflight and respect for international law. The defense minister emphasized that Australia has been depending on maritime trade in the South China Sea for a long time with 60 percent of the country's exports passing through the international waterway. Freedom of navigation and overflight "As we have done for many decades, Australian vessels and aircraft will continue to exercise rights under international law to freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight, including in the South China Sea," she added. Australia is taking a more aggressive stance to protect its trade routes as it continues to work closely with the US and other regional partners to secure the waterway for maritime trade. China has been accused of creating tension in the region as it continues to lay claim disputed islands and reefs that are located along international trade routes. To expand its claims, Beijing has built artificial islands and reefs. 'Excessive maritime claims' Taiwan and Vietnam have also been building facilities on islands under their control and the US is having a hard time halting the construction activities. The Pentagon said in a statement that the US warship USS Wilbur sailed deliberately within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the Paracel Islands on Saturday to counter the claimant-countries 'excessive maritime claims' in the South China Sea. A Pentagon spokesman said that Saturday's operation was to challenge the three claimant countries'--China, Taiwan, and Vietnam-- self-imposed restrictions on the freedom of navigation and freedoms. Operations The US has reiterated that its operations in the South China Sea will continue despite vehement protests from China and other claimant countries. Officials said that the country will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows and that includes the South China Sea. Angry Beijing China has accused the United States of violating Chinese law after the US warship sailed near the Chinese-controlled Triton Island in the Paracels Islands last Saturday. "The US warship violated Chinese law and entered China's territorial sea without authorisation," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. Advertisement TagsBeijing, United States operations, South China Sea, Australian military forces (Photo : Photo by China Photos/Getty Images) Members of a family toast during New Year's Eve dinner at a resident's home in Beijing, China in 2007. Chinese travelers are expected to make 2.9 billion trips in time to join their families in celebrating the Lunar New Year. Advertisement The Chinese Lunar New Year is just around the corner and hundreds of millions of Chinese workers are already packing train and bus stations as they go home to their families to celebrate the holidays. As the peak travel season gets into full swing this weekend, hundreds of millions of people are expected to go home for Spring Festival celebrations or head to holiday destinations for a vacation. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Beijing's Ministry of Transport said Chinese travelers are expected to make 2.9 billion trips within a 40-day period from January 21 to March 3. Family reunion The Ministry said majority of the trips will fall in the weeks leading to the February 8 Lunar New Year. Ma Xijie, a migrant worker from Sichuan province, said he is going to his mother's hometown for a family reunion. Ma is traveling by train with his son and wife. "It's great to have the whole family sit down and enjoy a family dinner together. I have been working far from home with my kid for a whole year," he said. Student Ren Chongyuan, waiting for his ride at the Beijing railway station, said it was easier to buy tickets this year compared last year despite having to book two months in advance. Largest annual human migration China's transport ministry has said the largest annual human migration may not be that severe this year due to Beijing's slow economy. Reports said millions of workers have been laid off due to factory closures while other workers have been told to pack up earlier and go home to their families way ahead of the Chinese New Year. Officials in Zhejiang province near Shanghai expect a 4.4 percent drop in traveling passengers traffic due to retrenchment and job separation of workers. China registered 3.6 billion trips in the same holiday period last year. (Photo : Getty Images) In 1996, Hugjiltu, 18, was convicted and sentenced to death for allegedly raping and murdering a woman in a text factory toilet in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia in North China. He spent eight years in jail for the crime he did not commit before being released. Advertisement Twenty seven Chinese officials have been "penalized" for illicitly executing a teenager two decades ago, according to state news agency Xinhua on Sunday. In 1996, Hugjiltu, 18, was convicted and sentenced to death for allegedly raping and murdering a woman in a text factory toilet in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia in North China. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Finally, in 2014, Hugjiltu was acquitted after another man, identified as Zhao Zhihong, admitted the crime and was found guilty and put to death. "One of the blacklisted officials responsible for the wrongful conviction of Hugjilty, Feng Zhiming, was suspected of job-related crimes and was subject to further investigation," Xinhua quoted officials in a statement. Feng Zheming is the former deputy chief in Hohhot's public security bureau. Xinhua reports that he might be facing execution. While the other 26 officials including police officers and court authorities will receive administrative punishment such as admonitions and record of demerit. Hugjiltu case depicts the lapses of the Communist Party-controlled legal system where absolution cases are extremely rare. According to an official statistics report, of the defendants in criminal cases, 99.93 percent are usually found guilty. In an annual report of the Communist Party-controlled National People's Congress in 2013, Supreme People's Court head Zhou Qiang revealed that the Chinese courts imprisoned nearly 1.16 million people in 954,000 criminal cases heard. Of the number, only 825 people were dismissed in accordance with the human rights protection and illegal evidence exclusion policy. Furthermore, forced/coerced confession, or obtaining a confession through the use of torture, duress or enhanced interrogation technique, remains widely used across China. Critics say this may result in regular miscarriage of justice. Advertisement Tagschina, execution, Community Party-controlled legal system, justice system, prisoners Islamic cleric claims Jewish women praying with men at Western Wall is an 'attack' on Islamic holy site 01 February, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , | JERUSALEM (Christian Examiner) Jerusalem's leading Islamic cleric, the Grand Mufti Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, has condemned Israel's decision to allow women to pray with men in an upgraded courtyard close to the Western Wall, the Jerusalem Post has reported. According to the paper, Hussein said the Western Wall was part of the Islamic waqf property claimed by purchase or conquest which can never be given to a non-Muslim. He said in a statement that the land belonged to Muslims in spite of the fact it was captured by Israel in 1967 during the Six Day War. Israel, however, did not start that war. It was invaded by an Arab coalition, which the fledgling Jewish state beat back beyond the Jordan, setting up decades of disputed claims over the West Bank and Jerusalem. Arabs refer to the capture of Jerusalem and other lands by the Jews in 1967 as An Naksah, or "the setback." Hussein also said Israel's opening of the Western Wall for the mingling of men and women is an "attack" and "additional evidence of the Israeli aggression against Muslim holy places, in an attempt to Judaize Jerusalem." The new, "egalitarian prayer space" at the Western Wall, as the newspaper called it, will be one section to which women will have access. They still, however, will not be able to prayer directly against the wall or read the Torah there. Restrictions on prayer shawls and tefillin, small boxes containing Scripture verses on the arm and hand were, however, lifted for women. Women were first allowed to pray near the wall in 2013, but they have faced resistance from the Haredim, or ultra-Orthodox Jews, from the beginning. The Haredim oppose women being able to read the Torah at the Western Wall, though that may one day change as well. Reuters reported Sunday that the Israeli government had approved a plan to create a "mixed-sex plaza at Jerusalem's Western Wall to accommodate Jews who contest Orthodox curbs on worship by women there." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the wall should be a source of unity, not division, for the Israeli people. Muslims believe the wall is part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, seated on what the Jews refer to as the "Temple Mount" -- the site of the first and second Jewish temples. Two pastors were abducted in January from the state of Kogi in central Nigeria, according to Morning Star News. Pastor David Onubedo of Deeper Life Bible Church was kidnapped on the night of January 25 at gunpoint in Okene, when he was returning home after a Bible study. He is a minister at another church in Kebbi city and was in Okene for a visit. Earlier in January, Pastor Ayo Raphael was abducted as he was leading a Sunday service at Redeemed Christian Church of God in the town of Lokoja. The kidnappers are demanding 50 million naira (approx $251,300 USD) for both the pastors. The Deeper Life Church asked people to pray for his safe release through a text message that read: "Please, begin to pray and send prayer requests to others for the release of Pastor Onubedo, a state overseer in Deeper Life Ministry who was reportedly kidnapped at his residence immediately after the Bible Study tonight [January 25]. The pastor wants us to immediately enter prayer closets both as individuals, families and in groups for his immediate safe release." Raphael was taken away as he was preaching at the church, when gunmen wearing masks entered the building and took him at gunpoint. "The gunmen attacked the church while Pastor Ayo was preaching. They ordered us to lie down and close our eyes as they shot into the air and dragged our pastor away at gunpoint," a church member said. An American missionary, Phyllis Sortor, from the Free Methodist Church USA, was abducted in February last year in the state of Kogi. She was released about two weeks later, but it was not disclosed in the media how her release was secured. Blue, yellow, and redthose are the letters, says celebrated Danish painter and sculptor Peter Brandes. Theyre like alpha and beta in the Bible: they are the beginning of everything. I could go on and make any language with those colors." Color is the language Brandes speaks fluently in his most recent project, his third in the United States: four large contemporary stained glass windows for the newly constructed Christ Chapel at Cornerstone University, an evangelical college in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For Christ Chapels westerly window, Brandes employed 250 sheets of hand-blown glass in 48 different shades of blue to explore the idea of baptism and rebirth. In the east, red represents the resurrection morning. To the north, yellow brings joy into the crucifixion scene, foretelling resurrection. To the south, a trio of complementary colorsgreen, violet, and orangepays homage to the relationship between blessing and sacrifice in the Old Testament. Each window is made of about 1,000 pieces of glass. The $14 million building is the first dedicated worship space in the nondenominational schools 75-year history. It is a dramatic change of venue from the gym where chapel services were previously held, thanks in large part to Brandess windows. As far as I know, there are no other Christian colleges taking on this type of scale and intentionality in designing a chapel site, says Makoto Fujimura, artist and director of Fuller Theological Seminarys Brehm Center. Cornerstones effort is quite unique. This is a highly intentional step for us, says Cornerstone president Joseph Stowell. Bringing significant artistic ... 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. Last summer, British prime minister David Cameron laid out a five-year plan to combat growing Islamist extremism. But ambiguous language in one of the policies meant to regulate extremist Muslim schools has British evangelicals raising the red flag. Calling a proposal to police religious education a fundamental threat to religious liberty, the Evangelical Alliance United Kingdom (EAUK) is asking the government to cancel requirements that religious groups register childrens activities and open them to inspection. Theres a very real problem with violent extremism and radicalisation that the government is trying to address, and we support strong safeguarding measures," stated Simon McCrossan, the EAUKs head of public policy. "But these proposals will fail to tackle the problems and instead stifle the work that churches and faith-based organisations do with children and young people across the UK. The parameters of the proposal are confusing. 1 We are highlighting Leadership Journal's Top 40, the best articles of the journal's 36-year history, presenting them in chronological order. Today we present #33, from 1984. The Book of Jonah is the tale of a reluctant preacher. Jonah's message, as we have come to know it, is: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown" (Jon. 3:4). A brief eight words. Surely there is more: some clever and imaginative introduction lost in the oral manuscript. There must have been iterations, poetry, and exegesis. But they are gone, and those eight words are all we know. Such a miniature message seems anticlimactic. Even the king of Nineveh had more to say than Jonah (see vv. 7-9). But the lost sermon was preached and bore a stern word of necessity. Verse 10 states its effect: "And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not." The results of sermons in ... You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe to Christianity Today magazine. Subscribers have full digital access to CT Pastors articles. 1 Someone once told me that in another life and time I could have been a good monk. (The thought had crossed my mind tooalbeit, I saw myself as a nun instead.) The truth is, I enjoy the disciplined Christian life. I embrace prayer, study, and fasting as ordinary means of grace. Im discouraged by passivity and compelled to practice the spiritual disciplines with intentionality and purpose. Its been this way since my sophomore year in college, when my conversion brought a sudden and abiding appetite for Gods Word. Id finish my homework just to have free time for the Bible. As I studied, I spent days fasting and hours in prayer. These early habits have persisted with the years, despite the natural changes that marriage, motherhood, work and schedules bring. My practice of faith, like most things in my life, is sustained by a propensity for difficult work. Im a hard driver, often choosing the coarse road. As a mother, I give birth without epidural, nurse for fourteen-months, make my own baby food, homeschool my little onesall the while working part-time and teaching small groups. Its admirableif not for the pesky tendency to pride myself by the praise of these efforts. No doubt, sin easily besets even our most righteous inclinations. A sincere desire for holiness and good works can slip and fall into messy sin: pride, judgmentalism, moralism, legalism, and the like. Im capable of all these and desperately in need of the gospel of Jesus Christthe only antidote for my sin-prone monkery. But depending on your Christian subculture, monks like me will either be hailed as the cream of the crop or judged as holier than thou. Ive ... 1 UNC excavation crew in Galilee region of Israel uncover first known depictions of biblical heroines An excavation team in Israel has discovered the first known depiction of two biblical heroines from the Old Testament. World to reach 8 billion people in November, India to unseat China as most populous in 2023: UN By Nov. 15, the worlds population is projected to reach 8 billion, and by 2023, India is projected to surpass China as the worlds most populous country, according to a new report from the United Nations. Single, non-religious young adults are most unhappy Americans post-COVID-19: report Young adults under 35 who are single and non-religious report the highest levels of unhappiness since the COVID-19 pandemic began and since 1972, when the General Social Survey began measuring levels of happiness among Americans, a new analysis from the Institute of Family Studies suggests. Cathedrals fear bleak future due to ancient buildings and increasing costs Nearly two-thirds of England's Anglican cathedrals are worried about their finances, according to a survey for the BBC. Thirty-eight of the country's 42 Church of England cathedrals responded. Of these, 26 said they were "worried" or "very worried" about the future. The Church of England gave 8.3 million to cathedrals last year out of central funds, but the money goes nowhere near meeting all their needs. Of England's 42 cathedrals, 38 are Grade 1 listed, most of them dating back to mediaeval times. Their staff includes not just clergy but also musicians, stonemasons and other building workers, with various kinds of support staff. The inevitable deterioration of ancient fabric requires constant effort to contain and fundraising is an essential part of cathedral administration. Daily running costs can be up to 4,000. Gloucester Cathedral claims 70,000 people come to services each year and that there are 350,000 visitors, supported by 450 volunteers, 60 staff, and requiring annual expenditure of 2.2m. Some cathedrals are able to capitalise on their location, with Southwark Cathedral in London running a conference centre described by the dean, Very Rev Andrew Nunn, as "essential". "You have to be really imaginative and think what's going to be the most appropriate business model for my cathedral in this place at this time," he told the BBC. "We're next to the Shard, very glittery, very glamorous, people want to access us for conferences. That wouldn't necessarily be the case in other parts of the country. "Very few places have historic funds. People imagine we're sitting on large treasure chests from the past. That isn't the case." Only eight cathedrals charge for entry, but the others ask for donations, which generate 20 per cent of their income overall. The BBC quotes Very Rev Christopher Armstrong, dean of Blackburn Cathedral in Lancashire, who said he was "very worried" about the future. "We're a northern cathedral, we're not on the tourist track, so we don't get any money from tourists. "Like most cathedrals, we are in the red most of the time and if we are going to be sustainable we're going to have to change that." However, the cathedral is about to enter a partnership with the local council which administrators hope will make it solvent again. Cathedral attendance has seen long-term growth, bucking the trend for the Church of England generally. Between 2003 and 2013, attendance at services held during the week doubled from 7,500 to 15,000 and even Sunday attendance rose slightly. Overall the number of adults worshipping in cathedrals rose by nearly a third, from 23,100 adults in 2003 to 30,900 in 2013. Numbers of children also increased slightly overall, from 6,300 to 6,900. On Sundays, adults attending services rose from 15,600 in 2003 to 15,900 in 2013. The government injected 20 million into cathedrals starting in 2014 as part of its First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund. The largest single grant, 800,000 to Lichfield Cathedral, is credited with helping it stave off closure. However, as cathedrals also try to expand their ministry in the community, their need for funding is continually increasing. China: Pastor who protested cross removals is detained, accused of fraud The pastor of China's largest Protestant church, who was removed from his position without warning by the authorities, has been accused of embezzling church funds and detained in a so-called 'black jail'. Pastor Gu Yuese, senior minister of the 10,000-member Chongyi Church, was ejected from office last week by the official Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and the China Christian Council. According to the religious liberty group China Aid, authorities have accused him of embezzling 10 million yuan (1 million). China Aid told Christian Today that Gu's entire leadership team at Chongyi Church had been ordered to leave and assigned to different congregations. A pastor approved by the state-backed China Christian Council has taken control of the church and preached yesterday. All churches have been ordered to install a Chinese flag on their buildings. The local chapters of the China Christian Council and TSPM posted similarly-worded statements on their websites on Friday about Gu's arrest. They claimed to have learned in "recent days" that Mr Gu was "being investigated because of suspicions of economic issues, including embezzling money", adding that the matter had "to do with one individual's behaviour". Gu had publicly opposed the government campaign to tear down the crosses that identify church buildings, leading to speculation that his removal was connected to his outspoken activism. China Aid Founder and President Bob Fu told Christian Today Gu's arrest and the accusations against him were "political revenge" for his public opposition to the removal of crosses. He said Gu's fate was "sealed" when he spoke out. "Rev Gu's conscientious act, broadly welcomed by the Chinese and international Christian community, was certainly perceived as 'crossing the red line' by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership," he added. Fu said that Gu's treatment was designed to intimidate other Christian leaders within the official TSPM churches into keeping silent about the removal of crosses. "In the past two weeks 18 crosses were removed and destroyed. Thirteen of them happened last week alone," he said. "Overall at least 1,800 crosses were demolished since the campaign started. "I have no doubt President Xi is behind this. Rev Gu will eventually [be] indicted and, depending on how his public confession will go, he will be treated like a 'criminal'." Gu would be "thoroughly isolated and interrogated" until he was publicly indicted, Fu said. According to China Aid, Gu has been placed under "residential surveillance in a designated location", code for a detention centre operating outside the legal system, or 'black jail'. Family members believe that the pastor's wife, whom they have been unable to contact, was also taken into police custody. Fu said: "His arrest marks a major escalation in the crackdown against those who oppose the forced demolition of crosses. He will be the highest-ranking national Church leader arrested since the Cultural Revolution." A group of about 40 Christians in Hong Kong have alleged in an open letter to the media that Gu's arrest was connected to his opposition to government efforts to contain churches in the province, reports the BBC. After Gu's dismissal he and his wife Zhou Lian Mei, who teaches Bible classes at the church, issued a statement thanking the congregation for its support and affirming their commitment to the church. They said: "Regardless of how the situation will be after this, we will inevitably continue serving at Chongyi Church if there is no other guidance from the Lord himself! Of course, the manner [of service] may change, but our love of the Lord and his flock will never change, because we are the Lord's servants! Thank God!" The statement continued: "Increasingly, we feel God's good intentions in this storm. It will refine every impurity in our ministry team to the greatest extent and compel us to love the Lord and people more purely." Chinese house churches aiming to send 20,000 missionaries to the world by 2030 An audacious goal has been set by Chinese Christian churches to send out 20,000 Chinese missionaries into the world by the year 2030. According to ChinaSource, a September 2015 event in Hong Kong set the goal of sending out 20,000 Chinese missions workers to other parts of the goal before 2030. The number is significant as China Source also indicates that an estimated total of 20,000 missionaries have also been sent to China in the past 200 years. "We owe a 'gospel debt' to the world. Only when our missions sending surpasses what we have received can China be considered truly a mission-sending country," Beijing Pastor Daniel Jin said. However, this goal is not without opposition as the Chinese government has been also on the move to prohibit the sending out of Chinese missionaries. According to Shanghaiist, 200 Chinese Christians, who were to leave the country to serve as missionaries elsewhere, were detained back in 2010 before they could get on their respective flights. "China's church has unique strength in evangelism, especially in the Middle East," director of Columbia International University's Chinese program Zhiqiu Xu said. "To begin with, China doesn't engender the same antagonism there that Western countries do." The goal was set during the Mission China 2030 event in Hong Kong where 900 house church pastors and leaders from all around China gathered to set strategies and goals to plant more churches in China, reach more minority groups and send out more Chinese missionaries. The event was headed by Brent Fulton, the president of China Source. "This bold vision to mobilize, equip and send 20,000 missionaries in the next fifteen years will only be achieved by a work of God's Spirit that unites the church to accomplish this God-sized dream together." visionSynergy CEO Karin Butler Primuth said on the goal. According to Business Insider, Chinese people who profess to the Christian faith have been estimated to be around 70 million in number as of Sep. 2015. Christian scholar claims 'shocking similarity' between biblical 'antichrist' and Muslim messiah called the 'Mahdi' An Egyptian-born Christian scholar and writer has claimed to have found a "shocking similarity" between the "antichrist" mentioned in the Holy Bible and the Muslim redeemer called the "Mahdi." Writing for Charisma News, Michael Youssef says while Christians await the return of the resurrected and ascended Jesus Christ, many Muslims, both Shiites and Sunnis, also expect the appearance of their own "messiah," the Mahdi. However, the Sunnis and Shiites differ on the identity of the Muslim messiah. "Sunni Muslims believe that the Mahdi is none other than Jesus himself, whom they do not believe died on Calvary but rather ascended into heaven at the age of 33," Youssef says. "They believe He will come back to earth and live for seven years, at the end of which He will visit Mecca and declare himself a Muslim. Allegedly He will then turn against the Christians and the Jews and judge the world by establishing the Islamic Sharia," he says. But the Mahdi is an altogether different person as far as Shiite Muslims are concerned. "Since they follow a different line of succession to Mohammed, their Mahdi is identified as the 'Twelfth Imam'," Youssef says. "Shiites believe that this Mahdi is alive now but hidden until Allah reveals him at a time when the earth is in political and economical turmoil," he adds. Youssef then shares the biblical depiction of the antichrist. "Paul refers to him as 'the man of lawlessness,' 'the man doomed to destruction' and 'the lawless one.' 2 Thessalonians describes him as one 'who will exalt himself over everything that is called god or is worshiped so that he sets himself up in God's temple proclaiming himself to be God" (2:3-4, 8). In Mathew 24, Jesus affirms Daniel's prophecy regarding the rise of the antichrist, noting that his arrival will spell out the end of the age (see Daniel 9:27)." Youssef cites five similarities between the Mahdi and the antichrist, describing them as "chilling." First, "both are associated with the end times and the Day of Judgment." Second, "they both possess political, military and religious power." Third, "both will endeavour to bring the world under one religion." Fourth, "the Mahdi will force all people to convert to Islam, and the antichrist will make himself the object of worship." Fifth, "both will establish Jerusalem as the capital from which they will rule the world." Youssef then shifts his attention to the ongoing U.S. presidential campaign ahead of the November vote, alluding that one of the candidates could be the forerunner of the biblical antichrist. "If you are looking to someone with a messianic complex, then he or she will simply pave the way for the biblical antichrist, Satan's sinister representative, who will lead many away from the truth," he says. "Choose wisely and prayerfully!" Youssef urges American voters. Donald Trump gets only little support from pastors, showing 'huge gap between pulpit and pew' Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump might be getting more and more support from American voters nationwide as the nominations draw nearer, but he is not getting much love from pastors, whose support he has long aspired for. A recent survey conducted in mid-January by a Nashville-based Christian research organisation showed that the controversial businessman only had 5 percent support from Protestant pastors, ranking only as the religious leaders' fourth choice among Republican presidential hopefuls. Forty-eight of the 1,000 Protestant pastors surveyed, most of whom identified themselves as Republicans, said they were still "undecided" on their choice for president. In an interview with CBN News, LifeWay Research executive director Ed Stetzer said some Protestant pastors may still have not picked yet who they will vote for president because they are busy with their work. "Plus, they're not in Iowa so they don't have to decide yet," Stetzer said. He said Trump's low support among pastors despite his high popularity among the general public shows "a huge gap between the pulpit and the pew." Among those who have already picked their presidential candidate, 29 percent said they would vote for Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who identified himself as a Seventh-Day Adventist, came in second place among Republican pastors, garnering 10 percent of their support. In third place was Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Catholic, who got 8 percent support from Republican pastors. Only 2 percent of these religious leaders said they will vote for former Gov. Jeb Bush, John Kasich, and Gov. Chris Christie. In a related news, Trump said he will continue to support abortion restrictions if he wins as president, but with certain exceptions. "Let me be clear I am pro-life," Trump wrote in an opinion article published on The Washington Examiner on Saturday. "I support that position with exceptions allowed for rape, incest or the life of the mother being at risk." Egypt: Christian teenagers face blasphemy charges for 'insulting Islam' Three Coptic Christian teenagers are to face trial this week on charges of insulting Islam, according to the Associated Press. The three, who are still in high school and believed to be between 15 and 16 years of age, were filmed by their teacher pretending to pray while reciting verses from the Qur'an in February last year. The students are shown laughing, and one appears to pretend to slit the throat of another; apparently mocking ISIS-style beheadings. Lawyer Maher Naquib told AP that the teenagers were forced to hide in their homes "to avoid insults, beating and harassment" when the video was found. "This is all because of random and spontaneous action by some youngsters inside a bedroom and for only few seconds," he said. Hundreds of Muslims attacked Coptic homes and businesses in the village where the students live. Eyewitnesses said more than 15 Christian-owned shops were damaged. Locals called for the students to be evicted from their village, and the teacher, Gad Younan, was eventually ordered to leave along with his family. He has now been sentenced to three years in prison. Younan's brother, Khamis, told World Watch Monitor that the teacher "didn't intend to insult Islam". "I don't see any insulting of Islam in the video," he said. "They were joking and making fun of Daesh [ISIS], not Islam. My brother didn't intend to insult the Islamic religion. He is a respected man and all people love and respect him. He is very polite and deals with all people in a good way, he has a good relationship with the other teachers and his students in the school, and he is characterised by his good manners." Historically, Egypt has been plagued by sectarian violence. Islamic extremists attacked the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria on New Years Eve in 2011, killing 21 people and wounding numerous others. However, thousands of Muslims then formed human shields outside churches across the country to allow Coptic Christians to safely attend Christmas masses the following week. Christians returned this gesture by joining hands to create a protective barrier for Muslims praying in Cairo during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. But despite some displays of solidarity, religious liberty remains an issue. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom last year found that the Egyptian government "has not adequately protected religious minorities, particularly Coptic Orthodox Christians and their property from periodic violence". It condemned "discriminatory and repressive laws and policies that restrict freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief" and the practice of convicting citizens of blasphemy. Current legislation in Egypt also dictates that churches cannot be built near schools, villages, railways, residential areas, government offices and canals, among other stipulations. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has pledged to change this, however, and has committed to ending religious intolerance throughout Egypt; calling for a "religious revolution" to tackle extremism. Earlier this year, he pledged to rebuild every single one of the dozens of churches, Christian institutions and homes destroyed during the last two years of anti-Christian violence in Egypt. "God Has created us different, in religion, manner, colour, language, habit, tradition, and no one can make us the all same," al-Sisi told worshippers during a Coptic Christmas Eve mass at St Mark's Cathedral in Abbassiya. "We have taken too long to fix and renovate churches that were burned. This year everything will be fixed. Please accept our apologies for what happened. God willing, by next year there won't be a single church or house that is not restored. Egyptian authorities return Christian broadcaster's confiscated equipment Egyptian authorities have returned equipment confiscated from the SAT-7 Christian broadcaster three months after it was first taken by the country's Censorship Police. The equipment was undamaged. Items of equipment including cameras and computers used for editing were confiscated when the broadcaster's office was raided. The director, Farid Samir, was detained for six hours before being released. At the time, the president of SAT-7 USA, Rex Rogers, said: "As far as we know, we've done absolutely nothing wrong. We have the appropriate licensures and approvals. This is a misunderstanding, but unfortunately, it could cost us." Samir said: "We are grateful that all the equipment has been returned in good shape, including the un-edited programmes on the hard drives. We're thankful that the local police station stored it all safely." The work of the Egypt team has been limited since the raid. No live shows have been running and relatively few programmes recorded. Samir said he was relieved the equipment has been returned. "During the last few weeks our spiritual muscles were stretched," he said. "But the support of the worldwide Church kept us encouraged." SAT-7 still does not know why the Censorship Department found it necessary to remove all the equipment. However, the organisation said it was thankful for the support it had received from local churches, its legal team and viewers, and for prayer and financial support from friends of the ministry across the globe. "We look forward to again seizing the opportunity of serving God, and this is a blessing we do not take for granted," Samir said. "Through this difficult period, we have experienced the mighty hand of God and the power of the unity of the Body of Christ." The issue of censorship is of increasing concern among Egyptian media following the passing of a new anti-terrorism law last summer. Christians are a minority in the country and face continual pressure from Muslim hard-liners, though the country's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has strongly urged tolerance and religious freedom. Finland joins Sweden in expelling large number of refugees as tensions continue to grip Europe Following Sweden's footsteps, the Finish government is set to expel 20,000 refugees who arrived in the country last year and whose applications have been turned down. The two Nordic countries made their moves as Europe continues to struggle in efforts to resolve tensions in handling the influx of refugees, Fox News reported. The number of refugees to be deported is among the 32,000 migrants that Finland received in 2015, whose applications have been evaluated individually, according to Paivi Nerg, Finnish Interior Ministry's administrative director. "In principle we speak of about two-thirds, meaning approximately 65 percent of the 32,000 will get a negative decision (for asylum application),'' said Nerg, adding that in the previous years there were around 60 percent of applicants who received a negative decision. Nerg said the agency has tightened its criteria for asylum seekers from Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia this year in the wake of terror threats. At least two charter flights have been planned within the following months for the refugees, according to the official. The announcement came after Sweden said it would send 80,000 asylum seekers back to their home countries on chartered flights. The two Nordic countries are both struggling to cope with an unprecedented influx of refugees and migrants fleeing war and misery in the Middle East and elsewhere. Finland is also in diplomatic negotiations with neighbouring Russia to stop the entry of migrants, who are funnelling down from the now barred Norway border, from entering Finland via the Arctic region, according to Fox News. "The ministry is planning to set up separate transit centres for those to be deported from those wanting to leave the country on a voluntary basis,'' she said. The deportations will take place gradually as immigration authorities process applications, said Nerg. Analysts say the ever-growing number of asylum-seekers, combined with high-profile crimes blamed on migrants in various countries across Europe, has led to the introduction of more hard-line policies towards migrants. Hong Kong: Top Christian leader signals softening of attitude to Beijing Churches in Hong Kong should not simply criticise the Beijing government, but work towards reconciliation and peace, the chairman of the city's Christian Council has said. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Rev Eric So Shing-yit said: "In the past, I've heard relatively more often that churches should be like a prophet... speaking up on social issues, criticising unfair systems, autocracies and suppression. But is that all we should do?" Churches should serve their communities, and be like a priest "who prays and brings reconciliation" for people, and draws them closer to God, he added. Christians were at the forefront of huge protests for free democracy in Hong Kong in 2014. Among the key figures of the 'Occupy Central' movement were Baptist minister Rev Chu Yiu-ming, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, the former Catholic Bishop of Hong Kong, and Christian student and activist Joshua Wong, who mobilised thousands of his fellow students to join the demonstrations. In total, around 100,000 people flooded the streets of Hong Kong in protest against the Chinese government's insistence on screening political candidates to ensure their allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The demonstrations lasted 79 days. Speaking to Christian Today from Hong Kong at the time, professor of politics at City University, Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, confirmed that many Christians were personally involved in the protests. "Christians by nature are anticommunist as the Communist party are atheist and the tolerance for Christians under the Communist regime is extremely limited," he said. "Also, Christians believe in the next world, and so are more willing to sacrifice, and to fight injustice." So hinted toward Hong Kong's troubled relationship with Beijing, and said he expected to face "great challenges" in his two-year term as chairman. "Hong Kong is very divided and polarised, and we need to learn to lay ourselves down and love each other," he said. The Christian Council has 10 seats on Hong Kong's Election Committee which selects the chief executive of the city, currently Leung Chun-ying. So urged Leung to promote "tolerance and respect" in Hong Kong society. "As a servant, it is crucial to think about how to set aside personal interest and dedicate yourself," he said. "This is what I tell everyone about leadership." The Hong Kong Christian Council is a Christian ecumenical organisation founded in 1954. According to its website, it "promotes a united witness and outreach to the whole society. It is the visible sign of church unity in Hong Kong, promoting the spirit and work of the ecumenical movement." It represents a total of 22 denominations and societies. In praise of insignificance: Why being faithful is better than being famous Azmaveth son of Adiel who on earth was he? If you want to know, he was in charge of King David's royal storehouses, and you can read about him in 1 Chronicles 27:25. To save you looking it up, that's all we know about him. It's not even a good factoid for a Bible quiz, since no one's likely even to ask the question. But there are many chapters in the Bible which seem to be made up of not much more than lists of names like Azmaveth's. More informational gems from 1 Chronicles 27 include the identity of the man in charge of the olive oil (Joash), the man in charge of the camels (Obil) and the man in charge of the donkeys (Jehdaiah). The spiritual significance of this record escapes me, unless it's something like this: In plays and dramas there are people who are known as "spear carriers". They're the people who stand around holding well, spears, or machine guns, or some other sort of prop. They're there as part of the furniture, to make a scene look good. They have no other function, no back story. In an action film, they're probably there to be killed by the hero. But in God's story, there are no spear carriers. All of us matter, and the least of us matters as much as the greatest. This is one of Jesus' revolutionary statements. On one occasion his disciples James and John asked him for a special favour. The others were furious, and Jesus wasn't impressed either. He said to them: "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all" (Mark 10:42-44). The Christian world has its heroes. Some of them are genuinely spiritual people who happen to have a wider ministry than their local church, or who hit the headlines because of something that happens to them. Others, sad to say, are people who just like the limelight. We know what Jesus thinks about them. Most of us don't fall into either category. We're spared the praise that comes from fame, and spared its temptations, too. Most people in most churches will never be known for anything beyond our own small circle of friends and acquaintances. But within that circle our influence can be immense, as God uses our words and actions to affect the lives of others. The story of the conversion of CH Spurgeon, the great 19th century Baptist preacher, is well known. The young man had wrestled with his faith for years, and was on his way to church one Sunday in January 1850. A snowstorm meant he was diverted to a Primitive Methodist chapel; the snow had kept the preacher away and a member of the congregation stepped in. He took as his text Isaiah 45:22, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else." In his Autobiography Spurgeon says: "He had not much to say, thank God, for that compelled him to keep on repeating his text, and there was nothing needed by me, at any rate except his text. Then, stopping, he pointed to where I was sitting under the gallery, and he said, 'That young man there looks very miserable' ... and he shouted, as I think only a Primitive Methodist can, 'Look! Look, young man! Look now!' ...Then I had this vision not a vision to my eyes, but to my heart. I saw what a Saviour Christ was..." No one remembers that preacher's name, but he was responsible under God for the ministry of one of the greatest preachers of all time. History's littered with similar examples. John Calvin's ministry in Geneva laid the foundation for a body of spiritual writing that has fed millions of people. Very few people have heard of William Farel but without Farel, it would never have happened. Cardinal John Henry Newman, whose life overlapped Spurgeon's, was an equally famous Anglican and then Catholic priest. While still a young man he took a tour to Italy and became seriously ill on the way home. He was cared for devotedly by his Italian servant. Without this man he would certainly have died but of all those who venerate Newman's name, hardly anyone remembers Gennaro. And another young man was passing the church of San Jose de Flores in Buenos Aires when, on impulse, he went in to have his confession heard by a new priest, Fr Duarte. The priest died only 12 months later, but the young Jorge Bergoglio always regarded that as the moment God called him to the priesthood and, many years later, to the papacy. At the end of her masterpiece Middlemarch, George Eliot wrote: "The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs." We need to beware of valuing fame too much, or setting too much store by people whose names are in the headlines of the Christian press. We may well find that they haven't done half as much good as they think they have. The people who have really influenced the world for good are the ones sitting beside us in the pew, whose acts aren't at all historic, who "live faithfully a hidden life", and will one day "rest in unvisited tombs". What marks out people like this? Three things, perhaps. First, they pray and not necessarily in prayer meetings, either. To the world's eyes, prayer is futile. But the people God uses to change the world believe in prayer, even when only God hears them. They have an intimate connection to him, and God honours their faithfulness. Second, they notice. Most of us are so taken up with our own dreams, ambitions and cares that we don't see what matters to other people. The people God uses to change the world have their eyes open to others' needs. Third, they love and they don't only love loveable people. The people God uses are those who see him in even the most challenging individuals, who don't seem to respond to graciousness and kindness. They sow seeds that produce a harvest in years to come. Paul tells Timothy, "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching" (1 Timothy 5:17). That's true, of course; but in the upside-down Kingdom of God, those who are never honoured at all on earth may sit in the highest places in heaven. Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods Israeli teens charged over anti-Christian hate graffiti Three teenagers have been charged in Jerusalem for allegedly writing "Christians to hell" and other religious hate messages on the walls of a Benedictine abbey and an Orthodox seminary next door. The teenagers, aged 15 and 16, who cannot be named because of their youth, were indicted in Jerusalem District Court on the charge of religiously-motivated destruction of property, The Times of Israel reported. Other phrases included "Death to the heathen Christians, the enemies of Israel", "kill the pagans", and "the revenge of the people of Israel is yet to come." There were also pictures of a blood-stained sword and a Star of David. The Abbey of the Dormition is well-known in Jerusalem as a centre of hospitality and learning. Next to the Cenacle, revered as the site of King David's Tomb and the room of the Last Supper, and just outside Zion Gate, it is also believed to be built on the site where Mary, Mother of Jesus, ended her days on earth. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli lawmakers condemned the incident, the latest in a rising number of anti-Christian hate crimes in Israel. However church leaders feel not enough is being done. Wadia Abu Nasser, of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops in the Holy Land, told Army Radio: "Despite promises by the government, these incidents continue to take place. If we were to actually count all these incidents, they'd be in the hundreds. "We have limited resources at our disposal. It's the state's responsibility to not only apprehend these perpetrators, but to make the necessary changes in the education system to educate against this sort of thing." Israeli nationalist vandals have also attacked mosques and last year the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes in northern Israel was badly damaged by arson. Jamaican pastor weeps as he reaches retirement after decades of 'miraculous' ministry One of Jamaica's most popular pastors has finally retired at the age of 72 after a life of extraordinary and even miraculous ministry. He and the church survived an earthquake, arson and even an attempt on his own life. The Rev George Simpson burst into tears after hearing the tributes to him and and how he and his church survived nearly five decades of spiritual and not so spiritual warfare to take the final victory of a, hopefully, peaceful retirement. After being ordained 46 years ago Simpson arrived in 1980 to pastor at Mount Carey Baptist Church in St James, a peaceful and normally-tranquil part of the Caribbean island. The 200-year-old church had already been rebuilt after being destroyed in the devastating earthquake of 1957. The growing congregation kept faith through a multititude of break-ins and robberies. Devastation struck with the murder of their organist, Delroy Reid, at just 24, in 2006. He had also been a hugely successful popular musician of growing fame in Jamaica. Just two years later, there was an attempt on Simpson's own life. And then in 2010, arsonists succeeded in gutting the entire church. Seated with Joan, who he has been married to for 45 years, Pastor Simpson sat calmly until Deacon Patricia Palmer began to describe the attempt on his life, on the veranda of his manse, the Jamaica Observer reported. Then he wept. "The year 2008 was a year of adversity, pain and despair when you were brutally injured at the Manse. The road to recovery was long and daunted, but through surgery and pain you demonstrated forgiveness, through Christ you were able to defy the odds," Deacon Palmer read to the packed church. Simpson's assailants, some of whom have since died and all of whom he forgave, shot him in the face, stomach and chest. They also knifed his hands, leg and stomach as he shouted: "The blood of Jesus! The blood of Jesus!" He suffered multiple operations and it was two years before he was back at work in what locals told the Jamaica Observer was a "miraculous recovery". Rev Karl Johnson, general secretary of the Jamaica Baptist Union, said Pastor Simpson "was faithful to his vocation in good times and bad times and in sunshine or in rain." He added: "He was a man consistent in his conviction, whether you heard him in the corridor or in the corridors of the executive room, the same views he held in quiet corner, he expounds it into open forum." At the time of the arson attack, Pastor Simson described it in the Jamaica Gleaner as "the latest in a series of demonic attacks on the ministry of a congregation that has served the community for approximately two centuries." "The devil is indeed at work, with agents who have robbed, hurt and sought to intimidate members of the church relentlessly. Yet, the victory still remains in the hand of our redeeming God, whose church will prevail," he wrote. "Let it be clear that the chapel is burnt, but the church is alive. It should not be forgotten by anyone, let alone the emissaries of evil, that the Christian Church in Jamaica, and particularly its Baptist denomination, remains firmly rooted in a tradition of struggle and survival against the forces of wickedness in high and low places; whether found in the proponents of slavery or in the advocates of gambling. "Make no mistake, the Mt Carey Baptist Church will rebuild its chapel yet again, and before long, out of the ashes shall spring an edifice worthy to be called 'The House of God'. The vicissitudes being faced will not rob the resolve of our community of believers to march forward in the strength of the Lord. We know that 'through Christ, we can'." Jews welcome new egalitarian prayer space at Jerusalem's Western Wall Liberal Jews in Britain have welcomed the decision in Israel to establish an "egalitarian" prayer space at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the most holy site in the Jewish religion. After a year-long debate, the Israel cabinet voted to establish a section of the Western Wall, originally a wall of King Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, for mixed prayers. The Western Wall, known in Hebrew as the Kotel and widely regarded as Judaism's most holy site, has until now been strictly segregated with just a small space set aside for women. The cabinet also voted through an upgrade of the Southern Wall section, also known as Robinson's Arch, and to anchor the agreement in law. The decision was hailed as an historic landmark for Jewish pluralism and non-Orthodox movements in Israel. According to the proposed agreement, a new prayer area will be set up along the wall south of the current prayer area. This section will be officially registered in Israel's Law of Holy Sites and will be accessed from the main public plaza. Visitors will now be able to decide whether they want to go to the gender-segregated Orthodox section, or to the section where men and women can pray together in the spirit of Progressive Judaism, as represented in the UK by Liberal Judaism and the Movement for Reform Judaism. The Orthodox tradition is represented in the UK by the United Synagogue and other ultra-Orthodox bodies. Rabbi Danny Rich, chief executive of Liberal Judaism, said: "This is a landmark decision for Jews throughout the globe. It recognises that Judaism is an inclusive religion with a variety of different but valid expressions. "Equality of gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation are central to Liberal Judaism and now at last progressive Jews can celebrate Judaism in keeping with the modern world at our most holy site." The group Women of the Wall, which has for nearly three decades campaigned for equal praying rights, welcomed the decision. Women of the Wall spokeswoman Shira Pruce said the decision was a "revolution for women and Jewish pluralism in Israel". She added: "By approving this plan, the state acknowledges women's full equality and autonomy at the Kotel and the imperative of freedom of choice in Judaism in Israel." However the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, condemned the ruling which affects what Muslims regard as Islamic property. Hussien said the Western Wall is "the property of the Islamic waqf that was taken by the Israeli occupation in 1967." He described the decision is "a brutal attack on the waqf and additional evidence of the Israeli aggression against Muslim holy places, in an attempt to Judaize Jerusalem." Leading gay rights campaigner supports Ashers Bakery in 'gay cake' row A prominent gay rights campaigner has announced his support for the McArthur family, who were taken to court for refusing to produce a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan at their Christian-run bakery. In an article in the Guardian, Peter Tatchell said he initially "condemned" the McArthurs' decision, but has since changed his mind. "Much as I wish to defend the gay community, I also want to defend freedom of conscience, expression and religion," he wrote. The McArthurs were last year ordered to pay 500 in damages to Gareth Lee, who took them to court after they refused to bake a cake decorated with a slogan supporting same-sex marriage. Judge Isobel Brownlie ruled that the company perpetuated "direct discrimination for which there is no justification". "My finding is that the defendants cancelled this order as they oppose same-sex marriage for the reason that they regard it as sinful and contrary to their genuinely-held religious beliefs," Brownlie told the court. "The defendants are not a religious organisation. They are conducting a business for profit and, notwithstanding their genuine religious beliefs, there are no exceptions available under the 2006 regulations which apply to this case." The case has divided opinion over religious freedom, and the McArthurs have stood by their decision not to produce the cake. General manager Daniel McArthur said after the ruling: "We're extremely disappointed with the judgement. We've said from the start that our issue was with the message on the cake, not the customer and we didn't know what the sexual orientation of Mr Lee was, and it wasn't relevant either. "We've always been happy to serve any customers that come into our shops." Tatchell said today that while he "profoundly disagree[s] with Ashers' opposition to same-sex love and marriage, and support[s] protests against them", the court was wrong to penalise them. Judge Brownlie's ruling "sets a worrying precedent", he added. "The law suit against the bakery was well-intended. It sought to challenge homophobia. But it was a step too far," Tatchell said. The bakery refused to produce the cake because of the slogan written on it, not because Lee was gay. "There is no evidence that his sexuality was the reason Ashers declined his order." Northern Ireland's anti-discrimination laws were not designed to "compel people to promote political ideas with which they disagreed", said Tatchell. "The judge concluded that service providers are required to facilitate any 'lawful' message, even if they have a conscientious objection. This raises the question: should Muslim printers be obliged to publish cartoons of Mohammed? Or Jewish ones publish the words of a Holocaust denier? Or gay bakers accept orders for cakes with homophobic slurs?" If the Ashers verdict sets a precedent for future cases, Tatchell warned that it may encourage far-right extremists to "demand that bakeries and other service providers facilitate the promotion of anti-migrant and anti-Muslim opinions. It would leave businesses unable to refuse to decorate cakes or print posters with bigoted messages." He concluded that it is "an infringement of freedom to require businesses to aid the promotion of ideas to which they conscientiously object. Discrimination against people should be unlawful, but not against ideas." Frank Cranmer, of the Centre for Law & Religion and Cardiff University, told Christian Today that he is "not quite so sure about the primacy of individual sensibilities" as Tatchell is. "I fear the answer to his question 'should Muslim printers be obliged to publish cartoons of Mohammed? Or Jewish ones publish the words of a Holocaust denier? Or gay bakers accept orders for cakes with homophobic slurs?' is, very probably, 'yes always assuming that the image or words in question are ones that can be published legally'," Cranmer said in an email. "The balance between free speech and hate speech is an incredibly difficult one to strike and I'm not sure we've managed to strike it yet." He continued: "To turn the matter upside-down, would an atheist baker be justified in refusing to bake a cake for a christening party because s/he disapproved of Christianity? Or would a secular wedding venue be justified in refusing a booking for a Jewish wedding because the owners had a religious or moral objection to Judaism? I don't think so, in either case. That said, I think that Peter Tatchell makes a very valid point, but one to which there's no quick-fix solution and I'm sure that the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland thought long and hard before supporting Gareth Lee's action in the first place." 'No deal yet' on Britain's EU renegotiation, leaders say Prime Minister David Cameron and European Council President Donald Tusk failed on Sunday to reach a deal on Britain's EU renegotiation after talks in London, but agreed to another 24 hours of "crucial" discussions. The meeting was seen as vital to finding agreement on Cameron's demands for measures to curb migration into Britain the most difficult of four areas he wants to renegotiate before holding a referendum on EU membership by the end of 2017. Both sides need to agree the main points of a deal before other EU leaders iron out the details at a summit on February 18-19. If agreement is reached then, Cameron could hold the referendum as early as in June in a vote which will determine Britain's future role in world trade and affairs, and also shape the EU. "No deal yet. Intensive work in next 24 [hours] crucial," Tusk said on Twitter. A source close to the talks said they had reached agreement only on one of the four areas, while a spokesperson for Cameron said Britain had won "a significant breakthrough" by persuading the EU to say that the British leader could trigger an "emergency brake" on welfare payments to migrants immediately. "On welfare, the commission have tabled a text making clear that the UK's current circumstances meet the criteria for triggering the emergency brake," the spokesperson said in a statement, adding that Britain was also keen to close "backdoor routes" into Britain. The spokesperson said Tusk planned to circulate a draft text to all member states on Tuesday and that, before then, officials would meet in Brussels to "work through the day to resolve the outstanding issues". Finding a way to curb migration has proved to be the most troublesome element of Cameron's renegotiation, which also seeks to address voter concerns over competitiveness and sovereignty. Several EU leaders have said they will block any measure that discriminates against their citizens or undermines the core EU principle of free movement of people, while Cameron faces growing concern in Britain at high levels of migration. Before the meeting, Cameron said the proposed "emergency brake" to deny benefit payments to working migrants needed "significant strengthening" and should be triggered immediately after Britain's referendum. Reuters reported on Thursday the EU was offering the emergency brake for up to four years as an alternative to Cameron's proposal to bar EU immigrants from in-work benefits for at least their first four years in Britain. The prime minister, who wants Britain to stay in a reformed EU but has not ruled out campaigning for an exit if he doesn't get what he wants, needs to win concessions to persuade voters that he has changed Britain's relationship with the bloc. Pakistan: Muslim leader says blasphemy law may be reviewed A Christian organisation monitoring human rights in Pakistan has welcomed a signal by a powerful religious figure there that the country's notorious blasphemy laws could be reviewed. The head of the Council of Islamic Ideology, which advises the government on the compatibility of laws with Islam, said in an interview with Reuters he was willing to open a debate and see whether the death penalty was an appropriate penalty. "The government of Pakistan should officially, at the government level, refer the law on committing blasphemy to the Council of Islamic Ideology," said Muhammad Khan Sherani. "There is a lot of difference of opinion among the clergy on this issue. "Then the council can seriously consider things and give its recommendation of whether it needs to stay the same or if it needs to be hardened or if it needs to be softened." Nasir Saeed, director of CLAAS-UK, said the statement meant there was "some hope" for Pakistani Christians, who are the main victims of the law. While no one has yet been executed for contravening it, lynchings are common and many Christians are in prison because they have been falsely accused as a way of settling private scores. Salman Taseer, a prominent liberal politician, was killed by his own bodyguard in 2011 after he championed the cause of a Christian woman sentenced to death under the law. Saeed said: "Although there is not much hope, the chairman's comments are encouraging, as a few years back he was not even willing to discuss this law. "Although the council can only make recommendations, it is up to the government whether to accept and implement those recommendations." He added: "There is a need to bring changes to stop the law's continuous misuse, or at least for safeguards to be introduced. "We have seen in the past how ruthlessly this law has been misused against minorities, and even the Muslims. Christians consider this law a root cause of their persecution and have been demanding an amendment for years. Churches have been attacked, several Christian towns have been set on fire, and several innocent people have been killed extra judicially. But the government has failed to bring this law to the Parliament. "However now that the chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology has expressed his willingness, it seems an appropriate time, so the government must consider this offer and bring some changes to stop the ongoing misuse of the blasphemy laws." However Sherani, a member of parliament representing Pakistan's largest Islamist party, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, is not regarded as a liberal or reforming figure. In recent years his 54-year old council has ruled DNA cannot be used as primary evidence in rape cases, and supported a law that requires woman alleging rape to get four male witnesses to testify in court before a case is heard. His members' decision last month to block a bill to impose harsher penalties for marrying off girls as young as eight or nine has angered human rights activists. Sherani said there were many un-Islamic laws on the statute book that he was advising the government to overturn, including presidential pardons for a murderer. Many of Pakistan's problems, including violence against religious minorities, were the result of the government failing to be sufficiently Islamic and instead pandering to the West, he said. "Pakistan's present government is a defender of the interests of the West," Sherani said. "Don't equate what the government thinks to what Islam is." Additional reporting by Reuters. Parents sue Maryland school for punishing their daughter with failing grades for her refusal to profess Islamic faith Parents have filed a lawsuit against a Maryland public school and district for giving their daughter failing grades after she did not do assignments discussing Islam, believing that these violated her Christian beliefs. John Kevin and Melissa Wood, through the Thomas More Law Center, filed a civil rights action lawsuit on Jan. 27 before a U.S. District Court against Charles County Public Schools, the Board of Education, and the principal and vice-principal of La Plata High School in La Plata, Maryland. The parents objected to the alleged Islamic indoctrination and propaganda in their daughter's World History class. According to the lawsuit, the district and school's "curriculum, practices, policies, actions, procedures, and customs promote the Islamic faith by requiring students to profess the five pillars of Islam." It said the complaining parents "required the students in the 11th grade World History class, including C.W., to profess statements on the teachings and beliefs of Islam in written worksheets as graded homework assignments." The whole class was taught that "most Muslim's faith is stronger than the average Christian." The defendants' daughter was also required to profess the Shahada and declare "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." "This statement is in direct contradiction to C.W.'s deep-seeded Christian beliefs and heritage that it is sinful to express that there is any other god but the monotheistic Christian God," the lawsuit read. The parents accused the school of using two different textbooks for the World History class with the first one not containing a separate chapter devoted to Islam. The second textbook, which the students are now allowed to bring home, contains additional sections on the Islamic religion. "Plaintiffs John and Melissa Wood objected to their minor child, C.W., being given religious instruction and being indoctrinated in Islam as part of her public high school education. Defendants never informed Plaintiffs of any 'opt-out' policy with regard to the World History course instruction in and promotion of Islam," the lawsuit stated. When the father complained to the school about the assignment, Vice Principal Shannon Morris filed a complaint against him with the police, who told him that he was barred from school grounds and a no-trespass order was in force. The school then gave his daughter zeroes on multiple assignments in the World History class as she refused to violate her faith. "Defendants have treated plaintiffs' Christian beliefs and heritage with deliberate indifference, and have been hostile toward C.W. and her family," the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments and Civil Rights Act. 'The Bachelor' 2016 Reality Steve week 5 spoilers: What to expect Monday's episode of "The Bachelor" season 20 said goodbye to bartender Amber James from Illinois, the unemployed Rachel Tchen of Arkansas, and the other Ferguson twin, Haley, just like how Reality Steve predicted last year. Will Steve's spoilers be entirely true this season? Steve also mentioned beforehand about the ladies going to Las Vegas for last week's episode. He even posted photos of some of the contestants while filming the show. If his reports are any indication, then people may already know who the winner is. Then again, the blogger had been wrong several times in the past, which is why readers should always take his report with a grain of salt. In the meantime, here are some of the details that are expected from the next episode, Week 5. The ladies will be heading to Mexico for their dates. The blogger wrote that Lauren Himle and Amanda Stanton will be having an individual date with Ben Higgins. Himle's date involved her and Ben joining a fashion show, while Stanton will be riding a hot air balloon with the software salesman. Both ladies will get a rose. As for the group date, the rest of the remaining contestants will be taking some Spanish language classes. Steve detailed that the ladies will go around the town asking the locals for directions to the restaurant where they're meeting the bachelor. They have to do that by speaking in Spanish. The girls will pair up to whip up the best dish for that night. Olivia Caridi got paired up with Higgins since there was an odd number of ladies. Lauren Bushnell and Jubilee Sharpe cooked up the best dish. There's also an expected drama and it involves Caridi, who referred to Stanton as the teen mom. As for the eliminations, Jen Saviano and Sharpe were sent home during the group date. "The Bachelor" season 20 airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC. Trump to evangelicals: 'I will never let you down' Donald Trump is continuing his efforts to woo the evangelical vote, releasing a video in which he holds up a Bible and promises his evangelical supporters that he will "never let you down". The video was posted to Trump's Facebook page on Saturday, and has been watched over 976,000 times. "I really appreciate the support given to me by the evangelicals," the Republican presidential candidate says in the clip. "They've been incredible. Every poll says how well I'm doing with them. And you know, my mother gave me this Bible, this very Bible, many years ago, in fact it's her writing right here...it's just very special to me. "And again, I want to thank the evangelicals. I will never let you down." A caption accompanying the video notes the "warm embrace" given by evangelical Christians to Trump on the campaign trail. Christian Values I want to thank evangelical Christians for the warm embrace I've received on the campaign trail. I will not let you down! #MakeAmericaGreatAgain Posted by Donald J. Trump on Saturday, 30 January 2016 So far, Trump has attracted significant evangelical support, with high-profile leaders including Liberty University's Jerry Falwell officially endorsing his campaign. However, the latest poll released by the Des Moines Register and Bloomberg on Saturday shows that evangelical support for Trump may be waning. Ahead of the Iowa caucuses today, the poll showed that though Trump is leading overall with 28 per cent, he is not faring quite so well with evangelical conservatives in the state. A third of those who identified with that group said they will vote for Ted Cruz, while just 19 per cent aligned themselves with Trump. Results of a LifeWay survey last week showed that Trump may also be failing to gain traction among church leaders in the US. 1,000 senior church leaders were asked: "If the 2016 presidential election were held today, for whom would you vote?" Ted Cruz won the race among pastors who identified as Republican, with 29 per cent of those polled saying they would vote for him. More than a third (39 per cent) were undecided, but one in 10 said they would vote for Ben Carson, while eight per cent chose Marco Rubio. Just five per cent named Donald Trump as their top choice. U.K. office criticised for making children choose from 26 gender options to identify themselves The Holy Bible clearly states that God created only two genders: male and female. For the United Kingdom's Office of the Children's Commissioner, however, young schoolchildren have at least 26 gender options to choose from to identify themselves. The office drew criticism from Christian groups and parents for supposedly confusing children about gender concepts. Christian Institute Deputy Director Simon Calvert, for instance, pointed out that young kids should not be forced to choose from more than 20 gender options instead of just simply boy and girl. "For some children it will be profoundly confusing to find out that there are adults who don't seem to know that boys are boys and girls are girls," Calvert said in a statement on his group's website, as quoted by WND.com. He added that exposing children to these gender options and homosexuality at a young age may make them feel unsafe in schools. "We feel for people who struggle with gender dysphoria [abnormal depression and discontent] but we must not let our sympathy for them outweigh our sympathy for the great mass of children who need to feel safe and protected in school," Calvert said. "To feel safe, children need to know there are some simple boundaries in life. The basic biological categories of male and female are amongst the most simple and fundamental boundaries of all," he added. The Argus, a local newspaper published in Brighton, meanwhile quoted parents as saying that presenting kids with two dozens of gender choices was "unnecessary" and "confusing." Despite these criticisms, Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield still defended her office's survey, saying it gives an idea on how children perceive gender nowadays. "We want to know how gender matters to young people: What does gender mean to them? How does it affect their lives? What do they want to change?" Longfield told WND.com. The schoolchildren were specifically asked: "How do you define your gender: The young people we talked with used the following terms; which of these best describes how you define your gender? (Choose as many as you want.)" The young participants of the survey were given the following gender options: girl, trans-boy, genderqueer, gender nonconforming, boy, gender fluid, tomboy, agender, tri-gender, female, androgynous, all genders, in the middle of boy and girl, male, bi-gender, male, young woman, non-binary, intersex, young man, demi-boy, not sure, rather not say, trans-girl, demi-girl and others. Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle Harris County Judge Ed Emmett plans to talk about immediate and long term plans for putting the Astrodome back into use at his annual "State of the County" address Tuesday at NRG Center. Emmett will also discuss his other two long term priorities for the region, improving transportation infrastructure and increasing access to health care in the absence of state Medicaid dollars. Rice University on Monday announced a $7 million grant from the Houston Endowment that will help its Kinder Institute for Urban Research move toward influencing policy in addition to tracking the city's development. The grant is the second largest in the history of the institute, founded in 2010 with a $15 million gift from Rich and Nancy Kinder. Rice University President David Leebron said the donation is a "remarkable gift" not just for Rice, but for all of Houston, as it will help solve major problems facing the city. "It will help enable Rice and the Kinder Institute to realize our ambitions not only to use data and sophisticated analysis to better understand the challenges that Houston and other cities are facing, but to formulate and help implement the needed solutions," Leebron said in a statement. The gift will fuel a planned expansion of the institute, which for decades has taken the city's pulse via the Houston Area Survey. Officials at the institute want to start helping shape the city, as well. "The Kinder Institute plays a crucial role not only in providing data that illuminates our challenges, but also in advancing potential solutions for the complex issues facing our community," Ann Stern, president and CEO of Houston Endowment, said in a statement. "The foundation's investment will support a number of programs aimed at building a stronger city and improving quality of life for Houston's residents." Among a series of new projects the grant will help fund is the Urban Data Platform -- a collection of data intended to help policymakers and researchers better understand the issues facing the Houston area. A new study of land-use patterns will focus on issues such as gentrification and suburban poverty. The institute will also launch an outreach effort aimed at making sure the research and policy ideas created there actually find their way into the way Houston is run, in part by bringing together leaders to discuss the issues facing the region. The grant will fund 10 new full-time positions at the institute, as well. "This support will help Houston become a better city and will enable the Kinder Institute to become a nationally and internationally prominent urban think tank by 2018," Bill Fulton, the director of the institute, said in a statement. Amid criticism of Katy ISD's decision last month to stop posting online video of its monthly work-study sessions, the district's board plans to review the matter at its Feb. 15 meeting, a district spokesperson said. The change, which coincided with trustees' decision to move the public-comment period from their regular meetings to the work-study sessions, has been denounced by a former trustee and raised concerns from the author of a new state law intended to increase videotaping of meetings by school boards. Mary McGarr, a district trustee from 1991-1996, argued that by moving the period in which the public can address the board to the end of work-study meetings, which can average more than two hours, and by not posting video of those meetings, the district made a calculated step to reduce access to information. She said Superintendent Alton Frailey "was just looking for a way to where people could say things to the board, good or bad, and the district doesn't have to post the videos. "When I was on the board, the public comment was at the beginning of the regular meeting," McGarr said. "But this has trickled down from (previous superintendent) Leonard Merrell. They thought nobody would notice." At times, issues brought forth at the district's public-comment period have drawn extensive attention and scrutiny. In October, the district had to defend itself when a seventh-grader at one of its schools said during a public comment segment that her teacher had questioned her belief in God. The moment was captured on video and news quickly spread. As of presstime, board president Charles Griffin could not be reached, and he did not respond to requests and questions sent to him through the district. An effort to reach Frailey was also unsuccessful. Katy ISD says its policy requires that news media representatives go through its communications office to reach trustees or staff members. The author of the bill, Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Frisco, said in a written statement that House Bill 283 was intended to increase the number of meetings being recorded and posted online. "It's unfortunate if a governmental entity is using this bill to find a way not to share as much information to those of the public that cannot make the meetings in person," Fallon wrote. "I would hope that other elected officials share in my push to provide more transparency to those that elect them by ensuring an alternative method for them to stay updated locally." Before HB 283 became law, Texas school districts were not required to tape or post videos of any meeting. Districts are not required to hold public-comment periods at meetings. Many Texas districts like Katy ISD offer them as a public service and many only post videos of regular meetings. The district did not publicly announced the move to suspend videotaping of work study meetings. Jan. 11 was the first time after the decision that the district did not shoot video of a work-study meeting. Providing video of those meetings is not required by law. On Jan. 25, district spokeswoman Denisse Coffman said in an email message that the district has stopped posting video of its work-study meetings in accordance with House Bill 283, which became law on Jan. 1. "Therefore, Katy ISD is only recording regular board meetings," the email said. In part, the bill states that school districts with enrollment of at least 10,000 are required to "make a video and audio recording of reasonable quality of each regularly scheduled open meeting that is not a work session or a special called meeting" and post it online if it has an existing website. Katy ISD's enrollment is 73,000. Coffman also said the district would save about $4,000 a year by not videotaping work-study meetings. But on Jan. 28, the district said in a statement that its board would review the subject at the Feb. 15 session, which will be a work-study meeting. "When House Bill 283, pertaining to the recording of regular school board meetings was passed, it gave pause to consider the related policies and practices the District had in place to address the recording of other meetings," the statement said. "As a result, the Board president suspended the recording of Work Study meetings only to allow the Board time to do their elected job and develop a policy." If Katy ISD uses the bill as reasoning to not continue posting work-study videos, especially with the public comments now shifted to those meetings, it is manipulating the bill's purpose and used it to create a less-open district, said Kelley Shannon, executive director for the Freedom of Information of Texas, a nonprofit group that focuses on protecting the state's laws for open meetings and open records. "It violates the spirit of 283. The bill does not make them take down anything. It only promotes putting up videos," Shannon said. "It's bad policy to stop publicizing the video online where the comment section is. There's no good excuse to doing it and does not benefit the public." McGarr criticized the manner in which the issue has been handled, pointing out that the videotaping of work-study sessions, which had occurred for years, stopped without public announcement and that the district didn't initially indicate that the policy would be reviewed at trustees' next meeting. "It doesn't add up," McGarr said. The district will seek community input on the issue, according to Coffman. "The next step is for the Board to discuss and evaluate the benefit of continuing to do more than the law requires," she said in a Jan. 29 email. "It is anticipated that a policy and procedure will be identified." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate As a busy elementary school teacher, Marie Kellogg had little time outside of the classroom to focus on her health and wellness. Eager to lose weight, Kellogg turned to the Montgomery County United Ways workplace wellness program. Kellogg lost 32 pounds over about nine months while experiencing drops in disease-causing body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. I am not the stereotypical recipient, but I would say that United Way has changed my life incredibly, said Kellogg, a teacher at Greenleaf Elementary School in Splendora, according to news release from the nonprofit. I teach five classes so I am on the go all day. It goes to a point where you lose yourself and you do not apply yourself to exercise or taking care of your health. In 2014-2015, its pilot year, the Healthy Living Alliance Workplace Wellness program experienced measurable success at two pilot sites, Greenleaf Elementary and the City of Willis. Employees who participated in the program were offered daily group exercise, nutritional tips and general health education, as well as health screenings. One thing that the United Way does is have an instructor that comes in that trains you to have a healthier life. It gives you a goal something to work for... for your body, for yourself and for your health, Kellogg added. A 2011 community health assessment by the Texas Health Institute found that 70 percent of adults in Montgomery County were obese or overweight, about twice the national rate. The Montgomery County United Way started the Healthy Living Alliance to reduce obesity and the health risks posed by overeating and lack of exercise. Along with its Healthy Me! program tailored for K-5 grade schools, community events such as bike rodeos and 5K runs, the Healthy Living Alliance is using the workplace wellness program to increase health responsibility and education in Montgomery County. According to the Healthy Living Alliance, 16 Willis city employees completed the program; nine had weight losses ranging from 1.5 to 56 pounds. Twenty-one staff members at Greenleaf Elementary School completed the program, and 19 of the participants experienced weight loss ranging from .2 to 40 pounds. While half of the elementary school staff experienced improved health, 90 percent of Willis employees benefited from the program. The two pilot sites are into their second year of the program. Three additional sites have been added: Splendora Junior High, Reeves Elementary in Conroe and the city of Conroe. Theres also a waiting list for businesses wishing to take part in the program, which is tailored to small- and medium-sized companies that dont necessarily have the resources to provide employees with a workplace wellness program. We are specifically using local fitness and local instructors throughout Montgomery County to donate their time, education and knowledge. They go on-site to these companies and organizations to provide a full workplace wellness program that [those] employees were able to get if they worked for a large corporation, said Candice Rouquette, director of the Healthy Living Alliance. The top goals of the Healthy Living Alliance are to increase education of adults and children on health and wellness tactics and increase the number of healthy residents in the communities of Montgomery County. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Although the ages varied, families with missing children shared the same grief on the steps of City Hall Sunday afternoon. Five families gathered at the event, which was created last year for relatives to connect and share the stories of how their loved ones disappeared. "Your child is your child, your loved one is your loved one - it doesn't matter what age they are or how long they've been gone - the sorrow that you feel is new again every day," said Beth Alberts, CEO of the Texas Center for the Missing. Jo Ann Lowitzer, who organized the event, last saw her 16-year-old daughter Alexandria "Ali" Lowitzer in 2010. Ali last was seen getting off the bus after school and initially was labeled a runway by police. She was changed to an endangered person status two years later, moving it to the homicide division. Lowitzer would like the case reclassified to a runaway so that it would get more attention. More for you Tracking the missing and the dead Although the label given to a missing person, whether runway or endangered, doesn't matter to loved ones, it matters in how the case is handled by authorities, Alberts said. "The lack of assistance from law enforcement has severely hindered our investigation," Lowitzer said. "Ali deserves to be found. We are her best advocate." Lowitzer submitted a proclamation in late 2014 to City Council to create a day to help remind people of those who have gone missing. Houston's Missing Person Day debuted on Feb. 3, 2015, to commemorate Ali's birthday. "I want everybody to be aware that if you hear this on the news, you can turn the news off and go about your day, but this happens in real life - people just vanish," Lowitzer said. "This is mainly to make the public aware and for parents to keep a good eye on their kids." According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, there are 90,000 active missing persons cases at any given time. The National Crime and Information Center estimates roughly 40 percent of its cases are children; among them is the 18-month-old son of Joshua Davis Sr. Joshua Davis Jr., went missing Feb. 4, 2011 from his home in New Braunfels. Joshua's dad, mom, grandmother and three siblings traveled to Houston to participate in the event. "Every day the pain is there, but it really hits me whenever I hear my (12-year-old) son, that hasn't seen him in five years, praying that his brother come home," Joshua Davis Sr. said. "Then I hear my son, that's 5 years old and has never met his brother, saying 'please Lord, bring Joshua home, and keep him safe, Amen.' That really hurts." The missing boy would be 7 now. Andy Kahan, a city of Houston victim advocate, reminded families that people can turn up after being missing for even 10 years. He encouraged them to never give up hope. But for Danielle Sleeper's parents, who believe foul play was involved in their 32-year-old daughter's disappearance last year, remaining optimistic is difficult. "Unlike most of you, we don't believe that our daughter will be coming back to us," Danielle's mother, Dina Street said. "But I think this is wonderful - that you have given us a voice, that we can come out and talk with people who know what we feel because all we hear when we talk to the detectives is 'we don't have any clues,' and that's the end of the discussion. We are grateful and we will keep looking and checking and we won't give up." Kyle Rugg's family doesn't care how information surfaces about their missing son, who disappeared last year at the age of 20. "We ask for someone, to make the phone call, send a message, leave a note on our door, however you want to share the information," Les, Kyle's father, said. "We just want to know where our Kyle is." Ryan Esparza's mother, Gloria, said although her son's case sits untouched by authorities, she continutes searching for the now 25-year-old. "I don't mourn him because nobody has ever declared him dead," Gloria Esparza said. "Nobody's looking for him, but I am." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A mere hours after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Zika virus an international emergency, health officials in Harris County have confirmed three new cases of the virus within the county. Each of the three new cases were found in positive tests of individuals who recently traveled to Latin America and exhibited Zika-like symptoms, including fever, rash and joint pain, according to Harris County Public Health & Environmental Services. All individuals have since recovered. The new cases bring the total of positive Zika instances to seven within Houston and Harris County. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Houston's first case in January. A traveler returning from El Salvador in November fell ill with fever, rash and joint pain. The agency determined that she brought the illness into this country following a month of investigation and testing. WHO convened an emergency meeting of independent experts on Monday to assess the outbreak after noting a suspicious link between Zika's arrival in Brazil last year and a surge in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads. Felipe Dana/Associated Press Although WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said there was no definitive proof that the Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes, is responsible for the birth defects, she acknowledged on Thursday that "the level of alarm is extremely high." The last such public health emergency was declared for the devastating 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people. WHO estimates there could be up to 4 million cases of Zika in the Americas in the next year. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Even if you don't recognize his name, you'd recognize Ronald Mathis for a couple reasons -- you've either seen him riding his bike along the Bayfront in Corpus Christi, decked in Mexican pointy boots, an over-sized cowboy hat and matching suit, or you've been on the Internet recently. The Vietnam veteran is well-known in Corpus Christi for his outrageous outfits and outgoing personality. But Mathis gained Internet fame over the weekend when actor Cheech Marin posted a Facebook meme of the over-the-top cyclist with the words, "They see me rolling ... They hatin'..." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The World Health Organization has announced that the explosive spread of the Zika virus in the Americas is an "extraordinary event" that merits being declared an international emergency. The agency convened an emergency meeting of independent experts on Monday to assess the outbreak after noting a suspicious link between Zika's arrival in Brazil last year and a surge in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads. READ THIS: Zika virus, already in Houston, poses global health threat The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Houston's first case in January. A traveler returning from El Salvador in November fell ill with fever, rash and joint pain. The agency determined that she brought the illness into this country following a month of investigation and testing. Since then, a total of six cases of Zika have been confirmed so far in Texas. All infections were diagnosed after the person returned from international travel. Although WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said there was no definitive proof that the Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes, is responsible for the birth defects, she acknowledged on Thursday that "the level of alarm is extremely high." The last such public health emergency was declared for the devastating 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people. WHO estimates there could be up to 4 million cases of Zika in the Americas in the next year. Such emergency declarations are meant as an international SOS signal and usually trigger increased money and efforts to stop the outbreak, as well as prompting research into possible treatments and vaccines. See the gallery above for things you need to know about the Zika virus. Notions of marginalisation, responsibility and the ambiguities of nature versus nurture all collide in Antoine Cuypers handsome and austere feature debut,. The film is built around enormously compelling performances from Thomas Blanchard and Nathalie Baye, as an antagonistic son and mother. They take the leads in a taut chamber piece that pulls at the loose threads of a family with a precision for excruciating social tension and a refusal to offer easy answers to thematic waters which in turn beget labyrinthine ethical tributaries. Both compassion and frustration are easy to justify throughout the drama but precisely who is deserving of which remains a far murkier question.It is somewhat fitting that the primary conflict in the narrative is a desperate desire to go on a trip to Austria, as the spectre of Michael Haneke looms large over proceedings (and theres even a hint of Markus Schleinzers). Its a similarly cool eye that takes in the unraveling relationships and exposed stitching of this family tapestry. However, while the premise may echo the underlying tensions of surface civility, or the long-buried resentment of, Cuypers is a little less exacting in his final assertions. As such, the frayed edges feel more fuzzy and uncertain than artfully obscured. Uncertainty, though, is a key component of the drama, centring on Blanchards 32-year-old Cedric. The reason for his effective incarceration in ma and pas home is adeptly kept a mystery, with only passing snippets of hushed dialogue alluding to past behaviour, or some kind of psychological condition. As various guests begin to arrive at his parents house (Bave and Belgian musician, Arno) for a family dinner party, a portrait is lightly sketched of a withdrawn, difficult son unable to communicate easily, or understand responsibility. His sisters (Ariane Labed) response to him, and the flinching wariness of his brothers wife (Cathy Min Jung) when Cedric is tasked with looking after his nephew, only serve to increase the unease. The drama is punctured by a literal downpour, which puts an end to the outdoor barbecue and serves to foreshadow the torrent of repressed anxiety set to spew forth. Cedric is both a clear victim and an adroit manipulator, possessing a keen intellect that is belied by his quiet, awkward demeanour. Across the table, his mother is every inch the iron matriarch chastising her husbands insistence on indulging their sons fantasy vacation and immovable in her conviction that their treatment of him is born of, and represents, love. To depict this uptight middle class family, Frederic Noirhommes camerawork is composed of an icy elegance that perfectly captures the various shades of emotional restraint, while all the time serving to stoke the fires of potential explosion. When it comes, its fiery and fantastic, but the insistence on an enigmatic denouement serves to lessen rather than deepen its otherwise admirable complexities. International Film Festival Rotterdam runs from 27 January to 7 February. Follow our coverage here. Prejudice is also available to stream via Festival Scopes IFFR Live here. 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 Politico is accustomed to watching staffers depart through its ever-revolving door. Its most prolific blogger left in 2011 to run a growing viral site called BuzzFeed. Its managing editor went to CNN Politics in mid-2014 to build out a digital juggernaut. Three top Politico reporters took their talents to The New York Times in a span of 19 months. Such departures have added periodic exclamation points to the constant churn that has become a defining characteristic of Politico. But a coming exodus that includes co-founder and chief executive Jim VandeHei looms larger than any before it. VandeHei announced in a memo Thursday that hell depart after election season concludes, as will Playbook author Mike Allen. A trio of key business executives will also leave this year. Susan Glasser, editor of Politicos Washington operation, will decamp for a vital strategic role in Jerusalem in 2017, owner Robert Allbritton added in a memo of his own, leaving the main newsroom in search of leadership. Politico has been in a period of constant expansion and rethinking since its launch nine years ago by the duo of VandeHei and John Harris. It now faces the question of whether change at the top will produce change in the operations VandeHei has spearheaded. Allbritton may offer up hints to that question in a personal address to the newsroom planned for this Wednesday. VandeHeis announcement stoked whispers of internal disagreement between him and Allbritton over Politicos expansion into state capitals. VandeHei denied those rumors at a staff meeting on Friday, saying hes eager to build a new venture once again. Harris, Politicos editor in chief who now adds the title of publisher, also dispelled the notion that the shakeup was evidence of any broader change in strategy. I dont care if people think [VandeHei and Allbritton] have a sort of rough-and-tumble relationship, Harris tells CJR. But I do care that theres a sense that theres a big strategic gap between the two, because I know it not to be the case. If there were, my own role would be virtually untenable. The official line is that the transition from VandeHeis leadership has been under discussion for nearly a year, as Allbritton wrote last week. Anticipating his own departure, VandeHei helped put in place many of the breakneck expansion plans Allbritton will address in his talk. Those conversations were already advanced with Jim, and have been for some time, Harris says. Sign up for CJR 's daily email The companys strategy to this point has been threefold. In Washington, an army of more than 100 Politico Pro journalists provides blanket policy coverage to the political class, whose high-priced subscriptions add to revenue produced from live events and advertising in its free newspaper, magazine, and website. Politico bought the small outlet Capital New York in 2013 in an attempt to establish a similar model in state capitals around the countrry. And it partnered with German publisher Axel Springer last year to launch a Brussels-based outpost to do the same in the European Union. The overarching goal is to draw half of the companys total revenue from the Politico Pro paid subscriptions, custom-made information streams sold to lobbyists and regulators for sums that reach well into six figures. As of last June, more than 1,800 such subscriptions accounted for about 40 percent of all revenue, outgoing Chief Revenue Officer Roy Schwartz said at the time. With a business model reliant on this elite group of deep-pocketed subscribers, Politico has grown to nearly 500 employees. The privately owned company does not make its financial performance public. But in his memo to staff last week, Allbritton said revenue has ballooned roughly seven-fold since 2008. SEC filings back then put revenue near $11.4 million, suggesting that annual revenues now should be hovering around $80 million. Maintaining this trajectory will require more Pro subscribers in new markets. And Politicos transatlantic blitz to reach them stands out amid most news organizations retreat from both international and statehouse bureaus. Were headed toward a large, global, interconnected conversation where politics and policy loom exceptionally large at a time where theres no one really connecting that conversation or informing that collective group of people, VandeHei told me last year. Thats the new ambition for the place. Launched in April, Politicos European operation now numbers about 50 editorial employees, in addition to roughly two dozen on the business side. Current and former staffers whove worked on the nascent venture claim its hitting early benchmarks for web traffic and Pro subscriptions. A recent third-party survey suggested it was the most widely read news organization for 249 Brussels influencers polled, though this group still ranked The Financial Times, BBC, and The Economist as having more influence in day-to-day decisionmaking. Current and former staffers said Allbritton had a special interest in establishing the Brussels operation. In his memo to staff last week, he applauded Politico Europes highly successful launch, adding that its on a path to become the continents most influential publication for politics and policy. VandeHei has directed much of his attention to Politicos US expansion. According to Allbritton, the management team will continue with its aggressive state capital expansion, though he was less rhapsodizing in discussing this operation. Politico New York, seen as the model for this cross-country growth, was not profitable when I sat down with co-editor Tom McGeveran in May, nor did that seem to be a particular goal at the time. All the decisions we make are geared toward reaching revenue neutrality, McGeveran said then. Id say the runway [to profitability] has not been a particularly hot topic of conversation internally lately. Were in expansion mode. The state-level push now counts about 50 journalists. Newly hired reporters in California, Massachusetts, and Illinois have launched Playbook-style morning newsletters, while New Jersey and Florida now boast full-fledged outposts of a half-dozen journalists apiece. If [New Jersey and Florida] work, and I firmly believe they will work, you can do this in every state, VandeHei told me last year. Maybe our calculations are wrong. I dont think they are. Of course, such states are obvious choices for the first round of American expansion, given their size, political economy, or proximity to New York. Whether theres demand for Politico products in the likes of Mississippi or Arkansas remains an open question. For now, Harris says, early returns are strong enough to warrant further expansion. Then theres Washington, where Politico has struggled to replace VandeHei in the newsroom since he left the executive editors post in October 2013. The Rosslyn offices three armssmashmouth news reporting, more nuanced magazine writing, and a Pro service that spans 14 subject areasall have different styles and coverage strategies. And coordinating their distinct, yet complementary, missions requires an extra level of communication among staff. All this comes as Politico faces increasingly stiff competition for eyeballs. CNNs revamped politics team trumpeted 25 million unique visitors in December, more than double what Politico drew that month. Politicos web traffic is now roughly similar to that of The Hill, a smaller publication that has put new emphasis on fast-paced reporting. A reinvigorated Washington Post, meanwhile, has changed the balance of power in whos driving the conversation within the Beltway. Then again, Politico focuses on a tiny group of insiders for whom politics is a businessnot mass audiences. In a note to subscribers on Friday, Politico Pro assured its customers that despite instability at the top of the organization, nothing changes for us here at ProExplicitly, theres no editorial or leadership change at Pro. Politico has weathered turnover before, though perhaps never in such a competitive environment. The market for political journalism is as crowded as any point since its 2007 launch, with large and small publications alike emulating the edgy, incremental coverage that has long been Politicos trademark. More importantly, competition for labor has grown tighter as various outlets bolster their political teams. Company brass claim that the gradual nature of the forthcoming changes will smooth the leadership transition. In his memo to staff, Allbritton cast the departures of his chief executive, chief operating officer, chief revenue officer, VP of expansion, and public face of the company as fundamentally good news. What I want above all is for Politico to work as a team, Allbritton wrote, an inclusive, ambitious, generous corps of like-minded people who like one another. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today David Uberti is a writer in New York. He was previously a media reporter for Gizmodo Media Group and a staff writer for CJR. Follow him on Twitter @DavidUberti. Tonight, as Iowa residents head to caucus meetings around the state to cast the first votes of the 2016 presidential race, fleets of campaign organizers, operatives, and strategists will be focused on meeting their turnout goals. So will at least one newspaper publisher. Tarsicio (Tar) Macias founded the monthly Latino newspaper Hola Iowa in 2014, and like any publisher, he wants to reach as many readers and advertisers as he can. But Macias also has a larger ambition: to help boost Latino voter turnout across the region. I not only want people to read our articles, he says, but my purpose is to get Latinos politically active. Macias has partnered with the Iowa chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens in an effort to draw at least 10,000 Latino voters to the caucuses Monday nighta target that, by one estimate, is nearly three times the turnout in 2008, the last time both parties had competitive races. The Latino population in Iowa is still small; only about 5.6 percent of the population was Hispanic as of 2014, according to the US Census. The Pew Research Center estimates that fewer than 3 percent of the states eligible voters are Latino, and even among those who are eligible, turnout has often been disproportionately low. (The original stated goal of the 2016 turnout campaign was 25,000, but that has been reduced.) But the Latino population has been growing rapidly, and its youngso there are a lot of potential future voters to be reached, along with older voters who simply have never been approached before. If the turnout campaign hits its goal, 5 percent of tonights caucus-goers could be Latino. Joe Enriquez Henry, LULACs Iowa state director, believes the campaign of robocalls, mailers, door-knockingand the partnership with Hola Iowahas already succeeded in reaching new voters this year. Sign up for weekly emails from the United States Project Were going to have strong turnout in our community, Henry says, based in part on what Hola Iowa has done. For Macias, the decision to partner with LULAC was easy. He is a longtime member of the group, which is a nonprofit, nonpartisan civil-rights organization founded in 1929. A first-generation American, Macias came to the US from Mexico with his mother in 1987 at the age of 14 and settled in the Quad Cities, which straddle the Illinois-Iowa border. He has lived there ever since. He published his first newspaper, Hola America, from East Moline, Illinois, in 2000. From the outset, he says, he viewed Hola America as a community-minded enterprise that would encourage more Latinos to take an active role in public life. Its more of a community service than a business sometimes, he says. Hola America went on to become, according to Macias, the most widely read Hispanic newspaper in western Illinois and Iowa. In October 2014, with the 2016 caucuses very much on his radar, he launched Hola Iowa. In its first issue, Hola Iowa implored readers to vote in the November 2014 midterms. The paper has doubled down on its get-out-the-vote message with the approach of the caucuses and the partnership with LULAC, which began in July. Hola Iowa, which also has a website and is written in both English and Spanish, has publicized LULACs get-out-the-vote effort, and Macias himself has played an active role in strategy for the campaign. Our community needs to make it a habit to vote, Christian Ucles, LULACs Iowa political director, wrote in Hola Iowas special caucus edition, which came out last week. We have so much to lose if we dont participate; we have so much to lose if the candidates continue to view us as non-voting factors. We have so much to lose if candidates (like Trump) think they can dehumanize and demonize our community all because they dont fear our voting power. Thats a reference, of course, to GOP poll leader Donald Trump, who kicked off his presidential run by talking about rapists from Mexico and has made a wall along the southern border a touchstone of his campaign. Hola Iowa, like LULAC, does not endorse candidates or take a partisan stancebut Macias does not hesitate to condemn Trumps comments about immigrants. Thats not so much political; its a statement against hate, he says. As for the other candidates, Macias credits Bernie Sanders (whom he interviewed for a recent edition), Martin OMalley, and Jeb Bushthe only one who has bought advertising in Hola Iowawith doing the most outreach to the states Latino community. But the caucus edition focused less on the candidates themselves than on the process, offering readers information on registration and polling sites, as well as instructions on how to actually participate in a caucus. LULACs Henry said his organization provided the caucus instructionstheyre surprisingly complex, especially on the Democratic sideand Macias translated them into Spanish. In addition to his publishing duties, Macias has traveled the state and joined in strategy meetings for the effort. But the voter-drive partnership is not just a civic-minded move. Its good business as well. We contracted to do ads in his paper, Henry says, and encouraged him to write about us, which he does. For Hola Iowa, a start-up still gaining a foothold in much of the state, another benefit of the arrangement is wider distribution. Macias says the paper already reaches Iowas top 10 Latino markets, but it hasnt hurt to have LULAC handing out copies at campaign events, and Macias distributes the paper at organization meetings and other locations. He doesnt see any conflict of interest in this cozy relationship with an advocacy group, albeit a nonpartisan one. I consider myself a community business person, he says. Like some other minority-owned publications Hola Iowa sees little distinction between its editorial stance and its civic duty to its community. For now, the goals of Hola Iowa and the goals of LULAC are inseparable. Monday nights results may not be a direct referendum on their efforts, but Macias and Henry will take them personally either way. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Deron Lee is CJRs correspondent for Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. A writer and copy editor who has spent nine years with the National Journal Group, he has also contributed to The Hotline and the Lawrence Journal-World. He lives in the Kansas City area. Follow him on Twitter at @deron_lee. After ocean waters poured into lower Manhattan during Superstorm Sandy, experts began dreaming up a solution: a U-shaped barrier of earthen berms, walls and gates that would keep floods out and the nations financial capital dry. Now, more than three years later, a version of that idea has stacked up over $600 million in backing, including a $176 million shot in the arm from the federal government last week. But it is still hundreds of millions of dollars and several years away from being finished. Weve been full steam ahead, said city resiliency director Daniel Zarrilli, knowing that we dont really know how long we have before these things need to be in place. Officials aim to start building next year and finish by 2022, building segments that can begin providing some protection before the more than 5-mile-long project is complete. Still, theres no final plan yet for what the project will look like, how much it will cost, or where the city will get the minimum of $300 million more it has said is needed to finish. A devastating flood could come in decades or as soon as the next storm. Theres much more hope after the latest infusion of funding, said state Sen. Daniel Squadron, a Democrat who represents some affected areas. But theres ongoing anxiety. Because this is not something that can be a generation-long project. Sandy struck in October 2012, killing over 180 people and causing $65 billion in damage in the U.S. alone. The storm swamped downtown Manhattan apartment houses and office buildings, flooded subways and cut power to almost everywhere south of the Empire State Building. Architects and engineers participating in a federal design competition later sketched out a 10-mile-long Big U of barriers that varied by neighborhood. The citys current proposals echo that idea but cover less territory, extending around Manhattans southern end roughly from Bellevue Hospital on the East Side to half a mile north of the World Trade Center on the West Side. The path wraps around Wall Street and trendy neighborhoods, but also around several public housing developments hard by the East River. Plans describe a mosaic of different approaches: a big, grassy berm in a park, floodwalls under an elevated highway, a levee system at Manhattans southern tip, and in other spots moveable flood barriers, pumps and more. The proposal also calls for flood-proofing vulnerable public housing and weaving plazas and park improvements into the water barriers. Planning experts say it sets an example for multifaceted flood protection that combines engineering with ecology with community instead of just walling off water, says Rob Freudenberg of the Regional Plan Association, a research and advocacy organization. The federal Housing and Urban Development Department two years ago put up $335 million for the first, roughly 2-mile chunk. HUD awarded another $176 million last week toward the remainder of the project, adding to $115 million in mostly city money pledged last summer. Still, the total is about $320 million short of what the city sought for that piece. Zarrilli says officials are working to line up the rest and can put in place some substantial improvements with what we have, as a start. Meanwhile, some institutions, utilities and building owners in low-lying lower Manhattan are doing their own storm-proofing. Transit officials have been working on seals for subway stations. And the city itself is working on other projects in Manhattan and elsewhere as part of a $20 billion plan to help New York weather storms and floods. Communities along the lower Manhattan waterfront are keenly waiting, both inside and outside the planned flood defenses. Obviously, we need a Big U, not a Big J, says Tobi Bergman, chairman of a community board in the West Village, which saw some flooding in Sandy but is outside the protections planned so far. But, he added, I think every New Yorker is glad to see progress begin. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A U.N. panel recommended Wednesday that cargo shipments of rechargeable lithium batteries be banned from passenger airliners because the batteries can create fires capable of destroying planes, said aviation officials familiar with the decision. The International Civilian Aviation Organizations air navigation commission, the agencys highest technical body, also proposed that the ban be lifted if new packaging can be developed that provides an acceptable level of safety. Final approval from the ICAO top-level council is still needed. The council is scheduled to take up the matter in late February. The officials spoke on condition that they not be named because they werent authorized to speak publicly. Lithium-ion batteries are used power everything from cellphones and laptops to hybrid and all-electric cars. About 5.4 billion lithium-ion cells were manufactured worldwide in 2014. A battery is made up of two or more cells. Most are transported on cargo ships, but about 30 percent are shipped by air. Federal Aviation Administration tests show a single damaged or defective battery can experience uncontrolled temperature increases that can spread throughout a shipment. Its not unusual for tens of thousands batteries to shipped in a single cargo container. In FAA tests, the overheating batteries have released explosive gases that, when ignited, have blown the doors off cargo containers and sent boxes of batteries hurtling through the air before becoming engulfed in flames. Engineers from FAAs technical center told a public meeting last year that the explosions are forceful enough to knock the interior panels off cargo compartment walls. That would allow halon, the fire suppression agent used in airliners, to escape, leaving nothing to prevent fires from spreading unchecked. Safety experts believe at least three cargo planes have been destroyed by lithium battery fires since 2006. Four pilots died in those accidents. The proposed ban wouldnt apply to cargo planes despite efforts by the International Federation of Air Line Pilot Associations to include cargo operations. A trade association for the rechargeable battery industry didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Last March, an organization that represents aircraft manufacturers including the worlds two largest, Boeing and Airbus told ICAO that airliners arent designed to withstand lithium battery fires and that continuing to accept battery shipments is an unacceptable risk. Six months later the U.S. decided to back a ban. But the battery industry, shippers and the International Air Transport Association, a global airline trade group, have strongly resisted. They say the risk is primarily due to shady manufacturers, mostly in China, that evade packaging and handling regulations. The Transportation Department is barred from imposing its own ban under a 2012 law Congress passed at the behest of industry. In late October, an ICAO panel on the transport of dangerous goods voted 11-7 against a ban. The U.S., Russia, Brazil, China and Spain, as well as organizations representing airline pilots and aircraft manufacturers, voted for it. The Netherlands, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, Italy, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as the airline trade group, voted against it. In early December another safety panel voted to recommend a ban, presenting conflicting advice. Aviation officials interviewed by The Associated Press said they couldnt predict whether the council, which has 36 members, will ultimately agree to a ban. The Montreal-based ICAO sent an alert to airlines this summer urging that they conduct risk assessments on how to safely handle the shipments. At least 20 airlines that fly internationally have voluntarily decided to no longer accept battery shipments. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Environmental and civil rights groups are asking a federal judge to order the prompt replacement of all lead pipes in Flints water system to ensure residents of the Michigan city have a safe drinking supply. A lawsuit filed Wednesday morning seeks an order forcing city and state officials to remedy alleged violations of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, including a failure to properly treat the water for corrosion, test it for lead, notify residents of results and accurately report if the correct sample sites are being selected. Flint residents are currently unable to drink unfiltered tap water due to the contamination, and tests have shown high lead levels in some childrens blood. The only way to permanently and completely fix the problem of lead in drinking water is to conduct the full replacement of the lead-containing pipes and solder in a water system, said Sarah Tallman, a lawyer with the National Resources Defense Council. The group filed the complaint on behalf of citizens along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, the Concerned Pastors for Social Action and Melissa Mays, a Flint resident. Gov. Rick Snyders administration has estimated it could cost up to $55 million to repair what officials have estimated are 15,000 damaged lead service lines leading from water mains to homes and other buildings. The complaint says the pipes should be replaced at no cost to customers. The suit names as defendants the city of Flint, state Treasurer Nick Khouri who continues to have budget powers as the city transitions away from state management state-appointed officials on the Flints Receivership Transition Advisory Board and city administrator Natasha Henderson, who was hired by one of Flints former emergency managers. The people of Flint cannot rely solely on the government entities that have created this problem to fix it, Tallman said. We are seeking federal court intervention because the government at every level has evaded responsibility for addressing this crisis. It remains unclear how badly the pipes were damaged after the decision in 2014 to use the Flint River as the citys drinking water source without adding a chemical to control corrosion. That caused lead to leech into the water for a year and a half and contributed to the spike in child lead exposure before state and officials fully acknowledged the problem in early October. Flint has reconnected to Detroits water system while awaiting the completion of a new pipeline from Lake Huron. The suit expresses doubt about whether the city can maintain optimal corrosion treatment when it switches to the new water source later this year. Much of the blame for the emergency has been put on the state Department of Environmental Quality because staff told Flint water officials not to treat it for corrosion until after two six-month monitoring periods. But the suit also focuses on problems with the citys monitoring of lead. It alleges the city is not providing comprehensive, reliable information to identify locations with lead lines and is under-testing homes with a higher risk of lead exposure. The plaintiffs hope independent experts would come in to assist and advise and oversee the waters system implementation, Tallman said. The organizations served a 60-day notice of their intent to sue in November. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week issued an emergency order directing the state to take actions to protect public health and said it would begin sampling and analyzing lead levels. Michigans interim top environmental regulator said his agency would comply but contended that many of the actions have already been undertaken and questioned the orders legality. Snyder said in recent days that his administration has requested assistance from EPA experts. A task force he created also has recommended that an unbiased third party declare when the water is safe to drink again without a filter. At least three other suits have been filed since the crisis was exposed in the fall. Two seek class-action status and financial compensation; another asks a judge to declare that users do not have to pay their water bills. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A bill introduced in the South Dakota House would clarify state law on when part-time employees injured on the job should also receive workers compensation benefits for their other part-time positions. The proposed legislation stems from a 2015 state Supreme Court ruling that found state law was ambiguous on the issue. In that case, Patricia Wheeler, a Sioux Falls resident injured at her fast-food job, wanted her workers compensation insurer to cover lost wages from all three of her part-time jobs. Most people can see that it is the right outcome under the intent of workers compensation, which is to replace lost wages and provide a remedy for injured workers, said attorney Jolene Nasser, who represented Wheeler. If youre injured at work, and its work-related, you dont have any right to sue your employer for negligence. Your only remedy if youre injured at work is workers comp. The bill introduced by Rep. David Anderson, R-Hudson, would allow for the aggregation of wages from multiple jobs, but also define when it applies and limit the new law to claims filed after the May 5 ruling. Many of the details and compromises were hashed out ahead of the session by the Workers Compensation Advisory Council, chaired by Republican Lt. Gov. Matt Michels. Anderson said he disagrees with the high courts ruling, as state workers compensation law has been consistently interpreted for decades, and he doubts legislators had any concept of the aggregation of wages when they wrote the law. Andersons bill stops short of requiring seasonal employers from covering wages for non-seasonal jobs, and includes additional wages from other jobs only when an injury prevents the employee from doing their other jobs. Anderson said he feels more comfortable with legislators setting policy than judges. Thats part of what happens when the Supreme Court makes a ruling on an individual case, but then it gets interpreted all across the spectrum of possible cases, Anderson said. There gets to be questions and things that dont fit. Nasser said she lobbied for the law to cover earlier cases, but businesses and insurers didnt want the new law to apply to old cases. Shortly after the Wheeler decision, the National Council on Compensation Insurance warned that the ruling could result in an increase in workers compensation costs. South Dakota has the highest percentage of multiple job holders 8.9 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics compared to other states. The bill now heads to the House Commerce and Energy Committee, where members can make changes before deciding whether to send it to the full chamber. Anderson said the bill has a provision that requires the Workers Compensation Advisory Council to report back to legislators in three years about the impacts of the policy change. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Aspen Group Announces Acquisition of AgriLogic Insurance Services, LLC Specialty insurer Aspen Insurance has acquired AgriLogic Insurance Services, LLC and certain affiliates for cash in a transaction that further diversifies Aspenss specialty insurance business. AgriLogic, headquartered in Kansas, is a specialist U.S. crop insurer and agricultural consultant that reported estimated gross written premiums of $185 million in 2015. The company was founded as a consulting firm and leverages its technical capability and industry knowledge to provide its crop and agricultural insurance agents with customized risk management services for U.S. and international agricultural businesses. AgriLogics President & CEO Joe Davis will continue in his role, reporting to Brian Boornazian, chairman, Aspen Re and AgriLogic will form part of Aspens existing reinsurance operations, led by Michael Dicker, group head of Agriculture. Nationwide Completes Rebrand of Scottsdale Insurance Company Nationwide has completed the rebranding of Scottsdale Insurance Company to Nationwide and will continue to offer excess & surplus and specialty solutions as the E&S/Specialty business unit. In September 2014, Nationwide announced it was beginning the process of converting all of its operations to leverage its strongest brand asset. The E&S/Specialty team at Nationwide will continue to underwrite products with Scottsdale Insurance and affiliated companies and will remain in Scottsdale, Ariz., which Nationwide has identified as a strategic go forward location. The companys Scottsdale campus is the home of roughly 1,500 associates who support E&S/Specialty, Nationwide Private Client, property & casualty regional operations and support functions for other Nationwide business lines. Marsh Launches New Global Excess Cyber Risk Facility Marsh, a global insurance broker and risk management provider, announced the launch of Cyber ECHO, a new global excess cyber risk facility that provides more reliable insurance coverage for organizations around the world. Following a series of high-profile cyber losses, underwriters have become more selective and in some cases are reducing the amount of capital they are willing to deploy on certain risks especially those involving health care and payment card data. This is particularly acute in the excess cyber market, where rates have more than doubled in the U.S. over the last 12 months. Cyber ECHO brings greater stability to the excess market with up to $50 million in follow form coverage for clients of any industry sector and risk profile around the world. Underwritten by leading Lloyds of London syndicates, the facility is designed to respond consistently to the terms and conditions outlined in the primary cyber policy. Such follow form language helps to mitigate coverage ambiguities that can sometimes lead to costly disputes and/or delays in claims payments. Cyber ECHO also includes a pre-priced option that allows insureds to reinstate policy limits, should they experience a cyber event during the policy period that has the potential to exhaust their policy limits. ISO to Launch Management and Professional Liability Unit ISO, a Verisk Analytics business announced the launch of its management and professional liability unit. The unit will spearhead new and revised coverage options as well as actuarial and analytics solutions to better serve the changing world of business and corporate risks. Joining ISO to lead the effort are Stephen Whelan, Michael Doyle, and Barbara Russo. They join an existing team to expand ISO offerings, including crime, D&O (directors and officers), EPL (employment practices liability), fiduciary liability, financial institutions, and professional liability or E&O (errors and omissions). The team will also focus on ISOs excess and surplus and reinsurance solutions. Chubb Partners With Crawford & Company on New Cyber Incident Response Platform Chubb launched a new partnership with Crawford & Company as it continues to invest in building its cyber enterprise risk management capabilities. Crawford & Company will provide Chubbs clients with a single point of contact and a 24/7 incident response platform to report cyber incidents. Crawfords qualified incident managers will help insureds navigate through the complexities of a cyber incident from start to finish and offer access to a global network of crisis management service providers. The platform will be available to current and future policyholders who purchase cyber cover through Chubb in Europe. It is designed to meet the needs of a wide range of international and domestic organizations across Europe, including both larger and middle-market companies in Continental Europe and the UK and Ireland. Highlights of the new platform include: A direct, single point of contact to help manage the incident response from end to end. A 24/7 incident response hotline available in over 200 languages. A dedicated, highly qualified and accredited incident manager who will help the insured navigate the complexities of the incident. Access to Crawfords seamless global network of forensics, legal, notification, fraud remediation and public relations experts. Flexibility to add other partners into the Crawford network of providers based on the insureds existing relationships. Access to Chubbs global underwriting expertise and claims network, including: dedicated cyber teams in Europe and the US with a track record of over 15 years of local underwriting experience and claims handling and Chubbs local presence spanning 54 countries worldwide. This will be further supported in key European markets by teams of third-party local incident response experts, coordinated by Chubb. An investigation into whats being called one of the largest cases of workers compensation healthcare insurance fraud in California Department of Insurance history led to 13 indictments announced today against seven Southern California-based medical professionals. This is the second wave of indictments against attorneys, doctors and medical providers who ripped off nearly 20 insurance companies by taking kickbacks totaling nearly $500,000 for treatments, including chiropractic, pain management, echo cardiograms and sleep studies resulting in millions of dollars of fraudulent workers comp claims, according to CDI. These indictments are the result of a joint investigation by the Department of Insurance, FBI, U.S. Attorneys Office and the San Diego District Attorneys Office. The operation was first announced in November, when federal indictments were handed down to eight defendants including doctors and their associates. In addition to the state charges brought this week, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced federal indictments against three additional defendants who allegedly recruited individuals to file workers comp claims resulting from on-the-job injuries. The defendants then directed these patients to specific chiropractors who met a pre-determined quota of referring new patients for goods and services such as MRIs and medical equipment, according to CDI. These providers built an elaborate and illegal kickback and bribery scheme that bought and sold patients putting profits ahead of patient medical needs, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said in a statement. Workers compensation is designed to protect injured workers and legitimate businesses, not create a fraudulent profit center for providers bent on taking advantage of the system. Fraudulent enterprises like this create a multi-billion-dollar drain on Californias economy. Jonathan Larsons Family Talks RENT Legacy Ahead of 20th Anniversary Tour [BROADWAY'S BEST] RENT composer and playwright Jonathan Larson passed away on Jan. 25, 1996, the very same morning that his Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning work opened for previews. Even though he unfortunately didnt live long enough to see, RENT has had a profound impact on millions and millions of fans all around the world. Now Larsons sister and father are opening up about his legacy ahead of the 20th Anniversary tour of the Broadway classic. After his death, Jonathan Larsons sister Julie and father Al became heavily involved in the legacy of RENT. With a new 20th anniversary tour in the works, Playbill sat down Al and Julie to discuss Jonathans legacy. When asked why her and her father attended various productions, all around the world, Julie replied: From my perspective, we felt it was important for us to be as many places as Jon would have been, had he lived. I don't think we ever actually discussed the why. It was just something we all felt compelled to do, and it was amazing and unbelievable to us to watch the trajectory of RENT unfold. We wanted to be personally involved and observe how RENT touched people's' lives all around the world. It was also cathartic, in some ways, while simultaneously being extremely difficult, emotionally. Jonathans father Al went on to add his own answer to the question, saying: As I've said over and over, I was in a total funk for several years after Jon died, and -- even though I hadn't the slightest idea of what I was doing -- had this mad urge to make sure everyone understood that it was Jonnie's show, to be presented as if he was there keeping everyone on their toes. I don't think I fully appreciated that the show got into the blood of the people involved in it, and they didn't need my urging at all. The 20th Anniversary touring production of RENT kicks off this fall. Producer Stephen Gabriel spoke to Broadway World about the upcoming tour: "For the past 20 years, RENT has touched the lives of audiences around the world from Broadway to regional productions to high school auditoriums. We're thrilled to introduce a new generation to this timeless story of love, friendship and community." 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsJonathan Larson, Family, Rent, Legacy, Ahead, 20th Anniversary Tour, Tour Kentucky Arts Council Budget Elimination Rumors Unfounded Earlier this month, many a member of the Kentucky art community was up in arms after hearing the rumors that newly elected governor Matt Bevin planned to completely eliminate the budge for the state's Kentucky Art Council. As it turns out, however, when the budget was finally revealed last Tuesday, the majority of the Art Coucil's $2,796,200 budget was left intact. The hysteria surrounding reports that Governor Matt Bevin was planning to eliminate the Kentucky Arts Council budget reached suh a fever pitch, that Arts Council board member Wilma Brown of Frankfort is said to have sent out a desperate email to friends and supporters begging them to put out the word before it was too late (via WFPL News): "It is not clear whether an alternative agency will be formed or whether the arts will be folded into another agency. "In either case, oversight of the arts will become political with changes in personnel and programs with each election." Thankfully, the Lexington Herald Leader reported Tuesday that that did not happen -- as the Kentucky Art Council's budget faced only $170K in cuts for 2016. Board chairwoman Mary Michael Corbett commented that in light of his leaving their funds largely intact, that the Kentucky Art Council now viewed Gov. Bevin as a friend and ally to the arts: "As I'm looking at the budget, I am pleasantly surprised and I am delighted that the governor is as supportive of the arts community as this budget indicates. "We look forward to working with his administration to advance the good work of the Kentucky Arts Council." So it looks like fans of Kentucky's arts community won't have to worry about Bevin trying to balance the budget on the back of the Kentucky Arts Council any time soon. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsKentucky Arts Council, Budget, Elimination, Matt Bevin Gwendoline Christie and Kit Harington: The Dr Faustus & Game of Thrones Connection There are a lot of fans of Game of Thrones Jon Snow that would likely sell there soul to save the bastard of the North. But whether or not it Jon Snow is really dead, Kit Harrington is moving on. It was recently revealed that the former War Horse star will be returning to the West End to lead in Duke of York's production of Doctor Faustus. Meanwhile, Haringtons Game of Thrones co-star and former Dr Faustus Lucifer actress ( Manchester, Royal Exchange 2010) Gwendoline Christie is also moving onward upward. Recently, Christie confirmed that she return as Captain Phasma in Disneys Star Wars Episode 8. UPDATE: Doctor Faustus tickets are available Now. For more information go to thejamielloydcompany.com It was recently announced that Game of Thrones Jon Snow actor Kit Harington has found a new job. Harington is returning to the London stage as Doctor Faustus (via Playbill): "I have been away from the theatre for six years, so the combination of Colin Teevan's inventive version of Marlowes extraordinary play in the hands of the visionary director Jamie Lloyd all felt like the perfect reason to come back. Faustus' journey is exhilarating and the idea of playing a magician - a showman - is hugely exciting." Doctor Faustus begins previews on April 9 and opens on April 25. Doctor Faustus will be performed at the West End's Duke of York's Theatre. Tickets are available Now. For more information go to thejamielloydcompany.com Gwendoline Christie will return to the Star Wars universe in Episode 8. 2016 The Classical Art, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. TagsStar Wars Episode 8, gwendoline christie, captain phasma, Dead, Jon Snow, Kit Harington, Dr Faustus, Doctor Faustus, Faust, Game of Thrones, Connection AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron couple is accused of robbing a man with a shotgun after they lured him to their home with an online advertisement. Shiloh Small-Moore, 21, and She'nea Clements, 25, are charged with aggravated robbery. The couple is expected to appear in court on Monday. Clements posted an ad on backpage.com. A 37-year-old man answered the ad. The two then exchanged text messages, according to court records. They set up a meeting for 4 a.m. Saturday at Clements' and Small-Moore's home in the 200 block of East Thornton Street. The man came to the home and the two talked for a few minutes. Small-Moore, Clements' boyfriend, walked into the room with a shotgun and stole $40 from the man, according to court records. The man left and called police. Akron police searched the home and found the shotgun and the $40, court records say. AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron man already serving a prison sentence pleaded guilty to selling heroin and fentanyl to a woman who died from using his drugs. Trevon Thomas, 20, pleaded guilty Friday to involuntary manslaughter and aggravated fentanyl trafficking. Summit County Common Pleas Judge Lynne Callahan sentenced him to seven years in prison. Thomas sold the drugs to Carissa K. Ewing, 28. A friend told investigators they spoke with Ewing about 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2014. Ewing's mother found her unconscious in her bedroom about two hours later. Ewing was taken to Akron General Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Investigators used Ewing's cellphone to set up another drug deal with Thomas. He then sold heroin to an undercover Akron police officer later in the day. Police searched his car and found a bag of heroin, drug packaging and $259 prosecutors believe was drug money, court records say. Thomas is currently serving a 17-month prison sentence on two cases. He pleaded guilty to running a red light in August and slamming into a car driving on an intersecting road. Thomas ran from the crash. The driver of the other car, a 32-year-old Tallmadge woman, was hospitalized with several broken bones that required surgery. While that case was pending, Akron drug detectives caught Thomas and another man delivering heroin and Xanax to someone on East Cuyahoga Falls Avenue. Police found the drugs, $437 cash and a scale in Thomas' car. He eventually pleaded guilty to drug possession. Thomas was set to be released from prison on April 23 on those charges. Wild-Eagle-Saloon-Rendering-Feb-2016.jpg A rendering shows the updated sign for the Wild Eagle Saloon, without a Native American logo that offended some downtown residents and members of the Cleveland City Planning Commission. (Geis Hospitality Group) CLEVELAND, Ohio - A two-level bar called Wild Eagle Saloon will open in downtown Cleveland in early spring, but the developer has backed away from a controversial sign bearing a stylized image of a Native American chief. Geis Hospitality Group has fine-tuned plans for Wild Eagle, a 6,400-square-foot saloon slated for the first floor and mezzanine of the Howell Building at 921 Huron Road. The space will feature old-school games, a small stage and self-serve beer dispensers billed as "inebriation stations." The country-tinged menu will include fried chicken and a "stick 'em up" section filled with food on a stick. But the project won't involve the chief-topped sign, which offended some downtown residents and members of the Cleveland City Planning Commission. The commission vetoed the original sign design late last year, but gave the Streetsboro-based Geis Cos. approval for renovations to the building's facade. "We feel that the wild eagle and the story and lore of the wild eagle is important," Keith Halfmann of Geis Hospitality Group said, noting that Geis will continue using the image of a man in profile sporting a feathered headdress on internal marketing materials. "But if the Indian head on the sign was going to be met with such resistance, we didn't want that to stand between us and the community." The developer also toned down the eastern side of the sign, which will face apartment buildings. Geis expects to open the restaurant by April 4, in time for the Cleveland Indians' home opener. Joseph Giuliano, who leads the Downtown Cleveland Residents Association, said tweaks to the outdoor lighting scheme and patio configuration addressed many neighborhood concerns about disruption and noise from the saloon. The Native American logo on the sign was a lingering concern for some neighbors, he said. "The other issues have been addressed," Giuliano said, "so we're very pleased that our voice was heard and those changes were made." An earlier version of the neon-lit sign for the Wild Eagle Saloon featured a stylized Native American chief's head in profile. Halfmann said the downtown bar could be the first in a series of Wild Eagle locations for Geis Hospitality, a relatively new arm of a Northeast Ohio real estate and construction business. The group recently bulked up its staff by hiring a vice president of finance and a marketing director who previously worked at Quaker Steak & Lube, a casual restaurant chain. Geis Hospitality operates the Metropolitan hotel at The 9, the Geis organization's mixed-use redevelopment of the former Ameritrust complex on East Ninth Street. Wild Eagle will be just around the corner from The 9, immediately east of the new Cuyahoga County administration building that Geis also constructed. "We conceived the idea for Wild Eagle Saloon after spending a lot of long days and late nights working on the hotel's opening," Greg Geis, chief executive officer of the Geis Cos., said in a written statement. "We realized that there was not only a void in the downtown market for a drinking hole to cool down after long days of work but also there was not a fun lunch spot with good, affordable food for us to have a break in the day." Wild Eagle will be open for lunch, happy hour and dinner, and late into the evening. Geis plans to outfit the space with indoor bocce courts, pool tables, vintage arcade games, a punching-bag machine, arm-wrestling machine and darts. The beer dispensers will operate on a card system that will allow Geis to monitor and limit guests' alcohol consumption, Halfmann said. He said Geis aims to create "a raucous environment - but not one that's going to spill out onto the street and disturb the neighbors." The target patron is a 21-to-31-year-old downtown resident or worker. Customers and staff members might get up on the bar and dance, he added, but the western tropes will stop short of a mechanical bull. Plans for the saloon originally included a distillery, but Geis needed more space for that project. The company is scouting the suburbs for such a production facility and freestanding restaurant sites, though Halfmann said he wants to perfect the downtown saloon before opening additional locations. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson wants city voters to increase the municipal income tax from 2 percent to 2.5 percent -- a move that, he says, would plug a multi-million shortfall in the city's budget next year, dramatically improve services to the public and help fund the implementation of a federal consent decree on police use of force. During an interview Monday with cleveland.com reporters and editors, Jackson said that after this year, the city - ravaged by deep cuts to the state's local government fund and the loss of other revenue streams -- no longer will be able to sustain its current level of service. If voters do not approve the tax hike, Jackson said, it would mean mass layoffs of city workers and a devastating decline in the quality of life in Cleveland. In short, more potholes, more blight, unplowed snow and slower police response. "The choice people will have is, do you want a structurally balanced budget that increases capacity to deliver services, or do you want a budget that is balanced but reduces service and lays off people?" Jackson said, laying bare the ultimatum. ".... It's a very clear choice. Either way it will not be as it is today." The city's income tax - 87 percent of which is collected from suburbanites who work in Cleveland - has remained steady at 2 percent since 1981. Jackson, who seeks to put the issue on the ballot either in November or next March, said that bumping the tax rate to 2.5 percent would generate an extra $83.5 million for the city. By spring, the mayor said, he will present the public with an outline of what additional services the city could provide with the new income tax revenue. Alternatively, if City Council waits to put the issue on the ballot next year, a 2017 budget proposal will show deep service cuts and layoffs after the first quarter - "an honest reflection of reality," Jackson said. Budget projections for 2016 show the city barely breaking even, with a little more than $722,000 in the coffers by year's end. Services already are cut to the bone, vital city jobs have gone unfilled to save money, and ever-increasing expenses leave nothing to carry over toward an expected shortfall in 2017, Jackson said. Among the new expenses this year in the city's $566.7 million budget are newly negotiated union wages and retroactive pay increases, healthcare coverage, upfront costs of hosting the Republican National Convention in July, and the daunting $11 million first-year expenses of the consent decree governing police use of force. Next year, the city expects the cost of policing to rise even higher after a police staffing study likely recommends hiring more officers and buying more equipment. Meanwhile, Jackson laments, state policy has ravaged local governments, redirecting money to a state surplus from the cities that need it most. Cleveland has lost $30 million a year in local government funding since before the recession took hold in 2008. And the city has lost millions more with the abolition of the tangible personal property tax, commercial activity tax and estate tax. Two of Jackson's biggest critics, City Council members Zack Reed and Jeffrey Johnson, said in a recent interview that they would support an income tax increase if it means a greater police presence in their East Side neighborhoods to quell an epidemic of violent crime. Councilman Michael Polensek said he, too, would support the issue - but only if Jackson's administration institutes quality control measures on services and ensures efficiency in city departments. Council President Kevin Kelley said in an interview Monday that he is "painfully aware" of the city's budget challenges and the cuts instituted on the state level. He said he would support the mayor's proposal, provided Jackson can present a plan that truly will raise the quality of city services above the status quo. "I'm open to it as long as that condition is met," Kelley said. "It can't just be that we're projecting a certain deficit for 2018, so we'll raise taxes by that much just to keep moving in place. I want to see how life in the city of Cleveland is going to get better." Have you been avoiding Chipotle over the E. coli outbreaks? There may be a measure of reassurance in the works. The Centers for Disease Control has announced that the outbreaks "appear to be over." The Wall Street Journal, among other news sources, also reported the CDC is about to announce an end to its investigation into last year's outbreak that sickened more than 50 customers in nine states. Three customers were from Ohio. When the CDC says an outbreak is "over," said the WSJ, quoting a CDC spokeswoman, that means its investigation is closed. CDC investigators still don't know which ingredient carried the foodborne illness, said the agency's web site. No new illnesses from that case have been reported for the past two months. About 140 Chipotle customers in Boston were sickened by a norovirus outbreak in December, and others at a California shop in August. In the midst of their tumbling stock prices, Chipotle announced it would close all its stores for a day on Feb. 8 for food safety sessions with employees. Advertising and social-media campaigns are also being planned. No new developments have been reported in an earlier rumor that the illnesses were tied to bioterrorism. apartments elyria Elyria police are investigating after two people were found dead in an SUV in the parking lot of the Floridian Apartments. (Ryllie Danylko, cleveland.com) ELYRIA, Ohio -- Elyria police have released the names of a husband and wife found dead with gunshot wounds in an apparent double homicide. Elyria residents Fannie M. Lewis, 22, and Michael L. Lewis, 32, were found in an SUV outside the Floridian Apartments on Foxhill Lane, Elyria police spokesman Capt. Chris Constantino said. Police were called to the apartment complex shortly after 10 p.m. for reports of gunfire. Officers found the pair unresponsive in a rented Chevrolet Traverse with New York license plates. They were pronounced dead at the scene. The couple was about a mile away from their home on the 2400 block of West River Road, Constantino said. A neighbor who asked to be identified as Angie W. said she heard three or four gunshots. Connie Owens, who said she lives at the apartments said that she was outside around the time of the shooting. Owens said she didn't hear gunfire, but saw a vehicle speed out of the parking lot and strike a curb. Residents said the apartment community is usually safe, but sees heavy traffic because it's located near the Midway Mall and another shopping center. The Lorain County Coroner will make an official ruling on their deaths after autopsies are performed. Police haven't made any arrests or identified any suspects in the case. Anyone with information on the incident is being asked to call detectives at 440-323-3302. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Buckeye Chuck, Ohio's version of Pennsylvania's legendary Punxsutawney Phil, has been looking for his shadow every February since the 1970s. According to the Groundhog Day legend -- which dates back to the 19th Century -- if a groundhog sees his shadow when he emerges from underground on Feb. 2, he scurries back below the soil, resulting in six more weeks of winter weather. If he doesn't see his shadow, we get an early spring. But his prognostications have been less than accurate in recent years, at least in Northeast Ohio. Chuck is a relative newcomer to the weather prediction racket. Phil has been looking for his shadow since the late 1800s. Chuck and is much more likely to predict an early spring than his western Pennsylvania counterpart, but is also much less likely to get it right. A look at the average high and low temperatures in February and March for the past decade shows that the weather in Northeast Ohio frequently differs from Chuck's forecast. In fact, Chuck got it right only twice since 2006, even by fairly generous standards. Phil faired only slightly better. According to an analysis published in USA Today, he's been "right" 13 times and "wrong" 15 times since 1988. 2006 prediction: What actually happened: February had an average high of 36.9 degrees and an average low of 24.1 degrees. March saw an average high of 44.7 degrees and an average low of 30.6 degrees. Verdict: Mostly right. Sure, northeast Ohio is colder than most of the country, but I still don't consider it an early spring if the highs don't get any warmer than the 30s in February. 2007 prediction: What actually happened: February saw an average high of 25.5 degrees and an average low of 12 degrees, while March experienced an average high of 48.9 degrees and an average low of 31.3 degrees. Verdict: Dead wrong. Although Chuck might have had a solid argument if his forecast started on March 2 instead of Feb. 2. 2008 prediction: What actually happened: February had an average high of 34.8 degrees and an average low of 19.6 degrees, while March saw an average high of 40.7 degrees and an average low of 26.4 degrees. Verdict: Wrong. When the average high in February is in the low 30s, you don't get to call it an early spring. 2009 prediction: What actually happened: February had an average high of 38 degrees and an average low of 23 degrees, and March saw an average high of 50.2 degrees with an average low of 28.9 degrees. Verdict: Mostly right. Temperatures in the low 20s certainly qualifies as winter weather. 2010 prediction: What actually happened: February saw an average high of 33.6 degrees and an average low of 23.1 degrees, and March experienced an average high of 51 degrees and an average low of 33.5 degrees. Verdict: Mostly wrong. Highs in the 50s could be considered spring weather in Northeast Ohio, but you can't say we got an early spring when average temperatures were below freezing for most of February. 2011 prediction: What actually happened: February saw an average high of 36.8 degrees and an average low of 21.2 degrees, while March saw an average high of 43.6 degrees and an average low of 29.1 degrees. Verdict: Mostly wrong. Even in March the average lows were below freezing 2012 prediction: What actually happened: February had an average high of 41.4 degrees and an average low of 28.3 degrees, while March saw an average high of 61.3 degrees and an average low of 41.6 degrees. Verdict: Mostly right. February and March 2012 had the warmest average high temperatures for those months in the past decade. I'll give you this one, Chuck. 2013 prediction: What actually happened: February experienced an average high of 34.5 degrees and an average low of 21.3 degrees, while March saw an average high of 41.4 degrees and an average low of 23.1 degrees. Verdict: Dead wrong. You can't say we had an early spring when the temperatures in February were regularly in the low 20s. 2014 prediction: What actually happened: February saw an average high of 30.9 degrees and an average low of 14.2 degrees, while March had an average high of 41.4 degrees and an average low of 23.1 degrees. Verdict: Dead wrong. If the temperature doesn't get much higher than freezing, that means we're still experiencing winter weather. 2015 prediction: What actually happened: February saw an average high of 23.4 degrees and an average low of 5.2 degrees, while March had an average high of 42.6 degrees and an average low of 25.1 degrees. Verdict: Dead wrong. Chuck said we'd get an early spring. Instead we got the coldest February in 10 years. watch now The wealth management arm of Swiss investment bank UBS has created a new team to focus on trading strategies, in an effort to meet demand from ultra-wealthy clients for shorter-term trading options. The group have hired Vinay Pande, former partner of Brevan Howard, one of Europe's largest hedge fund firms, to head up the new division, along with another former partner of the investment firm and two former employees. "This is the first time (at UBS Wealth Management) that we have actively looked to focus on the more shorter-term horizon with respect with directional and relative value trades," chief investment officer for from ultra-high net worth clients at UBS Wealth Management, Simon Smiles told CNBC. Pande exited the hedge fund group in October of last year, according to media reports at the time, having managed the Brevan Howard Strategic Macro Fund for the asset manager. Pande will be appointed to the new role of managing director and head of trading strategies in the UBS Chief Investment Office, effective February 1st, 2016. With close to $2 trillion in invested assets, UBS Wealth Management is the largest wealth manager in the world. A worker checks the valves at Al-Sheiba oil refinery in the southern Iraq city of Basra. Oil prices staged a small recovery last week after hovering at lows not seen since 2003; U.S. crude futures gained 10.81 percent, while Brent was up 13.90 percent. The gains were fueled by hopes of a deal between major non-OPEC producer Russia and OPEC heavyweight Saudi Arabia to reduce production in order to tackle the global supply glut that is weighing on prices. But Saudi Arabia's response has been lukewarm, despite pressure from other members of the oil cartel that have been hit by low oil prices. On Sunday, state-owned Al Arabiya television said the kingdom wanted to cooperate with other oil producers to support the market. But it did not give any definite indication that it would reduce output. Iran, on the other hand, has announced increased production, designed to regain lost market share and revenue due to international sanctions. For this week's Trader Poll, tell us what's going on with OPEC: Paging Agents Mulder and Scully. In a blog post on Sunday, the Central Intelligence Agency declassified hundreds of documents culled from the 1940s and 50s that reference unidentified flying objects otherwise known as UFOs. The agency cheekily referred to the document cache as its very own "X-Files," referencing the hit Fox Network television show from the 90s that recently made a comeback. "Below you will find five documents we think X-Files character Agent Fox Mulder would love to use to try and persuade others of the existence of extraterrestrial activity," the CIA posted on its blog. "We also pulled five documents we think his skeptical partner, Agent Dana Scully, could use to prove there is a scientific explanation for UFO sightings." Read MoreWorld War II could ruin Mars mission: Musk According to the documents, 1952 was an active year for UFO sightings. During that year, flying saucers reported over East Germany, Spain, North Africa, and Belgian Congo. Lest true believers get their hopes up, however, CIA investigators wrote a terse report that characterized many of the estimated 1000-2000 sightings as "phoney (sic)." "The panel members were impressed with the lack of sound data in the great majority of case histories," one report deadpanned. After reviewing those instances, "the panel concluded that reasonable explanations could be suggested for most sightings," it added. That didn't foreclose ongoing investigations, however. "It is recommended that CIA surveillance of subject matter, in coordination with proper authorities of primary operational concern...be continued," a CIA deputy assistant director wrote in August of 1952. "Notwithstanding the foregoing tentative facts, so long as a series of reports remains 'unexplainable'...caution requires that intelligence continue coverage of the subject." Britain and the European Union (EU) reached agreement in only one of the four areas where Prime Minister David Cameron wants to see reform, a source close to the negotiations said on Sunday. Cameron had dinner with European Council President Donald Tusk in London on Sunday to try to agree the main points of Britain's renegotiation over its relationship with EU before a summit of leaders on Feb. 18-19. Reaching an agreement on the UK's relationship with the EU at the February summit is seen as key to Cameron's ability to put the UK's membership of the EU to a public vote before the summer parliamentary recess. The two had been been discussing the EU's proposal for an emergency brake on benefits payments to migrants as a way to meet Cameron's target of curbing immigration into Britain. The UK also wants the ability to opt out of further political integration into the EU, more powers for national parliaments to block EU legislation and recognition that the euro is not the only currency of the bloc, as well as guarantees the UK would not have to contribute to euro zone bailouts. Cameron has been criticized in the UK for the speed at which his government has dealt with the influx of migrants. After the talks, Tusk said there had been no deal and that there would be another 24 hours of discussions. After the talks are finished, Britain is expected to release a text of the draft renegotiation terms. - CNBC contributed to this report. NYSE Trader Spencer Platt | Getty Images Check out the companies making headlines after the bell Monday: Shares of technology giant Alphabet climbed after the bell Monday, ballooning its market capitalization to $570 billion to unofficially surpass Apple as the world's largest company. The technology giant posted quarterly earnings that beat analysts estimates by a wide margin, with earnings per share of $8.67 on revenue of $21.33 billion, versus the expected $8.10 earnings on $20.77 billion. The Internet company's aggregate paid clicks, a key advertising metric, rose 31 percent from the previous year, beating consensus expectations of about 22 percent, according to StreetAccount. Fellow advertising platform LinkedIn also bounced after hours ahead of its earnings announcement this Thursday. Global toy manufacturing company Mattel , which makes brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels and UNO, also popped after hours. Mattel posted higher-than-expected adjusted earnings of 67 cents per share on revenues of $2 billion, surpassing estimates of 61 cents per share, adjusted, on $1.91 billion in revenue. The toymaker made headlines last week after redesigning the iconic Barbie doll to reflect different body sizes and ethnic diversity. Anadarko Petroleum shares edged higher in extended trading, despite reporting a quarterly loss. The company posted a quarterly loss of 57 cents per share on $2.05 billion in revenue a softer landing than the $1.08 loss per share on $2.10 billion in revenue predicted by analysts. Shares of the Texas-based oil and gas exploration company are down more than 53 percent over the past year as historically low oil prices have choked the energy sector. An earnings beat also sent shares of Aflac higher after the bell. The supplemental insurance company posted adjusted earnings per share of $1.56 on $5.32 billion in revenue, topping estimates of $1.47 per share, adjusted, on $5.22 billion. watch now watch now watch now GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson told CNBC ahead of Monday evening's Iowa caucuses that he believes he's picked up support in the last few days. "We are climbing," he asserted. The last major poll before the Iowa nominating contest showed Republican front-runner Donald Trump with 28 percent support of likely state GOP caucus-goers, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas with 23 percent, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida with 15 percent, and Carson with 10 percent. The Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 points, so Trump's lead over Cruz is statistically insignificant. In reaction to that poll, Carson said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Monday morning: "There's a tendency for a lot of the media to ignore me. But the people are not ignoring me." Read MoreRival big donors back Rubio and Cruz Many Republican strategists expect a higher turnout Monday evening in Iowa than in the past two election cycles. Higher turnout is widely expected to favor Trump. One of the factors that could affect turnout was a blizzard heading for the state. The forecast Monday morning appeared fine for getting people to the caucuses and even home afterward. But there were questions about whether the expected storm would deter people about heading out. If he were elected president, Carson said reforming high U.S. corporate tax rates and declaring war on Islamic State terrorists would be among his top priorities. He added: "Here's the thing people are not paying attention to: This generation is the first one in the history of America not expected to do better than their parents. And that's the beginning of a trend." "People say it's the new normal. But there's nothing normal about it, and we shouldn't expect it," he continued, blaming the headwinds on too much costly government regulation. "It's basically a tax, a very regressive tax because everyone has to pay it at the same level." Beyond Iowa, Carson said: "We have stuff on the ground all over the country. We have very much prepared." The nation's first primary is in New Hampshire on Feb. 9. Carson had been polling strongly in Iowa and New Hampshire in the fall, according to RealClear Politics polling aggregator, overtaking Trump for a short time in Iowa and running in second in New Hampshire. By early November, however, Carson's numbers started to plummet in Iowa as Cruz surged. Over roughly the same period, Carson's numbers tanked in New Hampshire as well, as Ohio Gov. John Kasich motored into a distant second to Trump. Cruz and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush have also been steadily gaining in New Hampshire. Iowa and four other states were directly in the path of a massive snowstorm barreling across the Plains on Monday, but it's not going to bury the Hawkeye State until after most of the caucusing is over. "The southwest corner of Iowa is most likely where the caucuses will be affected by light snow, but the storm should not impact most places," Weather Channel Lead Meteorologist Kevin Roth told NBC News. Still, the storm is likely to pack a wallop in the five states under blizzard watches and warnings, dumping up to 18 inches of snow and snarling traffic for millions. And it remains to be seen whether the threat of bad weather will keep Iowans from the caucus sites on Tuesday. Although the largest snow totals were expected in rural areas, Iowa's biggest city, Des Moines, is expected to get socked with anywhere from 6 inches to a foot of snow through Wednesday. Similar amounts of powder are in the forecast for Denver, Omaha and Green Bay, forecasters said. BT's boss has hit back at a report by U.K. lawmakers suggesting the company should be forced to sell off its network and broadband infrastructure business, Openreach, saying the move could create "huge instability". Openreach is a BT subsidiary that owns the cables connecting people to the internet. Other telecoms operators and broadband providers need to use this infrastructure. Last month, a report backed by 121 cross-party members of parliament said that, despite 1.7 billion ($2.42 billion) of taxpayers' money pumped into the construction of high-speed broadband, 5.7 million people across Britain cannot access 10 megabits per second internet speeds, a target required by the telecoms regulator Ofcom. The lawmakers suggested that BT be forced to sell Openreach to boost competition. But Gavin Patterson, the chief executive of BT slammed the suggestion. "The U.K. is an internet economy, it's the strongest internet economy in the worldso it's important that we get the right infrastructure, and I think we've had that," Patterson told CNBC Monday. "We've put forward a basket of measures and I think Ofcom need to consider that against the risk of separation which will create huge instability problems across the whole of the market." Cameron and Tusk met on Sunday for talks on the U.K.'s membership of the 28-country political and economic bloc but failed to reach a deal on three of the four key demands from the U.K. regarding immigration, sovereignty, boosting competitiveness and ensuring the protection of the single market for the U.K. and other non-euro countries. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and the head of the European Council Donald Tusk are due to meet on Monday for further talks on the U.K.'s demands for EU reforms. It's close to crunch time for the U.K and its future in the European Union. Facing an increasingly powerful euro-skeptic group of parties and lawmakers at home, Cameron has been pushing hard for reforms in how the 28-country EU is run. Securing the reforms are vital for Cameron: If he gets a deal, he has a stronger argument for staying in Europe in the U.K.'s referendum on membership slated for sometime this year. If he fails, the euro-skeptic camp can claim that the EU is beyond reform and the U.K. is better off out of the bloc. On Sunday, a source told the BBC there had been a "breakthrough on restricting benefits for EU migrants coming to Britain but Tusk tweeted that "intensive work" would be needed during the extended talks. Tweet There are hopes in the British government that a deal satisfying the U.K.'s demands for reforms and a renegotiation of its membership can be found ahead of a planned EU summit on February 18-19. Tweet With an extra 24 hours of talks ahead, European Council President Tusk said that if there was progress in the talks, he would table his draft proposal to other European leaders ahead of the summit. Tweet The referendum comes amid a tide of rising euro-skepticism in Britain, with polls suggesting a close result of the referendum a so-called "Brexit" is a distinct possibility although most analysts believe that "no" vote (a "no" to leaving the EU) will prevail. Mujtaba Rahman, Europe practice head at Eurasia Group said in note ahead of the weekend's talks that the political risk research and consulting firm's base case scenario was for Cameron to secure a deal over his EU renegotiation at the upcoming 18-19 February meeting. "In turn, this would pave the way for a referendum in June," Rahman said. The group believed that even if there was deadlock at the February summit, a deal could be reached in March, still allowing for a June referendum. Eurasia's Rahman believed that the British public "will ultimately opt to stay in the European Union (EU), although we do recognize the risks that exist (our "Brexit" probability is around 30 percent)." Other analysts are not so sure that euroskeptic Brits be convinced to change their expected voting intentions, even if Cameron manages to persuade other European leaders to concede to the U.K.'s demands for reforms. "I think capex is going to drop off quite dramatically later this year, drilling activity is going to slow, a lot of companies are going to go [bankrupt], and I think that's going to lead to some really bad numbers economically," he added. "We haven't even seen the beginning of bankruptcies in the oil patch," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box." Yusko, who last year correctly forecast crude oil would fall to $30 a barrel by the end of 2015, said trouble in the energy industry, which accounts for roughly 15 to 20 percent of high-yield debt, will seriously impact credit markets. Morgan Creek Capital Management chief Mark Yusko said Monday he's on the same page with Carl Icahn when the billionaire investor says there's danger ahead in credit markets. Morgan Creek, with about $3.7 billion in assets under management, is primarily a hedge fund allocator, which means it invests in other funds on behalf of clients. The firm also makes its own bets on certain stocks. In a list of 10 predictions for 2016, Morgan Creek listed as number 10 credit market deterioration due to excess central bank liquidity that resulted in a bond bubble. That sets up "abundant opportunities to short credit in emerging markets, high yield (energy) during this new distressed debt cycle." It also leads into Morgan Creek's first prediction for the year, Yusko said. The firm sees slowing economic growth resulting in a recession in one or more of the major developed economies: the United States, Europe and Japan. Energy companies have canceled or postponed $380 billion worth of projects in 2014, the year the oil price rout began, according to energy consultant Wood Mackenzie. Yusko currently sees a 75 percent chance of recession sometime in the next 12 months based on recent economic data. "I think there's a lot of things we should be worried about. Not calamitous, but just concerned," he said. The $20-to-$30 per barrel range is where oil prices clear much of the market, Yusko said. By the end of the year, he sees oil prices at roughly $40 per barrel but said it would take some time for U.S. crude production to fall enough to stabilize prices. The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts U.S. oil production will fall to an average of 8.7 million barrels per day this year from 9.4 million in 2015. Google , Facebook and other U.S. Internet giants could face huge fines without a new agreement on how they handle the personal information of their European customers. Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images Negotiators from the United States and Europe will meet Tuesday to discuss a new set of rules to protect the personal data of Europeans. Failure to reach a "safe harbor" agreement could force American Internet goliaths like Amazon , Facebook and Google to change the way they manage customer information or face the risk of tens of millions of dollars in fines for violating the European Union's increasingly tough privacy regulations. Revenue at risk U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker assured attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week that the two sides were working hard on a comprehensive agreement, but she conceded that stumbling blocks remained over mass surveillance by U.S. security agencies and the right of European citizens to review their personal information. Without a new deal, U.S. Internet companies could be forced to keep European customer data separate, adding complexity to their already far-flung operations and raising their costs. This week Facebook announced it was setting up its second data center in Europe, possibly positioning itself in case it needed to segregate European customer data. In addition, the French newspaper Le Monde reported Thursday that Google was also taking steps to allow European citizens to delete their information, meeting an EU demand that consumers be given a right to be "forgotten." Talks have been under way for two years to revise the 15-year-old Safe Harbor Agreement, which gave U.S. companies blanket legal protection to transfer European customer information across the Atlantic. However, negotiations became more urgent last October when the European Court of Justice unexpectedly ruled that Irish authorities (where Facebook and other U.S. tech companies have European headquarters) had failed to adequately protect the privacy of European citizens. In December, the EU issued new directives backed by stiff fines that have left American Internet giants, like Google, Facebook and Amazon and thousands of other companies in limbo about how they collect, store and use European customer data. The maximum fine could be 4 percent of a company's global revenues. For Facebook, with 2016 revenues projected at $24 billion by Bank of America analysts, an extreme penalty could mean a bite of nearly $100 million. [Because of the delicate nature of negotiations, regulators in the U.S. and Europe declined interview requests from CNBC.com. Facebook and Google did not respond to inquiries.] Battle over privacy Blame the new turmoil on two individuals: Edward Snowden and Max Schrems. Snowden is the well-known NSA whistleblower who exposed the massive U.S. government surveillance of private citizens via the Prism program. Schrems is a lot less famous, but the 28-year-old Austrian Ph.D. candidate in law has single-handedly challenged the way big tech companies handle personal data. Inspired by Snowden's revelations, Schrems filed a lawsuit in 2013 charging that his Facebook data was not adequately protected from U.S. surveillance. He won the surprising judgment last October when the European Court of Justice knocked down the 15-year-old Safe Harbor agreement governing data transfers between the European Union and the United States. The second blow was a tough new data-protection directive from the European Union in December that included the new maximum fine of 4 percent. Among its provisions: mandatory disclosure of data breaches, parental permission for children under 16 to join social networks, the right of European citizens to be completely "forgotten" by data collectors and a requirement that large companies name a data-protection officer. "The regulation returns control over citizens' personal data to citizens," Jan Philipp Albrecht, the EC's lead legislator on the directives, said of the new rules. "Companies will not be allowed to divulge information that they have received for a particular purpose without the permission of the person concerned. Consumers will have to give their explicit consent to the use of their data." On Thursday, the U.S.Senate Judiciary Committee approved on a bipartisan vote the Judicial Redress Act, clearing the way for Europeans to have the right to review and correct inaccurate information about them one of the major issues in negotiations. watch now U.S. companies are not celebrating. They see the rules as a potentially costly complication and even a trade barrier to doing business in Europe. The U.S Chamber of Commerce, which lobbied heavily in Brussels during the rule-making process, warned that the new directive "has significant implications for Europe's economy and social welfare, as it affects the business community from the United States, Europe and globally." The divergent approaches to privacy on opposite sides of the Atlantic are rooted in culture and history, said Miriam Wugmeister, a privacy and data security expert at law firm Morrison & Foerster. "You had real misuses of personal information to achieve totalitarian and fascistic goals [during World War II]," said Wugmeister. "To Europeans, the mere collection of personal information is a bad thing and you should only be able to do it when you have a really good reason" By contrast, she argues, Americans are much more casual about their privacy. "In the U.S., if you want to collect personal information and put it all in a phone book and sell it, that's fine as long as you don't misuse it." The European sensitivity about privacy was reflected in comments by Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, the top French privacy regulator. "American companies do not have an immediate right to collect data on our citizens," she told The New York Times. "If they are on our soil, then they need to live with the consequences." Max Schrems, whose lawsuit aggravated the privacy turmoil, told CNBC.com that he was not trying to destroy the industry. "I was trying to improve the system." He blamed European officials for failing to enforce their own laws and allowing violations under cover of the old Safe Harbor agreement. In addition, he said, U.S. tech companies were often dismissive of European law. "You had this approach in Silicon Valley: 'We're going to make the rules, and we don't give a damn about your laws.'" Microsoft president and chief legal counsel Brad Smith conceded U.S. companies need to be as transparent as possible. "Who owns your data? You own your data." he told the Davos panel. "If people in Europe are going to trust American companies, we need to be accountable." The ignorance of or deliberate disregard for stricter European privacy regimes has come back to bite the Internet giants, who depend on vast amounts of personal data to determine what and how they sell to customers. But companies often find themselves trying to negotiate the difference between two sets of rules while managing intelligence agency demands. Even internal data could be imperiled. Can the European subsidiary of an American company transmit personnel data to its U.S. headquarters? "It leaves companies holding the bag," said Wugmeister. The smaller companies will not have bargaining power. They will not be able to change their infrastructure to make it work. Miriam Wugmeister Attorney, Morrison & Foerster Google is reportedly trying to increase the vertical integration of the production of its Nexus Android phones. CEO Sundar Pichai and other top Google executives have indicated that the company intends to expand its control over the development of Nexus smartphones, according to the website The Information. Read MoreHow Huawei could gain ground on Apple & Samsung in the U.S. Currently, Google collaborates with Samsung, Motorola , LG and Huawei in the production of its smartphones. watch now watch now watch now Cheniere Energy, the Louisiana-based natural gas exporter-to-be, is off to a lousy start in 2016. And it's taking a bunch of big names including Carl Icahn down with it. After 2015, when the stock lost roughly half its value, one would think some investors would quit trying to catch a falling knife. But it doesn't look like some of Cheniere's biggest backers last year are willing to cut their losses quite yet. The two biggest hedge funds in Cheniere increased their position in the stock in late 2015. To begin this year, shares have pared another 20 percent of their value. Since he initiated his position in mid-2015, Icahn is likely to have incurred roughly $200 million in paper losses on his expanding investment. "It's one of the most popular stocks with hedge funds in the energy sector," said Raymond James equity research analyst Pavel Molchanov. "It definitely polarizes the investment community." Baupost Group, which rarely reports a losing year, had a loss in 2015 largely due to its energy investments. But it's not keeping Baupost founder Seth Klarman from investing in Cheniere; in fact, he doubled down after losing on the natural gas company in 2015. watch now "Last year, we were challenged when short sellers publicly targeted two of our larger stock holdings," of which one was Cheniere, Klarman wrote in his letter to investors dated Jan. 20. "In both cases, we carefully considered the short sellers' arguments, re-underwrote and even expanded our analysis, and followed our customary intellectually honest process. In both cases, the additional work confirmed our original thesis." On Jan. 8, investors knew that Klarman was putting his money where his mouth (and, investor letter) is: He increased his position in Cheniere, eclipsing Icahn as the company's biggest stakeholder with a 15 percent position. Through a representative, Klarman declined to comment and Icahn did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Cheniere did not respond to a request for comment. There are other hedge funds that lost on the stock in 2015 that remain optimistic for Cheniere this year, however. Cheniere lost approximately 50 percent of its own value in 2015. The individual funds, mostly lost on the whole year, and all had a loss on the Cheniere trade. "While the outlook for future LNG prices has deteriorated materially, we believe Cheniere's stock price has upside," wrote Viking Global founder O. Andreas Halvorsen to his fund's investors on Jan. 14. Though funds that got battered on the Cheniere trade in 2015 are trying to put on a brave face in light of its plummeting share price, there remain big detractors. watch now watch now watch now watch now Legal U.S. pot sales soared to $5.4 billion for 2015, up 17.4 percent from $4.6 billion in 2014, according to data released Monday by the ArcView Group, which tracks the cannabis markets. The figures include medical and adult consumer sales. However, the annual gain was largely fueled by the explosive growth in consumer sales, as some states have approved adult recreational marijuana use. Adult use sales grew to $998 million from $351 million in 2014, according to the research. And voters in more states, including California, are likely to take up the issue in 2016. By many measures, 2015 was a bellwether year for marijuana, as states like Colorado and Washington paved the way for new business models and growth. Entrepreneurs have opened spa-like retail shops for adult users and medical cannabis sales. The social experiment to abolish cannabis prohibition in some instances is melding with a for-profit corporate culture. The growing cannabis market features a variety of innovative consumer-facing products such as vaporizers, edibles and capsules. As an example, Colorado adult use sales surpassed $100 million last year for the first time. Washington state also saw strong monthly sales gains in 2015 growing some three fold with $75.3 million in sales for December from $18.8 million in January 2015. Sales of edibles and extracts in Washington already number in the hundreds of thousands of units in a single month. Read MoreA look inside Manhattan's first medical marijuana dispensary Marijuana buds at The Farm in Boulder, Colorado. David A. Grogan | CNBC And 2016 is also shaping up to be an equally robust year with strong demand. ArcView estimates the legal market could grow to $6.7 billion in sales. "You won't find another industry growing at that kind of clip," said Troy Dayton, chief executive of the ArcView Group. In addition to publishing cannabis sector research, ArcView's investor network members have invested more than $64 million in about 104 marijuana companies. The report was published in partnership with New Frontier, which focuses on cannabis data analysis. Across the country, 23 states and the District of Columbia allow medical marijuana use. Four states and D.C. allow for adult use of marijuana. All told, about 86 percent of Americans live in states that allow some degree of legal cannabis use, according to the report. This year, seven states could decide on whether to allow adult use: California, Nevada, Arizona, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont. Vermont may become the first to legalize cannabis through legislative action, rather than voter approval. Beyond actual marijuana production and sales, more ancillary businesses are emerging, including security, insurance and e-commerce companies that support the entire supply chain. Despite the growth in the market, there are potential risks including a key one related to taxes. 2016 trends: Taxes and competition Under federal law, cannabis is a controlled substance and illegal. So the IRS does not allow businesses to deduct the cost of cannabis as they would for other goods sold. This inability to deduct a key cost of goods sold had made it more challenging for cannabis businesses to remain financially viable, as competition increases and prices fall over time, according to the report. On the flip side of taxes, the cannabis market can be lucrative for state coffers. Colorado collected $13.2 million in taxes and fees in August the single highest month of tax revenues since adult use sales began in January 2014, according to the report, citing the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division. Beyond tax hurdles, rising competition is another key potential risk. New growers have entered the market, hoping to strike it rich in a new frontier of legal weed sales. Wholesale and retail market prices have increased "significantly." Price pressures are forecast to continue into 2016. And there's the possibility that nervous producers, hoping to reduce excess supply, could offload inventory through fire-sale prices. "There is also a robust illicit market competing for the same business," according to the report. While the research did not estimate the size of the illicit market, ArcView's Dayton said the underground market is shrinking not growing as more legal sales come on board. Read MoreIs legal weed hurting Mexico? National cannabis brands? Movies which contain smoking scenes or tobacco imagery "should be given an adult rating", the World Health Organization (WHO) announced in a new report, in a bid to remove the perceived glamour of the practice. With film awards season in full swing, WHO are calling on governments to tackle the use of tobacco products in movies in an effort to prevent the younger generation from taking up the habit. George Peppard and Martin Balsam compete to light Audrey Hepburn's cigarette at a formal party. Still taken from "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Paramount Pictures | Moviepix | Getty Images When the third edition of WHO's "Smoke-free movies: From evidence to action" report was released Monday, the U.N. agency cited statistics that claim 44 percent of all Hollywood movies in 2014 featured smoking, while 36 percent of films with tobacco use were rated for young people. In fact, according to studies in the U.S., on-screen smoking has allegedly accounted for 37 percent of all new adolescent smokers. "Because smoking on screen is uniquely vivid and because young people see so many films so often, its effect in promoting smoking initiation is striking," the report said. "The most vulnerable age group, adolescents, should not continue to be exposed to the most powerful promotional channel for smoking imagery available in today's globalized economy." When referring to "adult rating", WHO confirmed to CNBC that this meant films with smoking scenes should be viewed only by those who are 18 and older. Potential exceptions within the proposed measure includes older films, such as those "Film Noir" classics starring Humphrey Bogart, which wouldn't need to be re-rated, but may require warnings labels on DVDs and videos. Other possible exceptions include actual historical figures who smoked; and when smoking is used in a film which clearly identifies the dangerous ramifications of tobacco use. However, the report does not cover e-cigarettes. On top of the 18 rating, WHO also recommends films should disclose and certify that producers did not receive anything of value from any tobacco company, during the film credits. Other suggested measures in the report include no longer displaying tobacco brands; airing anti-smoking advertisementsplayed on any distribution channelprior to films that include tobacco imagery; and withdrawing state or lottery funding from productions which promote smoking. "The measures have enormous potential for averting the growing burden of disease due to tobacco use, particularly in low- and middle-income countries," the report added. Indian school children hold a placard showing actor Salman Khan smoking, as they take part in a rally (June 2005), supporting the stand taken by India's Government which has banned smoking in films and television. Sebastian D'Souza | AFP | Getty Images Calls for bans on smoking in films has been widely discussed in recent years. In 2005, India's government amended its 2003 Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act, to ensure that all depictions of tobacco products and their use in both film and television were prohibited. In 2011, China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) issued a notice, which asked producers to minimize scenes and plot lines involving the use of smoking, with additional strict controlling measures on both film and television too. The U.S., U.K. and other countries have also taken steps into reducing the frequency of smoking in the media space. While some countries have implemented policy measures, WHO said that voluntary and self-regulatory measures have not been successful and "more can and must be done." watch now watch now watch now Successfully applying for Social Security disability benefits can seem like a daunting prospect. Claims for Social Security Disability Insurance which pays out $143 billion each year to more than 11 million Americans unable to work because of a serious illness or impairment have been ticking upward. The Social Security Administration received nearly 2.7 million applications for the program in 2013, up from 1.9 million a decade earlier, according to its most recent annual report. The rate of applicants who are ultimately approved, however, has remained slim averaging just 36 percent for claims filed from 2004 to 2013, according to the report. About a quarter are awarded benefits on their initial claim, while another 2 percent are approved on appeal and 11 percent at hearings. "The reality is, more often than not, you'll be denied," said Stephen Dunn, a staff attorney with the New York Legal Assistance Group, which provides free legal services to low-income New Yorkers. In fact, waits for a hearing can stretch the process out for a year or longer, he said. Congress has been looking at possible reforms for years that could streamline the process without sacrificing the rigor necessary to nix fraudulent claims, said former Congressman Earl Pomeroy, a co-chair of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget's SSDI Solutions Initiative. Congress pledged last fall to address the issue, after bailing out SSDI in its budget deal using temporary measures to extend the program fund's solvency through 2022. But that's unlikely to provide short-term relief. "My guess is, while reforms are being studied and proposed, it's unlikely that in the very near future, Congress is going to enact anything sweeping by way of process reforms," said Pomeroy. In the meantime, the SSDI process puts a lot of responsibility on the applicant to get the right materials to the right people at the right time. "[Applying] is almost like a job in itself," Dunn said. "That's ironic, because you're applying because you can't work." Sometimes, applicants simply aren't eligible, said Nolo senior legal editor Bethany Laurence, an attorney who specializes in disability law, Social Security and Medicare. Namely, they don't meet SSDI requirements that their condition be "expected to last at least one year or result in death," preventing them from working. But there are also missteps that could unjustly kick your application to the denial pile. Getting it right the first time To improve your chances of a successful claim, make sure to gather as many of your medical records as possible in advance of filing your claim. "How long this process takes is opaque to the claimant," said Dunn. "It's possible [SSA] will make a decision while you're waiting for these records to be sent." You want them to have as full a picture of your condition as possible, right from the start. Claims examiners want to see that you've received medical care for your condition regularly and recently, said Laurence, who is also the editor of DisabilitySecrets.com. Good medical records help establish both the seriousness of your condition and how it has impaired your abilities. "The doctor's opinions about your limitations can make or break a claim," she said. (Per Social Security Administration data, 28 percent of final medical denials in 2013 were because the impairment was considered "not severe," and another 31 percent because the applicant was still considered able to do other kinds of work.) It helps to have your doctor fill out a residual functional capacity form detailing your limitations and prognosis. Include that with your initial SSDI application, said Laurence. If you do get denied, you have to act on requesting an appeal quickly, within two months. Stephen Dunn staff attorney, New York Legal Assistance Group Follow up to make sure copies of those records make it into the right hands, said Dunn. After your application is submitted, you'll receive a packet in the mail with more forms. Resubmit your medical records with those, he said. That eliminates the risk of records being waylaid. It's also important to carefully navigate income. To qualify for disability benefits, an applicant can't be engaging in "substantial gainful activity," which in 2016 the Social Security Administration considers to be earning more than $1,130 per month. "A big mistake people make is continuing to work full-time up until the application date, or until they get a decision," Laurence said. "They say, I can't afford to not work." But doing so can undermine your claim that a disability prevents you from working. watch now We may be looking at about 5.1 million jobs being lost by 2020 due to artificial intelligence (AI) and modern technology, but an anecdote told during a CNBC panel last week in Davos highlights that there's not that much to fear just yet. "I've watched all the sci-fi, terminator, Robocopand do we have worry about that? Maybe someday, but not today. Let's be realistic about where we are. A good example that I heard recently was, what if you take an AI and you ask it a question? You say to your phone, when was Abraham Lincoln born? Well, it's going to recognize your voice, it's going to process it, look up in a database and give you an answer," Matthew Grob, chief technology officer at Qualcomm said. "What if you say, how many feet does a camel have. Sorry, when you go and look up camel, it doesn't tell you how many feet it has, it doesn't answer that question, any four year old can answer that question." While many major technologists have painted a gloomy picture of a world where humans are replaced by robots, the panel held at CNBC's technology event at Davos addressed the opportunities of the so-called "fourth industrial revolution". According to the chief executive of a major human resources and recruitment firm, humans and robots will need to co-exist. "We are going to augment humans with technology tools for the most part so this is going to be a human and technology combination," Jonas Prising, CEO of Manpower Group, said. Pepper the humanoid robot, manufactured by SoftBank Group Corp., stands as employees work in the Orange Arch Inc. offices in Tokyo, Japan. Tomohiro Ohsumi | Bloomberg | Getty Images "That's going to be one of society's biggest challenges to make sure that we accompany this transition, which we can already see, which is a difference to other industrial revolutions. We can control this so we need to have policies and strategies in place to accompany this change." New type of job? While many are focusing on the jobs being replaced, some experts said entirely new jobs, springing from the technological advances will be made. Just as YouTube spurred the rise of vloggers or video bloggers, AI and robotics could breed some entirely new professions. "One of the things we are going to see is some people will race and try out these new kinds of fun, interesting occupations which actually involve a lot of people and human interaction," Andrew Moore, the dean of the school of computer sciences at Carnegie Mellon University said. "And so how do you feed a world where people are trying out these new things? One is education. You have to be able to give everyone tools to be able to go ahead with this." Ethical responsibility watch now Iowa's electorate may be the first litmus test of American voters but it is far from representative when it comes to immigration issues, according to a pro-immigration technology lobbying group. Presidential hopefuls Monday were mobilizing their supporters into the final stretch of the Iowa caucuses, a crucial first step on the way to clinching a nomination from one of the major political parties. But the anti-immigration rhetoric that fired up voters in mostly white Iowa may not carry through to other states, Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, told CNBC's "Squawk Alley" on Monday. "For the first time, a major party [is] putting forth people who are saying they are going to round up and deport 11.5 million people; they're going to eliminate high-skilled immigration," Schulte said. "And look, that may get you a win or second place in the Iowa caucuses. That is just a horrible and fatal position in a general election." FWD.us, a group founded by Silicon Valley insiders like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, favors immigration reforms like a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, securing the borders and streamlining the employment verification system. Technology executives like Zuckerberg have been vocal proponents of increasing the cap on H-1B visas granted to skilled workers like scientists, engineers or computer programmers. "As a nation, historically, an immigration system and a country that welcomes immigrants has been our greatest competitive advantage," Schulte said. "That's incredibly true in a global economy. If you look at the role that high-skilled immigrants have played in driving innovation, in driving manufacturing, 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies are started by an immigrant or children of immigrants. Half of start-ups in Silicon Valley ... have at least one immigrant founder." watch now With a 45 percent poverty rate and staggering debt of $70 billion, Puerto Rico was already in dire straits. Now add 19 confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus. The World Health Organization has described the virus, which is associated with severe birth defects in babies born to infected mothers, as "explosive." Given the ongoing transmission of Zika in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a travel warning, recommending that pregnant women in any trimester postpone travel to the island and other locations experiencing outbreaks. The CDC alert prompted airlines, including United Airlines , American Airlines and JetBlue , to issue refunds for tickets to Zika-affected areas. Those airlines declined to comment on the exact number of people who canceled trips to Puerto Rico, but it's likely that many passengers took advantage of the opportunity to change their plans. The forearm of a public health technician is seen covered with sterile female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes after leaving a recipient to cultivate larvae, in a research area to prevent the spread of Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases, at the entomology department of the Ministry of Public Health, in Guatemala City, January 26, 2016. Josue Decavele | Reuters "The situation doesn't look good right now," said Justin Velez-Hagan, founder and executive director of The National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce. "We already get calls from people asking if it is safe to travel to Puerto Rico, considering the economic conditions. If you combine this with the CDC's advice, it could certainly influence some people not to travel." Up until a couple of weeks ago, the majority of Americans had not heard of Zika, which is why Velez-Hagan did not have an exact estimate of how the virus has affected the local economy. He did note, however, that other mosquito-borne viruses, such as dengue fever and chikungunya, did not have a great impact on tourism, which accounts for about 10 percent of Puerto Rico's GDP. "Since much of the data on tourism is not released until several months later, I have to base a lot of our estimations on past epidemics," Velez-Hagan said. The link to microcephaly is the big fear right now. The virus may not be as severe in terms of symptoms, but everyone is in extreme worry mode because it could potentially cause a very serious birth defect. Dr. Matthew Sims director of Infectious Disease Research, Beaumont Hospital Past virus outbreaks haven't necessarily hurt Puerto Rican tourism. During outbreaks of the dengue virus that occurred in 2010, 2012 and 2015, the number of hotel registrants in Puerto Rico actually increased year over year. At the height of chikungunya in 2014 and early 2015, which affected more than 27,000 individuals, it was difficult to find any direct impact on tourism, noted Velez-Hagan. Even a relatively large drop in tourism may just be an additional hiccup in the scheme of Puerto Rico's economy, which many argue is the main problem, he added. "Dengue fever and chikungunya are both much worse in terms of their symptoms," said Dr. Matthew Sims, director of infectious disease research at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. "The Zika virus is less severe in comparison." Dengue fever and chikungunya have symptoms that are similar to those of Zika fever, headache, joint pain and rash and the former infections are actually more likely to result in symptoms than Zika is. But for many people, Zika holds more frightening potential than those viruses, because it has been linked to serious birth defects. Eighty percent of Zika patients do not exhibit symptoms, leaving many women without a way to know about the development of their unborn children which is the main concern when it comes to Zika. The Zika outbreak has led to reports of increased numbers of women in Brazil giving birth to babies with microcephaly, a rare condition that causes the brain to develop abnormally in the womb and results in a very small head. watch now watch now watch now watch now Tourism and travel-related stocks have taken a hit from worries surrounding the Zika virus, and though many were moving higher Monday, most are still trading below their levels from a week ago. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has confirmed that 31 Americans have become infected, all after traveling to one of the 24 countries or territories with the outbreaks. The region hardest hit by the mosquito-borne virus is the Caribbean, Central and South America, where several major U.S.-based cruise line, airline and hotel chains operate. Shares in travel-related companies regained some lost ground on Friday, and were mixed Monday, but are still mostly below their levels from before the virus began gaining attention. They're also underperforming the wider market. "Cruise line stocks have underperformed the market by quite a bit and so have travel group stocks in general because of concerns about Zika," Wells Fargo Securities analyst Tim Conder said late last week. watch now In Brazil alone, an estimated 1.5 million people have been infected, according to the World Health Organization. "There is a concern that the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will result in wider spread of the disease globally," Cowen & Co. analyst Helane Becker said in a research note Thursday. The WHO forecasts up to 4 million people in the Americas are at risk of getting infected, and the CDC is warning pregnant women to consider postponing travel to the areas where the virus transmission is ongoing. The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a serious birth defect. The City of Syracuse has closed on financing with the Mulholland Group, LLC of New York City for a significant, $40 million renovation of the Clinton Plaza Apartments in Syracuse. Miners office also confirmed that Mulholland Group is acquiring the property. The 305-unit housing facility is located at 550 S. Clinton St. in Syracuse. (Eric Reinhardt / BJNN) SYRACUSE, N.Y. The City of Syracuse has closed on financing with the Mulholland Group, LLC of New York City for a $40 million renovation of the Clinton Plaza Apartments in Syracuse. The Mulholland Group is also acquiring the property, the office of Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner confirmed in an email response to a BJNN inquiry. The 305-unit housing facility is located at 550 S. Clinton St. in Syracuse. The building includes government subsidized, assisted-living units. The work will represent the first significant investment in the structure since crews first constructed the building in 1971, Miners office said in a news release. The City of Syracuse HOME program is providing $675,000 in funding for the renovation project, using funding that the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded to the city, according to the release. The Syracuse Industrial Development Agency also approved a property-tax exemption for the Clinton Plaza Apartments, the mayors office added. Developing high quality, affordable housing is crucial to building a greater city, Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner said in the release. We are committed to providing our citizens with excellent, accessible housing choices in downtown and throughout our city. This project is a significant step advancing that cause. The structure has 60 units that have been completely offline for more than 10 years due to their deteriorating condition. At the same time, the propertys affordability covenants have expired, which could have forced the tenants to find alternative housing with the prospect of the building turning market-rate, according to Miners office. HUDs Rent Adjustment Demonstration (RAD) program will guarantee the affordability of the structures units, the mayor contended. The RAD guarantee will allow tenants to continue living in affordable housing while crews work on the upgrades. The Mulholland Group will focus on the facade and other exterior improvements to tie the property in to the overall motif of downtown Syracuse, according to the mayors release. Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com 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. Nanny Lauren Cohan meets the porcelain Brahms (a nightmare figure named for a lullaby) in "The Boy." Go Play If you want personality, you gotta #GoMemphis SHARE Santa claws: A kid confronts Krampus. By John Beifuss of The Commercial Appeal A cheap horror movie remains just about the only safe bet in movies, and three examples of the type -- all budgeted at $10-15 million, all rated PG-13 to attract all-age audiences, and all having earned $22-43 million to date -- remain in Memphis cinemas. "The Boy" arrived Jan. 22, and is in 11 theaters; "The Forest" opened Jan. 8, and remains planted at five locations; "Krampus" showed up Dec. 4, and is hanging tough on a single screen at the Bartlett 10. Here are my mini-reviews: "The Boy" (PG-13, 105 min.) Fleeing an abusive relationship, a young American woman (Lauren Cohan, as of this writing still alive and uneaten on "The Walking Dead") takes a job as a nanny in a stately English manor, only to discover that her charge is a nightmare figure named for a lullaby: He (it?) is a neatly dressed porcelain doll, called Brahms, which her elderly employers (Jim Norton and Diana Hardcastle) treat like a beloved, living son. Creepy if hardly credible, with a derivative plot twist that is unlikely to surprise experienced horror fans, the movie nonetheless is consistently amusing (and a big improvement over director William Brent Bells previous film, "The Devil Inside"). Its also admirably compact: With a small cast confined to a single location, its as simple and effective as the ghost or "dead babysitter" scare stories kids tell each during sleepovers. "The Forest" (PG-13, 95 min.) Set mostly in Japans Aokigahara Forest (the so-called "suicide forest" at the base of Mt. Fuji) but shot in the woods of Serbia, this horror drama dilutes a spooky premise with the tired fake scares (sudden loud noises, shock dream images) currently endemic to the all-ages-welcome genre picture. Natalie Dormer ("Game of Thrones") stars as a young American who travels to Japan in search of her missing, depressed twin sister; accompanied by a hunky travel writer (Lady Gaga fiance Taylor Kinney), she ignores the warnings of the Japanese and spends the night in the forest, where eerie visions testify to (a), supernatural danger; or (b), her fracturing psyche; or (c), both. The references to poet Sara Teasdale (who committed suicide in 1933) and the evocations of classic Japanese ghost movies only call attention to the tepid and unimaginative nature of debuting feature filmmaker Jason Zadas direction. "Krampus" (PG-13, 98 min.) A Christmas demon turns ho-ho-ho into ho-ho-horror in this second shocker from director Michael Dougherty, whose 2007 "Trick 'r Treat" has attracted a cult following. Adam Scott and Toni Collette are cynical suburban parents forced to cope with more than Red State rubes (David Koechner, Allison Tolman) after their disillusioned young son (Emjay Anthony) tears up his Christmas Eve letter to red-suited Santa; the resulting invasion of evil elves, toys of terror and bitey gingerbread men is realized with welcome old-school "Ghoulies"-esque practical effects, but the chaotic visual design -- flashing lights, swirling snow -- too often makes the film tough on the eyeballs. Head offices of First Horizon National and its First Tennessee Bank fill most of this tower in Downtown Memphis. (Nikki Boertman/ The Commercial Appeal) SHARE By Sara K. Clarke of The Commercial Appeal First Tennessee Bank has reached a $1.9 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, resolving allegations that the bank discriminated against African-Americans and Hispanics, HUD said Monday. Under the agreement, the Memphis-based bank will establish a $1.5 million fund to provide interest-rate reductions on home mortgages, and down payment or closing-cost assistance to qualified borrowers in parts of Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville. The Memphis-based bank will also support community organizations that provide services such as home repair or financial assistance to homeowners in predominantly minority communities, HUD said. In the agreement, First Tennessee denied allegations that it engaged in prohibited discriminatory lending, saying the organization that brought the complaint, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, did not provide evidence to support its claims. First Tennessee said that it entered the settlement to avoid "the extraordinary expense to all parties" of a lengthy investigation by HUD. Despite the allegations, First Tennessee has been satisfied with its Community Reinvestment Act scores and had been trying to move them into the exemplary range before the HUD action unfolded, First Tennessee president David Popwell said Monday. The Community Reinvestment Act is a federal law that encourages banks to make loans in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. As part of the CRA strategy, First Tennessee and Tri-State Bank are exploring opportunities to participate together on some loans in the Memphis area, Tri-State chief executive Jesse Turner Jr. said. First Tennessee agreed in January to buy about about $1.5 million worth of preferred stock in Tri-State Bank, which was opened in 1946 to serve Memphis' black residents. Tri-State sought the stock sale to help up shore the bank, Turner said. Tri-State earned $841,000 last year after reporting losses totalling $4.8 million between 2011 and 2014. >In November, First Tennessee hired Keith Turbett, the community development manager at SunTrust Bank in Memphis, to take on a similar role. People who believe they have experienced discrimination may file a complaint by contacting HUDs Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669-9777 or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Pull out the old Crock-pot to make "Mississippi roast." Do you know about Mississippi roast? There was an article in The New York Times about it this week and an editor here sent me a link to it. "Never heard of it," I replied. Later I clicked the link and realized it was my friend Mary's roast. But like everyone interviewed in the article, I'd never heard of Mississippi roast. Apparently that's what folks on the Internet call what Mary calls Crock-Pot roast. Or, as writer Sam Sifton noted in his article, what the person who likely invented it, Robin Chapman of Ripley, Mississippi, just calls "roast." I tasted this roast, indeed cooked in a Crock-Pot, just a few months ago at Mary's house. It was incredibly tender, and the gravy was wildly rich. I liked it so much she sent me home with some, and I ate it with gusto even after I found out how it was cooked: With a pack of ranch dressing, powdered brown gravy, pepperoncini peppers and a stick of butter on top. Don't knock it. You can noodle around online and find Sifton's recipe, which includes nothing from a package. Or you can get to the bottom of this column and find one much more like the one Mary makes. I don't like a Crock-Pot, but as soon as the next snap of winter blows through here, I'm pulling mine out of the pantry, too. Restaurant news The drive-through window at Rock 'n Dough Pizza, 3445 Poplar, opened last week. The window opens at 7 a.m. and is open until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Right now the breakfast menu is limited to beignets and coffee, but breakfast sandwiches are expected to be available by Friday. A Saturday and Sunday brunch also launches this week. The menu hasn't been finalized yet; call 901-512-6760 for more information. The second Memphis location of LYFE Kitchen opens Monday at 272 S. Main, in the Chisca building. The Memphis-based healthy "fast-fine" chain will be the first restaurant to open in the building. Catherine & Mary's, an Italian place that will be owned by Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, should be open early summer. A brand-new Newby's opened last week on the Highland Strip. The new motto: The college bar you never graduate from. The cleaned-up and remodeled place (I swear you won't recognize it) at 539 S. Highland is open 11 a.m.-3 a.m. daily. Coming up Head down to Mud Island on Saturday for the Polar Bear Plunge and Chili Cook-off. Not only can you watch the brave or foolhardy take a plunge in the river, but you can also pay $5 and judge the chili contest. It's all for a good cause Special Olympics Greater Memphis and there are lots of other things going on at Mud Island Park most of the day. The People's Choice tasting starts at 10:30 a.m. and continues through 3 p.m., there's a doughnut-eating contest at 2 p.m., costume judging at 2:30 p.m. and the actual plunge at 3 p.m. Awards are at 4 p.m. Visit specialolympicsmem.org for more information. We'll have a lot more information about this, and a website is expected to go live Sunday, but mark your calendars now. Memphis Black Restaurant Week takes place March 7-13, at various restaurants still to be announced. At most places, a two-course lunch will be $15 and a three-course dinner will be $25. Some places known to be participating are HM Dessert Lounge, Mot and Ed's and the Office at Uptown. This and that Cheers to Wiseacre Brewing Co. for making Playboy's list of "The 10 Best Beers of the Deep South" with its Tiny Bomb Pilsner. And for you folks who have wondered what to do with your Elfo's gift certificates, as Alex Grisanti's Germantown restaurant closed at the first of the year: Take them to his father's place, Ronnie Grisanti's Restaurant, in the Sheffield Antique Mall, 684 W. Poplar in Collierville. They'll be honored there. Call 901-850-0191 if you have questions. Mississippi Roast Serves 4 to 6. Ingredients 4 pounds chuck roast Fresh ground pepper, to taste Seasoned salt, to taste 1 (1-ounce) envelope ranch dressing mix 1 (1-ounce) envelope au jus mix 4 -5 pepperoncini peppers 12 cup butter Directions 1 Spray your slow cooker with nonstick spray. Place roast in the slow cooker and sprinkle with a little black pepper and a little seasoned salt. Sprinkle the top with the ranch dressing mix and the au jus mix. Place peppers on top of mixes. Add the stick of butter on top. 2 Set your slow cooker to 8 hours and forget it. You do not add any additional water to this. Serve with mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Source: food.com January 31, 2016 - Shaleda Rozier, fiance of Officer Terence Olridge who was shot and killed late last year, tears up as she sits down next to a photo of Olridge during a baby shower for his son who will be named Terence Olridge Jr. When he is born. Olridge is one of the 161 homicide victims in 2015. (Jim Weber/The Commercial Appeal) SHARE By Jody Callahan of The Commercial Appeal Editor's note: Chronologically, Lakeyel Hurd, killed on Dec. 29, was Memphiss last homicide victim of 2015. However, Memphis police determined the final killing last year to be Destine King since the medical examiner ruled her death a homicide on Dec. 31. The first homicide of 2015 happened on Jan. 7, when Todd Jones was shot and killed in Southeast Memphis. His killing remains unsolved. The final homicide of the year came on Dec. 23, when 14-year-old Antonio Evans allegedly beat 6-year-old Destine King to death in a Cordova foster home. The teen remains locked up at Juvenile Court. In between, 159 other people were the victims of homicide in Memphis, a 4.2 percent decrease from the 168 killed in 2014. The killings included Memphis police officers Sean Bolton and Terence Olridge. Olridge's fiancee, Shaleda Rozier, had a baby shower Sunday. After an open-records request by The Commercial Appeal, city officials released a more detailed look at the 2015 homicide statistics, including race, gender, age, location and other information. Those statistics show that, in Memphis, young black men are far more likely to be the victims of homicide than any other race or gender. Of those 161 victims, 120 74.5 percent were black men. That's a slight change from 2014's percentage of 78.6. And of those 120 black men killed in 2015, 82 68.3 percent were under the age of 35. "The statistics are alarming. It's going to take a lot of people every day, committed to changing that course," Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich said. "There's not going to be one program or one concept that can change that trajectory. It's going to have to be many people waking up every day committed to doing that." Mayor Jim Strickland called the statistics "depressing," adding, "I get angry about it." Strickland outlined two ways he hopes to try to decrease those numbers; one that's more of a short-term plan, and another that may not show dividends for years. The first is his oft-stated desire to increase the number of Memphis police officers, which now stands at fewer than 2,100. His goal is at least 2,400 officers, possibly 2,500. The city has budgeted $9 million to recruit and train police officers, firefighters and public safety technicians, and $3.5 million for promotional testing. The other plan, though, isn't as easy as just spending money to address the problem, officials said. Instead, it requires patience and foresight as well as resources in a concerted attempt to reach children at an early age. The goal is to try to use programs to steer at-risk youth down the right path, one that decreases the chances that they will be killed or kill someone else. "The long-term solution to crime is young people achieving well in school and having hope that they can get a job or go to (college)," Strickland said. "We have to effectively intervene in the lives of young people so they pick a better path." Of course, Strickland is well aware that that is easier said then done. "Our challenge as a community is to take the thousands of young people currently being helped and multiply that to tens of thousands. Obviously, that's going to be a financial challenge," he said, adding that his administration hopes to eventually reach out to foundations and organizations to support such programs. Strickland would like to see the city duplicate the success found by area nonprofit organizations, including the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Memphis, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and the like. "Memphis was worse than the country with respect to young people 18-24 who don't have a job and are not in school. We have to fix that number. One of the things the city can be involved in is giving the young people some structure, something to do when they're not in school," he said. "The Boys and Girls Club helps kids academically. Socially, it gives them something to do during the day." Strickland said his administration is working on plans to try to provide such intervention. One option, though, is to increase the city's investment in its 24 community centers, including more staffing and more programs. "We can lead the way with the community centers, which are understaffed and underserved right now," he said. Other 2015 homicide statistics gleaned from the report: The youngest victim, Ryleigh Scarborough, was just 4 months old. Her father, 19-year-old Nathan Scarborough, has been charged with first-degree murder in her death. He remains in jail. The oldest victim was Thelmer Maclin, 83. She was shot and killed in a murder-suicide by her husband, Nathaniel Maclin, also 83. Six children ages 7 and under were killed in 2015: Kirsten Williams (7), Jermyle Campbell (2), DeAndre Davis (2), Josiah Patterson (3), Ryleigh and Destine King. Of those 161 victims, 137 were male, 24 female. Also, 139 were black, 16 white, five were classified as Latino and one was listed as unknown. A further breakdown shows that 120 were black males, 19 were black females, 12 were white males, four were white females, four were Latino males, one was a Latino female and one was unknown. The overwhelming choice of weapon was a firearm, involved in 138 85.7 percent of the 161 killings. A physical act was involved 11 times, knives 10 times and unknown twice. Of the 161 killings, 61 were committed by someone known to the victim, 28 were committed by a stranger, 71 were unknown and one was listed as none. Six victims killed were between 0-9, 19 were between 10-19, 47 between 20-29, 45 between 30-39, 24 between 40-49, 12 between 50-59, four between 60-69, two between 70-79 and one over 80. One was listed as unknown. Eight ZIP codes recorded double figures in homicides in 2015, led by 38114 with 19; then 38115 with 15; 38109 and 38118 with 13 each; and 38106, 38111 and 38116, each with 11. Regarding motives for the killings, police described 53 as unknown and 52 as the result of an argument. Robbery accounted for 25 homicides, while domestic violence tallied eight and 23 were ruled justified. Negligence accounted for three killings, and on the tragic death of 3-year-old Josiah Patterson, police just wrote the motive as "anger." His father, Terry Patterson, remains jailed on first-degree murder charges in the boy's death. State Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, said 57 representatives have signed on as co-sponsors of the resolution calling for a national constitutional convention well over the 50 needed for passage. SHARE By Tom Humphrey NASHVILLE Over the objections of Democrats, a House committee has cleared the way for Tennessee to become the fifth state to call for a national convention on amending the U.S. Constitution to curb "abuses of power" by the federal government and to impose term limits for members of Congress. The movement is led in Tennessee by Sen. Mike Bell (R-Riceville) and Rep. Sheila Butt (R-Columbia), who attended a 2013 gathering of representatives from more than 30 states arranged by Citizens for Self-Governance. The group began a nationally organized push for passage last year and, according to its website, the legislatures in four states Alabama, Alaska, Georgia and Florida quickly adopted resolutions calling for a "convention of the states," as allowed by Article 5 of the Constitution, to propose amendments. Approval of 34 states two-thirds would be needed to call such a convention In Tennessee, Bell's SJR67 was approved by the Senate 23-5 last year. Butt brought the measure before the House State Government Committee last week where, after lengthy debate, it was approved on a 5-3 party-line vote all Republicans supporting, all Democrats opposed. Mack Meckler, president of CSG and described on that organization's website as previously the national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots, told the committee that Tennessee has the opportunity to hold a "special place" in the movement's history by becoming the first state to approve the resolution in 2016. That would seem likely, given that Butt said 57 representatives have signed on as co-sponsors of the resolution well over the 50 needed for passage. The measure could be on the House floor as early as Thursday. The resolution declares that the state-called convention would be "limited to proposing amendments to the United States Constitution that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress." Meckler said an Article 5 convention is the "last line of defense for liberty in America" at a time when "the republic is in danger." Butt said states could use the convention to propose amendment to curb "skyrocketing" federal debt, unwarranted regulations imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and other "bureaucrats in Washington" and stop "hundreds of unfunded mandates" from the federal government that must be financed by states. "If ever there was a time in the history of our republic that states need to take advantage of having that constitutional authority (to call a convention), it is now," she said. Only one Republican on the committee, Rep. Bill Sanderson of Kenton, voiced misgivings about the proposal, though he still voted for it. Sanderson noted that the language of the resolution provided a "big umbrella" that could lead to all sorts of amendments, that the state is dependent on the federal government for about 40 percent of its budget and the proposition could be seen as an effort at "micromanaging of Congress." While the resolution suggests term limits for congressmen, he noted there are no term limits for state legislators. Democrats criticized several aspects of the effort, including the apparent domination of the movement by Republicans and a lack of assurance that any Democrats would be included in Tennessee's delegation to such a convention perhaps in essence that they did not trust Tennessee's GOP majority. "You're turning everything over to a supermajority of people on one state," said Rep. Johnny Shaw, D-Bolivar. "There will be a whole lot of people left out of a whole lot of stuff. You'll run right over us again." Rep. Darren Jernigan, D-Nashville, said curbs on federal spending could dramatically impact state government since it provides much of the state's budget and questioned whether the Legislature would be "prepared to pass a state income tax to replace it." Butt estimated that half of the federal money provided to Tennessee was for mandates that could be removed with an appropriate constitutional amendment. SHARE Charlie Trotter Cordova Police officers put their lives on the line every day. The irresponsible way the media report these stories is damning to the communities they serve. The police are treated like they are the criminals. If any citizen, regardless of the race, pulls a gun on any police officer, whether it is real or fake, then that individual should expect to be shot. If any individual attacks a police officer, that person should expect retaliation for that attack, and if that officers life is in danger, then that person should expect that officer to react to protect his or her life. These men and women protect our streets, our neighborhoods and our families, and should have our upmost respect. They should not be demonized on our local news stations and in this newspaper like they are some type of criminal. There is a war against law enforcement that must stop. It is bad for the communities to recognize thugs and punks as some type of victim when in fact they are not. Blessed are the peacemakers. Pray for our men and women who serve our community for their protection and their well being. Thank you for your service to all of us. SHARE By Clarence Page It is easy to be disappointed by the news that this year's 20 nominees for the Academy Awards for leading and supporting actors and actresses included zero nonwhite actors for the second year in a row. It is tougher to figure out what to do about it. The hashtag movement #OscarsSoWhite popped up for the second year on Twitter. Jada Pinkett Smith, apparently miffed that her husband Will Smith's widely praised performance in "Concussion" was passed over, said on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day that she would not attend the Oscars and encouraged others to join her. Spike Lee, whose movie "Chi-Raq" also was passed over, joined in. So did Will Smith, who told ABC News he was out of the country when his wife posted her decision online and that he wished she had given him a "heads-up," nevertheless said he supported her decision. I understand their frustration, but best-actress nominee Charlotte Rampling was not entirely wrong when she complained that the #OscarsSoWhite protest sounded "racist to whites." She later apologized for her inflammatory wording, but let's face it: She said what a lot of other people are still thinking. Yet, rest assured, none of the #OscarsSoWhite advocates for increased diversity has called for racial "quotas," even though Rampling's French interviewer seemed to have that impression. Bold discrimination against whites would further damage the Oscars' already embattled brand and prestige as much as allegations of discrimination against nonwhites have done. I, for one, don't want to see people of color given awards simply because of their race or ethnic group. But I don't want to see them excluded because of their race or ethnic group, either. Yet, as often happens with these clashes between cultures, this Oscar controversy presents both problems and an opportunity to expand diversity beyond race in their judging process. It is shocking, for example, to see the demographic statistics of the approximately 6,000 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members who vote for the Oscars. In 2012 a Los Angeles Times study found 94 percent of the voting members were white, 77 percent were male and 64 percent were found to be over age 60. Nothing against seniors, especially since I'm one of them, but the academy's voting members appear to be about two generations older than the most frequent group of moviegoers. That could help explain why watching the Oscar ceremonies has become less enjoyable for many viewers than complaining about who didn't win. Seizing this opportunity, the academy's president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, herself an African-American, announced changes approved by the academy's board of governors with the aim of doubling the numbers of women and racial-ethnic minorities in the academy's membership by 2020. The current Oscar "whiteout," as some are calling it, is particularly disappointing because it follows more than a decade of encouraging racial breakthroughs at the annual ceremonies. In 2005, for example, black actors including Morgan Freeman ("Million Dollar Baby"), Don Cheadle ("Hotel Rwanda") and Sophie Okonedo (also "Hotel Rwanda") earned a record five of the 20 nominations. In that year, Jamie Foxx also became the first black performer to receive two nominations in the same year for "Ray" and "Collateral." Three years before that, Halle Berry became the first black woman to win the best-actress award for "Monster's Ball" and Denzel Washington for "Training Day" became the first black winner of the best actor honor since Sidney Poitier in 1963 for "Lilies of the Field." But just as electing an African-American president did not by any means end racial divisions in America, Hollywood can't rest on its past Oscar breakthrough laurels either. Surveys have found, for example, that black and female actors on average receive fewer job offers after winning an Oscar than white males do. And a recent analysis by The Economist points out that as much as blacks may be underrepresented in Oscar nominations, Hispanic, Asian and other nonwhites fare even worse, even though Hispanics are the most frequent moviegoers. "We're not lowering any standards," states the academy in the frequently-asked-questions page on its website. "We're widening our net." That's the spirit. It's not only the right thing to do in our rapidly diversifying society. It's also a smart business move. E-mail Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page at cpage@tribune.com. Select Commodity All Ajwan Alasande Gram Almond(Badam) Alsandikai Amaranthus Ambada Seed Amla(Nelli Kai) Amphophalus Antawala Anthorium Apple Apricot(Jardalu/Khumani) Arecanut(Betelnut/Supari) Arecanut(Betelnut/Supari) Arhar (Tur/Red Gram)(Whole) Arhar (Tur/Red Gram)(Whole) Arhar Dal(Tur Dal) Ashgourd Astera Avare Dal Bajra(Pearl Millet/Cumbu) Bajra(Pearl Millet/Cumbu) Balekai Bamboo Banana Banana - Green Barley (Jau) Bay leaf (Tejpatta) Beans Beaten Rice Beetroot Bengal Gram Dal (Chana Dal) Bengal Gram(Gram)(Whole) Ber(Zizyphus/Borehannu) Ber(Zizyphus/Borehannu) Betal Leaves Bhindi(Ladies Finger) Bitter gourd Black Gram (Urd Beans)(Whole) Black Gram Dal (Urd Dal) Black pepper BOP Bottle gourd Bran Brinjal Broken Rice Broomstick(Flower Broom) Bull Bunch Beans Cabbage Calf Capsicum Cardamoms Carnation Carrot Cashewnuts Castor Seed Cauliflower Chapparad Avare Chennangi Dal Cherry Chikoos(Sapota) Chili Red Chilly Capsicum Chow Chow Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum(Loose) Cinamon(Dalchini) Cloves Cluster beans Cock Cocoa Coconut Coconut Oil Coconut Seed Coffee Colacasia Copra Coriander(Leaves) Corriander seed Cotton Cotton Seed Cow Cowpea (Lobia/Karamani) Cowpea (Lobia/Karamani) Cowpea(Veg) Cucumbar(Kheera) Cummin Seed(Jeera) Custard Apple (Sharifa) Dalda Dhaincha Drumstick Dry Chillies Dry Fodder Dry Grapes Duck Duster Beans Egg Elephant Yam (Suran) Field Pea Firewood Fish Foxtail Millet(Navane) French Beans (Frasbean) Galgal(Lemon) Garlic Ghee Gingelly Oil Ginger(Dry) Ginger(Green) Gladiolus Cut Flower Goat Gram Raw(Chholia) Gramflour Grapes Green Avare (W) Green Chilli Green Fodder Green Gram (Moong)(Whole) Green Gram Dal (Moong Dal) Green Peas Ground Nut Oil Ground Nut Seed Groundnut Groundnut (Split) Groundnut pods (raw) Guar Guar Seed(Cluster Beans Seed) Guava Gur(Jaggery) He Buffalo Hen Hippe Seed Honge seed Hybrid Cumbu Indian Beans (Seam) Indian Colza(Sarson) Isabgul (Psyllium) Jack Fruit Jaffri Jamun(Narale Hannu) Jarbara Jasmine Jowar(Sorghum) Jute Kabuli Chana(Chickpeas-White) Kacholam Kakada Kankambra Karamani Karbuja(Musk Melon) Kartali (Kantola) Khoya Kinnow Knool Khol Kodo Millet(Varagu) Kulthi(Horse Gram) Lak(Teora) Leafy Vegetable Lemon Lentil (Masur)(Whole) Lilly Lime Linseed Lint Litchi Little gourd (Kundru) Long Melon(Kakri) Lotus Lotus Sticks Lukad Mahedi Mahua Mahua Seed(Hippe seed) Maida Atta Maize Mango Mango (Raw-Ripe) Marasebu Marget Marigold(Calcutta) Marigold(loose) Mashrooms Masur Dal Mataki Methi Seeds Methi(Leaves) Millets Mint(Pudina) Moath Dal Mousambi(Sweet Lime) Mustard Mustard Oil Myrobolan(Harad) Neem Seed Niger Seed (Ramtil) Nutmeg Onion Onion Green Orange Orchid Ox Paddy(Dhan)(Basmati) Paddy(Dhan)(Common) Papaya Papaya (Raw) Patti Calcutta Peach Pear(Marasebu) Peas cod Peas Wet Peas(Dry) Pegeon Pea (Arhar Fali) Pepper garbled Pepper ungarbled Persimon(Japani Fal) Pigs Pineapple Plum Pointed gourd (Parval) Pomegranate Potato Pumpkin Raddish Ragi (Finger Millet) Raibel Rajgir Ram Rat Tail Radish (Mogari) Raya Resinwood Rice Ridge gourd(Tori) Ridgeguard(Tori) Rose(Local) Rose(Loose) Rose(Loose)) Round gourd Rubber Sabu Dan Sabu Dana Safflower Sajje Same/Savi Season Leaves Seemebadnekai Seetafal Seetapal Sesamum(Sesame,Gingelly,Til) Sesamum(Sesame,Gingelly,Til) She Buffalo She Goat Sheep Snake gourd Snakeguard Soanf Soapnut(Antawala/Retha) Soji Soyabean Spinach Sponge gourd Squash(Chappal Kadoo) Sugar Sugarcane Sunflower Sunhemp Suram Surat Beans (Papadi) Suva (Dill Seed) Suvarna Gadde Sweet Potato Sweet Pumpkin T.V. Cumbu T.V. Cumbu Tamarind Fruit Tamarind Seed Tapioca Taramira Tender Coconut Thinai (Italian Millet) Thogrikai Thondekai Tinda Tobacco Tomato Toria Tube Rose(Double) Tube Rose(Loose) Tube Rose(Single) Turmeric Turmeric (raw) Turnip Walnut Water Melon Wheat Wheat Atta White Peas White Pumpkin Wood Yam Yam (Ratalu) Select State Select Market With Oracle CloudWorld in Las Vegas kicking off, the on-going battle with third party support provider Rimini Street is once again making the news. On October 10th Oracle said it had informed the ... This is a guest post for Computer Weekly Open Source Insider written by Umair Shahid in his role as head of PostgreSQL at Percona -- a company known for its work delivering enterprise-class ... In this guest post, Aidan McClean, CEO and co-founder of online electric vehicle hire firm UFODRIVE, highlights the shortcomings in the UKs car charging infrastructure The UKs 2030 ban on the ... 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CW Developer Network Holy (boundless) observability: Dynatrace launches Grail Adrian Bridgwater Dynatrace is of course not just a systems and data observability specialist. The company quite specifically describes and denotes itself as a software intelligence company with a platform ... CW Developer Network API series - Pantheon: Building web experiences with APIs & Jamstack Adrian Bridgwater This is a guest post for the Computer Weekly Developer Network API series written by Josh Koenig in his role as co-founder and chief strategy officer at Pantheon. Pantheon is a WebOps platform for ... CW Developer Network ThoughtSpot dev lead: The modern developer relations stack - part #2 Adrian Bridgwater This couplet of joint analysis pieces is written in full by Quinton Wall in his role as head of developer relations at ThoughtSpot. As a company, ThoughtSpot likes to call itself a modern analytics ... Data Matters Bono-Benioff fireside chat at Dreamforce 2022: divinity in the destitute Brian McKenna Business Applications Editor The last time I sat in the Yerba Buena Theatre near the Moscone Centre in San Francisco at Salesforces annual conference Dreamforce, was to hear David Beckham having a fireside chat with the then ... CW Developer Network ThoughtSpot dev lead: The modern developer relations stack - part #1 Adrian Bridgwater This couplet of joint analysis pieces is written in full by Quinton Wall in his role as head of developer relations at ThoughtSpot. As a company, ThoughtSpot likes to call itself a modern analytics ... Cliff Saran's Enterprise blog Ofcom adapts to the changing face of communications Cliff Saran Managing Editor Earlier this year, Ofcom commissioned Analysys Mason to look at the digital value chain. It is this study that sets the scene for a more expansive role at the regulator, as Ofcom looks to stay ... 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Cliff Saran Managing Editor The European Commission wants Member States to reduce consumption. Demand reduction is fundamental: it lowers energy bills, ends Putin's ability to weaponise his energy resources, reduces ... CW Developer Network Progress promotes people-centric programming Adrian Bridgwater Developers build code and so, logically, they need to deliver code above all else, right? This misconception was one of the lies developers tell themselves tabled by Microsoft's Billy Hollis during ... Green Tech How fuel cells could power the transition to a greener datacentre industry In this guest post, Russel Bulley, senior application engineer at datacentre equipment manufacturer Vertiv, shares his thoughts on how fuel cell technology could help the server farm industry go ... CW Developer Network Progress360 2022: day one keynote live report Adrian Bridgwater The email came in quite quietly over the weekend, just in advance of the morning keynote the following day and it read, So, its like a normal developer event - all over again right? The truth ... CW Developer Network API series - Salt Security: Unified monitoring of APIs for seasoned security Adrian Bridgwater This is a guest post for the Computer Weekly Developer Network written by Nick Rago in his capacity as field CTO at Salt Security - a company known for its specialist skills related to API ... Cliff Saran's Enterprise blog Apple iPhone 14: Time to put our desire for shiny new things into perspective Cliff Saran Managing Editor Can the launch of the iPhone 14 have come at a worse time? The standard of living of people is falling, inflation is rising rapidly, the pound is crashing and fuel bills are sky high and set to ... 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Green Tech The environmental impact of common architecture patterns In this guest post, Chris Darvill, vice president of solutions engineering covering Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at cloud-native API platform provider Kong, talks about the environmental ... CW Developer Network API series - MongoDB: Overcoming the API dilemmas of the real world Adrian Bridgwater This is a guest post for the Computer Weekly Developer Network API series written by Vivek Bhalla in his position as senior manager of market intelligence at enterprise open source 'developer data ... Apple has been working on virtual reality solutions for years -- since way before Steve Jobs threatened to destroy Android and way before Google Glass shipped. Since CES 2016 Apples VR plans have attracted attention, and could have an augmented reality bearing on its plans for Apple Car. Big investments Apple spends around $9.6 billion per year on research & development, $2.4 billion in Q1 FY 2015 alone, so its no great surprise the company has looked at this and other technologies. It has been working on VR since at least as early as 2006, when it filed a video headset display patent later approved back in 2009. Apple now holds numerous VR-related patents and last year won another for a virtual reality device that turns your iPhone into some form of VR headset. Theres an extensive history to Apples development and it is kind of interesting in light of refreshed claims around Apples VR development that Google has put the iPodfather, Tony Fadell, in command of the Glass team. Fadell originally led Apples VR efforts. Fadells got competition. Just last month, Apple hired one of the leading US experts in VR, Doug Bowman. The company has also invested in a host or related teams and technologies. Apple bought mobile-AR startup Metaio in 2015. More recently it purchased Flyby Media, and has acquired Faceshift and Emotient, two other firms with interests in the space. Among a range of other purchases that could have a bearing on its plans, Apple acquired PrimeSense in 2014. Long game That its only now Apple CEO, Tim Cook, concedes VR is really cool and has some interesting applications, hints we may soon see some results from a decade of research. So what might Apples VR plans be? Apple made a big point of talking about its installed base of one billion active iOS device users during its recent fiscal call. Apple CEO Tim Cook called this: an unbelievable asset for us, noting this has accelerated the growth of our services business, another large and important source of recurring revenues. This makes it likely services will be part of the companys plans, particularly games and movies. Games Apple has been recruiting game engineers with experience in virtual reality since at least last year, 9to5Mac reports. Movies Apples purported plans to produce original content for Apple TV could open opportunities up for exclusive VR presentations. The company last year worked with its old chums from that Irish band and Chris Milk and his VR company Vrse to offer a VR music video, such as this one: Services Future services dont need to be confined to consumer experiences like movies and games. These could include: VR shopping experiences in virtual Apple stores, with the core technology made available to other retailers. VR solutions for managing remote connected infrastructure. VR solutions for health, such as operating theaters where surgeons offer treatment to remote communities. Such sophisticated attempts tally well with an earlier comment from Cook when he told the New Yorker: We always thought that glasses were not a smart move, from a point of view that people would not really want to wear them. They were intrusive, instead of pushing technology to the background, as weve always believed, (Unless you are already wearing glasses, of course take a look at Recons iOS-equipped snow goggles for an idea of how AR could become incredibly useful in some circumstances.) The car I also think VR dashboards for the future Apple car make a lot of sense. Take a look at the Orange Business Services/WayRay Navion augmented reality navigation system, which projects holographic GPS imagery and driver notifications onto the car windshield. Apple clearly believes it can find ways to make useful solutions people want using these technologies. Daniel Ives of FBR & Co predicts Apple will be very aggressive on the virtual/ augmented reality front through organic as well as acquisitive means in 2016. Whatever it has planned, it has already made big commitments, the FT reports Apple now has hundreds of staff from a series of carefully targeted acquisitions alongside staff poached from companies that are working on next-generation headset technologies including Microsoft. Google+? If you use social media and happen to be a Google+ user, why not join AppleHolic's Kool Aid Corner community and join the conversation as we pursue the spirit of the New Model Apple? Got a story?Drop me a line via Twitter or in comments below and let me know. I'd like it if you chose to follow me on Twitter so I can let you know when fresh items are published here first on Computerworld. In the just-completed USENIX Enigma security conference, Rob Joyce, the head of the elite Tailored Access Operations (TAO) division of the NSA, offered advice on making his job harder. Go figure. The setting struck me as surprisingly routine, considering he is, arguably, the nations head hacker. The NSA is an apex predator (his term) and Joyce sits at the head of the apex. Rob Joyce of the NSA Much of the presentation, Disrupting Nation State Hackers, consisted of standard best practices, but Joyce did offer a small peek behind the curtain. While spies abusing generally unknown software flaws (a.k.a. zero day vulnerabilities) makes for great headlines and movies, real life, according to Joyce, is quite different. He characterized the use of zero day flaws by the NSA as "not that common." Instead, Joyce said, the NSAs big advantages are their competence and their persistence. "For big corporate networks", he said, "persistence and focus will get you in without a zero day; there are so many more vectors that are easier, less risky, and more productive." The NSA benefits from targets that do a poor job of defense, such as not watching logs, embedding plain text passwords in scripts, mis-configuring devices, reusing passwords, and network administrators that don't have a baseline of what constitutes normal inside their network. Then too, small holes may get overlooked, he said that no hole is too small for their getting a foot in the door. The NSA is also persistent. They will wait and watch and test and probe for as long as it takes. There's a reason it's called Advanced Persistent Threats, 'cause we'll poke and we'll poke and we'll wait and we'll wait. We're looking for that opening and that opportunity to finish the mission. An example he gave was of a network operator that gives a vendor temporary access to deal with a problem. No doubt he used this example because it is how Target was breached. The more he talked about the overall competence of the NSA, the more I took it as a knock on their adversaries. It is not news that many techies are lazy, stupid and/or poorly trained. Among those that are smart, motivated and well-trained, some are stretched too thin, others are hampered by the bureaucracy, finances and/or politics of the organizations where they work. How else to explain the many hacks and breaches in the news, which are, no doubt, only the tip of the iceberg. Somewhat bragging, Joyce said that the NSA often knows networks better than the people who designed them, and better than those protecting them. We put the time in to know [a network] better than the people who designed it and the people who are securing it ... Youd be surprised about the things that are running on a network vs. the things that you think are supposed to be there. The last point is interesting, defenders know what is supposed to be there, the NSA knows what actually is there. I suspect Joyce has a point. Speaking as a programmer, I can attest that debugging can be hampered by perception. The person who wrote a program looks at it and sees what is supposed to be there. Often someone else is needed to see what actually is there. From what Joyce says, the same is true with networks; administrators keep tabs on the software and devices they know about, while other exploitable stuff flies under the radar. DEFENDING AGAINST THE NSA Joyce also offered some specific Defensive Computing advice. One product he recommended for securing Windows machines was EMET, a free program from Microsoft. The NSA even has an EMET PDF on their website, Understanding the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit that says EMET inhibits attacks currently used by Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors ... EMET stops the majority of cyber attacks in use today. Did Joyce recommend EMET because it's a good defensive tactic, or, because the NSA has a back door in it that makes their job easier? That's above my pay grade. Joyce also spoke highly of whitelisting -- twice. Whitelisting is the opposite of anti-virus software. That is, rather than allowing all software to execute by default and trying to block bad stuff, white listing defaults to blocking everything and only lets known good applications run. Perhaps realizing that many in the audience felt that whitelisting was impractical, Joyce hinted at using it on servers. As a rule, servers run less software than the computers used by employees, and the software is updated less frequently, making it easier to maintain the whitelist. Another area where he suggested whitelisting was outgoing traffic. Companies often allow all outgoing requests by default and then try to block known bad domains. I got he feeling the considered this a fools errand. After a breach, spies have to phone home to get their captured data out of the infiltrated network. Where do they send it? Likely, to a domain never seen anywhere else in the world. Thus, outgoing requests to domains not previously seen, should be a red flag and treated as suspicious. A network may get breached, but if it blocks the stolen data from being sent to heythere.ihackedyourn.etwork.org , the damage is minimized. I suspect that, in private meetings, the NSA recommends blocking all never-before-seen domains by default. NSA intrusion phase 5 - moving laterally Two other things Joyce mentioned were network segmentation and trust boundaries. I took these to mean VLANs. A Virtual Local Area Network, is an isolated segment of a larger network. In the event of a breach, VLANs can keep the bad guys from moving sideways within the network. That is, if one department gets breached, a VLAN would prevent the infection from spreading to the rest of the company. You could make a case that the worst mistake Sony made was not using VLANs. At the last DEF CON conference, I was lucky enough to discuss the network architecture with Luiz Eduardo who ran the network (see Wi-Fi at DEF CON - dealing with the worlds most dangerous network). VLANs played a big part in defending the DEF CON network from attack. Each presenter at the conference was on their own VLAN and there were many more in place. I recently setup a VLAN at home. While I share files and printers amongst the computers on my LAN, I don't share anything with the Wi-Fi tablets and smartphones on it. So, I configured my router to create a new SSID that isolates connected devices in three ways. First, devices on the wireless network can not see anything that is Ethernet connected to the router. They are also blocked from seeing devices connected to other wireless networks created by the router. Secondly, devices on the isolated network can't even see each other. Finally, although isolated devices can see the router (necessary for Internet access) they can not logon to it. The net effect is that Wi-Fi devices on this isolated SSID can get to the Internet and nothing else. My home network is better segmented than airplanes offering Wi-Fi. Someone with a consumer router may be able to get this same effect with a Guest network. I say maybe because there is a huge difference in the way routers implement Guest networks. For more, see my recent blog To share or not to share - a look at Guest Wi-Fi networks. Another interesting point Joyce made, was that there is no such thing as the cloud, there is just someone else's computer. He didn't expand on this much, but I took it as reminder that cloud services just as Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud and Amazon Cloud Drive can, as a rule, read the files stored on their computers. VICTIMS LET THE NSA IN Frequently the NSA doesn't break into networks, victims let them in, in the most obvious ways - email and web pages. As for email, Joyce repeated the phrase that should be a nerds mantra: don't click that link. Nothing new about this, other than the fact that the NSA and bad guys world-wide share the same tactic - phishing. And, that it works far too often. The use of infected web pages is a bit more interesting. I have read elsewhere that attackers learn the websites popular with employees of a target organization, such as restaurants across the street, and then infect those sites with malware. The TAO division of the NSA is said (not by Joyce, of course) to be more advanced. Rather than touching a restaurant website, they might sit on the network with a malicious version of website at the ready. When victims try to visit the restaurant website, the NSA intercepts it and responds with their hacked edition. Joyce offered no advice for defending against malicious email and web pages. My suggestion is one that I doubt any company would implement - restrict web browsing and email to VLAN isolated devices. Since these devices are the most likely to get infected, they should not have access to the corporate LAN. The third way that victims let the NSA into their network is also not a surprise: removable media. As seen on the second episode of Mr. Robot, don't take CDs from strangers. LAST RESORT What to do if the NSA is better at attacking than you are at defending? Air gap. A network attacker can't get at computers and files that are not on a network. Hopefully. The government likes to wail that encryption is the devil and is causing its surveillance efforts to go dark, but a new report by Harvard University debunked that notion; at worst encryption might cause some dim spots, but overall surveillance opportunities are brighter than ever and will even grow. In part, thats thanks to the Internet of Things. Were not going dark, explained Jonathan Zittrain, a professor of law and computer science at Harvard. He added: As data collection volume and methods proliferate, the number of human and technical weaknesses within the system will increase to the point that it will overwhelmingly likely be a net positive for the intelligence community. Consider all those IoT devices with their sensors and poorly updated firmware. Were hardly going dark when fittingly, given the metaphor our light bulbs have motion detectors and an open port. The label is going dark only because the security state is losing something that it fleetingly had access to, not because it is all of a sudden lacking in vectors for useful information. Although the report, Dont Panic: Making Progress on the Going Dark Debate (pdf), has several core findings showing how communications in the future will neither be eclipsed into darkness nor illuminated without shadow, some of the reports most interesting findings involve the boundless surveillance opportunities via the Internet of Things. Zittrain pointed out that the going dark encryption debate rarely includes discussions of the ever-expanding Internet of things, where telemetry from teakettles, televisions and light bulbs might prove surprisingly, and worryingly, amenable to subpoena from governments around the world. Appliances and products ranging from televisions and toasters to bed sheets, light bulbs, cameras, toothbrushes, door locks, cars, watches and other wearables are being packed with sensors and wireless connectivity, the report explained. Products with embedded IoT functionality could include sensors ranging from gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, proximity sensors, microphones, speakers, barometers, infrared sensors, fingerprint readers, and radio frequency antennae with the purpose of sensing, collecting, storing, and analyzing fine-grained information about their surrounding environments. These devices will all be connected to each other via the Internet, transmitting telemetry data to their respective vendors in the cloud for processing. And all that data could be tapped for surveillance. The report included specific examples of potential voice surveillance via IoT that law enforcement could tap. Samsung smart TVs use microphones to listen to conversations and transmit voice commands back to servers, as do other smart TVs. Voice commands are processed at remote servers when using Ok Google, and even Hello Barbie. Nest has a plethora of products; the Nest Cam records video that exchanges data with other devices such as Nests thermostats and smoke detectors, which themselves contain sensors and microphones. Law enforcement or intelligence agencies may start to seek orders compelling Samsung, Google, Mattel, Nest or vendors of other networked devices to push an update or flip a digital switch to intercept the ambient communications of a target, the report said. If the Internet of Things has as much impact as is predicted, the future will be even more laden with sensors that can be commandeered for law enforcement surveillance; and this is a world far apart from one in which opportunities for surveillance have gone dark. In fact, the report explained that audio and video sensors on IoT devices will open up numerous avenues for government actors to demand access to real-time and recorded communications. Its not a new tactic as 13 years ago, the FBI wanted to wiretap an in-automobile concierge system such as the tech used by OnStar and ATX and use the microphone to capture conversations taking place in the car. Nowadays, according to the report, the government could request access to companies capable of recording conversations or other activity at a distance, whether through ones own smartphone, an Amazon Echo, a baby monitor, an Internet-enabled security camera, or a futuristic Elf on a Shelf laden with networked audio and image sensors. Its nothing new for law enforcement to exploit tech now in order to obtain location data for tracking such as from smartphones, license plate readers and EZ Passes; how much easier not harder and darker will surveillance be as IoT devices are part of our everyday life? Four years ago, when David Petraeus was the CIA Director, he admitted that the CIA couldnt wait to spy on you via your smart-internet connected devices be that your smart TV, your cars navigation system, or smart lights. Those devices are all real right now, but the future holds a world where driverless cars will automatically communicate with each other and the roads, pointed out all-around security and privacy guru Bruce Schneier. Someone who can eavesdrop on those communications can learn where the cars are going and maybe who is inside them. Although the encryption debate rages on, with government officials swearing it is causing its surveillance efforts to go dark, the report shows the big field is more illuminated than ever before. Joseph Nye, a Harvard government professor and former head of the National Intelligence Council, said. There will be dark spots there always will be. But its easy to forget that there is far more data available to governments now than ever before. As youd expect, the Harvard study involved civil libertarians, academics and technical experts, but it also included counterterrorism intelligence officials. For example, two senior NSA officials were core members of the report debunking going dark arguments; government officials told The New York Times they didnt sign it because they could not act on behalf of the agency or the United States government in endorsing its conclusions. Going dark with no way to surveil criminals and bad actors? Pfft, please. Students travel to Chile as part of their Latin America democracy class Students traveled to Chile over winter break as part of their Democracy in Latin America class. The journey was part of the Traveling Research and Immersion Program, a course-related, faculty-led trip designed to give students hands-on experience that complements the work they do in the classroom. Leading the trip to Chile was Alex Roberto Hybel, the Susan Eckert Lynch 62 Professor of Government and International Relations. Hybel, a native of Argentina, has taught Democracy in Latin America for 20 years and once took students enrolled in the course to Bolivia. He also led a TRIP to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing as part of a first-year international relations course. Hybels students analyzed the historyand political, social and economic conditionsof seven Latin American states to understand the underlying problems each country has grappled with throughout their transitions to democracy. During the trip to Chile, the students were able to meet active politicians and diplomats, including Senator Jose Manuel Ossandon and Ambassador Juan Somavia. When the students met with Senator Ossandon, they were speaking with an individual who for many years had been the mayor of a very poor municipality and is now a senator prepared to run for president, Hybel explained. Ambassador Somavia, on the other hand, is a diplomat who held very important posts as Chile's representative to the U.N., and is deeply committed to human development. Ossandon and Somavia stand at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum. Students spoke with both of them and got a sense of how much they disagreed about how to address Chile's main political, social and economic problems. These firsthand experiences were made possible by Hybels connections, according to Zander Mintz 17, a double major in international relations and Latin American studies. If Professor Hybel did not have his connections, I do not know if we could have actually seen the things that we were able to see or learn about Chilean politics and history in the depth and breadth that we did, Mintz said. Much of the trip was spent meeting with high-ranking government officials and politicians to discuss Chilean political history and the problems that the nation faces today that seem to inhibit further democratization. Hybels students were also able to engage with every-day Chilean citizens and gain an appreciation for the harsh conditions under which many of them live. None of the students had ever witnessed firsthand the abject poverty they saw when we visited markets in the municipalities, said Hybel. Conditions and the people who shop there are very different from those one finds in a supermarket. Every day, students were exposed to what it means to be a Chilean. You don't get that experience in a class. For Mintz, the trip gave him the opportunity to also appreciate the beauty of the country. By the end of the trip, I came away with not only a deeper understanding of the political system and the internal political arena, but also a great appreciation for Chilean culture, its fine cuisine, its amazing people and of course, its breathtaking landscape. February 1, 2016 DO YOU have a Boulevard Aristide-Briand near you? Or do you send your child to school in a Jules-Ferry or a lycee Emile Combes? If so, you are already familiar with key names in the construction of the French Republic. Between them, these three politicians were responsible for free state schooling, obligatory education for girls and the rock of state neutrality towards religion on which la Republique is built: the principle of laicite. The term is very much in the news, with a new laicite charter being introduced into schools this autumn alongside classes in morale laique. Presenting the charter, Minister for Education Vincent Peillon explained: Everyone is free to have his own opinions but no one has the right to contest teaching content or miss a class in the name of religious precepts. Public debate over the Muslim community in France pops up in the news regularly and is nearly always related in one way or another to perceived challenges to this element of the Constitution. Peillons remarks refer also to repeated evangelist pressure to alter class content, in particular regarding the theory of evolution. A recent example was the proposal to swap two Christian holidays with Jewish and Muslim ones: confusing whether France was secular or multi-religious. Left and Right politicians often unite to initiate laws to protect laicite. Once the source of conflict with the Catholic Right over private education funding, the principle, an important element in the integration process, regularly generates ill feeling these days among extremist sectors of the Muslim community. That is why, a century after the original 1905 law, several new laws have been passed to protect it. First, a few explanations. Laicite does not translate well. Secularity is close but confusing. Laicite is not easy to define either. It has evolved over two centuries and is evolving still. The concept was born of the Revolution, which guaranteed freedom of conscience to all and first separated State and Church. Napoleon backtracked, signing a concordat with the Vatican in 1801 that was to poison Church-State relations during the 19th century and put laicite on the back burner for much of it. (For historical reasons, this concordat still applies in Alsace and Moselle.) Having been suppressed by the Vichy regime (along with liberte, egalite, fraternite without which laicite could not function), the principle was cast in the constitution of the Fourth Republic in 1946 the State is indivisible, laic, democratic and social and remains firmly in that of todays Fifth. To understand the concept is to go a long way towards understanding the French. Maybe it could be defined as their permanent search for a delicate balance between sharing what they all hold in common, the Republic, and catering for diversity. It is the principle that protects both personal and collective liberty and, as such, is the responsibility of both State and citizen. The indivisibility of the State is the States refusal to recognise any religious or ethnic community. France is one. There are two major dates in the history of laicite: 1881 and 1905. In 1881-82, Minister of Education Jules Ferry decreed school to be publique, gratuite et laique state-run, free and non-clerical. Teaching in French to a national programme provided children, whatever their linguistic background or beliefs, with the theoretical possibility of equal opportunity. It created a framework in which adults could bring no pressure to bear on pupils to adhere to any philosophy, religion or political idea. That remains the basis of the French educational system today. The 1905 law, engineered by Emile Combes and Aristide Briand, enforced the neutrality of the State and State institutions through the separation of the Churches and the State. Since that date, the State recognises no religion and therefore cannot directly fund any either. If the same law grants the individual total liberty and privacy regarding beliefs, there is one condition: they must not disturb public order. Given the repeated trauma that religion has caused in Frances recent history from the Wars of Religion to the expulsion of the Huguenots and the Dreyfus affair this means no proselytising and nothing that could be remotely interpreted as such. It also explains why, in France, religious belief is far more than a private matter. Things spiritual belong to the realm of intimacy. It is extremely unusual to see anyone wearing any conspicuous religious symbol in public. To do so is perceived as a deliberate act, a message to others. It is unthinkable to ask someone what their religion is and most people will be frankly embarrassed by anyone saying what theirs is. When Nicolas Sarkozy publicly announced he had appointed Frances first Muslim prefect, he sent shockwaves throughout the land. Knowing this helps in understanding intense French reaction to young girls wearing veils. It is seen not only as an unacceptable way of bringing religion into the public sphere, but also a form of peer pressure on other girls to do the same. Which takes us back to Jules Ferry and neutrality in the classroom. This insistence on the privacy of beliefs was of course also reinforced after World War II by the fate of Frances Jews under the Vichy regime, and the obligation to publicly show their religion by wearing the yellow star. As a result of the trauma of State responsibility in their deportation and extermination, no statistics may be made regarding peoples religious beliefs, ethnic origin or colour. All citizens are not only equal, but remain neutral in the eyes of the State. The mosque debate The 1905 law was finally well accepted by both Catholic and Protestant churches in France, who benefited financially when the State handed existing buildings and their costly maintenance over to local authorities. But the State cannot fund new religious buildings. Hence the mosque-building debate and recent legislation allowing local authorities to contribute. For with generous donations from Saudi Arabia and Muslim foundations abroad pouring in, the inherent risk of encouraging fundamentalist movements to develop in France is obvious. Under the Nicolas Sarkozy government, the training of imams in France to Republican principles was considered. But the State cannot finance religious education either. The impasse has been paradoxically circumvented by the Catholic University offering courses, and Algerian imams due to work in France being trained in French and laicite at the government-funded Institut Francais in Algiers. Conspicuous symbols and full-face veils After a number of potentially inflammatory cases in which some schools were confronted with Muslim girls wearing Islamic headscarves, legislation was passed in 2004 banning the wearing of any conspicuous religious symbol or sign in state schools. Never specifically aimed at the Muslim community (kippas, large crosses and Sikh turbans fall under the same category), the new law, despite fears it would be perceived as discriminatory and arouse further reaction, had the almost immediate effect of calming the situation, though some veiled Muslim girls and turbaned Sikhs found their way to private schools. But this legislated solely for public schools, not privately run establishments. In March of this year, Fatima Afif, an employee dismissed in 2008 from the privately run Baby Loup creche in the Yvelines for refusing to remove her headscarf, won on appeal for wrongful dismissal on the grounds of religious discrimination. New legislation is now under consideration to cover pre-school structures and religious symbols in the workplace, none of which are currently covered by law. When, in late July, a police officer in the town of Trappes stopped a fully veiled young women for an ID check in the middle of Ramadan, he did not know he was unleashing days of rioting. But Cassandra, 22, was not infringing any law on laicite. This time it was the one against dissimulating the face in the public sphere, put into effect by the Sarkozy government in 2011. Introduced ostensibly as anti-terrorism legislation, many felt its real purpose was more anti-veil. In fact, the number of women in France wearing the niqab is extremely small, and the number of women fined likewise. Laicite with an adjective The latest solution of Frances politicians to calm the debate has been to add adjectives. Sarkozy invented laicite positive, in which the government took into account the existence of religious groups in France. He created a representative Muslim council, through which to address the Muslim community in France. Representative of only a portion of Frances Muslims, many of whom are non-practising, it has created more problems than it has solved. The Hollande government has coined laicite apaisee, a low-profile approach in which negotiation would replace legislation as the best way of winning over those who regard the principle with suspicion. True laicistes believe the principle cannot survive any moderating tags. It must exist alone. Universities oppose campus headscarf ban proposal In early August, Le Monde published a report signed by members of the Haut Comite de lIntegration (HCI), a body no longer briefed to deal with laicite since the creation of a separate mission last April. It called for a Muslim headscarf ban in universities. Government replies were swift but hardly in unison. Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls stated evasively that the subject needed to be considered, while Genevieve Fioraso, Minister for Higher Education, warned that we should avoid problems where there are none. For Gerard Blanchard, president of La Rochelle University, and vice-president of the national CPU, Conference des Presidents dUniversite, laicite is not an issue on his campus or anywhere in France. We have 14% foreign students in La Rochelle, mostly from South East Asia, and we only ask women students to take off their veils in science laboratories, for safety reasons. That has never posed a problem. The University Presidents Conference has issued a public statement against any specific university ban. For Blanchard, the over-mediatised debate that burst upon us mid-summer is without foundation. He is adamant that he has never had a complaint from a teacher. An environmentalist, he is far more concerned by pressure that could be brought on teachers to introduce non-scientific versions of the origins of the universe into the syllabus. No university teacher should ever have to submit to any pressure on the content of his teaching. Jean-Loup Salzmann, president of the CPU, and president of Paris XIII, in the heart of Seine- Saint-Denis, one of the most multi-cultural universities in France, firmly believes in laicite, but sees no need for new laws on the campus. His main concern is elsewhere. He is angered by the incongruity of the State promoting laicite on the one hand, while financing the Catholic universities on the other. Expressing a personal opinion, he said: The main issue for these young Muslim women, who have enough problems coping with family pressure, is to achieve independence and emancipation through their studies, whether they wear a veil or not. An anti-veil law would achieve the opposite of what we want. Many of these women would then not have access to university at all. How the principle of laicite is applied today NICOLAS Cadene, chairman of the Observatoire de la Laicite, a watchdog committee created last April by President Francois Hollande to report on how the principle of laicite is applied in France today, spoke to Connexion. Can you define this difficult concept for our readers? Laicite is a principle which allows us all to live together. It is not a ban on religion or religious practices. On the contrary, it guarantees believers and non-believers alike the freedom to express themselves, to practise or not to practise a religion as they choose, on condition that public order is not disturbed. The State adopts an attitude of total impartiality towards citizens, who are all equal in the eyes of the State. Do the current religious bank holidays not favour one religious group? Christian festivals have, for the majority, become traditional holidays with little religious significance. Still, the State does not want to be seen as favouring one religion over another. In 1905, there was no Muslim population. But I dont think this poses a real problem. Employees can use their RTT (recuperation of unpaid overtime in the form of days off) as they wish. The Stasi Commission (set up by President Jacques Chirac in 2003) went a long way towards identifying issues in the workplace. We shall build on that. The conspicuous religious symbols ban was seen as directed only at women. Is that not a form of discrimination? If people set out to present themselves in a way which is obviously a proselytising or a provocative attitude, that is not acceptable. It is not so much what people wear or their physical appearance, as the reason behind the choice. This is one of the subjects we shall be working on. Islam has no clerical hierarchy. Isnt the laicite legislation trying to apply to individuals a law aimed at an institution? Doesnt the 1905 law need to be adapted? Not at all. The principle enables us all to live together. But, of course, we must avoid situations in which one group feels stigmatised by the law. That is one of our major subjects of reflexion. But there is no question of adapting the principle to new circumstances. It is one of bringing people to understand that laicite is not a ban on religious practice but a system of personal freedom and helping them to adapt to the principle. There has been talk in the press over banning the Islamic headscarf at university. [The full-face veil is already banned anywhere in public]. The State has a duty to protect minors from any form of ideological persuasion, hence the headscarf ban in schools. University is a world of adults. But the Republic has a duty to protect its citizens against the dangers of extremism. Some people attribute to laicite powers it simply does not have. There is an urgent need for strong political action, at state and local level, in order to resolve the many problems the threat of extremism has brought to certain sectors of society. The Observatoire has published its first report, a history and background to the concept. What else has it achieved? We helped draw up two important documents: the laicite charter and the syllabus for non-religious morality for schools. Both take effect this year. In addition, our report has pinpointed situations needing close attention in public administrations and local authorities (non-Metropolitan France included), as well as in the private sector. How do you see your work developing? We need a better definition of laicite that reiterates the States position of neutrality and is more clearly understood by all, in France and at an international level. We are drawing up guidelines for the application of laicite and religious practice in the workplace, and in the wake of the Baby Loup issue [see main article], for pre-school structures. We must show people how to react to situations. Overreaction is one of the major problems we face, when so much could be achieved by negotiation and taking things calmly. A WOMAN who murdered her abusive husband has been granted clemency, after a petition for her release received more than 400,000 signatures. Jacqueline Sauvage was sentenced in October 2014 to 10 years in prison for shooting her husband dead after an abusive relationship that lasted 47 years. The decision was upheld after an appeal on December 3, 2015, which said she had shot him in self-defence. The 68-year-old, her three daughters and her son had suffered beatings, rapes and mental cruelty for years before she shot him three times in the back in 2012, killing him. The killing took place the day after her son committed suicide. Her 10-year sentence meant that she must serve a minimum of five years in prison, a fact that immediately sparked a campaign to free her. On January 31, President Hollande, who like his predecessor had previously declared himself to be against presidential pardons, granted a remise gracieuse allowing Sauvage to plead for her conditional liberty. Her solicitors have said this will be done on March 1, with a likely release date in April. Without the intervention the earliest she would have left prison would have been 2020. The presidents office described the case as an exceptionally humane situation. While his order allows Sauvage to be freed, the remise gracieuse does not overturn or remove her conviction for murder, unlike a complete pardon. Her daughter Carole told France Info she was very happy that the family was going to get their mother back. She added that her mother had been euphoric when she heard the news. The power of the presidency to intervene in judicial matters stems back to the monarchy. It is hard to pin down the view of most Conservative MPs about Britains EU membership Philip Cowley and Tim Bale have a go in todays Daily Telegraph but a reasonable take would be that a majority want substantial reform of its terms. During last years election, many will have told their constituents and Associations that on the present ones they would choose to leave rather than remain the position that Michael Gove and Philip Hammond set out before the last election. This is the background against which they will examine any renegotiation deal which David Cameron strikes. He may gain one later in the month than begins today, thus paving the way for a referendum as early as June. So they should consider carefully what he has asked for previously and what he has asked for now. Here are ten renegotiation aims which the Prime Minister has first proposed and then dropped. Taking back control over social and employment laws . He said in 2007 that it will be a top priority for the next Conservative Government to restore social and employment legislation to national control. Last December, George Osborne confirmed to the Treasury Select Committee that this aim forms no part of the Governments renegotation. A complete opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights . He pledged to negotiate this in 2009. But Philip Hammond said in November that we have no proposals in the package we have put forwaed that would disengage from that. Stopping the ECJ overruling our criminal law . He promised in 2009 t0 limitthe European Court of Justices jurisdiction over criminal law to its pre-Lisbon level. Since then, the Government has opted back in to 35 justice and home affairs measures, including the European Arrest Warrant. Changing the EU treaties before the referendum . In 2014, he wrote about treaty change that Ill be putting in place before the referendum. But last year, David Lidington, the Europe Minister, said that our timetable for referendum by the end of 2017 mean that you just cannot [have] treaty negotiation and 28 national ratifications within that timeframe. Stopping EU migrants coming to the UK without a job offer . He said last year that we want EU jobseekers to have a job before they come here. This forms no part of the renegotiation. Removing EU jobseekers after six months . Last year, he promised that if any jobseeker has not found work within six months, they will be required to leave. This aim forms no part of the renegotiation, and would in any event require a change in EU law. Reforming the Working Time Directive . He said that the Government is committed to revising the [working time] directive at EU level to give the NHS the flexibility it needs to deliver the best and safest service to patients. We will work urgently to bring that about. Last December, the Chancellor confirmed to the Treasury Select Committe that this forms no part of the negotiation. Stopping the European Parliament meeting in two places . The Conservative Manifesto for the 2009 elections said that the European Parliament must end its absurdly wasteful practice of meeting in Strasboug as well as Brussels. Downing Street has confirmed that this forms no part of the renegotiation. Reforming the Common Agricultural Policy . He promised in the Conservative Manifesto last May to push for further reform of the EUs Common Agricultural Policy. But Downing Street confirmed last November that we have never mentioned this in the context of the renegotiation. Reforming the EUs Structural Funds . He also promised in that manifesto to seek further reform ofstructural funds. Downing Street also admitted in November that we have never mentioned this in the context of the renegotiation. This history of retreat and abandonment leaves the Prime Minister with the following seven main aims: ending ever-closer union for Britain, protecting Britain from Eurozone meddling, protecting financial services, fast-tracking international trade deals, cutting red tape, more transparency and restoring power to national parliaments. These are to be delivered through the four baskets he set out to the Commons last year: I have set out the four areas where Britain is seeking significant and far-reaching reforms: on sovereignty and subsidiarity, where Britain must not be part of an ever-closer union and where we want a greater role for national Parliaments; on competitiveness, where the EU must add to our competitiveness, rather than detract from it, by signing new trade deals, cutting regulation and completing the single market; on fairness for countries inside and outside the eurozone, where the EU must protect the integrity of the single market and ensure there is no disadvantage, discrimination or additional costs for a country like Britain, which is not in the euro and which in my view is never going to join the euro; and on migration, where we need to tackle abuses of the right to free movement, and deliver changes that ensure that our welfare system is not an artificial draw for people to come to Britain. However, as this site has pointed out many times, these aims require treaty change, and No promise of treaty change would be bankable, since any leaders of other EU countries who promise to deliver it may not be around when the time for delivery comes, or may later find reasons for evading their commitment, and they cannot commit the EU institutions in any event. Even were those leaders to stay around and stick to their commitment, three EU countries must hold referendums on any proposed treaty change for it to be effected: France, the Netherlands and Spain. And finally, treaty change is not being proposed in any event. Eurosceptic Tory MPs have thus, on the one hand, their view that Britains relationship with the EU requires major change, and the simple fact that major change is not on offer. This mornings reports about the emergency brake confirm this. We now have a brake that will apply immediately which Number Ten is trumpeting as a major win but which will none the less remain in the hands of the EU institutions. In the words of The Times (), he will accept that other EU leaders and institutions retain control of the legal mechanism for implementing it. Those Eurosceptic Conservatives can honestly tell their constituents and Associations that for the sake of Party unity they will support the Prime Minister. They can argue that do not want to open the door to any Labour recovery, or disrupt the programme of Conservative reform. They can say that they have changed their minds about the EU altogether. What they cannot say truthfully is that Cameron is delivering the major reforms which they themselves backed last May. From the highest Cabinet Minister to the lowliest backbencher, they have only one choice if this matters to them: to back Brexit. SUBSCRIBE Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates straight in your inbox. Close The World Health Organization (WHO) has begun deliberations on Monday to determine whether or not Zika, a mosquito-borne virus, should be declared a global health emergency, which would trigger international action and speed up research. The 12 experts with the United Nations health agency, who specialize in public health, epidemiology and infectious diseases, are discussing the issue via a telephone conference. A briefing is expected to be held on Tuesday afternoon. "I have all confidence that they will declare this as a public health emergency," Peter Piot, the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said to BBC Radio reported by Reuters. The meeting was announced roughly one week after the WHO stated that the Zika virus, which has been linked to a birth defect known as microcephaly, is "spreading explosively" throughout the Americas. The agency added that the only two countries that will most likely not be affected by the virus are Canada and Chile. So far, the virus has affected Brazil the most. Since the virus was first reported, Brazilian officials have had more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, which occurs when an infant is born with an abnormally small head. In response to the outbreak, President Dilma Rousseff has signed a measure that will allow officials to enter any buildings believed to breeding grounds for the mosquito and carry out eradication procedures. Brazilian officials, as well as officials from other parts of Central and South America, have also recommended women to delay pregnancy plans. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued travel warnings to these countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Martin, Suriname, Samoa, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. Pregnant women and women who are planning a pregnancy should talk to their primary care doctors if they have traveled to a region where the Zika virus was confirmed. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare The Settlers - A Documentary By Dr. Ludwig Watzal 01 February, 2016 Countercurrents.org The Israeli government's settlement project, which is de facto a land-grabbing colonial enterprise, has to be sold more aggressively to a much wider public. Without the financial support and the complicity of the various US administrations, the success wouldn't have been so resounding. Every critic of Israel's encroachment on Palestinian land has also to blame the US government. Just recently, Israel announced the building of 150 Jewish-only new settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank that led to international condemnation even by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Shimon Dotan, an Israeli Award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer, presented his new documentary, "The Settlers", at Sundance Film Festival 2016. Currently, he teaches political cinema at NYU School of Journalism and at the New School University in New York City. The documentary reveals the history and consequences of Israeli settlement policy. According to Dotan, "in no point in time (did) any Israeli government decide [...} that it's in the best interest of the State of Israel to keep settlements in the West Bank". Apparently, it all happened in a sort of haphazard way and without a rational and calculated decision by the government. The film presents a statement by the former Deputy State Attorney Talia Sasson, where she revealed the deceptive mechanism used to conceal the governments hand in the settlement policy. In her report, she listed 105 outposts built between 1995 and March 2005. "The findings of my report were that the entity behind the establishment of the outposts was the State of Israel, acting behind the government's back, illegally, but with the involvement of various government ministries, settlers, local councils in the Territories, they are the ones that used state funds to build those outposts and all of this was done illegally. The illegality was institutionalized. The government couldn't decide on the establishment of new settlements because the Americans were given verbal commitments and the Prime Minister didn't want to violate them, but there was still the desire to build new settlements so they found a new system whereby the government is 'unaware' that settlements are being built with government funds." So far, the colonization of Palestinian land was very successful. What started with a call by Rabbi Zvi Jehuda Kook just before the Six Day War in 1967 to seize biblical sites such as Hebron and Nablus, it was followed by Rabbi Moshe Levingers and his followers call to establish the first Jewish colony inside Hebron. All this started under a Labor Party government led by Levi Eshkol. Up until now, there are almost 600 000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the Golan Hights. An estimated 80 000 of them are ideologically driven. Back in 1974, the late Yitzhak Rabin called the settlement movement Gush Emunim a "cancer in the democratic fabric of the State of Israel", yet all Israeli governments expedited the building of settlements and they are flourishing. Israel can manage the occupation and control the Palestinian people, especially with the active support of president Mahmoud Abbas regime that tries to stifle every protest against the Israeli colonial regime. What the right-wing Israeli government can't handle is disintegration from within. And it might find it impossible to manage forever Apartheid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Sooner or later even Israel proper i.e. within the 1967 borders may turn into an Apartheid-like state. The signs on the wall are already visible. As long as the occupation and the settlements are in place, resistance will continue. Watch the interview with Shimon Dotan on Democracy Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTbAKFg17Nw Dr. Ludwig Watzal works as a journalist and editor in Bonn Germany. He runs the bilingual blog http://between-the-lines-ludwig-watzal.blogspot.de/ Home Our nonprofit is dedicated to proving that there is MORE than enough money, resources and love to share with everyone in our communities. The Hudson Valley Current is a nonprofit organization dedicated to local economic development. We are here to challenge the scarcity myththe belief that there is NOT enough. By challenging scarcity, we are committed to exchanging, sharing and teaching abundance within the Hudson Valley. Exchanging Abundance The Current The Current is an alternative currency recognized by the IRS that can only be used within the Hudson Valley at member businesses. By using the Current, we ensure that our money stays local and is used to strengthen businesses in our community. What happens when our money stays local? Our main streets, our local businesses and our neighbors keep more of the wealth, which strengthens our local community. Exchange Abundance Sharing Abundance Tildas Kitchen & Market Our cafe and kitchen gives you a taste of community-inspired global cuisine that is inclusive of all our neighbors in the Hudson Valley. It not only satisfies your hunger but your thirst for knowledge about the journey your food took to get to you. When we know where our food comes from and who prepares it for us, it allows us to have a relationship with our food and the journey it took to get to us. Our community grows, shares and loves on a united frontand takes action from a place of local pride. Share Abundance Teaching Abundance Livelihood News Our publication, Livelihood News is dedicated to sharing the good news within the Hudson Valley. What happens when people regularly hear good news rather than gloomy news? They come from a place of abundance, peace and love. Teach Abundance Our efforts are focused on empowering our local community members and showing them that theres more than enough wealth, food and resources to go around. The Hudson Valley is filled with local love, sharing and abundance. If you are interested in learning more about how you can become a beacon of abundance, sign up to receive information about opportunities to get involvedand hear about the good news in the Hudson Valley. SHARE SongShine Evansville: will present a music-based voice therapy program that helps strengthen the speaking voices of those who suffer from Parkinson's, stroke and other neurological disorders or simply aging. Starting March 8, the classes will meet on Tuesdays from 1:30-2:30 p.m. through May 17 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 5130 Lincoln Ave. The classes use classical singing exercises, relaxation, physical awareness and breath, diction and articulation, creative imagination, emotional engagement, rhythmic movement and group singing to enhance speech. Registration will be at 1 p.m. the first week. Classes are free, but a $10 registration fee is required. A kit containing a textbook, CDs, a bookstand and a bag is $45. Call 812-457-5137 or register online at SongShineforParkinsons.org. Classes are taught by Certified SongShine instructors. Scholarships are available if needed. Bereavement support group: Meeting 5:30-7 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month in the large group meeting room, second floor of Central Library, 200 SE MLK Blvd. Men's bereavement support group: Meeting 9-10:30 a.m. the second Monday of each month in Room 204 at Deaconess VNA Plus, 610 E. Walnut St. Support group for bipolar/manic-depressive disorder: Meeting 7 p.m. the first and third Wednesday of each month, Kempf Bipolar Wellness Center, third floor of St. Mary's Rehabilitation Institute, 3700 Washington Ave. Information: 812-485-4934. Survivors of suicide support group: Meeting 6:30 p.m. the first and third Monday of each month, Methodist Temple, 2109 Lincoln Ave. Information: Mental Health America at 812-426-2640. Pulmonary fibrosis support group: Meeting 3 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month, Room 1420, Deaconess Hospital, 600 Mary St. Information: 812-450-6000 or deaconess.com. COPD/asthma support group: Meeting 3 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month, Room 1420, Deaconess Hospital, 600 Mary St. Information: 812-450-6000 or deaconess.com. Mending Hearts pregnancy loss support group: Meeting 6:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month, Gift Conference Room, off the lobby of St. Mary's Hospital for Women & Children, 3700 Washington Ave. Information: 812-485-4204. Men's cancer support group: Meeting 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month, St. Mary's Epworth Crossing Community Conference Room, 100 St. Mary's Epworth Crossing, Newburgh. Information: 812-485-5725. Stroke support group: Meeting 10 a.m. the fourth Wednesday of each month, St. Mary's Community Education Room at Washington Square Mall, 5011 Washington Ave. Information: 812-485-5607. ALS support group: Meeting 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month, Meeting Room E, Deaconess Gateway Hospital. The support group is for patients, caregivers and survivors who have lost someone to Lou Gehrig's disease. Women's cancer support group: Meeting 5:30 p.m. the second and fourth Monday of each month, St. Mary's Epworth Crossing Community Conference Room. Information: 812-485-5725. Compiled by Leah Ward, leah.ward@courierpress.com SHARE Some background on news-making Zika virus My son Daniel is annoyed with me. This is not particularly newsworthy, since he is 14 and everything I do annoys him these days, but this time it is slightly justified. He was working on his physics project, a Rube Goldberg contraption made with multiple moving parts to demonstrate energy transformations. He designed and executed it with minimal input from me, and just when I smugly thought I was finally going to escape from any school project duties, he handed me the phone and said I needed to take a video of it. I am not a complete technology moron, but honestly I had never used that function on the phone before and there is a slight learning curve. After a few unsuccessful takes requiring mild project tweaks, the experiment worked perfectly, but my camera work was off, so I failed to capture a crucial step in the experiment. Evidently Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg have nothing to fear from me, because I missed it again on the next take. After a few more miscues, Daniel set up all the parts again, including a long line of tedious-to-place dominoes, and I knew this was my last chance as a director before he called in his dad, so the pressure was on. I am happy to report I finally got the perfect shot, down to the exasperated expression on Daniel's face. In that spirit of keeping up with the times, I decided it would be a good time to read up on an illness in the news that is new to me, the Zika virus. Over the past few weeks, outbreaks of the Zika virus have been reported in Central and South America as well as parts of the Caribbean. I really don't remember studying about this in med school, and it seems to have come out of nowhere, but it actually has been around awhile. It was first identified in 1947 in a Rhesus monkey in the Zika forest in Uganda. Zika means overgrown in the local language, and forest means lots of creepy crawly nature things, giving me two good reasons not to visit. (Also, for those of us that grew up in the '70s, Uganda was always associated with the dictatorship of Idi Amin, and the cannibalism and other associated atrocities that went along with his regime, another real turnoff.) It took about 60 years for Zika to make its way halfway across the globe to Yap Island in Micronesia where a small outbreak occurred in 2007. Since then, however, its migration pattern has begun to speed up and it has moved into Brazil as well as other Latin American countries, where large outbreaks have been reported. As I write this, a few days before you are reading it, the only cases that have been seen in the United States (other than Puerto Rico) have been in recent travelers from an affected country. The primary mode of transmission of the Zika virus is through the bite of an infected mosquito of the Aedes species, the same type of mosquito that causes yellow fever and dengue. This species is generally found in warm tropical climates, including the southern United States, but one variation of the implicated insect has a range all the way up to Chicago and New York, decidedly nontropical places. The virus can also be transmitted in utero and potentially through sexual contact, although I have seen no reports of casual contact causing the disease. Only one out of five people who become infected by the Zika virus will exhibit symptoms. Typical symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes, and some people complain of muscle aches and headache as well. Symptoms last a few days to a week and are usually mild. The complication rate for healthy adults and children is very low, but the one group at risk is unborn babies. In areas with high rates of Zika virus, there have been increased numbers of babies born with microcephaly, a condition characterized by an extremely small head, and often, incomplete brain growth and development. It is unknown how or why the Zika virus is causing this, and the link is not confirmed, but the correlation is strong and many countries are recommending caution for pregnant women living in or traveling to affected areas. There is no treatment or vaccine for Zika virus, and the main advice seems to be to avoid mosquito bites (thank you for that bit of wisdom, medical experts). The CDC has recommended that pregnant women avoid travel to affected countries and territories for now if possible, or talk to their doctors before travel. (An updated list of affected areas is on their website.) It is expected that the virus will make its way to the United States eventually, but for now, we can learn from the situation in Brazil, where officials are pledging to intensify efforts to eradicate the mosquito problem before the Summer Olympics in August. I've never seen a case of Zika virus, but it's good to be prepared in case it comes this way. Dr. Betsy Neahring practiced pediatrics in Evansville for 10 years before (mostly) retiring to become "Daniel's Mom." Write her at drbetsyneahring@aol.com. SHARE By Len Wells of the Courier and Press A Richland County, Illinois, grand jury returned a perjury indictment against an Illinois State Police detective Friday. Richard White of Fairfield, Illinois, is accused of making a false statement during testimony in a 2012 civil case involving retired Illinois State Police detective and former Wayne County Sheriff Jimmy L. Hinkle. At the time, White was investigating Hinkle on allegations he sexually abused his stepdaughter. No charges were ever brought in the case. According to the indictment, White allegedly stated in 2012 that he was aware that the alleged victim in the Hinkle case had recanted her story about the sexual abuse. In a subsequent deposition in 2013, White was asked the same question, and replied that he did not recall. White posted $1,000 cash bond in the case last week and was released pending a Feb. 23 appearance in Richland County Circuit Court in Olney. As of Monday, White was still working for the state police. JASON CLARK / COURIER & PRESS Tour guide John Davis (right) leads a tour on the main deck of the LST 325 during Maritime Day at the ship in Evansville Saturday. The Propeller Club of the United States Port 164 in Evansville sponsored Maritime Day and offered free tours of the LST. SHARE BOB GWALTNEY / Courier & Press ARCHIVES LST 325 makes its way up the Ohio River as it arrives in Evansville, Indiana Monday October 3, 2005 followed by a flotilla of pleasure boats and hundreds lining the shore. The World War II Navy ship is of the same class of ship that was built in the city during the war and will now be permanently docked near the citys downtown. The ship had been docked in Mobile, Alabama after being purchased from the Greek Navy. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS ARCHIVES Gentlemen, were going to be lining up like two rows of Indiana corn on the port side, Captain Bob Jornlin told the crew of LST 325 before they arrived in Evansville, their new home port, Monday at around noon Oct. 3, 2005. Area residents lined the shore of the Ohio River at Dress Plaza downtown and along the Greenway to welcome her home. DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS ARCHIVES Captain Bob Jornlin, far right, and Sid Hisel of Georgetown, Ky., center, stand watch in the wheelhouse of LST 325 as they near one of the last locks along their voyage from Mobile, Ala., to Evansville, Ind., Oct. 2, 2005. BRIEN VINCENT / COURIER & PRESS The USS LST 325 sails down the Ohio River towards Evansville, Ind. on Monday, September 23, 2013. By Zach Evans of the Courier and Press Two months and 6,200 miles. That's the time and distance from the isle of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea to the Alabama coast that the LST 325 ship, with a crew of 29, had to sail to return home. The trip was 15 years ago in January. The ship now moored at Evansville's Riverfront first had to complete the trek back the U.S. where it was built to help the Allies win World War II. Of the 1,051 built during the war effort, the LST 325 is the only fully-functional ship of its kind remaining. While it wasn't built in Evansville, the LST 325 represents the 167 of the landing ships that were. It also represents the full effort the city contributed to the war machine in the 1940s. The city's industrial hub was transformed from appliances and cars to war ships, planes and bullets. The floating museum has been docked at Inland Marina along the Ohio River for a decade. From World War II to Greece to Inland Marina, now LST officials are considering a move to the high-profile spot currently occupied by Tropicana's casino boat. 'HELPS TO BE A LITTLE CRAZY' The LST 325 was built in Philadelphia in October 1942. Historians cite the landing ships' implementation in World War II as instrumental in helping the Allies secure victory. The ships deployed troops at several key battles, including Normandy, Okinawa and Iwo Jima. After the war ended, the ship was decommissioned. In 1964, the Greek Navy took ownership. It served the European nation until it was decommissioned in 1999. That's when a group of veterans decided to bring the ship back to the U.S. "They spent months trying to get this thing to run and make it seaworthy," said Chris Donahue, an LST board member who lives in Evansville. It wasn't easy. As former LST Captain Bob Jornlin described in his book, "Bringing Back a Hero: Return of LST 325," the ship was junk inside and out. "Most people in their right mind would walk away from something like that, so it helps to be a little crazy," Donahue said. The group poured more than $100,000 into the ship simply to get it running. When it came back to the U.S., it didn't much look like the painted and polished ship docked at Inland Marina today. The crew spent the summer of 2000 working on the vessel. And it was a hard summer, by most accounts. The average age of the crew was 72 and the summer was hot with several days over 100 degrees, according to the National Park Service's 92-page application to secure the LST on the National Historic Register list. "They took a financial gamble. They got their money back because it was a success, but that could have gone the other way, too." On Nov. 14, 2000, a crew of 30 left Greece for the U.S. About 6,200 miles later, the ship landed in Mobile, Alabama, on Jan. 10, 2001. It was docked in Mobile while a permanent home was sought. Evansville, a key part of the industrial war effort, was selected through a bidding process, and the ship moved to its spot at Inland Marina in October 2005. What helped push Evansville to the forefront, aside from its deep-seated World War II history, was the ship's 11-day stint in the city in 2003. "More people came out in Evansville than any other place stood in the hot son. About 30,000 plus. After it was all over, that was one of the big things that influenced the board to vote unanimously for Evansville," Donahue said. While that was a huge showing for the ship, regular visitation at its Inland Marina spot has dwindled over the last decade. Inland Marina isn't difficult to reach, but it is hidden from the rest of Downtown, separating the ship from the regular and future commerce. The ship is closed from Dec. 1 to April 1 except Saturdays now, meaning it's missing out on 1/3 of the year. "It's a beautiful dock, but as you can see, it's a ghost town," Donahue said while on the ship last month. MOVE DOWN RIVER The LST 325 Board has the option to move the ship to where Tropicana's casino boat is now. After land-based gambling became legal in Indiana in 2015, it didn't take Tropicana long to announce its plans to move its casino from the Ohio River to land. Along with a $50 million investment into a new facility, the casino offered its location to the LST 325 and an additional $1 million for engineering work to dock the ship. "That saved me a lot of convincing to do. Being the local guy, I've got to paint a picture of what's going to improve for the rest of the board," Donahue said. He and John Engrstrom, the only other board member who lives locally, met with Mayor Lloyd Winnecke last month to discuss the plans. The city should have artistic renderings for board members by their April meeting. Donahue gave a brief update to the rest of the board during its meeting Saturday. "Everything's happening probably faster than we thought," he told the board. The $1 million is nice, board members agreed, but they also noted it cost $3 million to build a dock at Inland Marina; though, that spot had not held a ship the size of the LST like the casino boat's dock. "There's way more questions than we have answers," board member John Hatton said. A four-person committee for the nine-person board is vetting the move. Donahue remains positive about the ship's move to a better spot on the river, but said there "definitely won't be a decision until April, maybe June." Tropicana's plans for a new on-land facility still need approval by the Indiana Gaming Commission. If approved, construction would start in the spring and would end by December 2017. That means the LST 325 will stay put except for its annual fundraising trip across the U.S. and performance during ShrinersFest in the summer until spring 2018. FILE - The rib XXL combo with ribs, fries and baked beans at Mission BBQ in Fort Myers, Florida. SHARE The Mission BBQ team rolls into town before a new store opens in an "invasion," bringing a smoker on the back of a "Deuce and a Half" military cargo truck to throw outdoor community events and fundraisers. By Shannon Hall of the Courier and Press Evansville will see a new barbecue joint join the city's restaurant lineup in March. Mission BBQ plans to set up shop at 1530 N. Green River Road in the Eastland Shoppes area. The location will be its first in the Midwest. Mission BBQ has 19 other locations in Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The business opened its first location Sept. 11, 2011. "Ten years after our world changed forever, in some small way we wanted to change it back. ... We believe there is nothing more American than BBQ," the founders wrote on the Mission BBQ website. "And nobody more American than the brave men and women who have sworn to protect and serve our communities and our country. We do what we do for the love of our soldiers, firefighters, police officers, first responders all our loved ones in service." Linda Dotterer, Mission BBQ's brand ambassador, said best friends Bill Kraus and Steve "Newt" Newton wanted to show their love of barbecue and their love of country through Mission BBQ. "(Sept. 11, 2001) changed everybody, and it impacted them," she said. At all of its locations, Mission BBQ sets aside a moment for the national anthem at noon every day. Mission BBQ also commits to give back to the communities, said Chuck Eaton, Mission BBQ general manager in Evansville. Mission BBQ will have a soft opening March 9-10. The business will invite firefighters' families to dine at the restaurant. All proceeds will go to a local firefighter charity. The following day, Mission BBQ will invite law enforcement officers and their families, and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to a local police charity 911 Gives Hope. On March 11, the barbecue joint will have a sneak peek for anyone to stop in and try a bite of the food 5-9 p.m., Dotterer said. The proceeds will go to military charity. Eaton said they hope to open five to 10 Mission BBQs in Southern Indiana and Kentucky. Mission BBQ hopes to double the number of restaurant by the end of the year, Dotterer said. The restaurant will open at noon March 14. Normal hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. To see the menu and check out prices, people can go to mission-bbq.com. MISSION BBQ MENU A prototype of a baby box, where parents could surrender their newborns anonymously, is shown outside the fire station in Woodburn, Ind., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015. The box is actually a newborn incubator, or baby box, and it could be showing up soon at Indiana hospitals, fire stations, churches and other selected sites under legislation that would give mothers in crisis a way to surrender their children safely and anonymously. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) By The Associated Press FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) The Indiana Department of Health has ignored a law requiring it to prepare guidelines for installing "baby boxes" where people could anonymously leave unwanted newborns, a state legislator says. State Rep. Casey Cox, R-Fort Wayne, wrote to state Health Commissioner Jerome Adams, saying an agency report that the baby boxes shouldn't be used "subverts the legislative process and ignores the obligations required of it under Indiana law." He said the agency was supposed to recommend standards so the incubators could be installed and operated safely, not decide whether they should be implemented. Health department spokeswoman Jennifer O'Malley says the agency will work with Cox to address his concerns. "It's important to note that a team of child health experts from ISDH carefully studied available research on newborn safety incubators and determined that there are no standards or protocols that can ensure the safety of children placed in these devices," she wrote in an email. Advocates say the boxes would let parents give up infants without speaking to anyone, and deter them from leaving newborns elsewhere. Opponents say the state should focus on better educating people on the state's existing Safe Haven law, which allows someone to give up an infant anonymously at emergency rooms, fire stations or police stations. The law enables someone to give up an unwanted infant anonymously without fear of arrest or prosecution. The adult may give up custody of a baby less than 30 days old. Monica Kelsey, a Woodburn firefighter who founded the not-for-profit group Safe Haven Baby Boxes, which produces boxes that are heated and will alert first responders when a child is placed inside, says state standards for their use are needed "The Department of Health has to be held accountable," she said. "It's not their job to decide this wasn't good legislation." Cox said he wants legislators to receive all the information they asked for, so they can decide whether other laws are needed, such as providing immunity to hospitals or other agencies that house the incubators. His letter urged Adams to order his agency to comply with the law. Cox wants the department to provide guidelines within 60 days. photos by DENNY SIMMONS / COURIER & PRESS John Embry, a deckhand on the Cave in Rock Ferry, lowers the apron ramp to allow the passengers to disembark Tuesday afternoon. Kevin Davis (top left) pilots the Loni Jo tugboat and Trixie (bottom left) peers out of the window of her owners car. SHARE Embry ties off the Cave in Rock Ferry using six wraps of a heavy chain around a well-used cleat as a group of westbound vehicles patiently wait to get on their way. The Cave in Rock Ferry chugs across the Ohio River connecting Cave in Rock, Ill., with Crittendon County, Ky., on Tuesday afternoon. By Denny Simmons of the Courier and Press CAVE IN ROCK, Ill. John Embry stepped from the warm confines of the pilot house into the late afternoon air. The gray sky and steady breeze didn't make the below freezing temperatures any more enjoyable, but those vehicles weren't going to park themselves. The Navy veteran and ferry deckhand spun a wheel and lowered the Cave in Rock Ferry's apron ramp to meet the fixed ramp on the Crittendon County side of the Ohio River. "If you do it enough, you get pretty close," he said of his ability to eyeball the connection with near precision each time. The gates were released and Embry tied off the ferry using two rust-covered but sturdy chains. He took his position and motioned the first vehicle in the center row to pull off the float. When all four vehicles were heading east toward Marion, Kentucky, via Kentucky 91, it was time to reverse the process and head back to Cave in Rock, Illinois, for the umpteenth time that day. Since the ferry is open from 6 a.m. until 9:50 p.m. every day, it can get in nearly 100 crossings during a shift. The pilot, Kevin Davis, spun his tugboat "Loni Jo" around 180 degrees for another trip, and it wasn't long before Embry had her tied off and ready to go. The drivers of the new load of vehicles this time all pickup were greeted with a sign stating the three basic rules for a safe trip across the river. "No smoking. Set brakes. Stop engines." "We go back and forth and back and forth unless we don't have any traffic. Then we sit. But that don't happen very often," Embry said moments before hopping over the rail and disappearing into the pilot house to get a few minutes warmth before doing it all over again. SHARE Charles Leathers Evansville (Columnist) John Krull tried to paint a picture of President Obama as trying to be a uniter not a divider. Let's take a look at what the president has done to promote unity among the citizenry. Started out his 2008 presidential campaign denigrating people of certain religious convictions as "clinging to their religion," implying that it was clouding their views on what government should be doing in their lives all the while feeling free to stick to his convictions. He now wants us to be tolerant of other religions (that I assume don't cling to theirs). Chastised people for "clinging to their guns" when they felt that the progressive gun-control advocates were putting their second amendment rights in jeopardy by continuing to add even more regulations and laws on gun control which never, in the end, accomplish what they are meant to do except to increase the burden on law abiding gun owners. Allowed Treasury officials to unfairly target conservative 501(c)(4) social welfare groups by excessively scrutinizing their applications to be recognized, thus preventing them from raising tax-exempt funds to use to voice their views. When President Obama would take the time of weighing in on any controversial police action it seemed to always be an issue where it was, or perceived to be, as a white police officer violating the rights of a black citizen. His Justice Department seem to find minority voter rights being assailed but not the white voters intimidated by the New Black Panther Party outside a Philadelphia polling station. The accused violators that were charged did not show up in court to answer the charges. Eventually those charges were either dropped or reduced. The Civil Rights Commission has concluded that the Department of Justice, under Secretary Eric Holder (appointed by President Obama), exhibited "numerous specific examples of open hostility and opposition" to pursuing cases in which whites were the victims. These are just a partial list of his attempts to minimize the opposition or people with different political views. In 2008 I read Barack Obama's book "Audacity of Hope." Partway through I thought that he was someone I might vote for. After further reading I came to the conclusion that he was trying to convince people that he was a centrist. I (determined) he would always vote the progressive liberal way and was just another partisan politician. History, I believe, bears out my assessment. SHARE Steve Hurm Evansville It seems that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and his minions in the state Legislature have managed to alienate an entirely new group of Hoosiers. Recalling the fact that the Governor was narrowly elected in 2012 with less than 50 percent of those bothering to make it to the polls, he has few voters to spare in his quest for a second term. While the fact that voters are shedding Pence in droves while John Greg's popularity is soaring may not be newsworthy, the new crop of defectors from the Pence camp is sure noteworthy. It seems that the newest defectors are some of the state's pillars of religion, the Roman Catholic and the United Methodist churches. In a recent Courier & Press Community Comment, the Rev. Michael J. Coyner, Bishop of the Indiana United Methodist Church, urged Pence and the Legislature to "do no harm" when balancing LGBT rights and religious freedoms. The trouble is the harm has already been done. The reputation of every Hoosier was damaged last March when Pence signed the RFRA law he requested from his party in the State Legislature. If that were not enough, he tried to repair the damage by spending $365,000 to hire Indianapolis PR firm Porter Novelli to try to repair the damage. It seems Pence and his camp thought there was nothing wrong with the new law that a new jingle couldn't solve (Some catchy line like Indiana-Down home homophobia). He quickly canceled the contract as the disaster spread and the RFRA fix was born. Pence still has not disclosed what the taxpayers got for their money. This week Visit Indy, the official tourism organization of Indianapolis, announced the city lost over $60 million directly due to the RFRA debacle and stands to lose considerable more in the future should the Governor and State Legislature continue on the path of discrimination and denial. As Coyner pointed out none of the bills introduced so far will offer a solution to the problem. The only fix is to add four words and a comma to the State constitution and move on or more damage is destined to follow. It is important to remember that last year's problems were not the result of savvy Left leaning gay rights supporters. The fact is, the Indiana State Legislature was acting on a request from the Governor to pass the RFRA law to pump up his credentials with the GOP. There is no one else to blame but Pence and the Legislators who supported the law against the warnings from some of the state's top businesses. One year ago Mike Pence was a party darling who was setting up for a run for president. RFRA torpedoed the chance of Pence ever being nominated for higher office and killed his true dream of returning to Washingto. Mike Pence is only running for a second term as a consolation prize and Hoosiers are paying the price. If Pence didn't have enough troubles, it appears none other than the Catholic Church has come out to rebuke the governor's xenophobic stance on refugees. It seems that Governor Pence wanted a seat at the big boys table at last November's Republican Governors association. In an effort to impress his peers, Pence booted a family of Syrian refugee's moments before their scheduled arrival in Indianapolis. The Governor then tried to sell his message of exclusionism to Archbishop Joseph Tobin of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The good Bishop listened politely and responded to Pence that what he was asking goes against a basic tenant of the Catholic faith and ever so politely showed him the door. The church went on to rebuke Pence and settled a couple with two small children in Indianapolis in December. The church said in a statement that assisting immigrants was an "essential part of the Ctholic church's identity." What the governor was asking was that the Pope not be so darned Catholic. It seems that more and more people are waking up to the backward thinking of Governor Mike Pence. From religious leaders to every day hard working Hoosiers folks are tired paying for the bumbling mistakes of this ambitious career politician. My hope is that when voters go to the polls to reject Pence this November they also reject those members of the State Legislature who allowed him to damage Hoosier pocketbooks and reputations. Only then can the healing process begin. The city's best shade trees are dying. Here's what is killing them. Evansville is seriously at risk of losing its ash trees and it needs the public's help to protect them. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Now get this: Once, Alex answered the door and a saw a couple of ICE officers standing there. This would usually be a cause for alarm, considering the status of everyone in the house, but they weren't there to pick anyone up -- they were there to drop someone off. She was from Central America, she was eight and a half months pregnant, she'd been in detention, and they had no idea what to do with her. So they palmed her off on Immaculate Home. "Little bit of genuine compassion in the law," sums up Alex, "and a little bit of 'We don't want to deal with her giving birth here.'" The official reason for the release was "humanitarian parole," but this hadn't been explained to the woman, who seemed to think she was being transferred to a new, disarmingly domestic jail. "I tried to comfort her as best I could," says Alex, "but it was clear that as a white male in a position of authority, she did not trust me." We'll never know how the home would have dealt with her giving birth, because within a week, she managed to get on a plane to fly to family elsewhere in the country. Gwyn Photography/The Image Bank/Getty Images You know someone is uneasy when they choose to deal with the TSA over you. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Another time, officers arrived with a guy from East Africa who'd been living in Arizona illegally. They asked if they could come in, which gave Alex the opportunity to cross his arms and say, "HE can come in." They left the man and took off, and Alex felt pretty awesome for standing up to officers with guns. He felt considerably less awesome shortly afterward, when he realized that the home's new guest was schizophrenic. The officers had got him to accept unofficial custody of someone he had no ability to properly care for -- the home stocks no medication, and they'd probably end up shut down if they were caught illegally dispensing any. Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo may only have got two hours sleep last night but he could barely have hoped for a better start to 2016 testing. The Movistar Yamaha rider finished day one at Sepang in Malaysia one-second clear of the field, led by team-mate Valentino Rossi, Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa and Pramac Ducati's Danilo Petrucci. Lorenzo's lap time of 2m 0.684s, set with the new Michelin tyres and single ECU, effectively matched his (Bridgestone and factory ECU) race lap record in October's grand prix. However he was still was some way off Pedrosa's 1m 59.0s pole time and Marquez's unofficial testing record of 1m 58.867s. "Well I think the potential for everyone is still very far because we are almost two seconds from the track record," confirmed Lorenzo, speaking in the paddock on Monday evening. "But we have new electronics, that in theory will never arrive at the level of the previous one, and different tyres that makes you change your riding style. You cannot take the same lean angle and you have to brake a little bit before. So it is difficult to make the same lap time as last year. "Compared to the other riders is the interesting thing though, because we are fighting against the other riders, and today we couldn't start in a better way. From the beginning I saw that, even not pushing so much, the lap times were coming easy. "It's not always you have this kind of opportunity, to go so quick compared to the other riders, and today we have this opportunity. So I take profit of it and I go very fast. I think the Michelin tyres could be a good thing for me in the future, from what I felt today." Lorenzo agreed that his naturally smooth riding style seems to suit the new Michelin tyres better than some of his rivals. "I think the fastest riders will be the fastest riders, sooner or later. Marquez, Pedrosa, Valentino and myself we will be there. But for the moment it looks like for Dani or myself it is better for our riding style. It looks like the riders that brake later and harder have more problems. But after one day we can't make conclusions." Lorenzo and Rossi have two different 2016 M1s to try, the Spaniard spending most of the day on what seems to be a hybrid 2015-2016 bike, having found the all-new version too radical at this stage. "Yes, the last exit," he replied, when asked if he had tried the latest version. "We still have to modify something to make it more similar to the other bike. Because for the moment it has changed so much. We had not only the chassis but some other parts that were different. So for the moment the feeling was better with the first bike. "Tomorrow I'll try and get both bikes working, not such a huge difference, and try to sleep more because today I only slept two hours with the jet lag. The first two days here I was ok and then... So after 22 hours awake for sure I'm tired. "I also have a sore throat so I'm taking antibiotics. My physical condition is not perfect, but to ride two or three laps, I can do that very well. If I was fitter I could do longer stints." Also on track tomorrow will be Lorenzo's former rival Casey Stoner, who will be starting his second day of testing for Ducati after a debut on Saturday. "I think he can be in the top three," Lorenzo declared. "He always liked Sepang and he has had the same days on track as us, so he can be very fast.." IBM has sold more than 100 technology patents to Western Digital. The patents sold involve distributed storage, object storage and emerging non-volatile memory technologies, the two vendors announced Friday Australian time. The companies did not disclose the value of the deal, which also includes a patent cross-licence agreement. The intellectual property transferred from IBM will add to storage giant Western Digitals existing portfolio of more than 10,000 patents and pending patents. Western Digital chief operating officer Mike Cordano said that the landmark agreement sets up his company for even more rapid advancement and commercialisation of new data storage solutions. Remarkably, 2015 saw IBM boast its 23rd consecutive year of leading all US companies in patents granted, according to statistics compiled by analysis firm IFI Claims Patents Services. "This agreement with Western Digital illustrates the value of patented IBM inventions, IBM intellectual property general manager William LaFontaine. More than a year after the decision to split was revealed, and after a delay and a price adjustment, Symantec has officially closed on its separation from storage company Veritas. The sale of Veritas to private equity firm The Carlyle Group officially completed at Friday's stock market close, putting US$5.3 billion in after-tax proceeds in the security company's pockets. The process of splitting Symantec in two began back in October 2014, when the Mountain View, California-based company first revealed its intention to split from its storage business, Veritas. This past August, the company said, instead of simply splitting the company, it would be selling Veritas to The Carlyle Group for US$8 billion. The two companies started operating independently in October 2015. Since then, the company pushed back the expected close date of the acquisition from 1 January to 29 January and lowered its sale price from US$8 billion to US$7.4 billion. John Thompson, Symantec global vice president of partner and channel sales, said the split finalisation is a "big deal" for the vendor and clears a path for it to focus on its Unified Security strategy. He said Symantec employees did most of their celebrating of the operational split in October, but that "there is still singing and dancing in the hallways today". "Today marks a new dawn for Symantec and its partners," Thompson said. "Symantec has completed the sale of Veritas and now we are solely focused on cybersecurity. I think that's going to be good for partners and good for Symantec." This article originally appeared at crn.com Technology companies were among the major givers named in the Australian Electoral Commission's periodic disclosure list of political party donations for 2014-15. The AEC's report listed Google as donating $60,000 to the Labor Party in its first and only political donation. Google has since denied this, stating the donation was actually made to the Chifley Research Centre, a think tank associated with the Labor Party. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu donated $159,610 to a number of state and federal parties. The biggest beneficiaries were Labor for $117,219 and the Liberals $36,807. Smaller donations were also made to the Country Labor Party and the Nationals. Deloitte has been a heavy hitter in the Australian IT channel, with acquisitions of Cloud Solutions Group in November, Oracle reseller Qubit Consulting in September, as well as Dataweave in June. Another of the Big Four consulting firms, KPMG, handed over $211,597 in donations - the Labor Party recieved $174,892, the Liberals $26,705 and the Liberal National Party $10,000. KPMG has also been actively acquiring channel firms in recent times, including Hands-On Systems, First Point Global, SR7, Pacific Strategy Partners, Momentum Partners and SGA Property Consultancy. Optus made a number of donations to both the Liberals and Labor parties totalling $22,680. Foxtel, a joint venture between Telstra and News Corp, gave $18,500 to the Labor Party. Publicly listed software company TechnologyOne opted not to donate to any political party this year. Last year, the Queensland-based company had donated $31,225 to the Liberals and $1,000 to Labor. The biggest overall donation came from Clive Palmers Queensland Nickel and Mineralogy businesses for just under $10 million to the Palmer United Party. Queensland Nickel was placed in administration last month. Update: This story has been updated to reflect Google's claim that it's donation was incorrectly listed as being to the Labor Party. Google has refuted the Australian Electoral Commission's annual report that showed the tech giant donated $60,000 to the Labor Party last year. The AEC on Monday morning published its periodic disclosure list of political party donations, which listed Google as making its first-ever political donation in Australia, to the Labor Party. A Google spokesperson told CRN the donation was actually made to the Chifley Research Centre, a think tank with ties to the Labor Party. Googles associated entity disclosure return also notes that it made a $66,000 donation to the Menzies Reseach Centre, a think tank associated with the Liberal Party. This donation was not listed in the AECs report. Google said it has launched an internal investigation into how the documents were mistakenly revealed. Security News Endpoint Security Vendor Bit9+Carbon Black Rebrands Itself Jimmy Sheridan Share this Security firm Bit9+Carbon Black has simplified its name to Carbon Black, the latest change the company has made to elevate its presence in the channel in an increasingly expanding endpoint-security market. The Waltham, Mass.-based vendor has been reaping the benefits of that growing market over the past two years, more than doubling its workforce after acquiring endpoint threat detection and response vendor Carbon Black. After passing the 200-employee mark in 2014, the Carbon Black acquisition swelled the payroll to more than 500 today. The Carbon Black acquisition added real-time visibility, detection and response to Bit9s white-listing and application control capabilities. Update: Sam Glines, co-founder of Norse Corp, sent a statement to Salted Hash. It's posted in full on page two of this article. Over the weekend, Norse Corp, a company that was one placed towards the top of any threat intelligence vendor list, went dark. On Saturday, investigative journalist Brian Krebs, citing sources familiar with the situation, said that Norse Corp CEO, Sam Glines, was asked to step down by the board of directors. The same sources told Krebs that employees were told that they could report to work on Monday, but that there was no guarantee they'd be paid for their work. Less than a day after Krebs published his article, Norse Corp's website was offline, and attempts to email the company failed. The ever-popular Norse attack map was online for some of the weekend, but that too had gone dark by Sunday evening. Speaking to Krebs, his sources said that Norse Corp assets would be merged with Solarflare. Emails to Solarflare seeking comment were not returned by the time this story went to publication. Update: Solarflare emailed Salted Hash to say they had no comment. But Solarflare CEO, Russell Stern, told Brian Krebs that "there has been no transaction between Norse and Solarflare." Norse Corp was once a media darling, heavily cited for their reports on Iran last year, and prior to that, the company gained international headlines for their research into the Sony Pictures hack. However, each time Norse Corp grabbed media attention, they were met with brutal backlash from the security community, and the common charge was that their assumptions and supporting data were flawed. In the aftermath of Norse Corp's disappearance, the topic of flawed data and assumptions has once again resurfaced in a blog post written by ICS expert, Robert M. Lee. The latest developments at Norse Corp follow a round of layoffs at the start of the New Year, and Krebs' story digs further into the situation by adding that nothing so far should have come as a surprise: "A careful review of previous ventures launched by the companys founders reveals a pattern of failed businesses, reverse mergers, shell companies and product promises that missed the mark by miles." Adding to this, Krebs spoke to a senior data scientist at Norse Corp, Mary Landesman, who said the data used by the company isn't great, adding that it's "pretty much the same thing as if you looked at Web server logs that had automated crawlers and scanning tools hitting it constantly." "But if you know how to look at it and bring in a bunch of third-party data and tools, the data is not without its merits, if not just based on the sheer size of it." Data is what made Norse Corp what it is. But if there are issues with the data, that could be problematic for Norse Corp customers who relied on it for security decisions and risk analysis. Now that the company has gone dark, it's unclear how this will impact their customers. Jason Belich, former Chief Architect at Norse Corp, who calls himself the "Co-Creator of the Cyber Threat Intelligence Industry" on LinkedIn, disputed Krebs' story, making him the only Norse Corp employee to defend the company after the news broke. Interestingly enough, while he came to the company's defense online, he isn't actually an employee, he was let go during aforementioned layoffs in January. Belich said that Landesman wasn't a credible source, because she was employed by the Norse Corp sales and marketing team. Her title, he says, "never anything more than an affectation, as no one on that side of the house was ever allowed access, rightly or wrongly, to core data or to production processes." He says her comments were invalid because as a "remote employee, who never appeared in the office more than a handful of times, she never had any sort of pulse on the production teams nor the day-to-day operation of the company, nor anything other than the sales efforts." Belich also had several other complaints about the Krebs article, but in a Twitter exchange between the two, Krebs took Belich to task for not making his thoughts known prior to publication. Both Krebs' story and the post made by Belich are worth reading as things unfold with Norse Corp. Looking for additional comment, Salted Hash reached out to KPMG, the investor who gave Norse Corp $11.4M last September, however the company has yet to respond to inquiries. Update: KPMG sent the following comment: "The terms of our investment with Norse remain confidential and we have no further comment to make at this time." While Belich seems to be a supporter of Norse Corp given his defense, has questions of his own about what happened at the company, and said that he would be re-working his LinkedIn profile to "de-norse-ify" it all. In his post responding to Krebs' story, Belich outlined his issues: "What is genuinely frustrating about this story, is there is literally nothing in it about the actual problems and failures which led to Norse's current situation: /Why/ is Tommy Stiansen such a secretive bastard? Why has Norse garnered so much hate? How did such a toxic corporate culture develop that caused so many former employees to want to speak out? What were the blunders which caused a finance under-run?" On the original article by Krebs, Belich goes into more detail in the comments section, which appeared after the other linked post was made. A soft landing: While the status of Norse Corp is still unknown, its important to remember that if there are problems, then the blame should fall on the shoulders of management. The company has several highly-skilled employees who will need a job sometime in the very near future it seems, and none of them are to blame for anything that might've happened to the company. For those at Norse Corp currently looking for a new career: Twitter is hiring; Motorola Solutions is hiring; and Mozilla is hiring security people too. Mandiant also said they're hiring. Over the weekend, Salted Hash was informed of positions open at Carnegie Mellon University [a second position is here], Grant Thornton, BNY Mellon, PNC, and Giant Eagle. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Greenwich Chamber of Commerces effort to provide value for the Greenwich business community seems to finally be paying off. The chamber hosted a record number of attendees at last weeks After Six networking event at the Citarella gourmet food market. More than 200 people twice the average attendance mingled, enjoyed snacks and sipped cocktails at the gathering, which takes place at a different business every month. The idea behind our After Six networking events is to provide a forum for business people to network and promote their businesses, said Greenwich Chamber of Commerce President Marcia OKane. OKane said the events serve two purposes networking as well as introducing new and unknown businesses to the community. Citarella, which opened in June on West Putnam Avenue, offered tasting and carving stations of cheese, international wines, artisanal pizza, sushi, poached salmon, lasagna, fresh squeezed juice, handmade mozzarella and fine desserts as part of its role in hosting the event. OKane said the event broke records because of owner Joe Gurreras generous sample offerings. Many members commented that they never enjoyed so much fantastic gourmet food in one location. At the event we asked attendees to raise their hands if the event was their first experience at the store and more than half did, OKane said. And most declared that they would return to shop again. OKane said although high and growing attendance at chamber events is encouraging, its not the only sign of success for the chamber. Its a win-win for chamber members when they have new and interesting venues to discover, but also to the store that we are helping to promote, OKane said. Its very exciting when both sides find true value in our events. The next After Six event will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. Feb. 24 at Alliance Francaise, and provide a sneak peek of the Focus on French Cinema 2016 film festival in April. The fee to attend is $15 for chamber members and $25 for non-members. Registration is available on the chamber website. KKrasselt@scni.com; 203-625-4411; Twitter: @kaitlynkrasselt This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The growing pains of being a first-time candidate in a marquee race minus the name recognition of a Larry Kudlow or bank account of a Linda McMahon are starting to show for Republican U.S. Senate hopeful August Wolf. For the second time since last November, there has been a staff shakeup at the top of Wolfs campaign, Hearst Connecticut Media has learned. Matthew MacFarlane and Troy Meeker, who served as co-campaign managers for Wolf and ran his press operation, parted ways with the political newcomer last week. Their abrupt exit preceded the Jan. 31 deadline for federal candidates to file their year-end fundraising reports, fueling speculation that there was a falling out between Wolf and the young operatives. Wolfs field director, Chris Diorio, issued a statement Monday saying that the campaign had been actively recruiting more experienced and savvy operatives to take the reins. The direction and tempo of the campaign has been continuously increasing, however, the junior staff had been unable to maintain the vigorous pace, Diorio said in an email to Hearst Connecticut Media. Wolfs campaign characterized its experience with Meeker as positive and called him an asset. It made no mention of MacFarlane. MacFarlane and Meeker, who are both in their early 20s, declined to comment. Wolf, 54, a 1984 Olympian in the shot put and money manager from Stamford, is seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Democratic incumbent Richard Blumenthal in November. State GOP Chairman J.R. Romano downplayed the staffing carousel at the Wolf campaign. In the preliminary stages of the campaign, youve got to find the right fit, Romano said. Hes working hard. Hes showing up everywhere. Some in the GOP say that Wolf has been hurt by the prospect of a Kudlow candidacy for Senate, with many Republicans hedging their bets until the well-known CNBC personality makes up his mind on the race. They asked not to be identified because they did not want to alienate Wolf. Kudlow is expected to decide later this month whether to enter the fray. Former gubernatorial candidate Joe Visconti is also exploring a run. For eight months, Wolf has had the entire GOP stage to himself in a race that most national handicappers have as a mismatch in favor of Blumenthal, whose approval rating has steadily been above 60 percent. But the 6-foot, 6-inch Wolf has struggled to raise his political profile and funds, netting $344,000 in contributions from May to Sept. 30 of last year. The average winner in a Senate race in 2012 nationwide spent $10.2 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington, D.C., organization that tracks money in campaigns. In November, Tom Daly, a GOP operative and University of Connecticut law student, resigned as Wolfs campaign manager. At the time, Wolf said that he wasnt a career politician and that his campaign was retooling. Wolfs notable contributors include former wrestling executive Linda McMahon, who lost to Blumenthal in 2010 and was defeated by Democrat Chris Murphy for Senate in 2012. McMahon spent $97 million on the two races. She gave $2,700 to Wolf. neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When Alyson Hannan, 44, decided she was done having children, she chose Essure, a non-surgical, permanent birth-control option approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The day the tiny metal coils were inserted into her fallopian tubes in her doctors office is one that she cant forget, said Hannan, regional sales director for Met Life who underwent the procedure on Sept. 11, 2014. I will never forget that date. None of us will. Hannan is among tens of thousands of women, now referred to as E-Sisters, who have banded together on Facebook to share their stories of adverse health problems, including allergic reactions, chronic pelvic pain, device migration, hair loss and headaches. Their public clout and a citizens petition prompted the FDA to launch a review of Essure, and U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) to sponsor legislation calling on the FDA to withdraw its approval for use. The controversy will come to a head in February, when the FDA is expected to complete its review, and when members of the Essure Problems Facebook group are heading to Washington to lobby Congressional members to support Fitzpatricks E-Free Act. The concerns over Essure have been fueled by a January report by a federal watchdog agency, conducted at the request of U.S. Rep Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticuts 3rd Congressional District, that faulted the FDA for failing to adequately track and disclose safety concerns that arise after drugs go on the market. Inspectors from the Government Accountability Office expressed particular concern about the lack of tracking of products cleared under two expedited approval programs. The lack of inadequate pre-marketing and post-marketing studies of Essure was highlighted in a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine that was co-authored by Yale University School of Medicine researchers. More Information The video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUJSHawbEb8 See More Collapse DeLauro, was among the first members of Congress to speak out against Essure, writing to the FDA in October to say she was deeply disturbed by reports from women about severe adverse health effects they have suffered and calling on the agency to withdraw Essure from the market. Essure, approved by the FDA in 2002 for women ages 21 to 45, is a flexible coil that is inserted into each fallopian tube in a doctors office. Essure is made of nickel titanium alloy and a polyester-like fiber called polyethylene terephthalate, or PET. The procedure, performed in a doctors office, takes about 10 minutes. The medical device was originally manufactured by Conceptus, which was purchased by Bayer HealthCare in 2014. Once inserted by an OB-GYN, scar tissue forms around it, blocking the tubes and preventing eggs from being fertilized. Varying experiences An estimated 750,000 women have received Essure. Warnings on the product include side effects such as mild cramping, vaginal bleeding and some temporary discomfort. In response to the public outcry, Dr. Dario Mirski, Bayers vice president and head of U.S. medical affairs, said, Bayers highest priority is patient safety, and we sympathize greatly with any woman who has experienced problems with Essure. We continue to be committed to maintaining an open dialogue with any patient who has questions or concerns about Essure, Mirski said in a press release. The FDA has received 5,093 medical device adverse reports on Essure, a majority of them citing abdominal pain, irregularities in menstrual cycles, fatigue and possible nickel allergy. Some women have reported perforation of the uterus and/or fallopian tubes or intra-abdominal or pelvic device migration. Four adult deaths and five fetal deaths were also reported, according to the FDA. In September, the FDAs Obstetrics and Gynecology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee met to discuss the risks and benefits of Essure and received over 2,800 written public comments. The FDA said that it expects to complete its review by the end of February. In the meantime, members of the Essure Problems Facebook group are heading to Washington on Feb. 2 to speak to Congressional members to garner support for Fitzpatricks E-Free Act. In Connecticut, doctors opinions on the device vary. Dr. Henry Jacobs, an OB-GYN and president of the Connecticut State Medical Society, said he used Essure when it was first introduced, but does not generally use it now, opting instead for tubal ligation, another permanent sterilization procedure. There were too many factors that made me say, Hey, I can do this another way, Jacobs said. I think Essure is worthy of a review. Dr. Russell Turk of the Stamford Health Medical Group said, Overall I feel it is good but I have had a couple of things occur but nothing bad. As with any form of contraception, there are always benefits and risks, Turk said, whose office is in the Riverside section of Greenwich. Turk said he does the outpatient procedure in Stamford Hospitals Tully Health Center, rather than his office. I don't like the idea of fishing around in a uterus in an office setting, said Turk, noting some bigger medical groups might have more sophisticated equipment. He said he goes to the center because sometimes there can be problems with the insertion and if that happens we have other options like a laparoscopic tubal and are in a safe setting with the right equipment and can proceed. At first, Turk said he instructed his patients who wanted the Essure device to have a nickel allergy test but was advised it wasnt necessary. He said he has never had a patient who suffered any allergic reaction to the device. I do ask patients if they have a nickel allergy or if they think they might, Turk said. Turk said his patients have requested Essure and he offers it. I dont think anyone feels there is never a possibility of something going wrong, he said. There is no perfect form of contraception other than abstinence. E-Sisters ranks grow Dr. Odie Kuiper, an OB-GYN in Avon, said he has used Essure nearly 200 times with no reported problems, but is very careful to review risks with his patients. I understand the request for (FDA) review, because no one wants anything that is not safe for a patient, he said. But I dont think the adverse effects are common enough to take the device off the market. Angela Desa-Lynch of California, one of the founders of E-Sisters, doesnt want to leave the decision up to the FDA. In 2011, when we started the page, we had just 130 women at a time when the horrible side effects of the implant were not well publicized, and everything was all gumdrops and candy canes, she said. Now we are over 25,000 members, and our mission is to save other women from what we have been through. Desa-Lynch, the mother of two sons and a daughter, had a hysterectomy to remove the coils, after it was determined she was allergic to the materials used in the device. I lost my hair, my teeth and felt like I always had the flu, she said. It changed my life, and I dont want my daughter to ever have it as an option. I dont ever want her to have the opportunity to choose Essure, she added. Angie Firmalino, another founder of the Facebook group, said the goal is to get the device off the market. We plan to continue to garner for support of the E-Free Act, said Firmalino, of New York. We suspect the FDA report will call for minimal requirements for the manufacturer to change labeling and such. We need Congress to act and revoke the pre-market approval of Essure so that the civil rights of women harmed by Essure can be restored. Hannan, of Farmington, has coped with years of severe backache and pelvic pain; long, heavy periods; insomnia; fatigue; weight gain; and a rash and boils that covered her body. Shes missed work, her childrens activities and other social events because of the way she feels and looks. It has been a nightmare, said Hannan, who is scheduled for a hysterectomy in early February to remove the coils. I dont think the doctor had any reason to not believe it was safe until it was too late, she said. Hannans doctor, Jennifer Grant, who is in practice at the Womens Comprehensive Health Center and on the staff of Hartford Hospital, will perform the hysterectomy. She said that she has used the Essure device for over eight years, and that Hannan is the only one to report a problem. I am very curious to see if her symptoms improve after it is removed, she said. Hannan is convinced that once the device is removed, her health will improve. But her longer-term mission is to protect other women from the device. I honestly feel the product was fast-tracked due to money, and in the quest to make money, they ignored what happened to 25,000 women, she said. I just want it out of me. I just want to be well again. This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org). Aaron and Evan Steed were busy high school athletes looking for a job that wouldnt interfere with their practice schedule. They found it in 1997 when a family friend needed help moving and offered $20 and a pizza. The brothers enjoyed the work and wanted more, so they dubbed themselves Meathead Movers and blanketed the neighborhood with flyers; their high schools pay phone became their office line. The first inquiries came from family friends and neighbors. Then strangers. And then, the unexpected: domestic violence victims, both women and men, who had little money but needed to quickly flee a dangerous situation. As more victims called, the Steed brothers realized theyd found a logical cause: moving these people for free. It was pretty obvious that this was an important thing for us to do, says Aaron Steed, CEO. I cant think of a more impactful way for a moving company to utilize their services. Youre potentially saving a life every time you do it. By finding a way to help their community, Meathead Movers joined a growing movement of entrepreneurs who make philanthropy a part of their operations. Its good citizenship, but its also good business: 64 percent of customers prefer to buy from socially responsible companies, reports a study conducted last year by Good.Must.Grow., a Nashville-based marketing agency for socially conscious businesses. And it isnt overly complex or challenging to create a program -- all you need is the right intentions and helpful partners. Steed estimates his San Luis Obispo, Calif.-based company has moved thousands of domestic violence victims free of charge during the past two decades. Today the $11 million company, which has four Central California locations and more than 200 employees, partners with seven regional domestic violence shelters. Last year, his company extended its service: Now, in addition to moving abuse victims into these shelters, it will also move them out and into their next home. Image Credit: Chris Delorenzo In all, free moves account for just 1 percent of the companys jobs, Steed says. But he credits the homespun giveback program with inspiring employees, improving corporate culture and scoring points with surrounding communities. To him, its more meaningful than sitting on a philanthropic board or writing an annual check. Youre getting your entire organization involved, Steed says. Its a pure donation because the services are going directly to the victims. Theres no one way to create a successful philanthropic program that resonates with customers. But the following five tips will get you started. 1. Choose the right cause Its best to champion a cause that naturally aligns with your product or service, whether you run a pet-gear company that donates leashes to animal shelters or a taxi fleet that give free rides to cancer patients. That way, you guarantee it resonates with your customers -- they already care about the subject, after all -- and doesnt seem tacked-on or forced. You have to flex those entrepreneurial muscles to figure out whats going to make the biggest impact, Steed says. If you have philanthropy in mind as you launch your business, thats great; it can become part of your introduction to the world. Thats what THINX did. The company sells womens underwear designed to stop leaks during menstruation, and said upfront that for every pair sold, it would donate money to AFRIpads, a Ugandan organization that trains female treps to sew and sell reusable menstrual pads to girls in need. Miki Agrawal, co-founder and CEO of THINX, says this inspired people to help the company -- from drawing in backers who contributed to its 2013 Kickstarter campaign, to recruiting its first employees and customers. But its never too late to adopt a cause. Salad dressing company Tessemaes All Natural, which launched in 2009, waited several years before developing Crop Circles, its initiative to bring free pop-up farmers markets to U.S. food deserts. According to Todd Fletcher, Tessemaes vice president of marketing, starting the program later gave the company time to cultivate the farming and produce-packaging contacts needed to mount an ambitious multisponsor initiative. We wanted to make the initiative bigger than any one single sponsor or company, Fletcher says. All these different companies could donate a manageable amount [of food], and no one person felt like they were shouldering the burden of all of the expense. 2. Build partnerships wisely Unless youre a bona fide expert in polar bears or child malnutrition, youll need the help of a social service organization with boots on the ground to execute an ambitious philanthropic program. There will be many to choose from, so take your time, and choose a partner whose mission and image fits with yours. It has to be brand positive for both parties, says THINXs Agrawal. When meeting potential partners, outline the type of assistance youll need from them and what goods, services or resources youll contribute in return. A written memorandum that details the parameters of your relationship is essential, says Steed of Meathead Movers. In 2001, as his team was moving a domestic abuse victim, the abusive partner showed up and accused the company of stealing. After that, Meathead Movers began partnering with domestic violence shelters. Now when the company gets a call asking for help, it refers the caller to one of its partners. The shelter arranges for a safe moving time and helps the victim secure the necessary counselling, legal services, school transportation for their children and other social services. This partnership isnt just a matter of off-loading responsibilities. To start, you must agree with organizations on the messaging youll use to promote your giveback program. You cant just say whatever you want, Agrawal says. They have to approve it. And listen to your partners recommendations for how to improve the service; theyve likely done this longer than you and know the needs of the population better. You dont know all the answers, says Fletcher of Tessemaes All Natural. Its more a mentality of, Im riding shotgun on this one. This isnt about me saving the day. Image Credit: Chris Delorenzo 3. Get employee buy-in Ensure that staff members understand and support your charitable program. Its important that this is something that lights up your employees when they talk to their friends and family about it, Steed says. If theyre engaged, theyre more likely to want to contribute their own time and effortswhich will make your impact even greater. Thats how Matthew Manos, founder of the Los Angeles-based design firm verynice, helps as many people as he does. Since 2008, the company has donated half of its services, performing nearly $4 million worth of free work for organizations in need. Designers, copywriters and strategists actually reach out to Manos, asking how they can be part of the pro bono team. Weve always had people come to us, says Manos, whose volunteer network includes 400 freelancers. And as your program gets more attention, other companies will reach out as well, asking for advice on setting up their own programs. Encourage those people to talk with their employees, as well. One owner of a fledgling Texas business called Steed looking for guidance; he also ran a moving company and wanted to make a similar offer to Meathead Movers but didnt think he could afford to donate his services. But when the Texan turned to his team for input, he found that his workers wanted to volunteer during those moves. Thats supercool, Steed says. Youre giving your employees an opportunity to give back. 4. Promote authentically Theres a thin line between sharing the details of your giveback program with the world and shamelessly milking it. Telling the story of how you came to champion your pet cause will help you sound genuine but be careful not to make the message entirely about you and your big heart. The result is not you having the best day of your life in Africa, Manos says. Its, This is exactly what we did and what we accomplished, and recognizing that theres more to be done, too. After Meathead Movers efforts were mentioned in LA Weekly last September, their story reappeared in scores of online, print and broadcast media outlets worldwide. Rather than use that attention to promote his business, Steed created a web page, video and the hashtag #MoveToEndDV to enlist other treps to help domestic violence victims. So far, more than 90 other small businesseslaw firms, storage centers, beauticians, physical therapists and othershave pledged via Meatheads website to donate their services. 5. Build your program organically Giving back doesnt have to decimate your bottom line. Fletcher of Tessemaes All Natural advises starting small, donating only as many goods, services or hours as your business can handle. Tessemaes Crop Circles initiative accounts for about 15 percent of the companys marketing budget and is handled by the companys three marketing staffers. In my perfect world, there will be a point in the next three years where this initiative will have its own team that focuses on it 24/7, Fletcher says. Of course youll want to plan and carefully think your program through -- but you should feel free to launch it even if its not perfect. Learn as you go and tweak as needed, much like you did when fleshing out your startup thesis. You have the skills to improve: As a trep, youre already hardwired to devise innovative solutions on a dime, including in the name of philanthropy. That can be terrifying, especially for a startup, when you want to hang on to as much cash as you can, says verynices Manos. But maybe there is a way that you can give some product, or some mentorship or some advice. There are just so many ways to make an impact that dont require you to write a check. Related: Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Amid Ian cone-troversy, season could see quiet conclusion | WeatherTiger As hurricane season counts down, less than 10% of historical U.S. landfall activity remains ahead, with under 2% occurring in November. 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 David Cameron has found time during his frantic EU negotiations to take a swing at Oxford and other universities for failing to admit more black students David Cameron has found time during his frantic EU negotiations to take a swing at Oxford and other universities for failing to admit more black students. He has claimed in a newspaper article that racism in this countrys leading institutions should shame our nation. It would be a brave person who asserted that clever black students are never held back by racism, but Im afraid that in this unabashed piece of liberal grandstanding the Prime Minister has mostly grabbed the wrong end of the stick. For the most part its not racism that is hobbling these black pupils. They are chiefly being let down by inadequate schools. Mr Cameron complains that in 2014 his old university, Oxford, admitted only 27 black men and women out of more than 2,500 successful applicants. Does he really believe that Oxford dons, most of whom are probably Leftwardly-inclined, are deliberately discriminating against well-qualified black students? Its a preposterous and rather offensive suggestion. Im sure that almost all dons at Oxford and this would be no different at any of our leading universities would love to accept more black students. The problem is that not enough of them are applying with the requisite grades. That is almost entirely the fault of our education system. You could substitute the words poor white members of the underclass every time Mr Cameron invokes disadvantaged young blacks in his Sunday Times article. He points out that there are no black generals in our Armed Forces, and says that just 4 per cent of chief executives in our 100 largest companies are from ethnic minorities. Floundering But how many white generals and chief executives are there who were born in sink estates? Almost certainly none in the first category, and doubtless very few indeed in the second. In other words, it is the absence of social mobility, not racism, which is denying opportunities to many clever poor young children, whether they are black or white. Education, after all, is the main engine of social mobility. Having been Prime Minister for more than five and a half years, Mr Cameron would do well to reflect how little he has done to improve social mobility before he sets about laying into universities like Oxford. It is true there are reasons to believe that some state schools may have improved over recent years as a result of the efforts of Michael Gove. As Education Secretary, he encouraged the growth of Academies and Free Schools, which have a large measure of independence. But for his pains Mr Gove was sent packing to another department by Mr Cameron in July 2014. His crime was to have upset dyed-in-the-wool teachers, who had opposed every one of his reforms. How far we have still to go was highlighted last week by an analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which found that young people in England are the most illiterate in the developed world, and are floundering in maths. Oxford admitted only 27 black men and women out of more than 2,500 successful applicants this year If there was a thin silver lining in the report, it is that the analysis was based on data collected in 2012. However, it seems unlikely that in the space of a few years British students will have moved very far, if at all, from the bottom of the OECDs international ranking. No, Im afraid the bitter truth is that, although spending on schools roughly doubled during 13 years of Labour rule, and has been at least maintained in real terms since 2010, our education system is still very far from being fit for purpose. Of course, there are many good state schools but there are also lots of bad ones, particularly in the inner cities, which are failing to offer a decent education to disadvantaged children of every colour. That is why so few pupils from these deprived backgrounds are applying to our best universities. Michael Gove oversaw real change as Education Secretary but Cameron packed him off to another department for upsetting the teachers Mr Cameron knows this in his heart of hearts. Even while he was dilating about the racism which he claims is handicapping black students, The Mail on Sunday reported that he and Samantha are considering sending their son Elwen, who turns ten next month, to the elite Colet Court independent preparatory school in London. Evidently, no final decision has yet been made. Crazy Almost all children at Colet Court go on to the leading independent school St Pauls, where in 2015 97.9 per cent of grades at GCSE were A* or A. Some 98.5 per cent of pupils went to university, 30 per cent of them to Oxbridge. By contrast, at Westminster City School the local Comprehensive that the Camerons son would otherwise probably attend only 24 per cent of GCSE grades were A* or A. Just 39 per cent of its pupils went to university actually a higher proportion than in many state schools and none to Oxbridge. My point is that anyone going to Westminster City School which is by no means the worst comp in the country rather than a top private school is unlikely to get to Oxbridge or become a general or a chief executive of one of our leading companies. And that has nothing whatsoever to do with colour. Back in 2009, David Cameron said: Its crazy we should have to pay lots of money for private schools. You should have really good state schools available for all. It is crazy, yes, but it is obvious we are a very long way from having enough good state schools, as the Prime Minister may have belatedly recognised in the case of his own family. Under present plans, I dont see how we are going to get them. Much as I applaud Mr Gove for encouraging the growth of Academies and Free Schools, I very much doubt whether by themselves they will offer enough opportunities for talented pupils from poorer backgrounds to achieve their full potential. However, there is one partial solution which David Cameron threw out of court while still in opposition, and Michael Gove was never allowed to embrace: the creation of more grammar schools to add to the 164 that have survived the cull. Almost all children at Colet Court go on to the leading independent school St Pauls, where in 2015 97.9 per cent of grades at GCSE were A* or A. By contrast, at Westminster City School the local Comprehensive that the Camerons son would otherwise probably attend only 24 per cent of GCSE grades were A* or A Fifty years ago, grammar schools competed with the best private schools. They were academically equal, and sometimes superior, to them, and they supplied as many, and sometimes more, students to Oxbridge. Grammar schools were the path by which clever children from poorer backgrounds were able to compete on equal terms with pupils from private schools. If they were revived in large numbers, they would again give clever, disadvantaged children whether black or white that chance. Gifted Mr Cameron rails fashionably, and without fear of contradiction, against racism. Any of us can do that. What he cant see is that although racism may sometimes be a small factor holding back gifted black children from obtaining the greatest prizes, it is very far indeed from being the biggest one. Oxbridge dons are not racist. They long to admit more black students. There simply arent as many black pupils as there should be who have been properly taught and are sufficiently well-qualified. It's fresh, it's healthy, and it's one of the enduring trends of the last year or two: big, warming bowls of Japanese-style noodle broths, filled with thick noodles, crispy fresh veg, and flavoursome sauces. Restaurants such as Bone Daddies, Koya and Tonkotsu have led the way, prompting Instagram to fill up with tempting photographs hashtagged #ramen, #noodles, and #instagood, among others. But if all you've done so far is drool over other people's pictures, you're in luck, because M&S has just launched what it says is its best and most authentic stir fry range yet. A fabulous collection of spankingly fresh meat and fish, colourful veg, and zingy Thai, Korean, Japanese and Malaysian broths and sauces, it is inspired by the world's most fashionable favourite noodle joints. All you have to do is decide what you're going to make - no mean feat, given the size of the range. Chef Jun Tanaka plots out some dishes from the new M&S Stir Fry range in his London restaurant, The Ninth You can cook yourself something that looks as if it came from a fashionable noodle joint using the M&S range M&S food developers travelled the globe to find authentic flavours for their new stir fry range, pictured Erica Molyneaux, M&S Stir Fry Product Developer says, 'We've revamped the traditional stir fry by making our ingredients the most exciting and innovative on the high street; not only authentic but healthy, with reduced levels of sugar and salt. 'Were always on the lookout for on-trend recipes & ingredients, and were most excited about our ramens and soups which are packed full of flavour. Not only is the range quick and easy to prepare, but its extremely versatile, and with over 650 delicious combinations to try our customers will be able to experiment whilst creating their favourite stir fry or noodle soup at home.' So we asked Japanese-British chef Jun Tanaka who started out cooking professionally at Le Gavroche under Michel Roux Jnr and Marco Pierre White - to test out the collection in the kitchen of his new Fitzrovia restaurant, The Ninth. Jun, who was born to Japanese parents and raised in Britain, serves modern French-Mediterranean food, but there are nods on the menu to his Asian heritage in the shape of kohlrabi, ginger, miso and soy. And the fact his girlfriend's Thai (sorry, girls), means he's extremely knowledgeable about (and partial to) Southeast Asian food. Here are the eight dishes he invented from the new M&S range, the products he used, and his verdict on each finished plate.... Chicken & rainbow vegetable ramen INGREDIENTS: Chicken breast strips / egg noodles / rainbow vegetables / Tokyo ramen broth Jun says: 'Ramen is a big thing at the moment, with everyone going crazy for thick noodle soups at Japanese restaurants like Wagamama, Bone Daddies, Tonkotsu and Shoryu, but we all know that traditional ramen broth takes hours and hours to make. 'This is a fantastically quick and easy option for making your own ramen at home. I fried up the chicken and the vegetables, dropped them into the hot broth, then added the cooked noodles. It's fresh, crunchy, super colourful and quick. A really tasty bowl of noodle soup.' 3/5 Jun made a chicken and rainbow vegetable ramen using chicken, veg, egg noodles, and Tokyo ramen broth Jun, pictured in his new restaurant, The Ninth, in London's Fitzrovia, started with a chicken and veg ramen Thai prawn noodle soup INGREDIENTS: King prawns / ginger & coriander ribbon vegetables / udon noodles / Thai coconut & lemongrass broth Jun says: 'This Thai coconut and lemongrass broth is thick and creamy but still fresh, tangy and light. After flash-frying the vegetables and prawns I added the warmed broth, and in less than five minutes I had a deliciously vibrant, warming dinner. 'The ginger and fresh coriander provide the perfect accompaniment to the prawns and the broth, and the mange tout add a lovely crunch to the great dish.' 5/5 JUN'S FAVOURITE The Thai prawn noodle soup was Jun's favourite, and he said it took him less than five minutes to cook Sweet chilli salmon & pak choi with coconut rice INGREDIENTS: Wild salmon / pak choi & chilli / coconut rice / sweet chilli sauce Jun says: 'It's brilliant to be able to buy chunks of deep red wild salmon instead of farmed salmon, and the coconut flavour really comes through in the rice which is nice. 'This sticky sweet chilli sauce has a tanginess that would also work well with beef or chicken, and the dish might also work well with the Korean BBQ sauce.' 3/5 Jun was impressed with the fact that the salmon was wild rather than farmed, and cooked it with sweet chilli Southern Thai prawns with ginger, coriander & coconut rice INGREDIENTS: King prawns / ginger & coriander ribbon vegetables / Southern Thai sauce / coconut rice Jun says: 'I separated the stir-fry and the coconut rice on to two dishes here for a change, and it makes the taste of the Southern Thai prawns stronger. I might even use more of the sauce next time; the flavours of chilli, coconut and lemongrass are a bit subtle. 'The dish would be mild enough for a whole group of people with different palates, and then I'd probably put bowls of fresh chilli, lime, fish sauce and sugar on the table, so guests could adapt the dish to their individual taste, just like they do in Thailand.' 4/5 Jun says this dish would be perfect for serving to a large group, with bowls of fresh chilli and lime on the table Korean beef noodles with pea shoots INGREDIENTS: Beef strips / egg noodles / pea shoot stir fry / Korean BBQ sauce Jun says: 'The pea shoots are a nice addition to the stir-fry, and very trendy right now, and the beef has a lovely flavour.' 3/5 This Korean beef noodle stir fry was made with beef strips, egg noodles, pea shoots and Korean BBQ sauce Treat yourself to a delicious stir fry without having to trek through the cold night to a fashionable noodle joint! Sweet chilli duck noodles INGREDIENTS: Duck breast strips / egg noodles / ginger & coriander ribbon vegetables / sweet chilli sauce Jun says: 'These duck strips are great they have a really good flavour. It's unusual and very handy to have duck chopped up like this; lots of people find the idea of cooking a whole duck or a duck leg a little bit intimidating, so this makes the meat more accessible. 'Duck works really well with sweet ingredients, so it's good accompanied with the sweet chilli sauce. There's a good crunch from the vegetables, and a nice bit of heat from the ginger.' 4/5 Sweet chilli duck noodles: Many people find duck intimidating to cook with but M&S sells strips of duck breast Southern Thai beef udon with pak choi INGREDIENTS: Beef strips / udon noodles / pak choi & chilli / Southern Thai sauce Jun says: 'The beef works much better with this Southern Thai sauce than it did with the Korean BBQ sauce, since it's not so sweet it's much more fragrant. The flavours of coconut and lemongrass come through well, with a nice hint of chilli. Next time I'd add fresh coriander, chilli and lime, because I like things with a really hot kick!' 4/5 Southern Thai beef udon: Jun says thisnoodle dish was flavoursome and fragrant with a nice hint of chilli Korean chicken soba with rainbow vegetables INGREDIENTS: Chicken breast strips / Korean BBQ sauce / buckwheat soba noodles / rainbow vegetables Jun says: 'This dish is lovely and colourful, with a good crunch from the rainbow vegetables, but soba noodles don't have the same amount of texture as the thicker udon noodles, which are my favourite. That said, they're much healthier because they're made of buckwheat. 'This dish would make a really light and healthy lunch salad if you were to leave out the chicken and just very lightly fry the vegetables, retaining their colour and crunch, before adding cold noodles and a fresh, tangy dressing.' 3/5 Jun made a colourful Korean BBQ chicken soba with rainbow vegetables and buckwheat soba noodles Jun, who is of Japanese descent but grew up in Britain, said the stir-fry vegetables were fresh and crunchy Jun's ultimate verdict: 'The best thing about the range is its extraordinary versatility. There are so many combinations of dishes you can make quickly and easily at home, without needing lots of complicated Asian ingredients. You can be really playful in the kitchen. 'The whole range is a good middle ground between a freshly cooked meal and a packaged ready meal, and perfect if you don't have much time at the end of the day. It still lets you be inventive in the kitchen, and there's room for adding your own ingredients during the cooking process, which you don't get to do with a ready meal. You can really play around with the dishes and adapt them to your own taste. 'Having now tasted all the ingredients I think the dish I would pick to eat at home would be a Thai duck and rainbow vegetable udon soup made using the duck breast strips, the rainbow vegetables, the udon noodles and the Thai coconut and lemongrass broth. Then I'd add extra lime and chilli, for a kick of heat and sourness - delicious.' Happy chef: Jun surveys some of the dishes he cooked up - he said the vast range of foods available means you can be 'playful in the kitchen', cooking up a host of dishes from different cuisines such as Korean or Thai She was the ultimate femme fatale - and now Sophia Loren has flexed her sex appeal in a new campaign for Italian designers, Dolce & Gabbana. The 81-year-old actress, famous for her sizzling love affair with Cary Grant, looks blooming gorgeous as the glamorous matriarch in the brand's rose-inspired perfume campaign. The age-defying red-head plays a mother who, along with her five sons, has the task of restoring a crumbling Sicilian estate. Scroll down for video Sophia Loren, above, has teamed up with the ultimate Italian designers, Dolce and Gabbana, to promote their newest red rose-inspired fragrance Dolce Rosa Excelsa - launching on February 1 Romance blossoms at the party, where Sophia's son, right, woos a beautiful attendee, named Rosa (not by coincidence), who is played by model Kate King, left, with a red rose Rolling up her sleeves, Sophia gets the work started, overseeing the project as her sons tear down walls, reveal frescos, hoist beams up to the roof and prune the overgrown garden. Once the house is finished the family throws a party and Sophia's sons hose each other down in their underwear. Romance blossoms at the party, where Sophia's son woos a beautiful attendee, named Rosa (not by coincidence) with a red rose, fresh with dew. The two women cement their bond when Rosa presents the same red Carmine rose to her new suitor's mother. The film brings together three stars of Italian cinema, including director Giuseppe Tornatore, who has won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Sophia Loren smoulders in the new fragrance campaign video as she's flanked by fellow models The 81-year-old actress, know for her blistering sex appeal and the affair that ended Carey Grant's third and longest marriage, stars in the film dreamed up by the designer duo as the archetypal Italian matriarch Sophia Loren's character, along with her five sons, restores a crumbling Sicilian estate. She gets the work started, overseeing the project as her sons tear down walls, reveal frescos and hoist beams up to the roof The mother cheers on her sons as they knock down walls in the crumbling house to refresh its interior The film brings together three stars of Italian cinema, the classic screen siren, director Giuseppe Tornatore, who has won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and Tarantino composer Ennio Morricone Once the house is finished the family throws a party and the sons hose each other down on the porch Alongside them is composer Ennio Morricone who created scores for Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained, among other notable films. The dream-like clip, which was released in three parts, celebrates the launch of Dolce Rosa Excelsa, Dolce & Gabbana Beauty's latest olfactory creation. The film relies heavily on symbolism to deliver the Dolce & Gabbana message of timelessness and elegance. The designers said: 'It was an honour to work with these three masters of Italian cinema who bring our creative vision to life. Sophia Loren embodies Italian beauty across the world. 'We love Giuseppe's sensibility, his perception of Sicily is the same as ours, so working with him feels very natural. Sophia Loren prepares herself for her party by dressing up in sultry black lace and applying pink lipstick The designers said: 'It was an honour to work with these three masters of Italian cinema who bring our creative vision to life. Sophia Loren embodies Italian beauty across the world. We love Giuseppe's sensibility' The two women cement their bond when Rosa presents the same red Carmine rose to her new suitor's mother The iconic rose, perhaps the most traditionally romantic flower, is a a recurrent motif seen throughout Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's runway collections and the inspiration for the new scent 'Ennio Morricone's music has always been a part of our culture, so it gives the story a celebratory, Italian feel.' The short film marks the fifth collaboration and ongoing relationship between the Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana and Giuseppe Tornatore. The iconic rose, perhaps the most traditionally romantic flower, is a a recurrent motif seen throughout Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's runway collections and the inspiration for the new scent. According to the brand: 'The innocence of youth and the wisdom of everlasting values are echoed in the meeting between Kate and Sophia, which brings the film to a close. Transcending generations, it is a timeless encounter.' According to the brand: 'The innocence of youth and the wisdom of everlasting values are echoed in the meeting between Kate and Sophia, which brings the film to a close. Transcending generations, it is a timeless encounter' The campaign oozes the high-end glamour the Italian fashion and beauty brand are best known for All eyes are on Sophia as she appears captivated by a red rose during one scene of the campaign shoot The fragrance itself aims to capture the essence fresh roses in full bloom and adds to Dolce's signature mild and feminine white amaryllis a new rose heart. The opening notes of Neroli leaves and Papaya flower, blend with a white water lily and white daffodil bouquet. Two notes of rose are used to make up the heart of fragrance. The sweetly-scented African dog rose premieres in this fragrance and is combined with the Turkish rose absolute, an extensively used oil in the creation of perfumes. The brand claims the pairing 'unveils a sensual and elegant character.' The floral heart of this scent is balanced by the warm, musky base notes with the accents of cashmeran and sandalwood. When AliceAnn Meyer posted a cute picture of her son Jameson with his face covered in chocolate on her blog in 2014, she never imagined it could receive a negative reaction. Now, nearly two years later, trolls have found the photo and created a meme out of it on social media, making fun of Jameson and comparing the young boy to a pug. 'I was shocked when I first saw it,' AliceAnn told Daily Mail Australia. 'I was just confounded that someone actually took the time to create a meme out of it. I don't understand the thought process behind it.' Bullied online: Trolls found this photo of Jameson and created a cruel meme comparing him to a pug Jameson has Pfeiffer syndrome, which causes premature fusion of the skull and alters the shape of the head and face of those affected. AliceAnn has been writing about Jameson and the condition since his birth in 2012 on her blog Jameson's Journey. WHAT IS PFEIFFER SYNDROME? Pfeiffer Sydnrome is a rare genetic disorder that affects around 1 in 100,000 births It causes premature fusion of the skull, meaning the bones cannot continue to grow as a child ages Depending on the severity, the condition can also impact someone's ability to breathe, eat, hear and see Advertisement After she found the meme, and contacted Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get it removed, AliceAnn wrote a powerful blog post criticising Facebook for their response to her request. In a post titled 'This Is My Son Jameson, And No, You May Not Use His Photo', the mother wrote of her despair that someone could be so cruel, but also of how social media websites need to find better ways to respond to abuse and bullying. 'What compels a person to do such a thing I will never understand. There is no way for me to know who did this, but for every post and share of this meme I will do everything in my power to get it taken down.' Happier times: AliceAnn with Jameson and his two brothers 'They have no way of defending themselves': AliceAnn wants people to stand up for children being bullied online AliceAnn has so far found the meme on six Facebook pages, eight times on Instagram and around a dozen times on Twitter. It's also been put on Tumblr and 9Gag. Whilst both Twitter and Instagram were quick to respond and remove the photo, Facebook initially said that the bullying didn't violate their community standards. 'These people [posting the meme] are clearly violating Facebook's policies... they need to do something to better their systems and processes,' AliceAnn said. 'When you initially click on the report button Facebook encourages you to message the person directly. To me, that just seems a waste of a process. 'I think that if a photo of a child is reported Facebook should immediately block the image until the issue is resolved. In this case with Jameson, there were times when Facebook keep sending notifications that the content violated their Community Standards, yet the photo was still there.' Rare condition: Pfieffer Syndrome affects around 1 in 100,000 births AliceAnn also had a message for those who laughed at photos of Jameson and bullied him online. 'To all of you out there that are laughing so hard at my son, know that this in fact could be your child. And if one day this does happen to one of you that are out there laughing and making fun, I hope and pray you change your heart and welcome that child with loving arms,' she wrote. She also thanked those people who sent her support and reported the photo, saying she could feel the love from other parents. Her blog post has been shared more than 40 times and had people from all over the world leaving comments of support. 'Thank you from the very bottom of my heart to every person that has stood up for Jameson. The outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming. I appreciate each and every one of you that has commented, reported, and reached out to us. I cant put into words what it means to know you are taking your personal time to fight for Jameson,' AliceAnn wrote 'Breaks my heart': Support from accross the world has poured in for Jameson 'I can't put into words': AliceAnn has been overwhelmed with the support AliceAnn also had a message for those who see children being bullied online - especially those who might appear different. 'If you are reading this and you laughed but knew it was wrong I hope next time you choose to stand up for the child you see being made fun of. I know you are out there because I read countless comments from complete strangers standing up and saying how wrong it was,' she wrote. 'Just because you dont know the child personally doesnt mean it doesnt matter. It takes a village, and in this day and age of social media it is even more important to stand up and do the right thing. These kids aren't on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, they have no way of defending themselves.' However, he says that they do remain very 'close friends' Mick posted on his Facebook page on Sunday night that they have split She splits her time between Brooklyn, New York, and the Gold Coast She is the woman behind one of Australias most famous sportsmen, Mick Fanning. But when the news surfaced this week that the world champion surfer's marriage had crumbled, many were left wondering: just who is Karissa Fanning, nee Dalton, the former swimsuit model turned entrepreneur who was married to the millionaire sportsman for eight years? Karissa Dalton, 31, was born and grew up five hours north of Brisbane. A Bond University film production graduate, she first met Mick through mutual friends in 2004, when she was just 19. Sweetheart start:Sunday 31 January Mick Fanning posted on his Facebook page that he has split from his wife Young love: He wooed Karissa with a roast dinner and proposed to the then student model on Kirra Hill in 2006 As their film-script-worthy story has it, he met her a couple of times before trying to tie her down, wooing her with a roast dinner and proposing on Kirra Hill in October 2006 a place which had family significance for the Fannings, since it was where Micks brother, Sean and surfer Joel Green, were killed in a car crash in 1998. Lots of the wives and girlfriends go on tourthat wasnt right for me... We do our own thing and were both passionate about that. The famous surfer, now 34, presented the then model with a square diamond solitaire ring set in white gold, before they were married in 2008 at a lavish ceremony in one of the most exclusive locations on the Gold Coast, The Villa, in the luxurious Nerang estate. Prior to the wedding, Dalton had enjoyed reasonable success as a model. When she was just 21 and still a film production student, she was a finalist in the 2007 Inside Sport Model Search, appearing in the Australian Swimsuit Calendar that year as Ms May, wearing an emerald green bikini. However, after the wedding, inspired by her nuptials, the talented brunette turned her hand to design, launching the beautiful and highly successful digital wedding, event and lifestyle publication,The Lane, in June of 2010. She remains its CEO to this day. Swimsuit style: Karissa had previously been a model, appearing in the Australian Swimsuit Calendar in 2007 Lavish wedding: The pair married in 2008, at a lavish wedding at The Villa on the Gold Coast Best friends: The pair remained the best of friends, and Karissa set up a bridal business in 2010, The Lane With an office based on Queenslands Gold Coast, The Lane was set up to provide a new perspective to the wedding industry and it now serves thousands of people, working as a high-end, online bridal style guide that specialises in wedding decor inspiration. Though fiercely private, when she gave an interview to the Sunday Style in 2014, Karissa showed how ambitious she is when it comes to her formidable and well-established career. Lots of the wives and girlfriends go on tourthat wasnt right for me. Im expanding my business overseas, so we do our own thing and were both passionate about that. 'Its nice that, when we do have a break together, we can have that outside of surfing. Always on duty: The entrepreneur started to split her time between New York and the Gold Coast Rumours surface: And despite still seeming tight, rumours surfaced that their wedding was in trouble in 2015 However, as her profile as a designer grew and grew, and Mick remained busy with his own career, rumours began to circulate that their marriage was on the rocks, especially after Micks near miss with a shark in South Africa in July 2015. Shortly afterwards, New Idea reported that friends of the couple claimed that they had parted ways, while Karissa later told The Collective Magazine in December 2015 that she would love to find a beautiful loft space to work at in Brooklyn, New York. The designer also revealed that she planned to spend the majority of this year in New York, where she has rented a flat that she can return to every three weeks for business. However, both her, Mick, Micks mother and his management denied that the pair had separated, and the couple showed a united front at the tragic funeral of Micks older brother, Peter, at the end of last year. Adamant denial: Mick and Karissa denied their marriage was in trouble when confronted with the rumours Confirmed split: However, last Sunday night Mick posted on his Facebook page, confirming the couple's split While it has now been confirmed that Mick and Karissa have split, Fanning took to his Facebook page on Sunday night to deny reports that they have been separated properly since last year, saying they were committed to working things out sincelast February. I have nothing but love and respect for this woman, he wrote. Karissa has stood by me since we first met in 2004. We have shared plenty of great times but more importantly she has helped me through some of the toughest moments in my life, especially this past year After giving it our all, late last year we made the tough mutual decision to move on separately. Passionate words: He wrote that they have been trying to work things out and that there is still a 'lot of love' Frank on Facebook: Mick's message to his Facebook fans about the split in full Sweetheart start: The Australian surfer has posted on his Facebook page that he has split from his wife It feels weird to put our personal life out there like this but we want to eliminate any speculation about this decision, he continued. Were still close and theres a lot of love there. From his childhood sweetheart to model, successful entrepreneur and totally supportive wife, Karissa had said previously in 2014 that we talk about having a family and are trying to work out when. Im sure we could make it work, but I dont know where wed fit a child in at the moment. One day!. Sadly for the couple this may not be the case. Model and darling of New York Fashion Week, Madeline Stuart, is back in the spotlight for a slightly different reason this week after being announced as the ambassador for an inclusive dance company InsideOutside. The Queensland-based dance and theatre company, which works with people with disabilities and dementia. They have just launched Dance Ensemble, a new project to empower young people with disabilities so they can have the training to work professionally in the dance industry. Madeline was one of the founding dancers of Dance Ensemble, and showed off her moves with her boyfriend at the company's launch in Brisbane over the weekend with other young dancers with disabilities. Scroll down for video Dancing Queen: Madeline Stuart has been announced as ambassador for Dance Ensemble Shake it off: Madeline and her boyfriend dance together at the launch of Dance Ensemble in Brisbane Actor, writer and director Angela Witcher initially founded InsideOutside as a theatre company, and had the idea in 2015 to start Dance Ensemble. 'InsideOutside was a way to help people with disabilities express themselves creatively,' Angela told Daily Mail Australia. The company has a number of different choreographers who work with the young dancers, mentoring and advising them as well as teaching them to dance. They work with a number of different styles, including aerial, contemporary dance, hip hop and experimental dance. 'The power of theatre and dance is that anyone can do it. Everybody can dance, everybody can move something. We focus on the movement that people have got, and adapt moves for that.' 'Anyone can dance': Founder Angela Witcher said they want to help young people with disabilities express themselves creatively Move it: Dance Ensemble has had a number of choreographers teach them different dance styles Dance ensemble, as well as all of InsideOutside's programs, is free for all students. Angela said that she is passionate about making it accessible for everyone, and that's part of the reason why Madeline got involved as well. 'Madeline wants other young people to have the same opportunities and chances she had to succeed. We feel so blessed to have her as an ambassador,' Angel said. The company hopes to train some of its dancers to become choreographers, both for Dance Ensemble itself, and other professional dance companies. With no student fees, Dance Ensemble is supported by grants and a crowdfunding campaign, which is hoping to raise $20,000. 'We'd really love anyone who can help out to donate, every little bit counts,' Angela said. Accessible and fun: There are no fees, and the program is running a crowdfunding campaign Model and activist: Madeline wants other young people with disabilities to have the same opportunities she did The program is currently running in four locations, Brisbane CBD, Caboolture, Ipswich and Jindalee, but Angela hopes to one day expand nationally. She wants the program to be available in the regions as well as the city, because services for young people with disabilities can be difficult to find in the country. 'The overall aim is to create a professional performance platform where emerging artists with disability can learn, create, explore and perform and devise a body of work which we can tour regionally, nationally and hopefully internationally,' Angela said. 'In the future we also want to create a blueprint for parents to use and run the programs themselves. All you need is a hall and people to set it up.' Madeline is jetting off to the United States to walk in New York Fashion Week, but will be dancing with InsideOutside whenever she can. She's the first model with Down syndrome to walk twice at NYFW. Madeline's mum, Rosanne Stuart, said that their aim was for Madeline to walk in Milan and Tokyo fashion weeks later in 2016. Dance floor to runway: Madeline is heading to New York Fashion Week in February Twist and shout: Dance Ensemble caters to people with all different ranges of movement After making a dazzling appearance in a glittery top at the Women Deliver conference New Year reception last week, the Crown Princess Mary pulled off another sartorial coup at the Dinner for Naval Officers on January 29 2016. Wearing an unusual Alexander McQueen Quality-Street-inspired dress, the slender Princess accessorised her all-purple outfit at the Haederstegnsmiddag Gala with a pair of delicate drop earrings and a matching clutch bag. Ever the thrifty Royal, Mary has actually been seen sporting this statement satin frock before. She first wore the dress for a dinner in New York on February 1, 2005, and then pulled it out of her burgeoning wardrobe again for a dinner for the Dutch Ambassador on 31 March, 2005. Quality Street Style: The Crown Princess Mary attended a Navy dinner wearing a stunning McQueen dress Old favourite: The Princess has been seen sporting the 2004 McQueen frock before, both in 2005 and 2009 High-ranking dinner: This dinner, on 29 January, took place at Fredensborg Palace She even wore the dress a third time, at the Culture and Sport Gala on March 17, 2009. The dress was first seen on the catwalk at Alexander McQueen in the autumn/winter 2004 ready to wear collection, but has since been worn by Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. And after enjoying a relaxing, under-the-radar Christmas break in Australia throughout December, Mary is certainly back to business in the past week this is the second photographed sighting of the photogenic brunette in the past five days. Back to business: Mary was seen just last week at the Women Deliver conference reception Best foot forward: To this reception, the stylish royal paired slimline black trousers with a sparkly contrast top The dinner she attended with Prince Frederik took place with 20 high-ranking officers at Fredensborg Palace in Denmark. Reports state that the Royal couple enjoyed stockfish mousse with lobster tails, braised leg of pork with blomkalsflan and mushroom sauce and caramelised kumquatkage with wines from the Chateau du Cayx. Their company included Navy officers of admiral and commander degree, while the music was the Royal Guard. Just twenty-four hours after she went under the knife in Bangkok for a boob job, a young woman is already feeling more confident with herself. Sydney bodybuilder Alexandra Zahra, 20, has gone from barely filling an A-cup bra to filling out a C-cup bra after taking the plunge and going on a cosmetic holiday. The woman had been upset with her small breasts since high-school and told Daily Mail Australia she would break down in tears when shopping for bras and dresses. Sydney bodybuilder Alexandra Zahra, 20, has gone under the knife in Bangkok for a boob job (pictured recovering in hospital) Ms Zahra paid $4,900 for the boob job to go from an 'empty A-cup to a full C-cup' She says the new boobs will give her more confidence at work. I think this will improve my life in every way,' she said of the surgery Every time I tried on a new dress, or had to get dressed to go out I would cry because nothing fit, she said. I have been self-conscious about them ever since high school, where boys would laugh and say that their boobs were bigger than mine.' Ms Zahra moved from Sydney to Singapore seven-months-ago, where she works as a professional dancer for Universal Studios. She says the new boobs will give her more confidence at work. All of my costumes would have to be altered to fit me, she said. I think this will improve my life in every way. Ms Zahra has been body-building for two years, hitting the gym to beat depression when her father died Initially she was nervous about having the operation, but her mother told her she should do what she had to do to be happy. We researched a lot, and it became less scary because the company explained everything really well. The 20-year-old's fiance, who is a personal trainer and cross-fitter has been by her bedside throughout the procedure. He told me he would stand by me if I decided to have a boob job or not. I think it will help us be more intimate, because I wont be so self-conscious around anyone anymore. I chose Bangkok because I didnt want to fly all the way from Singapore to Australia to get them done. The woman says she already feels more confident, just 24 hours after the surgery in Bangkok 'I was really scared because I had heard bad stories from years ago when people first had them done, but as soon as I arrived at the hospital I felt fine. All the people here are super nice and professional, and they do a lot of cosmetic surgery here,' she said (pictured in hospital) The 20-year-old is pictured after the boob job, with her C-cup breasts which once barely filled an A-cup bra 'I was really scared because I had heard bad stories from years ago when people first had them done, but as soon as I arrived at the hospital I felt fine. 'All the people here are super nice and professional, and they do a lot of cosmetic surgery here.' Ms Zahra said there were a lot of twilight boob job options available where the patient is awake for the operation, but she chose not to go with one of those providers because she wanted the job done properly. The dancer is still in pain from the operation but says in six weeks she should be back to preparing for a body building competition in April. She wanted to speak-out about her procedure to stop other young woman from being afraid to undergo the procedure. Ms Zahra purchased the '2015 pack' from Cosmeditour so the total price of her new breast's was $4900. Ms Zahra has been working on her body building since the death of her father when she was 18, but says she didn't have larger breasts before she began working out. She wanted to speak-out about her procedure to stop other young woman from being afraid to undergo the procedure Ms Zahra said boys had bullied her throughout high school, by saying even they had bigger breasts than she did The Sydney woman is also a dancer, currently living in Singapore for her work Ms Zahra said she believes her new breasts will help her career as she won't feel self concious the way she has in the past (pictured before boob job) Ms Zahra has been working on her body building since the death of her father when she was 18 (pictured before boob job) A 44-year-old man has shared a candid selife in his underpants in a bid to raise awareness of the symptoms of prostate cancer. Kurt Jewson, from Cornwall, proudly displayed his catheter, colostomy bag and scars in the photo which he shared with his 301 Facebook friends, urging men to spend just five minutes researching the disease and checking for symptoms. The businessman and dad-of-two said that despite being 'tubby, pale and middle-aged', his cause was 'too important' to be vain about. Scroll down for video 'It's too important for me to be vain about': Kurt Jewson, 44, encouraged his friends to share the photo in a bid to raise awareness of prostate cancer, after his tumour was initially left undiagnosed for a year Kurt, who is co-founder of a baby's clothing company, explained that despite finding blood in his urine in summer 2014, his doctor dismissed it as an infection. It was left to 'grow and grow' for another year, he said, 'without anyone knowing', until he returned to the doctor with further health complaints - leading to the devastating diagnosis. Kurt told FEMAIL that, despite his cancer being almost inoperable, London-based prostate surgeon Professor Roger Kirby agreed to carry out the life-saving treatment in September 2015. However, his chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment is on hold as he recovers from a bout of complications caused by the surgery, including septacaemia. He decided to post the photo as he may soon have his catheter taken out. He said: 'At first I just wanted to share it with friends and family - I thought it might shock a few people. But it's gone mad.' Kurt stressed that he didn't blame the doctor who missed the cancer, telling The Packet: 'Im more disappointed that he didn't just think, or have the knowledge, and err on the side of caution. 'It takes only a couple of minutes to take a blood sample. After my diagnosis he did write me a lovely letter apologising for an "opportunity missed". 'Insist upon it': Kurt urged men to ask for a PSA (blood) test even if their doctors dismiss their symptoms 'Hopefully, with other patients, he will scratch his head and not just dismiss them. I know he must feel terrible about it.' The 44-year-old, who is currently in London for tests, encouraged his followers to share the post, which quickly went viral with more than 178,000 shares in just four days. His post in full read: 'Ok, have been thinking about this for a while. Here I am in all my tubby, pale & middle aged (I'm 44) glory. 'I've got a Catheter, Stoma ( colostomy bag ), scars where you can see them, scars where you can't, and hormone implants below my skin. I have another operation to come, and then radio and/or chemo therapy. Why am I posting this? Kurt with sons Sam, left, Tom, centre, and wife Lucy, right. The dad-of-two is currently awaiting chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment after having his tumour removed in September 2015 'Well, in the summer of 2014 I had blood in my urine. Went to the GP and he said that it was probably just an infection and would clear up. It did. 'However, it wasn't an infection. It was a symptom of Prostate Cancer. 'If my GP had simply taken some blood, and sent it off for a PSA test ( the test for prostate cancer...it's NOT a finger up the ass... That comes later!) then we would have caught this at an early, and much more manageable stage. 'There are many symptoms. I urge all the men to spend 5 minutes here prostatecanceruk.org. It could save your life. 'Prostate cancer is becoming more prevalent in 'younger' men. Men our age. If you have blood in your urine, or any other symptom listed on prostateUK's website, then get a blood PSA test. Insist upon it. Kurt said: 'If I'd known how many shares it was going to get, I'd have tidied my room and put on better pants!' 'If I had known earlier, then my treatment and prognosis would have been so different. As it was, my cancer was free to grow and grow for another 12 months without anyone knowing. 'So, there you go. Sorry to be so serious, but 1 in 8 of you (for that's how many men will get prostate cancer) will bloody thank me one day! 'Cheers, Kurt. Ps. Feel free to share, if you want. It's too important for me to be vain about.' In the UK, one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their life. Kurt's post clearly struck a chord with the Faceboook community, with Nicola King writing: 'Thanks so much for sharing this Kurt. You brave man. Keep fighting and stay strong.' Vanessa Farnell wrote: 'You're very brave Kurt. Well done and wishing you a speedy recovery.' Jenny Pillinger added: 'Well done Kurt, not an easy thing to do but you're right, it really could save someone's life one day or at the very least save them from having to go through some of what you're enduring currently. Big (gentle) hugs and hope you are mending well.' A mother who was sectioned while battling with postpartum psychosis has revealed how a voice in her head repeatedly told her to end her life. Amie Jones, 21, of Harpurhey, Manchester, has been through the same struggle recently depicted in an EastEnders story line, which sees Stacey Branning suffer after the birth of her son. After confessing she felt suicidal to her health visitor in July 2014, just 11 days following the birth of her son Oscar, Amie was sectioned for three months. Scroll down for video Amie Jones, 21, of Harpurhey, Manchester was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis in 2014, 11 days after the birth of her son Oscar. The new mum was contemplating suicide and heard voices telling her to run away and end her life She was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis, a severe mental illness that can affect a woman after she has a baby, causing hallucinations and delusional thinking. With the help and support of medical staff from Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, and her new boyfriend, railway construction worker Rob Williams, 21, Amie has recovered. The jeweller has now learnt to love her baby boy, something which at one point she never thought would be possible. Speaking about her ordeal for the first time, she said: 'I found out I was seven weeks pregnant at the end of December 2013 which came as a bit of a shock. After being voluntarily sectioned for three months Amie recovered and has now formed a bond with her 18-month son Oscar After her relationship with Oscar's dad broke down, Amie met her new partner Rob Williams, 21, and says his support has been crucial to her recovery 'I was 18 and panicked. I crumbled. I punched my stomach, my head was all over the place. It was not what I wanted. I had so much doubt in my mind, that I felt I should just end my life now.' A year before falling pregnant, Amie had been diagnosed with endometriosis. The common condition, where tissue that behaves like the lining of the womb - the endometrium - grows in other places such as the fallopian tubes or ovaries, can impact on fertility. Amie assumed this would make it harder for her to have children, so was shocked when she found out she was pregnant after the contraceptive pill failed. Four days after finding out she was pregnant she went for an appointment to have a termination. But although she could not go through with it, she still struggled to come to terms with impending motherhood. Amie was in shock when she discovered she was pregnant at the age of 18 (left) because she had endometriosis, which can impact fertility. Her relationship with Oscar's dad has since ended but she says her new partner Rob (right) is wonderful with her son She said: 'I was in shock. 'Part of me felt ungrateful, because I should have been happy to have a child, but I wasn't ready. 'I kept asking myself questions. Would I be a good mum? Would I be able to give it up for adoption? Would I be able to love my child? 'But I wanted to prove to people I'd be an amazing mum. So I said I loved it when my baby kicked, but that was all a front. 'I actually felt mortified and depressed. I worried I would not be able to bond with my baby. 'I had a psychiatrist that I saw every four weeks, who was lovely. But I didn't want to tell her that I didn't think I could love my baby, as I didn't want social services getting involved.' In reality Amie - who had previously struggled with depression - was regularly experiencing suicidal thoughts. Oscar was born after a 24 hour labour and Amie admits that initially she didn't feel anything towards her son During her pregnancy Amie had suicidal thoughts and says protecting her baby was the only thing that prevented her from taking her own life Amie spent the best part of the first three months of Oscar's life in a mother and baby unit in Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester 'I'd contemplate putting myself in difficult situations where I could get hurt or die,' she recalled. 'When I'd cross the road I'd think, "I could walk in front of that bus". The baby was the only thing keeping me from doing it.' Towards the end of her second trimester she felt so low that she went to see a specialist mental health midwife and psychiatrist at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester, who diagnosed her with bipolar disorder, and increased her dosage of Prozac, an anti depressant. Four weeks before her due date she also confessed to her mental health psychiatrist that she could not cope anymore. 'I begged her to get the baby out of me,' Amie explained. 'I'd been on maternity leave so had spent a lot of time alone with my thoughts. I'd think about giving birth and then running away. Amie admits that she couldn't bear to look at Oscar while she was feeding him and felt like he was crying all the time, even though with hindsight she realises he was a very good baby Amie says that she's now bonded with Oscar and is looking forward to their future together. She now 'loves the bones' of him, but never could have imagined feeling that way 'I was numb, and wanted to end my own life. Now when I think about that, it upsets me.' Amie was put in the care of the crisis team from Ramsgate House in Salford, so nurses would check on her every day. Unable to cope with being pregnancy any longer, she was induced two weeks early on July 26, 2014, at the St Mary's Hospital in Manchester, with her ex-boyfriend and mum Helen Jones, 47, by her side. 'After being in labour for 21 hours Oscar was born on July 27, 2014,' she recalled. 'I felt awful that I didn't feel anything. When I took Oscar home my heart was constantly racing, I was always panicked and on edge. I had no clue what I was doing. 'I couldn't look at him when I was feeding him. I'd shake a toy in front of him because I thought that's what I was meant to do, but I was not connected. 'I felt like I needed help, that I couldn't do it. To me it felt like Oscar was crying all the time, but in hindsight he was a good boy.' When Oscar was 11 days old Amie finally confessed to her health visitor that she wasn't coping. Amie says that she sometimes has down days and feels nervous in public, but is much more confident when she's looking after her son at home With the help of professionals, Amie learned to handle everyday tasks such as bathing Oscar and bonded with him through baby massage She phoned a support worker from Sure Start, a government programme which provides a range of support services for parents and children under the age of four, to take her to hospital. At the Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, the young mum was having panic attacks and trouble breathing, and was immediately referred to a mental health unit. 'I thought they were going to lock me up and take my son away because I didn't have a bond with him,' she said. 'I was feeling suicidal, but what was stopping me ending my life was having Oscar with me. A voice in my head said, "Right, when the nurse leaves the room, just run." 'When I think about it now, it seems sinister planning to run away and leave my baby so I could go kill myself.' Despite her struggles Amie says she'd be happy to have another baby to give Oscar, 18 months, a sibling. The proud mum says her son is very bright and she can't wait to see him start school Amie was voluntarily sectioned in a mother and baby unit in Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester by mid-August 2014, and remained there until November 2014. She said: 'At the time it seemed dire, but now I see it was a fantastic ward with fantastic nurses. 'I could see Oscar when I wanted but I couldn't be with him alone. When I arrived they took anything dangerous away from me but I would scratch my wrists when Oscar was down in the nursery,' she admitted. 'It was on the second day that a psychiatrist diagnosed me with postpartum psychosis and put me on anti-psychosis medication and sleeping tablets. WHAT IS POSTPARTUM PSYCHOSIS? Postpartum psychosis, also known as puerperal psychosis or postnatal psychosis, is thought to affect around one in every 1,000 women who give birth. Symptoms usually present themselves within the first two weeks after giving birth, but it can take longer. The two main symptoms are hallucinations and delusional thinking, and the combination of both can severely impact on emotions and behaviour. Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric emergency and should be immediately reported to a GP or other medical professional. Advertisement 'I'd had no idea what postpartum psychosis was. I'd thought I was hearing a voice in my head, like in a film where you have two twins, one evil and one good. It was my voice in my head but an evil version.' Medics tried a range of techniques with Amie including mindfulness, going to the gym, and taking her to Pets at Home because they knew she loved animals. They ran sessions to help her bond with her baby, guiding her through every day tasks with Oscar such as bathing or massaging him. They also ensured she had taken her medication each day and asked what her thoughts were and how they could help, supporting her all the time. Finally, in November 2014 she was out and had to adjust to looking after her baby alone. Amie split up with her former boyfriend, Oscar's dad, in July 2015, but is now living with her current partner and is doing much better. 'Rob has been amazing and he's great with my son,' she said. Gradually, with all the support she has received, she has formed a bond with her 18-month-old son. 'I'm a lot happier now, but I'm still not 100 per cent better,' she said. 'I'm still on lots of anti-psychotic medication, as well as medication to help my depression, and I have my community psychiatric nurse from Ramsgate House that I can call. 'I love the bones of Oscar now. I never thought I would feel this way about him. When he goes to stay with his dad I miss him. 'I still have down days and get nervous in public with him, but at home I'm in my element.' Now Amie is looking forward to the years ahead. 'I see my future with Oscar being really positive,' she said. 'He's so clever; I can't wait to see him at school and to take him on holiday. 'I'm proud of where I am in comparison to last year, and I'd happily have another child.' Amy has spoken out so other women know they are not alone. She's also doing a skydive to raise money for the Samaritans, a charity available round the clock, providing a safe place for anyone struggling to cope, and has set up a fundraising page. Last year saw Kendall Jenner cement herself as the globe's most in demand supermodel - and 2016 is already shaping up pretty nicely for the star. Proving her naysayers wrong, Kendall, 20, showcases both her supermodel credentials and honed body in her latest fashion shoot. The 20-year-old displays her toned legs and trim physique in the latest shots from her Mango campaign, which is just the latest in a string of successes for the reality TV star-turned-clothes horse. Supermodel in the making Kendall Jenner, 20, showcases both her supermodel credentials and body in her latest fashion shoot The star is the face of Tribal Spirit, the first of four trends to be showcased in advertising campaigns this spring/summer 2016 and after teasing her fans with a few snaps, Kendall's campaign has been revealed in full. Speaking about her latest coup, Kendall said: 'I am delighted to have been chosen to present the Tribal Spirit part of the collection. 'I love wearing the designs, fabrics and shapes - they really speak of the allure of nature which I know this collection was inspired by. 'The shots we created on set reflect the natural undertones of the collection while showing really beautiful, striking pieces. 'It was a great shoot and working with the entire Mango team was an amazing experience!'. The latest batch of imagery from Mango's Tribal Spirit shoot, the first of four trends to be showcased in advertising campaigns this spring/summer 2016, has dropped Kendall is a far cry from her reality TV star roots in the high fashion shoot for the high street brand, which has Cara Delevingne and Kate Moss on its books Speaking about their latest recruit, a spokesperson for Mango told WWD: 'We thought that she was the best model to embody this trend. 'And obviously the upside with that is that, as a model, shes very professional, she works fantastically. As a celebrity she has huge repercussions in the market and among her followers.' A regular on the top catwalks of the fashion world, Kendall has modelled for top brands including Chanel, Bottega Veneta, Fendi and Givenchy, among many others. In late 2015, she was named the most influential girl in the world, alongside her sister, Kylie, by Time magazine. The latest batch of images comes as Kendall proved her talents extend far beyond appearing on a reality show as she smouldered in a recent shoot for high fashion glossy, LOVE magazine. Speaking about her latest coup, a smouldering Kendall said: 'I am delighted to have been chosen to present the Tribal Spirit part of the collection' The brand said that the model is 'very professional' and that she works fantastically. 'As a celebrity she has huge repercussions in the market and among her followers,' they added The Keeping Up With The Kardashians starlet showed off her incredibly toned figure in a skimpy black bikini by Calvin Klein as she showed off her modelling prowess in the snap. The image was shot in celebration of Calvin Klein's return to swimwear - and who better to advertise than one of the world's most sought after models. The Victoria's Secret angel has been working in Barcelona and at Paris Fashion Week before she returned to Los Angeles late last week. She also recently stripped down to her underwear in a Calvin Klein ad for the brand's new spring 2016 collection - further continuing her affiliation with the brand away from her LOVE shoot. And Kendall's coups were rewarded at the end of last year when fashion bible Vogue.com officially hailed her and best pal Gigi Hadid supermodels. The website featured an entire article - entitled We Overuse the Term Supermodel, but Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid Really Are Worthy of the Title - to prove it. Kendall Jenner, 20, kicked off the year by lending her good looks to Mango's latest campaign Kendall's dreams came true when she landed a coveted role in the Victoria's Secret Show - and was hailed a supermodel by fashion bible Vogue Following in the footsteps of 90s supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Kate Moss, and Cindy Crawford, the social media savvy duo are the next generation of supermodels. Vogue pointed to their countless high fashion campaigns, strong social media presence, beauty endorsements and runway history as evidence. 'What truly makes Kendall and Gigi super material is the interest they generate off-duty,' writes Janelle Okwodu. 'Bombshells next door, they are even better known for their selfie skills than for their work with the pros. Within the industry, the pair have garnered criticism and praise in equal measure.' Vogue.com featured an entire article - entitled We Overuse the Term Supermodel, but Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid Really Are Worthy of the Title - to prove the duo's worth The rising stars made their grand debut for Victoria's Secret alongside long-established Angels Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel and Lily Aldridge. Strutting down the runway oozing confidence, the duo looked right at home among some of the world's most beautiful women - and it seems their dreams of becoming the globe's most in-demand supermodels have finally come to fruition. Kendall has certainly seen her star sky-rocket in the past year. She started out on the E! show that propelled her family to global fame as the shyest sibling - avid fans will remember when she was too nervous to interview people on the street for her Teen Vogue column. But fast-forward a few years and she's the coolest Kardashian/Jenner export. Ultimately, being with her 'soulmate' won out - especially because it gave her stability that she hadn't had since her parents' divorce She even 'wondered whether it was worth it' when she found herself the subject of unflattering articles At first, though, she says she wasn't thrilled about the attention that came with dating a royal Not every little girl dreams of growing up to marry a prince, wear a tiara, and live 'happily ever after' in a castle - particularly not Princess Marie of Denmark, who did just that. The 39-year-old may now call Schackenborg Castle home and Prince Joachim, 46, her husband, but in a new interview she admits she was actually quite hesitant to get involved with the royal back when they were dating, and definitely wasn't looking for a fairy tale. 'I had a great life - I didn't need to be rescued by some prince from Denmark,' she told the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, according to People. Scroll down for video Doubts: Princess Marie of Denmark said she was unsure about being with her now-husband Prince Joachim in the beginning Just a regular girl: The 39-year-old had a career and independent life, but suddenly found herself getting unwanted attention That isn't to say that she wasn't interested in Joachim when they met at a party thrown by mutual friends, or when they were seen vacationing together in Avignon, France in 2005. Marie, who was born to a wealthy family in Paris, fell for the recently-divorced royal, but didn't love the idea of getting caught up in his world. A self-sufficient woman, Marie had held jobs in PR and advertising before landing a gig as an executive secretary in ING Numismatic Group SA, where she worked until her engagement to Joachim. 'There was no doubt in my heart that I loved him, but I had my life. I was happy, and I had my pride. I simply was not ready to get married and take on the responsibility it would be to become part of the royal family,' she said. It also didn't help that people suddenly seemed to care so much about who she was and what she was up to. Fairy tale romance? Unflattering things written in the press made her wonder if their love was worth it Happily ever after: She ultimately decided it was, and the two have since gotten married and had two children 'I'd been fending for myself for years, and it felt overwhelming that suddenly everyone apparently had an opinion about me,' she said. 'I was not prepared that attention could be so negative,' she said. 'There were some stupid articles. I did wonder whether it was worth it.' By the time Joachim popped the question in 2007, though, she had apparently decided that it was worth it, after all. She now calls him her 'soulmate' and attributes part of that to the fact that he gave her a sense of stability, which she had been lacking since her parents' divorce when she was 11. After her mom and dad split, she moved with her mom to Switzerland, attended boarding school, and went on to colleges in Massachusetts and New York, living a fairly rootless life. Now married to Joachim since May of 2008, she has two children, Prince Henrik and Princess Athena, and two step-children, Princes Nikolai and Felix. Knowing your true friends: Even though she's glad she wed her soul mate, she said it was difficult to trust people for a long time She's adjusted to life in the public eye, with a little help from her prince. 'Prince Joachim has been so understanding and patient in helping me appreciate where we are. I've come to understand his position, and how important the royal family is for the Danes,' she said. She also revealed that she is consciously working to ensure her own kids don't feel the same unsteadiness that she did as a child, and wants to make their home a place where they 'feel safe and develop their confidence'. And as for her decision to forsake some of her independence to live with the man she loves, she insists she has no regrets - even if it took a while to get there. But critics argue the technology could be used to create designer babies Scientists have today been given permission to genetically modify human embryos for the first time in the UK. The decision by the fertility regulator means they will be allowed to manipulate the genes of embryos donated by IVF patients. The application was made by researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London. The green light means they will be the first in Britain to alter the DNA of human embryos and only the second in the world - potentially within months. However, the development, which is made possible by a new, highly precise way of manipulating genes, will raise concerns that Britain is on a slippery slope towards designer babies. Used differently, the Crispr DNA editing technique could lead to the creation of 'perfect' children made to order by hair or eye colour. British scientists have been given permission to genetically modify human embryos for the first time Researcher Kathy Niakan asked the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for permission to study how an embryo's genes affect whether it will survive the first week of life a key time in the development of any future baby. Currently, fewer than one in two eggs live for a week after fertilisation and just one in eight lead to a pregnancy that lasts at least three months. Learning more about this 'critical' first week of human life could allow more women to have babies by sparing them trauma of miscarriages. It should also improve IVF success rates, cutting the financial and emotional costs of repeated treatments. New contraceptives could also be in the pipeline - and scientists say such techniques could lead to treatments for inherited diseases like muscular dystrophy. Dr Niakan said last month: 'We would really like to understand the genes needed for a human embryo to develop successfully into a healthy baby. HOMING IN ON FAULTY GENES The British scientists want to alter the genes of embryos when they are only one day old. They will use a powerful new technique called Crispr to disable the genes one by one, to see which ones are key to healthy development. This could provide vital insights into why some embryos are miscarried and why some women are infertile, leading to new IVF treatments. Crispr is made up of a homing molecule and a scissor protein. These zero in on the faulty part of the gene a strand of DNA and snip it out. It is also possible to add in a healthy gene. Scientists aim is to do research until each embryo is a week old, with UK law stopping them from being implanted into a womans womb. However critics say the work is the first step towards designer babies, made to order by hair or eye colour. Advertisement 'The reason why it is so important is because miscarriages and infertility are extremely common, but they're not very well understood.' In a statement, the HFEA said today: 'Our Licence Committee has approved an application from Dr Kathy Niakan of the Francis Crick Institute to renew her laboratory's research licence to include gene editing of embryos. 'The committee has added a condition to the licence that no research using gene editing may take place until the research has received research ethics approval. As with all embryos used in research, it is illegal to transfer them to a woman for treatment.' The embryos - consisting of just a small number of cells - would be donated by couples undergoing IVF treatment who do not need them. Under the 2008 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, they can only be used for basic research, must be destroyed after two weeks, and cannot be implanted in the wombs of women. Dr Niakan has said that, in the long term, the research could mean the embryo with the greatest chance of developing could be implanted - or genetics could be 'tweaked' to maximise an embryo's chance of survival. Scientists propose to use new methods based on CRISPR/Cas9, which allows very specific alterations to be made to the genome. MOTHER WHO LOST FIVE BABIES HAILS LANDMARK RULING Emma Benjamin suffered five miscarriages in the space of a few years When Emma Benjamin suffered five miscarriages in the space of a few years she was left heartbroken. The strain sucked all the joy out of pregnancy, and with doctors unable to work out what was going wrong, she blamed herself. Mrs Benjamin, 34, from Hertfordshire, lost four of her babies in a single year, and hopes that the British research will spare other women from enduring the same distress. Her first child Daniel, who is now six, was born after a problem-free pregnancy, and when he was nine months old Mrs Benjamin began to try for a second child. She quickly became pregnant but miscarried at just six weeks. Three more miscarriages followed. Mrs Benjamin, a chartered accountant, said: I was destroyed and I blamed myself. I must have done something wrong. Heartbroken but also angry, I was desperate to get some answers. I had lots of tests but I never found out why. It got to the point that when I did a positive pregnancy test, there was no excitement. There was no joy in it. After her fourth miscarriage, Mrs Benjamin, whose husband Saul is a 35-year-old hedge fund manager, went for treatment at a private fertility clinic. She became pregnant again and her second son Olly was born four years ago. Another miscarriage followed before she had her third child, Amelia, who is now 20 months old. Mrs Benjamin told the BBC: I found it frustrating that I never had the answers as to why I kept miscarrying. If this research had come earlier and could have helped provide answers, I guess it could maybe have saved a lot of heartache. She added: If it can help other women from going through what I went through, then it will be amazing. Advertisement Graphic shows how the Crispr/Cas9 technique works by 'cutting open' a DNA's double helix in order to delete a certain section of DNA, or add a new section, fundamentally 'editing' it CRISPR/Cas9 is an immensely powerful technique invented three years ago which allows DNA to be 'cut and pasted' using molecular 'scissors'. It could lead to huge leaps forward in science and medicine but critics have warned that the pace of change is too fast. They fear misuse of such technology could lead to potentially dangerous treatments and 'designer babies'. HOW DOES CRISPR WORK? Crispr technology precisely changes target parts of genetic code. Unlike other gene-silencing tools, the Crispr system targets the genome's source material and permanently turns off genes at the DNA level. The DNA cut known as a double strand break closely mimics the kinds of mutations that occur naturally, for instance after chronic sun exposure. But unlike UV rays that can result in genetic alterations, the Crispr system causes a mutation at a precise location in the genome. When cellular machinery repairs the DNA break, it removes a small snip of DNA. In this way, researchers can precisely turn off specific genes in the genome. Advertisement Another major concern is that making changes to embryonic DNA could have unknown harmful effects throughout an individual's body. There is also the risk of passing genetic 'mistakes' on to future generations. Dr Niakan wants to use Crispr a method that allows scientists to home in on and tweak specific genes in one-day old embryos. By stopping genes from working one by one, she hopes to find out which are key. If the project is approved by the HFEA and a separate ethics committee, work could start in March and the first GM embryos made by the summer. Dr Niakan hopes to use up to 120 embryos to study four genes initially and, if successful, the project could be extended. The embryos will be donated by women who had some left over after undergoing IVF treatment. UK law stops GM embryos from being implanted into a womans womb and Dr Niakan will only work on them until they are a week old before destroying them. Once scientists know which genes are important, they could use the information to improve IVF. For instance, they could screen a womans embryos and implant only the best. The researches want permission to study how an embryo's genes affect whether it will survive the first week of life a key time in the development of any future baby. The move should also improve IVF success rates Other options include using drugs or vitamins to give the key genes a boost. Finally, and most controversially, a defective gene could be tweaked and corrected using Crispr although this wouldnt be allowed in Britain. In a research paper published in April last year, Chinese scientists described how they were able to manipulate the genomes of human embryos for the first time, which raised ethical concerns about the new frontier in science. Many of the women who make this donation have experienced being unable to have a child without artificial reproductive technology. They make their donation [of spare embryos] altruistically with the hope of allowing others to benefit from improvements in knowledge and treatments Alastair Kent, director of Genetic Alliance UK Junjiu Huang, a gene-function researcher at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, and colleagues describe how they used the CRISPR-Cas9 technique to modify the genomes of embryos obtained from a fertility clinic. Scientists today welcomed the announcement that experts will be able to genetically modify embryos. Professor Peter Braude, an expert in obstetrics and gynaecology from King's College London, said: 'I am delighted to hear that the HFEA have had the good sense to approve this important project. 'Gene editing tools will allow fresh insights into the basic genetic mechanisms that control cell allocation in the early embryo. 'These mechanisms are crucial in ensuring healthy normal development and implantation, and when they go wrong might result in failure to implant or miscarriage. I await results with interest.' Alastair Kent, director of Genetic Alliance UK, said: 'We'd like to underline that the spare embryos that will be used in this work will have been donated for research purposes. 'Many of the women who make this donation have experienced being unable to have a child without artificial reproductive technology and make their donation altruistically with the hope of allowing others to benefit from improvements in knowledge and treatments. In the long term, the research could mean the embryo with the greatest chance of developing could be implanted - or genetics could be 'tweaked' to maximise an embryo's chance of survival 'We should acknowledge the contribution that embryo donors make to allow this research to happen.' Dr Sarah Chan, chancellor's fellow at the Usher Institute for Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, added: 'This is an encouraging step as it demonstrates that good science and effective ethical oversight can go hand in hand. 'Dr Niakan's research into the biology of early human development is valuable both for scientific knowledge and the therapeutic applications it may eventually produce, for example in treating infertility and in stem cell therapies. The US will largely be spared from the fast-spreading, mosquito-born Zika Virus, according to a top researcher. The World Health Organization declared the virus to be an international public health emergency after it was linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil. The virus has been quickly spreading through Latin America and the Carribbean and is expected to spread to North America in the coming months. But, a University of Buffalo geography expert said the virus will only affect the most Southern regions of the US. The fast-moving Zika Virus, which has been linked to birth defects in Brazil, is spread through the Aedes mosquito (pictured). A leading geography expert says the mosquito won't spread to most of the US, except for Hawaii, Key West and the US-Mexico border Dr Jared Aldstadt, associate professor of geography, said: If you live in parts of Hawaii, Key West or on the US-Mexico border, its a concern because of the nature of the mosquito, but this is not something that is going to affect large parts of the country. This is something the US can handle; Zika is limited by the mosquito and we are well protected with air conditioning and our well-built buildings. There is currently no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue fever and chikungunya, two viruses that cause fever and rash. Approximately 80 per cent of people infected with Zika have no symptoms. But, the other 20 per cent experience mild symptoms, such as fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. But, the recent outbreak of the virus has been linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil. Brazil sounded the alarm on the Zika Virus in October, when a rash of microcephaly cases emerged. Microcephaly is a rare, but devastating, condition in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head and underdeveloped brain. Since October, there have been 270 confirmed cases and 3,448 suspected case of microcephaly in Brazil up from just 147 in 2014. The disease has now appeared in 24 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. WHO officials have predicted as many as four million people could be infected with the virus this year. However, Dr Aldstadt doesnt think the disease will spread to too many regions in the US. Furthermore, the researcher stated that Zika will have a similar impact to the dengue fever which has had outbreaks in the US that have been locally contained. Dr Aldstadt said: There is no evidence Zika will be different than dengue when it arrives occasionally in the U.S. and circulates locally for a while. A place like Brazil is a perfect breeding ground for the mosquito because of the rapid urbanization and the often poor-quality housing. The risk declines significantly at the US border because the better housing quality and air conditioning protects people Dr Jared Aldstadt, University of Buffalo The scientist agrees with the Center for Disease Controls recent advisory that pregnant women avoid visiting places infected with the virus. But, he said the mosquito that transmits Zika is a domesticated one that lives in clear water. The mosquito isnt typically found in the natural environment. Dr Aldstadt said: A place like Brazil is a perfect breeding ground for the mosquito because of the rapid urbanization and the often poor-quality housing. The risk declines significantly at the US border because the better housing quality and air conditioning protects people. But for those who live in high-risk areas, Dr Alstadt said there are ways they can protect themselves from the mosquito. He said: People can protect themselves by wearing long sleeves and pants and also use insecticide treatment. In January 2016, the world of the Peoples Liberation Armys (PLA) turned upside down. This is not the consequence of revolution or coup, but a well-thought-out design to transform the land-centric PLA into a global force, patterned on that of the United States. For obvious reasons, this has implications not just for India, but the world. Restructured On December 31, 2015, Xi Jinping presented flags to the commanders of three new forces of the PLA. Of these, two were essentially restructured and remodelled - the PLA got its own headquarters like the Navy and the Air Force, and the Second Artillery Force which holds Chinas nuclear and conventional missiles was redesignated as the Rocket Force. Chinese President Xi Jinping presented flags to the commanders of 3 new forces of the PLA in December 2015 However the third, the new Strategic Support Force, is brand new and provides pointers to the future evolution of the PLA as a fighting force. The goal of the SSF is to prepare Beijing to fight the war of the future, where the weapons will be a computer terminal and space satellites. As a Chinese naval analyst Yin Zhuo pointed out in an article, it will be involved in targeted reconnaissance and tracking, global positioning operations and space assets management, as well as defence against electronic warfare and hostile activities in cyberspace. An article in Peoples Daily said that the researchers of the SSF were focusing on cutting edge technologies such as big data applications, cloud computing, 3D printing and nanomaterials. The new forces are only the tip of the iceberg of the reform process that has gripped the PLA. On the block has been its apex headquarter departments - the four general departments of staff, politics, logistics and armament - which have been abolished, and replaced by 15 functional units which report directly to the Central Military Commission, chaired by Xi, which runs the whole show. In turn, these 15 units comprise of seven full-fledged departments, three commissions and five affiliated institutions. The new departments are the CMC General Office; Joint Staff office, and departments relating to Political Work, Logistic Support and National defenses Mobilisation. The new commissions are the CMC Discipline, Political and Law, and Science and Technology Commissions; and the affiliated offices are the CMC Strategic Planning, Reform and Formation, International Military Cooperation, Audit Offices, and the CMC General Affairs Administration. Commands Chinas seven military regions have now been reduced to five battle zones or theatre commands. This is of considerable interest to India since it is now handled by a single western battle zone, headquartered in Urumqi. Earlier operations relating to India were divided by the Xinjiang Military Region headquartered in distant Lanzhou, as well as the Chengdu Military Region headquartered in Chengdu. So, a single Chinese commander with all the assets of the Army, Air Force and conventional missiles of the rocket force will direct the battle against four Indian Army commands headquartered in Udhampur, Chandimandir, Lucknow and Kolkata, and three air force commands with headquarters in Shillong, Allahabad and New Delhi. Many of the things the Chinese are doing are things we in India have also tried to do. First, remodel the apex management of the system. Currently, our Ministry of Defence is run by generalist IAS officers and there is an urgent need to introduce specialisation here through two means. Second, introducing uniformed personnel into the MOD hierarchy, just as they are in the bureaucratic hierarchies of the ministries of defence of other nations. Third, creating a cadre of civilian officers who specialise in security issues. Currently, they exercise their power through the blunt sword of procedures by nixing or approving issues over which they have no domain knowledge. Recommendations India has sought to create a joint staff command under a chief of defence staff and restructure the existing geographical commands into integrated theatre commands. Unfortunately, after beginning with the experimental Andaman & Nicobar command set up through the far-reaching reforms of the Vajpayee government, the system seems to have lost its nerve. Recommendations made by the Naresh Chandra Committee have been shelved and the Modi government seems more eager to push defence procurement, rather than carry out the deep restructuring needed to make Indias military a war-winning force. The process of reform is never easy, and so it will not be smooth sailing for Xi & Co, but so far they have managed to ram through the key decisions whose implementation will unfold over the next five years. But if there is one lesson that we need to learn from the changes it is that whether a democracy or an authoritarian state, change can only be brought about through a process led by the political class. That accounted for the success of the reforms in the Vajpayee era, and their failure in UPA-2. We are still waiting to see what the Modi era will bring. But whatever it intends to, it better get going. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is undergoing naturopathy treatment in Bengaluru Not much seems to have changed for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is undergoing naturopathy treatment in Bengaluru. Kejriwal, who has been constantly monitoring the sanitation workers strike in Delhi, addressed a rally of auto rickshaw drivers in Bengaluru on Sunday evening. Patients at the Jindal Nature Cure Institute, where the CM is being treated, are strictly advised to stay away from the phone and other distractions. Unlike his previous visit to the institute in March, 2015, when he kept himself disconnected from politics and media, his current stay has been largely dominated by political activities. Sources close to Kejriwal said he had asked doctors at the institute for a break to address the auto rickshaw drivers on Sunday. Kejriwal, however, maintained it was not a political rally but a genuine cause that he was addressing. The rally was planned long back as part of the AAPs bribe free campaign in Karnataka. Arvind Kejriwals presence in the rally was primarily aimed at boosting the morale of the auto rickshaw drivers who are harassed by the irrational Motor Vehicles Act which makes it mandatory for them to produce class 8th certificate for obtaining a licence. The Delhi CM had asked for special leave from doctors to extend moral support to the drivers, said Siddharth Sharma, coconvener of AAPs Karnataka unit. Sharma said Kejriwal has been prescribed a strict routine at the nature cure institute, but political compulsions sometimes force him to step out. Sources close to Kejriwal said he asked doctors at the institute for a 'break' to address auto rickshaw drivers Nobody is allowed to meet him (Kejriwal) at the institute. Like other patients, he has to follow a strict route, Sharma said. We follow a strict protocol on the premises, as our healing system involves several rigorous practices and our patients should not remain distracted. We have asked the Delhi CM to stay away from any stress-inducing circumstances, including any kind of political discussions or telephonic conversations. We attach a lot of importance to discipline as part of the treatment, sources said. Even during his previous stay, Kejriwal was kept away from political discussions with only some of his close officials being allowed to meet him. Notably, the political situation in Delhi became aggravated the day Kejriwal was admitted to the institute on January 27, when nearly 1.5 lakh employees of the three MCDs went on indefinite strike demanding their long-due salary. Since then, the Delhi CM has been monitoring the developments in the Capital while lauding the efforts made by his government to deal with the crisis. Through a series of tweets, Kejriwal extended support to striking workers demanding dues. He expressed hope that some solution will emerge after the high court hears the matter next week. I support demand of protesting MCD employees that they shud get their full salaries. I hope some solution will emerge after Tue HC hearing (sic), Kejriwal said on Twitter. The chief minister also lauded the efforts of the states public works department personnel for working all night to clear garbage, and urged AAP functionaries to help them. I am told PWD people and trucks worked whole nite to clean up garbage. I wud urge all AAP volunteers to help PWD (sic), he tweeted. At the rally, Kejriwal demanded the abolition of Rule 8 of Motor Vehicles Act that mandates eighth standard pass certificate for obtaining auto driving license, saying he doesnt have an eighth class certificate himself. I have heard that here you need to have class eight certificate for getting a badge. I dont have a class eight certificate. I do have degrees but I dont have the eight class certificate, Kejriwal said. The people of picturesque Kamduni village in West Bengals North 24- Parganas district woke up with a fresh resolution on Sunday - to hold their heads high, even in the face of extreme difficulties. Villagers were happy with the court verdict in the "Kamduni gang-rape", which saw six of the eight accused convicted of the appalling rape and murder of a 20-year-old student from Derozio College. The young woman was abducted on June 7, 2013 and forcibly taken to an abandoned factory site while she was returning home after an exam. The men dismembered their victim and slit her throat before dumping the body in a nearby pond. A day after the landmark verdict, the village road was deserted as people chose to stay indoors A section of village women protested against the gruesome gang-rape and murder, demanding basic minimum security - and their efforts quickly snowballed into a wider concern for women's safety across West Bengal. Now, after two-and-a-half years of relentless legal struggle, members of Kamduni Protibadi Mancha (a protesters forum) got some respite. But for them, the battle continues. There are hundreds and thousands of Kamdunis (similar impoverished villages) across West Bengal where women cant roam around freely after dusk. Reports of crime against women are pouring in from there too. But people are scared to stand up against such injustice. We want the state government to ensure safety and security in those regions so that similar incidents dont take place further, said Tumpa Kayal, a childhood friend of the victim who became a face of the Kamduni protests. The day after the landmark verdict, an uneasy calm prevailed in Kamduni village. The 2-km long village road remained almost deserted as people preferred to stay indoors. They didnt speak to journalists when asked about their reaction to the judgment. Locals were apprehensive about a backlash by people from neighbouring villages Parkhoribari, Metegacha and Mahishgadi - where the six Kamduni convicts come from. The only thing visible in the area was the presence of mediapersons who flocked in with OB vans and camera crews. The abandoned factory site where the appalling 2013 gang-rape took place The city sessions court pronounced the quantum of punishment in the Kamduni gang-rape and murder case on Saturday. Three convicts, Ansar Ali, Saiful Ali, and Amin Ali, were sentenced to death, and the other three - Emanul Islam, Bhola Naskar and Aminur Islam - were given life terms for the brutal gang-rape, murder incident. There is a sense of insecurity in the village, for those who supported the movement. Everyone in Kamduni stood up strongly in favour of the movement. Maybe they dont want to come to the forefront fearing some hostile response. But they were always with us. Now they are scared if Rafiqul Islam and Nur Ali, who were acquitted by the court for lack of evidence, come back and take revenge on them, said Mousumi Kayal. Battle The protesters are now bracing for another battle if the family members of the convicts move the higher court with an appeal to reconsider the punishment. Defense counsel of the Kamduni gang-rape case Phiroze Edulji said that they would move the High Court on the matter. Let us get the copy of the judgment. We go to High Court within the next week, he said. We took up the fight demanding capital punishment for all the eight accused. Now we heard the relatives of the convicts would move the high court. If they do so, we will also fight them out in the court. We hope justice will prevail there too, said Mousumi, with a mixed air of joy, satisfaction and confidence. Meanwhile, the relatives of the victim said they would also appeal before the higher court demanding punishment for both Rafiqul and Nur. The younger brother of the gang-rape victim also decided to ask Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to launch a fresh probe against the duo who were acquitted due to a lack of evidence in the case. We will see the end to it. We were never involved in any politics. We fought the battle with utmost honesty. If they think they can get away with this, they are making a mistake. With the verdict, our will power has doubled up and we are not going budge before any pressure now. The victim, who was our friend, deserves justice and we will try to ensure that till our last blood, Mousumi said. Village still shrouded in darkness By Soudhriti Bhabani in Kamduni Two-and-a-half years since West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid her maiden visit to the notorious Kamduni, villagers are still waiting for the basic amenities promised by the CM and top politicians of her party. Works for installing as many as 24 electric posts started along the arterial village road that connects the bus stop with Kamduni village. Locals allege that the entire belt plunges into darkness after sunset, as Kamduni village is poorly lit Locals claim that work began just three days ahead of the court verdict when six of the eight accused were found guilty for the brutal crime. We still dont have proper roads, street lights, transport and other civic amenities in our village. We had demanded these basic minimum facilities from our CM when she had come to Kamduni in 2013 (after the gang-rape incident). She had promised that the administration would look into these aspects. But two and a half years gone, nothing has been done on that front, said Subrata Mondal, a villager. Mondal said a secondary school - Dr BR Ambedkar Shiksha Kendra - is also under lock and keys in the village. Locals had requested the district administration to upgrade this school till the higher secondary level so that girls dont have to travel out. But nothing has been done and as a result the school is virtually lying in a defunct state, he added. Tumpa Kayal and Mousumi Kayal, who had earned the title of Maoists and CPI-M-backed cadres, had raised these issues with the CM who promised to look into the matter. The entire belt plunges into darkness after sunset. People are scared to step out of their homes, especially girls. But they are helpless. They have to brave the darkness for the sake of their studies and colleges. Only some Tata-magic vans were introduced in the village recently for commuting locals from the bus stop to village. But that service too is not frequent, alleged Tumpa. We have requested them to set up a permanent camp at Kamduni village to restore confidence in the people as far as the law and order is concerned. The police have also assured us of necessary help, whenever needed. Now we have to see if they make it happen at all or not, the Tumpa pointed out. Kamduni locals stay true to protest By Soudhriti Bhabani When the Kamduni movement started in a little-known rural outskirts of Kolkatas adjoining North 24-Parganas district, there were many people who supported the protest both old and the young. Today some of them are no longer with us, but their inspiration still drives people like Mousumi Kayal who fought the valiant battle - going against the state administration, braving social humiliations and Maoist tag given by none other than West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Mousumi Kayal, a face of the Kamduni protest, says her mother-in-law inspired her to stand by the cause Now when we have got justice I remember the words of my mother-in-law, Sabita Kayal, who had supported me and inspired me to march ahead for the cause. She passed away about one-and-a- half-years ago but her inspiration still motivates me to keep the fight on, said Mousumi. Mousumi said that when the gang-rape and murder took place in 2013 her mother-in-law was a septuagenarian. But still she thought it was important to stand and be vocal about justice. Will Smith confirmed he plans to tour with DJ Jazzy Jeff It's been nearly 30 years since DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince first starting making music together, but Will Smith has revealed he plans to tour again with his former musical partner. Smith, who hasnt released any music in over 10 years, has been back at work in the studio and plans on hitting the UK this summer with Jazzy Jeff. Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, Smith said: Ive been working on something and this. Weve recorded about 25 songs and have four or five I actually like. Jeff and I will be back here (in the UK), this summer to do shows - real shows. Smith first announced his return to making music with Jazzy Jeff back in October when he was interviewed by Zane Lowe for his Beats 1 radio show. Smith revealed that he had more than 30 newly-recorded songs, adding there was: Six or seven that I really, really like, that Im trying to get the ideas to come out right. Smith said: Im from the era of 16 bars, hook, 16 bars, hook, bridge, hook, out. contactmusic.com Avery writes to fans from jail Steven Avery has finally reached out to his supporters. In a handwritten letter posted on Twitter by his new attorney, Kathleen Zellner, on Friday, the main subject of the wildly popular Netflix documentary true crime series maintained his innocence and asked that every possible forensics test be run on the evidence in the case. To my supports: I want every forensics test possible because I am innocent, Avery wrote. Avery served 18 years in prison for a sexual assault conviction for which he was exonerated by DNA evidence in 2003. hollywoodreporter.com Treatment for skin lesions An investigation into the molecular mechanisms responsible for the most common type of benign skin lesion may lead to the first non-surgical treatment for the growths called seborrheic keratoses (SKs), which in addition to being cosmetically unattractive are often worrisome to patients. Home Minister Rajnath Singh wants to take the police cadet scheme nationwide The Centre is preparing for a nationwide Student Police Cadet (SPC) project, in a bid to foster a partnership between students and the police. It hopes to generate awareness on law and order, and address issues like social crimes, communal harmony and substance abuse. Impressed with the benefits of the project, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who attended the SPC Day celebrations in Kerala last week, has asked for a policy framework to expand the scheme across the country. The home ministry will start a pilot project, including a few states and some other central ministries like the Human Resource and Development (HRD), to make an assessment on how the scheme can be implemented. The project aimed at youth development and training of school students to evolve as future leaders by inculcating within them respect for the law, discipline, civic sense, empathy for vulnerable sections of society and resistance to social evils was started in Kerala in 2010 and implemented in 127 schools. Today, the project covers 234 schools and nearly 16,000 students are enrolled as cadets. Interacting with nearly 2,000 students who are part of the scheme at the inauguration of the first annual day celebration of the SPC programme in Thiruvananthapuram on January 27, the home minister said the Student Police Cadet programme provides for a comprehensive development of the child, something on which the Centre has been keenly focusing. The project is different from the National Cadet Corps (NCC) as it focuses on community policing and respect for law. While Gujarat has also implemented the scheme and other states like Punjab, Goa, Bihar and Tamil Nadu are eager to start the project, the Centre is keen to set in place a policy at the national level. Rajnath Singh, who attended the Student Police Cadets (SPC) Day celebrations in Kerala last week, has asked for a policy framework to expand the scheme across the country. The project is aimed at youth development Seeing the success of the scheme in Kerala, it is felt that a formal mechanism can be put in place to have a nationwide policy for this. Even the UPA government under Manmohan Singh was keen to start the student police cadet scheme, but the framework could not be worked out. The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) in 2013 in its report titled National Police Mission recommended a framework for a national level Student Police Cadet scheme. A developed democracy needs an enlightened citizenry who will obey laws not because it is to be enforced by police, but because it is the natural and rational thing to do. A child mis-educated is a child lost, the BPR&D report stated. BPR&D recommended setting up Student Police Cadet as a voluntary student organisation, working closely with the police. A well-disciplined, committed young generation of youth can be created. Submission to law if practised as way of life, the work load of the police force is alleviated and their time and resources can be fruitfully utilised for ensuring internal security and other core policing matters, the report said. Days ahead of Rahul Gandhis visit to Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh to mark 10 years of the rural job plan MGNREGA, activists have blamed both the UPA II and the NDA governments for neglecting the scheme. MGNREGA is not a priority for this government as it lacks focus on the segment. But UPA II also saw spending cuts on the scheme, Aruna Roy, who monitored the rural job scheme as part of Sonia Gandhis National Advisory Council, told Mail Today. Rahul will visit Bandlapalli village in Anantapur district, where the scheme was launched in 2006 by Sonia Gandhi and then prime minister Manmohan Singh, on 2 February. Congress V-P Rahul Gandhi will visit Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh to mark 10 years of the MGNREGA scheme The Congress vice-president is expected to target the Modi government for neglecting the rural job plan which aims to provide food security and check migration of small and marginal farmers and agricultural labourers. Roy said that although the political leadership of the Congress, including Sonia and Rahul, were supportive of the MGNREGA, the UPA II government was divided over the scheme. People like (former finance minister) P Chidambaram and (then planning commission deputy chief) Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who favoured spending cut on the scheme got an upper hand Rahul was fairly supportive, Roy said. As an NAC member, Roy along with her colleague Jean Dreze often had run-ins over the implementation of the scheme with CP Joshi, rural development minister, in UPA II. Interestingly, Roy spared incumbent rural minister Chaudhary Birender Singh, saying he was trying to address issues plaguing the plan, but does not have much say in the overarching policy regime of the Modi government. The rural ministry is trying but there is a larger problem with the policies of this government which is more focused on defence, big spending and the corporate sector, said Roy, who still works with the poor. Nikhil Dey, a close aide of Roy's, said the period 2012-2015 has been the bad for MGNREGA. P Chidambaram squeezed budget for the scheme in UPA II. In the current government, around 12 states show a negative list, which means they dont have funds to pay wages to beneficiaries of the scheme, Dey told Mail Today. Dey said 2015 was the worst year for the scheme. He lamented that a lot of poor people in rural areas want work under the plan, but political workers hardly help them. Expressing hope that the NDA will pay attention to the scheme in its budget, Dey said the government had been trying to do something over the past few months. If one lakh auto rickshaw drivers played a crucial role in the Aam Aadmi Partys grand victory in the Delhi Assembly polls, 1.5 lakh-odd sanitation workers may now upset the partys applecart in the upcoming municipal elections. Striking sanitation workers and thousands of other employees have warned the Delhi government and BJP-led MCDs to immediately address their grievances, failing which they will intensify the protest. Stepping up the attack, workers also warned the government not to clean roads and threatened them with serious repercussions. Deputy CM Manish Sisodia took part in a cleanliness drive in his constituency Patparganj The MCD workers strike, which entered its fifth day, has intensified after the state government deployed its work force to clean Delhis roads. The move has further irked sanitation workers, who say that the government has the funds to get roads clean but no money to pay their salaries. A leader of the striking sanitation workers union said the ruling political parties in Delhi - the BJP and AAP - will have to pay a heavy price if they continue to ignore the interest of MCD employees. All employees of the three municipal corporations are together fighting for our interest. The Delhi government and BJPruled corporations are fighting for their political gain but this could cost them dear. If they continue ignoring our demands, they will pay a heavy price, he said. The state government, BJP-run MCD, and the Centre are responsible for this crisis. In their attempt to pass the buck they are playing with the lives of workers. The protest can soon take an unpleasant turn. This is the first time that such a crisis has arisen over the issue of salary in the Capital, said Rajender Mewati, general secretary of the United Front of MCD Employees. Mewati said it is unconstitutional on the part of the state government to outsource the basic services of the MCD when so many workers are already assigned for the task. As the situation worsened, AAP workers led by MLAs and Delhi ministers joined the PWD taskforce which has been pressed into action to shift garbage to landfill sites, particularly in East and North Delhi where the strike has had maximum impact. Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the RSS is ready for 'selfless service' Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has defended the RSS from Rahul Gandhis attack, saying it is the most upright and patriotic organisation in the country and dubbing it ready for selfless service. Naidu also alleged that by not allowing Parliament to function, the Congress was not stopping the Modi government but creating hurdles in the countrys development. Taking on the Congress, Naidu accused it of tamasha politics over the suicide of Rohith Vemula and asserted that the party never bothered about Dalits during its own rule. Woman to be new SSB chief? A senior woman IPS officer could be in the race for position of Director General of border-guarding force, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), as the current chief of the force has retired. It could be the first time a woman officer has headed a paramilitary force. Sharma, a 1980- batch officer of West Bengal cadre, had taken over the charge as DG of Sashastra Seema Bal, which guards Indian borders with Nepal and Bhutan, in August, 2014 and has completed 36 years in service. Officials said Sharma will hand over the charge to Additional DG SS Deswal on Monday. Poonawalla's SC plea on JJ Act Activist Tahseen Poonawalla, who is often seen supporting the Congress party in TV debates, has surprisingly filed a petition before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the recently-passed Juvenile Law that allows minors of 16 years of age and above to be tried as adults if they commit heinous offences like rape and murder. Atulesh Jindal to head CBDT Senior Indian Revenue Service officer Atulesh Jindal will take charge as the new chairman of the CBDT, the controlling body of the Income Tax department on Monday. He will succeed AK Jain. The appointments committee of the Cabinet, headed by PM Narendra Modi, had approved the appointment on January 22. Jindal, a 1978 batch IRS officer, is currently working as Member (Income Tax) in the CBDT. He will have a tenure of six months till July. Rahul's dig at PM over net neutrality Rahul Gandhi accused the government of delaying a decision on the issue of net neutrality on pretext of repeated discussions and took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying his Digital India cannot become a euphemism for an internet controlled by large remote corporations. In the land where George Orwell was born, writes Jaspreet Singh in his 2013 book, Helium, 1984 was never imaginary. In India, it was real. And it was real, in a most vicious and violent manner. That year saw 3,000 Sikhs being massacred in Delhi within three days just because the two assassins of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi happened to be their co-religionists. Around 3,000 Sikhs were massacred following former prime minister Indira Gandhis assassination Even more unfortunate was what unfolded thereafter. Despite setting up one commission of inquiry after another, not a single political leader was convicted and no one in the administration was held accountable. This was the carnage which no one committed. Probably Sikhs accidentally killed themselves. Or, as President Pranab Mukherjee says in the second edition of his three-part memoir, The Turbulent Years: 1980-1996: They were killed by some miscreants, who took advantage of the fact that the government was just not ready for an eventuality such as Mrs Gandhis assassination and the riots that followed. Miscreants! This is a complete whitewash of the truth which probably every Dilliwallah knows but may not want to speak. The inability of the President to identify the culprits is ironical, if not outright tragic, given the fact that even a novelist in Jaspreet Singh helps recognise a senior Congress leader who is not very tall and wears black glasses. We all know who this man with black glasses was. Mukherjee may have been excused had he still been a Congress functionary, but not any more as the President of India. This brings us to the question: Why should a high-profile politician, more so a President, write a memoir if he cant really convey the truth, especially on events as momentous as 1984? 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' We already know more about the anti-Sikh pogrom than what Mukherjee is willing to spill. But the bigger question is: Are we Indians, especially our political class, at all capable of writing truly tell-all memoirs of the scale of the one written by Patrick French? Sir Vidia Naipaul, to his credit, not only gave French an unprecedented access for The World Is What It Is, an authorised biography of the Nobel laureate, but also asked for no changes when the final manuscript was shown to him just before it was being sent to publishers. The book had all the elements to tarnish Naipauls personal reputation from the Caribbean writer visiting prostitutes, to his cruelty to his first wife which probably hastened her death, and also his unseemly hurry to get the second wife. Now compare this with what Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay had to go through while writing a book on Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat and the BJPs prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Mukhopadhyay recalls how he had to negotiate my way through interviews in such a manner so that he (Modi) did not get annoyed and stop speaking to me. He eventually did so half way into the writing of the book but this was not due to any provocation from me. Mukhopadhyay still remains clueless on why Modi chose to speak to him in the first instance and later withdrew the access. I suspect he must have learnt that some of the people I was interacting with were among his bitter critics and he did not appreciate this. A biography should not be expected to be a hagiography. Ironically, thats what a biography - or even an autobiography - has been reduced to in India. And anyone trying to be more objective - even if that objectivity is a subjective interpretation given the fact that for some commentators Modi is just the sum total of the 2002 Gujarat riots - is made to go through circles, as confessed by Javier Moro, the author of The Red Sari, based on the transformation of an Italian Sonia Maino into an all-powerful Gandhi. The Spanish author confessed to Mail Today in an interview last year that he wouldnt be writing a biography in the near future, thanks to his Red Sari experience. But the best primer of how not to write a memoir is LK Advanis My Country, My Life. The book, at first glance, appeared what most Americans would call legacy writing, aimed at either self-justification (as the likes of George W Bush and Dick Cheney did after being thrashed almost universally) or self-glorification (as Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary did with their respective memoirs). But read closely, it was a sort of an election manifesto aimed at, as outlined by Right-wing commentator Kanchan Gupta in The Pioneer, demolishing the myth about his being a Hindu hardliner, and thus a concerted attempt to give Advani a makeover mix of a Vajpayee-like liberal and a Patel-like administrator. Sadly, he fell between the two stools as the book pompously claimed that Advani had no role in the decision to swap passengers for terrorists in the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, when the evidence suggested otherwise. Its no one's contention that Indian politicians should write like former British PM Tony Blair, who in his memoirs not only describes his relationship with Chancellor Gordon Brown as being that of a couple who loved each other, arguing over whose career should come first, but also calls him a strange guy with no emotional astuteness. India, unlike Britain, has no real tradition of memoir writing. Even Nehru, a prolific writer, did not write about his time as prime minister. Similarly, Narasimha Rao, for all his accomplishments, could only gather the courage to write a semi-fictional account of his time in office. As for Vajpayee, he confined himself to poetry and occasional musings from the hills. In this way, Mukherjee should be applauded. But he should have known that he cant get away just the way others like ML Fotedar or Jairam Ramesh could. For he is the President of India, and expectations from him would be for a nonpartisan, no-holds-barred memoir. Running a coalition government has not been an easy task in Indian politics. The vaulting ambitions of alliance partners and their unnecessary interference in governance have hastened the downfall of many a regime in the past. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ran a successful coalition government with the Bharatiya Janata Party for seven-and-a-half years in Bihar before their ties were broken. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar (left) has to show a strong collaboration with his ally Lalu Prasad Yadav Now, all eyes are riveted on him to see whether he will pass muster in a similar collaboration with Lalu Prasad Yadav. Nitish is, at present, running a government with the props of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress. His detractors believe that his job is difficult this time owing to Lalus proclivity to dominate the alliance. Lalu has not had a reputation of being a considerate ally over the years. Since the RJD has emerged as the largest party in the recent assembly elections, he is expected to dictate terms to Nitish. BJP leaders such as Sushil Kumar Modi have already started accusing Lalu of being the Super Chief Minister of the state. The RJD presidents recent visit to a government hospital for a reality check and subsequent intervention in a case related to retrenchment of some woman health workers at Darbhanga Medical College Hospital have prompted the Opposition to refer to him as a parallel power centre in Bihar. Lalus alleged meddling has also played poorly with the supporters of the chief minister, known for following the rule book. In his previous term, Nitish did not let the BJP pursue its agenda and had adopted the take-it-or-leave-it policy towards his coalition partner when it came to implementing the government decisions. Whether he will be able to mete out similar treatment to Lalu in his fresh tenure remains a moot point, though. Lalu, on his part, has sought to dispel the impression that he would play spoilsport for the new government. In fact, he has said that Nitish could rule Bihar for the next 20 years with his support, and their alliance would last until the chief minister himself walked out of it. As far as Nitish is concerned, he does not see anything wrong in Lalus so-called interventions. He believes that Lalu, who happens to be a former chief minister and is the leader of the Grand Alliance, has every right to talk to the government officials. What is wrong if the peoples representatives talk to the government officials for a good cause? he asked at an official function to hit out at the BJP, the other day. Nitish, of course, understands the basics of the coalition dharma well. He consults both his alliance partners regularly over important decisions of his government. Recently, he had kept Lalu in the loop on the appointment of his poll campaign manager, Prashant Kishor, as his adviser on planning and programme implementation. As the head of a multi-party government, the chief minister obviously cannot afford to ride roughshod over the sentiments of his allies. Any misunderstanding between them will prove disastrous for his government. At the same time, he has to strike a balance and pursue the common agenda of his alliance without allowing any coalition partner to dictate terms to him. Lalu also needs to match his actions with his words and curb his instinct to play the big brother much too often. He will only create problems for the Nitish government if he goes beyond his role as an adviser. His interference, after all, may not only create parallel power centres in Bihar. but also divide the states bureaucracy into two vertical groups of loyalists owing allegiance to different leaders. Nitish and Lalu have got the massive mandate of the people to work in tandem for five years with mutual understanding and trust. It is, therefore, necessary for both of them to follow the coalition dharma in letter and spirit. Nitish has proved himself to be an able administrator in the past and needs Lalus full support to attain the goals set by the Grand Alliance government. But the onus of running a successful coalition government is not on him alone. It has to be shared equally by all the stakeholders in the state government. Dolphin man gets Padma Shri Prof RK Sinha is committed to save Gangetic dolphins The Padma Shri award conferred on Patna University professor RK Sinha this year is an acknowledgement of his pioneering work in the field of dolphin conservation in India. Sinha has written several research papers and books on dolphins, which have earned global appreciation. His work has earned him the moniker of 'Dolphin Man'. Happy over the Padma award, Sinha said that the honour was a big encouragement for him to continue his work with greater commitment to save the Gangetic dolphins. Sinha has been involved in several awareness campaigns to save the national aquatic animal that are declining fast due to rampant poaching. His objective now is to groom a workforce of dedicated young researchers and wants the National Dolphin Research Centre to come up on Patna University campus urgently. Dolphins, have been declared a highly endangered species under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, and are found in good numbers in Ganga and other rivers of Bihar. Unfortunately, it is hunted by fishermen and poachers in the state. The promise of the new advisor Prashant Kishor is Nitish's new adviser on planning and programme implementation Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has appointed his much talked-about poll strategist, Prashant Kishor, as his adviser on planning and programme implementation with a ministerial rank. He has also made him a member of the Bihar Development Mission, to implement the seven-point resolutions (saat nishchay), made before the assembly elections last year. Kishor, who chalked out Nitishs assembly poll campaign, worked with Narendra Modi in the run-up to the 2012 Gujarat assembly elections and 2014 general elections. Now he will devote much of his time to implementing Nitishs schemes, which may not be an easy task for Kishor. The state government will require a staggering Rs 2.70 lakh crore to implement all the programmes that include 24- hour electricity supply, pucca lanes and drains in each village, toilets in every house, and piped water supply everywhere. Besides, Nitish has promised a slew of offers to youths such as unemployment offer consisting of Rs 1,000 per month and subsidised student's loan of Rs 4 lakh. He has also resolved to set up several new colleges and institutions by the end of his present term. Following the raid on terror suspects in Karnataka by security agencies, the Islamic Education Board of India (IEBI) has sped up the survey of about 10,000 madrasas in the state in an effort to modernise education. The survey will review the current education method, teaching style and syllabus. We want all the madrasas to eventually follow the IEBI-prescribed syllabus so that children grow up to become part of the mainstream society. We will be training the madrasa teachers in association with the local mosque administrators, said IEBI media coordinator BR Abdul Wajid. Over the next 5 years, the IEBI wants a modern syllabus and education system in every Karnataka madrasa On Sunday, the IEBI had organised a special conference of Ulema Mashaikh (Islamic spiritual scholars from all 30 districts) in Bengaluru. The plan is to bring at least 1,000 madrasas under the ambit of the IEBI at the earliest. Over the next 5 years, the IEBI intends to have a modern syllabus and education system in every madrasa of the state. IEBI sources said the move comes in the wake of the recent raids in Karnataka involving the arrest of 6 terror suspects. Dushyant Dave supports calls for a litigants' canteen in the Supreme Court The campaign for a litigants canteen in the Supreme Court got a boost after it received the support of Supreme Court Bar Association President and senior lawyer Dushyant Dave. It is absolutely a must. It is unfortunate that the institution which survives on litigants ignores them so badly. I think we need institutional sensitivity to redress this wrong. But I have full hopes in the present Chief Justice TS Thakur, who is sensitive to the needs of the institution and is also a doer, he said. Sashastra Seema Bal gets its first woman chief Senior IPS officer Archana Ramasundram has become the first woman to head a paramilitary force as she was appointed Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Ramasundram is currently Special Director, National Crime Records Bureau. She has been appointed to the post till the date of her superannuation on September 30, next year. Besides her, IPS officers - K Durga Prasad and KK Sharma - have been appointed Director Generals of CRPF and BSF, respectively. MK Singla is the new Special Secretary (Internal Security) in Ministry of Home Affairs. Congress divided over West Bengal allies Congress is divided over a pre-poll pact with the Left in West Bengal, but is against any alliance with TMC. Sate leaders discussed the issue with Rahul Gandhi. West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said local leaders are against having any ties with TMC, while some pitched for a tie-up with the Left. Rahul told leaders he will discuss the issue with Sonia Gandhi and take a decision. Kiren Rijiju visits Mahwa outpost Focussing on the Indo-Pak border after the Pathankot attacks, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju visited and reviewed the situation around the border outpost at Mahwa, Amritsar. Rijiju got himself acquainted with the situation along the international border and functioning of BSF troops. He assured the paramilitary personnel of all help from the government in removing any kind of hindrance for effective domination on border areas. Modi's Tamil Nadu visit to kick off campaign Prime Minister Narendra Modis upcoming public meeting in Tamil Nadu is also being seen as the launch of BJPs campaign for the assembly elections in the state. Modi will spend around five hours in Coimbatore, which has been picked for the Smart City project. Modi had addressed a public meeting at the same venue during 2014 LS election campaign where the BJP had led a seven-party rainbow alliance. Divyansh was found dead on the school premises on 30 January The senior management of Ryan International School in South Delhis Vasant Kunj, where six-year-old Divyansh Kakrora died on Saturday, are set to face the music for mishandling the situation that caused the childs death. Well-placed sources said the Delhi Police have zeroed in on three to four senior functionaries of the school in connection with the case. Principal of the school Sandhya Sabu was called for brief questioning on Monday. Sources claimed investigators are waiting for the submission of a final report by AIIMS authorities, following which they could go ahead with sustained questioning and the subsequent arrest of the school management officials. On Wednesday, school teachers, other staff and some students will also be questioned, they added. According to sources, Delhi Police have sent a notice to the school management seeking some documents related to six-year-old Divyansh. Police say that three or four people may be arrested after investigation. The police are also trying to gather scientific evidence to ascertain the sequence of events that led to the death and establish the case. Questioning of principal Sandhya Sabu is required for investigation. Along with the principal, we will also call three to four functionaries of the school. We have asked the school management to provide certain documents pertaining to the deceased child, a senior Delhi Police official, associated with the investigation, told Mail Today. A team of AIIMS doctors and forensic experts is likely to inspect the water tank on school premises on Tuesday. The body of Divyansh Kakrora, a Class I student of the school, was found in the water tank. Investigators say that the school management are already under the scanner as initial investigation has suggested that the school provided no information to the police. Police will question the principal and staff of Ryan International in connection with the case Initial investigation has revealed that school didnt inform police when incident took place. Area SHO got a call from school regarding the matter but doctors had already declared the victim brought dead. Also, Divyanshs family has alleged that the school initially asked them not to speak anything. Negligence was on part of three to four people and soon they will be arrested, the official added. The doctors who had prepared the preliminary post mortem report of the boy want to examine the spot where the incident took place before submitting the final report. AIIMS preliminary post mortem report indicated that Divyansh drowned. There were no external injuries on his body that could have resulted in his death. The report pointed to asphyxiation (suffocation) due to aspiration of fluid into the air passages as being the probable cause of the death, said sources at AIIMS. I received a call from the school and I rushed to emergency ward at the hospital, where I found the principal at the entrance. I kept asking everyone what had happened but nobody responded. Then the principal took me to the doctor, who informed me that my son was brought dead to the hospital, Divyanshs father RK Meena said. However, the Sandhya Sabu had refuted the allegation and claimed that Divyansh was a special child, who was hyperactive and had a tendency of running away from the classroom. AIIMS team to inspect tank By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi A team of doctors and forensic experts from AIIMS will visit Ryan International School in South Delhi in a day or two and examine the water tank where six-year-old Divyansh was found dead on Saturday. The doctors, who had prepared the preliminary post mortem report of the boy, want to examine the spot where the incident took place before submitting the final report. The AIIMS preliminary post-mortem report indicated that Divyansh had drowned. There were no external injuries on his body that could lead to death, a senior doctor from AIIMS said. Meanwhile, the Delhi governments education department on Monday directed all the city schools to immediately carry out an inspection of their premises to ensure there was no safety hazard for the students. The move by Directorate of Education (DoE) comes in the wake of recent deaths of two students by drowning in septic and water tanks on the school premises. JNU PhD scholar Shweta Rajsaid the protesters were hit with lathis and boots Shweta Raj, a PhD student from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), had never seen such brutality. Shweta was among the hundreds of protestors who were allegedly assaulted by Delhi Police personnel on January 30. Recalling the incident, she said: From lathis to boots, the policemen hit us with all they had. Forget gender, they treated each one of us in the most inhuman manner. A video clip that went viral on Monday shows how Delhi police personnel, along with few unknown men in plain clothes, attacked the protesters outside the RSS office in Jhandewalan. Students from various varsities across Delhi were agitating against the alleged delay in justice for Rohith Vemula, the 26-year-old Hyderabad university research scholar who committed suicide last month. Shweta pointed out the absence of female police officers in the crackdown on protestors. No female police officers were present there. This is not the first time that we have protested, but we have never witnessed such brutality. There is a way to deal with protestors. Policemen have become goons, Shweta said. Shweta said the police atrocity was far worse than what was captured in the video clip. They pulled us by our hair and dragged us to the police van where we were thrashed brutally. Everything happened within a fraction of a second. By the time we could realise what had happened, everyone was bleeding, Shweta, who is JNU unit president for All India Students Association (AISA), told Mail Today. Even our clothes got torn, Shweta recalls. Protesters have alleged that some RSS members first joined the protest and then attacked students along with the police. The RSS has, however, denied the allegations. Scroll down for video... Students try to make their way through a police barricade during a protest against the death of Rohith Vemula in New Delhi Students were beaten up by Delhi Police personnel in front of the RSS office in the Capital while they were protesting against Rohith Vemulas suicide No RSS worker was there. If someone feels that there was some high-handedness, they should ask for an inquiry. The police must have done what they thought was appropriate, Rajiv Tuli, RSS in-charge of media unit, Delhi, said. In the wake of severe criticism from various quarters, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi has ordered an inquiry into the matter, claiming he has not seen the footage. I have directed senior officials to investigate the matter and see if there were any indiscretions. As soon as I was informed about the video, I spoke to special commissioner of police (law and order) who later asked Joint Commissioner (Central range) SK Gautam to look into the matter. We shall also talk to some of the eyewitnesses besides analysing the content of the video, Bassi said. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hit out at Delhi Police, alleging it was being used as the RSS and BJPs private army under a political dispensation that is at war with students across the country Delhi Police is being used by BJP/RSS as their private army to terrorise and teach lesson to anyone opposing them. I strongly condemn attack on students. FTII, Rohith case, Hyderabad University, IITs and now comes this brutal attack on Delhi students. Modi government seems to be at war with students, Kejriwal tweeted. The Congress also joined the Aam Aadmi Party in alleging the BJP and RSS is behind the assault on protesters, including women, and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modis intervention in the matter. Shocking attack on students. Instead of listening to them, now the Modi govt is brutally beating them up for protesting against the RSS! Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi tweeted. The protesting students have been demanding the resignations of HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya, and Hyderabad University Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile, over Vemulas suicide. Some JNU students had decided to go on an indefinite hunger strike last week when they were detained for staging a protest outside the HRD Ministry. A video clip that went viral on 1 February showed cops apparently assaulting protestors outside the RSS office The discovery of a months-long affair between a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) employee posted in Beijing and a Chinese national also employed in the Indian Embassy in Beijing has set alarm bells ringing. The incident has raised questions on whether adequate systems are in place to ensure 'inappropriate' relations do not compromise sensitive information in India's missions. The MEA employee in question was quietly put on a plane and sent back to India some time in October, sources told Mail Today. The Indian Embassy in Beijing, China, where the official Raj Kumar was working The decision to send him back was taken by then Ambassador Ashok Kantha, who retired on January 7, after it was discovered that the official, Raj Kumar, who was working as a level-four employee of the MEAs multi-tasking staff, had been quietly carrying on an affair with a Chinese woman. The woman was also employed by the mission among its local staff, and it is understood her service has also been curtailed. Most of the local staff at the embassy are hired through Chinese agencies, and diplomats generally assume that at least some Chinese staff may have ties with the Chinese security agencies who may vet their hiring. The Indian worker, who performed the duties of a peon, including moving files, was among a few staff with regular access to some of the most sensitive areas in the mission - particularly, the sealed-off fourth floor, which requires security access, and has the offices of the ambassador and deputy chief of mission among other top officials. The staff officers duties, according to two embassy officials familiar with the case, included handling files in the office of the Indian ambassador. An initial inquiry conducted in Beijing has suggested, officials said, that the embassy may not have been compromised. According to informed diplomats, the staffer "admitted to his indiscretions". His mobile phone records did not yield any suspicious material, leading to the conclusion that the affair, in this instance, may not have led to sensitive information being leaked. However, a more detailed inquiry will have to be conducted in New Delhi. Kantha was informed by a staffer in late September about the case, when Raj Kumar was seen with the Chinese woman near an apartment complex a few kilometres south of the embassy, according to diplomats. When alerted to the possibility of impropriety, officials said the envoy promptly called in Raj Kumar, who didnt deny the charges. He was then sent back to India immediately. When contacted, MEA officials said they would not want to comment on the matter. Larger concerns The case, however, has raised larger questions on whether Indias missions, especially in sensitive countries, are equipped and vigilant enough to protect information that could compromise the countrys interests. Mail Today spoke to current and former diplomats who said the case is far from unique. A number of recent cases - in Beijing and elsewhere - have led some former officials to call for the MEA to overhaul what they say is "a culture of secrecy" and procedures of dealing with such cases, where officers are often simply transferred rather than dismissed for indiscretions, including honey-traps where sensitive information may have been passed on. Sources say the discovery of the affair last autumn may have come months after it began, as earlier suspicions, triggered by reports that the staffer was behaving 'inappropriately' with the woman - shockingly, even on Embassy premises - were not reported to higher officials. Consequently, the affair was allowed to be carried on for several months. In 2008, Manmohan Sharma, an officer of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's external intelligence agency, was recalled from Beijing and later dismissed after allegations that he had improper relations with his Chinese language teacher. The controversy over Sharma led to strained relations between the MEA and RAW at the time, reflecting, one official said, a track record where agencies are more concerned about protecting their own than investigating improprieties. These cases are far from Beijing-specific and happen elsewhere too, says former diplomat TCA Rangachari, who was Ambassador to France and Germany, served in Islamabad and Beijing, and has dealt extensively with both Pakistan and China during his tenure at the MEA. For instance, in 2010, a second secretary in the mission in Islamabad, Madhuri Gupta, was brought back to Delhi and arrested, accused of passing information to Pakistani intelligence agencies. The larger worry, Rangachari says, is that while allegations against lower-level, grade three or four employees - such as Raj Kumar - may be dealt with promptly, it is not always the case with more senior officials, who unlike lower-level employees are allowed to be stationed along with their families. Action on all levels Officials should be held accountable and not simply moved from one post to another," Rangachari said. "There is active connivance and collusion of officers locally and at the headquarters to protect individuals within the system, and they continue with their career virtually unimpeded." At the higher levels especially, it is unforgivable when it happens, he said, pointing out that lower-level officials are posted without their families, and often may not even have access to sensitive information. People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti told legislators on Monday that the party would not form the government till it is given the time-frame to implement the common Agenda for Alliance, sources said. The legislative party meeting held at Mufti's Fair View residence ended without electing the legislative party leader, conveying to the BJP that the PDP is not in a hurry to form the government. While PDP legislators didnt speak against the alliance with the BJP, they told the party president that they are ready for fresh polls. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti with party vice-president Muzaffar Hussain Baig. Mehbooba reiterated the partys stand that it will not form the government in the state till the BJP gives it a timeframe to implement the common Agenda for Alliance. Senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar said the legislators have authorised Mehbooba Mufti to put across the partys view to Governor NN Vohra in Jammu on Tuesday. The Governor has summoned Mehbooba and state BJP president Sat Sharma to discuss the issue of government formation. During the half-hour meeting, the party president explained PDP legislators the contours of the Agenda of Alliance in detail, sources said. Mehbooba insisted that she was not laying down any fresh conditions before the BJP and is only seeking assurances on the implementation of the common agenda for alliance, sources said. MLAs told Mehbooba that they had supported former chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed when he had entered into an alliance with the BJP in March last year and would support any decision taken by the party chief, including fresh polls, sources said. Mehbooba told PDP legislators that Mufti Sayeed should get credit for all development projects executed in the state during the nine-month PDP-BJP rule, while again indicting the Centre for not being responsive to her fathers demands during his tenure. Mehbooba reiterated her position that Jammu and Kashmir needs political will and statesmanship, more than a government, to pull it out of chaos, and that no government in the state has been able to do it due to issues that have already been settled in the Constitution. The PDP chief was indirectly referring to statements given by BJP leaders about Constitutional issues and cases filed by individuals affiliated with the BJP about Article 370, Article 35 (A), the state flag and a beef ban in J&K. During the meeting, Mehbooba hoped that the Centre would take concrete measures towards the implementation of the Agenda of Alliance in the interests of peace and stability in the state and the region. Meanwhile in Jammu, the state BJP also held a core group meeting. After the meeting, the party sent three senior leaders - state president Sat Sharma, Dr Nirmal Singh and Jugal Kishore - to Delhi to take directions from the central command. Whatever the directions they will be given, the three leaders will convey the same to the Governor tomorrow, said Ashok Koul, BJP general secretary. Koul said it was up to the PDP to stake a claim for the government and the BJP would follow in its footsteps. Whatever has to be done it has to be done by the PDP, he said. Meanwhile, Congress accused PDP and BJP of violating the mandate of the people by not forming a government. As the indefinite strike by MCD employees entered its sixth day, civic services were virtually shut down in the Capital, including critical health facilities at North MCDs Hindu Rao Hospital. The hospital witnessed its worst strike in over five decades since coming into operation as staffers, who have not been paid their salaries for the last three months, stayed away from work. No queues in the general OPD, vacant beds in the casualty ward, and unattended patients in the in-patient department described the scene at the hospital. Rubbish lies unattended on the city roads on the sixth day of the MCD workers' strike over unpaid salaries Beds in Hindu Rao Hospital (above) and other MCD-run hospitals are lying empty Patients are being referred to different hospitals as doctors and nurses have called off work. Files are stuck without any action in MCD offices as employees of the engineering wing and other departments have come together to protest against the non-payment of salaries. Heaps of garbage lie unattended on the citys roads as sanitation workers have stalled work. Beds in Hindu Rao Hospital and other MCD-run hospitals are lying empty as patients are being sent to other hospitals, it was found during Mail Todays ground survey of stalled services in the Capital. The wards have been locked with hand-written notices - declaring the medical staff is on an indefinite strike due to non-payment of salary - pasted on walls. At the Hindu Rao Hospital, 14-year old Kaptan, who got a bed after a long wait, was packing his bags with his father as he was asked to move to another hospital. The strike has majorly affected the patients. All the beds were vacated in a short duration while patients came to know about the strike. People with glucose and blood bags in their hand were standing outside wards as their relatives packed their bags to shift them to another hospital. (Above and below): MCD staff, who are on an indefinite strike, outside the L-G's residence in New Delhi Except for patients who are critically ill, we have referred the rest to other hospitals. The salary crisis has reached such an extent that doctors have lost their peace of mind over the situation, which has become unmanageable, said Aditya Gupta, president of Resident Doctors Association, Hindu Rao Hospital. While patients bear the brunt of the strike, students are being deprived of education facilities. Primary education has been majorly affected due to the financial crunch. Thousands of MCD school teachers refused to report for duty on Monday. The teachers, who had earlier announced a chalk-down strike, decided to go on a complete strike on Monday. The strike by nearly 12,000 teachers from about 1,100 North Delhi and East Delhi MCD schools will affect around 7 lakh students, a senior municipal officer said. Due to the financial crunch, the academic year of 2015-16 was very difficult. Students were ear lier deprived of notebooks and uniforms and now they are deprived of teaching staff. The Midday Meal scheme has also been disrupted due to the strike. The schools will conduct their final exams towards the end of February. The entire MCD administrative system has come to a halt, said Dinesh Sharma, member, Municipal Corporation Teachers Association. All zonal offices were empty as the engineering staff had gathered at the Civic Centre and demonstrated against the BJP and the Delhi government. We are getting calls from employees in zonal offices who have become so depressed that they are talking about taking extreme steps. The situation is not far away from getting violent. The whole issue has taken a political turn with every party trying to woo the MCD staff but being unable to come to a concrete solution, said AP Khan, general secretary of Forum of MCD engineers. Striking sanitation workers also met Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and demanded a fund of Rs 5,000 crore. The L-G assured us that he will write a letter to the Delhi government and asked us to meet him on February 3. The AAP and the BJP have been engaged in a slanging match over the strike, said Sanjay Gehlot, president, Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha. It's just another day in AAP-BJP war of words By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi As workers of three MCDs raised the pitch on the sixth day of strikes, the Delhi government and the Centre headed for yet another face-off. While Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia to resolve the issue, the AAP government has put the ball in L-Gs court, urging him to direct the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to release outstanding dues to the three MCDs. The government reiterated that the DDA, headed by the Lt Governor, owed Rs 1,575 crore to the three corporations towards property tax. The Delhi government claimed it has facilitated the removal of around 80 per cent of the garbage from the city's roads. However, the BJP termed the move a mere photo opportunity. The L-Gs letters to both Kejriwal and Sisodia came after he met a group of sanitation workers demanding the release of their long-pending dues. Sources said the L-G has asked the government to resolve the crisis. This is the first time that the L-G has written to the Delhi government on the issue. However, the Delhi Cabinet passed a resolution, requesting Jung to direct the DDA to pay Rs 1,575 crore dues to the MCDs to help them pay salaries to their employees. Sisodia, who chaired a meeting of the state Cabinet, also slammed the civic bodies for failing to collect taxes properly and thereby, forcing the state government to shell out more funds. The Delhi government is concerned about the continuous strike of sanitation workers who are making a reasonable demand as they have not received salaries for several months. The DDA owes Rs 353 crore to East MCD. Besides, it also owes Rs 808 crore and Rs 593 crore to North and South MCDs, respectively. Why arent the BJP-led MCDs demanding their dues from the DDA? In view of this, the Delhi Cabinet today (Monday) passed a resolution requesting the L-G to intervene in the matter and get all dues cleared by the DDA immediately, Sisodia said. Meanwhile, the Delhi government claimed it has facilitated the removal of around 80 per cent of the rubbish from city roads following the strike. Sisodia claimed that garbage lifting has been going on round-the-clock for over 60 hours now. A legal campaign to fight 'unfair' mortgage tax relief changes for buy-to-let landlords is stepping up a gear today as Cherie Blair MBE QC throws her weight behind the battle. The changes, likely to hit Britain's army of small-scale landlords hardest, were announced by Chancellor George Osborne in the July Budget. They will curb the amount of tax that landlords can claim back on their property investments and could mean buying and renting out property is no longer viable for many. But Mrs Blair's law firm Omnia Strategy has sent a legal letter to the HMRC stating the changes breach landlords' human rights. She believes the campaign has a 'reasonable chance of success.' Legal battle: Cherie Blair believes the mortgage tax relief changes for landlords breaches human rights Some experts believe rents could rise and tenants could be evicted as a result of the changes, as landlords look to sell before the changes are phased in from April 2017. According to Treasury forecasts, the tax relief changes will net it almost 1billion a year by 2021. The letter from Omnia has been issued on behalf of two landlords Steve Bolton and Chris Cooper. They started a crowdfunding campaign to fight the changes and managed to raise 50,000 within a week. The Government must respond to the legal letter by Wednesday 10 February. A successful challenge to the tax would be embarrassing to George Osborne and even more so the fact it is being spearheaded by the wife of the former Labour leader and Prime Minister Tony Blair. Cherie and Tony Blair and their children have a number of properties, worth millions of pounds. Last year, the Daily Mail reported that they had amassed a 25million property empire snapping up seven houses and 27 apartments across the UK, including a 8million Grade 1-listed 17th century manor near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. Property empire: Cherie and Tony paid 4m for the first property pictured on the outskirts of Aylesbury. Below is their London pad in Connaught Square A parliamentary petition to scrap the changes, launched in the summer, attracted 60,000 signatures before closing not enough to start a debate. Thousands of buy-to-let landlords will see earnings hit as the amount they can claim as relief will be set at the basic rate of tax currently 20 per cent. Some current basic-rate taxpayers will also be hit, because the change will push them into the higher-rate tax bracket. It will be phased in over a four-year period from April 2017. Currently, landlords can claim tax relief on monthly interest repayments at the top level of tax they pay of up to 45 per cent. Under the new system, section 24 of the Finance Act 2015, they will get a 20 per cent tax credit for mortgage interest. The Government said in its petition response that 'it is committed to a fair tax system' adding: 'This relief is not available for ordinary homebuyers and not available to those investing in other assets such as shares.' The Chancellor says he wants to level the playing field between homeowners and buy-to-let investors. It is believed around two million are now landlords and the number renting privately has ballooned in the last decade. Shock changes: The Chancellor announced the move in July - while in December, he also shocked landlords by creating a 3% stamp duty surcharge Mr Bolton and Mr Cooper argue the changes overturns a fundamental business principle where income less costs equals profit. They add that this will result in some landlords who finance their business with mortgages paying tax despite making no profit on their letting business. The pair say the Government has excluded the most wealthy property landlords, who are able to make cash-only purchases, as well as institutions, corporations and overseas landlords, and those who own commercially let holiday homes, all of whom are unaffected by the change. Omnia argues the policy discriminates against individual buy-to-let investors by denying them the same rights as other business owners. The legal challenge is being made against the new policy on the basis that it breaches the European Convention on Human Rights. Alongside Cherie Blair, human rights lawyer Adam Smith-Anthony is also working on the case. Property empire: Cherie and Tony Blair - and their children - have amassed a property empire of seven houses and 27 apartments across the UK. Pictured, leaving No.10 Downing Street for the final time Steve Bolton said: 'This tax grab is unfair, undemocratic and underhanded, and we believe it is unlawful on a number of points. 'In no other business are costs wholly incurred to fund the business liable for taxation. In addition there is no substantiation in the Government's proposal that the changes will create a level playing field between homeowners and buy-to-let landlords.' Mr Bolton owns around 20 residential and commercial properties. He is also the founder and owner of Platinum Property Partners, a buy-to-let specialist with a portfolio worth a total of 200million. Budget airline Ryanair enjoyed a 110 per cent leap in profits at the end of last year as lower fuel costs helped offset price cuts. Fares fell by 1 per cent to an average of 40 in the airline's third quarter and the Irish firm said it plans to drop fares by 6 per cent in the first three months of 2016 - and revamp its planes this year. The airline, which reported that quarterly profits jumped to 103million at the end of 2015 from from 49million in December 2014, said the terrorist attack in Paris and ensuing alerts in Brussels led to 'weaker prices and bookings'. New interiors, lower fares: Fares fell by 1 per cent to an average of 40 in the quarter, but the airline said it plans to drop fares by 6 per cent in the first three months of 2016, and is looking to revamp its aircraft Ryanair is continuing to celebrate the success of its plan to be nicer to customers, which has seen a turnaround in fortunes over the past two years. At the same time, the tumbling oil price has helped the airline cut costs - with most recent figures showing a 10 per cent drop in fuel per passenger. Earlier this year, Ryanair unveiled its new aircraft interiors, featuring blue seats with a yellow trim. The garish yellow onslaught of yesteryear has been replaced with subtler hues, while customers can enjoy extra legroom and new in-flight menus. A Ryanair spokesperson told This is Money: 'Redesigned interiors are being retrofitted on our existing fleet throughout this year, where well be toning down the yellow and installing new imagery on our bulkheads. 'All of our new Boeing 737-800 aircraft will be delivered with new slimline seats and create more leg room, and the new aircraft we take in will have also the new Boeing Sky Interiors, with new LED lighting, larger window reveals and new overhead lockers, with more headroom.' Michael OLeary, Ryanair's chief executive, said: 'We are pleased to report that our low fares policy delivered strong Q3 traffic and profit growth. 'It is clear that millions of new customers are switching to Ryanair for our load factor active/yield passive pricing, our expanding route network and the success of our Always Getting Better customer experience programme. Cost cutting: Michael OLeary, Ryanair's chief executive, said: 'We are pleased to report that our low fares policy delivered strong Q3 traffic and profit growth' 'Following a strong first half of Q3, we noted weaker pricing and bookings immediately after the terrorist events in Paris and Brussels. 'We reacted to this softness by running price promotions and discounted fares to stimulate double digit traffic growth. 'While average fares fell 1 per cent (previously guided flat pricing), this was offset by lower unit costs.' Passenger numbers grew 20 per cent to 24.9 million in the quarter, compared to 20.8 million at the same point a year earlier. Revenues increased by 17 per cent to 1.3billion, while unit costs, excluding fuel, fell by 5 per cent. Commenting on the 'relentless focus' on its cutting costs, the airline said its fuel costs decreased 10 per cent per passenger in the quarter. Mr O'Leary said he expected to pass on a 'significant amount' of the 430million of Ryanair's fuel cost savings, but that would be offset by a further 8 per cent increase in passenger numbers in 2016. Ryanair also unveiled plans to buy back 800m of its own shares over the next nine months. In morning trading, Ryanair shares in Dublin and London were up 3.2 per cent, or 0.44p to 14.19p. The airline hiked its full year profit forecast by 25 per cent in early September, citing poor summer weather in Northern Europe, weak sterling and the impact of improved customer service. Ryanair today reaffirmed its expectation to post net profit at the upper end of a range of 1.17billion to 1.22billion for the full financial year. Last year, Ryanair became the first airline in the world to carry 100 million international passengers and today increased its passenger forecast to 106 million from 105 million. Going, going, gone: Garish yellow interiors are becoming a thing of the past on-board Ryanair's planes Last month, rival easyJet revealed it suffered a 3.7 per cent drop in revenue per seat in the final three months of last year, primarily as bookings slumped following the terrorist attacks in Egypt and Paris. During the final months of 2015, easyJet cancelled 684 flights, compared to 468 during the same period a year earlier. Most cancellations were flights to Egyptian resort Sharm El-Sheikh, which the airline has suspended flying to until at least 27 May since the downing of a Russian A321 aircraft, probably by terrorists, in November. Meanwhile, IAG boss Wille Walsh has reiterated that 2016 is 'going to be about cutting costs'. Sporting a close-cropped haircut as he spoke to industry delegates at a conference, Mr Walsh said there would be no let-up in his mission: 'Hence the reason for my haircut - that's the theme for 2016, it's all going to be about cutting costs.' Walsh's strategy over the past 15 years has also been marked by an aggressive M&A policy as he sought to prevail in what he once described as a "fight for survival". As CEO of British Airways, he lined up a merger with Spanish carrier Iberia in 2011 to create IAG, which in turn snapped up Britain's BMI, Spain's Vueling and - last year - Ireland's Aer Lingus. Dodgy trading: Barclays and Credit Suisse have been fined 108 by US authorities Barclays and Credit Suisse have been fined 108million in the US for their secretive dark pools trading operations. The banks have settled separate cases brought by the New York attorney general and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Barclays paid a total of 50million to the two regulators and admitted wrongdoing. Credit Suisse paid 58million. Dark pools allow investors such as pension funds to buy and sell shares anonymously. They were meant to keep out high frequency traders, who use superfast computers to gain an advantage over ordinary investors. Regulators ruled that Barclays broke its promise to protect its clients using its LX dark pools trading platform from these predatory traders. German supermarket Lidl is set for rapid expansion after filing 48 planning applications in the last three months of 2015 alone, figures show. This compares to 17 from rival Aldi and represents a huge leap for the chain. In the first three months of 2015, Lidl filed 19 applications, followed by 10 between April and June and 27 between July and September. Lidl has also outlined plans to open 280 stores in London and the M25 area. This includes upmarket areas such as Chiswick, Fulham and Kensington, as it looks to further attract 'middle-class' shoppers. Aldi vs Lidl: The German discounters have seen their market share grow in recent years Lidl will be hoping to close the gap with Aldi in terms of market share. According to latest Kantar Worldpanel data, Lidl has a 4.2 per cent share compared to 5.5 per cent at Aldi. Two years ago, Lidl had a 3.1 per cent market share compared to Aldi's four per cent. As a whole, Lidl had a total of 104 applications during 2015. This compares to 101 from Aldi. It comes as major supermarkets, who have lost ground to the pair, have shelved plans for many new premises in the wake of sliding sales and profitability. There were 22 applications from Sainsbury's last year, seven from Tesco, four from Asda and just two from Morrisons, according to figures by Barbour ABI for the Sunday Telegraph. Morrisons has also sold 140 'M Local' smaller stores and 28 supermarkets, although says the store closure programme is over. Barbour ABI, which specialises in construction industry data, estimates that Lidl's 48 applications are worth roughly 150million just in construction costs. Michael Dall, lead economist at Barbour ABI, told The Sunday Telegraph: 'The end of 2015 showed once again that Aldi and Lidl are the only supermarkets in the UK with the appetite for investment in retail space 'While the big players remain focused on retaining current market share, Lidl in particular has maintained its ambitious expansion plans.' New stores: Morrisons filed just two planning applications for new stores in 2015, figures show Lidl saw the biggest sales growth over the festive period, with an 18.5 per cent boost, the Kantar data shows. In November, the German discounter said it would invest 1.5billion over the next three years to ramp up its store expansion. It adds that it will refurbish 150 existing stores before 2020 to make its shops 'more upmarket' and entice middle-class shoppers. A 74-year-old man who was pinned underneath a tree in Massachusetts for two hours was rescued with the help of a nun. Authorities said they received a call around 4pm on Saturday from a nun, who has not been identified, who reported a man was yelling for help in the woods near Mount Saint Mary's Abbey. Police found Douglas Goldman in the woods, about a quarter of a mile away from his home, where he told police he was cutting down a tree with a chainsaw when the tree fell on his leg. Scroll down for video Douglas Goldman, 74, who was pinned underneath a tree in Massachusetts for two hours was rescued with the help of a nun. Police said on Saturday a nun reported a man was yelling in the woods for help (pictured) Police found Douglas Goldman in the woods, about a quarter of a mile away from his home, where he told police he was cutting down a tree with a chainsaw when the tree fell on his leg 'It could have been life threatening if he wasn't found when he was,' captain Robert Harrison of Wrentham Fire Department told CBS Boston. Pastor Doug Petit, who is one of Goldman's neighbors, said the elderly man heats his home with wood and said he was 'very surprised' by the incident calling Goldman a 'safety-conscious guy'. Petit added that despite Goldman's age he is 'robust' and 'active', and believes divine intervention saved his life. Pastor Doug Petit, who is one of Goldman's neighbors, said the elderly man heats his home with wood and said he was 'very surprised' by the incident calling Goldman a 'safety-conscious guy' Petit believes divine intervention saved Goldman's life: 'I think God looks out for people in general, and I think he loves us, and I don't necessarily think it's coincidental,' he said 'I think God looks out for people in general, and I think he loves us, and I don't necessarily think it's coincidental,' Petit told CBS Boston of the incident. Goldman was taken to Boston Medical Center for leg injuries and hypothermia and was reported to be in good condition. The abbey in Wrentham is near the Rhode Island border and is home to an order of nuns best known for making Trappistine Quality Candy. Advertisement A motorist was fatally struck by a tree that was knocked down by powerful winds as a winter storm hits California, bringing downpours, wind and snow, authorities said Sunday. The driver was passing by a residential street in Pacific Beach when a large oak tree fell across a roadway, blocking all four traffic lanes, San Diego Fire and Rescue Capt. Joe Amador said. The tree, which measured eight feet in diameter, also crushed three parked cars that were not occupied, he said. 'To the people out here dealing with the rain: be careful, drive slowly and arrive alive,' Amador said. Strong winds downed dozens of trees and power poles and ripped off rooftops - and in one case, solar panels - across Southern California. Power outages affecting about 140,000 utility customers were reported across the Los Angeles and San Diego area. Scroll down for video Firefighters work to remove a large tree that fell across multiple lanes of traffic, killing a motorist, in Pacific Beach, California, after powerful winds downed dozens of trees and power poles The driver was passing by a residential street in Pacific Beach when a large oak tree fell across a roadway, blocking all four traffic lanes, San Diego Fire and Rescue Capt. Joe Amador said The tree crashed onto three parked cars and a fourth car that was passing by. Firefighters continue to try and remove the tree that fell The storm churned up high surf along west and northwest-facing beaches. Fierce winds trailing the daylong storm churn the Pacific Ocean off the Los Angeles community of Playa del Rey Wind gusts topped 50 mph in the San Diego area and 65 mph in Malibu, according to the National Weather Service. The highest reading of the day was at Whitaker Peak, north of Castaic, where a gust was recorded at 115 mph. The storm also dropped up to an inch of rain in some places by 4pm Sunday, and forecasters said up to two inches of rain was expected in the valleys of Los Angeles County and as many as 3 inches possible for southwest-facing foothills and mountains. A flash flood watch was issued for foothill neighborhoods underneath wildfire burn areas, triggering fears of possible mudslides and debris flows. A satellite image shows the storm continuing to travel across Southern California where flash flood warnings have been issued This NOAA satellite image shows a trough of low pressure along the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Heavy rain is expected to fall across central and southern California with mountain snow from the Sierra Nevada into portions of Nevada, Utah, and Colorado Heavy surf could spell more trouble for Pacifica, 10 miles south of San Francisco, where crashing waves and heavy rains have eaten away coastal cliffs and put residences in danger. A fence over an eroding cliff is shown from an apartment Blinding rain briefly brought traffic to a near-standstill on LA freeways. North of the city, a crash during a heavy downpour involving two trucks closed southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near the Grapevine. There were no immediate reports of injuries. The storm also churned up high surf along west and northwest-facing beaches. The rough seas prompted authorities to close the piers at Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach. To the north, Interstate 80 near Truckee was closed for more than two hours after 29 vehicles got into a pileup amid snowy conditions, KCRA-TV reported. Another rain storm was expected in the San Francisco Bay Area by Sunday evening. A wind advisory was issued warning of winds gusting up to 50 mph. Strong winds are expected to cause flight problems at Los Angeles International Airport, and forecasters said waterspouts and weak tornadoes are possible. 'The winds may well turn out to be the defining feature of this system,' the National Weather Service said Sunday. Firefighters rescued a man trapped by the fast-rising Los Angeles River as the system moved in and dumped up to 0.75 inches of rain by mid-morning. The man was uninjured after being pulled to safety along the riverbank area east of downtown known for homeless encampments. Up to two inches of rain was expected in the valleys of Los Angeles County and as many as three inches possible for southwest-facing foothills and mountains, according to the National Weather Service. A tree fell in front of a resident's home in the Grant Hill area on Sunday as powerful winds have downed trees and blown away rooftops Another rain storm is expected in the San Francisco Bay Area by Sunday evening. Storms usually develop far from California, but this one developed unusually close, just 500 miles west of Santa Barbara, according to Daniel Swain, a Stanford University climate scientist. The relatively swift development of the system 'is somewhat unusual, though it tends to be more common during strong El Nino years when a strong jet stream resides over or just south of Southern California,' Swain wrote in a blog post. Spectators walk off the course as wind and rain delay play during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open People brave the wind and and rain during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego During the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Golf Resort, play was suspended three times. Under the pressure of consistent rain and pounding wind, play was finally halted for the day and golfers will have to tee it up Monday to determine a winner. Forecasters said winds gusted to as high as 52 mph in San Diego, while winds up to 70 mph hit Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Ocean Beach Pier in Ocean Beach, California, on Sunday. The storm churned up high surf along west and northwest-facing beaches Dangerously close: People watch as waves break in Ocean Beach. The rough seas prompted authorities to close the piers at Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach Runoff gushes down a spillway in the Arroyo Seco, which translates to 'dry creek' or 'dry stream' in Spanish, in Pasadena, Calif., as rain drenches the region Sunday According to a Stanford climate scientist, the storm unusually storm developed closer to California than most storms and tends to be more common during the El Nino years A house claiming to be Britain's most haunted has been put up for sale for 180,000 by its female owner who has been left traumatised by the ghost of a satanic goat. Vanessa Mitchell, 43, from St Osyth, Essex, was unaware that the cottage, known as the Cage, was haunted when she moved there in 2004. Since then she claims to have seen numerous ghostly figures, been pushed over while heavily pregnant and smacked on the bottom. Vanessa Mitchell (pictured), 43, from St Osyth, Essex, was unaware that the cottage, known as the Cage, was haunted when she moved there in 2004. Since then she claims to have seen numerous ghostly figures, been pushed over while heavily pregnant and smacked on the bottom However, the nail in the coffin came for her when a CCTV camera picked up this image of what she claims was a satanic goat roaming the premises She even claims to have seen blood splatters appear on the floor. However, the nail in the coffin came for her when a CCTV camera picked up the image of what she claims was a satanic goat roaming the premises. Vanessa, who works in sales, said: 'The face spotted on the picture and CCTV footage is the spitting image of a satanic devil. 'I honestly believe the house is cursed, I have lived there for years but for me seeing a tall dark figure standing between me and my son's cot was the final straw for me. 'Footage from the past couple of weeks shows a satanic goat, which just reaffirms that the place is haunted by something malevolent. 'There's something evil there in there, something demonic, whatever it is that's keeping the other spirits trapped inside.' When Vanessa first bought the Cage for 148,000 in 2004, she was unaware of its haunted history. The property, which was formally a medieval prison, hosted one of England's most famous witch hunts, in which eight women died She has kept it for 11 years - making her its second longest owner, with previous buyers selling the property in under four years When Vanessa first bought the Cage for 148,000 in 2004, she was unaware of its haunted history. The property, which was formally a medieval prison, hosted one of England's most famous witch hunts, in which eight women died. She has kept it for 11 years - making her its second longest owner, with previous buyers selling the property in under four years. She continued: 'I have seen more than I could ever have imagined over the years in the Cage - from being attacked while I was pregnant to being smacked on the backside. This picture of Satan looks eerily similar to the image captured on Vanessa's film 'I was never warned about the paranormal activity in the house when I bought it and think I was drawn to it to try to help the house. 'The house has always constantly been up for sale before I bought it, it's a lovely house in a perfect location in a nice quaint village but what's in the house makes people move in as little as six months. 'A couple of hundred years ago one man bought the Cage for 150 and sold it for 50 less shortly after just to get rid of it. 'I'm selling the house now because the house is getting worse we're catching evidence all the time of the tortured spirits inside, I've had every medium, psychic and investigator in there to try and get rid of what's in there.' One of the most shocking incidents to allegedly happen to her was when she felt she was being pushed over when eight months pregnant with son Jesse, who is now eight-years-old. She said: 'It was absolutely terrifying, I just remember feeling the force like something had pushed me and falling on my side. 'When I was on the floor I just lay there in shock. 'Another incident happened while I was brushing my teeth something gave me a hard smack on my backside when there was just me in the house. 'It wasn't a tap it was a full blown whack, it was such a vicious act and there wasn't a person in sight. 'While I had company with me in the house I felt safe but when I was left on my own I couldn't stand it and never wanted to go home it was truly ruling my life. 'Some nights I was so scared that I'd sleep with my head under the bedsheets and all the bedrooms lights on.' Vanessa has kept the property for 11 years - making her its second longest owner, with previous buyers selling the property in under four years. While the house is still up for sale she's continuing to look into its troubled history in the hope of discovering why it's been so active spiritually Since then she's been researching history of the former prison and found out about plague victims sent there to die along with modern day suicides in the house. She is pictured here with paranormal investigator Micky Rawlins Since then she's been researching history of the former prison and found out about plague victims sent there to die along with modern day suicides in the house. While the house is still up for sale she's continuing to look into its troubled history in the hope of discovering why it's been so active and why the spirits communicate with living centuries on. Vanessa said: 'It's very rarely that I go back to the house, I never go back on my own, I try to not step foot in the house - I know what's in there and don't want to go in because whatever is in there recognises me. 'I've had the best paranormal investigators, psychics, mediums trying to help the trapped souls in the house but it's never worked, I don't think anyone can change it. The tiny room is crammed full of all the family's worldly possessions. Dirty dishes, baby bottles and an old kettle fight for space with a glowing tablet computer, in a room eight metres square that is now home to six people. Amid the squalor, a sick child lies sleeping on an old mattress on the floor, inches from a filthy sink that doubles as bathroom and kitchen. These are the conditions inside one of Sweden's most notorious asylum centres - where youths were free to rape a ten-year-old boy and where police now refuse to enter after being chased away in a riot. Signalisten Asylum Centre in Vasteras, an hour west of Stockholm, was once a hotel welcoming people to the town of 133,000 people. Today, 600 men, women and children sleep in its grubby rooms, guarded by just two night-time staff who are too scared to leave their rooms. As MailOnline gained exclusive access to the centre, campaigners claimed that overcrowding in Sweden's asylum centres is so severe that as many as ten children have been raped. Squalid: Migrants and asylum seekers who arrive at Signalisten Asylum Centre, in Vasteras, west of Stockholm, where a ten-year-old boy was raped, say they are packed six to a room. The Migration Board in Sweden has changed the rules about how much space every person must have at asylum centres, from 5 square meters to 3 square metres Crowded: Police were overcome in a corridor at the Vasteras asylum centre after being called to a disturbance when staff tried to remove a family. Now they refuse to enter the centre, pictured above Bleak: Police were being called a couple of times a week to Vasteras, to deal with drugs, fights, or just calm the staff who have called them because they are frightened, now they refuse to enter because it could provoke the refugees. This boy, Hassem, is being kept in his room because he is sick Afghan Association chairman Hussein Asgari insists that children are at increasing risk because of Sweden's failure to get to grips with the influx of migrants each month. He blames overcrowding after the Migration Board in Sweden changed the rules about how much space every person must have at asylum centres, from 5 square meters to 3 square metres. 'I have gotten several phone calls - up to 10 - from children who say that they have been raped since they got to Sweden,' Hussein told MailOnline. 'This happens because the asylum centres are overcrowded. There is no supervision from the staff or the Migration Board. If you have one or two criminals or in this case rapists among 600 immigrants, they can run wild with no one noticing. 'In some cases there are children staying at families where the father is molesting the boys. In other cases there are children who has been abused by older men at asylum centres. Things like the rape are not suppose to happen anywhere, but it is a totally different world inside the centre: anything could happen. Mahmeed, a refugee from Aleppo 'I have told every child who has reported these kind of abuses to contact the police. But they wont do it because they are ashamed about what has happened to them.' Instead, Hussein says it has been up to him to try to raise the alarm. 'Someone needs to react. We have to lift this problem. There are a very few very bad men coming to Sweden, but they destroy other migrants lives.' Authorities admit that the centres are overcrowded and uncontrollable - leaving residents and Swedes living nearby in danger. According to the Swedish Migration Agency, the number of threats and violent incidents at asylum facilities more than doubled from 2014 to 2015 as Sweden witnessed a record number of migrant arrivals. In 2014, there were 148 incidents and in 2015 that number jumped to 322 Police were forced to visit the centre at Vasteras 'at least a couple of times a week', one officer revealed to MailOnline, on condition of anonymity. 'It can be drugs, people who are fighting or that the staff simply feels unsafe'. This is repeated across Sweden: more than 5,000 incidents involving migrants were filed last year, and police say callouts to the centres doubled on the year before. Help: Ahmed Naktal, pictured, fled from Mosul when ISIS were on the march. Now he and his family, including son Hassem, four, live in one of the rooms in the centre where the ten-year-old was raped. Today they are inside, because Hassem is sick Cramped: A sick child lies sleeping on a mattress at Vasteras where at least six people live in every room, according to migrants Lawless: Migrant Mahmeed told MailOnline that 'things like [the rape] are not suppose to happen anywhere, but it is a totally different world inside the centre, anything could happen' Then, ten days ago, police were called to investigate the rape of a ten-year-old boy who had been attacked by older youths. MIGRANT CHILDREN AT 'AT RISK OF RAPE', CAMPAIGNERS WARN Campaigners have warned that children living in asylum centres are at risk of being raped. I have gotten several phone calls up to 10 from children who say that they have been raped since they got to Sweden, Afghan Association chairman Hussein Asgari told MailOnline. This happens because the asylum centres are overcrowded. There is no supervision from the staff or the Migration Board. If you have one or two criminals or in this case rapists among 600 immigrants, they can run wild with no one noticing. On October 21, 2015, a man was arrested at an asylum centre in Tingsryd on charges of raping a three-year-old girl. Both were living at the centre. He was sent to another asylum centre pending investigation. The girls mother reported that her daughter was not feeling well to staff, who called the Migration Board who then called the police. The three-year-old girl had to go through a gynaecological examination as police collected evidence. On September 18, 2015, three teenagers were arrested, charged with the rape of a minor at an asylum centre in Trelleborg. The trio were accused of raping a boy who was under 15 at the time. All were staying at the same centre. The three teenagers were charged and convicted of aggravated rape in December. Advertisement The boy and his family were removed to a safer environment by the Social Services but tensions at the centre escalated. Just days later, the Swedish Migration Board decided that a second family should be removed from the centre for their safety, and the situation became highly dangerous. Initially, staff in the centre tried to remove the family but were stopped by crowds of migrants who wanted to prevent the boy's father, a doctor who treated sick children, from leaving. They called police for backup but even officers could not overcome the mob. The police incident report stated: 'Even more people appeared behind us. I was mentally prepared to fight for my life. We were 10 police officers in a narrow corridor. And I hear someone yell that there is an emergency exit and we start running towards it.' MailOnline has learned that the migrants fought back against the police because they claim they are not getting any medical help. Centre resident Mahmeed said: 'The father in the family was a very popular figure at our centre. He was a doctor in Syria and helped people who were sick especially the children.' 'The ones who are running this centre do not bring a doctor or help sick children to get to the hospital. He was the only one who could help us. When the police entered the building everyone got really angry and they were pushed into a corridor. They had also brought a dog. What police brings a dog when they are going to pick up a family with kids?' Now police are refusing to enter. Officers have been told to go in to the cramped corridors only if absolutely necessary. Just two staff are on duty each night - and no security guard. The halls are monitored by CCTV, but staff are too scared to leave the safety of their office should a fight break out, one employee reveals to MailOnline. Waiting: Mahmeed, from Aleppo, in Syria, says 'anything can happen' at the centre because there are so few staff to monitor Violent: Mahmeed claims the mob who attacked the police did so because the father of the family was a doctor from Syria. He was 'well-liked' and helped all the children - something they relied upon The conditions inside are very poor,' he said. 'At least six people are staying in bunk beds in every room and in most rooms people have to sleep on mattresses. Mahmeed Migrants say the centre is utterly lawless. 'This must be the worst asylum centre in Sweden,' said Mahmeed, a refugee from Aleppo who stands huddled in the doorway, smoking cigarettes with his friends. 'Things like that are not suppose to happen anywhere, but it is a totally different world inside the centre: anything could happen. 'The staff are too few and do not have any idea what is going on. 'The management threaten to send us to an even worse camp up in the cold and wintery north if we [say anything],' says Mahmeed. He is sharing one of the small rooms with his wife and four children, with no hope of leaving any time soon. But it could be far worse. 'The conditions inside are very poor,' he said. 'At least six people are staying in bunk beds in every room and in most rooms people have to sleep on mattresses.' Horrifying: Afghan Association chairman Hussein Asgari, pictured, says he has received 10 calls from young boys who have been raped at asylum centres across Sweden because they are so crowded Danger: At night just two staff are on duty at Signalisten centre in Vasteras, Sweden. Migrant Mahmed told MailOnline 'anything could happen here' Terror: Just over a week ago, a 10-year-old boy who lived at Vasteras was raped by teenagers. A few days later, a mob attacked police who were trying to remove another family. The boy has since been given a new home Lawless: Migrants say the centre is utterly lawless. 'This must be the worst asylum centre in Sweden,' said Mahmeed Inside one of the overcrowded rooms, Ahmed Naktal sits with his four-year-old son Hassem. The rest of the family, who fled Mosul as ISIS approached, are in the dining hall eating, but Ahmed offered to stay behind with Hassem, who has a fever. 'No one helping sick children here,' he told MailOnline. 'The staff does not have time to go with us to the hospital. 'That is why Hassem needs to stay in his room, if he goes out then every other child also gets fever. 'This whole building is so packed with people so there is no space apart from this room to keep our child.' The Swedish Migration Board refused to comment about rapes at asylum homes. The Swedish Police say they do not collect statistics on rape allegations at asylum or migration centres. No one from the centre's owner Carewell, which is registered in Stockholm, was willing to talk to Mailonline. A woman claims she suffered second-degree burns to her scalp and neck after using hair dye. Sheryl Smith, from New Zealand, dyed her hair from blonde to black with a discounted Clairol Nice 'n Easy product and went to bed. The next morning she said that she woke up with her scalp covered in blisters that felt like 'little volcanoes' and her ears 'dripping yellow'. Her neck was red and raw. Sheryl Smith, from New Zealand, claims she suffered second-degree burns to her scalp and neck after using a hair dye 'I feel like someone's poured acid all over my head,' Ms Smith told The Dominion Post. 'My head was all bubbled and weeping, my hair was all stuck to my ears.' Ms Smith said that she helped her brother to move that day but went to the hospital afterwards because 'the pain became too much.' There she was told by a doctor she had second-degree chemical burns. Ms Smith had dyed her blonde hair with a Clairol Nice 'n Easy product (above is a stock image) she had bought on sale to turn it black and went to bed Despite the box instructing people to do a 48-hour patch test, Ms Smith said she had decided to go ahead without doing one as she had used the product and others like it before. Three weeks later, Ms Smith continues to struggle with itchiness and redness. 'My torso was just so itchy, you just wanted to rip yourself to pieces,' she said. To dull the pain of the burns, she said she had been given a 'lunchbox' of medications. Ms Smith said she hadn't contacted Procter and Gamble, the company that distribute the Clairol range in New Zealand, to tell them about her condition. Ms Smith (pictured) had not informed Procter and Gamble, the company that distribute the Clairol range in New Zealand, of her condition. But the company says they are now offering assistance to her Ms Smith said she didn't know how to tell the company about her problem but she did want to share her story so that others were aware of the potential dangers of hair dye. A statement from Procter and Gamble sent to Daily Mail Australia said that safety was the company's 'first and most important priority'. 'We are concerned to hear about Sheryl Smith's experience. Our expert team were recently able to get in contact with Ms Smith and we are offering our assistance and support,' the statement read. The statement also said there had not been any 'adverse reactions' in New Zealand over the past 12 months. 'We can also confirm that the quality of our products has not changed and continues to meet the highest safety and quality standards globally,' it said. The statement urged people to always perform a patch test as 'allergies can develop over time and can also be initiated by use of other products such as black henna tattoos'. A married New York special education teacher who was fired after an investigation found that he had oral sex with a male student has landed a new teaching position in New Jersey that pays $62,000 a year. Jinwoo Seong, a 36-year-old who taught at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens, grabbed the student's crotch and got the teenager to stroke his exposed genitals before they had oral sex, according to an eight-page report by investigator Richard Condon. The report also found that Seong inappropriately touched a female student's breast and crotch, slapped boys' butts and made obscene jokes. Jinwoo Seong, 36, grabbed a student's crotch and got the boy to stroke his exposed genitals before they had oral sex, according to an eight-page report by investigator Richard Condon A nine-month investigation at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens (pictured), led to the head of the Department of Education to say Seong had no place in New York City schools One girl accused the teacher of telling her to measure a classmate's penis, while another boy said Seong kicked him in the testicles. Seong remained on the city payroll during the nine-month investigation, and was fired on November 30 after Carmen Farina, the head of the Department of Education, wrote that he did not belong in New York City schools. Just one week later, he began teaching at a public middle school, Don Bosco Technical Academy, in Paterson, New Jersey. His New York teacher's certification was recognized in New Jersey, and he was allowed in special education and math classes for students between the 7th and 12th grade. Because Seong was never arrested or charged with a crime, he passed a criminal background check to land his new, $62,000-a-year position. He simply told officials that he wanted to relocate, and the hiring manager checked his references at a high school in Bayside, New York, where he worked before the controversy at Van Buren High School. The teacher denied any wrongdoing, and told the New York Post: 'The DOE said this was in-house and "you dont have to worry about this moving on". Is this going to follow me wherever I go?' Seong started teaching at Don Bosco Technical Academy (pictured) in Paterson, New Jersey, just one week after he was fired. Because he was never arrested or charged, he passed the criminal background tests He claims the students were out for revenge because he had reported their behavior by calling their homes. Seong also said the students had made threats against his wife and daughter and wanted to see him fired. But he told The Post: 'It's like when you break up with an old girlfriend and have a new girlfriend.' Captain James Smith, the Paterson school district's security director, had Seong removed from the classroom on Friday. Smith said an inquiry was under way and that action would be taken towards teachers who have been disciplined for misconduct. Popular American burger chain Carl's Jr is set to open its first Australian store in a sleepy coastal suburb as the fast food brand plans to roll out 300 restaurants across the country. Carl's Jr, renowned for its big American-style burgers and raunchy television advertisements with bikini-clad women, will be open for business in Bateau Bay, north of Sydney, on Tuesday. The store, which cost nearly $2.2 million to set up, is expected to draw a huge crowd on the first day of trading with one keen customer lining up outside the store more than 24 hours before its opening. Scroll down for video Carl's Jr, renowned for its big American-style burgers and raunchy television advertisements with bikini-clad women, will be open Bateau Bay, north of Sydney, on Tuesday 'It is going to be huge, it's a bit surreal,' franchise owner Lindsay Brennan told Daily Mail Australia. The store on the NSW Central Coast now joins 578 Carl's Jr restaurants operating outside the US and the global fast food chain has plans to open 300 stores across Australia in the next 10 years. Mr Brennan, who owns 18 bottle shops in the NSW Hunter region as part of his family run BKG Group, said he has signed a deal with Carl's Jr to open 10 more restaurants in the next five years on the central, mid and northern NSW coasts. 'We own 18 bottle shops... but were just looking for diversification because of the pressure of Woolworths. We saw the Carl's Jr wanted to bring their product to Australia, so we got in touch,' he said. 'We are just the franchisee to sign up... that's why it's in Bateau Bay.' Carl's Jr is renowned for its big American-style burgers and has plans to roll out 300 restaurants across Australia in the next 10 years The store on the NSW Central Coast now joins 578 Carl's Jr restaurants operating outside the US and the global fast food chain has plans to open 300 stores across Australia Carl's Jr restaurants will also be opening under a separate franchise agreement at Brisbane and Hobart airports later this year Carl's Jr Australia launched a provocative television advertisement to mark its first store in the country. It is based on the American chain's approach of using celebrities and bikini models to promote its burger brand. Gemie Howe from Sydney's Sutherland Shire signed on to be the first Carl Jr's Australian girl. She is featured in the advertisement lying on a beach as she provocatively eats a Carl's Jr burger in her bikini. 'To look this hot in a bikini I have to give up almost everything,' she says in the ad. 'But there is no way I'm giving up my Carl's Jr Western Bacon Cheeseburger.' The American burger chain is renowned for using celebrities, like Kim Kardashian, to promote its brand Model Kate Upton and Paris Hilton have also previously featured in Carl's Jr advertisements Heidi Klum (pictured), Kim Kardashian, Kate Upton and Paris Hilton have all been featured in American advertisements for the burger chain Kim Kardashian, Kate Upton, Paris Hilton and Heidi Klum have all been featured in American advertisements for the burger chain. Mr Brennan has employed 80 staff to work at his new store ahead of its opening on Tuesday. The first 50 customers through the door will win a voucher booklet to eat free for an entire year. Carl's Jr restaurants will also be opening under a separate franchise agreement at Brisbane and Hobart airports later this year. The president of the Maricopa County NAACP said he was 'really f***ing sorry' for telling a reporter she had 'nice t*ts' after an interview. Don Harris, 77, was asked to resign earlier this week after the Phoenix News Times caught the comment on tape. He had just discussed a racist incident at Desert Vista High School, in Phoenix, where students wore T-shirts spelling out the word 'N****r'. As 12 News reporter Monica Griego turned to ask a question to someone else, he commented on her appearance, saying she had 'nice t*ts'. Scroll down for video Don Harris, 77 (left), the president of the Maricopa County NAACP, told reporter Monica Griego (right) she had 'nice t*ts' after an interview 'The meeting was over,' he later told Phoenix News Times. 'I apologize if anyone was offended. I could have said nothing... I'm really f***ing sorry.' When the newspaper asked if sexist comments should be eradicated as well as racist remarks, the civil rights leader went on a rant. 'I'm going to slash my wrists,' he said. 'Better yet, I'm going to throw myself out of a f***ing window, except I'm on the first floor... I'm one of the best goddamned people in the state.' Reverend Jarrett Maupin, of Phoenix's Fellowship Baptist Church, called for Harris's resignation. He told the NY Daily News that the presidents comments to a Latina woman stemmed from 'white privilege'. 'When you have a certain amount of privilege in your mind, youll say what you want about anything,' Maupin said. Harris told the Phoenix News Times he was 'really f***ing sorry' for his comment to Griego (pictured), adding: 'The meeting was over. I apologize if anyone was offended. I could have said nothing' Harris said he emailed executive board members of the Maricopa County NAACP to offer his resignation. 'I said if they want me gone, I'm gone,' he told The Arizona Republic. 'I'm not ducking from anything. 'I did something stupid and wrong and I'm sorry for it. I can't beat myself forever about it. I said it. And I can't be any more sincere.' The chapter's vice-president Ann Hart, who said the NAACP does not condone Harris's' words, told the NY Daily News that any decision about his departure would be 'clearly up to him'. Griego didn't hear the comment during the interview and didn't wish to comment on it, 12 News said in a statement. Harris was one of 50 community leaders who discussed the incident at Desert Vista High School and decided to build a movement against the use of the N-word. He pledged $5,000 to the effort during the meeting. A teacher who swindled her parents out of 50,000 and frittered it on Mulberry handbags and spa breaks was spared prison after her sister told a judge a jail sentence would crush her heartbroken family. Breckons, from Stamford, Lincolnshire, was spared jail after her BBC presenter sister, Laura Priest, pleaded with the judge Jayne Breckons, 58, who had power of attorney over her ageing parents accounts, abused their trust and funded a 1,000 holiday to Greece as well as pampering getaways and designer clothes with their savings, a court heard. But Breckons, from Stamford, Lincolnshire, was spared jail after her BBC presenter sister pleaded with the judge. Describing her parents, Louise Edwards, who works under her maiden name Louise Priest as a BBC Radio Norfolk presenter, said: They are heartbroken. They dont understand it but my mother doesnt want to see my sister go to prison. None of the family does. What we want to do is make sure she knows she has done wrong. Sentencing Breckons, Judge Simon Hirst said: You have your sister and your parents to be forever grateful to. I suspend this sentence for their sakes rather than yours. He said she had been utterly disgraceful. Michael and Amy Priest, who are in their eighties, discovered she had been fleecing them when a bank statement was sent to their care home in error, Lincoln Crown Court heard. Mrs Priest, 88, realised a large portion of their 100,000 in savings was missing. Mrs Edwards told the court: Its been heartbreaking for the whole family. Ive had to move my parents to Norfolk to look after them. My father had a stroke just before Christmas and that was made worse when he had a bleed on the brain after a fall. He is terribly confused now. She said the deception had split up the whole family. The court heard Mr and Mrs Priest had previously moved to a care home to be near Breckons, who had agreed to take care of their money. Instead, said Michael Cranmer-Brown, prosecuting, she helped herself, withdrawing 24,000 from cashpoints and using their investments to treat herself. As part of the spree she bought three Mulberry handbags worth up to 1,500 each, and a 5,000 car for her daughter. Mr Cranmer-Brown added: She spent quite a lot on jewellery. On one occasion she bought a ring for 600 and a second-hand diamond eternity ring for 275. Then she went back a few days later and bought a ring for 425. Lincoln Crown Court (pictured) heard that Mr and Mrs Priest had previously moved to a care home to be near Breckons, who had agreed to take care of their money. Instead, said Michael Cranmer-Brown, prosecuting, she helped herself, withdrawing 24,000 from cashpoints and using their investments to treat herself He said Mrs Priest found it deeply upsetting that her savings had been spent on luxuries. He added: Had her daughter been in any financial difficulty and come to her for help she would have been happy to assist. Mrs Edwards said that her sister could not play the mad card because she had been teaching the GCSE syllabus at the time at Walton Girls High School in Grantham. Breckons produced a 36,000 bankers draft and promised to repay the outstanding 14,000 by May. Speaking from the dock, she said: Im really sorry. I miss them [her parents]. I really do want to see them. Stephen Lawrence was stabbed to death aged 18 in a racist attack in Eltham, South-East London Pupils are being given vital careers guidance thanks to an initiative by the charity set up in the memory of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence. Disadvantaged youngsters at four schools in Lewisham and Greenwich, south-east London, will receive free advice, guidance, inspiration and support for three years from the age of 13 under the scheme. The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trusts Career Pathway programme launched with inspirational talks from lawyers from international law firm Stephenson Harwood LLP at Sedgehill School. The firm also invited a group of students from Harris Academy Greenwich to their offices in Finsbury Circus for a separate launch event. At Deptford Green School, the Universal Music Group sent two members of staff to give a talk about careers in the music industry to students and parents. The programme, which will cover a range of different jobs, will also offer career workshops, professional visits, individual mentoring and work experience. The fourth school to benefit is Stationers Crown Woods Academy. Career Pathway, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, will also work with graduates aged 18-24, offering them careers advice, employability skills training, mentoring and work experience opportunities. The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, was founded in 1998 by the murdered teenagers mother Doreen Lawrence, now Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon. It already has a track record of helping disadvantaged students into careers in architecture, the profession which A-level student Stephen hoped to enter. Last year it launched journalism scholarships, which are sponsored by the Daily Mail. Stephen was stabbed to death at the age of 18 in an unprovoked racist attack at a bus stop in Eltham, South-East London, in 1993. GPs have voted to stop looking after hundreds of thousands of care home residents, raising fears that elderly patients will be left with impersonal or inferior care. Residents could also face higher fees as homes pass on the cost of paying to bring in private doctors. GPs want the right to opt out of being responsible for frail, highly dependent patients in care homes. This could lead to private firms staffed by unfamiliar locums carrying out visits instead. The prospect has infuriated campaigners for the elderly but family doctors say they no longer have the time to provide the right level of attention to such increasingly infirm residents. The cost of bringing in private providers is likely to lead to higher fees for residents. Around one third of care homes already pay GPs for the service Many require dedicated care and, in the past, would have been looked after in hospital. There are around 300,000 elderly people in care homes in England and managers are obliged to ensure they are all registered with a GP nearby. Currently, family doctors carry out routine check-ups once or twice a week, in addition to visiting any who suddenly become very unwell. There are 16,589 registered care homes in England. If they were each attended by a GP once a week, that amounts to more than 860,000 visits a year. Controversially, around a third of GPs charge for such services, with fees ranging of between 12,000 and 100,000 a year The cost of bringing in private providers is likely to lead to higher fees for residents. Around one third of care homes already pay GPs for the service. Up to 300 GPs representatives from powerful regional bodies voted to end being responsible for care homes at a crisis summit this weekend. The British Medical Association union may now lobby the Government to remove the responsibility of looking after residents from the GP contract. The Government is due to announce a new contract later this month, which will then be thrashed out with the BMA. Officials at the Department of Health admit the union could demand that the clause of care home responsibility is removed from their duties. Up to 300 GPs representatives from powerful regional bodies voted to end being responsible for care homes at a crisis summit this weekend The British Medical Association union may now lobby the Government to remove the responsibility of looking after residents from the GP contract But Caroline Abrahams of Age UK said: Older people in care homes are just as entitled as anyone else to good NHS treatment and because many are frail and unwell, continuity of care from a GP whom they get to know is especially important. 'We would be very concerned at any move which hived off healthcare in care homes into a separate category and which led to more fragmented GP care for residents from an ever-changing cast of characters. The vote to be allowed to opt out of care home responsibility took place at emergency summit on Saturday, attended by GP representatives of Local Medical Committees regional bodies. GPs spent seven and a half hours in Central London discussing the urgent measures needed to avert the looming crisis in surgeries. Rising numbers of family doctors are retiring or moving overseas just as demand from patients is soaring due to immigration and the ageing population. They specifically voted to have separate contractual arrangements for residents in care home or nursing homes. They could choose to subcontract services to private firms as happens with out-of-hours care or do it themselves for far more money. Residents could also face higher fees as homes pass on the cost of paying to bring in private doctors Dr Stefan Kuetter, a GP in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, who proposed the motion to end care home visits, said: You cant say no for fear of being labelled uncaring or missing something. Time spent in care homes is disproportionately higher than time with other patients. Dr Sam Hilton, who practises near Exeter, told colleagues, The only way to efficiently look after care homes is to do weekly style ward rounds. But looking after a care home with 50 residents could easily take us all of the morning, not to mention the treatment escalation plan forms weve got to do, the phone calls, the syringe drives, the unplanned admission reviews, the dementia reviews, the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease reviews, you know how many reviews there are. You may not like reviews but this work is saving the NHS a lot of money, reducing unnecessary admissions, reducing referrals, we reduce investigations and we need to be funded properly for this. So 50 residents usually create one session of work, how does that compare to the rest of the population? Well, most GPS care for about 200 patients in one session of work so 50 residents are using up 200 patients worth of resource, someones got to lose out. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the BMAs GP Committee, pointed out that many seriously ill patients were being moved out of hospital into care homes. But Simon Bottery of the charity Independent Age said it would be totally unacceptable for GPs to halt care home visits. There is a real risk that this could result in a second-class service for residents, he said. Joyce Robins, of Patient Concern, added: The whole point of having a family doctor is that its someone who has known you for years and who you trust. GPs also voted to demand the Government increase their funding by 43 per cent, in line with the demand from patients. A Department of Health spokesman said: GPs are contracted to ensure their patients receive full and proper standards of care and that includes carrying out home visits where necessary. Todays case was described as ludicrous by defence minister Penny Mordaunt (pictured British soldiers face a new wave of legal claims this time from hundreds of suspected Taliban insurgents who say they were held for too long by UK forces. Fanatics believed to be intent on killing and maiming British troops with roadside bombs are set to legitimately argue they should not have been detained for longer than 96 hours. Their success depends on the outcome of a Supreme Court case concerning a convicted insurgent, Serdar Mohammed, which starts today. Effectively, he is suing Britain for not shooting him in a firefight and taking him into custody instead, according to a defence minister. If he wins, around 80 Afghans who are represented by controversial law firm Leigh Day and have already lodged claims stand to receive tens of thousands of pounds. Immediately afterwards, hundreds more claims are expected to flood into the Ministry of Defence and millions of taxpayers money will have to be paid out. It has sparked fears that troops who served in Afghanistan will be hounded in the same way as those who fought in Iraq as ambulance-chasing law firms pursue the claims. Todays case described as ludicrous by defence minister Penny Mordaunt involves Mohammed, an Afghan gunman suspected of being a senior Taliban commander involved in the large-scale production of roadside bombs used to blow up British troops. He was later convicted for being an insurgent but his lawyers argue that he was detained unlawfully. His case brought under the Human Rights Act is the first to challenge the legal basis for UK detention operations in Afghanistan. Under Nato guidelines, suspects held there by international forces could only be detained for a maximum of 96 hours. After this they should have been released or handed to Afghan officials. Miss Mordaunt has said of the case: When the courts entertain claims against our forces such as the case of an insurgent bomb maker suing us for not shooting him in a firefight, but instead taking him prisoner and holding him until we could guarantee he would not face mistreatment in the local justice system, then it is not just our Armed Forces who suffer, the cause of human rights suffers too. The notion that dangerous insurgents cannot be detained for more than a few hours is ludicrous. Armed Forces Minister Penny Mordaunt adjusts her helmet before watching a live firing exercise by members of the Infantry Battle School at the Sennybridge Our forces must be able to detain enemies who attempt to maim and kill UK service personnel and civilians. If the law does not allow that then the law must change. It can also be revealed that on top of the compensation cases, a team of British detectives is looking into claims that UK troops murdered, maimed and ill-treated suspected Taliban insurgents. They are investigating 604 claims as part of a criminal probe similar to the Iraq Historical Allegations Team into incidents during the 13-year war. The claims are believed to include 52 deaths. British soldiers will be questioned about their role on the battlefield and could face murder charges. Last night Colonel Richard Kemp, who commanded British forces in Afghanistan, said Britain must put a stop to this persecution of soldiers The Royal Military Police are conducting the investigation, codenamed Operation Northmoor. It involves claims of mistreatment by 144 Afghans who were believed to have helped kill and maim UK troops. Police have completed investigations into 68 complaints by 21 Afghans. No cases have been referred to the Service Prosecution Authority. The taxpayers bill for Afghanistan cases is expected to be higher than the one for Iraq, which currently stands at 100million. A total of 5.3million has so far been paid out in compensation to Afghans. Last night Colonel Richard Kemp, who commanded British forces in Afghanistan, said: Unless the Government puts a stop to this, the same lawyers mounting Iraqi claims will continue to do the same trick in Afghanistan only the war was much longer. The hounding of British soldiers will just go on and on and on. It needs to end. Leigh Day which is under investigation for alleged unscrupulous practices said it was acting for about 80 Afghans who said they were unlawfully detained or mistreated. The outcome of these cases depends on the hearing at the Supreme Court, to which the MoD has appealed. Mohammed was held by UK forces in 2010 and convicted of being a Taliban member. He says he was unlawfully detained by being held by UK forces for 106 days. A Leigh Day spokesman said: Last July, the Court of Appeal unanimously held that UK is not able to detain individuals without due legal process, which it found was lacking in Mr Mohammeds case. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said that his rival Hillary Clinton's email controversy is a 'serious issue' on Sunday. 'In terms of what people are going to get slapped with, look at the front pages today in terms of what Secretary Clinton is getting slapped with,' Sanders said while speaking on ABC's This Week, in reference to her use of a private email server while secretary of state. 'There is a legal process underway right now. And I'm not going to politicize that issue.' The senator from Vermont had steered clear of directly attacking his opponent and refrained from invoking the controversy over her use of the private email server. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said that Hillary Clinton's email controversy is a 'serious issue' on Sunday. Above he is pictured speaking in Waterloo, Iowa on January 31 During one of the early Democratic debates, the presidential hopeful said that Americans were 'sick and tired of hearing about [her] damn emails.' Above he is pictured speaking in Waterloo, Iowa on Sunday During one of the early Democratic debates, the presidential hopeful said that Americans were 'sick and tired of hearing about [her] damn emails.' While speaking to CNN's Jake Tapper on State of the Union, Sanders was asked about that memorable line from the debate and whether it meant that he didn't think she erred in her use of the private email account. 'Nope, nope. That is not, I think, a fair assessment,' Sanders replied to Tapper. 'That is, I think, a very serious issue. There is a legal process taking place, I do not want to politicize that issue. It is not my style.' He added that he wouldn't make any personal attacks on her while speaking on NBC's Meet the Press. 'I am not going to attack Hillary Clinton,' Sanders told NBC's Chuck Todd. 'The American people will have to make that judgment.' Sanders said: 'There is a legal process taking place, I do not want to politicize that issue. It is not my style.' Above he is pictured arriving to a rally on Sunday in Waterloo, Iowa Clinton is under scrutiny for her use of a private email account during her time at the State Department. Above she is pictured in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Sunday Clinton is under scrutiny for her use of a private email account during her time at the State Department and the agency announced Friday it had withheld 22 emails determined to be 'top secret' from public release. But the issue has taken on new urgency in recent days as the two fight in an increasingly tight battle for the party's nomination. On Friday, the U.S. State Department announced they would withhold seven private email chains from Clinton's server, saying they contain top-secret information. Throughout the dispute, Clinton has maintained that she did nothing wrong in conducting State Department business outside of an official server, arguing that it was permitted and that there was precedent for the practice. When asked on Sunday whether she thought the call to withhold the email exchanges was political, Clinton shied away from outwardly accusing anyone but questioned the timing of the decision, which came just before Monday's first-in-the-nation nominating contest in Iowa. In Iowa, Sanders and Clinton are locked in a statistical dead heat, with Clinton earning 45 percent support of likely caucus-goers compared with 42 percent for Sanders, according to a Des Moines Register/Bloomberg politics. 'I just have to point out that the timing and some of the leaks that have led up to it are concerning,' Clinton said on ABC's This Week. 'The best way to resolve is to do what I asked months ago, release these, let the public see them and let's move on,' she added. In Iowa, Sanders and Clinton are locked in a statistical dead heat, with Clinton earning 45 percent support of likely caucus-goers compared with 42 percent for Sanders, according to a Des Moines Register/Bloomberg politics. Nationwide, Clinton leads Sanders with 51 percent support to 40 percent, according to a January 27 Reuters/Ipsos poll. The last time I saw Terry he was frail. I was disturbed by his appearance. He looked jaded, the sparkle from those lovely eyes dimmed. It was at the St James Theatre in London in early October. I had to help him climb the two steps on to the stage. His hands shook and he was unsteady on his feet. This was his last public performance unless you count the reading he made of G.K. Chesterton's poem The Donkey at our mutual friend the racing commentator Sir Peter O'Sullevan's memorial service in Chelsea a week or two later. I knew Terry for four decades. We met shortly after I arrived in Britain in the mid-Seventies as London correspondent for a Dublin news-paper. It was at the height of the Troubles in Ireland, when the IRA was committing appalling atrocities in our country's name (pictured together in 2013) Certainly, it was his last appearance before his fan club; his beloved TOGS or, as he termed them, Terry's Old Geezers and Gals. More than 200 of them had gathered to hear Terry reading from his new novel and being interviewed by me on stage. I had asked Terry to perform for the evening as a favour to a friend of mine who put on such events. It was a measure of his extraordinary generosity that he agreed. For Terry was clearly not well although none of us then knew quite how ill he was. He was accompanied by 'Lady Helen', a former model and the woman he always jokingly introduced as his 'present wife' but to whom he had been married for 50 years. And she was obviously concerned. Yet the old Wogan magic was still there. The moment the spotlight turned on him he was transformed. All weakness vanished as he jokingly asked about the Radio 2 breakfast show listeners who used to write to him under innuendo-laden pseudonyms trying to get him to read out their messages on air. 'Where is Helen Bach [hell and back], Edina Cloud [head in a cloud], Lucy Lastic [loose elastic] and Tess Tickles [no help needed]?' he cried. He always loved his food and drink. Many an hour did Terry, his friend Sir Peter O'Sullevan and myself find ourselves lunching together in a restaurant ordering too many bottles of fine wine. A devoted P. G. Wodehouse fan, Terry could recite whole chunks from his hero Jeeves after some claret (with wife, Helen, in 1993) The fans all of them in on the joke clapped and whistled like demented teenagers, though few were under 50. There was a palpable touch of love in the air. It was reciprocated. And as the atmosphere warmed up, Terry began to tell some of his more risque jokes: 'Man telephones incontinence clinic. Receptionist asks: 'Where are you ringing from?' He replies: 'From the waist down.' ' Terry talked for more than his allotted time, answering questions, peering through the lights into the audience to address his fans directly. He was reluctant to leave. And when it was over, he leant over to me on stage and grabbed my hand with a meaningful, unusually melancholic expression and said: 'You're a great man, John.' I knew Terry for four decades. We met shortly after I arrived in Britain in the mid-Seventies as London correspondent for a Dublin news-paper I am not. But he certainly was. Upstairs in the bar afterwards, he asked to sit down. 'I am very, very tired, John,' he told me. I only realised how ill Terry was when he pulled out of hosting the BBC's Children In Need In November. Whatever ailed him was clearly life-threatening, for he had always told me: 'I love Children In Need. It is my monument. I will never, ever retire from it.' Remarkably, in the decades he presented the telethon he helped raise hundreds of millions of pounds. I knew Terry for four decades. We met shortly after I arrived in Britain in the mid-Seventies as London correspondent for a Dublin news-paper. It was at the height of the Troubles in Ireland, when the IRA was committing appalling atrocities in our country's name. With bombs exploding in London, Birmingham and Coventry, with the senseless murders of Lord Mountbatten and others, it was not a good time to be Irish in Britain and that fact perhaps forged between us a sense of friendship and solidarity. Terry, intensely proud of his Irishness yet appalled by the IRA, managed brilliantly to deliver his top-of-the-morning Irish brogue in a way that, far from ostracising his listeners in those anti-Irish times, had them begging for more. He used to joke that it was a fluke he ever landed a job at the BBC. Already established in Irish radio and TV, he had sent a show-reel of his radio work to a BBC producer in Manchester. 'Like an eejit,' he told me, 'I had sent the reel back to front. Any other producer would have thrown it in the bin, but this man painstakingly rewound it and listened to my ramblings. Then he sent for me. It was the day that changed my life.' Terry enjoyed unashamedly the fruits of his success. Visit him at his home not far from Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, and he would joke about 'my neighbour, the Queen'. One day after he'd given up his daily morning show, I asked how he felt: 'I'm now in genteel retirement in the leafy Thames Valley enjoying the song of the blackbird and the mewing of the red kite that has taken over the skies hereabouts,' he replied, as if still broadcasting. Helen and the children meant the world to him. 'I've always taken risks with my career, but never with my family,' he said (pictured on their wedding day in 1979) Sir Terry pictured here appearing on The Morecambe and Wise show in 1980. A devoted P. G. Wodehouse fan, Terry could recite whole chunks from his hero Jeeves after some claret 'I make my wife a health-giving breakfast every morning, either walk or swim for half an hour a day, and look forward to a dry martini and Lady Wogan's matchless cooking as the shades of evening fall.' He always loved his food and drink. Many an hour did Terry, his friend Sir Peter O'Sullevan and myself find ourselves lunching together in a restaurant ordering too many bottles of fine wine. A devoted P. G. Wodehouse fan, Terry could recite whole chunks from his hero Jeeves after some claret. For pudding, Terry would be delighted if he found raspberry fool on the menu. 'I just adore raspberry eejit,' was one of his regular jokes. Peter usually brought along his late wife Patricia's pet Pekingese, Topo, which sat under the table. On one occasion when the restaurant air conditioning was on full blast, he wrapped the dog in a napkin. 'You pamper that dog, Peter,' Terry declared solemnly. Peter replied, rather huffily: 'But she's cold,' before insisting that I look after her while he went to the bookmaker. I only realised how ill Terry was when he pulled out of hosting the BBC's Children In Need In November. Whatever ailed him was clearly life-threatening, for he had always told me: 'I love Children In Need. It is my monument. I will never, ever retire from it' In the days before no-smoking bans, Terry would enjoy a fat Cuban cigar in the restaurant, a Monte-cristo No 4. While Peter excused himself between courses to pay visits to the bookies, Terry was wreathed in smoke. Anticipating our next restaurant encounter, he would joke: 'Even as we speak, Cuban doxies [ladies of the night] of unimaginable beauty are rolling my baccy between their golden thighs.' His last TV project was Terry And Mason's Great Food Trip: he and London cabbie Mason McQueen in a black cab on an Epicurean tour of Britain. I spent a day with Terry last summer in Sussex while it was being filmed. There was never any pretension about Terry, only a refreshingly honest pragmatism and a never-ending well of laughter (pictured with Madonna in 1991) 'We've had a full English breakfast followed by elevenses of lobster, fish finger sandwiches and eclairs,' he said as he greeted me. 'Then we taxied a few miles to Larkins Brewery in Edenbridge, had some of the famous pale ale followed by a shepherd's pie and the world's best marmalade. 'And when I arrived home I still asked my wife Lady Helen: "What's for dinner?"' Helen and the children meant the world to him. 'I've always taken risks with my career, but never with my family,' he said. 'If you want to keep everything about you secure and warm, you don't risk the things you value.' Terry was deeply upset ten years ago when most of Helen's valuable jewellery was stolen in a burglary at their home in Taplow. Soon afterwards, following a laughter-filled lunch at another restaurant where drink had been taken along with some roast beef (Terry's favourite and always well done) he offered me a lift back to my office in Kensington. 'I'm afraid I'll have to drop you at Butler & Wilson in South Kensington,' he told me after advising his chauffeur he had an extra passenger. Why was Terry visiting the well-known costume jewellers? 'I offered to replace all of Helen's jewellery,' he explained. But she insisted I should only get pretend baubles and they do very good pastiches of pieces. So if that's what Helen wants, that's what I will buy her.' There was never any pretension about Terry, only a refreshingly honest pragmatism and a never-ending well of laughter. When he called time on his Radio 2 breakfast show, he said: 'In our business there isn't an official retirement; far too many of us continue for far too long.' Those of us privileged to have called him a friend whether as TOGs or dining companions like me just wish he could have gone on for ever. Reflective: Sir Terry said he would travel to Dignitas if a terminal illness left him in agonising pain Veteran broadcaster Sir Terry said he would go to suicide clinic Dignitas if a terminal illness left him in agonising pain. He revealed just months ago how he would readily travel to Switzerland and was willing to confront the 'grim reaper'. In one of his final interviews, Wogan also admitted that he was 'clinging to the wreckage of his life'. His frank comments suggest he spent several months contemplating his mortality. He described the hugely contentious issue of euthanasia as a 'basic human right' and said he would travel to Switzerland if his ill health began to have an effect on his family and friends. 'I might go to Dignitas, if I was in enough pain and suffering and I was causing a lot of disruption and pain to everybody around me,' he said. With characteristically dry humour, he added: 'I don't know if I could be bothered getting on a plane and going to Switzerland. I'm very Irish about that. 'Can we not do this kind of thing at home? I would have thought it is a basic human right, but it is bound around by religious considerations.' The interview with the Mail on Sunday's Event magazine took place just weeks before the frail broadcaster turned up to a charity event and had so little energy he could only climb the stage with assistance. He said: 'My health seems OK, but I am 77 now. Things will go wrong. I am clinging to the wreckage.' In the wide-ranging interview, Sir Terry was also more willing to confront taboo subjects. He said a 'question mark' surrounded the licence fee at the BBC, where he worked for most his life. 'It's not a straightforward thing any more, broadcasting,' he said. 'It isn't a matter of having a national broadcaster.' Respected career: The broadcaster, pictured on the day he recorded his final breakfast show in 2009, said in one of his final interviews that a 'question mark' surrounded the licence fee at the BBC Royal favourite: Sir Terry beams as he receives an OBE from the Queen in 1997 THE TOGs IN MOURNING One group that will feel a deep sense of loss at Sir Terry Wogans death are his TOGs. The star coined the term which stood for Terrys Old Geezers or Gals to affectionately refer to his most loyal listeners. The group became a regular feature on his show, often submitting tall tales under cheeky monikers, such as Edina Cloud and Emma Roid. Sir Terry who referred to himself as The Togmeister embraced the fan club and regarded them as his friends. The Queen even identified herself as a secret member, once telling him during a meeting at Broadcasting House: Im a TOG. Playfully describing the key characteristics of a TOG, Sir Terry once said: Togginess is a state of mind recognised by many, as that feeling of being old before your time. Advertisement The Radio 2 star said it was 'accepted' at the BBC during the 60s and 70s that male colleagues would often inappropriately touch women. He said: 'Things were a bit different then. 'You can't justify what went on, but it was a lot more lax in the sense of the way men and women, boys and girls behaved towards each other.' Sir Terry also revealed that he had long realised that Jimmy Savile 'was not a real person'. 'You knew he was a rascal flash car, big cigar but on the other hand, whatever he did was masked by the fact that he raised massive amounts for charity,' he said. 'Prince Charles was taken in.' The Eurovision host also referred to Prince Philip's uncle Lord Mountbatten as a 'chancer' and a 'charlatan'. He later joked with the interviewer: 'Oh, don't say I said that, for God's sake. Her [the Queen's] husband will never speak to me again. The Duke of Edinburgh's a funny old boy.' A recent survey revealed one in ten people hallucinate their own death It can be 100 times more potent than marijuana and causes severe paranoia The death of NSW teenager Dean Shield has thrust synthetic drugs into the spotlight once again, shining a light on the adverse and often fatal reactions they can have. Mr Shield, 17, was found dead in a drain at Rutherford in the NSW Hunter Valley region on Saturday at about 8pm after allegedly smoking a strain of synthetic cannabis known as 'Chronic'. Police are concerned his death, and the hospitalisation of two of his friends, are directly linked to the ingestion of the drug. Scroll down for video There are fears synthetic cannabis products are still available in Australia despite being made illegal in 2013 Police have said they are concerned the death of NSW teenager Dean Shield, 17, was linked to his ingestion of a form of synthetic cannabis known as 'Chronic' Authorities have long been concerned about the misconceptions that imitation versions of the drug are somehow healthier or safer, which is leading to overdoses and deaths. Synthetic cannabis, or cannabinoids can be purchased online, at tobacconists, or in local herb or adult shops, and are around the same price per gram as marijuana. Professor Jan Copeland, the director of National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre at UNSW, said since its introduction into Australia more than a decade ago synthetic cannabis has become 'more and more lethal'. 'It's not cannabis, it's not a plant, it's powders and liquids... and it's not completely undetectable', Professor Copeland told Daily Mail Australia. She explained that the drug is shipped to Australia in powder form from 'typically clandestine drug labs in China', before being 'dissolved in acetone and sometimes coloured with jelly crystals'. The chemical concoction is then 'sprayed on to any kind of plant material', seldom the real marijuana plant. A number of the products were initially available legally in Australia, but in 2011, the Commonwealth classified eight synthetic cannabis-like substances as prohibited throughout Australia. 'Kronic' is one of the most widely known strains of synthetic cannabis Synthetic cannabis, or cannabinoids can be purchased online, at tobacconists, or in local herb or adult shops, and are around the same price per gram as marijuana 'Kronic' is one of the most widely known strains of synthetic cannabis. Police NSW teenager Dean Shield took 'Chronic', another form of the imitation drug in the hours before he died. Other products available in Australia that contain synthetic cannabinoids include Kalma, Marley, K2, Northern Lights, Voodoo, Kaos and Mango Kush. They do not contain THC, which is the key component in marijuana and the cannabis plant that get people 'high'. In 2013 new legislation was introduced that banned the sale of 'any drug that is said to mimic the effects of cannabis', so authorities were not having to constantly identify new chemical compounds before deeming them illegal. 'Pre-2013 it was widely available and sold in a variety of shops, particular sex shops and head shops, which are places where you buy drug using paraphernalia such as bongs and pipes,' Professor Copeland said. 'Now they are typically sourced from the internet, and also still some sex shops are selling them under the counter.' The drug can be 100 times more potent than marijuana and users can experience severe side-effects Synthetic versions of the drug do not contain THC, which is the key component in marijuana and the cannabis plant that get people 'high' She said the most dangerous part of these drugs are that they were never intended for human use, but instead developed by university students and pharmaceutical companies to test the effects of cannabnoids on rats. Because of this, and the fact that synthetic cannabis is five to 100 times more potent that it was a decade ago, users often experience severe side effects. 'The sorts of things that people report experiencing are agitation, panic and paranoia, while the worst of these are severe hallucinations,' Professor Copeland revealed. She said of a recent survey of 1100 people who had previously used synthetic cannabis, ten per cent 'reported having the hallucination that they died'. Kids Company founder Camila Batmanghelidjh had ministers 'in her thrall' and her 'powerful personality' allowed her to become an expert at controlling people, a senior Tory MP has said. Bernard Jenkin, chairman of the influential Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC), said the controversial charity boss deliberately prevented information reaching trustees - including ministers. A report published by the committee today urged the BBC to reopen its investigation into Alan Yentob, the former chairman of Kids Company, after he was accused of 'deliberately intimidating' corporation staff during the collapse of the scandal-hit charity. Scroll down for video Anger: An MP has called for the BBC to reopen its investigation into Alan Yentob's conduct during the collapse of Kids Company, which he helped run with Camila Batmanghelidjh, pictured together last year MPs have been accused of 'political timidity' because they let David Cameron off the hook over the collapse of Kids Company The MPs said his meddling in the BBC's coverage of Kids Company had been 'unwise at best, and deliberately intimidating at worst'. And they said BBC bosses were too slow to take action against Mr Yentob. In a damning assessment of Batmanghelidjh, Mr Jenkin told the Today programme: 'The founder of this charity was a very, very powerful personality, who had a very, very big vision and she became expert at controlling the people around her and even the trustees were in her thrall to an extent. 'And I think she prevented information reaching them, trustees of course appoint their own people to be trustees there was nobody on the trustees, for example, who was a serious expert in the youth sector. YENTOB SAVAGED BUT STILL HOLDS SENIOR BBC BROADCASTING ROLE Alan Yentob's meddling in the BBC's coverage of Kids Company was 'unwise at best, and deliberately intimidating at worst,' MPs said The Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee singled out Alan Yentob for particular criticism in a damning assessment of the events that led to the collapse of Kids Company. 'Mr Yentob denied historic failures in financial management and insisted that there were no questions about the financial resilience of Kids Company until 2014,' it said. 'Given the charity's historic hand-to-mouth existence, its continual failure to build up reserves, significant periods on the brink of insolvency and its inability to meet its obligations to HMRC, this is an inaccurate and alarming interpretation. 'The evidence Mr Yentob gave to the committee suggests a lack of proper attention to his duties as chair of trustees and a continuing inability to recognise those failures. 'With his fellow trustees he was unwilling or unable to impose sufficient control. Together, they failed to exercise their proper function.' On the alleged conflict of interest with his BBC role, the report said: 'Mr Yentob acknowledges his poor judgment in respect of his position at the BBC during the summer of 2015. 'His actions were unwise at best, and deliberately intimidating at worst. He has since resigned his main position at the BBC but he still retains substantial responsibilities within the organisation and oversees substantial budgets. 'It is not within the remit of this committee to comment on the governance of the BBC, but the proper governance of conflicts of interest and standards of behaviour - particularly amongst its senior executives - is a very serious matter for any reputable organisation. 'That a senior figure could act in this way and it could take so long for action to be taken reflects poorly on the BBC's leadership.' Advertisement Accusing the charity's trustees of negligence, he added: 'People sometimes chose trustees to be very nice and well-motivated people, but who dont necessarily have expertise in the sector theyre dealing with.' Mr Jenkin suggested that allegations of sexual abuse in the charity - which ultimately did not lead to any prosecutions - were 'the straw that broke the camel's back' and led to the charity losing its reputation. His comments came as Paul Flynn, a Labour member of the PACAC committee, claimed Mr Yentob was granted 'absolution by resignation' after a conspiracy at the top of the BBC. Mr Yentob, who has a 6.5million pension pot, was forced to quit his 183,000 creative director job in December after he apologised for intervening in the BBC's reporting of the charity's demise on three occasions. Despite keeping his 150,000-a-year job presenting the Imagine arts series the BBC Trust then dropped its probe claiming it would no longer be 'proportionate, appropriate or cost effective'. Mr Flynn told The Times: 'The BBC and Yentob have got together and done a face-saving move to avoid a full investigation. He should be held to account'. The savaging of the former BBC executive came in a report detailing the 'extraordinary catalogue of failures' that led to the collapse of Kids Company. After Kids Company went bust last year Mr Yentob had repeatedly resisted calls to quit and said in October claims he would quit were 'ridiculous and completely untrue'. But in December he resigned as BBC creative director after admitting claims he meddled during the Kids Company scandal became a 'serious distraction'. Mr Yentob, who was chairman of Kids Company at the time, was accused of interfering with the BBC's coverage of the failed charity on at least three separate occasions. He telephoned Newsnight before they ran their initial report on Kids Company's financial mismanagement. The following morning, he accompanied the charity's founder, Camila Batmanghelidjh, to an interview on the Today programme. Then, more than a month later - and after the initial controversy - Mr Yentob telephoned Radio 4 presenter Ed Stourton, 45 minutes before he was due to go on World At One with an item about Kids Company. Mr Yentob has previously admitted the interventions and said he 'regrets' any intimidation to BBC journalists, but insisted that he did not compromise the BBC's editorial independence. The BBC carried out their own investigation and found he had not influenced BBC journalism. But today MPs sharply criticised the ex Kids Company chairman Alan Yentob was sharply criticised by MPs. The committee's report branded the charity's trustees as 'negligent', and expressed alarm that BBC grandee Mr Yentob failed to acknowledge many of the errors that led up to the collapse. '[He] denied historic failures in financial management and insisted that there were no questions about the financial resilience of Kids Company until 2014,' the report said. 'The evidence Mr Yentob gave suggests a lack of proper attention to his duties as chair of trustees and an inability to recognise those failures.' The report accused ministers of stimulating this habit, by allowing Camila Batmanghelidjh, Kids Company's colourful founder, 'unique, privileged and significant access' to the top tiers of Government The MPs also said that his meddling in the BBC's coverage of Kids Company had been 'unwise at best, and deliberately intimidating at worst'. And they said BBC bosses were too slow to take action against Mr Yentob. But the corporation said in a statement: 'As we've said before, BBC News considered whether Alan Yentob had influenced the BBC's journalism on the reporting of Kids Company and they concluded that he did not. 'The BBC led the way in reporting this story and our journalism has been impartial.' Mr Yentob has repeatedly defended his huge pay packets over the years saying the BBC is right to pay its stars high salaries to allow it to compete with its commercial rivals - and insisted he would get more elsewhere. When asked about his two jobs he claimed previously they are 'half salaries not double salaries' and said critics focussed on him because he is easy to take the p*** out of. Famous friends: Mr Yentob will continue to present his 150,000-a-year job presenting Imagine - pictured here on the arts show with singer Rod Stewart HOW ALAN YENTOB CONFRONTED BBC COLLEAGUES OVER KIDS COMPANY FUNDING SCANDAL Alan Yentob was forced to apologise after repeated clashes with BBC colleagues over Kids Company His first intervention came when he called Newsnight on July 2 as it was preparing to reveal that the Government was withholding 3million of funding from Kids Company, which folded on Wednesday. The following day he turned up uninvited at Radio 4's Today studio as charity founder Camila Batmanghelidjh was interviewed. On the Thursday he tore into BBC News special correspondent Lucy Manning ahead of an investigation into allegations of abuse at the charity, but he later apologised. Then, more than a month later - and after the initial controversy - Mr Yentob telephoned Radio 4 presenter Ed Stourton, 45 minutes before he was due to go on World At One with an item about Kids Company. Mr Yentob insisted there is no conflict of interest because he does not have control over BBC News. 'I'm not remotely considering my position at the BBC. I don't think I've in any way abused my position at the BBC,' he said in October. Mr Yentob admitted the interventions and said he 'regrets' any intimidation to BBC journalists, but insisted that he did not compromise the BBC's editorial independence. The BBC faced mounting pressure to axe Mr Yentob, amid concerns that he has abused his position at the corporation to promote Kids Company, and that his failures as chairman have now made him 'toxic by association'. Among the most embarrassing episodes, was the 'hysterical' letter signed by Mr Yentob and sent to ministers as the charity was negotiating for more Government funding. It warned that without Kids Company there could be 'arson attacks' on Government buildings, rioting in the streets and 'savagery' in parts of Britain. However, Mr Yentob compounded the embarrassment when he told MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee that a boy had been murdered because of the charity's collapse. Advertisement MPs have been accused of 'political timidity' because they let David Cameron off the hook over the collapse of Kids Company. In an otherwise scathing report they criticised Kids Company's trustees, ministers and the charities watchdog for the charity's failure. But the MPs, who investigated its collapse, did not put the Prime Minister under the microscope, despite claims he was 'mesmerised' by its leader. The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee report, to be published today, found that Kids Company existed 'on a knife edge', relying upon 'wishful thinking and false optimism' that the Government would forever give it handouts. And it accused ministers of stimulating this habit, by allowing Camila Batmanghelidjh, Kids Company's colourful founder, 'unique, privileged and significant access' to the top tiers of Government. But even though the committee admitted that Miss Batmanghelidjh had special access to Downing Street, it did not call Mr Cameron or his representatives as witnesses. Now, in an unusual move, one member of the cross-party committee, Labour MP Paul Flynn, has disowned the report. He accused his colleagues of 'political timidity' for failing to summon Mr Cameron as a witness. 'It was quite clear from the evidence that the support of the Prime Minister meant that despite misgivings from officials and other ministers, Miss Batmanghelidjh could not be refused,' he said. The Prime Minister has previously been accused of embracing Miss Batmanghelidjh as the poster girl for his 'Big Society' agenda. He also shared political platforms with her, while his wife, Samantha, feted her as an 'inspiration'. The charity, which aimed to support deprived and vulnerable inner-city children, received 46million of government funding over 13 years including 3million days before it collapsed last August. The Commons committee admitted in its report: 'Ms Batmanghelidjh and Kids Company appeared to captivate some of the most senior political figures in the land.' It added: 'The privileged access [and] numerous 'special grants' appear to have distorted the expectations of the charity's leadership and undermined the warnings issued by Government that funding might not continue.' But despite clear links between Downing Street and the Government's largesse with Kids Company, the committee did not question Mr Cameron. Its chairman, Bernard Jenkin, said it was not his committee's job to do so. That would be a job for the liaison committee, another Commons body. 'Now that the report is out, it is up to the liaison committee to decide whether they want to rake it up with the Prime Minister,' he said. On Wednesday, a bombshell fly-on-the-wall BBC documentary will show Miss Batmanghelidjh branding ministers 'bastards' and admitting that she would 'stretch' the law if necessary. Donald Trump mistook the communion plate for the collection plate as he attended a non-denomination church in Iowa. Trump attended services in the non-denominational First Christian Orchard Campus in Council Bluffs with his wife, Melania, and two members of staff. The billionaire took communion when it was passed, but initially he mistook the silver plates being circulated around the auditorium, and dug several bills out of his pocket. 'I thought it was for offering,' he said with a laugh to his staff. Melania correctly took a communion wafer from the plate during the service, which the couple attended before a campaign rally. Scroll down for videos Confident: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as he and wife, Melania, pause for photos at a rally Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Campaign as a couple: The Trumps attended church before being seen on stage together in Council Bluffs At the end of the service, Trump received a blessing from a pastor, bowing his head and saying: 'Thank you I need that.' The pastor later told local broadcaster WMDH that he prayed 'that Jesus would guide his decisions and that only Christ could guide his decisions'. The weekend had seen the candidates fanning out across the state. Trump was using the church visit as part of an effort to convince conservative religious voters to back him at the caucuses. The Republican religious base is seen as crucial to victory in the state and Trump has been keen to burnish his credentials - overcoming the apparent disadvantages of being three-times married and from New York by speaking of his love of the Bible and being seen at church. He has described the Bible as his favorite book - ahead of The Art of the Deal. He attended a midnight mass at an Episcopalian church near his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida But it has not been without gaffes, including calling St Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians 2 Corinthians incorrectly. However his religious push earned him the endorsement of Jerry Falwell Jnr, the president of Liberty University and son of the tele-evangelist. His main rival for the religious vote has been Ted Cruz, the Texas senator whose father is a preacher and who has visited churches across the state to push his case for the caucus. Speaking of God: Ted Cruz spoke on Saturday in Hamlin, Iowa, of the need to 'awaken the body of Christ' to loud cheers Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, right, signs his autograph as he is joined by wife, Melania, at a rally Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) At a stop on 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. The caucuses will provide a big test of whether the large enthusiastic crowds turning out at rallies for Trump and Sanders will turn into actual votes when Iowans gather on a wintry night for meetings at schools, libraries and even private homes in the first in a series of state-by-state nominating contests. Iowa offers only a small contingent of the delegates who will determine the nominees at each party's national nominating convention in July. But those candidates exceeding expectations will gain a burst of momentum heading into New Hampshire with its Feb. 9 primary and other early voting states. The caucus results should also help winnow the crowded Republican field of nearly a dozen candidates. A snowfall forecast to start Monday night appeared more likely to hinder the presidential contenders in their rush out of Iowa and on to New Hampshire than the voters. In the last major preference poll before the caucuses, Trump, the billionaire real estate mogul, had the support of 28 percent of likely caucus-goers, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 23 percent and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 15 percent. The Iowa Poll, published by The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg, also found Hillary 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, who describes himself as a 'consistent conservative,' is relying on a strong get-out-the-vote operation to overtake Trump, who is hoping his star power will boost turnout among nontraditional caucus participants. 'I don't have to win' in Iowa, Trump said, before adding that he believes he has 'a good chance' of victory. Rubio pitched himself as the pragmatic choice for Republicans who want to win the November election. Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a campaign event at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Cheryl Tester, left, holds a homemade sign before watching Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speak at a campaign event at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City, Iowa, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, accompanied by her daughter Chelsea Clinton, reacts to applause as she arrives for a rally at Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks during a campaign rally, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) On the Democratic side, Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont who caucuses with the Democrats, is depending on enthusiastic young voters to turn up in greater numbers at the caucuses. Clinton has more support among older voters who regularly show up for the caucuses. 'People are really enthusiastic, and if people come out to vote, I think you're going to look at one of the biggest political upsets in the modern history of our country,' Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, told CNN's 'State of the Union.' Sanders' campaign sought to claim financial momentum, saying it has raised $20 million in January, largely from small donors, suggesting he will continue to match front-runner Clinton's vast resources. Clinton, the former Secretary of State, said she had been subjected to 'years of scrutiny, and I'm still standing.' On ABC's 'This Week,' she said, 'I feel vetted. I feel ready. I feel strong, and I think I'm the best person to be the nominee and to defeat whoever they nominate in November.' Several Republican candidates attended church services Sunday in part, a testament to the influence that evangelical Christians wield in the Republican contest. Cruz said on 'Fox News Sunday' that he's attracting 'the old Reagan coalition' ranging from anti-establishment conservatives to working-class Democrats. The Texas senator directed most of his final advertising against Rubio as the senators' feud intensified at the Iowa finish line. Cruz took to the airwaves to challenge the conservative credentials of Rubio. One ad said of Rubio: 'Tax hikes. Amnesty. The Republican Obama.' Rubio countered on CNN that Cruz is 'always looking to take whatever position it takes to win votes or raise money.' Later, campaigning in Cedar Falls, Rubio downplayed differences among the Republican hopefuls, casting himself as the party's best hope against the Democrats. 'It's not just about who you like the most. It's about who gives us the best chance of winning. That matters,' Rubio said at the University of Northern Iowa. Peter Day applied for an extra five years to lower his monthly repayments because he wanted to be able to pay for a wedding if his daughter got married A father who tried to extend his mortgage to pay for his daughters wedding has been compensated in a landmark ruling after a bank turned him down for being too old. Peter Day is believed to be the first victim of ageism to have a complaint upheld by the Banking Ombudsman. He was 59 and close to paying off his mortgage when he applied for an extra five years to lower his monthly repayments. But the former banker who has three final salary pensions ready for retirement said he was appalled when the Co-operative Bank refused. The ethical bank has now been censured for ageism and ordered to pay Mr Day close to 2,000 in compensation. The ruling could set a precedent for thousands of others refused financial services on age grounds. Mr Day, now 61, said last night: It was clearly age discrimination as paying the money back and my current financial position were clearly no problem. The management consultant said he was three years from paying off the entire mortgage when he made the application in 2014. He said he wanted to delay repaying the five figure sum to put money aside in case his daughter Emily, 29, ever got married. But the father of three, of Prestbury, Cheshire, was stunned when the bank refused due to his age. Mr Day, who also held current and savings accounts with the bank, said: The bank had every opportunity to assess my affordability. They had not taken into account that I was a good existing customer. The Co-op has a responsibility to treat customers fairly. I find it appalling that organisations set their stall out to treat customers fairly and do not carry through in terms of their policy. Mr Day, who was head of banking and savings operations for Nationwide building society in the 1990s, said he decided to take on the Co-op via the ombudsman for the sake of other customers. Mr Day, married to wife Gill, 59, said: If you set out your stall to be customercentric, the customer should be everything. I have been in banking and financial services all my career and I always tried to focus on the customer. If a complaint from a customer landed on my desk I would pick up the phone straight away to the customer and try to sort it out with them. Former banker said he was appalled when the Co-operative Bank refused. The ethical bank has now been censured for ageism and ordered to pay Mr Day close to 2,000 in compensation The Financial Ombudsman overruled the Co-ops decision and ordered the bank to pay 500 compensation plus the 1,389 it cost Mr Day to switch to another lender. In the ruling the ombudsman said: The Co-op hasnt shown me that it did act fairly or within the terms of the Equality Act . . . My overall conclusion [is] that the Co-op didnt treat Mr Day fairly. The Co-op Bank said it has since changed its policy and extended its maximum age limit for mortgage repayment from 68 to 75. Google funnels billions of pounds through Bermuda to avoid tax, a senior figure at the firm admitted yesterday. In a series of candid comments, Peter Barron also said the company set up its headquarters in Ireland because it had a low level of corporation tax. And he did not deny the suggestion that the firm amasses its non-US profits in the British overseas territory of Bermuda in the Caribbean to avoid having to pay high rates of corporation tax in America. Scroll down for video Peter Barron, pictured, said Google has funneled billions of pounds through Bermuda to avoid tax bills Googles parent company Alphabet is expected to announce today that it has amassed 30billion of profits from non-US sales in Bermuda. Around a tenth of this 3billion will be profits generated in the UK. The intervention by Mr Barron, Googles vice president for communications, comes after Chancellor George Osborne was attacked for hailing a UK tax settlement with the US technology firm as a major success while critics dismissed it as derisory. The firm agreed to pay only 130million in back taxes on an estimated 7.2billion of profits over the past decade. Sajid Javid, the Business Secretary, yesterday admitted the deal with HMRC wasnt a glorious moment and said he agreed with small businesses who told him there was a sense of injustice with the deal. It also emerged yesterday that the Government had ordered Tory MEPs to vote against a proposed EU crackdown on Bermuda, which has a 0 per cent corporation tax rate. Google has no office and no staff on Bermuda. Its presence is said to amount to little more than a plain PO Box numbered 666. Appearing on BBC1s Andrew Marr Show, Mr Barron said it was difficult to work out exactly how much corporation tax a global firm should pay in the UK. Corporation tax is not on sales or revenues, he said. Corporation tax is on profits and identifying what the profit is in the UK is quite a business. Asked why Google sends its UK taxes to Ireland, he replied: When we took the business international in the early 2000s, we then decided to set up our European headquarters in Dublin. Google's presence in Bermuda is limited to one post box numbered 666, detailed above Asked if corporation tax was a reason for this, he said: Absolutely. Governments put tax incentives in place to attract technology companies to their shores the British Government does, the Dutch government does. Its a very, very common practice. So when anybody buys advertising from Google in Europe they buy it in Dublin. Now Google UKs relationship in that is slightly different. What Google UK does is that we contract our services to the parent company, to Google Inc and to Google Ireland. We are a subsidiary. Mr Barron also did not dismiss suggestions that 3billion of the 30billion profits to be announced in Bermuda today would be from the UK. But he said that the money in Bermuda had already been taxed in Europe, so had no relevance to Google UKs tax bills. The Bermuda arrangement has absolutely no bearing on the amount of tax that we pay in the UK. No bearing whatsoever, he said. He added: In the UK we pay corporation tax at 20 per cent. Theres no sweetheart deal. It is absolutely the same corporation tax rate as everybody else, 20 per cent on the activities that go on. Mr Barron appeared on the Andrew Marr Show to answer question's on the firm's recent tax controversy On the same programme Mr Javid was asked if he agreed it was unfair that a large corporation such as Google could speak directly with the Government and HMRC about its tax affairs while small and medium businesses did not have that option. He replied: I speak with thousands of companies, small and medium sized as well as large companies, and there is a sense of injustice with what they see. I share the sort of sense of unfairness that exists. It emerged yesterday that Tory MEPs were ordered to vote against EU moves to clamp down on the use of Bermuda as a tax haven. Treasury ministers told the European Commission they are strongly opposed to placing the island on an official blacklist. A spokesman for Mr Osborne said ministers opposed the plan because they believed such moves should be taken by national governments. Last night a Google spokesman said: After a six-year audit by the tax authority we are paying the amount of tax that HMRC agrees we should pay. Sir Terry was the voice on the school run, morning after morning. Imagine how it felt for me, thirty years later, to join Wogans station and be able to get to know the man in person A tube strike once prompted me to run into work. On went the barely used tracksuit bottoms and a faded T-shirt. Shattered by the end, I just about made the six miles from my home in West London across Hyde Park to the Radio 2 building at Oxford Circus. Out of breath and bathed in sweat, I stumbled into BBC reception. To my embarrassment, as I waited for the lift, another figure joined me Sir Terry Wogan, on his way to present the breakfast show, wearing a perfectly pressed cream linen suit. The two of us got into the cramped elevator. Me sweaty; him cool as a cucumber, carrying his leather briefcase. Terry was going to his sixth-floor studio, and I was about to press the lift button for the second floor when I looked at my watch. Good grief, Terry, I said. Its 28 minutes past. Youre on the air in two minutes. He replied: Yes, Im early this morning. Concerned that stopping for my floor might make him late, I said we should go straight to the sixth, so he can get out of the lift first. Fine by me! he said cheerfully in that famous baritone. He exited at the sixth and I went down to my office and turned on the radio. The news ended, the jingle played and the voice we all knew so well said: Hello, its Terry Wogan. He then told his listeners You know, one of the great things about a Tube strike is that you get to meet your colleagues in the strangest places. So in the lift this morning, there was Jeremy Vine. Just finished a six-mile run from Hammersmith. And believe me here he paused, as if inhaling deeply you could tell. Standing in my office, I remember thinking: that is the genius of Wogan. He arrived to do his breakfast show with seconds to spare and the first link is something that happened in the lift. And the subtlety, too he never said: Vine was drenched in sweat and he ponged something terrible. He just stopped for an instant as if finally able to breathe fresh air, and the point was made. I first heard him on the breakfast show when I was nine years old. I vividly recall him playing Waterloo by Abba on a tiny transistor radio in the kitchen before school. He was the voice on the school run too, morning after morning. Imagine how it felt for me, thirty years later, to join Wogans station and be able to get to know the man in person. What can I say about him? If you ever heard or watched Wogan, there is not much I can add: you already knew him. The Wogan I met was courteous and friendly, as well as hugely encouraging to the new boy on Radio 2 (which he did not have to be). A person cannot do half a century at the top of broadcasting if they have two different selves, one for the show and one for the rest of life. Wogans kindness and sincerity were real. A person cannot do half a century at the top of broadcasting if they have two different selves, one for the show and one for the rest of life. Wogans kindness and sincerity were real When the Queen visited Broadcasting House in the Nineties, there was a beautiful moment. How long have you worked here? she asked Terry, who was part of the official welcome. He replied: Your Majesty, Ive never worked here. It was a nod to the beautiful chaos of the BBC (his longest-running jokes were at the expense of the management), but also to the love Terry felt for his job. Which was not a job at all. There is a strong argument that he was the greatest music broadcaster since the invention of the microphone. His fame was partly through television, but TV is obsessed with what is new; radio thrives on continuity. In TV, you need one show to make history; in radio, it is ten thousand. Radio gave Terry longevity and it was the innate intimacy of the medium that caused him to be so loved. For me, it all boiled down to an answer Terry gave when someone asked him how many people listened to his breakfast programme. At the time it was breaking records and he could easily have said nine million. But his answer was: Only one. A drummer playing at a country music venue in Nashville, Tennessee, crashed through a window and broke a rib during a particularly enthusiastic performance, only to get back up and finish the set. Stan 'Stanimal' Saxon, who has been performing with the Don Kelley Band since 2013, stood up and put some elbow grease into the climax of the classic Western song, 'Ghost Riders in the Sky' on Friday night. Video footage captured Saxon lifting his left leg before he lost his balance and fell backwards, crashing through the glass window onto pedestrians. Scroll down for video Drummer Stan Saxon (pictured) was playing a spirited rendition of the classic Western song, 'Ghost Riders in the Sky', when he fell through a window on Friday and broke a rib Saxon, pictured in the bottom left corner wearing a white hat as he falls through the window, was pulled backwards by his ear monitor. He fell about six feet and hit three people who were waiting outside Saxon told WKRN: 'My ear monitor pulled me back. It felt like somebody grabbed me by the shirt and yanked me to the ground. 'It was like the window wasn't even there. The next thing I knew I was looking up at shards of glass going: "How did I get here?"' Patrick Harrigan, who was visiting the city from Chicago, said he was waiting outside the venue with another couple when Saxon suddenly landed on them in a shower of broken glass. Harrigan told the news channel: 'What was amazing was how nonchalant everyone was. The drummer just picked up his drum, put it back in the window, walked back in and we shook the glass off.' The woman standing next to him suffered minor cuts, but they were otherwise uninjured. Saxon finished the three-and-a-half-hour set, and then went on to play for another four hours at a venue across the street. Formed in 1981, the Don Kelley Band (pictured) is credited for reviving the country music scene in Nashville, Tennessee, drawing tourists to their lively performances On Saturday morning, he found out that the six-foot fall cracked his left rib, but the drummer refused to be held back and returned to the stage that night. Formed in 1981, the Don Kelley Band frequently performs at Robert's Western World. Both the band and the 'honky-tonk' bar are credited with attracting crowds to the Lower Broadway district, which is now famous for its country music venues. On his LinkedIn page, the drummer states he started playing the instrument when he was five-years-old. He has played in several bands, works as a session musician, and is also listed as a record producer. The band frequently performs at Robert's Western World, a 'honky-tonk' bar in Lower Broadway, Nashville The wife of one of three inmates who escaped from their Orange County jail last week had helped authorities put him behind bars in the first place by luring him out of Iran, it has been revealed. Cortney Shegerian, 29, was married to Hossein Nayeri, 37, who is accused of torturing a man who ran a licensed marijuana dispensary in Santa Ana in 2012. When investigators realized he had fled to Iran, they thought it would be nearly impossible to extradite him from there to the U.S. to face trial. Shegerian helped authorities by tricking Nayeri into the Czech Republic, an extradition-friendly country, the LA Times reported. Scroll down for video Cortney Shegerian, 29 (left), helped authorities put Hossein Nayeri, 37, behind bars, by tricking him out of Iran into the Czech Republic, an extradition-friendly country, in 2013. Prosecutors say Nayeri tortured a man who ran a marijuana dispensary in Santa Ana in 2012 Nayeri was escorted back to the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, Orange County, yesterday (pictured) Nayeri burned his victim with a butane torch, beat him with a pistol and a rubber hose and ordered another suspect to cut off the man's penis during the 2012 attack, prosecutors say. Prosecutor Heather Brown compared him to cannibalistic movie villain Hannibal Lecter and said he was 'sophisticated, incredibly violent and cunning' in an interview with the Orange County Register. Shegerian admitted she had helped her husband carry out surveillance on his victim, police said during a preliminary hearing. She drove Nayeri to the man's home, where he had installed surveillance cameras, Newport Beach police Sergeant Ryan Peters told the LA Times. Shegerian also drove her husband to the home of his victim's parents and once made poisoned hamburger patties for the parents' dog as it was too loud, Peters said. She heard Nayeri practice using a butane torch in the garage and he borrowed her pink Taser, he added. The 29-year-old, who now works as an employment rights attorney at a Santa Monica firm, cooperated with investigators in the months leading to Nayeri's arrest. She communicated with him by email and by phone, and after months of conversations recorded by authorities, she tricked him out of Iran. Jonathan Tieu, 20 (left), and Bac Duong, 43 (right), escaped the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana with Nayeri and are now back in detention. Tieu was found with Nayeri and Duong turned himself in the day before Nooshafarian Ravaghi, who taught English as a second language to inmates, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of helping the three men escape Nayeri agreed to meet her in Spain against the promise of a vacation, cash and an iPhone. His plane made a stop in the Czech Republic, an extradition-friendly country, where FBI agents arrested him in November 2013. Shegerian, who hasn't been charged with a crime, married Nayeri in 2010 and filed for divorce in 2014. Their marriage was eventually annulled on the basis of bigamy, as a Los Angeles judge found that Nayeri hadn't ended a previous marriage with another woman in Iran. Nayeri went back behind bars yesterday along with escapee Jonathan Tieu, 20, after someone saw their stolen white van and alerted the police. Bac Duong, 43, the third man who escaped the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, had given himself up 24 hours before. Shegerian had to go into hiding during Nayeri's eight-day escape as authorities feared he would seek revenge on her. On Thursday, Nooshafarian Ravaghi, who taught English as a second language to inmates, was arrested on suspicion of helping the three men get out. Advertisement These haunting images show health workers fumigating homes, schools and graveyards as South American officials desperately try to limit the spread of the Zika virus, which was today declared a global health emergency. The World Health Organisation said the outbreak should be considered a 'public health emergency of international concern', putting the mosquito-borne disease in the same category as ebola, which killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa. Experts were called in to assess the Zika outbreak after noting a link between its arrival in Brazil last year and a surge in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads. WHO officials have predicted that as many as four million people could be infected with the virus this year. Scroll down for video A health worker fumigates a cemetery on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, as part of measures to prevent the spread of the Zika virus With no vaccine or cure, officials are hoping preventative measures, such as fumigation, will help save lives as the virus spreads. Right, a health worker empties a makeshift flower vase in the Peruvian graveyard while searching for mosquito larvae Health workers have been sent out to fumigate areas around Lima. Peru has become the 23rd country to report a case of the virus WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan warned about the outbreak today. Right, Five-month-old David Henrique Ferreira, who was born with microcephaly, is held by his mother Mylene Helena Ferreira on a bus after a doctor's appointment in Pernambuco state, Brazil Smoke fills a classroom at a school in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, as officials try to stop the spread of the Zika virus The alert was recommended by a committee of independent experts to the United Nations agency, following criticism of a hesitant response so far. The move should help fast-track international action and research priorities. The committee advised that the association between the virus and microcephaly - a condition where the child has an underdeveloped brain - constitutes an 'extraordinary event'. Calling the spread an extraordinary event, she said the level of alarm is extremely high. WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan said the causal relationship between infection during pregnancy and microcephaly in babies is 'strongly suspected' but not yet scientifically proven. Pregnant women have been warned not to travel to infected areas. Brazil yesterday urged mothers-to-be to avoid this summers Olympics in Rio because of the virus. Cabinet chief Jaques Wagner said: It is clearly not advisable for you [to come] because you dont want to take that risk. Many Britons are also cancelling holidays ahead of the birth of their children known as babymoons because of health fears, it emerged yesterday. London estate agents Nadiye Morgan, 30, and her husband, Benedict Gannon, 31, said they had no hesitation cancelling their 4,000 trip to Barbados next month. Law graduate Miss Morgan, who is 19 weeks pregnant, told the London Evening Standard: We were really looking forward to it, but we were not going to put our unborn baby at risk for the sake of a holiday. We are seriously worried about the birth defects the virus has been linked to, and with no cure and no vaccine its very worrying. Krystle Jones, 28, who is 11 weeks pregnant with her third child, cancelled her 3,000 honeymoon to Mexico in April. She said: When I heard about it I said, theres absolutely no way Im putting my baby at risk like that. Its heartbreaking because wed been saving for the honeymoon for a year. Mrs Jones, from Watford, added: You wouldnt be able to have fun anyway as youd be worried the whole time. A family huddles together outside their house on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, as the property is fumigated by health workers A man fumigates a classroom in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, one of the 23 countries that have reported cases of the virus Smoke fills the room as the official continues his work to stop the spread of the virus, which has been declared a global health emergency Another health worker in the Honduran capital checks behind a curtain to make sure as many mosquitoes as possible are wiped out Pregnant women wait to be checked by doctors at the 'Alonso Suazo' clinic in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras Dr Chan called for a coordinated international response to investigate and understand the relationship between the virus and the condition. Patterns of spread of the virus, the lack of vaccines and reliable diagnostic tests are also cause for concern, Dr Chan added. 'After a review of the evidence the committee advised that the clusters of microcephaly and other neurological complications constitute an extraordinary event and a public health threat to other parts of the world,' she said. 'In their view a coordinated international response is needed to minimise the threat in effected countries and reduce the risk of further international spread. 'Members of the committee agree that the situation meets the conditions for a public health emergency of international concern.' The UN health agency warned last week that the mosquito-borne disease was 'spreading explosively' in the Americas. Making the announcement, Dr Chan said she had accepted the advice. 'I am now declaring that the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in Latin America, following a similar cluster in French Polynesia in 2014, constitutes a public health emergency of international concern,' she said. Experts also fear the warm weather system El Nino will fuel the outbreak by increasing the mosquito population. Brazil sounded the alarm in October, when a rash of microcephaly cases emerged in the northeast. Since then, there have been 270 confirmed cases and 3,448 suspected cases, up from 147 in 2014. There are also growing fears for the Rio Olympics in August, with female athletes saying they may not compete over concerns of contracting the illness. There are fears that the virus - which has spread to 23 countries - is being passed to humans via the common mosquito, as some say El Nino is playing a factor into the rapid spread of it. WHO has announced a 'global public health emergency' and called for a global public response. The announcement comes as a health worker fumigates a house as residents wait outside during a campaign against the Zika virus at Carabayllo district on the outskirts of Lima, in Peru The announcement by the global health body comes as experts predict four million people could be infected with it this year. Infection during pregnancy and microcephaly in babies, like five-month-old David Henrique Ferreira pictured with mother Mylene, is 'strongly suspected' Zika has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains in Brazil. Women in Britain have been warned by Public Health England (PHE) to consider avoiding travel to areas where Zika is active. In a briefing to the WHO's executive board, Dr Chan said the organization was 'deeply concerned'. 'Arrival of the virus in some places has been associated with a steep increase in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads and in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome,' Dr Chan stated. 'A causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth malformations and neurological syndromes has not yet been established, but is strongly suspected. 'The possible links, only recently suspected, have rapidly changed the risk profile of Zika, from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions. 'The increased incidence of microcephaly is particularly alarming, as it places a heart-breaking burden on families and communities.' Alice Bezerra, who has microcephaly, is held by her mother Nadja Cristina Gomes Bezerra in Recife, Brazil 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 on the scale of Ebola Dr Chan said the WHO was concerned there could be potential for further international spread of the virus, and was worried about the lack of immunity to the virus in newly-affected areas. At present, there are no vaccines, specific treatments or rapid diagnostic tests for it, she added. Weather conditions associated with this year's El Nino are also expected to increase the mosquito population in many areas, she said. 'Meteorological factors certainly play an important role in determining the global range of the virus-transmitting Aedes (aegypti species of) mosquitoes and how competently they can transmit a virus,' Andrew Monaghan, a research scientist at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, told CNN. El Nino typically brings warmer temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns to South America while creating conditions that can help mosquito populations and the diseases they carry to thrive, CNN reported. 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 According to the United Nations, El Nino can cause an 'increase in vector-borne diseases including dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus due to increased mosquito vectors.' On Wednesday, Dr Dipti Patel, director at National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC), said: 'All travelers, especially pregnant women going to an area with active Zika virus transmission should ensure they seek travel health advice from their GP or a travel clinic well in advance of their trip and consult the NaTHNaC website for up to date information on current outbreaks and country information. 'We strongly advise all travelers 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.' The growing international health emergency around Zika could scare athletes and fans from coming to South America's first Olympics as organizers prepare for hundreds of thousands of visitors. Amid growing concerns, athletes say they are considering staying away from the Games. Cuba's gold medalist Lisette Hechevarria (left) competes with Brazil's Aline Silva, IN the women's wrestling Greco-Roman 72 kg at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, IN 2011. Silva has had the dengue fever twice. She says she's not taking any chances with the Zika virus and may miss the Rio Games in August United States wrestler Adeline Gray celebrates her gold medal win at the Pan Am Games in Mississauga, Ontario, last year. Gray, a three-time world champion who will be an Olympic favorite for gold in 2016, raised the issue of Zika's link to birth defects and cases of babies being born with unusually small heads Brazilian wrestler Aline Silva, who hopes to win a medal, has had the dengue fever twice and says she's not taking any chances with the Zika virus. At a test event yesterday for the games, at a venue in Rio's new Olympic Park, she wasn't alone in being concerned. Several non-Brazilian athletes talked about slathering on mosquito repellent, staying in their hotel rooms and away from the water and the beaches in order to avoid mosquitoes. 'For me it's very worrying,' said Silva, who said she applies repellent about every 90 minutes when she's away from home. 'Really, the biggest problem is in training and competing - when I can't use it (repellent),' she said. 'I have had dengue twice, so I am aware about all of this. Maybe I am more worried than most.' Asked if other Brazilian athletes were concerned about Zika, Silva replied: 'Yes, of course.' American wrestler Adeline Gray, a three-time world champion who will be an Olympic favourite for gold, raised the issue of Zika's link to birth defects and cases of babies being born with unusually small heads and possible brain damage. 'I think if I was planning to have a child next month, I would be extremely uneasy about this,' said Gray, who competes in the 75-kilogram class. 'Maybe that would have changed my decision (to come here).' Gray said her coaches have banned her from going swimming in Brazil during her short stay. 'Unfortunately we're not spending too much time outside. We're wearing long sleeves, long pants and just making sure we have on as much bug spray as we can.' Japan coach Shigeo Kinase gave similar advice to his wrestlers about staying indoors. 'We are trying not to leave the hotel too often,' he said. 'If my athletes go out shopping, I go with them.' At present, there are no vaccines, specific treatments or rapid diagnostic tests for it. Above a city worker in Santa Tecla, El Salvador fumigates a neighbourhood on January 29 Zika virus is common in parts of Africa and South East Asia, but since 2007 there have been various outbreaks outside of the disease's comfort zone. It spread to South America in 2014, before reaching Mexico and the Caribbean last year. The first US case was reported in Texas at the start of January Rio organisers have been scouring Olympics venues daily for two weeks, looking for standing water where mosquitoes breed. Rio spokesman Mario Andrada said the inspections would continue daily until the games open on August 5. That will be in Brazil's winter when it's cooler, drier and the mosquito population is smaller. Andrada emphasized that no one is publicly talking about cancelling or postponing the games. 'This has never been mentioned. No way,' Andrada said. 'It's impossible to do that. There is no reason to do that.' Since the start of the outbreak in 2015, five UK travelers have been diagnosed with the Zika virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised pregnant women to reconsider travel to Brazil and 21 other countries with Zika outbreaks over fears about microcephaly. Symptoms of infection may include fever, joint pain, itching, rash, conjunctivitis or red eyes, headache, muscle pain and eye pain. The WHO predicts three to four million people will be infected with Zika in the Americas this year. Most will not suffer from their symptoms. The last time a global emergency was declared was for the Ebola outbreak, which is thought to have led to more than 11,000 deaths. According to the United Nations , El Nino can cause an 'increase in vector-borne diseases including dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus due to increased mosquito vectors.' Above a worker fumigates a neighborhood in Managua, Nicaragua on January 28 Officials have advised pregnant women to consider avoiding traveling to areas reporting active Zika transmission. City workers fumigate the Jardines de Merliot neighborhood as part of preventive measures against the Zika virus in Santa Tecla, El Salvador Dr Carissa Etienne, the regional director for the WHO Pan American Health Organisation, said the link between problems in babies and Zika had not yet been confirmed. But she added: 'We cannot tolerate the prospect of more babies being born with neurological and other malformations and more people facing the threat of paralysis.' Rio de Janeiro is the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games in August. Earlier, Brazilian experts at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation said the virus - which was thought to be confined to the Aedes aegypti mosquito in the tropics - may have already crossed over to the culex mosquito, a much more common type. U.S. President Barack Obama spoke on Friday with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff about the spread of the Zika virus in the Western Hemisphere, the White House said. Vera Rating: Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope is back and the marvel is that no one has murdered her yet. She has a practically paranormal ability to irritate the living lights out of everyone around her. Wherever her officers in Vera (ITV) are most raw, most sensitive, thats where she attacks. She doesnt just get on peoples nerves, she swoops down and perches, like a pigeon in wellingtons and a grubby mac. One minute shes condescending, treating long-serving DC Kenny Lockhart like a simpleton who is only kept on the payroll out of charity. DCI Vera Stanhope, pictured, has a paranormal ability to irritate the living lights out of everyone around her Then shes manipulative, praising one underling and ignoring another to stir up dissent and get them all competing for her approval. The moment she hears that her favoured sergeant, Aiden Healy, is engaged to be married, she asks with mock concern loudly, in a crowded office whether the wedding is a rush job. And of course it is: Vera has guessed rightly that Healy will be a father sooner than he planned. In any other crime drama, characters who cause that much upset are soon found splayed on the floor with a dagger embedded to the hilt and a forensics officer drawing a chalk outline round the body. But this is Veras style. She makes Inspector Morse seem chummy and Lieutenant Columbo look presentable. Not only is she the most annoying woman in Northumberland, but shes so scruffy that if she sat down on a park bench for five minutes shed be arrested for vagrancy. Whether you enjoy the show depends chiefly on if you can stand her personality. Call me thin-skinned but, as Brenda Blethyn returned for a sixth series of Vera, I realised I was thoroughly fed up with her. Dig of the weekend: James May listed the likely owners, on Cars Of The People (BBC2), of Lamborghini supercars such as oil billionaires and Radio 2 DJs. Surely he didnt mean Steve Wright or Jeremy Vine? Yes, but theres Chris Evans too, the soon-to-be presenter of the revamped Top Gear... Partly its that wheedling fake sympathy of hers. Now, pet, she says with a worldly wise look of compassion. Ee, luv, she clucks as she comforts a sniffling colleague. Oh, yer poor mite. You could almost believe she means it, but shes only doing it to provoke a look of pathetic gratitude. Ten seconds later, shes turning round to deliver an acid-soaked rollicking to some other unfortunate. If you dont like Vera herself, this two-hour drama doesnt have much else to offer. There are the bleakly beautiful moors, its true, but its usually dark or raining: in Veras world, its January all the year round. The windswept stone buildings are certainly attractive one interview was done in a village pub, with the witness perched on a high-backed wooden settle. You could almost smell the real ale and the woodsmoke. But theres little else to distract us from DCI Sarky Vera as she plods on her rounds, questioning one character after another, methodically uncovering each piece of evidence as though she was playing a game of patience. So if youre not enjoying her company, youre not enjoying the show. Call the Midwife Rating: Theres a multitude of elements to keep us entertained on Call The Midwife (BBC1) social comment, romance, comedy, nostalgia and old-fashioned story-telling. The portrait of East End life in the days before tower blocks did look idyllic in the opening scene. Children rushed in and out of each others houses, playing Cowboys and Indians or hop-scotch, while neighbours kept an eye on elderly friends and the weekly wash flapped on lines strung across the courtyard. Plenty to enjoy: Theres a multitude of elements to keep audiences entertained on Call The Midwife, pictured So what if you had to queue for the outside loos, and the only way to have hot water for the washing-up was to boil a kettle? This was a Britain where folk looked out for each other and families stayed together. But it was also, the plot reminded us, a time before typhoid was eradicated, where doctors still kept a register of infected carriers, and where an unmarried woman could be sacked for getting pregnant. If all that was too much like hard work, we could relish the show just for the budding love affair between local vicar Tom and midwife Barbara, who happens to be a vicars daughter. Only Hollywood could have produced a script like this. A Californian widower staring old age in the face sells up, buys an old boat abroad and invites his lifelong buddy, a Vietnam veteran, on one last big adventure to help him bring it back home. But things dont quite go according to plan... Theres one disaster after another along the way plus romance, too and the Feds are out to get them. Will our heroes ever reach their promised land? Gloriously, all the above is entirely true, because I am sitting in a howling gale on a Cornish quayside hearing it first hand from the skipper himself. And Steve Shapiro, 71, is not giving up just yet. 'Captain calamity' Steve Shapiro (left) skipper of the Nora, and first mate Bob Wiese have become celebrities since it emerged that rescue teams have been called out to their aid nine times in seven months A fire started in the Nora after the poorly moored yacht was blown on its side, causing a smouldering candle in Bobs cabin to ignite a pile of clothes. Pictured, firefighters deal with the blaze in Hayle Quay in Cornwall Would I prefer to spend my days trying to catch the eye of the prettiest nurse in the nursing home? he asks. Hell, no. If anyone is best-placed to write the movie script for all this its Steve, since he is, among other things, a screenwriter. But he never for one minute expected things to turn out quite like this and he is certainly not happy about it. A proud man, who has loved sailing since the age of nine and holds a skippers licence, he finds himself billed as Captain Calamity by the media after a catalogue of mishaps with his crewmate, Bob Weise, also 71. As a sailor myself, I have a lot of sympathy. And it is no small achievement to have got Steves 18-ton, 40ft, gaff-rigged wooden yacht, Nora, from Norway to the southern tip of the British Isles. Yet it was last July that they set sail from the Norwegian port of Floro, bound for the U.S. Six months on, they have got as far as Hayle in north Cornwall a distance that some sailors might have covered in a fortnight. Battered and scratched, poor Nora looks as if shes been chewed by Moby Dick. Along the way, she has become a familiar fixture on coastguard radars in several countries following various prangs and engine failures. And finally, last week, a different sort of emergency unfolded. The fire brigade was called when Nora was tied to the harbour wall at low tide. Her crew were shopping on dry land at the time, but the yacht was poorly moored and was blown on its side, causing a smouldering candle in Bobs cabin to ignite a pile of clothes. Captain Calamity: Steve Shapiro, 71, pictured on his boat the Nora at Hayle Harbour, in Cornwall, after the fire Pictured, the wreckage and clutter left on the deck of the Nora caused by the accidental fire in one of its cabins At that point, word of this intrepid duo travelled from the yachting grapevine to the international Press in quick order. The ultimate oracle round- the-world legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston advised the pair to call it a day. Our appalling winter weather shows no sign of receding. Yet these men intend to return to sea this week, aided by an additional crew member. A German chef whom they met during a breakdown in Inverness is said to be on his way. The next step is to sail round Lands End to Dartmouth, Devon, before striking out for the Canaries. As far as the maritime authorities are concerned, they should not be going a mile. If they leave here, I imagine it wont be long before theyll need rescuing again, says Hayles former Royal Navy harbour master, the splendidly named Peter Haddock. I can only offer advice and that advice would be: dont go. The whole world wants to talk to the intrepid seadogs. As Steve and I enjoy a quiet pint of Guinness in the Royal Standard pub where kindly landlady Angie Elliott is putting a second binliner of his wet clothes through her dryer the phone keeps going for him. Its People magazine for you, shouts the barmaid. The media, sighs Steve, only want to ask the same question: when will they stop troubling the rescue services? Most of these so-called rescues werent even rescues, he says crossly. Often the lifeboat was just passing and offered to help, which was very good of them. But its not a rescue. Hes great company. There are moments of despair and hilarity as he takes me through a tale comprising elements of Last of The Summer Wine, Titanic and a Norse saga. Maritime antics are not the only part of this story. Steve has other issues to deal with, too. Elderly sailors Steve Shapiro (left) and Bob Weise (right), have been advised by authorities to quit their voyage For Bob is not actually here. He has just abandoned ship for the moment, at least to return to Ireland where, it turns out, he has acquired a girlfriend half his age. While heading for Kinsale on the southern Irish coast last autumn, the Nora ran into dreadful seas The ocean suddenly revealed itself, chuckles Steve and the pair followed a fishing boat into the safety of Kilmore Quay. There they were hemmed in by the weather for weeks on end, beyond Christmas. During that time, says Steve, Bob fell for a local girl. Hes just gone back to sort things out with her for a few days. He promised me hes coming back to finish the voyage, says Steve. His mobile phone keeps ringing. Jeez, Ill leave that one, he says, looking at the number. Its Bobs former wife. Shes always ringing him and shouting: Get off that goddamned boat! Assuming Bob does come back, then it might be an idea for him to learn how to sail (and not leave candles in his cabin). For though this former U.S. army pilot, who served in Vietnam, is good with maps and spanners, hes not a sailor. But he and Steve go way back. And that is where this great saga begins. Steve learned to sail in San Franscisco Bay as a boy and loved the outdoors. I know about search and rescue. I was a ski patrol guide in Squaw Valley [California] at 16. He worked in local radio, did eight years in the U.S. navy and moved on to work on film and TV scripts. Along the way he married former actress Patricia Tiernan, his partner for 30 years until 2013. Pat died, then I lost our darling dog La-La the next year and I was just in a really bad way, says Steve. The pair started their journey in Norway, where they encountered their first hiccup, and have gone on to experience issues in Denmark. They also had to call for help in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, and have experienced multiple issues since arriving in Cornwall He sold their house, put the furniture in storage and hatched a plan. I decided to buy a small place in Maine with a boat. First, Id get the boat and live on that. He wanted something with strength and character. Eventually, a yacht broker spotted Nora for sale in Norway. Built in 1975 along traditional lines, she was just the thing. All he needed was a crew and Bob restless, retired and divorced was keen. Today, things are a mess. Burned clothing is piled up on deck while there are dirty crockery and tools all over the cabin. It still reeks of last weeks fire. Steve shows me a picture of Nora in full sail last summer. She was a fine sight. Just 40 miles out of Floro in July, though, they had their first problem when their propeller caught a fishing line and they lost power. They had to return for the first of umpteen costly engine repairs. Eventually, Nora was heading for Inverness when she lost power again. Steve and Bob were towed into port by the Wick lifeboat, the first of their nine encounters with the RNLI. Among the happiest sections of the voyage, says Steve, was sailing through Loch Ness to Oban in late summer. But disaster struck again when he left Bob at the helm in Crinan. He rammed the yacht into a wall, causing five-figure damage. We had strong words, says Steve. By then, Id run out of money, but Bob promised to pay for it. Sailing down the east coast of Ireland, the dramas continued. Steve has an explanation for every setback, but a pattern was emerging. Finally, this month, they reached St Ives, where the engine conked out again. The local lifeboat towed them to Hayle and that is where they remain for now. The pair, pictured, were rescued last month after their yacht's engine faltered two miles off the Cornish coast Theyre on Washingtons radar, too. The U.S. government has asked the UK Coastguard for their details. Theyre worried were going to be a diplomatic incident, says Steve. They dont want us going any further. In fact, bureaucracy could yet curtail this story. If Steves insurers revoke his cover (and they might), the Hayle harbour master will be obliged to take Nora out of the water since she would not be covered for damage to other vessels. Steves only alternative would be to put to sea regardless. But he wont do that. This boat is all Ive got. Its my home. Do people think I want to lose my home? Set aside the health-and-safety arguments and Steve admits high blood pressure and diabetes dont help and you have to admire the pluck of this pair. How many seventy- somethings secretly wish they were doing the same thing? Surely, though, it makes sense for Steve to wait for summer, do his repairs and hire a professional crew. Nora is well-built and, sailed properly, would get to the U.S. in one piece. This could, and should, have a happy ending. Uber customers have saved more than $30 million on fares since the ride-sharing app launched in Australia, a new report has found. Financial giant Deloitte Access Economics studied Uber's performance since it arrived in Australia in 2014 - specifically focusing on uberX, the company's standard service - and released its findings in Melbourne on Monday. Annual benefits for passengers who use the app totaled $81.1 million, including $31.5 million as a result of cheaper rides and an extra $49.6 million from a 'consumer surplus' created by 'differentiated quality and additional rides', according to the report. Uber customers have saved more than $30 million on fares since the ride-sharing app launched in Australia, a new report has found (stock image) The millions in savings were the result of Uber being almost 20 per cent cheaper than taxis, even when taking its controversial 'surge pricing' into account. Of the cities included in the study, Brisbane is home to the biggest discount for Uber passengers, with the average fare 26.1 per cent less than taxis. Sydney has the second biggest discount of 21 per cent, while Perth and Melbourne rounded out the list with savings of 19.1 per cent 15 per cent respectively. Deloitte's study also uncovered people using the service wait almost half as long as they would for a cab, with Uber bookings arriving in 4.5 minutes compared to 7.8 for taxis - a 43 per cent difference. Financial giant Deloitte Access Economics studied Uber's performance since it arrived in Australian in 2014, and specifically focused on uberX - the company's standard service (stock image) The average Uber fare is 20 per cent cheaper than the average cost of a taxi, a new report has found (stock image) Deloitte Access Economics Director Dr Ric Simes said the ride-sharing app has 'transformed' the transport market for customers. 'The impact of the launch of uberX in Australia in April 2014, is playing out as one of our most compelling sharing economy stories,' Dr Simes said. 'uberX is both transforming and growing the point to point transport market, offering an additional option for consumers. According to the report, Uber customers wait much shorter times for a ride than those who take taxis Uber's average wait time is lower than most other point-to-point transport methods, according to Deloitte Access Economics 'While uberX is only providing a relatively small proportion of services compared to the taxi industry approximately six per cent of the total rides in the point-to-point market it is delivering significant benefits for users. 'And with the likelihood that ride-sharing will continue to grow in popularity, the consumer benefits we have identified may be greater.' The report also claimed Uber is tackling safety issues in 'point-to-point' travel in ways taxis and other transport methods cannot. From when it launched in April 2014 to August 2015, Uber customers have enjoyed a 'consumer benefit' of $81.1 million, the new report found Brisbane is the Australian city included in the study that saw the biggest difference between Uber and taxi fares Opponents of the ride-sharing giant have often pointed to customer safety as one of the reasons it should not be legalised. According to the study, Uber's features - including drivers and passengers 'matching' before a trip and the 'Share My ETA' option - 'mitigate some of the risks associated with the point-to-point transport industry for both partners and riders'. It also suggests the app has an impact on the number of drink-driving incidents and deaths on the road. Deloitte Access Economics Director Dr Ric Simes said the ride-sharing app has 'transformed' the transport market for customers and changed how taxis have to operate in future (stock image) The report included a consumer quality benefits description, which detailed why passengers use the service The report also claimed Uber is tackling safety issues in 'point-to-point' travel in ways taxis and other transport methods cannot (stock image) 'Studies undertaken in other cities have shown a reduction in intoxicated driving following the introduction of ridesharing platforms,' the report read. 'One such study found a significant negative impact on the number of alcohol influenced motor vehicle deaths in each city studied between 3.6 and 5.6 percent.' Deloitte's report, Economic effects of ride sharing in Australia, was commissioned by Uber. The breakdown of how Uber's fares are calculated changes slightly in cities across Australia, as outlined in the above table 5ft 3in bookkeeper appeared in court today and was remanded in custody A 51-year-old reclusive bookkeeper appeared in court today accused of murdering doctor's daughter India Chipchase after she was found strangled in his scruffy terrace house. The 20-year-old former private schoolgirl was discovered by police in Edward Tenniswood's Northampton home after vanishing on a night out clubbing with friends. The suspect, who is just over 5ft tall and was wearing slip-on shoes, a grey top and jogging bottoms, spoke only to confirm he understood he was accused of murder Tenniswood was remanded in custody at Northampton Magistrates' Court and will appear at the town's crown court on Thursday. Today India's heartbroken professional rugby player boyfriend Evaan Reihana dedicated his career to her. The New Zealander playing for Bordeaux Begles in France wrote on Instagram: 'I can't believe you have left us India. I will be playing for you for as long as I know.' Scroll down for video Discovery: India Chipchase (pictured) was last seen out with friends in Northampton town centre in the early hours of Saturday. Police searching for the 20-year-old health care assistant confirmed they had found a body India , 20, (right), pictured with her father Jeremy, 49, a doctor specialising in obstetrics in Australia Close: Miss Chipchase lived four miles away from where she died with her mother Suzanne (pictured together) in the upmarket Wootton district on the edge of the town India's heartbroken professional rugby player boyfriend Evaan Reihana, together left and right, dedicated his career to her. The New Zealander playing for Bordeaux Begles in France wrote on Instagram: 'I can't believe you have left us India. I will be playing for you for as long as I know' Evaan is the son of former All Black Bruce Reihana, who later joined Northampton Saints in 2002. India was last seen last seen outside a nightclub in the town called NB's in the early hours of Saturday. Police smashed down his front door after tracing her phone to a nearby park and her body was found inside his scruffy house on Sunday. Neighbours of the suspect, who lives alone, described seeing a body being removed from the property in Northampton's St James district on Sunday evening. The street remained cordoned off by police last night. A post-mortem examination carried out on Monday confirmed she died from neck injuries. Miss Chipchase lived four miles away with her mother Suzanne in the upmarket Wootton district on the edge of the town. She had been a pupil at 12,000-a -year Pitsford School, the county's leading small independent school which is situated in 26 acres of countryside alongside Pitsford Reservoir, outside Northampton. Headmaster Noel Toone described his former pupil as a 'delightful girl with a bubbly personality who would go out of her way to help others'. Miss Chipchase, whose father Jeremy, 49, is a doctor specialising in obstetrics in Australia, went on to complete a diploma in health and social care at Northampton College. Tribute: India's professional rugby player boyfriend Evaan Reihana has dedicated his career to her Last movements: 1) Bridge Street in Northampton where India was last seen, 2) Victoria Park, where India's mobile phone was tracked to, 3) Stanley Road, where the 51-year-old suspect lives and her body was found Miss Chipchase was sports mad and a keen Northampton Saints rugby supporter. Former England star Ben Cohen, who played for the club as a youngster, tweeted: 'So sad and devastating and on our doorstep. Thoughts go out to her family.' Former England fly-half Paul Grayson tweeted: 'It is utterly devastating she has been found dead. Young people please look after each other.' On Sunday, in an appeal for information about her disappearance, police said it was 'out of character' for her not to have made contact with friends and family, and 'out of the ordinary' for her not to have arrived at work, in The Collingtree pub and restaurant in East Hunsbury, Northampton, on Saturday afternoon. One local resident said: 'He is a recluse. Nobody ever sees him.' Another said: 'The police smashed their way into a house at around 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon and called for paramedics. I am guessing they found her there. We heard her phone had been found in the park.' One elderly neighbour said: 'I saw her face on the TV and she was a very pretty girl. It's awful. 'He lived alone in the house and kept himself to himself. He didn't have a girlfriend as far as I know. 'He came from Wiltshire and had a strong accent. I assume he had family connections there.' Another neighbour said: 'I never saw anyone go in or out of his house. 'I sometimes saw him coming back home with a paper or pint of milk but he never really said much. As far as I know he lived alone and didn't have family. Miss Chipchase, a keen Northampton Saints rugby supporter, left, had been a pupil at 12,000-a -year Pitsford School, right Neighbours of hers yesterday expressed their shock at the murder. Fears: The 20-year-old failed to turn up for work on Sunday and the police found her dead in a in a run-down terrace house One man, who did not want to be named, said: 'I do know the family. They are all in shock now, understandably, and just want to be left alone. 'She looked like such a fun, lively girl. My heart goes out to the family. Another said: 'I can't believe it. I read about it this morning, but that's the first I heard that they lived here. I'm shocked now that I've heard that. Her poor family.' In a statement on Twitter, on Sunday evening India's brother Harry said: 'I am deeply saddened to confirm that India Eve Chipchase has passed away. Please respect our privacy at this time.' He added: 'I miss you my little angel. You'll always remain the best big sister I ever had and always hold a place deep in my heart.' Inquiries taking place as part of the search for Miss Chipchase, who was last seen in Bridge Street at 1.15am, led officers to a nearby property where the body of a woman was found. Colleagues at The Collingtree pub on the outskirts of Northampton, where she worked, said: 'Our hearts are broken. Our tears are flowing a steady stream for the loss of our colleague. 'Friend, loved one, little smile machine who will be greatly missed by all that worked with you or had the privilege to be served by you.' She attended Northampton College between September 2013 and June 2014, where she was awarded a diploma in health and social care. Principal Pat Brennan-Barrett said: 'India was an extremely hard-working student during her time at Northampton College. 'India received praise from her placement supervisors for her ability to work within a team, her use of initiative and for the sensitive way she interacted with the clients and children.' Tribute: Formal identification has yet to take place but Miss Chipchase's family have been informed. Her brother Harry tweeted: 'I miss you my little angel. You'll always remain the best big sister I ever had' Message: India's younger brother Harry posted this tribute to his sister, who was killed in a terraced house NB's cocktail bar and club in Bridge street, Northampton where India Chipchase, 20, who went missing in the early hours of Saturday was last seen at around 1.30am Police officers by a property in Stanley Road, St James, where the body of a woman was found Kerry Mills wrote online: 'Such a cruel world we live in for such a young girl with her whole life ahead of her to be snatched away in a moment's notice. My thoughts are with your family and friends. Rip India'. Alzheimer's disease could be diagnosed and predicted two years before onset, thanks to a landmark test. A simple memory test costing a few pence can give up to two years warning of the full onset of the disease, Cambridge University scientists found. They believe that they could use it to catch patients at a sweet spot, where there is still time to stave off the symptoms of dementia, The Times reported last night. A simple memory test costing a few pence can give up to two years warning of the full onset of Alzheimer's The debilitating disease, which causes severe memory loss and cognitive decline, is projected to affect one million Britons by 2025. At present there are no drugs to treat Alzheimers which currently affects 800,000 people in Britain - although two clinical trials have shown promising early results and are expected to conclude next year. If they succeed, dementia experts predict that the first drugs could be prescribed within a decade. One of the biggest problems is that the disease is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, making it much harder for doctors to manage the brain damage. Known as the Four Mountains test (4MT), the new method involves showing patients a picture of a mountain landscape and asking them to identify it among a selection of four landscapes, one of which is the same one seen from a different angle. Researchers at Cambridge University have found that the cheap spatial memory test invented in Britain a decade ago can not only reliably diagnose Alzheimers but also give months or even years of warning before dementia becomes evident. Early data suggest that it is 93 per cent accurate. The breakthrough could give doctors a precious window of opportunity to prescribe their patients mental exercises or even next- generation dementia drugs while they could still be effective. Scientists discovered decade-old spatial memory test can predict onset, at a point where the symptoms can still be treated Dennis Chan, a clinical neuroscience lecturer at the University of Cambridge, said that there was an urgent need for a way of screening the millions of middle-aged people who went to their GPs with mild cognitive impairment. The memory tests for dementia used in doctors surgeries are no more predictive than a flip of a coin, although some specialist clinics have achieved better results. The only other options in the NHS are a surgical procedure called a lumbar puncture, which costs 700 and involves draining off a sample of the patients spinal fluid to look for the telltale proteins that mark the disease, or a brain scan that costs 1,500. Dr Chans team carried out a pilot study involving 15 British patients with mild cognitive impairment. The 4MT identified the patients in whom Alzheimers was diagnosed over two years with as much accuracy as the surgical technique, and more than twice as much as conventional memory tests. The caveat is that we have only proven the principle and the real test is in the work being done now, Dr Chan told The Times. The test is available as an iPad app that costs 40. Spread over the hundreds of patients who consult each GP practice about memory problems every year, it would cost a few pence a time. The group will publish their findings in a scientific journal this year, and Dr Chan will speak about the test at next months Cambridge Science Festival. Nikolai Axmacher, a neuroscientist at the University of Bonn, told The Times: It may be possible in the near future to stop further spread of Alzheimers pathology . . . A [way of selecting] patients who are most likely to benefit from these new treatments will thus be very important. They recruit 14 and 15 year-olds at local high schools, prosecutors say The gang has more than 30,000 members in the world and 6,000 in the US Some are responsible for the murders of at least five people since 2014 according to the indictment Dozens of members of the notoriously violent MS-13 gang have been arrested in and around Boston. The group, also known as La Mara Salvatrucha, is known for killing and injuring rivals with machetes. Fifty-six suspects were indicted on racketeering conspiracy charges, including charges related to murder, conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder. 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, according to the indictment. U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz walks towards weapons and cash seized during the arrests on display on a table, during a news conference in Boston, Friday, after more than 50 members of the MS-13 gang were charged Members of MS-13 are known for using machetes to kill and injure rivals. Pictured, an evidence photograph of a blood-stained knife displayed on Friday morning Some have also been charged with drug trafficking, firearm violations, immigration offenses and fraudulent document charges. 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. MS-13 became the first street gang to be designated by the U.S. government as a 'transnational criminal organization' in 2012 and remains the only one. Members in Massachusetts commit robberies and sell cocaine, heroin and marijuana to pay monthly dues to leaders of the gang who are imprisoned in El Salvador, the indictment says. WHAT DO MS-13 MEMBERS DO AND HOW DO THEY OPERATE? MS-13 members perpetrate violence from assaults to homicides using firearms, machetes or other objects. They often target middle and high school students for recruitment. Most come from El Salvador but also Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and other Central and South American countries. The gang, which has between 6,000 and 10,000 members in the US, operates in at least 42 States and the District of Columbia. MS-13 members engage in a wide range of criminal activity, including drug distribution, murder, rape, prostitution, robbery, home invasions, immigration offenses, kidnapping, carjacking and vandalism. Most of these crimes are exceedingly violent. MS-13 often recruits new members by glorifying the gang lifestyle (often on the internet, complete with pictures and videos) and by absorbing smaller gangs. The gang originated in Los Angeles, but when members migrated towards the East they began forming cliques that for the most part operated independently. These cliques, though, often maintain regular contact with members in other regions to coordinate recruitment and criminal activities and to prevent conflicts. The FBI believe that Los Angeles gang members have an elevated status among their MS-13 counterparts across the country, a system of respect that could potentially evolve into a more organized national leadership structure. Source: FBI Advertisement The gang has more than 30,000 members internationally - mainly in El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala - and more than 6,000 members in the US. MS-13 recruit 14 or 15 year-olds inside local high schools from communities with significant immigrant populations from Central America, prosecutors said. 'Violence is a central tenet of MS-13, as evidenced by its core motto - "mata, viola, control," translated as, "kill, rape, control,"' the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement. The racketeering conspiracy charge - under the federal law known as RICO - alone carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, or even life if the underlying criminal activity carries the maximum penalty of life imprisonment, prosecutors said. MS-13 became the first street gang to be designated by the U.S. government as a 'transnational criminal organization' in 2012 and remains the only one. Pictured, cash and weapons from the gang on display at the US Attorney's office 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 according to the indictment. Pictured, weapons on display following the arrests As many as nine schools went into lockdown across Sydney and students were evacuated after a number of 'violent threats' were made. The police operation lasted more than two hours on Monday, after starting about 1:30pm and finishing shortly before 4pm. Nine schools went into lockdown and hundreds of students were forced out as a result of the threats, according to The Daily Telegraph. A police operation that led to students being evacuated and as many as nine schools being put into lockdown across Sydney has ended NSW Police said investigations into the incidents are ongoing, after earlier describing the operation as a 'precaution'. Social media images showed hundreds of students standing outside schools across Sydney, with a heavy police presence also visible. 'My son just drove past Sydney Girls High while it was being evacuated: about 20 police vehicles on scene,' ABC presenter Mark Colvin tweeted. Other people on social media claimed Hunters Hill High School, on Sydney's north shore, was part of the operation. A police van is seen outside Sydney Girls High School during an operation on Monday afternoon Police rushed to as many as nine schools after threats were reportedly made in a number of phone calls 'Getting texts from my son at HHH. Lockdown is real. Not sure about threat,' one parent tweeted. It is also believed Riverside Girls High School in Huntley Point and Mosman High School have been evacuated. According to the newspaper, the school impacted are: Sydney Girls High School, Hunters Hill High School, Riverside Girls High School, Mosman High School, South Sydney High School, Cheltenham Girls High School, Sydney Technical High School, James Ruse Agricultural High School and Randwick Girls High School. One of the schools impacted by the operation is believed to be Sydney Girls High School It is believed one of the schools put into lockdown on Monday afternoon was Riverside Girls High School in Huntley Point A police spokesman could not confirm whether the operation was linked to evacuations last week, where a number of schools were evacuated after hoax bomb threats from believed Russian hackers. A statement also read: 'Police are warning that making such threats is a serious criminal offence and every effort will be made to identify the person or persons responsible.' The NSW Department of Education said it is working with police after 'several schools' received threats. Nine schools received threats, including Hunters Hill High School (pictured), according to reports Randwick Girls High School was also reportedly evacuated after a threat on Monday 'Each school is taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of its students and no students are in danger,' a statement read. 'Police are attending at each location as a precaution. Concerned parents can contact their child's school.' The threats came after a string of similar bomb hoax calls around the world in the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Tokyo this week, with 18 schools closed on one day in the UK. A Russian Twitter group known as 'Evacuators 2K16' appeared to have claimed credit for a string of hoax calls which led 14 UK schools and six French schools to be evacuated earlier this week. The suspect then turned to the K9 officer and stabbed the dog several times, and cops fired multiple shots, killing the knife-wielding man. because of his heavy winter clothing After a violent struggle, they tried tasering the man, but it was ineffective Pennsylvania police shot and killed a man after he stabbed a five-year-old K9 officer to death. The incident began at about 4pm on Sunday when police spotted 37-year-old Bruce Kelley Jr and his father drinking in a gazebo in Wilkinsburg, authorities said. When police approached the men to write a ticket, younger Kelley lunged at the officer with a knife. K9 Officer Aren (left and right), a five-year-old German Shepherd, was stabbed to death on Sunday in Wilkinsburg by a suspect who was then shot dead by police. Aren's handler, Port Authority Sgt Brian O'Malley (right) worked in the department's explosive detection K9 unit Wilkinsburg councilwoman Vanessa McCarthy-Johnson told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that six officers were trying to get Kelley to put down the knife. Another officer was telling neighborhood residents to make sure their children were inside, she added. After a violent struggle with the man, officers tried tasering him, but because he was wearing heavy winter clothes, the TASER was ineffective, police spokesman Jim Ritchie told the New York Daily News. McCarthy-Johnson said she heard bystanders yelling 'Don't kill him. Don't kill him' before Kelley was tasered. The deaths came after police approached the suspect, Bruce Kelley Jr and his father, to write tickets because the were allegedly drinking in public The suspect then turned to the K9 officer and stabbed the dog several times, and cops fired multiple shots, killing the knife-wielding man. The dog was taken to a nearby veterinary hospital, but it died after being transported. The K9, identified by the Pittsburgh Police K9 Unit Facebook page as K9 Aren, was a five-year-old German Shepherd who had been with the Port Authority Police for about four years. The Allegheny County Police are investigating the suspect's death. Aren is the eighth K9 officer to be killed since the start of 2016, with an average of two police dog deaths every week this month. Port Authority Sgt Brian O'Malley - Aren's handler - worked in the department's explosive detection K9 unit. A man has shared the details of a violent relationship he stayed in for five years in the hope that it will help others recognise that men aren't always to blame for abusive situations. Simon Lanham, now 42, was stabbed five times by his then-girlfriend, Sheree Maxfield, in June 2012 in the Victorian town of Tongola, near Shepperton. The assault has taken a lasting toll on Mr Lanham who said that, apart from his physical injuries, he has had to work hard to convince others that he was in fact a victim of abuse. Simon Lanham pictured here with his ex-partner Sheree Maxfield Simon Lanham pictured here with his two-and-a-half-year-old son Jimmy weeks before he was stabbed by his girlfriend, the child's mother He was stabbed five times, four in the back on in the front, and had to undergo multiple emergency procedures During his stay in hospital he claims one doctor said; 'So mate, we are all dying to know did you deserve it?' There's some justification for assuming that it's women, not men, that are the victims in cases of domestic violence. Inspector Sean McDermott, Manager of the Domestic Family Violence Team for NSW Police said that the majority of domestic violence victims that he sees are women although domestic violence can affect anyone. 'It (Domestic Violence) affects anybody, regardless of their creed, culture, economic background, if they are a man or woman, and if they are in a same-sex relationship,' he said. Victims are never to blame and any attitude that tends blame victims displays ignorance of domestic abuse, he said. In Australia one in six woman and one in 19 men experience physical or sexual violence from a current or former partner, according to Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety. The father of three said it was difficult to leave the violent relationship because he loved his abuser, his step-children and his two children Mr Lanham says on the night he was stabbed he was looking after his young son who was sick with a stomach bug. He said that he asked his partner to change him but when he told her that she would have to go outside to get baby wipes, she refused. Mr Lanham then went outside and was closing the door of their cabin when he felt a knife cut into his back, near his shoulder blade. 'I didn't know what it was at first it felt like an electric shock,' he said. He says he turned around after three more blows to his back, and was stabbed in the abdomen. 'The knife had gone in all the way to the hilt.' Mr Lanham' girlfriend who was 25 at the time then called him an ambulance, he remembers telling himself to stay awake until paramedics arrived. As a result of his injuries Mr Lanham was in hospital for four weeks while he recovered. His oldest child Seth with Jimmy who was a baby when the incident occurred Mr Lanham said that the stabbing wasn't the first time he was physically attacked by his partner. From around three months into the relationship his partner would run at him from behind, jump onto him and 'bite his trapeze muscle'. He says he 'feels silly' for staying in the relationship for so long, but he did it because he really loved her.' Inspector McDermott says that people in violent relationships often stay because they believe the situation will improve. 'In many cases the victims have a degree of hope, they say it won't happen again or it won't get any worse or their partner will change,' he said. This scar reminds him of his abusive relationship Sheree Maxfield was ordered to serve a three year community corrections order after the assault by a judge from the Supreme Court of Victoria. 'You were fortunate indeed that you did not kill your victim. The offence is one which ordinarily would demand a term of immediate imprisonment, and a substantial term at that. The judge went on to explain that Maxfield would see a reduced sentence because she 'clearly' has 'a mild intellectual disability'. People who are in a domestic violence relationship who would like assistance or information on help available can call Rape and Domestic Violence Australia on 1800 737 732. Wongso, who denies any involvement, could face the death penalty Police allege the 27-year-old ordered a drink and laced it with the A former Australian university student who is accused of lacing a friend's iced coffee with the deadly substance cyanide has been charged with premeditated murder and could face the death penalty. Indonesian police arrested Jessica Kumala Wongso on Saturday over the murder of her friend Wayan Mirna Salihin, who died in Olivier restaurant in Central Jakarta on January 6. Police said the 27-year-old arrived at the cafe around an hour before her two friends and ordered three drinks, including the Vietnamese iced coffee that is believed to have killed Ms Salihin. Scroll down for video Jessica Kumala Wongso who is accused of lacing a friend's iced coffee with the deadly substance cyanide has been charged with premeditated murder and could face the death penalty Wayan Mirna Salihin died after consuming a cup of iced coffee that was laced with cyanide on January 6 Jakarta Commissioner Edi Hasibuan said the accused was seen on CCTV footage sliding the drink towards the young newlywed before she fell to the ground, started foaming at the mouth and convulsing. He alleges that security footage captured her looking back and forth to see if anyone was around while she handled the coffee before the encounter, Indonesian media reported. Mr Hasibuan said the camera's vision was obstructed when Ms Wongso placed a paper bag on the table. Yudi Wibowo, Ms Wongso's lawyer and uncle, challenged police to released the footage to the public as he believes it will clear his niece's name but authorities declined as it is evidence in an ongoing investigation. Ms Wongso has participated in a re-enactment with police at the restaurant Jakarta Commissioner Edi Hasibuan said the accused was seen on CCTV footage sliding the drink towards the young newlywed before she fell to the ground Ms Salihin took a sip and said her drink tasted bitter before dropping to the floor, convulsing and foaming at the mouth MsSalihin had only just married her partner Arief Soemarko, who was left devastated after her death He also denied that cyanide was involved in the murder and questioned an autopsy that allegedly confirmed that Ms Sahlihin had the poison in her system. Head of the Jakarta Police forensic laboratory Brigadier General Alex Mandalika said results indicated that more than a deadly dose of cyanide was found in her stomach. 'Based on our investigation results, the concentration reached 15 grams per litre. Just imagine, 90 milligrams alone is already lethal,' he told the Jakarta Globe. Ms Wongso has maintained her innocence since her former study partner's death, telling reporters that she 'does not know where the cyanide came from'. 'I just want to help police and Mirna's family reveal who was behind all of this,' she told the Jakarta Globe. Ms Wongso has maintained her innocence since her former study partner's death, telling reporters that she 'does not know where the cyanide came from' Ms Wongso said she hopes to assist police so that they can find the person behind her friend's death Tests found that she had been poisoned by cyanide, traces of which were found in the coffee she was drinking when she collapsed and died Mr Soemarko is comforted as he walks in front of his new bride's coffin before her burial The 27-year-old has been charged under Article 340 of the Criminal Code on premeditated murder, which carries a jail sentence of 20 years to life or death by firing squad. POLICE TIMELINE The three young women agreed to meet at a coffee shop in the city on January 6. Jessica was the first to arrive and ordered a cocktail for herself and a cold Vietnamese coffee. Minutes later, Mirna and Hani arrived and Mirna proceeded to drink the coffee. 'It's awful - it's bad,' Mirna cried. Shortly afterwards she collapsed with convulsions and began to foam at the mouth. She died as she was being rushed to hospital. Advertisement Indonesian authorities have searched Ms Kumala's home for the pants she was wearing that day to to test them for trace evidence but according to local media outlets she said her maid had discarded them. She said she ripped the pants as she attempted to help carry Ms Sahlihin after she had fallen to the ground. Chief Detective Krishna Murti said officers have collected about 20 witness statements, spoken to six experts and have conducted a re-enactment of the events. He said Ms Wongso's recollection of events is 'highly inconsistent' with the information they have received. Ms Kumala was named a suspect on Friday and arrested at a hotel at around 7am on Saturday. Ms Kumala was named a suspect on Friday and arrested at a hotel at around 7am on Saturday The incident happened at Olivier restaurant in Central Jakarta on January 6, 2016 Local authorities made inquires with the Australian Federal Police about the relationship between the two friends, who had studied together in Sydney and Melbourne before moving to Indonesia. 'We have contacted the Australian Federal Police because we need some information,' the head of Jakarta Police general crime division, Senior Commander Khrisna Murti, told the Jakarta Post. According to the Jakarta Post, the pair had studied together at the Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney before moving on to the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. The paper said that Ms Wongso continued to work in Australia following her graduation in 2008 before finding a job in Indonesia last month. Animal activists said an on-site veterinarian could have After a truck hauling 82 cows flipped over on Utah's Interstate 15, authorities shut down the major road for eight hours as they struggled to remove the livestock, many of which had been trampled in the panic that ensued. The state's Department of Transportation cleared the dead animals from the scene in Weber County, but in one video taken after the crash, a live cow can be seen moving in a tractor's front loader before it is dropped in the back of a dump truck. Livestock are not protected under the state's animal cruelty laws and the video has attracted the criticism of animal rights activists, who say the treatment of the cows was inhumane. Scroll down for video A truck carrying 82 cows flipped onto its side on a Utah highway. Authorities struggled to clear the dead livestock, and video footage shows one of the animals still moving in the tractor's front loader (circled in red) The woman who captured the scene screamed as the cow was released into the dump truck below, landing with a loud thud Savannah Skye Haskay, who took the video, can be heard screaming 'No!' and gasping as the animal landed with a loud thud. Lieutenant Mike Loveland of the Utah Highway Patrol said it was a complicated process, and told KUTV: 'Frankly, it's really hard to move that many dead cows out of the trailer'. A large animal veterinarian was on hand with cattle wranglers, but the trucking company and cattle owner gave the Department of Transportation orders on how to proceed. Animal rights activists are now criticizing the way the situation was handled. Jeremy Beckham, of the Utah Animal Rights Coalition, told Fox13: 'I was pretty sickened to see a living, breathing, feeling animal really being treated like a piece of garbage. According to the highway patrol, the truck was moving too quickly on I-15 south when it turned over on its side This photograph shows the truck precariously dangling over another highway. The majority of the cows in the truck were trampled and suffocated in the panic following the crash The Interstate was closed for eight hours as authorities tried to clear the scene, and animal rights activists criticized the treatment of the livestock, which are not protected under the state's animal cruelty laws He said the large animal veterinarian could have performed euthanasia for cows that could not be saved, although the UHP said this wasn't a feasible option due to public safety concerns. According to the highway patrol, the truck was moving too quickly as it headed south on the Interstate 15 to the I-84 ramp. It overturned onto a guardrail and dangerously hung over another highway below. Loveland said the accident was bad, but it could have been much worse if the truck had fallen over the edge. Republican front-runner Donald Trump loaned his own campaign fund $10million in the final three months of the year and spent only half as much as his main rival Ted Cruz, figures show. Early in his campaign, the billionaire businessman said he was willing to spend $100m of his own money to win the Republican nomination. But propelled by his ability to generate controversy and free media, he has not needed to do so after running minimal advertisements and spending little on campaign staff and consultants. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has loaned $10m of his own money to his campaign fund but has spent much less than his rival Ted Cruz In total, Trump took in $13.5million in campaign funds. Most of that money came in the form of a $10.8million personal loan from the candidate, though Trump also collected more than $2.6million from individual donors. Three quarters of that money came from sales of merchandise like baseball caps bearing his campaign slogan 'Make America Great Again,' while only about $540,000 came from individuals giving more than $200. Trump has said that he is not soliciting funds from campaign donors, though Newsmax Media, which runs a conservative news site, pitched itself as the Trump campaign's exclusive online fundraising firm this summer. Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz speaks at a campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 31. Trump spent only half as much as his main rival Cruz, figures show The single largest vendor to the Trump campaign funding was himself. He spent $826,590 in payments to his TAG Air, Inc, which owns a fleet of aircraft including his campaign jet. Additional outlays to Trump businesses include $70,915 to Trump Tower Commercial LLC and $3,000 to Trump Restaurants LLC. Trump's campaign had nearly $7million in the bank by the start of 2016. A year ago, the reality television star and billionaire real estate developer was largely dismissed as an attention-seeking showman who had little intention of actually entering the race. But since announcing his candidacy in June at Trump Tower, he has upended the presidential contest as longtime Republican observers look on in awe. Trump's campaign has been ignited by a series of controversial statements, each seemingly more outrageous than the last. Among them was the claim the Mexican government sends criminals across the U.S. border illegally. He's questioned Arizona Sen. John McCain's status as a war hero and called for temporarily banning Muslims from entering the country - a religious test derided across the globe. In a recent interview about his role in a new documentary, comedian Wyatt Cenac, spoke out against Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump, and about his Daily Show departure. It's been a little over three years since Cenac left his position as a correspondent on the Daily Show and since then he's been working on a new documentary that made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival last week. But not only did he discuss the film, he also spoke out against Trump. Wyatt Cenac, pictured last week, said that everything that Trump says is 'hateful and horrific' Cenac told NBC News that everything that Trump says is 'hateful and horrific but people like it'. He said that the idea that there are enough people out there who like what Trump is saying is 'distressing'. Cenac added that there is a 'virus' that needs to be addressed 'as far as teaching tolerance and just educating people' so that they don't immediately jump toward the most 'hateful things'. Cenac said that the idea that there are enough people out there who like what Donald Trump (above) is saying is 'distressing' During the interview Cenac also spoke of his departure from the Daily Show that may or may not have resulted from a spat with host Jon Stewart. He told NBC News that he felt that in his interview with Marc Maron he was talking about something that was a 'real and personalized thing that got cannibalized into something that could be click bait'. Cenac added that he felt like people were making a headline versus listening to what he was talking about. He was also interviewed by Yahoo and said he left the Daily Show because the time was right for him to leave. Cenac, who served as a correspondent and was the only black writer during the period leading up to the 2012 election, admitted that he didn't get along with the late-night host. And while covering the 2012 presidential race, Stewart did an impression of Republican candidate Herman Cain that Cenac found offensive. In his new documentary Jacqueline (Argentine), Cenac plays a filmmaker pursuing a mysterious French woman who hires a man to document her self-imposed political asylum in Argentina after supposedly leaking highly confidential government secrets. On Monday he tweeted a call out for 'attractive Australian woman' to email He has planned a 'tribal meeting' for his followers in four Australian cities A controversial 'pick up artist' who believes 'rape should be legalised on private property' has organised for his Australian supporters to meet up and has put out a call for 'attractive women' before his arrival. Daryush Valizadeh, known as Roosh V, identifies himself as a champion of 'neomasculinity' and has planned a 'tribal meeting' for his followers and according to his website, women, homosexual men and transgender men are not invited. It was initially believed Valizadeh would not be in attendance, but on Monday he tweeted: 'I just booked a flight to Australia I'll stay awhile see some sights.' Scroll down for video Daryush Valizadeh (pictured), who believes 'rape should be legalised on private property' has organised for his Australian supporters to meet in six locations Meeting spots have been organised in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney and published on his website 'Return of Kings' (pictured) He also tweeted a photo of his flight details and made a call out to 'attractive Australian girls in age range of 18-22,' saying he was 'free to meet for drinks.' Meeting spots have been organised in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney and while the locations for the initial gathering have been published on Valizadeh's blog, the 'final location' will not be released until the group gathers on Saturday night. His Sydney supporters will meet on the park benches outside the Coogee Pavilion on Coogee Beach, Hyde Park and Brighton Le Sands, while his Melbourne following will meet in Federation Square. There are 165 meetings in 45 different countries for the 'international meetup day' and all will be conducted by a 'host' at 8.30 pm. According to his blog, the participants will have to ask: 'Where is the nearest pet shop?' to men in the surrounding area to figure out if they are also there for the meeting. If asked the question, the men are told to respond with: 'Yes, it's right here,' and then introduce themselves to each other. It is believed the groups will be no bigger then seven men. On his website Return of the Kings, which has over 12,500 likes on Facebook, Valizadeh says the gatherings are for 'male bonding'. According to the website's 'About' page: 'A womans value significantly depends on her fertility and beauty. A mans value significantly depends on his resources, intellect, and character.' It also claims that by giving woman 'unlimited mating choices,' their 'family formation' is blocked. It was initially believed Valizadeh would not be in attendance, but on Monday he tweeted: 'I just booked a flight to Australia I'll stay awhile see some sights' On his website Return of the Kings, which has over 12,500 likes on Facebook, Valizadeh says the gatherings are for 'male bonding' He also tweeted a photo of his flight details and made a call out to 'attractive Australian girls in age range of 18-22,' saying he was 'free to meet for drinks' His Sydney supporters will meet at Coogee Beach, Hyde Park and Brighton Le Sands, while his Melbourne following will meet in Federation Square In 2015, Attempts were made by people in Canada to persuade officials to refuse Valizadeh entry to the country, while one woman was caught on camera throwing a drink in his face (pictured left and right) 'ROK aims to usher the return of the masculine man in a world where masculinity is being increasingly punished and shamed in favor of creating an androgynous and politically-correct society that allows women to assert superiority and control over men,' the site says. Valizadeh said if any protesters attend the meeting, the participants should get their phone number and film their behaviour. In September, a petition was launched to have Valizadeh's self-published 'pro-rape' books removed from the online retail giant Amazon. The petition explained the nature of the Washington-based author's books through a series of extracts. Coming with the warning line: 'This petition contains details about sexual assault,' the campaign page uses Valizadeh's Bang Iceland, a book about his sexual encounters while travelling around the country, to illustrate his apparent views on sex, women and the issue of consent. In September, a petition was launched to have Valizadeh's self-published 'pro-rape' books removed from the online retail giant Amazon The petition explained the nature of the Washington-based author's books (pictured) through a series of extracts The same book contains chapters on the 'Body & Appearance' of the women Valizadeh met on his Icelandic trip, plus a breakdown section called 'Types Of Icelandic Girls' One disturbing passage reads: 'While walking to my place, I realized how drunk she was. In America, having sex with her would have been rape, since she legally couldn't give her consent.' 'It didn't help matters that I was sober, but I can't say I cared or even hesitated. I won't rationalize my actions, but having sex is what I do.' The same book contains chapters on the 'Body & Appearance' of the women Valizadeh met on his Icelandic trip, plus a breakdown section called 'Types Of Icelandic Girls'. The book also contains a story titled 'I Don't Want You To Get Raped...', in which he describes using the mention of his sister to convince a drunk and confused woman to allow him to escort her home. Where, despite her initial refusals, they later had sex. Microsoft is providing technology to help tally the results of Iowa's caucus on Monday free of charge in hopes of cutting down on human error and speeding up the reporting process. Precinct officials have been trained on the new Microsoft app, and party officials have said no errors have been spotted in the caucus dry runs. Despite Democratic and Republican parties expressing confidence in the app, campaigns for candidates Sen Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have created backup reporting systems. Just four years ago, the Iowa Republican Party embarrassingly announced Mitt Romney was the caucus winner for weeks before realizing the final tally gave Rick Santorum a narrow victory. Microsoft is providing technology to help tally the results of Iowa's caucus on Monday free of charge to cut down on human error and speed up the reporting process once results are in After the 2012 caucus, the Iowa Republican Party mistakenly announced Mitt Romney was the winner for weeks. But it was revealed weeks later that Rick Santorum had won by a narrow victory Microsoft is hoping to avoid confusion and error with the app, which will be backed up with cloud technology, according to The Hill. The app will be replacing a phone reporting system that was used in 2008 and 2012. The old technology required precincts to report results through a touchtone keypad, which increased the possibility of human error. The app only allows credentialed users to report results to Democratic and Republican party headquarters and requires precincts to double check results before submitting them. It also has a way to flag anomalies The new system will give the media and the public faster access to the results once they're reported to party headquarters. 'Microsoft and their App partner, InterKnowlogy, are global leaders in the technology industry, and we completely trust the integrity of their staff and the app,' Iowa Democratic Party communications director Sam Lau said in a statement. Iowa State University professor Mack Shelley told The Hill that it will be 'interesting' to watch the results of the Microsoft app compared to the backup reporting systems creating by candidates' campaigns. 'It will be interesting to see what happens if and when there are discrepancies between the Microsoft system and either Democratic or Republican campaign tabulations,' Shelley said. Democratic and Republican parties have expresses confidence in the app, but Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' campaign has created a backup reporting system The campaign for fellow Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign has also created a backup reporting system for the caucus Microsoft's civic engagement team reached out to Iowa state parties more than a year ago. Both parties announced in June that Microsoft would be creating apps - one for the Republican party and one for the Democratic party - for the caucus. The apps will help nearly 1,700 precincts report results to party headquarters on Monday night. Microsoft's partnership with the parties gives the company the opportunity to show off its mobile and cloud technology on caucus night. 'We know they are using Twitter, we know they are using Facebook, right, we know they are using our Bing search or Google - they are using all the different technologies,' Microsoft Vice President Dan'l Lewin told The Hill. 'So we are just organizing our best practices, and picking places where we can illustrate how our technology can be used effectively,' he added. There is, however, some hesitancy from campaign workers when it comes to Microsoft's involvement in the caucus. Pete D'Alessandro, who runs the Sanders operation in Iowa, questioned the company's motivations but did not elaborate. But Other Sanders aides mentioned Microsoft employees have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Clinton campaign, according to MSNBC 'You'd have to ask yourself why they'd want to give something like that away for free,' D'Alessandro said. Microsoft, on the other had, said it is focused on conducting a neutral and accurate election by helping caucus officials with the app. The caucus for the Republican party is expected to be close, with presidential candidate Donald Trump currently leading the polls Video has been viewed more than three million times since it was posted Three other members of the Colorado police force joined in After 29 years of being 'highly professional', a Colorado deputy celebrates his retirement by letting loose and dancing in an elevator to rapper Silento's Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae). The three-minute video, which has been viewed more than three million times, shows Deputy Tony Scherb of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office lipsyncing and shimmying along by himself, before a female colleague steps in the elevator. Deputy Reed looks at him skeptically until she joins in and they do the 'stanky leg' together. Scroll down for video Dressed in a bright yellow shirt, Deputy Tony Scherb of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office dancing to Silento's song, Watch me (Whip/Nae Nae) The two abruptly cease dancing when their chief deputy steps in the elevator. Scherb salutes his boss and tries to act casual while the song continues to play and the two timidly move their heads along to the beat. The moment their boss leaves the elevator, however, Scherb is at it again, gyrating his hips from side to side. A third member of the police department enters the scene, and the elevator officially becomes a dance party as they dramatically lean backwards and forwards. Deputy Reed looks skeptical at first, but give Scherb a run for her money when they start doing the stanky leg They are briefly interrupted by a senior member of staff, but the party continues shortly after with a third dancer joins in to the the Soulja Boy dance The look shifty when Sheriff Bill Elder (center) steps in the elevator until all four dance in unison In a tribute to Scherb's 29 years of dedication, a Facebook post stated he was 'highly professional and exceptionally knowledgeable' Their antics are interrupted by the Sheriff Bill Elder, and once again the three gaze at each other from the corner of their eyes until the newest member of the group begins swinging his arms too. The video was released as a tribute to Scherb's dedication to his job. In a Facebook post, the sheriff's office wrote: 'Tony earned the reputation from his peers and supervisors as being highly professional and exceptionally knowledgeable. 'Tony has been a valued member of the Sheriff's Office for so many years and a personal friend to many of us. We are going to miss him and we wish him the very best.' During his 15 years with the traffic unit, Tony was a part of the DUI Program, where he worked to fight against drunk driving. He also worked as a background investigator and contributed to the court and transport departments. A Chinese street-painter's forgeries were so convincing that they were sold for millions of dollars and fooled a chairman of the board of Sotheby's auction house, the Manhattan federal court heard Wednesday, in a civil trial that could see a New York gallery paying out $25 million in damages. 'I got a fake painting for $8.3 million and they don't want to give my money back to me,' Domenico De Sole, the chairman of the board at Sotheby's auction house and a former Gucci CEO, complained from the witness stand last week during the continuing high-stakes civil trial. His wife Eleanore testifying with the faux color-block Rothko called 'Untitled, 1956' told jurors she 'went into a shaking frenzy' when she first learned of suspicions about it. Domenico De Sole, the chairman of the board at Sotheby's auction house, indicates a fake Rothko during his case against Knoedler & Company gallery and its former director, Ann Freedman, who he says should have known they were supplying fakes; he is demanding $25 million in damages The couple sued the Knoedler & Company gallery and its former director, Ann Freedman, in 2013 after federal prosecutors brought a separate criminal case against Long Island dealer Glafira Rosales. She admitted in a guilty plea that she sold or consigned 40 fakes to the century-old gallery before it closed in 2011. The De Soles are seeking $25 million in damages, claiming Freedman should have known the painting was a forgery. The defense has portrayed Freedman, who wasn't charged in the criminal fraud, as a victim as well. It also contends the evidence will show that the forgeries were so good and such a surprise even respected art experts lost their bearings. 'This is the art world equivalent of finding dinosaur bones,' Freedman's attorney, Luke Nikas, said in opening statements. 'This was an important discovery. Ann believed in it and the art world believed in it.' Some 40 counterfeit paintings, including this mock Rothko, were sold by dealer Glafira Rosales to the Knoedler & Company gallery for hundreds of thousands of dollars; the gallery then sold them on to private collectors for millions - but the gallery's defense says that even the art world's experts were fooled The fraud dates to the 1990s, when Rosales, her partner and her boyfriend discovered future forger Pei-Shen Qian painting portraits on the streets of lower Manhattan. The dealer learned the artist had trained at the same art school attended by Rothko and other famous abstract expressionists and had a knack for mimicking their style. Qian, who was charged criminally but has fled to China, began painting fakes of Rothkos and others, including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Franz Kline and Robert Motherwell, at his Queens garage in exchange for between a few hundred dollars and $9,000. The dealer then began taking them to the Knoedler gallery, where she told Freedman they were undiscovered works supplied by the anonymous son of a deceased Swiss collector. After obtaining 'Untitled, 1956' for $950,000, Freedman sold the painting to the De Soles for more than $8 million in 2004. The couple hung it on the wall at their Hilton Head, South Carolina, home, believing they were the owners of a museum-worthy Rothko. 'I thought it was beautiful,' Domenico De Sole testified. Pressed on cross-examination on why he hadn't done more to authenticate the painting, De Sole replied, 'I had complete trust in (Freedman) and Knoedler. It never crossed my mind that these guys were in the business of selling fake art. Is that clear?' Domenico De Sole, the chairman of the board at Sotheby's, and his wife Eleanore, began their suit against the gallery after Long Island dealer Gloria Rosales admitted to commissioning and selling the forgeries The defense insists Freedman was so completely conned that she paid nearly $300,000 for a phony Pollock drip painting in 2000 and displayed it in her apartment for a decade, even though artist's signature was misspelled 'Pollok.' It also claims art experts who saw the Rothko were believers as well, and have asked the jury to be skeptical of testimony that they never actually authenticated the work. 'The experts were fooled,' defense attorney Nikas said. 'And now they feel like fools.' De Sole lawyer Emily Reisbaum told jurors that, at minimum, Freedman was at fault for ignoring obvious red flags such as the proliferation of pieces from the mystery collection over a 15-year period and Rosales' willingness to sell them to the gallery at prices far below market value. 'Your common sense will tell you,' Reisbaum said. 'Such a treasure trove of never-before-seen masterpieces by America's most famous artists was too good to be true.' A man in Washington, DC, was arrested over the weekend after he reportedly flung 'miscellaneous papers' over the White House's north fence line. It occurred at 1.20pm on Sunday, according to the Washington Post. A Secret Service spokesman told the newspaper they were 'miscellaneous papers' and described them as safe. A man in Washington, DC, was arrested over the weekend after he reportedly flung 'miscellaneous papers' over the White House's north fence line. Above: The White House last week According to WJLA, the man was taken to the Metropolitan Police Department. Talk Media News reporter William McDonald tweeted a photo of Lafayette Park on Sunday. He wrote: '#LafayettePark emptied @SecretService officials say an 'object' thrown over @WhiteHouse fence @DHSgov @talkmedianews.' ABC reporter Alex Mallin tweeted: 'Secret Service arrested a man in front of the White House today after he threw papers over the fence. 'Shut down PennAve for more than 2 hrs.' A Secret Service agent stands in front of the snow-covered North Lawn of the White House last week In November 2015, Joseph Caputo climbed over the White House fence on Thanksgiving Day, before being arrested and charged with unlawful entry. He pleaded not guilty. Onlooker Vanessa Pena told the Washington Post at the time that Caputo breathed deeply then said 'All right, let's do this' ahead of making the jump. An anonymous Jehovah's Witness also spoke to the newspaper, saying: 'He was walking toward the White House with his hands up. 'The police told us to move away as quickly as possible. I looked over my shoulder. I was scared.' Caputo's attorney Stephan Seeger told NBC News in November that Caputo had attempted to 'deliver a message.' Seeger told the news outlet it 'addresses the issues of education, the judiciary, the legal system. 'It's a writing I suspect was earmarked for the government to see.' More than 120 leading economists today condemned Britain's response to the migration crisis and blasted David Cameron's plans as 'morally unacceptable'. The group, which includes a former deputy secretary general of the United Nations, said as the world's fifth largest economy Britain was well placed to do much more. More than a million migrants are expected to travel into Europe this year from the Middle East and North Africa but the Government has refused to take any of them into Britain. Scroll down for video The group of economists have called for Britain to take part in an EU quota scheme for refugees. Pictured: Hundreds of migrants disembarking in Athens today after being transferred from the Greek island of Lesbos Thousands of people are getting into small boats and rafts to reach Lesbos and then be transferred to the Greek mainland, including this woman in a wheelchair today Around 1,900 people are arriving on Lesbos every day and more than 50,000 people made the trip in January alone Instead, Mr Cameron has insisted the right thing to do is take the most vulnerable people directly from refugee camps around Syria - promising to take 20,000 people by 2020, plus a number of unaccompanied children. But in an open letter to the PM the group warned this was 'too low, too slow and too narrow', adding it was 'seriously inadequate'. The group includes Lord Malloch-Brown, the former number two at the UN, the former civil service chief economist Jonathan Portes and Peter Sutherland, the former director general of Gatt and the World Trade Organisation. They said: 'Refugees should be taken in because they are morally and legally entitled to international protection, not because of the economic advantages they may bring. 'Nonetheless, it is important to note that the economic contribution of refugees and their descendants to the UK has been high.' The letter also said: 'The costs in human wellbeing of the refugee crisis, however calculated, are so extremely high that it is morally unacceptable for the UK not to play a fuller part in taking in refugees.' The group said Britain should take a 'fair and proportionate' share of the people who arrive on the continent, adding legal routes to and through Europe should be created. Lord Malloch-Brown added: 'The refugee crisis is a challenge not just to life but to Europe's values and responsibilities, its respect for international law and its standing in the world. 'The lasting damage to its international authority if it betrays its responsibilities shouldn't be underestimated.' Mr Portes added in the Independent: 'In the UK, immigration over the past two decades has boosted jobs and growth. 'And it has had little impact on our own jobs or wages, while providing extra tax revenues to help us fund public services in the future. Former UN deputy secretary general Lord Malloch-Brown, file picture left, is among the most senior names on the open letter signed by 123 economists to David Cameron, right in Downing Street last night Refugees disembarked in Athens yesterday after being transferred from the Greek island of Lesbos Several thousand migrants are in Calais and Dunkirk and want access to Britain. Pictured: The main track at the Dunkirk camp yesterday which has been named 'Queen Elizabeth II Street' 'Britain can show it is open, confident and outward-looking, both as an economy and a society. Or we can rely on walls and borders. 'If we choose the latter, it won't just be refugees who suffer. We will all be poorer.' Asked for the PM's reaction to the letter, Mr Cameron's official spokeswoman said: 'We have led the way in the response to this humanitarian crisis from Syria, with the 1.1 billion-plus aid we are providing to the crisis, with the conference we are holding this week, with the commitment that we have made on resettlement and delivering against that commitment. 'We are one of the few countries that have successfully delivered that commitment to resettle 1,000 refugees from within the region by Christmas. 'We are making more progress than other countries and we now will continue to work with other countries for a more comprehensive, sustainable response to the issue.' The call from the economists comes a day after Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell predicted the global system of border controls would eventually collapse. He told the BBC: 'The movement of peoples across the globe will mean that borders are almost going to become irrelevant by the end of this century, so we should be preparing for that and explain why people move. 'In our policy making, as politicians, we should be working now to see how we address that because it will mean that we need to look at how we resolve conflicts, how we make the world more equal and also how we tackle climate change. 'In that way in that way we can deal with the reality of the world which means that people aren't forced to move but there will be movement.' Pressed on whether he meant totally open borders, he said: 'I think at the end of this century that's what will occur. We're seeing people ignoring borders already as they fly from Syria.' Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund warned four million migrants could reach Europe by the end of 2017. The migrant crisis came back to public attention during January as thousands of people walked through the frozen Balkans, including across the border of Macedonia and Serbia, pictured last week Mr Cameron has insisted nothing should be done which encourages people to make the perilous journey by boat to Lesbos, pictured on Friday In new forecasts, the organisation adjusted its estimates to conclude 1.3million people could move to Europe every year between 2015 - 2017. It added the Middle East refugees should boost European economic growth over the short term, but their longer-term impact would depend on efforts to integrate them. The report came as governments across Europe wrestle with the political, social and economic implications of admitting huge numbers of migrants fleeing the conflicts in Syria and elsewhere. More than one million refugees flooded into Europe last year seeking asylum, and in many countries, the administrative apparatus for handling such a large influx is overwhelmed. Statistics showed an estimated 31,244 migrants have braved the deadly boat crossing over the Mediterranean Sea to Greece in the first 16 days of this year. The shocking statistic represents 21 times the number of migrants who crossed during the same period in January 2015, according to the International Organisation for Migration. It is expected that the number of new arrivals to Greece is likely to exceed the 853,650 migrants who crossed over to Greece by sea last year. But the economists have insisted the migrants are coming, including those pictured in Turkey waiting for a boat on Friday, and it is 'morally unacceptable' for Britain not to help The International Monetary Fund has forecast more than a million people will try to reach Europe this year, including those pictured near the Aegean town of Ayvacik, Turkey, on Friday Almost half [48 per cent] of the migrants who have made the journey are Syrian nationals, fleeing the long standing war in their homeland. Last week, Mr Cameron defended his policy of only taking people directly from the region and not those already in Europe. He told MPs: 'We said that we would resettle 20,000 people in our country, and we promised to resettle 1,000 by Christmas. We achieved that. 'If we add up all that Europe has done under its relocation and resettlement schemes, we find that all the other 27 member states have done less than we have done here in the United Kingdom, because of those 1,000. 'Yes, we should take part in European schemes when it is in our interests to do so, and help to secure the external European border; but we are out of Schengen, we keep our own borders, and under this Government that is the way it will stay.' The Prime Minister came under fire for describing people in Calais as a 'bunch of migrants'. Mr Cameron has repeatedly rejected an EU quota scheme insisted it would only as a magnet to more migrants to make the journey. Syrian refugees need a MILLION jobs to make 'life worth living' after having their lives destroyed by war claims David Miliband's charity Former Labour foreign secretary David Miliband called for job creation in the country's neighbouring Syria The International Rescue Committee run by David Miliband has said work permits are needed for a million refugees living in countries surrounding war torn Syria. The IRC said a Syria pledging conference convening in London this week must 'massively invest' in the surrounding countries. It called for a job creation drive that would offer 200,000 work permits in Lebanon, 200,000 in Jordan and 600,000 in Turkey - roughly one for each family in each country. Mr Miliband, CEO and President of the International Rescue Committee, said: Life is getting harder and harder for Syrian refugees. 'Five years into the crisis, their savings are exhausted, they are struggling to get aid, and they are increasingly unable to support themselves and their families. 'We must do everything we can to lift the legal and financial barriers that prevent Syrian refugees from working. 'Syrian refugees deserve not just a life but a life worth living.' The IRC said the international community should prioritise work permits for Syrian refugee teachers, many of whom are currently unable to work legally. Parents often have to pull their over-enthusiastic children away from danger around busy roads, but you don't often see dogs showing that level of awareness. However, a truck's dashcam in Romania filmed a caring canine pulling his friend (or possibly offspring) back by his tail with his mouth as the vehicle sped towards them. The truck is racing along a country road when the driver spots the two dogs about to cross and sounds the horn. Speeding? A truck's dashcam in Romania filmed a caring canine pulling his friend (or possibly offspring) back by his tail using his mouth as the vehicle sped towards them A smaller - evidently less safety conscious - dog stands in front of the larger stray, and has to be dragged back just in time as the vehicle narrowly misses them. The drivers cheer in relief at avoiding an accident. Many online commentators have criticised the speed of the truck, noting that it slows down considerably after the near miss, thereby proving the motorists were aware they were speeding. 'Is it just me or does it seem like this truck driver is going about 100MPH on that road?' One writes. Another van drives past just after the vehicle overtakes the dogs, leading one person to comment: 'And the dog saved the driver from speeding into an oncoming vehicle.' Others praise the pair: 'I start to love dogs more and more every single f***ing day! Such good buddys! Feel so sorry i cant owe one! hope both stay together and keep taking care for another!! Take care little fellas!' Stray dogs have been an acknowledged problem for many years in Romania, particularly in the country's capital, Bucharest. Speeding? The truck is racing along a country road when the driver spots the two dogs about to cross and sounds the horn. The smaller dog and has to be dragged back just in time as the vehicle narrowly misses them Come back! Many online commentators have criticised the speed of the truck, noting that it slows down considerably after the near miss, thereby proving the motorists were aware they were speeding Vast areas of houses in Bucharest and other cities were demolished in the 1980s on the orders of former communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and replaced with concrete blocks of flats, forcing owners to abandon their dogs. In June 2015, about 300,000 dogs were rounded up and slaughtered in a crackdown launched after a four-year-old boy was killed while playing near a park. In general, animal welfare in Romania does give cause for concern, particularly in the case of stray dogs, British Ambassador Martin Harris warned in a memo to London. Unfortunately, local authorities often cannot afford to build proper shelters or sterilise the dogs in medically appropriate conditions. Victims said they had lost sleep or stopped eating A suspended residential real estate agent has pleaded guilty to swindling his clients out of $2 million. A Victorian court heard Anthony Brancatella, 43, got out off his depth trying to 'keep the bank off his back'. The former director of McDonald Real Estate in 2014 was investigated after complaints from clients claiming they had not been paid or had been short-changed. A Victorian court heard Anthony Brancatella (pictured), 43, got out off his depth trying to 'keep the bank off his back Consumer Affairs Victoria found 62 breaches between December 11 and June 11, 2014, which included changing cheques payable to vendors to cash and using that money to prop up the business. He also placed cheques payable to a trust account into other accounts - including an overdraft account that was almost $100,000 in the red. The court heard seven witness-impact statements, all saying they had lost sleep or stopped eating because of the ordeal. One, who had an Enduring Power of Attorney for his mother, said he was sickened someone could take advantage of an elderly person. 'I felt gutted to hear that there was someone who would even consider stealing money from a very elderly, frail person,' Mr Giles said in a victim impact statement,' Trevor Giles said in a statement. The former director of McDonald Real Estate, Mr Brancatella (right), in 2014 was investigated after complaints from clients claiming they had not been paid or had been short-changed Defence barrister Rob Melasecca said Brancatella had done his best to keep his company afloat and in effect had 'robbed Peter to pay Paul'. He had always taken responsibility for his actions, had already paid back many of his victims and was still working to pay back the others. Some victims have received payments from the Victorian Property Fund after making claims when Brancatella's company went into liquidation. Brancatella had already paid back more than $390,000 and planned to pay back the remaining money within the next four months, his lawyer said. He faces a maximum of 10 years' imprisonment and could be banned from working as a real estate agent for life. The trial continues before Judge Carolyn Douglas. Some victims have received payments from the Victorian Property Fund after making claims when Brancatella's company went into liquidation (stock photo) Advertisement Australian pro surfer Mick Fanning announced the end of his eight year marriage to wife Karissa following a tumultuous year which saw the shock death of his brother and a terrifying shark attack. So in the hours after confirming his sad news, the 34-year-old took a moment to himself for a solemn walk along a Queensland beach with his beloved dogs Harper and Kona. The much-respected three-time ASP world tour champion looked out to the sea and down at the sand pensively as he quietly took in the sight of the ocean he loves so much in the company of his two loyal pets. In a heartfelt post to his Facebook page on Sunday night Mr Fanning wrote that he has 'nothing but love and respect' for his wife, but the pair had mutually decided to split. The pro surfer also addressed the recent speculation that he and Karissa were no longer together, saying they denied reports because they were 'committed to working things out'. Scroll down for video Australian pro surfer Mick Fanning announced the end of his eight year marriage to wife Karissa following a tumultuous year which saw the shock death of his brother and a terrifying shark attack. He took time on Monday to walk his dogs Harper (left) and Kona (right) In the hours after confirming his sad news, the 34-year-old took a moment to himself for a solemn walk along a Queensland beach with his dogs The much-respected, three-time ATP champion looked out to the sea and down at the sand as he quietly took in the sight of the ocean he loves so much in the company of his two loyal pets Harper (left) and Kona (right) In a heartfelt post to his Facebook page on Sunday night Mr Fanning wrote that he has 'nothing but love and respect' for his wife, but the pair had mutually decided to split The pro surfer addressed the recent speculation that he and Karissa were no longer together, explaining they denied reports because they were 'committed to working things out' Pro surfer Mick Fanning has announced he and his wife of eight years Karissa Dalton have split The pro surfer made the announcement on his Facebook page on Sunday night after months of speculation 'Karissa has stood by me since we first met in 2004. We have shared plenty of great times but more importantly she has helped me through some of the toughest moments in my life, especially this past year,' he wrote. 'There has been some speculation about our marriage coming to an end over the past six months. We refuted those claims because we were both committed to working things out since we separated last February. 'After giving it our all though, late last year we made the tough mutual decision to move on separately,' Mr Fanning revealed. 'It feels weird to put our personal life out there like this but we want to eliminate any speculation about this decision. 'Were still close and theres a lot of love there,' Mr Fanning added. 'This is the only statement well be making about our relationship and we appreciate everyone respecting our privacy concerning this matter. Thanks so much,' the post ended. The dignified athlete has stepped away from the limelight after his post, looking downcast as he wore sunglasses and a cap to enjoy a calm afternoon on a Queensland beach with his two dogs. Harper and Kona are his cherished pets who he frequently posts about on social media, either taking them for swims at the ocean or sharing photos of the pups while he's overseas, explaining how much he misses them while he competes. He calls the dogs 'the kids' and part of the family and once explained the three things he loves more than surfing are 'his family, friends and dogs'. The pair met in 2004 through mutual friends and married in March 2008 Fanning and Karissa are pictured here at the surfer's brother's funeral in December 2015 Harper and Kona are his cherished pets who he frequently posts about on social media, either taking them for swims at the ocean or sharing photos of the pups while he's overseas, explaining how much he misses them while he competes Mick Fanning once said that the three things he loves more than surfing are 'his family, friends and dogs' - pictured together on a Queensland beach on Monday February 1 Australian surfer Mick Fanning walking his dogs on the beach in Queensland, 1 February 2016 just hours after announcing the end of his marriage Mick Fanning looked forlorn as he enjoyed a quiet moment with his two pets, as the pro-surfer walked his two dogs down a Queensland beach Mick Fanning says he and his wife Karissa first separated in February but tried to works things out before making the 'tough decision' to split Fanning and his wife married in 2008 after meeting through mutual friends in 2004 and have been open in the past about the struggles of juggling careers and their marriage Mr Fanning travels for nine months of the year with his surfing, while Mrs Fanning runs her wedding business from the Gold Coast The coupe, pictured here in 2008 (left) and 2009 (right) initially denied rumours of the split while they tried to work things out Fanning made international headlines last July when he fought off a shark attack in South Africa In August last year reports that the pair were no longer together were published by New Idea magazine, but widely denied by the couple, Mr Fanning's manager, and even his mother. The pair, who married in 2008 after meeting through mutual friends in 2004, have been open in the past about the struggles of juggling careers and their marriage. Mr Fanning travels for nine months of the year with his surfing, while Mrs Fanning runs her wedding business from the Gold Coast. The 32-year-old is behind 'wedding and lifestyle publication' The Lane, an online style guide and brand directory. She told a 2014 Sunday Style profile that Fanning won her over with a roast dinner when she was just 21 years old. She was just 23 when he proposed in 2006. 'I have nothing but love and respect for this woman' Fanning wrote on Sunday. The pair are seen here in 2011 Here they're seen at the funeral for Fanning's brother Peter, 43, who passed away in December from an 'enlarged heart' Fanning looked solemn and pensive as he and his dogs spent a quiet Monday afternoon solo, walking along a Queensland beach While his dogs played off lead, Fanning continued to pace barefoot down the sand alongside the ocean he loves so much Fanning posts about his beloved dogs Koda and Harper on social media. His cherished dog Taylor died after being 'his shadow for 15 years' 'Say CHEEEEEESE!!' Miss these two kids,' Mick Fanning captioned this image on Instagram. He frequently posts about his beloved dogs Fanning has had a difficult year, fighting off a shark attack in July before losing his brother in December Mr Fanning made headlines across the world when he fought off a shark attack in the final round of the J-Bay Open in South Africa in July. The three-time world champion punched the shark in the back and managed to miraculously escape unharmed from the ordeal. More recently Fanning's brother Peter, 43, passed away in December from an 'enlarged heart' after suffering from a serious hyperthyroid disease that had almost killed him three years earlier. Black students at the oldest public school in the country have accused staff of failing to act on racist abuse on campus. A social media campaign has been launched by students at Boston Latin in Massachusetts, who say that there are underlying tensions at the school and that racial slurs are often used by other students, who aren't reprimanded. They add that the tensions started brewing when police officer Darren Wilson was not indicted on charges after shooting dead black unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri last year. Scroll down for video A social media campaign has been launched by students at Boston Latin in Massachusetts, who say that there are underlying tensions at the school Students Meggie Noel and Kylie Kylie Webster-Cazeau, pictured, uploaded a YouTube video talking about the experiences of black students at Boston Latin This prompted two students, Meggie Noel and Kylie Webster-Cazeau, to upload a video to YouTube, discussing the alleged racial incidents. In it they call on any students who have experienced racism to detail it on social media using the hashtag #BlackAtBLS. Ms Webster-Cazeau told CBS: 'It makes students of color feel really uncomfortable that students who they sit next to in class, who they see in the hallway, whose locker is (near) said these things and thought these things.' While Miss Noel added: 'Whatever happens, we are definitely going to holding administration accountable, holding BPS accountable. We're going to make sure these things don't happen in the future.' In the video, they call on any students who have experienced racism to detail it on social media using the hashtag #BlackAtBLS The campaign has also received the support of Boston mayor Marty Walsh, who has met with some of the students from the school and says they shouldn't be experiencing racism in class. Boston Latin is the first and oldest public school in America, has many famous alumni, and is often considered a feeder school for the Ivy League. According to the Boston Globe, 23 percent of students at the school were black 20 years ago. Boston Latin, pictured, is the first and oldest public school in America, has many famous alumni, and is often considered a feeder school for the Ivy League It is believed this gave hundreds of African American teenagers access to a top public school, which in turn gave them a better chance of attending an elite college. However, recent figures show that today, only nine percent of students are black and 12 percent are Hispanic, far less when compared to Boston's two other exam schools. The leader of a right-wing party in Germany has come under fire for suggesting refugees who try to cross the border illegally should be shot. Frauke Petry, 40, principal speaker for Alternative fur Deutschland - Alternative for Germany - said in an interview that a police officer must 'make use of his firearm' to stop illegal border crossings. Ms Petry has seen the support for her party increase in recent months as public opinion has changed on Germany's migration policy. Anti-immigrant: Frauke Petry, Chairwoman of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said police must 'make use of firearm' to stop refugees and migrants who try to cross the German border illegally AfD was formed in 2013 and was initially profiling itself as a party for Eurosceptics, but the party has since split into two factions, with one more vocal on right-wing politics. Ms Petry, a mother-of-four, has been a Speaker for the party since its birth, but was elected 'principal Speaker' - de facto party leader - in June last year. Her opponent, Bernd Lucke, said Ms Petry and the election of her as leader, was turning AfD into 'a Pegida party'. A member of AfD's right-wing faction, Ms Petry has pushed an anti-immigrant agenda, and has been vocal in her critique of Merkel's migration policies. On Saturday, Ms Petry told the Mannheimer Morgen daily that a border police officer 'must stop illegal border crossings, and also make use of his firearm if necessary.' Right-wing leader: Ms Petry, a 40-year-old mother-of-four, has been accused of turning AfD into 'a Pegida party' by steering the party further to the right She added that: 'no policeman wants to fire on a refugee and I don't want that either. But the last resort includes the use of armed force.' Germany saw nearly 1.1 million asylum-seekers enter the country last year and the AfD has been gaining in support as more people question whether the government will be able to deal with the influx. As Chancellor Angela Merkel has been criticised for her refusal to reverse her 'open doors' migration policy, Ms Petry's AfD has grown. A poll last week found that more than 11 per cent of the German population would vote AfD, as support for Merkel's coalition government dropped down to 37 per cent. Her interview was widely condemned both by politicians and the force itself, with the national police union slamming her suggestion, saying no German police officer would shoot at a refugee. 'Whoever proposes such a radical approach apparently wants to overturn the rule of law and exploit the police,' Joerg Radek, vice-chairman of the GdP police union, said in a statement. Angela Merkel's second in command,Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, called for AfD to be put under observation by the government agency that tracks extremists. Vice Chancellor Gabriel told Bild newspaper that 'there is massive doubt that (the Alternative for Germany party) stand by the free democratic order of the republic.' Under fire: German chancellor Angela Merkel has been criticised for refusing to back down on her 'open borders' migration policies which has seen Germany take in 1.1million refugees and migrants Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, received support from an unlikely source for her handling of Germany's refugee crisis. Baden-Wuerttemberg governor Winfried Kretschmann, a member of the Greens party that is in opposition at the federal level, told Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper the chancellor's insistence on 'working step by step' on a European solution to the refugee crisis was the correct path. 'Which of her counterparts in the EU will hold Europe together if she fails?' he asked. 'Far and wide there's nobody in sight. Therefore I pray every day that the chancellor remains healthy.' Meanwhile, neighbouring Austria has announced that it will step up deportations of migrants and is adding Morocco, Algeria and other states to a list of countries it deems safe, enabling it to send people back there more quickly/ Despite an initial outpouring of sympathy for the migrants, public concern about the influx have fuelled a rise in support for the far right in Austria, and opposition to the coalition government of Social Democrats and conservatives has grown. In an apparent move to address those concerns, the government announced this month that it would cap the number of asylum claims at 127,500, or 1.5 percent of the country's population, over the next four years. Now the government has decided to carry out at least 50,000 deportations in the same period, according to a summary of an agreement between the interior, defence and integration ministries published on Sunday. It will also offer up to 500 euros (380) to migrants whose asylum applications have been turned down if they agree to be deported, the summary said. Three Syrian teenagers arrested in Munich for attack on girls at public pool Comes after migrants were banned from some swimming pools in Germany The illustrations are warning migrants not to harass or grope German authorities have resorted to issuing cartoon leaflets in public swimming pools in an attempt to stop gangs of migrants groping women. In the wake of the sex assaults in Cologne on New Year's Eve and a wave of reported cases of sexual harassment in swimming baths, officials have now created a special cartoon guide on appropriate etiquette. The illustrations feature German captions with subtitles in English and Arabic and warn migrants not to wear underwear instead of swimming trunks, harass women, or push them in the water. Scroll down for video One cartoon shows a hand attempting to grope a woman wearing a bikini and bears the universal red 'no' symbol demonstrating such behaviour is forbidden Some 20,000 leaflets in seven languages have been issued across refugee facilities and public pools and a second edition is already in the pipeline. A spokesman for Munich public services said the leaflets contained bathing rules and 'intercultural subjects', developed in cooperation with the equality office, the anti-discrimination office and the Centre for Intercultural Cooperation of the City of Munich. A spokesman added: 'We had a number of incidents in swimming pools with migrants who could not swim and do not understand our language, written warnings, bans or instructions. 'The principle of acceptance of women no matter what clothes theyre wearing was not be respected by all visitors, hence the explicit indication. 'The multilingual information helps the staff communicate and is helping them in prevention work.' This comes after migrants were banned from a historic swimming bath in Germany after a gang of men were caught on camera masturbating in a hot tub and sexually assaulting women. Several other men were seen 'emptying their bowels' in the children's end of the main swimming pool at the Johannisbad baths in Zwickau, Saxony. Management at the historic baths are reportedly no longer allowing migrants into the facilities following the allegations while some local swimmers have stayed away after the incidents. In response to growing concerns, a leisure centre in Bornheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, became the first in Germany to ban migrants after a schoolgirl was sexually assaulted in a public swimming pool by Syrian teenagers. The leaflets in public swimming pools ask migrants not to wear underwear instead of swimming trunks, harass women, or push them in the water Three Syrian boys were arrested in January over the attack at a leisure centre in Munich as the country grapples with growing concerns about sex crimes perpetrated by asylum seekers. The ban also follows an attack by an 18-year-old refugee on a 54-year-old woman in Bornheim, where he had groped and tried to kiss her. In Sweden, police have resorted to sending undercover officers to Stockholm's swimming pools amid a rising number of sex assaults on girls by migrants. Plain clothes police will monitor swimming baths in the Swedish capital after 'a few dozen' suspected cases of sexual harassment were reported mainly by parents of teenage girls. It comes amid reports that a number of girls said they had been sexually assaulted by young male asylum seekers at the city's Eriksdalsbadet Olympic baths in recent weeks The four cases involve girls under the age of 18 and all sexual assaults have taken place in hot tubs, pools or in the changing rooms. The baths have started segregated whirlpool bathing after an increase in reports by girls and women that they had been groped underwater. Meanwhile Switzerland has also adopted a similar Austrian cartoon flyer for its upcoming Lucerne carnival which authorities are issuing to migrants. Switzerland has also adopted an Austrian cartoon flyer for its upcoming Lucerne carnival, advising on appropriate public behaviour The pictogram clearly demonstrates accepted behavior such as kissing and praying, while making it clear what is frowned upon in society. The CIA misleads its own staff by sending its employees false memos known as 'eyewash' that deliberately mask details about killings, drone strikes and other clandestine activities, it is claimed. The practice begins when a regular internal memo is distributed to wider groups of staff containing false advice about operations or agency sources. A second memo is then sent to a much smaller, select group, explicitly telling them to disregard the previous instructions and passing on the real information. The CIA uses the practice known as 'eyewash' to hide some of its activities from its own staff, sources claim According to The Washington Post, the practice was discovered by a Senate investigation into the agency's controversial interrogation program. The practice of eyewash was omitted from its public report, but a classified version, which was read by the paper's source, contained several examples. In one instance, CIA bosses told their operatives in Pakistan they did not have the clearance to hunt down Al-Qaeda's Abu Zubaida. But a second memo, sent to a much smaller group of operatives, told them to ignore the previous memo and proceed with the potentially lethal operation. An official told the paper: 'The people in the outer levels who didnt have insider access were being lied to. They were being intentionally deceived.' Although some criticized the practice, which plants internal misinformation akin to the Cold War 'mole' purges, others said it was rarely used but beneficial. A former intelligence official told the paper that a typical example of an eyewash occurred when a mid-level source gained exceptionally sensitive intelligence for the agency. A memo would be sent out to all those who knew of the source's existence, informing them he had been 'hit by a bus'. Then a second memo would be issued to a select few, informing them the source was alive and well and in possession of the new sensitive intelligence. Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has decided not to impose further punishment on David Petraeus, a former CIA director who admitted sharing classified information with his mistress. A short letter, seen by Reuters, 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. Former CIA director David Petraeus resigned from the agency in 2012 after it was revealed he was having an affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell (pictured together), with whom he shared classified information 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. 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. Three men were sentenced to death on Saturday by an Indian court for the gang-rape and murder of a student, in a case that sparked outrage over women's safety. The court in Kolkata sentenced Saiful Ali, Ansar Ali and Amin Ali to the death penalty and a further three defendants, Sheikh Emanul Islam, Aminur Islam and Bhola Naskar, were given life sentences after being convicted of gang rape, criminal conspiracy and causing disappearance of evidence. The 20-year-old woman was targeted as she walked home after an exam in 2013 in the village of Kamduni, in the eastern state of West Bengal. The six defendants arriving at Kolkata court to be sentenced: top row, from left: Sheikh Emanul Islam, Ansar Ali and Amin Ali. Bottom row, from left: Bhola Naskar, Aminur Islam and Saiful Ali In another case that has sparked outrage and protests over women's safety, Indian social activists, surrounded by police officers, shout slogans as they gather near the court on Friday The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was grabbed after getting off the bus before being dragged to a nearby abandoned farm. The gang attacked her as she returned from the university to her home Kamduni on June 7, 2013. She was found gagged and lying in a pool of blood in a field the next morning. Evidence showed she had been repeatedly raped. Two of the eight accused were acquitted for lack of evidence by the court. 'Justice has failed us as two of the accused were acquitted and three were awarded life sentences,' the victim's brother said. Senior public prosecutor Anindya Raut said it was 'a gruesome crime, a rarest of the rarest case.' The All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA) activists demand the death penalty for those men found guilty of rape and murder Judge Sanchita Sarkar delivered the verdicts in a packed court which included the victim's family. 'I award the death sentence to three convicts 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,' Judge Sarkar said. Scores of activists and people from the victim's home village joined together outside the court to protest against the state government of West Bengal, demanding the attackers receive the death penalty. Extra police officers were deployed outside the court following a scuffle between police and protesters who tried to enter the court complex. The attack triggered anger in West Bengal state and came just months after the fatal gang-rape of a student in Delhi in December 2012, which shone a global spotlight on violence against women in India. Despite the 2012 incident leading to an overhaul of India's rape laws including speeding up of trials and tougher penalties for offenders, high numbers of assaults persist. A woman with a rare skin condition that prevents her from wearing makeup and who turned to permanent make up says she deeply regrets the move as she now looks like a clown. Mary Malargic, 49, sought permanent makeup because of dermatomyositis, a rare skin condition which prevents her from wearing cosmetics, Channel Nines A Current Affair reported. The work can cost as much as $2,000 but the Brisbane woman jumped at an offer by Alaturka Turkish Bath, Hair and Beauty to tattoo her eyebrows, eyeliner and lipliner for just $300. Scroll down for video A rare skin condition, dermatomyositis, prevents Mary Malargic from wearing makeup and instead sought permanent makeup, and had eyebrows, eyeliner and lipliner tattooed on (pictured before and after L-R) Brisbane woman Ms Malargic, 49, said she now looks 'like a clown' because of botched cosmetic tattoos (pictured after having the permanent makeup done) Ms Malargic requested a light and very natural look, even demonstrating to beautician Mariam how she wanted the cosmetic tattoos to look with makeup. But the Brisbane woman left the Slacks Creek, outer-south Brisbane hair and beauty salon looking like a clown. Im looking now not like a human being, she told A Current Affairs Jenna Hudson. Is this natural? No. Seven hours into the ordeal, Ms Malargic caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and realised the tattooed eyeliner was uneven. Her daughter Natalie began filming inside Alaturka, when Mariam offered to redo the tattoo for free. Ms Malargic obliged, but looked no better a further seven hours of gruelling pain later. I cant recognise myself,' 49-year-old Ms Malargic said. 'It's terrible, I'm looking like a clown,' she added Im looking now not like a human being, Ms Malargic said, and is considering further treatment, although laser removal is expensive Its terrible, Im looking like a clown, she said. I cant recognise myself. When approached by A Current Affair, the beautician was asked if she had a diploma or relevant qualifications to perform cosmetic tattoos. Mariam replied, hiding her face from the camera: I dont know. Ms Malargic said shed paid for the work with cash. The 49-year-old is now considering expensive laser removal. Mariam did not respond when asked if she would assist Ms Malargic in paying for laser removal of the tattoos. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Alaturka Turkish Bath, Hair and Beauty for comment. The salon has since changed its name on Facebook and removed its address and contact number from the page. Seven hours into the ordeal, Ms Malargic caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and realised the tattooed eyeliner was uneven The beautician was asked if she had a diploma or relevant qualifications to perform cosmetic tattoos. Mariam replied, hiding her face from the camera: I dont know The salon in Slacks Creek is not registered, according to A Current Affair, and a license is not required in Australia for cosmetic tattooing Up to 1,000 British troops could be sent into Libya to shore up the country's fragile military in its fight against ISIS and halt its expansion on the Mediterranean coast. The Islamic terror group has seized control of strategically important points along the Libyan coast over the last year and its headquarters in the country - Sirte - sits just 200 miles from Europe. Officials from British and US governments are in talks with the Libyan government about accepting extra help to add to the Italian-led 6,000 forces who are currently train the Libyans, according to reports in The Times. Scroll down for video UK and US officials are trying to persuade the Libyan government to accept 1,000 British troops to help in the fight against ISIS, which has seized control of strategic points along the Mediterranean coast The expansion of ISIS along the Mediterranean coast has raised fears that ISIS terrorists could pose as refugees boarding boats into Europe ISIS has set up a North African headquarters in the Libyan coastal city Sirte, Muammar Gaddaffi's hometown, which became ravaged by fighting between rival militias, pictured above, in 2011 It comes as the RAF prepares a series of air strikes against the estimated 3,000 ISIS fighters in Libya, where the group has increasingly focussed its efforts after coming under intense fire from coalition air strikes in Syria and Iraq. ISIS took control of Sirte, the Libyan coastal city where Muammar Gaddaffi was born, last year and is now the location of its north African headquarters. Sharia courts now rule the city and the terror network carry out public beheadings and floggings in the city. The group's expansion along the Mediterranean coast has raised fears that ISIS terrorists could pose as refugees boarding boats into Europe. French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned: 'There is the risk that Isis fighters could make the crossing, mixing in with refugees.' He wants the British and French to finish the mission it led in 2011, when Gadaffi was driven out of power. The overthrow triggered rival militias fighting to take control of the country and created a vacuum for terrorist groups such as ISIS to operate. A team of six RAF officers and MI6 operatives flew to an airbase near the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk to plan airtstrikes against ISIS, according to reports Over past weeks, ISIS have stepped up attacks against the country's oil infrastructure and made the most deadly single raid since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi But with the lack of a functioning national government and the absence of unity between the rival groups, a formal request for outside help has yet to be made. Ash Carter, the US defence secretary, said: 'The Libyans don't welcome outsiders intruding on their territory.' A team of six RAF officers and MI6 operatives, as well as British and American diplomats, have flown to an airbase near the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk, which is under control by internationally recognised militia forces, to draw up plans for more air strikes. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said no final decisions had been made about the deployment of British troops in Libya. David Cameron visited the Libyan capital Tripoli, pictured right, following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, pictured left. The French defence minister said he wants the two countries to finish the 2011 mission One of the members of the military protecting a demonstration against candidates for a national unity government proposed by U.N. envoy for Libya Bernardino Leon, is pictured in Benghazi 'The UK, along with international partners, is supporting the process to form a recognised Libyan government and we are developing plans to support this,' the spokesman said. 'No decisions have been made about the future deployment of any British military forces to Libya as part of an international coalition force.' There are widespread fears that ISIS, which has seized a long stretch of coastline around the city of Sirte, wants to move its headquarters from Syria to north Africa and threaten the Mediterranean. Over past weeks, ISIS have stepped up attacks against the country's oil infrastructure and made the most deadly single raid since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. 'The targeting teams want to find out where the friendly militia fighters are so that any coalition strikes against Isis don't hit them by accident,' a British military source told the Sunday Times. The presence of RAF officers in the reconnaissance team could indicate that the coalition is considering setting up a military base there. Reports that British troops would be deployed to Libya as part of an international peacekeeping mission surfaced in August last year. At the time, it was reported that American, French, Spanish and German officials would join Britain in an international mission to stabilise the country once the rival warring faction agree on forming a unity government. But a UN-backed plan to end the 20-month civil war that has torn Libya apart is struggling to take off. Last week, the country's internationally recognised parliament rejected a main article in the UN accord as well as a proposed list of ministers. It is not yet clear whether a rival parliament in Tripoli will participate and its chief said that separate negotiations without UN involvement were the 'only solution'. The Sunday Times also reports that Britain is preparing to send troops to train Libyan security forces against the ISIS threat. The Conservatives could seize second place from Labour at May's Holyrood elections, it was claimed today. Polls have suggested Jeremy Corbyn's party is on track for another dire result potentially losing every constituency it holds in the Scottish Parliament. Such a result would leave Labour dependent on the top up 'list' system and it is possible the party could slip behind the Conservatives. Labour are four points clear of the Tories in the constituency polling but crucially could lose seats to the SNP while the Tories are expected to hold what they have On the list section of the poll Panel Base found just a two point gap between Labour and the Conservatives in the race for second place The SNP are widely expected to romp to another majority win and improve on the staggering 2011 result which paved the way for the 2014 independence referendum. But Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson could be installed as the official leader of the opposition - replacing Kezia Dugdale, the Scottish Labour leader. Polling suggests the gap between Labour and the Conservatives in the race for second place is closing. And today a senior Conservative Party source told the Independent: 'Were pretty confident were going to have our best ever result since devolution, and it looks pretty certain that Labours going to have its worst. 'Were confident our message is getting across and that people who previously havent voted Conservative perhaps ever are giving us a proper look.' A Panel Base poll published in January showed the SNP far in front on both the constituency vote and the list vote. But on the list - which is a proportional system - Labour held a slender two point lead in the race for second over the Tories at 19 per cent to 17 per cent. On the constituencies Labour was a little further ahead at 21 per cent to 17 per cent. But crucially the Scottish Conservatives are thought likely to hold the three constituency seats they already have. Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, right, could finish third in the Holyrood elections. She visited London last week, pictured, to brief Jeremy Corbyn and the shadow cabinet on the campaign Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has taken part in a series of extravagant photo ops since becoming leader and could be rewarded with a second place finish in May SNP sources told the Independent facing Ms Davidson would represent a more difficult challenge for the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. They said: 'Would having Ruth Davidson as leader of the opposition in the Scottish Parliament be more challenging for us than [Scottish Labour leader] Kezia Dugdale? Yes, I dont think anyone would argue with that. 'Shes done a good job of disassociating the Tories in Scotland with the Westminster party and people say they like her even if they would never vote for her.' Bad results in Scotland could spark a move against Mr Corbyn in London. Michael Dugher, who was sacked as culture secretary by the Labour leader in a new year reshuffle, warned last month: 'We will be able to see what the answer is to that big question. 'After last years devastating defeat in the general election, are we getting back in touch with the country or are we moving even further away from the public?' Panel Base conducted its poll between January 8 and January 14, interviewing 2,087 Scottish voters. The father of a British jihadi mother who has been jailed for six years for taking her toddler to join ISIS in Syria has claimed his daughter has been 'stitched up' due to 'Islamophobia'. Tareena Shakil, 26, travelled to the war-torn region in October 2014 where she became immersed in the world of terror, became a jihadi bride for an ISIS fighter and spoke of her desire to become a 'martyr'. She also posed her 14-month-old son for pictures next to an AK47 before posting messages which called on followers to 'take on arms'. Mohammed Shakil (right), the father of British jihadi mother Tareena Shakil (left), has hit out at his daughter's six-year jail term, claiming she has been 'stitched up' due to 'Islamophobia' But today her father Mohammed hit out at the 'injustice' his daughter faced, claiming her conviction was a conspiracy between MI5, MI6 - and even her own defence lawyers. Speaking outside Birmingham Crown Court as she was jailed for terror crimes, he told LBC the case had been a 'farce' and his 'perfect' daughter would now 'devote herself even more to God'. 'I hope to God no woman comes back to face this kind of injustice in the country. My daughter was the last hope for all the vulnerable, they've killed all the hope,' he said. 'This is Islamophobia, you know, the West, they're killing us. It is a farce. A big farce, yes it is. 'This is a stitch up by MI5 and MI6 because she did not help them, she could not help them. This is a fix up between the prosecution, the defence lawyers, this is all that.' He added: 'She'll devote herself even more to God, that's what she'll do.' Shakil, a former school prefect and fan of The Only Way is Essex, had fled to Raqqa after telling her family she was going on a beach holiday to Turkey. She then claimed she had only moved to Syria to live under sharia law and even pretended she had wound up in Syria because she was kidnapped off a beach while on holiday. Handing down the sentence today, Judge Melbourne Inman condemned Shakil for telling 'lie after lie' as she tried to escape terror charges. Jailing her for four year for ISIS membership and two years for encouraging acts of terror, he told her: 'You told lie after lie to the police and in court between February and November 2015, including that you were kidnapped, were not responsible for any tweets and any incriminating photographs were staged against your will. 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 'You pleaded not guilty and told more lies to the jury which they have understandably rejected.' He added that one of the most 'abhorrent' features of the case was that Shakil's son would have grown up subject to indoctrination - and probably would have wound up as a terrorist fighter. 'Most alarming is the fact that you took your son and how he was used,' he said. Judge Melbourne Inman told Shakil that the 'shameless' treatment of her son was 'abhorrent' 'In your own evidence you described Raqqa as the most dangerous place on earth. That is one aspect of the aggravating feature of exposing your son to life with terrorists. 'The most abhorrent photographs were those taken of your son wearing a balaclava with an ISIS logo and specifically the photograph of your son, no more than a toddler, standing next to an AK47 under a title which, translated from the Arabic, means "father of the British jihad". 'You were well aware that the future which you had subjected your son to was very likely to be indoctrination and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter.' Shakil was also ordered to register her whereabouts with police for a period of 15 years following her release from prison. Wearing a black jacket and dark leggings, Shakil, from Sparkbrook, Birmingham, waved to her family as she was led to the cells by two security guards. Her father shouted 'carry on with your farce' as he left the courtroom with his wife and his son-in-law. During the trial, the court was told how Shakil, who was radicalised online, pretended to go to Turkey for a beach holiday. Instead, she crossed the border into Syria and went to ISIS stronghold Raqqa. Detectives believe she funded her trip with a student loan and that the only reasons she began an HND in hospitality management in Birmingham was to obtain the finance. Shakil's family, from Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, reported her missing to police one day after she left the UK. Shakil's Facebook page under the name Tameena al Amirah where she started posting extremist messages Photos shown to the jury showed Shakil posing in an ISIS balaclava and with a Kalashnikov rifle When officers searched the family home they found a note from Shakil to her parents saying: 'If you are reading this then I am long gone... I love you all, never forget that. I won't say goodbye because this isnt the end.... We will meet again In'shallah. Don't cry mum or anyone x'. After arriving in Syria she sent them messages saying: 'I left to build us all a house in heaven, Allah promised us heaven if we sacrifice our worldly life'. In another message, she wrote: 'If you don't love ISIS. I won't talk to you anymore.' Shakil, pictured at East Midlands Airport with her toddler before they boarded a flight to Turkey en route to Syria She also messaged her husband telling him there was no future in their relationship but she would meet him again in 'jannah (paradise)'. Detectives believe that Shakil, a former brain injury rehabilitation worker, was then married off to an ISIS fighter but that the marriage went sour within weeks. She was instead kept in a mansion with about 40 other single women, where she posed with her son for a selfie while wearing a black balaclava branded with the ISIS symbol. Other pictures found on her phone showed her posing with an AK-47 assault rifle and a hand gun. And another sinister photo showed her stood outside in a full-length black niqab carrying her child, and stood by an ISIS flag. In a conversation with her father on WhatsApp, in mid-December 2014 while living under ISIS rule, she also showed her commitment to the cause, telling him: 'I want to die here as a martyr.' She said little boy had learned to say 'Allahu Akbar (God is great)' and told her family they would be 'welcome' to join her in Syria. But Shakil soon realised the lifestyle was not what she was seeking. In January 2015, after repeatedly looking up 'I want to leave ISIS' on the Internet, she and her son travelled by road to the Turkish border. They ran one kilometre to escape into Turkey, dodging a three-man ISIS patrol before handing themselves into the Turkish military, she told the court. She was arrested when police boarded her flight home at London's Heathrow Airport last February and initially claimed she had been kidnapped from a beach in Turkey. 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. A blurred photo posted online by Shakil shows an unidentified woman wielding a Kalashnikov rifle She 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 then 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.' During the two-week trial, she also said IS forced her to pose with her son for propaganda purposes and had controlled her social media messages. In one message, she also advised another single woman thinking of joining ISIS 'not to come alone': '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.' 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. Shakil also searched for videos of Anwar al Awlaki, an al-Qaeda-linked extremist who was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011. Shakil in her police interview. She claimed she was kidnapped but later admitted wanting to start a new life 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.' Speaking after the verdict on Friday, 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.' He 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.' Shakil's family declined to comment outside court. '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. Goodbye notes: These handwritten messages were discovered by police in Shakil's home after she left the UK 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. Prosecutors claimed this photo shows Shakil standing beneath an Islamic State flag in Syria 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. 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 '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. The brutal terror group in Syria and Iraq have reported attracted 60 British women to their cause 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.' 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. His family are planning to sue the hospital over the misdiagnosis But weeks later hospital called again to say he did in fact have lung cancer A grieving family is planning to sue a hospital after their father died of lung cancer which doctors diagnosed him with and then told him he didn't have. Roger Taylor, from Bury, fell ill last May just a few weeks after his wife Janet - who he had cared for - lost her own battle with cancer. Medics at North Manchester General Hospital told him he had very advanced lung cancer, which had spread and he and his family decided he would not have chemotherapy, as it would prolong his life by only a few months. Roger Taylor, from Bury, fell ill last May just a few weeks after his wife Janet - who he had cared for - lost her own battle with cancer Two weeks later the hospital called to say it was not lung cancer after all, but lymphoma - a disease that could be treated. His family cancelled what was going to be his last holiday, which cost them 1,000, and prepared for treatment - making a formal complaint about his care. But just a week later the hospital called once again - and said he did have incurable lung cancer after all. A fortnight later he was admitted to hospital for a separate health issue and believing that his visit would only take a couple of hours. But when the decision was taken to discharge him, the nurse did not order him a palliative ambulance - so transport provider Arriva did not pick up the request until the following morning. After 15 hours waiting, he arrived home and died 21 hours later. His daughter Elizabeth, 36, said her dad 'was not the same man' when he got home and believes he died so soon as a direct result. Medics at North Manchester Hospital diagnosed lung cancer, then two weeks later called to say it was not lung cancer after all, but lymphoma - a disease that could be treated. Just a week later the hospital called once again - and said he did have incurable lung cancer after all She added: 'They can apologise and send me condolences but it means nothing. Their actions caused the premature death of my dad. 'It is impossible to describe the psychological, physical and emotional strain we have been put under when all this was actually preventable. 'I hope this doesn't happen to any other family as I wouldn't wish it on anyone.' Pennine Acute's internal investigation into Mr Taylor's changing diagnoses concluded the doctor in charge had drawn his conclusions too quickly - before getting all the necessary detailed test results back. However he had made his three diagnoses 'in good faith', it said. The nurse who ordered the wrong ambulance in the hours before his death has now been advised of the correct procedures, according to a letter send by the trust to Ms Taylor. It has also issued an apology to Mr Taylor's family and assured them he was cared for in bed during his 15-hour wait to be discharged. A spokesperson for Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: 'The trust would like to reiterate our sincere condolences and apology to Mr Taylor's family following his death at home in July last year. 'We can confirm that we received a complaint in respect of the treatment and care afforded to Mr Taylor. Farm is now deserted and gun-toting thugs are guarding it against visitors The wealthy black British GP who seized a tobacco farm from a white Zimbabwean family today refused to apologise to them - as the plantation he has taken over stood deserted under lock and key, guarded by thugs carrying AK-47s. Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro would not answer questions surrounding the controversial land grab of the tobacco plantation the Rankin family have worked on for 35 years as he left a medical centre in Nottingham. Meanwhile some 7,500 miles away in northern Zimbabwe, several armed guards patrolled the 300,000 tobacco crop once owned by the Rankins and the carefully tended gardens withered in the sun. Scroll down for video Guarded: A man wielding an AK-47 pictured at the farm in Zimbabwe, which is padlocked shut and deserted Deserted: The once-buzzing tobacco farm now stands deserted and is guarded by men wielding AK-47s Defiant: Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro has refused to apologise to the Zimbabwean family whose farm he has seized The doors to the much-loved family home swung open, and the 2,000 acre farm was silent and almost ghostly. A policeman also stood guard at the gates, warning: No one can come here. Phillip Rankin was handcuffed by police and dragged off his land on Friday so it could be claimed by Dr Nyatsuro, who runs a weightloss clinic in Nottingham. Today Dr Nyatsuro refused to comment or offer any words of apology to the couple, who have farmed the land for 30 years and have no other source of income. He also declined to comment when leaving Bakersfield Medical Centre, less than a mile from his own practice, before driving away in his black Mercedes 4x4. Solicitor Nyarodzo Maphosa said today she was attempting to lodge an 'urgent restitutory interdict' in the Harare High Court. She is seeking a ruling that would allow the Rankins to return to their home and carry on farming as they were before the 'lawless' acts last Friday, she said. 'I am finalising annexures and am submitting the papers now,' she said. Ms Maphosa was a witness to the events early Friday when about 20 policemen dug their way under the security fence around the homestead and forced Mr Rankin out of the home. Valuable: A handful of workers can be seen in the distance trying to salvage the Rankins' expensive crop It came as Anita Rankin, who has farmed the tobacco fields with her husband for thirty years, wept as she described the trauma of losing everything they own. She said she she could no longer cope with the campaign of intimidation from 'thugs'. The GP is said to be friends with Grace Mugabe. She told MailOnline: 'This is actually too much for me. This has been going on for months. The people have not behaved well towards us. 'They would come to the kitchen door and stare at us and they made so much noise. It was a very tough situation and it went on and on. Salvage: A tractor was confiscated from workers but they are still at the plantation tending to the crop Livelihood: Anita and Phillip Rankin have farmed the land for 30 years and have no other source of income Family: Phillip Rankin and his wife Anita are now staying with a relative around 15 miles away from Harare 'We don't know where we will live or what we will do. I am born and bred on a farm. I don't know town life. And I only know Zimbabwe.' The farm in northern Zimbabwe was stormed by police officers, who have since taken over their home and even confiscated their tractor when workers tried to continue efforts to grow tobacco, and the stress of the situation has made Mrs Rankin ill. We don't know where we will live or what we will do. I am born and bred on a farm. I don't know town life. And I only know Zimbabwe She and her husband are now staying with their son Barry in Harare as they contemplate how to claim back the 300,000 tobacco crop they planted and move on with their lives. The deserted farm was eerily quiet on Tuesday morning, apart from the sounds of the settlers. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of carefully planted tobacco is being allowed to wither in the sun, while a once-loved garden blooming with flowers goes untended. The top leaves of many acres of tobacco now needs reaping. A handful of workers can be seen in the distance trying to salvage the Rankins' expensive crop. The Rankin family has no property beyond the farm and had borrowed a huge sum of money - 400,000 - to finance this year's crop and manage debts from previous years. Son Barry said: 'We paid the workers their January salary [on Monday], but as for next month I just don't know. I don't know how we will manage any of this.' Occupied: The couple say police have taken over their home and stopped them working on the farm Owners: British doctor Sylvester Nyatsuro and his wife Veronica have been given a farm belonging to a family of white farmers in Zimbabwe Barry, 33, began to work for his father in 2010 and then built a new house on the farm for his wife and three young children. Dr Nyatsuro, who is supposedly linked to the Mugabes through his wife Veronica, apparently turned up at Kingston Deverill in September with a government document saying that he was now the rightful owner of the land. Two dozen settlers then moved into a nearby cottage and caused problems for the family, according to Mrs Rankin, 54, who has three children with her husband. The family said their home is now under guard by seven members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police who have prevented workers from using the tractor. Officers are sleeping on the floor inside the empty house and have even removed some of the doors from the property and loaded them on to a vehicle. Dr Nyatsuro, 45, is originally from the African country but has lived in Britain for at least 15 years, and is now in charge of his own GP practice. He and his wife Veronica, who is reportedly travelled to Zimbabwe on January 26, were allocated the Rankins' farm under Robert Mugabe's controversial land seizure laws which allow the state to take the property of white people and hand it over to 'indigenous' black Africans. Tobacco: Mr Rankin invested 300,000 in his current tobacco crop which will be ready for harvest in August Home: The Rankins pictured on their tobacco farm in the Centenary district of northern Zimbabwe Couple: The pair were born and brought up in Zimbabwe and have lived on the farm for decades The group is campaigning the UK government to have Mr Nyatsuros citizenship revoked. Barry, speaking from his new home in the capital Harare, described how the family thought they had 'survived' after they held onto their land in the initial wave of confiscations by the Mugabe regime. He hit out against the eviction, saying it 'doesn't make sense' that a wealthy professional who lives in the West should be given property by the government. 'As a family we are absolutely gutted,' Mr Rankin told MailOnline. 'We have been turfed off of our land and there's nothing we can do about it. We are devastated. 'It was our business - but more important than that, it was our home. We have never owned anything other than the farm and that's gone in one weekend. 'My parents have been working on the farm for 35 years. I grew up there. Those years have not all been hunky dory, we have had our ups and downs like any family, but we thought the farm would always be there. Distress: They say the situation has made Mrs Rankin ill and they have nowhere to go Farmers: Phillip and Anita Rankin, pictured, have been forced off their land in ZImbabwe In the early hours of Friday morning, 20 police officers dug under the fence surrounding the family's home and knocked on the door before carting away most of their belongings and taking them to a derelict warehouse. They then handcuffed Mr Rankin and took him to a police station before later releasing him to stay with relatives. Barry added: 'We have had 16 years of land acquisition in Zimbabwe and we thought we'd survived - we didn't see this coming. We thought we had ridden our way through it, we thought we would be alright. 'I don't know what we are going to do. I can't even think beyond tonight.' Slamming the decision to give his land to Dr Nyatsuro, he added: 'It doesn't make sense to me, how a doctor who lives in the UK can come and take our land. 'Land requisition was supposed to be for the landless, for the people who didn't have anything. I thought it was for the people of Zimbawe with nothing, not for wealthy British doctors who do not live here. 'But what do I know? I don't know the law, I'm just a simple farmer. My parents have farmed tobacco over four decades, it is all we ever knew.' 'It is every family's dream to pass on their property onto their children. My parents were going to give it to me, and I was going to pass it on to my children and their children after that.' Property: Dr Nyatsuro and his wife live at this 700,000 home with five bedrooms outside Nottingham Practice: Dr Nyatsuro runs The Willows Medical Centre in Nottingham, a medical and slimming clinic A tobacco expert, who asked not to be named, said Northern Tobacco, which represents British American Tobacco in Zimbabwe, tries to ensure that all farming it finances in the country is grown on land which remains in control of the original owner. 'They don't want to buy tobacco from stolen farms,' he said, predicting that the Rankin's tobacco would be taken away when it is cured, and will be bought by another company for sale. Phillip and Anita Rankin both have British ancestry but were born and brought up in Zimbabwe, employing more than 40 people at Kingston Deverill. Dr Nyatsuro has been practising as a doctor in Nottingham for at least 15 years after moving to Britain from his home country, and he describes his nationality as British in official documents. He runs a GP practice, The Willows Medical Centre, and is a specialist in helping patients lose weight. The doctor lives with his wife and their three children in a 700,000 five-bedroom home outside Nottingham. Mrs Nyatsuro has been rumoured to be related to Mugabe's wife Grace, but she has denied this. Last year he launched the Zimbabwe Diaspora Skills Network, a charity which aims to use the expertise of Zimbabweans living abroad to boost healthcare and other services in the poverty-stricken state. He was previously director of Midlands College Limited, a company which provided training for dental nurses and was the subject of a compulsory winding-up order in 2010. The couple have denied using violence to enforce their claim to the Rankins' farm, saying that they were allocated the property by the state in accordance with normal legal procedures. Farm: The couple have been given the farm in the Centenary district of Zimbabwe owned by the Rankin family At the time that news of their claim to the farm came to light last year, Dr Nyatsuro's clinic was targeted by protesters accusing him of collaborating with the Mugabe regime. Mrs Nyatsuro said that the couple were 'under siege' and claimed they had received death threats, insisting that none of the Rankins' allegations were true. A protest by supporters of the Rankins is set to take place on Friday, with around 50 people expected to take part. Among them will be Rose Benton, 70, from Zimbabwe Vigil, a group that aims to promote human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe. She criticised Dr Nyatsuro for trying to move in on the land. Mrs Benton, who is originally from Zimbabwe but lives in London, said: 'He is a British citizen and a GP it is pure theft what is happening. He is someone who is living and working in England but he is behaving in a thuggish way. 'It is double standards that he is supporting Mugabe but living here. At the moment (in Zimbabwe) if you are connected to the government you can go round stealing other people's land. This man [Nyatsuro] has benefited from being here in the UK and he has set up a good life for himself. Its greedy and its cruel.' Mrs Benton's husband, Dennis, 74, also a member of the group, said: 'The Rankins were born in Zimbabwe and now a British doctor who has lived here for 15 years and has no intention of going back can steal this farm when the crop is still in the ground. Neighbours of the couple described the doctor as 'a perfect gentleman' who would never want to cheat anyone else. Policy: Robert Mugabe, pictured with his wife Grace, has enforced a series of land grabs taking the property of white farmers and giving it to black Zimbabweans HOW MUGABE'S LAND GRABS LED TO VIOLENCE AND POVERTY Robert Mugabe's policy of 'land reform' has been running for 16 years, with 90 per cent of white farmers in Zimbabwe seeing their land taken and given to black people instead. The government insists it is necessary to reduce the whites' economic dominance which dates back to the colonial era - but opponents claim it is a tyrannical and unfair process which bears little relation to justice. Mugabe said that the British took the land in the 1890s and Zimbabweans are claiming it back. Most of the land is then given to pro Zanu PF supporters. The white farmers, many of whom have occupied the same plots for decades, were removed from their homes without compensation and often suffered violence from police during the evictions. Around 20 farmers and their workers died during the first wave of seizures, which contributed to the country's economic collapse as Zimbabwe's skills base was hollowed out and the amount of crops produced tumbled. The policy also led to allegations that Mugabe's cronies were more likely to be given land than genuinely needy citizens. Some suggested that the reforms were instigated as a way of distracting from the government's failure to implement true democracy in the decades after the end of white rule, with Mugabe presiding over a series of rigged elections and ruthlessly quashing political dissent. But the policy instead made the regime less stable, with Zimbabwe's economic troubles causing the collapse of the local currency after a period of damaging hyperinflation. Roughly 300 white farmers were left in possession of their land, but last year the policy of confiscation seems to have started again, threatening the last remaining holdouts such as the Rankin family in Centenary. Advertisement 'He is an exceptionally nice man and a perfect gentleman,' one local resident said. 'You couldn't meet a nicer guy. 'Veronica keeps to herself but she's nice too. They moved in here around 2006, I believe. They've always been approachable.' She is the practice manager. The neighbour added that the couple had spent less time at their Nottingham home recently as they stepped up their charity work in Zimbabwe. Dr Nyatsuro's lawyer today denied that his client had clashed with the Rankin family, claiming that the farmers had not been able to prove that they are the rightful owners of the land. He also insisted that the doctor's political connections were not responsible for his being given the farm, saying 'any Zimbabwean has a right to benefit from the land reform programme'. Fungai Chimwamurombe, a Harare-based solicitor, told MailOnline: 'The government's position is that the farm was acquired over a decade ago. 'At various court sessions we attended with Mr Rankin and his lawyer, they failed to show the legal basis why he was occupying the farm. 'It is our understanding that the minister of lands offered our client the land because they believe it is state land and it is up to Mr Rankin to prove otherwise. 'The issue here is not between our client and Mr Rankin because he is only a third party who applied generally for land years back. He was on the waiting list for a long time and was offered this state land on the strength of his application.' The lawyer added that Dr Nyatsuro did not know that the farm was occupied by the Rankins until he went to take possession of the property allocated to him by the government. He said: 'It is our understanding that many Zimbabweans regardless of political affiliation benefited from the land reform programme. 'We are not aware of their relationship status with the president... any Zimbabwean has a right to benefit from the land reform programme.' Mr Chimwamurombe claimed that the ownership of the farm had not been finally settled because police told Dr Nyatsuro that he could not immediately move in. For more of the latest on the Zika virus visit www.dailymail.co.uk/zikavirus The CDC announced over the weekend it is now in full outbreak mode Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to severe birth defects Officials say student is expected to recover and isn't showing A College of William and Mary student contracted the Zika virus while traveling in Central America over the winter break, it has been confirmed. The Virginia university said in a news release that the student is expected to recover and isn't currently experiencing symptoms. The school also said that after consulting with its own health and wellness team and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it believes there is no health risk to anyone on campus. The latest confirmed case comes as scientists and health officials around the world warn that the tropical illness could turn into a bigger epidemic than Ebola. University officials in Virginia say a College of William and Mary student contracted the Zika virus while traveling in Central America over winter break (campus pictured) Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that has been linked to severe birth defects. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. Daily Mail Online has contacted the university for comment. In a statement the Virginia Department confirmed there was one case in the state, but they expected the number to rise. 'The Virginia Department of Health has confirmed Zika virus infection (via laboratory testing provided through the CDC) in an adult resident of Virginia who recently traveled to a country where Zika virus transmission is ongoing,' they said. 'This is the first reported, laboratory-confirmed case in a traveler returning to Virginia, sometimes referred to as an imported case. 'Zika virus infection in this individual serves as a reminder that people in Virginia can acquire the disease during travel to countries where Zika virus transmission is occurring.' The virus has spread across Central and South America and has infected people who have returned to the United States from those areas. As of last Thursday, 31 people across the country had the virus, but that is expected to rise. Over the weekend the CDC announced it was in full outbreak mode over the Zika virus, assembling a team of hundreds of experts to try to better understand its impact. On Sunday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dedicated an emergency operations center staffed around the clock to address Zika. The CDC has set up such command centers to handle the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and the Haiti cholera epidemic that began in 2010. This time, the team includes many more experts on pregnancy given the unusual impact of Zika. Last week scientists warned it has an 'explosive pandemic potential', and could impact up to four million people. It is worryingly thought to cause a defect where brains do not develop properly - prompting some countries to warn their residents not to get pregnant. There are now fears the 2016 Rio Olympics could be affected because of a spike in cases, with some athletes being warned not to go. At least 11 people have been massacred at a teenager's coming-of-age birthday party in southern Mexico. The victims were all gunned down following a 'problem' at the 15-year-old's party, which officials refused to elaborate on. The shooting occurred Friday at a 'quinceanera' celebration in the state of Guerrero, not far from the border with Michoacan, where drug-related crimes, including homicides, are a regular occurrence. A soldier stands guard at the scene of mass graves in Guerrero, a Mexican state plagued by drug-related killings Hector Astudillo, the state's governor, said: 'There was a problem at a 15th birthday party, and according to the information we have, 11 people were killed.' Like Michoacan, Guerrero, one of the poorest states in Mexico, has seen an explosion in drug-related abductions and homicides. Southern Guerrero is also where 43 students disappeared in September 2014, after being attacked by municipal police and delivered to a drug cartel, which allegedly then killed them. The massacre also comes just weeks after troops and police announced they were searching for up to 17 people who were abducted by gunmen as they headed to a wedding in nearby Acapulco. An official for Guerrero state security told AFP on condition of anonymity that 10 people were reported missing following Saturday's mass abduction in the municipality of Arcelia. But Mayor Adolfo Torales said the gunmen took away 17 men after stopping a convoy of families in cars in the community of El Salitre in the late afternoon. 'They took just the men, leaving the women and children,' Torales told Radio Formula. Torales said that the gunmen accused the men of being members of the drug cartel known as La Familia Michoacana. The mother of a 16-year-old raped by three Somali men today claimed 50 of their friends and family carried out a two-month campaign of intimidation throughout the trial. The woman, who cannot be named to protect her daughter's anonymity, says she was smuggled into court via a back door 'as if she was the criminal' to see the men jailed for a total of 29 years. Muhyadeen Osman, Bilal Ahmed and Mowled Yussuf, all 20, gang raped the girl at the Victoria Park Hotel in Manchester, having spent the night before there for Eid. Their victim was 'naive' when she met them and they saw her as 'easy prey' so lured her into a bedroom playing a game of 'hide and seek' before raping her in 2013, the court heard. Fears: The mother of a rape victim, who cannot be pictured for legal reasons, today claimed she and her family suffered a campaign of intimidation during the trial of her daughter's attackers Mowled Yussuf, left, Muhyadeen Osman, centre and Bilal Ahmed all 20, have been jailed for a total of 29 years after raping a 16-year-old girl A group of more than 50 family members and friends gathered at Manchester Crown Court on Friday to protest and the girl's mother says they deliberately intimidated her and her family. The girl's mother said on the day the trio were jailed Yussuf swore at them and another in the gang blew kisses while family members shouted at them. The 49-year-old from Cheshire, also said she and her husband were constantly targeted during the two month trial. She said: 'I was frightened throughout and my husband was frightened. There were so many of them and many of them would goad me when I walked past and deliberately try to intimidate us. 'On some occasions there were at least 50 in the courtroom - most likely many more on the day of the sentencing. 'On one occasion, the judge said only 10 of the family members were allowed into the court but still another 20 ganged up in the corridors and deliberately made me and my husband feel intimidated. 'Sometimes we would come out and there would be even more outside. They would often not move out of the way when we tried to get past. On one occasion the police liaison officer we were with had to ask them to move. If she hadn't have been there I don't know what we would have done. 'It was scary. If this is what it does to us, then what would this be like for the victim of a rape case? 'My daughter was too traumatised and only attended the court on the few days she had to give evidence, when thankfully there were less of them around. But I think it is awful that if she would have attended towards the end of the trial when more of them were there then she would have been subjected to this. It's a disgrace and the system allows this to happen. 'No wonder that so many people are too scared to prosecute over rape if this is what they have to go through. We were scared throughout this but we just knew we had to keep going to get justice.' Support: Family and friends wave to the prison van containing at least one of the three men jailed for a total of 29 years on Friday Protests: A group of women held banners on the steps of Manchester Crown Court last week as they claim the boys did not do the crime they were convicted of Sentencing the trio at Manchester Crown Court last week, Mr Justice David Fernandez said the victim had suffered 'great emotional and physical distress' as a result of the ordeal. Upset: The unnamed 49-year-old said the experience was terrifying for her, her husband and especially her daughter During the trial, the court heard how the victim, then 16, got a bus to Manchester and met a fourth male, who she had previously exchanged text messages with after being introduced by a mutual friend. He took the victim to the hotel to 'meet his boys' - where the pretence of a game of 'hide and seek' was suggested to the victim. At the hotel, the victim was introduced to Yussuf and Ahmed, who had stayed there the previous night with a group of other males during Eid celebrations. The victim then became involved in what she believed to be a game of hide and seek, with the group entering a number of unlocked rooms despite being asked to check out at 11am. CCTV footage showed the victim enter room 38 for around 30 minutes, where she was subjected to rapes in the bathroom and bedroom. When that finished, Osman, who had been 'keeping watch' outside, raped her on the bed. Cash and a mobile phone were stolen from her handbag during the incident. DNA evidence linking all three culprits was found on towels and bedsheets recovered from the scene. Today the authorities promised to investigate the claims of bullying at court. A spokesman for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service said: 'We take the needs of victims, witnesses and their families extremely seriously. 'We take action to support them throughout their time in court including arranging for victims and their families to access the building by a separate entrance and ensuring that defendants' families are seated in a separate part of the courtroom. 'Any complaint of intimidation will be treated very seriously and investigated urgently.' Crime scene: The rape took place at the Victoria Park Hotel in Manchester, pictured, during Eid celebrations Sentencing: The trio were found guilty after a trial at Manchester Crown Court, pictured, and jailed for 29 years on Friday Detective Constable Heather Clarkson from Greater Manchester Police, said: 'The victim has shown extreme bravery throughout the whole of this case and I would personally like to thank her. 'She has been supported by specially trained officers and she has shown the determination to ensure Osman, Yussuf and Ahmed were brought to justice.' Eight schools were targeted by bomb threats today as a wave of hoax calls continues to sweep across Britain. Six schools in Birmingham were shut down this morning as police investigated calls made by someone who claimed to be planning a bomb attack against them. One of the schools was Edgbaston High School for Girls, which is attended by 18-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. In addition, two schools in Glasgow had to be searched by police after being targeted by 'malicious calls'. Shut down: Edgbaston High School for Girls was closed after receiving a bomb threat this morning Today's hoaxes come a week after dozens of bomb threats were received by schools around the UK and elsewhere over a period of several days. None of the calls has so far been found to represent a serious threat of violence, while a Russian Twitter group claimed responsibility and said it was trying to help children get out of going to school. A 14-year-old boy from Birmingham was arrested on suspicion of making a copycat hoax threat in the wake of the initial bomb warnings. The six Birmingham schools shut down this morning were Edgbaston High School for Girls, Shireland Collegiate Academy, Bristnall Hall Academy, Perryfields High School, Hall Green Secondary School and Oldbury Academy. Pupil: Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is studying at the school in Birmingham Detective Inspector Colin Mattinson, from West Midlands Police, said: 'This morning we have reports of a further six bomb threats, following similar threats made to several schools last week. 'At this stage there is nothing to suggest there is any credible threat to any of the schools. 'Our response officers have been sent to the locations to ensure there is no threat to anyone's safety and support the schools. 'A police investigation is ongoing to find the person responsible for these calls.' The affected schools - some of which were also targeted by hoaxers last week - later reopened after they were deemed to be safe. Malala has been a pupil at Edgbaston High School for Girls since she moved to Britain after being shot and nearly killed by Taliban gunmen in her native Pakistan. In Glasgow, the High School of Glasgow and Hill Head High both received automated calls making bomb threats this morning, and were searched by forensic officers. A spokesman for Police Scotland said: 'Two schools in Glasgow have received a threat via the telephone. Staff and police have searched both school buildings and nothing untoward was found. 'Schools are operating as normal and officers are continuing inquiries. At this stage, police are treating these incidents as malicious calls.' Eight schools in Sydney were also placed into lockdown today due to 'violent threats', according to authorities in Australia. Wave: Six schools around the West Midlands were targeted by bomb hoaxes today Last week a number of schools in London, the West Midlands, Cornwall, Paris, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Sydney were closed because of bomb threats. It is not known whether the dozens of hoax calls placed around the world have any relation to one another. One suspect for the wave of hoax calls is a Russian Twitter group called 'Evacuation Squad', which claims to make bomb threats to order so that pupils can skip school and criminals can distract the police. In a string of gloating messages the pranksters - who use an image of Vladimir Putin as their profile picture - said 'Schools in Paris dropping like flies', adding: 'How's the West Midlands doing?' On Thursday a 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of making a hoax threat in an apparent copycat attempt which came after the first group of bomb warnings. This is the tense moment a lucky wildebeest managed to escape the jaws of a lion after it was dragged through the undergrowth by the hungry predator. The dramatic footage was captured by tourists during a trip to the Amakhasi Safari Lodge, in Zululand, South Africa, who looked on as the lioness savagely attacked its prey. The group expected the inevitable while observing the lifeless animal on the ground, but to their surprise, the plucky wildebeest suddenly appeared to come back from the dead. Down and out: The group on safari expected the inevitable while observing the lifeless animal on the ground Not going down without a fight: The plucky wildebeest suddenly appeared to come back from the dead Within seconds the animal was back on its feet with the lion dangling around its neck, as it desperately tried to escape the battle with its life still intact. The group were later left stunned when the wildebeest finally managed to shake itself free and made a run for it - leaving the hungry lion for dust. Bill Mornan, 32, from New Jersey, was among the group who filmed the brutal battle. He said: 'We had asked out guide to see some wildlife on foot, and had strict instructions to follow our tour guide Alwyn in a single file line, along with another tour guide behind us in line. On the front foot: Within seconds the wildebeest was back on its feet with the lion dangling around its neck Fight for survival: The strong wildebeest desperately tried to escape the brutal battle with its life still intact 'Little did we know we were up for a surprise. After about 15-minutes of looking in tracks, and taking in nature, 75 feet in front of us I spot a lioness. 'Alwyn immediately advised us to go in the opposite direction and not to mess around near any lions. 'After about a minute of walking in the opposite direction, we heard a wildebeest scream for dear life. 'It was a moaning sound and Alywn immediately knew the lioness had a wildebeest in her grasp. Upper hand: The group were left stunned when the presumed dead wildebeest pushed the lion backwards Not this time: The animal eventually managed to shake itself free and made a run for it away from the lion 'Alwyn immediately radioed in another tour guide, to quickly pick us up in the road and go see the kill. 'We ran about two minutes to the road and got picked up. 'We knew what a rare opportunity we had to see this battle, and we all watched in silence. 'My heart was pounding very fast I must say! I think some people were relieved and very surprised the wildebeest got away.' For more on the Berlin rape allegations visit www.dailymail.co.uk/germany A 13-year-old German girl who claimed she had been kidnapped and raped by migrants made up the entire story, police have said. The girl, only known as Lisa F, told police she had been taken from a suburb in east Berlin and held captive for 30 hours by 'foreign-looking' men who raped her. Lisa F. is a member of Berlin's Russian community, and her made-up tale was widely reported in Russian media and saw Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accuse Germany of 'sweeping problems under the rug'. Lies: The 13-year-old, known only as Lisa F. had told her parents and police that migrant men had kidnapped her and then raped her for 30 hours (pictured are refugees waiting at a registry office in Berlin) Lisa F. whose full surname cannot be revealed due to German privacy law, was reported missing by her parents two weeks ago when she 'disappeared' on her way to school in Marzahn, Berlin. She reappeared after 30 hours, and claimed she had been kidnapped by 'men of Middle Eastern or north African appearance,' the Guardian reports. Her allegations aroused outrage in Berlin's Russian community and Russian media have reported extensively on it. About 700 people protested in front of Chancellor Angela Merkel's office on Saturday holding banners reading 'Our children are in danger' and 'Today my child, tomorrow yours'. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Germany of ' hushing up' the case in the wake of the migrant crisis and the sex mob attacks in Cologne on New Years Eve. Accusations: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Germany of 'hushing up' Lisa F's disappearance and claims that she was raped, when in fact she had made it all up Hundreds of women filed police complaints by reporting assaults ranging from groping to rape, allegedly committed in a large crowd of revellers in Cologne, Germany, on New Years Eve He told a Moscow news conference on Tuesday: 'It is clear that the girl under no circumstances disappeared for 30 hours voluntarily.' His German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier accused Russia of exploiting the case for 'political propaganda' and to influence a debate about immigration to Germany, which registered 1.1 million new arrivals last year. However, Berlin prosecutor's office spokesman Martin Steltner has now confirmed that there was no evidence to support the rape and kidnapping claims made by Lisa F. Mobile phone location tracking data did not support the girl's account that migrants held her for 30 hours. She eventually admitted to police that she had made up the story after an issue at school had made her afraid to go home to her parents. The investigation found that she had had voluntary sexual contacts with two 20-year-old men before she disappeared, Steltner added, and they were not connected to her absence. The prosecutor's office is now investigating the men for suspected sexual abuse of a minor. Amber weather warnings have been put in place across Scotland and northern England for today and tomorrow Advertisement Schools have been closed and train services suspended after Storm Henry swept in off the Atlantic today bringing gales of up to 90mph - causing huge trees to be felled and lorries to be blown off roads. Dozens of schools in the Highlands and Western Isles have been closed, while the roof of King's Park Secondary in Glasgow has been damaged by strong winds brought by Britain's eighth named storm. Some train and ferry services across Scotland have already been suspended due to the extreme weather, leading to a potentially difficult evening commute for some. Ferry passengers also face disruption due to the choppy conditions at sea, while roads across the Scotland and northern England have been shut or blocked by falling trees as the 90mph winds caused carnage. Scroll down for video and forecast Storm Henry causes carnage: A 100ft tree was blown over in high winds in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, today. The huge tree narrowly missed pedestrian Layth Yousif, 29, who was standing nearby when the pavement suddenly opened up and the tree crashed down with great force Lucky escape: Layth Yousif, 29, was looking at his phone at around 1pm when he suddenly saw the pavement rip up in Stevenage. The former male model said: 'It sounded like 100 gunshots. 'I couldn't believe it. If there was anyone underneath they'd have been dead' The result of Storm Henry: A lorry blew over onto its side on the A66 in Cumbria today as high winds battered northern parts of England and Scotland. Britain's eighth named storm is set to cause carnage on the roads, rail network and for ferry passengers throughout today Not another one: A high-sided vehicle toppled off the A66 in Cumbria and onto its roof in a nearby verge after being hit by strong winds sweeping across northern Britain today. The Met Office has issued several severe weather warnings as Storm Henry batters the UK Dangerous: A man and his rucksack were blown into oncoming traffic in Middlesbrough today as Storm Henry brought strong winds Victim of the weather: The man suffered a suspected broken wrist and cuts and was taken to hospital by ambulance in Middlesbrough It's windy out there! Two women braved the rain and strong winds as they made their way out and about in Glasgow this afternoon Alerts: Severe weather warnings have been issued for all of Scotland and northern England and Northern Ireland today and tomorrow (left), which advise people to 'be prepared' for high winds and rain. Meanwhile, the graphic on the right - courtesy of xcweather - shows the wind speeds across the country. The red arrows show where the wind is 'gusting', with the bigger arrows indicating the windiest locations Storm Henry is the eighth named - winter storm to hit Britain and comes just days after the UK saw off Storm Gertrude, which brought gusts of more than 100mph in places as well as heavy rain and snow. The Met Office has issued amber 'be prepared' weather warnings for wind covering Scotland from 3pm on Monday until Tuesday morning. Gusts of 70-80mph are widely expected, while 90mph is possible in the most exposed areas, especially across the Western Isles and along the west coast. The Forth Road Bridge has already been closed to high-sided vehicles and the A82 between Glencoe and Rannoch Moor is closed to all vehicles apart from cars after a van and a lorry were blown off the road earlier. Meanwhile, the Humber Bridge has been closed to high-sided vehicles and caravans and a speed limit imposed after a lorry blew over in 49mph winds. Humberside Police tweeted a photograph of the overturned lorry, which appeared to have come to rest close to the edge of the bridge. Fire crews were called to attempt to stabilise the lorry using winches. The southbound carriageway is due to remain closed until after the rush-hour as winds are expected to become stronger later. It comes after a bystander had a lucky escape in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, when a 100ft tree ripped out of the pavement and crashed down into the road after being blown over in the high winds. Layth Yousif, 29, was looking at his phone at around 1pm when he suddenly saw the pavement rip up. The former male model said: 'I was on the phone to my partner talking about what I was going to get from Waitrose when I heard this massive bang. 'It sounded like 100 gunshots and then the pavement just ripped up in front of my eyes. I couldn't believe it. If there was anyone underneath that tree they'd have been dead. It came crashing down with incredible force blocking the road. 'It's just lucky it wasn't a Saturday afternoon when there would be loads of kids about because the consequences could have been much worse.' The 150-year-old oak tree closed a road in Stevenage old town and damaged the Waitrose store where it was rooted. It also caused damage to the nearby Draper's Arms pub fence. The weather in the centre of Middlesbrough was also so severe that it blew over a pensioner in the middle of a busy road. The man was left with a suspected broken wrist and cuts to his face and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance. Gale-force winds reaching nearly 30mph also hit Newcastle this afternoon with the gales affecting dog-walkers and surfers at Tynemouth Longsands beach. And in County Durham, a HGV toppled on its side on the A1 after falling victim to the high winds. Taking a battering: Huge waves crash over the lighthouse at Porthcawl, Wales, today as Storm Henry descends on the United Kingdom Almighty force: Large waves whipped up along the coast of Porthcawl, Wales, today as winds of up to 90mph hit exposed locations Incident: An HGV toppled onto its side on the A1 in County Durham after being hit by strong winds sweeping across northern Britain today Another victim of the strong winds: A high-sided vehicle toppled onto its side on the A66 in Cumbria today after being hit by strong winds Oh dear: Police were called to the scene in Cumbria after this truck was blown off the road and onto a bit of wasteland following high winds in the region. Motorists are being urged to take care on the nation's roads today as gale-force winds batter much of the country On its side: An overturned lorry lies on the hard shoulder of the M9 near Stirling in Scotland after Storm Henry swept in with 90mph winds As well as the amber-graded warnings in place for Scotland, warnings for wind at the lesser graded yellow 'be aware' level are also in place for the whole of the northern UK and Northern Ireland today. Yellow alerts have also been issued for rain in northern and central areas of Scotland. The Met Office said: 'A deep area of low pressure will push quickly eastwards close to the north of Scotland later on Monday and into Tuesday. 'Some very strong west to south-westerly winds are expected to develop on the southern and western flanks of this system, affecting much of Scotland. 'Gusts of 70-80 mph are expected widely, whilst gusts of 90mph are possible in the most exposed areas, especially across the Western Isles and along the west coast. 'Be prepared for some potentially severe weather, causing transport disruption and difficult driving, some structural damage, dangerous coastal conditions and disruption to power supplies.' Train operator ScotRail said some of its services would only be operating until the early afternoon, before being suspended until the end of the day. Jacqueline Taggart, of the ScotRail Alliance, said: 'Once again we find ourselves preparing for extreme weather conditions hitting the country. Last week Storm Gertrude brought incredibly high winds and treacherous conditions to Scotland - and it looks as though Storm Henry is going to do the same. 'We have been working closely with the Met Office and they have advised us that conditions will worsen as the day progresses. This means that any impact on our services will be felt later in the day. 'I would really urge people to look at their travel plans for the whole day. We will be running services in the morning that, due to Storm Henry, we will be unable to run in the afternoon. So, please do make arrangements for both your outward and return journeys.' Braving the conditions: Two people embraced the wind and heavy rain as they continued with their day in Glasgow this afternoon Trying to stay dry: One woman donned a woolly hat, while a man held an umbrella, in a bid to try and stay dry in Glasgow earlier today Not letting the weather spoil their day: These tourists enjoyed a spot of punting along the River Cam in Cambridge this afternoon Storm-watching: Members of the public were spotted on the seafront at Porthcawl, Wales, as waves lashed against the sea wall What a scene: These are the incredible photos of white bubbles whipped up by waves near St. Bees, at the very western tip of Cumbria Moving in: This graphic shows Storm Henry sweeping in across the British Isles off the Atlantic (shown in orange and green). Forecasters warn the country's eighth named storm will bring 90mph winds and two inches of rain to much of Scotland and parts of northern England Caledonian MacBrayne is also advising ferry passengers to check ahead for disruptions across its ferry network. It came after giant waves measuring more than 48 feet high were recorded off the Outer Hebrides this afternoon. The super-sized waves were nearly three times the height of a double decker bus, after reaching 48.2 feet at 1pm off the Western Isles in the North Atlantic. Ben Freeston, of surfer's website Magicseaweed, said: 'This storm is close to recent historic records for wave height looking at our data - in almost a decade of data we're seeing only one storm offering a swell forecast in excess of 50ft at Hosta (Isle of Lewis), interestingly that was only last December. 'Like almost every significant storm this season it started life on the US East Coast - this is most likely the result of the Jetstream entering the Atlantic on a more southerly path due to the strong El Nino effect in the Pacific.' Meanwhile, Scottish Hydro said it is currently working on a 'red alert', with engineers on standby in the Western Isles, north-west Highlands, Skye and Argyll. Staff have already contacted vulnerable customers to see if they will need extra assistance in the event of a power cut. Bounding through the air! Toby, a three-year-old working cocker spaniel (left), and Alfie the terrier (right), enjoy the blustery conditions at Portstewart strand in Portrush, Northern Ireland today. It comes as forecasters warn Storm Henry will be felt across Britain into tomorrow Eerie scenes: A walker, wrapped up warmly, feels the effects of Storm Henry at Portstewart strand, in Portrush, Northern Ireland today Perfect conditions? Angler Andy Cassey, 40, from Clydebank, takes advantage of the riverside flooding in Callander, Stirlingshire Making the most of it: Fisherman Kevin Guild from Airdrie uses a flooded bench at the River Teith in Callander, as Ray Mears officially opens the Stirling Council fishery season. It comes as rivers and lakes across the country are at high levels due to the recent rainfall Here comes Storm Henry: This satellite image, taken on Saturday by the NASA MODIS instruments Terra and Aqua shows Britain's eighth named storm approaching the UK. Forecasters warn it will bring gales of up to 90mph and more than two inches of rain today and Tuesday Be prepared for wind! This dramatic graphic shows the strength of the winds which will hit Britain at 3pm today. The darker the red on the graphic, the stronger the winds. Forecasters warn speeds will reach 70mph to 80mph widely across the UK, and up to 90mph on the coasts The three-day weather forecast reveals that Wednesday could be affected by showers but should be largely dry after Storm Henry passes Scotland's Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: 'Our Multi-Agency Response Team, based at the National Traffic Scotland Control Centre, which has been in operation throughout the weekend will remain in place to monitor events and respond as required. 'Our fleet of patrol vehicles and gritters are treating roads where needed around the clock to help keep roads open to traffic, but quickly changing conditions means journeys could be disrupted.' Danczuk denies wrongdoing and says guidelines are 'not fit for purpose' Simon Danczuk faces a probe by expenses watchdog into allegations he falsely claimed more than 25,000 in accommodation costs for his kids The suspended Labour MP Simon Danczuk is being investigated over allegations he falsely claimed for thousands of pounds worth of accommodation expenses. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), the expenses watchdog, said today that it had launched a probe into the Rochdale MP after receiving complaints that he claimed more than than 25,000 in extra accommodation allowances since 2011 for his children, despite none of them living with him in London. Mr Danczuk also faces a separate investigation by Labour, who suspended him from the party following revelations that he sent sexually-explicit texts to a 17-year-old girl who had contacted him for a job in his constituency office. The complaint over Mr Danczuk's expenses came from local Liberal Democrat campaigner David Hennigan last week. Mr Danczuk insists he has done nothing wrong and says he will fully co-operate with the Ipsa investigation. He criticised Ipsa's rules, describing them as 'poorly worded' and out of keeping with modern parenting. He wrote to Greater Manchester Police saying the claims were a 'clear abuse of the system' and was 'a matter of such seriousness that I believe it warrants a police investigation'. In a statement today, Ipsa said: 'Following receipt of a complaint from a member of the public, the Compliance Officer for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has today opened an investigation into claims made under the MPs' Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses ('the Scheme') by Simon Danczuk MP. Scroll down for video Danczuk has been rocked by separate revelations that he sent sexually explicit texts to a 17-year-old girl after splitting with his wife Karen, pictured left. His ex-girlfriend Claire Hamilton, pictured right, split up with him following news of the texts 'The expenditure under investigation relates to Accommodation Expenditure claimed under the Scheme.' Parliamentary rules allow MPs a basic annual allowance of 20,600 for accommodation in London. They can get an extra 2,425 per year for each dependent that stays with them. In a statement today Mr Danczuk said: 'My original claim was made properly and based on my honest interpretation of the Ipsa regulations. 'I maintain that the existing rules are poorly worded and not fit for purpose when it comes to modern families like mine. 'Some of my Parliamentary colleagues have approached me in the last week to say they agree with me on this point and that they have interpreted the rules the same way. 'I'll be meeting with the chief executive of Ipsa about this and I will stress the need for the system to be more flexible to reflect the living arrangements of modern families. Simon Danczuk sent lewd text messages, pictured right, to 17-year-old Sophena Houlihan, who contacted the Rochdale MP to ask about a job in his constituency office 'I am co-operating fully with the investigation and welcome the chance to get this matter cleared up.' The Rochdale backbencher has four children with his two ex-wives. But two of them live with his ex-wife Sonia Rossington, who has publicly said in the past that he never sees them and has not done so for years. Danczuk's 18-year old son George told the Rochdale Online website last week he stayed with his father in London just once, in February 2012. 'That's the only time I've stayed with him in London,' he said. His other two children, with his most recent ex-wife Karen, live with her in their former marital home in Rochdale. Since 2011 he has claimed extra cash for at least some of them every year. An MP can only claim for more than the basic allowance for accommodation if they have a dependent child. Mr Danczuk successfully claimed 22,937, in 2012, 29,013.22, in 2013/14 27,581.46 and in 2014/15, 28,466.58. According to Ipsa rules, the allowance is only available to MPs whose children are 'routinely' living with them and being cared for in London. A friend said that requiring him to drop the claim and repay the money would force him to move to a smaller flat, where his children would be unable to stay. He also claimed for 34 train tickets - many of them first class - for his children to travel up and down to London since 2013. Ipsa rules on this are the same - 15 return journeys are allowed a year, but they are supposed to be for children who are routinely living with the MP in London. Labour's ruling National Executive Committee is currently deciding whether to expel Mr Danczuk from the party. The Rochdale MP said a 'drink problem' led him to send sexts to Sophena Houlihan when she was 17 and that he felt 'awful' about the lewd messages. Miss Houlihan, who is now 18, said Mr Danczuk sent her numerous messages, including one asking if she wanted a 'spanking' after she contacted him about a job. The MP has rarely been out of the headlines since splitting with his second wife, Karen last year. In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday this month, Mr Danczuk's first wife Sonia Rossington, 39, claimed the MP who she divorced in 2010 had driven her into therapy with drug and alcohol-fuelled bullying and his obsessive demands for sex. This is what Australians can expect from inside the country's first Carl's Jr restaurant as the popular American burger chain opens its doors on Tuesday morning. Carl's Jr, renowned for its big American-style burgers and raunchy television advertisements with bikini-clad women, will be open for business in Bateau Bay, north of Sydney, from 10am on Tuesday. Daily Mail Australia was given an inside look at the new restaurant as tradesman were putting the finishing touches in place on Monday afternoon. Scroll down for video Carl's Jr Manager was serving meals to construction workers at the Bateau Bay restaurant on the NSW Central Coast prior to its opening on Tuesday morning One eager customer has been lining up since Sunday outside the restaurant, which is expected to draw a huge crowd on its first day of trading. Matt Elsey, 41, has been camping outside in his station wagon since Sunday night, he told news.com.au. The marketing consultant said he has been unable to sleep through the noise made by the construction workers. Although hes the only one to have lined up so far, the restaurant is expected to draw huge crowds. The first 50 customers through the door will win a voucher booklet to eat free for an entire year. Construction workers admire their work on Monday, at the 11th hour before the restaurant opens Rodney and staff member Stewart with ice cream cookie sandwiches, a day before the restaurant opens Mick, a worker from MG Signs, enjoys a meal on Monday in between finishing off the restaurant 'It is going to be huge, it's a bit surreal,' franchise owner Lindsay Brennan told Daily Mail Australia. The store on the NSW Central Coast now joins 578 Carl's Jr restaurants operating outside the US and the global fast food chain has plans to open 300 stores across Australia in the next 10 years. Mr Brennan, who owns 18 bottle shops in the NSW Hunter region as part of his family run BKG Group, said he has signed a deal with Carl's Jr to open 10 more restaurants in the next five years on the central, mid and northern NSW coasts. 'We own 18 bottle shops... but were just looking for diversification because of the pressure of Woolworths. We saw the Carl's Jr wanted to bring their product to Australia, so we got in touch,' he said. The noise made by construction workers has kept keen customer Matt Elsey awake through the night. He's been camping outside since Sunday A worker was doing the finishing touches on a glass pane at the Bateau Bay restaurant, while tradesman were doing handywork with their tools Construction workers were still putting the finishing touches on the restaurant on Monday A tradesman does some handy-work on the ceiling at the soon-to-open restaurant in Bateau Bay Mr Elsey has been camping outside since Sunday night 'We are just the franchisee to sign up... that's why it's in Bateau Bay.' Carl's Jr is renowned for its big American-style burgers and raunchy television advertisements featuring bikini-clad women. True to form, Carl's Jr Australia launched a provocative television advertisement to mark its launch in the country. It is based on the American chain's approach of using celebrities and bikini models to promote its burger brand. Gemie Howe from Sydney's Sutherland Shire signed on to be the first Carl Jr's Australian girl. She is featured in the advertisement lying on a beach in a bikini as she provocatively eats a Carl's Jr burger. 'To look this hot in a bikini I have to give up almost everything,' she says in the ad. 'But there is no way I'm giving up my Carl's Jr Western Bacon Cheeseburger.' Kim Kardashian, Kate Upton, Paris Hilton and Heidi Klum have all featured in advertisements for the American branch of the burger chain. Mr Brennan has hired 80 staff to work at his new store ahead of its opening on Tuesday. Carl's Jr restaurants will also be opening under a separate franchise agreement at Brisbane and Hobart airports later this year. A tradesman is pictured aying turf outside the restaurant on Monday, just one day before it is due to open at 10am Tradesmen were still doing work on the Carl's Jr restaurant at Bateau Bay on the NSW Central Coast on Monday The lawn at Carl's Jr, due to open on Tuesday 10am in Bateau Bay, was still unfinished on Monday Carl's Jr at Bateau Bay, the first to open in Australia, will open 10am on Tuesday Carl's Jr, renowned for its big American-style burgers and raunchy television advertisements with bikini-clad women, will be open Bateau Bay, north of Sydney, on Tuesday Carl's Jr is renowned for its big American-style burgers and has plans to roll out 300 restaurants across Australia in the next 10 years The store on the NSW Central Coast now joins 578 Carl's Jr restaurants operating outside the US and the global fast food chain has plans to open 300 stores across Australia Carl's Jr restaurants will also be opening under a separate franchise agreement at Brisbane and Hobart airports later this year The American burger chain is renowned for using celebrities, like Kim Kardashian, to promote its brand Model Kate Upton and Paris Hilton have also previously featured in Carl's Jr advertisements Heidi Klum (pictured), Kim Kardashian, Kate Upton and Paris Hilton have all been featured in American advertisements for the burger chain Angela Merkel's government said to be consdiering new tax to foot the bill A new study in Germany released on Monday puts the cost of the country's refugee crisis at 38 billion - and rising. The German Economic Institute, which is based in Cologne, put together a projection for feeding, housing and educating the children of one million-plus migrants who have entered the country. Angela Merkel's government is reported to already be dreaming up new ways of taxing people - in what is already one of the most heavily taxed countries in the world - to help foot the bill. The German Economic Institute in Cologne puts the cost of the country's refugee crisis at 38 billion - and rising. Pictured, migrants wait after they arrived in the first registration camp of Erding, near Munich If the Cologne experts are correct, the German finance ministry will have to seek new credit to pay for the migrants by the end of this year. 'A critical review of expenditure is required to avoid new debt,' wrote the study authors. The figures, which are estimates for this year and next,come at a worrying time for the government which is on the ropes following the mass sexual frenzy in Cologne on New Year's Eve and fighting to restore the trust of voters expected to punish it in vital regional polls in March. Tensions remain high among many communities in Germany where migrants are housed and police have warned they fear rising levels of violence in the near future. Angela Merkel has been heavily criticized over her 'open border' policy, which resulted in 1.1million refugees and migrants entering Germany last year. When hundreds of thousands of migrants were arriving in the European Union last year on the shores of Italy and Greece, Germany made a bold decision: all refugees from the civil war in Syria would be welcome, regardless of where or how they entered the EU. The Chancellor said Germany was a rich country that could afford to do its part to take in some of the world's most vulnerable people fleeing war. 'If Europe fails on the question of refugees ... then it won't be the Europe we wish for,' said Merkel in August. However, speaking at at an event in Mainz, near Frankfurt on January 11, Merkel admitted the European refugee crisis was 'out of control'. For more of the latest Islamic State news visit www.dailymail.co.uk/isis Kosovo has the highest 'per capita' ratio for nationals Hundreds of young Kosovar men and women are leaving their home country to join ISIS in Syria, leaving behind baffled parents. Kosovo parents have told how 'a generation' of their teenage daughters have been seduced by radical Islam, following their husbands to Syria and the terrorist organisation. Police say some 300 men and 36 women are known to have left the mainly Muslim country of just 1.8 million people to join ISIS - the highest per capita ratio in Europe, along with nearby Bosnia The returned: Shqipe Ajdini, 32, left Gjilan, east Kosovo for Syria with her husband Sinan Muji, and their young daughter in 2014, but came back in June last year after her husband was killed fighting for ISIS. Experts say a small but growing number of young Kosovan women, some just in their teens, have joined the radical militant group in Syria and Iraq. Some follow husbands whose radical views they often share, but others have gone alone, or tried to, and very few have returned. One of the dozens of young women who left is Shqipe Ajdini, 32, but she is also one of the few who came back. Speaking to Balkan Insight, her father Iljaz Ajdini reveals that his daughter began wearing a burqa after marrying a man from a nearby village. 'I don't know what happened with this generation, with our children,' he said. He says Shqipe left Gjilan, east Kosovo for Syria with her husband Sinan Muji, and their young daughter in 2014. Devoted: Elma Djusina, a Kosovan woman reportedly from Serbian, was arrested in Bosnia-Herzegovina in late November on suspicion of links to terrorism Shqipe returned in June last year after her husband was killed in combat while fighting for ISIS in Syria. 'I'm happy that my daughter is back, only because of my granddaughter. My daughter's husband got what he deserved,' Mr Ajdini said. Although over 90 percent of Kosovars identify as ethnic Albanian Muslims, the older generation grew up in socialist Yugoslavia and few were devout. The new constitution is strictly secular. After a conflict in the late 1990s the West largely supported Kosovan autonomy from Serbia and then independence in 2008, convincing many here that their closest allies were in Washington and Brussels. But all the while, Islamic groups have been gaining influence. Since the war, religious charities from Arabic countries have established a strong presence, offering English and computer lessons along with Quran instruction. Many young men have taken scholarships to train as imams in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other countries. Women in veils or burqas and men with short trousers and untrimmed Islamic beards have become a common sight. Security experts in Kosovo say most Kosovan women who join ISIS do so to follow husbands who want to fight, but a few independent women go for their own reasons, considering they are on a sacred mission. 'Women in this group want to contribute actively to the conflict and they are deeply affected by the recruiting circles,' said Florin Qehaja of the Kosovo Centre of Security Studies. Qamile Tahiri, 23, left Kosovo for Syria with her husband but has since carved out her own role with ISIS. Kosovo police provided photographs which they say show the 23-year-old, all in black, brandishing an automatic rifle on the Syria frontline. A security source who declined to be named said she runs a womenis camp for ISIS in Syria and is the main online recruiter of ethnic Albanian females. ISIS fans: Elma Djusinac with her husband Enes Mesic, a man who has been indicted in a Bosnian court case after reportedly travelling to Syria to fight for ISIS 'In the camp she runs there are dozens of women and girls from Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia,' the source said. The mother of two is from near Mitrovica, a town in northern Kosovo divided along ethnic lines and which has seen its own share of violence between ethnic Albanians and Serbs. Qamile Tahiri went to Syria with her husband but has since carved out her own role with ISIS Her Facebook posts include a picture of her armed beside her Kosovan husband Besim, who police say was apparently killed in combat. After his death she decided to stay on. Alarmed, the authorities have started to clamp down on suspected sources of radicalisation which have spawned men like Lavdrim Muhaxheri, an Islamic State fighter high on the U.S. Department of Stateis most-wanted list. In March 2015 parliament for the first time outlawed participation in foreign conflicts, punishable up to 15 years in jail.In late 2014, police shut down 14 long-established Arabic non-governmental organisations on suspicion that they had close ties with radical Islamic groups in Kosovo. Neighbouring Albania and Macedonia have also faced similar radicalisation problems, as has Bosnia to the north, but Kosovo police say their country has the unfortunate distinction of providing the most recruits to ISIS by head of population. Vehbi Bushati, of the Albanian police anti-terrorism squad, said that 29 women had gone to Syria and Iraq from his country of 2.8 million. Security experts say up to 150 Albanian citizens are involved in the Syrian conflict in all. Figures for Macedonia, which has an ethnic Albanian minority, were not readily available. The wealthy boss of an international air conditioning company was jailed for six years and three months for threatening to pull out the teeth of a business associate. Sebastian Mysliwiec, chairman of Polish firm Dospel, taped factory manager Marcin Seweryn to a chair and waved a pair of pliers in his face while telling him: 'I've always wanted to be a dentist.' Mysliwiec, 40, also hit Mr Seweryn with a claw hammer during his attempt to blackmail the victim's cousin, accountant Dawid Nastula, into filing fraudulent VAT invoices. He then left the country by Eurostar with 10,000 stolen from Mr Nastula at gunpoint after warning him: 'Don't play with me. You don't know who I am.' Mysliwiec, whose company employed 1,000 people at its height and sponsored the Polish version of X-Factor, admitted blackmail, robbery, and false imprisonment earlier this month. The wealthy boss of international air conditioning company, Sebastian Mysliwiec (left), was jailed for six years and three months for threatening to pull out the teeth of a business associate; Monica Piatkowska (right) was convicted of plotting to get the case dropped by bribing witnesses to change their evidence His wife, mother-of-three Monica Piatkowska, 33, was convicted of plotting to get the case dropped by bribing witnesses to change their evidence. Judge Timothy Pontius sentenced Mysliewiec to six years and three months and Piatkowska to two-and-a-half years. The judge said: 'I can't treat this incident as a one off that can never be repeated. 'He was prepared to use ruthless methods in order to get what he wanted that day.' The Old Bailey heard Mysliwiec first approached Mr Nastula, who ran DN Consultants in June 2013 to buy a shelf company in the UK. He claimed that a new factory in Walthamstow would make air conditioning units to sell in Dubai and the UAE in the Middle East. The following year Mysliwiec flew over to London with two female assistants to visit Mr Nastula at his offices in north London. Prosecutor Angus Bunyan said: 'He wanted Dawid Nastula to submit VAT invoices to HMRC in support of his business activities. 'Dawid Nastula refused to do that because he believed that these invoices were false and designed to ultimately defraud the British Revenue.' Mysliwiec bought duct tape, pliers, a hammer and gloves from a shop before entering Mr Nastula's office with several burly henchmen armed with at least one handgun on the morning of 8 April, 2014. He then told Mr Nastula that if he did not submit the invoices he would have to pay 300,000 a month and dismissed the victim's threat to call the police. Mr Nastula agreed to hand over 10,000 in cash kept in a car parked outside and called his cousin Mr Seweryn to come to the office. When Mr Seweryn arrived he was taped to a chair with his hands tied together in front of his chest. Mr Seweryn told the court: 'He [Mysliwiec] took a hammer out of his bag and hit me with it on my shoulder, not hard, and told me to shout. 'He wanted to pressure Dawid. Then he hit me stronger and then I made a loud noise. He wanted to pressure Dawid. Then he hit me stronger and then I made a loud noise. Then he went to his bag and took pliers out of it. He held them next to my face and said: 'I always wanted to be a dentist' Marcin Seweryn 'Then he went to his bag and took pliers out of it. He held them next to my face and said: 'I always wanted to be a dentist'. 'At that moment I panicked and I was screaming.' Hearing the screams, Mr Nastula managed to escape and ran off with another employee Marek Marcuch. Mysliwiec and two henchmen then left with the 10,000 along with an iPhone and an iPad stolen from the office. He was arrested when he returned to London a month later. While he was in prison awaiting trial, his wife was watched by police as she handed over a brown envelope containing thousands of pounds in cash to Mr Seweryn during a meeting in Birmingham. Mr Bunyan told the court that Piatkowska 'embarked on a sustained, determined and sophisticated attempt to pervert the course of justice.' Mysliwiec's barrister Jim Sturman QC told how his client took over Dospel in 1999 and over the next ten years expanded the business to London, Hungary and China. Mr Sturman said: 'He is essentially a good man. It is extraordinary a good and philanthropic man has got himself in serious trouble. It is an extraordinary fall from grace. 'There was a dispute with Dawid Nastula and no bogus VAT claim was ever made either here or in Poland. 'This was something desperate, out of his league and went way too far, rather than enforcement by a sophisticated criminal.' Piatkowska, of Solihull Heights, New Coventry Road, Birmingham, claimed that she was only trying to get people to tell the truth and clear her husband's name but was convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Advertisement A soldier blinded in a rocket attack in Afghanistan has used photography to overcome the trauma of his horrific injuries, with stunning results. Chris Nowell, 32, lost total sight in one eye and was partially blinded in the other during a Taliban attack on his base in Helmand province. After a month in hospital the trauma of the attack left him facing an uncertain future and scared to leave the house. But, encouraged by his wife Claire, he started attending Blind Veterans UK events and soon threw himself into photography. The father-of-three said: 'Photography gave me an excuse to get out whereas I was sitting around doing nothing before. I had no motivation to do anything. Lathkill hills, Derbyshire by Chris Nowell, who lost total sight in one eye and was partially blinded in the other during a Taliban attack on his base in Helmand province Small rock waterfall in Padley Gorge, Derbyshire. Mr Nowell did tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan before he was injured in September 2007 when the Taliban attacked his base Lathkill water, Derbyshire. After spending a month in hospital he faced an uncertain future and became scared to leave the house. But he was saved after his wife Claire convinced him to attend a blind veterans charity event Road over Dronfield, Derbyshire. Mr Nowell goes out to take photographs every week and is often accompanied by his wife and full-time carer Claire, 29 Chris Nowell, now 32, pictured right in Iraq in 2005 when he worked in the King's Royal Hussars. The father-of-three said: 'Photography gave me an excuse to get out whereas I was sitting around doing nothing before. I had no motivation to do anything' Mr Nowell pictured in a mastiff vehicle in Iraq (left) and with his injuries after the blast (right). He said the attack left him depressed 'I was reluctant to go but my wife forced me. Honestly it was the best thing I ever did. 'I got a camera and started taking photos. I didn't know what I wanted to do but found myself going down the landscape route. 'I was scared to go outside before that but after I've never looked back and I'm always out of the house taking photos. 'Every now and then I fall over but when I get set up I enjoy the peace and quiet.' Mr Nowell goes out to take photographs every week and is often accompanied by his wife and full-time carer Claire, 29. The former lance corporal in the King's Royal Hussars started taking photos around five years ago and said he was initially terrible. He said: 'It took me around two years to get to know how to use a camera. I was awful to start with but now I know what I'm doing and I get a bit fussy. 'If the light's not right I'll say to my wife 'let's home back later'. My eyesight has got worse since I started taking photos. Deer near Chatsworth, Derbyshire. The former lance corporal in the King's Royal Hussars started taking photos around five years ago and said he was initially terrible Derwent water, Derbyshire. The blast in September 2007 left Chris with a fractured skull and neurological memory loss as well as the loss of his eyesight after his optical nerve was removed Chatsworth House, Derbyshire. Mr Nowell is totally blind in his right eye and has no peripheral vision in his left eye, leading him to be medically discharged from the army in early 2009 'Originally I used to look through the eyepiece with my left eye but now it's just a blur. 'I've got a full-frame Cannon 5D and I look at the digital screen when I'm taking photos. 'It's not the orthodox way of doing things but it works for me.' The blast in September 2007 left Chris with a fractured skull and neurological memory loss as well as the loss of his eyesight after his optical nerve was removed. He is totally blind in his right eye and has no peripheral vision in his left eye, leading him to be medically discharged from the army in early 2009. But having previously been very active, he became depressed when he lost his independence. Derbyshire hills, Derbyshire. Having previously been very active, Mr Nowell became depressed when he lost his independence after the attack Monsal trail, Derbyshire. Since he joined an exchange with Project Gemini, a charity which supports blind American veterans in 2010, Mr Nowell has been to America twice on the exchange and supports other blind veterans to learn photography He said: 'I was a bit scared to leave the house and photography has given me so much. 'I am a lot calmer now, because of the army I wasn't aggressive but I used to be a bit bossy. 'Whereas now I am much more peaceful. My wife sees it, I am a lot calmer and nicer to deal with.' Since he joined an exchange with Project Gemini, a charity which supports blind American veterans in 2010, he has been to America twice on the exchange and supports other blind veterans to learn photography. He started a Facebook page promoting his work and has since been inundated with requests from his pictures. Chris served his country in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan during his eight years in the army. He and his wife live in Dronfield, Derbyshire, with their three children, Luke eight, Adam, five and Rhys, three. Popular man: Soldier Dave Curnow at home in Cornwall - he survived a six-month tour of Afghanistan but died after he was attacked on a night out A 21-year-old has admitted murdering one of the youngest British soldiers to serve in Afghanistan who survived the Taliban - but was killed on a night out in his home town. Liam Laing killed popular young soldier Dave Curnow during an alcohol-fuelled attack. The brave serviceman was posted to Helmand province in March 2013, just days after turning 18, and survived a six-month tour that included several firefights. But despite returning from the war zone unscathed, he tragically lost his life at the age of 20 after a boozy night out in Cornwall, in September last year. Laing's co-accused Connor Hammond, 21, of Redruth, Cornwall, denied the charge and will stand trial in April. Judge Christopher Harvey Clark QC was told that the whole incident was captured on CCTV and the harrowing footage would be shown during the trial at Truro Crown Court. Both men stood motionless with Laing, of Chacewater, Cornwall, wearing a grey shirt and jeans and Hammond in a grey jumper and matching jogging bottoms. Laing will be sentenced following the completion of Hammond's trial which is expected to last between eight and ten days. Both men have been remanded in custody on Friday ahead of the further court dates. Dave, who was a rifleman, served in the 4thBatallion, The Rifles, was found unconscious on the ground following an assault outside a nightclub at 2.45am on Sunday, September 20. He was taken by ambulance to the Royal Cornwall Hospital before being transferred to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth where he died the following day. Action man: Dave pictured in Helmand, Afghanistan, where he served for six-months in 2013 - he first set foot in the country just after his 18th birthday Dave's father Michael, 53, described him as 'the best son a father could ask for' at his funeral which was attended by around 800 people He left behind grieving parents Michael and June, and sister Charley, An estimated 800 people attended his funeral at Truro Cathedral as he was given full military honours. In an emotional speech at the funeral, Dave's father Michael Curnow, 53, described him as 'the best son a father could ask for'. After the ceremony Michael said the support from the local community had been a big help to the family. He said: 'The last time we saw him was the night before when he was preparing to go out, and we gave him a hug and said goodnight, and told him we would see him in the morning. 'Since he died we have been humbled and overwhelmed by the scale of the tributes towards David. Dave's coffin leaves Truro Cathedral in October last year - he tragically lost his life aged 20 after a night out Respect: Servicemen bow their heads as Dave's coffin passes by - he served with the 4th Battalion 'He was a much loved son, and I'm very privileged to have been his dad for the last 20 years and six months.' Mr Curnow had told how his son had dreamed of joining the army from the age of 12. He said: 'I thought he would grow out of it, but he never did. 'He just felt he was doing the right thing and joined the army at 16, straight out of school, and was offered a place at Harrogate. 'When he was in Afghanistan I was constantly worried about him. 'While he was out there he got in some firefights, but his outlook and general balance was very strong and he came back unscathed. 'But you never think anything like this will happen here.' Dave's father Michael, pictured with his children playing on the beach, said he was constantly worried about his son's safety while he was in Afghanistan - but never expected him to lose his life on a British street Dave, pictured riding his father's motorbike as a child, was due to propose to his girlfriend at the end of the year Up to 40,000 junior doctors will strike for a second time next week after talks between the BMA and the Government broke down. The British Medical Association (BMA) said the talks had 'foundered following the Government's continued refusal to put reason before politics in agreeing a fair solution for an already overstretched junior doctor workforce'. But Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt today said he was 'sorry' to learn a further strike would go ahead, telling the BMA it was 'very disappointing' they were unwilling to continue talks on the final points of dispute. Scroll down for video Junior doctors launched their first strike action on January 12 and had suspended the campaign of industrial action to engage in further talks A full walkout that had been planned has been scrapped. Instead, junior doctors will provide emergency care only from 8am on Wednesday February 10 to 8am on Thursday February 11. The Government has insisted a new contract is needed to ensure the NHS is safe seven days a week but the BMA claims the deal is unfair on doctors and unsafe for patients. During the first day of strike action last month, nearly 4,000 operations and 17,500 outpatient appointments were cancelled. Talks between the Department of Health and the BMA have been taking place at conciliation service Acas. But today BMA junior doctors committee chair Johann Malawana said: 'Over the past few weeks, we have welcomed the involvement of Sir David Dalton in talks about a new junior doctor contract, which recognises the need to protect patient care and doctors' working lives. 'His understanding of the realities of a health service buckling under mounting pressures and commitment to reaching a fair agreement has resulted in good progress on a number of issues. 'It is, therefore, particularly frustrating that the Government is still digging in its heels.' He added: 'The Government's entrenched position in refusing to recognise Saturday working as unsocial hours, together with its continued threat to impose a contract so fiercely resisted by junior doctors across England, leaves us with no alternative but to continue with industrial action.' Shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'Today's announcement that next week's industrial action will go ahead is deeply disappointing. 'Patients, NHS staff and junior doctors all want to see an end to this dispute. However, Jeremy Hunt's comments throughout these negotiations have left junior doctors feeling angry and demoralised. 'I am pleased that junior doctors will be covering emergency care services, but patients who see their operations and appointments cancelled next week deserve an apology from Jeremy Hunt. 'His actions have led to this dispute and it's about time he took some responsibility and brought an end to the deadlock.' The sticking point in the talks remains the time at which premium rates of pay kick in for doctors working weekends. A spokesman Acas said: 'Acas conciliation talks adjourned on Friday. We're ready to help if the sides involved in the junior doctors' dispute wish to use our services again.' The Government drafted in Sir David Dalton to try and break the deadlock following the first strike, pictured, but there remains conflict over how 'premium pay' works during antisocial hours The Government has made some concessions in a bid to break the deadlock with the BMA, drafting in Sir David Dalton in the hope of reaching an agreement. Currently, 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and the whole of Saturday and Sunday attract a premium rate of pay. An offer from the Government in November said doctors would receive time and a half for any hours worked Monday to Sunday between 10pm and 7am, and time and a third for any hours worked between 7pm and 10pm on Saturdays and 7am and 10pm on Sundays. But in a new offer, dated January 16, Sir David said that, as part of an overall agreement, a premium rate of pay could kick in from 5pm on Saturdays rather than 7pm. Furthermore, premium pay could start at 9pm Monday to Friday rather than the original offer of 10pm. In a letter to Mr Hunt outlining the remaining areas of difference, Sir David said: 'The substantive areas where we have not been able to reach agreement are about pay, and the most significant of these is pay linked to unsocial hours. The Government's chief negotiator Sir David Dalton outlined the remaining issues in dispute in a letter, pictured, to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt 'The key area of difference between the parties remains payment for unsocial hours in the evenings and on Saturday. 'I confirmed our latest offer which reset the thresholds for the start of premium pay for unsocial hours on the Mon - Fri evenings by one hour (10pm to 9pm) and on Saturday by two hours (7pm to 5pm). 'Furthermore we provided a new guarantee that any trainee who works one in three Saturdays or more will be paid an enhanced rate for all of the Saturdays they work. I believe that these movements on the employers' side are reasonable and they evidence our willingness to be flexible and responsive. THE DEAL THEY TURNED DOWN: WHAT JUNIOR DOCTORS REJECTED Junior doctors would be paid time and a half for working nights, between 9pm and 7am, Monday to Friday. The 9pm boundary is a new concession offered by ministers it was previously going to be 10pm. They would be paid time and a third for Sundays, and there is an extra concession on Saturdays. These were initially going to be paid at the normal rate, but doctors will now receive time and a half for working at least one in three Saturdays. There will also be a guarantee that no one will work two Saturdays in a row. A new addition to the deal is that no one will work more than 72 hours a week. The current limit is 91 hours a week. But the BMA says that, overall, this is a far worse deal than doctors have at present when it comes to out-of-hours pay. They are currently paid time and a half from 7pm to 7am, and time and a third on all weekends. To compensate for the reduction in out-of-hours pay and lengthening of the normal working day, the Government is offering a higher basic salary for junior doctors. This will rise by 11 per cent. Doctors will also be paid rates that are 10 per cent higher if they have to be on call from home at evenings and weekends. But the BMA says they should be paid at least 20 per cent more to be on call from home, and points out that some hospitals currently pay 50 per cent more. Advertisement 'Disappointingly, the BMA restated that they would not negotiate on this issue - and would not concede to any plain time working on Saturdays.' A Department of Health spokesperson said: 'It is regrettable that the BMA is proceeding with further unnecessary industrial action. 'Sir David Dalton's published summary of negotiations shows how close we are to agreeing a deal and demonstrates our strong desire to resolve the key substantive issue of pay for unsocial hours as both parties agreed to do with ACAS back in November. 'As Sir David recommends, we want to settle this so that we can improve the standard of care for patients at weekends.' The BMA had threatened an all out strike for February 10 which would have involved thousands of junior doctors withdrawing even emergency care. Such a move would have left the NHS battling to keep the doors to accident and emergency departments open. The new industrial action will mirror the first day of strikes where A&Es operated but much outpatient work in the health service ceased. PATIENT'S PAIN AT CANCELLED OPS A woman due to have a hysterectomy after suffering severe pain for half her life was among those whose operations were cancelled during the first day of strike action. Michelle Jaundrell, 31, has been waiting for the procedure since September. After 13 miscarriages and unbearable period pains since the age of 15, it was hoped the operation at Whiston Hospital in Prescot would allow her and her husband to move forward with their lives. 'It was supposed to be a fresh start, it was the closure I needed,' Mrs Jaundrell told the Mail. 'The last few months have been hell with all the hormone therapy and it now feels like that was all for nothing. Michelle Jaundrell has been in pain since she was 15 and was due for a hysterectomy. She was devastated when the hospital told her that it would be up to a three-month wait to get booked back in 'I'm really upset and angry. I'm angry that it has had to come to this. I'm not angry that the junior doctors have had a strike, I support them it's the fact that they felt like they had no other choice.' Mrs Jaundrell, from St Helens, Merseyside, is yet to receive a new appointment date and fears having to endure the preparatory therapy again. The digital PR executive from Folkestone, who suffers from arthritis, has been waiting more than a year to have the procedure which will relieve pain and discomfort. This is the second time her surgery has been postponed. Advertisement Advertisement Covering ten acres and piled five metres high, thousands of life jackets make the island of Lesbos look more like a landfill site than a holiday hotspot. They have been dumped near the village of Molyvos by thousands of migrants making the boat journey to Greece before heading further into Europe. The dramatic drone images emerged as figures revealed the number of migrants arriving in Greece is nearly 35 times higher than at this point last year. In a sign that the crisis is not easing, figures from the UN's refugee agency show that 58,547 came into Europe via the country last month. Dump and run: Thousands of life jackets discarded by refugees on the Island of Lesbos are piled high near the Greek village of Molyvos after making the perilous boat journey from Turkey in a bid to start a new life in Europe Haste disposal: They lifejackets cover 10 acres and are piled five metres high near the village of Molyvos Despite the cold weather, nearly 2,000 people landed on the Greek islands from Turkey every day last month Despite the colder weather, an average of nearly 2,000 people a day landed on the Greek islands from Turkey in January, compared to 1,694 in the whole of the same month in 2015. More than 5,000 people were recorded on one single day, 9 January. The total arrivals in Greece since the start of January 2015 have now reached 915,270. Greek police statistics show that more than a third (35 per cent) of those who came there in January were children. Forty-four per cent were men and 21 per cent were women. The International Organization for Migration has warned that the number of deaths on the route from Turkey to Greece is 'increasing at an alarming rate. Some 218 people drowned in the first four weeks of 2016, which is four times those recorded last year from January to mid-August. More like a landfill site: The dramatic drone images emerged as new figures revealed the number of refugees arriving in Greece is nearly 35 times higher than this point last year Some tourist shops have now abandoned souvenirs in favour of selling lifebelts and rubber boats to smugglers and migrants Concerns remain about the safety levels of some of the lifejackets on sale following the revelations that some of the safety belts are fake On Saturday, 37 people including babies and young children drowned off the Turkish coast while trying to cross the Aegean Sea to Europe These migrants were lucky enough to have life jackets. Hundreds have died at sea after not being given safety equipment by traffickers Volunteers pull a raft packed with refugees and migrants as they arrive on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos on Friday Across the Mediterranean, 344 people have now been reported dead or missing in 2016. UNHCR combined statistics for the region, including Greece, Italy and Spain, show there have been 62,397 arrivals into Europe by sea so far this year. Fifty-eight per cent of these were Syrian, a fifth from Afghanistan and nine per cent from Iraq. EU leaders in November pledged 3billion (2.1bn) in aid to Turkey in return for it helping to stem the numbers, but so far there has been little sign of change. Officials in Ankara are reportedly now demanding an extra 2billion top up. Thousands of migrants arrive in the port of Piraeus from the Greek islands of Lesbos and Chios today. Figures from the UN's refugee agency show that 58,547 came to the southern European country in January, compared to just 1,694 in the same month in 2015 A man helps a woman in a wheelchair as thousands of migrants arrive in the port of Piraeus from the Greek islands of Lesbos and Chios UNHCR statistics for the whole of the Mediterranean, including Italy, show there have been 58,547 arrivals by sea in 2016 so far Figures from the UNCHR reveal the number of refugees arriving in Greece is nearly 35 times higher than this point last year. The graphic also shows the areas of Turkey where the migrants are setting off from (centre) and the different nationalities making their way to Europe Greece has been warned that unless it better secures its border that it could be kicked out of the EU's passport-free travel zone, Schengen. On Saturday, 37 people, including babies and young children, drowned off the Turkish coast while trying to cross the Aegean Sea to the Greek island of Lesbos. One of the witnesses said when she heard the screams in the moments after the boat carrying the migrants slammed into rocks she thought 'somebody was being murdered'. Gulcan Durdu, who lives on the beach in the resort of Ayvacik, described being awakened by wailing as the boat started to capsize. She said that she and her husband rushed to try to help survivors and brought a boy to their home to try to warm him up. 'We wrapped him up. I brought the hair dryer to warm [him, but] the boy became limp in my arms,' she said. Mrs Durdu said she would be haunted by the tragedy forever. 'I will never stop hearing those cries for the rest of my life,' she added. 'I will never forget. It was terrible. They died screaming. It was dark. 'We were only able to save those who were able to swim ashore.' A Turkish gendarme carries the body of a child after yesterday's shipwreck. In total, 37 people - including babies - died in the tragedy But group were caught after using the password 'Bengali90' 19,000 times Victims left having to pay interest payments on loans they didn't submit Kelvin Okusanya has been jailed for masterminding a 3million Wonga scam The mastermind behind a 3million Wonga scam which used the identities of thousands of innocent members of the public to withdraw cash has been jailed for six years. Kelvin Okusanya, 32, was part of a gang which exploited the company's website algorithms to make more than 19,000 loan applications from April 2012 to June 2013 using the same password 'Bengali90'. The cash was then laundered through hundreds of bank accounts by the fraudsters while the unsuspecting victims were left facing paying the one per cent a day interest payments. Okusanya was convicted of fraud after the Old Bailey heard he personally made 82 false applications involving 30 victims. The judge, Mr Recorder Sells QC, said: 'The names and details of wholly innocent members of the public were used to make fraudulent loan applications on a massive scale. 'Some were even contacted by Wonga for the loans they had not applied for and knew nothing about. 'Such offences are corrosive of the trust which people hold in the financial services sector. They are increasingly prevalent, they are easy to commit and hard to detect.' The judge told Okusanya: 'You were described during the trial as the mastermind and one of the controlling minds of the whole of this fraud. 'I am satisfied that you were a leading member of a criminal enterprise which intended to get many millions of pounds.' Eight others were convicted of laundering the proceeds of the cash through bank accounts under their control. Prosecutor Richard Hearnden told the court: 'The criminals netted over 3million by targeting one of Britain's most controversial institutions, the pay day lender Wonga. 'Wonga paid out on thousands of payday loans. Each of these loans was only for a few hundred pounds but added together these loans amounted to millions. 'The fraud came about by stealing the names, dates of birth, addresses, email addresses, mobile phone numbers and debit card numbers of literally thousands of ordinary members of the public. 'The fraudsters that were operating this scam probably bought ready-made lists of potential victims and their personal financial data. How precisely this data was secured is not known.' Sophia Pusey-Carroll, 46, pictured left, was jailed for 21 months, while Monika Solarz, 28, pictured right, was jailed for 18 months The trial focused on 30 victims but this was 'the smallest tip of a very substantial iceberg' according to Mr Hearnden. Applications were made online by entering names, addresses and dates of birth together with the debit card number used to make repayments and the details of the account receiving the cash. Wonga uses an algorithm to determine whether the information provided is correct and whether the account number matches the name and other details of the person applying for the loan. Mr Hearnden said: 'It would appear that this algorithm failed. 'The result was as many as 19,000 fraudulent applications were successfully processed and paid out. 'The money was paid into bank accounts that had nothing to do with the people named in the loan application. 'Some repayments were actually made to Wonga fraudulently - in other words some innocent people made repayments for loans which they hadn't applied for.' Mr Hearnden said it was possible to identify 19,013 fraudulent applications by the same 'criminal outfit' because they used the same password. 'This password Bengali90 had slipped through the algorithms which hadn't noticed the criminality,' added the prosecutor. Okusanya, of Lockhart Avenue, Milton Keynes, denied but was convicted of three counts of fraud by false representation. Olu Fasoranti, 32, left, was jailed for three years for his part in the scam, which was masterminded by Kelvin Okusanya, who was handed a six-year prison term Police Staff Investigator Andy Cope, from the City of London Police, said: 'This group of money mules would have been working in partnership with the people making the fraudulent loan applications, together taking millions of pounds from Wonga and committing identity crime on an industrial level. 'Being a money mule may seem like a relatively harmless offence, but law enforcement views it very differently. We are committed to stopping those middle-men who enable fraud and other crimes.' Olu Fasoranti, 32, was jailed for three years, Sophia Pusey-Carroll, 46, was jailed for 21 months and Monika Solarz, 28, was jailed for 18 months. Omotola Wellington, 31, was sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for two years, Maureen Ako, 35, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment suspended for two years and 200 hours unpaid work, and Sherene Bascoe, 21, was sentenced to nine months suspended for two years and 140 hours unpaid work. Michelle Deola, 23, was given a community order with 100 hours unpaid work, and Kerone Clayton, 42, and Clement Bankole, 38, were given community orders with 40 hours unpaid work. Wellington, of Burnden Close, Brentford, west London, Fasoranti, of The Hollands, Feltham, west London, Pusey-Carroll, of Byron Court, Byron Road, Harrow, north west London, Ako, of Snipe Close, Erith, south east London, Bascoe, of Marlow Court, Pinner Road, Harrow. Deola, of Langdale Avenue, Hayes, west London, Clayton, of Barnwood Road, Birmingham, and Bankole, of Walmer Terrace, Plumstead, south east London, all denied but were convicted of entering into an arrangement facilitating the acquisition of criminal property. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is proposing a five-part strategy to determine whether Flint's water is safe to drink. The state says the plan to try to ensure drinking water no longer is tainted with lead includes residential water testing, school testing, food service and restaurant provider testing, blood testing and overall testing of Flint's water distribution system. DEQ Director Keith Creagh told the Detroit Free Press his agency will outline plans Monday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Creagh hopes 'to be able to say something about the general health of the system come mid-April.' State of emergency: The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will today present a plan to fix Flint's water crisis. Here mother Porshe Loyd uses bottled water to wash her three-week-old son, LeAndrew 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. Federal officials warned Flint residents Friday that water samples from more than two dozen locations have higher lead levels than can be treated by filters that have been widely distributed to deal with the city's contamination crisis, underscoring the need for all residents to have their water tested. Dr. Nicole Lurie of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the lead level in some Flint locations has exceeded 150 parts per billion, which is the level for which water filters are graded. In one case, it was in the thousands. She said people with levels over 150 ppb were being notified and their water being retested. 'We aren't completely sure why' the readings are so high, Lurie said. 'It could be the way the samples were collected. . We'll be doing more testing this whole weekend and early next week to figure out why and exactly what that means.' Deluged: Gov. Rick Snyder speaks about the Flint water crisis during a press conference on Wednesday January 27, 2016. Environmental and civil rights groups want all lead pipes in Flint's water system replaced Tests began in the last week in December, and 26 sites out of about 4,000 showed the higher levels. The water was tested by officials before it got to a filter, and Lurie stressed that the results do not mean officials think there's a problem with the filters. 'We still have confidence in the filters,' said Mark Durno of the EPA. 'If you have not had your water tested, get it tested now.' Officials stressed that pregnant women and children under 6 at the sites with the elevated lead levels should only drink and prepare food with bottled water. How many people in the city who have been using the tap water, even with filters, is unclear. 'Obviously, if you've already gotten a test back and it's under 150 and you've been told your water is safe, continue to use the filters, OK,' Lurie said 'But, to be clear: If you don't know, let's act out of an abundance of caution.' 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. Some children's blood has tested positive for lead, which has been linked to learning disabilities, lower IQ and behavioral problems. Flint has reconnected to Detroit's system for now. Desperate: Anna Rushing, left, 73, and her sister, Nancy Watson, right, 72, both of Flint, talk about their itchy, red and dry skin symptoms they believe they received from the lead in Flint water Flint residents have been told to drink only filtered or bottled water because of the lead contamination in the city's supply. County health officials had declared a public health emergency Oct. 1, and the next day Gov. Rick Snyder announced $1 million for home water filters. Marc Edwards, the Virginia Tech expert who had a critical role in uncovering the lead problem last year, said he's not surprised by the high readings. 'They were without corrosion control for 18 months,' he said, referring to Flint River water. 'The system is still recovering.' Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder had earlier in the day signed into law $28 million more in emergency funding, and said he didn't know some state workers in the city had received bottled water last year while officials were still telling residents that tap water was safe to drink. The latest 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 funding to hire outside experts to assess whether Flint's water system infrastructure must be replaced or repaired. Upset: Protestors hand out water to Flint residents during a rally on January 24, 2016 at Flint City Hall in Flint It's 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. 'It's time to stand up and recognize that things could have been done differently,' Snyder said before signing the aid legislation. 'Mistakes were made. ... We're 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 didn't go right to be even stronger and better for the long term?' Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, a Flint Democrat, said the announcement about the high lead readings showed that having federal officials involved in Flint has led to 'a more transparent and effective response.' People gather to distribute and gather bottled water for consumption, cooking and bathing on Saturday outside of Berston Field House in Flint 'Many questions still remain regarding the state's ability to manage this crisis and only highlights the need for a continued and amplified federal role,' Ananich said in a statement. News that employees at a state building in Flint had received fresh bottled water came Thursday in emails released by Progress Michigan, a liberal group critical of Snyder. Snyder said Friday he had 'no knowledge of that taking place.' The governor's spokesman Dave Murray said the water was for both employees and visitors to the building, which includes the Department of Health and Human Services, starting in January 2015. He said he didn't know if workers promoted that it was available. Murray said one water cooler was placed on each floor and next to public drinking fountains. Water was provided until the summer, he said, and then returned in October after a public health emergency was declared. Another state spokesman said earlier it was provided continuously in the building. Scott Luers faces missing the birth of his first child because the government do not believe the relationship with 29-year-old pregnant British fiancee Jamie Sykes (pictured) is genuine An American father-to-be faces missing the birth of his first child because the government do not believe the relationship with his 29-year-old British fiancee is genuine. Scott Luers, who has lived in the UK for ten years, had his application to remain in the UK rejected in June last year. The Home Office said officials did not believe the relationship with his partner Jamie Sykes, who is 14 weeks pregnant, was genuine. The couple, who began dating in March 2013, are are fighting to prove to authorities that their relationship is real before Mr Luers is deported after his appeal was rejected last month. Mr Leurs, who lives in Ashford, Kent, said: 'We had no intention of having a baby right now. We thought we'd wait, but it's happened. We were shocked when we found out. We are happy about it, but it's an issue. 'The judge said no to my appeal. They said Jamie can chose to go to America with me, but she wants the baby to be born here. This is where we want to be. Our life is here. 'Jamie is worried I'll have to leave her. She says "I can't do it on my own".' The couple's only option is to go an Upper Tribunal, but they need permission from the judge to do so. They have launched an online petition but must await the judge's decision. Ms Sykes said: 'My fiance is an American who has lived and worked in the UK for ten years. He's always paid his taxes and National Insurance and never been on benefits. 'His visa was refused on the grounds they made assumptions of validity of our relationship which have proven to be over two years.' Mr Luers first moved to the UK in 2005 to be with his then partner, who is British. He entered the county on a visiting visa and then after they married lived off a spousal visa. Three years later he applied for his second spousal visa. After his divorce, he lived off a FLR(O). This ran out in December 2014. He says he was late re-applying for it due to a number of reasons, including Miss Sykes bad health and working long hours. The couple also suffered a miscarriage on New Years Eve. The Home Office said officials did not believe the relationship with his partner Jamie Sykes, who is 14 weeks pregnant, was genuine. Pictured: Theresa May, Home Secretary The couple have a joint savings account, share the council tax and the water, gas and electricity bills. Along with statements from friends and family, they presented these to the Home Office as proof of their partnership when applying for the new visa. But the application was turned down and the pair are now relying solely on Ms Sykes's wages, as Mr Luers cannot work while he applies for his visa. He previously worked at Mecca Bingo as Operations Director. He said: 'I am hopeful because the judge didn't know we were pregnant when he dismissed it.' 15-year-old was originally admitted after being raped by a teenage boy Girl claims she was raped in hospital, where she was being treated for rape Police in India have launched an investigation after a 15-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a security guard in a hospital - where she was being treated for rape. The teenager claims she was raped on Sunday by a security guard at the hospital where she had been admitted in Jamshedpur city, in the impoverished state of Jharkhand, east India. The girl had been admitted several days earlier to the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (MGMCH). She was being treated for sexual assault after informing police she had been raped by a teenager in her neighbourhood on the city's outskirts. Scroll down for video The girl had been admitted to the M.G.M Hospital in Jamshedpur city, east India, after informing police she had been raped by a teenager in her neighbourhood 'We registered a case and arrested the private security guard posted at the hospital after the girl's complaint and are now awaiting her medical report,' said police superintendent Chandan Jha. 'The girl has (now) been referred to the best hospital in the city for further treatment and rehabilitation,' he added. 'Since the accused in the earlier case was also a minor, he was detained and sent to a juvenile remand home'. Public hospitals in India are often poorly resourced, with lax security, while overworked doctors and nurses struggle to cope with a crush of patients and families. Women activists participate in a demonstration demanding capital punishment for the men convicted in the Kamduni rape case - the court in Kolkata sentenced Saiful Ali, Ansar Ali and Amin Ali to the death penalty on Friday Calling for justice: While the 2012 Delhi rape case triggered a reform of India's laws, the subsequent 2013 Kamduni village rape reignited anger among women campaigners, who have called for justice and better safety This comes after mass protests took place in Kolkata on Friday, where activists from the All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA) called on the state government of West Bengal to give tougher sentences to men found guilty of raping and murdering women. The group staged a demonstration outside Kolkata court where three men were handed the death sentence for the gang-rape and murder of a young woman. The court sentenced Saiful Ali, Ansar Ali and Amin Ali to the death penalty and a further three defendants, Sheikh Emanul Islam, Aminur Islam and Bhola Naskar, were given life sentences after being convicted of gang rape, criminal conspiracy and causing disappearance of evidence. Two of the eight accused were acquitted for lack of evidence by the court. The 20-year-old woman was targeted as she walked home after an exam in 2013 in the village of Kamduni, in the eastern state of West Bengal. The attack triggered anger in West Bengal and came just months after the fatal gang-rape of Jyoti Singh on a bus in Delhi in December 2012. Jyoti's death shone a global spotlight on frightening levels of sexual violence against women. It also led to major reform of India's rape laws including speeding up of trials and hiking penalties for offenders - but high numbers of assaults persist. The All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA) activists stage a protest against the state government of West Bengal Gerard Baden-Clay's conduct after the death of his wife Allison could be considered 'disproportionate' to that of a man who had unintentionally killed his wife. That's one of the arguments put forward by Queensland's director of public prosecutions in an application to have Baden-Clay's murder conviction reinstated after it was downgraded in December to manslaughter for killing his wife Allison in 2012. The application claims an ongoing affair Baden-Clay was having with another woman 'intensified the significance of the motive to get rid of his wife.' Scroll down for video A prosecutor has lodged an application to have Brisbane man Gerard Baden-Clay's (pictured) conviction reinstated after it was downgraded in December to manslaughter for killing his wife Allison in 2012 The application claims an ongoing affair Baden-Clay was having with another woman 'intensified the significance of the motive to get rid of his wife' (pictured right) An application from DPP Michael Byrne QC for special leave to appeal was lodged in the High Court - a process continued on Monday with the filing of a draft notice to appeal and summary of argument. It describes Baden-Clay's conduct after his wife was found dead- the dumping of the body 13km away under a bridge in 'a most cold-blooded way', the faked scratches on his face - as 'disproportionate' to the guilt of a man who has unintentionally killed his wife. 'As was once said of a murderer in a circumstantial case, he may not have intended to show his hand as a murderer, but he may just have done that.' These documents claim the Queensland court made a mistake in finding evidence of Baden-Clay's lies, disguised wounds and disposal of his wife's body was 'intractably neutral' when it came to establishing intent. 'The jury could not properly have been satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the element of intent to kill or do grievous bodily harm had been proved without first considering the significance of that evidence in the context of the other evidence in the case.' The application claims the court also erred in concluding there was no evidence of a relevant motive, as well as in adopting a piecemeal approach to evidence about Baden-Clay lying about his facial injuries and the disposal of Allison's body. According to the DPP, such an approach was wrong in principle and the higher court must consider how other evidence was, in turn, considered in a 'vacuum'. Notably, it argues there was other evidence relevant to intent that Baden-Clay, who was having an affair, was desperate to get rid of his wife. Documents claim the Queensland court made a mistake in finding evidence of Baden-Clay's lies, disguised wounds and disposal of his wife's body was 'intractably neutral' when it came to establishing intent Baden-Clay was having an affair with Toni McHugh (pictured) at the time his wife disappeared 'His false denials, in evidence, of any intention to leave his wife could be regarded by a jury as strengthening a conclusion that he really did mean one day to (be free of Allison)' 'The yearning of a man to be with another woman has for a long time been regarded as relevant to the question of intent,' the application says. 'His false denials, in evidence, of any intention to leave his wife could be regarded by a jury as strengthening a conclusion that he really did mean one day to (be free of Allison). 'This is evidence of motive and is, therefore, a matter from which a jury might infer intention.' As such, the application requests the Court of Appeal outcome be set aside or dismissed and a High Court appeal be heard. These documents claim the Queensland court made a mistake in finding evidence of Baden-Clay's lies, disguised wounds (pictured) and disposal of his wife's body was 'intractably neutral' when it came to establishing intent Details of the pair's crumbling marriage, financial problems and Baden-Clay's romantic infidelities were aired at his Brisbane Supreme Court trial last year A kayaker found Mrs Baden-Clay's badly swollen and decomposing body on the muddy banks of Kholo Creek on April 30, 2012, ten days after her husband reported her missing. Gerard Baden-Clay, who prided himself on being the great-grandson of famed Scout movement founder Lord Robert Baden-Powell, maintained his innocence in tearful interviews until he was charged with his wife's murder. Details of the pair's crumbling marriage, financial problems and Baden-Clay's romantic infidelities were aired at his Brisbane Supreme Court trial last year. In particular, Baden-Clay had been having an affair with one of his real estate managers, Toni McHugh, who told the court he had promised her a future together. Witnesses at the murder trial - during which Baden-Clay wept and continued to protest he hadn't killed Allison - revealed his real estate business was in deep financial trouble and his wife had two life insurance policies. A kayaker found Mrs Baden-Clay's badly swollen and decomposing body on the muddy banks of Kholo Creek on April 30, 2012, ten days after her husband reported her missing Police in Alabama are on the hunt for an 'armed and dangerous' couple who they say are responsible for two kidnappings, a home invasion and an attempted robbery Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Harper, both 31, from Joplin, Missouri, are wanted in connection to a brazen crime spree spanning at least two counties. In the most recent incident, which took place just before 8am Sunday, Fitzgerald allegedly entered a home in the 2400 block of Monte Vista Drive in Vestavia Hills through the garage door, telling the residents, who were having breakfast before heading to church, that he needed help with his car. Alabama's 'Bonnie and Clyde': Police in Alabama are searching for Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Harper, both 31, from Joplin, Missouri, who are wanted to a series of crimes, inclduing two kidnappings and robbery Dastardly duo: The wanted couple's brazen crime spree spanning at least two counties in Alabama began early Sunday morning According to police, the 31-year-old suspect then produced a gun and demanded keys to the homeowner's 2010 silver Ford Edge. Fitzgerald allegedly grabbed the man's wife and forced her at gunpoint into the car, where they were joined by the suspects alleged accomplice, Ms Harper. The duo then drove their hostage to a hospital in suburban Birmingham, where they dropped her off unharmed. The woman was able to get a ride with a passing motorist who took her home. Investigators believe the Vestavia Hills kidnapping is linked to a similar incident that took place in Tuscaloosa an hour earlier. At around 7am Sunday, Fitzgerald and Harper allegedly walked into the Microtel Inn and Suites on Veterans Memorial Parkway, demanded money from the night manager and then left with the man in tow. FIRST TARGET: Fitzgerald and Harper are suspected of kidnapping a night manager from this Microtel Inn and Suites in Tuscaloosa and stealing his car SECOND TARGET: The suspects then drove to this McDonald's in Hoover, where they made an attempt to carjack and rob a restaurant worker, but they left empty-handed after she raised the alarm THIRD TARGET: The pair then drove to the Birmingham suburb of Vestavia Hills, where they allegedly kidnapped a woman from her home as she was having breakfast with her family The owner of the motel, Rikesh Patel, told the station WBRC that his employee, Kyle, was shoved into the backseat of his own vehicle, described as a Volkswagen Jetta, and concealed beneath a blanket. The duo then drove to the nearby town of Hoover with their hostage in tow, where Fitzgerald allegedly tried to carjack and rob the manager of a McDonalds restaurant, but he left empty handed after the woman, identified as Zora Harris, threw away her car keys and began screaming for help. Fitzgerald and Harper then continued on to Vestavia Hills, where they dropped off the motel worker before allegedly abducting the woman from her home on Monte Vista Drive 15 minutes later. The blue Jetta belonging to the motel manager that was used in the failed robbery attempt was later found abandoned in Vestavia Hills, according to Hoover police, reported Vestavia Voice. Fitzgerald is facing one count of first-degree burglary, one count of first-degree kidnapping and one count of first-degree theft of property. Harper is charged with kidnapping and theft. In each case, Harper (pictured left and right) and her accomplice released their hostages unharmed Career criminal: Fitzgerald's criminal record includes more than 100 charges dating back to 2003 Lovebirds: Fitzgerald and Harper appear to be in a relationship. The 31-year-old man also appears to have a young daughter. Based on photographs posted on the woman's Facebook page, she and Fitzgerald are in a relationship. The 31-year-old man also appears to have a young daughter. According to reporting by ABC3340, Fitzgerald's vast criminal record includes more than 100 charges dating back to 2003, among them assault, rape and burglary. AL.com reported that in 2013, he was arrested in Missouri for robbing a 63-year-old woman at knife-point. He's been on probation stemming from a 2015 case in which he assaulted a man at a nightclub. Dard Coaxum, who calls himself the Harlem Gatsby, is accused of punching a man so hard he has severe brain damage A Manhattan restaurateur who calls himself the Harlem Gatsby has been accused of punching a man so hard he has severe brain damage. Dard Coaxum, 46, allegedly put Julio Torres, 43, in a coma after a drunken brawl in a New York deli in June last year. The pair met when Coaxum, who works in PR for upmarket burger bar Harlem Shake in uptown Manhattan, found event planner Torres' credit card at a bar after a night of partying, theNew York Post reported. The flashy restaurant owner handed the card back to Torres but demanded he was bought a drink as a reward, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told Manhattan Criminal Court. Torres, a father of one, refused to do so but they then met again by chance at Gourmet Deli later that morning. Mr Steinglass said Torres was acting like a 'boisterous drunk' and was being 'loud and obnoxious' as he offered a bag of chips to Coaxum's girlfriend. Coaxum reacted by punching Torres in the face, prosecutors said, a claim which appears to be backed up by surveillance footage. Authorities said Torres stayed on his feet and called Coaxum a 'f***ing mutt and a 'punk' as he egged him on to 'go ahead and hit me' again while he called 911. The restaurateur, who used to run upmarket French bistro Cedric, in Harlem, tried to walk away with a group of friends but Torres followed him, the footage shows. Coaxum turned and kicked Torres before throwing his bags and cellphone at him, prosecutors said. After Torres continued to pursue him, Coaxum turned and chased him out of shot of the surveillance footage and is then alleged to have punched him again. Dard Coaxum (wearing a blue shirt), 46, allegedly put Julio Torres (in a grey suit), 43, in a coma after a drunken brawl in a New York deli in June last year The pair met when Coaxum (pictured) found event planner Torres' credit card after a night of partying Coaxum (left and right) is accused of misdemeanor assault, which he denies, and could face a year in jail It is this punch that prosecutors say knocked Torres to the ground, leaving him severely brain damaged. 'He toppled over like a tree that had been chopped down, cracking his head on the pavement,' Mr Steinglass told the court. Torres remains unconscious more than seven months later and requires around-the-clock care. Defense attorney Anthony Ricco said Torres started the fight, adding that Coaxum tried to leave at least seven times. Coaxum is accused of misdemeanor assault, which he denies, and could face a year in jail. Seaman Frederick C. Stone (pictured) was awarded the Purple Heart 70 years after being injured in WWII during an airstrike in 1945 Okinawa A 90-year-old World War II veteran was awarded the Purple Heart on Sunday - 70 years after he was injured rescuing another sailor. Seaman Frederick C. Stone was wounded by Japanese kamikaze planes in Okinawa in 1945. As bombs and shrapnel exploded around him, Frederick returned to battle to rescue his comrades instead of boarding a hospital ship and saving himself. Frederick was aboard USS Butler destroyer when Japanese planes attacked during the Battle of Okinawa, which was the last and largest of the Pacific Island campaigns. The 90 year old said he doesn't remember much about that day, but Navy officials said multiple kamikazes crashed their planes into or near his ship. With explosions happening all around, metal fragments from a plane pierced Stone's back and chest. He could've boarded the hospital ship but instead managed to drag another wounded sailor to the vessel before returning to duty, firing at the Japanese planes. His valor saved his life. The hospital ship was bombed a short while later, killing everyone aboard, including the sailor he saved. During the Sunday ceremony in Farmingdale, New York, Frederick, who now walks with a cane, received the honor in front of 30 family members, 100 seaman and the representative of New York's first district, Lee Zeldin. 'It's a great honor. It's really impressive,' Frederick said, Frederick received the honor in Farmingdale, New York, in front of 30 relatives and nearly 100 seamen High honor: The Purple Heart is awarded to military veterans who have been wounded or killed in action Frederick (pictured during his military days) was wounded while trying to save a fellow sailor during a kamikaze attack during World War II in Okinawa in 1945 Frederick received many honorifics for his role in the war, including a Bronze Star, but when his medals were damaged and thrown away, his family reapplied. That's when Mr Zeldin discovered that Stone should've been awarded the Purple Heart. It took about a year of work to get the veteran his Purple Heart, which is awarded to military veterans wounded or killed in the line of duty. 'A long overdue recognition of sacrifice' Mr Zeldin said, calling Frederick 'a true American hero'. Frederick was given a Bronze Star at the end of his service for his bravery. When that medal was damaged and thrown away his family applied to have them reissued. Officials then realized he deserved a Purple Heart Released: Shawna Cox (pictured), 59, was charged with conspiracy to impede officers through use of force. She has been released with an electronic tag to return to her husband and 12 children in Utah The only female militia member arrested in Oregon last week has been released with an electronic tag. Shawna Cox, 59, was one of eight anti-government activists detained near Burns on Tuesday after a traffic stop that escalated into gunfire, killing militia spokesman LaVoy Finicum. Mother-of-12 Cox, who is charged with conspiracy to impede federal officers by using force, was released on Friday but remained in Portland until retrieving her identification from police on Sunday. She will be home in Utah on Monday, her husband Don Cox told NBC. It is not clear why Cox was released as her co-accused remain in detention. Now fitted with an electronic ankle bracelet, she is free to go home. Her husband said they now plan to hire 'a big expensive legal team' to fight her case. She was arrested alongside the group's leader Ammon Bundy, as well as his brother Ryan Bundy, who was injured in the shoot-out traffic stop that killed Finicum. Five other leading members of their group - Brian Cavalier, Joseph Oshaughnessy, Peter Santilli, Ryan Payne, and Jon Ritzheimer - were arrested and face the same charge. Their arrests largely ended an occupation of a government building that lasted more than three weeks in Burns, Oregon - though four holdouts remain. Bundy's group seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on January 2 to protest the incarceration over two ranchers who set fire to federally-owned land. They were also protesting federal land-use policy in a more general sense. Now, protesters have come out in force against the FBI over Finicum's death. The federal agency released aerial video of the moment he was shot, and claim it shows he reached for his weapon as he face multiple officers. It appears Finicum turns to look at an agent who ran up from behind him, and as he does he is shot. Arrested: Oregon militia leader Ammon Bundy (left) and his brother, Ryan Bundy (right), were arrested Tuesday night 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 Shot dead: Rancher Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum, pictured, was shot in a clash with police on Tuesday Finicum's family and supporters claim he was shot in the back, and some dispute the suggestion he reached for his pockets. On Saturday, more than 100 people and dozens of vehicles took part in a rolling rally to protest his killing. The rally occurred in Burns on Saturday night. Some vehicles displayed the United States flag or the Confederate flag at the rally, which wound through the small eastern Oregon town. There were also signs that said 'FBI Go Home' and 'Entering Nazi Germany'. The protesters want the FBI to leave the area. A lone person protested the rally, holding a sign that said 'Militia Go Home'. 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 The demonstration came a day after the FBI released video showing Robert LaVoy Finicum being shot by police 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 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 Though four people remain at the occupation site, Ammon Bundy has reached them from jail telling them to step down, his lawyers said on Saturday. It is 'his authentic desire for them to stand down', his lawyers said. In a statement Saturday, attorney Lissa Casey says 'that message has been communicated to the remaining four and there's nothing further to be done on our end... We have set our disagreements aside to save the lives. We've done what we can do'. Sarah Palin might want to listen to her own advice. In an interview with Extra on Monday afternoon the former governor of Alaska predicted a Donald Trump win in Iowa, but added; 'Usually, I say polls are only good for strippers and cross-country skiers, but in this case, I do think the polls are accurate and are reflecting that the American people, the electorate ... were looking for something different.' However, those polls were not so accurate in the end. Trump was defeated by Ted Cruz and finished in a tight race for second place, only narrowly edging out Marco Rubio despite polls which seemed to suggest he would be the clear winner in Monday's caucus. The normally loquacious Palin had little to say after Trump's defeat, making a swift exit from his rally and not speaking to any of those in attendance according to multiple sources on the scene. She did post a photo of herself with her husband Todd and Trump on Facebook Monday evening, writing; 'Tonight = America wins, the permanent political class does not, and that is good! To restore Constitutional government the status quo has got to go; the Iowa caucus proves many Americans feel the same. 'The top three candidates, fueled by our independent, grassroots tea party movement, take 70% of the vote in this unique Iowa caucus.' Scroll down for video Gone girl: Sarah Palin (above with her daughter Willow, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump and Melania Trump) made a swift exit from Donald Trump's rally in Iowa Monday night after he was defeated by Ted Cruz Losing pick: Palin posted a photo of herself with her husband Todd and Trump on Facebook Monday evening, writing; 'Tonight = America wins, the permanent political class does not' 'Huffin ethanol': Palin went after U.S. Representative Steve King of Iowa (left), a Ted Cruz (right) supporter, said that Trump used his 'assets and resources' to woo her support. She said he must be 'huffin ethanol' Palin had a busy Monday, also lashing out at a Cruz supporter after he seemed to suggest that she had sold her endorsement to Donald Trump. U.S. Representative Steve King of Iowa appeared on MSNBC Monday afternoon and pointed out that Palin's political beliefs and ideology are more closely aligned with those of Cruz rather than Trump before adding; 'I dont know very many people who have been able to say no to Donald Trump. 'He has a massive amount of assets and resources that he can deploy when it comes time to convince someone.' Palin did not hesitate to respond in her typically brash manner as she introduced Trump later in the day at his final rally before the caucus in Cedar Rapids, saying; 'This is why people dont like politics, they know that its a dirty business because people will say things they know are untrue.' She then added; 'Maybe hes been I dont know maybe hes been hanging out in a corn field too long huffin' ethanol or something because his accusations here are way off base.' Earlier in the day, Palin did not take kindly to being asked about her son Track Palin's domestic violence arrest when appearing this morning on the Today show. 'Let's start by, you guys brought me here to talk about Iowa politics and the caucus tonight not to talk about my kids and that was a promise,' the former Alaska governor said to hosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie. 'But as things go in the world of media you guys don't always keep your promises evidently.' Guthrie asked Palin about comments she made on an endorsement tour with Donald Trump that linked post-traumatic stress to her veteran son's problems. She then insinuated that Obama was responsible: 'starts from the top.' 'What did I say that was offensive?' Palin said. 'I don't regret any comment that I made because I didn't lay PTSD at the foot of the president,' she added. Palin asked the hosts to provide her with a specific quote that suggests this. 'It allows the media to be more credible,' she said. Lauer, on that subject of credibility, said on air that 'no specific promises' were made about the content of the interview, just that it was to be Palin's first live interview after her endorsement of Trump, who likely will win tonight's Iowa caucuses. Megan Kopf, a spokeswoman for the network, reiterated Lauer's point to Dailymail.com. 'No, there were not promises made,' Kopf said via email. Palin said the link the media drew from her comments between the assault charge and President Obama wasn't accurate. 'I never blamed President Obama,' Palin pushed back. Instead, she said, she was pointing out the 'disrespect' the current commander in chief shows the troops, like not allowing them to get in on the fight with the Islamic State. 'It allows the media to be more credible,' Sarah Palin said, telling Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer that she wanted to see a specific quote that suggested she blamed her son's arrest on Obama neglecting PTSD in vets 'Let's get in there and utterly destroy ISIS as we know our United States military can do, yet we have a commander in chief who kind of wants to kowtow and allow the enemy to be poking at us,' Palin said. What she said was that her son, a combat veteran, 'was fighting for you all, American, in the war zone. My son, like so many others, came back in a bit different, they come back hardened,' according to the New York Daily News. 'They come back wondering if there is that respect for what it is that their fellow soldiers and airman and every other member of the military so sacrificially have given to this country,' Palin continued. 'And that starts from the top,' she said. 'That comes from our own president.' 'Where they have to look at him and wonder, "Do you know what we go through? Do you know what we're trying to do to secure America?"' she added. Track Palin was arrested on January 18 after allegedly punching his 22-year-old girlfriend in the face during a drunken bout and then threatening to shoot himself with an AR-15 rifle. 'Do you think I'm a p---y? and 'do you think I won't do it?' he reportedly shouted as the two argued over her ex-boyfriend. Track had a 0.189 blood alcohol level according to police. Track Palin, pictured with sister Piper at the 2008 Republican Convention, was arrested for allegedly punching his girlfriend in the face and threatening suicide with a rifle Track Palin had spent a year deployed to Iraq with the Army's Alaska-based 25th Infantry Division's 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, nicknamed the 'Arctic Wolves.' When she did talk Trump she said the decision between the billionaire and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was easy. 'It wasn't tough,' Palin said, to Guthrie's surprise. 'No, it wasn't tough,' she said. Palin noted how she had supported Cruz in his run for Senate in Texas. 'And when I endorsed him he was barely a blip on the radar screen down there in terms of in the polls and what people were perceiving and then, at the last minute being able to get in there and kind of, hopefully, we helped, you know, added some momentum to his campaign,' she said. But now that Cruz is in the Senate, Palin said she hoped that he stayed put. 'I want to keep in the Senate and I want Donald Trump to be our president,' she said. As for what Palin brings to the table for Trump, she laid it out in a segment with Today's Willie Geist. 'I am very, very conservative,' she said. 'Very much a right-winger, proudly clinging to my God, my guns and my constitution and I think I speak for a lot of Americans who have those same values, so to be able, to lend that to the campaign I think has been helpful to Mr. Trump.' Tina Fey resurrected her impression of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live, which Palin dubbed 'caricature-izing' while complimenting Fey for her talent Sarah Palin, pictured at the real endorsement ceremony for Donald Trump, said she's 'very conservative' and brings like-minded voters along IOWA CAUCUS SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS TED CRUZ Cruz at his rally Monday night 'Let me first of all say, to god be the glory. Tonight is a victory for the grassroots. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa, and all across this great nation. Tonight the state of Iowa has spoken. Iowa has sent notice that the Republican nominee for the next president of the United States will not be chosen by the media. Will not be chosen by the Washington establishment. Will not be chosen by the lobbyists. But will be chosen by the most incredible powerful force, where all sovereignty resides in our nation by we the people. The American people.' 'Tonight is a victory for millions of Americans, who have shouldered the burden of seven years of Washington deals run amok. Tonight is a victory for every American who's watched in display as career politicians in Washington in both parties refuse to listen and too often fail to keep their commitments to the people. Tonight is a victory for every American who understands that after we survive eight long years of the Obama presidency, that no one personality can right the wrongs done by Washington.' 'The Democrats here seem to be in a virtual tie between one candidate who admits hes a socialist and the other candidate who pretends shes not. I wish them both luck.' DONALD TRUMP Trump at his rally Monday night 'We finished second, and I want to tell you something: I'm just honored. I'm really honored. And I want to congratulate Ted, and I want to congratulate all of the incredible candidates, including Mike Huckabee, who has become a really good friend of mine.' 'Iowa, we love you. We thank you. You're special. We will be back many, many times. In fact, I think I might come here and buy a farm. I love it!' 'We love New Hampshire. We love South Carolina. And we're leaving tonight and tomorrow afternoon we'll be in New Hampshire. And that will be something special. It's going to be a great week. I think we're going to be proclaiming victory, I hope.' MARCO RUBIO Rubio at his rally Monday night 'For months, for months they told us we had no chance. For months they told us because we offer too much optimism in a time of anger, we had no chance. For months they told us because we didn't have the right endorsements or the right political connections, we had no chance. They told me that we have no chance because my hair wasn't gray enough and my boots were too high. They told me I needed to wait my turn, that I needed to wait in line. But tonight, tonight here in Iowa, the people of this great state have sent a very clear message. After seven years of Barack Obama, we are not waiting any longer to take our country back.' 'Hillary Clinton is disqualified from being the president of the United States. Because she stored classified and sensitive information on her e-mail server, because she thinks she's above the law. Hillary Clinton can never be commander in chief. Because anyone who lies to the families of people who lost their lives in service of this country can never be commander in chief of the United States.' HILLARY CLINTON Clinton at her rally Monday night 'So I stand here tonight, breathing a big sigh of relief: Thank you, Iowa.' 'I love all of you. Here's what I want you to know. It is rare that we have the opportunity we do now, to have a real contest of ideas. To really think hard about what the Democratic Party stands for and what we want the future of our country to look like if we do our part to build it. I am a progressive who gets things done for people. I am honored to stand in the long line of American reformers who make up our minds that the status quo is not good enough. That standing still is not an option. And that brings people together to find ways forward that will improve the lives of Americans.' 'I know we can combat climate change and be the clean energy superpower of the 21st century. I know we can make our education system work for every one of our children, especially those who come with disadvantages. I know we can make college affordable and get student debt off the backs of young people. And I know we can protect our rights, women's rights, gay rights, voting rights, immigrant rights, workers rights. I know too we can stand up to the gun lobby and get common sense gun safety measures. And how do we do that? We do that by securing the nomination, and then we do it by winning and going into that white house as others before have, determined to push forward on the great goals and values that unite us as Americans.' BERNIE SANDERS Sanders at his rally Monday night 'Thank you. Iowa, thank you. Nine months ago, we came to this beautiful state. We had no political organization; we had no money; no name recognition. And we were taking on the most powerful political organization in the United States of America. And tonight while the results are still not known, it looks like we are in a virtual tie.' 'We do not represent the interests of the billionaire class, Wall Street or corporate America. We don't want their money. We will -- and I am very proud to tell you, we are the only candidate on the Democratic side without a super PAC. And the reason that we have done so well here in Iowa, the reason I believe we're going to do so well in New Hampshire, and in the other states that follow, the reason is, the American people are saying, "no to a rigged economy." They no longer want to see an economy in which the average American works longer hours for low wages while almost all new income and wealth is going to the top one percent.' 'So I say to the Republicans, stop worrying about your campaign funds from big oil or the Koch brothers worry about the planet you're going to be leaving your children and your grandchildren.' Advertisement She suggested that average people don't really care about endorsements, however, and they're more for those 'inside baseball, politico-type' people. Geist asked Palin why she thought Trump was resonating on the right and Democrat Bernie Sanders was getting people excited on the left. 'Well, I think people are craving honestly and candidness and folks who are outside of that permanent political class that have been part of the problem,' Palin replied. If Hillary Clinton does pull it off and makes her way to the White House, Palin said, 'sure, sure,' a part of her would be proud, as the country would have elected its first female president. 'I would prefer many, many other women to be president of the United States,' she added. 'That's not going to happen though, so that's such a hypothetical.' Geist then turned to pop culture, asking Palin her thoughts on once again seeing Tina Fey play her on Saturday Night Live. The anchor complimented her for being such a good sport about it. 'At least on TV I'm a good sport about it,' Palin said. 'I think for the audience it should kind of get a little bit old, but she's really, really talented and Lorne Michaels he knows what he's doing, you know, in bringing in an audience by kind of caricature-izing someone and, I don't know, I guess I'm helping with her job security still at SNL I'll keep doing what I do,' Palin explained. As for how dead-on the impression is, Palin said her kids didn't think it was so good. Hillary Clinton has a chip on her shoulder going into tonight's party contests in Iowa. Here, she lost big in 2008, coming in third behind Barack Obama and John Edwards - a dramatic upset that tipped the scales toward the Illinois senator who went on to best her in the fight for the Democratic nomination and win the general election. Clinton, a veteran politician with four decades worth of experience under her belt, expressed confidence today that 2016 won't be a repeat of 2008 and Bernie Sanders won't claim victory tonight. 'The months Ive spent here listening to Iowans makes me a better candidate,' she said on Good Morning America. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO CONFIDENT: 'The months Ive spent here listening to Iowans makes me a better candidate,' she said on Good Morning America At an impromptu stop at one of her Des Moines filed offices today, Clinton told her volunteers and staff, 'Im so excited tonight. Im feeling so energized!' 'I think that we built an organization using a lot of the lessons learned, and we recruited some of the best people that we could find in the country working in Democratic politics,' Clinton, seen here last night at a rally in Des Moines, said this morning on GMA And she said, 'I think that I have a much better organization.' 'I think that we built an organization using a lot of the lessons learned, and we recruited some of the best people that we could find in the country working in Democratic politics.' Indeed, Clinton brought several Obama aides into the fold who helped coordinate his two national victories. Pollster Joel Benenson is on her team as well as former White House Communications Director Jen Palmieri. The candidate blitzed the state with the help of her husband Bill and daughter Chelsea in the final five days, focusing on areas she lost to Obama in 2008 in eastern Iowa. Clinton said that her volunteers and staff knocked on 125,000 doors in Iowa on her behalf over the weekend - a number she touted later in the day as 186,000 over three days - and told GMA's hosts, 'I've covered a lot of ground.' 'I've learned so much,' she said of her chats with thousands of Iowans in the course of the campaign. It's been a long slog for Clinton from 2008 loser to 2016 front-runner. For four years she served in Obama's cabinet as secretary of state, leaving in early 2013 to take a beat before she launched her next campaign. In the meantime, she joined her family's foundation and traveled the country speaking on its behalf, as well as her own. She and husband Bill, an ex-president himself, raked in more than $25 million from the start of 2014 until she launched her second White House bid in April of 2015. Those speaking fees, nearly three million of which were obtained from the financial institutions Clinton is promising her administration would regulate, have become a target for progressive criticism. The aqua areas in this map of Iowa represent the counties Clinton won in 2008, when she came in a surprising third place finish after she was expected to win the state. The medium blue areas are counties John Edwards won. Dark blue counties are ones that Barack Obama performed well in and Clinton has been hitting up in recent days DYNASTY: The Clinton family came together in Iowa last night to make one last push for another turn at the White House in the form of Hillary Clinton In his final push in Iowa Sanders honed in on his argument that Clinton would be a puppet of the big banks. Last week Sanders released a 30-second ad that indirectly linked Wall Street to Clinton by hitting investment banking firm Goldman Sachs. Clinton and her husband have received more than $2.8 million from Goldman Sachs for speeches. Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver told the Associated Press the spot was not meant as an attack on Clinton. 'Secretary Clinton is not mentioned anywhere in there. This ad is an indictment of the Wall Street wing of the Democratic Party.' That's not how it played. The Clinton campaign subsequently accused him of breaking his pledge not to go negative in the campaign. 'I think he's going negative. I think, in fact, hes probably running the most negative campaign of any Democratic presidential candidate,' Obama-turned-Clinton aide Joel Benenson said to CNN's Kate Bolduan. Clinton brought doughnuts for her volunteers this morning in Des Moines. She was accompanied there by daughter Chelsea, seen behind to the right Sanders said he's proud of the campaign he's run: 'I've tried my best to run a positive, issue-oriented campaign, never making personal attacks against Hillary Clinton, debating the issues' 'I think we will win if there's a large voter turnout,' he said. 'If a lot of non-traditional voters, younger people, working class people, lower income people who often do not participate in the political process, if they come out, we will win,' Sanders said on GMA Sanders laughed off a question about Benenson's charge this morning during an interview that aired on GMA alongside Clinton's. 'Ever, my God. Going back 500 years!' he said snarkily. He said in another clip, 'I've tried my best to run a positive, issue-oriented campaign, never making personal attacks against Hillary Clinton, debating the issues. 'So when they talk about me running a negative campaign, that's just absurd. I've never run in an entire political life a negative ad. Not too many people can say that.' Still, Clinton thinks she'll end up with a win tonight in the Iowa caucuses, and has a party planned for this evening in Iowa's largest city, Des Moines. 'We feel very good,' she said. 'Weve worked so hard.' At an impromptu stop at one of her Des Moines filed offices today, Clinton, who arrived with doughnuts and her volunteers and staff, 'Im so excited tonight. Im feeling so energized!' Both Clinton and Sanders are taking it easy today as they await the election results. They may make stops at local caucus locations tonight. At the end of the day they'll end up in Des Moines at competing celebrations. Sanders' campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, said in an email to supporters this afternoon, 'No matter what happens tonight at the Iowa caucus win or lose, by a lot or a little know that the most important story will be about you.' He made one last plea for supporters to knock on doors and convince their contacts to caucus - and he asked for money for his candidate. 'You can be a part of today's incredible momentum by making a $3 contribution to our campaign,' he said. Weaver said, 'Real change has always come from the bottom up. We are only here today because millions of Americans have stood up and said that ENOUGH is ENOUGH. If we stand together and demand this country works for all of us rather than the few, we will transform America. 'People should not underestimate us. Thank you for all you do.' 'Ihad to stop by and tell you how much I appreciate your hard work,' Clinton told them. 'I thought Id bring you some unhealthy snacks!' All three Clintons - Bill, Hillary and Chelsea - as well as Hillary confidante Huma Abedin sent out fundraising emails on her behalf, as well. 'We hardly ever know which days will change the course of history while we're living them, but I believe that today could be one of those days,' Hillary wrote in hers. 'Tonight, Iowans will caucus, and -- win or lose -- we'll be one step closer toward winning this nomination, taking on the Republicans, and winning the White House.' 'Chip in $1 right now -- it's about more than money. It's about saying you're part of this team on this pivotal day.' Bill Clinton later stopped by one of his wife's campaign offices to thank volunteers and talked shop to reporters. 'Im so grateful to you,' he told a volunteer who came from New York just to help Hillary as he embraced the main, And he told two young boys, he posed with, 'Just three kids having fun!' 'This is Hillary's childhood posse!' he said of another group of women visiting from out of town. The ex-president stuck around for 20 minutes before Clinton's state director kicked him out. 'Sir, we gotta go, we gotta get these people on the doors,' Matt Paul told him. 'Lets go!' Bill stayed for another 15 minutes, though, and told press on his way out that granddaughter Charlotte is enjoying her trip to Des Moines. 'Oh she loves it!' Clinton said. 'She went to the zoo, she went to the sculpture garden' As far as his wife was concerned, Bill said, 'I think, based on the things theyre saying here, were going to do fine.' 'All you can do here is dont leave anything undone,' he said. Clinton spent about 10 minutes at the office and spoke to 60 volunteers about to 'get out the caucus' in the area He also said wouldnt be surprised if his wife was able to pull even with Sanders in New Hampshire, a state the the senator is expected to win. 'It depends on what happens tonight,' he said. 'It depends on what happens in the next few days and how people react to unfolding events.' The polls in Iowa show a tight race between the former first lady and the Vermont senator in Iowa, the first contest of the 2016 election. She's winning with 45 percent, a Des Moines Register survey released on Saturday found, to Sanders' 42 percent. But this morning, a poll by Quinnipiac dropped, with Sanders three points ahead instead. Sanders received 49 percent of the vote to Clinton's 46 percent. And in both polls a third candidate, former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley is pulling a critical 3 percent of the vote that could potentially swing toward either Sanders or Clinton tonight at the caucuses. Clinton got back-up from one of the nation's longest running news publications over the weekend, The New York Times, whose editorial board said, 'Sanders, a self-described Democratic Socialist, has proved to be more formidable than most people, including Mrs. Clinton, anticipated.' 'In the end, though, Mr. Sanders does not have the breadth of experience or policy ideas that Mrs. Clinton offers,' it said. 'His boldest proposals to break up the banks and to start all over on health care reform with a Medicare-for-all system have earned him support among alienated middle-class voters and young people. 'But his plans for achieving them arent realistic, while Mrs. Clinton has very good, and achievable, proposals in both areas.' Bill Clinton also stopped by one of his wife's campaign offices to thank volunteers. He's seen here embracing one of them in Ankeny, Iowa. He told the man, 'I'm so grateful for you' The paper echoed complaints that Clinton has levied against Sanders throughout the campaign - he's not pragmatic enough. She's made his Medicare-for-all proposal a feature of her stump speech and derided it as a move backward for the nation's sick. He 'wants to start all over again. He wants to plunge the country into a contentious debate,' she said at a campaign stop in Davenport on Sunday, a major Iowa city that Barack Obama won in 2008. 'We've gotta defend what we've achieved,' she said, referring to Obamacare, which she has said in recent days is a continuation of her work in the 1990s on a universal health plan that even she now calls 'Hillarycare.' Sanders says that's not true - his proposal would bring existing government programs under the banner of Medicare - and even Clinton's supporters have raised their eyebrows at the claim that the left-wing senator wants to throw out the Democratic president's signature health law in its entirety. Bill Clinton hung out with his wife's supporters for 35 minutes. He would have stayed longer, but Hillary's campaign manager in Iowa asked him to leave so they could get back to work Sanders has also his nose to the grindstone in the final days of the Iowa leg of the campaign and has spent much of his time in the same Democratic strongholds as Clinton. On multiple occasions this week he rallied his supporters in towns not-to-far from his opponent. A Wednesday rally in Mason City with Susan Sarandon competed with an event featuring Bill Clinton across town. As all three Clintons plugged Hillary's campaign on Saturday evening in Cedar Rapids, Sanders held a celeb-filled event on a major college campus 30 minutes down the road in Iowa City. His event attracted 5,000 students, according to the campaign, though university officials put the number closer to 3,800. Hers have drawn crowds estimated near the one-thousand mark. Sanders told GMA in a pre-recorded interview that aired today that he believes his message 'resonating.' 'I think we will win if there's a large voter turnout,' he said. 'If a lot of non-traditional voters, younger people, working class people, lower income people who often do not participate in the political process, if they come out, we will win.' JK Rowling has revealed the names of four more magic schools around the world to rival Harry Potter's Hogwarts. The bestselling author regularly delights fans by adding magical facts, details and even slang to the fictional world. But now she has revealed the names of four more schools and says there are 11 in total - indicating a much bigger international community than previously thought. JK Rowling has revealed the names of the eleven magic schools around the world to rival Harry Potter's Hogwarts (pictured on map) Until now, only three of the schools have been known, including Hogwarts, located in Scotland, Durmstrang in northern Europe and Beauxbatons in France. The new institutions include schools in the US, Brazil, Japan and Africa, and Rowling has hinted that the remaining four will be be revealed in the future. She made the revelation on her site Pottermore, which focuses on the unknown parts of the Harry Potter series. The first announcement was Mahoutokoro - an ancient Japanese centre located on the volcanic island of Iwo Jima. According to Pottermore, wizarding children are flown back and forth to their homes every day on the backs of giant seabirds. One of the schools is lvermorny, located in North America. She made the revelation on her site Pottermore, which focuses on the unknown parts of the Harry Potter series Another school, Uagadou, is an African institution at least a thousand years old and is the largest of all wizarding schools Students are presented with enchanted robes when they arrive, which change colour as the wearer learns magic. The school also has an outstanding reputation for Quidditch, a popular game played on broomsticks, which students practice over turbulent seas in stormy conditions. The bestselling author regularly delights fans by adding magical facts, details and even slang to the fictional world The next school, Uagadou, is an African institution at least a thousand years old and is the largest of all wizarding schools. Rowling writes that the school is 'carved into the mountainside and is shrouded in mist' - so much so that sometimes it 'simply appears to float in mid-air'. Instead of using wands, students here cast spells by 'simply pointing a finger' or making a specific hand gesture. Pupils only find out that they have been selected to attend the school when they are visited by a Dream Messenger, who will appear in their sleep. Those lucky enough to be picked will wake up holding a token, usually an inscribed stone, which guarantees them a place. The third school, Castelobruxo, is a Brazilian school located deep within the rainforest. The golden building is protected by Caipora - small and furry spirit-beings who are extraordinarily mischievous and tricky. Students at Castelobruxo wear bright green robes and are especially advanced in Herbology and Magizoology. The final school to be revealed is Ilvermorny, located in North America. However, Rowling has not yet provided any extra detail about the institution. In the online article, Rowling writes: 'The precise location of each of the following schools is a closely guarded secret. 'As a general rule, magical schools tend to be situated in landlocked, mountainous areas, as such regions are difficult for Muggles [non-wizarding people] to access, and easier to defend from Dark wizards.' The first announcement was Mahoutokoro - an ancient Japanese centre located on the volcanic island of Iwo Jima The third school, Castelobruxo, is a Brazilian school located deep within the rainforest. Students at Castelobruxo wear bright green robes and are especially advanced in Herbology and Magizoology Fans were overjoyed to hear of the new additions to the list of wizarding schools. Marco Muro wrote: 'New schools! Wonderful.' Another said: 'I've wanted this for so long.' One coins was spotted by a worker in Dundee when he bought chocolate Threat of Scottish UDI was emphasised by Alex Salmond in ougoing speech Scottish nationalists have used stickers to cover up the Queen's head on pound coins as part of a campaign for unilateral declaration of independence. The holographic stickers back the 'Scottish UDI Movement', which stands for Unilateral Declaration of Scottish Independence - a move would see independence without a referendum. The threat of a Scottish UDI was repeatedly emphasised by Alex Salmond in his outgoing speech as SNP leader in Perth. Scottish nationalists have used stickers to cover up the Queen's head on pound coins as part of a campaign for unilateral declaration of independence (pictured) One of the coins was spotted by a worker in Dundee. The threat of a Scottish UDI was repeatedly emphasised by Alex Salmond in his outgoing speech as SNP leader in Perth He told The Courier: 'I went to buy a chocolate orange bar and pulled this funny-looking coin out of my pocket. I must have picked it up in change without realising. 'It was pretty weird but it seems like someone is trying to make a point.' Murdo Fraser, the Conservative Mid Scotland and Fife MSP, said the measure was 'extreme'. 'I hope the public won't be fooled by these tactics and that anyone who receives these dodgy designs will hand them straight back. The pound sterling has served us very well as a currency and we shouldn't be defacing it,' he said. The UDI Movement claims the referendum in 2015 was 'based on fear and lies and fraud'. Fifty-five per cent of people voted No. It adds: 'We can not (sic) trust the democratic process where our freedom is concerned. No-one is mentioning the riggerendum (sic), it is all being brushed under the carpet. 'If we do not declare Independence now many will suffer. For the people suffering now, 2020 is a life time of misery away. Advertisement Rescuers have begun towing a cargo ship that had been adrift for five days and was threatening to run aground in southwest France. The 538-foot Modern Express is carrying 3,600 tons of wood and equipment and had gotten as close as 28miles off the French coast before the towing began on Monday afternoon. Attempts were made over the weekend to tow the ship, which had been listing at almost 90 degrees, but high winds and 20-foot waves made it impossible. Save the ship: The cargo ship 'Modern Express' is carrying 3,600 tons of wood and equipment and had gotten as close as 28miles off the French coast before the towing began on Monday afternoon. Crew on the Panama-registered vessel were rescued last Tuesday after the captain sent out a distress call Long wait: The cargo ship is pictured listing in the water, as maritime rescue workers waited for the seas to calm this weekend The rescuers' first goal is to tow it farther offshore before eventually looking for a safe harbor. Spanish helicopters evacuated the 22-member crew last Tuesday after the Modern Express sent out a distress call. The vessel was drifting south and by Sunday afternoon it was 60 miles off the coast of the vacation town of Arcachon, south of Bordeaux. If not put in tow, it was expected to run aground further south, in the Landes region, Vice-Adm. Emmanuel De Oliveira of the Atlantic Maritime Prefecture told a news conference on Sunday. He said he expected only 'limited' environmental impact if the Panama-registered vessel hits the coast because the cargo was mainly wood and there were so far no signs of leaking of its 300 tons of fuel. Experts from the Dutch company Smit Salavage have been called in to try to capture the drifting vessel, helped by two Spanish tugs and a French ship. It is 'totally impossible put the cargo ship upright,' De Oliveira said. Attempts were made over the weekend to tow the ship, which had been listing at almost 90 degrees, but high winds and 20-foot waves made it impossible Bring him home: The rescuers' first goal is to tow it farther offshore before eventually looking for a safe harbor Spanish helicopters evacuated the 22-member crew last Tuesday after the Modern Express sent out a distress call. The vessel was drifting south and by Sunday afternoon it was 60 miles off the coast of the vacation town of Arcachon, south of Bordeaux Appeal: Zipporah Lisle-Mainwaring is disputing an order to repaint her striped house in Kensington The owner of a house in Kensington which was painted with red and white stripes has launched an appeal against a court order compelling her to restore its original colour. Zipporah Lisle-Mainwaring, 67, was last month told that she had to repaint her multi-million-pound home within 28 days after a judge ruled that the colour scheme damaged the area's aesthetic appeal. But that deadline has now been put on hold after she lodged an appeal against the decision which was made at Hammersmith magistrates' court. The case, which has been ongoing for nearly a year, will now be heard by a crown court at a future date to be set. Ms Lisle-Mainwaring, who divides her time between Switzerland and London, painted her Kensington home with the bright stripes last year after being denied permission to build an 'iceberg basement' beneath the property. She was ordered to repaint it by Kensington and Chelsea Council in April, but took the council to court challenging their decision. During the court hearing her lawyer denied that the house was out of character for the conservation area where it is situated, while Ms Lisle-Mainwaring accused a neighbour of wading in to the row as if he were St George combating the dragon. But District Judge Susan Baines ruled that the colour of the house 'had an adverse effect of the amenity of the area' and ordered the homeowner to repaint it within 28 days. She added: 'The applicant did not have to choose such a garish red colour and in so doing brought harm to the amenity of the area. 'She should have been aware of the nature of the area and it was incumbent upon her to paint the property in a similar manner to other properties.' Ms Lisle-Mainwaring lodged an appeal against the judge's ruling, which automatically suspended the deadline by which she was supposed to paint the house. Home: Ms Lisle-Mainwaring painted the home with red and white stripes nearly a year ago A spokesman for the council said: 'The owner is appealing the decision made at Hammersmith magistrates' court on January 8. 'The appeal will be heard in a Crown Court, but we don't have any information when that will be at present.' Kensington and Chelsea Council has consistently argued that the eye-catching colours detract from the overall appearance of the neighbourhood. Do you ever look at yet another picture of the British Chancellor in a Hi-Vis jacket and wish he would stop pretending to be like us? Or see our Prime Minister begging sovereignty back from Europe to persuade us to stay in the Union he despises, and wish he'd just tell it straight? That's why, contrary to the outrage reported in the left-wing press, so many people across Europe and the United States are drawn to Donald Trump. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Iowa on Sunday as the state becomes the first to vote in the race for the nomination. He is still out in front with 26 per cent of the Republican vote As he strides into the final day of campaigning in Iowa, the first US state to vote in the race for the Republican nomination, he is still out in front with 26% of the Republican vote. The UK General Election 2015 taught us never to trust the polls again. Whilst every poll and commentator declared it was too close to call, the Conservatives ran away with it convincingly on the night. I did call it. And more than that, I promised to leave the country if the idiot on the other side won. There was no way a gurning gimp who committed political fratricide was ever going to decide how my hard earned wages are spent. I refuse to support those who have no intention of supporting themselves; especially if they have eaten themselves disabled or have prioritised breeding over working. This is tough love. And it is something Britain lacks but Trump delivers in spades. He has said it is time for a strong man in the White House, his supporters caution - don't waste your vote on a wimp. And at a time when hard workers are fed up of being at the bottom of the pile, or afraid for the safety of their country and kids, strength is a powerful selling point. Describing some Mexican migrants as murders and rapists, he has said he would build a wall along the border between Mexico and the United States, arguing he would even get them to pay for it. Whether such a wall is possible or probable is detail swept aside with his grandstanding. But what he expresses with his truthful hyperbole is a sentiment shared by so many, that something dramatic needs to be done. In the UK we are fortunate to have The English Channel - this is our Mexican wall. Without it, we could be Germany with a million migrants arrived over the past year or so, and counting, causing massive social upheaval. But its not perfect, thanks to the Channel Tunnel and European truck drivers happy to traffic people in return for their cut of the deal. Donald Trump arrives at Dubuque Regional Airport as he prepares for Presidential campaigning in Iowa We may have The English Channel, but what we don't have is a Donald. We don't have someone speaking for the many, articulating the fear we feel for our country and our kids, determined to defend our borders. Instead of a fist-thumping businessman, we have career politicians who will never know the pride of a job well done or the loneliness of a night-shift for the reward of the companionship of their own little family. British politicians gravitate to the modern establishments middle ground, walking the line of least-offence, and delivering messages scripted to please party donors and big business and starry-eyed tax breaks to the hypocritical, holier-than-thou robber barons of Silicon Valley. Theoretically answerable to the taxpayer, they fail to commit to a single response we need to hear. Donald is primarily self-funded, though donations continue to pour in. He has spent very little on his campaign. because he hasn't needed to. His message is so popular it sells itself. His showmanship so compelling even the left-minded US mainstream media - who despise and are terrified of him in equal measure - have no choice but to give him more coverage than anyone else. He has spent just $12 million to date, and leads the Republican polls in Iowa by an unexpected 5%. In contrast, Jeb Bush has already squandered $24.3 million to deliver a paltry 2%. Terrifyingly, Hillary Clinton has raised a war chest of $163.5 million. That's the hypocrisy of the left for you, the impossibly wealthy lecturing hard workers on equality. The left seemed determined to downplay the slaughter of fourteen people in San Bernardino. Obama refused to label the attackers as Islamic Extremists, preferring to talk about the less emotive subject of gun control instead. Trump strode into the breach to fill the gaping void. Describing some Mexican migrants as murders and rapists, he has said he would build a wall along the border between Mexico and the United States. Katie Hopkins describes the English Channel as 'our Mexican wall' Donald Trump asked for a temporary ban on Muslims entering America, voicing a shared fear that extends well beyond America's shores to our own. Whilst impractical, his suggestion for a temporary ban on Muslims into the USA still resonated with voters, resulting in a poll surge, driving his approval rating to 37% and attracting support from two thirds of Republican voters. Here in the UK outrage over his comments was widely reported. Alarmingly, the rape and attack of white women in Cologne and other European cities on New Year's Eve was stifled by the police and press. Donald speaks of closing borders and building walls - a language which resonates. Meanwhile Europe talks about defending Schengen despite it's obvious failure. Donald speaks of action to stop illegal immigration, whilst we react to more dead children in the Med with resignation. Europe is too weak to solve the problem. Our politicians wasted three hours discussing a ridiculous petition to ban Trump from the UK, but have singularly failed to address the fears we now face inside our country from ISIS terrorists who we welcomed to our shores and are powerless to deport. As the people of Iowa head to the polls I envy the choice they have. They can choose the human doormat, Hillary Clinton or Crazy Cruz from the right. But more excitingly, they can back a bullish business man, promising to make America great again. He has said it is time for a strong man in the White House. We need the same at Number Ten. Con artists: African prostitutes are extorting thousands of pounds from white clients in Abu Dhabi by claiming they have fallen pregnant and then threatening to expose them unless they pay up (file picture of unconnected sex worker) African prostitutes are extorting thousands of pounds from white clients in Abu Dhabi by claiming they have fallen pregnant and then threatening to expose them unless they pay up. One Ugandan sex worker told how she had worked her way up from being a night club prostitute to a pimp married to a high-level business executive. The woman, known only as Maydina, revealed to new sex workers the secret of wealth was to target white male clients. Prostitutes are taught to ensure they get the man's phone numbers after their encounter, supposedly for repeat business. But a few days later, the worker would call the client to say she was pregnant, demanding cash not to expose his identify or $10,000 to return to Uganda for an abortion. The sex workers then continue the ruse, asking their clients for more money because of medical complications. New workers were expected to target three men in their first month with these schemes and few women resisted because this was often the only way they could repay their debt. The con was revealed by a Ugandan sex worker who fled back to her home country after being tricked into working for pimps in Abu Dhabi. Sarah Nakintu is just one of thousands of women every year to be trafficked into sex slavery, with the Australia-based anti-slavery campaign group Walk Free estimating there are 36 million people trapped in modern-day slavery around the world. Recalling her journey into industry, she said she had been grateful to her friend for alerting her to job opportunities in marketing and retail in Dubai. The 27-year-old from the Ugandan capital Kampala trusted her friend, who had worked in the United Arab Emirates and seemed successful with plenty of money. She followed her friend's instructions: present a valid passport to the recruiter who would organise airline tickets and a visa. Once the documents were in order, Nakintu paid the recommended 'token of thanks' to her friend - $200 in cash Nakintu (who requested her real name not be used) was advised to only keep her boarding pass to Kigali, Rwanda, in sight and hide her connecting pass to Dubai as immigration officials stop migrants who bypassed government recruiting agencies to seek employment. Prostitutes are taught to ensure they get the client's phone numbers supposedly for repeat business. But a few days later, the worker would call the client to say she was pregnant, demanding cash not to expose his identify or $10,000 to return to Uganda for an abortion (file picture of unconnected sex worker) But when Nakintu was met at Dubai airport by a Ugandan woman going by the name Jane Saad, she was told to hand over her passport and then informed she would be working as a sex escort. 'From the start I was terrified and tried to protest but she threatened us and said there were no alternatives as she had invested a lot of money in our trip,' Nakintu told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. 'Slowly we resigned and started following her instructions.' Like many others, Nakintu said she had not suspected her friend or other women from her own country would trick her into sex work and this approach meant she had let her guard down. An annual report on human trafficking by the U.S. State Department in 2015 commented on the network of Ugandan women coordinating the sending of Ugandan women for sex exploitation. It listed the top destination countries as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Kenya. On her first day in Dubai, Nakintu was told that she owed Saad around $8,000 in recruitment fees that had to be paid back in instalments as well as costs for accommodation and meals. The cost was high for a newly-arrived immigrant. A bed in a room housing up to three women typically costs Dh1500 (US$400). To meet the target income, Saad told her she had to entertain about 10 men in the first two days. In addition to turning over her passport, Nakintu had to undergo a witchcraft ritual during which she swore to hand over her income to her pimps with the threat of death in 10 days if this order was defied. The con was revealed by Ugandan sex worker Sarah Nakintu who fled back to her home country after being tricked into working in Abu Dhabi (above) while being forced to pay thousands in debt to her pimps The U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons 2014 report noted that sex traffickers had been using voodoo rituals and violence to coerce Ugandan women into trafficking schemes. 'The pimps were ruthless women who sold our passports and return tickets to old prostitutes who wanted to retire and return to Uganda,' said Nakintu. Nakintu was moved by Saad to Abu Dhabi where sex workers can earn more as she was deemed a good sale for higher-end clients. It was there that she the pimp Maydina. 'We were just desperate,' said Nakintu. Nakintu managed to leave Abu Dhabi in May last year having been there for just short of a year and having paid off most of her debts. She returned to Uganda, devastated by the way she had been tricked and mistreated. Some of her roommates did not hesitate in becoming recruiters themselves once back home, targeting other young women in Uganda tired of limited wages and high unemployment. Ugandan sex worker Sarah Nakintu left her home in Kigali (file picture, above) thinking she was taking a job opportunity in marketing and retail in Dubai. But she found herself working in the sex industry in Abu Dhabi 'Pimping was easy as one would ask friends to look for victims and pay that friend $100 for each victim they brought on board. I refused to do this,' Nakintu said during an interview in a small shop she now runs in Kampala selling household goods. The U.S. State Department lists Uganda as a Tier 2 nation in its annual trafficking report, meaning its government does not fully comply with the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act's minimum standards, but is making significant efforts to do so. Moses Binoga, the police commissioner who heads the Uganda National Counter Human Trafficking Task Force, said the government has boosted vigilance on all exit ports to protect vulnerable young women such as Nakintu from sex trafficking. Last year, the government stopped about 300 young women from exiting the country after ascertaining that they were being sent abroad specifically for the sex trade. Binoga, whom the U.S. State Department has recognised for his efforts to combat human trafficking, said the government had also prosecuted and convicted several traffickers but it was complicated to combat the problem. 'The main challenge we have is that although we can prosecute traffickers on Ugandan soil we don't have jurisdiction to prosecute those in the receiving states,' he said. The family of Kaylee Posey, 17, are desperately searching for her in Florida A family in Florida are desperately searching for a 17-year-old girl who has been missing for a week. Kaylee Posey was last seen by her family in Ocoee on January 24 and she is believed to have left her home for a bus stop at about 6am on January 25. The teenager did not return and her family now fear for her safety. Kaylee's mother, Katherine Evans, said it was possible that she had left of her own free will, but just wants to know she is safe. 'Basically we don't have hardly any leads. We are just looking for her,' Ms Evans said. 'Somebody has to know something. If somebody knows something, I just want them to say, "Yes, well, she's OK. She's safe. I know where she's at."' Ms Evans told Click Orlando that it was possible that her daughter had got herself into an unsafe situation. Kaylee has family in West Virginia and Georgia, but the search for her is focused in Florida, where she moved to last April. She is believed to have left the home with clothes, shoes and make-up. Her cell phone has been switched off and she has not made any posts on her Facebook page. Police originally believed she had gone to visit her boyfriend in West Virginia, but this has been ruled out after he came forward and said he had not heard from her either. Kaylee's Facebook page is filled with appeals from friends for her to get in touch. Cathy Posey Campbell wrote: 'Please call, we are worried about you. I love you and want you to call.' Kaylee was last seen by her family in Ocoee on Sunday and she is believed to have left her home for a bus stop at about 6am on Monday Kaylee has family in West Virginia and Georgia, but the search for her is focused in Florida, where she moved to last April Kaylee's cell phone has been switched off and she has not made any posts on her Facebook page. Pictured, Kaylee's missing poster Taylar Yoho posted: 'Kaylee we love you and are so worried about you. Please contact someone and let them know you're okay if you see this and you can always call me or mom we are only a phone call away.' Friend Janerio Jay Dilo said: 'Wherever you are, know that I love you and that you are still special to me. Please contact someone Kaylee, you are worrying people to death. Everyone just wants to know you are OK.' Kaylee is 5ft 5ins, weighs about 105 pounds and has blonde hair and blue eyes. The moment a robbery suspect was shot and killed by Texas Police after holding a woman hostage, has been caught on cellphone video. The incredible footage shows the hostage situation unfold in a parking lot as a minutes-long stand-off ends in gunfire. An employee of nearby store Comfy Furniture records the tense scene from the shop, just a few meters away. Scroll down for video Tense hostage situation in a Texas car park that ends in gunshot is filmed on a cellphone. A man had held a female Cash Store worker hostage shouting that was going to kill her, before being shot dead by police According to an officer at the scene, the suspect violently grabbed a female hostage - who worked at the nearby Cash Store - and yelled that he would 'kill her', reported CBS news. Police explained how the hostage taker worked his way around the side of the building and tried to force the woman into his car. What followed was brief stand off that ended in police shooting dead the suspect. Police spokesperson James McLellan told CBS that the hostage was grateful they were able to intervene. Seconds later, gun shots are heard and the man filming exclaims: 'Ooh, ooh, he shot him! Ooh, damn. He shot that motherf***er. Holy s***!' A woman embraces a man who was until then hidden behind the silver car. Neither were the hostage, who was a female worker at Cash Store The dramatic scene was filmed by Yousef Hajj, who is the former owner of Comfy Furniture according to Facebook. As shots are heard Hajj exclaims: 'Ooh, ooh, he shot him! Ooh, damn. He shot that motherf***er. Holy s***!' Wailing and cries of 'Oh my god' are heard from a female voice that appears to be located between the two parked cars where the man was just shot dead. A woman comes over and embraces a man who had been caught up in the scene. Yousef Hajj, who filmed the scene, moves position to get a better view of what has just happened. Pictured is the suspect lying dead on the floor as police and witnesses surround him The dramatic scene played out in front of the Comfy Furniture store in Irving, Texas Comfy Furniture worker Yousef Hajj filmed the scene on his cellphone Although initially filmed several meters away, Hajj then walks across the parking lot to get a view of the dead suspect, who is seen lying on the ground with a pool of blood near his head. A witness told CBS: 'I heard what I thought was a tire blowing out of a car and then I realized it was a gunshot. 'I turned to my right and I saw the man lying on the ground and a bunch of cops were by the door.' Police say that the Cash Store was robbed at gun point just under a month ago, with another store in nearby North Irving robbed a few days prior to that. It unclear at this point if the robberies are in any way connected. Firebrand Hollywood star Gerard Depardieu has caused outrage in his native France by appearing in a 'nauseous' advertisement in which he boasts about shooting a deer and being a Russian. The 67-year-old actor has a rifle in his hand in the publicity for Cvtos, the upmarket Swiss watchmakers who are hugely popular among rich Russians. 'Proud to be Russian' says Mr Depardieu, who annoyed many of his fellow countrymen by acquiring a Russian passport, apparently to avoid paying large taxes in France. Scroll down for video Gerard Depardieu has caused outrage in his native France by appearing in the controversial advertisement The video, which Cvtos has posted on social media, opens with a rifle crack, and then Mr Depardieu is shown kneeling over the dead deer, as he uses the slang 'smoke' for 'kill'. 'To smoke a deer, you must always be on time,' says Mr Depardieu, as he blows a kiss at the dead animal and adds: 'His time had come'. Mr Depardieu wears a suit throughout the advertisement, which is presented as if it were a Hollywood film. Natalia Balet was one of many critics of who left a comment under the You Tube version, saying: 'It's the cheapest thing possible to publicly show cruelty to animals for marketing purposes'. Metro, the online French news outlet, meanwhile called the advertisement 'vulgar', while GQ magazine said it was a mixture of 'nauseous wordplay and pathetic production quality'. Also calling it an 'absurd advert', Le Figaro said Mr Depardieu had angered the French constantly with his loutish behaviour. The 67-year-old actor has a rifle in his hand in the publicity for Cvtos, the upmarket Swiss watchmakers hugely popular among rich Russians In 2011, he urinated on the carpet of a plane travelling from Paris for Dublin, and a year later was accused of assault and battery after punching a motorist in Paris. Mr Depardieu was also arrested for drunk driving after he fell off his scooter in the French capital. In 2012, Mr Depardieu became a tax resident of Belgium to avoid a possible 75 per cent tax bill for President Francois Hollande's new Socialist government At the time, Mr Hollande's prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, referred to the Green Card and Asterix star as 'pathetic'. Russian president Vladimir Putin, who also likes to hunt deer, nonetheless defiantly awarded the film star with a Russian passport. Mr Depardieu, who was once viewed as great symbol of French masculinity, is currently working on a film called Stalin's Couch, in which he plays the late Soviet dictator. People took to social media to criticise the advertising campaign, labelling it 'vulgar', 'absurd' and 'nauseous' A nanny has accused her beauty company executive employer of slapping her twice and kicking her when she tried to quit. Nazmoom Latchminarine, who is also known as Jean Amin, is suing Celia Tombalakian, the wife of a plastic surgeon and a director at Elizabeth Arden, claiming she was abusive at her $2million Manhattan home. The 57-year-old Guyanese immigrant, who was caring for the couple's seven-month-old son, says in her lawsuit the mother always talked down to her and eventually turned violent. Nazmoom Latchminarine is suing Celia Tombalakian (pictured) , the wife of a plastic surgeon and a director at Elizabeth Arden, claiming she was abusive while she cared for her seven-month-old son She had been working at the co-op owned by Tombalakian and her husband David Shafer - a New York cosmetic surgeon who specializes in butt lifts - for six months. According to court documents seen by the New York Post, Tombalakian thought the nanny used her phone too much at work and sometimes exposed him to too much sun. In September, Latchminarine arrived at the their home to look after the boy. The two women argued about about Tombalakian's around-the-clock texting of the nanny, Latchminarine said. Then she told her employer she was quitting. 'She just slapped me across the face,' the nanny said, crying and pointing to her left check. The lawsuit says that when Latchminarine asked for her previous week's pay, the mother hit her across the face again. The nanny began to cry, but Tombalakian said: 'Get the f*** out of my house.' Then, according to the court papers, the mother walked away a few steps, turned around and then kicked her in the chest. Latchminarine told the Post the incident could have been a scene from the 2007 film 'The Nanny Diaries' It stars Scarlett Johansson as a beleaguered nanny for a rich family. The nanny called the police. They didn't arrest Tombalakian because the nanny didn't have visible injuries on her. She had been working at the co-op owned by Tombalakian and her husband David Shafer (pictured) - a New York cosmetic surgeon who specializes in butt lifts - for six months However they did register a harassment complaint. As soon as she left, Latchminarine received a grovelling apology text message from her former employer. It read: 'From the bottom of my heart I am sorry about what happened between us this morning. I will not bother you again. Thank you for everything as nanny and confidante.' Tombalakian's lawyer, Adam Sattler, told the Daily Mail Online: 'This is an unfortunate shakedown attempt grounded in falsehoods. 'The allegations mentioned in Nazmoon Latchminarine's complaint are without merit and will be shown to be baseless early on in the legal process. 'I can only suppose that Ms. Latchminarine is retaliating for the justified termination of her brief employment. It is disappointing that Ms. Latchminarine has resorted to lies and deceit in an attempt to create an unjustified payday for herself.' The woman is eventually pulled to safety by the firefighter The firefighter abseiled down two stories to the woman on the 9th floor Onlookers can be heard telling the woman to think of her children A quick-thinking firefighter in Shanghai, eastern China, has saved the life of a suicidal woman. Video footage has emerged of the rescuer pulling the woman to safety in a residential complex in the Jinshan District. The woman, who allegedly tried to commit suicide after arguing with her husband, can be seen desperately trying to leap off the building while her husband tries to pull her in. Desperate situation: The woman was said to be suicidal after arguing with her husband in their apartment Safe: The firefighter manages to abseil down from the 11th floor to the 9th and grabs hold of the woman According to reports, the woman was depressed due to arguments with her husband. In the video, witnesses can be heard shouting 'Don't do it - you must think of your children'. The woman wrestles with her husband who tries to grab her and get her back over the balcony. According to Chinese media, firefighters had originally intended to place an inflatable mattress underneath the building however there were too many plants in the way. It's the fireman who comes to the rescue, descending from two stories above to rescue the woman. Terrifying: The firefighter climbs down to rescue the woman hanging off the balcony of a building (pictured) He manages to roll her back onto the balcony to safety. Cases such as these are fairly common in China. Last October a bus driver in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu province was rescued by a bus driver as she attempted to commit suicide on a bridge. Sir Terry Wogan told his long-time friend Gloria Hunniford that he would keep any illness he suffered secret, it emerged today. The two broadcasters became friends after working on the radio together and Sir Terry later worked with Ms Hunniford's daughter, Caron Keating. Ms Hunniford told today how he comforted her after Caron's tragic death from breast cancer in 2004. Gloria Hunniford today told how Sir Terry Wogan told her he would keep any battle with cancer secret He told her how he had lost his first daughter, Vanessa, shortly after her birth and admired Caron for keeping her battle with the disease private. Speaking ITV's Loose Women today, Ms Hunniford said: 'When Caron died he came to me immediately and he said, "Look, to a point I know how you feel, because I lost my daughter when she was just three weeks old and I know Caron was a lot older but the feelings of loss are the same". 'He said "I admire Caron so much because she kept her cancer private and she dealt with it all with dignity", he said "If that ever happens to me that's the way I'll do it." And that's exactly the way he did it.' Ms Hunniford said that after being given the bombshell news that Sir Terry had died she 'just wept and then made myself a cup of tea and just sat for a while'. She added: 'We all loved Terry so much we thought he'd always be here.' Sir Terry's death was announced yesterday when a family statement said the much-loved star died, aged 77, at his home in Buckinghamshire. After disappearing from the airwaves suddenly last year, his illness was kept so private that executives and colleagues at the BBC were convinced he would return to the radio within weeks. On ITV's Loose Women, she said Sir Terry told her he admired how her daughter Caron dealt with the disease Sir Terry, pictured in 1983, worked with Ms Hunniford on national radio before they hosted Children in Need Instead of revealing the diagnosis, he told close friends he had a back problem. The star whose long-running Radio 2 breakfast show catapulted him to nationwide fame was hailed as the country's greatest broadcaster. Sir Terry, born in Limerick, Ireland, was married to former model Helen for 50 years. She is understood to have been at his deathbed yesterday with their children, Mark, Alan and Katherine. The couple suffered a tragedy early on when their first child, Vanessa, died just weeks old in 1966. Tributes have been paid from around the world of showbusiness. David Cameron also praised Sir Terry, hailing him as 'a wonderful human being' on Jeremy Vine's BBC Radio 2 show. Miss Hunniford said she and Sir Terry, pictured with Debbie Greenwood in 1988, later became great friends The veteran broadcaster comforted Ms Hunniford after her daughter Caron Keating died of breast cancer The Prime Minister said: 'To call someone a national treasure is sometimes a bit of a cliche, but with Terry Wogan that is absolutely what he was. I mean, someone my age very much just feels you grew up with this man.' 'When I used to travel around in the car with my mum, she listened to him on the radio and she felt he was speaking directly to her, and I remember growing up watching Blankety Blank and then the Eurovision Song Contest, and he always made you smile, made you laugh.' When 8-year-old Rhode Island resident Dorian Murray was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he made a wish to become famous in China - with spectacular results, as millions held up signs bearing his Dstrong hashtag. Now he's getting a gift closer to home: his own Rhode Island license plate. On Wednesday Walter Craddock, administrator of the state Division of Motor Vehicles, will meet with Dorian and his family at its Wakefield branch to present the brave boy with his own 'Dstrong' plate. The gift will come exactly two weeks after Daniel's visit to the Statehouse Senate Chamber in Providence, R.I., where lawmakers including majority leader Dennis Algiere, state representative Brian Kennedy and senate president Teresa Paiva Weed proclaimed '#Dstrong Day' in his honor. Dorian Murray (pictured with mom Melissa), was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the start of the year, after four years of fighting the disease. His wish to become famous in China was quickly picked up, with millions sharing his Dstrong hashtag and sending in pictures from the country; now he's getting his own license plate That wasn't the young man's only moment of recognition by local government. Soon after his visit to the Statehouse Senate Chamber, Dorian's town of Westerly officially proclaimed January 24 to January 30 as 'Dorian Murray Week' and presented his family with a certificate. A post on Praying for Dorian announced, 'Honored to accept this proclamation tonight!! Proud to live in #rhodeisland and proud to live in #westerly.' Dorian is visibly moved during his visit to the Statehouse Senate Chamber in Providence, Rhode Island. There, majority leader Dennis Algiere, state representative Brian Kennedy and senate president Teresa Paiva Weed, among others, proclaimed '#Dstrong Day' in his honor. Support has been strong for Dorian abroad and at home Dorian had been fighting rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer, since 2012, until tests at the start of the year revealed that it had spread to his spinal fluid and brain, making recovery impossible. On January 10, the Facebook page Praying for Dorian, run by his parents, announced that Dorian had made a wish to become famous in China, 'because they have that bridge.' Dorian meant the Great Wall of China, and his request was picked up by kind-hearted web users around the globe. Just five days later, it had been read by more than 66million users of Chinese social media site, Weibo. Soon, images began to roll in of people holding up signs with Dorian's name, and the hashtag Dstrong. Many were of Chinese people on the Great Wall, but images also rolled in from iconic locations in Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu. Many messages from Chinese supporters featured the Great Wall of China, which Dorian had become particularly interested in. Messages didn't just come from the Great Wall - this girl is posing with a message for Dorian outside Nanluoguxiang, a popular street in Beijing The story also gained support from newspapers and websites in China, including state newspaper China Daily, also picked up the story, taking the message offline. And the Chinese embassy in the US also lent their support. On Prayers for Dorian, Damion's mom, Melissa, wrote: 'DStrong is no longer a hashtag, it's a movement. Dorian has brought so much inspiration to people, around the world! I couldn't be more proud of my son.' Even fictional celebrities got in on the act, with the star of Dreamworks' Kung-Fu Panda sending his support all the way from China Dorian's message touched the hearts of many in China, with his message being read by more than 66million people on China's Weibo social media site Sickening case: Richard Emerich, 54, a fashion photographer from Vermont, has pleaded guilty to a federal child pornography distribution charge after investigators discovered a cache of X-rated images in his home A fashion photographer known for his work with child models has pleaded guilty to distributing pornographic images depicting boys as young as 12. Richard Emerich, 54, of Vermont, was arrested in November in his hometown of Brattleboro and was later transferred to Florida to face federal charges of producing and distributing child pornography. On January 20, the suspect pleaded guilty to one count of distribution after the prosecution agreed to drop the porn production count against him. He could face up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 1. For more than 20 years, Emerich has operated RWE Productions, a Vermont-based photography business that also includes a talent management division that helps aspiring models, mostly children and teenagers, build up their portfolios. RWE's homepage stills displays a slideshow featuring dozens of young male models. According to court documents, Emerich traveled to South Florida to take sexually explicit pictures of nude and clothed boys. In all, federal investigators said Emerich distributed 600 pornographic images depicting children, reported Miami Herald. Federal agents first learned of Emerichs illegal activities when an informant, who is himself a child pornographer facing state charges, came forward claiming that in his capacity as a talent scout, he would regularly recruit boys in Florida for the suspects photo-sessions. Working undercover on behalf of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the cooperating defendant asked Emerich last January to mail him images of underage boys. The photographer sent him an external hard drive and thumb drive containing numerous images, according to an affidavit. The package containing the electronic devices was intercepted by the US Postal Service in February 2015. In June of that year, Emerich mailed his scout in Florida a second packet containing an external hard drive with 'thousands' of images of boys. One of the victims, who appeared in advertising campaigns for JC Penny, Polo and Tommy Hilfiger as a child model, told law enforcement officials that he was 14 years when he was first photographed for pornography by Emerich back in 2007. When officials with the USPC executed a search warrant on Emerichs apartment in Vermont last October, they discovered more than 60 external hard drivers. Turkish Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen (pictured) is charged in Turkey with plotting to overthrow the government from his home in Pennsylvania A Muslim cleric living in the Poconos is accused of wanting to overthrow the Turkish government but isn't worried about the U.S. sending him back to his home country, his followers have said. Fethullah Gulen lives quietly on a gated 26-acre compound in the Pocono Mountains, where he prays, works, and meets admirers. Nearly 5,000 miles away, in his home country of Turkey, he is accused of terrorism; an accusation that has landed him on Turkey's most-wanted list. Mr Gulen, who is in his mid-70s, lives like a monk on the grounds of the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, an Islamic retreat founded by Turkish-Americans. He has long been one of Turkey's most important scholars, with many followers in Turkey and around the world. Recently, Turkey's increasingly tyrannical president, Recip Erdogan, has accused Gulen of plotting to overthrow the officially secular government from his Pennsylvania compound. Gulen's supporters call the charge baseless and, so far, the U.S. has shown little inclination to send him back to Turkey to face trial, which began without him on January 6. If the reclusive leader worries about the possibility, he hasn't shared it with his followers. 'He said that the United States has a long tradition of democracy and rule of law. 'They will see that these are politically oriented charges, and they will not allow Erdogan to spread his ambition into the United States.' said Y. Alp Aslandogan. Mr Aslandogan sees Gulen about once a week as president of the New York-based Alliance for Shared Values, a group that promotes Gulen's ideas. Mr Aslandogan said Mr Gulen spends hours a day in prayer and meditation and goes out rarely, mostly to see doctors for ailments, which include heart disease and diabetes. Y. Alp Aslandogan (pictured), president of the Alliance for Shared Values sees Mr Gulen about once a week The Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center (pictured) was founded by Turkish-American Muslims Muslim men pray in the afternoon at Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, where Mr Gulen lives Details about Gulen's personal life and his ties to those ventures have long been murky, giving rise to suspicions about his motives. Some of the U.S. schools have been investigated by the FBI due to financial mismanagement and visa fraud allegations. One of the most explosive claims is that the schools are importing Turkish teachers to identify impressionable students and indoctrinate them into Gulen's movement, sometimes called Hizmet, Turkish for 'service'. Nobody associated with the U.S. schools has been charged, and there has been no public outcry from parents or students about teachers promoting Islam, Gulen's supporters say. In America, the schools are public and open to students of all faiths. 'Try proselytizing evangelical Christians in the center of Texas. See what happens. 'Anybody who knows American society and climate today would know that's a ridiculous claim,' Mr Aslandogan said. Regardless, Gulen has nothing to do with the schools' finances or operation. Gulen gained notice in Turkey some 50 years ago, promoting a philosophy that blended a mystical form of Islam with staunch advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue. This photo shows Gulen's bedroom at the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center in Pennsylvania Mr Gulen leaves the Pennsylvania compound (pictured) to go to the doctor for his heart disease and diabetes Mr Gulen said he is not worried about the U.S. government forcing him to leave the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center (pictured) to go back to Turkey to stand trial His supporters started 1,000 schools in more than 100 countries. In Turkey, they have run universities, hospitals, charities, a bank and a large media empire with newspapers and radio and TV stations. Gulen's reach is shrouded in such mystery that Loyola University Maryland sociologist Joshua Hendrick, who has studied and written about him, estimates his following at anywhere from 500,000 to four million people. 'I think deep down in the hearts of these people, they want to create a better world, a world of peace, a world of respect. 'I saw no indication they are after power or creating any kind of (Islamic) state,' said University of Houston sociologist Helen Rose Ebaugh, who traveled the world studying the Gulen movement's finances and aims. Turkey's government has branded the movement a 'terror organization,' though it is not known to have committed any acts of violence. 'The grain of truth, which we don't deny, is that yes, there are some sympathizers in every government institution. But to claim that there is a parallel entity, or there is a mastermind or puppeteer, is simply an empty claim,' Mr Aslandogan said. A mechanic who raped a city lawyer before brutally strangling her to death after he was rejected by a girl at a party was jailed for at least 27 years. Lodger Peter Kibisu, 23, murdered Elizabeth Nnyanzi, 31, when he returned to the 600,000 family home in August while high on drugs. Today he was branded a 'wolf in sheep's skin' by her mother Coleen, who had offered him a roof over his head when he was homeless and was in Ghana when the attack occurred. Peter Kibisu, 23, (left) who murdered Elizabeth Nnyanzi, 31, (right) while lodging at her family home in Harrow, north west London The BMW technician attacked the Imperial College graduate and paralegal at London firm Herbert Smith Freehills then went to work, later telling police an attacker had broken into the house. He sobbed in the dock as prosecutor Mark Heywood QC told how Kibisu returned home on August 14 after a girl at a party rejected his sexual advances. He said: 'The defendant returned home to where he was living with very close family friends, having been out for almost the entire night. 'He then took the very gravest advantage of those who had given him a home by first sexually attacking and then killing Elizabeth Nnyanzi - one of the daughters of the house - who was then alone in the property and in her own bedroom.' 'A beautiful, talented girl and a young star' - Miss Nnyanzi studied medicine at Imperial College London before switching to follow in her fathers footsteps as a lawyer Coreen and Kibisu's mothers had been friends since their twenties and he added: 'The association between the two families had been close and long-standing. 'In the case of the defendant he had been given a home by the Nnyanzi family for approximately nine months.' At the time Miss Nnyanzi's solicitor father Joseph lived in Uganda, while her two sisters Antonia and Cressida also lived away and Kibisu moved in on an 'extended guest invitation.' He telephoned police at 6pm on the 15th August, claiming Miss Nnyanzi had been attacked by an intruder. Kibisu used tools to make it appear the patio doors were forced open, and sent texts to Miss Nnyanzi's phone in a 'deliberate' attempt to cover his trail. She was discovered in her bedroom with asphyxiation marks and with a pair of knickers on inside out. 'There was no intimacy between them and never had there been,' said Mr Heywood. 'She looked down on him as a much younger cousin, and one account says that Elizabeth would have been horrified and rejected any such advance.' A victim impact statement from Coleen said her life had been 'shattered' and said: 'Elizabeth was a kind, caring and loving eldest daughter who used her extensive knowledge to help others. 'She would always go beyond the call of duty to help others. 'Now we no longer benefit from her guidance and help, and we can't begin to comprehend how Peter Kibisu has turned on us. 'At the request of his mother Mary, we helped him in his hour of need. He was homeless and we took him in. 'How did he repay us? He raped and killed our daughter.' Jailing Kibisu for life, Judge Richard Marks said his crimes were 'a horrendous betrayal of the trust and hospitality' extended to him. 'That is a home in which you two lived - the situation being your respective mothers had been friends for very many years,' he said. 'When you found yourself homeless in around November 2014, Elizabeth's mother, out of the kindness of her own heart, took you in. 'Such was the closeness of your relationship with them, you referred to Elizabeth as being your cousin and her mother as being your aunt. 'You had a close friendship with Elizabeth, albeit she was about seven years older than you. There was no suggestion at all it was one involving intimacy.' Judge Marks said Kibisu had tried covering up he was responsible for her death. 'What had happened, was that shortly after you came home that morning substantially under the influence of drink and drugs, you had raped and then strangled her,' he continued. 'She was a talented musician, a deeply loved sister and daughter and her family have been understandably devastated by what became of her at your hands.' Judge Marks added that she was an 'outstanding' individual with huge potential ahead of her. 'What you did that morning was truly shocking. 'Your acts were those of unspeakable wickedness and it's frankly hard to comprehend how you could have done that to anybody, still less to a young person like her, who was to all intents and purposes family. Kibisu used tools to make it appear the patio doors were forced open, and sent texts to Miss Nnyanzi's phone in a 'deliberate' attempt to cover his trail Wearing a grey suit and blue tie today, Kibisu sobbed as his handwritten letter was read out. 'I can only express my deepest regret to you all for having caused you so much pain, but also recognise sorry will never be good enough,' he said. 'I know nothing can bring Elizabeth back and for this I am truly sorry and remorseful. 'I appreciate everything you have done for me. You took me in like a son and I abused the position of trust. This was not the way I intended to repay you for all your kindness.' Nnyanzi completed her bachelor's degree in medicine at Liverpool University and master's at Imperial before switching to law. Described as 'truly unique' by her sisters, she had worked for several charities and only returned from working in Uganda months prior to her death. Kibisu pleaded guilty to rape and murder in November and December last year. The humble Google search prompted claims of a conspiracy today after social media users noticed a bizarre anomaly when searching for political parties. For most major political parties if you begin a search such as 'Labour are' the search engine will produce a string of possible terms to complete the search - almost universally negative. But type in 'Conservatives are' or 'Tories are' and Google is unable to help - prompting some Twitter and Facebook users to question whether the mystery 'explains the tax issue'. The mystery over Google's auto complete results prompted some social media users to make a link between the blank Conservatives result and the row over corporation tax Andrew Barr said the difference 'explains the tax issue' which has dominated political debate for the past week @deBaronBH urged Twitter users to compare the results and suggested there could be a conspiracy to be found Google and Chancellor George Osborne have been underfire since HMRC reached a settlement with the tech giant for them to pay an extra 130million in tax for the past decade. The search engine has insisted it pays the legally mandated amount of tax in the UK and does not have a 'sweetheart deal' with the taxman. But an angry row, triggered by the Chancellor saying the deal was a 'major success', has hit out at the difference between the money makes selling ads in the UK against how much corporation tax it pays. Twitter user Andrew Barr said: 'Type any UK party followed by 'are' into Google search and you get questions. But conservatives/tories get zero. Explains the tax issue!' Vivienne Egan questioned: 'No auto-fill for 'Conservatives are' in Google - a conspiracy or explainable?' The @deBaronBH user said: 'Type in Google search the following: SNP are Labour are Conservatives are Tories are Compare the results.. #Conspiracy' And @FragileCreature said: 'Conservatives are... Letting Google off loads of tax?' The mystery was sparked after social media users noticed if you type 'conservatives are' into Google the search engine offers no suggestions By contrast the Lib Dems could be 'finished', 'left wing' or 'in the cabinet' in suggested Google searches Users searching for information on Labour meanwhile could conclude their search with the offered 'finished', 'a joke', 'right wing' or even 'scum' Google yesterday denied it had a 'sweetheart deal' with the taxman and claimed it paid 20 per cent corporation tax like every other business. Peter Barron, the firm's head of communications, insisted Google paid all tax owed on profits officially made in the UK - including 46 million last year. He told the BBC: 'In the UK we pay corporation tax at 20 per cent there is no sweetheart deal. 'We are taxed on the economic activities of Google UK. We pay corporation tax in the UK at 20 per cent. 'Globally, our effective tax rate over the last five years is roundabout 20 per cent.' Mr Barron said its new accounts showed Google UK paid 46.2million for the last year, plus 130million for the period of 2005 to 2014. He insisted the additional payment was the result of six years of cooperation with HMRC to ensure the firm abided by the law. Mr Barron - a former editor of the BBC's Newsnight - claimed: 'Everything we do across the business, we always try to do the right thing.' He defended Google's decision to headquarter its European businesses in Ireland and then operate 'subsidiaries' in the UK and other European countries. And pressed on why the company the moves 30billion of global revenues onward to Bermuda - which has a corporate tax rate of 0 per cent - Mr Barron said: 'It's very, very important to make it clear that the Bermuda arrangement has absolutely no bearing on the amount of tax we pay in the UK.' A Google spokesperson said: 'Autocomplete predictions are produced based on a number of factors including the popularity of search terms. Presidential front-runner Donald Trump is heading into Monday's Iowa caucus in his usual place - in front - but his Democratic counterpart is not so lucky, according to a fresh poll published Monday morning. Trump stands far in front on the Republican side of things, with 31 percent support of primary voters - and 40 percent of voters who will be caucusing for the first time. Ted Cruz, his next-closest rival, is in a far distant second place, with 24 percent, followed by Marco Rubio with 17 percent. But enthusiasm seems to be on Trump's side - among Iowa Republicans who will be caucusing for the first time, the real estate tycoon has a far bigger lead - 40 percent, compared to only 22 percent for Cruz. The poll was released Monday morning by the Connecticut-based Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. Scroll down for videos Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump was in first place in an Iowa caucus poll on Monday morning On the Democratic side, Sen. Bernie Sanders is clinging to a small lead The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, based in Connecticut, released this poll Monday morning that shows Donald Trump in front of all other Republican presidential candidates Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has some catching up to do Trump's support seems to be from first-time caucus-goers in Iowa On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faces trouble. Clinton is in second place in the Quinnipiac poll, at 46 percent. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont leads her at 49 percent. The Iowa caucuses represent the first primary contest of the 2016 election, giving a boost to winners heading into New Hampshire's Feb. 9 primary and a vote on Feb. 23 in South Carolina. Sanders has first-time caucusers to thank for his lead too - the senator has a major lead of 62 to 35 percent over Clinton in that category. But Iowa voters are finicky - 3 percent of them told Quinnipiac they were undecided, and a whopping 28 percent said they may change their mind before they actually vote. The caucus appears to be quite popular for first-timers- according to Quinnipiac, 44 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of Democrats said Monday is their first caucus. 'The size of the turnout tonight will likely be the key factor, especially on the Democratic side,' said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac institute. 'High turnouts with lots of new caucus participants likely would mean a good night for Sen. Bernie Sanders, and for Donald Trump.' According to Quinnipiac University, Hillary Clinton started Monday in second place in Iowa, behind Bernie Sanders The top seven Republican presidential candidates faced off on Thursday night in a prime-time debate Among Republicans, Cruz seems to have lost momentum, according to Quinnipiac, with Rubio standing waiting to take over second place depending on the night's results. However, Trump also suffers from a lack of support from die-hard Republicans. Among the caucus-goers who said they would likely participate, 35 percent said they would 'definitely not' support Trump. Only 15 percent said the same about Cruz. Social worker Carl Lindahl was banned from holding a memorial for Alexandra Mezher in Ornskoldsvik Staff at a housing centre for child migrants in Sweden have been banned from holding a memorial service in honour of a fellow social worker who was murdered last week. Alexandra Mezher, 22, was stabbed to death when she tried to break up a fight between two teenage boys at a home for unaccompanied minors in Molndal, Gothenburg. When staff at a similar accommodation in Ornskoldsvik, north-east Sweden, wanted to hold a memorial for Miss Mezher, the council said no. Miss Mezher's murder sent shockwaves across Sweden, and has highlighted a number of issues that has followed in the wake of the large number of asylum seekers to arrive in Sweden in the past 12 months. Staff and social workers at a home for unaccompanied minors in Ornskoldsvik, a town on the north-east coast, were deeply affected by the killing of a colleague in the workplace. 'What happened in Molndal could have happened here. That's how bad it is,' Carl Lindahl told SVT Vasternorrland. Mr Lindahl, who has worked in homes for unaccompanied minors for three-and-a-half-years added that housing facilities for child migrants all over the country are 'unreasonably overcrowded'. Mr Lindahl wanted to do a memorial service for 'colleague' Miss Mezher, but said that a superior immediately got in touch and forbade them from using council premises. They were also told not to fly the Swedish flag at half-mast, SVT reports. A representative for Ornskoldvik council later spoke to SVT Vasternorrland and said the decision to ban the 'manifestation' had been done to secure the well being of the children. Administrative manager Katarina Jensstad said the council had ruled that it was better to hold the memorial service in premises that was not a home for unaccompanied minors. A service for Miss Mezher was later held at a nearby church in Ornskoldvik, but staff at the housing facility who were scheduled to work, were told they could not attend during working hours. Killed: Alexandra Mezher, 22, was fatally stabbed in the back and thigh at the asylum centre for young, unaccompanied migrants in Molndal, Sweden, on Monday morning Hero: Miss Mezher died saving the life of another resident whom allegedly knife-wielding attacker was trying to kill, police sources said Miss Mezher was stabbed in the thigh and back just before the end of her night shift, on Monday morning last week. She was taken to hospital and died from her injuries. The alleged attacker, a boy claiming to be a 15-year-old from Somalia, is being held in a secure psychiatric hospital in Gothenburg and has been remanded in custody until February 11. Swedish prosecutors say HVB Living Nordic may be charged with corporate manslaughter and violating work environment law over the murder of Miss Mezher in her workplace. The housing facility where she worked is home to ten migrants and refugees aged 14-17 who have all applied for asylum in Sweden without a parent or guardian. Swedens Work Environment Administration is investigating whether HVB Living Nordic broke work environment laws for allowing Miss Mezher to work on her own with ten teenage boys. HVB Living Nordic is a private company paid by the local authority to provide housing and care for unaccompanied minors, which has been operating since late 2013. In 2014, Molndal received 22.6million to provide housing for unaccompanied minors the most state funding per capita than any town or city in Sweden. A representative for Ornskoldvik council said the decision to ban the memorial from being held at the housing centre had been done to secure the well being of the children staying there A service for Miss Mezher was later held at a nearby church in Ornskoldvik, but staff at the housing facility who were scheduled to work, were told they could not attend during working hours That same year, HVB Living Nordic reported a profit margin of 21.9 per cent. HVBs chief executive is Patrick Sjogren, 46, former CEO of 5050Poker, an gambling website which filed for bankruptcy in 2012 after it emerged that the company had used players' money to cover losses. Mr Sjogrens company faces questions over how Miss Mezher to work alone overnight with almost a dozen vulnerable teenage boys. Staff at the centre warned a year ago that due to lack of staff, something serious will happen here. The warning came from a therapist in December 2014 - despite the fact that the facility had been open less than four months at the time Sweden has been struggling with the continent's biggest migration crisis since World War II. A country of 9.8 million, Sweden took in more than 160,000 asylum seekers in 2015, the highest number of refugees and migrant arrivals per capita in the EU. The Donald added that he owned the 'greatest ballroom in the world' at the private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach He also made the offer back in 2011, claiming that he offered to pay for a lavish million-dollar ballroom to be built himself But Trump says a dedicated ballroom would entice 'top people' to visit The White House currently holds events in marquees on the lawn or in the There are many unconventional policies Trump is threatening to impose if he makes Presidency, but few would have thought partying was a top priority. Yet in his closing speech yesterday in Sioux City, Iowa, he promised he would build a 'lavish White House ballroom' - and would even pay for it himself. He bemoaned that every time 'top people came over from China' all the White House put up was a 'tent', reported TIME. The White House currently holds events in the multi functional East Room - but this doesn't cut it for Trump. He has suggested a dedicated ballroom should be built in order to entice foreign dignitaries Speaking in Sioux City, Iowa yesterday, he bemoaned that every time 'top people came over from China' all the White House puts up is a 'tent'. He is pictured here with wife Melania Trump added that the tent 'situation' not only posed a threat to national security but also that he hoped a brand new ballroom would entice the 'top people' to pay a visit. As well as setting up marquees, the White House also has the option of the East Room, which is traditionally used for large gatherings, such as press conferences, bill-signing ceremonies, after-dinner entertaining, concerts, weddings, funerals, and award presentations. The largest room in the White House, the multi functional space measures 80 feet by 37 feet and is lavishly decorated with spectacular chandeliers and soft velvet furnishing. But clearly, this doesn't cut it for The Donald. Pictured is a large tent is seen on the South Lawn of the White House in preparation for the State Dinner for Indian Prime Minster Manmohan Singh. Trump says these 'old, rotten tents' aren't good enough The East Room (pictured) is the White House's largest room at 80 feet by 37 feet and is used for state dinners (left) as well as press conferences (right) In an email to TIME, former senior advisor David Axelrod confirmed that Trump had contacted the White House offering to build a ballroom - but he added he didn't think Trump had offered to pay for it, as Trump had suggested. Back in March 2011, The Donald had made a similar offer on the Rush Limbaugh radio show, saying that the White House must not use 'old rotten tents'. He boasted that he had the greatest ballroom 'probably in the world' at the Mar-a-Lago club and said that he called up the White House saying: 'Listen, I'm really good at this stuff. I will build you a magnificent ballroom.' CIVIL WAR TO CIVIL RIGHTS ACT: HISTORIC MOMENTS IN THE EAST ROOM The East Room was the site of frequent activity during the Civil War. Union troops were quartered here for a period. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln held a large reception here in honor of General Ulysses S. Grant shortly before his appointment as head of all the Union forces. Following his assassination in 1865, Lincoln lay in state in the East Room, as have all of the presidents who died in office with the exception of President James A. Garfield, as the East Room was being renovated at the time of his assassination. In recent history, the East Room has served as the site of many important events including the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Fordsswearing in as President in 1974, and the signing of the Camp David Accords in 1978. On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in this historic room. Source: www.whitehouse.gov Advertisement Trump boasted that he had the greatest ballroom 'probably in the world' at the Mar-a-Lago club (pictured) 'We'll pick something that works. We'll do ten designs. You'll pick the one that's the greatest with the greatest architecture. I will build it free... 'So when the head of India comes to town we can give him a five-star dinner in a magnificent ballroom, befitting of this country and the White House.' But, he said, despite this 'million-dollar gift', the White House never got back to him. As it stands, Trump is far in front on the Republican side of things, with 31 percent support of primary voters - and 40 percent of voters who will be caucusing for the first time. Police are trying to track down the 45-year-old to get it back to her Police are searching for an American tourist whose purse and photo ID were dropped by a seagull in a shopping centre in Liverpool. Ann Hall, 64, was amazed when a pouch containing the woman's details landed at her feet while she was walking through the ONE shopping centre in Church Street, Liverpool. The ID belonged to Yolanda Renae Dubose, 45, of South Carolina, and officers are trying to track her down to return it. The ID, pictured, belongs to Yolanda Renae DuBose of South Carolina and police are trying to reunite her with it Ms Hall, who is scared of birds, said: 'I am absolutely terrified of birds and the next thing there was a huge seagull flying towards me and it dropped something - it almost dropped at my feet. It was just extraordinary. 'When I inspected it I thought it could be a mobile phone, but it dropped too lightly to be anything terribly heavy. 'I had a closer look and it was a little pouch. I looked in and there were a lot of credit cards, a driving licence and two 20 notes folded up - they belonged to an American lady.' Ann Hall, 64, was shocked when the wallet fell out of the sky while she was walking in Church Street, pictured The pouch containing the ID, cash and a hotel key was dropped in front of Ms Hall by a seagull (file picture) The pouch also contained an entry card to the Hilton Hotel and Ms Hall handed to it into a local police station. She said: 'I said to the policeman, 'don't laugh, this is true,' and he thought it was really funny too.' Ms Hall said police told her they are making efforts to locate Ms DuBose to reunite her with the missing pouch. Advertisement The secrets behind the production of cinema's greatest Mafia film have been revealed after the unsealing of The Godfather creator's personal vault. A never-before-seen archive of scripts, screenplays and storyboards relating to the epic 1972 movie belonged to the late Mario Puzo, who wrote the Godfather as a novel three years earlier. The documents contain Puzo's own annotations scrawled on early screenplay drafts for legendary director Francis Ford Coppola to consider, giving a glimpse into the birth of some of cinema's most iconic lines and scenes. The Godfather, starring Marlon Brando as Don Corleone (pictured), is arguably considered the greatest Mafia film ever made Hundreds of pages of original scripts are among the items found inside author Mario Puzo's personal vault The collection will go up for sale by auction for an estimated 280,000 by RR Auction, in Boston Pictured are the scribbled amendments to scenes from the film showing Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, with his bride The opening scene from the book describes a man watching a court case against two men who attacked his daughter unfold (pictured). Angered with their perceived lack of punishment, he goes to the Don to ask for revenge Another script shows a conversation between Michael Corleone and the Don's right hand man, Tom Hagen, which occurred after the Don was badly injured in a shooting This famous scene from the novel and film describes the moment Sonny Corleone is gunned down at a motorway toll bridge Bound version of the scripts from all three films are among the haul, which is estimated to be worth $400,000 The handwritten note at the top of this notebook indicates it is the second half of the third version of the film's script On a page that deals with the infamous scene where a foe of the Corleone family wakes up to find a horse's head in his bed, Puzo reveals his macabre humour. Alongside Coppola's screenplay direction, Puzo writes: 'Francis: You rascal, very clever.' The $400,000 treasure trove of Mafia lore also contains the writer's amendments to the immortal line uttered by Marlon Brando of 'I'll make him an offer he can't refuse'. There is also a typed letter of commiseration written by Puzo to the Hollywood star who was initially turned down for the role of Vito 'The Don' Corleone by movie executives due to his fiery temper. They preferred Laurence Olivier or Frank Sinatra to play the lead role, much to Puzo's dismay. He writes: 'They are very cool, seem to have other ideas. So unless you have read the book and want to use your muscle I guess thats [sic] it.' In the event Brando auditioned and stuffed cotton wool balls in his cheeks to appear more authentic and won over the executives. A more bizarre side of gangster life is also revealed as Italian-American Puzo advises Coppola that mobsters would 'never say brown onions etc, brown is a high class word'. The archive also reveals a defining moment in The Godfather II had to be rewritten as Puzo was unhappy that Coppola's screenplay showed Robert De Niro's young Vito Corleone murdering a mobster in front of his family. Puzo writes: 'You cannot have Vito kill Fanucci with daughters present. 'To what purpose, remember these killings are business - not personal. As sheer good manners, godfathers do not kill men in front of their wives and children.' The 45 box collection is to be auctioned for an estimated $400,000 by RR Auction, in Boston, U.S. This script, photographed on top of images from the finished product, describes a conversation shortly after the Don is gunned down This page describes the movie's final scene, when Michael Corleone cements himself as the Don of the family after killing off a swathe of enemies in one fell swoop Images from the film on the right of this show the killings of Sonny Corleone and Luca Brasi, while the screenplay on the left has a note from author Mario Puzo to director Francis Ford Coppolla stating: 'Francis: You rascal, very clever!' Another storyboard shows images from the start of the film, when the Don's daughter gets married and guests come to him to ask for favours Robert Livingston, vice president at RR Auction, said: 'Mario Puzo's archive shows his artistry as an author to develop these books and screenplays - it is a rare glimpse into the mind of a true literary giant of the 20th Century. 'There are so many lines and scenes in The Godfather I and II that have entered the consciousness around the world, like the iconic "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse". 'We have Puzo's original manuscript that developed into the film and you can see all the handwritten notes he made - you can see him working out these scenes and dialogue from the script in his head. 'It's like looking at Puzo's thoughts and see his ideas turn into one of the most iconic movies of the second half of the 21st Century. 'You have all the hand written notes and you can see him working out the characters in these several versions of the script, and witness the development of the script and its iconic scenes. 'You can see from the constant back and forth between Puzo and Coppola they were developing into a partnership and developing these scripts and characters. 'It was quite a process for them to develop this America story, this immigrant story, the two of them have not achieved anything like that film since. It's very rare to get so many versions of a story, I haven't seen anything like this before. 'You will come across the early versions of a script not a script annotated with the thoughts of the artist, you can see his inspiration and ideas with his pen on the page. 'It's just amazing you don't get the chance to see this all the time.' Puzo's archive covers 1955 to 1999 and includes 10 books and nine screenplays. Before the Godfather was published, Puzo had written several critically acclaimed but poor-selling novels. The Godfather brought the father-of-five into the public spotlight, and the subsequent film adaptation brought the mafia into the public eye. Puzo's 1965 Olympia typewriter, which he used to write the novel, is also for sale on February 11. The haul of movie memorabilia not only contains scripts from the first film (right), but the second as well (left) These scribbled notes appear to show the basic themes and character developments that take place over the three films Another very similar storyboard is dotted with references to the main characters such as Sonny Corleone, Johnny Fontaine and the family's shift to Las Vegas These notes appear to summarize the parts of the film that encapsulate New York, Sicily as well as Las Vegas Author Mario Puzo's notes here show parts of the script which still need to be written, such as the wedding and setting up Freddie Corleone in Las Vegas It's not clear what these notes are meant to represent, but they refer to several peripheral characters in the novel and films Here, Puzo identifies four scenes that still need to be written that take place in Hollywood, Los Angeles A ringbinder shows the scenes of the film in chronological order, and broken into several different acts The incredible cache of memorabilia includes hundreds of pages of scripts, many of which are covered in handwritten notes An immigration court may now order him to be deported Yaw Okyere, 32, outside Hull Crown Court - a judge gave him a six-month suspended sentence and ordered him to do 150 hours unpaid work A failed asylum seeker who got a woman pregnant while in the UK spent 10 years evading checks by impersonating his brother. Ghanaian national Yaw Okyere, 32, got a six-month visitor's visa to see his brother who was lawfully studying at university in August 2005. And he decided he liked Hull so much he never went back home. Okyere got his hands on a fake passport in his brother Ben's name and fake UK residents' permit so he could work illegally. He started a job earning 20,000 a year as a labourer and had a daughter with his partner. He was only caught out when the UK Border Agency were given a tip off Ben Okyere was not who he said he was. After initially being exposed he made an application for asylum in June 2014, but that was refused as an immigration court knew he had false papers. He has since lodged an appeal against his deportation and made a second application under the European Human Rights Act to stay with his UK daughter and partner. Okyere of Woodgate Road, Hull, appeared at Hull Crown court for sentence after pleading guilty to two charges of possession of a false passport and UK resident's permit. Principal Crown advocate Phillip Evans said: 'The defendant applied in July 2005 to visit his brother between August 2005 and February 2006. 'In a nutshell while the defendant was in the UK he obtained false documents and has been in the country ever since working under these false document. He obtained a false Ghanaian passport and a UK residence permit. 'After initial employment elsewhere both these documents were shown to Lab Systems Furniture where he worked from October 2009 to March 2015 earning more than 101,000.' Okyere destroyed the original documents, but copies of the forgeries were spotted from photocopies his employer had kept. Mr Evans told the court people knew his real name was not Ben, but assumed it was his nickname. 'The Crown says it was more sinister than that - he used his brother name to get employment,' said Mr Evans. 'He told the authorities that his brother gave him some assistance in getting those false documents, although his brother is not facing any charges.' Defence barrister Richard Thompson urged the judge not to jail him as he had always worked in the UK, not drawn benefits and had not used the documents to open a bank account. He gave the judge five references including one from a director at Lab Systems Furniture which spoke of his reliability and work ethic. Judge Simon Jack told Okyere the Court of Appeal recommended a sentence of six months for offences of his kind unless there were exceptional circumstances. Judge Jack said: 'I have seen references handed in that are quite exceptional and rare to see. Three are from people who are not your friends including the director of Lab Systems Furniture. 'It is very much to your credit you support yourself and did not claim benefits. For those reasons I take the view these are exceptional circumstance.' He ordered he should be given a six-month suspended prison sentence and 150 hours of unpaid work. The judge said he was unable to assist Okyere on his more pressing legal problem of deportation as that would be a decision for an immigration court. Iowa Caucus day began with a whimper for the Republican presidential front-runner, as Donald Trump spoke to a half-empty auditorium oni a pea-soup foggy morning in the town of Waterloo. At the appointed time at the Sullivan Brothers Convention Center, row upon row of seats remained untouched. And The Donald seemed eager to dispense with the disappointing rally as quickly as possible so he could get to an afternoon event with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in nearby Cedar Rapids. 'I just learned we can't fly,' he said, referring to the weather conditions in eastern Iowa, 'so we're going to drive there.' 'So I'm going to get the hell out of here fast, okay?' IS THIS A TRUMP RALLY OR A CARLY CROWD? A smallish crowd came to a Waterloo, Iowa convention center to see Donald Trump speak on Monday, Feb. 1, the morning of the all-important Iowa Caucuses WHAT THE Trump spoke for 35 minutes in a muted volume as he surveyed a half-empty convention center with rows of empty seats BUSINESS IS SLOW: Vendors selling Trump merchandise outside his event on Monday morning had little luck finding customers as a trickle of fans streamed in Reacting to a few stunned grimaces, he made it clear he was joking. 'No, no we're going to take good care of you,' he said, launching into a standard 35-minute speech that left the crowd enthusiastically applauding. Trump also handed out another in a series of $100,000 checks to a veterans assistance charity, this time donating to Americans for Independent Living. The organization that helps wounded soldiers adapt to the physical demands of daily living through home modifications and other handiwork. 'It's such an honor to be in a country with people like this,' Trump said. For the first time, Trump claimed that the Thursday night fundraiser where he announced a $6 million haul for veterans groups wasn't intended to steal television viewers from the Fox News Channel, whose Republican debate he boycotted in order to stage it. The fundraiser, held at the same hour just a few mils away, was 'not a competing event, and it wasn't a big deal,' he said. ABOUT TO POP: Ivanka Trump, the candidate's daughter, is near her pregnancy due date and The Donald joked that he would surely win if she had the baby in Iowa Monday morning's event came just eight hours before Iowans go to precinct caucuses to cast America's first votes in the 2016 presidential election process. Most of Trump's rallies are gigantic affairs, bursting at the seams with voters who stand cheek-to-jowl and jockey for the best position to see their hero. But on Monday the crowd was Clinton-sized, in a room that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and talk radio host Glenn Beck filled to the edges just nine days earlier. Ever the showman, we still boasted that 'we get these big, big crowds,' 'Win, lose or draw I love you,' he said, in a muted voice free of the boom and bombast his audiences have become accustomed to the first sign that The Donald's personal energy may be flagging at the finish line of the first-in-the-nation caucus state. 'It's crunch time. All of this work!' he said as he took the stage and launched into much of his standard stump speech about illegal immigration, Islamist terrorism, military veterans, trade, gun ownership rights, the national debt, President Barack Obama's negotiating skills, feckless congressional Republicans and his promise to erect a wall on America's southern border. 'It's a real wall,' he said. 'It's a wall that if they ever get up there, they're not coming down.' Trump introduced his wife Melania and his daughter Ivanka, whom he reminded the crowd was due 'to have a baby in, what, 10 minutes?' 'Please, please have your baby in Iowa,' he said he had implored her. 'I would not lose this there's no way!' WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES: Trump's audiences over the weekend were seam-bursting swarms who appeared to stay home Monday morning Trump also leveled one last broadside against Ted Cruz, the Texas senator who is polling a handful of points behind him in the Hawkeye State. On Monday his beef was about federal ethanol mandates, which support the biofuel industry that consumes nine out of every 10 ears of Iowa corn and keeps farmers afloat. 'He will destroy your ethanol business, 100 per cent. 100 per cent,' Trump said, his voice echoing off concrete floors as he noted that unlike Cruz, he supports the program. 'I'm not really blaming him. ... The oil people are funding him, and they don't want ethanol. Your ethanol business, if Ted Cruz wins, will be wiped out within 6 months to a year. It'll be gone!' The Democratic and Republican Iowa Caucuses, the first step in nominating a presidential candidate from each party, will take place Monday night, as a blizzard bears down on the state. 'Tonight is so important. This is is the beginning of taking our country back,' he said, adding that he will 'remember the crowds' who came out of the woodwork to see his unlikely campaign unfold. 'We have 21,000 people in Dallas. The crowds are so incredible. We had 35,000 people in Mobile, Alabama. A couple of weeks ago we had 20,000 in Oklahoma,' he said. entourages and the media, the contest has drawn political tourists - including a family who drove 2,000 Jeb's campaign claims it was a 'prank' organized by rivals - although who that could be was unclear At event man shouted from the floor that he hadn't been paid - and was told by Jeb to 'get out'. Then Bush claimed offer is dirty tricks from rivals event - and reporter was told: 'You don't have to listen, just applaud' With the clock ticking down in Iowa desperation has started to kick in with candidates attempting to squeeze every last vote. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the extraordinary offer made to Daily Mail Online outside Rand Paul's first event of the day a roundtable in the unprepossessing Hyvee Supermarket just off Route 6, Hickman Road, Waukee. Before the man of the moment arrived two young men approached asking people asking if they wanted to make a bit of extra money. '$$ Earn Fast Cash Today!' read the fliers they carried in hand. 'Seat fillers needed TODAY at 12pm for campaign event.' The offer was simple: $25 an hour to turn up to Jeb Bush's rally in the Embassy Suites by Hilton Central Atrium on Locust Street, Des Moines - a maximum of $50. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Make me an offer: The flyer offering up to $50 to attend a campaign event. The man handing it out said the campaign needed 'high energy' people to fill seats. But Bush said it was dirty tricks which he had participated in himself in his younger days Last chance: Jeb Bush addresses people who had turned up for his last Iowa even today - before it was marred by an interruption which he blamed on dirty tricks Furious: Jeb Bush at the moment he was interrupted by shouts about being paid $25 an hour to watch him. He turned on them, shouting: 'Get out.' Paid actors? The two men involved in the $50 claims. They stood up when one shouted that they had not been paid yet, prompting Jeb to order them out Removed: Police took both men away and questioned them. The Bush campaign claimed that they had admitted to being paid actors 'Bring a cushion' I was advised by the young man who told me he worked for 'Dale Herbert Events', not for Bush. 'You don't have to listen, just applaud every now and then. They need young people. It's all about high energy.' As a notoriously low-energy candidate - at least according to Donald Trump - it seemed that Bush has resorted to buying at least the illusion of a voter high as the candidates lurch towards the finishing line of tonight's caucuses. But it could also be dirty tricks - that was Jeb Bush's claim and his campaign was sticking to it. Daily Mail Online declined the offer of fast cash for simply turning up. But the offer is either an eye-opening indicator of just how desperate things have got here in Iowa because campaigns will pay for people to turn up at their events; or it is an eye-opening indicator of just how desperate things have got here in Iowa because campaigns will pay people to turn up at rival events to malign them. When we went to the Jeb event, the first words from the floor the Bush rally came for a disgruntled 'seat-filler'. 'We've been here for two hours and we haven't been paid,' he piped up. 'Get out of here man,' came Bush's response as the room erupted into boos and jeers before breaking into a round of 'Jeb, Jeb, Jeb' chants - the first sign of 'high energy'. He was in fact one of the same men who had been handing out the fliers. Earlier Bush had cited the importance of virtues - choosing honesty as his first. 'Somebody should try telling that to Hillary Clinton,' he joked. Bush was relentless mocked as 'low-energy' by Donald Trump and went from being the clear Republican frontrunner when he launched his campaign, to standing at 4 per cent in the latest Iowa poll , released this morning by the Connecticut-based Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. Real supporters: Regardless of the two who were asked to leave, Jeb did have some real support, including Jolyn Lorenzetti, 28 - who is a campaign worker Real supporters: Regardless of the two who were asked to leave, Jeb did have some real support Energy: Jeb Bush's real supporters at the Embassy Suites Convention Center in Des Moines Wrapping up before taking questions, Bush addressed the earlier outburst. 'Have the YR (Young Republican) guys gone yet?' he asked - suggesting the man who asked about money had not in fact been offered it, but was himself involved in dirty tricks from a rival - because Jeb had done the same himself. 'That's what we used to do back in the day, we would come to other campaigns and do what they did,' he said. 'Those are the tactics.' His campaign spokesman later claimed that it was a 'prank' and that the two men had been questioned by police and identified themselves as paid actors John Nelson and Davron Stelier, and provided purported dates of birth. We've been here for two hours and we haven't been paid The $25-an-hour offer backfires at Jeb's midday campaign rally Public records suggest that both names were false. The spokesman offered no clue as to who might have been the guilty rival behind the 'prank'. According to the Dale Herbert Events representative they have also supplied seat-fillers for Cruz. Daily Mail Online is asking the Cruz camp for comment. There is no public record of a company of that name, and nobody called Dale Herbert registered in public records as living in Iowa. There are records of dozens of other Dale Herberts in other states. But later in the day, a 'Dale Herbert' emailed Daily Mail Online to claim that their clients were 'confidential'. The email read: 'Dear current and prospective Dale Herbert Events clients, 'Thank you for your inquiry. First of all, we would like to make clear that what happened earlier today is not indicative of the high standards we hold at Dale Herbert Events. Rest assured, this incident was just a result of poor communication. 'These two gentlemen will be paid for their time in full, but will not be rehired by DHE. 'We would also like to make it clear that our 6:30pm event in Manchester is still a go and that all those whove registered should plan to attend. '***In response to any media inquiries, as per our policy at Dale Herbert Events we have chosen to respect the confidentiality of our clients*** 'Cheers, 'Dale Herbert 'Dale Herbert Events' Both Bush and John Kasich are scheduled to speak in Manchester, New Hampshire tonight. There was speculation that a pro-Rubio super PAC - a body which organizes support for a candidate but is not their official campaign - called Conservative Solutions was behind it but one official from it, Jeff Sadosky, used Twitter to deny the claim. But there was definitely no paying for 'supporters' at Rand Paul's morning round table, his first event of the day, in the somewhat humble surroundings of Hyvee's Market Grill. This approach was not, according to Paul's Iowa campaign organizer Steve Grubbs either welcome at Paul's event or part of their strategy. Had he had a broom he'd have used it to sweep the hawkers from his stoop. As it was he told them in no uncertain terms to clear off. He claimed to have never heard of the practice or Dale Herbert Events though its young proponents seemed convinced that what they were doing was just part and parcel of the to and fro of caucusing. According to his campaign manager all 250 or so of the people who pitched up there this morning were genuine campaigners, supporters and a few interested but undecided voters still open to being persuaded pre- their morning shop. We would like to make clear that what happened earlier today is not indicative of the high standards we hold at Dale Herbert Events. Rest assured, this incident was just a result of poor communication. An email from 'Dale Herbert' at Dale Herbert Events. No public records exist of a company of that name. Mr Grubbs said it was chosen because this is the edge of rural Iowa and agriculture matters in this state everything matters in this state right now as far as the Democratic and Republican hopefuls are concerned. By 8.20 this morning the parking lot was filled with telltale signs that Rand was on his way, and his supporters were already there. Cars with Rand stickers and flags peppered the lot. Die-hard Paul supporter Cody Ogden, 31, had driven his truck bearing the American flag and emblazoned with Rand's name the 274 miles from Missouri for this moment. 'It was worth it,' he said. 'Rand's the man!' Outside the Market Grille Paul's campaign Corvette, parked at the door, served as an indicator to campaigners that this coffee shop was indeed the right place. Part Dukes of Hazzard, part Knight Rider, Rand's political promises are emblazoned on the bonnet a 'When I am President' wish list. And right now he's maintaining the line that, though he's trailing in fifth place in the Republican polls, Iowa and the rest of America are going to be 'surprised' come the caucuses tonight. Last Iowa stand with Rand: Republican candidate Rand Paul at a campaign stop on his final day in Iowa - and he said people would be 'surprised' by the results later On the trail: Rand Paul and Daily Mail Online reporter Laura Collins at his event in Des Moines. He was confident of an upset tonight Come a long way: Die-hard Paul supporter Cody Ogden, 31, had driven his truck bearing the American flag and emblazoned with Rand's name the 274 miles from Missouri for this moment Last chance for voters: Like all the candidates, Rand Paul made a final push today, shaking hands at Hyvee's Market Grille Little red Corvette: Rand Paul's campaign car has been making his case in Iowa and was at his event in Des Moines today For the past several days candidates have been ricocheting round Iowa like ball bearings in a pinball machine. No coffee shop or pizza parlor has been immune from the roundtables and town halls of Rubio, Cruz, Santorum, Paul and co. While Paul was due at Hyvee's Market Grille, across town Martin O'Malley (the only candidate who still has to wear a name badge to identify himself) was hosting his own event Outside Smokey Row Coffee Shop. Later Rick Santorum was due in Des Moines Christian School, Urbandale pretty much at the same time as Donald Trump claimed the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center in Waterloo. Meanwhile Chris Christie was preparing to speak at the Bull Moose Club luncheon at Des Moines Embassy Club. Where Donald Trump has favored ballrooms and convention centers his co-runners have mixed it up as their loyal campaign staff ensure that no yard sign is left unplanted in the dying hours of this caucus campaign. Family: Rand Paul's sister Joy Le Blanc had traveled from Texas to help the candidate Hillary Clinton has parachuted in her family to boost her appeal and pip Bernie Sanders to the post. And then of course there's Jeb Bush, shelling out for a full house this afternoon at the Embassy Suites. When Paul himself arrived, pushing his way into the room packed with young loyalists and TV crews the chant went up immediately 'President Paul, President Paul.' After a brief lull another sturdy fellow started the call, 'Who do we want? President Paul. When do we want him? 2016.' Paul was watched by his sister, Joy Le Blanc a doctor from Texas who has travelled with her brother across the state these past few days 'It's been a lot of driving,' she said, 'Kind of exciting going from town to town. It's a cool process with a lot of energy and we're hoping for a great result.' And in the midst of all the clamor Paul cut a diminutive figure. Dressed in navy blazer, jeans, open necked white shirt and tan brogues he navigated his way round the room through the road blocks of fans and media until he stood in front of the small screen bearing his name in front of which he finally stood to make his brief speech. He was introduced by former Iowa Farm Bureau President, Craig Lane and Senator Charles Grassley. Grassley summed him up in four words: his ideological approach, liberty, thoughtful, innovative and inclusive. And if Donald Trump has been like a snowplow barreling his way across the political highway, Paul has more modestly scattered salt and shoveled his path of fiscal conservatism and small government. Glamour squad: Donald Trump took his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner on stage in Waterloo to emphasize his campaign. He had spent months attacking jeb Bush as 'low energy' Did he pay for seat fillers too? Cruz was named as a candidate who had used the practice. Daily Mail Online is asking his camp if that is the case He spoke briefly about the inequity in the criminal justice system that sees three out of four prisoners, poor black men, he touched on gun control, the environment and told how President Obama has too much power 'he thinks with his pen and his iPhone he can do anything he likes.' Each statement was met with roars of approval. In truth Paul could have recited his grocery list and incited a chant for it to be taken to the White House. This is caucus fever and it has broken out all over Iowa a state that is, in reality, representative of nothing but has, over the next 12 hours, come to represent everything. Iowa is 92 per cent white where the rest of America is 77 percent, it is conservative and it has only twice in history accurately predicted the Republican presidential candidate. Gauging public opinion here is as scientific as asking people round a dinner table what they think. But none of that seems to matter right here right now. The national media and campaigners have descended on this Midwestern state in force. Coffee shops have been commandeered by morning news shows to attempt to get a coffee at Java Joes on Locust Street, Des Moines, this morning was an exercise in chaos as it played host to Joe Scarborough's Morning Joe. By tomorrow it will all be over rental car companies Alamo, Enterprise and National are expecting 500 car returns on Tuesday where the average daily tally is just 120. But until then every Iowan second counts for the candidates determined to push their figures over the edge. Paul's team has been campaigning here since April knocking every door, making 1.1million phone calls. Within moments of leaving his Hyvee event Paul himself had tweeted the rather plaintive plea: 'Can you invite 2 friends or family members tonight to the caucus?' But according to manager Steve Grubb, in spite of that air or desperation: 'We're anticipating good results all of your work for the last year rides on one night at a time. Tonight it's Iowa.' Two pedestrians have been struck by an SUV in Boston including a woman who was dragged approximately three miles and is now fighting for her life, police said. The 48-year-old woman and a 56-year-old man were struck at about 2.15am on Monday in the city's Chinatown neighborhood. The woman was hospitalized with what police called 'most likely fatal injuries' while the man was found at the scene with injuries not considered life-threatening. Scroll down for video Two pedestrians were struck by an SUV in Boston, including a woman who was dragged nearly three miles and is near death, police said. Scene from the incident above The 48-year-old woman and a 56-year-old man were struck at about 2.15am on Monday in the city's Chinatown neighborhood Neither of their names have been released. Xiao Ying Zhou, 44, of Sandwich is facing two counts of leaving the scene of a collision causing person injury, according to FOX 25. She was expected in court on Monday morning. Police responded to the city's Dorchester section for reports of a pedestrian struck before they determined that the woman found there was the same woman who had been struck in Chinatown. The man and woman were hit at Kneeland Street and Harrison Avenue in Chinatown. The man was transported to Tufts Medical Center and Zhou left the scene, according to CBS Boston. Shredded and torn clothes are pictured at the scene. Police said the 48-year-old woman was dragged from Kneeland Street to Columbia Road via Route 93 and that she suffered 'severe traumatic injuries' Police responded to the city's Dorchester section (at Columbia Road shown on the map) for reports of a pedestrian struck before they determined that the woman found there was the same woman who had been struck in Chinatown (Kneeland St and Harrison Ave) Two minutes later, State Police were called to Columbia Road in Dorchester about a report of a woman struck by a car. Police said the 48-year-old woman was dragged from Kneeland Street to Columbia Road via Route 93 and that she suffered 'severe traumatic injuries', according to CBS Boston. However, police said she was alive when she was transported to Boston Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. A witness at the scene told CBS Boston that it took police several minutes to remove the woman from under the car, which was later seized and towed from the scene. A witness at the scene told CBS Boston that it took police several minutes to remove the woman from under the car, which was later seized and towed from the scene Three men were charged with assault and battery on a Five people have been arrested in connection with allegations of physical and emotional abuse on students by staff at a private all-boys special needs school in Massachusetts. The four men and one woman are all employees at Eagleton School in Great Barrington, a private year-round boarding school for boys with special needs, including autism and Asperger's syndrome The five were arrested after about 50 local, state and federal officers executed a search warrant at the school on Saturday night. In a statement, District Attorney David Capeless called the case a 'terrible situation'. The school became under investigation in January following allegations of abuse, WAMC reported. Major abuse investigation: Five employees - four men and one woman - were arrested at Eagleton School in Great Barrington on Saturday and charged with numerous offenses, mostly assault Authorities arrested Brian Puntin, 47, of Lenox, Peter Meadow, 51, of Lenox, James Swift, 54, of Pittsfield, Juan Pablo Lopez-Lucas, of Pittsfield, and Debra Davis, 41, of Great Barrington, Puntin, Meadow, and Swift are all being charges with single counts of assault and battery on a disabled person. Lopez-Lucas is being charged with single counts of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a disabled person. Davis is being charged with single counts of intimidation of a witness or other person and obstruction of justice. All were released pending their arraignment in Great Barrington District Court on Monday. 'The investigators who carried out the execution of the search warrant Saturday night at the Eagleton School should be commended for their professionalism and sensitivity to the students' privacy,' Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless said in a statement to WAMC. 'The operation was conducted with minimum presence, and reports back to me indicated that normal operations at the school were not disrupted and the students were unaware of the law enforcement presence.' Town officials said further details cannot be released at this time but that there is no danger to the general community. The investigation is ongoing. According to the Eagleton school website, it also cares for boys with Pervasive Development Disorder, Communication and Cognitive Delays, Behavior Disorders, Emotional Disorders, and Learning Disabilities. 'Through a team approach, we share a commitment to helping each student discover his self-worth through trust and acceptance of himself and his peers while taking advantage of all the opportunities that surround him,' the website read. Georgia's oldest death row inmate set to die this week for murder during a robbery has made his final plea for clemency. Brandon Astor Jones, 72, was convicted in the 1979 killing of a convenience store manager. Five years later, when his co-defendant Van Soloman died in the electric chair, Jones was given an early glimmer of hope: a court found he'd had an unfair trial and overturned his death sentence. However, a judge concluded in the retrial that he appeared to show no remorse, and Jones, a father of four, was ordered to death once again. Brandon Astor Jones pictured (left) aged 35 when he was convicted in the 1979 killing of a convenience store manager. He is now 72 (pictured, right, recently) as is set to be executed for the crime on February 2, 2016 Scheduled to receive the lethal injection two weeks before turning 73, he is set to become the oldest person ever killed in state prison. Andrew Brannan, a 66-year-old Vietnam veteran killed by the state in January 2015, is the oldest to date. Jones' lawyers argued in a court filing on Monday that even when he was convicted, a death sentence for a murder during a robbery at a place of business was rare. The lawyers say it has become even more unusual, with no death sentences imposed for a murder during an armed robbery in Georgia in the past 20 years. In fact, Georgia's rate of death row convictions has ground to a near-halt. No convicts were sent to death row in 2015. It is one of the many factors that the lawyers say make Jones' death sentence excessive and, therefore, unconstitutional. Jones was granted a retrial and even had his death sentence overturned after a federal court found jurors had consulted a bible as they decided whether or not to convict him. Five years after his conviction, when his co-defendant Van Soloman died in the electric chair, Jones was given an early glimmer of hope: a court found he'd had an unfair trial and overturned his death sentence It was revealed the jury had consulted a bible in his trial. But when it came to resentencing, a judge concluded in that Jones appeared to show no remorse, and the father-of-four was ordered to death once again But when it came to re-sentencing, the judge said he could not look past his sense that Jones did not seem remorseful. Attempts to appeal on the grounds that Jones had been denied his Fifth Amendment right to self-incrimination were overruled. Over the years, as The Intercept reports, Jones has built up a strong following of fans and pen pals by writing articles about crime and politics for magazine inside and outside the prison system. The editor of a San Francisco prison magazine, Michael Marcum, told the site he has personally appealed to the state for clemency, having spent more than two decades publishing and admiring Jones's work. He is not the only one. A British artist and her son have even set up a website called Mercy For Brandon, which allows visitors to send their own appeals to the state. Late on Monday, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles announced it plans to consider a clemency request from the state's oldest death row inmate. Freshmen are the only students required to buy the $150 Fitbits, but all students enrolled at the university are encouraged to partake exercise into a journal for a grade, but now the Fitbit fitness tracker will be able to do that automatically A university in Oklahoma is requiring all of its incoming freshmen wear fitness trackers. Oral Roberts University, a Christian university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, announced that all first-year students must buy and wear Fitbits, which are watches that track how much activity a person does. The university has always included a fitness component for its students, in which they're required to manually log aerobics points in a fitness journal. Students are given a grade based on their level of aerobic activity. Oral Roberts University, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, (pictured) always required enrolled students to partake in fitness Now, students can stop tediously recording the data as it will be tracked by the school via the Fitbit. While the change is mandatory for all incoming freshman this year, the university has opened the program up to all students. The campus bookstores have already sold more than 550 of the popular gadgets, which retail for about $150. 'ORU offers one of the most unique educational approaches in the world by focusing on the Whole Person - mind, body and spirit,' ORU President William M. Wilson said in a statement. 'The marriage of new technology with our physical fitness requirements is something that sets ORU apart.' The university will now track student fitness via Fitbits (pictured), which are watches that track activity Oral Roberts said The Fitbit requirement is a first of its kind for colleges and universities, Oral Roberts said. The Fitbits will track students' activity wherever they are - on campus or anywhere else in the world - and send the data, which includes details on exercise, food, sleep, and body weight, into Oral Roberts' learning management system. It's unclear how much physical activity the university requires of students. The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News. According to The Tulsa World, the students must walk 10,000 steps each day. University officials told the paper that Fitbits will enable students to get graded based on their weekly exercise rather than relying on the end-of-semester field test, which is typically a 1-1/2-mile run for freshmen. If you jumped on the Instagram craze dominating feeds in the final days of 2015... you might have also have signed up for a new dating app. In the last week of the year, 15million users posted a collage of their nine most popular pictures on Instagram using the hashtag #2015bestnine. They included Kylie Jenner, who boasted about receiving a billion likes for the 960 pictures she posted over the course of the year. The 3x3 photo grids were created using a website that automatically selected the user's most-liked Instagram posts over the past 365 days but also prompted users to sign up via email for a new app, which more than 130,000 people did. Now, it has emerged that the social media craze was actually a marketing campaign for the new dating app, which is called Nine. Instagram's popular #2015bestnine collage craze was actually a marketing campaign for a new dating app Millions of Instagram users utilized a website to create the collages were also prompted to sign up for a new dating app - which 130,000 people did Nine launched on the App Store today and its creators have announced that more than 130,000 Instagram users joined the waiting list in the United States during the #2015bestnine campaign. It is billed as a 'more fun and creative way' to match with other Instagrammers, rather than 'having to judge and be judged simply by swiping mugshots'. The app, along with the social media campaign, was created by Yusuke Matsumara and Mai Sekiguchi, the co-founders of Japanese app company Lip Inc. Matsumara told Daily Mail Online that he first thought of creating a dating app while he was attending the Tradecraft course for aspiring entrepreneurs in San Francisco in 2014. 'There's something just not right about swiping faces,' he said. 'During my stay, I was surprised to see that many people were 'swiping faces' on apps. At the time, this was somewhat of a rare thing to see in Japan. I quickly downloaded as many apps as I could and started swiping.' Prolific Instagram user Kylie Jenner posted her collage, along with a boast about receiving a billion likes for the 960 pictures she posted over the course of the year He said that matching on these apps was an 'exciting' experience at first, but he soon realized that the match rarely led to conversations. He said: 'At first, matching with someone was an exciting experience, but I soon learned that the thrill died when nobody actually started talking. 'Because really, what do we know about those people? Nothing. After graduating from Tradecraft I went back to Japan and continued researching, passionately driven to creating an app focused on one's inner self and personality. Shortly afterwards, he met Sekiguchi and together, the pair decided to utilize Instagram, which is massively popular in his home country, to create an app that focuses on personality. 'One day while scrolling through Instagram, I noticed how easy it was to get a glimpse of someone's personal world. Instagram photos are beautiful, and radiate originality,' he explained. 'We soon figured out that by making photo collages using nine photos from Instagram, it would be possible to create the dating app which focused on one's inner self and personality that we'd always envisioned.' Those who created a collage were given the option of signing up to join the waiting list for a 'new match-making app for Instagrammers' It was at this point that they dreamt up the promotional social media campaign, which took the most popular nine photos from the user's Instagram account and also tallied up their likes for the year before offering the option of sharing the collage on social networks. Matsumara also clarified to Daily Mail Online that users who signed up to join the waiting list for Nine were 'clearly' informed that the registration was for a new 'match-making app for Instagrammers.' 'The campaign was a huge success, with 70million page views in just 10 days, resulting in 130,000 users signing up to the Nine waiting list.' And the concept appears to be one that that appeals to young people - and women. Matsumara said the majority of those who signed up were aged between 18 and 24 and located in New York or Los Angles. It also appears to be popular with females as more than 75 percent of the registrations were done by women - a rare feat for a dating app. 'These numbers are great motivation, however the best part for us was to see millions of people uploading and sharing their photo collages as it reaffirmed in our minds just how fantastic the 'nine' concept is.' The app works in a very similar way to Tinder, arguably the most popular dating app on the market at the moment. Users can anonymously swipe right to profiles they like and left to dismiss. Swipes are anonymous unless both users swipe right. However, one stipulation is that members must have at least 10 followers on Instagram. This is to prevent fake registrations, according to the app's description. Liz Cheney formally kicked off her campaign for Wyoming's lone U.S. House seat Monday with a newspaper interview in a region hard-hit by a downturn in coal mining, saying her top goal is to reverse Obama administration energy policies. 'There is no question Wyoming has been harder hit than any other state over the past eight years,' Cheney told the Gillette News Record. 'It's very clear to me this administration, this EPA, is only interested in falsely seeing the damage coal does.' She visited a senior center later and planned stops in Sheridan on Tuesday, Casper on Wednesday and Cheyenne on Thursday. Liz Cheney formally started her campaign for Wyoming's sole U.S. House seat on Monday The 49-year-old mother-of-five is the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney. Father and daughter pictured above in September at the Union League Club of Chicago Liz Cheney, center, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, talks to people at the Senior Citizens Center in Gillette, Wyoming, on Monday, February 1, 2016 Gillette is a city of 32,000 near open-pit mines that supply almost 40 per cent of the nation's coal. Coal has been hard-hit by impending climate-change regulations and especially by low natural gas prices in recent years. More utilities are turning to natural gas to generate electricity. Cheney, 49, is the elder daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. She has lived in Jackson since 2012 and in 2013 ran against U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, a fellow Republican. Citing family health issues, she quit that race seven months before the 2014 primary. That campaign was also mired with controversy when she was called out publicly by her sister Mary, who is openly lesbian, for not supporting same-sex marriage. Their father Dick became one of the first Republicans to speak in favor of same-sex marriage after he left the vice presidency in 2009. This time, Cheney seeks to replace Republican Rep. Cynthia Lummis, who announced in November she plans to retire at the end of her current term. Liz Cheney has five children with her husband Philip. The couple pictured above with the family in Wyoming Liz, right in camel coat, pulled out of her last campaign after her public spat with her sister with her sister Mary for failing to support same-sex marriage. Mary, center in blue coat, is openly lesbian and has been married to her partner Heather since 2012. The sisters above at the 2005 inauguration of their father and President George W Bush Obama administration actions, including regulation of carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants and a moratorium on new federal coal leases, are examples of the federal government overstepping its boundaries, Cheney said. 'People are angry and frustrated, and I'm angry and frustrated,' she said. 'It's not enough to just elect a representative. We need someone with a strong voice and leader on the issues.' Eight other Republicans have announced they are running for the seat but Cheney said she's not concerned about the crowded field. Cheney spoke to the Casper Star-Tribune on Sunday, a day after The Associated Press broke news she had filed to run. Cheney's family has ties to Wyoming that go back generations but Cheney herself was born in Madison, Wisconsin. As she did in 2013, she is facing criticism that she is an opportunist. Bernie Sanders doesn't own a tux nor does he plan to buy one, even if he's elected to the White House. 'I'll probably get myself in a lot of trouble right now...and my wife disagrees with me no doubt, but a tux is kind of a symbol of class privilege,' he told Good Morning America's Robin Roberts. He won't even wear one to his inaugural balls, the senator told Roberts. 'It says "Hey, I'm really important and I'm fancy, and you know, you're something else." That's all.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Bernie Sanders doesn't own a tux nor does he plan to buy one, even if he's elected to the White House 'I'll probably get myself in a lot of trouble right now...and my wife disagrees with me no doubt, but a tux is kind of a symbol of class privilege,' he told Good Morning America's Robin Roberts Sanders' wife Jane laughed at her husband as he explained his aversion to the finer garments in life in the GMA segment. He was on the show to discuss his candidacy for the Oval Office ahead of the first nomination fight today in Iowa. He's competing against Hillary Clinton to represent Democrats next November in the general election. Rumor has it that Sanders at a 1994 state dinner in Bill Clinton's White House skipped a fancy suit in favor of clothing that better fit his style. He wasn't the only one. South African President Nelson Mandela did not wear a tux, either. Roberts asked Sanders today if the story was true and he said it was. Asked if he'd wear a tux to his own inaugural balls at the White House, Sanders said, 'I don't think so.' In an interview with Time magazine last month Sanders cringed at the thought of having to wear a tux to ceremonial events such as state dinners and the White House Correspondents dinner. 'Ah! Not that! Oh please,' he said. Informed that he would have to wear both a tuxedo and a black tie, Sanders said, 'O.K., lets set the record straight. Im not aware in the Constitution you may be more of a constitutional scholar than I am I dont recall the black ties.' That doesn't mean that Sanders would meddle with other cherished White House traditions, though. 'Turkeys, we can pardon,' he said. The first witness at the sexual assault trial of former Canadian Broadcast Corp. radio host Jian Ghomeshi testified Monday that he was charming before he suddenly went into a rage, pulling her hair and punching her, 13 years ago. Ghomeshi has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual assault and one count of choking. He has said he had consensual 'rough sex' with women. He is the former host of 'Q,' a popular radio show on culture that was heard across Canada and on many public stations in the U.S. The sexual assault trial of former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi began Monday in Toronto, Canada court. Pictured above arriving at the courthouse on Monday Ghomeshi has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual assault and one count of choking. Pictured above arriving in court on Monday Ghomeshi said he had consensual 'rough sex' with women. Pictured above facing reporters outside of court on Monday Ghomeshi, center, arrives in court alongside his lawyer Marie Henein, right, on Monday Police launched an investigation in 2014 after nine women contacted various media sources to report incidents of assault and sexual assault involving Ghomeshi. The trial began Monday, and the name of the first witness is subject to a publication ban. She said she met Ghomeshi in late 2002 and went to a taping of his then-television show 'Play.' After going for a drink she said he took her to his car, where after kissing her he pulled her hair violently for two to three seconds. Despite that, she said, she went to two more tapings of his show and accepted an invitation to his home. Actor and Air Force Captain Lucy DeCoutere (left) was the first one to speak out publicly about Jian Ghomeshi's alleged hitting and choking. Author and lawyer Reva Seth (right) became the second woman to go public. The name of the first witness to testify on Monday was subject to a publication band on Ghomeshi is the former host of 'Q,' a popular radio show on culture that was heard across Canada and on many public stations in the U.S. (pictured above in his former studio) She said after kissing him he pulled her hair again, yanked her to her knees and punched her on the side of the head. 'He didn't apologize, he didn't ask if I was OK,' she testified. 'He threw me out like trash.' She said she didn't go to the police at the time because she didn't know that she could and didn't think anyone would listen. She said went to the police more than a decade later, after police encouraged women to come forward. Ghomeshi's desfense attorney sought to discredit the alleged victim's story in court today, attempting to suggest she lied to police by giving them 'different versions' of the alleged assault. Attorney Marie Henein said that in the victim's interviewed with the Toronto Star and CBC's The National, she did not mention the fact that Ghomeshi and her kissed in the car before allegedly pulling her hair. 'That was a lie, right?' the lawyer asked, according to CBC. The witness denied that it was a lie. She is one of three alleged victims in the case. Ghomeshi, who first gained fame as a member of the 1990s satirical pop band Moxy Fruvous, previously defended his actions in a 1,500-word statement on Facebook, saying women consented to having 'rough sex' and that he's the victim of a disgruntled ex-girlfriend. One of the women who contacted police was actress Lucy DeCoutere, a star of the long-running TV and film series 'Trailer Park Boys.' DeCoutere was the first woman to speak on the record about her allegations against Ghomeshi. India is open to the free movement of entrepreneurs in the South Asian region, but permission for Pakistani business persons will come with conditions, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided. Pakistani entrepreneurs seeking the special business visa known as the India business card, for SAARC nations should run an enterprise worth Rs 1 crore (INR) and should have an annual income of at least Rs 10 lakh (Pakistani currency) to be eligible for a three-year multiple entry card. The other condition includes that the entrant should be a member of any Chamber of Commerce in Pakistan that is recognised by India. PM Narendra Modi with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif at the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu last year Working out the modalities for the SAARC India business card, the MHA has decided to put certain conditions on Pakistani businessmen coming to India keeping in mind concerns raised by intelligence agencies, sources said. The special business visa scheme aimed at boosting regional trade across South Asia is expected to be rolled out by April 1. There are a few relief measures offered to Pakistani travellers. Pakistan nationals travelling to India can use the facility, which will be restricted to 15 cities for a period of three years. Currently, they are eligible to avail the multiple-entry business visa for a maximum period of one year and can only travel to 10 places. Under the new scheme, Pakistani entrepreneurs will be exempt from reporting at the local police station, which has been a must for Pakistanis coming to India on any other visa. The decision will soon be put in place, as the mechanism has been approved by the top brass. With business travellers getting certain exemptions at the airports, the system will ensure a hassle free entry and exit for them, said a government official. Other than Pakistan, there are no visa conditions for rest of the SAARC countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives. Nationals from Bhutan and Nepal do not require a visa to visit India. Modi during the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu last year had announced business visas with 3-5 years' validity for citizens of all SAARC nations. Officials said the printing of the India Business Card' has been ordered in the India Security Press in Nashik and the scheme is expected to be rolled out soon. Conservationists like slain British helicopter pilot Roger Gower are locked in a deadly 'war' with poachers who sell illegal ivory to fund terrorism, wildlife campaigners warned yesterday. The lucrative trade in elephant tusks supplies money which is used to fund Islamic extremist groups such as the Al Qaeda affiliate Al Shabaab, and to provide the poachers with increasingly high-powered weapons. Mr Gower, 37, knew the risks and had previously come under fire while working with conservationists in Tanzania, where he died after poachers shot down his helicopter, friends said. Mr Gower, 37, knew the risks and had previously come under fire while working with conservationists in Tanzania, where he died after poachers shot down his helicopter, friends said. The lucrative trade in elephant tusks supplies money which is used to fund Islamic extremist groups such as the Al Qaeda affiliate Al Shabaab Three men have been arrested but the gunman who fired the fatal rifle round and up to five accomplices are still believed to be on the run. Tributes poured in for Mr Gower, known as Captain Roger, who was hailed as an 'African hero', and Tanzanian president John Magufuli vowed to fight poaching. Mr Gower, originally from Edgbaston, Birmingham, spotted three dead elephants after reports of illegal poaching around the Maswa Game Reserve, near Serengeti National Park. His helicopter came under fire as he and his South African workmate, Nick Bester, circled a suspected ivory cache hidden in a rocky outcrop. Their friend and colleague at the Friedkin Conservation Fund, Pratik Patel (corr), said a gunman had shot a large calibre .458 bullet from a hunting rifle at the helicopter. His helicopter came under fire as he and his South African workmate, Nick Bester, circled a suspected ivory cache hidden in a rocky outcrop Tributes poured in for Mr Gower, known as Captain Roger, who was hailed as an 'African hero', and Tanzanian president John Magufuli vowed to fight poaching The powerful round ripped through the underside of the helicopter and struck Mr Gower in the leg and the shoulder. Despite his injuries, he kept control of the stricken helicopter for long enough to avoid a full-speed crash landing. His actions are believed to have saved the life of Mr Bester, who was treated for minor injuries and shock but was said to be recovering, but Mr Gower died before he could be rescued. Conservationists said that such extreme violence was an increasingly common feature of poachers, who were often allied to terrorist groups and used the illegal ivory sales to fund their operations. A previous investigation tracked fake tusks to prove that ivory trafficking was used to fund the activities of terror groups in Africa, including the notorious Lord's Resistance Army in the Central African Republic. Mr Patel said an international ban on any trade of ivory would be a fitting legacy for Mr Gower and other rangers previously killed by poachers. The former Bristol University student quit an earlier job as an accountant and qualified as a pilot in 2004 before moving to East Africa around six years ago, when he found work flying tourists in Kenya and Tanzania. The powerful round ripped through the underside of the helicopter and struck Mr Gower in the leg and the shoulder Despite his injuries, Mr Gower kept control of the stricken helicopter for long enough to avoid a full-speed crash landing Mr Gower's parents David and Madelyn, both 70, are understood to have travelled to Tanzania, and to have spoken to his girlfriend in Brazil His friend Mr Patel said: 'He loved this region and was passionate about working here. He always said, 'This is where my heart lies, this is what I want to do'. 'He didn't want a nine-to-five job and he became increasingly passionate about conservation, because of what he could see when he was flying. 'Roger was devastated when he saw evidence of poaching and he wanted to make a difference. But he knew the risks and he knew what to expect. 'He had previously come under fire from poachers. It is a war between us and the poachers and Roger is not the only one to have given up his life.' Prince William, who has campaigned against the ivory trade, was said to be 'very saddened to hear of yet more lives lost due to poaching', although he did not know the pilot personally More than 50 rangers were killed trying to protect animals from poaching last year alone, according to the World Animal Protection group. Mr Gower's parents David and Madelyn, both 70, are understood to have travelled to Tanzania, and to have spoken to his girlfriend in Brazil. His brother Max, 42, said he had only begun flying anti-poaching missions recently but was 'excited about the job' and was flying such missions every other day. But he said the experienced helicopter pilot was 'taken by surprise' by the gunman and would not have intentionally flown near an armed poacher. Max Gower told the Guardian: 'He had a girlfriend in Brazil, who I know he loved very much and she loved him. My parents spoke to her and she said she was expecting to spend the rest of her life with him.' Prince William, who has campaigned against the ivory trade, was said to be 'very saddened to hear of yet more lives lost due to poaching', although he did not know the pilot personally. The Gower family has set up a Just Giving fundraising site in the pilot's memory, which has already launched more than 19,000 to help the fight against poaching. They have allegedly been linked to British art dealer Robin Symes The artefacts were being kept in a storage unit under a false name Hundreds of looted antiquities, including mosaics from Pompeii and ancient sarcophagi, allegedly linked to London art dealer Robin Symes, have been uncovered in Switzerland. Italian specialist art theft police uncovered 45 large crates of 'priceless' archaeological treasures in a storage unit in Geneva. They were being stored under a false name, police confirmed, but are thought to belong to Symes. Sculptures, sarcophagi and and mosaics were found by Italian police on a raid in Geneva, Switzerland The artwork, including this reclining stone figure of a woman, is considered priceless, according to police Specialist officers from the art theft unit found the stash while on the trail of a rare missing sarcophagus The team was looking for Sarcophagus of the Spouses, which resembles one in the Louvre According to Il Messagger, Italian police were able to convince a Swiss judge that the relics were stolen as some of artefacts were allegedly already on a blacklist. Photographs of them had been among thousands found in the possession of an Italian policeman, found dead in mysterious circumstances in 1995 while under investigation for art trafficking. The treasures found in Geneva included classical sculptures, Roman frescos, and sarcophagi, as well thousands of fragments of an entire wall of an Etruscan temple, the Italian newspaper reported. A spokesman from the Rome Carabinieri's specialist artistic heritage squad, who hunt tomb raiders and smugglers, confirmed the operation in Geneva took place last week. The police became interested in the Swiss deposit while on the trail of a missing very rare piece, called Sarcophagus of the Spouses, which resembles one in the Louvre. Many of the ancient artwork was found in pieces, but they retain their value The pieces have allegedly been linked to a British art dealer, Robin Symes, They were found hidden inside the crates stored away under the name of an offshore company Prosecutors in Geneva said there were 'links' between the uncovered artworks and 'tomb robbers' Symes, London's most successful art dealer, was accused of being part of an international network of tomb raiders and dealers who spirited antiquities worth millions of pounds out of Italy. Journalist Peter Watson's 2006 book The Medici Conspiracy claimed Symes was an unscrupulous dealer who sold them on to collectors and museums, including the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The dealer was hugely wealthy and owned houses in London, New York, Athens and the Greek islands as well as a Bentley and a Rolls Royce. But after his partner Christo Michaelides, a Greek shipping heir, died in 1999, Symes was involved in a bitter legal battle with his family. In 2003 he was bankrupted, and in 2005, imprisoned for contempt of court for seven months. An Italian expert concluded that the remains came from illegal excavations at an ancient Etruscan necropolis in the Umbria/ Lazio area Authorities believe 'a once prominent English art dealer' brought the artwork to Geneva Police discovered some of the artwork was already on a blacklist after pictures of pieces were found in the possession of an Italian policeman under investigation for trafficking in 2005 Thousands of fragments of an entire wall of an Etruscan temple were found among the 'loot' A statement by the Geneva prosecutors' office said: '45 crates of exceptional pieces originating from illegal excavations have been returned to Italy with the cooperation of Geneva prosecutors.' The 'priceless' antiquities were discovered in a warehouse after fifteen years marked with the name of an offshore company, it said. 'The pieces were brought there from the United Kingdom by a once prominent English art dealer, whose name has surfaced in several art trafficking cases. 'An Italian expert concluded that the remains came from illegal excavations at an ancient Etruscan necropolis in the Umbria/ Lazio area. All three are pictured back in the same jail, but they will now be held in isolation cells She had been charged as an accessory to a felony, but now prosecutors say there's not enough evidence Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, who taught inmates English, was initially suspected of exchanging personal letters with Nayeri Duong surrendered on Friday, while Nayeri and Tieu were captured on Saturday in San Francisco Nayeri and Duong abducted a taxi driver at gunpoint but got into a fight about whether they should kill him, Bac Duong, 43, Hossein Nayeri, 37, and Jonathan Tieu, 20, escaped from Central Men's Jail in Orange County on January 22 Three prisoners who planned an elaborate escape with outside help were thrown back into the maximum-security Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, California, appearing before a judge through a video feed to face new charges. Officials also pieced together the details of their escape, revealing Bac Duong, 43, Hossein Nayeri, 37, Jonathan Tieu, 20, abducted a taxi driver and drove to Northern California, where they argued about whether they should kill their hostage. Meanwhile, the prison's English teacher, who had been charged as an accessory to a felony was freed due to insufficient evidence, a prosecutor announced Monday. Scroll down for video Bac Duong, 43 (pictured center), surrendered on Friday after he and two other inmates at Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, California escaped with outside help, a bold move that took six months of planning. All three are pictured back at the same jail as they appeared before a judge through a video feed Hossein Nayeri, 37, (left) and Jonathan Tieu, 20, (right) were captured on Saturday after a civilian notified officers near San Francisco's Golden Gate Park that a parked van looked like the one thought to be stolen by the inmates Hossein Nayeri, landed behind bars for torturing a man who ran a licensed marijuana dispensary in Santa Ana in 2012. Nayeri burned his victim with a butane torch, beat him with a pistol and a rubber hose and ordered another suspect to cut off the man's penis during the 2012 attack, prosecutors said. Prosecutor Heather Brown compared him to cannibalistic movie villain Hannibal Lecter and said he was 'sophisticated, incredibly violent and cunning' in an interview with the Orange County Register. Nayeri, a former Marine who grew up in the Fresno, planned the escape for five months when co-conspirator Bac Duong was booked into Central Men's Jail in December. He managed to rope in an outside contact, Hallock said. Jonathan Tieu, who was awaiting trial on a gang-related murder charge, also joined the plot, authorities said. As part of his plan, Nayeri cultivated a relationship with 44-year-old Nooshafarin Ravaghi, an Iranian-born woman who taught English as a second language to jail inmates, authorities said. The sheriff's department had initially said Ravaghi and Nayeri, who was in her class, had exchanged letters of a personal nature. Rackauckas said Monday that the letters appear to have been written by Nayeri, not his teacher. At some point, however, she provided him with a Google Earth map that showed an aerial view of the entire jail complex, Sheriff's Captain Jeff Hallock said. Ravaghi was arrested last week and booked on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony, but District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said Monday there wasn't enough evidence to hold her. She was released late in the day, although an investigation continues. Lesson learned? Prison teacher Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, pictured left in an ID photo and right in her mugshot, has been released because there is not enough evidence to charge her. Sheriff's Captain Jack Hallock said Nayeri cultivated a relationship with her, and she provided him with an aerial view of the entire jail complex on Google maps She was initially believed to have exchanged letters of a personal nature with inmate Nayeri (pictured), dubbed 'Hannibal Lecter' by prosecutors in his case for torturing a man who ran a licensed marijuana dispensary in Santa Ana in 2012 'This took a while,' Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said. 'To defeat these security systems, to defeat these metal grates, to defeat these 1-inch bars, it took some time.' Once out, the three were picked up by an accomplice and driven to safety. That night, Duong kidnapped a taxi driver at gunpoint and stole a van the following day in Los Angeles, authorities said. The fugitives and the cab driver spent three nights at a motel in Southern California before they drove 400 miles north to the San Francisco Bay Area in the taxi and van. Nayeri and Duong later had a fist fight in a San Jose motel room over whether to kill the taxi driver, Hallock said. Nayeri wanted to kill the cab driver and Duong did not, authorities believe. When Nayeri and Tieu left to get the van's windows tinted later the next day, Duong drove back to Southern California with the cab driver and surrendered Friday at an auto repair shop in Orange County just miles from the jail. Nayeri and Tieu were arrested Saturday after a civilian flagged down officers near San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and pointed out a parked van that looked like one believed stolen by the inmates after the escape. The three inmates did not know each other before being housed in the jail. They were awaiting trial on charges involving violent crimes. Duong and Tieu have ties to street gangs that operate in the shadows of Orange County's thriving Vietnamese community. Nayeri, the suspected mastermind behind the jail break, is led back inside Orange County Men's Central Jail in Santa Ana. It has emerged that the fugitive allegedly planned to kill a taxi driver Nayeri escaped the maximum security prison along with Jonathan Tieu, 20 (left), who was awaiting trial on a gang-related murder charge. Bac Duong, 43 (right), also helped with the escape plan and managed to rope in outside help Loc Ba Nguyen, who knew Duong, visited the jail several times and provided the men with items to aid their escape, Hallock said. He also picked them up after they escaped, he said. It wasn't immediately clear what tools Nguyen might have provided or what his relationship was with Duong, but authorities said he did not work inside the jail. Nguyen has been charged with felony counts of possession of a weapon in a place of custody, carrying or sending a useful aid to escape from a jail or prison and aiding escape, with a criminal enhancement for being in possession of a dangerous or deadly weapon. He will be arraigned later this month and has not entered a plea. He is free on $300,000 bail. In their detailed account of the escape, authorities said the trio waited until after a 5 a.m. head count on January 22, then slipped through a hole they had sawed in a metal grate that led to a plumbing tunnel. From there, they crawled through piping inside the jail walls to reach the roof, pushed aside barbed wire and rappelled down four stories to freedom using a rope made of bed linens. By 5:15am, they were picked up outside. They bounced from one home to the next that day, moving among three different Orange County cities. By the time guards realized they were missing at 9:30pm, the trio took a cab to a Target in suburban Los Angeles. They shopped for unknown items and then kidnapped the taxi driver, authorities said. The next day, Duong stole the white GMC van during a test drive and the inmates got haircuts before checking into a hotel in Rosemead with the cab driver still a hostage. It was the first escape in nearly three decades from the California facility built in 1968. The three men were all housed together in a holding tank with 65 other inmates when they escaped and were awaiting trial on separate charges. Hallock said the three inmates will now be held in isolation cells. Nayeri is a former Marine who grew up in the Fresno area, and authorities say it is unclear why as an English speaker he was in her class that teaches English as a second language. It was the first breakout from the facility in nearly 30 years. The sheriff vowed over the weekend to address the security lapses that allowed the escape. This banner atop the Orange County Sheriff's Department website shows the latest update on the trio, announcing that all three escaped inmates were in custody as of January 30 Carmen Electra is suing a New York strip club for posting a sexual image of her on its Instagram page. According to the New York Daily News, the 43-year-old model and actress has filed a federal lawsuit against the La Oficina bar in Corona, Queens, for using her image without consent. She is suing for defamation and claims the clubs post suggests she either works as a stripper at the club or endorsed the establishment. The suit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, alleges that the club posted a picture of a scantily clad Electra pressed up against a pole on its Instagram account with the caption: Looking good. Carmen Electra (above) is suing a New York strip club for posting a sexual image of her on its Instagram page Electra is suing after the club reportedly posted a picture (above) of a scantily clad Electra pressed up against a pole on its Instagram account with the caption: Looking good This image shows Electra in a sexually suggestive outfit and was intentionally altered to make it appear that Electra was either a stripper working a La Oficina, or endorsed the club, the suit states. Models Tiffany Toth, Claudia Sanpedro and Brenda Lee Geiger are also suing the club for using their image. Their images were allegedly used in promotional posters for club that were also shared on Instagram. The Daily News reports that each plaintiff is seeking at least $75,000 in damages for defamation and trademark infringement plus punitive damages. Electra has filed a federal lawsuit against the La Oficina bar (pictured) in Corona, Queens, for using her image without consent Models Tiffany Toth, Claudia Sanpedro (right) and Brenda Lee Geiger (left) are also suing the club for using their image in promotional images The suit claims that using their likeness suggests that the women work as strippers and has led to them being subjected to 'hatred', 'shame' and 'contempt'. Daily Mail Online has contacted a representative of Electra for comment. Donald Trump found his signature voice Monday afternoon in Iowa's second largest city, urging rally attendees on Iowa's presidential caucus day to 'knock the c**p out of' any anti-Trump activists who try to hit him with vine-ripened produce. And then he said he'd pay to defend his loyal fans in court. 'So I got a little notice, in case you see it,' he said after former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin introduced him in a packed hotel ballroom in Cedar Rapids. 'We have wonderful security guys. They said, "Mr. Trump, there may be somebody with tomatoes in the audience." So if you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the c**p out of 'em, would you? Seriously. Okay?' 'Just knock the hell I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees,' he pledged. 'I promise. I promise. There won't be so much, because the courts agree with us too. What's going on in this country?' 'KNOCK THE C**P OUT OF 'EM': Donald Trump told rally attendees Monday afternoon in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that security suspected protesters would pelt him with tomatoes before he was done and offered to pay for lawyers if anyone beat them to a pulp CLOSING ARGUMENT: 'He's a doer,' Sarah Palin said of Trump as she introduced him; 'He builds thing. Big things. You have to ask yourself: What have his opponents ever built? Big vocabularies. Big debts' Trump's high-energy closing argument, coming less than five hours before Iowa Republicans take the nation's first step toward nominating a presidential candidate, was in marked contrast to a lackluster morning speech before a half-empty convention center an hour to the northwest. But in Cedar Rapids, Trump was on fire and letting it all hang out. 'To have a crowd like this on our final day, can you believe it? This is the day!' he boomed. 'This is the day we take our country back! Remember that!' Trump is wrapping up the first stage of the most improbable presidential run in generations, turning his position nine months ago where only 17 per cent of Republicans had a favorable view of him into a national polling lead and seemingly insurmountable advantages in two of the three first primary stages. New Hampshire and South Carolina seem in the bag for The Donald. Iowa, though, is a much tighter contest. Trump leads Texas Sen. Ted Cruz by 7 percentage points in a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday morning. 'Three weeks ago I was 11 points down. Now I'm 7 points up,' he said Monday. 'I want to win Iowa. It's going to send such a great message that we're not going to take it anymore! We're going to take our country back. ... We're going to be proud to say that we're from the USA and we are the best and there's nobody like us.' But it's unclear whether his screaming throngs will turn up at precinct caucus sites in the evening to vote for him over the other GOP White House hopefuls the only measure that counts. Trump was in rare form Monday afternoon, even though no grocery-chucking protesters materialized. Only one anti-Trumper interrupted his speech by shouting slogans. 'Get 'em out!' he barked at security agents. And then, after a pregnant pause: 'Do you have a tomato?' PHOTO OP: Trump rallies are often seas of smartphones as the crowd favorite takes the podium BIG BOAST: 'We're going to make our country rich as hell!' Trump said hours before the Iowa caucuses begin Trump's political enemies, too, took it in the teeth one last time before Iowans will vote. Speaking of Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, he said: 'We're going to beat her badly' in November. 'I think the Democrats are protecting her,' he said of the legal peril surrounding the classified materials found on her personal email server. HITTING HILLARY: 'How many lawyers need to go on television and say she's guilty?' Trump asked of the Democratic presidential front-runner 'How many lawyers need to go on television and say she's "Guilty," "Guilty," "Guilty"?' he asked. At the mention of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's name, 1,000 people laughed in unison. 'Did any phrase ever hit a human being like "low energy" hit Jeb Bush?' Trump asked, recalling the damage he has done to the onetime presumptive GOP nominee by rebranding him as a sluggish laggard. The tens of millions of dollars Bush has spent on attack ads targeting him, Trump said, is 'the only reason I don't feel bad about it.' Palin, who endorsed Trump two weeks ago, introduced him in an often rambling word-mash that drew sidelong looks from some in the hall. 'Are you ready for peace through strength?' she asked in a verbal windup, 'and that Reaganesque posture that will tell any enemy, "Nuh-uh, we're America, so we win, you lose!"' 'He's a doer,' she said of Trump. 'He builds thing. Big things. You have to ask yourself: What have his opponents ever built? Big vocabularies. Big debts. Big war chests.' Taking aim at conservative Iowa Congressman Steve King, Palin blasted him for suggesting in a morning TV interview that Trump had paid her to choose him over Cruz. 'He has a massive amount of assets and resources that he can deploy when it comes time to convince someone,' King, who has endorsed Cruz and stumps with him, said Monday morning on MSNBC. 'And that has to affect the way people think.' Palin was spitting nails. 'Politics being a kind a brutal business, you find out who your friends are. That's for sure,' she said. 'NUH-UH!': A word-salad-speaking Sarah Palin asked if Trump fans were 'ready for peace through strength and that Reaganesque posture that will tell any enemy, "Nuh-uh, we're America, so we win, you lose!"' REBRANDED: Trump reflected on how calling Jeb Bush a 'low energy' candidate damaged his candidacy beyond repair 'NOT TRUE': Palin slammed conservative Republican Iowa Congressman Steve King for suggesting on television that she was paid to endorse Trump 'We got your good old Representative Steve King ... Whoooo! Here I see that just a bit ago he's accused me on MSNBC First, MSNBC, really? of selling my support to Mr. Trump.' She said King 'knows it isn't true.' 'Maybe he's forgotten some of his heart in the heartland and got a touch of that Potomac fever,' she said. 'Maybe he's been in the cornfield too long, huffing ethanol.' Palin insisted that 'Mr. Trump promised me that he will Make America Great Again, and that's the only thing.' Trump put it differently. 'We're going to make our country rich as hell!' he boasted. Happily smiling with her two sons, this is one of the final pictures of the 'popular and loving' mother who died after hitting a fallen tree in a tragic skiing accident in the French Alps. Anne Clayton, 54, from Stockport, was on the 'Bear' piste at La Plagne, in the Savoy region of the Alps, when she suffered fatal injuries during a holiday with her children Stephen and Andrew. The pair have now paid tribute to the mother-of-two, who died on Monday after falling 20ft off piste. Tragic: This is one of the final pictures of Anne Clayton, 54, who died in a skiing accident in the French Alps after hitting a fallen tree. She is pictured with her two sons Stephen and Andrew during the holiday Estate agent Stephen, 22, said: 'We were on holiday together when it happened. We have all skied all of our lives - she was a good skier. 'It was not a difficult run but because it rained last night it was quite icy. 'She lost control and dropped 20ft off the piste and made contact with a tree.' He added: 'She really looked after us and was a really caring person. She also helped out at various food banks around our local area. She was known for her voluntary work. 'Mum was very caring and would not do anything for herself unless it benefited other people. She was always ready to do a lot for others. 'She had a lot of close friends that we have had to tell. She was very popular. 'She loved life and just got things done.' Ms Clayton arrived at the ski resort with sons Stephen and Andrew, 19, on Saturday. The trio were enjoying their second full day on the slopes when the accident happened. Death: Ms Clayton, from Stockport, was on the 'Bear' piste at La Plagne, in the Savoy region of the Alps, when she suffered fatal injuries during a holiday with her children Stephen and Andrew (pictured) The pair have now paid tribute to the mother-of-two (pictured), who died on Monday after falling 20ft off piste Medics and CRS police officers scrambled to the scene soon after the alarm was raised, at around 11.30am, but it was too late. Other holidaymakers watched Ms Clayton travelling towards the tree head-on 'at quite a speed, but she was not able to control her skis,' said a local police spokesman. Her sons are due to speak to French police about the incident tomorrow. The kind-hearted mother spent many years volunteering with various charities, including Operation Christmas Child, for which she travelled to Bulgaria and Romania to help deliver shoeboxes. After losing her husband Bob 12 years ago she also became a well-known and respected volunteer with the Manchester Street Angelswho help vulnerable and lost people in the city at night. A post on the Manchester Street Angels Facebook page read: 'We share this news with a very heavy heart. Mum was very caring and would not do anything for herself unless it benefited other people Anne Clayton's son Stephen 'Our very dear friend and amazing angel has sadly passed away. God needed a true Angel to join him. Sending all our love to her family, friends, and fellow Angels. 'Rest in peace, gone but never forgotten.' A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: 'We are supporting the family of a British national who has sadly died in Macot le Plagne, France, and remain in contact with the French authorities over the incident.' The Bear run is classified as blue - meaning it is of 'moderate' difficulty - just one up from the beginners' green run. The accident comes just months after a similar incident in the French Alps where a British teenager died on slopes in nearby Meribel, just before Christmas. Louis Ross, 17, was with a group of friends when he lost control in the same resort where former Formula One world champion racing driver Michael Schumacher suffered a brain injury in 2013. French police said Louis, a sixth former at Canford School in Wimborne, Dorset, was going too fast down an intermediate blue piste despite signs asking skiers to slow down ahead of an intersection. He lost balance and smashed into the slope. Despite wearing a helmet, Louis suffered injuries to his face and, according to mountain rescuers, also sustained internal injuries to his chest. Destination: La Plagne, pictured on this map, is an Alpine resort extremely popular with British holidaymakers A 54-year-old British woman has died after hitting a tree while skiing at La Plagne resort in France, pictured There had not been significant snowfall for nearly two weeks at the resort, and police believe the hardness of the piste contributed to the severity of the accident. Police in La Plagne said there would be a 'full investigation' into the latest incident. Avalanches have also caused disaster in the Alps this season. Two skiers were killed near Val d'Isere on January 5 after being swept away in separate avalanches. Both were found by rescue workers under 1.5m of snow. A 30-year-old skier from the Czech Republic was also killed at Saint-Colomban-des-Villards after going off piste in the Les Sybelles area on the same day. Two days earlier, on January 3, an avalanche near Chamonix resort saw two Lithuanian mountain climbers also killed. Two high school friends from Texas were found dead over the weekend after taking their own lives just hours apart, raising concerns about the existence of a possible suicide pact. Ritu Sachdeva, 17, was found dead from a self-inflicted injury shortly after midnight Sunday in her home in Murphy. About two hours later, police found the body of Sacheda's friend, 17-year-old Hillary Kate Kuizon, in a wooded area near Kimbrough Stadium. Gone too soon: Ritu Sachdeva, 17 (left), and Hillary Kate Kuizon (right), 17, were found dead from apparent suicides just hours apart from one another early Sunday morning The two girls attended Plano East Senior High School in Texas, where friends said neither teen exhibited any signs of depression The girls family had filed a missing person report on Saturday night, sparking a search that led police to the tragic discovery. Investigators with the Murphy Police Department were looking into a possible connection between the two suicides. If that happened that there was some sort of pact, we need to know that because it may lead to further tragedies such as this one, Murphy City Spokesman Celso Martinez told Dallas Morning News. We dont know if it was but we dont want to discount the possibility offhand. Police found no evidence of foul play in either death. The medical examiner will conduct autopsies on Sachdeva and Kuizon to determine the cause and manner of death in each case. Both girls attended Plano East Senior High School, where friends said Kuizon and Sachdeva exhibited no outward signs of depression. They were described on social media as cheerful and lively teens who were well-liked by their peers. Friends of Hillary (left) and Ritu (right) took to Twitter, describing the girls as beautiful, bright and cheerful Student Christian Lewis toldCBS DFW both Kuizon and Sachdeva were diligent in their studies and always on time to class. Ritu's older sister, Suchi Sachdeva, took to Facebook Sunday, writing a heart-rending tribute mourning the untimely death of her sibling. I'll always be thinking of her when doing anything good, Ms Sachdeva wrote. She was so bright, beautiful, quirky, and just all around amazing, inside and out. Gone too soon, only 17 years young. Grief counselors were sent to Plano East High Monday to help students and staff deal with their loss. A man who helped send millions of illegal spam messages to U.S. and international cellphones and computers has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison by a federal judge in Pennsylvania. Phillip Fleitz, 31, was handcuffed and ordered Monday to immediately begin serving the sentence. Fleitz's two co-defendants previously received probation for their roles, and defense attorney Stephen Capone argued Fleitz should receive a similar sentence. But the judge agreed with U.S. Attorney Jimmy Kitchen who said 'Fleitz was the architect. It was his idea. He was the first to do it' and enlisted the others. 'This was a sophisticated and serious scheme,' U. S. District Judge Maurice Cohill Jr. said in imposing the sentence. Phillip Fleitz, 31, was one of three people who sent spam across the world. He was jailed on Monday for 27 months, under a year after the FBI disabled his cybercriminal marketplace which gathered personal data Fleitz was one of a dozen U.S. residents charged with marketing illegal computer skills on Darkode.com, a cybercriminal marketplace disabled by the FBI in July. Seventy people in the U.S. and 19 other countries were targeted in that takedown. From September 2011 to February 2013, Fleitz and two others earned between $2,000 to $3,000 weekly by conspiring to violate a 2003 law designed to protect cellphone and computer users from unwanted marketing and pornography emails and text messages. Fleitz has acknowledged operating the computer servers in China that the trio used to infiltrate personal computers of hundreds of thousands to millions of people in the United States and abroad. Naveed Ahmed, 27, was sentenced to two years' probation last year. He wrote a program that helped match cellphone numbers with their carriers. That enabled the scammers to bombard the phones with unsolicited messages. Dewayne Watts, who is confined to his home for six months as part of his two-year probation, wrote the text messages meant to entice phone users to respond. The computer and text-message spam both included Internet links. Those who received the text messages were told they had won gift cards that could be accessed by clicking the links. In reality, those who responded were routed to Web pages controlled by Internet Cost Per Action networks, which are marketing companies that gather email addresses and other personal information. Such companies are legal, but using spam to drive traffic to the companies' websites is not. Advertisement Eight dead sperm whales have died after they were washed up on a German beach today, taking the total number of dead whales to 23 after a devastating number of beachings during the past month across northern Europe. The eight whales found near the northern town of Friedrichskoog were young bulls, around the same age as the animals discovered three weeks ago at various North Sea spots. They were lying close to each other in the mudflats of a restricted area of the Wadden Sea national park, the Schleswig-Holstein regional environmental authority said in a statement. Sombre: Eight sperm whales were washed up on this beach near the northern town of Friedrichskoog in Germany Shocking: At least 23 whales have been stranded across the coastline of northern Europe and may have come from a single whale pod Since the 1990s, a total of 82 sperm wales have been found stranded in the Wadden Sea in Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales, and the largest toothed predator.It can measure up to 20 metres (67 feet) long and weigh over 50 tonnes. 'The males of this population spend their winters in the north Atlantic.During their migrations, individual animals mistakenly wind up in the shallow and nutrient-poor North Sea,' the authority said. The shallow water makes it difficult for them to use their acoustic orientation to navigate and many become beached. Wildlife protection groups also blame the underwater noise from sea traffic and oil platforms for interfering with acoustic signals. Bleak scene: The creatures are male and about the same age as a number of others who have washed up on the coast of northern Europe over the last few weeks Huge: There are various theories why the whales end up in the North Sea rather than the Atlantic - but the nutrient-poor waters can prove catastrophic for them The devastating news comes as three of the dead sperm whales which were washed up on a British beach were covered in sand to stop them being moved by the tide and later taken to a landfill site to rot. The majestic creatures are thought to have died at sea before beaching at Skegness in Lincolnshire and have since become something of a gory tourist attraction, with people taking selfies with the corpses and some scavengers even attempting to cut off 'trophies' from the creatures. East Lindsey District Council Council workers covered up the bodies with sand to stop them being moved by the high tide and a spokesman confirmed they will then be taken to a landfill site. 'We are well rehearsed when it comes to removing whales from the beach, we have had a few down the years including one which is bigger,' a council spokesman said. 'The whale at Lagoon Walk, which was further out on its own, moved overnight in the high tide so it is now further up the beach. 'We are preparing to move the whales, but it won't be today. Today, we are bringing in tractors to cover the whales in sand so they don't move again. 'Because there are three of them we need to find landfill that's deep enough. We are almost there but we have to do it properly. 'We are putting sand on them this afternoon because if we don't they could move further along the beach where it might be more difficult to reach them.' The bodies of the whales were cordoned off by council workers in a bid to protect the carcasses as they are examined by scientists trying to work out why they died. East Lindsey District Council Council workers began covering up the whales' bodies with sand to stop them being moved by the high tide and a spokesman confirmed they will then be taken to a landfill site A bulldozer and a digger move the whales washed up the beach at Skegness, Lincolnshire, to an area where they can be covered in sand The dead sperm whales are now being covered in sand to stop them being moved by the tide before they are taken to a landfill site to rot The bodies of the whales have been temporarily covered in sand in a bid to prevent them being moved along the beach by the tide A build-up of methane gas later caused one of the whales to explode as marine biologists collecting samples for a post-mortem examination cut at its skin and blubber, with shocked witnesses describing a bang and a 'huge blast of air' followed by a foul stench. The three whale carcasses were found on the Skegness beach on Sunday morning, after another was washed up on beach in Hunstantonm, Norfolk, last Friday. A fifth whale was also found at former RAF bombing range in nearby Wainfleet - five miles from Skegness - last Monday, and is believed to be from the same pod. Graffiti has been sprayed on the bodies of two of the whales on the beach near Gibraltar Point in Skegness. Messages reading 'Fukushima RIP', 'CND' and 'man's fault' have been written in white lettering on the bodies of the whales. This is the moment a ghoulish trophy hunter was caught ripping teeth from one of the dead sperm whales washed up on a British beach The bodies of the whales in Skegness (one on which is pictured) have been cordoned off by council workers in a bid to protect the carcasses as they are examined by scientists trying to work out why they died Scientists from the Zoological Society of London were carrying out post mortem examinations on the whales yesterday, and experts are investigating whether the group are linked to 12 sperm whales that have washed up on the Dutch island of Texel and the German islands of Wangerooge and Helgoland since January 11. Samples have been collected from four of the five whales, but the team from the Zoological Society were struggling to reach the fifth whale, which was washed up yesterday on a former Ministry of Defence bombing range, which could contain live explosives. The samples will then be brought back to London to be analysed in the hope that this could explain why the whales died. It is thought that the sperm whales accidentally entered the North Sea - where the sea floor is not particularly deep. As the animals rely on sonar to navigate, when they end up in a shallow sandy seabed, they can become disorientated and die. Richard Johnson of the UK Coastguard said: 'We believe that the three whales at Skegness died at sea and then washed ashore. 'We are advising members of the public to stay away from the beach. We have informed the Receiver of Wreck and we are expecting an officer from the Zoological Society of London to attend the scene and carry out tests on the whales.' A fifth whale was also found at former RAF bombing range in nearby Wainfleet - five miles from Skegness - on Monday, and is believed to be from the same pod Meanwhile shocking photos have emerged of a ghoulish trophy hunter was caught ripping teeth from one of the dead sperm whales washed up on a British beach. Scavengers have been seen going down to the coast at night with knives and pliers to steal 'trophies' from the corpses. One picture which was posted online shows a man, who has not been identified, apparently cutting out the teeth of one of the whales. WHAT COULD HAVE DRIVEN THE WHALES TO THEIR DEATHS? There are a number of theories about why the 17 whales may have been split up and died. Many were dead before they were washed up. Hunger? The most likely reason for the deaths is that they were short of food and may have gone searching for squid or fish in dangerous shallower water Submarines? Sonar from submarines can confuse or even deafen whales, according to environmentalists, and if they were spooked by one the pod may have panicked and split up. Wind farms? Researchers at the University of St Andrews have found that the noise made by offshore wind farms can interfere with a whale's sonar, and can in tragic cases see them driven onto beaches where they often die. Advertisement Daryl Hind, 30, caught the trophy hunter on camera when he went down to look at the 45ft-long whales last night. In the snap the man, who is wearing jeans and a grey top, can be seen using a torch to light up the 30,000 tonne mammal's mouth as he removes the teeth. 'I went up to see the dead whale last night and some sad act was cutting his teeth out,' delivery driver Mr Hind wrote on Facebook. His post attracted the attention of other social media users, disgusted at the souvenir hunters' actions. Pauline West said: 'How low will some people stoop, I'm sharing this public, I hope someone does name him, he should be ashamed.' Helen Jones added: 'Thing that worries me is the fact that they don't know what the whales died from and here is this bloke cutting it teeth out with no gloves on.' And Suzanne Allsop said: 'That's disgusting.' Lincolnshire Police confirmed they are investigating the photo, and a spokesman for the force said taking parts of the whale might be an offence under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. 'It's such an unusual circumstance so it's something that the Wildlife Crime Officer will need to look into in more detail,' he said. East Lindsey District Council has now warned people to stay away from the three dead whales on the beach in Skegness. 'It's sad that people have taken this opportunity to [scavenge for trophies],' a spokesman told MailOnline. 'They are magnificent creatures and it's understandable that people would want to go and have a look at them, but the message is "look but don't touch". 'There are risks associated with dead animals.' 'We would urge people to stay behind the cordon,' a council spokesman said. 'We are just trying to go through the correct process - we want to know why they died and beached here. 'We are not aware of the law around taking things from these animals but it's so sad that people will not listen to our advice.' FORAGER SUGGESTS DEAD WHALES COULD BE EATEN BY THE PUBLIC A pensioner who famous for dining on road-kill, says the washed-up sperm whales could be eaten by the public. Arthur Boyt, 76, from Davidstow, Cornwall, has been feasting on dead animals such as weasels, hedgehogs, squirrels and otters for years and says the sperm whales shouldn't go to waste. Mr Boyt, who ate a dolphin he found for Christmas dinner - says it is perfectly natural and legal, and that one three-tonne sperm whale could make enough stew to feed 2,2032 people. 'I think it would be very interesting to have a bite', he said. 'I have looked at those photos and they look fresh. If I was up there I would be tempted to take some home. 'Regulations do say that it's wrong to take any part of a cetacean it's the responsibility of the beach owner to dispose of it. 'If you take a piece home, you are disposing of it and you are helping the beach owner.' Advertisement Newton High School has covered up a mural memorializing the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre because administrators said it was upsetting some students. Painted a year after the tragedy by Lindsay Fuori, 19, a former Newton High School student who now attends Boston University, the painting of a dreamcatcher, originally included the words 'In loving memory'' and '12-14-12', the date the shooting happened. The dreamcatcher showed 26 beads, representing the victims of the 2012 mass shooting. The dreamcatcher mural was painted in Newton High School in memory of the Sandy Hook Elementary mass shooting, which happened on December 14, 2012. It was painted the next year and has since been covered up Upset: Lindsay Fuori painted the mural and has spoken out against administrators covering up her work In an effort to make the mural more acceptable, Lindsay covered up the date and the words but it wasn't enough for administrators. Newtown superintendent Joseph Erardi Jr. had the mural covered with plasterboard in October. Now a blank, white wall greets students in the stairwell where the mural once was. 'It was disheartening to learn that it had been covered without our consent or knowledge. 'This piece of art was our way of giving back, of healing through beauty and preserving and honoring the memories of those we lost,' wrote Mairin Hayes, who also worked on the mural, wrote in an online petition to have the mural uncovered. Mr Erardi explained his decision to cover the mural in November. Newton High School (pictured) said children are still working to cope with the impact of the massacre 'During the first quarter of the present school year, ongoing student recovery, through the lens of the learner and multiple families, remained problematic at a heightened level because of the mural,' Mr Erardi wrote. Lindsay said she understood that Mr Erardi in 2014 committed to removing all references to the tragedy from Newtown schools, but she thought the mural would be allowed to stay after she covered up the words and date that could be triggers for some students. The painting was a part of a senior-year project on art therapy, Lindsay said. 'A lot of students feel like they're being told to forget, and that's not a healthy feeling, either. 'It's a very difficult situation, but I don't think this is the solution,' she said. 'There will always be reminders of the tragedy, but there won't always be people around who care or understand. 'Now is the time to address any distressing emotions, so when students move on to work or college after graduation and find themselves overwhelmed by feelings, they know how to cope,' Lindsay said. Lindsay rejected an offer last month to paint a new mural that would be subject to the administration's approval. A terrorist who murdered a policeman received 51,000 in legal aid to help him challenge being held in solitary confinement. The sum given to Kamel Bourgass is virtually the same as the compensation paid to the family of his victim. The award allowed the 42-year-old to argue at the Supreme Court that he had been segregated unlawfully in jail. The claim was made with another Al Qaeda fanatic, liquid bomb plotter Tanvir Hussain. Kamel Bourgasss legal bill is just shy of the 52,000 given in criminal injuries compensation to the family of Stephen Oake (pictured), the Special Branch detective he stabbed to death in a police raid 13 years ago The award allowed Kamel Bourgass (left), 42, to argue at the Supreme Court that he had been segregated unlawfully in jail. The claim was made with another Al Qaeda fanatic, liquid bomb plotter Tanvir Hussain (right) Supreme Court judges declared that holding them alone for an extended period of time breached prison rules even though they had access to a TV, radio and books. Government lawyers argued that illegal immigrant Bourgass and Hussain, 34, had been segregated for good order after it emerged they had bullied and tried to radicalise fellow inmates. Prison reports stated that Bourgass was spreading extreme views and held sway over a number of prisoners. Hussain was accused of preaching through his cell window to try to convert non-Muslims to his own interpretation of Islamic ideals. The pair were granted legal aid once their case was referred to the Supreme Court. Following a request from the Daily Mail under the Freedom of Information Act, the Ministry of Justice has revealed details of the costs. The Act, which has exposed numerous public sector scandals as well as wasteful spending, is under threat from the Government, with ministers claiming it is too costly to administer. Mr Oake was wounded eight times and bleeding to death but still clung desperately to his attacker to protect colleagues until Bourgass was overpowered Bourgass received 35,079 for his barrister and a further 16,172 in solicitors costs. Hussain took 12,524 for his barrister and 13,146 for his solicitor, 25,670 in all. The final charge to the taxpayer, including court costs and the price of defending the case, will run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Bourgasss bill is just shy of the 52,000 given in criminal injuries compensation to the family of Stephen Oake, the Special Branch detective he stabbed to death in a police raid 13 years ago. Mr Oake, who was not wearing body armour, was wounded eight times and bleeding to death but still clung desperately to his attacker to protect his colleagues until Bourgass was overpowered. The 40-year-old officers widow Lesley and three children were given 13,000 each. Retired Met police chief Sidney Mackay, whose daughter WPC Nina Mackay, 25, was stabbed to death on duty in London in 1997, criticised the legal aid bill. He said: It is outrageous that so much money is given to people who are enemies of the country. If terrorists are trying to indoctrinate other inmates, it is only right they are segregated. The justice system is skewed. Mr Mackay, chairman of the Police Roll of Honour Trust, added: If their lawyers have such high ideals, why dont they do the work pro bono? Algerian-born Bourgass is serving life for murder and a further 17 years for plotting to spread ricin on the streets of Britain. He was given a concurrent sentence of 15 years for trying to kill the officers he wounded in the Manchester incident. Mr Oake's widow Lesley (right) and three children were given 13,000 each in compensation for his death Last July, five Supreme Court judges unanimously found in favour of the two terrorists on the domestic legislation governing segregation from other prisoners. The pair failed in a human rights challenge. While detained at top security Whitemoor prison in Cambridgeshire, Bourgass was segregated from March 10, 2010, until April 22, and again from April 23 until that November. On June 1, 2010, his continued segregation was authorised on the basis he remained an unacceptable risk to other prisoners. Oake was killed stopping Bourgas, who could have potentially killed hundreds of people as he was plotting to use deadly poison ricin Prison intelligence reports suggested he had been involved, prior to the start of his segregation, in intimidating other prisoners to change faith, as well as forcing other prisoners to join in prayer sessions and to refrain from eating certain foods for religious reasons. Hussain was segregated at Frankland jail in County Durham from April 24, 2010, until October of that year. During his time in solitary, intelligence linked him with the conditioning of other segregated prisoners. Three told staff they had changed their religion from Christianity to Islam, having been converted through their cell windows. In 2012, Bourgass and Hussain, who denied trying to influence other inmates, failed to persuade appeal judges that their treatment was unlawful. But the Supreme Court ruled that their segregation did breach prison rules after initial periods of 72 hours. Legislation allows prisoners to be segregated, but not for more than 72 hours without the authority of the secretary of state. No claims for compensation have been submitted to the Ministry of Justice since the ruling, sources said. Bourgass and Hussain were represented by leading human rights barrister Dinah Rose QC, instructed by law firm Birnberg Peirce. The companys past clients have included several notorious terrorists. It did not respond to a request for a comment. If there's one way to remind people not to steal, it's by humiliating those caught - as one Chinese village has demonstrated. Five suspected thieves were publicly humiliated last Thursday in the streets of Miaoba village in Tongzi, south-west China's Guizhou province, after they were detained for stealing cultural relics, the People's Daily Online reports. Hundreds of villagers lined the streets to condemn the five men, who allegedly stole two stone lions and a Buddha statue last October. Shame: Police officers in a village in south-west China parade the thieves around after they were detained Precious artefact: The relics are over 400 years old and villagers claim they bring the area bad luck The stone statues, which are said to be over 400 years old, were found missing from the village in the morning of October 13, 2015. Locals immediately called the police who launched an investigation into the theft. They concluded that the thieves must have been part of a professional gang. The five men were detained on January 27 after a three-month-long investigation by local police. Villagers said the stone relics had been handed down from generation to generation and are believed to have the ability to bring good luck and rid the area of demons. They were worried about the bad luck that the village would attract without their lucky relics. They later managed to identify the car involved in the crime and tracked down the criminals who still possessed the relics. The five men later confessed to the theft. The police were able to bring the relics back to the town and at the same time show the village the perpetrators of the crime on January 28. Four of the suspects are still in police custody while another has been released on bail. Back home: The relics are returned to the village after they were stolen by a gang in October last year Villagers celebrate the return of their relics which have been passed down from generation to generation A man in China who has spent 23 years in prison for arson and murder was acquitted today. Chen Man from Sichuan province was sentenced to death in 1992 after he was accused of setting fire to a house which resulted in the death of a man, the People's Daily Online reports. Zhejiang Provincial High People's Court ruled today that Chen is not guilty due to a lack of sufficient evidence. Freedom: Chen Man (pictured) walks out of the prison in Hainan Province, China, after he was acquitted today Final ruling: The judge said during the appeal that there was too little evidence to link the man with the crimes Chen was smiling when he left the prison at around 10:30am today and gave interviews with reporters waiting outside the gate. He said that he gave his mother a call as soon as he was free and his family booked him a flight to his home town in Sichuan province straight away. Talking to reporters Chen said: 'I am an innocent person. Even in prison I knew I wasn't guilty and that one day I would be able to leave.' Chen was arrested in December 1992 in Hainan province for starting a fire and killing one man. He was charged with murder by the Hainan People's Procuratorate in November 1993 and was sentenced to death, suspended for two years, in November 1994. In the past 23 years, Chen and his family have continued to appeal against the ruling insisting that he was innocent. The man who is now in his 50s was convicted using 'confessions that were inconsistent', Zhang Qin, a judge from Zhejiang Provincial High Court, ruled. The judge said: 'It is a misjudged case. His confession, material evidence and investigation records at the crime scene cannot prove that Chen is guilty.' According to Chen's attorney during the original trial, one piece of evidence was a kitchen knife which was said to belong to Chen. However when he asked for police to show the piece of evidence, they said they had lost it. Wang Wanqiong, the man's attorney at the retrial, said that Chen had told her that he had been tortured into confessing. Another attorney said that there were witnesses who could prove that he was not at the scene when the murder occurred. According to these witnesses, he was at a construction site at the time the crime was committed. Serving time: After Chen was freed, he spent time talking to journalists who waited outside the gate for him Chen says he will ask for compensation. According to Chinese media, of those acquitted of their crimes, Chen has spent the longest time in prison. There have been multiple cases of people wrongfully acquitted in China. The most famous case is that of a man named Hugjiltu, who was convicted, sentenced and executed for rape and murder in 1996. Nine years later a man confessed to the murder and Hugjilitu was posthumously pardoned by the government. For most nine-year-old children, life should be care-free; but for one boy in China, he spends every minute missing his family inside his kindergarten - his home since he was abandoned there three years ago. The boy named Xiao Xia, has lived in a kindergarten in Changchun, north China's Jilin province, after his family left him there in 2013. The boy says his wish for this Chinese Lunar New Year is to see his parents again, the People's Daily Online reports. Sad: Xiao Xia has lived in a kindergarten in Changdun for three years after his grandfather left him there Home: The Chinese boy sleeps on sheets and duvets in the cloakroom of the school after the children leave According to the Kindergarten's owners, the boy's parents are divorced and his father remarried. He is left in the care of his grandparents. The boy had been attending kindergarten at the age of six and his grandfather took him every day. However after one month's fees ran out, the boy's grandfather left him at the school gates one day three years ago and never returned. Xiao Xia lives in the kindergarten and sleeps on a bed made of sheets and duvets in the school's cloakroom after the other children go home to their families. According to Chinese media, the principal of the kindergarten managed to contact the grandfather. However the grandfather said that he has no money and no way of raising the boy. The principal says he told the grandfather that Xiao Xia needs to attend primary school. Speaking with reporters in China, the boy says he cannot remember what his mother and father look like. When asked what he liked doing, the boy replied: 'I like to learn'. The principal has since tried to contact the boy's grandfather however he doesn't pick up the phone and has moved house from where the boy remembers living with him. Studious: The nine-year-old boy told Chinese reporters that his favourite hobby is studying Abandoned by family: His grandfather said on the phone that he is too poor to look after Xiao Xia Twenty-seven officials from north China's Inner Mongolia have been punished for the wrongful conviction and execution of a teenager 20 years ago. The regional authorities said warnings and demerits would be given to the officials dealing with the case of Huugjilt, who was found guilty and sentenced to death for raping and murdering a woman in 1996 in Hohhot, reports the People's Daily Online. After learning the punishment, Huugjilt's family have said they are disappointed and unsatisfied with the outcome as they expected to see more severe penalties. Executed: 18-year-old Huugjilt sentenced to death after he was accused of murdering a woman in 1996. 27 officers working on the case at the time in north China's Inner Mongolia have now been punished Devastated: Huugjilt's family have said they are disappointed and unsatisfied with the outcome of the case Guilty: Zhao Zhihong (centre front) was apprehended in 2005, he confessed to the 1996 rape and murder case The wrongful conviction of Huugjilt is considered one of the most notorious cases of judicial injustice in China. According to various reports, Huugjilt, who was worker at a textile factory, found the dead body of a woman in a public restroom after hearing a cry for help on April 9 in 1996. He alerted the case to the police who later arrested him on suspicion of rape and murder. The local police reportedly tortured Huugjilt during interrogation. On June 10 1996, Huugjilt was given a death sentence - despite the apparent lack of evidence - and was executed on the same day. Following his execution, officers working on the case were reportedly rewarded for promptly solving the murder. According to the statement released by the Inner Mongolian authorities today, Feng Zhiming, who was the deputy district police officer in charge of the case in 1996, is subject to further investigation and suspected of job-related crimes. Feng reportedly ordered the torture of Huugjilt to coerce a confession, he was also charged with dereliction of duty and taking bribes The other 26 officials received administrative penalties including admonitions and records of demerit. All officials punished are from the Hohhot Public Bureau, Hohhot People's Procuratorate, Higher People's Court of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and Intermediate People's Court of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. They were all working at the time of the wrongful conviction and execution of Huugjilt. Innocent: The family weep in front of Huugjilt's tomb after he had been found not guilty by the Inner Mongolia Higher People's Court in 2014 Heartbroken: Huugjilt's mum (right) and dad with a notice from Chinese officials about the wrongful sentencing Too little too late: His parents burn the court verdict which declares Huugjilt's innocence at his grave stone Other officers listed include Ren Junlin, who was given a serious warning and demerits within the Communist Party of China. Ren was the deputy supervisor at the criminal department of Xincheng branch, Hohhot Public Bureau. Hu Lan was also given a serious warning and demerits within the Communist Party of China. Hu was the head of the arresting and punishment department of Hohhot People's Procuratorate. A list of all officers 27 punished and their crimes can be found on the People's Daily Online. A Chinese Central Television report Huugjilt's parents posted their disappointment on China's Titter-like social media site Weibo after the penalties were announced. The post said: 'An 18-year-old boy was put to death when there's not sufficient evidence. But they (people who are responsible) have only been punished by "records of demerits"Will the public buy the results?' Payback: The family are said to be planning to unveil the case files online for public judgments and opinions Distraught: Huugjilt's mother Shang Aiyun does not think the punishment for the 27 officers is good enough The family are also said to be planning to unveil the case files online for public judgments and opinions. The real perpetrator Zhao Zhihong, who confessed to raping and murdering the woman, was apprehended in 2005. Zhao, who was a suspected serial rapist, allegedly killed 10 women and girls between 1996 and 2015. He was tried in 2006 and was given the death penalty last year. In 2014, 18 years after Huugjilt was executed, he was posthumously acquitted of his crimes and his parents were given a notice from the Inner Mongolia Higher People's Court to confirm this. On December 31 2015, the Inner Mongolia Higher People's Court ruled that Huugjilt's mother Shang Aiyun and father Li Sanren will receive around two million Yuan (213,000) in compensation for their son's wrongful execution in June 1996. A woman on a train in Shanghai, east China, has outraged passengers by cutting her toenails in public. Pictures of the unnamed woman were posted onto Chinese social media yesterday, with many users online disgusted in her behavior, reports the People's Daily Online. Video shows the passenger completely ignoring the strange looks from her fellow commuters as she took her shoes and socks off and gave herself a quick pedicure while travelling on the subway. Shamed: This woman was caught cutting her toenails on a public train in China, pictures were posted online in China, with many users outraged at her behaviour According to the report, the woman was on the Shanghai Metro Line 12, surrounded by disgusted fellow travellers when she openly cut her toenails. After the photos were published on social media, many people commented on the pictures, outraged with her behavior and lack of consideration for other passengers. One woman named 'NEMO,' claimed to be travelling inside the train with the woman when she was cutting her toenails. She wrote: 'I saw a woman take off her shoes and socks, then she grabbed some scissors and started cutting her toenails, ignoring the other passengers.' A user called 'Yi Ran Wei Xiao Zou Guo' posted on Chinese social media website Weibo: 'What can be more gross than this?' Another Weibo user 'Zhu Lin Lian Yu' said: 'This reminds me that I often see people putting bare feet up the chairs on trains and buses, especially in summer.' Disgusting: She was on the Shanghai Metro Line 12, surrounded by disgusted fellow travellers when she openly cut her toenails The woman allegedly cut her nails for several minutes until she was satisfied. She then put her shoes and socks back on and sat down as if nothing was wrong. When it comes to travelling, Chinese passengers are becoming notorious for their bad behavior on public transport. Earlier this month, a woman who was so determined to travel with a duck she was carrying, she slaughtered it at the security check at Chengdu East Railway Station, shocking fellow passengers. A human hankering for eggs may have led to the extinction of a giant dodo-like bird in Australia almost 50,000 years ago. Scientists have revealed that early humans developed a taste for roasting its huge eggs on their campfires, leading to the bird's demise. The gigantic 500lb (227kg) flightless bird, known as Genyornis newtoni, stood 7ft (2 metres) tall and laid eggs roughly the size of a cantaloupe melon weighing 3.5lbs - heavier than an ostrich egg. A large flightless bird, known as Genyornis newtoni (illustrated), laid eggs roughly the size of a cantaloupe melon weighing 3.5lbs. Researchers believe the bird, which roamed the Outback the same time as megafauna including giant lizards and kangaroos, was helped towards extinction by humans eating its eggs Now, for the first time, researchers have found the first direct evidence our ancestors played in wiping them out. The giant birds would have roamed the continent with a host of other extinct giants, including a 1,000 lb kangaroo, a two-tonne wombat, and a tortoise the size of a small car. A TASTE FOR ROASTED EGGS Genyornis newtoni was a gigantic flightless bird with tasty melon-sized eggs Genyornis newtoni was a gigantic flightless bird weighing 500lb (227kg) that stood 7ft (2 metres) tall. Its eggs were equally huge, believed to be the size of a cantaloupe melon and weighing 3.5lbs. Its demise coincides with the human colonisation of Australia, between 40,000 to 60,000 years ago. Advertisement Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder examined fragments of burnt egg shells to show humans were collecting and cooking the eggs, which would have caused numbers to plummet. Ancient humans are thought to have reached Australia between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago. They're arrival coincided with the extinction of the majority of large species, more than 100lbs. 'We consider this the first and only secure evidence that humans were directly preying on now-extinct Australian megafauna,' explained Professor Gifford Miller, a researcher in geological sciences at Boulder and lead author of the study. 'We have documented these characteristically burned Genyornis eggshells at more than 200 sites across the continent.' The egg fragments were found at 2,000 sites, primarily at sand dunes where the ancient birds nested, and none were found to be younger than about 45,000 years old. Analysis confirmed the burnt shell fragments from more than 200 sites were caused by very hot campfires rather than wild fires and were no younger than about 47,000 years old. Professor Miller added: 'We can't come up with a scenario that a wildfire could produce those tremendous gradients in heat. 'We instead argue that the conditions are consistent with early humans harvesting Genyornis eggs, cooking them over fires, and then randomly discarding the eggshell fragments in and around their cooking fires.' Scientists have debated whether climate change or human hunting lead to the demise of ancient megafauna in Australia and on other continents, including North America. Analysis of burnt eggshell fragments (selection pictured) indicates that ancient humans were cooking the bird's eggs, rather than them being wiped out by wildfires The gigantic Genyornis newtoni was like a cross between the stocky extinct dodo of Mauritius (left) and the emu (right), which still lives in Australia today DETERMINING THE BIRD'S DEMISE Researchers found egg fragments at 2,000 sites, none of which were found to be younger than 45,000 years old. Analysis confirmed the burnt shell fragments from more than 200 sites were caused by very hot camp-fires rather than wild fires and were no younger than about 47,000 years old. This indicates ancient humans were cooking the bird's eggs, rather than them being wiped out by wildfires. Although Australia suffered from continental drying from about 60,000 to 40,000 years ago, it is unlikely that it was strong enough to wipe out the bird and other megafauna, such as giant kangaroos and turtles the size of a car. Advertisement Professor Miller added that although Australia suffered continental drying from about 60,000 to 40,000 years ago, it likely wasn't strong enough to wipe out the megafauna. He argued that humans arriving on the northern coast on rafts from Indonesian islands several hundred miles away were to blame. 'We will never know the exact time window humans arrived on the continent,' continued Professor Miller. 'But there is reliable evidence they were widely dispersed across the continent before 47,000 years ago.' Finding evidence of hunting in Australia is difficult as its megafauna are much older than New World megafauna and fossil bones are easily destroyed by the chemistry of Australian soils. He added: 'In the Americas, early human predation on the giant animals in clear - stone spear heads are found embedded in mammoth bones, for example. 'The lack of clear evidence regarding human predation on the Australia megafauna had, until now, been used to suggest no human-megafauna interactions occurred, despite evidence that most of the giant animals still roamed Australia when humans colonised the continent.' Google is the latest tech giant to begin testing ways to beam the internet across towns, cities and into people's homes using drones. Facebook is already working on a drone-powered network and now files have revealed Google has launched a similar project in New Mexico. Several prototype receivers were installed at Spaceport America during the summer, along with a flight control centre, as part of a secretive project dubbed SkyBender. Scroll down for video Google is the latest tech giant to begin testing ways to beam the internet across towns, cities and into people's homes using drones. According to the documents, Project SkyBender is using drones, like those produced by Google's Titan (illustrated) to test what's known as millimetre-wave radio transmissions The files were obtained by The Guardian. According to the documents, Project SkyBender is using drones to test what's known as millimetre-wave radio transmissions. High frequency waves can send large amounts of data quickly and can be up to 40 times faster than current 4G LTE speeds. However, the transmissions only work over short distances, typically a tenth of the distance of existing 4G phone signals. CREATING A SUPERFAST NETWORK According to the documents, Project SkyBender is using drones to test what's known as millimetre-wave radio transmissions. High frequency waves can send large amounts of data quickly and can be 40 times faster than current 4G LTE speeds. Mobile networks, including Nokia, are also testing the technology. Nokia Networks recently teamed up with National Instruments (NI) to build 'the fastest cellular technology ever tested'. It sends the data over a frequency of 73,000 MHz, also known as 73GHz. At a summit in Boston, Nokia Networks demonstrated its system can deliver speeds of up to 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps). This is 40 times faster than the current maximum speeds achievable on 4G and means full-length HD films could be downloaded in the blink of an eye. Such speeds could also pave the way for next-generation video and pictures including 8K which is twice as clear as 4K and 16 times as clear as HD. Advertisement According to Mark Harris at The Guardian: 'To get millimetre wave working from a high-flying drone, Google needs to experiment with focused transmissions from a so-called phased array.' A phased array is an antenna fitted with multiple elements that radiate the signal. Mobile networks, including Nokia, are also testing millimetre-wave technology. Google's solar-powered drones could be sent to rural areas, for example, to increase coverage, or boost web speeds for mobile users in towns and cities. The files continued that the SkyBender system is being tested using drones made by Google Titan as well as aircraft from a company called Centaur. Google bought Titan Aerospace in April 2014 and the firm specialises in high-altitude drones. Facebook is working on similar technology, which uses a solar-powered drone with the wingspan of a Boeing 737. Last year, engineers unveiled a drone with a 140ft (43 metre) wingspan that weighs less than 1,000 pounds. It uses lasers to send internet signals to stations on the ground. The drones hover between 60,000ft (18,300 metres) and 90,000ft (27,400 metres), above the altitude of commercial airplanes, so they are not affected by problematic weather. In particular, during the day they will float at the higher altitudes, and will drift down to lower altitudes during the night to conserve energy. Several prototype receivers were installed at Spaceport America (pictured) during the summer as part of the secretive project. High frequency waves can send large amounts of data quickly and can be 40 times faster than current 4G LTE speeds These solar-powered drones could be sent to rural areas, for example, to increase coverage, or boost web speeds for mobile users in towns and cities. The files continued the SkyBender system is being tested with aircraft from a company called Centaur (example pictured) Google is also attempting to connect even the most remote areas of the world with web-enabled balloons. Under its Project Loon initiative, Google last year unveiled plans for a 'ring' of 300 floating hotspots that would create a 'continuous string around the world' that can provide web access even if one balloon moves in the wind. Speaking to Leo Kelion at the BBC, Mike Cassidy, vice-president of Project Loon said: 'We hope to build our first continuous ring around the world, and to have some sort of continuous coverage for certain regions. Facebook is working on similar technology, which uses a solar-powered drone with the wingspan of a Boeing 737 (pictured). Last year, engineers unveiled a drone with a 140ft (43 metre) wingspan that weighs less than 1,000 pounds. It uses lasers to send internet signals to stations on the ground Google is also attempting to connect even the most remote areas of the world with web-enabled balloons. Under its Project Loon initiative, it last year unveiled plans for a 'ring' of 300 floating hotspots (example pictured) that would create a 'continuous string around the world' 'And if all goes well after, then after that we will start rolling out our first beta commercial customers.' Project Loon is a network of balloons travelling on the edge of space, designed to connect people to the internet in remote parts of the world. Two years ago in June, Google launched 30 balloons into the stratosphere from New Zealand. These balloons floated at altitudes up to 15.5 miles (25km) and travelled as fast as 200mph (324 km/h). Project Loon is a network of balloons travelling on the edge of space, designed to connect people to the internet in remote parts of the world. The balloons travel approximately 12 miles (20km) above the Earth's surface and are made from sheets of plastic 49ft (15 metres) wide and 40ft (12 metres) tall when inflated The balloons harness power from card table-sized solar panels (pictured) that dangle below them, and they can gather enough charge in four hours to power them for a day. Each balloon can provide connectivity to a ground area of around 25 miles (40km) in diameter using LTE, also referred to as 4G, technology In February 2014, the record streak for a balloon lasting in the stratosphere was 50 days. By March 2015, the record was 187 days. In a blog post announcing the Indonesian trial, Mr Cassidy continued: 'Starting next year, the top three mobile network operators in Indonesia will begin testing Project Loon balloon-powered Internet. 'Over the next few years, were hoping that Loon will help put high-speed LTE Internet connections within reach of more than 100 million Indonesians, giving them access to the limitless educational, cultural, and economic opportunities of the internet.' WHAT IS PROJECT LOON AND HOW DO THE BALLOONS WORK? Project Loon is a network of balloons travelling on the edge of space, designed to connect people to the internet in remote parts of the world. The balloons travel approximately 12 miles (20km) above the Earth's surface in the stratosphere. Winds in the stratosphere are stratified, and each layer of wind varies in speed and direction, so Project Loon uses software algorithms to determine where its balloons need to go. It then moves each one into a layer of wind blowing in the right direction. By moving with the wind, the balloons can be arranged to form one large communications network. Winds in the stratosphere are stratified, and each layer of wind varies in speed and direction, so Project Loon uses algorithms to determine where its balloons need to go. It then moves each one into a layer of wind blowing in the right direction (illustrated) The inflatable part of the balloon is called a balloon envelope made from sheets of polyethylene plastic that are 49ft (15 metres) wide and 40ft (12 metres) tall when inflated. The balloons harness power from card table-sized solar panels that dangle below them, and they can gather enough charge in four hours to power them for a day. Each balloon can provide connectivity to a ground area of around 25 miles (40km) in diameter using LTE, also referred to as 4G, technology. Project Loon is partnering with telecommunications companies and mobile networks to share cellular spectrum. Ground stations with internet capabilities around 60 miles (100km) apart bounce signals up to the balloons. The signals can then hop, from one balloon to the next, along a backbone of up to five balloons. Advertisement He described Loon balloons as 'floating cell phone towers in the sky', flying on the winds at altitudes twice as high as commercial planes. To plot the positions of its balloons, Alphabet uses data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to predict weather patterns and improve the balloon's ability to navigate winds. They are selecting for specific genetic traits in order to breed animals which resemble the quagga as closely as possible But scientists are using a selective breeding programme to bring it back from South Africa in the 1880s due to over-hunting The quagga is an extinct, less-stripy cousin of the African plains zebra Galloping around on the plains of South Africa is a small population of animals that has not been seen for more than a century. Called the quagga, the animal is related to the zebra and was hunted to extinction by European settlers at the end of 1800s. Using selective breeding, scientists have bred animals that are almost genetically identical to the extinct species, and are attempting to reintroduce them to its once natural habitat. Quaggas (pictured) are related to the zebra but were hunted to extinction by European settlers at the end of 1800s. By identifying zebras that most closely genetically resemble their cousins, a team from Cape Town University has selectively bred animals to enhance these characteristics The quagga is a sub-species of zebra, and like its cousin, looks like a small stripey horse. However, it has noticeable fewer stripes on the back half of its body, along with a brown tinge to its fur. The last known specimen was shot in 1883, but scientists at Cape Town University have been running a breeding programme to try to resurrect the species and return it to the South African plains. BRINGING BACK THE QUAGGA The quagga is a sub-species of zebra. Like its cousin, looks like a small stripey horse, but it has fewer stripes on the back half of its body, along with a brown tinge to its fur. The last known specimen was shot in 1883. Scientists at Cape Town University have been running a breeding programme to try to resurrect the species and return it to the South African plains. By identifying zebras which most closely resemble quaggas, the project has selectively bred for these characteristics. In each successive generation, the quagga genes become more concentrated, getting closer to the extinct animal. Over five generations, the team has seen a reduction in the stripy patterns on the animals, and more of the typical quagga traits showing through. However, it is likely this approach, using selective breeding to make the quagga genes more concentrated, will not capture all of the genes which may have given the animals an adaptive advantage in their environment. But the new population of animals are not significantly different from the original samples. Advertisement According to CNN's Inside Africa, the team used selective breeding as a means to recreate animals as close as possible to the quagga. Using genetic analysis of 23 preserved skins, the researchers identified the genes that made the animals distinctly different from zebras. Most of the genes have survived in closely related populations of zebras, although the team found that the quagga genes are 'diluted' in the general zebra population. By identifying zebras that most closely resemble quaggas, the project selectively bred animals to enhance these characteristics. In each successive generation of the animals, the quagga genes became more concentrated, getting closer to the extinct animal. The project leaders explained: 'By bringing selected individuals together, and so concentrating the quagga genes, a population should emerge that will be closer to the original quagga population than any other extant Plains Zebra.' Over five generations, the team has seen a reduction in the stripey patterns on the animals, and more of the typical quagga traits showing through. Of the program's 100 or so animals, just six are classified as 'Rau quaggas' - the closest thing to the extinct quagga. They have been named after founder of the project, Reinhold Rau. But the goal is to eventually produce a population where half of the individuals are Rau quaggas, said the team. It may not be possible to breed an 'full' quagga though. Using genetic analysis of 23 preserved skins, the researchers identified the genes which made quaggas different from zebras. Most of the genes have survived in closely related populations of zebras, with the quagga genes 'diluted' in the general population. These were bred to make more quagga-like animals (pictured) The project has selectively bred for these characteristics, with each successive generation of the animals the quagga genes become more concentrated, getting closer to the extinct animal (pictured is current generation) Professor Eric Harley, a geneticist at Cape Town University, explained that the project produces quagga-like animals, and that it is possible they may not have some of the genetic adaptations of the extinct population. It is likely that this approach, using selective breeding to make the quagga genes more concentrated in an individual, will not capture all of the genes which may have given the animals an adaptive advantage in their environment. However, Professor Harley added that genetically, the new population of animals are not significantly different from the original samples. Of the program's 100 or so animals, just six are classified as 'Rau quaggas' the closest thing to the extinct quagga, and named after founder of the project, Reinhold Rau (pictured). The goal of the project is to eventually produce a population where half of the individuals can be classified as Rau quaggas Researchers are also trying to reintroduce the Arabian oryx (pictured) to the wild from a population of captive animals after the animals were wiped out in the 1990s. The project mirrors that of 1980s project to re-establish the Arabian oryx in Oman, which has since been reclassified from extinct to 'vulnerable' Critics of the project believe that resources would be better targeted on saving species which are alive today and which desperately need interventions to save them from the brink of extinction. But Professor Harley defended the plans, saying: 'If we get animals which everybody agrees look exactly like the quagga, then indeed we can say that the quagga was never really extinct.' The quagga is just one of a number of animals that researchers are using breeding programmes to try to rescue animals from the jaws of extinction. A few thousand miles to the north, in Chad, researchers are reintroducing the Arabian oryx to the wild from a population of captive animals after the animals were wiped out in the 1990s. In March, 25 animals will be flown Abu Dhabi and released in a reserve in Chad as part of a long-term project to reintroduce 500 of the animals. The project mirrors that of 1980s project to re-establish the Arabian Oryx in Oman, which has since been reclassified from extinct to 'vulnerable' - a marked improvement and a win for conservationists. The days of ramps, elevators and stairlifts could soon be numbered. French engineers have invented a wheelchair that's capable of scaling steps in a matter of minutes thanks to fold-out caterpillar tracks tucked behind its standard wheels. Called the TopChair-S, the machine travels at speeds of up to 6mph (10 km/h) and can switch between a standard chair and 'tank-like' machine at the press of a button. Scroll down for video French engineers have invented a wheelchair (pictured) that's capable of scaling steps in minutes, thanks to fold-out caterpillar tracks tucked behind its standard wheels. Called the TopChair-S, the machine travels at speeds of up to 6mph (10 km/h) and can switch between a standard chair and 'tank-like' machine easily The TopChair-S gives wheelchair users more freedom to reach inaccessible places and it can climb a flight of stairs 12 steps in just two minutes. HOW THE 'TANK CHAIR' WORKS Called the TopChair-S, the machine travels at speeds of up to 6mph (10 km/h) and can switch between a standard chair and 'tank-like' machine at the press of a button. The wheels on the bottom of the chair fold up when its ready to ascend the stairs, before a 'tank-like' caterpillar track emerges. This has been designed to have enough traction to grip the steps with its rugged tread. The wheels can be lowered again once the wheelchair is on a flat surface, so a user can travel along more quickly. Users have to reverse up a flight of stairs and the chair adjusts to its occupant level. The machine gives wheelchair users more freedom to reach inaccessible places and it can climb a flight of stairs 12 steps in just two minutes. Advertisement Users have to reverse up a flight of stairs and the chair adjusts to its occupant level. The advantage of going backwards is that it gives the person in the chair more legroom and means they don't have to be tipped backwards. The wheels on the bottom of the chair fold up when its ready to ascend the stairs, before a 'tank-like' caterpillar track emerges. This has been designed to have enough traction to grip the steps with its rugged tread. The wheels can be lowered again once the wheelchair is on a flat surface, so a user can travel along more quickly. While the TopChair-S is not the first wheelchair to be developed that can climb steps, it is among the first to go on general sale, available to buy for 11,460 ($16,368). Each chair comes with an adjustable joystick and an LCD screen to let users control various functions. Power is provided by two 60-A/h batteries, allowing the chair to travel for 22 to 28 miles (35 to 45 km) at a speed of 6mph (10km/h) before needing to be recharged. Two 400-watt motors drive the tracks, while two 350-watt motors power the wheels. The wheels on the bottom of the chair (pictured) fold up when its ready to ascend the stairs, before a 'tank-like' caterpillar track emerges. This has been designed to have enough traction to grip the steps with its tread The wheels (pictured) can be lowered again once the wheelchair is on a flat surface, so a user can travel along more quickly. Users have to reverse up a flight of stairs and the chair adjusts to its occupant level. The machine gives wheelchair users more freedom and it can climb a flight of stairs 12 steps in just two minutes The machine does have its limits, however. It can only climb 'straight stairs' and the maximum height of steps is 7.9-inches (20cm) with a maximum angle of 33 degrees. However, it could bring an end to wheelchair users' reliance on disabled ramps. Chief operating officer of TopChair, Damien Picarougne, 33, said he wanted to incorporate two existing products to create the ultimate wheelchair. Mr Picarougne, from Toulouse, said: 'The inspiration was to mix two existing products on the market into one product - the power wheelchair and the stair climber. 'The wheelchair can now bring an end to wheelchair user's reliance on disabled ramps. Power is provided by two 60-A/h batteries, allowing the chair to travel from 22 to 28 miles (35 to 45 km) at a speed of 6mph (10km/h) before recharging. The wheelchair is shown on a flat surface, above The machine (pictured) does have its limits, however. It can only climb 'straight stairs' and the maximum height of steps is 7.9 inches (20cm) with a maximum angle of 33 degrees 'It could mean disabled people can go to non-accessible places or to come back to area they couldn't go before, such as a church, museums and city centres. 'For some, it means they can go out because they had stairs to go down. 'The purpose of the TopChair-S is to drive everywhere without any barriers and any assistance.' Elsewhere, each chair comes with an adjustable joystick and an LCD screen (pictured) to let users control it. While the TopChair-S is not the first wheelchair to be developed that can climb steps, it is among the first to go on general sale, available to buy for 11,460 ($16,368) Dogs may have evolved behaviour to avoid conflict and appease owners They found dogs have a tendency to avoid eye contact with angry people When it comes to being scolded by their owners, dogs have developed a novel way to deal with our temper tantrums - avoiding eye contact. By tracking how dogs study faces, researchers have found canines may have learned this technique to appease and avoid conflict with their angry masters. The experts believe this behaviour has evolved as dogs became domesticated, and it reveals that the animals' 'social gazing' resembles our own. When it comes to being scolded by their owners, dogs have developed a novel way to deal with our temper tantrums - avoiding eye contact. By tracking how dogs study faces, researchers have found canines may have evolved this technique to appease and avoid conflict with their angry masters (stock image) In particular, like humans, canines can read facial expressions systematically and prefer to obtain social clues for a person's eyes. For the study, scientists at the University of Helsinki trained 31 dogs of 13 species to sit in front of a video screen without any human interaction. They used eye-gaze tracking to demonstrate how dogs view the emotional expressions of fellow canines, as well as human facial expressions. The captivated canines were shown images of threatening, pleasant and neutral expressions of dogs and humans that flashed up for 1.5 seconds. The researchers found that the dogs typically looked first at eyes and studied them longer than the nose or mouth areas. Scientists at the University of Helsinki showed 31 dogs imaged of threatening, pleasant and neutral expressions of dogs and humans (examples shown) on a screen to track their gaze. This image reveals where the dogs in the study spent the most time looking while studying the faces of both canines and humans The researchers believe the dogs may have developed a sensitivity to detect and avoid threats in order to keep themselves safe. They do this by looking away or dropping their heads (illustrated with a stock image) HOW DOGS REACT TO ANGER For the study, scientists at the University of Helsinki trained 31 dogs of 13 species to sit in front of a video screen without any human interaction. They used eye-gaze tracking to demonstrate how dogs view the emotional expressions of fellow canines, as well as human facial expressions. While the dogs appeared to analyse the whole face, certain characteristics of expressions attracted their attention, such as the mouths of threatening dogs. Threatening faces evoke what's known as 'attentional bias'. This is the idea that we pay more attention to certain stimuli and ignore others. Experts believe this bias, or tunnel vision, may have evolved to protect us from threats - and the same seems to be true of dogs. Advertisement While the dogs appeared to analyse the whole face, certain characteristics of expressions attracted their attention, such as the mouths of threatening dogs. Threatening faces evoke what's known as 'attentional bias'. This is the idea that we pay more attention to certain stimuli and ignore others. Experts believe this bias, or tunnel vision, may have evolved to protect us from threats - and the same seems to be true of dogs. The researchers believe the dogs may have developed a sensitivity to detect and avoid threats in order to keep themselves safe. Interestingly, the dogs' viewing behaviours depended on whether they were looking at fellow dogs or humans. Dogs tended to look away or spent less time studying the faces of angry people compared to the faces of threatening dogs. 'The tolerant behaviour strategy of dogs toward humans may partially explain the results, said researcher Sanni Somppi from the University of Helsinki. 'Domestication may have equipped dogs with a sensitivity to detect the threat signals of humans and respond them with pronounced appeasement signals. The study was recently published in the science journal Plos One. A previous study found that dogs can not only recognise emotions in each other (a basset hound is pictured) but they are also able to detect the mood of humans they have never met before from their facial expression and the tone of voice DOGS CAN 'CATCH' EMOTIONS Scientists believe they have unravelled just how dogs seem able to show empathy. It is because they are able to rapidly mimic or 'catch' emotions, research suggests. In humans, it has been shown that when experiencing empathy, humans tend to mirror or mimic the emotional expression of the person they are engaging with. Now researchers led by Elisabetta Palagi, of the University of Pisa have found that dogs possess a key 'building-block of empathy' - being able to mimic emotional behaviour in other dogs. In research carried out in a park in Palermo, Italy, the researchers recorded 49 dogs engaged in play. The owners of the dogs were interviewed as to how well the dogs knew the dogs they were playing with whether friends, acquaintance, or strangers, and the dogs were observed as they socialised. In tests of two key playful behaviours, dogs were found to rapidly copy each other. The two behaviours studied were a 'play bow' bowing down, with front legs outstretched and 'relaxed open mouth' which Dr Palagi said means 'I'm in a positive mood, I'd like to continue playing'. The mimicry which would happen within a second of the other dog displaying it - happened more often when the dogs were well known to each other. The authors write Royal Society journal Open Science: 'Our findings reveal that rapid mimicry occurs not only in humans and other primate species but also in dogs under the playful context.' Advertisement A recent study by the University of Lincoln, showed dogs are the only creatures to equal the ability of people to 'tune into' another species. Vet Professor Daniel Mills, who led the study, sat 17 pet dogs in front of a screen and flashed up two images of the face of another dog - one in which it looked playful and one in which appeared angry. He also played a tape of a dog barking and watched to see which of the two images the pets were drawn to. He found that when the barking sounded happy and excited, the dogs spent longer looking at the happy faces. But when they heard growls, they focused on the angry faces. However, if the barking was neither light-hearted nor threatening, they spent the same amount of time looking at each picture. The behaviour, said Professor Mills, shows that they were combining what they could see and hear to evaluate the mood of the dog in the picture. When the dogs were shown pictures of people accompanied by tapes of speech, a similar result was seen, although the pets were less interested in the human faces. Dogs have been shown to be able to tell happy faces from sad ones before. But it was not clear if they had simply been trained to tell the two apart without understanding what they were seeing. The pets used in this study had not seen the dogs or people in the pictures before and did not receive any training on the task. Professor Mills said: 'It has been a long-standing debate whether dogs can recognise human emotions. 'Many dog owners report anecdotally that their pets seem highly sensitive to the moods of human family members. 'However, there is an important difference between learning to respond appropriately to an angry voice, and recognising a range of very different cues that go together to indicate emotional arousal in another. 'Our findings are the first to show that dogs truly recognise emotions in humans and other dogs.' Dogs were shown a series of images of a human face of someone they had never met before along with the sound of their voice displaying two different emotions (images and frequency of voice pictured) Researchers also showed the dogs pictures of other canines (pictured) and played them the sound of angry or playful barks. They found the dogs tended to look longer at the image that corresponded with the barking Writing in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, the researchers said the ability is likely to be instinctive and has been magnified by thousands of years of domestication. The team has previously shown that dogs use the same trick as people when looking at human faces. Called 'left gaze bias', it involves focusing on the more expressive right-hand side of the face. Most people are familiar with the effect the moon has on the Earth's oceans, causing high and low tides on a daily basis. Now scientists have found evidence that Earth's natural satellite has a similar effect on the atmosphere - and it even plays a role in how much rainfall we get. This is because the moon's gravity pulls the atmosphere, which changes atmospheric pressure and controls how much water can be retained in the air. Scientists have found evidence that the moon and its phases play a role in how much rainfall Earth receives. This is because the moon's gravity pulls the atmosphere, which changes atmospheric pressure and controls how much water can be retained in the air For example, when the moon is high in the sky, its gravity pulls the atmosphere into a bulge - just as it does with the oceans. This bulge leads to higher atmospheric pressure, an effect first noticed as long ago as 1847. By 1932 scientists had also measured a slight rise in air temperature coinciding with the position of the moon in the sky. HOW THE MOON AFFECTS TIDES As Earth rotates, the moon's gravity pulls on the planet. When it pulls on the water in the oceans, it bulges towards the moon which causes it to flow in tidal waves that we see on the coasts. The ocean also bulges out on the side of Earth opposite the moon. While the water closest to the moon is being pulled, the water farthest from the moon is staying still. Both sides are experiencing gravity and inertia, but one always overpowers the other. On the side by the moon, gravity wins, while on the side, inertia wins. These two bulges explain why in one day, there are two high tides and two low tides. Advertisement More recently, however, researchers from the University of Washington used a grid of sensors to show that air pressure at the surface also varies with the phases of the moon. 'When the moon is overhead or underfoot, the air pressure is higher,' said Tsubasa Kohyama, a doctoral student at the university. The findings were made by Mr Kohyama and Professor John Wallace who studied 15 years of data collected by Nasa and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. They were able to match the steady cycle of changes in lunar gravity to the observed variation in rainfall. Their explanation is that the atmospheric bulge creates higher pressure, which in turn causes slightly higher temperatures. Because warmer air can absorb more water, the atmosphere holds more moisture and so a little less falls on the ground as rain. However, the change amounts to just 0.78 micrometres less than a thousandth of a millimetre of rainfall per hour. 'No one should carry an umbrella just because the moon is rising,' Kohyama quipped. The atmospheric bulge creates higher pressure, which in turn causes slightly higher temperatures. Because warmer air can absorb more water, the atmosphere holds more moisture and so a little less falls on the ground as rain. However, the change amounts to just 0.78 micrometres of rainfall per hour (illustrated bottom) This double-bulge is the same phenomenon seen in the oceans, where high tide coincides with the moon being directly overhead or over the exact opposite side of the planet (stock image). The researchers are the first to show that the position of the moon also affects the amount of rainfall This double-bulge is the same phenomenon seen in the oceans, where high tide coincides with the moon being directly overhead or over the exact opposite side of the planet. The researchers are the first to show that the position of the moon also affects the amount of rainfall. Writing in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, they report that the effect may be small, but it's measurable. Advertisement The Chinese space agency has made its library of high-resolution images of the moon available to the public for the first time. Hundreds of images released this week show the incredibly uneventful, yet spectacular, lunar surface in detail and are some of the best pictures of the moon available. China National Space Administration (CNSA) lifted the veil of government secrecy to showcase the wealth of images and video clips captured by its Chang'e 3 lunar lander and Yutu rover. The Chinese space agency has made its library of high-resolution images of the moon available to the public for the first time.The Chang'e 3 lander and Yutu 'Jade rabbit' rover touched down on the lunar surface in December 2013. Pictured is Chang'e snapped by Yutu's camera Chang'e touched down on the lunar surface in December 2013, and was the first craft to soft land on moon in almost 40 years. Along with its Yutu 'Jade Rabbit' rover it has amassed a wealth of information, despite the rover grinding to a halt within weeks on the surface. The suite of images show the fine lunar dust, which makes operating on the surface so difficult. The powder-fine rock dust gets everywhere and can clog instruments and can even become charged with thousands of volts of static electricity. A release of this volume of images and data is uncommon for the agency, unlike its European, US and even Japanese counterparts, which regularly release data. While the CNSA website is difficult to navigate - not to mention entirely in Chinese - the US Planetary Society has reposted the images from both Yutu and Chang'e 3 in accessible formats. Time to make tracks:The Yutu 'Jade rabbit' is seen moving away from the Chang'e 3 lander over the moon's featureless, rock-strewn surface Writing on her blog for the Planetary Society, Emily Lakdawalla said: 'So far, the data center contains 797 unique observations from TCAM, and 578 for PCAM. CHANG'E 3 AND YUTU Chang'e touched down on the lunar surface in December 2013. Along with its Yutu 'Jade Rabbit' rover it has amassed a wealth of information, despite the rover grinding to a halt within weeks on the surface. The newly released suite of images show the fine lunar dust, which makes operating on the surface so difficult, as well as boulders littering the moon's surface. Advertisement 'For both cameras, both the earliest and the last image data are not yet in the public archive. 'In particular, the initial PCAM 6-frame mosaic of the lander is not in the database, and the final TCAM images of Earth are also not in the database. 'So there are more goodies to look forward to.' The Jade rabbit is still hanging in there, despite being unable to move and its solar panel for thermal insulation packing up - leaving it prone to the bitterly cold lunar nights. CNSA is planning a follow-up mission, Chang'e 4, which aims to put a lander on the dark side of the moon. If successful, the mission could eventually lead to the placement of a radio telescope on the moon for use by astronomers. The plans were revealed in September by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' moon exploration department, which shared the plans with state broadcaster CCTV. A spokesperson for the CAS explained that the far side of the moon has a clean electromagnetic environment, making it an ideal location for sensitive instruments and low frequency radio for long distance communications. Run rabbit run: The little rover snakes its way across the lunar environment, with the blackness of space above The CNSA's Chang'e 3 lander snaps pictures of the shallow tracks left by the wheels of its Yutu rover in the fine lunar soil The images show the moon's surface is far from smooth, but is instead littered with pebbles, rocks and boulders Shadow of the Jade rabbit: The rover captures an image of its shadow on the dusty surface. The powder-fine rock dust gets everywhere, clogging instruments and can even become charged with thousands of volts of static electricity Rock field: Images from the rover show the moon's surface littered with rocks, likely remnants of meteorite collisions Along with the pebbles are larger boulders, caked in the same powdery rock dust which covers the lunar surface The sun's magnetic field is responsible for everything from auroras on Earth to the radiation that hits spacecraft Now, Nasa has created the first-ever simulation to show how this invisible magnetic field behaves. By combining measurements of the strength, direction on the solar surface and computer simulations, researchers were able to capture the loops and cyclones on the surface. The space agency believes that understanding what drives the sun's magnetic system could help future deep space exploration. Scroll down for video Now, Nasa has created the first-ever simulation to show how this invisible magnetic field behaves. By combining measurements of the strength, direction on the solar surface and computer simulations, researchers were able to capture the loops and cyclones on the surface. 'Getting a handle on what drives that magnetic system is crucial for understanding the nature of space throughout the solar system,' Nasa said. 'We're not sure exactly where in the sun the magnetic field is created,' said Dean Pesnell, a space scientist at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. 'It could be close to the solar surface or deep inside the sun or over a wide range of depths.' In order for Nasa to observe these invisible fields, it first had to examine the material on the sun. Our sun is an enormous star consisting of plasma, a gas-like state of matter in which electrons and ions have separated, creating an extremely hot mix of charged particles. As these charged particles move, they create the magnetic field, which also effects the movement of the particles. This comparison shows the relative complexity of the solar magnetic field between January 2011 (left) and July 2014. In 2011, 3 years after solar minimum, the field is still relatively simple, with open field lines concentrated near the poles. In 2014, the structure is much more complex, with closed and open field lines The way plasma flows through the sun is an intricate system of cause and effect, as it is stirred up by the intense heat produced by nuclear fusion at the center of the sun. This entire system is known as solar dynamo. Researchers are able to observe the shape of the magnetic fields above the surface because they guide the motion of that plasma. The loops and towers of material in the corona, the aura of plasma that surrounds the sun, illuminate in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images. The footprints on the sun's surface, or photosphere, of these magnetic loops can be accurately measured using a magnetograph, which measures the strength and direction of magnetic fields. The next step in creating the model wascombining all of the observations with computer simulations that resemble solar material movement and magnetism. The sun's magnetic field is responsible for everything from the solar explosions that cause space weather on Earth such as auroras to the interplanetary magnetic field and radiation through which our spacecraft journeying around the solar system must travel Every time there is a solar eruption on the photosphere, activity slowly dies down. This process will continue until the sun hits a point known as the solar minimum and from there activity begins to increase again into a solar maximum, which happens about 11 years from the previous solar maximum For example, researchers used the Potential Field Source Surface (PFSS) model, which is shown in the video, to help them see how the sun's magnetic fields fluctuate around the enormous fireball. Researchers know they still have a lot to learn about the sun's magnetic field, including how it is generated and its structure deep inside the sun. But what they have been able to determine the solar magnetic system known to drive the 11-year activity cycle. Every time there is a solar eruption on the photosphere, activity slowly dies down. This process will continue until the sun hits a point known as the solar minimum and from there activity begins to increase again into a solar maximum, which happens about 11 years from the previous solar maximum. At solar maximum, the magnetic field has a very complicated shape with lots of small structures throughout these are the active regions we see,' said Pesnell. 'At solar minimum, the field is weaker and concentrated at the poles. It's a very smooth structure that doesn't form sunspots.' Robots can do all steps of farming expect for planting seeds A Japanese firm plans to grow 30,000 heads of lettuce a day with an entire staff of robots in 2017. By automating steps of the planting process, robots will 'chop personnel costs by about half and decrease energy expenses by one third'. Spread believes this move will also allow its group of human farmers to focus on developing sustainable farming methods and learn how to produce better quality vegetables. Scroll down for video Spread plans to grow 30,000 heads of lettuce a day by replacing its human farmers with robots in 2017. By automating every step of the planting process, the robots will 'chop personnel costs by about half and decrease energy expenses by one third' SPREAD'S ROBO-FACTORY Spread already produces 7.7 million heads of lettuce in its artificially-lit vegetable factory in Kameoka, and its Vegetus brand is sold in 2,000 stores around Japan. Construction of its Kizugawa factory is scheduled to start in spring next year and should be completed by the following summer. It will cover 51,665 square feet (4,800 sq metres) and cost up to 2 billion yen (10.8 million or $16.7 million). This includes the costs of researching and developing the machinery. Although Spread hopes to automate every process, human farmers are still need to confirm germination, and the robo-farmers can't yet successfully carry out the seeding process because the seedlings are so fragile. Advertisement The futuristic factory will be built at Kansai Science City in Kizugawa, Kyoto Japan by the middle of 2017 and will be an upgrade to Spread's existing indoor farm, the Kameoka Plant. The plant currently produces 21,000 heads of lettuce a day using a small human staff. The farm, measuring about 4,400 square metres (47,300 square feet), will have floor-to-ceiling shelves where the produce is grown. 'Seed planting will still be done by people, but the rest of the process, including harvesting, will be done (by industrial robots),' company official Koji Morisada told AFP. The move to robot labour would chop personnel costs by about half and knock energy expenses down by nearly one third, Morisada added. The pesticide-free lettuce will also have more beta carotene than other farm-grown lettuce, the company said. Spread uses vertical farming, which is a method of urban agriculture that grows produce in vertical stacks indoors and uses LED light. Not only does this technique increase production, but it also reduces waste and eliminates runoff from toxic chemicals such as pesticides. The pesticide-free lettuce will also have more beta carotene than other farm-grown lettuce, the company said. Spread is developing sensors that will produce data about how certain types of crops grow on the urban farm. Construction of the Kizugawa factory (illustrated) is scheduled to being in spring next year and should be completed by the following summer, with shipments beginning in the second half of 2017. It will cover 51,665 sq ft (4,800 sq metres) and cost up to 2 billion yen (10.8 million or $16.7 million) WHY VERTICAL FARMING? Decreases Agricultural Runoff Allows farms to grow crops year round and in most environments Resilient to climate change Uses up to 98 % less water compared to open field agriculture Local food really is local food, as people do not have to travel long distances for home grown vegetables Helps repair the damage that has been done to the ecosystem Promotes restoration of damaged ecosystems Higher yields and faster growth rates Source: Association for Vertical Farming Advertisement This technology will alert the human workers if the crop doesn't grow properly and they can adjust the technique. Although Spread is eliminating some human jobs, the firm noted its human framer's will have more time to focus on investigating and developing sustainable farming methods and learn what techniques work to produce better quality produce. Construction of its Kizugawa factory is scheduled to being in spring next year and should be completed by the following summer, with shipments beginning in the second half of 2017. The entire farm will cover about 47,300 square feet with floor-to-ceiling shelves, which is where the produce will be grown. The farm, measuring about 4,400 square meters (47,300 square feet), will have floor-to-ceiling shelves where the produce is grown. It will cover 51,665 sq ft (4,800 sq metres) and cost up to 1.7 billion yen (10 million or $14. million) which includes the costs of researching and developing the machinery. Although Spread hopes to automate every process, human farmers are still currently needed to confirm germination. The robo-farmers can't yet successfully carry out the seeding process either, because the seedlings are so fragile Although Spread hopes to automate every process, human farmers are still currently needed to confirm germination. The robo-farmers can't yet successfully carry out the seeding process either, because the seedlings are so fragile. 'Seed planting will be done by people, but the rest of the process, including harvesting, will be done by industrial robots,' a spokesperson for the company. 'It will cut personnel costs by around half and knock energy expenses down by a third'. The firm's move for a complete robotic staff will reduce labor costs by 50 percent, energy by 30 percent and recycle 98 percent of water needed to to grow its crops. The pesticide-free lettuce will also have more beta carotene than other farm-grown lettuce In a press release last year, Spread said it 'will start the sequential shipment of goods from 2017 with the construction of the new factory' and plans to have a production system of 80,000 heads of lettuce per day. 'In addition, we will expand the scale of production to 500,000 heads of lettuce per day in five years and will continue to expand our Vegetable Factory business domestically and internationally,' the firm continued. Spread isn't the only firm developing vertical lettuce farms in Japan. Plant physiologist Shigeharu Shimamura recently set up an industrial-scale farm inside a factory in Japan. Spread isn't the only firm developing vertical lettuce farms in Japan. Plant physiologist Shigeharu Shimamura recently set up an industrial-scale farm inside a factory in Japan (pictured). It is nearly half the size of a football field (25,000 sq ft) and uses 17,500 LED lights spread over 18 cultivation racks, reaching 16 levels high Closely controlled using specially-designed LED lamps, the farm is nearly half the size of a football field (25,000 square feet) and is built in a former Sony Corporation semiconductor factory in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture. This farm uses 17,500 lights spread over 18 cultivation racks, reaching 16 levels high - and these lights are used to mimic day and night. A disabled passenger claims she was forced to crawl off a plane and onto the tarmac at Indias busiest airport after no one provided a wheelchair. Anita Ghai said she was left shocked and embarrassed by the way she was treated by Alliance Air, a regional carrier operated by Air India, at New Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport. The 53-year-old claims she had to crawl off the plane and onto a bus that took her to the terminal after she waited half an hour for a wheelchair that never arrived. Anita Ghai claims she had to crawl down the stairs and onto a bus that took her to a terminal (file photo) Ghai, who uses a wheelchair after suffering polio as a child, told DNA India she stayed behind after the other passengers had disembarked. She said: They [the flight attendants] told me that the wheelchair will come, but it did not. The door of the plane is narrow so I knew the chair could not be brought inside, but they did not even have an aisle chair. I cant stand as I have polio, so I crawled down the steps waiting for the chair. Ghai, a disability rights advocate and associate professor at Delhi University, said a wheelchair was provided once she reached the arrival hall after the bus ride. She said the incident occurred after she arrived in New Delhi from Dehradun on Saturday night. She said she told staff before arriving that she would need a wheelchair. MailOnline Travel has contacted Air India for comment. The 53-year-old associate professor said a wheelchair was provided when she reached the arrivals hall In a statement given to Indias national press, Air India denied the womans claims. The airline said: Since the flight was parked at a distant bay it took some time to bring the wheelchair. Since passengers were getting down from the aircraft, our support staff actively helped the passenger to come out of the aircraft ensuring any inconvenience and the wheelchair was provided at aircraft doorstep. We deeply regret any inconvenience caused to the passenger. However, we strongly deny the statement appearing in media. We at Air India give utmost importance to passenger safety and comfort. The perilous slopes in Alaska are so dangerous that they're hidden in a restricted area only Advertisement These incredible images show daredevil skiers and snowboarders hitting slopes that are so extreme they're only accessible by air. The fearless athletes fly down the snowy mountains, but it's not for the faint-hearted - the perilous slopes are in a restricted area, and the only way to get there is to be dropped off by a helicopter. Swiss film maker David Carlier captured the incredible photos of the death-defying skiers and boarders in chilly Alaska, which is a mecca for the world's best freeriders. The perilous slopes are located in a restricted area of Alaska and the only way to get there is to fly in by helicopter The fearless skiers and snowboarders fly down the snowy mountains in the US state. It's certainly not for the faint-hearted Swiss film maker David Carlier captured the incredible photos of some of the world's best freeriders at the skiing spot in Alaska Taking to the slopes in the images are Red Bull athletes Michelle Parker from the US and Markus Eder from Italy, alongside US skiers Tanner Rainville and James Heim. Speaking of the footage captured, David, 43, said: 'The skiers involved are among the world's best free riders. 'Alaska is known for having the best snow on earth, and also the best faces to ride - alongside very developed helicopter operations, meaning we can get there within an hour on the chopper. 'This particular snow sticks to the mountains, meaning there is very limited avalanche danger. Speaking of the location, Carlier said: 'Alaska is known for having the best snow on earth, and also the best faces to ride' Skiers and snowboarders can get to the slopes in Alaska within an hour on the helicopter Taking to the slopes in the images are Red Bull athletes Michelle Parker from the US and Markus Eder from Italy, alongside US skiers Tanner Rainville and James Heim This particular snow sticks to the mountains, meaning there is very limited avalanche danger, Carlier revealed Photographer David Carlier has to travel all year round to enable himself to follow the best action sports athletes 'We can ski steep faces in Alaska that we could never ride in Europe with the same angle - Alaska is the Mecca of free skiing. 'I train all year round to be able to follow the best action sports athletes in the world in their preferred playground. 'In this kind of extreme environment I have to be able to keep up and take care of myself, while carrying heavy, fragile equipment and thinking about the best angles.' In the harsh environment the photographer has to be able to keep up and take care of himself, while carrying heavy, fragile equipment and thinking about the best angles A male passenger was arrested by FBI agents after allegedly putting a fellow traveller in a chokehold during a flight. The man, who has not been identified, was travelling on board the Jetblue Flight 715 from Washington D.C. to Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday when he became violent. He was described as having been drunk when he boarded the flight and tried to provoke a fight even after he was restrained by fellow passengers. The unidentified man (circled, wearing a white shirt and standing in front of the FBI agent in black) was escorted off the plane at Jacksonville Kristy Wilbert, a passenger on the plane, told Action News Jax that the man was subdued by four passengers and restrained with zip ties by a flight attendant. After being moved to a different seat, he allegedly tried to start a fight with another passenger. She claimed: 'It didn't stop there. He got up and tried to get him to fight. The suspect was travelling on a Jetblue flight from Washington D.C. to Jacksonville, Florida, when he allegedly assaulted a fellow passenger 'He was just being a really drunk, rude, ignorant person.' A short clip shot by Ms Wilbert showed the man being escorted off the flight by two FBI agents while a plane full of passengers looked on. An official statement from the FBI confirmed the incident and the arrest. No one was injured as a result of the incident. The man is now in custody and awaiting federal charges while the case is under investigation. A Jetblue representative told MailOnline Travel: 'On January 31, a customer disagreement occurred on JetBlue flight 715 while en route from Washington to Jacksonville, FL. An inspirational letter from trailblazing US pilot Amelia Earhart to an aspiring teenage pilot has been sold for $15,000 (10,500). Written by Earhart in 1933, the previously unpublished letter was addressed to 13-year-old June Pierson, who had contacted the pioneering female pilot for advice on how to enter the aviation industry. In her reply Earhart offers Pierson advice on how to get into the aviation industry, telling her that 'women's opportunities in flying will improve'. Amelia Earhart, who was 36 at the time she penned the note, included specific details on physical exams and flying lessons in her letter to 13-year-old June Pierson The 86-year-old letter was put up for sale by a leading historical autograph dealer in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The Raab Collection sold the letter for a fixed price to an American aviatrix. In the piece Earhart writes to Pierson: 'It is very hard for me to advise you about taking up aviation as a vocation inasmuch as I do not know you. However, if you are really determined to fly, and are willing to make the sacrifices necessary, I should certainly not discourage you from the attempt.' The pilot, who was 36 at the time she penned the note, went on to include specific details on physical exams and flying lessons as well as advice on getting involved in secretarial work. Earhart was a US aviation pioneer born on July 24 1897, who disappeared on July 2 1937 WHO WAS AMELIA EARHART? Earhart was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic, which she did aged 34 in 1932 Amelia Earhart was a US aviation pioneer born on July 24 1897 who disappeared on July 2 1937. She was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic. At the age of 34, on May 20, 1932, she set off from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, with the latest copy of a local newspaper to confirm the date of the flight. She intended to fly to Paris in her single engine Lockheed Vega 5B to emulate Charles Lindbergh's solo flight. After a flight lasting 14 hours, 56 minutes blighted by strong winds and mechanical problems, she landed in a pasture at Culmore, Northern Ireland. Earhart disappeared in 1937 with navigator Fred Noonan when attempting to circumnavigate the world in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra aircraft. She was heading to Howland Island when it is thought they had trouble with the radio navigation equipment. Some say she ran out of gas over a vast stretch of the Pacific, while others argue she landed on an island now called Nikumaroro, before dying, but the truth has never been confirmed. Advertisement She added: 'As far as woman's opportunities in flying go, I think they will improve as they have in all industries. Just now there are no pilots on the regular scheduled airlines. Someday I expect there will be.' Earhart purchased her first plane at the age of 24, just six months after taking her first flying lesson. Using the aircraft, she later set her first women's record by rising to an altitude of 14,000ft - and in 1928 she became the first female to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. It was in March 1937 that Earhart made her first attempt to become the first woman to circle Earth when she left from California. She only got as far as Hawaii, where she crashed her twin-engine Electra L-10E on takeoff and had to have it shipped home for repairs. Earhart (left) disappeared in 1937 with navigator Fred Noonan (right) when attempting to circumnavigate the world in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra aircraft Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, left what's now known as Bob Hope Airport in Burbank on May 21, 1937, for a second try, this time heading east. The duo were about two-thirds through their journey when they left New Guinea on July 2 for Howell Island, a tiny speck of land in the Pacific, midway between Australia and Hawaii. In one of her last radio transmissions, the pilot said she thought they were near but couldn't see the island and were low on fuel. Perhaps you can blame it on the alcohol or may be just the lack of a belt. Jamie Foxx showed off more than he bargained for on Friday night in Beverly Hills, California. The 48-year-old unintentionally bared his bottom as he left Mr. Chow's restaurant with a pal. Scroll down for video Big night: Jamie Foxx showed off more than he bargained for on Friday night in Beverly Hills, California Oh la la: The 48-year-old unintentionally bared his bottom as he left Mr. Chow's restaurant with a pal The Blame It (On The Alcohol) singer appeared to struggle a bit as he tried to make it into the passenger seat of the tricked out Mercedes G Wagon. As he hauled himself into the SUV's cabin, the Oscar winner's pants fell down revealing both his underpants and the top of his bottom. Perhaps a little embarrassed about his accidental flashing, Jamie pulled a comical face as the star inside the car waiting for his friend. For his night out at the Hollywood hotspot, the actor wore a pair of loose fit - obviously - jeans with a green quilted jacket. Blame it on the Mercedes? As the actor hauled himself into the SUV's cabin, the Oscar winner's pants fell down revealing both his underpants and the top of his bottom Not a poker face: Perhaps a little embarrassed about his accidental flashing, Jamie pulled a comical face as the star inside the car waiting for his friend The star accessorized his look with a pair of Gucci high tops and emerged from the restaurant with a gift bag in hand, so obviously it was more than just a quite dinner. Not joining the star was rumoured love Katie Holmes. While the pair have never confirmed they are an item, for the last two years the relationship rumours have not quit. Keeping it cool: For his night out at the Hollywood hotspot, the actor wore a pair of loose fit - obviously - jeans with a green quilted jacket Added bonus: The star accessorized his look with a pair of Gucci high tops and emerged from the restaurant with a gift bag in hand, so obviously it was more than just a quite dinner Just this week, OK Magazine claimed the two actors are not only dating but they are ready to head down the aisle and have a baby! If anything is going on, Katie was certainly not fessing up to it in a interview with More magazine. When the star was asked if she was dating anyone special in the February issue, the 37-year-old was not having it. Katie said: 'That's not something I want to answer.' The contestants on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! were revealed on Sunday night. And now there are rumours surrounding who the show's intruders will be. At the top of the list is former Bachelor Sam Wood, 35, and fiancee Snezana Markoski, 34, who found love on Channel Ten's other hit show, The Bachelor, last year. Scroll down for video A couple of intruders? Sam Wood and Snezana Markoski could be up for a stint in the jungle on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! with the former bachelor expressing great interest in the program During an interview appearing in the latest issue of New Idea, hunky Sam expressed interest in the show. 'It's a great show,' he said. 'I would definitely have to think about it.' The loved-up former bachelor was quick to add: 'It would be hard to be away from Snez when we spend so much time apart as it is, so she'd definitely have to come too!' The personal trainer already has links to I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!, putting co-host Julia Morris through her paces with his 28:28 fitness program in the lead up to filming. Sam and Julia formed a close bond throughout their time together, although he did admit it was difficult to concentrate at times because she is so hilarious. Jungle gym:The personal trainer already has links to the show, putting I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! Co-host Julia Morris through her paces with his 28:28 fitness program in the lead up to filming. Workout pals: Sam and Julia formed a close bond throughout their time together, although he did admit it was difficult to concentrate at times because she is so hilarious If they are to go to South Africa for a stint in the show it won't be their only television appearance for this year. Since finding love on series three of The Bachelor, Sam and Snezana have confirmed that their wedding will air on Network Ten at some point this year. Sam admitted to New Idea that if you had asked him years ago if he would get married on TV it would have been a no, and added 'but these days, who knows what will happen.' The pair became engaged in early December last year after six months of dating, when he proposed during a family holiday in Tasmania. Reality TV ready: Since finding love on series three of The Bachelor, Sam and Snezana have confirmed that their wedding will air on Network Ten at some point this year The originals: Bachelor Tim Robards and his girlfriend Anna Heinrich were intruders in the first Australian season of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! While Sam and Snezana are likely candidates to join the cast, they wouldn't be the first Bachelor couple to do so. The original Bachelor Tim Robards and his girlfriend Anna Heinrich were intruders in the first Australian season of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! Dynamics in the camp-site were shaken up with the two arrived bright eyed and fresh faced, although it didn't last long. Criminal lawyer Anna was left distraught when her beau was evicted from camp and left her alone in the jungle. It wasn't a holiday: The smiles didn't last long, criminal lawyer Anna was left distraught when Tim was evicted from camp and left her alone in the jungle He's the A-list cricket champion widely considered to be one of Australia's greatest sportsman of all time. But after touching down in the South African jungle for season two of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here, Shane Warne will be forced to go without the daily luxuries that he is accustomed to. On Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa show on Monday morning, reporter Jonathon Moran claimed the 46-year-old 'smokes forty or fifty ciggies a day' and 'eats a pizza or two a day'. Scroll down for audio Chain smoker: On Monday journalist Jonathon Moran told Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa's show that on a regular day cricketer Shane Warne 'smokes forty or fifty ciggies' and 'eats two pizzas' Nova correspondent Jonathon said he gleaned the retired cricketer's habits after interviewing all the show contestants before they entered the jungle. The radio personality said Shane 'can't have patches' while in the jungle and that he's gone 'full cold turkey' for the series. In 1999 the spin bowler was famously caught smoking despite signing a $200,000 deal with a nicotine substitute maker to quit. Bad habit: Back in 1999 the blonde bowler was famously caught smoking after signing a $200,000 deal with a nicotine substitute maker to quit No patches allowed: The cricket champion has reportedly gone 'cold turkey' ahead of appearing in the jungle While it's unclear if Shane will receive any special treatment from Channel Ten relating to his unhealthy habits, sources revealed to the Daily Mail Australia that the self-confessed arachnophobe had a spider-related clause written into his contract before signing on the dotted line. 'Shane has a special 'no spider eating clause' in his contact,' the insider told Daily Mail Australia. The former athlete was also able to enter the South African jungle via private plane, while the other 11 celebrity contestants were forced to skydive and battle their way to camp in white water rafts. Dispensation: 'Shane has a special 'no spider eating clause' in his contact,' an insider told Daily Mail Australia Unhealthy: The chain-smoking pizza enthusiast is known for loving Tasty Toobs cheese rings and once had an endorsement deal with McDonald's The A-lister is reportedly also being paid a much higher than some than his semi-famous co-stars. On Thursday Entertainment guru Peter Ford told 3AW's breakfast radio programme that Shane is set to receive $2million appearing on the reality show. Nova's Jonathon came up with a smaller figure, estimating that Shane is pulling about $100,000 per week for the show, which should run for around six or seven weeks. He is a frequent fixture at Clippers games. And Jason Sudeikis was busy passing on his love for the team when he attended a basketball game in Los Angeles on Sunday with his cherubic tot Otis, who was dressed in a white Clippers jersey. There's little doubt that the proud father, 40, was successful with his efforts, as his one-year-old was clearly glued to the scene. A chip off the old block! Jason Sudeikis held his son Otis tight as they watched the Clippers take on the Chicago Bulls in Los Angeles on Sunday The youngster had a wide smile on his face as he pointed skyward, his attention perhaps rapt by the scoreboard. The Los Angeles based team defeated the Chicago Bulls that day, with a score of 120-93 in favour of the Clippers. Little Otis cheered triumphantly, raising his arms into the air as his father protectively held him close. His bearded father grinned in delight too, no doubt happy to see the team's score on the rise. Aww: The We're The Millers actor held his tot as he raised his arms up into the air Riveted: The blonde tot had his eyes glued skyward Dressed the part: While Jason kept it casual in a grey sweatshirt, his youngster wore a white Clippers jersey Though Jason, who was casually dressed in a grey sweatshirt and his trusty KC hat, did not appear to be joined by his fiance Olivia Wilde. The couple welcomed little Otis in April 2014. Jason was instead joined by his close pal Will Forte, who stood out with half of his head and beard shaved off. The mane attraction! Will Forte was hard to miss with his half-shaved beard and hair Jason and Will's bromance reached new heights in 2013 when the pair passionately locked lips for Mumford & Sons' Hopeless Wanderer music video. And although Olivia had only recently got engaged to Jason at the time, she had no problems sharing him with another man. 'Will Forte [is] the third member of our relationship,' the brunette beauty joked with E! after the video was released. Glued to the game: Shay Mitchell was in awe as she gazed skywards, perhaps riveted by the scoreboard Duty calls! The actress took a quick break from the game to check out her handy phone She added: 'I loved it. I'm a huge fan of that band... I thought it was a genius move.' She went on to confess that her fiance is free to share a smooch with The Last Man on Earth star 'any time he wants'. But it seems she doesn't have to worry about keeping her fiance close, as the actor is completely smitten. When asked how he managed to slim down and tone up in recent years the Horrible Bosses star told Modern Luxury Manhattan magazine: 'Being happy, and in love, for me, was the secret. 'I feel like I returned home to myself as an individual through the process of falling in love with the sweetest woman I've ever known.' Head turning: Mitchell looked fantastic as she sat beside a gal pal, sporting a cosy white sweater and jeans Look who's here! Billy Crystal and his wife Janice Crystal watched the half-time show Season seven of My Kitchen Rules kicked off on Monday night, and just as expected, it was another roller coaster ride filled with shady critiques and hilarious drama. Leading the premiere was Mount Druitt cops Sarah, 26, and mum-of-four Monique, 33, who were the first pair to showcase their culinary skills. 'We're not going to interrogate the other teams,' they explained. 'We're the friendly police, but we mean business.' Scroll down for video Stop in the name of the law! Mount Druitt cops Sarah, 26, and mum-of-four Monique, 33, were the first contestants to strut their stuff on the Monday night premiere of My Kitchen Rules The bubbly brunettes, who said that their 'advantage is our ability to cope under pressure,' confessed to having a crush on MKR judge Manu Feildel. 'Mention the word Manu and I melt!' giddy Monique exclaimed. The coppers encountered some unexpected trouble during their shopping trip after they discovered that their shopping list of ingredients was somehow missing a piece. Unaware of what to buy without it, the pair frantically dashed around Coles screaming and laughing until they conveniently found the missing piece of paper on the ground. 'We're not going to interrogate the other teams,' they explained. 'We're the friendly police, but we mean business' Oops! The pair accidentally misplaced a piece of their shopping list, causing them to frantically race around Coles trying to find it The duo chose to name their restaurant Crime and Nourishment and decked it out with a fitting police theme - which included motorcycles, batons, helmets, and police tape. Melbourne-based lawyer Zana, 24, wasn't impressed with the design, bluntly stating that she and husband Gianni 'personally wouldn't attend a restaurant with this kind of decor.' The glamorous beauty then took things further by labeling the lovely ladies 'a bit bogan' after arriving to their home for dinner. Stirring the pot: Monday's night's premiere also introduced viewers to married Melbourne lawyers Gianni, 27, and Zana, 24 '250,000 dollars isn't a lot to us, because as lawyers we earn a lot of money,' Zana boasted 'I actually can't believe we're in the mountains,' said Zana as she arrived to the home of the Mount Druitt cops 'I was not expecting these two girls to be behind the door,' she said in her confessional. 'They're a little bit bogan like or something, I don't know.' The brunette stunner then bragged about her wealth during her introduction as she and hubby Gianni flaunted their luxury lifestyle. '250,000 dollars isn't a lot to us, because as lawyers we earn a lot of money,' she said. 'I was not expecting these two girls to be behind the door,' Zana stated in her confessional after being greeted by Monique and Sarah 'They're a little bit bogan like or something, I don't know,' said the 24-year-old 'We prefer restaurants that are of really high quality with decor, we're pretty picky about where we go,' she said Monique and Sarah then delivered their entree, which was a caramelised onion, roasted beetroot, and goats' cheese tart. While most of the other contestants criticized the lack of goats' cheese in the tart, Zana went further by dismissing a pastry dish as being too simple for the show before complaining that her rocket had no vinegar and then dissing the beetroot which she noticeably scraped to the side. Luckily for the happy-go-lucky coppers, judges Manu and Pete Evans were ultimately happy with the dish and praised the ingredients despite singling out the lack of goats' cheese. Praise: While judges Manu Feildel and Pete Evans mentioned a lack of goats' cheese in the duo's caramelised onion, roasted beetroot, and goats' cheese tart, they were overall pleased with the entree Unhappy customer: Zana turned her nose up at the entree, criticizing the beetroot and complaining that her rocket didn't have enough dressing Monique was later reduced to a giddy schoolgirl when handsome Manu entered the kitchen to see what the ladies were up to as they prepared their main meal of crispy salmon with thrice cooked chips. During the preparation Monique became unsure of how many chips to include in the dish and eventually settled on three - a decision that was criticized by the dinner guests. Reflecting their personality: Monique and Sarah went with a police-themed restaurant called Crime and Nourishment Not impressed: 'We personally wouldn't attend a restuarant that this kind of decor,' said Zana Zana in particular singled out the chips as not being crispy enough, before boasting that she was famous for her chips and that hers are much better. Monique and Sarah finished off the dramatic night with a sticky-date pudding with fig, but Manu felt that the dessert was too sweet and saucy overall. The other contestants all rated the meal a six overall, while the judges gave the Mount Druitt coppers an overall score of 68 for their efforts. Trying their best: Despite their first week nerves, the two coppers put on a brave face as they attempted to wow the judges Oh my! Monique, who confessed to having a crush on Manu, became flustered when he paid the pair a visit in the kitchen Delicious: The police officers and BFFs served salmon with thrice cooked chips for their main Like many Grease: Live viewers on Sunday night, Gigi Hadid and Taylor Swift couldn't help but get swept up in the nostalgia. The BFFs watched the three-hour Fox special together from the comfort of their living room and shared with fans the moment they couldn't help but sing along to Julianne Hough's rendition of Hopelessly Devoted To You. Taking to Snapchat with a video clip, Gigi, 20, and Taylor, 26, are seen crooning away to the TV revival of the 1978 flick while lounging on a plush sofa. Scroll down for video Getting into it: Gigi Hadid shared a Snapchat while watching Grease: Live on Sunday showing her and pal Taylor Swift singing along to the show The model captioned the clip 'We're also performing Grease Live in the living room' Taylor was seen in a red sweater as she reclined among oversize cushions while totally absorbed in the TV show. The Bad Blood hitmaker appeared to be lost in the moment and even threw out some hand gestures as she sang. See Taylor Swift updates as she and Gigi Hadid belt out songs during Grease: Live Getting into it: Taylor had some dramatic hand movements to go along with her vocals as the duo sang along to Hopelessly Devoted To You Rather awkwardly for the famous duo, making an appearance in the Grease revival was Joe Jonas, who has dated both Taylor and Gigi. The former Disney star took to the stage with his band DNCE during the big Rydell High American Bandstand dance contest scene. The 26-year-old star performed Danny & The Juniors' Rock 'n Roll is Here To Stay as the cast-members paired up and danced away, just like in the original. Girls' night in: The model captioned the clip showing their cozy night in watching TV Gigi enjoyed a brief romance with Joe last summer and Taylor dated the Jonas Brothers star when she was a teenager, ending up getting dumped by him over the phone at the age of 18. But it was all water under the bridge last year when the trio spent time hanging out on double dates along with Taylor's new boyfriend Calvin Harris. Gigi has since moved on to former One Direction band member Zayn Malik. Meanwhile Grease: Live received gushing praise from viewers on social media and fans expressed their enjoyment of a good old-fashioned singalong. Nostalgia: Julianne Hough belted out Hopelessly Devoted To You in the TV revival of the 1978 film Did they sing along to this part too? Gigi and Taylor's ex Joe Jonas made an appearance during the Rydell High American Bandstand dance contest Old flame: The 26-year-old singer was joined by his band DNCE as he performed Danny & The Juniors' Rock 'n Roll is Here To Stay Some commented on how 27-year-old Hough, who played Sandy, looked just like Olivia Newton-John who starred in the original flick. And others praised the professionalism and talent of Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo who insisted the show go on even though her father passed away hours earlier from cancer. Plenty of other celebrities tuned in for the live broadcast with Bravo's Andy Cohen tweeting; '#GreaseLive is making me smile.' Staying strong: Vanessa Hudgens put on a magnificent performance despite losing her father to cancer just hours earlier True star: There was nothing but admiration for the way Hudgens performed with everyone agreeing that she was phenomenal in the role including this fan 'Super proud': Neil Patrick Harris gushed about the show too 'Grease is the word,' tweeted out Joel Madden. Chrissy Teigen informed her Twitter followers that she had been settling down to watch the show and her power went out. She nevertheless went ahead with her plan to live tweet it, while acknowledging she's 'never even seen the movie grease (sic) in its entirety.''I will now live tweet grease (sic) live despite not watching and not ever seeing it,' she wrote. Nailed it: Julianne Hough and Aaron Tveit played the starring roles of Sandy and Danny He is the laid-back farmer on a quest for love. And Lachlan McAleer will begin his journey for that special someone when The Farmer Wants A Wife airs on Monday night on Channel Nine. The 37-year-old beef and hay farmer from Sydneys south-west spoke exclusive to the Daily Mail Australia ahead of the first episode about his decision to appear on the dating show despite failing to find love on Married At First Sight. Scroll down for video Looking for love: Lachlan McAleer has told Daily Mail Australia that he would give up everything he had to find love and have a family and a wife Lachlan, who is affectionately known as Lachie by his friends and family, said the most important thing to him was finding love and starting a family and he hoped with the help of the show he could turn his long awaited dreams into reality. I would give up everything that I have to live in a shack to find that [love and a family], he told the Daily Mail. Lachlan, who is one of six farmers on the show, will open up his heart to eight women who will ultimately vie for his affection. Looking for love: The 36-year-old Farmer is one of six farmers on the new series of Farmer Wants a Wife. He's revealed he's looking for someone who is 'loving' 'caring' and 'loyal' The farmer said he was searching for someone who was loving, caring, loyal and had a good sense of humour. But more importantly he wanted to find someone who could understand and fit into the rural lifestyle. Being a farmer can be hard from a couple of perspectives. One of which can be that you are remotely located. But in my instance, its more to do with the work undertaken on the farm. There are times that Ive been that busy that I havent left the farm in two or three weeks. Sometimes when you are bailing hay you might not get in until 2-3am and then youve got to be up two or three hours later to go again. Hoping: Lachlan was seen meeting potential love matches on Farmer Wants A Wife, which premiered on Monday night You need to have someone that understands the sometimes hectic lifestyle of a farmer. Lachlan first appeared on Married at First Sight in 2014. While love started to blossom between the farmer and his TV wife Clare Tamas - it didnt last. Despite Clare giving a scathing account of the pairs relationship in an interview with New Idea, Lachlan wishes his ex nothing but the best. Clare is a good person with a big heart, he said. Compatible lifestyles: The NSW farmer has said that it's important that a potential partner Shes got a good personality with a great sense of humour. Having seen her perform in one of her shows I believe shes an incredibly talented actor. At the end of the day it didnt work out, but that was well over 12-months ago. From what I read, Clare has found someone and so I hope she has found happiness and can move on. Lachlan said he was excited to tune in for Monday night's episode. Burned: The farmer is no stranger to reality TV. Pictured with his 'wife' Clare Tamas from Married at First Sight All the farmers have very different personalities, some cheeky, some shy, but all great blokes, he said. I think people will enjoy the show as the different personalities of farmers will resonate with a broad range of viewers. Im really looking forward to watching it and seeing how the journey for love unfolds with all the farmers. He made headlines when he appeared in the promotional adverts for Australia's Got Talent last year, pulling a shocked expression and then being dubbed the 'promo guy.' And we now know exactly what made 21-year-old dance teacher Josh Saunders have such a reaction. On Monday night's premiere episode of new season of the show a magician was seen pulling needles on thread out of his mouth. Scroll down for video That's it! Josh Saunders found fame as the promo guy for Australia's Got Talent and now the act that shocked the 21-year-old dance teacher has finally been revealed That'll do it! A magician appeared on Monday night's premiere episode of the latest season of the show, and pulled needles on thread out of his mouth, with Josh humorously exclaiming 'what the?' Josh was captured exclaiming 'what the? The magician from Tasmania's Hobart, began his shocking act by showing the judges and crowd a lemon with twelve needles in it. The judges including Sophie Monk, Ian 'Dicko' Dickson, Kelly Osbourne and Eddie Perfect had to pull a needle each, and then pop it into his mouth. 'That was delicious,' the magician said. He was then seen putting the thread into his mouth and all twelve needles came out perfectly on the thread. Not for the faint-hearted! The magician from Tasmania's Hobart, began his shocking act by showing the judges and crowd a lemon with twelve needles in it Interesting: The judges including Sophie Monk, Ian 'Dicko' Dickson, Kelly Osbourne and Eddie Perfect had to pull a needle each, and then pop it into his mouth He drew gasps from the audience and judges alike, particularly from Kelly, who afterwards gave her verdict. 'That was one of the most disgusting but amazing things I have ever seen,' Kelly said. Eddie, who previously said he was not a fan of magic or fire acts, said he was so impressed, that he 'loved' it. 'You have a great persona going on... and to be able to banter with us is really impressive and means you will be adaptable in every situation. You are a very smart performer and I loved it.' How did he do it? All the twelve needles came out perfectly on the thread Holding her breath: He drew gasps from the audience and judges alike, particularly Kelly, who afterwards gave her verdict The magician ended up getting through to the semi finals. Josh, who hails from Sunbury Victoria, became a sensation with memes even being created of him that did the rounds online. In December Josh told Daily Mail Australia about making the promo for the show. Why would they put this mug on TV? he said with a laugh. Jaw dropping! Josh became known as the promo guy for Australias Got Talent for his reaction. He is seen here in the promo Instantly famous: In December Josh told Daily Mail Australia about making the promo for the show My facial expressions have always been one of my fallback traits.' Asked how hes dealing with all the attention, Josh responded with as much personality as he delivered in the audience. They say that the camera adds 45 kilos, well I think I got the raw end of the bloody stick, darl, he said, jokingly. He said his friends view the facial expressions as old news and said he was 'flattered' to appear in the promo. Its just ridiculous, lets be serious. Its ridiculous,' he said. He also confirmed he wasn't a paid actor by Channel Nine and Channel Nine told Daily Mail Australia he was a regular member of the audience. It's real! He also confirmed he wasn't a paid actor by Channel Nine and Channel Nine told Daily Mail Australia he was a regular member of the audience The audience member turned promotional material has taken the internet by storm Opening up: He said his friends view the facial expressions as old news and said he was 'flattered' to appear in the promo. He is seen here with pals Comparisons: Hes become famed for his facial expressions that most have likened to puppet Beaker of The Muppets with red hair and beady eyes to boot Similarities: One commenter online compared 21-year-old Mr Saunders to the online meme known as 'ERMAHGERD girl' She is one of the world's top supermodels, hailing from showbiz's leading dynasties. And Kendall Jenner, 20, proved her talents extend far beyond appearing on a reality show as she smouldered in a recent shoot for LOVE magazine. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians starlet showed off her incredibly toned figure in a skimpy black bikini by Calvin Klein as she showed off her modelling prowess in the snap. Scroll down for video Reality bites! Kendall Jenner, 20, proved her talents extend far beyond appearing on a reality show as she smouldered in a recent shoot for LOVE magazine Kendall looked sensational in the sultry image in which she was rocking a basic yet sexy bikini comprising of thin-sided bottoms and a bandeau top. Her rippling abs were the focus of the snap - enhanced in their rock hard appearance by the lashings of oil applied to emphasise their tone. The reality star-turned-supermodel thrust her hips forward while leaning her shoulders back to afford a better look at her envy-inducing figure. Lifting her arms above her head, Kendall pulled her lustrous raven locks, which were glossed to give a slight wet-look, off her shoulders. See more Kendall Jenner pictures as she shows off her abs for a LOVE magazine shoot Her Calvins: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians starlet showed off her incredibly toned figure in a skimpy black bikini by Calvin Klein as she showed off her modelling prowess in the snap While her face was partially obscured by shadows, her smouldering eye make-up was just visible as she glared into the camera from beneath her fluttering lashes. The image was shot in celebration of Calvin Klein's return to swimwear - and who better to advertise than one of the world's most sought after models. The Victoria's Secret angel has been working in Barcelona and at Paris Fashion Week before she returned to Los Angeles late last week. She also recently stripped down to her underwear in a Calvin Klein ad for the brand's new spring 2016 collection - further continuing her affiliation with the brand away from her LOVE shoot. Strutting her stuff: The Victoria's Secret angel has been working in Barcelona and at Paris Fashion Week before she returned to Los Angeles late last week Supermodel behaviour: While Kendall continues to work hard, her family is yet again hitting headlines - this time for an intricate dating web being spun by her siblings While Kendall continues to work hard, her family is yet again hitting headlines - this time for an intricate dating web being spun by her siblings. Kendall's half brother Rob Kardashian has just confirmed his relationship with Blac Chyna, who is the mother of Kendall's sister Kylie's boyfriend Tyga's son. After Blac Chyna and Kylie became embroiled in a war-of-words when she started dating Tyga, the family are now said to be unhappy with Rob for his misplaced loyalties. Sticky situation: Kendall's half brother Rob Kardashian has just confirmed his relationship with Blac Chyna, who is the mother of Kendall's sister Kylie's [pictured] boyfriend Tyga's son Khloe Kardashian was left licking her wounds over what she considers to be a kick in the teeth from her younger sibling. The reality star, 31, had given Rob a roof over his head in her own home as he battled weight gain and depression but kicked him out after learning of his romance with the ex of Kylie's boyfriend Tyga. Her character, Rose Winters, is a new addition to the Dad's Army ensemble. But Catherine Zeta-Jones manages to all but steal the limelight from co-star Tom Courtenay in one scene from the new Dad's Army film, as she showcases her incredible figure in a fitted suit. In a clip exclusive to the MailOnline, the 46-year-old actress is seen sashaying up Walmington-on-Sea's high street, turning heads as she does - including those of Tom's character. Scroll down for video Show-stealing style? Catherine Zeta-Jones manages to all but steal the limelight from co-star Tom Courtenay in one scene from the new Dad's Army film, as she showcases her incredible figure in a fitted suit Oozing a vintage glamour more reminiscent of Hollywood's 'golden years' the actress, who plays journalist Rose, can be seen smiling seductively to all those that pass her by on the street. Dressed in a scarlet tartan-print suit jacket and skirt, Rose has clearly brought more than a touch of glamour to the seaside town. With her fitted jacket, skirt and high heels highlighting her ample assets, Catherine's character looks every inch the wartime vixen. But with her raven locks tied back into a perfectly styled bun, the star is given an ultra-glamorous and retro chic edge with a matching hat and veil perched atop her head. The lady in red: In a clip exclusive to the MailOnline, the 46-year-old actress is seen sashaying up the high street of Walmington-on-Sea as she turns heads - including those of Tom's character, Lance Corporal Jones Strolling along the cobbled street past men and women, Rose can be seen flashing a winning smile to melt the heart of any man she passes. And clearly already infatuated with the pretty journalist Tom's character, Lance-Corporal Jones - the local butcher - does his best to grab her attention as she questions him over his role in the town's famous Home Guard. Coquettishly remarking on his work uniform, she quips: 'A butcher by trade...' A scarlet seductress: Oozing a vintage glamour more reminiscent of Hollywood's 'golden years' the actress, who plays journalist Rose, can be seen smiling seductively to all those that pass her by on the street A touch of glamour: Dressed in a scarlet tartan-print suit jacket and skirt, Rose has clearly brought more than a touch of glamour to the seaside town Figure-flaunting fashion: With her fitted jacket, skirt and high heels highlighting her ample assets, Catherine's character looks every inch the wartime vixen To which Jones proudly counters: 'And a soldier by nature. I've more notches on my rifle than you've had hot dinners.' But with Rose already having introduced herself to the Lance-Corporal and the rest of Captain Mainwaring's rag-tag force, the aging soldier appears to be keen to impress the lady in red. Flashing a cheeky grin, Jones adds: 'Not that you've had too many hot dinners. You've a fine petal of a figure if I may say.' A winning smile: Strolling along the cobbled street past men and women, Rose can be seen flashing a winning smile to melt the heart of any man she passes 'You've a fine petal of a figure if I may say': Clearly falling for the journalist's charms, Jones attempts to win her affections by flirting with her A little sweetener: Producing some fresh sausages, the Lance-Corporal of Walmington's own Home Guard tries to curry the glamorous Rose's favour And keen to secure the vivacious journalist's favour, he hands her over a package of fresh sausages - receiving a husky 'thank you' from Rose. However Jones' flirtatious ways don't go unnoticed by the queue of surly local housewives, who are waiting on the butcher for their rations. Accosted by one irate customer as he watches Rose stroll away, the butcher is accused of 'slipping' Rose a sausage, to which Jones replies in classic dead-pan moment: 'I didn't mean anything by it.' He's in for it now! However Jones' flirtatious ways don't go unnoticed by the queue of surly local housewives, who are waiting on the butcher for their rations A real tongue lashing: Accosted by one irate lady as he watches Rose stroll away, the butcher is accused of 'slipping' Rose a 'sausage' 'I didn't mean anything by it': In a classic deadpan moment, oh-so reminiscent of the classic TV series of the sixties, Jones replies innocently that he 'didn't mean anything by it' The film is an update of the beloved BBC TV series, which aired between 1968 and 1977, and aims to bring the classic comedy of the era to fans both old and new. The cast includes the likes of Toby Jones as the iconic Captain Mainwaring, as well as Sir Michael Gambon, Bill Nighy, Mark Gatiss and The Inbetweeners star Blake Harrison in supporting roles. The plot centres around the Wlamington-on-Sea Home guard inadvertently being given the task fo defending the nation's hopes of winning the war against the Nazis. Tasked with the job of securing the Dover army base, it's the perfect chance for the men to reanimate not only their own spirits but their stature. The gents are then informed that a spy is on the loose, giving the unlikely heroes the opportunity to stand up and be counted, but will they succeed? For fans wishing to see the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard in action once again, Dad's Army is released in UK cinemas on February 5. A new look: The film, which also stars Toby Jones as Captain Mainwaring, as well as the likes of Sir Michael Gambon, Bill Nighy, Mark Gatiss and Blake Harrison is a remake of the beloved BBC TV series It's only been one episode into the new series, but My Kitchen Rules 'villain' Zana Pali has already caused quite a stir. The 24-year-old lawyer was a trending topic on Twitter in Australia on Monday night after sneering her way through the first instant restaurant, hosted by Mount Druitt cops Sarah, 26, and Monique, 33. Zana, a striking brunette from Melbourne, annoyed viewers with a series of smug, unkind remarks and rude facial expressions during the three-course meal - and suffered a brutal backlash on social media. Scroll down for video Controversial: Melbourne lawyer Zana, 24, caused a backlash on Twitter for her rude and obnoxious behaviour on Monday night's season debut of My Kitchen Rules After grimacing at the police officers' triple-cooked chips and goats cheese tart, Zana could hardly hide her displeasure. She moaned: 'Just the flavours for me, it didn't really suit my palette.' Twisting the knife, Zana continued: 'I love simple food, but if it's not done perfect, I'd rather save the calories.' Throughout the show, she made similarly haughty remarks, including 'I'll admit when I'm wrong, but it's very rare', and boasted about being 'the boss' in her relationship with husband Gianni, 27. See more of the latest My Kitchen Rules updates as viewers slam Zana Pali Backlash: Zana's negative comments and ultra-competitive attitude sparked an angry reaction online 'Awful': Twitter uses soon piled in on Zana, who became a trending topic on Twitter on Monday night Oh, dear! This social media user opted for play on words to criticise Zana Lesson: User @DianaDJ7 pointed out that money cannot buy 'class, manners, or humility' But the Twittersphere wasn't very forgiving of Zana's arrogant behaviour, and she soon attracted criticism from across the country. User @khardingg wrote during the show: '10 minutes in and you can already spot the b***h... Zana #MyKitchenRules'. And @stweet_heart tweeted: 'I can't get over how awful Zana is, and I don't think she can even blame the editing... she's just a nasty person.' In response to Zana's dislike of the salmon main course, @colonelkickhead wrote: 'Personally, I would have served Zana a big plate of Salmonella instead'. Unhappy customer: Zana, pictured with her husband, Gianni, 27, turned her nose up at the entree, criticizing the beetroot and complaining that her rocket didn't have enough dressing And @DianaDJ7 was particularly cutting: 'You might make a lot of money Zana, but money clearly doesn't buy class, manners or humility #MKR'. Not all of the responses were negative however, with some MKR fans taking a more balanced view. A handful of Twitter users seemed to enjoy Zana's ultra-competitive character on the show - while others appreciated she was just playing the role of reality TV villain. Feeling the love: Social media user @thenativesnow clearly appreciated Zana's strong personality Strong willed: This My Kitchen Rules fan wasn't put off by Zana's confident manner, labelling her 'fierce' Social media user @thenativesnow wrote simply: 'LOVE ZANA FROM MKR'. And @ryan_waters1 was similarly enthusiastic: '#MKR lol zana is so fierce!' They say there's no such thing as bad publicity, and @EmilyFoat was quick to point out that Zana made the biggest impression on Twitter of all the MKR contestants. They tweeted: 'Literally crying reading the #zana #MKR she sure has made an impression on Twitter!' Made a splash: User @EmilyFoat noted that Zana made a significant impact on Twitter on Monday night Meanwhile, Twitter user @reubenacciano claimed that Zana was simply fulfilling the reality TV trope of 'cartoon villain' complete with 'generic' hot looks. Furthermore, plenty were quick to poke fun at her husband Gianni, who appeared to take a back seat during the episode and let his outspoken wife lead the conversation. This may have been a response to guests' comments on the show that Zana 'wore the trousers' in the relationship. Sleeping with the Devil: Zana's husband Gianni was also targeted by MKR viewers online Fear: One social media users suggested Gianni was too afraid to cross his alpha female wife Rather rude! Some fans did not shy away from strong language when reacting to the show live User @NinsunG joked: 'Hey Gianni, what's it like being married to Satan? #MKR'. And @bondibeachgirl chimed in: 'Zana's husband is probably took scared to disagree with her on anything. #mkr'. Rather boldy, @lizzieibago_ wrote: 'Does Gianni even have any balls?? For a lawyer he sure is one whipped puppy', along with three crying with laughter emojis. Stirring the pot: During their introductory segment, Zana and Gianni boasted of their large salaries as lawyers And she really rubbed the audience the wrong way by dismissing the show's quarter-of-a-million dollar prize money compared to a lawyer's salary. Zana, who opted for a sleek, cut-out black dress for the evening, declared: 'To be honest, $250,000 isn't a lot of money for us because our jobs pay a lot. As lawyers, we earn a lot of money'. However, several Twitter users were quick to point that Zana may be embellishing her wage slightly as she is reportedly only recently qualified as a lawyer. Fact checking: Katherine Towers, a journalist for The Australian, pointed out that Zana is only recently qualified as a lawyer, despite her claims to be earning a considerable salary In response to a person who tweeted a link to Zana's online CV, @megalasaurus joked: 'Come on, she's a highly experienced, highly paid lawyer of one entire year!' And Katherine Towers, a journalist at The Australian, also wrote: 'So $250k is not much money for lawyer Zana. Kinda surprising seeing as she was only admitted last April. #MKR'. Soon after this fact was pointed out online, Zana's professional LinkedIn profile was swiftly deleted from the internet. Disingenuous? Several tweets questioned Zana's salary boasts considering she's only been working a year Wannabe: User @mr_gilmour claimed Zana was trying to imitate barrister and Real Housewives of Melbourne star Gina Liano, 48 Meanwhile, leading the seventh season premiere was Mount Druitt cops Sarah and mum-of-four Monique, who were the first pair to showcase their culinary skills. 'We're not going to interrogate the other teams,' they explained. 'We're the friendly police, but we mean business.' The bubbly brunettes, who said that their 'advantage is our ability to cope under pressure,' confessed to having a crush on MKR judge Manu Feildel. Stop in the name of the law! Mount Druitt cops Sarah, 26, and mum-of-four Monique, 33, were the first contestants to strut their stuff on the Monday night premiere of My Kitchen Rules 'Mention the word Manu and I melt!' giddy Monique exclaimed. The coppers encountered some unexpected trouble during their shopping trip after they discovered that their shopping list of ingredients was somehow missing a piece. Unaware of what to buy without it, the pair frantically dashed around Coles screaming and laughing until they conveniently found the missing piece of paper on the ground. 'We're not going to interrogate the other teams,' they explained. 'We're the friendly police, but we mean business' Oops! The pair accidentally misplaced a piece of their shopping list, causing them to frantically race around Coles trying to find it The duo chose to name their restaurant Crime and Nourishment and decked it out with a fitting police theme - which included motorcycles, batons, helmets, and police tape. Predictably, Zana wasn't impressed with the design, bluntly stating that she and Gianni 'personally wouldn't attend a restaurant with this kind of decor.' The glamorous beauty then took things further by labeling the lovely ladies 'a bit bogan' after arriving to their home for dinner. '250,000 dollars isn't a lot to us, because as lawyers we earn a lot of money,' Zana boasted 'I actually can't believe we're in the mountains,' said Zana as she arrived to the home of the Mount Druitt cops 'I was not expecting these two girls to be behind the door,' she said in her confessional. 'They're a little bit bogan like or something, I don't know.' The sexy stunner then bragged about her wealth during her introduction segment as she and hubby Gianni flaunted their luxury lifestyle. After boasting of the pair's salaries she spoke about their regular gym workouts, saying: 'Part of being successful is looking successful.' Zana concluded: 'If we can beat people triple our age in the courtroom, we can beat anyone in My Kitchen Rules'. He's never one to shy away from speaking his mind indeed just last month he slammed Virgin Australia in an angry rant over a hoverboard ban. But on Monday last week, it seemed actor Russell Crowe was in a more relaxed mood as she was spotted in Sydney with his son Tennyson, nine. The 51-year-old - who hails from New Zealand - was spotted showing off his muscular arms in a 'zen master' singlet. Scroll down for video He's relaxed: Actor Russell Crowe was spotted in Sydney with his son Tennyson, nine, last week, wearing a 'zen master' singlet The Noah and Gladiator star cut a casual figure teaming his look with baggy black shorts and runners. Covering up his face with sunglasses, him and his son enjoyed a brisk walk around town. Tennyson - who Russell shares with ex partner, actress Danielle Spencer - was also dressed in a similar fashion to his father, wore a pair of baggy grey shorts, a long sleeve top and matching blue trainers. Exercising? The Noah and Gladiator star cut a casual figure teaming his look with baggy black shorts and runners Russell is not one to hold back with his opinions and at the end of December he took a swipe at Virgin airlines after he was told he couldn't hop on a plane with new hoverboards due to safety reasons. It is feared their lithium batteries could explode on flights and is a safety risk. Russell was first flying with his children's toys from Sydney to Coffs Harbour and couldn't get on a flight. 'Ridiculous. No Segway boards as luggage? Too late to tell us at airport. Kids and I offloaded. Goodbye Virgin. Never again,' he tweeted at the time, in part of a series of tweets. Airlines around the country had all banned the toys and Virgin later confirmed the star didn't fly with them. Shortly after, he took another dig at the airline, tweeting on New Year's Eve: 'Happy New Year. Ps . Our Segway boards haven't caught fire yet .... Not even on a plane. Will keep you technophobes updated,' among another stream of tweets. More recently, at the end of last month, he also took to Twitter to shoot down claims of a Canadian radio station that he and his The Nice Guys co-star Ryan Gosling don't get along and that he was a 'diva'. Setting things straight: More recently, at the end of last month, he also took to Twitter to shoot down claims of a Canadian radio station that he and his The Nice Guys co-star Ryan Gosling don't get along and that he was a 'diva' JUMP! 106.9 tweeted: '@russellcrowe reportedly a huge diva towards @RyanGosling', which caused Russell to have a light-hearted response. Russell replied: '@JumpOttawa plonkers, Spanky aka @RyanGosling and I are great mates. He's pretty much mostly Australian anyway.' The Oscar-winner later tweeted the Ottawa-based radio station a link to a YouTube video where the heartthrob 'crashed' his presenting role at the The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards last January, as proof of their friendship. He shot to fame playing suave and dapper characters in feature films, including the iconic British spy, James Bond. But Pierce Brosnan put the tuxedo firmly to the back of the wardrobe on Saturday afternoon, when he stepped out near his home in Malibu, California sporting a rough and rugged look. Subtly showcasing his muscular frame in a black tee-shirt, the 62-year-old actor also sported a bushy grey beard as he collected a large basket of logs from a local store. Scroll down for video A rugged look: Pierce Brosnan put the tuxedo firmly to the back of the wardrobe on Saturday afternoon, when he stepped out near his home in Malibu, California sporting a rough and rugged look The aging former Bond star appeared to be enjoying a relaxing weekend at home, as he sported a dressed down and casual wardrobe. Donning a plain black tee-shirt, the Irish-born star inadvertently showcased his impressive frame and gym-honed arms as he hefted the basket of wood around. Pairing his black top with a pair of black boot-cut jeans, which he wore with a belt, Pierce rounded his comfy weekend wardrobe off with a pair of black slip-on deck shoes. Sporting a silver beard over his famous features, the debonaire A_lister - famous for his slick, clean-cut look in the Bond franchise - added a rugged edge to his appearance. Showing his strength: Subtly showcasing his muscular frame in a black tee-shirt, the 62-year-old actor also sported a bushy grey beard as he collected a large basket of logs from a local store Taking a stroll down the road, the actor appeared happy about the prospect of an impromptu workout. Arriving at the roadside store Pierce wasted no time in flexing his muscles, as the actor loaded up his basket with split logs, before heaving the weighty carrier onto his shoulder. And while Pierce no doubt enjoying the down time at home with his family in balmy Malibu, the actor was soon getting back to business as he posted a snap of himself packing a suitcase. Casual: The aging former Bond star appeared to be enjoying a relaxing weekend at home, as he sported a dressed down and casual wardrobe - wearing a black tee-shirt, jeans and loafers Easy does it: Arriving at the roadside store Pierce wasted no time in flexing his muscles, as the actor loaded up his basket with split logs, before heaving the weighty basket onto his shoulder With his pet cat snuggled up in one half of the case, while his belongings were placed carefully in the other half, the actor clearly felt the humourous yet heart-warming scene needed to be captured. However the actor soon found himself touching down at London's Heathrow airport. But a familair face was there to welcome him back to the UK, as the actor snapped a smiling selfie in front of a billboard, which featured his son Dylan in his new role as a face of Burberry. Captioning the wryly smirking post, he commented: 'Arrivals at Heathrow...' Pierce is currently filming The Foreigner, a dramatic thriller set during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, where he plays a man intent on taking his revenge on The IRA. January 30, 2016: A bearded Pierce Brosnan stocks up on firewood as he shows his strength while lifting a heavy basket onto his shoulder before heading inside on a chilly morning in Malibu, California. Back to work? And while Pierce no doubt enjoying the down time in balmy Malibu, the actor was soon getting back to business as he posted a snap of himself packing a suitcase - which featured the family's pet cat In December she treated her five-year-old daughter Betsy to a Disney On Ice performance in London. And now Denise Van Outen is keeping the fantasy alive as she poses in a stunning gown cut from a single block of ice to help celebrate 25 years of the ice show in Europe. The 41-year-old TV presenter looked like a real-life princess as she worked her magic in a stunning silver gown with a gorgeous - and presumably chilly - ice sheath. Scroll down for video Ice queen: Denise Van Outen posed in this stunning gown cut from a single block of ice to help celebrate 25 years of Disney On Ice in Europe and launch a competition to find the skating show's biggest fan in the UK Denise, who finished as runner-up on the 10th series of Strictly Come Dancing, added to her icy mystique with white, silver and blue make-up, which gave her natural glow a glamorous, other-wordly quality. Her elaborate headpiece, which included a number of elements from nature, was part Pocahontas and part White Witch - but 100 per cent fabulous. 'Ive worn so many amazing stage costumes over the years but never anything like this,' she said. 'Id wear it every day if I could!' Nice crown: Her elaborate headpiece, which included a number of elements from nature, was part Pocahontas and part White Witch - but 100 per cent fabulous Fantasy: At times Denise posed without the ice block, showing off her glittering silver dress The photos have been released as part of the launch of a competition to find the UK's Greatest Fan of Disney On Ice. If she weren't an ambassador for the skating spectacular, Denise could have had a shot at winning: 'Its a truly wonderful show and I love taking Betsy to see it. Id enter myself if I could! The frozen gown took 27 hours to sculpt. 'We've used just over 200 litres of water, frozen, and then two or three days from the design process to getting it to the finished stage,' ice sculptor Nick Smith said. At ease: Denise slipped into a pair of skates and donned a Mickey Mouse headpiece Celebrate: Denise, an ambassador for Disney on Ice, makes no secret of her love for the brand: 'Its a truly wonderful show and I love taking Betsy to see it. Id enter myself if I could! At times Denise posed without the ice block, slipping into a pair of skates and donning a Mickey Mouse headpiece. But don't be fooled: She's no figure skater. 'The characters on Disney on Ice make it look so easy,' she said. All hail: The 41-year-old TV presenter looked like a real-life princess as she worked her magic in a stunning silver gown with a gorgeous - and presumably chilly - ice sheath 'I'd love to be able to recreate those moves, but unfortunately I'm a bit like Bambi on ice. I'm really not that good.' Disney On Ice is looking for the UKs Greatest Fan to commemorate 25 years of Disney On Ice across Europe. The winner will receive a five-year supply of family tickets. Fans simply need to submit a photo or a story showing why they are the greatest fan via the Disney On Ice Facebook page. On Tuesday the world learned her dream of competing in the Olympics was dashed by her Lyme disease. But on Sunday Bella Hadid seemed to be putting a brave face on it as she laughed with her friends in New York City. The 19-year-old was spotted enjoying lunch with some pals, opting for outdoor seating despite the freezing temperatures on the East Coast. Scroll down for video Putting on a brave face: Bella Hadid shared a laugh with friends while dining in NYC on Sunday, just days after her mom Yolanda Foster revealed her equestrian Olympic dream heartbreak The model looked in top form as she animatedly pulled faces at her companions as she regaled them with a tale. She wore all black, including trainers, Alo Yoga leggings and a thick sweater - although it didn't look quite thick enough juxtaposed with the snow strewn pavements. Nevertheless she didn't even deem it necessary to keep her Pizza Boys beanie on the whole time, pulling it off before tying her long dark hair tidily in a tight knot. Her companions - a male and a female - didn't seem to mind the fashion star had her phone in her paw the entire time, even when the trio got up to leave together. Hot: The 19-year-old was spotted enjoying lunch with some pals, opting for outdoor seating despite the freezing temperatures on the East Coast Stop me if you've heard this one: The model looked in top form as she animatedly pulled faces at her companions as she regaled them with a tale During the week, her mom Yolanda Foster revealed her daughter had to give up on her 'lifelong dream' of competing in equestrian events at the 2016 Olympics, because of her Lyme disease. In a blog entry posted on Tuesday evening under the heading 'I Have Nothing To Prove,' the 55-year-old explained that her children have been receiving 'extensive holistic treatment ever since' their diagnosis three years ago. Bella had told Porter magazine in October that she was working toward representing the USA in equestrian events at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this summer. Not feeling it: She wore all black, including trainers, Alo Yoga leggings and a thick sweater - although it didn't look quite think enough juxtaposed with the snow strewn pavements Dont need it: Nevertheless she didn't even deem it necessary to keep her Pizza Boys beanie on the whole time, pulling it off before tying her long dark hair tidily in a tight knot Attentive: Her companions - a male and a female - didn't seem to mind the fashion star had her phone in her paw the entire time, even when the trio got up to leave together But Yolanda revealed this would not now be the case. 'Bella had to give up her lifelong dream of having a professional riding career and a shot at the Olympics due to her severe symptoms and inability to ride. This was the biggest heartbreak of her life and an extremely sensitive subject for her,' Yolanda wrote. She posted a photo on Instagram on Tuesday showing Bella receiving a treatment for Lyme disease with an IV line in her arm while they both reclined in bed. 'Watching my brave babies suffer in silence in order to support me in my journey has struck the deepest core of hopelessness inside of me,' she wrote in the caption. Devastating: During the week, her mom Yolanda Foster revealed her daughter had to give up on her 'lifelong dream' of competing in equestrian events at the 2016 Olympics, because of her Lyme disease Dream: Bella had told Porter magazine in October that she was working toward representing the USA in equestrian events at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this summer Cindy Crawford told United Airlines' Rhapsody magazine over the weekend that she wants to 'move on' from modelling when she turns 50. But the next day the beauty - who hits that milestone on February 20 - backpedaled on that remark in a long Instagram post. The mother of two wrote: 'Every year, I tell my kids I'm retiring. It's a running joke in our family. And yet every year, opportunities pop up that really excite me. While it's true that I'm eager to shift my focus a bit to concentrate on my businesses, friends and family - I'm not making any final statements (not all headlines tell the whole story!).' Clearing it up: Cindy Crawford, who turns 50 on February 20, shared her message on her social media Monday, along with a black and white image from her cover story Wow: In the February cover story for Rhapsody, the model revealed that she doesn't want to keep 'proving herself,' adding that: 'I'm sure I'll have my picture taken for 10 more years, but not as a model anymore' She continued: 'I have loved being part of the fashion industry for the past 30 years - and if that time has taught me anything, it's this: never say never. Thanks for all the support, I'm so excited for what 2016 hold! xo Cindy.' On Twitter, the legendary model wrote: 'Headlines don't always tell the whole story. Thanks for the love everyone.' Honesty: The 49-year-old clarified her future plans after she was quoted in United Airlines' Rhapsody magazine that she wants to 'move on' from modeling when she turns 50 The runway star also revealed to Rhapsody that she doesn't want to keep 'proving herself,' adding that: 'I'm sure I'll have my picture taken for 10 more years, but not as a model anymore.' Cindy said: 'And that's OK. I've done it. I've worked with all these incredible photographers. What else do I need to do? I can't keep reinventing myself. I shouldn't have to keep proving myself. I don't want to.' The Vogue darling was discovered as a teenager after she posed in a bikini for a local photographer in her hometown of DeKalb, Illinois. In the eighties, she rose to supermodel status, where she became a household name and a celebrity brand. She recently added author to her resume, after she released her book, Becoming, in September. Posing pretty: Cindy added in the interview: 'I've worked with all these incredible photographers. What else do I need to do? I can't keep reinventing myself. I shouldn't have to keep proving myself. I don't want to' On the go: She recently added author to her resume, after she released her book, Becoming, in September The book, which looks back on her impressive career, also serves as a way for her to 'move on' from modelling, according to her Rhapsody interview. The beauty is not only busy with her family and her book launch, she is also still modelling, although not full time. Last week, Cindy shared a photo while on the set of a photo shoot for Zoo Magazine, while posing in a fitting black dress. She captioned the picture: 'Caught in the act. Another #BTS from last week's shoot with @BryanAdams for @ZooMagazine.' The stunner is mom to 16-year-old son Presley and 14-year-old Kaia with her husband, Rande Gerber. Camera ready: Last week, Cindy shared a photo while on the set of a photo shoot for Zoo Magazine, while posing in a fitting black dress That rock looks like it's travelling a lot faster than 30. A furious looking Alec Baldwin was spotted hurling a stone at a co-star in New York on Monday. But the 57-year-old wasn't having a creative dispute - it was just a scene for his latest comedy Drunk Parents. Scroll down for video Hurty rock! a furious Alec Baldwin was spotted hurling a stone at a truck driver as he filmed a scene on the set of Drunk Parents in New York on Monday In the sequence, the actor was seen having a loud argument with a removal truck driver in the middle of the street. But the discussion clearly doesn't end on a note the multi Emmy-winner was happy with as he chased him down and lashed the rock at the departing truck. Continuing his pursuit in a pristine navy suit, the 30 Rock star nearly gets run over by a car in the process. But between takes the screen vet's enraged expression melted away to his much more familiar signature grin. Pow-wow: In the sequence, the actor was seen having a loud argument with a removal truck driver in the middle of the street Eat this: But the discussion clearly doesn't end on a note the multi Emmy-winner was happy with as he chased him down and lashed the rock at the departing truck Dressed for it: The 30 Rock star continued his pursuit in a pristine navy suit According to IMDb, the film sees 'two drunk parents attempt to hide their ever increasing financial difficulties from their daughter and social circle through elaborate neighborhood schemes'. Alec's titular inebriated wife is played by Salma Hayek who, while she wasn't seen on set on Monday, has been previously spotted there looking a little worse for wear. On Thursday for example, the normally immaculate-faced 49-year-old arrived for filming with a face full of fake acne, while she was filmed taking a spill on a set of steps. Plot: According to IMDb, the film sees 'two drunk parents attempt to hide their ever increasing financial difficulties from their daughter and social circle through elaborate neighborhood schemes' See ya: The Driver of the moving truck doesn't seem too interested in Baldwin's opinion Careful: Alec nearly gets run over by a car as he chases after the truck 'Alec and Salma are both incredibly charismatic, hilarious talents paired together with this brilliant writing, audiences are going to love watching these two beautiful people take on all odds in Drunk Parents,' producer Robert Ogden Barnum told The Hollywood Reporter when the casting was first announced back in September. Although this is their first film together, Salma guest starred with Alec on 30 Rock no less than seven times between 2009 and 2013. Joe Manganiello, Blue Bloods star Bridget Moynahan and comedian Jim Gaffigan all joined the cast within the past couple of weeks. That's more like it: between takes the screen vet's enraged expression melted away to his much more familiar signature grin Up close and personal with Iowa voters Democracy is a contact sport. US presidential candidates know that all too well and are deploying all their efforts to reach voters on the eve of Monday's caucuses in Iowa that kick off the presidential nomination contest. Bernie Sanders campaign volunteers Bob Swope, from Missouri, and Australian-Irish national Fergus Wilson spent the first three hours of their Sunday morning knocking on the doors of 35 different homes in a working-class neighborhood of Iowa's capital Des Moines. Volunteers Fergus Wilson (R) and Bob Swope begin a morning of voter canvassing for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in Des Moines, Iowa, January 31, 2016 Jim Watson (AFP) Only Democratic and pro-Sanders eligible voters were on the list. The point is to nudge them to fight the bitter cold to attend a caucus, the meeting to select candidates that takes the place of primaries in the Midwestern state. A woman covered in tattoos opens the door. She seems suspicious. "Good morning, I'm sorry to bother you on a Sunday morning. I'm with the Bernie Sanders campaign," Swope, 57, begins. But before he can finish, the woman lets out: "I don't have time for all of this. I'm sick of hearing about it." A man yells from inside the house: "Shut the door!" This is going to be a "rough" neighborhood to canvass, Swope acknowledges. "It's like Scranton here, people are beaten down, they've lost hope," he adds, referring to the blue-collar Pennsylvania town. The Sanders volunteers have no better luck at their next try. "I'll vote for Hillary Clinton," a man says, slamming the door. The next address also seems a tough one, with a "private property, no trespassing" placard in front. "Sometimes you say a little prayer," whispers Swope. No one answers, so he leaves a door tag with the caucus location. The volunteers retreat when they arrive at one of the few houses with a support sign for Clinton, Sanders' main rival. - 'Ready to go' - Later, a couple opens the door to their home. They are Democrats and are hesitating between Clinton and Sanders. A man who gives his name as Eric is a member of a union. "Bernie has been endorsed by all the unions," says Swope, as he launches into a somewhat lengthy soliloquy. "Hillary is much more conventional... the wife of a former president." Eric responds that he and his partner "might split" their votes, each going for a different candidate. There will be 1,681 precinct caucus locations in Iowa on Monday. The challenge for candidates is that voters need to arrive at the locations by 7:00 pm, which explains in part why participation has historically hovered around 20 percent. One man the volunteers visit says he won't be able to make it because he needs to watch his children while his wife works at night. Swope encourages the man to bring his children to the caucus, adding hopefully: "It won't take that long, it's a good civics lesson!" The man promises to "think about it." The two volunteers do have a few successes. A Mexican permanent resident who can't vote yet asks for a sign so he can put it in his yard, explaining that his 19-year-old daughter "loves Bernie." Clinton's campaign insists that its ground operations are larger, inspired by Barack Obama's 2008 efforts. "We have literally thousands of people who are already trained and ready to go," Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said during a brief stop at an African American festival on Saturday. "We feel very good about it." - Telemarketing - The Ted Cruz campaign, which is targeting the religious right, did no such ground work on Sunday morning. The candidate himself was at the vast Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, where he took part in mass with more than 1,000 faithful. He then spent about 20 minutes shaking hands, kissing babies and posing for selfies. "I prayed that God's will be done," he told reporters as he was leaving the church. Asked if he had prayed for top Republican rivals Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, Cruz nodded and said, "I actually did." "One of the things that the pastor asked was pray for any who are your opponents," he said. About 100 pro-Cruz activists took their spots in rows of telephones at campaign headquarters around lunch time. In the afternoon, a prize goes to the volunteer who has made more than 1,000 calls. On Saturday, more than 27,000 calls were made from this location. "I never felt like I could get behind a candidate before Senator Cruz," says Nancy Anderson, who has been volunteering since October. Cruz's mother and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick are also among those making these all-important calls to potential voters in telemarketing style. Patrick recalls one conversation he had with a voter hesitating between Cruz and his arch rival Trump. "I said, 'If you're for Trump, stay at home with your kids, if you're for Cruz, then be sure to get out and caucus!'" Patrick tells AFP. The latest opinion poll averages ahead of the February 1, 2016 Iowa caucus Alain Bommenel, Kun Tian (AFP) Bernie Sanders campaign volunteers, Nick Whitfield (L) and JoAnn Conrad (R), canvases a residential neighborhood on January 31, 2016 in West Burlington, Iowa Michael B. Thomas (AFP) Volunteers receive training on neighborhood canvasing at the Hillary Clinton Campaign field office on January 31, 2016 in West Burlington, Iowa Michael B. Thomas (AFP) Volunteers man the Hillary Clinton campaign field office on January 31, 2016 in West Burlington, Iowa Michael B. Thomas (AFP) China to execute two for killing British monk: report China is to execute two men for stabbing to death a British monk who founded Europe's first Tibetan monastery, state media said. Akong Tulku Rinpoche, co-founder of Scotland's Samye Ling monastery, was found dead with multiple stab wounds at his home in the southwestern city of Chengdu in 2013. A court in the city sentenced two men, Tudeng Gusang and Tsering Banjue, to death for the murders of Akong and two other men, while an accomplice was sentenced to three years in jail, the state-run China News Service reported late Sunday. Scotland's Samye Ling monastery, Europe's first Tibetan cloister and founded by British monk Akong Tulku Rinpoche in 1967 Brian Stewart (AFP/File) It cited authorities as saying that Gusang, who had worked at the Scottish monastery, and Banjue had stabbed Akong, his nephew and a driver to death in a dispute over a 2.7 million yuan ($410,000) payment. The verdict, posted by the court on social media, said the murders were "brutal" and that the suspects would be "treated severely in accordance with the law". Akong, who was in his early 70s, took British citizenship after fleeing Tibet in 1959, and founded the facility in rolling Scottish hills in 1967. He had the title of Rinpoche, an honorific given to the most respected teachers in Tibetan Buddhism, and his monastery said at the time of his killing that he had been "assassinated". The institution was a pilgrimage site for artists and musicians including Leonard Cohen as well as senior Tibetan monks including the Dalai Lama. Despite fleeing China, Akong had maintained a relationship with authorities in Beijing, regularly returning to Tibetan regions. Many Tibetans say that China represses their religious freedom and culture. Beijing says it has brought massive investment to the relatively undeveloped region. Rights groups say China executes more people than the rest of the world combined, though the annual number sentenced to death has declined significantly over the past decade. Beijing regards the figure as a state secret and does not release it. Palestinian shot dead after attempting to stab Israeli soldiers: army A Palestinian was shot dead on Monday after trying to stab Israeli soldiers near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, Israel's army said. "(Soldiers) identified a suspect infiltrating the security fence near the community of Salit, east of Kfar Saba," an army statement said. "When forces arrived at the scene the assailant drew a knife and attempted to stab the soldiers. "Responding to the imminent threat, the force fired towards the attacker, resulting in his death." Israeli soldiers react as they secure the scene of a reported Palestinian attack at a checkpoint close to the West Bank city of Ramallah, on January 31, 2016 Abbas Momani (AFP) A Palestinian security source named the assailant as Ahmed Toba, 17, from a village in the northern West Bank. Salit settlement, south of the city of Tulkarem, is situated close to Israeli territory. A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks erupted in October. Most of the attacks have been stabbings, although there have also been occasional shootings. The violence has killed 25 Israelis, as well as an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count. Israel lifts post-attack restrictions on access to Ramallah Israel late Monday lifted day-long restrictions on access into and out of the Palestinian political capital Ramallah on the occupied West Bank, imposed after a checkpoint shooting that wounded soldiers, in a stepped-up response to such attacks. It was the first time such a step was taken by Israel since the wave of Palestinian attacks that began in October, according to Israeli media. The move kept commuters from leaving or exiting the West Bank city and led to frustration as lengthy queues formed in some areas. An Israeli soldier stands guard as he checks Palestinians' vehicles on their way out of the West Bank village of Ein Sinya, northern Ramallah on February 1, 2016 Abbas Momani (AFP) It also applied to foreigners, although United Nations officials, international NGOs and diplomatic staff were exempted, diplomatic and UN sources said. The army said in a statement late Monday that "the crossings to and from Ramallah have returned to normal activity," following a "situational assessment". It had said earlier in the day that only residents of Ramallah were being allowed in, while non-residents were permitted to leave. A military source said greater emphasis was placed on checking those exiting. It was not clear when the last time such a move had been taken by Israel, though heavy restrictions were put in place during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, between 2000 and 2005. AFP journalists reported that enforcement of the measures varied significantly. Checkpoints near Jerusalem remained open and appeared to operate normally. Sunday's attack saw a Palestinian who had worked as a guard for the attorney general's office in Ramallah open fire at a checkpoint outside the city, wounding three Israeli soldiers before being shot dead. It was part of four months of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks targeting Israelis. Most of the attacks have been stabbings, though shootings have also occurred. The shooting near Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is based, marked at least the second time a Palestinian security officer has been implicated in an attack in the current wave of violence. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on his Facebook page, saying he "has not condemned this attack that was carried out by one of his men". - 'Only the people' - The checkpoint where Sunday's shooting occurred was closed on Monday. Several other roads connecting Ramallah with the northern West Bank were also closed or restricted. At one checkpoint, soldiers were checking cars leaving but not those entering. A large number of Palestinians, aid workers and diplomats commute to Ramallah on a daily basis. "The travel restriction on Palestinians is having an effect in terms of our ability to engage," one Western diplomat said. "A number of meetings have been called off because Palestinian interlocutors have not been able to get to the meeting site." Palestinians queueing to leave Ramallah said they considered the measure collective punishment for Sunday's attack. One woman in her 30s waiting in a taxi gave her name as Aline and said she was missing a court date in Nablus in the northern West Bank. "The question is until when this will happen?" she asked. "Every time someone has a gun and goes to shoot the Israeli army? Neither the (Palestinian) president is harmed or anyone else. Only the people are harmed." - Israel blames incitement - Violence since October has killed 25 Israelis, as well as an American and an Eritrean, according to an AFP count. At the same time, 161 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, most while carrying out attacks but others during clashes and demonstrations. Some analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israel's occupation of the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have helped feed the unrest. Israel blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and media as a main cause of the violence. Many of the attackers have been young people, including teenagers, who appear to have been acting on their own. The Ramallah restrictions seemed to indicate a harsher response to the violence by Israel, with Netanyahu under political pressure over his government's failure to halt the attacks. There have been warnings, including from Israeli security officials, that imposing heavy restrictions on Palestinians could further inflame the violence and lead to a full-scale uprising. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon renewed his criticism of the "humiliating" Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories on Sunday in an opinion piece published by the New York Times. "Palestinians -- especially young people -- are losing hope over what seems a harsh, humiliating and endless occupation," the UN chief wrote. At the same time, Israelis are reeling from near-daily attacks and "losing sight" of the possibility of a peace deal, he said. ATR says signs 1.0-bn-euro planes deal with Iran European manufacturer of turboprop aircraft ATR said Monday it had signed a one-billion-euro deal with Iran Air for up to 40 planes after the dropping of US sanctions against Iran. Under the accord inked in Tehran, ATR is to provide the Iranian national flag carrier with 20 ATR 72-600 planes, with options on another 20 planes. It follows talks in Rome and Paris last week during a visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani following the lifting of sanctions over the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme. ATR is to provide the Iranian national flag carrier with 20 ATR 72-600 planes, with options on another 20 planes Remy Gabalda (AFP) "The deal marks the arrival of the newest generation ATRs in Iran, where the first aircraft have been operating since 1992. "This freshly open market provides a strong potential for the development and expansion of domestic traffic and routes," ATR said in a statement. ATR is co-owned by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and Italian aerospace group Finmeccanica. ATR is "honoured to take part in this new era in Iran by providing the national airline with aircraft that will strongly contribute to reinforce and boost regional transportation across the country", chief executive Patrick de Castelbajac said in the statement. Before a nuclear deal with world powers took effect last 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. China arrests fourth Japanese over spying: Tokyo Japan on Monday denied that it carries out espionage activities abroad as it announced that Chinese authorities have formally arrested a fourth Japanese citizen on suspicion of spying. China and Japan have been taking steps for more than a year to improve relations that remain plagued by tensions over the legacy of World War II as well as a maritime dispute. Ties, however, remain shaky and the Chinese allegations of spying by Japanese nationals have become a new irritant. Tokyo is wary as Beijing becomes increasingly aggressive in pressing its various sovereignty claims Frederic J. Brown (AFP/File) The arrests also come as China has detained people of other nationalities on security-related suspicions. Yoshihide Suga, Japan's top government spokesman, said China informed Japan last month that a fourth Japanese had been formally arrested after being detained in Beijing in June. "Japan does not engage in spying activities in any country," Suga told reporters. "The government is preparing to support (those citizens) properly through diplomatic offices overseas." Few details have been released about the detained Japanese. Suga previously announced that three are men and one is a woman. All were apprehended last year, with news of the formal arrests coming in stages. The arrests of the Japanese came after China in 2014 detained a Canadian missionary couple for alleged espionage. China said Friday that it has charged one of the Canadians with spying and stealing state secrets. Last month Swedish activist Peter Dahlin was held on suspicion of endangering national security, apparently caught up in a crackdown on human rights lawyers. He was deported last week. Detained Egypt cartoonist who mocks Sisi freed An Egyptian cartoonist known for mocking President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been released after he was detained for running a website without permission, his lawyer and the prosecution service said Monday. Islam Gawish, known on social media networks for his cartoons mocking Egyptian officials, was arrested on Sunday, in a move that raised fresh alarm over freedom of expression in Egypt. "He has been released after interrogation," his lawyer Ahmed Abdel Raham told AFP. Since Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi overthrew his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the authorities have been accused of cracking down on all forms of opposition STRINGER (Egyptian Presidency/AFP/File) The prosecution service confirmed that Gawish had been freed without any charges. Gawish was arrested at work, the office of a local information website that operates without the required legal permits, the interior ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It said he was detained for "administering a personal site on the Internet without a licence in violation of the law", and also accused him of using pirated computer software. Gawish's cartoons are posted on a Facebook page followed by more than 1.6 million people. He also runs a website. A joint statement by several small opposition parties had demanded the cartoonist's "immediate release", and had denounced what it called a policy of "restricting freedom of opinion and expression adopted recently by the state apparatus". "We warn about the consequences of a return to the police state and the repression of freedoms," said the statement signed by eight parties including the liberal Al-Dostour, founded by Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei. Since Sisi overthrew his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the authorities have been accused of cracking down on all forms of opposition. Gawish's arrest coincided with the fifth anniversary of the 2011 popular uprising that forced strongman Hosni Mubarak to step down after three decades in power. In the aftermath of Morsi's ouster, more than 1,400 Islamist protesters demanding his reinstatement were killed by police and soldiers, and more than 15,000 jailed. Bacardi fires latest salvo in Havana Club rum battle with Cuba Bacardi filed suit Monday against the United States demanding an explanation of its decision to let Cuba sell Havana Club rum in America once the US trade embargo against the communist island is lifted. That green light, granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office, is illegal, Bacardi said in the latest salvo of a long-running legal battle that goes back to the Cuban revolution of 1959. Bacardi, which had made rum in Cuba under its own name and that of Havana Club, left the island in 1960 after Fidel Castro came to power. Bacardi, which had made rum in Cuba under its own name and that of Havana Club, left the island in 1960 after Fidel Castro came to power Dibyangshu Sarkar (AFP/File) Bacardi filed the new request under the Freedom of Information Act and wants all documents, communications and files that were created, used, or maintained by US authorities to grant Cuba the Havana Club trademark registration. Bacardi makes rum in Puerto Rico and markets it in the United States and elsewhere. The USPTO decision was made in violation of the language and spirit of US law, Bacardi said in a statement. "The American people have the right to know the truth of how and why this unprecedented, sudden and silent action was taken by the United States government to reverse long-standing US and international public policy and law that protects against the recognition or acceptance of confiscations of foreign governments," Bacardi senior vice president and general counsel Eduardo Sanchez said. Bacardi insists it bought the rights to Havana Club from the Arechabala family, which made the rum until its distillery was seized by the Cuban government after the revolution. Bacardi said it will pursue all legal options to defend it position in the Havana Club legal wrangle, which has dragged on for decades. In 1976, Cuba, which also continued to produce Havana Club, was able to register the trademark in the United States. But it lost the trademark in 2006 when it could not present the necessary license to the Treasury Department. Cuba and the United States restored diplomatic relations in July of last year. Belgian designer drops Tokyo Olympics logo complaint Belgian designer Olivier Debie who sued the International Olympic Committee for plagiarising a logo for the Tokyo 2020 Games has decided to drop the complaint, his lawyer said on Monday. "Debie believes he has won his case in the court of international opinion. He also knows he will not win substantial damages because the IOC has dropped the logo and he does not want to incur further costs," Philippe Mottard told AFP. Debie filed his suit in August alleging that Japanese designer Kenjiro Sano plagiarised a logo designed for a theatre in the east Belgian city of Liege. Belgian Designer Olivier Debie poses for a photographer in his office in Liege on July 30, 2015 as his computer display shows Tokyo's 2020 Olympic emblem (L) and the logo of the Theatre de Liege Sophie Kip (Belga/AFP/File) Amid a growing scandal, the Tokyo Games organising committee dropped the design shortly afterwards but insisted the move was not in response to the legal action and that the designs were different. Debie told AFP at the time that the two logos were "virtually identical." "When I see the Tokyo 2020 logo, I say to myself, that's the logo I created in 2011." The Tokyo logo was based around the letter "T" -- for Tokyo, tomorrow and team -- with a red circle said to represent a beating heart. Controversial Syrian opposition chief negotiator Alloush in Geneva The controversial chief negotiator for the main Syrian opposition body, Mohammed Alloush from the powerful Army of Islam rebel group, arrived in Geneva on Monday to participate in peace talks, he told AFP. "We came to find a solution," Alloush said after arriving, adding however: "There is no common ground with the regime. The regime wants to eliminate the opposition." The Syrian government and its ally Moscow consider the Islamist Army of Islam, or Jaish al-Islam, to be "terrorists" who should not be part of negotiations to end Syria's almost five-year-old civil war. A rebel fighter with the Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) places their flag in the snow during a training session in Eastern al-Ghouta, a rebel-held region outside the capital Damascus on January 11, 2015 Abd Doumany (AFP/File) Other opposition groups have also said it is unacceptable for the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) delegation to be led by a member of an armed group. Alloush heads the political division of Army of Islam and is the cousin of slain Jaish al-Islam head Zahran Alloush, killed in an air strike claimed by Syria's government on December 25. Jaish al-Islam, which is opposed to both the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the Islamic State group, is believed to receive wide backing from Saudi Arabia. Syria peace talks in trouble after intense Russian strikes The latest push to end Syria's tangled conflict was in fresh disarray Tuesday as the government denied formal talks had begun and the opposition cancelled a meeting with the UN envoy following intense Russian air strikes. The main opposition umbrella group attending the biggest effort yet to end the war called Russia's bombardment near Aleppo -- with 270 raids since Monday morning, according to monitors -- "unprecedented". "Since last night a big massacre is taking place in Syria and nobody is doing anything. Nobody is saying anything, the international community is completely blind," said Salem al-Meslet from the High Negotiations Committee (HNC). Syrian regime forces take aim at Islamic State group jihadists south of the town of Al-Bab, in the northern province of Aleppo on January 14, 2016 George Ourfalian (AFP/File) On Monday, UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura declared that indirect talks between the government and the opposition had officially begun in Switzerland, saying he hoped to "achieve something" by February 11. But chief government negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari shot this down Tuesday, saying the talks were still "in a preparatory phase", that the opposition had failed to even name its negotiating team and that there was no agenda. "We are still in the preparatory phase for indirect talks ... We still don't know who the opposition delegation is," Jaafari told reporters after meeting de Mistura, the third UN envoy for Syria since the war began in March 2011. The opposition then cancelled a meeting with de Mistura scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, with HNC member Farah Atassi saying that "at this moment, there is no reason to repeat ourselves with de Mistura." However, Interfax later reported that Russian deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov said de Mistura would again meet the opposition negotiators "tomorrow or the day after tomorrow" and that they "will explain their position and will announce the makeup of the delegation that will participate in talks", The HNC has demanded the regime allow humanitarian access to besieged towns, stop bombing civilians and release thousands of prisoners -- some of them children -- languishing in regime jails. It also expressed outrage at the regime offensive, backed by Russian jets and allied militants, that allowed government forces to edge closer to breaking a long-running rebel siege on two government-held Shiite villages in Aleppo province. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said at least 18 civilians had been killed in the raids on Tuesday, including five women, three children and two emergency workers. "We have never seen things like this since the beginning of the revolution," HNC spokeswoman Basma Kodmani said, calling the air raids "unprecedented". "The regime's and Russia's actions gravely threaten the political process at this early stage," fellow HNC member Atassi said. - Promise of ceasefire - US Secretary of State John Kerry weighed in Tuesday urging the Syrian opposition to remain in peace talks despite the Russian bombing, adding that he was "extraordinarily sympathetic" to their difficult situation. "But the agreement at the United Nations and the agreement in Vienna is that when the political dialogue begins there will be a ceasefire. So the hope, the expectation is that it shouldn't take long and we're not requiring people to sit at the table for months," Kerry said. Russia said it was willing to coordinate efforts toward a Syria ceasefire with the US, according to Interfax. In a November meeting in Vienna, world powers agreed on an ambitious roadmap that foresees six months of intra-Syrian talks, leading to a new constitution and free elections within 18 months. But it left unresolved the future of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Since the conflict began in March 2011, more than 260,000 people have died and more than half of Syria's population have fled their homes. The conflict has dragged in a range of international players, from Iran, Turkey and the Gulf states -- the latter two on the opposition side -- to Western nations and, since late September, Russia. The chaos has also fuelled the rise of the Islamic State group which has overrun swathes of Syria and Iraq and staged a series of deadly attacks across the globe, including in Paris in November. The extremist Sunni Muslim group claimed responsibility for multiple blasts on Sunday on a revered Shiite shrine south of Damascus that killed at least 70 people. In Geneva, Assad's government has been objecting to the inclusion in the Saudi-backed HNC of certain rebels it denounces as "terrorists", a stance supported by Moscow and by Iran, Riyadh's arch rival. One of these is Mohammed Alloush, a member of the powerful Army of Islam armed rebel group who arrived in Geneva late Monday to act as the HNC's chief negotiator. UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura (C-L) sits facing Syria's main opposition group during Syrian peace talks at the UN Offices in Geneva on February 1, 2016 Fabrice Coffrini (AFP/File) HNC spokesman Salem al-Meslet kisses a banner showing pictures of children killed during the Syrian war, outside of the United Nations offices on February 2, 2016 in Geneva Fabrice Coffrini (AFP) Government forces near a tank three kilometres from the Shiite villages of Nubol and Zahraa in Syria's northern Aleppo province, on February 2, 2016 George Ourfalian (AFP) Syrian ambassador to UN and head of the government delegation Bashar al-Jaafari (right) is greeted by UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura upon his arrival at the opening of Syrian peace talks US flooring firm fined $13 mn for timber trafficking A US flooring retailer that used timber harvested in the habitat of Siberian tigers and other endangered species was sentenced Monday to pay a record criminal fine over illegal trafficking. Lumber Liquidators was sentenced to pay $13.2 million dollars in a federal court in Virginia, the US Justice Department said in a statement. The department noted it was the largest financial penalty for timber trafficking under the Lacey Act, a law that bans trafficking in illegal wildlife and plant products. Lumber Liquidators was sentenced to pay $13.2 million dollars in a federal court in Virginia, the US Justice Department said in a statement Scott Olson (Getty/AFP/File) Lumber Liquidators will pay $7.8 in criminal fines, $1.23 million in community service payments and nearly a million dollars in forfeited assets for its illegal importation of hardwood flooring. Much of the illegal imports were manufactured in China from timber that had been illegally logged in Russia's Far East, in the habitat of the last remaining Siberian tigers and Amur leopards in the world, the department said. "By knowingly and illegally sourcing timber from vulnerable forests in Asia and other parts of the world, Lumber Liquidators made American consumers unwittingly complicit in the ongoing destruction of some of the world's last remaining intact forests," said Dan Ashe, director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, in the statement. "Along with hastening the extinction of the highly endangered Siberian tiger and many other native species, illegal logging driven by the company's greed threatens the many people who depend on sustainable use of these forests for food, clean water, shelter and legitimate jobs," he said. Second men's fashion week kicks off in New York Men's fashion week kicked off in New York on Monday for a second season, playing catch up after chic shows in London, Milan and Paris. Still in its infancy, the fall/winter 2016 season is already a step up from the spring/summer 2016 men's fashion week debut that graced New York last July. There are 60 shows compared to 51, and nearly double the number of media accreditation requests -- 800 up from 500. Although it's called a week, the shows are spread across four days and concentrated in Manhattan's west Soho. Models display creations of David Hart the New York Men's at Industrial Studios in New York on February 1, 2016 Kena Betancur (AFP) It will also whet appetites for the style explosion and buyers' bonanza that is New York fashion week for women -- the main event -- due to begin February 11. "The success of the inaugural 'New York Fashion Week: Men's' surpassed our expectations," Steven Kolb head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America told AFP in an email interview. Bruce Pask, men's fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman, said the first week was well attended by US and New York-based retailers and journalists, as well as "great support and attendance from the international menswear community." But there is a long way to go. One of America's most celebrated designers, Ralph Lauren, chose instead to unveil his high-end Purple Label in Milan last month. Calvin Klein will show only a capsule collection of evening wear. "We are only in our second season so we still need to prove that what we are doing is worth the attention of journalists and retailers," said Kolb. He said the response from within the United States was strong from the beginning but that he would "like to see the international attendance grow." If the schedule over the next four days is not as chic as Paris or Milan, it does not lack panache. Among the big names are Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors, Theory and John Varvatos, lured last July from Milan. - Timing clash - Riding the wave of trendy street wear, a new generation of designers will compete for the attentions of fashion editors and bloggers on the lookout for new icons of cool -- among them Californian label Stampd, which won GQ's prize for best new men's wear designer in 2015. Others to look out for are Greg Lauren the nephew of Ralph, Siki Im and its art installations, Gypsy Sport, winner of the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund prize in 2015, Robert Geller, suit specialist Joseph Abboud, Uri Minkoff, brother of designer Rebecca and Californian labels Second/Layer and Jeffrey Rudes. "It's exciting to get a platform for all of us here," said David Hart, a designer with his eponymous label who said his collection is inspired by the Jazz age. "There are a lot of exciting things happening for men," he said in a packed and overheated room close to his models posing with a saxophone and trumpet in hand. "It's getting bigger and bigger!" Among those absent are the highly regarded Thom Browne, who is staying in Paris, Rag and Bone, which will unveil a men and women's show on February 15, and Michael Bastian, the long-time champion of men's fashion week. This time he will instead organize a private shoot in his studio, his team said. Experts say there's nothing surprising in that, given the scheduling conflict that this season's men's fashion week presents: sandwiched between the European shows in January and New York's main fashion week for women. "That is a bit unfortunate in terms of timing," said Vincenzo Gatto, a men's fashion expert who teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. January would be too close to the shows in Europe. But in early February, retail clients outside the New York metropolitan area are generally back home in Florida, the Mid West and California, Gatto said. But he said the concept itself was great. "Otherwise it gets lost," he told AFP. "It's good for retail, for innovation." US declares E. coli outbreak over at Chipotle restaurants US health authorities Monday declared an end to two separate outbreaks of E. coli that sickened dozens of customers at Mexican restaurant chain Chipotle in the United States. The infections with shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26 (STEC O26) were first reported in the western states of Washington and Oregon in late October. "These two outbreaks appear to be over," said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Authorities declare an end to the E. coli outbreaks linked to the restaurant chain Chipotle, but ingredient to blame was not identified Mandel Ngan (AFP/File) "The most recent illness reported to CDC started on December 1, 2015." A total of 55 people in 11 states were infected during the first outbreak. Twenty-one were hospitalized. The second outbreak was smaller, infecting five people and resulting in one hospitalization. No one died in either outbreak, though E. coli is considered dangerous and can cause bloody diarrhea and kidney failure, even death. The two outbreaks bore "different, rare DNA fingerprints of STEC O26," but the same food ingredient is believed to have been the cause, said the CDC. However, its probe did not identify which ingredient was to blame. "When a restaurant serves foods with several ingredients that are mixed or cooked together and then used in multiple menu items, it can be more difficult for epidemiologic studies to identity the specific ingredient that is contaminated," said the health agency. Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said the company was "pleased that the CDC has concluded its investigation, and we have offered our full cooperation throughout." "Over the past few months we have taken significant steps to improve the safety of all of the food we serve, and we are confident that the changes we have made mean that every item on our menu is delicious and safe," he added. Sales and stock at Chipotle took a hit after the outbreaks. Chicago sees spike in murders from gang violence Chicago has seen an "unacceptable" spike in murders and shootings largely as a result of "petty disagreements" and gang conflict, the police department said Monday. The street violence comes as the embattled department is struggling to rebuild trust in the community in the wake of a series of incidents in which police were accused of being quick to pull the trigger on their service weapons. The third largest US city saw the number of people murdered nearly double to 51 in January of this year from 29 in January 2015. People attend a candlelight vigil in memory of nine-year-old Tyshawn Lee outside his father's home on November 5, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois, after claims claims Lee was executed because of his father's gang ties Scott Olson (Getty/AFP/File) The number of people wounded also nearly doubled to 292 people in 242 shootings. "The vast majority of incidents originated from petty disagreements that escalated into gun violence that tore apart families," police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. "We will continue to work tirelessly on ways to stop violence, and restore accountability and trust in communities throughout the city." The department responded to the recent spike in violence by conducting a series of raids that led to the arrest of 40 "documented gang members" and the series of 19 weapons, including an AK-47. It also shut down businesses deemed to pose a "public safety threat" and moved nearly 400 officers off foot patrol and into vehicles so they can respond more quickly. The city of 2.7 million saw a 12 percent increase in the number of shootings in 2015 to a whopping 2,084, police statistics show. However, the number of people murdered actually fell slightly to 407 in 2015 from 419 a year earlier. That's significantly higher than the 352 people killed in New York, a city of 8.5 million. Yet Chicago streets remain significantly safer than they were during the crack epidemic of the 1990s, when over 900 people were murdered in a year. Chicago has recorded around 450 to 500 murders a year since 2004, according to police statistics. Worth wait as Snedeker lifts Torrey Pines trophy Brandt Snedeker's stellar 69 in brutal weather on Sunday proved enough to see the American lift the trophy at a sunsplashed Torrey Pines on Monday as the weather-delayed Farmers Insurance Open concluded. Snedeker had been simply sensational on Sunday when gusting winds and spells of driving rain forced three delays and pushed scores up at Torrey Pines north of San Diego, California. Snedeker, who described it as "like playing a British Open on a US Open set-up" had built a 72-hole total of six-under 282 when play was halted Sunday afternoon with most of the field still to finish. Brandt Snedeker tees off on the 17th hole during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines South on January 31, 2016 in San Diego, California Donald Miralle (Getty/AFP/File) Jimmy Walker was seven-under on the course, and South Korean veteran K.J. Choi at six-under, both with eight holes to play. Although the sun was out on Monday, winds were still strong enough that spectators were banned from the course -- where several trees had toppled overnight -- and neither Walker nor Choi could get into the clubhouse ahead of Snedeker -- the only player to break par in the final round. "You would not imagine what was going through my head," Snedeker said of his anxious night spent worrying about the weather and whether he was really likely to find himself collecting his eighth US PGA Tour title. Snedeker was at the 18th green watching when Choi missed a long birdie attempt at his final hole that would have forced a playoff. Instead he settled for a par and a 76 that gave him solo second on 283, one shot in front of Kevin Streelman who posted a 74 for 284. Walker closed with a 77 for 285 that put him equal fourth with Sweden's Freddie Jacobsen, who carded a final-round 76. Snedeker, who started the final round on Sunday morning six shots off the pace, said it was "unbelievable" to find himself hoisting the trophy. "I thought I was out of the tournament starting on Sunday morning," he said. Georgia to execute US state's oldest death row inmate The US state of Georgia is set to execute its oldest death-row prisoner Tuesday, just days before his 73rd birthday, in a case critics say is emblematic of capital punishment's excesses. Brandon Jones, scheduled to receive a lethal injection at a state prison in Jackson, has spent more than 36 years behind bars for the 1979 murder of a convenience store clerk. Critics point to his case as an example of the "double punishment" faced by some death row prisoners -- spending decades in solitary confinement with no prospects but death. This photo obtained February 1, 2016 from the Georgia Department of Corrections in shows death row inmate Brandon Astor Jones Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer last year spoke out against "unconscionably long delays that undermine the death penalty's penological purpose." Death penalty opponents note that many death row inmates were sentenced to death at a time when they lacked a satisfactory defense system and that if they were tried today, the outcome would be different. "Jones's case raises questions of proportionality and discriminatory application of the death penalty," the Death Penalty Information Center said in a statement. "He and his co-defendant Van Solomon -- both African American -- were sentenced to death... for killing a white gas station store clerk during a robbery. "Jones denies shooting the clerk and prosecutors never determined who fired the fatal shot." Solomon died on the electric chair in 1985. A judge had ordered Jones to be resentenced because jurors had a Bible in the room during deliberations over his punishment. During the decades he spent behind bars, Jones read a lot and become known for his writings on prison life and issues of race. Jones, who would turn 73 on Valentine's Day, declined to request a final meal ahead of his 7:00 pm (0100 GMT Wednesday) execution. "He will be receiving the institutional tray consisting of chicken and rice, rutabagas, seasoned turnip greens, dry white beans, cornbread, bread pudding and fruit punch," the Department of Corrections said in a statement. Currently, 76 men are on death row in Georgia, which suspended executions for several months in 2015 in response to a controversy over the drugs used in its lethal injections. Investigation shows ease of laundering money in US An investigation involving secret video recordings of lawyers meeting the representative of a supposed corrupt African minister shows how easy it is to launder ill-gotten gains through the United States. Global Witness, an independent anti-corruption organization, recorded meetings between the ostensible minister's representative and 13 New York lawyers to discuss how the minister could move money out of his West African country through front companies. The representative, actually a member of Global Witness, told the lawyers the minister had raised millions of dollars in exchange for mining rights and wanted to bring the money secretly into the United States to buy a private jet, housing and a yacht. Global Witness, an independent anti-corruption organization, used secret videos to show how easy it is to launder ill-gotten gains through the United States Wakil Kohsar (AFP/File) "We deliberately posed as someone designed to raise red flags for money laundering," Global Witness explained on its website Monday. "We said we needed to get the money into the US without detection." The result? Only one of the 13 lawyers was not willing to help. The others, Global Witness said, were receptive and suggested to the fake official that he create anonymous front companies in the United States to move his funds. "Well, you'd set up a Delaware corporation that owns the real estate," said one of the lawyers. Delaware is one of a number of US states that allow people to set up front and shell companies that hide the identity of the ultimate beneficiary of the company. "It is one of the easiest places in the world to do this legally," Global Witness said. Some members of Congress and non-governmental organizations are fighting to close this channel which has been used by drug and arms traffickers to launder dirty money. During the taped meetings, several of the lawyers suggested that the fake minister's money could be passed through bank accounts of their law firms to avoid the suspicions of the authorities. While none of them actually signed up the minister as a client, only one dismissed the overture of the fake representative. "This ain't for me, my standards are higher," said Jeffrey Herrmann, who also refused to recommend someone else that the minister could work with. With Iowa caucuses looming, candidates push for turnout DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Emily Isaac used her college graduation gift money to fly from California to Iowa to help Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders win the Iowa caucuses and, ultimately, go on to grab the Democratic nominee for president. With tables loaded with bottles of soda and take out burritos, and "Feel the Bern" signs everywhere in sight, volunteers gathered at Sanders' Des Moines headquarters Saturday to make phone calls and knock on doors before the leadoff Iowa caucuses. "I know how important Iowa is. It's so important that Bernie win Iowa," said Isaac, 21, who was joined by her mother and brother. "I wanted to do whatever I could." Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, bottom right, signs his autograph for supporters as he is joined by wife, Melania, at a rally Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) For all the hype surrounding the Feb. 1 caucuses, only a fraction of Iowa's registered voters participate. So over the final weekend, campaigns on both sides of the aisle were focused on turning out voters. The last major preference poll before the caucuses showed a tight Democratic race. The Iowa Poll, published by The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg, found former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with 45 percent support to Sanders' 42 percent. The poll also showed that businessman Donald Trump had the support of 28 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 23 percent and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 15 percent. The poll was taken Tuesday to Friday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. But one question the polls or the crowds or the pundits can't fully answer is just how many people will show up Monday? And what will the numbers mean? Here are some factors to consider: HISTORY It's true that that relatively small numbers typically come out for the caucuses. Republicans turned out roughly 120,000 people to the caucuses in 2008 and 2012. Democrats had just over 124,000 in 2004, but in 2008 the efforts of President Barack Obama as well the rest of a competitive field helped nearly doubled that number, with nearly 240,000 showing up. (The most recent Democratic caucus was not competitive, because Obama was running as an incumbent.) PREDICTIONS Most Republicans expect a higher turnout in 2016 than the last two caucuses, while Democrats largely think they'll beat their 2004 number, but not hit the 2008 high. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said he thought Republican turnout could be as much as 150,000. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, said he thought Democrats would exceed 2004, but doubted it would be "dramatically higher." The higher the turnout, the better the outcomes could be for businessman Donald Trump on the Republican side and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side. Both are seeking to get nontraditional participants out. "The higher the turnout, the more likely it is that Donald Trump has a huge caucus night," Matt Strawn, former executive director of the Iowa Republican Party. And Pete D'Alessandro, who directs Sanders' Iowa operation, said that "when Sen. Sanders talks about how a high turnout is better, he is exactly right about that." POLITICKING All the campaigns are pushing to get voters out. A spokeswoman for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's campaign said they had 2,000 volunteer shifts filled on Saturday alone. Brad Anderson, a Des Moines political consultant who has backed Clinton, offered his home as a base for volunteers. "I think clearly, we're checking all the boxes and doing everything," Anderson said. Cruz has been rushing to visit all of the state's 99 counties and has brought in hundreds of out of state volunteers to stay at former college dorms he has dubbed "Camp Cruz." The organization for Trump has been tougher to asses, but Trump himself has been urging his packed houses to come out. Speaking to a Dubuque crowd Saturday, Trump encouraged the group to attend even if a storm arrives early, saying: "You're from Iowa. Are you afraid of snow?" WEATHER The outlook appears fine for getting people to the caucus though a major winter storm is expected soon after people cast their votes. Kurt Kotenberg, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, based in Johnston, Iowa, said Saturday that snow will start falling in the state late Monday night close to midnight. He said they expect most snow to fall during the day Tuesday. The timing of the storm could complicate Tuesday travel for any candidates left in the state. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., talks with voters during a campaign rally Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in Waterloo, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) 1 killed by fallen tree as wet winter storm hits California LOS ANGELES (AP) A motorist was fatally struck by a tree that toppled as a winter storm moved across California, bringing powerful winds, heavy rain and snow, authorities said Sunday. The driver was passing by a residential street in Pacific Beach when a large oak tree fell across all four traffic lanes, San Diego Fire and Rescue Capt. Joe Amador said. The tree, which measured 8 feet in diameter, also crushed three parked cars that were not occupied, he said. Firefighters work to remove a large tree that fell across multiple lanes of traffic, killing a motorist, in Pacific Beach, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Powerful winds have downed dozens of trees and power poles and blown away rooftops as a winter storm moves across California. (John Gastaldo/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP) NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT "To the people out here dealing with the rain: be careful, drive slowly and arrive alive," Amador said. Strong winds downed dozens of trees and power poles and ripped off rooftops and in one case, solar panels across Southern California. Wind gusts topped 50 mph in the San Diego area and 65 mph in Malibu, according to the National Weather Service. The highest reading of the day was at Whitaker Peak, north of Castaic, where a gust was recorded at 115 mph. The storm also dropped up to an inch of rain in some places by 4 p.m. Sunday, and forecasters said up to 2 inches of rain was expected in the valleys of Los Angeles County and as many as 3 inches possible for southwest-facing foothills and mountains. A flash flood watch was issued for foothill neighborhoods underneath wildfire burn areas, triggering fears of possible mudslides and debris flows. The threat subsided by late Sunday as the storm moved out of the area. Meanwhile, power outages affecting about 140,000 utility customers were reported across the Los Angeles and San Diego area. Blinding rain briefly brought traffic to a near-standstill on LA freeways. North of the city, a crash during a heavy downpour involving two trucks closed southbound lanes of Interstate 5 near the Grapevine. There were no immediate reports of injuries. The weather service said the highway corridor will receive 3 to 7 inches of snow by Monday morning and vehicles may be required to travel with tire chains. The storm also churned up high surf along west and northwest-facing beaches. The rough seas prompted authorities to close the piers at Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach. To the north, Interstate 80 near Truckee was closed for more than two hours after 29 vehicles got into a pileup amid snowy conditions, KCRA-TV reported. Flooding created an ice dam that forced the closure of a mountain road, cutting off several hundred residents of Serene Lakes, a community in the Donner Summit area of the Sierra Nevada, Nevada County officials said. Another rain storm was expected in the San Francisco Bay Area by Sunday evening. A wind advisory was issued warning of winds gusting up to 50 mph. Nic McGuire looks over a tree that had fallen in front of his home in the Grant Hill area of San Diego, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. McGuire said the tree fell during the storm on Sunday. Powerful winds have downed dozens of trees and power poles and blown away rooftops as a winter storm moves across California. (Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP) NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT Myanmar house begins new session dominated by Suu Kyi party NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) For a generation and more, they were the persistent, often persecuted opposition. On Monday, Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party took a momentous step toward becoming Myanmar's government. Led for the first time by the National League for Democracy, parliament began a heady and historic session that will install the country's first democratically elected government in more than 50 years. The NLD won a landslide victory in Nov. 8 elections, taking about 80 percent of the seats at stake in the two houses of parliament to defeat the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, center, walks along with other lawmakers of her National League for Democracy party as they leave after a regular session of the lower house of parliament Monday, Feb 1, 2016 in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Myanmar's parliament, dominated by Suu Kyi's party, on Monday began a new and historic session that will install the country's first democratically elected government in more than 50 years. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) Many legislators expressed hope that it was the beginning of a new, brighter era following decades of military oppression, civil war and pervasive poverty. "This is like a dream for me, " said Khin Maung Myint, an NLD lawmaker, before the largely ceremonial two-hour session. "I never imagined that our party would be able to form the government. Even the public didn't think we could have an NLD government. But now it is like a shock to us and to the world too." Legislators from the two main parties, smaller ethnic minority parties, and military-appointed representatives filed into the cavernous parliament for the lower house session and took a joint oath of office. Most wore the traditional dress of the Burman majority or of the Shan, Karen, Kachin, Lisu and other minorities who make up nearly 40 percent of the country's 52 million people but have been poorly represented in the central government in the past. The session marks a historic turnaround for the NLD, which for years was suppressed by the military. Generals ruled the country directly or indirectly after seizing power in 1962, and over the years jailed hundreds of NLD leaders, including Suu Kyi, while crushing overt political activity. The Southeast Asian nation started moving away from dictatorship toward democracy in 2011, when the military rulers agreed to hand over power to a nominally civilian government headed by President Thein Sein, a general-turned-reformist. He will step down in late March or early April when an NLD president takes over. Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from taking the presidency because her late husband and sons are British, and has vowed to rule from behind the scenes through a proxy. She has not announced who her party will nominate for president. "We don't know exactly when the presidential election will happen. We cannot tell you anything about who will be nominated as the presidential candidates as well," said Zayar Thaw, an NLD legislator. Following two meetings between Suu Kyi and armed forces commander Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, rumors surfaced that she was pressing for the suspension of the constitutional clause that bars her from office. But the speculation was quashed Monday by the army's Myawaddy Daily newspaper, which wrote that "for the goodness of the mother country" the constitutional clause should not be changed. Despite its landslide victory, the NLD will have to share power with the military because the constitution reserves 25 percent, or 166 of the 664 seats in the two houses of parliament, for military appointees. Thein Sein's military-backed USDP won a 2010 election in which the NLD refused to participate, protesting that it was held under unfair conditions. After several changes in the election law, the NLD contested several dozen by-elections in 2012, winning virtually all of them. Suu Kyi's party handsomely won the previous general election in 1990, but the results were annulled by the military and many of the party's leading members were harassed and jailed. Suu Kyi had been placed under house arrest prior to that election and spent 15 of the next 22 years mostly confined to her lakeside villa in Yangon. She was under house arrest when she won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Establishing democracy is only one hurdle the country faces. The new government will also have to contend with ethnic rebellions in several parts of the country. Thein Sein's government signed a peace pact with more than a dozen smaller ethnic armies before the elections, but major groups have stayed away and fighting continues in many states. Most are fighting for autonomy and rights over their resource-rich land. "I hope this will be a good opportunity for us to speak out for the ethnic people and demand indigenous rights," said Lama Naw Aung, a lower house member from the Kachin State Democracy Party, representing the Kachin minority who are fighting the army in the north. "I think there will be a change because Aung San Suu Kyi might want to finish the work for the ethnics that her father didn't get a chance to do," he said, referring to independence hero Aung San, who united various national groups. He and six colleagues were assassinated in July 1947, six months before Myanmar's independence. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Kachin state is in the north, not east. Myanmars pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, center, arrives to participate in the inaugural session of Myanmar's lower house parliament Monday, Feb. 1, 2016 in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Myanmar's parliament, led for the first time by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, began a historic session Monday that will install the country's first democratically elected government in more than 50 years. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) Two lawmakers, center, pose for a photo before taking their seats to participate in the inaugural session of Myanmar's lower house parliament Monday, Feb. 1, 2016 in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Hundreds of newly elected legislators, a majority of them from pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, on Monday began a parliament session that will install Myanmar's first democratically elected government in more than 50 years. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) about the film and said it has special meaning now that they're in their 70s 45 years after Love Story, the film that made them household names It's been more than 45 years since the release of Love Story, the 1970 classic film starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal. And the actors were given a chance to reminisce about the film that made them household names. O'Neal and MacGraw arrived at Harvard University in an antique convertible similar to the one used in the movie. They both said in a discussion with students that the movie, which was partly shot on campus, has special meaning now that they're in their 70s and in the twilight of their careers. Scroll down for video Love Story actors Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw hold hands as they are introduced for a talk with students on the campus of Harvard University The film, directed by Arthur Hiller, received seven Academy Award nominations and MacGraw won Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama at the 1971 Golden Globes They are once again co-stars in a national tour of the play Love Letters, which has a one-week run in Boston starting Tuesday. MacGraw said being at Harvard brought back fond memories that few of her subsequent experiences in film ever matched. 'It was a wonderful, wonderful adventure that was followed by some pretty dramatic stuff in my private life,' she said. MacGraw, who now lives in New Mexico, walked away from acting in the years after her breakout role and has written about her struggles with addiction. It's been more than 45 years since the release of their 1970 classic Love Story. The duo, now in their 70s, currently are co-starring in a national tour of 'Love Letters,' which is about a man and a woman who maintain contact over 50 years through notes, cards and letters The duo rolled onto the Harvard campus Monday in an antique convertible similar to the one used in Love Story and reminisced about the film that made them household names nearly half a century ago O'Neal noted cancer, like in the movie, played a big part in his life. He recently battled leukemia, which he says is now in remission. He also alluded to the death of his longtime companion, actress Farrah Fawcett, who died of cancer in 2009. Love Story was about a wealthy Harvard student who married a less wealthy student over his parents' objections. But the girl is diagnosed with leukemia and dies. It was a huge box office success that received seven Academy Award nominations and gave pop culture an oft-quoted line: 'Love means never having to say you're sorry.' In this March 1971 photo, O'Neal and MacGraw smile after their arrival at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square in London, to attend the Royal Film showing of 'Love Story' Both actors admitted they haven't seen the movie in years. They also said they had a crush on each other during filming, though both were married at the time. 'Ryan and I clicked immediately,' said MacGraw. 'We just had a chemistry.' Love Story also has a special place in Harvard tradition. When the arts journalist and moderator Alicia Anstead asked the 70 or so people in attendance how many had seen the 1970 film, nearly every hand in the room shot up. The actors both admitted that they had a crush on each other during filming, but were both married at the time Alana Davitt, a freshman from Virginia, said the film is iconic, even for students of her generation. She noted that the university's Crimson Key Society, a student group, hosts a screening of the movie each year as a sort of rite of passage for incoming freshman. Some students even wore black 'Camp Tuckahoe' T-shirts, a reference to the summer camp where MacGraw's character in Love Story worked as a counselor. The two actors said Love Letters also has special meaning for them. The play is about two people who take very different paths in life but still maintain contact through notes, cards and letters for more than 50 years. The play, which includes performances in Los Angeles, Detroit, Dallas and Baltimore, will have its Boston run at Citi Shubert Theatre. 'I'm at the age of the woman that this is written about, and my life experience includes some of those experiences,' MacGraw said. 'This is a life that makes sense to me. Therefore it's fun.' The two actors said Love Letters also has special meaning for them. The play is about two people who take very different paths in life but still maintain contact through notes, cards and letters for more than 50 years Monitor to submit 1st-year plan for Cleveland police reform CLEVELAND (AP) The city must devise a new use-of-force policy and have officers trained to implement it by the end of 2016, according to the first-year plan for a consent decree aimed at reforming the troubled Cleveland Police Department. The monitoring team hired to oversee the consent decree was scheduled to submit the plan to U.S. District Court Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. on Monday. Cleveland and the U.S. Justice Department agreed last year to allow the court to oversee police reform after a DOJ investigation concluded that there was a pattern and practice of Cleveland police officers using excessive force and violating people's civil rights. The first-year plan includes requirements that the city create policies and programs to address those concerns, including the development of a "comprehensive and integrated community and problem-oriented policing model." A key element of the consent decree is the fostering of better relationships between police officers and the communities they serve. The consent decree requires officers to do their jobs free of bias and prejudice. FILE - This Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015 file photo shows New York attorney Matthew Barge addressing the Cleveland City Council Safety Committee, in Cleveland. The Cleveland police department must devise a new policy on use of force and have officers trained to implement it by the end of 2016, according to the first-year plan for a consent decree aimed at reforming the troubled Cleveland police department. The monitoring team hired to oversee the consent decree was scheduled to submit the first-year plan to U.S. District Court Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. on Monday, Feb.1, 2016. Barge, who heads the monitoring team, said the first-year plan was devised with the support and collaboration of Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File) Matthew Barge, who heads the monitoring team that reports to Oliver, said the plan was devised with the support and collaboration of Cleveland officials. City officials declined to be interviewed about the plan last week. "The specific plan sets up a framework for accomplishing some key work in fundamental areas," Barge told The Associated Press. "That's something everyone involved thought made sense." Steven Dettelbach, U.S. attorney for northern Ohio, said in a statement that the amount of input and collaboration on the first-year plan is evidence of the commitment to reform the police department. "This 70-page, painstaking to-do list delivers a clear public message as Clevelanders we are not afraid to get down to work," Dettelbach said. Under the plan, Cleveland is required to devise policies over the next 12 months on training; create a new recruitment policy that better reflects the makeup of the city, which is more than half black; come up with a procedure on dealing with people who are having mental health crises; hire a civilian to head the department's internal affairs unit; and overhaul the city's Office of Professional Standards, which investigates citizen complaints about police. Mayor Frank Jackson has said the consent decree will cost the city millions of dollars over the coming years. The plan requires the city to conduct a study in the next year to assess its needs and priorities for equipment and resources, including the number of officers needed to "fulfill its mission and to satisfy the requirements of the agreement." All the changes and the crafting of new policies will be done with input from the community and officers across the ranks, Barge said. He said reforming the police department "isn't going to happen in a conference room." A Muslim cleric accused of wanting to overthrow the Turkish government isn't worried about the U.S. sending him back to his home country, his followers have said. Fethullah Gulen lives quietly on a gated 26-acre compound in the Pocono Mountains, where he prays, works, meets admirers and watches from afar as terrorism accusations that have landed him on Turkey's most-wanted list unfold in court. Rarely seen in public, Fethullah Gulen has long been one of Turkey's most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, Turkey's increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, has accused Gulen of plotting to overthrow the officially secular government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. Gulen's supporters call the charge baseless and, so far, the U.S. has shown little inclination to send him back to Turkey to face a trial that began without him Jan. 6 and is expected to last several months. FILE - In this March 15, 2014, file photo, Turkish Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen is pictured at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pa. Gulen is charged in Turkey with plotting to overthrow the government in a case his supporters call politically motivated. (AP Photo/Selahattin Sevi, File) If the reclusive leader worries about the possibility, he hasn't shared it with confidants, they say. 'He said that the United States has a long tradition of democracy and rule of law,' said Y. Alp Aslandogan, who sees Gulen about once a week as president of the New York-based Alliance for Shared Values, a group that promotes Gulen's ideas. 'They will see that these are politically oriented charges, and they will not allow Erdogan to spread his ambition into the United States.' Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr declined to comment on Gulen's case. Gulen's followers run a loosely affiliated global network of charitable foundations, professional associations, businesses and other projects, including about 150 taxpayer-funded charter schools throughout the U.S. But details about Gulen's personal life and his ties to those ventures have long been murky, giving rise to suspicions about his motives. Some of the U.S. schools have been investigated by the FBI amid allegations of financial mismanagement and visa fraud. One of the most explosive claims, leveled by a lawyer who is representing the Turkish government in a U.S. lawsuit against Gulen, is that the schools are importing Turkish teachers to identify impressionable students and indoctrinate them into Gulen's movement, sometimes called Hizmet, Turkish for 'service.' Nobody associated with the U.S. schools has been charged, and there has been no public outcry from parents or students about teachers promoting Islam, Gulen's supporters say. In America, the schools are public and open to students of all faiths. 'Try proselytizing evangelical Christians in the center of Texas. See what happens,' Aslandogan said. 'Anybody who knows American society and climate today would know that's a ridiculous claim.' In any event, he said, Gulen has nothing to do with the schools' finances or operation. Trained as an imam, or prayer leader, Gulen gained notice in Turkey some 50 years ago, promoting a philosophy that blended a mystical form of Islam with staunch advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue. Supporters started 1,000 schools in more than 100 countries. In Turkey, they have run universities, hospitals, charities, a bank and a large media empire with newspapers and radio and TV stations. But the extent of Gulen's reach is shrouded in such mystery that Loyola University Maryland sociologist Joshua Hendrick, who has studied and written about him, estimates his following at anywhere from 500,000 to 4 million people. 'I think deep down in the hearts of these people, they want to create a better world, a world of peace, a world of respect,' said University of Houston sociologist Helen Rose Ebaugh, who traveled the world studying the Gulen movement's finances and aims. 'I saw no indication they are after power or creating any kind of (Islamic) state.' In 2000, a year after traveling to the United States to seek medical treatment, Gulen was charged by Turkish authorities with leading an Islamist plot to overthrow the regime. He was acquitted after a trial in absentia. Now, after a public split with Erdogan, he is facing another trial. This time, the Turkish government contends Gulen has been running a parallel state by getting his followers into key police and court positions to instigate a 2013 corruption probe that targeted people close to Erdogan. Erdogan's government has branded the movement a 'terror organization,' though it is not known to have committed any acts of violence. 'The grain of truth, which we don't deny, is that yes, there are some sympathizers in every government institution. But to claim that there is a parallel entity, or there is a mastermind or puppeteer, is simply an empty claim,' Aslandogan said. A continent away, Gulen, who is in his mid-70s, lives like a monk on the grounds of the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, an Islamic retreat founded by Turkish-Americans. He spends hours a day in prayer and meditation and goes out rarely, mostly to see doctors for ailments that include heart disease and diabetes, according to Aslandogan. During a tour this week, an Associated Press reporter visited Gulen's book-lined living quarters, where shelves hold jars filled with soil from various regions of Turkey. The reporter was unable to see the cleric. He was in another building on the compound and declined to be interviewed. ___ Carr Smyth reported from Columbus, Ohio. In this Jan. 25, 2016, photo, muslim men come together for afternoon prayers at Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen, who lives on the grounds of Golden Generation, has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) This Jan. 25, 2016, photo shows the multipurpose building at Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, Saylorsburg, Pa. Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen, who lives on the grounds of Golden Generation, has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) This Jan. 25, 2016 photo shows the door leading to Fethullah Gulens living quarters at the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Rarely seen in public, Gulen has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) This Jan. 25, 2016 photo shows Fethullah Gulens bedroom at the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Rarely seen in public, Gulen has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) In this Jan. 25, 2016, photo, Fethullah Gulens work space is seen through the doorway to his bedroom at the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Rarely seen in public, Gulen has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) This Jan. 25, 2016 photo shows Fethullah Gulens work space at the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Rarely seen in public, Gulen has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) This Jan. 25, 2016 photo shows Fethullah Gulens reception area at the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Rarely seen in public, Gulen has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) Violence in Afghanistan forces Obama to rethink troop levels 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 that 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) San Francisco police face US Justice Department review SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The U.S. Department of Justice said Monday it will examine use of force and ethnic disparities in arrests as part of a review of the San Francisco Police Department amid heightened racial tensions. Unlike investigations by the DOJ's civil rights division, the review will be voluntary and won't end with a court-monitored legal settlement. San Francisco's mayor, police chief and others requested the review expected to take about two years and include public reports every six months. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Brian Stretch, left, speaks next to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, center, and San Francisco Chief of Police Greg Suhr during a news conference regarding the San Francisco Police Department Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in San Francisco. The U.S. Department of Justice launched a review of the San Francisco Police Department, an agency facing scrutiny over the shooting death of a young black man and the emergence of homophobic and racist text messages exchanged between officers. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) The review will be done by DOJ's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which promotes improvements to officers' ties with communities. "In the days and months ahead, we will examine the San Francisco Police Department's current operational policies, training practices, and accountability systems, and help identify key areas for improvement going forward," U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement. Chief Greg Suhr says the department will fully cooperate. Law enforcement experts say the review is a less onerous process for police than if the DOJ's civil rights division had launched an investigation. The civil rights division can force departments into court-monitored legal settlements if it finds constitutional violations like it did recently in Cleveland and Ferguson, Missouri. The review from the so-called COPS office is usually designed to help a department improve its operations, said University of Missouri-St. Louis criminal justice professor David Klinger. "It's much more a partnership to improve policies and practices as opposed to a court takeover," Klinger said. The review comes amid calls for the chief's removal sparked when five officers opened fire and killed Mario Woods, 26, in the city's Bayview neighborhood on Dec. 2. Police said Woods stabbed a stranger and then refused to drop a knife when approached by officers. Authorities said only one of the five officers involved in the shooting was white. Protests over Woods' death have persisted. An attorney for Woods' family welcomed the review. "It is the right and decent thing to do and a step in the right direction toward healing in the African American and Latino communities," attorney John Burris said in a statement. The department already was grappling with rising racial tensions when Woods was shot. Earlier in the year, a judge ruled that Suhr waited too long to discipline officers who he discovered had exchanged racist and homophobic text messages. Suhr is appealing the judge's order, which bars him from firing eight of the 14 officers implicated in the scandal. Suhr said he delayed disciplining the officers because he didn't want to interfere with a federal corruption investigation into several officers. The mayor has stood behind the chief, who says he has no plans to resign. "The trust in many residents in San Francisco was shaken," the chief said at a press conference Monday announcing the DOJ review. Suhr said the shaken trust prompted him to call on the DOJ to launch its review. Ronald Davis, head of the DOJ office conducting the review, said nine other law enforcement agencies have been reviewed since the creation of COPS in 2011. Davis said his office would publicly disclose if officials run into obstacles during their review. Last week, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon accused the department of stonewalling a recently created panel he convened to investigate police culture and practice, a claim the chief denied. U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Director Ronald Davis, center, speaks next to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, center, and San Francisco Chief of Police Greg Suhr during a news conference Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in San Francisco. The U.S. Department of Justice launched a review of the San Francisco Police Department, an agency facing scrutiny over the shooting death of a young black man and the emergence of homophobic and racist text messages exchanged between officers. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) Cruz tops Trump in Iowa; Clinton, Sanders too close to call DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a fiery conservative loathed by his own party's leaders, swept to victory in Iowa's Republican caucuses Monday, overcoming billionaire Donald Trump and a stronger-than-expected showing by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Among Democrats, Bernie Sanders rode a wave of voter enthusiasm to a virtual tie with Hillary Clinton, long considered her party's front-runner. Cruz's victory over Trump was a testament to his massive get-out-the-vote operation in Iowa and the months he spent wooing the state's influential conservative and evangelical leaders. "Iowa has sent notice that the Republican nominee and next president of the United States will not be chosen by the media, will not be chosen by the Washington establishment," Cruz said. Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a caucus night rally as his wife Heidi listens Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. Cruz sealed a victory in the Republican Iowa caucuses, winning on the strength of his relentless campaigning and support from his party's diehard conservatives. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) His comments were echoed by Sanders, underscoring the degree to which voter frustration with the political system has crossed party lines in the 2016 campaign. "It is too late for establishment politics and establishment economics," said Sanders, who declared the Democratic race a "virtual tie." Clinton took the stage at her own campaign rally saying she was "breathing a big sigh of relief" but with the Democratic race too close to call. Aware that even a slim victory over Sanders would reinvigorate questions about her candidacy, she foresaw a long race to come. "It is rare that we have the opportunity we do now, to have a real contest of ideas, to really think hard about what the Democratic Party stands for and what we want the future of our country to look like," Clinton said. Trump has shaken the Republican Party perhaps more than any other candidate, though he was unable to turn his legion of fans into an Iowa victory. He sounded humble in defeat, saying he was "honored" by the support of Iowans. And he vowed to keep up his fight for the Republican nomination. "We will go on to easily beat Hillary or Bernie or whoever the hell they throw up," Trump told cheering supporters. For Clinton's supporters, the tight race with Sanders was sure to bring back painful memories of her loss to Barack Obama in 2008. Her campaign spent nearly a year building a get-out-the-vote operation in Iowa yet still seemed to be caught off guard by the enthusiasm surrounding Sanders. A self-declared democratic socialist from Vermont, Sanders drew large, youthful crowds across the state with his calls for breaking up big Wall Street banks and his fierce opposition to a campaign finance system that he says is rigged for the wealthy. With the race too close to call, Sanders' aides said they had been told by the Iowa Democratic Party that it did not have results from several precincts and had asked the campaigns to help get the missing information. The party said it was awaiting results from a "small number of outstanding precincts" and had reached out to the campaigns for help contacting the chairs from those sites. Cruz modeled his campaign after past Iowa Republican winners, visiting all of the state's 99 counties and courting evangelical and conservative leaders. While candidates with that portfolio have often faded later in the primary season, Cruz hopes to ride his momentum to the nomination. Trump took second place, but Rubio, favored by more mainstream Republicans, gave him a battle even for that. "We have taken the first step, but an important step, to winning the nomination," Rubio said at a campaign rally in Des Moines. Candidates in both parties faced an electorate deeply frustrated with Washington. While the economy has improved under President Barack Obama, the recovery has eluded many Americans. New terror threats at home and abroad have increased national security concerns. Voters at Republican caucuses indicated they were deeply unhappy with the way the federal government is working. Half said they were dissatisfied and 4 in 10 said they were angry, according to surveys conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and the television networks. Six in 10 Democratic caucus-goers wanted a candidate who would continue Obama's policies. Young voters overwhelmingly backed Sanders. Both parties were drawing new voters. About 4 in 10 participants in each party said they were caucusing for the first time. In Iowa, which has for decades launched the presidential nominating contest, candidates also faced an electorate that's whiter, more rural and more evangelical than many states. But, given its prime leadoff spot in the primary season, the state gets extra attention from presidential campaigns. The caucuses marked the end of at least two candidates' White House hopes. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley ended his longshot bid for the Democratic nomination. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee dropped out on the Republican side. Republicans John Kasich, Chris Christie and Jeb Bush were all spending Monday night in New Hampshire not only to get a jump on the snow moving into Iowa but also to get ahead of their competitors in a state with voters who are expected to be friendlier to more traditional GOP candidates. While both parties caucused on the same night in Iowa, they did so with different rules. Republicans voted by private ballot. The state's 30 Republican delegates are awarded proportionally based on the vote, with at least eight delegates going to Cruz, seven to Trump and six to Rubio. Democrats form groups at caucus sites, publicly declaring their support for a candidate. The final numbers are awarded proportionately, based on statewide and congressional district voting, determining Iowa's 44 delegates to the national convention. Even without a declared winner, The Associated Press awarded all but one of those delegates. Clinton led Sanders 22 to 21, with the remaining delegate to be awarded to the statewide winner. ___ Pace reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Lisa Lerer, Ken Thomas, Scott McFetridge and Scott Bauer contributed to this report. ___ Follow Julie Pace and Catherine Lucey on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jpaceDC and http://twitter.com/catherine_lucey Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, and his wave Jane acknowledge the crowd as he arrives for his caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa, Monday, Feb. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks in front of former President Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea during a caucus night rally at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump walks down the steps after speaking at a caucus site, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Clive, Iowa. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks at his caucus night rally, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) 3-star chef Benoit Violier found dead in apparent suicide PARIS (AP) Chef Benoit Violier, whose 3-star restaurant in western Switzerland with its game specialties recently topped a list of the world's best, has been found dead of a likely self-inflicted gunshot, police said Monday. He was 44. Police said in a statement that Violier was found dead in his home late Sunday afternoon in the municipality of Crissier, near Lausanne, home of his prestigious Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville. An investigation has been opened to determine the exact circumstances of the death, but police are "99 percent certain" the cause of death is suicide with a firearm, police commissioner Jean-Christophe Sauterel said by phone from Lausanne. He said police and prosecutors would give no other details. FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2012 file photo chef Benoit Violier poses with the certificate as Chef of the year in his kitchen in the Hotel de Ville in Crissier, Switzerland. Swiss police said Monday, Feb. 1, 2016 3-star chef Violier, whose restaurant near Lausanne recently topped a list of the world's best, has been found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP) The Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville, one of the three 3-star establishments in Switzerland, serves dishes such as saddle of Pyrenean young lamb, crispy Landes duck foie gras and a so-called "back from winter hunting" dish depending on daily deliveries. The French-born Violier was granted Swiss citizenship two years ago. Last year, the eatery was ranked first on a French government-sponsored list of the world's top 1,000 restaurants. Another renowned and influential guide of best restaurants, GaultMillau Suisse, had declared Violier the best chef of 2013, citing his "new and staggering" cuisine and granting him an exceptional 19/20, the same score as his famous predecessor and mentor in the Hotel de Ville, Philippe Rochat, who died last year. Violier died a few hours before the much-feared Michelin Guide released its 2016 edition for France. The awards ceremony on Paris' chic Place Vendome began with a minute of silence for him. The Swiss edition comes out in October. Violier, who was born in the western French city of Saintes, near Cognac, was only 20 when he started to train in the finest cuisine with world-famous chefs such as Joel Robuchon, the Lenotre and Fauchon luxury catering houses, with the famous Hotel Ritz and restaurant La Tour d'Argent in Paris. He arrived at Crissier's Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in 1996, two years before it got its third Michelin star, the most coveted award in the culinary world. Violier took over the establishment in 2012 with his wife Brigitte and managed to keep the top position in the famous red guide. He won world appreciation for finely and deliciously conveying his passion for hunting into the art of cooking game. He was the author of two reference cooking books. His brutal death at the height of his fame recalls that celebrated French 3-star chef Bernard Loiseau, owner of the restaurant La Cote d'Or in the Burgundy region, who was found dead beside a hunting rifle in 2003. Loiseau's death followed the downgrading of his establishment by the Gault-Millau guide and rumors he could also lose one of his three stars in the Michelin guide. The now-renamed Bernard-Loiseau Relais in Saulieu, owned by his widow Dominique Loiseau and chef Patrick Bertron, finally lost its third star on Monday when the 2016 Michelin guide was released. Some chefs have complained of living under the pressure and judgment of these guides that call the shots in the closed circle of the world's best tables. In a statement, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said France "is losing with Benoit Violier an eminent ambassador of 'a la francaise' taste and know-how" and an "iconic chef." ___ Greg Keller contributed to this report. France calls on US to lift economic embargo on Cuba PARIS (AP) France called on the U.S. to lift the economic embargo against Cuba during a historic state visit Monday by the Caribbean island's president aimed at boosting economic relations between Havana and Paris. Raul Castro's trip comes after a breakthrough deal was reached in the French capital in December to lighten Cuba's foreign debt. French President Francois Hollande, the former leader of France's Socialist party, greeted Castro on Monday with a warm hug in the courtyard of the Elysee presidential palace, and then started the meeting saying "Vive Cuba!" ("Long live Cuba!") French president Francois Hollande, left, welcomes Cuban President Raul Castro upon his arrival for a meeting at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Cuban President Raul Castro is paying a state visit to France, in the first European foray by a Cuban leader in two decades, as Cuba opens up its economy. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Both presidents vowed to develop economic, political and cultural ties during a joint news appearance. The U.S. announced a normalization of relations with Cuba in December 2014, but it still maintains an economic embargo on the island. Hollande told journalists that "President (Barack) Obama ... must now follow through and allow this vestige of the Cold War to end." France has called for the lifting of the U.S. embargo since 1991. "We appreciate France's traditional position in favor of the lifting of the economic, commercial and financial embargo from the United States against Cuba, which is the main obstacle to the development of our country," Castro said. Cuba wants "to diversify the bilateral relation with France in all its dimensions: political, economic, business, financial, academic and cultural cooperation," he said. The Cuban president was to attend a state dinner in his honor later Monday. Castro, 84, is on his first state visit to Europe since taking over from his elder brother Fidel in 2006. The Cuban president briefly stopped in Rome last year to meet with Pope Francis. Hollande was the first French leader to visit Cuba in a half-century when he went in May seeking to boost trade. In December the Paris Club of creditor countries forgave $8.5 billion of overdue Cuban interest payments in exchange for Cuba's promise to pay off $2.6 billion in loans from developed countries over the next year and a half. France, to which Cuba owed $4 billion in overdue loans, led the creditors' negotiations. A new bilateral deal regarding Cuba's remaining debt to France, which amounts to $390 million (360 million euros), was signed Monday. With this agreement, Paris agrees to convert 212 million euros ($230 million) into a fund that will finance French-Cuban projects on the island. Another agreement allows France to open an office of the French Agency of Development in Havana. The public financial institution can make loans to public and private bodies to support development projects. On Tuesday, Castro will meet with French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and visit the Musee de l'Homme, a museum focusing on human evolution. The Cuban delegation is also meeting French business leaders and the UNESCO chief. French companies are looking for business opportunities to open up in Cuba, especially in the tourism, transport, food and environmental industries. The number of French visiting Cuba in 2015 increased by 30 percent compared with previous years. French president Francois Hollande, left, welcomes Cuban President Raul Castro upon his arrival for a meeting at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Cuban President Raul Castro is paying a state visit to France, in the first European foray by a Cuban leader in two decades, as Cuba opens up its economy. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Cuba's President Raul Castro lays a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Raul Castro is paying a state visit to France, in the first European foray by a Cuban leader in two decades, as Cuba opens up its economy. (Jacky Naegelen/Pool photo via AP) Cuba's President Raul Castro, fourth right, and French Minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy Segolene Royal, fifth left, listen to National anthems during a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Raul Castro is paying a state visit to France, in the first European foray by a Cuban leader in two decades, as Cuba opens up its economy. (Jacky Naegelen/Pool photo via AP) Cuba's President Raul Castro attends a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Raul Castro is paying a state visit to France, in the first European foray by a Cuban leader in two decades, as Cuba opens up its economy. (Jacky Naegelen/Pool photo via AP) Cuba's President Raul Castro, foreground and French Minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy Segolene Royal, right, attend a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Raul Castro is paying a state visit to France, in the first European foray by a Cuban leader in two decades, as Cuba opens up its economy. (Jacky Naegelen/Pool photo via AP) French president Francois Hollande, left, welcomes Cuban President Raul Castro upon his arrival for a meeting at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Cuban President Raul Castro is paying a state visit to France, in the first European foray by a Cuban leader in two decades, as Cuba opens up its economy. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) French president Francois Hollande, left, welcomes Cuban President Raul Castro upon his arrival for a meeting at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Cuban President Raul Castro is paying a state visit to France, in the first European foray by a Cuban leader in two decades, as Cuba opens up its economy. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) Cuban President Raul Castro reviews the French Republican Guards of Honor upon his arrival for a meeting with French president Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, France, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Cuban President Raul Castro is paying a state visit to France, in the first European foray by a Cuban leader in two decades, as Cuba opens up its economy. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) 10,000 young migrants unaccounted for, EU police agency says THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Authorities dealing with Europe's migrant crisis have lost track of about 10,000 unaccompanied children amid fears that organized crime gangs are beginning to exploit the vulnerable youngsters, a senior official at the European Union's police agency said Monday. Europol Chief of Staff Brian Donald said that the figure "would be a conservative estimate across all the countries that are dealing with this migrant crisis" over the past 12-18 months. The revelation that so many youngsters are unaccounted for is the latest worrying development in the migrant crisis and underscores the risks faced by people fleeing conflict, poverty and persecution in the Middle East, Africa and Asia even once they have reached the apparent safety of Europe. Refugees check their cell phones as a child runs atop of a cement wall at a small refugee camp at Pothia port, on the southeastern Greek island of Kalymnos, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. European countries have been strained by the influx of migrants, leading to disagreements over what to do with the large number of new arrivals and how to share the burden. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Donald said the estimate of 10,000 missing was based on reports by law enforcement authorities, governments and non-governmental organizations. "They're lost in the system," he said of the minors. "I think our concern is that we know that there are people out there who will exploit minors. We know there are people who will take them and use them for their own purposes." Sweden, a popular destination for migrants, already is aware of the problem. The Stockholm county government released a report last week citing Swedish Migration Agency statistics that said 1,900 of the 55,000 unaccompanied minors who have applied for asylum in Sweden in the past six years disappeared. The whereabouts of 1,250 of those is still unclear. About 88 percent of those who went missing are boys. "There is very little information about what happens after they disappear. These children are particularly vulnerable to being exploited in various ways," the report said. Amir Hashemi-Nik of the Stockholm County Administration said some of those who disappear are believed to be in the grip of human-trafficking rings and end up in prostitution, begging or other criminal activities. some disappear simply because they don't like the place where they have been assigned and decide to leave, others go when they approach their 18th birthday because they are worried it will be harder to get asylum. North African boys are particularly likely to go underground because, unlike Syrians or Afghans, they are unlikely to get asylum. "Many of them have lived on the streets in many other countries before coming to Sweden," the report said. "Many of these children become involved in crime." Last week Britain announced it would accept an unspecified number of refugee children, after charities and opposition politicians pressured the government to help the thousands of unaccompanied minors fleeing conflicts in Syria and elsewhere. The charity Save the Children has urged Britain to accept 3,000 children immediately. It estimates 26,000 minors arrived in Europe last year without adults, and are at risk from traffickers and sex abusers. The British government, however, says it will take children from refugee camps in the Middle East rather than those already in Europe. It also will provide more funding to the European Asylum Support Office to help Greece and Italy reunite migrants, including children, with family members already in Europe Europol analysts studying law enforcement details from across the 28-nation EU are concerned that they are beginning to see cross-pollination between people-smugglers and criminals who traffick and exploit humans. "That confirms our understanding of criminal organizations at the European level," Donald said. "They are very adept at making changes to reflect the current situation. So if the market for them is changing then they will follow that market and at the moment the area of exploitation that's largely available is the exploitation of migrants." Of the 150,000 migrants and refugees rescued at sea and brought to Italy in 2015, accompanied minors accounted for 12,360, according to the UNHCR office in Rome. UNHCR official spokeswoman Carlotta Sami said there is no firm figure on just how many of those have slipped away or might have been exploited. "More than disappeared, they are on the move," often trying to reach relatives or other contacts in northern Europe, not wanting to stay in Italy, Sami said. "There is no certainty where they are" or if they ever reached their destination. Save the Children Italy spokesman Michele Prosperi said that Europol, "sounded an alarm that is based on a real risk" because thousands of minors don't stay within the system of migrant protection. "They find themselves in a very vulnerable condition, and can be subject to violence or pressure," Prosperi said. They look at the traffickers not as a threat but as people who are trying to help them finish their journey, he added, and are very reluctant to tell anything about their treatment to aid workers or officials in Italy for fear that their plans to continue onward will be jeopardized. ____ Associated Press writers Karl Ritter in Stockholm, Sweden, Jill Lawless in London, Frances D'Emilio in Rome and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report. Migrants and refugees disembark from a ferry after their arrival at the port of Piraeus near Athens, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Europe has endured a huge influx of migrants, most of whom undertake a dangerous journey in search of a better life. On Saturday, at least 37 people drowned, including children and babies, when their boat capsized during the short trip from Turkey to Greece. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) 10 Things to Know for Tuesday - 2 February 2016 Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Tuesday: 1. WHY IOWA ELECTION RESULTS SAY ONLY SO MUCH Iowa launches the presidential nominating contest, but candidates also face an electorate that's whiter, more rural and more evangelical than many other states. Electronic screens post prices of Alphabet stock, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, reports quarterly earnings Monday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) 2. ZIKA VIRUS CALLED GLOBAL EMERGENCY The World Health Organization labels the disease's spread in the Americas an "extraordinary event" that poses a health threat to other parts of the world. 3. WHICH COMPANY HAS TOPPLED APPLE AS WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE The market value of Alphabet, Google's new parent, now stands at $555 billion eclipsing Apple's $533 billion. 4. UN ENVOY DECLARES 'OFFICIAL BEGINNING' TO SYRIA PEACE TALKS There's immediate acrimony as the opposition spokesman accuses Russia of producing a "new Hitler" in Moscow and supporting another Hitler in Damascus. 5. CHICAGO HOMICIDES UP SHARPLY Homicides and shootings spike in January the bloodiest start to a year in the city in at least 16 years. 6. BRITAIN APPROVES EXPERIMENTS ON HUMAN EMBRYOS Some ethicists warn that the landmark decision involving gene-editing is a step down the path toward "designer babies." 7. WINTER STORM TAKES AIM AT COLORADO Between 3 to 4 feet of snow is possible in the state's southwestern mountains from the weather system moving out of the Pacific. 8. SMITHSONIAN OPENING AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MUSEUM The museum's exhibits will trace the history of slavery, segregation, civil rights and African-Americans' achievements. 9. WHO'S REKINDLING 'LOVE STORY' AFTER 45 YEARS Actors Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal return to Harvard and reminisce about the film that turned them into household names. 10. SUPER BOWL CIRCUS KNOWN AS MEDIA DAY HITS PRIME TIME The NFL moves the supersized press conference to Monday night from its usual Tuesday daytime slot to give more fans a chance to watch live on cable. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura waits prior the meeting with Syrian opposition members of the High Negotiations Committee, HCN, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The main Syrian opposition group said Monday they plan to give de Mistura a "roadmap" for implementation of their humanitarian demands on Syria that they say must happen before they formally join indirect peace talks with a government delegation in Geneva. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP) The Latest: Finnish prime minister still plans to open house BERLIN (AP) The Latest on the huge influx of asylum-seekers to Europe (all times local): 8:05 p.m. The Finnish prime minister says his offer last year to open his house to asylum-seekers is still valid but has been postponed due to security concerns. Migrants and refugees disembark from a ferry after their arrival at the port of Piraeus near Athens, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Europe has endured a huge influx of migrants, most of whom undertake a dangerous journey in search of a better life. On Saturday, at least 37 people drowned, including children and babies, when their boat capsized during the short trip from Turkey to Greece. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) Juha Sipila told national radio on Sunday that his September offer has become "too public" for any migrant family to stay there safely. Sipila and his family no longer use their house in the central Finnish county of Kempele after moving to Helsinki. Officials confirmed Monday that Sipila had been advised by the government's security experts and the Finnish security police to put the offer on hold for now. Sipila stressed that once the security situation has improved a migrant family is welcome to move in to the house. The unexpected arrival of 32,500 migrants into Finland in 2015 has hardened anti-migrant sentiments among many citizens in the Nordic country of 5.5 million. ___ 7:40 p.m. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus says his government, under intense pressure to stem the flow of migrants to Europe, is considering a set of measures that would increase the country's ability to combat human smugglers. Speaking after a Cabinet meeting Monday, Kurtulmus said the government has also agreed to rapidly implement a proposal that aims to increase border security by improving coordination between various law-enforcement agencies and government bodies. Kurtulmus said the plan to combat human smuggling includes increasing the coast guards' capabilities, designating human smuggling as organized crime and increasing punishments. Turkey agreed in November to fight the smuggling networks and help curb irregular migration. The European Union pledged 3 billion euros ($3.25 billion) to help improve the refugees' conditions in return. ___ 5:35 p.m. French authorities have demolished a makeshift church and mosque at a camp in Calais populated by thousands of migrants. A regional official said the operation Monday was the culmination of a two-week effort to clear a 100-meter security zone around the perimeter of the camp. The official said authorities the migrants and charity groups helping them were informed Jan. 19 of the pending demolition, and that no one was hurt in the operation. The pastor for the church clashed with police holding riot shields as excavation machines crushed the simple structure, leaving an empty muddy field beneath. The regional official, who wasn't authorized to be publicly named, said the mosque had already been abandoned and no one protested its dismantling. He said migrants are free to build new places of worship. --By Angela Charlton in Paris ___ 4:20 p.m. In a protest that has gone viral online, Greek soccer players sat down on the field over the weekend to protest the growing death toll of refugees trying to reach the Greek islands from nearby Turkey. Players from second-division host team Larissa and away team Acharnaikos, from near Athens, sat down for two minutes after the match started and supporters of both clubs clapped during the protest. Despite the winter weather, 58,000 refugees in January traveled in smugglers' boats across choppy seas to Greece and over 100 of them drowned. In a statement Monday, Acharnaikos said "it was just two minutes out of the match between Larissa and Acharnaikos. It cost us nothing, but we hope with all our hearts that it rattles those responsible for this unspeakable tragedy." ___ 1:10 p.m. Germany's interior minister is meeting officials in Kabul as his country tries to reduce the number of Afghans heading to Europe and considers how to get some of those who have arrived to return home. Thomas de Maiziere's ministry said he visited Afghanistan Monday to confer with Afghan officials on longstanding efforts to train Afghan police and on the migration issue. Afghanistan was the second-biggest single source of new arrivals in Germany last year, after Syria. Out of nearly 1.1 million people registered as asylum-seekers, more than 150,000 came from Afghanistan. De Maiziere told German news agency dpa that the security situation in Afghanistan is "complicated" but "there are unsafe and safe areas." He said the aim is to make "people stay in Afghanistan and rebuild the country." ___ 12:05 p.m. The United Nations' top human rights official says the assaults a month ago in Germany that have been blamed largely on foreigners must not be used as a reason to stigmatize migrants in general. The New Year's Eve sexual assaults and robberies in Cologne have heightened tensions over Europe's migrant influx. Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said Monday that suspects must be investigated but "what we do not want to see is the stigmatizing of an entire people because of those actions." Zeid said he is "deeply disturbed" by some European politicians' rhetoric over migrants. He says "it is utterly unacceptable that politicians can be so grossly irresponsible in pointing to the failings, entire failings of a state, and placing them on the shoulders of those who have suffered enough." ___ 10:05 p.m. Germany's labor minister is threatening to cut benefits for migrants who don't want to integrate into German society. Germany registered nearly 1.1 million people as asylum-seekers last year. Integrating those who are allowed to stay into society and the labor market will pose a major challenge in the years ahead. Labor Minister Andrea Nahles wrote in Monday's edition of the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that "all people who live in Germany, no matter what their ethnic origin, must make an effort, seek work and support themselves and their families as well as they can." Nahles says "we will cut benefits to those who signal that they do not want to integrate." She said that could be measured by willingness to abide by German society's rules and to take language classes. Migrants and refugees disembark from a ferry after their arrival at the port of Piraeus near Athens, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Europe has endured a huge influx of migrants, most of whom undertake a dangerous journey in search of a better life. On Saturday, at least 37 people drowned, including children and babies, when their boat capsized during the short trip from Turkey to Greece. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) In this image taken from APTN on Sunday Jan. 31, 2016, Gulcan Durdu talks to the Associated Press in Ayvacik, Turkey. The lifeless bodies of 37 Syrian migrants who perished off this shore have been removed but reminders of Saturdays tragic accident remain scattered along these shores. Gulcan Durdu, 47, who lives on a construction site on the beach with her husband, vividly remembers being woken up at dawn by screams and wails. (AP Photo/APTN) A baby in front of a ferry at the port of Piraeus near Athens, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Europe has endured a huge influx of migrants, most of whom undertake a dangerous journey in search of a better life. On Saturday, at least 37 people drowned, including children and babies, when their boat capsized during the short trip from Turkey to Greece. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) A girl disembarks from a ferry after her arrival along with hundreds of other migrants and refugees at the port of Piraeus near Athens, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Europe has endured a huge influx of migrants, most of whom undertake a dangerous journey in search of a better life. On Saturday, at least 37 people drowned, including children and babies, when their boat capsized during the short trip from Turkey to Greece. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) Migrants and refugees make their way in front of a graffiti after their arrival at the port of Piraeus near Athens, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Europe has endured a huge influx of migrants, most of whom undertake a dangerous journey in search of a better life. On Saturday, at least 37 people drowned, including children and babies, when their boat capsized during the short trip from Turkey to Greece. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) A boy carries blankets after his arrival along with hundreds of other migrants and refugees at the port of Piraeus near Athens, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Europe has endured a huge influx of migrants, most of whom undertake a dangerous journey in search of a better life. On Saturday, at least 37 people drowned, including children and babies, when their boat capsized during the short trip from Turkey to Greece. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) Police: Officer fatally shoots man in northeast Washington WASHINGTON (AP) A man who had a weapon that turned out to be a BB gun was fatally shot by a District of Columbia police officer Monday, authorities said. The officer tried to stop the man, who was acting suspiciously, about 2 a.m., but the man fell as he tried to flee and the gun fell from his clothing, Police Chief Cathy Lanier said at a news conference. The man then tried to gain control of the weapon, a BB gun that was a replica of a handgun, and didn't comply with the officer's commands, Lanier said. The officer fired one round, striking the man, Lanier said. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, she said. Lanier said the man has not yet been positively identified. In response to a question from a reporter, she said he was black and the officer, who has been on the force less than two years, is white. Race has not been raised as a factor in the shooting, but it comes amid a national debate about the deaths of black men at the hands of police. "As of right now it is very preliminary. We still are gathering evidence. We don't have all the information," Lanier said. The area where the shooting took place in northeast Washington is one where there is a police presence at all hours because of a history of violence, Lanier said. Last August, police shot a woman in the same block, the 5300 Block of Clay Terrace, after she confronted officers with a knife. She survived. There was also a homicide on the block in November, according to a police statement at the time, and during that same month, police were involved in a fatal shooting about two blocks away. In the fatal shooting, police said a man confronted an officer with a "large hunting-style knife" and a second "edged weapon." A report released in January by the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor said city police officers intentionally discharged their weapons 15 times in 2015. Since 2009 the number of fatal shootings by officers has consistently been in the range of three to eight per year, the report said. ___ Mystery surrounds Muslim cleric in US mountain compound SAYLORSBURG, Pennsylvania (AP) The influential Muslim cleric lives quietly on a gated 26-acre compound in the Pocono Mountains, where he prays, works, meets admirers and watches from afar as terrorism accusations that have landed him on Turkey's most-wanted list unfold in court. Rarely seen in public, Fethullah Gulen has long been one of Turkey's most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, Turkey's increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, has accused Gulen of plotting to overthrow the officially secular government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. Gulen's supporters call the charge baseless and, so far, the U.S. has shown little inclination to send him back to Turkey to face a trial that began without him Jan. 6 and is expected to last several months. A second trial, involving accusations that his movement took part in espionage, opened Monday. FILE - In this March 15, 2014, file photo, Turkish Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen is pictured at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pa. Gulen is charged in Turkey with plotting to overthrow the government in a case his supporters call politically motivated. (AP Photo/Selahattin Sevi, File) If the reclusive leader worries about the possibility of deportation, he hasn't shared it with confidants, they say. "He said that the United States has a long tradition of democracy and rule of law," said Y. Alp Aslandogan, who sees Gulen about once a week as president of the New York-based Alliance for Shared Values, a group that promotes Gulen's ideas. "They will see that these are politically oriented charges, and they will not allow Erdogan to spread his ambition into the United States." Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr declined to comment on Gulen's case. Gulen's followers run a loosely affiliated global network of charitable foundations, professional associations, businesses and other projects, including about 150 taxpayer-funded charter schools throughout the U.S. But details about Gulen's personal life and his ties to those ventures have long been murky, giving rise to suspicions about his motives. Some of the U.S. schools have been investigated by the FBI amid allegations of financial mismanagement and visa fraud. One of the most explosive claims, leveled by a lawyer who is representing the Turkish government in a U.S. lawsuit against Gulen, is that the schools are importing Turkish teachers to identify impressionable students and indoctrinate them into Gulen's movement, sometimes called Hizmet, Turkish for "service." Nobody associated with the U.S. schools has been charged, and there has been no public outcry from parents or students about teachers promoting Islam, Gulen's supporters say. In America, the schools are public and open to students of all faiths. "Try proselytizing evangelical Christians in the center of Texas. See what happens," Aslandogan said. "Anybody who knows American society and climate today would know that's a ridiculous claim." In any event, he said, Gulen has nothing to do with the schools' finances or operation. Trained as an imam, or prayer leader, Gulen gained notice in Turkey some 50 years ago, promoting a philosophy that blended a mystical form of Islam with staunch advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue. Supporters started 1,000 schools in more than 100 countries. In Turkey, they have run universities, hospitals, charities, a bank and a large media empire with newspapers and radio and TV stations. But the extent of Gulen's reach is shrouded in such mystery that Loyola University Maryland sociologist Joshua Hendrick, who has studied and written about him, estimates his following at anywhere from 500,000 to 4 million people. "I think deep down in the hearts of these people, they want to create a better world, a world of peace, a world of respect," said University of Houston sociologist Helen Rose Ebaugh, who traveled the world studying the Gulen movement's finances and aims. "I saw no indication they are after power or creating any kind of (Islamic) state." In 2000, a year after traveling to the United States to seek medical treatment, Gulen was charged by Turkish authorities with leading an Islamist plot to overthrow the regime. He was acquitted after a trial in absentia. Now, after a public split with Erdogan, he is facing more trials. This time, the Turkish government contends Gulen has been running a parallel state by getting his followers into key police and court positions to instigate a 2013 corruption probe that targeted people close to Erdogan. Prosecutors also contend Gulen-affiliated police officers conspired against an Islamic group and used the group as justification to conduct illegal wiretaps. Erdogan's government has branded the movement a "terror organization," though it is not known to have committed any acts of violence. "The grain of truth, which we don't deny, is that yes, there are some sympathizers in every government institution. But to claim that there is a parallel entity, or there is a mastermind or puppeteer, is simply an empty claim," Aslandogan said. A continent away, Gulen, who is in his mid-70s, lives like a monk on the grounds of the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, an Islamic retreat founded by Turkish-Americans. He spends hours a day in prayer and meditation and goes out rarely, mostly to see doctors for ailments that include heart disease and diabetes, according to Aslandogan. During a tour last week, an Associated Press reporter visited Gulen's book-lined living quarters, where shelves hold jars filled with soil from various regions of Turkey. The reporter was unable to see the cleric. He was in another building on the compound and declined to be interviewed. ___ Carr Smyth reported from Columbus, Ohio. ___ This story has been corrected to show an AP reporter's tour of the compound where Gulen lives took place last week, not this week. In this Jan. 25, 2016, photo, muslim men come together for afternoon prayers at Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen, who lives on the grounds of Golden Generation, has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) This Jan. 25, 2016, photo shows the multipurpose building at Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, Saylorsburg, Pa. Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen, who lives on the grounds of Golden Generation, has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) This Jan. 25, 2016 photo shows the door leading to Fethullah Gulens living quarters at the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Rarely seen in public, Gulen has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) This Jan. 25, 2016 photo shows Fethullah Gulens bedroom at the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Rarely seen in public, Gulen has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) In this Jan. 25, 2016, photo, Fethullah Gulens work space is seen through the doorway to his bedroom at the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Rarely seen in public, Gulen has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) This Jan. 25, 2016 photo shows Fethullah Gulens work space at the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Rarely seen in public, Gulen has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) This Jan. 25, 2016 photo shows Fethullah Gulens reception area at the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, in Saylorsburg, Pa. Rarely seen in public, Gulen has long been one of Turkeys most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, he has become the chief antagonist of Turkeys increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, who accuses Gulen of plotting to overthrow the government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam) Strip clubs team up with authorities to bust sex traffickers LOS ANGELES (AP) Dwayne Angebrandt wasn't all that surprised when his bosses at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security asked their expert on sex trafficking to put together a public presentation on how to spot its signs. What really took him aback was the audience he was asked to deliver it to: a group of strip-club operators. For years, law enforcement had suspected such a group would likely be made up of some of the very people who are quietly selling women into prostitution. Or at the least, acting as middle men for people who do. In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 photo, members of the industry group Club Owners Against Sex Trafficking attend a presentation by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent teaching owners of strip clubs and strippers how to spot sex traffickers, at the Burbank Community Services Building in Burbank, Calif. ICE officials had learned that operators of such clubs were often clueless about spotting sex traffickers. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) "I wondered where was the intersection with what our message is and what their message is," he said of entrepreneurs whose business model is hiring women to dance naked in front of men and then paying them with only the tips the men offer. But as the special agent in charge of the Southern California office investigating human trafficking quickly learned, many of the club operators and their dancers he met were surprisingly clueless when it came to spotting the problem. Three years after his first presentation an unlikely alliance has formed between his agency and a group called Club Organizers Against Sex Trafficking. It's one that seeks to train managers and dancers how to spot pimps and other traffickers who shadow their clubs and to report them to authorities. Since the presentations have begun officials with COAST and Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement say several suspected pimps have been reported to authorities and a handful have been arrested. "There was stuff they were telling us to watch for like if a girl comes in to audition and she has someone with her to speak for her, that's a red flag. If she doesn't have access to her own I.D., that's a red flag," said a 24-year-old dancer who attended a recent session in Denver. "It's stuff that sounds kind of fishy but I probably wouldn't have put two and two together if I hadn't had a class like that," added the woman who dances under the name Tandy, and who like other dancers insisted she be identified only by her stage name out of concern for her safety. "But, now, definitely, I would report it," she added. Michael Ocello, who operates 17 clubs and who founded COAST after one of them in Maine was raided as a result of a tip that turned out to be unfounded, said one of the first legitimate busts resulting from the training occurred at another of his clubs, in Denver. An attractive young woman came to apply for a job accompanied by an authoritative woman who held the applicant's I.D. and did all the talking while the prospective dancer sat nervously. The nervousness wasn't surprising, Ocello said, noting a career change to nude dancing isn't something anyone takes lightly. But the training session had made his manager suspicious, and he asked to call the woman aside for a private audition. Instead, he asked why she wanted the job. "The answers are simple. I lost my job, I've got to make tuition, I've got to make rent, I've got a kid, my husband lost his job, there's a gazillion reasons, but they're all going to focus on that financial aspect," Ocello said. "But this woman said, 'Well, this is where my friend said I got to work.'" ICE was contacted and the woman arrested. Ocello didn't know the case's outcome, but he added he hoped his club manager saved someone's life. In Beaverton, Ore., a club's call to police to report that it had discovered it was employing a 15-year-old runaway "with a very good fake I.D.," led to the girl's pimp being sentenced to life in prison. In that 2014 case, said police Detective Chad Opitz, the club had been busted before for hiring an underage girl and was being careful not to let it happen again. Opitz, who has attended a COAST training session himself, isn't sure how much of an impact the efforts really have in influencing an industry he sometimes finds reluctant to cooperate with authorities. But he adds, "I think it can't hurt. Awareness within the club is always very important." That's what Angebrandt was counting on when he spoke to more than 100 club operators, and a handful of dancers, at a training seminar in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank earlier this month. So far about 10,000 people have attended such gatherings nationwide, Ocello said, including recent ones in Houston, Louisville and Indianapolis. Angebrandt told the Burbank group of a case involving a trafficker posing as a video producer who persuaded a woman to dance in a club in Atlanta. Soon he was pimping her for sex with club patrons. When she tried to return home he threatened her family. "Was your industry a part of that?" he asked. "No, but it was your industry that was promoting it." Afterward, Chris Hassey, who operates a club in Sacramento, said the advice was "very informative, eye-opening." "I'm going to have a long talk with a couple of my girls when I get back," he said, adding he was particularly concerned by the warning to watch for women leaving a club each night with a "boyfriend" they don't seem to like. In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 photo, members of the industry group Club Owners Against Sex Trafficking attend a presentation given by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent teaching owners of strip clubs and strippers how to spot sex traffickers, at the Burbank Community Services Building in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 photo, a member of the industry group Club Owners Against Sex Trafficking reads a guide card explaining trafficking and smuggling as part of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security's "Blue Campaign" aiming to teach the public, owners of strip clubs and strippers how to spot sex traffickers, at a workshop at the Burbank Community Services Building in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 photo, members of the industry group Club Owners Against Sex Trafficking attend a presentation given by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent teaching owners of strip clubs and strippers how to spot sex traffickers, at the Burbank Community Services Building in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, photo, Dwayne Angebrandt, special agent in charge of the Southern California office investigating sex trafficking for Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, discusses human smuggling and trafficking with members of the industry group Club Owners Against Sex Trafficking, at the Burbank Community Services Building in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 photo, members of the industry group Club Owners Against Sex Trafficking attend a presentation given by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent teaching owners of strip clubs and strippers how to spot sex traffickers, at the Burbank Community Services Building in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 photo, Reda Beebe, president of Association of Club Executives, ACE California, the trade association of California nightclubs, leads a workshop with members of the industry group Club Owners Against Sex Trafficking and U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents, to teach owners of strip clubs and strippers on how to spot sex traffickers, at the Burbank Community Services Building in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) The Latest: Man discusses son charged in Ohio cop's slaying MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (AP) The latest on the slaying of a central Ohio policeman (all times local): 4:15 p.m. The father of a man charged with fatally shooting an Ohio policeman has told a newspaper that his youngest son was loving and kind when he wasn't using drugs. Thirty-two-year-old Herschel Ray Jones III was indicted Monday on 10 counts in the potential death penalty case. Half those charges relate to the slaying of 34-year-old Danville Officer Thomas Cottrell. His body was found behind the village's municipal building late Jan. 17, shortly after Jones' ex-girlfriend warned police that Jones was armed and "looking to kill a cop." Before the indictment, Jones' father told The Columbus Dispatch the shooting was a "sick" act. Herschel Jones Jr. said his son called him the day after being arrested, asked why he'd been jailed and said he doesn't intend to spend life in prison. ___ 2 p.m. Investigators say the suspect in an Ohio police officer's slaying used a pistol stolen in a home burglary two months earlier. Thirty-two-year-old Herschel Ray Jones III was indicted Monday on 10 counts in the potential death penalty case. Knox County's prosecutor says Jones apparently will be represented by a public defender, who didn't immediately return a message seeking comment. Jones is charged with aggravated murder, grand theft and evidence tampering in the slaying of 34-year-old Danville Officer Thomas Cottrell. His body was found behind the village's municipal building late Jan. 17, shortly after Jones' ex-girlfriend warned police that Jones was armed and "looking to kill a cop." Jones also is charged with assaulting that woman and with aggravated burglary, kidnapping and grand theft in the November burglary. ___ 12:30 p.m. A man whose ex-girlfriend told police he left her house "looking to kill a cop" has been indicted in the fatal shooting of an Ohio officer. The Knox County prosecutor said Monday that 32-year-old Herschel Ray Jones III has been indicted on 10 charges, including aggravated murder with a death specification. That means prosecutors will seek the death penalty if he's convicted. Jones has been jailed, and it's not clear if he has an attorney. The body of 34-year-old Danville Officer Thomas Cottrell was found behind the village's municipal building late on Jan. 17, shortly after Jones' ex-girlfriend called and warned police. She said Jones had threatened her and was armed. The village is about 50 miles northeast of Columbus. ___ 3 a.m. Prosecutors say they plan to discuss developments in the case of an Ohio village police officer gunned down earlier this month. The Knox County Prosecutor's Office is planning a news conference Monday in Mount Vernon to talk about the shooting. The body of 34-year-old Danville Officer Thomas Cottrell was found behind the village municipal building late on Jan. 17. He'd been shot in the head. Judge eyes deal involving racial claim at Arizona prisons TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) A federal judge said Monday she was considering an agreement between Arizona and an inmate to end a claim of racial segregation in the state's 10 prisons. U.S. District Court Judge Cindy Jorgenson in Tucson said she would soon decide whether to accept what she called a sweeping proposal between attorneys for an inmate and for the state. The agreement came after a year of negotiations involving the civil rights lawsuit filed in 2013 by inmate Stephen Rudisil alleging the state Department of Corrections violates the Constitution by using race-based housing and work assignments. Rudisill, an African-American, says he was housed with another African-American who pressured him into joining a gang. Arizona is believed to be one of the only states that uses race as a factor in housing assignments. If the judge approves the deal, the state would launch a program involving integrated housing and work duties then track its progress. The rollout would begin this year and should be finished by 2021. There would be exceptions, such as for inmates who have a history of racially motivated incidents. The state has denied that its policies call for racial segregation. "Evidence was presented to demonstrate how all dormitories, which comprise approximately 85 percent of prison beds, already are racially integrated," Department of Corrections spokesman Andrew Wilder said in an email. "There are potentially deadly ramifications to sudden and compulsory racial integration of two-man cells within a prison environment." In court on Monday, Jorgenson questioned whether the large-scale changes to the way state prisons house inmates and assign them work are necessary after just one inmate filed a lawsuit. She said the changes would require a lot of resources. Assistant Attorney General Paul Carter said making changes will avoid future lawsuits by other inmates. Prison officials have argued that racially based housing assignments help keep peace among inmates, especially among those who are in race-based gangs. "It's not a valid argument on its face. Just because a person is black doesn't mean he's more prone to attack a white or a Latino," plaintiff's attorney Bert Deixler said. Funeral for ex-President Francisco Flores in El Salvador SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) Former Salvadoran President Francisco Flores was laid to rest in the Central American nation's capital Monday. Hundreds of relatives, politicians, diplomats and other people attended a Roman Catholic funeral Mass along with a procession guarded by police. Flores' wife and children tended to his brown coffin, covered with the Salvadoran flag. The ex-president died Saturday at the age of 56 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. He had been in a coma since undergoing emergency surgery. FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2005 file photo, former President of El Salvador Francisco Flores announces his candidacy for Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) at the presidential house in San Salvador, El Salvador. The party of former Salvadoran President Francisco Flores says the 56-year-old has died in a private hospital in the capital after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. Flores had been in coma since undergoing emergency surgery. (AP Photo/Luis Romero, File) Flores' 1999-2004 administration is tarnished by accusations of corruption and elitism. Turkey's historic Grand Bazaar set for restoration ISTANBUL (AP) Turkish authorities say Istanbul's historic Grand Bazaar, one of the world's oldest and largest covered markets, will undergo restoration work. Mustafa Demir, Mayor of Fatih District, told The Associated Press on Monday that the project to overhaul the centuries-old, labyrinthine complex could take up to 10 years and cost some $55 million. Demir said: "With the time it takes to repair the roof, it will probably take a decade." People walk inside Istanbuls centuries-old Grand Bazaar, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. In a news conference Monday, the municipality of the citys Fatih district announced its plans for the renovation of the iconic maze of shops, restaurants and tea houses. The complex, which houses nearly 4,500 stores, starred in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Shopkeepers told the AP that the maze of shops, restaurants and tea houses is damaged and in need of repairs. Many are looking forward to the restoration but some expressed hope that the restoration will remain faithful to the original. The iconic complex, which houses nearly 4,500 shops, was featured in the 2012 James Bond movie "Skyfall." People walk inside Istanbuls centuries-old Grand Bazaar, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. In a news conference Monday, the municipality of the citys Fatih district announced its plans for the renovation of the iconic maze of shops, restaurants and tea houses. The complex, which houses nearly 4,500 stores, starred in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A shop owner sits inside Istanbuls centuries-old Grand Bazaar, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. In a news conference Monday, the municipality of the citys Fatih district announced its plans for the renovation of the iconic maze of shops, restaurants and tea houses. The complex, which houses nearly 4,500 stores, starred in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A shop owner sits inside Istanbuls centuries-old Grand Bazaar, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. In a news conference Monday, the municipality of the citys Fatih district announced its plans for the renovation of the iconic maze of shops, restaurants and tea houses. The complex, which houses nearly 4,500 stores, starred in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) A woman looks at souvenir items inside Istanbuls centuries-old Grand Bazaar, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. In a news conference Monday, the municipality of the citys Fatih district announced its plans for the renovation of the iconic maze of shops, restaurants and tea houses. The complex, which houses nearly 4,500 stores, starred in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Mustafa Demir, centre, Fatih district mayor, walks on the roof OF Istanbuls centuries-old Grand Bazaar, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. In a news conference Monday, the municipality of the citys Fatih district announced its plans for the renovation of the iconic maze of shops, restaurants and tea houses. The complex, which houses nearly 4,500 stores, starred in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) The roof Istanbuls centuries-old Grand Bazaar, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. In a news conference Monday, the municipality of the citys Fatih district announced its plans for the renovation of the iconic maze of shops, restaurants and tea houses. The complex, which houses nearly 4,500 stores, starred in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall. Historical Nur-u Osmaniye Mosques is in the background.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Mustafa Demir, mayor of Fatih district, speaks to the media inside Istanbuls centuries-old Grand Bazaar, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. In a news conference Monday, the municipality of the citys Fatih district announced its plans for the renovation of the iconic maze of shops, restaurants and tea houses. The complex, which houses nearly 4,500 stores, starred in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Mustafa Demir, mayor of Fatih district, stands on the roof of Istanbuls centuries-old Grand Bazaar, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. In a news conference Monday, the municipality of the citys Fatih district announced its plans for the renovation of the iconic maze of shops, restaurants and tea houses. The complex, which houses nearly 4,500 stores, starred in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall. Historical Nur-u Osmaniye Mosque is in the background.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Aerial photo taken with a drone shows the roof of Istanbuls centuries-old Grand Bazaar, foreground left, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. In a news conference Monday, the municipality of the citys Fatih district announced its plans for the renovation of the iconic maze of shops, restaurants and tea houses. The complex, which houses nearly 4,500 stores, starred in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall. Historical Nur-u Osmaniye Mosque is in the background.(Ali Aksoyer/DHA via AP) Aerial photo taken with a drone shows the roof of Istanbuls centuries-old Grand Bazaar, foreground, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. In a news conference Monday, the municipality of the citys Fatih district announced its plans for the renovation of the iconic maze of shops, restaurants and tea houses. The complex, which houses nearly 4,500 stores, starred in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall. Historical Nur-u Osmaniye Mosque is in the background.(Ali Aksoyer/DHA via AP) The Latest: Honduras declares emergency to fight Zika virus GENEVA (AP) The Latest on developments regarding the Zika virus (all times local): 4:45 a.m. The government of Honduras has declared a state of national emergency, saying it has recorded 3,649 suspected cases of Zika virus infections in less than three months. People line up to buy government subsidized groceries as fumigation fog targeting Aedes aegypti mosquitoes fills the air in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Venezuela is reporting a jump in cases of a rare, sometimes paralyzing syndrome that may be linked to the Zika virus. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Health minister Yolani Batres is urging Hondurans to clean up their homes and communities and remove outdoor water containers that serve as breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that can transmit Zika. The health ministry says the government has reactivated the National Risk Management System to coordinate preventive measures against Zika. Thousands of teachers, students, parents and public officials have begun eradicating breeding sites around schools in the Central American country. Monday's announcement came hours after the World Health Organization called the Zika outbreak in the Americans an international emergency. ___ 4:15 a.m. The president of the International Olympic Committee is expressing confidence there will be good conditions for athletes and spectators at the Rio de Janeiro Games this summer despite the explosive spread of the Zika virus in the Americas. Speaking in Los Angeles on Monday, Thomas Bach praised the steps being taken to combat the outbreak. He also welcomed the declaration by the World Health Organization earlier in the day that the Zika outbreak is an "extraordinary event" that is an international emergency. Bach notes that the announcement did not involve a travel ban and he emphasizes that the Rio Olympics will be held in August, during Brazil's winter when cooler temperatures can cut down mosquito populations. Bach is in Los Angeles touring proposed venues in that city's bid to host the 2024 Olympics. ___ 1:30 a.m. The Brazilian health ministry is welcoming the World Health Organization's declaration that the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil and elsewhere in the Americas represents an international emergency. In a statement released late Monday, the health ministry says the designation made earlier in the day will help countries around the world develop a coordinated effort to combat the virus. The statement notes WHO did not suggest that people stay away from or stop doing business in areas with outbreaks of Zika, which is believed to be linked to microcephaly, a rare birth defect that causes abnormally small head size and brain damage in infants. WHO is recommending that visitors and residents in affected areas, especially pregnant women, take measures to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes that transmit the virus. ___ 12:15 a.m. Brazil's health ministry says it will make it mandatory for local governments to report cases of the Zika virus. A statement provided to The Associated Press late Monday says concrete steps will be taken beginning next week. Currently, mandatory reporting is not in place. No vaccine or treatment currently exists. Researchers say that to combat the virus, they need to get a better handle on the total number of cases in Brazil and several other countries with outbreaks. The virus is thought to have been introduced into Brazil during the 2014 World Cup. Brazilian officials believe Zika infections may be linked to a high number of cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect that causes abnormally small head and brain damage in infants. ___ 11:40 p.m. The Brazilian president's chief of staff says it will take researchers between three and five years to develop a vaccine against the Zika virus. Jacques Wagner told reporters Monday that Brazilian researchers are working with researchers in the United States. In his words, "If we are really lucky, it could be three years. But it could be between three and five years." Wagner made the estimate just hours after the World Health Organization declared the spread of Zika an international emergency. It was in line with previous estimates by health officials working to combat the spread of the virus. ___ 11:00 p.m. A U.S. travel alert has been issued for four more destinations because of the Zika virus. Health officials on Monday added American Samoa, Costa Rica, Curacao (koor-uh-SOW') and Nicaragua to the list of places with outbreaks where travelers should take precautions against the mosquito-borne virus. Because of mounting evidence linking Zika infections to a birth defect, the government recommends that pregnant women consider postponing trips to places on the list. Previously on the alert list in Latin America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela. In the Caribbean: Barbados, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, St. Martin, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. Also: Cape Verde islands, off coast of western Africa; and Samoa in South Pacific. ___ 10:45 p.m. U.S. House members are asking government health officials for more information on the Zika virus. The requests from top Republicans and Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee follow the World Health Organization's declaration of mosquito-borne Zika as a global health emergency. The virus has been linked to birth defects. The committee members asked officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health for briefings on the disease. In letters, they asked for information on research, testing and available dollars to ensure the U.S. is prepared. In a letter to the CDC, they asked if a travel warning could have been issued sooner. ___ 9 p.m. In Rio de Janeiro, a union made up of workers handling the Zika virus response on the ground is threatening to go on strike just as Brazil gears up to fight the Aedes aegypti mosquito that transmits the disease. The union is demanding better working conditions, as well as uniforms, sunscreen and bug repellent for city workers going door-to-door in hopes of wiping out the mosquito. Sandro Cezar is the secretary general at the city's SINTSAUDE union. He said Monday that the union's 7,000 workers will go on stage if Brazil's health ministry doesn't meet their demands by Thursday. Cezar also warns that more than 220,000 other health workers could later join them in a nationwide stoppage. ___ 7:30 p.m. The World Health Organization has announced that the explosive spread of the Zika virus in the Americas is an "extraordinary event" that merits being declared an international emergency. The agency convened an emergency meeting of independent experts on Monday to assess the outbreak after noting a suspicious link between Zika's arrival in Brazil last year and a surge in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads. Although WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said there was no definitive proof that the Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes, is responsible for the birth defects, she acknowledged on Thursday that "the level of alarm is extremely high." The last such public health emergency was declared for the devastating 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people. WHO estimates there could be up to 4 million cases of Zika in the Americas in the next year. ___ 1:15 p.m. The World Health Organization has begun a crisis meeting considering whether the explosive spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus which is linked to birth defects in the Americas should be declared a global health emergency. The closed-door teleconference meeting of experts is considering whether international efforts to fight the outbreak should be immediately ramped up, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said. The U.N. health agency last declared an emergency over the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. A similar declaration was made for polio the year before. Such emergency declarations are meant as an international SOS signal and usually trigger increased money and efforts to stop the outbreak, as well as prompting research into possible treatments and vaccines. A Sucre municipality worker fumigates for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Venezuela is reporting a jump in cases of a rare, sometimes paralyzing syndrome that may be linked to the Zika virus. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 photo, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes sit in a petri dish at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil. The mosquito is a vector for the proliferation of the Zika virus spreading throughout Latin America. New figures from Brazil's Health Ministry show that the Zika virus outbreak has not caused as many confirmed cases of a rare brain defect as first feared. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) Indicted Texas attorney general denied OK to use donors AUSTIN, Texas (AP) State ethics regulators denied Texas' attorney general their blessing Monday to let political donors pay his criminal defense, a surprise decision that could intensify pressure on the state's top prosecutor. Republican Ken Paxton could still try to use wealthy supporters to cover his legal bills connected to felony charges of defrauding investors, but he risks doing so without a key seal-of-approval from the Texas Ethics Commission, which declined to interpret such donations as legal. Paxton, who says he won't resign despite charges of securities fraud and a separate investigation into a profitable land deal, has not said how he is paying for his high-powered defense team. He is prohibited from using taxpayer dollars and is also barred from tapping his campaign account. Entirely appointed by state Republican leaders, the ethics board had drafted a lengthy opinion that would have sanctioned Paxton using out-of-state doors but came up a vote shy of approval. "The opinion invited an indicted, cash-strapped attorney general to put a 'For Sale' sign on his office. At the end of the day, the Ethics Commission simply refused to write an ethical blank check to Ken Paxton," said Craig McDonald, director of the left-leaning watchdog group Texans for Public Justice. McDonald was the only person to testify to the commission Monday. His group has long caused trouble for Texas Republicans in the past, most notably former Gov. Rick Perry, against whom they filed the original complaint that led to the former 2016 presidential candidate being indicted. Three members of Paxton's defense team issued a statement saying they are not "troubled" by Paxton's ability to pay them. "We assumed responsibility in his case because we believe in his defense. This ruling doesn't change our commitment," the statement read. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have previously declined to comment over whether they would be OK with Paxton tapping donors to pay for his defense. Neither has publicly pressured Paxton since he was indicted in July, but they also haven't enthusiastically come to his defense. Before the vote, the ethics board appeared troubled that an anonymous person with unknown ties had asked whether giving financial gifts to the attorney general would be legal. "Bribery is the elephant in the attic," board commissioner Paul Hobby said. Financial gifts to politicians are generally prohibited, and some board members wondered how giving Paxton permission to take donor dollars would be OK even under his own agency's rules, which are designed to safeguard against corruption and undue influence. "I was prohibited by policy from buying a Subway sandwich," said commissioner Jim Clancy, recalling a lunch he once had with two prosecutors in the attorney general's office. "I wonder how it's possible that this opinion could not already be prohibited by the attorney generals' own practices if I could not buy someone a $6 sandwich." ___ WHO declares global emergency over Zika virus spread GENEVA (AP) The World Health Organization declared a global emergency over the explosive spread of the Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas, calling it an "extraordinary event" that poses a public health threat to other parts of the world. The U.N. agency took the rare step despite a lack of definitive evidence proving the mosquito-borne virus is causing a surge in babies born with brain defects and abnormally small heads in Brazil and following a 2013-14 outbreak in French Polynesia. Monday's emergency meeting of independent experts was called in response to the spike in babies born with microcephaly in Brazil since the virus was first found there last year. Officials in French Polynesia also documented a connection between Zika and neurological complications when the virus was spreading there two years ago, at the same time as dengue fever. Musicians play samba at a street carnival parade during which health workers distributed kits with information about the Zika virus, on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. The sign reads in Portuguese : "Get out Zika." Originally from Africa, Zika spread to Asia and was first registered in Brazil in the middle of last year, spreading like wildfire through the northeast thanks in part to the region's widespread poverty, equatorial heat and chronic infestations of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever and chikungunya. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) "After a review of the evidence, the committee advised that the clusters of microcephaly and other neurological complications constitute an extraordinary event and public health threat to other parts of the world," WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said. WHO, which was widely criticized for its sluggish response to the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa, has been eager to show its responsiveness this time. Despite dire warnings that Ebola was out of control in mid-2014, WHO didn't declare an emergency until months later, after nearly 1,000 people had died. "If indeed, the scientific linkage between Zika and microcephaly is established, can you imagine if we do not do all this work now and wait until the scientific evidence comes out?" Chan said. "Then people will say, 'Why didn't you take action?'" WHO estimates there could be up to 4 million cases of Zika in the Americas in the next year, but no recommendations were made to restrict travel or trade. "It is important to understand, there are several measures pregnant women can take," Chan said. "If you can delay travel and it does not affect your other family commitments, it is something to consider." "If they need to travel, they can get advice from their physician and take personal protective measures, like wearing long sleeves and shirts and pants and using mosquito repellent." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has advised pregnant women to postpone visits to Brazil and other countries in the region with Zika outbreaks, though officials say it's unlikely the virus could cause widespread problems in the U.S. On Monday, health officials added four more destinations to a list that now includes 28 locations, most of them in Latin America and the Caribbean. The last time WHO declared a public health emergency was for the devastating Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people. Similar declarations were made for polio in 2013 and the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Such emergency declarations are meant as an international SOS signal and usually trigger increased money and efforts to halt the outbreak, as well as prompting research into possible treatments and vaccines. There are currently no licensed treatments or vaccines for Zika. WHO officials say it could be six to nine months before science proves or disproves any connection between the virus and babies born in Brazil or elsewhere with abnormally small heads. Zika was first identified in 1947 in Uganda but until last year, it wasn't believed to cause any serious effects; about 80 percent of infected people never experience symptoms. The virus has also been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, which causes muscle weakness and nerve problems. Michael Osterholm, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Minnesota, said it was still unclear how Zika had evolved since it first emerged in Africa, but that even minor genetic changes might have major consequences. "It could have just been some point mutation (in the virus) that has now made a big difference," Osterholm said, adding it would likely take years to curb the mosquito populations capable of spreading Zika and before local populations gain enough immunity for the number of cases to fall. Jimmy Whitworth, an infectious diseases expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said we might soon see babies born elsewhere with malformed heads as the virus becomes entrenched in other countries. "It could be that we're getting the strongest signal in Brazil," he said. "But having these cases occurring and pinning it to Zika is tough." Whitworth said it was important for WHO to act quickly, despite the lack of definitive evidence that Zika is responsible for the surge in microcephaly cases. "For situations like this, you have to essentially have a 'no regrets' policy," he said. "Maybe this will be a false alarm when more information is available months later, but it's serious enough on the evidence we have right now that we have to act." ___ Maria Cheng reported from London. Raphael Satter in London contributed to this report. Leydiane da Silva, who's eight months pregnant, rests next to a water storage container, a potential mosquito breeding site, inside her home which stands on stilts above water, trash and sewage, in a slum in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Zika is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is well-adapted to humans, thrives in people's homes and can breed in even a bottle cap's-worth of stagnant water. While anyone can be bitten by Aedes, public health experts agree that the poor are more vulnerable because they often lack amenities that help diminish the risk, such as air conditioning and window screens. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) A Sucre municipality worker fumigates for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Venezuela is reporting a jump in cases of a rare, sometimes paralyzing syndrome that may be linked to the Zika virus. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) A Sucre municipality worker fumigates for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Venezuela is reporting a jump in cases of a rare, sometimes paralyzing syndrome that may be linked to the Zika virus. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) A Sucre municipal worker fumigates for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. Venezuela is reporting a jump in cases of a rare, sometimes paralyzing syndrome that may be linked to the Zika virus. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Lumber Liquidators to pay more than $13M for illegal imports NEW YORK (AP) Lumber Liquidators will pay more than $13 million for illegally importing hardwood flooring, after the company pleaded guilty to environmental crimes last year. The Department of Justice said that Lumber Liquidators made hardwood floors in China from illegally cut Mongolian oak trees in Russia. Those trees are needed to protect endangered Siberian tigers and Amur leopards because their prey eats the acorns from them, the Justice Department said. Lumber Liquidators, which was sentenced Monday in federal court, will pay $7.8 million in criminal fines, more than $1.2 million in community service payments and nearly $970,000 in criminal forfeiture. It will also pay about $3.2 million through a related civil forfeiture. The company also agreed to a five-year probation period. Specialist Anthony Rinaldi works on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, adjacent to the post that handles Lumber Liquidators, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) The Department of Justice said that the penalty is the biggest for timber trafficking under the Lacey Act. Lumber Liquidators said in a statement Monday that it is "pleased to put this legacy issue behind us." The company pleaded guilty to environmental crimes in October. Its plea agreement was unrelated to the controversy over some of its laminate flooring from China, which the CBS TV news show "60 Minutes" had reported contains high levels of the carcinogen formaldehyde. Based in Toano, Virginia, Lumber Liquidators sells flooring at more than 370 stores around the country. Haiti opposition alliance declining to meet with OAS mission PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) A Haitian opposition alliance is declining to meet with a regional mission that traveled to this troubled Caribbean nation to help ease a political crisis that has postponed elections indefinitely. Samuel Madistin, spokesman for the "Group of Eight" that includes second-place presidential candidate Jude Celestin, asserted Monday that the Organization of American States' mission was "not welcome" and was "unable to play any role as a mediator." "The OAS doesn't help Haiti come out of crisis. They create more crisis," Madistin said, pointing to its role in 2010 elections that saw Celestin get eliminated from a runoff after his reported second-place finish was challenged by foreign observers complaining of irregularities. A demonstrator holds up a sign that reads in Creole "Martelly has to leave the power before Feb. 7, 2016" during a protest demanding the resignation of President Michel Martelly, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Haiti had been scheduled to hold a runoff presidential vote last weekend. But less than 48 hours before the vote, electoral authorities postponed it indefinitely amid violent opposition protests and suspicion that the first round was marred by rampant fraud in favor of Martelly's chosen candidate. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery) The OAS mission is headed by Ronald Sanders, an Antiguan diplomat who is chairman of the Washington-based body's permanent council. Members arrived Sunday at the request of President Michel Martelly, who is required to leave office by Feb. 7 under the Haiti's constitution. In a statement issued Tuesday, Sanders said the OAS group would "speak to as many groups as possible" in what he described as a fact-finding mission that would not "interfere, meddle or mediate" in Haitian affairs. So far, they've met with officials including Martelly, the leaders of Haiti's bicameral legislature, and members of various political parties in the Senate. Sanders described the talks as constructive, "particularly because they are pointing toward a solution to the present difficulty." Haiti is a member of the OAS. Senate President Jocelerme Privert, an opposition lawmaker, has said officials are trying to craft a workable solution after reviewing a number of plans for the way forward, including one proposed by the Group of Eight. Officials say there appears to be a measure of consensus emerging for a plan that would see Martelly stepping down as scheduled Feb. 7, an interim government taking over and a runoff vote held within a few months so an elected leader can take office. Kenneth Merter, the U.S. State Department's special coordinator for Haiti, told The Associated Press that he believes the vast majority of Haitians want to see the suspended electoral process settled. Merten said he hopes Haitian negotiators can soon find a "good solution that gives everybody something of what they want but that moves Haiti forward." Washington does not have a desired outcome, he insisted. The U.S. wants Haitians to democratically decide on their next leader and "not to have a small group of people deciding the country's fate," Merten said. Recent violent protests stoked by the opposition and counter-protests organized by Martelly's party have ramped up tensions. Haiti had been scheduled to hold a presidential and legislative runoff Jan. 24. But the now-splintered provisional electoral council canceled it for a second time amid the protests and suspicion that the first round was marred by widespread fraud favoring Martelly's chosen candidate, Jovenel Moise. Second-place finisher Celestin rejected the first-round results as a "farce" and announced a boycott of the runoff. While there have been a number of opposition boycotts in recent decades, historians say this was the first time in Haiti's young democracy that a presidential candidate boycotted a runoff after qualifying for it. ___ Demotions overturned for VA officials accused in job scam WASHINGTON (AP) Federal judges have overturned decisions by the Department of Veterans Affairs to demote two senior officials accused of manipulating the agency's hiring system for their own gain. The VA demoted Kimberly Graves and Diana Rubens last month. The VA's acting inspector general said the pair forced lower-ranking managers to accept job transfers and then stepped into the vacant positions themselves, keeping their senior-level pay while reducing their responsibilities. Rubens earns $181,497 as director of the Philadelphia regional office for the Veterans Benefits Administration, while Graves receives $173,949 as head of the St. Paul, Minnesota, benefits office. FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2015, file photo, Veterans Affairs Department St. Paul Regional Office Director Kimberly Graves listens during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. A judge has overturned a decision by the Veterans Affairs Department to demote a senior official accused of manipulating the agency's hiring system for her own gain. The VA's acting inspector general said Graves and another senior executive, Diana Rubens, forced lower-ranking managers to accept job transfers and then stepped into the vacant positions themselves, keeping their senior-level pay while reducing their responsibilities. (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File) An administrative judge reversed Graves' demotion Friday, saying higher-ranking officials knew about her plans and did nothing to stop them. A different judge reversed Rubens' demotion Monday on similar grounds. "There is a significant problem created by the inconsistent treatment of a comparable employee," Judge William Boulden wrote, referring to Beth McCoy, a VBA official who also pressured a regional manager to leave his position. McCoy was never disciplined and was later promoted, Boulden noted. Rubens told the judge at a hearing that she "did not hide any of her actions" and that at least three higher-ranking VA officials including Allison Hickey, the VA's undersecretary for benefits were aware of the scheme. Hickey resigned in October amid criticism of a chronic backlog in disability claims and questions about her role in the transfers obtained by Rubens and Graves. The report by the inspector general's office said Hickey and other top VA officials likely encouraged the scheme. In a separate ruling last week, Judge Michele Szary Schroeder said penalizing Graves was inconsistent with the VA's failure to discipline the higher-ranking officials, particularly Danny Pummill, a top VBA official in Washington who was aware of the actions by both Graves and Rubens. "If no one in her chain (of command) said, 'Wait, this will not look right' when they approved her reassignment, how can a penalty be imposed against Ms. Graves for not saying that?" Schroeder wrote in a 41-page opinion on behalf of the Merit Systems Protection Board, a quasi-judicial agency that reviews personnel actions in the executive branch. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, called Schroeder's ruling "a twist of tragic comedy." The VA's attempt to discipline Graves "was undone by its refusal to discipline other employees involved in this scandal," Miller said. "By now there should be no doubt whatsoever that our federal civil service system is in need of drastic reform." The VA declined to comment on Rubens and Graves, but said in a statement that where evidence warrants disciplinary action, the agency will take action. "In all accountability actions our decisions must be based on the evidence, not on hearsay," said Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson. Before taking their current jobs, Rubens was a deputy undersecretary at the VA's Washington headquarters, while Graves was director of VBA's 14-state North Atlantic Region. In addition to their job assignments, Graves and Rubens have been under investigation for obtaining more than $400,000 combined in questionable moving expenses under a VA relocation program that has since been suspended. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., a member of the House veterans panel, called the ruling in favor of Graves "ridiculous" and said lawmakers "cannot let up in pushing for fundamental change that puts service to veterans above all else." ___ Follow Matthew Daly: http://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC House leader: Criminal justice revamp doable, but could wait WASHINGTON (AP) An overhaul of the nation's criminal justice system may have to wait until next year, a top congressional Republican said Monday, in the latest indication that the bipartisan effort might succumb to election-year pressures. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said he believes the two parties can find consensus on the legislation in 2016. "But that doesn't mean it has to get done," he told reporters. FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2015 file photo, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. speaks with a reporter on Capitol Hill in Washington. McCarthy said Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, a bipartisan overhaul of the nations criminal justice system could end up waiting until next year. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) "I'm always of the belief it's better to get something done right than trying to make a deadline," he said. The bill has been considered one of the few potential arenas in Congress where a 2016 achievement is possible. The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved legislation that would ease sentencing requirements for some nonviolent offenders, including letting judges impose lesser sentences than federal mandatory minimums. Its backers include the Obama administration, No. 2 Senate GOP leader John Cornyn of Texas and the conservative Koch Industries. But GOP presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, Cornyn's colleague from Texas, and other Republicans have warned the measure would lead to the release of violent felons. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has shown a reluctance to move ahead with the bill until GOP senators can reach a consensus. Last week, Cornyn seemed to dampen expectations for quick action on the measure, saying, "''I am hopeful, but I don't think it's critical we do it this year." The federal prison population has grown from less than 25,000 in 1980 to more than 200,000 today. Proponents of the bill, which includes programs for helping prisoners reintegrate into society, say they want to make sentencing fairer and reduce ballooning prison costs. New prayer site highlights divide between Israel, US Jews JERUSALEM (AP) The Israeli government's decision to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall is a major breakthrough for the country's long-marginalized liberal streams and their powerful supporters in the United States. But the compromise agreement also highlights the deep rift between the world's two largest Jewish communities over how religion should be practiced in the Jewish state, where ultra-Orthodox control is entrenched over religious life. Progressives celebrated Sunday's Cabinet vote in favor of building a new $9 million plaza for mixed-gender prayer at the Western Wall as a historic, formal recognition of the Reform and Conservative movements that dominate American Jewish life but are largely sidelined in Israel. An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man prays at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The Israeli governments decision to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall is a major breakthrough for the country's long-marginalized liberal streams and their powerful supporters in the United States. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) Still, ultra-Orthodox rabbis strictly govern Jewish practices in Israel such as weddings, divorces and burials. The Orthodox religious establishment sees itself as responsible for maintaining traditions through centuries of persecution and assimilation, and it resists any inroads from liberals it often considers to be second-class Jews who ordain women and gays and are overly inclusive toward converts and interfaith marriages. The government decision followed decades of efforts by liberals to have a greater stake at the site. Noa Sattath, head of the Israel Religious Action Center, a group that promotes religious pluralism in Israel, said she was "thrilled" about the symbolic foothold at the Western Wall, a remnant of the ancient Jewish Temple complex and the holiest site where Jews may pray. "That is the model that we're looking for in all spheres of Jewish life in Israel, for people to have one place where they can choose different types of Jewish experiences," she said. "We see it as a first step to equality and religious pluralism ... that will make all Jews feel welcome in Israel." Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, head of the New York-based Rabbinical Assembly, an association for Conservative movement rabbis, also called it "a very meaningful step forward." There's still a long way to go. The ultra-Orthodox establishment has significant political power and maintains a monopoly over daily Jewish life. That has forced many Israelis to choose between a secular lifestyle that often ignores Jewish tradition and a stringent religious one dictated by the Orthodox that is often out of sync with democracy and modernity. The divide is particularly vexing for converts and immigrants who do not meet Orthodox standards. For example, they can be barred from getting married or having a proper Jewish burial. Instead, they must go overseas to wed, and special cemeteries are set up to bury non-Jews. The liberal streams have made strides in recent years, establishing synagogues, youth movements, schools and kindergartens, and Israel's secular majority has become more accepting. But they still have very little political backing, and authorities have generally tended to regard them as a somewhat alien offshoot imported from North America that does not mesh with how religion is typically practiced in Israel. Rabbi Uri Regev, who heads the religious equality group Hiddush, said that beyond questions over its implementation, he worried the new prayer complex agreement would create a false appearance of equality and take pressure off the government to press Orthodox authorities to make more significant concessions. "While everyone connected to the agreement is rejoicing and claiming victory, what this in essence will do is weaken the movement to effectively fight for the larger picture of religious freedom," he said. "On the major issues, like the right to a family, we have been set back rather than moved forward." The new prayer site is tough to accept for the ultra-Orthodox, who consider the sight of women carrying Torah scrolls and wearing religious articles traditionally reserved for men to be a provocation. But it didn't require them to give up any actual power, and it will be built separately from their prayer plaza where their rituals will remain intact. Amid pressure from influential U.S. Jewish groups, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed a committee in 2013 to seek solutions for non-Orthodox prayer at the Western Wall. Shortly after, a temporary prayer platform was erected for mixed-gender prayer, but advocates say it was not an official site and was not always open. The permanent mixed-gender prayer area will replace the temporary platform and create a new entrance to the Western Wall area so that both Orthodox and non-Orthodox prayer areas will be given equal prominence. The pluralistic prayer area will not be managed by the ultra-Orthodox rabbi of the Western Wall, but by a committee including representatives of the Reform and Conservative movements. Rabbi Steven Wernick, chief executive of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the North American centrist movement that has ordained women for three decades, credited Netanyahu for recognizing the significance of the issue for American Jews but also noted continuing obstacles to religious pluralism in Israel. "The issues of marriage, divorce, conversion and burial and adoption are issues that remain. We'll continue to argue for those issues. We'll continue to argue for equal treatment for our rabbis," said Wernick, who participated in the negotiations over mixed-gender prayer. When it comes to administering conversions, earmarking budgets and loosening their grip on religious affairs, ultra-Orthodox groups are unlikely to make any compromises. Following the Cabinet vote, Moshe Gafni, a leading ultra-Orthodox lawmaker, called Reform Jews "clowns" and said he would never recognize them. Last year, the government undid sweeping reforms its predecessor pushed forward aimed at easing conversion to Judaism and weakening the grip of Israel's Orthodox establishment. That Netanyahu managed to push forward the Western Wall agreement over the opposition of key ultra-Orthodox and religious nationalist elements in his own government owes mostly to his desire to satisfy American Jews, who have long lamented that Israel should be as accepting of their religious practices as they are of their financial support. Amid the long-simmering tensions, Netanyahu was eager to deliver a tangible result that assuaged American Jewish concerns. "The prime minister at the end is the prime minister of all Jews in Israel and he also has a very important relationship with Jews of the Diaspora. It's totally clear that the most minimal step of giving access to every Jew according to his views and beliefs in this holy place is the most basic thing that is required," said Yedidia Stern of the Israel Democracy Institute think tank. "There is a good chance that this will remove at least one obstacle from the complex relationship today between Jews in the Diaspora and the state of Israel." ___ Associated Press writer Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem and Religion Writer Rachel Zoll in New York contributed to this report. ___ Follow Aron Heller at https://twitter.com/aronhellerap A woman looks at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The Israeli governments decision to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall is a major breakthrough for the country's long-marginalized liberal streams and their powerful supporters in the United States. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) A Jewish man and youth pray as women looks at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The Israeli governments decision to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall is a major breakthrough for the country's long-marginalized liberal streams and their powerful supporters in the United States. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man looks at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The Israeli governments decision to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall is a major breakthrough for the country's long-marginalized liberal streams and their powerful supporters in the United States. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) The Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The Israeli governments decision to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall is a major breakthrough for the country's long-marginalized liberal streams and their powerful supporters in the United States. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) The Latest: People rally to support, condemn Oregon standoff BURNS, Ore. (AP) The Latest on an armed group that took over buildings at a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon (all times local): 1:35 p.m. Hundreds of people gathered outside the courthouse in a small Oregon town both to protest and support the armed occupation of a national wildlife preserve. A makeshift roadside memorial for rancher LaVoy Finicum stands on a highway north of Burns, Oregon Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Finicum was killed Tuesday night in a confrontation with the FBI and Oregon State Police on a remote road. Four people occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge held their position Sunday. They have demanded that they be allowed to leave without being arrested. (AP Photo/Nick K. Geranios) People upset over the police killing of occupier and Arizona rancher Robert "LaVoy" Finicum held signs Monday at the Harney County Courthouse. They want federal officials to leave the area. Authorities have said Finicum was shot when he reached for a loaded handgun during a Jan. 26 confrontation with police. Another large group staged a rally at the courthouse in support of law enforcement and government officials. They held signs and shouted, "Stand down, leave our town." Four holdouts are still at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Eleven people connected to the occupation have been arrested, including group leader Ammon Bundy. ___ 11:45 a.m. A funeral has been scheduled for Friday in southern Utah for the spokesman of an armed group that took over Oregon wildlife refuge. Arizona rancher Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was shot and killed by police on Jan. 26 during a confrontation with the FBI and Oregon State Police north of Burns, Oregon. Finicum's memorial service is set for 2:30 p.m. Friday at the family's church in Kanab, Utah. The town of 4,500 is located about 30 miles northeast of Finicum's hometown of Cane Beds, Arizona. His daughter Arianna Finicum Brown says the funeral is open to the public but that cameras and video are prohibited inside. A makeshift memorial has sprung up where Finicum was killed in Oregon. A copy of the U.S. Constitution, a large wooden cross and American flags have been placed there. ___ 7:45 a.m. Lawyers for the leader of the armed standoff at an Oregon wildlife refuge have appealed a judge's decision to keep him in jail pending trial. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman said Ammon Bundy presents a danger to the community and the Idaho resident might fail to return for future court proceedings. Bundy's lawyers said in documents filed Sunday that their client should be released with a GPS monitoring device and orders he not leave Idaho except for court appearances. U.S. District Court Judge Michael W. Mosman is expected to hear the matter Tuesday, when he also considers the government's challenge of the release of another member of the armed group, Joseph O'Shaughnessy. Bundy and O'Shaughnessy are among 11 people arrested. Only one Shawna Cox has left jail. What we know about Israel's decision on Western Wall prayers The decision by Israel's government to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall is being seen as a major breakthrough for the country's long-marginalized liberal believers. Here's what we know about the issue: ___ Under the compromise agreement, Israel will build a $9 million plaza for mixed-gender prayer at the Western Wall, adjacent to the Orthodox prayer plaza but separate from it. The Western Wall is a remnant of the ancient Jewish Temple complex and the holiest site where Jews may pray. An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man prays at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The Israeli governments decision to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall is a major breakthrough for the country's long-marginalized liberal streams and their powerful supporters in the United States. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) Progressives are celebrating Sunday's Cabinet vote as a historic recognition of the Reform and Conservative movements that dominate U.S. Jewish life. American Jews are a key source of support for Israel. The decision also highlights the deep rift over how religion should be practiced in Israel, where ultra-Orthodox rabbis strictly govern practices such as weddings, divorces and burials. They resist any inroads from liberals often considered to be second-class Jews who ordain women and gays and are overly inclusive toward converts and interfaith marriages. An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man looks at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The Israeli governments decision to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall is a major breakthrough for the country's long-marginalized liberal streams and their powerful supporters in the United States. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) The place where a plaza for mixed-gender prayer will be placed at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The Israeli governments decision to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall is a major breakthrough for the country's long-marginalized liberal streams and their powerful supporters in the United States. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man sits at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The Israeli governments decision to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall is a major breakthrough for the country's long-marginalized liberal streams and their powerful supporters in the United States. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) The Latest: Witness heard shot, saw biker holding gun DENVER (AP) The Latest on shooting and stabbing incident that left one dead and seven others injured at a motorcycle expo (all times local): 6:30 p.m. An attorney who witnessed a deadly weekend brawl at a Denver motorcycle show says he heard gunshots and saw a member of a biker club holding a handgun while bystanders yelled for him to put the weapon away. In this photo provided by 9NEWS/KUSA-TV Denver, authorities respond to the scene of a deadly shooting and stabbing at the National Western Complex, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Denver. Denver police say multiple people were injured at The Colorado Motorcycle Expo. (9NEWS/KUSA-TV Denver via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT Wade Eldridge, an attorney for the Council of Clubs, says he was among thousands of attendees at the Colorado Motorcycle Expo, where one person was killed and seven others injured. Eldridge says he was wandering around the show when he saw commotion between members of the Iron Order and Mongols motorcycle clubs. He says as many as 30 people were involved. He walked past them before he heard at least one shot and saw an Iron Order member holding a handgun with his arm extended. ___ 6:15 p.m. The Colorado Department of Corrections has identified one of its officers involved in a deadly weekend brawl at a Denver motorcycle show. The department says 33-year-old Derrick Duran fired his gun during Saturday's incident between members of two motorcycle clubs. One person was killed and seven others injured. More than one person opened fire. Police officials said Monday they still don't know who fired the fatal shot. Duran has worked with the agency since 2012. He has been put on paid leave while authorities investigate the shooting. He did not return calls for comment Monday. ___ 1:30 p.m. Police say more than one person opened fire during a deadly weekend brawl at a Denver motorcycle show, but they still don't know who fired the fatal shot. Major Crimes Cmdr. Ron Saunier says investigators still are examining several guns and interviewing witnesses about the Saturday melee that left one dead and seven others injured at the crowded Colorado Motorcycle Expo. Attorneys for two biker groups, including one made up of law enforcement, have blamed each other for inciting the violence. No arrests have been made. Saunier says one of the groups is being more cooperative with police than the other, which he described as an outlaw gang. A Colorado Department of Corrections officer opened fire, but Saunier says there's no sign that he did so in his official capacity. ___ 9:55 a.m. No one has been arrested after a weekend brawl at a Denver motorcycle show that left one dead and seven others injured. Attorneys for two biker groups, including one made up mostly of law enforcement, have blamed each other for inciting the violence. The medical examiner's office said Monday that 46-year-old Victor Mendoza was shot and killed Saturday. Stephen Stubbs, an attorney for the Mongols Motorcycle Club, says the man killed was a member of that group. A Colorado Department of Corrections officer and member of the Iron Order Motorcycle Club opened fire during the melee, but police haven't said whether he fired the fatal shot and have reported no arrests. John C. Whitfield, who represents Iron Order, says Mongols jumped its members, instigating the fight. The Latest: Minnesota governor released after fainting ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) The Latest on Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (all times local): 4:15 p.m. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has been released from the hospital after fainting at a weekend event. FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2015 file photo, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton takes questions about the state's projected budget surplus in St. Paul, Minn. Dayton was taken to a hospital for testing after fainting Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, during an event in the Twin Cities suburb of Woodbury, his chief of staff said. Dayton was to remain in the hospital overnight as a precaution. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP, File) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES LOCAL TELEVISION OUT Dayton was taken to the hospital Sunday evening. Staffers say he felt mounting pressure in his lower back before losing consciousness at an event for a state representative's campaign in the Twin Cities suburb of Woodbury. Staff suggested he was dehydrated at the time. Deputy chief of staff Bob Hume said the governor was released Monday afternoon. Hume says Dayton will return to a normal work schedule Tuesday. Questions about his health have followed the 69-year-old governor since he took office in 2011. He's had a series of back and hip surgeries, most recently an elective procedure in December. Dayton has vowed his health problems won't stop him from finishing his second term. ___ 10 a.m. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton remains in the hospital after fainting during a hot, crowded volunteer recognition event. Dayton was taken to the hospital Sunday evening. Staffers say he felt mounting pressure in his lower back before losing consciousness at the event in the Twin Cities suburb of Woodbury. Deputy chief of staff Bob Hume said Monday that the governor is still receiving fluids and undergoing tests. He says dehydration was the likely cause and that he hopes Dayton will be released later in the day. Novak Djokovic honoured to claim place in tennis history Novak Djokovic is honoured to be classed among the greats of the game and says making history motivates him to win even more titles. Djokovic's straight-sets demolition of Andy Murray on Sunday ensured the Serb moved level with Roy Emerson's all-time best six Australian Open crowns. He also takes his grand slam tally to 11 overall, climbing joint-fifth in the pantheon of champions alongside Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver. Novak Djokovic won his 11th Grand Slam title on Sunday Above Djokovic and in his sights are Emerson on 12, Pete Sampras and Rafael Nadal on 14 and at the top, Roger Federer with 17. "Every grand slam title is very significant in its own way - here, because I managed to make history and equal Roy Emerson's six Australian Open titles," Djokovic said. "I'm very honoured to be mentioned alongside legends of our sport like Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver, and win as many grand slams as they did. "I can't lie and say I didn't think about it. Of course it was in back of my mind. Coming into the court I knew that I have a chance to make the history. "Of course it served as a great motivation, as a great imperative to play my best. I tried not to think about it too much, but it was there as an encouragement, as a positive feedback, and a goal." The victory over Murray was Djokovic's 17th consecutive tournament final, fifth in grand slams, and as a 28-year-old with no serious injury concerns, there are likely to be many more to come. Silverware did not always come so easy for Djokovic who, after winning his first in 2008, went 11 major tournaments before sealing a second success. Now, however, he has won five out of the last seven available and the world number one says his secret lies in staying true to himself on court. "There's something I've found out in the previous years in my career is that you can't separate yourself professionally and privately - you're the same person," Djokovic said. "So all these emotions that are maybe trapped, that occur in your private life, the issues, the problems that we all face, you need to surface them. You need to find a solution. "In these particular matches when it goes down to very few points, when you're challenged in every aspect of your being, if there is something under the surface, it will come out and it will play against you. "It will be your worst enemy." Murray certainly laid bare his off-court issues in Melbourne, admitting after the match he just wanted to go home to see his pregnant wife Kim, who is due to give birth to their first child later this month. When he returns from his break, the Scot will again set about finding a way to stop Djokovic, who has now beaten him four times in the Australian Open final and won 11 of their last 12 meetings. "I don't know how far off I was," Murray said. "The first set I wasn't there but the second and third sets I do think were very close. "I do think I could have played a bit better, like I said. I didn't think I hit my forehand as well as I could have done. "When I did in the third set, that helped me out a lot. I was able to get myself into the net more. I was able to play more offensive tennis then. "Most of the matches we played in slams I think have been competitive. Priest tells of emotional final handshake with Sir Terry Wogan Sir Terry Wogan's friend Father Brian D'Arcy has spoken of their emotional "last shake hands" and goodbye. Father D'Arcy, a regular contributor to BBC Radio 2's Wake Up To Wogan for 20 years, knew Sir Terry for more than four decades and was also close to the broadcaster's wife Lady Helen and the couple's children. Sir Terry had spoken in recent years about not believing in God after the death of his three-week-old daughter Vanessa in 1966. Sir Terry Wogan, who has died aged 77 following a short illness Father D'Arcy told The Chris Evans Show: "He said, 'everything's going to be all right, old boy, and you'd better say a few prayers if you have any influence up there, if there's anyone up there'. You know how he used to go on with this atheism." The Co Fermanagh priest said he noticed a change in Sir Terry after Christmas. "I went over last Thursday and I am never as glad that I did, I just dropped everything and went over as he had often done for me over the years," he said. "I wasn't sure if it was goodbye, but as soon as I saw Terry I knew it was the last time I was going to see him, and the shake hands was the last shake hands I'd ever have with him." His voice cracked as he added: "It was a beautiful day, a day I'll never forget, a sad day, because it was the end of a beautiful friendship." He told Evans he had first worried when illness forced Sir Terry to pull out of hosting Children In Need last year. The 77-year-old had been the face of the telethon since 1980. David Cameron also paid tribute to Sir Terry, hailing him as "a wonderful human being" on Jeremy Vine's BBC Radio 2 show. "To call someone a national treasure is sometimes a bit of a cliche, but with Terry Wogan that is absolutely what he was. I mean, someone my age very much just feels you grew up with this man," he said. "When I used to travel around in the car with my mum, she listened to him on the radio and she felt he was speaking directly to her, and I remember growing up watching Blankety Blank and then the Eurovision Song Contest, and he always made you smile, made you laugh." The Prime Minister added: "He has this fantastic sense of humour and then later, seeing what he did with Children In Need, and seeing that quite close up, just immensely impressive. So a great sense of humour, a wonderful human being but also a very passionate man." Leading figures in showbusiness and politics paid tribute to the much-loved star after his death from cancer. The veteran broadcaster, known for his velvety voice on radio and television, was one of the UK and Ireland's best known stars. Limerick-born Sir Terry was last on air on BBC Radio 2 just under three months ago, on Sunday November 8. His career spanned more than four decades and he was known for his work on his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, Children In Need and the Eurovision Song Contest. A Clarence House spokeswoman said the Duchess of Cornwall, who has described herself in the past as one of Terry's Old Geezers and Gals (TOG), was moved after learning about the death of the veteran broadcaster. Libya 'a major concern' for terrorism, migration and stability Libya is a "major concern" for terrorism, migration and regional stability, the Prime Minister's National Security Adviser has told parliamentarians. The comment came as Downing Street insisted that no decision had been taken on whether to deploy UK troops in any international military intervention in the north African state. The US and French governments have been pressing for direct action against the Islamic State terror group - also known as Daesh, Isil or Isis - in Libya, where it has established around the city of Sirte amid the chaos following the overthrow of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. David Cameron pictured during a visit to Libya Asked about press reports that the UK was considering sending as many as 1,000 troops to the country, Prime Minister David Cameron's official spokeswoman said: "No decisions have been made about the deployment of any British forces to Libya as part of an international force." The spokeswoman said that discussions were under way among Britain's international partners on how to support a viable Libyan national unity government. Agreement was reached in December on unifying two rival administrations in capital Tripoli, but this decision has yet to take effect. National Security Adviser Sir Mark Lyall Grant confirmed that Libya was regularly discussed by the National Security Council chaired by Mr Cameron. Sir Mark told the parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy: "We have discussed Libya in the National Security Council certainly two or three times in the last six months. "It is an issue of major concern in a number of different contexts - in the counter-terrorism context, the stability context and the migration context. "When we discuss counter-terrorism, Libya is a feature. When we discuss migration, Libya is a feature. But we have also discussed Libya itself in terms of instability and the political progress. We take them into account on all of these issues. "There is a regular, almost weekly, meeting chaired either by me or my deputy to look at the Libya situation. The Foreign Secretary regularly offers advice to the Prime Minister on Libyan policy, what the next step should be, and how we should react to developments." Mr Cameron has said the UK will do "everything we can" to support a new Libyan government in its efforts to combat IS and the criminal gangs behind the migrant boats heading to Europe. Stoke break transfer record to sign Giannelli Imbula for 18.3million Stoke have smashed their transfer record to sign Porto midfielder Giannelli Imbula for 18.3million. The 22-year-old signed a five-and-a-half year contract after what Potters chief executive Tony Scholes admitted was a race against time. Scholes told his club's official website: "Giannelli is a player we have been trailing for some time and we are delighted to have concluded a deal to sign him. Stoke manager Mark Hughes has added Gianelli Imbula to his squad "At one stage it looked unlikely that we would be able to get the deal over the line but things accelerated quickly earlier today and Giannelli is really excited about the prospect of playing in the Premier League with us." Imbula's arrival is another sign of the rising ambition level at the Britannia Stadium coming just five months after the club paid 12m to sign Xherdan Shaqiri from Inter Milan. Stoke boss Mark Hughes said: "Giannelli is a good young player. He has great power, good ability on the ball and a great range of passing and there's no doubt he will add to the quality that we already have at the club. "He played against us in pre-season and although I was already aware of him, seeing him at first hand resonated with me." UK's Cameron, EU's Tusk agree only one of four reform points-source Jan 31 (Reuters) - Britain and the European Union reached agreement in only one of the four areas where Prime Minister David Cameron wants to see reform, a source close to the negotiations said on Sunday. Cameron had dinner with European Council President Donald Tusk in London earlier on Sunday to try to agree the main points of Britain's renegotiation before a summit of leaders on Feb. 18-19. Africans to press Burundi to accept peacekeepers - diplomats By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The African Union will send a mission to troubled Burundi to press the government to accept a peacekeeping force after the president rejected such a move, a senior AU official said after a summit on Sunday. African leaders, who held a two-day summit, may also ask the U.N. Security Council to exert pressure with a possible sanctions threat if it refuses, a senior Western diplomat who followed the proceedings told Reuters. Officials said a final communique was awaiting clearance from African capitals. The senior official and diplomat were citing its main points before it was endorsed. The AU's Peace and Security Council announced plans in December to deploy a 5,000-strong force, saying it could invoke an article of the AU's charter that allowed it to intervene whether or not the government agreed. President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose bid for a third term angered opponents and sparked months of violence, rejected it. Western powers are pressing African states to intervene to prevent Burundi sliding back into the kind of ethnically charged conflict it witnessed in a civil war that ended in 2005. "We want dialogue with the government of Burundi," Smail Chergui, the AU's Commissioner for Peace and Security, told reporters after the summit, saying a "a high-level" delegation would seek Burundi's approval to deploy the force. He did not give further details, but the senior Western diplomat said the AU was also expected to ask the U.N. Security Council to pass a Chapter 7 resolution, "which could mean sanctions if the Burundians remain defiant." Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter covers the council's authority to enforce decisions with sanctions or military force. The Western diplomat said he understood that African leaders had endorsed the peacekeeping force "with a mandate to disarm militias and protect civilians, in addition to a larger human rights observer mission." Those details could not be confirmed. When Chergui was asked if more AU monitors would go to Burundi, he told Reuters: "That question is too early." Yahya Jammeh, president of Gambia, which is on the 15-member AU peace and security council, had said on Saturday some African states were against sending any peacekeepers to Burundi against its will. He had raised fears the AU was wavering on the issue. Violence in the nine-month-old crisis has already killed more than 400 people, in a country that emerged from an ethnically charged civil war in 2005. U.N. assistant secretary general for human rights, Ivan Simonovic, told Reuters on Saturday that the African Union, if it did not send peacekeepers, should at least boost the number of human rights monitors it has there or send some police. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has praised the plan for a peacekeeping force, has called for African action. Trafficked into sex work, Uganda women stunned to be duped by other women By Yasin Kakande KAMPALA, Feb 1 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - At first, Sarah Nakintu was grateful to her friend for alerting her to job opportunities in marketing and retail in Dubai. Nakintu, a 27-year-old woman from the Ugandan capital Kampala, trusted her friend, who had worked in the United Arab Emirates and seemed successful with plenty of money. She followed her friend's instructions. Present a valid passport to the recruiter who would organise airline tickets and a visa. Once the documents were in order, Nakintu paid the recommended "token of thanks" to her friend - $200 in cash. Nakintu (who requested her real name not be used) was advised to only keep her boarding pass to Kigali, Rwanda, in sight and hide her connecting pass to Dubai as immigration officials stop migrants who bypassed government recruiting agencies to seek employment. But when Nakintu was met at Dubai airport by a Ugandan woman going by the name Jane Saad, she was told to hand over her passport and then informed she would be working as a sex escort. "From the start I was terrified and tried to protest but she threatened us and said there were no alternatives as she had invested a lot of money in our trip," Nakintu told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Slowly we resigned and started following her instructions." Nakintu is just one of thousands of women every year to be trafficked into sex slavery, with the Australia-based anti-slavery campaign group Walk Free estimating there are 36 million people trapped in modern-day slavery around the world. DUPED BY OTHER WOMEN Like many others, Nakintu said she had not suspected her friend or other women from her own country would trick her into sex work and this approach meant she had let her guard down. An annual report on human trafficking by the U.S. State Department in 2015 commented on the network of Ugandan women coordinating the sending of Ugandan women for sex exploitation. It listed the top destination countries as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Kenya. On her first day in Dubai, Nakintu was told that she owed Saad around $8,000 in recruitment fees that had to be paid back in instalments as well as costs for accommodation and meals. The cost was high for a newly-arrived immigrant. A bed in a room housing up to three women typically costs Dh1500 (US$400). To meet the target income, Saad told her she had to entertain about 10 men in the first two days. In addition to turning over her passport, Nakintu had to undergo a witchcraft ritual during which she swore to hand over her income to her pimps with the threat of death in 10 days if this order was defied. The U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons 2014 report noted that sex traffickers had been using voodoo rituals and violence to coerce Ugandan women into trafficking schemes. "The pimps were ruthless women who sold our passports and return tickets to old prostitutes who wanted to retire and return to Uganda," said Nakintu. Nakintu was moved by Saad to Abu Dhabi where sex workers can earn more as she was deemed a good sale for higher-end clients. There she met another Ugandan woman, identified as Maydina, who had worked her way up from being a night club prostitute in Abu Dhabi to a pimp married to a high-level business executive. TRICKING THE CLIENTS Maydina told Nakintu that the secret of wealth in Abu Dhabi's sex work was white male clients - and to ensure she got their phone numbers supposedly for repeat business. A few days after the first encounter, the worker would call the client to say she was pregnant, demanding cash not to expose his identify or $10,000 to return to Uganda for an abortion. The sex workers could then continue the ruse, asking their clients for more money because of medical complications. Nakintu said new workers were expected to target three men in their first month with these schemes and few women resisted because this was often the only way they could repay their debt. "We were just desperate," said Nakintu. Nakintu managed to leave Abu Dhabi in May last year having been there for just short of a year and having paid off most of her debts. She returned to Uganda, devastated by the way she had been tricked and mistreated. Some of her roommates did not hesitate in becoming recruiters themselves once back home, targeting other young women in Uganda tired of limited wages and high unemployment. "Pimping was easy as one would ask friends to look for victims and pay that friend $100 for each victim they brought on board. I refused to do this," Nakintu said during an interview in a small shop she now runs in Kampala selling household goods. The U.S. State Department lists Uganda as a Tier 2 nation in its annual trafficking report, meaning its government does not fully comply with the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act's minimum standards, but is making significant efforts to do so. Moses Binoga, the police commissioner who heads the Uganda National Counter Human Trafficking Task Force, said the government has boosted vigilance on all exit ports to protect vulnerable young women such as Nakintu from sex trafficking. Last year, the government stopped about 300 young women from exiting the country after ascertaining that they were being sent abroad specifically for the sex trade. Binoga, whom the U.S. State Department has recognised for his efforts to combat human trafficking, said the government had also prosecuted and convicted several traffickers but it was complicated to combat the problem. "The main challenge we have is that although we can prosecute traffickers on Ugandan soil we don't have jurisdiction to prosecute those in the receiving states," he said. Chinese airline passengers to start transiting Taiwan TAIPEI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Chinese passengers will be able to transit through Taiwan and fly onwards to a third destination starting Monday, signalling a step toward greater transportation links between the two political enemies. The plan had been discussed for years and China announced early last month it would start the transit programme with three trial cities in China. The move came just before national elections in Taiwan swept in the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, which is seen as less friendly toward Beijing. Taiwan has been self-ruled since 1949 when the defeated Nationalists fled to the island after a civil war with the Chinese Communists. Beijing deems Taiwan a wayward province to be taken by force if necessary, especially if it makes moves toward independence. Taiwan's China-friendly ruling Nationalist government, which steps down in May, supported the transit plan as a way to deepen ties between the two sides. Allowing Chinese passengers flying from China to transit in Taiwan benefits the development of the civil aviation industry and deepens exchanges between Taiwan and China, the island's quasi-governmental Straits Exchange Foundation said in a statement Monday. Taiwan's state news agency reported that the first Chinese air travellers would stop over on Monday evening from Kunming, Yunnan province, before taking a flight to the United States. China in early January said passengers from the Chinese cities of Nanchang, Kunming and Chongqing would be allowed to transit through Taiwan's main international airport. Israeli troops shoot and kill Palestinian attacker in W.Bank -army JERUSALEM, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian who tried to stab them in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the military said, the latest in a months-long wave of Palestinian attacks that shows little sign of abating. The Palestinian had infiltrated a security fence near the Israeli settlement Salit, the military said. When soldiers responded at the scene, he drew a knife and tried to stab them, it said. No Israelis were injured. A campaign of stabbings, shootings and car-rammings by Palestinians has killed 26 Israelis and a U.S. citizen since the start of October. Israeli forces have killed at least 153 Palestinians, 99 of them assailants according to authorities. Most of the others have died in violent protests. PRESS DIGEST - RUSSIA - Feb 1 MOSCOW, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The following are some stories in Russia's newspapers on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. VEDOMOSTI www.vedomosti.ru - The government is considering ways to raise deductions from employees' wages to secure revenues of non-budget funds. - President Vladimir Putin could support privatisation of Rostelecom, Rosneft, Aeroflot, Roscomflot and some other state-controlled companies to be conducted in 2016. - Central bank could start employing individuals' deposits exceeding 100 million roubles ($1.32 million) to save commercial banks from bankruptcy. The deposits of about 2.5 million Russians are exceeding 1.4 million roubles and 10.000 people have deposits over 100 million roubles, the daily reports, citing analysts. KOMMERSANT www.kommersant.ru - Turkey's new accusations of Russia of violating its airspace is raising the risk of direct clashes between Russia and Turkey with unpredictable consequences, the daily writes, adding that Russia has already sent its modern Sukhoi-35C fighters to the region. - Russia's Supreme Court has confirmed vicarious liability of 75.8 billion roubles of Sergei Pugachev, the beneficiary of the International Industrial Bank, Mezhprombank, for his role in the bankruptcy of the bank. ROSSIISKAYA GAZETA www.rg.ru - Russia has boosted its airspace control in Arctic regions by deploying air defence forces equipped with S-300 surface to air missile systems in its North Fleet, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. He said necessary infrastructure was already in place for Russia's military presence on Arctic islands in the north of the Atlantic Ocean on a regular basis. NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA www.ng.ru - Turkey is fighting not to allow the unification of northern enclaves populated by ethnic Kurds in Syria, the daily writes, commenting on new accusations against Russia's air forces which allegedly violated Turkey's air space. - Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree on awarding between 1.7 million and 4 million roubles to medal-winning Russian athletes during the 2016 Summer Olympics. IZVESTIA www.izvestia.ru - Russian parliamentarians urge the government to take measures against shallowing of the country's Volga and Don rivers. 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. PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - Feb 1 SOFIA, Feb 1 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. -- Bulgaria's government is planning to allocate 50 million levs ($27.75 million) to pensioners in Easter bonuses, Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said. The bonuses will be allocated from the revenues collected in the successful fight against smuggling (Trud, Standart, Telegraf) -- Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva, who is expected to replace Todor Tanev as an education minister, said she would not comment on her nomination for the post until it becomes a fact (Standart, Monitor, Telegraf) -- Bulgarian border police detained 34 illegal immigrants in three operations across the country over the weekend (Trud, Standart, Monitor) -- Specialised farmers' markets selling organic products will be opened in five Bulgarian cities - Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas and Veliko Tarnovo -- Vladimir Dubov, competing in the 57kg-category, won the golden belt at the Dan Kolov international freestyle wrestling tournament for a second consecutive year. Lyubomir Dimitrov, competing in the 130kg-category won the golden belt at the Nikola Petrov Greco-Roman style's tournament (Tema Sport, Standart, Trud) PRESS DIGEST- Canada- Feb 1 Feb 1 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. THE GLOBE AND MAIL ** China Minerals Mining and its subsidiary Cassiar Gold Corp have filed a petition with the Supreme Court of British Columbia that seeks to reverse a portion of the British Columbia government's transfer of Crown land near the Yukon border in northern British Columbia to the Kaska Dena Council. (http://bit.ly/1SmwZvD) ** The rout in commodities has hit men harder than women in Alberta. Nearly 16,000 men in the western province have been laid off from September 2014 through the end of last year. Meanwhile, 22,800 women have found new positions over the same period, according to Statistics Canada. (http://bit.ly/1SmxjKV) ** The Canadian government is busy promoting its defense industry in Kuwait even as a United Nations report accuses a Saudi-led coalition, which includes Kuwait, of "widespread and systematic" bombing of civilians in Yemen. (http://bit.ly/1SmxUwk) NATIONAL POST ** A class action lawsuit against Valeant Pharmaceuticals has alleged that the makers of Cold-FX sat for years on a study that suggested Canada's most popular cold and flu remedy was no more effective than a placebo in treating symptoms of the viruses. Valeant owns the product after buying Edmonton's Afexa Life Sciences in 2011. (http://bit.ly/1Kl7zM2) African boy attacked by chimps recovers after New York surgery By Barbara Goldberg STONY BROOK, N.Y., Feb. 1 (Reuters) - Just weeks after a surgical team on New York's Long Island began a series of operations to rebuild both lips of an 8-year-old boy mauled by chimpanzees in Africa, the sound of success filled a play room at Stony Brook Children's Hospital. "Slurp!" was heard as Dunia Sibomana sipped a spoonful of chicken broth through his newly created lips. The surgery has already helped him keep food inside his mouth, speak more clearly and stop constant drooling, said lead surgeon Dr. Alexander Dagum, the hospital's chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Two years ago, Sibomana was playing with children in his native Democratic Republic of Congo when chimpanzees attacked, ripping off his lips and killing his younger brother. The rare double-lip reconstruction requires several surgeries over the course of about nine months, and the first took place on Jan. 11. Complications arose during the surgery, which was expected to last eight hours but stretched to 14, as Dagum harvested a rectangle of skin, nerve, tendon and vein from the child's forearm and used it to form the circle of both lips. It turned out the vein was too short to reach a crucial blood supply in the neck so Dagum scrambled to collect a second vein from the boy's upper arm to make the connection. Racing against the clock to keep the transferred tissue alive by surgically restoring the blood supply, Dagum looked through a microscope and sewed vein to vein and nerve to nerve. In the end, Dagum said he was surprised by the extent Sibomana is now able to move his lips, which will improve further as swelling subsides. A subsequent surgery this summer also is meant to enhance the movement and look of the lips. "We're really happy. We got more than we expected," Dagum said. After surgery, Sibomana remained sedated for a week as the healing began. His hospital room is filled with stuffed animals and balloons and manned 24 hours each day by volunteers from Smile Rescue Fund for Kids, the charity that paid for his travel to the hospital, which donated the medical treatment. He woke surrounded by the American family he has been living with - Jennifer Crean and her three children Collin, 16, Eian, 12, and Grace, 10, of the Long Island hamlet of Hauppauge. Enough donations have poured into SmileRescueFund.org to allow Sibomana to attend boarding school back in Africa, which costs less than $700 a year, said charity founder Leon Klempner, a retired Stony Brook dentist. "Home - I need home! Ziggy!" said Sibomana, a native Swahili speaker who is picking up English, calling out the name of the Crean family dog as he waited to be discharged from the hospital last week. It will be another week before Sibomana is allowed to play outside, Dagum said, but by then the snow from the blizzard that crippled the U.S. Northeast on Jan. 23 may have melted away. But hospital food director Michael West, who witnessed Sibomana's excitement over seeing snow for the first time, said he made sure the boy would not miss the fun of building snowmen or having a snowball fight. As the blizzard raged on, West said, he brought a bucket of the white stuff into Sibomana's hospital room. Battle to honour slain Putin critic Nemtsov unfolds beneath Kremlin towers By Andrew Osborn MOSCOW, Feb 1 (Reuters) - As the Kremlin clock inched towards midnight and the ice-bound river beneath their feet melted, a group of Russians silently stood on the bridge where Boris Nemtsov, the Putin critic and opposition leader, was killed nearly a year ago. "This is about remembering," Boris Kazadayev, 73, part of the small crowd, told Reuters. "If there is no collective memory, the country won't have a future." Moments later, a snow plough mounted the pavement forcing the crowd to the kerb. Two trucks then reversed within inches of people's backs and trapped them before dumping piles of snow around them. "Nemtsov Bridge" - activists' nickname for the spot where the Putin opponent was shot dead on Feb. 27 last year - has become the scene of a cat-and-mouse struggle between the authorities and the liberal opposition who want to honour a man some Russians say the Kremlin would rather forget. Supporters bring flowers for a makeshift shrine; the authorities sweep the site clean; his supporters rebuild. It's a sequence that has played out repeatedly, in all weathers, for at least 300 days. "It is a model of peaceful resistance that is unique for modern Russia," said Olga Shorina, a Nemtsov ally. "It has become a symbol of the fact that there's a desire for an alternative." Activists say they will continue until a plaque is erected on the bridge to honour Nemtsov, a former deputy premier turned tenacious opposition leader. The authorities have refused. Some activists also want the bridge to be renamed after him. That too has been rejected. In a country where the Soviets air brushed people out of history but immortalised their heroes by burying them at the foot of the Kremlin wall or, in Vladimir Lenin's case placed him in a mausoleum on Red Square, the battle is seen by some as one for Russians' memories that could help determine their future. "The authorities are doing everything they can to ensure Russians forget about my father," Zhanna Nemtsova, 31, told Reuters. "Their aim is not only to control the state but also to control people's minds and hearts." The nearly year-long standoff has had an unexpected consequence: The spot where Nemtsov was murdered has become a unique if modest rallying point for the liberal opposition in what they say is an otherwise bleak political landscape. Passers-by stop to look, opposition-minded Russians gather there to exchange ideas, and the Russian flag can sometimes be seen defiantly flying, visible from Red Square. "It's an island of freedom in a zombified country," said Sasha Chernyavsky, a 29-year-old DJ. OPPOSITION STAR The location, so close to the Kremlin's terracotta walls and the phantasmagorical onion domes of St Basil's Cathedral, packs rare symbolic punch. "We will not allow, in the centre of Russia, in the very heart of Moscow, next to the Kremlin, for a bridge to be named after a person who always supported the interests of America and spat on the interests of Russia," SERB, a nationalist group that vandalised the site at least twice, has complained. In flux due to its regular destruction, the makeshift memorial has a few constants: flowers, icons, candles, written tributes and portraits. "I don't like being shot in the back," reads one note, a reference to the fact that Nemtsov was shot from behind. Each day at 23.31, the time Nemtsov was killed, his supporters observe a minute of silence. Nemtsov, 55, was killed as he walked home with his girlfriend after dinner. Putin, after his murder, described him as one of his fiercest critics. Nemtsov helped found the country's main anti-Kremlin movements and spoke at opposition rallies. He had authored an excoriating report into Putin's tenure, and shortly before he was killed was working on a report examining the Russian military's role in Ukraine. Revered by his supporters as an unpretentious man of the people, some Russians disliked him, associating him with the 1990s, a period of food shortages when he was a deputy prime minister. "What did he do for Russia?" Valentina Arsentieva, a reader of pro-Kremlin lifenews.ru, wrote the day after his killing. "We were eating animal feed in the 1990s while THEY were selling Russia out to the West." State TV largely ignored him in recent years. But his profile in the 1990s meant he remained a household name. Within hours of his murder, hundreds of Russians flocked to the scene to leave flowers. The authorities downplayed his significance. Putin's spokesman cast Nemtsov, once spoken of as a contender to succeed Boris Yeltsin as president, a job Putin got, as "quite an average citizen" who was no political threat. Putin said something similar about reporter Anna Politkovskaya after she was murdered on his birthday in 2006. BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE What looked like a campaign to erase Nemtsov's memory soon began. A month after his murder, activists arrived to find that the flowers and other tributes had vanished. It is a routine that has been repeated, by conservative estimates, at least 15 times. Some say the real number is double that. The first clearance, before the end of the 40-day mourning period observed by Russians, caused particular offence. "Some people told me they felt as if Boris had been killed a second time," said Olga Lehtonen, 38, who would later protect the site. Since that first clearance, on March 28, around 30 unpaid volunteers have mounted a round-the-clock vigil. Sometimes braving temperatures of minus 20 Celsius, some have been arrested and assaulted. "We don't have any other avenues to express ourselves," said Andrei Margulev, who spends 26 hours on the bridge a week. He was arrested for reciting poetry there in September and fined 10,000 roubles ($130.93) by a court. Pro-Kremlin activists have trashed the site at least twice, throwing eggs, smashing tributes, and trying to urinate on the shrine. But it is the Moscow authorities who have regularly sought to remove clues that Nemtsov was killed there. They say they want the area to stay clean, that the Stalin-era bridge on which amateur German pilot Mathias Rust famously landed a small plane in 1987, is a monument of cultural importance, and that the shrine is illegal. Yuri Ivankov, head of the city's bridge maintenance division in a statement spoke of "banal vandalism." His office declined to comment for this article. Putin said last year he saw no problem with people leaving tributes. He promised to speak to Moscow's mayor to ensure people were not prevented from doing so. Activists said the clearances became less frequent after Putin's words but continued nonetheless. When asked about a plaque for Nemtsov, Putin cited a rule stating that 10 years must first pass. Nemtsov's supporters say Putin and Moscow's mayor could easily bypass that rule as was done for Venezuela's Hugo Chavez who had a street named after him. The mayor's office did not respond to written questions about the proposal. BATTLE FOR THE FUTURE Nadezhda Prusenkova, a colleague of slain reporter Anna Politkovskaya at the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, said the way the Kremlin was handling the situation was "a test for the authorities and for society." "It is a defining moment for self-identification," she said. More than 21,000 people have so far signed an online petition supporting a plaque. "Monuments have an importance not only for the past but also for the future," said Alexander Cherkasov, a historian at human rights group Memorial. "We are choosing from a huge number of events and people to build our futures looking back at certain reference points." Ilya Yashin, an opposition politician, said that was why there was so much official resistance to the idea of commemorating his murdered friend. "Nemtsov as a symbol was and is very dangerous for the Putin regime," said Yashin. "But the more they destroy his memorial, the brighter a symbol he will become." Meanwhile, the investigation into his murder has run into the sand with police charging a group of Chechen men with carrying out the killing for cash. No other motive has been suggested. Police have named a fugitive Chechen as the alleged mastermind, but Nemtsov's supporters say he was only a low-level figure and that a cover-up is underway. They want Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, to be questioned. Kadyrov has said talk of his being a suspect is nonsense. The defenders of "Nemtsov Bridge" say they will not give up. They plan to march to the bridge on the first anniversary of the murder this month. Dmitry Gudkov, the only liberal opposition lawmaker in the Russian parliament, says a successful outcome to the battle of the bridge would be significant. "It would be a signal to society that political terror is unacceptable," said Gudkov. Olga Lehtonen, one of the bridge's volunteers, said the campaign was as much about remembering a man as politics. Ivory Coast ex-president presented as peace-loving victim of France By Thomas Escritt AMSTERDAM, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, charged with fomenting a 2010 crisis that led to 3,000 deaths, actually tried to resolve the deadlock that plunged the country into civil war, his lawyers said on Monday. Opening his defence against war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, they portrayed him as a victim of French colonial meddling who had sought peace. Gbagbo, the highest ranking politician ever to appear before the court, stands accused of stoking the ethnic strive that sparked a four-month civil war after he refused to step down following his failed bid to be reelected president in 2010. The case has the potential to stoke political tensions in Ivory Coast, the world's largest cocoa grower, where Gbagbo remains influential. His trial opening last week was attended by hundreds of his supporters and closely followed at home. Gbagbo's lawyers said prosecutors had presented a selective account of recent Ivory Coast history, glossing over alleged crimes committed by his successor and political rival Alassane Outtara, who was re-elected last year. "Laurent Gbagbo continually sought solutions to the post-electoral crisis, proposing for example that votes be re-counted," said defence lawyer Jennifer Naouri. "Ouattara didn't agree to this." Naouri said prosecutors portrayed Ivory Coast's defining political conflict in overly simple terms, ignoring a string of attempted coups allegedly launched by Ouattara's supporters during Gbagbo's decade-long presidency. Last week, prosecutors presented detailed descriptions of alleged crimes, including mass rape and murder by supporters of a president determined to keep power at any price. The high-profile case is seen as a test of the credibility of the 13-year-old court, which has secured just two convictions since it was established. A case against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta collapsed last year amid intense lobbying by Kenya and its African allies, testing its ability to prosecute senior figures. Gbagbo's supporters have criticised the court for only bringing charges against him, his wife Simone and his associate, youth leader Charles Ble Goude, while leaving Ouattara's supporters unchallenged. His lawyers said his downfall and arrest after the election was punishment for crossing France, the former colonial power that intervened militarily to end the civil war in 2011, allowing Ouattara to take office. Snowden, Colombia, Greek islanders among Nobel Peace Prize tips By Alister Doyle OSLO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, peace negotiators in Colombia or Greek islanders helping Syrian refugees were among tips for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize at the deadline for nominations on Monday. Nobel watchers also speculated that negotiators of an accord over Iran's nuclear programme could be in the running after a surprise award last year to a coalition of Tunisian democracy campaigners, the National Dialogue Quartet. "2016 may finally be Edward Snowden's year ... His leaks are now having a positive effect," Kristian Berg Harpviken, head of the Peace Research Institute, Oslo, told Reuters, putting him top of his list of candidates. Harpviken said many nations were now reforming laws to restrict intelligence gathering, helping human rights, in the wake of Snowden's leaks in 2013 of details of the U.S. government's surveillance programmes. Washington has filed espionage charges against Snowden, who has been granted asylum in Russia. An award of the $930,000 prize to Snowden, by a Nobel committee in NATO member Norway, would be a huge snub for President Barack Obama, the 2009 Nobel laureate. Asle Sveen, an historian and expert on the prize, said he reckoned the "obvious choice" for 2016 would be to honour Colombia's government and FARC rebel group - if they succeed in peace talks launched in 2012 to end five decades of war. He noted Norway's government had been involved in organising peace talks, perhaps swaying the five-member Norwegian Nobel committee which is appointed by parliament. Feb. 1 is the annual deadline for nominations. Harpviken placed Colombian peace negotiators third on his list, behind U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, for their role in negotiating a deal last year to limit Iran's nuclear programme. That accord led to a lifting of sanctions by major powers on Tehran last month. Other candidates include Greek islanders who have helped Syrian and other refugees - a campaign by grassroots group Avaaz has collected 635,000 online signatures for a prize to islanders who "have opened their homes and hearts". But it could be difficult to identify Greek winners under the plans set out by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish founder of the prize. The award can be split up to three ways, to individuals or organisations. Sveen said other candidates may include Russian human rights groups such as Memorial, nominated by Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg before she took office in 2013. "Huge numbers of nominations are still coming in," said Olav Njoelstad, Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute. The committee will have its first meeting on Feb. 29 and announce the winner in October. Thousands of people, including members of all national parliaments, former laureates and university rectors, can make nominations. Last year there were 273 nominees. Israel hopes for EU leverage with East Mediterranean push By Luke Baker JERUSALEM, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Israel, Cyprus and Greece have agreed to deepen their energy, security and tourism ties in the Eastern Mediterranean, a deal that may have implications for Israel's testy relationship with the European Union, too. The agreement, signed in Nicosia last week by a beaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Greek premier Alexis Tsipras and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, focused on energy and the exploitation of natural gas deposits off Israel and Cyprus. The Leviathan and Aphrodite fields are unlikely to start exporting before 2019 or 2020. Nevertheless, the ambition is to transport gas by pipeline, possibly via Turkey, or in liquefied form by ship to Europe, plugging the East Mediterranean into Europe's grid and providing an alternative to Russia - which has far worse relations with the EU due to the Ukraine crisis. With global energy prices expected to remain low for some time, analysts question whether East Mediterranean gas will be the bonanza investors hope, but that didn't prevent the leaders singing the praises of their joint declaration. "We live in a turbulent, fluid environment," said Netanyahu, emphasising working together on policies from tourism to water-management would make all three states stronger. "We have an unprecedented opportunity to advance our common goals," he said, adding: "We have been blessed with natural gas." Israel and the two EU members all have sound commercial, defence and political reasons for closer cooperation. As well as attracting more visitors and investment, Cyprus and Greece hope some of Israel's high-tech success will rub off on them and lift their economies, both bailed out by the EU and IMF. There's also Israeli know-how in defence, migration, cyber-security and counter-terrorism to draw on. Israel hopes to sell its expertise in these areas, as well as gaining extra allies in a region where it feels isolated, with Syria at war on its northern border, Lebanon's Hezbollah a threat and ties with the Palestinians as troubled as ever. Israel has already used the presence of a Russian-made air defence system located in Greece, which was originally supplied to Cyprus and traded to Athens, to train fighter pilots on how to thwart technology now being deployed in Syria. EU RELATIONS There is also a more nuanced potential benefit for Netanyahu: more partners inside the EU who may be inclined to defend Israel's interests or at least not lean immediately towards the Palestinians on Middle East issues. With France issuing an ultimatum to Israel at the weekend - saying it would recognise Palestine as a state if a new peace initiative doesn't succeed - Israel is hoping its new allegiances in the EU will help head off the French threat. Greece has traditionally been pro-Palestinian and was expected to remain so when Tsipras, a leftist, was elected last year. The same went for Cyprus to an extent. But the Palestinians now regard both as having shifted allegiance. "The emerging tripartite alliance ... weakens the strong and solid relationship that the Palestinian people have always maintained with Cyprus and Greece," said Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization. "As such, this agreement will only embolden Israel to pursue dangerous policies that have serious ramifications on the whole region. We call on Cyprus and Greece ... to maintain the earlier integrity of their support for the Palestinian cause." In EU debates, Israel has traditionally looked to Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, among others, to protect its interests, including through using the veto that member states effectively have in foreign policy decisions. With the new regional alliance, Greece and Cyprus may be more inclined towards Israel, which has also had some success at winning over Italy, another pro-Palestinian nation in the past. When EU foreign ministers issued a hard-hitting statement on the Middle East peace process on Jan. 18, diplomats said the critical language towards Israel was softened slightly after Greece refused at first to sign off on it. Relations between the EU and Israel remain rocky, notably over the European policy of labelling goods produced in Israeli settlements as coming from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem - lands the Palestinians seek for their own state - rather than as "Made in Israel". But Netanyahu points out that while relations with the EU as a whole may need a "reset", those with a number of individual states are good. Israeli diplomats are fond of listing those they can count as friends and those they regard as unfriendly. Finland to test drones on Russian border as migrant flow grows HELSINKI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Finland plans to test drones along its frontier with Russia, an official said on Monday, as a growing number of migrants crosses that northern border of the European Union's Schengen passport-free travel zone. Major Jussi Napola of the Finnish border guard declined to say why Helsinki wanted to run the tests along the 833-mile (1,340 km) border, where migrant movements have grown to become an issue at high-level bilateral meetings. Finland last month criticised its eastern neighbour and former ruler for allowing increasing numbers of asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa across their Arctic border. Following ministerial meetings, the countries agreed to step up cooperation on the border. According to the Finnish border guard, about 500 asylum seekers have come from Russia to Finland this year, compared with about 700 in the whole of 2015. "The plan is to test the remote piloted aerial system in operational use at the Russian border and the coastal areas. We want to see if the technology suits our needs and if it is suitable for Finnish conditions", Napola told Reuters. The European Union is already using drones to help monitor the flow of migrants and refugees over the Mediterranean and Napola said the border guard has worked with the EU border agency Frontex in reviewing different drone options. U.S. envoy visits Kurdish-held northern Syria By Tom Perry and Arshad Mohammed BEIRUT/ROME, Feb 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. envoy has visited Kurdish-controlled northern Syria in what appeared to be the first declared trip to Syrian territory by an Obama administration official in three years. The U.S. envoy to the coalition against Islamic State, Brett McGurk, said his weekend trip aimed to review the fight against the jihadist group that controls swathes of Syria and Iraq. He also said that it was long-planned and not "in any way" related to Syria peace talks in Geneva that are seeking to end a nearly five-year civil war that has killed at least 250,000 people and driven more than 10 million people from their homes. The Syrian Kurds have established control over wide areas of northern Syria since the country erupted into civil war in 2011, and their YPG militia has become a major partner in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State. The trip, which U.S. officials said appeared to be the first of its kind to northern Syria since 2013, may anger neighbouring Turkey, which is alarmed by the growing sway of Syrian Kurds for fear it could fuel separatism among its own Kurdish population. It follows the exclusion of the main Syrian Kurdish party, the PYD, from Syria peace talks, in line with Turkish wishes. The U.S. envoy told reporters the peace talks came up during his two-day visit, during which he discussed the importance of "an inclusive process" to achieve a unified, a multi-ethnic, multi-sectarian Syria where the rights of all are protected. During the visit, McGurk said he met an array of officials, including Arab, Kurdish, Christian, Turkmen representatives. There has been some speculation that McGurk's visit, and a separate telephone call by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken to PYD leader Saleh Muslim, may have aimed to assuage Kurdish unhappiness at their exclusion from the Geneva talks. CEMETERY VISIT McGurk posted photos of the trip on his Twitter feed, including a shot of a cemetery where he said he "paid respects to over 1,000 Kurdish martyrs" from the battle of Kobani waged by the YPG, with U.S.-led air support, against Islamic State. A Syrian Kurdish official said McGurk landed at a Kurdish-controlled airport he said was being used by U.S. military helicopters for logistics and deliveries. The airport at Rmeilan was currently under construction, added the source, and supplies are brought in "according to need". U.S. officials said they were all but certain McGurk's trip was the first declared visit to Syria by an Obama administration official since former U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford briefly crossed into northern Syria in May 2013. The U.S. embassy in Damascus was closed in 2012 but Ford kept his title. The United States has supported the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, who it says has lost the legitimacy to rule, and has rejected cooperation with the Syrian government in the fight against Islamic State. U.S. military ties with the Syrian Kurds have grown deeper despite the concerns of NATO ally Turkey, which views the Syrian Kurdish PYD party as a terrorist group because of its links to the PKK, which is waging an insurgency in Turkey. McGurk, who said he was accompanied by U.S. Defense Department officials, was received by Kurdish officials, including the prime minister of one of three autonomous regions, or cantons, the Syrian Kurds have set up in northern Syria. In a statement posted on YouTube, Akram Hasso, head of the Kurdish-led administration of Jazeera canton, said McGurk's delegation was 17 strong and included representatives of France and Britain. PYD leader Saleh Muslim played down the visit's political significance. "He is a military man, a man concerned with fighting terrorism more than politics," Muslim told Reuters. Driverless shuttle bus to take to Dutch public roads AMSTERDAM, Jan 28 (Reuters) - An electric, driverless shuttle bus will take to the Dutch public streets on Thursday, rolling six passengers along a 200 metre (yard) stretch of road. The WePod, one of a fleet to be rolled out in coming years, will ride back and forth in the central Dutch agricultural town of Wageningen. Several trials of so-called autonomous vehicles are under way in the automotive and technology industries, from Tesla's Model S sedan, which can change lanes with minimal driver input, to plans by Google and Daimler to introduce driverless vehicles. The shuttle pilot project will be expanded in coming months and will eventually be used as public transport along a 6 kilometre route in the town, said Iris van Cattenburch of Connekt, a group of companies developing sustainable public transport. In April, the Netherlands will hold the first trial with driverless semi-trucks at Rotterdam port, which autonomous road trains sending cargo from Europe's biggest port, throughout the continent by 2019. The trial of the WePod, developed with the Delft Technical University for roughly 3 million euros ($3.3 million), will be streamed live at http://wepods.com/, at 1415 local time (1315 GMT). German gov't rejects "absurd" remark of populist party leader on shooting migrants By Joseph Nasr and Michael Nienaber BERLIN, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel's government rejected on Monday as "absurd" a suggestion from the leader of an increasingly popular opposition right-wing party that police be given powers to use firearms against illegal migrants. Support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has jumped amid deepening public unease over Merkel's open-door policy for refugees from Syria and elsewhere after some 1.1 million people entered Germany last year. [nL8N15F0MD Asked about AfD leader Frauke Petry's suggestion on the use of firearms against migrants, Merkel's chief of staff Peter Altmaier said: "This proposal is inhuman and absurd. With this suggestion, the AfD has shown its true colours." Speaking to local newspapers in an interview to be published on Tuesday, Altmaier said he thought support for the AfD would now fall. Opinion polls currently put it in third place on about 13 percent, behind Merkel's conservatives and her centre-left coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD). But German disquiet over the scale of immigration has grown, especially since men of north African and Arab appearance assaulted women in Cologne and other German cities on New Year's Eve. Petry's deputy, Beatrix von Storch, who is a member of the European Parliament, even suggested on social media that police should be allowed to shoot at migrant women with children in cases of emergency to stop them entering Germany illegally. A German Interior Ministry spokesman also said on Monday there could be no question of using force against the migrants. "It goes without saying: no German policeman will use a firearm against people who are searching for protection in Germany," spokesman Johannes Dimroth told a news conference. "And it goes without saying that the use of firearms against people to stop an illegal border crossing is unlawful." Vice Chancellor and SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday Germany's domestic intelligence agency (BfV) should monitor the AfD, adding that the party should not be able to "excrete their slogans" on public television. In an attempt at damage control, Petry said in a statement on Monday her party was "strictly against" shooting at people who peacefully ask to enter the country. Saudi Arabia says 375 civilians killed on its border in Yemen war By William Maclean and Angus McDowall RIYADH, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Mortars and rockets fired at Saudi Arabian towns and villages have killed 375 civilians, including 63 children, since the start of the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen in late March, Riyadh said on Monday. Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, told Reuters that the Houthi militia and army forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh had fired more than 40,000 projectiles across the border since the war began. "Now our rules of engagement are: you are close to the border, you are killed," he said. In a measure of how fierce the fighting on the frontier continues to be, nearly 130 mortars and 15 missiles were fired by the Houthis and Saleh's forces at Saudi border positions on Monday alone, Asseri said in an interview in Riyadh. Riyadh has been sharply criticised for civilian casualties in coalition air strikes and on Sunday announced it was improving its targeting mechanisms and would form a committee to investigate claims it had hit non-military targets. Around 6,000 people, about half of them civilians, have been killed in fighting and coalition air strikes in Yemen since the war began, according to the United Nations. The civilians killed in Saudi Arabia included both Saudis and expatriates, Asseri said. Riyadh's campaign was launched to stop the Houthis, who are allied to Riyadh's main regional foe Iran, from gaining complete control over Yemen after they seized the capital in 2014 and drove President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile. Yemeni forces backed by the coalition pushed the Houthis from the main southern port city of Aden in June and from the northeastern town of Marib in September, but have since made little territorial progress. STATIC WAR Fighting has continued since September in Yemen's third-largest city of Taiz. The Houthis and Saleh's forces hold the surrounding mountains and coalition-backed forces inside the city and to the south have been unable to break their siege. Along the Saudi-Yemen border, the constant attacks by the Houthis and Saleh's forces have forced Riyadh to evacuate a dozen villages and displace over 7,000 people from frontier districts, closing over 500 schools, Asseri said. He said the coalition had taken "hundreds" of Yemeni prisoners in fighting along the border. Asseri acknowledged that the forces were locked in what he described as a "static war", but said the coalition was now fighting to control the mountainous Nahm region, which controls access to the capital Sanaa 70 km (40 miles) to the southwest. Humanitarian organisations have criticised the coalition for its naval blockade of Yemen, aimed at stopping the Houthis from gaining military supplies, but which they say has pushed the country to the brink of famine. Italy drops objections to EU migration fund to Turkey By Francesca Piscioneri and Gabriela Baczynska ROME/BRUSSELS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Italy will contribute to a 3 billion euro European Union fund to help Turkey tackle the European migration crisis, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Monday, dropping objections blocking implementation of the plan. Under a deal from last November, Ankara is to stem the flood of refugees and migrants leaving for Europe in exchange for the aid. Brussels hopes that would help limit the influx of people fleeing wars and poverty in the Middle East and Africa after more than a million reached Europe last year. Italy, which has locked horns on a number of issues with Brussels recently, has been blocking payouts to Turkey in hope of winning more leeway from the bloc on its 2016 budget. But during a visit to Nigeria on Monday, Renzi spoke to reporters in comments later circulated by a spokesman. "At this point, we will give our contribution to Turkey to save human lives," he said. The EU's executive said earlier on Monday that it had offered in December to exempt any contributions to the Turkey fund from member state's budget deficit calculations under the bloc's accounting rules. That would make the contributions more palatable as the 28 EU states are obliged to stick to prudent spending rules set out in the so-called Stability and Growth Pact or face disciplinary action from Brussels. Renzi welcomed the proposal as "finally something positive" and EU envoys will consider it on Wednesday in Brussels. A source told Reuters the plan includes contributions in 2016 envisaged at 427.5 million euros for Germany, 327.6 million euros for Britain, 309.2 million euros for France and 224.9 million euros for Italy. The source, familiar with the document, said it also included a line allowing for the lowering of the contributions in 2017, and that Cyprus - which has a long-standing feud with Turkey - would pay 2.3 million euros to Jordan and Lebanon instead. While some 2.5 million Syrian refugees are currently in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon have also taken in hundreds of thousands. ITALIAN DEMANDS Renzi's demands have gone further than the exemption proposed by the Commission. The Italian leader, who met German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the matter on Friday, has pressed Brussels to accept up front that Rome would spend an extra 3.2 billion euros this year on migration, increasing its deficit. The Commission says it can only evaluate migration-related spending after it takes place, assessing each item case-by-case. Italy, which is in complex financial talks with Brussels to help its struggling economy, has also been on the front line of migrant multitudes entering Europe, along with Greece. It was not immediately clear whether Italy's other demands were now dropped. In his remarks, Renzi still criticised Brussels' approach to trying to alleviate Europe's worst migration crisis since World War Two. "We have saved thousands of lives while Europe looked the other way. We will keep doing that because before the stability pact, there is a humanity pact," Renzi said. "If they want to open a procedure against Italy, let them, we will go ahead. For us, Europe means values and ideals, not arguments among budget pedants," he said, calling EU officials in Brussels "professional polemicists". Venezuela likely underestimating Zika cases -doctors, Colombia say By Alexandra Ulmer CARACAS, Feb 1 (Reuters) - President Nicolas Maduro's government is likely underestimating the number of Zika cases in Venezuela, which could hurt efforts to combat the virus-bearing mosquito, according to local doctors, opposition politicians and neighbouring Colombia. Some 4,700 cases of suspected Zika have been reported in the hot and humid country, Venezuela's Health Minister Luisana Melo said last week in the first official estimate of the virus, which has been linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil. The ministry stopped issuing weekly health bulletins over a year ago, meaning there is no public historical data or geographic statistics for unusual fever outbreaks. Alarmed doctors say Venezuela, which is mired in economic crisis and has chronic shortages of products ranging from fever relievers to repellent, actually has far a greater incidence of Zika. The number of cases could range between 240,000 and 500,000, according to infectious disease specialist Julio Castro, who bases his estimates on algorithmic projections and leaked health bulletins. "The government is hiding information," said Jose Manuel Olivares, a radiation oncologist and newly-elected opposition lawmaker who works closely with Castro. A Health Ministry spokesman was not immediately available for comment. Complicating efforts in any country to get a handle on numbers, some 80 percent of people who contract Zika show no symptoms. Olivares said the official estimate of around 255 cases of Guillain-Barre, an autoimmune syndrome that can cause paralysis, was a further indication of Zika's spread in Venezuela. Like the birth defect known as microcephaly, Guillain-Barre is suspected to be linked with Zika, although the connection is not yet definitive. "If the government doesn't recognise the magnitude of the crisis it won't act on it. The number of Zika cases is going to increase," added Olivares, president of the congressional health commission. NO REPELLENT, LOTS OF TRASH Scarcity of condoms and birth control pills have contributed to unwanted pregnancies in Venezuela, where abortion is illegal unless a woman's health is at risk and teenage pregnancy rates are high. The fight against Zika is complicated by repellent shortages and uncollected trash. Shortages might also hinder diagnosis of Zika and possible associated problems. Colombia, whose center-right government often clashes with Socialist-run Caracas, said on Monday the cases of Guillain-Barre reported in Venezuela suggested it had far more cases of Zika. "The Zika situation in Venezuela might be much more serious than in our country," Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria told BLU Radio. Colombia on Saturday reported 20,297 confirmed Zika cases, with 2,116 of them pregnant women. Everton in big-money swoop for Senegal striker Niasse LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Everton sealed one of the costliest signings of the mid-season window when Senegal striker Oumar Niasse joined in a 13.5 million pounds ($19.48 million) transfer from Lokomotiv Moscow on Monday. The 25-year-old, known for his pace and power, penned a four-and-a-half year contract, much to the delight of manager Roberto Martinez. "He is the right personality and someone who is in a very good moment of his career," Martinez told the club's website (www.evertonfc.com). "He has had a lot of success in Russia and brings a different quality to what we already have in our squad." Niasse, named Russian Premier League Player of the Year in 2015, joined Lokomotiv in 2014 from Turkish club Akhisar Belediyespor, scoring 19 goals in 42 appearances. He cannot make his English Premier League debut against Newcastle United on Wednesday but could be in line for Saturday's trip to Stoke City once international clearance has been obtained. Niasse has won four caps for Senegal. [The recently declassified files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose clearly demonstrate that the UPA government failed to falsify the Justice Mukherjee Commission's key finding that Netaji did not die in the alleged plane crash in 1945, but nevertheless proceeded to reject its report on purely political grounds as accepting the findings would create problems it didn't want to face. The first part of the article traces the developments as they appeared in the public domain. The second and third parts will analyse the files to show what went on behind the scenes.] Concluding the investigation into the fate of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry (JMCI) held that the story of his death in a plane crash on August 18, 1945 was not true, and therefore the ashes preserved in Japan's Renkoji temple are not his. Yet, at the end of six long years of investigation, the commission could not put forward any concrete information on Netaji's whereabouts post-1945. On the basis of the average Indian lifespan, it presumed that Netaji could not be alive anymore in 2005 as he would be more than 100 years old. These findings overturned the conclusions of two earlier inquiries - that of the Shah Nawaz Committee (1956), and the GD Khosla Commission (1970-74). In one way, the Mukherjee Commission's findings proved right those who had found the two earlier inquiries to be contradictory and full of loopholes and were not convinced by their approach and findings. Among those who held such views were not only many former freedom fighters and followers of Netaji, but also the Calcutta High Court, and, believe it or not, the Indian government. On August 28, 1978, the then prime minister Morarji Desai, who was neither a fan nor a follower of Netaji, told Lok Sabha that his government discarded the findings of the two earlier inquiries. This was reiterated by the minister of state for home the next year. As late as in 1998, the counsel of the government of India accepted before the Calcutta High Court that those two inquiries were full of contradictions and loopholes and therefore a new investigation was needed. Now that the fresh inquiry had yielded completely different conclusions, the general expectation was that the government would act upon them with due sincerity. The public expectation was belied, however, when then home minister Shivraj Patil informed Parliament while tabling the Mukherjee Commission report on May 17, 2006, that the Manmohan Singh government had rejected the findings of the commission. For those who wanted to know the reason, there was no answer, as the Congress government communicated its decision in one sentence without explaining the grounds for it. The reasons for rejecting the report were outlined by the home minister nearly three months later, when he stood up on the floor of the Lok Sabha on August 7 to respond to the vigorous criticism by opposition parties, which united on this issue. In a rambling speech, Patil went on to justify the rejection of JMCI report through a mix of pop psychology, history, politics and sweeping assumptions. The crux of his speech was that the earlier inquiries were conclusive and were closer in time to the event and hence more reliable, and that Morarji Desai's statement was politically motivated against the Congress, without having any material basis. In other words, he not only rubbished the work of the commission which had demolished each piece of "evidence" which had been produced so far to prove Netaji's death in the plane crash, he took a stand which was diametrically opposite to the views expressed by high court judges and the government of India even a few years ago, and accused a former prime minister of lying to Parliament. He conveniently ignored that the Congress government itself had questioned the evidence presented by the two earlier inquiries. As the commission observed in its report: "Shri Tarakeswar Pal, the learned senior counsel appearing for the government of India, fairly submitted that there were glaring discrepancies in the evidence adduced regarding the accident as also the date and time of death, news of death, death certificate and cremation of Netaji." [JMCI Report, Vol 1, p 53] The most important factor that appeared to have bothered him was that although the Mukherjee Commission found the story of Netaji's death in a plane crash in 1945 to be false, it could not throw any light on what might have happened to him. "The government has preferred the findings of the two previous enquiries and, not the third finding, because it is inconclusive and not definite," Patil told the Lok Sabha. A normal course of follow-up action would have been to consult Parliament and the people at large on how to move forward after such a groundbreaking finding by a commission of inquiry. Instead the government chose to bury the work of the commission. That was evidently more convenient than to open up a pandora's box. Clearly there were avenues which the government had not seriously explored and were required to be done if a conclusive finding was to be reached regarding Netaji's fate. Persuading the governments of foreign countries which were likely to hold information on Netaji and helping the commission move forward with the DNA analysis of the ashes at the Renkoji temple were some of those avenues. But what mattered at that time to the government was to get rid of what had become an albatross around its neck. The files declassified on January 23 this year throw more light on how the government had no substantive objection to the JMCI's findings, but based its decision on shallow grounds, driven by political and administrative expediency. A former co-owner of a Long John Silvers franchise in Fredericksburg faces charges of embezzlement and failure to file meals taxes. Sidney V. Wormsby, a 57-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, was extradited to Fredericksburg on Wednesday, according to Fredericksburg Police Department spokeswoman Sarah Kilpatrick. He was arrested and then released on a personal recognizance bond. He has a Feb. 8 hearing scheduled in Fredericksburg Circuit Court. Wormsby faces three felony counts of embezzlement and four misdemeanor counts of failing to file meals tax reports, according to court records. Wormsby and family members formed the Lilburn, Georgia-based Little Giant Enterprises in 2007 and bought a group of franchised Long John Silvers locations in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He was the president of the company. All of the charges against Wormsby are related to the Long John Silvers/A&W restaurant in Fredericksburg's Central Park, which is closed. The company also had a franchise in Culpeper. The Culpeper Long John Silver's closed voluntarily in April 2015 before the Fredericksburg embezzlement charges to address local citations for violating electrical, mechanical and plumbing issues, according to Gary Cole, property maintenance and code compliance inspector for the town of Culpeper. Cole, along with Virginia State Fire Marshal Steven Sites and assistant fire marshal Robert Parker, visited the 1,947-square-foot fast-food establishment located in Dominion Square Shopping Center in Culpeper on April 6, 2015 where they discovered a faulty commercial cooking ventilation hood. According to Mark Buff, Virginia Department of Fire Programs spokesman, the fire marshals observed the kitchen hood exhaust system inside the Culpeper fast-food restaurant that contained several violations, including the following: missing filters, a filter installed that was almost destroyed from a cooking fire that occurred a few months before closing the restaurant, heavy grease build-up on the hood surface, in the ventilation space, on appliances and on the floor and walls around the appliances; damaged and exposed electrical lamps and circuits in the exhaust hood that were covered and collecting grease. Buff added that there was no current documentation of the following: when the hood was last cleaned; no report for the last kitchen hood fire suppression system inspection and no documentation of the last inspection of the limited area sprinkler inspection. Based on Culpeper health departments environmental health specialist Shaun Thomas April 2015 report, she observed roaches under the fried food hot holding unit, stating that methods are not being used to control pests. Thomas suggested using trapping devices or other methods to minimize the presence of insects, rodents and other pests. Thomas also observed a clogged drain in a hand sink, allowing sewage to back up in the food prep area. She also noticed defective plumbing underneath a sink, causing a severe leak that allowed sewage to pool on the floor in the dishwashing area. To correct this issue, Thomas recommended repairing the drains immediately and to make sure floors are sanitized after cleaning. Also during her inspection, Thomas detected food being stored in a walk-in cooler at improper temperatures. Thomas noticed hot dogs, raw shrimp, raw fish, sliced tomatoes and green beans stored in a cooler registered as high as 50 degrees, well above the recommended 41-degree storage temperature. The required cooler temperature inhibits growth of harmful bacteria for refrigerated foods. During this same visit last April, Thomas noticed the manager taking corrective actions by voluntarily discarding the food. Thomas also noted that she saw an employee who failed to wash his or her hands before engaging in food preparation. Reached by phone last April, Wormsby said he has contractors repairing the cited issues. We are also taking the time during this down time to hire and train additional staff, using this time productively, said Wormsby. While he couldnt provide an exact reopening date, Wormsby said he hoped to reopen the Culpeper location soon. The Culpeper store never reopened. The Fredericksburgs commissioner of the revenue office had Wormsby directly indicted in July for the Fredericksburg embezzlement and meals taxes violations. For that reason, city police had no details on the case, said Kilpatrick. The revenue commissioner could not be reached for comment. Things went downhill for Little Giant Enterprises after The Center for Science in the Public Interest published an article in 2013 that called Long John Silvers Big Catch the worst restaurant meal in America. The chain adjusted the menu shortly after the report, but Little Giant Enterprises eventually filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Wormsby and a relative, Hollis Wormsby of Alabama, also face a $1.4 million lawsuit filed by GE Franchise Finance Commercial LLC, which loaned the company the money to buy the franchises. Free Lance Star reporter Scott Shenk can be reached at 540-374-5436. Culpeper Star-Exponent reporter Rhonda Simmons can be reached rsimmons@starexponent.com or (540) 825-0771 ext. 125. Celebrating Dalhousie's first great benefactor Every year on the first Friday in February, Dalhousie celebrates Munro Day. Though Dalhousie students, faculty and staff are keen to celebrate this special Dalhousie holiday, not all are aware of its namesake's contributions to the university. George Munros generous gifts, worth about $8 million in todays money, helped Dalhousie through some rough times. Lydia Cushman Schurman wrote "Three Canadian-Born Publishers of Popular Literature and Their Effect on Nineteenth-Century Publishing in the United States." The article contains the story of Munro, her great-grandfather. The following is an excerpt: The man behind Munro Day George Munro, "undoubtedly the best known producer of cheap books in the late 1870s and during the 1880s"... was born in West River, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, on the 12th of November 1825, the fourth of twelve children... Little is known about George Munro's early years except that he initially had very basic schooling. At 12, he became apprenticed to The Observer, a Pictou newspaper, but two years later he resumed his education and, from 1839 to 1842, attended the New Glasgow School, where he studied Greek, Latin, and mathematics in preparation for more rigorous academic training at Pictou Academy. At 17, he left the New Glasgow School and taught school for a year in order to earn money to attend the academy. Around 1850, he went to teach natural philosophy and mathematics at the Free Church Academy in Halifax, where he did sufficiently well in the six years that he stayed there to become its principal ... In October [1856], he left Nova Scotia permanently for New York City with a few hundred dollars. Little is known about Munro's five earliest years in New York, where he arrived as a well-educated, 31-year-old married man ... In 1861, Munro went to work for Irwin P. Beadle and Company, a firm that published popular songbooks, handbooks, and the first dime novels.... In 1863, the original Beadle firm broke up, Munro entered into a brief partnership with Irwin Beadle and, a year later, the company became George Munro's. Munro's publications ... made him rich. In 1879, under the influence of his brother-in-law, John Forrest, then minister of St. John's Church, Halifax, and a member of the Board of Governors of Dalhousie University, Munro began to give money to the struggling institution. In 1879, its income from invested sources yielded only $3,000 a year, and income from its rented property brought in only $600 annually; its $3,000 grant from the government was soon due to expire. The total combined income of $6,600 was insufficient to run the university. According to Dalhousie University historian, P.B. Waite, "Desperate is not too strong a word for Dalhousie's financial condition. Talk of closing Dalhousie down was heard on every side." In 1879, however, Munro began to turn the tide. He told Forrest, "If you will find the man for the chair of Physics, I will find the money." The largeness of Munro's gift $2,000 a year astonished the university's Board of Governors because even the premier of Nova Scotia earned only $2,400 a year. To fund such a gift, with interest at 5 per cent, necessitated capital amounting to $40,000. In expressing its appreciation, the Board of Governors exclaimed: "Mr. Munro's liberality is on a scale that is without parallel in the educational history not of Nova Scotia alone but of the Dominion of Canada and his action in giving the patronage of the Chair to the Governors instead of availing himself of the privilege secured to him by Statute by nominating a Professor, enhances their sense of indebtedness." The chair in Physics, awarded to J.G. MacGregor, was Munro's first endowed chair. His gifts over the years amounted to a total of five endowed professorships, an expenditure of $250,000, as well as about $83,000 in bursaries and exhibitions (approximately $333,000). In 1999 terms, this sum amounts to a total of approximately $8 million dollars. Munro's largesse, "gifts without parallel in British North America," rescued the university from extinction. It is little wonder that by 1885, a special holiday had been set aside to commemorate George Munro, and he is still honored on "George Munro Day" each year at the university on the first Friday in February. This excerpt is reproduced with permission. Photo credit: Ken Miller As 2016 begins, The Dayton Art Institute will begin the countdown to its 2019 centennial with a number of facility upgrades and improvements. "We're excited to begin our centennial countdown with the first of a series of construction projects that are part of the museum's Centennial Master Plan," says Dayton Art Institute Director and CEO Michael R. Roediger. "The Master Plan has been developed from a series of space studies conducted over the past year and will address both facility upgrades and museum accessibility." In the spring of 2014, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed a State Capital Appropriations Bill that included nearly $2.2 million to fund renovation projects at The DAI. To determine how best to utilize that money, The DAI began a process of space studies, with the goal of creating a Centennial Master Plan for renovations, to coincide with the centennial. LWC Incorporated of Dayton was chosen, through an independent process, as the architectural firm to create the Centennial Master Plan. Projects either already underway or slated to take place in 2016 include: replacement of the floor in the Shaw Gothic Cloister (photo right); modernization of four original museum restrooms; replacement of many windows with high efficiency units; updating numerous exterior and interior doors; improvements to the building's HVAC and technology infrastructure. In addition, a new path on the museum grounds is planned that will create an ADA-accessible pedestrian connection from Riverview Avenue to the museum entrance. Construction schedules for these projects will necessitate an adjustment to the museum's hours of operation. Beginning February 23, The DAI will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Regular museum hours the remainder of the week will remain unchanged: Wednesday Saturday, 11 a.m. 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon 5 p.m., with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. Leo Bistro and The Museum Store will also be closed on Tuesdays when the new hours take effect. The Museum Store will be open during regular museum hours, and Leo Bistro will be open Wednesday Friday,11 a.m. 2:30 p.m., Thursday evenings, 4:30 8 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. 2 p.m., and Sunday, noon 2 p.m. "In order to maximize work time and minimize disruption for our guests, we felt it was necessary to reduce our hours during these projects," says Roediger. "We have a fantastic slate of special exhibitions and programs in store for 2016, and these upgrades will further enhance guest experiences here at the museum." The DAI recently announced its special exhibition schedule for 2016. The "Year of the Elements" features an innovative suite of exhibitions of contemporary art, all organized by the museum, and themed around the classical elementsfire, air, earth, water and ether. These originally conceived exhibitions explore the elements through the concept of the sublime, creating engaging visual experiences that will illuminate the primal, yet shifting, relationships we have with the elements via nature. From light installations and interactive video works, to large-scale photography, viewers will be presented with immersive and unique experiences that will ignite the imagination and encourage participation. For more information about The Dayton Art Institute, please visit www.daytonartinstitute.org or call the museum at 937-223-4ART (4278). Tickets for most Dayton Art Institute events, exhibitions and programs may also be purchased online at www.etix.com. Be sure to connect with The Dayton Art Institute on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for additional information, behind-the-scenes photos and exclusive offers. India had more than 26 million tonnes of rice in the central pool as of January 1, against 7.61 million tonnes needed for mandatory buffer, including strategic reserves, official data show. India may soon close a deal to sell 1 million tonne of rice worth about Rs 3,000 crore with Indonesia, which will be the first major shipment from governments stocks in the past 12 years, as the south-east Asian country looks to bolster availability. Though Indonesia asked for supplies between 1.5 million tonne and 2 million tonne, the government has agreed for 1 million tonne, sources said. In 2003-04, the country exported 27.75 lakh tonne of rice from the central pool stocks maintained by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The shipments dropped to 65,000 tonne the following year, as the government decided not to export from official stocks. The commerce and food ministries have agreed to the shipment, the sources said. Indonesias government-owned food procurement body Bulog will discuss detailed modalities with Indias public sector trading company MMTC, sources said. MMTC will source the rice from FCI and sell to Bulog, sources added. Reports suggest that Indonesia is trying to build stocks to hedge against lower output if rice crop fails in February and March due to El Nino-induced drought. The Indonesian government expects rice output to be over 47 million tonnes, while the US department of agriculture estimates it at 36.3 million tonnes in 2015-16. Rice prices in Indonesia surged last year due to lower availability, forcing Jakarta to import about 1.5 million tonnes. Of this, over 500,000 tonnes are yet to arrive. India may sell the rice either at economic cost or procurement costs and freight, sources said. The economic cost of rice (of 2015-16 season) is Rs 32,580 per tonne for common variety and Rs 33,300 a tonne for higher grade, according to FCI. India had more than 26 million tonnes of rice in the central pool as of January 1, against 7.61 million tonnes needed for mandatory buffer, including strategic reserves, official data show. The current years rice stock is also about 3 million tonnes more than last year. The government expects that about 33.5 million tonnes would be required for the public distribution system and other welfare schemes while procurement might be 31 million tonnes in 2015-16 (Oct-Sept). Procurement of rice continues all through the year. Since procurement and release are an ongoing process, it is difficult to say how much the government would require until September, an official said. Some states do not lift the entire allocation and that is adjusted in the next allotment, the official said. India exported 90,245 tonnes of non-basmati rice in 2014-15, which was 25 per cent less than the previous year, according to the all-India rice exporters association data. Indonesia does not import basmati rice from India. Bilateral trade between India and Indonesia was valued at $19 billion in 2014-15. Pudukkottai / Rameswaram: Adding to the woes of the Tamil Nadu fishermen, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested nine more fishermen of Pudukkottai district along with their boats on charges of violating the International maritime boundary and allegedly poaching into Sri Lankan waters in the wee hours of Sunday. The Island-Navy secured these fishermen while they were fishing at Analaitheevu near Katchatheevu in the Palk straits, reports reaching Pudukkottai and Rameswaram said. The latest incident in mid-sea has come close on the heels of fishermen of six coastal districts of Tamil Nadu intensifying their agitation and withdrawing it temporarily after their bid to block the Karaikal port on Friday, to press the Central and State governments to take immediate action to get Sri Lanka release their impounded boats and the fishermen lodged in some jails in northern Sri Lanka. After withdrawing their stir for now, fishermen resumed their fishing activities when they left by 643 mechanised boats on Saturday. Even as they were fishing in the Palk straits, Sri Lankan Navy personnel disrupted them and sought to chase them away, reports said, adding, several fishing nets were cut and allegedly thrown into the sea. This forced the fishermen who had set sail from Rameswaram to return to the shore, when several Pudukkottai fishermen were apprehended. Official sources in Pudukkottai said that a group of fishermen from Jagathapatnam and Kottaipatnam hamlets in Pudukkottai District had ventured into the sea on Saturday. They included S Vignesh (23), R. Palani (45), P. Manikandan (23), M. Selvanathan (35) R. Dilip (25), of Jagathapatnam and R. Kottaisamy (37), R. Merican (19) and M. Paramasivam (42) of Kottaiptanam. When they were fishing near Neduntheevu, the Lankan Navy personnel surrounded them and arrested all the nine fishermen along with their two boats and took them to Kankesanthurai port in Northern Sri Lanka, the sources added. EDRS-A, which is to orbit Earth at an altitude of around 36,000 kilometers (22,400 miles), houses a laser terminal that works essentially like an autonomous telescope capable of locking on to moving targets on Earth. Europe launched the first part of a new space "data highway" on Friday night that will pave the way for faster than ever monitoring of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. The EDRS-A node is the first building block of the European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS), a "big data highway" costing nearly 500 million euros ($545 million) that will harness new laser-based communications technology. The EDRS will considerably improve transmission of large amounts of data, such as pictures and radar images, from satellites in orbit to Earth as they will no longer have to wait for a ground station on Earth to come into view. The EDRS-A node, riding piggyback on a Eutelsat communications satellite, blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on board a Proton rocket at 1720 ET (4.20 am local time). EDRS-A, which is to orbit Earth at an altitude of around 36,000 kilometers (22,400 miles), houses a laser terminal that works essentially like an autonomous telescope capable of locking on to moving targets on Earth. It will send data to and from Earth or between satellites at a rate of 1.8 Gigabits per second, which is about equivalent to sending all the data that could be printed in a one-meter long shelf of books in one second, according to generally accepted industry measures. The EDRS will relay data on sea ice, oil spills or floods from Europe's multi-billion euro Copernicus Earth observation project to users in Europe, Africa and the Atlantic area, but its services will also be available to other paying customers. The EDRS is a public-private partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Airbus Defence and Space. Pairing EDRS-A with the Eutelsat 9B satellite, which will beam TV images to Europe, cuts down on costs for both satellite operator Eutelsat and the ESA as they share the expenses of the launch and joint systems. A second satellite, EDRS-C, is to be launched in mid-2017. Eventually further ones could follow, which could also be coupled with commercial crafts. "We are open to pairing a third EDRS payload with a future Eutelsat satellite," Yohann Leroy, Eutelsat's Chief Technical Officer, told Reuters. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. In a milestone for artificial intelligence, a computer has beaten a human champion at a strategy game that requires intuition rather than brute processing power to prevail, its makers said Wednesday. Dubbed AlphaGo, the system honed its own skills through a process of trial and error, playing millions of games against itself until it was battle-ready and surprised even its creators with its prowess. AlphaGo won five-nil and it was stronger than perhaps we were expecting, said Demis Hassabis, the chief executive of Google DeepMind, a British artificial intelligence (AI) company. A computer defeating a professional human player at the 3,000-year-old Chinese board game known as Go, was thought to be about a decade off. The cleansweep over three-time European Go champion Fan Hui signifies a major step forward in one of the great challenges in the development of artificial intelligence that of game-playing, the British Go Association said in a statement. The two-player game is described as perhaps the most complex ever designed with more configurations possible than there are atoms in the universe, Hassabis says. Players take turns placing stones on a board, trying to surround and capture the opponents stones, with the aim of controlling more than 50 per cent of the board. There are hundreds of places where a player can place the first stone, black or white, with hundreds of ways in which the opponent can respond to each of these moves and hundreds of possible responses to each of those in turn. But as simple as the rules are, Go is a game of profound complexity. There are 1,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000, 000,000,000 possible positions, Hassabis explained in a blog. Such a search base is too enormous and too vast for brute force approaches to have any chance, added his colleague David Silver, who co-authored the paper in the science journal Nature. So the team sought to create an AI system with a more human-like approach to a game Hassabis said is played primarily through intuition and feel. Source: www.phys.org Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Washington: Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi acted as an informal messenger between the Obama Administration and the then army chief Gen Ashfaq 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 - then a senior advisor in the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan - on January 21, 2011. 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". On Friday, the State Department 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 have 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. The 44-year-old ran the 3-star Michelin eaterie Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier, near Lausanne in Switzerland. In a statement, Swiss police said: "Late in the afternoon, police... went to Crissier (Violier's home) where they discovered at his home the body of Benoit Violier." (Photo: AP) Geneva: One of the world's most respected chefs, Benoit Violier, whose 3-star restaurant in Switzerland recently topped the list of world's best 1,000 restaurants, has been found dead at his home in an apparent suicide, police said on Monday. The 44-year-old ran the 3-star Michelin eaterie Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier, near Lausanne in Switzerland. In a statement, Swiss police said: "Late in the afternoon, police... went to Crissier (Violier's home) where they discovered at his home the body of Benoit Violier." The statement added that it appeared Violier had shot himself with a firearm. Violier's restaurant was last year crowned the "world's best restaurant" by France's La Liste ranking, which named 1,000 top establishments in 48 countries. He was also named Chef of the Year in 2013 by the influential Gault & Millau guide. Swiss police said an investigation had been opened into Violier's death, who was working at the restaurant since 2012 and received Swiss nationality only two years ago. Police added that "out of respect for the family" the Swiss authorities would be making no further comment. Nakintu, a 27-year-old woman from the Ugandan capital Kampala, trusted her friend, who had worked in the United Arab Emirates and seemed successful with plenty of money. (Photo: DC archives) Dubai: At first, Sarah Nakintu was grateful to her friend for alerting her to job opportunities in marketing and retail in Dubai. Nakintu, a 27-year-old woman from the Ugandan capital Kampala, trusted her friend, who had worked in the United Arab Emirates and seemed successful with plenty of money. She followed her friend's instructions. Present a valid passport to the recruiter who would organise airline tickets and a visa. Once the documents were in order, Nakintu paid the recommended "token of thanks" to her friend - $200 in cash. Nakintu (who requested her real name not be used) was advised to only keep her boarding pass to Kigali, Rwanda, in sight and hide her connecting pass to Dubai as immigration officials stop migrants who bypassed government recruiting agencies to seek employment. But when Nakintu was met at Dubai airport by a Ugandan woman going by the name Jane Saad, she was told to hand over her passport and then informed she would be working as a sex escort. "From the start I was terrified and tried to protest but she threatened us and said there were no alternatives as she had invested a lot of money in our trip," Nakintu said. "Slowly we resigned and started following her instructions." Nakintu is just one of thousands of women every year to be trafficked into sex slavery, with the Australia-based anti-slavery campaign group Walk Free estimating there are 36 million people trapped in modern-day slavery around the world. Duped by other women Like many others, Nakintu said she had not suspected her friend or other women from her own country would trick her into sex work and this approach meant she had let her guard down. An annual report on human trafficking by the US State Department in 2015 commented on the network of Ugandan women coordinating the sending of Ugandan women for sex exploitation. It listed the top destination countries as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Kenya. On her first day in Dubai, Nakintu was told that she owed Saad around $8,000 in recruitment fees that had to be paid back in instalments as well as costs for accommodation and meals. The cost was high for a newly-arrived immigrant. A bed in a room housing up to three women typically costs Dh1500 (US$400). To meet the target income, Saad told her she had to entertain about 10 men in the first two days. In addition to turning over her passport, Nakintu had to undergo a witchcraft ritual during which she swore to hand over her income to her pimps with the threat of death in 10 days if this order was defied. The US State Department Trafficking in Persons 2014 report noted that sex traffickers had been using voodoo rituals and violence to coerce Ugandan women into trafficking schemes. "The pimps were ruthless women who sold our passports and return tickets to old prostitutes who wanted to retire and return to Uganda," said Nakintu. Nakintu was moved by Saad to Abu Dhabi where sex workers can earn more as she was deemed a good sale for higher-end clients. There she met another Ugandan woman, identified as Maydina, who had worked her way up from being a night club prostitute in Abu Dhabi to a pimp married to a high-level business executive. Tricking the clients Maydina told Nakintu that the secret of wealth in Abu Dhabi's sex work was white male clients and to ensure she got their phone numbers supposedly for repeat business. A few days after the first encounter, the worker would call the client to say she was pregnant, demanding cash not to expose his identify or $10,000 to return to Uganda for an abortion. The sex workers could then continue the ruse, asking their clients for more money because of medical complications. Nakintu said new workers were expected to target three men in their first month with these schemes and few women resisted because this was often the only way they could repay their debt. "We were just desperate," said Nakintu. Nakintu managed to leave Abu Dhabi in May last year having been there for just short of a year and having paid off most of her debts. She returned to Uganda, devastated by the way she had been tricked and mistreated. Some of her roommates did not hesitate in becoming recruiters themselves once back home, targeting other young women in Uganda tired of limited wages and high unemployment. "Pimping was easy as one would ask friends to look for victims and pay that friend $100 for each victim they brought on board. I refused to do this," Nakintu said during an interview in a small shop she now runs in Kampala selling household goods. The US State Department lists Uganda as a Tier 2 nation in its annual trafficking report, meaning its government does not fully comply with the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act's minimum standards, but is making significant efforts to do so. Moses Binoga, the police commissioner who heads the Uganda National Counter Human Trafficking Task Force, said the government has boosted vigilance on all exit ports to protect vulnerable young women such as Nakintu from sex trafficking. Last year, the government stopped about 300 young women from exiting the country after ascertaining that they were being sent abroad specifically for the sex trade. Binoga, whom the US State Department has recognised for his efforts to combat human trafficking, said the government had also prosecuted and convicted several traffickers but it was complicated to combat the problem. "The main challenge we have is that although we can prosecute traffickers on Ugandan soil we don't have jurisdiction to prosecute those in the receiving states," he said. "Also when we're prosecuting traffickers we have to distinguish between victims coerced into sex trade and those who agreed to a deal to go to Arab states and work as prostitutes." Islamabad: A Pakistani woman was allegedly gangraped by four men on the orders of a Punchayat (village council) in Muzaffargarh district in revenge for dishonouring their family. Bachal Mai, 47, of Lundi Pitafi village, near Jatoi, was allegedly brutalised because her husband's younger brother Bilal had reportedly developed illicit relations with a girl. Police said Bilal and his brother, also Bachal Mai's husband, were earlier taken into custody for sexually assaulting the girl on the complaint of her father Noor Mohammed. Bachal Mai along with her cousins Munir Hussain and Sabir Hussain said heads of Panchayat Ghulam Mustafa, Hafiz Ataullah Kehaland and Abdul Khaliq called them for negotiation with aggrieved party on January 28. Upon this call, Bachal Mai, her mother in-law Anwar Mai and male members of their family reached at the residence of Noor Muhammad, father of the girl with whom Bilal was reportedly in a relationship. The Panchayat leaders asked them to go into Noors house but they did not let the men go with them. As the women entered the house, seven men attacked them. Four of the attackers, Noor Mohammed Jam, Mohammed Hussain, Riaz Ahmed and Fayyaz, overpowered Bachal Mai and took her to a room where they allegedly raped her. Bachal Mai claimed the attackers also bit on her breasts. When their relatives listened to the hue and cry, they forced their entry to the home, broke the door of the room to get her freed from the clutches of the assaulters, Bachal Mai said. During this ordeal, the heads of Panchayat disappeared from the scene. Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra has called PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti and state BJP chief Sat Pal Sharma for meeting tomorrow asking them to clarify their stand on formation of government. "Yes, Governor has called her (Mehbooba Mufti) for a meeting tomorrow," PDP spokesman Naeem Akhter told PTI today. According to sources, the Governor sent a fax communication to the PDP Chief last evening for holding consultations. Mehbooba is scheduled to meet the Governor tomorrow afternoon which will be followed by a meeting between Vohra and the BJP state president. "Yes. We are going to meet the Governor tomorrow in the evening," Sharma said. The core group of BJP met today at the residence of its General Secretary (Organisation) Ashok Kaul to decide the future course of action, a day after Mehbooba asserted that her party will have to reassess whether it can continue its alliance with BJP to form government in the state. In the backdrop of Governor's letter, the PDP has also called its Legislature Party meeting today. The Governor's consultations with the PDP and BJP are seen as last ditch efforts to avoid snap assembly polls in the state as the regional party has toughened its stand. After a four-hour long meeting with party leaders yesterday, Mehbooba had said PDP will take a call on government formation as and when it is confident that Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's vision and mission will be carried forward and implemented in letter and spirit. "The Government of India shall have to take substantive measures towards implementation of the PDP-BJP Agenda of Alliance in the interest of peace and stability in J-K and for this PDP needs a set timeframe to be worked out," she had said. Meanwhile, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah today said that if PDP is not ready to form the government, fresh elections should be held. "If PDP is not ready to form the government, then the only option is... call for fresh polls. No other party is ready to form government with them and if PDP also wants the same, then it is time they call for fresh polls. This is what should be done in a democracy," he said. "We have only 15 MLAs and are in no capacity to form a government," Abdullah said. With no headway made in the probe into the Pathankot terror attack, Pakistan plans to seek more evidence from India, a media report said today, days after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the outcome of the investigation into the assault would be made public soon. The six-member Pakistani government team investigating the Pathankot attack has written to the foreign ministry to seek more "leads" from India. "The ball is back in India's court again as we need more evidence to move forward in the probe," a source in the investigation team told PTI. "The team has almost completed its investigation into five cellphone numbers (allegedly used for making calls from Pakistan to India) provided by the Indian government. No further leads were found from these numbers because they were unregistered and had fake identities," the source said. "The probe is not heading further. The team needs more evidence. Therefore, it has written to the government to speak to India and apprise it of the situation and demand more evidence to move forward in investigation here," he said. Answering a question about the people, including banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, detained in connection with the Pathankot incident, the source said "First let more evidence come from India". Sharif had formed the six-member investigation team headed by Additional Inspector General of Punjab's Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Rai Tahir in the second week of January to look into India's allegations that the JeM was behind last month's attack. The team has so far held two meetings. Sharif had said the Pakistani team would also visit India to collect further information on the attack. The prime minister said on Saturday that the investigation was underway and its findings would be made public. "Whatever facts come out we will bring them forth before everyone," he said, adding that Pakistan would go to "any length" to uncover the alleged use of its soil in the attack. "It is our responsibility to uncover if our soil was used in the attack. We will do this and the ongoing investigation will be completed soon," he said. Pakistani law enforcement agencies have not produced any of the suspects arrested in connection with the attack in court over the past two weeks since their detention. The government has not disclosed the number of suspects detained. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah only confirmed that Maulana Masood Azhar had been taken into "protective custody", along with some of his "accomplices". "He (Masood) is not arrested," the minister clarified. India says Masood Azhar was the mastermind of the attack. It alleges that his brother Rauf and five others were also involved in the attack which left all six terrorists and seven Indian soldiers dead. Sources further told PTI that intelligence agencies have been carrying out a separate probe into the incident as well. However there has been no official word regarding the progress in the investigation. India had 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. A 25-year-old man involved in more than 100 cheating cases at bank ATMs in Delhi-NCR has been arrested. According to police, 19 cases have been solved with the arrest of Imran. Police have recovered a Maruti Alto car from his possession which he had purchased from the looted amount. The arrest is the result of constant vigil on the movement and information about the accused, said police. A police team trailing the accused for some time laid a trap in south Delhis Mahipalpur after receiving information about his arrival and nabbed him there. On sustained interrogation, Imran opened up about his past and told his interrogators how he got into the world of crime. A school dropout, Imran started off as a milkman but soon fell into bad company and started committing cheating at ATMs along with his fellow villagers from Ghagot village in Palwal, Haryana, said police. Imran, along with his 16 associates, Waris, Irsad, Khalid, Murslin, Mobin, Mubarik, Wasim, Salim, Shahid, Mustkim, Sahabuddin, Hamid, Isha, Kallu, Jamshed and Asif were involved in more than hundred cases of cheating. He was recently under arrest at police station sector- 48, Faridabad in Haryana in similar case with his associate Asif. According to police, Imran disclosed that the gang adopted their strategy depending upon the situation and targeted only those ATMs where no security guard is deployed. They would enter the ATM booth on the pretext of extending help when some unsuspecting customer is doing his transaction, while one of the members would stand close to the ATM. First they would strike a conversation with their target and as the customer would enter the amount to be withdrawn, the accused would press clear button stealthily after diverting the attention of the costumer, due to which no amount would be withdrawn. In the meantime, another member of the gang would enter the ATM booth claiming that the ATM was not working. Believing them, the customer would leave without cancelling the further transactions in his account after that the accused would succeed in withdrawing amount from that account. Further interrogation is on. Close to completing his first year in top party post, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken claims that over the months his party has grown into the main opposition party - a fact, he claims, is acknowledged even by BJP leaders. The 52-year-old former Union minister and Delhi Assembly speaker is betting big on getting favourable results in the civic by-elections to be held in 13 wards before May on a courts order. Our growing strength in Delhi will be reflected in the by-elections to the 13 wards, Maken told Deccan Herald on Sunday. The AAP has lost its shine and sheen. Its for the first time that one-third of the Delhi Cabinet ministers have to be removed over corruption charges, said Maken. AAP volunteers have become government workers and are pocketing hefty salaries and the MLAs are giving themselves salary hikes and their annual package will touch Rs 50 lakh by the end of their five-year term. People are realising that the Congress is the best option for governance in the city which became world class under its 15-year rule, claimed the Delhi Congress chief. Slamming the AAP government for lack of governance experience which has precipitated into the two civic workers strikes in six months, Maken said: The AAP governments mindset is not correct. They still work with the Opposition-NGO mindset. Kejriwal does not want to work like a Chief Minister of a Union Territory and complains of hostility and the unfavourable Centre-Delhi government set up. Four former chief ministers of the BJP and Congress managed to function under the Centre-Delhi power distribution arrangement but Kejriwal alone is having problems, said Maken. Busy months The Delhi Congress has had busy past 11 months under Maken due to filling public interest litigations in the Supreme Court or the Delhi High Court, filing affidavit with power regulator on behalf of the Congress on fixation of power rates to and highlighting the failures of the AAP, among several protests. Maken shares credit with his young team for signals of a start of partys revival. The much needed bounce-back in city politics, however, is still a distant dream after defeats in the past four elections including civic polls in 2012, Assembly polls in 2013 and 2015 and Lok Sabha elections in 2014. There have been no opportunities to showcase the growing unpopularity of the AAP and the Congress revival, he said. The University of Delhis Students Union polls was an embarrassment for the AAP as even Kejriwals face could win votes, said the city Congress chief. The Congress could also not win any of the four posts in the DUSU but Maken took comfort from the fact that the partys students wing cornered 28 per cent of the vote share an improvement of the 9 per cent vote share the Congress could manage in the Assembly polls. The AAP students wing finished a poor fourth in terms of vote share, said Maken, calling the DUSU poll vote share as a turn- around point for the Congress. The Congress leader is mindful of the media hype that the AAP government is planning to create to mark its first year in office. Once again the tax payers money is going to be spent on wasteful ads, said Maken, adding that over Rs 525 crore have been set aside for publicity. The Congress is also preparing a one-year failure report card of the AAP government to counter Kejriwals publicity campaign to mark his anniversary in office on February 14. DH News Service "Instructed the Collector to take care of all students. He informed that 14 bodies recovered, saved lives of 5 girls & are being hospitalised," he said. The Chief Minister said the "coast guard has started rescue operation as 1 student is missing. There were 116 students, 8 teachers &3 staff members from Inamdar College, Pune." According to a Coast Guard spokesperson, 13 bodies were recovered while a few students are still untraced and the Coast Guard and Navy have launched operations to rescue some missing students. A defence official said in a statement here that of the 13 bodies, ten were those of male and three of female. The students were part of a group from Inamdar College in Pune who went to Murud in three buses for a picnic. "We received information regarding 15 to 18 students being washed into the sea at about 4 PM. Coast Guard aircraft IC117 and two hired fishing boats were deployed for search and rescue. A defence official said in a statement that at least six students were taken to hospital. "As of now, 13 dead bodies (10 girls and 3 boys) have been recovered. 6 students were rescued or managed to reach the shore and were taken to hospital. 1 student is still missing," he said. The official said search along the coast is in progress for the missing boy named M Saife Ahmad. The Navy has deployed two interceptor craft for the search operations. P A Inamdar, Trustee of the Pune-based college, run by Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society, alleged that the beach where the students went apparently had no life guard. A pall of gloom descended over the college following the tragedy. The picnickers were accompanied by around ten staff members including teachers, the college authorities said. Inamdar said the college has received names of the deceased but their parents would be informed only after confirming and establishing their identities by checking the respective rolls. A team of college officials has left for Murud to assist rescue work. A defence official said in a statement that information was received by Indian Coast Guard that 15-18 students were swept away into sea at Murud Beach at about 4:00 PM today. "Coast Guard initiated a search operations and Indian Navy provided assistance in search. Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao has also expressed grief over the tragedy. "I am deeply aggrieved and shocked to know about the drowning of 13 students from a college in Pune who had gone to the Murud beach in Raigad district for a picnic. My heart goes out to the near and dear ones of all students who lost their lives," the Governor said in a condolence message. A college picnic to a coast of the Arabian Sea turned tragic today for a group of students from Pune as 14 of them drowned off the popular Murud-Janjira beach in adjoining Raigad district. The incident occurred when 18 students were swept into the sea when they went for a swim in the afternoon.The students, aged between 18 and 20, were undergoing BSC and BCA computer courses in Pune's Inamdar College. One student was still missing and search was on for him.Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted that "extremely saddened & shocked to know about the Murud incident where 14 students lost their lives." Senior IPS officer Archana Ramasundram was today appointed Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the first woman to head a paramilitary force. Ramasundram is currently Director, National Crime Records Bureau. She has been appointed to the post till the date of her superannuation September 30, next year, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said. 58-year-old Ramasundram is the first woman police officer to have been appointed as the chief of a paramilitary force. The SSB is entrusted with guarding the country's frontiers with Nepal and Bhutan. There are five paramilitary forces-- SSB, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force and Indo Tibetan Border Police-- and none has ever had a woman chief. The Tamil Nadu cadre officer was in news in 2014 over her appointment as Additional Director in the CBI. Her appointment was also challenged in the Supreme Court after which she was moved to the NCRB as its chief. Besides her, IPS officers--K Durga Prasad and K K Sharma--have been appointed Director Generals of CRPF and BSF, respectively. They will take over after the incumbent chiefs of these forces retire at the end of this month. Prasad, a 1981 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, was in 2014 unceremoniously removed as chief of the Special Protection Group, which provides security to the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their family members, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Nepal to attend the Saarc summit. He was in January last year appointed Special Director General of the CRPF, the force entrusted with multiple duties in the internal security domain including, anti-naxal operations. Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju today said "some gaps in security" led to Dina Nagar and Pathankot terror attacks in Punjab. "There were some gaps in security that led to terror attacks in Punjab," Rijiju told the media here. He, however, said Punjab government and the Centre were working jointly on security aspects following the twin terror attacks. On infiltration of terrorists, Rijiju, who was on a two-day trip to Punjab, said that there were many gaps as somewhere barbed fencing was broken and at some places fencing was missing. "Similarly there were some problems with the riverine area that also need immediate attention," he said. Union Government will give special attention to all security measures in Punjab to maintain peace and harmony, Rijiju said. He said some elements are attempting to create disturbance in Punjab like 1980 period but peace will be maintained at any cost and there would be no compromise with the security even at international borders and BSF will also equipped with more infrastructure as per requirement. Talking about Indo-Pak talks, he said if the dialogue with Pakistan is scheduled, the terror issue will be part of it. The Centre will provide all possible help to Punjab as far as security issues are concerned, he said. Stating that there is not a single case of Zika virus, suspected of causing serious birth defects, in India, the Centre today said it will come out with guidelines to prevent the disease within the next 48 hours. Union Health Minister J P Nadda, who chaired a high-level meeting today on the issue, said that detailed discussions were held on the proposed guidelines for the Zika virus and based on the outcome of the emergency meet called by the World Health Organisation (WHO), India will issue the guidelines. "Discussed guidelines for Zika virus, assessed preparedness, no case reported in India yet. Based on outcome of WHO meet on Zika virus, we will issue detailed guidelines in next 48 hrs," Nadda said in a series of tweets. "The guidelines will be for managing situation arising out of the Zika virus, tackling it and preventive measures. Travel advisory will also be issued for the affected countries," a senior official told PTI. Senior officials of the Health Ministry, including the Union Health secretary B P Sharma, Director General Health Services Jagdish Prasad, officials from Indian Council of Medical Research and National Centre for Disease Control were present during the meeting. WHO committee called an emergency meeting in Geneva today on the response to the Zika virus and will decide whether to designate the mosquito-borne virus which has been linked to serious birth defects a global emergency. The Zika virus is "spreading explosively" in the Americas and can infect upto four million people, WHO has warned and also issued a warning to all countries, including India. Aedes Aegypti mosquito carries Zika virus which is suspected to cause brain damage in babies. This mosquito also carries the viruses that cause dengue and chikungunya which are of great public health concern in tropical countries like India. The outbreak began in Brazil last year and has now spread to 24 countries in the Americas. Nadda had convened a meeting on the issue last week where he had directed his ministry to constitute a technical group to monitor the situation arising out of the Zika virus. "Community awareness plays an instrumental role in this regard. There is a need for greater awareness amongst community," he had said. Senior Health officials had said that the ministry is also in the process of issuing a travel advisory which will among other issues will advise pregnant women against travelling to affected countries. Zika virus is believed to cause neurological problems like microcephaly, a condition of abnormally small head in babies. Such is the level of alarm that many central and Latin American countries like El Salvador, Colombia and Ecuador have urged women to postpone pregnancy till 2018. Top leaders of Madhesis movement in Nepal today met RJD president Lalu Prasad and urged him to exert pressure on the Centre to ask that country's government to fullfill their demands. Top Madhesi leaders including Upendra Yadav, Rajendra Mahto and Mahendra Yadav held a nearly half-an-hour meeting with the RJD chief here. Upendra Yadav is chairman of Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum, while Rajendra Mahto heads Sadbhavana Party and Mahendra Yadav is Chairman of Terai Madhes Sadbhawana Party. Later, Prasad while talking to reporters, supported the demand of the Madhesis and assured he would raise the issue with the Centre. "The demand of Madhesis is genuine and it should be fullfilled by the Nepal government," he said. Upendra Yadav told reporters that Prasad has assured sincere support to the cause of Madhesis. Earlier, RJD senior leader Raghubansh Prasad Singh had also vocally supported the Madhesis and even taken out a march. Nepal's Madhesi community, largely of Indian origin, are agitating against that country's new Constitution adopted in September as well as against boundaries of the proposed seven federal units. The Madhesi Morcha has been protesting for almost four months in Nepal's southern Terai plains, blocking movement of vehicles between India and land-locked Nepal thus creating widespread shortages in the Himalayan nation. Its leaders had also met External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Meanwhile, BJP leaders in Andhra supported the demand of Kapus and appealed to community members to maintain peace. Addressing a press conference in Vijayawada, Endowment Minister P Manikyala Rao of BJP, State party unit President K Hari Babu and MLC S Veerraju asked Kapu leaders to ensure anti -social elements do not mingle with community members and create law and order problem. CPI State Secretary K Ramakrishna said the TDP Government's failure to act on its pre-poll promise of providing quota to Kapus led to the stir. In a release here, he requested the Commission to submit its report as early as possible so that the Kapu reservation issue is settled. He appealed to political parties to not to use the Kapu community for political gains. Speaking in Kakinada, agitation leader Padmanabham blamed the TDP-led Government for the violence at Tuni. The violence was orchestrated by TDP leaders to defame Kapus and their agitation for reservation, he claimed. The 18th edition of Bharat Rang Mahotsav will rediscover the magic of theatre. The festival will see eminent theatre personalities like Anjit Kapoor, Mohan Agashe and Ram Gopal Bajaj, talking about theatre criticism, training, performance, engaging with audience and methodology during the 21-day festival. Theatre cannot be stagnant. Today, doing a play, 30 years after it was first staged has become important. So if we say rediscovering the magic of theatre, it doesnt necessarily mean that we have lost the magic. Through this theme, we will try to find out if we have to continue doing what we are doing presently in theatre, and how we can improvise on it, says Professor Waman Kendre, director of National School of Drama told reporters about the theme of the festival during its press conference. The festival will also host seminars on the theme Today in Todays Theatre, where the extent to which current issues are addressed through theatre, will be discussed. The theme will focus on the importance of theatre to be in pace with time. Another highlight of the festival will be the session on Emerging trends in Indian theatre. Young thinkers, theatre workers, practitioners, directors, playwrights and emerging theatre critics will participate in the session to talk about what they think of, and expect from theatre. The session will work as a platform for young and upcoming talents in theatre to voice their opinions. Meanwhile, the festival this year also travels to Jammu, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneshwar and Thiruvanthapuram. We want the festivals identity to go to all parts of India. Thats why we have taken it to places where it will happen for the first time, said Professor Suresh Bhardwaj, festival director. Around 125 shows of 80 plays will be staged, including 65 plays from India and 15 plays from around the world. Theatre groups from the USA, Australia, Italy, Sri Lanka, Poland, Spain and China amongst others will be a part of the festival. The plays have been selected entirely on the basis of the quality of the play and not on the basis of plays with senior actors says Bhardwaj. According to Kendre, the selection of plays has been done in a way to showcase the variations of Indian and International theatre in the best possible way. There will also be a theatre bazaar for theatre lovers which will include products related to theatre like handicrafts, theatre lights, theatre books, musical instruments, madhubani paintings, and mask making artists. A food hub with authentic and traditional cuisines from across the country will be on offer. Having introduced all the features of this years festival, Kendre is asked what other innovation have you bought this year? He answers, We have done a lot this year, yet we dont want to end up doing many things at once. We need to have something for next year too. Through the photographs of objects that individuals took with them when they left their homes at the time of Partition is a story Aanchal Malhotra is studying. Through the memories of Partition, individual perspectives, she has spoken and photographed objects owned by those who were not only directly affected, but also their next generation. The idea came to me through conversations with my grandparents, all four of whom migrated from what became Pakistan. Snapshots of their lives there, nuances of their being, language, traditions, their stories of migration and the silence that surrounds the Partition is what made me interested in the subject, she tells Metrolife. She adds, To study it through objects, however, is where my own interest comes. I am fascinated by material memory or how effortlessly an object seems to encompass and embody traces of our lives, memories and histories. The aim was to preserve the memories of those who had witnessed the Partition, but in a new way. In India, she got her sources and people through word of mouth. For incorporating memories from Pakistan (now) a research she conducted with The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP) helped her. This is the first study of Partition that looks at material memory. How we deposit parts of ourselves into the objects that surround us and how those objects can act as reservoirs to contain memories of times past. Memory fades, it becomes diluted, even fabricated. But an object is a tangible source and portal into the history of a time and people, she explains. She says that the challenge was to be able to locate and unearth objects that had survived the Partition, those that had accompanied refugees and obtained a new citizenship in 1947. She had been searching for these objects and the stories of people they belong to since 2013. According to her, narration of history is always individualistic and she feels a social responsibility towards those whose story she is spreading. It is about preserving the oral histories of those who witnessed and survived the largest mass migration of people in the history of the world. True' history as it is told to me by those who moved, I never thought of it as right or wrong history, she says. One of the most poignant objects that she has found and photographed is a Guru Granth Sahib that belonged to a family from Rawalpindi. At the time of Partition, the family was vacationing in Mashobra, Shimla and were unable to go back to their home that is now a part of Pakistan. The mother was deeply fond of the Guru Granth Sahib, which she read every day. As luck would have it, one of their neighbours from Rawalpindi carried the book across the border for them and returned it to the mother in Mashobra. So the Partition experience, though tainted with violence and immeasurable brutality, is also littered with acts of kindness and religious unity and secularism, this being one of them, says Malhotra who will be giving a talk on February 6 at the Habitat Centre about Remnants of a Separation. Also, all the photos have stories (memories) attached to them. She says these photos will be our heritage as the generation that witnessed the Partition is dying, it is necessary to record and archive their memories and experiences. We come from a history of oral tradition and it is important for us to protect that history and continue to be interested in it, she explains. Malhotra works at Red Ink Literary Agency, though her education has been in the arts. She says that the project was one-of-a-kind exploration. She has become so much more invested in history and culture- both of which she explores in great detail on her blog thehiatusproject. tumblr.com. More than anything, I have realised that the subcontinent is a treasure, there is so much to know and learn and discover. The Partition might have been my starting point, but what I have gained in the process is this wealth of knowledge from those that I interacted with about not just the kind of land and people we are, but what we were like, how secular we were, what the overlooked nuances of our culture were and how much of it we are forgetting, she recounts. On various corporate trips to the US, Siddhant Garg noticed how the traditional Indian handmade crafts fetched far lower prices than other countries including China. The divide in price point was so high. I believe, it wasnt reflecting the efforts put in by Indian artisans, says Garg. That is when he decided to start an online social cause initiative to promote the traditional artisans and their efforts through non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which subsequently began in 2013. Our main aim is to take traditional and unique Indian art from those skilled hands into the markets, Garg tells Metrolife. As a lifestyle-product based e-commerce portal, Zarood identifies and works with artisans to develop contemporary designs of preserved art forms. Handmade products mark the beauty of creation. In our journey of last several months, we have come across several instances of institutions that are promoting several causes like intellectual disability, women empowerment etc. We met the people behind these institutions and realised that the work being done by them is of very significant in todays time, avers Garg. While NGO Muskaans people with disabilities make a variety of daily use products including wax candles and stationery items, Dhaanis women weave mats, durries and make jute bags and Jogiras women make Sikki grass souvenirs. On interactions and research, we found that almost all the goods that were produced through their works were being sold through physical stores or a few random marketing activities. The reality of artisans revolves around suppliers, payments and middlemen. Given the emergence of e-commerce marketplaces nowadays, we offered to put their products on the web. In turn, we want to spread the word about the causes that are being promoted by these institutions and make their products more accessible to people across India, describes the 48-year-old. He adds, Take for instance, the women from Bihar and other parts of India who have been identified and trained over two years by Dhaani and are now financial contributors in their families. This has given them respect and self esteem. The products created by them are comparable to the work of art; jute bags and cushions covers are few such products that can be found in vivid styles and designs. As part of the initiative, two per cent of every order is contributed to their Social Foundation Nav Chetna Seva Sansthan. The idea is to provide health care insurance, education loans, skill development programs and workshops and seminars to artisans because until the indigenous crafts are supported, the grassroots cant progress, says Garg who looks forward to participate in the upcoming Kala Ghoda Art Festival in Mumbai. She appealed to the National Womens Commission to understand the seriousness of the issue and assure a safe environment for women officers. The president and prime minister should understand the situation of an efficient woman police officer and act at the earliest, she said. Anupama Shenoy, who was serving as DySP at Kudligi in Ballari was transferred twice to two remote corners of the State in a matter of two days. The punishment transfer was given to the her by Labour Minister Parameshwara Naik with the support of the Home Minister G Parameshwara. Her mistake she had a call from an unidentified number and she kept it on hold as she was speaking to her senior officers. The call from the unidentified number happened to be from the Labour Minister. The minister, with the help of the home minister, transferred Anupama Shenoy to Athani in Belagavi first and later to Indi in Bijapur, she charged. Lalitha asked Sonia and Rahul Gandhi is this real empowerment of women. Hailing from a middle-class family, Anupama had an innate desire to serve the country as a police officer, she said. It is unfortunate that the ego of the minister has been destroying the professional life of a pro-active police officer, she added. Drop the minister Meanwhile, the GSB community members have also extended their support to Anupama Shenoy. The Udupi District GSB Committee members met Anupama Shenoys parents Nalini and Radhakrishna Shenoy at Paniyoor and extended their support. Speaking to media persons, GSB Udupi Zilla Rakshana Vedike Convener Vivekananda Shenoy said, This act is height of injustice. The incident reminds us of Emergency. The chief minister should drop the minister from his Cabinet. Women activists in Mangaluru have extended their support to Deputy Superintendent of Police Anupama Shenoy who faced the wrath of Labour Minister P T Parameshwar Naik.Inner Wheel Club Vice President Lalitha S Bhat has sought the intervention of President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National Womens Commission Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi into the issue. District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai has asked the BJP to pass an adjournment motion in the Assembly against Yettinahole project. Rai, who is also Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment, told reporters on Monday that the allegations of the BJP that the Congress government has initiated the project are totally wrong. Instead, the project was given a green signal in the Assembly during the chief ministerial tenure of B S Yeddyurappa, in the name of Nethravathi River Diversion Project. In 2009, the then Chief Minister V S Acharya had batted for the project, and his statements too are on record. But now, the BJP is targeting the Congress, said Rai. He also stated that he had initiated the organisation of seminars to discuss the pros and cons of the Nethravathi River Diversion Project, seven years ago. Rai further said that if the BJP legislators pass the adjournment motion against the Yettinahole project, he would speak to the chief minister to shelve the project. He also criticised MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and other BJP leaders for staging a drama to show the Congress-led State government in poor light. There is a difference of opinion among the BJP leaders regarding the Yettinahole project. When a delegation led by the BJP MP visited New Delhi, a Union minister from Karnataka said that he was completely unaware of the visit of the delegation. On the other hand legislator C T Ravi speaks in favour of the Yettinahole project, criticised Rai. BJP counters In response to the challenge by the district in-charge minister, BJP district spokesperson K Jayaram Shetty has issued a press release saying that the statements made by two ministers of the district on the Yettinahole project and the Kumki rights of farmers showed the panic within the Congress party especially after the party was sure of being defeated in the upcoming Panchayat polls. It is a ridiculous situation where the ministers have been making allegations on the BJP regarding burning issues in the district, added Shetty. The State government itself has replied in the Assembly that it is committed to the implementation of the Yettinahole project and the ministers of the respective departments are reiterating the same. The two ministers from the district have been giving misleading statements in spite of being aware that the Governor had refused to sign the bill ensuring farmers were given Kumki land of a maximum of five acres during the tenure of the BJP government, said the release. Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader too has been providing wrong information and was taken to task by the Speaker in the Assembly, regarding his department, the release added. The district BJP unit expressed a desire to remind Rai about the movement initiated by the BJP towards Land Reformation Act, Akrama Sakrama, free electricity for farmers, sites, title deeds and other fundamental facilities. After the Congress-led government took over, cases of illegal sand mining, cattle theft, shortage of electricity, irregularity in ration system, suicide of farmers and breakdown of law and order have increased, said the BJP. Shetty, through the release, has condemned the act of both ministers of giving panic reactions. Before humans milked cows, herded goats or raised hogs, before they invented agriculture, or written language, before they had permanent homes, and most certainly before they had cats, they had dogs. Or dogs had them, depending on how you view the human-canine arrangement. But scientists are still debating exactly when and where the ancient bond originated. And a large new study being run out of the University of Oxford, England, with collaborators around the world, may soon provide some answers. Scientists have come up with a broad picture of the origins of dogs. Firstly, researchers agree that they evolved from ancient wolves. Scientists once thought that some visionary hunter-gatherer nabbed a wolf puppy from its den one day and started raising tamer wolves, taking the first steps on the long road to leashes and flea collars. This is oversimplified, of course, but the essence of the idea is that people actively bred wolves to become dogs just the way they now breed dogs to be tiny or large, or to herd sheep. The prevailing scientific opinion now, however, is that this origin story does not pass muster. Wolves are hard to tame, even as puppies, and many researchers find it much more plausible that dogs, in effect, invented themselves. Imagine that some ancient wolves were slightly less timid around nomadic hunters and scavenged regularly from their kills and camps, and gradually evolved to become tamer and tamer, producing lots of offspring because of the relatively easy pickings. At some point, they became the tail-wagging beggar now celebrated as mans best friend. Some researchers question whether dogs experience feelings like love and loyalty, or whether their winning ways are just a matter of instincts that evolved because being a hanger-on is an easier way to make a living than running down elk. Raymond Coppinger, a professor emeritus of biology at Hampshire College, noted in his landmark 2001 book, Dogs, that best friend is not an ecological definition. And he suggested that the domestic house dog may have evolved into a parasite. Researchers also point out that of the estimated one billion dogs in the world, only a quarter of them are pets. The vast majority of dogs run free in villages, scavenge food at dumps, cadge the odd handout and cause tens of thousands of human deaths each year from rabies. They are sometimes friendly, but not really friends. Modern dogs are different from modern wolves in numerous ways. They eat comfortably in the presence of people, whereas wolves do not. Their skulls are wider and snouts shorter. They do not live in pack structures when they are on their own, and so some scientists scoff at dog-training approaches that require the human to act as pack leader. Wolves mate for the long haul and wolf dads help with the young, while dogs are completely promiscuous and the males pay no attention to their offspring. Still, dogs and wolves interbreed easily and some scientists are not convinced that the two are even different species, a skepticism that reflects broader debates in science about how to define a species, and how much the category is a fact of nature as opposed to an arbitrary line drawn by humans. The origins If current divisions between species are murky, the past lies in deep darkness. Scientists generally agree that there is good evidence that dogs were domesticated around 15,000 years ago. By 14,000 years ago, people were burying dogs, sometimes along with humans. But some biologists argue, based on DNA evidence and the shape of ancient skulls, that dog domestication occurred well over 30,000 years ago. And as to where the process occurred, researchers studying dog and wolf DNA most of it modern but some from ancient sources have argued in recent years that dogs originated in East Asia, Mongolia, Siberia, Europe and Africa. One reason for the conflicting theories, according to Greger Larson, a biologist in the archaeology department at the University of Oxford, is that dog genetics are a mess. In an interview, he noted that most dog breeds were invented in the 19th century during a period of dog obsession. That blender, as well as random breeding by dogs themselves, and interbreeding with wolves at different times over at least the last 15,000 years, created a tomato soup of dog genetics, for which the ingredients are very hard to identify, Greger said. The way to find the recipe, Greger is convinced, is to create a large database of ancient DNA to add to the soup of modern canine genetics. And with a colleague, Keith Dobney at the University of Aberdeen, he has persuaded the Whos Who of dog researchers to join a broad project, with about $2.5 million in funding from the Natural Environment Research Council in England and the European Research Council, to analyse ancient bones and their DNA. Robert Wayne, an evolutionary biologist at UCLA who studies the origin of dogs and is part of the research, said, Theres hardly a person working in canine genetics thats not working on that project. That is something of a triumph, given the many competing theories in this field. Almost every group has a different origination hypothesis, he said. But Greger has sold them all on the simple notion that the more data they have, the more cooperative the effort is, the better the answers are going to be. Scientists at museums and universities who are part of the project are opening up their collections. So to gather data, Greger and his team at Oxford have travelled the world, collecting tiny samples of bone and measurements of teeth, jaws and occasionally nearly complete skulls from old and recent dogs, wolves and canids that could fall into either category. The collection phase is almost done, said Greger, who expects to end up with DNA from about 1,500 samples, and photographs and detailed measurements of several thousand. Scientific papers will start to emerge this year from the work, some originating in Oxford, and some from other institutions. Greger is gambling that the project will be able to determine whether the domestication process occurred closer to 15,000 or 30,000 years ago, and in what region it took place. Thats not quite the date, GPS location and name of the ancient hunter that some dog lovers might hope for. But it would be a major achievement in the world of canine science, and a landmark in the analysis of ancient DNA to show evolution, migrations and descent. And why care about the domestication of dogs, beyond the obsessive interest so many people have in their pets? The emergence of dogs may have been a watershed. Maybe dog domestication on some level kicks off this whole change in the way that humans are involved and responding to and interacting with their environment, he added. I dont think thats outlandish. A 32,000-year-old skull Mietje Germonpre, a paleontologist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, is one of the many scientists participating in the dog project. She was one of a number of authors on a 2013 paper in Science that identified a skull about 32,000 years old from a Belgian cave in Goyet as an early dog. Robert at UCLA was the senior author on the paper and Olaf Thalmann from the University of Turku in Finland was the first author. It is typical of Gregers dog project that although he disagreed with the findings of the paper, arguing that the evidence just wasnt there to call the Goyet skull a dog, all of the authors of the paper are working on the larger project with him. In November in Brussels, holding the fossil, Mietje pointed out the wide skull, crowded teeth and short snout of the 32,000-year-old skull are all indicators to her that it was not a wolf. To me, its a dog, she said. Greger hopes that he and his collaborators will be able to identify a section of DNA in some ancient wolves that was passed on to more doglike descendants and eventually to modern dogs. And he hopes they will be able to identify changes in the skulls or jaws of those wolves that show shifts to more doglike shapes, helping to narrow the origins of domestication. Although the gathering of old bones is almost done, Greger is still negotiating with Chinese researchers for samples from that part of the world, which he says are necessary. But he hopes they will come. If all goes well, Greger said, the project will publish a flagship paper from all of the participants describing their general findings. And over the next couple of years, researchers, all using the common data, will continue to publish separate finding. Vietnam has decided to resume its groundnut imports from India which were suspended in April last year after recovery of pests in some consignments. The decision to lift the ban on import of groundnuts from India was formally communicated to the government after inspection of quarantine facilities and review of the standard operating procedures by a Vietnamese delegation in December. India has despatched 26 per cent of its total groundnut exports to Vietnam in 2014-15. The ban had made a severe dent in Indias total groundnut exports that range between five and six lakh tonnes annually. The country had temporarily suspended import of groundnuts from India from April 6, 2015, due to interception of quarantine pests, Caryedon serratus and Trogodrma granarium, in consignments exported since January, 2015, an official statement said. India on Monday announced 92 new small development projects across Afghanistan, undeterred by repeated terror attacks on its diplomatic missions in the war-ravaged country. New Delhi made public its decision to continue implementing small development projects across Afghanistan on a day it played host to Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Council of the Ministers of the Afghan government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed to Chief Executive of the Afghanistan government that India would continue to extend all possible support to the efforts of Afghans to build a peaceful, stable, prosperous, inclusive and democratic country. Abdullah, who had a meeting with the prime minister here on Monday, appreciated the support being extended by India for infrastructure development and capacity building in Afghanistan. He also briefed Modi about the peace process with Taliban. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the Afghan Chief Executive Officer when she conveyed to him the Indias approval of third phase of 92 small development projects in Afghanistan, with an estimated cost of $16 million. The Indian government had in November 2012 approved the third phase of the small development projects in Afghanistan, with a total outlay of $ 100 million. Indias small development projects in Afghanistan was a special programme to foster community-based, in vulnerable border areas, in the fields of agriculture, rural development, education, health and vocational training that can have direct and visible impact on community life, and with focus on local ownership and management. Indias Small Development Projects are very popular in Afghanistan and the two phases have been implemented so far the first in July 2006 comprising projects worth $11,216,179 and the second in June 2008 comprising projects worth $8,579,537. Abdullahs was the first high-level visit from Kabul to New Delhi after January 3-4 terror attack on the Consulate General of India at Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. Indian security agencies are verifying whether four Indians were among the 20 men beheaded by the Islamic State (IS) for trying to run away from them. Officials said they do not have any credible information to suggest that Indians were killed, but they were verifying some reports. The agencies are in touch with their contacts in the region. The IS beheaded over 20 of its fighters in public for trying to flee a war zone in Iraqs Mosul city, in a bid to send a message to others in the terror group against desertion. There have been reports about torture and execution of those trying to flee IS after joining the group. Foreign media had reported about European youths being tortured after a failed attempt to flee. Indian intelligence agencies has claimed that 23 Indians, including some former Indian Mujahideen terrorists, had joined the IS. Six, including three from Karnataka, have been killed in IS-held areas in Iraq and Syria. If the reports about four more deaths are verified, then the number of Indians fighting with the IS could come down to about a dozen. Around 160 Indian youths, mostly in south India, have been put under electronic surveillance following suspicious online activities linked to the IS. Recently, 14 youths influenced by the IS were arrested for plotting attacks in the country as well as abroad. Another three youths were arrested after they were deported from the UAE. India has stepped up vigil against the spread of the terror group. Indian agencies had received information from foreign agencies that terror recruits from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are tricked into suicide attacks and forced to the battle frontline with inferior equipment by the IS. The IS considers these recruits as not martially inclined and inferior to Arab fighters, as they are less motivated for Salafist Jihad. A few years ago, Jennifer Perrine saw a television ad for Lumosity, an online brain training programme, and decided she would give it a try. Her mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, and Perrine, a freelance writer in New York, began worrying about her own mental abilities. Every time you lose your keys, you think youre losing your mind, she said. This seemed to offer a ray of hope. Lumositys ads, seemingly ubiquitous, appeared on television, radio and podcasts. The company purchased hundreds of search engine keywords so that computer users seeking information on dementia, Alzheimers and memory would encounter its online ads. In one TV commercial, a man declared that with Lumosity decisions come quicker. Im more productive. The company website stated that brain training could help patients with brain trauma, chemofog, mild cognitive impairment and more, adding that healthy people have also used brain training to sharpen their daily lives and ward off cognitive decline. Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission said: No more. Its complaint charged that the company could not substantiate such marketing claims. The research it has done falls short because it doesnt show any real-world benefits, said Michelle Rusk, an FTC staff lawyer. She called the commissions yearlong investigation part of an effort to crack down on cognitive products, especially when theyre targeted to an ageing population. Lumosity agreed to give its one million current subscribers, who pay $14.95 a month or $79.95 annually, a quick way to opt out. It also accepted a $50 million judgment, all but $2 million suspended after the commission reviewed the companys financial records. The company had already stopped making health and cognition claims, its new chief executive, Steve Berkowitz, said in an interview. But the firm settled because we came to the realisation that the most important thing we could do is focus on the future, Berkowitz said. Even scientists who see promise in cognitive training applauded the agencys action. The criticisms were right, said Joel Sneed, a psychologist at Queens College and senior author of a meta-analysis on cognitive training and depression. The field is far, far, far from demonstrating any reduction or delay in cognitive decline, Sneed said. Broader questions of whether cognitive training works, and for whom, still generate considerable debate, given that human brains change and grow throughout life, a quality called neuroplasticity. There is no evidence that spending 10 or 15 minutes several times a week at your keyboard, dispatching animated trains to appropriately coloured stations or recalling the locations of squares on a grid, will spare you dementia. Claims that it will improve your work or your childs school performance remain unproven.Last fall, more than 70 psychologists and neuroscientists signed a statement circulated by the Stanford Centre on Longevity. We object to the claim that brain games offer consumers a scientifically grounded avenue to reduce or reverse cognitive decline when there is no compelling scientific evidence to date that they do, the statement said, though it encouraged further research. A group of about 100 scientists and experts countered with their own open letter. Agreeing that many companies had made exaggerated claims, these researchers nevertheless argued that a substantial and growing body of evidence shows that certain cognitive training regimens can significantly improve cognitive function. George Rebok, a developmental psychologist at Johns Hopkins, signed the second letter, concerned that the Stanford statement dismissed years of research. It would almost chill the whole field if people concluded it was all bogus. Hundreds of published studies have examined cognitive training, but many involved very small groups of subjects and designs that might have encouraged a placebo effect by comparing inactive control groups, who do nothing, with participants who become invested in and motivated by their training efforts. Critics have pointed out, too, that the cognitive tests used to assess participants progress are often so similar to the training games that inves-tigators may be teaching to the test. They also question self-reported assessments of results. When they train on these games for 15 or 20 sessions, people get better on these games, said Thomas Redick, a psychologist at Purdue University. Improvement often shows up between pre- and post-tests of cognition, too an example of near transfer, the ability to do better, with practice, on similar tasks. But what about far transfer, affecting participants ability to function in their daily lives? Does cognitive training help people handle their finances or remember where they parked? Test of far transfer Active, probably the largest study in the field with the longest follow-up, does suggest that enduring effects are possible. Its 2,832 cognitively normal volunteers (average age, nearly 74) met in small groups with facilitators for 10 sessions of training on one of three skills: memory, processing speed or reasoning. Ten years later, tests showed that the subjects trained in processing speed and reasoning still outperformed the control group though the people given memory training no longer did. And 60 per cent of the trained participants, compared with 50 per cent of the control group, said they had maintained or improved their ability to manage daily activities like shopping. So thats far transfer or is it? When the investigators administered tests that mimicked real-life activities, like managing medications, the differences between the trainees and the control group participants no longer reached statistical significance. Still, cognitive training may have potential, some investigators say. Maybe the programmes need to more closely simulate real-life challenges; perhaps the dosage how much people train matters. Dr P Murali Doraiswamy, who directs the neurocognitive disorders programme at Duke University, believes Lumosity and similar companies should seek guidance from the US Food and Drug Administration, which could examine and regulate cognitive training programmes as medical devices. Then an independent government agency that knows how to evaluate clinical trials can say thumbs up or thumbs down, Doraiswamy said. And the public will know what its buying. A pall of gloom descended on Punes Azam campus which also houses the Abeda Inamdar Senior College of Arts, Science and Commerce, as 14 students drowned off Murud beach on Monday. In fact, among those drowned include two sisters Rafiya Ansari Mumtaz and Shafiya Ansari Mumtaz. The parents of Choudhary Sajeed Saipanmulk were inconsolable. Parents in shock They could not come to the college, their condition is bad. They are inconsolable and fainted several times, said a relative. As soon as TV channels flashed news of the Murud drowning tragedy, parents and relatives of students started assembling outside the college - and several of them also demanded the resignation of P A Inamdar, the President of Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society, that runs the Abeda Inamdar college. You take more than a 100 kids and just a few teachers...what precautions the college has taken. When students see water, they are bound to jump in it. The administration has failed in protecting the lives of its own students, said Ahmed, who is a parent of student. I spoke to my son, he is safe, but he is in a state of shock, he said. Health Minister U T Khader on Monday said the State government has taken the spread of dreaded Zika virus seriously and precautionary measures are being taken to prevent its spread in the State. Speaking to reporters, he said it is yet to be confirmed whether Zika virus really exists or it is only a creation of drug companies. But the government will not take the threat lightly. The State Health department officials are in touch with their counterparts at the Centre and the World Health Organisation (WHO), he added. The government is ready to start screening the passengers at airports to prevent the spread of virus. The Centre has been requested to provide the necessary health kits and protocol guidance for this purpose. A majority of the passengers from countries affected by the virus arrive at either Mumbai or Delhi airports. So there is no need for panic in Karnataka, he pointed out. Amendment Khader said that the government was planning to bring in certain amendments to the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act, 2009, with an aim to protecting the interest of patients. But the minister did not divulge details of amendments his department is planning to bring in. Though the Act has made it mandatory for all hospitals to display the rates for consultation, diagnosis, treatment, reports, services and other procedures and room rent or bed charges, a majority of the hospitals are not following it. The Health department has, however, turned a blind eye. Asked about Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal questioning Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for not giving his phone numbers to people, the way he has done in Delhi, Khader said: People having the chief minister's phone number is not important. What really matters is the way the chief minister responds to people. Anybody can enter our chief minister's house and meet him, he claimed. To a question why a freedom fighter approached the High Court to meet Siddaramaiah, he only said that it was a special case. Admitting its mistake, the Supreme Court on Monday recalled its notice to Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa in connection with the imposition of Presidents Rule in the political crisis-hit hill state. As Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi cited immunity enjoyed by the Governor under Article 361 of the Constitution, which has been fortified in a 2006 judgment, the five-judge Constitution bench presided over by Justice J S Khehar said, We consider it just and proper to recall the notice. However, the bench, also comprising Justices Dipak Misra, M B Lokur, P C Ghose and N V Ramana, clarified that its order recalling the notice would not preclude the Arunachal Pradesh Governor from filing or putting forth his views before the court. Meanwhile, senior advocate F S Nariman, appearing for Congress leaders, submitted that they (the state administration) have ordered for sealing off the office and taken away personal computer, laptop etc, making former chief minister Nabam Tuki incapable of producing even the letters sent by him since June last to the Governor. Rohatgi, on his part, strongly opposed the plea. What is your favourite activity while travelling? Sight-seeing? Sampling local cuisine? Sitting at a cafe & people-watching? As fun as all of these are (and I am particularly partial to #3!), another great way to experience a place is through its local arts and crafts. And if you get a chance to actually try your hand at it, theres nothing better. On a recent trip to Switzerland, when I was travelling through the picturesque region of Gstaad (that playground of the rich and the famous), I visited Lauenen. A quintessential Swiss village, with a sprinkling of pretty chalets, a village church, some cafes and restaurants, and miles of emerald green fields, with contented cows grazing in them Lauenen is a visual treat! Most houses, hotels and restaurants in Lauenen, and indeed in Gstaad, display delicate artworks made out of paper. I learnt about paper-cutting or Scherenschnitte while sitting in a cafe and chatting with Anita Raaflaub, one of the artisans in the village. But this wasnt just a theoretical lesson; soon I was snipping away at a paper design. Read on Making the Cut In Lauenen, Switzerland, a handful of local artisans keep a traditional craftwork alive.Snip, snip, snip. As I slowly work the small, gold-coloured pair of scissors on the paper, I can see the outline of a rearing horse taking shape. Its good, youre doing very well for a beginner, says Anita Raaflaub, the robust Swiss lady under whose watchful eye I am trying my hand at a 400-year-old craft. I am in Lauenen, a picturesque little village in the region of Gstaad-Saanenland in Switzerland. It is best known for Lauenensee (Lake Lauenen), a serene lake located in a nature reserve. Earlier that day I had taken a horse carriage ride from the village, and then done a circular hike around the lake, stopping to admire the Dungelschuss waterfall that feeds Lauenensee. Lauenen is just 7 kilometres from Gstaad, a resort town that is popular with the jet-set crowd. But it seems quite untouched by the touristy reputation of its neighbour. Even today Lauenen has a very rural feel to it. Farming, dairy and cheese making are the main trades here, and there is a lot of emphasis on handicrafts and folk art. Woodcarving, furniture painting, ceramics and paper cutting are very popular. Paper cutting or Scherenschnitte (literally, scissor cuts) started in Switzerland around the 16th century. Unlike Chinese paper cutting, which goes back to the 6th century and usually depicts Chinese characters and zodiac animals, in Switzerland its more often about symmetry in design whether the artwork depicts a geometrical design or Swiss pastoral scenes. Chinese paper cutting is traditionally done on red paper, while in Switzerland black is the preferred choice. Scherenschnitte really took off in Switzerland in the 19th century, under the two masters of the art Johann Jakob Hauswirth (1809-1871) and Louis Saugy (1871-1953). Most houses, restaurants, shops and hotels in Gstaad-Saanenland area display paper cut designs. The Heritage Museum in Saanen (which traces the history of the area through costumes, tools, arts and crafts) has some elaborate, almost lace-like scherenschnitte works on display. Modern day artists are going beyond the alpine village theme and exploring new designs everything from the abstract and asymmetrical to fairy tales, current affairs and feminist themes. In Lauenen I am about to get a crash course in the art of scherenschnitte. Having managed just about average grades in craft all throughout school, Im a bit hesitant to try what looks like an incredibly complicated and delicate job. I meet Anita Raaflaub, one of the well-known artisans from Lauenen, at a cafe on the outskirts of the village. There is no school teaching this art in Switzerland. I started making these artworks when I was a teenager and I am self-taught, says Raaflaub. She shows me some of her works intricate designs in black (on a white background), of cows grazing, goats and goatherds, prancing horses, chalets, even a farmhouse where a village belle is making cheese. My confidence is already taking a beating, as she whips out the piece that she is currently working on a large doily the size of a dinner plate, on which she is cutting out an idyllic, Swiss village scene. After watching her for a while, its soon my turn to demonstrate some nifty scissor skills. Raaflaub hands me a rectangular piece of black card paper, which has been folded in half. The back of the paper is white, on which there is a stencilled drawing of a rearing horse in a field, with a sort of curved stump in the middle. I start snipping, following the outline, trying not to cut off the horses tail or some other vital part of the design. I find paper cutting very calming; every time I am a bit anxious, I start working on a design and it really helps me, says Raaflaub, as we bend our heads over our respective designs. I can see why. The work requires a lot of focus and I find myself getting into a sort of a rhythm, following the pattern and making small cuts. I find the horses mane and the grass underfoot to be the trickiest parts, since they need very precise scissor work. Some 30 minutes later I have completed the cutting and I gaze with pride on my handiwork. Raaflaub seems genuinely impressed too. I gently open the folded paper and my scherenschnitte artwork is ready 2 horses, rearing on their hind legs, with their forelegs up in the air, ready to gallop off, tails swinging and manes aflutter. The curved stump in the middle has opened up to form a horseshoe in between the horses. Raaflaub glues my little craft project onto a white cardboard, and asks me to sign it. She then slips it into an empty photo frame and hands it over to me a treasured travel memento, made more special because I had a hand in creating it. This feature was commissioned by Mint Lounge and was published in their print issue January 9, 2016. Read it here. Have you tried your hand at a local craft or artwork on one of your travels? Leave a comment below and let us know. Disclosure: My experience in Gstaad was courtesy Gstaad-Saanenland Tourism Carrier commerce is the unsung hero of global financial inclusion, and 2016 will continue this trend according to Finccludes John BaRoss Which developing or emerging markets (regions / countries) do you cover? Global - developing and developed markets What are your main hardware and/or services focus areas? In 3Q15 unveiled a non-profit start-up (Fincclude.org) that will operate an a next-gen industry association focused exclusively on the rapidly (and quietly) expanding FinTech industry that is "Carrier Commerce" - to harness industry knowledge, expertise, experiences and passion to help global industry colleagues grow broader, deeper and faster ... to also help advance global financial inclusion become ubiquitous. A voice of advocacy for Carrier Commerce will be a companion aim. What are the top market and customer trends that will drive change in your area during 2016, and why? Carriers are expanding into a variety of sectors of Carrier Commerce, some via innovation (i.e.: Carrier Mobile Money, Carrier Crowd Funding, Carrier Transit Commerce, Carrier Healthcare Commerce, Carrier Education Commerce, Carrier Mobile Wallets, etc.) and others via regulatory bodies providing licenses (i.e.: 5 licensed Carrier Payments Banks in India by the RBI, 3 licensed Carrier Super Agents [banks] by the CRB in Nigeria, a licensed Internet Bank in South Korea by FSC), etc. What are the solutions that will make the greatest impact in your area during 2016, and why? To illustrate by example, in May 2015 a Ugandan Judge ruled that Ugandan Carriers operating mobile money services in Uganda were illegal based on his interpretation of Ugandan banking and telecom regulations, giving the impacted Ugandan Carriers just 2 weeks to appeal. Consider: Fincclude.org knows that Carrier Mobile Money operates today in 60 nations. An advisory-alert would go to Fincclude global membership requesting any experiences with similar judicial push-back in those 60 nations, then pull together the successful argumentation and get that info to industry colleagues at Uganda Carriers ASAP. Fundamentally Fincclude facilitates cross-pollinating industry community knowledge to help advance the industry and financial inclusion faster. What changes need to be made to speed up developments and what can hold them back? Fincclude.org was established because today there is no know 'exclusive' voice for the industry to help knowledge share and advocate for Carrier Commerce (GSMA is a tremendous industry association that also serves competitive industries to Carrier Commerce ... like banking and it's growth into mobile financial services. Banks also have various advocacy industry associations that Carrier Commerce does not have. Marketplace/industry interest in the idea of Fincclude was tested in 2015 and embraced by dozens of global C-levels of stakeholders from across the ecosystems of Carrier Commerce. Fincclude.org's focus now is in investigating seed funding options with foundations, unilateral and multilateral agencies and other donors of tens of billions annually to financial inclusion initiatives and projects. Specifically to your question, changes need to be made with global regulators and even with enhancing the vision of Carrier leadership in many markets. Fincclude can help via its exclusive focus at harnessing global industry knowledge to help enlighten regulators, Carrier leadership, as well as consumer advocacy groups, online merchants and others. Which of the following do you think will be most important in emerging markets in 2016? While a majority of media attention continues to focus on mobile payments ('Proximity Payments V2'), the quiet giant of mobile commerce is Carrier Commerce thanks to the nearly ubiquitous footprint of Carrier reach. Specifically, Direct Carrier Billing [DCB] is available in over 110 countries. Carrier Mobile Money [CMM] is available in over 60 nations. The footprint of DCB + CMM reaches over 97% of the world's population today! Fincclude will help champion advocating for this under-appreciated infrastructure and the Carrier Commerce sectors that can leverage this differentiated reach to help with the noble aim of advancing global financial inclusion while tapping incremental revenues, strengthening acquisition performance, making stickier customers plus having the opportunity to realize PR and goodwill windfalls. John BaRoss is the Founder & President of Fincclude Incorporated You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site. by Kathleen Gilbert BEIJING, September 7, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) Escaped Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng is leading international opponents of forced abortion in calling upon the worlds largest company to end compliance with the Chinas one-child policy. Family planning police have targeted employees (569) Sign up below to have the hottest Catholic news delivered to your email daily! Close Sign up below to have the hottest Catholic news delivered to your email daily! Church Militant, we need to band together to protect our religious liberties and win the culture war! Google's secretive project 'SkyBender' is currently testing solar drones that will have the ability to beam data 40 times faster than 4G. According to a leak revealed by The Guardian, Google is secretly testing solar-powered drones that will have the ability to deliver data 40 times faster than 4G. The tests are being carried out at New Mexico's Spaceport Authority and the drones reportedly use millimeter wave technology to transmit data. The secretive project has been codenamed SkyBender and Google is using 15,000 Sq Ft of space to house the drones at the Gateway to Space terminal designed by Richard Foster. The tech giant also has its own flight control centre, seperate from Spaceport's terminals. The SkyBender system is using an "optionally piloted" aircraft called Centaur along with solar-powered drones. The drones have been developed by Google Titan, which is a collaboration between Google and Titan Aerospace. The SkyBender project is yet another attempt by Google to deliver internet through unmanned aerial vehicles across the world. The company is also working on beaming the internet through floating air balloons under 'Project Loon'. Project Loon is Google's ambitious plan to provide internet to remote and disconnected areas with ease. In light of Google CEO, Sundar Pichai's visit to India in late 2015, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had announced that the Indian Government is in an in principle agreement to pilot Google's Project Loon. Prasad also spoke about a partnership between Google and BSNL for the proliferation of Project Loon to remote areas in the nation that have low connectivity. Facebook is also working on a solar-powered fixed-wing aircraft called 'Acquila' to provide internet connectivity. The Aquila has a wingspan of a Boeing 737, but will weigh less than an average car. Being lightweight is extremely important as this propeller driven aircraft will be powered using solar panels and is expected to stay airborne for about 3 months. It is now for us to see how tech giants of the world slowly take charge of expanding internet connectivity to remote areas. Let us know what you think of Google's and Facebook's plans of becoming internet service providers in the future. The study by industry body ASSOCHAM has found tele-density, or number of cellphone users per 100 people, returning figures of below 60 for Bihar and Assam, while the capital city of Delhi has a figure of 238. ASSOCHAM, or The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, has released data from a study conducted on the tele-density distribution among the states of India. Tele-density refers to the number of individuals presently using a cellphone or a connected device, among every 100 individuals. An important study in light of the recent influx of affordable mobile devices and the advent of 4G network, ASSOCHAM states that while states like New Delhi, the capital city of India, stands at a tele-density figure of 238, other states like Bihar, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha all have tele-density figures of below 70, hence stating that despite the recent telecom boom, India as a nation is far from being entirely well-connected. As of the studys date of publication of January 31, 2016, the national tele-density average stood at 81.82. Delhi has showed the highest rate of connectivity at 238, while the second highest is a surprise entrant in Himachal Pradesh, where most of the area falls under relatively difficult terrain. Himachal Pradesh has returned a figure of 123.19, quite impressive a figure for its geographic location. Other states that have returned satisfactory tele-density figures include Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Punjab. However, the study has pointed out a stark difference in tele-density. In face of the states with prospering tele-density, Bihar has a tele-density figure of 54.25, Assam has 55.76, Madhya Pradesh has 62.33 and Uttar Pradesh has 62.74. Among other states that have tele-density below 70 is Odisha, too. ASSOCHAMs paper states, The Digital Divide is clearly visible between different states with some of the eastern states not finding favour with the telecom service providers. The reasons may vary between the lack of infrastructure like power availability to even indifference in terms of business opportunities. By no stretch, Madhya Pradesh can be considered a backward state. However, with a large land mass, the infrastructure like towers and cables could be an issue. The recent times have seen a rise in the telecommunications sector, in multiple facets. The Government of India has given a major push towards technologically advancing India, with movements like Make in India and Digital India drawing a number of big names to the country. One of the notable participants of the Digital India programme is Intel, who is providing groups of technology innovators a space to bring connectivity and technology to rural areas. Home-grown technology is also a major focus in recent times, with Make in India seeing Moto, Xiaomi and manufacturer Foxconn set up assembly units across India. "There is a stark digital divide, meaning that India is not completely well-connected, yet" 4G network spectrum is also taking flight, with Airtels 4G services already existent for over two years. Vodafone is rolling out its own service, and Reliance Jio has unveiled 4G for its employees already, at the end of 2015. Other network services to aid Indias connectivity scenario include Googles Railwire service to bring public WiFi hotspots to railway stations, BSNLs plan to set up 40,000 public WiFi hotspots to connect remote areas, and technology companies like Lukup Technologies coming up with Lightup, a light-powered network transmitter and receiver that acts as a wireless network provider to areas where laying fiber lines is difficult, both logistically and economically. Googles Project Loon is also scheduled to arrive in India, after having been given the green signal. ASSOCHAMs study highlights a key point of concern for India, and highlights the need to further spread the network to deeper corners of the nation, which remain out of the connected environment to date. Technological awareness is also a key area, which can go hand-in-hand with better infrastructure. Baron Oil was mulling over its options on Monday, having completed its seismic acquisition programme at its Block XXI project in Peru. The AIM-traded company said the total cost of the programme was $1.9m (1.33m). Baron Oil said it now had a total of 170 kilometres of 2D seismic data, in a tight grid adjacent to the location of the Minchales 1 site in the southern area of Block XXI. The company said the completion of the seismic programme has successfully fulfilled its work obligation for the current licence period for the block. "Further technical evaluation work is now underway to decide on whether to move to the next licence period and potentially drill an exploration well adjacent to the original Minchales 1 well site", the board said in a statement. "The company will also seek to relinquish an area of the block not considered to be prospective", it added. Baron said it would continue to update shareholders on the progress of the block as appropriate. JP Morgan told investors again at the start of the week not to overstay their welcome in global equities, adding that the current 'bounce' had already run most of its course. Two weeks ago, the broker forecast a bounce in share prices given the 'oversold' readings that most so-called technical indicators were flashing. The brokers strategist, Mislav Matejka, lowered his stance on global equities on Monday from '5%-overweight' to 'neutral', explaining to clients that while policymakers response was likely to keep getting ever more dovish, in the medium-term markets were likely to continue worrying about the stage of the global cycle they were at. Mondays change in the recommended allocation to stocks marked the first time since the 2007-08 period that the broker was not outright 'overweight' on shares. "Tactical indicators are not in Buy territory any more, and we would look to start to fade the rebound within days," Matejka said in a research note sent to clients. The strategist emphasised one particularly worrying development, its lead indicator for economic growth in the Eurozone, the M1 measure of money supply, was "starting to roll-over", "pointing to a loss of momentum down the line". Volatility linked to China might also resume after the Chinese New Year, he cautioned. Furthermore, and where the US was concerned, should activity remain resilient shares might still put in a poor performance, "given that Fed is likely to remain in tightening mode in that case, driving strong USD, EM headwinds and the deteriorating credit," the strategist said. JP Morgan also cut its recommendation on industrials to underweight, following its outperformance in 2015 and as bond yields and industrial production weaken. Staples on the other hand were bumped up to neutral. Matejkas key sector picks for 2016 remained Telecoms and Utilities. He also reiterated his overweigh stance on Japan and the Eurozone. The World Health Organization has declared the Zika virus a global public health emergency that requires an urgent and united response. The WHO alert put the mosquito-borne virus in the same category of international concern as Ebola, which should mean clinical research and international aid could be fast-tracked to tackle the infection. A committee of independent experts to the United Nations agency made the declaration following criticism of a slow response. Zika's spread in South America has been linked to thousands of babies being born with birth defects that include underdeveloped brains. Although symptoms are relatively mild, Zika has been linked to a surge in cases of microcephaly, a condition in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head and brain, as well as the Guillain-Barre neurological syndrome. Brazil warned of the virus's spread in October after numerous microcephaly cases appeared in the north-east. Some have claimed the acceleration in the spread of the virus is linked to the release in 2012 of genetically modified mosquitoes to combat the spread of dengue fever. Reports on Friday suggested a Zika vaccine could be ready by the end of the year. In an interview with Reuters, scientist Gary Kobinger who is working on the vaccine, said it could be ready for human testing in August and rolled out in October or November during a public health emergency. It comes after the FTSE 250 company announced in late January that current CFO Stephen Morana intended to leave. Botha joins the company on April 18, coming from notonthehighstreet.com where he has been Chief Commercial & Financial Officer for the last three years. Before that he spent five years at Betfair where he held commercial and financial roles and was UK Finance Director at lastminute.com. In a statement on Monday, the company said Botha has a proven ability to execute different multi-brand, multi-channel business models across the digital and technology sectors. He brings with him a wealth of highly relevant experience in tech businesses and demonstrable success in leading financial teams and business units during periods of high-growth, said chairman Mike Evans. It is the companys second senior executive change, with Paul Whitehead recently taking up the role of group strategy director. The New York Attorney General was set to fine Barclays $70m (49m) for misleading investors about its so-called 'dark-pool' trading venues, the BBC reported citing the New York Attorney Generals office. Dark pools are private trading venues that allow clients to retain their identities. However, Barclays failed to inform its clients that 'high-frequency' traders were active on its platform. As part of the settlement, Barclays would also admit it broke the law and agree to install an independent monitor that will carry out a review of its electronic trading business. Swiss broker Credit Suisse would be fined another $84.3m as part of the settlement, but would neither deny nor admit to any wrongful actions. "These cases mark the first major victory in the fight against fraud in dark pool trading that began when we first sued Barclays," said Eric Schneiderman, the New York attorney general. "We will continue to take the fight to those who aim to rig the system and those who look the other way." Ofcoms chief executive has urged the European Commission to block the merger of O2 and Three, saying it could lead to higher prices for consumers. In the Financial Times on Monday, Sharon White laid out her concerns ahead of the commission releasing its first statement on the proposed merger later this week. CK Hutchison, the parent company of the Three mobile network, agreed in March 2015 to buy O2 UK from Telefonica in a deal worth 9.5bn. The deal has prompted competition concerns as mobile tariffs in the UK would then be set by just three major networks. White said in the Financial Times that shes concerned that Three, which has often acted as a disruptive operator, will go from being the smallest operator to the biggest. She said some argue that operators need to consolidate to increase efficiencies and boost revenues. But this is not a broken market, she said. Last year, UK mobile companies generated 15bn of revenue. They have been investing billions to roll out 4G technology, while maintaining cash flow margins above 12 per cent. Competition, not consolidation, has driven investment. White wrote that Ofcom has found that prices are around 10% to 20% lower in markets with four operators and a disruptive player than in those with only three established networks. She also said another main concern lies on the high street. Most phone contracts are still sold in shops, with independents taking a big share, she wrote in the Financial Times. A combined Three/O2 would shift the balance of power between mobile networks and the independent retailers who help constrain the price of mobile handsets and bills. The European Commission is due to issue a list of formal objections to the deal on Tuesday. Rolls-Royce strengthened its partnership with Norwegian Air Shuttle on Monday, as it announced a fresh $2.7bn (1.89bn) deal with the low-cost long haul airlne. The FTSE 100 firm said the order included Trent 1000 engines and long-term service support for 19 new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Rolls-Royce said the order also included its TotalCare long-term support for 11 previously-announced leased Boeing 787s yet to enter service. It said the scheme would also cover eight Norwegian 787s already in service. "This decision further develops our relationship with Rolls-Royce, and we look forward to operating aircraft powered by the latest version of the Trent 1000, which sets new standards of performance", said Bjorn Kjos, chief executive officer of Norwegian Air Shuttle. Rolls-Royce president - civil aerospace Eric Shulz called the deal a significant decision in favour of the Trent 1000 engine. "We continue to innovate and develop new services, and it is great to see Norwegian selecting Availability Service Solutions for their TotalCare as part of this deal", he said. Norwegian Air Shuttle still had a further 10 options for Boeing 787 aircraft, which - if exercised - would be powered by the Trent 1000. Ryanair posted a jump in third quarter profit as traffic grew strongly and the budget airline announced a 800m share buyback programme. For the three months ended 31 December, profit after tax rose to 103m from 49m as traffic increased 20% to 25m and revenue gained 17% to 1.33bn. Chief executive officer Michael OLeary said: We are pleased to report that our low fares policy delivered strong Q3 traffic and profit growth. It is clear that millions of new customers are switching to Ryanair for our load factor active/yield passive pricing, our expanding route network and the success of our Always Getting Better ("AGB") customer experience programme. The company said it experienced weaker pricing and bookings immediately after the terrorist events in Paris and Brussels. It reacted to this softness by running price promotions and discounted fares to stimulate double digit traffic growth and said that while average fares fell 1%, this was offset by lower unit costs. In addition, Ryanair said its board has approved an 800m share buyback to begin on 5 February, in light of the groups rising profitability and improving cash flow. The buyback is expected to be carried out over a nine-month period and once complete, Ryanair said it will have returned in excess of 4bn to shareholders over the past eight years. The company had net cash of 350m at December 2015 notwithstanding capex of 726m, shareholder distributions of 687m and debt repayments of 281m during the current financial year. Looking ahead, Ryanair said it remains comfortable with its full year guidance that net profits will be towards the upper end of the 1.17bn to 1.22bn range. We caution, however, that this guidance is heavily dependent on the absence of further unforeseen events impacting close-in bookings and yields in Q4, especially over Easter, where we are working to deliver 26% traffic growth." The British telecoms regulator has urged Brussels to block the proposed merger of telecoms operators O2 and Three, which it fears will send mobile phone bills for users in the UK sharply higher. Writing in the FT ahead of Europes first formal statement on the deal, Ofcom chief executive Sharon White said the merger of two of Britains four operators could also hit rival high-street retailers and upset existing network arrangements. Financial Times Credit Suisse and Barclays have agreed to pay a record $154m to settle investigations by regulators into their share trading venues known as dark pools. Barclays will pay $70m, the largest ever penalty for a dark pool operator, with the fine split evenly between the Securities Exchange Commission and New York attorney-generals office. The fine also settles a legal battle brought against the bank by the NY attorney-general in June 2014. Financial Times Top British bankers, investors and regulators have set out a blueprint to rebuild the reputation of Britains financial sector and create a more positive banking culture. More than seven years after the taxpayer funded bail-outs of Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), a report backed by Andrew Bailey, deputy governor of the Bank of England, says the 2008 financial crisis provided Britain with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rethink how the industry works. - Telegraph Hitachi will continue to invest in the UK even if the country votes to leave theEuropean Union, according to its chief executive. Hiroaki Nakanishi, who is also chairman of the Japanese industrial giant, said he discussed with Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, last month how a British exit from the EU could be made feasible. - Telegraph A senior government minister has admitted the tax settlement between Googleand the UK government was not a glorious moment. The admission by the business secretary, Sajid Javid, came as a senior executive from Google claimed he could not say how much UK profit has been generated by the technology firm in the past decade, or how many meetings had been held between the companys executives and ministers. - Guardian Key North Sea oilfields could be abandoned and lost for ever if George Osborne does not cut the taxation of UK oil producers in the forthcoming budget, the chief executive of Centrica has warned. Iain Conn has written to the chancellor urging him to act in the budget next month and suspend the supplementary tax charges paid by oil companies on top of corporation tax. I have only seen a fall in oil prices like this once before. The North Sea is really hurting. The government needs to be agile here. The Times John Lewis is to sell its wares in the Middle East as the department stores ambitions to expand across the globe grow. The favourite retailer of the middle class plans to open a new shop-in-shop in the Robinson department store in the Dubai Festival City Mall in spring next year in an effort to add to its growing portfolio of overseas stores in Europe and Asia. The Times Keywords Studios was looking at some strong numbers in its full-year results, updating the market of its expectations on Monday. The AIM-traded technical services provider to the global video games industry said it expected to report revenues and adjusted profit before tax comfortably ahead of consensus market expectations. Castleton Technology expanded its software offering, and its international reach on Monday, revealing the acquisition of Kypera Holdings. The AIM-traded software and managed services provider said the deal was wortth a net cash consideration of 3.5m, and was completed on 29 January. Sweett Group continued on its path towards profitability on Monday, resolving to close its Middle East operations and exit the region altogether. The AIM-quoted construction consulting company had previously announced on 2 December 2015 that it had decided to exit the Middle East as soon as reasonably possible, and at the time was reviewing its options. North River Resources was celebrating a major milestone towards production at its Namib project in Namibia on Monday, having received a Notice of Preparedness to grant the mining licence from the country's Ministry of Mines and Energy. The AIM-quoted resources company said the mining licence was a critical step towards taking the Namib project towards an investment decision, and into construction. Half-year results from off-licence group Conviviality showed solid underlying growth in the retail business and plenty of encouraging signs from recently acquired wholesaler Matthew Clark. Group sales of 252m in the 27 weeks to 1 November were a 38% improvement on the equivalent period the year before, with earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation up 43% to 6.5m. Earnings per share were 3% higher at 3.8p and there was a 5% increase in the dividend to 2.1p per share. Nektan was doing its best to convince investors it was close to positive EBITDA, as it updated the market on its trading ahead of the release of its first half results. The AIM-traded B2B mobile gaming platform and content provider saw total revenue for the six months to 31 December 2015 grow to 1.6m, from 0.25m a year earlier. Its adjusted EBITDA performed comparatively poorly, however, growing to a 3.6m loss, from a 2.36m loss in 2014. Serabi Gold was looking ahead with optimism on Monday, as it updated the market on its third quarter production at its mining operations at Palito and Sao Chico in Brazil. The AIM-traded Brazil-focused gold mining and development company said that, in the final quarter of 2015, it recorded 7,924 ounces of gold production. Motive Television's board had a surprise from its nominated adviser on Monday, with the news that Sanlam Securities was ending its nominated adviser and small cap broking activities, and would therefore cease to be the company's nominated adviser from 14 February 2016. The AIM-traded television technology company said it was in discussion with several replacement nominated advisers , and hoped to announce a replacement shortly. Solo Oil was counting down to first gas and first revenue at the Kiliwani North Development Licence in Tanzania on Monday, having been advised by the project's operator that production was due to begin in mid-February. The news from the AIM-traded company followed the signing of a gas sales agreement in January, with an agreed gas price of $3 (2.10) per million British thermal units, which equals around $3.07 per thousand cubic feet. AFC Energy was celebrating a week of success for its green fuel cell technology on Monday, having fully fired up its KORE cell-based power plant in Germany. The AIM-traded industrual fuel cell company said it had successfully delivered gross electrical output in excess of 200kW at its KORE fuel cell power plant in Stade, Lower Saxony. Baron Oil was mulling over its options on Monday, having completed its seismic acquisition programme at its Block XXI project in Peru. The AIM-traded company said the total cost of the programme was $1.9m (1.33m). Dermot Smurfit stepped down as a director at Powerflute Oyj on Monday, to concentrate on his executive activities elsewhere. The AIM-traded company's board said Smurfit had recently returned to the United States in connection with his role as chief executive of GameAccount Network. Mosman Oil and Gas has pulled out of a deal to buy the South Taranaki Energy Project (STEP) in New Zealand from Origin Energy amid weakening oil prices. Johnson Service has acquired hotel laundry services specialist Zip Textiles for 15m cash, on a debt-free, cash-free basis. Vianet Group completed one of its larger sell-offs over the weekend, disposing of Vianet Fuel Solutions (VFS) to buyer Wayne Fueling Systems. The AIM-traded company - which specialises in real-time monitoring systems, data management services and insights for the leisure and vending sectors - initially announced the plans on 8 December 2015. OPG Power was celebrating on Monday, with the news that the second half of its Gujarat power plant had begun operations over the weekend. The AIM-traded company confirmed, in an update to the market, that the second 150 MW unit at the site in western India had started operating on 30 January 2016. As it reorganises under its new 'three pillars' strategy, Real Good Food has warned that profits will be short of market expectations. Margins have been squashed due to the heavy investment in staff and development of products and brands as part of the shift to the three pillars of cake decoration, food ingredients and premium bakery. Crossrider shares were under pressure after the digital advertising platform said it expects 2016 results to be only modestly ahead of the previous year and announced the resignation of its chief executive officer. The company said trading in the period since the interim results has been in line with market expectations. It expects adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation for the full year of around $10m (7m). This is down from $13.3m the previous year. SpanceandPeople has signed a multi-year contract with British Land. The deal, which was announced on Monday and commenced on January 1 for an undisclosed sum, allows the AIM-listed company to manage promotional space at the Drake Circus Shopping Centre in Plymouth. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. GOP officials call Republican PACs misleading ahead of election A network of 88 county GOP political action committees are deceptive by endorsing candidates not endorsed by the Republican Party, GOP officials say. Opinion: MBA students make a Tech Trek to the NW By NICK DEL VECCHIO Special to the Journal Del Vecchio Prior to MIT Sloan's Tech Trek to Seattle, I was only peripherally familiar with the city's major tourist attractions, employers and weather patterns, so I was excited to see the city in person for the first time. Having spent the previous four years in Denver, it sounded like a place with a similar urban lifestyle, access to the great outdoors, and tech community. As I am planning to transition from the energy sector to tech, I ultimately wanted to know if I could see myself relocating from Boston to the Pacific Northwest. Making my way from the airport terminal to the Link light rail, I was admittedly surprised to see snow falling in Seattle. I wasn't perturbed by the snow so much as the fact that I had only packed a raincoat for my week on the West Coast. Thankfully, the snow eventually turned to rain, but the rain continued for the entirety of our visit. I was repeatedly assured, however, that the picturesque Seattle summer makes up for the remaining months' ongoing precipitation. We spent our first afternoon touring the Seattle sights the Farmers Market, gum wall, Chihuly Museum and began the trek the following morning. Our agenda included visits to Tableau, Amazon, Disney Interactive and Microsoft. All of those companies had hosted MIT Sloan MBA students on past treks except for Tableau, which students had previously visited at its location in San Francisco. I was excited to see these companies' campuses in person, get a sense of their cultures and learn about career opportunities for MBA students. We began at Tableau, which has several buildings in Fremont, a neighborhood set apart by the low-standing warehouse architecture, community feel and the Fremont Troll. Tableau focuses on data visualization software, and the employees we interacted with seemed truly passionate about the company's mission. Having spent my career as an engineer at a firm with 30 employees, Tableau's 3,500-person workforce is orders of magnitude larger, but it felt significantly smaller both in the way that individuals interacted with each other and how they communicated Tableau's values and vision. My only disappointment was that the company does not have a formal MBA internship program. Nonetheless, I plan to keep a close eye on the website's career listings. It was interesting to contrast our experience at Tableau with the tremendous size of Amazon, the next stop on our tour. Amazon comprises many high-rise buildings on an urban campus in downtown Seattle, with more on the way. Our visit included a trip to Amazon's recently opened brick-and-mortar bookstore, the concept of which I find fascinating. The bookstore is cozy and thoughtfully curated, although the clean lines and sleek design reminded me more of an Apple store than my neighborhood bookstore. It was great to finally meet Alexa, the artificial intelligence packaged within the Echo, which was prominently displayed alongside Amazon's other hardware. She even recommended my next book. What struck me the most about Amazon was not the organizational adherence to the company's 14 leadership principles or the incredible diversity of businesses under the Amazon umbrella (both are unique in their own right), but rather the sheer number of employees required to maintain its growing operations. With 24,000 employees in Washington and more than 220,000 globally, it makes sense that not everyone at the corporate headquarters knows each other by name. Nonetheless, I was surprised when the MIT Sloan alumni who paneled our discussion appeared to meet for the first time. For students who believe they'd thrive at a data-driven organization unafraid to experiment at incredible scale, it is encouraging to know that the company's formal MBA internship is robust. The next day, we began at Disney Interactive, which focuses on technologies across a variety of Disney organizations from the theme park experience to ESPN to toys. We learned about the company's two-year rotational program where MBAs work on a diversity of technology projects as well as an accompanying summer internship program. It was difficult to discern too much about the company's corporate culture from the presentation, although it was clear that resources at its disposal are vast, and many of them are targeted at continuing to incorporate cutting-edge technology into the organization's DNA. For lifelong Disney fans, it might be a dream post-MBA experience. For others, it could be an enticing opportunity to gain exposure to various facets of the organization's truly global footprint. Our final stop on the Seattle Tech Trek was Microsoft's massive campus in Redmond. We spent the majority of the afternoon in the building dedicated to recruiting. Although there's no slide in the lobby, there are myriad Microsoft toys on display to entertain visiting guests while they wait. During our visit, we met a number of MIT Sloan alumni who now work in various parts of the organization and who shared their experiences across the organization's recent cultural shift. It was exciting to hear from alumni who have transitioned from non-technical backgrounds into incredibly technical post-MBA careers, as many of my classmates hope to do. It may not be the norm, but even at Microsoft it's a distinct possibility. Despite the rain and snow, Seattle is most definitely a city where I can see myself continuing my career after MIT Sloan. If you're looking to start your tech career in a vibrant city with a mature tech culture that isn't too far from the water, mountains or the office, this may be a good place to call home. Nick Del Vecchio is a first-year MBA student at MIT's Sloan School of Management. A Massachusetts native, he formerly worked as an energy engineer for EME Group in New York City and Denver. Tell us what you think... The Daily Journal of Commerce welcomes your comments. E-mail: Phil Brown Phil Brown Phone: (206) 622-8272 (206) 622-8272 Mail: Daily Journal of Commerce 83 Columbia St.,Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98104 Previous columns: Subscriber content preview By MICHELLE RINDELS Associated Press The billionaire owner of the Las Vegas Sands casino company wants to help build a domed stadium on the UNLV campus and is meeting with the owner of the Oakland Raiders, company officials said Thursday. Sands spokesman Ron Reese said the casino company envisions a public-private partnership to build a $1 billion, 65,000-seat stadium that could be shared by a professional team and UNLV. The Sands would likely partner with other investors and might seek to draw on public revenue sources, such as hotel room tax revenue earmarked for promoting tourism. . . . Munro is first woman to head local AGC chapter The AGC of Washington is working to attract younger members. Journal Construction Editor By BENJAMIN MINNICK Journal Construction Editor It has taken 94 years, but finally a woman will guide the AGC of Washington as its chapter president. That distinction goes to Nancy Munro of Kirklands MidMountain Contractors. I think its important (to note) that women have always been involved in the AGC, she said. Munro Munro said her goal as president is to advance strategic initiatives such as the Future Leadership Forum, which provides education, professional development and networking for the up-and-coming leaders of member firms. Munro said the local chapter is also working to get younger members on the board of trustees and government affairs committee. One of those new board members is Jessica Scarsella of heavy-civil contractor Scarsella Brothers. Scarsella is the fifth woman on the 19-member board, and is also on the Future Leadership Forums steering committee. You would be surprised at how many women are coming into the industry, Munro said. You will see more change in the next five to 10 years. I believe the construction industry is evolving and will continue to do so. Other areas that Munro will focus on this year are: Finding funds for capital construction and restoring the Public Works Trust Fund Promoting the local AGC Safety Team program on a national level Investing in IT programs Munro said the Safety Team program is highly regarded by local contractors, and the chapter could present it as early as September to the AGC of America for a future national roll-out. Locally, there are 299 members in the 25-year-old program and their recordable injury rates, severity rates and EMRs are 25 percent below the industry average. To keep those numbers down, the Safety Team audits members jobsites to uncover potential problems before they lead to accidents. For IT upgrades, the local chapter will soon add video conferencing for education and meetings. Munro said video conferencing could be the ticket to increase participation by busy AGC members. She said they are also looking at archiving meetings so they are available on demand. Munro said she is concerned about workforce development in the construction industry, a problem that is also faced by manufacturing and marine industries. She said the construction industry can attract the next generation by educating parents about the benefits, promoting STEM education and by getting vocational classes back into schools. Munro got into the construction industry in 1988, joining a start-up contracting business called Volker Stevin Pacific that did a $750,000 sewer rehab for the city of Kent. She initially handled administrative tasks and was the firms third employee. Volker Stevin Pacific later merged with MidMountain Contractors and Munro moved into operations. She said she evolved into her current role as executive manager at MidMountain, a heavy-civil contractor. MidMountain is working on demolition, utility and hardscape subcontracts for the Elliott Bay seawall project in Seattle. At MidMountain, Munro started a program called Giving Back to the Community, which has helped several schools and backed charity events such as Pierce County Hunger Walk. One of the school projects donated labor and equipment to rehab Lawton Elementarys playground in Seattle. The opportunity for me to give back to my community is very rewarding because I want to make a difference, she said. Munro said she spends her spare time with her husband, Rod, and her children and grandchildren. She and Rod recently built a waterfront home in Edmonds. Benjamin Minnick can be reached by email or by phone at (206) 622-8272. Other Stories: More colleges offer grads a job guarantee College officials frame the deals as a solution to skyrocketing tuition costs and student loan defaults. By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. A small Catholic university in southern New Hampshire is becoming the latest college to offer a money-back guarantee of sorts to its students. Rivier University, which has a total student population of about 2,600 in Nashua, has created an Employment Promise Program that will be available to full-time undergraduates starting with the class of 2020. Students are guaranteed to land a job within nine months of graduation, or the school will either pay their federally subsidized students loans for up to a year or enroll them in up to six master's degree courses tuition-free. We want to send a message that we recruit not just for the first year, but we're a partner throughout an educational experience with students, university president Sister Paula Marie Buley said. The Rivier Employment Promise is really the university's commitment to partner with students in the classroom, on campus, in the community and ultimately, a career, she said. The university typically has about 200 incoming freshman each year, and Buley expects most of them to participate in the program. Students must maintain a 3.0 minimum grade point average and participate in a variety of activities, including career counseling, community service and internships. In return, the university will provide specialized academic and career action plans designed to enhance a student's employability. We're focusing on the goal of an undergraduate education the academic rigor, the values, the skill set, the ability to work with other people, to communicate ideas and we give students ways to practice all their skills while they're still at the university, Buley said. While the Rivier program is the first of its kind in New Hampshire, colleges and universities around the country offer similar deals. In Waterville, Maine, Thomas College pays federal student loans for up to a year or offers free master's degree courses to students who follow certain steps as undergraduates and don't get jobs related to their majors within six months of graduation. Capitol College in Laurel, Maryland, guarantees qualified graduates a job with a competitive salary within 90 days of graduation or the school will provide up to 36 additional undergraduate credits. And Adrian College in Michigan pays some or all student loan payments until graduates make $37,000 a year. When the latter program was launched in 2014, college officials framed it as a solution to skyrocketing tuition costs and student loan defaults. At Rivier, where the annual undergraduate tuition is $28,800, Buley said the program also is aimed at reassuring parents that the significant cost is worth it. We know that they are very interested in the career preparation and the employability of their students in all academic disciplines, she said. I think you see even more today that parents and students are in partnership in selecting an institution, and this really speaks to the interests of both parents and students. For Rivier University class of 2014, 95 percent were either employed, in graduate school or in the military six months after graduation, she said. Courtney Campbell, 17, of Stoughton, Massachusetts, was recently accepted to Rivier and is deciding between the Nashua school and one other college. After hearing about the new program Tuesday from her guidance counselor, she said she's definitely leaning toward Rivier. It really helps me feel less nervous about getting a job, said Campbell, who plans to study early childhood education. Cancer care advocates have welcomed news of a second consultant breast surgeon post approved for Letterkenny University Hospital. Michael Sugrue, consultant breast surgeon at the hospitals breast unit, called the news very welcome. Its fantastic for the ladies in particular, and the men of Letterkenny, Donegal and the north west, Mr. Sugrue said. Its a step in the right direction for the hospital, and it happened through support from many different areas. Joe McHugh, TD and minister of state, received confirmation from the health ministers office that the HSE will introduce the post. He said the surgeon will work with Letterkenny and University Hospital Galway and said the decision followed meetings and talks with key stakeholders. Minister McHugh said Saolta University Health Care Group will set up clinics to address the case backlog, and intend to recruit a locum while a suitable candidate is found. He credited Donegal Action for Cancer Care and Co-operating for Cancer Care North West for their work ensuring the issue remained a priority. Betty Holmes of DACC said it was vital that recruitment proceed as a matter of great urgency, saying DACC, have fears that if it is allowed to wait, it will not happen. As well as the new post, the supporting necessary resources must also be made available, Mrs. Holmes said. This is vital to the success of this development. Noelle Duddy of CCC(NW) said news of the appointment was evidence that meetings among stakeholders had borne fruit. Whilst there remains much work to be done and discussion to be had in relation to sustaining and developing other services at LUH, such as urology services, today is a good day, she said, saying, It feels good to be listened to, to be heard. We just have to get the person appointed now, Mr. Sugrue said, acknowledging that recruitment is a challenge. The additional post is, very welcome and its great that its happened, he said. Its been a long battle, and Im personally delighted. dpa ElectionsData With dpa ElectionsData you get access to a unique collection of data. Via a programming interface (Rest-API), your developers can access detailed information, candidate profiles and live results for all national elections in the European Union and important international elections, like the US Midterm elections etc. The data pool also includes all heads of state and government as well as about 20,000 elected members of parliament throughout the EU. In addition to their data (name, party, constituency or list position), we collect social media profiles and official websites of individuals and parties. New research out of the US has found that automated emergency braking systems in new cars reduce rear-end collisions by 40 per cent and represent a "big step toward safer roads". Findings gathered by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released in a report this week also found that systems warning the driver of an imminent collision without intervening in braking also reduce crashes by 23 per cent. The research supports a push in the US for automated braking to become a standard feature on all new cars, a development that could have huge repercussions on the specification of vehicles sold in Australia. In September 2015, 10 automakers reached an agreement with federal regulators to make autonomous emergency braking a standard feature, a move regarded by federal officials as a "historic commitment". Automated emergency braking, or AEB, has been touted as the next big thing in new vehicle safety, following in the tracks of airbags, anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control. Sensors on the front of a car measure its closing speed compared with other vehicles or surroundings, and can slam on the brakes without any input from the driver. The technology can prevent or mitigate crashes, and is already available in dozens of new cars. The IIHS has strengthened a push for the fitment of the technology, claiming that if all cars in the US featured automated braking, some 700,000 collisions would have been prevented in 2013 alone. AEB also has the potential to reduce insurance premiums on new cars. "The success of front crash prevention represents a big step toward safer roads," said David Zuby, chief research officer at IIHS. "As this technology becomes more widespread, we can expect to see noticeably fewer rear-end crashes. The same goes for the whiplash injuries that often result from these crashes." The study found that when a rear-end collision couldn't be avoided, injury was less prevalent in vehicles with automated braking. The rate of injury in a rear-end crashes declined 42 per cent on vehicles with autonomous emergency braking, and 6 per cent on vehicles with collision-warning systems. Automated braking is essentially the first stage of autonomous technology taking effect on the world's roads. The technology is becoming increasingly available on vehicles sold in Australia, from Mazda hatchbacks through to flagship sportscars. The local ANCAP crash authority has strongly supported the implementation of autonomous emergency braking in new cars. The businessman behind the ambitious Altitude ski slope facility, which was rejected by An Bord Pleanala, says a smaller scale version of the facility may be possible in the future, The Dundalk Democrat can reveal. The businessman behind the ambitious Altitude ski slope facility, which was rejected by An Bord Pleanala, says a smaller scale version of the facility may be possible in the future, The Dundalk Democrat can reveal. Speaking to the paper yesterday (Monday) , Sam Curran of Innovative Leisure Systems Ltd said that he hasnt given up on the Dundalk project. We will go back to the drawing board on the ski slope facility. We may have to trim the project down in size and propose it on a smaller scale. I returned home from Canada last week where I held meetings on a number of projects. I still have hope for a down sized facility which would regenerate Dundalk. Along with the 13,500m2 snowflex slope facility, the e430million project included a water park, an indoor events arenas, an indoor and outdoor adventure park, cinema and bowling. The project was to create 1,200 full time and more than 380 part-time jobs when fully operational. The facility was expected to bring in 6.2 million visitors a year. Dundalk Town Council and the Louth County Council had given the project the initial green light a number of years ago. Although, An Bord Plenala definitively rejected the plans in 2012 on two grounds:, namely that zoning of the site would lead to the creation of an unsustainable car-dependent development contrary to Department of Transport Smarter Travel a Sustainable Transport Future - A New Transport Policy for Ireland 2009-2020 ; and due to the fact that the site was located in an area subject to coastal flooding and there was a lack of impact assessment of bringing in 750,000 tonnes of fill material, something which has not been justified. Moreover, the need for the development to be located on this environmentally sensitive site has not been justified Romanian translation Sir Suma Chakrabarti, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is visiting Romania from 1 to 2 February for talks with top officials and business partners. In Bucharest, Sir Suma will meet Romanias President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, Finance Minister and EBRD Governor for Romania Anca Paliu Dragu, National Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu and other senior government officials. He will also meet with representatives of Romanias business community to discuss the investment climate, the pace of reforms and the economic outlook for the country. Speaking ahead of his visit, Sir Suma said: This year, Romanias economic growth is expected to be one of the highest in Europe. We hope that private sector investment will extend to more sectors of the economy, as investor sentiment improves. We also trust that public sector investment will resume and that the country will be able to absorb more EU funds. As a supporter of Romanias capital market development, the EBRD is hopeful that 2016 will bring new issues of equity and debt. Romania has strong potential and the EBRD stands ready to expand and deepen its activities in the country, responding to the demand for financing. The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Romania. The Bank has invested over 7 billion in the country to date and has also mobilised more than 14 billion from other sources of financing. Last year the EBRD adopted a new strategy for Romania which sets out investment priorities in the country for the next four years: broadening access to finance, reducing regional disparities through improved infrastructure and enhancing the competitiveness of the private sector. The U.S.Federal Trade Commission is extending its regulatory reach to the e-commerce impact of big data. For years, the FTC has asserted vigorously its authority to apply existing consumer protection laws to emerging developments in the realm of information technology. Now it is signaling that it will apply that same vigor to big data under the regulatory authority it possesses through the Federal Trade Commission Act and other laws. The commission will continue to monitor areas where big data practices could violate those laws and will bring enforcement actions where appropriate, it said in a report issued this month. The title of the report, Big Data: A Tool for Inclusion or Exclusion? Understanding the Issues, and the rationale for its publication seem to indicate that the scope of the document is limited to the FTCs concerns about imbalanced outcomes of big data. They include potential negative impacts on low-income and underserved segments of society, including discrimination in lending and job opportunities. Legal Standard The commission will not hesitate to enforce FTC Act prohibitions against unfair and deceptive practices related to big data in all applications, not just those affecting a particular segment of the population, it said in the report. It will utilize the same legal basis for big data situations that it uses for cases involving the hacking of consumer records, identity theft, and fraudulent misrepresentations in e-commerce transactions. That legal leverage is not confined to particular market sectors but is generally applicable to most companies acting in commerce, the FTC said. In a clear warning to businesses, the FTC cited two significant e-commerce enforcement cases with implications for big data regulation:Disclosure: One case involved charges of misrepresentation and deception against a credit card marketing company for failure to disclose all the conditions affecting cardholders. While the key issue centered on disclosure, an underlying condition involved the use of behavioral scoring data affecting credit availability to customers. Generating increasingly detailed information on consumer behavior, of course, is a major element in the commercial use of big data. In a settlement, the company was prohibited from repeating the misrepresentation practices. Identity theft: In another enforcement action, the commission cited a company for selling personal information to third-party identity thieves posing as legitimate subscribers. The FTC contended that company neglected to adequately check on the status of the third party, despite the presence of red flags. Such cases show, at a minimum, companies must not sell their big data analytics products to customers if they know or have reason to know that those customers will use the products for fraudulent purposes, the commission said.The situations outlined in the two cases fall under the basic FTC Act but do not cover all possible scenarios. The commissions legal authority regarding unfair and deceptive practices covers activities that involve a material statement or omission that is likely to mislead a consumer acting reasonably under the circumstances, the FTC said. If a company violates a material promise whether that promise is to refrain from sharing data with third parties, to provide consumers choices about sharing, or to safeguard consumers personal information it will likely be engaged in a deceptive practice, it noted. Companies that maintain big data on consumers should take care to reasonably secure that data commensurate with the amount and sensitivity of the data at issue, the size and complexity of the companys operations, and the cost of available security measures, the commission said. Regulatory Road Map The report underscored the FTCs regulatory commitment to vigilantly monitor the cybersecurity impacts of e-commerce advancements. The regulated community would be wise to pay attention to the FTCs big data report. As with any formal FTC pronouncement, it provides a road map as to the FTCs thinking and likely future enforcement agenda, said Lisa Sotto, a privacy law specialist atHunton & Williams. It is particularly important to remember that existing laws apply to the use of big data. Too often, companies fail to consider how existing legal regimes might pose an obstacle to the manner in which data collected as part of a big data initiative may be used. The FTCs reminder of this point should serve as a cautionary word to companies that are overly aggressive in their use of big data, she told the E-Commerce Times. The report does not offer FTCs thoughts as what companies can do to avoid violating existing laws when using big data, said Scott Talbott, senior vice president for government affairs at theElectronic Transactions Association. The report sounds an ominous tone, which could have a chilling effect on the use of big data, he told the E-Commerce Times. Other Laws The FTCs enforcement of two other laws the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or FCRA, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, or ECOA could affect companies that collect, analyze, market and use big data, especially data related to consumers. FCRA applies to companies known as consumer reporting agencies, or CRAs, that compile and sell consumer reports containing information that can be used for credit, employment, insurance, housing, or other decisions about eligibility for certain benefits and transactions, the FTC noted. Conventional tools CRAs use include debt payment histories, rental payments, liens and even bankruptcy filings. Enhanced consumer data generated by big data collection and analytics also will be subject to FTC enforcement under FCRA, the commission said, citing examples such as ZIP code identification, shopping history and social media usage. Whether conventional data or enhanced big data resources are used, the standards applied to determine the applicability of the FCRA in a commission enforcement action, however, are the same, the FTC said. ECOA prohibits credit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, or because a person receives public assistance. Such activity must cause a disparate impact resulting from a creditor who treats an applicant differently based on a protected characteristic. For example, a lender cannot refuse to lend to single persons or offer less favorable terms to them than married persons even if big data analytics show that single persons are less likely to repay loans than married persons, the FTC said. Another example would be the use of ZIP code data that could trigger a violation if it could be linked to ethnic group discrimination, the commission noted. Big data can provide huge economic and social benefits as well as potentially negative outcomes, the FTC acknowledged. It was abundantly clear from the report that big technology advances will meet with a commensurate regulatory response. The day after the report was released, FTC Commissioner Julie Brill emphasized that point. Eighty years ago, Congress gave the FTC authority to protect consumers from a broad range of unfair or deceptive acts or practices, she said at a Privacy Summit sponsored by the governor of Washington. Under that authority, the FTC has initiated nearly 100 privacy and data security enforcement actions, Brill noted. The flexibility and breadth of our authority to obtain remedies that protect consumers has allowed us to keep up with rapid changes in technology, she said. 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. (Photo: REUTERS / Faisal Mahmood)Members of the Pakistani Christian community hold placards and wooden crosses during a demonstration to condemn the death of a Christian couple in a village in Punjab province on Tuesday, in Islamabad November 5, 2014. Police in Pakistan arrested dozens of people after a mob beat a Christian couple to death and burned their bodies for allegedly desecrating a Quran. The suspension of the death sentence of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman charged with blasphemy, by the Pakistan Supreme court has showed the value of Muslim-Christian dialogue, says a priest in the Islamic nation. "The Supreme Court of Pakistan has made a great move as her death sentence was put aside," Father James Channan said in a July 23 interview with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. "I firmly believe that justice will be done, that she will be proven innocent and that she will be released," said the Roman Catholic Dominican priest. He noted, "The blasphemy law was used (in Bibi's case) to settle a personal score - the accusation was an act of revenge." The Pakistani woman has denied the accusation, saying her accusers were acting out of a personal vendetta. Asia Bibi spent nearly five years on death following an accusation that she insulted the Islamic prophet Muhammad during an argument, Catholic News Agency reported. Earlier in July the Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended Bibi's execution, and will soon hear her appeal. However, CNA reported that many Pakistanis have spoken out against the court's decision and have said it would carry out the execution even if she is deemed innocent. Fr. Channan commented that bibi's trial is one of many over charges of blasphemy in Pakistan. The nation's blasphemy laws have often been misused for personal reasons or gain, and the accusations are often false, he warned. The priest who believes in the rights of Christians in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation said that followers of his faith have to work for those ends. He estimated that around 130 Christians are currently being tried under Pakistan's blasphemy law, and that 950 Muslims are being held under the law. "The misuse of the law should be stopped, such as its use to settle personal scores or to further business purposes," he said. Channan also called for Pakistan's government to revise its constitution, removing provisions that relegate Christians and other religious minorities to the status of second-class citizens. (Photo: Courtesy: Marrakesh Declaration) GENEVA - World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit has praised the release of the Marrakesh Declaration on the Rights of Religious Minorities in Predominantly Muslim Majority Communities.wcc "This is a very timely and significant text with an important message for us all," said Tveit in a Feb. 1 statement released in Geneva, Switzerland. The document was released by hundreds of Muslim scholars and intellectuals from more than 120 countries, along with representatives of Islamic and international organizations. It included leaders from diverse religious groups and nationalities who attended a Jan. 25-27 conference in Marrakesh, Morocco. "With this declaration, Muslim leaders are showing the way toward a future of living together on a shared platform of equal rights, mutual care and respect," Tveit noted. The conference marked the 1,400th anniversary of the Charter of Medina, a constitutional contract between the Prophet Muhammad and the people of Medina which guaranteed the religious liberty of all, regardless of faith. The Marrakesh Declaration notes that, "conditions in various parts of the Muslim World have deteriorated dangerously due to the use of violence and armed struggle as a tool for settling conflicts and imposing one's point of view." It voices the participants' "firm commitment to the principles articulated in the Charter of Medina." Its "provisions contained a number of the principles of constitutional contractual citizenship, such as freedom of movement, property ownership, mutual solidarity and defense, as well as principles of justice and equality before the law." The declaration says, "The objectives of the Charter of Medina provide a suitable framework for national constitutions in countries with Muslim majorities, and the United Nations Charter and related documents, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are in harmony with the Charter of Medina, including consideration for public order." The conference was held under the auspices of King Mohammed VI of Morocco. It was organized jointly by the Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs in the Kingdom of Morocco and the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies based in the United Arab Emirates. Imitation may be a sincere form of flattery, but its not an appropriate prescription for the challenging work of providing individualized support to schools that need it. Unfortunately, both Georgia and Pennsylvania are poised to implement sweeping school turnaround plans in the form of state takeovers. These plans draw inspiration from systems operating in very different contexts elsewhere in the country and are based on a fundamental misreading of the evidence on effectiveness of these models. Just as concerning, the proposals double down on unproven governance strategies that reduce community voice in education and apply a cookie-cutter approach to the specific challenges confronting individual schools. Both plans rely on the same criteria for intervention, the same menu of reformseven the same Opportunity School District name. Advocates for this type of school reform frequently point to Louisianas Recovery School District or Tennessees Achievement School District as examples of successful state-driven reform. A recent report by the Southern Education Foundation (where two of us work) and Brown Universitys Annenberg Institute for School Reform gathers the research on these and other turnaround models and offers important cautions for any state looking to travel the same path. Louisiana was the first state to implement such a model in 2003. Its Recovery School District is now the nations first all-charter district, with most of these schools located in New Orleans. The state took control of all but a handful of the citys public schools after Hurricane Katrina and turned those public funds and facilities over to private charter operators. A decade later, New Orleans still reports some of the nations lowest achievement scores and graduation rates. Beyond poor academic outcomes, recent research from Stanford University found a host of negative consequences , with a majority of families reporting long commutes to school, overcrowding, a bewildering gantlet of enrollment procedures, high rates of pushout, and difficulty finding schools able to serve students with special needs (including that the most vulnerable are the least likely to receive needed supports). The research also revealed that New Orleans charter takeover has resulted in schools increasing stratification by race and class. In Tennessee, student performance has been decidedly mixed in buildings overseen by the state-run Achievement School Districtall but five of which were turned over to charter-management organizations. When ASD Superintendent Chris Barbic resigned last year, even he conceded the difficulty of state-driven turnaround, specifically the challenge of achieving results in a zoned charter school environment. Opposition to the ASD , including a call for a moratorium from the Shelby County school board on ASD takeover of any additional schools, is growing. And its growing in the wake of evidence that iZoneslocally controlled improvement modelsare posting positive, statistically significant, and substantively meaningful effects on student achievement across all subjects, according to a research brief from the Tennessee Consortium on Research, Evaluation, & Development at Vanderbilt Universitys Peabody College of Education. Michigans experiencea state takeover of an existing state takeover in Detroithas been an unmitigated failure , with the governor considering abandoning the strategy amid staff turnover of nearly 40 percent, declining enrollment, a federal corruption probe, opposition by legislators of both parties, and teacher protests. A growing body of independent investigations shows that the preferred strategies of closing and chartering schools in takeover districts open the public treasury to fraud, waste, and abuse." A common thread in all of these reforms, along with the new proposals in Georgia and Pennsylvania, is the heavy reliance on standardized-test scores to deem schools failing and in need of state interventioneven as the Every Student Succeeds Act, the new federal education legislation, acknowledges that a broader set of indicators should be used to measure schools progress, moving us away from rigid, high-stakes-testing accountability. In many cases, urban districts and schools have been deprived of the resources required to deliver high-quality education and then have been targeted for takeover by the same state policymakers who set those inadequate funding levels. Viewed in this way, the proposals in Georgia and Pennsylvania seem especially cynical. Georgia has underfunded its main basic-education subsidy, the Quality Basic Education, or QBE, since 2003. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania, which has still not adopted a 2015-16 spending plan, has one of the nations most inequitable school funding schemes: Nearly 250,000 Keystone State students attend severely fiscally distressed schools . The result of this reliance on test scores in underfunded schools is a disproportionate impact of state-run turnarounds on people of color and low-income communities. People in poverty and communities of color nationwide report being disenfranchised by these state takeovers, which leave them and their children even further marginalized. The same will be true of the Opportunity Districts. In Georgia, schools slated for takeover are overwhelmingly high-poverty and with students of color in the majority; in Pennsylvania, the legislation specifically targets Philadelphia (and only Philadelphia), even though the city outperforms several districts statewide. Under turnaround policies, residents of these districts will face new obstacles in making their voices heard. Finally, a growing body of independent investigations shows that the preferred strategies of closing and chartering schools in takeover districts open the public treasury to fraud, waste, and abuse. Much of this fraud goes undetected, since even when stronger rules are instituted, most states have little capacity to monitor how private operators profit from public funds. When abuse is discovered, and a fraudulent charter is closed, the damage to students and communities is already done: Students return to a weakened district, their education disrupted by the upheaval of rotating between three different schools. Whether the arrangement is called a portfolio district, a recovery district, or, most egregious, an opportunity or achievement district, the goal of these policies is the same: the transfer of local, public funds and decisionmaking to nonaccountable, often remote- or chain-charter operators. While opportunity gaps in learning persist across the country for low-income students and students of color, the intervention models and turnaround plans prescribed under these state takeovers do not address the underlying factors causing these gaps, including the systemic underfunding ofand divestment frommany of the schools these takeovers target. Far better approaches exist. Georgia, Pennsylvania, and other states that have shortchanged education funding should examine school finance policies, with attention to adequacy, equity, and predictability. Policymakers with an interest in school improvement should set aside plans that call for the arbitrary dismissal of principals, or 50 percent of a buildings staff, and instead treat educators as professionals by investing in supports to maximize every teachers potential. States that seek greater accountability for student learning should recognize that standardized-test results in core subjects tell just one part of the story. Districts and schools should be able to demonstrate progress in other important areas, including increased attendance and higher graduation rates. Finally, rather than continued obeisance at the altar of unproven governance reforms, states should prioritize promising community-schools models and research-based strategies, such as extended-day learning, site-based health services, and quality early education. These strategies take time, patience, investment, and sustained hard work. They also represent the surest path to real opportunity. By Stephanie Nebehay and Ben Hirschler GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) - The World Health Organization has declared the mosquito-borne Zika virus to be an international public health emergency due to its link to thousands of suspected cases of birth defects in Brazil. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan told reporters on Monday coordinated international action was needed to improve detection and speed work on a vaccine and better diagnostics for the disease, although curbs on travel or trade were not necessary. The emergency designation was recommended by a committee of independent experts to the U.N. agency following criticism of a hesitant response so far. The move should help fast-track international action and research priorities. "Members of the committee agreed that the situation meets the conditions for a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted this advice," Chan told a news briefing at WHO headquarters. The WHO said last week the Zika virus, carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, was "spreading explosively" and could infect as many as 4 million people in the Americas. Brazil is due to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August. The WHO was lambasted for reacting too slowly to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa which killed more than 10,000 people in the past two years, and has promised to do better in future global health crises. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Thomas Frieden said the declaration "calls the world to action" on Zika, while Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust medical charity, said the WHO "should be congratulated for being far more proactive this time". Derek Gatherer, a lecturer at Lancaster University, said the WHO's move was "like a declaration of war ... on Zika virus". UNDERDEVELOPED BRAINS Brazil has reported some 3,700 suspected cases of microcephaly, in which infants are born with smaller-than-usual brains. The Health Ministry has linked the condition to Zika, although the connection is not yet definitive. Chan said the causal link was "strongly suspected but not yet scientifically proven". Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Castro told Reuters on Monday the epidemic was worse than believed because in 80 percent of cases the infected people had no symptoms. As the virus spreads from Brazil, other countries in the Americas are also likely to see cases of babies with Zika-linked birth defects, experts believe. The Pan American Health Organization says that Zika has now spread in 24 nations and territories in the Americas. In addition, the Zika virus infection was also reported late last year in Cape Verde. The Zika virus has raised questions worldwide about whether pregnant women should avoid infected countries. Chan said delaying travel was something pregnant women "can consider", adding that if they needed to travel they should take protective measures by covering up and using mosquito repellent. The clinical symptoms of Zika are usually mild and often similar to dengue, a fever which is transmitted by the same mosquito, leading to fears that Zika will spread into all parts of the world where dengue is commonplace. More than a third of the world?s population lives in areas at risk of dengue infection, in a band stretching through Africa, India, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Zika's rapid spread in Latin America is put down to the prevalence of Aedes aegypti and a lack of immunity among the population. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said one way for the United States to reduce the risk of Zika there would be to try to control the mosquitoes that carry it. "At some point here ... we're going to see the temperatures rise (and) that will make for a more hospitable environment for mosquitoes," he said. "We want to make sure that we have got a strategy to try to limit the spread of this disease when that happens." Georgetown University public health and law expert Lawrence Gostin, who last week called on the WHO to act urgently against Zika, welcomed Chan's declaration but called for a proper strategy, adding: "Actions speak louder than words." "Without a clear strategy and ample resources, sounding an alert is simply not enough," he said. (Additional reporting by Kate Kelland in London, Roberta Rampton in Washington and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago.; Editing by Alison Williams) By Tom Miles, John Irish and Tom Perry GENEVA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels fought back against an offensive by government forces near a supply route into the city of Aleppo on Monday and said there had been no letup in Russian air strikes, despite a promise of goodwill moves by Damascus to spur peace talks. U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura was due later on Monday to meet Syrian opposition groups in Geneva, hoping to launch indirect peace talks after five years of war that has killed 250,000 people. A meeting with the government delegation was postponed because de Mistura had first to meet the opposition. De Mistura pressed on with peace efforts as the death toll from an Islamic State suicide attack near Damascus climbed to more than 70 people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The attack targeted a government-held neighbourhood that is home to Syria's holiest Shi'ite shrine. The Geneva peace talks mark the first attempt in two years to hold negotiations over Syria, whose war has drawn in regional and international powers and forced millions from their homes and into neighbouring states and Europe. The opposition to President Bashar al-Assad agreed late on Friday to travel to Geneva after saying they had received guarantees to improve the situation on the ground, such as a detainee release and a halt to attacks on civilian areas. But the opposition says there has been no easing of the conflict since then, with government and allied forces including Iranian militias pressing offensives across important areas of western Syria, most recently north of Aleppo. It is the first big government offensive for nearly a year in the Aleppo area, which controls access to opposition-held areas of the city from Turkey, a sponsor of the insurgency. "The attack started at 2 a.m., with air strikes and missiles," said rebel commander Ahmed al-Seoud, describing the situation near Aleppo, parts of which are controlled by the government and parts are in opposition hands. Seoud told Reuters his Free Syrian Army group had sent reinforcements to the area near the village of Bashkoy. "We took guarantees from America and Saudi to enter the negotiations ... (but) the regime has no goodwill and has not shown us any goodwill," he said from nearby Idlib province. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces were gaining ground in the area, and had captured most of the village of Duweir al-Zeitun near Bashkoy. It reported dozens of air strikes on Monday morning and Syrian state television said government forces were advancing. NEGOTIATION "UNDER ESCALATION" The opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) has indicated it will leave Geneva unless steps set out in a Dec. 18 Security Council resolution, endorsing peace moves including a lifting of sieges of blockaded areas, are implemented. Bashar al-Jaafari, head of the government delegation, said on Sunday Damascus was considering options such as ceasefires, humanitarian corridors and prisoner releases. But he suggested they might come about as a result of the talks, not before them. Opposition delegate Farrah Atassi said government forces were escalating their military campaign, making it hard to justify the opposition's presence in Geneva. Another opposition official highlighted heavy Russian bombardment of the northern Homs area on Sunday as one sign that nothing had changed. "Today, we are going to Mr De Mistura to demand again and again, for a thousand times, that the Syrian opposition is keen to end the suffering of the Syrian people," Atassi said. "However, we cannot ask the Syrian opposition to engage in any negotiation with the regime under this escalation." A senior Western diplomat said the opposition had shown up so as not to play "directly into the hands of the regime". "They want tangible and visible things straight away, but there are things that realistically can't be done now such as ending the bombing. It's obvious that that is too difficult. The easiest compromises are releasing civilians and children." The HNC was due to meet De Mistura at 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) at the U.N. headquarters in Geneva. It also met him at a hotel on Sunday where a diplomatic source said they discussed a proposal by De Mistura to help meet their humanitarian concerns. The diplomatic efforts have been beset by difficulties, including a dispute over who should be invited to negotiate with the government. Beyond that, the challenges are enormous and include lingering divisions over Assad's future. TYPE OF GOVERNMENT The Kurdish PYD party which controls large areas of northern Syria has been excluded in line with the wishes of Turkey, which considers it a terrorist group. The HNC includes some of the foreign-backed rebel groups fighting Assad in western Syria. Islamic State is at war with both Assad and the rebels, and is fighting for its own "caliphate" rather than a reformed Syria. The United Nations is aiming for six months of talks that would focus on achieving a broad ceasefire, while also working towards a political settlement. The United States, which backs the opposition to Assad, has been urging the HNC to attend. The Syrian government views all the groups fighting it as terrorists and instruments of foreign powers such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Another complication is the type of government that will run Syria in any peace settlement. Jaafari said on Sunday Damascus favoured an "enlarged national government", while the opposition want a transitional governing body. (Additional reporting by John Davision in Beirut and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Tom Perry, Editing by Timothy Heritage) By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union executive has told member states they can exempt their contributions to a 3 billion euro fund for Turkey for tackling the migration crisis to help them meet deficit targets, but it was unclear if the gesture would satisfy Italy. Under a deal from last November, Ankara is to stem the flood of migrants reaching Europe in exchange for aid from the fund. But Italy, which wants more leeway on its 2016 budget from Brussels, has been blocking payouts to Turkey in hope of winning wide spending exemptions from the EU. To make contributions to the fund more palatable for governments which have to stick to prudent EU spending rules, the European Commission proposed in December to exempt such spending from deficit calculations under EU budget rules, Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a news briefing. The Commission did so in a footnote to the so-called Terms of Reference for the Turkey Refugee Facility, Schinas said, a document that has not yet been accepted by all governments. Envoys of the EU's 28 countries are to discuss the document again on Wednesday. Yet Rome's demands go further than the exemption proposed by the Commission. It wants, among other things, the EU executive to accept already now that Italy would spend an extra 3.2 billion euros this year on migration, increasing its deficit. The Commission says that it can only evaluate migration-related spending after it takes place, assessing each item case-by-case. EU diplomats had hoped that a meeting last week between Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel would "unblock" the matter, one EU diplomat said. But another diplomat said Renzi left empty-handed, even though Italy, along with Greece, has been on the front line of migrant multitudes entering Europe. "He got a clear 'no' to this. And now its up to the Italians to decide how much they want to push it," the person said. (Editing by Jan Strupczewski and Mark Heinrich) BRUSSELS (Reuters) - France and Belgium vowed on Monday to intensify cooperation in the fight against Islamist radicals, including a more rapid exchange of information on potential militants and efforts to prevent forgery of documents. Two and a half months after the Paris attacks that killed 130 people, the two countries' prime ministers sought to improve ties strained by French accusations that neighbour Belgium had overlooked jihadists preparing to attack the French capital. "The threat is at unprecedented levels," French Prime Minister Manuel Valls told a joint press conference in Brussels after the meeting, which also included ministers of justice and heads of SECURITY (SECURITY.C )(SECURITY.8 )services. "We are standing shoulder to shoulder together against this threat to protect our citizens," he added Apart from smoothing the information exchange between police and justice authorities, Brussels and Paris will use more biometric data to prevent forged documents and consult international IT companies about encrypted messaging services. The two countries would also push for the swift introduction within the European Union of "PNR" (Passenger Name Record) files to keep track of airline travellers. "This concerns Europe and all its member states. Everybody has to be engaged as they have a joint responsibility," Valls said. For Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, the meeting was part of an effort to deflect international criticism of Belgium, seen by some as a jihadist hotbed. Per capita, Belgium is the European country that has contributed the most people to fight alongside militant groups such as Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Belgium has carried out a series of raids since the Nov. 13 Paris attacks and is now holding 10 people on terrorism changes related to the coordinated shooting and suicide bombings. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop and Tom Heneghan) KABUL (Reuters) - Ten people were killed and 20 wounded, most of them civilians in Monday's suicide bomb attack outside a police station in a busy area of western Kabul, Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Ayub Salangi said in a Twitter post. The attack was the latest in a series to hit the Afghan capital this year as the Kabul government has pushed to revive a stalled peace process with the Taliban that broke down last year. (Reporting by Mirwais Harooni; Editing by Robert Birsel) PARIS (Reuters) - France agreed on Monday to convert half of Cuba's debt arrears to Paris into investment projects during a visit by Cuban President Raul Castro to the French capital to forge closer ties. Though Cuban leaders have been to France before, Castro's is the first state visit and follows on from a visit by French President Francois Hollande last year to the island nation. As relations between Washington and Havana warm, France has been eager to build closer financial and commercial ties with Cuba. As chair of the Paris Club of creditor nations and Cuba's biggest creditor, the French government helped the Communist-run country secure a debt relief agreement in December. France and other Paris Club creditors have agreed to forgive $8.5 billion of interest payments that is 30 years late on Havana's $11.9 billion in debt, including $4 billion in late payments owed to France. "France is going further than what was agreed at the Paris Club level. We want to convert arrears that we have so that it is useful for investment," Hollande told journalists, flanked by Castro. Half of the outstanding arrears owed to France will be converted into a 212 million euro joint Cuba-French fund to finance projects in the country. "We welcome France's wish to actively take part in Cuba's economic and social development," Castro said, also thanking France for its traditional stance against the U.S. trade embargo against the country. The Paris Club agreement lifted a major obstacle to investment in the cash-starved economy by clearing the way for export credit agencies from creditor countries to underwrite business with the country. France could see exports to Cuba grow by $100 million dollars annually in the coming years as a foreign investment boom lifts growth to 5-6 percent over 2016-2020, French trade insurance company Euler Hermes estimates. Among the French companies with important interests in Cuba, hotels operator Accor is building hotels there and beverages group Pernod Ricard makes Havana Club rum through a joint venture with the Cuban government. French shipping firm CMA-CGM also has agreed to set up a logistics centre in the new port of Mariel, a special trade zone Havana hopes will become a cargo traffic hub. (Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Additional reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; Editing by Hugh Lawson) By Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself after joining a queue to enter a police office in Kabul on Monday, killing 20 people and wounding at least 29 in the worst such attack this year. The Afghan capital was hit by a series of suicide attacks last month as the Taliban stepped up their campaign against the Western-backed government. They coincided with renewed efforts to revive a peace process with the Islamist insurgent movement that stalled last year. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that 20 people had been killed and 29 others wounded in the bombing. In a separate statement, the NATO mission condemned the attack, which it said killed 20 police officers and wounded 25 others as well as seven Afghan civilians. "Once again, terrorists have targeted a populated area with no regard for innocent lives," said Brig. Gen. Wilson Shoffner, Resolute Support deputy chief of staff for communications. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement that said 40 police officers had been killed or wounded. The group often makes exaggerated casualty claims for its attacks. Ambulances and police vehicles rushed to the explosion site in the crowded Dehmazang district west of the city, near the Kabul traffic directorate, which is visited by those seeking driving licences and other documents. "I saw three bodies on the ground and a number of other people wounded, then ambulances arrived and took all the victims away," witness Mohammad Ajmal said. Last August, a Taliban suicide bomber killed dozens of students at a police academy in Kabul, using a similar tactic by joining a queue waiting to enter the compound. The Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP) was set up as a gendarmerie-style unit to control riots and urban disorder but have also been used in counterinsurgency roles against the Taliban. (Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Writing by James Mackenzie, Editing by Angus MacSwan) Ely, Cambridgeshire is best known for its majestic cathedral dubbed the 'Ship of the Fens' because it dominates the flat landscape. The city, which is the second smallest in England, is about 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about 80 miles by road from London. 17:55, 17 OCT 2022 Journalism/copywriting jobs in Switzerland I'm a British journalist living in Fribourg. I've been job searching for a while but am finding it very difficult to find anything. I'm a business journalist with 15 years experience but would consider pretty much any sort of journalism/writing role, really. I speak French and German, too, although I don't think I'd be able to write in those languages to newspaper level. I've got a bit of work via copywriting agencies but not enough to constitute making a living. Has anyone else tried to get work as an English speaking journalist/editor/copywriter in Switzerland? I've contacted local newspapers to offer to help with news stories sourced in English. I even contacted the Chamber of Commerce here in case they were looking for translators but no joy there, either. I often check sites such as If anyone has found writing jobs through any great sources here, I'd be really grateful if you could let me know. Many thanks! Hi everyone,I'm a British journalist living in Fribourg.I've been job searching for a while but am finding it very difficult to find anything. I'm a business journalist with 15 years experience but would consider pretty much any sort of journalism/writing role, really. I speak French and German, too, although I don't think I'd be able to write in those languages to newspaper level.I've got a bit of work via copywriting agencies but not enough to constitute making a living.Has anyone else tried to get work as an English speaking journalist/editor/copywriter in Switzerland? I've contacted local newspapers to offer to help with news stories sourced in English. I even contacted the Chamber of Commerce here in case they were looking for translators but no joy there, either.I often check sites such as www.indeed.ch and www.thelocal.ch for journalism jobs but they seem to offer almost exclusively jobs as technical/science writers (I assume for the pharma industry here) for which I am not qualified.If anyone has found writing jobs through any great sources here, I'd be really grateful if you could let me know. Many thanks! My health insurance subsidy is larger than the Visana policy! I have a Visana health insurance policy (since 1990!), and for a few years now I have the HMO option, and up to this year I have always paid some money to Visana for my insurance, - fair enough and no complaints. I get great service at a low cost. However this year my subsidy exceeds my basic compulsory health insurance policy cost, by a cool Fr 59.80 each month. (KVG HMO policy is Fr 329.20 and the canton Fribourg subsidy is Fr 389,-- ) Today I went to the town hall and reported my good fortune. The clerk was a little bemused, until she realised this will become Fr 717,60 for the year 2016. I asked her to officially stamp & photocopy my original documents, and send the copies to the canton department for investigation. (By doing this I have proof that I reported my unexpected profit, and I will hopefully be dealt with correctly). However I wonder how was it possible that somebody in government approved this high level of health insurance subsidy? I believe the subsidy is calculated by central government, and the canton only administers the subsidy. I don't think this problem is purely a canton Fribourg phenomena. When I get more news I will post it here. This may affect a few EF members, and in view of the recent news on the criminal foreigner deportation initiative Feb. 28th vote on enforced implementation of the deportation initiative I became a little concerned. In the initiative, (and it may even be the law now, I am a bit confused), if a foreigner cheats the Swiss social security system he can be deported automatically with no appeal.I have a Visana health insurance policy (since 1990!), and for a few years now I have the HMO option, and up to this year I have always paid some money to Visana for my insurance, - fair enough and no complaints. I get great service at a low cost.However this year my subsidy exceeds my basic compulsory health insurance policy cost, by a cool. (KVG HMO policy is Fr 329.20 and the canton Fribourg subsidy is Fr 389,-- )Today I went to the town hall and reported my good fortune. The clerk was a little bemused, until she realised this will become Fr 717,60 for the year 2016. I asked her to officially stamp & photocopy my original documents, and send the copies to the canton department for investigation. (By doing this I have proof that I reported my unexpected profit, and I will hopefully be dealt with correctly).However I wonder how was it possible that somebody in government approved this high level of health insurance subsidy? I believe the subsidy is calculated by central government, and the canton only administers the subsidy. I don't think this problem is purely a canton Fribourg phenomena.When I get more news I will post it here. Trumping hydrocarbon fuels and consumers By Paul Driessen Donald Trump loves to tout his poll numbers. But if he's doing so well, why does he pander to Iowa's ethanol interests? The gambit might garner a few caucus votes among corn growers and ethanol producers. It certainly brings plaudits from renewable energy lobbyists and their political enablers. But it could (and should) cost him votes in many other quarters beyond the Corn Ethanol Belt and even in Iowa. The fact is, the 14.5-billion-gallon-per-year ethanol mandate prolongs policies that are bad for consumers and the environment. And yet many presidential candidates and other politicians support it. The ethanol mandate forces refiners to blend ethanol into gasoline. It's the epitome of feel-good government programs run amok. Congress enacted the steadily expanding ethanol blending requirement to stave off the "imminent" depletion of crude oil worldwide, decrease US imports of oil whose price was "only going to increase," reduce gasoline costs for motorists, and prevent manmade climate change. We now know all these concerns were misplaced. In fact, the ethanol mandate fails every economic and environmental test. The "fracking revolution" (horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing) has unleashed a gusher of US oil and gas production. Domestic oil production in 2014 reached its highest level in 114 years, and the United States is now the world's biggest hydrocarbon producer. Global crude and American gasoline prices have plummeted. Fracking technology can be applied to shale deposits anywhere in the world, and even to conventional oil fields, ensuring that the world has at least another century of oil and natural gas supplies and ample time to develop new energy technologies that we cannot even conceive of today. Since ethanol gets a third less mileage than pure gasoline, adding ethanol to fuel actually increases fuel costs per tank, especially when crude oil fetches less than $30 per barrel and regular gasoline is under $2 per gallon in most states. For motorists driving 15,000 miles a year, $1.85-per-gallon gas means $1,200 in savings, compared to April 2012 prices. Ending the ethanol mandate would save them even more. As to climate change, numerous studies demonstrate that there is no credible evidence that manmade carbon dioxide is causing dangerous global warming. Moreover, rising CO2 emissions from China, India and other rapidly developing nations overwhelm any imaginable US reductions. The ethanol mandate has devolved into a black hole that sucks hard-earned cash from consumers' wallets, while padding the pockets of special interests and their political patrons. Poor, minority, middle class and blue-collar families are especially hard hit. Devoting 40% of America's corn crop to ethanol production has significantly increased corn prices and thus the price of all foods that utilize the grain: beef, milk, pork, chicken, eggs, farm-raised fish, and countless products that include corn syrup. The corn converted into biofuel each year could feed more than 400,000,000 malnourished people in impoverished and war-torn countries. Ethanol is corrosive and mixes easily with water, resulting in serious damage to gaskets and engines. Consumers have spent billions "degunking" and repairing cars, trucks, boats, snowmobiles, chain saws and other small engine equipment, to prevent (or in the aftermath of) fuel leaks, engine failures and even fires. Vehicle, outdoor equipment and marine engine manufacturers warn against using gasoline blends containing more than 10% ethanol. The mandate raised fuel costs nationwide by an estimated $83 billion between 2007 and 2014. In New England it is expected to cost the economy $20 billion, reduce labor income by $7.3 billion, and eliminate more than 7,000 jobs annually between 2005 and 2024. It has cost Californians $13.1 billion in higher fuel costs since 2005, and could inflict $28.8 billion in additional costs there by 2025. Corn ethanol's ecological impacts have convinced the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, Environmental Working Group (EWG) and other organizations to oppose further extensions of the mandate. More than 35,000,000 acres (an area larger than Iowa) are now devoted to growing corn for ethanol, and the EWG says the mandate encourages farmers to convert extensive wetlands and grasslands into cornfields. Growing corn, turning it into ethanol and trucking it to refineries (since it attracts water, it cannot be carried by pipeline) also requires vast amounts of water, fertilizer, pesticides, diesel fuel and natural gas. Only a tiny fraction of that acreage, water and fuel is required to produce far more energy via fracking. Contrary to Environmental Protection Agency claims that ethanol helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions, those lands released an additional 27,000,000 tons of CO2 in 2014, the EWG calculates. In fact, the group says, corn ethanol results in more carbon dioxide emissions than estimated for the Keystone XL pipeline. The United States also imports sugarcane ethanol from Brazil. The American Energy Alliance says the EPA does not account for the associated greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, EPA calls sugarcane ethanol an "advanced" fuel, even though it has been around since the 1920s. The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) set expectations for biofuel development based on aspirations, not reality. It assumed switch-grass and wood waste could be converted into advanced cellulosic fuels, but the process has proven very costly and difficult. In an effort to hide this inconvenient truth, EPA now defines even some kinds of liquefied natural gas, compressed natural gas and electricity as derived from cellulosic fuels, in an effort to meet the mandate even though none of these fuels can be blended into gasoline. It's encouraging that EPA's Inspector General wants the agency's pro-ethanol rhetoric investigated. Many consumers are rejecting ethanol-blended fuels, and sales of straight gasoline have climbed from just over 3% of total US gasoline demand in 2012 to nearly 7% in 2014. Simply put, the ethanol mandate is a disaster. When the government writes fuel recipes and meddles in the free market system, everyone loses except ethanol special interests. Texas Senator Ted Cruz is right: ethanol mandates and energy subsidies should all be terminated. Let biofuel, wind and solar power compete on their own merits, instead of being force-fed to consumers and taxpayers. However, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has made support for ethanol a litmus test for the February 1 presidential caucuses. He wants Senator Cruz defeated for opposing the ethanol mandate. The governor's stance also reflects the fact his son heads up the pro-ethanol America's Energy Future lobbying group, and ethanol interests have contributed sizable amounts to the six-term Republican governor's reelection campaigns. There's even a pro-ethanol van following Mr. Cruz around Iowa, to change recent polling results that found half of Iowa voters do not care much or at all about preserving the federal corn ethanol mandate. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump still thinks the mandate should be increased from this year's 14.5 billion gallons to the full 15 billion gallons allowed under the antiquated RFS law. Jeb Bush and Chris Christy also support ethanol coercion. While this position might be politically expedient in Iowa, its affect on voters beyond the Hawkeye State is likely negative. Mr. Trump and other candidates often say they will surround themselves with experts who know their stuff on important issues. Their pro-ethanol stance makes you wonder which wunderkinds are advising them right now. Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, by contrast, share Senator Cruz's disdain for energy mandates and subsidies. The issue is a small but important indication of what's at stake in the 2016 presidential election. Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (www.CFACT.org) and author of Eco-Imperialism: Green power - Black death. January 2016 Home The first civil right By Mark Alexander In October of 2015, Barack Obama revealed his final year's key agenda item undermining the Second Amendment on the pretense of "solving" America's "gun problem." He directly referenced confiscation of guns as the centerpiece of that agenda: "We know that other countries [which] have been able to craft laws that almost eliminate mass shootings. Great Britain, Australia, countries like ours. So we know there are ways to prevent it." Great Britain and Australia have indeed confiscated guns but with dubious results. Notably, Obama boldly insisted, "We should politicize this," and he set about to do just that with more vigor than at any time in his previous seven years. His New Year's resolution to target guns began with a highly promoted faux "town hall" meeting to launch his anti-2A agenda. Contrary to his previous prompt to "politicize" the issue, he lamented that gun control "has become one of our most polarized, partisan debates." He claimed, "The gun lobby may be holding Congress hostage right now, but they cannot hold America hostage. ... We can find the courage to cut through all the noise and do what a sensible country would do." A "sensible country" and a disarmed citizenry are mutually exclusive terms. "In Dr. King's words, we need to feel the 'fierce urgency of now,'" Obama declared, launching his latest assault on the Second Amendment and calling for another round of "common sense" executive orders to subjugate the legislative branch and the American people. The irony of invoking the words of a civil rights leader in his quest to undermine the pre-eminent civil right that of self-defense with orders in defiance of constitutional Rule of Law did not pass unnoticed. Ever the Alinskyite, Obama deceitfully insisted his incremental gun control diktats were not "the first step in some slippery slope to mass confiscation. ... This is not a plot to take away everybody's guns." I would agree only in that this was not "the first step" toward confiscation. We are well on our way down that slope. But as Edmund Burke wrote in his 18th century admonition against incremental encroachments on Liberty: "The true danger is when liberty is nibbled away, for expedience, and by parts. ... The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion." Indeed, as noted by UCLA law professor and constitutional scholar Eugene Volokh in The Washington Post, "These aren't calls for restricting supposedly narrow categories of guns that are allegedly used predominantly by criminals. These are calls for banning the sorts of guns that tens of millions of law-abiding Americans have in their homes." Curiously, a week after his town hall confab, Obama only referenced "gun violence" once in his final State of the Union address, opting instead to don the mask of a statesman. But, predictably, his aggressive gun control rhetoric recommenced the very next day. Why would Obama devote his last year to gun control when the Republican-controlled Congress has repeatedly blocked his leftist legislative efforts? A well-placed source connected to billionaire leftist Michael Bloomberg advised me that Obama cut a quid pro quo deal with Bloomberg, the gun confiscator's biggest benefactor, to keep the gun control agenda front and center. In return, Bloomberg promised to be a major funder and fundraiser for Obama's future presidential library. Though Obama and his most likely heir, Hillary Clinton, are on the same gun confiscation page, Bloomberg is now testing the waters for a third-party presidential run in the event Clinton is busy answering federal indictment charges. (Run, Mike, run!) While Obama, Bloomberg and Clinton, et al., frame their agenda as nothing more than "common-sense gun safety reform," conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg observed, "None of the proposals on [Obama's] gun-control wish list ... would help bring down the homicide rate. It's not just a tautology to note that most gun crimes are committed by criminals with guns obtained illegally." Fact is, those areas of the country historically under Democrat "leadership" have the highest crime rates. America does not have a "gun problem," but a "Democrat problem." Again, though their pretext is an appeal to sensibility and safety, they are nibbling away at the most fundamental assurance of the transfer of Liberty from this generation to the next. And they are doing so with a clear motive to disable that assurance "the right to keep and bear arms." For those of us who are "keepers of the flame," engaged first and foremost every day in the fight to preserve Liberty, this persistent encroachment is the direst threat of all. The Second Amendment's guarantee is not negotiable for what the Left claims are "common sense" infringements, ostensibly for "public safety." In fact, this most fundamental of all unalienable rights is the most sensible assurance of public safety. As Benjamin Franklin warned, "They that can give up Essential Liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Unable to win 2A concessions by way of the ballot box, leftists have resorted to the tyranny of executive and regulatory measures. These means will have to suffice until they can resort to Second Amendment alterations as decreed by the "despotic branch," Thomas Jefferson's term for an unchecked judiciary that could treat the Constitution as "a mere thing of wax ... which they may twist and shape into any form they please." The upcoming primary contests will determine the contenders for the next executive branch occupant an election hyper-critical to the composition of the Supreme Court and, by extension, the protection or potential infringement of the Second Amendment. Our next president will likely make at least three Supreme Court appointments, thereby determining the balance of the High Court for decades to come. If the Socialist Democratic Party and its Leftist cadres prevail, they will advance the so-called "living constitution," and the most fundamental assurance of Liberty will be in greater peril than at any time in American history. For the record, here is the authentic and enduring context for the Second Amendment's proscription against government infringement of "the right to keep and bear arms." The Declaration and Constitution The foundational assertion of our Declaration of Independence reads: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator [not man] with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among [not over] Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed [not the government]." The first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence refers to "the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them," which informs the "unalienable rights" as "endowed by their Creator" in the second paragraph. On the occasion of the Declaration's 50th anniversary, James Madison (our Constitution's principle author) wrote to Thomas Jefferson (our Declaration's principle author), affirming that the Constitution was subordinate to the Rights enshrined in our Declaration. Madison noted, "On the distinctive principles of the Government ... of the U. States, the best guides are to be found in ... The Declaration of Independence, as the fundamental Act of Union of these States." In other words, although the Articles of Confederation and its successor, the U.S. Constitution, were the contractual agreements binding the several states into one union E Pluribus Unum the innate Rights of Man identified in the Declaration are the overarching act of that union, and would never be negotiable by way of "collective agreement and compromise." Nor are those Rights negotiable today or tomorrow. Thus, the "innate and inalienable right" to Liberty is enshrined in our Constitution, the latter establishing Rule of Law in order to protect those rights. And the Rights of Man are only as sustainable as they are defensible. Bill of Rights Two years after the ratification of our Constitution in 1789, a Bill of Rights consisting of Ten Articles was attached to the new Constitution but only after great disagreement on whether the enumeration of these "innate and inalienable rights" was required. Alexander Hamilton aptly summed up the basis for this disagreement in Federalist No. 84: "I go further, and affirm that bills of rights, in the sense and to the extent in which they are contended for, are not only unnecessary in the proposed Constitution, but would even be dangerous. ... For why declare that things shall not be done which there is no power to do?" Indeed, when read in context, the Bill of Rights is an affirmation of inalienable rights and a clear reiteration of constraints upon the central government in regard to infringement of those rights. Nowhere does it suggest that such rights are amendable. These rights were enumerated, according to those who favored inclusion, in order to explicitly recount the rights of "the people," as noted in the Bill of Rights Preamble: "The Conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added..." In other words, our Founders argued that they enumerated both "declaratory and restrictive clauses" in order to "prevent misconstruction or abuse of [central government] powers" that would infringe on the inherent rights of the people. Article Two, The Second Amendment "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Article Two of our Constitution's Bill of Rights. In context, "a well regulated Militia" refers to "the People," as defined by the Virginia Declaration of Rights (June 12, 1776) Article XIII, which refers to "a well regulated militia" as "the body of the people." Our Founders believed "that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided as dangerous to liberty" because those armies could empower the central government to overthrow the Liberties of the Republic. Thus, an armed populace ensured a check against such usurpation. As Madison wrote, "The ultimate authority ... resides in the people alone. [T]he advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation ... forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any..." Those words ring truer today than ever and it is precisely that "barrier against the enterprises of ambition" that leftists would most like to demolish. History is replete with tragic examples of what happens when that "barrier against the enterprises of ambition" is not there. Tyrants have risen and tens of millions have perished as a direct result. The Second Amendment's assurance of the right, nay, the responsibility to keep and bear firearms, empowers our ability "to Support and Defend" our Constitution against the usurpation of Rule of Law from "enemies, domestic and abroad." For that reason, any discussion about the Rights of Man is nothing more than hypothetical unless it includes the ability to defend those rights which is why our advocacy for the Second Amendment is utterly inseparable from our advocacy of Liberty. Justice Joseph Story, appointed to the Supreme Court by James Madison, wrote in his "Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States" (1833), "The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of the republic; since it offers a strong moral check against usurpation and arbitrary power of the rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them." While many Americans choose not to be gun owners, they are dangerously misinformed if they do not understand that their rights are assured by those of us who shoulder this obligation. Let me reiterate: The Second Amendment is not a "negotiable right." Mark Alexander is the executive editor of the Patriot Post. The Thousand Year Peace: Chapter Fourteen: The New World Order House of Cards: Part Two By Michael Moriarty Why have I so discarded the seemingly obvious alternative for President Barack Hussein Obama? That he simply accept the two term limit and gracefully leave the White House when his last term is up. Why am I so sure he won't do that? Because I know for certain such a grasp for sanity was never in his original game plan. His original game plan, co-designed by the Enlightened Despots of the United Nations, meant not only Martial Law but the occupation of America by the foreign forces of Red China, Iran and the United Nations. The backlash of Americans, particularly those that prefer either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz as the Republican Nominee, insures not only the increasingly probable prosecution of the Democrat Nominee, Hillary Clinton, for the criminal mishandling of top secret files as Secretary of State; it locks in the treasonous subplot that has hung around the Benghazi Tragedy and clearly implicates Barack Hussein Obama himself. Add all that to the growing list of unconstitutional "Executive Orders"? As a retired President and mere citizen of the United States, Obama has no hope of out-running or out-living any statute of limitations that might apply to his repeated betrayals of the United States of America. Not even inheriting roles he appears to have planned on in his criminal package and plotting with the United Nations, Barack Obama as either Secretary General of the UN or as a Justice of the Supreme Court, can save him from justice. Would that protect him from America prosecuting Barack Hussein Obama for treason?! I doubt it. He and his "advisers" know that. He and those "advisers" are now "all in" on having President Obama declare Martial Law, inviting U.N. troops comprised of Red Chinese, Iranians and a whole other assortment of New World Order, armed combatants to subdue the American population. Are what is left of loyal Americans in the government and military? Are there enough of them to stop this plot before it's too late? Not without a demand for impeachment by Congress. What has been preventing that? The decades-old History of The American Conspiracy to create a New World Order. Leading into the Third Millennium, America was conspiratorially controlled by two families, both of whom were committed to creating The Progressive New World Order: the Bushes and the Clintons. Here was the first, public announcement of their plan. "When we are successful and we will be" The whole idea which demands the end of American sovereignty, something which the United Nations has sought ever since its creation, is not only treason but by now, decades after its first public announcement, has clearly passed the "point of no return". At no time in the entre history of North America, has the whole North American Continent, both Canada and the United Nations, been under two such blatantly pro-Islamic, anti-Israel, Far Left-Wing compatriots as President Barack Hussein Obama of America and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada. With the backlash of Americans against the direction that Obama has taken the United States in the last seven years? With refreshingly anti-Bush, anti-Establishment candidates such as Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in the Republican lead? The well-established, Red Islamic, Communist Muslim Movement against all democracies or whatever remains of them? America's traitors have no better opportunity to take control of The Entire Free World than now. Such North American leadership loyalties to a tyrannical, Marxist/Muslim vision, so committed to by both Obama and Trudeau, cannot, without the institution of Martial Law and the crushing of all resistance now such a treasonous opportunity for the Left's so-called "Complete and Victorious Revolution" can never and will never come again. With the American-Irish Republican Army's Joan of Arc, Megyn Kelly utterly discombobulating Donald Trump's original game plan as a Republican, most American eyes are on the coming election. While, at the same time, the by-now, highly Islamified New World Order, swiftly tipping the power-game to Middle Eastern trouble-makers such as Iran, that game plan's ostensible leader, Barack Obama, is being advised by the likes of Valarie Jarrett. Is Valerie Jarrett a Muslim? Apparently not. Is she a Communist? Her family has had major connections to Communism. The cold-blooded killing of Robert LaVoy Finicum? The deliberateness of the execution marks a whole new chapter in the increasingly homicidal relationship that the Obama government is instituting with the American people. I believe the "okay" to execute at least one of the protestors is the government's "test" of what the American reaction will be. So far, it is difficult to determine the depth of outrage and/or grave concern that the American people feel about the death of Finicum. I personally think, unless there's another killing of one of the remaining protestors, that Finicum's death will be forgotten in the growing drama of the 2016 elections. Exactly as The New World Order has planned it. Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@yahoo.com. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/@MGMoriarty. Home Is Trump the First "European-conservative" American presidential candidate? By Selwyn Duke Ever since Donald Trump's rise to 2016-contender prominence, the rap on him, and perhaps part of his broad appeal, has been that he's not a conservative. And he's not he's a nationalistic populist. Yet there's another way to understand The Donald's professed politics: as that of the first prominent "European-conservative" American presidential candidate. He's not so much America's next Ronald Reagan or Barry Goldwater, but her first Marine Le Pen. A prerequisite for grasping this is understanding the true natures of liberalism and conservatism. While many have their own definitions of the latter and will stubbornly insist they're correct the truth is that both political terms are provisional, meaning different things in different times and places. The term "conservative" in the 1970s referred to a communist in the USSR and someone staunchly anti-communist in the US; and a European conservative today, such as Britain's David Cameron, is well to the "left" of our conservatives. Many other examples could be provided, but the point is this: liberalism and conservatism are not ideologies as much processes. Liberalism is the process of inexorably trying to change the status quo; conservatism is the process of trying to preserve the status quo. Thus, the actual positions the terms are seen as representing will vary depending on the status quo in question. And when analyzing the Trump phenomenon, it's clear that it's roughly the same one evident in much of the West, the one fueling the fortunes of Le Pen in France, the Netherlands' Geert Wilders (who has endorsed Trump), Britain's Nigel Farage and Sweden's Jimmie Akesson. He also bears much in common with those figures. Consider the qualities these European politicians share: they're socially quite liberal. Their views on abortion range from indifference to tolerance to mild skepticism, on faux marriage they range from mild opposition to acceptance. In general, they say as little about these matters as they can and are willing to play to their audience. But then there's their real passion, about which they generally seem sincere: nationalism, limiting im/migration, fighting Muslim terrorism and stopping Islamization. Sound at all familiar? It's also common (though not universal) among such figures to talk about preserving their nation's "Christian heritage." Now, it's unimaginable that Le Pen and Wilders spend much time at an altar rail, and were Christian piety the order of the day in Western Europe, it would be easy to see them taking up the cudgels for secularism. But with already sclerotic Christian culture further threatened by a confluence of secularization and Islamization and with Muslim chauvinists providing stark reminders of a very unappealing alternative they're inspired to become Crusaders protecting their nation's Christian veneer. Likewise, Trump cannot be mistaken for a desert mystic; he stated last summer that he never sought forgiveness from God (doing so is a Christian tenet), and hasn't demonstrated much acquaintance with the faith. Yet he has also said he's proud to be a Presbyterian, sometimes attends church and has bemoaned how Christianity is under attack in America. And whether you believe this is piety or posturing, for certain is this: it's no surprise coming from an apparent nationalist. For being so means defending your nation's culture, as it is, which in the West includes superficial Christianity. It means wanting to see church steeples and not minarets, crosses and not the star and crescent, and to hear church bells and not the Adhan even if you talk more about the Easter Bunny than Jesus. So what accounts for the popularity in the U.S. of a "European conservative"? The same things accounting for it in across the pond. First, like Western Europe, we're beset by a political establishment that encourages a culture-rending invasion by unassimilable peoples. And it's just as with a "hot" invasion: all other problems are put on the back burner when barbarians are at the gate. Have you ever seen a guy wringing his hands about his daughter's sleazy boyfriend while home invaders are busting down his door? This helps explain why Trump is attracting support from groups most wouldn't expect, such as evangelicals. Some find it inexplicable, but I think these believers' attitude was reflected well by a devout Catholic man I know a truly faithful fellow who said some years back that he considered immigration an even bigger issue than abortion. His point was that all else is for naught if you're subjected to demographic genocide and lose your nation. Then there's the second reason a European conservative would play well today: the US is becoming more like Europe. A not widely understood phenomenon is that the positions we generally associate with traditional American "conservatism" correlate with Christian belief. This is why church attendance is one of the best predictors of voting habits. Consider: in socialistic Western Europe, more than 50 percent of the population identifies as "irreligious." Not surprisingly, this reaches a Richard Dawkins Award high in what's perhaps the world's most "liberal" country, Sweden, where 76 percent of the citizenry identifies as "not religious" or "atheist" (and how many of the rest are Muslim?). And in once-Marxist, now-fascist China, 90 percent thus label themselves. The US isn't yet that far gone, but we're on the same road. According to Pew Research Center, Americans identifying as Christian declined from 78.4 percent to 70.6 percent of the population in just 7 years (2007 to 2014), and the religiously "unaffiliated" now account for almost a quarter of our nation. This just reflects the increasingly secular nature of succeeding generations: Among those born 1928 through 1945, 85 percent identify as Christian. But there is a steady degeneration of the generations, with only 56 percent of "Younger Millennials" (born 90 through '96) labeling themselves so. Yet even this paints too optimistic a picture. As this must-read Barna Group research company study found in 2002 already, only 22 percent of adults believed in Absolute Moral Truth while 64 percent said matters were "always relative to the person and their [sic] situation." And they were practically the "wise elders": 83 percent of the teenagers subscribed to relativism which is the antithesis of Christian belief and only 6 percent believed in Truth. And as Barna head George Barna put it, "[T]he alarmingly fast decline of moral foundations among our young people has culminated in a one-word worldview: 'whatever.' The result is a mentality that esteems pluralism, relativism, tolerance, and diversity without critical reflection of the implications of particular views and actions." Put simply and as I've explained many times, the notion that there is no Truth means that, in essence, there are no moral rules governing man. It is then that everything boils down to occultist Aleister Crowley's maxim, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." Thus does lacking the yardstick of Truth lead to, as Barna also found, people making decisions based on what "feels right." And now we see the rise of relativistic moderns to whom nationalism and their own culture feel right, which is certainly preferable to the dominance of relativistic moderns to whom internationalism and multiculturalism feel right. Absent acquaintance with and adherence to Truth, however, a civilization will always descend into some kind of lie. So the most we can perhaps hope for is that, to quote Yogi Berra, we won't one day have to say, "I think I made the wrong mistake." Contact Selwyn Duke, follow him on Twitter or log on to SelwynDuke.com. Home HSBCs Internet banking services were made unavailable for several hours on January 29, 2016 as the banks system came under a DDoS attack, BBC News reports. We are working hard to restore services after HSBC internet banking came under a denial of service attack on Friday 29 January, which affected personal banking websites in the UK, the bank said in a statement. HSBC has successfully defended against the attack, and your transactions were not affected. As the BBC notes, the attack was launched not only on payday for many customers, but also two days before the deadline for self-assessment tax returns to be submitted in the U.K. Where taxpayers need information from their HSBC account, and they are currently unable to access this they can include an estimate in their return in order to file by 31 January, a spokesman for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) told the BBC. They have 12 months from the date they file to amend this with the correct information. Lieberman Software vice president Jonathan Sander told eSecurity Planet by email that its hard to know at this point how concerned to be about the potential impact of the attack. Often DDoS attacks like this are a distraction technique; bad guys hit you hard on the left so youre too busy to see them sneak in on the right, he said. DDoS attacks where bad guys flood your website with so much work they fold under the pressure arent even strictly a security issue on their own. Unless the DDoS is part of a recipe to steal stuff, its a nuisance that is more about someone flexing their muscles than doing damage. Still, Dave Martin, security expert and director at NSFOCUS IB, said the disruption to online services can be as damaging as a breach. Damage to brand, loss of revenue and loss of customers due to service disruption often make up the majority of costs when measuring the financial impact of DDoS attacks, he said. The costs and technical barriers to execute a DDoS attack continue to decline. And unfortunately, this trend shows no signs of slowing. AlienVault senior vice president Richard Kirk said the attack should serve as a reminder that its time for cyber security risk to become a regular board-level discussion. I wonder if the HSBC board, or any bank for that matter, regularly discusses how it should approach preparing and responding to cyber attacks and the growing risk to the business, he said. Imperva recently released its Global DDoS Threat Landscape report for Q4 2015, which found a 25.3 percent increase over the previous quarter in the frequency of network layer attacks. U.S.-based websites were the target of 47.6 of all DDoS attacks in Q4 2015, followed by the U.K. at 23.2 percent. Most notably, the second half of 2015 saw a surge in the use of DDoS-for-hire services, Imperva senior digital strategist Igal Zeifman wrote in a blog post examining the findings. These services let anyone having a PayPal account launch DDoS attacks of medium-to-high volume lasting between 30 and 60 minutes. DDoS-for-hire has been around for a while, Zeifman added. However, increased availability of these tools, coupled with media attention and lackluster regulation, recently put this segment on an accelerated growth path. This has led to a surge in the number of DDoS attacks. Recent eSecurity Planet articles have looked at the use of DDoS attacks to distract IT staff, and examined the financial impact of DDoS attacks. Today, the ESRF Visitor Centre is buzzing once again with high school students from the first of 27 classes that will spend a day at the ESRF for hands-on science as part of the Synchrotron@School 2016 outreach programme. Following the success of the two previous years, the ESRF is maintaining its outreach programme in partnership with the French "Academie de Grenoble". Synchrotron@School offers French high-school students a day of hands-on science and visits of the ESRF's beamlines and infrastructure. It is geared to show young people, male and female alike, the diversity of science careers in world-class research facilities like the ESRF. For the current school year, 27 schools have been selected to follow the programme. Although the majority of schools are located in the Grenoble academy catchment area, this year six classes will be coming from further afield: the programme has been adapted in English to cater for foreign students from Germany, Turkey and the UK. Aged between 16-18, the students are at a crucial stage in their orientation. The ESRF hopes that by offering these students practical insight into the variety of careers available and the rich and diverse work environment inherent to an international research infrastructure like the ESRF, some of the stereotypes can be overturned and students may be swayed towards a future in science. Today it was the turn of students from the Lycee Pravaz in Pont de Beauvoisin, situated about 50 kms from the ESRF. For one group of students, the day at the ESRF was a constructive change from a normal day at the Lycee. "It taught us how to do real experiments, less theoretical to those in the classroom. The problems were real issues encountered in normal life and not just textbook problems." The Synchrotron@School programme is part of a wider scheme of science teaching that spans the whole school year and aims to encourage students to pursue higher education and to accompany them in their orientation and professional project. A second aim is to help them become responsible citizens open to the world. As explained by Laetitia Faure Vergnolle, physics and chemistry teacher at the Lycee Pravaz, the students benefit from several outings including visits to the ESRF, CERN, Grenoble MINATEC and the LAPP (Particle Physics Laboratory) in Annecy. The scheme also includes a cycle of conferences by scientists on their topics of research. Text by Kirstin Colvin Thinking and ranting out loud - my own thoughts and comments written whenever the mood takes me. Nothing is safe, Chop Chop! Blog title from a song by Pink Floyd. Why are things so small, so significant? A new video series created by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NBC Learn, the educational arm of NBCUniversal News, sheds light on this question. "Nanotechnology: Super Small Science" is a six-part series and shows viewers how atoms and molecules that are thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair can be used as building blocks to create future technology. The series features a dozen world class American researchers, including quantum physicist and National Medal of Science winner Paul Alivisatos. "Today we are learning to rearrange the basic atomic and molecular building blocks -- foundational technology for understanding nature and creating things that were not possible before," said Mihail Roco, senior adviser of science and engineering at NSF and a key architect of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). "These videos, produced while nanoscience is still in formation with so much potential, tell stories that will inspire younger generations and future results." Narrated by NBC News and MSNBC anchor Kate Snow, "Nanotechnology: Super Small Science" will be available through NBC affiliate stations and can also be seen for free online at NBCLearn.com, NSF.gov and Science360.gov. "We're proud to launch an original series that shows viewers how scientists and engineers manipulate material only billionths of a meter in size, and the powerful impact that can have on the world around them," said Soraya Gage, vice president and general manager of NBC Learn. "Through our partnership with the National Science Foundation, we're using our digital platform and journalistic expertise to explore how nanotechnology advances innovation in fields such as medicine, energy and electronics." "For 15 years, more discoveries have come from Nanotechnology than any other field of science and engineering. Now its discoveries are penetrating all aspects of society -- new industries, medicine, agriculture and the management of natural resources," added Roco. In the videos, viewers learn how scientists use nanotechnology to capture energy from the sun, increase the power of smaller microchips and computers, build structures that are lightweight and resilient and much more: Nanotechnology: Harnessing the Nanoscale - Why is something only billionths of a meter in size so important? Dawn Bonnell at the University of Pennsylvania shows how the ability to control and manipulate material at this extremely small scale is having a big impact around the world in medicine, energy and electronics. Nanotechnology: A Powerful Solution - Paul Alivisatos' team at the University of California, Berkeley, is working to develop a new type of solar cell using nano-sized crystals called quantum dots. Quantum dots are already helping to produce brighter, more vivid color in displays. The ability of solar cells to efficiently process energy in the form of light also makes them an ideal solution to our energy problems. Nanotechnology: Nanoelectronics - You may have nanotechnology in your pocket and not even know it. Today's smartphones are much smaller than computers of the past and yet significantly more powerful, thanks to nanotechnology. Tom Theis with the Semiconductor Research Corporation and IBM, and Ana Claudia Arias at the University of California, Berkeley, explain how nanotechnology has already changed our lives and the exciting possibilities for the future. Nanotechnology at the Surface - How could something only billionths of a meter thick defend against water, dirt, wear and even bacteria? Working at the nanoscale, scientists and engineers, like Jay Guo of the University of Michigan, are creating protective nanoscale coatings and layers. These surfaces have applications in energy, electronics, medicine and could even be used to make a plane invisible. Nanotechnology: Nanoarchitech - Caltech's Julia Greer is proving that using big and heavy materials is not the only way to build strong, robust structures. Beginning at the nanoscale, her group is constructing materials that are more than 99 percent air yet strong and resilient. These new materials are breaking the rules by behaving in very unexpected ways. Nanotechnology: Nano-Enabled Sensors and Nanoparticles - Some of the biggest advances in medical technology may soon come from devices built on the nanoscale. Donglei Fan with the University of Texas at Austin and Paula Hammond with Massachusetts Institute of Technology discuss how their use of nanotechnology may one day sense, diagnose and even treat cancer. "We want to spread the excitement of the nano world -- especially to the younger generation -- for they will start to realize its extraordinary potential," said Roco. ### A major new 3.5 million research initiative led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) will aim to improve understanding of a fundamental part of communication in humans. Over four years, 13 different projects will explore deictic communication, which forms the crucial connection between language and objects and locations in the world. It allows speakers to direct attention to particular parts of the spatial world, for example 'this mobile phone' or 'that set of keys'. Deictic communication is critical to understanding human to human interaction, and human to system interaction in a range of technology applications - from mobile phones to intelligent robots - and to the enhancement of clinical and educational interventions, for example for stroke patients and those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The programme, called DComm, will see UEA work with 11 European partner organisations, including Plymouth University in the UK, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and industry experts such as motion capture specialists Qualisys, based in Sweden, and automation company Telerobotlabs, in Italy. Support will also come from organisations specializing in software and technology development, architecture and brain rehabilitation. Funding comes from the European Union via Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions (MSCA), which supports research training and career development. As a European Training Network, the programme will train the next generation of scientists in methods necessary to make significant progress in understanding deictic communication. The research and training will be structured around two themes - understanding deictic communication and deictic communication in application. Prof Kenny Coventry, Head of the School of Psychology at UEA and DComm coordinator, said: "Communication involves a combination of language and gestures that act together. Deictic communication is critical to understanding not only how communication develops typically in a range of spoken and signed languages, but also when communication can potentially break down in a range of clinical and atypically developing populations, from stroke patients to those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. "Understanding deictic communication is also essential to develop robots with better communication skills, and to understand how people can most effectively interact when communicating with each other about the spatial world, for example, in architectural design or through mobile phones and other technology applications. DComm will train researchers in both the basic science of deictic communication and in application, with a broad range of potential beneficiaries in both the private and public sectors." Prof Coventry added: "UEA is delighted to be leading this interdisciplinary training network that brings together an exciting mix of leading scientists and industrial partners to understand deictic communication both conceptually and in application." Two of the 13 projects are being led by UEA. One will explore deictic communication in development and how children learn to direct attention using language and gesture. The other will investigate deictic communication in stroke patients with visual neglect, the most severe and common visual processing problem observed after stroke. Visual neglect is characterised by a loss of awareness of the side of space opposite to the side of the stroke. Although patients are not blind to that side of space, they do not perceive or attend to it. Other projects will focus on: deictic language and gestures in developmental deficits; deictic communication in sign languages; applications in robot language learning; deictic communication and mobile phones; improved motion capture methodology and tools in linguistic research; iCub robot hand redesign for gestural and deictic interaction; and deictic communication in architectural and urban design. DComm starts this month with the recruitment of early stage researchers for the 13 projects. The project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 676063. ### 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 . 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." ### 1. Experts offer advice for preventing spread of Zika virus in the West Abstract: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M16-0150 URL goes live when the embargo lifts In an article published in Annals of Internal Medicine, experts offer advice for preventing the spread of Zika virus in the West. Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness that causes fever and flu-like symptoms, has been rapidly emerging in the Western Hemisphere over the past few months. Since Aedes mosquitoes (a genus found on all continents except Antarctica) are carriers for Zika as well as chikungunya and dengue fever, clinicians should consider these viruses as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with fever, rash, arthralgia, and myalgia after travel to Central and South America and the Caribbean. Patients, especially those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, are advised to protect themselves against mosquitoes. Pregnant women should practice meticulous mosquito avoidance using repellents containing DEET, picaridin, or IR3535 - all of which have been deemed safe for this population. If possible, pregnant women should avoid travel to areas that are reporting outbreaks of Zika virus, as Zika is associated with microcephaly, a birth defect causing low birth weight, small heads, and lasting developmental problems. Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Cara Graeff. To interview the lead author, Dr. Lin H. Chen, please contact Michael O'Connell at moconnel@mah.harvard.edu. 2. Do patients need an annual physical? Annals of Internal Medicine and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center go "Beyond the Guidelines" to discuss differing opinions on periodic health exams Abstract: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-2885 URL goes live when the embargo lifts What are the benefits and harms of periodic health exams and who should have one? Two experts debate these questions in a multicomponent educational article being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Periodic health exams, known as the annual physical when they occur yearly, are routine visits with physicians to discover asymptomatic illness and provide preventive care. These visits are valued by patients and are one of the most common reasons for patients to visit a physician. While some private insurance plans cover annual exams, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation and the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) have identified annual physicals as an example of low value care, or a practice that physicians and patients should question, as part of the Choosing Wisely campaign. In a new 'Beyond the Guidelines' feature, experts from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School present opposing viewpoints for and against the annual physical. All 'Beyond the Guidelines' papers are based on the Department of Medicine Grand Rounds at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and include print, video, and educational components. A list of topics is available at http://www.annals.org/grandrounds. Note: The URLs, including video link, will be live when the embargo lifts. For an embargoed PDF, please contact Cara Graeff. To interview the lead author, please contact Lizzie Williamson at erwillia@bidmc.harvard.edu or 617-632-8217. 3. ACIP Releases its Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule for 2016 Group recommends major changes to HPV, pneumococcal, and meningococcal vaccines Abstract: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-3005 URL goes live when embargo lifts The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) released its 2016 Recommended Immunization Schedule for adults with major changes to the human papillomavirus (HPV), pneumococcal, and meningococcal (MenB) vaccines. The schedule is published in Annals of Internal Medicine along with two easy-to-reference charts showing recommended vaccines by age and by medical condition. For 2016, the nine-valent HPV vaccine (9vHPV) was added to the adult immunization schedule. The vaccine can be used for routine vaccination against HPV as one of three HPV vaccines recommended for females and one of two HPV vaccines recommended for males. The vaccine interval for 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) followed by 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) has changed from "6 to 12 months" to "at least 1 year" for immunocompetent adults aged 65 and older. Adults aged 19 years or older with anatomical or functional asplenia, cerebrospinal fluid leak, or cochlear implant or who are immunocompromised should receive PPSV23 at least 8 weeks after PCV13. And finally, the MenB vaccine series should be administered to all persons aged 10 and older who are at increased risk for serogroup B meningococcal disease. The complete schedule, including footnote changes, is being simultaneously published in Annals of Internal Medicine and on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site. The CDC's ACIP is comprised of the American College of Physicians and 16 other medical societies representing various medical practice areas. Each year, the ACIP reviews the CDC's Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule to ensure the schedule reflects current clinical recommendations for licensed vaccines. The recommendations are intended to guide physicians and other clinicians about the appropriate vaccines for their adult patients. Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Cara Graeff. To interview ACP's representative to ACIP, please contact Dr. Sandra Fryhofer directly at sandra@drsandrafryhofer.com. 4. HIV vaccines produce significant immune response in randomized trial Abstract: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-0880 URLs go live when embargo lifts According to a randomized trial published in Annals of Internal Medicine, two novel vaccines for the prevention of HIV-1 produced significant immune response in healthy adults without HIV infection. The development of a vaccine to prevent HIV infection is a global health priority. To date, four vaccine strategies have been assessed for possible efficacy and only one has shown modest and short-lived efficacy. A significant challenge is how to elicit robust and durable anti-HIV-1 immune response. To assess a novel HIV vaccine platform, researchers randomly assigned healthy adults without HIV infection to one of two interventions: a vaccine consisting of adenovirus serotype 26 with an HIV-1 envelope A insert (Ad26) or adenovirus serotype 35 with an HIV-1 envelope A insert (Ad35). Both were administered at a dose of 5 x 1010 viral particles in homologous and heterologous combinations. The researchers found that all vaccine regimens were well-tolerated and elicited both humoral and cellular immune responses. Both heterologous and homologous regimens significantly increased humoral Env responses, suggesting that a vaccine that inserts an HIV-1 envelope protein into a common adenovirus is a promising vaccine strategy for HIV-1 prevention. Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Cara Graeff. To interview the lead author, Dr. Lindsey Baden, please contact Haley Bridger at hbridger@partners.org or 617-525-6383. 5. Essay suggests 21st century docs can learn something about patient care from veterinarians Abstract: http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-1975 URLs go live when embargo lifts A first-person "On Being a Patient" essay published in Annals of Internal Medicine follows a patient through a perfect doctor visit, from the waiting room through the call the morning after. Could physicians learn something from how veterinarians treat their insured and uninsured patients alike? Lois Snyder Sulmasy, JD of the American College of Physicians pens an amusing and thought-provoking essay. Note: For an embargoed PDF or an interview with the author, please contact Cara Graeff. ### Also in this issue: Drowning in a Sea of Paperwork: Toward a More Patient-Centered Billing System in the United States Hannah Semigran, BA; Ateev Mehrotra, MD, MPH, MS; and Ann Hwang, MD, MPhil Ideas and Opinions http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-2283 Comparative Effect of Contrast Media Type on the Incidence of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis John Eng, MD; Renee F. Wilson, MS; Rathan M. Subramaniam, MD, PhD, MPH; Allen Zhang, BS; Catalina Suarez- Cuervo, MD; Sharon Turban, MD, MHS; Michael J. Choi, MD; Cheryl Sherrod, MD, MPH; Susan Hutfless, PhD; Emmanuel E. Iyoha, MBChB, MPH; Eric B. Bass, MD, MPH Review http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-1402 Effectiveness of Prevention Strategies for Contrast-Induced Nephropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Rathan M. Subramaniam, MD, PhD, MPH; Catalina Suarez-Cuervo, MD; Renee F. Wilson, MS; Sharon Turban, MD, MHS; Allen Zhang, BS; Cheryl Sherrod, MD, MPH; Jonathan Aboagye, MD, MPH; John Eng, MD; Michael J. Choi, MD; Susan Hutfless, PhD; and Eric B. Bass, MD, MPH Review http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-1456 Medical Assistant-Based Care Management for High-Risk Patients in Small Primary Care Practices: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial Tobias Freund, MD; Frank Peters-Klimm, MD; Cynthia M. Boyd, MD; Cornelia Mahler, MA; Jochen Gensichen, MD; Antje Erler, MD; Martin Beyer, MA; Matthias Gondan, PhD; Justine Rochon, MSc; Ferdinand M. Gerlach, MD; and Joachim Szecsenyi, MD http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M14-2403 Stop Predatory Publishers Now: Act Collaboratively David Moher, PhD, and Ester Moher, PhD Ideas and Opinions http://www.annals.org/article.aspx?doi=10.7326/M15-3015 The mechanisms underlying the stability and plasticity of neural circuits in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for spatial memory and the memory of everyday facts and events, has been a major focus of study in the field of neuroscience. Understanding precisely how a "healthy" brain stores and processes information is crucial to preventing and reversing the memory failures associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of late-life dementia. Hyperactivity of the hippocampus is known to be associated with conditions that confer risk for AD, including amnestic mild cognitive impairment. A new Tel Aviv University study finds that the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R), the "master" lifespan regulator, plays a vital role in directly regulating the transfer and processing of information in hippocampal neural circuits. The research reveals IGF-1R as a differential regulator of two different modes of transmission -- spontaneous and evoked -- in hippocampal circuits of the brain. The researchers hope their findings can be used to indicate a new direction for therapy used to treat patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. The study was led by Dr. Inna Slutsky of TAU's Sagol School of Neuroscience and Sackler School of Medicine and conducted by doctoral student Neta Gazit. It was recently published in the journal Neuron. "People who are at risk for AD show hyperactivity of the hippocampus, and our results suggest that IGF-1R activity may be an important contributor to this abnormality," Dr. Slutsky concluded. Resolving a controversy "We know that IGF-1R signaling controls growth, development and lifespan, but its role in AD has remained controversial," said Dr. Slutsky. "To resolve this controversy, we had to understand how IGF-1R functions physiologically in synaptic transfer and plasticity." Using brain cultures and slices, the researchers developed an integrated approach characterizing the brain system on different scales -- from the level of protein interactions to the level of single synapses, neuronal connections and the entire hippocampal network. The team sought to address two important questions: whether IGF-1Rs are active in synapses and transduce signalling at rest, and how they affect synaptic function. "We used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to estimate the receptor activation at the single-synapse level," said Dr. Slutsky. "We found IGF-1Rs to be fully activated under resting conditions, modulating release of neurotransmitters from synapses." While acute application of IGF-1 hormone was found to be ineffective, the introduction of various IGF-1R blockers produced robust dual effects -- namely, the inhibition of a neurotransmitter release evoked by spikes, electrical pulses in the brain, while enhancement of spontaneous neurotransmitter release. A test for Alzheimer's? "When we modified the level of IGF-1R expression, synaptic transmission and plasticity were altered at hippocampal synapses, and an increase in the IGF-1R expression caused an augmented release of glutamate, enhancing the activity of hippocampal neurons," said Gazit. "We suggest that IGF-1R small inhibitors, which are currently under development for cancer, be tested for reduction aberrant brain activity at early stages of Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Slutsky. The researchers are currently planning to study how IGF-1R signaling controls the stability of neural circuits over an extended timescale. ### Dr. Irena Vertkin, Dr. Ilana Shapira, Edden Slomowitz, Maayan Sheiba and Yael Mor of Dr. Slutsky's lab at TAU, and Martin Helm and Prof. Silvio Rizzoli of the University of Gottingen in Germany, contributed to this research. Tel Aviv University (TAU) is inherently linked to the cultural, scientific and entrepreneurial mecca it represents. It is one of the world's most dynamic research centers and Israel's most distinguished learning environment. Its unique-in-Israel multidisciplinary environment is highly coveted by young researchers and scholars returning to Israel from post-docs and junior faculty positions in the US. American Friends of Tel Aviv University (AFTAU) enthusiastically and industriously pursues the advancement of TAU in the US, raising money, awareness and influence through international alliances that are vital to the future of this already impressive institution. Pneumonia and influenza are among the leading causes of death in older adults, yet too few older people receive immunizations against these illnesses. In a first-of-its-kind study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers calculated that infectious diseases account for 13.5 percent of emergency room (ER) visits involving older adults--a higher percentage than ER visits for heart attacks and congestive heart failure combined. Infectious diseases are those that can be passed from person-to-person and caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites. In their study, researchers examined claims data involving some 134 million ER visits and focused on those made by adults aged 65 and older. Here's what they learned: Lower respiratory tract infections, such as pneumonia, account for 26 percent of all ER visits for infectious diseases. They also accounted for 15 percent of the infectious disease-related deaths during ER visits and hospitalizations. Pneumonia alone accounts for 17.5 percent of ER visits. Septicemia, a serious blood infection, accounted for 32 percent of infectious disease-related hospitalizations and 75 percent of infectious disease-related deaths during ER visits and hospitalizations. People age 85 and older have the highest rate of ER visits for infectious diseases. The data the researchers examined included more than 3 million ER visits related to infectious diseases. The researchers reported that 57 percent of those visits resulted in hospitalizations; for people aged 85 and older, the rate of hospitalizations was even higher at 66.5 percent. While infectious disease-related issues are serious, the researchers remain cautiously optimistic that some infectious disease-related ER visits and hospitalizations can be prevented. For example, they noted that roughly 40 percent of older adults do not receive the pneumococcal vaccine, which helps prevent pneumonia, and about one-third of older adults do not receive the influenza vaccine, another tool that can help prevent unnecessary health risks associated with the flu. ### This summary is from "Infectious Disease-related Emergency Department Visits Among the Elderly in the United States, 2011-2012." It appears online ahead of print in the January 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study authors are Tadahiro Goto, MD; Kazuki Yoshida, MD, MPH; Yusuke Tsugawa, MD, MPH; Carlos A. Camargo, Jr. MD, DrPH; Kohei Hasegawa, MD, MPH. About the Health in Aging Foundation This research summary was developed as a public education tool by the Health in Aging Foundation. The Foundation is a national non-profit established in 1999 by the American Geriatrics Society to bring the knowledge and expertise of geriatrics healthcare professionals to the public. We are committed to ensuring that people are empowered to advocate for high-quality care by providing them with trustworthy information and reliable resources. Last year, we reached nearly 1 million people with our resources through HealthinAging.org. We also help nurture current and future geriatrics leaders by supporting opportunities to attend educational events and increase exposure to principles of excellence on caring for older adults. For more information or to support the Foundation's work, visit http://www.HealthinAgingFoundation.org. BOSTON - A researcher at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) warns that Zika virus could spread quickly to and potentially within the US. The mosquito-borne virus, which is believed to cause microcephaly in infants who are exposed in utero, causes rash and flu-like symptoms in adults and children who have been infected. Zika virus dates back to 1947; however, the first well-documented outbreak in humans was not reported until 2007. An outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013 was responsible for 19,000 suspected cases, and since October 2015, nearly 4,000 cases of Zika virus-related microcephaly have been reported in Brazil. Microcephaly is abnormal smallness of the head, a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development and a range of neurological complications. The findings are published online in advance of print in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Zika virus has been rapidly emerging in the Western Hemisphere in the last few months, and as of Jan. 22, 2016, there were 20 countries and territories in the Americas with Zika virus in circulation. Currently, it can be found in Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico, and transmission has occurred in travelers to these areas returning to non-endemic countries including the US, Canada, Japan, Western Europe, and Israel. "At this time, we believe that Zika virus is primarily transmitted via infected mosquitoes, and therefore people living in or traveling to impacted areas are strongly encouraged to protect themselves against mosquitoes by using an effective insect repellent (containing DEET or picaridin)," said senior author Davidson Hamer, MD, director of the Travel Clinic at BMC, and professor of global health and medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine. "However, there is some evidence to suggest that Zika virus could be transmitted via blood transfusion and sexual activity, so researchers are trying to determine if these are meaningful pathways to transmission." There is also evidence of mother-to-child transmission, which appears to be responsible for the surge in cases of microcephaly being seen in Brazil. Hamer and his co-author, Lin Chen, MD, of the Mt. Auburn Hospital Travel Clinic, say there is substantial risk of introduction of the Zika virus in the US given the presence of the mosquito species that carry the virus, Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus, in many states. While people in the US shouldn't panic, he said they should be aware and vigilant. "If you are pregnant, put off travel to the endemic areas," Hamer said. "If you absolutely must go, be sure to protect yourself against mosquitoes. For those who are not pregnant, it's still a good idea to delay travel so that you don't risk getting infected and transferring the virus back home - there are many unknowns about its transmission, so there is still a risk." In 2007, the first case was detected in a human, leading to an outbreak on an island in Micronesia. An estimated 73 percent of the island residents age 3 or older became infected, however, about 80 percent of these cases did not present significant symptoms. Zika virus is generally mild and typically resolves itself within a week. Symptoms can include rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, headache, joint swelling, dizziness and vomiting. However, neurological and autoimmune complications have been linked to the French Polynesia outbreak, particularly development of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological illness that may result in temporary paralysis. Microcephaly has been reported in thousands of cases in Brazil, and recently in a newborn in Hawaii. There currently is no vaccine or cure for the Zika virus. ### About Boston Medical Center Boston Medical Center is a private, not-for-profit, 496-bed, academic medical center that is the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University School of Medicine. It is the largest and busiest provider of trauma and emergency services in New England. Committed to providing high-quality health care to all, the hospital offers a full spectrum of pediatric and adult care services including primary and family medicine and advanced specialty care with an emphasis on community-based care. Boston Medical Center offers specialized care for complex health problems and is a leading research institution, receiving more than $119 million in sponsored research funding in fiscal year 2015. It is the 11th largest recipient of funding in the U.S. from the National Institutes of Health among independent hospitals. In 1997, BMC founded Boston Medical Center Health Plan, Inc., now one of the top ranked Medicaid MCOs in the country, as a non-profit managed care organization. It does business in Massachusetts as BMC HealthNet Plan and as Well Sense Health Plan in New Hampshire, serving more than 315,000 people, collectively. Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine are partners in the Boston HealthNet - 13 community health centers focused on providing exceptional health care to residents of Boston. For more information, please visit http://www.bmc.org. DENVER (Feb. 1, 2016) - For the first time since the U.S. normalized relations with Cuba, a delegation of pediatricians co-led by Dr. Stephen Berman of Children's Hospital Colorado (Children's Colorado) and the Colorado School of Public Health, will travel to Havana to establish relationships with local physicians and collaborate on ways to improve child health in both countries. During this historic meeting, which takes place from February 4-6, participants will share the medical progress made in the areas of newborn care, early childhood development and chronic health conditions in children. The American doctors will specifically share advances in early brain development and new approaches in promoting responsive parenting. And their Cuban counterparts will discuss their success in community-based primary care and decreasing the incidence of premature births. "I am honored to co-lead this delegation of American doctors with Dr. James Perrin of Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital," said Berman, MD, director of the Center for Global Health at the Colorado School of Public Health in partnership with Children's Colorado. "The delegation of U.S. pediatricians is eager to hear from our Cuban counterparts about the progress they have made toward improving child health during this long period of isolation. We also hope to begin an ongoing collaboration while creating cross-national partnerships to improve the health of children in both of our countries." Dr. Berman has traveled extensively in Cuba and counts many top pediatricians there as friends. When President Obama normalized relations with Cuba, Dr. Berman immediately contacted his colleagues there and set up this meeting - the first of its kind. "As Cubans gain access to new medications and technology, training will become very important," Dr. Berman said. "We would like to eventually establish an exchange program so Cuban doctors can come and train here at Children's Colorado and vice versa." The trip is sponsored jointly by the Cuban Pediatric Society (CPS), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Children's Colorado, and the Center for Global Health at the Colorado School of Public Health at CU Anschutz. The pediatricians traveling to Cuba are paying their own travel expenses to attend this historic meeting. Both Drs. Berman and Perrin are past presidents of the AAP. The Cuban delegation will be headed by the past and current president of the Cuban Pediatric Society, Fernando Dominquez, MD and Gladys Abreu, MD respectively. ### About the Center for Global Health The Center for Global Health is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Colorado School of Public Health, the University of Colorado School of Medicine/Department of Pediatrics and Children's Hospital Colorado, which enables them to leverage innovative and creative advances in the global standard of health through teaching, research, practice and service. About Children's Hospital Colorado Children's Hospital Colorado (Children's Colorado) has defined and delivered pediatric health care excellence for more than 100 years. Founded in 1908, Children's Colorado is a leading pediatric network entirely devoted to the health and well-being of children. Continually acknowledged as one of the nation's outstanding pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and ranked 5th on its Best Children's Hospitals 2015-16 Honor Roll, Children's Colorado is known for both its nationally and internationally recognized medical, research, education and advocacy programs, as well as comprehensive everyday care for kids throughout Colorado and surrounding states. For more information, visit http://www.childrencolorado.org or connect Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Amsterdam, February 1, 2016 - The Elsevier Foundation has launched a series of new programs to improve health information delivery, research ecosystems in developing countries, and diversity in science, technology and medicine (STM); a total annual contribution of $1 million. Through 2018, the Elsevier Foundation will build on its experience with a new program aligned with key aspects of the newly ratified Sustainable Development Goals of the UN (SDGs): achieving gender equality, ensuring healthy lives, reducing inequality and bridging the North South divide in scientific collaboration. "Our goal is to harness the forces of innovation and academia to open up opportunities among underserved communities and developing countries," said David Ruth, Executive Director of the Elsevier Foundation. We've actively sought out partners who will complement and extend our ability to foster advancements in research ecosystems, global health, and diversity in science." The Elsevier Foundation has collaborated with global and local partners in the non-profit community for over a decade, supporting over a hundred grants and 5 million dollars for researchers in developing countries, advancing women in science, and combatting a global shortage in nurses. The new Elsevier Foundation Programs in 2016-2018 include: Innovations in Health Information Information technology can significantly advance the delivery of healthcare in developing countries, addressing problems such as the high risk of maternal death across Africa and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. "Innovations in Health Information" will directly support organizations working to improve health outcomes in developing countries - for example AMREF Health Africa - enabling them to scale up their mobile nursing education pilot into a three year program to provide m-learning or mobile nursing education Dubbed "Jibu", a Kiswahili word meaning "answer", the program with AMREF is designed to address barriers that nurses and midwives face in accessing information essential to learning and practice in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Diversity and Inclusion in STM The future of science requires a robust and diverse workforce, drawn from all corners of society. Encouraging STM careers among young people from communities that have severely limited educational resources and few professional role models is a particular challenge. To address this, the Foundation has established new partnerships to help underserved youth get greater exposure to science and health education. In Amsterdam, the IMC Weekend School has received a grant to support science and health weekend enrichment modules for 10-14 year olds. In London, the Foundation will support the launch of Imperial College London's "White City Maker Challenge" program offering 14-18 year olds from one of London's most disadvantaged urban communities the opportunity to enhance soft skills and engage engage with cutting-edge science, engineering and design through workshops, afterschool clubs, mentoring and project team. In the US, the Foundation will support the New York Academy of Sciences' (NYAS) highly successful After-School STEM Mentoring Program, a partnership with the Youth and Community Services Department of the City of New York designed to reach the city's most underserved children. Inspiring more than 1,300 Middle School students each year, the After School Program trains graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to mentor 8 -14 year olds. With funding from the Elsevier Foundation, the NYAS will expand their program into geographically isolated neighborhoods of New York City. Research Ecosystems & Sustainability Research conducted by Elsevier revealed that that only 2% of sustainability science research output is produced by developing countries, despite the fact that these countries are often the hardest-hit by climate change and resource scarcity. For many low-income countries, this so-called 'science poverty' limits their involvement in vital research. The Research Ecosystems program will seek to redress the balance with three key partnerships designed to widen access to academic knowledge, including a new Publishers without Borders module with the African Journal Partnership Program, an expanded Librarians without Borders program, and the TWAS North South Collaboration for Sustainability. The new Elsevier Foundation programs have evolved from a decade of philanthropic work to advance the status of women in science and support researchers in developing countries. The new programs will join the Foundation's longstanding Nurse Faculty Leadership Academy partnership and the employee gift-matching program. For more information on the new programs, visit Elsevier Connect. ### About the Elsevier Foundation The Elsevier Foundation is a corporate not-for-profit 501(c)(3), funded by Elsevier, a global provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The Elsevier Foundation provides grants to knowledge centered institutions around the world, with a focus on diversity in STM, health information delivery, research in developing countries, nurse leadership and sustainability. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than 100 grants worth over $5 million to non-profit organizations working in these fields. Through gift-matching, the Foundation also supports the efforts of Elsevier employees to play a positive role in their local and global communities. http://www.elsevierfoundation.org About Elsevier Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions -- among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Elsevier Research Intelligence and ClinicalKey -- and publishes over 2,500 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and more than 33,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part of RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries. http://www.elsevier.com This news release is available in German. The quantity of data exchanged via communications networks around the globe is growing at a breathtaking rate. The volume of data for wired and mobile communications is currently increasing by 23% and 57% respectively every year. It is impossible to predict when this growth will end. This also means that all network components must constantly be made more efficient. These components include so-called modulators, which convert the information that is originally available in electrical form into optical signals. Modulators are therefore nothing more than fast electrical switches that turn a laser signal on or off at the frequency of the incoming electrical signals. Modulators are installed in data centres in their thousands. However, they all have the disadvantage of being quite large. Measuring a few centimetres across, they take up a great deal of space when used in large numbers. From micromodulators to nanomodulators Six months ago, a working group led by Jurg Leuthold, Professor of Photonics and Communications already succeeded in proving that the technology could be made smaller and more energy-efficient. As part of that work, the researchers presented a micromodulator measuring just 10 micrometres across - or 10,000 times smaller than modulators in commercial use. Leuthold and his colleagues have now taken this to the next level by developing the world's smallest optical modulator. And this is probably as small as it can get: the component operates at the level of individual atoms. The footprint has therefore been further reduced by a factor of 1,000 if you include the switch together with the light guides. However, the switch itself is even smaller, with a size measured on the atomic scale. The team's latest development was recently presented in the journal Nano Letters. In fact, the modulator is significantly smaller than the wavelength of light used in the system. In telecommunications, optical signals are transmitted using laser light with a wavelength of 1.55 micrometres. Normally, an optical device can not be smaller than the wavelength it should process. "Until recently, even I thought it was impossible for us to undercut this limit," stresses Leuthold. New structure But his senior scientist Alexandros Emboras proved the laws of optics wrong by successfully reconfiguring the construction of a modulator. This construction made it possible to penetrate the order of magnitude of individual atoms, even though the researchers were using light with a "standard wavelength". Emboras's modulator consists of two tiny pads, one made of silver and the other of platinum, on top of an optical waveguide made of silicon. The two pads are arranged alongside each other at a distance of just a few nanometres, with a small bulge on the silver pad protruding into the gap and almost touching the platinum pad. Short circuit thanks to a silver atom And here's how the modulator works: light entering from an optical fibre is guided to the entrance of the gap by the optical waveguide. Above the metallic surface, the light turns into a surface plasmon. A plasmon occurs when light transfers energy to electrons in the outermost atomic layer of the metal surface, causing the electrons to oscillate at the frequency of the incident light. These electron oscillations have a far smaller diameter than the ray of light itself. This allows them to enter the gap and pass through the bottleneck. On the other side of the gap, the electron oscillations can be converted back into optical signals. If a voltage is now applied to the silver pad, a single silver atom or, at most, a few silver atoms move towards the tip of the point and position themselves at the end of it. This creates a short circuit between the silver and platinum pads, so that electrical current flows between them. This closes the loophole for the plasmon; the switch flips and the state changes from "on" to "off" or vice versa. As soon as the voltage falls below a certain threshold again, a silver atom moves back. The gap opens, the plasmon flows, and the switch is "on" again. This process can be repeated millions of times. ETH Professor Mathieu Luisier, who participated in this study, simulated the system using a high-performance computer at the CSCS in Lugano. This allowed him to confirm that the short circuit at the tip of the silver point is brought about by a single atom. A truly digital signal As the plasmon has no other options than to pass through the bottleneck either completely or not at all, this produces a truly digital signal - a one or a zero. "This allows us to create a digital switch, as with a transistor. We have been looking for a solution like this for a long time," summarises Leuthold. As yet, the modulator is not ready for series production. Although it has the advantage of operating at room temperature, unlike other devices that work using quantum effects at this order of magnitude, it still remains very slow for a modulator: so far, it only works for switching frequencies in the megahertz range or below. The ETH researchers want to fine-tune it for frequencies in the gigahertz to terahertz range. Improving the lithography process The researchers also want to further improve the lithography method, which was redeveloped by Emboras from scratch to build the parts, so that components like this can be produced reliably in future. At present, fabrication is only successful in one out of every six attempts. Nevertheless, the researchers consider this a success, as lithography processes on the atomic scale remain uncharted territory. In order to continue his research into the nanomodulator, Leuthold has strengthened his team. However, he points out that greater resources would be required to develop a commercially available solution. Despite this, the ETH professor is confident that he and his team will be able to present a practicable solution within the next few years. ### References A. Emboras, J. Niegemann, P. Ma, C. Haffner, A. Pedersen, M. Luisier, C. Hafner, T. Schimmel, and J. Leuthold, Atomic Scale Plasmonic Switch, Nano Letters 16, 709-714 (2016). DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b04537 BETHESDA, MD - The Genetics Society of America (GSA) is pleased to announce that Susan E. "Sue" Celniker (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) has been awarded the Society's George W. Beadle Award for her outstanding contributions to the Drosophila community. "Sue is leading several efforts that are producing tools to facilitate studies of the genome, and is applying these tools to a myriad of functional studies. It is difficult to imagine where the field would be without her voluminous, dedicated, and expert work," said Lizabeth Perkins, Transgenic RNAi Project Director and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, who was one of those nominating Celniker for this honor. Dr. Celniker has played a key role in the sequencing, annotation, and characterization of the Drosophila genome. She eagerly participated in early sequencing efforts at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and led the modENCODE Fly Transcriptome Consortium, a part of the modENCODE Drosophila project that produced foundational RNA-seq datasets that explore development, gender differences, aging and transcriptional responses to environmental challenges. Her efforts were critical to ensuring that the Drosophila genome was well-annotated, making it one of the best curated, higher eukaryotic genomes available to the research community. As the Principal Investigator for the Berkeley Drosophila Genome project, Celniker has enabled proteomic studies by creating a collection of over 13,000 clones that match annotated genes for protein expression in cells or transgenic flies and continues to develop new computational tools for genetics researchers to explore RNA-seq data. In addition to her outstanding research contributions, Dr. Celniker has been an active member of GSA and the genetics community, serving as an organizer for the Annual Drosophila Research Conference (2008, 2016), an Associate Editor for G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics (2011-current), and a Section Editor for FlyBook in GENETICS. She is also an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an Advisor for FlyBase, and an Ex-officio member of the Drosophila Board of Directors. The late Bill Gelbart, founding Principal Investigator for FlyBase and a Beadle Awardee himself, wrote in 2014 that "Sue's laboratory is by far the single largest contributor of genomic data to the Drosophila research community...[and] the influence (directly and indirectly) of this information pervades the research advances of this community for the last 10-15 years." The George W. Beadle Award, established by GSA in 1999, honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the community of genetics researchers and who exemplify the qualities of its namesake. Beadle (1903-1989), who served as the President of GSA in 1946, was a respected academic, administrator, and public servant. He is most recognized for his work with colleague Edward L. Tatum in establishing the "one gene, one enzyme" theory that linked biochemistry and genetics and laid the groundwork for the development of molecular biology. Beadle and Tatum were awarded the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this groundbreaking work. The award will be presented to Dr. Celniker at The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC), July 13-17, 2016, in Orlando, Florida. Fittingly, she is one of the organizers for this year's Drosophila Research Conference and a member of the TAGC Coordinating Committee. To learn more about the GSA awards, and to view a list of previous recipients, please see http://www.genetics-gsa.org/awards. ### About the Genetics Society of America (GSA) Founded in 1931, the Genetics Society of America (GSA) is the professional scientific society for genetics researchers and educators. The Society's more than 5,500 members worldwide work to deepen our understanding of the living world by advancing the field of genetics, from the molecular to the population level. GSA promotes research and fosters communication through a number of GSA-sponsored conferences, including regular meetings that focus on particular model organisms. GSA publishes two peer-reviewed, peer-edited scholarly journals: GENETICS, which has published high quality original research across the breadth of the field since 1916, and G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, an open-access journal launched in 2011 to disseminate high quality foundational research in genetics and genomics. The Society also has a deep commitment to education and fostering the next generation of scholars in the field. For more information about GSA, please visit http://www.genetics-gsa.org. ATLANTA--Young African-Americans often hold a distorted view of their personal risk for a stroke, two nursing researchers at Georgia State University's Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions say in a recently published study in the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing. Dawn Aycock, assistant professor, and Pat Clark, professor, examined the accuracy of risk perception by comparing a group of young rural African-Americans' perceived risk to their actual risk of stroke. Stroke is a growing health issue. One-third of strokes occur in people under the age of 65. Young African-Americans have a 50 percent higher chance of having a stroke than Caucasians of the same age. Death rates due to stroke are also higher among African-Americans. Hypertension, diabetes and obesity increase the likelihood of stroke in young adults. The researchers recruited young African-American patients from a mobile clinic that visits four rural Georgia communities. Participants were on average 43 years old and female and had no physical limitations to exercise. They were asked a series of questions to determine each participant's perception of their personal risk for a stroke in the next two decades. Researchers then matched the questionnaires with personal and family history forms developed from a commonly used stroke risk assessment form created by the American Stroke Association. Results showed that 47 percent of the participants did have an accurate perception of their risk for stroke. However, another 44 percent underestimated their stroke risk. When researchers compared the perception data to the health history data, they found that 59 percent of the participants had a moderate to high risk of stroke with multiple contributing risk factors. Also, a sizable percentage had a family history of stroke and an even larger percentage smoked or were diabetic. But participants didn't link these health risk factors to the risk of stroke in themselves. Conclusions of the research were that education on stroke risk must be increased in younger African-Americans. Nurses should find ways to link poor personal health habits with stroke risk for the rural African-American population, the researchers said. "Many young adults don't know about stroke because it is typically a disease of older adults," Aycock said. "Most strokes can be prevented by changing unhealthy behaviors." ### For more information on the study and the link to the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing article on the study may be found here. The success story of information processing by way of moving electrons is slowly coming to an end. The trend towards more and more compact chips constitutes a major challenge for manufacturers, since the increasing miniaturization creates partly unsolvable physical problems. This is why magnetic spin waves could be the future: they are faster than electronic charge carriers and use less power. Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and TU Dresden have developed a method for controlling the propagation of these information carriers at the nanolevel in a targeted and simple way; so far, this required a lot of power. They have thus created a basis for nanocircuits that use spin waves. "Our current information processing is based on electrons," explains Dr. Helmut Schulthei from the HZDR's Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research. "These charged particles flow through the wires, creating electric currents. Yet in the process they collide with atoms and lose energy, which escapes into the crystal lattice in the form of heat. This means that chips get all the warmer, the closer the elements on them are grouped together. Eventually they fail, because the heat cannot be conveyed anymore." This is why Schulthei, head of an Emmy Noether Junior Research Group, pursues a different approach: information transport via spin waves, also known as magnons. The magnetic moment of electrons Spin is the term scientists use to describe the angular momentum of electrons revolving around their own axis. It makes the electric particles behave like extremely small magnets. This is why they align in a parallel manner in ferromagnetic materials. "If one guides a spin in a different direction, this will have an impact also on the neighboring spins," Schulthei explains. "This creates a spin wave that travels through the solid body. It can be used to transport and process information just like flowing charge carriers." However, the electrons themselves do not move in this case. "They do not collide with anything and therefore generate hardly any heat." Yet in order to prevail in the race for future information processing methods, systems are needed that allow for controlling the propagation of spin waves at the nanolevel. "So far, approaches to a solution were based either on geometrically predefined conductor paths or on the permanent use of external magnetic fields," says Schulthei, explaining the current state of research. "In the case of the first solution, the propagation path cannot be changed; however this is necessary for the development of flexible circuits. The second method solves that problem, yet at the price of an enormous increase in power consumption." Controlled propagation path The scientists have successfully developed a new procedure for the targeted steering of spin waves by utilizing basic magnetic characteristics: remanence, that is, the residual magnetism that a solid body retains after the removal of a magnetic field, and the formation of so-called domain walls. "This term denotes the area in solid bodies where differently aligned magnetic domains meet," Schulthei explains. The HZDR researchers created such a domain wall within a nickel-iron alloy nanostructure in an experiment. They then triggered a spin wave using microwaves. As their tests have shown, the spin waves of a certain frequency got stuck in the domain wall, because the different magnetic domains act as barriers. "In a sense, one could say that we created a road with a crash barrier along which the spin waves travel in a controlled manner," Schulthei cheerfully describes the result. However, the Dresden physicists were able to celebrate yet another success. They manipulated the course of the domain wall by way of small external magnetic fields of far below one millitesla, about one hundred times weaker than a commercial horseshoe magnet. In doing so, they likewise manipulated the propagation of the spin waves. "This could be the basis for a design of reconfigurable nanocircuits that uses magnons," Schulthei says, sizing up the options. Even so, the researcher thinks that several years are likely to pass before application. "We are still in the basic research phase. However, our results reveal that we are onto a good thing." ### Publication: K. Wagner, A. Kakay, K. Schultheiss, A. Henschke, T. Sebastian, H. Schultheiss, Magnetic domain walls as reconfigurable spin-wave nanochannels", Nature Nanotechnology, 2016 (DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2015.339) Further information: Dr. Helmut Schulthei Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research at HZDR Phone +49 351 260-3243 Mail: h.schultheiss@hzdr.de Media contact: Simon Schmitt | Science editor Phone +49 351 260-3400 | Mail: s.schmitt@hzdr.de Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf | Bautzner Landstr. 400 | 01328 Dresden | http://www.hzdr.de The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) conducts research in the sectors energy, health, and matter. It focuses its research on the following topics: How can energy and resources be used efficiently, safely, and sustainably? How can malignant tumors be visualized and characterized more precisely and treated effectively? How do matter and materials behave in strong fields and in the smallest dimensions? The HZDR has been a member of the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest research organization, since 2011. It has four locations (Dresden, Leipzig, Freiberg, Grenoble) and employs about 1,100 people - approximately 500 of whom are scientists, including 150 doctoral candidates. The distinctive troughs and crests of the human brain are not present in most animals; highly folded brains are seen only in a handful of species, including some primates, dolphins, elephants and pigs. In humans, folding begins in fetal brains around the 20th week of gestation and is completed only when the child is about a year and a half. Why the brain is folded can be rationalized easily from an evolutionary perspective; folded brains likely evolved to fit a large cortex into a small volume with the benefit of reducing neuronal wiring length and improving cognitive function. Less understood is how the brain folds. Several hypotheses have been proposed but none have been directly used to make testable predictions. Now, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences collaborating with scientists in Finland and France have shown that while many molecular processes are important in determining cellular events, what ultimately causes the brain to fold is a simple mechanical instability associated with buckling. The research is published in Nature Physics. Understanding how the brain folds could help unlock the inner workings of the brain and unravel brain-related disorders, as function often follows form. "We found that we could mimic cortical folding using a very simple physical principle and get results qualitatively similar to what we see in real fetal brains," said L. Mahadevan, the Lola England de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and Physics. The number, size, shape and position of neuronal cells during brain growth all lead to the expansion of the gray matter, known as the cortex, relative to the underlying white matter. This puts the cortex under compression, leading to a mechanical instability that causes it to crease locally. "This simple evolutionary innovation, with iterations and variations, allows for a large cortex to be packed into a small volume, and is likely the dominant cause behind brain folding, known as gyrification," said Mahadevan, who is also a core faculty member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, and member of the Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology, at Harvard University. Mahadevan's previous research found that the growth differential between the brain's outer cortex and the soft tissue underneath explains the variations in the folding patterns across organisms in terms of just two parameters, the relative size of the brain, and the relative expansion of the cortex. Building on this, the team collaborated with neuroanatomists and radiologists in France and directly tested this theory using data from human fetuses. The team made a three-dimensional, gel model of a smooth fetal brain based on MRI images. The model's surface was coated with a thin layer of elastomer gel, as an analog of the cortex. To mimic cortical expansion, the gel brain was immersed in a solvent that is absorbed by the outer layer causing it to swell relative to the deeper regions. Within minutes of being immersed in liquid solvent, the resulting compression led to the formation of folds similar in size and shape to real brains. The extent of the similarities surprised even the researchers. "When I put the model into the solvent, I knew there should be folding but I never expected that kind of close pattern compared to human brain," said Jun Young Chung, post doctoral fellow and co-first author of the paper. "It looks like a real brain." The key to those similarities lies in the unique shape of the human brain. "The geometry of the brain is really important because it serves to orient the folds in certain directions," said Chung. "Our model, which has the same large scale geometry and curvature as a human brain, leads to the formation of folds that matches those seen in real fetal brains quite well." The largest folds seen in the model gel brain are similar in shape, size and orientation to what is seen in the fetal brain, and can be replicated in multiple gel experiments. The smallest folds are not conserved, mirroring similar variations across human brains. "Brains are not exactly the same from one human to another, but we should all have the same major folds in order to be healthy," said Chung. "Our research shows that if a part of the brain does not grow properly, or if the global geometry is disrupted, we may not have the major folds in the right place, which may cause dysfunction in the brain. " ### This research was co-authored by co-first author Dr. Tuomas Tallinen of Jyvaskyla University in Finland, Francois Rousseau from the Institut Mines-Telecom in France, Nadine Girard and Julien Lefevre of the University of Aix-Marseille, France. It was supported by Academy of Finland, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, and fellowships from the MacArthur Foundation and the Radcliffe Institute. EAST LANSING, Mich. - Scientists chase unicorns because if they could prove the existence of the magical beasts, the world would be a better place. Take Maren Friesen, Michigan State University plant biologist, for example. Her quest was to find near-mythical bacteria that could fix their own nitrogen. Her search for such magical beasties was based on results from Germany published in the 1990s that seemed to confirm their existence. The end result, published in the current issue of Nature's Scientific Reports, proved that the elusive bacteria, Streptomyces thermoautotrophicus, did in fact exist but didn't have any mythical qualities. Most nitrogen-fixing bacteria use an enzyme that does not work when oxygen is present. The heat and toxic gas-loving strain that Friesen studied appeared to have exceptional properties, including harboring a special enzyme that was insensitive to oxygen. So why go on such a quest? "If they actually existed, it would mean we could have plants that could fix their own nitrogen, a compound used in critical biological functions, with no need for nitrogen fertilizers," said Friesen. "In this dream world, there would be less pollution, less nitrogen runoff into rivers and streams, less greenhouse gas emissions, less fuel being used to transport and apply fertilizer." That is a unicorn worth chasing, she added. So why is it worth proving that it's a myth, that it doesn't exist? While Friesen and an international team of scientists remained highly skeptical of the bacteria's existence, the positive result in the literature had long tantalized researchers. However, there were no other papers from independent labs to confirm the original findings. "This outlying result was always there, always lingering in published papers," Friesen said. "Now we've been able to bury this once and for all." The myth began in Germany, where the bacteria were discovered, and their mythical properties were suggested. They thrived in the hot, toxic fumes over traditional charcoal fires where large quantities of wood were buried and burnt down. Friesen's collaborators traveled to Germany and gathered samples while she went to Centralia, Pa., where underground coal fires have been burning for decades. She was somewhat surprised that she was able to find the bacteria, lending a bit of credence to the myth. The tale grew even more when they produced a positive result in the laboratory, demonstrating that the bacteria did indeed fix their own nitrogen. This, however, turned out to be a tainted result. "We learned that the gas that everyone had been using for the experiments was contaminated," Friesen said. "For the next experiments, we had to introduce a number of new controls, which included washing or purifying the gas we used." Dispelling the myth turned out to be a roller coaster of results and reactions - from actually finding the missing bacteria to a positive result that bolstered the tall tale, and from conducting many, many more experiments to finally killing the bacterial unicorn. While one mythical notion died, the concept of international collaboration and open data grew. Scientists from Harvard University, Imperial College (London), Aachen University (Germany) and Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Zavalla (Argentina) contributed to key aspects of the research. Rather than focus on one experiment, the team conducted many experiments around the world. "By sharing data, you can have a lot of influence," Friesen said. "The most-influential datasets are the ones that everyone is using. And as this research demonstrated, it's better to compare your results to other researcher's data than believe a singular result. Reproducibility is really key to good science." Even if it means a few unicorns must die. ### Friesen's research was funded in part by the NSF. Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges. For MSU news on the Web, go to MSUToday. Follow MSU News on Twitter at twitter.com/MSUnews. As NASA takes a break in RRM operations, it's looking back on past achievements and celebrating one of its latest accomplishments Gas station attendant, electronics installer, home inspector: is there any fix-it job that NASA's Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) can't tackle during its four-year career? As NASA takes a break in RRM operations, it's looking back on past achievements and celebrating one of its latest accomplishments - the successful inspection of Canadarm2, the International Space Station's (ISS) robotic arm. In time, this visual inspection capability may help future servicing ventures at other orbits inspect for damage and failures on their spacecraft. Launched to the space station in 2011, the RRM experiment has long served as a modular, instructive proving ground to try out groundbreaking satellite-servicing tools, technologies and techniques. NASA engineers carefully curate the RRM investigations so that they can identify and mature the critical technologies needed to robotically refuel, diagnose and upgrade satellites - and then prove that these technologies work in orbit. In October 2015, one of RRM's latest technological debuts, the Visual Inspection Poseable Invertebrate Robot (VIPIR), had an opportunity to move from the training camp of RRM to helping a real client. This is a big moment for the team that developed these technologies, says Benjamin Reed, deputy project manager of NASA's Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office (SSCO). "It's very rare for a demonstration tool to be used as part of day-to-day operations on a real mission," Reed said. "We were thrilled to have this opportunity." The tool's client was the Canadarm2 space station robotic arm, known as the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS). Since 2003, mission directors have been mystified by an unexplained black mark that appeared next to the "a" in the "Canada" logo that stretches across the robotic workhorse. "The space station's fixed cameras could only tell us so much," says Ron Ticker, space station manager for development. "We suspected that it may have been a micrometeoroid strike, but without a closer look, we couldn't conclusively determine what had happened to create this marking." Micrometeoroid and orbital debris, known throughout the space community as MMOD, is a constant threat for orbiting satellites. These tiny natural or manmade items, shooting through the space environment at speeds that can exceed 20,000 mph, can damage spacecraft, puncture instruments and disrupt operations. The ISS office found its answer in VIPIR, a multi-camera inspection tool that the SSCO had built and then tested as part of the RRM program in May 2015. Its zoom lens provided the perfect avenue for a closer look at the mysterious black mark. On Oct. 9, 2015, robotic operators at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston commanded the Canadian Space Agency's Dextre - a twin-armed robot attached to the SSRMS - to maneuver VIPIR into position for an inspection. "The results from VIPIR were phenomenal," said Ticker. "From a distance of approximately eight inches, VIPIR was able to resolve details as small as three-thousandths of an inch (.003") - about ten times thinner than the thickness of a credit card. From VIPIR's footage, we were able to discern that the black mark was in fact a raised mass at the inspection site." The resolution from VIPIR is so clear and focused that that a viewer can count the individual fiber weaves of the thermal blanket material. Michael Rollins, Image Analyst with the Image Science and Analysis Group at Johnson, explained that if VIPIR had been positioned even closer to the robot arm, it would have been capable of even higher resolution of the worksite. However, space station proximity rules for robotic operations kept VIPIR farther back from the arm - a position that likely resulted in better lighting for the inspection. The RRM team kept VIPIR's camera trained on the area for more than two hours so they could take footage in both glaring sunlight, and during orbit night under the glow of the softer LED lights incorporated into the VIPIR tool itself. "We were fascinated by the difference in the imagery under the dynamic lighting conditions found in low-Earth orbit," said Ross Henry, the Vision Lead for VIPIR. "During the majority of the inspection, the imagery looked relatively the same with a limited amount of detail visible. However, at one point the sun illuminated the inspection site from the side (at an oblique angle), and the imagery changed completely. A shadow that was cast showed clearly the raised mass at the inspection site. This exercise helped us learn even more about what VIPIR can observe in orbit." The Image Science and Analysis Group is now analyzing the results from VIPIR's inspection to determine the cause. Initial finds from a 3D analytical tool confirm the slightly elevated structure for most of the anomaly. Further work is planned to try to characterize internal detail within the raised mass. In the meantime, the RRM team is celebrating the other successful work they completed this fall. As part of the October RRM operations, NASA also tested a new collection of satellite-servicing technologies and techniques. SSCO's to-do list included practicing techniques leading up to coolant replenishment, testing electrical connection for "plug and play" space instruments, and working with decals that could help operations guided by machine vision go more smoothly. All RRM activities were declared a success. During the week of Jan. 4, the team completed the last scientific objective on the RRM checklist: exposing a special set of solar cells to the sunlight to assess their performance. The RRM project is hosting this experiment in collaboration with NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. On Jan. 8, the RRM task board holding this investigation entered the space station through the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) airlock, where it was retrieved by the astronaut crew on Jan. 22, 2016. With that step done, the RRM investigation in its current form is now complete. At a to-be-determined time, the original RRM module will be loaded onto a return vehicle from the ISS to be burned up during atmospheric re-entry. It is a bittersweet thought for the team, but they are satisfied with the work that they have accomplished. Already, they are looking forward to their next big projects on the space station. Raven, a new technology test bed developed by SSCO, will demonstrate a robotic system that would allow spacecraft to perform autonomous, real-time, relative navigation with uncooperative objects. The investigation demonstrates sensor technologies that may be used on the Asteroid Redirect Mission and Orion spacecraft, as well as for satellite servicing. Raven launches to the space station in summer 2016. Plans are well underway for RRM3, a new, separate module with experiments to demonstrate tools, technologies and techniques for cryogen replenishment and xenon recharge. These technologies are an important part of maintaining in-space capabilities that will take crew and cargo on the journey to Mars, said Ticker. "Keep on watching the satellite servicing team," said Frank Cepollina, associate director of SSCO. "The best is yet to come." ### COLUMBUS, Ohio--New tools for harvesting wind energy may soon look less like giant windmills and more like tiny leafless trees. A project at The Ohio State University is testing whether high-tech objects that look a bit like artificial trees can generate renewable power when they are shaken by the wind--or by the sway of a tall building, traffic on a bridge or even seismic activity. In a recent issue of the Journal of Sound and Vibration, researchers report that they've uncovered something new about the vibrations that pass through tree-shaped objects when they are shaken. Specifically, they've demonstrated that tree-like structures made with electromechanical materials can convert random forces--such as winds or footfalls on a bridge--into strong structural vibrations that are ideal for generating electricity. The idea may conjure images of fields full of mechanical trees swaying in the breeze. But the technology may prove most valuable when applied on a small scale, in situations where other renewable energy sources such as solar are not an option, said project leader Ryan Harne, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Ohio State, and director of the Laboratory of Sound and Vibration Research. The "trees" themselves would be very simple structures: think of a trunk with a few branches--no leaves required. Early applications would include powering the sensors that monitor the structural integrity and health of civil infrastructure, such as buildings and bridges. Harne envisions tiny trees feeding voltages to a sensor on the underside of a bridge, or on a girder deep inside a high-rise building. The project takes advantage of the plentiful vibrational energy that surrounds us every day, he said. Some sources are wind-induced structural motions, seismic activity and human activity. "Buildings sway ever so slightly in the wind, bridges oscillate when we drive on them and car suspensions absorb bumps in the road," he said. "In fact, there's a massive amount of kinetic energy associated with those motions that is otherwise lost. We want to recover and recycle some of that energy." Sensors monitor the soundness of a structure by detecting the vibrations that pass through it, he explained. The initial aim of the project is to turn those vibrations into electricity, so that structural monitoring systems could actually be powered by the same vibrations they are monitoring. Today, the only way to power most structural sensors is to use batteries or plug the sensors directly into power lines, both of which are expensive and hard to manage for sensors planted in remote locations. If sensors could capture vibrational energy, they could acquire and wirelessly transmit their data is a truly self-sufficient way. At first, the idea of using tree-like devices to capture wind or vibration energies may seem straightforward, because real trees obviously dissipate energy when they sway. And other research groups have tested the effectiveness of similar tree structures using idealized--that is, not random--vibrations. But until now, researchers haven't made a concerted effort to capture realistic ambient vibrations with a tree-shaped electromechanical device--mainly because it was assumed that random forces of nature wouldn't be very suitable for generating the consistent oscillations that yield useful electrical energies. First, through mathematical modeling, Harne determined that it is possible for tree-like structures to maintain vibrations at a consistent frequency despite large, random inputs, so that the energy can be effectively captured and stored via power circuitry. The phenomenon is called internal resonance, and it's how certain mechanical systems dissipate internal energies. In particular, he determined that he could exploit internal resonance to coax an electromechanical tree to vibrate with large amplitudes at a consistent low frequency, even when the tree was experiencing only high frequency forces. It even worked when these forces were significantly overwhelmed by extra random noise, as natural ambient vibrations would be in many environments. He and his colleagues tested the mathematical model in an experiment, where they built a tree-like device out of two small steel beams--one a tree "trunk" and the other a "branch"--connected by a strip of an electromechanical material, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), to convert the structural oscillations into electrical energy. They installed the model tree on a device that shook it back and forth at high frequencies. At first, to the eye, the tree didn't seem to move because the device oscillated with only small amplitudes at a high frequency. Regardless, the PVDF produced a small voltage from the motion: about 0.8 volts. Then they added noise to the system, as if the tree were being randomly nudged slightly more one way or the other. That's when the tree began displaying what Harne called "saturation phenomena": It reached a tipping point where the high frequency energy was suddenly channeled into a low frequency oscillation. At this point, the tree swayed noticeably back and forth, with the trunk and branch vibrating in sync. This low frequency motion produced more than double the voltage--around 2 volts. Those are low voltages, but the experiment was a proof-of-concept: Random energies can produce vibrations that are useful for generating electricity. "In addition, we introduced massive amounts of noise, and found that the saturation phenomenon is very robust, and the voltage output reliable. That wasn't known before," Harne said. Harne will continue this work, which he began when he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan. There, his colleagues and co-authors on the paper were Kon-Well Wang and Anqi Sun of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. ### The initial phase of this research was supported by the University of Michigan Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering program and the University of Michigan Collegiate Professorship. Contact: Ryan Harne, (614) 292-2767; Harne.3@osu.edu Written by Pam Frost Gorder, (614) 292-9475; Gorder.1@osu.edu Human blood cells have olfactory receptors that respond to Sandalore. This could provide a starting point for new leukaemia therapies, as researchers from Bochum report in a current study. Olfactory receptors exist not only in the nose, but also in many other parts of the body, including the liver, the prostate and the intestines. Researchers headed by Prof Dr Dr Dr Hanns Hatt from the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum have now demonstrated them in white blood cells in humans. Together with colleagues from the Essen University Hospital, the Bochum-based group identified the receptor OR2AT4 in a cultivated cell line, taken from patients suffering from chronic myelogenous leukaemia. The researchers identified the same receptor in white blood cells isolated from blood freshly obtained from patients suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia. It is activated by Sandalore, a synthetic odorant with a sandalwood note. In leukaemia patients, too many immature blood cells form in the spinal marrow. In myeloid leukaemia patients, the uncontrolled proliferation is triggered by a certain type of progenitor cells, namely the myeloblasts. The researchers analysed the OR2AT4 receptor in more detail, both in the cultivated cells and in the cells isolated from the blood of patients suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia. If the Sandalore odorant was used to activate the receptor, it effected an inhibition of leukaemia cell growth and caused greater numbers of them to die. The researchers, moreover, observed that more red blood cells formed as a result. Potential starting point for new therapies "This could be a new starting point for the development of leukaemia treatment," says Prof Hanns Hatt. "Acute myeloid leukaemia in particular is a disease for which specific medication is not, as yet, available." With his colleagues, he describes the results in the journal "Cell Death Discovery". In 2014, Hanns Hatt's team discovered that the OR2AT4 receptor is present in skin cells and that, by activating it with sandalwood aroma, wound healing is promoted. Following a series of tests, Hatt's team identified the signalling pathways underlying the observed effects. If Sandalore activates the OR2AT4 receptor, processes similar to those in the olfactory cells in the nose start in blood cells. As a result, the concentration of calcium ions in the cells increases. This, in turn, activates signalling pathways in which phosphate groups are transmitted to certain enzymes, namely MAP kinases. In nature, phosphorylation such as this is frequently deployed for the regulation of enzyme activity. The number of olfactory receptors detected in the blood cells amounts to seven in total. The researchers are now studying another receptor in great detail, activated through the faintly green odorant isononyl alcohol. ### Funding The German Research Foundation has financed the study under the framework of SFB 642. Original publication S. Manteniotis, S. Wojeck, P. Brauhoff, M. Mollmann, L. Petersen, J. Gothert, W. Schmiegel, U. Duhrsen, G. Gisselmann, H. Hatt (2016): Functional characterization of the ectopically expressed olfactory receptor 2AT4 in human myelogenous leukemia, Cell Death Discovery, DOI: 10.1038/cddiscovery.2015.70 Further information Prof Dr Dr Dr Hanns Hatt, Department for Cellphysiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology at the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany, phone: +49/234/32-24586, email: Hanns.Hatt@rub.de One click away Press information about the discovery of Sandalore receptors in the skin (2014): http://aktuell.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/pm2014/pm00107.html.en Prior to the first round of K-12 standardized testing under Common Core education standards last year, most teachers had moderate to major concerns about test difficulty and low student performance, according to new studies from the RAND Corporation. Most English language arts and mathematics teachers felt prepared to help their students meet the standards. However, the new standards expect teachers in other subjects to help students improve their literacy and master mathematics concepts, and these teachers reported less familiarity with the new state standards. Both groups reported needing additional professional development, according to results of a new survey. The survey results provide an opportunity for school district leaders to understand how prepared teachers are to teach the new Common Core standards and then tailor the professional development to the areas the teachers feel they need the most support, said Julia Kaufman, co-author of the studies and a policy researcher at RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization. The findings are from the first survey done with the RAND American Teacher Panel, a representative national panel of K-12 teachers organized to provide feedback on issues of educational policy and practice. With the introduction of Common Core State Standards during the past few years, many states made major changes to K-12 student testing programs. The new tests were administered to students across the country for the first time in spring 2015. The new state standards changed expectations for what students should learn in English language arts and mathematics, and what teachers should know and teach in their classroom. The RAND surveys asked teachers how prepared they felt to address Common Core State Standards in their classrooms and what additional professional development is needed. It also gathered information about teachers concerns about the new state tests. Non-English language arts teachers reported needing professional development in writing instruction and differentiation of instruction for students at different achievement levels. Non-mathematics teachers reported needing professional development in complex, inquiry-based modes of instruction, such as problem-solving and argumentation. Researchers said that the analysis did not show any differences in perceived preparedness between teachers in high- and low-poverty schools, although teachers at high-poverty schools expressed a greater need for writing professional development compared to those at low-poverty schools. There were also differences between teachers in states that had adopted Common Core State Standards and those that had not and thus were preparing students for non-Common Core tests. Among English language arts teachers in Common Core states, only 47 percent reported some level of familiarity with the standards. Meanwhile, 70 percent of teachers in non-Common Core states reported being familiar enough with their non-Common Core standards to develop lesson plans. Mathematics teachers in Common Core states were also significantly less likely to report being well prepared to address the Common Core mathematics standards than were mathematics teachers in non-Common Core states regarding their own non-Common Core standards. At the time of the survey, the American Teacher Panel was composed of approximately 1,129 teachers, and the companion American School Leader Panel was composed of approximately 557 school leaders. The same teachers and school leaders, along with others recruited during the past year, will participate in future surveys. The first surveys provide a baseline that will allow researchers to see the changes over time in teacher and school leader perspectives and experiences with the new state standards and tests. To ensure a representative sample, panel members were chosen randomly from across the country. The teacher sample included full-time public school teachers in grades K-12 across all subjects, including teachers of special education students and English-language learners. ### The RAND Corporation created the American Teacher Panel and the American School Leader Panel to take the pulse of the nations educators on key issues of educational policy and practice through periodic surveys. Information on the panels is available here: http://www.rand.org/education/projects/atp-aslp.html. Support for this research was provided by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Education Association. The reports, What Are Teachers and School Leaders Major Concerns About New K12 State Tests?, What Supports Do Teachers Need to Help Students Meet Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy? and What Supports Do Teachers Need to Help Students Meet Common Core State Standards for Mathematics? are available at www.rand.org. Other authors of the study are Laura Hamilton, Brian Stecher, Scott Naftel, Michael Robbins, Chandra Garber, Cordaye Ogletree, Susannah Faxon-Mills, Darleen Opfer and Lindsey Thompson. This research was conducted by RAND Education, a division of the RAND Corporation. Its mission is to bring accurate data and careful, objective analysis to the national debate on education policy. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. To sign up for RAND e-mail alerts: http://www.rand.org/newsletters.html. ATLANTA (Feb. 1, 2016)--In a study to be presented on Feb. 4 in an oral concurrent session at 1:15 p.m. EST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Atlanta, researchers will present findings from a study titled, How to Predict Cesarean Delivery in the Nulliparous Patient: Results from the Prospective Multi-center Genesis Study. The objective of the Genesis study, was to assess the use of a range of demographic, clinical and ultrasound features to develop a predictive tool for cesarean delivery (CD) in nulliparous, singleton pregnancies. In contemporary obstetric practice the majority of women now require medical intervention for safe childbirth. Despite all of this obstetric intervention we cannot predict which women will experience the greatest of difficulties during labor. In this study a detailed clinical evaluation and ultrasound assessment were performed after 39 weeks' gestation. Women and their managing clinicians were blinded to the ultrasound derived fetal biometry. This study developed a risk scoring tool based on five easy to record parameters, which accurately predicts an individual woman's risk of CD. Of 2,336 women recruited to the Genesis Study, 491 (21%) had an unplanned cesarean delivery. In a multivariate analysis, five parameters were determined to be the best combined predictors of CD. These were advancing maternal age, short maternal height, higher body mass index, a larger fetal abdominal circumference and increasing fetal head circumference. The study's conclusion was that, by using these five factors, overall risk of CD in nulliparous women at term can be better determined. Naomi Burke, M.D. lead researcher on the Genesis Study stated "We developed a simple risk scoring system for cesarean delivery in first time mothers. We hope this will aid women and obstetricians with decisions about labor and delivery". Burke will present the findings at the SMFM annual meeting. Fergal Malone, chairman of the Perinatal Ireland Research Consortium commented, "This risk assessment tool may be useful for planning service needs as well as for individual patient's decisions on place and mode of delivery." ### A copy of the abstract is available at http://www.smfmnewsroom.org and below. For interviews please contact Vicki Bendure at Vicki@bendurepr.com 202-374-9259 (cell). The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (est. 1977) is the premiere membership organization for obstetricians/gynecologists who have additional formal education and training in maternal-fetal medicine. The society is devoted to reducing high-risk pregnancy complications by sharing expertise through continuing education to its 2,000 members on the latest pregnancy assessment and treatment methods. It also serves as an advocate for improving public policy, and expanding research funding and opportunities for maternal-fetal medicine. The group hosts an annual meeting in which groundbreaking new ideas and research in the area of maternal-fetal medicine are shared and discussed. For more information visit http://www.smfm.org. Abstract 20: How to Predict Cesarean Delivery in the Nulliparous Patient: Results from the Prospective Multi-center Genesis Study Authors: Naomi Burke1, Gerry Burke2, Fionnuala Breathnach1, Fionnuala McAuliffe3, John J. Morrison4, Michael Turner5, Samina Dornan6, John Higgins7, Amanda Cotter2, Michael Geary8, Fiona Cody9, Peter McParland10, Sean Daly11, Patrick Dicker12, Elizabeth Tully1, Fergal D. Malone1 1Obstetrics and Gynecology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, 2Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate Entry Medical School, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland, 3Obstetrics and Gynecology, UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, 4Obstetrics and Gynecology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland, 5Obstetrics and Gynecology, UCD Centre for Human Reproduction Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, 6Obstetrics and Gynecology, Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital, Belfast, Ireland, 7Obstetrics and Gynecology, University College Cork, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland, 8Obstetrics and Gynecology, St Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, 9Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, 10Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, 11Obstetrics and Gynecology, Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, 12Epidemiology and Public Health, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland Objective: The rising cesarean delivery rate continues to generate concern. While many studies have tried to predict cesarean delivery (CD) by prenatal diagnosis of cephalopelvic disproportion or fetal macrosomia, neither strategy has proved particularly useful in the clinical setting. In this primary analysis of the Genesis Study we sought to prospectively assess the use of a range of demographic, clinical and ultrasound features to develop a predictive tool for CD in nulliparous, singleton pregnancies. Study Design: The Genesis Study recruited 2,336 nulliparous patients with a vertex presentation between 39+0 and 40+6 weeks' gestation in a prospective multi-center national study to examine predictors of CD. At recruitment a detailed clinical evaluation and ultrasound assessment were performed. Patients and their managing clinicians were blinded to the ultrasound details, to reduce bias from knowledge of this data potentially influencing mode of delivery. All hypothetical prenatal risk factors for unplanned CD were assessed individually and as a composite to eliminate confounding factors. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to develop a risk evaluation tool for CD in nulliparous patients. Results: From a cohort of 2,336 nulliparous patients, 491 (21%) had an unplanned CD. In a multivariate analysis, five parameters (maternal age, maternal height, BMI, fetal AC and fetal HC) were determined to be the best combined predictors of CD. These five parameters are listed in Table 1 along with their respective odds ratios when calculated at different time points during pregnancy. Individual Z scores were calculated for demographic and biometric data to determine these odds ratios and a risk score. Z scores can be calculated from Table 1. The totaled Z scores for the five parameters can then be applied to Figure 1 to give a personalized risk of CD. Conclusion: Five parameters (maternal age, BMI, height, fetal AC and fetal HC) can be used to better determine the overall risk of cesarean delivery in nulliparous patients at term. A risk score can be used to better inform patients of their individualized risk of CD in early gestation and again from 39 weeks' gestation. This risk tool may be useful for planning service needs as well as for individual patient's decisions on place and mode of delivery. Wistar's unique and prized human melanoma cell lines will be widely-available for researchers to better understand the complexity and disease progression of melanoma Limerick, PA.--(February 1, 2016)-- Rockland Immunochemicals, Inc. (Rockland) announces the availability of a new collection of human melanoma cell lines that have been developed and characterized over several decades in the laboratory of Meenhard Herlyn, D.V.M., D.Sc., Caspar Wistar Professor in Melanoma Research, Director of the Melanoma Research Center, and professor in the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia. More than one hundred of these human melanoma cell lines will now be grown and exclusively distributed by Rockland. This new agreement results from a partnership between the institutions, which was announced in July 2015. The collection represents a diverse panel of highly-characterized cell lines. Historically, a number of tumor model systems have lacked scientific value due to the limited characterization of genetic drivers, gene and protein expression, and in vitro/in vivo data. With these human melanoma cell lines, in vitro and in vivo modeling is brought into practice. The benefit of these established cell lines is that they were derived from patients' tumors and thus represent the natural heterogeneity of this disease. In a multimedia video produced by Rockland, Herlyn describes the importance of the collection of human melanoma cell lines to best reflect the complicated and complex environment in which melanoma exists, to better analyze and determine the stages of melanoma progression and metastasis in patients, and to ultimately advance cancer research throughout the world. "We need models because we cannot do everything in patients," said Herlyn. "We need to make sure that our models reflect what's going on in patients. That's why we have the cell lines, they are our work horses and without them we could not do what we do." In the video, Herlyn and Carl Ascoli, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer at Rockland, discuss innovative practices to recreate individual cells from a sample of a patient's original skin and the critical cell culture conditions and rigorous validation that Rockland performs to ensure their integrity. "We are really excited to be able to bring such impactful products to the market," said Richard Smith, Chief Operating Officer at Rockland. "We take very seriously our responsibility to ensure the quality and integrity of all of our products. These human melanoma cell lines not only enhance cancer research by bridging the gap between patient and laboratory samples, but set the bar extremely high for more collaborations to come." ### To learn more about Rockland's Melanoma Cell Lines, visit http://www.rockland-inc.com/melanoma. Rockland Immunochemicals, Inc. supports the academic, biopharma, and diagnostic industries with antibodies and antibody based tools used in basic research, assay development, and preclinical studies. With facilities in Pennsylvania for over 50 years, Rockland manufactures products ideally suited for integration into critical assays such as western blotting, immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence microscopy (IF), ELISA and flow cytometry. Additional information about Rockland's life science tools and services can be found on Rockland's website at http://www.rockland-inc.com. The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the country, Wistar has held the prestigious National Cancer Institute Cancer Center designation since 1972. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. Wistar's Business Development team is dedicated to advancing Wistar Science and Technology Development through creative partnerships. http://www.wistar.org Even in the recent past, the colonial legacy has had a large negative impact on education in the former colonies of both Spain and France, according to a major new study out this week from the University of Bath. By contrast, Britain's colonial education has not adversely affected schooling in its former colonies, the study found. The research, published in the prestigious journal Kyklos, reports that, in Spain's former colonies, the negative impact has been particularly large. "In these countries, during the 1972-2012 period the colonial legacy has reduced the secondary school enrolment rate by 17 percentage points", explained lead researcher Dr Horst Feldmann from the University of Bath's Department of Economics. "In the former French colonies, the reduction has been 10 percentage points. "Additionally, in both groups of countries adults have attained 1.6 fewer years of schooling over the same period. "The detrimental effects on females have been even larger, both in former Spanish and former French colonies", said Dr Feldmann. The study, which statistically controls for other determinants of schooling, is the first to cover a large number of ex-colonies. "Particularly, it is the first to cover former colonies of Spain", explained Dr Feldmann. It includes 17 former Spanish colonies, 23 former French colonies and 36 former British colonies. Dr Feldmann said: "The results for the former Spanish colonies are especially remarkable, given that Spain's colonial rule ended almost two centuries ago. "The reason for the negative effects is that many characteristics of Spanish colonial education have persisted long after independence. Specifically, Spanish remained the sole, or at least the dominant language of instruction, and educational provision in rural areas as well as for girls and the poor has remained very limited," explained Dr Feldmann. "The large persistent effects in former French colonies are remarkable too, as most of these countries became independent more than 50 years ago. Here, most features limiting education have persisted after independence as well. "These include a high degree of centralisation and government control, a very limited scope for non-governmental organisations to provide education, a neglect of local conditions and parents' preferences, and the selectivity and elitist nature of the system, which disadvantaged girls in particular. Also, most teaching continued to be in French. "In Britain's former colonies, many features of its colonial education have persisted too, but these have been mostly benign. Thus it is unsurprising that we did not find negative effects here", said Dr Feldmann. "In these countries, there has long been a high degree of autonomy of schools and teachers, educational provision has been relatively well adapted to parents' preferences and local practices, voluntary organisations have been subsidised and granted a wide scope to engage and compete, and the education of girls has been established early on. Furthermore, instruction has always been in the local vernacular in the first grades, enabling practically all native children to enter school." ### LAWRENCE -- While academic awareness of African peoples' hunting with poison-tipped arrows extends back for centuries, knowledge of the ingenious practice has been scattered among chemistry, entomology and anthropology texts. Now, a comprehensive study of the hunting tradition of the San peoples of Namibia sheds new light on their use of beetle and plant poisons to boost the lethality of their arrows. The research appears currently in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. "The more slender threads of information I wove together from reports dating to the 1700s, the more obvious it became there were few sure facts and many hard-to-believe assertions," said lead author Caroline Chaboo, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas. "The San are traditional hunter-gatherers and thus have a special place in the history of man. As I learned more about the modern San, their history, weak political status and endangered languages and cultures, it became urgent to me to document this aspect of their culture." Chaboo and her co-authors -- Megan Biesele of the Kalahari Peoples Fund, Robert K. Hitchcock of the University of New Mexico and Andrea Weeks of George Mason University -- synthesized historical and anthropological literature and conducted their own fieldwork to better grasp how the San use beetle arrow poisons. "The fieldwork was an unforgettable experience," Chaboo said. "Taking all our water and food into the Kalahari, where water was too precious to use for baths. Sleeping in a pop-up tent atop the Range Rover and waking in the middle of the night with hyenas sniffing around the campsite; or sleeping on the ground and feeling the roar of a lion through the ground. Seeing the first amazing rains flooding the Okavango Delta. Being welcomed into the San communities, and having the entire community sit around me and the arrow preparers, and hearing San spoken." The investigation reports poison use for nine San nations in Botswana and Namibia: G|?ui, G||ana, G||?olo, Hai||on, Ju'|hoansi, Kua, Naro, Tsila and Xao-?'aen. "Arrow-hunting appears in ancient rock-paintings of the San, but it is unclear when poisons might have been adopted," Chaboo said. "We suspect poisons were adopted very early." She said the San use arrows to hunt large game like antelope, buffalo, cheetah, eland, elephant, gazelle, giraffe, impala, lion, puku, springbok, warthog, wildebeest and zebra. As an entomologist specializing in leaf-beetle species, Chaboo was especially interested how the San collect beetle poison, prepare it and apply it to arrows. "In general, the beetle larvae are harvested by digging up soil around the host, sifting out the cocoons to take home," she said. "Later, the cocoons are cracked open and the beetle larvae extracted. Some San hunters squeeze the beetle body fluids out onto the arrowhead, or they make a concoction with other plant juices. The arrow preparer is very careful in handling all the materials and in storing the poisoned arrows and remaining cocoons away from the community." According to the KU researcher, the biological purpose of the poison in beetles and plants remains unclear. "This is the next big glaring question to answer," Chaboo said. "We can guess that this protein toxin has some physiological value to the insect, perhaps protecting it from the harsh dry climate above ground or possibly even an anti-predatory defense. These beetle larvae already have two other levels of defenses -- their hard cocoons and their underground location." Chaboo said the poison slowly brings about paralysis in the prey of San hunters, although the biological mechanism remains unclear. "The poison is a slow-acting paralyzing poison," she said. "The animal continues to run after being hit, but over the next few hours, the animal becomes increasingly unable to move well, and it finally falls over. Then the hunter can finish off the animal. Cell breakdown and interference with cell membrane channels are implicated." Indeed, this slow chase by the hunter is the basis for the San's famous tracking culture. According to Chaboo, previous investigations by anthropologists have tended to work deeply with one or a few San communities. Chemists also made sporadic stabs at examining the San poisons, "but in the absence of entomologists, the identity of the poison sources has been ambiguous." "I became convinced that the biological systematic approach offered the most superior and swiftest route to sorting out the story," said the KU researcher. "Systematics readily integrates data from other fields so our paper provides a comprehensive account of the anthropology, history, chemistry and taxonomy about arrow-poison beetles. It identifies some urgent questions to frame the next research steps." Chaboo asserted that indigenous knowledge and practice, such as San hunting traditions, promise new understanding to scientists across many disciplines. "It's remarkable that there is so much we still don't know about life on Earth and even about the intricate relationships humans have with the environment," she said. "Indigenous knowledge -- accumulated over long periods of observations and experiences -- holds deep insight about nature. Such knowledge can improve the quality of science and other fields and may offer resolutions to some pressing problems. For example, the San can teach us how to live better in a hotter world with diminishing drinking water." ### Chaboo's work in Namibia was supported by the American Museum of Natural History and would also not have been possible with in-country collaboration with San communities and the National Museum of Namibia. This news release is available in French. Black-box warnings about the dangers of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications are confusing and could have serious consequences for the risk of youth suicide, according to researchers at the Institut universitaire en sante mentale de Montreal (CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal) and the University of Montreal, whose correspondence has just been published in the most recent issue of the journal The Lancet Psychiatry. "Health Canada has issued a series of black-box warnings about the suicidal potential of ADHD medications. However, these warnings have failed to take into account epidemiological studies showing the opposite, that increased use of this medication has been associated with reduced suicide risk in adolescents," says Dr. Alain Lesage, psychiatrist and researcher at the Institut universitaire en sante mentale de Montreal (CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal) and one of study's authors. In the past decade, the medical treatment of ADHD increased three-fold in Quebec, reaching 9% of boys aged 10 years and 4% of boys aged 15 years. However, suicide rates in Quebec's adolescents decreased by nearly 50% during that period among 15-19 year olds, which contradicts the warnings issued by Health Canada. "Clearly, the increased use of ADHD drugs indicates that they might actually reduce rather than augment the risk of suicide," says Edouard Kouassi, pharmacist and researcher at the Institut universitaire en sante mentale de Montreal (CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal) and co-author of the study. How can this decrease be explained clinically? "Randomized controlled trials have shown ADHD medication to alleviate the usual symptoms of hyperactivity and attention deficit. It has also been associated with improvements in school performance, better self-esteem, and reductions in conduct disorders, drug abuse, and pregnancies in girls. In fact, these disorders or precarious social situations are especially associated with increased risk of suicide, not the actual taking of these drugs, which, on the contrary, may prevent suicide," say the authors. Indeed, Health Canada's black-box warming may contribute to reducing prescriptions because of parents' fears about their children's health, while these medications may actually protect them. "The silence from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is especially worrying in a context in which it has been called on to prepare a national suicide prevention strategy for the government of Canada under Bill C-300. We wrote this correspondence hoping to sound the alarm about the warnings published by Quebec's health authorities, as elsewhere in Canada, which might lead to a decrease in this effective medical treatment," they conclude. ### About the study Source: Alain Lesage, Johanne Renaud, Edouard Kouassi, Philippe Vincent. Canadian ADHD black-box warnings. The Lancet Psychiatry, December 2015. http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanpsy/PIIS2215-0366(15)00428-9.pdf Dr. Alain Lesage is a psychiatrist and researcher at the Institut universitaire en sante mentale de Montreal (CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal) and professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Universite de Montreal. Dr. Johanne Renaud is a psychiatrist and medical chief of the Child Psychiatry Program at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute (CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal). She is an associate professor of psychiatry at McGill University. Edouard Kouassi is a pharmicist and associate researcher at the Institut universitaire en sante mentale de Montreal (CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal) and associate professor-researcher in the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universite de Montreal. Philippe Vincent is a pharmacist and associate researcher at the Institut universitaire en sante mentale de Montreal and clinical assistant professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy, Universite de Montreal. The University of Montreal is officially known as Universite de Montreal. The future of many UK farming businesses looks uncertain, according to a new report on the agricultural implications of leaving the EU written by a University of Warwick academic. Written by Professor Wyn Grant of the University of Warwick and the Farmer-Scientist Network, the report covers topics as diverse as the impact on the single farm payment, regulation, plant protection, world trade, animal health and welfare and migrant labour. The report is the result of a working party set up by the Network. It was commissioned by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, which hosts the Network, and it aims to inform and promote debate to highlight the issues which could potentially shape British agriculture. It is particularly timely given the recent statement by Environment Secretary, Liz Truss at the Oxford Farming Conference that there is no "Plan B" should the decision be to exit Europe. Speaking in advance of the report's publication on Thursday 4 February, Professor Grant said it was hard to see any advantage to British farmers in leaving the EU. In the event of a "yes" vote, the lack of contingency planning by the Government would inevitably lead to a period of great uncertainty, for at least two years, as the new regime took shape, making medium and long term planning for farmers extremely difficult, he said. Most farmers' concerns centre on the effect any decision would have on EU farm subsidies. Against a backdrop of falling farm incomes, subsidies can make the difference of running at a profit or a loss. Without the payments the future of many farm businesses would be in jeopardy, warned Professor Grant. "There is a perception in the industry that leaving the EU would reduce the burden of regulation. I do not think there will be a bonfire of regulations as the problem is not just from Brussels but from gold-plating by London. There are legal complexities which have not been considered." Powerful and influential lobby groups in Britain would have a louder voice in a smaller arena, and British farmers would not have the advantage of their European counterparts, particularly the French, fighting the farming corner, and Britain would still have to abide by EU regulations if it wanted to continue to export to Europe. The likely introduction of import tariffs on British goods and border controls would all have an impact, making British goods more expensive. North Yorkshire uplands farmer Richard Findlay pointed out that 40% of UK lamb is sold to Europe so an exit would have a huge impact on that important market. "In most countries where there is no direct agricultural support, food is more expensive. It's a misconception that is a farming subsidy, it's not, it subsidises the cost of food on the shelves. Everyone has to eat and prices will go up. Food security should be higher on everyone's agenda." Nigel Pulling Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society likened leaving Europe to a "leap in the dark." "While there is some dissatisfaction with Europe there is at least certainty. What this report has highlighted is the complexity of the number of different issues we are facing, but the Government hasn't filled in any of the blanks. A real concern is that in any negotiations, agriculture would suffer against other sectors such as financial services and the pharmaceutical industry which make a greater contribution to the UK's GDP, but what could be more important than the food we eat." ### For further details contact Nicola Jones, Communications Manager, University of Warwick Tel: 02476574255, mob:07920531221, Email: n.jones.1@warwick.ac.uk EDITORS' NOTES The Yorkshire Agricultural Society was established in 1837 with the primary purpose of holding an agricultural show and for the furtherance and support of farming in the region. This ethos continues today, through its flagship events, the Great Yorkshire Show (Tues 12 - Thurs 14 July 2016) and Countryside Live, (Sat 22 and Sun 23 October 2016). Year round it has an active programme of events and activities supporting the farming and rural communities, particularly in the North of England. It also runs Fodder, the award winning regional food shop and cafe. The Society is based at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, N. Yorkshire. For more information see http://www.yas.co.uk Biographical details: Professor Wyn Grant and Richard Findlay Wyn Grant Enjoyed an academic career of over 40 years and has made significant contributions to the study of comparative public policy, particularly agricultural policy. In the past decade Wyn has been engaged in interdisciplinary work on agricultural topics with animal and plant scientists. A BA in Politics from Leicester University, an MSc in Politics from Strathclyde and a PhD from Exeter University, Wyn has worked at the University of Warwick since 1971, and specialised on agricultural policy since the 1970s. Served as Head of Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick from 1990 to 1997, Wyn has been extensively involved in the Research Councils' Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) programme as principal investigator for a project on biological alternatives to chemical pesticides and deputy principal investigator for a project on the Governance of Livestock Diseases (GoLD). Throughout 2000 - 2010, Wyn undertook extensive work with the Political Studies Association and International Political Science Association. Elected as an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences in February 2011, Wyn was awarded a Diamond Jubilee Lifetime Achievement Award in Political Studies by the Political Studies Association in 2010, and a special International Award in 2011. Broad media experience on television (BBC, Channel 4, Sky), radio (Radio 4, Radio 5, PBS United States, local radio stations) and in print media as a commentator on agricultural policy. Richard Findlay A successful livestock business at Quarry Farm, near Whitby in the heart of the North York Moors National Park is run by Richard and his family. The farm comprises of over 145 acres and tenants on 165 acres with 636 moor rights on Westerdale Common (1200 acres). The family rear a herd of 100 continental cross suckler cows, a hill flock of Swaledale sheep, a pedigree flock of Beltex sheep, and some crossbred ewes. In 2006, Richard and his family inherited five beehives, which led to diversification and beeswax and honey products are now also produced, under the brand name Westerdale Apiaries. A founder member of the Seven Hills Farmer Co-operative, established after the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak of 2001, and first made possible through support from HRHThe Prince of Wales 'Seeing is Believing' initiative and a visit from Business in the Community. The origin of the deal was a visit to farms in the North York Moors, to explore ways in which businesses could help hard-pressed hill farmers within the National Park. Following the success of the visit, The Prince of Wales committed 39,000 over a two year period to the Yorkshire Moors Agricultural Apprenticeship Scheme which aims to ensure that these farming skills do not die out, by offering apprenticeships to young people aspiring to be upland hill farmers or work on upland farms. It all comes down to quantum physics: scientists at TU Wien have analyzed why some gases can be cooled down to extremely low temperatures This news release is available in German. When cold milk is poured into a hot cup of tea, a temperature equilibrium is reached very quickly. The milk droplets and the tea particles interact, and after a few moments they all have the same average energy. This process is called thermalization. It plays a crucial role in cooling down gases to ultra-low temperatures. But surprisingly, even gases for which this effect is suppressed can be cooled. Scientists at TU Wien (Vienna) took a closer look at this phenomenon and found a special quantum-mechanical kind of cooling at work. Kicking Out Hot Particles "The particles that make up a liquid or a gas have different energies", says Professor Jorg Schmiedmayer (TU Wien). The distribution of these energies depends on the temperature. The hotter the gas, the higher the number of particles with high energies. Therefore, a simple trick can be used to cool down cold gases: with the help of electromagnetic fields, the particles with the highest energy are removed from the gas. The remaining ones interact, redistribute the energy, and the gas relaxes again to a typical energy distribution--but at a slightly lower temperature than before. "It is a bit like blowing on your tea in order to cool it", says Bernhard Rauer, who led the experiments in Schmiedmayer's research group. "The particles with the highest energy manage to leave the liquid and are blown away. The remaining tea quickly reaches an equilibrium state at a slightly lower temperature." However, there are cases, in which reaching such a thermal equilibrium is not possible. A Newton's cradle for example is a device that has several spheres hanging from strings, arranged in a straight line. When one of the spheres is set in motion and hits the others, the last sphere in line is kicked away, while the others do not move. "In this case, the spheres can only exchange energies between each other. There will never be a thermal distribution of many different energies", says Bernhard Rauer. Rauer studied a similar system: a one dimensional gas of atoms, kept in a straight line by an electromagnetic trap. The atoms can just exchange their energies, just like the spheres in Newton's cradle. Therefore, one would expect the cooling mechanism of removing the most energetic particles to fail in this case. When the fastest particles are gone, no other particles in the gas will ever have the same speed again. According to this simple model, an energy that is missing will be gone forever. Astonishingly, this is not true for the one-dimensional gas. It can be cooled down by continuously removing particles--to much lower energies than one would expect, according, to the simplified picture of fast and slow particles. It's a Wave! The reason for this effect is that the particles can only be understood quantum mechanically. "We should not think of individual particles colliding like the spheres in Newton's cradle. Instead, we have to consider collective excitations, which are distributed across many particles - like a water wave, which is carried by many water molecules at the same time", says Jorg Schmiedmayer. These quantum waves store the energy of the system, and the more particles that are removed from the gas, the less intense these waves become. This is a quantum mechanical cooling mechanism which should be impossible according to simple classical laws of nature. "For us it is crucial that the gas behaves more and more quantum mechanically at low temperatures", says Jorg Schmiedmayer. "That is exciting, because that is precisely what we are interested in: often quantum physics is studied in simple systems, consisting only of a few particles, such as an atom with a few electrons. We have a system which undeniably exhibits quantum behaviour, and it is made of thousands of atoms." ### Further information: Dipl.-Ing. Bernhard Rauer Institute for Atomic and Subatomic Physics, Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ) TU Wien Stadionallee 2, 1020 Wien T: +43-1-58801-141849 bernhard.rauer@tuwien.ac.at Prof. Jorg Schmiedmayer Institute for Atomic and Subatomic Physics, Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ) TU Wien Stadionallee 2, 1020 Wien T: +43-1-58801-141888 hannes-joerg.schmiedmayer@tuwien.ac.at schmiedmayer@AtomChip.org In 2010, a research team garnered attention when it published evidence of finding the first animals living in permanently anoxic conditions at the bottom of the sea. But a new study, led by scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), raises doubts. One alternative scenario is that cadavers of multicellular organisms were inhabited by bacteria capable of living in anoxic conditions, and these "bodysnatchers" made it seem that the dead animals were living, said Joan Bernhard, a geobiologist with WHOI and the lead author of the new study published in the December 2015 issue of the scientific journal BMC Biology. Bernhard and Virginia Edgcomb, her colleague at WHOI, led an expedition in 2011 that returned to the site of the initial findings: a deep hypersaline anoxic basin (or DHAB) two miles deep in the Mediterranean Sea. DHABs are curious phenomena. They exist in depressions on the seafloor, where long-buried salt deposits become exposed to seawater and dissolve into the sea. The hypersaline water is extremely dense and remains separated, like oil and water, from surrounding normal seawater. It forms "lakes" on the seafloor, tens to hundreds of meters deep, that are extremely salty and devoid of oxygen. "We have known for a long time that some metazoans inhabit extreme anoxic habitats on a periodic or even semi-permanent basis," Bernhard said. "But scientists have thought that metazoan's high-energy activities, such as reproduction, would require oxygen. If these loriciferans spend their whole lives and reproduce in a zero-oxygen environment, we would have to reconsider our concepts of animal metabolism. It was important to revisit the DHABs to confirm and understand those previous remarkable findings." In the 2010 study published in the same journal, researchers from Polytechnic University of Marche and the Natural History Museum of Denmark, led by Roberto Danovaro, analyzed samples collected from a Mediterranean DHAB called L'Atalante. They reported finding multicellular animals (or metazoans), including previously unknown species of a type of tiny animals called loriciferans. The contrast between conditions at the seafloor and at the surface makes it nearly impossible to recover live specimens, and so in the past, metazoan specimens collected from DHABs have been "interpreted as the result of a rain of cadavers that sunk to the anoxic zone from adjacent oxygenated areas," according to the Danovaro study. But the scientists conducted experiments with fluorescent tags, taken up only by metabolically active organisms, which gave indications that the loriciferans had been alive. In addition, a few loriciferans appeared to have reproductive structures called oocytes (or eggs), indicating that the organisms were reproducing. Intrigued by these findings, Bernhard and Edgcomb returned to L'Atalante and other nearby DHABs in 2011 to further investigate aboard the research vessel Atlantis. They collected sediment and water from the edges of three brine pools with different chemical compositions, using WHOI's remotely operated vehicle Jason to visually guide carefully targeted push-core samples. Samples were taken from points in the upper, middle, and lower levels of the layer of water immediately overlying the brine lake. This so-called "interface zone" is where normal seawater at the top transitions to the brine at the bottom, becoming more concentrated and anoxic the closer to the brine. The highly dense, saline, chemical-laden and oxygen-depleted water in all three pools was too dense for Jason to fully penetrate. Control samples from nearby sediment and water of normal oxygen and salinity were also collected. "It's very difficult to get these samples," Bernhard said. "We specifically targeted the interface zone, to have the best chance of finding living organisms." In some control samples, which were mud and water of normal oxygen levels, and also in some samples from the upper level of the interface zones, which have a low level of oxygen, Bernhard and colleagues found the same loriciferan species from L'Atalante reported by Danovaro and colleagues in the 2010 paper and formally named in a 2014 publication. Bernhard et al found the greatest number of metazoans were nematode worms, with much smaller numbers of bryozoans, crustaceans, and loriciferans, including the same three loriciferan genera Danovaro and colleagues reported. More metazoans were in the upper layer and far fewer in the middle and lower layers of the interface zone. The WHOI-led team used a combination of techniques (including incubation with a marker of living tissue, ribosomal RNA sequencing to identify species, epifluorescence imagery, differential interference and phase contrast imagery, and ultrastructural examination of individual specimens, and more) to examine the metazoans collected in the samples. The team's results provided evidence that some nematodes were alive in both the normal sediment and the upper level of the interface zones. But in the lower interface, with almost no oxygen, the metazoans seen were degraded or only their outer coverings, called cuticles. "We found no evidence that these metazoans were living or reproducing in the deepest part of the interface," Bernhard said. They argue that it is very unlikely that the same loriciferan species that they found in normal (control) sediment would also be physiologically able live in the two very different hypersaline, hyperdense, hyper-chemical brine pools where they were collected, because the range of conditions is too wide to adapt to. "The likelihood that they'd have the physiology to cope with all of that would be very low," Bernhard said. "One alternative scenario," the authors write, "is that remnant metazoa bodies were inhabited by [living] anaerobic bacteria and/or archaea," which they colloquially called "bodysnatchers." "The possibility of a viable metazoan community in brines of DHABs is not supported by our data at this time," the authors wrote in their new paper. "That earlier group's 2010 paper came out with such a splash," Bernhard said. "But based on our detailed observations, our paper offers a different perspective on the assertion that there are permanently anoxic metazoans. Maybe people will see our paper and think 'Maybe we don't have to rewrite the basic biology textbooks yet.' " ### Authors of the paper were Joan M. Bernhard, Colin R. Morrison (U Nevada Reno), Ellen Pape (Marine Biology Research Group, Ghent University), David J. Beaudoin (WHOI), M. Antonio Todaro (U Modena & Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy), Maria G. Pachiadaki (WHOI), Konstantinos Ar Kormas (Dept of Ichthyology & Aquatic Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, U Thessaly, Volos, Greece), and Virginia P. Edgcomb. The work was supported by the National Science Foundation. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the ocean's role in the changing global environment. For more information, please visit http://www.whoi.edu. Warburg Pincus and General Atlantics purchase of 49% of Network International, the Middle East payment solutions provider, made a few headlines in the trade press in November, but perhaps the more interesting angle to the deal is behind the scenes. The two private equity heavyweights bought the stake from Abraaj Group, the Middle Easts pre-eminent homegrown name in private equity, which itself bought the stake through one of its funds in 2011. (The rest is owned by Emirates NBD, which will continue to own 51% for the foreseeable future.) Abraaj professed itself as delighted with its exit, which at almost five years is exactly the sort of time horizon it typically looks to. But a sale to other private equity houses was not originally the plan. The expectation had been that Abraaj would monetize its investment through an IPO: Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase had all been linked with a float. But the idea was apparently shelved because of the moribund environment in GCC equities, which have fallen on the back of low commodity prices and broader concerns about emerging markets. Dubai Financial Markets general index, for example, was down 21.97% year to date at the time of writing: a miserable market to try to raise new equity capital in. Mustafa Abdel-Wadood, partner and global head of Abraajs regional funds business And, sources say, neither the company, its shareholders nor its bankers saw much likelihood of the situation improving any time soon. In public statements, Abraaj has said that in fact it was just a question of a better deal being on offer through a direct sale. We were considering an IPO as one of the strategic options, said Mustafa Abdel-Wadood, partner and global head of Abraajs regional funds business. However, early, in the process, we received a valuation that made a lot of sense from a strong group of buyers, and therefore went down that route instead. But the fact that a trade sale offered a better outcome than anything available in the capital markets speaks to a growing sense of limitation within those markets. Euromoney has written frequently on the mounting liquidity problems in the Gulfs debt capital markets, but things arent great on the equity side either. The ascension to the MSCI Emerging Markets index by Qatar and the UAE has not, as some expected, been accompanied by new listings, which would bring needed depth, variety and liquidity to those markets. Qatar, for example, seems becalmed with 44 listed companies; fund managers there say that, much as they would love to see groups like Qatar Airways or some of the state-owned petrochemical businesses listed, they see very little sign of it actually happening. The free float of most of the big companies is still relatively small, and there are even whispers of MSCI considering putting the market back in the frontier index again if companies dont list more equity. In the UAE, which has no less than three markets, none of them has seized the chance to be dominant; Dubais in particular the market where Network International would presumably be listed is heavily lop-sided towards members of the Emaar group and Emirates NBD. Saudi Arabia, in the year that it has opened its doors to international capital, has suffered a drought for new listings too, although at least here there does finally seem to be something happening. On November 25, Saudis Capital Market Authority said that Andalus Property Group had been given approval for an IPO of 21 million shares representing 30% of the companys share capital. Its not clear how much the IPO will raise, but at least its something As the first float since the opening of the market, it will be closely watched. Traditionally IPOs in Saudi have been used in part as a method of wealth distribution. They are often priced below what would be considered fair value in developed markets, in order to give the near certainty of price appreciation to the many retail investors who dominate turnover on the Saudi Exchange. But the point of opening the market to foreign institutional investors was to bring about a change in the way the market behaves, to reduce volatility and to dampen the impact of retail whims. Its interesting, then, that the CMA says a portion of the shares will be allocated to institutional investors via a book-building process, although thats not actually unusual, with chunks of IPOs often being set aside for Saudi state pension vehicles like the General Organization of Social Insurance (GOSI). Then the remainder were to be offered to the public from December 17 to 23 (after Euromoney went to press). The pricing of the deal gives us a clue as to whether Saudi is moving towards more international norms. Saudi really has, through no fault of its own, picked a hellish moment to open its markets: the markets Tadawul All Share Index was down 16.6% year to date at the time of writing as the low oil price has started to hit the petrochemicals sector, and public finances have started to hurt. Saudi has so far attracted very little new international capital since the opening, although there have been some encouraging signs such as BlackRock launching a Saudi ETF in New York. With hydrocarbon prices likely to be low for the foreseeable future, sentiment in Gulf markets weak, and liquidity tightening, 2016 is going to tell us a lot about the true depth of GCC capital markets. More people are visiting New Zealand than ever before and those choosing to live and work in the country are led by Indians, Australians and Chinese, the latest data shows.Visitor arrivals reached 444,900 in December 2015, the highest ever monthly figure and the biggest increase was in visitors from China, up 11,000 or 43% from December 2014, according to the figures from Statistics New Zealand."The previous record of 402,500, set in December 2014, was easily surpassed this month. This was mainly driven by a 17% increase in arrivals of holiday makers," said population statistics manager Jo-Anne Skinner.There were more people arriving on student and work visas, suggesting that those going to New Zealand plan to stay for some time. Student visas were up 5,000 to 27,900 and work visas were up 4.500 to 37,800.Most of the student arrivals were from India at 10,800, an increase of 28% from the December 2014 year, followed by China at 5,300, and the Philippines at 2,100.The biggest sources of people arriving on work visas in the December 2015 year were the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and Germany. Arrivals on work visas increased 14% from the December 2014 year. Arrivals on work visas include working holiday makers.Another 14,100 migrants arrived on residence visas. Most migrants gain New Zealand residence after, rather than before, arrival. Many arrive on temporary visas and transfer to a residence visa after spending time in New Zealand.All regions had a net gain of international migrants in the December 2015 year, led by Auckland at 30,000, Canterbury 6,800, Waikato 2,600, Wellington 2,400, and Bay of Plenty 2,100.The net gain in migration for the Auckland region was 7,000 higher in 2015 than 2014. The increase was driven by migrant arrivals into Auckland rising by 14% coupled with a slight fall of 3% in departures compared with the December 2014 year.Unadjusted figures showed a record net gain of 64,900 migrants in the December 2015 year. The annual gain in migrants has set new records for the last 17 months. Both more arrivals and fewer departures drove the increased net gain of migrants, the data shows.Migrant arrivals at 121,900 continued to reach a new high, up 12% from the December 2014 year while migrant departures at 57,000 were down 2%.The increase in migrant arrivals was led by India, up 3,200 to 14,500, Australia up 2,000 to 25,300, China up 1,500 to 11,000 and the Philippines up 1,500 to 5,400 and the increase in arrivals from Australia was for both New Zealand citizens and non-New Zealand citizens.The fall in migrant departures was due to fewer New Zealand citizens leaving for Australia. Departures of New Zealand citizens to Australia fell by 2,600 or 11%.Annual net gains from Australia continued to increase with 800 migrants in the December 2015 year. This was the highest net gain since the October 1991 year and the third month in a row to show an annual net gain of migrants from Australia.New Zealand recorded net gains of migrants from most other countries in the December 2015 year were led by India at 13,300, China 8,900, the Philippines 5,100 and the United Kingdom at 3,600.In the December 2015 year, visitor arrivals reached a record 3.13 million, up 10% from the previous year. Australia contributed 1.33 million visitors, China 355,900, and the United States 243,100. A change in the method of calculating DNA probability that is causing crime labs across Texas to review thousands of cases is much less of a worry in Bexar County, prosecutors and defense attorneys say, because the local crime lab has used a less problematic protocol for nearly 20 years. At issue are samples that include more than one persons DNA, such as evidence swabbed from a countertop after a convenience store robbery or taken from bodily fluids in a rape kit. Experts, including the FBI, revised national guidelines for calculating odds in these scenarios six years ago, but no one sounded an alarm or asked prosecutors to re-examine cases that used the alternate methodology. Now, Texas labs and lawyers are reviewing pending prosecutions and thousands of adjudicated cases, including those of death row defendants who had this type of evidence presented at trial. In Harris County theyll be reviewing some 24,000 cases, said Jay Brandon, chief of the Bexar County district attorneys conviction integrity unit. And in Dallas County they have maybe 9,000 cases. But here in Bexar County were fortunate to have only 558. We have always used a more conservative standard than the FBI, which first alerted authorities last year to the questionable DNA calculations, Brandon said. We have an independent crime lab. Its not the district attorneys crime lab. Theyve always been very conservative. And now were learning thats a good thing. Even more encouraging, said Brandon, was that of the 558 cases where mixed DNA testing was used, only about 150 resulted in convictions or where the identity of the perpetrator was in question. The district attorneys office has sent letters to all those 150 defendants or their attorneys asking if they would like the cases to be reviewed. There is one death penalty case (of those 150) that I am looking at closely, Brandon said, but he is nowhere close to being executed. Ive notified his attorney that they may have a likely case for retrial. The science behind DNA testing hasn't changed, but for mixed samples, analysts now focus on fewer factors in their results before determining the odds of someone being at the scene. The findings are more conservative and can provide significant, even startling, differences. A case in Galveston, for example, involved results for a screwdriver believed to have been used in a homicide. The initial results estimated the chance of somebody other than the Hispanic defendant leaving a particular DNA profile on the screwdriver was 1 in 290 million among Hispanics. The revised report found the probability was 1 in 38. The original results also said the defendants and victims DNA could have been on the screwdriver but ruled out the presence of DNA from a female defendant in the slaying. The new results said the woman could have left DNA on the screwdriver as well. Inaccurate calculations still might be happening around the country, said Barry Scheck, director of the Innocence Project, a national legal nonprofit that has reviewed post-conviction DNA evidence since 1992. Scheck recently took an informal poll among forensic scientists at a national conference on the outdated multiple contributor DNA protocol, and all agreed: Texas is the only place thats systematically trying to correct it. The review was initiated by crime labs and coordinated by the states Forensic Science Commission. Prosecutors, defense lawyers and judges have joined the effort to comb through old cases, contact affected parties and, in some instances, halt the judicial process to ensure the science is up to date. Texas has this well-deserved reputation for being tough on crime, said Michael Young, chief of the Bexar County public defenders office, but were one of the few states that has in our criminal code compensation for the wrongfully convicted. And (Bexar County District Attorney) Nico LaHood has made good on his promise to set up a conviction integrity unit to review these cases in good faith. Fort Worth attorney Mike Ware, executive director of the Innocence Project of Texas and a former Dallas County prosecutor, said he didnt expect the reviews statewide would result in many exonerations. But every defendant has a right to have accurate scientific information presented at trial, Ware said, adding that Bexar County is to be commended for its work. From everything I know about the Bexar County DAs office and the crime lab, theyre trying to act with the utmost integrity. Tim Fallon, director of the Bexar County Criminal Investigation Laboratory, said he appreciated the praise for his staff of seven DNA analysts, especially when it comes from both the prosecution and defense. But I would not say we use a better protocol or that other crime labs are using a discredited methodology, he said. Its a calculation of probability. Its a tool. And we think we use the most appropriate tool. Cautioning that he is not a DNA expert, Fallon somewhat downplayed the controversy. There are two popular methods of testing mixed-DNA samples, he explained. One called Random Match Probability (RMP) involves testing samples where the DNA of at least one person is known, such as a female victim in a rape case, and the other DNA present has an unknown origin. Weve used RMP for about 20 years, Fallon said. It is completely valid and we will continue to use it for the majority of our DNA cases. The other method primarily is used when the DNA evidence is at such a low-level perhaps sweat from unknown people on a steering wheel that it has to be enhanced or amplified by analysts. Think of it like an over-pixelated photo, Fallon said, apologizing for the oversimplification. The amplification can blow it up so much you have to step back to recognize the original photo. We use both of these methods for calculating odds of a DNA match, he said. The data is the same in both, but its the interpretation that is now in question, and Bexar County has just used the more conservative RMP approach far more often than some counties. bselcraig@express-news.net Houston Chronicle Staff Writer Gabrielle Banks contributed to this report. COLUMBUS Scientists are actively pursuing answers to how nutrients are moving and leaving farmers fields in the western Lake Erie basin, and the results could be a little surprising. Mark Williams, a Columbus-based soil drainage researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, gave Ohio Farmers Union members an update on research regarding tile drainage and surface runoff. He said phosphorus loss through tiles was considered negligible in the 1980s, because the focus at the time was on nitrogen drainage. But now that phosphorus is showing up in the water, researchers are trying to figure out why, to help combat the growth of toxic algal blooms. Related: Ohio Farmers Union talks COOL, TPP and other issues. The agency has been testing runoff and tile drainage from farmers fields, and has found that while no-till farming has huge benefits in reducing sediment loss and surface loss of phosphorus, it may be increasing the dissolved portion that is coming out of the tile. Larger volume He said the concentration of phosphorus in tile drainage is lower than at the surface, but the volume that flows through tile drainage is much higher. With no-till farming, nutrients tend to infiltrate the soil with the precipitation, but are more likely to follow the cracks and pores in the soil, and infiltrate too fast ending up in the field tile before separating from the water. Phosphorus applied to the surface of a no-till field is being rapidly leached to the tile drain, but when you incorporate the fertilizer with tillage, it greatly reduces the losses, he said. Williams did not suggest that farmers abandon no-till, nor that they go back to moldboard plowing. But he said USDA is researching ways of incorporating the fertilizer into the soil, possibly through subsurface injection, so nutrients are more likely to stay in the soil. More funding In an afternoon speech, Terry Cosby, Ohios state conservationist, said a major federal announcement that carries a significant amount of funding for the basin, will be made in the next couple months. Were going to have money and theres going to be a lot of dollars that were going to be using, to go in and help with the basin, he said. Cosby said USDA plans to contract with three farms within the basin, to conduct demonstration or discovery farms, in which researchers will research and test about every (conservation) practice that we offer. The research farms will be a place where farmers can go and see how different practices work, and decide which ones would work best on their own farm. He said USDA is also providing more resources to help farmers with nutrient management plans and soil testing. Much of what is being done is still through a voluntary approach, including farmers who have voluntarily opened up their fields for testing. Other counties While a lot of his focus is on the western basin, Cosby is also helping implement a separate program through USDA, known as StrikeForce. The StrikeForce program helps unite federal resources to fight poverty in rural counties, and was extended to include 11 Ohio counties in January. Most of Ohios counties are located in the Appalachian region, and will now have greater access to food and nutrition assistance, rural development, housing and microloan programs and also conservation programs. Although water drainage from those counties typically flows south, into the Ohio River, nutrient issues have also been an issue in those water bodies, making nutrient management a statewide issue. COLUMBUS The Ohio Farmers Union continued its call for mandatory country of origin labeling of meat products during the organizations annual convention, Jan. 29-30 in Columbus. A wide range of topics were on members minds, including concerns over the recently announced federal trade agreement with pacific nations, and the spike in farmland taxes. But the issue that got most attention was labeling better known as COOL. Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union, said COOL policy has shown up in farm bills since 2002, including the most recent farm bill in 2014. But each time, the rule has come under criticism from larger-scale producers, who dont believe a label should be mandatory. Consumer demand Johnson said consumers want to know where their food comes from, but the industry doesnt want to tell them. Consumers overwhelmingly want to know more about their food, producers overwhelmingly want to tell them more about their food, (but) big meat packers dont want that to happen, he said. With passage of the 2014 farm bill, it appeared COOL was on its way to being implemented. But meat packers and livestock groups sued the government in an effort to block the rule, and in December, the World Trade Organization authorized Canada and Mexico to issue $1 billion in retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. As a result, the federal government repealed COOL as part of the federal budget bill, signed into law Dec. 18. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, delivered the opening address at the convention. He said hes working with OFU on developing a voluntary labeling program, but said he believes the program should really be mandatory. Why should the public be denied knowing where this beef came from or where it was slaughtered? he asked. That we have a trade regimen around the world (WTO) that calls that unfair trade practices it just doesnt pass any kind of straight-face test. Legislative awards The OFU welcomed two additional lawmakers, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo; and Ohio Rep. Brian Hill, R-Zanesville. Both were named OFU legislators of the year, for their work on COOL (Kaptur), and CAUV reform (Hill). The OFU also presented awards to its own members, including the Certificate of Achievement honor, which went to Holly Finnarn, of Darke County; and Mardy Townsend, of Ashtabula County. Trade agreement Another big concern for OFU members is the trade proposal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership a trade deal among a dozen nations, including the U.S. Supporters of the deal, including President Obama, say it would engage the U.S. in one of the worlds biggest economies, boost domestic GDP and provide new opportunities for agriculture. The agreement is expected to reduce and eliminate tariffs, and open new market opportunities for U.S. livestock markets, including beef exports to Japan. But opponents, including Brown and Johnson, point to concerns over currency manipulation by other nations, and the potential for job loss in the U.S. Johnson said the deal would increase the U.S. trade deficit, and lead to more jobs being exported. The biggest single reason that we have those trade deficits, is because there are countries who deliberately intervene in the currency markets, to make their exports cheaper, and to make our exports more expensive, Johnson said. Johnson also criticized the U.S. EPAs decision to reduce the renewable fuel standard, which he said will lessen the nations investment into alternative energy. He also commended OFU members for their work in helping make the new federal food safety rules more scale-appropriate for small farmers. In other matters, OFU President Joe Logan was elected to another term, by a vote of applause. Logan said OFU continues its mission of serving and protecting family farmers, and reminding policymakers of the power and potential that can be unleashed by wise economic and agricultural policies. He said the organization also continues to be a preeminent advocate for open, transparent and competitive markets. Nutrient concerns In policy hearings, members discussed their ongoing concerns with large-scale livestock farms, known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. Some members noted they were concerned about the over-application of manure, and nuisance issues related to CAFO operations. The organization had wanted Ohios new fertilizer certification law to include manure applied to farmers fields, the same as it applies to manufactured fertilizers. But lawmakers dropped manure partly because manure is already regulated in Ohio through separate legislation. The largest farms CAFOS are regulated through the Ohio Department of Agricultures Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting. Registration is now open for the National Farmers Union convention, which will be held March 5-8, in Minneapolis. (Reporter Chris Kick can be reached at 330-403-9477, or by email at ckick@farmanddairy.com.) DALTON, Ohio Farming in the public eye and getting back to basics in pasture management were two of the hot topics dairy farmers came to hear at the North Central Ohio Grazing Conference. The two-day event, which attracted over 800 producers and vendors, was held Jan. 28-29 at the Buckeye Event Center in Dalton. Along with producers, the conference hosted over 60 students from the Ohio State Universitys Agricultural Technical Institutes forage class and sustainable agriculture program as well as students from the Mohawk Parochial School in Glenmont, Ohio. The conference featured local and out-of-state experts to help producers improve their grazing techniques. An open book We have an amazing industry that we are a part of. We cant hide it in the Back 40, said Ernest Weaver, a forage consultant from Illinois, who kicked off the conference presentations Jan. 29. Weaver encouraged farmers to embrace farming under the watchful eye of consumers. Many of us are involved in ag because we dont want to be in the public eye, he said. We must accept the fact that we are in the public eye and make it better. Today, more than ever, consumer perceptions of agriculture are important to the industry, Weaver said. He encouraged farmers to embrace the curiosity of the traveler taking the back country road and invite them on to the farm. All of us, in one way or another, are going to have the opportunity to be a representative for agriculture, said Weaver. If I am doing something on my farm that I dont want anyone else to see, I need to stop. There is no reason our farms shouldnt be an open book. Changing perceptions By opening up the farm, public perceptions can be changed, he said, and encouraged local farmers to hold school field trips or host the neighbors and local businesses. Farmers, especially those living in predominately rural communities, assume that everyone knows what goes on at a farm, but the reality is they dont, he added. School tours and general farm tours allow people to connect in a way they never could have before. Weaver also said by opening up your farm to outsiders, you can change your own perspective on the farm. Watching someone touch a cow for the first time and make those connections between food and the farm or comment on the beauty of the landscape can give a farmer a new appreciation for something he/she is used to seeing every day. Lingering club Troy Bishop, grazing specialist, Madison Soil and Water Conservation District in New York, continued those sentiments before giving his presentation on pasture fertility. As farmers we need to linger more, he said, encouraging farmers to carve out some time just to walk across the fields. Its important to look down, said Bishop. Farmers could ultimately save themselves some money on things like soil tests by getting on their hands and knees and observing what is going on with the soil. Have a plan Bishop also encouraged farmers to have a grazing and fertility plan. He showed a spreadsheet where pasture rotations and fertility applications can be mapped out for the year. Farmers can monitor what they are doing and see if it is really benefiting their pastures. Put in the work Hard work and good management will trump luck every time, said Jerry D. Miller, an Amish dairyman from Walnut Creek, Ohio, who challenged farmers to take a look at what they are putting into the farm and how it is benefiting them. Miller said farmers need to stop relying too much on inputs and get back to the basics. The inputs Miller referred to were: cash costs, foliars and fertility products, somatic cell products and labor. If we get the basics right, the inputs will take care of itself, said Miller. And in order to get the basics right, Miller said farmers have to forgo the shortcuts (which are often enabled by inputs) and put in the hard work. Timeliness is key During hay season, Miller said he often hears producers say they made dry cow hay this year, which loosely translates to, you didnt get your hay done on time, he joked. Miller knows there are plenty of factors that can get in the way of getting the first cutting of hay out of the field, but it all comes down to priorities. Get that first crop of hay off in May so regrowth can begin sooner rather than later, the cows will get a good quality feed and in return, turn that hay into quality milk that turns into cash, said Miller. Timeliness is all about getting the farm on a schedule. The schedule should benefit the farm and the farm family, so everyone knows where everyone is and everyone is held accountable. Being where you are supposed to be and being timely sets the dynamic for the small farm family, said Miller. Next generation Miller said he is not opposed to using inputs like foliars and fertilizers to help the pasture along, but when more money is being put into inputs to save some time on working the ground by hand, the expenses could outweigh the bottom line. And profitability and the bottom line can go a long way in encouraging the next generation to stay on the farm. There is a way to romanticize our children into wanting to farm, said Miller. But we have to have the profits to keep up with the market or the best and the brightest will leave the farm. Part of keeping the farm profitable comes from good management and knowing where the farm stands. A farmer has to know where his farm is going in the months of May, June and July in order to make decisions for the farm in September, explained Miller. The old shoebox mentality does not work today, he said, referring to bringing a shoebox full of receipts to the tax man to find out how the farm did for the year. Sometimes we need to look at things to tell us where we are at, said Miller. Whether that means taking a step back and lingering in the pasture, mapping out a schedule for a year of pasture rotations or calculating if certain inputs are worth the expenses, the overall message from Miller and many of the other presenters for the day was good management. WOOSTER, Ohio Peter Piermarini, an entomologist with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University, is available to speak with the media about the mosquitoes that transmit Zika virus, which is now present throughout Latin America and has also infected more than 30 people in the U.S. who contracted the disease while traveling abroad. In Brazil, Zika virus has been linked to cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, pregnant women giving birth to babies with birth defects and poor pregnancy outcomes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Zika virus is transmitted by species of Aedes mosquitoes, but Aedes aegypti appears to be the most efficient, said Piermarini, an expert on disease-transmitting mosquitoeswhose research seeks alternative ways to control these insects. Aedes aegypti is not found in Ohio, but it is common in the southern U.S., especially Florida and the Gulf Coast. Piermarini said that other Aedes species are found in Ohio, but their capacity to transmit the Zika virus is not well described, and its unlikely they would bring the virus into Ohio. The only scenario I could envision for Zika entering Ohio is if an infected person comes into the state and is bit by a mosquito species that can transmit it to another person, Piermarini explained. However, the only time of the year that is likely to happen is over the summer, and even then the chances are very low without the presence of Aedes aegypti. Piermarini can be contacted at piermarini.1@osu.edu or 330-263-3641. New report backs farmers' calls for better waste crime policies We commonly track the financial penalties levied for foreign bribery violations. But the most devastating loss can be in dollars not yet earned because of suspension and debarment. On December 16, thought leaders representatives from the U.S. government, World Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank gathered at the World Banks Third Suspension and Debarment Colloquium in Washington, DC to explore the latest developments. Despite differences in their respective suspension and debarment regimes, the panelists stressed one common theme: Robust compliance programs. There has been convergence regarding [the importance of] integrity compliance programs, with due diligence being one element, Lisa Miller of the World Bank Groups Integrity Vice Presidency said. The Banks Integrity Compliance Guidelines make establishment or improvement of an integrity compliance program a principal condition to ending a debarment or conditional non-debarment. Similarly, the U.S. government looks to the effectiveness of a contractors ethics and compliance program as an important indicator of present responsibility. Lisa Miller continued through a cost-benefit analysis that pointed to the wisdom of implementing a robust compliance program before a company finds itself in suspension and debarment procedures: A company doing global business should certainly have a compliance program in place . . . The benefit is in having it up front, so you have procedures and you have it as a mitigating factor . . . There is a cost in having it, but there is also a cost in not having it the benefits outweigh the costs in the end. Compliance programs can [even] be a business benefit, [as companies] can gain long-term business partners because of it. Contrary to contractors worst fears, panelists repeatedly stressed that suspension and debarment systems are not intended to create difficulty for businesses. As World Bank Senior Counsel Giuliana Dunham Irving said, The purpose is not to be punitive but to help strengthen and improve companies so that they can help in carrying out our mandate. ____ Nadine Tushe is an Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption (ABAC) Consultant with STEELE Compliance and Investigation Services. At a recent ubiquitous FCPA conference, Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell noted that even more resources would be added to the Fraud Sections FCPA Unit, increasing the number of prosecutors by 50% from 20 to 30 trial attorneys, making this specialty unit larger than the entire white collar sections of most United States Attorneys Offices nationwide. She also again noted the additional resource commitments of the FBI in the form of three squads situated across the country in the FBIs International Corruption Unit. While resources can always be a welcome addition to the anti-corruption effort, by any fair measure, current resource allocations dont seem to provide adequate bang for the taxpayers buck. Perhaps refocusing these additional FCPA resources toward a genuine and concerted effort to actually charge foreign government officials and dispossess them of their corrupt lucre would better serve the interests of justice. Despite the FCPA units previous fortifications from 2010 to 2015 (to 20 trial attorneys), as I have noted in prior post for the FCPA Blog (here) and (here), FCPA investigations have continued to languish, with the seemingly solitary ameliorative effect of FCPA corporate resolutions being simply the collective fear engendered by the size of the monetary penalty. While appropriate training and retention efforts are certainly necessary and appropriate vehicles to rectify some of the deficiencies, adding more prosecutors will likely neither solve the problem nor provide the impetus for a more efficient and effective strategy. Perhaps, rather than simply adding troops to help bolster the current reactive whack-a-mole approach, the 10 additional FCPA prosecutors could support a strike force model aimed at strategically disemboweling and deterring corrupt regimes. In an article published last year in the Westlaw Journal on White-Collar Crime (here) I suggested that the DOJ should be prepared to radically alter the dynamic in the FCPA arena through a proactive strategy designed to punish the bribe takers as well as the bribe payers and dispossessing the government officials of access to [their] ill-gotten gains. Notably, the Administrations 2015 National Security Strategy, while recognizing that globalization has made it easier for corrupt officials to hide proceeds of corruption abroad, mandates that prosecutors utilize the broad range of tools available to them to recover assets stolen by corrupt officials and make it harder for criminals to hide, launder, and benefit from illegal proceeds. In her recent book, Thieves of State, author Sarah Chayes convincingly makes the point that international corruption, by providing havens and opportunity for breeding insurgencies, is a root cause of global instability. She further suggests that by strategically targeting U.S. law enforcement resources, such as the FCPA and asset forfeiture and money laundering laws, against known kleptocrats, their agents and their tainted assets, insurgencies in particular venues could be dramatically impacted. Against this backdrop, recent trends and events intriguingly highlight that the Departments capabilities in this arena, if properly resourced and focused, could be used to considerable and consequential effect. First, we know that through the rigorous regulatory enforcement of global financial due diligence mechanisms, government investigators can track and trace the movement of corrupt assets and sanction those financial institutions that fail to conduct proper inquiry. The whopping $108 million (72,069,400) penalty assessed against Barclays Bank by the British Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on November 30, 2015, provides a stark example of the regulatory stick. According to press reports, the penalty emanated from a secret 1.88 billion transaction financed by Qatari politically exposed persons wherein Barclays failed to conduct even a modicum of diligence. Certainly, these regulatory penalties, when responsibly implemented, incentivize financial institutions to carry out the swift reporting of suspicious transactions necessary for law enforcement authorities to act. Second, the United States and its global law enforcement partners have broad powers to quickly seize, dispossess and repatriate the ill-gotten gains of corrupt foreign officials. As an example, in December of last year the DOJ announced that, as part of its 2011 Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative operated out of the Criminal Division, it had repatriated to the people of Kazakhstan approximately $115 million in bribe payments that had been seized from Swiss bank accounts in a prior FCPA forfeiture action. The use of the repatriated funds is to be administered by a World Bank organization independent of the Kazakh government. Third, in early 2015, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction of Jean Rene Duperval, a government official in Haiti who had been charged with laundering bribes he had been paid by American businessmen seeking to corruptly access the Haitian mobile telecom market. The money laundering conviction and nine-year sentence of Duperval, the director of a telecom company owned by the government of Haiti, again established that corrupt foreign officials or bribe takers are not beyond the reach of the long arm of U.S. criminal laws even though they cannot be prosecuted directly under the FCPA. Sporadic enforcement, however, is not effective enforcement. It is not enough that, on occasion, foreign corrupt officials and their agents are prosecuted for conducting financial transactions with corrupt funds; that those funds are detected and seized by regulators and law enforcement officials; or that the bribe money is repatriated to its rightful owners, the fleeced victims of the corrupt officials. What is required is an unrelenting and focused strategy, similar to that employed by the heralded Medicare Fraud Strike Force, as well as the commitment of long term enforcement resources sufficient to alter the corrupt status quo in target countries. Based upon recent events, Nigeria might be just the place to start. In a recent article in The Economist, Nigerias newly elected President, Muhammadu Buhari, reiterates his desire to break the endemic cycle of corruption in Nigeria and pledges his cooperation with foreign governments to locate and then return missing billions siphoned out of Nigeria by leaders of previous administrations to be reinvested in their economy. Any casual observer of FCPA enforcement trends will recognize that Nigeria is a country whose officials and their agents are routinely and prominently referenced in FCPA dispositions. Moreover, the slaughter of civilians and other crimes against humanity by the notorious Boko Haram, reported to be funded by Nigerian corruption, persistently remain front page news. There appears to be a rare opportunity here to strike at the heart of a deeply engrained culture of corruption. It should not be wasted. The DOJ must consider permanently directing Criminal Division anti-corruption resources toward a sustained strike force strategy targeting those venues where the potential success is greatest. Why not start with Nigeria? In recent remarks, AAG Caldwell recognized that the combined resources of the FBIs three International Corruption squads, the Asset Forfeiture Section and the FCPA Unit, create a force multiplier capable of achieving significant results. Surely, the continued allocation of resources toward traditional whack-a-mole FCPA investigations, if past is prologue, will continue to produce neither meaningful nor measureable results. The DOJ and the FBI are well positioned to break the current mold and engage with receptive governments to cast off the chains of decades of corruption that drive countries like Nigeria into a spiral of despair and misery ripe for the influence of insurgencies. With the ready availability of resources, all that is required is the will to take up the challenge of making a real and lasting impact worldwide. After all, wasnt that the vision of FCPA enforcement when the statute was first enacted? ____ Paul E. Pelletier is a partner in the Washington, D.C. Office of Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC. His practice focuses on white collar criminal defense and compliance. He previously spent more than 25 years at the U.S. Department of Justice, serving as Chief of the Economic Crimes Section for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Miami and from 2002 to 2011 as Acting Chief and Principal Deputy Chief of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section. He can be contacted here. Follow him on Twitter @PePelletier. Hard to believe that January is already over and we are looking ahead to the movies that are going to be hitting the big screen this February. Pride And Prejudice And Zombies The next few weeks are loaded with a wide range of movies from biopics, comic book films, horror and crime/thrillers - there really is something for everyone. We take a look at a handful of the films that we are looking forward to the most and the ones that you really cannot afford to miss this month. Which movies are you looking forward to the most? - Dad's Army - released 5th February 2016 looks set to be another great year for British film and Dad's Army is a film from this genre that is set to kick February off in fine style. The movie marks the return of Oliver Parker to the director's chair as the iconic Dad's Army characters are introduced to a new generation. Parker has brought us movies such as St Trinian's and Dorian Gray in recent years and Dad's Army is his first film since Johnny English Reborn back in 2011. Hamish McColl has penned the screenplay, which was inspired by the original series by David Croft and Jimmy Perry. When it comes to cast lists this month, there are few movies that boast a more impressive line-up than Dad's Army. Toby Jones, Bill Nighty, Tom Courtenay, Daniel Mays, Bill Paterson, Michael Gambon, and Blake Harrison will be introduced as Captain Mainwaring, Sergeant Wilson, Lance Corporal Jones, Private Walker, Private Frazer, Private Godfrey, and Private Pike. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mark Gatiss, Emily Atack, Sarah Lancashire, Alison Steadman, Ian Lavender, and Annette Crosbie make up the rest of the impressive line-up. It is 1944 and World War II is reaching its climax. The Allies are poised to invade France and finally defeat the German army. But in Walmington-on-Sea morale amongst the Home Guard is low. Their new mission then - to patrol the Dover army base - is a great chance to revive spirits and reputation, that is until glamorous journalist Rose Winters arrives to write about their exploits, setting the pulses racing and putting the local women on red alert. MI5 then discover a radio signal sent direct to Berlin from Walmington-on-Sea. There's a spy on the loose! The outcome of the war is suddenly at stake, and it falls to our unlikely heroes to stand up and be counted. Dad's Army is one of the most loved TV comedies of all time and I cannot wait to see Parker, McColl, and the cast put their own stamp on and play homage to this British classic. - Trumbo - released 5th February Bryan Cranston is one of the most exciting and versatile actors around and he is back on the big screen this February with his latest film Trumbo. This is the first film for Cranston since the success of Godzilla back in the 2014 and it kicks off a very busy year for the popular actor. Cranston is set to take on the central role of Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo as he teams up with filmmaker Jay Roach. Roach is best known for his comedy work with the likes of The Campaign and Dinner for Schmucks under his belt in recent years, but Trumbo sees him move into the dramatic biopic. The successful career of 1940s screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Cranston) comes to a crushing end when he and other Hollywood figures are blacklisted for their political beliefs. Trumbo tells the story of his fight against the U.S. government and studio bosses in a war over words and freedom, which entangled everyone in Hollywood from Hedda Hopper (Mirren) and John Wayne to Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger. Cranston will lead another terrific cast list as Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, John Goodman, Alan Tudyk, and Elle Fanning are all also set to star. The movie is based on the book by Bruce Cook and has been adapted for film by John McNamara. Cranston's central performance has already seen him pick up a Golden Globe, Bafta, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Actor. The end of last month, Cranston also received his first Oscar nomination for his central performance in the film. We are going to be treated to a whole host of biopic movies as we go through 2016, and Trumbo is one that I am looking forward to the most and you cannot afford to miss... Cranston is going to be terrific in the central role. - Deadpool - released 10th February 2016 is set to be the year of the comic book movie as a whole host of films in this genre are set to hit the big screen... I have to admit, they all look terrific. Deadpool is set to kick everything off as the film FINALLY hits the big screen. There has been so much talk about a solo Deadpool movie over the years and, AT LAST, we get to see it. It really is promising not to disappoint. It was back in 2009 when we saw Ryan Reynolds take on the role of Wade Wilson for the first time in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Reynolds has been a major driving force to get Deadpool made and I can't wait to see him back in the title role. Deadpool will be the feature film directorial debut for filmmaker Tim Miller, while Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have adapted the Marvel comics into a new screenplay. I am a huge fan of the trailers that have been released so far, and it looks like Miller and co have struck the perfect balance between action and humour. While this movie will well and truly belong to Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Gina Carano, T.J. Miller, and Ed Skrein, are just some of the names that also make up the exciting cast list. Based upon Marvel Comics' most unconventional anti-hero, Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humour, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life. Deadpool is the first 'must-see' event movie of the year and it really does look like it is going to be a gem of a comic book movie. - Pride And Prejudice And Zombies - released 11th February We all know the story of Pride & Prejudice and the romance between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy right? Think again, as Pride And Prejudice And Zombies puts a new spin on one of literature's greatest stories... this is Elizabeth Bennet as we have never seen her before. Pride And Prejudice And Zombies is an adaptation of the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, which was inspired by the original book by Jane Austen, and sees Burr Steers in the director's chair. Steers has brought us movies such as Igby Goes Down and 17 Again and this is his first film since The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud back in 2010. Lily James is set to take on the central role of Elizabeth Bennet, who has become a very accomplished zombie hunter. She is joined on the cast list by Lena Headey, Douglas Booth, Matt Smith, Jack Huston, Sam Riley, Suki Waterhouse, Bella Heathcote, Sally Phillips, and Charles Dance as Lady Catherin de Bourgh, Mr Bingley, Mr Collins, Mr Wickham, Mr Darcy, Kitty Bennet, Janes Bennet, Mrs Bennet, and Mr Bennet. Pride And Prejudice And Zombies is a fresh twist on Jane Austen's widely celebrated novel. A mysterious plague has fallen upon 19th century England, the land is overrun with the undead and feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is a master of martial arts and weaponry. Casting aside personal and social prejudices, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy must unite on the blood-soaked battlefield to rid the country of the zombie menace and discover their true love for one another. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a movie that I have been looking forward to for some time and it looks like it is going to be a whole lot of fun. - A Bigger Splash - released 12th February We are big fans of Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton here at FemaleFirst and she is set to return to the big screen this February with A Bigger Splash. A Bigger Splash sees Swinton reunite with filmmaker Luca Guadagnino; the pair had previously worked on I Am Love. In fact, I Am Love is the last live-action feature from the filmmaker back in 2009. I am looking forward to his return. Swinton is set to play a famous rock star in A Bigger Splash and is joined on the cast list by Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes, and Dakota Johnson. A Bigger Splash competed for the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival last year and is a film that has been winning over audiences and the critics in recent months. When a high-profile couple - a rock star and a filmmaker decide to vacation on a remote Italian island, their rest is disrupted by the sudden visit of an old friend and his sexy, yet mysterious daughter. Suddenly, what was supposed to be an ideal getaway turns into a whirlwind of jealousy, passion, and danger for everyone in the group. - Triple 9 - released 19th February I love a good crime drama and Triple 9 looks set to be the standout film in this genre over the next few weeks as John Hillcoat returns to the director's chair. Triple 9 is the first feature for the filmmaker since Lawless back in 2012 and I can't wait to see what he has in store for us this time around. Great ensemble casts seem to be the in thing at the beginning of 2016, and Triple 9 really does boast a corker of a line-up; Kate Winslet, Gal Gadot, Teresa Palmer, Casey Affleck, Wood Harrelson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, and Aaron Paul are just some of the terrific names that are on board. When a crew of dirty cops is blackmailed by the Russian mob to execute a virtually impossible heist, they realise the only way to pull it off is to manufacture a 999, police code for "officer down". The chaos that ensues when a police officer is shot in the line of duty is just the diversion they'll need to do the job, but whether they have the will to kill one of their own is an entirely different matter, triggering a breakneck, action-packed finale tangled with double-crosses, greed and revenge. The trailer promises a movie that is packed full of twists and turns as well as interesting and complex characters. Triple 9 is one of the February movies that I really cannot wait to see. Other movies to watch out for this month, include Freeheld, The Finest Hours, Concussions, and Zoolander 2. by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on Chloe Ferry doesn't think Charlotte Crosby should get back together with her on/off boyfriend Gary 'Gaz' Beadle. Chloe Ferry The 'Geordie Shore' star, 20, thinks her beautiful co-star needs to shut the book on her romance with the womanising hunk because she could bag herself someone "a lot better." Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, she said: "Everyone wants Gary and Charlotte to get back together - they make a lovely couple but it's hard you know, it's gone on a long time now and I think she could do a lot better than Gary." And it looks like Charlotte, 25, has already taken Chloe's love advice as she admitted earlier this month that she never wants to enter into the relationship zone with Gaz, 27, again. She said previously: "Yeah I'm single; we spent some time together over Christmas, it was nice but I don't think I want to go back there again, I don't want it anymore." Their split came less than four weeks after they confirmed they were giving their relationship another shot following their smooch during a night out in London in December. Gaz said at the time: "We've been stuck in the house for so many years and spent so much time with each other, we just needed to spend some time with each other with no cameras and no pressure, no one around us, so it kind of feels like last night was a first date but it wasn't." Chloe has been unveiled as the new face of Lauren Pope's Hair Rehab London spring/summer Synthetic Range. There may be some relief for the readymade garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh with Finance Minister AMA Muhith saying the Government may consider the sector's demand to cut corporate tax from 35 to 10 per cent.The Finance Minister's comment came at a meeting with leaders of three apparel sector bodies - Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), according to a Bangladeshi newspaper.The government had set a rate of 35 per cent corporate tax for the readymade garments sector from the 2014-2015 fiscal year, which has continued into the 2015-2016 fiscal as well.The rate was 10 per cent from 2005 to 2014 under 'special consideration'.BGMEA president Md Siddiqur Rahman said, The entrepreneurs will not have sufficient capital to reinvest after paying 35 per cent tax. The massive export target set by the government cannot be achieved (with this rate of tax), he said.The government has set an export target of $33.5 billion for the current financial year with a growth of 7.38 per cent. Rahman also urged Muhith to reconsider last year's 35 per cent tax paid by the apparel manufacturers. The reduced tax (10 per cent) is effective for yarn, dyeing, finishing and jute sectors until June 30, 2015. In this view, the RMG sector also gets this facility, he said. Muhith ruled out any retrospective tax cut for 2014-15. But we can consider what to do for the current year, he said. He asked the Finance Secretary and the Revenue Board Chairman to provide estimates of the impact on revenue if the government cut the corporate tax on the sector. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed who also attended the meeting, supported the RMG entrepreneurs' demand. He also urged Muhith to consider the demand, mentioning several issues the entrepreneurs were facing. There are Accord, Alliance; they (the entrepreneurs) have to spend to meet compliance. The government must stand by the businessmen during such a period, he said. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India As a strategic investment to foster cleaner global business, international clothing and accessories retailer Gap Inc., has announced an ambitious new goal to reduce absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all owned and operated facilities globally by 50 per cent from 2015 levels by the end of 2020. With this new emissions target, Gap Inc. joins the international effort to tackle climate change, building upon the momentum of the landmark Paris Agreement reached last month by the 2015 United Nations climate change summit, COP 21, it said in a press release.Gap Inc.'s new climate goal was announced as part of the company's most recent Global Sustainability report , Our Futures are Woven Together, which outlines the company's steadfast commitment to protect human rights and improve working conditions in garment factories across the company's supply chain; to advocate for greater equality and opportunity across its global enterprise; and to change the lives of one million women through P.A.C.E., its award-winning women's life skills education programme by 2020. As a strategic investment to foster cleaner global business, international clothing and accessories retailer Gap Inc., has announced an ambitious new # Recognizing Gap Inc.'s commitment to equality, inclusion and diversity, the leading nonprofit Catalyst has announced that Gap Inc. would be presented with the prestigious 2016 Catalyst Award at their annual awards event on March 16.Gap CEO Art Peck opens the new sustainability report, reflecting on the social and environmental challenges collectively faced by Gap Inc. and the people touched by its business, as well as on the opportunities and promise that lie ahead. "Change is not just possible, but imperative our futures are tied together and we can't afford not to act," Peck writes.At Gap Inc., we believe that environmental issues are fundamentally human rights issues. We also believe that creating a more sustainable environment is critical to our company's business success, said Melissa Fifield, Senior Director of Sustainable Innovation at Gap Inc.Gap Inc. has set its new emissions goal after having achieved its previous goal, which called for reducing absolute greenhouse gas emissions across US operations from a 2008 baseline by 20 per cent by the end of 2015. Last week, the company reported a total of approximately 37 per cent emissions reduction during the 2008-2015 timeframe. Gap Inc. also announced a companion waste goal for its US facilities to divert 80 per cent of waste from landfill by the end of 2020.The new report details the company's most recent sustainability initiatives, and covers data from fiscal years 2013-2014. Gap Inc. was one of the first apparel companies to issue a comprehensive social responsibility report in 2003, and the company continues to re-examine the progression of this work as it learns more about the root causes of the challenges across the global value chain and strives to identify, test and implement solutions that can help achieve even greater positive impacts. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Representatives of the EU, US, Canada, Bangladesh and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) partners committed to the so called Bangladesh Sustainability Compact met in Dhaka this week to review the progress and set priorities for further work to improve situation of Bangladeshi textile workers. The meeting was also an opportunity for an open dialogue with stakeholders including trade unions, NGOs, buyers and employers, the European Commission said in a press release.The Sustainability Compact which was born in the aftermath of tragic factory collapses in 2013, has brought about some tangible progress. The Bangladesh Government has put in place a legal framework for labour protection that has now to be effectively implemented. Under the initiative, important work has also been done on initial safety inspections in factories and to strengthen capacity of inspection services. Representatives of the EU, US, Canada, Bangladesh and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) partners committed to the so called Bangladesh # EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Mobility Marianne Thyssen said: "The progress achieved so far proves that initiatives like the Bangladesh Compact can be effective in promoting genuine social dialogue and decent working conditions in the global context. While aiming for more fairness in global supply chains, we must also continue to encourage essential reforms."The priorities for further work singled out by the participants of the meeting include tackling issues related to registration of trade unions, ensuring appropriate investigation and prosecution of unfair labour practices and ensuring that workers can freely elect their representatives at factory level consistently with ILO conventions. Workers in Export Processing Zones should also have commensurate rights to those of the workers outside these zones.On the safety side, the joint conclusions point to the importance of practical measures and repairs that need to be carried out in the factories. Sustainability Compact partners will also continue supporting Bangladeshi authorities in building capacity necessary for an effective supervision of occupational safety and health conditions, electrical safety and structural integrity of buildings and work in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders.The parties warmly welcomed Canada as a new partner to the Compact and reaffirmed their commitment. The work will now continue and the next progress review is planned in a year's time.The Compact outlines concrete commitments in respect of labour rights, in particular freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, as well as structural integrity of factory buildings, occupational safety and health, and promotion of responsible business conduct. (SH) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Isko, Turkeys leading denim fabric producer is presenting the third edition of Isko I-Skool, the educational program supported by its style and design division Creative Room.According to an Isko press release, the virtuous spirit that founded the contest guides the latest edition too, which is, engaging and educating fashion and marketing students. Isko, Turkey's leading denim fabric producer is presenting the third edition of Isko I-Skool, the educational program supported by its style and # Additionally, it offers the students the opportunity to work alongside top industry players, providing them with exclusive knowledge and paving their way to becoming tomorrow's fashion professionals.The contest awards two complementary prizes, for Denim Design and Denim Marketing and as in the previous two editions; Isko I-Skool has attracted the support of many important players in the denim value chain.Avery Dennison RBIS, Mavi and Archroma will be the gold partners of the current edition, working with the students side by side through the design and industrialisation phases.For this years edition, Vogue Talents, the international fashion magazine, will be one of the driving forces of the Denim Design jury, alongside other soon-to-be-announced key members of the fashion system.Plus, Vogue Talents will honour one of the shortlisted design competitors with a special mention, the press release informed.The Denim Design Award will challenge students to create denim garments inspired by three new moods and categories, based on a study of the latest fashion trends.These include; Renovated Denim Icons, a mood especially difficult challenge for students. Starting from a study of the evolution of denim and a thorough analysis of indigo history, they will create their own denim icon.Its a way to rock classic jeans; the definitive, authentic icon that never goes out of style, Isko stated.In another mood Athleisure, designers will be challenged to create garments inspired by activewear using the most front-running Isko fabrics like, Isko Bluejym, Isko Future Face, Jeggings, Isko Xmens and Isko Blueskin.In the Jool mood, students will have the unique occasion to experiment the denim masters ultimate creation that has inspired an emerging trend in the market with Isko Jool, a newborn fabric that mixes denim and wool Versatile and perfectly adaptable to haute couture, this fabric will be an exciting challenge for the future stars of fashion, the Italian company observed.Updated moods and new prestigious partnerships with fashion giants like Vogue Talents, these are just the first glimpses of the third edition of Isko I-Skool, Marco Lucietti, global marketing director of Sanko/Isko said.Isko is a company of Sanko Holding and a leading worldwide manufacturer of denim which offers a wide range of innovative fabric technologies and products that meet the most diverse demands of the denim sector. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Oeko-Tex Association has unveiled a new sustainable textile certificate, the Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex, which is currently in pilot mode and will be officially launched in early summer 2016.Eco Passport is a verification procedure by which manufacturers of dyes, performance additives, finishing agents, lubricants, etc are able to confirm that their products can be used in sustainable textile production. Oeko-Tex Association has unveiled a new sustainable textile certificate, the Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex, which is currently in pilot mode and will be of# The Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex certification program is comprised of three assessments which are conducted in a stepwise manner, the testing agency stated in a press release.The results from each stage of evaluation will help applicants to confirm internal quality control and occupational safety guidelines and reformulate if necessary, to create safer, more sustainable formulations, it said.Manufacturers securely disclose the chemical substances in their formulas which are compared via CAS number against the Standard 100 Restricted Substance List and the STEP Manufacturing Restricted Substance List.Second, a risk or hazard assessment is conducted in which each ingredient is evaluated against twenty-two health and environmental endpoints.Finally, an analytical verification is performed to confirm that the chemical product does not contain unintended by-products or contaminants and meets the criteria for Eco Passport certification.Products that pass all three phases are granted the Eco Passport certification which indicates that the product is safe to use in Standard 100 certified textile products and in STEP certified manufacturing facilities.In this way, Eco Passport certified chemicals increase textile product and process safety and help protect consumers, textile industry workers, and the environment from the negative impact, it observed.Oeko-Tex further added that the addition of Eco Passport to its portfolio promotes comprehensive stewardship of textile products and processes throughout the supply chain.Oeko-Tex Association and its sixteen member institutes around the world will be hosting webinars and other learning opportunities soon to ensure clients are aware of the new certificate.These events will inform companies the many sustainability benefits it offers for textile chemical producers and their customers as well as for the entire textile supply chain. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India Order intake at spinning technologies producer Rieter was 6 per cent higher year over year in the second half of 2015 than in the first six months, owing to more positive momentum in the second half.In a press release and while declaring interim results, Rieter said its order intake for full 2015 were however down to CHF 801.6 million as against CHF 1,146.1 million in 2014. Order intake at spinning technologies producer Rieter was 6 per cent higher year over year in the second half of 2015 than in the first six months, # According to Rieter, the overall trend in demand in 2015 was characterised by positive developments in the After Sales and Components business groups and a cyclical reluctance to invest in the Machines & Systems business.Following a low point in the third quarter, demand in the machinery business recovered toward the end of the year, the company observed.Order intake at the Components business group increased to CHF 217.7 million, 26 per cent higher than in the previous year, thanks to strong demand in the second half of 2015 in particular.The After Sales business group posted order intake of CHF 126.3 million, down CHF 14.2 million or 10 per cent compared to the prior year.Order intake at the Machines & Systems business group for 2015 as a whole amounted to CHF 457.6 million, 45 per cent lower than in the previous year.Rieter reported a significant increase in sales at the Components and After Sales business groups and sales were down at the Machines & Systems business group, despite which overall sales declined.In 2015, Rieter's sales amounted to CHF 1,036.8 million, also down from CHF 1,153.4 million in 2014.In comparison to 2014, sales increased by CHF 22.3 million or 13 per cent and CHF 12.3 million or 10 per cent at the Components and After Sales business groups, respectively.While a decline of CHF 151.2 million or 18 per cent year on year was recorded at the Machines & Systems business group.Adjusted for currency effects and the sale of the Schaltag Group, Rieter's sales and order intake figures were 8 per cent and 28 per cent were respectively lower than for the prior year.At the end of 2015, Rieter's order backlog amounted to approximately CHF 470 million, while it is expecting EBIT of 7.0 per cent and a net profit of 4.8 per cent of sales for the year as a whole.The company added that since January 2015, with its business groups; Machines & Systems, After Sales and Components, it has intensified its focus on differing needs of customers throughout the lifecycle of the machines.This generates greater customer satisfaction and stronger customer loyalty and in this way, Rieter extends its business with lower exposure to the cycle, it informed.This new approach met with a very positive response from customers at the four-yearly ITMA global textile machinery trade show in Milan, the Swiss company stated. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India For businesses in Fiji, I think they will be very, very pleased. We put the nation first and we have got an agreement before us that we believe is very workable, he stated. The Fijian Government has signed a Joint Implementation Report Agreement with the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation (FCEF) and the Fiji Trades Union Congress (FTUC) last night following series of deliberations held this week between the parties and the ILO Tripartite Mission.While signing the agreement, Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said the report will be handed over to the ILO governing body in March once certain requirements stated in the report are adhered to.The Attorney-General said the amendments to the law will be presented in Parliament by a way of Bill.We hope to have the Bill submitted under Standing Orders 51 to expedite it so that we can have the amendment to the law effected by the end of the session of that particular week in Parliament, he said.He added that the parties unanimously agree that there is no need for the ILO to pursue Article 26 any further as all issues have now been resolved.The Fijian Government believes that this matter is now put to rest and we look forward to a very co-operative and harmonious approach with all the stakeholders including the employer and employee organizations in Fiji, AG said.He further stated that the Employment Relations Advisory Board (ERAB) will continue to review labour laws in Fiji and make recommendations to the Minister for Labour to ensure that Fijis labour laws are in compliance with the ILO Conventions that have been ratified.FTUC General Secretary Felix Anthony said he looks forward to the Bill being passed in Parliament.We believe that the issues we have agreement on are the more serious issues that actually resulted in the complaint to the ILO under Article 26 which called for a Commission of Inquiry and generally to do with freedom of association, he said.Having agreed to resolve these issues and the complaint on the freedom of association are no longer required to be pursued. We expect Parliament to pass the Bill that would contain all these issues that we have agreed on and of course be implemented without delay.Chief Executive Officer of FCEF Nezbett Hazelman said they are pleased with this agreement. Shahrukh Khan, is currently the most busiest person in Bollywood and has a lot of projects to complete. The actor, is shooting the last leg of his upciming film Raees and would also head to Goa for Gauri Shinde's next along with Alia Bhatt. The Baadshah of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, recently held a live video chat with fans and has dropped a hint about signing a film with Aanand L Rai. SRK, was quoted as saying, "We have almost done a final discussion, Aanand is a very good friend and I am in talks with him since long, hopefully we'll have one film". Shahrukh Khan Shahrukh Khan, during a live chat with fans dropped a hint that he might work in Aanand L Rai's next. Busy Man Shahrukh Khan, is the most busiest person in Bollywood and has a lot of projects in hand. Work is never ending for the actor & he loves to work. Baadshah Shahrukh Khan, is currently shooting fir the last leg of Raees and the movie would be wrapped up in February-March 2016. Goa Baby Goa Shahrukh Khan, is all set to travel to Goa for the shoot of Gauri Shinde's next along with Alia Bhatt. SRL-Aanand Aandna L Rai and Shahrukh Khan are good friends and we're sure these two magicians would make a superhit movie. Yes, its been quite some time since the news of Shahrukh Khan and Aanand L Rai's next broke out. A few people called it as rumours, but it's good that SRK spoke about his next with Aanand and laid all rumours to rest. Apart from Shahrukh Khan in the lead roles, it's rumoured that Aanand L Rai is considering to rope in Deepika Padukone as the lead actress. However, no official statement has been given out by the film-maker yet. The Gorgeous Kareena Kapoor Braces The Cover Page Of Elle Magazine, February 2016 Issue! If Aanand L Rai, casts Deepika Padukone in his next, this would be the fourth time we would get to see Shahrukh Khan and Deepike Padukone on-screen together. The first was for, Om Shanti Om in 2007, Chennai Express in 2013 and Happy New Year in 2014. Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, really make a lovely couple and their chemistry is top notch. Both the actors are known for their professionalism and would deliver the best to the audiences. Now all we have to do is wait for an official confirmation from Aanand L Rai, the director who gave us a smashing comedy like, Tanu Weds Manu Returns. We're sure, his next would be a superhit. SHOCKING! Akshay Kumar Says He Feels Insecure Whether He'll Find Work Or Not Mohanlal and Lal Jose, the magical actor and hitmaker, are teaming up for the first time in their careers. Interestingly, the duo is joining hands for an out-and-out comical entertainer. Lal Jose confirmed that the movie, which is penned by Benny P Nayarambalam, is a light-hearted comedy. The director says that he wants to make use of Mohanlal's comical timing to the fullest. If things fall in place, Lal Jose's Mohanlal project will start rolling by June 2016. The title, the female lead, and the rest of the star cast, of the Antony Perumbavoor-produced movie, will be announced soon. Benny P Nayarambalam was the writer of Mohanlal starrer Anwar Rasheed movie, Chotta Mumbai. He has associated with Lal Jose, for Chandhupottu and Spanish Masala. Earlier, Lal Jose had planned a project titled Cousins, with Mohanlal and Prithviraj in the lead roles. But the actor retreated, pointing out his strained equation with the production team. Later, the media and fans started speculating that all is not well between Mohanlal and Lal Jose. But the duo, immediately put an end to the rumours by announcing their collaboration. Pawan Kalyan, who was in Kerala to kick-start a fresh schedule of Sardaar Gabbar Singh, had called off the shoot and flew back to Hyderabad in an emergency. It is known that tension prevailed in Andhra Pradesh as 'Kaapu Gharjana' has turned viloent, demanding for the BC status and the agitators has set fire for Ratnachal Express, leading to many unfortunate incidents. Disturbed by the situation in the Telugu state, Pawan Kalyan has put aside all his works and started back to the city to address the people of state, in a press meet. Being the president of Janasena Party and a strong person belonging to the same community, Pawan wants to handle the issue himself. Apparently, he has sent a message already through the media houses that, he is hugely disturbed with what has happened in AP today and has urged the people to maintain peace. He will be talking in a press meet in sometime about the same issue. On the other hand, moviegoers and distributors are tensed if this postponement of shoot will result in the delay of the film. Sardaar Gabbar Singh is slated to hit screens on 8 April, as the first big outing in the summer trail. The team has shot non-stop for the film since the last three months and are also planning to wrap up the shoot with a continous long schedule. Let us hope this one day halt will not affect the film in any way and it is to be understood that Pawan Kalyan needs to speak up on the issue, being a strong political influence in the state. Being the president of Janasena Party, Pawan Kalyan held a press meet in Hyderabad today, to address his worries about the unfortunate incidents happened yesterday, during Kaapu Gharjana in Tuni. Reportedly, he is flying back to Kerala tonight to join the sets of Sardaar Gabbar Singh. It is known that ,disturbed Pawan Kalyan, has called off the shooting of the film in Kerala and returned to Hyderabad, to talk about the violent agitation done by Kaapu community people, who were protesting for a BC status. He stressed on the point that, there could be a chance that the event is a preplanned one. Pawan also opined that government should have placed extra security forces for a meeting of its scale. However, he is facing criticism from many that his speech lacked a stance. Apparently, he would further discuss on the current situation in the state with Andhra Pradesh CM later today, after which he will go back to Kerala, to make sure his film wouldn't suffer any postponement or losses to the producers. Sardaar Gaabar Singh is slated to release on 8 April and if everything goes well, the film will have its audio launch on 13 March. Kajal Aggarwal is playing the female while Sanjjana and Lakshmi Raai were cast in other important roles in the film. Stay tuned to this for more updates. The opening of the M+ museum of visual culture in West Kowloon is not slated until way beyond 2017 but residents and visitors to Hong Kong will be able to view before then at least some of the art works donated to the museum by Uli Sigg. The former Swiss ambassador to China and businessman gifted 1,463 pieces from his private collection of contemporary Chinese art to M+ in June 2012. The extraordinary donation is valued conservatively at US$163 million and forms part of Hong Kongs effort to develop as a cultural, as well as financial, centre. "I have been involved in Chinese contemporary art since I arrived in China 1979 to negotiate what later became the first foreign joint venture, and to learn more about China. However I only started to collect in the 90s, when I realised nobody was collecting Chinese contemporary art beyond making random purchases. Thats why I decided to create this documentation of Chinese contemporary art creation which would otherwise be lost," Sigg told FinanceAsia. Curators are now set to install highlights of the Sigg Collection at ArtisTree in Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay. The exhibition will take place February 23 to April 5 and covers three distinct periods of development in Chinese art. Zhang Xiaogang's Bloodline This unique collection includes historically significant works by Chinas top artists, among them Zhang Xiaogang, Zhang Huan, Liu Wei, and Zeng Fanzhi. It would be impossible to build a collection similar in depth, scope, and quality today. Comprising more than 80 works of various formats and mediums, including painting, ink art, sculpture, photography, video, and installation, the exhibition reflects the changing social and artistic upheaval of the last century in China. "At first, I met artists through our common friends. And later on one artist would bring me to another artist and so on. In the late 90s I created the Chinese Contemporary Art Award which brought me in touch with even more artists. At one point the artists started to look for me instead," said Sigg to FinanceAsia. Starting with the early underground activities of the No Name Group and Stars Group of the last years of the Cultural Revolution, it then tracks the 85 New Wave such as the Pond Society, the Northern Art Group, and Xiamen Dada up to the China Avant-Garde exhibition of 1989, and ends with the diversity of the post-Cold War era through to the pre-and post-Olympic period during which globalisation and Chinas urbanisation accelerated. I was interested in the works created in this unpredictable milieu and in the atmosphere of a nation in total transformation, Sigg said of his intention. The M+ Sigg Collection invites a critical reflection on the short history of contemporary art in China and cultivates lucid insights into Chinese society in a historical period that in retrospect will be considered very important. For the novice collector the exhibition offers a short educational overview of styles and images, and the political and cultural changes wrought in China by contact with the West. George Soros declared in January that the world is witnessing only the beginning of the decline of financial markets and only the beginning of Sri Lanka being the exception. The billionaire investor made the bold claim at a conference in Colombo one year after the countrys strongman president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was unexpectedly ousted by a broad coalition of former colleagues from his Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the main opposition United National Party. Under the stewardship of the countrys new president, the SLFPs Maithripala Sirisena, and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of the UNP, the coalition consolidated power following parliamentary elections last summer. As Jim McCabe, Standard Chartereds chief executive officer in Sri Lanka told FinanceAsia, 2015 was a year of great constitutional change for the country. The people voted to move in a new direction and have given the new government a broad mandate. FinanceAsia readers can learn more about opportunities in the country at our Sri Lanka Investment Summit on March 15. Besides shifting the political system from an executive presidency towards a parliamentary democracy, the coalition is busy drafting a new constitution. By devolving power away from the centre it hopes to prevent a potential resurgence of ethnic conflict between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority in the islands north. The government has also embarked on what it terms a non-partisan foreign policy, re-embracing Western nations critical of the Rajapaksa regime and particularly the way it handled the end of a three-decade civil war. The main loser initially was China, which had warm relations with the previous government. During his election campaign Sirisena lambasted huge bribes allegedly paid to his predecessor and a coterie of brothers in ministerial office. He also criticised the non-transparent way contracts were awarded to Chinese companies and the cost of servicing their countrys loans. Hambantota port: new tenants? By the spring of 2015, 35 infrastructure contracts (28 awarded to Chinese firms) had been put on hold as the government investigated potential irregularities. The biggest deferral was the $1.4 billion Port City project in Colombo. This was to form part of a megalopolis covering most of Western Province, which accounts for 45% of Sri Lankan GDP. Chinas President Xi Jinping had laid its foundation stone only six months earlier. China threatened to sue. If one side suspends the project, they will have to face the legal consequences. China has come to assist you and yet you pour dirty water over Chinas face, Ren Faqiang, deputy head of the Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka, told one local newspaper. Law firm DL&F De Saram worked on one the concessionaire agreements for the Port City. All the infrastructure contracts awarded to Chinese companies were valid legal contracts, partner Savantha De Saram said. The government would have been financially liable had it tried to cancel them. What its done is re-negotiate them where it can and tried to bring some of the costs down. Dr Harsha de Silva, deputy minister of foreign affairs, agrees. During his time in opposition, the former economist was a well-known and highly vocal critic of the Rajapaksa regime. The past year has given us space to re-evaluate these contracts and by and large many of the issues have been resolved, he commented. For instance, the government ordered an environmental impact assessment for the Port City project and after a number of revisions, theres every indication it will go ahead. Old allies Citigroups local chief executive officer, Ravin Basnayake, believes the megalopolis is the correct way forward. Sri Lankas urbanisation ratio is still pretty low but theres not much room to expand in Colombo itself, he noted. It makes a lot of sense to retain the old-world charm of the historic centre and push new development out onto reclaimed land through projects like the Port City. One of the new governments other ambitions is to turn Sri Lanka into a logistics hub. This is also deemed sensible given the countrys strategic position on both Chinas Maritime Silk Road and Indias competing Project Mausam - named after the monsoon winds that propelled ships across the Indian Ocean. Continued on Page Two The government wants Sri Lanka to become a reprocessing centre and has removed restrictions on foreign companies owning local logistics companies. However, as Citis Basanayake highlighted: The current legislation still requires local companies to own 10%. This isnt going to bring in much revenue and its an irritant to foreign operators. Over the past few months a stream of projects initiated by the former government have resumed. The coalition is even starting to revive projects in the former president's hometown of Hambantota in the far south. At the beginning of January it announced that four Chinese state-owned contractors would complete the final section of a highway linking Colombo to Hambantota with financing from an Export-Import Bank of China loan. De Silva says it has not been easy. "We spent $1.3 billion building a port in Hambantota and $220 million on an airport that no-one uses, he noted. "They are very expensive white elephants." However, he added that the "ports minister is now sending out fresh proposals to try and find tenants for the port at the least." Loan pressure In the meantime, Sri Lanka is saddled with paying off loans taken out by the previous government to finance them. Global economic conditions are unlikely to help. Any outflow of funds from emerging markets is likely to push up the cost of the countrys debt, while the rupees continuing decline is increasing debt-servicing costs. But the governments biggest fiscal challenge lies at home where it needs to get to grips with revenue collection. Tax collection only amounts to about 12% of GDP, de Silva said. Its one of the lowest ratios in the world and it needs to change. A learning curve Over the past year, the new government has won many plaudits for its openness, its willingness to source multiple opinions, and a flowering of press freedom. But 2016 will test its ability to pull these many different strands of thinking together and form a coherent economic strategy it can execute. One of Rajapaksas strongest calling cards was his perceived ability to get things done. If the government can stick to its stated policies and use the democratic process to execute them in a transparent manner then it will keep the people behind it, Standard Chartereds McCabe said. The international community will also swing right behind it, he added. The FDI will really start to flow. De Silva thinks the government has already demonstrated the leadership required. No-one ever thought the two main parties could work together, but they have done and continue to do so, he said. Lawyer De Saram agrees. I feel so positive about whats happening in my country, he concluded. Theres so much potential here and its finally being unleashed. Every now and then a spectacular corporate failure comes along that causes a step-change in how investors apply their lenses to the market. For those who bought shares in the recently collapsed Australian electronics retailer Dick Smith, the step-change might be to insist that sponsors hold a larger residual position in a company after its initial public offering or to disregard private equity IPOs that look like a quick flip. Dick Smith, which sells small electronics and home appliances through 390 stores in Australia and New Zealand, went into voluntary administration in early January just two years after listing on the Australian Securities Exchange and only five months after reporting a net profit of A$37.9 million on sales of A$1.3 billion. The business was listed by private equity firm Anchorage, a specialist in distressed asset turnarounds, which bought Dick Smith from retail giant Woolworths in November 2012 for around A$95 million. The companys valuation when it listed was A$520 million. Matt Ryan, an analyst at fund manager Forager Funds, has called it the greatest private equity heist of all time and blames hapless investors for placing too much emphasis on Anchorages short-term forecasts, which in hindsight appear distinctly fishy. His analysis of the company at the time of the IPO showed a balance sheet brutally reshaped by asset write-downs, inventory sales, and the addition of 75 new stores. And he wonders why every other investor who reviewed the stock didnt also see the red flags. This was a business that had struggled for a long time to make a meaningful profit, so common sense would tell you not to believe the hype, Ryan said. On reflection it was a risky move by Anchorage. The firm was only months into its turnaround of Dick Smith when favourable equity market conditions opened an IPO window. It found a set of numbers that could be dressed up for the prospectus and jumped through the window a decision that may now have stymied its chances of using the share market to exit any investment for some time. Too little, too soon In the aftermath of the Dick Smith saga Ryan believes investors might be less willing to support private equity funds that head for the exits too soon after buying a business. PE mandates usually dont require an exit until the fifth or seventh year, so the only reason a fund would list a company after only owning it for nine months is because they think the timing is ideal. Sellers always know a lot more about a business than buyers and despite best efforts to improve the independence of prospectuses, they are inherently biased documents designed to sell stock. Theres no doubt that the good parts of Dick Smiths business were overly emphasised in the IPO material. Sam Sicilia, chief investment officer at A$17 billion retirement fund Hostplus, said companies walk a fine line between releasing information that tells only half the story and information that intentionally misleads investors. With the benefit of hindsight its easy to question the judgement of any manager that held Dick Smith stock, Sicilia said, indicating that none of the 13 active equities managers mandated by Hostplus was invested in the companys shares. A Dick Smith store However, in determining a managers rationale for holding Dick Smith stock, one should also ask whether there was publicly available information that was cause for concern. Investment bankers have been reluctant to criticise Anchorages conduct. One banking source FinanceAsia spoke to said the reason for the failure was less about Dick Smiths balance sheet being denuded and more about the managements inability to follow through with Anchorages vision for a leaner, more efficient business. Though its hard to see how anyone could have hit the companys projected profit targets without enough inventory to sell and the capital necessary to invest in its expanded store network. John McLean, head of capital markets origination at Citi in Sydney, expects a narrower IPO pipeline in 2016 due mainly to softer equity market conditions, not as a result of Dick Smiths collapse. Investors will continue to support IPOs because they need new companies to invest in, though they may be a little more selective and may choose to pass on some offerings, said McLean, who expects fewer IPOs from private equity vendors in the next 12 months as funds move out of the recent divestment phase and into an investing phase. Done well To be fair, investors in Australian IPOs have in general done well. According to figures compiled by UBS, IPOs initiated by private equity sponsors tend to outperform non-sponsored IPOs in the first 12 months of trade (see chart). Since 2013, sponsored IPOs have returned an average of 17.4% in the first year of trade versus 15.5% for non-PE floats, the data shows. The market will continue to assess each IPO on its merits, said Dane FitzGibbon, co-head of capital markets at UBS in Sydney. FitzGibbon expects one likely outcome from recent events will be an increase in vendors using the secondary market to maximise divestment returns. It is now common for vendors to hold at least some stock in a company rather than offloading 100% of the business a practice popular in the Australian PE market prior to the global financial crisis. The retained stock is held in escrow a separate broker account opened on behalf of the sponsor and released to investors through block trades after the announcement of results for the immediate forecast period. Hold lengths vary from between six to 15 months. Market commentators havent always approved of retained stock, claiming it acts as a drag on share price performance as investors wait for the overhang to be released, but FitzGibbon refutes this notion. There are numerous recent cases that demonstrate the efficiency of block trades in clearing residual positions post IPO, FitzGibbon said, pointing to four escrow releases in 2015 that priced on par with, or at a premium to, the companies prevailing share prices. In November last year we underwrote the sale of a A$120 million block in Eclipx Group for vendor Ironbridge and achieved a 3.3% premium to last close. The block at the time represented 15.8% of Eclipxs outstanding shares. Ryan at Forager is a proponent of gradual sell-downs and wants investors to push private equity vendors to hold on to more stock for longer. But he also warns against thinking that stock held in escrow is any indication of the future success of a business. After all, Anchorage conducted a block trade in September 2014 to sell the 20% of Dick Smith it had retained. You have to be careful you arent picking up pennies in front of a steamroller, Ryan said. Carsten Stoehr has returned to Credit Suisse to help provide a gamut of financial services to Asias bulging cohort of billionaires. Stoehr will report directly to Helman Sitohang, Credit Suisse's regional chief executive officer, and be based in Hong Kong in his new role as head of financing Asia Pacific, a spokeswoman for the bank said, confirming the contents of an internal memo seen by FinanceAsia. Credit Suisse is in the midst of root-and-branch reform to refocus the business on higher margin high net worth individuals and entrepreneurs. It is banking on this approach to help double its profits in the region by 2018. So far the revised strategy is bearing fruit. Credit Suisse reported record nine-month results for Asia Pacific, with revenues rising 17% year-on-year to CHF3 billion ($2.95 billion) and pre-tax income up 48% at CHF1.1 billion. The bank's full-year results are set for release on February 4. A long-time veteran of Credit Suisse, Stoehr re-joins the bank from Standard Chartered, where the half-Japanese, half-German banker was one of StanCharts most experienced fixed income executives. Under Stoehr, Credit Suisse will bring together the bank's emerging markets financing, equity share-backed lending, corporate banking, and private banking structured lending services to form one Asia-Pacific financing team. This unified group will aim to provide a centralised structuring, risk management, and syndication platform for financing ultra high net worth, entrepreneur, and corporate clients. Brief StanChart stint Stoehr was most recently global head of financial market sales at StanChart, responsible for the distribution of all financial markets products globally, spanning foreign exchange, rates, credit, and commodities. He joined the UK-based but Asia-focused bank in June 2012 as its global head of capital markets, before taking on the larger financial markets sales role. Stoehr has a long affinity with Asia's financial markets. He originally located to Hong Kong with Credit Suisse First Boston (as it was then called) at the end of 1999 to take over its Asia debt capital markets coverage, where he helped to establish the banks credentials on a set of prominent international bond issues. He then shifted to Europe in early 2003 to become its head of Europe DCM. Stoehr performed well in that role, overseeing a turnaround in the business. Credit Suisse then moved Stoehr to Japan in 2004 to run its fixed income sales and trading operations in the country. Stoehr was Credit Suisses head of Asia-Pacific fixed income when he left the bank in November 2011. Not so long ago, Terry Prather was advising clients to submit restricted applications for Social Security retirement benefits. Similarly, Timothy Hayes was explaining the file-and-suspend plan to his clients. However, the federal budget legislation signed into law in November reined in those two popular tactics. Is that the end of savvy Social Security options for financial advisors to bring to clients? Apparently not. I still think Social Security planning is a viable area for advisors to add value for clients, says Prather, a wealth planner at Keystone Financial Consulting, a division of Payne Wealth Partners in Evansville, Ind. Hayes, president of Landmark Financial Advisory Services in Pittsford, N.Y., concedes the rules have changed significantly but reports that hes waiting for the developer of a planning application he uses to update Social Security projection data so he can see whatever sweet spots remain. SPIKE IN INTEREST Meanwhile, the underlying premise behind offering sophisticated Social Security strategies remains intact. Millions of baby boomers are approaching retirement, eager to get the best deals from this complex federal program. We are much busier now, given the recent changes to Social Security, says Ash Ahluwalia, president of National Social Security Partners, a planning firm in New Brunswick, N.J. People want to know how they are affected and what they should be doing. Ahluwalia describes meeting with a plumber and his wife one day and with a couple worth $80 million the next. No matter how much people have, they all want to know how to maximize their Social Security benefits, he says. Indeed, some planners are delving deeper into this topic and reporting considerable interest from clients and other professionals. Specializing in Social Security planning has helped me to differentiate myself from most advisers, who do not have this knowledge, says Joe Alfonso, founder of Aegis Financial Advisory in Lake Oswego, Ore. One approach to using such expertise is to offer stand-alone meetings about Social Security claiming options, for a fee. Among advisors doing so is Joe Elsasser, managing member of Sequent Planning, an RIA firm in Omaha, Neb., who relates that scant attention was paid to Social Security strategies a few years ago. I learned how little people knew about them, including advisors, he says. But the demand was there. Elsasser studied the topic, and then ran a seminar in conjunction with the gerontology department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. We had over 180 people who tried to register for 120 seats, he says. From that Social Security seminar grew a retirement transition series, held in libraries throughout Omaha and a neighboring county, also covering Medicare and long-term care and estate planning. For those wanting to learn more, Elsasser offers Social Security sessions. Often, he says, those sessions lead to engagements covering the rest of retirement income planning. The focus on Social Security has become the primary way we generate new clients. Alfonso, who works mainly with clients who are already retired or are on the verge of doing so, also provides specific Social Security planning, which he promotes on his website. In addition, he says, Ive consulted for other planners whose clients need claiming advice. KEY COMPONENT Other advisors position themselves as being knowledgeable in this area, even though they dont offer stand-alone engagements. We do not provide Social Security planning as a separate service, because we need to understand a clients entire picture to provide the most relevant claiming strategies, says Prather, the Indiana planner. As boomers approach the moment to make decisions about Social Security, they are drawn to advisors who show special expertise in the subject. Jim Blankenship of Blankenship Financial Planning in New Berlin, Ill., for example, has written countless accounts of the rules and options available. These days, he notes, at least a third of my clients come to me having first read an article or one of my books about Social Security strategies. Mike Prendergast, a director at Altfest Personal Wealth Management in New York, reports having in-depth discussions about Social Security with clients, potential clients and even other professionals. Their clients are asking about Social Security, which is not a core knowledge area for them, he says. Although Prendergast does not expect Social Security by itself to be a large revenue source for his firm, his expertise does have other benefits. It can make our existing client base happier and more engaged with our firm by providing tangible value, he says. Enhanced service was also mentioned by Kelly Henning, an advisor at Modera Wealth Management in Westwood, N.J. Were using updated Social Security Analyzer software, she says, to more efficiently analyze maximum claiming strategies for our clients. Social Security and health care (including Medicare) are paramount in our clients minds. Recently, several of her clients called or emailed in reaction to headlines about the changes to claiming strategies. We have been actively going into our files in the Social Security Analyzer to review those clients who were advised to consider the file-and-suspend strategy in recent years, she says. Under this strategy, Spouse A files for Social Security benefits, Spouse B files for spousal benefits on As record and A suspends benefits in order to receive larger checks in the future. DUAL DEADLINES Seniors who have existing file-and-suspend plans are grandfathered, but for others, the window will close April 30. For clients who have not started the file-and-suspend strategy and will not do so by April 29, we are re-evaluating the best way to maximize their benefits, Henning says. Clients who will be 66 or older on that date can file and suspend until then. There are also many individuals who can still file a restricted application for spousal benefits, Henning says. Eligible are those who were 62 or older by Jan. 1. With this tactic, an individual claims spousal benefits only, allowing his or her own benefits to keep growing as late as age 70. The recent rule changes are phasing in over two different time windows, Alfonso points out, and there are still folks who can take advantage of them if they act in time. For example, he has a new client who turned 66 in 2015 and has a much younger wife and two minor children. This man did not know about using file-and-suspend to trigger family benefits for his wife and kids, so he would have missed the window. Alfonso says his advice about Social Security will bring about $150,000 in additional income to this family. Elsasser thinks Social Security remains a valuable specialty. I believe this is still a viable concentration area for advisors, particularly over the next four years, when confusion among consumers will be high and misinformation will be all over the place. Donald Jay Korn is a contributing writer for Financial Planning in New York. He also writes regularly for On Wall Street. Read more: James D. Hallett sensed that something Was not right. The CFP, whos president and chief compliance officer of Hallett Advisors in Port Angeles, Wash., was in an urgent meeting called by a clients wife, her brother and her sister-in-law. The wife said her husband had recently been diagnosed with dementia. She said she did not understand their finances and added that my husband always handled things, Hallett says. Immediately, her brother launched into a detailed set of questions about my clients investments, which included jointly owned accounts and [IRAs] in the husbands name. Hallett responded that he could answer the brothers questions about the joint accounts only with the permission of the clients wife. But without a durable power of attorney from the husband, Hallett couldnt release any other information to anyone but his client. This made the brother and sister-in-law quite upset, Hallett says, and the two of them accused me of making it difficult for them to take care of my client and my clients spouse. My radar detected that this meeting was a money grab, where these so-called caregivers were attempting to exploit the situation for their own financial benefit, he says. After they left, I called my client, Hallett says. Without disclosing what his spouse or in-laws had wanted, I determined that my client could still speak for himself and still knew all of the details of his accounts and their financial plan. Nothing further came of the situation, and there has been no follow-up from any of the attendees. Nevertheless, I have advised my staff to flag this account and not release any information to anyone, including my client, without my prior authorization, he says. This is but one example of a problem that can occur as a client ages. Clients who first sat in an advisors office decades ago with twinkles in their eyes as they excitedly discussed their long-term financial plans may now have glassy stares and struggle to respond to questions. Seeing clients battle cognitive issues can be personally challenging to an advisor, and it may also become challenging professionally. Though there may be times when family members become useful support systems, there can be other situations in which they are circling vultures. Furthermore, events with aging clients can sometimes occur so quickly they can blindside even an attentive advisor. EXPLOITING THE ELDERLY Seniors lose at least $2.9 billion annually to financial exploitation, and about one in five Americans 65 or older has been victimized by fraud, according to Kenneth E. Bentsen Jr., CEO of SIFMA. Elderly people are more likely to be financially exploited by family members or close associates than strangers. It is estimated that 55% of financial abuse in the United States is committed by family members, caregivers and friends, Bentsen said at a recent SIFMA conference. As a result, one important responsibility of an advisor is to be able to learn and fully grasp the details, nuances and dynamics of each situation. It is important to accurately determine the intentions of family members when real cognitive decline does occur. If we see a client beginning to slip mentally, we send out a follow-up letter to the client documenting our discussion and any decisions that were made, says Mike Berry, a CFP and the founder of Legacy Wealth Management in Grand Junction, Colo. CREATING DOCUMENTATION The idea is to help reinforce action points for the client, as well as having it in writing in case Berry and his firm need documentation for the future. We also begin a conversation with the client to see if they might want to have us send a copy of our letter to a child or other family member, Berry says. Berry recently encountered such a situation. I noticed that one of my older clients was starting to forget appointments and not recalling changes we were making to her portfolio, he says. The first step was to start reminder phone calls the day of the appointment. During one meeting, Berry brought up the idea that he and the client should review such items as power of attorney and beneficiaries. This led to an easy transition of asking her if she would like me to send a copy of our follow-up letter to her POA or anyone else, he says. Berry also assured the client that she could have someone else she trusted come to meetings with her. Not long after that, her daughter began coming to our meetings and got fully up to speed on her mothers finances, he says. Another important responsibility for advisors is to stay in close contact with aging clients, because major life events can sometimes occur precipitously. As his way of keeping track of the details and nuances, Walter Pardo, founder and managing partner of Wealth Financial Partners in Basking Ridge, N.J., understands the value of taking notes. It is important for every advisor to take copious notes during every conversation they have with all of their clients, he says. If you start noticing changes, you should take note of these. Be observant, for example, if clients seem to be forgetting details, repeat themselves or sign documents differently. In such situations, I will contact the clients power of attorney, a joint tenant or an officiary with whom we are familiar and in communication, and suggest that we need to keep an eye on the situation, Pardo says. Still, even frequent contact may not be enough to stay ahead of unexpected problems. Pardo shares two such examples. In one situation, I had an 80-year-old client who was a widower with no children and living with his brother, who was taking care of him, Pardo says. The brother died, however, and soon after, Pardo wasnt able to contact the client at home. Eventually, he called the police, who told him that the man had fallen and broken a hip and had been admitted to a hospital. When we finally located the hospital, they reported he was in rehab, Pardo says. The people at the rehab facility told me that the man had some nieces and nephews, one of whom lived nearby. Pardo explained to the client that he needed to assign powers of attorney, with the nieces and nephews as beneficiaries. UNINTENDED OUTCOME In another situation, a client was near death. The client had originally specified that his brother would receive his money upon his death. After the clients death, the brother found that this wasnt the case. The client had subsequently specified that a lot of his money would go to what Pardo termed a religious cult. Members of the cult had come in to help the client during his last days and talked him into signing papers. The brother is now contesting the will, based on the level of awareness his dying brother had at the time he signed the documents, Pardo says. William Atkinson is a business writer based in Carterville, Ill., who specializes in finance and infrastructure. Read more: SYDNEY, January 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- FinnOne to support BOQ's retail lending digital transformation program Nucleus Software, the leading provider of lending and transaction banking solutions to the global financial services industry, further strengthens its global presence by announcing the successful launch and roll-out of its lending software at Bank of Queensland (BOQ), in Australia. BOQ, a leading Australian challenger Bank, has implemented Nucleus Software's award winning flagship lending product, FinnOneTM for its retail loan origination operations. Click to Tweet: Nucleus Software announces FinnOne Go Live at Bank of Queensland (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160131/327710LOGO ) Established in 1874, today Bank of Queensland has more than 200 branches across Australia, including a majority of owner-managed branches, ensuring a commitment to deliver exceptional personal service to their customers. To power its ongoing transformation program, BOQ selected Nucleus Software's FinnOne for its home and personal lending markets. With FinnOne, Nucleus Software is helping BOQ to increase its business agility and become paperless. FinnOne is revolutionizing multi-channel retail loan processing at the Bank across the front and middle offices. The advanced solution is also reducing process complexity in a range of ways, including replacing inflexible, hard copy rules with sophisticated, automated credit policies and process checklists. FinnOne will enable BOQ to get closer to its customers and help to speed up its "Time to Yes". "Nucleus Software is a key partner and is assisting us in digitizing our home and personal lending operations. Their global expertise is helping us to achieve our vision of having a Bank that is much closer to our customers, and is assisting us to develop digital capabilities that will eventually allow our customers to transact anytime anywhere. FinnOne will streamline the Bank's retail loan operations as well as make us more nimble, providing us with the ability to introduce innovative, tailor-made products and customer-oriented services to meet the growing demands of our customers. Nucleus Software is at the centre of our mission to create Australia's most loved Bank," Mr. Jon Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, BOQ said. Commenting on the successful launch, Mr. Vishnu R. Dusad, Chief Executive Officer, Nucleus Software said, "The collaboration with BOQ is significant in two ways - it is FinnOne's first customer in Australia and it further demonstrates our global expertise in lending. With more than 150 customers across the globe, we are delighted to welcome BOQ to our growing family. BOQ is on a major digitization drive in order to deliver par excellence customer experience and satisfaction. I am happy to see the confidence that they have placed in our advanced and functionally rich solution. I know that our three decades of expertise will help BOQ meet its business objectives, deliver better service to its customers and drive higher business value. I am confident that this partnership with one of Australia's leading challenger Banks will bring greater levels of customer satisfaction and I know that it will help to prove that it is possible to love a bank." He further added, "Australia is an important market for us and in line with this ongoing commitment, we have also established our regional headquarters covering sales, professional services and support in Sydney." Nucleus Software's flagship lending product, FinnOneTM has been ranked as the 'No. 1 Best Selling Lending System' by International Banking Systems (IBS) for the 7th year in a row. FinnOne' is designed to support seamlessly integrated applications, provide operational support, risk management and decision-making capabilities to banks and financial services companies. FinnOne' focuses on both, retail and corporate loans, thereby emerging as a comprehensive solution to back any line of the lending business. About Bank of Queensland : BOQ is one of Australia's leading regional banks and provides a genuinely independent alternative for Australian financial services customers. BOQ's strategy is based around operational excellence and delivering outstanding customer service. It offers products and services across retail and business banking, finance, general and life insurance and superannuation. Established in 1874, Bank of Queensland has more than 200 branches nationally with representation in every Australian State and Territory. BOQ is one of the top 100 companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and has total assets of around $43.027 billion. http://www.boq.com.au/ Ab o u t N uc l eu s So ft w a r e Nucleus Software is the leading provider of lending and transaction banking products to the global financial services industry. Its software powers the operations of more than 150 companies in 50 countries, supporting retail banking, corporate banking, cash management, internet banking, automotive finance and other business areas. Nucleus Software is known for its world-class expertise and innovation in lending and transaction banking technology. It has two flagship products, built on the latest technology: - FinnOneTM, named the World's Best Selling Lending System for 7 years running (IBS Publishing) - FinnAxiaTM, an integrated global transaction banking solution used by banks worldwide to offer efficient and innovative global payments and receivables, liquidity management and business internet banking services. Nucleus Software is listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange in India. For more information, please visit http://www.nucleussoftware.com. Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday said that A Russian combat aircraft violated Turkish airspace on Friday, despite repeated warnings by the Turkish authorities. Previous incidents have shown how dangerous such behaviour is. Stoltenberg said, '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 Ally, Turkey. 'Allies agreed in December to increase the presence of AWACS early warning aircraft over Turkey, as we continue to augment Turkey's air defences. This decision precedes yesterday's incident,' Stoltenberg said. In Moscow on Saturday, Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov reportedly dismissed Turkey's accusations as 'baseless propaganda,' saying that there has not been a single violation of Turkish airspace by Russia air force planes in Syria. Turkish air force shot down the Russian jet in late November 2015 claiming it has violated Turkish airspace, whereas Moscow insisted the Su-24 stayed over Syria during its flight. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - The manufacturing sector in China continued to contract in January, although at a slower pace, the latest survey from Caixin revealed on Monday with a PMI score of 48.4. That topped forecasts for a reading of 48.1, and it was also up from 48.2 in December - although it continued to be beneath the boom-or-bust like of 50 that separates expansion from contraction. Among the individual components of the survey, both output and employment declined at slightly faster rates than in December. Total new business fell at the weakest rate in seven months, despite a faster decline in new export work. Nonetheless, lower production requirements led companies to cut back on their purchasing activity and inventories of inputs. On the prices front, both input costs and output charges fell again in January, though at the weakest rates in seven months. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. KELOWNA, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 02/01/16 -- FISSION URANIUM CORP. (TSX: FCU)(OTCQX: FCUUF)(FRANKFURT: 2FU) ("Fission" or "the Company") is pleased to announce results from the first exploration hole at its' PLS property, host to the Triple R deposit, in Canada's Athabasca Basin region. Hole PLS16-445 tested a new area on the prolific PLG/PLV-3B corridor, 135m to the west of the R600W zone on line 840W. A 42.0m wide mineralized zone was intersected between 178.0m and 220.0m, including a continuous 2.0m interval measuring greater than 10,000 cps radioactivity. As a result of the very high radioactivity intercepted, further drilling is being considered to evaluate this area and determine how the hole fits into the overall mineralized trend: as a large extension to the R600W or as a new, separate zone. Ross McElroy, President, COO, and Chief Geologist for Fission, commented, "This is an incredible start to the drill program and shows the continued blue-sky potential of PLS. Our first wildcat exploration drill hole was collared on line 840W, located 135m west along strike of the R600W zone and increases the on-trend mineralized strike length at PLS to 2.47km. Whether this is a continuation of the high-grade R600W zone to the west or a new zone will have to be determined with further drilling. As part of exploration drilling, we had only planned for one drill hole in this area, however, the strength of these results warrants follow up drilling." Drilling Highlights for PLG-3B West EM Conductor Hole PLS16-445 (line 840W) - Geological modeling of the R600W zone and the presence of anomalous pathfinder elements of uranium and boron seen in several samples in regional drill hole PLS13-112 (with peaks up to 248 ppm U and 895 ppm B), determined that the area approximately 135m west of the R600W zone on line 840W was considered to be prospective. Angled drill hole PLS16-445 was designed to test the interpreted geological corridor approximately 30m south of PLS13-112. Significant high-grade mineralization was intersected over a width of 42.0m. In general, the important geological features appear to be similar as those present further to the east along the PLG-3B conductor, including that of the R600W and R780E zones; alternating sequences of semi-pelitic gneiss, silicified semi-pelitic gneiss, pelitic gneiss and mafic granofels. Mineralization occurs within the pelitic gneiss near the contact with the silicified semi-pelitic gneiss. Highlights of the mineralization are as follows: -- 47.0m total composite mineralization over a 67.0m section (between 153.0m - 220.0m) including: -- 2.0m total composite mineralization of greater than 10,000 cps radioactivity with a maximum peak up to 32,200 cps. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (i) Hand-held Scintillometer Results On Mineralized Drillcore (greater than 300 cps / greater than 0.5M Hole ID Corridor Conductor Collar minimum) ----------------------------------------------- CPS Grid From To Width Peak Line Az Dip (m) (m) (m) Range ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- less than PLS16-445 Patterson PLG-3B 840W 321 -83.3 153.0 158.0 5.0 300 - 490 Lake 178.0 220.0 42.0 less than 300 - 32200 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Basement Total Lake Sandstone Unconformity Drillhole Depth From - To Depth Depth Hole ID Corridor (m) (m) (m) (m) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLS16-445 Patterson NA 96.9 - 98.9 98.9 317.0 Lake ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Natural gamma radiation in drill core that is reported in this news release was measured in counts per second (cps) using a hand held RS-121 Scintillometer manufactured by Radiation Solutions, which is capable of discriminating readings to 65,535 cps. Natural gamma radiation in the drill hole survey that is reported in this news release was measured in counts per second (cps) using a Mount Sopris 2GHF-1000 Triple Gamma probe, which allows for more accurate measurements in high grade mineralized zones. The Triple Gamma probe is preferred in zones of high grade mineralization. The reader is cautioned that scintillometer readings are not directly or uniformly related to uranium grades of the rock sample measured, and should be used only as a preliminary indication of the presence of radioactive materials. The degree of radioactivity within the mineralized intervals is highly variable and associated with visible pitchblende mineralization. All intersections are down-hole. All depths reported of core interval measurements including radioactivity and mineralization intervals widths are not always representative of true thickness and true thicknesses are yet to be determined. PLS Mineralized Trend & Triple R Deposit Summary Uranium mineralization at PLS has been traced by core drilling approximately 2.47km of east-west strike length in four separate mineralized "zones". From west to east, these zones are: R600W, R00E, R780E and R1620E. The discovery hole of what is now referred to as the Triple R uranium deposit was announced on November 05, 2012 with drill hole PLS12-022, from what is considered part of the R00E zone. Through successful exploration programs completed to date, it has evolved into a large, near surface, basement hosted, structurally controlled high-grade uranium deposit. The Triple R deposit consists of the R00E zone on the western side and the much larger R780E zone further on strike to the east. Within the deposit, the R00E and R780E zones have an overall strike length of approximately 1.2km with the R00E measuring approximately 125m in strike length and the R780E zones measuring approximately 900m in strike length. A 225m gap separates the R00E zone to the west and the R780E zones to the east, though sporadic narrow, weakly mineralized intervals from drill holes within this gap suggest the potential for further significant mineralization in this area. The R780E zones are located beneath Patterson Lake which is approximately six metres deep in the area of the deposit. The entire Triple R deposit is covered by approximately 50 m of overburden. Mineralization remains open along strike both to the western and eastern extents. Mineralization is both located within and associated with a metasedimentary lithologic corridor, associated with the PL-3B basement Electro-Magnetic (EM) Conductor. Recent very positive drill results returning wide and strongly mineralized intersections approximately 480m west of the Triple R deposit, have significantly upgraded the R600W zone to a very prospective area for further growth of the PLS resource. An updated map can be found on the Company's website at http://fissionuranium.com/project/pls/. Samples from the drill core will be split in half sections on site. Where possible, samples will be standardized at 0.5m down-hole intervals. One-half of the split sample will be sent to SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories (an SCC ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 Accredited Facility) in Saskatoon, SK for analysis which includes U3O8 (wt %) and fire assay for gold, while the other half will remain on site for reference. Analysis will include a 63 element ICP-OES, and boron. Patterson Lake South Property The 31,039 hectare PLS project is 100% owned and operated by Fission Uranium Corp. PLS is accessible by road with primary access from all-weather Highway 955, which runs north to the former Cluff Lake mine and passes through the nearby UEX-Areva Shea Creek discoveries located 50km to the north, currently under active exploration and development. The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed on behalf of the company by Ross McElroy, P.Geol., President and COO for Fission Uranium Corp., a qualified person. About Fission Uranium Corp. Fission Uranium Corp. is a Canadian based resource company specializing in the strategic exploration and development of the Patterson Lake South uranium property - host to the world-class Triple R uranium deposit - and is headquartered in Kelowna, British Columbia. Fission's common shares are listed on the TSX Exchange under the symbol "FCU" and trade on the OTCQX marketplace in the U.S. under the symbol "FCUUF." ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Ross McElroy, President and COO Cautionary Statement: Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of Canadian legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may include statements regarding the future operating or financial performance of Fission and Fission Uranium which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our reports filed with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and the Company and Fission Uranium disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. Contacts: Fission Uranium Corp. Rich Matthews Investor Relations TF: 877-868-8140 rich@fissionuranium.com www.fissionuranium.com BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The European Central Bank will review and possibly reconsider its monetary policy stance when it meets in March, Executive Board member Benoit Coeure said Monday. 'But for the recovery to become structural - and thus to increase growth potential and reduce structural unemployment - monetary policy does not suffice,' policymaker said at a conference in Budapest. Further, he said the region should strengthen the capacity to work together in a spirit of joint responsibility while confronting challenges. 'We should be under no illusions: if downside risks to the recovery were to materialise, this would not make it easier to respond to the refugee crisis or to counter terrorism,' he said. 'Our goal should be to design a political strategy to broaden the scope of integration so as to make EMU truly sustainable; to achieve this, we will need new political convergence to accompany new economic convergence,' Coeure added. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The Dutch joint venture began operating on 1 February 2016 The partnership is now operational in seven European countries, representing 79% of its planned scope1 Regulatory News: Following the 10 July 2014 announcement that a framework agreement had been signed between Banque PSA Finance (Paris:UG) and Santander Consumer Finance (SCF and its subsidiaries), joint venture activities started up in the Netherlands on 1 February20162 The agreement covers partnerships in 11 European countries, seven of which are now operational. The joint venture will provide wholesale financing to Peugeot, Citroen and DS dealers in the Netherlands, as well as retail financing to the dealers' customers. Thanks to this partnership, Banque PSA Finance has regained full competitiveness in the Netherlands. About Banque PSA Finance Closely aligned with the sales policies of the Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands, Banque PSA Finance (BPF) provides financing of vehicle sales by the three brands' dealers in the 23 countries where it operates, on a standalone basis or through joint ventures. The cooperation agreement signed in July 2014 with Santander Consumer Finance and related to the creation of dedicated local partnerships or commercial agreements in 11 European countries, and the agreement signed on 24 July 2015 with Banco Santander Brazil, reinforce the competitiveness of the PSA Peugeot Citroen brands in Europe and Brazil. For more information, please visit http://www.banquepsafinance.com 1 79% of the total financing under the Banque PSA Finance framework agreement as at 31 December 2014. 2 In all, the framework agreement provides for the creation of ten local partnerships and one commercial partnership in Europe. The first two joint ventures were launched in France and the United Kingdom in February 2015 and were followed by another two in Spain and Switzerland on 2 October of the same year. A white label agreement was launched in Portugal in August 2015. 2016 started with the launch of the Italian joint venture in January. Communications Division 75 avenue de la Grande-Armee 75116 Paris, France +33 1 40 66 42 00 psa-peugeot-citroen.com @PSA_news View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160201005988/en/ Contacts: Banque PSA Finance Media Relations Pierre-Olivier Salmon, +33 (0)1 40 66 47 59 pierre-olivier.salmon@mpsa.com or Pierre Nectoux, +33 (0)1 46 39 54 43 pierre.nectoux@mpsa.com or Investor Relations Frederic Brunet, +33 (0)1 40 66 42 59 frederic.brunet@mpsa.com Regulatory News: Stallergenes Greer plc (the "Company") (Paris:STAGR), a biopharmaceutical company specializing in treatments for respiratory allergies, today announced that the manufacturing and distribution of ORALAIR, ACTAIR and ALYOSTAL Venom1 is starting after a temporary suspension at its Stallergenes SAS plant in Antony, France. As previously communicated, this temporary suspension was enacted following observations made by the French Health Authority (ANSM), regarding the implementation of a new IT system aimed at providing upgraded supply and delivery of Stallergenes Greer's products. The launch of this new IT system resulted in operational disruptions that have now been satisfactorily addressed. "We are pleased with the resumption of ORALAIR, ACTAIR and ALYOSTAL Venom production. These products will be available again to our patients as soon as possible and in a sequential manner," said Fereydoun Firouz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stallergenes Greer. Stallergenes Greer continues to work with the ANSM to promptly resume distribution of its Named Patient Products (NPP), including STALORAL, PHOSTAL, and ALUSTAL About ORALAIR ORALAIR is a sublingual allergy immunotherapy tablet with a mix of five grass allergen extracts (Sweet Vernal, Orchard, Perennial Rye, Timothy, and Kentucky Blue Grass Mixed Pollens Allergen Extract). ORALAIR is a treatment for grass pollen allergic rhinitis with or without conjunctivitis in adults, adolescents, and children (above the age of five except in the United States, where it is approved for use in persons 10 through 65 years of age) with clinically relevant symptoms, confirmed by a positive cutaneous test and/or a positive titre of the specific IgE to the grass pollen. ORALAIR is not indicated for the immediate relief of allergy symptoms. ORALAIR was originally approved in Europe in 2008 and is currently authorized in 31 countries around the world, including most European countries, United States, Canada, Australia, and Russia for the treatment of grass pollen allergic rhinitis. In United States, ORALAIR was launched in May 2014, making it the first allergy immunotherapy tablet to be registered and marketed in United States. Worldwide post-marketing experience with ORALAIR includes more than 20 million doses given to more than 110,000 patients. ORALAIR has been approved based on results from an extensive clinical development program. ORALAIR has been studied in double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, in both Europe and the United States in over 2,500 adults and children. Important Safety Information WARNING: SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTIONS ORALAIR can cause life-threatening allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis and severe laryngopharyngeal edema. Do not administer ORALAIR to patients with severe, unstable or uncontrolled asthma. Observe patients in the office for at least 30 minutes following the initial dose. Prescribe auto-injectable epinephrine, instruct and train patients on its appropriate use, and instruct patients to seek immediate medical care upon its use. ORALAIR may not be suitable for patients with certain underlying medical conditions that may reduce their ability to survive a serious allergic reaction. ORALAIR may not be suitable for patients who may be unresponsive to epinephrine or inhaled bronchodilators, such as those taking beta-blockers. ORALAIR is contraindicated in patients with severe, unstable or uncontrolled asthma, patients with a history of any severe systemic allergic reaction or severe local reaction to sublingual allergen immunotherapy, or patients who are hypersensitive to any of the inactive ingredients. ORALAIR can cause systemic allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, and severe local reactions, including laryngopharyngeal swelling, which may be life-threatening. Severe and serious allergic reactions may require treatment with epinephrine. Patients who have a systemic allergic reaction to ORALAIR should stop taking the product. Eosinophilic esophagitis has been reported in association with sublingual tablet immunotherapy. Discontinue ORALAIR in patients with persistent symptoms of eosinophilic esophagitis, including dysphagia or chest pain. ORALAIR treatment should be withheld if the patient is experiencing an acute asthma exacerbation. Re-evaluate patients who have recurrent asthma exacerbations and consider discontinuation of ORALAIR. Concomitant dosing with other allergen immunotherapy may increase the likelihood of local or systemic adverse reactions to either subcutaneous or sublingual allergen immunotherapy. The most common adverse events reported in 5% of patients were oral pruritus, throat irritation, ear pruritus, mouth edema, tongue pruritus, cough, and oropharyngeal pain. Patients who have escalating or persistent local reactions to ORALAIR should be reevaluated and considered for discontinuation of ORALAIR Please see full Prescribing Information at: http://www.oralair.com/assets/pdf/ORALAIR%20Prescribing%20Information-Med%20Guide.pdf including Medication Guide at http://www.oralair.com/assets/pdf/ORALAIR%20Med%20Guide.pdf For jurisdictions information, please refer to the Oralair Summary of Product characteristics for the applicable jurisdiction. For more information on ORALAIR, visit www.oralair.com About ACTAIR (STG320) STG320 is a sublingual immunotherapy tablet consisting of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae purified and calibrated House Dust Mites (HDM) extracts. More than 2400 patients have been already enrolled in the STG320 allergic rhinitis program consisting of adults, adolescents, and children (at least 5 years of age) with allergic rhinitis caused by house dust mites, confirmed by positive skin tests and/or in vitro testing for dust mites-specific IgE antibodies. The results of the natural field and environmental exposure chamber studies demonstrate that the 500 IR and 300 IR doses of STG320 have shown similar efficacy results in treating adults with HDM-induced allergic rhinitis. In the natural field study which followed patients post-treatment, efficacy was maintained over a treatment-free follow-up year. Efficacy analyses in adolescents have also shown a favorable effect with both doses. A favorable safety and tolerability profile was observed for all tested doses. There were no reports of anaphylactic shock, anaphylaxis, or Intensive Care Unit admission and no use of epinephrine. The most frequent adverse events were application site reactions such as oral pruritus and throat irritation. Most were of mild or moderate severity and were reported during the first weeks of treatment. Treatment-related adverse events leading to premature discontinuation were more frequent with active treatment than placebo, and slightly more frequent with the 500 IR compared to 300 IR. The safety profile in children and adolescents was similar to that observed in adults. The review of the benefit-risk ratio of both doses led to the selection of the lowest dose 300IR In March 2015, following completion of a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study evaluating the efficacy and safety of a 12 months treatment with STG320, the Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency approved ACTAIR (STG320) as the first immunotherapy tablet for the treatment of HDM induced allergy in adolescents and adults. Furthermore to the development plan, a phase III study to be conducted in adults and adolescents is in the recruiting phase in the US, Canada, Europe, Israel and Russia. The objective of this study is to confirm the efficacy and safety of the 300 IR dose of STG320 vs. placebo in adults and adolescents (12 to 65 years old). Approximately 900 patients are to be randomized 1:1 to receive daily a dose of 300 IR (with dose escalation) or placebo for 12 months. ABOUT STALLERGENES GREER PLC Headquartered in London (UK), Stallergenes Greer plc is a global healthcare company specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies through the development and commercialization of allergy immunotherapy products and services. Stallergenes Greer plc is the parent company of GREER Laboratories, Inc. (whose registered office is in the U.S.) and Stallergenes S.A.S. (whose registered office is in France). Trading information: Name: Stallergenes Greer ISIN: GB00BZ21RF93 1 Ticker: STAGR ICB classification 4577 Market: Euronext Paris regulated market Additional information is available at http://www.stallergenesgreer.com This document (including information incorporated by reference in this document), oral statements made and other information published by the company contain statements that are or may be forward-looking with respect to the financial condition and/or results of operations and businesses of the Company. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe", "expects", "project", "estimated", "forecast", "should", "plan", "may" or the negative of any of these, or other variations thereof, or comparable terminology indicating expectations or beliefs concerning future events. These forward-looking statements include risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Without being exhaustive, such factors include economic situations and business conditions, including legal and product evaluation issues, fluctuations in currencies and demand, and changes in competitive factors. These and other factors are more fully described in our prospectus filed with the French Autorite des marches financiers on September 3, 2015. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, due to various factors. Save as required by applicable law, neither the Company nor any other person assumes any obligation to update these forward-looking statements or to notify any person of any such update. 1 Allergy immunotherapy product indicated in the treatments of Hymenoptera venom allergies View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160201005998/en/ Contacts: Investor and analyst relations Peter Buhler, Tel: +33 1 55 59 23 22 Chief Financial Officer Email: investorrelations@aresallergyco.com or Investor relations agency FTI Consulting Arnaud de Cheffontaines, Tel: +33 1 47 03 69 48 Email: arnaud.decheffontaines@fticonsulting.com or Media relations Lise Lemonnier, Tel: 33 1 55 59 20 96 Head of Global Communications Email: llemonnier@stallergenes.com or Media relations agency Havas Worldwide Paris Jean-Baptiste Froville, Tel: +33 1 58 47 95 39 Email: jean-baptiste.froville@havasww.com MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 02/01/16 -- Urbanimmersive Inc. (the "Company" or "UI") (TSX VENTURE: UI) is pleased to announce today the signing of an Agreement with Centris to commercialize locally and internationally Urbanimmersive's real estate visual content providers marketplace (the "Solution"). This Agreement closes the negotiations announced in August 2015. As part of the agreement that will have an initial term of five years, Urbanimmersive will provide its online marketplace platform and Centris will take over its commercialization. Customer Service with its real estate brokers will be the responsibility of Centris, while services to visual content providers will be handled by Urbanimmersive. The parties have agreed on a sharing revenue model in order to meet their respective obligations. The visual content providers marketplace will be white labeled Centris Marketplace with the mention, "powered by Urbanimmersive". The roll out of the Solution to Centris 13000 real estate agents network is expected to be in the months of March and April 2016. "We're extremely happy to sign this partnership agreement with Urbanimmersive. The creation of this partnership stems from our objective to offer to our network a solution that simplifies and enhances the use of professional visual content providers that meet high quality standards." Added Eric Charbonneau, General Manager of Centris. The agreement also stipulates that a representative of Centris will join, without compensation, the Board of Directors of Urbanimmersive. "This partnership is strategic for Urbanimmersive. First because of the impact it will bring on our revenues but also because of the visibility it will provide to our entire content marketing solution. " Said Ghislain Lemire, CEO of Urbanimmersive. About Urbanimmersive Visual Content Marketplace The visual content marketplace developed by Urbanimmersive allows real estate brokers to find, compare and book online real estate visual content providers offering photograph services, videos, virtual tours, immersive visits, 3D tours, aerial photographs and other digital media. The platform is open to freelancers as well as established photographer agencies in order to provide a greater diversity of service offerings to real estate brokers. The visual content Marketplace solution is part Urbanimmersive's marketing content platform. Marketplace revenues come from monthly subscription, transactional and commission fees. About Centris Centris is a division of the Greater Montreal Real Estate Board exclusively offering technological resources to 12 real estate boards of Quebec and their more than 13,000 real estate brokers. Centris.ca is the website portal of the Quebec real estate industry for consumers, where all properties for sale by real estate brokers in Quebec are grouped at the same address. About Urbanimmersive Urbanimmersive is the industry fastest growing unified network of real estate news. Thanks to our content marketing platform, we help real estate organizations (agencies & associations) to capitalize on the strength of their network of members to increase their web visibility, brand engagement and ultimately their income. Our integrated web offering allows our customers to simplify the production, publication, management and sharing of real estate marketing content thus increasing their productivity and competitiveness. Our solution gives each user a free newsroom website, a content management system (CMS) from which they can create marketing content, buy exclusive long-form articles from freelance writers specialized in real estate and order architectural photographer services through our approved, insured and regulated visual content suppliers marketplace. We monetize our marketing content platform in multiple ways such as visual written content production services, commission income on purchases of real estate articles in our online store, transactional revenues from the visual content marketplace as well as subscription revenues for website advanced features and services. Our clients are real estate industry players: real estate agencies and associations, realtors, new home builders, architects, interior designers, landscape architects, renovators, manufacturers of furniture and decorations accessories, etc. Each client participates in the construction of our vision to become the largest unified network of real news in the world thereby creating a discovery content platform for consumer products advertisers wishing to reach a highly qualified and engaged audience. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Caution on Forward-Looking Statements Urbanimmersive management wishes to emphasize that it is not yet possible to establish the value of this agreement in terms of revenue. Factors such as the rate of adoption of the Solution by the Centris network of 13,000 real estate brokers as well as the responsiveness of visual content providers will both have a direct impact on the potential revenues of this agreement. Certain statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are subject to important risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The results or events predicted in these forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events. As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other assumptions and risk factors, please refer to the Corporation's management proxy circular dated March 25, 2015, and filed with the Canadian securities commissions. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release represent our expectations as of the date hereof. We disclaim any intention and assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Contacts: Urbanimmersive Inc. Ghislain Lemire President and CEO 514-394-7820 ghislainlemire@urbanimmersive.com TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 02/01/16 -- Global Atomic Fuels Corporation ("Global Atomic" or "the Company"), a private Ontario corporation, is pleased to announce that the Minister of Mines of the Republic of Niger, Omar Hamidou Tchiana, has signed 3 year renewals on Global Atomic's 6 uranium exploration permits in Niger. Global Atomic is currently developing four uranium deposits in the country with the flagship DASA deposit currently undergoing a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA). The other 3 deposits, Isakanan, Dajy and Tin Negouran are currently less advanced. As part of the DASA PEA program, Global Atomic has completed 110,000 meters of drilling including 22,000 meters of core drilling as well as advanced metallurgical, hydrogeological, environmental and geophysical studies. The current resource has been defined over a 1 km strike length however, Global Atomic's exploration programs have defined a potential strike length of over four kilometers. The DASA project is located on the main highway 80 km south of AREVA's two operating uranium mines in Arlit which supply 30% of France's uranium requirements. All infrastructure including roads, power and water are available at the DASA site. Current studies are focused on a ramp access underground operation based on a 1,500 ppm cut-off grade which produces a blended headgrade of greater than 3,400 ppm. Drilling to date indicates in excess of a 10 year mine life at this grade, which would be economic even at current uranium prices. Should prices improve, a lower cut-off grade would increase the mineable tonnes and extend the mine life to over 20 years based on a 5,000,000 pound per year production rate. The current resource estimates for DASA are: ------------------------------------------------------------ Cut-off Grade '000 Tonnes Grade ppm '000 lbs. U3O8 ------------------------------------------------------------ 600 ppm 28,655 1,828 115,488 ------------------------------------------------------------ 1,000 ppm 16,985 2,554 95,677 ------------------------------------------------------------ 1,500 ppm 10,308 3,420 77,759 ------------------------------------------------------------ Global Atomic has spent approximately CDN $50 million on exploration and development to date on its Niger projects and expects to apply for its Mining License for the DASA project during this exploration term. QP Statement Mr. George A. Flach, BSc., P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration, has reviewed this press release as the Qualified Person (QP) as defined in National Instrument 43-101. About Global Atomic Fuels Corporation Global Atomic Fuels Corporation is a private Ontario corporation founded in January 2005 by executives with extensive experience in the mining and marketing of uranium. The Company has exploration agreements covering six uranium permits in the Republic of Niger, as well as owning a database consisting of numerous uranium exploration targets around the world collected over a 30 year period by a major Canadian uranium producer. The company's flagship project, DASA, has resources of over 115 million lbs. U3O8 at a 600ppm cut off grade. As the Preliminary Economic Assessment continues, Global Atomic will continue to conduct exploration activities with the intention to significantly expand the current resource. Current shares outstanding: 67,148,941 million The information in this release may contain forward-looking information under applicable securities laws. This forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking information. Factors that may cause actual results to vary include, but are not limited to, inaccurate assumptions concerning the exploration for and development of mineral deposits, political instability, currency fluctuations, unanticipated operational or technical difficulties, changes in laws or regulations, the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits, changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets and the inability to raise additional financing. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information. The Company does not assume the obligation to revise or update this forward-looking information after the date of this release or to revise such information to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Contacts: Global Atomic Fuels Corporation Stephen G. Roman Chairman, President & CEO (416) 368-3949 sgr@globalatomicfuels.com www.globalatomicfuels.com NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - February 01, 2016) - San Francisco is considered to be a major hub for tech start-ups, 'unicorns' (private, fast growing new companies valued at one billion or more), and commercial real estate. With three-story cranes lining the bay, it is one of the fastest growing real estate areas in the country and a perfect location to host this year's 'San Francisco State of the Market' conference. New York-based property developer and online marketer Boris Mizhen attended the event, which was created by Bisnow, the industry's leading news and events company, and started on January 20 th with a talk by the keynote speaker, John Kilroy, Chairman, President, and CEO of the Kilroy Realty Corporation. Developers, investors, engineers, and local leaders met to discuss the issues that will shape the market in 2016, including sustainability, the tech boom, and rising housing prices. The focus of this year's 'San Francisco State of the Market' conference was on the biggest real estate trend in the city for 2016 -- tech demand. In the previous year, at least 14 different companies signed leases, each at over 9,000 square feet, for research and creative office space; 60 percent of those leases were dedicated to businesses working on technology developments. San Francisco's real estate professionals discussed the most pressing question of whether the market can sustain such a rapid growth. Many experts are concerned that the commercial real estate bubble will burst, and while Boris Mizhen agrees that the high prices and fast growth will be difficult to sustain, he is optimistic about the year ahead. The top minds who are actively working on plans for growth spoke at 'San Francisco State of the Market', including the city's Planning Director, John Rahaim, and real estate business experts Ken Perry and Jack Sylvan, the CEO of the Swig Company and VP of Development at Forest City, respectively. The meeting agenda included talks on the City's Perspective and the Future of Office and Development. Another important discussion at the conference was the emphasis on future sustainable construction. Boris Mizhen has made careful planning and property improvement a cornerstone of his work as a real estate developer and manager, and was in attendance while executives discussed upcoming plans for further construction. San Francisco, long known for progressive thinking and leadership, will see a lot of work in this area in 2016, as the city's developers and managers look for creative ways to boost the industry within a viable and environmental framework. Experts in sustainable engineering, including Nik Lahiri, President of Essel Environmental Engineering and Consulting, and Christian Agulles, Principal of PAE Consulting Engineers, spoke on the possibilities that lie ahead for the city. After the talk on Construction and Design, the meeting concluded with a late morning networking session. Now in its fourth year, Bisnow's Bay Area trade show remains an event charged with excitement and optimism and has heralded a vibrant year in the commercial real estate market for San Francisco. Boris Mizhen is a New York-based entrepreneur that has proven himself as one of the country's leading property developers, business strategists, and investors. He started his career in real estate after establishing himself as one of the most innovative online marketers in the world. Mizhen owns and manages dozens of successful properties across the North Eastern United States and is continuously looking for new ways to advance the workings of the real estate industry. His passion for buying and improving housing for people of differing economic backgrounds parallels his love for charitable work, including the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven and Chabad of the Shoreline, whose annual festival he has sponsored for over a decade. Boris Mizhen - Property Developer and Philanthropist: http://borismizhennews.com Boris Mizhen - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bmizhen Boris Mizhen -- Proud to Attend the First NYC Real Estate Tech Week: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSnMKWyspD0a+1c4+MKW20151110 Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/2/1/11G081035/Images/mw1aafgg22sfha1dkd1dgt1r5j1crd2-7329197bc59c950c9e56dfadc8616c2a.jpg Contact Information: Boris Mizhen www.borismizhennews.com boris@borismizhennews.com Vora Ventures, a Cincinnati, OH-based equity group that specializes in building innovative IT companies worldwide, made an investment in the recently closed Vine Street Ventures Fund II. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed. In addition to its role as investor, Vora Ventures will also serve on the Advisory Board of the seed-stage fund, which focuses on investing in internet and mobile businesses. Vine Street Ventures Fund II is Vine Street Ventures second fund. Led by Dave Knox, Rob McDonald and JB Kropp, the firm raised its first fund in 2012, which included investments in Cincinnati and Brandery companies including Ahalogy, Roadtrippers, ChoreMonster, and FlightCar (which recently announced their $22m Series B financing with participation from Vine Street Ventures, GCV Capital, Softbank Capital, and First Round Capital). With Vine Street Ventures Fund II, Marina Dedes Gallagher is joining the team as a Director. Gallagher was previously a Vice President at Lightbank, a Chicago-based VC fund started by the co-founders of Groupon. Founded by Mahendra Vora, Vora Ventures portfolio consists of 12 companies in the software, services and infrastructure solutions space, which currently employs over 2,100 people worldwide. FinSMEs 01/02/2016 Wrapify, a San Francisco, CA-based car wrap company, said it has raised $1.5m in seed funding (to date). Backers included Ludlow Ventures, Social+Capital Partnership, Haystack, and The LAUNCH Fund. The company, which has been called Uber for advertisers, is also entering the New York market today, February 1, with offices open on Park Avenue March 1. Led by James Heller, CEO, Wrapify is an adtech/outdoor advertising company that allows brands to advertise on cars nationwide via a real-time data and analytics platform. To-date, Wrapify has run campaigns for eBay, Petco, Harrahs, TriNet and Quest Nutrition, among other clients. The company, which launched in a pair of California markets last July, had broadened its presence to five states and 21 markets by end of 2015. It has signed up more than 20,000 drivers to date. FinSMEs 01/02/2016 Domestic pharma company IPCA Laboratories Ltd said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued it a warning letter outlining manufacturing quality lapses observed at three of its Indian factories, pushing its shares down as much as 16 percent. The letter concerns the company's finished-drug plants at Piparia in western India, and Indore in central India, as well as the drug ingredients facility at Ratlam in central India, IPCA said in a statement. The plants have already been banned from supplying to the United States after the FDA inspected them in July 2014, January 2015 and March 2015, and first highlighted the lapses. IPCA said it has since been trying to fix the problems and has been informing the FDA of its remedial measures. "The company is fully committed to resolving these issues at the earliest," it said, without disclosing the content of the letter. The FDA usually posts such letters on its website a week after issuing them to manufacturers, who need to respond to the agency within 15 days with a plan on how they would work on fixing the issues. IPCA, a mid-sized Indian firm with 2015 revenue of about $500 million, has 16 manufacturing plants in India from where it supplies to more than 120 countries. The three sites with U.S. bans also supply to India, UK and Canada. The FDA warning follows similar action on plants of larger rivals Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd in November and December, respectively. Several drug factories in India have been cited by the FDA over the last two years for violating manufacturing quality standards, as the FDA has increased its oversight of the industry, which is a key supplier to the United States. Intra-day, IPCA stock tanked as much as 16 percent before recovering majority of its losses to trade 2.4 percent lower at Rs 652.35 at 2.45 pm on BSE. Reuters It's not easy to be 'out' as a homosexual at an Indian company. Very often theybecome the butt of their straight colleagues' jokes, they aremimicked and they are made to feel like they are not 'normal'. "It spooks me when my gay colleague touches me," said an acquaintance yesterday when we were discussing the Supreme Court verdict thatdescribed homosexuality as a criminal offence. And this attitude is unfortunately not only the norm, but one of the more polite ways of expressing how people deal with homosexuality in the workplace. Many multinational companies based in India have, over the years, tried to put ininclusiveHR policiesfor theLesbian, Gay,Bisexual&Transgender(LGBT) community,in an effort to reduce workplace bullying and discomfiture. So, will the SC verdict now change everything? Will companies now halt all the policies that they had started putting in place for the benefit of the queer community? Will homosexuals, who were being accepted for who they were at the workplace, be forced 'into the closet' once again? Firstpost spoke to the a few multinationals based in India, to ask how or if the Supreme Court verdict would change their workplace policies. IBM India, which had introduced a reverse mentoring project, the Employee Alliance for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Empowerment (EAGLE), a year ago, vowed to remain committed to inclusion irrespective of sexual orientation. "IBM remains committed to promoting a culture of inclusion for all, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation," an IBM spokesperson told Firstpost. In IBM's EAGLE project, queer employees who feel uncomfortable about being 'out' in the workplace, is paired up with a senior employee who will act as a mentor, so that he/she can freely discuss issues ranging from alternative sexuality to queer pride events and career advancement. Apart from the mentoring programme, the company also offers benefits-including pension plans, medical insurance, wedding leave and compassionate bereavement leave-to same-sex couples across several global offices including in India. Interestingly this was implemented in India following the landmark verdict by the Delhi High Court in 2009. Infosys, which also spoke to Firspost, said that their policies are unlikely to change in the light of the situation. The InfosysGays Lesbians and you (IGLU), an employee resource group for the LGBT community in the company, was set up last year. IGLU aims to create a safe and respectful work environment for employees from the LGBT community.It conducts awareness programs and exclusive events to create awareness and foster inclusion. "We do not foresee any changes to the policies that we have in place. The focus at Infosys has been to ensure that employees have a safe and harassment free work place irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity,"an Infosys spokesperson said. However, the company said that policies at Infosys are reviewed on a regular basis and aligned to the law of the land of the individual countries in which they operate. "We align the policies as per the mandates and compliance requirements for each of the locations," Infosys said. However, not all companies have decided if their LGBT policies will change in light of the Supreme Court verdict. Google, which runs an India chapter of its LGBT employees - a voluntary employee resource group called the 'Gayglers' - said that it was too early to comment. "We are reviewing the situation and will want to understand the full legal implication of the ruling. It is too premature to comment on the impact that it may have on ongoing diversity programs," a Google spokesperson told Firstpost. Manish Sabharwal, Vice President of Teamlease--a HR consultancy firm believes that most companies will continue to follow a"Don't ask, don't tell policy." Sabharwal pointed out that most companies in India do not even have a proper LGBT policy in place. "Employers' decision on hiring will definitely not be on the basis on whether the person is gay or straight, but once hired, they will have to follow the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," he said. Sabharwal said that the few India based companies that have LGBT policies will now have to review them and check their legality. A HR employee from Intel, who wished to remain anonymous, told Firstpost that though Intel has a strong diversity culture, it has not yet been decided if the company will change its policies following the verdict. "It's still under wraps, the HR department will be meeting legal heads to decide what will happen," the employee said. According to a LGBT Resource Guide created by Google, IBM, Goldman Sachs and Community Business last year, the LGBT community makes up about 5-10 percent of India Inc's workforce. Around80 percent of them report hearing homophobic comments, jokes or anti-gay rhetoric at their workplace. New Delhi: A team of forensic medicine experts from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will visit Ryan International School in South Delhi on Tuesday and examine the water tank where six-year-old Divyansh Kakrora, a Std I student of the school, was found dead. The team, comprising Additional Professor Dr Adarsh Kumar, Assistant Professor Dr Kulbhushan Prasad and senior resident doctor at the Department of Forensic Medicine Dr Hans Raj Singh, will examine the spot where the incident took place before submitting the final report. "The team of doctors was scheduled to go to the school today (Monday) but the visit was called off as till afternoon we did not receive a written request from the SHO of the police station concerning the same. "As per the procedure, a written request from the investigating agencies is a must to carry out any examination. The team will now visit Ryan International School tomorrow," said a senior doctor at AIIMS. The AIIMS' preliminary post-mortem report indicated that Divyansh's death was due to drowning. There were no external injuries on his body that could lead to death. The report pointed to asphyxiation (suffocation) due to aspiration of fluid into air passages as being the probable cause of the death, said sources at AIIMS. Ramhit Meena, father of Divyansh, has blamed the school authorities for his son's death. "It is a conspiracy by the school authorities and someone in the staff must be involved in the incident. I received a call from the school and I rushed to the emergency ward at the hospital, where I found the principal at the entrance. "I kept asking everyone what had happened but nobody responded. Then the principal took me to the doctor who informed me that my son was brought dead to the hospital," he said. However, the principal of the school had refuted the allegation and claimed that Divyansh was a special child who was "hyperactive" and had a tendency of running away from the classroom. She, however, could not explain how the child fell into the water tank beneath the amphitheatre of the school. Divyansh was last seen before the seventh period on Saturday, 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 amphitheatre in the school's playground. An FIR was registered at Vasant Kunj North Police Station under Section 304 (A) of IPC against unknown persons for causing death due to negligence. PTI Patna: As a Bihar court on Monday began hearing of a case against Lord Rama for exiling his wife Sita to forest as Ramayana narrates, it asked the petitioner who should be punished for an incident of such ancient times, a government lawyer said. "Judge of the court asked the petitioner soon after hearing in the case began, whom should he punish in such an ancient incident?" the lawyer said. The judge also asked the petitioner why has he filed a case in such an ancient incident and who will be his witness? "You have also not mentioned the date on which Rama ousted Sita and sent her to forest. And what is the basis of complaint," the judge posed, according to the lawyer. The petitioner said he approached the court to seek justice for Sita. "I am in court, begging for justice to Sita." The complaint-case was filed against Lord Rama and his brother Lakshman in the court of chief judicial magistrate in Sitamarhi on Saturday by lawyer Thakur Chandan Kumar Singh. In his petition, Singh said Rama sent Sita to a life in exile in a forest without any fault of her and there was no justification for doing it. Sita was exiled for no fault of hers. It was hypocritical order of King Rama. How can a man become so cruel towards his wife that he sends her to live in a forest alone? the petitioner said. The court admitted the case and fixed the hearing for February 1. "I have filed a case under Section 367/34 and other sections of the IPC, seeking direction of the court for justice to Sita in this regard," Singh said. He said as per Ramayana, Rama sent Sita to the forest after her purity was questioned by a washerman of his kingdom Ayodhya. Singh is a resident of Dumri Kala village under Majorganj police station. "Sita, who was a devoted wife, always fulfilled her duty in good and bad times with her husband. How could such a crime be committed against her? Rama also ignored how could a lonely woman spend time in deep forest," Singh said. Stating that Sita was daughter of Mithila in Bihar and justice was not done to her by Lord Rama, Singh said the aim of his petition was to seek justice for Sita. "My petition in the court is not to hurt religious sentiments." IANS Delhi Police on Monday gave a clean chit to Kumar Vishwas in a molestation case filed against him by a woman in August last year, according to CNN-IBN. The woman, who had filed a complaint against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader in the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), had approached the police in August, accusing him of molesting her. Vishwas had strongly rejected the allegations, saying the complainant was targeting him with "another script". A senior police officer had said a complaint against Viswas had been received via post by Chanakyapuri police station. Police had said that the woman had alleged that Viswas molested her and had not given any more details. "Again the same character, this time with a new story. There is a new drama everyday," Vishwas had tweeted, rejecting the allegations. With inputs from PTI New Delhi: India and Afghanistan on Monday inked a pact for visa-free travel by their diplomats following Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which they discussed key bilateral and regional issues including security cooperation. "Sustained engagement with Afghanistan. Chief Executive Abdullah meets the Prime Minister... Promoting stronger diplomatic ties...India and Afghanistan sign agreement on visa free travel for diplomats," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. It is learnt that during the meeting Abdullah thanked Modi for consistent assistance from India in various spheres including defence and for meeting his country's developmental needs. India had given three multi-role Mi-35 helicopters to Afghanistan in December for combating terrorism in the war-torn country. Later, the visiting leader held talks with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during which they discussed the security situation, Afghan peace process, internal political situation in the strife-ravaged country as also the regional security situation, official sources said. "The two leaders also discussed the role of international community to ensure peace and stability in Afghanistan and to defeat challenge of terrorism," sources said. Swaraj informed Abdullah about India's efforts to expedite implementation of as many as 92 small developmental projects in Afghanistan that are nearing completion. The minister also assured Abdullah of government's help in facilitating participation of a strong Afghan contingent in the 12th SAF games to be held in Guwahati and Shillong. The Afghan leader's visit comes nearly a month after Modi's trip to Kabul during which he inaugurated the new Afghan Parliament building, constructed with India's aid. Abdullah, who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday, is in India primarily to attend a conference on counter-terrorism in Jaipur organised by India Foundation in association with Sardar Patel University of Police Security and Criminal Justice. He will leave for Jaipur on Tuesday. PTI By Maneka Gandhi Trying to save wild animals is like putting a finger into a dam that is leaking blood. You can stop one species from being decimated for a little while but some other hole opens up somewhere else. Not one of us ever thought that the Indian pangolin was under threat. I never saw it in markets unlike the monitor lizard which is brought in to cities and roasted alive. I never heard of it being eaten or made into quack medicines or tourist items. So it has come as a shock to me that the pangolin (or scaly anteater) is the most poached animal in Asia. It is so endangered that the useless Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has actually woken up after almost ten years of idleness and is partnering with Interpol for Operation Pangolin. Of course, they will do nothing. The director doesnt believe that his bureau should be involved in animal rescue. I set up a system for him four years ago which gave him over 2,000 informants and a readymade anti-poaching army. It took him three months and [former minister of environment and forests] Jayanthi Natarajan to dismantle it. So he has no one to conduct his operation his entire staff is one assistant and a typist. So it is you and I who will have to save this creature. Over 25,000 pangolin have been killed every year and sent to China through the Kolkata/Chennai route. Kolkata is the hub of the wildlife poaching trade in India. It supplies illegal birds, tortoises and small animals across the country, brought in through containers and passed by bribed customs officials. Animals, like star and fresh water tortoises, go out through the same route. The next biggest poaching hub is the Chennai port which sends sea creatures, like seahorses, sea cucumbers, mollusks, and shark fins in the lakhs to Singapore, China and Hong Kong. What is the pangolin? Most of you have never seen it. It is the only mammal covered in scales; it is a little larger than a cat; it is shy, harmless and easy to make friends with. The Indian Pangolin is a scaly, toothless anteater found in the plains and hills of India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan. An extremely useful insectivore that feeds on ants and termites, the pangolin is a defenceless, solitary, slow-moving mammal. All it can do is to roll into a ball when it senses an attack. It is 4 feet long when on its feet. It shambles along on the knuckles of the forefeet and the flat soles of its hind feet. It digs its prey out of mounds and logs using its stout limbs and long claws. You do not see it because it is entirely nocturnal. It lives near anthills in dug up burrows. The pangolin has a cone-shaped head with small, dark eyes and a long muzzle. It has a long, sticky tongue, to catch ants and termites. When fully extended it is longer than the animals body. At rest the tongue retracts into a sheath in its chest cavity. The most noticeable characteristic of the pangolin is its scaled armour, which covers its upper face and body, but not its belly and inner side of the legs. It has 160-200 scales. These scales, for which they are hunted, can reach 6.57 cm long, 8.5 cm wide, and weigh 7-10 grams. The colour of its scales varies depending on the colour of the earth in its surroundings. In Telugu it is alawa, polusu pandi or nela chepa. In Kerala, eenampechi. In Tamil, alangu. In Oriya, bajrakapta. In Kannada alavi or chippu handi. In Bengali Bojrokit, Bajra kit, Bajra kapta, Suraj mukhi, Silu, Sal sala, Chitikhor, Sakunphor (Haryana, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar); Kishaur (Jammu &Kashmir); Chalo, Bhimgaroo, Pingaroo, Shalma, Mirun (Gujarat and parts of Maharashtra) and Hochik, Salak in Assam and North Eastern states. In Sinhala, it is called kaballewa. Over the past 20 years, the pangolin has been hunted by poachers for its skin, which is used to make leather shoes and fashion accessories, and its fat and scales which are smuggled to China and Vietnam to make traditional medicine for cancer, psoriasis, weight loss and asthma, and lactation. In fact, rhino horn and pangolin scales (like our hair and nails) are composed of keratin. Keratin has no curative properties. Stuffed pangolins are sold as souvenirs. In spite of pangolin meat being illegal, it is on the menu complete with a picture in Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants, for the increasingly prosperous middle class. Pangolin foetuses are delicacies. Owning ivory and eating pangolin are symbols of status. The Indian pangolin has become the most heavily-trafficked mammal in India, and the species the most heavily trafficked on earth. The people who are killing them in India are nomads and trained local hunters. They dig out the animal from its burrow and put it into boiling water to remove its scales which are sold. The live pangolin is sold at a rate of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per animal. Its scales are used to make traditional medicine by tribes in Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Kerala, who believe that the scales reduce swelling, promote blood circulation and cure skin related ailments, even though not a single scientific research backs these claims. The scales are used as an aphrodisiac or made into rings and charms. China is a member of CITES, which bans inter-country smuggling of animals, but permits pangolin consumption. As a result, the Chinese and Sunda pangolin are now classified as 'Critically Endangered'. As the populations of the four Asian pangolin species plummet, traders are now turning to Africa to meet the growing demand. A recent study by Oxford Universitys Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, the Chinese Public Security Bureau, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reports that 22,000 had been killed by just one criminal gang in 21 months. In addition to smuggling animals, traffickers use the postal system to transport contraband. Beijing customs officials have found over one tonne of scales in postal parcels - 1,660 individual animals. In 2013, 8,125 pangolin were confiscated in 49 instances of illegal trade across 13 countries. Because seizures represent just 10 percent or less of the actual illegal trade volume, this suggests that 81,250 pangolin or more were killed in just one year. Investigations in China revealed that more than one ton of pangolin scales were trafficked into the country from Pakistan during 2013. Smugglers also brought pangolin scales into China from Qatar, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea. Two seizures of scales in Hong Kong totalling just over three tons came from African pangolin. Fifty kg of pangolin scales from Cameroon for Vietnam were intercepted by customs authorities at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. At Vietnams Hai Phong Port, 16 tons of pangolin and one ton of scales were intercepted, while 261 kg of pangolin were seized in Quang Ninh Province near the China border. Chinese media outlets reported that four seizures totalling 187 pangolin occurred in or near Fangchenggang, which borders Vietnam; a smuggler arrested in China with 73 pangolin claimed that the animals came from Vietnam. A Chinese fishing vessel, which ran aground in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, was found to be smuggling pangolin. Vietnam police officers arrested six individuals with 204 kg of pangolin concealed in their backpacks. This means 29-41 pangolin. Seizure reports from 2009-2013 in India reveal that around 3,350 pangolin were poached in the country during that period. At least 49,662 pangolin have been smuggled from Indonesia since 2002, and border officials in Thailand had seized 7,734 pangolin from 2003-2008. With one pangolin being killed every hour, this elusive creature has become the most commonly smuggled mammal in Southeast Asia. Experts say the animals will be extinct within ten years, if China and Vietnam do not stop killing them. India is believed to be a major supply country, and crime syndicates use railway mail, plane cargo and couriers. Seizures of pangolin scales have been reported from Mizoram, Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Orissa, Assam, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. In August 2014, 70 kg pangolin scales were seized from Debidanga, Jaipalguri in north Bengal, the Mizoram forest department recovered 80 kg of pangolin scales from Aizawl, while in Karnataka the police intercepted a haul of 25 kg of pangolin scales. Eighty kilo of Pangolin scales was seized from cargo of Kolkata airport. These were all going to Chennai from where they are smuggled to China. Since the pangolin produces only one offspring a year, it is no surprise that its almost on the brink of extinction. Another thing that puts them at a high risk is that they cannot be bred in captivity, unlike rhinos and tigers, so it is impossible for them to be saved and reintroduced to the wild. According to the latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, all eight species of the pangolin are threatened with extinction. Pangolin poaching or trade in India can lead to imprisonment between three to seven years, and a large fine. However, violators rarely face punishment, and the trade continues because all our forest and wildlife officials are either lazy, or stupid, or ignorant and greedy. Pangolin act as a natural insecticide and pest control as they feed on termites, ants, beetles and cockroaches, which are a serious threat to agricultural crops and buildings. By eradicating them, we are destroying a creature that could keep pests and diseases down to an acceptable level. By Badri Narayan Amid the mood of happy expectancy in the country with talks of start-ups, smart cities, multi-billion dollar FDI and a windfall of jobs Bundelkhand stands out as a sore thumb. Up against a chronic drought problem, abysmal poverty and political apathy, the people of this region represent an India we chose to close our eyes against many years ago. Forget about food and clothes, some cannot even afford essentials like salt and oil. Members of the Sahariya tribe are now forced to eat chapatis made of grass. Lack of arable land, acute shortage of water sources and huge dependency on an extortionistcredit system by the poor the problems of Bundelkhand, spread across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, are many. The biggest problem plaguing the rocky region, however, is drought. Between 1871 and 2002, the region witnessed 22 major drought years, according to a report by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation in 2009. Drought affected all districts of Bundelkhand on the UP side between 2004 and 2007 and in 2009, it affected all six districts on MPs side and five of UP, a 2009 report of the Drought Management Division, Ministry of Agriculture, says. The region has acute scarcity of fertile land unlike Western UP, but this would not be a huge problem if water needs for crops were taken care of. Political indifference has not allowed that to happen. The Betwa accounts for around 50 percent of the water available in Bundelkhand Upland and Bundelkhand Plain sub-regions; the Ken contributes around 25 percent. Both rivers flow through UP and MP. The Betwa, Ken, Pahuj and Dhasan are very important for irrigation in the region. Their seasonal fluctuations however, are very large. For example, the average annual discharge of river Ken is around 800 cusecs, but in winter it is reduced to around 300 cusecs and it dwindles to practically nothing in May. Such fluctuations undermine the security of irrigation, according to the Drought Management Division report. To make matters worse, the traditional means of irrigation, which include ponds and wells, are now drying up. The declining flow in the rivers has affected other water bodies. Around 70 percent of tanks, ponds and dug-wells have dried up as a result of the steep fall in surface and ground water table, the report says. The Center had sanctioned Rs 18 crore for restoration of Bela Pond, one of the biggest water bodies here. However, poor execution has resulted in no improvement in its condition. Apart from agriculture, this region also needs alternate occupations such as enterprises, businesses and tourism, and work under schemes like MNREGA, to cater to livelihood issues. This would only be possible when the state and political parties make conscious efforts in that direction. Also, the poor peasants of the region need to be freed from the clutches of debt through right government intervention. All this calls for short and long duration policy planning. Also it is important that the state ensures time-bound and committed implementation of its policies and controls widespread corruption. The problem of policy formation for the Bundelkhand region is that policies have a top down approach, which fails in ground-level implementation. Under the Bundelkhand Special Package, a fund of Rs 4,400 crore was released in the 12th Plan period (2012-2017). The mandis or markets created under this benefited the authorities and contractors and still there is no concrete roadmap for its implementation. The actual beneficiaries have been local mafias, dominant farmers with links to political parties, and corrupt officials not the farmers, the poor or the Dalits who form the major share of Bundelkhand's population. The development model of this region has numerous loopholes. The poverty here is not only nature generated but also the result of systemic failure, which includes poor administrative policies and ineffective governance. All through the assembly poll campaigns in Bihar, the Grand Alliances chief ministerial face Nitish Kumar had a very tough time convincing the doubting Thomases that there would be no threat to his past commitment about maintaining rule of law even though he had Lalu Prasad Yadav for company. He remained flooded with such queries during the interactive sessions on Twitter, at the media programmes and at public platforms. I have said it time and again that with me as the CM, only the rule of law will prevail, he said during an interactive session with the media on 28 October last year right in the midst of election process. Prior to this, he claimed: Since I assumed the CMs post in February 2015 (after the removal of Jitan Ram Manjhi from the Bihar throne), Laluji has never interfered in law and order. He made this observation on 23 October. Then, he dubbed it as opposition propaganda when asked if the proverbial jungle raj will return to the state now that he has joined hands with Lalu. This comment came on 15 October. However, the prevailing situation in Bihar tells an altogether different story. Barely, two months into office, Nitish appears to be helpless when it comes to taming his own lawmakers who have virtually gone berserk across the state. Sample these: A JD-U legislator from Jokihat, Sarfaraz Alam was arrested by the police for allegedly molesting a woman passenger on a premier train. However, he managed to secure bail from the police station itself barely 7-8 hours after his arrest. Police say that the IPC offences for which he was accused were bailable. But it also deserves mentioning here that Alam is the son of a mighty and controversial politician Mohammad Taslimuddin who happens to be an MP from Lalus party. Another JD-U MLA Bima Bharti is accused of helping her gangster husband Awadhesh Mandal flee from police custody. Mandal is wanted in around 50 cases, such as murder, kidnapping, extortion and also beating his own wife. No action has been taken against her. Congress legislator Sidhartha Singh is charged with escaping with a teachers unwed daughter but returns to the police with his driver, claiming it was the latter who was involved in the case. The girl, too, claimed before the police and the court that she had escaped with MLAs driver and that the MLA had no role in her case. Then, a case was registered against RJD legislator Kunti Devis son for badly thrashing a doctor on duty at a government hospital while supporters of another JD-U MLA Narendra Kumar Neeraj are charged with threatening to throw a senior police official in Ganga. Such instances go on unchecked in Bihar, but the sole question haunting the general masses is who prevents Nitish from cracking down on such elements, who are making a mockery of his much-flaunted rule of law. Such incidents were never reported in the past eight years while the JD-U was part of the NDA government in Bihar, though there were quite a few notorious faces in both camps. So, why is this problem being seen now? The problem with Nitish Kumar is that his own men are not taking very seriously his law and order commitment, now that he has joined the company of Lalu Prasad whose track record has not been very good, explains a prominent political expert professor Nawal Kishore Chaudhary. According to Chaudhary, there are certain political compulsions which prevent Nitish from taking action against the unruly lawmakers. The first among these compulsions is that the lawmakers come from a social base upon which rests the politics of his key coalition partner. Take for example the case of Sarfaraz Alam who is not only the son of Taslimuddin but also comes from the community which is the main vote-bank of the RJD, he said. Likewise, the other accused lawmakers mentioned above come from backward or extremely backward castes (except for the Congress MLA) which are the main support base of both the JD-U and RJD. The matter is quite clear here. Also, Lalus track record, experts believe, has cast its shadow over the Nitishs main commitment which sadly has been the latter's USP. They say the ruling party leaders have become emboldened now as they think nothing is going to harm them now that Lalus party again is in power. Their confidence is not without basis either. In fact, the 15-year-long RJD regime was quite infamous as stories of crime and corruption kept coming out at frequent intervals. With Lalu struggling to keep his wife's government alive from behind bars where he was sent for his involvement in the fodder scam, everything went topsy-turvy in the state with his lawmakers literally going berserk. Yogendra Sardar, Lalit Yadav, Surendra Yadav, Hemlata Yadav, Sadhu Yadav, the list of legislators being a law-unto-themselves is very long. Of them, Sardar's case indeed deserves mention here since this is the first such case in the state. Sardar, an ex-MLA, was castrated while he was allegedly trying to rape a girl in his farmhouse in Supaul district. Likewise, former MLA Hemlata Yadavs son Mritunjay Yadav, was charged with raping the wife of an IAS officer who died a couple of years back. The name of Sadhu Yadav, Lalus own brother-in-law, had also cropped up in the Shilpi Jain murder case, although he was given a clean a chit by the CBI later. Shilpis body was recovered from a car in a garage in Patna in the 1990s, after which a CBI inquiry was ordered by the centre. Such controversies only earned a bad name for Lalu and they now seem to be coming in the way of Nitishs repeated claims that he will fulfill his commitment. The peoples disbelief is such that recently DGP PK Thakur had to approach the media to tell the masses that there is no deterioration in law and order situation is the state. He also rattled out crime statistics from the past three years to prove his claims. But the prevailing situation tells a different story. New Delhi: As outrage grew over the death of a six-year-old boy at a private school, the Delhi government on Monday ordered all schools to file "safety report" within a month while the child's family demanded a CBI probe into the incident. Police continued to question authorities of Ryan International School in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj area including principal Sandhya Sabu and some teachers as part of its probe after Divyansh Kakrora, a student of class 1, was found dead on Saturday in a water reservoir of the school premises. Alleging foul play in Divyansh's death, his family demanded a CBI probe. He was cremated on Sunday at Dausa district in Rajasthan, where the family hails from. "We want the CBI to probe the matter," relatives present at the boy's cremation said. A team of doctors from AIIMS along with forensic experts will on Monday visit the school and examine the water tank where Kakrora was found dead. The doctors, who had prepared the preliminary post-mortem report of the boy, want to examine the spot where the incident took place before submitting the final report. The AIIMS' preliminary post-mortem report indicated that Divyansh's death was due to drowning. There were no external injuries on his body that could lead to death. The report pointed to asphyxiation (suffocation) due to aspiration of fluid into air passages as being the probable cause of the death, said sources at AIIMS. An FIR was registered on Saturday at Vasant Kunj North Police Station under Section 304 (A) of IPC against unknown persons for causing death due to negligence. As the school authorities came under severe criticism from several quarters, the Delhi government held a meeting on Sunday where issues related to safety aspects in schools were deliberated upon in detail. At the meeting, presided over by deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, it was decided to order all schools to file a report to the government within one month about safety aspects at their premises. The government also decided to form a task force to verify the arrangements in the schools, officials said. The Delhi government had on Saturday ordered a magisterial inquiry into Divyansh's death. Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, said arrogant and insensitive behaviour of the schools on matters relating to safety of the children will not be tolerated at all. "We have asked principals of each school, be it government, MCD or private, to carry out a prima facie inspection and give us a report. As soon as we get the report, we will carry out an inspection based on their report. "I will get all 3,500 schools inspected in the next one month through SDMs, fire department, PWD, DJB, education department and MCD," Sisodia said. He said that safety and security of children is a serious matter and he himself will carry out random inspection of the schools. The Deputy CM also said the boy's death had "shattered" everyone and that a team of government personnel will carry out inspection for an hour in each of the school buildings to ensure there is no repeat of the incident. Police said they are looking into all angles and have not ruled out foul play at this point. Ramhit Meena, the distraught father of Divyansh, blamed the school authorities for the child's death. "It is conspiracy by the school authorities and someone in the staff must be involved in the incident. I received a call from the school and I rushed to emergency ward at the hospital, where I found the principal at the entrance. "I kept asking everyone about what had happened but nobody responded. Then the principal took me to the doctor, who informed me that my son was brought dead at the hospital," he said. Meena, who is a paramedic at AIIMS, further said, "When I sought answers from the principal, she asked me to stay put, claiming that it is for our own good. When I insisted, I was yelled at." However, the pricipal of the school refuted the allegation and claimed that Divyansh was a special child, who was "hyperactive" and had a tendency of running away from classroom. She, however, could not explain how the child fell into the water tank beneath the ampitheatre of the school. Divyansh 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. He was then rushed to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. "He was a special child, who was hyperactive and had tendency of running away from classroom. The moment the child did not report to the teacher, she informed the coordinator. "The entire school is geared up towards taking care of such children... And there were 20-odd minutes where the doctors even tried to revive him and, meanwhile the coordinator called up the parents, which is the normal practice. "The police is now investigating the case... I can absolutely understand what the parents must be going through this moment. But the allegations (against the school) are wrong," she said. In a letter to Sisodia, Vijwasan MLA Devinder Sehrawat said, "The parents of the students of the locality are very concerned after such an incident. I request the Delhi government to take strong action against the delinquency of the school authority. The licence of Ryan International should be cancelled. "The swimming pool in the school that is being illegally run using DJB water should be immediately sealed. The officials, which may include personnel from DJB, should be strictly acted against." A number of parents of children studying in the school came out openly demanding action against the school. "The school authority must be punished," said an angry parent. Meanwhile, the police team, investigating the boy's death, suspected that some evidences were tampered with. A senior police officer said IPC sections related to tampering of evidence are likely to be added to the FIR registered at Vasant Kunj North Police Station. PTI Thiruvananthapuram: Saritha Nair, one of the prime accused in the solar panel scam in Kerala, on Monday deposed before a judicial commission, and said she was "used physically and mentally" by many politicians. Nair also handed over three CDs and documents to prove her allegations. In her deposition before the judicial commission, she said she was "used physically and mentally" by many politicians of the state. "Today, I handed over CDs both audio and video that include conversations between Congress leader Thampanoor Ravi, Congress legislator Benny Behanan, Oommen Chandy's ousted security guard Salim Raj and businessman Abraham Kallimannel, who is in a threatening mood asking me not to divulge anything more. "I will bring more evidence," Nair told reporters after her deposition for the fourth consecutive day. Nair and her live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan were arrested in 2013 on charges of cheating numerous investors, who paid money for solar panels. Over 30 cases of cheating against the two have been registered in various courts. Police estimate that they cheated investors to the tune of over Rs 6 crore. While Nair is out on bail, Radhakrishnan is in jail on charges of murdering his first wife. Nair alleged that she paid Rs 1.9 crore in two instalments which, she claimed, was part of the Rs 7 crore bribe demanded by Chief Minister Chandy. She also said Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed was given Rs 40 lakh as bribe. Chandy and Mohammed have both denied the allegations. In a related development, Thrissur vigilance court judge SS Vasan, who ordered further probe against Excise Minister K. Babu in the bar scam and also an FIR to be registered against Chandy and Aryadan Mohammed in the solar panel case, on Monday took back his resignation. He had put in his papers, seeking voluntary retirement, following a dressing down by the Kerala High Court which stayed both his orders. IANS New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday slammed the Gujarat government for not implementing the National Food Security Act, asking if it was not part of India or wanted to break away. Taking exception to the Gujarat government's stand that it had not implemented the food security act since it had some issues with the law, an apex court bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice NV Ramana asked, "You have to tell us whether you believe in parliament of India or law passed by it. If not, then why?" Asking if Gujarat was "unique", the court said its stand amounted to undermining the law. "The National Food Security Act extends to the whole of India. How can Gujarat say (how) it will be implemented?" Saying that Gujarat's stand was "sad", the court asked: "What is parliament of India doing? What is the government doing?" The bench said if the court was to accept Gujarat's stand, other states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana etc too would say that they will not implement the said law because Gujarat was not doing so. "Tomorrow, some other states will say they will not implement the Code of Criminal Procedure, Indian Penal Code or the Evidence Act as they have issues with the provisions of these laws," the court observed, pointing to the implications of the Gujarat government's stand. The court's rap came during the hearing of a public interest litigation by a non-governmental organisation Swaraj Abhiyan seeking relief for people living in drought-affected states. IANS Visakhapatnam: Large-scale violence broke out in Andhra Pradesh's Tuni town on Sunday as protesters demanding reservation for Kapu caste set afire a train, two police stations and many vehicles, police said. Kapu leader M Padmanabham on Sunday night announced that he was withdrawing the protest. The mobs went on a rampage in the town about 100 km from Visakhapatnam in East Godavari district and sat on rail tracks and the national highway, bringing to a halt the movement of trains and vehicles between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. The protesters set afire rural and urban police stations and 25 vehicles. Fifteen police personnel, including two officers, and four railway employees were injured in the attacks by protesters. All trains between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam and vehicular traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata national highway came to a halt as thousands of protesters squatted on the tracks and the highway. Padmanabham on Sunday night announced that he was withdrawing the protest, but gave an ultimatum to the state government to issue orders by Monday evening to include Kapus in the list of backward classes. He threatened to launch a 'fast-unto-death'. The violence broke out around 3 pm during a massive public meeting organised by the Kapu State Committee at Tuni. Kapu leaders declared that they will not leave the rail tracks and highways till the government issues an order to meet their demand. Soon the protesters marched towards the tracks and stopped the Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada Ratnachal Express near Tuni railway station. They attacked the engine and set afire bogies after ordering passengers to get down. A railway official said no one was injured in the incident but the passengers including women and children ran in panic. The protesters later attacked the Tuni railway station and ransacked the furniture. Four railway employees were injured. Railways cancelled 14 trains between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam and partially cancelled several others. Many trains were also diverted. With the situation going out of control, additional forces were rushed to the region. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu termed the violence "pre-planned". He said the government was committed to include Kapus in the backward classes list but the orders can be issued after a detailed study. Naidu said some political parties were instigating people for their narrow interests. He appealed to people to maintain peace. Trouble began soon after Padmanabham announced at the public meeting that they will not tolerate any further delay. "We will not move from highways and tracks till the government issues an order," he said amid loud cheers from tens of thousands who had gathered from different parts of the state. The Kapu leaders were angry with the ruling TDP for not implementing its poll promise to include Kapus in the backward classes list. IANS Amid continuing protests over the death of PhD student Rohith Vemula, classes at the Hyderabad University resumed on Monday after a gap of 15 days, CNN-IBN reported. An Indian Express report says that the University of Hyderabad agreed to one of the conditions set by the protesters, and will send a proposal to the HRD ministry for a job to Rohiths brother Raja Vemula. The university has been at the centre of a widespread agitation after the death of Rohith, amid claims that he was harassed and treated unfairly on account of his caste. Earlier, the acting vice-chancellor of the university M Periasamy said that the officials had a meeting with student representatives, after which students agreed to allow regular functioning from Monday. "They wanted some of the individuals involved in this punishment (suspension of Vemula and four others over alleged assault on an ABVP leader) to not be in the decision-making body or the administration, and all the SC/ST faculty members who have quit the administrative duties should resume their duties. We agreed to that," he said. Earlier, the university's Joint Action Committee (JAC) for Social Justice, spearheading the protests over Rohith's suicide, sought a public apology from the varsity administration over the suspension of five Dalit research scholars, including Rohith, last year. "The University of Hyderabad must give a public apology to the five Dalit research scholars for the blatant casteist discrimination, humiliation and agony inflicted on them that eventually led to the death of our friend Rohith Vemula," JAC said in a statement. The varsity had already revoked the suspension of the four research scholars after Rohith's suicide triggered a massive outrage. The five students were suspended in last August for allegedly manhandling an ABVP leader. With inputs from PTI Paris: The culinary world was reeling from the apparent suicide of Benoit Violier, chef of the "world's best restaurant", casting a cloud over the annual Michelin guide's release Monday of its new star ratings in France. Top chef Benoit Violier -- whose renowned three-star restaurant in a small Swiss town is seen as the world's best -- was found dead in his home on Sunday in an apparent suicide, police said. News of the 44-year-old's death, just months after his Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville was crowned the "world's best restaurant" by an exclusive ranking, sparked a wave of sadness as contemporaries extolled the French-Swiss chef's talents. "Late in the afternoon, police... went to Crissier where they discovered at his home the body of Mr Benoit Violier," Swiss police said in a statement, adding that it appeared he had shot himself. Crissier, near the southwestern Swiss city of Lausanne, is home to Violier's restaurant. Police said an investigation had been opened into the death. The statement added that Violier's family had asked for privacy "to be allowed to mourn in peace". Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville, which boasts three Michelin stars, was in December named the best of 1,000 top eateries across 48 countries ranked by France's La Liste. The gastronomic guide is the French foreign ministry's answer to the Britain-based World's 50 Best Restaurants. Celebrating the win, Violier said at the time: "It's wonderful, it's exceptional for us. This ranking will only motivate our team more." The merciless pressure top chefs are under was in the spotlight after Violier's death. Several of France's greatest chefs have pulled out of the Michelin ratings in the past, claiming the pressure it puts on them and their staff was too great. Ramsay loses out Superchef Alain Ducasse was both a winner and a loser, picking up the highest rating for his restaurant at Paris' swish Plaza Athenee hotel while losing a star for another of his tables in the French capital the equally opulent Le Meurice hotel The big winners this year were luxury hotels in the French capital, with chef Christian Le Squer bringing a third star to the George V, a stone's throw from Ducasse's Plaza Athenee outpost. But Le Squer told AFP he was not in a mood to celebrate after Violier's death. "The whole gastronomic world is in tears because we lost a great colleague and friend," he said. The guide's US-born international director Michael Ellis praised Ducasse for his "brave decision to come up with a style of cooking around the idea of 'naturalness'" at the hotel, while he described Le Squer as "a real virtuoso". "Every dish by Christian Le Squer is a real work of art, a shining example of what French gastronomy does best," he added. But the guide raised eyebrows by stripping a star from another restaurant whose founder also killed himself. Bernard Loiseau shot himself with his hunting rifle in 2003 after another guide, the Gault & Millau, lowered the rating of his renowned establishment in the Burgundy region. Loiseau's widow Dominique said she was "shocked and disappointed" by the decision to reduce the Relais Bernard Loiseau to two Michelin stars after 25 years at the top of the table. Ellis defended his inspectors' judgement. "It was a difficult decision but it is part of the job," he said. "We made numerous visits to be absolutely sure... I hope the Relais Bernard Loiseau gets the star back as soon as possible." Big name British chef Gordon Ramsay's Trianon restaurant at Versailles was also downgraded, dropping to just one star. Robuchon on the up While Ducasse has built a global restaurant brand on the reputation he has won in France, the British-based World Best Restaurant list has been sceptical of his genius. His Plaza Athenee restaurant languishes at 47th in its rankings, although the alternative French-based La Liste which claims a more scientific basis for its ranking system placed his Monaco restaurant Louis XV as the world's 17th best. In December, La Liste named Violier's Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville the best of 1,000 top eateries across 48 countries. Joel Robuchon, who was La Liste's highest rated chef overall, was one of the biggest winners in the new Michelin ratings, going straight in with two stars for his Grande Maison restaurant, which opened in Bordeaux 18 months ago. Ellis said the guide's feared army of anonymous inspectors notorious for punishing the slightest slippage in its exacting standards, had found French gastronomy to be in rude health. Paris long criticised for the quality and value for money of its cuisine in comparison to the provinces has made particular progress, he claimed. "Of the 380 tables that have entered the guide for the first time, 100 are in Paris. It is proof that the city is more than ever a place where chefs want to cook," he said. AFP When the news of the Supreme Court ruling declaring gay sex illegal broke on television, my eyes filled instinctively with tears. The overwhelming sense of betrayal and despair was instant. And I'm not even gay. My reaction was not just an act of empathy with my many gay and lesbian friends. It was in many ways entirely selfish. The highest court in this land has delivered an enormous blow to all Indians, men and women, gay and straight. It has declared that we the people are not free citizens, but mere subjects of the state whose bodies are subject to its jurisdiction even in the privacy of our bedroom. It has upheld the Indian state's right to decide what sexual acts are permissible between two consenting adults, and in doing so, it has enslaved us all in one fell swoop. For that is what the Supreme Court ruling represents: The triumph of colonial-era law over our very own constitution; the brute power of the state over the fundamental rights of the citizen. The 2009 High Court ruling stated, "We declare that Section 377 IPC, insofar it criminalises consensual sexual acts of adults in private, is violative of Articles 21, 14 and 15 of the Constitution." In other words, criminalising violates the fundamental rights to freedom, equality, and against discrimination. In decriminalising gay sex, the court was not just upholding the rights of the gay community but also the sexual freedom of all consenting adults. The court essentially struck down an outdated legal precedent based on Victorian (read Judeo-Christian) horror of homosexuality, and that did not recognise the modern right to privacy -- the right that has since been the basis for legalising contraception, abortion and homosexuality in the West. It also ruled against the Union Ministry of Home Affairs which argued that Section 377 is a justified intervention by public authorities in the interest of public safety and protection of health and morals" -- an exemplary colonial argument befitting the upholders of Raj-era law. The ruling instead upheld the greater authority of our own constitution, and legal history, stating: If there is one constitutional tenet that can be said to be underlying theme of the Indian Constitution, it is that of 'inclusiveness'. This Court believes that Indian Constitution reflects this value deeply ingrained in Indian society, nurtured over several generations Where society can display inclusiveness and understanding, such persons can be assured of a life of dignity and non-discrimination. This was the 'spirit behind the Resolution' of which Nehru spoke so passionately. In our view, Indian Constitutional law does not permit the statutory criminal law to be held captive by the popular misconceptions of who the LGBTs are. It cannot be forgotten that discrimination is antithesis of equality and that it is the recognition of equality which will foster the dignity of every individual. And that is what the Supreme Court has "set aside" today. It has set aside our constitution, our history, our progress, and voted instead for the jackboot of "public authority". Many among us straight folks, even the 'liberated' kind, believe that homosexuality is someone else's problem. Sure, we'd like it to be legal -- on the grounds of fairness etc. -- but we assume it makes no difference to our life, our freedom. But it does. It is no accident that the moral mindset that treats homosexuality as a crime against nature also views premarital sex as a sin. The assumption is that a person's sexuality and sexual behaviour can and should be defined by one set of cultural values -- and all transgressions should be strictly punished in order to ensure conformity. These 'traditional' values are not just outdated, but also deeply anti-democratic. After 20 years of liberalisation, we have freed our markets to a great degree, but remain unwilling to grant the same level of freedom to our citizens. The very Indian state that has embraced 21st century capitalism continues to reject its concomitant value of individual liberty, be it in the realm of free speech or sexuality. In this, the Supreme Court is no different from the UPA government which refused to recognise marital rape on the grounds that a woman's body is not her own, but marital property at the disposal of her spouse. Both, in different ways, refused citizens of this nation sovereignty over their own bodies, their own sexuality. The right to say 'yes' or to say 'no' are two sides of the same coin of sexual freedom. And when tyranny wins decisively in one arena, it is strengthened in all others. Freedom in a democracy cannot be compartmentalized, where it applies to one set of citizens and not another. We're all a little less free today -- some far more than others. But make no mistake, this is a defeat for Indian democracy. Amit Shah Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bad cop was elected unopposed as BJP chief for the second term with 17 nominations last week. But the word 'unopposed' shouldn't be taken here too literally because BJP veterans like LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi gave the meeting a miss. And now with Yashwant Sinha's remarks (that he subsequently withdrew saying his words were misinterpreted) about how the Modi government was beginning to resemble Indira Gandhi's government questions are emerging about just what is going on in the party ranks. "The people of India will consign him to the dust, you just have to wait for the next elections. We all know how the people of India reacted to the Emergency which was the most concerted democratic effort in our country to still the voice of dissent." Let's go back to when Modi, the then Gujarat CM, was annointed as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the General Elections in 2014. Party veterans were not too happy with the party decision and they made it amply clear. Having skipped the Goa meet of the party where the then Gujarat chief minister was elevated to the post of the party's poll campaign chief, Advani skipped the meet where Modi was elevated as the PM candidate. The BJP leadership beat a hasty retreat back in September 2013 after the major announcement and did not make any differences within the party public. But Advani had already fired his first missile at the party and had said that he was disappointed in the manner in which the party was functioning. The party patriarch (Advani) has not been able to fathom that the person he had helped rise in politics had attained a position that overshadowed that of his mentor. Even though Advani remained in the party, the sense of mistrust developed to such an extent between the two that the party patriarch thought at one point that it was not safe for him to fight the Lok Sabha polls from his constituency Gandhinagar. He even thought of shifting to a safer bait to Bhopal but ultimately fought and won from Gandhinagar after Modi assured him of his victory. Joshi was also made to run pillar to post literally but his attempts to get the party ticket to fight the Lok Sabha poll from Varanasi failed. He was later allowed to contest from Kanpur while Modi himself fought from Varanasi. "When you came to meet me this afternoon to inform me of the Parliamentary Board meeting I had expressed my pain and had expressed my disappointment on your manner on functioning," Advani had told Rajnath Singh in a letter. "I had told you that I will consider whether I should come to the meeting and express my views or not. I have decided that it is best that I do not attend the meeting," Advani had written further. Advani's fears of giving prominence to new crop of BJP leaders was not unfounded. The senior leaders, who held key portfolios during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, were decisively sidelined ever since Modi took over as the Prime Minister and Shah was annointed as the BJP chief on the basis of age criterion. Their anger was termed as rumblings of "disgruntled leaders" who felt they have not got their due after BJP came to power in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP troika of LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee were soon 'elevated' to the Margdarshak Mandal in August 2014 was largely seen as a not so covert way of keeping Advani and Joshi out of any decision making body of the party rather than a promotion. But Advani got his chance soon. After the massive drubbing that the party received in the Bihar Assembly Election last year, the party's Margdarshak Mandal issued a statement: "Bihar results show that no lesson has been learnt from the fiasco in Delhi. The principal reason for Bihar defeat is the way the party has been emasculated in the last year. The review should cover the way the party is forced to kow-tow to a handful and how its consensual character has been destroyed. The review must not be done by the very persons who have managed and have been responsible for the campaign in Bihar. To say that everyone is responsible for the defeat is to ensure that no one is held responsible." The veterans faced immense criticism and the infighting within the party came into full public glare. At a time when the party should have shown unity and solidarity behind the current leadership, "the public airing of grievances does not enhance the stature of these senior leaders." After the Bihar debacle, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar invited LK Advani for the swearing-in ceremony whereas both PM Modi and Amit Shah were not in the list of the invitees. And now Amit Shah's re-election as the party president. Two former party presidents stayed away from the colourful ceremony attended by central ministers, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and party office-bearers. Speaking to The Indian Express, sources claimed that Advani and Joshi were not informed about the programme which happened at the BJP headquarters. It was widely reported that Amit Shah's re-appointment as the BJP chief was partly because the PM himself was extremely keen on his man Friday and Shah has always had the backing of the RSS. Sources told Livemint that although the BJP leadership said there would be more discussion in the party before decision-making and that members of the Margdarshak Mandal would be consulted, no meeting or talks have been held so far. A BJP leader, considered close to the veterans, told the publication that the partys reluctance to invite them for the Sunday ceremony showed there is not likely to be any change in Shahs style of functioning. That Advani wasn't there to 'bless' the party president was a confirmation, if any was needed, of his total eclipse from the saffron horizon. A logical yet bitter step, perhaps, for a party stalwart who has long been marginalised under the new dispensation. Sunday's violence in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh by Kapus demanding reservation is a farce that is played out in Indian politics regularly. Over the past few years, with help from opportunistic politicians, the drama has played out twice in Rajasthan, once in Gujarat and is now ready to explode in Andhra Pradesh. Only a miracle is keeping western UP and Haryana, where Jats are awaiting OBC status, from burning in the quota conflagration. The script is familiar. First, a community that has a lot of political muscle drums up hysteria by claiming it needs reservation to save it from financial and social ruin. The demand is ignored by the party in power and covertly supported the Opposition. The demand simmers under the surface for some time and then explodes with violent agitation, arson and deaths. Jolted out of its stupor by the flares, the government tries to either suppress it with brute force or by pouring an assurance over it, which, it later forgets. And, thus, the quota drama continues. The agitation by the Kapu community too borrows heavily from the agitation by Jats who were given OBC status by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, the Gurjars of Rajasthan and Patidars of Gujarat. On Sunday, the agitators, gathered at Tuni to attend a public meeting addressed by their leader and ex-minister Mudragada Padmanabh, pelted stones at the train and attacked some police personnel, before ransacking the railway station. Padmanabh, like Patidar leader Hardik Patel who advocated violence in support of their demand, was quoted as saying the CM should realise the gravity of the situation. Like the Jats and Patidars, the Kapus are a powerful political entity. Though there are no official figures available since the 1921 caste census, they are said to be around 16 percent of the total population in Andhra, a figure almost identical to Patidars and Jats. According to various sociologists, the Kapus (literally agriculturists from Kapudanam, farming, in Telugu), again like the Jats and Patidars in their states, were the dominant peasant class of coastal Andhra. In a 2002 study, K Srinivasulu, a professor of political science in Osmania university, called them a fairly prosperous community of Andhra Pradesh. Srinivasulu wrote that the Kapu-Reddy-Raju-Naidus (similar communities that use different titles) were major beneficiaries of agrarian reforms in Independent India. "These reforms, initiated by the Congress Party with a view to legitimising its progressive image and co-opting the lefts agenda, strengthened the partys social support structure by rallying those who benefited from them. The rich peasantry of the Reddy, Kamma and Kapu castes, which were the main beneficiaries of the above reforms, thus constituted the core support base of the Congress Party in the countryside," he argued. Notice the similarities with the Patidars (Patels) of Gujarat when Srinivasulu writes they have also entered into the cinema industry (Chiranjeevi and Vijay Kanth are Kapus) and dominated its production, distribution and even exhibition; invested in education and contributed to its commercialisation, and even come to dominate even the media both print and electronic. The families belonging to this class constitute a large chunk of the so-called NRIs the non-resident Indians. This influential, affluent, politically empowered comprising entrepreneurs and NRIs now wants to be called backward and claim a share of the quota pie. Again, like the Patidars. Their stir has created a problem the Andhra government can't push under the carpet. The state government can't give them quota benefits without crossing the 50 percent limit imposed by the Supreme Court on reservation. And tinkering with the existing quota can lead to a backlash from communities that comprise Other Backward Class in the state. Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu has managed to douse the fire by promising to look into their demand. He managed to convince the agitators to call off their stir by saying he is keen to look at their demands and had already set up a judicial commission for this purpose. But, the complicated caste dynamics of the state may re-ignite the fire. The Kapu-Reddy's were originally communists who later migrated to the Congress. Since the Reddy's started dominating the Congress politics, the Kammas the other dominant community migrated to the Telugu Desam Party launched by NT Rama Rao, himself a Kamma. Initially, the Kapus also supported the TDP to counter the influence of Reddy's in the Congress. But, they gradually started seeing TDP as a Kamma party and returned to the Congress. A discussion on Quora sums up the political trajectory of the Kapus. " NTR did break the Reddy domination of state politics, but in the process he created a new Kamma hierarchy. NTR openly promoted many of his caste members to the higher positiions in both the bureaucracy and legislature, creating a Kamma elite of sorts. Kapus who were already feeling marginalised in the state's political scene, felt even more sidelined. The feeling among Kapus was that the TDP was more or less a party of the Kammas, and that made them switch over to the Congress. " The socio-economic structure of the state, according to Srinivasulu, is such that the market-oriented and capital-accumulating class of peasantry almost uniformly belongs to a single caste in the village microcosm, ie either to the Kammas or the Reddys (or the Kapus). So, the Kammas and Kapus are generally on the opposite side of political, social and economic spectrum. Aware of their importance, both the Congress and the YSR-Congress are trying to woo them. In the 2014 Assembly campaign, YSR-Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy promised OBC status to Kapu's on becoming the chief minister. So, he won't let the stir die down. Naidu, on the other hand, can't easily give in to the demand, fearing a Kamma backlash. As a result, the quota conundrum in Andhra is unlikely to get resolved in a hurry. The lessons from the stir are obvious. As long as politicians continue to use quota to divide the society, use its leaders as political pawns Gurjar leader Kirori Bainsla was rewarded with a Lok Sabha ticket by the BJP and find effective ways to deal with violence and blackmail, India will continue to burn. In addition, the government will have to frame a concrete policy to deal with such agitations. It will find it difficult to get away when it cites the 50 percent limit in one state Gujarat and Andhra and violates it in another Rajasthan, where Gurjars have been promised five percent reservation in spite of the current reservation being 49 percent. The Arunachal Pradesh political crisis took a dramatic turn on Monday when the Supreme Court accepted the Centres plea and recalled a notice issued to the state's governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa. The decision was taken under Article 361 which states that the governor and the President would not be answerable to any court in the exercise of powers and duties of office. Their conduct can however be reviewed by court. The notice was recalled after Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi pointed to the constitutional position of the high office. Though the court initially stressed that the court could issue notice which the Governor could choose not to respond to, it finally decided to recall the notice issued on the last day of hearing. At the same time, the Supreme Court also issued a notice on former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tukis fresh plea protesting President's Rule in the state. Hearing is still on. On 26 January, President Pranab Mukherjee accepted the Cabinets recommendation and imposed Presidents Rule in the politically unstable state. The Congress, that was in power at the state, protested Presidents Rule being imposed before the matter was heard by the Supreme Court. Rajkhowa submitted a report to the Cabinet recommending Presidents Rule and the Congress filed a petition challenging it in the Supreme Court. The Centre then on Friday submitted in the Supreme Court its response to Congress petition, in pursuance to the constitution bench's 27 January direction asking it to do so. Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Madan B Lokur, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh and Justice NV Ramana, hearing a bunch of pleas challenging the role of governor in the ongoing political crisis in Arunachal Pradesh, had then posted the matter for Monday. On 27 January, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi had told the court that while deciding to impose President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh, the central government had relied upon the governor's report and other inputs. Rajkhowa on 28 January submitted to the Supreme Court, in a sealed cover, his reports to the Central government on the political crisis in the northeastern state including the one in which he recommended President's Rule be imposed. With inputs from PTI and IANS By Rajat Roy Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has ruled out any pre-poll truck with Trinamool Congress in the upcoming Assembly elections, strengthening prospects of an alliance with the Left Front in a marriage of convenience. Chowdhury was guarded in his statements after meeting AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday, but gave enough indication that such a coalition with CPM their once bitter rivals is indeed a possibility. After a 90-minute meeting between Rahul Gandhi and a 17-member Bengal Congress delegation, Chowdhury said that at least one thing has been finalised unlike previous occasions, there wont be any pre-poll alliance with the TMC. According to Adhir and other state leaders, Rahul assured them that the High Command wont take any decision detrimental to the interest of its state unit. The meeting comes in the backdrop of increasing clamour from the state Congress and CPM leaders who desperately want to give their past acrimony a quiet burial and present a united front to pose a challenge to the ruling TMC. Only two members of the delegation, Jangipur MP Abhijit Mukherjee (son of President Pranab Mukherjee), and Manas Bhuniya were in favour of adopting a ekla chalo re policy, i.e., fighting it alone. Rest of the team (15 out of 17), however, were strongly in favour of forming an alliance with the Left. 'The TMC has betrayed us. They have unleashed a reign of terror in Bengal, Chowdhury, Bengal unit president, said. Abdul Mannan, who had been the first to come out openly in favour of a tie-up, said: Unless TMC is defeated in the poll and ousted from power, the Congress cant survive. To make that happen, we need alliance with the Left. The CPM had long been demanding of the Congress to come clear on their position. Former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra and other top leaders from the state have been piling pressure on the Congress central leadership. For the Left, these are desperate times. Since May 13, 2011, the date they were thrown out of power, about 170 CPM workers have been killed so far due to violent clashes against the TMC. A few thousand Left Front cadres and sympathisers have fled their homes and have been staying since in makeshift shelters offered by the party. Most of these incidents of violence took place in Bengals Hooghly, Burdwan, North and South 24 Parganas, East and West Midnapore districts. According to the party, hundreds of its workers have been arrested and thrown in prison on fictitious charges; a good number of CPM party offices throughout the state have forcibly been occupied by armed TMC men. The police, allege the CPM, have played and are still playing a very partisan role. As armed TMC goons continued their relentless attack in battle to occupy the rural heartland of Bengal, a good number of party members and workers crossed over to join TMC or became demoralized and politically inactive. Congress also faced a similar fate. But their influence being smaller, their exposure to the violence was less. Still, a number of Congress MLAs, elected representatives in Panchayat and municipal bodies have joined the TMC. After bleeding hugely and losing badly in successive elections in the last four years, it gradually dawned on both the CPM and Congress that they cannot stem the rot on their own. Thus the idea of forming a united front against TMC was born. Left Front chairman Biman Bose said they are still awaiting the final decision from Congress High Command. We have already made our intention public. Now Congress vice president will be briefing about it to the Congress president. Let's wait and see. Congress leaders from Bengal are optimistic. Adhir added: TMC consists of a motley crowd of petty criminals, terrorist, Maoists, Muslim fundamentalists, smugglers of illegal arms, narcotics mafia and other anti-social elements. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee harbours all these criminals under her wings. Naturally, people of Bengal would like to put an end to TMC rule, he said. Mamata refrained from giving an immediate reaction. Earlier she had attacked the formation of a Congress-Left Front alliance, calling it unprincipled. Perhaps revealing a nervousness about the eventuality. Hyderabad: Is Chandrababu Naidu playing the caste card subtly while taking a call on the new capital of Andhra Pradesh? There are indications that considerations of location and accessibility may not be prime factors in deciding the capital. With leaders of different parts of the state accusing Naidu of trying to favour members of his own caste, a political storm is brewing over the issue. On Sunday, senior Congress leader Botcha Satyanarayana charged the TDP government with trying to benefit the ruling community of the party and real estate players. A similar charge was made by Congress leader in the State Legislative Council C Ramachandraiah earlier. Even YSR Congress MLA from Kurnool, SV Mohan Reddy, too has alleged that the TDP leadership is trying to benefit one caste group by proposing to establish the state capital between Guntur and Vijayawada. Land in the much-touted Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali-Mangalagiri Urban Development Authority (VGTM-UDA) is owned mostly by the rich and influential Kamma community to which the Chief Minister Naidu belongs. Naidu, however, is unfazed by the criticism. He is hell-bent on locating the new capital in the VGTM region. He has been arguing that human habitations and active life are essential in and around a state capital for it to thrive and prosper. He has also been insisting that the capital should be in a politically strategic place and it should be centrally located. Snubbing his own cabinet colleagues, including Deputy Chief Minister KE Krishna Murthy who had voiced opposition to locating the new capital between Guntur and Vijayawada, he has asked them to stop speaking about the capital. "If I were selfish, I could have located it in my native village or in Tirupati," the chief minister has told his detractors. Multiple opinions, not necessarily in sync with Naidus line of thought, have been aired by the TDP ministers on umpteen occasions. Though Krishna Murthy on Sunday kowtowed to the rule that "the chief minister would take the final call" on the capital question, he did not hide his personal opinion, by talking about developing three mega cities of Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Tirupati. Meanwhile, an expert panel headed by Sivaramakrishnan, has submitted a 187-page report to the Union Home ministry, unequivocally opposing location of the state capital between Guntur and Vijayawada. While the government has the option to junk the report, it has given Naidus detractors a strong case. The committee has made numerous suggestions on the establishment of the capital and temporary location of some government offices, including the chief ministers office. The report says it doesnt require more than 500 acres to locate the secretariat, assembly and Raj Bhavan. But its idea of scattered development instead of developing one particular area in the lines of Hyderabad doesnt seem to have many takers. The committee pegs the total cost of the comprehensive development of the state at a whopping Rs 4.49 lakh crore. The capital zone development alone at the current market prices is put at Rs 27,097 crore. The cash-strapped state government, which presented a staggering Rs 1.10 lakh crore budget recently, expects central grants to take care of part of the revenue deficit. The location of the capital has turned out to be a bone of contention not only within the TDP, but outside the party too. Though Naidu, surprisingly, could secure the support for Vijayawada from the leader of the Opposition in AP Assembly YS Jaganmohan Reddy, the latter put a rider to his "endorsement" saying that the government should consider a place where large expanse of government land is available. Nearly a month after PDP chief and Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed's demise, there still appears to be little clarity on who will form the government in the state. Senior BJP leaders from Jammu and Kashmir will meet the party high command in New Delhi later in the day to discuss the political situation in the state. As the impasse over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir drags on, Governor NN Vohra has written to the PDP and the BJP is seeking to know their stand on the issue. Vohra has called the PDP chief as well as the state BJP chief Sat Pal Sharma for a meeting on Tuesday for the purpose, CNN-IBN reported. With the alliance between the PDP on the BJP on tenterhooks, the state continues to be under President's Rule. The confusion on the future course of action got further compounded on Sunday when Mehbooba Mufti told her party leaders she was not ready to become the chief minister of the state "for nothing". Mehbooba has sought time bound assurances from the Centre on the implementation of the agenda of alliance between her party and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Mehbooba Mufti said that for her late father, the alliance was based on "trust and belief that it will translate into real relief for the people of the state which ultimately would also serve the national interest and also bring peace into the sub-continent between India and Pakistan. PDP, with 27 MLAs in the 87-member Assembly and BJP with 25 legislators, ran a coalition government headed by Mufti Sayeed for 10 months before his demise on 7 January. As this Firstpost article points out, the fate of the alliance between the two parties is affected by several factors, including the credibility levels of the PDP, flood rehabilitation efforts and internal conflicts within the PDP. With inputs from IANS Karnataka's appeal against Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's acquittal in the disproportionate assets case will commence before the Supreme Court on February 23. 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 government, in its plea against the acquittal, claimed that HC erred in computing disproportionate assets of the AIADMK leader. Deccan Herald reports that the Karnataka government, DMK leader K Anbazhagan and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy have been allowed to intervene in the hearing of the special leave petition against the Karnataka High Court judgement of acquittal on May 11, 2015. Deccan Chronicle reports that a bench of Justices Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Amitav Roy granted three weeks adjournment after 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. In the last couple of weeks, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa launched a stinging attack on the Karnataka government for moving the Supreme Court against her acquittal in the disproportionate assets case, calling Karnataka's involvement in it an interference in the internal affairs of Tamil Nadu and a violation of the federal scheme of the Constitution. Jayalalithaa unleashed a 6 page document well ahead of the scheduled 2 February hearing in the Supreme Court. The six pager lists out the highlights of her argument defending her acquittal in 2015. In this, Jayalalithaa questions the locus stand of the State of Karnataka to even file a special leave petition or an appeal in the apex court for an alleged offence which took place in the Tamil Nadu. The Chief Minister invoked Article 162 of the Constitution, which prescribes that the executive power of the State Executive is co-extensive with that of the State Legislature. Karnataka has no legislative power in respect of the affairs of the State of Tamil Nadu and consequently has no power to prosecute the alleged offender in the Supreme Court for offences committed in Tamil Nadu against the State of Tamil Nadu, Ms. Jayalalithaa contended. The Chief Minister argued that Karnataka got a role as prosecutor in the case only after the Supreme Court transferred the corruption case to it on November 18, 2004. If not for this transfer order, Karnataka had no involvement in the corruption case. It was neither the de facto complainant nor the de jure aggrieved party. No crime under the Prevention of Corruption Act or the Indian Penal Code has been committed against Karnataka, reports The Hindu. Karnataka govt files "list of errors" in DA case The Karnataka government has filed point-by-point highlights of errorsby the Karnataka High Court in deciding the disproportionate assets case in favour of the AIADMK leader and three co-accused, reports The Hindu. The State government's main point is the value of disproportionate assets held by Jayalalithaa. The State is saying that the acquittal can be set aside by just correcting the totalling mistake to show that the value of disproportionate assets of the accused comes to Rs. 16.32 crore, that is 76.7 per cent of the income, against the 8.12 per cent arrived at by the High Court, reports The Hindu. The Supreme Court has set 2 February as the date for hearing appeals against the acquittal of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. The Hindu reports that the Karnataka government has done the detailing of "errors" in a seven-page document and listed out 16 arguments against the May 2015 judgement of the Justice C.R. Kumaraswamy after which Jayalalithaa, her aide Sasikala Natarajan, V.N. Sudhakaran and J. Elavarasi walked free. "Principally, the State government asks whether the bare fact that it was neither considered nor ignored as the sole prosecuting agency in the corruption case would not by itself vitiate the High Court judgment," says The Hindu report. The State wants the Supreme Court to address what would be the effect of not repairing this omission throughout the appeal hearings in the High Court till they were disposed of. The Karnataka State document, filed by advocate Joseph Aristotle and settled by senior advocate B.V. Acharya, "asks whether the appeals were not vitiated as the duly appointed Public Prosecutor was never given the opportunity of an oral hearing." The bench, meanwhile, asked the counsel for both the parties to file the "issues" highlighting main points to be considered within the next two weeks. Earlier the apex court had agreed to conduct day-to-day hearing on the appeals filed against the Karnataka High Court verdict acquitting Jayalalithaa and three others in the case. On July 27, the apex court had issued notices on Karnataka government's appeal seeking stay of the high court judgement, to Jayalalithaa, her close aide Sasikala and two of her relatives, V N Sudhakaran and Elavarasi, and asked them to file their replies within eight weeks. The apex court had allowed an intervention application by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in the matter and had asked him to file issues he wished to press before it. The Karnataka HC had on May 11, 2015 ruled that AIADMK supremo's conviction by special court suffered from infirmity and was not sustainable in law, clearing decks for her return as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. Karnataka government, in its plea against the May 11 order, claimed that HC erred in computing disproportionate assets of the AIADMK leader. The Karnataka government also asked whether the high court had "erred in law" by according benefit of doubt to Jayalalithaa in pursuance of a Supreme Court judgement holding that accused can be acquitted if his or her disproportionate assets were to the extent of ten per cent. The state government had also claimed that the high court has erred in overruling preliminary objections raised by it and added that the accused had filed their appeals against conviction without impleading Karnataka as a party. The special court had in 2014 held Jayalalithaa guilty of corruption and sentenced her to four years imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 100 crore. With Agencies Caste and politics have been intertwined in India even before the country became independent. The talk of caste-free society by ruling classes has remained an irritant and this colourless, odourless, dimensionless, and hypothetical social unit called caste has always aligned or polarised people. Reservations to eliminate social and financial inequalities have a long history in India. When it comes to Andhra Pradesh, the advent of Telugu Desam Party has given a new dimension to the reservations. Telugu Desams founder and then Chief Minister NT Rama Rao, who trampled the Congress under his feet in his electoral debut in 1983, understood that his party had enjoyed an unstinted support from the Backward Classes (BCs). Ever since, he began giving the pride of place to BCs in every realm of activity his government had taken up. The TDPs tryst with caste-based reservations has favoured or reversed the political fortunes of itself and also its rivals. After facing a backstabbing by his own Cabinet colleague Nadendla Bhaskar Raoand resurging back and winning an election, NTR had thought he should insulate the BCs from any manoeuvring trick by the Congress. Hell-bent on his resolve not to loosen his partys grip over the BCs, the legendary actor thought an enhanced quota would keep the large community stay glued to the TDP. Hitting the bulls eye, NTR had increased the reservation for BCs in jobs and college admissions from the existing 25 per cent to 44 per cent in July 1986, triggering widespread protests across the State. The upper castes, including Kammas, came on to the streets in protest against the decision of the State Government. The State was plunged into a series of agitations. On September 5, 1986, a three-judge full bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court consisting of Justices B P Jeevan Reddy, K. Ramaswamy and Y.V. Anjaneyulu had struck down the increase of reservation quota as unconstitutional. Because, in effect, the reservations were increased from 49 per cent to a whopping 71 per cent. The break-up was: 44 per cent for backward classes, 15 for Scheduled Castes, 6 for Scheduled Tribes and 6 for special groups like handicapped persons. The bench had pointed out that the Supreme Court ruled that total reservations could not exceed 50 per cent as a precedent. NTR, who had struck a deal to pacify the AP Nava SangharshanaSamithi (APNSS), had not gone in an appeal against the verdict and restored the 25 per cent reservation for BCs, who were angered by the deal. It may be noted that Chandrababu Naidu has always played a key role in decision making of the TDP Governments since 1983. During this period, Naidu was, however, dubbed as an extra-constitutional authority by his detractors. Eventually, NTR toyed with the idea of constituting a three-member committee to look into the reservations, following a backlash among the BCs. This had indeed impacted his government in the days that followed. After the murder of Kapu strongman and Vijayawada MLA VangaveetiMohanaRangaRao on December 1988, several Kapu leaders, including Ministers MudragadaPadmanabham and ChegondiVenkataHariramaJogaiah, had resigned from their posts and eventually from the TDP. After the ascendancy of the Congress to power in 1989, the Kapu legislators regrouped together and began mounting pressure on the Government. Finally, the Congress Government led by Chief Minister KotlaVijayabhaskara Reddy had included Kapus in the list of Backward Classes through G.O. No. 30 on August 25, 1994. However, the TDP Government that came to power had an independent person challenge the same in the court. The High Court declared the GO null and void and asked the Government to constitute a commission to look into the issue. In the later days, Chandrababu Naidu, who became the Chief Minister in 1995through a palace coup, constituted a one-man commission led by Justice P RamachandraRaju who recommended classification of Scheduled Castes. Naidus move obviously brought the Madiga Reservation PorataSamithi under Manda Krishna Madiga closer to the TDP and gave political impetus to the TDP in the subsequent years. Naidu used this opportunity and issued an Ordinance in June 1997 classifying SCs into A, B, C and D categories. However, the matter passed through the legal rigmarole and the Supreme Court had struck down on November 5, 2011 the Act passed by the AP Legislative Assembly. Eventually, a committee led by Justice UshaMehra was constituted, but the classification of SCs remained in cold storage. On the eve of 2014 general elections, with a view to garnering the support of Kapu vote, which is estimated to be 25 per cent of the total electorate, Naidu used the inclusion of the community into the BCs as a trump card. Thanks to the support extended by star of the tinsel town PawanKalyan, younger brother of Congress MP and megastar Chiranjeevi, and the Kapu reservation bait thrown by the TDP, the party romped home in the residuary Andhra Pradesh. MudragadaPadhanabham, who is now spearheading the agitation on behalf of Kapus, has held Chandrababu Naidu responsible for the sorry state of affairs and also Sundays violence. Ironically for the TDP, even PawanKalyan sought to know whether the Government would ever grant quota to the Kapus or not. Meanwhile, YSR Congress leader AmbatiRambabu said that Kapus knew that they could not be included in BCs and their aspiration would never come true and nobody was trusting Naidu on this. A senior leader in the BJP, on the condition of anonymity for obvious reasons, said that Chandrababu Naidu always pursued politics of divide and rule. He was fundamentally weak and had promised the impossible during 2014 elections, he quipped. Thus, the TDPs conviviality with the Kapus has now reached its precipice. The partys relations and, cascading political fortunes, hinge on how Chandrababu Naidu would handle the situation. Washington: US presidential candidates have spent months crisscrossing farm fields between the towns and small cities of Iowa, trying to woo voters in the Midwestern state ahead of its long-awaited caucuses on Monday. Five things to watch for in the nation's first presidential nominating event: TRUMP'S SURGE OR STUMBLE: With surveys showing Donald Trump dominating his Republican rivals - both nationally and in Iowa - the question has become whether the celebrity billionaire can turn his polling supporters into caucus goers. His closest competitor, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, had led opinion polls in the state until recently and has built an extensive campaign organization designed to actually get his supporters to turn out. The Republican establishment would like to see both Trump and Cruz fail, but analysts have indicated they may seek to first trip up Cruz, who is seen as too hardline and disagreeable, in order to more effectively block Trump moving forward. THE FIGHT FOR THIRD: There are nine other serious Republican candidates, and many of them will see their 2016 presidential ambitions quickly falter without a strong showing. In later primaries, third place is a letdown; in Iowa, it can be a ticket to survival. Florida Senator Marco Rubio is the top contender for bronze, with the limping campaigns of Ben Carson and Jeb Bush desperate to snatch a consolation prize. A REPEAT CLINTON DEFEAT?: Hillary Clinton suffered an embarrassing loss to Barack Obama eight years ago in Iowa. Polls indicate that Democratic caucus-goers could once again frustrate Clinton, this time by handing victory to Vermont senator and avowed socialist Bernie Sanders. But even with another Sanders win possible in New Hampshire on February 9, the electoral calendar thereafter favours Clinton. VOTER TURNOUT: Weather can be an important factor. The most fervent party members caucus, which requires direct participation in evening precinct meetings that can last two hours or more. In fact, most Iowans choose not to participate in what can be a complicated process. The conventional wisdom is that high turnout benefits Trump and Sanders, because it means the two anti-establishment candidates were able to appeal to non-traditional voters - perhaps indicating a trend that could be repeated nationally. IT'S ACTUALLY ALL ABOUT THE GRANITE STATE: A few Republicans trailing far behind in Iowa are hoping the primary vote a week later in New Hampshire will breathe new life into their campaigns. Ohio Governor John Kasich's momentum is building in the New England state, while New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Bush are similarly polling stronger there than in Iowa. DPA Tripoli: International pressure mounted on Libya to form a national unity government as the Islamic State jihadist group expands at the doorstep of Europe and the rest of Africa. In Libya itself, prime minister-designate Fayez al-Sarraj met controversial army chief General Khalifa Haftar on Monday as part of a series of encounters to press the creation of a UN-backed unity cabinet. The meeting came as African Union leaders at a summit in Addis Ababa called for a political solution in Libya to curb the spread of Islamic State. In Paris, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Islamic State could infiltrate the ranks of refugees using Libya as a springboard to reach Europe, adding that a unity government could help "eradicate" Islamic State. Libya has been in political turmoil and rocked by violence since the 2011 toppling of longtime dictator Muammar Gadhafi. Since the summer of 2014, the country has had two rival administrations, with the recognised authorities based in the country's far east and a militia-backed authority in Tripoli. The situation has been further compromised with the emergence of Islamic State in the oil-rich North African country and a brisk business by people smugglers ferrying migrants to Europe. The jihadist group, which controls swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, has claimed several attacks and beheadings in Libya and last year captured the coastal city of Sirte. In January, IS jihadists pushed east from Sirte in an attempt to seize oil terminals in Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra, which lie in an "oil crescent" along the northern coast. That same month it claimed responsibility for a January 7 truck bombing at a police school in Zliten, east of Tripoli, that killed more than 50 people, the deadliest attack since the 2011 revolt. The international community has pressed Libya's rival politicians to accept a power-sharing agreement it hopes will help to reverse Islamic State's territorial gains. Sarraj's official Facebook page said he met Haftar in the eastern city of Al-Marj yesterday to assess "the opinions, fears and worries of influential sides in the crisis". Sarraj and Haftar discussed "finding a practical solution to the war in Benghazi", Libya's second city where Haftar's forces have been fighting Islamists, it said. It said Sarraj was seeking a "realistic" solution based on "realities on the ground" to reach a political consensus between all parties. AFP New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reiterated India's commitment for building a peaceful Afghanistan when Afghanistan's Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Council of Ministers Abdullah Abdullah called on him in New Delhi. The Prime Minister expressed deep gratitude towards the government and the national security forces of Afghanistan for their bravery and sacrifice in order to protect the Indians, especially during the attack on the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif on 4-5 January, 2016, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. The Prime Minister reiterated India's commitment to extend all possible support to the efforts of the Afghan people in building a peaceful, stable, prosperous, inclusive and democratic country, it stated. On his part, Abdullah Abdullah recalled positively the maiden and successful visit of Modi to Afghanistan in December 2015. During Modi's visit to Kabul on 25 December, 2015, the new Afghan parliament building, constructed with India's aid, was inaugurated. At Monday's meeting, Abdullah Abdullah said that the visit re-energised the strategic partnership between the two countries. He deeply appreciated the support being extended by India for infrastructure development and capacity building in Afghanistan, the External Affairs Ministry statement said. The two leaders shared views on further deepening the strategic partnership, both in the bilateral and regional context. An agreement for visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders of the two countries was exchanged in the presence of Modi and Abdullah Abdullah. The Afghanistan Chief Executive later held a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during the course of which India approved the third phase of 92 small development projects in Afghanistan. External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted that Sushma Swaraj has approved the "strategic partnership for the benefit of (Afghan) people". Strategic p'ship for the benefit of people. EAM @SushmaSwaraj conveys approval of 3rd phase of 92 small dev projects in Afghanistan to CE Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) February 1, 2016 Abdullah Abdullah, who arrived in Delhi on Sunday on a five-day visit to India, will leave for Jaipur on Tuesday where he will deliver the keynote address at a conference on counter-terrorism organised by the India Foundation in collaboration with Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, Jodhpur. President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the conference on Tuesday. The conference will bring together counter-terrorism practitioners, policy makers and public intellectuals from India and abroad, the President's secretariat said in a statement. The first counter-terrorism conference was held in March 2015 in Jaipur. IANS Beirut: Bombings claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group killed 71 people and wounded dozens more on Sunday near a revered Shiite shrine outside the Syrian capital Damascus, a monitor said. The blasts, which came as the UN's Syria envoy struggled to convene fresh peace talks in Geneva from which IS is excluded, tore a massive crater in the road, overturning and mangling cars and a bus and shattering windows. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said 71 people were killed in two blasts near the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, including five children. The first blast was a suicide car bomb, followed by a second suicide bomber who detonated his explosive belt when a crowd gathered, the monitoring group said. Syrian state media earlier reported more than 50 people killed and over 100 injured in what it described as three blasts. Official news agency SANA said the first blast was caused by a car bomb that detonated at a bus station near the shrine, which both Iran and Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah have vowed to defend. It said two suicide bombers then set off their explosive belts when people gathered at the scene. An AFP photographer said the explosions damaged the facade of a nearby building, scorching all of its six storeys. Sayyida Zeinab, south of Damascus, contains the grave of a granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammed and is particularly revered as a pilgrimage site by Shiite Muslims. It has continued to attract pilgrims from Syria and beyond, particularly Shiites from Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq, throughout Syria's nearly five-year brutal conflict. Sunni Muslim extremist groups such as IS consider Shiites to be heretics and have frequently targeted them in attacks. In the aftermath of Sunday morning's attack, smoke rose from the twisted carcasses of more than a dozen cars and a bus, as ambulances ferried away the wounded and firefighters worked to put out blazes. In a statement circulated on social media, IS claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying two of its members had detonated suicide bombs. "Two soldiers of the caliphate carried out martyrdom operations in a den of the infidels in the Sayyida Zeinab area, killing nearly 50 and injuring around 120," it said. The area around the shrine has been targeted in previous bomb attacks, including in February 2015 when two suicide attacks killed four people and wounded 13 at a checkpoint. UN envoy meets opposition Also that month, a blast ripped through a bus carrying Lebanese Shiite pilgrims headed to Sayyida Zeinab, killing at least nine people, in an attack claimed by Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front. The area around the shrine is heavily secured with regime checkpoints set up hundreds of metres (yards) away to prevent vehicles from approaching. According to the Observatory, members of Lebanon's powerful Shiite group Hezbollah are among those deployed at the checkpoints. Hezbollah is a staunch ally of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and has dispatched fighters to bolster his troops against the uprising that began in March 2011 with anti-government protests. Early on, the group cited the threat to Sayyida Zeinab as the motivation for its intervention in Syria's conflict. More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which has also displaced upwards of half the country's population internally and abroad. It has evolved into a complex, multi-front war involving rebels, jihadists, regime and allied forces, Kurds and air strikes by both government ally Russia and a US-led coalition battling against IS. In a new effort to find a political solution to the conflict, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has invited regime and opposition delegations to Geneva for fresh talks. But while the opposition agreed to travel to Geneva after days of delays, it has so far refused to engage in indirect talks with the government. It is demanding that UN Security Council resolutions on ending sieges and protecting civilians be implemented first. On Sunday, the UN envoy held informal talks with the main opposition delegation, saying afterwards that he remained "optimistic and determined". The Damascus delegation's chief negotiator, Syria's UN envoy Bashar al-Jaafari, accused the opposition of being "not serious" about the talks. AFP West Des Moines, Iowa: Democratic and Republican presidential candidates scrambled across Iowa on Sunday to close the deal with the first voters to have a say in the 2016 race for the White House, urging their supporters to take part in Monday's caucuses in which outsiders Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are pinning their hopes on a large turnout. The caucuses will provide a big test of whether the large enthusiastic crowds turning out at rallies for Trump and Sanders will turn into actual votes when Iowans gather on a wintry night for meetings at schools, libraries and even private homes in the first in a series of state-by-state nominating contests. Iowa offers only a small contingent of the delegates who will determine the nominees at each party's national nominating convention in July. But those candidates exceeding expectations will gain a burst of momentum heading into New Hampshire with its 9 February primary and other early voting states. The caucus results should also help winnow the crowded Republican field of nearly a dozen candidates. A snowfall forecast to start Monday night appeared more likely to hinder the presidential contenders in their rush out of Iowa and on to New Hampshire than the voters. In the last major preference poll before the caucuses, Trump, the billionaire real estate mogul, had the support of 28 percent of likely caucus-goers, with Texas Senator Ted Cruz at 23 percent and Florida Senator Marco Rubio at 15 percent. The Iowa Poll, published by The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg, also found Hillary 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, who describes himself as a "consistent conservative," is relying on a strong get-out-the-vote operation to overtake Trump, who is hoping his star power will boost turnout among nontraditional caucus participants. "I don't have to win" in Iowa, Trump said, before adding that he believes he has "a good chance" of victory. Rubio pitched himself as the pragmatic choice for Republicans who want to win the November election. On the Democratic side, Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont who caucuses with the Democrats, is depending on enthusiastic young voters to turn up in greater numbers at the caucuses. Clinton has more support among older voters who regularly show up for the caucuses. "People are really enthusiastic, and if people come out to vote, I think you're going to look at one of the biggest political upsets in the modern history of our country," Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, told CNN's State of the Union. Sanders' campaign sought to claim financial momentum, saying it has raised $20 million in January, largely from small donors, suggesting he will continue to match front-runner Clinton's vast resources. Clinton, the former Secretary of State, said she had been subjected to "years of scrutiny, and I'm still standing." On ABC's This Week, she said, "I feel vetted. I feel ready. I feel strong, and I think I'm the best person to be the nominee and to defeat whoever they nominate in November." Several Republican candidates attended church services Sunday in part, a testament to the influence that evangelical Christians wield in the Republican contest. Trump attended services in the non-denominational First Christian Orchard Campus in Council Bluffs with his wife, Melania, and two staffers. The billionaire took communion when it was passed, but initially he mistook the silver plates being circulated around the auditorium, and dug several bills out of his pocket. "I thought it was for offering," he said with a laugh to his staff. Cruz said on Fox News Sunday that he's attracting "the old Reagan coalition" ranging from anti-establishment conservatives to working-class Democrats. The Texas senator directed most of his final advertising against Rubio as the senators' feud intensified at the Iowa finish line. Cruz took to the airwaves to challenge the conservative credentials of Rubio. One ad said of Rubio: "Tax hikes. Amnesty. The Republican Obama." Rubio countered on CNN that Cruz is "always looking to take whatever position it takes to win votes or raise money." Later, campaigning in Cedar Falls, Rubio downplayed differences among the Republican hopefuls, casting himself as the party's best hope against the Democrats. "It's not just about who you like the most. It's about who gives us the best chance of winning. That matters," Rubio said at the University of Northern Iowa. Rubio is hoping to finish at least a strong third in Iowa, giving him an edge in the battle to emerge as the favorite of the party establishment heading into New Hampshire, where he will faces competition from former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Ohio Governor John Kasich. AP Melbourne: Several schools in Sydney were evacuated and locked down on Monday after reportedly receiving bomb threats leading to police operations in Australia's largest city. At least eight operations are underway at Sydney schools and among those affected are Hunters Hill High, Sydney's Girls High School, Randwick Girls High, Mosman High, Riverside Girls High, James Ruse Agricultural High, Cheltenham Girls High School and Caringbah High School. Police confirmed via a tweet at 1.28 pm (local time) on Sunday that "As a precaution, a police operation is under way at a number of schools across Sydney". Police said the probe was continuing and they were liaising with the Department of Education. Students at Sydney Girls High School at Moore Park have reportedly been evacuated to a nearby oval. A school in Hunters Hill was also reportedly in lockdown, reports said. Sydney's Cleveland Street has been closed in both directions at South Dowling Street due to the police operations, said the Transport Network. Motorists were being advised to take alternative routes and allow extra time. A police spokeswoman confirmed a number of operations were underway but said there was "nothing to substantiate that there is anything serious at any of them at this stage". The spokeswoman said the threats were "very low level" and said there was "nothing at all" to suggest the threats were related to terrorism. Police are warning that making such threats is a serious criminal offence and every effort will be made to identify the person or persons responsible. Today's operations come after seven New South Wales schools went into lockdown for several hours following threats made on Friday morning. Later on, after sweeping the schools, police declared the threats a hoax. PTI Geneva: The UN special envoy for Syria fought today to keep alive the biggest diplomatic push yet to end the Syrian war as US Secretary of State John Kerry urged both sides "to make the most of this moment" in an online statement broadcast from Washington. Kerry urged the opposition to drop their preconditions, but also had hard words for their foes, accusing Assad's forces of deliberately starving besieged towns. Highlighting the urgency, a triple bombing near a revered Shiite shrine outside the capital Damascus killed more than 50 people in the latest bloody attack claimed by the extremist Islamic State group. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the attacks were "clearly aimed to disrupt the attempts to start a political process" to end a conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people. In Geneva, UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura held separate talks with representatives of President Bashar al-Assad and with the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) opposition umbrella group. He said he was "optimistic and determined", but comments from both sides laid bare the enormity of the challenges ahead for ending a highly complex and bitter conflict. The HNC delegation reluctantly arrived late on Saturday in Geneva and immediately threatened to turn around and leave again unless Assad's "crimes" stop. Among its demands are that humanitarian aid be allowed to reach hundreds of thousands of people stuck in besieged towns, a halt to the bombing of civilians and the release of hundreds of prisoners. "We only came to Geneva after written commitments on the fact that there would be serious progress on the humanitarian issues," HNC spokeswoman Basma Kodmani told reporters. "We are here for political negotiations but we cannot start those until we have those gestures." But Damascus' chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari denounced the opposition as "not serious". "We do not know who is the other side. They don't even have a final list," he told a packed news conference. He described the talks in Geneva as being at a "pivotal phase" and said the HNC represented an "inclusive opposition". De Mistura's office said today that further separate talks would be held tomorrow with the opposition and government delegations. HNC spokesman Munzer Makhous told AFP that the group would stay in Geneva for at least three or four more days. The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011, has sucked in a wide range of actors from Turkey, Iran and the Gulf states to Western nations and since September, Russia. AFP Kabul: A Taliban suicide bomber struck a police base in central Kabul Monday, killing at least nine people just days before a fresh round of international talks aimed at reviving Taliban peace negotiations. Scores of people were also wounded in the bombing at the entrance of the base, which left several bodies and charred debris strewn around the area. The attack comes amid the Taliban's unprecedented winter offensive despite a renewed push to restart formal peace talks. The interior ministry initially reported the attack as a suicide car bomb, but later said the attacker appeared to be on foot and detonated himself in a queue of people waiting to get inside the base. "Ten people were reported killed and 20 others were wounded in a suicide attack in Deh Mazang square of Kabul city," Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said on Twitter. "Most of the victims were civilians." Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid reported a death toll of nine, adding that as many as 12 people including a woman were wounded. The Health Ministry said some of those wounded were hit in the chest by flying shrapnel and are in critical condition. Ambulances rushed to the scene, which was cordoned off by authorities. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with insurgent spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claiming on Twitter that up to 40 police were killed and wounded. The militants routinely exaggerate the toll in attacks on the Afghan government. The carnage comes just ahead of a third round of four-country "roadmap talks" trying to lay the groundwork for direct dialogue between Kabul and the Islamist group. Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are set to convene in Islamabad on 6 February in a bid to seek a negotiated end to the Taliban insurgency, now in its fifteenth year. The Taliban have stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets in Afghanistan this winter, when fighting usually abates, underscoring a worsening security situation. In recent months the Taliban briefly captured the northern city of Kunduz, the first urban centre to fall to the insurgents, and have seized territory in the opium-growing southern province of Helmand. Observers say the intensifying insurgency highlights a push by the militants to seize more territory in an attempt to wrangle greater concessions during talks. Pakistan the Taliban's historic backers hosted a milestone first round of talks directly with the Taliban in July. But the negotiations stalled when the insurgents belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar, sparking infighting within the group. The first and second round of the four-country talks were held last month in Islamabad and Kabul respectively. AFP CARACAS President Nicolas Maduro's government is likely underestimating the number of Zika cases in Venezuela, which could hurt efforts to combat the virus-bearing mosquito, according to local doctors, opposition politicians and neighbouring Colombia. Some 4,700 cases of suspected Zika have been reported in the hot and humid country, Venezuela's Health Minister Luisana Melo said last week in the first official estimate of the virus, which has been linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil. The ministry stopped issuing weekly health bulletins over a year ago, meaning there is no public historical data or geographic statistics for unusual fever outbreaks. Alarmed doctors say Venezuela, which is mired in economic crisis and has chronic shortages of products ranging from fever relievers to repellent, actually has far a greater incidence of Zika. The number of cases could range between 240,000 and 500,000, according to infectious disease specialist Julio Castro, who bases his estimates on algorithmic projections and leaked health bulletins. "The government is hiding information," said Jose Manuel Olivares, a radiation oncologist and newly-elected opposition lawmaker who works closely with Castro. A Health Ministry spokesman was not immediately available for comment. Complicating efforts in any country to get a handle on numbers, some 80 percent of people who contract Zika show no symptoms. Olivares said the official estimate of around 255 cases of Guillain-Barre, an autoimmune syndrome that can cause paralysis, was a further indication of Zika's spread in Venezuela. Like the birth defect known as microcephaly, Guillain-Barre is suspected to be linked with Zika, although the connection is not yet definitive. "If the government doesn't recognise the magnitude of the crisis it won't act on it. The number of Zika cases is going to increase," added Olivares, president of the congressional health commission. NO REPELLENT, LOTS OF TRASH Scarcity of condoms and birth control pills have contributed to unwanted pregnancies in Venezuela, where abortion is illegal unless a woman's health is at risk and teenage pregnancy rates are high. The fight against Zika is complicated by repellent shortages and uncollected trash. Shortages might also hinder diagnosis of Zika and possible associated problems. Colombia, whose center-right government often clashes with Socialist-run Caracas, said on Monday the cases of Guillain-Barre reported in Venezuela suggested it had far more cases of Zika. "The Zika situation in Venezuela might be much more serious than in our country," Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria told BLU Radio. Colombia on Saturday reported 20,297 confirmed Zika cases, with 2,116 of them pregnant women. (Editing by Brian Ellsworth and Frances Kerry) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Google already offers internet to places who have low or no internet access via its Project Loon. Now, the tech giant is working on a new project dubbed as Project SkyBender under which it is planning to beam 5G internet from solar drones, as per a latest report from The Guardian. Google is currently testing the Project SkyBender at New Mexicos Spaceport Authority which involves several prototype transceivers and multiple drones. As per the report, the company has rented Virgin Galactics 15,000 square feet hangar space for the same. Moving on, Google has also installed its own dedicated flight control centre in the nearby Spaceflight Operations Center, separate from the terminal. Project SkyBender is reportedly using drones to experiment with millimetre-wave radio transmissions. It is a technology used to underpin next generation 5G wireless internet access. The report adds that high frequency millimetre waves can theoretically transmit gigabits of data every second, up to 40 times more than todays 4G LTE systems. Giving further insights about the companys new initiative the report touted that Google is currently testing the technique with an optionally piloted aircraft called Centaur and a solar powered drone dubbed as Solara 50 that is made by a division known as Google Titan, which the company formed after it acquired drone maker Titan Aerospace in 2014. The report added that SkyBender is part of a small Google Access team which also includes Project Loon that was announced in 2013. The FCC has granted Google permission to continue tests until July 2016. Google is not the only company that is working with solar drones as last year in July, Facebook announced Project Aquila under which it is testing solar powered drones. Teresa Guidice tells all in her new book "Turning the Tables." Scheduled for release on Feb. 9, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star shares her experiences from staying in prison. Guidice got out of prison on Dec. 23, 2015. According to Guidice, in her quest to look for the strip, she was reprimanded to disrobe, squat, stick out her tongue and cough. People reports via Daily News that Guidice wanted to die of embarrassment. The Daily News via People further reports that Guidice's cell became known as "The Boom Boom Room." It became known as such because of the sexual activity between Guidice and her roommates. Guidice said: "After hearing a "muffled sound" one night. I could see two women ... writhing around ... I cannot believe this is happening!" Guidice remains faithful, though. She writes in her book she never failed to think of husband, Joe Guidice while she's in prison: "Madonna mia, I was dreaming of my husband." Guidice even admits to sending Joe a father's day card containing sexual position images. Guidice admits there were inmates who would do her hair and nails. The star admits to feeling pampered inside the prison cell. It's as if she feels at home. Teresa spent her days reading, and also working out on her fitness regime. Guidice was sentenced for fraud charges in October 2014. She spent 15 months in prison. On Jan. 5, 2015, Guidice began her time in jail at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. This center is a minimum-security satellite camp for women. Guidice is still on house arrest until Feb. 5. But, she has been enjoying time with her family before husband Joe's 41-month sentence in prison. Meanwhile, Radar Online reports a day after she got out of jail, Guidice had a fight with co-star, Jacqueline Laurita. According to the source: "She approached Jacqueline first. Teresa was insinuating that Jacqueline was calling her friends and new cast members to make friends with them while she was jail." Last week, United Continental (UAL 1.63%) announced another move to build up its San Francisco hub. In June, United will begin nonstop service from San Francisco to Singapore on the new Boeing (BA 2.01%) 787-9 Dreamliner. This will become the longest nonstop flight operated by any U.S. carrier, edging out Delta Air Lines' (DAL 1.20%) Atlanta-Johannesburg flights by a few miles. This new flight is a very sensible addition to United's route network and should benefit from strong business traffic. But it's a route that only became feasible because of the long range and superior fuel efficiency of Boeing's 787-9. Solid demand for nonstop Singapore flights Singapore is a major business center, so there are plenty of high-fare business travelers looking to fly between the U.S. and Singapore. However, it's more than 8,000 miles from even the closest major U.S. metropolitan areas. Only a handful of aircraft models have enough range to cover that distance. In 2004, Singapore Airlines began nonstop service from Singapore to Los Angeles and Newark. These were the two longest airline routes in the world. Singapore Airlines operated both flights using a special fleet of A340-500s in an all-business class configuration with 100 seats. However, the airline canceled both routes in 2013. Demand was solid, with load factors typically around 75%, but the costs of operating the fuel-guzzling A340 were simply too high, given the cost of fuel at the time. Cheaper fuel and a better plane The sharp drop in oil prices since June 2014 undoubtedly encouraged United to start its new route to Singapore. However, the superior capabilities of the Boeing 787-9 were also a major factor. Virgin Atlantic has stated that its 787-9s use 27% less fuel than the A340s they are replacing. Fuel efficiency is especially important on extremely long routes, for which fuel expense tends to represent a higher proportion of total costs. The 787-9's fuel efficiency should allow United to make money on this route even when oil prices rise. Singapore Airlines also plans to restart its nonstop flights to the U.S. with an ultra-long range variant of the A350-900. Like Boeing's 787, this aircraft model will be much more fuel efficient than the A340. However, Singapore Airlines won't receive its first one until 2018, giving United Continental a two-year head start. A big competitive advantage Numerous airlines operate one-stop service between the U.S. and Singapore today. However, United noted that its nonstop flights will cut travel time by as much as four hours. Given that even the nonstop flights will take about 16 hours, many passengers -- especially business travelers -- would likely pay a premium to avoid spending even more time in transit. The new Singapore flight thus allows United to rebuild its advantage over Delta Air Lines for U.S.-Asia travel. Delta has been investing heavily in the past few years to build up a new hub in Seattle for flights to Asia. This has allowed it to de-emphasize Tokyo as a connecting hub for flights to the rest of Asia. Delta now has nonstop service from Seattle to the top five Asian business destinations: Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. United is responding by adding nonstop flights to Chengdu and Xi'an (secondary cities in China) and now Singapore to ensure that San Francisco remains the premier hub for flights from the U.S. to Asia. It will be interesting to see if Delta strikes back by adding Seattle-Singapore flights within the next few years. It has one advantage: Seattle is nearly 400 miles closer to Singapore than San Francisco. That gives it more options for which plane to use, although Boeing's Dreamliner -- which Delta won't receive until at least 2020 -- is almost certainly the best option. As long as United Continental remains the only one of its peers with nonstop flights from the U.S. to Singapore, it will have an important trump card in the competition for lucrative corporate contracts. Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG 0.98%) reports fourth-quarter 2015 earnings after the closing bell on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to the end of conjecturing about the impact of the E. coli and norovirus outbreaks on the business, and the opportunity to look at real numbers and draw some conclusions. What should an investor focus on once the earnings are filed? Some of the traditional metrics by which the market used to judge Chipotle, such as comparable sales growth, are in for a complete reset -- the company already warned us earlier this month that comparable sales would be negative for quarter. Of course, it's vital to grasp the magnitude of the comparable sales decline, and understand management's plan for restoring growth in comps moving forward. Margin compression trumps many other concerns But just as important -- and perhaps more so in the near term -- is to understand the extent by which operating margins have become compressed, or to put it more plainly, squeezed, as well as to ascertain how long they might take to decompress back to pre-crisis levels. The best place to attack this question is by examining the company's restaurant contribution, a metric Chipotle shareholders may have an interest in tracking for the next four to six business quarters at minimum. In the restaurant business, a menu item's "contribution" is defined as its selling price minus food cost. So if Chipotle sells a beef burrito in your area for $7.00, and the food cost to Chipotle is $2.42, the menu item, or "plate," has a contribution of $4.58. This contribution, divided by the total plate price of $7.00, is called contribution margin, which in this example equals roughly 65%. Expand the concept of a plate contribution to include other costs besides food, and you'll quickly grasp "restaurant contribution." Restaurant contribution is simply total revenue less food, labor, and other direct costs incurred to run each restaurant. Chipotle breaks these costs into the categories of "Food and Packaging," "Labor," "Occupancy" (i.e. rent and lease costs), and "Other Operating Costs." Below I've strung together the last seven quarters of Chipotle's restaurant costs -- before its food safety woes originated in Q4 2015. Note that each cost is expressed as a percentage of total revenue: If you add up all the cost percentages in Q1 2014 (the first column of the chart), you'll see that Chipotle's total restaurant costs were 74.1% of sales. Since we're dealing with percentages of revenue (100%), we can simply subtract total costs from 100% to arrive at the restaurant contribution margin of 25.9% in Q1 2014. Fast forward to Q3 2015 in the last column. Chipotle booked total restaurant costs of 71.8%, resulting in a restaurant contribution margin of 28.2%. It's clear from the nicely even trend-lines of the chart, that from quarter to quarter, percentages don't change much -- Chipotle has run its restaurants with discipline and excellent consistency up until now. We should also note that the 2.3% improvement in restaurant contribution margin over the seven quarters, from 25.9% to 28.2%, resulted in $28 million in additional profit for Chipotle in Q3 2015, given its sales level of $1.2 billion. While the ultimate restaurant contribution margin may look small, as it implies that for every sales dollar, Chipotle has just 28 cents left over to cover all other expenses outside of direct restaurant costs, this margin actually covers general and administrative expenses amply. Chipotle recorded a net profit margin in Q3 2015 of 12%. What to expect, and questions to ponder In an investor update on Jan. 6, Chipotle disclosed that it expected Q4 2015 restaurant contribution margin (which it terms "restaurant-level operating margin") to fall steeply, to between 20% to 21%. Part of this margin compression is due to plunging revenue -- fewer sales dollars were available last quarter to meet fixed and semi-fixed components of restaurant costs. To illustrate, take restaurant labor. Those who visited Chipotle locations in late November and December witnessed margin compression occurring in real time, in the guise of greatly reduced revenue (no customers standing in line at peak hours) against fixed and semi-fixed labor costs (employees standing idly around). In addition to higher labor costs, we'll also see that food costs rose as a percentage of revenue, as Chipotle grappled with the integrity of its food supply chain while simultaneously changing procedures related to certain at-risk fresh ingredients. For both labor and food, and indeed, all other restaurant costs, investors will want to understand how much margin compression was temporary, and how many percentage points of profit must be sacrificed to new, ongoing costs. Ensuring that the company doesn't stumble on food safety again will require an increase in labor hours, to handle additional restaurant-level procedures. It will also entail new field hires committed to regional quality assurance initiatives. Similarly, we don't yet know the cost of Chipotle's new centralized "commissary" approach to pre-handling some fresh ingredients. Chipotle has used a similar method as recently as 2014, but new protocols are much more rigorous, calling for the chopping, sanitizing, and hermetically sealing of tomatoes, lettuce, and cilantro in central kitchens before the ingredients are shipped out to stores. Understanding the direction of margin compression is important, as in the best case scenario, Chipotle can resume its former growth pattern and recover its traditional profitability levels. Between the company's earnings filing and management's conference call with analysts, we'll get some tangible information and guidance regarding the company's current and future restaurant contribution margin. For concerned shareholders, it's a fruitful area to focus on when trying to figure out what a fair price for Chipotle should be -- both at the moment, and into the medium-term. This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. When Walgreens and Theranos announced a long-term partnership to bring the startups revolutionary blood test technology to consumers through Walgreens pharmacies nationwide, it sounded like the beginning of a beautiful relationship. You could almost hear the birds singing and bees buzzing in the background. The funny thing about relationships is that they never end the way they begin. The pair tied the knot just over two years ago, and while theyre not breaking up just yet, its fair to say that theres trouble in paradise. The pharmacy giant has temporarily shuttered its only Theranos Wellness Center in California and is considering the fate of the remaining 40 in Arizona, according to multiple reports. The problems stem in part from a growing list of regulatory woes. A critical FDA report last October prompted Theranos to stop using its finger stick technology for all but one of more than 240 blood tests it offers. And last week, inspectors notified Theranos that its Newark, Calif. lab is not in compliance with federal law and that one violation poses immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety. But theres more to this situation than meets the eye. The Walgreens executives involved in the 2013 Theranos deal CEO Greg Wasson, CFO Wade Miquelon and pharmacy president Kermit Crawford were all forced out to clear the way for a 2014 merger with Switzerland-based Alliance Boots, whose former CEO, Stefano Pessino, now runs the combined company. Ever since a blockbuster front-page expose in the WSJ called into question the accuracy of Theranos claims that it can quickly process the full range of laboratory tests from a few drops of blood at a fraction of the cost of traditional labs Walgreens executives have been asking lots of questions. And they dont appear to be particularly happy with the answers theyre getting from Theranos. Plans to expand the partnership are currently on hold until all that gets resolved. As a Walgreens official told the Journal, Were trying to figure out where we are and what we do going forward. We need to understand the truth. And therein lies the rub. For a company that compulsively proclaims its commitment to unparalleled transparency, the truth about the efficacy of Theranos technology and the accuracy of its tests has been virtually impossible to come by. Rarely have I come across a company thats more obfuscating and opaque. Granted, when the decade-old startup came out of stealth mode in 2013, the hype was front-page news everywhere. Its breakthrough technology was going to revolutionize the $76 billion laboratory diagnostic industry and bring relatively inexpensive and painless blood tests and almost real-time results to the masses. And Elizabeth Holmes, the companys iconic CEO who founded Theranos out of her Stanford dorm room at 19 and has since raised more than $400 million, most recently at a staggering $9 billion valuation, became an instant entrepreneurial icon. Some even compared her to legendary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. As for the truth behind its claims, thats another story. The Journal says the company runs a small fraction of tests on its proprietary Edison machine and uses a finger stick and nanotainer for just one test. It reports that most tests are administered traditionally using conventional equipment and many are outsourced to third-party labs. More important, that information was apparently not proactively shared with its partner, Walgreens. I dont know about you, but that doesnt sound very transparent to me. And that lack of transparency with its partners, as well as failing to deliver on its promises, appears to be a pattern with Theranos. In November, the Journal revealed that Safeway is looking to dissolve an agreement with Theranos, even though it has already spent $350 million to build clinics in about half of its 800 supermarkets. Safeway executives reportedly became concerned about missed deadlines, rollout delays and the accuracy of test results. Interestingly enough, the Theranos deal was negotiated by former Safeway CEO Steven Burd, who retired before the company was acquired by Albertsons. Thats about the time that Theranos announced its new agreement with Walgreens. Coincidence? In my experience, there are no coincidences. Should the pattern continue and the relationship with Walgreens goes south, youve got to wonder if Theranos will need to raise more capital to survive another go at this and who its next pharmacy partner, or should I say victim, will be? A request for comment from Theranos was not received by press time. The Palo Alto company has consistently defended its technology in posts on its website, including this statement concerning recent regulatory findings. 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. Rio de Janeiro (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. "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. The Zika virus is spreading rapidly in Latin America, and Asian governments have issued advisories in a bid to contain the mosquito-borne disease, which could be linked to birth defects and can cause temporary paralysis. A look at some of the measures announced: --- SOUTH KOREA South Korean officials have advised pregnant women against traveling to Central and South America and required doctors to immediately report suspected cases. The Ministry of Health and Welfare included the Zika virus among infectious diseases monitored as potential health threats. Doctors can face fines of up to 2 million won ($1,654) for failing to report patients infected or showing symptoms of infection. The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention has also been sending text messages to people traveling in regions where Zika has spread to inform them of the disease and preventive measures. --- PHILIPPINES The Department of Health has advised pregnant women to consider deferring non-essential travel to Zika-hit countries and reiterated its warning to the public to destroy all breeding places of mosquitoes, which can spread dengue and other tropical diseases. No current Zika cases have been reported in the country but in 2012, a 15-year-old boy reportedly was infected in central Cebu city but recovered fully, according to health department spokesman Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy. Health officials have worked to raise public awareness about ways to prevent infections, including by using insect repellents and wearing protective clothing. "We've repeatedly urged people not to be hard-headed and keep their surroundings clean and mosquito-free. Again, let's not spring into action only when an infection's already here," Lee Suy said. --- MALAYSIA Health authorities have asked travelers from South and Central America who display symptoms such as fever and rashes to immediately report to health centers. Deputy Health Director Dr. Lokman Hakim Sulaiman said the move was imperative as it was not practical to conduct public health screenings at national gateways. "The virus is difficult to detect and there is no quick point-of-care test which can be used," he said. --- JAPAN Japan's Foreign Ministry urges women to try to avoid traveling 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 health authorities asked medical facilities to test suspected patients returning from affected areas and send samples to the national lab. --- AUSTRALIA The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is advising pregnant women to avoid travel in areas where Zika is active. The federal government is also asking Australian doctors to look out for signs of Zika infection in travelers returning from affected areas. A spokeswoman said Australian laboratories could diagnose the virus if required. --- CAMBODIA Cambodia's only Zika case recovered in 2010 after treatment. The Health Ministry is advising caution and says it's following the situation in countries with the Zika virus closely. It's also urging people to destroy mosquito-breeding places. --- INDIA 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. "Community awareness plays an instrumental role in this regard," he said. India is also stepping up surveillance and has set up a technical group to monitor the situation. --- HONG KONG Health officials are advising pregnant women and those planning pregnancy to adopt necessary anti-mosquito precautions, and consider deferring travel. Secretary for Food and Health Dr. Ko Wing-man also said that because only up to one quarter of the infected persons might develop relatively mild illness, "the attention was therefore not too big." Aedes mosquitoes are not found in Hong Kong, but the secretary said other species of mosquito present in the territory are also considered as possible carriers of the disease. --- VIETNAM 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 health authority also warned people to empty water containers and use mosquito nets to prevent the possible spread of the virus. An 8-year-old Rhode Island boy with terminal cancer whose final wish was to become famous in China is getting his own license plate. The state Division of Motor Vehicles says it will host Dorian Murray and his family at its Wakefield branch on Wednesday. Administrator Walter Craddock plans to give the Westerly boy a commemorative "DStrong" license plate. Dorian has a rare and untreatable form of pediatric cancer. He was diagnosed when he was 4. Recent tests found his cancer has spread to his spinal fluid and brain. The boy told his family he wanted to be famous in China before going to heaven. His father's Facebook post describing the wish spread to China and across the globe, and DStrong became a trending social media topic. It's not too strange to hear about a diabetic undergoing a pancreas transplant. What's unusual here is that the transplant was necessitated by the UK patient's extreme fear of needlesthe first time that's happened anywhere in the world, the BBC reports. Sue York, 55, has had Type 1 diabetes since she was 7, but her needle phobia had made dealing with her disease a living hell. Before the transplant, it would often take York up to 20 minutes to inject herself with insulin, an "impossible" process that would typically leave her shaking and vomiting, she tells the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire program. Things only got worse in 2012, when the UK's DMV required diabetic drivers to check their blood sugar levels every time before driving, as well as every two hours once behind the wheel. "It was just too many invasions into the flesh," York says. Diabetes.co.uk notes that there can be varying reasons for such needle fright, including childhood trauma of some sort, and that it can become a permanent fear. In York's case, she tried different types of therapy to get over her phobia, but ultimately she decided to fight to get on the transplant listan effort that took more than two years and several panel appearances to justify. She received the transplant at the Manchester Royal Infirmary and now say she feels "incredible," while doctors assert the surgery has doubled her life expectancy. "No longer am I struggling to walk up a flight of stairs," she tells the BBC. "No longer is my skin yellow or grey. No longer do I look constantly exhausted." (These people had needles actually stuck in their bodiesfor decades.) This article originally appeared on Newser: Woman Gets First Transplant Necessitated by Needle Phobia More From Newser A terminally ill woman who posted a photo of her nipple to warn about lesser-known breast cancer symptoms is speaking out after Facebook removed her photo. Rowena Kincaid, 40, shared the photo with her 10,000 followers and explained that the rash pictured is not a well known symptom of the disease, The Sun reported. The photo accumulated more than 72,000 views within the first two hours of being posted. Kincaid, who lives in Wales, said she was told the photo violated the sites anti-nudity policy. [They dont] see what the reason behind it is, Kincaid wrote, according to The Sun. Its just automatic. [They] dont see that the picture I posted earlier may actually save lives. In response, Kincaid posted an edited version of the photo in which she had drawn an smiley over the nipple. Hey my Bucketeers! I will be given news in the first week of Feb, for the transmission date & time of my programme! So... Posted by Rowena Kincaid: Before I Kick The Bucket on Saturday, January 23, 2016 What you are looking at is a rash on the chest around an imaginary nipple, [and] in my case it is definitely cancer, she posted with the new photo, The Sun reported. Kincaid was featured in a 2009 documentary titled Before I Kick the Bucket. In 2013 doctors gave her six months to live, but she has defied the odds and continues to update her followers on her Facebook page, which is named after the documentary. There was a lot of religious talk during the GOP debate last night and it's obvious the Christian vote is an important part of the Republican party. In fact, when Republican voters were asked in the new Pew Research Center poll if its important to them to have a president who shares their religious belief. Two thirds said yes, compared to only 40-percent for Democrats. Obviously, that's why we heard most of the candidates last night talking about their faith. Interestingly, its not as much of a topic of conversation for Democrats. Hillary Clinton is a Methodist, but Bernie Sanders, who grew up Jewish, now has no religious affiliation, and rarely discusses his religious viewpoints. However, will that really matter for him? Recent studies have shown Democrats increasingly view religion as not an important factor in choosing their candidates. Still, it would be a big change. According to the Pew Research Center on religion and public life; only 3 presidents have been unaffiliated with a specific religious tradition; Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. No one expected Donald Trump to be seen as the potential nominee for the Republican Party in 2016, much less part of the conversation. But here we are, facing the Iowa Caucus, with a reality star and businessman leading in the early states. However, we are also in for a reality check. The caucus will answer some big questions in this unusual to say the least election cycle, but it may not answer all of them. Here are some questions that just might be answered coming out of the Republican primary: 1. Was it all media hype or is the support for Donald Trump real? Is Trump as teflon as he and everyone else thinks? In the past weeks, weve seen Trump claim that his supporters are so loyal that he could literally shoot someone in broad daylight and the poll trends would not change. The numbers make it hard to argue with him, but will the caucus tell the same story? Theres a slight possiblity that Trumps entire hype train is smoke and mirrors, but we cant count him out. 2. Were the polls right? Recently the polls have miscalled several elections, leaving voters skeptical about early predictions. If the recent Fox News polls are accurate, Trump maintains a more than 10% lead with Cruz tailing him. 3. Turnout, turnout, turnout. Who really had ground game? And do they have similar operations in New Hampshire and the SEC states? Iowa should give us a sense of how campaigning in these key states translates to success at the voting booth. Plus, a win in Iowa can mean a huge boost in voter interest for a candidate. 4. Did the winning turnout model and ground game strategy bring in new caucus goers? There has been much talk about Trump supporters not being traditional caucus goers. If he wins or not, could largely depend if he was able to bring out new caucus goers on a cold Iowa Monday night. If he is able to do so, then it will speak to growing anti-establishment feeling amongst voters. 5. Never count a Bush out. Are there shimmers of hope for Governor Jeb Bush to pull something out in the upcoming states? Yes, his polls are low and he hasnt been as present in the media as Trump, Cruz, or Carson. Weve seen previous candidates rise from the ashes to win the nomination, even as recent as 2008. Bushs stability in the polls could mean voters see him as a calm in the storm the dependable and steady candidate. It will be interesting to see how he fares and if he can get generate momentum going into New Hampshire and the March primaries. 6. Does Senator Marco Rubio get enough of a showing to give him the momentum to go into New Hampshire? In Iowa as in national polls, Rubio maintains third place behind Trump and Cruz. Republicans, especially Christians, have responded well to him in the past few weeks as he has taken on questions about faith in America without alienating constituents on either end of the spectrum. This and his well-documented political prowess could push Rubio to the forefront, but its critical he gain momentum coming out of the early states. 7. We saw earlier in the cycle that a Super PAC could not make up the difference for Governor Rick Perry, but does that theory hold true? In the end, it depends on voter turnout, and polled conservatives seem to have soured to big money behind their candidates. Trumps financial independence is one of his biggest selling points. Does the Super PAC air support given to Bush help him? Do the anti-Trump Super PAC ads work? 8. Do the issues still matter? Specifically a local issue to Iowa a corn subsidy known as Renewable Fuel Standard. Senator Ted Cruz came out against it and Trump for it. With national eyes on Iowa, will the state vote with the nation in mind or will they be divided across local lines? Or will voters even take this issue into account during the primaries? Cruz backs the minority opinion, but, depending on the outcome, well see how much the issues - and which issues - weigh on voter choice this early in the cycle. 9. How does Cruz fare? Were Trumps late attacks on the candidate enough to cripple him in the coming months? Trump has focused on everything from Cruzs policies to his nationality. Will this wide net of criticism be effective or will it backfire? If Cruz comes out of this a champ, it will introduce him to a wider stage where he can better respond to those criticisms. If not, its because hes already been buried under them. 10. Are Carly Fiorina, Governor Mike Huckabee, and others left in the wake? And will they get out of the race? With so many candidates in the early polls, the Republican Party has a lot of fat to trim before they make a final decision. Iowa historically knocks off a few stragglers. Names that weve been hearing for months may disappear from the media or reemerge by giving their backing to another candidate. Iowa means big changes for the upcoming campaign and a clearer sense of who and what well be dealing with going into the election. The Republicans need a strong candidate to win the White House in November which could be an outsider or establishment candidate. Either way, February marks the beginning of a new phase in one of the most interesting election cycles in years. The Baby Jesus, Tom Turkey and Cupid are about to be given the heave-ho at a Minnesota elementary school to be more inclusive of their ethnically diverse student population. Bruce Vento Elementary School, in St. Paul, has decided to stop celebrating Valentines Day along with other dominant holidays including Thanksgiving and Christmas. Click here to get Todds American Dispatch a must-read for conservatives. My personal feeling is we need to find a way to honor and engage in holidays that are inclusive of our student population, Principal Scott Masini wrote in a letter to parents. The Star-Tribune reports the letter was surfaced on a private Facebook page titled, Supporting St. Paul Students and Teachers. I have come to the difficult decision to discontinue the celebration of the dominant holidays until we can come to a better understanding of how the dominant view will suppress someone elses view, the principal noted. The Star-Tribune reports Masini made the decision to can the holidays in consultation with his staff. One of the concerns that I have, he wrote, is whether or not this practice is encroaching on the educational opportunities of others and threatening the culture of tolerance and respect for all. The holiday hullabaloo has generated plenty of outrage across the Twin Cities. Get a load of some of the local headlines: ? St. Paul school kisses Valentines Day, other dominant holidays, goodbye ? St. Paul School Mulls Dropping Holiday Celebrations ? Valentines Day ban touches off wider debate on school celebrations ? PC Grinch Breaks Cupids Heart (okay that was my headline, but still) Even the folks at Minnesota Public Radio got riled up and theyre not exactly a bastion of conservative thought. A St. Paul school is putting a stake in the very heart of Valentines Day, Bob Collins wrote. The principal told me via email that it was truly not a story and then referred me to the district for further clarification. Saint Paul Public Schools released a statement to the Star-Tribune that certainly seemed to defend the principals ban on heart-shaped candies. Because Saint Paul Public Schools is a diverse district that is filled with families from around the world we strive to respect all cultures and all students, they wrote. We recognize that not every student celebrates or participates in some or all holidays. We have a board policy that discourages programs and festivities that celebrate observances unless they are required by law. It sounds to me like the St. Paul area is infected with a case of ethnic sensitivity a diagnosis confirmed by the district spokesperson. She explained to me that their schools include many, many cultures students from around the world including a very large Somali population. Thats all well and good, but the children live in America now. They are presumably Americans. As such they and their families should be acclimating to the American way of life. They no longer live in Somalia. They live in the United States. And in the United States we celebrate St. Valentines Day and Thanksgiving and Christmas. Of course, there could be another reason behind the holiday ban. Perhaps no one wanted to be Principal Masinis Valentine. Or maybe Santa Claus left a lump of coal in his Christmas stocking? Or maybe, just maybe, he got the short end of the wishbone? Jon Corzine, the former head of bankrupt commodities brokerage firm MF Global, has been subpoenaed to testify about his role in the collapse before a congressional committee. Corzine hasnt been heard from publicly since MF Global imploded in October, the result of bad bets on European sovereign debt, a risky gamble reportedly pushed by Corzine himself. The House Agriculture Committee, which is looking into the collapse, will question Corzine at a hearing on Dec. 8. Federal investigators are still trying to locate as much as $1.2 billion in client funds that disappeared as the investment firm collapsed. Corzine is a former governor and U.S. senator from New Jersey, who, before entering politics a decade ago, was a co-chair of Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS). In congressional hearings already held, questions have been raised whether Corzine used his extensive Wall Street and political ties to shield his risky strategy from regulators who might have otherwise taken issue with his aggressive bets on the troubled euro zone. MF Global filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 31, having reportedly gambled $6.3 billion on European debt just as euro zone crisis was hitting its peak. Corzine resigned his post as chief executive of the firm a few days after the bankruptcy filing and hasnt been heard from publicly since. Investigators have questioned whether Corzine authorized the use of client money to be mixed with MF Global money to help cover losses as the European debt crisis deepened. Investment firms are barred from mingling their clients money with the firms proprietary investments. Barack Obama is making his first presidential visit to a U.S. mosque on Wednesday, but the historic occasion is being overshadowed by criticism that the Baltimore-area center he chose has extremist ties. The controversy centers around the Islamic Society of Baltimore's former imam, who has ties not only to the Muslim Brotherhood but the Northern Virginia mosque where the radical Anwar al-Awlaki used to preach. As a Muslim American Im just insulted, this is disgraceful that this is one of the mosques -- or the mosque -- that hes chosen to visit, Zuhdi Jasser, of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, told Fox News on Sunday. This mosque is very concerning. The former imam in question is Mohamad Adam El-Sheikh, who served at the Baltimore mosque from 1983-1989 and 1994-2003. A member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan, he had moved to the U.S. in 1978 and went on to receive several advanced law degrees as he became involved in the religious community. During his time in Baltimore, El-Sheikh was a regional director for the Islamic American Relief Agency, the international parent organization of which has been cited by the U.S. Treasury Department for connections to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. After 2003, he was the imam for the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Va., near Washington. It was there that Awlaki, just months earlier, gave his fiery sermons, before going on to be a top Al Qaeda affiliate operative in Yemen. Awlaki, a U.S. citizen, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2011. The ties could pose a distraction for Obama at a time when the White House is trying to emphasize religious tolerance -- in part, as a counterpoint to what the White House says are intolerant statements being made on the Republican presidential campaign trail. The Islamic Society of Baltimore serves thousands of area Muslims and includes a school and a housing complex. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday that Obama is visiting to celebrate the contributions [of] Muslim Americans. Religious freedom and religious tolerance is central to the way of life in this country, and this visit will show that those values endure more than 240 years after Americas founding, he added. While the president has visited mosques overseas, this is the first visit in the U.S. It will also be an opportunity, Earnest said, for the president to talk about the role that faith plays in his own life. It's not just El-Sheikh's affiliations but his past comments that have stirred controversy. He told The Washington Post in August 2003, when he was the imam in Falls Church, that Islamic law does not allow suicide bombings in most instances, but, "if certain Muslims are to be cornered where they cannot defend themselves, except through these kinds of means, and their local religious leaders issued fatwas to permit that, then it becomes acceptable as an exceptional rule, but should not be taken as a principle." But he told the Post in that same article they had cut ties to the Muslim Brotherhood abroad and we don't receive an order from any organization abroad, and [they] have no authority to tell us what to do." He went on to work with the Fiqh Council of North America, which has issued several condemnations of terrorist ideology and attacks. He is also the founder and director of an Islamic law consultancy in Falls Church. Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute says the criticism is the kind of guilt-by-association tactic that serves as a catalyst for intolerance in the first place. I know of no other religious community that has this kind of litmus test applied to it, she told FoxNews.com I cant speak to this individual mosque but what I can say is this is so incredibly illogical. Its just not relevant. Given the political discourse thats been taking place in the 2016 election season, it is very important our president stand with our community at a time like this, she added, noting presidential candidate Donald Trump's proposal to keep Muslims out of the country and Ben Carson's suggestion that Muslims would be unfit to be president. "At the end of the day, young Muslim-American kids who have seen the onslaught of bigotry in their local news are going to look at this differently, they are going to see that 'President Obama came to be here with me.' That is an important message." President George W. Bush took similar heat when, just six days after the 9/11 attacks, he visited a Washington, D.C., mosque and attempted to reach out to the Muslim-American population. These acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith, Bush said at the time. And its important for my fellow Americans to understand that. But Jasser says the Baltimore center is not the best representative of tolerance in the faith community. [Obama] is visiting a mosque that [is] against our Muslim reform movement, he charged. Historically, as I said before, they are basically a radical, extreme mosque and is not representative of modern Muslims in America. Calls for comment from the Baltimore mosque were unreturned Monday. A programmed message on the phone line refers calls back to the White House. A brief statement put out by the ISB on Monday described the complex as one of the flagship communities in the nation, but said representatives are not granting media interviews at this time. The White House did not comment directly on the charges critics were making, but Earnest said any criticism will serve to elevate the debate the president believes is worth having. FoxNews.com's Kelley Beaucar Vlahos contributed to this report. As Iowans prepare to cast the first votes in the presidential nominating process Monday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders hoped to defy the polls and pull off upset victories in Monday night's caucuses. After months of campaigning and more than $150 million spent on advertising, the race for supremacy in Iowa is close in both parties. Among Republicans, the latest polls show real estate billionaire Donald Trump holding a slim edge over Cruz. Cruz, who became the first major candidate from either party to enter the presidential race 315 days ago, has pinned his hopes to a sophisticated get-out-the-vote operation. Cruz has also modeled his campaign after past Iowa winners, visiting all of the state's 99 counties and courting influential evangelical and conservative leaders. "If you had told me 10 months ago that the day before the Iowa caucuses we'd be in a statistcal tie for first place I would have been thrilled and exhilarated," Cruz told Fox News late Sunday. The Republican caucus is also the first test of whether Trump can turn the legion of fans drawn to his plainspoken populism into voters. The scope of the billionaire's organization in Iowa is a mystery, though Trump himself has intensified his campaign schedule during the final sprint, including a pair of rallies Monday. "I don't have to win it," Trump said on CBS' Face the Nation" Sunday. "I'm doing really well with the evangelicals in Iowa. But I'm also doing tremendously well all over the country with the evangelicals. I think we have a good chance of winning Iowa." By contrast, Cruz told Fox News, "We're not finding Trump's troops on the ground. They don't have an organization that is perceptible." Cruz has also spent the closing days of the Iowa campaign focused on Marco Rubio, trying to ensure the Florida senator doesn't inch into second place. Rubio is viewed by many Republicans as a more mainstream alternative to Trump and Cruz, though he'll need to stay competitive in Iowa in order to maintain his viability. On the Democratic side, Sanders has rallied to close a 40-point polling deficit against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, reviving memories of her disappointing showing in Iowa eight years ago. "Stick with me," Clinton said as she rallied supporters Sunday in Council Bluffs. "Stick with a plan. Stick with experience." Sanders, whose crowds have been large and generally younger than Clinton's, urged voters to help him "make history". In a show of financial strength, Sanders' campaign announced Sunday it had raised $20 million in January alone. While Sanders has a large team in Iowa, his operation got off to a later start, particularly compared with Clinton, who has had staff on the ground in the state for nearly a year. "I think we have a shot to win it, if people come out," Sanders told ABC's "This Week." The self-described democratic socialist's message that the U.S. economy is rigged against the middle class has appeared to resonate with an electorate that has grown frustrated with Washington and given rise to insurgent candidates like Sanders and Trump. The campaigns were anxiously keeping an eye on the weather, but a snowfall forecast to start Monday night appeared more likely to hinder the hopefuls in their rush out of Iowa than any potential voters. Republican John Kasich already had decamped to New Hampshire Sunday, with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush scheduled to follow Monday afternoon, hours before the caucuses start. The trio of governors has had a light footprint in Iowa, banking instead on strong showings in New Hampshire's Feb. 9 primary to jumpstart their White House bids. Yet some Republican leaders worry that if Trump or Cruz pull off a big victory in Iowa, it would be difficult to slow their momentum. Unlike in primaries, where voters can cast their ballots throughout the day, the caucuses begin across Iowa at 7 p.m. CST. Democrats will gather at 1,100 locations and Republicans at nearly 900 spots. Turnout was expected to be high. The Iowa Republican Party expected GOP turnout to top the previous record of 120,000 people in 2012. Democrats also expect a strong turnout, though not nearly as large as the record-setting 240,000 people who caucused in the 2008 contest between Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. Iowa has decidedly mixed results in picking the parties' eventual nominees. The past two Republican caucus winners -- former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum -- faded as the race stretched on. But Obama's unexpected 2008 victory was instrumental in his path to the nomination, easing the anxieties of those who worried the young black senator would struggle to win white voters. While both parties caucus on the same night, they do so with different rules. Republicans vote by private ballot. The state's 30 Republican delegates are awarded proportionally based on the statewide vote. Democrats take a more interactive approach, with voters forming groups and publicly declaring their support for a candidate. If the number of people in any group is fewer than 15 percent of the total, they can either choose not to participate or can join another viable candidate's group. Those numbers are awarded proportionately, based on statewide and congressional district voting, as Iowa Democrats determine their 44 delegates to the national convention. Fox News Channel's Carl Cameron and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Hundreds of badges, credentials, cell phones and guns belonging to Department of Homeland Security employees have been lost or stolen in recent years -- raising serious security concerns about the potential damage these missing items could do in the wrong hands. Inventory reports, obtained by the news site Complete Colorado and shared with FoxNews.com, show that over 1,300 badges, 165 firearms and 589 cell phones were lost or stolen over the span of 31 months between 2012 and 2015. The majority of the credentials belonged to employees of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), while others belonged to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) employees. The lost or stolen guns also mostly belonged to CBP employees, though others were cited as belonging to TSA and ICE workers. The agencies all fall under DHS. The missing badges and guns suggest a shocking lack of security from federal law enforcement officers and represent a significant security risk, experts say. Its scary that youd have that number of credentials out there that someone could manipulate, Tim Miller, a retired Secret Service special agent, told FoxNews.com. While Miller said the phones are likely to have enough protocols in place to prevent them from being used for nefarious purposes, the badges and credentials are an entirely different matter and could allow access to sensitive areas such as cargo. The thing thats particularly concerning is that if you get real credentials, its very easy to manipulate them, and youve got someone elses picture on what law enforcement would see as valid," Miller said. "Then you factor in terrorism, its a significant concern that people would run around with authentic credentials and be able to access areas they wouldnt otherwise be able to access. When reached for comment, DHS did not dispute the inventory report data -- which Complete Colorado, a Colorado-based online news site, had obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request. The reporter who obtained the data also works with Denver-based free-market think tank the Independence Institute. In a statement to FoxNews.com, a DHS spokesman said they strive to be good stewards of government resources and have improved oversight and reduced the number of lost or stolen items over the past few years. If a credential holder loses or has their credentials stolen, the holder must report the incident to their supervisor and credential issuance office immediately, spokesman Justin Greenberg said. Once the incident has been reported, this information is entered into appropriate DHS and law enforcement databases, which disables use of the lost or stolen item. He also noted that DHS encrypts all mobile devices, laptops and tablets. Miller said officials need to be doing more, considering the sheer number of guns and badges that have been lost or stolen. Lawmakers also have expressed concern about the safety of DHS property in the past. In December, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved legislation that would tighten screening of TSA workers, review security protocols and increase fines and enforcement requirements related to missing credentials. The legislation was put forward after members of the committee wrote to TSA officials in March expressing concern about reports of unaccounted TSA badges, and the reported use of badges to bypass security checkpoints. Officials entrusted with protecting the American public cannot consider the loss of sensitive items normal or routine," Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., chairman of the committee, told FoxNews.com. "When the Commerce Committee looked at lost and missing airport security credentials, we discovered that existing rules werent being effectively enforced. Mistakes happen, but if we dont work to eliminate them and insist on accountability, then were left with unacceptable risk, Thune said. I watched with fascination here in Iowa as a dozen people explained why they had switched candidates in the past 48 hoursand some still hadnt made up their minds a day before the caucuses. Melissa Murphy told me she was a Ted Cruz supporter until the debate, when she saw him try to explain away his conflicting videotaped comments on amnesty, as she put it. When Megyn pushed him on it, he really tried to parse her words. When youre lying, it becomes about you, not the country. The mother of two told me she moved to Marco Rubio after asking him at a rally about the seeing so much terrorism and violence on televisionand his reassuring response was very personal...He has kids, he mentioned his own family. Whats striking, as the Frank Luntz focus group talked about struggling to reach a decision, is what breaks through. Three sided with Donald Trump because they didnt like Foxs sarcastic response to his skipping the debate. One man said he views Trump as a sexist who disrespects women. Another said his brother is in the military and loves Trump. Other Iowans told me they still like Carly Fiorina. They were smart, informed and up for grabs. But as the clock ticks down toward tonights caucuses, the expectations game is furiously under way. Its like the stock market: No matter what earnings a company reports, if it doesnt match Wall Streets expectations, the stock will take a beating. And thats the risk for candidates who underperform what the media are expecting them to do. Thus we had Cruz telling Neil Cavuto that no, he doesnt have to win the Iowa caucuses. Except he knows, and the audience knows, that this is his best shot at slowing down the Trump freight train. Dont take my word for it. The Texas senator told a group of pastors that if Trump won Iowa he would probably win New Hampshire, where the billionaire has a big lead, and then could be unstoppable. Still, Cruz has to preserve his options in case he loses the caucuses by a couple of points. Rubio declared over the weekend that Cruz is the front-runner, going into tomorrow night he has 10,000 volunteers on the ground. We know its a tough hill to climb. Rubio hasnt played all that hard here in the Hawkeye State, but his numbers have been improving. If the media pronounce Rubio to have had a strong third-place finish, that could help him in New Hampshire, a more crucial state for him. If he is said to have a weak finish, the Florida senator will lose that elusive sense of momentum. Sounds like gamesmanship, but these things matter in terms of donors, political excitement and media coverage. With the Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll giving Trump a 5-point lead over Cruz and a 13-point edge over Rubio. On the Democratic side, the poll gives Hillary Clinton a mere 3-point margin over Bernie Sanders. The Hillary camp is worried enough about a double knockout in the first two states that the Washington Post was given a preemptive spin, complete with comments from campaign manager Robby Mook: 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. Such efforts may feel transparent, but every campaign tries to avoid the worse-than-expected label. As for better than expected, keep in mind that Bill Clinton declared himself the Comeback Kid after finishing second in New Hampshire in 1992. Gary Hart won just 16 percent of the vote against Walter Mondale in Iowa in 1984, but that was so surprising that the slingshot effect carried him to victory in New Hampshire. A month ago, Cruz was considered the hot candidate as he shot up from the middle of the pack. Had he continued a slow climb and then finished a couple of percentage points behind Trump in Iowa, all the headlines would have been positive. But once Cruz briefly overtook Trump in the Iowa polls, most of the media expected him to win a state with a large slice of evangelical voters. Now, however, even a narrow loss will be portrayed as a setback. But after listening to Iowa voters, I now believe that expectations could still be scrambled. EXCLUSIVE: Highly classified Hillary Clinton emails that the intelligence community and State Department recently deemed too damaging to national security to release contain operational intelligence and their presence on the unsecure, personal email system jeopardized sources, methods and lives, a U.S. government official who has reviewed the documents told Fox News. The official, who was not authorized to speak on the record and was limited in discussing the contents because of their highly classified nature, was referring to the 22 TOP SECRET emails that the State Department announced Friday it could not release in any form, even with entire sections redacted. The announcement fueled criticism of Clintons handling of highly sensitive information while secretary of state, even as the Clinton campaign continued to downplay the matter as the product of an interagency dispute over classification. But the U.S. government officials description provides confirmation that the emails contained closely held government secrets. Operational intelligence can be real-time information about intelligence collection, sources and the movement of assets. The official emphasized that the TOP SECRET documents were sent over an extended period of time -- from shortly after the server's 2009 installation until early 2013 when Clinton stepped down as secretary of state. Separately, Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., who sits on the House intelligence committee, said the former secretary of state, senator, and Yale-trained lawyer had to know what she was dealing with. "There is no way that someone, a senior government official who has been handling classified information for a good chunk of their adult life, could not have known that this information ought to be classified, whether it was marked or not, he said. "Anyone with the capacity to read and an understanding of American national security, an 8th grade reading level or above, would understand that the release of this information or the potential breach of a non-secure system presented risk to American national security." Pompeo also suggested the military and intelligence communities have had to change operations, because the Clinton server could have been compromised by a third party. Anytime our national security team determines that there's a potential breach, that is information that might potentially have fallen into the hands of the Iranians, or the Russians, or the Chinese, or just hackers, that they begin to operate in a manner that assumes that information has in fact gotten out, Pompeo said. On ABC's This Week on Sunday, one day before the Iowa caucuses, Clinton claimed ignorance on the sensitivity of the materials and stressed that they werent marked. "There is no classified marked information on those emails sent or received by me," she said, adding that Republicans are going to continue to use it [to] beat up on me. Clinton was pressed in the same ABC interview on her signed 2009 non-disclosure agreement which acknowledged that markings are irrelevant, undercutting her central explanation. The agreement states "classified information is marked or unmarked including oral communications." Clinton pointed to her aides, saying: "When you receive information, of course, there has to be some markings, some indication that someone down the chain had thought that this was classified and that was not the case. But according to national security legal experts, security clearance holders are required to speak up when classified information is not in secure channels. "Everybody who has a security clearance has an individual obligation to protect the information," said national security attorney Edward MacMahon Jr., who represented former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling in the high-profile leak investigation regarding a New York Times reporter. "Just because somebody sends it to you you can't just turn a blind eye and pretend it never happened and pretend it's unclassified information." These rules, known as the Code of Federal Regulations, apply to U.S. government employees with security clearances and state there is an obligation to report any possible breach by both the sender and the receiver of the information. The rules state: "Any person who has knowledge that classified information has been or may have been lost, possibly compromised or disclosed to an unauthorized person shall immediately report the circumstances to an official designated for this purpose." The Clinton campaign is now calling for the 22 TOP SECRET emails to be released, but this is not entirely the State Department's call since the intelligence came from other agencies, which have final say on classification and handling. "The State Department has no authority to release those emails and I do think that Secretary Clinton most assuredly knows that," Pompeo said. Meanwhile, the release of other emails has revealed more about the high-level exchange of classified information on personal accounts. Among the latest batch of emails released by the State Department is an exchange between Clinton and then-Sen. John Kerry, now secretary of state. Sections are fully redacted, citing classified information and both Kerry and Clinton were using unsecured, personal accounts. Further, a 2009 email released to Judicial Watch after a federal lawsuit -- and first reported by Fox News -- suggests the State Department 's senior manager Patrick Kennedy was trying to make it easier for Clinton to check her personal email at work, writing to Clinton aide Cheryl Mills a "stand-alone separate network PC is ... [one] great idea." "The emails show that the top administrator at the State Department, Patrick Kennedy, who is still there overseeing the response to all the inquiries about Hillary Clinton, was in on Hillary Clinton's separate email network and system from the get-go," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. Kennedy is expected to testify this month before the Republican-led Benghazi Select Committee. **Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here.** YOUR IOWA CAUCUS GUIDE DES MOINES, IOWA Its the ultimate numbers game. Tonight, we will start to see what the 2016 electorate looks like for the first time. Is the Democratic Party Berning down? Has Donald Trump remade the GOP? As Iowans go to caucus this evening at 8 p.m. ET the volume of turnout will say so much. In 2008, a concerted effort by then-Sen. Barack Obama and massive voter interest helped increase Democratic turnout by almost double. It was the first ripple in what would be a wave that would take him to the nomination and the White House and confirmation of his strategy that uses a community organizing approach enhanced by technology to change the political landscape. Remember, if you cant win with the voters youve got, its time to get some new voters. There is no indication of the massive surge in voter registrations that foretold Obamas success, but Iowa has same-day registration and the raw energy and attention generated by Trump and Sanders in their respective parties cant be discounted. Three degrees of separation - So consider some turnout models. There were 121,503 Republican caucus goers in 2012, substantially unchanged from four years earlier. But the most recent, most reliable polling on the GOP side points to a substantial increase in turnout. But how big? If Republicans see a number that is about the same as before, it will be bad news for GOP frontrunner Trump. While he is polling well among Republicans, the secret to his dominance in polls is bringing nontraditional Republican voters to his side. It has worked well in polls, but this will be the first test of his coalition that includes self-identified Democrats and independents who would be first-time Republican caucus participants. Trump supporters should be hoping to see a substantial bump in turnout as these new voters come in. Given the enormous attention paid to this years Republican nominating process one might expect some gains, but the kind of crushing victory that Team Trump is looking for would likely come with thousands of new voters perhaps tens of thousands. The final Des Moines Register poll that shows Trump with a small lead is based on having about four out of 10 caucus goers be first-timers. Recent years have seen less than half that. However, should Iowa act as it has in the past two cycles for Republicans, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will be in the catbird seat. He has the advantage with the traditional GOP caucus model. In todays Quinnipiac University poll, Cruz leads Trump by a point among those who have caucused before but trails by 18 points among first timers. Get the idea? The third top-tier contender in Iowa, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is looking for a third place finish. A more traditional turnout model might help turn his late surge in polls here into either a closer finish to the top two or, conceivably, a surprise second place. And if that happens, Cruzs future chances dim substantially. A close second-place finish for Cruz wouldnt be a disaster, but if he gets smoked by Trump or, even worse, falls behind Rubio, it would be a catastrophic failure. Where are the Obama voters? - The Democratic electorate is even more of an open question. We dont know how high to set the baseline for Democrats since this will be the first competitive caucus since Obamas big win in 2008.While Hillary Clinton has gushed resources and organization into the state and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is unquestionably driving interest on the left. Sanders has to hope that Democratic turnout doesnt recede all the way back to 2004 levels. And today, we have another concrete sign that the Obama coalition is still somewhat intact as the final Quinnipiac pre-caucus poll shows Sanders ahead. The Vermont socialist has consistently led in New Hampshire, but Iowa has been far more changeable. While even a close result would be something of a moral victory for Sanders, a win could change the dynamic in the race in a big way. But again, its all about who shows up. WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE The first president born west of the Mississippi River was Iowa native Herbert Hoover. The 31st president of the United States left Iowa for Oregon to live with relatives after both his parents passed away in his youth. Hoover, however, never forgot his Iowa roots. As he described, I prefer to think of Iowa as I saw it through the eyes of a 10-year old boy. Those were eyes filled with the wonders of Iowas streams and woods. They saw days filled with adventure with participation in good and comforting things. Hoover lived most of his life outside the two room house he was born in West Branch, but wanted his first home to be his final resting place. When he died in 1964 thousands of people lined the streets from Cedar Rapids to West Branch for his funeral procession. Today, the house and gravesite are a National Historic Site. Got a TIP from the RIGHT or the LEFT? Email FoxNewsFirst@FOXNEWS.COM POLL CHECK Real Clear Politics Averages Iowa GOP caucus Trump 28.6 percent; Cruz 23.9 percent; Rubio 16.9 percent; Carson 7.7 percent General Election: Clinton vs. Trump Clinton +2.7 points Generic Congressional Vote: Republicans +0.5 IOWAS REAL JOB Every four years, Iowa bashing is style, especially for the supporters of candidates bound to lose. Why should Iowa go first? Why not a big state, or a more diverse state or a state that likes your candidate? The simplest answer is that barring the development of some new system, some state will have to be the first one and Iowa has done a very good job over the past 40 years. Iowa has a special role to play in the presidential nominating process. While Iowans dont always pick their parties nominees, they do cull the fields. After tonight, struggling campaigns will enter a death-watch phase, and some will even quit outright. And for a Republican field that has been as bloated as an omnibus spending bill passed at midnight on a voice vote, Iowa has never been more essential. POWER PLAY: STOP TRUMP EFFORTS HEAT UP Our Principles PAC has one main mission: stop Donald Trump. The group says that Trumps policy positions are not conservative, and voters need to know his real record. Their chairwoman, Katie Packer, explains to Chris Stirewalt how they plan to do that from Des Moines, Iowa. WATCH HERE. Huck campaign hits back on Trump endorsement talk - The Iowa rumor mill and the pundit class has been rife with talk of an impending post-caucus endorsement of Donald Trump by Mike Huckabee. Team Huck is pushing back hard on any suggestion of a deal. Totally untrue said one Huckabee insider. EAGLE VS DRONE Engadget: Forget anti-drone drones, one of natures most majestic hunters may soon play a valuable role in taking down dangerous UAVs. As part of a new trial, the Dutch National Police force has begun training eagles to intercept troublesome drones during an emergency, when another capture device might put people below at risk. In collaboration with raptor training company Guard From Above, Dutch police taught an eagle to recognize a DJI drone. Once in sight, the bird flies toward its mechanical prey, snatches it with its enormous talons and then takes it to safe placeWhat makes eagles effective drone hunters? Their feet have four powerful toes that are strong enough to grip and carry heavy objects, whether its a wild animal or a heavy UAV. Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here. Lions have been discovered for the first time in an Ethiopian national park, confirming centuries-old stories that the big cats thrived there. The lions were found in the Alatash National Park in North West Ethiopia, on the Ethiopia-Sudan border in an expedition led by Hans Bauer, a renowned lion conservationist working for Oxford Universitys Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. They were also found in Dinder National Park, across the border in eastern Sudan. Considering the relative ease with which lion signs were observed, it is likely that they are resident throughout Alatash and Dinder, Bauer said in a statement. Based on the numbers found, he estimated there could be a population of 100 to 200 lions for the entire ecosystem and more than 50 in Alatash. Related: Obama administration enacts protections for lions Due to limited surface water, prey densities are low, and lion densities are likely to be low, we may conservatively assume a density in the range of one to two lions per 100 square kilometers (38.6 square miles), Bauer said. Part of the reason the lions have gone undiscovered for so long by outsiders is that the area is rarely visited. Even the International Union for Conservation of Nature only considered Alatash a possible range for the species. But that changed with Bauers expedition, in which they successful obtained camera trap images of lions and identifying lion tracks. The discovery has been welcomed by conservationists, who have been calling for international efforts to halt the lion's demise. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCNs Red List of Endangered species. Related: 3 arrested for poisoning famous lions in Kenya Lion numbers are estimated to have declined 50 percent to 75 percent since 1980 and the species only occupies 8 percent of its historic range across the continent. They were thought to be locally extinct in Sudan. They are increasingly being killed off to protect humans and livestock and they have lost habitat to agriculture. Researchers say the next step is alerting government officials in Ethiopia and Sudan about the discovery, so they can embark on possible efforts to conserve these populations and better protected these areas. Related: Lions, the pride of Africa, are disappearing in West Africa "The confirmation that lions persist in this area is exciting news, Born Frees Chief Executive Adam M. Roberts, whose group funded the expedition, said in a statement. With lion numbers in steep decline across most of the African continent, the discovery of previously unconfirmed populations is hugely important especially in Ethiopia, whose government is a significant conservation ally, he said. We need to do all we can to protect these animals and the ecosystem on which they depend, along with all the other remaining lions across Africa, so we can reverse the declines and secure their future. Britain's fertility regulator has approved a scientist's application to edit the genetic code in human embroys. In a statement Monday, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said it has approved research led by scientist Kathy Niakan to try to understand the genes that embryos need to develop successfully. Niakan, of the Francis Crick Institute, plans to use gene editing to analyze the first week of an embryo's growth. Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute, said Niakan's research would "enhance our understanding of (in vitro fertilization) success rates, by looking at the very earliest stage of human development." The scientists will not be allowed to implant any embryos used in their research into women. The embryos, which would be donated by couples undergoing IVF treatment who do not need them, must also be destroyed after two weeks. Last year, Chinese researchers made the first attempt at modifying genes in human embryos. Their laboratory experiment didn't work but raised the prospect of altering genes to repair the genes of future generations. Scientists say such techniques could lead to treatments for inherited diseases like muscular dystrophy and HIV. Critics warn that tweaking the genetic code this way could eventually lead to genetically modified human babies. Around the world, laws and guidelines vary widely about what kind of research on embryos that will change the genes of future generations, is allowed. In the U.S., the National Institutes of Health won't fund this kind of research but private funding is allowed. Critics warn that tweaking the genetic code this way could eventually lead to a slippery slope. "This is the first step on a path that scientists have carefully mapped out towards the legalization of (genetically modified) babies," said David King, of anti-gene manipulation group Human Genetics Alert, last month when the British fertility regulator held its meeting to decide on granting the gene editing license. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from Sky News. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates used to memorize employees license plate numbers so that he could keep track of when they were arriving at work and leaving. Gates, who is now co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, described his intense management style from Microsofts early days during an interview on the BBC Radio 4 program Desert Island Discs. Related: Paul Allen's mega-yacht blamed for destroying coral reef "I had to be a little careful not to try and apply my standards to how hard [others at the company] worked. I knew everybody's licence plate so I could look out the parking lot and see, you know, when people come in, he said. Eventually I had to loosen up as the company got to a reasonable size." Related: Clock is ticking for Windows 7, Windows 8.1 on new PCs as Microsoft focuses on Windows 10 Gates was 19 when he dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975. He stepped down as the CEO of the software giant in 2000 and stepped down as the companys chairman in 2014. The philanthropist also described his relationship with Apple co-founder and tech icon Steve Jobs during the radio interview. Related: 5 Windows 10 tricks you need to know "Steve really is a singular person in the history of personal computing in terms of what he built at Apple, he said. For some periods, we were completely allies working together - I wrote software for the original Apple II. Sometimes he would be very tough on you, sometimes he'd be very encouraging. He got really great work out of people. Gates also described how his relationship with Jobs changed over the years. The former Apple CEO lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in 2011. Related: Microsoft unveils billion-dollar cloud plan to help nonprofits "In the early years, the intensity had always been about the project, and so then [when] Steve got sick, it was far more mellow in terms of talking about our lives and our kids, he said. Steve was an incredible genius, and I was more of an engineer than he was. But anyway, it was fun. It was more of a friendship that was reflective, although tragically then he couldn't overcome the cancer and died." On Desert Island Discs guests are invited to choose the eight records that they would take with them to a desert island. Among his selections, Gates chose Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen, Jimi Hendrixs Are You Experienced and How Can Love Survive from The Sound of Music. Police in Holland are touting a unique anti-drone weapon a specially trained eagle. The Dutch National Police have trained an eagle to take down Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), as revealed in a video posted to YouTube Sunday. Related: White House gets drone defense wake-up call The video, which is in Dutch, shows an eagle swooping to grasp a small commercial drone in its talons before landing with its prey. A quadcopter drone that crashed onto the White House grounds last year highlighted the growing security threat posed by small UAVs. The White House incident came less than two weeks after a drone flew over the French presidential palace in Paris. Related: This anti-UAV octocopter uses a ballistic net cannon to disable smaller drones Drones, thanks to their small size and ability to hover low over the ground, can pose a huge security headache, experts have warned. Technologies touted to combat UAVs include a new breed of interceptor drones. Michigan Tech University, for example, has developed an anti-UAV octocopter that uses a net to disable smaller drones. Related: Can the US military build Star Wars-style laser cannons for its troops? The U.S. military is also ramping up its anti-drone efforts. In 2014, for example, the Office of Naval Research announced plans to build a laser weapon to shoot down drones. Last year Boeing demonstrated a laser cannon that could be used to destroy drones. A Georgia police officer taking classes in his spare time got an unwanted lesson from a college instructor last week, but now it is the school that is feeling blue and apologizing. The unidentified cop was wearing his uniform and carrying his service gun when the Darton State College instructor reportedly became uncomfortable with his presence, according to WALB-TV. School officials confirmed the police officer was escorted out of the classroom, but did not elaborate. We have apologized to the officer for our misunderstanding when he attended class on our campus, and we regret this happened." Thomas Ormand, Darton State College "Darton State College is appreciative for the service of our law enforcement, and welcome them as students on our campus, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Thomas Ormand said in a statement. We have apologized to the officer for our misunderstanding when he attended class on our campus, and we regret this happened. We have met with the faculty and staff involved to reiterate the Georgia Law and Darton Policy. I understand the rules and regs that college campuses have and I guess one of the things that has to be communicated to an Albany Police Chief Michael Persley said the police officer involved was not one of his men, but said it was distressing that some people see a uniformed police officer as threatening. "We have to respect different interpretations that people have, and how they believe," said Persely, who studied criminal justice at the school. "Some people feel threatened by the sight of a gun, no matter who possesses it." An Albany Police spokeswoman said the ejected officer was not from the city department, but declined to say what agency he worked for. An armed law enforcement presence might not be the worst idea at Darton, where last June, an armed robbery took place. In that case, two 18-year-old men and a juvenile were arrested after meeting a victim on the campus to buy sneakers. The trio allegedly robbed the victim at gunpoint of three pairs of shoes and the keys to his truck. None of the people involved attended the school. "I find it a bit disturbing that someone would object to having an armed law enforcement officer in the classroom," said Tim Reichert, spokesman for the Southern States Police Benevolent Association. "Much less, the very professor teaching the class. "We feel that because of the line of work these officers are in and the training that they receive to do their jobs, they should be allowed to carry their firearm with them in whatever setting they are in," he added. Official policy at the school prohibits firearms on campus, but makes an exception for cops. Students are prohibited from possession of firearms in or on college property except by law enforcement officers, judges and district attorneys, reads the policy on the schools website. The possession or use of any other offensive weapons is prohibited. Darton State is located in Albany and is part of the University System of Georgia. The college has 84 two-year transfer and career associate degrees and 49 certificate programs. School spokeswoman Cynthia George did not immediately return a request for comment. Voting finally gets underway today in Iowa in the first-in-the-nation votes for the 2016 presidential race. Its all about turnout for the complicated caucus process of compiling votes and delegates. Donald Trump has dominated recent polls on the GOP side followed by Ted Cruz whose momentum has stalled. Marco Rubio seems to be on the rise to numbers three. There are 30 delegates at stake for Republicans today. On the Democratic side, 44 delegates at stake, and candidates must get at least 15% to get any delegates (looking at you Martin OMalley). Hillary Clinton has led recent polls by small margins over Bernie Sanders, but Sanders has had momentum in the past few months and is looking to get his passionate young supporters to turn out. Lots of live events to keep an eye on today: 1200ET - Donald Trump rally, Ramada Waterloo Hotel and Convention Center, 205 West 4th Street, Waterloo, IA ....5 NET POOL LIVE 1315ET - Bush countdown to caucus tour, Embassy Suites by Hilton Des Moines Downtown 101 East Locust Street, Des Moines...FNC LIVEU 1045ET -Christie Town Hall with Governor Branstad and Drake University Law Republicans, 2621 Carpenter Avenue, Des Moines, IA....FNC LiveU 1000ET - Kasich Town Hall, Rochester American Legion Post 7, 94 Eastern Ave. Rochester, NH...FNC LIVEU (DONNER) 1230ET - Kasich Town Hall, Portsmouth Country Club - 80 Country Club Lane Greenland, NH...FNC LIVEU (DONNER) 0930ET - O'Malley Media Availability with supporters Outside Smokey Row, 1910 Cottage Grove Ave, Des Moines, IA...FNC LiveU (Blanchard) 1300ET-Paul Caucus Day Rally Rand Paul Iowa Office 1901 Bell Avenue, Suite 21 Des Moines, IA... FNC LiveU (Mangan) 0900ET- Rubio Scenic Route Bakery, Des Moines...5 net pool FOX 1230ET- Rubio stop at Ankeny HQ, Ankeny...5 net pool FOX We get economic reports today on manufacturing and construction which should give us a clue into any possible slowdown. A new report suggests Chinas factory sector weakened further in January. Stocks are set to open lower and oil prices are lower again today. Were awaiting earnings from Googles parent company Alphabet. Chipotle expected to get the all-clear from the feds after an E. Coli outbreak. Its over according to federal health officials. The World Health Organization is holding emergency meetings today over the Zika virus that is spreading like wildfire. WHO says the virus is likely to spread across almost all of the Americas. U.N. peace talks on Syria begin today in Geneva. Major opposition groups and representatives from Syrian dictator Bashir Assad will be there. Boko Haram terrorists are accused of war crimes after they set villages on fire in Nigeria over the weekend burning some children alive. For more news, follow me on Twitter: @ClintPHenderson A man was robbed at gunpoint and wounded Saturday night during what he thought was a date with a woman he met online, West Valley police said. The 18-year-old victim went to an apartment complex for a date and spotted the woman he was supposed to see with another man, according to police. The male suspect pulled a gun on the victim and robbed him, Police Lt. Dalan Taylor said. The victim then reached for the gun and a struggle ensued during which the gun went off. A bullet grazed the victim's head. He was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries. The two suspects fled and are still at large. Two Virginia Tech students appeared in court Monday after being charged in connection with the abduction and murder of a 13-year-old girl whose body was found on the side of a North Carolina road last weekend. David Eisenhauer, 18, was charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder and Natalie Keepers, 19, was charged wiht improper disposal of a body and accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony, in the case of Nicole Madison Lovell. Lovell was described as "an awesome little girl" who had a tough life she survived a liver transplant as a youngster and suffered from bullying at middle school and online, her mother said. Police in Blacksburg, Va., said they have evidence showing Eisenhauer knew the girl before she disappeared, but have not released any details about what led up to her death. Tammy Weeks told The Washington Post that authorities said Lovell likely had some sort of relationship with Eisenhauer on social media. "That's all I know," Weeks told the paper. "It was some off-the-wall site I never heard of." "Eisenhauer used this relationship to his advantage to abduct the 13-year-old and then kill her. Keepers helped Eisenhauer dispose of Nicole's body," a police statement said. Eisenhauer's hearing happened ahead of schedule and out of sight of reporters on Monday. Keepers appeared later, handcuffed and shackled in an orange jumpsuit. She told Judge Robert Viar Jr. she understands the charges. Both have lawyers; neither one commented. Eisenhauer cryptically told an investigator "I believe the truth can set me free," according to an arrest warrant viewed by The Roanoke Times. Lovell's body was found Saturday at the side of a road just over the North Carolina state line. An autopsy is set for Monday, according to a Baltimore Sun reporter, though it's unclear when the results will be released. During brief arraignments Monday morning, Eisenhauer and Keepers were appointed lawyers and given a preliminary hearing date of March 28, WDBJ7 reported. They were held without bond, according to a Baltimore Sun reporter. The Post reported that Nicole had survived a series of health problems, including a liver transplant, lymphoma and the staph infection MRSA. Weeks said her daughter had been bullied both at school and on social media due to her appearance. "She didnt like going to school," Weeks told the Post. "She was telling me that girls were saying she was fat and talking about her scars from her transplant." The paper also reported that Nicole frequently posted updates to Facebook and Instagram about her search for teenage romance. At one point, she posted pictures of herself on a Facebook forum called "Teen Dating and Flirting" and asked if she was cute. Her post reportedly received 304 replies, many of them negative. Blacksburg police had previously said that Eisenhauer and Lovell knew each other prior to her murder, but declined to say exactly how. Police spokesman Lt. Mike Albert said Eisenhauer "used this relationship to his advantage" to abduct and kill Lovell. Charging documents stated that a gun wasn't used in Lovell's death, but provided few other details, according to The Baltimore Sun. The documents don't reveal how Eisenhauer knew Lovell. Lovell, who lived in Blacksburg, where Virginia Tech is located, is believed to have slipped out of her room sometime early Wednesday. Her family said a nightstand had been pushed against her door and her window was open. They initially raised the alarm because Nicole needed daily medication as a result of her liver transplant. "God got [Nicole] through [her health issues], and she fought through all that, and he took her life, Weeks said. That evil bastard took her life." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Click for more from The Washington Post. A customs inspector's keen eye on a shipment of trousers crossing from Mexico to the U.S. helped unravel a massive scheme that defrauded the Pentagon of $30 million and has two men facing up to five years when they are sentenced next month. Paul Grillo and Raymond Lawson, former owners of the Colorado-based Barrier Wear, pleaded guilty in December in U.S. District Court in Tucson to one felony count of obstructing a federal auditor. The Berry Amendment -- approved by Congress in 1941 -- requires the Department of Defense to buy clothing and other goods produced domestically. "...Barrier Wear took steps to conceal that its clothing was manufactured abroad..." DOD affidavit Grillo and Lawson, who forfeited $2.1 million to the federal government, face sentencing March 7. The maximum penalty for obstructing a federal auditor is a $250,000 fine, five years in prison and three years of supervised release, the Arizona Daily Star reported. The Star reports that from 2008 to 2012, Barrier Wear was a subcontractor for Atlantic Diving Supply in Virginia, which holds a contract with the Department of Defense to produce trousers and jackets for cold weather. The trousers arrived at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales in October 2009 with loose labels that read "Assembled in Mexico of U.S. components," according to the newspaper. The labels identified the trousers as "Official Army Use," and an invoice said they were being shipped from a factory in Sonora run by Barrier Wear de Mexico to one of the company's facilities in Nogales, Ariz., according to the Star, which obtained court records in the case. Our investigation also demonstrated that Barrier Wear took steps to conceal that its clothing was manufactured abroad, consistent with the conclusion that it was aware of its Berry Amendment obligations and intentionally disregarded them, read an affidavit from a special agent with the DODs Criminal Investigative Service, according to the Star. The affidavit, filed Jan. 21 in U.S. District Court, stated that upwards of 320,000 garments -- nearly two-thirds of the $48 million in total garments Barrier Wear shipped to Virginia -- were made in Hermosillo and Baviacora, Sonora, the paper reported. Lawyers for Grillo and Lawson and a spokesman from the U.S. Attorney's Office were not available for comment when contacted Monday. In 2012, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, questioned why U.S. military members were wearing Chinese-made boots and requested that the Defense Department comply with the rules. In an October 2012 to Frank Kendall, under secretary of defense for acquisition, echnology and logistics, Brown questioned why Air Force service members deployed to Afghanistan were twice issued boots made in China. "Our service members should not be given equipment manufactured in other countries when domestic options exist," Brown wrote at the time. "Our men and women in uniform are fighting for their country, and deserve to fight in quality uniforms and boots that are made in the U.S.A." Click for more from the Arizona Daily Star Police in western Pensylvania shot and killed a man who allegedly stabbed a Port Authority of Alleghany County police dog to death Sunday afternoon. Port Authority Police Chief Matt Porter told reporters that the K-9 officer, Aren, had been on the job for four years, working patrol and explosives details. The suspect, 37-year-old Bruce Kelley Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident in Wilkinsburg, east of downtown Pittsburgh. The Tribune-Review reported that the incident began when two officers confronted Kelley and his father drinking under a gazebo on Port Authority property. Port Authority spokesman Jim Ritchie said the younger Kelley became agitated when confronted and physically fought one of the officers. The Post-Gazette reported that Kelley led the officers on a foot chase. Allegheny County Police Supt. Charles Moffatt said police tried multiple times to incapacitate Kelley with a stun gun, but were unable to do so. Finally, a K-9 handler who had joined the pursuit released Aren. "You release the dog when you think its proper to release the dog to stop this person from doing what he or she is going to do," Moffat said. Aren suffered multiple stab wounds and was rushed to a local animal hospital, but died after being transported. The Tribune-Review reported that officers removed Aren's body, draped in an American flag, from the hospital hours later. Porter said that at least two officers shot Kelley and have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. Kelley's father was detained near the scene. It is not clear if charges will be filed against him. Aren's handler was identified as Port Authority officer Brian O'Malley. "Its a horrible thing. Hes a member of that officers family," Porter said. "Hes a member of the law enforcement family. Its a difficult time right now." Click for more from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Click for more from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. A just-retired Ohio police officer who sought to purchase his K-9 partner of four years from the city of Marietta received an unexpected reply: Youre barking up the wrong tree. I had the money for the dog and was ready to hand it to the chief of police, and the chief of police said he couldnt take it, Matthew Hickey told WCMH. At issue is a state code. Officers can purchase their K-9 partners for $1 when the dog retires. But, in this case, Hickey is retiring, not Ajax. That creates a sticky situation, because the code also says a cop who leaves the force while the animal assigned to the officer is still fit for duty forfeits the right to purchase the animal under this section. But there may be a way for Hickey and Ajax to stay together. The city is putting Ajax up for auction next week, and Hickey is raising funds on gofundme.com in an attempt to be the winning bidder. Marietta officials said only an active or retired officer or a trainer of K-9 cops can bid on Ajax, according to WCMH. There is a bond between us and its very special and I would hate to lose my buddy, Hickey told WTAP. Hickeys gofundme page has already far exceeded his $3,500 goal. In three days, hes gotten $62,645 in donations from more than 2,600 people. Hickey said any money left over after the auction will be donated to a K-9 charity that buys bulletproof vests for dogs. With all three violent inmates who escaped from a California jail back in custody, authorities can carefully scrutinize how they carried out the jailbreak and what they did during their week on the run. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens vowed over the weekend to fix the security lapses that allowed the brazen escape. On Jan. 22, the men sawed, crawled and climbed their way out of the maximum-security jail and used a rope made of bedsheets to rappel four stories to the ground. Their escape triggered an intense manhunt. On Friday, one of the men surrendered after walking into an auto repair shop in Santa Ana. The last two escapees were arrested Saturday near San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Authorities dealing with Europe's migrant crisis have lost track of about 10,000 unaccompanied children amid fears that organized crime gangs are beginning to exploit the vulnerable youngsters, a senior official at the European Union's police agency said Monday. Europol Chief of Staff Brian Donald said that the figure "would be a conservative estimate across all the countries that are dealing with this migrant crisis" over the past 12-18 months. The revelation that so many youngsters are unaccounted for is the latest worrying development in the migrant crisis and underscores the risks faced by people fleeing conflict, poverty and persecution in the Middle East, Africa and Asia even once they have reached the apparent safety of Europe. Donald said the estimate of 10,000 missing was based on reports by law enforcement authorities, governments and non-governmental organizations. "They're lost in the system," he said of the minors. "I think our concern is that we know that there are people out there who will exploit minors. We know there are people who will take them and use them for their own purposes." Sweden, a popular destination for migrants, already is aware of the problem. The Stockholm county government released a report last week citing Swedish Migration Agency statistics that said 1,900 of the 55,000 unaccompanied minors who have applied for asylum in Sweden in the past six years disappeared. The whereabouts of 1,250 of those is still unclear. About 88 percent of those who went missing are boys. "There is very little information about what happens after they disappear. These children are particularly vulnerable to being exploited in various ways," the report said. Amir Hashemi-Nik of the Stockholm County Administration said some of those who disappear are believed to be in the grip of human-trafficking rings and end up in prostitution, begging or other criminal activities. some disappear simply because they don't like the place where they have been assigned and decide to leave, others go when they approach their 18th birthday because they are worried it will be harder to get asylum. North African boys are particularly likely to go underground because, unlike Syrians or Afghans, they are unlikely to get asylum. "Many of them have lived on the streets in many other countries before coming to Sweden," the report said. "Many of these children become involved in crime." Last week Britain announced it would accept an unspecified number of refugee children, after charities and opposition politicians pressured the government to help the thousands of unaccompanied minors fleeing conflicts in Syria and elsewhere. The charity Save the Children has urged Britain to accept 3,000 children immediately. It estimates 26,000 minors arrived in Europe last year without adults, and are at risk from traffickers and sex abusers. The British government, however, says it will take children from refugee camps in the Middle East rather than those already in Europe. It also will provide more funding to the European Asylum Support Office to help Greece and Italy reunite migrants, including children, with family members already in Europe Europol analysts studying law enforcement details from across the 28-nation EU are concerned that they are beginning to see cross-pollination between people-smugglers and criminals who traffick and exploit humans. "That confirms our understanding of criminal organizations at the European level," Donald said. "They are very adept at making changes to reflect the current situation. So if the market for them is changing then they will follow that market and at the moment the area of exploitation that's largely available is the exploitation of migrants." Of the 150,000 migrants and refugees rescued at sea and brought to Italy in 2015, accompanied minors accounted for 12,360, according to the UNHCR office in Rome. UNHCR official spokeswoman Carlotta Sami said there is no firm figure on just how many of those have slipped away or might have been exploited. "More than disappeared, they are on the move," often trying to reach relatives or other contacts in northern Europe, not wanting to stay in Italy, Sami said. "There is no certainty where they are" or if they ever reached their destination. Save the Children Italy spokesman Michele Prosperi said that Europol, "sounded an alarm that is based on a real risk" because thousands of minors don't stay within the system of migrant protection. "They find themselves in a very vulnerable condition, and can be subject to violence or pressure," Prosperi said. They look at the traffickers not as a threat but as people who are trying to help them finish their journey, he added, and are very reluctant to tell anything about their treatment to aid workers or officials in Italy for fear that their plans to continue onward will be jeopardized. Russia has released a series of bizarre cartoons showing Vladimir Putins political rivals being brutally killed. The clips show well known political figures meeting their grisly ends after being accused of crimes such as corruption and abuse of office. Incredibly, the animations were released by the All-Russia Peoples Front (ONF) the political movement founded by Putin himself in 2011. While the cartoons are clearly jokey in nature, they are chillingly similar to the way former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin brutally executed his rivals. The cartoon series is titled In Putins Reception and shows the Russian president confronting various well-known political figures. One clip features the former governor of Sakhalin region Alexander Khoroshavin, who was sacked in real life last year for taking bribes. Khoroshavin is seen grovelling in front of a stern-faced Putin who ignores his pleas and opens a trapdoor under the former governors chair. Another shows business Viktor Grebnev, who faces fraud charges over his companys work on the Vostochny Cosmodrome. He begs for mercy, claiming that missing money was only being wasted anyway because maybe space doesnt exist. An unimpressed Putin ignores his pleas and uses his watch to call a flying saucer to the scene, which immediately kills Grebnev with a laser gun. In each cartoon, Putin orders deaths that somehow match the victims job. A well-known environment officer is killed with a buzzsaw, while the director of a water company is eaten alive by piranhas and an airline owner run over by an airport bus. Throughout the clips Putin remains silent and shows little emotion until his political enemy dies. Putin set up the ONF in 2011 and has used it as a platform to rail against corruption among political and business leaders. At a Kremlin meeting last week, Putin said that 8,800 people had been convicted of corruption in the first nine months of 2015 alone. This story first appeared in The Sun. Officials in South Africa's biggest wildlife park are anticipating the deaths of some animals because of a drought afflicting the region, but they describe the extremely dry period as a natural way of regulating wildlife populations. William Mabasa, spokesman for Kruger National Park, says hippos will be among the first animals to die as they wander in search of grazing areas. Buffalos are also expected to suffer if substantial rains don't arrive in coming weeks. However, park officials told journalists who recently visited Kruger park, a major tourist attraction, that lions and some other predators should benefit from the drought by taking advantage of weakened prey. Ecologist Izak Smit says rainfall in Kruger park is 40 to 50 percent of the average for this time of year. An Egyptian lawyer says three Coptic Christian students face charges of insulting Islam and will stand trial this week after appearing in a video mocking Muslim prayers. Maher Naguib, a lawyer from the southern city of Minya, told The Associated Press Monday that the students, all in high school, will stand trial on Thursday. The students' teacher, also a Christian, was tried separately over the same charges. He fled the town and was sentenced to three-years imprisonment in absentia last year. Naguib said he will appeal. The students appeared in a video pretending to pray and reciting Quranic verses. Christians make up 10 percent of Egypt's population. Egypt has witnessed a surge in blasphemy charges in recent months at a time when President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi vowed to modernize religious discourse. Irans supreme leader has awarded medals to five members of the Iranian Navy whom he said captured intruding U.S. Navy sailors during a tense incident in January. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei awarded the Order of Fath medal to Admiral Ali Fadavi, the head of the navy of the Revolutionary Guards, and four commanders who seized the two U.S. Navy vessels, according to Reuters. Irans state media reported the news on Sunday. Order of Fat'h given by Chief Commander of Armed forces to IRGC Navy commanders who captured intruding U.S. marines. pic.twitter.com/1gkGz2bh2p Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 31, 2016 In a tweet sent from his account Sunday, Khamenei misidentified those who were captured as being members of the Marines. On Jan. 12, Iran captured the ten sailors whose boats misnavigated into Iranian waters, according to Defense Secretary Ash Carter. Though the sailors were released the following day, Iran released video of the sailors being captured, detained and apologizing for the incursion. Though Iran initially accused the sailors of spying, Fadavi later said an investigation had established the sailors were led astray by "a broken navigation system" and the trespassing was "not hostile or for spying purposes". The sailors were attempting to navigate from Kuwait to Bahrain when they crossed into Iranian waters. In one of the more enduring images from the video of the capture, the sailors are shown kneeling on the decks of the boats, with their hands on their heads, all while being watched by armed Iranian troops. Though U.S. officials initially sought to downplay the encounter, Carter recently said the images made him very, very angry. The Order of Fat'h has been given to Iranian war heroes, military commanders and politicians, especially those involved in the Iran-Iraq War, which lasted between 1980 and 1988. Khamenei has said that Iran should remain wary of the U.S., even after the two enemies reached a deal on the future of Iran's nuclear program last summer. Click for more from Sky News. The Israeli military partially closed off the main Palestinian city in the West Bank on Monday, sealing off roads out of the city intermittently after a nearby shooting the day before that wounded three soldiers. Citing "situation assessments," the military said only residents of Ramallah could enter and only residents of other cities and humanitarian cases were allowed to leave until further notice. Ramallah is the seat of the semi-autonomous Palestinian Authority and is a commercial center, drawing workers from around the West Bank. "Internal closures" were common during the Palestinian uprising that ended a decade ago, but have been rarely used in recent years. The move came a day after a Palestinian policeman who served as a bodyguard for the Palestinian attorney general opened fire at a checkpoint near the city, wounding three soldiers. Despite the measure, a row of about 100 cars queued at a checkpoint that was closed in the morning could be seen streaming through, and a main road out of the city, which had earlier been closed, was later opened. Palestinians said the partial closure was collective punishment for the act of one individual. "They shouldn't punish the entire governorate of Ramallah for a policeman who carried out an attack," said Palestinian police spokesman Adnan Damiri. Israel has struggled to contain a wave of near-daily Palestinian attacks, which began in Jerusalem in mid-September and later spread to the West Bank and cities across Israel. It has beefed up security, sending troops to patrol its cities and erecting checkpoints in Arab areas of east Jerusalem. The wave of violence has claimed the lives of 26 Israelis and one American student. At least 151 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, including 106 who were said by Israel to have been attackers. The rest have been killed in clashes with Israeli troops. Israel says the violence is fueled by a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement. The Palestinians say it is the result of frustrations rooted in nearly 50 years of life under Israeli occupation. In the latest violence Monday, the military said a Palestinian attempting to cross the West Bank separation barrier drew a knife when soldiers approached him. The troops opened fire, killing the Palestinian. It was a hare-raising sight. A rabbit was rescued from the brink of disaster on Friday after being blown onto a roof in Northern Ireland, The Guardian reports. The bunny, named Bumper, had barely managed to cling to the roof before the local fire department arrived, the media outlet adds. Bumpers adventure began when a gust of wind from Storm Gertrude blew his cage open and thrust him onto the roof of the Woodbank House, a residential care home in Omagh, County Tyrone. "We tried to figure out how on earth a rabbit would get on the roof," Woodbank worker Caroline Swift told the media outlet. "It must have catapulted. Bumper ultimately made it down safely with the help of the fire crew, "one short extension ladder, one reach pole and one particularly tasty carrot, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service posted on their Facebook page, The Guardian reports. In honor of the rabbits storm survival, Woodbank House is debating renaming him Gertrude Bumper, Swift added. While animal-related rescues are typically the responsibility of the UKs animal rescue group USPCA, the Omagh fire chief David Doherty told The Guardian circumstances to this were a little bit different as we were told the animal had been blown onto the roof by the wind, rather than become the victim of an animal abuse situatin. Each year, Franchise Update Media honors the top performers in franchise sales and development at its STAR Awards dinner, a highlight of the annual Franchise Leadership & Development Conference, held this past Oct. 14-16 in Atlanta. The STAR Awards (Speaking To And Responding) recognize brands for overall development performance and in the key areas of franchisee recruitment, online sales follow-up, telephone responsiveness, website effectiveness, social media, and franchisee satisfaction. STAR Award winners are chosen based on evaluations by a team of Franchise Update sales and lead generation experts. In 2015, Bach to Rock took home the honors for Best Website Practices. Their story is below. (Read about the #1 overall winner, Wild Birds Unlimited here.) On Bach to Rock's recruitment website, what you see is what you get. It's a winning formula for the fast-growing national music education brand that took top honors for Website Best Practices. The company, which began franchising in 2012, relaunched its recruitment website two years later with a commitment to transparency "in terms of unit economics, investment in the business, and who and what we are as a brand," says Brian Gross, president of Bach to Rock, which has 6 company stores and 37 franchised units. The website, says Gross, is designed to provide an engaging and easy way for prospects to experience Bach to Rock at whatever commitment level they choose. Information is brought to life with video, graphs, charts, and illustrations. Potential franchisees ready to dive into the process can download a thorough, 35-page brochure. The integrated platform also reaches out to recruits in a various ways, including blogs, portals and remarketing. Potential franchisees can make inquiries directly by email or phone. "Our goal was to give them as much information as we have available, so they can make an informed decision and see if their objectives are consistent with our brand - and, if so, help them take the next step toward ownership," says Gross. The strategy is paying off. Since the website's launch, web leads have risen 200 percent - quality leads that prompted Bach to Rock to adjust its best practices to ensure the company continues to handle the volume of interest promptly and with a personal touch. And sales are up 70 percent. Burgeoning business is matched by an aggressive growth plan. Bach to Rock anticipates adding as many as 500 units in the next decade, and ultimately expanding the music and community-centric franchise internationally. "We want to build the system, but it has to be done in the most productive and healthy way - for both sides," says Gross. Chicken Salad Chick Opens New Florida Location In The Villages Fast-Casual Restaurant Concept Expands Presence in Central Florida February 01, 2016 // Franchising.com // AUBURN, Ala. - Chicken Salad Chick, the nation's only southern inspired, fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today it will be expanding in Florida with its newest location in The Villages. The new restaurant will open on Tuesday, February 2 at 996 Bichara Blvd. The newest Chicken Salad Chick is owned and operated by franchisee team Tim O'Neill, Bill Battillo and Mark Clausen of Village Chick, LLC. This is the first franchise location for the group and marks the 8th Chicken Salad Chick restaurant in Florida. During grand opening week, guests will enjoy southern hospitality through giveaways and specials at the new Chicken Salad Chick restaurant: Tuesday, Feb. 2 The first 100 guests will receive a "Meet the Chicks" punch card. For sixteen weeks, guests can try one free scoop of the chicken salad 'flavor of the week', allowing guests a tour of every Chicken Salad Chick flavor. The first 100 guests will receive a "Meet the Chicks" punch card. For sixteen weeks, guests can try one free scoop of the chicken salad 'flavor of the week', allowing guests a tour of every Chicken Salad Chick flavor. Wednesday, Feb. 3 Free cookie for the first 100 guests that purchase the Chick Trio. Free cookie for the first 100 guests that purchase the Chick Trio. Thursday, Feb. 4 The First 20 guests that purchase two pounds of chicken salad receive a free custom Chicken Salad Chick cooler. The First 20 guests that purchase two pounds of chicken salad receive a free custom Chicken Salad Chick cooler. Friday, Feb. 5 The first 50 guests will receive a free Chicken Salad Chick visor with the purchase of any special. The first 50 guests will receive a free Chicken Salad Chick visor with the purchase of any special. Saturday, Feb. 6 The first 50 guests will receive a sleeve of golf balls with the purchase of any special. The first 50 guests will receive a sleeve of golf balls with the purchase of any special. "We're truly excited to bring the Chicken Salad Chick brand to The Villages," saidTim O'Neill, Chicken Salad Chick franchisee. "As one of the largest and friendliest retirement communities in the world, we know the residents of The Villages will love our delicious flavors and variety of chicken salad." Tim O'Neill, an Auburn graduate, had been dining at Chicken Salad Chick for years when it came to his attention that there was an opportunity to become a franchise owner. After partnering with Bill Battillo and Mark Clausen, and meeting with founders, Kevin and Stacy Brown, the trio established Village Chick, LLC with the goal of growing the unique Chicken Salad experience in Central Florida. The Villages location will be the brand's 46th restaurant in the U.S. The Chicken Salad Chick concept, born in Auburn, Ala., was established in 2008 in the kitchen of founder, Stacy Brown. When Stacy discovered that the local county health department would not allow her to continue making and selling her delicious recipes out of her home kitchen, she overcame that obstacle by launching her first restaurant with the business expertise of her future husband and fellow founder,Kevin Brown. Together, they opened a small takeout restaurant, which quickly grew; the company now has 46 restaurants across the Southeast. Chicken Salad Chick in The Villages is open daily from 10:30 a.m. 7 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.chickensaladchick.com, or call (843) 352-2130. Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and trends. About Chicken Salad Chick Chicken Salad Chick puts an edgy twist on a southern classic, offering guests a "custom fit" chicken salad experience, with 15 original flavors to choose from, as well as gourmet soups, flavorful side salads and freshly-baked desserts. Today, the brand has 46 locations across the Southeast, and has currently sold 141 franchises to be developed across the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. The brand was recently named as the top chicken salad in the country to try in the March/April issue of Cooking withPaula Deen, as well as one of FastCasual.com's top Movers and Shakers and as one of NRN's 2015 Breakout Brands. Corporate offices are located at 724 North Dean Road in Auburn, Alabama. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information. SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick Contact: Tiffany Trilli Fish Consulting 954-893-9150 Ttrilli@fish-consulting.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Cindy Crawford Steps Up For Second Year To Motivate Midwest Charities To Raise $3 Million In Eighth Annual Art Van Charity Challenge Kicking Off February 1 Retailer to award $300,000 in grants to fundraising nonprofits, upping this year's first place prize to $100,000 WARREN, Mich. - Feb. 1, 2016 // PRNewswire // - Rise to the (charity) challenge! The eighth annual 2016 Art Van Charity Challenge competition kicks off February 1 with Cindy Crawford, international supermodel, businesswoman and philanthropist, reprising her role as the campaign's official ambassador for the second consecutive year. Crawford plans to inspire nonprofit organizations in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio to raise $3 million during this year's spirited competition. "We are delighted that Cindy has embraced the Art Van Charity Challenge by lending not just her name, but her deep commitment to this extraordinary community initiative," said Art Van Elslander, founder and chairman of Art Van Furniture. "The fundraising bar has been set high for this year's competition and I look forward to seeing how participating charities rise to the occasion." On February 1, the Art Van Charity Challenge, powered by CrowdRise, will begin accepting applications from Midwest nonprofit organizations focusing on children, health care and human services. Art Van Furniture will award a total of $300,000 in grants to fundraising nonprofits, with this year's top prize increasing to $100,000. Other grants awarded will range from $1,500 to $50,000. The competition lasts five weeks, from May 18 to June 22, 2016. To date, the Art Van Charity Challenge has raised the most funds out of all CrowdRise challenges in the Midwest. "Each of us has been touched in our lives by someone in need of the services these wonderful charities provide," said Crawford, who lost her brother to leukemia when she was nine years old and has helped raise money for the Leukemia Foundation of America and other special causes. "It is a privilege for me, and fulfilling on so many levels, to again play a role in supporting so many deserving organizations through the Art Van Charity Challenge." The Art Van Charity Challenge raised $2.3 million in 2015, over $22 million in the past seven years, and donated more than $7 million to participating nonprofit organizations. The Art Van Charity Challenge supports more than 260 charity partners in the communities it serves. For more information, visitartvancharitychallenge.com. About Art Van Furniture Art Van Furniture is the Midwest's largest furniture retailer and America's largest independent furniture retailer. The company operates 100 stores throughoutMichigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana, including freestanding Art Van PureSleep mattress stores, Art Van Flooring stores, and Art Van Furniture franchise locations as well as a full service e-commerce website. Founded in 1959, the company is family-owned and headquartered in Warren, Michigan. Visit artvan.com for more information. SOURCE Art Van Furniture ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Coverall Recognizes Top Franchised Businesses Of The Year Coverall Honors Franchised Business Owners for Exceptional Contributions to the Brand February 01, 2016 // Franchising.com // DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. - Coverall North America, Inc., a leading franchisor of commercial cleaning businesses, announced today the company's Franchised Businesses of the Year in the large, medium and small category. Jeremiah Bates, owner of Emerald Cleaning Service LLC in the Pittsburgh area, Benit Gotah and Ablavi Anoumou, owners of Adi-Got Brothers Services LLC in the Charlotte area, and Hebert Ospina, owner of Hebert Enterprises Corp. in the South Florida area, have all been recognized as Franchised Businesses of the Year for their exceptional business leadership and their contributions to the Coverall brand. "These outstanding Franchised Businesses of the Year demonstrate exceptional performance and dedicated service to their customers," said Jim Congrove, Coverall Chief Operating Officer. "These independently owned and operated franchised businesses should be extremely proud of their achievements." Like many new Franchised Business Owners, Jeremiah Bates started his business without previous commercial cleaning experience. After 15 years in Florida'shospitality industry, Bates was looking for a fresh start and after much research, made the decision to start his franchised business with the Coverall System. Emerald Cleaning Service LLC provides services to customers in six counties in the Pittsburgh area. Named Coverall's Franchised Business of the Year, Large Category, Bates credits his success to the advice he has received over the years from other Coverall Franchisees, and the team at the Pittsburgh Support Center. Originally from Togo, Africa, Benit "Benny" Gotah came to the United States in 2001 to pursue his master's at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. His wife, Ablavi, stayed behind to care for their children while Benny started building a life inthe United States. After a few years of working at a local restaurant, Benny saved enough money to have his family join him in the United States. It was then that he and his wife decided to start their own business. In 2014, they discovered the Coverall franchised business opportunity and launched Adi-Got Brothers Services, LLC in the Charlotte area. In less than two years as franchisees, they have been named the 2015 Coverall Franchised Business of the Year, Medium Category. Hebert Ospina was born in Colombia and never thought he'd leave his home country, but when his son-in-law asked him to take over his Coverall franchised business, Ospina couldn't pass up the opportunity. In 2013, Ospina moved to the United States to take over the business. Three years later, Ospina has grown his business with a careful focus on delivering high-quality service and increasing customer satisfaction. His strategic thinking and attention to detail are just some examples of why he was named the Coverall Franchised Business of the Year, Small Category. Coverall, a leader in the franchising industry, is guided by a strong value system based on Integrity, Mutual Respect, Honesty, Trust and Team, and has built a servant-leadership system with its Franchised Business Owners as top priority. Each year Coverall gives its Franchised Business of the Year, in the large category, national recognition, in person as its guest, at the International Franchise Association's Franchise Action Network Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. Those interested in exploring Coverall franchised business opportunities may visit Coverall's all-new website at www.coverall.com/franchise-opportunities. Coverall North America, Inc. and its Master Franchisees license and support more than 8,000 independently owned and operated franchised commercial cleaning businesses worldwide under the Coverall name and system. About Coverall North America, Inc. Since its inception in 1985, Coverall North America, Inc. has grown into a leading franchised brand, licensing thousands of entrepreneurs to operate independent commercial cleaning businesses using the Coverall brand and system. February 26, 2015, marked the company's 30th year in business, a milestone anniversary celebrated across the entire Coverall Franchise System. In 2008, Coverall launched its proprietary Health-Based Cleaning System Program and in 2014, introduced the Coverall Core 4 Process, demonstrating its dedication to continuous innovation and leadership on behalf of its franchisees. Coverall's unique system combines advanced cleaning technologies and tools, hospital-grade disinfectants, professional training programs, business support services, and a passion for healthy cleaning to do one thing: help our franchised businesses remove the maximum amount of dirt and germs as efficiently as possible for their customers. System-wide, more than 8,000 Franchised Businesses provide Coverall Program services across 90 markets to over 40,000 customers. For more information, visit www.coverall.com. SOURCE Coverall North America, Inc. Contact: Jessi Nunez Fish Consulting (954) 893-9150 Jnunez@fish-consulting.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus East Coast Wings & Grill Achieves 12 Consecutive Years of Positive Same Store Sales Leading Casual Family Dining Franchise Closes 2015 with Double Digit Percent Increase in New Unit Growth; On Track to Reach 100 Units in the Next Four Years February 01, 2016 // Franchising.com // Winston-Salem, N.C. East Coast Wings & Grill, a North Carolina based casual family dining restaurant with an emphasis on buffalo wings, is closing out a banner year - impressing both consumer and investor palates alike. Taking note of Americans increased appetite for casual family dining, East Coast Wings & Grill offers an attractive investment opportunity centered upon unit-level economics to support both operations and expansion. Achieving its 12th consecutive year of positive same store sales, which includes 45 quarters of positive comps, the company experienced a 4.1 percent growth in same store sales over 2014. Additionally, the franchise has sustained a double-digit increase in new unit growth due to the brands unique development strategy and continued commitment to unit-level economics. I am thrilled with what our national service center and corporate team have been able to accomplish with unit-level economics, stated Sam Ballas, CEO of East Coast Wings & Grill Much of our success can also be attributed to our strong partnerships with our franchisees. Their hard work validates that following a proven franchise system results in economic success. We are ecstatic that even with traditional national growth pressures; we were able to sustain our remarkable unit-level EBITDA lead by our owner-operated restaurants at more than 19 percent. Furthermore, 2015 marked the 7th consecutive year that East Coast Wings & Grill finished with new store unit growth in the double digits. Based on new leases and markets under construction, the burgeoning franchise is expecting to once again exceed a 20 percent increase in new stores for 2016. With 70 plus locations currently operating or in various stages of development, East Coast Wings & Grill opened three restaurants throughout 2015, with plans to open 10 additional locations this year. Specifically, East Coast Wings & Grill is looking to expand its national footprint in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The company anticipates reaching its 100-location milestone within the next 48 months. The fast-growing franchise networks growth is not going unnoticed. For the second year in a row, East Coast Wings & Grill secured itself a top spot on Restaurant Business magazines Future 50 list, an annual ranking of the fastest-growing small chains in the United States. Entrepreneur magazine also recently named East Coast Wings & Grill as one of the nations top franchise investments, and Franchise Times magazine ranked the company No. 395 on its Top 200+ of top revenue-producing franchises based in the United States. East Coast Wings & Grill was additionally ranked in the top 25 percent on the The Franchise Grade Top 500 list for transparency during the franchise sales process, corporate support, training, revenues and growth. Franchise Business Review ranked East Coast Wings & Grill in the top 50 for franchisee satisfaction. For more information on East Coast Wings & Grill or to find the nearest location, visit www.eastcoastwings.com. About East Coast Wings & Grill East Coast Wings & Grill is a fast-growing, casual, family dining franchise that puts the spotlight on buffalo wings. With more than 70 locations nationwide currently operating or in various stages of development, the burgeoning franchise recently placed No. 37 in Restaurant Business Magazines 2015 List of Fastest Growing Mid-Size Restaurant Chains. Based in North Carolina, the concept caters to chicken wing lovers by offering dozens of varying chicken wing flavors that can be paired with nine heat intensities - resulting with hundreds of delicious choices. The extensive menu also includes salads, wraps, sandwiches, burgers and more all using fresh ingredients. For more information about East Coast Wings & Grill or its franchise opportunities, visit www.eastcoastwings.com or www.eastcoastwingsfranchise.com. SOURCE East Coast Wings & Grill Media Contact: Angelic Venegas Fishman Public Relations 847.945.1300,ext. 230 avenegas@fishmanpr.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Glen Taylor Joins Mark Slade Homes Team at Keller Williams Mid-Town Direct Maplewood, NJ - January 30, 2016 - (PR.com) - Glen Taylor, a New Jersey real estate sales professional, has joined the Mark Slade Homes Team at Keller Williams Mid-Town Direct Realty in Maplewood. Glen Taylor was most recently with Lattimer Realty in Caldwell, N.J. He has been in real estate for nearly 30 years, having grown up in the business as a second generation realtor, working with his family for many years. While Taylor has both his real estate sales license and brokers license, when it came to education he followed another passion, cooking, and earned his degree from the Culinary Institute of America. Taylor has strong ties to the community. He served as an Essex Fells volunteer fireman for 32 years and reached the rank of Chief. He is a member of the North Essex Chamber of Commerce and supports numerous community organizations including ARC of Essex and local police, fire and first aid squads. He currently resides in Springfield, NJ, with his family. I am delighted to have Glen on our team, said Mark Slade. His years of experience and ties to the West Essex community are unparalleled. By joining our top producing team, he will be able to combine his vast experience with the resources provided by Keller Williams to provide top notch services to his clients. I chose the Mark Slade Homes Team and Keller Williams because it is growing and increasing its market share in Essex and Union counties, said Taylor. Marks use of state-of-the-art technology and his ability to put a multitude of resources to work for buyers and sellers makes his team the perfect fit for me, he continued. Taylors newest listing is at 49 Oak Lane in Essex Fells, NJ. A classic colonial located across from the town green, the home has 4 bedrooms, two full and two half baths, a deck and a patio and is listed at $747,000. To learn more about this property or how Glen Taylor and the Mark Slade Homes Team can help you meet your real-estate needs, contact him at 973-632-4595 or glentaylor4@verizon.net. The Mark Slade Homes Team covers the bedroom communities of NYC including Maplewood, South Orange, Montclair, Glen Ridge, Millburn, Short Hills, Livingston, Summit, New Providence, Berkley Heights, Madison, Chatham, West Orange, Essex Fells, Caldwell, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Roseland, Mountainside, Cranford, Springfield, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, Verona, Florham Park, East Hanover and Westfield. The team specializes in relocation services, first time home buyers, luxury homes and top notch selling and buying services. Information is also available at www.goodhomesforgoodpeople.com. About Keller Williams Realty, Inc. Austin-Texas based Keller Williams Realty, Inc. is the largest real estate franchise by agent count in the world with 700 offices and 125,000 associates across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. In 2015, Training Magazine named Keller Williams the No. 1 training organization across all industries in the world. Since 1983, Keller Williams has grown exponentially and continues to cultivate an agent-centric, education-based, technology-driven culture that rewards agents as stakeholders. The company also provides specialized agents in luxury homes, commercial and farm and ranch properties. For more information, visit www.kw.com. SOURCE Keller Williams Realty, Inc. Contact: Mark Slade Mark Slade Homes Team Keller Williams 917-797-5059 ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Living With Heart Failure? Home Care Can Help National Heart Failure Awareness Week February 14-20 February 01, 2016 // Franchising.com // Sunrise, FL - Interim HealthCare is joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Heart Association to spread the word about strategies for preventing heart disease and encourage people to live heart healthy lives during American Heart Month in February. About 5 million people in the United States have some degree of heart failure, with roughly another 550,000 diagnosed annually. It is the leading cause of hospitalization in people over age 65. About half of those who develop heart failure die within 5 years. Heart failure costs the nation an estimated $32 billion each year. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications to treat heart failure, and missed days of work. The good news? In many instances, heart disease can be prevented when people make healthy choices and it can also be successfully managed. Health professionals, families and physicians can work together to educate people about making healthier choices. They can also help those who have heart disease, learn to manage it more effectively. Heart disease refers to any number of conditions that affect the heart, including coronary artery disease (CAD) and congenital heart disease. Coronary heart disease is characterized by the narrowing of small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. This condition can often be treated or prevented with healthy lifestyle choices. Heart failure means that the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. This condition can be caused by the blockage of blood vessels caused by coronary heart disease or high blood pressure. People with advanced congestive heart failure (CHF) have episodes of serious illness, and then long periods in which their illness seems to stay the same. Although people may recover from their episode of serious illness, it's possible they won't return to their previous level of functioning. People with advanced heart failure may need help with daily tasks, such as meal preparation and getting dressed, or with other activities, like running errands and housekeeping. At some point, there may be a need for home health care support. Home Health agencies are experts at assisting patients with their daily activities as well as managing medications, coordinating physician visits or transitioning them home after a hospital stay. Interim HealthCare has experience in helping individuals and their families live successfully with Heart Failure, comments Jennifer Ballard, Chief Clinical Officer of Interim HealthCare, Inc. Our franchisees provide Nurses and Aides who visit people in their homes or residential communities to provide total care or supplement a healthcare regimen. About Interim HealthCare Interim HealthCare Inc., founded in 1966, is a leading national franchisor of home care, hospice and healthcare staffing. It is part of Caring Brands International which also includes UK-based Bluebird Care and Australia-based Just Better Care, both well-known franchise brands in their countries. With more than 530 franchise locations in seven countries Caring Brands International is a global health care leader. Interim HealthCare in the United States is unique in combining the commitment of local ownership with the support of a national organization that develops innovative programs and quality standards that improve the delivery of service. Franchisees employ nurses, therapists, aides, companions and other healthcare professionals who provide 25 million hours of home care service to 190,000 people each year, meeting a variety of home health, senior care, hospice, palliative care, pediatric care and healthcare staffing needs. For more information or to locate an Interim HealthCare office, visit www.interimhealthcare.com. SOURCE Interim HealthCare ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus Rechy Appointed to Board of Directors for Restaurant Facility Management Association February 01, 2016 // Franchising.com // WACO, Texas Dwyer Group, one of the worlds largest franchising companies of trade service brands, is proud to announce that Brianne Bidwell Rechy, National Accounts Manager for Rainbow International Restoration, has been named to the Board of Directors for the Restaurant Facility Management Association. Rechy will serve as the vendor representative on the board for a one-year term in 2016. I am honored to be appointed to the RFMA board, Rechy said. I look forward to representing Rainbow International and the entire RFMA vendor community in my role as well as working with everyone on the board. Rechy has been an associate at Dwyer Group for four years. Prior to her role as national accounts manager she served as a director of business development for Dwyer Service Solutions. We are very proud to have one of our team members selected to the RFMA board this year, said Bruce Jensen, Director of Business Development & Strategic Initiatives at Rainbow International. We know Brianne will do a fantastic job representing our company and service brands and serving the RFMA organization. The RFMA, headquartered in Plano, Texas, is the only association created by and for restaurant facility managers. It is an industry that Dwyer service brands know well, being a preferred vendor at local and national account levels for service trades needs in maintenance and management issues across North America. About Dwyer Group, Inc. Dwyer Group, Inc., based in Waco, Texas, is a holding company of 11 franchise businesses, each selling and supporting a different franchise under the following service marks: Aire Serv, Glass Doctor, The Grounds Guys, Five Star Painting, Molly Maid, Mr. Appliance, Mr. Electric, Mr. Handyman, Mr. Rooter (Drain Doctor in the UK and Portugal), ProTect Painters, and Rainbow International. Collectively, these independent franchise concepts offer customers worldwide a broad base of residential and commercial services. In addition, Dwyer Group operates glass shops in New England under the Portland Glass brand name. Dwyer Group is a portfolio company of The Riverside Company, a global private equity firm. The firms international portfolio includes more than 75 companies. More information on Dwyer Group, or its franchise concepts, is available at www.dwyergroup.com. Dwyer Group is also on Twitter at @DwyerGroup. SOURCE Dwyer Group, Inc. Contact: Monica Feid BizCom Associates (972) 490-8053 MonicaFeid@BizComPr.com ### Comments: Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Disqus LYNCHBURGHot-button political issues provided fertile territory for moral dilemmas as students from Randolph, Lynchburg and Sweet Briar colleges discussed doing the right thing during an ethics bowl held before an audience at Lynchburg College last week. The Lynchburg, Sweet Briar, and Randolph Ethics Bowl teams were preparing for the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges Ethics Bowl contest, which started Sunday and concludes today. The theme Ethics and Civic Responsibility also served as the theme of the exhibition debate. In one of the scenarios, Inez, a fictional clerk at a low-cost womens health clinic in Houston, is torn apart when she realizes that a familiar patient, Blanca, has presented a fake identification card. Representatives from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently came to the clinic and asked them to report anyone they believe does not have a legal right to be in the United States and keep them until ICE can detain them. Members of Lynchburg Colleges Team A and Randolph Colleges sole team faced off on that scenario. Team members had just a handful of minutes to confer before presenting what they felt Inez should do, based upon ethical principles and terms. Both teams said Inez should not report Blanca, arguing other ethical considerations trumped following government orders in this situation. Members of the Lynchburg College team argued two points. Most importantly, they said, reporting Blanca would make other women afraid to use the clinic as word of her detainment spread, preventing them from getting needed health services. They also pointed out Blanca has her two children with her in the waiting room. Randolphs team argued Inez should not report Blanca based on respecting her rights as an individual. There are other avenues for ICE to pursue. . All people deserve a right to health care. That should be the norm, Randolph College student Tahan Menon said. Sweet Briar coach and philosophy professor Heidi Samuelson said she was happy to help the Sweet Briar students revive their ethics bowl team and she loves talking about ethics. Thats why I teach philosophy, Samuelson said. Its because it can apply to real-life situations and thats something that gets lost sometimes I think. RestorationEze of Chicago Launches Revamped Website Focused on Client Assistance Providing ample sources of information will help area residents better understand water damage and remediation as well as reduce preventable disasters, publishes restorationeze.com Chicago, IL -- February 1, 2016 (FPRC) -- Recent census reports place almost 2 million households in the Chicago metropolitan area with more than 250,000 businesses operating in the vicinity of the city. With Illinois ranking among the nation's top ten states for high flooding risk, local residents stand to lose millions to this most common natural disaster in the United States. Additionally, flooding due to burst pipes, sewage backups and similar issues further drive up possible costs for area property owners. In light of the mounting flood damage potential from both internal and external sources, spokesperson Matt Hudson from RestorationEze of Chicago has launched the company's newly revamped website. Hudson explained, "We established our company to help homeowners navigate the hardships of water damage by creating a nationwide network of licensed, certified and insured industry professionals. Our new website focuses on providing not only water removal and restoration services, but helpful information for area homeowners on a number of topics pertaining to our field." Among the features of the new company website is a blog sharing team members' knowledge on various aspects of flooding and water damage. Recent topics of discussion include statistics on the likelihood of water damage, development and spread of slow leaks and common loss scenarios of which homeowners should be aware. These posts point out warning signs of potential issues, ramifications of neglecting home plumbing repairs and detail other relevant matters. The website also lists links to additional resources, including the local chapter of the International Cleaning and Restoration Association; the Restoration Industry Association; the internationally recognized Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification; and the Federal Emergency Management Association. In-depth explanations of processes used to clean and restore homes and businesses following flooding and fire damage are provided as are pieces clarifying the intricacies of insurance claims. Answers to viewer questions have been incorporated into the newly designed website as well. Concluded Hudson, "Helping local home and business owners recover from the aftermath of natural flooding, sewage backups, fires, plumbing problems and other situations is our business, and we're always on hand for emergency calls. We feel confident the new features of our redesigned website will assist local residents in understanding what to expect if the worst should happen to them; hopefully, we may even be able to help reduce the number of preventable disasters we often see in our area." About RestorationEze of Chicago Devoted to helping area residents overcome the destruction left behind by water events, the team at RestorationEze of Chicago consists of professional restoration companies across the nation who are fully vetted, certified and licensed to work hand-in-hand with clients as well as their insurance companies. Send an email to Matt Hudson of r (312) 257-3861 Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) Fellowship Home Loans Launches Revamped Website Dedicated to Mortgage Education Fostering successful home ownership comes from providing information, advice and alternatives, fellowshiphomeloans.com Jericho, NY -- February 1, 2016 (FPRC) -- Figures recently released by the financial sector reveal an estimated 50 percent of America's mortgage loan applications are denied by traditional lending institutions due in large part to more stringent regulations sparked by the housing market crash of 2008. Though the nation has made significant strides toward recovery in recent years, industry officials remain reluctant to loosen their grip on eligibility standards in the interest of preventing a repeat of past events. With those spurned by conventional lenders in mind, Brian Schiele, co-founder of Fellowship Home Loans, has launched the Christian Mortgage Lending firm's newly revamped website. Said Schiele, "We've been in the Christian Home Loan business for more than ten years, so we've seen the real estate industry at its highest and lowest points. We're also well aware of how a buyer's market can turn into a seller's market seemingly in the blink of an eye. Hopeful home buyers face a lot of hurdles when they're looking for a house and applying for a mortgage, but our purpose is to help make the process as smooth and stress free as possible. Many of our efforts focus on providing education about buying a home as well as the loans we offer, and our new website is designed to carry on that tradition." The newly redesigned Fellowship Home Loans website offers in-depth information pertaining to a number of aspects of the mortgage application process, such as pre-application preparation and the factors taken into account when determining eligibility. Explanations of the different loans available are additionally provided. Blog posts updated on a monthly basis discuss a range of industry-related topics along with the company's signature approach to lending. Schiele and co-founder Mike Rakeman have conducted a number of community outreach efforts leading up to the recent website overhaul. Among these is the team's Church of the Month drawing in which one church is chosen at random each month to receive cash prizes and mortgage counseling for the both the church as a whole and its entrant. They also extend the benefits of their industry experience to others via their radio shows, which can be accessed on the company website. Concluded Schiele, "It's a blessing to be able to assist thousands of homeowners and offer services to help our communities thrive. Our team is able to provide the conventional standard and fixed-rate loan options, FHA and VA Home Loans, as well as a number of other alternatives. We believe the key is giving clients as many alternatives as possible and helping them choose the one best suited to their individual needs. This website update is just the latest step in our efforts to give back to the community, and we will continue to add new features as the need arises." About Fellowship Home Loans: Dedicated to helping customers with all their mortgage needs, members of the Fellowship Home Loans team provide a number of options to current and potential homeowners while applying their Biblical principles to all they do. Send an email to Brian Schiele of r 1-800-804-SAVE (7283) Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) Home Care Assistance - Toronto/York Region Comments on Study Detailing Hospital Deaths in Canada Home Care Assistance - Toronto/York Region discusses a study showing the need for more palliative care outside of hospitals in Canada. -- Home Care Assistance - Toronto/York Region (www.HomeCareAssistance-Toronto.com), the leading provider of non-medical, in-home senior care in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), is weighing in on a study showing that Canada has the highest percentage of people dying in hospitals. A new study published in medical journal JAMA showed that Canada has the highest percentage of seniors dealing with end-of-life care in hospitals. Out of the seven countries that were part of the study, Canada topped the list with 52.1% of its seniors receiving end-of-life care in hospitals. Belgium was a close second at just over 51%, and the U.S had the lowest percentage of seniors dying in hospitals with only 22.2%. (Source: "End-of-life care in Canada more hospital-centric than in U.S, Europe," CBC News, January 19, 2016; http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/end-of-life-palliative-hospice-1.3410064.) "It's not often we Canadians can learn something about healthcare from our neighbours south of the border," says Brian Shevel, president of Home Care Assistance - Toronto/York Region. "But in this case, we must give credit where credit is due. The U.S is doing a far better job at providing the type of end-of-life care that seniors prefer." Restricting end-of-life care to hospitals is one of the factors that escalate healthcare costs for the country. However, countless studies have shown that seniors prefer to live out their days at home or somewhere private. "That's actually what's odd about the proportion of Canadians dying inside of hospitals," Shevel continues. "We know they prefer to be at home, we know that we can't manage the medical costs that are associated with end-of-life care, yet as a country, we still haven't figured out a way to really address the issue." Costs for patients in a hospital can be three to four times more than receiving palliative care at home or in a palliative care unit. The U.S National Cancer Institute, the Commonwealth Fund, and the U.S National Institute of Aging all contributed to the funding of the study. Home Care Assistance - Toronto/York Region offers palliative care to families dealing with loved ones who are dying. Caregivers are trained to act practically and with sensitivity to ensure seniors are as comfortable as possible before they pass. More information can be found at www.HomeCareAssistance-Toronto.com. For more information about us, please visit http://homecareassistance-toronto.com/ Contact Info: Name: Brian Shevel Organization: Home Care Assistance - Toronto Address: 3300 Rutherford Rd., Unit A6 Highlands Farm Center Vaughan, Ontario L4K 5Z2 Phone: 416-822-0204 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/home-care-assistance-torontoyork-region-comments-on-study-detailing-hospital-deaths-in-canada/102577 Release ID: 102577 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) Kaye/Bassman Leaders Make Numerous Media Appearances in Recent Weeks Firm's Managing Partners and co-CEO Jeff Kaye weigh in on healthcare and HR recruiting and employment issues and other topics, Kaye/Bassman reports Plano, TX -- February 1, 2016 (FPRC) -- Kaye/Bassman International Corp. reported a wave of significant media appearances by a number of the company's leaders in recent weeks and months. A reflection of the influence and esteem Kaye/Bassman enjoys in the industry, several Managing Partners and co-CEO Jeff Kaye have been sought out by media outlets for their insights on their areas of focus and into the contemporary recruiting industry in general. With an exclusive Client Focused Search process that covers a full 36 distinct areas of practice, Kaye/Bassman has been a leading recruiting firm since its founding in 1981. "A lot has changed in the decades since Kaye/Bassman was founded, as we have been there virtually since the beginning of the recruiting industry," Kaye said, "Between our distinctive Client Focused Search approach and our proprietary Market Mastery specialization model, we have helped thousands of clients find the candidates they needed to strengthen their organizations. It is rewarding to see media outlets ranging from highly regarded professional publications to our local CBS affiliate seeking out what Kaye/Bassman experts have to say." Although most companies pursue their own in-house recruiting efforts, finding suitable matches becomes more difficult as the importance and specialization of the associated roles increases. For several decades now, businesses seeking to add key employees and executives have therefore increasingly turned to outside companies whose missions center around recruiting. When it was founded nearly thirty-five years ago, Kaye/Bassman International Corp. was one of a few players in a still-young industry that was just then finding its footing. With their sights set on the goal of making the company into the largest single-site recruiting firm in the country, early Kaye/Bassman leaders laid down some bedrock principles that still guide the company today. The two most prominent and momentous of these are reflected in the company's trademark Client Focused Search process and Market Mastery practice-area model. Taken together, these exclusive approaches ensure that clients gain access to the most talented and appropriate candidates, even for the most critical and demanding roles. As an insurance and risk management recruiter, for example, Kaye/Bassman deploys Managing Partners and specialized, highly trained staffing and search consultants to precisely target each individual client's needs. This commitment allows the company to produce far more rewarding results than the average insurance recruiter, accounting even for local market conditions, and has been a key factor in Kaye/Bassman's success. In standing out as such a prominent and successful part of the industry for so long, Kaye/Bassman has become regarded as a go-to source in other respects, as well. Over the last few months, and quite regularly in general, Kaye/Bassman leaders have been sought out by members of the media to weigh in on the recruiting industry and specific areas of practice. Full details regarding these numerous recent media appearances by Kaye/Bassman Managing Partners and co-CEO Kaye can be found in the "News" section at www.kbic.com . About Kaye/Bassman International Corp.: With client-focused solutions that reflect a deep mastery and understanding of each area of practice, Dallas-based Kaye/Bassman International Corp. has been a leading recruiting and executive search firm since 1981. Send an email to Kaye/Bassman Communications of r (972) 931-5242 Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) Military Ground Robot Mobile Platform Systems to Engage Terrorists Market Worth $ 10.1 Billion By 2021 : Radiant Insights,Inc RadiantInsights.com has announced the addition of "Global Military Ground Robot Mobile Platform Systems to Engage Terrorists Market Trends, Growth And Forecast Report To 2021 : Radiant Insights, Inc" Market Research Report to their Database. -- The global military ground robot mobile platform systems to engage terrorists market was worth USD 3.3 billion in 2014. A new study by Radiant Insights, Inc. projects it to grow to USD 10.1 billion by 2021. This will be brought about by technological innovations in military combating. Although the use of robotic platforms is not the conventional military system, military establishments all over the world are increasingly adopting automated processes. Such systems of engagement include tracks and wheels, arms and sensors, and motor and solid state batteries. They synchronize with smart phones and mobile platforms. This enables military organizations to have a broader and more intelligent presence across the globe. Browse Full Research Report With TOC On "Military Ground Robot Mobile Platform Systems to Engage Terrorists: Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2015 to 2021" at: http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/military-ground-robot-mobile-platform-systems-to-engage-terrorists-market-shares Military ground robots lend an edge where ability to resolve conflicts with neighboring countries depends on a country's military strength. Researchers at Radiant Insights note that increasing attempt to modernize the military operations is a key demand driver for military ground robot mobile platform systems to engage terrorists. Browse related reports by Radiant Insights: o Grow Lights for Agriculture Market - http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/grow-lights%20for-agriculture-market o Vertical Farming, Plant Factory Market - http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/vertical-farming-plant-factory-market About Radiant Insight Radiant Insights is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. We assist and facilitate organizations and individuals procure market research reports, helping them in the decision making process. We have a comprehensive collection of reports, covering over 40 key industries and a host of micro markets. Contact: Michelle Thoras Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Radiant Insights Inc. United States Phone: 1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@radiantinsights.com Web: http://www.radiantinsights.com For more information about us, please visit http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/military-ground-robot-mobile-platform-systems-to-engage-terrorists-market-shares Contact Info: Name: Michelle Thoras Email: sales@radiantinsights.com Organization: Radiant Insights, Inc. Address: 28 2nd Street Phone: 14153490054 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/military-ground-robot-mobile-platform-systems-to-engage-terrorists-market-worth-10-1-billion-by-2021-radiant-insightsinc/102446 Release ID: 102446 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) Lucidx Lead Generation Launches Time-Saving Social Media Management Tool Social media marketing is a critical part of promoting a business. However managing and updating multiple social media accounts by yourself can be time-consuming and challenging. Lucidx Lead Generation offers businesses a way to automate management of their social media while also tracking customer engagement. -- Today social media marketing is a critical part of promoting a business. However managing and updating multiple social media accounts by yourself can be time-consuming and challenging. A new tool being launched by Lucidx Lead Generation offers small-to-medium-size businesses a way to automate and streamline management of their social media posts while also tracking customer engagement. With Lucidx's Social Media Management Dashboard, companies can schedule content to post at any time in the future. They can also use the tool's templates to create visual posts with the potential to increase engagement and research engaging and interesting content. "Our new Social Media Management Dashboard makes it easy to manage content as well as track the ways in which people are engaging with that content," said Deon Bryan, spokesperson for Lucidx. "Our post engagement feature, in particular, is a must for any business that wants to base their marketing strategy on what works in their social media marketing. Armed with that knowledge, companies can tweak content to reach customers and prospective customers much more efficiently." Whether a business has an existing social media presence or wants to start building a social media marketing strategy from scratch, Lucidx's Social Media Management Dashboard can help. If required further support is available from Lucidx's team of experts, who can help clients work on any aspect of their online marketing. To access Lucidx's free Social Media Management Dashboard, go to http://lucidx.co.uk/social-media-management/, and sign up to explore the tool's many time-saving features, including the popular post engagement tracker. About Lucidx Lucidx is a London-based lead generation firm that helps businesses gain exposure by working with clients to devise internet marketing strategies that improve reach and grow customer base and revenue. They do this by helping clients manage customer reviews, improve search engine optimization, manage social media, design and maintain effective websites and more. Learn more about Lucidx at http://lucidx.co.uk. For more information about us, please visit http://lucidx.co.uk/ Contact Info: Name: Deon Bryan Email: deon@lucidx.co.uk Organization: Lucidx Lead Generation Address: 144 Brockley Grove, London, SE4 1EB. Phone: +44 20 3322 2176 Release ID: 102230 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) Andersen Construction Celebrates 30 Years as Top SoCal Construction Company Over the course of three decades, Andersen Construction has built up a reputation as one of region's most reliable and capable residential and commercial construction experts. Bellflower, CA -- February 1, 2016 (FPRC) -- Andersen Construction celebrates 30 Years as a top Southern California construction company. With construction activity in the state back at healthy levels and still picking up quickly, Andersen Construction stands ready to give residential and commercial clients alike the benefit of its three decades of experience. As part of Andersen Construction's anniversary celebration, its website has been updated with new resources, including guides to important facts about commercial tenant improvement construction and how the Southern California residential construction company can help with home remodeling or building projects. "We're happy to report that we have reached a real milestone, having first opened our doors thirty years ago now," Andersen Construction representative Scott Andersen said, "It has been an incredible experience for us all, and we'd like to thank everyone we've had the pleasure of working with over the years. Never content to settle for the status quo, we have some big things planned for the future, too, along with maintaining the same quality of service that has allowed us to thrive for so long." Although California was among the states hardest hit by the nationwide real estate bust that triggered the last recession, construction activity has since embarked upon a healthy recovery. The final figures are not yet in, but it looks likely that single-family new home starts for 2015 will reach a level at least 10% greater than in the year before, with especially strong growth in the latter part of the year. With a now thirty-year history of providing the best in residential and commercial construction services, Andersen Construction is especially well positioned to lead the present surge of activity in Southern California. A full-service company that oversees and conducts everything from ambitious residential remodeling and building projects to the finishing and improving of commercial spaces for businesses, Andersen Construction has become one of the most highly regarded and prominent companies of its kind in California. Emphasizing teamwork, quality of service, and complete customer satisfaction with every project, Andersen Construction stands out as one of the state's most reliable and capable construction specialists. As part of the company's anniversary celebration, its website has been updated and augmented with a range of informative guides and articles that will help prospective and existing clients learn more about what Andersen Construction can do for them. About Andersen Construction: Living up to its motto of "Quality Service, Customer Satisfaction, and Teamwork" on every project, Andersen Construction is one of Southern California's top builders, serving residential and commercial customers on projects of all kinds. For more information about us, please visit http://www.andersenbuilds.com/ Send an email to Helene Eakin of r (800) 887-1100 Recent Press Releases By The Same User ShapeHost Launches New Spring Sale Offering Savings Of Up To 35% On VPS Packages (Tue 8th Mar 16) Paypro Finance Launches their Consumer Financing for Small Business Program (Mon 7th Mar 16) Kuber Ventures Publishes New Infographic To Show Difference Between EIS for Pensions and SIPP (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Pregnancy Exercise Publishes New Guide Into Training For Fitness While Pregnant (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Centex Hosting Launches Newly Redesigned Website To Herald Expansion Into VPS Hosting (Thu 3rd Mar 16) Royal Cliff Receives ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certification (Wed 2nd Mar 16) Got something FREE to share?? Send your entries or comments to FREEISMYLIFE National Australia Banks demerger of its UK banking operations has been given the stamp of approval by the Supreme Court of Victoria. In a statement released today (1 February), the bank revealed the proposal had been granted approval by the court following overwhelming support from shareholders last week. NAB chief executive Andrew Thorburn said he was delighted the court had given the final approval for the demerger of the Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks (CYBG). The courts approval today is the final significant step in the separation of NAB and CYBG into two independent corporate groups, he said. The demerger allows each business to focus on improving performance in their home markets and on business priorities that will maximise value for their respective shareholders. The demerger allows each business to focus on improving performance in their home markets. The demerger is set to be implemented on 8 February. NAB will lodge the orders of the Supreme Court of Victoria with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission tomorrow (2 February). CYBG is also expected to commence trading under the London Stock Exchanges main market for listed securities on a conditional basis tomorrow (2 February). The outcome of the proposed initial public offering to institutional investors of CYBG, including pricing, is also expected to be announced tomorrow (2 February). Mr Thorburn said both companies can now look ahead to the future. He said: NAB is now in a position to focus all its resources, attention and leadership on the markets most important for us Australia and New Zealand. NABs demerger plans were originally announced in May, with the banking group confirming its plan to offload its subsidiaries in November. katherine.denham@ft.com Mutual Scottish Friendly has reported a record-breaking 18 per cent increase on its sales for 2015. The financial mutual saw sales reach 25.5m in 2015, an increase from the 21.6m reported in 2014. It claimed sales growth was driven by investment Isas, life and pensions policies, as well as protection products. Investment sales were up 14 per cent, which Scottish Friendly said was largely due to strong demand from its own brand distribution and the groups business partners. Protection sales jumped 20 per cent, helped by the firms business partnerships with brands such as Beagle Street, Smart Insurance and British Seniors Insurance Agency. Fiona McBain, Scottish Friendlys chief executive, claimed the companys continuing sales growth was led by the My Isa platform proposition, originally developed in 2012. Scottish Friendlys white labelling of protection products to key business partners goes from strength to strength, making an increasingly important contribution to our recent business success. This is set to be a growth area for us in the future. In June 2015, Scottish Friendly took over Marine & General Mutual, a move which doubled Scottish Friendlys assets under management to over 2bn. Ms McBain described 2015 as a landmark year for Scottish Friendly. In line with our agreed strategy, we will carry on seeking out opportunities that will benefit our members and our partners and continue offering quality products and services. katherine.denham@ft.com Allianz Global Investors (GI) is to close three funds after deciding they were commercially unviable because of their limited size. The 10.5m Japan fund, 7.5m Brazil portfolio and 2.6m Allianz RiskMaster Defensive Multi Asset vehicle are all set to close on April 27, with all subscriptions and transfers into the portfolios suspended last week. The Brazil fund launched in 2010, while the multi-asset vehicle launched in 2012 and the Japan portfolio began life in 2002. The funds managers will all remain at the company as they retain responsibilities for other portfolios. In letters to investors, the company warned for each portfolio that continuing to operate the fund at this level of investment would not be economically viable as the fund is too small to be managed efficiently. An Allianz GI spokesman stressed the closures were not part of a broader review of the companys products, adding: We constantly keep our UK product mix under review to ensure it is in line with what clients want from us. The fund house said it had considered merging each of the funds into other vehicles, but pointed to a variety of reasons for not doing so, such as the particular investment objective in the case of the Japan fund. According to FE Analytics, over three years the Brazil fund shed 57.2 per cent, while the multi-asset fund declined by 2.3 per cent. The Japan fund delivered 37.1 per cent. . Oilseed rape growers will need to strike a careful balance between strong growth and yield loss this spring as mild growing conditions encourage crop canopies to flourish well ahead of normal size for the time of year. The warning comes from Adas senior research consultant Pete Berry, who says many of the more vigorous and early maturing varieties, which were drilled in July and August, are further forward than last year. Some growers have even been reporting confused crops coming into bud or flower already, as a only handful of frosts in January failed to hold growth back. There is a risk that the plants will effectively outcompete and shelter each other, blocking sunlight which can affect seed numbers and filling on lower pods, ultimately restricting yields Pete Berry, Adas See also: How to assess and regulate oilseed rape growth this spring Mr Berry told Farmers Weekly the biggest risk of the accelerated growth is crop lodging, which can potentially reduce yields by 50%, but he explained that having too big a canopy at current growth stages can cause yield losses of about 0.4t/ha. There is a risk that the plants will effectively outcompete and shelter each other, blocking sunlight which can affect seed numbers and filling on lower pods, ultimately restricting yields, he said. However, the big canopies mean growers could enjoy a welcome cut to required nitrogen inputs this season, with the unseasonably warm weather also encouraging soil mineralisation. Dr Berry recommends growers examine crops in February and take a green area index (GAI) reading to calculate any reduction in fertiliser that may be warranted. Bedfordshire grower and Arable Farmer Focus writer Matt Redman said he is considering altering his canopy management strategy this spring to reflect the taller, thicker crops. Crops are about knee-high and have thick canopies, but being so high and thick has helped keep the pigeons off. No doubt this will mean some changes to what we do in the spring, easing off the initial nitrogen application at least or delaying it slightly. Crops will have a fair bit of nitrogen already so hopefully we can make some savings, he said. FIVE GENERATIONS Five generations of the Leach family are pictured above. This is Minnie Brown Leachs second five generation line. Pictured are Minnie Brown Leach, A.L. Jamison, Julia Leach McGill, John F.... County OKs tax break for company that will purchase spec building Now we know why there was plenty of buzz around Project Bee. Although Project Bee had been identified several months ago as the codename for the Canadian company Niagara Pharmaceutical,... Open house on public transportation County residents are invited to drive the conversation this week about how future transportation needs can be met in the community. RLS & Associates is hosting open houses Wednesday from... Cancer Association event to go Over the Edge of AC Hotel The Cancer Association of Spartanburg & Cherokee Counties Inc. announces the return of the popular fundraiser, Over the Edge Upstate slated for Thursday, November 3, at AC Hotel Spartanburg,... News & Notes Area health and safety organizations recently formed a task force to help address the growing public health crisis pertaining to addiction to prescription pain medications. The group began meeting last August, and includes representatives from local health care providers in Benton, Linn and Lincoln counties, law enforcement agencies, Oregon State University, county health departments and the regions Coordinated Care Organization, IHN-CCO. Samaritan Health Services Vice President for Primary and Specialty Services Ryan Combs is task force chair. In recent years, Oregon has led the nation in the estimated rate of nonmedical use of prescription pain medicine, also called opioids. Over the past decade in Oregon, the number of opioid overdose deaths increased by 450 percent. Opioid overdose currently claims more lives annually than do auto accidents. Similar trends are being seen locally, officials say. Officers & Directors Benton County Commissioner Jay Dixon has been appointed to the ABC House Board of Directors. Dixon has a background in law enforcement and working on issues related to juveniles. His involvement in juvenile justice issues has influenced state and federal funding for those programs. He also serves on the Oregon Community Corrections Commission, the Oregon Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, the Willamette Criminal Justice Council and the Oregon Juvenile Crime Prevention Advisory Committee. He is vice chair of Oregons Youth Development Council. The ABC House provides child abuse assessment, trauma counseling and prevention education programming for more than 1,000 Benton County children and adults each year. Established in 1997, it is a child abuse intervention center offering child abuse assessment, treatment and support services as well as post-trauma counseling and youth and adult educational programming. It is the only agency in Benton or Linn counties providing forensic evaluations and support services for children authorities believe have been abused. Dixon was appointed to the board on Nov. 17 and attended his first official meeting as a member on Dec. 15. Take a Bow The Downtown Corvallis Association annual Downtown Design Awards ceremony was the main feature at the organizations Downtown After Hours held Dec. 3 at the Inkwell Home Store. The awards are presented annually to those who make outstanding contributions to downtown spaces within the central business district that are accessible to the public. The ceremony helps acknowledge and promote exemplary design and improvements in downtown, consistent with the DCAs mission statement to improve and promote the economic, aesthetic, and cultural vitality of downtown Corvallis. The following awards were given: Interior and Exterior Renovation: Enrique and Ingrid Solar of Kidsthletics; of Enhancing Downtowns Economy: Hugh and Elizabeth White for White Wind Superfoods and Cell Phone Sick Bay; for White Wind Superfoods and Cell Phone Sick Bay; Interior Improvements: Meera Willis Majors of Miss Meers Shoe Boutique; of Historic Renovation: Billy Brown, general manager of the Old Spaghetti Factory; general manager of the Downtown Beautification: Bill Humphreys Jr. of Citizens Bank; of Miscellaneous/Public Art Grand Prize: Lee Eckroth, Play, Corvallis, Play sidewalk pianos. Linn-Benton Community College Business Technology Instructor Twila Lehman received the 2015 Distinguished Service Award from the Oregon Business Education Association at its annual fall conference last October. Lehman, of Albany, has been a faculty member for 26 years. She teaches business technology classes, and has been instrumental in creating and updating business courses. Lehman is a member of the Administrative Office Professional statewide consortium and of the LBCC Business Technology Advisory Committee. She also served as the LBCC Benton Center Business Technology Program Coordinator for 10 years. Lehman is involved in the National Business Education Association, the Western Business Education Association and the Oregon Business Education Association. She has served on the OBEA Board for 12 years, and is a past president. She currently serves as the OBEA Marketing Director. Conser Commercial announced in December that Matthew Conser has won the 2015 Leasing-Transaction of the Year Award from the Oregon and Southwest Washington Certified Commercial Investment Member Chapter. Headquartered on I-5 in Albany, Conser Commercial is a division of Conser Realty and Associates (www.consercommercial.com). Conser Commercial specializes in commercial and investment real estate with a focus on the acquisition of off-market assets, development projects, listings and 1031 exchanges to help investors protect and grow their wealth. Conser won the 2015 Leasing Transaction of the Year for repurposing and leasing of the former AMF-Albany Lanes bowling alley this year. He also won a TOY for bringing Lowes to Albany in 2012, and served as 2015 Oregon/SW Washington CCIM Chapter President. The CCIM designation is recognized as a hallmark of professional real estate competency. It affords its designees a competitive advantage in commercial and investment real estate by increasing their reach and scope for sourcing and analyzing potential real estate opportunities. The Oregon and Southwest Washington CCIM chapter is one of 57 chapters in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Asia. Staff members of University Honda in Corvallis participated in the TopAdvisor contest sponsored by American Honda. Two representatives qualified at the district level last September. Both service advisors, Keith Erhardt and Thomas Walker, received top honors, allowing them to go to the zone level. University Hondas service advisors received first and second place in the entire zone on Nov. 10. The zone consists of nine states, 84 dealers and 850 technicians and advisors. Erhardt, receiving first place, was selected to attend the national competition, representing the Corvallis dealership, Jan. 17 through 20 in Torrance, California. Only the winners from each zone go on to compete at the national competition for TopAdvisor. Every fall the Washington publication Wine Press Northwest conducts an invitational competition for Northwest wines. To be invited to the competition, a wine must have been awarded a gold medal in a major international competition. This year three Cardwell Hill Cellars wines were invited. The 2012 Pinot Noir and 2012 Reserve Pinot Noir both received double gold medals. The 2014 Pinot Gris received a gold medal. Cardwell Hill Cellars is owned by Dan and Nancy Chapel of Philomath. They practice certified sustainable agriculture for all of their vineyard operations. Trying to reduce your carbon footprint? Consider how you travel. According to the book, How Bad are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything by Mike Berners-Lee, that round trip from the West Coast to sunny Barcelona by plane uses 3.4 tons of C02 emissions if you travel economy class or 13.5 tons C02 emissions in first class. It would be roughly the same carbon footprint as using 340,000 disposable plastic shopping bags or, as Berners-Lee describes, going to the store every day for 10 years and coming home with 93 bags. Add to that the poorly understood but known greater effect of high-altitude emissions which we cannot yet factor into the statistics, and we have compelling food for thought when creating our travel plans. I have a friend who lives in Port Townsend, Washington. Several years ago she committed to living in place and reducing her carbon footprint. Her travel is limited to her local area. Another friend, a river rafter, will only raft the rivers in the Pacific Northwest for similar reasons. Even if you dont fly, consider checking on the travel history and carbon footprint of your food and other products that you use and consider doing what you can to buy food and products produced closer to home. For events to help you keep your travels and your food local check out the following events for February. 12th Annual Eco Film Festival: 6:30 p.m. every Friday in February, Odd Fellows Hall, 223 S.W. Second St. The film schedule is: Feb. 5: Just Eat It! Feb. 12: Gaining Ground Feb. 19: Lost Rivers Feb. 26: Tiny Admission is a suggested donation of $5 per person or $10 per family. For more information about the festival email info@sustainablecorvallis.org. Caterpillars Up Close: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8, room 2087, Cordley Hall (building just east of the greenhouses on Orchard Avenue), Oregon State University. Dr. Jeffrey Miller, entomologist and emeritus professor at OSU, will discuss the larval life stage of butterflies and moths, how they function, food plant relationships and their role in global diversity. For more information contact Jordan at brownj@science.oregonstate.edu or 541-224-2245. Progress on Climate Change: Whats Up with the City and the State? 7 p.m. Feb. 9, Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. This free presentation will feature Brett Thomason of Renew Oregon/Oregon Climate Coalition Campaign, Zach Baker of the Corvallis City Council and chair of the Climate Action Task Force, and Kristin Eberhard, senior researcher and energy policy analyst for Sightline Institute. The evening includes time for questions. Beauty from the Beast Plate Tectonics and the Landscapes of the Pacific Northwest: 7-9 p.m. Feb. 10, Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. A free presentation by Dr. Bob Lillie. Transportation Action Team Meeting: 3:30-5 p.m. Feb. 17, location given when you RSVP. Help the group plan 2016 projects to help encourage Corvallis residents to walk, bike, bus or carpool. Rsvp by contacting Kevin Grant , KevinAGrant@gmail.com. Good Food, Bad Food Agriculture, Ethics, and Personal Choice: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 17, Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. Oregon author Kristy Athens will discuss and lead a conversation on Oregons agricultural economy. For more information contact www.cbcpubliclibrary.net . Annual Meeting of the Greenbelt Land Trust: 6 p.m. Feb. 18, First Presbyterian Church, Dennis Hall, 114 S.W. Eighth St. Join the Greenbelt Land Trust members for their 27th Annual Meeting, featuring a keynote presentation by Phil Mote, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute. They will review 2015 accomplishments, while looking to the year ahead and sharing upcoming conservation, restoration, and outreach projects. They will be honoring the Charles Ross Award and Volunteer of the Year award winners. Participants can enjoy delicious eats from Gathering Together Farm, live music, and more. For more information contact Jessica McDonald at jessica@greenbeltlandtrust.org. Scotch Broom Pull: 10 a.m. Feb. 21, Beit Am Jewish Community Center property behind the Church of the Latter-day Saints parking lot, 4141 N.W. Harrison Blvd. (access by going up the dirt driveway just west of the LDS Church). Help restore this beautiful property by pulling out Scotch broom, an invasive weed. Special tools will be provided thanks to the Benton Soil and Water Conservation District. Please bring water to drink and dress appropriately for the weather. Please contact maureentns@peak.org to sign up or for more information. Winter Repair Fair: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 24, OSUsed Store, 644 S.W. 13th St. Bring broken items and learn how to fix them for free; attend demos to learn more D.I.Y. skills. See website for offered skills and demos. Free. For more information contact http://tiny.cc/repair-fair, andrea.norris@oregonstate.edu, or 541-737-5398. Were under no illusions that the high school graduation rate is the only yardstick by which to measure our public schools. But its not a bad place to start, especially in a state like Oregon, which has: First, written into statute that its goal is to ensure that by the year 2025, every adult Oregonian will have either a high school diploma or its equivalent, and; Second, consistently run near the back of the national pack in high school graduation rates. Statewide, the overall news last week was encouraging: The graduation rate for 2015 (the percentage of students who graduated in four years) rose 2 percentage points, from 72 percent to 74 percent. You cant blame state education officials for modestly celebrating that number: It represents the first notable jump in the rate in five years. But if you look at the number another way, you start to understand why the celebration needs to be restrained: Even with the improvement, that rate means that more than one in every four students who started high school in the fall of 2011 failed to graduate with the class of 2015. We still have much work to do, Salam Noor, the Oregon schools chief, told The Oregonian. Indeed. In the meantime, the news in Benton County was a bit of a mixed bag: The county's larger districts posted increases in the graduation rates, while rural districts in which the loss of just one or two students can drive down the rates lost ground. Continued improvement in the graduation rate at Corvallis High School helped to boost the district's overall rate to 86 percent, up from 84 percent the year before. It's a noteworthy turnaround from the 2010-11 school year, when the graduation rate fell below 70 percent, a shockingly low number in a community where education is such a priority. The graduation rate in Philomath was 91 percent, the best mark in the county, and an improvement over the 84 percent mark the district posted in the 2013-14 school year. The county's smaller school districts stumbled a bit: Monroe posted a 75 percent rate, still slightly above the state average, but down from the previous school year. (To be fair, Monroe school officials said they had an issue with some of the state numbers and are working to resolve that.) Alsea, which graduated eight students in 2014-15, had a graduation rate of 53 percent. Again, with these smaller districts, a swing of a student or two can make all the difference. At this point, however, less than a decade remains until 2025, when every adult Oregonian is expected to have a high school diploma. If we're serious about this goal and Gov. Kate Brown reaffirmed it last week in a meeting with reporters success will depend on having strategies in place to deal with those unexpected swings of just a student or two. So it's true, as schools chief Noor said, that we still have much work to do. And, in fact, the hardest work still lies ahead of us. Security concept : Cologne police announce Karneval crackdown Colognes new Chief of Police, Jurgen Mathies. Foto: dpa COLOGNE Cologne says it is cracking down to avoid a repeat of News Year Eve sexual assaults. Bonn has also announced an increased police presence. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Colognes new Chief of Police, Jurgen Mathies announced at a press conference today, that Cologne would act forcefully against any persons acting out of line during Karneval festivities. Police and city officials presented their security concept for Karneval, with Mayor Henriette Reker emphasizing that they would be vigilant and do everything they could to keep people safe and secure. However, there was no one hundred present guarantee for security. Important was that a repeat of the massive sexual attacks on women which occurred New Years Eve, does not happen again. In Bonn, there will also be more police out on patrol than in past years. Most all police officers are required to work, and Bonn will also receive a boost from units coming from Bochum and Monchengladbach. Officers from there will be on patrol in the inner city, at public transport stations and stops. Prevention work has been ongoing, with refugee shelters being provided with pamphlets which explain Karneval customs and acceptable behavior. A police phone line has been set up for residents who have any concerns during Karneval: 0228-153030 This will operate from Thursday, Feb. 4 beginning 8:00 a.m. For dangerous situations, police say to call the emergency number at 110. Self-Justice groups : Police warn against extremist groups taking the law into their own hands Foto: dpa Dusseldorf The NRW Interior Ministry warns against groups made of right wing extremists and hooligans who are forming in the guise of keeping law and order. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Police and justice officials in North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) warn that right wing extremists, radicals and criminals are organizing themselves into self-justice groups. According to NRW Interior Minister Ralf Jager, Right wing extremists, hooligans and Rocker groups want to make us believe that they are trying to protect us and keep order. However, in reality they are trying to create these groups to serve their own purposes. In NRW, ten such groups are known to police in Cologne, Dusseldorf, Bielefeld and Dortmund. In addition, several groups sprung up on the internet after the attacks on New Years Eve in Cologne by young North African men. The groups have names like Sicheres Bielefeld (a safe Bielefeld). Minister Jager warned, We will not allow self-justice. Officials say the number of such groups online are bigger than the number of hobby-police actually going out on the streets. The largest group is in Dusseldorf, Einer fur alle, alle fur einen (One for all, all for one) with 14,000 members. However, only 50 of these came to the first get together. Although the groups officially distance themselves from violence and hate against foreigners, they often use logos with right wing messages or the leaders appear at large gatherings. Through their overbearing presence and actions, which overstep their right for self-protection, and through their special clothing which looks like uniforms, they make people feel uneasy says Minister Jager. In Bielefeld, at the end of January, 68 hooligans met up, armed with knives, face masks, torches, fireworks and quartz gloves (filled with sand for a harder punch). The group wanted to walk through the city but police stopped them and confiscated their weapons. Jager warned that groups or individuals who take the law into their own hands will be held accountable for their actions. In Bonn, there are no such groups known to police as of now. Citizens, however are alarmed at the high number of break-ins. Some Bad Godesberg residents have hired a private security firm to protect them, Villenviertel-Streife (Villenviertel patrol). In Wachtberg, a Facebook group called Einbruche in Wachtberg (Break-ins in Wachtberg) collect information and tips about possible perpetrators. Refugee apartments : Shortage of 4000 apartments for refugees in Bonn Bonn Once refugees move out of emergency shelters, they need apartments. Officials say there is an urgent need to build more subsidized housing. Teilen Teilen Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Tweeten Tweeten Weiterleiten Weiterleiten Drucken Once refugees are moved out of emergency housing in Bonn, there will be a need for an additional 2,000 to 4,000 apartments to house them. This is according to a study from NRW Bank, which made calculations of what would be needed until the end of 2016. Depending on different studies or sources, there are some variations in these calculations, but the situation is dramatic in any of the scenarios. Currently, Bonn has a total of 4700 refugees housed in both city and state shelters. Under the premise that refugees would want to live where other migrants have settled, the need could climb to 8,000 apartments. The model presented by the NRW bank of 2,000 to 4,000 apartments is based on probability of refugees wanting to stay here, family size and possibility of family members joining them. NRW Bank spokesperson Caroline Gesatzki said the variable factors make it very difficult to predict the number of refugees who will settle here. Despite uncertainty about numbers, it is clear that the need for low-cost housing far surpasses what has been achievable until now. Even without refugees, the city expects a growth of 10% until 2030; that is about 30,000 new Bonners. If the incoming numbers of refugees continues on its current path, there will be 7,000 refugees in Bonn by the end of the year, according to city Director Wolfgang Fuchs. Government subsidized apartments in Bonn currently make up about 7% of housing. Officials say subsidized apartments will need to increase to a total of about 12 14%. According to city statistics, the increase would mean about 10,000 subsidized apartments are needed. Suggested areas for building them include an open space between Friesdorf and Dottendorf, an area between Energy plant Sud and the Reuter bridge along the train route, as well as Kessenich, Buschdorf and some other areas. Despite many ideas for construction, the projects often fall through due to land prices being too high. The situation is expected to worsen in the next two years. Hennef On the weekend, a car lost control and crashed, rolling over onto a sidewalk. No serious injuries were reported. A 25-year-old driver and 20-year-old passenger were slightly injured when their car overturned early Sunday morning around 2:00 a.m. According to passengers, they had just come from a fast food restaurant. The driver apparently lost control of the car as he drove around a long curve to the right, and a passenger called out that they needed to turn left. The car hit a pole, a street lantern and then rolled over onto its roof, landing on a sidewalk. Two other passengers in the car, both 22-years-old, left the scene of the accident but police went to their homes and found them uninjured. A breathalyzer test given the driver displayed a 1.48 blood alcohol content so police ordered a blood test. Allowed in Germany is up to .5 blood alcohol. The drivers license was confiscated. Total damage to property and the car was estimated to be around 10,000 Euro. Facts about Google's secretive 5G internet drone - Project Skybender News oi -Bhagyesh Now if you guys were thinking that 4G is the fastest and most advanced form of network then think again. Google is currently working on creating a more advanced network 5G wireless internet access. So here are all facts that you need to know about Google's Project Skybender. Google is currently using the Gateway to Space terminal to keep the drones and support aircrafts. The terminal was designed by Richard Foster for the most ambitious project Virgin Galactic spaceflights. Google is currently paying $1000 a day for the use of 15,000 square feet of hanger space. SEE ALSO: Here's How You Set-Up Your Samsung Gear S2 Smartwatch Google has also built its own dedicated flight control centre at the nearby Space flight Operations Centre. Google is using drones to experiment with millimetre-wave radio transmissions. High frequency millimetre waves can theoretically transmit gigabits of data every second, up to 40 times more than today's 4G LTE systems. Samsung said it delivered speeds of 1GB per second using 5G, meaning that you could probably download a whole movie in less than a second. The millimetre wave transmissions have a much shorter range than 4G phone signal. To get millimetre wave working from a high-flying drone, Google needs to experiment with focused transmissions called phased array. Google's vision is to send out thousands of high altitude 'self-flying aircraft' delivering internet access around the world. It is also being tested with an "optionally piloted" aircraft called Centaur as well as solar-powered drones made by Google Titan. Google formed this division with a New Mexico start-up called Titan Aerospace that was acquired by the giant in 2014. Titan built high-altitude solar-powered drones with wingspans of up to 50 metres. The aircraft will be also using White Sands Missile Range during the tests. Google has a similar project called Project Loon where they plan to deliver wireless internet using unpowered balloons floating through the stratosphere. This project was basically designed for the under-privileged countries and the news is in 2016 a bunch of balloons will take flight in Indonesia. SEE ALSO: LeEco Le 1s vs Lenovo K4 Note: Which is the budget phone for you? There's also Google's Project Wing that plans to deliver packages thus facilitating the delivery services in various fields like E-commerce, Medical and etc. However 5G isn't expect to be available for the common public until 2020 at the earliest. But both Project Loon and Project Skybender are hugely ambitious projects and they have the capability to dramatically change how we will access the Internet in the future. Best Mobiles in India by Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton With art of the religious imagination, What do you collect, and why? Today's scripture is the parable of the weeds in the book of Matthew. How do you decide what stays in your ? With the passing of our muse and mother, we've reached an important point in our collecting journey. Samsung Galaxy S7 Launch Date Confirmed: Here Are The Details Features oi -VijayKumar After much speculation, Samsung has finally announced the details of the Galaxy Unpacked 2016 event. The company will be hosting an "Unpacked" launch event on Sunday, February 21 in Barcelona, Spain. It is expected that the South Korean smartphone maker will introduce the standard Galaxy S7 as well as the Galaxy S7 Edge at MWC 2016 during the Unpacked event. SEE ALSO: 10 Reasons Why You Should Wait For Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge According to Samsung, the press conference will take place on CCIB (Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona) on February 21st, just the day before official MWC 2016 event kick off. Rethink what a phone can do. February 21. #TheNextGalaxyhttps://t.co/oCVxCmiwO8 Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) February 1, 2016 Rumors have to suggest that Galaxy S7 variant will be powerful and will be available in three different processing chipsets: Snapdragon 820 in China and the US, its own Exynos 7422 in India and also the latest Exynos 8890 in Korea, Japan and Europe. SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Apple iPhone 7: What To Expect From 2016's Biggest Smartphones Meanwhile, the AnTuTu benchmarks results shows a device running the Exynos 8890 chipset scored 100,000 in the test. For comparison, AnTuTu recently published ranking for the fastest smartphone in the world, and no Android smartphone has over 100,000 points. Previous leaks have pointed that the Galaxy S7 will sport a 5.1 inch Super AMOLED display with a QHD 1440x2560 pixels resolution. While the Galaxy S7 Edge is said to features a 5.5 inch Super AMOLED display with the same resolution of S7. Best Mobiles in India Military Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, January 31, 2016 U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted five strikes in Syria: -- Near Hasakah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL structure and two ISIL fighting positions. -- Near Raqqah, one strike destroyed an ISIL crane. -- Near Ayn Isa, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit. -- Near Mar'a, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit. Strikes in Iraq Attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 18 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Qaim, one strike destroyed an ISIL front-end loader. -- Near Habbaniyah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position, an ISIL fighting position, and cratered an ISIL-used land bridge. -- Near Kirkuk, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL tunnel. -- Near Mosul, four strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, and destroyed two ISIL heavy machine guns, two ISIL fighting positions, five ISIL assembly areas, and an ISIL checkpoint. -- Near Ramadi, seven strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle, three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL front-end loader, and denied ISIL access to terrain. -- Near Sinjar, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL fighting position. -- Near Tal Afar, one strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position. Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is a strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Part of Operation Inherent Resolve The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct operations. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemeni forces troops kill five Saudi soldiers Iran Press TV Sun Jan 31, 2016 7:11PM Yemeni army forces, backed by fighters from allied Popular Committees, have killed five Saudi forces in retaliatory attacks inside Saudi Arabia. Yemeni army sharpshooters killed five Saudi troops near Shabakeh and Ghaviyeh military bases in Khubeh area in Jizan region, Yemen's al-Masirah television network reported on Sunday. Yemeni forces also destroyed a US-made Abrams tank used by the Saudi forces during clashes near the Shabakeh military base. Yemeni retaliatory rocket attacks against targets within Saudi territory resumed on Sunday as well. The Mosfagh military base in Jizan was hit in one such strike, causing a huge fire at the base. Yemeni rockets also targeted other Saudi military bases, including Mojazeh, Khurmah and Sho'ab. However, there is yet no news on the casualties and damage left from these attacks. Meanwhile, Riyadh's airstrikes continue to pound targets in Yemen on a daily basis. In one attack, Saudi jets bombed the town of Baqim in Sa'ada Province. In another attack, Saudi bombers hit the town of Munabbih in the same province. In Ma'rib Province, Saudi jets targeted several areas in Jad'an region, carrying out 20 airstrikes there. Jad'an has in the past days been the scene of intense fighting between Yemeni forces and mercenary troops hired by Saudi Arabia. Also in Ma'rib, Saudi jets attacked the town of Sirwah, bombing the region a dozen times. Yemen has been the target of military strikes by Saudi Arabia since late March last year, when the Saudi military launched strikes to supposedly undermine the popular Ansarullah movement and bring fugitive former President Abd Rabbu Mansur Hadi back to power. Over 8,270 people, among them 2,236 children, have been killed and 16,015 others injured since the airstrikes began. The Saudi strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the already impoverished country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address France says plans to end operations in CAR after UN report Iran Press TV Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:20PM French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says Paris wants to end its military operation in the Central African Republic (CAR) later this year after the UN issued a statement detailing the French troops' sexual abuse of children in the African country. 'The aim is to bring Operation Sangaris to a halt. I hope this is done during 2016, with small units remaining on Central African territory as was the case beforehand,' Le Drian said on Sunday. This came after the UN said in a statement on Friday that peacekeepers from Georgia, France and another unnamed European country sexually abused, even raped, children mostly in 2014 in the CAR. The UN staff said they interviewed a girl and a boy who were aged 7 and 9 respectively when they were allegedly abused in 2014 by French 'Sangari' troops. The girl said she had been abused by French soldiers 'in exchange for a bottle of water and a sachet of cookies.' UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein described the acts of abuse as "extremely serious" and called for an urgent investigation into the cases. The French minister also expressed hope that the EU defense ministers agree to train a CAR armed force during a meeting in Amsterdam in early February. The CAR has been hit by turmoil since 2013, when Christian armed groups launched coordinated attacks against the mostly Muslim Seleka group that had toppled the government in March that year. In December 2013, France deployed military forces to the CAR, a former French colony, after the UN Security Council gave the go-ahead to sending troops to the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Boko Haram militants burn children to death in Nigeria: Witness Iran Press TV Sun Jan 31, 2016 1:42PM Terrorists from Boko Haram Takfiri group have burned to death children after they firebombed huts during a raid on a village in northeastern Nigeria, a witness says. The attack took place on Saturday night in Dalori village, which is located just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Maiduguri, the capital and the largest city of Borno State. A survivor told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that he had heard the screams of children burning to death in the latest attack by Boko Haram. The man survived by staying up a tree until Nigerian army troops arrived Sunday. Local residents and witnesses say the militants went on rampage across the village for several hours. At least three female bombers also detonated their explosives among people who were fleeing. They noted that scores of charred corpses and bodies with bullet wounds still litter streets of the volatile region. Some Dalori residents said at least 50 people were killed in the attack which happened after evening prayers, but army spokesman Colonel Mustapha Anka only said in a statement that 'lives were lost while some people sustained injuries.' Borno is one of three Nigerian states hardest hit by the Takfiri Boko Haram terrorists. Yobe and Adamawa are the other two states. Also on Friday, ten people were killed and over two dozen people were injured in a bomb attack at a market in the town of Gombi, Nigeria's restive northeastern region. The casualties came after a young boy of about 12 years of age blew up his explosives at the crowded grain market of the town, north of the city of Yola, the capital of Adamawa State. President Muhammadu Buhari, who promised to put an end to the militancy, said last month that Boko Haram had been "technically" defeated. The militants, however, continue to carry out assaults across the region. According to an AFP tally, Boko Haram terrorists have killed more than 1,650 people since the inauguration of Nigerian President Buhari in May 2015. Boko Haram has also spread its attacks from northeastern Nigeria, its traditional stronghold, into neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Also on Sunday in the Lake Chad region, at least three people were killed and dozens wounded in two bomb attacks. In the first attack, a bomber on a motorcycle blew himself up, killing one person and injuring 32 while the second one left two dead and 24 wounded. Some 20,000 people have been killed and more than 2.5 million others displaced by the Boko Haram militancy across Nigeria Since 2009. Boko Haram has recently pledged allegiance to the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, which is primarily operating in Syria and Iraq. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Militant commander, two aides shot dead in disputed Kashmir Iran Press TV Sun Jan 31, 2016 9:36AM Indian security forces have shot dead a commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group and two of his associates during an exchange of gunfire in the Indian-administered Kashmir region. Colonel N N Joshi, an Indian army spokesman in Kashmir, said government forces launched an operation in Kupwara district, situated about 110 kilometers (68 miles) northwest of Kashmir's main city of Srinagar, after a tip-off that the pro-Taliban militants were present in the area. He added that the militant commander was fatally shot during a standoff, while his two aides managed to break through the police cordon, and hole up at a house. They were later killed during a fierce exchange of gunfire. There was no independent confirmation or comments from LeT. Pakistan and India have been engaged in hostility over Kashmir ever since their independence from British colonial rule and their partition in 1947. The two neighbors have fought two wars over the mountainous region as the archrivals both lay claim to the entire territory. Each controls parts of it, though. Pakistan controls one-third of Kashmir, with the remaining two-thirds being under India's control. Islamabad and New Delhi agreed on a ceasefire in 2003, and launched a peace process the following year. Since then, there have been sporadic clashes, with both sides accusing the other of violating the ceasefire. Thousands of people have been killed in the unrest in Kashmir over the past two decades. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Blackwater commander in Yemen killed in missile attack Iran Press TV Sun Jan 31, 2016 8:5AM The commander of the infamous US security firm, formerly known as Blackwater, in Yemen and dozens of Riyadh's mercenaries were killed Saturday in a missile attack by Yemeni forces in Lahij Province. The Yemeni military backed by fighters of the Houthi Ansarullah movement launched a Tochka ballistic missile on the al-Anad military base in the southern Yemeni province. Colonel Nicholas Petros was killed along with a group of mercenaries fighting for the Saudi regime in its war on Yemen. Lebanon's al-Ahed news website reported that Apache helicopters, Typhoon fighter jets and armories belonging to the mercenaries were destroyed in the missile strike. A spokesman for anti-Ansarullah militants loyal to Yemen's former fugitive president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, claimed the missile had been intercepted and did not hit the target. Blackwater has had to change its name several times due to its ill fame around the world. It is now known as the Academi. The company, which went by the alias Xe Services before its current name, is one of the most notorious private security firms in the world for killing scores of civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen. In a separate development, Saudi warplanes bombarded residential areas in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a. Three women and three children were killed. Saudi Arabia began its deadly campaign against Yemen in late March 2015. The strikes have been meant to undermine Ansarullah and restore power to Hadi. About 8,300 people have been killed and over 16,000 injured since Riyadh launched the airstrikes. The Saudi war has also taken a heavy toll on Yemen's facilities and infrastructure. Yemeni forces have been engaged in retaliatory attacks against the Saudi forces deployed in the country as well as targets inside Saudi Arabia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Patrols in S China Sea 'Real Dilemma for Regional States' Sputnik News 21:45 31.01.2016(updated 23:54 31.01.2016) China has strongly condemned the United States for sending a US Navy destroyer to conduct a patrol near the Paracel Islands in the disputed South China Sea. According to the Chinese Defense Ministry, the ship has breached the country's national laws, as it entered China's territorial waters without receiving prior permission from the Chinese government. Earlier on Saturday, a USS Curtis Wilbur destroyer reportedly sailed within 12 nautical miles of the island of Triton claimed by China as well as Taiwan and Vietnam. According to the Pentagon's spokesman Captain Jeff Davis the move was aimed at protecting the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Davis said that the operation "challenged attempts by China, Taiwan and Vietnam to restrict navigation rights and freedom" in the region. While China has already expressed its dissatisfaction with the US' operations in the area numerous times, other claimants in the South China Sea dispute have been less active. Dr. Jay Batongbacal, Director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs & Law of the Sea, University of the Philippines, explained that countries like Taiwan and Vietnam tend to take such a stance because US operations in the region put them into a risky position. "Their main concern is that of being caught between two great powers, but I think what they are looking for is that the USS Curtis could somehow also counteract China's assertive expansion in the region." The analyst explained why countries like Taiwan and Vietnam are in a real dilemma due to the rising tension between China and the US. "These countries are concerned that China is pushing out fishing activities from their own waters. The petroleum exploration is another matter of concern. There is also the military factor but I think that is the most concern for the US," Batongbacal said. Talking about what concerns China in this situation, the analyst said that this is one of the most vulnerable frontiers for China. "Their jurisdiction under the international law is limited to only the Northern part of the South China Sea but the South China Sea extends more than that. Historically, that region has been more of a shared sea between China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and so on. The international community has also been using it and sharing it as a maritime corridor," Batongbacal said. The analyst pointed out that the fear is that China may be going a little too far in asserting just its own interest and its own claims in this area. Talking about what claims the US has in the region, Batongbacal said, "Historically, the US claims here would really be only limited to the freedom of navigation and over flight, not the ability to traverse this region freely due to its military mobility. Although this kind of interest was also shared by major powers like the USSR before, Russia now and the United Kingdom, as any military naval power would like to have this passage." Regarding the future of this situation, the analyst said that the tension will not die down for a while. It will remain at this tense level and "it might get worse before it gets better. It depends on major powers and how they calibrate their diplomacy at this point by finding some way of living with each other," the analyst concluded. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address This page has found a new home Houthis' Ballistic Missile Attack Kills Dozens of Saudi Coalition Personnel Sputnik News 15:54 31.01.2016(updated 16:07 31.01.2016) Houthi rebels struck the Al Anad air base with a ballistic missile, killing dozens of people and inflicting damage. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Yemen's Houthi rebels carried out a rocket attack on Saudi-led coalition forces stationed at the Al Anad air base in the Lahij governorate, killing and injuring dozens of service personnel, a Yemeni military source told Sputnik on Sunday. 'Ambulances took those killed and injured to Al Houta and Aden. Most of those killed were Yemenis newly conscripted into the government's army and Sudanese servicemen belonging to coalition forces, their positions were hit directly,' the source said. The Al Anad air base, which contains an airport and Yemen's largest training camp, is currently controlled by forces loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi after being captured from Houthi fighters in August 2015. The air base was struck by a Tochka tactical ballistic missile, the source said, adding that coalition forces' military equipment suffered significant damage as a result of the attack. Yemen's southern Lahij governorate borders on the Taiz governorate, which has seen intense fighting between Houthi and government forces over recent months. Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government and Shiite Ansar Allah movement, also known as Houthi rebels, who have been supported by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Since late March, a Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against Houthi positions at the request of Hadi. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China Strongly Condemns US for Sending Warship to South China Sea Sputnik News 05:14 31.01.2016 The Chinese Defense Ministry accused America of violating China's laws by patrolling near the Paracel Islands archipelago, conducted by a US Navy destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur. The destroyer approached the island of Triton in the Paracel Islands archipelago at a distance of 12 nautical miles. According to Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis, the move was aimed at the protection of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. He added that the operation was a provocation to China, Taiwan and Vietnam, who according to the US are trying to limit the rights and freedom of navigation. The Defense Ministry of China strongly condemned the move, urging the US 'not to continue down the wrong path' and warning that otherwise China will take all necessary measures according to the situation. 'US actions severely violated Chinese law and sabotaged the peaceful, safe and good order in relevant waters and is not beneficial to regional peace and stability.' said a spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry, Yang Yujun. He added that no matter what provocations the US side may take, Chinese armed forces will take whatever measures are necessary to safeguard China's sovereignity and security. Earlier on Saturday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the US warship entered the territorial waters of China illegally, stressing that prior to that, any foreign warships must obtain permission from the Chinese Government, according to the relevant provision of the Law of the People's Republic of China. The Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said the Chinese side took appropriate action against the American ships in accordance with the law, taking it under surveillance and alerting the crew. On Wednesday, the head of the Pacific Command US Navy Admiral Garry Harris said that the US insists on the need to respect international rules of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. On Thursday, Hua Chunying said that China continues to adhere to the principle of freedom of navigation and the protection of the South China Sea. China and some countries in the region, including Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, disagree over maritime boundaries and areas of responsibility in the South China and East China seas. China believes that a number of countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam deliberately used US support to escalate tensions in the region. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address AU Summit Ends Without Burundi Action by Marthe van der Wolf January 31, 2016 The African Union wrapped up its heads of state summit Sunday, without a decisive action on Burundi. The African Union did not gather enough support during its summit to deploy troops to Burundi, without the country's consent. Despite a decision from the AU Peace and Security Council in December, to send in troops to halt violence. Peace and Security Commissioner for the African Union, Smail Chergui said the continental body will send a high level delegation to Burundi, to continue consultations and a possible deployment. He says that if Burundi would accept deployment the force would focus on disarming militia, protecting protect civilians, facilitate the work of human rights observers, and collect illegally circulating weapons. Burundi's position Burundi's foreign minister Alan Nyamitwe said the summit ended with a clear understanding the high level delegation would not focus on deploying troops. 'Since the government has indicated several times that we are not interested in that force, I believe it is clear that, that delegation will not engage on the force, because we have made our announcements very clear several times," he said. U.N. Security General Ban Ki-Moon told reporters "its basically up to the African Union, in consultation with the Burundian government. Assistant Secretary of State Linda Thomas-Greenfield says sending in peacekeepers would be in the interest of the Burundian people. "Our understanding is that this is still under discussion. ... So I do not think its off the table and that is a very good thing. We think it is in the interest of the Burundian government to have peacekeepers that will provide eye witnesses to what is going on," she said. Chadian President Idriss Deby closed the summit on Sunday with a call for closer cooperation on terrorism, respecting human rights and keeping African youth from migrating to Europe through illegal ways. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Uganda General Opposed to Museveni Arrested by VOA News January 31, 2016 A military general who opposes Uganda's longtime president has been arrested, according to his lawyer. He says General David Sejusa, who has called President Yoweri Museveni a dictator, is being detained at a military barracks in the Ugandan capital Kampala. Sejusa's arrest is likely to raise tensions before the presidential elections on February 18. Neither the government or military has commented on why Sejusa was detained. Museveni has ruled Uganda since 1986, when he led a group of rebels, including Sejusa, against a government they accused of rigging elections. Sejusa now openly accuses Museveni of violating the ideals for which they waged that guerrilla war. In 2013, Sejusa wrote a letter to the domestic spy chief urging him to investigate allegations of a plot to kill high-ranking government officials seen as being opposed to the political rise of Museveni's son, a brigadier who commands the country's special forces. Facing likely arrest, Sejusa, who, was traveling in Europe at the time, sought asylum in London. He quietly returned home in December 2014. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deadly Suicide Blast Rocks Kabul by Ayaz Gul February 01, 2016 A powerful suicide blast targeting a major police facility in the Afghan capital has killed at least 20 police officers and wounded 29 other people. The head of Kabul's crime investigation department said security guards identified the suspected bomber as he moved toward the Afghan National Civil Order Police Headquarters and tried to stop him when he blew himself up. He condemned the perpetrators as "enemies of Afghanistan." The Taliban claimed responsibility. In a statement sent to reporters, the insurgent group's spokesman said its suicide bomber attacked a group of officers gathered at the gate of the police center. The bombing is the latest in a series of Taliban attacks that have hit Kabul in recent days. A spokesman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said, "This attack on the Afghan police shows the contempt the Taliban have for the rule of law in Afghanistan and for those who commit themselves daily to defending the Afghan people.' He added that targeting those who defend their fellow Afghans does not advance the cause of peace. Meanwhile, four-way talks are due to reconvene in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, later this week to determine a road map to direct peace talks between Afghan government officials and the Taliban. The talks will involve officials from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States. Separately, Afghan authorities have not been able to undertake repairs of power lines that were destroyed last week during clashes between security forces and Taliban insurgents. The damage to electricity pylons in the conflict zone in northern Baghlan Province disrupted nearly half of Kabul's 650-megawatt daily requirement. The fighting and bad weather, according Afghanistan's national power company, has prevented workers from performing repair work. The insurgents are also said to have heavily mined the area. The Taliban denied it is responsible for destroying the power lines, saying government forces' heavy bombing caused the damage. It said insurgency tactics that hit ordinary Afghans do not fit with its fight against the foreign-backed government in Kabul. The resulting power outages, say residents, have undermined business and industrial activities, adding further misery for Kabul's long-suffering population. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mitsubishi F-3 Advanced Technology Demonstrator X (ATD-X) Shinshin (Spirit) Japan said 30 October 2020 it had picked Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to lead the development of the new stealth fighter jet. We awarded the prime contract to Mitsubishi Heavy, a ministry of defence spokesman said. The decision was widely expected as MHI is Japans only jet fighter manufacturer, and no other company bid for the contract, which is expected to eventually cost about $40 billion. On 22 April 2016 Japan became the fourth country to test-fly its own stealth jet. The X2 Advanced Technology Demonstrator, called, took off from Nagoya airport in Aichi Prefecture at 8:47 am Friday morning, flew about 15 kilometers and touched down at the Air Self-Defense Forces Gifu Air Field at 9:13 am. The demonstrator will undergo a further two years of testing before a decision is made on whether to develop a homegrown next-generation stealth fighter. The X2 engines are made by IHI Corp. and its fuselage is developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The demonstrator is also equipped with locally developed stealth technology. The Advanced Technology Demonstrator X (ATD-X) prototype under development by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is not officially planned for production. The Japanese Ministry of Defence will used the ATD-X as a technology demonstrator and research prototype to determine whether domestic advanced technologies for a 5th generation fighter aircraft are viable. The prototype of Japan's 5th generation F-3 stealth air superiority fighter, the Mitsubishi ATD-X Shinshin was developed by the Defense Ministry's Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI). It undergwent taxiing and ground trials at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries testing center in Aichi Prefecture, before taking to the skies, flying to the Gifu Air Field in neighboring Gifu Prefecture. The Mitsubishi F-3 is a planned Japanese indigenous fifth generation fighter. It is planned to evolve from Advanced Technology Demonstrator - X (ATD-X) program. the ATD-X is not a fighter, but rather aa manned sub-scale technology demonstrator, said to be about 1/3rd the size of a possible future fighter. This aircraft is widely known in Japan as Shinshin [ which in Japanese means the heart or the spirit]. The ShinShin means the heart or the spirit, or "spirit of the heart"]. The ATD-X shares numerous similarities with the F-22. The F-3 borrows the intake ramp of the Raptor, and its Y-shaped tail resembles both the Northrop YF-23 and Lockheed YF-22. The ATD-X IHI XF5-1 turbofans provide lower thrust (with afterburner) per engine (11,023 pounds each) than the F-22 (35,000+ lb each), but its reduced weight could allow it to out-maneuver the Raptor. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Malaysia Corruption In 1981 Mahathir Mohamad became prime minister, and his early years in office were marked primarily by attempts to prevent official corruption. In 1998 Minister of Finance Anwar Ibrahim Anwar was arrested and eventually prosecuted for alleged sodomy and corruption, although many observers suggested that these developments were politically motivated. In 2004 the sodomy charged was overturned. Mahathir retired in October 2003 and was succeeded by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who subsequently pursued policies that were often at odds with Mahathirs previous policies. Whereas Mahathir was criticized for corruption and cronyism, Abdullah engaged in substantial anticorruption efforts and terminated many government-funded projects that were administered by Mahathirs associates. Prime Minister Najib Razak launched 1Malaysia Development Berhad [1MDB] soon after taking office in 2009. The 1MDB fund was set up to pay for major new economic and social developments in Malaysia. A Swiss investigation into 1MDB was opened in 2015, citing "suspected corruption of public foreign officials, dishonest management of public interests and money laundering". By Januryar 2016 four cases involving allegations of criminal conduct and covering the period from 2009 to 2013 had come to light in this connection (relating to Petrosaudi, SRC, Genting/ Tanjong and ADMIC), each involving a systematic course of action carried out by means of complex financial structures. Some of the money had been transferred to Swiss accounts held by Malaysian former public officials and current and former public officials from the United Arab Emirates. In July 2015, Malaysia's then-Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail linked a donation of $600 million made to Najib's account with companies and bodies which had ties to 1MDB. Patail was replaced, and, after an investigation, his successor in January 2016 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. Most of the money was later returned. Responding to the Malaysian AG Mohammed Apandis surprise announcement that Najib had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigation, the Swiss Attorney General Michael Laubersaid issued a media statement on 29 January 2016. "The sum suspected to have been misappropriated amounts to around USD 4 billion... So far it has been ascertained that a small portion of the money was transferred to accounts held in Switzerland by various former Malaysian public officials and both former and current public officials from the United Arabic Emirates ... the Malaysian companies concerned have made no comment on the losses they are believed to have incurred." Malaysia ranked in 54th place in Transparency Internationals Corruption Perception Index in 2012 (the lower the ranking, the less perceived corruption). The Malaysian government has taken steps to address corruption, including through the establishment of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in 2008, passage of legislation to make judicial appointments more transparent (the Judicial Appointments Commission Act) also in 2008, passage of a Whistleblower Protection Act in 2010, the introduction of procurement reforms and the launch of government initiatives to target corrupt practices. The Malaysian government considers bribery a criminal act and does not permit bribes to be deducted from taxes. Malaysias anti-corruption law includes the criminal offense of bribery of foreign public officials, permits the prosecution of Malaysians for offense committed overseas, and also provides for the seizure of properties. Critics have questioned the MACCs ability to effectively address high-level corruption, although a number of cases are in court. The MACC conducts investigations but prosecutorial discretion remains with the Attorney General. A lack of capacity and technical skills in some areas hampers MACCs overall effectiveness. The MACC introduced a public database of those convicted of corruption offenses. There is no systematic public disclosure of assets by senior officials. Critics also note that the Whistleblower Act does not protect those who disclose allegations to the media. Government officials cite a four point approach to reducing corruption in government procurement, a key area of focus: increasing the number and decreasing the size of government procurement contract subject to open tenders, introducing the Transparency International Integrity Pact concept to be signed by all vendors that they understand bidding rules and anti-corruption laws prior to engaging in contract negotiations, issuing rules against Ministerial referral letters recommending specific contractors for government contracts, and fully implementing the new Whistleblower Act. The media reported numerous cases of alleged official corruption, and there was a broadly held perception of widespread corruption and cronyism within the governing coalition and in government institutions. On June 13, the newspaper The Star reported that MACC had arrested 442 people from April 2010 to March 2011 for attempts to bribe enforcement officers. On 23 August 2011, MACC reported that it had arrested 46 people in Penang from January to July, with 20 of those suspected of having accepted bribes. On 27 June 2011, MACC reported that it had made 944 arrests in 2010, representing an 88.8 percent increase over 2009. On 06 April 2011, Selangor Customs Officer Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed was found dead on the first-floor badminton court of the Malaysia Anticorruption Commission (MACC) office. Sarbaini had been called in by MACC in connection with investigations into corruption cases involving customs officers. On September 26, the coroners court ruled that the death was accidental and the result of a misadventure. The coroner speculated that Sarbaini was worried that he would be arrested, tried to exit via the window, lost his footing on the ledge, and fell to his death. On 15 September 2011, the Putrajaya Sessions Court transferred the case of former transport minister Chan Kong Choy to the Kuala Lumpur High Court. As a member of former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawis cabinet, Chan was charged with deceiving Badawi into approving Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd as the turnkey developer for the Port Klang Free Zone mega-transshipment hub project. Chans predecessor was also charged with deception, and four other prominent figures were charged with various offenses for their involvement in the project, including criminal breach of trust and fraudulent claims. On 21 September 2011, Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar confirmed the arrest of three senior MACC officers in connection with a RM1 million ($316,000) extortion and robbery case. On 23 December 2011, the High Court found Mohamed Khir Toyo, a former UMNO chief minister of Selangor, guilty of graft for illegally obtaining for himself and his wife two plots of land. MACC is responsible for investigating and prosecuting corruption by both private and public bodies. Civil servants who refused or failed to declare their assets faced disciplinary actions and were ineligible for promotion. The Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 is designed to protect individuals who disclose information on corrupt practices in both the public and private sectors. The act states that anyone who has evidence of someone who has committed a corrupt practice, act, or fraudulent activity can file a complaint against that individual and refer the case to court. The whistleblower would be provided immunity from civil or criminal charges. In corruption investigations, after a senior police official involved in the investigation submits a written application, the law empowers a deputy public prosecutor to authorize interception of any messages sent or received by a suspect. Information obtained in this way is admissible as evidence in a corruption trial. Security forces have broad authority to install surreptitious surveillance devices on private property. In addition, public prosecutors may authorize police to intercept postal and telecommunications messages if a prosecutor judges these likely to contain information regarding a terrorist offense. Intercepted communications from such efforts are admissible in court. The anticorruption commission made several significant arrests in 2014, including the September detention of a dozen customs agency officers who had conspired to evade more than RM1 billion ($306 million) in taxes. The Attorney Generals Chambers, however, was criticized for its inaction in certain anticorruption cases, including one involving a former ruling party UMNO official who was accused of misappropriating RM1.1 million ($336,000) from a government antipoverty program. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced 20 July 2016 the filing of civil forfeiture complaints seeking the forfeiture and recovery of more than $1 billion in assets associated with an international conspiracy to launder funds misappropriated from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund. This complaints represented the largest single action ever brought under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative. According to the complaints, from 2009 through 2015, more than $3.5 billion in funds belonging to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) was allegedly misappropriated by high-level officials of 1MDB and their associates. With todays complaints, the United States seeks to recover more than $1 billion laundered through the United States and traceable to the conspiracy. 1MDB was created by the government of Malaysia to promote economic development in Malaysia through global partnerships and foreign direct investment, and its funds were intended to be used for improving the well-being of the Malaysian people. Instead, as detailed in the complaints, 1MDB officials and their associates allegedly misappropriated more than $3 billion. Funds that were intended to grow the Malaysian economy and support the Malaysian people were stolen, laundered through American financial institutions and used to enrich a few officials and their associates. According to the allegations in the complaints, this is a case where life imitated art, said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. The associates of these corrupt 1MDB officials are alleged to have used some of the illicit proceeds of their fraud scheme to fund the production of The Wolf of Wall Street, a movie about a corrupt stockbroker who tried to hide his own illicit profits in a perceived foreign safe haven." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tran Dai Quang The new Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) leadership was introduced at the party's 12th national congress 28 January 2016. Quang is "a hardliner" who had little tolerance political activists. For the first time in history, a Minister of Public Security [which controls the secret police, as well as the regular force] was elected President, responsible for court blocks - procurator, as well as decisions of domestic policy and foreign affairs of the State. Tran Dai Quang was nominated to run for the post of the country's president by the CPV. Quang was a Member of the Party Central Committee X, XI, XII, and Member of the Political Bureau XI, XII. By July 2015 Tran Dai Quang, then minister of Public Security, had been floated as a compromise candidate for party general secretary. But he was the youngest member of the politburo and has no economic experience. At that time, some observers believed he was likely to be moved to the post of party chief of Ho Chi Minh City, which would broaden his experience beyond internal security, positioning him to assume the top party post at the next congress in 2021. In his new position as President, General Tran Dai Quang better able to solve the overlapping of responsibilities between the police force , Procuratorate, the Supreme people's court. According to Resolution 49-NQ / TW of the Politburo on "Judicial Reform Strategy until 2020", the President is Head of the Steering Committee of the Central Judicial Reform Communist Party of Vietnam, oriented to mechanisms and policies and measures to implement effective reform of the Justice system. The President has the right to request the Provincial Party Committee, Party group, the Party Commission and the Party Central Committee to provide information, contribute ideas for the text in the field of Justice and reporting results of the implementation of Resolution 49-NQ / TW of the Politburo, and the resolutions, directives, decisions and conclusions of the Justice reform areas of the Central Executive Committee, the Politburo, and the Board Secretariate. The President may request the Standing Committee of the National Assembly to reconsider before announcing ordinances and resolutions of the National Assembly. With these functions, plus the advantage of understanding the laws of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, General Tran Dai Quang will direct the work of judicial reform and the proposed fix some shortcomings laws related to legal proceeding. President Tran Dai Quang has died on 21 September 2018 aged 61 after prolonged serious illness. Quang died in a military hospital in Hanoi from a "serious illness despite efforts by domestic and international doctors and professors", Vietnam Television reported. Quang had appeared thin and pale in public and was unstable on his feet a week earlier when he hosted a welcoming ceremony for Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Hanoi. Quang had been ill for months, said former health minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu, who now oversees health care for high-ranking officials. He began showing symptoms of illness in June last year and has been treated in Japan six times since, Trieu told Reuters. He suffered from a kind of highly virulent virus, for which there has not been any efficient treatment. He often appeared uncomfortable in the public eye and lacked the charisma of some of his peers in the upper echelons of the party. In an interview with the AFP news agency in 2016 before a visit by the former French leader Francois Hollande, Quang read from a prepared statement and was quickly escorted from the room by staff when a question went off-script. Early Career Tran Dai Quang was born on 12 October 1956 in Ninh Binh province where he grew up. In 1972 he attended the People's Police School. From 1972 to 1975 he was a student ath the School of Foreign Languages Department of Cultural Affairs (now the Ministry of Public Security). In 1975-1976 he served as an Officer in Political Protection Department I, Ministry of Interior. From 1978 to he was an Officer II in the Political Protection Department, Ministry of Interior. From 1982 to 1987 Quang served as Deputy Secretary, political Protection Agency II, Ministry of the Interior; and was at the Security University (from 1981-1986). From 1987 to 1990 he was Chief of Staff, Head of Business, political Protection Agency II, Ministry of the Interior. At the same time, he did advanced theoretical study at the Academy of Nguyen Ai Quoc (1989-1991). From 1990 to 1996 Quang served as Deputy Secretary of Party Committee, Deputy Director of Staff for Security and Deputy Director General in charge of Security Staff Department, General Department of Security. He was also enrolled in the Hanoi University of Law (1991-1994). From 1996 to 2000, he was a Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of General Security, Party Secretary, Director of Staff for Security. He was a graduate student at the National Academy of Politics and Ho Chi Minh (1994-1997). From 2000 to 2006 he was Deputy Secretary of Party Committee, Deputy General Director of the General Security, the Ministry of Public Security. Promoted to Major General in 2003; he was appointed associate professor in 2003 [he was promoted to full professor in 2009]. Promoted to Lt. General in April 2007, from 2006 through 2011, Quang was a member of the Standing Central Police Party Committee, Vice Minister of Public Security. At the Xth national Congress Party he was elected to the Party Central Committee. By 2009 MPS Minister Anh stepped aside, his successor will get an automatic promotion to the Politburo. As the clear front-runner for Anh's job, was Quang is also the front-runner for his Politburo chair. In 2011 he was Commissioner of Police Standing Party Central Committee, Vice Minister of Public Security. At the national Congress Party he was elected to the Eleventh Party Central Committee, the Central Government elected to the Political Bureau. In his capacity as Head of the Regional Steering Committee of the Central Highlands, for many years the problem of security and the economy in the region have been a of the General. How can economic development progress in the area? How will the region face geopolitical position important strategy, to premise maintain regional security? How to help the people here out of poverty and to get rich? Minister of Public Security In August 2011 the 13th National Assembly ratified the Prime Ministers proposals on appointing the new cabinet. Lieutenant General Tran Dai Quang, a Politburo member, Deputy Minister of Public Security, was appointed as the new Minister of Public Security, replacing General Le Hong Anh. The Politburo has also dismissed two Deputy Minister of Public Security - Lieutenant General Bui Van Nam and Lieutenant General Pham Minh Chinh, both Politburo members - to be Party Secretary of Ninh Binh and Quang Ninh provinces. The Minister of Public Security, Senior Lieutenant General Tran Dai Quang, was promoted to the rank of General. State President Truong Tan Sang attended the promotion ceremony in Hanoi on 29 December 2012 and presented the promotion decision to the Minister, who is also a Politburo member of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The President said the Party, State and people recognise the contributions that General Quang has made to the cause of protecting national security and social order and safety. He praised the General for his determination and efforts to overcome all difficulties and fulfill all tasks assigned to him. The MPS is responsible for internal security and controls the national police, a special national security investigative agency, and other internal security units. The military performed public safety functions in border areas and supported coercive land confiscation operations on occasion. When "the hostile forces from abroad were aggressively conspiring to overthrow the regime... and plotting color revolutions in VN, this has posed many challenges to the interests and security of the country." Under the direction of the Minister, "the police force actively studied the situation, detecting, combating and preventing effective plotting activities" against them. Vietnam frequently uses vaguely worded and loosely interpreted provisions in its penal code and other laws to imprison peaceful political and religious dissidents. These include activities aiming to overthrow the peoples administration (penal code article 79, penalty up to death sentence); undermining national unity policy (article 87, penalty up to 15 years in prison); conducting propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (article 88, penalty up to 20 years); disrupting security (article 89, penalty up to 15 years); fleeing abroad or stay abroad to oppose the peoples government (article 91, penalty up to life sentence); and supplemental punishment which strips former prisoners convicted of national security crimes of certain rights, puts them on probation for up to five years, and allows confiscation of part or all of their property (article 92). Many activists report MPS officials assaulted prisoners of conscience to exact confessions or used other means to induce written confessions, including instructing fellow prisoners to assault them. In contrast with normal practice for nonpolitical prisoners, authorities routinely transferred political prisoners to facilities far from their families, making it difficult for family members to visit them. Some political prisoners reported being put in solitary confinement more frequently than were nonpolitical prisoners. MPS officials often prohibited reading and writing materials, especially for political prisoners. In 2014 reports indicated officials or other agents under the command of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, including reports of at least seven deaths of persons in custody, as well as several high-profile allegations officers abused use of lethal force. In most cases local authorities provided little information regarding investigations into these deaths, although the government increasingly held police officials responsible. Religious leaders and former prisoners of conscience report MPS officials did not permit prisoners to conduct religious services or receive visits by religious leaders. Former prisoners reported authorities did not permit prisoners to have religious texts while in detention. MPS officials did not permit possession of legal texts other than official CPV publications. By law security forces need public prosecutorial orders for forced entry into homes, but MPS officers regularly chose not to follow proper procedures to obtain such orders in the cases of activists and instead asked residents permission to enter homes with the threat of repercussions for failure to cooperate. The MPS maintained a system of household registration and block wardens to monitor unlawful activity. While this system was less intrusive than in the past, the MPS closely monitored individuals engaged in, or suspected of engaging, in unauthorized political activities. Family members of activists widely report incidents of physical harassment, intimidation, and questioning by MPS officials. Many activists report MPS officials threatened university leaders if they did not expel activists from their respective universities, even though their political activities were peaceful. The MPS routinely prevented activists from peacefully assembling. In November 2015 General Tran Dai Quang, reported to the National Assembly that from June 2012 until November 2015, The police have received, arrested, and dealt with 1,410 cases involving 2,680 people who violated national security. He said, During this same period, opposition persons have illegally established more than 60 groups and organizations in the name of democracy and human rights, which have about 350 participants from 50 cities and provinces. According to Gen. Quangs report, the police have timely prevented activities of opposition persons in the country who stirred and agitated the people to gather, march, and protest against the Party and the State. [The police] have actively attacked against [opposition groups] in the political realm and divided and isolated leading figures in order to prevent them from gathering forces in the form of civil social organizations. Gen. Quang insisted that the tasks for the police include preventing any plan to form and publicize domestic opposition political organizations, as well as activities that form and publicize illegal groups and organizations on the Internet. During his time as Minister of Public Security, General Tran Dai Quang remade how the police wored to stabilize the security and order of the country. In 2015, there were 20,250 criminal offense, down 17.37% over the same period in 2014. The police discovered 15,881 cases, and quickly investigated and discovered some particularly serious cases. Along with that, forces discovered 11,349 cases of fraudulent appropriation of property, and promptly prevented tax evasion and illegal business. 2015 - International Travel On foreign policy, Tran Dai Quang also achieved many important marks, especially in a visit to the US in 2015. He came into contact with a wide range of senior officials of the US Government, including the Minister of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the State Department, Defense Department, Association Council for National Security, Ministry of Justice, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and senior lawmakers of the US Congress. The themes of hig meetingers were beyond the scope of a Minister of Public Security, and stretched from defense and security to trade and investment. An important part of this trip was to reinforce US support for Vietnam in the effort to protect waters in the South China Sea. In March 2015 Minister Tran Dai Quang visited the United States as part of high-level exchanges and enhanced collaboration that mark the July 2015 20th Anniversary of the resumption of US-Vietnam diplomatic relations. The visit was an important step in implementation of the July 2013 agreement between President Obama and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang to establish a new comprehensive partnership. US Deputy Secretary Blinken met with Vietnams Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang on 18 March 2015 at the Department of State. They discussed key bilateral and regional issues that reflect the strong and growing partnership between the United States and Vietnam. General Tran Dai Quang old his US host that his country welcomes the strengthened cooperation between the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region, including Vietnam. General Quang made the statement during his meeting with Scot Marciel, State Department Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia and the Pacific, in Washington DC. Quang also expressed his pleasure at the sound development of bilateral relations in socio-economy, security, defense, and crime prevention, especially since the two countries established their comprehensive partnership in July 2013. US Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson met with Vietnam Minister of Public Security Tran Dai Quang to discuss a range of global security-related priorities, and expanding homeland security cooperation between the United States and Vietnam. Secretary Johnson and Minister Quang discussed law enforcement cooperation, information sharing, transnational threats, maritime security collaboration, and cybersecurity. During the meeting, Secretary Johnson and Minister Quang discussed the potential for expanding joint approaches to address transnational crime, especially in combating human trafficking, protection of intellectual property rights, combating illicit finance, and bolstering cooperation in cyber investigations. Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States Pham Quang Vinh and DHS Assistant Secretary for Policy and Chief Diplomatic Officer Alan Bersin were also in attendance. Quang also held a separate meeting with Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of US Department of Justice Leslie Caldwell. Minister Tran Dai Quang also held talks with Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services; Senator Ronald Johnson, Chairman of the US Homeland Security; and Congressman Peter Welch. The Minister sought US Congress support to Vietnam in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement negotiations, and help boost the country's market economy status. Vietnams Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang concluded his official visit to Cuba on 25 March 2015. Before leaving the host country, Minister Quang met with Cuban Prosecutor General Dario Delgado Cura and informed him of the outcomes of talks between the two countries public security ministries. Delgado Cura said he believed General Quangs visit will contribute to cementing the Vietnam-Cuba friendship and cooperation, particularly to further effective performance of the sides law enforcement agencies. Minister Quang also called for a center to monitor high-tech crime under the Cuban Interior Ministry and laid a wreath at the memorial for the late President Ho Chi Minh in La Habana. Senior officials from the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security and the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) stressed the need to enhance collaboration in crime prevention at a meeting in Hanoi on 09 November 2015. Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang and Chief of the KNPA Kang Shin-myung agreed to implement more effectively the signed co-operation agreements and improve co-ordination mechanisms through increasing delegation exchanges, and mutual assistance in personnel training and technical equipment, aiming to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries. Vietnam's police force has achieved important foreign policy achievements, the achievements including the extensive cooperation with the Organization of the International Criminal Police (Interpol) and law enforcement agencies in the country to fight against transnational crimes, especially cybercrime. Public Policy Statements A June 2007 article published on the Saigon Giai Phong Daily website (the Organ of the Party Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam) provided background on the Law of Residence, indicating that it would render 2.2 million people already living without household registration in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi eligible to regularise their residency. A subsequent article published on the Saigon Giai Phong Daily website on 28 June 2007 reported statements made at a press conference by Tran Dai Quang, Vietnamese Vice-Minister of Public Security, emphasizing that the new residence system was designed to be transparent. Tran Dai Quang stressed, One of the key points of the new law is that citizens have the right to make inquiries about application formalities, and the police are responsible for providing them with necessary information. On November 19, 2015 Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang sent an urgent document to managers of departments of police asking police forces to curb the sale, transportation and consumption of fake fertilizer and pesticide nationwide. On 08 January 2016 the Ministry of Public Security proposed letting local police use weapons given the number of people attempting to resist arrest or confrontations, especially with traffic police. Many people were using more desperate measures to avoid being apprehended by traffic police, often endangering the officers. General Tran Dai Quang, Minister of Public Security, said that 37 cases left nine injured police officers in 2015. Quang proposed to increase the penalties and let police carry weapons. On 16 January 2016 Lieutenant General Tran Dai Quang, member of Politburo and Minister of Public Security, met with Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited leaders. At the meeting, the delegation was briefed about the company's achievements in 2015 and the production of Dung Quat Oil Refinery. The company also presented the delegation wih information about the implement progress of the refinery expansion project. Lieutenant General Tran Dai Quang highly appreciated the jobs of ensuring security and safety of Dung Quat Refinery over the time. He also requested the company leaders to increase the job of propaganda and education for all the staff and engineers. The 12th National Party Congress in the morning of 22 January 2016 discussed important documents at a plenary session. Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang highlighted positive changes in preventing and combating crimes and social evils, and improvements in Party-building and staff capacity, in terms of political ideology and professional skills. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran to construct new power plants in Bushehr soon: Salehi ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Sun 31 Jan 2016 - 13:30 TEHRAN (ISNA)- Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said the Islamic Republic is set to begin the construction of two more nuclear power plants in the southern city of Bushehr soon. "In the construction of nuclear power plants, as I have already stated, we hopefully, within the next few months, will be witnessing the launching of new reactors. Activities are going on and they are expanding even in some areas," Salehi said in an interview with Press TV. He added that Iran and Russia have signed agreements for the construction of "two big reactors in Bushehr." In November 2014, Tehran and Moscow struck a deal to build eight more nuclear power plants in Iran. Russia has already built a power plant in Bushehr. The agreement for Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was finalized in 1995, but the project was delayed several times due to a number of technical and financial issues. The 1,000-megawatt plant, which is operating under the full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reached its maximum power generation capacity in August 2012. In September 2013, Iran officially took over from Russia the first unit of its first 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant for two years. Salehi said the recognition of Iran's enrichment activities by the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, was "one very good achievement" within a nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). "We are one among the very few or probably the very exceptional countries that its enrichment activity has been recognized by an international body such as the UN Security Council," the AEOI head said, adding, "One of the achievements within this framework is the fact that we were able to sell or we got this opportunity to sell our enriched uranium and get in return natural uranium or the yellowcake." He described JCPOA as a "good deal" that allows Iran to enter the club of countries that can enrich uranium and sell it at global market. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia plus Germany started to implement JCPOA on January 16. After JCPOA went into effect, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US were lifted. Iran in return has put some limitations on its nuclear activities. The nuclear agreement was signed on July 14, 2015 following two and a half years of intensive talks. Salehi also said Iran and the IAEA have entered into a new phase in cooperation and urged the body to remain impartial. "The IAEA, being the sole verifying body, needs to keep its integrity and impartiality. Otherwise, its credibility will be questioned," the Iranian official stated. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Two self-declared Daesh 'governors' killed in Iraq: Report Iran Press TV Sun Jan 31, 2016 10:1AM Two self-declared governors, known as "walis" in Arabic, of Daesh Takfiri terrorist group have been killed in separate incidents in Iraq, a report says. Iraq's al-Sumaria news channel reported on Sunday that Mohammad al-Vaziri, the self-proclaimed governor of the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk, was killed in a joint aerial operation by the Iraqi Air Force and the US-led coalition purportedly fighting Daesh. Over 30 other members of Daesh were also killed in the raid. The report said another Daesh 'governor,' known as Abu Hamzah, was killed along with five other terrorists during infighting in Iraq's western province of Anbar. In another development, Iraqi military forces and volunteer fighters destroyed Daesh hideouts in the central city of Samarra in Salahuddin Province. Also on Sunday, at least three Daesh snipers were killed by Iraqi security forces in Anbar, military sources said. According to the sources, Iraqi soldiers managed to liberate the Abu Risha district in Anbar's provincial capital of Ramadi, and kill dozens of Daesh terrorists. The Iraqi media also reported that Daesh militants planted bombs inside ten Christian-owned houses in the northern city of Mosul and detonated them. The major oil city has been under the control of Daesh since the summer of 2014. The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by violence ever since Daesh began its march through the Iraqi territory. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraq needs $1.56bn to respond to humanitarian crisis Iran Press TV Sun Jan 31, 2016 9:53AM Baghdad said Sunday that Iraq is in need of over USD 1.5 billion in 2016 to give a proper response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the battle against Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the country. According to the report by the Iraqi government, Baghdad is not able to fund more than 43 percent of the needs from its budget. The report called for the international community to help bridge "the deficit or financing gap." Iraq has been engaged in a battle against Daesh since the summer of 2014, with government forces managing to push the terrorists from key urban areas in the north and west of the country. The Takfiri terrorists have been committing vicious crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians, since June 2014. The anti-Daesh fight in the Arab country has displaced more than 3.3 million people since 2014. Baghdad earmarked some USD 850 million in 2015 to shelter displaced families and help them come back to areas recaptured from terrorists. Meanwhile, a plunge in oil prices has also battered Iraq's economy. Prices have fallen by about three quarters since mid-2014 due to market oversupply and a weaker growth in demand for crude. Less affluent members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have been struggling to get the world body reduce its high production levels in a bid to drive prices higher. However, influential OPEC members led by Saudi Arabia have rejected any such move, preferring to fight for market share against rival producers, particularly the United States. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan deploys more F-15s near disputed islands with China Iran Press TV Sun Jan 31, 2016 9:59AM Japan says it has doubled the number of F-15 warplanes stationed in Okinawa Island close to the disputed East China Sea islands. Japan's Defense Ministry said on Sunday that it has moved about 20 F-15 fighter jets from the Tsuiki airbase in the island of Kyushu to Okinawa's Naha airbase. "This is a very front line of national defense," said Japan's Deputy Defense Minister Kenji Wakamiya said during the ceremony to mark the creation of a new Air Force unit at the Naha base. The deployment brings to 40 the total number of F-15s on Okinawa's Naha base. Japan and China have also been at odds over the sovereignty of a chain of islands in the East China Sea, known as Senkaku in Japan and as Diaoyus in China. The uninhabited yet strategically-important island group has been under Japanese administrative control since the reversion of Okinawa to Japan from US administrative rule in 1972. China maintains that the islands are inherent part of its territory and that it has indisputable sovereignty over them, while the Japanese government regards the islands as a part of its Ishigaki Island. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi Arabia detains over 30 'terror' suspects Iran Press TV Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:34PM Saudi authorities have rounded up more than 30 'terror' suspects, including nine American citizens, from different parts of the country over the past days. At least 33 suspects, members of six cells, were detained in a series of separate 'pre-emptive' raids across the kingdom over the past week, the Saudi Gazette newspaper reported on Sunday citing an unidentified source. The paper added that the detainees included 14 Saudis, nine Americans, three Yemenis, two Syrians, an Indonesian, a Filipino, an Emirati, a Kazakhstan national and a Palestinian citizen. The paper did not say if any of the 'terror suspects' was linked to the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, which has claimed several deadly attacks in Saudi Arabia's Shia-majority Eastern Province. At least four people were killed and 18 wounded in the latest attack, 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. The repetition of terrorist attacks on mosques and religious centers in eastern Saudi Arabia has sparked anger among the local population. They accuse Saudi security forces of negligence in fulfilling their responsibilities to provide security for people against attacks by terrorists. This as Saudi authorities have beheaded several opposition figures and dissidents in recent months. In the most recent case, Saudi Arabia executed on January 2 Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in defiance of international calls for the release of the prominent cleric and other jailed political dissidents in the kingdom. 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 Riyadh's suppressive policies against the country's Shia minority. Saudi Arabia has time and again been accused of aiding, abetting and arming militant groups operating across Iraq, Syria and several other countries. Chris Murphy, a top American senator, said in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank, in New York on Friday that Saudi Arabia has been funding some 24,000 madrassas (religious schools) in Pakistan through an unleashed "tsunami of money" in order to "export intolerance." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kerry says no military solution to Syria crisis Iran Press TV Sun Jan 31, 2016 4:41PM US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged the Syrian government and opposition to seize the opportunity presented by the peace talks to achieve a ceasefire in Syria, insisting that there is "no military solution" to the conflict. 'This morning, in light of what is at stake in these talks, I appeal to both sides to make the most of this moment,' the top US diplomat said Sunday in an online statement from Washington. While Kerry's remarks appeared pointed at both sides, his message was clearly aimed at the opposition, which has threatened to abandon the talks before they start. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), a Saudi-backed coalition of Syrian opposition groups, had finally said on Friday that it was willing to participate in the negotiations in the Swiss city of Geneva. The opposition has demanded that humanitarian aid be allowed to flow to militant-held towns, besieged by government forces, as a precondition for the negotiations. Kerry called on them to engage in the talks without any preconditions, while accusing both sides of making the humanitarian situation worse. 'The town of Madaya is just an hour's drive from Damascus and yet its people have been reduced to eating grass and leaves,' Kerry said. 'How have the regime and the militias that support it responded? By planting landmines and erecting barbed wire to keep relief workers out,' he added. While the United States says representatives of the Syrian government should participate in the talks, it insists President Bashar al-Assad cannot be part of Syria's future. Russia and Iran, two participants in the talks, say that decision is up to the Syrian people. The US, Saudi Arabia and over two dozen other countries are taking part in the talks. The talks are to be held in an 18-month timetable under a resolution unanimously approved by the UN Security Council on Syria last December. The head of the Syrian government delegation to the talks said Sunday that Damascus was prepared to find a solution to the crisis in the country. Bashar al-Ja'afari, who is also the Syrian ambassador to the UN, told reporters in Geneva that the Syrian government wants to put an "end to the bloodshed" in Syria. However, he complained that "the full list of participants is unknown as of yet. UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura does not know it either." Syria has been grappling with a foreign-backed militancy since early 2011. More than 260,000 people have reportedly been killed and almost eight million others have been displaced. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Opposition Unsure About Participation In Geneva Talks January 31, 2016 by RFE/RL Syria's largest mainstream opposition group has arrived in Geneva and has expressed eagerness in seeing the Syrian conflict end, but it is unclear if it will actually participate in UN-brokered talks currently taking place in the Swiss city. Higher Negotiation Committee (HNC) spokesman Salim al-Muslat told reporters on January 31 that the group wanted to see some positive developments on the ground before entering the intra-Syrian negotiations that include representatives from the Syrian interim government. Since arriving in Geneva from Riyadh on January 30, Muslat has made clear that the HNC first wants to see that the international community is serious about addressing its demands that Damascus release women and children from government jails and allow aid into besieged areas. 'We are keen to start negotiations and need to see that the international community takes serious steps toward implementing the [UN Security Council] Resolution [2254 on Syria] that has been signed by 15 members of the [UN] Security Council,' Muslat said on January 31. 'It is important for us to see that food goes to our [Syrian] children who are being starved to death. To see that Syrian families, Syrian women, are safe sitting in their homes -- in their houses -- away from the strikes of the Russians.' Muslat's comments came after HNC members met with UN mediator Staffan de Mistura at a hotel on January 31, reportedly after threatening to leave Geneva. Reuters subsequently cited HNC coordinator Riad Hijab as saying in a statement that the group would walk out of the talks if the UN failed to end 'regime violations.' The head of the Damascus delegation, Bashar Jaafari -- who is also Syria's UN ambassador -- was quoted by Interfax as saying that the delays indicated that the opposition was 'not serious.' The participation of the Saudi-backed HNC, whose delegation includes political and militant opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is seen as key to the talks' success in ending Syria's five-year civil war. A UN Security Council resolution passed last month demands that all sides allow immediate humanitarian aid to all besieged areas, release arbitrarily detained prisoners, and stop attacking civilian areas. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry earlier agreed by telephone to assess the Geneva talks at an international meeting in Munich on February 11. The UN has not said who was invited to attend the talks, which began on January 29, but the extremist Islamic State group and the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front are not participating. The presence of Kurdish representatives has also been a divisive issue. Officials from Syria's largest Kurdish group -- the Democratic Union Party, or PYD -- left Geneva on January 30 after being excluded from the negotiations, a Kurdish official said. Turkey considers the PYD a terrorist organization and the HNC claims they are too close to the Syrian government. The UN has said the aim of the Syrian peace negotiations would be six months of talks, first seeking a cease-fire, 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 world powers. Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/syria-un-kurds-assad/27521418.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Blasts Kill Dozens As Syrian Talks Have Rough Start January 31, 2016 Syrian state media say more than 50 people have been killed in three blasts near a revered Shi'ite shrine outside the capital, Damascus, as talks to end five years of war got off to a difficult start in Geneva. More than 100 people were also wounded on January 31 by a car bomb and two suicide bombers in the Sayyida Zeinab district where the Shi'ite shrine is located. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying two operations 'hit the most important stronghold of Shi'ite militias in Damascus.' The Sayyida Zeinab shrine contains the grave of a granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. The attacks come as delegates from the Syrian government and opposition groups gathered in Geneva for UN-sponsored peace talks. But Syria's largest mainstream opposition group, the Higher Negotiation Committee (HNC), made clear on January 31 that it wants some positive developments on the ground before entering the negotiations. HNC spokesman Salim al-Muslat said it wants to see that the international community is serious about addressing its demands that Damascus release women and children from government jails and allow aid into besieged areas. HNC coordinator Riad Hijab said the group would walk out of the talks if the UN failed to end 'regime violations.' The HNC said on January 29 it would boycott the talks. But under intense pressure from Saudi Arabia and the United States, the group later relented and its delegation arrived in Geneva on January 30. The HNC team held on January 31 its first meeting in the Swiss city with UN's special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who said he was 'optimistic and determined.' De Mistura has scheduled separate discussions with representatives of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime and opposition factions on February 1. The head of the Damascus delegation, Bashar al-Jaafari, who is also Syria's UN ambassador, said the Syrian government 'wants to put an end to the bloodshed,' but added that the HNC was 'not serious' about the peace talks. 'We are here for indirect talks without any preconditions,' Jaafari told reporters. The participation of the Saudi-backed HNC, whose delegation includes political and militant, is seen as key to the talks' success in ending the civil war. The talks were originally scheduled to begin on January 25, but were delayed by opposition objections. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on both sides to seize the opportunity to end the conflict. He said there was 'no military solution' to the crisis, which he warned could destroy what is left of Syria and leave the field open to recruiters from the Islamic State group. Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier agreed by telephone to assess the Geneva talks at an international meeting in Munich on February 11. The UN has not said who was invited to attend the talks, but the extremist Islamic State group, the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front, and Syria's largest Kurdish group -- the Democratic Union Party, or PYD are not attending. Turkey considers the PYD a terrorist organization and the HNC claims they are too close to the Syrian government. The UN has said the aim of the Syrian peace negotiations would be six months of talks, first seeking a cease-fire, 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 world powers. A UN Security Council resolution passed last month demands that all sides allow immediate humanitarian aid to all besieged areas, release arbitrarily detained prisoners, and stop attacking civilian areas. With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/blasts-kill-dozens-near-syrian-shiite-shrine/27521985.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Peace Talks: Saudi Arabia 'Turning UN Negotiations on Syria Into Farce' Sputnik News 21:33 31.01.2016(updated 01:35 01.02.2016) An opposition group founded by Saudi Arabia last month is turning the Geneva negotiations into a farce, putting the UN under pressure and refusing to talk to the Syrian government, German newspaper Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten (DWN) wrote. According to the newspaper, the group was formed in December and consists of Islamist fighters who want to overthrow Syrian President Bashar-al-Assad. The opposition platform is called the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) and is referred to in the media as 'the most important opposition alliance.' However, according to DWN, the group seems to be contributing to the destabilization of the situation, rather than to its resolution. 'The group sees its main task in disrupting the peace conference mediated by the UN,' the newspaper wrote. The Syrian talks started on Friday with a meeting between UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura and the delegation of the Syrian government. The HNC delegation attended the negotiations only after a long hesitation, previously claiming that the UN should put an end to the 'crimes' of the Syrian government as a condition for their participation. Shortly after their arrival in Geneva on Saturday, the delegation threatened again that it would not participate in the negotiations until their conditions are met. 'In fact, the envoys of the Saudis seek to create unrest at the negotiation table after Russia's military success [in Syria],' DWN wrote. In September 2015, Russia launched an aerial operation against the terrorists' positions in Syria at the request of President Bashar Assad. As a result of the operation, many terrorists have been eliminated and their infrastructure destroyed. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kerry Calls on Damascus, Syrian Opposition to 'Negotiate With Good Faith' Sputnik News 18:52 31.01.2016 Both sides of the Syrian peace talks in Geneva should make the most of the opportunity to achieve progress to solve the conflict, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On Friday, the highly-anticipated talks on Syrian reconciliation mediated by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura began in the Swiss city of Geneva. 'This morning, in light of what is at stake, I appeal to both sides to make the most of this moment, to seize the opportunity for serious negotiations, to negotiate in good faith with the goal of making concrete measurable progress in the days immediately ahead. The word is hoping that both sides will move quickly to meet the needs of millions of desperate Syrians,' Kerry said in a statement on the ongoing negotiations. Successful negotiations are necessary to reduce pressure on neighboring countries, stem migration, restore peace and stability, he added. A political solution for Syria requires existence of choices broader than between the current government and terrorists, Kerry stressed. 'What the people of Syria need is the kind of choice that emerges from a credible political process. This week in Geneva that political process can get underway. The road ahead remains challenging, success is not assured, but we have seen through years of savage fighting what the absence of serious negotiations yields,' he said. In December, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on settling the Syrian conflict, which reaffirmed the goals of the Vienna agreements to bring the entire spectrum of political groups in the crisis-torn country to the negotiating table. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Government Refuses to Negotiate With Terrorists at Geneva Talks Sputnik News 17:12 31.01.2016(updated 17:13 31.01.2016) The Syrian government will not negotiate with terrorists, the head of the government delegation, Bashar Jaafari, said Sunday. GENEVA (Sputnik) On Friday, the highly-anticipated talks on Syrian reconciliation mediated by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura began in the Swiss city of Geneva. 'We are not holding talks with terrorists. This is exactly why the special envoy [Staffan de Mistura] insisted on having indirect talks this is precisely why we do not know yet the composition of the delegations. We don't deal with terrorists and we are not the only ones who are saying that,' Jaafari told reporters at a press conference during the ongoing peace talks in Geneva. He also said that there are certain foreign powers that are fuelling bloodshed in Syria by using terrorists as a 'political weapon.' 'Like any other government, we have the duty to protect our own people and territory, and show everyone that those who are imposing such bloodshed on Syria are not Syrians. They are foreign powers endorsing foreign agendas aiming at putting political pressure on the Syrian government by using terrorists as a political weapon.' Saudi Arabia and Jordan are to blame for a delay in the talks on Syrian reconciliation in Geneva, Bashar Jaafari said. 'Now we have a very big gap in identifying who is terrorist and who is not. Who is opposition and who is not. These two important pillars of the UNSC [United Nations Security Council] resolution 2254 and the Vienna statement have not been fulfilled yet, by the [UN] Special Envoy [Staffan de Mistura], neither by the Saudi government, nor by the Jordanian government,' Jaafari told reporters. He added that the first step toward Syria settlement is to stop Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia from sending terrorists to the Syrian territories. In December, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on settling the Syrian conflict, which reaffirmed the goals of the Vienna agreements to bring the entire spectrum of political groups in the crisis-torn country to the negotiating table. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army Repels Al-Nusra Front Offensive Near Golan Heights Sputnik News 09:30 31.01.2016(updated 13:13 31.01.2016) The Syrian Army and popular forces beat back a series of attacks by the Al-Nusra Front terrorist group in the country's southern Quneitra province near the Golan Heights on Saturday leaving scores of militants killed and wounded, Iran's Fars news agency reported. A unit of Al-Nusra Front terrorists were attempting to capture the strategic region of Jaba as well as Bozaq and Korom Heights, but were pushed back by government forces who had prior knowledge about the enemy's plans, the agency wrote. After eight hours of fierce firefights the Syrian Army forced the attackers to retreat, leaving many terrorists killed and wounded. Earlier this month, the Syrian Army announced that its troops had engaged in heavy clashes with the terrorist groups in the eastern countryside city of Quneitra. 'The eastern side of Mashara village near the southwestern city of Quneitra was the scene of a special operation by the Syrian Army against the militant groups who preferred to pull back after leaving behind scores of dead and wounded members,' the army said in a statement. During the past week, the Syrian Army and allied forces have been making steady gains in northwestern parts of the country driving the militant groups back from more territories in the region. Syrian fighter jets also have been targeting the militant groups' positions in the Aleppo province in recent days. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syria: High Negotiations Committee arrives in Geneva where UN-mediated talks are under way 31 January 2016 United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura has met with the delegation of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) at their hotel in Geneva following their arrival last night in Geneva, where UN-mediated intra-Syrian talks began Friday after days of delays. According to Mr. de Mistura's spokesperson, the envoy paid a courtesy visit to the HNC delegation and held a "short informal meeting [that was] useful in addressing issues relating to the intra-Syrian talks." Separately, the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, paid a courtesy visit to the hotel of the delegation of the Syrian Government to discuss practical arrangements related to the next steps in the talks, according to the spokesperson. The Government delegation, headed by the Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, held a preparatory meeting with Mr. de Mistura on Friday at the opening of the talks. Speaking to reporters later that day, the Special Envoy said "the issue is obviously that any type of ceasefire discussions, which is obviously something that we are aiming at, apart from substantive discussions on the future of Syria, need two interlocutors [] that is why for us it is very important to have an indication of where we are on the presence of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC)" responding to questions about discussions among the opposition about attending the Geneva talks. One of their key concerns he said, included the desire "to see a gesture from the Government authorities regarding some type of improvement for the people in Syria during the talks, for instance release of prisoners, or for instance some lifting of sieges." Mr. de Mistura has said the Geneva meetings will start with proximity talks and are expected to last for six months, with Government and opposition delegations sitting in separate rooms and UN officials shuttling between them, with the immediate priorities being a broad ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and halting the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The talks stem from an agreement reached in Vienna in November by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), comprising the Arab League, the European Union, the United Nations, and 17 countries including the United States and Russia, as part of an effort to end the war with an agreement on new governance, a new constitution and new elections. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Envoy, Syrian Opposition Say Discussions 'Positive' by Luis Ramirez January 31, 2016 After boycotting the start of indirect peace talks, representatives of the main Syrian opposition group met Sunday with the U.N. envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, in Geneva, with both sides saying there had been progress in resolving some of the issues that had the opposition threatening to leave. De Mistura told reporters he is "optimistic and determined" that the opposition will join the peace process that got underway Friday, five days behind schedule and with opposition representatives boycotting the first day. A spokesman for the Syrian opposition said the discussions on Sunday were "encouraging and positive" concerning humanitarian issues, referring to the group's demands for an end to airstrikes on civilians and the lifting of sieges that are preventing humanitarian aid from reaching rebel-held areas. Earlier in the day, the group said it was in Geneva to meet with U.N. officials and not to enter into negotiations, even indirect ones, with the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Late Sunday, the opposition spokesman said his delegation will have another meeting with U.N. officials Monday. The so-called proximity talks are meant to lay the groundwork for eventual direct negotiations. With no face-to-face encounters scheduled between Assad government officials and opposition representatives in this round, the plan is for the U.N. envoy to consult with each side separately and shuttle between the two to relay proposals and positions. US urges push In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged the Syrian government and the opposition to push for an end to the nearly 5-year-old conflict that has killed a quarter of a million people and displaced millions. He described the war in Syria as "an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe unmatched since World War II." 'I appeal to both sides to make the most of this moment, to seize the opportunity for serious negotiations, to negotiate in good faith with the goal of making concrete measurable progress in the days immediately ahead,'' Kerry said. Representatives of the opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee, arrived in Geneva Saturday, saying they would engage only in talks with U.N. officials, but not negotiations. The Saudi-backed group has been meeting in Riyadh and demanded a halt to airstrikes by Syrian government and Russian forces on civilians, and the lifting of sieges on rebel-held areas, before it would enter into negotiations. Delegates decided to travel to Switzerland only after receiving assurances their demands would be heard. 'We only came to Geneva after written commitments on the fact that there would be serious progress on humanitarian issues,' HNC spokeswoman Basma Kodmani told reporters. 'Historic occasion' After Friday's shaky start, U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura was determined to make this round succeed. "It is an historic occasion not to be missed," he said, as he left a Geneva hotel after meeting with the opposition. U.N. officials described the meeting as informal and hoped the HNC officials would agree to a formal meeting later Sunday. The Islamic State extremist group was not invited to the Geneva peace talks because it, along with the al-Nusra Front, is designated by the United Nations as a terrorist organization. Limited talks The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad considers all rebel groups that want to depose Assad terrorists, but agreed to proximity talks with some opposition groups the international community recognizes as moderate. On Sunday, a senior Syrian government official said Assad would never accept the inclusion of Ahrar al-Sham and the Army of Islam groups. The statement presents a possible snag for the talks because many in the moderate opposition believe both groups should eventually be included, while the Syrian government and its Russian backers see them as extremists with whom Damascus should not negotiate. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Envoy Struggling to Get Syria Talks On Track by Luis Ramirez February 01, 2016 U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura struggled on Monday to keep peace talks on track in Geneva, where Syrian government and opposition representatives are present but not yet fully involved in indirect negotiations. U.N. officials said talks that had been scheduled between de Mistura and the Syrian government delegation for midday Monday were postponed. A spokesman for the main opposition group said Monday he had received a "positive response" from de Mistura on their demands to halt air strikes and allow the flow of humanitarian aid to rebel-held areas. But the opposition said escalating violence could hinder the already fragile process. U.S. Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, discussed the Syria talks with VOA on Monday, saying he thinks they are starting off in a difficult place. 'I think the opposition that, you know, we communicated some with last week has been put in a very awkward place. The humanitarian things that they had asked for have not occurred.' He added 'I certainly support diplomatic talks as I think everyone would, but the elements at present do not feel that they are in a proper place" Russian support Syrian forces, with Russia's help, have stepped up attacks and on Monday launched an offensive north of the city of Aleppo. The opposition says the government air strikes are killing civilians. "You cannot ask the Syrian opposition to engage in any negotiation with the regime under this escalation," Farah Atassi, a member of the opposition, said in Geneva. The U.N. envoy was scheduled to meet with the opposition later Monday. Opposition boycott The group boycotted the first day of talks on Friday and the only consultations held that day were between the U.N. envoy and the Syrian government delegation. Opposition representatives arrived in Geneva late Saturday after getting assurances from the U.N. and international supporters of the peace process that their demands would be addressed. A member of the opposition delegation said those assurances had come from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The opposition group met with de Mistura for the first time on Sunday. Both the U.N. envoy and opposition officials said the discussions were positive. Proposal under consideration Opposition representatives say they do not know how long they will remain in Geneva. A western diplomatic source says the opposition is considering a proposal from de Mistura that could lead to their staying and participating in indirect negotiations with the Syrian government. In a video statement on Sunday, Kerry urged all sides to press on to end to the conflict that has killed 250,000 people, and which he described as "an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe unmatched since World War II." 'I appeal to both sides to make the most of this moment, to seize the opportunity for serious negotiations, to negotiate in good faith with the goal of making concrete measurable progress in the days immediately ahead,'' Kerry said. Senate correspondent Michael Bowman contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US urges Russia to respect Turkey, NATO airspace Iran Press TV Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:49PM The US Department of Defense has urged Russia to respect North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) airspace, saying it "can confirm" reports that a Russian jet violated Turkey's airspace earlier this week. "We are aware of reports and can confirm that yesterday another Russian combat aircraft violated Turkish and NATO airspace," Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright told Russia's RIA Novosti in a statement Saturday. "We call on Russia to respect Turkish airspace and cease activities that risk further heightening instability in the region," Wright continued. Wright also stressed the need for Russia and Turkey to "talk to each other and take measures to prevent escalation." The Turkish Defense Ministry claimed that a Russian Su-34 bomber violated the country's air space on Friday, adding that the plane was warned by radar units. The report prompted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to react, warning Russia of "consequences" if such violations continue. Shortly after, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed solidarity with Turkey, calling on Russia "to act responsibly and to fully respect NATO airspace." Stoltenberg asserted that Russia "must take all necessary measures to ensure that such violations do not happen again." Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov denied the allegations on Saturday, arguing that Turkish radar systems are not capable of establishing the type and affiliation of an aircraft. He also dismissed claims that the Russian pilots had received warnings, denouncing them as fictional and made up by "ignorant propagandists who watched too many Hollywood action movies." The incident has sparked fears of another military encounter between Russia and Turkey, after the NATO-member's downing of a Russian Su-24 aircraft over Syria on November 25, 2015. Back then, Ankara claimed that the jet had entered Turkish airspace, an allegation strongly rejected by Moscow. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address When Push Comes to Shove: US Pressures Turkey to Secure Border With Syria Sputnik News 21:36 31.01.2016(updated 21:49 31.01.2016) The United States is working to pressure the Turkish government to finally control the insecure border between Turkey and war-torn Syria, Defense News reported. To seal the notorious part of the border, a 98-kilometer long zone on the so-called 'Marea-Jarablus line,' the US government is contemplating the idea of providing Turks with US equipment. 'The US and Turkey, both of which are NATO allies, have committed to better coordinate efforts to fight the radical Islamic State group [Daesh],' Defense News said. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson will travel to Turkey in late February to offer expertise in installing border security technologies surveillance balloons, anti-tunneling equipment and other advanced gear, the source said. 'We have agreed to intensify dialogue on better ways to fight [Daesh], including some technological know-how help from the US,' a senior Turkish diplomat was quoted by Defense News as saying. He added that sealing the unsecured border between Turkey and Syria is 'among the priority issues,' the source reported. Currently, Turkey secured the infamous border with some 25,000 soldiers and has also decided to erect walls and build fences in an attempt to stop illegal crossings. Despite the steps taken by Turkey, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said last month that Turkey 'must do more to protect its often porous border' with Syria. The decision to seal the border comes as a natural progression following US Vice-President Joe Biden's visit to Ankara last week. During his meeting with Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Biden said the United States was ready to use a military solution against Daesh in Syria if other options to solve the ongoing Syrian crisis weren't available. It certainly looks like the US-Turkish plans to fight Daesh in Syria are getting more coordinated. The matter of controlling the Turkish-Syrian border has been a key issue on the international agenda, as terrorists have been hopping across the unsecured border. Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting opposition factions and militant groups, such as Daesh and al-Nusra Front. The United States is leading the coalition of over 60 countries conducting airstrikes against Daesh both in Syria and Iraq. Russia is conducting its own air campaign in Syria at the request of the Syrian government. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish Air Force Raises Alert Level After Alleged Airspace Violation Sputnik News 15:18 31.01.2016(updated 16:18 31.01.2016) The Turkish Air Force has declared an 'orange alert' at key bases after an alleged violation of the country's airspace by a Russian fighter jet, Anadolu news agency reported, citing military sources in Ankara. "According to military sources the alert level at the Air Force bases has been changed to 'orange,'" the agency reported. It gave no further details. "Orange alert" means that a conflict is possible at any time and that the armed forces must be prepared for attack and defense, while "red alert" is the highest level of preparedness when an attack by the enemy seems imminent, the newspaper Milliyet wrote. On January 30 the Turkish Foreign Ministry claimed that that a Russian Su-34 fighter jet had strayed into the country's airspace. The statement also said that the plane had been warned by Turkish air radar units. Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it summoned the Russian ambassador to Ankara late Friday to express its "strong protest and indignation" over the alleged violation of the country's airspace. The Russian Defense Ministry denied the claim and said no such violation had actually happened. Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov dismissed Ankara's statement as 'naked propaganda.' "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. Konashenkov emphasized. 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. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Comments on NATO's Alleged Evidence of Turkish Airspace Violation Sputnik News 21:17 01.02.2016(updated 21:23 01.02.2016) The Russian Defense Ministry, commenting on the statement of a NATO representative regarding the 'classified images' of the so-called violation of the Syrian-Turkish border by a Russian jet, said that such allegations were expected from NATO as they are trying to withhold information from the public and media. Earlier, a NATO spokesman said that all images of Russians jet violating the Syrian-Turkish border were secret. "There's nothing else that we expected. It is no coincidence that the Turkish side after their high-profile attacks on Russia so strongly tries to draw NATO into this murky story. It is obvious that this information is secret not from us but from the public and the media, especially the western countries and the US, whom the Turkish partners have clearly used," the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said. The alleged incident involving a Russian Su-34 fighter bomber took place on Friday, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, which also said the plane was warned by Turkish air radar units. "Once again I would like to remind our colleagues from NATO and the Pentagon: before demonstrating solidarity and making loud statements, it would be nice to first examine the issue in question," he added. "For example, we have published today, the heavy artillery firing of a foreign state by a NATO country, which is Turkey." Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry denied the claim and said no such violation had actually happened. Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov dismissed Ankara's statement as 'naked propaganda.' "We thoroughly studied in the past 24 hours all objective control data on flights over northern Syria. No violations of the Syrian-Turkish border by Russian warplanes have been registered. And that's a fact," the ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told reporters. 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. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mineralization 135m west of R600W extends strike length of mineralized trend to 2.47km KELOWNA, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Feb. 1, 2016) - Fission Uranium Corp. (TSX:FCU)(OTCQX:FCUUF)(FRANKFURT:2FU) ("Fission" or "the Company") is pleased to announce results from the first exploration hole at its' PLS property, host to the Triple R deposit, in Canada's Athabasca Basin region. Hole PLS16-445 tested a new area on the prolific PLG/PLV-3B corridor, 135m to the west of the R600W zone on line 840W. A 42.0m wide mineralized zone was intersected between 178.0m and 220.0m, including a continuous 2.0m interval measuring >10,000 cps radioactivity. As a result of the very high radioactivity intercepted, further drilling is being considered to evaluate this area and determine how the hole fits into the overall mineralized trend: as a large extension to the R600W or as a new, separate zone. Ross McElroy, President, COO, and Chief Geologist for Fission, commented, "This is an incredible start to the drill program and shows the continued blue-sky potential of PLS. Our first wildcat exploration drill hole was collared on line 840W, located 135m west along strike of the R600W zone and increases the on-trend mineralized strike length at PLS to 2.47km. Whether this is a continuation of the high-grade R600W zone to the west or a new zone will have to be determined with further drilling. As part of exploration drilling, we had only planned for one drill hole in this area, however, the strength of these results warrants follow up drilling." Drilling Highlights for PLG-3B West EM Conductor Hole PLS16-445 (line 840W) - Geological modeling of the R600W zone and the presence of anomalous pathfinder elements of uranium and boron seen in several samples in regional drill hole PLS13-112 (with peaks up to 248 ppm U and 895 ppm B), determined that the area approximately 135m west of the R600W zone on line 840W was considered to be prospective. Angled drill hole PLS16-445 was designed to test the interpreted geological corridor approximately 30m south of PLS13-112. Significant high-grade mineralization was intersected over a width of 42.0m. In general, the important geological features appear to be similar as those present further to the east along the PLG-3B conductor, including that of the R600W and R780E zones; alternating sequences of semi-pelitic gneiss, silicified semi-pelitic gneiss, pelitic gneiss and mafic granofels. Mineralization occurs within the pelitic gneiss near the contact with the silicified semi-pelitic gneiss. Highlights of the mineralization are as follows: 47.0m total composite mineralization over a 67.0m section (between 153.0m - 220.0m) including: 2.0m total composite mineralization of >10,000 cps radioactivity with a maximum peak up to 32,200 cps. Hole ID Corridor Conductor Collar * Hand-held Scintillometer Results On Mineralized Drillcore (>300 cps / >0.5M minimum) Lake Depth (m) Sandstone From - To (m) Basement Unconformity Depth (m) Total Drillhole Depth (m) Grid Line Az Dip From (m) To (m) Width (m) CPS Peak Range PLS16-445 Patterson PLG-3B 840W 321 -83.3 153.0 158.0 5.0 <300 - 490 NA 96.9 - 98.9 98.9 317.0 Lake 178.0 220.0 42.0 <300 - 32200 Natural gamma radiation in drill core that is reported in this news release was measured in counts per second (cps) using a hand held RS-121 Scintillometer manufactured by Radiation Solutions, which is capable of discriminating readings to 65,535 cps. Natural gamma radiation in the drill hole survey that is reported in this news release was measured in counts per second (cps) using a Mount Sopris 2GHF-1000 Triple Gamma probe, which allows for more accurate measurements in high grade mineralized zones. The Triple Gamma probe is preferred in zones of high grade mineralization. The reader is cautioned that scintillometer readings are not directly or uniformly related to uranium grades of the rock sample measured, and should be used only as a preliminary indication of the presence of radioactive materials. The degree of radioactivity within the mineralized intervals is highly variable and associated with visible pitchblende mineralization. All intersections are down-hole. All depths reported of core interval measurements including radioactivity and mineralization intervals widths are not always representative of true thickness and true thicknesses are yet to be determined. PLS Mineralized Trend & Triple R Deposit Summary Uranium mineralization at PLS has been traced by core drilling approximately 2.47km of east-west strike length in four separate mineralized "zones". From west to east, these zones are: R600W, R00E, R780E and R1620E. The discovery hole of what is now referred to as the Triple R uranium deposit was announced on November 05, 2012 with drill hole PLS12-022, from what is considered part of the R00E zone. Through successful exploration programs completed to date, it has evolved into a large, near surface, basement hosted, structurally controlled high-grade uranium deposit. The Triple R deposit consists of the R00E zone on the western side and the much larger R780E zone further on strike to the east. Within the deposit, the R00E and R780E zones have an overall strike length of approximately 1.2km with the R00E measuring approximately 125m in strike length and the R780E zones measuring approximately 900m in strike length. A 225m gap separates the R00E zone to the west and the R780E zones to the east, though sporadic narrow, weakly mineralized intervals from drill holes within this gap suggest the potential for further significant mineralization in this area. The R780E zones are located beneath Patterson Lake which is approximately six metres deep in the area of the deposit. The entire Triple R deposit is covered by approximately 50 m of overburden. Mineralization remains open along strike both to the western and eastern extents. Mineralization is both located within and associated with a metasedimentary lithologic corridor, associated with the PL-3B basement Electro-Magnetic (EM) Conductor. Recent very positive drill results returning wide and strongly mineralized intersections approximately 480m west of the Triple R deposit, have significantly upgraded the R600W zone to a very prospective area for further growth of the PLS resource. An updated map can be found on the Company's website at http://fissionuranium.com/project/pls/. Samples from the drill core will be split in half sections on site. Where possible, samples will be standardized at 0.5m down-hole intervals. One-half of the split sample will be sent to SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories (an SCC ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 Accredited Facility) in Saskatoon, SK for analysis which includes U3O8 (wt %) and fire assay for gold, while the other half will remain on site for reference. Analysis will include a 63 element ICP-OES, and boron. Patterson Lake South Property The 31,039 hectare PLS project is 100% owned and operated by Fission Uranium Corp. PLS is accessible by road with primary access from all-weather Highway 955, which runs north to the former Cluff Lake mine and passes through the nearby UEX-Areva Shea Creek discoveries located 50km to the north, currently under active exploration and development. The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed on behalf of the company by Ross McElroy, P.Geol., President and COO for Fission Uranium Corp., a qualified person. About Fission Uranium Corp. Fission Uranium Corp. is a Canadian based resource company specializing in the strategic exploration and development of the Patterson Lake South uranium property - host to the world-class Triple R uranium deposit - and is headquartered in Kelowna, British Columbia. Fission's common shares are listed on the TSX Exchange under the symbol "FCU" and trade on the OTCQX marketplace in the U.S. under the symbol "FCUUF." ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Ross McElroy, President and COO Cautionary Statement: Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of Canadian legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may include statements regarding the future operating or financial performance of Fission and Fission Uranium which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our reports filed with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and the Company and Fission Uranium disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Feb. 1, 2016) - THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES Macarthur Minerals Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:MMS) (the "Company" or "Macarthur") wishes to provide a corporate update on legal proceedings and the sale of the Western Australian Iron Ore Projects, which have been the subject of previous announcements. The Company has recovered in aggregate a total of A$2.3m in legal costs to date, as detailed below and in previous announcements. ACQUISITION OPPORTUNITIES Macarthur is actively assessing counter cyclical acquisition opportunities that complement Macarthur's capabilities. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS UPDATE First Strategic Development Corporation Ltd (in liquidation) ("FSDC") v. Sing Chuck Charles Chan, Wai Lap Victor Chan & Wai Tak (Edward) Kwok ("FSDC Directors") Judgement and costs, on an indemnity basis, were awarded against the FSDC Directors for insolvent trading in favour of the Liquidator of FSDC in April 2014. Judgement was awarded in the amount of $1,454,696 (including statutory interest). The FSDC Directors appealed to the Queensland Court of Appeal, where upon the appeal was dismissed and the judgement was upheld. Costs were awarded to the Liquidator of FSDC on an indemnity basis for the trial and on a standard basis for the appeal in the amount of $821,419. The Liquidator of FSDC has been awarded a total of $2,276,115 for damages, interest and costs. The Liquidator of FSDC has received a total of $1,879,090 from the FSDC Directors for judgement, interest and costs. The Company, as funding creditor, has been reimbursed a total of $1,801,770 for its costs, pursuant to the Court approved funding agreements with the Liquidator of FSDC. The Liquidator of FSDC issued and served a bankruptcy notice in Australia against Mr Edward Kwok and commenced the process for registration of the judgement in Hong Kong against Mr Charles Chan, Mr Victor Chan and Mr Edward Kwok to recoup the balance of costs outstanding in the amount of $397,026. The lawyers for the Liquidator of FSDC have since received funds to their trust account of $397,026 in payment of those costs. Macarthur estimates that it will be paid approximately a further $93,000, in accordance with its entitlements under the Court approved funding agreements. The Company has no further funding obligations and has recovered its funding costs in full. As a result, the Liquidator of FSDC has now recovered from the FSDC Directors the total judgement including, interest and costs in the amount of $2,276,115. LPD Holdings (Aust) Pty Ltd ("LPD") and Mayson Associates Limited ("Mayson") v. Macarthur and Ors. ("Initial Proceedings") and LPD v. Macarthur and Ors. ("New Proceedings") The Initial Proceedings were dismissed in November 2012 and the Company was awarded costs on an indemnity basis. LPD and Mayson appealed the indemnity costs order in the Queensland Court of Appeal and on October 11, 2013 the appeal was dismissed with costs of the appeal being awarded to the Company. LPD, a shareholder of the Company, and Mayson are entities associated with Mr Edward Kwok, a Director of FSDC. LPD brought New Proceedings against the Company and some of its directors in November 2012 substantially on the same grounds, following dismissal of the Initial Proceedings. On November 26, 2013 the New Proceedings were stayed by consent pending payment of the indemnity costs of the dismissed Initial Proceedings and the appeal costs by LPD and Mayson. To date, the Company has recovered costs of $476,020 from LPD and Mayson. The New Proceedings are stayed, pending payment of costs of the directors and officers of the Initial Proceedings, which are awaiting final assessment. Like the dismissed Initial Proceedings, the Company considers the New Proceedings are without merit and will continue to vigorously defend those proceedings. Chan, Chan and Kwok v. Macarthur Minerals Ltd. and Ors. On January 20, 2016 the Company was served with another Claim in the Supreme Court of Queensland commenced by Mr Charles Chan, Mr Victor Chan (who are associated with a shareholder of the Company) and Mr Edward Kwok ("Claim"), the FSDC Directors. The FSDC Directors are seeking damages against the Company and two of its officers relating to the debts the Supreme Court of Queensland found the FSDC Directors had incurred while trading insolvent which became the basis of the award for damages and indemnity costs against them. In addition they claim their own legal costs of unsuccessfully defending those proceedings and their unsuccessful appeal. The total Claim is for $2,757,510, which is largely comprised of the amount of damages, interest and indemnity costs awarded against them in the FSDC proceedings, including their own legal costs. The FSDC Directors base the Claim on alleged misleading statements made by Company representatives. The Company considers the Claim is without merit and will vigorously defend the Claim. Legal advisors have been appointed by the Company in respect of the Claim. Summary LPD, Mayson, Mr Edward Kwok, and Mr Charles Chan and his son Mr Victor Chan, who are business associates of Mr Kwok (collectively the "Hong Kong Shareholders"), have in aggregate been parties to 9 separate legal proceedings in the Supreme Court of Queensland, the Queensland Court of Appeal and the Federal Court of Australia. To date, none of these proceedings have been successful for the Hong Kong Shareholders recovering any damages against the Company and its directors. However, the Liquidator of FSDC has recovered in damages, interests and costs for a total of $2,276,115. To date the Company has recovered costs associated with the various proceedings, including its costs of funding the Liquidator of FSDC, of approximately $2,289,654 from the Hong Kong Shareholders. SALE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIAN IRON ORE PROJECTS The Company would like to update shareholders on the status of the Share Sale Agreement with FIG Australia Pty Ltd (previously named GIM Australia Pty Ltd) ("FIG") to dispose of all the shares of its wholly owned subsidiary, Macarthur Iron Ore Pty Ltd ("MIO") for A$6 million ("Sale"). MIO owns all of Macarthur's Western Australian iron ore project tenements. Financial close of the transaction was due on January 31, 2016. FIG was unable to complete the purchase of MIO. ABOUT MACARTHUR MINERALS LIMITED (TSX VENTURE:MMS) Macarthur Minerals Ltd. is an exploration and development company that is focused on identifying counter cyclical investments that complement Macarthur's capabilities. On behalf of the Board of Directors, MACARTHUR MINERALS LIMITED Cameron McCall, Chairman 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. Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain of the statements made and information contained in this press release may constitute forward -looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including whether the Transaction will be completed. The forward-looking statements in this press release reflect the current expectations, assumptions or beliefs of the Company based upon information currently available to the Company. With respect to forward-looking statements contained in this press release, assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the timely receipt of required approvals, the reliability of information, including historical mineral resource or mineral reserve estimates, prepared and/or published by third parties that are referenced in this press release or was otherwise relied upon by the Company in preparing this press release. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct as actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include fluctuations in exchange rates and certain commodity prices, uncertainties related to mineral title in the project, unforeseen technology changes that results in a reduction in iron ore demand or substitution by other metals or materials, the discovery of new large low cost deposits of iron ore, uncertainty in successfully returning the project into full operation, and the general level of global economic activity. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Such statements relate to future events and expectations and, as such, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and except as may otherwise be required pursuant to applicable laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Feb 1, 2016) - GoviEx Uranium Inc. (CSE:GXU) is pleased to confirm that the Government of Niger has advised the company that its Mining Permit application for the Madaouela I tenement area has been approved by its Counsel of Ministers. "This positive decision on behalf of the Government of Niger is the result of a decade of considerable effort by GoviEx and local stakeholders engaged on exploration, discovery, engineering, and the critical environmental and social aspect of this large and high-grade project. Since being awarded the exploration permits in June 2006, GoviEx has worked to achieve best international standards throughout the completion of the various technical studies. This decision of support is a stamp of approval for the quality of the work done to date by GoviEx, and the robustness of the Madaouela Project," stated Govind Friedland, GoviEx's Founder and Chairman. "We are extremely proud of the entire team who have helped the company and the State reach this important milestone." The Madaouela Project is based on the mineral resources associated with the Madaouela I Mining Permit. The NI 43-101 Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for the Madaouela Project in Niger, defined a large, low operating cost, commercially viable uranium project in the prolific Arlit uranium-mining district of northern Niger. The confirmed Mine Permit and approved Environmental and Social Impact Assessment means that the Madaouela Project is fully permitted for construction and production. The IDP was prepared for GoviEx by SRK Consulting (UK) Limited. The NI 43-101 technical report - titled, "An Updated Integrated Development Plan for the Madaouela Project, Niger" dated effective August 11, 2015 - is available under the company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Highlights of GoviEx's Madaouela Project IDP: The project development plan envisions an average 2.69 million pounds per year U3O8 yellowcake production rate over a 21-year mine life, with a 93.7% ultimate recovery of uranium. The IDP is based on Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources of 110 million pounds (Mlb) U3O8 and 61 Mlb of Probable Mineral Reserves. The base case project economics for this project at a long-term uranium price of US$70/lb U3O8 are positive, and indicate an after-tax net present value of US$340 million (at 8% discount rate) with an internal rate of return (IRR) of 23.5% and a total life of mine (LoM) net free cash of US$1,126 million. Initial capital costs are estimated at US$359 million, and cash operating costs of US$24.49/lb U3O8 including by-product credits and excluding royalties. It is noted that molybdenum has not been included in the Mineral Resource model and hence is not considered to be at the same level of confidence as the uranium grades. In addition, the company has been advised by the Niger Government that its application for the Eralrar exploration tenement has been approved, as well as the renewal applications for the Madaouela II, III, IV and Anou Melle tenements. However, the company's renewal application for Agaliouk exploration tenement was not approved and the company remains focused assessing the various options available. About GoviEx Uranium GoviEx is a mineral resource company focused on the exploration and development of uranium properties. GoviEx's principal objective is to become a significant uranium producer through the continued exploration and development of its Madaouela Project and its other uranium properties in Niger. For additional details, please visit GoviEx's website at www.goviex.com. The scientific and technical information disclosed in this release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Dr. Rob Bowell, a chartered chemist of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a chartered geologist of the Geological Society of London and Fellow of the Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Materials who is an independent Qualified Person under the terms of National Instrument 43-101 for uranium deposits. Forward-Looking Statements and Disclaimer This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All information and statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking information. Such statements and information may be identified by words such as "about", "approximately", "may", "believes", "expects", "will", "intends", "should", "plans", "predicts", "potential", "projects", "anticipates", "estimates", "continues" or similar words or the negative thereof or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based on the best estimates available to GoviEx at this time and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause GoviEx's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. A description of the risks affecting GoviEx's business and activities appears under the heading "Financial Risks and Management Objectives" of its MD&A for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 as well under the heading "Risk Factors" of its prospectus dated May 8, 2014 available at www.sedar.com. No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information in this press release will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that GoviEx will derive there from. In particular, no assurance can be given as to the future financial performance of GoviEx. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof and GoviEx undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward looking information to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. The reader is warned against placing undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA / TheNewswire / February 1, 2016 / MGX Minerals Inc. ("MGX" or the "Company") (CSE: XMG / FKT: 1MG) is pleased to announce the Company has entered into a Purchase Agreement (the "Agreement") with Zimtu Capital Corp. (TSX.V: ZC), DG Resource Management Ltd. and Ridge Resources Ltd. to acquire a 100% undivided interest in 12 Metallic and Industrial Mineral Permits and Permit Applications encompassing 96,000 hectares throughout the Province of Alberta (the "Properties"). The Properties were acquired based on compilation of historic oil and gas well data and known geology. Lithium, potassium and magnesium rich brines have been identified with historic levels of lithium reported up to 140 Mg/L. This is the highest reported levels of lithium for existing wells in the Province as reported in the industry database. All assays referenced are from the geoScout Oil & Gas Industry database as reported by well operators and monitored by the Government of Alberta. Location & Infrastructure The Properties surround existing wells that have provided the initial historic assays. The Properties are generally associated with past producing oil fields that are fully serviced with nearby roads, power and wellheads in place. Six Permits are located in Alberta's Fox Creek area and include wells with reported historic lithium values ranging from 115-140 Mg/L, in the lithium-bearing Leduc and San Hills formations. The six Permit Applications cover various locations throughout the Province including the Keg River, Winterburn and Woodbend Group formations, with reported historic lithium values ranging from 95-140 Mg/L. Exploration & Development The Company is currently in discussion with scientists, geologists and engineers, along with oil industry experts, to determine the best path forward for the development of MGX's lithium assets. Assessment of exploration and production requirements at all 12 sites will commence shortly with assay confirmation, wellhead pumping and pressure tests, as well as initial infrastructure scoping studies. Evaluation of de-watering technologies is underway, including evaporation, drying and filtration options with a focus on low-cost solutions that leverage the existing oil field services industry and infrastructure, as well as being suitable to the climate of Alberta. "MGX has acquired these Permits with the long-term strategic goal of turning Alberta's barren oil fields into producers of lithium compounds used in the new energy industry," stated Company President and CEO Jared Lazerson. "We believe Alberta offers a significant advantage over traditional lithium brine locations globally with an extensive infrastructure including roads, equipment, skilled labor and capital. Large lithium resources have traditionally been associated with remote locations and long development times. We may have solved this problem." In connection with the Agreement, MGX will issue 1,500,000 common shares of the Company over a period of 24 months and make payments to the vendors totaling CA$20,000. Qualified Person This press release was prepared under the supervision and review of Andris Kikauka, P. Geo. and Vice President of Exploration for MGX Minerals. Mr. Kikauka is a non-independent Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument (N.I.) 43-101 Standards. About MGX Minerals MGX Minerals (CSE: XMG) is a diversified Canadian mining company engaged in the acquisition and development of industrial mineral deposits in western Canada that offer near-term production potential, minimal barriers to entry and low initial capital expenditures. The Company operates the Driftwood Creek magnesium project located in the East Kootenay Region of British Columbia. MGX has recently received approval of a 20 year mining lease for Driftwood and bulk sampling is currently underway. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.mgxminerals.com. Contact Information Jared Lazerson Chief Executive Officer Telephone: 604.681.7735 Email: jared@mgxminerals.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Copyright (c) 2016 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. BIRMINGHAM, Feb. 1, 2016 - Walter Energy Inc. (OTC Pink: WLTG) ("Walter Energy" or the "Company") today announced that it has signed an asset purchase agreement with Seminole Coal Resources, LLC, ERP Compliant Coke, LLC and ERP Environmental Fund, Inc. ("Seminole") all related to ERP Compliant Fuels, LLC ("ERP"), an affiliate of Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund, Inc. ("VCLF"), for its remaining U.S. assets.The agreement provides for the acquisition of substantially all of the Company's remaining U.S. assets after giving effect to its previously-announced agreement with an entity owned by certain of the Company's senior lenders. The assets of the Company's Canadian or United Kingdom subsidiaries are also excluded from the transaction.Under the terms of the agreement, Seminole will acquire Walter Energy's assets in West Virginia, including the Gauley Eagle and Maple properties, as well as Walter Coke and Taft in Alabama. As part of the acquisition, Seminole will assume liabilities related to the assets it is acquiring."The asset sale agreements we have negotiated during Walter Energy's restructuring processfirst with members of our senior lender group and now with ERP and VCLFtogether represent the best possible outcome for Walter Energy, its creditors, employees, and other stakeholders under the very difficult circumstances we have faced in our industry," said Walt Scheller, Chief Executive Officer. "Over the last several months we have worked hard to build a path forward for our operations, while also ensuring the Company's environmental obligations are appropriately addressed to the highest standards. VCLF has established a strong track record in this area, and we are very pleased to be partnering with them in this transaction."The agreement was filed today with the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama in connection with a proposed, court-approved sale process under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code. On July 15, 2015, Walter Energy and its U.S. subsidiaries filed for relief under chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama.PJT Partners is serving as financial advisor and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP are serving as legal advisors to Walter Energy.Walter Energy is a leading metallurgical coal producer for the global steel industry with strategic access to steel producers in Europe, Asia and South America. The Company also produces thermal coal, anthracite, metallurgical coke and coal bed methane gas, with operations in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. For more information about Walter Energy, please visit www.walterenergy.com.Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund, Inc. ("VCLF") is a nonprofit organization seeking sustainable approaches and public awareness about natural resource use. VCLF controls over 30,000 acres of conservation land, including the Natural Bridge of Virginia. VCLF works closely with the coal industry to promote best management practices in land reclamation, reforestation, and water quality improvement. VCLF provides "environmental management services" to 459 coal mining and water quality permits in 5 states. VCLF affiliate ERP Compliant Fuels, LLC seeks to promote the sale of coal, and now coke, which is bundled with carbon credits from the reforestation of Appalachian lands to reduce the rate of growth in atmospheric carbon dioxide. With the Seminole purchase, ERP will operate one coke plant and four underground mines, including three longwalls, producing over 10 million tons of thermal and metallurgical coal annually. VCLF is supported by The Plains, Virginia based Green-Trees which has reforested over 100,000 acres (36 million trees) in the Mississippi Alluvial Delta generating over 12 million tons of carbon dioxide emission offsets.William Stanhouse205-745-2664william.stanhouse@walterenergy.com orRuth Pachman212-521-4891Kekst and Companyruth.pachman@kekst.comSOURCE Walter Energy Inc. B2Gold 2,590,000 Southern Silver 6,000,000 Focus Ventures 2,838,406 Medgold Resources 8,040,000 Rackla Metals 2,973,275 VANCOUVER, Feb 1, 2016 - Radius Gold Inc. (TSX VENTURE:RDU) is pleased to provide an update on recent activities including ongoing target generation and exploration work, the status of Radius's royalty interest in the Tambor gold mine in Guatemala, and the value of present equity holdings and other royalties.Simon Ridgway, the President and CEO of Radius, commented: "The current downturn in the resource sector has been a mixed blessing for RDU. We've had a lot of stalled or under-funded projects brought to us by third parties which we've been reviewing diligently. But, the flip side is the market meltdown has all but cut off the traditional sources of funding for the sector and Radius's portfolio of stocks has declined significantly in value.We're fortunate to have royalty income from the Tambor Gold mine so presently we do not have to liquidate any of our holdings to finance activities. We've been as efficient as we can be in our exploration programs, using a very small team to maintain our target generation effort in North, Central and South America. The flow of news from Radius this past year has been pretty slim but target review work doesn't generate much news until a project is acquired."The following update was provided by Kappes Cassiday and Associates (KCA), the owners of the Tambor mine in Guatemala.Tambor has been producing gold-pyrite concentrates since mid-2015. It is currently operating at about 220 tonnes per day of dry ore feed to the mill which is operating at about 85% monthly availability. Throughput is about 5,700 tonnes/month at an average grade of about 8.0 g/t gold. Recoveries have been below target but recent changes and ongoing optimization work are expected to bring the recoveries up to greater than 75% in due course.At the present gold price, Radius receives $100 per ounce of gold produced from the Tambor mine, for an estimated income to Radius in the region of $1 million per year at full production. The agreement between Radius and KCA calls for Radius to be repaid from this royalty the $10 million that it spent on the Tambor properties during the 1990s, until the mine has produced 100,000 ounces of gold. After the $10 million has been paid, Radius will receive a minimum of $25 per ounce of gold produced over and above the initial 100,000 oz.While the current market conditions continue, Management is planning to keep the Company's exploration and corporate expenditures at or below this income level, whilst continuing to aggressively evaluate opportunities throughout the Americas.In March 2015, Radius acquired an option to earn a 100% interest in the Margarita silver project in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. The property consists of two mining exploration licences comprising a total of 125 hectares located approximately 115 kilometres northwest of the historic silver mining city of Parral, Chihuahua, in the Mexican silver belt, one of the most productive silver camps in the world. The Margarita project - a low sulfidation vein with strong gold/silver numbers - represents an attractive exploration target. However the available land position was small and Radius had hoped to acquire some of the neighbouring properties to consolidate a larger package of concessions, which the Company was unable to do. Radius's geologists were also unable to get permission from the surface land owner to access the property, despite several attempts to negotiate an agreement with the owner.The decision has been taken to return the property to the underlying concession owners in the next week or so. Radius's entry fee into the project was low and very little was spent as a result of the lack of access.Radius' technical team has been active in Nevada evaluating projects in the Walker Lane belt, and has been on the ground following up the ideas and targets that have come out of the generative work.Radius owns a portfolio of shares in five exploration or mining companies, acquired through joint venture agreements or private placements, as follows:Radius also holds a 2% royalty on the 70% of the Bayovar 12 phosphate deposit owned by Focus Ventures. The Company is holding its stocks and royalties for investment purposes but may sell shares from time to time to meet its funding needs.In summary, Radius continues to evaluate properties in Nevada and Mexico; an effort that's been going on for more than a year now, and the Company has begun to receive royalty income from the Tambor gold mine in Guatemala. Radius has a low cost and very effective method of field testing targets that are generated by its geologists through desktop research and through submittals. With a small, efficient team, and a relatively low cash burn rate, Management expects to be able to keep evaluating targets despite the unique market conditions. We hope to be able to publish news in the near future on the outcome of this work.David Clark, M.Sc., P.Geo., is Radius's Qualified Person under the terms of National Instrument 43-101, "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects" and has approved the technical information in this news release.Radius has been exploring for gold in Latin America for over a decade. The Company has a strong treasury and is looking for investment and project acquisition opportunities across the globe. Please call toll free 1-888-627-9378 or visit our web site (www.radiusgold.com) for more information.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARDSimon RidgwayPresident and CEOSymbol: TSXV-RDUNeither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements about the anticipated royalty payment to the Company; the Company's plans for its investments and properties; the Company's business strategy, plans and outlook; the merit of the Company's investments and properties; timelines; the future financial performance of the Company; expenditures; approvals and other matters. Often, but not always, these forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "estimates", "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "upgraded", "offset", "limited", "contained", "reflecting", "containing", "remaining", "to be", "periodically", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations.Forward-looking Statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, the receipt of royalty payments; changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; the Company or any joint venture partner not having the financial ability to meet its exploration and development goals; risks associated with the results of exploration and development activities, estimation of mineral resources and the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; unanticipated costs and expenses; and such other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended.Forward-looking statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to: that the Company will receive royalty payments as expected; that the Company's activities will be in accordance with its public statements and stated goals; that all required approvals will be obtained; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its investments or properties; and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.Simon Ridgway604-801-5432 or Toll free 1-888-627-9378604-662-8829info@goldgroup.comwww.radiusgold.com Toronto, February 1, 2016 - Crown Mining Corp. (TSXV: CWM) ("Crown" or the "Company") announces a proposed non-brokered private placement for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $120,000 comprised of up to 2,000,000 units at a price of $0.06 per unit (each such unit being comprised of one common share and one warrant) (the "Offering"). Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one common share for $0.15 at any time within 3 years after closing subject to an acceleration clause. All securities issued pursuant to this private placement will be subject to a four (4) month hold period. The Company proposes to pay to eligible finders a finder's fee equal to 10% of the gross proceeds raised. The Company also reserves the right to increase or decrease the size of the Offering. Completion of the Offering is subject to receipt of all required regulatory and TSX Venture Exchange approvals. The Company will use the proceeds of the offering for work at its Superior Project and for general working capital purposes. About Crown Crown is focused on advancing its 100% controlled Superior Copper Project in Northeast California. The Superior Project has an inferred mineral resource of 57 million metric tonnes at an average grade of 0.43% with 547 million pounds of contained copper in 2 deposits. Further details of this resource can be found in the Technical Report on the Superior Project dated November 7, 2014 filed on Sedar. Mr Tanaka is the Qualified Person pursuant to NI 43-101 responsible for, the technical information contained in this news release, and he has reviewed and approved this news release. For more information please see the Crown website at www.crowngoldcorp.com. For Further Information Contact: Mr. Stephen Dunn, Director, President and CEO, Crown Gold Corporation (416) 361-2827 or email info@crowngoldcorp.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws and regulations, including statements regarding the future activities of the Company. Forward-looking statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of management and are identified by the use of words including "will", "anticipates", "expected to", "plans", "planned" and other similar words. Actual results may differ significantly. The achievement of the results expressed in forward-looking statements is subject to a number of risks, including those described in the Company's management discussion and analysis as filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in any jurisdiction. The flow-through common shares will not be and have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements. Crispy chicken laksa at Hem Nine Nine. Photo: Supplied The team behind Mama Linh's food truck will open a new Vietnamese bar and restaurant on Wednesday. And you won't need to constantly check your phone for its location. Hem Nine Nine is a stationary spin-off that's named after the Vietnamese word for laneway and the street number of its address: 99 Glebe Point Road, Glebe. "When you're travelling in Vietnam, the better foods the tastier foods you'll find in the alleyways, where the locals are cooking for the locals," owner Peter Wu says. Pork belly and tiger prawn with green mango salad at Hem Nine Nine. Photo: Supplied That's the street-food atmosphere he hopes to evoke in his new eatery. This vibe is helped by the venue's elongated shape, like a laneway, and he's added a blitz of graffiti to make the interiors feel more gritty and urban. Like with Mama Linh's, the menu will be shaped by his mother Xiao Linh Meng's traditional recipes (you "don't want to mess with" family staples, he points out) and of-the-moment influences that Wu has picked up. The new venture also combines Meng's 20 years of restaurant experience (including her time at Tan Ky Noodle House in Cabramatta), with the relationships that Wu has cultivated while running Mama Linh's. With the Vietnamese food truck making regular appearances at inner-west breweries such as Young Henrys, Batch Brewing, Willie The Boatman and Wayward Brewing, it's no surprise that Wu hopes to offer their booze on tap at Hem Nine Nine. Bone marrow pho at Hem Nine Nine. Photo: Supplied "Who wouldn't like an ice-cold tap craft beer on a hot sunny day with grilled pork skewers?" he says. And that's not the only local business that Hem Nine Nine will showcase. "We've got our own ice-cream flavour that we're getting made by the guys at Hakiki. That's something we're still finalising and flavour-testing Turkish hand-churned ice-cream done with Vietnamese flavours," Wu says. Advertisement Wu discovered Hakiki's ice-cream while running the Mama Linh's food truck. He had an ice-cream craving and happened to drive by the Newtown dessert bar on its opening day. Hem Nine Nine's savoury dishes are influenced by Vietnamese classics and take flight from there: a beef tartare dish that's a play on bo tai chanh (rare beef salad), a beef cheek and ox tongue version of bo kho (a Vietnamese tomato stew), and a citrus-dressed salmon sashimi with smoked egg roe, garnished with deep-fried salmon skin that resembles corn chips. Wu's mother's "phenomenal" pho has been given a new spin with bone marrow that's been soaked in broth overnight. "It gets roasted in the oven and just before it's served, it gets flame-torched, so it gets a nice colour and aroma," Wu says. "Kind of like what the sushi chefs do with salmon belly sushi before they serve it, they flame-torch the mayonnaise so it gives a slightly smoky finish." Dishes will be priced from $6 to $18 designed to encourage street-style snacking and menu exploration. The interior of Hem Nine Nine is meant to evoke a Vietnamese alleyway. Photo: Supplied "When you're in Vietnam in the alleyway, you might grab a bun from the bun cart lady for a couple of bucks, that'll keep you going for an hour or so, and then you'll go, 'I'm feeling peckish', and then you might have some banh xeo," Wu says. Open Wed-Sun 4pm-late. 99 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, 02 9571 8887, facebook.com/HemNineNine Foodie films: Thomas Frebel and Rene Redzepi of Noma. Photo: Eamon Gallagher What's better than cooking up a storm? Watching other people slaving away of course ... If you missed out on the chance to dine at Noma in Sydney, never fear. A documentary (Noma: My perfect storm) about the world-beating restaurant is screening in Melbourne and Sydney next week. But while some films that focus on life in the kitchen are bona fide masterpieces, others are No Reservations and Fast Food Nation. In no particular order, here's the 10 best according to me. Anthony Bourdain rates Ratatouille "the best restaurant movie ever made". He wasn't wrong. Photo: Disney Tampopo (1985) "First, observe the whole bowl." On its shimmering, fat-jewelled surface, Tampopo is the tale of a cowboy who comes to town and sets about transforming a widow's ramen restaurant into the number one eatery on the block. Prod deeper into the proverbial soup and you find musings on sex, human nature and selfless quests for perfection. It also features the definitive guide on how to eat ramen (always apologise to the pork). Jiro Ono, centre and his son Yoshikazu Ono, directly to the right of Jiro, from Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Photo: Supplied Ratatouille (2007) "Mark of a chef: messy apron, clean sleeves." When the animation gods at Pixar released the tale of a rat named Remy who turns the Parisian culinary world on its head, Anthony Bourdain called it "the best restaurant movie ever made". He wasn't wrong. Ratatouille perfectly captures the hot, sharp-edged frenzy of a working kitchen, the joy of food and the age-old truth that anyone can cook. The final word from snooty food writer Anton Ego is one of the most poignant comments on criticism ever committed to art. Advertisement Babette's Feast (1987) "An artist is never poor." Babette (Stephane Audran) is a former Parisian chef taking refuge from counter-revolution bloodshed in tiny Danish village. She wins the lottery and, in an act of self-sacrifice, spends her new fortune on creating a seven-course "real French dinner" for the Protestant sisters and congregation who have been kind enough to take her in. Parts of this foreign production make The Piano look like Predator II it's that slow, but the feast sequence is worth the price of admission. Even the most of pious of Danes can't say no to buckwheat pikelets with caviar. A scene from Sideways, a road trip comedy with pinot. Photo: Supplied Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) "Raising daughters is like cooking a meal. You lose your appetite by the time you're finished." If the opening scene of Ang Lee's classic was played on a loop for two hours it would still make this list: a master chef calmly preparing a Chinese banquet for his daughters. Every move he makes is fluid, every dish he creates delicious. Perhaps the best part is the sounds of the kitchen meditative beats of chopping, filleting, frying, basting and slicing that turn the kitchen into a sanctuary from the Taipei traffic outside. (The rest of the film isn't bad either.) Morgan Spurlock gained 11 kilograms making Super Size Me, a documentary about eating only McDonald's food for a month. Photo: Supplied Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) "Once you decide on your occupation... you must immerse yourself in your work." Japanese national treasure Jiro Ono was the first sushi chef to receive three Michelin stars. Eighty-five years young when this documentary was made, Ono was still making sushi in a 10-seat Tokyo subway bar with all the hunger and dedication of a young apprentice. This is not just a film about raw fish and rice; it's a film about work ethic, expectations and the cost of perfection. Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan play themselves reviewing British restaurants in The Trip. Photo: Supplied Super Size Me (2004) "My body... officially hates me." Morgan Spurlock's Academy Award-nominated documentary caused a serious kerfuffle in the land of Happy Meals. To bring attention to the growing burden of obesity created by fast food companies, Spurlock eats nothing but McDonald's for 30 days and in the process gains 11 kilograms, experiences mood swings and suffers from sexual dysfunction. Macca's denies the film affected its decision to put healthier options on the menu around the same time but the coincidence is hard to ignore. Like Water for Chocolate (1992) "She understood exactly how raw dough must feel when it comes into contact with boiling oil." The food-as-a-sexual-metaphor genre is a big one and this Mexican entry sits at the top of the DVD stack. It's the story of forbidden love, quail, roses, honey, more quail, and a woman's cooking that is so magical it inspires other women to run naked from the house in a fit of passion. Or something. Sure, it plays a like a mid-90s Nescafe commercial on repeat viewing, but the food scenes remain as gorgeous as ever. Big Night (1996) "Give people what they want, then later you can give them what you want." Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and Secondo (Stanley Tucci) are Italian brothers who have migrated to the US to open the restaurant of their dreams. Unfortunately, punters in 1950s New Jersey don't want finely crafted risotto. They want heaving plates of Americanised spaghetti and meatballs, and the brothers find themselves in financial strife. Anyone who has spent hours cooking a dish only for someone at the table to drown it in Fountain tomato sauce will relate. Sideways (2004) "If anyone orders merlot, I'm leaving." It's wine-focused, yes, but wine and food are practically inseparable so this sharply scripted tale of obsession makes the list. An emotional, frequently hilarious road-trip yarn featuring two mates driving around Californian wine country, drinking pinot and picking up girls, Sideways celebrates wine while also poking fun at the pretension surrounding it. The Trip (2010) "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" Actors Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play themselves in a fictitious film reviewing real-life Michelin-starred restaurants in northern England. The Lakes District vistas are stunning, the fly-on-the-wall kitchen scenes strangely captivating and the improvised celebrity impressions from two leads priceless. Followed by the equally excellent The Trip to Italy (bring on an Australian three-quel, I say). Your tip: What is your best food film ever? Log in to comment below. India Dedicated Funds That NRIs From US Can Invest In Investment oi-Sunil Non Resident Indians (NRIs) in the US face a typical problem when it comes to investing in mutual funds in India. Most mutual funds in India, which have their head-offices in the US cannot accept money from NRIs in the US. This is peculiar only to the US, while NRIs in other countries can freely apply directly for mutual fund units in India, through a host of mutual funds here. However, what NRIs in the US can do is look at India dedicated funds to invest in. These funds invest money in Indian companies to churn returns and NRIs in the US can invest in these mutual funds. Here are a few India dedicated funds for NRIs from the US to invest. Mathews India Fund This fund invests almost 80 per cent in the Indian markets. The asset size by the end of Dec 2015 was close to $ 1.51 billion. Returns by the Mathews India Fund 1 year returns 3 year returns 5 year returns 10 year returns 0.90% 15.84% 5.37% 11.10% The company has investment in Taro Pharma, IndusInd Bank, ITC, Shriram City Union, which are the top holdings of the fund. The risk for the fund include currency risk, volatility of stocks, particularly to emerging markets and volatility in some smaller stocks that the fund holds. The fund has managed to generate positive returns in the last 1 year, despite the fact that Indian benchmark indices are down almost 9 per cent in the last one year. Eaton Vance Greater India Fund This fund invests primarily in India, though it has a mandate to also look at Pakistan and Sri Lanka. However, if you see the portfolio of top holdings it comprises mostly of Indian companies with names like ITC, HDFC Bank, HDFC, ICICI Bank and Yes Bank forming the top 5 of its portfolio. Here is a look at the returns from the Eaton Vance Greater India Fund 1 year 3 year 5 year 10 year -4.96% 5.99% -1.25% 4.91% Like most other India dedicated funds the risk remain the huge volatility in the emerging markets. The fund has not seen an exceptional performance in the last few years. In fact, the portfolio is heavily geared to the banking sector and any recovery in banking stocks in India, could give a boost to the fund. Waswatch Emerging India Fund The fund invests primarily in Indian companies to generate returns. The one year return of the fund has been close to 4.16 per cent, while the fund has generated near 9 per cent returns since inception. Returns From Waswatch Emerging India Fund 1 year return Returns since inception 4.16% 9.83% The Fund is managed by Ajay Krishnan. NRIs should remember that investing in emerging markets like India, through India dedicated funds, could pose currency and volatility risks, as these markets are slightly more volatile than developed markets. Another thing to remember about this fund is that it invests in small and mid sized companies, where the volatility, that is price movement either ways is much more sharper. The holding is not spread, which could be a further risk. Wawsatch Funds deducts a 2 per cent for redemption proceeds, if you redeem within 6 months. Conclusion India dedicated funds for NRIs in the US is one option that they can consider. There are many such funds, which we are not able to highlight all. The above is not a recommendation to invest, but just an informative article. Disclaimer This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to buy securities or other financial instruments mentioned herein. Greynium Information Technologies Pvt Ltd, its subsidiaries, associates and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/or damages arising based on information in this article. You may please seek professional help. GoodReturns.in SHARE Town struggles to cope with death By Ngan Ho A memorial will be held for a Sonora High School freshman who died Sunday in a car collision in Sutton County. Stevie Smith, 14, of Sonora was a passenger in a 2004 Dodge pickup driven by Charles Tyler West, 16, of Mertzon, according to the Texas Department of Safety. West was following a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox driven by Summer Adele Hall, 16, according DPS. The two cars were traveling north on Ranch to Market Road 864 about six miles southeast of Sonora at about 4 p.m., according to DPS. The Equinox, which was being followed by the pickup, signaled a left turn into a private ranch drive, according to DPS. West realized he was traveling too fast and swerved to the left increasing his speed to try to get around the Equinox but hit its left front quarter panel, and the pickup overturned, according to DPS. Smith and another passenger, Gabby Zapata, 14, were not wearing seat belts and both were ejected from the pickup during the crash, according to DPS. Zapata suffered incapacitating injuries, according to DPS, and Smith died as a result of her injuries. Smith was pronounced dead Sunday at Shannon Medical Center. Hall and West were both wearing their seat belts, DPS said. The school is in an enormous slump right now without Stevie, said Walker Sine, 15, a friend of Smith and a student at Sonora High School. Its been a rough day. Sine said he has been friends with Smith since third grade and that Smith was like a sister to him. She was a very close friend. Her death has affected everyone as a whole in Sonora. Its like losing a sister to me, he said. There are 2,700 people in Sonora, and I can tell you that its taking a toll on most (of) the 2,700 people. Sine said Smith was a great person and friend, always friendly and happy, he said. She was well known in the community, he said, and played golf and volleyball, among other sports at school. It crushed me, he said. We found out yesterday at about 4 oclock and we drove up to San Angelo. He said he was with his father when they received a phone call that Smith had been in an accident and that she was taken to Shannon Medical Center. She has a twin sister, he said. I know Sterling isnt doing well right now, and (her) mom and dad are struggling with their loss. Sines father, David Sine, athletic director at Sonora High School, said he knew Stevie Smith well at a social level, and he said her death is a true loss for the community. A day didnt pass without seeing a smile on Stevies face ... She was a phenomenal lady. Sine said. I can tell you that it is a tragic loss for Bronco Nation, and she will be missed. Our community will come together for her parents and her sister. The memorial service will be held at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Sonora High School gymnasium, 1717 Tayloe St. Visitation is to held 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Kerbow Funeral Home, 409 E. Second in Sonora. Smith will be buried at Sonora Cemetery. SHARE The latest survey of cattle, sheep and goat inventories shows an increase of cattle and sheep numbers across the nation, but the goat count fell 1 percent, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. The annual survey of the nation's cattle inventory totaling 92 million head of cattle and calves gave an increase of 3 percent from a year ago. This is the highest United States cattle inventory since 2011 when a severe drought started driving numbers to their lowest level since the early 1950s. All cows and heifers that have calved, at 39.6 million head, are 3 percent above the 38.6 million head at the same time last year. Beef cows, at 30.3 million head, are up 4 percent from a year ago. Milk cows, at 9.32 million head, are up slightly from the previous year. The calf crop was estimated at 34.3 million head, up 2 percent from the 2014 calf crop. Calves born during the first half of 2015 were estimated at 24.8 million head. This is up 2 percent from the first half of 2014. The calves born during the second half of last year were estimated at 9.50 million head, 28 percent of the total 2015 calf crop. All cattle on feed increased to 13.2 million head, up 1 percent from the previous year. Although Texas continues to rank first in the nation in total number of cattle and calves with 13 percent of the total U.S. inventory, the Texas count of 11.7 million head remains unchanged from a year ago. All sheep and lamb inventory in the U.S. on Jan. 1 totaled 5.32 million head, up 1 percent from 2014. Breeding sheep inventory at 3.97 million head increased 1 percent from 3.94 million head a year ago. Market sheep and lambs totaled 1.36 million head on Jan. 1. Market lambs weighing less than 65 pounds totaled 330,000 head; lambs weighing 65 to 84 pounds totaled 179,000 head; lambs weighing 85 to 105 pounds totaled 264,000 head, and lambs weighing over 105 pounds totaled 507,000 head. Market sheep account for the remaining 75,000 head. Market sheep and lambs in Texas were down 3 percent from last year, totaling 145,000 head. Sheep for market totaled 10,000 head, down 5,000 head from the year before, while lambs for market totaled 135,000 head, unchanged from last year. In Texas, sheep and lambs total 735,000 head, up 2 percent from last year. The inventory of breeding sheep and lambs totaled 590,000 head, up 4 percent from last year. Shorn wool production in the U.S. during 2015 was 27.1 million pounds, up 1 percent from 2014. Sheep and lambs shorn totaled 3.68 million head, unchanged from 2014. The average price paid for wool sold was $1.45 per pound for a total value of $39.3 million. Texas producer's sheared 270,000 sheep and lambs during 2015, down 7 percent from the previous year. Wool production totaled 1.95 million pounds. The average fleece weights were unchanged from 2014, at 7.2 pounds. Total value of the state's wool production was down 3 percent from the previous year to $3.20 million. The price per pound averaged $1.64 during 2015, 4 percent higher than the average for 2014. All goat inventories in the nation totaled 2.62 million head, down 1 percent from a year ago. Breeding goat inventory totaled 2.16 million head, down 1 percent from last year. Meat and all other goats totaled 2.10 million head on Jan. 1, down 1 percent from last year. Milk goat inventory was 375,000 head, up 3 percent from last year, while Angora goats were down 6 percent, totaling 150,000 head. Mohair production in the U.S. was 765,000 pounds. Goats and kids clipped totaled 139,000 head. Average weight per clip was 5.5 pounds. Mohair price was $5.30 per pound with a value of $4.05 million. In Texas, 78,000 Angora goats and kids were clipped, 14,000 head lower than the year before. Mohair production decreased 100,000 pounds to 480,000 pounds. The average clip weight was 6.2 pounds and the price per pound increased 80 cents to $7.10. This brought the total value of the state's mohair production to $3.41 million for 2015. The majority of the nation's mohair is grown on the Edwards Plateau. By the way, the winter meeting of the Mohair Council of America board of directors starts at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Zentner's Daughter Steakhouse, 1909 Knickerbocker Road. Jerry Lackey is the agriculture editor emeritus. Contact him at jlackey@wcc.net or 325-949-2291. Esther Cepeda is a Washington Post columnist. Contact her at estherjcepeda@washpost.com. SHARE CHICAGO The English language is so flexible so bedeviling, even that the word "tie" can actually mean "cut." "Sterilization" can mean "cleaning" but also the impeding of the ability to produce offspring. The new Independent Lens documentary "No Mas Bebes" No More Babies uncovers the story of how low-income women in 30 states were duped during childbirth with such words, or just plain bullied, into agreeing to be sterilized in the late 1960s and '70s. It does so through the stories of six women, all Hispanic, who went through the traumatizing ordeal at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center although poor white Appalachian women and low-income black women went through much the same in other cities. Some were in life-or-death situations in which doctors told them they could not have the emergency C-sections they needed to ensure their babies would live unless they agreed to have their "tubes tied." Others were asked, during the final, most painful hours of their labor if they wanted "no mas bebes" by being sterilized but were not made to understand that this involved a severing of the fallopian tubes that could not be undone. A few women, incredibly, didn't even know they'd been sterilized until years later, after an outspoken doctor had made evidence of the wrongdoing public and a group of just-out-of-school Mexican-American lawyers broke the news to them during the process of gathering witnesses to make a case against the USC Medical Center. The testimony of the women and the doctors involved in the Madrigal v. Quilligan lawsuit is so compelling that, unfortunately, it didn't leave time for the filmmakers, Renee Tajima-Pena and Virginia Espino, to mention that, though the lawsuit did eventually lead to nationwide reforms to protect women from coercive sterilizations, the issue is far from over. Forced sterilization in this country goes back to the late 1800s, but incarcerated women in California prisons recently proved that as many as 150 inmates were unwillingly sterilized between 2006 and 2010. In 2015, a Tennessee prosecutor was found to have offered probation in exchange for sterilization. That said, the context in which the fight for these low-income Mexican women's civil rights occurred is surely the most fascinating takeaway from this new film. Gloria Molina, an East Los Angeles activist, illustrates how, at the time, the women had no allies: "We were talking about abortion rights and all issues of feminism at that time. (But) the Chicano movement, unfortunately, was all led by men with very much a very sexist kind of approach. So when we raised these issues to our brothers ... it was always considered a secondary issue to them. "We wanted to create a waiting period for sterilization because we wanted to make sure we had truly informed consent, but this was totally offensive to white feminists. The feminists wanted sterilization upon demand. They basically opposed our waiting period they weren't really taking into account that if you're Spanish-speaking or if you don't speak English, you were being denied a right, totally." Equally riveting are the interviews the filmmakers scored with some of the doctors and administrators of the USC obstetrics and gynecology department who were named in the lawsuit. They are treated fairly in this film, but their self-defensive comments betray a lack of understanding of the biases and cultural blind spots that might have contributed to their role in irrevocably damaging these women's lives. Joseph Levin, one of the women's lawyers, attributed the physicians' reluctance to cop to any wrongdoing to the fact that the women had signed their consent, albeit under duress: "If all they're going to do is look at a piece of paper and not think about who the patient is, what language the patient speaks, or where the patient came from, then, yeah, they can quite honestly, to themselves, rationalize it by saying, 'Well, I had a piece of paper.'" Dr. Bernard Rosenfeld, the whistleblower who imperiled his own career to bring the women's mistreatment to light, put it this way: "No private doctor, ever, would go up to a woman in a private hospital while she was in labor and ask her if she wanted to get her tubes tied. He would have gotten probably thrown out of the hospital and sued by the patient." "No Mas Bebes" is living history well worth learning about. The film airs Monday on PBS. Esther Cepeda is a Washington Post columnist. Contact her at estherjcepeda@washpost.com. Gail Gitcho, Herschel Walkers campaign strategist, regarding the campaigns decision to distribute 1,000 imitation police badges at an upcoming fundraiser after his opponent Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock accused Walker of pretending to be an officer after pulling out a fake police badge at a debate last week. Walker will use the moment to reinforce his support of law enforcement. (NPR Oct. 19, 2022) A great deal of attention has been paid to the management of state prisons in recent years. Much of it has been aimed at corralling the growth in corrections costs, which have been consuming ever-larger portions of the total budget. But its equally important to look at jails. These are generally run by counties and cities, and, while populations move through jails at a more fluid pace than prisons, these facilities hold a population of about 740,000 at any one time, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.A look through a number of local jail audits and other independent reports reveals a management miasma that all too often is hobbling the smooth and safe functioning of jails. One of the big issues confronted by these lockups is lack of staffing. This is often the result of insufficient funding, but it can also be a product of difficulties in hiring enough personnel to fill jobs in jails. After all, its not exactly a kids dream jobthe way firefighter or police officer might be. People dont want to work in a jail when they grow up, says Brandon Wood, executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, adding that the ups and downs of the economy and employment rates arent necessarily the problem. Meeting the staffing ratios is a challenge at all times, he says.Denver budgeters have also had a difficult time coming to grips with staffing shortages. According to a thorough audit, the department that runs the city and county jail has underestimated its staff budget by $8 million or more every year, which translates into roughly 100 full-time positions. The result has been high overtime rates as well as high turnover. One report found that an average jail employee worked about 24 hours of mandatory overtime every week. Denver is taking steps to rectify the situation.The overtime costs of understaffing are expensive, but there are other ramifications. If a parks department, for instance, is understaffed, weeds will fester and playground equipment will become wobbly. If the department of sanitation has too few workers, the streets will get dirty and garbage collection may suffer. But while well-painted jungle gyms and cleaner byways are worthy goals, jails are filled with inmates who are potentially dangerous and cant be ignored. When that happens, both the correctional officers and the inmates in these overcrowded and understaffed jails are at risk.A worn-out, overworked correctional officer is less likely to be effective at dealing with inmates. The risk of an inappropriate response to a jail incident, says Valerie Walling, deputy auditor of Denver, is higher when an employee is mentally or physically fatigued.Even when jails are able to increase staffing, they often neglect to keep up with staff training. In Hamilton County, Ohio, for example, all corrections officers undergo initial training. But according to an audit, there is no ongoing training nor is specialized training mandated or offered to employees. Instead, corrections officers who want to obtain state certification as a law enforcement officer must do so on their own time and at their own cost. The deputies, the audit points out, are working a minimum of 80 hours per week with diminished ability to protect themselves, other deputies, civilian employees and inmates. The audit goes on to make a more damaging point: This lack of training results in officers being confused, embarrassed, unable to make proper decisions and opens the community to potential lawsuits.Jails are often low on the list when its time to allocate scarce resources. But overtime, badly trained staff and safety issues are just the beginning of the litany of problems that arise when jails are underfunded. An audit in Chesapeake County, Va., for example, found that the sheriffs office had a disproportionately high percentage of workers compensation claims relative to its number of full-time employees. A reason cited for the increased number of claims was that inmate populations were far above rated capacity.Mismanagement due to underfunding often stops an enterprise from utilizing data in order to run more efficiently and save money over the long term. The Denver audit, for example, found that the county faced a number of issues with quality and consistency of data used and reported by the Denver Sheriff Department. There were numerous instances of conflicting data being reported, as well as discrepancies in collection between facilities. Furthermore, at the time of the audit, the departments Data Analytics Division, which is charged with building and maintaining data reporting systems, did not have adequate staff to perform its duties. Staffing was not expected to be expanded.Its never popular to pump money into jails. Its money that would come out of the budget lines for such programs as education, sanitation and transportation. One solution that could make a big difference in many communities is to bolster programs and resources that go to alternatives to jail, including bail reform, better services for the mentally ill and community diversion programs. In order to save money down the line, these are, we suspect, more palatable to the public. Theres already one thing we can say for sure about this years elections: Not enough people are going to vote. Turnout in 2012 was 55 percent, down from the presidential election held four years earlier. In the midterm elections of 2014, only 36 percent of Americans voted -- the worst showing in more than 70 years.Such anemic results have resuscitated an idea thats been put into practice in about 30 other countries: making voting a civic requirement. It would be transformative if everybody voted, President Obama said last year.But even supporters of compulsory voting dont think its going to happen in the U.S. The very idea of forcing people to vote seems, well, anti-democratic. Whats more, its a partisan issue. As Obama himself suggests, the people who tend not to vote often look like Democrats -- the poor, the young, members of minority groups. One recent study of ballot measures in Switzerland found that compulsory voting boosted the progressive position by up to 20 percentage points.Most academic research, however, has found that mandatory voting does not move the average voter to the left, according to Jason Brennan, a professor at Georgetown University and co-author of. Theres a widespread belief among Democrats that compulsory voting would deliver more states to Democrats, he says. It turns out thats not true. The people who vote and the people who dont vote are roughly the same in terms of their partisan preferences.That doesnt mean the population of actual voters perfectly reflects the nation as a whole. The biggest difference between voters and nonvoters is not partisan ideology but information, suggests Brennan. The crop of people who are not voting are less informed than the people who are voting right now.That alone leads to conflicting opinions, even among members of the same party. Martin Gilens, a political scientist at Princeton University, says so-called low-information members of the Democratic Party hold views on issues such as gay rights, military force and free trade that are the opposite of Democrats who follow policy debates more closely.So even if partisan outcomes wouldnt change appreciably under a mandated voting system, the political system itself would change. Supporters of compulsory voting say that would force politicians to address broader concerns, rather than appealing to narrow bases. Ideally, a democracy will take into account the interests and views of all citizens so that its decisions represent the will of the entire people, concludes a recent Brookings Institution paper promoting mandatory voting. If some regularly vote while others do not, elected officials are likely to give less weight to the interests and views of nonparticipants.Georgetowns Brennan is dubious that appealing to the masses will be all good, though. Compulsory voting probably reduces the quality of government by some small amount, he says, because you are reducing the knowledge of the median voter. Gov. John Kasich will enter the crucial final days of the New Hampshire Republican presidential campaign with less money to spend on TV advertising than key GOP contenders he is trying to finish ahead of in the Feb. 9 primary.In campaign finance records filed Sunday with the Federal Election Commission, an independent organization backing Kasich's quest for the Republican nomination reported having just $1.9 million available to spend at the end of last year.Although Politico.com reported Saturday the organization -- a super-PAC called New Day for America -- has raised an additional $4 million this month from six wealthy donors, the report filed Sunday counted only money the organization had collected through the end of December.Even with the $4 million, New Day is lags behind two super-PACs supporting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Kasich, Rubio, Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are locked in a tight battle in New Hampshire to emerge as the favorite of the Republican establishment wing.Right to Rise, a super-PAC supporting Bush, finished the year with $58.6 million in the bank while Conservative Solutions, which is supporting Rubio's candidacy, reported $13.9 million in available cash to spend at the end of the year.In addition, America Leads, which is a super-PAC supporting Christie, reported $3.3 million in the bank at the end of December.Presidential candidates have employed two ways to raise money this year. Each candidate has their own campaign committee which can only raise $2,700 per person. In addition, a number of super-PACs are backing each candidate and they can raise money in unlimited donations. But the campaign and the super-PACs are not allowed to coordinate efforts.Kasich's own presidential campaign committee reported having $2.5 million in the bank at the end of last year. But even there, Kasich trails Rubio, who reported having $10.4 million in his own campaign committee, and Bushm whose campaign reported having $7.1 million. The Ohio governor is ahead of Christie, who had just over $1 million on hand after raising nearly $3 million in the last quarter.Chris Schrimpf, a Kasich spokesman, said "we remain pleased with the support we continue to receive, and combined with our careful management of resources and increasing support as we rise in New Hampshire, we are in a good position to succeed in New Hampshire and execute our plan in the months ahead to secure the nomination."According to the reports, New Day raised $3.45 million during the final three months of last year compared to $14.4 million collected by Conservative Solutions during that same period.Throughout the final months of last year, New Day collected $250,000 apiece from Abigail Wexner, wife of The Limited founder Leslie H. Wexner; Michael Goguen, a venture capitalist from New York, and the Wendt Family Trust of California, which appears to headed by Greg Wendt, an executive at an investment management organization.In addition, Albert Ratner, co-chairman emeritus of Forest City in Cleveland donated nearly $70,000; Robert Schottenstein of Columbus donated $44,600, and Stanley Druckenmiller, a self-made hedge fund billionaire from New York, contributed $150,000.According to Politico, Abigail Wexner and Greg Wendt are one of the six donors who helped contribute $4 million to New Day after the December 31 filing deadline.Presidential campaigns and the super-PACs supporting those candidates had until midnight Sunday to file their campaign reports for the last three months of last year. Gov. Mark Dayton was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul on Sunday after he fainted at a political event, and he was expected to be hospitalized overnight for observation, officials in the governor's office said."He is in great spirits," said senior adviser Bob Hume, who spent two to three hours with Dayton at the hospital. "The most likely culprit is dehydration."The governor is undergoing tests as a result of the incident, which occurred in Woodbury about 5 p.m. during a volunteer recognition event for state Rep. JoAnn Ward, DFL-Woodbury, Hume said.Jaime Tincher, the governor's chief of staff, said in a news release that the event was hot and crowded, and Dayton fainted after feeling increasing pressure in his lower back.Hume said the governor's office plans to issue a release when the governor leaves the hospital. Two of the three inmates who escaped from an Orange County jail were booked early Sunday morning into the Santa Ana detention facility from which they had fled, marking the end of an eight-day manhunt by federal and local law enforcement officials.Shortly after 1 a.m., deputies escorted Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Hossein Nayeri, 37, into the Central Men's Jail, as shown in video released by the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Both Nayeri and Tieu were shackled and wearing orange scrubs.The men were arrested Saturday in San Francisco near a Whole Foods Market, a day after their accomplice, Bac Duong, surrendered to authorities at an auto body shop in Santa Ana.With all three men again in custody, the focus has shifted to how they carried out such a brazen jailbreak _ the first in nearly 30 years at the facility _ and how the Sheriff's Department could have prevented it."We do not want another escape from an Orange County jail," Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said this weekend. She vowed to examine "where the system failed" and scheduled a news conference Monday to provide more details.No disciplinary action has been taken against department personnel, she said. But the head of the union representing Orange County deputies publicly criticized the jail leadership, called for the removal of the captain overseeing the facility and said the department's policy on counting inmates was ignored in the months leading up to the Jan. 22 escape.The timing of inmate head counts, as well as the jail's outdated surveillance systems have become key issues.The inmates' escaped from their fourth-floor dormitory sometime after 5 a.m., when the first head count at the jail is conducted. They cut through four layers of steel, metal and rebar as they slinked through the jail's plumbing tunnels and an air duct. After reaching the roof, a floor above the room where they had been housed with about 60 other inmates, they clipped barbed wire from the roof's edge and used a rope of knotted bedsheets to rappel down the side of the building.Their departure went unnoticed until the second physical head count of the day about 8 p.m., which gave them a head start of up to 15 hours, according to court documents.Kimberly Edds, spokeswoman for the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, said there were supposed to be five physical head counts in a 24-hour period according to department policy, but jail management said only two were being performed. Tom Dominguez, the group's president, wrote in a letter delivered Friday to Hutchens that nearly a year ago, deputies in the jails were instructed to ignore department policy.Hutchens has said that the department's investigation is continuing.In addition to two physical head counts on the day of the escape, three "paper checks" that involve reviewing records to account for inmate movements within the jail or to court were conducted but did not detect the breakout, sheriff's officials said. After the escape, however, Hutchens said deputies would now be required to conduct more thorough checks by confirming that inmates actually moved to other locations during the day.Neither the Sheriff's Department nor the union would provide a copy of the jail count policy to the Los Angeles Times.Six times from 2008 to 2014, the county's Grand Jury has called on the Sheriff's Department to upgrade its surveillance systems. The 2014 report said the lack of adequate video monitoring equipment endangered inmates and staff.Last year, the Sheriff's Department began an $11 million project to modernize its video surveillance program. It's unclear whether the module where the men were housed had cameras.Hutchens said an internal investigation will determine the complete facts of the escape and examine department practices. She said that deputies would be required to conduct more thorough checks on inmates during the day."I have been very clear from the onset of the jail escape investigation that I am deeply concerned about the length of time it took to recognize that three maximum security inmates were unaccounted for," Hutchens said in a statement. "Until the investigation is complete, I am unable to discuss further."Many details of the trio's escape and their time on the lam remain unknown or have been withheld from the public. Hutchens said that investigators had not determined whether others helped the trio.Authorities say an English-language instructor at the jail, Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, provided Nayeri access to Google Maps, which gave him an aerial view of the jail's roof.The day after the escape, the three obtained a white GMC Savana van. Duong responded to a Craigslist ad for the van in South Los Angeles, took it on a test drive and never returned it, Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Hallock said.At some point, they headed north to San Jose, where they checked into a motel Tuesday and paid cash for a two-night stay.It's unclear how the inmates obtained the tools officials suspect they used to break out of the jail or the cash for the hotel room. Hutchens said she also did not know how Duong traveled from San Jose back to Santa Ana.Photos of the white van that sheriff's officials had released to the public led to Nayeri and Tieu's arrest Saturday morning. An unidentified man recognized the vehicle and alerted police, said San Francisco Police Officer Grace Gatpandan.Officers responded to the area at Haight and Stanyan streets and spotted Nayeri, who fled on foot when he saw the officers, police said. He was later arrested.Tieu was found hiding in the van, police said, along with handgun ammunition but no weapons. Republican legislators have struck a deal with Gov. Terry McAuliffe to maintain concealed-carry permit deals with at least 25 states, and to take guns from domestic violence offenders who are under permanent protection orders.Under the deal, when judges hit domestic violence suspects with 2-year restraining orders, the offenders will automatically lose their right to own a gun for the order's duration. They will have 24 hours to sell, transfer or turn in the firearm, McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said, and a violation would be a class 1 misdemeanor, the most serious misdemeanor on Virginia's books.In return for this concession from Republicans, the administration will move to keep reciprocity deals in place with 25 other states, and to expand the number states where Virginia concealed-carry permits will be honored.Gun rights supporters have been incensed since December, when Attorney General Mark Herring announced that the state would stop recognizing concealed carry permits from 25 states with weaker permit rules than Virginia. Permit holders expected those states to respond by refusing to recognize Virginia permits.Democrats have pushed for at least two years now to strip gun rights from people under protection orders. The General Assembly's Republican majority has resisted that effort.Democrats will also get legislation to put state police in gun shows across the state to perform background checks for people who request them. The law doesn't require a background check for sales between people who aren't licensed firearm dealers, and it still won't.But this change will ensure that police are on hand to do voluntary checks, something private sellers haven't had access to even if they wanted it, Coy said."The law will say a member of the Virginia State Police shall appear at every gun show and offer this service," Coy said.The deal was first reported by The Washington Post. Speaker of the House William Howell's office and the governor's office have since confirmed details to The Daily Press and other media outlets. Votes on the legislation involved in this deal will come later this session."It's a balanced deal," Coy said. "It's a deal that will make Virginia safer.""Everyone gave something up," said Howell spokesman Matt Moran. "Everyone got something."State Sen. Bryce Reeves, who had been carrying legislation to address the reciprocity issue, played a big role in brokering this deal, according to the speaker's office. (TNS) -- Volkswagen's Chattanooga operations could help the state become a leader in the development and manufacture of self-driving cars, says a state senator who has introduced a new bill to spur the industry in Tennessee.State Sen. Mark Green, R-Clarksville, said Friday he met with VW officials during a visit to the Chattanooga plant and the automaker already is doing "some phenomenally innovative stuff."VW officials' concern is that any legislation not impede the development of self-driving cars, he said."I assured them today that when we amend this legislation, we'll have them in the driver's seat," Green said. "We want this to be a job creator."He said VW plans to bring a self-driving Audi to the state Capitol next month just prior to a Feb. 10 meeting in Nashville that Green has called. The state senator said he's also talking with Google, which is in the forefront in the roll out of automated driving, along with other car companies and state transportation officials.State Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah, who was asked to introduce the legislation in the House by Green, said the bill will "start the conversation."He said he's hopeful Tennessee can be "on the leading edge of this in consultation with Volkswagen, General Motors and Nissan," all of which have assembly plants in the state.The legislation, Senate Bill 1561, addresses certifying manufacturers to test operator-required autonomous vehicles on the state's roads and in what manner they can be run.The bill also imposes a use tax on autonomous vehicles. For example, such a vehicle with two axles would be taxed at a rate of 1 cent per mile, the bill says.Green said he's interested in not only seeing self-driving cars produced in Tennessee but research and development, as well. As part of VW's current plant expansion to produce a new SUV, the company has set up a first-in-the-South engineering and planning center for North America.Plans eventually are to hire at least 200 engineers and technicians to centralize those tasks for VW."We want to get the [automated driving] R&D," Green said. "We want to get the brains in Tennessee. We want to innovate and create jobs."Mark Cleveland, a Nashville businessman who accompanied Green to Chattanooga, said pilot programs could be set up in the state running shuttle-like transportation options. He said that blind people have noted they could benefit from the systems."Think about the mobility for the elderly," Cleveland said.Audi, also owned by VW, became one of the first car companies to obtain a new type of permit issued by California for the testing of self-driving cars. Audi has demonstrated its so-called piloted driving technology on an expressway in Tampa, Fla.And, last year, Audi sent a self-driving concept car from Silicon Valley in California to Las Vegas, a 550-mile drive. Leading 5-HMF producer AVA Biochem is expanding its product portfolio to include platform chemical FDCA (2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid). FDCA is one of the 12 building blocks identified by the US Department of Energy that can be converted into a number of high-value, bio-based chemicals or materials that can deliver high performance in a number of applications. DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont) and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) last month announced a new breakthrough process for the production of furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) from fructose. (Earlier post.) AVA Biochems 5-HMF production is based on hydrothermal processing (HPT) of biomass and is a cost-efficient basis for the oxidation of 5-HMF to FDCA. (FDCA is the oxidation product of both primary alcohol and aldehyde groups of 5-HMF to carboxylic acid groups.) The company says that significant cost advantages can be realized on an industrial scale, paving the way for competitively priced bio-based packaging solutions in the future. AVA Biochem is a subsidiary of AVA-CO2 Schweiz AG, Zug and is located in Muttenz, Switzerland. Gulf Racing Fuels announced that it has been selected as the Official Fuel of MSR Houston Race Track, a private membership country club race track in Houston, Texas. The track will offer the new Gulf ethanol-free gasolinesEPA Approved Gulf 93 and Gulf 100 with Isobutanola key factor in MSR Houston making the switch to Gulf Racing Fuels. Gulf will also deliver high octane Legend 116 leaded racing fuel at the pump. Gevo, Inc. supplies Gulf with the bio-isobutanol produced at its fermentation plant in Luverne, Minnesota. Lee Oil Co. is the supplier of Gulf fuels to the track from its bulk plant located nearby in Alvin, Texas. MSR Houston is FIA and INDY Test Track approved and sits on 383 acres that include 75,000 square feet of garage space, a 90,000-square-foot skid pad, a 2.38-mile road course, and a 0.7-mile go kart facility. Gulf Racing Fuels include high octane unleaded and leaded fuels as well as marine and small engine fuels featuring Isobutanol. All fuels are distributed nationally by HYPERFUELS based in Houston, Texas. The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) board has awarded a dry-mill corn ethanol plant project a $4.25-million sales tax refund. The Farmers Energy Cardinal project had also requested including $13 million in investment tax credits, which the IEDA board did not approve. The plant, which will represent a total capital investment of $189.9 million, is designed to produce 150 million gallons of corn ethanol per year. The Des Moines Register reported that the award was against the recommendations from agency staff; IEDA has made second-generation ethanol a priority, rather than providing support for first-generation projects such as the Farmers Energy plant. Ethanol and the election. The group Americas Renewable Future noted that twelve out of 14 presidential candidates support the RFS heading into the Iowa Caucus today. The Des Moines Registers pollster, Selzer & Co., found that a majority of caucusgoers on both sides of the aisle support biofuels and the RFS61% of Republicans and 76% of Democrats. The three year 5.5-million MOVE-UK project, which is led by Bosch, is intended to help future autonomous vehicles drive naturallymore like human drivers rather than like robots. The project will also help develop future insurance policies for automated vehicles Jaguar Land Rover is participating in two new projects in the UK worth a combined 11 million (US$15.7 million) to advance connected and autonomous vehicle technology. The 5.5-million (US$7.9-million) UK-CITE (UK Connected Intelligent Transport Environment) project will create the first test route capable of testing both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure systems on public roads in the UK. UK-CITE. The 41-mile Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) test corridor will be used to evaluate new systems in real-world driving conditions. New roadside communications equipment will be installed along the route during the three year project to enable the testing of a fleet of up to 100 connected and highly automated cars, including five Jaguar Land Rover research vehicles. The project will test four main connectivity technologies: 4G-based LTE (Long Term Evolution), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications), LTE-V (a more advanced version of LTE) and local WiFi hotspots. UK-CITE consortium members include Jaguar Land Rover, Visteon, Siemens, Coventry City Council, WMG, University of Warwick, HORIBA MIRA, Coventry University, and Vodafone. Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, announced the UK Governments support for the UK-CITE research with a 3.41 million grant from the UKs innovation agency, Innovate UK. This funding for collaborative research is part of the Governments 100-million (US$143-million) Connected and Autonomous Vehicles fund. Connected technologies are key enablers for future Intelligent Transport Systems. These would help traffic authorities monitor and manage traffic flow by capturing data from all connected vehicles and then provide the driver or autonomous car with guidance to optimise the journey. To improve traffic flow, connected cars could co-operate and work together to make lane changing and exiting from junctions more efficient and safer. Technologies such as Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) would enable vehicles to autonomously follow each other in close formation, known as platooning, making driving safer and ensuring road space is used more efficiently. In the future, warning messages that are today flashed onto an overhead gantry above a road could be sent direct to the dashboard, and repeated if necessary. This would have the potential to eventually replace the overhead gantry, which each cost around 1 million (US$1.4 million) to install. The Jaguar Land Rover research team will be real-world testing a range of Over the Horizon warning systems. As well as warning drivers, these would inform future autonomous vehicles, helping them react and respond to hazards and changing traffic conditions automatically. A well-informed driver is a safer driver, while an autonomous vehicle will need to receive information about the driving environment ahead. The benefits of smarter vehicles communicating with each other and their surroundings include a car sending a warning that it is braking heavily or stopping in a queue of traffic or around a bend. This will enable an autonomous car to take direct action and respond. Drivers would receive a visual and audible warning that another car is causing a hazard out of sight or over the horizon. The approach of an emergency vehicle can often be stressful for drivers. If we can inform the driver, or the autonomous car, much earlier that an emergency vehicle is approaching, we can ensure that the best decisions are made to move the vehicle out of the way safely and conveniently, to let the emergency vehicle pass by. Dr. Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology, Jaguar Land Rover Jaguar Land Rovers Emergency Vehicle Warning system would identify that a connected ambulance, fire engine or police car is approaching through car-to-car communication. The driver would then receive a warning, long before flashing lights and sirens are audible or visible. MOVE-UK. A fleet of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles will be driven daily by employees of the London Borough of Greenwich to establish how a range of different drivers react to real-world driving situations, including heavy traffic, busy junctions, road works and bad weather. Data from sensors in these cars will reveal the natural driving behaviors and decision-making that drivers make while driving, including complex and stressful scenarios. These include giving way at roundabouts and intersections, how drivers ease forward at junctions to enter a flow of traffic, or how they react to an emergency vehicle coming up behind their car whilst in a traffic jam. Insurance experts will provide their expertise on the liability of certain scenarios using the real-world driving data supplied by the fleet of test cars. The UK Government is supporting the MOVE-UK research with a 2.75-million (US$3.9-million) grant from the UKs innovation agency, Innovate UK. This funding for collaborative research is part of the Governments 100m Connected and Autonomous Vehicles fund. To successfully introduce autonomous cars, we actually need to focus more on the driver than ever before. Understanding how drivers react to a range of very dynamic and random situations in the real world is essential if we want drivers to embrace autonomous cars in the future. Dr. Epple Drivers will need to completely trust the vehicle before they opt-in and engage automated systems. If an autonomous car can be programmed to have a very similar reaction to a real driver, then the autonomous experience will be more natural, and the driver more likely to allow the car to take control, the consortium partners reason. Customers are much more likely to accept highly-automated and fully autonomous vehicles if the car reacts in the same way as the driver. By understanding and measuring positive driving behaviors we can ensure that an autonomous Jaguar or Land Rover of the future will not simply perform a robotic function. Ultimately we want to be able to give drivers the choice of an engaged or autonomous drive. If drivers have confidence in the automation they will seamlessly flick from one mode to the other. Autonomous mode will help with any challenging, or less stimulating activities on the journey, like parking or driving in heavy traffic. If this automated experience feels natural and safe, the driver will be able to genuinely relax and will be happy to let the car take control. Dr. Epple The MOVE-UK consortium is led by Bosch and includes Jaguar Land Rover, Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), Direct Line, the London Borough of Greenwich and The Floow. BURNS, Ore. About a dozen people paid their respects Sunday afternoon at a makeshift memorial that has sprung up where rancher Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was shot and killed by police last week on U.S. Highway 395 north of Burns. The mourners wiped tears, prayed, and laid a copy of the U.S. Constitution on a large wooden cross that has been planted at the site. The site is also surrounded by American flags and signs, including one that says "RIP LaVoy Finicum. A True American hero." Meanwhile, the four people occupying a national wildlife refuge held their position Sunday. They have demanded that they be allowed to leave without being arrested. The jailed group's leader, Ammon Bundy, and 10 others who were arrested last week remained in custody. Through his lawyer, Bundy on Saturday again called on the remaining occupiers to leave. The FBI has said it's trying to resolve the situation peacefully. The mourners at the makeshift memorial Sunday included Brandon Curtis, a founder of the Pacific Patriots Network, which is demanding the removal of law enforcement officers from Burns. "We've had enough," Curtis said. "This stops now." The network said it had additional rallies planned for Monday in Burns and called for like-minded people to gather in the small eastern Oregon town. "This is a call to action against an armed militarized police force," said B.J. Soper, a network leader. "We want to protest this armed insurgency taking place by our federal government," Soper said of the standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns. Activists are urging people who oppose a "militarized police presence" to converge on the small high desert town near the wildlife refuge that has been occupied by an armed group for a month. The network also organized a rolling rally through Burns on Saturday night, and said it planned more demonstrations to protest the killing of Finicum, and the presence of numerous heavily armed law enforcement officers at the standoff. The rally drew more than 100 people and dozens of U.S. and Confederate flag-covered vehicles. A lone woman showed up to oppose the rally. Jen Hoke of Burns carried a sign saying "Militia Go Home.'" "These people are spreading a message of hate," Hoke said. While the standoff that originated over federal land-use policies has led to filled-up hotels and restaurants as police, protesters and media have flocked to the area, locals say the conflict is upsetting and pitting neighbor against neighbor. Authorities say Bundy, the leader of the group that seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, and others used the social media and other platforms to summon recruits to join their takeover. Court documents against the 11 occupiers under arrest show FBI agents have scrutinized social media postings, interviews and online talk shows that have been made during the standoff that began Jan. 2. 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. The only woman arrested so far in the standoff, Shawna Cox, will be allowed to go home while her case makes its way through the court system. But Beckerman said that won't happen until after the armed occupation ends. Court documents detail some of the evidence against the occupiers. The charges against the defendants say the refuge's 16 employees have been prevented from reporting to work because of threats of violence. 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." Finicum, the group's spokesman, was killed Tuesday night in a confrontation with the FBI and Oregon State Police. Bundy and four others were arrested during the encounter. 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 truck but then takes off in the vehicle and plows into a snowbank because of a roadblock. He gets out and has his hands up at first, then appears to reach 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. 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 Greenwich High School student government leaders are launching a new customer service initiative. They have started a GHS Concerns email account to field students concerns about non-threatening school-related issues. The new initiative does not respond to any particular problem or incident, but it instead represents an effort to open up a new line of communication with the student body. Making resources known and available to students about how they can communicate concerns about Greenwich High School to administration and student government is critical to making Greenwich High School that much better of an educational institution, student government president Spencer Faragasso told Board of Education members at a meeting last month. Students already options for sharing concerns with classmates and educators. In past school year, the school rolled out the Anonymous Alerts app, which allows students to anonymously submit reports on pressing issues including bullying, cheating, harassment, substance abuse, security threats and depression. While the GHS Concerns account also lets students anonymously share their thoughts, student government leaders intend it to focus instead on quality-of-life issues at 10 Hillside Road such as the availability of parking or the condition of the bathrooms. Student government leaders and educators at the high school frequently canvass students on issues. The student body weighed in last fall on school start-time options, as school officials consider changing schedules at the high school and the middle and elementary schools. Later this month, a committee studying the causes of student stress plans to send out a survey for student input. More Information Greenwich High School students can submit concerns about quality-of-life issues at school by emailing student government leaders at: ghsconcerns@gmail.com See More Collapse pschott@scni.com; 203-625-4439; twitter: @paulschott There is an eternal, somewhat doomed sense of hope among the Beijing or Sichuan or Cantonese food snobs I know that one of these days, or even one of these decades, a truly exceptional high-end Chinese restaurant will land unexpectedly in our midst, like some gilded star craft from outer space. This restaurant will not be the clubby, overpriced satellite of some formerly Michelin-praised joint in London or Singapore. The noodles and dumpling skins will be hand rolled in-house, instead of trucked in from some market downtown. The menu will be filled with stately renditions of old and new banquet classics (suckling pig, please), the prices will not rise as (inevitably) the quality levels off, and the highly credentialed captain of this starship (from Chengdu or Guangzhou or Taipei) will actually stay in town for a year or two, before settling in the suburbs of L.A. or Richmond, Virginia, like the best chefs from China tend to do. On the surface at least, La Chine, which opened several months ago in the former Oscars space on the ground floor of the Waldorf-Astoria, would seem to be just such a place. The hotel was purchased two years ago by a Chinese insurance company, after all, and the new owners have hired a fancy chef-consultant to help exquisitely articulate the complexity of Chinese flavors, as the restaurants website puts it. The dark, bunkered dining room has been fitted with a black lacquer bar trimmed with gold, plum-blossom-twig wallpaper, and galloping horses painted along a sepia-toned mural. The tables are set with long-handled spoons and two sets of chopsticks, just like in the grand restaurants of Shanghai or Taipei. The white one is for sharing, the black is for personal use, intoned our waiter, who wore a neatly pressed white jacket and comes to Manhattan by way of Hong Kong and his home borough of Staten Island. The chief of this lavish starship operation, at least in its early stages, is a well-traveled chef named Kong Khai Meng, who comes to New York in a similar circuitous fashion, by way of a multitude of international fine-dining start-ups in places like the W Taipei, the Dragon Hotel in Hangzhou, and the Jumeirah Mina ASalam in Dubai (where he also served, according to his lengthy bio, as the Chinese corporate chef for the Royal Family Zabeel Kitchen of His Highness). As it happens, Kong isnt actually from China (he grew up in Singapore). The kind of elaborately sourced, Pan Chinese hotel cooking he specializes in is a fairly recent development in the long history of Chinese cuisine, and much of it would be only vaguely recognizable to anyone who grew up enjoying the delicate soups and stews of Shanghai, say, or the fiery regional specialties of Hunan or Sichuan. The menu at La Chine is an abbreviated one by Chinese standards (its arranged in Western-style appetizer, entree, and to share format) and even contains a trendy New York-style raw-bar section, inspired, our friendly Staten Island waiter said, by delicacies from the coastal province of Zhejiang. Not that youll find buttons of sweet lobster tail like this anywhere along the coast of central China (its trucked in from the American coastal province of Maine and dressed, excellently, with slips of daikon marinated in cinnamon and star anise, among other things), or pieces of equally excellent fluke doused with an ethereal substance called smoked peony oil. The tuna tartare at this Chinese restaurant contains sesame seeds, baby tomatoes, and little pockets of caviar, and you can enjoy it on a cold winters evening with bowls of eggy, restorative Eight Hour Golden Broth folded with bits of crabmeat and more lobster from Maine. Some of Chef Kongs classic compositions have a slightly more denatured quality to them, but if you choose wisely (and have some cash in your pocket), you can make a decent meal. The great Sichuan specialties chicken with cashews, chilled chicken with pepper sauce and peanuts tasted like toothless imitations of the real thing, although none of the grizzled New Yorkers at my table had any complaints about the sticky Taiwanese-style spare ribs (bone in, with a tangy kumquat glaze) or the stack of crisped Spanish mackerel, which the kitchen scents with puffs of smoke tinged with the kind of flower you usually find in your Chinese tea. Chef Kongs wan approximation of Peking duck had a wet, un-crispy quality to it, as if it had just been run slowly through the kitchen dishwasher, but the wok-fried long beans with minced pork disappeared from the table in seconds, as did the strips of Berkshire-pork collar, which the kitchen encrusts in a thick crackle of honey from the rooftop apiary like some extravagant millionaires version of Chinatown char sui. So is La Chine the great Chinese restaurant New York has been waiting for? The consensus among the hopeful experts at my table was a probably not (A good overseas Chinese restaurant, one of them called it), although those of us on expense accounts agreed wed be happy to return for a taste of house specials like the egg custard, stuffed with bits of hairy crab and served on a nest of straw. There have been the usual rumors (hotly denied by the hotel) that Starship Captain Kong may soon jet off to some distant corner of the luxury-hotel start-up galaxy, but even if this happens, I doubt it will affect the quality of the impressive tea selection (try the Dong Ding rolled oolong from Taiwan), or even the elaborate fusion desserts, which include chocolate cake spiked, pleasantly, with Sichuan peppers, and an entire poached Bosc pear flavored, much less pleasantly, with a substance called peach-tree gum.* *This posted has been updated to reflect the fact that Kong remains the restaurants executive chef. Rating: 2 stars La Chine 540 Lexington Ave., at 50th St.; 212-872-4913; lachinenyc.com Open: Dinner, Tuesday to Saturday. Prices: Appetizers, $9 to $20; entrees, $26 to $70. Ideal Meal: Long Island fluke and/or yellowtail, glazed pork ribs and/or crispy Spanish mackerel, Eight Hour Golden Broth with lobster, BBQ Berkshire-pork collar, sea bass with soy-and-honey glaze, long beans with spicy pork, chocolate cake. Note: If you have the resources and are dining alone, the $98 chefs tasting menu is a good way to sample the highlights. Scratchpad: One star for the first-rate ingredients and another two stars for the best of the dishes and the technique. Minus a star for the inconsistency and the prices. *This article appears in the February 8, 2016 issue of New York Magazine. Its now about more than seafood. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Last fall, Nestle took the unusual step of admitting slave labor exists in its seafood supply chains. These accusations had been around for a while, but Nestles report owning up to them was seen as groundbreaking for the industry. The thing is, in hindsight this isnt looking quite as groundbreaking: Nestle doesnt really buy that much fish, and human-rights advocates have shifted to a much bigger raw material for the conglomerate cocoa from the Ivory Coast that they also say is tainted by ties to slavery, only Nestle wont acknowledge it. Their anger is mostly centered on Nestles tactics to kill a big lawsuit filed by former victims of child slavery who worked on these farms. And this furys officially kicked into high gear now that the Supreme Court looked at the case and refused to throw it out, taking Nestle from good guy back to bad guy in slave-labor news. People in the industry say Nestle has found itself at the center of a landmark labor battle from which it probably wont emerge looking good. As The Guardian sums up succinctly: This puts the company in the unfortunate position of disclosing slavery in one part of its operations, while at the same time fighting through the courts to fend off accusations that it exists in another more profitable part of its business. Nestle primarily buys seafood for its cat-food brands. Cocoa, on the other hand, is in dozens of products: everything from Toll House chocolate chips and Haagen-Dazs to Raisinets and Butterfingers. Not surprising, those are the products consumers say theyve started rethinking: Boycott nestle fam pic.twitter.com/XfXU78H96z High My Name Is (@MrsAnahata) January 24, 2016 Hey Nestle chocolate milk fans, if you use Nestle products, better that you just don't. https://t.co/0Rd03NUjs2 BrianClarenceHartlen (@brianmetatron) February 1, 2016 @toxicpath I wonder how Mr. Clooney feels about his hefty salary being partially paid by Nestle slave labour profits. CoffeeGeek (@CoffeeGeek) February 1, 2016 I am proud to say our house has been consciously Nestle free (with a few honest mistakes) since 2002. CoffeeGeek (@CoffeeGeek) February 1, 2016 The water shortage in Michigan is adding another layer of bad press even though, in this particular case, Nestle is among the companies donating free bottled water. Years ago, former Nestle CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe said (very ill-advisedly) that the idea of humans having a right to water was extreme. Nestle and water have probably never appeared together since without incensing someone, especially not in the midst of a myriad other PR woes raging on: "Human beings don't have a right to water," says @Nestle CEO. Here's the #BoycottNestle list of brands: https://t.co/fActwCh0uT Sarah Reynolds (@Sarah__Reynolds) February 1, 2016 [The Guardian] These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. We already know that Xiaomi's upcoming Mi 5 flagship smartphone will be officially unveiled later this month. We also know that the device will be available for media preview at this year's MWC. But, in what could come as a surprise for many, we're now hearing that the handset could have a Windows 10 variant, too. Aside from the OS, the Win 10 variant is said to be identical to its Android cousin. The rumor also suggests that the device will be made official at a simultaneous event in China and Barcelona (during this year's MWC), alongside the Android model. While the news definitely comes as a surprise, this would not be the first time Xiaomi and Microsoft are partnering - last year they signed an agreement to provide Windows 10 Technical Preview support on the Mi 4, following which the ROM was released in December. The Mi Pad 2 64GB also comes in a Win 10 variant, although that's the full desktop OS, rather than the mobile one. As for the Mi 5, while most of its specs is in rumors currently, what's been confirmed so far is that the handset is powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 820 chipset, and offers support for dual-SIM functionality and NFC. The company's Senior Vice President, Liwan Jiang, has reportedly also confirmed that the phone will sport a 1080p display, instead of the rumored QHD one. Via 1 2 Although there have already been reports that Samsung's Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone will land in China sometime in March, we're yet to hear any confirmation on this. Now we have some sort of unofficial data pointing that way as three variants of the device have recently cleared China Compulsory Certification (3C). The said variants carry model numbers of SM-G9308, SM-G9300, and SM-G9350 - while the first two are Galaxy S7 models, the third one is Galaxy S7 edge. All three feature support for fast charging at 9V 1.67A and 5V 2A. Sadly, as is the case usually, nothing else was revealed by the 3C listings. However, we're hopeful that detailed specs will be revealed when the models pass through China's TENAA agency. In case you missed it, Samsung just officially confirmed that the flagship device will be unveiled on February 21. Via Haiti - Diaspora : Meeting of Haitian writers of Chicago For 13 years now, the members of the Haitian Literary Club meet regularly to discuss works of classic and contemporary authors. Saturday evening for the first appointment of the year, where Lesly Conde, Consul General of Haiti in Chicago and Paulalex Etienne, reader were the guests of honor, 6 Haitian authors of Chicago : Fredo Balthaza, Dr. Ludovic Comeau, Patrick Dure, Jean B. Laplanche, Stephanie Perpignan and Marc Rosier were invited to join the club, to talk about their work in front of an invited audience, avid reader. On this occasion, Lesly Conde, Consul General of Haiti in Chicago issued a message : Excerpts from the statement of the Consul of Chicago : "Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to be with you and to participate in this meeting of the things of the spirit. Tonight, we honor all those whose writings have marked our existence and contributed, in one way or another, to its evolution. I am particularly pleased to welcome the prestigious writers who are among us and soon we will make isit the fascinating world of their respective works. The art of writing is one of the most important inventions of mankind. From the depths of dark caverns the writings of Homo sapiens already tell a story which is also ours: that of our inexorable evolution. I congratulate all members of the Haitian Literary Club of Chicago for their attachment to things of the spirit and culture. On the eve of our trip, there was a book, and then there were others. We grew up with them. They took us and transform us. Some, like the stories of Jules Verne, has amazed many readers before meeting reality. Today we live the scary predictions of George Orwell. But there are so many worlds to discover! [...]" HL/ HaitiLibre By William Schwartz | Published on 2016/01/31 Hee-ji (played by Lee Jee-hoon) is the actual main character of "Jang Yeong-sil - Drama" at the moment, on account of the fact that he's the only Korean character who actually has any idea what's going on in the Chinese portion of the story. I feel like I'm constantly repeating myself on this point but...why exactly is Yeong-sil the main character when he doesn't know what's going on, no one wants to tell him what's going on, and it doesn't even seem to matter whether or not he knows what's going on? Advertisement For all this Yeong-sil is still pretty important to the story, since apparently the purpose of all those action scenes last scene was to finally bring Yeong-sil to a place where he could see...a legendary water clock that the Chinese apparently can't fix themselves. For the record, while I think the historical Yeong-sil was probably pretty smart, I doubt he was so smart that the Chinese couldn't find their own scientist to fix the clock. What I liked best about the legendary water clock, though, is how it gives Yeong-sil, and by extension the viewing audience, a sense of tunnel vision. Yeong-il pretty much completely forgets about all the attempts on his life once he gets access to the clock. Even when given the opportunity to confront the man responsible for much of the danger lately, Yeong-sil lets out his rage but eventually realizes that for the sake of science, he does need an assistant. With the Chinese story arc mostly resolved, we also get a glimpse a the usual chaotic political situation back in Korea. In a bizarrely brief scence So-hyeon manages to appear just long enough to be the victim of a glancing and mostly pointless-looking attack. This scene generally just serves as a reminder that Korea has not turned functional since Yeong-sil left, and once Yeong-sil returns, there will probably be another political conspiracy that will somehow be caused and/or solved by Yeong-sil's love for science. To be entirely honest, the story in "Jang Yeong-sil - Drama" really isn't all that difficult to follow compared to something like "Six Flying Dragons". There's fewer clearly defined characters and fewer factions, and what we do get in that department usually only stick around for a few episodes. Once all the turmoil regarding clandestine Chinese assassination missions is resolved, we probably aren't coming back to this area. On the flip side, that does make any possible resolution a tad unsatisfying- except when it comes to science of course. Review by William Schwartz "Jang Yeong-sil - Drama" is directed by Kim Yeong-jo, written by Lee Myeong-hee, Ma Chang-joon and features Song Il-kook, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Young-chul, Park Sun-young, Kim Do-hyun, Son Byung-ho,... Business groups are opposing recommendations by the Productivity Commission to create a new type of enterprise agreement in which employees could opt out after a 12-month timeframe. The Australian Industry Group says the short opt out period would create significant uncertainty for employers and says workers should be forced to stay in the contract for at least three years. In a submission responding to the Productivity Commission's workplace relations inquiry, AI Group, while supporting the concept of enterprise contracts, says the proposed 12 month opt-out period "would create significant uncertainty and would deter employers from hiring employees on the basis of enterprise contracts", the Australian Financial Review reported. The proposed new regulatory instrument, the Enterprise Contract, aims to give greater flexibility to small to medium businesses when negotiating industry awards. Businesses with more than 20 employees would be able to negotiate their own workplace agreements without having to get them signed off by the Fair Work Commission. The Productivity Commission says the new agreements would allow business to negotiate individual flexibility arrangements without the need for an employee ballot, offering many of the advantages of enterprise agreements, yet without the complexities. However, a key area of contention surrounds the 12-month timeframe suggested by the Productivity Commission, after which employees can choose to opt out of the agreements and return to the industry award, should they wish to do so. "The proposed maximum three year nominal term for enterprise contracts which is substantially less than the proposed five year maximum term for enterprise agreement provides sufficient protection, particularly when the very extensive other protections proposed by the Productivity Commission are considered," AI Group wrote in its recent submission. The Council of Small Business of Australia chief executive Peter Strong has echoed AI Groups stance that a three-year opt out timeframe would be better for business. Certainty is what is good for everybody, whether for the employee or the employer, Strong was reported saying on the Smart Company website. Three years is much more logical. I totally support that because its about certainty for everybody. One year is like a trial period, he says. The introduction of Enterprise Contracts may actually increase administrative costs for employers, despite claims to the contrary by the Productivity Commission, says Kurt Walpole, PhD Candidate at the School of Government, University of Sydney. Employees free choice could mean employers end up with multiple contracts that only cover some employees while others remain on the award or their existing conditions, Walpole writes in The Policy Space. Having many different arrangements for different individuals would increase administration costs and confusion, he says. rong>Whats the best advice youve ever been given?Dress for the job you want, not the job you haveEmbracing diversity in the workplace and finding solutions to gender, religion, race and disability which are sustainable in a competitive employment marketQuite simply, the people I work withWhen joining, Mercy Health had financial challenges, high turnover and a lack of any brand awareness being a part of the transition has been a key learningI was awarded the Diversity Leader for the Advancement of Women in 2010 through the Equal Opportunity Workplace Agency (EOWA).To be honest I fell into HR. The reason Ive stayed in HR is the ability it provides to work directly with the CEO and Executive to influence change.Our business primarily consists of hands-on carers working across Health Services, Residential Aged Care, Home & Community Care and Support Services. One size doesnt fit all and each workforce has different needs. Whether its recruitment, performance management or any other HR function, they all need to be developed differently, especially when working with a diverse workforce operating 24/7 and representing over 70 countries and more than 50 languages.Without a doubt, the diversity agenda. It is a core strategy which has delivered a return on investment and I am proud of that!For the ninth consecutive year Mercy Health has been recognised as an Employer of Choice. The citation recognises our active commitment to achieving gender equality while being a leader in driving positive change for an inclusive workplace. Mercy Health is proud to provide a satisfying workplace while supporting our employees to reach their fullest potential each and every day. I have overseen the implementation of a range of initiatives to support our Employer of Choice strategy, from school holiday programs and purchased leave options to training and development opportunities. 82% of our workforce access some form of flexible work arrangement and with less than 2% monthly turnover, our Employer of Choice Strategy has been a significant factor in achieving this. By differentiating ourselves in these and many other respects it has led to a degree of competitive advantage in an industry experiencing challenging labour shortages.Living down the west coast working as a fashion illustrator. Most likely very happy and very poor! A female student at Appalachian State University reported a sexual assault to the ASU Police Department on Sunday morning, according to an alert on the departments website and an email sent to the Appalachian community. Here is the information released: Safety Alert Sexual Assault On January 31, 2016 at approximately 6:45 am a female student reported to University Police that after returning from an off campus party, she was sexually assaulted at approximately 2:00 am by three male students from the party while in a campus residence hall. University Police are investigating the incident and are currently interviewing all parties involved. The university is providing resources and support to assist the student who reported this incident, and will continue to take actions to maintain the safety and security of the campus community. Anyone with information regarding this crime or any other a crime is encouraged to call the University Police Department at 262-2150, or you may also report crimes anonymously here: http://police.appstate.edu/crime-tip-submission-form. For information that promotes safety and aids in the prevention of similar incidents, click here: http://appcares.appstate.edu/tips. For more information on the Clery Act and why you are receiving this info, click here: http://policy.appstate.edu/2015_Campus_Security_and_Fire_Safety_Report#Timely_Warning_Reports_-_Safety_Alerts. Share this: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Pocket New York (HedgeCo.net) One of the hottest trades for hedge funds at the beginning of 2015 was to buy high-yield debt on energy companies. One of the hottest trades among hedge funds this year appears to be shorting Chinas yuan. The Wall Street Journal, Reuters and Business Insider all had articles on the subject over the weekend and HedgeCo.net was contacted about the subject last week as well. The main theme of the Journal article was the big-name firms that were betting against the yuan. According to the article, Hayman Capital Management has approximately 85% of its portfolio invested in bearish bets against the yuan as well as the Hong Kong dollar. Other fund managers taking a bearish posture include Stanley Druckenmiller, David Tepper and David Einhorn. Here is what we stated to the reporter that contacted us last week: Betting against Asian currencies seems like a crowded trade and crowded trades have a harder time making big moves in the direction of the crowd. The first ones in the trade benefit as others pile on and drive the currencies down, but once the first adopters see a nice profit they may start taking those profits and that adds some buying pressure to stop the decline. Those funds counting on a quick and huge move to the downside for the yuan may be disappointed in the end. It may take patience for it to work. Rick Pendergraft Research Analyst HedgeCoVest The number of reported sex crimes increased in comparison to the previous year by 2.7 per cent to 3,102 and that of rapes by 3.7 per cent to 1,063. Reports of child sexual abuse contrastively decreased by 12.7 per cent year-on-year, Kolehmainen highlighted. The number of sex crimes reported to law enforcement authorities crept up marginally in Finland in 2015, Seppo Kolehmainen, the National Police Commissioner, revealed in a news conference on Friday. The National Police Board also revealed that asylum seekers were suspected in a total of 12 cases of aggravated rape, 13 cases of rape and 22 cases of sexual harassment in all of last year. Asylum seekers were suspected in a total of some two dozen cases of rape. The share is relatively low as the total number of rapes [reported to police] was slightly over 1,000 in 2015, reminded Tommi Reen, a chief superintendent at the National Police Board. He estimated that the phenomenon is attributable to the fact that most of asylum seekers are young men. The National Police Board also issued a press release to shed light specifically on the incidence of offences committed by foreign nationals, acknowledging that the number of offences allegedly committed by foreigners has increased notably from the previous year in certain types of criminal offences. Foreign nationals, for example, were suspected in a total of 3,986 cases of assault and 217 cases of rape, signalling year-on-year increases of 24.4 and 20.6 per cent respectively. More than one-half of the foreign nationals who were suspected of offences in 2015 were not permanent residents of Finland, according to the National Police Board. Kolehmainen underscored that all asylum seekers should not be branded because of a small group of wrongdoers and pointed out that, overall, the sharp increase in the number of asylum seekers has had no significant impact on crime statistics. He also revealed that the suspects in the sexual harassment cases dating back to New Year's Eve also include other foreigners besides asylum seekers. The National Police Commissioner also expressed his concerns about changes in the operational environment of law enforcement authorities. On the other hand, he estimated that the authorities have performed their duties well under the circumstances and re-gained control of the security situation after changes caused primarily by the entry of roughly 32,000 asylum seekers to the country. The downsizing of the police organisation must end, he added. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi Alahuhta, a former chief executive at Kone, estimated that education is a strength the development of which Finland can ill-afford to neglect. Matti Alahuhta, the board chairman at the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), criticised the Government of Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre) for its proposal to cut back on education sending in an interview on YLE TV1 on Saturday. I personally would prefer not to see such notable cuts, he said. Alahuhta, Antti Herlin, the board chairman at Kone and Sanoma, and Reijo Karhinen, the board chairman at the Federation of Finnish Financial Services, pleaded with business executives last summer to donate five per cent of their wages to charity. Alahuhta revealed to the national broadcasting company that universities have been one of the largest recipients of the donations he has made. Education and research, I believe, [] have been key in the history of Finland and will be even more so in the future, he said. Despite criticising the scope of the cuts in education spending, Alahuhta commended Sanni Grahn-Laasonen (NCP), the Minister of Education and Culture, for the determined measures she has introduced to develop the university network of Finland. He estimated that it is crucial to set objectives for the development for the next ten to fifteen years to reduce the necessity for widespread cuts in the future. Alahuhta also suggested the development of the university network could effectively translate to rationalising it. The only thing I have to say about that is that 14 [universities] is quite a lot for a country as small as [Finland]. What's even more important is that we'll hopefully come to an understanding of the type of universities we should have with the help of the Ministry of Education and Culture, he said. We must think about whether all universities should focus on education and research in the future or whether we should have two kinds of universities like in the United States. [] I'm not offering any solutions, but I'm simply saying that this is a dimension of the situation we'll have to address rather soon. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Roni Rekomaa Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi The Finns Party will not be part of a coalition that intends to undermine the general applicability of collective agreements, Jari Lindstrom (PS), the Minister of Justice and Employment, declared at a news conference on Friday. He voiced his concern that any decision to revamp the general applicability of collective agreements would inevitably lead to a discussion about minimum wages. We refuse to head in that direction. I can guarantee that this is something the Finns Party agrees on, he explained at the office of the Finns Party in Helsinki. His statements were echoed by Matti Putkonen, the chief of communications at the Finns Party. I and [Lindstrom] spent a couple of days and nights in the same task force at Smolna [the Government Banquet Hall]. The topic of general applicability was discussed at length and it became clear that the Finns Party won't be part of an administration that plans on meddling in the general applicability of collective agreements, said Putkonen. The Finns Party will approve of neither undermining the general applicability of collective agreements nor reducing the influence of shop stewards, added Lindstrom. The Minister of Justice and Employment also broached on the issue of local bargaining at the news conference. It has been publicly claimed that local bargaining is somehow bad news for wage earners, a way to squeeze the working man. That's not the case. All stakeholders must be willing to compromise, he said. Any agreement on local bargaining must according to him be supplemented with measures that improve the bargaining position of employees, such as measures that reinforce the position of shop stewards. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Petteri Paalasmaa Uusi Suomi Source: Uusi Suomi The Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland (Akava), and the Finnish Confederation of Professionals (STTK) have all reacted to an announcement by Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre) that the Government will suspend its preparatory work on competitiveness measures for the duration of the labour market talks that continued last Thursday. The decision to suspend preparatory work on the competitiveness measures, or so-called coercive laws, will improve the negotiating environment, viewed Lauri Lyly of SAK. Foundations donate $350,000 to Pardee James H. Cummings Foundation awarded $200,000 and the Cannon Foundation awarded $150,000 to support recent operating room renovations as part of the Pardee Hospital's Comprehensive Cancer Center Capital Campaign, Pardee Hospital Foundation announced Monday. Related Stories The renovations integrate the latest lights, equipment and computers in Pardee's 10 operating rooms, making operating environments even safer and more effective. Each fully integrated surgical suite has: More space surrounding the patient to accommodate surgeons and staff. LED cool lights so rooms can be warmer, which is better for patients and staff. An advanced camera so photos can be taken throughout surgery for future surgical reference and/or patient education. Reduced shadows, resulting in better viewing conditions for surgeons. No cords or wires that could cause tripping or jeopardy of medication delivery. Highly visible screens accessible by all members of the team; essential for viewing key information or recording video. Central controls of all technology, easily controlled by one technician. Stabilized computer stations housed on special beams. James H. Cummings Foundation Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit corporation organized in New York in July of 1962 for the purpose of complying with certain directions in the will of its founder and namesake. James H. Cummings was a resident of Buffalo, N.Y., where he owned and operated a pharmaceutical business, American Ferment Company. With offices and plants in both Buffalo and Toronto, Canada, Mr. Cummings grew strong ties to both cities, but he was just as much at home raising cattle on a farm he owned near Hendersonville. The Foundation has supported many renovation projects for Pardee Hospital, including cardiovascular, diabetes, orthopedic and spine facility renovations. For more information, visit www.jameshcummings.com. The Cannon Foundation Inc. is part of the philanthropic legacy of Charles A. Cannon, industrialist and humanitarian, who was President and Chairman of Cannon Mills Company for more than half a century. The Foundation continues Mr. Cannons philanthropy through funding in healthcare, higher education, human services and community. For more information, visit www.cannonfoundation.org. THE Labour Party is actively trying to take out the weaker of the Fine Gael candidates in a series of key constituencies in a desperate bid to prevent a number of its own ministers from losing their seats, the Herald can reveal. Labour believes it must persuade Fine Gael voters to give their second preferences to the junior coalition partner in constituencies where there are at least three government candidates. With Taoiseach Enda Kenny now leaning towards an election date of February 26, voters who are set on supporting Fine Gael in the ballot boxes are being asked to pass their support on to Labour in the interests of ensuring the re-election of the Coalition. The strategy is being implemented in a number of key constituencies including Dublin-Rathdown, Tipperary, Dublin Bay South and Dublin Bay North where there are at least two Fine Gael candidates and one Labour on the ticket. Candidate We are saying to Fine Gael people clearly to vote Fine Gael-Labour-Fine Gael in that order in order to return this government. It may be seen as us trying to take out the weaker Fine Gael candidate but we have to do that, said a senior Labour source. In many places, it is crucial that we finish ahead of the second and third Fine Gael candidates. The revelation will cause alarm within Fine Gael, and appears to ridicule the transfer pact agreed between the two parties. The pact receives no mention in a 35-page campaign guide circulated to candidates and their campaign teams at the Labour conference in Mullingar. Labour strategists privately believe they can win in the region of 15 to 17 seats but say several of their candidates are in a dogfight for the final seat. Examples include Dublin-Rathdown where it is felt that communications minister Alex White must finish ahead of Fine Gael councillor Josepha Madigan if he is to have a chance of survival. In Tipperary, Labour is targeting Noel Coonans support, with the view that junior minister Tom Hayess seat is safe. The situation is similar in Dublin Bay South, where Labours Kevin Humphreys is in a dogfight with the second Fine Gael candidate, Kate OConnell. In Dublin Bay-North, sitting minister Aodhan O Riordains chances appear to hinge on him beating the second Fine Gael candidate, Naoise O Muiri. Elsewhere, there is also growing concern about the prospects of Tanaiste Joan Burton, with sources saying she is facing a huge challenge from Fianna Fails Jack Chambers. There are also two Fine Gael candidates in her constituency health minister Leo Varadkar and Senator Catherine Noone. Ms Burton was yesterday forced to defend her decision to sack former party leaders Eamon Gilmore and Pat Rabbitte from Cabinet. She said that the move, taken during the Cabinet reshuffle of July 2014, was necessary in order to facilitate the promotions of younger TDs. I wanted to provide, as I said at the time, room for the class of 2011, she told RTEs The Week in Politics. Meanwhile, Taoiseach Enda Kenny is now believed to be leaning towards Friday, February 26 for the election date. Fine Gael sources say there is still a possibility of Mr Kenny opting for February 25 but that he will be keen to avoid any suggestion whereby he is depriving students of casting their vote. Conference The charge surfaced at the Labour conference over the weekend and was repeated by party sources last night. Labour deputy leader Alan Kelly, whose department must rubber-stamp the election date one it is announced, is understood to be particularly determined that Mr Kenny chooses a Friday poll. Kelly and others in the party made it clear he wants it on a Friday. Does Kenny want to risk an unnecessary row? I doubt it, said a Labour source. Mr Kenny has summoned Fine Gael ministers to a meeting in Dublin tonight ahead of his expected decision to dissolve the Dail tomorrow. But Fine Gael strategists said Mr Kenny could decide to wait until Wednesday before calling the election, depending on schedule issues and the progress of final Dail business. Dublin District Court was told gardai were called over "unruly" behaviour on the Ryanair plane when it landed. (Stock Picture) A passenger had to be removed from a plane on arrival in Dublin while another intervened and "taunted" airport police, it has been alleged. Aaron McDonald (24) and Luke McLoughlin (26) were travelling home after attending the races at Epsom when the alleged incident happened. Dublin District Court was told gardai were called over "unruly" behaviour on the Ryanair plane when it landed. Mr McDonald, of Lentisk Lawn, The Donahies, and Mr McLoughlin, of Foxhill Lawn, Coolock, are charged with failing to comply with the lawful request of a member of the airport police to leave an aircraft last November 7. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Sgt Paul Keane said airport police on duty in Terminal 1 at 10.35pm contacted gardai over alleged unruly behaviour on board a Ryanair plane that had travelled from East Midlands. The court heard the captain had contacted airport police on arrival to say cabin crew had had difficulties with passengers while the plane was approaching. When officers entered the aircraft, crew members pointed out the alleged culprits. Roared Mr McLoughlin had allegedly stood up from his seat, undid his belt, lifted his T-shirt and roared out as the craft approached. Sgt Patrick Brown of the airport police spoke to Mr McLoughlin, who allegedly told him to "f**k off, you p***k". Mr McLoughlin was directed to leave the aircraft. He allegedly resisted and was handcuffed. Sgt Keane alleged that Mr McDonald intervened "with verbal taunting". The court heard both men had attended the racing at Epsom and had been drinking. Sgt Keane said the accused had not been aggressive towards the stewards. Judge Dermot Dempsey accepted jurisdiction to deal with the case at district court level and adjourned it for hearing. Halloween is coming! Here's when to trick or treat in your town lifestyle Justice For the Babies. A Monsanto product may be causing the 'small head' problem. A Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns (PCST), suspects that pyriproxyfen - a larvicide added to drinking water to stop the development of mosquito larvae in drinking water tanks - has caused the birth defects (microcephaly). The authors say that the pesticide, known by its commercial name According to PCST, in 2014, the Brazilian Ministry of Health introduced pyriproxyfen to drinking-water reservoirs in the state of Pernambuco, where the proliferation of the Zika-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito is very high. Latin American Doctors Suggest Monsanto-Linked Larvicide .... The US military also causes problems. Vietnam and Okinawa A Monsanto product may be causing the 'small head' problem. report , written by the Argentine group(PCST), suspects that pyriproxyfen - a larvicide added to drinking water to stop the development of mosquito larvae in drinking water tanks - has caused the birth defects (microcephaly).The authors say that the pesticide, known by its commercial name SumiLarv , is manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical, a Japanese subsidiary of Monsanto According to PCST, in 2014, the Brazilian Ministry of Health introduced pyriproxyfen to drinking-water reservoirs in the state of Pernambuco, where the proliferation of the Zika-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito is very high.The US military also causes problems. Mother of girls with microcephaly. Out of all the microcephaly (small head) cases re-examined in Brazil, only six have the Zika virus. "That constitutes zero proof that Zika has anything to do with microcephaly." Jon Rappoport - Zika Hoax : five things that will happen next Out of all the microcephaly (small head) cases re-examined in Brazil, only six have the Zika virus."That constitutes zero proof that Zika has anything to do with microcephaly." The Zika Virus - covering up the inoculation of pregnant women with toxins According to a 27 January 2016 Associated Press story: "Of the previously touted 4,180 cases of microcephaly in Brazil, the actual number of confirmed cases so far is 270. "Only six of the 270 confirmed microcephaly cases were found to have the [Zika] virus." Zika Hoax Jon Rappoport ( "Investigators and researchers will ignore the fact that there is a very real health crisis in Brazil, and it has existed for a long time. "The rampant use of toxic pesticides, grinding poverty, contaminated water, lack of basic sanitation, overcrowding, the takeover of farm land by major corporations, prior toxic vaccine campaignsthese are all factors that cause massive illness, suffering, and death in Brazil." According to a 27 January 2016 Associated Press story:"Of the previously touted 4,180 cases of microcephaly in Brazil, the actual number of confirmed cases so far is 270."Only six of the 270 confirmed microcephaly cases were found to have the [Zika] virus." Zika Hoax: five things that will happen next ) writes:"Investigators and researchers will ignore the fact that there is a very real health crisis in Brazil, and it has existed for a long time."The rampant use of toxic pesticides, grinding poverty, contaminated water, lack of basic sanitation, overcrowding, the takeover of farm land by major corporations, prior toxic vaccine campaignsthese are all factors that cause massive illness, suffering, and death in Brazil." He has microhydranencephaly, a combination of microcephaly and hydrancephaly. Jaxon's story and photos have made worldwide headlines as Jaxon's parents, Brandon and Brittany Buell of Tavares, Florida, have spoken about the boy's life and prognosis. The Zika virus may have been spread by genetically-modified mosquitoes In 2016, we are told that the USA's first confirmed cases of the Zika virus are in Los Angeles County, Virginia and Minnesota. Pregnant mothers with the Zika virus can produce deformed children (microcephaly) The Zika story begins in Uganda. The Uganda/East African Virus Research Institute, in Entebbe, Uganda, was established in 1936 by the The institute has a field station at the In 1947 scientists placed a rhesus macaque in a cage in the Zika Forest, near the institute in Entebbe, Uganda. The monkey developed a fever, and researchers isolated from its serum a transmissible agent that was first described as Zika virus in 1952. [35] It was subsequently isolated from a human in Nigeria in 1954. In April 2007 the first outbreak outside of Africa and Asia occurred on the island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia. From its discovery until 2007, confirmed cases of Zika virus infection from Africa and Southeast Asia were rare. [36] The American Since April 2015, a large, ongoing outbreak of Zika virus that began in Brazil has spread to much of South and Central America, and the Caribbean. The virus is spread by mosquitoes.The, in Entebbe, Uganda, was established in 1936 by the Rockefeller Foundation The institute has a field station at the Zika Forest near Entebbe. [1] In 1947 scientists placed a rhesus macaque in a cage in the Zika Forest, near the institute in Entebbe, Uganda.The American Peace Corps has been active in Yap since 1966. Other US-based non-profit organizations, including Habele , have an ongoing presence on Yap.Since April 2015, a large, ongoing outbreak of Zika virus that began in Brazil has spread to much of South and Central America, and the Caribbean. In 2016, we are told that the USA's first confirmed cases of theare in Los Angeles County, Virginia and Minnesota. Microcephaly can be caused by hundreds of factors, both genetic and environmental.Genetic disorders associated with microcephaly includeand otherPossible environmental factors includeto a babys brain in utero or during birth,use during pregnancy,to the brain, exposure toorInfections such asor rubella have also been documented to lead to the condition.There are many different reasons why children are born with special needs. Fallujah , for example has many deformed children.Buell was born on Aug. 27,, in Orlando,Florida has the Emerging Pathogens Institute , linked to Bill Gates.(GMMs) in Brazil.In mid-2012, the British biotech companyreleased the super bugs with the aim of reducing the overall mosquito population in northeast Brazil.The Zika outbreak epicenter is in the area where GM Mosquitoes were released In 2015. GMO mosquitoes could be cause of Zika outbreak, critics say . / Zika Virus Caused by GMO Mosquitos? : snopes.com Labels: Brazil, Florida, genetically modified mosquitoes, hoax, Jaxon Strong, microcephaly, Monsanto, Peace Corps, Rockefeller, USA, virus, Zika This weekend might be the last warm one we have in awhile My birth is my fatal accident. Six words on a suicide note of a young Dalit student, 16 years into the new millennium has exposed the fault lines in the Indian socio-economic system, where even now, a modern-day version of DDT - the original contact poison that was later seen to have far more harmful effects on humans - in the form of Disparity, Discrimination and (in)tolerance, threatens to rip apart the very fabric of Indian civilisation and cultures. The tragic suicide of Rohith Chakraverthi Vemula, a lifelong victim of this poisonous cocktail, on the prestigious University of Hyderabad campus has once again exposed modern day Indian society. Untouchability continues to be prevalent in Indian society and is even today admittedly practiced by at least 25% of the population (NCAER report, Maryland University, November 2014). The same report points out that even today, only 5% of Indian marriages are inter-caste marriages. Data generated by the socio-economic census have revealed fewer than 5% of SC and ST households have a main earner who makes more than Rs 10,000 per month. The deprivation, and resulting discrimination is not just social, but also economic, and release of additional data, so far held back by the Government would definitely clear the picture further. And even as poverty decline rates have been fastest in India over the last decade, high rates of economic growth breed further disparities, unprecedented levels of inequality and violence. Therefore, even as Rohiths farewell letter sends shivers through the body; his death highlights the reality of 21st century India, wherein caste, class, region, religion and gender still dominate our socio-political discourse. READ | Indias on fire: Letter to Rohith Vemula from his transgender friend Nowhere is this further evident than in our higher education institutions, which expose the fault lines on discrimination at every level: student/student, student/teacher, teacher/teacher. A university policy in JNU to discuss on increasing affirmative action for those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds in 1999 during my days on campus got the entire campus on its feet, and polarised on the issue of identity and caste. Positive discrimination and reservation is seen as being casteist and appeasement tactics, instead of an issue of good governance and following constitutional responsibilities. An RTI query in 2011 found that 48.5% of teaching posts and around 92% of the professor posts reserved for SC/ST remained unfulfilled even as recently as 2010-11. Non-privileged students in elite institutes, particularly in South India have often stated how faculty members wear strong caste symbols such as ash on their forehead and favour students who wear similar caste marks. The Thorat committee report on AIIMS found that 76% of reserved category students said their papers were not examined properly, 84% felt discriminated against during practicals and viva. As many as 76% said they were asked about their caste while 85% said they got less time with examiners than higher caste students. RTI data shows that even today approximately 84% of Class I employees in the government sector belong to the forward castes. Less than 12% of employees of central government ministries, departments and statutory bodies are from other backward classes (OBCs) as on January 1, 2015, while in corporate India, nearly 93% of board members [of the 1000 top Indian companies] have been found to be forward caste members (Source: D. Ajit, Han Donker and Ravi Saxena. Corporate Boards in India: Blocked by Caste? Economic and Political Weekly, 11 August, 2012). Caste diversity is non-existent in the Indian corporate sector and that Indian corporate boards continue to be old boys clubs based more on caste affiliation. Even in the judiciary, there is negligible representation of the marginalised at the top levels. Dalit journalists working in the Indian media believe caste-based discrimination and antagonism against them is pervasive and more rampant in Hindi and other language media. 71% of media jobs in India are held by upper caste males and there are no Dalits recognised as among major identified decision-makers in the media. Such data only exposes the dominant mind set among the privileged to keep the doors firmly closed and not allow entry of the Other into these institutions. READ | Rohith Vemula, death of a philosopher to purify higher education Attempts to reduce schools, colleges, universities and other institutions across the country to factories promoting unidimensional, uncritical and homogeneous learning centres, that will produce clones instead of critical thinkers, rejecting any divergent and dissenting views point towards a dangerous future, and trample upon basic values and rights that are enshrined in the Constitution. Moreover, the autonomy of institutions should be protected at all costs, and there should be free circulation and debates on thoughts and ideas. Structural discriminations traditionally embedded into our societal systems - upper castes/ lower castes, Hindu/non-Hindu, North Indians/Others, South Indians/Hindi speakers, North-East/Rest of India are reinforced - a world where an Eklavya is valued because of the unquestioning sacrifice he makes for his guru Dronacharya, without any questions asked of the guru. Ultimately, it is an idea of differing world views--one that is progressive, liberal, secular, promotes merit, scientific thinking and encourages empowerment of all sections of society, and especially all the marginalised sections, the other which is divisive, majoritarian and promotes age-old hierarchies in the name of culture and nationalism. While individual Brand Ambassadors may come and go, but it is important to maintain the idea of a secular, tolerant, and pluralistic Brand India. The events at HCU that led to Rohith Vemulas tragic suicide is a result of the terrible ends when disparity, discrimination and intolerance combine. It forces us to acknowledge that the battle for an egalitarian society is far from over. And till such time that we come close to achieving that goal, oftentimes, pushed to such a corner, death may seem the better alternative. (Dr Chandan Yadav is general secretary of Indian National Congress Bihar unit and holds a Phd from Jawaharlal Nehru University. The views expressed by the author are personal.) Spanish-born US philosopher George Santayana famously said, Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Indias propensity to act in haste and repent at leisure has run deep in its personality-driven foreign policy since Independence. Even on an issue that poses an existential threat to it Pakistan-sponsored terrorism India finds that history is repeating itself. Despite the unending aggression flowing from Pakistans foundational loathing of India, New Delhi has failed to evolve a coherent, long-term policy towards that country. If anything, Indias Pakistan policy has zigzagged under virtually every prime minister. Since Narendra Modis unannounced Christmas day visit to Pakistan, New Delhi is relearning one fundamental reality no amount of Indian hugging of Pakistans civilian leadership can blunt the Pakistani militarys strategy to bleed India through a war of a thousand cuts. Consistency in policy or goals has never been Indias forte, given its hug-then-repent penchant. Indeed, successive Indian leaders have assumed that other nations will do what India is adept at pulling off change beliefs and policies overnight. India has also distinguished itself by reposing trust in foes and then crying betrayal when they deceive it, as happened in 1962 and 1999 (Kargil). Another reason India relives history is that virtually every prime minister has sought to reinvent the foreign-policy wheel rather than learn the essentials of statecraft or heed past national mistakes. Other than the tool of dialogue, India has little direct leverage over Pakistan. The dialogue instrument thus must be employed judiciously to help improve Pakistans conduct. For Islamabad, by contrast, talks with India are essential not to help normalise political and economic relations but to aid its hardball tactics to spotlight the revisionist issue that still serves as the glue to prevent a dysfunctional Pakistan from unravelling Kashmir. Talks also provide Pakistan the equivalence it craves with India. But with each Indian prime minister ingenuously thinking that he can make peace with Pakistan, successive governments have played into Islamabads hands by blundering. Jawaharlal Nehru internationalised the Kashmir issue by taking it to the UN and implicitly accepting Pakistans takeover of more than one-third of Jammu and Kashmir. Lal Bahadur Shastri at Tashkent magnanimously returned Haji Pir, now a key staging ground in Pakistans war by terror. Indira Gandhis folly at Simla in securing nothing concrete from a vanquished Pakistan helped lay the foundation for Pakistans strategy to inflict death by a thousand cuts. The sphinx-like Atal Bihari Vajpayee took Nawaz Sharif by surprise by embracing him at Wagah and then signing the Lahore Declaration that singled out J&K by name as a bilateral issue awaiting resolution. Not surprisingly, Kashmir and terror dominated Vajpayees tenure. Vajpayee never learned from his serial blunders, which is why he paid another Pakistan visit just months before voters swept him out of office. It was under him that an ignominious episode unparalleled in modern world history occurred, with the Indian foreign minister flying to known terrorist territory to hand-deliver three leading terrorists from Indian jails. Just the way the terrorists-for-Rubaiya Sayeed swap a decade earlier helped fuel the Pakistan-scripted Kashmir insurrection, the Kandahar cave-in before hijackers led to a qualitative escalation in cross-border terrorism, including on national emblems of power. And just as Vajpayees 1999 bus journey to Lahore produced the Kargil War and the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814, Modis Christmas hug of Sharif in Lahore yielded a quick payback from Pakistan as New Years gift: Twin terror attacks, outsourced to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) one on the Pathankot airbase (in what was the military equivalent of the 2008 Mumbai strikes on civilian targets) and the other on the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Indeed, the JeM an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) front organisation typifies why India relives history. India jailed Masood Azhar for taking Western hostages in J&K in 1994 and then forgot about him until the IC-814 hijackers demanded his release. Once Azhar and the other two terrorists were traded for the hostages, the ISI brought him to Pakistan, arranging a heros welcome and installing him as the JeM head. It did not take Azhars sponsors long to thank Vajpayee for his release by sending JeM gunmen to kill Indias elected leadership. The 2001 Parliament attack led India to mobilise its armed forces for war and demand that Pakistan shut down its state-run terrorist complex or face punishment. However, after keeping its forces in war-ready mode for months, India backed down meekly without securing anything from Islamabad. Now, JeMs sponsors have thanked Modi for his Pakistan visit by carrying out the Pathankot and Mazar-i-Sharif strikes. What has been Modis response? To supply Islamabad, even before the airbase siege ended, evidence of the Pathankot attackers Pakistani footprints and to tamely put up with Sharifs charade of preventively detaining JeM leaders. If anything, the ISI will use the evidence to ensure that its next attack leaves no similar telltale signs. By providing evidence and by offering to welcome Pakistani investigators, India has played into Pakistans hands by buying the myth that terror groups like the JeM are independent of the Pakistani State. Any Indian policymaker who thinks this approach will help contain Pakistani terrorism has probably been spending more time than he should have reading Alice in Wonderland. Pakistans terror masters will focus any Pakistani investigation on identifying their latest attacks operational deficiencies. After each terror attack, its deja vu all over again, with Pakistan promising to assist Indian investigations, only to take India round and round the mulberry bush. It is past time for India to recognise that escapism as policy is an invitation to never-ending trouble. Moreover, maintaining a peace dialogue with a renegade neighbour only lends legitimacy to its roguish ways because that nation will use such talks as a cover to undermine Indias security. Brahma Chellaney is a geostrategist and author. The views expressed are personal. Despite being lauded for his performances in films, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui isnt content with himself. I am never satisfied with my work, says the 41-year-old. The actor says that when he analyses his performances, he always feels he could have executed them in a better way. When I look at my performances, I find something amiss. I always know what my shortcomings are. So, I tell myself that I will rectify them in my next film, says the actor. Since Nawazuddin has made a mark in the industry with his acting prowess, expectations from him are always very high. Does he feel pressured? Its good in a way, because that (the pressure of expectations) keeps me driven. It inspires me to work hard and grow. It reminds me that I should forget what I have already done, and should focus on what to do next. People like my work because I put in a lot of honesty in it. So, it makes me feel that I should bring more genuineness in my craft, he says. Read: I am not a robot, controversies do affect me, says Nawazuddin Siddiqui Read: Heres why Nawazuddin Siddiquis Manjhi is a special film The actor maintains a low profile, and so is sad that his name was dragged in a controversy, when an FIR was lodged against him for allegedly assaulting a woman in the parking lot of his residential society in Andheri, Mumbai. I have only focused on my work. So, when that incident happened, it left me shaken and surprised. Now, I have become aware about a lot of things, he says. Nawazuddin will soon be seen in Raees. (HT) The actor says that usually, he doesnt pay attention to anything controversial in life. But you do get disturbed when false allegations are levelled against you. Im not a robot; such controversies affect me. Its saddening, especially when you arent at fault, he says. Follow @htshowbiz for more. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Siddhant Jain and Vaibhav Sinha passed out of IIT Delhi last year not just as graduates in chemical engineering but also as the CEO and CTO of an information technology company. They had set up the company, Vodocipher Media Solutions, a year earlier, during their final year, to tackle piracy on video websites. We started it as a hobby, says Sinha. It was something interesting to work on, so we didnt feel any pressure on academics. The chemical engineering students learned IT from online courses. Their company is part of a rising trend of companies being set up on campuses by students. So far many engineering and management students have been turning entrepreneur on passing out, or soon after. Campus start-ups are making a shift in the entrepreneurial journey by moving it a stage earlier. This takes the countrys start-up eco-system a step closer to that of the United States, where companies like Facebook were born in a Harvard dorm. Though that degree of startling success has not visited Indias colleges yet, campus start-ups here are making more and more sense, as they have begun to find angel funding and paying customers. Angels and customers Vodocipher wouldnt disclose the amount it raised from angels, but proudly declares that it has 40 clients. However, all those may be overshadowed by the one customer of Detect Technologies, a company formed at the IIT Madras Campus that has developed a system to detect fault in oil pipes. Its co-founder Daniel Raj David, a fourth year engineering student, isnt trying to be cool when he says he does not care much how he does in his exams. He actually doesnt; he thinks he is building the next General Electric, one of the worlds largest conglomerates. What gives wings to Davids dreams is that his company has just found the first big customer for its system: Reliance Industries. The Goliath of corporate India has completed two trials on it and wants to buy it. Detect is also conducting field tests for a drone and a robot which could find faults in thermal power plants. The core team of Detect includes Hari Krishnan, a fourth year dual degree student, Karthik R, a final year student, and Krishnan Balasubramaniam, a member of the faculty. The CEO is Tarun Kumar Mishra, who has graduated. Rahul (centre) with co-founders of Clozerr, a startup that uses sensors installed in restaurants to win loyalty of customers. (Vanne Srinivasulu/HT Photo) On the same IIT Madras campus, K R Rahul, now a fourth year, noticed that he did not get any loyalty rewards for visiting his favourite restaurants in Chennai. So he started Clozerr, a company that uses sensors usually installed in restaurants to interact with smartphones of customers. The sensors, called beacons, connects with smartphones of customers who have the Clozerr app installed, detects their presence when they enter the shop, and gives them loyalty offers. Rahul took a semester off to work on Clozerr and now runs it as the CEO. The company has a 20-member team, some of whom are his seniors. Perhaps for the first time in the history of the institute, it allowed a student to take a semester off to set up a company, says Rahul. Campus start-ups are not confined to the IITs. Czar Securities, which offers security services for websites, was founded by students of the NIIT University, near Jaipur in Rajastan. Its clients include Microsoft, Yahoo, and Blackberry. Since the beginning, we had the luxury of making mistakes as we were still in college, says Shikhil Sharma, the CEO and co-founder. No edge in academics Rajendra K Pandey, President at the NIIT University, says there are 11 start-ups active on the campus. In the last semester the students have to work in the industry. We now let students work in their own companies. Tamaswati Ghosh, CEO of the IIT-Madras incubation cell, says she definitely sees an increasing healthy trend of students not taking up placements and starting their own ventures. Angels, alumni networks, and faculty are there to help. For all the start-up talk on campuses, they are yet to give their founders an edge over other students. NIIT Universitys Pandey says the academia is largely indifferent, and does not know how to take note of it in the curriculum. Industry body Confederation of Indian Industry, which every year conducts industry collaboration survey of academic institutions, is not enthused. The majority of the institutes still focus on bringing companies to their campuses and showing good placement percentages, says Shalini Sharma, Senior Consultant & Head-Higher Education, CII. R&D commercialisation is very poor in our higher education institutions. And that is because the majority of the institutions do not have the right kind of experts to guide them. The management of Ansal Plaza is planning a grand re-launch of Delhis first mall in a hope to bring back shoppers to the centre that once used to buzz with activity. We have made an elaborate plan to re-launch it soon. A team is already working on it, Monik Sharma, additional general manager of marketing and promotions at Ansal Plaza Mall Management Company Limited said. The management had sent a letter to all incumbent outlet owners last year informing them about their plans of re-launching the mall. However, no deadline has been fixed yet. Apart from infrastructural upgrade, the mall which in the heart of south Delhi is likely to get a swanky theatre to woo moviegoers too. The company is also mulling over tie-ups with agencies for branding for the purpose. The mall, with its multi-brand outlets, food courts and air-conditioned, dust and noise-free environment, provided the perfect place for shoppers to come and relax. The corridors were always chock-a-block with people till 2007, so much so that at one point the management had to introduce an entry fee of Rs. 100 to deter non-serious shoppers. Fast forward nine years and the large, swanky malls of Saket, Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar seem to have turned this once vibrant mall into a ghost town. Footfall has gone down drastically from thousands to a few hundred. Brands and outlets that had opened with the hope of luring consumers for some brisk business have either shut down altogether or shifted. The handful of the proprietors that remain people who owned outlets ranging from food stalls to liquor shops said the mall slowly lost its charm because the management could not develop and promote the place as per the expectations of people. The low footfall has not only hit business but it has also directly affected the maintenance of the malls fountains, lush green lawns and its major attraction amphitheatre that can seat more than a 100 people and used to host musical evenings and a number of youth-oriented programmes every week. During 2003, when the influx of visitors increased, the management started levying a charge of Rs 100 per person to ensure only serious shoppers entered. The entry fee was later adjusted against any product brought inside the mall. The entry fee now has become a tale of yesteryears. Today the footfall is so less that we barely get enough business to manage to pay our rents, Arun Mehta, manager of jewellery showroom Sital Dass and Sons, said. Mehta added that the food courts of the mall earlier used to be one of the prime reasons why shoppers were attracted towards it. But, slowly as other malls with cineplexes and food courts opened up, the crowd thinned and business went down. Ansal Plaza has three blocks A, B and C that house as many as 90 small and big outlets. Some spaces inside the mall have been occupied for official purposes. In August last year, a popular outlet, which was spread across an area of 39,000 square feet and housed multiple brands, closed its business in the mall. That outlet, surviving owners say, was one of their last hopes for them to get the benefit of sale. It is one of the finest buildings in Delhi where once can come have a good time with family and friends. Ansal Plaza needs to be revamped and re-launched again. That is the only way the crowds will start coming back here, Babbu Bhasin, owner of Ozel Design, an outlet of luxury invitations, said. Many visitors, like Baldev Singh, too felt that revamping the mall was the only way of restoring its lost glory. I have been coming here for the last four years. I have seen the number of shoppers going down steadily. HUDCO can revive the glory of this place by inviting people to perform at the amphitheatre and making an effort of maintaining the surroundings, said Singh. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Municipal workers led protests across the city on Monday, targeting several AAP MLAs including deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Trilokpuri MLA Raju Dhingan as their strike entered day six on Monday. Heaps of garbage was dumped outside offices of AAP MLAs as a mark of protest by the protesting municipal workers. The workers are going to meet the Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Monday afternoon to discuss their problems. The protest also brought the city to a standstill with traffic jams at various locations including Gandhi Nagar, Mahur Vihar, Trilokpuri and Mayur Vihar. MCD workers protest outside North MCD office over non payment of dues pic.twitter.com/zXOa6n5974 ANI (@ANI_news) February 1, 2016 The municipal employees have been protesting against the non-payment of salaries since Wednesday, leading to a complete standstill of municipal services including sanitation, primary health and primary education. On an average, the city produces over 10,000 tonnes of garbage daily, all which has been laying on the city roads. Although the Delhi government had on Saturday made provisions of lifting garbage and deployed workers from PWD and DJB, the municipal workers have now threatened to lock the sanitation landfill sites to hamper the disposal of the garbage. The strike has also led a major impact on primary health with all seven major hospitals of the corporations completely shut. The continuous protests have also led to uncertainty over the future of over 12 lakh students with teachers also a part of strike. Meanwhile, Sisodia on Monday said that his governments attempt to clean the roads of Delhi, after the Municipal Corporation went on strike, was not a photo opportunity and asserted that garbage was actually being picked. Sisodia also questioned the working of the municipal corporations and pleaded the teachers to think about the future of the students and continue with their duties. We are cleaning the garbage, this is not a photo op. We are actually working, said Sisodia. Sisodia reiterated the Aam Aadmi Partys allegations on the MCD of misappropriating the money given to them. AAP MLA and chairman Delhi Jal Board Kapil Mishra said that more than 3000 DJB employees are joining PWD in cleaning the garbage. (With agency inputs) The agitation by municipal workers in the national capital seems to be snowballing into a crisis for the capital with MCD school teachers deciding to go on indefinite strike from Monday. The showdown between AAP Government and the BJP-led municipal corporations over funding of salaries escalated further as city-wide protests marked the fifth day of a civic workers strike, leaving roads strewn with garbage and several hospitals locked. Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Sunday held an emergency meeting with senior officials from East and North Delhi Municipal Corporations to take stock of the situation and discuss solutions. The civic doctors had said that they have been on indefinite strike in solidarity with sanitation workers since yesterday. Around 7,000 doctors and 12,000 nurses are said to have joined the strike. 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. Toilet facilities have been installed at all the 160 metro stations in the Capital but due to security reasons only a few possess garbage bins, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) disclosed on Monday. The statement comes ahead of a petition seeking the installation of these facilities at metro stations in the NCR region, to be heard by the Delhi high court on Monday. All our metro stations have toilet facilities. While most of the metro stations have toilets managed by organisations such as Sulabh International, others have staff toilets that can be used by commuters, said a DMRC spokesperson. Corporation officials said that though toilet facilities were not part of the initial plan, they were included in phase 2 and 3 on the basis of user feedback. Garbage bins have not been installed at every metro station due to security reasons, the spokesperson said. However, transparent bins have been provided at all the major stations, such as Kashmere Gate, Mandi House, Rajiv Chowk and Inderlok, he added. The DMRC said that adequate arrangements have also been made for quenching the commuters thirst. Almost all the stations have drinking water facilities in the form of kiosks and shops. But if anyone does not want to buy water from there, they can ask our staff and it will be provided free of cost, an official said. PK Sarkar, head of the transport department at the School of Planning and Architecture, said it was imperative that metro stations possess such facilities. All international metro systems have toilets, garbage bins and drinking water facilities so commuters can use them during long journeys, he said. Kush Kalra, a resident of the city, had filed a PIL in the Delhi high court, contending that metro stations in the NCR region do not have adequate public facilities such as toilets, drinking water fountains and garbage bins to cater to its huge commuter base. The court had then sought a response from DMRC authorities. The Kejriwal government and the BJP-run municipal bodies slugged it out in the high court on Monday, as garbage piles grew bigger, hospitals remained deserted and schools locked on the sixth day of the civic staff strike. Delhi was staring at a civic crisis as garbage-lined streets raised a stink and fear of disease. Not just garbage collection but all services have come to a standstill with municipal corporation employees doctors, nurses, sanitation workers and teachers staying away from work, accusing the AAP government of not releasing funds for salaries and other dues. The government, however, denied the charge and blamed massive financial mismanagement by civic bodies for the mess. Ruling out any more assistance, it told the Delhi high court the civic bodies had been non-cooperative and opaque towards the vital issues of funds utilisation and management of municipal affairs. ..the respondent (government) is unable to assist the corporations any further than what has already been provided, it said, adding adequate funds had been provided. The civic bodies had also failed to collect Rs 1,555 crore in property tax from the Delhi Development Authority. They were also free to recover property tax from unauthorised colonies. Countering the claims, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) said the government had not given Rs 627.93 crore since 2012. EDMC had sought a Rs 500-crore bailout package from lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, counsel Mini Pushkarna said. Sanitation workers had got salaries till December but Rs 217 crore was needed to clear dues of all employees, including retired staff, many of who had not been paid for the last three months, she said. Municipal corporations have been attempting to get their statutory nonfeasance excused or justified by creating a boogey of non-release of funds, the government told the court. It had released 100% funds for 2015-16 -- Rs 892 crore to the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, Rs 830 crore to South Delhi Municipal Corporation and `465 crore to EDMC as on January 27. During the day, the Delhi cabinet cleared a proposal to seek Jungs intervention to ensure that the DDA released the money to the civic bodies. Civic workers pleaded their case with Jung as garbage war played out is some parts of the city. Protesters dumped trash outside the offices of AAP MLAs, including deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. Bags of garbage were also hurled at tourism minister Kapil Mishras home and those of some other AAP leaders. Mid-day meals, delivered by NGOs, were sent back from most MCD schools. As many as 2,000 consulting doctors, 5,000 resident doctors and 13,000 nurses stayed away from work, and only emergency wings functioned at hospitals. The citys eight municipal hospitals are visited by more than 20,000 people daily while 2,000 patients are admitted at any given time. Tomorrow, the doctors will be paid the salary for November and two days later the salary for December will be released, MCD spokesperson Yogendra Maan said. The doctors were unmoved. We have to go on strike every time to get paid. We will call off the strike only after the MCD finds a permanent solution, said Dr RR Gautam, who is the president of the MCD consulting doctors union. Delhi Police have arrested a 25-year-old man from Mahipalpur and claimed to have solved 19 cases of ATM fraud reported from south Delhi. The man was nabbed while he was on his way to an ATM kiosk in Vasant Kunj. The accused, identified as Imran alias Bali, is a resident of Haryana and worked as a milkman. He had recently bought a Maruti Alto car with the money he made by swindling ATM users. Police said they will now attach the details of the vehicle, use it as case property and present it to the court at the time of filing the chargesheet against Imran. Revealing the modus operandi of Imran, joint commissioner of police (crime) RS Yadav said the accused along with some of his aides used to target only those ATM kiosks that didnt have any security guards. They would enter the ATM booth on the pretext of helping customers or pose as customers themselves. One member of the gang would then distract the customer in the middle of his transaction, while a second guy very slyly pressed the clear button on the ATM keypad. A third gang member then entered the kiosk claiming that the ATM was out of order. Once the consumer left the kiosk without cancelling his transaction, the gang members seized the opportunity. They would then withdraw money from the victims account and disappear, Yadav said. Police said that Imran had confessed to his crimes and had claimed that he had been lured into the swindling racket by the other members of his gang. He has confessed to have been involved in more than 100 cases. We have been able to establish his involvement in 19 cases till now. A search has been launched for the other members of Imrans gang, said Yadav. The ongoing strike by municipal workers in Delhi has deprived a majority of over 12 lakh poor students of their daily nutrition in the form of mid-day meals. Officials said since teachers were either not reporting to work or not teaching, the attendance in 1,860 municipal schools had gone down and affected the distribution of mid-day meals. The mid-day meal scheme is a government programme designed to improve the nutritional status of school-age children nationwide. The scheme helps attract underprivileged students to schools. In the capital, the meal is prepared at a centralised kitchen by an NGO and delivered to schools in their area. But the responsibility to check the food and serve it lies with the school staff, including teachers. The NGOs that cook these meals told HT that about 90% of the food had to be brought back on Monday. Almost 90% of the food had to be brought back as either the schools were shut or the students attendance was too low on Monday. The number of meals that we have been serving had gone down since last week. But it worsened on Monday, said an official associated with an NGO that serves mid-day meals to north and east Delhi schools. Most municipal schools sent back mid-day meals on Monday as teachers continued to be on strike. A majority of them in north and east Delhi remained shut on Monday. Municipal teachers have been boycotting classes to protest non-payment of their salaries. No money, no work was seen written at some of the municipal schools. While there has been a gradual decrease in students attending schools, over 60% schools in north and 80% schools in east Delhi remained shut, said a senior municipal official. The mid-day meals are served in the presence of teachers, who are supposed to check the food for quality before serving it to students. But due to lack of teachers, the meal distribution has been hit, the official said. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has appealed to the teachers to end their protest for the sake of students future. A team of forensic medicine experts at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where 6-year-old Divyanshs post- mortem was conducted on Saturday, will visit the accident spot in a few hours, after which the final report will be submitted to the investigating authorities. The team will visit the spot of the accident in the school, which is part of the procedure. Our experts do visit the crime scene to establish chain of events, said a source in the hospital. Initial post mortem report of the boy, who died after falling into the septic tank of a south Delhi school on Saturday, suggests he died due to drowning. The boy was found in the tank of Ryan International School, Vasant Kunj.The post mortem of the boys body was conducted at AIIMS on Saturday by a team of forensic medicine experts. According to the sources in the hospital, the death has been due to asphyxia, suffocation. There was a large amount of water found in the boys lungs. However, there reportedly were no external injury marks to suggest the boy was killed before dumping his body in the tank. A suspended UGC employee has been awarded three years imprisonment for accepting bribe of nearly Rs 95,000 from foreign students for early processing of their scholarships. The court refused to show leniency to 49-year-old Pradeep Kumar, who was working as an assistant in selection and Award -I section at University Grant Commission (UGC), saying he had abused his official position by demanding money from foreign research scholars and caused a big dent in the countrys reputation. In the present case, the allegations proved against the convict are quite serious in nature. He had abused and misused his official capacity as a government servant and demanded various amounts from research scholars of foreign countries and thereby he has caused a big dent in the reputation of the country, as a whole. By his illegal acts, the convict has brought shame to the country and therefore, does not deserve any leniency from the court, special CBI judge Brijesh Garg said. Kumar was held guilty under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The court, which also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on Kumar, allowed his plea to suspend the sentence for two months to enable him file an appeal against the judgment before a superior court and released him on bail on furnishing of personal bond of Rs 25,000. CBI said an information was received that Kumar was indulging in corrupt practices and contacting foreign students selected for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) grant by UGC. He was asking them to deposit bribe amount in a bank account in Delhi for early processing of their scholarship amount, it said, adding that credit entries ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 25,000, making a total of nearly Rs 95,000, were found in his bank account. The money was deposited by various students who were nations of Yemen and Palestine, it said. During the trial, Kumar claimed he was falsely implicated and had not received any amount from foreign nationals towards processing fee of their scholarship amount. He claimed that the amount deposited by foreign nationals was towards books cost which they had purchased from his wife. His counsel sought leniency saying he has to support his family and would lose his job and government accommodation if sentenced for over three years in jail. In the space of a week or so, two boys Ankit Kumar and Divyansh Khosla have lost their lives because their schools failed miserably to perform their basic responsibility: Ensure the safety of their wards inside their premises. Both boys died after they fell into septic tanks left open and unguarded inside their schools. While Kumar was a student of a Municipal Corporation of Delhi-run school, Khosla went to Ryan International, a premier private school. In both cases, investigations are on but even without long-drawn probes that hardly achieve anything, it would not be wrong to say that if a septic tank is left open and unguarded within a schools premises during school hours and a child falls into it, the authorities must own up responsibility and face the legal consequences for negligence. Instead of accepting their fault, Ryan International took a shameful and cowardly stand, saying that Khosla was a special child (attention deficit disorder) and had wandered off. His parents have disputed this claim. In fact, the schools claim and explanation do not pass muster because if he was a special child, there should have been extra precautions to avoid such an incident. In Kumars case too, the school authorities cannot escape responsibility. The fact that the two incidents happened in schools at opposite ends of the spectrum shows that child safety is just a concept in India; there are no set frameworks or inspections and everyone wakes up when a tragedy happens. After the two deaths, the Delhi government has ordered all schools to file safety reports within a month. In a letter to Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Vijwasan MLA Devinder Sehrawat has urged the government to take strong action against the delinquency of the school authority and has called for the cancellation of the schools licence. While cancelling Ryan Internationals licence would send out a strong signal, why target the private school only? What about the MCDs own school? Surely, Kumars life was as precious as Khoslas. These boys are two additions to the long list of children who have died this way or have been injured due to the negligence of school authorities. In 1993, Brinda died in a similar manner in Tamil Nadu. Last October there were two more cases. Then there are the infamous borewell accidents; these have become so routine that they fail to make it to the news. In the past few years, several children have fallen into these open wells, most of which are illegally drilled in order to extract water in areas where groundwater is depleting. Asking for a compliance report on safety from schools or launching a lets-find-a-scapegoat-type probe after a borewell accident are knee-jerk reactions that will not achieve anything constructive. India needs much stronger and time-bound responses when it comes to the important and non-negotiable issue of child safety. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has announced the results of the Chartered Accountants intermediate examination (IPC) held in November 2015. Pranav Pratik Tulshyan from Kathmandu bagged the first rank. Abhishek Agarwal and Ayushi Goyal from Delhi were ranked second and third, respectively. The top three all-India rank holders are from Kathmandu and Delhi. A total of 50,892 candidates appeared in the exam out of which 2,108 candidates passed. IPCC is the second level of chartered accountancy examinations and consists of two groups: Group 1 (four subjects), Group 2 (three subjects). Group 1 comprises the following subjects - accounting, business laws, ethics and communication, cost accounting and financial management, and taxation. Group 2 consists of advanced accounting, auditing and assurance, and information technology and strategic management. Students have to first take the Common Proficiency Test route, followed by the first stage intermediate (integrated professional competence) course and the final stage course. Click here to check your results. Read more: CA final and CPT results declared, check it here SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Two suspected operatives of al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), arrested for allegedly radicalising youths and propagating terror agenda, were remanded on Monday to judicial custody till February 10 by a Delhi court. Abdul Sami and Syed Anzar Shah were produced before additional sessions judge Reetesh Singh after expiry of their police custody and the special cell of Delhi Police requested the court to send them to judicial custody. The police told the court that the two accused were not required for further custodial interrogation at this stage and since the probe was going on, they should be remanded to judicial custody. The court, after hearing the submissions, remanded both accused to judicial custody till February 10. Besides Shah and Sami, the other arrested accused in the case are Mohammed Asif, Zafar Masood and Mulana Mohd Abdul Rehman Kasmi. Police had earlier said that Rahman ran a madrassa in Uttar Pradesh where several students were enrolled and he was allegedly trying to radicalise them for terror activities. It had claimed that Masood was propagating the terror agenda of AQIS and trying to attract youths towards the outfit. While Asif (41), was held from Seelampur in north-east Delhi, Rahman (37) was arrested from Jagatpur area of Cuttack in Odisha, police had said. They have been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. According to the special cell, Rahman is suspected to have international links in countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Dubai. Additional police and paramilitary forces were rushed to coastal Andhra Pradesh on Monday, a day after large-scale violence rocked Tuni in East Godavari district during a protest by Kapus demanding reservation. Police imposed prohibitory orders banning the assembly of four or more persons across East Godavari district and beefed up security to prevent any untoward incident. Read: Forces rush to violence-hit Andhra town, police probe Kapus protesters Here are five things to know about the Kapu community: 1) Who they are The Kapus are primarily an agrarian community based in the Andhra-Telangana region. It is one of the dominant caste groups with political influence in the state. The Kapu community comprises nearly 26% of the states five crore people. The Kapus, in fact, form the core of the middle castes of Andhra Pradesh, the original cultivator caste which migrated from the Gangetic plains, probably from Kampilya (near Ayodhya) thousands of years ago. They entered what is present-day Telangana and, after clearing the forests along the banks of the Godavari, settled down to farming. This is the reason why even today there is a heavy concentration of Kapus along the Godavari down to the Andhra area... Although farming continues to be their mainstay, a section amongst them took to trade and business. These Kapus are called Balijas (derived from vanijya)... There are also Ontaris and Telagas who are found in the two Godavari districts, according to the book Battleground Telangana: Chronilce Of An Agitation. 2) Where they stand The Kapus sway is secondary to that of Kammas and Reddys, who they accuse of wielding political power, denying them their due. The Kapus believe that about one hundred twenty years ago, probably at the end of the nineteenth century, their social status was higher than that of the Kammas. But the Kammas took to business, commerce and education faster. Closely knit and numerically not too many, the Kammas were able to take rapid strides to land at the top of the social hierarchy, the book says. 3) Their demand Saying that they are falling behind in terms of jobs and education, the Kapu community is demanding inclusion in the Backward Castes category like they were before independence. Backward Castes is a collective term covering socially and educationally deprived groups in the country. The mid-20th century saw the Kapus shuttling in and out of the category. The first major protest for the inclusion of the Kapus in the Backward Castes was held in 1993. A government order was then issued for their inclusion in Backward Castes. The Kapu leaders accuse the Telugu Desam Party (regarded as a party of the Kammas), which came to power later in 1994, of not honouring the order. The Kapu community has also accused the ruling TDP of reneging on its promise made during the state legislature elections in 2014 to reserve some state government jobs for members of the lower-caste group. 4) The governments stand TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidus government recently announced a panel -- the justice Manjunatha Commission -- to study and submit a report to include the Kapus in Backward Castes. Terming Sundays violence as pre-planned, Naidu has asked officials to deal firmly with those involved. 5) What next? Rail and road traffic between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada was restored late on Sunday after M Padmanabham, a key Kapu leader, announced the withdrawal of their agitation. He, however, threatened to go on fast-unto-death if the government failed to respond by Monday evening on the demand for including Kapus in the list of Backward Castes. The two most visible faces of the Kamduni peoples movement for justice after the brutal gang rape and murder of a college student and fellow villager in 2013 could take the plunge into West Bengals electoral politics. Tumpa Koyal, a homemaker and childhood friend of the 20-year-old victim, and Mousumi Koyal voiced their willingness to join politics after a Kolkata court on Saturday sent three men to the gallows and three more to life imprisonment in the Kamduni case. They and some members of the social group, Aakranto Amra (We the Victims), are likely to contest this years assembly polls as independent candidates with possible support from either the Congress or CPI(M). Aakranto Amra, led from the front by Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra, has been organising protests for the past two-and-a-half years to decry atrocities such as the Kamduni rape-murder and election-related violence. The group, formed in July 2014, has 130 members a tiny figure when juxtaposed against the membership of big political parties such as the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition CPI(M). But then, Tumpa and Mousumi of Kamduni have already made their mark when they confronted chief minister Mamata Banerjee with tough questions when she visited the village 10 days after the gruesome incident on June 7, 2013. Besides Mahapatra, the group has retired Supreme Court justice AK Ganguly, who was part of the bench that delivered a February 2012 verdict quashing 122 2G licences issued by the UPA government. Some other intellectuals have also rallied behind the two women, impressed with their courage to stand up to injustice, as well the forum. Sources said this was in stark contrast to the groundswell of support Trinamool chief Banerjee received from the states intelligentsia drawn to her Ma Mati Manush slogan and promise of change or poriborton ahead of the 2011 assembly polls. Mahapatra began his crusade after he was arrested in April 2012 for allegedly circulating a cartoon that lampooned chief minister Banerjee and then Trinamool general secretary Mukul Roy. We want to free Bengal from the misrule of the Trinamool Congress. Hence, we are willing to field some of our members, including Mousumi and Tumpa, as independent candidates for the assembly elections with support from opposition parties, Mahapatra said. Aakranto Amra recently held separate meetings with CPI(M) leaders as well as Bengal unit Congress president Adhir Chowdhury to discuss their participation in the electoral process. He said discussions have been held with Left Front chairperson Biman Bose and CPI(M) state secretary Suryakanta Mishra, and their proposal was under consideration. We had planned to hold talks with the BJP leadership as well. However, CPI(M) leaders made it clear that they wont be with us if we seek saffron support. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Signalling that Budget session is unlikely to be a smooth affair, Congress on Sunday latched on to BJP leader Yashwant Sinhas comments to accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not believing in dialogue and blamed it for the confrontation between the government and Opposition. The Prime Minister does not believe in dialogue. He likes one way communication, be it with his organisation or with the media. Even inside Parliament, he does not believe in discussion..., senior Congress spokesman Anand Sharma. His mindset is responsible for the atmosphere of confrontation. His arrogance and obstinacy are responsible for the situation of confrontation between the government and the opposition, he alleged. Sharma, who is also the deputy leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha, claimed that the Prime Minister has not made any effort in the past 20 months since coming to power to usher in an atmosphere of constructive cooperation by taking into confidence the Opposition and its leaders. His style of functioning, his concentration of decision making is proving detrimental to parliamentary democracy, he said, adding that it was a matter of concern. Sharmas remarks came in response to queries on senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha comments made at a conference in Goa on Saturday which indicated that he was critical of PM Modi though Sinha on Sunday contended that his remarks had been completely misunderstood and misinterpreted. During the discussion, was asked about the present day culture of I, me, myself and what was the use for dialogue in such case. The former minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government replied that elected representatives including to Parliament and Assemblies have to continuously go back to the people who elect them. Sinha then referred to the Emergency of 1975 and said the country knew what happened to the most concerted effort in our country to still the voice of dissent. We all know how the people of India reacted. So, there would be aberrations here, aberrations there, we might be very concerned about the present situation because some of these things according to us are taking place. But the great Indian society will take care of it and will consign to the dust those who do not believe in dialogue in India. The people of India will consign him to the dust, you just have to wait for the next elections, Sinha said yesterday, without naming Modi. Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi took to Twitter to take a dig at the BJP over Sinhas remarks. A party which has people like Shatru, Kirti, Yashwant and Joshi, does not need any opposition, he remarked in apparent reference to Shatrughan Sinha, Kirti Azad, Yashwant Sinha and Murli Manohar Joshi. In an apparent dig at the Prime Minister, he said in another tweet, Due to the democratic structure put up by Congress in 68 years, people not believing in democracy are today occupying the top posts. Replying to a question on forming an alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the Assembly polls next year, Sharma said that the party is making efforts to strengthen itself on the ground and suggested that there was still time to decide such issues. He said that the Congress attempt would be to defeat BJP and bring together progressive forces. According to sources, JD(U) and RLD are exploring the possibility of an umbrella alliance with Congress and some smaller parties in Uttar Pradesh for the 2017 Assembly elections after the JD(U)-RJD-Congress coalition inflicted a humiliating defeat on BJP-led NDA in the Bihar polls. The Tamil Nadu BJP is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modis first political rally in the state after assuming the highest office in May 2014. The party unit hopes the launch of its poll campaign at a rally on Tuesday would alter the tone and tenor of politics played out in the state for decades. However, contrary to earlier expectations, the alliance talks with potential allies and BJPs own former allies could not be finalised ahead of Modis visit as was being eagerly expected by the BJP rank and file. However, the mood is upbeat in the party, which hopes to persuade Captain Vijayakanth to enlist and fight the polls along with NDA. It is learnt that Vijayakanth will be visiting Delhi soon to meet BJP national president Amit Shah to finalise the deal. The smaller parties that were part of the NDA alliance are likely to stick with the BJP this time around but the other major constituent of the alliance, Pattali Makkalt Katchi, has already declared it will go it alone. The BJP, which has rapidly expanded the partys membership in the state, is hoping to put up a mega show at Coimbatore. A political analyst in Coimbatore said the BJP could be positioning itself for a major role in Tamil Nadu politics in the next general elections. This time around, it can, at best, play a spoiler. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The core group of state BJP met in Jammu on Monday to discuss the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir, a day after PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti asserted that her party will have to reassess whether it can continue its alliance with BJP to form government in the state. The meeting held in Gandhi Nagar area saw participation of core group members, including former Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, former Ministers, MPs and BJP state president, BJP sources said. Read more: PDP hardens stand: Mehbooba wants assurances from BJP for govt formation The meeting will discuss the situation of uncertainty emerging in J&K following suspense over government formation besides the statement of Mehbooba Mufti made on Sunday they said. After a four-hour long meeting with party leaders on Sunday , Mehbooba had said PDP will take a call on government formation as and when it is confident that Mufti Mohammed Sayeeds vision and mission will be carried forward and implemented in letter and spirit. The Government of India shall have to take substantive measures towards implementation of the PDP-BJP Agenda of Alliance in the interest of peace and stability in J-K and for this PDP needs a set timeframe to be worked out, she had said. Two weeks after the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula and subsequent agitation by the varsity students, classes in Hyderabad Central University resumed on Monday. Classes are going on. Administration is also working, a JAC spokesperson Dickens told PTI. We have set a deadline of ten days. We will continue our agitation in the form of relay hunger strike and organising seminars and rallies peacefully. People from outside also have come to express solidarity to our agitation. (VC) professor Appa Rao should go. There is no change in that demand, he said. When contacted, SC/ST Faculty Forum convener Sudhakar Babu said they (teachers) are attending classes. He also said as per the request by in-charge Vice chancellor M Periasamy, the faculty members would also continue in the administrative position. Earlier, the teachers body said they had laid down papers from the administrative position. Periasamy held a meeting with representatives of Join Action Committee for Social Justice on Sunday and discussed the demands put forward by the student body. Periasamy took charge of the varsity after in-charge VC Vipin Srivastava proceeded on leave on Saturday. Srivastava was given charge after the regular VC, Appa Rao Podile, went on leave following the row over Vemulas suicide. The agitating students earlier said they would accept Srivastava, who was the sub-committee chairman that barred the five Dalit students including Vemula from accessing hostel facilities, as in-charge VC. The HCU sailed through rough weathers with agitations ever since Vemula committed suicide in a hostel room on the campus on January 17. He was one of the five students suspended from using hostel facilities for their alleged role in a case related to the attack of ABVP leader N Susheel Kumar. Subsequently, after Vemulas suicide, the university terminated the suspension of the four students. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited the campus twice while Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, YSRCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy and MIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi were among the prominent political leaders who visited the campus and expressed solidarity with the agitating students. The question whether to work out an alliance with regional parties for the upcoming assembly polls is haunting both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Four states -- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam -- will go for polls to elect new assemblies and the elections are likely to be held between mid-April to May. The Congress party may find an answer this week as party vice-president Rahul Gandhi completes his consultations with the state unit leaders. On Monday, Gandhi met party leaders from West Bengal to take their feedback on possible options of alliance formation. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too, is winding up its consultations with its state leadership on preparations for the upcoming polls. Parliamentary affairs minister and former BJP chief Venkaiah Naidu is set to travel to Assam for similar talks with local BJP satraps. The BJP central leadership has also asked its other senior Union minister to visit Assam, where it eyes its best chance of winning a state in 2016, to hold dialogues with locals and organise campaigns. Read | Youth Congress plans campaign to reconnect with aspirational youth The Congress had already completed talks with its leaders from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam for the upcoming elections. The BJP is in talks with local parties in Kerala and Tamil Nadu to explore possible poll pacts. Heres a look at possible alliance scenarios in each state. Tamil Nadu With J Jayalalithaa, the leader of the ruling AIADMK, unlikely to join any pact, the BJP may look at other parties like Captain Vijaykants DMDK and the PMK. The Congress is looking to revive its alliance with DMK, its estranged ally of the second UPA. Senior Congress leaders feel it has little chance of winning many seats if it is left to fight elections alone. Read | Alliance talks heat up pre-election scene in Tamil Nadu Assam The Congress unit is divided over the option of joining hands with Badruddin Ajmals AIUDF, a party which enjoys support among the Bengali-speaking Muslims in the state. While chief minister Tarun Gogoi, a three-time CM, is opposed to the alliance a large section of the party favours such pact to avoid division of anti-BJP votes. Read | The BJP, with its best chance of winning a state lying in Assam, seems to be opening up to the possibility of a tie-up with the Asom Gana Parishad, a former ally of the NDA. The BJP-AGP tie up may expect to consolidate their position in Upper Assam. West Bengal With Trinamool Congress looking comfortable in power, the Congress has to take a call if it wants to tie up with the Left parties or Trinamool or go alone. The state unit is vehemently opposed to any alliance with the Trinamool but a large section also wants to avoid going alone in the polls. The BJP is unlikely to find any big ally in the state and a four-corner contest may actually help the BJP to gain ground in the border state where it has just one MLA in the 294-seat strong assembly. Kerala The Congress hopes to retain the pack of allies in the UDF coalition. The BJP is trying to forge an alliance with SNDPa powerful OBC group. The rise of BJP may create further chinks in the Left armour and may benefit the Congress. Read | SC halts Assam govts electoral gimmick welfare schemes SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi Police drew flak from social media users and politicians as a video of Delhi Police personnel beating students who were protesting against the suicide of a Dalit scholar outside the RSS office in New Delhi emerged on Monday. The video, reportedly released by the Aam Aadmi Party, also shows a Delhi Police constable pulling a woman protester by her hair and pushing her down. Two journalists, who have alleged that they were beaten up while covering the protest on January 30, claimed that the police action was unprovoked. Organised by the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, the demonstration was organised ouside the RSS office at Jhandelwala on January 30 to demand justice for Rohith Vemula, the 26-year-old Dalit scholar who committed suicide at the University of Hyderabad last month. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal dubbed the incident as Modi governments war with students in a tweet, citing other student agitations like the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) row over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the colleges chairman in Pune. Read | Watch | Delhi cops beat up students protesting Rohith Vemulas death The AAP chief stepped up the attack, tweeting, Del pol being used by BJP/RSS as their pvt army to terrorize n teach lesson to anyone opposing BJP/RSS. I strongly condemn attck on students. FTII, Rohith case, Hyd Univ, IITs and now brutal attack on Del students. Modi govt seems to be at war with students all across Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 1, 2016 The opposition didnt back away either. Shocking attack on students. Instead of listening to them (students), now the Modi govt is brutally beating them up for protesting against the RSS! tweeted Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi too condemned the attack, saying The Congress would like to put on record that this government has become completely apathetic to the voice of students, in addition to being anti-Dalit and anti-poor. They have time and again indulged in crushing dissent. This insane crushing of dissent by using state machinery will not go down well with the youth of this country, he said. Barbaric assault on students by Delhi Police at RSS HQs. Police take orders directly from RSS! Is this Rule of Law?https://t.co/O3wKvRX45o Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) February 1, 2016 The students of various universities in Delhi who were demonstrating said the video was a proof of Delhi Polices brutality. Students have been raising their voice in recent years also but never has their right to protest been snatched like this. Every time we try to take out a peaceful demonstration, we are beaten up, ill treated and attacked. This video is a proof, Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) vice-president Shehla Rashid Shora said on Monday. Many times when we have been detained while protesting, we have been told by policemen that we should refrain from creating ruckus as they have been told not to let us do so. Who is instructing them to attack on students?, said Sunny Kumar, student and member of left-backed All India Students Association (AISA). Will never tire saying this. The Delhi police is nothing more than a bunch of hoods with lowest calibre leadership https://t.co/h6cVlpXQ0K Abhinandan Sekhri (@AbhinandanSekhr) February 1, 2016 Del police taking help of RSS goons to beat Del students who wr peacefully protesting at RSS HQ. Shame on @BhimBassi pic.twitter.com/f8fDxmnVmR Kapil (@kapsology) February 1, 2016 Chief of Delhi Commission for Women Swati Maliwal said the incident was unacceptable and questioned the absence of women constables to control the demonstration, while Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar tweeted a video of the protest and said, Shame on #DelhiPolice for beating peaceful protestors @ March 4 #JusticeForRohithVemula ! #DalitLivesMatter #shame (sic). The Delhi Police said on Monday it has launched a probe into the incident that has invited the wrath of online users since the video went viral. Delhi Police commissioner BS Bassi also tweeted: DP is bound to protect freedom of free speech & peaceful assembly. Help DP & democracy by agitating at JantarMantar. Earlier on Monday, police had denied allegations that students were roughed up by those in plain clothes, although they have not refuted the authenticity of the video. Read Forced labour for grandmother: Inequality defined Rohith Vemulas life A lesson in Rohith Vemulas death: India is shackled to caste Additional police and paramilitary forces were rushed to coastal Andhra Pradesh on Monday, a day after large-scale violence rocked Tuni town in East Godavari district during a protest by Kapus demanding reservation. Police imposed prohibitory orders banning assembly of four or more persons across East Godavari district and beefed up security to prevent any untoward incident. Senior police officials including additional director general of police (law and order) R P Thakur have reached Tuni to review the situation. Read more: Kapus call off quota protest after assurance from Andhra CM Police began investigations into Sundays violence in which a train, two police stations and 25 vehicles were torched. Fifteen policemen and four railway employees were injured in the violence. The investigating officials were screening video footage to identify miscreants who torched train and police stations. The arrests are likely to be made later on Monday. Read more: Kapus set ablaze train, 2 police stations during quota protest Personnel of Andhra Pradesh special police, central reserve police force (CRPF), rapid action force and Indo-Tibetan border police (ITBP) have been deployed in Tuni and other places in the district. Kumar Viswajeet, inspector general of police, north coastal Andhra, told reporters in Tuni that forces were deployed in all places and that they were ready to deal with any situation. More than 3,500 security personnel were deployed in Tuni and other sensitive places in the district. Security has also been tightened in Vijayawada with deployment of special forces to prevent any violence. Rail and road traffic between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada restored late Sunday night after M Padmanabham, a key Kapu leader, announced withdrawal of agitation. He, however, threatened to go on fast-unto-death if the government failed to respond by Monday evening on the demand for including Kapus in the list of backward castes. Several trains were cancelled or diverted since Sunday afternoon when protestors torched Ratnachal Express near Tuni station. All 24 bogies were gutted in the incident. Railway officials estimate the loss to be Rs.30 crore. Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the situation with director general of police JV Ramudu and other top officials. Terming the violence as pre-planned, Naidu asked officials to deal firmly with those involved. A day before the Supreme Court was scheduled to hear a curative petition on striking down Section 377, the Madras High Court expressed that homosexuality could be a ground for divorce. Why not the central government amend marriage laws to include the homosexuality as valid ground for divorce, as gays and lesbians cannot exhibit interest on the opposite sex which is required for consummation of marriage? asked justice N Kirubakaran. The courts observation came while hearing two matrimonial discord cases involving a gay man in one and a lesbian woman in the other. The judge noted that a lack of statutory recognition and protection for LGBT people had started affecting the very social institution of marriage. Read | SC to hear petitions on criminalisation of homosexuality tomorrow Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora agreed, saying, Its been held that the sexual aspect is one part of the marital relationship that needs to be fulfilled. It can be read into the laws already in place -- it could be read as cruelty to the other party. Arora noted, however, that the Centre cant make homosexuality a ground for divorce without legitimising or recognising the status of a same-sex preference person. How can you recognise it in marital situations and then say that exercising that preference would be illegal? Both things must go hand-in-hand. Family lawyer Mridula Kadam clarified that under the Hindu Marriage Act, sodomy is a ground, but if homosexuals get their rights, then obviously these kinds of issues of them marrying to hide their sexuality will not arise. Right now homosexuality is an offence, so people hide. There are so many cases where a gay person marries a straight woman because he is pressured by family and society. Decriminalising Section 377 will go a long way in stopping this kind of cases. Non-consummation of marriage is very hard to prove. The Madras HC judge also noted that more than 30 countries, including a conservative nation like Ireland, have decriminalised homosexuality and legalised gay marriage by way of referendum and further asked, Could LGBT be considered as offenders merely for having exhibited their natural sexual orientation and their sexual acts, which are different? The judge wondered and said he was shocked to notice non-consummation of marriages because either of the spouses was either gay or lesbian. Read | Indian govt should repeal Section 377 before more lives are lost Taking judicial note of the wide prevalence of same-sex relationships in the country, the judge impleaded the Union ministries of law and justice and family welfare as parties to the proceedings. By a separate order, he also made the Law Commission of India a party to the case. The judge sought to know whether the Centre had taken any decision on deletion of Section 377 from the statute book, as suggested by the Supreme Court in the Sureshkumar Koushal vs NAZ Foundation case, or whether it proposed to amend the section by introducing a provision to clarify that nothing contained in the clause should apply to any sexual activity between two consenting adults in private as per a 2009 judgment of the Delhi high court. Read | Section 377 and the biases against sexual minorities in India New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) India and Afghanistan on Monday signed an agreement on allowing their diplomats visa-free travel. The agreement was signed as Afghan Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Council of Ministers Abdullah Abdullah called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi Promoting stronger diplomatic ties. During CE @DrAAbdullah`'s visit, India & Afghanistan sign agreement on visa free travel for diplomats Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) February 1, 2016 Sustained engagement with Afghanistan. Chief Executive @DrAAbdullah meets PM @narendramodi in Delhi, he stated in an earlier tweet. Abdullah Abdullah, who arrived here on Sunday on a five-day visit to India, is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. He will leave for Jaipur on Tuesday where he will attend a conference on counter-terrorism. 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. Five patients complained of loss of vision in an eye each after being administered an injection, the vial of which turned out to be infected. Patients submitting an application at Lanka police station in Varanasi on Sunday. There is no dereliction (of duty) on my part. The vial of the injection, administered to patients, was sent for testing to the microbiology department at the IMS-BHU. The tests revealed the presence of gram negative bacilli (bacteria) in the injection. The patients were given the injection in the eye for an ailment at the ophthalmology department of Sir Sunderlal Hospital at Institute of Medical Science-Banaras Hindu University (IMSBHU). All the patients were given the injection from the same vial costing Rs 23,500 on January 28, one of the patients Harihar Singh, claimed on Sunday. The patients had to buy the injection from the open market, he added. Harihar Singh and four of the other affected patients Laxman Sharma, Vinod Singh, Atmaram Singh and Ramgahan Singh filed an application at the Lanka police station here on Sunday for registering a complaint of medical negligence. Dr OPS Maurya, who administered the injection, however, denied any negligence on his part. Dr Maurya is a professor at the ophthalmology department. He said, There is no dereliction (of duty) on my part. The vial of the injection, which was administered to the patients, was sent for testing to the microbiology department at the IMS-BHU. The tests revealed the presence of negative bacilli (bacteria) in the injection. Soon after this finding, the patients were given an antibiotic dose which has taken affect. Hope, all the patients get back their vision. However, Harihar Singh, told HT, Around one month back, I noticed a decline in vision in my left eye. I visited the ophthalmology department at Sir Sundar Lal Hospital on January 8. Dr OPS Maurya began treatment thereafter. Harihar Singh claimed that Dr Maurya told him there was swelling in his retina and the condition would require an injection. The doctor asked him to visit the department again on January 28. Singh reached the department on the appointed day and Dr Maurya gave him an injection in his left eye. A similar dose was also given to Laxman Sharma, Vinod Singh, Atmaram Singh and Ramgahan Singh, Kamala Singh and Jagdish Prasad. Harihar Singh said on January 29 he experienced loss of vision in the eye which received the injection. He immediately consulted Dr Maurya. Dr Maurya gave me an antibiotic dose, saying it was meant to cure the infection. As there was no improvement, we consulted him again on January 30. Dr Maurya referred us to a private doctor, saying that he was a retina expert and would solve the problem. Harihar Singh and other patients claimed that they consulted the private doctor who advised them to undergo surgery. Harihar Singh and the other patients also claimed that Dr Maurya then told them that he had invited an eye expert from Sitapur for treating them. By that time, the patients said they had lost faith in the doctor. Sub-inspector Sanjiv Kumar Mishra, station officer of Lanka police station, said that the patients application had been forwarded to the chief medical officer for further probe. A case would be registered and action would be taken after the probe, he added. hen contacted, Prof KK Gupta, medical superintendent of Sir Sundarlal Hospital, said that he was not aware about the entire matter. But if anyone consults him on Monday, he would speak to the IMS director. A Tamil Nadu-cadre IPS officer, Archana Ramasundram, on Monday became the first woman police officer to lead a central police force that guards the countrys borders. Ramasundram, who is the director of the National Crime Records Bureau, was appointed director general of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which is deployed along Indias border with Nepal and Bhutan. The 1980-batch officer is the first to head any central police force and would continue in this post till September 201, reveals an order issued by the appointments committee of the cabinet on Monday. Earlier, her appointment as additional director of the CBI was mired in controversy because she joined the agency without formally getting relieved from her parent cadre, Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, her assignment was challenged in the Supreme Court, which restrained her from discharging duties in the agency. Later, she was appointed head of the National Crime Records Bureau. As part of changes in the security establishment, the Narendra Modi government also named the former chief of the Special Protection Group, K Durga Prasad, as director general of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). A Telangana-cadre IPS officer of the 1981 batch, Prasad was the special director general of the CRPF after being moved out of the SPG to make space for a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer. Prasad, who had set up the CRPFs anti-Maoist commando unit, CoBRA, will take over as CRPF director general later this month. KK Sharma, a Rajasthan-cadre IPS officer of the 1982 batch, will head the Border Security Force, which guards the border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. Sharma, who was an additional director general in the BSF, will head the paramilitary force till September 2018. A year back ago, he was tipped to become the SPG chief but the government appointed Vivek Srrivastava, a 1989-batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre of the elite agency that guards the Prime Minister. Sharmas batch-mate from the Kerala cadre, MK Singla, has been appointed special secretary (internal security) at the Union home ministry. The order says he will hold the post till his retirement in February 2017. Jammu and Kashmir governor NN Vohra has asked the PDP and BJP to sort out the issue of government formation, prodding the two parties into action on Monday amid speculation of the 10-month-old alliance facing an imminent collapse. The governors move came a day after PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti hardened the partys stand and sought definite assurances on tricky issues from the BJP as well as the Centre before deciding on government formation. According to sources, the governor has written to both the BJP and the PDP after Mehbooba told her party cadres that the decision to align with the right-wing party was courageous, but unpopular. Vohra has called both Mehbooba and state BJP chief Sat Pal Sharma for separate meetings on Tuesday at the Raj Bhavan in Jammu. Mehbooba is scheduled to meet the governor on Tuesday morning which will be followed by a meeting between Vohra and the BJP state president. The state BJPs core group also met on Monday morning to discuss the political uncertainty. Party sources said a three-member delegation of Sat Pal Sharma, former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh and MP Jugal Kishore will leave for Delhi later in the day to discuss the issue with the party high command. We havent heard from anyone, Sat Pal told reporters after the meeting, in reference to the PDPs conditions. But if we get it in writing than it can be discussed. The common minimum programme is for six years but certain things can also be added it in due course of time, he added. Another BJP leader Ramesh Arora said too said that nothing has changed after the demise of Sayeed. We have assured Mehbooba Mufti of the full term but if they are putting new conditions we can also think about rotational chief ministers, Arora added. Sources said that Mehbooba will meet party legislatures in Srinagar on Monday to discuss the issue of government formation, the sources added. The state was placed under governors rule after the death of incumbent chief minister and Mehboobas father Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in January. Vohra had earlier too written to the two parties last month to clear their stand on government formation. In its reply, the BJP had said the PDP had to first elect its leader and then it will respond. The delay in oath-taking by Mehbooba, which was initially attributed to Mehbooba being in mourning, now hinges on whether the BJP can fulfill the various conditions set by the PDP. Sources said the PDP chief wants the Centre to deliver on promises made in the agenda of alliance. It also wants BJP cadres to refrain from demanding abrogation of Article 370 and wants the Centre to back its stand on scrapping of the controversial AFSPA. In her address to her party workers, Mehbooba on Sunday said the party will take a call on government formation as and when it was confident that the vision and mission of Mufti Sayeed will be carried forward. Some senior PDP leaders have indicated that there is a trust deficit between the two parties that needs to be resolved. Mehbooba had said that the party cant form the government just for the sake of the power as certain quarters, both In J&K and in New Delhi were creating controversies over avoidable contentious issues. She was referring to writ petitions filed in the high court for ensuring beef ban and challenging the constitutional validity of the state flag. The petitions were filed by state BJP leaders. Union women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi on Monday proposed that expecting mothers should be told the gender of the child, which is currently barred by law to curb rampant female foeticide or illegal abortion of millions of unborn girls. The minister said revealing a childs gender during routine sonography or ultra-sound examination could end the scourge of female foeticide which remains a common practice in large parts of India, where a preference for sons runs deep. The would-be mother and her unborn child must be registered, monitored and tracked till the baby is born, Gandhi said and revealed that the proposal has been sent to the government too. The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act bans medics from revealing the sex of a foetus. Instead of penalising sonographers, this will be better way to end female foeticide. How many people can we keep penalising or arresting? she asked, speaking at the two-day All India Regional Editors Conference in Jaipur. In a traditionally male-dominated society, sons are viewed as assets or breadwinners while girls are often seen as a liability. Girls are being killed, destroyed and removed only in developed states. So it has nothing to do with development or underdevelopment, she said. The ministers proposal has drawn flak from activists, saying it could prove counterproductive. It may be the ministers personal view because a suggestion like this is certainly against the law of the land. Its criminal. If you inform the women about the unborn childs gender, it may be OK for the educated and informed class of women, said Ranjana Kumari, the president of Womens Power Connect, a pan-India organisation. But for a large number of women living in rural areas, who adhere to the cultural and social norms that favours a male child, it can prove counterproductive. She wont get an abortion done in her own village but go somewhere else. Kumari said it was ironical that a minister was proposing such ideas when the government has launched schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao to save the girl child. Minister Gandhi has revealed that the NDA governments Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme helped improve the child sex ratio, which is as skewed as 780 girls for 1,000 boys in some districts. We chose 100 districts with the worst ratio and implemented the scheme there. A year on, the programme is showing good signs. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON He is overweight but has a listless stare that camouflages his sharp eyes, he used to voraciously devour cheap novels that make up the bottom of Bengali crime fiction, and studied homeopathy before he became a detective. Meet 47-year-old CID inspector Anandamoy Chatterjee who successfully led the investigation into the gang rape and murder of a 20-year-old student walking home from college in Kamduni near Kolkata in June 2013. When the court pronounced its verdict, based mainly on evidence provided by Chatterjee and his team, three men were given the death sentence while three more went to jail for life. The former student of homeopathy still retains his first love. I still advise friends and colleagues to take homeopathy medicines if they fall ill. Its a love affair I cant forget, Chatterjee told HT on Saturday evening. I have done my duty. There is nothing to feel elated about. However, this is the first instance when I have been able to get a death sentence passed, he said, modestly brushing aside the adulation. A resident of Naihati, in the northern suburbs of Kolkata, he recalled how his boss, special inspector general of CID Vineet Goel, asked him if he could investigate the Kamduni case. I told him, If you want, I shall definitely take up the responsibility. Chatterjee is grounded to his humble roots. A rust-coloured, half-sleeve sweater accentuates his paunch, his gait is not sprightly but awkward and he takes a suburban train to office every day. He lives with his homemaker-wife and two daughters the elder studying law while the younger will write her class 10 board exam from Monday. My wife telephoned me and asked if I had my meal. My daughters congratulated me and told me to return home early and safely, said the loving husband and dotting father. Chatterjee joined police in 1993 and was deputed to the CID three years ago. He handled another case of suspected gang rape and murder in 2012. But he later found that no rape was committed. The knack for sniffing out criminals began early for this son of a coal mine employee, partly because of his youthful addiction to cheap detective stories of Swapan Kumar. Now I get no time to read nay books other than those on law related to my cases, he confessed. He has no other addictions, though. No alcohol, no tobacco. Sometimes I chew a betel leaf. Thats all, Chatterjee signed off. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi ministers, AAP MLAs and hundreds of party workers on Sunday hit the streets to clear the garbage dumped on several roads across the city as the strike by over 60,000 sanitation workers of the BJP-ruled municipal bodies entered the fifth day. The ministers joined the PWD officials and workers of the Delhi Jal Board who have been deployed by the Delhi government to clean the streets, particularly from the areas where garbage has been piling up for the past few days. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, tourism minister Kapil Mishra, environment minister Imran Hussain and Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel were among the leaders who wielded the broom in their respective constituencies on Sunday. Over 2,000 Delhi Jal Board workers have teamed up with PWD workers for the cleanliness drive. AAP Worker cleaning a Road Prem Gali Gandhi Nagar area during MCD Worker Strike protest over non-payment of salaries for the last three months, in East Delhi, India on Sunday, January 31, 2016. (Hindustan Times) A total of 123 machines (loaders/JCB, trucks/tippers, maintenance vans and so on) along with requisite manpower have been deployed by the department so far in its cleaning drive, which began on Saturday morning and continued round-the-clock through the night. Senior officials of the department monitored the situation on a regular basis and sent live updates to deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and PWD minister Satyendra Jain, a Delhi government release stated. Chief minister Kejriwal, who is in Bengaluru for naturopathy treatment, lauded the PWD staff for working through the night to clear garbage and urged AAP functionaries to help the department personnel. I am told PWD people and trucks worked whole nite to clean up garbage. I would urge all AAP volunteers to help PWD, he tweeted, urging them to keep it up. Hospitals run by the civic bodies were also hit hard as around 7,000 doctors and 12,000 nurses joined the strike on Saturday seeking payment of their dues. The nearly 12,000-strong engineering staff of the civic bodies has also struck work since Saturday. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who took part in cleanliness drive in his Patparganj constituency, alleged a salary scam in the corporations. He said the government is looking for a permanent solution to the problem. Satyendra Jain also told a news channel that it was the BJP leaders who were inciting the workers to strike. He said the government was committed to resolve the crisis. Jain held a meeting with North and East MCD commissioners at his residence. Jain had called the meeting to take stock of the situation. During the meeting, the Commissioners briefed him that MCD doctors have not participated in the protest and are performing their duties, a senior government official said. According to Delhi government officials, commissioners of the two civic bodies told Jain that doctors from MCD hospitals have not participated in the strike, a claim which was dismissed by an association of the medical staffers. Anwar Mev, the former vice-president of the BJPs minority cell in Madhya Pradeshs Dewas district who was arrested for allegedly slaughtering a cow at his home, may be expelled and his family boycotted by the Muslim community on Monday. Mev was expelled by the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday, days after meat alleged to be beef was found from his house in Tonkkhurd, around 30 km from Dewas. Read more: MP: BJP leader booked under NSA over cow slaughter, expelled Tonkkhurd resident Hafiz Irfan said all Muslims oppose Mevs act and the countrys law will never forgive him and his family for what they have done. The final decision on his expulsion could be taken by Monday night during a community meeting, Irfan, who is a teacher, added. The carcass of a cow was allegedly recovered from Mevs house in Maniyarpura locality on January 27, leading to protests by right-wing organisations. Mev was arrested and shifted to Ujjain Central Jail. Mev and nine others are facing a criminal case under Madhya Pradesh Cows Slaughter Ban Act, Cruelty Against Animals (Prevention) Act 1960, and Sections 295, 506, 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), according to Dewas additional superintendent of police Rajesh Raghuvanshi. Those who were booked along with Mev include his brothers Mushtaq, Bhuru, his sons Wasim, Firoz, Riyaz, nephews Shahdab, Romzi, Shanu and Baba Husain. The district administration has also invoked the stringent National Security Act against Mev. Dewas district collector Ashutosh Awasthi told Hindustan Times the NSA was slapped on him over a past criminal record. Police have sent samples of the flesh recovered from Mevs house to a laboratory in Mathura. In the preliminary post-mortem report, which was conducted at the district veterinary hospital, it was confirmed that the meat was that of a cow. In 2008, then Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati had alleged that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, then a general secretary in the party, bathes in special soap after visiting Dalit homes. That desperate political punch was as a result of Gandhi spending nights at Dalits houses and breaking bread with them. From personal visits to private Dalit households, Gandhis bid to reach out to the backward community saw a big jump last month when he took the political centre stage of the protests over the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, twice in as many weeks. And the support he received at the Hyderabad Central University also showed that he will not wash his hands off Dalit politics anytime soon. Read more: Rohith Vemula suicide: Cong doing tamasha politics, says Naidu Time and again Rahul Gandhi had tried to underline that in his brand of politics, Dalits and tribals enjoy a special focus just as farmers do. Three years ago, Gandhi had famously said that Dalit empowerment in India needs Jupiters escape velocity. Though this statement had become a butt of jokes, his idea was clear it will need the maximum thrust to push the community out of the lowest strata of society it now occupies. In 2010, he had also declared himself sipahi (soldier) of the tribals of Niyamgiri, lending his shoulder to their protests against mining bids by an aluminum giant at a hill considered sacred. Read more: Rohith and Mahatma Gandhi are similar in their agony: Rahul So, even when his own party was in power at the Centre and churning out one after another legislation for entitlements, Gandhi had actually tried to carve out his own political space, reaching out to these sections in his own ways. In 2014, after it lost the Lok Sabha polls, the party overlooked many other contenders to anoint Mallikarjun Khargea Dalit leaderas its leader in Lok Sabha. It also unleashed a grand plan to celebrate Babasaheb Ambedkars 125th birth anniversary, in an apparent bid not to allow the ruling BJP to appropriate the Dalit icons legacy. The Congress concern for Dalits or the Scheduled Castes also has an undeniable electoral sub-text. The partys electoral fortunes in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Tamil Naduwhere there is a high percentage of Dalit population-- has slipped away during the past few decades, especially in the post-Mandal era. Read more: Who is playing politics over Rohith Vemulas death? The last general election, where the Congress scored its lowest tally, it got just 3 out of 84 seats reserved for the Dalits, two in Karnataka and one in Telangana. In contrast, the BJP got 40 Dalit MPs across the country. Gandhi, in a pivotal role to steer the party at its hour of crisis, also perhaps understands that there is no other way to revive the Congress independent political standing in the long term but to bring back the Dalits and the tribals under its umbrella. The political discourse over the Dalit issue, however, is now understandably shriller as the Congress, sitting in the Opposition benches, aims to corner the government on each and every step. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Controversial spiritual leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has attempted to take a bite out of Indias multi-crore food industry with the launch of his MSG range of swadeshi and organic products, a sector where he will compete with yoga guru Ramdevs Patanjali brand. The bushy-bearded head of Haryanas Dera Sacha Sauda sect that claims to have millions of followers unveiled over 150 merchandises including rice, pickles, honey, bottled water and noodles at a media conference near his headquarters in Sirsa district on Sunday. Singh, who wears the hats of a self-styled holy man, actor, philanthropist and political power broker with equal ease, clarified that the abbreviation MSG stands for Mastana Ji, Satnam Ji and Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the three heads of the Dera so far. Our motive is not to compete with anyone in the market, he said. However, we appeal to other companies that they come up with organic products too, so the people of our nation can become healthier. Despite his comments, the sect leader is set to vie with Ramdevs rapidly expanding natural foods and consumer goods empire in northern India that some market experts say is already posing a threat to established brands. Singh said as the MSG brand ambassador, he has obtained a legal agreement from the manufacturer that allows him to step down from the position if any complaint crops up regarding the quality of the products. However, there is little possibility of such an occurrence because the company provides organic, premium and standard-quality products, he asserted. The Dera chief, who rode a monster-wheeled motorcycle and sent bad guys flying in two feature-length films he starred in last year, spoke at length on the ill-effects of using modern fertilisers and pesticides. When I was in Maharashtra for some time, I found farmers injecting chemicals into vegetables, and using toxic sprays and pesticides that are harmful to both man and animal, he said at the press meet. After that, they would harvest the crop the very next day for a hurried sale. It was then that I decided to enter the business of providing organic food to the people. The raw material for the products would be cultivated on Dera land, he said, benefitting farmers who grow crops in accordance with the firms strict quality standards. Company chairman CP Arora said the products were launched simultaneously in the domestic as well as international markets and around 150 stores have already been opened. MSG All-Trading International Private Limited has received dealership proposals from many countries, including the UK, US, Australia, Canada and Germany, he added. . Admitting that it had committed a mistake by issuing a notice to the Arunachal Pradesh governor, a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court recalled the order on Monday holding that governors and the President enjoy certain constitutional immunity. The bench is hearing a batch of petitions challenging the imposition of Presidents rule in the state and the governors decision to convene the assembly without the advice of the council of ministers. The bench headed by justice JS Khehar ordered the Centre to furnish by Friday crucial documents seized from former chief minister Nabam Tukis office to him. It, however, did not issue any directions on Tukis plea to order restoration of the pre-Presidents rule situation in the state. This is the second instance in less than a week where the top court has recalled an order terming it a mistake. Last week, a bench headed by justice Ranjan Gogoi took back its direction appointing former Allahabad High Court judge Virendra Singh as Uttar Pradeshs Lokayukta and ordered a fresh appointment. The bench acknowledged attorney general Mukul Rohatgis submission that no notice could be issued either to the governor or the President under Article 361 of the Constitution, which gives immunity to them. They are not answerable to the court for acts done in discharge of their duties. It is our mistake. If we make a mistake, we can correct it. We have issued a notice. We will recall it. If you (the governor on your own) want to appear, there is no difficulty. If we have made a mistake we will correct it, the bench observed while recalling its order. While the bench recalled its notice, it said the governor was at liberty to file his response if he desired to do so on his own. Immediately after the recall order, senior advocates Fali Nariman, Kapil Sibal and Rajeev Dhawan urged the bench to restore the status before Presidents rule was imposed, a plea the court declined. The three assailed the governors recommendation to bring the state under central rule. He has effectively taken over the entire administration by dismissing the chief minister and the council of ministers, making it impossible for restoration of status quo. More importantly, the chief ministers office was sealed, his personal and official computers, laptops, documents and important files have been taken over by the governors office, Nariman said. At this, justice Khehar said justice and fair play demanded that the government must provide copies of the seized material to the chief minister and other affected persons so that they could defend their case effectively. The Supreme Court will take up petitions filed by the Congress as well as former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki, challenging the imposition of Presidents rule in the northeastern state, on Monday afternoon. A constitution bench headed by justice JS Khehar, which had termed the imposition of central rule as a a serious issue last week, is slated to take up the matter at 2 pm. It will peruse the governors report as well as the Centres response during the hearing. The bench, also comprising justices Dipak Misra, MB Lokur, PC Ghose and NV Ramana, was of the view that no interim order could be issued unless the grounds for proclamation of Presidents rule were known. Unless we get the grounds for recommending Presidents rule, we cannot proceed. If the grounds are not same in the proclamation, then it is a totally different ball game, the bench had noted. The NDA government had justified its action on Friday by alleging that the Congress was using the assistance of outlawed organisations to pressurise 34 legislators into withdrawing their support to rebel party leader Kalikho Pul who was elected as the new chief minister in Tukis place. In its affidavit filed before the Supreme Court in response to the Congress petition, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) had accused Tuki and the speaker of playing communal politics by inciting, provoking and funding students of a particular community as well as other communal organisations. The MHA stated that Arunachal Pradesh was a strategic place in matters concerning security as well as mineral resources. The state bears witness to recurrent insurgency as well as attempts by China to claim large parts of its territory The entire state is therefore a very sensitive region, sharing a restive border with China. It is therefore imperative, and in the interests of the country, that the state remain socially, economically and politically stable, the Centre stated, citing various instances that pointed to an alleged breakdown in the law-and-order situation. The chief minister has been encouraging indiscipline, lawlessness and politicking by government officials by inciting, provoking and funding an apex communal organisation of one community, mainly comprising government officials, to publicly organise demonstrations/rallies for recall/removal/resignation of the incumbent governor (sic), read the affidavit, which also alleged that Tuki was heading a minority government. Supporting governor JP Rajkhowas decision to bring the state under central rule, the MHA said he and his family were under constant threat to their lives. The entry of MLAs into the state assembly was also barred by ousted speaker Nabam Rebia, it added. Stating that the governor had sent monthly reports from October to December 2015 as part of his constitutional duties, the MHA denied allegations that he made the recommendation after the Congress took the dissident MLAs to court. The government said that the speaker had sealed the assembly premises instead of convening the session as directed by the governor, therefore dishonouring the summons issued under Article 174(1). A 17-year-old boy was run over by a train while attempting to take a selfie on railway tracks in Chennai, adding to a growing number of similar incidents in a country which accounted for half of the worlds selfie deaths last year. The incident occurred on Sunday evening when the boy was trying to take a selfie with a train as the backdrop, a report in the Deccan Chronicle said. The victim was identified as one Dena Sukumar, a plus-2 student of Poonamallee Aringnar Anna government higher secondary school. The report added that the boy was chatting with some of his friends by the railway tracks when they decided to take selfies on the tracks, leading to the incident. The death of the youngster came a few weeks after two youths drowned in the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh while trying to take a selfie. Prior to that, a man and a girl drowned in the Arabian Sea in Mumbai -- the man was trying to save the girl who had slipped into the sea while trying to take a selfie. Following the incident, Mumbai police banned selfies in 16 spots identified as dangerous. Raising an alarm over the issue, a recent report on such deaths around the world and published in the Washington Post, said that out of at least 27 selfie-related deaths around the world last year, about half occurred in India. However, not only Indians are addicted to selfies. A Japanese tourist had died at the Taj Mahal recently after falling off the steps of the monument while attempting a selfie. Experts say that selfies have become an attention-seeking activity for youths trying to find self-esteem and self-worth in the likes and comments on various social media platforms. The Supreme Court is likely to take up on Monday a clutch of petitions seeking a direction to the government to legalise passive euthanasia in India. One of the petitioners, Common Cause -- an NGO -- has demanded that a person suffering from terminal illness should be allowed to make a living will indicating that he/she should not be kept on life support system in case there is no hope for cure. A five-judge constitutional bench headed by justice Anil R Dave had on January 15 sought to know who will decide whether (a) patient cant be cured? 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 top court, the ministry of health and family affairs, said last week that 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. The affidavit, however, said two government-constituted expert committees had advised to let a terminally ill patient make a living will, indicating he or she should not be kept on life support in case there is no hope for a cure. In 2006, the government had declined to introduce a bill on passive euthanasia for various reasons. Euthanasia has been a controversial issue across the globe and most countries dont allow active euthanasia which involves administering medicine or poison to end the life of a terminally ill patient. In passive euthanasia, a terminally ill patient is allowed to die by stopping life support or medicines. Active euthanasia is legal in Netheralands, Luxembourg and Belgium while passive euthanasia has got wider acceptance and is allowed in most states in the United States, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, and Albania. In India, the law doesnt permit either active or passive euthanasia but in 2011 the Supreme Court had ruled in favour of passive euthanasia with certain strict safeguards. The SC had 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. These guidelines, the Centre said, shall remain in force until a law is framed. The controversy revolves around a provision in the Medical Council of India Act that declares practicing euthanasia an unethical act. After a patient is brain dead, should the question of withdrawing life support be decided by team of doctors or just by the treating physician alone? These are some of the questions the court is likely to consider. Additional Solicitor General PS Patwalia on January 15 told the court that the government was studying the SCs verdict in Aruna Shanbaugs case and the law commissions 241st report that favoured allowing passive euthanasia with certain safeguards. It is in the process. The Medical Treatment to Terminally ill Patients (Protection of Patients and Medical Practitioners) Bill is pending. The proposed regulation deals with it but the living will is not envisaged here, the ASG had told the bench also comprising of justices Kurian Joseph, Shiva Kirti Singh, Adarsh Kumar Goel and Rohinton Fali Nariman. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Trinamool Congress leader was on Sunday detained by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at Kolkata airport for trying to board a Chennai-bound flight with an unlicensed gun, police said. Naren Chakraborty, a member of the Durgapur Zilla Parishad and Pandabeshwar Block Trinamool Congress president, had boarded a chopper from Andal airport and landed in NSCB airport in Kolkata in the afternoon, the police said, adding he was scheduled to leave the city for Chennai on a SpiceJet flight in the evening. CISF detained Chakraborty at the check-in point after it was found that he was carrying a gun and some cartridges but had no arms licence. The CISF then contacted us and handed him over. We are investigating the case, said a senior police officer at Airport police station. Senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya clarified his small incident remark on Rohith Vemulas suspension from the Hyderbad university hostel that led to his suicide, accusing media of distorting his comment on the Dalit scholars suicide. On Saturday, Vijayvargiya had said: 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 dont believe he committed suicide just because of a small incident of his expulsion from the hostel. I dont think he took the extreme step because he was perturbed over his expulsion. Vijayvargiya had further sparked a row on Sunday saying: One who protested against the execution of terrorists, one who said he feels like sin whenever he sees saffron colour, one who publicly announced to organise beef party, one who offered namaz for terrorists like Yakub Memon cannot be a weak youth, who would have committed suicide. Seeking to clean up the issue, he said the media had misquoted him. What I had said was that if any student who had a zeal to swim against the tide commits suicide, there must be something. But the media distorted my statement, he said. Speaking at a function in Kanpur on Sunday, Vijayvargiya said the incident is being probed by a retired judge of a high court and the whole truth will come out soon. 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, Vijayvargiya maintained. Earlier, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had said facts pointed out Vemula 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 was quoted. Vijayvargiyas terming the expulsion of Rohith from Hyderabad University hostel as a small incident gave some ammo to the opponents. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashutosh tweeted, BJP/RSS is again insulting Dalits Kailash Vijayvargiya is hinting Rohit Bemula as a terrorist. Sushma is refusing to accept him as Dalit. Commenting on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhis participation in the ongoing students protest at Hyderabad University, the BJP leader said Rahuls protest is an excuse to disrupt the upcoming Budget session. Vijayvargiya, BJPs in-charge of poll-bound West Bengal, alleged that the TMC government poses a threat to the internal security of the country due to cross-border arms, drug and currency trafficking. He hoped that like Lok Sabha elections, BJP will perform very well in the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal. The BJP leader said that his party was ready to enter into an alliance for the 2017 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. He also said that the PDP-BJP alliance in Jammu and Kashmir will continue. (With inputs from agencies) Delhi Police on Monday came under severe criticism after a video, allegedly showing its officers roughing up students protesting the alleged suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, became viral on the internet. The students had gathered outside the RSS office at Jhandewalan in central Delhi on January 30 demanding justice for Rohith, the 26-year-old University of Hyderabads research scholar whose suicide last month triggered anger and protests among all across the country. The demonstration was organised by the Joint Action Committee For Social Justice. The video, shared by students on social media, shows police officers cane-charging the protesting students. In the 1-minute clip, apart from the police, some men in plain clothes can also be seen beating them. A constable is seen dragging a female protester by her hair and pushing her down. Students were brutally beaten by police and people in civil dress who must be RSS people. We were peacefully leading a protest march but extreme force was used on us. Even girls were not spared and beaten up by male cops, Shweta, a student of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), said. Police denied allegations that students were roughed up by those in plain clothes. The protesters got violent and attacked police personnel. We had to resort to mild lathi charge. They were detained and later released. We will look into allegations against any particular officer, a police officer said. Another officer said that the protesters climbed two layers of barricades and later threw banners and posters at police personnel when they were stopped at the second line of barricades. Two journalists, who have alleged that they were beaten up while covering the protest, claimed that the police action was unprovoked. I had gone to cover the protest and found myself being assaulted by members of Delhi Police who also shattered my camera. These policemen were aggressive, possibly because I was shooting pictures at the back of the rally, one of the journalists, who was allegedly beaten up, was quoted as saying by PTI. Male personnel manhandled the female students, dragging and pushing them, scenes that I was about to capture with my camera. This was when the police attacked me, he said. He and a photojournalist, who was also covering the protest, claimed that their cameras were snatched away and later smashed by police. The video has triggered sharp reactions from politicians and the common people alike. AAP Delhi convener Dilip Pandey tweeted, What a new low in Indian politics. Male cops beaten up female protesters, RSS workers too joined DP in this brutality (sic). Swati Maliwal, chief of Delhi Commission for Women, said the incident was unacceptable and questioned the absence of women constables to control the demonstration. Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar tweeted a video of the protest and said, Shame on #DelhiPolice for beating peaceful protestors @ March 4 #JusticeForRohithVemula ! #DalitLivesMatter #shame (sic). (With PTI inputs) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti will find it tough to call off her partys alliance with the ideologically opposite BJP for many reasons. Firstly, any move to call off the alliance will mean that Mehbooba has overturned her late father Mufti Mohammad Sayeeds decision which she had endorsed till the recent past. Her late father had gone against the tide and forged a coalition with the BJP though he had an unconditional offer of alliance from both the Congress and the National Conference (NC) to form the government. Mufti had then equated his decision to go with the BJP to the bringing together of North Pole and South Pole, a move that enabled the BJP to be for the first time a part of any government in the Muslim-majority state. There had been calls from within even during her fathers time to review the alliance with the BJP but he chose to ignore those. PDP MPs Tariq Hameed Karra and Muzaffar Hussain Baig apart from several district level leaders have been vocal against the tie-up and have since Muftis death upped the ground. These leaders have argued that the Narendra Modi government had failed to take steps towards implementing some of the sticking points mentioned of the alliance of agenda that the two parties have maintained was non-negotiable. They have described Prime Minister Narendra Modis economic package as political jingoism and mere jugglery of figures. Secondly, it will not be prudent for her to go for snap polls at this juncture in view of the declining popularity of the PDP that had recorded stupendous performance especially from the Kashmir valley in December 2014 assembly elections. Political analysts had then attributed the huge voter turnout in the insurgency-hit Kashmir to the strong anti-BJP sentiment. That the National Conference (NC) will be the biggest beneficiary of the failed alliance with the BJP will also be playing high on her mind. The fact remains that the NC has regained some lost ground in Kashmir after Mufti decided to join hands with the BJP to form the government in the state. Wailing PDP president Mehbooba Mufti along with her family at the grave of her father and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed during congregational prayers on the occasion of his fourth mourning day in Bijbehara. (PTI) She, therefore, has to do a fine balancing act between the demands from disgruntled elements in her party and sticking to her fathers move that she has till now maintained he took in the interest of future generations, with a vision and belief that the PDP would be able to deliver both on economic and governance fronts. And the reason she might find it difficult to go with the Congress is the reason that a sensitive and border state such as Jammu and Kashmir needs to have cordial ties with the Centre not only for liberal funding but also to ensure return of peace by holding talks with Pakistan and Kashmiri separatist leaders. But Mehboobas close aides say that her hard posturing has enabled the PDP to regain some of the constituency it had lost in the recent months and also sent clear signals to the BJP that she means business and that it will not be a smooth run for the saffron party in the future alliance unlike during her fathers time. Last time, the power sharing agreement between the PDP and the BJP was finalised after nearly two months of intense negotiations and it remains to be seen how long the two parties will take to either re-stitch it or break it. Politics is the art of possible, as Mufti would often quote German statesman Otto von Bismarck to describe the unholy alliance between the PDP and the BJP, and now all eyes are on his daughter as she prepares to take one of the toughest calls of her political career. Also Read | How the BJP failed Mufti Sayeed and how it can reassure Mehbooba Also Read | J-K impasse: PDP toughens stand, wants concrete assurances from BJP Also Read | PDP hardens stand: Mehbooba wants assurances from BJP for govt formation Also Read | J-K governor prods BJP and PDP on government formation SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury ruled out on Monday any pre-poll alliance with the Congress in West Bengal, hours after state Congress leaders told party vice-president Rahul Gandhi they want such a pact for this years assembly election. We will have no alliance or front with the Congress though our issue-based collaboration with the party will continue, the Left leader declared at a function in Lucknow. Yechury, however, did not rule out the possibility of extending outside support to the Congress wherever and whenever it was needed to keep the BJP out of power. Earlier in the day, the Congress leaders told Gandhi they prefer a tie-up with the CPI(M), the partys arch rival in the eastern state as well as Kerala for decades, but vehemently opposed any alignment with West Bengals ruling Trinamool Congress, an erstwhile ally. According to sources, Gandhi told his party lieutenants that earlier state units views had been compromised for the sake of national-level political compulsions but he is not in favour of going against the wishes of the state leadership. I will talk to the Congress president and tell you the final decision, he said. However, Yechurys announcement signalled that the Congress may have to fight the polls alone. In the meeting with Gandhi, barring MLA Manas Bhuiyan and former MP Deepa Dasmunsi, all state Congress leaders were in favour of an alliance with the Left. I said in the meeting that even in my district where the Congress had fought the Left fiercely, people want an alliance, Adhir Chowdhury, the partys West Bengal chief, told HT. I want to respect the sentiment of those people. Sources said a section of the CPI(M) is sceptical about any tie-up with the Congress. It would be difficult to transfer votes to each others party as both sides have always fought against each other, said a politburo member. He also pointed out that the partys recent political-tactical line also spoke about strengthening ties with Left-democratic forces. The Left provided crucial support from outside to the first UPA government between 2004 and 2008, but the two sides had a bitter separation over the Indo-US nuclear deal. Air quality in Mumbai continued to be very poor on Monday, four days after a mystery fire at the citys largest dumping ground left it struggling with record levels of air pollution. Heres what we know about the landfill, which has seen recurrent fires and futile efforts by local residents to have it shut down. AN 18-STOREY TOXIC TOWER On January 28, fire brigade authorities get a call about a blaze at the Deonar landfill, which receives 6,000 metric tonnes of waste daily, including 600 tonnes of silt and 25 tonnes of bio-medical waste every day. Between March and June, the daily deposit of silt touches more than 9,000 metric tonnes because of drain cleaning in preparation of the monsoon. The dump, the citys oldest, is often as tall as an 18-storey building. Spread across 326 acres, the dumping ground is located on the eastern suburbs, close to the crowded neighbourhoods of Chembur, Sion and Navi Mumbai which are worst affected by last weeks fire. The city has two other major landfills in Mulund and Kanjurmarg. Read: Why Mumbais air is far worse than Delhis ASTHMA WOES AND DYING BABIES Recurrent fires at the dump pose grave health hazards to local residents who have complained of everything from acute asthma and skin rashes to higher infant mortality rates. In 2008, many residents of Chembur went on a hunger strike to protest against illegal burning of fires at the landfill. Four years later, Chembur residents protest with the civic authorities, particularly pointing to the rising incidence of asthma among them. Firemen try to extinguish a fire at the Deonar landfill in Mumbai. (Prashant Waydande/HT Photo) Last year, several surveys identified the localities around Deonar as the citys most polluted. Officials figures show infant mortality in the nearby areas nearly doubles the average of the city at 60.80 per 1000 live births, although there are no studies directly linking the fatalities to the landfill. STOMPING GROUND OF SCRAP MAFIA The Deonar dumping ground regularly reports fires, often started by errant contractors and the scrap mafia trying to separate iron, copper and other metals from the garbage. Fires are also lit illegally to manage dumping levels. The facility has little surveillance; has no CCTV cameras or guards. Last weeks fire has also been blamed in a police complaint on dumping ground contractors and unnamed rag-pickers and the scrap mafia. Past police complaints in similar incidences of fire have also blamed unidentified saboteurs. Convictions are almost nil. WHERE DO THINGS STAND NOW? The amount of smoke from the dump has reduced and the air quality has improved marginally since Friday when the city recorded its worst air pollution since monitoring began in last June.On Monday, seven out of 10 locations in Mumbai recorded very poor levels. Chembur continued to be the most polluted location for the fourth day in a row with an air quality index of 363 while locations such as Andheri recorded 355 and Malad and Mazgaon both recorded 330. Dozens of schools remained shut for the fourth day Monday. Fire tenders and civic officials continue to fight the fire, which they said had been controlled but not doused yet. In a heart transplant that doctors, too, termed exceptional, seven-year-old Madhavi Vishwakarma, who was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy where the heart becomes enlarged, affecting its function got the organ from a seven-year-old boy. The Goregaon resident, who was registered just two weeks ago, became the youngest in the state to undergo the surgery. Doctors said it is rare to have paediatric cadaver donors and rarer to find a match. A seven-year-old cannot be transplanted with a heart of an adult patient. We were surprised when we found the donor was also seven. It is an exceptional task to find a perfect match, in terms of age, weight, height and blood group, said Dr Vijay Agarwal, paediatric cardiac transplant surgeon, Fortis hospital, Mulund, who performed the transplant on Sunday morning. Read more: Mumbai man receives heart flown in from Aurangabad Mumbai man gets heart from Gujarat Madhavis family was not open to the idea of a transplant. Although diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy about four months ago, her parents agreed to register her on the waiting list of cardiac failure patients recently. Her heart was functioning poorly. She had just a few weeks left, said Dr Agarwal. Last month, she was admitted to the hospital thrice owing to congestive heart failure. The surgery was made possible by an Australia-based Indian family holidaying in Mumbai, which consented to donating organs of their seven-year-old son. The cadaver donation saved four lives. His liver was transplanted into a 31-year-old man admitted at Jupiter Hospital, Thane and the kidneys were transported to Jaslok Hospital where two boys, aged 11 and 15, underwent the life-saving transplants. Read more: Third inter-state transplant saves life of Vashi resident According to doctors at PD Hinduja Hospital, where the donor was admitted, he had expressed his wish to donate organs just a month ago. Once he asked how he could become an organ donor after seeing my driving licence (driving licence in Australia mentions if a person is organ donor), his mother told Dr Sucheta Desai, transplant coordinator at the hospital. He would have not known what it means, but his statement motivated the family, said Dr Desai. Even before the doctors told the family about the possibility of donating organs, the family expressed willingness. On the last day of their holiday in Mumbai, the donor complained of severe headache and was rushed to a private hospital in Vile Parle. He was later shifted to PD Hinduja Hospital where doctors performed a surgery. He had developed venous thrombosis -- a condition where clots are formed in the blood vessels of the brain leading to brain death. He had frequent headaches, but no one suspected, said Dr Desai. Within 18 minutes, Dr Anvay Mule, head of cardiac heart transplant surgery at Fortis Hospital, along with his team, ferried the heart from PD Hinduja Hospital in Mahim to Mulund via a green corridor laid down by traffic personnel, marking the ninth successful heart transplant in Mumbai. The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (IS) had elaborate plans to target foreigners and vital defence installations in Goa and Maharashtra, investigators questioning the chief of the terror groups Indian wing have learnt. The Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS), during its ongoing probe, has found that Shafi Armar alias Yusuf, who defected from Indian Mujahideen (IM) to join ISIS and has been pivotal in indoctrinating youths in India, had made elaborate plans through Mudabbir Sheikh, chief of the ISIS Indian wing, his deputy Khalid Ahmed Ali Nawazuddin alias Rizwan and men under their command. According to sources, Khalid was asked to hunt for safe houses, while Armar had asked one Mohsin Ibrahim Sayeed, a car thief from Malwani, to steal military vehicles that could be used to carry out attacks on military installations. Khalid had even got in touch with a realty broker in Goa and hired a house for Rs10,000 at Madgaon. Read | Kashmir militants have pledged allegiance to us, says Islamic State He had paid an advance of Rs1.15 lakh as rent for three months, said police sources, adding that they suspect Khalid had a conduit who helped him find the house. Similarly, Imran Nadim Khan alias Khasim, who was arrested from Aurangabad during last months nationwide crackdown on ISIS, was asked to scout for safe houses in Pune, said sources. Sources said Mumbai, Pune and Goa were the primary targets and the men were planning to attack crucial Army, Navy and Air Force installations, including the Southern Command in Pune and the Naval Aviation in Goa. The modus operandi, according to investigators, resemblances what IM operatives did when they carried out attacks across the country since 2005. Sayeed, who is on the run since December last year and against whom a look-out notice has been issued, had a role similar to that of IMs Afzal Usmani, who stole cars that were used in blasts at Ahmedabad in 2008, said sources. Read | Indian-origin Islamic State recruiter killed in Australia: Report SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 40-year-old man who killed his 67-year-old mother by hitting her with a wooden plank in Dadar was arrested by the police on Monday. The incident took place around 7 pm on Sunday when the accused hit his mother at their house in Shivaji Park area in Dadar, Central Mumbai. Police official Vinod N. Gaonkar said, It is being said that the son is mentally ill, but that is being investigated. The wooden plank, which he used to commit the crime, has been seized. A case under relevant sections of the IPC has been registered at Shivaji Park police station, police said, adding investigations are underway. Mumbais air quality on Monday was slightly better as compared to the last four days but pollution levels continued to be very poor after last weeks fire at the Deonar landfill. In fact, the air quality in Mumbai remained far worse than Delhi on Monday morning. Read more: No respite: Mumbai suffers as smoke from Deonar dump poisons air According to the System for Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the air quality index (AQI) - a pollution measuring indicator - was observed at 308 at 9.30am on Monday which is an improvement from Sundays high of 333. It was 318 on Saturday and 345 on Friday, which was the highest since air quality forecasting began in June. SAFAR predicted that the AQI level will continue to be of very poor category on Tuesday with an estimated AQI of 312. On Monday, seven out of 10 locations in Mumbai where SAFAR monitors air quality were in very poor levels. While Chembur continued to be the most polluted location for the fourth day in a row with an AQI of 363, other locations like Andheri recorded 355 and Malad, Mazgaon both recorded 330. Read more: Mumbai chokes with pollution levels on rise Deonar fire controlled, not doused The fire that began at the dumping ground in Deonar on Wednesday night was controlled by fire tenders and officials from the civic body over the weekend. However, small fires at isolated pockets could still be seen on Monday morning. Air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) that add to haze were the main pollutants released from the fire, researchers from SAFAR said. While PM10 released at locations closer to the dumping ground that lowered air quality levels along the eastern suburbs, smaller and lighter PM2.5 pollutants spread across the rest of the city, pushing AQI levels up to 333. Fire tenders are still at the spot trying to douse the small fires at individual locations before it begins to spread again, said an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations solid waste management division. High humidity The weather is adding to Mumbais woes. Moisture levels on Monday morning were very high as weather stations at south Mumbai and the suburbs recorded 91% and 93% respectively. Meteorological conditions like high humidity and low temperatures further aggravated the pollution problem, but over the next 24 to 48 hours, we expect Mumbais air quality to fall under the poor category as opposed to current very poor levels, said Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR. Warm winter Temperature recorded between 8.30am on Sunday and 8.30am on Monday was up by 2 degrees Celsius above normal. While the weather station at Colaba recorded 21.2 degrees Celsius, 1.8 degree Celsius above normal, the temperature at the Santacruz station was at recorded at 18.6 degrees Celsius, which was 1.5 degree Celsius above normal. Day temperatures, however, were closer to normal levels. Weathermen have predicted mainly clear skies with day and night temperatures at 32 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius respectively. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Charanjit Channi on Sunday said if they form an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for the upcoming Punjab assembly polls, it will not be at the cost of Dalit leaders of the party. First of all, it is too immature to say at this stage that we would be joining hands with the BSP. The decision has to be taken by the party high command for Uttar Pradesh and Punjab as both states would go to the polls together. And if this happens, interests of the Dalit workers and leaders of the Congress at the grassroots level would not be compromised, said Channi, while addressing mediapersons at the residence of Congress leader late Chaudhary Jagjit Singh. He said this while replying to a question over fear among the Congress rank and file in Doaba that if their party joins hands with the BSP, their leaders from the region would be neglected during ticket allocation as the latter also has stronghold in the same area and it may eat a lions share of reserved seats. When an alliance happens a formula comes in place. It does not mean that all reserved seats would go to the BSP. The alliance partner would also be given the share of non-reserved seats in the same proportion as well, said the leader of opposition in the Vidhan Sabha. Taking a dig at the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre for failing to protect the rights of Dalits, Channi said it was the anti-Dalit and anti-minority mindset of the Narendra Modi government that had forced a brilliant scholar like Rohith Vemula to take to extreme step of ending his own life. This attitude was repeatedly reflected in the absurd reactions by Union ministers like Sushma Swaraj and Venkahia Naidu. Congrss vice-president Rahul Gandhi went to Hyderabad to oppose this politics, he said. A day after recording statements of witnesses of the October 14 Behbal Kalan incident of firing in which two people were killed, former chairman of the Press Council of India justice (retd) Markandey Katju has prime facie found police excesses in the entire episode. Katju is investigating the incident of firing on the invitation of the Sikhs for Human Rights, the Punjab Human Rights Organisation and the Lawyers for Human Rights International. The independent commission is expected to make its findings public in two weeks. Shocked over the deposition of at least 45 witnesses, Katju said many of the people mentioned even names of the particular police officials, who allegedly committed atrocities on the crowd. We dont know about the final findings of the investigation but, going through statements of the witnesses, it has primarily come to the fore that the police were completely at fault. It was not necessary for the police to resort to lathicharge and firing, said Katju, who was accompanied by Shashi Kant, former director general (jails), Punjab. He added, The incident reminded of the Jallianwala Bagh incident. The only difference is that, in this incident, atrocities were committed by the state police, Katju said. Katju alleged that the Punjab police had adopted British colonial methods to deal with the Sikh protesters here. We are living in a democracy and people have been given the right to assemble peacefully without arms. Many of the witnesses said no warning was given before the police resorted to firing and lathicharge, Katju said, adding that the police are accountable to law not to their political bosses. The commission has twice sent notices to Punjab chief secretary, principal secretary (home) and director general of police asking them to tell their side of story, but the commission has not got any response so far. We want to be fair and dont want to criticise and hold any police officials responsible without any authenticity. We are not going to blindly accept the depositions made by the witnesses before the commission as the prime aim is to put the facts straight, Katju said. He added that the state government and the police department would be given every chance to record their statements since the investigation was not yet closed. Harpal Singh Cheema, chairman of the Sikhs for Human Rights, said Katjus report would be submitted to the Peoples Union on Civil Liberties, which might file a public-interest petition on its basis. The commission might also recommend to the state government to give adequate compensation to the families of those killed and injured in the incident. Katju meets suicide victim families On his way back to Chandigarh, former justice Markandey Katju and others met nine families of labourers and families, who committed suicide during the past few years. He even wrote to Bathinda deputy commissioner to give compensation to help out these families. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Panic gripped a school at Pandori Khajoor village on the Hoshiarpur-Tanda road on Monday after a phone call to the school said a bomb had been planted on the campus. It turned out to be a hoax after a search by the police. The staff member who received the call on the official mobile number of Sri Guru Harkishan Public School first alerted the district administration. And, within minutes, the police reached the spot with a bomb disposal squad, along with a firefighting team, but found no bomb. A man was later detained and was being questioned at the time of filing of this report. The call came around 7.45am, principal Kiranpreet Kaur Dhami said, when not many students had yet arrived. The caller, saying that he was calling from Amritsar, warned about a bomb somewhere on the school premises. He said he had heard two persons talking about it. When the receptionist asked him if he meant the schools Amritsar branch, the caller insisted that he indeed meant the Hoshiarpur-Tanda road branch. The principal then informed the deputy commissioner. We ensured that students did not enter the school, she added. As the police arrived, heavy security was deployed around the school and a search operation was launched with the help of forensic experts and a dog squad. Whos got the number? The callers number (82890-47331) was later traced to a man called Ramandeep Singh, a resident of Gobindpur Khun Khun village nearby, who denied having been using the SIM card concerned. However, superintendent of police (detective) Kulwant Singh said they were thoroughly questioning him. The SIM card had been issued on Ramandeep Singhs identity proofs but with someone elses photo. We will soon find the real culprit, the SP said. Targeting the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) over sacrilege incidents, Congress leader Ramanjit Singh Sikki on Monday appealed to Khadoor Sahib voters to boycott the assembly bypoll slated for February 13. Sikki, who resigned as the Khadoor Sahib MLA in November 2015 to protest the sacrilege of the holy book in Tarn Taran, asked voters to introspect as why the byelection was necessitated and whether the issue on which he resigned was resolved or not. Sikki was addressing a meeting of party workers at his residence at Rashiana village after returning from the annual one- month sewa at the Golden Temple. He was accompanied by his political mentor and Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjit Singh and several other local Congress leaders. Sikki appealed to party workers to abide by Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singhs decision to stay away from the bypoll. Stating that the Akalis had made a mockery of the Akal Takht, he claimed the ruling regime was misusing power. He condemned police for opening fire on protesters at Behbal Kalan village in Faridkot that resulted in death of two persons in October last year. Sikki reiterated that he had resigned from the state assembly over an issue that had hurt all Punjabis. Since the issue remains unresolved, there was no point in contesting the election and going back to the same assembly with same people who have no respect for Sikh sentiments, Sikki said while justifying the bypoll boycott call. No action has been taken yet against those responsible for sacrilege in Bargari (Faridkot) and Baath village in Khadoor Sahab assembly segment, he said. The extreme insensitivity of the Akalis was reflected when chief minister Parkash Singh Badal held a sangat darshan at Baath village and didnt utter a single word on punishing the guilty, added Sikki. For me, the cause for which I resigned is more important than contesting or winning the poll, Sikki said, adding, elections will keep on coming and going, but the principles cannot be compromised. Sikki thanked Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi for supporting his decision on Capt Amarinder Singhs recommendation. Lauding Amarinder, Sikki said by boycotting the election he had once again proved that he actually cared for Sikhs interests in sharp contrast to the self- proclaimed guardians of the Sikh community such as Badals. Sikhs can never forget Bargari: Rana Gurjit While addressing the meeting, Rana Gurjit Singh said the sacrilege of the holy book at Bargari village has deeply hurt Sikh sentiments and community members will be never able to forget the incident. Instead of punishing the guilty, police opened fire on peaceful Sikh protesters, he added. He said Sikki had resigned from the post without consulting any other party colleague, including him, but the party fully backed him. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Two days on, a story of assault and carjacking on gunpoint, has turned out to be a drama staged by the victim to pocket the insurance money to fund his ambition to settle abroad, police claimed here on Monday. Complainant Varun Jain and his accomplice Harjeet Singh, alias Billu, both local residents, were arrested. Addressing the media, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh Chauhan said there were holes in the sequence of events narrated by Jain. On Sunday night, Jain finally cracked and led the police to the car that he had earlier claimed had been snatched. The SSP added that Jain was unemployed and had plans to settle abroad for which he needed money. During questioning, the police claimed, he said he had hatched the conspiracy to get the insurance amount. The SSP further said that after the reported incident on January 30, the police had got Jains medical examination conducted at Government Rajindra Hospital where doctors had belied his claims of having been assaulted and injured. That made the police turn the needle of suspicion around towards him, the SSP said. During questioning, Jain revealed the role of Billu and later the police recovered the car from the house of his friend Jaspals sister who lives abroad. Jaspal, an electrician who resides in the house, had only helped him out for parking space and has since been given the clean chit. While inspecting the vehicle it came to the fore that there was no liquid thrown on the front windscreen of the car, belying another part of Jains story, and that the registration plates were also removed from the car, the SSP added. Jain had told Jaspal that he needed space to park his car since his own house was under renovation. The police have now amended the first information report (FIR), adding sections 203 (giving false information on an offence), 211 (false charge of offence made with intent to injure), 418 and 420 (cheating), 424 (dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian penal Code (IPC) against the duo. The probe into the murder of 34-year-old lawyer Sukhmanpreet Singh Sippy has hit a roadblock with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) yet to take over the case from Chandigarh Police. The case was transferred to the investigating agency on January 22. Sources in the CBI say the agency is yet to take over the case as it is waiting for a notification from the Chandigarh administration. And even if the UT administration issues a notification, a nod from the Union government has to be sought for officially transferring the case to the CBI, sources added. Sources say the delay will affect the probe as in such heinous crimes, evidence of preliminary stage is required. Giving an example, CBI sources said for such probes, the agency requires latest call details of the suspect and tower location of different cell phones, along with dump data (how many phones were active in the area where the crime had taken place). Besides, technical and circumstantial evidences can be destroyed if there is delay in the probe, making it difficult for the investigating agency to procure the same from the telecom companies. In such a scenario, the CBI will have to depend on the evidence g athered by the Chandigarh Police, said sources. On January 22, the then station house officer (SHO) of the Sector 26 police station, Poonam Dilawari, appeared before a court during a hearing on an application filed by the police seeking a lie-detection and brain-mapping test of a judges daughter, who is a suspect in the case, and said the case had been transferred to the CBI. The court then deferred the case to February 12. Sources say the Chandigarh Police have to continue with the probe to collect more evidences before the case is officially transferred to the CBI. POLICE PROBE Sippy was shot dead at a park in Sector 27, Chandigarh, on September 20. The police claimed that a .12-bore gun was used in the crime from which four bullets were fired. A special investigating team (SIT) was constituted to crack the case. On the day of the incident, a woman eyewitness, who lived near the crime scene, had reportedly told the police that she had seen a girl running away from the spot after she heard gunshots. The police had questioned Sippys friends, including a high court judges daughter. The police had moved an application before a local court and sought permission to conduct brain-mapping and liedetection tests on the judges daughter, who is suspect in the case. WHAT FAMILY SAYS Sippys brother Jippy Sidhu, who spearheaded the campaign against UT police, said they were yet to receive a communication from the CBI confirming that the probe had started. We have been running from pillar to post to get justice. Chandigarh Police have already wasted a lot of time and the procedural lapse will give benefit to the suspects, he said. CBI FAILED TO SOLVE MALL OWNERS MURDER In May 2009, owner of Sham Fashion Mall Amarjit Singh Khurana, 51, was shot dead in Sector 35 and the case was transferred to the CBI in 2010. The CBI filed a closure report as it failed to get evidence in the case. The UT [olice had failed to collect vital clues at the preliminary stage. Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala was on Monday granted four weeks regular parole by the Delhi high court. Justice Pratibha Rani allowed the 82-year-old INLD leaders plea seeking time out for treatment in his polio-afflicted legs. His son Ajay Singh Chautala did not get parole for now, as the HC posted his plea for further hearing on April 4. On August 3 last year, the INLD had dismissed Chautalas appeal against the high court verdict convicting him and sentencing to years in jail. The SC, however, had said that the convicts may move the high court with their pleas seeking relief such as parole on health grounds. The father-son duo and 53 others, including two IAS officers, were convicted on January 16, 2013, by a CBI court for illegally recruiting 3,206 JBT teachers in Haryana in 2000. Chautala, Ajay and three others are serving 10-year jail term in the case. Chautalas plea stated that on September 8 last he had moved an application to Tihar Jail superintendent for parole. On October 20, 2015, the home department of Delhi government has informed that his plea for parole was dismissed keeping in mind the 2010 parole guidelines as per which there should be a gap of a minimum six months from the date of termination of last parole, it stated. The INLD leader had last availed one-month parole in May last year, which was later extended till May 28, the plea said. The petitioner (Chautala) is polio-affected since his birth and has permanent disability of 60%. He was on bail during the trial and was released on parole, but he has never misused the same, it added. The six-month period since the last day of his previous parole expired on November 28, 2015, the plea had said. In his plea before the court, Chautala also cited the upcoming wedding of his grandson as a reason for the grant of parole. As per the parole and furlough guidelines of the Delhi government, a convict must have served at least one year in prison excluding any period covered by remission, his conduct in prison must have been uniformly good; the convict should not have committed any crime during previous parole period and should not have violated any terms and conditions of the previously granted parole; and a minimum of six months should have elapsed from the date of termination of the previous parole. The Punjab government is set to appoint Dhanbir Singh Bains, a retired 1981 batch Punjab cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, as chairperson of Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC), it is learnt. Bains will replace his former colleague Romila Dubey, the 1973 IAS officer (retd), whose five-year lacklustre term as PSERC chairperson is ending on February 4. Sources say Santokh Sarnas name has also been cleared for the post of member, PSERC, while the authorities have decided to invite fresh applications to fill up another post of member that has been lying vacant for over a year. Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also holds the power portfolio, has recommended the name of Bains for the top job and sent the file to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for approval, government sources told Hindustan Times. Bains, who retired in February 2014 as principal secretary (home affairs and justice), is widely known as a sharp but status quoist bureaucrat. The primary reason behind the government giving yet another plum post to Bains is his pliable persona and proximity to Sukhbir, who wanted a trustworthy officer for the post. Panel of two candidates Earlier, a search committee comprising justice GC Garg--former Punjab and Haryana high court judge--Gireesh Pradhan, chairperson of Central Electricity Regulatory Commissiona career civil servant of Maharashtra cadreand chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal had prepared a panel of only two candidates for the post. Sources say the name of additional chief secretary Suresh Kumar, who is retiring in April and was seen as a frontrunner for the post-retirement parking slot, was not even shortlisted by the search committee for the panel of two candidates. In an apparent bid to ensure that the appointment of Bains this time did not hit a legal hurdle, the power department had sought the legal opinion of the Punjab advocate general if the application of Bains could be considered keeping in view that currently he held the post of chairperson of Punjab Infrastructure Regulatory Authority. The AG office had given the green signal, said a source in the government. The Badal government had rehabilitated Bains as chairperson of the infrastructure regulatory authority after a series of unsuccessful attempts to park him as chairperson of the Police Complaint Authority. The Punjab government had amended the rules keeping retired high court judges out of the consideration for appointment as chairperson of the state-level Police Complaints Authoritya move that came under judicial scrutiny, forcing the state government to withdraw the appointment of Bains. With Bains trouncing Suresh Kumar in the race to becoming the PSERC chairperson, there is possibility that the government may consider the latter for the post-retirement job of the chairperson of Punjab Infrastructure Regulatory Authority. Role of PSERC The day-to-day functioning of the state-owned power utilities and private power generators is monitored by the state electricity regulatory commission, besides fixing the annual power tariff. Disputes between private power generators and the state utilities are first addressed to the PSERC. Later, the appellate tribunal for power hears appeals and the last resort is the courts of law. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Finally, when GVK Power is making all efforts to commission its delayed 540-megawatt thermal electricity project at Goindwal Sahib, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) doesnt seem keen on drawing power from it. Last week, the PSPCL wrote to GVK that the plant cant be commissioned, as it doesnt fulfil the conditions agreed in the power-purchase agreement signed in 2009. The project is already much behind schedule after two years ago the Centre cancelled its licence for the coal block in Tokisud, Jharkhand. GVK has made interim arrangements for coal supply from South African mines to make sure theres enough fuel to run the plant. GVK has also secured unused coal from Coal India Limited for firing up the Goindwal plant. The issue is very simple they have no permanent arrangements for coal, so how can they run their thermal-energy plant. Also, they are not meeting the conditions of the power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with us, PSPCL chairman and managing director KD Chaudhri told HT, adding that the company was free to approach Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) if it had any grievances. Upset over the PSPCL reaction, the companys top officials say they are trying to save the project from turning into a nonperforming asset but not getting any support from the Punjab government and the PSPCL. We want to run it even though we are have to procure costlier imported fuel. The PSPCL should rather encourage us instead of throwing a spanner in the works, a senior company executive told HT. The company plans to move the PSERC to seek directions to the PSPCL to allow the plants commissioning. Representatives of its promoter company, GVK Reddy, are expected to meet chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. The company clams tie-ups with the transmission companies in the region and the load dispatch centre for supply of power into the system but the PSPCL is not agreeing to take it. Under the PPA signed with GVK in 2009, PSPCL was to purchase power from GVK for 25 years and the plant was to be commissioned in May 2014. Despite opposition from the PSPCL, GVK is expected to commission the first 270-megawatt unit by Monday, and it has engaged an independent engineer to oversee the commissioning. Justice ( retired) Markandey Katju, former chairman of the Press Council of India and former Supreme Court judge, recorded statements of the people on the October 14 Behbal Kalan police firing incident at the gurdwara of the village here on Sunday. Besides locals, religious leaders such as Panthpreet Singh, Satnam Singh Chandar, Harjinder Singh Manjhi, Avtar Singh Sadhawala and others appeared before the commission and narrated the sequence of events leading to the lathicharge in Kotkpaura and firing in Behbal Kalan. Senior Supreme Court lawyer HS Phoolka also reached the village along with other lawyers assisting the commission. Pritam Singh, grandfather of Gurjeet Singh, killed in police firing, and Mohinder Singh, father of the second victim of firing Krishan Bhagwan Singh, also appeared before the commission. Beant Singh, who was critically injured in the firing, also appeared before the commission. Seeing his condition, justice Katju himself went up to his vehicle and recorded his statement there. It was learnt that as many as 36 people have given written statements to the commission. No police or civil administration official reached the spot. In the evening, justice Katju reached the main square at Kotkpaura where religious leaders had started a protest on October 12 after the sacrilege incident in Bargari village. The police had resorted to a lathicharge to disperse the crowd at Kotkapura on October 14 before the firing incident at Behbal Kalan. Some people were injured in the lathicharge in Kotkapura also. Justice Katju has come as a one-man commission to Behbal Kalan to probe the firing incident on the invitation of the organisations including the Sikhs for Human Rights, the Punjab Human Rights Organisation and the Lawyers for Human Rights International. The aim of the independent commission is to inquire as to what warranted the police to open fire without provocation on the protesters in which two people were killed and whether the police followed the prescribed procedure to open fire if the situation warranted so. The police had, under public pressure, registered a first information report (FIR) against some unidentified police officials on October 21 for the death of the two, but no action has been taken on it. AAP HAILS INQUIRY The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has welcomed the inquiry undertaken by justice (retd) Markandey Katju into the police firing incident at Behbal Kalan. Terming the justice (retd) Zora Singh commission, set up by the Punjab government, a farce, AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira said, It is a matter of shame for the so-called panthic Badal government that it has failed to provide justice to the victims of the October 14 police firing. The justice Zora Singh commission has not moved an inch since its inception. Justice (retd) Zora Singh is a known Badal loyalist and is only expected to give a clean chit to the culprits responsible for the firing, Khaira said. The family of 27-year-old Bhim Tonk, a dalit, who was brutally murdered in Abohar on December 11, moved an application in a court here on Monday to seek a narco analysis test of Akali sympathiser and liquor baron Shiv Lal Doda, the prime accused in the crime, his nephew Amit and Harinder Singh alias Harry besides others. The court adjourned the matter for February 15. Kaushalya Devi and Kapoor Chand, parents of Bhim, and Ranjit Singh, brother of Gurjant Singh, who sustained serious injuries during the attack on Bhim, in a joint application filed before the court of judicial magistrate (first class) Jagjit Singh, sought narco test of all the accused booked by the police. Meanwhile, Doda was sent to judicial remand till February 10. In the narco analysis test, the subjects imagination is neutralised by making him semi-conscious. In this state, it becomes difficult for him to lie and his answers are restricted to the facts he is already aware of. Earlier, the Fazilka police had also filed an application in the court seeking permission for a polygraph test of Doda, Amit and Harry. The court is yet to take a decision on the application. Doda surrendered 10 days ago at the office of Fazilka senior superintendent of police (SSP) Indermohan Bhatti after the Punjab and Haryana high court denied him anticipatory bail on January 21. Dodas anticipatory bail was first rejected by Fazilka additional district and sessions judge Jatinder Walia, following which he had moved the high court. During arguments in the Fazilka court, Dodas counsel had presented photographs and a video showing him in a Delhi hotel on December 11, the day Bhim was murdered at his farmhouse in Abohar. Opposing the anticipatory bail application, public prosecutor Navdeep Girdhar had argued: The call details of Doda and his nephew, Amit, suggest that prime accused Harry had called up Amit before and after the murder. The records seized from Dodas farmhouse reveal that Bhim was his employee and Harry also worked for the liquor baron. The murder weapons were recovered from another employee of Doda, while several accused among the 26 booked were also found to be his workers. Surinder Tinna, counsel for the victim families, said the police had substantial evidence against Doda and needed his custody to ascertain his role in the crime. Moreover, Bhims dying declaration blaming Doda is enough to arrest him, he said. After the arguments, Dodas application was rejected. The Fazilka police have, so far, arrested 23 accused, while three are on the run. A case under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 148 (armed riot) and 120-B (punishment for criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against 17 people, initially. Later, following public outrage, police were forced to add the names of Doda, Amit and seven others to the FIR (first information report). On December 11, 2015, Bhim and his associate, Gurjant Singh, were attacked with sharp-edged weapons at Dodas farmhouse. Bhim, whose limbs were chopped off, died later at a hospital in Amritsar. Gurjant, whose limbs were also severed, is under treatment. Before surrender, Doda had talked to the media, claiming innocence. I am ready to undergo the lie-detector and narco analysis tests to prove that neither I nor my family has anything to do with the murder of Bhim, he had said. Terming national security as the top priority of the central government, Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said attempts made to create unrest from the Punjab border were worrisome, but the country was ready to give a befitting reply to any such threat. The minister, who is in Amritsar on a two-day visit, while interacting with the mediapersons said, India is satisfied with the probe initiated by Pakistan after the Pathankot terror attack. It is for the first time that Pakistan has admitted that terrorists came from across the border to spread terror here. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assured our PM that Pakistan was making efforts. We are satisfied with this, he added. He said the security of the nation was the top most priority and nobody would be allowed to spoil peace of this country. Meanwhile, the minister later went to the Indo- Pak border and also visited the integrated check post (ICP) at Attari. The minister, who looks into the border management, said he had visited various borders and the security forces had no dearth of any facility and were ready to face any situation. Earlier, Rijiju held a meeting with the local BJP and the SAD leaders and told them about the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The minister was likely to visit border villages on Monday and also hold other key meetings. The king and his men In his new innings as Punjab Congress president, Captain Amarinder Singh is back with his durbar but the strategy is no more decided over a glass of evening drink. The so-called loyalists of Patialas royal scion were as clueless as his detractors about the possibility of the boycott of the Khadoor Sahib byelection, till the last day of filing nominations. It left the Congress secretary in charge of Punjab, Shakeel Ahmad, in a rather awkward situation, as he had assured the media that the contest was on and released Ramanjit Sikkis name for candidate a day before. The ideological stand of opting out of the bypoll could have been a masterstroke, had it not come on the last day after much flip-flop. On the whys you may or may not believe what Amarinder who earlier never shied away from speaking his mind openly had to say. The king and his men seem to have a new mantra as Amarinder presides over probably his last election, at times a lie or two can save a day. No friends for this Badal Not very long ago, Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh had called him a summer storm. Peoples Party of Punjab (PPP) founder Manpreet Singh Badal proved him right by sweeping away a precious 5% of the anti-incumbency votes in the state in 2012. Then it was Amarinders bete noire Partap Singh Bajwa, who had, later, welcomed Manpreet into the party fold in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. But now that the Badal family rebel has merged his party into the Congress and is being seen as next in line for leadership, he has forgotten his old friend Bajwa for new friend Amarinder. The logic is simple it is the last battle cry for Captain, while both Bajwa and Manpreet are looking beyond 2017 to stake a claim to party leadership. Old PPP friends, too, have fallen out with Manpreet. For the new Badal on the Congress block, no old friends please! Counting on NOTA It was to be a semi-final before the big battle for Punjab in 2017, but the Khadoor Sahib byelection is of little interest to anyone other than statisticians now. First, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress opted out. Then the nomination papers of Bhai Baldeep, who was hoping to pose a challenge to the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) with the backing of Swaraj Abhiyan floated by Yogendra Yadav and other AAP rebels, got rejected, leaving the field open to the Akalis. The SADs detractors on the social media havent lost hope, though. Some of them are pitching for NOTA (none of the above), saying those who dont want to vote for the ruling party should press this button on the electronic voting machine. With little interest left in the bypoll, they are unlikely to find many takers. All in vain. On a photo trip Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar travels to Delhi by the Shatabdi Express, occasionally. Whenever he boards the train, his public relations team gets into action, taking his photographs and pushing those on the social media and messaging services as part of the image-building exercise. The CMs Shatabdi photographs went viral twice on WhatsApp in the past two weeks. In one set, he was shown reading newspapers, and on his next trip, clearing official files with an aide in tow. While these repeated photographs dont seem to have much novelty now, perhaps his ministerial colleagues, who have hit the headlines for burning fuel worth lakhs of rupees every month, could draw some lesson from his train trips. Gender bender Information technology has its pluses and minuses. Haryana Election Commission though was effective in leading the e-dashboard initiative for real-time updates on panchayat poll results, it goofed up a bit. The commission categorised at least seven elected members as transgender on the e-dashboard. The result the telephones of these winners kept buzzing all day, with curious reporters sniffing an interesting story, much to their chagrin. On realising their mistake, the state election commission officials removed the error within a few hours. A senior officer, however, held that a small glitch was excusable, as it was the first time that such an initiative had been taken. Please appreciate that we put information of more than 70,000 newly elected sarpanches, panches and zila parishad members online... a little mistake could creep in, he said. Sorry for interruption The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not contest the Haryana panchayat elections on its symbol, but its leaders appeared quick to claim victory. Not only this, while BJP state president Subhash Barala made the victory claim on the day of the last-round results, panchayat minister OP Dhankar followed suit a day later. But it did not go as planned. The venue the Chandigarh Press Club chosen by the minister was under renovation and had make-shift seating arrangements. The situation became odd further when one of the under-repair electrical connections got snapped and the audio went off for a few minutes. What Dhankar spoke was hardly audible until the connection was restored. Hunt for black sheep Despite having the maximum strength in the House, the ruling Congress suffered a humiliating defeat in the election for the zila parishad chairmans seat in Kangra the other day. Stung by cross-voting in the crucial election, the party leaders sparred over the black sheep who betrayed the party. The blame game triggered by chief parliamentary secretary Neeraj Bharti on Facebook led to a flood of comments from followers, who blamed one or the other leader. By the evening, chief minister Virbhadra Singh also joined in, saying that the party will find the big black sheep who instigated the small ones to cross-vote. Never the one to miss such an opportunity, the opposition BJP mocked at the Congress. We are thankful to the black sheep who helped us win, is how a former minister of the BJP teased the ruling party. New definition The bonhomie between Bharatiya Janata Party veteran leader Shanta Kumar and Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh is not hidden from anyone. They dont miss any opportunity to heap praise on each other, but its not the same lately. The relations seems to have strained with the two octogenarian leaders taking on each other in public. Upset over the lack of progress in a ropeway project in Palampur, Shanta, MP from that seat, slammed the CM, saying that the government was virtually creeping. When asked about the frequent outbursts from the BJP leader, whom he had termed most complacent leader, Virbhadra was quick to reply: Perhaps his complacence needs new definition. Sloppy HP cops Himachal Pradesh Police drew flak recently for its sloppy working style. First, they misread the events before the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase. The state cops, instead of tightening the security, drew a conclusion that the kidnapping of the Gurdaspur superintendent of police was a petty issue related to old enmity. They again goofed up on the missing taxi, whose driver was found murdered. After Delhi Police sounded an alert about the missing car, the baffled cops started an investigation, despite having registered a first-information report (FIR) a week ago. Instead of finding the car, they were more concerned about finding the department man who informed the Delhi and Punjab cops. Finally, they found out that an officer of the level of additional director general of police (ADGP) supplied the information. Time to vacate The ministers in the former BJP-PDP government in Jammu and Kashmir are heading for a double whammy. After Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti vacated the chief ministers residence allotted to her father, former CM late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in Jammu, there is pressure on them to do the same. Under the rules, former ministers can retain the official residence for only one month. Their security has been withdrawn already. The nervous former ministers are visiting senior leaders of respective parties to get a whiff about the date of government formation. But Mehbooba has not given them any hint, so far. The month given for vacating the house ends on February 8. All eyes were on the party legislators meeting that Mehbooba had called on Sunday, but no one seemed sure of its outcome. Contributed by Sukhdeep Kaur, Navneet Sharma, Rajesh Moudgil, Naresh K Thakur and Tarun Upadhyay Some months ago the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had announced that there were credible reports of a magnitude 8 or higher earthquake striking India in the near future, causing massive damage to life and property, with casualties estimated at more than eight lakh. Till date, however, no steps have been taken to strengthen buildings, incorporate seismic risk reduction strategies or to educate the public on what needs to be done in case disaster strikes. The frequency of earthquakes has also increased in the last few months after the massive Nepal quake. India has also had within the last 50 years? six major earthquakes which have resulted in over 23,000 deaths and caused enormous damage to property, assets and infrastructure. India has the second highest population in the world and a correspondingly higher number of buildings. However, not many know that India also has the maximum number of earthquake-unsafe buildings in the world. As everyone knows, earthquakes dont kill people but falling buildings do and this makes India the most vulnerable place on the planet. The fact that about 60% of Indias land area hosts about 80% of Indias population, has placed a question mark on the capacity of the buildings to resist effects of moderate to severe seismic shaking. As per government reports and a PIL being discussed in the Delhi High Court, more than 80% of the buildings in the Delhi-NCR region will collapse should a high magnitude earthquake hit north India. The Nepal quake should have set alarm bells ringing as India is already late in making a beginning to achieve seismic resilience, says Sandeep Shah, country head and MD-India, Miyamoto International, earthquake structural engineers. The authorities that need to spread public awareness are not doing so. How will people take any earthquake strengthening measures unless they know what kind of a building they are living or working in? Is it likely to collapse in an earthquake? People need to be educated about earthquake-resistant buildings, that there are of four types and each of these types defined in the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines. All of the buildings in India are being designed only to the lowest seismic category-D, which means that the building will be in a state of disuse and will need to be abandoned after an earthquake. For people desiring higher protection they will need to get their buildings designed as is done in countries like Japan, he says. Seismic retrofitting What kind of action is needed to save lives and property? NDMA has stated that retrofitting is not just an option, but a national urgency. There are valuable experiences of countries like USA, New Zealand, Turkey and Italy, which have undertaken large programmes for seismic retrofitting of buildings. One of the administrative issues that requires attention at the highest level of PMO is the need for perfect understanding and co-ordination between the ministry of home affairs, which is responsible for disaster management and the ministry of urban development, which influences the shape of policies and programmes with respect to construction of buildings and development of cities. The ministry of consumer affairs which is responsible for the Bureau of Indian Standards chartered to update the building codes also has to be looped in. The need of the hour may well be to have a joint task force handling the issue, adds Shah. Recently, the ministry of urban development has announced that it has given a go ahead to FAR of 400 along the transit routes in Delhi. What this ruling practically implies is that there will be a surge of 40-storey buildings in Delhi just like the many super-talls that are expected to come up in Noida and Gurgaon. Today, India is not prepared for high-rise buildings as it does not even have the basic building code for design and construction of high-rise structures, says a report titled Earthquake Safety - Are We Prepared To Face? by Assocham and Miyamoto this week. Buildings on stilts Last year the home ministry through the National Disaster Management Authority came out with a public statement that all buildings on stilts were to be considered as dangerous as these would come crashing down in the event of an earthquake. The ministry of urban development followed this announcement with a policy guideline that stilts were to be made mandatory in Delhi for ensuring parking space. As a consequence of government policies and announcements, thousands and lakhs of buildings have come up on stilts with the public not realising that these are death traps in the event of an earthquake. The Bureau of Indian Standards, which works under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, released a document last year which said it would be revising the National Building Code and come up with a specialised building code for tall buildings in the year 2015. Till date, the revised National Building Code and the Specialised Building Code, essential for constructing safe buildings with respect to earthquakes, are yet to be released. The two most important building codes with respect to earthquake safety are IS-1893 and IS-13920, the first was last revised in the year 2002 and the second in 1993. Its a pity that neither the Nepal earthquake that caused widespread damage nor the warning by NDMA that a magnitude 8 or higher earthquake was due anytime, has made the ministry of consumer affairs release the revised building codes, the report says. Follow @htestates1 on Twitter Connect with us on www.facebook.com/htestates Actor Akshay Kumar, who will be seeing playing an antagonist to Rajinikanth in the sequel of Shankars Enthiran (Robot), 2.o, says he is excited about working with the Tamil superstar. The Singh is King actor will be seen exchanging punches with Rajinikanth on-screen. In the film, Rajinikanth will reprise his role of a scientist and his creation, Chitti-the robot and Akshay will play the villain. I feel like I am on top of the world. Its alright getting kicked and punched. I have done that all my life. It is great to be punched by a superhero like Rajinikanth, said Akshay. Read: Akshays Airlift is the first film to enter the Rs 100 cr club in 2016 I am looking forward to play a negative role. It will be an honour, he added. The 48-year-old actor is playing a baddie but there are no specific preparations that he is required to do for the role. I am not doing any preparations... No training as such yet. There is no training for it. I just have to condition my jaw thats it, Akshay said. Read: Shankars Enthiran sequel with Rajinikanth called 2.o Remembering his first meeting with the south superstar, Akshay said, There were 15 people waiting for him. Everyone was just looking at him. He was having a tea and there was some dust on his trousers, he cleaned it and everybody heaved a sigh of relief. I tried doing the same thing but no one looked at me. The Robot (Enthiran 2.0) directed by Shanmugam Shankar will have Amy Jackson as the female lead. Robot (2010) had Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Danny Denzongpa. ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Hundreds of primary and secondary schools in Pakistans Punjab province remained closed while those in other provinces reopened on Monday as school associations battled with authorities over demands for stricter security. The All Pakistan Private Schools Federation (APPSF) announced that private schools would reopen across Punjab only if chief minister Shahbaz Sharif withdraws cases registered against schools for not having proper security arrangements. APPSF president Kashif Mirza told the media, We are responsible for education. The government is responsible for security. The new security measures were introduced after Taliban fighters stormed Bacha Khan University in the countrys northwest on January 20, killing 21 people. The attack came a little more than a year after 141 people, most of them children, were massacred at a school in Peshawar. While the federal interior ministry has asked all schools to reopen, many have been charged with not having adequate security procedures and closed by local police. Police officials inspected a number of schools and insisted that perimeter walls be raised, metal detectors be installed and snipers be placed on roofs. Mirza said this means additional money which the government expects the schools to provide. They have even offered to place policemen on rooftops but only if we give them extra money, he said. Parents of many schools have in turn blamed school authorities for raising fees and charges on grounds of security. Parents complained that an additional surcharge was imposed on school fees in February on the grounds that the institutions were introducing new security measures. In all this, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told a meeting in Islamabad that the national resolve to fight terrorism and extremism is unflinching and those threatening our children from going to schools will be defeated. He said this during a meeting with army chief Gen Raheel Sharif. The Pakistani publisher of The New York Times removed a picture of a gay man in China kissing his boyfriend from the front page of the newspaper last week, the latest in a series of instances of the daily being censored in the country. The photograph featured two men - Sun Wenlin and Hu Mingliang who sued the civil affairs bureau in the Chinese city of Changsha after they were not allowed to register to marry. This picture was removed by our publishing alliance in Pakistan. The International New York Times and its editorial staff had no role in its removal, said a caption below the large blank space on the page in the January 29 edition of the daily. .@nytimes affiliate in Pakistan @etribune censors front page because of a photo of a Chinese gay couple kissing. pic.twitter.com/MgsCVGxbj0 F. Jeffery (F.J.) (@MrPolyatheist) January 30, 2016 The New York Times is distributed in Pakistan along with The Express Tribune, which also publishes the daily. Homosexuality is a crime in Pakistan though prosecutions for offences are rare. Last month, The Express Tribune censored a New York Times article about attacks on secular and progressive bloggers in Bangladesh. New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan said the Pakistani publisher had decided that readers could have found some comments in the article about the Quran and Prophet Mohammed blasphemous. It is not unusual for readers of The New York Times in Pakistan to find huge blank spaces after the censorship of articles and photographs. In March 2014, a New York Times story about what Pakistani officials knew about Osama bin Ladens presence in the country was censored from the front page. However, most of the censored content can easily be accessed by Pakistanis on the website of the New York Times. Nevertheless, the censorship is troubling. Even in the digital age, blank newspaper pages are a disturbing symbol of the lack of free expression in many parts of the world, Sullivan wrote in a piece titled Pakistani censorship runs counter to Times values that was posted on the New York Times website. Kamal Siddiqi, editor of The Express Tribune, told The Washington Post, his newspaper has an agreement with The New York Times that it can refuse to publish articles or photographs that may cause problems locally. You will not see a picture in Pakistan of men kissing, Siddiqi said. In fact, you will not see a picture of anyone kissing. The Washington Post also accessed an email sent to a New York Times representative by Siddiqi to defend his actions. He said militants and others have repeatedly targeted Pakistani journalists suspected of pursuing a Western agenda, including a 2014 attack that killed three journalists of a TV channel affiliated to The Express Tribune. I am as much opposed to the censorship as you all are, Siddiqi wrote in the email. However, as editor of the Express Tribune, which has over 200 staffers and brings out editions in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar, I am also mindful of the danger and the lives we can put at risk if we decide to print some of these articles. At least 20 policemen were killed Monday when a Taliban suicide bomber struck a police base in Kabul Monday, just days before a fresh round of international talks aimed at reviving dialogue with the Islamist group. Scores of people were also wounded as the attacker blew himself up in a queue of police officers waiting to enter the base, leaving several bodies and charred debris strewn around the area. The carnage marks one of the worst attacks on Afghan forces in recent months, despite a renewed push international push to restart formal peace talks which stalled last year. As a result of the terrorist attack near the Afghan National Civil Order Police headquarters... 20 people were martyred and 29 others were wounded, the interior ministry said in a statement. A senior ministry source told AFP that all of those killed were policemen, and at least three critically wounded officers were battling for their lives in hospital. The health ministry said some of those wounded were hit in the chest by flying shrapnel. Ambulances rushed to the scene, which was cordoned off by authorities after the bombing which comes amid the Talibans unprecedented winter offensive. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with insurgent spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claiming on Twitter that up to 40 police were killed and wounded. The militants routinely exaggerate the toll in attacks on the Afghan government. The carnage comes just ahead of a third round of four-country roadmap talks trying to lay the groundwork for direct dialogue between Kabul and the Islamist group. Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are set to convene in Islamabad on February 6 in a bid to seek a negotiated end to the Taliban insurgency, now in its fifteenth year. The Taliban have stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets in Afghanistan this winter, when fighting usually abates, underscoring a worsening security situation. In recent months the Taliban briefly captured the northern city of Kunduz, the first urban centre to fall to the insurgents, and have seized territory in the opium-growing southern province of Helmand. Observers say the intensifying insurgency highlights a push by the militants to seize more territory in an attempt to wrangle greater concessions during talks. Pakistan -- the Talibans historic backers -- hosted a milestone first round of talks directly with the Taliban in July. But the negotiations stalled when the insurgents belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar, sparking infighting within the group. The first and second round of the four-country talks were held last month in Islamabad and Kabul respectively. One of the worlds most respected chefs, Benoit Violier, whose 3-star restaurant in Switzerland recently topped the list of worlds best 1,000 restaurants, has been found dead at his home in an apparent suicide, police said on Monday. The 44-year-old ran the 3-star Michelin eaterie Restaurant de lHotel de Ville in Crissier, near Lausanne in Switzerland. In a statement, Swiss police said: Late in the afternoon, police... went to Crissier (Violiers home) where they discovered at his home the body of Benoit Violier. The statement added that it appeared Violier had shot himself with a firearm. Violiers restaurant was last year crowned the worlds best restaurant by Frances La Liste ranking, which named 1,000 top establishments in 48 countries. He was also named Chef of the Year in 2013 by the influential Gault & Millau guide. Swiss police said an investigation had been opened into Violiers death, who was working at the restaurant since 2012 and received Swiss nationality only two years ago. Police added that out of respect for the family the Swiss authorities would be making no further comment. 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. Cacio e pepe, an ancient pasta dish Romans cooked as early as the 1200s, is experiencing a renaissance in 2016. The flavorful food is being served, albeit with some twists, at various New York restaurants like Del Posto, Otto, Maialino and Quality Eats, according to Grubstreet. The ancient Romans loved cooking this dish because pecorino Romano doesn't easily spoil during long travels and the pepper provided comfort during cold weather, according to Eating Italy Food Tours. Cacio e pepe literally translates to "cheese and pepper" and the dish makes use of three ingredients - pecorino Romano cheese, black pepper and pasta. However, if prepared right and when used with the best ingredients, it can be a deep, rich and satisfying meal. Cacio e pepe is traditionally cooked and served in a cheese wheel, as celebrity Chrissy Teigen shares on her Instagram. If you haven't seen one of these wheels in action oh man, it is a thing a beauty. Hot pasta is tossed around, gently melting the cheese and plated right at your table. It makes me emotional A photo posted by chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) on Dec 19, 2015 at 4:20pm PST However, you can prepare the pasta in the comfort of your own kitchen, with this simple recipe from The New York Times: Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups finely grated pecorino Romano, add more for dusting later 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 tablespoon ground black pepper, add more for capping dish off later 3/4 pound of pasta like tonnarelli, linguine or spaghetti Olive oil Directions: Boil water with salt. While waiting, combine the cheese and pepper in a bowl. Add water to create a paste-like texture. Spread evenly in the bowl. Cook pasta as usual in the salted, boiling water, then just before it is cooked through, transfer to the cheese bowl using tongs. Don't throw away the water just yet. Stir the pasta vigorously in the cheese bowl, then add a teaspoon of olive oil and the pasta cooking water until the cheese thins into a creamy sauce. Dust with more cheese and pepper and serve warm. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. While Valentine's Day is usually celebrated by giving women chocolates, flowers and gifts along with dinner dates, some countries observe this day of love quite differently. Below are some unusual Valentine's Day traditions observed across the world: 1) Brazil Brazil has another special event happening in February called the Carnival, thus couples wait until the Day of Lovers (Dia dos Namorados) to celebrate love's day on June 12, according to Rio Times Online. As part of the ritual, single ladies write eligible bachelors' names on a pieces of paper the night before. On June 12, the women open one piece of paper to determine the man they should marry, according to Latina. 2) Japan In Japan, it's the men who get wooed on Valentine's Day with chocolates! "Giri-choco" is given to male friends, co-workers and colleagues and it's considered a non-romantic gesture, while "Honmei-choco" is given to a boyfriend, husband or one's true love, according to Only In Japan. On March 14, the men return the favor and give the women chocolates, flower and candies. It's known as "White Day." 3) South Korea The Asian country follows similar traditions as Japan, except singles have "Black Day," which is celebrated on April 14, two months post-Valentine's Day and one month after White Day. "But it's not a serious thing. You just get a chance to gather with your friends and just eat and enjoy and celebrate the time," said Kimyo Kim via Forbes. 4) Denmark and Norway Men send the ladies anonymous cards for Valentine's called the "gaekkebrev" and the women are supposed to guess the sender. The cards are signed with dots, not names. If she gets it right, she will receive a special egg come Easter, according to Go Scandinavia. 5) Germany Valentine's Day in Germany also features images of pigs, aside from hearts and flowers. The pig is supposed to symbolize luck and lust, according to Journey to Germany. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Frick and Frack are two red-eared sliders looking for a forever home under the California sun. A red-eared slider is a type of turtle - more specifically, a terrapin - who lives a semi-aquatic charmed kind of life. Currently under the care of the good people at American Tortoise Rescue in Malibu, Calif., Frick and Frack are both 2-year-old males who can't wait for May when it is warm enough for a nice outdoor (private and secure) pond! Pets Happy Zone spoke to Susan Tellum, co-founder of the 25-year-old nonprofit, American Tortoise Rescue, who gave us here in the Zone some information on these two buddies who were only the size of a dime when they were rescued! "[Frick and Frack] were purchased illegally in an area of Los Angeles called Santee Alley where counterfeit goods and illegal animals are sold every day," Tellum told Pets Happy Zone. "They are both super-friendly, having been raised by me to their size now which is about 'hand size.'" According to Tellum, most turtle types are "careful but interested in humans." They need private ponds, secured from any predators, and not much healthcare, but you still need to know what you are getting into before committing to a reptile. "There are thousands of red-eared sliders coming into the rescues around the country because pet stores sell them, people tire of their care, they are sold by the millions as tiny turtles that die at the rate of 90 percent before adulthood," Tellum explained. "We need private pond homes for them across the U.S. Raccoons kill turtles, so they need to be predator-proof ponds. Ours has an electric fence around it." Tellum also noted: "Water turtles should never be in tanks except when they are too small to be outside in a pond. We raise them by an open window when they come in so they always have sun." You might already have a terrapin in your home on your Phil Lesh T-shirt, but if you think you're ready for the real deal, read up on advice and care tips on turtles, tortoises and those in-between from American Tortoise Rescue. For more information on Frick and Frack, email info@tortoise.com or check out the rescue's Facebook page. You could be spending World Turtle Day with your very own terrapin pals, Frick and Frack! Take a tour of the turtle yard at American Tortoise Rescue: If you fall in love with Frick and Frack or another HNGN-featured rescue pet, be sure to tell us your story! Send photos and anecdotes to k.aquilina@hngn.com. We love happy endings, and you and your pet could be featured on Headlines and Global News' Pets Happy Zone! Don't forget to like Pets Happy Zone on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for even more cute, entertaining, funny, informative and inspiring animal news. Check out Vegan Dishes 365's latest video and recipe for a tasty vegan dish, and then hop over to see the latest Stars & Their Pets exclusive interview and photos! @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Former Finnish mobile phone front-runner Nokia has announced that it was able to reach a settlement with South Korea's Samsung regarding the company's patent business on Monday, according to IBN Live News. With the settlement, Nokia's patent business, which has remained active even after its once-dominant mobile phone unit was sold to Microsoft, would have its revenue significantly boosted to about $1.1 billion in 2015, compared to the $628 million the company earned in 2014. Nokia started its arbitration with Samsung back in 2013, in order to settle additional compensation for the Finnish company's phone patents, which remained under Nokia's name even after the cellphone unit's sale to Microsoft. Ramzi Haidamus, the head of Nokia Technologies, is optimistic about the agreement. "The use of independent arbitration to resolve differences in patent cases is a recognized best practice, and we welcome the additional compensation payable to Nokia under the extended agreement," he said, according to Pan Armenian News. Despite the relatively good news, however, investors do not seem to be very positive about the results of the settlement, with some analysts stating that the financial terms of the deal were seen as inadequate. After the announcement, Nokia's shares plunged more than 10 percent. On the other hand, Samsung, the other company involved in the deal, experienced a surge of 1.1 percent, reports Reuters. For more Business News, click here. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. This week, Cuban president Raul Castro is paying a visit to France, marking the first time in just over a decade that a Cuban leader has visited the European country since his brother Fidel in 1995. Castro's visit follows French president Francois Hollande's trip to Cuba in May of last year. Castro is on his first official trip to the European Union since he took over leadership from his brother Fidel in 2006. The visit is considered to be an important step in rebuilding Cuba's ties with the West, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) explains. Diplomatic relations between France and Cuba have entered a new era, Jean-Pierre Bel, President Hollande's personal envoy, declared on Sunday, as Prensa Latina reports. He said that the relationship between the two countries "is the best that has existed, an excellent level of relation that is expressed in a reciprocated confidence, in deep respect." "The visit of President Raul Castro to Paris will consecrate all the steps of advancement that we have achieved together," Bel added, reinforcing that France has always been against the European Union's blockade against Cuba. In turn, Havana hopes the visit will allow for the expansion and diversification of "its relations with France in all possible areas: politics, economics, trade, finance, investment, culture and cooperation," Rogelio Sierra, the Cuban deputy foreign minister, said. Raul Castro arrived on Saturday and was received at the Arc de Triomphe. The official agenda of his visit begins today, when he will meet with President Hollande as well as the French prime minister, Manuel Valls, over dinner at the Elysee Palace Monday night, according to TeleSUR. France has been active in normalizing diplomatic interactions with Cuba since relations were restored last year between Cuba and the United States. During Hollande's visit to Cuba last year it was announced that France would forgive Cuba $8.5 billion of overdue interest payments to the Paris Club, in exchange for Cuba's pledge to pay back $2.6 billion of the original debt within 18 months - a deal that allowed Cuba new access international credit, as TeleSUR explains. Human rights issues remain a sensitive aspect of the developing bilateral relationship, the AFP notes, as international authorities accuse the Castros of repressing their political opponents. Hollande was criticized last year by rights advocacy groups after visiting Cuba last year. France also received Iranian President Hassan Rouhani last week, amid demonstrations, as the two nations negotiated a series of trade agreements under discussion since nuclear sanctions on Iran were lifted. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Israel's army confirmed that a knife-wielding Palestinian teenager has been shot dead after he attempted to attack IDF soldiers near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank on Monday, according to The Times of Israel. The teenager, identified as 17-year-old Ahmad Abed Alatif Toba, has allegedly attempted to cross the security barrier into Israel. Hiding in a bush, he was confronted by Israeli soldiers who were in the area. "Soldiers identified a suspect infiltrating the security fence near the community of Salit, east of Kfar Saba. When forces arrived at the scene the assailant drew a knife and attempted to stab the soldiers. Responding to the imminent threat, the force fired towards the attacker, resulting in his death," the Israeli army said in a statement, according to the AFP. The knife-wielding youth was allegedly shot five times at close range. Toba's death comes as the latest in a string of fatalities in the increasing conflict between Israel and Palestine, which has been marred by intense violence in recent months. Since October, a wave of knife, gun, and car-ramming attacks have plagued Israelis in the area. Most of the suspects were identified as Palestinians. The violence has claimed lives from both sides of the conflict, with about 25 Israelis being killed by Palestinians in a series of attacks. Palestinians have felt the brunt of the conflict as well, with about 167 being killed since October last year, reported Al Jazeera. For more World News, click here. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. European Council President Donald Tusk and British Prime Minister David Cameron failed Sunday to strike a deal aimed at keeping the United Kingdom in the European Union (EU) but agreed to more talks for another day. Both sides had hoped the dinner meeting would close the gap over Britain's demand for more control over immigration. But Tusk emerged from 10 Downing St. and told reporters there was "no deal." Cameron tweeted that it had been a "good meeting" and said late Sunday the two men had agreed on "another 24 hours of talks" before proposals were published. Before the meeting, Tusk had said that if the two men reached an agreement, he would present a draft text to the 27 other EU member states on Monday. After the two politicians failed to resolve their disagreements, Tusk tweeted that "intensive work" over the next day would be crucial. Britain and the EU have been hoping to reach a final pact at a Feb. 18-19 summit an increasingly unlikely prospect unless there is quick progress. Welfare benefits have become the key issue, and main sticking point, in Britain's negotiations with the rest of the EU before a U.K. referendum on whether to remain in the bloc. The referendum must be held by next year and could come as early as June. Cameron wants to limit British welfare benefits to migrants from other EU countries but other EU leaders say that undermines the right of EU citizens to work and live freely among member nations. Britain's Conservative government says hundreds of thousands of people from Eastern Europe who have flocked to the U.K. are straining schools, hospitals and social services. On Friday, top EU officials offered Britain a mechanism known as an "emergency brake" that would let the U.K. temporarily limit tax credits given to workers in low-paid jobs and housing benefit to immigrants if the country's welfare system comes under pressure. The proposal could satisfy Britain's goal of regaining some control over immigration and other countries' desire to maintain the principle of free movement. Cameron said the proposal was positive, but didn't go far enough. Britain wants the "emergency brake" to take effect immediately after a British vote to stay in the EU, and last for as long as it takes to reduce the level of migration. Cameron's initial proposal was for a four-year halt on benefits to new EU immigrants. Cameron's office said Sunday that the meeting with Tusk had made progress on that key issue, but "there is still more hard work required." Britain also wants more power ceded from Brussels to national parliaments, exemption from the EU's commitment to "ever-closer union," a reduction in EU red tape and protection for the nine EU countries, including Britain, that do not use the euro single currency. The Associated Press Florida authorities have been left scratching their heads after a woman was found dead inside a motel room, along with two Capuchin monkeys and an incoherent man. Police were called just before 2:00 p.m. by an unknown source to the Budget Inn on Tamiami Trail, reported FOX's Orlando affiliate WOFL-TV. Inside one room, authorities found the two Capuchin monkeys inside a crate near the dead woman's body. The woman was soon identified as Linda Marie Smith, 59, of Arcadia, Fla., but it has done little to help police solve the case. The case has been made only more difficult by the fact that monkeys showed no obvious signs of stress and there were no obvious signs of trauma to Smith's body, leading police to believe that the Capuchins had nothing to do with her death. "There was no obvious signs of trauma to Smith's body," police said, according to CNN. "The cause of death is undetermined at this point. The medical examiner will soon conduct an autopsy." Further complicating the case is the fact that the incoherent man is receiving medical attention and is unlikely to reveal until any meaningful information about the case until his treatment is complete. A note was also found in the room, but police have yet to reveal its contents, according to Examiner. Capuchin monkeys are highly intelligent, usually seen as companions to street entertainers or as assistants to quadriplegics. However, it remains to be seen if their intelligence will be useful in the investigation. In the meantime, the monkeys are in the custody of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A nun in Massachusetts is being credited for saving the life of a 74-year-old man who became pinned down pinned underneath a tree after it fell on his leg, leaving him trapped for two hours before she answered his call. The rescue operation began shortly after 4:00 p.m. when police say they received a call from a nun from the Mount Saint Mary's Abbey about a trapped man calling for help nearby, according to the Associated Press. Police arrived on the scene to find the 74-year-old man, identified as Douglas Goldman, not far from his home trapped beneath the tree, as the nun assisted him while the two waited for help. He revealed that he was cutting down a tree with a chainsaw when the tree fell on his leg, leading to his current predicament. A next-door neighbor later elaborated on why he was in the woods, telling CBS Boston that he uses the wood to heat his home. He described Goldman as a "robust and active" guy who is also "safety conscious." After the tree was removed, Goldman was taken to Boston Medical Center for a leg injury and hypothermia. In the meantime, the nun, who hasn't been identified, has been credited with saving Goldman's life, with officials believing the situation could have been far worse if the nun hadn't acted when she did. "It could have been life threatening if he wasn't found when he was," said Captain Robert Harrison of Wrentham Fire Department, according to CBS News. Mount Saint Mary's Abbey, located near the Rhode Island border, is home to about 50 nuns of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, commonly known as Trappistines. They are entirely self-supported through the sale of their Trappistine Quality Candy, which the group says they've handcrafted since 1956. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. It's been about one year since Bobbi Kristina Brown was found unresponsive in a bathtub, and even though she passed away nearly seven months later at the age of 22 on July 26, there are still many unanswered questions about what happened on that tragic day. The Roswell, Ga. police department closed their investigation in June 2015 and passed it on to the Fulton County District Attorney's office for review and to this day, her case is "still open and under investigation," Fulton County DA spokesperson Yvette Jones told E! News. While they have not released any details on any new or recent information or discoveries that have been found since it has been passed on, they are still investigating and trying to figure out why Brown was face down in her bathtub that day. Nobody has been arrested or charged in the case yet, though her former boyfriend Nick Gordon has been a prime suspect as he is currently being sued for wrongful death by a guardian of Brown's estate for giving her a "toxic cocktail." It is unclear when or if any charges will be filed. Gordon has denied that he was involved or responsible in any way. "It's really a waiting game," criminal defense attorney Darryl Cohen, who is not involved in the case, told E! News last week. "Waiting to see if anything is going to be done by the district attorney. Then, it's either game-on one way or the other. There is no statute of limitations but, at some point in time, if [someone] were to be indicted, juries are more difficult to convince. The longer from the time of the incident to the time it goes to trial, it's harder. In my view, most would be like why did they wait so long? Unless there is some evidence - scientific, or an eyewitness that came out of the woodwork - that clearly is significant. If it's nothing new then it makes jurors much more reticent to convict." Brown's final autopsy results, including toxicology reports and her death certificate, were sealed on Sept. 25. They are still in effect, but the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office are unable to release any of the additional information regarding her death. Her aunt Leolah, who is Bobbi Kristina's father Bobby's sister, took to Facebook on Wednesday to reveal that she will be writing a tell-all book exposing the truth on what really happened to her niece. She also claims to possibly have some information on Bobbi Kristina's mom Whitney Houston's death, which was shockingly similar. "With all that has happened, I am sure everyone has questions and concerns regarding Whitney and Bobbi Kriss's death and murder. AND I DON'T BLAME YOU," she wrote. "If it be the 'WILL' of The Almighty God, MY BOOK WILL ANSWER 'every' single question that has come up in your minds concerning what REALLY happened and took place with my sister and niece. All of the why's and the why not's will also be answered as well. From the very beginning to the very end. I promise you will have it asap (if it is the will of God)! And after you read it, you will have to ask no more. Please be patient and look forward to 'ALL THE TRUTH' coming from Leolah's moth." Several of Brown's close friends and loved ones are still fighting for justice when it comes to her mysterious death at such a young age. "It's still surreal," her neighbor and good friend Debbie Brooks told People in the wake of the anniversary. "My heart is so heavy and I miss her every day. Every time I walk by her house, I expect her to come running out." "Krissi's story, as unique as it is, is so filled with tragic cliche's," another family friend added. "The daughter of a 'princess of a woman,' both gone too soon. One having left an amazing legacy, the other never quite fulfilling her potential. Both lost to us. Both loved and missed immensely." Hi FB Fam!Peace be unto you all. I pray that each and every one of you are in excellent health and spirits today! I... Posted by Leolah Brown Fightsforbobbiknwhitney on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Officials report that a suicide bomber killed at least 20 people and wounded another 29 after targeting a police base in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Monday. Gen. Mohammad Ayub Salangi, Afghanistan's deputy interior minister, said the incident occurred Monday afternoon near Deh Mazang Square when the bomber joined a line of people waiting for a security check near the gate of the National Civil Order Police, detonating the explosives after being spotted near the gate, according to the New York Times. Initial reports suggested that the majority of those killed and wounded were civilians. "Unfortunately the majority of the killed and wounded are civilians," Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said, adding that two police officers were among the dead and a third was wounded, according to the Associated Press. However more recent reports suggest that most of those killed and injured were actually police officers. Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack on behalf of the terrorist group on Twitter, saying the attacker targeted the facility as a large amount of police officers were leaving. The Taliban have stepped up attacks in recent months and their most recent attacks come as Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the U.S. are poised to hold a third round of talks in Islamabad on Saturday aimed at reviving Taliban peace talks. With that in mind, some believe the attacks are aimed at destabilizing the talks, as may be evidenced in President Ashraf Ghani's condemnation of the incident, according to BBC. "Such acts are unforgivable crimes against civilians," he was quoted saying. "The government will never have talks with those groups who kill innocent civilians, women and children. Instead the Afghan security forces will mobilize in their fight against them." On the other hand, others believe their recent string of attacks is an attempt to gain leverage when they rejoin the talks. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Political scientist Ernest Evans had been tracking the "Ferguson Effect" long before anyone heard of Ferguson, Mo. Ferguson simply raised awareness - and raised the stakes in the process. The "effect" is as old as the media's embrace of the civil rights movement, and its patterns are very nearly universal. A white police officer, whether justifiably or not, is accused of using excess force against an African American. If the "victim" is young and unarmed - and if the cop is insufficiently punished - all the better for those who profit from disorder, the media most notably. Although the media attention may seem to benefit the affected community, its long-term effect is lethal, literally. Out of self-preservation, cops of all color shy from confrontation, especially in black neighborhoods. Speaking to the Ferguson effect, one Kansas City police officer told me, "We're not half the cops we used to be or could be." Sensing an opportunity, the criminally minded exploit the vacuum to expand their operations or settle scores. This is not mere hypothesis. It is a reality borne out by the numbers. On Aug. 9, 2014, Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson. The fact that the shooting was justified did nothing to chill the media or calm the community. As to the police, the thought that they could be prosecuted for making the right choice in doing their duty made them even more apprehensive. In 2013 and in the first seven months of 2014, adjacent Saint Louis had been averaging 10 homicides a month. In the five months after the shooting, the city averaged 18 homicides a month. The pattern continued into 2015, with St. Louis averaging more than 15 homicides a month for the year. By contrast, violent crime across the nation increased less than 2 percent during the same period. The effect seems to have bled across the state. In Kansas City, after the Brown shooting the homicide rate jumped from an unusually low five a month to an unusually high 10 a month. The surge continued into 2015 with the city averaging nine homicides a month. On April 19, 2015, in Baltimore, the chronically criminal Freddie Gray died in police custody. As with Ferguson, the media inflamed the situation without knowing or even caring about the facts on the ground. The results have been predictable. Since May 1, 2015, the city has suffered twice as many homicides per month as it did in the period prior to Gray's death. "This surge was massively, massively composed of black victims," says Evans. In 2015, 320 of the 344 murdered in Baltimore were black men, women and children, a 60 percent increase in black victims over the year 2014. For a variety of reasons, civil authorities and the media are not eager to share their crime statistics. Evans often has to turn bloodhound to sniff them out. The numbers he has dug up in Chicago seem to affirm his grim thesis. In late November, prosecutors released an inflammatory video of a white Chicago police officer shooting and killing a knife-wielding 17-year-old named Laquan McDonald. The media responded with its typical mania. The community rose up as prompted. And as always, the criminals seized the day. Twice as many Chicagoans were shot in January 2016 as in January 2015, and the number of murders surged 50 percent. Evans likes to quote socialist author Upton Sinclair on the subject of human intransigence. Said Sinclair more than a century ago, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." Apparently, not much has change since. The leaders of the vestigial civil rights movement, certain elected officials and many in the media have a vested interest in depicting cops as racist and/or reactionary even in cases like Ferguson where the police shooting was justified or in Baltimore where three of the six "killer" cops were black. More than just their salary, their self-love hinges on their enlightened concern for the black underclass. The last thing these people want to hear is that their myopic attachment to a largely bogus narrative is killing the very people they claim to protect. --- Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessary represent those of Headlines and Global News. An independent writer and producer, Jack Cashill has written 11 books since 2000, nine of which have been featured on C-SPAN's "Book TV." He has also produced a score of documentaries for regional PBS and national cable channels. Jack has written for Fortune, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The Weekly Standard. He has a Ph.D. from Purdue University in American studies. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A British man who worked with conservation groups was killed by elephant poachers in Tanzania while tracking them across Maswa Game Reserve, reported BBC News. Roger Gower, 37, has been remembered by his colleagues at the Friedkin Conservation Fund as "a great guy, a great friend [and] a great pilot," according to BBC News. Gower was killed Friday while attempting to track down and arrest elephant poachers in conjunction with Tanzanian wildlife authorities, according to a statement on the Friedkin Conservation Fund's website. He and his copilot, safari guide Nicky Bester, had been following the poachers after receiving reports of gunfire in the bush, according to the Guardian. Poachers fired at the helicopter, sending a bullet through the floor and leading it to crash. Gower was injured by the bullet, but still managed to prevent explosion by flying the helicopter into a tree, allowing Bester to jump down and save himself, according to reports by the Guardian. Bester called for assistance, but Gower, unfortunately, died as a result of the injuries sustained in the shooting, according to BBC News. Gower's colleague and housemate Andy Payne said he did a "fantastic job of putting the helicopter down in a way that his colleague was able to walk away with minor injuries," according to the Telegraph. A spokesperson from Tanzania's National Parks, Pascal Shelutete, told reporters that poachers such as the ones that killed Gower can be "heavily armed with sophisticated military weaponry," according to the Telegraph. The demand for ivory across the world has led to a resurgence of illegal poaching in Africa, according to the Guardian. A fund-raising page in Gower's memory has been set up by his brother Max with the intention of raising 50,000 to aid anti-poaching efforts so that "some good should come out of Roger's tragic death." @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University will host a workshop during 15-17 February 2016, for those who are planning to take the Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) certification examination. The workshop will help you familiarize with the CHA Certification Study Guide. Interested candidates are requested to submit their CHA examination application and pay the examination fee directly to AHLEI. The CHA Workshop covers in three days six key areas: Financial Management, Sales and Marketing, Leadership Management, Human Resources Management, Rooms Management, Food and Beverage Management. Deadline for submitting the application form for the CHA Workshop is 31 December 2015. Successful applicants will be informed individually. For more information please contact Flora Ng (852) 3400-2635 Seoul -- As part of Shilla Stay's ongoing expansion plans, the eighth property in South Korea opens today in Guro, the heart of Seoul's digital district. Spanning 25 floors, Shilla Stay Guro comprises 310 exquisite guestrooms. Designed for maximum comfort and ultimate convenience, each guestroom features 100% Hungarian goose-down bedding and Aveda bathroom amenities. Guests can choose from three room categories: a comfortable Standard Room, a relaxing Deluxe Room, or an expansive Grand Room. A five-minute walk from the Guro Digital Complex Station, Shilla Stay Guro enjoys easy access to Seoul's tech hub and IT industry. The hotel is within close proximity to the Guro Digital Complex, an iconic centre that once led Korea's export industry, and now houses many of South Korea's top technology firms. Notable tourist attractions and leafy retreats are also nearby, including the beautiful Boramae Park and Yeouido Park and Pureun Arboretum. Savvy shoppers will also appreciate that several shopping malls including Hyundai Outlet Gasan, Mario Outlet and Cheil Industries Outlet are only a short distance by car. Shilla Stay Guro's contemporary interiors are designed by Italian architect Piero Lissoni. Sleek and stylish for today's business travellers, the hotel boasts three multipurpose meeting rooms that can be customised for business functions or private events. Each meeting room is equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual and sound systems, and refreshments are available upon request. To further assist business travellers, the Business Corner is equipped with computers with high-speed internet access, which hotel guests can use free of charge. For fuss-free dining in a relaxed environment, the 2/F cafe offers breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet with a selection of international and pan-Asian favourites, as well as an expertly curated wine list. The spacious fitness centre on the 21/F allows guests to work out while enjoying panoramic views overlooking downtown Seoul. To celebrate the opening, Shilla Stay Guro is offering a special introductory package throughout February. Guests visiting the hotel during the month will receive a Shilla Stay Bear, complimentary breakfast for two, free Wi-Fi, and access to the fitness centre. Room rate per night starts from KRW 130,000* (blackout dates apply). Guests may also enjoy the Korea Grand Sale package with 50% discount on rooms and complimentary upgrade to Deluxe Room at selected Shilla Stay properties between February 1 and 29. Room rate per night starts from KRW 85,000*. About Shilla Hotels and Resorts Established in 1973 as the hotel sector subsidiary of the Samsung Group, South Korea"s largest conglomerate, The Shilla is the national leader in premium hospitality services. The Shilla"s hotel business was established after taking over the historic Yeong Bin Gwan state guesthouse. In 1979, the group"s flagship hotel The Shilla Seoul opened next to the Yeong Bin Gwan. For more than three decades, it has been internationally renowned as South Korea"s premier luxury hotel, offering exquisite personalized Korean hospitality and services. In 2013, the hotel underwent a major renovation under the acclaimed designer Peter Remedios. Today, Hotel Shilla group owns and operates two The Shilla hotels in Seoul and Jeju. The group unveiled its upscale business brand Shilla Stay in 2013 with Shilla Stay Dongtan. Built on the "Smarter Stay" concept, Shilla Stay properties offer streamlined comfort coupled with excellent value. Shilla Stay currently has 11 properties in Korea. Alison Lee CatchOn Marketing Communications +852 2807 0022 The Shilla Hotels & Resorts Bangkok -- Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts is pleased to announce the signing of an agreement with Hainan Jinxiu Industrial Company Limited to manage a new luxury Dusit Devarana Resort in Haikou City, Hainan Province. Complementing the group's original Dusit Thani brand, Dusit Devarana is a significant niche offering that leverages Dusit International's rich Thai heritage and history of service excellence to offer an intimate, high-end sanctuary experience for discerning travellers. Scheduled to open in 2018, the Dusit Devarana Resort, Haikou West will offer 108 guest rooms and villas, conveniently located within a 15-minute drive from the city centre and a 30-minute drive from Haikou Meilan International Airport. Situated on the northern coast of Hainan Island, Haikou is the capital and most populous city of Hainan Province. Government officials are currently at work developing the area into a world-class tourist destination by 2020. In an effort to lure more visitors to the tropical island, the Chinese government launched a program in 2011 that allows locals and tourists alike to enjoy duty exemptions and tax refunds on imported products before flying to other airports in China. Strategically located within the mega-tourism zone set to become a new lifestyle destination, the resort will feature the award-winning Devarana Spa, with its full range of Thai-inspired wellness programmes. Dining options will include an all-day dining outlet and a Chinese restaurant, as well as a complete range of recreational facilities including a gymnasium, an outdoor swimming pool, kid's club and boutique store. Expansive meeting rooms featuring the latest audio-visual facilities will cater to the island's growing business segment. Mr. Lim Boon Kwee, President of Dusit Fudu Hotels & Resorts, said, "We are pleased to announce this new luxury resort in Haikou, an exciting city in which to begin what will be a strong year for Dusit Fudu. Alongside our partners, I am confident that the Dusit Devarana Resort, Haikou West will deliver an inspiring and rejuvenating getaway for our guests." Expressing his confidence in the management and hospitality expertise of Dusit Fudu Hotels & Resorts, Mr. Zheng Shu Ping, Chairman of Hainan Jinxiu Industrial Company Limited, said "We are delighted to partner with Dusit Fudu and are certain that by bringing Dusit's signature gracious service to Haikou, the new Dusit Devarana Resort, Haikou West will be a remarkable success." About Dusit International Established in 1948, Dusit International or Dusit Thani Public Company Limited (DUSIT) is a leading hospitality group listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. Its operations comprise five distinct yet complementary business units: hotels and resorts, hospitality education, food, property development, and hospitality-related services. The group's portfolio of hotels, resorts and luxury villas includes more than 300 properties operating under a total of six brands (Dusit Thani, Dusit Devarana, dusitD2, Dusit Princess, ASAI Hotels, and Elite Havens) across 16 countries worldwide. The group also operates culinary schools and hospitality colleges in Thailand, plus catering companies for the education sector in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Dusit International's diversified investments in real estate development, hospitality-related services, and the food sector are part of its long-term strategy for sustainable growth, which focuses on three key areas: balance, expansion and diversification. For more information, please visit dusit-international.com. Sureerat Sudpairak Corporate Manager Public Relations +66 (0) 2200 9999 ext. 3321 Dusit It looks like you've reached a page that doesnt exist (anymore). Please use the navigation or search above to find content on Hospitality Net. Go back to home The U.S. Department of Justice said on Sunday it was set to announce a "comprehensive review" of the San Francisco Police Department, which has been the target of protests after a black man was shot and killed by police in December. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Brian Stretch and Ronald Davis, the U.S. Department of Justices Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Director, will hold a news conference in San Francisco on Monday afternoon, according to the statement, which gave no details about the nature or reason for the investigation. San Francisco's Mayor Edwin Lee and police Chief Greg Suhr were also slated to attend the news conference, the Justice Department statement said. The San Francisco police shooting on Dec. 2 was one in a wave of police killings most often of young men who are minorities by white officers that entered widespread awareness with the death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African-American in Ferguson, Missouri on Aug. 9, 2014. Brown was unarmed at the time. His death triggered a wave of protests in Ferguson that spread throughout the country and sparked a renewed civil rights movement, Black Lives Matter. Protests broke out in San Francisco last month over the police killing of 26-year-old Mario Woods. Protesters have rallied against Suhr numerous times over Woods death, which was captured on camera by bystanders. Police say only one of the five officers involved was white, but protests over the shooting persist. The latest, on Saturday, ended with about 100 people protesting inside the area set aside for Super Bowl gatherings. Suhr said Woods, who was a suspect in a stabbing, was a threat to officers. He has called for equipping his police force with Tasers to prevent similar shootings in the future. Woods' family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city in December, and Lee has requested a federal investigation of the shooting. Woods family has also called for a federal probe. An attorney for Woods' family welcomed the review. "It is the right and decent thing to do and a step in the right direction toward healing in the African American and Latino communities," attorney John Burris said in a statement. Al Jazeera with wire services This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Reject Holiday Inn Express Canyonville, Oregon Joseph Kennedy, Crystal Investment Property, exclusively represented the Seller in the sale of the Holiday Inn Express, Canyonville, Oregon. The final sale price was $6,700,000. Crystal Investment Property, LLC, a member of Hotel Brokers International, announced the successful sale of the Holiday Inn Express in Canyonville, Oregon. Crystal Investment Property, LLC, a licensed Oregon brokerage, exclusively represented the Seller in the sale. Joseph P. Kennedy, President of CIP, worked closely with the Seller, as well as the parties legal counsel, to negotiate a mutually acceptable sale. The final sale price was $6,700,000. The fully updated 73-key hotel has an outstanding location on the I-5 Freeway across from Seven Feathers Casino, south of Eugene, Oregon. The property offers an assortment of rooms & suites plus business center, exercise room, indoor pool & spa. Seller had completed all PIP requirements for the franchise which were required of the Seller. Joseph Kennedy, President of Crystal Investment Property said, We were pleased to be able to generate considerable interest in the Property during our time marketing it. The Seller had multiple offers to consider from an array of Buyers and was able to secure top dollar from a highly qualified group. We had two back-up offers in place during the course of the transaction, including one at full price. We look forward to continuing to work with the Seller on future acquisitions and wish the Buyers much continued success with their latest property! Crystal Investment Property, a premiere hospitality investment advisory and brokerage company located in the Pacific Northwest, maintains the most cutting-edge technological, online and social media presence as well as a full range of traditional and web-based marketing reaching local, regional, national and international clientele. The firms core services of hospitality asset acquisition/disposition are supported by innovative and creative solutions to maintain position as the most active and successful hotel broker in the region. Crystal Investment Property represents the full spectrum of hospitality real estate owners and their experience covers all hospitality assets types, including: full service hotels, boutique hotels, select service hotels, limited service hotels, as well as development projects, and leasehold transactions. Crystal Investment Property may be accessed online at www.crystalip.com. Founded in 1959, Hotel Brokers International members lead the industry in hotel real estate sales. HBI hotel brokerage specialists have successfully negotiated more than 10,000 hotel real estate transactions and consistently account for the largest share of all select-service and economy hotel sales in the United States. The organizations database currently comprises more than 100 property listings and the HBI website attracts more than 55,000 monthly site visitors. Founder and host of the popular Hotel Investors Marketplace Webcast, HBI also developed the Certified Hotel Broker professional designation program. In addition to hospitality real estate advisory services, HBI offers affiliate membership to professionals in allied fields, including franchising, lending, appraisals and investment services. For more information about HBIs hotel listings or to become a broker or affiliate member, visit www.hbihotels.com. For more information contact: Joseph P. Kennedy, President Crystal Investment Property, LLC Portland, Oregon 503.530.1316 joe@crystalip.com Glenda J. Webb, Managing Director Hotel Brokers International Kansas City, Missouri 816.505.4315 gwebb@hbihotels.com Alpine Realty Capital Brokers the Sale of the Staybridge Suites Mayfield Heights, Ohio Ed Walsh, President of Alpine Realty Capital has facilitated the sale of the 123-key Staybridge Suites in the Cleveland suburb of Mayfield Heights. The hotel will undergo significant renovations. Edward Walsh, President of Alpine Realty Capital, LLC and member of Hotel Brokers International, has facilitated the recent sale of the Staybridge Suites Hotel located at 6103 Landerhaven Drive in Mayfield Heights, Ohio an eastern suburb area of Cleveland. The 123-key extended-stay hotel was opened in 2007 and has achieved strong operating results due to strong management and an excellent location within the Landerhaven Corporate Park. According to the Buyer, the Hotel will undergo significant renovations to upgrade guestrooms, public areas and the exterior. The sale of the Staybridge Suites is the culmination of a long and successful association with these developers, said Mr. Walsh. To have secured financing for the construction of the hotel, assisted the owners as a consultant through the first nine years of its operation, and then brokered the sale of the asset is testament to the range of service provided by Alpine Realty Capital. Ed Walsh is President and Principal Broker of Alpine Realty Capital an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based brokerage firm specializing in hotel asset investment, valuation, financing, marketing and transaction. Mr. Walsh's professional career spans more than 25 years in the lodging industry. He has held numerous positions in consulting, valuation, and for the most recent years as a hospitality real estate and mortgage broker, founding Alpine Realty Capital in 2007. His expertise includes providing services regarding all phases of development, from site selection and acquisition to feasibility analysis and appraisal, and from mortgage financing to construction cost analysis. In all, Mr. Walsh has provided real estate consulting and/or transaction services for more than $1 billion worth of hospitality real estate assets. Mr. Walsh is a frequent speaker at lodging industry conferences and is a member of the Advisory Council to The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University. Founded in 1959, Hotel Brokers International members lead the industry in hotel real estate sales. HBI hotel brokerage specialists have successfully negotiated more than 10,000 hotel real estate transactions and consistently account for the largest share of all select-service and economy hotel sales in the United States. The organizations database currently comprises more than 100 property listings and the HBI website attracts more than 55,000 monthly site visitors. Founder and host of the popular Hotel Investors Marketplace Webcast, HBI also developed the Certified Hotel Broker professional designation program. In addition to hospitality real estate advisory services, HBI offers affiliate membership to professionals in allied fields, including franchising, lending, appraisals and investment services. For more information about HBIs hotel listings or to become a broker or affiliate member, visit www.hbihotels.com. For more information contact: Ed Walsh, President Alpine Realty Capital, LLC Phone 734.372.7130 ewalsh@alpinerealtycapital.com Glenda J. Webb, Managing Director Hotel Brokers International Kansas City, Missouri 816.505.4315 gwebb@hbihotels.com The partnership enables Excite Holidays to offer travel agencies direct access to preferential rates. Online travel wholesaler Excite Holidays has connected with DHISCO Inc., the world's leading hospitality distribution company, to broaden its ability to connect with the worlds most popular hotel chains. The partnership enables Excite Holidays to offer travel agencies direct access to preferential rates. Our ability to distribute rates to a huge audience of highly engaged agents, combined with DHISCOs seamless technology, will be a winning combination, said Nic Stavropoulos, Excite Holidays founder and managing director. DHISCO CEO Toni Portmann said a key focus of DHISCO is to provide support for companies like Excite Holidays, which are developing the next generation of hotel booking technologies. Excite Holidays is using our technology to give travel agents a fast, convenient way to book hotel rooms directly for their clients, she said. This is a perfect example of DHISCO's mission to connect travel buyers and providers throughout the world. As the single largest processor of electronic hotel transactions, DHISCO has built its reputation on providing comprehensive, affordable solutions to booking hotel reservations. Excite Holidays, with its portfolio of properties in 150 countries, makes it a great fit for DHISCOs distribution systems. About Excite Holidays Based in Australia with offices in New Zealand, Europe and Asia, Excite Holidays is a business-to-business sales channel that helps accommodation providers maximize revenue by providing visibility to its powerful travel agent network. About DHISCO Inc. DHISCO Inc. is the worlds original and leading hospitality distribution company, providing the most reliable and advanced technology to connect hotels around the world with online travel agencies, global distribution systems, metasearch engines and other travel partners. Since 1989, DHISCO has built its reputation on providing the most efficient and affordable means to market, capture and book hotel reservations. Today, it moves more than 9 billion transactions a month for more than 100,000 hotels in over 200 countries. CONTACT For Excite Holidays: Jennifer Gaskin Public Relations & Communications Manager 61 2 8061 2974 Jennifer@exciteholidays.com For DHISCO: Jeri Clausing Vice President RDR PR LLC Jeri@rdrpr.com 505-221-3108 Greek Hoteliers are very optimistic for 2016 according to the GBR Consulting barometer for 2016. Around 6 out 10 city hoteliers is forecasting improvements in occupancy levels and room rates of at least 2% in comparison to last year. The resort hoteliers are slightly more cautious, but also their barometers show a positive outlook for 2016 with increases in occupancy and ADR levels. With the political turmoil of 2015 behind us, the Greek Government currently proceeds with the implementation of the three year adjustment program agreed in August 2015. Many of the required measures have already been voted on by parliament, but a number of main issues still need to be negotiated including the break-up of the electricity monopoly, a resolution of non-performing loans and reforms in the pension system. The current government forecast is for GDP to decline by just 0.7% in 2016, but given the scale of the fiscal consolidation and the impact of the reforms, Oxford economics forecasts that GDP will fall by 1.6% in 2016 and will remain broadly flat in 2017. Click here ( Adobe Acrobat PDF file) to download the complete article. GBR Consulting is a leading Greek business consultant firm. GBR Consulting supports clients develop their businesses in a structured manner leading to growth. The firm offers their clients, who are mainly active in the tourism, retail, food, construction and energy sectors, lasting solutions in the field of strategy, marketing, organisation and finance, while also delivering litigation support. GBR Consulting 4 Sekeri Street, 106 74 Athens, Greece T (+30) 210 36 05 002 F (+30) 210 36 06 935 www.gbrconsulting.gr gbr@gbrconsulting.gr Officials of Urgo Hotels & Resorts today announced that the company has signed a management agreement to operate the 119-room Courtyard by Marriott in Lake George, N.Y. Currently under construction, the hotel is scheduled to open in summer 2016. We believe 2016 will be a record year for Urgo, as we expand our third-party managed portfolio and our wholly-owned/joint-venture portfolio, said Mathew Jalazo, Urgo Hotels director of development. We will open eight hotels currently under construction this year and have an addition six hotels in the pre-construction pipeline. Based on the strong relationships we have developed with our existing lenders and investor/owners, we expect to continue to expand our portfolio of hotels over the coming years. The hotel will open in the four-season destination in the summer of 2016, encouraging year-round tourism for the village. Urgo Hotels will advise ownership during the remainder of the construction and development of the hotel. Situated across the street from Lake George in the heart of downtown, the hotel will offer direct access to a lakefront beach. The propertys amenities include a custom-designed lobby, a rooftop lounge overlooking Lake George and two restaurants, one of which has an outdoor terrace and panoramic views of the lake. Other amenities include 38 suites with lake and mountain views and 10,000 square feet of meeting space with lakefront views. Spacious guestrooms will provide functional space for work, relaxation, comfort and sleep. The rooms are stylishly and thoughtfully designed, featuring a work area and high-speed internet access, helping guests stay both connected and comfortable. Other amenities include a 48-inch TV, ergonomic chair, safe deposit box and mini-bar. The property will offer a well-equipped exercise room, indoor pool, outdoor dining, and a spa. Urgo Hotels & Resorts is a Bethesda, Md.-based hotel company that develops, owns and/or operates distinctive and unique hotels and resorts in major markets and resort locations in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. The current portfolio is comprised of 38 hotels with more than 5,500 rooms, including eight under construction and an active pipeline of acquisition and development projects. The company develops, builds, and operates for its own account, as well as provides third-party management and asset management services. Hundreds of newly elected legislators, a majority of them from pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, have begun a parliament session that will install their government and elect a new president. The session on Monday marks a historic turnaround for the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which for years was suppressed by the military. The party won 80 percent of the elected seats in general elections in November, qualifying it to form a government. Myanmar started moving from a half-century of dictatorship toward democracy in 2011, when military rulers inexplicably agreed to hand over power to a nominally civilian government headed by President Thein Sein, a general turned reformist. He will stand down in late March or early April when an NLD president will take over. Despite its victory, the NLD in practice will have to share power with the military, for which the constitution reserves 25 percent of the seats in parliament. Suu Kyi has met with senior military leaders to try to ensure a smooth change of government, and they have vowed not to interfere. Thein Sein's Union Solidarity and Development Party, which is backed by the military, won a 2010 election in which the NLD refused to participate, protesting that it was held under unfair conditions. After several changes in the election law, the NLD contested several dozen by-elections in 2012, winning virtually all of them. "We don't know exactly when the presidential election will happen. We cannot tell you anything about who will be nominated as the presidential candidates as well," said Zayar Thaw, an NLD legislator. The military has been in power since 1962, either directly or through a proxy government. It called an election in 1990, which Suu Kyi's party won only to see the results annulled by the military. Suu Kyi was put under house arrest prior to the 1990 election and spent 15 of the next 22 years mostly confined to her lakeside villa in Yangon. She was under house arrest when she won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Its arguable as to who had the busier Christmas: Santa or the Grim Reaper. In the space of five extremely depressing days, we lost Lemmy, John Bradbury from The Specials, celebrated Northern Irish musician Mudd Wallace and Natalie Cole. Hopes of 2016 bringing a respite were cruelly dashed at 6.30am on Monday January 10, when it was announced on his website that David Bowie had died at home in New York following an 18-month battle with cancer that only the most innermost of his circle had been privy too. He Recited The Owl And The Pussycat To My Daughter When did Gerry realise that that something else was a Kendrick Lamar and Boards Of Canada-influenced record involving musicians Bowie had mostly never worked with before? Perhaps the most significant new thing to come our way in 2015 was the confirmation that Islam is no more a religion of peace than Christianity, Judaism, or any other organised system of superstitious belief. _________________________________________________________________________ Another "first" in 2015 was the unashamed celebration of torture by governments in democratic countries. This article can only be read with a Premium Account Please Log In or Subscribe to continue reading If 2015 was something of a breakthrough year for the Dublin four-piece, then the upcoming 12 months could truly be the time to shine for Otherkin. Its got to be every musicians greatest fear. Youre standing on stage, giving it everything youve got, rolling out the big hitters, to be faced with stony silence. Add in the fact that its a celebration as big as New Years Eve in your home city, and youre talking the ultimate nightmare scenario. For Otherkin, it was very nearly a reality. It was absolutely jam packed, but people seemed to be having a hard time getting into it, laughs the bands bassist, David Anthony. We thought theres a big enough crowd, why arent they making more noise? It wasnt until wed done our first few songs that we realised it was actually too cold to clap. That was fair, too; when we were rehearsing, we were wrapped in scarfs to the point of looking like a paramilitary organisation. But by the end of our set, we realised that people dancing was going to be our reaction and they seemed to be enjoying it! Indeed, the response from the crowd at the Stephens Green shindig was overwhelmingly positive as most responses to the Dublin quartet have been over the last 12 months even if some attendees were risking hypothermia. But even if they had succumbed, theyd have been in good hands; both David and frontman Luke Reilly graduated with degrees in Medicine from the Royal College of Surgeons last May. One can only presume, then, that there were two sets of massively disillusioned parents, watching their sons abandon their training for rocknroll dreams? Our parents have been incredibly supportive, David reports. They know how much it means to us, and they also realise that the degree will still be there in five years, but these opportunities we have right now wont be. Conor (Wynne, the groups guitarist) had to graduate from his Masters the day of our EP launch, which was the day after we got back from a show in London. The three of us napped through the day; he had his parents ferrying him from the airport, to graduation, to soundcheck. Thats supportive. It should be pointed out that the group, completed by drummer Rob Summons, arent solely reliant on support from their nearest and dearest. Since the band released single Ay Ay last April and, later, its parent EP The 201 a queue of fans has been building; radio DJs both here and abroad, bookers from all over Europe, and more than a few listeners eager for a piece of their sound, which might best be characterised as grungy indie with a pop sensibility. The EP just sort of came together, if were honest. We had the single ready to go, and we figured wed record a few demos too. But we started thinking, is it just us, or do these not quite sound demo quality anymore? When we thought of it as an EP, it felt right. By now, the aforementioned assembly of admirers includes BBC heavyweights Annie Mac and Huw Stephens. For a band whose 2015 ambitions originally centred around a single summer festival slot, its fair to say the goalposts have moved a little. We didnt see it coming, thats for sure. To hear your single played by Annie Mac, or any of the major stations here at home, you cant help but be delighted. But for a group whove made no secret of their love of a good six-month plan, is it not a bit of a spanner in the works? To be fair, we do sit down and set our goals, he admits. But its not about making things concrete, and that certainly helped last year. You never know whats coming; we had targets to work towards, but to have everything else happen was a bit holy shit... And holy shit distractions aside, whats on the agenda for the coming year? By the end of 2016, we want to have the material for our first album. But that doesnt mean were going to rush things. Writing on tour, for instance, was very difficult for us, and perhaps thats something well need to become accustomed to. You feel that might well be the case. The year began with a trip to Eurosonic, and a reacquaintance with fellow up-and-comers The Academic We had a bit too much fun together at Electric Picnic. There may have an incident involving eight young men and a missing bottle of gin, he whispers and Dublin Airport may well reach back-of-hand levels of familiarity once their foreign commitments are taken care of. Its not a matter of just playing a show and bang, its done, or releasing a single and then thats it, its out there. Weve seen what can happen if you use those things as the beginning of something. We want to ride that wave, and build some momentum. The way things are lining up for Otherkin, you feel itll be just what the (almost) doctor ordered. The paid pumpers excel at taking a poorly performing penny stock and making things worse. Need proof? Here's Aim Exploration Inc (OTCMKTS:AEXE, AEXE message board). Over the last six months or so, we have received more than fifty emails touting the ticker. Quite a lot of money has been spent on the campaigns and quite a lot of blue-sky promises have been made by various pump outfits. The pumping hasn't worked. When the first alerts started flooding investors' inboxes, AEXE was sitting at around $0.50 per share, but by the beginning of last week it was barely hanging on to $0.05. A glimmer of hope appeared when Damn Good Penny Picks and its affiliated newsletters launched the latest batch of emails and pushed the ticker to almost $0.08 on Thursday, but their efforts only lasted that long. On Friday, AEXE lost more than a fifth of its value and dropped to a close of a little over $0.06 per share. If you live in the Canadian province of British Columbia, this probably doesn't concern you that much because in December, the BCSC issued a Cease Trade Order which has yet to be revoked. If you don't live in British Columbia, however, you're probably wondering if AEXE is able to reverse the fall and actually give investors a chance to profit. As far as the latest 10-Q is concerned, this doesn't seem very likely. Here's what the figures look like: cash: $2,722 current assets: $66,229 current liabilities: $1,657,998 NO revenue quarterly net loss: $406,929 So, the financial statement is not terribly convincing and it threatens to hamper the stock performance. The same goes for the vast amount of shares that can hit the open market at any time. In 2013, certain individuals bough a grand total of 18 million shares at $0.001 a pop and they later offered them for resale at $0.01. Nobody can say for sure where these shares are at the moment, but considering the horrific performance over the last few months, we won't be too shocked if some of them have found their way to the open market. Once they're out of the way, there will be the toxic debt to think about. During the year ended August 31, 2015, the company issued nearly $307 thousand worth of notes and in Q1 of AEXE's fiscal 2016, a further $155 thousand worth of debt was picked up. All of it can be turned into shares of common stock at discounts ranging from 40% to 50%. With the pumpers all over the stock, a huge amount of discounted shares flying around, and many more issuable under the toxic debt notes, AEXE is starting to look like a recipe for disaster. Make sure you don't get caught off-guard. About ten minutes after today's opening bell, AEXE is traded at $0.05 a further 19% in the red. Hello from the Capitol at the end of another exciting week. I have a lot of legislative updates for you, as several important bills from me and my fellow senators are currently moving through committee hearings and headed toward discussions on the Senate floor. I have always found the legislative process to be incredibly exciting, and it makes me very happy to see the support and discussion my proposed bills have received this week. My first bill I would like to update you on is Senate Bill 613, which establishes a program to permit volunteer fire associations to apply to the State Fire Marshalls Office for grants to fund insurance premiums for their firefighters. How wonderful would it be if the brave men and women who risk their lives to ensure our safety could receive insurance for the volunteer work they do? Fire control and underwater recovery response workers should not be taken for granted, as they provide a life-saving service that impacts our communities simply because they want to make your city, your town or your neighborhood safer. Senate Bill 613 was heard Tuesday, Jan. 26 in the Small Business, Insurance and Industry Committee, and has so far received a lot of support. I am hopeful it will move out of committee and onto the Senate floor for a full discussion this coming week. I had another piece of legislation that received hearings this week, SB 682, where it was voted out of committee and moved to the Senate floor on Thursday. Senate Bill 682 deals with public notice requirements when the commissioner of the Office of Administration is looking to buy land on behalf of a state department. My bill would require the commissioners office to provide a public notice on its website, display it in certain relevant newspapers and hold public hearings in the counties that would be affected by the property purchase. Im confident that my bill, which seeks to make the process of government property purchases more transparent to the public, will be received positively in the Senate and continue to move forward. This bill will make sure that no shady land grabs like the ordeal in Oregon County happen in our state without the public being made aware. This week, Senate Concurrent Resolutions 51 and 52 were combined and passed through the Senate. This resolution has moved to the House where it will be heard, alongside its companion piece, House Concurrent Resolution 58. These resolutions will protect farmers and ranch owners by preventing a five percent tax increase on the agricultural industry proposed by the State Tax Commission (STC), as well as improving the standards the STC uses to value farm and ranch land. Because I represent such an agriculturally active part of the state, I feel the residents of the 33rd District have a real right to know about how these resolutions will work to protect the future of Missouris number one industry. Currently, the STC guidelines for valuing land does not take into account damages caused by flooding or weather a problem that has taken a large toll on our states farmers in the past few months. The resolutions would force the STC to evaluate a propertys worth based on its potential for agricultural productivity every two years when it is assessed by the commission. As for the proposed tax hike on farmers, SCRs 51 and 52 would block any attempt to levy a five percent raise for farmers that could damage growth in the industry and prevent market expansion. Agriculture is the number one industry in Missouri, and our farmers and ranch workers deserve to have a steady and equitable future. These are the folks who work hard to put food on our families tables and in our local grocery stores. Your state Legislature will continue to work hard to fight for farmers financial wellbeing and continued growth in the industry. Finally, I would like to leave you with a highlight of Sen. Romines telehealth bill, SB 621, which establishes a statewide home telemonitoring program for the remote monitoring of data that relates to a patients health. Sen. Romines new bill would allow patients across the state to transfer important medical information, digital files, pictures and any other data related to their care to a consulting provider from the comfort of their home. This bill makes it easier for patients to receive certain health care services more quickly, without requiring them to visit a professional in person. This bill will help push Missouris medical and elderly care to the forefront of innovation and will help usher our states health services into a new era of effectiveness. Mike Cunningham is a Republican member of the Missouri State Senate, representing District 33. Contact him at 573-751-1882 or www.senate.mo.gov/cunningham Starvation of Syrian civilians is a possible war crime and crime against humanity that should be prosecuted and not covered by any amnesty linked to ending the conflict, the top United Nations human rights official, Prince Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said on Monday. Speaking to a news briefing in Geneva as Syria peace talks were being held, he said, "In the case of Syria, we are there to remind everyone that where there are allegations that reach the threshold of war crimes or crimes against humanity, that amnesties are not permissible." Pointing to the what he said was the starvation of people in the besieged town of Madaya and the sieges of 15 other towns and cities in Syria, he said this was "not just a war crime but a crime against humanity if proven in court." In January the U.N. children's fund, UNICEF, confirmed cases of severe malnutrition among children in Madaya, where local relief workers reported 32 deaths from starvation in the past month. UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac told a news briefing in Geneva that UNICEF and World Health Organization staffers screened 25 children under 5 for malnutrition, with 22 showing signs of moderate to severe malnutrition, and examined 10 children 6 to 18, with six showing signs of severe malnutrition. All are now receiving treatment, he said. "We estimate that tens of thousands are held in arbitrary detention, and clearly they need to be released," Zeid said. Wire services A Houston foundation presented a major contribution Monday to the Houston School District that will allow it to purchase computer equipment for the new media center under construction. Members gathered to present Scott Dill, superintendent, a check for $27,000 that will allow the district to purchase 90 Chromebook laptops for use in the districts new media center that will open when school starts in August. Several individuals and businesses contributed to the Houston Education Foundation, which has aided the district in several areas, including new risers for the choir and a new speaker system at Hiett Gymnasium. Contributions made to the foundation are tax-deductible and can be mailed to P.O. Box 102, Houston, Mo. The organization identified this project to fund last year. Members hope recent publicity about its efforts will raise its profile and encourage others to contribute as part of estate planning and memorials. Many businesses contributed to the project for the media center that is on the second floor of a building that connects the middle and high schools: Intercounty Electric Cooperative funded $1,000 annually the last two years, as did Walmart Foundation. The Bank of Houston also contributed $1,000 and Janstiques, $500. Others contributed to the foundations endowment fund recently: Community Bank, the Durham Co, Landmark Bank and Progressive Ozark Bank. A recent grant from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks matched the contributions dollar for dollar. Learn more at http://www.houston.k12.mo.us/community/education_foundation Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Charmaine Pfender has spent nearly two-thirds of her life behind bars. Now 50, she has short dark hair streaked with silver. Sitting in the visiting room of the prison in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, she spoke slowly with a hint of a drawl as she talked about the three nights one August that transformed her life. In 1984, Pfender, then 18, had dropped out of high school but still dreamed of becoming a police officer. On Aug. 5, she and her friend Sara Mae Richardson were enjoying a Sunday evening at Pittsburghs Point Park when they met Engin Aydin and Suat Erdogan, 24-year-old exchange students from Turkey. Engin was funny. He was outgoing, energetic, Pfender recalled. By contrast, Erdogan seemed more reserved and had difficulty with English, often relying on his friend to translate. Pfender and Richardson were fascinated by their descriptions of life in Turkey. When the men invited them on a date, they accepted. That decision would leave one of the men dead and both women imprisoned with life sentences. The four went to a bar that Monday, and the women agreed to see Aydin and Erdogan again the following night. They all met up on Tuesday evening after softball practice, and the women wanted to stop at Pfenders grandmothers house to shower and change clothes before their date. The men agreed, and everybody piled into Richardsons yellow hatchback for the 20-minute drive. Thats when accounts diverge. According to Pfender, Richardson and Erdogan sat in the front. At Aydins suggestion, they stopped on an isolated dirt road. Erdogan and Richardson began kissing; in the back, Pfender fought off Aydin. He shoved his hand down her shirt, and she pushed him away. Then, she said, he pulled a knife and told me that I wasnt going to tease him no more. Earlier that day, Richardson, who had been shooting and hunting since she was 15, borrowed her stepfathers gun to teach Pfender how to shoot. It was stashed under the drivers seat. When Aydin brandished a knife, Pfender grabbed the gun and ran out of the car, slamming the door on his legs when he tried to follow. She fired a warning shot. When he continued toward her, she fatally shot him. Erdogan then tried to escape, and she shot him in the shoulder. Richardsons trial testimony corroborated this version. Erdogans story was very different. According to his trial testimony, both men sat in the backseat, and they pulled over because Pfender needed to relieve herself. After returning to the car, she suddenly turned back to us, [and] she had a gun. As she trained the gun on him, Richardson tied his hands behind his back and forced him out of the car. He then heard but did not see a struggle behind him. He started to run, and Pfender shot him in the shoulder. He fell, and she pointed the gun at his head and fired again. The bullet missed, and she left him lying on the ground. He escaped and continued walking until he lost consciousness. When he woke the next morning, he flagged down a passing motorcyclist, who took him to a police station. Pfender said she has always regretted what she and Richardson did after they realized Aydin was dead. I was terrified, she said. I couldnt even complete full sentences. Using a tire iron and boards they found, the women dug a makeshift grave and buried Aydin. I wish I wouldnt have done that, Pfender said. He didnt deserve that. The women then drove to Pfenders mothers house, where they spent the night. The next afternoon, they went to stay with Richardsons sister in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Two days later, they turned themselves in and were taken back to Pittsburgh. On June 13, Gov. Andrew Cuomo convened a press conference to discuss the purported ravages of heroin in New York. Statewide abuse of the drug had reached epidemic proportions, Cuomo declared, adding that one-third of all heroin seizures by the Drug Enforcement Administration take place in the New York area, in large part because much of the supply currently flowing through the New York metropolitan area is thought to originate from the Port of Newark in New Jersey. Young people, Cuomo said, are at particular risk. This is disproportionately a young person problem now and its disproportionately a college age problem, so we are going to attack it in our education system, he said, adding that the current epidemic far eclipses that of previous episodes: heroin in the 1970s, crack cocaine in the 1980s, heroin again in the 1990s. As a corrective measure, the governor announced the assignment of 100 additional investigators to the State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team, nearly doubling the number of troopers serving in that unit and adding to a broad range of counteractive law enforcement initiatives targeting distribution and individual use in the New York area. Journalists have produced copious trend pieces detailing heroins alleged rise among young people. Officials cite a spate of recent heroin-involved deaths of celebrities, notably Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cory Monteith, a star of the television series Glee, to make a point about teenage susceptibility to cultural messaging surrounding heroin. Thus, in high school auditoriums around the U.S., the existence of a heroin epidemic is being asserted as proven fact. The problem with such claims is that they lack evidence. According to the federal governments own data, released June 13 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heroin use among U.S. teens actually declined in prevalence from 2011 (2.9 percent) to 2013 (2.2 percent). New York and New Jersey officials cite evidence for an increase in overdose deaths but attribute this largely to unsanctioned use of prescription opiates. And on June 15, the communications director for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Rafael Lemaitre, told me via Twitter that while there was a recent uptick in heroin use, it was by no means an epidemic, and that opioids in prescriptions not street drugs were the problem. Any public notion of an extant heroin epidemic is a function of media reporting, he said, and unsupported by the federal governments data. The most recent CDC data for opiate use across all ages in the general population cited by the ONDCP dates from 2011; it shows a 45 percent increase in deaths attributed to heroin over the previous year. @mtracey We agree on that. But I think any "heroin epidemic" narrative is more a function of media reporting than repeating gov't claims. Rafael Lemaitre (@RafaelONDCP) June 15, 2014 What purpose, then, is served by specifically youth-oriented governmental efforts focused on heroin? A recent multijurisdictional drug task force in New Jersey suggests that authorities are prioritizing criminal punishment, rather than enacting prudent measures such as genuine public health services that would reduce heroin use. Across three New Jersey counties outside New York City, authorities made at least 325 arrests over an eight-week period, with 47 police departments participating. Spokespeople designated 280 arrestees, overwhelmingly young people in their teens or 20s, as heroin users only meaning they were charged with simple possession, for which a person may face up to five years in prison under New Jersey law. This time, aside from the standard criminal proceedings, officials pre-emptively dispensed nontraditional punishments: suspected users names, drivers license photos and places of residence were splashed across the Internet, and in turn widely circulated by local and national media. The Bergen County prosecutors office hailed the initiative as a triumphant stride forward in combating the heroin epidemic by way of what it termed a holistic manner. It was as though these users were purposefully shamed to signal societal disapproval of their substance use. Moreover, the contrast between penalties meted out to urban and suburban heroin users is stark. Those arrested in suburban (read: white) areas could generally avoid a criminal conviction; those arrested in urban areas, such as Paterson, New Jersey, received no such option. Is the goal here to deliver justice in adherence with long-standing U.S. legal traditions of nondiscriminatory application? Or is it a PR tactic for the state government to rain down moral opprobrium? Selective punishment Remedial policies proposed to curb heroin use across the country typically include similar measures to the ones adopted in New York and New Jersey: enhancing law enforcement officials power to interdict the drug namely, empowering them to make discretionary arrests and impose punitive criminalization on offenders. But if decades of failed drug prohibition policy serve as any indication, these new initiatives are unlikely to help. A criminalization and punishment apparatus purportedly erected to curb the flow of this drug has been in place for over 40 years, yet today, as officials themselves allege, heroin remains widely available. What reason do we have to believe that an additional round of prohibition and criminalization will have a different effect? Drumming up public belief in a teenage epidemic, logic would dictate, lends greater popular support to these state projects (kids need to be protected!), thus increasing the likelihood that ill-advised measures can be whisked through legislative bodies without much debate. Whats more, the authorities are framing the epidemic principally as a moral imperative to be addressed, not as the medical or legal problem it is. As is often the case, politically motivated interdiction efforts ultimately bear most heavily on the vulnerable, drug-addled and ill. Those New Jersey residents who had the misfortune of being selected by law enforcement authorities to serve as an example are, to the average news consumer, no longer suffering individuals who require medical assistance, but an ignoble emblem of heroins foray into largely white, suburban demographics. Predator drugs Air Energi and Swift Worldwide Resources combine in strategic merger of equals Merger creates significant opportunities for candidates, clients and contractors Posted by Press Releases on Monday, 02-01-2016 4:58 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes Manchester, UK and Houston, US, 26 January 2016: Air Energi Group Limited and Swift Worldwide Resources Limited have merged to form Airswift Holdings Limited, a $1.2bn turnover company specialising in global workforce solutions for the energy, process and infrastructure industries. The transaction was structured as an all-stock merger backed by Swift and Air Energis private equity backers, Wellspring Capital Management and LGV Capital.Airswift brings together two of the worlds leading names in energy recruitment to offer clients a truly global service and an unrivalled candidate pool across a broad spectrum of skills. With the largest geographic footprint in the industry, Airswift will offer a suite of workforce solutions on a worldwide basis, including recruitment for contract staff and permanent hires, resource consultancy, global mobility and managed solutions.Airswift will be led by new CEO, Peter Searle, former chief executive of Adecco in the UK and Ireland. Peter b... 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 EBI Consulting Opens New Office in Long Beach, CA Expands West Coast Services & Presence Expands West Coast Services & Presence Posted by Press Releases on Monday, 02-01-2016 8:09 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes Long Beach, CA (PRWEB) January 27, 2016EBI Consulting, an industry leader in environmental, engineering, and health & safety consulting services, announced today the opening of its newest regional office in the Bixby Knolls neighborhood of Long Beach, CA. The companys expanded presence in the area will allow EBI Consulting to better serve the needs of its clients in Southern California and the greater West Coast region.EBI Consultings employees, clients and business partners are excited by this opportunity to reinforce and expand the breadth of the companys exceptional environmental and engineering consulting and due diligence services for which they are known. EBI has relocated several employees to help launch the L.A. County office, bringing the southern California full time employee headcount to almost forty, with many job openings available.We have greatly enjoyed working with our partners and clients in Southern California for almost 25 years, and ... 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 Survey Reveals Half of U.S. Small Businesses Unhappy with Government Support, but 71 Percent Optimistic about Revenue Growth in 2016 Survey of 1,100 small businesses, released Jan. 26 by Wasp Barcode Technologies, reveals growth optimism could be impacte Posted by Press Releases on Monday, 02-01-2016 6:59 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes Plano, Texas (PRWEB) January 26, 2016U.S. small businesses arent happy with government support, and they favor a Republican presidential win in 2016.According to the 2016 State of Small Business Report, released Tuesday by Wasp Barcode Technologies, 50 percent of them said the government does not do enough to support small businesses, and only 24 percent of them were favorable about government backing.Despite their overall federal pessimism, they are slightly optimistic about the November presidential election - 39 percent of them believe a Republican win would have a positive impact on their business growth, while 34 percent said the same about a Democratic win.Thirty percent believe a Democratic win would have a negative impact, while only 22 percent said the same about a Republican win.The State of Small Business Report examined more than just small business views on government. It surveyed more than 1,100 small business owners and senior executives about their... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Texas HR Leader Joins Partners In Leadership Brinkers Former Chief People Officer, Tony Bridwell, Now a Partner at Global Consulting Firm Posted by Press Releases on Monday, 02-01-2016 6:53 am Currently 0.0/5 Stars. 1 2 3 4 5 0.0 from 0 votes Temecula, CA (PRWEB) January 26, 2016Partners In Leadership, an international leadership, culture, and management consulting firm, announced that, effective immediately, Tony Bridwell has joined the company as a partner and hospitality practice leader for the company. Bridwell most recently served as the chief people officer of Brinker International after joining that company in 2013.Tony brings a wealth of experience to Partners In Leadership, said Gordon Treadway, CEO and president of Partners In Leadership. Over the years, Tony has served Partners In Leadership and Brinker from both sides of that relationship with absolute professionalism and respect. Tonys talent and passion for leadership development, culture, and his genuine care for people is a rare blend. Were beyond excited to have him back.Bridwell began working with Brinker in 2009 as a consultant representing Partners In Leadership. Beginning in 2009, the parent company of Chili&rsq... Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web. If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator. Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-01 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] Tempi Valley closed from 12:00 to 20:00 on Monday due to farmers mobilisations [02] Greek economic sentiment index up to 91.6 points in Jan [03] Are you a talent in science communication? Apply to FameLab! [04] Refugee camps to be open but guarded, Alternate Migration Min Mouzalas says [01] Tempi Valley closed from 12:00 to 20:00 on Monday due to farmers mobilisations Farmers on Monday will block the Athens-Thessaloniki motorway at Tempi Valley from 12:00 to 20:00. A meeting of the the members of Tempi Valley blockade are currently discussing the future of their mobilisations. Sources said that the farmers are considering to increase to 12 the blocking hours of Tempi Valley. Farmers are protesting against government's reforms in the social security and the taxation system. [02] Greek economic sentiment index up to 91.6 points in Jan Greek economic sentiment index rose significantly to 91.6 points in January, from 87.1 in December, but remained below a 95.9 point level recorded in January 2015, the Institute for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE) said on Monday. In a monthly report, IOBE attributed this development to improved expectations in all business sectors, particularly in services. "The picture of total stabilization recorded in the last few months in business activity is not reversed although expectations remained still below last year's levels. On the other side, consumer confidence weakened as expectations over households' finances in the next 12 months deteriorated significantly, discounting negative developments in family income due to expected changes in social insurance," IOBE said in the report. [03] Are you a talent in science communication? Apply to FameLab! The British Council in Athens in cooperation with Hub Science will hold the 10th competition FameLab in order to find new talents in science communication. FameLab is a training programme in a competition format to get people talking about science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over who has a university degree or who is studying for one in a scientific field. Applicants have three minutes to present a concept from their field of study to a panel of judges. The idea behind the competition is to take science out of the classroom and make it fun, and to encourage young people with a passion for science and technology to share their enthusiasm with the general public. Those interested can apply until Friday, March 11 at the website https://www.britishcouncil.gr/famelab. The first round will take place in Athens on March 15 and in Thessaloniki on March 16. [04] Refugee camps to be open but guarded, Alternate Migration Min Mouzalas says The refugee camps in Sindos and Schisto that the army will provide for the creation of relocation centres will be open but guarded, Alternate Minister for Migration Policy Yiannis Mouzalas on Monday said in statements to SKAI TV. The two refugee camps will have a total capacity of 8,000 persons. Mouzalas added that the works for the construction of hotspots on the islands of Samos, Lesvos, Chios, Kos and Leros are being accelerated with the assistance of the army. Refugees and migrants will be separated at these hotspots, he noted adding that they will stay there for 48 hours and then they will be transferred to the mainland. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-01 Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Athens News Agency at CONTENTS [01] PM Tsipras: Only if we join forces can we succeed [02] PM Tsipras to participate in "Supporting Syria and the Region" conference on Feb.3 [01] PM Tsipras: Only if we join forces can we succeed "I deeply believe that the only way to overcome the crisis is to support the weakest ones and at the same time give the chance to restart the economy. We can only succeed if we join forces," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday said in his address at the presentation of the Act4Greece Program of the National Bank of Greece (NBG). "The government, the public and the private sector as well as other entities should assist the country get out of the crisis with the society remaining unwounded," Tsipras stated adding that it is necessary to unite forces and give banks the opportunity to play again their social and economic role. Tsipras also stressed the need for consolidation in the banking system in order to help end the crisis by improving liquidity and financing for startups. He noted that the completion of the recapitalization process opens the way for the return of deposits and the efficient management of their portfolios, and referred to the importance of a positive program review that will pave the way for solving the Gordian knot, which is the debt relief. Tsipras underlined that the government proceeds with the creation of a stable tax system, introducing and promoting electronic transactions, improving the efficiency of public administration, simplifying licensing procedures, and improving the procedures for public procurement. He also referred to the national productive reconstruction plan that will be presented in the spring and noted that focus will be given on halting the disinvestment climate that led to deep recession in the previous years. [02] PM Tsipras to participate in "Supporting Syria and the Region" conference on Feb.3 Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will participate in the conference "Supporting Syria and the Region" that will be held on February 3, in London. Greece's participation is within the context of the standing initiative for the promotion of the humanitarian dimension of the refugees issue. The Greek premier will be accompanied by State Minister Nikos Pappas and Alternate Foreign Minister for European Issues Nikos Xydakis. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article The use of societys ultimate sanction, the death penalty, has been declining around the world for decades. In 1977, only 16 countries had abolished the death penalty; by 2015, 140 had either abolished it or for all practical purposes abandoned it. Nineteen American states and the District of Columbia have no death penalty, and in 2014, executions were carried out in only seven states. However, over the same period, the number of countries applying the death penalty for drugs offenses has increased. In 1979 there were 10 countries that executed drug offenders. By 1985, that number had increased to 22; by 2000, to 36 (although it declined to 33 in 2012). Some years have seen as many as 1,000 drug-related executions, many of them in Iran, Singapore and China, where precise figures are unavailable. Thousands of individuals are on death row in Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa for drug offenses. Indonesia offers a particularly gruesome example. In 2015, 14 prisoners there, mostly foreign nationals, were killed by firing squad. Indonesian President Joko Widodo took office in October 2014. He immediately declared that the country was facing a drug emergency situation, thus justifying the decision to carry out the executions in the face of concerted international pressure notably from Australia, two of whose citizens were executed last year. He zealously pursued the death sentences, saying he would reject any appeal for clemency. According to Amnesty International, Indonesia held at least 121 people on death row in 2015, 54 of them for drug offenses. As part of its intensified war on drugs, Indonesia has targeted drug users. The National Narcotics Agency recently revived compulsory treatment, pledging to place 100,000 drug users in treatment or rehabilitation centers last year. This month the new narcotics board chief, Budi Waseso, created an international furor by calling for a prison island for drug smugglers, surrounded by crocodiles and piranhas. He also called for the reinstatement of the late Indonesian dictator Suhartos infamous program in which elite military personnel were authorized to conduct extrajudicial public killings of anyone the regime considered criminal. A week ago, police raids on drug-use hotspots in Jakarta and Medan left at least four people dead two of them police officers. One person executed in Indonesia last year was Brazilian citizen Rodrigo Gularte, who was caught with two friends trying to take cocaine hidden in surfboards into the country in 2004. He took responsibility for the seized drugs, allowing his companions to be released. He accepted a state-appointed lawyer and never received competent legal representation at trial. His first lawyer acknowledged that he used drugs. Today that might be accepted as a mitigating factor, but at the time, it merely helped the prosecution make its case and secure the death sentence. With the millions of people crossing in and out of Alberta each year, officials at the Canada Border Service Agency are bound to find some weird stuff. Last year, officials executed 256 seizures along Alberta's southern border with the U.S., 1,270 at Calgary's airport and 1,700 in Edmonton, according to the border service agency's year in review. Advertisement Here are some of the odd things they found. Calgary International Airport Officers seized over 184 packages of narcotics in 2015, and some of those drugs were hidden in creative ways. In May, officers discovered a hollow, porcelain clown statue filled with cocaine. Officers also opened up a book from Albania to find it had been stuffed with bottles of Rivotril, a tranquilizer considered a controlled substance in Canada. Detector dog Kodiak made an interesting find in December, when he sniffed out food in a traveller's suitcase: 9.55 kg. of whole raw duck; 6.6 kg. of whole raw chicken; 3.33 kg. of pastrami; 1.77 kg. homemade butter; 92.5 grams of loose seeds; and 750 grams of milk. The man did not declare any food to agents prior to the search. He ended up paying a $650 penalty for the nearly 50 lbs. of food. Advertisement That's one heavy suitcase. (Photo: CBSA) A number of flyers also attempted to bring weapons into Canada. Blow guns and crossbows were among the items found in 29 seizures. Edmonton International Airport Edmonton, similar to Calgary, also saw some odd weapons seizures. Seven weapons were confiscated by officers, among them included nunchuks and throwing stars. As for bizarre food discoveries, Edmonton's detector dog Max found some interesting packages. From one couple, Max busted a couple who forgot to declare 2.5 kg of swan meat, 5.5 kg of chicken, dried chrysanthemum flowers, ginger root, dried fish, dried fruit and seeds in their carry-on. Another person attempted to sneak 300 g of pork fat in their purse. Officials also discovered when examining a package marked as "replica hippopotamus tusks" that the tusks were actually real. Advertisement The "replica" hippo tusks seized by border officials have growth marks and discoloration. (Photo: CBSA) Edmonton officers also confiscated 87 packages of drugs, including ingredients making a date-rape drug and fentanyl. Southern Alberta Detector dog Trooper retired in 2015, after helping with over 100 seizures. (Photo: CBSA) Officials at Alberta's southern border crossings enjoyed a busy year, making over 60 drug seizures. In one case, officers found a bag of marijuana hidden in the base of a potato-chip can with a false bottom. Advertisement In another case, officials found three guns hidden under the bed in a trailer. A total of 51 firearms were seized at the border, the biggest weapons haul since 2012. One unauthorized non-human traveller also managed to sneak back into the States after attempting to sneak into Canada. The traveller, a rattlesnake, slipped into the examination room at the Wild Horse, MT crossing, then slithered back to the U.S. before pest control showed up. Also on HuffPost: When One Direction announced their hiatus, we were devastated. Sure, we were sad about the music. But our main concern was Harry Styles. What would he do next? Where would he go? We were panicking. But then something magical happened back in September. The British heartthrob, who turns 22 today (Feb. 1), was seen wearing a bold, geometric-print Gucci suit as he attended LOVE magazine's London Fashion Week party. Advertisement We were fixated. And very impressed. Like, peanut butter and jelly or Dolce & Gabbana, it seemed Styles and Gucci were a match made in heaven. It was obvious the rumoured boyfriend of Kendall Jenner knew how to rock a jacket and bell-bottom trouser like no other. He's slowly transforming into the modern man's Mick Jagger, and frankly, we're okay with that. Styles (a very good last name in this situation), who has the hair of our dreams (seriously, shampoo commercial-worthy), then single-handedly stole the show at the 2015 American Music Awards when he wore a white petal-print suit amidst a sea of grey, black and navy suits that his bandmates sported. In that moment, the Internet freaked out and Harry became a style icon. Advertisement Sure, he looked like an Ikea bed sheet. But whatever. Because, fashun. who wore it best? an ikea bed or harry styles#AMAspic.twitter.com/Cb462NXK6q forameus (@blissfuIfiction) November 23, 2015 And that wasn't it. Back in December, Hazza, along with the rest of One Direction (minus Zayn Malik, obvs), took to the stage for their final performance as a band before their "extended hiatus." It took place on "The X Factor UK," where it all began, and you bet Harry wore something special for the tear-inducing occasion. Gucci, again. Florals, again. Feels, again. "FASHION is what you buy, STYLE is what you do with it." @Harry_Styles you rocked that Gucci and made it your own! x pic.twitter.com/Zb79kolRCL Happy BirthDay Harry (@HStyles_HStyles) December 14, 2015 Look, he even accessorizes in Gucci, goddammit! And get this: at Milan Men's Fashion Week this year, Gucci showed a fall 2016 collection of bold, floral prints, embroidered jackets and flared pants that screamed Harry Styles' name. So come on, Gucci where's the contact? Advertisement Even the Twittersphere is getting reckless waiting: If Harry Styles doesn't become a spokesperson for either YSL or Gucci I will be disappointed Paige Kircher (@kaigepircher) January 22, 2016 Walking around Gucci like, "where's the Harry Styles section?" k (@finewinesippa) January 18, 2016 I'm sorry. But if Harry Styles doesn't land a Gucci contract in 2016, there will be blood. monika markovinovic (@heyitsmonika) December 31, 2015 Harry Styles + Gucci = life naz (@organicsheo) December 28, 2015 Advertisement So, Alessandro Michele, if you're reading this, we know Styles is your muse. And we're ready for the campaign. We can no longer wait. Keep doing you, Harry, and making the world a better place one Gucci suit at a time. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22. Harry Styles. (@Harry_Styles) February 1, 2016 Follow Huffington Post Canada Style on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter! Also on HuffPost When it comes to legalizing marijuana, Canada isnt sailing entirely into the unknown. A number of countries and U.S. states have experimented with loose pot policies (if not outright decriminalization), and these places offer potential models and lessons for Canada. Toronto-based law firm ONeill Moon Quedado LLP has put together an infographic comparing three countries known for their experimentation with drug decriminalization: The Netherlands, Portugal, and, most recently, the U.S. Advertisement The law firm says we should be watching closely developments in the U.S., where Colorado, Oregon and Washington state have legalized marijuana for recreational use, with Alaska following this year. Those examples will be the most relevant for Canada during the drafting of the law, the law firm says. And it notes one other thing: For all the talk out there about decriminalization, it hasnt happened yet. You can still get charged for possession, growing or selling marijuana, the law firm notes, adding that some activities surrounding marijuana will likely continue to be illegal after the Liberals reforms. The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne ailment causing concern in the Americas. While the virus has been around for decades, this is the first time it has spread to this extent. The majority of those who get Zika don't even experience the virus' mild symptoms. However, the World Health Organization is warning women who are pregnant or women planning to get pregnant that Zika has a possible link to birth defects in babies. Advertisement The Public Health Agency of Canadas website states: In Brazil, there has recently been a significant increase in number of babies born with birth defects (congenital malformations), such as infants born with an abnormally small head and microcephaly (an underdeveloped brain). What exactly is microcephaly and how does it affect babies? Watch the video above to find out. Also on HuffPost Ryan Reynolds is more than happy to plug his hometown of Vancouver whenever he gets the chance. But it takes a brave patriot to not only declare his city's apple pie superior to anything he can find in the U.S., but to then take things one step further by trying to smuggle the Canadian goods over the border. Still, that's exactly what Reynolds did for his wife, "foodie" and actress Blake Lively. Advertisement Either way, we're happy to hear the border guard let Reynolds through with his illegal wares, because as we all know, there's just no comparing apples to apples. ALSO ON HUFFPOST While spanking was a common form of disciplining kids for years, the tactic is now banned in 43 countries. And Canada could be next. In December 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his plans to revoke a law that allows parents to spank their kids. The news came after the Liberal government agreed to meet all recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which was established to rebuild the relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. Advertisement The repeal of section 43 of Canadas criminal code means spanking or using reasonable force to discipline a child would be illegal for both parents and teachers. This change does not come without controversy. The topic of spanking has long been debated and Trudeaus announcement added fuel to the fire. While many applauded the decision, others strongly disagreed. This is silly, one Facebook user wrote in regards to the ban. I was spanked. My brothers were spanked. The conditions for the spanking were pretty specific... we had to do something that caused serious potential or actual harm to ourselves or someone else, repeatedly. I had and still have an excellent relationship with my parents, as do thousands of other children who experienced similar methods of correction. I can't help but feel this is a case of government trying to dictate how I raise my child. Spanking is not abuse if it is used correctly. Advertisement Child psychologist Dr. Gerald Robert Farthing, of University of Saskatchewan, agrees that spanking should be allowed by parents, but only under certain circumstances. For me I think the context is very important, Farthing told Global News. If we have a loving parent relationship where along with it comes the instruction or the training or the talking, then spanking as a resource along the line can be a very effective strategy. Despite this, a number of studies have proven that spanking has a negative impact on kids, such as making them more aggressive later in life or making them more prone to develop mental disorders. This research has added to why many countries have banned the corporal punishment of children. See Every Country Where Spanking Is Still Legal in One Chart http://t.co/PhxITKHy8b@TIMEpic.twitter.com/0aWP5Qi39i Beautiful Maps (@BeautifulMaps) December 16, 2014 As of 2014, countries who banned spanking included Germany, New Zealand, Kenya, Greece, Brazil, Finland, Spain and more. (See the full list above). Advertisement According to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, corporal punishment is defined as any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however slight. According to Staffan Janson, a pediatrician and professor of public health at Swedens Karlstad University, by the 1970s, peoples attitudes towards spanking were changing. When parliament voted on the issue in 1979, two-thirds of parents were already in favour of a legal injunction, he said. Without the ban, Janson explained that parents would be tempted to use harsher and harsher means [as punishment], which in a stressful situation may turn into brutal child abuse. While Canada could be added to the list of countries where spanking is banned, corporal punishment is still legal in many others, including the U.S. Advertisement Also on HuffPost OTTAWA Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Senate reform plan could end up costing taxpayers more money. The Huffington Post Canada has learned that the Senate has set aside funds between $250,000 and $925,000 to run an office for Trudeau's yet-to-be announced government representative in the upper chamber and any potential new caucus mates that person may have. Advertisement Any extra money for staff or research would have to be supplemented by the Privy Council Office, the prime minister's department. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau answers a question in the House of Commons in December. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/CP) The 28 Liberal senators, whom Trudeau kicked out of his parliamentary caucus two years ago, will operate as a third-place party. Senators on the internal economy, budgets and administration committee gave the Liberals an office budget of $1,060,000, while the majority Conservatives, who are now the official opposition, have a budget of $1,275,000 this year. Advertisement One Conservative senator who asked not to be named because he wasn't authorized to speak on the matter said the Tories "didn't have a choice" but to give the Senate Liberals an office budget. "It would have been mischievous not to make those adjustments. We would have been profiting from the situation to hurt them," he said. Last year, the Senate Liberal and Conservative budgets were a combined total of $2,248,800 $985,800 for the opposition Liberals and $1,263,000 for the governing Tories. The money doesn't include any salary supplements that Trudeau's new representative will receive $80,100 on top of his or her $142,200 salary as a senator. It doesn't include the extra allowances a potential deputy government leader (an extra $38,100), government whip ($11,600), deputy government whip ($5,800) or government caucus chair in the Senate ($6,800) might receive if Trudeau's new appointees decide to organize themselves as a governing party caucus. The office budgets also don't include the salary allowances that Conservative Senate leaders, as the opposition, are entitled to (from $5,800 to $38,100). Advertisement Senate Liberal Leader James Cowan speaks at a 2014 press conference. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/CP) Current rules don't provide any salary top-ups for a third-place party, embodied in the Senate Liberals. Senate Liberal Jane Cordy, the deputy chair of the internal economy committee, said the budgets were increased slightly to help each party caucus be more independent. "This independence, for both caucuses, means relying less and less, if at all, on our cousins in the House of Commons in the areas of research and briefing notes. This naturally adds more to our operational needs and budgets," she wrote in an email. Senate Liberal Leader James Cowan said the new system might cost more especially if five or more independent senators were to decide to form their own caucuses to qualify for extra funding but he feels it would be a worthy expenditure. Advertisement "I would argue that if we need to do our job properly, we need to be properly resourced. I make no apologies." 'Lipstick on a pig' Aaron Wudrick, the federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said he has no problem funding offices that do good work, such as the Parliamentary Budget Officer and the Auditor General, but he is concerned that Trudeau's new independent appointees will always be "lining up behind government legislation." "It is a farce to think that they are not partisan. You have changed the label, but your behaviour is going to be the real tell. It's the proverbial lipstick on a pig." Trudeau's new senators will not be elected, and they will not have a mandate or more legitimacy than senators had before just because a handful of eminent people are picking them now, Wudrick added. "The fact that now Canadians are going to be paying more money for a Senate that has the veneer of reform when nothing substantive has changed is really disappointing," he said. Advertisement "The fact that now Canadians are going to be paying more money for a Senate that has the veneer of reform when nothing substantive has changed is really disappointing." Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc told HuffPost that he didn't share the same "pessimism" that the only way for independent senators to prove their independence would be to vote against the government. "I think that because they're independent of thought doesn't mean they necessarily will assume a sort of cynical tactic like that," he said. Cowan said that he hopes the people Trudeau appoints will be "progressives" and that he will be encouraging them to join the Senate Liberals. "They don't have to be card-carrying Liberals," Cowan said, "but I would hope that they would be generally supportive of a progressive agenda for the country." Advertisement Some independents might like to remain lone wolves, he said, but he expressed hope that, over time, others "will come to see that there is a value in working with others, and I hope that they will find our group more sympatico." Budget allocation held as bargaining chip? It's far from certain, however, that the Conservatives in the upper house will allow Trudeau's new representative to use the money set aside for him or her. Conservative opposition leader Claude Carignan told HuffPost that if Trudeau's representative wants the salary increase, the larger office and the bigger budget, he or she will have to answer questions in the Senate. Sen. Claude Carignan makes his way to the upper chamber in 2013. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/CP) "You can't be half pregnant. There is either a leader of the government or [there] isn't one. If there isn't one, well, he or she will not have the advantages and the privileges of the Leader of the Government," he said. "If he wants to have the salary allowances of the government leader, and the office of the government leader, and the tools, rights and privileges, then he'll have to answer our questions too." Advertisement Last December, when Minister of Democratic Institutions Maryam Monsef announced a temporary new appointment procedure for five new independent senators, LeBlanc allowed for the possibility that there might not be a Senate question period. Trudeau plans to name a government representative from among the new batch of independent senators who will perform the traditional role of leader of the government, LeBlanc said, but it will be up to the chamber to decide how it wants to organize itself for question period. Typically, the government leader in the Senate answers questions on behalf of the government of the day. LeBlanc said it will also be up to the new government representative to figure out how to best shepherd Trudeau's legislation through the upper house. He suggested that one of the current Liberal senators, someone with "considerable legislative experience," might also be named deputy government representative to help the new government leader. "You can't be half pregnant. There is either a leader of the government or [there] isn't one." Carignan told HuffPost the Tories have every intention of asking Trudeau's representative daily questions. "If he wants to have a minister with him to answer questions, we'll take that, sure. Fantastic! We'll be happy with that, but that won't limit us in our power and our rights," the senior Tory said. Advertisement The five new senators two from Ontario, two from Manitoba and one from Quebec, selected from a secret non-binding short list provided by a five-member independent panel are expected to be appointed by the end of February or in early March. On Friday, the government announced that applications for the positions will be accepted until Feb. 15. In the meantime, the Senate has already invited four cabinet ministers to appear before it to answer questions. On Wednesday, Fisheries Minister Hunter Tootoo will be the first minister grilled for 30-minutes. Senators stuck 'in limbo' The move to appoint new independent senators is intended to "reinvigorate" the Senate, Monsef told reporters, and bring an "end to partisanship." But several senators say they feel stuck "in limbo," having little indication of what the Trudeau Liberals expect from the upper house. Advertisement "Not only are we in limbo, but the independent Liberals are in limbo," Conservative Sen. David Tkachuk told HuffPost. "They have no idea what [Trudeau] wants. So we are all sitting there doing nothing really, waiting, when he should have a government leader appointed. He should have come to the Senate to say 'these are the types of reforms that I would like to see this is the way that I would like to see you operate,' and we would study that and we figure out whether we want to do it or not. "We are an independent house. We do what we want, not what he wants necessarily, but we are willing to listen to what he wants, but he hasn't told us. Neither has his House leader [Dominic LeBlanc]," Tkachuk said. "So nobody knows anything." Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef speaks at a press conference last December. (Photo: CP) Advertisement Conservative Sen. Daniel Lang, the chair of the national security and defence committee, said everyone wonders want the role of the government representative will be. "What is a 'government representative'? What is his authority?" Until the Liberal government figures out how it's going to try to pass its legislation in the Senate and whether the new representative will speak for the government, there are a lot of "outstanding issues" that affect senators' daily work that have been left hanging, he said. Conservative Sen. Norman Doyle said he feels senators' ability to obtain information from the government now "is severely hampered." "We could be a lot busier if the government had its people in place in the Senate. There are no bills yet, but hopefully soon." Conservative whip Don Plett said he's not surprised there are no government bills on the Senate's agenda, and he isn't even surprised there are only two bills on the House's agenda. Advertisement "Look who they elected as the prime minister. I mean, the guy's been snowboarding most of his life." "Look who they elected as the prime minister. I mean, the guy's been snowboarding most of his life and here he is running around the country doing selfies instead of paying attention to what he should be doing over here. That is about as blunt as I can be so, no, I am not surprised. I am hoping that they will get their legislative agenda in order." Cowan said he also doesn't know what's going on. "Some people would like to know exactly how it will all work. I would like to know too, but I don't know. "It will all unfold. In the meantime, there is lots of work for all those who want to do it." Without direction from the Prime Minister's Office, senators have moved swiftly with their own agenda. Last Thursday, during question period, senators took turns asking their committee chairs questions about potential areas of study. This week, the banking, trade and commerce committee is expected to begin a study on the decline of the loonie. Advertisement Several private members' bills have been debated. Cowan's bill to prohibit and prevent genetic discrimination has been sent to the human Rights committee for study. "I think there is a huge opportunity for us to if we do more good work and more consistently and more often show people the value that a good Senate can have," Cowan said. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion would be the first cabinet minister to appear before the Senate. ALSO ON HUFFPOST: CP One of Jian Ghomeshi's sexual assault trials starts on Monday, but those expecting a conviction may very well be disappointed. While 15 women have come forward with allegations of sexual violence, four to the police, the cases of he said she, she, she, she, (and maybe even she, she, she, she, she, she, she, she, she, she, she) said could still very well end in an acquittal. A second trial, for one charge of sexual assault, is scheduled for June. Our country has some of the most progressive sex assault laws in the world, but those within the legal system often fail to properly implement them. Only one in four sexual assault cases leads to a conviction, while the rate for all other crimes is well over 90 per cent. Advertisement Victims are too often discredited by police, defence lawyers and judges who still buy into rape myths. As a result, only 10 per cent of survivors report their assaults. Many of those within Canada's legal system view sex assault as a crime women should know how to avoid rather than one men should be punished for. Don't get drunk. Don't wear short skirts. Don't flirt with guys at bars and preferably spend the rest of your life inside, covered by a sheet. Cross-examinations have been dubbed "whack the complainant" by legal experts because of how they aggressively re-victimize women. In 2011, a Toronto police officer told a law school that to prevent rape "women should avoid dressing like sluts." In 2014, a federal judge asked a sexual assault complainant "Why couldn't you just keep your knees together?" Imagine asking a gunshot victim why they didn't dodge the bullet? Often those most vulnerable to assault, such as sex workers and aboriginal women, are most affected by our biased system. But there really is no perfect complainant. Advertisement "Even for somebody who shows up in a bonnet and crinoline, it's still a tough case," says criminal lawyer Sue Chapman. "I tell my clients all the time that it's very much about how you perform. You are going to be angry, but you can't be too angry ... that's going to undermine your credibility." Even though the law was changed in 1983 to make spousal sexual assault an offence (yes, before then it was perfectly fine to rape your wife) legal experts say the court system is still skeptical of married women, despite the fact that almost 20 per cent of sexual assaults are committed by a woman's intimate partner (that rate for aboriginal women is three times higher). The reality is that many women in abusive relationships continue to see the men who abused them, whether out of fear, shame or self-blame. It often takes survivors years before they have the strength or mental clarity to speak with police. Yet the legal system continues to hold the delusional view that rapists are primarily men who force themselves onto women in dark alleys. Police and lawyers expect women to physically resist sexual assault and report the attack immediately, with complete disregard for the nuances that come with knowing your assailant. Starting Monday Ghomeshi's lawyer, Marie Henein, will try to eviscerate the women accusing her client. Advertisement Despite the fact that it seems Ghomeshi abused his celebrity to manipulate women, Henein will likely hone in on the fact that a few of the complainants went on dates and exchanged flirtatious text messages with the former CBC star before the alleged assaults. She will probably paint them as scorned lovers, or ambitious young professionals so desperate for a piece of Ghomeshi's fame that they would invent being choked, punched and slapped if he didn't help advance their careers. Even Lucy DeCoutere, who is an Air Force captain and a beloved Canadian actress, will presumably be attacked for going public with her story -- a story she waited to tell -- just to get attention. Of course in criminal law there must be proof beyond a reasonable doubt for a conviction. Victims in any case should be subject to tough questions from police and the defence, but those questions should never suggest they are responsible for their own rape. Canada's sexual assault laws will never be truly progressive until women are treated as alleged victims rather than as suspects. Advertisement In my third year of university, the only apartment I could afford had ice on the inside walls. The winter temperature in Kingston, Ontario, regularly plunged to -20 C. The bedroom had no insulation. Each night, I slept in sweats, heavy socks, a hat and mitts. Even with a space heater, and winter-weight sleeping bag under my quilt, I still shivered. In the mornings, I reached up to feel how much ice had formed above my bed during the night. I counted the days until March, when my room-mate and I could give notice. The psychological warfare of cold Like those who survived the lengthy power outage in Toronto a year ago December, many Canadians have experienced living conditions too cold to be believed. It's not the same as winter camping, when you come prepared and go home on Sunday. Having the elements invade your home is quite a different thing. Advertisement Millions of Syrian families are experiencing that kind of cold right now. It may come as a surprise to many Canadians that places like Lebanon and Turkey actually get extremely cold in the winter months, making life even more miserable for people who have fled conflict to live in refugee camps. All photos and video by Ralph Baydoun, World Vision It's something World Vision photographer Ralph Baydoun experienced this week, when he chose to camp out in an informal Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, to get a sense of what the families there experience all winter long. A snowstorm was expected. Ralph documented the refugees' preparations, their survival tactics over a 24-hour period -- and his own sense of fear and dread. Advertisement Watch a video of Ralph during the night "It was a psychological war that I was fighting," Ralph recorded. "The wind was growing stronger and the tent was shaking all around me. I tried to squeeze my head and neck into my sleeping bag, because they were freezing." No mercy for the vulnerable With his cameras, Ralph documented the refugees' storm preparations, including bracing their tents to withstand the expected 40 cm of snow. He met two of the children who would spend the coming hours climbing up on the roofs of the tents, cleaning away the snow throughout the night. "I met Mhammad and Jomaa, both nine years old. They were on the roofs of two tents, clearing away the falling snow. They told me that they work all night cleaning snow off the tents, paid by the other refugees. They earn around 50 cents each." Mhammad and Jomaa are the two boys on the left. They would spend the night climbing onto the roofs of shelters, clearing off the snow to prevent collapse. Advertisement Inside the shelters, families huddled for warmth, telling stories of Syria around the stove, and drinking sweet tea for energy. Ralph was offered a cup at each shelter he visited, introducing a problem he'd never considered. "For the first time in my life, I had to think twice before having a warm drink. Should I drink this cup of tea and risk having to go to the toilet out in the cold during this storm?" It's a dilemma that most Canadians have never experienced: whether to forgo a hot drink, one of the few comforts offered in the extreme cold, in order to avoid a freezing midnight trip to the latrine in the middle of a blizzard. Alone in his tent for the night As the night wore on, Ralph bid the refugees goodnight, and headed back to his own tent -- one he'd set up just that afternoon. "At this point, I couldn't feel my fingers and toes anymore," he wrote, as the storm intensified. "I was hugging my sleeping bag around me, and I realized how lonely I was. It was scary. Not just the cold and the wind -- the idea of being in these circumstances alone was terrifying." Advertisement With the driving snow piling up on his tent, Ralph quickly realized he wouldn't get much sleep that night. "My mind developed a constant alarm," he wrote. "I was sleeping for 20 minutes, and then waking up to clean the tent by pushing up on the fabric. It was lighter than the refugees' tents, so I could push off the snow without going outside" Watch a video of Ralph outside his tent, just before midnight. As the freezing rain and sleet assaulted his tent it got wetter and wetter, so Ralph picked up the pace. "I started waking up every 10 minutes to see if the tent was going to collapse. If was either that, I thought, or I'm going to freeze to death. That might have been unlikely in one night, but it really felt like psychological warfare." Gathering wood with freezing hands By 6 a.m., the storm had stopped. The camp was covered with solid, cracking snow -- and bitter cold. "I couldn't open my tripod to film anymore," he wrote. But keeping his hands warm wasn't an option for seven-year-old Omar. "He was out getting wood for his family's stove," recalls Ralph. "I walked with him, and the pile of wood was covered with snow. Omar had to grab some and chop the wood in the cold. I could see the wood was wet and got frozen at night." Advertisement Watch Ralph's video of the morning after the storm In a refugee settlement, explains Ralph, everyone works. Not all of the children have fathers in the camp to take care of them; some have died or are still in Syria. "Other fathers had spent the whole night awake, fearful for their families and clearing blockages in the pipes of the small stoves in their tents to prevent back-draft and explosions in the tent," write Ralph. The pain of saying goodbye Although Ralph had no desire to spend another night in his tent, the pain of leaving the settlement to head back to his home base was acute. "Every time I leave a small community like the one, it's harder than the time before. As you're packing up, you become speechless. What should I say? I always end up with 'good luck' which I hate. But I can't find anything else to say." "Good luck, hope you go back to your country..." Canadians understand cold. We can help. For millions of Syrians driven from their homes by violent conflict, winter in makeshift camps can be life threatening. The UN estimates that 12.2 million people living in Syria -- almost half of these being children -- are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, as are over 4 million people who've taken refuge in other countries. Advertisement You can help give the gift of warmth, safety, and a little peace this winter, to families whose lives are in complete turmoil. Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Steven Puetzer via Getty Images Woman's face reflected in shards of broken glass New genetic research just announced is being seen as a major breakthrough in understanding the cause of schizophrenia. However, in my opinion, this research should go a long way to improving how those with this disease and their families are perceived, in silencing the anti-psychiatry crowd and in convincing health systems to do more. What scientists have uncovered is that the gene variant C4 on chromosome 6 is highly variable. In an analysis of 65,000 people with and without schizophrenia, they found that those who had a particular form of the gene had a higher expression of that gene and a higher risk of developing schizophrenia. Advertisement This gene not only helps to remove debris from the body after foreign invaders are destroyed by the immune system but it also prunes brain synapses that are no longer needed as the brain develops into adulthood. This is a normal process but in schizophrenia, it is believed that there is excessive pruning and subsequent loss of grey matter. In those who develop schizophrenia, these genes target too many cells for elimination. The concept of excessive pruning has been hypothesized in the medical literature for quite some time to explain why schizophrenia does not manifest itself until later in adolescence. Researcher, Dr Steven McCarroll of Harvard who headed up the study, told the CBC that autopsies performed on those with schizophrenia have found fewer synapses than in people without schizophrenia. This research is the first time it has been demonstrated how this deficit of synapses and the loss of grey matter occurs. What I find significant about this research is that it proves that the long held belief by many (which still exists today) that families are to blame for schizophrenia is not valid. In fact, in the CBC interview cited above, Dr McCarroll makes that very point. At about the 7 minute mark, he states that you cannot blame the parents for a biological process. Going beyond that, it should disprove to all those who argue that it is trauma in childhood that is responsible for schizophrenia that this is not the case. This is the mainstay theory of the British Psychological Society and of the Hearing Voices movement and others. It should also put to rest the arguments of many of the anti-psychiatry advocates who say that if you don't have a simple blood test to prove schizophrenia then it doesn't exist. That's like saying because you can't do a simple test to prove Alzheimer's Disease, it too doesn't exist. Advertisement As this is a biological/genetic condition, then clearly governments should be doing more to help those who suffer. Right now, throughout North America, large numbers of people with schizophrenia are abandoned by our society and health care systems to homelessness and jail rather than being cared for in a proper and humanitarian way. There is no excuse for this and now, with this research, even less excuse. What society abandons and ignores those amongst it that suffer from physical problems not of their own making? And just maybe, thanks to research of this sort, we can end talking about schizophrenia and other biological illnesses as mental health problems and issues. Yes, they are problems and they are issues but they are that because they are real illnesses and it is about time society began to see them as they really are -- devastating illnesses which should not be trivialized by the terms issues and problems. Governments which fund most programs should only fund those that provide programs that are evidence based. Just recently in another blog, I wrote about Ontario providing about $500,000 a year to a program called Family Outreach. The social worker who started that believes that madness, as she calls it, is really a human experience rather than an illness, she is distrustful and opposed to the medical model and considers that people can do well without the need for medical intervention. The sister of Saeed Malekpour, a Canadian resident and engineer who is unlawfully imprisoned in Iran, is calling on Canadians to help push for her brother's release and safe return to Canada. She is requesting from Canadian residents to sign an official petition calling on the Canadian government to intervene on Saeed Malekpour's behalf to the Iranian regime for the coordination of his immediate release. Individuals who are interested to help Maryam are instructed to print out the petition found here, collect a minimum of 25 signatures, and send the petition to their local Member of Parliament. Maryam aims to draw the attention of Canadian MPs to Saeed Malekpour's plight so her brother's case may be addressed and highlighted in the House of Commons. In her blog post Maryam Malekpour writes that she hopes the petition will give her the chance to meet the prime minister or foreign minister in person. Advertisement Before the Christmas holidays Maryam Malekpour and the daughter of Mostafa Azizi, a Canadian resident and filmmaker who is also jailed in Iran, wrote a joint letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requesting from him to help ensure their immediate release. The Trudeau government has yet to issue a response to the letter. What has happened to Saeed and Mostafa is unfair, they should be released from prison immediately and unconditionally. Every minute they remain behind bars is torture for us; we feel helpless and imprisoned ourselves. We hope you will stand with us and defend the fundamental human rights of our family members, in order to help bring them back home to Canada where they can live a peaceful and safe life. The full text is posted on the Saeed Malekpour campaign blog. Maryam Malekpour has also sent a separate letter to Foreign Minister Stephane Dion: There is no sign that they plan on releasing him any time soon. It is clear that to the Iranian authorities Saeed's case was never about moderating "obscene" websites, my brother is a political hostage who will only be released with the right amount of diplomatic pressure. I ask you to ensure that human rights - especially the case of Saeed and other Canada-linked prisoners (like Mostafa Azizi) - is always placed at the forefront of any talks with the government of Iran. I have heard Canada is thinking of reopening diplomatic relations with the government of Iran, this would be the best time to call for Saeed's release and safe return to Canada. The full text of the letter is posted on the blog. Until 2013, Maryam Malekpour was living in Iran where she bravely campaigned to stop her brother's execution order, but once Saeed's case received widespread attention, she faced dangerous threats by Iranian authorities and was forced to flee. With the help of the Canadian government, activists and concerned citizens, Maryam sought refuge in Canada and is currently living in the west coast where she advocates for her brother's freedom. Her efforts have so far moved Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to quash Malekpour's death sentence. She now hopes a new round of vigorous campaigning will lead to her brother's release from prison. Advertisement The motive behind Saeed Malekpour's imprisonment is not clear. Iranian authorities claim Malekpour moderated pornographic websites, an act Iran's Judiciary has deemed punishable by death. The petition to Canada's House of Commons states that the only evidence that Iranian courts have ever presented against Saeed were forced confessions he gave under extreme psychological and physical torture. For more information about Saeed Malekpour, check out the campaign's blog or Facebook page. Florea Marius Catalin via Getty Images Justice-series with different situation True Crime is back. Podcasts like Serial and documentary series like The Jinx and, of course, Making a Murderer hearken back to the golden ages of 48 Hours and Dateline. Accompanying this new cultural obsession is a sudden surge in interest to overhaul the deeply flawed criminal justice system. Petitions to free the "wrongfully convicted" Adnan Syed from Serial and Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey from Making a Murderer have signatures in the hundreds of thousands. Even President Obama felt obligated to comment on the case. These shows have rekindled a collective desire to fix the systematic corruption of our police forces, our courts and our prisons -- but the solution we've landed upon, the hero that will right all these egregious wrongs, is the figure of the wrongfully imprisoned. Advertisement But, like the well-worn trope of the true crime genre, we've got the wrong guy. In case it needs to be said, nobody should ever be jailed for a crime they didn't commit and the presumption of innocence is paramount to a functioning justice system. If a jury does not have enough evidence to convict an accused -- or if that evidence is suspect -- it cannot convict them. But if the takeaway from this latest rash of binge watching afflicting North America is that our jails are full of wrongfully convicted people, that would be a massive waste of our collective will. First, in both Making a Murderer and Serial, it is highly probable that both Syed and Avery are guilty. The Interceptinterviewed Serial's archvillain Jay Wilds, who the podcast repeatedly characterizes as unreliable, even duplicitous, because he can't remember if Best Buy had a payphone or not 15 years earlier. What he does remember is Syed showing him victim Hae Min Lee's body: "there's no new evidence that's gonna change what I saw," Jay said. "I saw Hae dead in the trunk of the car." Serial is engrossing and addictive. And its best feature is the way producer and host Sarah Koenig presents an open mind: she admits to liking Syed, but can't decide whether or not she thinks he's guilty right up to the concluding episode. But the podcast works because of bewildering CSI-like details, not the messy and patient work of justice: a misleading witness statement here, old blueprints there, weather records and 10-minute conversations over whether or not a critical cell phone call could feasibly be a butt dial. All that whodunit minutiae is undone by the single image of Lee stuffed in the trunk of her car by her ex-boyfriend. Advertisement Similarly, for all the work Making a Murderer does to undermine the state of Wisconsin's case against Steve Avery, he remains the most likely killer of Teresa Halbach. In a "I-binge-watched-it-too" disclaimer, let me say that I am sure that Manitowoc county almost certainly planted evidence and compromised the jury with disgraced former District Attorney Ken Kratz's lurid, disingenuous and sensational press conferences. One thing I won't be doing is arguing that police in North America are not systematically corrupt, self-interested and dangerous to the idea of justice. But I also think Avery did it. An excellent primer at Pajiba reveals an extremely strong, if circumstantial, case against Avery: he had a history of harassing Halbach including calling her from *67 numbers to the point she had asked her boss not to send her to Avery again; Avery had purchased handcuffs and leg irons a week before the murder; Brendan Dassey's flawed statements nonetheless revealed details about the location of Halbach's RAV4; and most damningly, Avery had been accused of rape multiple times and molesting Brendan Dassey, his alleged accomplice. I am aware that "probablys" and "most likelys" are not enough to convict someone and I agree with most viewers that both Syed and Avery deserve new trials, if not freedom. But if after learning that the police are a bunch of corrupt, depraved thugs waging war on North America's underclasses and the justice system is specifically designed to protect both the cops and itself, then signing a petition to vindicate these protagonists -- while the system remains a nightmare for those without acclaimed documentaries working to redeem them -- is a tremendously narrow conversion of the popular resolve it cultivated. Consider first the true casualties of these shows: women. Consider the two murdered women, Hae Min Lee and Teresa Halbach. Consider Penny Ann Beernstein, the survivor of the 1985 sexual assault for which Avery was wrongfully accused. But consider too the woman sexually assaulted by Gregory Allen while Avery was in prison for his crime; the two women Avery was accused of raping; the women harassed by DA Ken Kratz's lewd text messages; and consider Brendan Dassey's mother, incessantly harried by an uncaring press and unable to protect her son first from a sexual predator and then from a heartless, hostile criminal justice system. Steven Avery's release will not remedy this harm -- and will likely put more women in danger. It won't address the criminally low conviction rate for sexual assault allegations. It won't fix the culture of misogyny that permeates police departments across the continent. Advertisement The hurt the law exerts upon its victims is delivered long before someone is imprisoned for a crime they did not commit. The law is far more insidious. Instead of locking an innocent person up for a crime they did not commit; it criminalizes perfectly normal behavior to keep undesirables under its thumb: drug possession, trespassing, carding, stop-and-frisk, driving while black. The list goes on. These shows exist in the long shadows of Laquan McDonald and Tamir Rice, the subsequent police cover-ups and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. They take place under the black skies of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women epidemic and the stunning institutional indifference. Working to free the Steven Averys and Adnan Syeds of this darkened world seems like setting so many hairs afire to light our way when only floodlights, if not raw sunshine, will do. OXFAM Shame, victim-blaming and stigma are such common aspects of violence against women that many victims never go to the police. Photo: Oxfam by Julie Delahanty, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada We'll leave it to the courts to decide the fate of former CBC broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi, whose trial on five counts of sexual assault begins this week. But the issues his case raises about the way we view violence against women will linger on long after the trial is over. Advertisement Sexual assault and violence against women are often crimes in which the victims not only know their attackers, but are intimate with them. Statistically, 84 per cent of cases of reported violence against women in Canada and 75 per cent of sexual assaults involve attacks by our intimate partners, family members, or acquaintances. It's the people we love and know who hurt us. Shame, victim-blaming and stigma are such common aspects of crimes of violence against women that many victims never go to the police. Unfortunately, that fact complicates how people react to these crimes. Shame, victim-blaming and stigma are such common aspects of crimes of violence against women that many victims never go to the police. Within 24 hours after Toronto journalist Antonia Zerbisias introduced the #BeenRapedNeverReported hashtag on social media, more than eight million people around the world had used it. These aren't the simple crime stories of corner-store owners robbed at gunpoint. These are complicated stories where just stepping forward with an allegation requires tremendous bravery, given that victims have to reveal the most private details of their lives to seek justice. Advertisement We have all wondered how violence against women and girls continues to be so prevalent -- whether in our own neighborhoods or around the world. Anti-violence legislation in over 125 countries around the world is obviously not sufficient. I know from my work that it's underlying beliefs about what are 'appropriate' roles for men and women and power relations between them that often perpetuate a culture of violence -- making negative gender norms a key root cause of violence against women and girls. These norms are hard to see and to change because they seem, well, "normal". They contribute to making violence seem acceptable or expected, and to questioning the victim more than the perpetrator. In the early days after Ghomeshi was accused, many quickly jumped to his defence. He's a handsome, popular man completely beloved by CBC listeners. Many Canadians felt they "knew" him well after years of listening to him on the radio, and couldn't believe that the man they spent every weekday with was accused of being a violent predator. Their reaction highlighted yet another complexity about these crimes: they're so often committed in private spaces with nobody to witness them; they are essentially he-said-she-said cases. And who "he" or "she" is in the world counts for a lot. In the Ghomeshi case specifically, it wasn't until victims with more or less equal "star" stature -- actor Lucy DeCoutere and author Reva Seth -- stepped up with their own accusations that the public dialogue shifted. Imagine how things might have played out had all of his accusers been women with no power or social standing - sex workers, for instance. Advertisement The best chance of ending violence against women in our own country starts with changing the way we think about it. Even among those who ought to know better, you'll still overhear people speculating, "But did she provoke him?" or "Well, what did she expect, dressed like that?" when talking about a specific case of violence against a woman. Even in Canadian courts, there are still judges who ask 19-year-old victims why they didn't keep their knees together to prevent a rape. No other crime provokes such victim-blaming. Oxfam recently announced a partnership with the Government of Canada to reduce gender based violence in Asia. Among other projects, Oxfam is working with opinion makers, leaders and youth in the region to model changes and build honest conversations about the attitudes and social norms that all too often are used to rationalize violence. As I watch the news on the Ghomeshi trial this week, I am reminded that violence against women has no borders. Canada also needs to have the same honest conversations, because the best chance of ending violence against women in our own country starts with changing the way we think about it. ALSO ON HUFFPOST: Jian Ghomeshi Case: A Timeline See Gallery Amanda Edwards via Getty Images LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 25: Actress Stacey Dash arrives at the FOX, 20th Century FOX Television, FX Networks and National Geographic Channel's 2014 Emmy Award Nominee Celebration at Vibiana on August 25, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage) It's painful to watch someone pimp themselves out for a paycheque. But Black people do it every day. Why? To "go along to get along," to make colleagues comfortable, to ensure the few strands of opportunities that may come their way despite an uneven playing field aren't rubbed out. This week, Stacey Dash traded her values for a check when she turned her back on the African-American owned media outlets which supported her career, and their audiences. The once still 'Clueless' actress-turned-Fox News commentator called for the elimination of Black History Month, the BET Awards and other venues to highlight talent which is otherwise eclipsed by the ubiquity of whiteness (see #OscarsSoWhite controversy 1.0 and 2.0). Too many bigots -- blissfully unaware of the trick compensated ruse -- salivate on Dash's diatribe, wielding it like a weapon to uphold white supremacy. Advertisement The ruse has been employed for decades, and not just in the U.S. Banking on vulnerable people to lie to save their skin is one thing. To use these misguided statements, possibly offered under duress, as a catalyst for further marginalization of racialized groups is cruel. This tactic has often worked well for the establishment. In the mid-1950s, Dresden, Ontario was like many segregated Canadian towns. Black and white residents led separate social lives. Restaurants, barbershops and even churches banned African Canadians from entering. Many merchants refused to serve people of colour. When Black residents challenged the long-standing segregationist climate in a Dresden court room, the media descended on the south-western Ontario town to survey the racial row. To gauge the sentiment of the townsfolk, they interviewed local residents. Curiously, the black resident this journalist interrogated was the area's sole Black police officer. When asked about the race-based discrimination enforced by the City (and, implicitly, his employer), the smiling policeman stated "there was no discrimination here". Were (white) journalists enlightened enough to decipher the white lie a Black employee uttered to comfort his Caucasian coworkers and keep his coveted job? None of the period articles I found were conclusive. However, it is entirely plausible that local bigots used this coerced headline to justify the racist status quo. Advertisement The same sad scenario has repeated itself in Quebec this week. CBC TV producer and Quebecois celebrity Louis Morissette took to his wife's magazine, the public broadcaster's airwaves and La Presse newspaper to share his artistic sorrow: his bosses forbid him from using blackface during Radio-Canada's annual New Years' Eve TV comedy special. Even worse, Morissette was -- gasp -- forced to hire a Black actor to play a Black character on TV. Blackface, a longstanding practice by which a white actor tars his face to play a black character, is back in style in Quebec. (Some say it never went out of style.) Two afro-quebeckers vehemently and publicly defend blackface in French-speaking Canada: African immigrant-turned-CBC comedian Boucar Diouf and perennial token-black-character Normand Brathwaite, who notably got his career started by playing to Haitian immigrant stereotypes -- much to the Quebecois audience's delight. "This is not blackface," Normand Brathwaite said. "I'd be pretty pissed off if someone imitated me in a year-end show and didn't paint himself black, because I'm very proud of the colour of my skin." The Brathwaite-Diouf duo are often dragged to Quebec TV, radio and print to prop up bigot blackface-disciples, with a clear aim at silencing the vast majority of the black community which is offended by the practice. Brathwaite and Diouf work for the very Quebec-based broadcasters and producers who repeatedly rely on blackface for comic relief. No one has questioned the dynamics by which Brathwaite and Diouf defend their masters remain in the good graces of Quebec's white-dominated star systeme clique. Advertisement It's a false binary. Journalists pull the strings of public sentiment by selecting biased spokespersons. The Stacy Dash's of Quebec say what their employers want to hear. They've convinced many uninformed purelaine Quebeckers that blackface is no longer considered racist with their post-racialparadise. Regardless, the responsibility to present analysis of a racially-charged controversy isn't on Stacy Dash or the Brathwaite-Diouf duo. It behooves competent journalists forgo editorial fools' gold. James Cox and Sean Speer are Senior Fellows at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and co-authors of the recent essay "From a Mandate for Change to a Plan to Govern: A New National Defence Strategy for a Dangerous World." Foreign and defence policy has loomed over Parliament's first week back to work. Question Period is focused on big questions about when and where to use the Canadian Armed Forces, what values to champion abroad, and how to engage recalcitrant regimes. This is heady stuff. These debates are taking place against the backdrop of the Defence Minister's recent pronouncement that the government will undertake a comprehensive review of defence policy. The review, which is to be completed by the end of 2016, will need to answer some big questions. Advertisement What role will the Canadian Armed Forces play in the defence of Canada? Where and how will the Canadian Armed Forces cooperate with United States military forces in the defence of North America? Why, how and where will the Canadian Armed Forces be deployed abroad? What are the Canadian interests that will guide our military deployments? What kind of military do we need? Confronting these questions now is critical. Consider how much has changed since the previous government launched its Canada First Defence Strategy in 2008. The "surge" in Iraq had brought relative peace and security to the country, and the world was still unfamiliar with ISIS. Major defence procurement projects remained largely on their timelines and within budget. The global financial crisis had not yet surfaced to disrupt the government's finances and plunge it into several years of deficit spending. The government is right, then, to carry out this type of review now. As the Chief of the Defence Staff has said, "... it's important for the government every now and then, the country, to take stock." There isn't enough space here for us to attempt to answer strategic "what", and "why" questions with regards to Canadian defence policy. But suffice it to say the review will have to address more than simple platitudes about peacekeeping and restoring Canada's reputation as an "honest broker." The government will need a better-defined defence policy to face tough decisions - such as whether to continue the current mission against ISIS - throughout its mandate. Advertisement Irrespective of what the government ultimately decides with respect to its overarching priorities, there are some key ingredients -- what the Minister has called the "how part" -- to place defence policy on a stronger footing. Lessons from the past suggest that the government must establish clear priorities for what capabilities and capacities our military needs, adequate, predictable funding, and a more effective and efficient procurement process, to better execute the national defence policy. Defence policy should reflect the government's overarching objectives, playing to our strengths in maritime, land and aerospace expeditionary capabilities. This will help ensure that resources -- both financial and human -- are properly targeted and giving us the most bang for our buck. Financial resources should be directed to a few critical priorities instead of a "Walmart approach" to military expenditures. Consistent, predictable funding is also important. A key goal of the review should be to match defence objectives with fiscal resources, so that ends have adequate means. This will invariably involve some tough questions but it's ultimately a much better approach than a one-off spending cut. The new government's affirmation of the recent defence budget increase is a good first step, but it must exercise caution in any efforts to squeeze out further budgetary savings through an across-the-board exercise. Another area for reform is the procurement process itself. The current Defence Procurement Strategy has strengths, but problems with respect to procurement capacity and internal decision-making still linger. Any good plan will ultimately flounder if the department is unable to acquire new assets and resources on-schedule and within budget. Advertisement Procurement review should therefore focus on improving the capacity of the department's procurement workforce. Over the last decade, the number of big and complex defence projects increased significantly, but the procurement workforce did not, resulting in too few people, with too little experience, spending too little time on complicated files before rotating off to their next job. The government needs more experienced procurement experts, increased access to training and professional development, and retention of trained personnel in key positions. This will probably require shifting resources in light of the government's overall budget constraints. These three recommendations won't help the government answer the big picture questions it's facing in Question Period. But they will help the government implement its defence policy more effectively and better ensure the Canadian Armed Forces have the trained personnel, equipment and infrastructure they need to defend Canada and Canadians at home and abroad, now and in the future. David Dodge, Green Energy Futures For eight years, British Columbia has earned global praise for its carbon tax. But without a reaffirmed commitment to tackling climate change, these years of accolades may be numbered. Most recently, the New York Times editorial board observed that B.C., "placed the highest price on emissions in North America" with "no negative impact on the province's growth rate." Last month, the U.S.-based Carbon Tax Center described B.C.'s $30-per-tonne levy as the "most comprehensive and transparent carbon tax in the Western Hemisphere, if not the world." Advertisement Part of the province's ground-breaking 2008 Climate Action Plan, the carbon tax took effect in July of that year at a rate of $10 per tonne of carbon pollution. The tax was increased by $5 per year until 2012. It's currently frozen at $30 until 2018. Although B.C.'s emissions initially fell under the Climate Action Plan, they have been creeping up in the past few years and are projected to continue rising without stronger climate policies. It's now clear the province is on track to miss its legislated targets for reducing carbon pollution. Fortunately, Premier Christy Clark's government is working on a new Climate Leadership Plan, which is due out this spring. On January 25, the province kicked off a second 60-day, web-based public consultation for the long-awaited plan. This is a critical opportunity to rally public support for ambitious new actions. Unfortunately, similar to the previous consultation period, the government will not be putting in the kind of resources necessary to ensure robust engagement across the province. There will not be any town halls or public presentations to solicit feedback. Advertisement Given the need to create a plan that all British Columbians can take pride in, it's disappointing that the government doesn't intend to hold a more robust consultation on the plan. In the coming weeks, the Pembina Institute plans to host a series of webinars, dialogues and a Twitter chat to help encourage as much participation from British Columbians as possible. It's worth noting that B.C. already has the blueprint for a strong Climate Leadership Plan. In November, ahead of the United Nations climate-change conference in Paris, Environment Minister Mary Polak released the report of the province's Climate Leadership Team. Its members included experts from the business, academic and environmental communities as well as representatives from the provincial government, First Nations and local governments. The team's 32 recommendations are designed to help the province reduce carbon pollution while maintaining a strong economy. They cover everything from carbon pricing and emissions-reduction targets to building standards and industrial regulations. Key recommendations include: Increasing B.C.'s carbon tax by $10 per tonne per year starting in 2018 (and using the incremental revenue to lower the PST from seven per cent to six per cent, protect low-income households and implement measures to maintain the competiveness of emissions-intensive, trade-exposed industry); Cutting methane emissions from the natural-gas sector by 40 per cent within five years; Committing to 100 per cent renewable energy on the electricity grid by 2025 (except where fossil fuels are required for backup); Requiring new buildings to be so energy-efficient that they would be capable of meeting most of their annual energy needs with onsite renewable energy within the next 10 years (and starting in 2016 for new public buildings); Requiring an increasing percentage (rising to 30 per cent by 2030) of light-duty vehicles sold in the province to be zero-emission vehicles; Reviewing the Climate Leadership Plan every five years. At a minimum, a strong Climate Leadership Plan must include a commitment to implement all of the Climate Leadership Team's recommendations. According to the team, the government must adopt the entire package of recommendations to put B.C. on a "credible pathway" to meeting its legislated 2050 emissions target. "By taking decisive action now to reduce our carbon pollution and stimulate innovation B.C. will be sending consistent, credible long term policy signals to the marketplace, protecting our economy and our health, and working to ensure a stable climate," the team's report states. Let's make sure that the government -- and opposition parties -- know how much support there is for a strong Climate Leadership Plan and the opportunities it would provide for the province. Take action by submitting your comments to climateleadershipplan@gov.bc.ca by March 25, writing a letter to the editor, spreading the word on social media and participating in our events. With the upcoming first ministers' meeting on climate change, the recent adoption of the Paris Agreement and Alberta's new plans for a carbon tax and coal phase-out, the time is ripe for B.C. to take its place again among the world's climate leaders. Stephen Hui is the communications lead for British Columbia at the Pembina Institute, a non-profit think-tank that advocates for strong, effective policies to support Canada's clean-energy transition. Advertisement (This article previously appeared on Ricochet.) Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook Prime Minister David Cameron (right) greets European Council president Donald Tusk at 10 Downing Street in London ahead of crunch talks to finalise an EU reform package that could be backed by the rest of the 28-country bloc. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire David Camerons renegotiation of the UKs relationship with the EU is entering an intensive 24 hours after European Council President Donald Tusk left a Downing Street dinner saying no deal had been reached. Mr Tusk met with the Prime Minster this evening, but after less than two hours inside Number 10 emerged to say no agreement had been struck. Advertisement However, a Downing Street source told the Huffington Post UK that progress had been made on key issues including the so-called emergency brake on in-work benefits to EU migrants. Mr Tusk even went as far as agreeing that the UKs current EU net migration level of 180,000 a year would meet the criteria for the brake to applied. UK negotiators will begin work at the crack of dawn tomorrow the source said in order to try and reach an agreement on the detail of the brake within 24 hours. The source said: Tusk agreed to an extra 24 hours of intensive talks. He was due to publish the text of the draft deal tomorrow, but that will probably be Tuesday at the earliest. Advertisement He added: There was a significant breakthrough on the emergency brake, with Tusk acknowledging that the current circumstance in the UK would meet the criteria to trigger the brake. The source said the deal was still not quite there and there were further discussions to be had over issues including the abuse of free movement, such as sham marriages. In a statement, a Downing Street spokesperson said: On welfare, the Commission have tabled a text making clear that the UKs current circumstances meet the criteria for triggering the emergency brake. "This is a significant breakthrough, meaning the Prime Minister can deliver on his commitment to restrict in work benefits to EU migrants for four years. But there are still areas where there is more to do and both agreed it was therefore worth taking the extra time to make further progress. Advertisement One such area is economic governance where we want to ensure the enforcement mechanism is watertight, recognising that there must be ways to escalate an issue where we have concerns. "Another is abuse of free movement, where we want to see more substantive proposals including closing backdoor routes to Britain which have enabled non-EU illegal migrants to stay in Britain in recent years." The emergency brake would enable the UK to introduce a halt on in-work benefit to new migrants if public services were deemed to be under strain from immigration. Brussels favour the brake system over Mr Camerons original plan to stop migrants accessing any in-work benefits for the first four years they work in the UK. Prior to this evening, it was believed both sides are quibbling over when the brake could be activated, with the Prime Minister reported to be wanting to operate the policy which would last for four years at the current levels of immigration. Advertisement After a dinner of smoked salmon, beef with vegetables, and pear and apple crumble, Mr Tusk left without reaching an agreement with Mr Cameron and tweeted: No deal yet. Intensive work in next 24 crucial. #UKinEU Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) January 31, 2016 Tonights dinner with Mr Tusk comes just days after Mr Cameron travelled to Brussels to meet with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Parliament president Martin Schulz. The increase in diplomatic activity has caused speculation that Mr Cameron wants to have all the pieces in place to finalise a deal at the European summit which begins on February 18. If negotiations could be concluded then, it would pave the way for a June referendum something thought to favour the Remain campaign as the Leave camps are in a state of disarray. Advertisement For several hours on Monday evening, the worlds attention will focus on the voters of a small, midwestern state with a population of less than half of London. Thats because after eight months of campaigning, countless debates, blanket media coverage and several drop outs, the American electorate will finally enter the 2016 presidential election. The phony war is over. Hostilities will have finally begun. Advertisement Yet Iowa is a strange place to start, strikingly unrepresentative of the shifting social or demographic lines that are currently redrawing the country. Its white, very white -- around 90 percent white, according to a 2014 U.S. census, while much of the state's industry centres on agriculture. Iowa is also one of only 10 states that still use caucusing for voting. Rather than individuals casting ballots in private booths, caucuses are local group meetings in which voters openly discuss candidates with a final decision usually given by a show of hands. This takes time and considerable enthusiasm for the democratic process meaning voter turnout is traditionally very low. The state's status as the first to vote only dates back to the 1970s, but it's a convention now fiercely protected by Iowans. This is due in part to the prestige but also because of the economic boost the state receives every four years when the worlds media descends. Advertisement Later this year at the Democratic and Republican Party conventions, delegates from each state will vote for the eventual presidential nominee. Iowa has very little impact on this process - its delegates make up only around 1 percent of the national total. Yet the state can still define the race, propelling a candidate on a trajectory to the White House (Barack Obama, 2008) or bring a campaign to a stuttering halt (Michele Bachmann, 2012). As Democratic contender Senator George McGovern of South Dakota reflected during the 1972 election, Iowa is terribly important. Its the first test in the nation, where we get any test at all. Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign event at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Jan. 24, 2016 Advertisement As such, America will have a far sharper view on both the Democratic and Republican candidates by Tuesday morning. Republican Donald Trump has been leading across all national polls since he declared his run early last summer. Should he win in Iowa, his path to the nomination is that much smoother. A win would also send a strong message to Republican Party leaders and potential donors to his rivals' campaigns: don't waste time or money betting against Trump, he's going to win. The Republican Party establishment has tried (and hitherto failed) to undercut the businessman's campaign for several months. Should the tycoon leave Iowa with a victory, the establishment may (reluctantly) give his bizarre campaign its backing, reasoning that Trump's coronation is inevitable. As Professor Scott Lucas, lecturer in international politics, at the University of Birmingham, told the Huffington Post UK, "a Trump victory means that, with his lead in the forthcoming primary states, the rest of the Republican pack are chasing him. More importantly, it means that the Republican establishment are chasing him." Advertisement For the Democrats, Bernie Sanders has gained considerable ground on Hillary Clinton in recent months. Should the senator from Vermont win the caucuses, his campaign will go to the next primary states with genuine momentum while the Clinton campaign will be forced to examine its own strategy. Sanders, however, has a far more difficult path to the nomination regardless of the result, particularly with Clinton likely to be strong in many of the upcoming primaries. Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has recreated the famous photo of a drowned Syrian toddler as part of an art project that has sharply divided opinion. Weiwei lay down on a pebbled beach on the Greek island of Lesbos to pose as Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old whose lifeless body was shown in pictures shared around the world last year. The pictures for India Today magazine show Weiwei lying on his front with his arms by his sides, in a black-and-white shot that has been called both "iconic" and "ridiculous and inappropriate". Advertisement Harrowing viral pictures of Kurdi's body, which washed up with others on a beach in Turkey, were hailed as helping the world 'wake up' to the humanitarian crisis around the war in Syria. Weiwei has been spending time on the shores of Lesbos, where hundreds of refugees are arriving from the Middle East and North Africa. He has helped people climbing off the vessels and is "collecting rubber pieces of the boats for an art installation project," according to the Washington Post. The photo of Weiwei's pose, shared Twitter by former Washington Post editor David Beard, was called "horribly inappropriate" and "stupid" by commenters. Advertisement "Powerful? Ridiculous, and inappropriate you mean. Stupid, idiotic, and famewhoring too," said one. Another added, "It is a horribly inappropriate banal publicity stunt. Perhaps to keep him in the limelight." Weiwei has been researching an art project and helping refugees But Sandy Angus, co-owner of India Art Fair where the image will be shown, said: It is an iconic image because it is very political, human and involves an incredibly important artist like Ai Weiwei. The image is haunting and represents the whole immigration crisis and the hopelessness of the people who have tried to escape their pasts for a better future. Rohit Chawla, the photographer who took the photos, told the Washington Post: "I am sure it wasnt very comfortable to lie down on the pebbles like that. But the soft evening light fell on his face when he lay down." The India Today editor who interviewed Weiwei said he told the artist he would meet him at his studio, but Weiwei reportedly replied: "The seashore is my studio." Advertisement The photo is part of a series of art engaging with the refugee crisis facing Europe, according to The Guardian. It will appear in India Today and at an exhibition in the India Art Fair. In pictures shared on Ai Weiwei's Facebook page, he is seen with refugees holding up placards saying "#SafePassage". A series of other photos show people on the shore after arriving, being helped by volunteers and travelling on a bus. Advertisement Advertisement Last week Weiwei announced he was closing an art exhibition in Denmark in protest at the country's new law allowing valuables to be seized from refugees. He told the Guardian: My moments with refugees in the past months have been intense. I see thousands come daily, children, babies, pregnant women, old ladies, a young boy with one arm. They come with nothing, barefoot, in such cold, they have to walk across the rocky beach. Then you have this news; it made me feel very angry. Advertisement Black workers earn much less than similarly qualified white workers, at all levels of education, with an average pay gap of 23%, according to research. The figures, from the Trades Union Congress (TUC), come as education chiefs were on Monday summoned to Downing Street by David Cameron as part of an anti-discrimination drive. They are due to meet with business secretary Sajid Javid to discuss why young black men are more likely to be in prison than studying at a top university. As part of Cameron's plans, universities will be required to disclose what proportion of ethnic minority applicants get places. He has also warned police, the courts and the armed forces that they were all the focus of his plan to tackle social inequality, suggesting it might be fuelled by "ingrained, institutional and insidious" racism. Advertisement Black workers earn on average 23% less than similarly qualified white workers, at all education levels Labour MP David Lammy has also been recruited by Number 10 to carry out a major review into discrimination in the criminal justice system, including why black offenders are more likely to be jailed for the same offences as their white criminal counterpart. According to TUC figures quoted by the BBC, black graduates earn on average 14.33 an hour, compared with 18.63 earned by white graduates. Advertisement The average pay gap between black and white workers with A-levels is 14%, the TUC says. At GCSE level it is 11%. The TUC's general secretary Frances O'Grady said race "still plays a huge role in determining pay" and the "harsh reality" is that black and Asian workers are getting paid less than their white counterparts. O'Grady told the BBC that the government "cannot afford" to ignore the TUC figures, and "must now take genuine action to tackle pay discrimination". The Runnymede Trust, a leading race equality think tank, has previously found that pay gaps are not due to the type of university attended, as they even extend to black workers with degrees from the most selective Russell Group of universities. TUC's analysis, of Labour Force Survey figures from 2014 and 2015, shows the pay gaps are widest for those with higher qualifications. Advertisement "This suggests that education alone will do little to address racial inequalities, and the need for interventions that directly challenge racial inequalities in the workplace," it said. The TUC is calling on the government to recognise the scale of the problem and to urgently develop a race equality strategy. The Prime Minister said on Sunday that the transparency rules should prompt institutions such as Oxford to work harder to broaden their intake, something it said Monday that it does "not see the need" for. Cameron said the absence of any black generals, the fact that just 4% of FTSE 100 chief executives were from ethnic minorities and that young black men were more likely to be in prison than at a top university "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." Javid said it was "striking" that the 2,500-strong 2014 intake at his own university - Oxford - included only 27 black students and suggested it was "not doing enough to attract talent from across our country". Advertisement Oxford said it did "not see the need" for such legislation and insisted the effects of social inequality were "already pronounced before children begin formal schooling" and could not be addressed by higher education alone. "Any serious solution to the problem of unequal educational progression must take into account the unequal distribution of high attainment across schools, socio-economic groups, even geography," a spokesman said. He said 367 undergraduates from ethnic minority backgrounds were accepted in 2015, 15% more than in 2010 - 64 of those being black students, up from 39 five years ago. "We are constantly working to update what information we provide and although we do not see the need for further legislation, we would welcome discussions on what more information we could publish," the spokesman said. Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of elite universities, said universities invested a "huge amount of time, effort and resources" into broadening the student mix but needed more help from others. Advertisement "There are still far too many children from disadvantaged backgrounds underachieving at school and receiving poor advice and guidance. "It will take time, commitment, and sustained action from a range of agencies to raise pupils' aspirations, increase attainment and improve the advice and guidance offered." Sir Anthony Seldon, University of Buckingham vice-chancellor, welcomed the push by Cameron, one of several prime ministers of whom the historian has written biographies. "It is deeply wrong that black and other ethnic minority students are so poorly represented in our universities, notably those like Oxford, which should be leading the way," he said. Advertisement Lammy, a qualified barrister, has been tasked with finding solutions to what the PM called a "disgraceful" gulf in sentencing treatment. He is due to produce recommendations on how to tackle discrimination at all stages - from arrest, through courts and prisons to rehabilitation - by the spring of 2017. Official figures show 61% of black and ethnic minority offenders in England and Wales receive custodial sentences, compared with 56% of their white counterparts. They also make up a disproportionate amount of Crown Court defendants (24%). Lammy told the Murnaghan programme on Sky News that he had discussed the appointment with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who he said had "taken up these issues within the criminal justice system for many, many years". "There are occasions when the issue is beyond party politics. This is absolutely one of them," he said. Advertisement Television and radio presenter Evan Davis has revealed how he "came out" to his family and the importance of "being yourself" as he talked about mental health issues facing young gay people in Britain. In a candid interview, the 53-year-old revealed: "There are kind of acute stresses and I have loads of those and I get terrified every night Im on TV." Advertisement Davis, a patron for LGBT event Student Pride, tied his own long and tortuous story of coming out with advice for those struggling with their own sexuality. Evan Davis has opened up about his mental health The Newsnight presenter said: Coming out to myself was a long drawn out teenage thing, it was pretty tortuous really and I was resisting it for quite a while then suddenly I just let go, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. "I said to myself I was going to tell them [my parents] by Christmas this year, and at three-o-clock on Christmas afternoon, and I still hadnt done it so ok its got to be now, and the whole family was there, so I did a kind of hey guys, Ive got something to tell you. Advertisement "There was a lot of discussion and there was some angst on the part of my parents, and a whole lot of different things, but I think it went pretty well." Davis also touched upon his behaviour after he came out, providing advice for those facing the same choices: "There was a lot of subsequent decisions to be made about how out I am at work and who I tell and who I dont tell and what sort of public profile I want to have at work, but more just among my colleagues like how gay do I want to be in front of my friends and colleagues at work? "In the end, the best thing is that you just be yourself and not be anything that youre not, I just cant stress enough, its tiring trying to be something that youre not, and pretending that youre something that youre not and hiding gaping great bits of your life from your colleagues at work or leading a double life and its tiring. Ive been there, if you can avoid it." Davis also touched upon the close complexities between mental health and coming out, saying good mental health and being authentic and being true and comfortable with yourself are inextricably linked so I think its much easier to have a sound, comfortable mind when youre one person and you know what that person is and youre comfortable with it. In 2014 a study from Cambridge University found that lesbians, gays and bisexuals are more likely to have long-standing mental health problems and are twice as likely to have had bad experiences with their GP than heterosexual people. In one of the biggest surveys of homosexuals in England, researchers found that 12% of lesbian women and almost 19% of bisexual women reported mental health problems, compared with six per cent of heterosexual women. Meanwhile 11% of gay men and 1% of bisexual men reported problems, compared to 5% of heterosexual men. Adding to this, another report by NUS LGBT in 2014 showed that 1 in 5 students face homophobia, and 1 in 3 face transphobia. National Student Pride, which shot the video, said that its key focus this year is breaking down the taboo around Mental Health. Advertisement "Were talking about it because we believe every story we tell about mental health gives hope to others," a spokesperson said. The acting world has been paying tribute to stage and screen star Frank Finlay, following his death at the age of 89. The star was surrounded by his family when he passed away at his home over the weekend in Weybridge, Surrey, from heart failure after a short illness. His family announced his death in a message on his website, saying he had been renowned for his kindness and generosity and his death was an inestimable loss to the acting world. Advertisement Frank Finlay (1926-2016) "We are very saddened to announce that Frank died today 30 January 2016 at home surrounded by his family, the message read. He was a fine actor and will be very much missed by his friends and family." Sir Roger Moore, who starred with the actor in the 1978 film The Wild Geese paid tribute to his great co-star on Twitter. Frank was a great co-star in The a Wild Geese. British Oscar-nominated actor Frank Finlay dies aged 89 https://t.co/Ai3drsu7lP Sir Roger Moore (@sirrogermoore) January 31, 2016 Advertisement Other stars also took to Twitter to pay their respects Remembering Frank Finlay as Captain Bligh in Mutiny! A superb actor who will be sadly missed https://t.co/sLrXR84ZOppic.twitter.com/SUi1DGvAP3 Stage Door Records (@stagedoorlondon) January 31, 2016 Bouquets to the great Frank Finlay. Musketeer, vampire hunter, green-eyed Iago. A wonderfully fiery presence on stage and screen. RIP Mark Gatiss (@Markgatiss) January 31, 2016 RIP Dearest Frank Finlay, a kind and generous Man and Actor to work with ,launched me as Leading Lady in Mutiny, a huge loss ,great Legacy Sinitta 19 (@sinittaofficial) January 31, 2016 So very sad !! the wonderful actor Frank Finlay has died ! Amazing talent will always be remembered !! sherrie hewson (@SherrieHewson) January 30, 2016 Very sad to hear that actor & Equity member Frank Finlay has passed away. Our condolences to his family & friends https://t.co/NkQL1ozGuc Equity (@EquityUK) February 1, 2016 Advertisement The Lancashire-born acting legend featured in over 50 movies in his sixty year acting career, including an Oscar-nominated turn opposite Laurence Olivier in 1965s Othello. Starring opposite Laurence Olivier in 'Othello', which he received an Oscar nod for He also starred in scores of TV roles including Casanova, Tales Of The Unexpected, Prime Suspect, Lovejoy and Heartbeat, and became an established star with his role in the big screen adaptation of The Three Musketeers in 1973. The actor played Porthos alongside Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain and Michael York, in a cast that also included Christopher Lee and Raquel Welch. Advertisement Frank starred in the big screen adaptations of 'The Three Musketeers' He returned to the role in 1974's The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge - and again in 1989's The Return of the Musketeers. In his later years he starred in Roman Polanski's 2002 film The Pianist and was a regular fixture on our TV screens until 2009, including a recurring role alongside Alexander Armstrong in Life Begins in 2006. Embargoed to 0001 Sunday January 3File photo dated 30/01/02 of the Royal Navy's 16,000 ton Trident-class nuclear submarine Vanguard. Costs for the "immoral and obscene" replacement for the Trident nuclear missile submarines have already reached almost 5 billion before Parliament has voted to give the project the final go-ahead, the SNP said. Labours review of defence policy has concluded that Jeremy Corbyns option of submarines without nuclear weapons would be very difficult to achieve, HuffPost UK has been told. Shadow Defence Secretary Emily Thornberry, who is set to brief the Shadow Cabinet on her analysis tomorrow, is understood to have swiftly realised that leaving nuclear warheads off the new generation of Successor submarines would be impractical. Advertisement Last month on the Andrew Marr Show, Mr Corbyn floated the idea of a third way on planned 1bn renewal of the UKs Trident nuclear deterrent system. The Labour leader had stressed that Trident didnt need a binary decision on the submarines upgrade, adding they dont have to have nuclear warheads on them. Mr Thornberry later referred to a Japanese option of various delivery forms of having submarines without armed warheads. But after weeks of deliberation on the subject, Labour sources say that the Shadow Defence Secretarys review has come up with some early deliberations, including the realisation that most of the 31bn budget would be spent on building the new Successor submarines and that simply leaving off the nuclear warheads from the missiles would not save much money. Advertisement Under pressure from unions like Unite and the GMB, Mr Corbyn has stressed he wants to retain the skilled manufacturing jobs and supply firm jobs that Trident renewal would deliver. Renewal would mean replacing the current Vanguard class of subs with bigger and more expensive Successors. One Labour source told HuffPost: Emily has worked out that this really is a binary choice after all. You either renew it, to get the jobs, or you dont and you save the billions you want. Other sources stressed that Ms Thornberry had not ruled out alternatives, but had realised the complexity of the defence supply system needed for the project. When Mr Corbyn first floated the idea of nuclear subs without nuclear weapons, he met with a volley of ridicule from Defence Secretary Michael Fallon and from David Cameron. Advertisement It is understood, however, that Ms Thornberry is still leaving open other options, but it is proving difficult to make them financially or politically coherent. HuffPost UK has been told that she is determined to pursue the other alternatives, which will give Mr Corbyn and other nuclear sceptics in the party something to work with in terms of a 'third way'. The final report of the defence review is due to be delivered by June, in time for the crucial Unite policy conference in July and party conference this autumn. John Woodcock, the Labour MP whose Barrow constituency builds the subs, said at the time: Having a deterrent that has no capacity to deter is like having an army with broken rifles and no ammunition. But Caroline Lucas, the Green party MP who is now chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), said the Corbyn third way sounded like a really uncomfortable compromise and an extraordinarily expensive job creation scheme. Advertisement A Commons vote on Trident renewal by the end of March is being pushed by the Ministry of Defence within Whitehall, although some in Government want a delay until Labours party conference votes on the policy. Ms Thornberry, who is on record as being a unilateralist, was handed the Shadow Defence Secretary post last month, ousting Maria Eagle, who was a firm supporter of Trident renewal. At Labour's Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) on Monday night, deputy leader Tom Watson warned MPs that the overwhelming message from Scotland and around the country was that the party wanted 'infighting' at Westminster to stop. Both Labour MSPs and Labour councillors had told him that voters on the 'doorstep' had fed back that the image of disunity was huring the party. Junior doctors will strike on February 10, the British Medical Association has said, as it accused the Government of putting "politics before patients". The BMA claimed industrial action was going ahead despite the best efforts of our negotiating team, and hours of talks facilitated by Acas. The union's 24-hour walk-out over contract changes will leave emergency care in place despite initial plans for a historic full walkout. That decision follows polling which revealed very high public support for junior doctors striking as long as emergency care was not included. Advertisement Next week's action will take place from 8am on Wednesday 10 February to 8am on Thursday 11 February. "The dispute is entirely avoidable. If Govt listened to junior drs and valued their work, we would not be here again." #JuniorDoctorsStrike Kitty Mohan (@DrKittyMohan) February 1, 2016 Dr Johann Malawana, the BMA's junior doctors committee chair, warned the union had been left with "no alternative". He said: "The Governments entrenched position in refusing to recognise Saturday working as unsocial hours, together with its continued threat to impose a contract so fiercely resisted by junior doctors across England, leaves us with no alternative but to continue with industrial action." Advertisement Junior doctors and medical students demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in London Doctors walked out early in January as the first part of a rolling programme of strikes, but the BMA cancelled a second planned day of action that was due to take place on January 26. Medics overwhelmingly voted to take action late last year by 98% on a turnout of over 70%. They are fighting the Government's offer of an 11% rise in junior doctors' basic pay, offset by plans to cut the number of hours on a weekend for which they can claim extra money for working 'unsocial hours'. Currently, 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and the whole of Saturday and Sunday attract a premium rate of pay. Under health ministers' plans, junior doctors would receive time and a half for any hours worked Monday to Sunday between 10pm and 7am, and time and a third for any hours worked between 7pm and 10pm on Saturdays and 7am and 10pm on Sundays. Advertisement They would also receive on-call availability allowances, ranging from 2% to 6% of basic pay, as well as payment for work undertaken as a result of being on-call. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is pursuing the changes to be able to deliver one of the Conservatives' key election pledges - a "truly seven-day NHS" - meaning non-urgent procedures would be available at weekends as well as on weekdays. A father who was charged 320 by Ryanair to check his family in has been given a 610 refund after sending bailiffs to the airline's headquarters. Lucas Marshall took the budget airline to court after he was faced with a 420 charge for failing to print out his family's boarding passes. The 34-year-old said he was unable to print their boarding passes because of a problem with his booking reference. Advertisement Lucas Marshall took Ryanair to court Marshall was travelling back to Manchester from the Canary Islands with his wife Michelle, 42, and children, Carly, 16, Lucy, 13, Ellenor, seven and Lewis, four. He told the Daily Mail: Its a case of them bullying you to get the money. He said that he paid the fare because he did not want to miss the flight home. Marshall said that he wrote letters to Ryanair, asking them to refund the money once he got back. However, he did not hear back from the airline so he took the company to court. When Ryanair did not reply to the court notice, the case was automatically found in Marshalls favour. Bailiffs were later sent to the companys headquarters to reclaim the money. Marshall said: I dont like getting walked over. The point is some people will get back and say, Ill leave it, I wont bother. Advertisement But I thought thats ridiculous. They take 300 off you for a piece of paper when really everything is already paid for. A hotel owner who increased his staff's pay to at least 9 an hour by scrapping service charges and giving employees a share of the profits said the decision has led to a more productive - and happy - workforce. Harry Cragoe, owner of The Gallivant hotel in Camber, East Sussex, said he believed it was "unfair" that staff who worked in the restaurant would receive tips while employees elsewhere in the company would not. As a result, the establishment has become one of the first in the UK to alter its pay structure to pay staff at least the National Living Wage. Advertisement Speaking to the Huffington Post UK, Cragoe said that when staff were told about the new pay structure, "everyone spontaneously clapped". The Gullivant: (Left to right) general manager, Mark O'Reilly, head chef, Oliver Joyce and owner Harry Cragoe Cragoe said that he did not believe that the previous salary system was a fair reflection of the work each person carried out within the company. Advertisement He said: "It was just completely unfair for, lets say, a housekeeper to be paid 6.70 and get no share of the tips when a waiter was being paid maybe the same wage but being on a huge chunk (of the service charge). "The housekeeper is as important in terms of offering a customer a great experience as a waiter." He added: "I dont think it (the old system) pays people on performance but on a title and the length of service. "It should be based on individual performance and how happy you make the customers." Cragoe, who has owned the hotel for the last five years, said that the restaurant no longer adds service charge to the bill, but has amended some of the prices on the menu. Cragoe said that he had been "overwhelmed by the positive reaction" he's received from customers, who are informed of the price alterations - and the reasons why - by a note inside the menu. Advertisement The hotel owner said that the new structure has had an affect on his staff's mentality and how they tackle their day-to-day tasks. He said: "Everyone is going to take a share of the profits at the end of the year. "We have seen that people are working more cohesively together. Everyone is now helping everyone else out more diligently and more collectively because they care about what happens to the business." News of the hotel owner's decision to hike up staff's salary comes as Welcome Break becomes the latest company to announce that it will pay the new National Living Wage to all its workers - regardless of the age. Welcome Break The move will result in some of the motorway operator's staff receiving a 33% pay rise. The Government's new rate of 7.20 an hour for over-25s comes into force on April 1. Yet Welcome Break said the National Living Wage will be the minimum starting rate for all of the companys 5,000 employees across its 27 sites - including those under the age of 25. Advertisement In October, Government Minister Matthew Hancock suffered a backlash after saying workers under the age of 25 are not "productive" enough to warrant being paid the new higher wage. Welcome Break's decision to include its entire workforce in the new salary scheme will mean that about 2,000 people will receive the National Living Wage, as well as those above the government's age threshold. Welcome Break said the move, from April, will cost 4 million. It is the first of the UKs major motorway service operators to make this commitment. Welcome Break chief executive Rod McKie said: "We are dedicated to offering dependable jobs to the very best people available, and pride ourselves on ensuring Welcome Break is a great place to work "If you want to attract the best people you need to reward them accordingly, and as such we've made the decision to give all of our employees, regardless of age, the national living wage. Advertisement "This is alongside the excellent career development opportunities with our world-class brand partners and a host of other benefits all our employees receive." Oxford University students campaigning for the removal of a statue of "racist" British colonialist Cecil Rhodes have published a list of demands, including one demanding they be paid for their campaigning work. The Rhodes Must Fall In Oxford group also accused Oriel College, where the statue stands, of "selling out" by deciding to keep the Rhodes figure before a consultation had taken place. Advertisement The governing body of the college announced last week that it had decided following "careful consideration" to keep the statue after receiving an "overwhelming" amount of support to do so. The statue of Cecil Rhodes on the front of Oriel College in Oxford But at a meeting on Monday morning, the campaign group attacked the decision and said it would not be backing down. It set out a series of seven demands, as well as calling for the statue's removal. These include asking Oxford to "acknowledge and confront its role in the ongoing physical and ideological violence of empire" as well as changes to the university's application processes and bias training for all academic staff. Advertisement Them anti Rhodes student campaigners are nothing if not ambitious pic.twitter.com/TY2bsRZO56 Gawain Towler (@GawainTowler) February 1, 2016 Sarah Atayero, one of the campaign organisers, said: "We are not backing down and we will be redoubling our efforts to take the struggle to the university as a whole. "We continue to believe that the removal and relocation of the monument to Cecil Rhodes is critical for Oxford to reckon with its past, and for Oxford to acknowledge the present-day issues it faces around racism and representation." Athinangamso Nkopo from the Rhodes Must Fall In Oxford group during a meeting at the Regent's Park College, Oxford University Advertisement Oriel College has dismissed reports that donors had threatened to withdraw gifts and bequests worth more than 100 million if it was removed, saying the financial implications were "not even a major factor" in the decision. But the Rhodes Must Fall In Oxford group accused the university of selling out, arguing that students have not been given a chance to voice their views on the statue in the promised consultation. "Instead what has occurred is a dictatorship of donors," the group claimed. It added: "Oriel has challenged the claim that funding threats influenced its decision. However, if Oriel faced no funding pressures, why not wait until the end of the six-month listening process? "Oriel has been rushed into this decision by the irresponsible threats of wealthy individuals. "Put simply - Oriel sold out." Andre Dallas from the Rhodes Must Fall In Oxford group At a meeting held at Regent's Park College in Oxford on Monday morning, the campaign group said it had put together seven demands based on a previously held general assembly, adding that it will be holding further assemblies on the issue in the future. Advertisement The demands are: :: For Oxford to apologise and confront its role in "the ongoing physical and ideological violence of empire" as well as increasing scholarships for black students from Southern Africa. :: A commitment to "recontextualising iconography celebrating figures of grace injustice". "Murderous colonists and slave-holders belong in books and museums, not on the sides of buildings. This requires the removal and rehousing of statues and portraits and the renaming of buildings." The group said they do not have or intend to draw up a list of other monuments and plaques they should be removed. :: A curriculum which allows students to study the work of a wide group of people from different backgrounds. :: Representation for people of colour at all levels of the university, as well as blind applications in which the institution does not know the background of would-be students and bias training for all academic staff. Advertisement :: Race workshops for all incoming student groups to prevent racism on campus, along with an effective system for reporting incidents of racism. :: For the work of anti-racist staff and students to be recognised, including payment for their work, a specific sabbatical position for race at the university's student union and a paid tutor for race positions. :: The campaign group said it is also calling for smear campaigns against the movement and its members to stop. Rhodes was a student at Oxford and a member of Oriel College in the 1870s. He left money to the college on his death in 1902. Scholarships in his name have so far been awarded to more than 8,000 overseas students. Rhodes served as prime minister of the British Empire's Cape Colony, including South Africa, in the early 1890s and has been linked to apartheid-style policies. Advertisement The Samsung Galaxy S7 will be unveiled to the world on 21 February at a special Unpacked event taking place in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress conference. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge was the first phone to offer a dual-edge curved display. While little is know about the Galaxy S7 many believe that the company will opt for a minor changes that'll see the S7 have a larger screen, longer battery life and perform faster. Advertisement There have also been rumours that the new phones would offer enhanced water resistance and USB-C charging. The Mobile World Congress tech conference is where many of the major smartphone manufacturers unveil their latest mobile innovations including HTC, LG, Samsung and more. Samsung's flagship Galaxy S smartphones are probably one of the few gadgets that can command the same sort of crazed attention that Apple's iPhone can. Advertisement Indeed when Samsung unveiled the stunning Galaxy S6 Edge the company had reached a point where it was trumping Apple on a lot of its home turf including both design and the level of new features it has. Of course it soon became clear that to have Samsung's phone of the future there was a premium, one that set it even higher than the iPhone 6. The mysterious symbol that accompanies Samsung's press events. Well Samsung's back and after the success of the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and the confusing absence of the Galaxy Note 5, the company is now ready to unveil its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7. While the company's teaser trailer reveals absolutely nothing about the new phone it does show off Samsung's Gear VR viewer which was made in collaboration with Facebook's Oculus. Advertisement A primary school gave children receiving exam results an encouraging letter reassuring them that attitude and personality are more important than any grade. Children from Harmony Hill Primary School in Northern Ireland, were collecting their P7 results - post-primary school entrance exams (also known as "transfer tests") to place them in a secondary school. But staff at the school advised the kids to read the reassuring letter before they opened their results. Advertisement "Inside the envelope is a score," the letter read. "It's a score you've been waiting for but it might not be the score you've been hoping for. "If that's the case, it's only natural that you will feel disappointed. "We will be very sorry about that and will feel disappointed 'for you' too - but we won't feel disappointed 'in you'." Thinking of all our P7 children today. You are all amazing. pic.twitter.com/gaAWgVzUjR Chris Lyttle MLA (@Chris_Lyttle) January 30, 2016 A photo of the letter was uploaded to Twitter by Chris Lyttle, a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Ireland. Advertisement He wrote: "Thinking of all our P7 children today. You are all amazing." The letter continued: "Unfortunately, in life, things don't always work out the way we want them to and it can take a little time to sort out the feelings and thoughts we can have when that happens. "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. In fact, we believe that your attitude and who you are as a person is much more important than any mark on a test. "Who you are and the attitudes you have will travel with you to whatever school is fortunate enough to have you as one of their new pupils in September. "That is so important. You are quite simply 'unique' and we are very proud of you. Make us proud whatever school you go to. "Don't give up easily when the going gets tough. Grow up to be kind, caring, generous, loving adults who make a positive difference to this world by how you live your life. Advertisement "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! With love from all the staff." The school principal Harry Greer said staff were "heartened" by the number of people who had seen and commented on the letter. "We've been really surprised by all the attention," he told the BBC. "It was a simple, personal, but heartfelt letter for our P7 children, inspired by our vice principal, Hillary Johnston. "We just wanted them to know that we were thinking of them. It can be a time of great excitement, but for some children, it can be a time of great disappointment." Advertisement The photo was also shared on Facebook by a music society at a grammar school. The person uploading the photo wrote: "A great note from Harmony Hill Primary School that we hope all P7s waiting on the postman this morning will read." Parents commenting on Facebook praised the letter for being "caring" towards the children. The same Facebook page then shared another similar letter pupils were sent from a different primary school. The letter read: "When you do a test like this, it measures how you are at certain things like reading, spelling and hard mathematical problems. "All of those things are important but they are not the only thing that is important about you. I can see how many wonderful talents all of you have." Click on the image below to read the letter in full. Delighted to be allowed to share this letter from one our local primary schools in Carrickfergus which came sealed in an... Posted by Carrickfergus Grammar School Music Society on Sunday, 31 January 2016 Advertisement Two major high street fashion shops have admitted finding Syrian refugee children working in factories supplying their garments. H&M and Next revealed to the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) that child labour was discovered in Turkish factories they used, but that they stopped working with them immediately after discovering the news. However there are fears it could be far more widespread after other British companies have refused to comment. Advertisement Syrian refugee children at the Turkey-Syria border The BHRRC surveyed 28 major high street brands last month about the exploitation of Syrian children. H&M and Next revealed they had identified child labour over the course of 2015, while Primark and C&A said they had identified adult Syrian refugee workers. Arcadia Group (which owns Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Burtons) along with Adidas, Burberry, Nike and Puma all stated that no undocumented Syrian refugees were found. All other brands that responded (including M&S, ASOS, Debenhams and Superdry) did not answer the question about Syrian workers, while ten companies (including GAP, New Look and River Island) have yet to respond at all. Advertisement Syrian children attend school at a Turkish refugee camp A spokesperson for H&M told HuffPost UK Style: "H&M does not accept child labour in any condition. We have had a policy on child labour since 1997 based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and ILO convention 138, and all H&Ms suppliers have committed to follow our strict Code of Conduct. "In the report issued by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, we state that we identified one case of Syrian child labour in an embroidery factory in Turkey during 2015 and we terminated this business relationship immediately. "We then informed our NGO partner to get their support on the remediation activities. The NGO created the action plan aligning with our policy by identifying the most suitable education option based on the need and aspiration. "If H&M obtain any information that child labor occurs in any part of our supply chain, we directly take action and take all necessary measures. Advertisement "If a supplier, despite H&Ms regularly audits, employs a migrant worker without work permit H&M terminates its business relationship. If a migrant worker has a work permit, we ensure that they receive the same entitlements as the local workers." Phil Bloomer, executive director at BHRRC said: "H&M deserve praise for their openness, and their action to eliminate child labour in their supply chain in a responsible and caring fashion. "No brands want child labour in their supply chain. What matters is that H&M have been vigorous in seeking out the problem, and tackling it effectively in a way that supports the child. We need other European clothing brands to show equal vigour in eliminating this curse." A spokesperson for Next also told HuffPost UK Style that the brand has "invested strongly in its audit processes that successfully identified the issue," acting "swiftly and appropriately to deal with the problem and to support the vulnerable Syrian refugee workers involved." Turkey is the worlds third largest sourcing hub for apparel after China and Bangladesh - along with being the worlds largest host of Syrian refugees. Workers' rights group Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) had previously emphasised that Syrian workers should not experience discrimination. In collaboration with Fair Labour Association and Fair Wear Foundation, the group lobbied the Turkish government to bring in work permit legislation for Syrian workers. Children under 12 are banned from working, while those aged 13 to 14 are banned from all but light work. Speaking to HuffPost UK Style, Martin Buttle, apparel and textiles expert at ETI said: "The civil war in Syria has presented exceptional circumstances for brands sourcing from Turkey. ETI member brands have taken action and collaborated around ethical standards, including engaging with their suppliers on issues such as child labour and lobbying the government on work permits. Britain's first woman to be found guilty of joining the Islamic State terror group has been jailed for six years at Birmingham Crown Court. Tareena Shakil, who fled to Syria with her toddler son, was sentenced on Monday after being found guilty by a jury last week. Advertisement Tareena Shakil During a two-week trial that ended on Friday, the 26-year-old was also found guilty of encouraging acts of terror in Twitter posts she made before leaving the UK. The Press Association reports that in his sentencing, Judge Melbourne Inman said: "You embraced Isis, you sent messages on the day of your arrival in Syria that you were not coming back and by October 28 you were sending a message to your brother-in-law that it was part of your faith to kill the murtadeen (apostates) and on December 9 you told your father you wanted to die a martyr." The Recorder of Birmingham added: "You were well aware that the future which you had subjected your son to was very likely to be indoctrination and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter." Advertisement Shakil had claimed she only travelled to Syria because of a wish to live under the rule of sharia law. Jurors were shown tweets, messages and photographs, 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". Tareena Shakil wearing a balaclava branded with the ISIS logo The court heard last week that Shakil defended putting her child in a black balaclava bearing the Isis logo, claiming the boy just "loved wearing hats". She told the court that images of her child wearing the balaclava did not represented any allegiance to Isis. Advertisement The former health worker flew from East Midlands Airport to Turkey on October 20 2014, telling friends she was going on a family beach holiday. But she travelled to Syria with her child and ended up living in the Isis capital of Raqqa. Tareena Shakil denied being a member of IS. These are two of the images prosecutors said she sent home of her son: pic.twitter.com/vdYOnPaKFU Dominic Casciani (@BBCDomC) January 29, 2016 The BBC reports that Shakil said she became unhappy while in Syria and decided to return of her own free will after she realised she made a mistake. She said that she caught a bus and bribed a taxi driver to take her part of the way before crossing the border back into Turkey in January 2015. She returned home with her toddler in February 2015, when she was arrested off a flight landing at Heathrow airport. Advertisement On Friday, the jury unanimously agreed that Shakil was guilty. Speaking after the sentencing, Shakil's father said: "I hope to god that no woman comes back to face this kind of injustice in this country. "My daughter was the last hope for all the vulnerable women. They have killed all the hope. Britain's newspapers have honoured the late Terry Wogan with a series of front pages thanking the broadcaster for "being our friend". Wogan, who died on Sunday aged 77, is also being remembered through cartoons of a mournful Pudsey bear, the mascot for Children In Need which he presented for more than three decades. Advertisement The Daily Telegraph's cartoonist Bob created a simple picture of Pudsey with his familiar spotted bandage removed from his head and replaced with a black band: Artist Darren Birdie, who draws cartoons for The Racing Post, shared another picture of Pudsey weeping and holding a white flower: Such sad news to hear of the loss of #TerryWogan - A broadcasting legend who helped lighten many peoples lives! #RIPpic.twitter.com/NO6ts0yAiX BIRDIE (@DarrenBirdie) January 31, 2016 Advertisement One commenter said the picture represented the "mood of a nation caught in one cartoon". National papers from The Sun to The Guardian gave over space to photos of Wogan and messages like "Farewell, Sir Terry". The Metro's front page simply said "Thanks, Tel", while the Daily Star was called "awful" by some online commenters for its choice of the line "Top of the mourning", a play on the broadcaster's Irish heritage. Neil Henderson, the BBC's Home Duty Editor, tweeted a compilation of several front pages with the words: "Thank you for being our friend", Wogan's sign-off for his final BBC Radio 2 programme. Advertisement Advertisement BBC's Radio 4 Today programme host John Humphrys added his reflections this morning, saying: "Terry was a mischief-maker. Naturally subversive, always wanting to take a pop at the pompous and the self-important, and always capable of spotting the absurd... Terry had something else as well - he liked his audience, and they liked him." Humphrys recalled when The Queen visited the BBC's new Broadcasting House building and met many presenters, and Wogan was "the only one she really wanted to talk to". The monarch and Wogan talked like old friends, Humphrys said, adding: "That was the trick - Terry made friends with his audience. Radio could have been invented for him." BBC Director General Tony Hall paid tribute to Wogan in an email to the corporation's staff: The five things you need to know on February 1, 2016 1) DONALD DUCKS European summit chief Donald Tusk left Downing Street last night, ducked detailed questions and swiftly sent a Tweet (how very 21st century) that there was no deal on the PMs EU demands. This morning, Im told No.10 officials (whom we love to call sherpas ahead of summits) left on pre-dawn trips to Brussels for a final 24 hours of further negotiation. Advertisement Is the glass half full or half empty? Well the PMs team tell me there was a significant breakthrough on the crucial issue of getting Brussels to agree the UKs current EU net migration level of 180,000 a year would meet the criteria for an emergency brake on benefits to be applied. But there are sticking points. David Cameron wants the brake to be applied for seven years. The European Commission wants it to be active for two years, and then renewable for a further period of two years, but only after a unanimous vote of EU leaders. Another unresolved item is abuse of free movement, where the UK wants more substantive proposals including closing backdoor routes to Britain which have enabled non-EU illegal migrants to stay in Britain in recent years. The FT reports a further fly in the ointment, with French officials last week circulating a secret paper to negotiators in Brussels and Berlin, laying down two red lines: no new rights to be created for non-euro countries, and no veto powers that prevent the eurozone from taking decisions to integrate or manage an emergency. No10 sources are playing it straight for now, insisting there has been progress on all four areas the PM wants and a shift of gear since the Juncker meeting on Friday. It comes down to the next 24 hours, says one. John Redwood told Radio 4s Westminster Hour last night that the latest noise amounted to huffing and puffing and tinkering at the edges. Advertisement 2) BORDER TELEVISION John McDonnell found out yesterday why Andrew Neil is such a canny broadcaster. On the BBC's Sunday Politics, Neil offered the Shadow Chancellor the chance to muse - almost as if he were still a backbencher (and therefore very seductive) - broadly about refugee flows and borders. McDonnell obliged with this: Inevitably in this century we will have open bordersThe movement of peoples across the globe will mean that borders are almost going to become irrelevant by the end of this century so we should be preparing for that". Sadly it wasn't Jeremy Corbyn saying this, otherwise we could have had a Jez San Frontiers header. Still, Yvette Cooper, former Shadow Home Secretary and current Labour refugee taskforce chief, was not a fan. She told us: Labour needs to maintain a policy in favour of firm and effective border controls alongside help for refugees. I also disagree with John McDonnell about what will happen in the coming decades. Michael Dugher piled in to support her, as did many others wary of the impact such remarks have on the UKIP, let alone Tory voters the party needs to win back. McDonnells allies say such knee-jerk responses were bizarre because he was not calling for borders to be abandoned, and merely that the current evidence suggested thats where Europe was heading. But with Angela Eagle telling the Sunday Times Corbyns dividends/living wage plan was unworkable, divisions in Labour are still not far from the surface. 3) REGISTRATION TIME The Guardian splashes on a Labour analysis that 800,000 people have dropped off the electoral register since the government introduced individual registration, with many of those disenfranchised thought to be in university towns. Gloria de Piero is leading Labours campaign. Advertisement But John Penrose, the minister who has steered the change through Parliament, is unrepentant on the need for reform. In fact, lower registration may well be seen as a success because Penrose has pointed out the Electoral Commission thinks upto 1.9m names on the register are ghost entries, and the implications for electoral fraud were scary. And that means inner-city areas, not just student towns. Still, registering those who are eligible to vote is undeniably a Good Thing and today figures from David Blunkett to Jamal Edwards will kick off a week-long national voter registration drive. BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR Watch this El Paso county deputy sheriff bust some dance moves in a lift, on his final day in the office. Seriously funny 4) GOOGLE LURCH Sajid Javid declared on Marr yesterday that the 130m tax settlement for Google was 'not a glorious moment. Given how close he usually is to George Osborne, that sounded significant, and was certainly a far cry from the victory Tweet of the Chancellor, let alone his major success quote. But the Googletax issue has bled into a wider issue of Osborne and the Tory leadership. On Saturday, the Sun had a string of highly critical quotes from Tory ministers and MPs slating the Chancellor. One senior minister said: Its yet another example of how George is like Gordon Brown and believes his own spin. He is exactly like Gordon Brown - he is a social cripple, he is awkward, a schemer, his budgets have a habit unravelling incredibly quickly, and he has the same right-to-rule attitude. Blimey. Advertisement And in case we didnt get the message, another minister previously regarded as an Osborne ally said: Its like Ed Miliband and the weird thing - people look at him and they dont like him, theyre not even sure why. There are also question marks as to whether hed be any good. Google is expected to announce today that it has amassed 30bn of profits from non-US sales in Bermuda, where companies are not liable for any corporation tax at all. The Observer revealed that the UK government has been privately lobbying the EU to remove Bermuda from an official blacklist. John McDonnell, whos had a good war so far on this topic, tried to get Osborne to publish his tax return by publishing part of his own yesterday. However, questions are being asked about why McDonnell didnt publish his entire return. 5) SNOOP DOGGED Privacy campaigners hope the row over Google wont obscure growing worries over the Investigatory Powers Bill. Some in the Home Office think the bill is a done deal but there is along way to go. Today, the Commons Science and Technology Committee fires a warning shot, arguing the planned surveillance law (aka the son on snoopers charter) is "ambiguous", "confusing" and will cause disadvantages for UK technology companies. Nicola Blackwood, the doggedly determined chair of the committee, said it had concerns with the cost of the law, encryption, hacking and the impact on businesses. Advertisement With TalkTalk, HSBC and even Lincolnshire council all being targeted by hackers in recent weeks, maybe the public will begin to see bulk data and internet connection records not the kind of thing they want messed with. The Committee rightly also raises the real issues down the line when the internet of things data goes mainstream. If youre reading this on the web, sign-up HERE to get the WaughZone delivered to your inbox. With Valentine's Day fast approaching, it can be difficult to think of the perfect gift to convey to your other half just how much you love them Flowers and chocolates are nice, but a little bit cliche. Then there are the raunchier gift choices such as squirty cream (thanks for the suggestion Tesco) and lacy lingerie. But what about for those whose tastes are a little bit, ahem, niche? Luckily for you, the folks at MysteryPotato have brainstormed long and hard to devise the ultimate in Valentine's Day giftware. Advertisement They want you to send your lover a potato this Valentine's Day, complete with a personalised message written in marker pen - because "nothing says 'I love you' like a potato". A photo posted by Mystery Potato (@mymysterypotato) on Jan 30, 2016 at 12:24pm PST Why would someone even do this, you ask? Well, as the website puts it: "Potatoes are simple and they bring joy and confusion like you would not believe. "In these days of email, tweets, snapchat, and Facebook messenger sending someone something in the mail is starting to have a renewed power and impact." Advertisement Perusers on the site can choose from baby potatoes, red potatoes and sweet potatoes to send their anonymous message of adoration. For those seriously considering sending their other half a potato, the company is based in America which means shipping costs will probably be really high if you live in the UK. But if you're feeling really flush and you really want to send that potato, then you can do so here. Since arriving onto the scene via the model-making machine that is America's Next Top Model, 21-year-old Winnie Harlow could easily have taken every job that was offered. She certainly had her doubts that she'd ever make it as a model, until she met Canadian photographer Shannon Boodram, who inspired her to build her own profile via social media. Advertisement But Harlow, whose vitiligo renders her skin like the beautiful brushstrokes of a painter - sweeping arcs of nut brown alongside bright white - has chosen to turn the condition that made her a target for bullying at school, into her strength. Like Naomi Campbell and Jourdan Dunn, Harlow isn't just content to walk the walk and feature in fashion shoots for the likes of Diesel and Desigual. Perhaps because she is so young, she remembers all too well the treatment she faced at school, and so now alongside her modelling work, she also is one of fashion and beauty diversity's most passionate voices. In fact, we feel this picture sums up why the work Harlow does is so important: Good morning loves,if nothing makes you smile today, this should. @redefinedmybeauty @winnieharlow you go girls pic.twitter.com/E4iaqrutno KYEMAH MCENTYRE (@KyeTheCreator) January 23, 2016 Advertisement Talking to HuffPost UK Style ahead for the launch of our Fashion For All campaign, about the impact it is having on younger girls, she says: "I think the message is just believing in yourself and having strength and creating confidence by focusing on your opinion of yourself, and not the opinions of others." Harlow had to arrive at this ethos the hard way. Born Chantelle Brown-Young in Toronto, her vitiligo kicked in when she was four years old, and subsequently, she underwent bullying where kids called her 'cow' and 'zebra'. It got so bad she had to be home schooled. When we spoke to All Walks, the fashion initiative trying to address the psychological impact a lack of diversity is having on young men and women, they mentioned that appearance-based bullying is at an all-time high. What's her advice for dealing with bullies? "The biggest change I would make, knowing what I know now, is to distance myself from people who are rotten. I always say that when youre at that age, be it elementary, middle or high school, sometimes even college, you feel like what is going on in that setting is THE world. Advertisement "Theres so much more outside of it, and when youre older and you move on to a new part of life, it drifts away. You dont really talk too much to the kid you knew in middle school or high school. I think differentiating between what is best for your future and what is best for you right now, is a big part." It's a known issue that fashion - whether we're talking clothes or magazines - could stand to be more diverse when it comes to colour representation. In terms of seeing her type of beauty represented was hard enough being a black girl, and near impossible when you factor in the the vitiligo. But Harlow doesn't blame the lack of diversity on how we shape our own self image. She says we rely too much on magazines to tell us what beauty is, when we need to learn that at home. Advertisement "What's more important is what a family allows a child to see. So for me, when I grew up we still didnt have much internet and we still didnt have black dolls. So my mum would go out of her way to find those dolls and bring them into the house to show me that there was someone who looks like you. "And its not like she only bought me black dolls or dolls with curly hair. She still bought me blonde and blue-eye dolls in order to instill in me that there wasnt supposed to be a segregation. "It wasnt just Im a strong black woman. It instilled in me that yes, Im a strong black woman but Im also a strong woman." Harlow doesn't go for castings. She's often requested, and as with her latest client Sprite, she figures out whether the brand fits in with her brand before saying yes. She's also clearly working hard and regularly, which indicates a change within the industry. Harlow agrees, believing that the industry is improving in terms of diversity - "there is a big difference even five years ago, let alone 10 years ago". Advertisement HuffPost UK Style's Fashion For All campaign is intended as a celebration of people and brands who champion diversity, but what we've found in our journey is that is an awful lot of blame laid at the door of models. Debra Bourne, co-founder of All Walks believes this to be unfair because out of the food chain in the fashion world, models are among the most vulnerable. Harlow believes that rather than blaming the designers or the casting directors, consumers need to take responsibility for what they are fed. "I dont think it should be put on models as much as people know today about how milk is created, the labour the cow goes through and pretty much these animals are being birthed to die, they still drink milk. Advertisement "So its not the cows job to say save me and its not the industrys job to shut down, its the consumers. If consumers said this is wrong, I dont want to do this (things might change). And to this day, I still drink milk. I cant bring myself to drink almond milk but its a good example I find. "Years back, you couldnt find this much almond milk on the shelf, so when the consumers mind changes, is when the product changes. When people want to see a black model on Vogue, there you go, theres Jourdan Dunn. People need to understand that the power is in their hands." But the fashion industry doesn't get away that easily - one of the biggest bugbears for black models is that very often, they come up against makeup artists who make them feel like doing their skin is a mammoth task. Catwalk regular Nykhor Paul spoke about this last year in an Instagram post asking why she had to bring her own makeup to shows, adding that some of the problem is that the western world "doesn't understand black beauty". Harlow agrees saying 'getting the right foundation shouldn't be this hard' and that people get really intimidated when they are about to do her makeup. Advertisement "I dont know why," she says. "I read a comment (from someone) that said If someone can do your makeup, they must have the precision of a surgeon, and should be a surgeon instead of a makeup artist. And I said I hope you know that makes no sense because doing my make-up is like doing anybody elses makeup. Like the precision of doing eyeliner or cutting a crease, or doing a contour look so it doesnt look muddy. "Its the same concept. People think so much into it that it becomes something that its not." It's clear that we have a way to go to encourage brands to be more diverse in their beauty offerings, but with champions such as Harlow, that goal can only be nearer than it once was. Talking about why she speaks out about it, she says: "I feel like it is highly important. Its not about trying to prove a point. When people come up to me, what stands out is that there is no one really who stands out. "Its not like only white men come to me, or only Chinese girls or black women there is no race, creed, gender or age that comes to me in particular and says: Wow, what youre doing is amazing.'" Advertisement And if that isn't a resounding reason for why diversity is so important - because it means that brands are tapping into a much wider audience than they are now - then we don't know what is. This February, HuffPost UK Style is running a month-long focus on our Fashion For All campaign, which aims to highlight moments of colour, size, gender and age diversity and disability inclusivity in the fashion and beauty world. We will be sharing moments of diversity at London Fashion Week with the hashtag #LFW4All and wed like to invite you to do the same. If you'd like to blog about diversity or get involved, email us here. Her beautiful features distorted by pain and anger, Haifa told us how she had arrived at a refugee camp in Turkey. Aged 30, with her two children aged 10 and nine and pregnant with her third, she fled her home on 4 March 2011 as Syrian troops burnt it down. Twenty-one members of her family were killed. Her husband along with eight other men, were lined up against a wall and shot. Miraculously he survived but with bullets lodged in his head. Haifa sold what little gold she had to pay the smugglers to take her and her family across the border to safety in Turkey. Talking to Haifa in the small portacabin in which she lived with her three children in Nizip camp, we were struck by her determination and bravery. She is one of two million Syrians now living in Turkey. Her camp-amongst the best that either of us have ever visited- holds nearly 5000 people in 908 container homes. All the children are being educated and there is decent healthcare provision. Haifa and her family are amongst the lucky ones. There are 330,000 Syrians living in camps in Turkey. Nearly 1.7million are living with families or on their own. Turkey has been extraordinarily hospitable. Promised EU funding support cannot arrive too quickly. All 23 refugee camps in Turkey are funded by Turkish tax payers who have spent more than $2billion on these camps in the last year. As we passed along the Syrian Turkish border we came to Rehanlyi, a town of 80,000 now swollen to 300,000 following the arrival of 220,000 Syrians. While we were there, just over the border in Latakkia the Russian air force bombed displaced people living in a camp. Advertisement In 2010 Syria had a population of 21million. Subsequent figures are staggering. Of the 17.5million left today, 12million have been displaced. Of these six million are displaced within Syria and 4.5million are refugees in neighbouring countries. One and a half million are dispersed around the globe. Life expectancy has reduced from 76 years to 55 and one in three children have received no vaccinations- with all the dire wider consequences this could cause to a migrating population. Since this crisis started 50 Syrian families have been displaced every hour, the Syrian death toll exceeds 250,000 (the UK equivalent would be in excess of 800,000 dead) a million Syrians have been maimed or wounded, and close to 700 health workers alone have been killed. This is the largest displacement of people and humanitarian catastrophe since WWII. Almost all the Syrians we met want to stay put. They certainly don't want to migrate to Europe. We met Rania who fled Syria four years ago after being arrested and imprisoned by the regime. She runs a workshop where 125 Syrian refugees earn a living. Almost all the women are widows. Next to the workshop 90 trucks loaded with flour destined for 200 bakeries in Syria's Idlib province are about to make their monthly journey across the border. They will also carry 5000 blankets and mattresses, heaters, ground sheets, and 750 tents with 75 tonnes of charcoal. This convoy has been funded in its entirety by British Muslims through Human Appeal. Seven British Muslim charities have raised nearly 250million pounds in response to the Syrian crisis since 2011. We are very proud of this fine British response. Advertisement This week sees the start of talks between all parties to this conflict in Geneva, while in London the Prime Minister will host a fundraising conference organised together with Norway and Kuwait. While this conference can only treat the symptoms and not the causes of this catastrophe, the world stands accused of abandoning its humanitarian conscience. Russia's intervention continues . We were told that 26 hospitals have been hit by their bombs in the last three months. Only one was in an area controlled by ISIL. The international press has focused on starvation in Madaya where 40,000 people are under siege (including the only dentist and medical technician left in the city). But there are 14 other areas under siege by the regime threatening the lives of another three million Syrians. 400,000 of them are now starving. Seventy percent of Syrians have no access to clean water and five million of these are children. The fact that the borders are now closed to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan means that Syria is a pressure cooker, with the number of displaced people rising every hour. Despair breeds fanaticism; hopelessness radicalises. Syria was a sophisticated and ancient civilisation with a proud history and proud people who only become refugees as a last resort. It is the professional class and those with money who largely make up the four percent of refugees who have made their way to Europe. Yet for every pound spent looking after refugees in the region, it costs nearly 100 to do the same in Europe and this movement undermines the prospects for rebuilding Syria. The London Conference this week will show whether the rich world is willing to take the necessary action to tackle the effects of this catastrophe. We will see if other countries will match Britain's commitment . The UK has provided more cash support for refugees than the rest of the EU added together. But the need is desperate. The World Food Programme has reduced rations in camps to 50% of basic need through lack of financial support. This is intolerable. With half of all Syrian Children receiving no education and 5,000 schools destroyed, we must ensure that educating this generation of Syrians urgently proceeds if they are not to be alienated beyond reason. In all areas with refugee camps and within Syria itself livelihoods, training and employment must be prioritised. We must invest in peoples lives and futures while they are in Camps rather than leave them to despair, misery and anger. As soon as possible Syria must be rebuilt and its economy re energised once political progress begins. Britain has pledged one billion pounds of our tax payers money toward this task We shall see this week whether others - particularly in the Gulf - put their money where their mouth is. The introduction of safe havens, notably around Idlib in the North and Derra in the south, must urgently return to the agenda. The increased bombing in recent months has reduced acess for humanitarian aid and the situation is deteriorating. We must insist that Syrians driven from their homes and terrified are protected. Access for humanitarian agencies to all areas is essential. We demand that respect for humanitarian law, increasingly flouted by all parties to the conflict is restored. Human rights abusers wherever they are, warned that they will be held to account. Databases and evidence of breaches of international law and violence collected and maintained to deliver justice in the future whenever and wherever we can . The international community is guilty of a grotesque lack of action and effectiveness. The authority of the UN - set up after the second world war precisely to ensure that this could never happen again - is being flouted and grossly undermined by this paralysis and failure. For everyone's sake this catastrophe must now be brought an end. Clare Short and Andrew Mitchell, former international development ministers for the Labour and Conservative parties, have returned from the Syrian Turkish border calling for renewed vigour and action from the international community over Syria Despite their claims to be leading the global fight against tax avoidance, British Conservatives have been vociferous in their condemnation of EU attempts to combat tax dodging. Yesterday, Osborne criticised both Labour and the SNP's referral of HMRC's deal with Google to the EU's Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager. This followed criticism by Boris Johnson of Vestager's verdict, released last week, that Apple's deal with Irish tax authorities was unfair. Vestager's decision is likely to force the multinational to pay back millions of euros to the Irish government. Osborne's government has resisted virtually every attempt to tighten up tax rules across Europe, not least by leading a move to subvert attempts to share more information about sweetheart tax deals between tax administrations. Simultaneously, Johnson has suggested that the EU is here on some kind of megalomaniac power grab, intent on imposing uniform tax rates across Europe. The reality of what is happening in Brussels is very different. Despite what Johnson misleadingly suggests, the European Apple case - just like the Google case- has got nothing to do with headline corporate tax rates. Instead it concerns whether a very small number of corporate giants are able to rip us all off, and gain a competitive advantage in the process. For as long as governments are tempted to offer these kinds of sweetheart deals to a small number of companies, the so-called European 'single market', based on fair competition between companies, is a joke. Advertisement What the European Commission objected to with Apple was a special tax deal being given to certain companies; the kind of deal that ordinary, smaller businesses simply can't access. Apple seem to accept that they have paid about 2% tax annually in Ireland, when the headline corporate tax rate is 12.5%. That reduction could have been legitimate; if, for instance, they used tax breaks open to all similar companies. But the evidence gathered by the European Commission suggested that Irish officials reverse engineered a tax deal specifically for Apple, revising their calculations down to the amount of tax that Apple would 'accept'. Recently released information about tax disputes in the UK suggests that kind of post-hoc rationalisation applies here too, with HMRC apparently accepting company and individual 'offers' around half of the time. Sweetheart deals, whether struck in advance of tax demands (so-called 'tax rulings') or after them ('settlements'), are simply not open to the vast bulk of companies. You can hardly imagine a small businessman or woman negotiating with the tax man in this way; yet, that is what both Apple and the Irish tax authorities, and Google and HMRC, may have done. A love of fashion can be empowering - it can bring moments of great joy and bolster confidence. Just ask Anna Wintour, who is often quoted as saying: "If you can't be better than your competition, just dress better." Or think about why this famous Marilyn Monroe quote holds such resonance: "Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world." Advertisement But what if you look at catwalks and advertising campaigns, and feel the implied suggestion that you're not welcome here? A uniform selection of models conveys the message you're not welcome here At the Spring 2016 New York, London, Paris and Milan fashion weeks, 77.6% of 9,926 catwalk appearances were white models, according to figures from The Fashion Spot. Plus-size models accounted for just .1% of the total, transgender models made up .06% and models over the age of 50 made up .05%. Advertisement Models with disabilities were similarly under-represented, one in six people in Britain are disabled, but you wouldn't know it from how disability is represented by fashion and beauty brands, as you could have counted the number of models with disabilities at the last run of fashion weeks on one hand. What does it matter if all catwalk models are of a singular type? Well for one thing, this lack of diversity is always going to pull focus from the designs and convey the message that the clothes are only intended to be worn by a very narrow segment of the audience. When we launched HuffPost UK Style in May 2015, one of our founding principles was that we wanted to provide exclusive information that's inclusive of the whole audience. Unlike print publications we have the luxury of not being beholden to the demands of advertisers, which gives us the freedom to push boundaries. And sadly the boundaries of what is conventionally considered beautiful are still very narrow. However, there is a glimmer of change that's glowing increasingly bright - 22.4% non-white models at the Spring 2016 shows is an increase on the 17% at the Spring 2015 fashion weeks. Advertisement To bring focus onto the people spearheading this change, last September our American colleagues launched their #NYFW4All campaign to highlight fashion week moments that celebrated diversity, and we followed up with #LFW4All, which celebrated the likes of the Zulkifli sisters, founders of Mimpikita, who made their fashion week debut wearing hijabs on the catwalk. This time around we've decided to make Fashion For All our focus for the whole of February and we are partnering with Models of Diversity (MOD), who are fierce advocates of diverse beauty as founder Angel Sinclair explains: "If fashion is about anything, surely it's about the new, the cutting edge and leading the public's idea of form and design. Yet when it comes to choice of models, it lags behind its consumers' recognition for the potential of beauty in all of us regardless of shape, size, race, gender definition, age and not least, disability. "At present the UK is very reserved when it comes to disability in fashion. We are way behind a number of countries including the US, where models with disabilities are employed alongside regular models for brand campaigns such as Nordstrum and Diesel. "In my eyes the UK should be setters not followers when it comes to fashion; we have such a big presence within fashion, that it's crazy that in 2016 we are still fighting for equality. But unfortunately this is the case." Advertisement Let's be clear: our aim isn't to shame or harass the fashion industry into change, but rather to champion those individuals and organisations who are already doing a great job of promoting diversity. We'll be speaking to models Winnie Harlow and Kelly Knox, as well as sharing personal blogs from Jameela Jamil, Jack Eyers and key industry insiders, including models, designers and modelling agency executives. We will be sharing moments of colour, size, gender and age diversity and disability inclusivity at London Fashion Week with the hashtag #LFW4All and we'd like to invite you to do the same. "The rush of cold air blasting my face was fantastic! Can we do more rides?" I didn't think I'd hear these words from my 13 year old son. A teenager who had given up all 'physical' sport and was now fully immersed in the future: e-sports. We had ridden together, back in another age, when he was 5. Back then we lived outside Cardiff and we'd cycle up and down the Taff Trail. His little legs working like pistons trying to squeeze every measure of speed from his tiny bike. I was beginning to think that these would be confined to fond memories only. I hadn't bargained on him asking me if I could take him out riding again. I'm not dumb. The initial request may well have been prompted by a desire to evade his mother's nagging, but frankly I don't care. It was a chance to re-kindle old flames. Advertisement The first ride was meticulously planned. I'd gone over several routes in my head. Quiet lanes; sufficient length to feel like he'd worked a bit, but not too long that would put him off; and of course relatively flat. We hit a slight stumbling block when he said he didn't want to cycle through Abergavenny. I wasn't quite sure how that could be achieved considering we live in the middle of Abergavenny! The ride was a revelation. Normally conversation is confined to the basics. Have you washed my school shirts; is there anything to eat and "do I really need to come off [the computer] now; just 5 more minutes!" However, on the bike, away from his connected world, it was like having the 5 year old back. Conversation flowed. Importantly for me, I learnt a tonne of stuff about his world. Riding seemed to act like some kind of leveller. We chatted more as 'mates' than father and son. I can't tell you how precious that hour or so was. The ride also had its lighter moments. Having virtually no exposure to roads, he had a very nervy tendency to pull out of junctions without looking. But, as he explained to me, playing e-sports meant that he had "honed his peripheral vision" so he didn't need to physically look right! Of course I pointed out that whilst I was no human biologist, I doubted that human evolution advanced so quickly. The rides are now a regular feature of the weekly calendar. There are plans to extend the rides and for him to graduate from his hybrid to my winter road bike. He's even willingly taken on board that he hasn't yet developed superhuman visual abilities and that he needs to improve his road awareness skills. As for me, well, I'm just enjoying the ride, sucking up the pleasure and not looking too far ahead. Advertisement Hi! My name is Jojo, I'm a writer and editor, I've just turned 30 and I'm moving to Australia in March 2016. No, I'm not doing it the adult way, I don't have a work visa - Lord, no - I'm grasping my last chance to spend one (hopefully two) years 'bumming around' (technical term) and becoming reacquainted with a long lost friend of mine: Relaxation. Yes, that's right, I have a working holiday visa. And yes, I'm allowed. You see, you're eligible for a working holiday visa if you're aged 18-30 inclusive, so I've got a good few months to play with until I'm officially over the proverbial hill. I've done a lot of research into what needs to be done before I go, and now I'm sharing it with you in one handy blog post... Voila! You too can pack in your 9-5 and leave behind the dark, dank shores of Blighty in pursuit of sun, sharks and mosquitoes... Advertisement View of Sydney, taken by me in 2012. Visa: Have you got your visa? If not, are you 30 or under? Then you might want to apply for a working holiday visa, so you can stay down under for a year. You don't need to have booked your flights before you apply, so crack on and get the visa in the bag because you may have to jump through a few hoops before you're accepted, i.e. undergoing a chest X-ray with their designated medical provider, but most applications are processed super quickly - mine took 3 days! By the way, you don't need a sticker with the working holiday visa, as it's electronically associated with your passport. Flights: Track flights using Skyscanner.net. Don't bother with the likes of Flight Centre; they're useless, particularly if you want to break up the ridiculously long journey to the flip side of the globe by visiting another country on the way. Like Japan, for instance! Why the hell not? If you're flying economy (obviously), it's just not worth schlepping all that way in one go. IMHO. Roughly when do you want to head out? Search flights for that month from the UK to Japan (or your Asian country of choice), selecting 'whole month' from the departure date drop down, and you might aswell do the same for the previous month and the month afterwards. Put price alerts on for the cheapest options, then do the same for a flight a few days later from Asia to Australia. Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt, a cheap flight down under with a built in holiday en route. You're welcome. Advertisement Health: Do you have all the medication you might need while you're away? Are you up to date on all NHS free tests and check ups, e.g. sexual health, smear. Better to go there with a clean bill of health, so you can focus on having an awesome time once you're there. Once you're down under, you can register with Medicare and get treatment if you need it but it's best to go with a clean slate, non? Insurance: You'll need insurance. If you've got a one-way ticket, check out True Traveller insurance. They don't need a return date, you can extend once you're out there and there are options for adding valuables like a laptop and mobile phone. Plus, if you're asthmatic like me, you don't need to do medical screening because asthma is included in their list of accepted pre-existing medical conditions. Yay. Bank account: You can open an Australian bank account before you go away. One more piece of admin to tick off your list. ANZ makes the process very quick and easy for you, it's recommended by MoneySuperMarket, and they have a relationship with TorFX should you want an account manager to handle the transfer of your funds. Don't forget that Australian Immigration requires proof of funds to sustain your working holiday, and secure your exit from the country if you've booked a one-way ticket, so you'll need a bank statement showing 5,000 AUD in your account. Transferring funds: Despite what I've just said above, I'd recommend using TransferWise. Why pay more than you have to? Ok folks, that's quite enough admin for now. Check Feral Beryl Travels for updates and my upcoming blog post on what needs to be done once you've arrived in Australia. Advertisement The pristine white snow and luxury hotels of the Swiss town of Davos formed the backdrop recently to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum; the most significant gathering of the planet's foremost economic, business and political brains. Three days of speeches, discussions and dinners that truly have an influence of global proportions. Most people could have easily predicted many of the topics that occupied the headlines emerging from the resort: the uncertain state of the world economy, the impact of falling oil prices, Chinese instability and the importance many attach to a United Kingdom remaining actively engaged in Europe. However, the story that was repeatedly commented upon by a panoply of thinkers and commentators, in both the official venues and those around the fringes of the event, was one in which the economics involved were not those of the boardroom or the trading floor but of the most tangible and upsetting kind. Advertisement An all-too-visible tragedy is taking place in Europe on a scale not seen since the end of the Second World War. I am talking, of course, about the thousands of displaced people scattered around the continent, risking the lives of themselves and their families in flimsy vessels upon the cold waters of the Mediterranean or bedding down amongst unimaginable filth and squalor in camps in Northern France. We most take the utmost care about the language we use when discussing this situation; as history has proved many times over, labels are at best reductive and at worst dehumanising. I think most of us have been guilty at times of using terms such as 'migrants', 'refugees' and 'asylum seekers' synonymously when there are, of course, important differences between them, a semantic debate beyond the scope of this blog. The conflation of humanity and economics at Davos was interesting not just because it seems to me that they are very obvious bedfellows (sadly, all too often economics is seen as hermetic, sealed off from its human consequences by theory and jargon) but also for the conclusions that the various speakers reached.Whenever the topic was raised, the expert view remained the same: it may be reductive and ignore some of the terrible factors that have contributed to the phenomenon, but human migration in and of itself is no bad thing. Advertisement Rights-free image via pixabay.com President of the IMF, Christine Lagarde said that there is absolutely no evidence to support the belief that an influx of refugees into a country has a negative effect on wages and the ECB's Mario Draghi suggested that the number of refugees currently moving through Europe was an "opportunity" (albeit one with a significant price tag). The German president, Joachim Gauck, made the astute observation that one needs only to look at the list of Nobel Prize winners across all disciplines and compare the surnames with the countries of residence to appreciate the transformative effects that migration has brought upon the history of human achievement. Achievement takes many forms though and for every Nobel Prize there are countless of acts of human kindness that are far more modest but in their own way equally profound. One such act occurred in the aftermath of the recent, destructive flooding in the north of the UK when a group of Syrian refugees donned yellow vests and wellies to help residents in Rochdale with enormous clean-up. The fact that this story was so widely reported is pleasing for several reasons: firstly, because it provided a welcome contrast to the usual refugee narrative and, secondly, because it rendered the notion of labels irrelevant; these were just people helping out their neighbours. The Rochdale clean-up was partly coordinated by UKIM, a group that has been a keen supporter of Mosaic, the charity of which I am Managing Director. The spirit shown by the (newest) members of a community giving up their time to help those in need is very similar to the defining principles of the work that we do in schools and prisons across the UK and beyond. Advertisement Mosaic believes in the power of potential and our mentors work tirelessly to help the young and vulnerable people with whom we work to achieve something fantastic in life, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or country of origin. This is the work that we will continue to do, a long way away from the debates at Davos but, in our own way, no less significant. LookBooker Giorgia Rossi and Renee Robbie met while working together at global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. They share a passion for innovative start-ups, great design, and 6-weekly haircuts. Mortified at facing a future of booking their salon appointments by phone in open-plan offices forever more, they left their corporate jobs to move to New York to launch LookBooker. How has your life experience made you the leaders you are today? Our families are full of people who have started their own businesses, so we grew up discussing how to close a deal, motivate a team, launch a product, and all things business around the dinner table. With families full of business owners and operators, we knew that running a startup would be hard work, constant selling, and learning to thrive while always feeling bootstrapped. For us as leaders, we know how important it is to have a compelling vision that others (e.g., our team, users, investors) can get behind. That vision - to be the online marketplace connecting consumers looking for salons with salons looking for consumers - was compelling enough to convince us to quit our corporate jobs and move continents to launch LookBooker. We've learned from our families as well as business role models, that leadership is walking the walk, not just talking the talk. We expect others to take risks on us, and we've seen how important it is for us as leaders to take big risks too. Advertisement How has your previous employment experience aided your tenures at LookBooker? Prior to LookBooker, we met while both working as management consultants at McKinsey & Company. There, we had the privilege of working with some incredibly smart people to solve problems for some of the world's biggest organizations. Many of the things we learned were skills we now use every day, such as being able to think on our feet, prioritize ruthlessly, and collaborate with others to solve a problem. We've now taken those skills and shifted their application - from Fortune 500 companies to businesses that are a bit smaller (sometimes single-person barbershop or nail salons)! What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenures at LookBooker? It's an incredibly exciting journey to help usher in the digital age for a huge industry (there are 1.3 million hair and beauty businesses in the U.S) that still largely runs on pen and paper and relies on a landline telephone to take appointments. To lead this change and help digitize the way that beauty bookings are processed is a highlight every single day. As for challenges, given the size of the opportunity we are chasing (currently less than 1% of appointments are taken online), there are never enough hours in the day. We want to be in all major US cities. We want every consumer to know that they can finally book their salon appointments online, and we want to extend an invite to every business in the personal grooming industry to join LookBooker. Our challenge is always balancing the opportunity to grow quickly with our commitment to delivering real, tangible value to those taking part in the network. Advertisement What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry? Know the landscape of the industry you're entering, and that industry is tech, then the odds are not in your favor. When you are aware of the numbers - What is the most important lesson you've learned in your career to date? Commit yourself to your current career venture as though you're going to do it for the next decade. Nowadays, it is rare for Gen Y's and millennials to be in the same career for ten years straight, but thinking about your work with a long term view means you'll never find yourself doing something you're not passionate about. When we started LookBooker, we sat down and said "Are we excited enough to be doing this for at least the next ten years?" and when the answer was yes, we knew we were onto a good thing. It also forces you to make decisions that you are happy to live with down the track, and when you make mistakes, you take the time to learn from them, knowing you might come across them again - all things that lead to better operating! How do you maintain a work/life balance? We've learned a lot about personal sacrifice and the time it takes to get a startup off the ground. For us, the idea for LookBooker took us from its conception on a mining site in rural Australia to moving to different countries ... twice. When you're on a mission that requires 150% of your thinking space, time, and passion, it can be hard to balance much else. To be truthful, we haven't cracked balancing our work and lives, though perhaps growing up in families full of operators, we became comfortable from an early age with having the two merge. It's a work in progress; we promise we'll sing from the hills if we manage to find the secret sauce! What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace? It differs by industry. While we've seen big progress in the corporate world in terms of flexibility, parental leave and alternative promotion paths, in the world of tech there are still great strides to be made. One of the areas that we see this most acutely is the challenge female founders have in securing the funding they need to grow and scale their businesses. Like LookBooker, a business born out of our personal need for the solution, so many of our female peers are building businesses that they or their friends would use. An approach that is entirely sensible when you think about where ideas are born. However, when it comes to pitching an all male panel of VCs, the product or platform that we and our friends use might not resonate with this demographic of venture partners (who are likely less pained by the inconvenience of booking their blow out or leg wax on the phone during office hours). In a world where so few venture firms even have female representation in their partnership and where the industry has been built on decades of pattern recognition of what a 'typical' entrepreneur looks like, we have quite a way to go before the distribution of capital (>95% of venture capital currently goes to male founded teams) tilts toward greater gender balance. Advertisement How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal lives? It's made a huge difference. Many of our mentors from our consulting days became our earliest backers, and they continue to help us think through all sorts of questions we are presented with - how to build a team, how to consider an acquisition offer, how to think strategically about a partnership opportunity. Interestingly, we've both gravitated towards the sort of mentor that helps us and encourages us to make mistakes, a critical part of any startup journey. For us, the most powerful moments in our LookBooker journey are those where mentors have helped us navigate the aftermath of a wrong turn or a near miss. The 'mistakes' we make are often our most pivotal moments, and in a company where we pride ourselves on our ability to fail fast and then iterate, we welcome all help making sense of the lessons we can! Which other female leaders do you admire and why? We have such admiration and respect for women who go out and give it a go, and are excited and inspired by a growing number of female leaders who are out there charging through brick walls and taking no prisoners. Some of our favorite female leaders whose stories and companies we love include Diane Von Furstenberg, Sara Blakely (Spanx), Julia Hartz (Eventbrite), Marla Malcom Beck (Blue Mercury), Susan Koger (Modcloth), and of course we are big Sheryl Sandberg fans. Female leaders are able to bring their natural collaborative nature, intuitive problem solving ability and lateral thinking skills to a company. We are so energized to see the teams they lead and the companies they steer go from strength to strength because of it. What do you want LookBooker to accomplish in the next year? This week, world leaders will descend on London to attend an aid pledging conference on Syria led by our Prime Minister. David Cameron is keen to generate momentum around addressing the Syrian crisis and to see other countries matching the UK's generous aid contribution to the region. With headlines emerging every day of the horror those trapped in Syria are facing and the increasing desperation those who have crossed Syria's border are experiencing, such global leadership is urgently needed. But the Prime Minister may struggle to make the headway he'd like while overlooking the elephant in the room his Government has so fastidiously tried to ignore: the refugees who are continuing to desperately arrive in Europe. Advertisement There's no doubt that in lieu of what's really required - an end to the conflict in Syria which has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions - more aid to the region is sorely needed. But so too is an acknowledgement that aid can't be used as a tool for Europe - one of the richest places in the world - to halt the desperate flow of refugees who arrived on its shores last year in record numbers. Turkey, the nation already hosting the greatest number of refugees in the world, has recently indicated that it cannot be expected to become an open air prison for the refugees Europe would rather not protect. Global leaders, including David Cameron, should instead acknowledge that they must show true leadership by placing the protection of displaced people at the top of their agendas both at home and abroad. The European nations around the table this week must reflect on their own responsibility to protect refugees and abject failure to do so. 2015 was the year of the 'European refugee crisis' - but this was really a crisis of leadership and solidarity, not numbers. Europe is a rich continent of 500 million people. Of course we're capable of absorbing a million refugees: Lebanon is sheltering more than that single-handedly. Advertisement Yet European leaders continue to pass the buck, racing to make their countries the least hospitable to the men, women and children they're obliged to protect while the EU simultaneously strengths its borders and forces refugees to take ever more deadly risks to access the protection they're legally entitled to. Those who survive the journey are then subjected to a march of misery across Europe in search of safety, often in a desperate attempt to reunite with their family members. Many then find themselves subject to the Dublin regulation; a European agreement that as the Refugee Council has long argued has never been fit for purpose, and which sees asylum seekers shuttled around the continent like unwanted luggage, and at great expense, as states in northern Europe try to shirk their responsibility towards protecting refugees. Meanwhile the beneficial elements of the Dublin regulation - which should see asylum seekers in different European countries reunited so they can be together while their claims are processed - go largely ignored by states. The European Commission will reportedly unveil a new way for Europe to share responsibility protecting refugees in March. We don't yet know what that will look like, but we do know that it can't be forced on countries like Britain, who aren't bound by such legislation. David Cameron's conference on Syria comes weeks before this new system is due and provides a golden opportunity for him to show true statesmanship and lead the way on refugee protection. In doing so, he must acknowledge this isn't just a job for other countries in far away places. This is a job Britain can help with. Advertisement Refugees must be provided with safe, orderly passage to Europe and Britain. Britain must stand shoulder to shoulder with our European neighbours and volunteer to share responsibility for protecting them once they arrive. Britain must make extra efforts to ensure that families who have been divided by war are reunited. Times are tough in Aberdeen. Not five years ago, the city's black gold was bringing in a whopping 3.3bn worth of tax receipts every six months. Investment was flooding in from all over the globe, and sky-high revenues formed the crux of Alex Salmond's failed bid for Scottish independence. Today, North Sea oil is without doubt the UK economy's fastest sinking ship. Thanks to a colossal surge in global supply, oil extraction is no longer viable in Scotland. In fact, a metal drum now costs more than the oil that goes inside of it - and so energy multinationals are pulling out of Aberdeen at breakneck speed. Over 5,500 offshore jobs have already been cut, and BP recently announced it would be slashing another 600 this month. By 2020, analysts reckon the UK's oil industry will have suffered a net loss of at least 23,000 jobs. Things are going to get a hell of a lot worse before they get better. That being said, cutting your losses and admitting defeat is bad politics. That's why both David Cameron and Nicola Sturgeon have pledged over 500m to prop up the rapidly decaying industry. In some cases, this funding will be spent on long-term infrastructure projects that will drastically improve Aberdeen's chances of re-establishing some form of business sustainability. But in other cases, we're just pissing away money for the fun of it. Advertisement Take last week, for example: on a tour of Aberdeen's anaemic port, David Cameron announced the UK Government is set to hand over 20m worth of cash in order to track down new oil fields up north. At face value, that sounds like an inspiring show of confidence. Yet if we sprinkle a bit of global context into the mix, that 'show of confidence' is actually a self-inflicted kick in the balls. Let's talk about supply and demand. Over the past two years, the cost of Bent Crude has plummeted from over $100 per barrel to just under $30. Why? Thanks to American frackers, we've got more of the stuff than we know what to do with. Drivers are justifiably ecstatic about the price drops. Oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, are not - and so they're doing everything within their power to drive prices back up. How, you ask? By flooding the market with even more oil. Last month, Opec producers churned out a record-breaking 33m barrels of Bent Crude each and every day like clockwork. Against all odds, this financial Hail Mary has indeed forced a few up-and-coming production sites in America to shut down. That would have theoretically restored oil prices - until Tehran entered the fray. Iran is currently sitting on top of the world's fourth-largest supply of oil reserves. Now that sanctions against the country are being lifted, Iranian producers will soon be allowed to sell that supply off to everybody and their mums. That's bad news for fellow producers. After all, Tehran has got nothing to lose by giving oil away for $20 a barrel, and probably will if it generates new trade partners. In turn, Saudi Arabia's attempts at market manipulation will all have been for nothing, and the global oil industry will be worse off for it. Advertisement So, what does all of this mean for the stormy North Sea? Nothing good. Until the globe's top oil capitals nail out a truce and agree to curb production levels, prices will only continue to tumble. That will inevitably lead to more job losses in Scotland, less tax revenue for Holyrood and a financial headache for David Cameron. Bearing that in mind, why on earth would the Prime Minister want to piss away 20m trying to exacerbate that headache? Oil is a boom and bust industry. The markets will go where they want to go, and private companies will move in or pull out accordingly. In a few years, Bent Crude will probably have shot back up to $100 per barrel, and Aberdeen will be bathing in riches once more. But those riches will only materialise if and when the market corrects itself. How do we stop bankers melting the economy again? That crucial question in the regulation of the financial sector has arguably not yet been fully answered after the crash of 2008, but the Chancellor appears to have found one: we don't. The regulation and oversight of the day-to-day conduct of business in the banks is carried out by the Financial Conduct Authority. Andrew Bailey has just been appointed its new Chief Executive - after his predecessor Martin Wheatley's contract was somewhat surprisingly not renewed. It is up to the FCA to monitor the conduct of banks, using paper trails which may exist, or may not... The FCA has been hitting big bank after big bank with fines for misconduct. Between 2013 and 2015, the FCA fined the UK's four biggest banks: HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds and the Royal Bank of Scotland group - to the tune of 1.26 billion. What is deeply worrying is that these fines are for misconduct which took place after the economic crash of 2008. Yet there has been only one successful criminal prosecution. So much for the much vaunted "change of culture". Advertisement In March 2015, the FCA trumpeted that it would soon begin a thorough review into banking culture. Without the FCA apparently doing any work on it, that review was abandoned in December. The task is instead to be left to the Banking Standards Board - a body which can neither punish banks for wrongdoing nor publish its reports on individual banks unless they agree. Correspondingly, the government is abandoning its own legislative change which were due to come into force in March 2016. That change was the "reverse burden of proof". That policy was introduced by the Coalition government in the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013. It would have meant that, where misconduct was alleged, senior personnel in the big banks would have had to demonstrate that they took reasonable steps to prevent that alleged misconduct from happening. In December 2013, when speaking of the stricter legislation being introduced by the government, including the reverse burden of proof, a Treasury Minister told Parliament that the "introduction of this offence means that ... in future those who bring down their bank by making thoroughly unreasonable decisions can be held accountable for their actions. ... Senior managers could be liable if they take a decision that leads to the failure of the bank. ... The maximum sentence for the new offence ... reflects the seriousness that the Government, and society more broadly, place on ensuring that our financial institutions are managed in a way that does not recklessly endanger the economy or the public purse". That Minister was the then Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Sajid Javid MP. Before entering Parliament, he had been employed by Chase Manhattan Bank, and then had run Deutsche Bank UK. Advertisement By June 2015, the Chancellor George Osborne was already in partial retreat. In his Mansion House speech he said that he was certain that "ratcheting up ever-larger fines" was not the way in which banking regulation should continue, but rather that "boards and top management must live up to their responsibilities - and face the consequences if they don't". By October 2015, the Chancellor was in full retreat. That was when he started his Bank of England & Financial Services Bill, in the House of Lords. This Bill has now reached the House of Commons. Bizarrely, this Bill repeals the Chancellor's own 2013 legislation - before that legislation has even come into effect! So the Chancellor diagnosed a problem (reckless bankers - well spotted). Then he prescribed some remedies (including the stringent "reverse burden of proof" - well done). Now he is proposing to abandon that remedy - without ever having tried it. When this Bill was being debated in the House of Lords, the government Minister Lord Bridges was unable to answer the obvious question as to what had led the Chancellor to change his mind. One can but speculate: between July and December 2015, George Osborne met with 5 of the biggest banks in the UK. The Bankers' Chancellor indeed. (In the same period in 2014, he had met with none of them.) For post-2008 misconduct, four of those banks (HSBC, Barclays, JP Morgan, Santander) have been fined by the FCA; and the fifth (Standard Chartered) has been hit hard by USA regulators. Research by Reuters shows that seven big investment banks in the UK between them only paid 21 million in Corporation Tax in 2014 - despite revenues of 21 billion, and profits of 3.6 billion. At the same time as some banks play fair, other banks continue to try to get away with it, basking in their world of structural complacency, whilst real people up and down the country are struggling to make ends meet. The Chancellor should have stuck to his guns, and done the fair thing for the British people - regulate and tax the banks properly. As it is, the Bank of England & Financial Services Bill signals a major retreat by the Chancellor from what was until now his own policy. Thus, whilst he stands firmly behind his failed austerity (National Debt up 60% in his six years in charge), he is going soft on banks. Advertisement 'I want to be a teacher' - a simple, yet powerful statement of hope from Fatima*, a six-year old Syrian girl. It's nearly five years since the start of the Syrian conflict. For 3.8 million Syrian children, like Fatima, living in Syria or as refugees in neighbouring countries, this means five years of disrupted education or no access to education at all. This is a scandal that must end now. Everything must be done to ensure that the children of Syria who have already lost their homes do not face the double jeopardy of losing their education and the opportunity to have successful futures. Advertisement At a Syria All-Party Group meeting I chaired on Wednesday on civilian protection, we heard of the inspiring resilience of communities in Syria. Besieged neighbourhoods, such as Madaya, are proudly doing what they can to provide makeshift schooling. Even in the most terrifying of circumstances, a classroom has the ability to provide hope for the future. The international community meets in London this week for the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference. I welcome calls made by 12 international NGOs for the conference participants to develop a comprehensive plan to increase access to safe, quality education opportunities in Syria and the region. The UK government along with other donors must close the education funding gap. At least $1.4billion needs to be committed annually to ensure that all children and young people affected by the conflict are in education and learning during the 2016/2017 school year and on an ongoing basis. In the refugee-hosting countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey this funding needs to be invested in the national education systems so that they are better able to accommodate Syrian children. And where the formal system can't absorb refugee children, funding should support non-formal programmes. Yet while vital, additional funding on its own will not deliver immediate access to quality education for refugee children. National policies must be unequivocally committed to ensuring all children and young people enjoy the opportunity to learn and do so in safety. Policy reform should include improved registration and documentation of students, the payment of teachers, an increase in certified informal learning opportunities and improvements to children's safety. Advertisement Fatima's wish to become a teacher could become a reality if participants at this week's conference work together to deliver a new ambitious plan for the region. Denying children like Fatima their right to education is already having a devastating effect on their lives. But it also has serious, far-reaching consequences for societies and economies across the region. We must act now for the futures of Syria's children. *Name changed to protect identity Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances in my constituency I can no longer attend the Westminster Hall debate relating to the transitional state pension arrangements for women born in the 1950s. As I will no longer have the opportunity to speak at the debate I wanted to take some time to put down my feelings on the subject and again urge the UK Government to take immediate action. Earlier in the month a motion brought forward by Mhairi Black MP was passed when the House of Commons voted "to immediately introduce transitional arrangements for those women negatively affected" by pension equalisation. This specifically affects women born in the 1950s who have seen their state pension age increase from 60. Furthermore, this whole debate is another great example of the Tory Government refusing to take responsibility for legislation that is having severe, detrimental effects on women's lives. Despite winning the vote 158 Ayes to 0 Noes, despite many speaker arguing passionately for their constituents and receiving cross party support, the Government has said it will take no action. It's unfortunate that the UK Government continues to show a complete lack of empathy with those affected, but also an unwillingness to engage with practical recommendations that would help to alleviate the impact of these changes. The UK Government may believe that no policy adjustment is required, but given the momentum behind this campaign I believe that these women deserve more than a simple regurgitation of government policy. Advertisement There is plenty that could be done, the SNP has already called on the UK Government to set up an independent commission to investigate how the changes to the state pension will affect both men and women. All the while this is ongoing my office is continuing to receive letters and emails from women born in the 1950s who are just finding out about the changes to the UK Government's pension plan and its adverse effects. These women have had plans made decades in advance shattered through no fault of their own. Throughout this debate the Government has failed to make any attempt to address the lifetime of low pay and inequality faced by many women born in the 1950s, these changes are putting this generation at risk of further hardship. Advertisement It is crucial to point out that pensions are not benefits, they are contracts which women born in the 1950s entered into aged 17. Contracts that these women have been paying into the entirety of their working life. Essentially the 2011 Pensions Act represents a broken contract. The decision to introduce transitional arrangements lies in the hands of George Osborne, but I think it is simple, if the UK Governement can find 167 billion to spend on nuclear weapons, I believe that it can find money to support women born in the 1950s. If George Osborne is serious about his leadership aspirations he must take action, attend this debate and find a solution. The Government must stop sitting on their hands and participate in the discussion that has been taking place for some time now. I hope to see a system introduced which is fair and upholds the commitment that was made many years ago to support these women. Today's debate is due to the hard work of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) who started a petition which calls on the UK Government to make fair transitional state pension arrangements for women born in the 1950s. The last time I checked the petition had amassed over 135,500 signatures and any petition reaching over 100,000 signatures must be heard by parliament. This time the Government must listen! This is a question that has been instigated by the recent furore over the dearth of black representation at the 2016 Oscars with the absence of a single nomination in any category. But this crisis is not confined to film and TV, it also extends to the arts. Why is this? It can't be because of lack of talent, will or ambition, there is plenty out there. Drawing completed when I was 13 (mixed media on A3 paper, 1986) Since the age of 4 it was my dream to be an artist, in fact my parents told me that as soon as I had a pen in my hand I was always drawing. Yet I was acutely aware, growing up in the 70s, of the lack of any visible British Asian artists. The need to create art was innate, yet I ended up studying at the London School of Economics, partly to placate my parents. However, while I was at the LSE I continued to write and paint - this compulsion never abated. Advertisement When I left the LSE I thought working as a researcher in TV would be the closest to a creative profession and my first position was at the South Bank Show. Dominated by Oxbridge graduates there was only one other black face and she went to Oxford too, as an LSE Asian graduate I instantly felt excluded. Undeterred I completed other research positions, but felt that the industry and the programmes that were being made didn't reflect my interests or background - how could that be addressed? During one placement I found out about a Channel 4 bursary (a now defunct scheme) partly the brainchild of former commissioning editor Alan Fountain. When Channel 4 started it was very different from the channel we see today; they were pioneers, giving young filmmakers their first break and risk takers, too. In the mid 80's Channel 4 screened movies by Kieslowski, Tarkovsky and countless French films, without realising it they were educating me in art house cinema and I was hooked. The turning point came when my mother put on Satyajit Ray's 1955 Pather Panchali. It was a revelation; the integrity and simplicity of the story telling, the use of natural light, the audacious and stark sound track. Now I began harbouring dreams to be a filmmaker, artist and writer - how preposterous? I was just a gauche Bangladeshi teenager from Manchester. My creative aspirations seemed like a pipe dream. Deciding to apply for the Channel 4 bursary I had nothing to lose, at aged 23 I had already written a synopsis for a feature film and had a portfolio of artwork created during summer breaks while studying at the LSE. During the interview I was nervous as hell, Alan Fountain was there and miraculously they decided to take a punt on me. I was awarded a 7,000 pound bursary to study at the Northern Media School and plunged right in at the deep end. My first film was an unmitigated disaster and I was ridiculed and ostracised by fellow students. My second film was about a disabled transsexual called Catrina Day whom I met on the train. With my credibility restored I was allowed to make my MA film on 16 mm: Weakbladder about a young girl who is bullied at school and doesn't fit in the world. It was one of the hardest things I ever did, there was mutiny on the film set, but despite the trauma, my film received the second highest mark at film school and was soon screened in festivals. Advertisement Emaciated blue nude featured in my film Weakbladder (mixed media on canvas, size 52 x 54 inches, 1998) After leaving film school I did a placement at Channel 4 and personally left my film with the commissioning editor of diversity at Channel 4, but I don't think she even bothered to watch it. The realisation hit me of how tough it was to penetrate this elusive world of film and TV. By this time I had met Ken Loach, Danny Boyle (on the train) with his then producer Andrew MacDonald who invited me in for a chat and watched my film, commending me on it. I hustled me way into countless production companies, hoping for a way in, but it was like a closed world - impenetrable. Advertisement In 1999, fed up with all the rejection, I dropped out of Chelsea School of Art, set up my own arts organisation Pigment Explosion and after a break of 4 years made my next film From Briarwood to Barisal to Brick Lane shot in Bangladesh, New York and London, it was funded by the London Arts Board and Tower Hamlets council. It was the start of numerous commissioned films that I have completed to date. But the way I make films is not conventional, I shoot, edit, do the sound - in effect everything. I had finally given up on the conventional 'film world'. However in 2010 the UK film council did fund my film White Wall (it was the first animation film I did) but now the UK film council no longer exists. And this is the problem, rather than investing in talent and provide mentors for young film makers from different backgrounds, black and Asian aspiring artists, writers and film makers have to fight for very limited opportunities, and usually these are one offs. There is no nurturing of that person's vision/ideas and without this we will not see a vibrant and diverse film making community. Instead it will remain the preserve of those who are established and the stories that are told will be decided by a select few with the odd token gesture thrown in there. Of course some ethnic minorities have found a way into the industry, but you can name these people on one hand. Black and Asian film makers have to find the courage to get their stories made in whatever way they can. Yes it would be a bonus to be paid, but rather than wait for a myopic industry to wake up to the black and Asian talent that is ubiquitous, rather than complain and lament the lack of opportunity, we have to go out there and just do it. 'Love is.... Nurturing each others needs and desires in all areas of life. Supporting each other and standing united. Knowing you are on my side. Feeling like I can rule the world with you by my side. Being honest when asked for my opinion knowing it may be hard to swallow,. Knowing you may not love my opinion but I know you love me for my honesty. I know and trust the truth is in my best interest whether I want to hear it or not. Never expecting gratitude or an apology, because we do what we do out of love and when we fail to get it right it's never out of malice. Accepting you regardless, even though I may not always understand you and your weird ways. Knowing you accept me in spite of my unique weirdness. Being able to laugh together, at each other, with each other. Honouring and cherishing, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer until the end.' Andrew Meares Australian small businesses will have a dedicated advocate and go-to point for dispute resolution following the appointment of Kate Carnell AO as the countrys inaugural Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman. In making the announcement in Canberra yesterday, Small Business Minister Kelly Dwyer said the new position would reduce the risk of expensive legal cases for small business in the event of disputes. Advertisement The Small Business Ombudsman will be able to make sure that where there are disputes, those disputes can be resolved without costly litigation, she said. So often, we hear from small businesses that when they have a dispute, often with a bigger business, they feel completely disempowered by that, and they dont have the funds or capacity to take it to court. With our Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, we have someone who can ensure that those disputes are resolved without costly litigation and we can make sure there is a fair go for small business. ODwyer stressed that Carnell was the perfect choice for the job, which she would start on March 11 on a five-year term, because of her experience running her own pharmacy for 15 years, and her roles as beyondblue chief executive, with the Australian Food and Grocery Council and the Australian General Practice Network as well as her role as Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive since 2014, which represents more than 300,000 Australian businesses. Advertisement She knows what small business is about and is absolutely the right person for the job, ODwyer said. Aside from dispute resolution, the ombudsman role will also involve advocating for small business at a Commonwealth level and helping to develop federal laws and regulations. ODwyer said Carnell, who was the ACTs Chief Minister for five years, was more than equipped to wrangle legislative issues. She will be a critical advocate for small business, ODwyer told the ABCs Chris Uhlmann. We have given her additional resources to be able to be someone who can handle the disputes and complaints that small business make without having to resort to costly litigation. She'll also be somebody who makes sure that Commonwealth laws and regulations -- and some state laws and regulations -- make sure that they're not providing a disadvantage for small business but in fact providing the right settings for small business to not only survive but thrive. Advertisement Described politically as a moderate Liberal, Carnell has openly shown support for slashing weekend penalty rates for workers. Small business owners will now have a dedicated go-to point for dispute resolution. ODwyer said the move to create the ombudsman position reflected how important small businesses were to the Australian economy. Today's appointment is a major win for small business owners who will have access to advice and support, and an independent advocate to ensure the Government creates the right conditions for small businesses to grow, she said. The Government acknowledges small businesses make a substantial contribution to Australia's economy with over two million small businesses generating around a third of economic output. Advertisement Industry groups and chief executives have reacted favourably to the announcement. Council of Small Business Australia chief executive Peter Strong said it was a huge victory for small business. We have been calling for an Ombudsman for our sector since 1977 when our association was first formed by concerned small business supporters," he said. Kate Carnell is a great selection and will help develop laws that specifically help and not hinder small business. Australian Retailers Association executive director Russell Zimmerman said Carnells appointment was an excellent choice. Kate is a staunch supporter of small business, with a wealth of experience, Zimmerman said. Kate has done a fantastic job over the last couple of years in her role as CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and we look forward to continuing our relationship with her as Small Business Ombudsman. MYOB chief executive Tim Reed also welcomed the appointment. This is a significant endorsement by the Turnbull Government to the importance of small business to the Australian economy. Its great to see the Government smoothing the way for SMEs, in particularly when it comes to dispute resolution. Advertisement Ahead of the Iowa Caucuses, Donald Trump is being schlonged with a discrimination suit. Paul Ryan and Barack Obama are going to have lunch and bond over both being 6'1" and 165 pounds. And the World Health Organization called the Zika virus a public health emergency, something that couldve been avoided if the Zika virus had listened to its consultants and endorsed ethanol subsidies and upped its Polk county GOTV effort. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Monday, February 1st, 2016: OH CRAP, THE CAUCUSES ARE HERE - Our long national corn-based nightmare is almost over. Ryan Grim: "If Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump comes out on top in Iowa, it will be the first time that millions of people waking up on Tuesday morning seriously think of those men as presidential material. (The shock to the global audience, particularly if Trump wins, will be off the scale.)... Sanders comes out on top in Iowa and follows it up with a win in New Hampshire, where he's well ahead, all of a sudden he becomes a viable candidate, and the firewall could be snuffed out...Nate Cohn, writing in The New York Times, noticed this weekend that poor and working-class white voters have been shifting toward Sanders and away from Clinton, an unusual pattern in a Democratic primary. If whites who often vote for the more conservative Democrat were moving his way, Cohn wrote, 'the assumption that Mrs. Clinton will easily maintain her strength among nonwhite voters may be shakier than once thought.'" [HuffPost] It's after the caucuses so no one cares: "In Polk County, the National Weather Service upgraded a previous winter storm watch to a winter storm warning at about 4:30 a.m. Monday. The warning begins at midnight Tuesday and runs through 6 a.m. Wednesday. The latest snowfall projections Monday afternoon called for 6 to 10 inches in central Iowa, with a foot or more expected north and west of the metro area. However, some forecasts are calling for periods of rain mixed in with the snowfall by Tuesday afternoon." [Des Moines Register] Advertisement HuffPollster's polling average shows a super close race between Clinton and Sanders on the Democratic side and a not-as-close one between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. HOW VOTERS WOULD INTERPRET A HILLARY LOSS - Ariel Edwards-Levy: "Monday's Iowa caucuses won't enshrine any presidential nominees quite yet -- just ask former victors Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and Tom Harkin. But the results will affect how the candidates are perceived by the rest of the nation, which is increasingly starting to tune into the race. On the Democratic side, a new HuffPost/YouGov poll finds that a Bernie Sanders win would be considered a major milestone for him, but not a significant failure for Hillary Clinton. Sanders, who currently trails Clinton by about 3 points in HuffPost's polling average, would likely need record turnout to win. A 52 percent majority of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters say that Sanders winning in Iowa would be a sign that he's a serious challenger to win the Democratic nomination, while just 37 percent say it would be a temporary victory for his campaign." [HuffPost] TRUMP WILL BE GREAT FOR THE WOMEN - Or not. Libby Nelson: "A former organizer for Donald Trump in Iowa formally accused the campaign of gender discrimination, filing a complaint that men working on the campaign are paid more and allowed to plan and speak at rallies while women are not. The organizer, Elizabeth Davidson, a part-time employee, was characterized in the New York Times on January 13 as 'one of the campaigns most effective organizers.' Davidson had opened the campaign's second field office in Iowa and recruited captains in nearly all its precincts, reporter Trip Gabriel wrote, while most of Trump's campaign was 'amateurish and halting, committing basic organizing errors.' The day after the Times article appeared, Davidson was fired. Although the article only quoted Davidson encouraging a prospective volunteer, the Trump campaign told her she had made disparaging comments in the press and broken a nondisclosure agreement." [Vox] Advertisement Jen Bendery polled an Iowa gay bar, couldn't find a consensus. BOOM! A TRUMP PRESIDENCY WOULD INSTANTLY SHRINK GOVERNMENT - This is silly but we like it. Amanda Terkel: "If Donald Trump becomes president, a considerable chunk of the federal workforce might quit. Fourteen percent of government workers in a new Government Business Council/GovExec.com survey said they would 'definitely' consider leaving their jobs if the GOP front-runner wins. Another 11 percent said they would 'maybe' do so. Democrats, not surprisingly, were significantly more likely to say they would leave." [HuffPost] Wendy Davis confesses mistakes from her failed gubernatorial bid on Candidate Confessional. DELANEY DOWNER - Ugh, the Zika: "The World Health Organization declared a "public health emergency of international concern" on Monday morning due to the clusters of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities that may be caused by Zika virus. This designation, also known as PHEIC, has only been applied to three other illnesses in the past -- most recently to Ebola during the 2014 to 2015 outbreak in West Africa. The determination is intended to mobilize an international response to combat mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has spread throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean and is suspected to be the cause of a sharp rise in birth defects in Brazil." [HuffPost] Does somebody keep forwarding you this newsletter? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Send tips/stories/photos/events/fundraisers/job movement/juicy miscellanea to huffposthill@huffingtonpost.com. Follow us on Twitter - @HuffPostHill DEMS SEE OPENING FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM - Shorter version: because now it's affecting middle-to-upper class white people. Laura Barron-Lopez: "The first words Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) spoke at the Democrats' annual issues conference here addressed the death of Freddie Gray in police custody and the massive unrest that followedThis year, Democrats see a window opening to address two major symptoms of that struggle: the harm caused by mandatory minimum sentencing and Americas addiction to heroin. Both are problems cities like Baltimore have grappled with for decades. A reform of the strict sentencing laws that led to overpopulation of Americas prisons has a real chance of moving in Congress this year. And heroins infiltration of rural and suburban towns is bringing to the table lawmakers who previously dismissed the need for sentencing reform, afraid theyd appear too soft on crime. 'As sad as the circumstances are that created the aligning of these stars, the stars are aligned for change,' Cummings, who represents Baltimore, told The Huffington Post at the end of the three-day retreat." [HuffPost] BROS TO MASTICATE - Has there ever been such a high power Washington meeting between two dudes who, in a different universe, might otherwise be meeting at Clarendon's Liberty Tavern after a workout? Jordan Fabian: "President Obama is asking Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to stick around for lunch on Tuesday after their first formal meeting together. Obama will dine with Ryan in the White Houses private dining room after they meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in the Oval Office, press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday. The president plans to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership, criminal justice reform, the White Houses cancer 'moonshot' and Puerto Ricos debt crisis in his meeting with the two leaders, according to Earnest." [The Hill] Advertisement GET READY FOR A LOT MORE OF THESE STORIES - And a healthy number of "Run, Mike, run!" ones, too. Alex Isenstadt: "With the GOP political class growing increasingly worried that insurgents Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are becoming hard to stop, some in the party say the time is near for three lagging establishment hopefuls --Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and John Kasich -- to reassess their candidacies and help the party unite around one contender. The most widely talked-about scenario is that the establishment lane will narrow to Marco Rubio, who polls show has the most support among the mainstream candidates. The Florida senator spent his final campaign appearances here presenting himself as the lone figure who can unite the Republican Party and defeat the Democratic nominee." [Politico] And a lot more of these stories: "If Donald Trump ends up on stage this July formally accepting the GOP presidential nomination, dont be surprised if everyone from Washington Republicans to Twitter conservatives gathers outside the convention arena in Cleveland to burn Mike Murphy in effigy The campaign waged by Murphy has been, by turns, vicious, strange, and comically ineffectual -- but always expensive. With Jeb flatlining in national polls, the group has blown through at least 60% of its $118 million -- and developed, along the way, a blooper reel of widely mocked stunts." [BuzzFeed's McKay Coppins and Christopher Massie] BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Here's a baby sloth. SOROS THROWS MONEY AT HILLARY - Ken Vogel: "George Soros in December donated $6 million to the leading super PAC supporting Hillary Clintons presidential campaign, marking the return of the billionaire financier as among the biggest givers in all of American politics. The massive check brings to $8 million the Hungarian-born investor's total 2015 giving to pro-Clinton groups.Soros is seen as a bellwether among rich Democrats. He is one of the few liberals who has shown a willingness to drop eight-figures in an election cycle, having donated more than $20 million in 2004 to groups that tried to oust then-President George W. Bush. After the failure of that effort, Soros dialed back his big-money political spending." [Politico] COMFORT FOOD - Corgis know how to get dry - Americans will eat 1.3 billion chicken wings this Sunday TWITTERAMA @JeffYoung: I took a class on political parties as an undergrad 22 years ago. Please tell all the cable news bookers you know. Advertisement @pourmecoffee: Fun Game: Do you own caucus at work! Everyone stand with candidates they support and form deep, lasting resentments that destroy teams. The right kinds of food, how much to buy, plus all the other things (coolers!) you probably didn't think about. I'm proud to call Greg my former student. At a recent meet-up we realized that, whatever we do, six maxims exist for generating and enjoying good outcomes in life and work. They echo themes in fantastic books like Evolving Entrepreneurial Education, The New Entrepreneurial Leader, Strategic Relationships at Work, and What to Do When You're New, in which my Babson colleagues describe how to foster awareness and practice of similar constructive habits and ways of thinking. Here's our fresh remix of old truisms, plus some inspirational and illustrative start-up stories: (1) The meaning of life = love what you do. You can't always "do what you love." Heck, you may not even know what you love. Not all of us have a dream job or a goal. But whatever it is you find as your best existing option, find aspects that bring you (and, ideally, others) joy, throw yourself into it, tweak it, and over time make choices that let you focus on the rewarding elements. Sooner or later you may end up with more of the activities that make you and those around you (including clients and colleagues) happy. Corollary: Ultimately you can make hell out of heaven and vice-versa. Having fun often means changing what you bring to a situation. (2) Get out of your comfort zone(s) -- it's almost always good. Greg at this point wants to give a shout-out to the annual Net Impact conference and Kathrin Winkler for pointing him in the direction of EMC in October 2012. Don't let grown-up life stop you. Check the stats and facts and take some calculated risks like I did when deciding to go to Pakistan or Kurdistan. You won't regret it. Traveling is like work inasmuch as mindset can affect the outcomes for everyone involved. New people, experiences, knowledge, and insights about your relationship to others and place in the world make venturing out of your normal routines a sine qua non of growth. Advertisement (3) Bring good energy. We remember feelings. Specifically, we recall how others make us feel -- a kind of emotional residue (you don't need to believe in the kind described in Scientific American to get this). Former students like Josh, Natika, and Greg (just to name a few) -- they seemed to get things. But do we now recall their grades? Whether they remember one darn thing? We don't! But we 100 percent remember and predict that they always bring a smile and constructive intentions to a situation. That's good energy. If it's not your current natural predisposition, watch Josh's TEDx talk on believing in others, or this talk on hacking your own thought and interaction patterns with posture and read and try the techniques described in Search Inside Yourself for changing your attitudes to be more like those optimists that can turn even an ambiguous mess into an agreeable outcome. (4) Ask good questions -- it may be more important than what you already know. In fact, an open-ended question requiring no foundation of knowledge could be the best question in some situations. In many contexts, finding out what others are thinking or what they know could be MUCH more critical than what you already know. This is sometimes the hardest thing to remember when you're called a teacher! Especially on that trip to Kurdistan, when meeting new folks with vastly different life experiences, it was often the single best question to ask: "What's the one thing you want foreign readers to know?" (5) Do favors, raise your hand to help achieve goals, introduce people, and start with "how can I be an asset?" All of these instincts have something in common: They're proactive. Doing a favor usually implies helping someone out with no anticipated return and often without prompting. Raising your hand at a meeting means you offer or volunteer an idea or action before you are asked. Introducing people suggests catalyzing connections that otherwise might not be made. And asking, "How can I be an asset?" is a very different instinct (and in the longer term, a much more valuable and enjoyable mindset) than, "What can I get out of this employer or situation?" Advertisement (6) "The Peanutman? He's dead... was 91..." Greg and I capped our catch-up session with a visit to the storied Cantab Lounge. The legendary Little Joe Cook came up, and the bartender hit us with the reminder that all of our days are numbered -- "we're only immortal for a limited time" as Rush helpfully clarifies. You don't need to be an adherent of Buddhism to appreciate its valuable core emphasis on being mindful that we're very temporary. Appreciation of our mortality should add both urgency and delight to our opportunity to have one more day chipping away at whatever is we find ourselves doing with whomever happens to be our client or on our team (or sometimes even our adversary, worthy or otherwise). Special shout-out to Father Greg Boyle and his inspiring crew at Homeboy Industries and to Krista Tippett for her "must-listen" (and hilariously enlightening) interview with him on the concept of agape -- "delight in others," even in the toughest of situations -- it's a conversation that ties the points of this post together well. Fr. Boyle's story seems to embody the six tips above, and Homeboy Industries now includes social enterprises that help reintegrate 10,000 former gang members and previously incarcerated people per year into mainstream society. Speaking of delight, among Babson's current students is someone else whose story embodies the themes in this post -- someone who started and runs an organization that brings joy and jobs in a context of conflict: Jonathan Feinman's Inner City Weightlifting gives meaningful employment in Boston to youth who have been involved in crime that other similar programs would screen-out. By asking good questions and taking delight in others, Jon and his team figured out a novel approach and built a gym where these folks meet and provide world class fitness training to clients in mainstream society. Their impressive success statistics speak volumes. We live in a safer and better city thanks in part to the work of Jon and his team. By Paul Foster, Senior Director, Creative Content at Getty Images As the January blues set in and the winter layers build-up, we find ourselves reminiscing about the year that has passed; however, 2016 has a myriad of visual delights to look forward to, as the advertising industry prepares for a year dominated with images depicting rebels, technology and surrealism. The way people digest visuals is changing; trends influence the way society thinks, lives and behaves. This impact is ever evolving and so too must the imagery being delivered to people by brands. Here at Getty Images our visual experts predict what can be expected in the year ahead. Getty Images' Creative Research team forecast visual trends by drawing on a diverse and extensive set of resources. These include search and buying trends from the millions of visitors to Getty Images' website each year, local insight from our global network of regional offices and expert analysis of the imagery trends in advertising and popular culture. From this research, Getty Images identified six trends that will hugely influence how brands visualise themselves in 2016; 'Divine Living', 'Extended Human', 'Outsider In', 'Messthetics', 'Silence vs. Noise' and 'Surreality.' Advertisement The modern person's demands are a cocktail of juxtaposing ideals. They want convenience, but lust for luxury; they search for simplicity and calm but are obsessed by technology and disruptors. This year will demonstrate a distinctive shift for creative campaigns, as brands and advertisers bring to life contradictory aesthetics, creating exceptional visual styles. 'Outsider In' The 'Outsider In' trend celebrates rebellion; those who are brave and break with tradition. Pioneers within popular culture who are fronting this revolution include Vivienne Westwood, Donald Trump and Amy Schumer. In 2016 we will see campaigns that rabble-rouse using a cheeky sense of humour and extreme design to catch the person's attention. Rebel Yell Bourbon is a great example of a brand that has already adopted this style of imagery in its advertising, using the tagline "Rowdy yet refined" to describe its ethos, immediately appealing to the urbane rebel - disruptive yet sophisticated. Advertisement 'Divine Living' This trend comes with two meanings; the first is 'delightful, magnificent and special' and the second is 'supreme or heavenly being.' Both of these are influencing the visual landscape. Consumers are placing more value than ever on meaningful consumption and purchases with purpose. Brands are already using images that represent contemplation or introspection, this idea of something bigger than 'us.' This is also apparent through the increasing use of 'god's eye view' -striking aerials that show wonder and epic scale. Hyundai did this perfectly when it used light rays and soft focus camera effects in its latest ad campaign to create a relaxing and healing message, even using the tagline 'Sanctuary' really highlighting this appeal of something that is rejuvenation for our souls. 'Extended Human' Where dystopian novels and sci-fi once delivered images that instilled fear of the unknown in a world ruled by technology, 'Extended Human' projects a positive image of the way that man and machine interact. It demonstrates how technology is becoming an extension of us, expanding our ability to connect and communicate. An example of this in action is Toyota Prius. The car marque displayed interactive messages on its models such as 'hug me,' inviting the public to build an emotional connection with the product. Advertisement 'Messthetics' This is not a trend for the perfectionists among us. Messthetics celebrates visceral, messy, beautiful images. In a world where beauty and flawlessness have dominated, people now crave extreme authenticity. The images shock, intrigue and surprise us, giving the people a welcome break from the predictable 'perfect everyday life' spiel. 'Silence vs. Noise' Silence and noise can really be seen as a counterpoint to Messthetics. It is uncomplicated, simple but similarly it's beautiful. In this trend, less is more and the composition and colour of the images are restrained, elegant and minimalistic. We are bound to see this imagery more and more as its extremely designer friendly. This trend was brought to life by Kit Kat who used simplicity to give TV viewers a literal break. The advert consisted of 30 seconds of a blank white screen with the tagline 'giving you a break;' effortless, perfect and the epitome of Silence vs Noise. 'Surreality' Paying homage to 60s psychedelia and the surrealists of the 1920s, photographers are using many new photo manipulation techniques to create surreal images. Where we once used surrealism to make sense of dreams, we now use it to make sense of the bombardment of imagery from many more sources than in the past - importantly it can be seen as a reaction against authenticity and a visual landscape dominated for more than a decade by a drive towards realism. The fashion house Kenzo is well known for its surreal collages and designs and the most recent MTV awards were full of surreal video imagery. Advertisement It's safe to say that these six trends will have a significant impact on brands and advertisers in the year ahead. Driven by popular culture and the availability of new technologies; people and advertisers alike have an exciting year of visuals ahead of them. Now more than ever it's important to surround yourself with influencers in your industry if you want to succeed online. This is how you build your own following, how you learn about the latest trends and stay up to date, earn more social shares and visibility, build natural links, and more. Even if you don't "know" some of the top online marketers, engaging with them by commenting on posts and learning new tips can be invaluable to your online strategy. If you're not sure where to start and who to start searching for, it can help to break down some of their expertise into categories and sort out who you should follow that way. Below gives you a starting point with 23 of the top thought leaders for online marketers to get to "know" today: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Rand Fishkin. Wizard of Moz. It sounds like a "ludicrous" title as Fishkin will tell you, but he is the founder and former CEO of the company, formerly SEOMoz. He is also the man behind the popular "Whiteboard" Friday posts that help to teach SEOs about complicated topics through video and whiteboard examples. He's one of the best when it comes to cracking tough SEO questions and breaking down complicated topics. He built Moz from the ground-up in 2004 as he began posting data reports and creating tools, and it has blown up to be one of the most well respected blogs and SEO tools in the industry. Advertisement Mike Blumenthals. Author of Understanding Google My Business & Local Search. There is a lot of competition when it comes to thought leaders in the SEO category, but Blumenthals made the list because of his extensive knowledge on local SEO and his ability to stay in that niche and dig deep. He is the owner of the popular blog Understanding Google My Business & Local Search, and what's cool about Blumenthals is the fact that he keeps the blog in-house. In other words, when you want to hear what he has to say about SEO, you can count on his blog covering his writing and thoughts and his writing only. In addition to this blog, he also founded Local U, a conference series to learn more about search marketing, and co-founded GetFiveStars.com, which helps small businesses create a customer feedback and review management strategy. Adam Heitzman. Co-Founder and Managing Partner of HigherVisibility. Heitzman is Managing Partner of the nationally recognized SEO agency HigherVisibility. For over 10 years Heitzman has been a presence on the SEO scene before starting his own agency in 2008. Having worked with him before, it's clear that he is passionate about what he does and is filled with extensive SEO knowledge and how the industry has changed over the years (and why it's so important). He has worked with small businesses to Fortune 500 companies and was even recognized by Forbes as a Top 10 SEO Guru to know in 2015, so he's one not to miss. Eric Enge. Founder and CEO of Stone Temple Consulting. If you're even a little bit familiar with some of the SEO blogs out there, you've likely seen Enge's writing. Although he is the founder of his own consulting firm, he makes it a point to get out there in the community and contribute articles on hot topics in the SEO world. He has had a 30+ year career in SEO, is the author of The Art of SEO, and regularly speaks at some of the top industry conferences such as Pubcon, ClickZ Live, and more. Glen Gabe. President of G-Squared Interactive. If you look at Gabe's history it's no wonder he started his own agency. He has held leadership positions both in-house and at a global interactive agency, was a Vice President at MRM Worldwide, led all of the aspects of SEO for yellowbook.com (a website containing nearly 20 million webpages), and blogs over at The Internet Marketing Drive, which is G-Squared Interactive's blog. He is also a featured author in the Google Analytics Help Center, so he knows his stuff thanks to his 20+ years experience. His writing is clear and engaging, so he makes it easy to learn from him. Advertisement PPC/SEM Larry Kim. Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Wordstream. Kim is constantly speaking at the top PPC and SEM events and has been out in the community since founding Wordstream in 2007. He's one of the most approachable thought leaders on this list and really seems to "get" the importance of connecting with your community online. The Wordstream blog is stellar and consistently features Kim's own pieces, and he is the author of 4 award winning books on software development. If you head over to his author bio page for Wordstream, you can see a list of all the guest blogs he's ever written. Jennifer Slegg. Founder and Editor of The SEM Post. Slegg is another thought leader on the list who frequently speaks at different SEM and PPC events like Pubcon, but it's really her skills as an author and writer that make her stand out. Her blog includes a few outside contributors, but she remains the main writer, and you can find her writings on places like Search Engine Watch and Moz almost as frequently. She says that she's "definitely a writer at heart" and it shows with her content-rich websites and engaging articles. If you're someone that learns best through writing, she is the thought leader to follow. Matt Umbro. Founder of PPCChat. Although PPCChat might be what Umbro is most known for, he actually holds a more recent position as Senior Account Manager of Community at Hanapin Marketing. He specializes in e-commerce PPC and client relations and oversees content production for PPC Hero. In other words, although he is well versed in all aspects of online marketing he is definitely a thought leader that likes to focus on PPC specifically. As for his company, PPCChat is a weekly Twitter chat where industry specialists can interact to discuss various PPC topics using the hashtag #PPCChat. Give it a try and you'll easily see why he's a thought leader. Content Marketing Brian Clark. CEO and Founder of Copyblogger. Although the name Copyblogger Media is still in use for the blog, Clark actually rebranded and created a new company called Rainmaker Digital that provides solutions to help people grow their business through social media and online marketing. Brian has been with the company over ten years and in those ten years saw several impressive accolades, including shout outs from BusinessWeek and Technorati, urging small business owners to follow Copyblogger, one of the most popular blogs in the world. Because of the sheer quality of content, Clark was able to turn a blog into a $7 million+ company. Joe Pulizzi. Founder of Content Marketing Institute. Content Marketing Institute paved the way for content marketing, and even won the 2014 John Caldwell Lifetime Achievement Award for his efforts over the years. He's on top of his game and definitely puts a focus on content in everything he does. Content Marketing Institute (CMI) also produces Content Marketing World, a premier international event for content marketing. It is now the largest content marketing event in the world, so this guy is arguably the top thought leader in the industry when talking about content specific. Advertisement Lee Odden. CEO of TopRank Marketing. Odden tops the list as one of the most experienced since starting working in web development and online marketing in the late 1990s. His company currently consults Fortune 1000 B2B companies like Dell and LinkedIn. Still, even with such high profile clients, Odden manages to share his expertise on the TopRank blog and continues to put out some of the best content in the content marketing space. He is a big believe in the power and importance of content for online success, stating on his website that "Content isn't King, it's the Kingdom," and it shows in his detailed writings. Social Media Mike Stelzner. CEO and Founder of Social Media Examiner. Stelzner's company was founded in 2009 and grew to over 435,000 email subscribers in just a few years thanks to the site's comprehensive articles, expert interviews, reviews, and overall quality content, all published daily. Social Media Examiner also hosts a Social Media success Summit where more than 3300 marketers from around the world can learn online as well as Social Media Marketing World, an in-person event that hosts more than 3000 marketers. Naturally, all of the content centers around social media topics. Dan Zarrella. Social Media Scientist at DanZarrella.com. Zarrella coins himself the "original Social Media Scientist" and that title has stuck on major blogs like HubSpot, where he really started his career and worked for over 6 years. At HubSpot he was able to help the company grow from a startup to a major public company. Since last January, however, DanZarrella has been his main website (which he built up over 10 years), although his projects extend far beyond. He is the author of four social media books, has a webinar series called "Science of..." that has drawn upwards of 30,000 registrants, and holds the Guinness World Record for the largest webinar ever. Gary Vaynerchuk. CEO of Vayner Media. Although Vaynerchuk could probably be considered a thought leader in a lot of categories, it's social media that makes him unique. He is all about "the hustle" and it shows with his massive community of social followers. His company is a social-first digital shop that focuses on storytelling across multiple platforms, gaining insight through micro-content to help build campaigns and drive results. VaynerMedia is one of the only companies you'll find that uses this approach so aggressively, and it works, so he's certainly and innovator. Just for fun, he was also an angel investor early on to many major social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr (as well as other companies like Uber and Birchbox). Affiliate Marketing Zac Johnson. President and CEO of MoneyReign Inc. Johnson is also the man behind popular blogs bloggingtips.com and zacjohnson.com, and MoneyReign has been in the affiliate marketing space since 2000. His claim to fame: He is a self-taught entrepreneur who started making money online as a teenager. Fast-forward a few years, and on his blog you can read his story of "How I Made $860,538.38 Profit in 4 Months!" Now a seven-figure business, Johnson reviews affiliate networks to help small businesses understand where they could be making more money. John Chow. Founder and CEO of JohnChow.com. Advertisement Chow has had JohnChow.com as well as his company TTZ Media Inc. both running for the last 10 years and has seen huge success with his affiliate marketing practices and his willingness to write about what works for him. He actually took his blog from zero to making $40,000 per month in just two years, and his blog still remains one of the biggest blogs on the Internet. With countless awards, he'll be a thought leader in the affiliate marketing space for years to come. Jeremy Shoemaker. President of ShoeMoney Media Group Inc. Shoemaker is a huge proponent of sharing his own stories and struggles to help you better understand affiliate marketing, and that's part of what makes him so successful and a thought leader in the industry. After all, who doesn't want to hear from someone who used to sell washers and dryers and Sears and now runs a multimillion-dollar company? He calls himself "Shoemoney" and is famous for running one of the highest-trafficked websites in the world, Shoemoney.com. He later launched successful businesses AuctionAds, FreeSEOReport, and Fighters.com Analytics Brian Clifton. Director of Data Insights at Search Integration. Clifton was actually Google's first Head of Web Analytics for Europe back in 2005 for three years, but he's actually known as an author. Students and professionals actually use his third edition of "Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics" worldwide. Despite the fact that he has his PhD in Physical & Theoretical Chemistry, he found his calling with Search Integration, a company that specializes in helping organizations implement "metrics understanding" using Google Analytics and other tools. Avinash Kaushik. Chief Education Officer & Co-Founder of Market Motive Inc. Kaushik's company provides online education and certification for different online marketing categories, Analytics being a big one, and he is also the Digital Marketing Evangelist for Google. He runs a blog called Occam's Razor and is an author of many successful Analytics books, both known for being easy to understand and able to put a real-world application alongside all of his teachings. You'll also see his face on other authoritative Analytics blogs around the web offering guest articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, advice, and more. Annie Cushing. Founder of Annielytics. Cushing lives and breathes Analytics, and lucky for us she shares her knowledge all around the web. Although Annielytics may be her main project, so is a regular Analytics contributor to many online marketing websites such as Search Engine Land and MarketingLand. According to Cushing, she "makes data sexy," and we couldn't agree more. Her writings are engaging, easy to apply to your own company, and they're everywhere. She was also the Senior SEO at the popular SEER Interactive Agency, so she has experience working with Analytics in an SEO context, and it shows through her writings. Advertisement Email Marketing Justine Jordan. Vice President of Marketing at Litmus. Jordan is a frequent speaker at interactive and digital marketing events, and according to her LinkedIn page she says, "my passion for educating and inspiring fellow marketers to create better email is relatable, actionable, and contagious." This comes through whenever she writes for the Litmus blog, and in fact she was even the recipient of the 2015 Email Marketing Thought Leader of the Year award. Tink Taylor. Founder and President of dotMailer. Taylor is a thought leader that focuses on email marketing made easy, but without skimping on quality. In other words, he's been famously quoted saying, "dotMailer's mission is to provide Nasa technology with a Fisher Price interface to marketers in the marketing automation space." He has worked with major brands like BBC and Shell and has over 17 years experience in digital communications. Jordie Van Rijn. Founder and Chief of Email Vendor Selection. The increasingly widespread usage of new technologies in Africa is fueling innovation and creating winds of change across the continent. Africans in Diaspora are helping to lead the charge in driving innovation, as more are returning to their home countries in greater numbers, bringing the latest technologies, technical know-how, and knowledge gained from spending years abroad. Africa is the fastest-growing region for mobile markets. In African households, communication with loved ones in the Diaspora is encouraging the rapid adoption of mobile phones and other new technologies. A 2014 Pew Research Center survey in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria and South Africa found that a majority of adults owned cell phones. Pew's research revealed that 89 percent of adults in South Africa and Nigeria owned a smartphone or basic cell phone, 83 percent in Senegal and Ghana, 82 percent in Kenya, 73 percent in Tanzania and 65 percent in Uganda. Advertisement Mobile technology has the greatest impact on the African continent, compared to other regions of the world. So, it's not surprising that mobile phones are sparking innovation in Africa. Yet, the tech innovations springing out of Africa are not cookie cutter approaches that best fit in Western countries, instead they are uniquely tailored to the African context and are creating homegrown solutions using mobile phones and other technologies to tackle challenges in their communities. While the continent is brimming with innovation, Sub-Saharan Africa still faces a severe shortage of highly skilled African talent, especially African software developers who can create new mobile apps to meet the demand of a growing African consumer market. Many Africans in the Diaspora are highly skilled in areas that the continent severely lacks. By leveraging their skills, ingenuity and resources, African Diasporans are uniquely positioned to contribute to scaling Africa's tech sector. Advertisement Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, co-founder of Andela, a technology company that seeks to build the next generation of African technology leaders by training African talent to become software developers. Select participants also gain experience working in leading tech companies like Microsoft, in the U.S. and Nigeria. The Nigerian-born tech entrepreneur earned degrees in the U.S. and later returned to his home country where through Andela works to build a pipeline of African technology leaders. A speaker at AAI's State of Education conference, held in Lagos in September 2015, Aboyeji stressed the need for young people in Africa to solve problems through technology. Still, in order to find the solution through technology, Aboyeji said African countries need skilled talent. "Technology is the future of work and learning and can make an impact around the world," he said. Aboyeji is just one of example of how skilled professionals from the African Diaspora are recognizing the enormous opportunities that exist on the continent and are launching businesses to create well-needed jobs and spur economic growth. Advertisement Conferences that bring the Africans in the Diaspora together to encourage greater engagement with our home countries, like the African Diaspora Investment Symposium, held January 29-30 in Silicon Valley, can only contribute to Africa's dynamic growth. When we, as Diasporans, collectively come together to bring our knowledge, resources, creativity and experiences back to the African continent - tremendous progress is bound to happen. For more information on AAI, visit www.aaionline.org It has been one year to the tragedy that occurred in Peshawar, Pakistan, on December 16, 2014 that claimed the lives of 132 schoolchildren and left many other students injured and traumatized. The whole nation was in great pain and grief. On January 20, 2016, unidentified gunmen entered Bacha Khan University in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Charsadda town and opened fire on students and faculty members as they gathered at the school for a poetry recital to commemorate the death anniversary of the activist and leader whom the school is named after (Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan). According to the officials, 21 people have died in this tragic event. This attack, which was similar to the one that took place in Peshawar, left the whole nation anguished once more. In the wake of this tragedy, I believe it is time we Pakistanis take a stance as a nation when it comes to Islamic extremism. Advertisement We have been living in denial about Islamic extremism and most of us blame India and other countries for almost every tragic event. We should wake up from our deep slumber and realize that Islamization has caused a great deal of damage to our country. Pakistanis should understand that Taliban are not just Muslims but they are even more pious and god-fearing than most of us. We need to analyze the ideology which the Taliban and other Jihadi outfits follow. There is an urgent need for a line to be drawn between moderate Muslims and the Jihadists/Islamists. For this we must understand that Islamism is the ideology that promotes the idea of imposing a particular interpretation of Islam over a community. A Muslim is someone who believes in Islam and the main principles of Islam. So does an Islamist, but he also believes that the religion of Islam must be implemented all over the world, and that it is his responsibility to bring this about. Unlike normal Muslims, an Islamist believes he has political and social responsibilities assigned to him by Islam. Not all Muslims are Islamists but every Islamist believes in Islam (and hence is a Muslim). We should realize that extremists' interpretation has solid grounds as well, and they justify their acts from the Quran. Hence we need to present a counter narrative against the jihadist mindset. Advertisement There is no doubt that our seminaries are the breeding grounds of these terrorists and in order to control and defeat radicalism we first have to monitor our seminaries. The religious education in Pakistan is also a matter of serious concern as it is based on the very teachings that take an extreme view and shape a Jihadi mindset. In almost every seminary, the students are generally taught that: 1. Anywhere in the world, if someone commits idolatry (polytheism) or apostasy, it is punishable by death and it is our prime responsibility to implement this punishment. 2. In this world, the non-Muslims cannot live freely and must be oppressed. No one except the Muslims has the right to live with complete sovereignty. No one else can govern a state. 3. All non-Muslims states are illicit and it is our responsibility to eliminate them whenever we have the power to do so. 4. The concept of modern state formation is totally against the teachings of Islam. All Muslims are like a single nation and they must have one single state and government (caliphate). Advertisement These teachings and the political interpretation of Islam are the main reason for the existence of groups like the Taliban. This mindset is not only present in our seminaries but also in our elite institutes. For example, Saad Aziz who murdered Sabeen Mehmud (a prominent Pakistani human rights activist and founder and director of the Karachi-based cafe The Second Floor) and who was also involved in the Safoora carnage, studied at the most reputable Business Institute of Pakistan, IBA. This post is co-authored by Sofia Santos Today, the green economy represents at least 4 trillion euros, growing at 4% per year, and the investment in clean energy has reached 300 billion USD, 25% of which has been invested by European countries and another 25% by China. On the other hand, the COP21 Paris agreement signed last December commits countries from around the world, including the U.S. and China, to (a) keep global temperature increases well below 2C (3.6F) and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5C; (b) to report on their emissions and implementation efforts; (c) to invest $100 billion a year in climate finance for developing countries by 2020, with a commitment to further finance in the future; and (d) other specific commitments. In order to move past rhetoric and promote an effective new economic growth model, where the environmental impacts of industrial processes decrease globally, and the supply of sustainable products increase significantly, the world needs to have money available to invest in companies, in their new research, their new project pilots and in their new 'green' products and services. Back in 1991, Sarokin and Schulkin already argued that the business of moving money is inextricably linked to the movements of raw materials, finished goods, labour, and ultimately, to the quality of our environment... If we are to achieve sustainable development, we must be prepared to finance it. Last week Jeffrey Sachs argued that today's investments with high social returns - such as low-carbon energy, smart power grids for cities, and information-based health systems - depend on public-private partnerships, in which public investment and public policies help to spur private investment. Advertisement 2015 was not only the year of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and COP21 Paris -- there were also other signs of hope! The Wall Street Journal says that the year 2015 might well have been when sustainable investing became sustainable. Mainstream financial firms, such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, have launched investment products with environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, or have produced research highlighting the potential market for these types of funds. According to the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, about 58,5% of the total asset under management by European investment funds are funds with ESG criteria; only 7,9% in the U.S. and 30% globally. Between 2012 and 2014 the ESG fund market grew 55% in Europe, 76% in the U.S. and 61% globally. This is good news for the SDGs and the COP21 Paris agreements. For the United Nations' Principles for Responsible Investment Initiative, a definitive list of ESGs criteria does not exist. Nevertheless, such criteria are typically related with (a) how a company manages biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, renewable energy, energy efficiency, air, water or resource depletion or pollution, waste management; (b) how a company manages human rights, labor standards in the supply chain, child, slave and bonded labor, workplace health and safety, freedom of association and freedom of expression, human capital management and employee relations, diversity, relations with local communities, activities in conflict zones; (c) how a company manages issues associated with board structure, size, diversity, skills and independence, executive pay, shareholder rights, stakeholder interaction, disclosure of information, business ethics, bribery and corruption. Advertisement For the European Sustainable Investment Forum (Eurosif), sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) combines investors' financial objectives with their concerns about environmental, social, ethical and corporate governance issues. SRI funds invest in organizations that have some kind of business approach to these issues. Some funds might discriminate positively by choosing companies with good SRI practices; others might discriminate negatively by deciding not to invest in some sectors or companies that do not follow the SRI principles. Since, on average, SRI funds have higher returns than mainstream funds, it is reasonable to expect future expansion of these funds across the world, which can also positively impact financial markets overall. For example, Goldman Sachs launched in 2008 the Goldman Sachs Global Responsible Equity Portfolio investment fund with returns of 28% in the last 3-year period. This fund chooses companies with specific practices on environmental and social aspects, which have been previously identified in the investment fund policy. Another example is the Pictet Funds (LUX) European Sustainable Equities that invests only in Swiss companies, which follow sustainable management principles (returns of 32% in the last 3-year period). Also, in the UK, citizens can use an online tool to identify the types of SRI available for purchase, which helps further promote and disseminate these types of investment opportunities. Morgan Stanley has created the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing, which aims at mobilizing capital to sustainable businesses. This institute has a research team exclusively dedicated to the identification of promising sustainable business opportunities for their investors. For instances, in March 2015, this institute published a paper covering 7 years of performance data for 10,228 open-end mutual funds, concluding that sustainable funds tend to exhibit slightly higher returns and lower volatility than their traditional counterparts, sending a strong message to the market, which traditionally believed that SRI funds offered lower returns. According to the 2014 Global Sustainable Investment Review SRI funds grew 60% in Canada between 2012 and 2014, 34% in Australia/NZ and 32% in Asia. The global challenges for the 2015-2030 development agenda are massive, the global potential market size for SRI funds is huge and market opportunities for green technology, goods and services associated with the SDGs and COP21 are colossal! 2015 was a remarkable year and it may very well become known as the year when sustainable investing became sustainable. Advertisement Today, I want to tell you a bit about Cairo and my climb to the top of the Great Pyramid in Giza. When I arrived at the airport in Cairo I knew that my hotel was located near the Talaat Harb Square but not where exactly. I wanted to take the metro in the early morning to Ramses Station and try to find my hotel. I decided to wait outside but that was a little problem. Around 10 people came up to me asking me for taxis. It is difficult to describe, but I do not trust any of the taxi drivers. I thought maybe the driver would take me to a side street and rob me. After two hours sitting around and doing nothing, I decided to take a taxi to my hotel. Before I entered the taxi I made a fix price with the driver (160 EGP). When I arrived at the hotel he wanted 50 from me. I eased and gave him the money. These were my first impressions. Advertisement Talaat Harb Square from above. To get on rooftops in Cairo in the center is nearly impossible. The security level is high, armed soldiers everywhere. I felt safe but somehow not. The next day I wanted to explore Cairo from above. From above everything changes. On the streets everything seems to be noisy and disordered but from above it's quiet and peaceful During my visit the air was never clear. Too many people too much exhaust gas in the air. Cairo Tower (187m) During my visit, I met around five other tourists or less. Many people told me that tourism in Egypt is declining. After the Egyptian Revolution, tourists are afraid to go to Egypt. It's really sad because Cairo is such an interesting city with a lot of history. Now it's time for my favorite part of my visit: the pyramid of Giza. The last standing world wonder. I took a taxi to the area of Giza where the pyramids are located. The hotel ordered me a taxi with a fair price. Advertisement It is inconceivable that the pyramids were made without any machines. If you are standing in front of the pyramid, it's stunning. Walking around in the complex, I was waiting for the right moment to start climbing the Great Pyramid of Giza. When I started climbing, a street seller was standing behind me, but I didn't care. I turned around he laughed so I continued climbing. At the half point, some people saw me and looked up. That's how the police spotted me. They shouted something in Arabic I think, but I didn't care and kept going while listening to music. From the very top of the Cheops Pyramid. It took me around 8 minutes to reach the top. Climbing down took me 20 minutes. Safety first! In the background, you can see Giza. Before my trip, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to go to Cairo. But I am so happy that I went there. Advertisement A version of this post originally appeared on AndrejCie.com. Also on HuffPost: Norway is becoming a top destination on travellers bucket lists, but what gives this country its charm? 1. The nature This magical country has some of the most stunning natural scenery in the world which is why it is at the top of my bucket list. If you visit Norway it would be a crime not to take a camera with you to capture it. The Fjords are always top on the list of places you need to visit to get that perfect picture shot, there is plenty to choose from so you're guaranteed to find somewhere quiet and secluded. Flam and the Nryfjord are the most popular for tourists with hundreds to thousands of people visiting each day! The Fjords are easily accessible on the west coast so make sure you head to this part of the country. Norway offers diversity, from the staggering mountain climbs, to looking down at the beautiful lakes and chilling out at the white sandy beaches in Stavanger, located in the south. If you want a country that really has it all, this should be top on your list. Advertisement 2. One of Mother Natures most beautiful events -- Northern Lights If you head to the North, you may catch the Northern lights, one of the most beautiful and memorable things to see in your lifetime. This area is also known for wildlife safaris and the place of the Sami, Norway's indigenous people. You can learn a lot about ancient traditions and the history of this destination. Make sure you dress up warm! 3. Easy to get to and value for money! This place is becoming an increasingly popular destination with travellers coming from the UK. Travel specialists, offer once in a lifetime itineraries which are great value for money, and the best part it's easy travel because everything is sorted for you! From London, the flights are direct so it will only take a 2 hour flight to get to the capital, Oslo. It is one place that you will feel like you have spent your money well and on unforgettable experiences. It has been named time and time again one of the most beautiful places on earth. Coming from New Zealand, nature is something that is important to me and a big factor when I travel. I feel like this country is the perfect place for outdoorsy adventurers that want to have some amazing experiences which is why it is high on my list for places to see. You can hike, kayak the Fjords, watch the unforgettable lights and even catch a glimpse of a killer whale. Oh did I mention that because it is situated above the Arctic Circle, in the summertime it experiences 24 hour sun? How amazing! 4. Happy People Norway was named the second happiest country in 2013. It isn't a surprise since the nature of this place is truly magical and something out of this world. How could you not be happy with views like that? Advertisement Serene Black woman laying in bed Kat Duff is the award-winning author of The Alchemy of Illness and The Secret Life of Sleep, which both set out to illuminate experiences often dismissed as private and off limits. In answer to my questions, she shared her insights on sleep in ancient cultures, changing attitudes toward sleep over time, and how (and especially how not) to wake someone up. The title of your book is The Secret Life of Sleep -- why do you believe our sleep lives have become "secret"? What inspired you to write the book? I think of sleep as having a secret life in part because we are largely unaware of what occurs during that third of our lives, but also because the western scientific tradition ignored it for so long as irrelevant to our waking lives. But I've always loved to sleep, and even as a child noticed that it often changed me in unexpected ways. I would wake remembering things I'd forgotten the night before. The regrets, worries and fears that plagued me the night before seemed smaller in the morning. Dreams occasionally shifted the ways I saw people or thought about things. These experiences left me with a lifelong curiosity about what happens behind our closed eyes. Advertisement What are some examples that you think are especially profound in the way ancient societies treated sleep and its place in their culture? While it's next to impossible to know for sure how ancient peoples regarded their sleep lives, the written records that remain, especially the medical and religious texts from India, China, Egypt, Greece and elsewhere, make it clear that sleep was regarded as an important part of life, one that sometimes offered experiences and teachings that could improve our waking lives and prepare us for dying. Dreams were studied for clues to medical problems and guidance for making big decisions. "One should consult one's bed," wrote the 5th century bishop Synesius of Cyrene, "as one would consult the oracle at Delphi." In some of the older Hindu, Buddhist, and Egyptian texts, sleep was viewed as a spiritual practice that prepares us for the shifts in consciousness required by death, especially the withdrawal from the outer world of objects and the inner world of thoughts and images. I was astonished to learn that deep, dreamless sleep was considered to be the highest state of consciousness in many of the oldest Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist and Sufi teachings. Growing up in the West, I had learned to assume that conscious awareness was not only the highest form of awareness, but the only one worth considering! I love what you wrote about the Ashanti and the Maori. What are some other examples of sleep traditions and rituals from around the world? One of my favorites is the simple admonition not to wake someone up abruptly. It's considered to be bad manners in many cultures for a variety of reasons. Some traditional peoples believe that our souls leave our bodies and travel about at night while we sleep. Waking someone up with a sharp cry (or alarm clock, for that matter) may not give that soul enough time to return to its body. As a result, the person wakes confused and disoriented, even angry. Contemporary scientists explain that an abrupt waking from deep sleep causes "sleep inertia," a drunken-like confusion and irritability. Whatever the explanation, many cultures encourage slow waking practices, especially for guests. Let them sleep until they wake on their own, or encourage them towards waking with a soft song, or letting in a little more light. Advertisement Another common tradition involves sleeping with others, be they children, partners, guests, other members of one's own sex, or animals. While the practice may have evolved for practical purposes of warmth, safety or limited space, I find it interesting that as people become wealthy and safe enough to sleep in their own rooms, many choose the company of pets. Many of the traditional Indian and Hispanic people I know, most of whom often sleep with at least one other family member, can't understand why white people invite their pets into their houses and beds. There seems to be a human need, whether biologically or culturally induced, to have the creature comfort of another being in bed with us -- even if it's replaced by a body pillow! How would you describe the shift in our collective attitude toward sleep as a society, from ancient times to modern day? The division I would make would not between ancient and modern cultures so much as pre- and post-industrial ones, or between those that have become dominated by globalized western lifeways and those that remain true to their local, environmentally induced lifeways. Sometimes I think it's primarily an urban/rural divide. It appears that the more people live by the dictates of clocks and work schedules in artificially lit environments, as required in most urban environments, the more difficulty they have with sleep, and the more they seek to control it, rather than abide with it. Those who live rurally tend to be more influenced by seasonal and daily cycles of light and darkness, warmer and colder temperatures, that allow for deeper, more restful sleep. Dreams are easier to remember in these contexts, and sleep itself assumes more value. I saw how the hunter-gatherer study was used in media around the world as a way to challenge the finding that, with the exception of "short sleepers," the majority of people need 7-8 hours of sleep. I would love your thoughts on the study and whether there are other hunter-gatherer studies that reach different conclusions, as it seemed the study was used to support a sleep backlash. While I was thrilled to see a study of sleep patterns among rural, non-industrialized peoples, rather than the usual college students who volunteer for research studies at universities, I have been amazed by the amount of attention Siegel's study has received, and dismayed by the unwarranted conclusions many reporters have drawn from it. Let's be clear: the study demonstrates that people in three equatorial non-industrial societies on two continents have "sleep periods" averaging 6.9-8.5 hours, very close to what is currently recommended, and 5.7-7.1 of those hours constituted sound sleep. That's all. It does not say anything about sleep needs of people living in industrialized societies, despite misleading headlines, such as one from The New York Times which read: "Do We Really Need to Sleep 7 Hours a Night?" and the one from the Washington Post, which read: "Sleep Study on Modern-Day Hunter-Gatherers Dispels Notion That We're Wired to Need 8 Hours a Day." I believe the misunderstanding stems from the fact that Siegel and his colleagues concluded that what they found "expressed core human sleep patterns," or "natural sleep," as they called in their title. There's no such thing as natural sleep apart from the environmental conditions in which it occurs. Sleep patterns that work for peoples in equatorial regions will be different from those in the higher latitudes or altitudes with greater variations in temperature and light, or those exposed to natural predators, food scarcity, warfare, etc. Horacio de la Iglesia, from the University of Washington, studied sleep patterns of two groups of hunter-gatherers in Argentina, and discovered that those exposed to electric lights got an hour less sleep than those who relied upon natural lighting. Anthropologist Carol Worthman, who has studied sleep cross-culturally for decades, is currently conducting a five year study of fourteen villages in rural Vietnam, half of whom will be introduced to generator-powered television during the course of the study. Another factor under consideration in research comparing sleep habits of urban and rural communities in Brazil is the extent to which sleep is timed by the day/night cycle. There is much more to learn the conditions that favor good, restorative sleep. When I decided to donate some books to schools and libraries in Sri Lanka, the country where I was born, as part of a trip from December 2015 to January 2016, I figured I would donate books from my own personal collection and carry them in my suitcase. Far from being an impoverished island as represented in media coverage of the 2004 tsunami, Sri Lanka is a tourist mecca bursting with five star hotels and some of the best beaches, wildlife collections, ancient history and cuisine in the world. But one thing the island lacks is a plentiful supply of English books for students of all ages, whether it be in the form of school libraries at public schools for K-12 schools (known as colleges), or bookstores scattered across the country. Schools in the capital city of Colombo indubitably have better libraries than in most other Sri Lankan cities and towns, but even those libraries fail to even remotely compare to libraries and bookstores that many of us are accustomed to in the United States courtesy of respectable funding for public libraries, Barnes and Noble, independent bookstores, eBay and Amazon.com. For the purposes of my trip, I began to assemble a modest collection of K-6 books from my childhood that were tucked away in my parents' basement. On a whim, I called my local public library in Mount Laurel, NJ, mentioned that I was travelling to Sri Lanka and requested a modest donation of books for schools and orphanages in Sri Lanka. The librarian cheerfully and immediately said yes! One Saturday morning, I dropped by the library to receive a donation of 50 children's literature books in a double-bagged, paper grocery bag. Bolstered in confidence by the initial donation, I called more and more local libraries and collectively received a total of approximately 2000 books. Now the challenge was how to transport the books to Sri Lanka within a reasonable budget. Advertisement Transporting and distributing the books led to the following key insights: Transportation of books from the United States to Sri Lanka constitutes the most formidable challenge Books are heavy and cumbersome to transport. Suitcases will not be sufficient, particularly for a collection with any kind of significant size. Transportation via air can be quick but expensive. Conversely, transportation via a shipping vendor is more economical but takes time and meticulous planning regarding the receipt and handling of the merchandise soon after its arrival. Collections of English books at libraries in Sri Lanka have much to be desired. Even the better public schools outside of Colombo tend to have collections of English books that lack any sustained depth or variety. While one would expect that fiction collections would represent classics of English literature such as Dickens, Austen, Bronte and Kipling, the fiction collections that I observed were shamefully lacking, both at the level of English literature and otherwise. Disturbingly, collections of literature books for grades 5-8 were almost nonexistent in most schools. Clearing the books at customs represents one of the biggest hurdles. If books are shipped, they need to be cleared at customs. Clearing merchandise at customs requires a person with patience, all relevant documentation, political savvy and the ability to negotiate skillfully with customs officers. Fees can be expensive and need to be managed carefully, particularly given that this merchandise is not for commercial use. Advertisement The larger point here is that a philanthropy based on transportation of plentiful resources in the United States to a country such as Sri Lanka, which is still in the midst of rebuilding its economy and political stability after nearly three decades of civil war, is complex. On the other hand, the project I led, based on a modest budget and time spent on weekends and evenings, was a smashing success. The schools to whom I delivered books often had collections of English books that numbered between 25 and 300, which meant that my contributions of 300 to 500 books per school amounted to a substantial influx of educational resources. As I was repeatedly told by principals, librarians and students that I encountered, the book donations represented an invaluable infusion of resources to their library and school. Admittedly, executing the transportation and distribution of the books required extensive reliance on my network of connections in Sri Lanka, without whom I would not have been able to orchestrate such an intelligent and efficient distribution of books. Now, my next task is to scale this project such that it has the capability to democratize access to books and educational materials to students on a broader scale, and not only to Sri Lanka but also to readers and students all over the world. Internationally bestselling novelist Carolina De Robertis is one of the winners of the 2016 Stonewall Book Awards, which were announced earlier this month by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) of the American Library Association (ALA). The Stonewall Book Awards are given annually to works of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience. The Gods of Tango received the Stonewall Book Award - Barbara Gittings Award for Fiction, which is the only award for fiction for adults. Queer Uruguayan-American writer Carolina De Robertis has a track record of historical novels that tackle politics in Latin America--revolution, coups, dictatorships, and armed resistance. Her first novel, The Invisible Mountain was a sprawling, intergenerational Latin American saga, spanning over a hundred years of political history in South America. Her second book Perla, was a novel of magical realism, a haunting tale of the disappeared in Argentina. While The Invisible Mountain included queer characters, as any multi-generational saga realistically would do, they were part of a large ensemble cast. Her third and Stonewall-winning novel, The Gods of Tango, brings queer stories center stage. It is both a continuation and a departure of her previous work: the coming of age/coming out story of an immigrant to Argentina at the turn of the 20th century. A sizzling tale of sexual awakening and gender rebellion. Advertisement The Gods of Tango is set in 1913. Seventeen-year-old Leda, carrying only a small trunk and her father's cherished violin, leaves her Italian village for a new home in Argentina. In Buenos Aires, she finds herself stranded and alone, yet seduced by the music that underscores life in the city: tango, born from lower-class immigrant voices, now the illicit, scandalous dance of brothels and cabarets. To survive, Leda cuts off her hair, binds her breasts, and becomes "Dante," a young man who joins a troupe of tango musicians bent on conquering the salons of high society. Gradually, the lines between Leda and Dante begin to blur, and the queer erotic desires she's long suppressed reveal themselves, jeopardizing not only her musical career, but also her life. Carolina De Robertis is no stranger to the risk of coming out. She was born to parents who not only thought her attraction to women was wrong, but that it negated her Uruguayan heritage. When her father initially disowned her at age 20, he acted as if he were speaking not only for her male-dominated family, but for all of South America. Starting in her 20s, Carolina embarked on a series of visits to her family's homeland that challenged her father's bigoted declarations. On the first of these visits, Carolina discovered Uruguay's queer community. Carolina explains that the seed for Tango was planted when she lay on a remote beach that had become a refuge for queer Uruguayans. She was reading the brilliant British lesbian historical novel Tipping the Velvet. She was so absorbed in the story that she got a terrible sunburn. Her Uruguayan friends--none of whom could read English--all wanted to know what was so compelling that she didn't even notice her own skin burning. Carolina did her best to explain the delicious juxtaposition of such an explicit lesbian sexual awakening, against the historical backdrop of stuffy post-Victorian era Britain. As she sat with her newfound queer Uruguayan community, she thought to herself: "someone needs to write a book like this about South America." A decade and a half later, that someone would be her. Advertisement Tango is a profound departure for Carolina, who until now has been known--and celebrated--as a contemporary Latin American novelist in the tradition of heterosexual writers Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. However, in many ways, she has been gearing up to write this book all her life. And the book, in turn, gains vibrancy and power from her personal experience with adversity. Overall, there's a depth to Carolina's rendering of female sexuality. Carolina worked as a rape crisis counselor, and also participated in the Bay Area's queer, sex-positive community in her 20s, among pioneers such as Carol Queen and others who were pushing the envelope of erotic expression and gender liberation. In Carolina's rendering of women's sexual expression in the book, we can feel her breadth of experience from counseling survivors of sexual trauma to her own experiences in erotic play. She reveals both the brilliance and shadow of female sexuality, creating a depth and richness that is well-earned. Leda/Dante's sexual awakening feels grounded, powerful, risky, and real. But beyond the bedroom, Leda/Dante is a powerful character in his/her experience of gender fluidity. Carolina's play with pronouns throughout the book is fascinating. Leda doesn't begin with an internal sense of herself as male, rather, she begins with a yearning to do what only men are allowed to do. Through living as a man, Leda begins transforming her internal sense of gender through her experience. Just as Leda passes as a man in public, she learns to pass as a man in bed. Some critics in heterosexual publications found the sexual content unbelievable. Such critics either insisted or implied that a woman having sex with other women a hundred years ago would never have convinced them that she was a man with a penis. And that is where they are wrong. Carolina did extensive research about how a woman might succeed in this charade a hundred years ago. Advertisement Early on Christmas day, 2014, Cuban artist Danilo Maldonado, nicknamed "El Sexto," planned a performance piece inspired by Animal Farm. He had carefully painted, using bright red capital letters, the names "FIDEL" and "RAUL" onto two squirming piglets. It's traditional in Cuba between Christmas and New Year's to release pigs to be kept by anyone who can catch them. But Danilo never got to release his pigs. One of Cuba's ubiquitous soplones (snitches), often older busy-body volunteers for the local Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR), probably turned him in. After getting wind of his plans, the police arrested not only him, but, he now says with a wink, but also detained "Fidel" and "Raul" -- the hapless piglets. Both were female, he adds. An American friend, whose admiration of Fidel Castro remains undimmed and who has taken a solidarity tour to Cuba, was puzzled by El Sexto's behavior. He opined that the guy must be mentally unbalanced -- why, if he had a genuine grievance, didn't he just take it to the local CDR? Sure, go to the CDR and say, "I'd like a different government, please, one that I could actually vote for." Advertisement After his arrest, El Sexto was accused of desacato (contempt), a provision in Cuban law carrying a sentence of up to three years. But he never appeared before a judge nor was he ever formally charged, just held in limbo for almost nine months, after which, in desperation, he embarked on a hunger strike. Now, in retrospect, he considers that just another facet of his performance piece, though it might have actually ended in his death. After announcing his strike and writing a farewell letter to his family, he was placed in solitary confinement in a cell blocking out all light. The hours crept by, blurring day and night in his darkened cell, as hunger gnawed and he grew increasingly faint. I learned about El Sexto's case in my role as volunteer Caribbean coordinator for Amnesty International (AI) USA. Remembering other Cuban political prisoners who had died on hunger strikes, I became alarmed and pressed for his release. After determining that he had never engaged in, nor advocated violence, AI soon formally declared Danilo Maldonado a prisoner of conscience. We mounted a worldwide urgent action campaign in solidarity with artists around the world. On October 1, 2014, after he'd spent most of September without eating, we received word from Danilo's mother that the authorities had promised to release him in 15 days if he would just start eating again. Sometimes imprisoned Cuban hunger strikers have been encouraged by jailers to gradually accustom their bodies to ingesting food, so we waited patiently for the promised release date and withdrew our urgent action. But, no, the 15th day came and went with no release, a blatant double-cross. Danilo abruptly stopped eating once again. He was already in a weakened state, so we reactivated our urgent action with greater vigor and, after a few more days and appeals pouring in again from everywhere, he was finally freed, a tall, thin man seen walking unsteadily out of prison from darkness into the bright Cuban sunshine. Undeterred by his ordeal, he immediately joined a silent Sunday march if the Ladies in White to protest the politically motivated detentions of their loved ones. Danilo had been invited to an international art show being held in Miami in early December, Art Basel, but inexplicably, the U.S. Embassy in Havana denied his visa request, advising him to try again the following year. Undeterred, Danilo marched right over to the Swedish Embassy, which offers free internet services to Cuban dissidents, where he posted the denial letter from the embassy on Facebook. That led to the U.S. Embassy admitting a mistake and granting his visa, allowing him to make it to Art Basel just in the nick of time. Advertisement On December 10, 2015, we were honored to have Danilo as our guest at an event at AIUSA's Washington, DC, office. The occasion was universal Human Rights Day where Danilo joined in with other former prisoners of conscience from many nations, all writing letters together on behalf of prisoners still being held around the world. When he was awarded a $25,000 prize for his art, Danilo publicly donated it to help Cuban migrants stuck at the Nicaraguan border en route the U.S. But he also called on his fellow Cubans not to abandon the island, instead to work towards solutions to the problems they face at home. Since the U.S./Cuba accords, he says that Cuban democracy advocates have been largely abandoned, "There have been no positive changes. The U.S. has given away too much at the normalization talks, and that has let Cuba continue its repression." That public statement is great no surprise -- he said as much here in our D.C. office and he has also vowed to try his pig caper again next Christmas, in 2016. Even if internet access is restricted in Cuba, that's not the case in the rest of the world, and his arrest would likely go viral once again. The Cuban regime, so sensitive about its international image, would be wise to ignore him next time. As the father of two-year-old Renata Maria, Danilo hopes to provide a better future for her and for all Cuban children. To that end, he's willing to risk whatever it takes, including being imprisoned again. Next time, he knows what to expect. Unless Cubans can overcome their fear, put their bodies on the line, and be willing to suffer the consequences, he doesn't see how change will ever come to his beloved island. Danilo painting pig Co-authored with Sienna Merope-Synge Last month, the UN General Assembly took an important step forward in promoting access to adequate sanitation, unanimously adopting Resolution 70/169 recognizing the right to sanitation as a distinct human right and emphasizing the need for non-state actors as well as States to do more to realize it. As noted by the General Assembly, the right to sanitation is too often neglected. Over 2.5 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation, undermining their privacy and dignity and leading to the contamination of water and spread of disease. Over 950,000 people practice 'open defecation', something the UN General Assembly described as 'one of the clearest manifestation of poverty and extreme poverty'. Halving the number of people without access to basic sanitation was one of the Millennium Development Goals, but the international community failed abysmally, missing the goal by almost 700 million people. Further, the UN believes that "official figures...underestimate the numbers of those without access to safe and affordable drinking water and safely managed and affordable sanitation". The devastating impact of failure to protect the right to sanitation is evident in Haiti, where a cholera epidemic introduced by UN peacekeepers in 2010 through the reckless discharge of human waste into Haiti's main river system continues to devastate the country. Cholera poisoned rivers, wells and other water sources and, in the absence of adequate water and sanitation infrastructure, spread quickly and ruthlessly through the population. Five years on, more than 9000 Haitians have died and 745,000 - or 8 percent of the population - have been infected. Victims tell harrowing stories of watching parents, siblings and children die in front of them within a few hours of contracting cholera, of experiencing diarrhea and vomiting so extreme they lost consciousness, and of their fears of contracting cholera again. Advertisement These fears are well founded. In a country where less than 30 percent of the population have access to basic sewerage infrastructure and less than 70 percent regularly access an "improved water source" protected from outside contamination, cholera has become endemic. As cholera survivor Miradieu Devilus puts it, "still, five years later, we don't have clean water to drink in our community. The river is all we have". More than 22,500 people were infected in 2015. Most recently cholera infection rates have surged in deportee camps along the border with the Dominican Republic, where water and sanitation infrastructure is particularly poor. The General Assembly's decision makes clear that while States have the primary responsibility to ensure full realization of the right to sanitation, non-state actors must also "comply with their responsibility to respect...the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, including by...engaging with States to detect and remedy abuses of the human rights". In Haiti, the UN is falling far short of this obligation. Despite numerous scientific studies that have established that Nepalese UN peacekeepers introduced cholera to Haiti, the institution has refused to take responsibility for its role in the epidemic. After cholera broke out, the UN published misleading statements about the disease's source and failed to conduct prompt investigations. It has since invoked absolute immunity to avoid granting reparations to those killed or sickened, and has failed to invest adequate resources in water and sanitation to eradicate cholera. A UN-Haiti cholera elimination plan focused on improving water and sanitation infrastructure was announced in 2012, but has languished for years with only 13% funding, while cholera rates once again rise. The General Assembly's clear recognition of the right to sanitation is an important global step forward. As noted by the Special Rapporteur on the human right to water and sanitation, Leo Heller, it will "help focus international attention on sanitation issues". For that international attention to be meaningful however, it must include ensuring that the UN lives up to its own human rights obligations in Haiti - by committing the funds necessary to fund the UN-Haiti cholera elimination plan, and by engaging justly with the hundreds of thousands of Haitian victims who have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of the epidemic. Advertisement == Killer Mike, an Atlanta born rapper, took the stage at a Run the Jewels show in Missouri an hour and a half after a grand jury decided not to take the case of Darren Wilson's shooting of Michael Brown to trial. Before launching into his set he spoke, in an emotion-strained voice, about how the machine had gotten him today because he was so afraid for his 20- and 12-year-old sons. He spoke of learning about the decision and collapsing in his wife's arms, worried about the fate of his sons and what this decision means for them. I am not Killer Mike. I am a white male. I can be outraged about the injustice that I see playing out before me. The outpouring of rage, sadness and fear over the deaths of people of color at the hands of the police are all genuine. Unfortunately, the racist pushback over the Black Lives Matter movement is as well. They are part of our societal fabric today. For a nation that still, on multiple levels, claims to be post racial, the deaths of so many people of color show how very misguided that belief is. It is not only in places like Ferguson where a legacy of racism and the systemic oppression of people of color is symbolized by Michael Brown's death. It is also symbolized by the deaths of: Advertisement Darrien Hunt in Saratoga Springs, Utah. Ezell Ford and Omar Abrego in Los Angeles. Tamir E. Rice and Tanesha Anderson in Cleveland, Ohio. John Crawford in Beavercreek, Ohio. Akai Gurley in New York City. The list could go on and on. All of these individuals were people of color who were shot and killed by police officers. The deaths of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner are not lone incidents. They are a continuation of a tragic line of events that began long ago. I am angry about the fact that our justice system is failing to dole out justice, the fact that the playground-to-prison pipeline continues to exist, and the fact that a young black male is 21 times more likely than me to be shot dead by the gun of a police officer. That being said, I am a white male and the privilege that comes with that keeps me from fearing for my own safety in the presence of the police. I can be scared at the idea of a racist system that perpetuates violence against minority communities, but I cannot be scared of the very real consequences of this system on a personal level. I am not the one that will be harassed, beaten or shot. When studying and working in South Africa I was told by a black empowerment activist that the greatest service I could provide to furthering the cause of equality was come and stand in front of protesters in Cape Town as they protested against wealth inequality and government policies. Why? Because the policemen tasked with dispersing the protesters were less likely to shoot white people with rubber bullets. When whole communities of individuals fear for their safety in the presence of those that are ensured with keeping them safe, something is badly broken in our country. Advertisement 249 years ago during a bitterly cold January and February, they were on two ships...Samuel Laird, 41, his wife, Margaret Gibson, 36, and their three sons James, 14, John, 6, and Samuel, 2. Samuel and Mary are my great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents. They left Belfast, Ireland on Christmas Eve, 1766. Ireland was not their native country; they were religious refugees from Scotland. During an intense religious war between the Scots and the Church of England, they were known as Covenanters, people who believed that God was the head of the church and not the reigning monarch of the time. They paid bitterly for their beliefs; the picture you see here is known as the Covenanter's Prison, in a place called Greyfriar's Churchyard...in 1679 it was used to house about 1100 male Covenanters through a bitterly cold winter...an area that had practically no shelter from the elements. Men were given four ounces of bread daily as they survived those months that had temperatures well below freezing each night. Most didn't survive and were buried in the churchyard in unmarked graves. Whereas Scots had been in charge of their own churches for generations, the new King declared them illegal. In response to the deadly tyranny imposed upon them, Scots fled their native country to welcoming havens, such as Ireland, where The Lairds did. Advertisement A generation later, when Samuel Laird was a young man with a family, they begin to hear about a most wonderful place...The United States of America...a place where people of different faiths were allowed to believe and worship as they saw fit, alongside people of other faiths, or those of no faith at all...a peaceful co-existence with the hallmark of respect...respect for those who thought differently, with no violence, bloodshed, or social ostracism because of different ways of thinking, or how they happened to be born. The family was split for some reason aboard two ships the Nancy and The Early of Hillsborough, both leaving around Christmas Eve of 1766, bound for America...a place that had to seem like a dream to them, to be able to live openly, unafraid of being put to death simply because they thought differently from others. The trip was ghastly. The Nancy was advertised as being 300 tons...that translates into being able to comfortable carry 300 passengers, the number who were loaded on-board. In reality it was only 80 tons and should have had no more than 80 passengers, which sounds remarkably like some of the dreadful vessels carrying current religious refuges across the Mediterranean Sea, often with deadly consequences. Those tragic instances happened on these two boats as well, with disease running rampant, the dead being thrown overboard. Advertisement Nonetheless, the ships arrived with the Laird family alive, although Margaret would die a few short months later from a shipboard illness. Arriving in Charleston, The Laird Family, along with many other families they already knew from Ireland collectively made their way to an area known as Due West, SC, where together they formed the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, which still operates today. There is a school there for its seminarians, Erskine College...and on the grounds next to the church there are the graves of Samuel and Mary Laird. Some of their descendants made their way to Alabama, the Camden area, establishing churches still in existence. These families came to an America that opened it arms to people who thought and believed differently and were able to peacefully with those who thought otherwise. That was and is the hallmark of our country...and if it swayed from that thought through the years, better and wiser men and women always reminded us that it is a basic tenet of being an American. Is the assimilation an easy task? Not usually. It requires a great deal of kindness and caring on both sides to make it work...and it also makes us look at others and realize the parts of us that are similar are vastly greater than those which mark us as different. Advertisement This holds true in all aspects of our lives, whether it is pointing out the qualities of men compared to women, blacks compared to whites, one race compared to another, gay people compared to straight, people we just don't like because they don't think the same way we do on certain subjects...if you will simply be honest with yourself, you have to admit that the things we want out of life are not really different than those around us...a happy life, opportunity for all, a place to live in peace. Are there those whose differences frighten us, such as terrorists? Of course there are...they scare me! However, we have always had terrorists among us...such as the Ku Klux Klan, reigning terror on Jews, Catholics, and any others who do not think the way they do, and they do it in the name of Jesus, even using a flaming cross as an instrument of terror, versus one I see as a symbol of great love. Try to imagine the feelings of our fellow Jewish brothers and sisters when The Temple was bombed by a Christian terrorist group, the KKK, in Atlanta in 1958, or the countless number of lynchings by the same all over the United States. How about when the Christian terrorists set off the bomb at the 16th Street Baptist Church, killing the four young black girls, killed because their skin was not a color the KKK deemed appropriate. As a Christian, I despise seeing hate being used by wacky fringe groups using Christ's name as a reason to inflict pain on others, such as the Westboro Baptist Church, or other mainline churches who do the exact same to gay and lesbian people, pillorying them in the community, attempting to pass legislation against their civil rights...and my Muslim friends decry the same. The fringe Muslim terrorist groups no more represents them than the KKK Christian terrorist group or The Westboro Baptist Church represents mainstream Christians throughout the United States. In the wonderful novel To Kill A Mockingbird, it reminds us that a Bible in the hands of a mean man is worse than a bottle of whiskey is in another...in other words it can be used for good or evil. The important thing, however, is that we make the distinction, and when we see the Bible or any other religious book being employed as a means for evil we have to recognize it for what it is and stand up against it. Advertisement Samuel and Mary Laird came to America, the land of hopes, dreams, and a better way of life, just as hundreds of thousands did in the ensuing years...and because of who we are as Americans, that dream will continue, because as Americans, that is who we are, and will continue to be. Less than a week before the Iowa caucuses, Hillary Clinton attended a gala fundraiser in Philadelphia at the headquarters of Franklin Square Capital Partners, a major investor in the fossil-fuel industry, particularly domestic fracking. The controversial fracking industry is particularly powerful in Pennsylvania, which will host the Democratic National Convention this July. Clinton has avoided taking any clear stand on fracking. While she has embraced the Clean Power Plan, which assumes a strong increase in natural-gas power plants, she also supports a much deeper investment in solar electricity than the baseline plan. The pro-Clinton Super PAC Correct the Record, run by David Brock, touts Clinton's aggressive pro-fracking record. Advertisement As reported by the Intercept's Lee Fang, "One of Franklin Square Capital's investment funds, the FS Energy & Power Fund" the Intercept's Lee Fang reports, "is heavily invested in fossil fuel companies, including offshore oil drilling and fracking." The company cautions that "changes to laws and increased regulation or restrictions on the use of hydraulic fracturing may adversely impact" the fund's performance. Through its fund, Franklin Square invests in private fracking and oil drilling companies across the nation, as well as Canada and the Gulf of Mexico. This includes heavy investment in Pennsylvania frackers. Franklin Square companies in the Pennsylvania fracking industry Bold indicates a company that runs fracking wells in Pennsylvania (Eclipse Resources is a Pennsylvania-based company with fracking operations in Ohio). The other companies listed are industry service companies with business in Pennsylvania, including pipelines, trucking, chemicals, and power plants. Murray Energy runs coal mining operations in Pennsylvania. Advertisement The upcoming Iowa caucus kicks off the 2016 presidential election and provides the Latino community with an early opportunity to show its political strength. The Iowa caucuses have historically played a key role in presidential elections because they are the first to identify the true front runners for the presidential campaigns. In turn, the winning candidates gain momentum from voter support and media attention heading into the primaries. This is why the vast majority of candidates spend critical resources in Iowa. Latino voter participation is poised to play a significant role in the Iowa caucus on February 1. For the past decade, the Latino population in Iowa has been growing faster than the national rate, and has resulted in a larger Latino population within the Hawkeye State. As a result, the Latino community can impact an important caucus, provided they turn out and participate. In an effort to ensure Latino voter participation, the League of United Latin American Citizens in Iowa has invested significant resources in voter registration and voter education efforts. With the goal of engaging over 10,000 Latinos, the LULAC Iowa campaign is the first statewide effort that includes an outreach and education component to engage the Latino community to turn out to vote on caucus night. The Iowa LULAC campaign is also looking to mobilize Latinos beyond the Iowa caucus to the entire presidential election cycle. Advertisement On a national scale, LULAC is working to ensure Latinos are engaged and well versed on the issues that impact our community the most. At this year's 19th Annual LULAC Legislative Conference and Awards Gala, LULAC members from across the country will travel to Washington D.C. During the two day event, members will meet with agency leaders and Members of Congress to discuss how present policies and regulations regarding health, education, and immigration impact the Latino community. The legislative conference provides an opportunity to motivate our members to participate in the primary election season as well as the general election. The conference helps members understand the key issues important to their community and in turn, address those issues to candidates looking for Latino support. Following the Legislative Conference, LULAC will be working to ensure Latino voter participation throughout the primary season. The campaign will require a state by state effort spearheaded by local LULAC councils. In addition, LULAC National will work with its media partners to ensure that the Latino community is engaged in the electoral process and focusing primarily on getting out the vote. Finally, LULAC will be closely monitoring any effort to create roadblocks to keep minority voters from voting. LULAC will be working hard to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to engage in the electoral process. A group of diverse but like-minded individuals, the members of ARC have come together in their common desire to fight hatred, bigotry, intolerance and violence because of the harm these antisocial behaviors cause to our society. In that effort, we will not use or sanction the use of illegal actions (such as violence or intimidation) in pursuit of our desired aims and if we learn of anyone who does use these unethical methods we will report those individuals to the authorities. Instead, we will use the guarantees found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that ensure freedom of legal speech and expression. (Photo Courtesy of NBC News) If you're planning on booking that next dive trip to the Maldives, you may want to think twice. Human rights abuses there are on the rise. "I think it's important for tourists to know the facts of what's happening in the Maldives," human rights lawyer Amal Cooney recently said to NBC News. "I don't think people realize that there's a flogging taking place a kilometer away when they're sunbathing in their resort. Democracy is dead in the Maldives. I mean literally, if there were an election now there would be no one to run against the president. Every opposition leader is either behind bars or being pursed by the government through the courts." One such opposition leader is Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically elected president of the Maldives and international champion of climate change action, who was ousted as president of the Maldives in 2012 and jailed on what Mrs. Clooney calls "trumped up" terrorism charges. Mr. Nasheed was recently released to the United Kingdom to receive medical care after Mrs. Clooney called publicly in Washington DC for targeted sanctions against the current leaders of the Maldives. In Mr. Nasheed's first public statements since his release, he indicated that he would not return before the 30 day deadline set by his captors and endorsed the idea of targeted sanctions. Advertisement On Twitter, Mr. Nasheed said "Freedom, even if fleeting, gives me renewed hope. My gratitude to those who believed leads to a new determination to secure justice for all." Dr. Sylvia Earle presented Nasheed with the Mission Blue Award in 2014 (Photo by Courtney Mattison) Nasheed is an international champion of climate change action and a recipient of the Mission Blue award, which Dr. Sylvia Earle gave him at the Blue Ocean Film Festival 2014 for his distinguished work advocating for carbon abatement in the face of sea level rise that especially threatens very low-lying nations like the Maldives. A highlight of the film festival was the screening of the 2011 film The Island President, a feature documentary that details Mr. Nasheed's struggle to convince the world community to act on climate change and protect the impending flooding of the 1200 islands of the Maldives. As president, Mr. Nasheed had promised to make the island nation entirely carbon-free within a decade through wind and solar energy. See below for the rich dialogue that took place between Dr. Earle and Mr. Nasheed at the Blue Ocean Film Festival in 2014. Advertisement An attendee holds American flags as Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, not pictured, speaks during a campaign rally at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo, Iowa, U.S., on Sunday, Jan. 31. Hillary Clinton is holding onto a slim lead over Sanders in Iowa as Democrats prepare for Monday's caucuses, though an outpouring of young voters and those who say the system is rigged could enable Sanders to pull off an upset, according to a new poll. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president in 1932 in the depths of the Great Depression, and went on to win re-election an unprecedented three times. Far more importantly, the Roosevelt vision of a powerful federal government -- one that intervened aggressively in the economy to insure a measure of basic opportunity and security for all -- reigned unchallenged for thirty-eight years. When it came to domestic economic policy, FDR was president from 1932 until 1980. No Republican Administration--not Eisenhower's or Nixon's or Ford's -- challenged the Roosevelt consensus in favor of progressive taxation of income, social safety nets, and federal regulation that reached all aspects of society, from the economy to the environment. FDR's presidency ended in 1980 with the election of Ronald Reagan, and Reagan has ruled ever since. As we face another potentially epoch-shifting presidential election, perhaps we would do well to remember that last one. Advertisement In early March of 1980, a frontpage story in the New York Times reported that former President Gerald Ford thought Ronald Reagan "a sure loser in November," with "extreme and too-simple views." As Ford declared: "A very conservative Republican can't win in a national election." As prognostications go, that one was wildly mistaken, but Ford's skepticism was widely shared precisely because it was clear to all that Reagan -- unlike Ford or Nixon -- was running against the Roosevelt consensus, that he intended to shrink "big government," cut taxes, limit the growth of the welfare state, crack down on labor unions, and roll back federal regulations. Once in office, after his landslide victories in both 1980 and 1984, Reagan delivered on much of this agenda. But more importantly, he fundamentally shifted the political consensus in America to the right on all questions of economic policy and federal regulatory power. As Roosevelt reigned far beyond his own official term in office, so too has Reagan. President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, famously declared "the era of big government" over in 1996, and proceeded to also end "welfare as we know it," as well as deregulating banking on a scale not even dreamed of by Reagan. President Obama raised eyebrows when, even as a candidate, he appeared to praise Reagan, acknowledging him as having "changed the trajectory of America in a way that, you know, Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not." Obama was certainly right, but instead of campaigning on a very different vision of government, he campaigned on empty platitudes like "yes we can" and "change we can believe in." As president, we can now say, with confidence, that Obama has not "changed the trajectory" or the terms of debate, despite one substantial accomplishment in the spirit of Roosevelt, the Affordable Care Act. But let's not forget that even President Reagan ended up a supporter and expander of Medicare. Advertisement What makes the surging presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont so unusual is that he is the first serious contender since Reagan's election in 1980 who really wants to change the fundamental terms of debate and of politics, to repudiate once and for all the Reagan consensus which, through Republican and Democratic Administrations, has now delivered us the America of 2016, one with massive economic inequality, crippled labor unions, and economic stagnation for most Americans. Sanders embraces the old Roosevelt consensus with a vengeance, and echoes Roosevelt's own campaign against "government by organized money," a power which, as Roosevelt famously said in 1936, was "unanimous in their hatred" of him--to which Roosevelt famously replied: "I welcome their hatred." The Clintons, with their long track record of commitment to the Reagan consensus, could never be as bold as FDR, which explains, of course, why they too are beloved by "organized money" ; nor can Obama, with his only modest deviations from the Reagan consensus and his apparently personal incapacity for genuine conflict with the forces of "organized money" that dominate his own party (let alone the reactionary class warriors on the Republican Right). Ford's assessment of Reagan in 1980 is now echoed by pundits and politicians opining that Sanders is too "extreme" to win a national election, his plans too "simplistic" and unrealistic. (Liberal economist and pundit Paul Krugman, in particular, has self-destructed on the topic of Sanders in the last couple of weeks.) Despite Reagan's landslide victory in 1980, he struggled with a Democratic House, though eventually his main policy initiatives prevailed in Congress. A President Sanders will face similar obstacles, as a President Obama has for most of his time in office. But with gerrymandering having rendered members of the House of Representatives more entrenched than members of the old Soviet Politburo, the only hope for changing the Reagan consensus lies with a president who really repudiates that vision of government and society. The political history of America from 1932 until the present is far too limited a sample to yield meaningful predictions about the future, and the differences between Reagan in 1980 and Sanders in 2016 are as many as the similarities emphasized here. What we do know is that there is only one major candidate for president right now who proposes to change the "trajectory," who really is running against the Reagan consensus that has now lasted for thirty-six years (just two years shy of FDR's record). I for one hope that 2016 is the Sanders moment, and that a new political consensus will replace the failed one that has gripped our nation for too long. Last week we witnessed Jerry Falwell Jr. endorse Presidential Candidate Donald Trump for the Republican nominee, calling the real estate mogul, "one of the greatest visionaries of our time." But while Evangelical endorsements of Republican candidates is nothing new in American politics, what is disturbing is Falwell Jr.'s more specific assertion that, "Mr. Trump lives a life of loving and helping others as Jesus taught in the New Testament." For those of us who identify as Christian--who regard Christ as the incarnation of God--such a claim must be condemned as complete blasphemy. But in response to Falwell's endorsement and Trump's candidacy as a whole, Christians have lined up to praise the brusque billionaire; in fact, Trump overwhelmingly leads the evangelical vote in every poll. At a recent campaign rally, one woman even held a sign reading, "Praise the Lord Jesus for President Trump." But Falwell's assertion is upsetting on a much deeper level beyond temporary American politics. To say that Trump "lives a life... as Jesus taught" reaches to the core of Christianity--to the gospel Jesus exemplified in his life and paid for with his death. In other words, if we as Christians stand silently by or, worse, endorse such a person as Trump, we are making a blasphemy of Jesus's sacrifice. Advertisement In truth, the life "Jesus taught in the New Testament" bears no resemblance to the life and actions of Trump. It is in the New Testament where Jesus says that his gospel can be summed up in "two commandments": "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and, "Love your neighbor as yourself." All of Christ's teachings center on these two principles--that as believers we must dedicate ourselves to God first and live out that dedication through compassionate treatment of others. There are no exceptions to these commandments. Jesus doesn't say that we are to love our neighbors except those who are Muslim, or except those who are immigrants. In fact he calls us, in other New Testament passages, to embrace those who are unlike us, to defend the weak, and even to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. In one of the most striking passages of scripture, Matthew 25, Jesus illustrates what his gospel looks like in action. He says, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. [...] Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." In other words our faith is made tangible in how we treat society's neediest, weakest members. In contrast, Trump has led a campaign that demonizes "the least of these" in our contemporary society. He has generalized all Mexican immigrants as rapists and "people with a lot of problems." He has called for an outright ban on all Muslim immigrants, including those seeking asylum after their nations have been toppled, their cities barrel-bombed. He has characterized women as "dogs," "ugly," and "disgusting" (when breastfeeding). He even made fun of a disabled reporter by mimicking him at a rally. Advertisement Further, in a demonstration of his personal character, Trump has gloated about this marital infidelity and said he never asked God for forgiveness about anything. He denounced John McCain for being caught as a POW, saying he likes "people who weren't captured." When Trump chose not to snub the recent Fox News debate, he bragged that it was "an eye for an eye," ironically endorsing the Old Testament vengeance Jesus decried. And in one of the most shocking and revealing statements of his candidacy, Trump crowed that he could "stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue, shoot somebody, and still wouldn't lose any voters." The list could go on and on, but what these actions expose is clear: Despite Trump's assertion that he is a Christian, his life in no way resembles Jesus's "life of loving and helping others." Evangelical voters have been fleeced. But more than shaming the gospel of Christ, believers who endorse Trump are also forfeiting a remarkable opportunity for political action on the part of "the least of these." In the twenty-first century, Americans face social and economic challenges on every front--from poverty and immigration, to crowded prisons and extreme "Islamic" terrorism. We've seen African-American communities erupt in frustration due to racism in the justice system and a general, systemic lack of opportunity. Muslims and immigrants face violence and discrimination by those who see them only as terrorists and job-stealers. Veterans are denied adequate health care and a staggering number are homeless. The mentally ill cannot afford treatment, and innocent civilians are gunned down in their schools and places of work. Overall, the elite and powerful enjoy all of the gains in our economy--posting record accumulations in wealth, according to the Pew Research Center--while the middle class continues to disappear and gaps between rich and poor widen. These are the individuals Christ has called us to defend. The poor. The weak. The voiceless. The forgotten. Trump's self-focused bluster does nothing to come to their aid, but Christians too have remained silent, charmed by the billionaire who gives voice to their anger and hate. Advertisement In the end, Falwell's endorsement is a fallacy, a blasphemy of the gospel message. The life that "Jesus taught in the New Testament" is the antithesis of Trump's rhetoric and actions, and it is time for Christians to speak out, to vote with their faith and convictions. It is time for us to embrace the Jesus we know in the New Testament and to make tangible Christ's gospel by defending, not demeaning, "the least of these." There are an estimated 250,000 Syrian refugees living in Iraq - the majority staying in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Some 94,500 refugees live in ten camps directly supported by UNHCR; but the majority live outside camps and can face great hardship during winter. UNHCR has assisted some of the most vulnerable over the winter with heating and cash assistance - including cash for rent in some of the most extreme cases. Caroline Gluck met one mother in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, KR-I, who has received UNHCR help but is still finding daily life a struggle. Outside the sun is shining bright, but indoors, it's so cold that the vapour from your breath leaves visible smoke trails. The only source of heat in this room is a kerosene heater, donated by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. The heater stays on during the day, says widower and mother-of-three, 37 year old Amina Mohammed Sadiq, and is vital to keep the family warm. But, she says, it's too dangerous to keep it on overnight, leaving the family to shiver as they try to sleep on their mattress beds with a few blankets as cover, which were also part of UNHCR's assistance. Amina and her family are Syrian refugees from Derek city, Qamishli governorate, but fled to northern Iraq in 2013 because of the conflict. They lived in Qushtapa refugee camp, in Erbil, until her brother and husband were killed in a car crash, close to the camp. Her husband was initially transferred to a hospital in Sulaymaniyah, but later died. Since then, the family have lived in the small town of Bainjan, Bazyan sub-district, in Sulaymaniyah governorate for about a year and a half, moving into a basic one-room house built by her father-in-law and furnished with donations from well-wishers and neighbours. Advertisement Without her husband to rely on, Amina finds it hard to support her children. "We're living on donations and help from others", she lamented. "I'm scared ...especially for the future of my children" Amina and her three children, who depend on aid agencies and help from neighbours, say winter is the toughest time. Winter is an especially difficult time for the family. "The children are always getting colds and flu. It is freezing cold here and my youngest has been sick four times last month", said Amina. "The windows of the house are only protected with plastic, not glass, so it doesn't keep us warm. When the winds blow, I fear the roof will blow away", she said, telling me that many times, the cement blocks holding the corrugated roof in place have fallen off. "When it snowed last month, it leaked water and all our clothes and bedding got wet", she said. Advertisement Water continually drips from the ceiling, and plastic buckets are strategically placed in the room to catch the water. Electricity, which is highly subsidised by the Kurdistan Regional Government, is not available all the time, says Amina, who tells me that it's because she can't afford to pay the bill. "These winter months fill me with dread", she said. "I'm praying for winter to end but even the summer brings its own problems - like scorpions attacking us in the house." Winter is a cruel season for Syrian refugees like Amina and her family as well as thousands of displaced Iraqi families who've fled conflict. They are especially vulnerable because most are living in substandard or inadequate shelter which are poorly insulated and expensive to heat. And in high-altitude areas, such as Sulaymaniyah, which has already seen heavy snows and where the thermometer often falls to below zero at night, its even tougher for families. UNHCR began distributing supplementary winter help to some of the most vulnerable Syrian refugee families and displaced Iraqi families in KR-I back in October, including extra blankets, kerosene stoves, kerosene and plastic sheets. The goal was to reach 25,000 refugee families and 29 000 displaced Iraqi families with help to survive the freezing temperatures. The vast majority of Syrian refugees live in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (KR-I) - with around two-thirds of those living outside formal refugee camps. Many families are already deep in debt, struggling to find money to pay rent and to buy daily necessities, such as food. Advertisement With more snows expected this month, families like Amina's are grateful for the help they've received but looking forward to spring, and the hope of warmer weather. BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 01: German Chancellor Angela Merkel after a press conference with the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko (not pictured) on February 01, 2016 in Berlin. (Photo by Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images) One year is a long time in politics. Few know this better than German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who went from champion of the right and villain of the left in the Greek crisis to champion of the left and villain of the right in the refugee crisis in 2015. Declared Time's Person of the Year just months ago, the "Chancellor of the Free World" is now fighting for her political survival. Media and political insiders are openly speculating about her future - ironically, at the same time that she is the "firm favorite" for the Nobel Peace Prize for those same refugee policies. Advertisement Angela Merkel is a fairly accidental leader. Just like her former mentor, Helmut Kohl, she was broadly perceived as a temporary stand, in when she took over the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in 2000. The party was in disarray and several (male) crown princes decided to wait it out before taking a shot at the party leadership -- i.e. wait until the CDU was back up in the polls and party leadership meant German Chancellorship. To most people's surprise, Merkel did not only hold on to her party position, but she brought the CDU back into power in 2005, and is currently the third-longest serving (democratic) German Chancellor -- after the iconic Konrad Adenauer and the Kanzler der Wiedervereinigung (Chancellor of the Re-Unification) Kohl -- and the longest-serving political leader in the European Union (EU). During most of her more than ten years in power Merkel has been described as a weak leader, lacking power and vision. While this is largely due to enduring sexism in media coverage of female leaders, Merkel is first and foremost a centrist politician leading a pragmatic rather than ideological party; in fact, Kohl was a very similar leader, even if he was mostly described as powerful and with a strong (European) vision. Like the party she leads, Merkel is a small "c" conservative, i.e. a pragmatic politician who wants to conserve rather than shape. That said, she has a strong belief in the ideological foundations of German Christian democracy, most notably European integration and the soziale Marktwirtschaft (social market economy), and has never wavered from these core values. Advertisement In fact, both her staunch pro-austerity position in the Greek crisis and her initially equally staunch pro-refugees position in the refugee crisis are deeply rooted in German Christian democracy. But whereas she found broad support for her economic policies, both within her party and among other European leaders, this was not the case with her immigration policies. While making a strict distinction between (economic) immigrants and (political) refugees, taking a hard position on the former and a soft position on the latter, she was harshly criticized within her party - most notably by the youth branch, the Young Union (JU), and by the more conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) in Bavaria - and ignored by her usual allies, such as the prime ministers of the Northern European countries (with the initial exception of Sweden). Today, the position of the nine-times "most powerful woman in the world" (according to Forbes) is more embattled than ever. After months of xenophobic campaigns in the media, politics, and streets, more and more leading members of her own party, as well as from her Social Democratic coalition partner, are attacking her proposed Willkommenskultur (welcome culture). They are strengthened by the media frenzy that has followed the New Year's Eve sexual assaults in some German cities. These campaigns have left their mark on the population too. A new poll shows that 40 percent of Germans want Merkel to resign because of her handling of the refugee crisis. While the numbers are much lower among CDU supporters, the fact that just 45 percent of Germans said she didn't have to resign, means that her position is significantly weakened and more and harsher attacks are to be expected in the weeks to come. Advertisement Merkel's political survival is not just important for Germany, it is crucial to politics across Europe too. Not in the sense of the EU, as any successor within the CDU will roughly continue her EU politics. It is crucial in terms of the Rechtsruck (turn to the right) in Europe, which has been ongoing for at least a decade, but has received a particularly strong push in 2015. The only reason Merkel is in political trouble today is her open position towards refugees - remember that her approval rating was sky-high during the Greek crisis (peaking at 75 percent in April 2015). European politicians of the left and right are following Merkel's political struggle with intense interest. Should she be forced to resign, they will conclude that if the most powerful politician in Europe can be toppled because of a tolerant immigration policy, they stand no chance of surviving such a position themselves. Hence, what happens to Merkel has enormous ramifications for politics across the European continent. If Merkel loses, the left will be faced with an increasingly homogeneous right-wing bloc, which in most countries has the support of the majority of the voters. Moreover, radical right parties are fast approaching electoral, ideological, and therefore political dominance within these right-wing blocs in several European countries (e.g. Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden) -- not to speak of the radical right transformation of East Central European right-wing parties like Fidesz in Hungary and Law and Justice (PiS) in Poland. In other words, Merkel's survival, assuming she remains loyal to the core of her political program, is essential to the continuation of centrist coalition politics and centrist socio-cultural policies, like immigration and integration. Louisa had an unusual resolution for the New Year. She had been thinking carefully and planning for several months before donning a headscarf. No, she does not identify as Muslim: she is part of a growing movement of women who are wearing headscarves as a visible sign of their commitments to religious pluralism. A high school senior and self-described "non-Muslim ally for Muslims," Louisa is dedicated to helping normalize the presence of hijab-wearing women in her rural, rather homogenous, New Hampshire hometown. When a classmate of Arab descent accused Louisa of cultural appropriation, Louisa cited her own Jewish ancestry and reminded her classmate that Jews have been practicing head-covering for millennia. When asked why she decide to wear the headscarf, Louisa's reply gets straight to her point: "Because I want to." Her response captures both her strength of conviction and her desire to challenge abiding stereotypes. Advertisement Like Louisa's classmate, some people charge that non-Muslims donning headscarves in solidarity amounts to cultural appropriation and is potentially offensive or somehow a setback to feminism, but I do not give these objections much credence. I was also reminded that Muslims have never had a monopoly on head covering when I recently traveled with a group of scholars and diplomats to Vienna. While there, we visited the majestic St. Stephen's Cathedral in the heart of the city to observe a Sunday Mass. Somewhere between the opening benedictions and the Liturgy of the Word I was feeling a bit uneasy about how I was being received in my headscarf by the throngs of Viennese church goers. I leaned over to a colleague, who happened to be an art curator, and whispered as much to her. She smiled warmly and gestured toward a fresco of the blessed Virgin at the front of the cathedral, whispering back, "don't worry, you're not the only woman in a headscarf in this place." That moment confirmed for me in an abiding way what I had known conceptually through my years of studying the ancient Near East; for millennia head coverings have designated dignity and societal respect. Advertisement Perhaps it was my exposure to images and praises of the blessed Virgin in the Catholic school of my youth, or perhaps it is my appreciation of never having to concern myself with salon-styled hair, or perhaps it has something to do with my general love of colorful accessories combined with my proclivity for comfortable hoodies on my days off; whatever accounts for my predilection, I am grateful to reside in a place where wearing headscarves can be a heartfelt devotional act. But, as I have come to see over the years, the headscarf also has its practical and sometimes serendipitous benefits. For instance, I met Fatima, now one of my dearest friends and another Anglo-American convert to Islam, when we happened to be entering the same hardware store on mundane errands. We exchanged the traditional Muslim greeting of peace and then struck up a conversation. Our scarves, and subsequent greetings of peace, helped us to recognize one another as having similar values. As our daughters now grow up together, they are proud and comfortable in their long skirts and loose-fitting, full-length swimsuits, their "burkinis." Maybe our daughters will even think a little less about their body image on account of having this alternative style and will feel slightly less pressured to conform to some of the dominant norms related to female sexuality and beauty. Do you cringe at the ways in which women's sexuality is leveraged to churn corporate profits? Are you curious what it is like to wear a headscarf in public? Do you want to hit the gym on your lunch break and still look presentable for your high profile meeting with new clients at 2:00? Cold February day and can't find your earmuffs? I've always been committed to this cause. I've been involved in LGBT activism for decades and on various issues but especially since I've seen older people in my life get exploited and taken advantage of and left destitute, it's definitely been a real call to action. But I'll say even through action, I worked to repeal the marriage ban and to repeal the adoption ban in the state of Florida and to do lots of work to agitate for change, I'm very mindful that marriage equality came too late for many people in our community and definitely came too late for a lot of older adults who perhaps might have been with their partners for decades but weren't married long enough to get social security survivor benefits, weren't married in the right jurisdiction or died too soon or lost parental rights because they weren't able to adopt soon enough. So I feel like while many people seem to be thinking that marriage equality means, we're done, we're out, I feel like doubling down now and I feel like now is when we really need to ramp-up and tweak the rights for the rest of everyone else for whom marriage came too late or it doesn't solve the problem. You know like folks who are still working and so you get married on Sunday and Monday get fired from their job, treatment that LGBT older adults are receiving in nursing homes and facilities are so abominable and there is so much we can do and I feel since we got the momentum from our marriage win and folks are starting to wake up and see like, OK maybe LGBT people are humans deserving rights and dignity that now is our opportunity to keep that momentum going and to really ramp-up the protections that we provide for everyone in our community. 2016 is shaping up as a pivotal year for America's transformation to a renewable energy economy. Leading the charge is low-cost, clean wind power which set new records and passed key milestones in 2015 to advance the renewable energy revolution remaking U.S. and global markets. Wind power posted one of its strongest quarters ever in Q4 2015. For the first time, wind exceeded 70 GW in total U.S. capacity. For the second year in a row, wind was the #1 source of newly installed U.S. power, adding 47 percent of new U.S. electric capacity, followed by natural gas (35 percent) and solar (14 percent). And on December 20th in Texas, sustained winds supplied a remarkable 45 percent of electricity to the regional grid. These milestones and more, set the stage for an important shift in strategy, from the year-to-year tactics that have marked the industry's progress to date, to the long-term planning needed to accelerate renewable energy growth, unlock its full potential and realize America's promise for a clean power future. Advertisement Getting the most headlines was the historic climate agreement signed in Paris on December 12th. Two decades in the making, the deal committed 196 countries to ambitious targets for reducing carbon pollutants. It also sent a clear signal to energy markets and policy makers that it's time to hasten the transition from fossil fuels, and speed investments to wind and other clean power sources. The market momentum clean energy has built in recent years was key for making the climate pact possible. Wind power, in particular, has proven not only one of most effective climate solutions - but also one of cheapest. Since 2009, the real cost of wind energy in the U.S. is down more than 60 percent. From Texas to Iowa, wind is cheaper than the coal and the other polluting fuels it is replacing. If it costs less, who wouldn't choose clean wind power? As a result, global wind power capacity is almost 400 GW, or 4 percent, of the energy total. Solar is second among renewables, at nearly 200 GW. Much more is needed, but we've shown the path to a clean energy future is possible. The Paris pact makes a global commitment to redouble - in fact quadruple - this success. On December 18th, less than a week later, Congress passed a 5-year extension of the PTC, helping to level the playing field for wind and solar with fossil fuels, and providing a predictable investment environment for clean-energy growth and large-scale transmission line projects to deliver it. Advertisement The Clean Power Plan announced last August was another long-term renewable-energy milestone, offering state policymakers an excellent opportunity to take advantage of cheap, readily available wind energy to meet their clean power targets. Some states, such as California and New York, wasted no time setting up their own ambitious plans to reach 50 percent clean-energy use by 2030. Most states with substantial CPP targets also have excellent wind power potential to address them. Perhaps most importantly, the marketplace has shown it knows which way the wind is blowing - and has made its move. Major corporations such as Apple, Amazon, Google, IKEA, Microsoft and Walmart have invested in wind energy. Many businesses have made unprecedented commitments to use 100 percent renewables. Blackrock, the world's largest asset manager, calls renewables a "fast river" for investor deals. Goldman Sachs tripled its renewables financing targets to $150 billion and says clean energy "reached an inflection point" by topping conventional energy in new installations. BNEF reports clean energy had record year for investment in 2015, attracting $329 billion in global investment for wind and solar power. Wind was on top for new capacity. Clean energy skeptics and climate change deniers can continue expressing doubts, but they really have no place left to hide. Wind energy is now a key contributor to power grids across the nation, and industry analysts see continued strong growth at least through 2018. The wind industry's goal calls for 20 percent electricity generation in the U.S. by 2030. I believe we're well on our way. But we still face significant challenges. It's time to eliminate roadblocks and unlock wind power's potential for all markets. Advertisement To reach 20 percent by 2030, we'll need 140 GW in new wind-power capacity. To get there, we need a long-term strategy that continues lowering costs to make wind customers' most cost-competitive energy choice. We'll do it with advances in larger rotors, higher towers and site selection. We'll also use smart data and global forecasting that can predict not just which way the wind blows, but how much power and revenue it can generate - over 20 years. Wind will continue offering a combination of low-cost and long-term certainty unmatched by any other energy source - clean or fossil. We must also ensure the supply of low-cost wind power can get from towers and turbines, where the wind is, to towns and cities, where the demand is. To effectively deploy wind energy across the U.S., we'll need 890 miles of new transmission lines by 2030. In 2016, we literally have the wind at our backs. We have an opportunity to make it a landmark year, and launch a long-term plan that sets a course to finally achieve America's transformation to a clean-energy future. Bottom line, it just makes good business sense and it's ready to turn on right now. Animal ambassadors, cheetah Ruuxa and dog Raina, took a walk through the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, to the enjoyment of Park guests, before taking to the track to show their speed at Shiley's Cheetah Run. While Raina, the female Rhodesian ridgeback, ran as fast as her legs would carry her, she couldn't best the time of her cheetah pal, Ruuxa, as he did what cheetahs do best: run fast. Ruuxa, one of the Park's youngest cheetahs, made his debut at Shiley's Cheetah Run recently. This is quite a feat for the energetic year-and-a-half-old cheetah, which at a young age was diagnosed with a growth abnormality in his forelegs. The growth plate in the ulna--the thinner and longer of two bones in the foreleg--stopped growing before the radius, causing a bowing of the limbs. Advertisement The Safari Park's veterinarians determined Ruuxa needed surgery to correct the problem so he could lead a normal, active life. At four months of age, on Sept 3, 2014, Ruuxa underwent surgery at the Safari Park's Harter Veterinary Medical Center--with his faithful dog companion, Raina, never far from his side. Ruuxa recovered quickly from his surgery. He returned to playing and physical activity much more quickly than expected. "Given his early health issues, we didn't know if Ruuxa would ever be able to run. We're beyond thrilled he is now participating in Shiley's Cheetah Run," said Janet Rose-Hinostroza, animal training supervisor, San Diego Zoo Safari Park. "Ruuxa, in Somali, means "spirit"--and Ruuxa has amazed all of us with his spirit and determination to overcome his health challenges and meet or surpass any goals we, as his trainers, set for him. And he did all of this with his faithful companion, Raina, by his side." Ruuxa and Raina were placed together at four and five weeks of age, respectively, to be raised as ambassador animals after the cheetah cub was rejected by his mother and had to be hand raised by keepers. The pair bonded quickly, and that bond remains incredibly strong. Raina provides Ruuxa the feeling of having a "sibling" from his earliest memories. She gives him the confidence to face situations in which he may feel uncomfortable. Raina's body language communicates to Ruuxa that there is nothing to fear in new or public surroundings, which relaxes and calms him. Visitors to the Safari Park may see Ruuxa and Raina with their trainers on a walk around the Safari Park, on a Behind-the-Scenes Cheetah & Friends Tour, or at Shiley's Cheetah's Run. Advertisement About San Diego Zoo Global I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm done with Richard Dawkins. As a teenager, the brilliant scientist was among the first to break through my bubble of petty fundamentalism and push me to think critically about the superstitions that envelope our cultures. I miss that guy and have no idea where he went. "The God Delusion" was a witty and interesting take-down of the ideology that had absorbed my existence. I spent most of my life as a born again Evangelical Christian, convinced of my own rightness and damning of any and all who stood in the way of my theocratic viewpoints. I was respected in my megachurch and on-track to become a genuinely dangerous person. I shudder to think of who I would be today if it weren't for people like Dawkins. Advertisement I'm not an atheist who accepts religion or cowers to the religious forces around me for greater cultural acceptance. I believe that theism is dangerous, superstitious and bad for the contemporary world. I'm an antitheist. Some folks call me a "militant atheist." I spend way too much time singing gospel songs in the shower for that to be true. Plus, I still can't manage to "use the Lord's name in vain," drink alcohol or tell a lie. The only noticeable difference between me and a Southern Baptist is my lack of fear. Dawkins is also an antitheist. He's considered a leader of "New Atheism," a term assigned to atheists who view religious influence as something we must counter. The movement arguably started with a 2004 book called "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason" by Sam Harris, although Dawkins' "The God Delusion" from 2006 is probably the best-known of the "New Atheist" books now. Christopher Hitchens wrote the other enduring blockbuster in 2007, "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything." Antitheism, which I prefer to the contested "New Atheism," is where the similarity between Richard Dawkins and atheists like me end. Dawkins has walked a particularly dark path from mostly reasonable critique of religion into narcissistic anti-religious extremism that flirts with outright racism. When Dawkins decries Muslims, one can't help but wonder where the line between this revered scientist and Donald Trump lies. Both are punching down at an already-oppressed minority in our culture, and both are ignoring the great problems facing our world by boiling those problems down into easily accessible cartoon villains to be run out of town. The problem with Dawkins has been snowballing for some time. The mounting offenses culminated in his latest online assault: posting a video to his entire follower base that embraces misogyny and feeds into Muslim stereotypes with an Islamist character, complete with ridiculous accent. "It's not rape when a Muslim does it." That's an actual line from the disturbing video. The posting resulted in Dawkins being uninvited from The Northeast Conference on Science & Skepticism. Advertisement As an atheist, I'm embarrassed that there are so few of us in public. Richard Dawkins is leader-by-default in a group that would reject such hierarchy but can't due to lack of visibility. He's holding atheists hostage. But angry, misogynistic white men who try to silence opposition through racial fearmongering already have a home base: the GOP. They don't belong in movements that reject superstition in the interest of making a kinder, more rational world with fewer boundaries separating us from each other. Richard Dawkins does not represent me. He doesn't represent atheists. He doesn't represent scientists. He's a single person with too much power who's clearly become enamored with himself and needs to be gracefully demoted by the movement he helped build, not followed off the cliff he's marching it toward. News Blog for social, fiscal & national security conservatives who believe in God, family & the USA. Upholding the rights granted by God & guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, traditional family values, "republican" principles / ideals, transparent & limited "smaller" government, free markets, lower taxes, due process of law, liberty & individual freedom. Content approval rests with the ARRA News Service Editor. Opinions are those of the authors. While varied positions are reported, beliefs & principles remain fixed. No revenue is generated for or by this "Blog" - no paid ads - no payments for articles. Fair Use Doctrine is posted & used. Blogger/Editor/Founder: Bill Smith, Ph.D. [aka: OzarkGuru & 2010 AFP National Blogger of the Year] Contact: editor@arranewsservice.com (Pub. Since July, 2006) Home Page Follow @arra Hedges implies that the demise of mainline institutions will somehow lead to the birth of more 'authentic' forms of prophetic Christianity. However, he ignores a critical question: if mainline religious institutions collapse, what institutions will replace them that can serve as theological reservoirs of Christian faith and repositories of historical memory? Throughout the history of Christianity, church leaders have yearned to recreate what they perceive to be the missional purity of the early church, untethered from the sins and temptations that tainted older religious institutions. Today, many persons who forecast the death of mainline Protestantism, in hopes that something more authentic will come along, often draw a similar view of a purified church. They believe that a more biblically and theologically robust Christianity can be birthed simply by making a clear distinction between prophetic witness and the sinful beliefs and practices of an apostate world. Put another way, the best way to reform the church is to get rid of its institutions (and by implication, many of the people in them) and start over. Although Hedges has plenty to say about the missional failure of liberal institutions, his solution is predicated upon a hope that has eluded Christian communities for 2,000 years. Mainly, a belief that Christianity can thrive if it is set free from the institutional baggage that keeps it from being fully prophetic. Hedges reflects a view that finds it difficult to stomach the missional ambiguity of religious institutions that carry a range of prejudices, conflicted worldviews, and at times questionable historical pasts. And yet these same institutions also possess the historical DNA of prophetic witness. As a historian and theological educator, I emphasize how religious institutions--whether denominations, local churches, or seminaries--manifest the best and worst aspects of our faith traditions. Within the walls of these institutions one often uncovers the troubling histories of classism, racism, sexism, doctrinal inflexibility, and the triumphalist assumptions of cultural privilege. Yet these institutions also nurture the legacies that crafted the ministries of the liberal church at its best, including figures like Walter Rauschenbusch, Howard Thurman, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Georgia Harkness, Benjamin Mays, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Martin Luther King Jr. . Over the years, I have had the opportunity to hear stories from many of my former students who have gone on to careers as pastors, administrators, counselors, and teachers in mainline churches. These individuals know the difficulty of balancing the roles of being both "priest" and "prophet" in faith communities with competing expectations of church leaders. Unlike many nondenominational churches and new church starts in which charismatic pastors can often shape the demographic contours of their congregations, mainline churches reflect a range of viewpoints in theology, mission, and most certainly politics. Within these communities, I have seen ministers struggle with the tasks of balancing budgets, doing pastoral care, preparing sermons, leading Bible study, taking youth on service trips, and attending endless committee meetings, all the while trying to help congregations engage broader questions of outreach and social justice. These ministers have certainly experienced many of the institutional faults that Hedges notes in his blog. Yet these persons, and many pastors and laity who I know that are thriving within the institutional church, have embodied in their leadership something that has almost become a vile concept in our time. Mainly, they have learned to make compromises related to reconciling diverse visions of ministry, mission, and at times conflicting understandings of justice. They have struggled with the existential pain that comes when the gospel mandate to serve the poor runs up against competing worldviews of how service should be practiced. As many persons who minister within mainline churches realize, this work is demanding and often frustrating. Yet it is necessary work if the progressive church is to have any sort of institutional base to build upon in the future. The following are excerpts of the remarks by C.H. Tung, former chief executive of Hong Kong and chairman of the China-United States Exchange Foundation at a luncheon in New York hosted by the America China Public Affairs Institute on Jan. 25. What is China pursuing internationally? What is China's long-term strategic intent? For China to realize its vision, it needs, not just for now but in the long term, to pursue peace with its neighbors and with countries around the world. Advertisement Having lost a third of its land mass due to foreign aggression towards the end of the Qing Dynasty, the China of today will strongly protect its territorial integrity. Nevertheless, China is pursuing this objective through peaceful means. There are people in the United States who believe that, as China grows in strength, it will take over America's global leadership position. There are people in the United States who believe that, as China grows in strength, it will take over America's global leadership position. But, look at several facts. The United States has the most enviable position geographically, with only two countries, Canada and Mexico, as its neighbors, and separated from the rest of the world by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The United States also holds an unassailable position in science, technology and innovation, with some of the best universities in the world. It is also a country to which the best and brightest want to migrate, blessed with natural resources that others can only envy. Advertisement By contrast, China has 14 neighbors, more than any other country on Earth, some of with which it has had a troubled history. China has more than 20 percent of the population of the world, but only 7 percent of the world's arable land, and it is poor in other natural resources. With a population of over 1.3 billion people, the burden of achieving a reasonable degree of wealth for all the people of the country is really a huge challenge. Therefore, although blessed with other advantages, the Chinese leadership knows the country has to constantly keep running forward in order not to slip up. Indeed, China's modern-day success has not come easily. Chinese investors monitor stock prices in a brokerage house in Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) It is true, because of its huge population, that China's total economy, in terms of GDP, will one day surpass that of the United States, but its GDP per capita will still be a fraction of that of the United States. In 10 years, assuming current growth rates, the two countries' GDPs may come close to each other. But because of the difference in the size of their populations, the U.S. GDP per capita will still be four times greater than China's per capita GDP. Yet, in spite of China's enormous disadvantages, there will always be people thinking that China will one day want to lead the world. This perspective is erroneous. The truth is that China has no ambition to lead the world. China's domestic needs are so enormous, and her challenges are so difficult, that this is where China's focus must be. At the height of the Ming Dynasty, when China had 30 percent of the GDP of the world, China remained peaceful and did not make incursions into foreign lands. Even when China joins the developed world in 2049, as it is hoped, it will have no aspirations or incentives to colonize or conquer foreign lands. Indeed, the Chinese people remember the pain and suffering of being occupied. Nor does it uphold any religious or ideological motives to influence other people or to take over foreign lands. At the height of the Ming Dynasty, when China had 30 percent of the GDP of the world, China remained peaceful and did not make incursions into foreign lands. There is also the view that China will want to rewrite global rules. However, the fact is that modern-day China is a beneficiary of today's global governance. What China would like, like so many other developing nations, is to have a larger voice, to ensure the needs of the developing world can be met. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is a case in point. Asia's infrastructure development needs cannot be met by the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank. The fact is also that, globally, we live in a very complex world that is facing many challenges. These challenges need to be handled by all the countries working together. China certainly, as it moves up the economic ladder, will want to be a force for good for the world. From this point of view, it is important for China to maintain a stable and constructive relationship with the United States. If the U.S. and China can work together on global issues, many challenges can be overcome. Common Global Challenges President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk on the North Lawn of the White House. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) Let us take a look at some of these global challenges, and what the United States and China can and are doing together to address these challenges. Advertisement The first that comes to mind is the climate change conference in Paris last December. This was a huge success only because of the efforts of the two working together. Second is cooperation on global hot spots, such as the Iranian nuclear deal and China's active participation in Afghanistan's nation-building effort. Third is the need to intensify collaboration by the two countries to bring about peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. Fourth is to fight global terrorism in a determined manner. As we enter 2016, the global economy is at best sputtering along, and many talk about an imminent global recession. America has the largest economy in the world, and China has the second largest. If the two countries work together in a coordinated fashion with other leading economies, we can add vigor into the global economy. China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative is designed to boost the economies of the nations in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe. China believes that infrastructure building in these areas will lay the foundation for economic growth, and can become a new driver of the world economy. Collaboration in infrastructure building in Africa will not only help the economy, but also improve livelihoods and reduce the flow of refugees. U.S.-China collaboration in these areas will be very important. Nixon to Obama, Mao to Xi If the U.S. and China fail to cooperate, the chances of overcoming the challenges will be much more difficult. If the two countries confront each other, collaboration becomes impossible. This is why eight presidents of the United States, from Nixon up to Obama, and five leaders of China, from Chairman Mao to President Xi Jinping, have steadfastly promoted better relations between the two countries. They obviously have known that this is important to the world. China and the U.S. are working together, and they need to do more. The fact is, there is still too much mistrust. There is also too much misunderstanding. After all, the two countries have different histories and different cultures; they are at different stages of development, therefore their needs are different. As a result, differences do occur between the two countries. Fortunately, these differences have so far been managed. Advertisement But this is not adequate. The two countries need to intensify their efforts to build trust and promote understanding. The best way to achieve that is to expand exchanges at all levels of society. The two presidents now meet three or four times every year. The strategic and economic dialogue teams from both countries meet twice every year. On an official level, there is a great deal of interaction. The communication between the Senate and House of the U.S. side and the National People's Congress on the Chinese side can be much better. But the communication between the Senate and House of the U.S. side and the National People's Congress on the Chinese side can be much better. People-to-people exchanges need to be further expanded. It is heartening to note that there are 300,000 students from China studying in the United States. Meanwhile, the U.S. is making a major effort to increase the number of U.S. students studying in China. 2016 is U.S.-China Tourism Year, which is an effort by the leaders of both countries to expand tourism between each other. Greater efforts between the two countries in other forms of exchanges need to be made, such as between think tanks, universities and the press, as well as through cultural interchange, trade, commerce and investment activities. These will all help, and lead to greater understanding and trust. Just remember the relationship of the two countries today began with a ping-pong game in the 1970s. If China and the U.S. can do all the above, over time there is no limit to how close the two countries can get to, and how much benefit the people of the two countries can receive. Indeed, there will be no limit to the common good the two can do together around the world. Advertisement Earlier on WorldPost: Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign rally at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo, Iowa, U.S., on Sunday, Jan. 31. Hillary Clinton is holding onto a slim lead over Sanders in Iowa as Democrats prepare for Monday's caucuses, though an outpouring of young voters and those who say the system is rigged could enable Sanders to pull off an upset, according to a new poll. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images When did citizens of the United States adopt a defeatist attitude? For months now, I have read time after time that if elected president, Bernie Sanders "won't be able to get anything done," and that his policies will "never be passed" because of Republican opposition. But what does it say about the United States if its citizens are afraid to vote for a candidate because they don't believe their government will allow the leader of the free world to address the biggest domestic problems it faces? Moreover, what does it say about us? Advertisement Many Americans grew up hearing about heroic protests. Hundreds of thousands died fighting for their vision of the United States in the Revolutionary War and in the Civil War. The African-American Civil Rights Movement saw boycotts, sit-ins, marches and other forms of protest (including Bernie Sanders' arrest while protesting segregated schools in Chicago). And tens of thousands of citizens demonstrated their opposition to the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s. No idea is more fundamental to Americans' sense of ourselves -- as individuals and as a nation -- than freedom, and we have always been shaped by our battle for it. Millions of Americans have marched, fought and even died for their beliefs and principles. But based on the aforementioned argument against voting for Bernie Sanders, many people believe we shouldn't elect him to be our next president because... his policies might be blocked by other elected officials? ... officials elected to represent the best interests of the American people? ... at a time when many of Bernie Sanders' proposals are supported by the majority of Americans? Really? Nobody is asking you to pick up a musket and march onto a field and risk being shot and killed among thousands of other Americans. Nobody is asking you to take time off work or quit your job so you can go march in freezing cold weather, or walk to work for 381 days. Nobody is asking you to clash with police officers and risk being shot. Bernie Sanders is simply asking you to register to vote, and then vote. It's not hard to fight for your beliefs in 2016. Advertisement When did Americans stop standing up for themselves to tremble in fear of a bunch of old people in business suits? Our government could easily pass legislation to alleviate the hardships faced by millions of Americans. To begin that process, all we must do is elect officials with the courage to do so. And as one of those officials, Bernie Sanders has shown consistently for decades that he stands for the fundamental principles of freedom and will stop at nothing to help all Americans attain a higher quality of life. I know a lot of us are comfortable. The internet is great. Television is great. Fast food is great. We have new Star Wars films. What could be better, right? But if you take a close look, you can see a darkness under the light of day-to-day living. And the status quo is not going to change that. Our forefathers did not stand by and say "legislators will abolish slavery some day" -- they fought for it. Our parents and grandparents did not sit at home during the Vietnam War while their brothers and sisters were dying and say "eventually our politicians will get us out of there" -- they protested. People like Bernie Sanders did not idly watch as his fellow countrymen were mistreated and say "maybe some day our country will be less segregated"--they stood up for what was right. Advertisement So do not tell me with a straight face "I agree with Bernie Sanders' ideas, but I won't vote for him because Hillary Clinton is a more 'realistic' candidate who can slowly enact change." That is a surrender, and that is not the way of this great country that I've learned about for my entire life. I completely understand that not everyone agrees with Bernie's policies, and I can respect many reasons for voting for another candidate. Do you disagree with Bernie's policies? Fine, then don't vote for him. Do you disagree with his voting record? Fine, then don't vote for him. But don't you dare cast a halfhearted vote for someone else just because you're worried he'll lose a fight, because that's not in the spirit of this country. At all. And on a final note: don't give me the argument that I'm "naive" or that I don't understand how politics work. I'm not stupid. I get it. It will be a fight. But I'd rather fight and lose than roll over and accept failure. And I hope that you'll confront your pessimism and mistrust of the system and take a bold step to fight with me. We are the citizens of the United States of America, and this is our country. We are blessed with the privilege of being able to write our own history. And the time to do it is now. Microphones at political rally. As a health policy attorney, researcher, and student, I am used to my discussions revolving around topics like single payer health insurance and alternatives to fee-for-service reimbursement. Bored yet? That's my point. Because when I hear real people start up conversations about these things, like my mother did yesterday as we watched the news out of Iowa, I know something is happening. The election season has officially begun in America, and on both sides of the aisle the debate about how to fix our healthcare system has started in earnest. Advertisement Let me make a pitch for why the needs of the trans community should be part of this conversation. When I sat down late last year to write a paper on the healthcare needs of trans individuals, I was surprised to find that many of the unmet needs the trans community has are exemplary of broader systemic shortcomings. Yes, transgender people sometimes have medical needs specific to their transition process or to the maintenance of their true gender. And yes, many people also face discrimination specific to their gender identity. These should both be priorities. But many challenges the community faces are analogous to the problems faced by other vulnerable populations. Transgender people report high rates of poverty and homelessness, delay of medical treatment due to lack of funds, and a high burden of HIV. As important as it is to understand why these problems are happening specifically within the transgender community, it is also important to note that other vulnerable populations face similar challenges. Recognizing that commonality is important because it suggests that there is also a shared interest in how to reform healthcare. Contrary to popular belief, in which access to surgery and hormones are the sole healthcare priorities of the trans population, there are many reforms that would address the discrimination and disparities the community faces. And they are reforms that many other activist groups could get behind. For example, many people have been frustrated - even in the age of "Obamacare" - that their insurance is not accepted by a wide range of providers, that they cannot find mental health providers who accept insurance at all, that there are discontinuities of care, and that the system is fragmented beyond comprehension or navigability. In each instance, the problem is exemplified when considering the transgender community. Advertisement After all, lacking choice of providers matters a lot more when any one provider might treat you with hostility because of your gender identity, or simply not know how to treat you. Having to deal with medical bills and hostile insurance companies is more than just a hassle when you lack a permanent address or a reliable phone line. Constantly being pushed from one provider to the next, with no one managing your care and helping you to navigate the system, is all the more challenging when you have to fear disclosing your gender identity at every turn, or grimace as you are identified as the wrong gender when you are called in a waiting room. When we start to think of these little indignities as happening at a systemic level, and as occurring to someone who is already at a disadvantage in that system, they suddenly become harder to shrug off. Instead we see people's basic human needs being unfulfilled. Our fractured American system - a hodgepodge of public and private options that vary based on one's state (and sometimes county), immigration status, income (and sometimes savings), age, ability, and more - is frustrating to us all. But the resulting problems are especially pronounced for those facing tenuous living situations or financial insecurity, who live with complicated or chronic medical needs, or who - yes - comprise the transgender community. The policy goals of transgender and gender-nonconforming activists are known to few and exoticized by most. But in reality, if the country made healthcare better for transgender Americans, it would be improving it for a lot of other marginalized groups, too. So if we're finally going to have a discussion on health policy, and one that gets beyond rehashing the old disputes around Obamacare, please: Advertisement You know that sound of a rogue mosquito buzzing in your ear at night as you try to sleep? That's what listening to Sen. Ted Cruz sanctimoniously make his case for the presidency is like during Republican debates. So this past Thursday, when Ben Carson started talking, like everyone else, I tuned out and thought about other things, like the causality dilemma of what came first, the mosquito or the 2016 Republican candidate? It can't possibly be a coincidence that swarms of blood-thirsty Republicans are stinging us relentlessly with harsh talk, competing for headlines with Zika-virus infected mosquitoes. Mother Nature is telling us something, folks. We elect any one of these guys at our peril. What came first, the mosquito or the 2016 Republican candidate? Zika causes shrunken heads and incomplete brain development, but that's not the only thing it has in common with the 2016 slate of Republican candidates. Both kinds of pests are particularly dangerous to women. Advertisement The front-runners on stage Thursday at the Big Boy debate confirmed that "conservative" has nothing to do with size of government, really, it's code for sanctimony. Bret Baier of Fox News teed up an easy shrink-government question for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, for example, but instead of talking about reducing corporate welfare or tightening the belt of the beltway's bureaucracy, Christie went with a Hail Mary. Baier: "Governor Christie, you talk a lot about entitlement reform and you say that that's where the federal government can get savings needed to balance the budget. But can you name even one thing that the federal government does now that it should not do at all?" Christie: "How about one that I've done in New Jersey for the last six years. That's get rid of Planned Parenthood funding from the United States of America." Yes, rein in birth control, because who doesn't want an economy like New Jersey? The worst state in which to do business, according to the Tax Foundation, and the sixth-worst state economy overall. Advertisement Republican presidential candidates are crusading for evangelical votes and trumpeting their holier-than-Hillary creds louder and louder, and as they angle for the farthest right seat at the table, let us pray these guys are served their last supper come November. Otherwise I believe women are in serious trouble. Look at places like El Salvador and other Latin American countries where ultra-right, "religious" men govern. There the Zika virus is rampant, birth control is scarce and abortion is illegal. Rape of teenage girls is horrifyingly common. So that country did what any self-righteous ultra-conservative government would do under a Zika virus epidemic: declare that women and girls should simply not get pregnant. Think about that for a minute, and then think about America under a Marco Rubio presidency. What would "the Republican savior," who's made it clear he opposes abortion under all circumstances - with no exception for rape or incest - do if he were president and the Zika virus became an epidemic in the United States? "In the end, my goal is not simply to live on this Earth for 80 years, but to live an eternity with my creator. And I will always allow my faith to influence everything I do," he said Thursday, cementing earlier statements that under no circumstance should a girl or woman be allowed to end a pregnancy. In other words, ladies, tough luck. Your constitutional rights be damned. To listen to this season's Republican debates, one must employ magical thinking or have a high degree of tolerance for group-think gone bad. Sure, Jeb Bush knows what he's talking about and John Kasich isn't a moron, but their voices are drowned out by bellicosity and bravado. Advertisement Trump: We're gonna build a huge wall and be great again! I will make a deal with Putin and China. And so what? I called women fat pigs, slobs, dogs and disgusting animals - shut up, Bimbo. Cruz: We shall carpet-bomb the bejesus out of ISIS. Amen. Ron Paul: Zygotes will win civil rights cases in federal court if you elect me. Chorus: More guns will make us safe. Climate change is a hoax. Income inequality is inevitable. White collar crime is a cost of doing business. Corporations are people. What really bugs me, though, is the failure of the Republican Party to govern itself through this bizarre nominating process while maintaining the hubris that any one of its candidates deserves to occupy the most powerful seat in the world. I watched the Republicans debate on Thursday and every time before that and I report to you that the Lord of the Flies is running for president while mosquitoes are taking over the world. A growing number of Christians in America feel they are being persecuted. Some of the examples they give to prove Christianity is under attack include the war on Christmas where nativity scenes are shamefully made to exist in the same public space as other religious symbols while some companies refuse to greet every customer with Merry Christmas. Some view removing god from the pledge of allegiance and preventing educators from proselytizing at public schools as an affront to Christianity. Others believe that laws prohibiting Christians from using their faith as a reason to discriminate shows how godless liberals are ruining this great country. While most Christians aren't this oblivious, the vocal minority that feel their religiosity should be on display at all times and in all places clearly can't put themselves in the shoes of those Christians and non-Christians who would rather not be inundated with Christian symbols and principles in public spaces. To many, this sort of overt display of one religion makes them feel like they are being forced to participate in something they don't believe in or would prefer to handle privately. Fox News contributor and bestselling author Jason F. Wright recently penned an article discussing the fine line between forcing religion on others and practicing his faith. Wright was compelled to write this work after he received an email that suggested that by raising his kids in the Christian church he was forcing them to believe in God. The idea being that the kids should have free will to decide for themselves what they believe. To counter this assertion, Wright states that "it's up to us to send signals to our children about what's important" and that as a parent he also teaches his kids not to touch a hot stove, to say "please" and "thank you", and to look both ways before crossing the street. While this may seem like a good justification for his position, there is a subtle bigotry to his statement that rubs some people the wrong way. The idea here is that Wright's job as a parent is teaching his kids the difference between right and wrong. By including Christianity in this list, he implies that by not teaching your kids about God you are essentially sending them across the street of life without looking to see if there is traffic first. This sort of arrogance and ignorance about others is why so many Christians are baffled when non-Christians reject their religious expression in public spaces. Claiming that banning prayer in school is leading to the demise of America is insulting to those who don't believe in God. Many of the people who support prayer as the answer for public schools were the same people that were outraged when the President addressed the countries children. Despite the fact that message was completely innocuous -- stay in school and work hard -- and that Republican Presidents before him had done the same thing, there was an outcry from the right that the President was trying to indoctrinate their kids. It is an odd double standard to be offended by the President's appearance in a public school because of his liberal views but fight for the inclusion of religious symbols in these same schools that don't represent the entire student body. Of course, even beyond Wright's implicit belief that raising his kids Christian is superior to bringing them up as non-Christians, there are many different interpretations of the Bible which make such blind faith troubling. In years past, Christians used the Bible to justify the killing and enslavement of non-Christians. More recently Christians have used their religious convictions to refuse marriage to interracial and same sex couples. Over time the view of what is considered good and moral changes, and Christians are not always at the forefront of these shifts. Perhaps worse than Wright's soft bigotry toward non-Christians is his explanation for why his kids aren't being forced to believe in God. To Wright, forcing implies that the kids have no choice in the matter, so he prefers to see his guidance as "inviting" them to believe in God. One wonders how Wright has handled the situation where one of his kids refused their father's invitation to Church. Did Wright willfully accept this rejection, or did he let his kids know that, while they lived under his roof they would be attending Church and honoring God? If the invitation doesn't include the option to say no then it becomes much less of an invitation and much more of a command. Even in letting readers know that he would still love his children if they decide not to pursue the life of a devout Christian, Wright continues the unwittingly condescending tone when he says "as adults, they'll find their own way, make mistakes" because in Wright's mind not choosing to have Jesus in your life is clearly a mistake. Wright's essay offers the perfect example of why some people fight so ardently against religious proliferation in America. No one rejects Christian imagery in the public sphere because they want to end Christianity. They reject it because it represents an intolerance of non-Christians and an establishment of Christianity as the de facto state-sponsored religion. Christians like Wright mean well; but if their intentions were truly just about being allowed to practice their religion as they see fit while "inviting" others to share in their faith, then they must quit pushing their symbols and principles on those who turn down this invitation and stop looking down their noses at everyone who chooses a different path. Because the so called persecution of Christians in the U.S. all but disappears if these peddlers would just take no for an answer. As we head into the Iowa caucus today, the intersection of food and politics couldn't be more apparent. Is it possible for Federal policy makers to really work to improve our food system? Last year around this time, I traveled to Iowa to research sustainable farming practices amongst corn and soy farmers. Over 90 percent of the state is in farmland. Ninety percent!--a vast quilt of green fields stitched together by country roads. The state is one of the top agricultural producers in the country. During the winter it's a beautiful landscape: snow-covered gently rolling farmland sprinkled with barns, homes and the not-so-occasional tractor dealership. My colleague, a kindred local and seasonal food advocate, and I spent our 10-day trip traveling this land, interviewing its denizens and working up an appetite. The research went really well. The nourishment, however, did not. As a food allergy sufferer and overall-health obsessed individual, after two days of diners and grease-laden meals, I noticed that exercise was harder, my mind was not as sharp, and my overall mood was dampened. The irony was obvious: in a state that produces so much food, it was nearly impossible to find healthy things to eat. Advertisement Now, during a caucus where we look towards Iowa to give us some insights into the political climate of our country, a similar irony confronts us: sure, we've got tons of corn and soy, but we are still completely lacking access and availability of good (and good-for-you) food for all of our citizens. Thankfully, change is afoot, and as evidenced in this week's news. Steve Holt writes in Civil Eats on why our national focus is so far away from food. In a political arena where energy-costs and and social issues like abortion and gun-control are among the most-galvanizing platforms, candidates are not prone to talk about food. Holt shares a story told by Kurt Michael Friese, an Iowan food activist: In a state where corporatization and consolidation has dramatically cut into the number of smaller, family-run farms, sustainable agriculture advocates are generally outnumbered when candidates show up in Iowa. Friese remembers cornering then-Senator Barack Obama at a 2007 Earth Day rally in Iowa City and asking him what he would do to transform an industrialized food system. After indicating that he'd been moved by a recent Michael Pollan column in TheNew York Times, Obama followed with a sobering piece of advice: "If you want to do anything in Washington about [the food system], you've got to bring me 1 million people. That's the only thing that will counteract the billions of lobbyist dollars. One of the most outspoken advocates of making food a centerpiece of this year's elections is the group Plate of the Union. A joint effort between Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Food Policy Action, and HEAL Food Alliance, this group pushes for the next president (whoever he or she may be) to take "bold action" to reform our nation's food system. Referencing a recently released report published by UCS entitled Growing Economies, Ricardo Salvador argues in his recent blog post that while in Iowa, presidential candidates can promise to support policies that would bolster rural communities and create billions of dollars in economic growth in the state. The trick is creating and supporting policies that focus on local food production: Advertisement We should rework our nation's food and agriculture policy system to emphasize the goals of improved public health, an enhanced environment, and renewed rural economies. These are the things all Americans can agree are worth the investment of our public dollars. Policies that return midsize farms to the land and connect them with markets will move us closer to those goals. In this political season, presidential candidates should seize the opportunity to improve the nation's food and farm system for the benefit of us all, and to give Iowans (and all of us) actual lasting solutions. Given my experience with food in Iowa, I would wholeheartedly support any initiative that would get something other than iceberg lettuce and unfrozen french fries on my plate when I return. It's also worth noting that appealing to Iowan inclinations towards progressive food system changes that move away from industrialized agriculture has succeeded before. David Murphy on Medium recounts President Barack Obama's 2007 Iowa speech in which he, believe it or not, promised to stand up to Big Agribusiness, label GMOs and create rural policies that support rural economies: Here's a quote, but I highly encourage you to read the article and watch the embedded videos of his speech. For an expensive steak, a small farmer gets less than a dollar. For a loaf of bread, it's a dime. That's what happens when rural policy gets made in backrooms with lobbyists in Washington. That's what I'll fight to change from my first day in office. And that's what my rural agenda is all about. Leadership that finally works for rural Americans, not well-connected lobbyists. Obama's last eight-years may not have been as food-focused as some would have liked to see, but that is not to say that the administration has not had its moments. For instance, the USDA recently announced 27 communities in 22 states selected to be a part of the Local Foods, Local Places initiative which will, among other things, promote childhood wellness by improving access to healthy, local food. While 27 communities represent a drop in the bucket compared to thousands that need support and help, this is an example of how Federal policy can work to support local and healthy food in meaningful ways. And, yes, it's true the definition of "healthy food" is difficult to come by, as Michael Ruhlman pointed out in his recent Washington Post article. But we need not necessarily know the optimum amount of daily riboflavin intake to make some general improvements in the way our country approaches food. Advertisement For instance, at the end of last year, Tamar Haspel, food columnist for the Washington Post, gave us her "10 Things We Should Do To Fix Our Broken Food System". We've seen this list before via our friend Ellen Gustafson and in the article preceding the Plate of the Union Initiative announcement written by Michael Pollan, Mark Bittman, Ricardo Salvador and Olivier DeSchutter. Showing up somewhere on all of these lists is a call to label our food in a way that is fair to consumers. Legislators and citizens alike are now working towards these measures. Led by Bernie Sanders, Democratic Senators recently wrote a letter to the Grocery Manufacturer's Association (GMA) expressing their concern over the GMA's proposed "Smart Label" technology for food labeling. The Grocery Manufacturer's Association has been working tirelessly to prevent meaningful labeling laws, and the Smart Label is regarded as a confusing tool by many. On a similar note, the group Citizens for Labeling GMOs (CLGMO) recently met with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to express their concerns and try to find some common ground. Though Tara Cook-Littman of CLGMO reported that "there was not enough common ground to emerge from that room with a GMO Labeling proposal agreed upon by leaders from both camps," the concerted efforts of groups like CLGMO, Just Label It and the Right to Know campaigns show that this is an issue that won't be abandoned. And there's more work and research happening on a daily and weekly basis that supports transitioning our country from an industrialized food economy to a system that is more sustainable for human and planetary health. Chris Hunt of EcoCentric recently highlighted the work of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), a group working towards placing value on ecosystem services and biodiversity so that policy makers can be better informed when making decisions about land use, agriculture, rural communities and natural resources Many of you are aware of the crisis that occurred two weeks ago at the National LGBTQ Task Force's (Task Force) annual Creating Change conference, which I and many others have covered at this site and elsewhere. Today I'd like to examine in greater detail the club used by the radical left to slander and libel their Jewish compatriots. I call that weapon "pinklying"; they call it "pinkwashing." The term "pinkwashing" has been around for awhile, but has gotten new life thanks to this manufactured crisis at Creating Change. Kudos to the disruptors for getting the word out -- Creating Change is now the go-to destination for the young activists who demand attention and create drama rather than change -- but now they will have to defend it against an engaged and better-educated opposition. I will start with the definition used by Sarah Schulman, one of the leaders of the Jewish wing of the BDS movement (her followers are known as "Schulmanites"): "pinkwashing": a deliberate strategy to conceal the continuing violations of Palestinians' human rights behind an image of modernity signified by Israeli gay life. So let's do a bit of exegesis on this definition. I think it's fair to say that most leftist Jews have a real problem with "the continuing violations of Palestinians' human rights." I work for a two-state solution because I'm appalled not only at those human rights violations, but the violation of the core integrity of the Jewish soldiers asked to carry them out. That my children's generation feels obligated to carry out those orders causes me despair. I am very grateful to Breaking the Silence for speaking out on this very issue. Israel does have "an image of modernity" because it is a modern state. Denying that is absurd. Is that modernity "signified by Israeli gay life"? To a degree, and that "gay life" sets it apart from the Arab world in general. One should know, however, that while the law in Israel is quite supportive of LGBT citizens, only 40% approve of homosexuality (though compared to only 4% in Palestine). The rabbinate, which controls all family law in the state, is vociferously opposed, and the most extreme fundamentalist Jews are inciting murderous violence against the queer population. A Wider Bridge (AWB) exists to build relationships with organizations like the Agudah and Jerusalem Open House to help them confront the daily threats to their existence, threats that exist even in the "modern" state of Israel. The crux of the problem is in the beginning phrase: "a deliberate strategy to conceal." There may be instances when this has occurred, and I vaguely remember an Israeli government official reported to have done that once. If this were to occur, we would oppose it, so there would be no conflict and no need to shout "#cancel pinkwashing." Advertisement Some young queer Jews, as well as those persons of color suckered into totally one-sided solidarity with Palestinians who are no more "of color" than the majority minority population of Israel proper, are converted by the trope of pinkwashing. Yet while it's been in use for over five years now, it's gained very little traction in the LGBT community. The current crisis, media-driven because of the doubly inept handling of the issue by the Task Force, is derived from the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanction) crowd's use of "pinkwashing" as a euphemism for "Israel." Attacking A Wider Bridge (AWB) when it does not have such a deliberate strategy, and its board is opposed to the occupation and supports a two-state solution, is a cover for a more fundamental onslaught against the Jewish state. I could only find one blogger, Ben Murane, on the jewschool.com site, who actually looked into AWB's history to determine if it was in cahoots with the Israeli right wing. One protestor, writing in the Washington Blade, blithely writes that the reception was "cancelled over the organization's cooperation with the Israeli government whose policies violate the human rights of Palestinians living under occupation." But AWB doesn't cooperate with the Israeli government in promoting the occupation, unless all contact with Israel, beginning with passing through Passport Control, is deemed "cooperation." "Free Palestine from the river to the sea" much more accurately reflects the mission of the pinklying crowd, which knows they would have much less traction at Creating Change if they simply ran a BDS panel and couldn't tie their political strategy directly into the queer community. The Schulmanites tried this back at the 2011 Creating Change, if I remember correctly. The Blade writer mentioned above readily admits that "a superficial reading (of the chant) would invariably cause anyone who hears it to believe it means the destruction of Israel." So they routinely smear and slander instead by callously spreading the libel of "pinkwashing," and in so doing have alienated many current allies. Not exactly the kind of coalition building for which the Task Force used to be known. I don't like accusing people of anti-Semitism, particularly other Jews. I've been attacked as an anti-Semite by friends on the right over my support for the P5+1 agreement with Iran last year, which has already ended the Iranian nuclear program. My distaste is compounded by the Netanyahu administration's recurrent use of the charge whenever anyone or any organization criticizes Israel, as if it can do no wrong and each criticism rises to the level of existential threat. This barrage from the right now provides cover to those on the left who dream of Israel's destruction, whether it's the dissolution of the state or its military defeat. Since any criticism of Israel is viewed as anti-Semitism by the Israeli government, the charge has been drained of much of its potency. Advertisement Yet those who attack Israel's right to decide its own form of government, regardless of the evils of occupation, are being anti-Semitic. Jonathan Greenblatt, the new national director and CEO of the ADL, the Anti-Defamation League, said it simply and clearly: When a person conflates Jews, Israelis, and the Israeli government, it is anti-Semitic. When all Jews and all Israelis are held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government, it is anti-Semitic. When Jews would be denied the right to self-determination accorded to all other peoples, it is anti-Semitic. The pinklying crowd, as evident in their assault at Creating Change, conflates queer Jews with Israelis and the Israeli government. A Wider Bridge and its members and guests were all mindlessly held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government. None of the protestors, nor the Task Force, ever bothered to ask the organization for its positions on the issues of concern. And the chant, "Free Palestine from the river to the sea," seeks to deny Israeli Jews, and only Jews, of the right to self-determination. This is not social justice. Jews have the right to be engaged about Israel, as do Palestinians. American queer people of color have the right to be concerned, too, but they have no right to elevate this single global issue to a litmus test for membership in the progressive LGBT movement. When they do so, and align attacking Israel with the need to support trans women (thank you, American communist party), as the protestors did in Chicago, they are acting out just as the bigots of the right do against them. (Photo: Jean Albright/Windy City Times) The President just proudly stated, "We are all Jews." These actions by the radical queer left, allowed to proceed by the leadership of the Task Force, have become a wedge that threatens the cohesion of the queer community. Instead they should be meditating on the President's words. Advertisement I have Twitter to thank for introducing me to books that I might have otherwise missed. Recently, many of the Latino and Latina writers I follow started to Tweet about a New York Times review of Ashley Hope Perez's young adult novel, Out of Darkness (Carolrhoda Books / Lerner Publishing). The Times review (by Damien Cave) described the book as a "layered tale of color lines, love and struggle in an East Texas oil town" in which "a tragedy, real and racial, swallows us whole." I was intrigued, so I reached out to Perez (who is an assistant professor of world literature at Ohio State University) and requested a review copy. When it finally arrived, I jumped right in. Well, she had me at the novel's prologue which is set in New London, Texas, on March 18, 1937. In those few, first pages, Perez relies on evocative, restrained language to describe what could only have been hell on earth: dusty men combing through a school's rubble collecting children's bodies and body parts, hoping to find survivors, the children of the town, their children. That horrific gas explosion changed the future of New London and its residents forever. Advertisement This novel is as stunning as it is truthful, a narrative shaped by history and love that honestly explores racism, abuse and a young woman's tenacity to fashion a life on her own terms. Perez has contributed an important, meticulously crafted book to young adult literature. Perez kindly agreed to answer a few questions for Latino Voices about her remarkable, heartrending book. Ashley Hope Perez (Photo credit: Elena Foulis) What inspired you to use the 1937 New London explosion as a springboard to create a fictional world around the very real segregation during that era? ASHLEY HOPE PEREZ: I grew up just half an hour from New London, Texas, but I never heard about the explosion in school. I didn't know that, in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, gravestone after gravestone is carved with the date "March 18, 1937." I didn't know that the death count was nearly 300. I didn't know that few families had intact bodies to bury. A painful silence surrounded the disaster for years, and only in the 1990s and 2000s did survivors begin to speak about it. Those testimonies were so gripping that once I heard them, I knew I wanted to write about the explosion one day. Advertisement I also knew early on that my book would center on characters from the margins of mainstream history. When I began my research, I discovered that, at the time of the explosion, the New London school was the richest rural school in America thanks to oil revenues. Poor children of oilfield workers had access to tremendous educational resources: chemistry labs, band instruments, foreign language courses, even college credit. All during the Great Depression. But because the New London school was a "white" school in a segregated community, no black children attended the school. I imagined a mother's private response to the fact that her children were spared precisely because they'd been excluded. And I imagined how the New London school might bring a Mexican American family to the area to give their children access to opportunity unimaginable in cities like San Antonio, where school segregation included "Mexican" schools for Latinos. I imagined these possibilities because the historical record only addressed the white experience in New London. I wanted to write from that erasure, to narrate from that silence. Why did you decide to explore bigotry and sexism through two young people who fall in love? ASHLEY HOPE PEREZ: It wasn't so much that I wanted to explore these darker realities. I chose the setting for the novel, and I chose my characters, and then I had to contend with the consequences of those choices for the story. The racial realities of 1930s Texas make a public relationship impossible for Wash, who's African American, and Naomi, who's Mexican American. Most of their time together is spent deep in the woods, often hidden inside a hollow tree. Theirs is a passionate love, but it's also expansive enough to enfold Naomi's younger twin siblings, who adore Wash and depend on his friendship in the face of their father's indifference. Naomi and Wash's love anchors an improvised secret family out in the woods. Have you received any interesting or surprising responses to your novel? ASHLEY HOPE PEREZ: The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Of course, folks have strong reactions, but that doesn't surprise me. Out of Darkness deals with layers of tragedy, and pieces of my own broken heart are embedded in it. I'm especially honored when readers make important connections between the novel and the injustices that persist in our society, especially the vulnerability of black and brown bodies in public spaces. Above all, I hope Out of Darkness shows how reckoning with the darkness of the past can make us hunger for light -- and for a more just future. In the winemaking process, consistency and evolution are often at odds. Some wineries, especially the biggest ones, strive to provide a similar product to their customers with every vintage. Others, especially the smallest ones, focus on a single patch of vines and allow the wine to change with the weather and the terroir itself. The challenge is to gratify and engage the consumer by doing both. Michael Mondavi was once the chairman of an enormous wine enterprise - the one his father started in the Napa Valley - but today he focuses on just one rather remarkable plot in the Atlas Peak AVA. The fifteen acres of the Animo Vineyard, planted in 1999, are harvested up to a dozen times per vintage so that each grape is picked not just at some uniform point of optimal ripeness, but rather at the moment when it will best serve its anticipated function in the blend. The flagship wine, M by Michael Mondavi, comes only from the crest of the vineyard's knoll, where greater drainage and exposure to the elements result in smaller berries with intense flavor. As always, challenge the vine, make better wine. Earlier this week Mondavi was in New York with his daughter, Dina, who directs exports and supports sales for Michael Mondavi Family Estates, including the Emblem line made by her brother, Rob. The Emblems are beguiling wines. In the wine's first vintage, the 2014 Chardonnay offers a touch of sweetness up front, then an unexpected dose of perfume in the center, and a gently acidic finish. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon boasts a nose full of dark berry aromas that yield to cassis syrup on the palate, still quite tannic and a little tangy, with a burst of black pepper near the end. It made a good partner for spicy food but ran the risk of feeling cloying with something softer. For Dina, it's a "cocktail wine", where the 2012 Animo Cabernet Sauvignon, the vineyard's namesake, is a "dinner wine". The Animo carries its acid more deftly, with a mild violet bouquet giving way to a sparkly - almost citrusy - palate, with a dab of bitterness in the rear. What it gave up in power, it made up in versatility. Advertisement Over an abbreviated vertical of the M, which has lately become a cabernet-heavy blend rather than a pure cabernet, Mondavi reflected that the goal of the line was consistency of concept rather than specific flavors or textures. "They need to be of the same style," he said, "but we also want to find the complement of Mother Nature's variables." Indeed, the wines are consistently big, tannic yet balanced, and built for lengthy aging. With food, the structure of each wine tends to clarify itself, becoming more limpid and effortless. This is especially true of the 2010, a gigantic wine that spent 28 months in oak, with a nose full of plums and a tiny whiff of swampiness. On its own, it feels ruddy; the wood is perhaps overpresent. But alongside a rich meat dish, the lighter flavors more evident in its siblings suddenly shine through, making it almost minty. In fact, it seems to represent the terroir the best of all of them. The same clarity appears to have descended on Mondavi, who was in town to be named Wine Enthusiast's Person of the Year. With a smaller winemaking enterprise but an impressive portfolio of foreign imports, he is in a position to leave a more orderly legacy than his father did. Indeed, despite the tribulations that led to the sale of The Robert Mondavi Corporation eleven years ago, Mondavi easily looked fifteen years younger than his age. Advertisement YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenian community in Lebanon will have a rather full agenda in 2016, Editor-in-Chief of Lebanon-based Armenian newspaper Azdak Shahan Gandaharyan mentioned in the interview with Armenpress. First, work is needed to be carried out in the political sector. As you know, Presidents post is vacant and it is needed to agree on a candidate. Lebanese communities and political forces must agree on a candidate issue after which parliament will elect the president of the Republic. The deadline passed and the parliament failed to elect a president. The Armenian community, as one of the most important 7 communities in the social and political sector of Lebanon, will assume the role of a bridge between all sides, Shahan Gandaharyan said. Works will be carried out on inter- community issues in 2016. Shahan Gandaharyan noticed that a unique unity was formed within the community over the organization of the events on the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Political parties, religious communities and associations were integrated in this matter. As a result, more than 500 events were organized in 2015. Shahan Gandaharyan also noted they will continue to raise the Syrian issue on various occasions as well as, being in touch with Syrian counterparts, provide fast and objective news on the situation. According to Shahan Gandaharyan, visits of youngsters of Lebanons Armenian community to Armenia should be activated. It is necessary to create conditions for the students to come and get higher education in their fatherland. 1. Pretend like you don't know who Ta-Nehisi Coates is. 2. Tell them that income inequality really isn't THAT big of a deal. 3. When asked why you won't support Hillary Clinton for President, say "I've got two words for you. BEN GHAZI." 4. Pretend like you named one of your children after Ronald Reagan. 5. Cite Abraham Lincoln as evidence that the Republican Party likes minorities. 6. Say that it's possible men are a little bit better than women at math and science. 7. Insist that ISIS's interpretation of the Quran isn't unreasonable. 8. Maintain that Israel is NOT an apartheid state, and that it's a beacon of democracy to the world. 9. Say that you support the police and the job they do every day. ImpactAlpha.com -- In a sign of healthy competition, not one but two private equity fund managers are gearing up to raise tens of millions of dollars apiece to bet on the recovery of coastal fishing industries and local communities in the developing world. The Sustainable Ocean Fund plans a $50 million first close later this year, and ultimately intends to deploy $100 million across 10 to 15 investments in near-shore fishery investments in places like Belize, Bangladesh, and Madagascar. The fund manager, Althelia Ecosphere, last year raised nearly $120 million for its Althelia Climate Fund, which finances projects that generate revenues from sustainably certified products such as cocoa, coffee and wood. At the same time, Encourage Capital is moving ahead with its strategy for recovering Chile's common hake fishery, which collapsed in the early 2000s. That plan, one of the six investment blueprints the New York firm recently published under a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, is priced at at least $17.5 million. Advertisement The Althelia and Encourage investment theses were both presented at the third annual Conservation Finance conference last week at Credit Suisse's New York offices. The embrace of wild fishery recovery by two fund managers shows that the huge global demand drivers as well as the investment opportunities are becoming better understood in what has long been considered a difficult and chaotic sector. "It's striking that there is substantial capital, in the billions, being allocated to reviving forestry and yet there is little, if any, significant investment being applied into sustainable fisheries and ocean conservation," said Simon Dent, the former BNP Paribas banker who is launching the Sustainable Oceans Fund. The new fund, he said, "will allow us to direct meaningful investments to support sustainable fisheries over the long term, thereby accelerating the transition to a sustainable model." The urgency of such investments became even clearer with new reports that the decline of global fisheries may be even steeper than was thought. Losses from fisheries mismanagement is estimated to be more than $2.2 trillion over the last 30 years. Only about one-third of 66 major marine ecosystems have comprehensive management plans, according to Christian Severin of the Global Environmental Facility, which is coordinating a new Global Coastal Fisheries Initiative. "Well-managed oceans attract responsible investments," Severin said at last week's conservation finance conference. Advertisement The new financing efforts rest on an essential insight: Even depleted fisheries can recover in nine years or less with proper management and incentives for fishermen and women. That sets up an attractive investment proposition: recovering the health of the fisheries, counterintuitively, translates into dramatically higher, sustainable yields in later years. A bio-economic model developed by researchers at two universities and the Environmental Defense Fund shows that with 10 years of sustainable management, as much as 79 percent of the world's fisheries could recover, resulting in $51 billion in increased annual profits. By 2050, the researchers will say at next week's SeaWeb Summit in Malta, millions more tons of seafood could be harvested every year -- while still leaving significantly increased wild fish populations. That initial dip and 10-year upswing resembles an investment pattern that is familiar even to those who know nothing about seafood. Venture capital portfolios often show poor apparent results early in their typically 10-year fund cycle, as capital is deployed and companies put it to work. The theory is that performance climbs toward the end of the fund's life as companies grow and head toward their exits. As Jason Scott, managing partner at Encourage Capital, put it, "A fish recovery curve looks a lot like a J-curve in venture capital." The outlines of Encourage's investment in the common hake (Merluccius gayi) are in the public domain via the firm's report on investable models for fishery improvements, both small-scale and industrial-sized. Scott said the grant-funded research had been essential to developing the plans, but that other investors are welcome to replicate them. Advertisement "We are going to try to execute this strategy," Scott said. "We think you could put $20-40 million to work to improve the hake fishery." The 50-page "Merluza" strategy outlined in the public report forecasts equity returns of at least 16 percent and up to 35 percent. The initiative would include three components, combined into a single special-purpose investment vehicle. Fishing management improvements, like scientifically set catch limits, ensure that the productivity of the fishery improves over time. The funds would acquire 36 percent of the total fishing quota to reduce the pressure on fish stocks. And finally, the fund would buy companies, mainly old-line fishing businesses, such as dock and processing capacities, to upgrade hake processing and distribution business and also market jumbo squid products. If all goes to plan, the increased yield would generate $104 million in additional income for 1,800 fishers across 12 communities, and deliver an additional 136 million legal servings of hake to the market each year. "We think that is a good setup for a multi- asset class, multi-strategy vehicle, rather than just buying up a few assets here and there," Scott said, summing up the benefits: "More fish, more income for fishers and more returns for investors." Simon Dent, the former banker who is launching the Sustainable Oceans Fund, is betting on the recovery J-curve as well, along with reduced waste, shortened supply chains, improved access to markets and better-quality products. The fund, structured to deliver market-rate returns, will finance management improvements in fisheries, along with infrastructure and market access. "These projects need longer term impact finance, rather than short-term grant funding, to help stakeholders make the transition to sustainable practices," Dent said in an email exchange. "This finance needs to be applied all along the chain - on the water as well as off, upstream and downstream." Advertisement As in its land-based investments, Althelia is stressing both that local stakeholders will participate in the investments and benefit sharing and that investments will have measureable social and environmental impacts. Althelia's climate fund finances projects that generate revenues from sustainably certified products such as cocoa, coffee and wood and also create carbon offset credits that can be sold in international markets. Conservation International has provided initial funding to launch the Sustainable Ocean Fund and, along with Environmental Defense fund will provide scientific and technical expertise as strategic partners. Agustin Silvani, Conservation International's vice president of conservation finance, said the environmental organization is supporting the fund to "serve as a proof-of-concept vehicle to catalyze further private investment in the space." Dent says fund managers have identified at least $75 million in potential investment opportunities for 2016 and 17, in Belize, Bangladesh, Columbia, Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico and Madagascar. A robust deal pipeline is critical to the investment thesis. At a recent meeting in Belize, sustainable fisheries advocates hatched plans for an Artisanal Fisheries Finance Accelerator to help local projects prepare themselves for outside investment. Advertisement "In general there is a lack of sustainable finance mechanisms to fund small-scale, or artisanal, fisheries improvement," said Megan Arneson, acting executive director of 50in10, a nonprofit consortium. "There's no lack of interest from investors, but the fisheries aren't ready in the majority of cases -- too much risk, not enough organization." Neither Encourage nor Althelia is planning to make investments in the U.S., despite the huge seafood market and growing demand for sustainably harvested fish. "We think the impact and biomass uplift is greater in emerging markets," said Dent. I recently returned from three weeks at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. I was a personal guest of the abbot, my teacher and friend, who invited me and my fiance to attend the inauguration ceremony and two weeks of teachings, led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I am no stranger to Tibetan Buddhist teachings and have seen His Holiness in the U.S. several times and have watched numerous films of his teachings over the years. But this event was different. For one, it was attended by over 30,000 Tibetans, most of them residents in India but many who came down all the way from Tibet for the special occasion. Also, it was the culmination of several years of teaching that His Holiness has been offering in different locales in India on the topic of "the stages of the path" in Tibetan Buddhism. The centerpiece of this series of teachings has been His Holiness' reading aloud from an old hand-printed volume on the topic that he carried himself from Tibet when he escaped to exile in India in 1959. This text is the Lamrim Chenmo (Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment) by the 15th-century monk and scholar Tsong kha pa. This masterpiece of Buddhist literature treats with unexcelled clarity and elegance all the key elements of Buddhist practice - on ethics, contemplation and insight - and offers brilliant commentary on aspects of psychology, community, devotion and ritual practice. The Treatise holds a very special place in His Holiness' heart and in the history of Tibetan Buddhist practice. As he read from it each day in Tibetan, attendees could listen (via portable FM radios) to translations into nine languages. His Holiness often paused his reading to offer personal commentary, always with his characteristic wit and humor, and his consummate concern that the core spiritual messages not be missed by anyone listening. (For those interested, Tsong kha pa's Treatise has been translated into three volumes in excellent English.) If America had paid attention to what was really going on at the O.J. Simpson murder trial, says Courtney B. Vance, we might not be suffering the trouble and the death we see in our cities two decades later. American Crime Story: The People Vs. O.J. Simpson, an intense 10-part series that launches Tuesday at 10 p.m. on FX, digs into the byplay, intrigue, maneuvering and general gamesmanship of the ultra-high-profile 1995 trial in which Simpson (played here by Cuba Gooding Jr.) was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Vance (above with Gooding) plays Johnnie Cochran, the attorney who guided Simpson's legal "Dream Team" to a come-from-behind victory that stunned much of America. Advertisement Vance says it shouldn't have, but suggests he knows the reason: because too many of the people who followed the case made the same mistake as prosecutor Marcia Clark (played by Sarah Paulsen). "She didn't understand what the case was about," says Vance. "The jury consultants told her it was about celebrity, image and most of all race. She didn't believe it. "She thought she was putting away a monster. Yet at the time he was one of the most likable people in America. She needed to negate that image, and she never did." That huge blind spot, Vance says, played right into Cochran's hands. "All the defense has to do is create doubt," Vance points out. "So Johnnie made the case about everything but the crime. He poked holes everywhere he could find them." Advertisement Perhaps the biggest hole was obligingly opened by lead LAPD Detective Mark Fuhrman (Steven Pasquale). A tape surfaced on which Fuhrman was throwing around racial slurs, after he swore on the witness stand that he had no bias against black people and didn't use that kind of language. Cochran drove a truckload of doubt through that one. "Johnnie had worked on police brutality cases under Mayor Tom Bradley," notes Vance. "He knew the territory. He was the perfect man for that job." Planting the suggestion that the LAPD's main investigator might have wanted to nail a black man went a long way toward winning the case for Cochran, but Vance suggests it also exposes a much wider and more serious problem for America. "The O.J. issue is unresolved today," he says. "We're still going through it because it's still about race. "African-Americans see the police differently than whites. In their eyes, the police treat them as animals." Advertisement He points to the case of the late Laquan MacDonald, the Chicago teenager who was shot 16 times by a police officer, apparently because he was carrying a small pocket knife. Video footage showed MacDonald was walking away when he was shot. "If that policeman had just talked to him the way he would have talked to a white kid," says Vance. "Take a little more time. Tell him to raise his hands, put down the knife. "But he didn't, and that's why black people, when they see a policeman, think differently." As for the O.J. case, Vance notes that race wasn't the only factor that blocked what Clark and her team assumed would be a slam-dunk conviction. "Johnnie and the defense team had some luck, too," he says. "The Fuhrman tape just fell into their lap. Then there was the ego thing between Cochran and [assistant prosecutor Chris] Darden, which helped lead Darden into asking O.J. to try on the glove that didn't fit. "Marcia didn't know he was going to do that. She didn't want him to. But he thought he'd be the hero, so he did, which gave Johnnie the line 'If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.' " Advertisement That line crystallized for many observers Cochran's sense of theatricality, which made some love him and some hate him - and everyone acknowledge his skill. "Even the people who didn't like him knew how good he was," says Vance. The People Vs. O.J. Simpson suggests Cochran didn't initially want to take the case any more than Simpson's original team, headed by Robert Shapiro (John Travolta) with assistance from the famous likes of F. Lee Bailey (Nathan Lane), wanted him to join. But the defense realized it needed a black face on the team, to put it bluntly, and Cochran (above in real life, with the real O.J.) was sold when his wife found his weak spot. Imagine how you'd feel, she asked, if someone else were to get O.J. off. Interestingly, Vance may have been one of the few people in America who didn't follow the real-life case - or Cochran, who died in 2005. "I'd been a huge O.J. fan while I was growing up," he says. "When he was at USC and when he played for the Bills. But I didn't know that much about the murder case. I saw the Bronco chase and then didn't pay much attention until the verdict. Advertisement "So getting this role was an opportunity to fill in the gaps. I researched Johnnie, but I deliberately didn't watch any video, because I didn't want to imitate him. "I wanted to go for a feeling, who he is, how he could take charge of a courtroom. If I can give a sense of the great man, I've done my job." Which is more than America has done with the issues Vance says were exposed to clearly and urgently in the O.J. trial. Dinner at Downton Abbey has gotten rowdy over the years, but it never got scary until Sunday night, when Lord Grantham projectile-vomited blood across the table and crumpled to the floor. He survived. But as Mary said, "It knocked the stuffing out of him," along with pretty much everything else. What happened was that his ulcer burst - ironically enough, right smack in the middle of the 3,000th argument over the fate of the local hospital. Advertisement We know how the ulcer felt. Lord Grantham's volcanic eruption, the most graphic scene on Downton since the death of Lady Sybil in season three, looked to be one of this final season's game-changers. Everyone looked at everyone else, literally and figuratively, upstairs and downstairs, and had a rolling series of come-to-Jesus moments. Mary and Edith walked upstairs together, an occurrence as common as Mrs. Patmore ordering dinner from Kentucky Fried Chicken. Mary couldn't help making a sharp crack when Edith said she wanted to look in on the children, but Mary also said "Goodnight" in a tone that sounded cordial and comfortable. Mary was more comfortable disposing of Mr. Pamuk's corpse than she has ever felt with Edith. Downstairs, when Carson reported that his Lordship seemed to be resting comfortable, Evil Thomas said he was relieved and added that he surprised himself with this reaction, since "I didn't think I'd mind one way or the other.. .. I must be going soft in my old age." Advertisement The most immediate practical impact of Lord Grantham's impending recuperation, Mary said to Branson, is that the two of them must take over the running of the estate, since the stress of that task triggered Robert's ulcer in the first place. Branson nodded and said, "Long live our own Queen Mary." It was a remark that, from any character on the show besides Carson, would have come with a sarcastic edge. Since Branson could make "Off with her head!" sound like a friendly suggestion, perhaps we shouldn't make too much of it. Lord Grantham's Worst Dinner Ever also stole the headlines from two other significant developments. As he was being rushed to the hospital, Mary overheard a chance series of semi-whispers between Cora and Violet about Marigold. We could almost see the thought balloon forming over Mary's head. Hmmm, Edith's away for nine months, Edith comes back and develops an obsession with this random foundling orphan child. Is there a dot I should have been connecting here? The real question may not be whether Mary connects the dot, which she will, but how ticked she will be at everyone who didn't tell her before. Cora. Violet. And, yup, maybe Branson. Mary even sounded a little suspicious of Anna on Sunday, and despite the fact Anna knows nothing, innocence isn't necessarily an acceptable defense when the upstairs people are annoyed. Ask Mr. Drewe. Advertisement Sunday's other lead minidrama brought in Neville Chamberlain, best known in real-life history as the prime minister who in 1938 declared his non-aggression pact with Adolf Hitler ensured "peace in our time." Bet he'd like a do-over on that one. Back in 1925 Chamberlain was minister of health, which is why Violet invited him to Downton. She hoped he could, with a flick of his powerful wrist, kill the plan to have the local hospital absorbed into a regional system. Killing this plan means more to Violet than to anyone else, including viewers, but the real point here was why Violet was so sure Chamberlain would be willing to bend to her will. Seems that some years before, when Neville was young and less discreet, he joined some fellow pranksters in digging a ditch across Picadilly, which apparently snarled traffic from London to Calcutta. Violet knew about it and kept quiet, preventing a scandal that could have derailed his career in its infancy. Advertisement Sunday night she called in that marker, and the price for Chamberlain also included joining the family at dinner and listening to the whole hospital argument again. "I didn't think I was here to witness a battle royal," the poor chap said at one point, around the same time that Bates, downstairs, was musing that Chamberlain would be happy just to get out alive. The upside of the burst ulcer was that it did cut the argument short. Chamberlain was so relieved that while he waited for his car so he could escape, he recounted the blackmail backstory to Branson, someone he had only met a few hours before. His confession was very useful to us viewers, though perhaps not the discretion we expect in a future prime minister. As for the hospital, Cora told Chamberlain not to kill the merger plan. Even Violet sensed this was not the moment to revive the argument. So while this turn of events probably won't put the hospital saga out of its misery, it did seem to tuck one of Violet's trump cards back into the deck. Advertisement Elsewhere, romance continued to blossom for the Crawley gals. Edith, after insisting back at Downton that she wasn't having a "date" with Bertie, invited him to her London flat for a drink. They kissed. He said he feared he was being too bold. She said no. They both said they feared they were not worthy of each other. Edith's had a tough time. She's entitled to act 14 for a while. She also hired a young woman editor for the magazine and told Bertie she wants to spend more time in London, because "Downton is Mary's now." Mary, meanwhile, went with Branson to a car race in which Henry Talbot drove to victory. This pleased everyone and ensured that car philosophizing will continue to be part of the Henry package. Mary earlier had told Branson she hates auto racing because it seems dangerous. She has a point. It was dangerous to Matthew even when he wasn't racing. Branson replied that sure, it may be dangerous, but that's part of the appeal. It's a lot like love, he added, because love isn't safe, either. You're always taking a risk. Advertisement Branson must have read a lot about love on those long boat rides to and from Boston. He also explained to Mary that while he and Sybil came from different socio-economic classes, theirs was nonetheless a "marriage of equals," since they both brought the same intensity of belief. Mary replied, "I see that now." If Mary becomes queen of Downton, perhaps Branson can become its philosopher king. Mary did reiterate, though, that she will not "marry down" and have more money than her husband. Downstairs on Sunday, Mr. Mason invited Daisy to live at the farm, which he noted was a convenient 20-minute walk from the big house. As Mr. Mason himself moved in, Mrs. Patmore and Andy joined Daisy in bringing a small welcoming tea to him. Mrs. Patmore seemed to like Mr. Mason, though Daisy said he preferred to be alone. He had lots of company Sunday. Mary and Branson also dropped in, discreetly seeking assurance he wasn't too old to handle pigs. That was awkward because, well, he is. But then out of the blue, Andy told Mary that he would be helping Mr. Mason with the heavy physical stuff. That satisfied Mary even as it left Mr. Mason mildly puzzled, since it was the first he'd heard of it. Advertisement Andy at the farm. Daisy at the farm. Looks like we may have another dot to connect here, assuming Daisy doesn't drop out to overthrow the system. Andy also revealed a shorter-term issue when Mr. Mason gave him several books on pig farming. You know, a little light bedtime reading to get him started. Evil Thomas, walking past Andy's room later, heard the sound of books being flung in frustration and correctly deduced Andy never learned to read. Evil Thomas offered to teach him. Teach him to write, too. And when Andy realized that this didn't seem to be conditioned on any sort of sexual payback, which was the reason Andy had been shunning Thomas, Andy apologized. And yes, this would also seem to be another step toward redemption for Evil Thomas. The question is, with only four episodes left, will he run out of time? Can redemption be fast-tracked? Advertisement Good downstairs news: Baxter's nightmare seemed to end when as Peter Coyle pled guilty and she wouldn't have to testify against him. The thoroughly smitten Molesley stood by her side throughout. Not so good downstairs news: Denker, outraged that Dr. Clarkson had abandoned Violet's side in the hospital fight, called him names on the street. Clarkson reported this to Violet. Violet fired Denker, saying, "It is not your place to have opinions" on such matters. When Isobel said Dr. Clarkson probably didn't want Denker sacked, Violet replied, "When one unleashes the dogs of war, we must go where they take us." Denker is more like Violet than the dowager countess realizes, however. Denker immediately turned around and blackmailed Spratt into convincing Violet to give Denker another chance. Denker knows, we will recall, about the fugitive nephew Spratt has been aiding and abetting. When Spratt said the Violet intervention now made them even, Denker corrected him and noted this is a forever card. Advertisement Theirs was not the most amusing downstairs drama, however. That distinction fell to Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes. She was now cooking for him, and when she served the bubble and squeak he looked with considerable suspicion at the fact she had added lamb. When he tried to cut the meat, he diplomatically suggested the cutlery must be dull. He later asked Mrs. Patmore if she would mind giving Mrs. Hughes a few refresher cooking lessons. "I don't cook like his mother," Mrs. Hughes explained. Mr. Carson's other moment Sunday was more somber, conjuring the elegiac and oddly melancholy final scene of the previous episode when he silently slid his name off the door to his old room. As Lord Grantham was being carted to the hospital, Carson said to Mrs. Hughes, "Life is short and death is certain. That is all we know." In a well-publicized 2012 action, the attorneys general of 20 U.S. states stopped a company called QuinStreet from using a military-branded website, GIBill.com, to steer American veterans to controversial for-profit colleges. But it turns out that marketers, including QuinStreet itself, have continued to engage in similar practices since then. Websites such as Military.com and GIJobs.com still push vets and military service members to schools including ITT Tech, Kaplan, and Education Management Corp.'s (EDMC) Art Institutes -- institutions that often charge students sky-high prices, spend too little on instruction, and leave dropouts and graduates alike without the careers they sought and buried in student loan debt. The same group of institutions are also under investigation by multiple federal and state law enforcement agencies for deceptive practices or already have paid fines to settle such probes. A common strategy of online marketers, called lead generators, is bait and switch. In the for-profit college context, that has often meant creating deceptive websites claiming to offer things that low-income people need -- jobs, food stamps, housing assistance -- but are actually designed to get those people to provide their phone numbers and email addresses, so they can be pursued by for-profit college recruiters. (Other sites purport to offer unbiased advice on colleges and financial aid, but then steer students to the same kind of predatory for-profits.) Advertisement Not all for-profit colleges do a bad job, and some students benefit from the programs. But many for-profits, driven to please their investors, engage in relentless efforts to sign up new recruits, regardless of likely outcomes, in order to deposit new federal aid checks. Some for-profit colleges get close to 90 percent or more of their revenue from federal student grants and loans; the industry has been receiving as much as $32 billion a year of your tax money. To find the students, many of these colleges spend thousands of dollars per student on marketing and recruiting -- much more than they spend on actual education costs -- and they often hire outside lead generation companies. A particular target of the relentless recruiting is veterans, service members, and their families, because federal law requires for-profit colleges to obtain at least 10 percent of their revenue from sources other than U.S. Department of Education aid. Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) education assistance can fill that gap. That's why Holly Petraeus of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wrote in 2011 that for-profit colleges have an incentive to see service members as "dollar signs in uniform." GIBill.com As awareness of deceptive and abusive recruiting of U.S. troops and veterans increased a few years ago -- President Obama warned soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia, in April 2012 that some colleges were "trying to swindle and hoodwink" them -- law enforcement agencies started stepping up. Advertisement In June 2012, state attorneys general Jack Conway (KY), Lisa Madigan (IL), and Beau Biden (DE) came to Washington to announce, at a press conference that also included Obama officials and four U.S. Senators, that 20 state AGs had reached a settlement with Foster City, California-based QuinStreet to turn the GIBill.com web address over to the VA. Because of the name and the services it offered, some people might have thought they were on a government website, but Quinstreet's GIBill.com steered people who went there seeking advice on higher education options to for-profit colleges that paid for the privilege. A 2011 version of the site is here, and the recommended "GIBill Schools" are all for-profits. The concern was that veterans and service members would believe it was the government recommending these colleges. In fact, the quality of many schools listed is dubious, and since then several on the list -- Kaplan, DeVry, Westwood, the Art Institutes -- have been sued or investigated by law enforcement. Conway said at the time of QuinStreet, "This company preyed on our veterans who received educational benefits as a result of their military service to our country. The actions were unconscionable and purposefully drove veterans to for-profit colleges who were perhaps more interested in getting their hands on the federal benefits than in educating our soldiers and their families." The state AGs charged QuinStreet with violating consumer protection laws. QuinStreet did not admit responsibility, but in addition to transferring the website, the company agreed to pay a $2.5 million fine and to provide disclosures on "any [military-themed] website owned, operated, maintained, or controlled by QuinStreet that is directed at U.S. consumers and advertises or generates leads for educational institutions" -- disclosures clarifying, among other things, that such website is not operated by the U.S. government, that colleges have paid to appear on the site, and that the schools listed on the site are not the only schools that accept GI Bill benefits. Army.com Despite the 2012 GIBill.com settlement and the attention it received, deceptive steering of veterans to predatory schools has continued to this day. Advertisement I discussed these ongoing deceptive practices when I spoke at a workshop on lead generation at the Federal Trade Commission last October. At that event, I mentioned Army.com, which I imagine many visitors might think is associated with the U.S. Army. When I visited that site, an ad popped up for a for-profit school, Grantham University. I don't see that popup as I write today, but I see front and center of the home page an offer to "Learn About Joining the Army and Your Educational Opportunities" with a box to enter my name and phone number, along with a disclosure familiar to anyone who has studied for-profit college lead generation: "By entering my information and clicking 'Next >' I consent to being contacted via phone or text at the phone number above about military and education information." If you navigate through another box on the homepage, labelled "AFFORDABLE EDUCATION" and select any degree or major, you end up on a landing page for Grantham University. Small print at the very bottom of the Army.com homepage discloses that the site is owned by FanMail.com, L.L.C., not the U.S. Army. Whoever FanMail.com are, they certainly are fans of Grantham University. GIJobs.com Another site is GIJobs.com, owned by Victory Media, a company headquartered in Pittsburgh. GIJobs.com has a "School Matchmaker" tool for "Military Friendly Schools." When I tried the tool last fall, the first four schools that popped up were all for-profit colleges -- in order, Kaplan, Stratford University, Colorado Tech, and National University College. Kaplan, which got $877 million last year from taxpayers (down from $1.5 billion in 2010), has a troubling record of misleading students and has been under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies. Also under examination by law enforcement is the owner of Colorado Tech, Career Education Corp., which got $803 million from in federal money last year (down from $1.9 billion in 2010). Advertisement More recently the GIJobs matchmaker tool has steered me to the for-profits Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Grantham, and Lincoln Tech, which recently paid $850,000 to students to settle charges brought by the Massachusetts Attorney General that it engaged in coercive recruiting tactics and misled students about job placement success. Victory Media also publishes and promotes an annual, clickable listing of Military Friendly Schools. The report claims to select the top twenty percent of colleges for veterans -- those do the best job of preparing vets for "a vibrant educational experience followed by chances for the most gainful employment afterward." The latest list includes many for-profit colleges currently under law enforcement investigation, such as Ashford University (owned by Bridgepoint Education; $639 billion in taxpayer money last year) and Kaplan. The list is reported, without questioning the source or methodology, by lazy local media around the country. Dahn Shaulis has persistently raised questions about GIJobs and Victory Media. Shaulis, a U.S. Army veteran who served as an infantry officer in South Korea, has a doctorate in sociology from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. He has worked as a prison guard, and as a community college adjunct professor, but mostly now he is a determined activist seeking better educational opportunities for his fellow veterans and other students. After Shaulis had written about GIJobs.com, he received a threatening letter from a corporate lawyer, Brian Malkin of the law firm of Ferrence Associates in Pittsburgh. Malkin wrote to Shaulis on April 28, 2015, identifying himself as "the legal counsel for Victory Media": My client advises that you posted several Linked-In and Twitter posts that are factually incorrect. Regrettably, you have also taken it upon yourself to write to at least one member of the Victory Media advisory board urging that member to resign alleging that Victory Media is involved in wrongdoing related to government contracts. This allegation is patently false and constitutes slander as a matter of law. ... Victory Media must insist that you refrain from posting, publishing, and otherwise publicizing factually incorrect information. Your unfounded claims of wrongdoing hurt the military community and those collectively served by Victory Media. We ask that you immediately remove all related postings within social media services and cease and desist all activities related to this matter within 24 hours of receipt of this correspondence. Allow this letter to place you on notice that Victory Media will take any and all legal measures necessary to protect its good name and reputation. Malkin's letter did not provide specifics about what facts Shaulis alleged that Victory believed was false. Shaulis did not remove his posts, and Victory Media has taken no action against him. Military.com Dahn Shaulis also has raised questions about the website Military.com. That site, created in 1999, has been owned since 2004 by New York City-based Monster Worldwide, operators of the familiar job website Monster.com. Military.com calls itself "the largest military and veteran membership organization -- 10 million members strong." Military.com says its "free membership connects servicemembers, military families and veterans to all the benefits of service -- government benefits, scholarships, discounts, lifelong friends, mentors, great stories of military life or missions, and much more." The site clearly is popular. As Shaulis pointed out in a LinkedIn post, a Google search for "GI Bill and Education" brings up a number of Military.com links on the very first search page, just below links from the VA. Remarkably, then, Military.com's "School Finder" feature indicates that it is "Powered By: QUINSTREET." Advertisement Remember QuinStreet, the operator of GIBill.com? In order to get recommendations for colleges, the QuinStreet-"powered" feature on Military.com requires a visitor to provide detailed personal information, including address, phone number, email, date of birth, education, and military service. Shaulis's searches on the site (see images below) led straight to for-profit colleges, including Kaplan and Lincoln Tech, as well as ITT Tech and the Art Institutes. EDMC, which operates the Art Institutes, and ITT are two of the top eight for-profit college companies in terms of federal revenue last year ($1.47 billion and $664 million, respectively). Both companies are in precarious financial condition, and each faces numerous federal and state law enforcement probes today. College searches that I conducted on Military.com in the past few days brought up the very same group of for-profit colleges, along with Career Education Corp.'s American Intercontinental University, and Full Sail University, the for-profit college touted on the 2012 campaign trail (and, it turned out, partly owned) by Mitt Romney. Military.com's president is retired Rear Admiral Greg Smith. When I called him, Smith told me that the colleges to which visitors to Military.com get referred are under the control of QuinStreet, not his company; "All the clients are their [QuinStreet's] clients -- that's not part of our business," he said. He also said that he had no plans to sever the relationship with QuinStreet. I asked Smith if he had concerns that his site, in association with QuinStreet, was sending veterans to poor quality schools. He referred me, for further comment, to a Military.com communications official. That spokesperson has not yet responded to me. Shaulis previously reported that Military.com sent him "a short email that reiterated that QuinStreet was not violating the 2012 voluntary agreement made with the 20 AG's and that any further questions should be directed to QuinStreet." I called and emailed Marty Collins, QuinStreet's Senior Vice President of Legal, Compliance & Corporate Development, for comment. He chose to answer my emailed questions, as follows: Advertisement Q: Does QuinStreet have any concerns about its arrangement with Military.com, including legal concerns? Collins: No. Q: Does QuinStreet believe this arrangement is consistent with its settlement with 20 state attorneys general in 2012 regarding the website GIBill.com? Collins: Yes. As Shaulis points out, Military.com could instead connect visitors to government college finder sites -- the Department of Education's College Navigator and the VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool. In fact, the VA site now includes caution flags warning students about legal and administrative actions by government agencies for misconduct or financial instability against certain schools. The VA currently has caution flags on ITT, EDMC, DeVry, and Career Education Corp. schools, among others. But Military.com uses QuinStreet instead, a service that refers to students to colleges that, as with GIBill.com, pay for the listing. Taking Action At the conclusion of the FTC workshop in October, FTC official Malini Mithal said, "I ... predict that on the law enforcement front I think it's likely we will continue to look at unlawful practices involving lead generators and we'll bring enforcement actions where appropriate." The FTC, which for years did not pursue the deceptive practices of the for-profit college industry, has recently, under Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, taken important steps to go after misconduct, including a lawsuit filed last week against DeVry University, and investigations of Career Education Corp. and the University of Phoenix. Whether the military-themed websites described above violate the law or federal policy guidance is unresolved. The FTC and state attorneys general are charged with guarding against deceptive marketing. The Department of Education has regulations that can cut off its funding to schools that engage in misrepresentations, directly or through third-party marketers. And an executive order issued by President Obama directs the Pentagon, VA, and other agencies to "prevent abusive and deceptive recruiting practices that target the recipients of Federal military and veterans educational benefits." (Veterans -- you can report abuses here.) At the very least, the operators of these military-themed websites do a disservice to our troops and veterans when they present themselves as military-friendly outfits and then sell to the highest bidder their recommendations as to where to spend precious educational dollars -- and often recommend overpriced, substandard, dishonest colleges. Those same colleges, which reap billions in taxpayer money from these shoddy practices, bear responsibility too, and they also should be held accountable. Advertisement Barbara Popoli is beautiful. Her big blue eyes captivate your attention when she talks, and they sparkle when she laughs. She's articulate and well-educated, driven but empathetic, and a talented business executive who was on the fast track toward corporate stardom. At age 42, she had career success, a handsome and supportive husband, and a loving circle of family and friends so strong that any observer might say she "had it all." So it seemed, until the day she noticed that one of her breasts had become swollen, red, and hot. Within a couple of days, the skin had become inflamed, thickened so it felt like the surface of an orange, and painful. The next thing Barb knew, she was fighting for her life, diagnosed with Stage III-C inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Advertisement For years, ever-present pink ribbon campaigns have done a good job of educating the American public to watch for breast lumps and to rely on mammograms as early signs of breast cancer. Experience had shown that for most breast cancers, early detection would mean more effective treatment. Barb's mother is a breast cancer survivor, so Barb knew to look for that classic warning sign, and she had already started getting routine mammograms. Yet nothing had prepared her for an IBC diagnosis. What IBC Is: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) affects younger women (often in their 40s) and cannot be diagnosed early. When cancerous cells of unknown origin begin to grow in layers that block lymph drainage, the skin quickly becomes swollen, thickened, and inflamed. There are rarely lumps or telltale signs, so it can hide from diagnostic mammography. In fact, it is highly aggressive with symptoms that emerge late and fast, meaning that for IBC there is no such thing as a stage I or II "early" diagnosis. When you look up IBC on the Internet, you find nothing reassuring. The words you see include "rare," "aggressive," "insidious," and "lethal." IBC's causes aren't understood, proven effective treatment modalities haven't yet been found, and its prognosis is generally poor. Cancer experts don't even agree about whether IBC represents a unique biology. To help answer that question, two specialized IBC centers at Boston's Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center are collecting tissue samples for scientific study. Advertisement Estimates are that IBC represents 1-5 percent of breast cancer diagnoses and that the median survival period ranges between 57 months after a stage III diagnosis and 21 months if diagnosed at stage IV. These data only represent estimates and are likely low because IBC is often misdiagnosed as an infection and medical reimbursement coding (the Center for Disease Control's ICD-10) doesn't break it out as a specific breast cancer subcategory. As a result, it's not possible to tap the national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program (which is the main national repository of disease data) to learn IBC's incidence or mortality rates. You might more easily find out the number of people who were "struck by a macaw (initial encounter)" or injured in a prison swimming pool; these kinds of bizarre events carry discrete codes while IBC, a more frequent diagnosis, does not. Those in treatment for IBC hope for a research breakthrough in time to save their lives. Unfortunatelym a search of SciVal Funding by Oliver Bogler, Ph.D. at MD Anderson Cancer Center, revealed to the IBC Network Foundation that only 0.3 percent of overall U.S. and European Union breast cancer research funding in the in the past decade has focused on IBC (112 grants out of a total of 35,283 grants awarded). So... back to Barb's story: On her way to the rest of her life, she stumbled on a bear of a disease. She describes the experience as taking a walk in the woods and suddenly finding yourself trapped between a hungry bear and a steep cliff, with nowhere else to go. Do you fight the bear or jump off the cliff? There doesn't yet seem to be an obvious winning choice. Barb is still beautiful, even without hair, and her smile still lights up a room, despite multiple phases of brutal chemotherapy, surgery, and intense radiation. There's nothing beautiful about the rigorous IBC treatment, especially since the odds of recurrence are high and her outcome is unknown. Advertisement Now, in the prime of life, Barb has no idea what lies ahead. Like many others who are fighting the same bear, she is 13 months into treatment, healing from post-surgery radiation burns, still getting chemo infusions every three weeks, and preparing for her next clinical trial. She has experienced more kinds of pain than most of us will in a lifetime. She's been bent, glued, and mutilated beyond description. Yet every time cancer tries to knock her down, she bounces back, even more determined to win her ongoing IBC battle. Most normal people would be crushed by now, but not Barb. She still finds something beautiful and life-affirming to appreciate and to share every day -- an ocean breeze, falling rhododendron petals that mark the summer's start, or the taste of a warm apple donut. She hasn't lost her sense of humor, in spite of what she's been through. and she reminds her friends and family to "give extra hugs to those you love, and stay focused on what matters." Barb helps me realize that as a survivor of routine, boring, run-of-the-mill breast cancer, I'm fortunate beyond measure. As cancer goes, boring is good. In return for our good fortune, each of us who is a breast cancer survivor or caregiver can join Barb in her tireless efforts to raise funds for IBC research and press for solutions to its mysterious and high mortality rate. Her fighting spirit is inspired by the late Seporah Raizer, former Huffington Post blogger, whose last tweet said, "I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains." I spent the last few days attending the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT. If you've never been, it is surreal. The town was bustling with filmmakers, actors, industry folks and film buffs all vying to see the selected films, make an appearance at parties and hobnob their way into new opportunities. The enthusiasm was palpable and contagious and I was excited to be a part of it! As a first-time attendee, I was really curious and excited to experience firsthand what happened while festival veterans and newbies wait in line to get into a screening. Who would I meet? What would we talk about? Would I recognize anyone famous!? As soon as we arrived in Park City, Henry Ansbacher, producing partner and co-creator of Project Enye (n), and I made a b-line to the first screening of Sundance's Documentary Shorts program. This was the category we would have been featured in, but unfortunately were not selected. (Next year!) Henry and I were dying to see what had been selected. More than 12,000 films were submitted this year and less than two percent were chosen. Advertisement While waiting in line, we met a New York transplant and festival veteran. After a fair amount of pleasantries, I found myself in an interesting conversation with her. She asked if I'd considered the fact that adding "Latina" to filmmaker might lessen the value that I bring to the table. She compared it to "female filmmaker" and even "first-time filmmaker." As we talked some more, I learned she was a linguist by profession and while she acknowledged that there are many branches of the profession, what we were discussing was how certain words give things power or take that power away. In all honesty, I'd never thought about it like that. By describing myself as a "first-time Latina filmmaker," was I buying into the notion of being good, but not that good? Was I conveying that somehow I fell short of the industry bar? It was a mind-expanding conversation. She said, "Why can't you just be a filmmaker? Why can't that be good enough? When do you stop being a Latina or female filmmaker and just be a filmmaker? Are these descriptors helping or hindering you? And more importantly, is there an implied lower standard or special standard baked into that which takes away your power?" Advertisement I was speechless -- a rare occurrence for those that know me. I stood there pondering these questions and deciding how I felt about them. In this particular case, I'm torn. I believe we as Latinos haven't yet reached that threshold where "It doesn't matter how you're different, there's plenty of room at the top." Sundance was further proof of this skewed inequity. While there were some Latinos in attendance and on the big screen, the representation was nowhere near what it should be considering Latinos are the fastest growing population in the United States. In so many ways it feels like we've only just started pushing back at the inequities that we've seen year after year in our jobs, in the media, at school, in the world and most recently at the Oscars. The following day, I attended a Latino Filmmakers event and I was honored to be among so many fellow Latino filmmakers, screenwriters, directors and industry folks who did what they had to do to get themselves to "that place" and pave the way for other filmmakers like myself. It was here that I realized the word Latina is a distinctive badge of honor. Advertisement While the conversation I had in line with that festival goer empowered me to see things from a different perspective, it reaffirmed my mission to hopefully be in a position one day to reach my hand back and help another fellow Latina(o) reach their suenos and metas. I wholeheartedly embrace my Latina-ness and believe "Latina" is an empowering adjective that lays claim to a future where female Latinas will be more aptly represented both in front and behind the camera. Close up of Canadian flag, in blue sky. I wrote a book two years ago about merging the U.S. and Canada and it's interesting to note that two "Canadians" are seeking the U.S. Presidency for the first time in history. Republican Ted Cruz was born in Canada and is Canadian whether he likes to admit it or not. He shed that citizenship and became an American and is a tough right wing candidate. The other "Canadian" is Bernie Sanders. He was born in Brooklyn, has been a politician in Vermont but his playbook, hardly surprising given that Vermont is a border state, is right out of Canada's. Advertisement Namely, Sanders proposes a health care system like Canada's, where health care for everyone is just as good at half the price because the middleman, Big Insurance, has been cut out of the picture. Even Donald Trump has said the Canadian health care system is good but that it may be too late to do in the U.S. But not Bernie Sanders. He also believes that Americans should, like Canadians, enjoy low university tuition, should bridle its Big Banks, hike minimum wages and embrace a more nuanced foreign policy. Like Canada, Sanders voted down the Iraqi invasion in 2003, and both turned out to be correct. Sander's is correct about health care. Canada's system was instituted in the late and phased in over a couple of years. The first step was that we paid our doctor then submitted a form to the government for a partial reimbursement. Shortly after that, we didn't pay our doctor, but he or she submitted a form to the government for payment based on a fee schedule negotiated with their physician bargaining units. This system, while not perfect, has helped Canada's middle class catch up and overtake America's by 2010. The Luxembourg Income Study compiled these figures. Advertisement Other factors have been Canada's lower tuitions and higher minimum wages but the reduced health care burden is significant. For example, Canadian families don't have to mortgage their homes for cancer treatments because costs are spread across the entire population. Canadian employers don't have to fork out huge insurance benefits for their workforces. Take the example of the 147 million American workers whose employment benefits include healthcare coverage. In 2015, premiums for these health care family schemes cost employers, on average, $12,591 a year and their employees $4,955. By contrast, Canadians just pay taxes and the government delivers the benefits. The comparison of the two countries illustrates why governments can provide better and more cost effective health care than can the for-profit sector. Sanders points out that America's three biggest pharma giants made profits of $45 billion in 2015 -- that is equivalent to 30 percent of the entire health care tab paid by Canada's governments for its 34 million residents. By eliminating the unneeded insurance middleman, administrative costs and profiteering disappear. Sizeable volume discounts from Big Pharma as well as from medical equipment suppliers are negotiated. Hospital costs are kept in line. Advertisement A Canadian health care system also eliminates costly, burdensome litigation over medical costs. That, in turn, results in dramatically lower costs to obtain professional insurance coverage for doctors and hospitals. Insurance for a Canadian physician is one-tenth the amount charged an American one in a comparable specialty. This all translates into an enormous savings for individuals and the nation itself. The most recent figures, in 2014, provide a comparison: Healthcare in Canada cost $4,351 per person and healthcare in America cost $8,317 per person. The same differentials exist between the United States and France or Britain or Germany. These countries, like Canada, realize that the insurance middleman is unnecessary. Obamacare represents the first step in fixing America's healthcare train wreck, but it's still costly and complex because Big Insurance is still along for the ride. Frankly, American taxpayers should demand a single-payer health care system. So should all the country's fiscally responsible politicians. Here's why: In 2013, the United States spent an estimated $2.8 trillion on health care but a single payer system would cost $1.46 trillion, based on Canadian per person figures. A savings of $1.4 trillion is equivalent to the amount collected for Social Security annually or forked out for defense. Advertisement Politicians pander. It's what they do. But Christians seem especially susceptible to those claiming to be their spiritual brethren. It would be better if people of faith focused on candidates' practical ability to perform the duties of what remains a secular office. With the Iowa caucuses upon us, it seems like every Republican tramping through the snow claims to be a Bible-believing, God-fearing, Jesus-loving Christian. Some trot out their parents; others offer personal conversion stories. Some defend persecuted Christians; others explain their policies in Biblical terms. A gaggle of church leaders promote their favorite presidential wannabe. It's a fruitless exercise. The Israelites were told to select men who "fear God," (Exodus 18:21), but theirs was an explicit community of faith. Governance of a secular republic with an increasingly diverse and unchurched population is very different. Advertisement It's rarely easy to judge whether a particular candidate's faith claims are true. Sometimes his or her behavior suggests otherwise. But we all are flawed, sinful human beings who fall short of God's glory. That's why God told the prophet Samuel: "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16: 7) Both Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum previously ran on their faith in Iowa, though neither has achieved much traction this time. Bobby Jindal made equally explicit claims, but it did him little good and he quit the race. Marco Rubio, another faith claimant, is polling better. However, Ted Cruz appears to have done the best this year in presenting himself as a committed Christian. His religious tale, including the conversion story of his pastor father, is contained in an 18-minute documentary and is being promoted by David Barton of WallBuilders. By all accounts Cruz is doing well among the most theologically conservative Republicans in Iowa. Yet McKay Coppins of BuzzFeed reported on doubts about Cruz's faithfulness: "some who worked closely with Cruz earlier in his career have been puzzled by his recent transformation into a culture warrior. 'He was never particularly religious as far as I knew,' said one aide who worked for him in the Texas solicitor general's office. 'I'm not even sure he went to church'." Advertisement Moreover, in late 2014 Cruz used a conference on persecuted Christians from the Middle East, among the most vulnerable people on the planet, as a campaign prop. Ignoring their plight, he instead appealed to Christian Zionist voters -- usually Republicans who care more about the modern, secular state of Israel than Arab Christians who suffer therein. Cruz also gave less than one percent of his income to charity between 2006 and 2010. Although Jesus freed believers from legalistic application of the Old Testament tithe, the Apostle Paul wrote the Corinthian church about the "rich generosity" of Macedonian believers and how "God's will" was that Christians "excel in this grace of giving." (2 Corinthians 8: 2, 5, 7) Especially for someone who emphasizes private over public solutions, his personal failure to do more for the needy raises questions for voters of faith. Mike Huckabee, who apparently has faithfully tithed, observed: "It's hard to say God is first in your life if he's last in your budget." Ohio Gov. John Kasich has not been talking about his spiritual beliefs, but he defended his expansion of Medicaid as what God demanded. It's a strained reading of Scripture, alas. After all, the Apostle Paul explicitly refused to command Christian churches to support one another, though he did say he wanted "to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others." (2 Corinthians 8: 7). He did not include in that ranking Rome's role in raising taxes for a public welfare program. Medicaid is policy, not charity, despite the governor's confusion. Donald Trump has been doing his best to pander without a carefully crafted story. One suspects that the Donald's heart just isn't into religious things. Christians struggle with the injunction against divorce; Trump doesn't appear to have hesitated. Running casinos with strip clubs is unusual "fruit" from a Christian walk and represents a Christian witness best described as unique. Wealth is not evil, but it is a snare, and Trump certainly seems to enjoy its pursuit. His style of campaigning would appear to be an odd way to be "salt and light" to advance the Christian faith. True, he promised Liberty University students "to protect Christianity," but his concern for religious liberty appears to be newly discovered. When speaking at Liberty Trump referred to "Two" rather than "Second" Corinthians, which suggests he hasn't spent much time in church or listened to anyone quote the Bible. Indeed, it gives substance to comedian Andy McDonald's imagined version of the Bible according to Trump. For instance, the death of John the Baptist: "Herod's daughter asks daddy for the head of John the Baptist. But really it was her mother, the gold digger. Definitely get a pre-nup on that one. So they bring John's head on a platter, my people tell me a very ornate and luxurious silver platter, no expense spared. Poor bastard though." Advertisement How about the rest of the GOP candidates? (Democrats are largely irrelevant to this exercise.) Ben Carson is a Seventh Day Adventist, which worries some evangelicals since his theology appears to be less than orthodox. (In the same way, many were unsettled by Mitt Romney's Mormonism.) What do Jeb Bush, Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, and Jim Gilmore (who even knows who he is!) really believe about God? Do they have a personal relationship with Jesus? The better response than "who knows?" is "who cares?" One's theological views just don't tell much about a person's competence to perform a civil office. Voters should care most about how a candidate would deal with Social Security's insolvency, end America's constant warring in the Middle East, craft U.S. policy toward a rising China, address dependency as well as poverty among the poor, encourage children's access to safe schools which educate, and deal with other serious policy issues. Where the candidates stand on a literal resurrection, baptism by sprinkling, and the nature of the host doesn't matter much for being president. Indeed, by the most public measures of behavior President Barack Obama appears to be a more faithful Christian than Donald Trump. Yet many political activists who loudly assert their Christian faith are trending toward the Donald. Indeed, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, Jr., gave a fulsome introduction to Trump, who previously had received an honorary degree from Liberty. Falwell cited Trump's "life of loving and helping others, as Jesus taught in the great commandment" and even compared Trump to Jesus in expressing unpopular opinions. Falwell later endorsed and campaigned with Trump, without praising the latter's faith. But Falwell offered, well, a singular view of The Donald which generated substantial criticism from other Christian leaders. One was Michael Farris, chancellor of Patrick Henry College and executive director of Jerry Falwell, Sr.'s Moral Majority. John Stemberger, head of Florida Family Action, complained that Trump was "the most immoral and ungodly man to ever run for President of the United States." An exaggeration, perhaps, but it actually would have been more reassuring had Liberty University invited Trump to speak and The Donald done so, with neither pandering to the other. Trump ain't my cup of tea, but the argument for his candidacy is entirely secular. Nevertheless, Christians should vote for him if they believe him to be the best candidate--and not because they believe him to be a faithful Christian like themselves. The idea of The Donald as America's Moral Role Model and Christian-in-Chief is best left for a vaudeville show. Advertisement After years of being manipulated by ambitious politicos, faithful believers should check their credulity at the polling place door. Christians should be interested in political issues for the same reason as their neighbors: a desire to make the world a better place for themselves, their families, and those around them. There are some issues of special importance to believers--most obviously protecting religious liberty at home and abroad. But Christians shouldn't cast their ballots based on their perceptions of the contenders' religious faith. Martin Luther was right when he declared that he preferred to be governed by a smart Turk than a stupid Christian. YEREVAN, JANUARY 29, ARMENPRESS. MP of Armenia National Assembly Rubik Hakobyan is of the opinion that the "Armenian Revolutionary Federation" must cooperate with the Armenian authorities in behalf of pan-Armenian interests. Rubik Hakobyan told journalists on January 29, when speaking about the possible cooperation between "Armenian Revolutionary Federation" and Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), that the cooperation of "Armenian Revolutionary Federation" with the leadership is necessary. Every political force decides on its own the way to be represented. Armenian Revolutionary Federation" is a pan-Armenian structure. All that happens in the world nowadays, concerns us. There is a clear Turkey-Russia confrontation in Syria. Turkey also does its best to create a second front in the South Caucasus. We must realize that there are challenges that must be faced. In this regard, Armenian Revolutionary Federation must cooperate with the leading political party in behalf of pan-Armenian interests, Armenpress reports, Hakobyan stated. He added that the aforementioned concerns not only Armenian Revolutionary Federation". According to him, the situation requires that everyone combines their resources. The MP does not consider that the format of cooperation is important, but the right benchmark should be realized in order to cooperate in behalf of state interest. "Armenian Revolutionary Federation" has already announced that they had held negotiations with Armenia President Serzh Sargsyan on cooperation with the leading political party. After the sitting of RPA Executive Body, member of RPA, MP Gagik Minasyan said that the possibilities for cooperation with partner political parties had been discussed during the sitting. He added that the discussions would continue and the format would become clear in the future. This post is co-authored with Megan Covington, a master's student in Higher Education Student Affairs at Western Carolina University Ways to recruit, retain, and increase the academic success of students of color, namely Black males, has been receiving significant attention in diversity literature recently. The attention is deserved as is the increasing attention on the experiences of persons of color at PWIs; however, more research is needed to address the barriers to Black women in the academy. Literature on Black women in the ivory towers describe women as a double marginalized group. The discussion focuses on the myriad of challenges in higher education by members of this dual identity group. Black women scholars have increasingly brought attention to the often negative experiences of Black women in higher education, including stereotyping and racial isolation, yet little action has been put forth to improve these encounters. The involvement of students from all demographics is imperative to improving higher educational institutions and increasing student success. Furthermore, to promote diversity in higher education, we must investigate the factors that can improve the success of Black women in higher education. Significant sources indicate that Black women are tremendously underrepresented in higher education, especially in senior-level administrative positions, such as deans, associate deans, vice-presidents and presidents. Advertisement For the 2011-2012 academic year, just 9.3% percent of executive, administrative, and managerial staff positions were held by Black women, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. A study titled, "Retaining African American Student Affairs Administrators: Voices From the Field," highlighted that lacking administrators of color may affect whether students of color feel welcomed at the University. This indicates that a lack of Black women administrators also negatively impacts retention and persistence of students. As the increasing need to develop multicultural learning environments grows, ethnic minority staff, faculty, and administrators also need to be increased. To address the underrepresentation of African American women in higher administrative positions, there is a need to increase mentoring and role modeling opportunities. In the article, "The We and The Us: Mentoring African American Women," the authors discussed how Black women's lack of mentorship by senior members limited the type of positions available to them. Having both formal and informal relationships with seasoned mentors allow Black women proteges to gain insight on the effective ways to navigate their educational and career paths. Critical theory indicates the need for Black women to connect with each other to overcome barriers to success in higher education; however, opportunities to do so are minimal. Therefore, initiatives must be created to target Black women and their success in the academy. These initiatives should include creating spaces for fellowship and mentorship for Black women, similar to those found at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). With the absence of the hostile racial climate found at PWIs, HBCUs consistently prove to be effective in creating a nurturing and supportive environment for all students and fostering a space that is not only conducive for learning, but also makes students feel comfortable and satisfied. Because there are more Black women concentrated in one place, HBCUs are also more likely to provide opportunities for Black women to interact with other influential Black women. Therefore, representatives from PWIs could learn from HBCUs how to foster spaces for Black women to interact. Black women need opportunities to empower each other and to provide guidance about the steps needed to be successful in the academy as students, faculty, and administrators. Systematically, these positive interactions will lead to an increase of Black women representation within academia. Through mentoring, more women begin to realize the availability of upper-level administrative roles and their potential to fill them. Additionally, increasing representation of Black women in senior-level administration indicates to students that their respective universities do indeed value Black women and acknowledge the importance of considering their needs in policy. As more mentoring opportunities are created along with an increase in Black women gaining leadership positions, it is conceivable that more Black women will also enroll at PWIs. Advertisement Sometimes people wonder how Donald Trump, the loudmouth business man who succeeded to offend almost everyone, Mexicans, politicians, foreigners, Muslims, succeeded to become the leading candidate of the Republican party for President of the United States. My explanation: It has to do with the theory of lifecycles. Every system has a lifecycle. Corporations do (See Ichak K. Adizes: Managing Corporate Lifecycles Santa Barbara: Adizes Institute Publications, 1999.) People and trees do. Countries do too. They are born, grow, age and die. Where is USA on the lifecycle? I believe that it is at the beginning of the aging stage. It moved from GoGo to Adolescence during the depression era, that is when the Administrator (A) role was introduced with the New Deal, and Keynesian economics legitimized government intervention in economic affairs. What was functional then, to transform us into Prime, became a burden that is aging us now. Advertisement The USA, in my opinion, was in Prime after the Second World War and during the 1950s. From then on it has been starting to "age." In my estimate the USA is now in between Aristocracy and the beginning of Recrimination (No system is at one point of the lifecycle. It is in a range along the lifecycle curve. It is a bell curve along the bell curve.) As a system starts to age, it starts to fall apart, to disintegrate. In the USA we are witnessing an increasingly unprecedented confrontational behavior between Republicans and Democrats and an increased level of social violence. It is even noticeable in the behavior of the business community. In a January 24, 2016 New York Times Magazine article entitled Why Are Corporations Hoarding Millions, economists report that corporations are accumulating cash in unprecedented quantities. They have no explanation for this behavior. I suggest that it is the result of the aging of the system. Large companies become more risk averse as they age. Systems require different leadership styles depending on where they are on the lifecycle. Disintegration, which is a manifestation of aging, calls for integration, for the Integrator (I) role. That explains to me the rise of Obama to the presidency. Advertisement When I analyzed his first inaugural speech (in my January 30, 2009 blog) the content analysis show he was an (I). His subsequent behavior and leadership style support this analysis. He prefers diplomacy to confrontation; community building (he was a community organizer prior to entering politics) and compromise instead of war. The location on the lifecycle the USA is in calls for (A) and (I) because we are further down the lifecycle from the time Obama took residence in the White House. Thus, guess who is coming to the podium and considered for leadership? Study Bernie Sanders' agenda. It is (I), socialism, though government intervention, (A). And he calls for political revolution. That is the Entrepreneur (E) for you, a remnant of the glory days when America was still young and with vigor to even consider revolution. What about Hillary Clinton? I see her as a Producer/Entrepreneur (PE) combination. She has a vision. And she loves action. Her (PE) style makes her subject to criticism that she is not honest. It should be expected from such a style. I suggest a (PE) style and agenda fit better where the USA is coming from on the lifecycle. Not where it is sliding into. Not strange Hillary Clinton refers repetitively to the past, as something to look up to, especially the time her husband was the president. What about Trump? He clearly has no (I). The expression he is famous for is: "You are fired." He offers no vision. His solution to immigration is to deport all illegals. Millions of them. How? No details are offered. Advertisement What about the terrorist problem? Close the borders to all Muslims. How about ISIS? Bomb them to oblivion. No (A). No explanation how he will go about executing his plans. No (I); he does not need anyone; he can do it all by himself. Trust me, he says. No (E), no big vision. When asked details on how America will be successful again, the answer is: watch me do it. A (P), (P), and more (P) style. Why is he attractive then? Because his style is called by the stage of Recrimination on the lifecycle. All (P). He is 180 degrees opposite of Obama's (I) style. The Republicans are sick and tired of the wishy-washiness of Obama's leadership style, his (I) behavior of leading from behind. They are looking for someone who will take the bull by the horns, who will clean up the stables, never mind how. (P)!!!! Sanders claims he will clean the stables too but provides the how he will do it. He calls for a political revolution, (E). Trump gives no explanation, no vision, no plans. No how. If we place the leadership styles of Obama, Clinton, Sanders and Trump along the lifecycle, I suggest the following leadership styles fit well with the following location on the lifecycle: Obama: late Stable. Clinton: at Early Aristocracy. Sanders at late Aristocracy and Trump for the beginning of Recrimination. Advertisement The Lifecycle of Organizations What about the other contenders, Rubio, Christie, Cruz and Jeb Bush? Rubio and Christie's styles and agendas are not distinctive enough to classify in PAEI terms. They are not as attractive as the clear (P) style of Trump or the (AI) style of Sanders. Cruz is less (P) and more (E). His (P) style makes him attractive like Trump but since his (P) is lower, balanced with some (E) he is less attractive than Trump. Bush is trailing because he comes across as another (I); his style resembles Obama too much. The USA departed from the location on the lifecycle where that style was considered attractive eight years ago. What about Bloomberg, if he chooses to run? I believe he is a (PE). If he gets elected, I suggest, it is because his style is less extreme than Sanders' or Trump's. His style is similar to Clinton's, but not being a real politician, he is less tarnished and more trusted. One of the symptoms of aging is people's resentment of their leadership. People attribute the aging problems to the failure of the leaders. At present all politicians are less popular then ever. This is another reason why Trump is attractive and why Bloomberg will be as well. Advertisement Elizabeth Blackwell. Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health; Wikimedia Commons. Let's celebrate this upcoming February 3. It is the birthday of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive an M.D. from an American medical school in 1849. She is best known for her tireless support of medical education for women and her public reform work. It is also the day that the Physicians Mom Group (PMG), a non-profit organization of almost 50,000 women, is declaring National Women Physicians Day. This day would celebrate all the significant contributions that women physicians make daily, none of which would have been possible without Elizabeth Blackwell. Blackwell embodied the ABC characteristics of extraordinary women physicians. A.Attentive Blackwell was known to be keenly observant to the needs of her patients and she was passionate about preventative medicine. She believed that each patient should be treated holistically. Much of her career was spent being mindful of the fact that patients are individuals who possess not just a body, but also a mind and a soul. Blackwell also published numerous books and essays on preventative medicine highlighting that many illnesses could be prevented by proper hygiene and sanitation. B.Brave Blackwell was courageous as she persevered to receive a medical education. At the time, she was met with resistance almost everywhere as such an education was not available to women. One professor told her to disguise herself as a man while another professor suggested she go to Paris to pursue medical studies. "But neither the advice to go to Paris nor the suggestion of disguise tempted me for a moment," Elizabeth wrote. "It was to my mind a moral crusade on which I had entered, a course of justice and common sense, and it must be pursued in the light of day, and with public sanction, in order to accomplish its end." Advertisement C.Compassionate Blackwell was inspired to become a physician after a close friend who was dying suggested that she would have suffered less if her physician had been a woman. As a physician, she had an uncanny ability to show concern and kindness not only to her patients, but also to others in general. She advocated for public reform as she espoused that medical issues were often caused by societal problems such as poverty and lack of education. Blackwell is a hero to thousands of women. She is especially inspirational to the almost 50,000 women in the Physician Mommy Group (PMG) as she was a pioneer in promoting the education of women in medicine. PMG is a non-profit organization, founded by Hala Sabry D.O,. and is composed of Attentive, Brave, and Compassionate women physicians who are also moms. Like Blackwell, PMG has a mission to provide a platform where medical expertise can be shared and where positive change in healthcare can be advocated. Happy Birthday Elizabeth Blackwell! Republican presidential candidate, businessman Donald Trump speaks as Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, looks on during the Fox Business Network Republican presidential debate at the North Charleston Coliseum, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt) Vice President Joe Biden was not auditioning for a stint on SNL or appealing to divine providence when he quipped to a packed crowd of Democrats recently that the Republicans may have given the Democrats a "gift from the Lord" in the presidential race. The heavenly gift Biden referred to comes in the form of a Trump or Cruz presidential candidacy. Biden and many other Democrats practically salivate at the thought of either one of them getting the GOP presidential nomination. The conventional wisdom is that this will deliver the White House back to the Democrats in a hand basket. The election walk-over for presumed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is the nightmare that has haunted the GOP party leaders from the moment that Trump and Cruz declared their candidacies. Both men are the most polarizing presidential ticket candidates since Sarah Palin turned the GOP White House bid into a running Comedy Central riff. Advertisement This election go-round, it's far worse than when Palin was on the ticket in 2008, and later made some soundings about a 2012 presidential bid. Trump and Cruz have stayed at or near the top of the polls from the start of their campaigns. They both have big, angry and aroused constituencies, be it Cruz's evangelicals or Trump's fed up, white blue collar workers. They are mostly white, older voters, and they would likely show up at the polls on Election Day for one of the two. In the past, it was fairly easy for GOP party leaders to rid themselves of a party nuisance such as Palin. After all, they controlled the money, media spin and party apparatus. They banked that they could maneuver and massage the primaries and convention to ensure that the noise and mischief the outsiders could make would die before the primary season began. That won't happen this time. Trump has got, and will continue to get, non-stop, headline coverage from a slavish, fawning media; he will maintain his mass poll support from the disaffected millions of voters; and, he will likely get a proportional share of delegates in a number of GOP primaries, win or not. Cruz has a mountainous campaign war chest, the solid support of white protestant conservative evangelicals, and the prestige of holding a national office. They also have gotten a huge lift from the cast of GOP presidential hopeful competitors. With the exception of the momentary fascination with Ben Carson, the other contenders have wallowed in single digits in the polls, have gotten little to no traction in their campaigns and have been swallowed in the media rush to Trump and Cruz. The bigger problem for GOP leaders are the voter demographics. The average GOP voter is white, older and conservative. Legions of these voters are polarized and put-out with their party. Advertisement This didn't just happen overnight. The disaffection has been building for almost a decade. They lambasted Presidential contenders John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012 for being too deeply tainted by the Washington bureaucratic, compromising and deal-making establishment. A huge swatch of the GOP stayed away from the polls in droves during both campaigns. Their sleep-in on Election Day was a big reason for McCain and Romney's defeats. In the near eight year tenure of Obama in the White House, the fury of much of the GOP base to a traditional play by the established Washington rules presidential candidate has risen to a fever pitch. The prospect of a Clinton White House which is tantamount to a third Obama term to them further insures that Trump rallies and appearances will take on the appearance of a crusade rather than a campaign rally. GOP party leaders, in the event of a Trump or Cruz break-away in the caucuses and primaries, can do one of three things. They can continue try to rally support behind a Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio, the party establishment's preferred respectable choices. They can pretend to remain neutral, which just gives Cruz and Trump even more room to roam. They can jump on the bandwagon of either one of them. If either one is the eventual party nominee, GOP party leaders, donors and bundlers, and the national and state committees will have no choice but to go full throttle in support of the nominee. Anything less would insure a runaway win for Hillary Clinton, the possible loss of the Senate to the Democrats, put at risk the loss of some GOP controlled statehouses to the Democrats, and worse, split the GOP. A Trump or Cruz presidential nomination snub would risk incurring the anger of millions of GOP grassroots voters. That's a catastrophe that GOP leaders will do all to ensure doesn't happen, even if it means holding their nose and backing a Trump or Cruz. Trump and Cruz, then, are the GOP's textbook Catch-22. One of them figures as a real possibility for the presidential nomination. For GOP leaders to not support them almost guarantees a flaming Election Day defeat. But to support them could mean the same. That's the GOP's much deserved worst nightmare. Advertisement Bryan Cranston poses backstage with the spotlight award - actor for aTrumbo at the 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016, in Palm Springs, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Trumbo, produced and written by John McNamara and Bruce Cook and starring Bryan Cranston, is billed as a courageous defense of Dalton Trumbo, a well-meaning communist writer. According to the film, Trumbo was little more than a courageous democrat who was Black-listed by Hollywood, went to prison, spent a decade in screenplay exile, and triumphantly returned through his own true grit and talent--as the good guys in Hollywood, Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger, finally got him re-instated. His life is portrayed as a story of how truth, justice, and the American way win out over narrow-mindedness and knee jerk anti-communism. It vilifies and caricatures those like Senator Joseph McCarthy, gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, actor John Wayne, and the heads of the Hollywood studios as those who sullied our wonderful first amendment. It's enough to make you sing America the Beautiful and sign up for the U.S. army on the way out of the theater. Advertisement Not surprisingly, we can't expect Hollywood to tell the true story of Dalton Trumbo the radical communist or to expose capitalism or itself. It does not have the courage to present U.S. communists in any of their toughminded, courageous splendor--as the leaders of the fight against fascism, "the Party of the Negro," the driving force for trade unionism, the defenders of the foreign born, the party that challenged the Democrats, the passionate friends and defenders of the Soviet Union, the true victors of World War II, and the best and the brightest of their generation. There is a pathetic scene in which Trumbo's daughter asks him, "Dad are you a communist?" He answers, "Would you share your sandwich with someone who did not have one?" to which she dutifully replies, "Of course" and he answers, "So that makes you a communist too." If only communists were people who just wanted to share their sandwiches the entire witch hunt against them would truly be bizarre and unjust. But what if he said, "Honey, if you want to share your sandwich, seize the means of production, and smash the capitalist state yes, that would make you a communist." After all, do we really expect Hollywood to urge people to become communists or to challenge the Democratic Party and capitalism itself? Hell no, they want to re-package the fight against the Hollywood Blacklist as a feel-good story that would be better run on the Hallmark Channel. A film the presents the real Dalton Trumbo and other hard-assed communist writers like Richard Wright, Howard Fast, Langston Hughes as socialist revolutionaries who had great influence on their fellow travelers, Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, John Steinbeck, and many others is crying out to be made. Let's look at how Hollywood and capitalism use a film about communism to foster anti-communism at a time when people are once again seeing through and challenging the system itself. Advertisement Dalton Trumbo was a fine writer and screenwriter. In 1938, he wrote a great anti-war novel, Johnny Got His Gun that challenged all forms of capitalist wars. During World War II he faced his own dilemma when his own true anti-war sentiments came in conflict with his support for the great anti-fascist war and yes, a war to defend the Soviet Union. That would have been worth exploring but of course it would require some explanation of the great attraction of Trumbo to the Soviet Union. During the 1930s the Soviet Union, having learned from its errors in under-estimating Hitler in Germany, tried to organize an international "united front against fascism." The United States, England, and France refused and instead conciliated with the Nazis--and urged them to march east to overthrow the Soviet Union if they could. In 1938 the British signed a non-aggression pact with the Germans in Munich and boasted they had bought "peace in our time." In response, the Soviets correctly understood they had no choice but to do the same. They signed a non-aggression pact with the Germans in 1939 to buy time to arm themselves until the inevitable Nazi invasion and put pressure on the Western pro-Nazi "democracies." As everyone kept switching sides in the war, the US, French, and British finally reached the conclusion that a tactical alliance with the Soviet Union was necessary to defeat Hitler. This brought the world communist parties, including the CPUSA, back into the United Front Against Fascism that they had tried to initiate and into the leadership of the anti-Nazi front. Communists lead the anti-fascist resistance in China, Vietnam, Algeria, and virtually all of what would later be called Third World with the promise from the Western imperialists that they would be granted independence in return. Communists in France, Italy, and Eastern Europe also lead the anti-fascist resistance and hoped to build socialist revolutions after the conclusion of the war or at least broad anti-capitalist, anti-fascist coalition governments. But the United States had no such plans. In fact, as early as 1945, with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the United States, England, and France double crossed their Soviet Allies who had been by far the most courageous and effective military opponents of the Nazis. They threatened the newly victorious Soviet Union with nuclear bombs and moved against communists and friends of communists in government, the arts, culture, and the Black movement. By 1947 Churchill issued his Iron Curtain speech in which the West rehabilitated Nazis in Germany, Japan, and Italy and focused on crushing a post-war socialist threat. The United States went to war against the Soviet Union and the communist Parties all over the world. Advertisement In the U.S. the Democratic and Republican Parties passed the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 that smashed communist leadership in the trade unions. The act prohibited members of the CPUSA from holding elected office as the Democrats and trade union bureaucrats turned against the courageous communists who had led the building of the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Many social democratic sell-outs in the unions reaped the benefits--taking over offices of unions, collaborating with the Democratic Party, setting up the American Institute for Free Labor Development as warriors in the cold war and allies of the corporations and the capitalist system. The U.S. moved against great Black leaders in politics and the arts such as Paul Robeson and W.E.B. DuBois, branding them as foreign agents, seizing their passports, and confining them as political prisoners in, as DuBois called it, "The land of the thief and the home of the slave." The Democratic Party continued to be the party of the Southern Dixiecrats--the most virulent southern racists were Democrats. The attacks on the Hollywood Ten and pro-communist artists and writers was situated in a world anti-communist Cold War carried out by the capitalist class and the leaders of both parties. This is where the term "bi-partisan" was coined. Democrats and Republicans all agreed that the enemy was communism and the Communist Party and agreed to become two wings of one pro-capitalist party to advance the interests of U.S. imperialism internationally. It is funny that leftists who say that the U.S. has "one capitalist party with two wings" are called dogmatists when after World War II it was the Democrats and Republicans who boasted that such was the case in the war against communism. The true story of Dalton Trumbo and the Hollywood Ten would require a tough-minded film that explained the meritorious motivations of communists and the Communist Party in the United States. It would explore the true political beliefs that led people to become communists and join the Party. It would show the great role of the CPUSA in building the trade unions, fighting for the Negro, and yes, its active support of the Soviet Union and the enormous sacrifices made by tens of thousands of communist cadre. It would show how many communists joined the U.S. army to fight the fascists and were among the bravest and most courageous in battle. It would show Dalton Trumbo, Ring Lardner Jr., John Howard Lawson, and so many others risking their careers, refusing to name names, refusing to snitch, because they were fighters for socialism not do-good liberals. It would show how they went to prison, lost jobs, risked and lost their mental and physical health. The true Trumbo film would situate his life among the lives of so many Black and white working class people who also were red-baited from their jobs, driven out of high schools, colleges, unions, and often were driven into poverty. Advertisement I remember, in 1965, meeting Irving and Skippy Riskin, two former communists who were active in the anti-war movement and whose lives still inspire me today. They were very proud of their Communist Party past. They told me about how, during the 1950s, they had gone underground, under false names, gotten "normal" jobs and tried to lead normal lives. Then they woke up one morning to read in a local New Jersey newspaper, "Irving and Skippy Riskin, Soviet spies, are underground in our community" and had to run out of town with their children with only the clothing on their backs. There are no such characters in the film. The real Trumbo would allow real anti-capitalist dialogue that would challenge the pro-capitalist ideology of today's audiences. This level of communist ideological discourse was often the butt of anti-communist jokes at the time. Most communists did talk about "the capitalist system, fascism, the party of the working class, the labor fakers, the fascist bastards, the Negro revolution, the wonders of the Soviet Union, the beauty of the working class, and the march forward of the proletariat" from morning to night. Sometimes they did so without much modulation, humor, and subtlety but virtually none were mealy-mouthed liberals the way Trumbo portrays its name sake. The film goes out of its way to portray Dalton Trumbo and his compatriots in the CP as simply good people who wanted jobs and justice and had nothing to do with the Soviet Union. This is an anti-communist lie. Joining the CPUSA had everything to do with the Soviet Union. Communist cadre would tell Black and white working people and yes, writers and intellectuals, "The Soviet Union is the first workers state. They tell you socialism and revolution are not possible but look, the Soviet workers did it, we can do it too? And look. The U.S. does not want the Soviet Union to last and will not really fight to defend the Soviet Union They want the Nazis to defeat the socialist experiment which is why they won't open up a second front in World War II. Join the party. Defend the Soviet Union. Demand that the Democrats and Roosevelt open up that second front." The real Dalton Trumbo defended the Soviet-Nazi pact and was aggressively pro-Soviet. As Gerald Horne recounts, "Dalton Trumbo recounts with typical sarcasm and precision that in the welter of attention devoted to the Soviet-German non-aggression pact of 1939, lost in the discussion were the French-Italian agreement of 1935, the Anglo-Nazi treaty of 1935, the British Italian accord of 1938, and the Anglo-Nazi and French Nazi non-aggression pacts of 1938--all if which preceded and considerably affected the one pact they cherish and recall." If only Bryan Cranston delivered those lines instead of his pathetic share your sandwich communism. Advertisement And what if the film explained that under this pressure of communist power, Franklin Delano Roosevelt publicly called Joseph Stalin, his new dear friend, "Uncle Joe" and the Hollywood film industry, always doing what the ruling class told it to do, make a film, Mission to Moscow in 1943 that glorified the Soviet Union to create support for the alliance. Again, the real Dalton Trumbo was an aggressive defender of the Soviet Union and that was why he was black listed. In a 1946 article titled "The Russian Menace" Trumbo wrote from the perspective of a post-World War II Russian citizen. He stated, "If I were a Russian...I would be alarmed [by the U.S. nuclear threat] and I would petition my government to take measures at once against what would seem an almost certain blow aimed at my existence. This is how it must appear in Russia today." Paul Robeson, the great Black artist and organizer said that Black people in the U.S. would not fight against the Soviet Union. Dalton Trumbo said that the United States was threatening the Soviet Union. The U.S. government moved against them precisely because they were friends of the Soviet Union. The trailer that says Trumbo had nothing to do with the Soviet Union is a lie. A film built on a lie is a lie. The film Trumbo creates an all-white world--there are no Black figures in the film and Trumbo appears to have no Black friends or pro-Black politics. But Trumbo, like most white communists, was very pro-Negro and spoke out strongly for civil rights and Black Liberation. The Communist Party was very pro-Black and part of its attraction was the multi-racial political, cultural, friendship, and social relations among its members and friends--the racial equality, including sexual relationships, that was at the heart of the racist fears. The film's portrayal of Trumbo as a cigarette holding white privileged man of lame wit and little passion with no discussion of Black people or civil rights is a racist misrepresentation. Gerald Horn in his essential The Final Victim of the Blacklist: John Howard Lawson, Dean of the Hollywood Ten documents Trumbo's and the CP's passionate and radical demands for Negro rights. Horne describes a meeting in 1947 involving producer Dore Shary, and future Hollywood Ten communist writers John Howard Lawson, Ring Lardner Jr. and Dalton Trumbo. "They discussed dramatically the recent lynchings in Georgia and other outrageous violations of civil liberties as evidence of the growth of Fascism." They voted to offer a $100,000 reward for the capture of those responsible, placed ads in trade and Negro papers announcing their activities and sent wires of protest to President Truman. They urged CBS to produce a show similar to the Detroit riots to "improve race relations". Black actor Canada Lee joined with Groucho and Harpo Marx, Edward G. Robinson, and George Burns demanding the repeal of the poll tax. Advertisement When the Hollywood Ten was indicted pro-Communist Black icon Paul Robeson mentioned Dalton Trumbo by name as a friend of the Negro people and talked about the Blacklist in the context of the racist capitalist system attack on Black people. In 1951, William L. Patterson, a leading Communist Party attorney and public figure, with the support of Paul Robeson and W.E.B. DuBois, presented an historic "We Charge Genocide: The Historic Petition to the United Nations for Relief of a Crime of the United States Government Against the Negro." It was signed by more than 40 prominent public figures all close to the Communist Party including Howard Fast, by then a member of the Hollywood Ten. Fast and Trumbo were friends, comrades, often competitive but fully in agreement in 1951 on The Negro Question. Why does the film make no mention of lynching, poll taxes or trace to the Democratic Party as Trumbo and Fast did? Why not mention genocide against Black people? Answer, cause #hollywoodsowhite! But also because Hollywood can't admit that the communists were the only group trying to make Hollywood deal with the Black movement, thus #hollywoodsoanti-comunistandsowhite. Trumbo makes it appear that gossip columnist Hedda Hopper was the ringleader of the Hollywood Blacklist. That is ridiculous. U.S. Presidents Harry Truman and later Dwight D. Eisenhower were in charge. A film showing how the so called "bi-partisan" anti-communist alliance in the United States organized the Cold War and the Hollywood Black list is badly needed. I just saw a far better film, Bridge of Spies, by Steven Spielberg, with Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance. Spies, ironically, portrayed the Soviet spy Rudolph Abel in a far more sympathetic light than Trumbo--as a man of his principles, tough, and clear he is at war. The film portrayed the U.S. state department as a ruthless Cold War machine, sending spy planes over the Soviet Union, using its pilots, including Francis Gary Powers, as human sacrifices equipped with cyanide tablets for instant suicide before capture. It showed the hypocrisy of the U.S. acting outraged about Soviet spies when the U.S. spying apparatus was run by U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and President Dwight Eisenhower. Steven Spielberg showed far more courage than the makers of Trumbo in showing the Cold War as a real war--a war that Trumbothe film pretends never happened. Once again the Hollywood Dream Machine spreads the big lie, and make a real U.S. initiated World War against communism into a big misunderstanding. Advertisement In the film, Dalton Trumbo is finally rehabilitated, given back his Oscar that he earned under an assumed name, and given adulation and even apology by Hollywood. The film acknowledges with irony that the film Spartacus was based on the book by communist Howard Fast and the screenplay by communist Dalton Trumbo. (Apparently, Fast later argued that he "rescued" the film from Trumbo's poor screen-writing and had to re-write most of the scenes. That in itself would have been a complex scene worth telling from both points of view--yes comrades, there is competition and ego among communists in Hollywood and elsewhere, as long as it also explained they are real, dangerous communists.) In the film's final scene, Trumbo gives a lame speech in which he goes out of his way to blame no one--with a pathetic "we are all to blame and thus, no one is to blame" rap. No capitalism, no imperialism, no Cold War, no fascism, no Democratic Party treachery. The Blacklist and the Hollywood Ten and even his time in prison was just a big misunderstanding in which we all have did not find our better selves. How wonderful if the film would have ended with Trumbo's actual words in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities in Washington, D.C. "You have produced a capital city on the eve of its Reichstag fire. For those who remember German history in the autumn of 1932 there is the smell of smoke in this very room. This is the beginning of an American concentration camp!" Advertisement Trumbo fosters rather than challenges the very anti-communism of its audience. Anti-communism is alive and well in the United States--and not just among right-wing Republicans, liberal Democrats, and well-meaning activists. Many of today's "social movement organizers" openly express contempt for and superiority to the Soviet and Chinese revolutions and socialist experiments. They distance themselves from the Cuban and Venezuelan revolutions--offering "critical support" as if anyone wants to hear their U.S. criticisms or receive such half-hearted support. They put themselves forth as "democratic" when in fact they are at best "social democrats" and do not have the courage of their own weak convictions. In 1989, at a forum in which some were celebrating the "fall of communism," Cornel West, who saw himself as a radical social democrat, observed, "Before we gloat over the problems of communism we have to ask ourselves why it was that the communists attracted the most militant people and were the only socialists to attract Black people." That challenge remains today. The real Trumbo could have pushed the envelope for that discussion and debate about the great contributions of communism. 2015 was the best year throughout the history for most people. There was no lack of negative comments by the end of 2015. Both media and politicians talked about a world on the edge. The situation has never been more difficult, people said. This fundamental pessimism is both pointless and dangerous. Dangerous because it leads to wrong decisions. Meaningless because the reality is the opposite. For the average man, 2015 was the best year throughout the history. We are higher, better nourished and educated than ever. We live longer. And the chance of dying a violent death is drastically reduced. If the history was another country, that country would be more poor and violent, and less democratic. It would be a country where people are more ill and die decades earlier. At the time when I was born, life expectancy in the world was 46 years. Now both I and the history have passed that age, and the average person will be over 70 years old. Advertisement Time for a reality check? The most common cause of death for young people is not war and terrorism. Nor infectious diseases such as malaria or AIDS. The fact is that traffic accidents kill most young lives. This should lead us to effective measures against traffic death, but it is also a wonderful testimony on how far we've come in reducing the major killers in the world history - dangerous diseases, famine and war. 'Boys are working in the fields and girls are doing household chores instead of learning how to read and write'. Many people in rich countries believe that this is the everyday life for children in developing countries. But the truth is the opposite. More than nine out of ten children today will begin school. And almost just as many will receive vaccines against deadly diseases. The last two decades we have halved extreme poverty and child mortality. There are 6.7 million fewer children dying today than in 1990. One of the most successful developing countries, Ethiopia has reduced child mortality by 2/3 since the early 90s. At the same time life expectancy in Ethiopia has increased by one year each year over the past decade. It might be time for some champagne? Ok! There is economic and social progress - but there is more violence in the world today, many say. Also wrong. We live in the most peaceful time throughout the history. While terrorist attacks account for 2 percent of all violent deaths, three times as many people die of rabies. Stomach cancer kills more men and women than all wars combined. Deaths on the battlefield and in terrorism have increased slightly since 2010, mostly because of the war in Syria, but are still at a historically low point. Every murder is cruel, but remember that through the three months long Rwandan genocide in 1994 three times as many people were killed compared to the last five years of war in Syria. It is worth reflecting on why the negative images of the world dominate, when the main image is so positive. I think many key players believe it's in their interests to build up under an image of pessimism. Politicians believe voters are best mobilized through denigrating campaigns against opponents and fear based rhetoric. Civil organisations believe it is easier to collect money by giving people a bad conscience. Media believe negative news sells more newspapers and provide more clicks. Behind all this, there might also be our own inclinations toward the dramatic? Who will read a crime novel without murder or a love novel in which the hero and heroine ride happily through life over several hundred pages? Advertisement Pessimism serves different purposes. But it is dangerous. It makes us paralyzed. Who will engage politically when past politicians obviously have not achieved their goals, and we hear that very few things work? Why should we give money to good causes if the organization behind is not able to improve the world? It does not work by means of abortion, has no effect on future fertility, does not increase risk of diseases like cancer or stroke, and will not harm a fetus or cause birth defects if a woman already happens to be pregnant. Yet, while the conventional 21 to 28 day contraceptive pill has found a degree of acceptance in Pakistan and most developing countries, the ECP (Emergency Contraceptive Pill) continues to be shadowed by myths. Most people still confuse it for something that terminates a potential pregnancy, and thus confuse it with abortion. The facts could not be further from the truth. It is ironic that in Pakistan a lot of people avoid the ECP thinking that it translates into an abortion. Out of the 2.4 million unwanted pregnancies in Pakistan in 2002, some 900,000 were terminated by induced abortions (Studies in Family Planning 2007). These unsafe abortions that often claim the woman's life due to resulting complications can be avoided with the use of an ECP. This method of contraception can be used after unprotected sex when another form of contraception is unavailable or has failed. It can be used to prevent pregnancy for up to 120 hours (five days) after. Again, it acts as a preemptive measure, and does not cause abortions. The sooner it is taken, the better is the efficacy. Advertisement Why choose ECPs in Pakistan? In Pakistan, it is available over the counter and unlike many other countries where it is a pricey contraceptive choice, it is economical. And it is safe. What is needed, then, is a more aware understanding about this excellent option. As concerned world leaders, philanthropists, media persons and health care persons came together for the fourth International Conference on Family Planning held in Bali, Indonesia, from 25 to 28 January, 2016, the ECP was discussed in depth. For the world's sixth most populous nation even if the registered number of Pakistani citizens is considered, which stands at 199,085,847 in July 2015, as per the CIA Fact book, understanding contraceptive methods is vital. In Pakistan, many organizations and pharmaceuticals, including Green Star and Marie Stopes facilitate the availability of and understanding about the ECPs. A section on emergency contraception in the Manual of National Standards for Family Planning Services, a document developed by the Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) project, includes the EC and related policy. While the document recognizes that there is a lack of awareness among health care providers regarding ECPs, it also mentions certain stipulations about when it should be used and who should prescribe or dispense it. The possibility of it being used without misconception or difficulty, then, depends on how aware both the users and the health care providers are. Representatives of the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception (ICEC) shed light on the subject during the ICFP. In over 140 countries women can buy emergency contraception and the ECP is readily available over the counter in 60 countries including Pakistan. Advertisement When the ECP is the best choice - in rape and other cases While using a regular, ongoing method is recommended as the most effective way to prevent a pregnancy, in certain cases the ECP is the better choice. In cases of rape, it makes perfect sense. In 2013, the 57th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women stated that all Member States must require first responders to include EC provision in post-rape care. The ECP, thus, needs to be included as a regular post-rape treatment. But the usage of the ECP should not be limited to cases of rape. It is also ideal in cases where the couple may not have regular sexual activity. Most importantly, it bails out the couple, and especially the woman, in case of an "accident". If she decides that this might not be the best time to have a child, the pill empowers her to use that discretion. What about a Luddite politics? Even the biggest Donald Trump hater must secretly enjoy the way he stands up to the Republican establishment and Bernie Sanders replete with his Brooklyn accent is almost the quintessential everyman bucking the Clinton dynasty. If Trump is Manifest Destiny, Sanders is the embodiment of the American dream, a Horatio Alger of politics, a pied piper with a constituency of voters who are generally too alienated to go to the polls. Besides their difference on almost every issue that's being discussed from immigration to taxes and health care, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump in their iconoclasm have more in common than any of the candidates. Is it far flung to think that the real issue is the defiance of the juggernaut we call Washington? Isn't that what this election is all about and wouldn't that make a Trump/Sanders ticket the next logical possibility--certainly, if you are one of those people who is more interest in process than product, in style over content? What you have in Trump and Sanders are two no nonsense pragmatists who shoot from the hip. The fact that they're both New Yorkers and both from the outer boroughs (one initially from Queens and the other Brooklyn) only strengthens the potential bond. What the election would really boil down to then would be a war between New York and Washington, for which city would be the de facto capital of the United States. From there Trump and Sanders would work things out and the negotiations would be very much like the way say the Teachers Union negotiates its contract with the city. Remember Woody Allen's line about the famed Teachers Union president Albert Shanker from Sleeper, The United States has had forty-four Presidents of the United States, forty-three if you don't count Grover Cleveland's non-consecutive terms, and forty-two if you don't count George W. Bush. All of our presidents have something in common. Yes, they've all been strikingly handsome. But also, they've all been men. 100 percent of our nation's presidents have been men. 0 percent of our nation's Presidents have been women. So if you do the math, both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump have a 100 percent chance of becoming the next President of the United States. As the political pundits on the cable news and auto racing channels will tell you, there's an obvious reason why Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are soaring in the polls; they're "anti-establishment" candidates. Advertisement The President of the United States is the world's most powerful politician. Hence, it stands to reason that we wouldn't want to elect anyone who is too much of a "politician." I call a plumber for most of my plumbing needs. But when my plumbing gets really serious, like when the toilet is overflowing, well that's when I call my local outsider. I find his lack of plumbing skills refreshing. And because he's not a real plumber, that must mean he truly cares about the people. Personally, I tend to put more trust in established people. I think of established to mean accomplished. Nobody running for office ever brags about being anti-accomplishment. Maybe Ted Cruz. I'm not sure why Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are the anti-establishment candidates. Sanders has been in Congress since 1991. That's a long time. In 1991, Sanders was still a young, fresh-faced old man. Heck, in 1993, Trump was still married to Marla Maples, who, by the way, if Trump becomes president, will make an excellent First Ex-Lady. Though, before Marla, Trump was married to Ivana. So I guess that would make Marla the Second Ex-Lady. Nevertheless, it's still a great honor. Bernie Sanders has spent years as an anti-establishment politician. One could say he has established himself as anti-establishment, which is quite an establishment. Hence, people looking for an anti-establishment candidate have finally found their establishment candidate. Advertisement Donald Trump is a billionaire celebrity, with more political connections than country music has awards shows. Trump is even more of a household name than Omarosa. Now that's established. Trump -- having money and fame and connections -- is the ultimate politician, but without the burden of any political accomplishments. He's the un-establishment candidate. Nevertheless, Sanders and Trump seem to be the favorites for the anti-establishment vote. And what that really means is that the people want someone like themselves -- someone who complains a lot and is angry. Our next president should be the Philadelphia Eagles fans. The typical Sanders supporter and the typical Trump supporter are living pretty decent lives. Why do they feel so much anger? They're well-fed, they have jobs, their wages have gone up, and they have 24-hour access to a giant world of Internet pornography, featuring such smut categories as hardcore, point-of-view, and fetish. Fetish is the "anti-establishment" of porn. I've personally met both Trump supporters and Sanders supporters. And, just between you and me, outside of the political rallies, beyond the Facebook posts, in real life, they're really not that angry. And why should they be? America is pretty good. Advertisement Oh, there are most certainly Americans in desperate need. People in Flint, Michigan have been drinking poisonous water, for example. But these people are not anti-establishment. Rather, they're pro-establishment, expecting our powerful, established government agencies to do their job and help them, only to be let down. They don't want a political outsider to shake things up; they want political insiders to follow the well-established procedures set up to protect the rights of all Americans. We anti-anti-establishment voters simply want the establishment -- our government officials -- to do what is required of them, competently and without intrusion from corporate interests. Nobody needs to "shake up" the Constitution. Just follow it! It's hip right now to be anti-establishment. Most people are anti-establishment. Soon, everyone will be anti-establishment, including the establishment. And only anti-establishment politicians will win elections. And our new anti-establishment world, filled with all the same people who occupy the country now, will look just like the country does, well, right now. Gayle Allen We can accomplish very little without some combination of persistence, determination, and hard work, all of which are key elements of an achievement mindset. So when we probe what constitutes an entrepreneurial mindset - one where achievement is assumed - we know these same attributes play an important role. And yet these skills fall far short of what entrepreneurs need to succeed. While an achievement mindset can drive ordinary outcomes, it takes a different kind of mindset to innovate or create something new. That distinction is what sets entrepreneurs apart, and it's what led me to interview four young people - Charlie, Jihad, Madison, and Alex -- each of whom is an entrepreneur between the ages of 18 and 24 and a current or past . While their passions and pursuits may be different, their entrepreneurial mindsets are not. In fact, their mindsets are similar in four key ways that we can encourage and support in today's young people: 1. Intentional Curiosity They don't wait for someone to inspire their curiosity or approve their entrepreneurial choices. For example, 2012 Thiel Fellow began coding apps while in high school in Los Angeles. At 16, he developed an open-source app, , to help a local artist avoid distracting websites. Today that app is used by millions of people around the world. Two years later, Charlie founded , a video platform for teachers and students. Charlie's intentional curiosity is the key reason he left college for a Thiel Fellowship. He explains: "one of the biggest things that I think is really important to who I've become is the ability to pick what I want to do rather than be told what I want to do." In fact, he argues that "we delay until really late the process of finding out what's important to [us] . . . and I don't think that delaying it [until college] is a good idea." 2. A Bias toward Action is a 2015 Thiel Fellow from Lebanon and, at 18, the founder of , an online platform that connects second-hand buyers and sellers. At 13, he built websites for small businesses. At 14, he started a web design agency, printed himself a set of business cards, and pitched his family and school to attend the Apple World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco. While Jihad's family said "yes, his school said no." Undeterred, he went to the conference. Though Jihad graduated from high school, he admits that the thought of more schooling - of asking for permission to build and innovate - was too stifling. Instead, he shares: "I got out of school and decided I'm not doing the boundaries thing . . . I'm going to get out of that system." His bias toward action led him back to San Francisco, where the support of his Thiel Fellowship has allowed him to connect with experienced entrepreneurs. 3. Self-directed Learner Necessity requires that all four direct their own learning -- they can't afford to wait until what they need to learn is added to a syllabus or offered as a course. For , a 2013 Thiel Fellow and wearable technology entrepreneur, her work is so cutting edge that there wouldn't be a course for her to take. Madison has been innovating from the time she was in high school designing costumes with alternative materials: "I was...into figuring out theseways of making clothing that were interesting but also [efficient]." Strapped for cash when she founded her company, , she taught herself how to code. To deepen her programming skills, she took classes at : "I did work study to help pay for the classes and learned programming, but also learned a ton about entrepreneurship because, at this point, General Assembly had a co-working space. So I got this amazing chance to learn from people who were starting companies and just kind of soaked up as much knowledge as I possibly could." Today Madison is developing hardware and software to support scalable solutions for fashion tech innovators. She explains, "I really want to bring digital fabrications to the textile circuitry space . . . I don't know a lot of people working on that problem." So she's been "developing some of these tools and learning more about workflows and practices, so I can use them in my practice but also so that, ideally, other people can use them." Daily she lives with the uncertainty of tackling problems no one else has solved. 4. Creative Confidence All four have the creative confidence to believe they can solve difficult problems. This confidence allows them to live with the fear, the uncertainty, and the pressure that comes with solving big problems on tight timelines and with scant resources. , a 2014 Thiel Fellow from New Jersey, revealed his creative confidence in high school, when he decided to start a juggling club. Responsible for drumming up peer interest to form a legitimate club, Alex knew it wouldn't be easy, but he learned: "If you're really passionate about something . . . no matter what other people think, no matter how it might be perceived . . . go seek those people and if you can't find them, then turn people's perspectives -- create the people who have that passion." That same kind of confidence led him to coordinate a hackathon during a college internship at Intel. Out of that hackathon, he started two companies, Hyv and Chrg, which led him to speak at Facebook and, soon after, to leave college for a Thiel Fellowship. Since coming to San Francisco, he's spent time mentoring other entrepreneurs and researching his next company. Every day he asks himself, "If tomorrow is like today, will I be happy?" And every day he has the creative confidence to ensure that's the case. Each of these four young people is hard working, determined, and persistent and, though young, they've already achieved a number of personal and professional goals. But what sets them apart is an entrepreneurial mindset, a desire to innovate and create. They have the intentional curiosity, the bias toward action, the commitment to direct their own learning, and the creative confidence to pursue passions that lead to products, companies, experiences, and networks that they get to choose. About "GenDIY" eduInnovation and Getting Smart have partnered with The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation to produce a thought leadership campaign called Generation Do-It-Yourself (GenDIY)- how young people are hacking a pathway to a career they love - on The Huffington Post and GettingSmart.com. This campaign about reimagining secondary and postsecondary education and career skills will explore the new generation building a global economy and experiences that are impact driven and entrepreneurial. For more on GenDIY: Advertisement YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. According to the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations (MTAES) of the Republic of Armenia, on February 1 by 09.00 all state and interstate highways in the Republic are mainly passable. Urasar-Katnaghbyur, Meghvahovit -Tashir and Sotk-Karvachar highways are difficult to pass, Armenpress was informed from Armenian Republics MTAES. One lane of Areni-Khachik highway (8-9 km) of Vayots Dzor Province is closed. MTAES of the Republic of Armenia warns to drive on the high-mentioned roads only with winter tires and in urgent cases. As the department of ES of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of The Republic of Georgia informs Stepantsminda-Larsi highway is open for all types of vehicles in case of using tire chains. Even the traditional and brain-dead campaign of the Democrats did not pick up on Donald Trump's statement that he "could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and not lose voters." Yes, it is outrageous, but it is worse than that. It confirms the lawlessness of Donal Trump. He does not even consider the consequences of his statements, let alone what it reflects of his true nature. Trump Fantasizes Himself as a Murderer Forget about the consequences. The simple fact that Trump's continuous and desperate search for outrage has led him to fantasize about himself killing a passer-by by shooting him with a gun in the middle of New York tells us so much about the "new normal" world of the Gross Obstructive Party: guns are here to kill indiscriminately. Psychologically, it also shows the mind of a sociopath - one that feels no guilt for hurting others. All Trump cares about is keeping his electorate intact.Sociopathy or antisocial personality disorder is defined as mental health condition in which a person has a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting, or violating the rights of others. Trump Assumes he is Above the Law It did not occur to him that such an act would immediately provoke a police arrest and he would not only be a killer, but jailed for murder. Does he really believe that because he is a Presidential Candidate, he can shoot someone without consequences? Is this the lawless President that Republicans want to elect? Imagine a photo of Trump arraigned, handcuffed and brought to jail. Imagine the judge indicting him for manslaughter or murder. Does he really believe that the American people would not unanimously turn against him? Did he ever consider that he might spend the next 20 years in jail? Is he so entitled that he truly thinks he is above the law? Advertisement Trump Would Not Lose One Supporter, he Would Lose Them All As to the idea that his electorate would follow him as their candidate from jail, it emphasizes how egotistic the man has become. He is a madman, suffering from manic phases, and living on the worst XXIst century drug: the media syndrome. The media has become his free campaign platform - he does not even need to spend any of his billions. He is the show as he was on television. However, sooner or later, his manic phase will fall into a depressive one (that even the drugs he might be taking cannot help) and he will blow up. My only hope is that it will happen before the primaries. If not, it could be the end of the US democracy, (an institution that he does not care about). Trump is using and manipulating media but is fundamentally against "freedom of the press" and the Constitution. WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 03: A statue of John J. Pershing is seen in Pershing Park on Sunday August 03, 2014 in Washington, DC. This year is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I. The United States entered the war in 1917. (Photo by Matt McClain/ The Washington Post via Getty Images) Eight decades before the Occupy Wall Street movement, another protest of occupation, launched in the shadows of the Capitol, pitted the U.S. Army against its own American veterans from the Forgotten War. Last week, the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission unveiled design plans for the transformation of Pershing Park, the site for the new National World War I Memorial. The trapezoid-shaped strip of land, cleared of buildings in 1930, eventually became a traffic island. It was converted to a park in 1981 and named for Gen. John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force in 1918. Advertisement Had any American veterans of World War I lived to see it--the last doughboy died in 2011--they might have viewed the new memorial's setting as bittersweet. In 1932, along that very ground just a few steps from the White House, the federal government launched an attack against several thousand of them. Now these plans have revived memories of that struggle, the only clash between two American armies pledging allegiance to the same Stars and Stripes. On a hot day in July of that year, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the Army Chief of Staff, mustered a detachment of cavalry, tanks, and regular infantry on the Ellipse, across 15th Street NW from the modern park. Convinced the veterans had been infiltrated by Communists, he donned his uniform to return to action with his reluctant aide, Maj. Dwight D. Eisenhower, at his side. A ragtag host of veterans and their families, estimated by some to number nearly 43,000, had staggered into Washington that summer to plead for jobs and advance payment of their service annuity, popularly called the Bonus. President Hoover opposed the Bonus as a handout. In June, the House of Representatives passed the bill, but the Senate voted it down two days later. Crushed and desperate, many veterans hunkered down in abandoned federal buildings and shanty camps, vowing to stay until the Bonus was passed. District commissioners and the Hoover administration finally lost patience with the protesters. Late on the afternoon of July 28, MacArthur ordered the advance. Advertisement Maj. George Patton led the cavalry and six tanks from the Ellipse and past the present site of the park. Up ahead, veterans and civilians just getting off work lined Pennsylvania Avenue and sang patriotic songs, believing they were about to witness a parade. Instead, the infantry fixed bayonets, tossed gas canisters, and began herding the outraged veterans and onlookers north. Some of the veterans tried to resist, but they were quickly swept away. Hoover had signed off on a limited law-enforcement operation to be halted at the Eleventh Street Bridge, several blocks southeast of the Capitol. But MacArthur sent the troops across the Anacostia River and into the largest of the camps. By day's end, the homeless veterans and their families were scattered with their shacks burned. Among those routed was Joe Angelo, an Italian-American from New Jersey who had won the Distinguished Service Cross for saving Patton's life in the Meuse-Argonne. Four years later, the veterans finally got their Bonus. It came too late for many. The new memorial is scheduled to open in 2018, in time for the centennial of the nation's entry into the European conflict. When Americans visit it, they should remember the Forgotten War and its forgotten veterans who suffered there during the Bonus marches of the Great Depression. In The Yanks Are Starving: A Novel of the Bonus Army, I recount the events that led to the 1932 confrontation. The historical novel spans three decades and follows the experiences of eight Americans who survived the fighting in France and came together again in Washington fourteen years later to decide the fate of the nation on the brink of upheaval. More about the author can be found at www.glencraney.com. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post mistakenly stated that plans for the memorial were unveiled by the American Battle Monuments Commission rather than the World War I Centennial Commission. Donald Trump went to a service at a Presbyterian Church in Iowa last Sunday and said that his faith meant "a lot" to him. I'm glad that he considers himself to be a Presbyterian -- not because he is a good one, but because he needs the perspective of the denomination. We Presbyterians believe in: 1. The sovereignty of God. One of our central beliefs is that no one is as great as God, and all things are under God's rule and control. We are God-centered, not human-centered. One of our statements of faith is The Scots Confession of 1560, which describes God as "eternal, infinite, immeasurable, incomprehensible, [and] omnipotent." God is the one who has created "all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible." In his book Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again, Trump describes himself as "a great builder" with a Trump brand that is "one of the world's great icons of quality and excellence." He wants to build a wall to control illegal immigration and a powerful military to stand up to any and all foes. In such a human-centered approach, the president has tremendous rule and control, and Trump dreams of using this power to "make America great again." Advertisement But Presbyterians believe that only God has this kind of power. 2. The danger of idolatry. Presbyterians understand that our love for God and other people can easily be corrupted by love of money, sex and earthly power. Trump is proud of having "built a great company and a massive net worth." One of his Atlantic City casinos had an in-house strip club, and in his book The Art of the Comeback he speaks about his "experiences with women, often seemingly very happily married and important women." He enjoys the power he wields in the world of business, and would like to have similar influence in politics. But money, sex and earthly power are idols. Presbyterian pastor Tim Keller calls them "counterfeit gods," and argues that they cannot give us what we really need. Money and sex are stumbling blocks for many elected leaders, and the exercise of unilateral power is rarely an effective strategy for a president. 3. Total depravity. This hallmark of the Presbyterian tradition asserts that everything is tainted by sin, even our best intentions. Jesus himself said, in response to a rich man, that "No one is good but God alone" (Mark 10:18). Total depravity does not mean that everything is evil, but instead that we cannot find perfection anywhere in this world. Such an understanding keeps us humble and aware that we all stand in need of forgiveness. Trump should be reminded of this doctrine, because he said in an interview on CNN, "I don't like to have to ask for forgiveness. And I am good. I don't do a lot of things that are bad. I try to do nothing that is bad." But total depravity is a reminder that everything is tainted by sin, included a statement such as "I am good." Such a positive self-description is a clear sign of the sin of pride. Advertisement The sovereignty of God. The danger of idolatry. Total depravity. Donald Trump needs to hear this kind of Presbyterian preaching. And maybe some is breaking through -- after listening to the Scripture at First Presbyterian Church in Muscatine, he said, "I have more humility than people think." Syrian women like Mouna Ghanem will be essential to bringing lasting peace after years of war. KARAMA As talks to bring an end to nearly five years of conflict in Syria continue, it is essential that we learn the lessons of Iraq, Libya and the Arab revolutions if there is to be lasting peace. To rebuild stable state institutions after conflict, you need to make sure that everyone is able to take part in the process, and to achieve that there must be a safe environment for participation. The war in Syria has been the longest continuous conflict to come out of the Arab revolutions in 2011, but the recent history of Iraq and Libya shows that even ceasefires and the fall of dictators do not necessarily mean that peace has been achieved. Advertisement The Libyan experience is one to which the world should pay close attention when we consider the post-conflict transition that will start when hostilities end in Syria. Libya saw a much shorter though no less intense civil war, beginning with protests in Benghazi and apparently ending with the death of Gadaffi. This was, however, only a symbolic end of the first chapter of revolution. The war drew in foreign fighters and unleashed factional and sectarian armed groups. The failure to implement proper disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of these fighters left thousands armed in the war's chaotic aftermath. The new Libyan state then also failed to implement security sector reform (SRR) to ensure basic protection for its citizens. By failing to provide safety and security, the new administration lost credibility and support. This led to a division that split Libya's political and economic institutions, and ultimately to what is by any standards a second civil war. It was only last month, more than three years after Libya's first democratic elections, that the different factions signed the Political Accord Agreement, the result of a year of a UN-led dialogue. Many of the factors that drove instability in Libya are present in Syria, and if anything are of a greater magnitude. Syria has a far bigger problem with foreign fighters; it has larger, more well-established militant groups; and there more factions divided under political, ethnic, sectarian and religious lines. Advertisement In this context, the message from the regime has become that Assad and his allies are the only internal force that can deal with the rise of extremist groups like ISIS and al-Nusra. It says much about the extraordinary situation Syria finds itself in that the regime makes this claim when it is estimated to be responsible for killing nearly seven times as many Syrians as ISIS. Sadly, the disparate and disorganised nature of the opposition has seen many Syrians lose faith in it, and the experiences of countries in the region under weak transitional institutions have thrown concerns about the opposition's credibility into stark relief. As Mouna Ghanem, a co-founder of one of the first opposition movements - Building the Syrian State - notes: The Syrian opposition has ignored the nature of the Syrian people's demands and not put forward a serious democratic agenda, so unfortunately many Syrians have started to look to the regime as the least worst option in a scenario where all the options are bad. Security is now a primary concern for many Syrians. ISIS managed to gain a regional foothold through the chaos of the civil war, but it made such dramatic gains in neighbouring Iraq through the weakness of the local Iraqi security forces. The fractured landscape of Syria will be even more vulnerable, whether to extremist militants or political groups trying to exact revenge on their opponents. With so many different armed factions involved, a ceasefire will be difficult if not impossible to enforce by internal forces alone - particularly when no side can be trusted to administer security fairly and without revenge in mind. It is then essential that the international community is involved in providing the security that will be crucial if Syrians are to build the new Syria. This process of rebuilding and reconciliation is going to require all of Syrian society - men and women, those who stayed and those who have sought refuge outside the country - all of whom will need to be convinced of their fundamental safety to feel they can be a part of the process. Lasting peace in Syria will not be made at the negotiating table, it will be made in the communities, in the sand and on the floors of Syrian homes. Advertisement Syrians who fear a future of lawlessness, of reprisals, of political murder, cannot be expected to be full and active participants in peacebuilding. Women in particular are disproportionately affected by the indirect impacts of conflict, and the post-conflict chaos we have seen in countries like Libya has a devastating impact on the ability of women to participate in society. Syrian women have already been routinely ignored and marginalised in the peace efforts so far, the failure to disarm, demobilise and reintegrate the various forces and bring about security sector reform to ensure a level of safety for all citizens would leave women even more disadvantaged. Mouna Ghanem took part in the recent Riyadh talks on Syria, where she was one of only ten women among the 108 participants. She has said that: Women are the bridges across Syrian communities. They have a particular stake in peace discussions as it is only through Syria becoming a modern, democratic state that women can see their rights being respected under the law. This can only be achieved by unifying the efforts of Syrian democrats. "Off the beaten track" - that's a phrase that characterizes both my life and my career. I enjoy leaving that track, not only professionally, but also personally. For instance, I love traveling to unusual destinations. In the past few years, I've visited countries such as India, Tibet, China, and Africa. My most recent trip was to Alaska. Traveling brings out the explorer in me. Curiosity is my main motivation: How do people from other cultures live? What values do they have? It broadens my world view and lets me look at myself through different eyes. In the long run, it helps me keep both feet on the ground and my own life in perspective. I often think: "Do I really need to worry about this?" Consciously looking for diversity I'm also a pioneer in my work. Every couple of years, I energetically dive into another position at work, with new customers and new colleagues. I enjoy building things, taking risks. If you manage to successfully finish such a job, it gives you a great deal of satisfaction and self-confidence. For instance, I love giving a boost and new motivation to a team that's not performing to the best of its abilities. I also enjoy setting up a new team, such as the Financial Services one for which I'm now responsible. Advertisement The financial sector is in the midst of a culture change, and the composition of my team reflects this. It's a real mix: men and women, classical consultants and IT people, those with and without financial experience -- all coming from a variety of backgrounds. The banking and insurance industry has always been an elite one. I very consciously put together such a diverse team to help further drive and realize the culture change now going on. Here too, I like getting off the beaten track. Enjoying human dynamics A variety of different backgrounds creates a great deal of human dynamics in a team, but that's exactly what I enjoy so much. I find people and their interactions absolutely fascinating. I've always been people-oriented. During my time at university, I was very active in a student association - it was a nice counterbalance to the technical program I was following. In my current job, working with people provides the same attractive contrast with the consultancy work, which is primarily brain work. I'm happy to see this kind of diversity increasing within our organization. In the past few years, my company has made great strides in that respect. We're no longer a company of just men in suits, even though the outside world may sometimes still regard us that way. On the contrary, there's a lot of room for authenticity! And we've also switched to an output-oriented way of working, which enables people to combine work and life even better. Reading the newspaper at the kitchen table My private and professional lives are seamlessly integrated. In principle, I can work when I feel like it, as long as I make my deadlines. If I have a customer meeting in Amsterdam, I sometimes do a bit of shopping before or after. On the other hand, on a rainy Sunday afternoon I'll often get on my laptop at home. I don't have children, and I work full-time. I've outsourced all my household chores - including grocery shopping and ironing - so I don't have to worry about any of that. I use the time that this saves me to have a relaxed start and end of the workday, during which I can read the newspaper at the kitchen table, or check my e-mail. Advertisement A passion for colors and styles My work is my biggest hobby, but I also have other passions. Besides traveling, I love architecture and interiors. I live in a beautiful house from the 1880's in the center of the Dutch town of Baarn. I completely restored it to its former glory and decorated it with modern furniture - so it's a great combination of old and new. In a different life, I could see myself doing this as a profession. My interest in fashion - which is also about colors and styles - is an extension of this. Discussing the day with Bruno and Karel I used to work pretty much non-stop. These days, I take more time to relax. I lead a healthy lifestyle and do fitness and cardio on a regular basis, which keeps me feeling good. I also enjoy eating with family and friends. I don't have a big circle of friends, but a couple of long-term, very loyal friendships. Every year, I go on a weekend trip to a European city with the girls from my old student club, and once every five years we go to a more far-off, sunny destination. We always have lots of fun together. Iraqi soldiers wave their national flag after a live-fire exercise under the surveillance of US-led coalition forces at Basmaya base, southeast of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on January 27, 2016. The US-led coalition's efforts to train the Iraqi military began in December 2014. Since then, more than 18,000 Iraqi troops have completed courses like the one held at the base in Basmaya. / AFP / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) After months of reality-show media coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign, the voting process is thankfully starting. As the voters begin to actually speak, perhaps the coverage will have more actual reality in it. In recent years, it is no secret that media coverage of elections virtually ignores where the candidates stand on major issues, in favor of the "horse race" involving candidates' political strategies and tactics, and now has even become merely celebrity gossip. One cynical analyst once said that politics is just Hollywood for ugly people. Advertisement So it should be no secret that Donald Trump, one of the kings of "reality" TV, has done much better than anyone ever thought he would. Outsiders in both parties seem to have performed better in this circus, because voters seem to be angry that, for decades, they have been repeatedly promised a fix to Washington's dysfunction--the most recent billed as "hope and change"--only to see the same old shenanigans continue there. Similar public frustration with U.S. foreign policy is not reported much in the media--because it does not boost ratings or numbers of subscribers as much as sensational coverage of minor terrorist attacks. Although out of this excessive media-induced fear, a slim majority of Americans want something done militarily about ISIS, the brutal Islamist terrorist group, they don't want another long Iraq- or Afghanistan-like quagmire in the greater Middle East involving American boots on the ground. Unfortunately, one cannot eradicate ISIS military without ground forces; using local ground forces is the best option, but in Iraq and Syria, where the ISIS "caliphate" exists, friendly local forces are either unreliable, meager, or virtually non-existent. Attacks from the air--the major thrust of current U.S. policy--inadvertently kill civilians, which enrages the population and likely only creates more terrorists than it kills. This underlying reluctance of large swaths of the American electorate of both parties to continue such long-standing U.S. meddling in faraway conflicts--which it intuitively, if vaguely, realizes is the major cause of blowback terrorism--is reflected by the better-than-expected standing of anti-establishment candidates, such as Donald Trump and Ted Cruz on the Republican side and Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side. Advertisement Although Trump and Cruz have made some over-the-top comments about bombing ISIS into smithereens, in general they are less hawkish than the mainstream candidates, with their traditional Republican jingoistic foreign policy: Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, John Kasich, and Jeb Bush. Moreover, the pall of George W. Bush's disastrous Iraq War still hangs over the 2016 election to such an extent that so far, the candidacy of Bush #3--who the at the beginning of the campaign in 2015 the media was trying to anoint as the Republican frontrunner--has done abysmally. In fact, Trump shows at least some indication of being in the realist (rather than reality-show) foreign policy school by his astute advocacy of outsourcing the Syrian problem to the Russians--after all, when your enemies are fighting each other, let them, while also keeping the Russians busy in a nasty civil war that has "bog" written all over it. Also, Trump convincingly argues for renegotiating the expensive U.S.-Japan alliance, which for decades has allowed a wealthy country to save resources by allowing the United States to protect it, while throwing those extra resources into competition with U.S. companies and restricting its market to those same companies. Furthermore, as many foreign policy realists do, Trump has said that U.S. foreign policy should be designed to safeguard only U.S. interests, more narrowly defined--omitting such things as advocacy for human rights, democracy promotion, humanitarian military interventions, and the responsibility to protect people overseas from harm. Advertisement He believes correctly that economic engagement with dictatorships has the best chance of opening them politically in the long term. He rejects the neo-conservative doctrine of remodeling countries into shaky democracies by using military force--that is he was against the Iraq War. Sam Clovis, a retired Air Force colonel and Trump's chief policy adviser, criticized neo-conservatives who "think you can go out there and in three weeks after Iraq collapses you can create a constitutional democracy over there," according to journalist Josh Rogin. Ted Cruz has characterized his foreign policy views as somewhere between the aggressiveness of John McCain and Marco Rubio at one end of the spectrum and the much less interventionist Rand Paul at the other end. For example, Cruz has cogently argued, "The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend. If the Obama administration and the Washington neo-cons succeed in toppling [Bashar al-] Assad, Syria will be handed over to radical Islamic terrorists. ISIS will rule Syria." On the subway after work one night, Mathilde noticed a fellow passenger carrying a violin case. "Do you play?" she asked. "Yes, I'm on my way to an audition," he replied. A musician herself, Mathilde beamed at the thought of playing with an orchestra in New York City. "This stop is, Times Square," the robotic voice of the subway announced. Hopping out onto the subway platform, Mathilde turned and shouted to the disappearing musician, "Hey, what's the name of your orchestra?" The violinist yelled back, "Park Avenue Chamber Symphony!" Throw out your preconceived notions of classical music. This Saturday, February 6th, the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony (PACS) will perform Beethoven's Fifth Symphony at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music. Conducted by PACS Music Director David Bernard, "Beethoven's Fifth: FROM THE INSIDE OUT!" is a unique reimagining of the traditional listening experience. In seating the audience inside the orchestra, Bernard seeks to transform the passive listener into an engaged participant. "The idea dawned on me when attending a concert at Carnegie Hall with my colleagues," Bernard explained. "We've had this experience of being inside an orchestra. When fifty people are creating art in real time, each moment is exciting. I wish to expose the elements of classical music which are not accessible to typical concertgoers. My philosophy is to give people the experience musicians get by throwing them into an orchestra. Hopefully, this approach will create a new market for classical music that will appeal to adults, as well as children." Advertisement In a typical live classical music concert, audiences are seated away from the music making, resulting in a disconnect between the audience and the musicians. By turning the concert experience inside out, Bernard eliminates this barrier between audience and orchestra, as individuals sit within the space conventionally designated for musicians. Now, the audience can feel the vibrations of the violins and the timbre of the trumpets. An overwhelming sensory experience, sitting within the orchestra allows concertgoers to emotionally dive into the music, becoming one with the orchestra. A multiple First Prize Winner of the Orchestral Conducting Competition of The American Prize, David Bernard has been described by the judges as a "first rate conductor." In 2011, along with the PACS orchestra, he conducted a nine city tour of the People's Republic of China, including Beijing and Shenzhen. Bernard has received tremendous critical acclaim for his work, including a 2015 Lincoln Center performance of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. Founded in 1999, the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony has amassed devoted members along with worldwide recognition. Through fundraising efforts, PACS has established a Scholarship Fund for students at the Juilliard School's Pre College Division, while supporting The Harmony Program, a New York City organization that provides music lessons to economically disadvantaged children. "'FROM THE INSIDE OUT!' is all about the experience of being inside the music," Bernard declares. Getupclose and personal with Beethoven. It's way past time to impeach some Supreme Court Justices and many elected officials. The Supreme Court "conservative" majority has made several rulings over the past few years that harm the people. They have no doubt been making bad rulings for many years, but I've just become aware of them. A couple of years ago I heard an attorney speak about a bad ruling from 1921 and after. For the last five or six years these five men have overstepped their boundaries several times. When public officials put their own religions and ideologies before the good of the people and our constitution, they need to go! Global corporations and the wealthiest 1% of Americans have bought and paid for enough politicians -- and apparently enough "Justices"-- that we no longer have a government that truly represents the people. If politicians were still loyal to the people, Congress would have immediately counteracted these rotten rulings. But they did not. Advertisement We are perilously close to losing our representative-democratic government. If corporations, their lobbyists, Supreme Court lackeys, and purchased politicians have their way, we will soon become an open-oligarchy--with the wealthy and corporations making our laws and controlling our military and police forces...controlling us! If that happens, the People will no longer have any say in what happens. I fear we may already have a secret-oligarchy. Corporations are created to "limit liability" -- a unique protection not available to real people. With Texas' new "loser-pays" laws that protect corporations from citizen suits, corporations are now closer to negating the pitifully few protections we citizens have left. When BP fouled the water in our Texas Gulf, no one went to jail for fouling our water. With the 2010 Citizens United ruling that corporations are "people"--which goes against reality and legality--corrupt "Justices" took a step closer toward negating citizens' rights. Our elections are being skewed and stolen. This ruling allows corporations and their lobbyists to pour endless amounts of money into political campaigns with no requirement to reveal amounts they invest in buying our elections...nor to name those they are financing. Advertisement Another recent ruling allows states to limit who is allowed to vote in our "land of the free" in which every citizen is supposed to be guaranteed an equal right to vote. With the recent Hobby Lobby Ruling, five men have decided to give employers the right to control their female employees' bodies. In addition the McCullen Ruling criminalizes buffer zones between patients at women's clinics and protesters. No longer are patients at health care clinics protected from rude, crude protesters trying to take from them their right to choose what happens in their own bodies. If this is truly to be the law of the land, then buffer zones between Justices and interested citizens and tourists must also be banned. Citizens must be allowed to look over Justices' shoulders while they work at their desks and to ask questions and to protest if they don't like what Justices are doing or writing. No longer can politicians force protesters to stand behind fences far enough away from speakers that speakers do not have to see or hear protesters...as George W. Bush did during his presidency. Advertisement What's good for the gander... It's time to impeach every unjust "Justice" and to unseat every crooked politician. It's way past time to stand up to corporations which want to gain control of our government so they can negate our protective laws. Look at the voting records of your elected representatives and senators at https://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote A few years back "my" representative voted to allow lead paint on children's toys imported into America. He routinely votes for laws that harm the people but help big corporations. If your public officials have voted for or supported laws that harm the people and help corporations, vote them out! If we don't stand against them, we have everything to lose. (Photo credit: Jeremy Hsu) With the goal of harnessing the untapped potential of Iranian-Americans, and to build the capacity of the Iranian diaspora in effecting positive change in the U.S. and around the world, the West Asia Council has launched a series of interviews that explore the personal and professional backgrounds of prominent Iranian-Americans who have made seminal contributions to their fields of endeavour. We examine lives and journeys that have led to significant achievements in the worlds of science, technology, finance, medicine, law, the arts and numerous other endeavors. Our latest interviewee is Siavash Alamouti. Siavash Alamouti is the President and CEO of mimik Technology, a startup dedicated to empowering consumers to take control of their content using a distributed cloud technology. Their software can run as an application on any computing device, turning them into "micro servers." Previously, Alamouti led the research and development team for Vodafone where he oversaw R&D, Corporate Venture, and IPR for the entire group. Before Vodafone, Alamouti was an Intel Fellow and CTO of the Mobile Wireless Group where he championed Mobile WiMAX and WiGig technologies. Alamouti is most well-known for the invention of the Alamouti Code, which laid the foundation for MIMO technology. The Alamouti Code has been adopted in most wireless standards globally. He is recognized by the IEEE Communications Society as the author of one of the best papers in the last 50 years of the society's history. Alamouti has received more than 15,000 citations for his scientific work and has received multiple industry awards. He has been passionately pushing the industry to new limits of technology for the benefit of humankind and has been an outspoken international figure for spectrum policy reform and open standards. For more details, please click (here). Advertisement Can you tell us about yourself and your background? Where did you go to school? I was born in Tehran in 1962 and graduated from Kharazmi High School in 1979. I was admitted to Sharif University in 1980 right after the revolution, and was purged right after the Cultural Revolution. I left Iran and lived in Madrid, Spain for a couple of years where I attended University. In 1984 I migrated to Canada and enrolled at University of British Columbia where I received a Masters degree in electrical engineering. I dropped out of the Ph.D program in 1992 to work at MPR Teltech, a Research Lab owned by the local phone company. You are best known for the invention of the so-called "Alamouti Space-Time Block Code. Could you tell us about your invention, what it is, and how you came up with the idea? I came up with the code in 1996 during a project at AT&T Wireless Services where I was in charge of designing the physical and MAC layers of a fixed wireless system. This was an ambitious project by AT&T at the time, and involved enabling fixed broadband access. In order to get high reliability for access, we needed to put multiple receivers in the remote units that were installed in people's homes, which was way too expensive. So I came up with a way of adding a transmit antenna at every base station and creating the same effect of having multiple receivers at every remote unit. I published the paper in the Journal for Selected Areas of Communications (JSAC) in 1998 and called it "A Simple Transmitter Diversity Technique for Wireless Communications." Some colleagues from AT&T Labs Research called it Space-Time Block Code. That is not a name I came up with. My code is very pragmatic and simple to implement so it got adopted quickly in almost all the wireless standards and became the most recognized MIMO code. Advertisement What were the most difficult elements of bringing your invention to market? Generally, the biggest impediments for innovation are the established norms, or "legacy" systems, both in terms of technology and business model. Most new inventions require old systems to be phased out and new business processes to be established. This can create resistance. My invention required the adoption of various new standards, which can be very complex politically. Nevertheless, thanks initially to a couple of engineers at Texas Instruments that pushed for it in 3GPP standard and later many others in IEEE standards, the code was included in almost all the wireless standards. Is there anything you learned developing your invention that you would now do differently if you had to do it all again? When I came up with the code, AT&T management did not realize what an impactful invention it was. They didn't even invest enough in patenting the idea and combined two separate patents into one in order to save money. If I had been wiser at the time, I would have bought the rights to the patent from them. In fact, I tried at that time, but could not raise the money from the bank and was not familiar with other ways of raising money. Thinking back, I could have gone to any smart angel investor and raised enough cash to do it. Long story short, you should try to bring your innovations to market without having to convince many people because convincing others is probably harder than launching the product yourself. Especially, nowadays, when you can get cheap computing and storage from the likes of Amazon and leverage third parties through APIs to complement what you're missing. IEEE Communications Society recognized you as the author of one of the most important papers in the society's history over the past 50 years. Please tell us why your contribution has been invaluable? Advertisement This was the JSAC paper, which first introduced the so-called Alamouti code. It was an invention with immediate impact and significant cost saving for the industry. Also, it was mathematically super elegant using closed form mathematical equations to prove that you could not do any better. Usually there is a big gap between a date of the invention and its adoption. With the JSAC paper, it was only a 3 to 4 year gap for its adoption. You hold over 20 patents in the areas of wireless communication applications and wireless systems design. Can you tell us about three most important patents that you have had so far? Obviously, the Alamouti Code which laid the foundation for MIMO is one of them. The method for FDD which described an OFDM/MIMO wireless system and embodied many inventions that later were used in WiMAX and LTE. Also the patent on mmWave scanning antenna that was fundamental to WiGig. What are you doing today at mimik and what is the vision behind your activities? Like many in my generation who experienced the Iranian revolution, a big part of my life has been a struggle for freedom. This experience has impacted the way I look at the world and my greatest passion in life is personal freedom and empowering the oppressed. In this day and age, information is power. The greatest tool against religious fundamentalism and superstition is knowledge and if you provide equal access to the entire population, you eradicate many social ills. This was the main motivation when I led the technology effort for Mobile WIMAX. We basically wanted to make wireless broadband as cheap as WiFi. Obviously, that was a battle that was beyond the power of even Intel and Google. That initiative failed but it had some positive impacts. It led to significant spectrum policy reform internationally and it accelerated LTE and made it a more open standard. Now at mimik, we are trying to put the consumer in control of their content so they are not forced to trust others or give the right of their content to others in order to share their content. We took a fundamentally out- of- the-box approach to the problem whereby, instead of using the cloud to share, we create a cloud node on every device so that the content doesn't need to leave the device in order to be shared. In this way, people are in complete control of what and with whom they share their content. You created the WiGig alliance and joined the Tensorcom board. What's your vision? What is the next stage of growth and development? What are your insights on the company's future growth and its strategic direction? I spearheaded the formation of WiGig Alliance while I was the CTO of Mobile Wireless Group at Intel. Our vision at Intel was to create affordable wireless standards that work seamlessly together and are fully coordinated. A big gap was multigig wireless transport. We envisioned that WiMAX would be for Wide Area, WiFi for the local area and WiGig for high speed streaming and syncing. They would all get integrated onto the same chip not only to save cost, but also to create a seamless experience where users do not have to be aware of the network. I have been advising Tensorcom and I joined their board recently to help them with their technology and market strategy. The company's CEO is another visionary and fellow Iranian, Fay Arjomandi, with whom I've worked in the past when I was at Vodafone. She is also one of the founders of mimik where I am currently the CEO. Tensorcom is funded by Dr. Patrick Soon Shiong who is a visionary in the medial field and has a mission to personalize patient treatment starting with cancer. I like to be part of what he is doing as I believe it is a worthy cause and I believe in his vision. Personalization of medicine is about processing and transport of terabytes of patient data and WiGig is an enabler. That is the connection between me and Tensorcom. I don't know much about the medial field but know a whole lot about WiGig and sharing that with the Tensorcom folks. What are the key factors that have made you become a successful inventor, manager, and entrepreneur? Obviously, there are many elements, but in my case has been to start with the end user first, and to look at the technology as the enabler, which is necessary if you want to see your invention adopted quickly. Pure scientific research has its place and is very important but its results usually show up years after, far beyond entrepreneurial timelines. Other elements are thinking outside-the-box, not limiting yourself to existing technology know-how and surrounding yourself with good people; treating them right, and making sure that everyone has a common vision while working towards the same goal. Given the major contributions of the Iranian diaspora (especially the Iranian-American community) to the high technology sector, how can their untapped potential be harnessed to develop this area in Iran? Advertisement Innovation can only flourish in open and democratic societies. The most important step to harness the great talent in Iran is for the system to undergo significant reforms against corruption, superstition, and dictatorship. You cannot be ranked 130 in corruption, treat women as second class citizens, and limit peoples' personal freedom and become a technology innovation hub. Historically, there is not a single example of this anywhere in the world. Once that is done, I myself and I'm certain tens of thousands of world-class experts and entrepreneurs of Iranian origin will go out of their way to help out. Do you see the United States maintaining its lead in innovation and technology in the decades ahead? Which countries will be its main competitors? What is the role of immigration policy and population diversity in maintaining America's leadership? Often in life we make important decisions too late. Our decision to re-connect with an old friend happens just as they are about to move across the country, our decision to start eating healthy occurs after years of hurting our bodies, or our decision to switch our career happens after we have already invested significantly in another field. Most of the time, we know the right thing to do but we're too scared or not ambitious enough to do it. It is only when the circumstances become pressing that we summon the courage to reach out to our old friend, or take a leap we should have taken months ago. Three years ago I saw an opportunity, and I made the decision not to wait. My grandfather was 91, and I recognized that he wouldn't be around for much longer (and would lose cognizance even sooner,) and I made the decision to learn about his life before it was too late. Advertisement The reason this was a difficult for me was because visiting and talking with an elderly grandparent is usually difficult and emotionally taxing. No matter how good of a relationship you have, or how empathetic you are, spending time with an elderly grandparent can be a disheartening, mentally burdensome experience. For most people, myself include, visiting grandparents is usually done out of a sense of moral obligation more so than genuine enjoyment. While I did enjoy speaking with and spending time with him, I wouldn't have been able to visit my grandfather if I didn't mentally prepare myself each time. Three years ago I made a promise to myself that unless there was a pressing circumstance in the way, I would visit my grandfather every single Sunday evening. And I did. Depending on where in Boston I was living (I had 4 apartments in the two years I lived there - in Mission Hill, Southie, Allston, and Cambridge,) my roundtrip commute to visit him took anywhere from one to two hours. For three years this occupied that second half of my Sunday every weekend. Initially I had no plans to write anything. I visited him out largely out of a sense of obligation and to build our relationship. As our conversations continued, his surprising lucidity, insightfulness, and thought-provoking intelligence became increasingly apparent. I began taking notes from our conversations, not knowing what I would do with the notes, but documenting them nonetheless. As this continued I transitioned to using my phone to record our conversations. Three years later I had 100 pages of notes and over 30 hours of recorded conversations. I went through the material and realized I had to do something with it... there was simply too much insightful, interesting content to let it just sit on my desk. That's when I started talking with writers and publishers and transformed it into A Cloud in the Sky. Advertisement YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Georgia Tinatin Khidasheli is on an official visit to Armenia, Armenpress reports, citing Gruzia online website. During the two days visit, Khidasheli will have meetings with President of Armenia, Catholicos of all Armenians, Prime Minister of Armenia, as well as Defense and Foreign Ministers. During the visit the sides will discuss issues of bilateral cooperation in defense sector and future plans. Clean is in the air. The wave of good news about clean energy fills us with optimism in the fight of our lives. Since the Paris Climate Agreement in December, the 21st Century's clean energy revolution is unstoppable. San Diego, the U.S. fifth largest city, announced a few weeks ago it has committed to power itself with 100-percent clean energy by 2035. San Diego and its Republican mayor thus have joined 15 other U.S. cities that have made similar commitments. And the Sierra Club's just launched Ready for 100 Campaign is urging mayors across the land to follow suit. But the tide of good news is global. In 2015, Costa Rica generated 99 percent of its power through renewable energy. Denmark, for the second year in a row, broke the world's record of wind energy generation. In 2015, it produced 42 percent of its electricity through wind. And according to credit rating giant Standard & Poor's, following the Paris Agreement, the world's nations have committed themselves to invest more than $16 trillion in renewable energy and other clean technologies through 2050. Advertisement And one could think with the nose-diving oil prices internationally -- less than $30 per barrel, the lowest level since 2004 -- clean energy would be doomed. Quite the opposite. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), solar, wind and other clean sources in 2015 attracted almost $330 billion in global investments, almost six times more than in 2004. The dirty energy recession also seems to be unstoppable. Arch Coal, the country's second largest coal company, has filed for bankruptcy, thus contributing to the already hopeless situation for this industry. Moreover, in a historic decision, the Obama administration has blocked all new coal mining leases on public lands. Yet there still is a lot of dirt in the air. The horrible Porter Ranch gas leak threatening the health of the city of Los Angeles is already considered the worst US environmental catastrophe since the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. And 2015 was by a country mile the hottest year since global temperatures started being recorded almost a century and a half ago. In fact, it was 20 percent warmer than the previous record, established in 2014. This daily dirty fuel bombardment is taking a huge toll on all of us. A new study by Harvard University and University of California, Davis, researchers establishes a close link between high levels of pollution and the increase in crime rates. The report, conducted in Chicago, revealed that when wind pushes vehicular pollution from two major highways down towards nearby neighborhoods, crime rates spike up by 2.2 percent in those communities. Researchers concluded that the economic impact of car and truck pollution on crime rates costs Chicago up to $200 million a year. Advertisement Clean must be in the air. That's the solution. In a recent report, the Solar Foundation informed that in 2015 that industry grew by 20 percent, generated jobs 12 times faster than the economy in general and increased its workforce to almost 210,000. In fact, the global advance of clean energy, according to BNEF, is "irreversible," allowing developing nations to meet their energy needs much faster than with dirty fuels. On Friday, AccorHotels, the owner of Hotel Sofitel in Washington, DC, joined the global fight against child prostitution. Christophe Alaux, the group's CEO for North, Central America and the Caribbean, signed the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct during an event at the hotel. The code was co-signed by Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota as well as representatives from the State Department and ECPAT-USA, which created the code and is a leading organization in the fight for basic human rights for children. Advertisement Senator Klobuchar encouraged the audience to be aware of the supply chain for this industry that victimizes 100,000 children worldwide each year. She mentioned that 83 percent of the children forced into prostitution in the U.S. each year are from the U.S. The Senator also mentioned the need for more court systems to view the children as victims, not perpetrators, of crimes. This would help the children collaborate with the police during investigations and keeps their records free of unwarranted charges that make rebuilding harder when they exit prostitution. The State Department's involvement highlights the urgency of the issue, both overseas and domestically. The code is also meant to combat sexual tourism. Globally, commercial sexual exploitation amounts to $99 billion of the estimated $150 billion profits obtained from the use of forced labor each year. Advertisement Children as young as 12 years of age are forced into the industry. AccorHotels joined other hotel groups and partners like Hilton, Sabre, Delta Air Lines, Travelocity, and Windham Worldwide in this initiative. Last month, Hyatt announced that it would work with ECPAT to train its staff as well. Through the training program, hotel employees learn to recognize the signs that prostitution rings may be using the hotel to prostitute children. Hotels are developing processes to report child prostitution activities to the authorities and to educate guests about child sexual exploitation. They have also agreed to promote the initiative with their partners and report on outcomes annually. AccorHotels is actually going as far as linking a part of its managers' annual bonuses to their performances in this area. This is a major step for hotel chains to take worldwide. It represents a significant shift in the way hotel owners and staff view child prostitution. In the past, staff may have suspected this activity and opted not to get involved for a number of reasons like concern for guests' privacy, lack of internal support, or fear of taking on powerful and potentially violent prostitution rings. Advertisement In some cases, hotel managers reported that they simply were not aware of this issue within their own facilities. The Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct promotes corporate responsibility. It educates first responders, schools, and communities about this issue. The initiative also reaches out to children directly so they learn to exercise caution and stay safe in potentially dangerous situations. Increasing the level of awareness of this troubling phenomenon is a huge step in keeping children in this country, and all over the world, free of sexual and other commercial exploitation. The hope is that more hotels in the U.S. and abroad will join in the fight to end child prostitution and that better-prepared children will avoid falling prey to pimps and prostitution rings. Is your company doing these 4 things to advance women? Part 4 of 4. The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. Vince Lombardi* In the past several months I have attended over 15 women's leadership events and witnessed over 5,000 leaders (women and a number of amazing men) talking collectively about how to advance women. I have had the pleasure of observing C-Level male leaders who are true champions and are demonstrating the will to drive change in their organizations. Leaders such as Ian, Tom, Dave, Chuck and a host of others in industries as diverse as corporate security, supply chain, telecom and pharmaceuticals. These first three things organizations need to do to advance women come from the Male Champions of Change: 15 Male CEO's in Australia who have outlined exactly what men (i.e. still 85% of senior leaders) need to do to drive long-term systemic change for women in their organizations. They highlight the need to Listen, Learn and Lead. Having the Will to Change is the fourth and final thing your company needs to do and it is the most important element of a company's success in advancing women. Advertisement Have the Will Willingness to change means we have to examine our company's results, acknowledge they are not acceptable and choose to do something about it. Below is what the average company looks like for women and men by level: Your numbers may be better or worse. The question is, "Is it acceptable to you as a leader of an organization?" Many people say it's because of unconscious bias that organizations (specifically men) aren't intentional in their actions. During a recent conversation with Susan Vinnicombe, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Cranfield International Centre for Women Leaders in Great Britain, she suggested that I listen to Margaret Hefferman's TED Talk as she notes it's not unconscious bias but willful blindness. The willingness to accept these numbers and choose to accept status quo is not unconscious bias but willful blindness. Margaret Hefferman How can leaders look at their numbers and not wonder what is going on in their company from a cultural standpoint that is conspiring to hold women back? Chances are it's a host of factors. This is when you need to Listen, Learn, Lead... and Have the Will to drive change! So which companies Have the Will? AccorHotels, Barclays, Koc Holding, McKinsey & Company, PwC, Schneider Electric, Tupperware Brands, Twitter, Unilever and Vodafone are ten global companies who recently came out and said they are not satisfied with how few women they employ. In a report released by the U.N. Women's HeForShe campaign last week, these companies openly shared internal data on how few women they have in leadership roles. These companies collectively employ more than 1 million people in 190 countries. Advertisement Part of my personal leadership vision is to move the needle on gender equality. Dennis Nally, Chair of PwC Int'l Ltd Openly, publicly committing to change. This is what having the Will to Change looks like. Organizations and leaders are NEVER satisfied with status quo. Leaders need to look at their numbers and their leadership team to take action. Here's a simple test for your company If women are truly a business priority of your organization, how many full-time resources and millions of dollars do you have committed to this work? Chances are your women's strategy is owned by your women's resource group. A committed group of volunteers with a budget well south of $50,000. If women were truly a priority, companies would be sourced, staffed and budgeted appropriately. I cannot recall the last successful brand launch or M&A that was conducted by volunteers and a few thousand dollars. Organizations must be willing to staff and fund their women's leadership initiative like any other corporate priority. 4 things your company needs to do to advance women To summarize this series, in Part 1, I encouraged men to genuinely talk to and Listen to their female colleagues. You will find that men and women are having significantly different experiences in the workplace. In Part 2, I encouraged leaders to Learn and write detailed business cases for change tied revenue, profit and company reputation. In Part 3, we explored Corporate Champions of Change who are Leading by example. Advertisement The final part of the equation is up to you. Leadership takes Having the Will to Change. Having the Will to Challenge Status Quo. It's what great leaders and great companies do. Men owe it to themselves, their companies, employees, shareholders . . . and their daughters to do a better job in advocating for women. The rest is up to you! *Full disclosure, I am a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan and in this week leading up to Super Bowl I had to quote the greatest of all time. A visionary leader, a champion of diversity . . . and the father of a daughter. Jeffery Tobias Halter is the country's leading male expert on advancing women and engaging men. He is the President of YWomen, a strategic consulting company focused on engaging men in women's leadership issues. Jeffery is a TEDx speaker, Huffington Post Blogger and the author of two books, WHY WOMEN, The Leadership Imperative to Advancing Women and Engaging Men and Selling to Men, Selling to Women. Keep in touch @YWomen. photo: The Queen Mary I have a deeply felt love for my Scottish heritage. My recent obsession with Ancestry.com has confirmed what my Grandfather always told me, I am about 150% Scottish. Much debate has raged in my family over tartans and family names, but all of it is born out of love for our thistle-covered homeland. A few years ago, I discovered that I was not alone in this love. An entire festival exists for the anglophile in all of us. The annual ScotsFestival and International Highland Games XXIII arrives at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California just in time for Valentine's Day. The perfect start to a romantic weekend, enjoy the festivities February 13-14, 9am-6pm. Make sure to get there in time for the Grand Parade of Clans and Bands and the traditional address to the Haggis. For those unfamiliar with haggis, it's not for the faint of heart, and well worth an official ceremony. Buy your sweetheart a token of your love from the many vendors. You'll have your choice of handmade Celtic jewelry, clothing, instruments and arts. Not your style? Visit the weapons shop and peruse a wide array of swords, battle-axes, and claymores. Both decorative and weapon grade models are available. Nothing says love like a weapons grade dirk. Advertisement Is it time to introduce your love to the family? ScotsFestival provides a host of clan and tartan experts that will help you trace your family names and lineage. Discover your tartan and talk about your family history with the many knowledgeable guides. You can walk right out and buy a tartan skirt, scarf or other adornment from the festival vendors. Finally, settle back and enjoy an ale and meat pie from the food tent while watching the hammer throw or caber toss. The sheepherding demonstrations will remind you of exactly how poorly trained your own dog is. Performances by the Royal Scottish Dance Society and Celtic Harp and Wren Iniquity Ensemble are just a few of the artists to set the mood for the day. Whatever your preference, ceremony, shopping, battle, or music, you'll find it at ScotsFestival. Stay overnight at the Queen Mary; packages are available at http://queenmary.com/events/scotsfestival/. Don't skip the ship's ghost tour, well worth your time for any amateur ghost hunters. Overall, the festival offers a celebration of all things Celtic, and the special events such as whiskey and beer tastings make an excellent addition to the day. Tickets to ScotsFestival are on sale now. Tickets start at $10 online for ages 4-11 and $19 online for guests 12 and over. VIP tickets and hotel packages are also available. Visit http://queenmary.com/events/scotsfestival/ for more details and to purchase tickets online. The South African novelist J.M. Coetzee writes with a pen that's sharp as a knife, in ink made from his own blood. Or so it seems, for each word seems carved or cut, obtained at great price, offered as a sacrifice. "Fun" reading? Not at all. [His best book is the least fun: Disgrace, one of the more devastating books ever penned.] Necessary reading? Now more than ever -- "Waiting for the Barbarians" is an eye-opener that will keep your eyes open long after you close the book. Coetzee, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2003, has had a relatively brief literary career; he didn't produce his first book until 1974. "Waiting for the Barbarians"-- the novel that established him as an Important Writer -- was published in 1980. The title comes from a poem by Constantine Cavafy. It begins with great expectation of a visit from the "barbarians." The Emperor awakes early, Senators gather, military men put on plumage. The day passes. Finally.... Advertisement Night is here but the barbarians have not come. And some people arrived from the borders, and said that there are no longer any barbarians. And now what shall become of us without any barbarians? Those people were some kind of solution. In his novel, Coetzee asks: Who are these barbarians? And what purpose do they serve? The character who narrates the novel -- and who tries to answer these questions -- is not an exceptional man. Far from it. He says of himself: I am a country magistrate, a responsible official in the service of the Empire, serving out my days on this lazy frontier, waiting to retire. I collect the tithes and taxes, administer the communal lands, see that the garrison is provided for, supervise the junior officers who are the only officers we have here, keep an eye on trade, preside over the law-court twice a week. For the rest I watch the sun rise and set, eat and sleep and am content. When I pass away I hope to merit three lines of small print in the Imperial gazette. I have not asked for more than a quiet life in quiet times. Advertisement Just like a great many people. But to this dusty outpost of the Empire comes Colonel Joll. The Colonel has news: There are barbarians in the mountains. And he and his troops ride out to find them. When he returns, the Magistrate is surprised to see who they are: simple peasants and vagrants who represent no threat to the Empire. Colonel Joll interrogates the prisoners. His methods are crude, cruel and effective: First, I get lies, you see. This is what happens -- first lies, then pressure, then more lies, then more pressure, then the break, then more pressure, then the truth. Or as the Magistrate sardonically restates the torturer's creed: "Pain is truth; all else is subject to doubt." Meanwhile, the Magistrate befriends a young female prisoner and, after a while, decides to return her to her family in the mountains. That is a mistake. So is wondering aloud about the Colonel's analysis of the situation and his interrogation tactics. Clearly, the Magistrate is not to be trusted. Indeed, he must be...a traitor. And so he is charged with treason and jailed: Advertisement When (the torturers) first brought me back here ... I wondered how much pain a plump comfortable old man would be able to endure in the name of his eccentric notions of how the Empire should conduct itself. But my torturers were not interested in degrees of pain. They were interested only in demonstrating to me what it meant to live in a body, as a body, a body which can entertain notions of justice only as long as it is whole and well, which very soon forgets them when its head is gripped and a pipe is pushed down its gullet and pints of salt water are poured into it. ... They came to my cell to show me the meaning of humanity, and in the space of an hour they showed me a great deal. In 1980, Coetzee's allegory was a simple one. The Barbarians were the blacks of South Africa. The Empire was the white-ruled South African government. The Magistrate, a Christ surrogate, represented the good intentions of enlightened whites whose wish to "help" only led to more trouble. Were this a limited historical allegory, we could read this book at a distance. But "Waiting for the Barbarians," like all great stories, has different meanings in different times. (Waterboarding! How... contemporary!) You cannot help but substitute "terrorists" for "barbarians" as you read this book. And the torture scenes... Earlier today in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. District Judge Raymond Jackson sentenced Lumber Liquidators to five years of probation and more than $13 million in penalties for smuggling illegal wood products into the United States. This agreement, reached by the company and federal prosecutors, represents the largest fine ever issued under the Lacey Act, a landmark environmental law banning the import of illegally sourced timber. Today's sentence marks the end of a multi-year investigation in which the Department of Justice found that Lumber Liquidators imported products made of wood harvested illegally in Russia, including timber cut from Siberian tiger habitat. For years, Lumber Liquidators relied on shoddy reporting to pass off its illegal products. In one instance the company stated a shipment of Mongolian oak flooring was harvested in Germany, even though Mongolian oak doesn't even grow in that country. In another, the company declared that 79 shipments of oak flooring, worth nearly $8 million, were all logged from the same permitted area in Russia. Unfortunately for the company, the amount of wood in those shipments was 800 percent of the allowed harvest under that permit. Going forward, Lumber Liquidators must pay more than $13 million in fines and establish an environmental compliance plan in which all of its products must be traced back to the source of harvesting. Further, over its five-year probation, the company will be subject to independent audits of its sourcing practices. Although Lumber Liquidators can afford more than $10 million in fines, the real cost will come when they can no longer rely on cheap, illegal wood to reduce prices. Advertisement In December 2015, four men convicted of murder and arson in two completely unrelated cases were exonerated. In Virginia, in 1989, Davey Reedy was convicted of deliberately setting his house on fire. His two children died in the fire. At his trial for murder and arson, fire science experts testified about evidence that they said proved that Reedy committed arson. In New York, in 1981, Raymond Mora, Amaury Villalobos, and William Vasquez were convicted of deliberately setting a fire that caused the 1980 death of a young mother and her five children. At their trials, experts testified that they fire was intentionally set. Advertisement When modern fire science experts finally reviewed the cases, they conclusively agreed that the fire "science" used to convict all four men was invalid. Faulty. Incorrect. And that the so-called arson was not arson. Small comfort for each of the men who had been convicted. Reedy served over twenty years in prison for killing his two children. Villalobos and Vasquez, who went blind in prison due to untreated glaucoma, each served over thirty years in prison; Mora was only 8 years into his life sentence when he died in prison in 1989. Each man lost decades in prison, serving time for crimes they did not commit. For crimes that were not in fact crimes. And these recent exonerations are just a sampling of cases involving convictions based on bad fire science. Take David Lee Gavitt, who spent 26 years in a Michigan prison for the 1985 killing of his wife and baby girls in a blaze that was erroneously labeled arson. Decades later, the fire was ruled an accident; Gavitt was exonerated in 2014. Advertisement Cameron Todd Willingham was not so lucky. Willingham was executed in Texas for the arson-murder of his three children. Scientists agree now that the "evidence" of arson cited by fire experts at the time was just junk science. He died proclaiming his innocence. Advances in fire science have revealed that factors once thought to prove a fire was intentionally started also are present when fires are the accidental. This has prompted the re-examination of some older arson convictions from around the country. And that is good news. In the current frenzy to either bring Hillary Clinton down or hold her up, depending on which side you are on, the public policy implications of her email scandal ("Emailgate") are being ignored: how to prevent government officials from using private rather than government email systems for government business. The Incentives for Secrecy By using private rather than government email systems, Clinton and other high-level government officials seek enhanced control of public records concerning their job performance. This control prevents potentially embarrassing work emails from becoming public. Such control can be attained either by using an independently hosted email server, such as Gmail or Outlook, or, as Clinton used, a self-hosted email server. Using an independently hosted email server is much more widespread because of its greater convenience and lower cost. But both types of server can be equally effective in selectively shielding work emails from public scrutiny. Advertisement Clinton's Emailgate scandal hasn't spurred open government reforms because such reforms aren't in either political party's interest. Incumbent officials regardless of party have a shared interest in preserving email practices that give them control of their records. Asking officials to make potentially controversial emails public elicits a response like asking them to run naked down Main Street. The Current Framing of the Issue The great irony of Clinton's Emailgate is that in seeking to hide information from American citizens she made the information more accessible to America's enemies. It is this secondary effect of Emailgate that Clinton's enemies have chosen to focus on. This narrow focus is smart politics for several reasons: First, only a very small percentage of public officials have access to top secret information, so few are implicated in this framing, especially outside national security agencies. Most important, the target, Democratic presidential candidate Clinton, is well covered by this framing, so expanding it would merely create needless opponents. Second, America's laws regarding secrecy are highly asymmetric: whereas the penalties regarding hiding information from the American public are weak and rarely enforced, the laws regarding hiding information from America's enemies are strong and often enforced. (As for me, I'd make the penalties symmetrical, which would entail a complete reconceptualization of America's open government policy.) In other words, whereas it is hard to imagine Clinton getting indicted for hiding information from the American public, it is relatively easy to imagine her getting indicted for not hiding information from America's enemies. Advertisement Alas, this narrow framing won't significantly reduce, let alone eliminate, government officials' current incentives for Clintonesque email secrecy, which is the root problem that caused Emailgate. To be sure, the open government as opposed to national security implications of Emailgate haven't been totally ignored. But even when they haven't been ignored, we have had another type of politicized framing. The Republicans have been endorsing an open government double standard: one standard of email transparency for Clinton and another for other government officials. In contrast, the Democrats have been endorsing the current "don't ask; don't tell" status quo. The Ubiquity of the Problem Many high level government officials engage in Clintonesque email secrecy. "Using a private server... is a terrible practice," observes Thomas Blanton, director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University. "The problem is that everybody does it." Blanton can name dozens of Federal level officials who have engaged in such practices. Among them are dozens of White House officials in the previous Bush administration, former U.S. secretaries of state, and current U.S. cabinet officers. Not to be ignored are government officials at the local level, where the problem is likely much worse. In my local public school system (Anne Arundel County, Maryland), which has a billion dollar budget and more than 10,000 employees, centralized backups of emails are deleted every 30 days (which places controversial emails out-of-reach of the public records law), employees have an implicit fiduciary duty to delete controversial emails from government (but not private) email systems in response to a public records request for them, and no credible independent enforcement agent--such as the FBI, U.S. State Department Inspector General, or U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee--exists with either the expertise or motive to investigate such deletions, including the transfer of government email to private email systems after a public records request has been made. In the same county in Maryland, one chair of an election commission appointed by former Governor Martin O'Malley used four private email accounts and no government email account to conduct his official business. At the state level, the same governor, now running against Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, used private email for work purposes while governor. All this was legal. In response to my Baltimore Sun op-ed on this subject, legislation has been introduced in the current session of Maryland's General Assembly (HB0492 and SB0155) to at least partially address such abuses. Recommendations Congress and state legislatures should embrace a new enforcement paradigm--regardless of whether the law being violated concerns making government more open or secret. Enforcement currently centers on the email sender rather than recipient. But the key to effective enforcement is to improve the recipient's as well as the sender's incentives. For example, it was easy for Clinton to hide her private email account from the public during her four years as an executive branch official and for several years afterward as long as her dozens of trusted correspondents, who received at least 27,000 emails from within the U.S. State Department alone according to Clinton's own estimates, had no incentive to enforce the law. Those correspondents should have been ethically and legally liable for receiving and replying to such emails over an extended period of time. They should also have been able to report the abuses to an independent enforcement agency with effective investigative powers and a credible commitment to protect their identities. If her correspondents had credible incentives to whistle blow, Clinton would have been deterred from the abuses that got her into trouble in the first place. Among Clinton's email correspondents was President Obama, with whom at least 18 emails were exchanged via Clinton's private email account. Presidential email correspondence is exempt from public disclosure except for posterity long after a president has left office. But President Obama (and his trusted aides who presumably carefully filter his email) should have understood that it was improper for Clinton to violate his administration's own email policies by corresponding with him via a private email account. Advertisement Among the excuses used to justify Clinton's handling of classified emails is that they were sent to her. "It has never made sense to me that Secretary Clinton can be held responsible for email exchanges that originated with someone else," argued Senator Diane Feinstein after Clinton's latest batch of emails was publicly released. "The only reason to hold Secretary Clinton responsible for emails that didn't originate with her is for political points, and that's what we've seen over the past several months." I agree with the premise of Senator Feinstein's argument that senders and receivers should have different levels of culpability. But there are two unmentioned corollaries to her argument. First, that those doing the sending, including to Clinton, should be held responsible; that is, if Clinton isn't at fault, then somebody else should be. Second, that those doing the receiving and not reporting the violations, including Clinton, should also be culpable, albeit to a lesser degree. Many have been comparing Senator Bernie Sanders' surge in the primary polls and his increasingly competitive battle with Hillary Clinton to 2008 and her fight with Barack Obama. It's not the same in two ways. Number one: Bernie Sanders is no Barack Obama. Sanders is older (at 74, he would be the oldest person ever elected president) and while he is a populist and makes great arguments for his case against Wall Street, being white and from a primarily white state, he does not have the appeal to black voters that our first African American President had. Bernie is attractive to millennials but is trailing with women and Latinos. Number two: After being an Independent-Socialist Mayor of Burlington, Vermont for eight years, Vermont Representative for sixteen years and a Senator for nine years, Sanders just became a Democrat last year to run for president. Obama has always been a Democrat and is loyal to the party. Advertisement In 2008, a few months into the campaign, the Democratic establishment abandoned Hillary for Obama beginning with Senator Ted Kennedy leading the revolt. One by one the big-wigs endorsed Barack Obama. Despite this, the battle lasted until all of the states had primaries and Clinton won the popular vote while Obama won the delegate count to take the nomination. There has never been a Democratic nominee that has won the primary without the support of the Democratic party establishment. Bernie has not been embraced by the Democratic National Committee. The fights that his campaign have had with Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), chairwoman of the DNC have been well chronicled. It is true that this election year all bets are off and many voters are so sick of DC that they don't want establishment, career politicians. But that is much more true of Republicans than Democrats. The rise of Donald Trump, Ben Carson and even Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) shows that the Tea party and grass root Republicans feel betrayed by their party. And who can blame them? They won the House and the Senate last election and they still have not stopped President Obama on issues such as healthcare, immigration, gay marriage, normalizing relations with Cuba, the Iran nuclear deal and climate change pacts. The same reason that the GOP is mad at their establishment is why Democrats still admire President Obama and his accomplishments while getting zero support from the opposition. This is why Hillary Clinton has been touting her time as his Secretary of State and singing praises for President Obama's record. Advertisement The more Senator Sanders talks about a revolution, the more it seems like an indictment of the Obama years. And this does not sit well with those who have stood behind the president and his agenda these past two terms. In essence, even though there is a progressive, Elizabeth Warren wing of the party that Bernie Sanders has tapped into, the Democrats are much more united than the Republicans. The Democratic debates, though limited, have proven this in their civility and tackling of the issues (as opposed to the cage matches of the GOP.) Just as in 2008, after a tumultuous long campaign, the party came together behind its nominee, Barack Obama, I believe the same will happen in 2016. Just as Hillary Clinton made Barack Obama a better candidate, Bernie Sanders is doing the same for Hillary. Thanks to Bernie, she has highlighted the issues of income inequality, equal pay, raising the minimum wage, criminal justice reform, campaign finance reform and affordable college. She has come out against the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement and the Keystone Pipeline. As Democrats we should welcome Senator Sanders for his honesty and the enthusiasm he has generated among the youth, independents, progressives, socialists, and occupiers. The Democratic party is one of a big tent. But unless we stay united that tent can collapse. We need to acknowledge how far we have come in the last seven years which began with a great recession and two multi year wars. Advertisement YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenia's government will carry out projects on the construction of reservoirs and modernization of infrastructures in 2016. Works in this direction are included among the priority programs of the Armenian government for the current year, Armenpress reports. In particular, it is planned to implement construction of reservoirs in Vedi, Kaps, Yeghvard and Mastara. It is already known that the French Development Agency will allocate 75 million euros loan for the construction of Vedi reservoir. By the construction of the reservoir it will be possible to provide the quantity of needed water for supplying the irrigation systems and additional irrigation lands. Solution of the mentioned priority issue will create the necessary prerequisites for enhancing the efficiency of use of water systems and sustainable development. Over the weekend, while waiting for a friend and listening to Spotify, the album Mermaid Avenue by Billy Bragg & Wilco came on. Seeing the words of the album based on Woody Guthrie's lyrics scrolling across the screen took me back to a summer visit to Coney Island. But this wasn't a recent visit. This trip was long before the hipsters had discovered that there was a lot more New York beyond the East River. The songs transported me to a Brooklyn that is largely gone; a gritty, dangerous place with more gaps in the streetscape than a Skid Row junkie's mouth. Mermaid Avenue then was poor and black and Puerto Rican and I was, and am, white and privileged and didn't belong there. Sure, I could fit in outside of Nathan's on the Boardwalk, or at the New York Aquarium, but this was Mermaid Avenue, blocks from the relative safety of the beach or Brighton 5th. New York was different then. The whole city for me was a Coney Island of the Mind. It could be rough but I never had too much trouble. On the whole, it was a place I could walk around visible but unknown because it was so far from my home in the leafy suburbs where I was raised. I never ran into anyone I knew when I was slumming it in Coney Island or Bedford Stuyvesant or Crown Heights, decades before the Wall Street bankers, app developers and trust fund babies discovered those areas. Advertisement Fast forward to 2016. To Los Angeles which like New York I will never leave metaphorically. Each weekend, as I did when I lived in New York, in San Francisco, in Paris and in Boston, I explore on foot a different corner of the endless city. Saturday it was beautiful Silver Lake, a lifetime or more away from ragged, sweltering Mermaid Avenue with its bodegas, dope dealers and shaved ice sellers in the summer. Together with my friend, we started our walk at Tropical on Sunset Boulevard which makes what may be the city's best cafe con leche. Fortified by the caffeinated rocket fuel, we made our way north along Silver Lake Boulevard and eventually up some long staircases and winding streets to the perfect spot for watching the sunset over a line of graceful palms shimmering in the distance. Silver Lake, like countless other parts of Los Angeles was once well-served by the long gone Red Car Line, the region's extensive streetcar system. Advertisement I am decades older now than I was on that visit to Mermaid Avenue in Coney Island but fundamentally I am the same. I am still the hopeful romantic about my city, albeit now a warmer one with different flora, mountains, tastes and accents. Los Angeles and cities all over fascinate me because their density and clash of dreams and cultures create built environments that are greater than the sum of their parts. They are places where industry, vision, art, architecture and necessity collide to forge solutions to the challenges the landscapes and people demand. Saturday's sunset was made all the more beautiful by the foresight of someone who planted that row of palms off in the distance maybe a half century ago. And the bougainvillea, lemons and oranges around us and those Bauhaus inspired and Neutra, Schindler, and Lautner designed homes on the Red Hills were also planted or built by someone with the wise notion of enhancing the beauty of the area. Like New York's D train to Coney Island, Los Angeles will soon be blessed by its own train to the sea when the Metro Expo Line opens in May. Most of all, this rail line will serve the thousands of daily commuters moving between downtown LA, Culver City, the Westside and Santa Monica. The new line will free riders from the shackles of a steering wheel, car insurance and traffic. On those trains will also be men and women and children just out exploring the wonder that is this massive city we call home. Riding the trains and buses and walking the streets, we encounter one another in unexpected and mostly welcome ways. In embracing transit and thoughtful density and making Los Angeles more pedestrian oriented we are enriching our lives and creating opportunities for the most imaginative among us to forge new ideas about work, life, art and community. I don't love every street and neighborhood in LA equally. Some of our areas are beautiful while others compete for last place. But all of them hold secrets and treasures that one is sure to miss if one barrels by at or above the speed limit. It is why I walk and bike and ride the bus around this great city as often as possible. The Expo Line to Santa Monica will be a game changer for those of us who choose to Go Metro. But as the pedestrian advocacy group Los Angeles Walks will tell you, there is no need to wait to discover the wonders that Los Angeles has to offer. And taking it in on foot doesn't cost a thing. Advertisement MUSCATINE, IA - JANUARY 29: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) speaks to guests at a town hall syle meeting on January 29, 2016 in Muscatine, Iowa. Rubio is in Iowa trying to gain support ahead of the state's February 1 caucuses. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) When Marco Rubio served as the majority whip in the Florida House of Representatives, he wrote a letter on his official statehouse stationery to the Florida Division of Real Estate recommending Orlando Cicilia for a real estate license "without reservation." As the Washington Post reported in December, Rubio didn't seem to think it was a problem that Cicilia was convicted in 1989 of drug trafficking, having distributed more than $15 million in cocaine. Nor did Rubio think it was important to mention that Cicilia was married to his sister, simply writing without elaboration that he had known Cicilia "for over 25 years." It's difficult to say for sure, but Rubio's letter could easily have played a role in Cicilia being granted a real estate license. As the Post continued: Advertisement Cicilia's cocaine conviction presented a complication for his application. Unlike some states, Florida does not prohibit felons from holding real estate licenses. Their applications are considered on a "case-by-case basis" by seven members of the Florida Real Estate Commission, who are appointed by the governor. The governor, at that time, was Rubio's political mentor, Jeb Bush -- who is now running against the Florida senator for the Republican presidential nomination. The budget of the agency is controlled by the Florida legislature, where Rubio wielded considerable influence. Rubio would later hire Cicilia as his real estate agent to help him buy a house. The story is damaging enough for Rubio on its own merits, bolstering the narrative that Rubio's favorite part of being in politics is the money and power that come with it. However, it raises at least one policy question along with all of the obvious political questions: If Rubio thinks Florida should let his ex-felon brother-in-law to sell houses, does he also think Florida should let his ex-felon brother-in-law vote? Because while Rubio seems to be fine with the government forgiving members of his family for past transgressions, Rubio hasn't been quite so clear about whether Floridians with whom he is not related should be given the same kind of consideration -- particularly when it comes to voting rights for ex-felons like his brother-in-law. While Rubio (falsely) attacked then-governor Charlie Crist during his 2010 Senate campaign for saying that he partnered with ACORN to expand voting rights for ex-felons in Florida, he has never quite taken a position on voting rights for ex-felons more generally. For a politician from Florida, that's an odd issue on which to have never taken a clear position. Florida's process for ex-felons to have their voting rights restored is one of the strictest in the country, with applications submitted directly to the governor -- at least five years after the completion of the applicant's sentence -- for consideration on a case-by-case basis. Given Florida's size, incarceration rate and strict process for rights restoration, the state accounts for more than one in five disenfranchised ex-felons nationally, and nearly a quarter of Florida's black population is prohibited from voting due to their criminal records. Taken together, these factors make felon disenfranchisement, the origins of which date back to Reconstruction, a consistent and significant rightward force on the balance of power in Florida politics. Advertisement However, the email Rubio's campaign manager sent to the Post defending his involvement in Cicilia's real estate license sounds like a pretty solid argument for letting him vote, too. As it read, in part: Orlando made some very big mistakes almost 30 years ago, served his time, and has paid his debt to society. Today he is a private citizen, husband and father, simply trying to make a living...Marco has recommended scores of Floridians for various professional positions and after Orlando paid his debt to society, Marco was happy to recommend him as well. Here's the thing: It is entirely possible that Orlando Cicilia really is a changed man who's simply trying to make a decent, legitimate living. And maybe everything Rubio wrote about him being qualified to sell houses was true. But a real estate license is a privilege; voting is a right. It doesn't make any sense for Orlando Cicilia to have privileges restored -- especially given the possibility that he received special consideration -- while basic rights are denied to over 1.5 million of his fellow Floridians. If paying your debt to society and trying to move on with your life is a good enough reason for your powerful brother-in-law to pull a string in order to help you get a real estate license, it should be reason enough to exercise a basic civil right. So, Senator Rubio, what do you think? If Orlando Cicilia should be allowed to sell houses, should he also be allowed to vote? Advertisement For the greater part of our evolutionary history, we as humans have been tied to the natural world. Only in recent centuries has urbanization advanced to such a degree that we find ourselves disconnected to nature. In recent time, the re-emergence of infectious diseases has resulted from the ecological encroachment on wildlife habitat. Urbanization and western medicine have influenced the spread of infectious pathogens, but of equal concern are stress related noninfectious diseases. These plague people living in the developed world as well as the developing world and can greatly compromise our well-being and longevity. Many accredited zoos and aquariums have embraced the One Health initiative, which aims to improve human, animal and ecosystem health for a global community. In doing so, they not only find themselves poised to safely combat the transmission of disease agents that potentially jump host species or share host species through complex life cycles, but they serve as living laboratories for clinical medicine targeting chronic disease concerns for humans and animals alike. Advertisement Through a collaborative study, the Saint Louis Zoo and the University of Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine recently showed the human health benefits to visitors at an interactive zoo exhibit through an innovative zoo-based research project. Their work supports the general findings of earlier studies, which confirmed that safely managed interfacing with captive wildlife reduces patron stress. Results indicated that such experiences enhance psychological health, including decreased tension and increased energy. The results also indicated that the touch tank experience may reduce blood pressure, as was shown at a zoo in Japan. Reduction in blood pressure is a well-known physiological parameter of stress. According to their report, which was recently published in the journal Zoo Biology, "The research supports the potential for experiences at zoos and aquariums to be part of an overall effort to improve public well-being by reconnecting people with nature." As part of the role of zoos in One Health, this study is groundbreaking and demonstrates how zoos may provide significant health benefits for their visitors." Dr. Sharon Deem -- director of the Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine led the study, which examined the effects of interacting with animals through a touch tank experience. The touch tank permits patrons to contact marine animals, including stingrays and horseshoe crabs. Specifically, they looked at heart rate variability and mood, as physiological and psychological parameters of stress. Although, the physiological parameters did not fully support the researcher's hypothesis, as a more complex picture of patron heart rates were encountered and more reminiscent of a roller coaster ride, the psychological health benefits were striking. In fact, it supports the overall notion that an interactive exhibit can have immediate benefits on the health and well-being of zoo visitors. Advertisement Zoos are dynamic and engaging public attractions. They divert our attention away from technology and can help combat nature deficit disorder, which is both detrimental to our own health and welfare and the cultivation of a wildlife conservation ethic. Mental health expert and author of Generation Stressed, Michele Kambolis said, "The latest brain science research tells us there are important reasons for The Saint Louis Zoo's findings. Walking in nature and being around animals leads to a surge in feel good neurochemicals like dopamine. In fact, just thinking about nature is powerful enough to calm our nervous system and bring on feelings of well-being. In our technologically focused 'age of anxiety' connecting with nature becomes all the more valuable if we are to become more resilient in the face of stress." Deem, S.L. 2015. Conservation Medicine to One Health: The Role of Zoologic Veterinarians. In: Miller, R.E. and M.E. Fowler (eds.), Fowler's Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine: Volume 8. Saunders Elsevier, Saint Louis, Missouri. Pp. 698-703. Sakagami T, Ohta M. 2010. The effect of visiting zoos on human health and quality of life. Anim Sci J 81(1):129-34. Last week's Curios covered the perils of sleeping on your left side, the healing power of music, and Utah Senator Orrin Hatch. Curio No. 920 | Left-side sleepers beware If you're having a bad dream, roll over on your right side. There appears to be a correlation between bad dreams and your sleeping position. That's according to both a recent study and a report that came out over a decade ago. In the study published in 2004, researchers found about 2/3 of people were right-sided sleepers, while the other 1/3 were left-sided sleepers. While right and left sided sleepers could recall their dreams equally, left-siders were more likely to have nightmares... keep reading. Curio No. 919 | Please clean the office coffee maker Germaphobic caffeine addicts, stop reading now! The office coffee maker is way grosser than you think. An analysis by researchers at the University of Valencia found 35 to 67 different types of bacteria inside the inner drip tray of communal Nespresso machines. The colonization was found to be "rapid," "rich," and "dynamic"--unfortunately, those are characteristics of the bacteria, not the coffee... keep reading. Advertisement Curio No. 918 | Meet the "designated survivor" A few Tuesdays ago, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch was chosen as the designated survivor during President Obama's final State of the Union. This speech is the only time all the top US officials ever gather in one place, creating a security dilemma. If some unimaginable crisis or attack were to wipe out the entire chamber, there would be no US government officials left to be in charge of the largest military force and economy in the world. Hence the designated survivor role...keep reading. Curio No. 917 | Another reason to live in Seattle Sudden cardiac arrest has long been a leading cause of death among adults. Despite continuous research for more effective solutions, CPR--which stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation--is still the gold standard. (It's also still performed to a 1970's song, as we learned in a recent Curio.) In the US alone, there are 350,000 annual resuscitation attempts outside hospitals, and 750,000 attempts in hospitals. The survival rate in hospital is 20%, versus around 5% outside. What's more, cardiac arrest survival rates depend greatly on your location. Chances of surviving in Seattle are 20%, versus only 3% in Detroit... keep reading. Curio No. 916 | A science sob story All tears are not created equal. Humans actually cry three different types of tears. And we cry a lot. We produce 10 ounces of tears per day, totaling over 30 gallons per year! First there are basal tears, which are produced constantly by our eyes. Their job is to form a thin layer of lubrication to protect our iris from dirt and infection. Second are reflex tears. They wash away irritants like wind, smoke, chemicals, and onions. Reflex tears are produced in much larger quantities than basal tears, and contain special antibodies to ward off microorganisms... keep reading. Curio No. 915 | I said roll up the television now! First there were big screen TVs. Then flat screen TVs. Now there are roll-up TVs. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, LG demonstrated their new flexible screen technology. The 18-inch screen is bendable, and can be rolled up to a radius of 1.2 inches... keep reading. Advertisement Curio No. 914 | The healing power of music (on your brain) There is a wealth of research that shows musicians' brains are wired differently. People who learn music at an early age have better verbal skills, better memory recall, and can learn languages more easily. Now there is research that shows musical brains also process the condition tinnitus very differently... keep reading. People hold signs for Ballot Initiative #71, the legalization of marijuana, on November 4, 2014 in Washington, DC. Voters around the United States went to the polls to vote in the 2014 interim election. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) Eleven months ago District residents gained new rights to possess, cultivate, and use marijuana when Ballot Initiative 71 took effect. Voters overwhelmingly approved the measure in 2014 in a bid to end the criminalization of marijuana in the District and reduce racial disparities in the local criminal justice system. More than a year later, District residents are still fighting to have their voices heard and rights respected by local and federal elected officials. Many viewed the District's new marijuana policy under Initiative 71 as incomplete without additional laws establishing legal marijuana sales, taxation and regulation. However, District lawmakers were quickly blocked by Congress from moving such legislation. In late 2014, Congress inserted a rider in a spending bill that prohibits DC from spending any appropriated funds to " enact any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties" associated with marijuana. Advertisement Unfortunately, interference with the District's marijuana laws did not stop with Congress. Since Initiative 71's enactment, Mayor Bowser's Administration has oft repeated the line that Initiative 71 means, "Home Grow, Home Use". This is simply not true. Initiative 71 as passed by voters in 2014 placed no restrictions on adult use of marijuana and does not state that use should be limited to residences. Rather, District lawmakers acted to deny citizens their full rights under Initiative 71 by choosing to restrict marijuana use to the home as they transmitted the act to Congress and prepared for its implementation. As implemented by the Bowser administration, Initiative 71 serves affluent home-owners far better than District residents with lesser means. Mayor Bowser and Council officials have discouraged social consumption and urged residents to confine marijuana use to the home, but many in the District do not own a home. Renters, in fact, make up 36 percent of the District population. These residents are often subject to varying rules that prohibit marijuana use indoors. Last year only 19 percent of low-income residents owned their home. A practical solution to this imbalance would be establishing alternative venues for residents to use responsibly. Shortly after Initiative 71 took effect last year, however, Mayor Bowser's administration sounded alarms about unregulated marijuana sales and consumption which were completely false. The Mayor then compelled the DC Council to rush through poorly drafted emergency legislation banning all marijuana consumption outside a residence (even in private membership clubs). The Mayor's legislation went so far as to shut down any business where a single patron is caught consuming marijuana on its premises. The Council has since passed two extensions of this emergency measure and is moving forward with a permanent version of the ban. The Mayor and Council are moving full steam ahead with a permanent ban despite the fact that no emergency ever existed, and not a single business has been penalized under the emergency measures currently in effect. The continuation of the ban has come amid controversy and dissent from Councilmembers and the public. The most recent extension of the ban was initially voted down by six Councilmembers, but passed after the Mayor made personal phone calls to Councilmembers. The permanent version of the ban has been rushed through the legislative process by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie without regard to public objections or dissent within the Council. Chairman Mendelson recently went so far as to insert himself in a Council panel vote on the ban, a questionable move some described as unprecedented. Advertisement Should D.C. lawmakers proceed with passing a permanent ban, they would be voluntarily limiting the District's sovereignty and its ability to legislate, since the congressional rider prohibits future legislation to modify the ban down the road. Councilmembers should oppose this legislation, and instead heed their constituents' wishes to regulate places where adults can legally consume marijuana. Recent polling shows widespread support among District voters for this approach. District lawmakers should also go a step further and use reserve funds to tax and regulate marijuana sales, as 66 percent of residents want the Mayor to do. This would not violate congressional prohibitions, as they only apply to appropriated funds. In light of congressional interference in local marijuana policy, a strong majority of D.C. voters view the taxation and regulation of marijuana as a statehood issue for the District. 79 percent of voters likewise believe that when Congress blocks a voter-approved measure officials should use all legal means to implement the measure anyway. Our elected officials have shown willingness to stand up for District residents' rights, as they did when Initiative 71 first took effect, and should do so again. D.C. lawmakers have a unique opportunity to forge the District's path forward, both on marijuana reform and home rule, but it remains to be seen whether they will seize the moment. Kaitlyn Boecker is a policy associate with the Drug Policy Alliance (www.drugpolicy.org) and a resident of DC. Whilst men, women and children continue to drown in our seas as they leave behind their families and possessions in a desperate attempt to reach Europe, the Danish government, with support from the social democrats, has caused quite some stir, as they voted to make it legal to seize valuables from refugees once they arrive on Danish soil. Compassion has been set aside for click-bait politics and hardcore budgeting. Danish politicians, on both sides, have leveled many of their disputes down to a mud-throwing competition on social media. The refugee narrative that the media and politicians are building, wearily lacks concepts of wisdom, strength, and empathy needed to bring the world and its citizens through the toils of war and conflict. Unfortunately, what many seem to forget, is that the harsh critique of the Danish and other European governments' politics is not about how much money they spend on refugees, not how many resources they need to provide for them. No, the critique is hinged on the blunt withdrawal of humanitarian values on which Denmark and Europe laid its modern foundation. Advertisement Thousands of Danes are helping refugees In a quest for humanitarian values that have traditionally been at the core of the Danish welfare state model, thousands of Danish civilians and a plentitude of companies like Danfoss are going against the political tide and are setting up programs to help, educate and hire the new arrivals, many of whom lack a professional network, speak poor English, and only a mere 13% have an education above 9th grade. Without concrete solutions, we will see ten thousands of people on welfare with few, if any chances of being integrated into the European societies. This presents a real challenge to the Danish labor market and economy. Though the toughest of all challenges in a statistic minded Europe, will be to bring our compassion into the core of decision-making for the millions of people who are fighting a battle to bring their loved ones to safety behind European borders. Already in 2013, my organisation Cultura21 Nordic (now Growing Pathways) together with the Association for Social Innovation (FFSI), designed our first sustainable business course in partnership with Danish Red Cross to strengthen refugees' possibilities of becoming integrated into the Danish workforce. We called it "Take Control of Your Life", with emphasis on 'Your'. Asylum seekers attending the sustainable entrepreneurship course 'Take Control Of Your Life'. Photo: Rafael Rybczynski Advertisement When considering that factors such as climate change have the potential to send refugee numbers to over 100 million by 2050, the need for concrete solutions regarding resettlement and redistribution of the world's people and wealth is rather blatant. In this regard, it became vital to provide asylum seekers at the Red Cross centres in Denmark with the entrepreneurial skills for them to become self-sufficient. It was indeed meaningful for all attendees to take small steps together towards mitigating the planetary and humanitarian costs brought about by irresponsible practices. Every human being possesses their own strength Rather than countering the populist political rhetoric that focuses on the seemingly irreconcilable differences between representatives of different cultures, we focused on the power that every human being possesses. The strength to go beyond our limits and create new initiatives that help us regain control of our lives. "Instead of focusing on minimizing the economic and social costs of asylum seekers, we thought of them as potential innovators with purpose and imagination," marks our Educational Director, Oleg Koefoed. As such, the asylum seekers in our sustainable entrepreneurship program visited local companies, and public institutions. They explored the opportunity of collaboration with locals possessing place-specific insights and contributed with their own experience. Advertisement After all, the latest IMF findings, as of January 2016, point out that "the (expected) impact of the refugees on medium and long-term growth depends on how they will be integrated into the labor market". Skilled across borders Fred, a young man of Kenyan origin, came with the dream of carrying out urban reforestation projects. Two days before the end of the course, Fred was sent to back to Italy, his first country of entry into the EU. The team had not heard from him in weeks when we received an email saying that his newly achieved ability to tap into the local community had been such an empowering experience. In fact, the first thing he did when arriving in Italy was to walk into the office of the Italian National Research Council, offering them to start research on the refugee communities in Rome. Assuming that he was allowed to stay in Denmark, what follows is a "fend for yourselves" attitude that creates a rift between the needs, talents and aspirations of refugees and the Danish labour market. With little knowledge about Danish laws, the entrepreneurial scene, and possibilities, integration can seem an impossible task. There can be little doubt that the current refugee crisis, the biggest humanitarian crisis since WWII, causes its fair share of problems for many the world over. Facing this condition, we invited the asylum seekers into a world of change-making, as we all share the responsibility of shaping future sustainable societies with minimal risk of war and natural disaster. Our Choice We, you and me, choose whether to look at a condition as a crisis or as an opportunity. Refugees also bring survival skills, creativity, hope, and a strong will to learn from hardship. Advertisement Alternatively, we, as a society can end up creating welfare clients that face an adaptation struggle. We can easily cultivate the conditions for parallel societies, reduced life expectancy, conflict and ultimately, radicalisation by marginalizing and isolating the newcomers. In 2002, I saw "music therapy" pop up in my Google search results for "careers in music," and thought ~WOW, I'll do that! My parents aren't gonna like that at ALL! Here I am 14 years after that spark of rebellion, and to say that my parents wouldn't have approved was a bit unfair. They are actually incredibly supportive. My journey as a board-certified music therapist has been very rewarding. I've been fortunate to facilitate a drum circle with the US Surgeon General. I've had dinner with Ben Folds and some of my favorite colleagues! I've facilitated drumming experiences with teams at Fortune 500 companies. I founded a company dedicated to showing the world that music therapists are leaders in healthcare. Advertisement But the work that I really love is learning about my colleagues and the brilliant impact they make on their communities every day. That's why in this post, I'm featuring Mary Altom, MT-BC. Mary runs a thriving private practice in Texas called Sound Starts Music. She also provides online resources for parents and educators through Music Therapy Kids. I'm so proud of my colleagues, and I have tremendous respect for therapists like Mary. Here's the story of Jonah, one of Mary's clients. The biggest takeaway is this: Before music therapy, Jonah could not read Braille letters or words. Without music therapy, he has a low tolerance for difficult tasks. Advertisement Here's what Mary has to say about her client Jonah: Jonah is completely blind - born without eyes. He was a preemie born at 21 weeks and adopted by his family. Jonah has had a natural inclination to music for his entire life. He has been able to acquire much of his speech through song. Jonah has perfect pitch and can play songs from memory on the piano. I have worked with him since fall 2007 - initially in the school setting and then privately. We have spent much of our time together learning to read Braille letters and words. Jonah has made tremendous progress with learning the Braille letters using music therapy strategies. He can also read words and sentences. In the beginning we worked on counting, following directions, singing 1-2 word phrases in a song. This evolved into Braille letters and words, identifying coins and counting money. Jonah now uses 2-3 word spontaneous phrases to comment or request. Most recently we have been working on shoe tying. Jonah has low tolerance for frustration. When his other therapists work on this concept, he may get angry or just not respond. They have tried many methods. Adding music is the key to getting Jonah to practice this skill and repeat multiple times. Click play to watch Jonah and learn about the power of music therapy: Advertisement Special thanks goes to Jonah, Jonah's mom and dad, and Mary Altom for permission in sharing this story. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and teachings are an inspiration for anyone who fights for social justice. Shaun Casey, a theologian and savvy political analyst, serves as the first Special Representative for Religion and Global Affairs in the US State Department. At a bold and somewhat improbable meeting of Christian religious leaders in Lagos, Nigeria that took place on January 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US, he linked King's lessons to Nigeria's fight against corruption. The State Department met the next day with a group of Muslim leaders (I was not present for that event). King was a preacher but also a pragmatist. He did not shy away from the grunt work of collecting and working from facts, using them to diagnose the parameters of injustice, and to map out ways to fight it. He stood for the fight against injustice but he also knew how to negotiate and use reason, and then when and how to turn up the temperature. As a leader he understood well the need to look inwards but also to help his colleagues to attend to their own roles and to learn how to sustain the effort that was required to see results. Practicing what is preached and targeting action carefully and strategically are what's needed to succeed. All these lessons echoed in discussing Nigeria's fight against corruption. At the heart of a gathering (organized by the American Consulate and Office of Religion and Global Affairs) were two ideas. The first is that people who follow religious teachings should be less susceptible to the temptations of corruption than those who ignore or are ignorant about the ethics of honest government. It would follow that religious leaders are naturals in fighting for integrity, for impeccably honest public service, and thus for social justice. The second is that corruption fuels much public ire and distrust of governments at all levels. It is fundamentally linked to violence and instability. It was in this spirit that a group of Christian pastors and Muslim imams and scholars were invited to explore how religious leaders might shed light on the root causes of corruption and help to find better solutions. Advertisement Nigeria is sadly quite renowned for high levels of corruption, but it is far from alone. The international think tank, Transparency International, came out last week with its always anticipated Corruption Perceptions Index, that ranks countries from "good" to "bad", based on an elaborate methodology. Nigeria came 136th out of 168 countries. The cost of misallocated funds and efforts are hard to measure precisely but they are tragically high, both in lost chances for education and health, wasted investments, and frayed trust among citizens. Nigeria's President Buhari, in office less than a year, has highlighted his government's commitment to fighting corruption, stressing that this is an all-hands job, involving all sectors. So, the question is, how best can religious leaders contribute to the effort? What aspects are most problematic? What is being done? And how can the religious community come together and work as partners with private companies, universities, governments, and other civil society organizations? A first obvious topic is to identify what religious communities can really do. Their primary business seems rather removed from the nuts and bolts of fighting corruption: clean procurement, proper contract oversight, and rules of conduct for civil servants for example. But the power and influence of religious communities is real, as the moral voice of the community, more trusted than most other leaders and with a literal pulpit. Their media presence is large, they have enormous organizational capacity, and access to diverse groups of citizens including senior government and business leaders. Their moral authority can be powerful in a real sense. Religious leaders exercise power through example (personal leadership and exemplary church financial management, for example) and through their preaching and teaching. Advertisement Looking more towards what might be termed the nitty gritty, it is well understood in the anti-corruption movement that systems matter, a lot. Many systems are involved: electoral systems, public management, and education for example. Religious leaders often have intimate knowledge about these systems and can point to weak points and egregious problems. And they can do still more by working together: there is power in numbers and in organization. Partnership can be powerful. In religious discussions about corruption that I have been part of there are two tendencies. The moral fiber of society is blamed and of course over the long term it is vital. But, assuming that this means starting with very young children and education at home and school, the implication is that the fight will take a long long time. The second is to veer between a focus on mega corruption: large leakage of funds, and vast ill gotten gains stashed in accounts or assets overseas, or the embedded, endemic corruption that affects all citizens: teachers who demand payment, venal police and judges, for example. A first step is to not to get stuck in moral revitalization alone or in undue focus on, for example, the sins of a small number of individuals. The challenges are urgent and they are systemic and that is where religious leaders and institutions have special advantages. They can keep the temperature up and keep a constant eye on results. On all fronts Nigeria's religious leaders have the power to make a difference. They can raise awareness and invest in education for their congregations, calling on civil society organizations to conduct training on financial management, reading and understanding budgets, and highlighting available anti-corruption resources. They can indeed change the moral tone, with stories, inspiration from scripture, example, and forthright willingness to speak truth to those in power. They can ensure that their own houses are in order to have credibility as they challenge public officials and private sector businesspeople. They can point to what is wrong, in systems and in holding leaders to account. And they can work together as part of a civil society that believes in a vision of a society where the welfare of citizens and especially those at the margins, those who suffer, is paramount. They can model the courage and persistence that are needed to fight the unpleasant fight that is required. Advertisement Tragically, pregnancies across the U.S. and around the world are deeply unequal. The outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in Brazil and Latin America and its association with microcephaly reflect this reality. Microcephaly is a condition in which newborns are born with an unusually small head and brain. If they survive, infants often face a lifetime of physical and developmental challenges. During the first trimester of my pregnancy, my partner and I were living and working in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Within days of learning of the virus' presence in the city, we boarded a plane to return to the U.S. Our departure marked the difference between thousands of other parents and us - we had the immeasurable privilege of mobility. Since October 2015, 4,180 cases of microcephaly have been reported in Brazil. A generation of Brazilian children will grow up in need of tremendous support; yet, the medical, scientific, and public health communities have limited knowledge of the virus' association to microcephaly. While the recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization warnings advising pregnant women to postpone travel to countries affected by the virus will hopefully prevent those who would have otherwise traveled for work or pleasure from contracting the virus; women and their partners living in affected countries have little choice but to live in everyday fear. Advertisement My partner and I are grateful that we had resources and citizenship privileges to leave. When our local public health department in the U.S. called to say that I tested negative for Zika, we cried in gratitude. It was an unspeakable relief. But we also feel a real sadness. To make a major life decision that so clearly differentiated our unborn child from thousands of others was painful. Consciously embodying inequality is always uncomfortable; yet, this discomfort may be instructive in a world where we would often rather not look at the ways in which our decisions reproduce entrenched inequities. Pregnancy is a deeply embodied experience. As a researcher of gender and inequality, I am aware of the ways inequality is marked on pregnant female bodies in innumerable ways. Whether in the U.S. or Brazil, privileged, frequently white, middle and upper-class women, such as myself, often spend nine months imagining a nursery, registering for baby gifts, attending prenatal yoga, eating nourishing food, writing a birth plan, and receiving excellent medical care. In contrast, far less-privileged, poor and working-class women, often of color, frequently labor in fields, factories, or other people's homes for the entirety of their pregnancy, placing them at higher risk for environmental and toxic exposure and for the dangers of heavy lifting. They often have limited access to nutritious food and safe drinking water, and receive limited or inadequate medical treatment and preventive care. In many ways, pregnancy marks the beginning of very unequal lives. As with other infectious diseases, risk of exposure to the Zika virus mirrors racial, class, and geographic-based inequalities that run through all aspects of our lives. While mosquitos don't adhere to zip codes or neighborhood boundaries, outbreaks of infectious diseases tend to disproportionately impact poor and vulnerable populations due to the social, economic, environmental, and medical determinants of health. Poor and working-class women are far more likely than middle-class or wealthy Brazilian women to live in communities whose water and sanitation infrastructure has been neglected by the government for decades creating conditions for mosquitos to easily breed, reside in homes without air-conditioning resulting in open windows and doors, and travel to work at dawn and return at dusk when mosquito activity is at its peak. Advertisement As public health officials in Brazil, El Salvador, and other countries tell women to delay pregnancy for up to two years, limited access to affordable contraception, particularly emergency contraception, and strict abortion laws present many women with little recourse. Unfortunately, this leads to an increase in clandestine abortions that pose major health risks to the mother. A Brazilian judge recently began to approve a series of case-by-case legal abortions when a fetus is diagnosed with microcephaly despite intense political and religious opposition. As feminist Sonia Correa has noted, the political approach of governments telling women to avoid pregnancy assumes "women themselves responsible for having or not having babies with microcephaly." This places the onus of responsibility for the condition and its life-long consequences onto women and moves it away from the state, whose insufficient actions since the Zika outbreak, inadequate control of mosquitos during prior mosquito-borne outbreaks, and historical neglect of women's sexual and reproductive health are exacerbating the situation. Moreover, since the outbreak began, women whose infants have been born with microcephaly in Brazil have reported inadequate care and attention by the public health system, which seems unprepared to deal with the crisis. As one mother, Marilia Lima, explained in a story reported on NPR, "We are alone. We have been abandoned by the state." Transgender awareness and its inclusion in mainstream media have been simmering on a steady boil since Jill Soloway's Transparent debuted on Amazon TV in February 2014. Of course the high profile transformation of Olympian athlete Bruce Jenner to Caitlyn Jenner created a media-frenzy in April of 2015 and opened up the eyes of Middle America. Movies such as the Danish Girl will continue to shed light on many transgender issues. Photo by Richard Bilow; Phil Tarley at "ROUND HOLE, SQUARE PEG" debut at 2016 Photo l.a. Arts writer/curator/filmmaker Phil Tarley has been an LGBT activist for over twenty-five years. He is a fellow of the American Film Institute, an artist member of the Los Angeles Art Association, and has hosted numerous events benefitting LGBT organizations. Tarley has curated an exceptional group show titled "ROUND HOLE, SQUARE PEG" featuring exclusive artworks for auction to benefit the Trevor Project (a national crisis intervention and suicide prevention organization providing services to LGBTQ young people). "ROUND HOLE, SQUARE PEG" presented by Artists Corner Gallery and World of Wonder Productions (producer of RuPaul's television show, Drag Race) enjoyed a successful debut at the recent 2016 photo l.a. at the LA Mart on January 22-24. The exhibition moves to the Artists Corner Gallery with an opening art party on Saturday, February 6, from 7-11pm. The exhibition features groundbreaking visual archetypes for the new millennium to embrace. Courtesy of the Artist, Photo by Douglas Kirkland, Andy Warhol's TRASH 16 mm Filmstrip 1970, 16 x 20 C-Print Edition of 10, signed and framed in white wood "When I was a kid, I was literally a Round Hole in a Square Peg," explained Tarley. "I was this weird, literate, very queer child. I got bullied all the time. I hurt a lot, I was on the edge many times and I would have wished for someone to talk to...so I really vibe with the Trevor Project. They save kids' lives. Trevor reaches out to young people and tries to soften up all that pain. That's why I am thrilled to put the art I love in an auction benefit for Trevor." https://www.handbid.com/auctions/trevor-project-artists-corner/?initial-category=5047 Tarley insisted that he is proud to have been an arty gay activist his entire life...from his bad boy days partying at the Mudd Club through his killer-angry Queer Nation and Act UP years making protest art, provocative outsider art has always fired him up. "I love beauty, but pretty pictures without subtext have no meaning for me. Important art has to shred the world's balls. Art has to make us think about who we are in wildly fresh, insightful ways. Queer art has always done that and more, but transsexual art, wow, now that's a whole new wonderment. Round Hole 2016 thrust me up against some stunning, gender-fluid artwork that is sexual, spiritual, loving, and fierce and totally fucking incendiary!" Advertisement Courtesy of Artists Corner Gallery, Photo by Franz Szony, FAMILIARS, 48 x 96 inches, C-Print, Edition of 5, face mounted to plexiglass framed in white wood The event emceed by James St. James (World of Wonder) will feature colorful surprise guest appearances along with a live auction, hosted bar, performance art, film and music by DJ Paul V (Dragstrip 66 / Born This Way Blog). The official premier host is Mia Dinelly (publisher of West Hollywood Lifestyle Magazine) with special guest Eastside goddess divine, Lenora Claire. Performance artist Cassils will present a live introduction of the self-portrait artwork, which she will be donating for the auction. Art in the auction includes work by Andy Moses, Tom of Finland, Arthur Tress, Clive Barker and many talented artists. Finally Tarley added, "In some ways, Andy Warhol feels like the great queer loving father of us all. He is my gay art angel, and I put two images of him in our Trevor Project auction. One is Chris Brown's hand embellished photo of Andy, shot by Karen Bystedt in the 80s, and the other is an amazing photo, shot and donated by Douglas Kirkland, called Andy Warhol's TRASH 16 mm Filmstrip 1970, with Andy, Joe Dallesandro, Jane Furth, and Paul Morrissey. We are thrilled to have Andy's sexy superstar, Joe Dallesandro, as guest of honor at our art party benefit event." Courtesy of Artists Corner Gallery, Hand Embellished Andy Serigraph 2014 (Unique), Chris Brown and Karen Bystedt, 27" x 27" floated in a white wood frame Tickets are $40 (plus fee) and will automatically enter each ticket holder into a live raffle to win "Little Joe" Dallesandro autographed photos and/or memorabilia. Purchase tickets here: http://bit.ly/TrevorProjectBenefit For more information about the exhibition, visit the Artist Corner Galler website at http://www.artistscorner.us/ Advertisement YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan signed a decree on making an amendment to the list of candidates for judges, Armenpress was informed from the Press Service of the Artsakhs Presidents office. A Syrian refugee woman with babies walks towards the border with Serbia from the transit center for refugees near northern Macedonian village of Tabanovce, while on their journey through the so-called Balkan migrant corridor, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016. Greek authorities say neighboring Macedonia has stopped Wednesday letting in refugees heading north to central Europe, leaving about 2,600 people stranded on the Greek side of the border. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Syria's civil war, to which US inaction (early on) and action (indiscriminate bombing later on) have contributed, has created the worst humanitarian crisis in recent memory. According to MercyCorp, 7 million Syrians have been displaced from their homes within Syria and 4 million refugees have fled their war-ravaged country. Turkey is hosting about 2,000,000 Syrian refugees while Jordan is hosting nearly 700,000. One in five people in Lebanon is a Syrian refugee (imagine accommodating a rapid influx of 60,000,000 destitute refugees to the US and you have some sense of the scale of the problems). The greatest nation on earth's response to this horror? An "open door" to a measly 10,000 refugees and a whole lot of fear. Advertisement This collective lack of compassion is rooted in our irrational fears of Islam, ISIS, and terrorism. I want to commend compassion's call to open our doors more widely to our suffering Syrian brothers and sisters, all the while conceding that compassion is by its very nature risky. Yet admitting Syrian refugees is not much of a risk at all. In the fourteen years since 9/11, the United States has taken in 784,000 refugees, only three of whom have been arrested for terrorist-related activities. Those odds predict that less than one of the 10,000 Syrian refugees will be a terrorist. Refugees, after all, are subject to the strictest security checks of any group seeking entry to the United States. Candidates are screened by the National Counterterrorism Center, FBI, DHS, and the State Department. The nine-step screening process restarts whenever a new item of information surfaces. Only 2% of the refugees admitted to the US fit the typical profile for terrorists (men, ages 18 to 30). According to the State Department, the vast majority of refugees admitted are children, women, the sick, and the elderly. Advertisement Moreover, Syrian refugees, fleeing ISIS's barbaric and vicious rule, are not likely to conceal an ISIS spy. The odds of an ISIS terrorist infiltrating the US through the Syrian refugee program are miniscule. Fears of various risks are often disproportionate to the actual threat. Fourteen people (out of 300,000,000 Americans) were killed in Islamist terror attacks in the US in 2015. A US citizen was thousands of times more likely to be killed in St. Louis, Missouri, which is ranked among the 50 most dangerous cities in the world with 59.23 homicides per 100,000 residents. St. Louis was joined on that list by Detroit and New Orleans. Since most of those homicides were due to handguns, it would be vastly more rational to ban handguns and New Orleans vacations than Syrian immigrants. A 2011 study revealed that American citizens are eleven times more likely to be killed by a dog than by a terrorist. Ban pit-bulls? Car-related accidents were the source of over 21,000 deaths in 2013. Yet we don't quake in fear when getting into our cars. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, the source of one in every four deaths. How about a ban on bacon? In the United States, every minute, 24 people (mostly women) are victims of violence by an intimate partner; every day 3+ women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends. Women should fear their partners not death by a Muslim terrorist. We might more reasonably fear Christians than Muslims: right-wing domestic terrorists have killed twice as many as Muslim extremists since the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Advertisement But perhaps, in spite of our best efforts, an ISIS terrorist will slip through. Even assuming an increased risk of ISIS terrorists with the influx of Syrian refugees, Americans should accept the risk. We are a land of immigrants, who at their best, empathize with the plight of immigrants. On the Statue of Liberty we read: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" In compassion, we have lit our lamp and opened our door. As Syrian children are dying on the shores of Greek islands, now is not the time to snuff out our light and slam that door. Finally, US Christians should lead the way in showing compassion towards Syrian refugees in spite of the (exaggerated) risks. Followers of Jesus, who "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd," should not let fear stand in the way of compassion (Matthew 9:36). Perfect love, Christians claim, casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). I rarely cry at movies. But I did a few days ago while watching Spotlight, the film about the Boston Globe's 2002 exposure of Roman Catholic priests who sexually abused children and the prelates who covered up for them. The Globe's story was only the first wave of what became a tsunami of scandal. Fifteen years later, hundreds of similarly sordid cases of clerical misconduct and ecclesial concealment have come to light, not only in the United States but also throughout Europe, Australia, and Canada. Watching Spotlight brought back all the shame, anger, and grief that seared me fourteen years ago when the scandal first broke. The sexual exploitation of children is horrible enough. But that the predators were priests, servants of God revered, trusted, and upheld as role models by the very families they betrayed, was a body blow no one saw coming. For generations of American Roman Catholics, it was simply unimaginable that priests were capable of such things. As one man abused as a child told the Globe, "We were taught that priests were God's representatives on earth. A priest would walk in and nuns would bow." Advertisement Another victim, abused when he was twelve, explained why he never told his parents. Had he said anything bad about a priest, he recalled, his mother would've slapped his face. "No one would believe you in those days. The priests were everything." He and his peers were raised to look upon priests "as separate from the rest of us, as special people, as holy people deserving our respect." Again and again, victims and non-victims alike spoke of the culture of unquestioning deference to priestly authority they'd internalized while growing up, a deference that bordered on idolatry. It was this Father-Knows-Best privileging of clergy that perniciously accommodated and even encouraged clerical abuses of power. Priests who molested grew accustomed to thinking of themselves as untouchable lords of their parishes. Their ecclesial bosses, worried about damage to the Church's reputation if the misbehavior of rogue priests went public, encouraged this attitude by shielding them from prosecution. Pedophiliac priests who got caught by parents were generally sent to diocesan clinics for a few weeks and then assigned to new and unsuspecting parishes where they inevitably began molesting children again. Why did the priests sexually abuse youngsters? A number of explanations have been floated. One is that the vow of celibacy is the culprit. But since the majority of celibate priests aren't molesters, this is unlikely. Another theory, equally unlikely, blames homosexuality. But pederasty has little to do with same-sex attraction. One is a disease, the other an orientation. Advertisement Nor is there strong evidence to support a third hypothesis, that all priests who abuse children were themselves abused by priests. Yet another theory argues that the seminaries attend by the priestly offenders failed to require adequate psychological screening of the young candidates for ordination. This one has some merit. Most likely, no single explanation is sufficient. But what's undeniable is that a Church which encouraged its laity to think of priests as demi-gods, and which moreover accommodated child molesters by allowing them to remain in active ministry, was seriously confused about its mission and priorities. Thankfully, in large part due to the courage of victims who have gone public about their abuse, Rome is finally acknowledging this terrible chapter in its history and laboring mightily to make amends. I'm not a Roman Catholicism basher. As a priest in an independent Catholic jurisdiction, my theology, my sense of liturgy, and my spirituality are similar to those of my Roman sisters and brothers, despite our fundamental disagreements over church polity, same-sex marriage, and the ordination of women. I know that most Roman priests are good and honorable men who would never dream of harming a child, and who grieve as I do over the scandal. Finally, I'm well aware that the Lord cautions us about pointing out splinters in the eyes of others while ignoring the planks in our own. Yet Spotlight forces us to remember a sobering truth: even the fathers can sin, and sometimes sin horribly. And if their religious superiors choose to look the other way, thereby putting Church before Christ and reputation before righteousness, it's not just innocent victims who suffer. The whole Body of Christ is wounded. Christ himself is molested. This post first appeared at Foreign Policy Journal. It is important to begin the process of healing ties between Iraqi Sunnis and Shi'ites. A member of Iraq's counter-terrorism forces monitors his surrounding in a street in Ramadi's Dhubbat neighberhood, adjacent to Hoz neighbourhood, on December 25, 2015. AFP The last seven months of serious combat operations and airstrikes have finally borne fruit. As of the end of last year, Iraqi forces have acquired the city of Ramadi from the Islamic State. In a press release on Dec. 28, he Secretary of State, John Kerry applauded the Iraqis for displaying perseverance and courage in the fight against ISIS. Ramadi, the capital of the province of Anbar, was taken by the Islamic State in May of 2015 after ISIS fighters overwhelmed Iraqi forces, forcing them to retreat. Soon after, the prime minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, proposed a counteroffensive strategy to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, which they supported. Advertisement The successful execution of Al-Abadi's plan allowed the Iraqis to regain control of former government-owned buildings in Ramadi. This victory came as a big blow to the Islamic State, especially following their recent losses in the cities of Baiji and Tikrit in Iraq and Al-Hawl in Syria. Source: Institute for the Study of War However, it may be too early for the international community to celebrate this win, as ISIS is a well-funded, highly-structured organization still operating in many other locales. Their stock of resources is too enormous to be so easily washed away, and the loss of Ramadi may not necessarily mean their defeat. As of this writing, Iraqi forces are said to be in control of about 75 to 80 percent of Ramadi. Some places in the suburbs and on the outskirts of the city are still controlled by ISIS members, and outside observers fear that militants are continuing to terrorize innocent members of the population. What Next for Iraq in the Fight against ISIS Following the recent successes at Ramadi, the international community has been crossing its fingers, anxious to see just how well the Iraqis can resist pressure from ISIS and other militant groups. Authorities on the region have warned that the fight against ISIS is yet to be won. Advertisement Iraqi forces must now conduct a cleanup mission to secure the areas of Ramadi still held by ISIS. These troops will need to sweep the city in search of hidden explosives and booby traps that may have been set by militants during combat. But the government of Iraq will also need to focus on rebuilding the city's infrastructure to its original capacity, to allow displaced persons to resettle. Some cities in Iraq are still run by ISIS, and Mosul is one of the biggest.Taking back Mosul from the Islamic State could majorly set back the group's operations in Iraq, and Al-Abadi had promised to accomplish this. In the meantime, it would be wise for the Iraqi government to consider revising its constitution, such that members of both the Sunni and Shi'ite tribes are assured government positions. The Iraqi government is dominated by Shi'ite Muslims, Al-Abadi being one of them. It would be only fair that Sunni Iraqis, including the tribal fighters that helped to expel ISIS, be assured of their stake in the government. In a bid to win Sunnis over, Al-Abadi has promised to leave Ramadi under the control of local police and Sunni tribal security forces. It is hoped that this move will also bring stability to Ramadi, as many members of the Sunni community do not trust Shi'ites - a problem, given that Shi'ites comprise the majority of Iraqi forces. Some Sunnis are thought to favor the ISIS militants - not because they share ISIS' goals, but because they feel that they have been denied their right to governmental representation. Because of this, the Shi'ite-dominated Iraqi police force could start treating Sunnis as Islamic State members and sympathizers, rather than continuing to protect their rights. To resolve these tensions, it is important to begin the process of healing ties between Iraqi Sunnis and Shi'ites. Those members of the Sunni community who oppose ISIS should engage in a dialogue with their counterparts who support the militant group, in order to stop a possible sectarian conflict. Advertisement As the war's epicenter moves to Mosul, Congress has already allocated $1.6 billion to the Iraq Train and Equip Fund (ITEF). $1.2 billion was assigned to the Iraqi Security Forces, while $24 million was awarded to the country's tribal security force. Despite Kurdish fighters' significant successes against the Islamic state group, a high-ranking Kurdish official in the U.S. told the Huffington Post that additional support is needed from coalition nations. However, they managed to cut off a major supply route between Mosul and Raqqa - a move that, in concert with reinforcements from the global coalition, may be enough to reacquire Mosul. Dislodging ISIS militants from the city would be a severe blow to the terrorist group, as they would no longer have income from taxation and revenue from oil trade there. ISIS will do everything in their power to retain control of Mosul, as they cannot afford to lose such a big source of funding. However, Mosul is also reported to be the biggest area occupied by ISIS in Iraq, and it is situated in an area where militants from both Iraq and Syria are stationed. If ISIS fighters from these two countries combine forces to fight back against the Iraqis, they could cause serious harm to the city and its people. Retaking Mosul may take another year or more. But ISIS still has many resources at its disposal, and continues to operate many countries in different parts of the world. Through its alliance with Boko Haram, the group has already entered Nigeria - the a largest producer of oil in Africa - and is looking to control oil trade. ISIS has also had significant success in acquiring resources in Saudi Arabia, Libya, Yemen, Egypt, and Pakistan, and it retains power in Iraqi and Syrian cities such as Fallujah, Raqqa and Palmyra. The world has cheered the Iraqis' victory in Ramadi, but ISIS as an organization does not lose much from losing control of Iraq and Syria. They still have a great many sources of funding to advance their agenda, and the world will need to wait to see if Iraq can contain ISIS, even with the support of the United States and other countries. Young urban styled couple. Man poses grinning with a heart shaped valentine while girl kisses him on the cheek with one leg kicked up in the air. One day last year, I was sitting on my couch watching TV when I caught a glimpse of my wedding photos. Every time I look at them, all the amazing moments of that day rush back to me. But then it hit me... it hit me that my love story began three years before my wedding day. Those three years prior to my wedding encompassed all the reasons why I had said "I do." I began to do some research to see if anyone was out there helping couples document their love stories and I couldn't find a single person! Then as I told my mom my idea, she remembered an old newspaper clipping of my late grandparents' love story. A local reporter for their hometown newspaper was seeking love stories for a Valentine's Day feature and my grandparents were among a lucky few chosen to have their love story documented. As I read their love story, I learned new details about their relationship that I had never known. My grandpa proposed to my grandma after just two weeks! Advertisement I couldn't help but wonder why couples weren't offered the opportunity to document their love story. Like a wedding dress is to the wedding day, why wasn't a couple's love story a major aspect to their everyday life? So now I write the love stories of everyday couples. And with Valentine's Day only a few weeks away, it's the perfect time to share some real life love stories that make this world tick. Clueless to Convinced She confessed that she usually tells a little white lie when people ask her to name her favorite movie, but in reality it would be something like... "Clueless," he guessed. Stunned, she nodded her head favorably in disbelief that he knew exactly what she was thinking. They had been talking for hours now at Dos Taquitos in Raleigh, North Carolina. Even the waitress commented that they made a cute couple. But this was only their first date. Several hours before, Staci put on her first date attire, a sun dress with parrots on it, and headed out to meet her date for the evening, a podiatrist in the Navy named Joe. Advertisement They had officially met on Match.com several weeks prior, but Joe noticed Staci a full six months before they began talking. He winked at her in the fall of 2013, but she ignored his initial gesture. He decided to give it another try that spring and this time, he caught Staci's eye. "He was very cute and looked fun," she said. "He had goofy pictures and liked some of the same music I did, but there were red flags too. He was in the Navy, politically we weren't on the same page and he lived in Fayetteville, a 45-minute drive from my home in Raleigh." Despite her uneasiness, they began conversing, first on Match through email and then on the phone. Admittedly, Staci isn't a big phone talker, but to her surprise three hours passed in no time and they had cemented a commitment for their first date. Even though he was unfamiliar with Raleigh, Joe took on the planning for their March 22, 2014 first date. They decided on meeting at NC State, Staci's alma mater. She had a class there beforehand and they thought it would be fun to do a tour of the campus. After all, both her and Joe had been campus tour guides during their college years. The tour ended at Tally Student Center where they sat and talked for another 45 minutes before deciding to move onto the next stop of Joe's well-planned date. He picked a restaurant called Centro in Downtown Raleigh for dinner. While on the drive there, Staci told him he was going the wrong way. Joe knew that he was headed in the right direction, but regardless, he let Staci navigate them to her favorite Mexican spot, Dos Taquitos, anyway. Their date ended around midnight after a nightcap at Hibernian Irish Pub and Joe drove Staci back to her car. They hugged and said goodnight. Advertisement As she was driving away, Staci realized she had something of Joe's. Earlier that night, he had let her borrow his watch and never got it back. Staci ran to Joe's car to give it to him when he said, "Dang, I was going to use that to get a second date!" With the rose he gave to her on the passenger seat, she drove off feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Days after the first date, Staci was torn. She felt a strong connection with Joe. Their conversation flowed easily. It was almost like they could finish each other's sentences, but her initial unease with his military lifestyle grew even stronger. They had discussed what a life in the military would mean for Staci -- her curiosity became too overwhelming not to discuss, even if it were just the first date. She found out that he'd be moving in October 2015. For Staci, moving out of Raleigh seemed completely unfathomable. Her friends, her family, her whole life was there. As she pondered whether dating Joe made sense, the rose he gave to her on their first date was now starting to wilt. She couldn't bring herself to throw it away so she placed it in the freezer. She couldn't help that her heart and her head were sending mixed signals. Staci accepted a second date with Joe. But it didn't go as well as the first. She woke up that morning feeling sick, but decided not to cancel. They met at Chow for trivia night and things didn't get any better. She had given up beer for lent so she had to order wine at a beer bar and to make matters worse, she ran into several people she knew, but felt uncomfortable introducing Joe to her friends on their second date. "It was a awful," Staci admitted. "At the end of the date, I didn't want him to kiss me because I was feeling so terrible. I backed away from him and said, 'see you later' with a punch." Advertisement A couple days later, Staci texted Joe and asked him for a third date, regretting how things had ended previously. Unfortunately, he was on call the next weekend. Not deterred, Staci said she'd be happy to meet him in Fayetteville and that weekend they ate BBQ and watched Despicable Me. The movie ended not long before midnight and Staci had to head back to Raleigh. "Joe, are you going to make me kiss you?," she said boldly, needing to find out if he could be more than a friend. Then he leaned in for the kiss. The kiss solidified everything for Staci. She was smitten and decided to give this relationship a chance. On their fourth date at Fullsteam Brewery, the couple drew a map on their whiteboard bar top and dreamed about their future together. Weeks later, Joe asked Staci to come with him to his hometown of Pittsburgh and be his date to a wedding of a friend of his from podiatry school. For Joe, this trip would become the most defining moment in their relationship to date. Set to fly out of RDU on one of the last flights that evening, Joe and Staci headed to the airport, but with a big storm on the horizon, their flight was delayed until the next morning and they needed to fly out that night. Under a stressful situation, Joe and Staci remained calm, assessed the situation and decided to drive to Charlotte and catch a flight from there. "I really appreciated how cool and calm Staci was," Joe said. "We were very much in control of the situation together. It meant a lot to me how she was able to roll with it and we could deal with a stressful situation with ease." Advertisement At Joe's Pittsburgh home, Staci fit in like a charm. She sat on the porch talking to Mrs. "M" like they had done it a thousand times before. Dr. "M" served drinks while everyone enjoyed each other's company. Later that evening, Joe and Staci attended the wedding reception (they had missed the ceremony because of the flight delay), but Joe forgot to RSVP for Staci. Luckily, someone else's date cancelled at the same table where Joe was seated and a potentially awkward situation turned out to be another sign that Joe and Staci were meant to be. The return car ride home from the Charlotte airport was an emotional trip. It was June 15, evaluation day. They both put it all on the table and attempted to answer the "is this going somewhere" question. Pulling into Staci's driveway, with tears flowing down her cheeks, the fear of the unknown was getting to her. It was then that Joe leaned over and whispered those three little words, "I love you." ******** "We have to watch the sunrise," Joe said to Staci after returning from the black tie gala New Year's Eve celebration on the USS Yorktown. They were at the beach in Isle of Palms near Charleston at Joe's family's condo. "It's good luck to see the sunrise on the first day of the year." Joe got up 0700 on New Year's Day to the sound of his alarm, made coffee and dragged Staci out of bed. She wasn't too inspired to get up that early, but he eventually convinced her and they found a place on the beach to watch the sunrise. He turned to her and said, "I could get used to watching the sunrise with you every day." Staci returned the nice sentiment, "Me too." Then he looked into her eyes and asked, "Should we make this official?" Advertisement Without even seeing the ring Staci said, "Yes, yes, yes!" He pulled out the ring and Staci started crying but managed to say, "You have to put it on my finger!" My whole life I grew up hearing about the feuding drug cartels and cocaine trade of Colombia. I had the fear of God put in me by my mother to never go there and that it was too dangerous, especially for a single girl to travel around. To be honest that was ALL I ever heard about the country and to make matters worse, I got hooked watching the Narcos series on Netflix. Watching Narcos wasn't all bad though. I admit it may have added even more Colombian stereotypes to my already limited knowledge of the country, but watching the show and all of its cinematic aerial shots of Medellin, the Amazon, and the countryside made my Wanderlust and curiosity go into overdrive. While the mystique surrounding Pablo Escobar has grown over the last two decades, the criminal entity he founded, the Medellin Cartel, no longer exists. I'm all about creating my own opinions firsthand by just GOING to a foreign country. I find that most Americans make up their minds about places and cultures without ever experiencing them firsthand and I have always vowed to personally break that pattern and to educate myself. I realized that the best way for me to get over my fear of traveling to Colombia was by... traveling to Colombia. At first I started planning this trip with my girlfriend and fellow photographer Jodee Debes. We figured we should see Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena, the jungle, and end our trip with some Caribbean islands off the Northern Coast...basically we wanted to get a sampler of each region of the country. With our Spanish skills, we booked hotels and rental cars with no problems...until my mother heard of our plans. She was very upset that we planned on traveling alone AND especially that we planned on driving. After some convincing and due to our limited time there, we decided to cancel the long drives and do jumper flights between the cities and then just rent cars when we were there. We also decided to invite my boyfriend Winston and another friend Markus to come join us to have some Guardaespaldas with us, AKA bodyguards in Spanish. In retrospect, this ended up definitely being the way to go, since jumper flights within Colombia are less than $75 each way and a one hour flight saves you 8 hours of driving. What I am about to share with you are the hidden gems of Colombia and a few helpful tips if you are planning to go there. Advertisement I started this trip having no idea what this country had to offer. I had fear about going there and especially I had trepidation about going to Medellin, Pablo Escobar's home base and hide out for many years. It's hard to believe that only 15 years ago it was voted one of the most dangerous places on Earth. Instead, now I found a country rich with beauty and kind people who are working hard to rebuild their homes and lives after such violence that they grew up with. I found love, adventure, culture, and so much natural beauty. I found people who traded their complicated lives to live out their days on one of the many small islands off the Caribbean Coast. But mostly, I changed my entire attitude and opinion about Colombia and would love to come back again and explore even more. I love that I can share my photos and adventures in hopes that I can change a few more attitudes of Americans out there that I am sure feel the same way I felt before. So many Colombians are exhausted of the dark, complicated legacy that Pablo Escobar left for their country. Especially for this reason, I want to share what I found to be the eight best hidden secrets of Colombia. 1.La Sal de Catedral or The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira About an hour and a half outside of the capital city of Bogota, there is an underground Roman Catholic Church built within the tunnels of an old Salt Mine. The tunnels date back to the 5th century BC and once you climb 600 feet underground you will find cavern after cavern carved out with altars and massive crucifixes. It took over 20 years for the miners to carve these sanctuaries and you can spend hours in the labyrinths of the caves, learn how to mine salt, and even grab cocktails and check out art inspired by the caves in their attached underground bar! Advertisement 2.Riding Cuatrimotos or ATV's around the countryside of Medellin I had no idea what to expect when we first landed in Medellin. Based on it's dark past of violence during Pablo Escobar's reign, I wasn't expecting to find it to be such a beautiful, rural city. The entrance into Medellin is so dramatic and picturesque that we were inspired to take a tour to see the gorgeous countryside. And what is a better way to do this than on ATV's? Imagine the city of Medellin set in the vibrant green backdrop of jungle and mountains. The city itself is shaped like a bowl where the main buildings of the city are at the bottom of the bowl and they are surrounded by hillsides covered with barrios and small communities. So when you first arrive at the airport you drive on windy roads over mountaintops and then descend into the city surrounded with 360 degree views of the mountains that twinkle at night with thousands of lights. It is truly spectacular! We decided to make an adventure out of it and rent ATV's for an entire afternoon (which was easy to do via what's app through their website Medellin Adventure Trails) An hour later we were zooming through rivers and jungles, quaint villages, and on rocky mountain roads in areas that you couldn't reach by car. We stopped so many times to take photos and we even stopped for lunch at a trout farm and enjoyed cool beers in the shade. Honestly, Medellin was such a pleasant surprise and far exceeded my expectations! 3.Visiting Parque Biblioteca de Espana (The Spanish Library) Over the last 21 years, the city of Medellin has worked very hard to rid itself of it's violent reputation by aggressively focusing on urban development. Part of this "urban revival" was to hold a contest with famous architects from all over the world to design innovative spaces within some of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in the hillsides of Medellin. One of those buildings is called the Spanish Library and was designed by Giancarlo Mazzanti from Barranquilla. The library consists of three modern, monolithic buildings connected by a plaza and they dramatically rise above the surrounding neighborhood of Santo Domingo. You can reach it either by taxi or the Metrocable gondola that can carry you up the mountain. When we arrived at night on December 1st, it just happened to be a famous holiday in Colombia where everyone puts out their Christmas lights at once and set off fireworks around the city at midnight. Even though Santo Domingo is still one of the poorest neighborhoods in Colombia, they have million dollar views that rival the Hollywood Hills at night! 4.Tayrona National Park and its many natural treasures Tayrona National Park is about a 4 hour drive from Cartagena on the Northern Caribbean Coast of Colombia and has some of the most beautiful private beaches in South America. Most of the park is in the jungle with hiking trails that lead to ancient ruins of a lost city, waterfalls where you can spend the days swimming and cliff jumping, or even private beaches where you can rent a hammock for the night or camp out and swim or surf. We stayed at Villa Maria Tayrona, an eco lodge up in the canopy of the jungle where some of the villas you have to walk across a suspension bridge to get to. We saw all kinds of wildlife from Monkeys to tropical birds and it was a perfect relaxing getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. One of my favorite days of the entire trip was hiking through the jungle to La Piscina, a private beach inside of the national park. Along the hike, the indigenous Kogi people would cut open coconuts for you to have fresh water while you were hiking and you could stop and eat a delicious lunch at a local restaurant that you can only get to by hiking in 2 hours through the jungle. Advertisement 5.Cartagena- Ciudad Amurallada or The walled-in city Cartagena to me is the most beautiful city in all of Colombia and one of the easiest for tourists to visit. Many people spoke English there where we did not find that to be the case in the rest of the country, so it was a lot easier to get around if you are a tourist. Located on Colombia's northern coast on the Caribbean Sea, it used to be a Spanish colony and one of the first sanctuaries for freed African slaves. Now, you can find colorful Spanish colonial style-buildings, cobblestone streets with quaint horse carriages that serve as taxis, and many fancy restaurants, clubs and hotels. The nightlife and vibe of Cartagena is that of the Caribbean and has awesome local cuisine and cumbia and salsa dancing. It's definitely MY kind of city; vibrant and alive with color and culture. It was a photographer's paradise to walk around the old part of the city. 6.Climb inside El Totumo Mud Volcano I had never even HEARD of a mud volcano till I came to Colombia, but it's a real thing! Mud volcanoes do not produce lava, but it is a fissure in the ground that continuously exudes a heated mud-like substance from deep within the Earth. The locals believe this mud to be healing and good for your skin, so it has become sort of a spa activity to do where you can float in the mud and get a massage. When you first arrive you have to climb up a 50 foot staircase and then climb inside of the volcano in the mud. What was so cool about this mud was that it was so dense, that similar to the Dead Sea you can't sink in it if you tried. You just float on the surface making it easy to just lay there while someone massages your legs and feet! The experience is then followed by a scrub down by local women in a nearby lagoon to remove the mud. Even with that, we were still finding mud in our ears for days afterwards, but it was SO worth the experience! Advertisement 7.Rent a boat to tour the 27 Rosario Islands off the coast of Cartagena Escape Cartagena for the day and take a trip to the Rosario islands, about 1 hour off the Caribbean coast. This magnificent archipelago of islands are their own little private community where some of the islands are literally just large enough to have a small house on them floating out in the middle of the ocean and only accessible by boat. You can rent a house and stay out there or do as we did and take a day trip. As you approach the islands, local fisherman row up to you and hold up live lobsters and seafood that they just pulled out of the ocean to sell to you. You can jump off your boat and snorkel some of the many coral reefs around there in clear, turquoise waters and do a wide variety of water activities. One of my favorite parts was stopping on one of the islands for a traditional Colombian lunch, where while you waited for your meal to arrive you can lay down on a sarong and get massaged on the sand by local women. It was the ultimate day of relaxation and pampering under the Caribbean sun! 8.Scuba diving off San Andres Island A short jumper flight from Cartagena can bring you to San Andres Island, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and a scuba diver's paradise. We came here to explore this island and all of it's natural beauty that has been fought over for centuries by Spain, Colombia, Panama and Peru. We went kayaking through the mangroves, scuba diving, and rented a scooter to explore the island, but our favorite adventure was taking a boat to El Acuario to find their favorite local hang out, Bibi's Place. El Acuario is a tiny island that once you get off the boat, you then have to walk through the ocean waist deep and carry your bags military style to get to another island that is only 2 acres large. It's just large enough to have a private beach and a small reggae bar haven called Bibi's Place. Here you can relax in the sun, listen to a live band, and eat fresh seafood. It is one of the Caribbean's best kept secrets and such a magical place to spend the day My husband, who was a math major in college, received this text from our daughter, who is a veterinarian with strong math skills: "If dad is bored, he can think of a word with uppercase letters that has 5 acute angles, 2 obtuse angles and 5 right angles." This is her third grade daughter's homework. It took my husband twenty minutes to come up with LANE. My daughter also thought of VALVE. But here's the point. It was a child's homework assignment and there was no way she could ever have done it herself. My fourth grade granddaughter recently asked me what I was thinking to write for my next blog post. She has strong opinions and great suggestions, so I turned the question back to her, and she told me that even with an excellent and innovative teacher that she loves, it is hard to stay focused on the work all day. She shared that sometimes her orchestra music plays in her head when she is supposed to be listening. Many of her friends need balloons filled with material that makes them squishy or balls of play dough to keep them from feeling bored and frustrated. I think we grownups would call those objects stress relievers. This is for nine-year-olds. But if we really want to see the state of education and what we have done to our young children in school, let's go back to the beginning. I recently led a discussion for parents whose children will start public school kindergarten this fall. I tried to walk a fine line between reassuring them and making them aware of inappropriate practices so they could advocate for all children, including their own. Advertisement I cautioned parents that the latest research supports that kindergarten is definitely the new first grade and its goal was to produce readers, regardless of whether children were developmentally ready or not. In the end, however, I encouraged the parents to attend the kindergarten orientation meeting at their local school to form their own opinions. A parent who dutifully attended the orientation, even though it was for his second child, declared, "I can say that kindergarten is now the new second grade. Not at all OK. Not at all right. Depressed." Others confirmed his observation. There were no toys or blocks or "make believe" stations. Instead, he saw only words and numbers, despite research that reveals this approach is inappropriate for five-year-olds. Parents joined him in their dismay not just about kindergarten but over the way our schools treat our young learners all the way through elementary school. They described beautiful playgrounds barely used because children were kept indoors during the 20-minute recess allotted to them. Not too cold, but too icy. And they do get a daily dose of structured P.E., so they get some exercise, right? The facts that children need to be outside and free to play, develop their own games, learn important social skills, and figure out how to relate to their peers seem beside the point. Research tells us recess is important. Children actually attend better and learn more when given the opportunity to run and socialize. Recess is beneficial to children's physical and mental health. And one 20-minute recess is not nearly enough. Advertisement Even when the weather permits the one brief recess the kids in my community get, there are children who are denied this important break in the daily grind that is school these days because they are being punished for a variety of offenses. When a school board member in my community, supported by many parents, suggested a policy that banned withholding recess as a punishment, the blowback was huge. Teachers and administrators and even many school board members hated the idea. What other threat would schools have in their arsenal to punish kids who act out or don't do their homework? Never mind that many of these students are the very ones who need recess the most. I had hoped this proposal was so innocuous that everyone would agree recess is the right of every child. The only exception that makes sense is to deny recess on a given day to children who endanger themselves or others at recess. That's a logical consequence for inappropriate behavior. Otherwise, there must be a better logical consequence for children who don't complete homework or school work or who act out in class. Yes, I naively thought this recess-as-a-right policy was so obvious it would be simple to implement it. Then we could move on to draconian lunchroom policies (no talking, wearing winter coats while eating, being told to hurry, etc.) and to homework policies that make sense and are supported by actual research. My bad. We never even got to first base. In 1988, Congress passed an omnibus bill that included a federal funding ban on needle exchange programs. This ban continued despite scientific reports demonstrating the effectiveness of such programs in preventing HIV and hepatitis infections among intravenous drug users. President Obama repealed the ban in 2009 only to have Congress reinstate it in 2012. About 200 programs across the U.S. exist through a combination of local, state, and private funding. A recent HIV outbreak in Indiana has highlighted the need for needle exchange. Last year, rural Scott County experienced a sudden increase in HIV infections that reached a peak of 184 new cases. Republican Governor Mike Pence, a vocal opponent of needle exchange, declared a state of emergency and approved a temporary program to combat the outbreak. Health officials criticized the response, pointing to the Governor's delay in waiting until the spread of HIV had reached epidemic proportions and his eventual legislation that limited needle exchange to treating emergencies rather than preventing outbreaks. Faced with unprecedented opioid use the highest Hepatitis C infection rate in the country, Kentucky became the first Southern state to legalize needle exchange programs in 2015. It is not coincidence that two Kentucky Republicans (Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky and Sen. Mitch McConnell R-Ky) recently supported a change to federal funding ban. Tucked in the omnibus spending bill approved last month by President Obama was language effectively ending the federal ban on needle exchange programs. Funds can now be used to pay for vans, staff, and all supplies except for the needles and syringes themselves. Advertisement This policy reversal is surprising but gratifying. Jurisdictions that have conducted needle exchange have decades of data to demonstrate their efficacy. In Baltimore, our Health Department has distributed more than 8 million clean syringes in twenty years, preventing tens of thousands of infections. The percentage of HIV diagnoses attributed to drug use has fallen from nearly 63% to an all-time low of 11%. Nearly 4,000 clients are served by needle exchange every year; these clients also receive on-the-spot HIV testing, counseling, and referral to addiction services. In Washington, D.C., the average monthly rate of HIV infections among drug users dropped by nearly 70% after they began needle exchange in 2008. Within the last two years alone, D.C.'s needle exchange program prevented 120 new cases of HIV infection and saved an estimated $44 million of taxpayer dollars. Studies from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization unambiguously illustrate that needle exchange decreases disease transmission and does not increase drug use. Lifting the federal ban provides much needed support for existing programs and paves the way to funding new ones. While this shift in policy is encouraging, public health leaders and advocates still have much to do to ensure this evidence-based intervention is implemented nationwide. According to the North American Syringe Exchange Network, 33 states and the District of Columbia currently operate needle exchange programs; however, only 17 states currently explicitly authorize these programs while 14 states have removed syringes from their definition of drug paraphernalia. That means that needle exchange remains illegal in many states, including Pennsylvania, Florida, and West Virginia. Allowing for their legal operation will save lives and money: the CDC estimates that new cases of HIV in Scott County will cost at least $100 million to treat. Furthermore, existing programs should consider expanding from one-for-one needle and syringe exchange. In 2014, the Maryland State Legislature authorized Baltimore City's Health Department to expand distribution to as many syringes as patients need, following the lead of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Research demonstrates that such programs are effective at preventing disease and do not increase drug use or syringe littering. Advertisement The rise in opioid use across the country must also be accompanied by an understanding that addiction is a disease and that there needs to be high-quality, on-demand treatment for addiction including medication-assisted treatment and psychosocial support. Recently, the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on the opioid abuse epidemic; there is urgent need for bipartisan legislation that will prevent and treat addiction based on science and evidence. Donald Trump dares to say out loud what many people secretly think. Its a dark secret some people never share because they know its so offensive. Sometimes they say it only when they feel safe, when theyre among like-minded family members or with friends trying to drown financial fear in mugs of beer. Working America, the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO, talked to white workers in hardscrabble communities in Pennsylvania and Ohio over the past two months and found huge, as Donald Trump would put it, support for the Republican frontrunner, even among Democrats. Backers said they admired Trump for speaking his mind. What they really meant was that Trump spoke their minds. As one woman put it, He says what most of us are thinking. Americans are cash-strapped and fearful. Theyve been working hard, following the rules and falling behind. Theyre looking for someone to blame. Thats when they think of the other, the black guy, the brown guy, the woman, the Muslim, the gay, the person they dont really know, the person a little different from them who they suspect must have taken their job or promotion or opportunity. Advertisement Like a preacher of prejudice, Trump validates cursing the nations marginalized and accusing them of emptying workers bank accounts. Trump tells workers to point a finger at undocumented immigrants. He sermonizes excluding desperate refugees based on religion. This high priest of hate urged Trumpeters to stomp a Black Lives Matter activist seeking equal rights. Fight among yourselves! Fight among yourselves, he urges. Image by Thierry Ehrman on Flickr. Trump was born a one percenter. He went to an exclusive private school and college. His rich daddy gave him a big fat business loan to get him started. He benefited from multiple bankruptcies, the use of low-paid undocumented workers on his construction projects, tax breaks, tax havens and special rules and deals for the super-rich. Wealth created by the productivity of laborers like those Working America interviewed in Pennsylvania and Ohio flowed up to him. He got richer; their wages stagnated. Now, hes a billionaire telling them that dirt poor Hispanics caused their problems. He says, Dont blame private-jet-owning one percenters like me! Blame those struggling immigrants! Its a topsy-turvy Trump world. It is a world, however, where workers economic anxieties are totally legitimate. For three decades after World War II, as worker productivity increased, so did their compensation. Productivity rose 97 percent; wages 91 percent. This was a time of shared prosperity. The good times ended in the early 1970s, however. From 1973 to 2013 hourly compensation of the typical worker grew just 9 percent while productivity jumped 74 percent. Advertisement People like Trump, the already wealthy, benefitted from the difference. They took for themselves virtually all of the wealth that flowed from productivity growth. This terminated shared prosperity and spawned grotesque income inequality. It is the real reason for worker anxiety. If pay had kept pace with productivity, the average income of the middle 60 percent of American households in 2007, just before the Great Recession, would have been $94,310 instead of the $76,443 it actually was, according to calculations by the Economic Policy Institute. That extra $18,000 a year would have staved off foreclosure for millions. But workers didnt get that money; the wealthy like Trump did. So, instead, Americans bailed out Wall Street and Wall Street foreclosed on their homes. And now Trump urges Americans to blame everything on immigrants. And Muslims. And Black Lives Matter. Since the 1970s, as workers produced more but got virtually nothing in their paychecks to show for it, the rich like Donald Trump grew fabulously, outrageously, repulsively richer. The anti-poverty charity Oxfam reports annually on the growing chasm between The Donalds and the downtrodden. In 2010, for example, it determined that the worlds 388 richest people had as much wealth as the poorest half of the worlds population. Advertisement This year, it found that 62 super-rich people had accumulated sufficient wealth to equal everything owned by the poorest half 3.6 billion humans. Oxfam explained part of what happened is that since 2010, the poor lost $1 trillion in wealth while the super-rich 62 gained $542 billion. Thats not just a little trickle of money dripping from the pockets of billions of poor people into the tax-sheltered secret bank accounts of the repulsively rich. It is a raging torrent. Donald Trump, a billionaire who opposes raising the minimum wage, now at the poverty level of $7.25 an hour, is holding himself out to working people as the man who will stand as a dam against that torrent. By building a wall to keep out immigrants. It is rules like a poverty-level minimum wage that make guys like Donald Trump richer. He can pay $7.25, which is too little to live on, to Trump hotel maids, who then must rely on food stamps and Medicaid to feed their children and keep them healthy. The hotel workers could be condemned as welfare mothers. But its Trump who is the beneficiary. Employers who provide inadequate pay and benefits expect American taxpayers to make up the difference. Then the rich employers pocket the profits. Advertisement And Trump has promised to keep it that way. He actually said American wages are too high. Despite that, when Working America canvassed 1,689 people on their front porches, it found Trump had more support than any other candidate at 18 percent. The canvassers found workers to be deeply fearful about the economy and eager to engage in conversation, often for extended lengths of time. That does not bode well for The Donald who loves to talk at people and to summarily fire them but who hardly has a reputation as a great listener. And some workers were repulsed by the billionaires rhetoric. One Ohio man told canvassers, Trump is a clown. Another said he was afraid Trump could start a war with his mouth. Fifty-three percent of those interviewed remained undecided about a Presidential candidate and two-thirds of Trump supporters said they were willing to reconsider. Advertisement At a January 21, 2016 press conference on the campus of Lehigh University, a statement was released addressing the rising tide of harsh anti-Muslim rhetoric that has become a troubling part of contemporary political and media discourse. Forty-three religious leaders, including bishops and judicatory heads, rabbis and cantors, college and university chaplains and senior pastors of independent churches or leaders of other religious bodies in the Lehigh Valley signed the statement, with many of the signatories offering remarks at the press conference. The statement of support for Muslims was not directed at any individual or group but at attitudes that are contrary to ideals widely shared in America about religious people from different traditions respecting one another and living together in peace. The statement is positive in its support for Muslims in the local community. It is positive in its support of the First Amendment that protects the free exercise of religion for all Americans. It is positive in reaffirming the value of tolerance of diverse viewpoints and the commitment to religious pluralism in what scholar Diana Eck has identified as the "world's most religiously diverse nation." As one of the authors of the statement, I offered in my remarks at the press conference these words that had come to me from a Muslim friend, "In my four decades plus years of living in the U.S., this is the first time that I feel apprehension being Muslim. In hindsight, it appears that period of 9/11 and its immediate aftermath was mild compared to the present moment." The anti-Muslim rhetoric is causing pain, and leaders representing a broad inter-religious community that included, among others, Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Christians; Buddhists; and Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist Jewish leaders sought to address that pain with a statement of solidarity with local Muslims. The statement released reads as follows: Advertisement Statement of Support for Muslims in the Lehigh Valley by Community Religious Leaders Troubled that anti-Muslim rhetoric is spreading in the media and that attitudes of hostility toward Islam are on the increase in the United States, we affirm the right of Muslims to practice their religion freely and without fear or intimidation. We call on all citizens who believe in religious liberty to stand in solidarity with our Muslim neighbors that they might be assured of support from the larger inter-faith community of which they are so vital a part. Accordingly, we, the undersigned, who are leaders in the religious community of the Lehigh Valley, offer our names in support of the following affirmations: 1. That Muslims who live in the Lehigh Valley community as neighbors and friends have a right to live free from fear and intimidation; 2. That the First Amendment stands as the foundation upon which has been built the world's most religiously diverse nation, and that infringing the religious liberty of one group diminishes the rights of all; 3. That respecting the right of all people to exercise religious belief and practice in a context of peaceful co-existence is not only a legal but a moral imperative, and that hate-filled speech and actions that threaten the personal safety or the dignity of others constitute a form of violence, which has no place in an open, free and religiously pluralistic society; Advertisement 4. That our religious traditions have themselves endorsed the importance of showing hospitality to the newcomer and that all people in new settings are in need of welcome, hospitality, friendship and peace; 5. That Muslims, who have themselves been the subjects of terrorist attacks throughout the world, deserve the protections of law and the good will that citizens in the United States afford to each other. As religious leaders we affirm the need for dialogue among people of diverse religious traditions, and we urge members of our community, whether or not they are religious, to study and learn about Islam and other religions. We affirm the values that we cherish as Americans: free inquiry, respectful encounter with others, tolerance of diverse viewpoints and peaceful co-existence among a wide array of religious bodies, groups and organizations. We celebrate the diversity of our religious community and the good will of citizens in the Lehigh Valley. * * * YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. In July, 2016 the authorities of Switzerland will hold a referendum by which citizens of the country will decide, whether they monthly want to receive 2500 Swiss francs (about 2500 euros), irrespective of their earnings or its absence. Minors will receive 625 francs a month if citizens on a referendum support this initiative, Armenpress reports. The idea standing behind this law consists in destroying communication between the income and employment. Thus showed the sociological survey conducted in Switzerland that most of people intend to continue to work even if the income will be guaranteed to them. Only 2% of respondents answered that will leave the work if the law passes on a referendum. In November, 2015 Finland announced the program of the unconditional income. After its start each citizen of the country will receive 800 euros a month from the state just like that. At the initial stage, payment will make 550 euros a month, and then800. The government plans to finish the project till November, 2016. For the first time the idea was stated by the prime minister - the minister of the country of Yukh Sipil and assumed that the unconditional income will become good replacement of social insurance. FILE -- This Feb. 24, 2013 file photo shows a general view of the Jewish settlement of Maaleh Adumim, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry set off an uproar in Israel on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, after warning that Israel, through its continued West Bank occupation, will become a "binational state." The U.S., the international community and many Israelis have endorsed the "two-state solution" a establishing a Palestinian state and ending Israel's control over millions of Palestinians in territories occupied in the 1967 war. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File) The U.S. and the entire world do not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Every U.S. administration, Republican and Democrat, since 1967 has opposed settlement construction in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. These settlements violate the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, international law and the United Nations Resolutions, particularly UNSC Resolution 446 adopted on March, 1979. Despite America's longstanding position considering Israeli settlements illegitimate, successive administrations have done very little to stop the expansion of the settlement enterprise. Israel continues to build these settlements unabatedly, precisely because America's position is void of any substantive action. Advertisement The settlement enterprise in occupied Palestine remains a major obstacle to peace because it swallows up Palestinians land, restricts Palestinian access to natural resources, destroys the social and economic fabric of Palestinian society, breeds violence similar to what has been taking place in recent months, and above all, jeopardizes the creation of a viable, contiguous and sovereign Palestinian State. Recent reports have unveiled that scores of American organizations and individuals are using U.S. tax loopholes to subsidize illegal settlements. Between 2009 and 2013 alone, more than $220 Million dollars of tax-exempt money was funneled into settlements and Israeli nonprofits by at least 50 American organizations acting under the guise of charitable nonprofits, known as 501(c)(3) organizations, according to Uri Blau, an investigative journalist with Haaretz. One example of a nonprofit organization, to which Americans contribute tax-deductible donations, is Honenu. A self-described Zionist legal aid organization, Honenu offers assistance to Jewish extremists convicted of murdering Palestinians and supporting terrorism. One of Honenu's clients is Elisha Odess -- an American citizen arrested under suspicion of participation in the firebombing of the Dawabsheh house in Duma, West Bank in July 2015 that killed an infant and his parents. American extremism in the West Bank is not unique and contributes to growing tensions between Palestinians and illegal settlers. Sara Hirschhorn, a research lecturer and fellow at the University of Oxford, has revealed that out of the 600,000 Israeli settlers illegally squatting on occupied Palestinian land, 60,000 in the West Bank are Americans (more than the number of Americans in Afghanistan and Iraq combined), making up 15 percent of the settler population. Advertisement Efrat, for example, is a settlement between Jerusalem and Hebron, that is heavily concentrated with American settlers. Many of these illegal settlers partake in organizing and executing violent campaigns against Palestinians. These include the burning of olive orchards, grossly racist vandalism, firebombing property, and public marches promoting hatred and violence chanting disgusting expressions like "Death to Arabs." Others are soliciting donations expressly to fund and support occupation activities. American financial and physical presence in Israeli settlements, paired with the lack of appropriate action by successive administrations, not only encourages the Israeli right-wing government to build more settlements, but also erodes the prospect of a viable Palestinian State in line with the two-states solution, a cornerstone of US Middle East Policy. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, an ardent supporter of illegal settlement activity, repeatedly claims that he has built less settlements than his predecessors. Regardless of numbers, the center issue is the principle of building settlements. Netanyahu built an average of 3,000 settlement units a year in his first term (1996-2000). When he took office again in 2009, he built an average of 1,500 units per year (almost 9,000). In October 2015 alone, he approved 2200 new settlements and in recent weeks 3200 more units in area E1 of occupied East Jerusalem were also approved. E1 is particularly critical because it separates the West Bank from Jerusalem and threatens to sever the northern half of the West Bank from its southern half, compromising Palestinian territorial contiguity. The growth in settler population across the West Bank on hilltops and inside cities increases violence. In the last decade alone, settlers have committed more than 11,000 attacks against Palestinians and their properties. The settlers' continuous presence also entrenches the occupation further, as is the case in the Palestinian city of Hebron. The city has 200,000 Palestinians and 850 settlers in their midst who severely restrict their freedom of movement, stifle their economy, and subjugate them to martial law. In fact, to protect themselves, Palestinian residents of the town surround their homes by barbwires and metal fences. After years of impunity for the Israeli government's illegal activities and settlers who commit violent crimes, it is time the US administration held Israel accountable by taking meaningful steps to send a clear message to Israel to stop its violations of international law and U.S. policy. The United States could enhance and enforce its policy concerning labels of Israeli settlement products (issued in April, 1995), which requires "goods which are produced in the West Bank and Gaza Strip shall be properly marked and shall not contain the words 'Israel,' or 'Made in Israel.'" Advertisement Another step the U.S. could pursue includes issuing an advisory warning against travel, emigration and investment in illegal Israeli settlements. With settlers' violence on the rise, and scores of extremists positioning themselves in the settlements, taking such a step would significantly reduce tensions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Drying up the sources of funds subsidizing settlements coming from tax-exempt dollars is another essential step. The United States has in the past taken action against foreign countries and individuals accused of violating US policy and international law. In the absence of such firm action, some American citizens have taken the initiative: on December 21, 2015, a group of American citizens filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Treasury seeking to stop nonprofit groups and individuals from sending millions of dollars worth of tax-exempt donations to support illegal Israeli settlements. There is a growing consensus in the United States that settlements are a real and serious threat to peace. According to a public opinion survey published by the Brookings Institute, 37 percent of Americans think the United States should respond to ongoing Israeli settlement construction with economic sanctions, or harsher measures. American condemnations can only do so much, particularly when one considers the proactive and tangible steps many other governments have taken to safeguard the prospects of peace and ensure the viability of the two-states solution. This week marked the end of Caitlyn Jenner's legal troubles stemming from her car crash last February that killed 69-year-old Kim Howe. Howe's grown stepchildren agreed this week to drop their wrongful death lawsuit against the former Olympian. The dismissal comes after Jenner's insurance company agreed to pay only a modest amount to Howe's family. Jenner herself did not pay anything out of pocket to the Howe family. Jenner was not only spared from having to go through a civil trial; she also avoided facing criminal charges for the crash. In September, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office decided not to charge Jenner with misdemeanor manslaughter. At the time, the district attorney's office stated that based on the facts, they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Jenner's conduct was unreasonable. However, if it wasn't Caitlyn Jenner, of Kardashian fame, that was behind the wheel, the outcome could have been very different. Advertisement In order to prove that someone committed misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, the prosecutor must prove the driver caused the wreck due to ordinary negligence. Ordinary negligence is defined, under California jury instructions, as "the failure to use reasonable care to prevent reasonably foreseeable harm to oneself or someone else. A person is negligent if he or she does something that a reasonably careful person would not do in the same situation or fails to do something that a reasonably careful person would do in the same situation." Under this definition, ordinary negligence is a very subjective standard. As a result, in deciding whether to charge someone with misdemeanor manslaughter, prosecutors have more discretion than they do with other criminal offenses. This begs the question, if the offender wasn't Caitlyn Jenner, would prosecutors have chosen to pursue criminal charges? I think so; and this is how the criminal case would have been played out... It was clear from bystander footage taken after the accident that Jenner moved her car to the side of the road and was picking up pieces of her car from the street - which would have become an issue at trial. The defense would argue that the police botched the investigation so the cause of the accident can't be proven. The prosecution would argue that Jenner tampered with the evidence. Due to the problem with the evidence in the case, and the subjective nature of determining whether someone was "reasonably careful," it is likely prosecutors would have offered Jenner a plea deal of one year in jail and a fine. Jenner's defense attorney could have appeared in court for her and plead no contest so that she didn't have to appear herself, thus avoiding the media circus. Advertisement Then, Jenner likely wouldn't have spent more than a weekend in jail because of overcrowding problems and the fact that the sheriff wouldn't want such a high-profile celebrity in jail too long - too many security risks and liability issues. So it would have resulted in a quick jail stint for Jenner, just like so many celebrities before her (Nicole Ritchie and Lindsay Lohan, to name a few). In addition, prosecutors would have made a restitution order for money for the victim, but deferred the issue of restitution to the civil court judge handling the wrongful death case. In the end, had Jenner not been a celebrity, she likely would have been charged with, and convicted of, or plead guilty to, misdemeanor manslaughter. Such a conviction, or plea, would have served to offer some measure of justice and closure to the Howe family. This family had to endure not only the death of their loved one last year, but also had to watch the woman who killed their loved one being hailed as a hero for her choice to go public with her gender transition. Their inability to escape Jenner, who was plastered on magazine covers and on television for months, must have served as a constant reminder of Howe's death. Hillary Clinton likes to extol her foreign policy credentials, particularly her experience as secretary of state. She attaches herself to Barack Obama's coattails, pledging to continue his policies. But she is even more hawkish than the president. Like Obama, Clinton touts American exceptionalism, the notion that the United States is better than any other country. In his State of the Union addresses, Obama has proclaimed America "exceptional" and said the U.S. must "lead the world." Clinton wrote in her book Hard Choices that "America remains the indispensable nation." It is this view that animates U.S. invasions, interventions, bombings and occupations of other countries. Under the pretense of protecting our national interest, the United States maintains some 800 military bases in other countries, costing taxpayers tens of billions of dollars annually. Often referred to as "enduring bases," they enable us to mount attacks whenever and wherever our leaders see fit, whether with drones or manned aircraft. Advertisement Obama, who continues to prosecute the war in Afghanistan 15 years after it began, is poised to send ground troops back to Iraq and begin bombing Libya. His aggressive pursuit of regime change in Syria was met with pushback by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to Seymour Hersh. The president has bombed some seven countries with drones. But besides moving toward normalization of relations with Cuba, his signature foreign policy achievement is brokering the agreement to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Although Clinton supports the nuclear deal, she talks tough about Iran. In September 2015, she provocatively declared, "I don't believe Iran is our partner in this agreement. Iran is the subject of the agreement," adding, "I will confront them across the board." She said, "I will not hesitate to take military action if Iran attempts to obtain a nuclear weapon." During the 2008 presidential campaign, Clinton promised to "totally obliterate" Iran if it attacked Israel. Clinton was, in effect, pledging to commit genocide against the Iranian people. Advertisement In an August 2014 Atlantic interview with Jeffrey Goldberg, Clinton maintained, "There is no such thing as a right to enrich." Apparently, she has not read the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which gives countries like Iran the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. Article IV of the treaty says, "Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of this Treaty." One country that does possess nuclear weapons is Israel, which refuses to ratify the NPT. Clinton has consistently and uncritically supported the policies of the Israeli government. In the Atlantic interview, she placed the blame for Israel's 2014 massacre in Gaza squarely with the Palestinians. From July 8 to Aug. 27, 2014, Israel killed over 2,100 Palestinians -- including more than 400 children -- 80 percent of them civilians. Sixty-six Israeli soldiers and seven Israeli civilians were killed. When Goldberg asked Clinton whom she held responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Palestinian children, she demurred, saying, "[I]t's impossible to know what happens in the fog of war." She blamed only the Palestinians, saying, "There's no doubt in my mind that Hamas initiated this conflict." Claiming "Israel has a right to defend itself," she said, "I think Israel did what it had to do to respond to the rockets." But Israel did not act in self-defense. In the first 10 days of June 2014, Israeli forces abducted 17 Palestinian teenage boys in the occupied West Bank. On June 12, three Israeli teenagers were abducted in the southern West Bank; Israel accused Hamas. After those three were found dead, a group of Israelis tortured and killed a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem. On July 7, Israel launched a large military operation in the Gaza Strip, dubbed Operation Protective Edge. The Israeli Defense Forces devastated Gaza. For 51 days, Israel bombarded Gaza with more than 6,000 airstrikes. Advertisement The United Nations Human Rights Council subsequently convened an independent, international commission of inquiry, which concluded that Israel, and to a lesser extent Palestinian armed groups, had likely committed violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, some constituting war crimes. "The scale of the devastation was unprecedented" in Gaza, according to the commission. Yet Clinton was puzzled by what she calls "this enormous international reaction against Israel," adding, "This reaction is uncalled for and unfair." She attributed the "enormous international reaction" to "a number of factors" but only mentioned anti-Semitism, never citing Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian lands or its periodic massacres in Gaza. Indeed, in January 2016, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council it was an "indisputable truth" that "Palestinian frustration is growing under the weight of a half century of occupation and the paralysis of the peace process." He noted that it was "human nature to react to occupation, which serves as a potent incubator of hate and extremism." Clinton didn't ponder why so many people around the world are participating in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against the Israeli occupation. Representatives of Palestinian civil society launched BDS in 2005, calling upon "international civil society organizations and people of conscience all over the world to impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel." Advertisement In her November 2015 article titled "How I Would Reaffirm Unbreakable Bond With Israel -- and Benjamin Netanyahu," published in the Jewish newspaper Forward, Clinton vowed to continue to oppose BDS. "As secretary of state, I requested more assistance for Israel every year," she boasted, adding that she opposed "the biased Goldstone report," explained below. After Israel's 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead, in which nearly 1,400 Palestinians (82 percent of whom were civilians) and 13 Israelis were killed, a U.N. Human Rights Council report by a commission headed by Justice Richard Goldstone concluded that "Disproportionate destruction and violence against civilians were part of a deliberate policy [by Israel]." Israel responded to the report with threats and harassment against Goldstone, leading him to backtrack on one of the findings in the report that bears his name, namely, that Israel deliberately targeted civilians. But the other members of the commission stood fast on all of the report's conclusions. Clinton's vote in favor of President George W. Bush's illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq cost her the 2008 election. It also cost more than 4,500 Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis their lives. Yet Clinton cynically told corporate executives at a 2011 State Department roundtable on investment opportunities in Iraq, "It's time for the United States to start thinking of Iraq as a business opportunity." Advertisement The same year, Clinton led the campaign for forcible regime change in Libya, despite opposition by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Responding to the gruesome sodomizing of President Moammar Gadhafi with a bayonet, Clinton laughed and said, "We came, we saw, he died." Both the Iraq War and regime change in Libya paved the way for the rise of Islamic State and dangerous conflict in the Middle East. Obama is about to escalate his military involvement in Libya. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, "The president has made clear that we have the authority to use military force." The New York Times reports that the expanded campaign is "expected to include airstrikes and raids by elite American troops." The Obama administration is reportedly changing the rules of engagement to allow more civilian casualties in the "war" against Islamic State. A senior military official told The Daily Beast, "Now I think you'll see a little more willingness to tolerate civilian casualties in the interest of making progress." But the Geneva Conventions prohibit the disproportionate killing of civilians. Clinton has promised to escalate the wars in Syria and Iraq, including a no-fly zone in Syria. Since Islamic State doesn't have an air force, her no-fly zone is likely to capture Russian planes flying over Syria. Talking tough on ABC's This Week, Clinton declared, "We have to fight in the air, fight on the ground and fight them on the Internet." She said nothing about diplomacy or an arms embargo to stop sending weapons that end up in the hands of Islamic State. Advertisement Although the corporate media fans the flames of fear about Islamic State, only 38 people in the United States have died in terror-related incidents since 9/11, according to Politifact.com. The "war on terror" has cost us more than $1.5 trillion, in addition to U.S. lives and those of untold numbers in other countries. Nevertheless, there is little doubt that a President Hillary Clinton would continue our "perpetual war." She would do everything in her power to ensure the robust survival of the American empire. Marjorie Cohn is a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, former president of the National Lawyers Guild, and deputy secretary-general of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers. Her most recent book is Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues. See Marjorie's website. Follow her on Twitter at @marjoriecohn. LISTEN HERE: By Mark Green Vanden Heuvel explains her ardor for Bernie while Cooke still thinks it'll be Marco. What a country -- an old Jewish socialist against a young Cuban neo-con? But after Obama, nothing's impossible. Panel agrees on one thing -- that Trump is entertaining, ignorant and an ugly disgrace. On Iowa - Ds. We listen to what is in effect Hillary's anthem -- Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" -- as Charles explains why his GOP prefers Sanders be the nominee: "She's dishonest but closer to the center. Sander's is no communist nor even socialist but he looks his age and can be seen as your crazy left-wing uncle." Katrina, whose Nation magazine has endorsed Sanders, won't say who Democrats would likely prefer at the top of their ticket this Fall and doesn't bite at questions assuming that Nixonian Republicans would Horton-ize her guy in the Fall. "Let's not police the possible," she says, noting that whoever the Democratic nominee will be able to unify her/his party against opponents who seem to be itching to start WWIII. And they disagree also about Obama's thumb-on-the-scale favoritism toward Hillary. Katrina notes that he's also "said nice things about Sanders" while Charles responds that "while he's not very popular nationally, he's extremely popular among Democrats and is the sitting president." He and Host agree that this might be seen later as the only exogenous variable putting her over the top. Advertisement O'Malley's biggest regret probably? Getting in late when only room for Sanders to rally anti-establishment populists. Clinton's? Taking those Goldman fees. Sanders? We couldn't think of any. Win or lose, he's had a huge impact, like a politically shrewd Occupy Wall Street. Host: The show is taped before, A) the New York Times endorsement of Clinton as "one of the most broadly and deeply qualified presidential candidates in modern history", B) Hillary's concluding ad showing a consistency and "authenticity" over 30 years on children as Bernie has shown on income inequality", and C) a final release of emails re-raising questions about her honesty and judgment. It would be amazing if the ruling of an Obama federal judge, Rudolph Contreras, that she release traunches of emails over a series of months ending up the Friday before Iowa, made the difference in sinking a Clinton. On Iowa - Rs. The panel agrees that last-minute jockeying and multiple charges of "lying" make it hard to predict who will edge out whom. But there's a consensus that Trump's candidacy is awful for the country, democracy and the GOP and probably will fail in a General Election since he's already offended a majority of Americans one way or the other. Katrina deplores his ugly attacks on Megyn Kelly ("bimbo" and "lightweight") and objects to Charles saying he's like a child having a tantrum "as insulting to children." So how did one of the two major parties get this close to nominating a combination of Beale, Bulworth and Bunker? Was it Fox, right-wing talk radio, the media generally, a base Base? Both blame the general media for so disproportionately playing up Trump while Charles asds that GOP leaders have grown apart from their political base. Katrina and the Host marvel at one of his New York Values -- a masterful shock-jock personality in the Billy Martin/John McEnroe tradition. Advertisement Host: speaking of a candidate being disqualified, as Rubio said of Clinton over her emails, what of Rubio self-disqualifying after saying that in any conflict, he'd chose his god over his country and a fetus over a mother? Which is fine if you're in the clergy but not in the White House having taken the oath of office. Planned Parenthood winning in Texas was as predictable as the Warriors losing a home game..."didn't see that coming." There's no holding back the glee at how PP, after being cleared by eight prior investigations, is exonerated by a Texas grand jury impaneled by a Republican AG, which then indicts the pro-life videographers for lying to get a fake drivers ID and trying, mirable dictu, to sell body parts. Will this reversal change the GOP War on PP, if not War on Women? All agree no since they are so far along in this crusade. But it's all over but the shouting, It stands to good old reason that Bernie Sanders cannot win the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, and surely not the White House, yet this is a season of new reasons for everything that's unfolded before the first vote was counted. Sanders and Hillary Clinton are virtually tied heading into this evening's first-in-the nation contest for the 2016 presidential nominations, according to the best public polls. Yet fervor goes farther than fondness when Iowans turn out to caucus. And Sanders, the self-styled Democratic Socialist from Vermont who will be 75 on Election Day, has the fervor of youth on his side. Sure, the young never caucus -- until they do. Ask Barack Obama, who doubled Iowa's traditional Democratic caucus turnout in 2008, to Clinton's dismay. Ask Sanders' biggest following, the youngest of the Millennials, who collect 60 percent of their news from Facebook. Advertisement Still, even if he claims Iowa today -- and certainly New Hampshire next week -- the good old reasons for the improbability of Sanders' nomination will start to take hold. In South Carolina, where dreams go to die, and then in the spree of Southern primaries March 1, a candidate without foreign policy credentials who's never run an entity bigger than the Burlington mayor's office will confront the reality that wagers against conventional wisdom still carry daunting odds. First, full disclosure: Let me admit to expense-account envy in reading the roster of news reporters assembled at this year's tavern of choice in Des Moines -- the aptly named El Bait Shop, boasting of "the world's largest selection of American craft beers, 185 on tap." This wide-roving, all-knowing horde huddles in the warmth of the mutual reaffirmation of barroom banter. And I'm lacking the consultation (spin) of the campaign operatives courting this crowd like cold-callers from a brokerage house -- always loved the ones who assert, "Our own internal numbers show..." However, having sat in the bar of the Hotel Fort Des Moines with Howard Dean's campaign manager as he digested the realization that legions of supporters assuring campaign canvassers of their support for the former Vermont governor had never gone out to caucus, I understand fully why the Sanders campaign fears a visit from the ghost of Dean's campaign tonight. It'll probably be best that Sanders keep his voice in check, if that happens, though the hotel where Dean issued his scream heard 'round the primaries is closed for renovation this season. According to the pollster with the best record of accurately predicting caucus turnout, Clinton held just a three percentage-point advantage over Sanders in the days leading to tonight's caucuses. Having called all but one right since 1988, pollster Ann Selzer also has a record of getting any candidate's results right within a 3.5 percent margin of error, as FiveThirtyEight has noted. That puts the Clinton-Sanders contest squarely within the margin of error of an error-resistant poll. Advertisement According to Quinnipiac University, with far less experience fathoming Iowa's odd ways, Sanders has three points on Clinton heading into the caucuses. The key, Quinnipiac reported today, is first-time caucus goers: "Sanders tops Clinton 62-35 percent among Democratic first-timers, while Clinton leads 52-41 percent among voters who attended prior caucuses.'' Thirty-eight percent of the Democrats surveyed said this will be their first caucus. Similarly, Republican Donald Trump holds a strong lead in his party, with 44 percent of Republicans eyeing their first caucus. The closeness of such a contest is sure to stoke the Sanders supporters who see victory within their grasp. It's likely to have the same effect on Clinton supporters. However, they may not all share that fervor which "feeling the Bern'' inspires, which in turn will call upon the skills of organizers to literally drive their supporters to caucus. The vaunted ground game. The narrowness of the Democratic field also eliminates the other variables present under bizarre party rules that require at least 15 percent support for any candidate at a caucus. This is the place where Jimmy Carter "won" the party's caucuses finishing in second place to "uncommitted." It's possible that former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will take nothing from either Sanders or Clinton -- I've known Ralph Nader, and governor, you are no Ralph Nader. Sanders defeating Clinton here will only enhance his apparently huge advantage in New Hampshire. Indeed, even a narrow loss here is likely to do little to suppress his vote there. Beyond these two outliers of an election contest, however, conventional wisdom starts creeping into the calculation again. First Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz stacked the debate deck for Clinton with few Saturday and Sunday events that ensured little notice -- though this too is changing now that Clinton perceives a real threat from Sanders. This is understandable, considering the historical nature of a Hillary Clinton election. (This writer first met the party chair as a first-year legislator in Florida. Elected at 26, the youngest female legislator in the state's history, she pursued legislation making state statutes gender-neutral in their language, which earned her a nickname among the Tallahassee press corps: Debbie Wasserperson.) Advertisement Simply put, this election is as big a deal for women as Obama's was for African-Americans, and Clinton is arguably far-better prepared to translate an election into action. Across the South on March 1 and then in Florida's primary on March 15, the ongoing debate between Clinton and Sanders is sure to underscore the contrast in experience and vision across an array of issues broader than Sanders' recurring drumbeat about big money making for bad government. In Florida alone, Clinton holds an average 39-point advantage over Sanders in a variety of polls. Clinton and Sanders may get four more debates, and Clinton wants one of them staged in Flint, Michigan, whose water crisis served her well as a rallying cry for African-American supporters during their debate in South Carolina. In this season of new reasons, Sanders still has one cause for optimism: The possible Republican Party nomination of Trump for president. The promise of electability has always carried conventional power, and lately polls have portrayed Sanders as 5.3 percent more popular than Trump as a presidential candidate -- with an edge as high as 15 percent in an NBC News Poll. Fox News, of course, found Trump trumping the socialist. It's going to be that kind of year. There's an argument to be made, and Ryan Grim makes it well, that winning a couple of contests could turn a tide of public opinion about Sanders' unlikely election, including among African-American voters more likely to support Clinton. Yet it's been noted by many that Sanders is not Obama. And a Clinton, in the South, is still a Clinton. This is taking a couple of hypotheticals that good old reason suggests are impossible to an extreme, perhaps. Should all the faith in first-time caucus-goers and the power of young people fall short, the story of Sanders winning Iowa, let alone his chances of winning the White House, will have a shelf-life of less than eight hours today -- which is what at least one other Democratic candidacy and about half the Republicans running also have. girl of 8 years old playing with dolls Last week, my news feed blew up with "Yay! Progress!" posts, all centered on the release of new toys by Lego and Barbie. Barbie unveiled "curvy, petite and tall" versions of their traditional doll and new options in skin tones, facial features, and hairstyles. Lego announced its plans to release, for the first time, a minifigure using a wheelchair. So, yes, this is good. Definitely good. But is it progress? I found myself thinking about the Barbie one a lot. I was a big -- seriously big -- Barbie fan growing up. I created whole worlds and storylines and characters with my Barbies. I actually think a lot of my love for theater and storytelling started with my Barbie collection. I was also a girl, and, if I'm honest, still a woman, who struggled with body image issues. While I credited Barbie with my creativity, did I also need to blame her for my weight and height insecurities? Some studies, and many advocates, would say yes. Advertisement But I don't think I buy it. I don't think I believe that if I played with Barbies who were a little taller and a little "curvier" I'd be more confident in myself. Changing toys will do little to change the world we live in. Let's take Lego's new minifigure using a wheelchair. The internet cheered! And while they tweeted thumbs up emojis, millions of people who use wheelchairs struggled to access basic public transit and services, inaccessible city streets, and even famous landmarks. Some people with disabilities can now find a lego who represents them, but most can't find a job. A new toy is a far cry from progress for inclusion and accessibility. The fact that Barbie has evolved her body type doesn't mean men won't creepily call me a "tall drink of water" in the grocery store, or pinch my waistline at a business dinner, or try to "go back-to-back" with me when I waitress by uninvitedly rubbing up behind me. None of those men are going to change their behavior because a new doll was released. Their behavior and the innumerable systems that hold women back have influenced my self-perception more than any Barbie doll with an anatomically impossible figure. It's not that I don't think Barbie should represent the diversity of girls and their bodies. (Side note: Let's be clear that Mattel isn't doing this purely because it's the right thing to do. It also will help them sell toys and, if it doesn't, we'll slowly see these dolls fall out of production.) I agree kids should have options when it comes to their toys. We should think about the ways toys impact how kids think about themselves and what's possible for them in the world. My concern is that toys, and images, and perceptions are only part of the problem, and likely a really small part of it. If we focus so much of our energy -- and celebrations -- on symbolic shifts and evolving perceptions we might lose sight of actual actionable progress that still (really) needs to be made. Advertisement I've worked on issues of diversity and inclusion my whole life, but I didn't fully appreciate how much the rest of the population like to discuss diversity until I came to graduate school. I don't get frustrated with constant discussions of diversity or celebrations of symbolic wins for inclusion because I don't like or value them. I get frustrated because I'm genuinely concerned that over-discussion and over-celebration may do harm. It may make people who are slightly skeptical on these issues tune it out as tedious background noise. It may let people rest on their laurels thinking we've actually achieved something. It may drown out individuals struggling with actual issues for fear of redundancy. It may make people focus more on perceptions and feelings rather than action and impact. It may make people value being heard more than they value being effective. It may let people pretend progress has occurred when really we just dressed up the status quo with blue hair and a thicker waistline. Writer/Director Shimon Dotan's new film "The Settlers" is a compelling, must see, tour de force outline of the Israeli Settlement issue fueling the last 50 years of Middle East conflicts. According to Israel's Foreign Ministry legal advisors, settlements in areas held by Israel since the 1967 war which are beyond the country's actual borders, contravenes the provisions of the Geneva Convention and international law. But that has not stopped the growth of illegal settlement. Dotan is fair minded, careful to use the words and deeds of settlers and inhabitants to briskly walk viewers through the region's blood soaked, contentious history. Advertisement To hear from the Settlers, we are whisked along the Israeli-only roads, behind the protective walls and barbed wire to the heavily guarded enclaves sprouting non-contextual housing settlements with their jagged red roofs and white cinder blocks scarring the hillsides, replacing indigenous thatched huts and cottages, disrupting centuries old villages and olive orchards to surround Palestinian cities. Settlers used a variety of ruses to commandeer land. Rabbi Moshe Levinger moved a settlement party into a Palestinian hotel claiming his group were Swiss tourists . . . and then refused to leave. Settlement founder Sarah Nachshan and husband moved on to contested land to begin an enormous family which now numbers ten children, a hundred grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Ultra conservative Rabbis Levinger and Tzvi Yehuda Kook and their followers refused to abide by the Israeli government's borders. Claiming that a greater Israeli was not bound by political borders, but by religious commandment, they pushed on to long held Palestinian lands. Movement co-founder Yehuda Etzion proclaims that Arabs who had lived on the land from time immemorial had to give up their rights, "renounce political aspirations." "He will be a guest in our midst, but will have no political rights." Settlers tell us that God and the Bible have determined that Arabs have no right to any of the land. "Every person has a role" says leader Pinhasi Bar-On. "The people of Israel's role is to conquer the land. To bequeath it and to banish the non-Jews from it." More extreme settlers used racist logic to attack Palestinians and burn their homes. Advertisement At first, the Israeli government tried to limit settlements. But they saw the utility of armed security settlements particularly along the Jordan Valley and other areas where Palestinians had resisted occupation. These armed settlements were incorporated into the defense system. They served as a wedge for further settlements. Repeatedly settlers challenged the government's attempt to limit their encroachment on Arab land. Rabbi Hanan Porat spoke for the movement when he proclaimed: The government can't tell us what to do. Time after time, the government backed down, ultimately providing costly defense, support and infrastructure for settlement development. When Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was elected in 1992, he froze settlements. Rabin cited political, ethical and economic reasons to limit expansion. In 1993 Rabin engaged in the Oslo Accords peace talks with the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The talks resulted in Israel's agreement not to build additional settlements. But after Rabin was assassinated by a right wing opponent, existing settlements continued to grow in size and number. Now some 400,000 settlers that have taken up residence in these contested areas, pushing up against some 2.7 million pre-existing Palestinians. Arabs have pushed back in two waves of Intifada, using economic measures and violence. Israeli's have initiated and responded using military and vigilante reprisals. For Israel, the Settlers question raises two existential issues. If a nation upholds laws based on people's ethnic origins and maintains an income disparity of 1:20 between Palestinians and Israelis, is it not an apartheid system, as researchers like Dror Etkes argues in the film. And if a nation allows a religious group to contravene it's laws threatening the majority of its population, is it still a democracy? By concluding with these questions, Shimon Dotan's painstaking, thoughtful, comprehensive treatment of "The Settlers" raises the hope that politicians will be able to address these issues in as measured terms as he does. Shining light on the issues may lead to the path of solution. North American Free Trade Agreement members flags on cog wheels. Blueprint surface backdrop The foreign ministers of North America recently met in Quebec with little fanfare. Yet, at a time of growing global disorder and uncertainty, North America is the strategic foundation from which the three nations secure their prosperity and safety. Some $2.7 million in trade passes between the U.S. and its two neighbors each minute -- that's more than $3.5 billion a day. Mexico and Canada are the two largest export markets for the U.S., buying a third of all its exports. Millions of jobs depend on the trade and investment networks across our region, and the potential for added growth is enormous. A recent study by McKinsey predicts that if we keep working to improve the competitiveness of our North American market our economies could add 7.3 trillion dollars in GDP by 2040. And, if we seek better security against terrorism, we need to coordinate even better amongst ourselves to stop terrorists before they reach our borders and airports. Despite the huge value of regional cooperation, policymakers and politicians have given and give surprisingly little attention to strengthening North America's foundations, let alone recognizing the importance it already plays in our common well-being and security. Advertisement We believe this is the year to undertake a pivot to North America, giving our region the attention and priority it deserves. We are not the first to call for heightened attention to our continent. In October 2014, for example, the Council on Foreign Relations published "North America, Time for a New Focus," which does an outstanding job of articulating the need and recommends a number of changes to better manage North American issues. Some in the past have taken up this call, but there is regrettably a paucity of attention to our region, and when attention is given, it is often piecemeal or has a negative slant. We therefore urge -- in a year when the U.S. is headed to the polls -- a strengthened focus on the importance of North America for U.S. strategic, security, political and economic interests. For this reason, with the support of the authors, the Wilson Center will launch an initiative this year to highlight the importance of North American cooperation and provide action proposals. Growing U.S. Exports to Neighbors The regional integrated supply chains and joint production platforms built over the past 20 years have made all three countries more efficient and interconnected; this is evident in the trade statistics that show U.S. exports to its neighbors rising consistently since 2009 and at a rate higher that than with other trading partners. Not only is global competition fierce, but instability in the stock markets and economic forecasts suggests difficult challenges ahead. This should lead us to double down on the efforts underway to make our cross border economic connections more efficient and secure in North America, even as we strengthen our respective economies. Advertisement Our private sectors are already moving us toward a common innovation economy across North America, in which we not only work together to build products like cars, airplanes and electronics, but we also work together to design the next generation of these products. Studies show that we are already more competitive than trade partners such as China, and our capacity to innovate and to move goods seamlessly throughout the region will ensure that we continue to be. We are already more competitive than trade partners such as China, and our capacity to innovate and to move goods seamlessly throughout the region will ensure that we continue to be. Governments should be focusing on how they can support these developments at our borders with better infrastructure and more efficient and harmonized processing and regulations for legitimate commerce and travel, while improving collaboration to stop illicit trade and travel. This is not easy or glamorous, but it is vital for our security and ability to compete in the world. More broadly, our three countries are partners in bringing the Trans-Pacific Partnership to fruition, opening new markets for our goods and services. As countries with free trade agreements with the European Union, Mexico and Canada should also rightly be partners in a similar trade and investment agreement with the European Union, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, again opening new opportunities to grow trade across the Atlantic and create jobs at home. Working Together to Curb Climate Change and Terrorism With all three countries as major energy producers and with much potential for the future in both carbon-based and renewable sources, North America is very well positioned to provide for our future supplies, to ensure the sustainability of policies across the continent, to strengthen the resilience of our energy infrastructure and to coordinate clean energy initiatives. Our three countries share the air, water, oceans, flora, fauna and climates of North America. Going forward, we expect the three governments to support building common approaches to implementing Paris conference commitments. Similarly, the three neighbors based on the previous success of jointly confronting the H1N1 pandemic, must collaborate on common public health threats, as the ministers have agreed to do against the Zika virus. Advertisement Security and support for democracy were key parts of the foreign ministers' agenda. They cited the importance of coordinated efforts on Central America, Haiti and Colombia, as well as against Daesh, or the self-proclaimed Islamic State. We believe efforts to bolster security in the face of extremism and terrorism should be seen in the context that collaboration in North America sets the basis for the defense of our region. With close cooperation, we can stop and track potential terrorists before they get to our borders or airports. With close cooperation, we can stop and track potential terrorists before they get to our borders or airports. The collaboration between our security services on these matters is already close and has been improving in the aftermath of 9/11. But there are clear benefits to developing a more thorough, trilateral and holistic North American security posture. A more unified approach amongst the three neighbors could bring massive benefits in confronting terrorism, organized crime, cybersecurity challenges, critical infrastructure protection and tackling the challenge and opportunities that migrant and refugee flows entail for our three peoples. The ministers' meeting on Friday needs to signal that Canada, the U.S. and Mexico will work to develop a North American approach and footprint to address the root causes of these problems far from our borders. Supporting democracy, rule of law and human rights throughout the region and more broadly is also urgent and very welcome. The key message, though, is that the North American agenda should be an ongoing priority for all three countries. We are much more important to each other than we realize: pivoting to North America can be the way to ensure that in a turbulent 21st century, our three countries are partners in success rather than accomplices in failure. A version of this piece has also appeared in Canadian and Mexican press. Also on WorldPost: The recent UN mission to assist starving families in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya has refocused world attention on the horrendous suffering endured by millions of parents and their children as the conflict approaches its 5-year mark in March. Yet ensuring that humanitarian aid gets through to hard-to-reach populations on a regular basis--as challenging as that may be--is only one critical step in the long-term process to help Syrians rebuild their country. The keys to a hopeful future for Syria are to end the conflict and educate its youth. On February 4, when leaders from the U.S. and other donor governments gather in London to discuss the Syrian crisis, a major focus should be on its impact on young Syrians. Five years ago, before the conflict began, virtually all boys and girls attended school in Syria. Within a few years, half of these children dropped out--the now 50 percent attendance rate is one of the lowest in the world. These figures remain similar among Syrian refugee children. Turning this around requires world leaders to close the education funding gap, to ensure adoption of policy changes, and to assure protection of Syrian students, teachers, and educational facilities from attack. Advertisement This conflict is starving millions of young minds, and that must stop now. Within Syria, safety is a key driver of the increasingly high dropout rate. Many schools have been attacked or used as military assets, and thousands of students and teachers have been injured or killed. Syria has been the site of more than half of all attacks on schools across the globe during the last four years. The UN has estimated that by 2014, at least a quarter of Syrian schools were destroyed. As a consequence, many parents across Syria are too afraid to send their children to school. In parts of Aleppo, where 40 percent of schools have been shelled at least once, enrolment has dropped to as low as 6 percent. National governments with influence over armed forces or armed groups involved in the conflict must use their influence to stop attacks on schools and their military use. Outside Syria, only 50 percent of Syrian refugee children in neighboring countries have access to formal education. But there are many barriers, despite significant efforts by those neighboring governments. For some, the issue is economic. For others, their school environment has not met their needs; new curriculum is challenging or Syrian students feel discriminated against. For others, the issue is a lack of documentation. It has also been a challenge that some refugee children have been out of school for years. These challenges require creative solutions, and NGOs like Save the Children are laying the necessary groundwork. It is essential to increase the capacity of host country school systems, and that requires multi-year investments. A complementary initiative would be to increase the availability of informal learning opportunities, such as community-based initiatives, vocational training and accelerated learning programs and distance and e-learning programs that have accreditation or will allow children to eventually join accredited programs. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Assistant Secretary Anne Richard have championed the importance of preventing a lost generation of Syrian children. To avoid this prospect, donor governments should work with governments in the region and other stakeholders to invest the $1.4 billion required annually to ensure all Syrian children and young people affected by the crisis have access to safe, quality education. This would amount to $150 per child. Advertisement U.S. Secretary of State Kerry, who will head the U.S. delegation to London, recently called for increasing the number of refugee children worldwide in school by 1 million. We need more leaders to speak out on this issue, as well as support from the U.S. and other governments. London is the time and place for the world to mount a concerted effort to do just that. Making sure that Syrian children are learning is the right thing to do. It also protects children and youth from being exploited by child labor, early marriage, and recruitment by armed groups. Making the decision to prioritize the education of Syria's children will also impact the region's economy and society for years to come. Save the Children estimated that the cost to Syria's future GDP if 2.8 million children never go back to school would be 5.4 percent, or $2.18 billion annually. As the conflict persists, this impact will worsen without powerful commitments coming out of the London conference to change that trajectory. As international efforts to address the political dimensions of the crisis begin to gather momentum, world leaders must recognize and support the essential role education will be play in returning the country to stability, and rebuilding society. Syria cannot afford a lost generation. The time to act is now. It feels like the presidential election should be held tomorrow. For months now, we've heard from many candidates from both parties, whether it be in debates or town hall meetings, about why each should be elected. There remains a long road until the November presidential election. Campaigns and rallying will only continue to increase and build momentum after today's Iowa caucus. It is nothing new that Christianity, or apparent Christian values, play a part in politics. This year's candidates are no different, albeit their engagement with religion in general and Christianity in particular varies. Some candidates, such as Senator Ted Cruz, Governor Mike Huckabee, and Donald Trump, have been vocal about how their presidency will supposedly support Christian values. With so many perspectives on Christianity and American values, it is important to keep in mind several issues as we enter the height of voting season. Advertisement 1.Remember that no candidate is the Christian candidate. While it is fair for Christians to vote according to their religious conviction, remember that an elected official is charged with serving the American people, not the Church. Given that America is a pluralistic culture and promotes the right to religious expression, a faithful president will respect and view all religions equally. Here, we ought to remember John F. Kennedy's words from his campaign in 1960, "I am not the Catholic candidate for president. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for president, who happens to also be Catholic. I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me." 2.Be wary of how the candidates use the term "public." Each candidate speaks to his or her positions based on what the public supposedly wants. Ask yourself, who is the public, and does it really represent you? Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once warned about the use of the term public by media outlets. "Public," Kierkegaard states, is abstract. It does not necessarily represent anyone. In fact, it removes the individual from actively engaging ideas themselves. Critical thought is lost. You are not the public. Don't simply buy into what a candidate is saying just because it seems everyone else is being represented. Think individually and think critically about what each candidate says. 3.If your Christian values shape your vote, think critically about what each candidate says about Christianity. While Christianity has long been associated with the Republican party, be careful not to cast your vote in haste for a candidate who states they are a Christian. Donald Trump, who currently leads his fellow Republicans in polls, has recently stated that if he is elected president, "Christianity will have power." What does Trump mean by this statement? Does Trump mean that Christianity will continue to be freely practiced without persecution in America, a freedom it has always possessed? Or does he mean that Christians ought to have more power over others? If the latter, this seems radically inconsistent with the message of Jesus in the New Testament. Listen to all the candidates, not just the ones you agree with. If other Christians support a different party or candidate, ask why. Growing up in an evangelical setting, and attending an evangelical graduate school, I long heard the myth that only Republicans align with Christian values. This perspective fractures communities and creates the illusion that one's religious freedom will only be safe with one party. Advertisement 4.Remember people, not just issues. While there may be vast disagreement on a number of topics, it should be obvious that Jesus engaged those who were persecuted and ignored by society. Contrary to Trump's version of Christianity, Jesus spent time with those without power and status. This election season, Christians ought to be mindful of the same. How are candidates talking about Muslims and refugees? What about the LGBT community? How are candidates responding to the voices of the Black Lives Matter movement? This is perhaps the most pressing issue during the election. These are not just subjects of debate. Rather, they are lives to be respected and engaged, not hastily dismissed. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Russias truck shipments across Turkey are impossible as the Turkish agreements received in 2015 expired on January 31, 2016, the Association of International Road Transport Carriers (ASMAP) reported on February 1, as Armenpress informs, citing TASS. "Up to the present moment the Turkish side hasnt accorded the quota of agreements for 2016. Currently, Russias Transport Ministry is assuming measures to settle the issue as proposals on change of agreements have been submitted to the Turkish side once again," the report said. As Russias Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said in December 2015 the number of issued bilateral permissions for truck shipments from Turkey to the Russian Federation will decrease four-fold. According to the minister, the decision will affect the trucking business. Russias Transport Ministry grants permissions for truck shipments to the ASMAP, which distributes them further among market players, Sokolov said. Earlier, Russias government published a decree, which particularly restricted the number of permissions for Turkish companies for 2016 to 2 thousand and did not rule out potential cancelation of those already granted for next year. Donald Trump, president and chief executive of Trump Organization Inc. and 2016 Republican presidential candidate, attends a campaign event at the Orpheum Theater in Sioux City, Iowa, U.S., on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Donald Trump has overtaken Ted Cruz in the final days before Iowa's caucuses, with the fate of the race closely tied to the size of Monday evening's turnout, especially among evangelical voters and those attending for the first time. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images Back in December, the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) were absolutely giddy about the idea of Donald Trump as president. Yes, he'd called Mexican immigrants "rapists." Yes, he'd made vile remarks about women. And yes, he'd said Muslims should be banned from entering the country. But as far as the gay GOP group was concerned, compared to most of the other GOP candidates, with their fire and brimstone, Trump was including gays in the straight white men's club merely by seeming to accept the Supreme Court's ruling on marriage equality, even if he disagreed with it. So, everyone else be damned. Advertisement Gregory T. Angelo, president of LCR, told Reuters in December, "He is one of the best, if not the best, pro-gay Republican candidates to ever run for the presidency." "He's been to a gay wedding, he's friends with George Takei," Angelo explained to Chris Matthews a few days earlier on MSNBC. (Takei, by the way, has repeatedly lambasted Trump for his rhetoric.) "His record doesn't bear out that that would be an enemy to the gay community." But only a month later, Trump happily accepted the endorsement of evangelical leader and Liberty University president Jerry Falwell, Jr. -- about as close to an "enemy to the gay community" as you can get -- and Falwell now energetically campaigns for Trump. And then this past weekend, courting evangelicals in Iowa, Trump said he will work to reverse the Supreme Court's marriage equality ruling, promising to put "certain judges on the bench" to make it happen. And suddenly, LCR has gone silent on Trump. Woops! But they've not been silent on Hillary Clinton. In fact, the group launched an ad over the weekend that attacks Clinton as someone who hasn't been there for the LGBT community "when it counted" and which promotes... Bernie Sanders! Yes, the Log Cabin Republicans really think LGBT people should support democratic socialist Bernie Sanders and want him to win the presidency, right? Yeah, and Donald Trump is not a fascist. Advertisement LCR, in fact, got dumped by Trump as soon as Trump saw that many evangelicals would back him even though he's thrice married, can't quote bible verses accurately and owns and operates casinos. And now, trying to nail that vote down further -- and knowing that he'll need that constituency in South Carolina and beyond -- Trump has thrown gays under the same bus he threw Latinos and Muslims. It doesn't matter what Donald Trump really believes -- or whether he went to a gay wedding, a Mexican wedding or a Muslim wedding. He will say whatever it takes to get elected, knowing there are so many people so driven by anger and cult of personality that they'll support him, and he has no problem whipping up hate against other people in the process, emboldening those who discriminate. When Kim Davis wouldn't give out marriage licenses in Kentucky last year, Trump said that it "was not the right job" for her and that the Supreme Court ruling must be accepted. But at the Values Voter Summit a few weeks later he flip-flopped entirely, telling me in an interview, "I haven't been opposed to her stand and think it's fine." Back in 1990 I was working for Drake Publishing, churning out porn magazines. I worked mostly on Cheri, but also a little bit for High Society, Celebrity Skin, and a real bottom feeder called LIVE! I also did a few issues of Buxom (have to say putting word balloons on boobs was a lot of fun -- wish I could remember the jokes), Climax, and some other forgotten sleaze. There was also a part of the company that did X-rated romance novels. They weren't quite real porn, but they went a lot farther than your basic Harlequin bodice ripper. And then they had the idea to do a book about Donald Trump. Trump was front page in the New York Post for weeks after he got caught schlonging actress Marla Maples, which led to the famous Post cover "BEST SEX I'VE EVER HAD." Advertisement Every other day his soon-to-be ex-wife, Ivana, was caterwauling to the society pages, and even Cardinal O'Connor got involved, offering to mediate between Trump and his pissed-off model wife. It was a shit show no matter which direction you looked, and classic 1980s tabloid fodder, oozing sex and money like pus from an open wound. So the fellow who was editing these dirty romance books bought a manuscript for a quickie Trump book, and they needed someone to write jacket copy. He came down to the floor where we made the real porn, and asked who was the best copywriter on the floor, and somehow -- for all the sterling smut I was writing that year -- I was clearly the Bard of the Boudoir, and so I got the job. Well not so much a job, because he thought I would just do it as a favor. But I was 24-years-old and already a veteran of Screw magazine where they had paid me 50 bucks a month to review peep shows. I was practically a journeyman, and no way was I writing one word for free. Someone was making some dough on this, and I figured what was good for the goose was plenty good for the gander. I was a gun for hire. You want the mot juste, fucking pay me. My old boss Al Goldstein would have been very proud. Apparently -- this being the absolute nadir of the publishing racket -- there was no budget for this sort of thing (I would have jumped at $150, which would have kept me drunk for a week in 1988), yet somehow neither the editor or the writer was willing nor capable of writing something snappy, and so they were begging me. Advertisement I'm not sure where I got the idea, but I used to walk by it every day, so I told him I would do it if he picked up dinner for me and a friend at the Palm restaurant on Second Avenue, which at the time (well, still) was way above my pay grade. And somehow he agreed. For dinner at the Palm, this is what you get: TOO BIG FOR TELEVISION, TOO DANGEROUS FOR HOLLYWOOD The King of New York, the man who reigns over sin city drenched in money, sex and scandal... what makes him so great? His sexual prowess? It's more than mega-bucks that controls his mind-- and body. Learn the truth about Trump's "Fatal Attractions" -- two young starlets whose ambition was rivaled only by his own, and the act of pride that threatened to crush the Trump empire... forever. The best part was that there was a TRUMP SCANDAL HOTLINE set up -- the company I worked for were the undisputed kings of phone sex, and this was the gimmick they thought was going to make them some real money. They genuinely believed the marks were going to be dialing until their fingers bled. CALL NOW AND FIND OUT THE UP TO THE MINUTE DIRT ON OUR EXCLUSIVE HOTLINE: IS IVANA HOLDING THE 'TRUMP" CARD THAT WILL BREAK "THE DONALD'S" BANK? FIND OUT NOW -- CALL 1-900-258-3030 (Only $3 for the first minute $1 for each additional minute) I like to think the stuff I scribbled fell somewhere between Walter Winchell and T.S. Elliot. Later I would go on to write jacket copy for dozens of books, not to mention actual books. Advertisement Everyone was very pleased with the stuff I wrote (and I actually had fun writing it), and the fellow made good on his word and left his credit card at the Palm. I took a buddy of mine with me to the Palm, one of my fellow pornographers, and we were like a couple of sailors on leave. We had martinis with our shrimp cocktail, then champagne with our lobster, a haughty Bordeaux with steaks the size of a bed pan, then cheesecake, brandy, and coffee. For Donald Trump's airport book nothing was too good! After dinner I felt like I was going to have a stroke, but in a good way. The bill came to $300, with a generous tip. It was at the time by far the biggest restaurant bill I had ever seen. Later I was told I had a lot of nerve to run the bill that high. I shrugged it off. To listen to these guys, the book was going to be a bestseller and they were gonna make millions from the Scandal Hotline. The book died a quick death, but somehow almost thirty years later I still have my copy. The only part of it I have ever read is the back cover. It makes me want to eat a steak. I am guessing the scandal hotline is disconnected. Bernie Sanders at a rally in New Orleans. Photo by Nick Solari In May of last year, a few British friends and I gathered around a laptop to watch the UK election results come in. For weeks, the British press had been alight with doomsday predictions of a fractured parliament. According to the polls, the mainstream parties would be held hostage by upstart fringe groups and Scottish nationalists, who would either force Britain to exit the European Union or else break the United Kingdom apart. The incumbent Conservative Party ended up winning in a landslide, an outcome so surprising, one leading member of parliament said he would eat his hat if the exit polls were true. No major British polling organization had predicted the outcome because of major flaws in polling methodology. Likely conservative voters were systematically excluded from surveys, and the mix of weights given to certain demographic groups over-represented the Labor Party. In South Carolina, Hillary Clinton is reckoned to be leading Bernie Sanders by 22 points, according to a recent YouGov poll. Other polls have Sanders trailing by more than 50 points in the state. However, those numbers are probably wrong. Upon closer examination, these polls under-represent the demographic that is most likely to support Bernie Sanders as the Democratic nominee: young white Americans. Advertisement Polling methodology is based on the past behavior of groups of people, and young white South Carolinians have not been particularly active in past Democratic primaries. Most whites in the state vote Republican, while most blacks vote Democratic, and far fewer young people vote in elections of all kinds. So, it is reasonable to assume that the response of a middle aged black woman in South Carolina will be a better metric of Democratic voting behavior than that of a young white man in the state. However, the historical data used to assign weights in polling surveys come from 2008, an anomalous year with unprecedented turnout in the Democratic primary. Young voters and African American voters came out in force to support Barack Obama's candidacy, and he won in the state's primary by 29 points with 295,000 votes. In comparison, John Edwards won the state's Democratic primary in 2004 with only 131,000 votes. Turnout is unlikely to reach 2008 levels this time around. Polls give more weight to groups who voted in the last Democratic primary. The problem is, many young voters in 2008 have now graduated into an older age group, meaning few of the current batch of young voters participated in the last primary. In the YouGov poll, there is no data whatsoever on the responses of voters aged 18-29 for most questions about Democratic candidates. In other words, the poll takes no account of young people voting in the Democratic primary and attaches practically no weight to their responses. Another issue is the weight given to African American voters. Indeed, in the YouGov poll, responses from black participants are given about 20-25% greater weight than responses from white participants for questions about Democratic candidates. Although most African Americans are said to be Clinton supporters, there is cause to doubt their enthusiasm. Advertisement There is little excitement in the Democratic camp for Hillary Clinton. Her campaign and the press largely portray her as an inevitable candidate, which leaves many Clinton supporters wondering why they should bother to show up on primary day. Meanwhile, the Sanders campaign has been energetically courting young people and African Americans, pushing them to vote in the primary. Clinton has been less active in South Carolina than Sanders, visiting seven times to his ten. She also has no official Facebook page for the state, though there is one unofficial page with 187 'likes.' The Sanders Facebook page for South Carolina has over twelve thousand 'likes.' Police officers stand in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, June 22, 2015. The high court will decide by the end of the month whether the Constitution gives gays the right to marry. The court's actions until now have suggested that a majority of the nine justices will vote to legalize same-sex weddings nationwide. Photographer: Drew Angerer/Bloomberg via Getty Images The recent anniversary of Roe v. Wade reminds us of the enormous legal progress made by women in the U.S. over the last five decades. Along with Brown v. Board of Education, which marked the beginning of the end of racial segregation, and Obergefell v. Hodges, which established marriage equality, it demonstrates the power of the US Supreme Court to shape American life. Sometimes the court interprets the law and the Constitution in ways that roll back progress too, as it did in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, where Lilly Ledbetter lost her right to sue her employer for sex discrimination, or in Citizens United, which equates money with political speech and allows unlimited political contributions. These famous rulings aren't the beginning of the judicial process, however -- they are the end point. The Supreme Court sits atop a pyramid of trial and appeals courts, all in the hands of federal judges appointed for life by the president and approved by the Senate. The judges' decisions, at every level, shape how laws are viewed and enforced. Each step in the process -- the points chosen to appeal, the questions at oral argument, the content of briefs -- contributes to shape the final result. Advertisement Two cases regarding abortion and contraception now on the court's docket illustrate this point. The first, Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstedt, will be heard by the Supreme Court on March 2. It will decide whether a Texas law places an "undue burden" on women seeking abortions, as well as on providers and abortion clinics. That phrase was set out in another important 1992 abortion case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, where the Supreme Court ruled that laws governing abortion could not place an undue burden on a woman seeking an abortion -- but the meaning of the term was left vague and has not been defined since. Whole Women's Health, like the vast majority of cases, started at the federal district court level. There a federal judge attempted to follow the standard set in Casey and decided that two provisions of the law were unconstitutional. The first required that any physician performing an abortion have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where the abortion was performed. The second required that all abortion clinics comply with the standards set for ambulatory surgical centers, even including the width of corridors. The US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit overturned the district court's decision, asserting that the clinic failed to show that the two provisions placed a substantial burden in the path of a woman seeking an abortion. The 5th circuit ruling was appealed to the Supreme Court, which could send the case back for further consideration or rule in favor of either party. A decision could wind up either strengthening or severely undermining the framework set up in Casey, with the practical impact of restoring or limiting access to abortion. The second case, Zubik v. Burwell, will determine whether faith-based nonprofits can not only refuse, on religious grounds, to provide employees with contraceptive coverage otherwise required by the Affordable Care Act, but also refuse to sign a government form or provide a simple letter to the Department of Health and Human Services declaring their objection so that employees can access such coverage in other ways. Similar cases brought by different religious nonprofits across the country eventually resulted in eight circuits agreeing with the government's accommodation of the nonprofits' objections. But one circuit disagreed, and the Supreme Court chose to take up the controversy. Advertisement The importance of federal judges, from the trial courts to the Supreme Court, is apparent from the examples of Whole Women's Health and Zubik. Yet the Senate fell woefully behind in 2015, confirming the fewest number of judges in a single year since 1960. Only one court of appeals judge was confirmed -- the worst record since 1953, when none were confirmed. And in the meantime, vacancies rose from 43 to 70 by January 2016 and officially-designated "judicial emergencies" went up nearly 160 percent, from 12 to 31. The slow pace of confirmations could prevent President Obama from filling the vacancies on these courts at all in the last year of his term, even as vacancies increase by the day as judges retire. Various justifications have been offered for the delays, even including the idea that no president should be able to act in the final year of his four-year term -- an assertion that is belied by history. In 2008 the Democratic Senate confirmed 22 judges in the last seven months of the George W. Bush administration, including 10 district court judges as late as September. It is time for all of us to pressure the Senate to act. Our rights as Americans hang in the balance, protected or weakened by the actions of the federal bench. A bench whose membership is depleted due to foot-dragging in the Senate doesn't function as the Constitution intended, and it doesn't serve the American people. NEW HAVEN, CT - OCTOBER 05: Advocates for immigration reform gather as part of the National Day for Dignity and Respect on October 5, 2013 in New Haven, Connecticut. Attendees signed petitions, listened to speeches and celebrated the Connecticut immigrant community. About 175 marches and gatherings are expected to take place across the country on Saturday. An immigration reform bill was unveiled earlier this week by House Democrats. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) I was raised by a single mom, an immigrant from South America who left her family, support system, and incredible career as a well-connected influencer for a completely different life in the United States. My mother, a beautiful and talented woman, became a domestic worker. And for most of my youngest years, she cleaned wealthy people's homes and offices so they didn't have to -- so they could focus on their own families and their own careers. Intelligent and talented women of color, like my mother, make up nearly one third of the nation's workforce, but when compared to white women, they are twice as likely to be employed in lower-wage sectors. And when they're employed in lower-wage positions, they work several jobs to bring home a decent amount of money. When they work several jobs, they sacrifice time with the families and children they love. I am one of those children. Advertisement Regularly, my mom came home from work with stories about the people she worked for and the way they treated her. She talked to me early and often about her reality, the other workers she met, and the interconnectedness of multiple issues. Latinas are most likely to be domestic workers. They are often forced to work in hostile environments where they are underpaid, threatened, and sexually harassed. But when you don't have options, when you are afraid, and when you have a family to support, you make tough choices. Like so many of my peers, my mother pushed me to get an education and always took the time to celebrate my accomplishments. She knew I would be the one in my family to change the course of our future. So when I told her I was moving across the country for a new career in the tech sector, she proudly called my family in Brasil to tell them the news. Her daughter, a Latina born to a domestic worker, made it. But I struggled to feel proud. I began attending networking events at your favorite tech companies, meeting other people in tech, and only felt more disconnected and guilty for being in this space. Guilt surfaced because I noticed how the caterers at events were invisible and how janitors were ignored. I would look into the eyes of women of color walking through tech headquarters with trash bags, the ones no one else noticed, and I saw my mother. So when we talk about the lack of women of color in tech, it's important that we center the women who protect tech's productivity. Whether they provide childcare in your home or clean your office, treat them with kindness and honor their value. These are the women raising the very young people your company is trying to recruit. Yet, these are also the women making sacrifices so you don't have to. Follow Natasha Vianna on Twitter: twitter.com/natashavianna Advertisement Black student thinking in classroom I want to tell you a secret: America really doesn't care what happens to poor people and most black people. There I said it. In my position as a Teacher of the Year and a teacher leader (an ambiguous term at best), I am supposed to be a voice and hold positions on a host of ed policy issues: teaching evaluations, charter schools, test refusal, and (fights over) Common Core come to mind. I am so sick of reading about McCleary (Washington's ongoing intragovernmental battle for equitable funding for K-12) I don't know what to do with myself. But, increasingly I find myself tuning out of these conversations. Advertisement As a nation, we're nibbling around the edges with accountability measures and other reforms, but we're ignoring the immutable core issue: much of white and wealthy America is perfectly happy with segregated schools and inequity in funding. We have the schools we have, because people who can afford better get better. And sadly, people who can't afford better just get less -- less experienced teachers, inadequate funding and inferior facilities. "...much of white and wealthy America is perfectly happy with segregated schools and inequity in funding." There is simple lack of political will. The situation in education is analogous to the status of gun control. Last June, @DPJHodges tweeted that "In retrospect Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable, it was over." Unless dozens of members of Congress are themselves directly impacted by gun violence, there is no major gun legislation coming anytime soon. We have retreated to our camps; there is no turning back. It is the same with school funding and school segregation. If you are reading this blog, you've probably seen the images coming out of Detroit Public Schools: buckled floors, toilets without seats, roaches, mold and even mushrooms growing in damp, disgusting, mildewy classrooms. Like the images of American torture and abuse last decade in Abu Ghraib, these images should have shocked the nation. Instead, they elicited a collective national shrug, stretch and yawn. Advertisement The view from the 'burbs is sweet. Through white flight and suburbanization, wealthy and middle class families have completely insulated themselves from educational inequality. They send their kids to homogeneous schools and they do what it takes, politically at the local level, to ensure they're well-funded, well-staffed, with opportunities for enrichment and exploration. Poor families lack competent and engaged administration (see Chicago, Detroit, etc), the levy money (locally, see Highline), capital budgets (see rural Central, WA), and the political capital wealthier families enjoy. Ask yourself, would suburban schools ever be allowed to decay like what we saw in Detroit? Nope. What's happening in Detroit could never happen in Auburn Hills; what's happening in Chicago could never happen in Evanston; what's happening in South Seattle could never happen in Issaquah or Bellevue. Middle class America would never allow the conditions that have become normalized in poor and brown America to stand for their kids. This past week, I attended a convening of the 56 State & Territorial Teachers of the Year in San Antonio. There I spoke to a veteran teacher (17 years in the classroom) from Maryland. Her school is located five miles from the nation's capitol and in her career, she has never taught a white student. Never. Her county and its schools are completely segregated. We aren't in this together. This week, I also encountered a tweet from @mdawriter that stopped me cold in my tracks: "61% of Blacks, 55% of Hispanics support gov't intervention to address school segregation. Vast majority of whites (72 percent) say nope!" They're perfectly satisfied with situation as is. Integration? Busing? Redrawing of school or district boundaries? Nope, nope, nope. "Middle class America would never allow the conditions that have become normalized in poor and brown America to stand for their kids." So what is to be done? The pessimist in me says nothing can be done. Polite society has walled itself off and policymakers are largely indifferent. Better funding for schools is and will remain elusive, because middle class and wealthy people have been conditioned over the last 35 years to think of themselves as taxpayers, rather than citizens. They consistently oppose higher taxes--especially tax expenditures for programs for "the other." I'd offer the answer lies in the teaching profession itself. If you ain't talking about the teacher in the classroom, I ain't listening. Teacher quality matters. Too many in the profession are quick to awfulize students in poverty to rationalize poor results. Better teaching inspires students and gets better results. Better teaching engages students and keeps them in classrooms, rather than the streets. Better teaching is the one thing we never really talk about. Better teaching is the only mechanism we have left. Our most needy students need our best teachers, yet our highest need schools have the least experienced teachers, the most turnover and are becoming burnout factories for those who remain. All the existing structural incentives for effective educators push them toward work in suburban schools, where they'll be better supported and the workload is sustainable. Nobody wants to talk about this. I am done with charter fights and Common Core spats. You won't hear me caping for (or against) Danielson's Framework. If you're looking for me in the near future, you won't find me at the edu-fundraiser or non-profit luncheon with a parking lot full of Teslas. For my own sake and the sake of my kids, I will be supporting organizations and people putting in work in these areas: Fighting the impacts of systemic racism and white supremacy in our schools and among teachers. Helping, through my speaking opportunities, to recruit passionate people, especially people of color into the profession. Advertisement Supporting policies aimed at identifying, developing and retaining effective teachers. Advocating for the creation of systems that encourage our most effective and passionate teachers to stay in the profession and supporting them in working with our most needy schools. Encouraging policymakers to make the work of effective teachers rewarding and sustainable by trusting them and not burdening them with new and ever changing mandates. Giving teachers opportunities to lead, within the profession, while remaining in the classroom. Take what you will from what is and isn't on that list. Now that we've made it this far, I realize I may have misspoken at the top -- I am not done with ed policy discussions -- but I am done with ones that don't have to do with teaching. Onward. Given the disastrous course of Egypt's transition since President Mubarak stepped down from office in February 2011, many commentators are quick to claim 20/20 hindsight. In a recent Washington Post article, David Ignatius makes a tenuous case for how Hillary Clinton "was right on Egypt" by urging caution at the beginning of the Tahrir protests and suggesting that President Mubarak be allowed to remain in office to oversee a peaceful transition. Never mind whether the millions of protesters and the Egyptian military would have gone for that. The truth is, by the time the 2011 protests rolled around, the window for the kind of "orderly transition" Ignatius champions in Hillary's name had closed. Ignatius quotes from an interview with Frank Wisner, a former U.S. Ambassador now closely associated with authoritarian Arab governments, saying that five years ago, "We ought to have been calling for an orderly transition, rather than telling Mubarak to 'get out of town, get out of government' ... We need a responsible path to stability and evolution, not revolution." Advertisement This might have been a real possibility if U.S. officials had acted much sooner, long before the first months of 2011, to encourage President Mubarak to set in motion a responsible path to transition. For example, Secretary Clinton and the Obama Administration could have urged President Mubarak to use the 2010 parliamentary elections as a way to allow responsible opposition political forces to organize and even exercise some power. In reality, the United States was silent and those elections turned out to be some of the most brazenly rigged of the Mubarak era, setting the stage for his downfall. The Bush administration had arguably an even better opportunity to persuade President Mubarak to step down and oversee an orderly transition in 2005 at the height of the Freedom of Agenda, when President Bush and Secretary Condoleezza Rice were strongly calling on Egypt to implement political reform. At the time, authoritarian Arab leaders were taking notice after the removal of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. It's not hard to imagine how the Bush Administration could have flattered and inveigled Mubarak to stand down in 2005, anointing him as the U.S.-blessed father of democracy in the Arab world, ensuring him a glittering retirement as an elder statesman -- he could have been awarded a Nobel Prize. But no such effort was made. The sad truth is that U.S. administrations from Reagan to Obama have been wrong on Egypt. The prevailing protocol has been to make deals with authoritarian leaders in Cairo who cooperate on certain U.S. interests in return for lax pressure for democratic change. This trade-off of human rights for stability has not worked: Egypt's repression has led to extremism, destabilizing the country, the rest of the region, and the world. Pretending that U.S interests are well served by continuing the failed practice of making amoral deals with dictators is dangerous. Rewriting history, as Ignatius and others seem to want to, should not obscure this vital, hard-earned lesson. MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES - 2016/01/30: Demonstrators hold signs and chant in support of Bernie Sanders. Supporters of Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders rallied in Union Square Park in New York City and marched on Broadway to Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan. (Photo by Albin Lohr-Jones/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) Forty-eight years ago, a serious insurrection jeopardized the power structure of the national Democratic Party for the first time in memory. Propelled by the movement against the Vietnam War, that grassroots uprising cast a big electoral shadow soon after Senator Eugene McCarthy dared to challenge the incumbent for the Democratic presidential nomination. When 1968 got underway, the news media were scoffing at McCarthy's antiwar campaign as quixotic and doomed. But in the nation's leadoff New Hampshire primary, McCarthy received 42 percent of the vote while President Lyndon B. Johnson couldn't quite get to 50 percent -- results that were shattering for LBJ. Suddenly emboldened, Senator Robert Kennedy quickly entered the race. Two weeks later, Johnson announced that he wouldn't seek re-election. Advertisement Although the nomination eventually went to Johnson's vice president Hubert Humphrey -- a supporter of the war who was the choice of Democratic power brokers -- the unmasking of the party's undemocratic process led to internal reforms that aided the Democratic Party's second modern insurrection. It came four years later, when Senator George McGovern won the presidential nomination, thanks to grassroots movements involving young people and activists of color. But any sense of triumph disappeared in the wake of President Nixon's landslide re-election in November 1972. The third major insurrection came in 1988, when Jesse Jackson led a dynamic, multiracial "rainbow" campaign for president that had major impacts on the national stage. (His previous campaign, in '84, had been relatively weak.) The 1988 primaries and caucuses were hard-fought, state by state, with rainbow activists working shoulder-to-shoulder, whether focused on issues of class, race or gender. (Back then, Jackson was a gutsy voice for social justice, for human rights and against war -- much more willing to confront the Democratic Party establishment than he is now.) At the contentious Democratic National Convention that summer in Atlanta, where Jackson delegates were highly visible as 30 percent of the total, the old guard closed ranks behind nominee Michael Dukakis. Now, as February 2016 gets underway, we're in the midst of the first major insurrection against the Democratic Party power structure in 28 years. The millions of us who support the Bernie Sanders campaign -- whatever our important criticisms -- should aim to fully grasp the huge opportunities and obstacles that await us. Of the three previous insurrections, only one gained the nomination, and none won the presidency. Corporate capitalism -- wielding its muscular appendage, mass media -- can be depended upon to take off the gloves and pummel the insurrection's candidate to the extent that the campaign has gained momentum. That happened to McCarthy, McGovern and Jackson. It's now happening to Sanders. Advertisement The last days of January brought one big-daily newspaper editorial after another after another attacking Bernie with vehemence and vitriol. The less unlikely his winning of the nomination gets, the more that mega-media assaults promoting absurdities will intensify. Meanwhile -- at least as long as her nomination is threatened from the left -- Hillary Clinton will benefit from corporate biases that wallpaper the mass-media echo chambers. The Sunday New York Times editorial endorsing Clinton could hardly be more fanciful and hagiographic if written by her campaign. Many of the same media outlets and overall corporate forces that denounced Eugene McCarthy in 1968, George McGovern in 1972 and Jesse Jackson in 1988 are gunning for Bernie Sanders in 2016. We shouldn't be surprised. But we should be ready, willing and able to do our own messaging -- widely and intensely -- in communities across the country. At the same time, we should not confuse electoral campaigns with long-term political organizing. Campaigns for office are quite different matters than the more transformative task of building progressive infrastructure -- and vibrant coalitions -- that can endure and grow, year after year. Genuinely progressive candidates can inspire and galvanize -- and sometimes they can even win. But election campaigns, especially national ones, are almost always boom/bust. Sometimes they can help to fuel movement momentum, but they aren't the engine. Advertisement Election campaigns are distinct from movements even if they converge for a while, no matter what pundits and campaign spinners say. Candidates often want to harness social movements for their campaigns. But our best approach is to view electoral campaigns as -- at best -- subsets of movements, not the other way around. It has been a short but well-travelled road for LA Dance Project, Benjamin Milliepied's artistic dance collective. From the first steps on the white-carpeted galleries of LA MoCA in 2012 to last night's performance at the chic enclave of the Wallis Theater in the old Beverly Hills post office, LADP has toured in 50 cities around the world including China and Japan. I remember seeing Millepied dancing in the New York City Ballet Goldberg Variations with Wendy Whelan and in many other Balanchine and Robbins ballets: the perfect classical dancer. Then there was the Black Swan l experience which changed his life. Then suddenly there was this free spirit leaping around the MocA galleries. Surely this free spirit was in Millepied all along, but the wider world had no way of knowing. "Long before I started my formal ballet training, I danced as a kid to the rhythm of the drums in Africa, where I grew up" Millepied reminds. Advertisement Into his own personal company--now separated from him by 6000 miles as he has taken on the huge assignment of running the Paris Opera Ballet--he has imbued this other spirit and I say without reservation that they are among the finest young companies dancing in the world today. Many were skeptical, including myself, that LADP could be a going concern with their fearless leader so far away and with such a huge challenge now confronting him in Paris. It's one thing to telecommute, quite another to deal in real time with dancers. Instead some kind of long distance Captain Kirk teleportation seems to have transpired. The dancers technical skill, their lithe and beautiful bodies, their evident collegiality and bonhomie, this is what makes great dancing. I had seen LADP at BAM a few years ago and again recently at the Schindler House. But as of this stand, my respect for them has grown a hundredfold. Millepied has taken primarily Juilliard dancers for the company. He says, "Juilliard provides a great environment with classical training as well as modern dance and improv classes. Also, students are exposed to working with contemporary choreographers, often in a collaborative manner. As a result some of the most talented graduates have this ideal mix of an open mind and strong technique, which I find so appealing. " LA Dance Project membersLilja Ruriksdottir, Julia Eicthen, Stephanie Amuaro, Nathan Makolandra, Morgan Lugo, Robbie Moore, Aaron Carr, Anthony Bryant,- Advertisement I have never seen better work by the sought-after young choreographer Justin Peck as in Murder Ballades with stirring music by Bryce Dessner and Eighth Blackbird. The dancers slip sneakers on and off to move swiftly to catch each other and gambol. The turns are lightening fast, the leaps and combinations sophisticated and intricate. Murder Ballades In Harbor Me, a piece by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, the all male cast (which alternates with an all female cast--how refreshing!) confounds you with their technical virtuosity. The Eastern musical vibe from Park Woojae Geomungo "Extension" which moves from Morocco to India and back again challenges dance norms in every way possible, yet the sinewy dancers (you will run to Pilates after you see these dancers) take you with them on this souk-like, practically Cirque de Soleil-ish journey. Harbor Me all female cast photo by Rose Eichenbaum Harbor Me, all male cast Hearts and Arrows, Millepied's own piece to music by Philip Glass with stellar black and white costumes by ex-NYC Ballet dancer Janie Taylor (who knew?!--as good as Alaia!!) makes excellent use of the full company as only he knows them. Hearts and Arrows "It is amazing to see how the dancers themselves have become so independent, fearless, and are always ready for the next challenge" adds Millepied. "They are tireless, really. Choreographers often respond to this energy by then making particularly strong work". Trust is essential in this kind of dancing, and it appears to be present in healthy measure. Ballerina Carla Korbes who was at the performance with her 5 week old baby is a more recent addition to the artistic direction and will surely import some of her own ballet moxie to the troupe, but if Millepied waves his magic wand, hidden reserves will emerge in her as well that have not yet been tapped. Advertisement Of course LA is the poorer for not having them here in the city more often though this is their permanent base. Like any small company, they must tour to survive. We can only hope that support from the LA community grows in parallel with the company, the way visual arts support has exploded. Millepied says, "In the near future I hope that the newly established Colburn Dance Academy, which focuses on ballet but also widens the spectrum with other techniques (the students take weekly classes with L.A. Dance Project) will deliver a new generation of ballet dancers, who will eventually be able to integrate L.A. Dance Project as I am planning to grow the company" In the short term, Millepied wants to work even more with American choreographers and also nurture choreographic talent within the company. He plans to work soon again with Mark Bradford and has just received a new score by Andy Akiho to premiere in June at Sadler's Wells in London. (May I recommend Myles Thatcher?) LA Dance project is dymanic and fluid. Absent the constraints of a large company and venue to support, it is able to give choreographers, dancers, musicians, costume designers and visual artists new opportunities to display their fullest, creative selves. Bravo Benjamin! All photographs by Kevin Parry, courtesy LADP Recently, a fierce debate has been ignited within the Democratic Party regarding the merits and feasibility of a single-payer Medicare-for-All universal healthcare system. Some liberal commentators have summarily dismissed Senator Sanders' proposal as politically unrealistic or as greatly lacking in details while championing a slightly improved status quo, and other political surrogates have spread GOP-like untruths that have no place in any honest discussion. Regardless of ones' individual beliefs on Medicare-for-All, it is crucial to note some indisputable facts regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the current status quo: Advertisement 1.While the ACA did indeed do some very positive things like end lifetime caps on medical coverage and do away with discrimination for pre-existing conditions, it was never intended to cover every uninsured individual. In fact, after the ACA is fully implemented, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that up to 29 million residents will still remain uninsured. 2. The only area of the ACA that both Democrats and Republicans found mutual agreement on was to exclude our undocumented brothers and sisters. 3.The average insured family still pays an extra $1,017 in premiums (hidden tax) to cover the cost of care for the uninsured. 4.A recent Commonwealth Fund study revealed that 31 million people with insurance had such high out-of-pocket costs or deductibles relative to their incomes that they were UNDER-insured and that 51% of these adults reported problems with their medical bills, while 44% of all adults reported not getting care because of high co-pays and deductibles despite being insured. Advertisement 5. Even after a significant decrease in the total number of uninsured, there were still 1.7 million medical related bankruptcies in 2014 of which 75% were actually insured, and this is only expected to get worse. 6.Most individuals in the U.S. cannot afford an annual deductible of $6,850 and most families of four cannot afford an annual deductible of $13,700. 7.Despite premiums increasing over 150% over the past 9 years, there is no federal insurance rate regulation. 8.Despite the fact that average branded drug prices have increased 127% during the past 8 years to the point that 73% of Americans now find the cost of drugs unreasonable, there was no mechanism to control drug prices. 9.Many states have huge underfunded retiree healthcare liabilities. California's alone is $150 Billion. Advertisement 10.Healthcare costs are currently 17.5% of GDP with over 1% of GDP spent on Prescription drugs alone, and will only continue to climb as mandatory federal health spending is projected to double in the next 10 Years. 11.Recent data from the American Journal of Public Health found that tax-funded expenditures accounted for 64.3% of all U.S. health spending. U.S. health spending for 2013 was $9,267 per capita, with government's share being $5,960. 12.Prior to the bailout, GM spent more on healthcare for its employees than it did on steel. Rising healthcare costs are making U.S. companies less competitive and taking money away from wages and capital investments. 13.Most Americans continue to get employer-sponsored healthcare but worker's contributions to premiums have increased 212% since 2000 while wages have only increased 54% during the same period. 14. Healthcare benefits have become the biggest source of labor negotiation strife. So if anything, most health policy experts believe that our current healthcare system is unsustainable for individuals, businesses, states and our federal government, and to continue this status quo is what is really unrealistic. Advertisement The real debate Democrats should be having should not be about whether single payer, a highly successful proven system in so many industrialized nations, is the solution, but rather how we can collectively come together to overcome the corporate forces that derailed the ACA from providing a public option, drug price controls and insurance rate regulation, and how we get to the ultimate goal of Medicare for All. Back in 2003, then Illinois State Senator Barack Obama said in a speech to the AFL-CIO, "I happen to be a proponent of a single payer universal healthcare plan...but first we need to take back the White House, then the Senate, then the house". Sadly, when Barack Obama became President and had a supermajority in the Senate and House, single payer was never even introduced as an option. In fact, well before the ACA was even written, the pharmaceutical industry under the guidance of former congressman and Medicare Part D architect, Billy Tauzin, negotiated a sweetheart deal that would provide industry support for the administration's health reform agenda in exchange for no significant reform of the pharmaceutical industry. At the same time there were over 3,300 registered healthcare lobbyists for the 535 members of congress who spent more in total than what was spent on the entire Bush-Kerry election to influence the legislation. Many of these lobbyists were former congressional staffers including two former chiefs of staff to then Finance Committee Chairman Senator Max Baccus. Many legislators from both sides of the aisle received lots of money, but it was Baccus who received over $1.4 million and held up the legislation in his committee for so long that Senator Ted Kennedy was not alive to vote for it. In the end, despite some positive aspects, the ACA looks like it was essentially written by the pharmaceutical and insurance industry. It is not socialism, but rather a $475 billion corporate welfare program that mandated uninsured Americans buy a product from a for-profit industry that only makes money by denying care, and this is why we still have so many of the problems stated above. Advertisement Paul Krugman is correct when he says that Senator Sanders' Medicare-or-All plan is not politically feasible today. As long as we have Democrats who are consistently beholden to the Insurance and Pharma cartels, we will definitely continue the status quo. As long as we do not fight to reverse the awful cloud of Citizens' United and the grossly disproportionate influence of money in politics, we cannot achieve any meaningful progress in healthcare or any other critical challenge facing our country and world. Far beyond any Medicare-For-All proposal, what the Senator is really calling for is a transformational movement, much larger than any one individual, which can come together to fight against the Super PACs and suffocating corporate influences. His campaign is the personification of this fight. 58 percent of Americans currently favor Medicare-for-All once they learn more about it, and 81% of Democrats already believe it is the best solution. So, rather than demonize it with lies and scare tactics, we should be educating more and more people who are disillusioned with their current healthcare so that more and more of us can demand something better from our representatives. Sadly, the biggest major insurers also recognize the benefits and efficiencies of a single payer system and have begun to rapidly consolidate through huge mergers, which further eliminates what little competition consumers have. So the question is not whether we will have single payer, but whether it will be administered by one ruthless for-profit entity that will keep all realized savings for its shareholders while continuing to gauge, deny, and shortchange its patients. Or whether it will be a Medicare-for-all, which will use the cost savings of administrative efficiency and bulk purchasing power to increase coverage and benefits for everyone, to provide the humane and comprehensive health care system we as a society truly deserve and already pay for. Above all, we need to remember that we ARE the party that rejected the status quo and created a very bold disruptive new program called Medicare at a time when 44% of seniors were uninsured and 1/3 were living in poverty. We are the party for the least among us and for those without a voice. We are the party of "Yes, we can". Advertisement YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Anna Hedvig Buhl or The Last Prayer documentary movie, dedicated to the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, is on the internet. The film has been shot by Sharm Pictures and Yan Team Production at the request of the State Commission on Coordination of Events for the Commemoration of 100th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide. Sharm Pictures informed Armenpress that the movie reveals the story of an Estonian missioner Anna Hedvig Buhl, who first visited Western Armenia, Marash, Cilicia in 1909 and since then she became the loyal friend of Armenians, dedicating the rest of her life to the orphans and widows, who survived the genocide. She continued her commitment in Syria, engaging in essential problems of banished Armenians in Aleppo and becoming the mother of thousands of orphans and the sister of widows. The movie, which has duration of 26 minutes, is a true story, based on the content of letters written by or addressed to Buhl. It also contains historical references to the dooms of Armenians, living from 1909 to the 1980s. The film reveals the historical truth of the Armenian genocide, as well as the life of Armenians living in Aleppo after 1915. Mother Buhl spent the last years of her life in a German nursing home for elderly people. After 90 years of life the aged woman laid in her deathbed and instead of the 6 languages, which she had perfect command of, she prayed in Armenian. My heart is Armenian, Mother Buhl used to say. And that heart was always with the people, who were warmed and saved by her, while her memory will stay alive in many generations of Armenians. Script was authored by Sona Aleksanian, the director is Vahe Yan, camera operator - Robert Kharazyan and producer - Karen Ghazaryan. Four men who 34 years ago were denied service at a Woolworth store in Greensboro, N.C., pause in front of the store, Feb. 1, 1990, after re-staging their sit-in. From left to right: Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeill, and David Richmond. (AP Photo) Late in the afternoon of February 1, 1960, four young black men -- Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil, all students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in Greensboro -- visited the local Woolworth's five-and-dime store. They purchased school supplies and toothpaste, and then they sat down at the store's lunch counter and ordered coffee. "I'm sorry," said the waitress. "We don't serve Negroes here." The four students refused to give up their seats until the store closed. The local media soon arrived and reported the sit-in on television and in the newspapers. Advertisement The four students returned the next day with more students, and by February 5 about 300 students had joined the protest, generating more media attention. Their action inspired students at other colleges across the South to follow their example. By the end of March sit-ins had spread to fifty-five cities in thirteen states. Many students, mostly black but also white, were arrested for trespassing, disorderly conduct, or disturbing the peace. At the same, even many liberals -- black and white -- thought that they were too radical. But their actions galvanized a new wave of civil rights protest. At the invitation of organizer Ella Baker, over Easter weekend -- April 16-18 -- several hundred sit-in activists and their allies came to Shaw University, a black college in Raleigh, North Carolina, to discuss how to capitalize on the sit-ins' growing momentum and publicity. This gathering became the founding meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Its growing base of supporters played key roles in the freedom rides, marches, and voter registration drives that eventually led Congress to enact the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Many SNCC activists became key leaders in subsequent battles for social justice, including Congressman John Lewis and Marion Wright Edelman, founder of the Children's Defense Fund. This is how people make history. There are tens of thousands of young people on campuses today, working to promote racial justice, working for living wages, pushing for environmental sustainability and for divestment in fossil fuel corporations, fighting global sweatshops, demanding an end to sexual assault, and many other causes. Advertisement The struggle continues. "Nobody is unhappy when they get praised. Even if they know they don't deserve it and even if they don't believe it. The only unhappy people about praise is when that praise is going too much toward somebody else." -- MLK , Drum Major Instinct CUOMO FOR MAYOR (AN OPEN LETTER TO AMC) Dear Andrew, Well, here's another fine mess you got yourself into. I know it's been going on for some time but this war with Bill De Blasio is getting out of control. You've gone bonkers and resolved to "hit the mattresses" with Hizzoner. It's hand-to-hand combat with no end in sight. Even the Rev. Al Sharpton was unable to get the two of you to make nice at his annual MLK Day tribute to the Rev. Al Sharpton. (By the way, that's the same Sharpton who stood side by side with George Pataki two days before your dad's '94 surprise loss). Everyone I know seems to be scratching their head. They don't get it. After all, De Blasio, in spite of his hitherto lackluster tenure at Gracie, deep inside is a very nice guy. He likes to sleep in, shake hands and slap backs and make promises. A dyed-in-the-wool people pleaser. He's sweet to everybody. Even to people who don't like him, such as you! Advertisement The press, the public and political junkies are baffled by it all. It's a conflict that seems to have been provoked with less sense than what kicked off the war between Freedonia and Sylvania in Duck Soup. But it makes sense to me. I get it. Big time. And, to be honest, I feel your pain. I know exactly what you are going through. Been there. Done it. Oh yes, in 1992 Francis X Clines of the NYT called me a "rare exception to the pathetic rule." My opening act that night was a fellow by the name of Jon Stewart. Clines tepidly mentioned him in passing. Well, our careers have, alas, went off in opposite directions. A few years later, I taught a course in comedy at the Village Gate. One of my students was a fellow by the name of Jim Gaffigan. I didn't think he had a prayer in the biz and bluntly told him so. Well, ol' Jimbo is doing just fine. That's right, he's the dude who opened for the Pope in Philadelphia. Those stories are just the tip of the iceberg. Watching those fellow and others pass me by drove me crazy. It wasn't unusual for friends to see me walking in circles talking to myself. It really ate me up inside. I went on the warpath with enemies real and imagined. Sounding familiar? Advertisement I don't know what you call it but whatever it is my friend, I believe it's what is happening to you. Salieri syndrome? In your case, I think it goes back to when you were El Jefe Grande at HUD. De Blasio, as it were, was both your student and your opening act. Indeed, It was you Andrew who gave him his big break. Without you he'd be nothing. You made him what he is today! And does De Blasio show any gratitude? No! He has the nerve to insult and upstage you with all sorts of proposals of his own without the advice and consent of his creator. Oh, the horror. De Blasio doesn't let protracted REM periods go to waste. He works while he is sleeping. And, in a dream state, he's come up with some pretty good ideas. First it was the universal Pre K thing. Then 421a reform. Next, was the fight for $15. And now, its homeless relief. All wildly popular and progressive. Well, you did the only thing you know how to do in emergency political circumstances: co-opt all of the above proposals and make them look like they originated out of your mind. Just like you did to us when you parachuted on the popular movement to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws. You did well by that caper even though you suddenly lost your passion for changes in those still Draconian laws and other aspects of the racist criminal justice system once you ascended to power. Imagine that! All of this makes me deeply concerned about you and your future. I am sure you know you are not well liked by an overwhelming majority in your own party. It's worse than you think, if I may be honest. There's been widespread rumor floating around that either AG Schniederman or Comptroller Dinapoli plan challenge you in 2018. Both are much more popular within the party and have much higher approval ratings. Advertisement If either the AG or the Comptroller take you on, you are in serious trouble. You are going to need a lot of help. Most importantly you will need the endorsement of De Blasio. His support is critical. The same way it was when you squeaked out the WFP nomination two years against Zephyr Teachout. Imagine if De Blasio had endorsed her instead of you or stayed neutral. What, Governor Astorino perhaps? Well, you can bet the house that De Blasio will not be endorsing your candidacy the next time around on any line. He's eaten enough of your crow (without the benefit of a fork by god). You've crossed a line that he can no longer continue moving. And he seems bent on restoring some sense of self-esteem and self-respect. That isn't good news for your reelection plans. You need the NYC mayor's endorsement, at the very least. Now what? Well, I have an answer. Listen carefully! I know it sounds like Ive had a relapse but If I were you I would toss my crown into the ring against De Blasio for mayor of New York City in 2017. I did some research and it appears there is nothing in the law that would prevent you from doing such a thing. I mean, it's not going to be easy, even if I can convince you to do it, but I believe the only way you are going to get the endorsement of the New York City mayor in your 2018 bid to retain the governor's office is if you become mayor in 2017. Moreover, I am convinced that no Democratic mayor will endorse you for the democratic nomination in 2018 particularly if either Schneiderman or Dinapoli decide to jump into the fray. Everyone likes those two guys except for one person... you! It would be a great story which is something I think you owe to the Albany press corps. They've been sitting around like prisoners seeking a pardon waiting for a story that isn't pre packaged by your press secretary (which we all know would be you). They've been left high and dry since Paterson blew town. Your press conferences have become less common than sightings of Bigfoot or Haley's comet. Many of them would be rooting for you to win and get out of town for awhile because they like you less than you like them, which is not an easy concept for one to imagine. Advertisement Beating De Blasio is not going to be easy. He'll have the WFP nomination for sure and I cant see you or anyone else beating him in a democratic primary. Especially you. The Democrats who held their nose and voted for you in 2014 against Teachout and this irritating comic were muscled into it by their union leaders after you cut some last minute contract deals. But who needs the democratic nomination? Five out of the last six mayoral elections have been won by Republicans. You will have no problem getting the GOP nomination. You are a cinch. They owe you. Without you they would never have controlled the state senate for the past five years, giving that body the ability to block all of your own progressive proposals that you never really wanted to pass anyway but just to get kudos for trying. In addition, like your pal Joe Lhota, you will have no problem getting Mike Long and the Conservative endorsement. That's two out of the first three ballot lines. Your longtime confidante Joe Percoco will have plenty of time to run your campaign at no cost courtesy of that seven-figure, no-show job you got him over at MSG. He'll keep the massive city hall press corps at arms length until after you move your stuff from Albany to Gracie. Then Joe can turn his attention to your statewide reelection bid. Trust me, the Dolan family will be glad to give him something to do.. I hope you take my advice. And I hope you win. It's not because I think you are a great governor or would be a great mayor. This is about me! Its rooted in my own selfishness. You see, I am back to doing what I do best and love, and that is political impressions. For the life of me, I can't do a Bill De Blasio impression. I have tried and tried to no avail. But I do a wicked Andrew Cuomo. It's one of my best voices. So, for the sake of your revenge and the sake of my career, go ahead and just do it! At least Ted Cruz gets beyond the trivial concerns about character, policies and electability. He disqualifies anyone with New York "values." That presumably includes all of us New Yorkers, and both billionaire presidential aspirants, Mike Bloomberg and Donald Trump. But there are differences and similarities between the two men that are ripe for consideration. It would seem hard to connect the Donald and Bloomie. I've interacted with both, and the differences are clear from the get-go. Bloomberg is smart, controlled, decent in his human instincts, and generous in his fashion. He looks at you when talking, listens and responds. He's likable. And a mushy, middle-of-the-road social liberal/economic conservative. Advertisement Donald is, well, not so much. He is smart and impulsive. But the smackdown, in your face attacks on groups and individuals are really appalling. And when you talk with him he seems to be looking over your shoulder to see if there's anyone more important in the room. His current ideology is best described as Tea Party Mogulism. Their contrasting styles and viewpoints have brought both political success, and failure. Until 2016 Trump was a perennial candidate putting himself forward and then withdrawing when no one paid attention. Bloomberg rented the Republican Party to start his career, and then purchased a third term which was a failure for himself and New York City. But both are emerging as serious players in 2016. Their similarities are actually more important than their differences, at least insofar as the presidential race is concerned. Having used their immense wealth to advance their political careers, both men are showing the limitations of immense wealth. Both men have created lives which have reinforced their enormous and imperturbable confidence in their own correctness. They simply do not hear the word "No". People say it to them, but they don't hear it. Both have friends and staff who are smart and courageous enough to occasionally utter the word. But neither Bloomie or the Donald ever really absorb the notion that someone else knows better, that they should be guided by anothers wisdom. I believe that is a consequence of having billions of dollars, not just a personality trait. Advertisement It's easy to see it in Trump, even though he's been right more often than his advisers. He read the Republican electorate and attuned his campaign to the kind of anger and outspokenness that has him in first place. It's harder to see in Bloomberg because he's much less bombastic. But time after time, he simply bulled ahead, insisted on his way, and failed. Be it congestion pricing, or the proposed stadium for the New York Jets, or attempts at school reform, or the third term shenanigans, my-way-or-the-highway got him nowhere. These similarities are a serious problem for both parties. Both men pose real dangers to a political system that is stressed and not performing. Compromise is out. Principled gridlock is in. Either New York billionaire will do little to return us to political functionality in a divided government. And both endanger the principles they espouse. Trump is the easiest candidate for a Democrat to beat. Bloomberg's third-party effort will assure a victory by a right-wing Republican. Evidence continues to pile up to prove, beyond any doubt, that the hugely-subsidized Gulf airlines - Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways - are damaging U.S. airlines and their transatlantic partners, and costing U.S. jobs. According to new data from the respected economics firm Compass Lexecon, international passenger bookings on U.S. carriers and their European partners from San Francisco, Chicago, and Orlando to the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia declined significantly after the Gulf carriers' most recent entry into the three U.S. markets. To the Gulf carriers, the normal commercial imperative to earn profits and thus satisfy investors doesn't matter, because their governments provide them wheelbarrows of cash - totaling more than $42 billion in subsidies and other unfair benefits since 2004. Given their Santa Claus financing, they can quickly expand worldwide - just in the U.S., the three Gulf airlines have added, or announced plans to add, 35 percent more seats since last January. Compass Lexecon economists found that following the most recent entry by a Gulf carrier into San Francisco, passenger bookings for international itineraries on U.S. carriers and their joint venture partners declined an average of 13.1 percent; respective numbers are 8.8 percent in Chicago and 13.3 percent in Orlando. A previously released analysis using the same method showed a similarly large decline in bookings, with an average drop of 21.4 percent in Seattle, 14.3 percent in Washington, D.C., 10.8 percent in Boston and 7.6 percent in Dallas-Fort Worth Advertisement You might be wondering, "How do we know these numbers?" That's a fair question. The booking data come from a source called MIDT, collected from the ticket-distribution systems like Sabre and Amadeus that travel agents and other selling intermediaries use. MIDT information covers all airlines and all routes. The data have for decades been an essential tool in understanding sales patterns in the airline industry worldwide. An example of the lost traffic: in the past, an electrical engineer from Silicon Valley would fly home to India to see her parents on United from San Francisco to Frankfurt, then on United's Star Alliance partner Lufthansa to Mumbai. Now she flies San Francisco to Dubai to Mumbai on Emirates. Indeed, it is precisely in the enormous U.S.-India market where U.S. carriers and their joint venture partners (United with Lufthansa, as in the example above; American with British Airways and Iberia; and Delta with Air France and KLM) have suffered the biggest traffic losses. January 30, 1976 is to plutocracy in the United States what July 4, 1776 was to its democracy. The fortieth anniversary of Buckley v Valeo, the 1976 Supreme Court decision that legalized systemic political corruption and fraud, presents an occasion to assess its continuing impact. The importance of the Buckley decision will be known to those who have successfully tracked the telltale footprints of causality back from, 1) the United States' record-setting and still growing economic inequality,enabled by 2) its systemically dysfunctional domestic and expensive foreign policies, caused by 3) the decline of democracy as a result of 4) systemically corrupt politics, to its root cause in 5) the Supreme Court's legalization of special interest money in politics. Advertisement As the charter for the nation's corrupt plutocratic tyranny, Buckley presents no opportunity for public celebration, flag waving and beer drinking. Indeed its apologists like to lie about its age/ They only talk about its manifestation in the six year old Citizens United, as if Buckley corruption were a recent phenomenon and one only restricted to corporations. The misplaced focus solely on their corporate conduits for corrupt pay-offs tends to take the heat off plutocrats themselves. Perhaps plutocrats somewhere are discretely raising a fine single-malt to Buckley and its relative anonymity too. That Buckley has reached middle age and never felt stronger, or more dangerous, should not go unremarked by the rest of us. Bernie Sanders' historic leadership against the "corrupt campaign finance system which is undermining American democracy" is necessarily against Buckley which originated that system. There is no effective solution that does not eradicate Buckley's surreal concept that "money is speech." This article observes Buckley's 40th by taking score of the most important events in 2015 that will expand or limit the damage traceable to its bizarre "money=speech" formula. Some of the developments are positive, some odious; some are barely heard of, others obvious or well-known. Each makes the list because of its strategic importance,* its capacity for advancing the nation's common cultural treasure of democracy or instead losing it to those who plunder it for private gain. This list provides a snapshot of how, after two generations, the country is dealing (or not) with the continuation of Buckley's bizarre and reckless experiment in legalizing political fraud and corruption in the name of "the freedom of speech." Those who have been subjected the longest to Buckley corruption are similarly situated to those who at the end of the 1950's had lived under "red scare" anti-communism ideology that first arose under Woodrow Wilson and his Attorney General Palmer two generations before. The 1960's generation's rejection of the Joe McCarthy Era anti-communism cure as more dangerous and repulsive than the purported disease created an opening for extensive democratic advance across a broad front. Advertisement Buckley was intended to, and did, shut down that democratic moment of progress that occurred in the 1960's to mid-1970's for civil rights, women's liberation, environmental reform, constraints on militarism and intelligence abuse, and for many other less remembered democratic reforms, such as the regulation of money in politics and abandoning the political boss system in favor of the primary based selection system for presidential candidates that Sanders is utilizing. Buckley's "money is speech" formula was imposed on the country by justices appointed by the career anti-communist and criminal President Richard Nixon pursuant to an illegitimate judicial supremacy ideology. This empty self-serving ideology, like anti-communism, was designed by elites to impose on Americans an asymmetric understanding of "freedom," one that frees plutocrats from the constraints of democracy while enslaving, or at least oppressing and impoverishing, the great majority. The judicial supremacists' novel formula equating money with speech converted "the freedom of speech" placed in the First Amendment to serve democracy into a freedom to corrupt and defraud in service of democracy's most dangerous and successful contemporary enemy, plutocratic tyranny. It's not ISIS. Democracy will be revived when a new generation rejects both the ideology of plutocratic judicial supremacy and the authority of its authors to impose this ideology on the country without its consent. No terrorist could do that. But five plutocratic justices on the Supreme Court have. The Supreme Court justices who have used this ideology to "undermin[e] American democracy" have neither democratic credentials nor institutional authority to remake the Constitution. Having spent their careers entirely in service of a corrupt plutocracy both on and off the Court, the Roberts five majority that currently controls the Supreme Court lack the professional stature to give their Constitution-distorting decrees any credibility. Before the illegitimate and disaster-prone boy Bush put them on the Court because of their reliably plutocratic ideology, who ever heard of a John Roberts or a Samuel Alito at all, let alone about anything of value they ever did for their country or their even receiving one single vote for any public office? They have committed "treason to the Constitution" by usurping jurisdiction not given them by the Constitution. They impose upon an unwilling public, through undemocratic means, the false constitutional proposition that the systemic corruption of special interest money in politics was mandated by the nation's founders. Under this theory, the founders supposedly created an elaborate fraud by pretending to legitimize government solely by the "consent of the governed." According to five plutocratic justices, hidden somewhere in the words "the freedom of speech," is a license for plutocracy. The license allows elected representatives to nullify and defraud that legitimizing consent by selling out the interests of the governed to corrupt political investors. Some too lazy or cowardly to step up to defend America's democratic legacy even believe the Court's theories, conveniently forgetting or rejecting the important and necessary successes of recurring democratic movements against a recrudescent tyranny usually led and enabled by the U.S.Supreme Court. Polls consistently show that large majorities understand "money has too much influence" in United States' politics. They also show that the fraudulent economy combined with the fraudulent politics which enables it has significantly reduced social trust in the generation most affected by the corrupt system that Buckley created. Not yet widely understood is an effective strategy for rebuilding a democratic community by getting corrupt private money and the corrupted politicians it buys out of its politics. Therefore the criteria for making this 40th anniversary list is the significance of each item for such an authentic strategy. This requires vetting and explanation. As might be expected from a political culture of systemic fraud and corruption, there is a small industry that makes money by peddling fraudulent strategies to solve the problem of political corruption. The list presented here attributes no value to the emotional manipulation sought by repetitive recitation of the appalling extent and variety of means by which the nation's general welfare is sold out by the Buckley plutocracy. Practitioners in the non-profit industrial complex commonly use this tactic to gain credibility for their ineffective and diversionary soundbite strategies. Filling in the details about a system which the public already broadly knows to be corrupt does not advance strategy or justify the soundbites offered. It is sufficient for strategic purposes to know that Buckley's legalization of political corruption under its "money is speech" formula has caused government to become systemically corrupt at all levels. Systemic corruption infects everything that government touches or that society inherently depends upon government to provide, such as the criminal justice system which is the emergency brake on the system. Since the judiciary created the problem, that brake is disabled except for purposes of oppression. One recent book which does dwell on such details, nevertheless does also correctly observe: "As far back as 1994, three-quarters of survey respondents agreed that 'our present system of government is democratic in name only.'" What this majority has lacked for a generation or more is not more evidence and greater detailed description of what it already generally knows, People need an effective strategy to restore democracy. The same book nevertheless seeks to use its reflected credibility from describing corruption to promote the fraudulent strategy called here the "Amendment Diversion" without justification of its numerous known defects. See ## 6 & 7. The systemic corruption created by Buckley is entirely different in kind from individual acts of corruption that preceded it. Confusion of these two forms of corruption is one cause of the ineffective or counterproductive reform proposals that have plagued efforts to address the problem of plutocracy. Even when widespread, such as that seen during "the depth of ... criminality and abuse of power" of Nixon's presidency, individual corruption remains illegal. Prior to 1976, political corruption by even the highest officials could be punished when detected. The consequence of legalizing political corruption can be generally measured by the country's extreme and growing economic inequality since 1976, the year which marked the last highpoint of equality before economic equality began to tumble alongside democracy (Table 4). Advertisement Under Supreme Court protection, the rackets that produce historic economic disparity are now limited only by the imagination of those holding the strings. There is no shortage of information about the consequences of the corrupt influence of money in politics. Nor are there significant gaps in the general public understanding of that information, as demonstrated by the polls mentioned above. If fresh evidence of the magnitude of corruption is sought, the reader is invited to consult the author's article, "Rackets Science" about Obama's 2014 and 2015 Omnibus appropriations felony fests. Not so widely discussed, but critically essential for achieving reform, is the strategic information presented in the following list of last year's most significant gains and losses in the struggle between democracy and plutocracy. #1. Campaign: The Most Corrupt of the Century. The Supreme Court's McCutcheon (2014) decision multiplied the amount of money that plutocrats could cumulatively invest directly in politicians and parties by almost 3000%, to around $3.6 million per election cycle. In the year-end "CRomnibus" Act of 2014, corrupt and hypocritical Congressional Democrats, led by President Obama, increased the amount that plutocrats can give to parties by about 1000%, increasing the total potential rake by politicians to about $5.1 million per major plutocrat. In 2015 this outrageous new "limit" permitted fewer plutocrats to attempt to buy more policy by controlling presidential nominations with more money than was legal for the previous four elections of this century, and probably since "Dollar" Mark Hanna bought two elections for President William McKinley at the height of the first Gilded Age. Unlike the unlimited "independent" corporate expenditures legalized by Citizens United (2010), these direct political investments in politicians and parties by individuals must be reported. Citizens United electioneering money, by contrast, can be and is kept secret by funneling it through "dark money" channels. The symbol of this new concentration of plutocratic power in 2015, based on the reported data, is that 158 families "each contributed $250,000 or more in the campaign through June 30 ... while an additional 200 families gave more than $100,000. Together, the two groups contributed well over half the money in the presidential election -- the vast majority of it supporting Republicans." The unreported "dark money" contributions are probably even more highly concentrated in their origins. Where a bought majority of politicians rule, it only takes "over half the money" from fewer than 400 families to buy control of U.S. elections and policy, both state and federal. This concentration of political power newly demonstrated in 2015 is far greater than that of the English aristocrats that the founders revolted against in 1776, and is probably greater than anything seen in the United States since then. The only possible exception would have occurred at the height of the first Gilded Age. #2. Campaign: Berning Down the House. An Independent who is in every respect as different from Democratic Party leadership as Vermont is from Chicago, has run an effective campaign against the Party that Barack Obama will leave even more corrupt than he found it. Polls show Bernie Sanders is the most popular candidate in the race. If he can draw Independent voters into the Democratic Party primary process he will win the nomination and go on to beat any Republican as the nation's first Independent president. Sanders' victory is strategically essential. A systemically corrupt government can only be reformed from the top down. Every year it is postponed, the task becomes more difficult. Sanders has pledged to appoint justices who will not overturn anti-corruption laws on specious grounds, which is how systemic corruption got started with Buckley v Valeo (1976). Unlike Obama, President Sanders can be expected to appoint an attorney general who has not served corporate interests and will aggressively enforce anti-corruption laws against them. Moreover, the power of the presidency is far greater than Obama pretends it to be, in his deft defense of the corrupt status quo. President Sanders could force Congress to take action against the corruption of money in politics, if he retains public support into the 2018 midterms. See #8. For every previous crisis in U.S. democracy caused by a U.S. Supreme Court majority of judicial supremacists acting on behalf of racist oligarchs or greedy plutocrats, it was a president, whether Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, T. Roosevelt or F.D. Roosevelt who warned against and stood up to the Court in defense of democracy. Bernie Sanders' election to the presidency is the essential first step for the United States to begin recovering its democracy from the current grip of a judicial supremacist Supreme Court and the plutocrats it has empowered who are financing one of the most corrupt political campaigns in world history in order to beat him. Advertisement #3. Campaign: The Others. An indication of the influence of Bernie Sanders' campaign against the political corruption and fraud in which both parties are otherwise deeply mired is that Hillary Clinton, who along with Bill are icons of the corrupt Democratic Party, has in response developed detailed anti-corruption proposals as a pillar of her own campaign. Even if her proposed reforms are carefully crafted to be so piecemeal in nature that they could easily make the corruption worse rather than better, it is as unusual for a plutocrat to debate plutocracy as it is for a fish to debate water. See #4. Even more interesting in reflecting a public mood that is finally turning against plutocracy is the Republican side. Polls consistently show that the plutocratic congressional leadership's unrelenting promotion of even more money in politics contradicts the views of a majority of their own constituents. This has produced a remarkable congruence of politics and business. Donald Trump's private interest in free promotion of his brand name in service of his "business model ... in which he makes money by harnessing his celebrity brand" has converged with political strategy. Republican voters believe that in Trump they are getting a plutocrat who both thinks like them (one of Trump's arts of the deal) and is too fat a cat himself to fit into the pocket of other plutocrats. It seems not to bother these voters that it incenses the plutocrats that Trump does not care much for the neo-con war party that Clinton embraces. Trump publicly denounced the Republican's Iraq war in strong terms, calling it "one of the great catastrophes of all time.... Declare victory and leave!" Clinton voted for it. Trump would like to get along with Russia, China and other countries -- negotiate deals rather than start the Third World War that Clinton would undoubtedly pick up where Obama leaves off. As a consequence Trump can credibly accuse Clinton of being "one of the worst secretaries of state" who "caused all this problem with her stupid policies." No one can promote the Trump brand better than Trump. The more that Trump's unscripted remarks designed for advertising his brand also prove to his followers that he is not a vacuous creature of paid political consultants, the stronger both their public support and his private brand become. This sweet spot where political tactics and business interests merge for the leading Republican also explains the souring of Republican voters on the Bush family brand (it's nothing personal Jeb) whose three generations of service to the establishment plutocracy has finally been sussed out by the social-conservative base. The issue of plutocracy has thus intruded into the top of both parties' ballots. For the first time since Buckley replanted noxious first Gilded Age seeds, this has unsettled the plutocracy's expected harvest. The last democratically elected president, "Jimmy Who?" Carter was able to come from nowhere, using public election funding, to win by a 2-1 margin over the runner-up in the gate-keeping Iowa caucuses just 11 days before the Supreme Court issued the Buckley decision on January 30, 1976. Before his presidency was inaugurated on the steps of the Capitol the next year, democracy had already left the building in retreat from Buckley's new systemic corruption. Now Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal puzzles about the "total weirdness of the 2016 campaign" where the establishment candidates of both parties are disliked by the voters. NYT calls the result "a people's coup by selecting a standard-bearer who is not the preferred candidate of wealthy donors and elected officials." Obama's opposition to reform of money in politics was demonstrated again in his CRomnibus II Act. In apparent response to Wagner he obtained a law (for which he thanked Paul Ryan) which abrogated the president's existing powers to force disclosure of political investments by government contractors, other corporations and the non-profits used for channeling dark money. Under such a law, President Sanders could not fulfill his campaign promise to end dark money expenditures without first getting the permission of the beneficiaries of dark money in Congress. Obama's hopeless performance in 2015 proved again that his term-limited exit can only help the recovery of democracy. Corruption at the top prevents effective systemic reform. There has been none under Obama. The question is whether voters will take the first real opportunity in 40 years to replace him with a president focused on the issue of political corruption. (continued in Part 3 #5. Supreme Court, #6. Professional Activists: The Amendment Diversion., #7. Professional Activism: Piecemeal Reform., #8. Citizen Activism: Vermont., #9. Thieves of State.) Evidently distracted by violence in neighboring Syria and Iraq, much of the world appears to be overlooking a mass atrocity now underway in Turkey - a member of NATO and aspiring entrant to the European Union. Since the summer of 2015, the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has in effect laid siege to predominantly Kurdish areas in southeastern Turkey - denying food, water, and even emergency medical evacuation to civilians seeking escape from places the President has placed under martial law. Some of the worst suffering is now occurring in the Turkish cities of Diyarbakir and Cizre - 100,000 of whose 120,000 residents have fled. In one incident this week, over 20 wounded civilians found themselves trapped underground after government shelling and were - indeed, at the time of this writing still are - denied any form of assistance. Seven have now died from blood loss or additional mortar fire; those who remain will likely perish of thirst unless something is done soon. President Erdogan asserts that his government is merely responding to Kurdish separatist fighters in Cizre, and charges academics who question his violence with 'academic terrorism.' But even taking him at his word about merely fighting separatists - more and more evidence suggests we should not - the indiscriminate killing of innocents is wrongful and illegal under both domestic and international law. Some European Parliamentarians have accordingly begun to take notice. Advertisement Alarmed by the Erdogan government's policy of collectively punishing Turkey's Kurdish citizens, we have drafted an open letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, in hopes that he might remonstrate with his colleague in Turkey, President Erdogan. Its text is reproduced below. We urge all who are comfortable doing so to visit the site at which we have posted the letter and add their signatures to those of the hundreds who have already signed. ************************************* President Barack H. Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington DC 20500 Dear Mr. President, We write you with a growing sense of alarm, and a simple request, concerning actions now being taken by the government of Turkey against its own citizens. As you have no doubt been briefed, the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has in recent months been blockading and indiscriminately shelling ethnic Kurdish neighborhoods in eastern and southeastern Anatolia. The official rationale has been to fight domestic terrorism - specifically, to weaken the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or 'PKK' - eerily echoing the justifications routinely proffered by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for barrel-bombing his own citizenry, and at best providing a partial explanation of the Erdogan government's actions. (These actions appear to be part of a wider intimidation campaign, the targets of which include advocates of Kurdish and other minority rights in Turkey who explicitly seek diplomatic conflict-resolution, including members and supporters of the People's Democratic Party, or 'HDP'). Advertisement However plausible or otherwise the official motivation may be, the Erdogan government's chosen means are grossly disproportionate to its professed end. They are causing avoidable and unacceptable civilian suffering, they are wrongful and illegal under domestic and international law, and - we fear - will only exacerbate existing tensions within Turkey, possibly pushing it towards full-scale civil war. And this at a time, ironically, when Kurdish citizens of Iraq and Syria seem to have established comparatively stable regional governments and, like their fellow Kurds in Turkey, have offered effective resistance against ISIS/Daesh. The Erdogan government's actions have not gone unchallenged, either inside or outside of Turkey. Turks of multiple ethnicities, genders, and vocations have peacefully petitioned their government to cease making war on its own Kurdish citizens, to open dialogue with peaceful Kurdish advocacy groups, and to allow independent journalists access to Kurdish neighborhoods now under blockade and bombardment. The Erdogan government's response has been only the further persecution of dissidents, the detention of protesting academics, and, it now seems, the outright murder of opposition political figures - or at the very least, egregious security lapses that have enabled such murders to take place. We recognize that options are limited where influencing the domestic affairs of other nations' governments is concerned. We also believe, however, that the power of moral suasion - particularly when coming from you - is anything but trivial, and that it can even in some cases be transformative. We therefore respectfully request that you consider both publicly calling for and privately urging upon President Erdogan: (a) the immediate cessation of the indiscriminate shelling by government forces of Kurdish neighborhoods in eastern and southeastern Anatolia, (b) the immediate lifting of the blockades - Orwellianly referred to as 'curfews' - of those neighborhoods, and (c) the immediate opening of these same neighborhoods to journalists of all nationalities and political persuasions, who collectively still constitute the most effective form of 'sunlight' where exposing abuses of governmental power is concerned. You have long been and continue to be a source of moral and political inspiration to hundreds of millions of people worldwide, Mr. President, including to us. We hope you will know that it is precisely in virtue of your unique combination of moral stature and political influence that we write you, in the confident hope that you will do what you can to spare Turkey's Kurdish minority - as well as the tens of millions of other Turks who respect their own constitution and fellow citizens - any further depredations by the government of Mr. Erdogan. Advertisement With thanks and best wishes, Robert Hockett, Edward Cornell Professor of Law at Cornell University. Anna-Sara Malmgren, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Stanford University. Co-signatories: Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor and Professor of Linguistics (Emeritus) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Judith Butler, Maxine Elliot Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and the Program of Critical Theory at University of California Berkeley. John Maynard Keynes once famously said that the difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas but in escaping from old ones. And one of the oldest and most pervasive and pernicious economic ideas is that technology kills jobs. Economist David Ricardo worried about this in the early 1800s, when he wrote, "I am convinced, that the substitution of machinery for human labour, is often very injurious to the interests of the class of labourers." A century later, U.S. Secretary of Labor James Davis, who served three presidents, asked, "Is the machine that turns out wealth ... giving us a permanent jobless class?" And now, as we emerge from the ashes of the Great Recession, there seems to be no escaping the technology-kills-jobs meme. It's everywhere: covers of magazines like The Atlantic and The Economist; a seemingly endless stream of books with titles like The Rise of the Robots and The Second Machine Age; and even in statements by leading economists who you would think might know better. Paul Krugman, in a column titled "Sympathy for the Luddites," warns darkly that technology is displacing and devaluing even highly educated workers. In a blog post titled, "Rise of the Machines, Downfall of the Economy," financial pundit Nouriel Roubini writes that "a massive technological revolution will sharply reduce jobs over time." And even Larry Summers has stated that he no longer believes automation will always create new jobs: "This isn't some hypothetical future possibility.... This is something that's emerging before us right now." Advertisement Like the Luddites of early 19th century Britain, who smashed powered looms, today's Luddites argue an accelerated pace of technological change is leading to widespread automation, which in turn will lead to mass unemployment. Some of today's Luddites are unabashed in their desire to throw a monkey wrench in the machine. Brian Merchant asks in Motherboard, "Are you a fierce labor activist, willing to risk life and limb to destroy the mechanical implements of your impending poverty, to protest the loss of your livelihood? Then you might actually be a Luddite." But most, wanting to avoid being labeled a "Luddite," couch their warnings with the obligatory, "It's not that I am opposed to technology," but then go on to predict it will decimate work. Case in point: Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee's The Second Machine Age opens with the requisite an "unprecedented boost to mental power [through digital technologies] should be a great boost to humanity," but then goes on to plan for "when the androids are coming" to take away most of our jobs and most of us will need to be on the state dole. But whether it is hardcore or soft, this Neo-Luddism is dangerous. It leads companies to slow the pace of adopting new technologies to automate work as they fear political and consumer backlash. Even more importantly, it leads policymakers to throttle back on policies that foster and enable automation. The recent soft-Luddite "Open Letter on the Digital Economy," organized by Brynjolfsson and other tech luminaries, calls for more work to identify business models in which technology is a complement to--not a substitute for--labor. Hod Lipson, an engineering professor at Cornell University states, "The evidence is that technology is destroying jobs.... It is something we as technologists need to start thinking about." These kinds of calls to action have consequences. One example: the goal of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) National Robotics Initiative is to accelerate the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside or cooperatively with people. In other words NSF is favoring research into technology that will do relatively less to boost productivity than other technology. But without increased productivity, it's impossible to raise living standards, something that will become more challenging every year as more and more retiring baby boomers stop being producers while remaining consumers. Advertisement Luddites offer up a number of arguments to support their claims of employment doom and despair. All are wrong. The first is that the pace of technological change is speeding up so fast that it will inevitably induce jobless vertigo. Among those warning that we are accelerating out of control are Brynjolfsson and McAfee, who tout that "technical progress is improving exponentially," and Singularity University's Ray Kurzweil, who writes that "an analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is exponential, contrary to the common-sense 'intuitive linear' view. So we won't experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century--it will be more like 20,000 years of progress." This notion of techno-exponentialism is based on Moore's Law--the observation that semiconductor processing speeds will double every two years. But after 50 years of progress, Moore's Law is actually poised to slow down. Possibly as soon as 2020, the dominant silicon-based semiconductor architecture will likely hit physical limits (particularly pertaining to heat dissipation) that threaten to compromise the trend unless a major leap can be made to radically new chip architectures, something not likely to happen at a commercial scale anytime soon. A second argument they make is that if technology is advancing exponentially, then it follows that the destruction of jobs also will be exponential. For proof, Neo-Luddites cite a study by researchers at Oxford University, who reviewed occupational categories and estimated which ones technology will replace. They claimed that 50 percent of jobs will be eliminated by technology in the next two decades. But this pessimistic scenario (or optimistic, depending on your view) is highly unlikely, not only because the researchers assumed a much more rapid pace of innovation than is likely (see above), but also because they wrongly assume that many occupations, such as fashion models, manicurists, and aircraft mechanics, are in fact easy to replace with machines (hard to see how a robot will be walking down the runway wearing the latest Donna Karan dress). The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation conducted a similar analysis using more realistic assumptions and estimated that approximately 80 percent of jobs were either difficult to automate (such as custodial and sales jobs) or extremely difficult to replace (think of surgeons and top managers). But even if the Oxford prediction is right, it would mean that productivity would grow at 3.75 percent per year, which would double output every two decades--only modestly faster than the average productivity growth that America has experienced over the last century. Advertisement How can this be? Are we actually destroying almost half the jobs in America every few decades? Well, yes and no. When businesses use machines to boost productivity, they are able to cut prices, which increases demand for their products, which in turn requires more workers. This pattern was at work throughout the 2000s, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Industries where prices fell usually were the ones with productivity increases, while industries where prices rose were more likely to have seen productivity declines. Moreover, BLS found that in most industries these price declines led to relatively faster increases in demand for goods and services, and in some of these industries that increased demand actually led to more employment, even after accounting for increased productivity. For example, as the retail industry adopted automated ordering systems and other advanced IT systems in the last decade, productivity in "other general merchandise stores" (such as warehouse clubs) increased more than twice as fast as economy-wide productivity, and that enabled big price declines that spurred increased sales. The result was that the industry added jobs faster than almost any other sector. Around the world, this positive dynamic explains why a recent World Bank study of 26,000 firms showed that the majority of firms that increased productivity also created jobs, while firms that decreased productivity shrank their workforce. But even if lower prices don't lead to enough increased demand for that particular good or service (for example, higher productivity in funeral homes won't increase the demand for funeral services), lower prices allow consumers to use those savings to buy other goods or services, leading to increased demand in those industries. The same is true with wages. The BLS found that on average industries that boosted productivity more than other industries increased wages faster. As these workers earn more money, they spend it, and that spending create jobs. When this process takes place throughout the economy, you get the cycle we have seen for centuries: increases in spending create jobs in most industries in a virtuous cycle. This in fact gets to the nub of the argument and why Luddites are so wrong about this critical issue: they overlook the fact that when an organization uses technology to replace jobs, it does so to lower prices (or wages). These savings or added wages are not buried under a mattress. They are used to buy other things, in a wide array of industries. That is why higher productivity always has and always will lead to increases in demand, not decreases, and why it creates employment instead of undercutting it. But Neo-Luddites argue this time is different because today's new industries aren't creating enough jobs. Tech is killing old jobs, they complain, but tech companies aren't creating enough new jobs to fill the void, giving examples like the fact that Instagram sold for $715 million dollars but only employed 13 workers. In Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future, Martin Ford predicts that new industries will "rarely, if ever, be highly labor-intensive." In a cover story on automation and jobs for The Atlantic, Derek Thompson agrees, writing "our newest industries ... just don't require many people." But these Neo-Luddites are taking the side of the government official in Asia who Milton Friedman took to task for having workers build a road with shovels instead of earth movers. When the official explained they were using shovels because they needed the jobs, Friedman quipped, "Why not use spoons?" Do we really want Google and Facebook workers to be using the equivalent of digital spoons? Can you imagine how much poorer we would all be if Google, Facebook, Twitter, and others required 10 times the number of workers to provide us with the same services. Not only would we be paying for services that are now free, but the millions of people now selling insurance policies, serving meals in restaurants, and building houses would instead be working at tech companies who would not be producing anything more than they currently do. Advertisement Finally, we are told a tale of woe in which widespread automation allegedly will make the masses miserable. Robots will be competing with workers and driving down wages while driving up profits for a few lucky capitalists. Again, Thompson writes that "technology could exert a slow but continued downward pressure on ... wages." Harvard economist Richard Freeman argues that far more people need to "own the robots," because he fears the world will evolve to a class divide where a few own robots and the rest are impoverished. But both notions are wrong. Higher productivity either means lower prices for consumers--which means higher wages in terms of purchasing power, or higher wages for the workers in the organization. And the notion that owners of "robots" will attain monopoly profits ignores the fact that competition is robust in most industries and that competition limits profits. All industries and firms will use "robots," not a select few. To be sure, this doesn't mean that robots and automation won't lead some people to lose their jobs, although the lower prices will end up leading to other jobs being created. However, we can and should do a better job of helping workers who do lose their jobs to technology, especially as concern about technology-based job loss is so widespread. In 1962 as the United States was leading the charge for global free trade, Congress passed the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act (TAA), which provided help for workers hurt by trade, including reemployment services such as training and job-searching assistance. John Kennedy eloquently summed up the reason when he stated, "When considerations of national policy make it desirable to avoid higher tariffs, those injured by that competition should not be required to bear the full brunt of the impact. Rather, the burden of economic adjustment should be borne in part by the Federal Government." Fifty years later it's time to transform TAA into TTAA (Trade and Technology Adjustment Assistance) so that workers who are displaced by either trade or technological innovation receive meaningful help to transition to other jobs or careers. In the 1950s, the Appalachian Trail twisted through my father's apple orchard on the Tennessee / North Carolina border, and I grew up meeting hikers who paused at our packinghouse for a swig of water or apple cider. They never stayed long; they were following white blazes painted on trees, rocks and fence posts from one end of the orchard to the other. Today, approximately 80,000 blazes mark the trail from Georgia to Maine, guiding thru-hikers all the way to Mount Katahdin. Missing the blazes is time consuming, even deadly, for some areas of the Appalachians can swallow up hikers like a haunted forest. The blazes on the A.T. come to mind whenever I read Jeremiah 6:16: "This is what the Lord says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.'" Jeremiah was a young man excoriating his nation, calling them to repentance, and warning them of destruction if they didn't heed his words and find the trail. In American society today, the church should confront our culture, denounce its evils, and offer a better way. In Jeremiah's day, the religious leaders minimized the societal trends that represented true sin in the sight of God. As Jeremiah said earlier in the chapter: "Prophets and priests alike... dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious." Advertisement To Jeremiah, it was serious. He implored his nation to stand at the crossroads and ask for the ancient paths and walk therein. As a Christian pastor, I feel kinship with his words. That verse begins with: "This is what the Lord says..." While studying Jeremiah, I've been struck with how frequently Jeremiah used this and similar phrases. If you read through his book underlining such phrases with a red pen, you'll run out of ink. There's a lesson in that. People don't care much about my opinions or yours. We may be wrong. We aren't infallible. But what does the Bible say? What does God say? I'm convinced that's what people need, and that's what they want to hear. One of the reasons I'm adamantly a Christ-follower is because Christianity follows the strongest chain of logic I know. It is supremely intellectual. It is intellectually reasonable. There is a Creator-God, and He is intelligent. He can communicate, and His communication is accurate and authoritative. Our lives work better when we follow His instructions to the jot and tittle. The next phrase says: "Stand at the crossroads and look." The people of ancient Judah they were at a crossroad. They could turn toward God or they could continue down a broad path of self-destruction. Perhaps you're at a crossroad in your marriage, in your moral convictions, in your vocational decisions, about your goals for the future. Our nation is at a crossroads, and our decisions have consequences. As actress Helen Mirren said, "You write your life story by the choices you make." Advertisement When you're at a crossroad, what do you do? You get your bearings and look around to find blazes marking the trail. As Jeremiah put it, you ask for the ancient paths where the good way is. What are our ancient paths? It's not the 1950s, when I grew up, or 1776, when the Founding Fathers established our nation on Judeo-Christian principles. Jeremiah wasn't talking about any so-called good old days. He wasn't nostalgic. When the Bible uses the word "ancient," it refers to things that are truly old, things that go back to creation times and further. Sometimes it refers to things eternal. According to Psalm 119:52, the Bible contains God's "ancient laws." God Himself is described as ancient, a word indicating eternality. Before the mountains were born or the world was made, from everlasting to everlasting, He is God. In Isaiah, He said, "From ancient days I am He." In Daniel, He is the "Ancient of Days." Our postmodern world offers lots of new paths, but the Bible tells us to stick to the old ones -- to the paths and choices outlined by our Creator-God and in His Word. Jeremiah told the people of his day to ask for those ancient paths, to seek them out and to walk in them. He urged his nation to return to the pathways of faith exemplified by Abel, by Enoch, by Abraham, by Moses. The ancient path refers to the good way. It's morally good. It's beneficial. It's biblical. It's the path that leads to the correct destination. It's the pathway that causes things to work together for good in our lives. Advertisement That's not a popular message -- never has been. It isn't politically correct, but it is morally sound. The "Ancient Paths" message should be ringing from every pulpit and from the lips of every Christ-follower. We can't force our views on society, nor should we; but we can offer a better way. Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. It's a wonderful thing to have rest in your soul -- to have inner peace, to have a sense that God is in control, to know that you are in His hands. It's wonderful to be part of a society that maintains a biblical basis to its morality. To have a life that is anchored to a rock. Yet there's a tragic addendum to Jeremiah 6:16. The verse ends with: "But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'" The people of Jeremiah's day rejected the ancient values represented by Scripture and forged down their own broad way that led to judgment. Pundits have written about how different this presidential year is, what with party establishments' decline of influence. The key issue, however, is immigration, and history provides some perspective on what is not or in fact is actually unique about 2016. As far back as 1884, the race for the White House was impacted by an ethnic slur. In the final week of the campaign Reverend Samuel Burchard, a supporter of the Republican James G. Blaine, branded Democrats as the party of "rum, Romanism, and rebellion." This was a clear insult against the Irish in particular, and Catholics in general. Yet these remarks were made by a supporter, not the candidate; Blaine in fact disavowed them, but not fast enough; he lost badly in New York City and State, and with that, the election. Immigration was also an issue during the 1920s, for several reasons. With the First World War over and sea lanes open, long bottled up immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe exploded;1919 featured the second highest number of immigrants of the great wave from 1890-1920. In addition, the 1920 Census revealed that for the first time in American history, more than 50% of the country lived in cities, the home of foreigners. Congress approved and the president signed measures to keep out the new immigrants. Advertisement Even so, this did not enter presidential politics directly. The 1924 Republican platform, approved after the party's Congressional majority had passed the most restrictive immigration laws in American history (1921, 1923) still downplayed this issue. Of 24 specific planks, "Immigration" was the very last (#24), and only 137 words. "The Negro" was #22; "The Tariff" appeared near the top, at #6. In 1928, however, immigration burst like a punctured balloon full of hate. The Democratic candidate was Alfred E. Smith, representative of all that was new and seemed foreign: the Irish, new immigrants, city folk. As a result, his background became the central focus of politics that year. One opponent declared, "This fight is not only a battle against Rome, but against the evil forces in America, cutthroats, slugs, the scum from the cesspools of Europe." In Atlanta ministers issued a statement, "You cannot nail us to a Roman cross and submerge us in a sea of rum." The president of the Kiwanis Club of Clarkesville, Tennessee explained that "in the last thirty years the tide of immigration has undergone a decided and alarming change. Prior to that time the overwhelming majority of entrants were of a racial stock akin to our own and therefore easily assimilable." But now, "the inflow has been of a distinctly different and decidedly inferior character, Italians, southern Slovenes, Magyars....the very antithesis of the Anglo-Saxons." Vile as this was, the Republican candidate never touched it, nor did the party. While there was clearly quiet sanction, Herbert Hoover publicly stated over and over he would have nothing to do with attacks on Governor Smith's Catholic religion. Hubert Work, his campaign manager announced, "All such activities are vicious and beyond the pale of decent political campaigning." Advertisement sen. hillary clinton speaks at ... In the words of CC Bloom from Beaches, "my memory is long, very long." Before you get ready to pass judgment, I identify with cultural differential feminists, conservative at times, libertarian wannabe, and more liberal than I admit. I am no party loyalist because political parties are slaves to the PACs and lobbyists that donate to them. It does not matter if that politician is Democrat or Republican. I am a Chicago native so when it comes to politics, I remain a cynic and a skeptic. Chicagoans have seen politicians from both sides of the aisle kept cells warm in Club Fed, federal prison. My cynicism may also have something to do with the fact that I majored in Political Science and had to work on campaigns as part of several class assignments. Nonetheless, the young ready to change the world me, relished in my civic right to vote. Advertisement In 2007, I was a Hillary supporter. She was a no-nonsense, intelligent, seasoned politician. Hillary seemed to have it all. Surely, she would be the first woman president of the United States. I loved Barack Obama too. My dad volunteered for his campaign back in the day when Obama was just an Illinois state assemblyman. My dad always said "that guy [Obama] can change things." My father never had kind words for preachers or politicians, so his statement always stuck with me. Unfortunately, my dad died in 2004, before finding out Obama won the Senate race. Obama's lack of experience held me back. I thought he should get another term in the Senate before making his presidential bid. I figured a Clinton-Obama administration would be perfect and set the Democrats up for an Obama presidency once Hillary left office. Democrats making history back to back. Unfortunately, once Hillary noticed Obama gaining popularity and electoral votes, she engaged in a smear campaign I thought only the Republicans would dare to start. The election was hers for the taking. When she stooped to mudslinging and fanning the flames that Obama was a Muslim and not born in America, I departed company with Team Hillary. It was a matter of integrity. Lies that are still perpetuated against President Obama sprang from her camp. If this is how Hillary responded under pressure, then she could not represent me. The racist undertones of her campaign were utterly appalling. When Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. gave his support to Hillary that sealed the deal for me. Forget Obama's lack of experience on the federal level, he exhibited more poise and diplomacy than Hillary, the elder stateswoman. The way Hillary allowed her campaign to descend into rumors, lies, and race baiting showed deep character flaws. Hillary forever lost my trust. It was like when Sony emails were leaked and they said disparaging things about women, minorities, and the President and were like "we were just joking, we not racist or sexist." Like the phrase in vino veritas, the true character of a competitor is revealed when he starts to lose the advantage. The Clinton's disdain and utter contempt for Obama was on public display. I was so disappointed in Hillary. Advertisement Some readers are probably too young to remember or simply have forgotten the tactics Hillary and Bill used in 2007-08 when they felt that Obama was gaining ground. I never liked the fact that Hillary assumed that because her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had the black vote that she automatically inherited his constituency. It was as if it was a forgone conclusion that the election and the black vote was locked and loaded. In November 2007, Hillary "tells CBS' Katie Couric that she will be the Democratic nominee, and that the nomination will be sewn up by midnight on Feb. 5, 2008 (Super Tuesday)." Here are a few examples where Hillary resorted to tactics that resembles today's Republican presidential race. By December 2007, Hillary started dropping snide comments like "a fact-check" of Obama's stump speech line that he's not running for president because of long-held ambitions cites an essay he wrote in kindergarten titled, "I Want to Become President." Following snickers from the news media, the Clinton campaign subsequently claims it was kidding." For those unaware, during slavery and pre-1970, it was commonplace in the South for whites to refer to grown black men as boys to demean them and "keep them in their place." Hillary's reference to Obama's presidential run as a boyish fantasy had racial undertones whether she intended them or not. It started a trend that whenever Hillary attempted to be witty, she came off as either a mean girl or throwing racial comments, even though she consistently apologized that negative personal attacks were not part of her campaign. Need more proof? Strike One In January 2008, "Clinton tells Fox News that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream couldn't have been realized without Lyndon Johnson passing the Civil Rights Act, saying, "It took a president to get it done." Collective eyebrows are raised, especially in the black community." - NPR Advertisement Strike Two "A picture of Obama in traditional Somali garb (from an official trip) then appeared on the Drudge Report, and Matt Drudge claimed he got it from the Clinton campaign. After stonewalling on the origin question, the campaign later claimed it had nothing to do with it. A Clinton flack then went on MSNBC and argued that Obama should not be ashamed to appear in "his native clothing, in the clothing of his country." - The Week Strike Three "After it became apparent Mr. Obama won the South Carolina primary that year, Mr. Clinton memorably compared the victory to Rev. Jesse L. Jackson's two victories in the state, seeming to marginalize the achievement. He also called Mr. Obama's antiwar position "the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen," a comment that enraged some African-Americans who interpreted the comment to mean that Mr. Obama's candidacy was a fantasy". - New York Times Strike Four "The capstone came in May, when Hillary Clinton started openly boasting about her superior support from white voters. The effort was not so blatant as George H.W. Bush's Willie Horton ad, but the attempt to play on racist attitudes through constant repetition and association was unmistakable -- in addition to playing into right-wing conspiracy theories that Obama is a secret Muslim who was born in Africa. It's likely why in West Virginia -- a state so racist that some guy in a Texas prison got 40 percent of the Democratic primary vote in 2012 -- Clinton won a smashing victory." - The Week Even when it was apparent she lost, Hillary took forever to concede and end her campaign. Although some suggested that Obama should have Hillary as his running mate, I thought it was utterly preposterous. This woman threw every weapon at Obama such that the Republicans were like thanks for doing our job for us. There would be no way they could work as team. The Clintons' grudge against Obama never diminished even after he appointed her Secretary of State. In September 2012, when Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee, spoke at the annual Clinton Global Initiative gathering in New York, Mr. Clinton gave him advice backstage about how to appear in command when facing off against Mr. Obama in their coming debates. - New York Times Bill Clinton, a Democrat, advised the Republican candidate for president on how to win a debate against an incumbent Democrat president! If you are a party loyalist, then you my friend just committed treason. That was the final nail in my "Hillary will never get my vote" coffin. So no matter what Hillary says today, my memory is long. I have not forgotten. In 2007, I wholeheartedly supported what I thought was a strong woman of character and integrity, at least better than her husband. Instead, the 2008 campaign showed that Hillary was not above mean girl tactics, mudslinging, and fanning the flames of birther and Muslim conspiracies. After Hillary's second faux pax, I headed straight to the Obama campaign office and volunteered weekly. At the South Loop campaign office, I saw young and old and different races. That office resembled Martin Luther King's dream. I wanted to be on the right side of history. I wanted to make my father proud because he was right about Obama. Obama made change possible. I have not always agreed with everything the Obama administration has done, but this article is not about the Obama administration. Even today, I am disappointed at how dismissive Hillary was to Black Lives Matter. Regardless of how you feel about Black Lives Matter, police brutality and racially profiling minorities is as American as apple pie. Have you seen the documentary The Seven Five? That was police corruption and brutality in the 1980s. Things have not changed. Yet, Hillary did not consider BLM worthy of engaging until they forced her. Hillary looks at Bernie as if he is not a worthy opponent, almost a farce. Honey, Bernie has non-socialists considering converting because the middle class is bleeding out and we don't see hope. Sadly, my trust in Hillary to be the elder stateswoman and do the right thing by taking the high road in 2008 was misplaced. Since then her current actions have not done anything to restore trust. "Trust is like an eraser, it gets smaller and smaller with every mistake." That is why I can't vote for Hillary. I am out of eraser and cannot forget the many mistakes and missteps. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. There are no major expectations over negotiations on Syrian issue in Geneva. There are such regional developments that a positive change is unlikely to happen in Syria, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Armen Navasardyan expressed such an opinion in Armenpress media hall. The sides should sit together, negotiate and find the way which will stop the bloodshed. As we know both Geneva 1 and Geneva 2 gave no results. The problem is who should sit at the negotiating table. It is expected that the sides, representing the opposition and Bashar al-Assad, should sit at the negotiating table. Here is where the story begins, so which is the opposition? Arman Navasardyan said. He noticed that Russia and even USA came to an agreement on the issue that "Islamic State" and other such groups cannot participate in the negotiation process. Now the problem is that everyone is fighting against everyone during the developments in the Middle East. There are now about 2 500 military units in the Middle East which is backed by major political players. We can say without exaggeration that those, who applied for participation in the Geneva-3 talks, are neither terrorists nor the opposition forces. These forces do not have an organization and leadership. These are unions which Saudi Arabia collected and sent to Geneva in order to subvert the talks. It's like a Trojan horse history. Everything is done in order to wreck the talks. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar are working over that direction and they will succeed. Besides, they did not allow Kurds to participate in the negotiation process, but this issue cannot be resolved without Kurds, Arman Navasardyan added. Answering the question on Armenias position over all these developments, Arman Navasardyan mentioned that military actions held 280km away from our borders. As a part of the Middle East, Armenia should show interest and have its some form of participation in the mentioned process, Arman Navasardyan concluded. In Colum McCann's latest book, Thirteen Ways of Looking (Random House, 2015), a young soldier looks out over the Kerengal valley in Afghanistan, minding an outpost as the New Year dawns. The story carries echoes of Italo Calvino's masterpiece, If On A Winter's Night a Traveler (1979), where half the book is about a reader attempting to read the title story; in McCann's version, the story is about an author attempting to write a story. It is brilliantly done, with all the questions that could be asked of a writer attempting to make a leap of imagination into unfamiliar--yet politically loaded--territory, being asked and answered by the writer himself. For example, this: "(Are there any female engagement teams in the Kerengal Valley?) (Is there even such a thing as a Browning M-57?)" Acknowledging a lack of familiarity is one way to fictionalize a place (there is a Korangal Valley in North Eastern Afghanistan), and a possible event. I read the McCann in the wake of finishing his student, Sunil Yapa's, Your Heart Is A Muscle The Size of a Fist, (Lee Boudreaux Books, 2016), a book inspired by the 1999 demonstrations against the meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in America's single socialist-leaning city, Seattle. McCann's gorgeous blurb on the cover (he calls the book "a literary molotov cocktail to light up the dark"), is justified: Yapa makes an important contribution toward documenting this moment in the overall history of activism in the United States, a service that it seems only literature is able to provide for this country. As pointed out in the closing pages of the novel itself, and in the many glowing reviews that have followed the publication of the novel--and in light of the undeniable energy of the prose, surely those are deserved-- the WTO protests were not adequately covered in the media. This is no great surprise, of course, to those brave thousands who, inspired by the anti-austerity protests in Spain and initiated by the Canadian anti-consumerist group, Adbusters, occupied Zucotti Park in 2011. That is a tale still waiting to be written, though Molly Crabapple, it's celebrated cartoon archivist has addressed some of it in her debut, Drawing Blood (Harper Collins, 2015). Advertisement Yet to write not of an imagined place and imagined events but rather a real place and an historic event, as McCann did in his masterpiece Transatlantic (2013) for instance, raises the stakes for any writer. Yapa's novel chronicles the jittery political awakening of no fewer than seven major characters, six of whom represent the face of America's difficulties and political upheavals: mixed-race marriages (Bishop, Chief of Police), the weather underground (Kingfisher, circa Earth Liberation Front), cultural appropriation (John Henry, circa Jim-Crow), race-riots (the Guatemalan Ju, circa Rodney King), police brutality and domestic terrorism (Officer Park, circa Oklahoma City), serial escapism (Victor, the pot-smoking accidental activist), and one singular representative of the "globe" in globalization, Charles Wickamasinghe, a well-meaning, earnest, mostly clueless, Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning. The first six of these characters hurtle through the book at breakneck speed, a pace that reflects the charge that attends the moment of protest and crack-down. It is a pace that makes each American sound just like the next one, blurring them into their individual cliches much as a quick look at a riot scene might do except in the hands of a skilled photographer who manages to stop and keep movement going in a single frame. It is an authorial choice that seems to have crossed over into the editorial, with both easy sermonizing and romanticism left to blight the prose on occasion: most readers don't need to be told that Subcomandante Marcos was the leader of the Zapatistas or that Monsanto was a chemical company, and it is only those who have never protested who imagine that even the most lust-fuelled protests take the form of rolling around in the newsprint of mimeographed zines until the script comes off on bodies to be examined, later, in the light of the moon. Advertisement Of the seven, only Dr. Wickramasinghe, is burdened with a more complex duty: to be himself, a vaguely lascivious man softened by junkets and a distinguished one propelled by service, both proud and groveling, both the groomed scion and the downtrodden peasant, simultaneously ridiculed and also rising, quite literally, off the pavement, to become the noble savage improbably taking notes from the protestors clustered around the one man who would "understand," "listen," and "consider." Wickramasinghe, like George Mitchell and Frederick Douglass in Transatlantic, is asked to occupy a literary space that must be both imaginative and brutally rooted in the specifics of history. One cannot help but wonder if the homage paid to a beloved teacher through mimicry landed the misshapen and poorly directed Wickramasinghe in this novel, diluting what could otherwise have been a stronger tribute to America's music-and-slogan-laden tradition of resistance, for while the book is meticulously researched, with Yapa diving into archival texts, photographs, and video, this pivotal character and his country's history apparently did not merit an equal investment. In his essay, "The Reconquest of Reality," Robert Stone wrote that, "honorable lies told in the name of the big picture corrupt." That particular brand of corruption is clearly evident in this novel. In one paragraph, Dr. Wikramasinghe bemoans the members at an exclusive enclave in Colombo, for not considering those around them without the medicine and doctors to make them well. This, though Sri Lanka is one of those nations around the world where, unlike in the United States, the government provides free healthcare to all of its citizens and where the same physicians often serve in both free and fee-paying private hospitals. Simple facts, as well as Sri Lanka's tortured decades of recent upheaval and war, are falsified in the telling in awareness that no ordinary American reader could possibly care about the truths of another country. From the small (Royal College is not a university, it is the most prestigious public secondary school for boys in the nation), to the large (Sri Lanka's civil war pre-dates the riots of 1983, and the riots of 1983--that lead to another quarter century of harrowing war-- did not begin with the rebels attacking a police station), to the preposterous (Sri Lanka was a member of the WTO by January of 1995, four full years before the protests in Seattle), Yapa treats the country, as a writer, in precisely the same way that the instruments of capitalism treat both workers and protestors in his novel. The greatest irony of the book is that, thanks to the way it uses and abuses Dr. Wickramasinge and his nation of origin, Yapa portrays more clearly than any protest, the violence perpetrated against those that Americans consider bit-part players in the grand scheme of their lives. It would of course be convenient if the people of the "globe" were quite the stumbling, ill-informed, misguided fools that they are asked to be in this book, fools requiring the intervention of America's Kingfishers and John Henrys to kneel down on salubrious hippie streets in order to break free; inconvenient truth though it is, they aren't. And neither are those Americans who truly do fight the good fight every day. Steps away from the scene of the protests, that same week, had gathered 2,500 Americans and internationals--from Ottowa to New Delhi, from Minneapolis to Accra, from Amsterdam to Addis Ababa--brilliant intellectuals who had spoken at Benaroya Hall at a teach-in organized by Jerold Irwin (Jerry) Mander, considered the Father of the Anti-Globalization movement. Such people would muddy the easy narrative, however, and so we have the bewildered, dithering waffler to represent the best of the so-called Third World. Dr. Wickramasinghe himself is given a line to describe the presumptuousness of those that claim to "protect countries like his," a line which could be uttered with equal dismay at the way he and his country are used to add an empty and prolonged flourish to this otherwise significant book: "What a violence of the spirit to not know the world." Sunil Yapa's father worked as a consultant for the World Bank. Mine resisted its capitalist pressures and brutal advocacy of Structural Adjustment Policies as a Civil Servant in the Sri Lankan government including, for eight years, at the Ministry of Finance. Yapa has grown up in the United States, I grew up in Sri Lanka. Our respective countries run in our blood and on our minds. It stands to reason that we would uphold and articulate the particular ethos of each of our countries of origin, the countries that make up the center of our hearts. This then is a book that ought to be read not as I might wish it to be, a novel that speaks equally of and for the raped, pillaged, and plundered across the world, but as Yapa clearly intends: a compassionate look at how Americans view themselves as actors upon a stage which alludes to but does not ultimately regard the people of that world as equals. It is a singular achievement to accurately portray a specific--if unnaturally cross-sectional-- cast of Americans who are flawed, pitiful, wrong, and willing to throw themselves into fights that, in this iteration, are more about the drama and excitement of the protest than about necessary outcomes. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a rally at the Abraham Lincoln High School, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Sounds stupid right? Why would one of the most well-known figures in politics be unelectable? She's a woman. Her husband was previously POTUS. She has been a Senator and a Secretary of State. She gets millions from big donors to fund her juggernaut of a campaign. She has the support of the DNC as well as it's chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She's bolstered by the mainstream media and they treat Hillary like she's Michael Jordan running down the open court for a dunk. Slamma jamma. Hillary Clinton Is Not Electable Hillary Clinton is not electable. That statement is truer about Hillary than it ever was for Bernie. Even though, for the length of the primaries, Hillary's campaign, as well as the Democratic establishment, has framed the narrative with their slogan, "Vote for Hillary, the other guy isn't electable." You can observe Hillary supporters parroting those same lines when cornered with the facts about Hillary's lackluster record. Advertisement It's frustrating. Even if I successfully demonstrate to Hillary supporters that Bernie is the candidate that most represents the issues they care about -- health care, income inequality, climate change, education, immigration, racial injustice -- many still feel Bernie Sanders is not electable. I tell them that poll after poll shows that Bernie has all the momentum; Bernie on average fares two points better against all the GOP candidates when compared to Hillary. When his campaign began he was at a few percentage points in the polls, Hillary having a 50 point lead. Now he's virtually tied with her. "Bernie Sanders is not electable. Polls don't matter now that he's caught up to her." I tell them that Hillary gets the majority of her campaign donations from a small number of millionaires and billionaires while Bernie has received an unprecedented 2.5+ million individual donations. He wants to end the flow of big money into politics and he's leading by example. "Bernie Sanders is not electable. He doesn't look Presidential." I tell them that Bernie was talking about single-payer health care for decades and, until recently, Hillary was for it too. Then I point out a correlation between her acceptance of donations from the healthcare industry with her sudden opposition to single payer. "Bernie Sanders is not electable. He's a socialist." Advertisement I tell them Bernie wants to raise the minimum wage to $15, eliminate wealth inequality, break up the banks, reinstate Glass-Steagall, and make public colleges free. "Bernie Sanders is not electable. He doesn't have a vagina." I tell them Bernie wants to end perpetual war, the War on Drugs, and the systematic subjugation of minorities in our criminal justice system. "Bernie Sanders is not electable. He's a hippie commie. Just like you Sadiq. Go eat some Ben & Jerry's you hippie commie." I can't eat ice cream dammit, I'm lactose intolerant . It's gotten to the point that it irks me to think that some of my friends only support Hillary out of fear of losing in the general election. It's the same tactic Republicans have used for decades to control their electorate: fear. It. Infuriates. Me. There have been moments where I wanted to yell at my friends, "Dude, I know you're fuckin' smart, so why are you being so stupid by voting for Hillary? I gave you all the reasons to vote for Bernie. You agree Bernie is a great candidate and he represents you, but your sole reason to vote for Hillary is electability? Give back your fuckin' citizenship. You're the problem. You're no different than those Republicans you despise for voting out of fear. You're doing the same damn thing, you educated fool." Of course, I would never say that to someone because I'm not that big of an asshole and I also know that my anger won't be persuasive. Plus, I can empathize with those who are voting for Hillary. Many of these people have been supporting Hillary from the days of Bill Clinton. She was a role model to many of them. She passed legislation in the distant past that her supporters agreed with. There was a time when Hillary Clinton was not only a good politician, but also working for the people. I can totally empathize, but those days of her being a genuine person are gone. She is more tainted than the water in Flint. She's no Hillary. It must be difficult when you find out the super hero you idolized looks like she's just another villain that is paid by the oligarchs we're trying to defeat. It can hurt one's pride, but I'm hoping my friends don't allow their fear to have a negative influence on the primaries. If Hillary wins because of her supporters reluctance to evolve to the better candidate, I'm afraid it may mean a Republican POTUS. Hear me out. Advertisement Hillary Clinton is Not Electable Hillary Clinton is not electable. I've never voted for a presidential candidate before. I became a citizen in 2012 (before | after) and the first time I could vote was in the general election that year. I didn't vote for Obama or Romnney. I voted for a candidate in all the local elections, but in the box for President, I wrote myself in as a sign of protest. It sounds childish, but I didn't believe that either candidate represented my values. Even though Obama has made a lot of progress in our country, he is still a military interventionist and both him and Romney took money from millionaires and billionaires. That is unacceptable to me. I wanted to vote for President, but not for those guys. Even though my actions may seem unorthodox, I'm very involved in politics and I have been since I was younger. Until 2015, I was also registered as an independent, because I believe that both parties are bought. Since New York law states that you have to be registered for a political party to vote in that party's primaries I changed my affiliation to Democrat to vote for Bernie Sanders. I'm not telling you this because I'm unique, I'm telling you this because I'm not. Bernie is bringing out so many different types of people. There are millions who have been jaded by politics that are waking up to Bernie's electrifying message. Independents and even moderate Republicans are flocking to his campaign. Even if you don't support Bernie, I'm sure you can feel the the momentum of his movement sending vibrations of an eventual upset. That's why I think Bernie is going to win the nomination. My instincts say that we're going to start by crushing in Iowa and New Hampshire. Those voters will help bring down Hillary's "firewall" in South Carolina like a group of elite hackers and on and on it will Bern. However, I think if, IF, Hillary wins the nomination, it will be bad for the Democrats. People like myself, and there are millions of us, that got involved due to Bernie, will just back away from politics because we will not be willing to vote for Clinton. I know many people will say, "but do you really want Donald Trump to be president?" And I'll have to respond with, "my family didn't immigrate to this country for me to vote for the lesser of two evil oligarchies. I don't vote out of fear. I don't vote for corruption. I live in America, not Pakistan." As all the enthusiasm due to Bernie's campaign disappears, GOP voters will mobilize and be out in full force because they HATE Hillary (Bernie is the only candidate in either party with a net favorability rating. Which means, there are more people that like him, than dislike him, unlike every other candidate). With that said, I wouldn't be surprised if Hillary's primary win will hand the presidency over to the GOP nominee, like Trump. When there is a lower voter turnout, the Republicans do better. Did I mention the GOP hates her? The cynic in me feels that a Trump win due to Clinton being unelectable would serve the so called "progressives" right for pussying out in the primaries. Our country would deserve the outcomes of our fears. Plus, I do stand up comedy, I was born in Pakistan, and raised a Muslim. Can you imagine the type of material I could do if Trump becomes president? I mean, sure, I'll probably be doing my jokes in a concentration camp, but my act is gonna be a hit! Bernie Sanders IS Electable! What do I know though right? I'm just speculating like everyone else and I'm not trying to sway anyone's vote with fear mongering. The rational (and partly bias) part of me thinks that Hillary Clinton supporters are feeling the Bern. That's why I think Bernie is going to win because we're enthusiastic and his message and candidacy are pure. We're going to be at the polls. We're organizing, knocking on doors, talking to voters, and calling thousands of people in primary states so that we can get others to the polls, too. I really hope, that my friends or even others that are Hillary supporters, see the vision of a Bernie Sanders presidency. I think we're going to win without their complete support, but I rather persuade Hillary supporters to become a part of the revolution so that we can take down this oligarchy together, from the primaries all the way till Bernie's 8th year as president. It's going to take work, not only this election, but as we move forward past the elections. PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 18: Fruit sellers go about their day at the Marche Barbes, the outdoor market located in the 18th arrondissement of Paris as normal life resumes in the area on November 18, 2015 in Paris, France. Barbes is a neighbourhood in Paris with a large amount of Muslim residents. Following the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday which claimed 129 lives and injured many more, the Muslim community of Paris has seen an increase in security checks, adding to tension in the community. (Photo by Frederic T Stevens/Getty Images) Dear Sir, I'm calling you sir as a sign of respect. I apologize for treating you like everyone else. I have no doubt that you are unique. We all are. I am writing to you about a ludicrous incident I regularly experience at your market. I love fruits and vegetables, and I try to buy local produce whenever I can. I often stop by your stall, and this is what happens every time. Advertisement I approach your stall. There is often an old lady examining her vegetables like a connoisseur. A young father shows his daughter what he plans to buy, and instructs her not to touch the fruit. You hand back change to a young woman who's about my age. - There you go mademoiselle, have a good day. Hello, madame. You recognize the elderly woman. - Ah, it's been a long time since I've seen you! How are you, madame? Thank you madame, and good day to you! So, how's it going my sister? What will you have? It takes me a few seconds to realize that you are talking to me. - Hello, I would like some pears.- Chhal?- Excuse me ?- How many ?- Two. You stare at me and ask me another question in Arabic that I don't understand. - Sorry?- Where are you from?- I am French.- But where are you from?- I was born in Paris.- Oui, but where are you from, your roots? My roots. I reflect on what that word may mean. What should I say? The last time I revealed the birthplace of my parents, one of your colleagues, relieved, exclaimed: "Ah voila! You should not be ashamed of being Arab. Come on, happy Ramadan!" Advertisement If I don't answer, you would conclude that I am conflicted. You drew your conclusion because I have a certain body type, as they say. But let me remind you that Arabs are not the only ones with that famous look. I might as well be Berber, Turkish or Kurdish. For you, and for many other people who ask me similar questions, it is unthinkable that I could be French, only French. Due to the mysterious convergence of our supposed ancestry, you refer to me as your sister, you speak to me informally, and in Arabic. Thank you, but I do not speak Arabic, I'm only on friendly terms with people who are close to me, and I am only my sister's sister. When I hear songs by Brassens, Gainsbourg, Coluche, of Popeck, Fernandel, I feel at home. Is this wrong, sir? When you speak to me in Arabic and call me "my sister," all you're doing is participating in the racism that you probably also suffer from. Any of the three clients you served before me may have had an Italian grandmother, a Russian mother or a Polish great-grandfather. But you still call them Mr. and Mrs., and you don't ask them where they're from. When you speak to me in Arabic and call me "my sister," all you're doing is participating in the racism that you probably also suffer from. You've assigned someone a cultural and religious identity based on their face, and you've changed your behavior towards this person based on that assumption. Advertisement I'm not trying to reverse the responsibility of racism. I believe in a wider fraternity, one in which anyone could be criticized. What does the assumed ethno-religious identity of my parents reveal about who I am? Someone's religion is not the first thing I notice or care about. But if it's important to them, I'm happy to talk about it and learn more. But I refuse these categories as an a priori definition of an individual, because we do not choose such categories. I belong to no community and I do not identify with any religion. I am what I want, what I refuse, what I dream of and what I fight against. I am the neighborhood where I grew up, and the desire to leave it. I am a child of the city or the countryside. I live with or without God. I am realistic, mystical, analytical, poetic. I look for the how and the why. I'm not from the place my parents were born. At convenience stores open till 11 p.m., people call me "madame" and address me with the formal "vous." I researched the reason. I thought it was probably a coincidence. And then I realized that all the grocers were much older than the market vendors. They belong to another generation; they consider themselves to be workers or traders, before being Arab or Muslim. Come on, let's not say any more about it, my brother. Let's talk about the difficulties of being a market vendor today, about the standards being imposed by civil unions, about the weather, about the good fruits, let's exchange some jokes. Give some parsley next week, and I'll share my news with you. Advertisement While I was staying in a small village in the Drome, in the south of France, my host told me about a cheesemonger who made the best goat cheese in the region. The next day, we happened to run into her on the street. She had reopened her small stand after the winter. We stopped, and I said I had heard a lot about her. Her name is Fatima. She asked me where I was from. - For now, I live in Quebec.- France and Quebec, that's it? You're not from somewhere else originally? A road sign with rich poor words on sky background This piece was co-written with Jason McDaniel. As income inequality has climbed higher and higher in America, government action has stalled. This lack of policy attention persists despite public opinion polls showing a majority of Americans favor some government action to reduce inequality. Are the wealthy to blame for the lack of action? On the one hand, there is plenty of evidence that the wealthy exert overwhelming influence over politics. At the same time, however, many middle-income and working-class people still oppose government action that could reduce inequality. The power of status quo bias and American attitudes toward individual success also contribute to the lack of government action on inequality. Advertisement But that doesn't explain the whole story. We believe there are two other key factors involved: racial animus and individual difficulty in connecting government action to lived experience. To untangle the complicated connection between racial attitudes, economic insecurity and government inaction on inequality, we turn to data from the 2012American National Election Study (ANES), a rich survey with many detailed questions on public policy, political preferences and racial attitudes. To measure racial resentment toward African-Americans, we created a scale based on five questions; for example, "Irish, Italians, Jewish and many other minorities overcame prejudice and worked their way up. Blacks should do the same without any special favors." To measure the impact of overtly racist stereotypes, we created a scale that combines eight questions that ask whether the respondent judges Asians, blacks, Latinos and whites as either "lazy or hardworking" and "intelligent or unintelligent." Finally, we created a scale to measure perceptions of economic insecurity using five questions that ask about economic peril. (For example: "So far as you and your family are concerned, how worried are you about your current financial situation?") In addition to these three factors, our models controlled for race, income, education, gender, religiosity, feelings about "illegal" immigrants, age, partisanship and political ideology. Advertisement The first question we examine is whether individuals favor or oppose government reducing inequality. The model results show that the two most important predictors of opposition to policy are being a Republican and having high levels of racial resentment. The lefthand panel of the graph below shows that Republicans are significantly more likely to oppose government action to reduce inequality compared to Democrats and Independents. The righthand panel shows the effect of racial resentment on support for government action to reduce inequality. The difference in attitudes toward inequality between those with low levels of racial resentment and those with high levels is almost the same as the difference between Democratic and Republican partisans. Identifying as ideologically conservative also increases opposition to inequality-reducing action, but the size of that effect is dwarfed by the effect of identifying as a Republican. Perhaps most surprisingly, factors related to income and feelings of economic peril or insecurity have no significant impact on opinions regarding whether government should take action to reduce income inequality. We find similar results when we examine attitudes toward one of the most effective policies to reduce inequality: government aid to the poor. Again, those with high levels of racial resentment are significantly more likely to prefer decreased federal aid to the poor compared to those with low levels of racial resentment. Unsurprisingly, Republicans prefer that federal aid to the poor be decreased, while Democrats and Independents want it increased. It is important to note that overt racial stereotypes have no influence on attitudes toward federal aid to the poor or action to reduce inequality. It is assumed on the left that worse economic conditions will lead to more support for redistribution, but the evidence above shows it simply ain't so. Why? There is a broad swath of evidence suggesting Americans have difficulty linking government policy to lived experience, particularly related to inequality. As journalist Chris Hayesnotes (when discussing undecided voters): The undecideds I spoke to didn't seem to have any intuitive grasp of what kinds of grievances qualify as political grievances. Often, once I would engage undecided voters, they would list concerns, such as the rising cost of health care; but when I would tell them that Kerry had a plan to lower health-care premiums, they would respond in disbelief-not in disbelief that he had a plan, but that the cost of health care was a political issue. It was as if you were telling them that Kerry was promising to extend summer into December. This, however, extends beyond undecided voters. A recent working paper by leading political scientists Eitan Hersh and Brian Schaffner suggests Americans have deeply limited views on what issues government can actually affect. They write: Advertisement Specifically, petitioners tend to favor particularistic policy proposals over those with broader consequences and they are inclined toward post-materialist issues rather than redistributive ones. In older research, Nathan Kelly and Peter Enns demonstrated that as inequality rises, support for redistribution among Americans decreases. Research by political scientist Larry Bartels as well as political scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson shows that the general public has difficulty connecting public policy with inequality. Bartels observes, regarding the inheritance tax that benefits the very wealthy, "a very substantial number of people support repealing the inheritance tax because they mistakenly believe that their own taxes will be lower as a result." Political scientist John Sides finds that "correct information about who actually pays the estate tax does increase support for the estate tax." He finds the effect is strongest among lower-income conservatives. Meanwhile, political scientists Anthony Fowler and Michele Margolis find that informing people about Republican and Democratic policies using objective information leads them to shift toward supporting Democrats. ANES data suggest that among those who agree that inequality is bad, higher political knowledge leads to more support for government action to reduce inequality. The chart below shows that among those who believe inequality is a problem, support for action increases with political knowledge (gauged by the number of correct answers to questions like who the treasury secretary is). These results should lead progressives to reconsider the importance of race as a motivating factor on attitudes related to a wide swath of policy issues. Indeed, consideration of race should be central to analysis of even issues, like economic inequality, that seem to not be about race. But further, they show that the idea that Republicans will ever go so far to the right that Americans will reject them is unlikely. The sad reality is that most Americans don't see a large causal connection between government policy and their lived experiences. Instead, they'll likely blame the poor, immigrants and Black people. Advertisement Jason McDaniel is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at San Francisco State University. Follow him on twitter at @ValisJason Here's a scary statistic for you: Around 450 million people currently suffer from [mental illness], placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION [WHO] Can we please just take a moment to let that sink in? 450 MILLION people. The WHO also reports that 'one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives'. Which means that, chances are, one out of the four people you see at the airport, or hanging out at the backpackers, or rocking out at a music festival will be experiencing some form of mental illness. And I used to be one of them. For eight long years, I suffered from depression and anxiety and it cost me dearly. Jobs, opportunities, friends...even my marriage. So when I decided to go travelling solo around Europe in 2012, my biggest fear wasn't getting stranded or being mugged - it was how I would be able to travel when I was having constant, crippling panic attacks. Advertisement After a 6-hour meltdown whilst flying from Sydney to Jakarta (trust me, nothing sucks more than losing your shit whilst flying at 30,000ft), I was thought the journey was going to be over before it started. But I dug deep, continued to transit across three more countries, and two days later found myself in Germany. I never had another panic attack whilst travelling again. Now, I'm not a doctor and I don't think that all of life's problems can be solved with a pill - let's just make that clear. But there are certain precautions that you can take to ensure that you can still travel - and love every moment - even when suffering from mental illness. Is it harder? Definitely. Scarier? Hell yes. But is it worth it? You better believe it. Here's how I've learnt to travel like a rockstar whilst carrying some extra baggage...and I ain't talking about my luggage: 1. Talk to your doctor. Before I leave home I always consult with my healthcare professional to make sure I've got everything I need: prescriptions, dosages, and emergency contact details. Even now, after so many years and countries travelled, I always pack an emergency stash of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication just in case. I may not use them, but at least I know they are there if I need them. Advertisement 2. Pack your coping strategies. Breathing techniques. Meditation. Journalling. Whatever works for you, whatever pulls you out of those deeply scary moments when your mind is taking over your body; remember to use them if the situation calls for it. Just because you're going overseas, doesn't mean you have to be some big, brave, intrepid traveller who loses all sense of routine straight away. 3. Something old, something new, something familiar for when you're blue. Homesickness can be a motherf*cker for even the most mentally strong of travellers. I recommend taking something comforting to remind you of home or something that you associate with happiness. When you feel those pangs of anxiety starting to kick in, just cuddle up and let your senses enjoy the comfort of something familiar. 4. Get your paperwork sorted. I never leave home without a letter from my doctor clearly stating my pre-existing medical conditions and what medication I am authorised to travel with. Even though I no longer have active symptoms or occurrences of depression or anxiety, I still take precautions to ensure that, if they were to return whilst I was abroad, I could go to a health professional to get the help I need with valid medical evidence. 5. Monitor your intake. Travelling can play havoc on the body and mind: late nights, early mornings, little sleep, long hours spent in transit, questionable food choices, irregular exercise, alcohol, partying, sex. Travelling is rarely a relaxing, zen-like experience and keeping the body/mind balance can be difficult. Watch your alcohol consumption; don't mix meds and booze (the outcome is rarely good); try to eat healthy, vitamin-rich whole food options when available, and get some sleep. Keep track of your medication intake and maintain routine - don't suddenly stop taking them or forget your dosage and double up. You may have to do a little more 'behind the scenes' work than other travellers, but your mind will thank you for it in the long run. Advertisement 6. Get outside your comfort zone. This is possibly the scariest, but most rewarding part of travelling with a pre-existing mental condition. A big part of having anxiety is fear, and what better way to overcome that by facing it front on? I'm not saying you have to go skydiving or get a face tattoo, but challenge yourself to break free of the restrictions of your mind and just have a go. Meet new people, try new things, say 'YES' to adventures. You'll find that it gets easier the more you do it. 7. It's okay to share. It is perfectly acceptable to tell people about your condition, if you choose to do so. Having a travel buddy that knows the basics of your mental health status and what to do in an emergency situation is not only okay, but also sensible. You don't have to tell everyone but confiding in a trusted person will give you peace of mind and (hopefully) a helping hand if shit gets gnarly. 8. Believe in yourself. Above all else, this is the key to successfully travelling with mental illness. At the end of the day, you can pack as much as you want, be insured up to the eyeballs and plan for anything, but if you haven't got the mind power to believe in yourself, you're screwed. Know that you can do this, no matter what your head or other people may say. You may leave home a shaking, trembling, pill-popping, knee-knocking mess, but I guarantee that you won't come back the same. The recent decision of the Harris County grand jury to return indictments, not against Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast but against the producers of the heavily-edited and misleading Planned Parenthood videos, is commendable and demonstrates that at least in this instance the grand jury system can be an effective instrument of justice. That investigation, which also exonerated Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast of the false and malicious charge that it was engaged in a collateral business of selling fetal body parts, was led by the Harris County District Attorney, a strongly pro-life Republican. Supporters of Planned Parenthood are not "pro-abortion." They are instead strong defenders of the constitutionally guaranteed right of women to make the most personal and private of decisions regarding their personal autonomy, including the life-changing decision to terminate a pregnancy. For more than 70 years Planned Parenthood has provided invaluable assistance to women in need of vital health services, including family planning, cancer screening, and HIV testing. Advertisement Instead of commending the District Attorney for her professionalism and commitment to the rule of law and impartial administration of justice, the grand jury's decision and her handling of the investigation has been called into question by pro-life activists and other opponents of Planned Parenthood who wish to cripple the organization. It is difficult not to notice this newly-found concern over the fairness of the criminal justice system on the part of the critics, most of whom expressed no such concern about the integrity of the grand jury process in any of the several other recent high-profile cases in Harris County and in other places around the country such as Ferguson, Missouri; Staten Island, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; or Waller County, Texas. As a senior member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and the Ranking Member of its Crime Subcommittee, I am well aware of the historic and important role played by the grand jury in the American criminal justice system. I also am aware that like any institution, a grand jury is not infallible and may in a particular case fail to deliver justice. This, however, does not appear to be one of those cases. Rather, in this instance the process worked as intended, aided in part by the reforms to the grand jury system mandated last year by the Texas State Legislature replacing the old "key man" system with the random selection of grand jurors from voter rolls and drivers license records to ensure a more diverse jury pool. Advertisement Although the grand jury found sufficient evidence to believe that the defendants committed felony crimes of tampering with a government record with the intent to defraud, and that one defendant also committed the additional offense of soliciting the purchase of body parts, it should be remembered that an indictment is not an adjudication of guilt. Rather it is merely a determination that probable cause exists to conclude that a crime has been committed by the defendants. But the defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, each element of which must be proved at trial beyond reasonable doubt by the District Attorney. And defendants, of course, have the constitutionally protected right to challenge the evidence presented and confront the witnesses against them. In fact, for defendant Daleiden, a trial presents him a second opportunity to clear his name if he believes he has committed no unlawful act. His first came when he was afforded the opportunity to appear before the Republican controlled House Judiciary Committee at a hearing to investigate the Planned Parenthood videos he produced. He declined to appear. Now he will have ample opportunity to defend the alleged unlawful acts he took to smear Planned Parenthood. If there is one lesson that critics of District Attorney Anderson and the grand jury that refused to return indictments against Planned Parenthood should learn from this episode it is that they should exercise restraint before impugning the motives and questioning the good faith of their fellow citizens who may in some future case express disappointment or frustration with the results of a future grand jury investigation or who call for needed reform of the criminal justice system. ### This story has been condensed from two pieces that first appeared on Ecosystem Marketplace. Click here to read the originals. When climate negotiators signed off on the historic Paris Agreement in December, they opened the door for the kind of cross-border trading of greenhouse-gas emissions that world leaders like Canada's Justin Trudeau and Ethiopia's Hailemariam Desalegn see as a critical step in getting companies to slash greenhouse-gas emissions today. The agreement, however, doesn't explicitly mention carbon markets at all, but instead assumes that countries will develop them domestically. It's contribution is to recognize this and to say that countries can trade "Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes" (ITMOs) among themselves to deepen the targets they've set in their Nationally-Determined Contributions (NDCs). Advertisement "These paragraphs do not, by themselves, create a market or a price for carbon," wrote Andrei Marcu, founder and former CEO of the International Emissions Trading Association, in a paper for European Policy Studies (CEPS). "What these paragraphs do is provide the ability to create an international market if any Parties so desire." The word "market", he points out, is nowhere to be found in the agreement, and that's OK. "The fact that the word 'market; does not appear is neither here nor there," he added. "It does not appear in the Kyoto Protocol (KP) either. The absence of the work 'market' is deliberate, not accidental." Countries Coalescing Formal negotiations won't resume until the Bonn Climate Change Conference in late May, but there's been a whirlwind of activity around two multilateral initiatives. One is the Carbon Market Platform that Germany and Japan launched in October at the behest of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States). The other is a commitment to developing standards and guidelines for the environmental integrity of markets that New Zealand launched the day the Paris Agreement was adopted. Eighteen countries have endorsed the New Zealand declaration to-date, including Germany, which has reached out to New Zealand about pooling their efforts. "We are keen to talk with countries about advancing the development of the global market and crucially, putting in place the standards and guidelines for environmental integrity," says Kay Harrison, who heads the New Zealand Environment Ministry's climate initiative. Advertisement Likewise, the G7 effort now finds itself with a much clearer mandate than it did before Paris, and it is in the process of updating its agenda to reflect that. "We've had to re-shape the task of the in light of the Paris Agreement," says Julia Kleinschmidt, the environmental economist who's spearheading the effort within the German Ministry of Environment. "We're also looking to expand beyond the G7, and we hope to add other major emitting countries - like Brazil and China - maybe in the next few weeks." In addition to these efforts, there's the World Bank's Networked Carbon Markets initiative, which is hosting a meeting in Zurich in March that's shaping into an unofficial powwow to chart paths and identify pitfalls - plenty of which remain, but none of which seem insurmountable. "There are certainly some difficult issues, but a lot of it's minutia," says Jeff Swartz, IETA's International Policy Director. "The planet can't wait for all that to be worked out, and the spirit of Article 6 is quite clear. It says to countries: 'You can go pursue your approach, but just make sure the accounting provisions are consistent with what's defined at the UNFCCC.'" Nearly 40 national and more than 20 sub-national jurisdictions are participating or preparing to participate in emissions trading systems today, and other countries are considering other market options. Source: The World Bank Advertisement The Twofold Path Article 6 of the Paris Agreement lays out two paths that countries can use to trade their emission-reductions internationally, and the two paths are not mutually exclusive. The first is the "cooperative" approach, which lets countries coordinate trading among themselves, provided they follow accounting principles that pass muster with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). On the ground, this might resemble the kind of market linkages that California and Quebec have forged (with Ontario soon to join) and that China and South Korea are thinking about. "The role of the UN will be to establish clear and robust accounting rules that everyone abides by so that we know that each emissions reduction will only be counted once, but really letting the countries themselves drive the market transactions," said Nathaniel Keohane, the Vice President in charge of Global Climate for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), in December. "This is an interesting contrast with the Kyoto Protocol, which established a top-down market, because here we see the UN recognizing the realities on the ground, the jurisdictions that are already using markets, and saying, 'Here's some basic rules of the road to promote and foster the growth of those markets, but also to let countries take a driving role at doing that.'" The second path, championed by Brazil, will be forged within the UNFCCC itself and offer a centralized mechanism for transferring emissions reductions. This centralized approach will likely build on the market infrastructure and experience of the Kyoto Protocol, so it pays to look back on it. Lessons from Kyoto To make up for the inherent differences between rich countries and poor countries, the Kyoto Protocol divided all the parties to the UNFCCC into two distinct types: those with caps on their emissions, and those without caps on their emissions. The capped parties were supposed to be rich - or at least on their way to becoming rich - but they included struggling nations like Romania and Portugal. The uncapped countries, on the other hand, were supposed to be poor or developing, but they included China, Brazil, and scores of nations whose per-capita GDP was higher than that of the poorest capped countries. Advertisement When trading happened between countries, it was either between two capped countries (through the "Joint Implementation" mechanism, known as "JI") or between a capped country and an uncapped country (through the "Clean Development Mechanism", known as the "CDM"). "Under the Paris Accord, ITMOs can be credits from other Parties with an NDC, which would look like the current JI," says former Dutch negotiator Jos Cozijnsen, who now advises environmental NGOs. "Also, don't forget the CDM still exists for poorer countries." And, on top of that, there's the centralized mechanism that Article 6 also describes. Currently dubbed the "Sustainable Development Mechanism" (SDM), it's been touted by some as a sort of CDM 2.0, although it is unclear whether the CDM's units (CERs) will actually be viable post-2020. In both cases, the accounting was simpler than what's being proposed under the Paris Agreement, because capped countries were all capped in similar ways. If a German company financed a clean-power plant in Romania, for example, it was a fairly simple matter for Romania to first track those emission reductions domestically and then transfer them to Germany, with the net result showing an emissions reduction for Germany, but not for Romania. If that same company financed a wind-farm in China, it was even easier: as an uncapped country, China didn't have to worry so much about tracking and transferring emission reductions. Under the Paris Agreement, however, no countries have UN-determined caps, but none are off scot-free, either. Instead, each has a different NDC. This opens two cans of worms - one of which caught some developing countries by surprise in Paris. Advertisement Can-of-Worms #1: the Double-Counting Kerfuffle In the lead-up to Paris, scores of countries submitted conditional early-stage NDCs (which were called "INDCs" before Paris, with the "I" standing for "intended"). Conditional NDCs offered two emission-reduction targets: shallow ones that countries could achieve on their own, and steeper ones they could achieve if carbon markets or other international mechanisms were part of the final agreement. In the closing days of the Paris negotiations, however, many of the countries that had presented conditional NDCs balked when they learned that they'd have to transfer their emission-reductions to a buying country. Some countries, in other words, weren't aware that if they sold an emission reduction, they were no longer allowed to deduct that from their own carbon inventory. "Under Kyoto, they didn't have to do that, so I can see why some would have been caught off guard," said Peter Graham, a former Canadian negotiator now working for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). "This is why we have such strong language against double-counting in there now." Keohane says the kerfuffle was a win for environmental integrity. "This is exactly the kind of thing we have to get straight now, so that countries can come up with real, informed, and actionable strategies in the year ahead, rather than wishful thinking," he told Ecosystem Marketplace in December. Advertisement That's true, but the misunderstanding could have profound implications on the supply of emission reductions coming from countries whose conditional NDCs were built on the premise that they could reduce their own emissions by selling emissions reductions abroad. Some could water down the ambition of their emission reduction targets as a result. Or, they might focus instead on "payments for performance" that finance emission reductions in the home country but don't result in emissions reductions being transferred abroad. The Supply Shortage From a market perspective, the double-counting kerfuffle could mean countries export fewer of their "low-cost" emission reductions, and instead use those to meet their own targets, according to Jeff Swartz, IETA's International Policy Director. "We may see those countries saying, 'Well, I'm not just going to export my low-cost abatement to you anymore; I want to keep the low-cost stuff for myself,'" he said. "That's fine, too, because the countries I see buying aren't going to be looking for the cheapest offsets they can get anymore." Can-of-Worms #2: The Quality Conundrum... That brings up the other can of worms: how to account for differences in ambition from country to country? One answer could be conversion rates. "If I'm Switzerland, and I've got a link with the EU ETS, and my target is higher than the EU ETS, then I might need to discount the value of an EU allowance," says Swartz - meaning that Switzerland could buy two allowances from EU ETS (or from any comparable system, for that matter) and count it as one ton against its target. Advertisement He urges countries to develop such strategies on their own rather than waiting for them to emerge under the UNFCCC. "That approach is complex enough as a sovereign decision, and it could be unworkable if we try to do it with a universal UN rule," he says. "Plus, the reality is that we now live in a 1.5-degree world, not a 2-degree world, and countries need to act now. You can't be sitting around in Bonn meeting rooms making excuses anymore. Those days are over." ...and the Demand Dilemma Assuming the questions around ITMO supply can be worked out and countries are willing to transfer high-quality, singly-counted emission-reduction units, the question of demand still looms: Will there be willing buyers on the other end? Over half of the parties to the UNFCCC said that they plan to use or are considering market-based instruments to meet their national climate targets. But only half a dozen of them - Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, and possibly Norway - are likely buyers of international offsets. The rest are developing countries hoping to be on the supply side. Major players - including the European Union and the United States - explicitly stated that they plan to meet their climate commitments without engaging in emission-reduction markets. But some experts think this might change as governments are faced with the economic realities of meeting their targets. Advertisement Ash Sharma, the Special Adviser for Climate Change to the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation recently wrote that "it is likely that such positions may evolve over the coming years," particularly when the UNFCCC takes stock of global progress in 2018, at which point countries will be expected to ramp up their ambition accordingly. But even countries that choose not to purchase emission reductions internationally may develop carbon markets at home in order to meet their targets, potentially creating significant new pockets of domestic demand. Swartz sees this as a likely scenario, pointing out that China, the United States, and the European Union will face tremendous demand for offsets, but can probably meet that demand internally. Demand for international credits will likely come "from smaller countries that need international abatement because of domestic constraints - Switzerland or Korea or New Zealand, for example," he says. "Those countries are going to be pursuing credits with very high environmental integrity," he adds. "That's what they're going to have to do in order to defend their respective program in front of their electorate." Markets aren't the only form of climate finance for developing countries, which the Paris Agreement confirmed should be at least $100 billion per year. Some of this finance could flow through bilateral or multilateral results-based agreements that make the transfer of funds contingent on the recipient demonstrating quantified emission reductions - for instance, those associated with halted deforestation. In December, Norway, Germany, and the UK pledged $5 billion to tropical forest countries in exactly this kind of results-based framework. Advertisement But results-based finance does not necessarily constitute "demand" for ITMOs, since the financing countries may not want to count the emission reductions against their own national targets. In this case, the unit might be more like an IMO (international mitigation outcome) - a verified result that simply isn't transferred. That, however, is an acronym for another day - and there will be plenty to come, as international negotiators, domestic authorities, environmental NGOs, and private-sector participants digest the implications of the Paris Accord. Article 6: Annotated Here is the full text of Article 6, with brief summaries of each paragraph in simple English. Parties recognize that some Parties choose to pursue voluntary cooperation in the implementation of their nationally determined contributions to allow for higher ambition in their mitigation and adaptation actions and to promote sustainable development and environmental integrity. Countries can cooperate with each other to ramp up their climate change strategies ("allow for higher ambition in their mitigation and adaptation actions") and promote sustainable development. Parties shall, where engaging on a voluntary basis in cooperative approaches that involve the use of internationally transferred mitigation outcomes towards nationally determined contributions, promote sustainable development and ensure environmental integrity and transparency, including in governance, and shall apply robust accounting to ensure, inter alia, the avoidance of double counting, consistent with guidance adopted by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement. Countries can meet their emissions reductions targets ("nationally determined contributions") by trading emissions reductions ("internationally transferred mitigation outcomes") among each other, and they can create their own governance structures to manage the process, but they must make sure the trading promotes sustainable development, and they must follow accounting principles approved by the UNFCCC. Questions Raised: The Paris Accord allows the transfer of emissions reductions between countries, but the national climate strategies are not as uniform as the caps were under the Kyoto Protocol.Interestingly, the Paris Accord does say that trading must promote sustainable development, which seems like a remnant from the days of differentiation. The use of internationally transferred mitigation outcomes to achieve nationally determined contributions under this Agreement shall be voluntary and authorized by participating Parties. No countries are obligated to participate in the carbon markets. A mechanism to contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and support sustainable development is hereby established under the authority and guidance of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement for use by Parties on a voluntary basis. It shall be supervised by a body designated by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, and shall aim: To promote the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions while fostering sustainable development; To incentivize and facilitate participation in the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions by public and private entities authorized by a Party; To contribute to the reduction of emission levels in the host Party, which will benefit from mitigation activities resulting in emission reductions that can also be used by another Party to fulfil its nationally determined contribution; and To deliver an overall mitigation in global emissions. The UNFCCC will also create a centralized trading platform that countries can use to trade emissions reductions. Some are calling this the "Sustainable Development Mechanism". Emission reductions resulting from the mechanism referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article shall not be used to demonstrate achievement of the host Party's nationally determined contribution if used by another Party to demonstrate achievement of its nationally determined contribution. If one country transfers an emissions reduction to another country, then it can no longer deduct those emissions from its own carbon inventory. In other words: no double-counting. The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement shall ensure that a share of the proceeds from activities under the mechanism referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article is used to cover administrative expenses as well as to assist developing country Parties that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change to meet the costs of adaptation. Some of the money raised from the central platform will go to maintaining the mechanism, and some will go to least-developed countries. The Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement shall adopt rules, modalities and procedures for the mechanism referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article at its first session. High-level negotiators will provide more details on the Sustainable Development Mechanism at the end of this year in Marrakesh. Parties recognize the importance of integrated, holistic and balanced non-market approaches being available to Parties to assist in the implementation of their nationally determined contributions, in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, in a coordinated and effective manner, including through, inter alia, mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology transfer and capacity-building, as appropriate. These approaches shall aim to: Promote mitigation and adaptation ambition; Enhance public and private participation in the implementation of nationally determined contributions; and Enable opportunities for coordination across instruments and relevant institutional arrangements. Countries can also cooperate without using markets, and non-market approaches can be integrated with market-based approaches. Non-market approaches have been promoted by countries such as Bolivia and Venezuela and might include policies to promote renewable energy, as an example. Photo by: DVT/STAR MAX/IPx 10/23/15 Bill De Blasio hosts a press conference in New York City. New York City is a wonderful city, but, like many wonderful places, it has its problems: homelessness, poverty, underperforming schools, decaying infrastructure, 600 miles of vulnerable coastline, and the ever present threat of crime and terrorism. Nowhere on the list of priorities or problems would I place the horse-drawn carriages that line up on Central Park South and give tourists, and the occasional romantic local, a quick spin through the lower park. Like the Staten Island Ferry, the Met, Lincoln Center, the Statue of Liberty and Times Square, this place and these carriages are an iconic piece of the city that never sleeps. Experts I have spoken to tell me that these horses are healthy and well-treated and the energies of animal rights experts to ban them are misplaced and would be better spent on the many truly abused animals in our city, not to mention the abused humans. Advertisement In Jim Dwyer's January 21 New York Times column, he explains the real estate interests behind the proposed carriage ban and, as in many New York stories, it comes down to a desire by a developer to assemble a building site. It appears that the actual source of the million-dollar contribution by the animal rights group to the de Blasio mayoral campaign came from a developer hoping to buy the buildings that house the stables. As bad as the attack on the carriages has been, the absurd compromise to keep them around is even worse. In a city desperate for housing for working people, New York City will spend over $25 million to convert a building on the 86th Street Central Park transverse into a horse stable. The horses and carriages have commercial spaces available to them on the far west side of Manhattan, seem to be able to pay market rates for their housing, and have no need for public accommodation. Moreover, the traffic and disruption that will be caused by the horses commuting from their new "park view" public housing to their old job site on Central Park South does not seem particularly well thought out. It is obvious that the mayor is trying to repay an old campaign debt to a group that supported him early in his quest for his current office. Loyalty and keeping one's word are important values. So too is the idea of compromise, and I am glad that he and the union representing the carriage drivers could come to an agreement. The problem is that this deal makes no sense. It wastes scarce public dollars. It disrupts a successful and profitable tourist attraction. It further stresses Central Park, the most visited public space in America, by changing its traffic patterns without discussion or study. Given the growing value of Manhattan real estate, there may well come a time when the west-side stables housing these horses become too expensive and this industry might someday be priced out of existence. That would sadden me, but even at that point I would question the need to spend public money on stables for private carriages. Advertisement Linked to this bad deal is a provision that is not getting much attention, but also makes very little sense. This provision would ban pedicabs, the bicycle-drawn carriages, that compete with the horse carriages for tourist business. While regulating, taxing and limiting these pedicabs makes sense, banning them from the southern part of the park is unfair. What concerns me most about this inept, illogical and uninspired arrangement is that this highly political, closed-door decision further undermines the public's trust in government. If the horses are harmed by pulling carts why are we building stables? If horses can pull carts why can't humans pedal pedicabs? Why are our decisionmakers wasting their valuable time on trivial issues, when they should be focused on the big issues? Perhaps they will argue that they can do both, but there are only so many hours in the day. I generally agree with the mayor's perspectives on most issues and think he is working hard to learn the very complex job of being mayor, but this deal smells worse than the manure on Central Park South. It is so clearly a political pay-back and watching it take shape is disheartening for those of us who voted for Bill de Blasio. It is hard to reconcile this deal with progressive values and advocacy of good government and is a very disappointing moment in a very bizarre political year. Moreover, for a mayor with a background as a political operative, these maneuvers seemed incredibly clumsy, but then at the end of last week, it actually got worse. Writing in the New York Times on January 28, J. David Goodman and Rick Rojas reported that the carriage deal would be voted later this week at the same time the City Council would vote on a bill to raise their own salaries by 30%. According to Goodman and Rojas: Several Council officials described a full-court press by City Hall, including from Mr. de Blasio's top political adviser, Emma Wolfe, to secure Council support for the horse-carriage bill, an initiative that has been a top goal of wealthy political supporters of the mayor, a Democrat. The City Hall officials were said to be focusing on city lawmakers alarmed by a hearing last week, where administration officials could not answer basic questions about some of the bill's provisions, like the cost of a new stable in Central Park. The apparent timing of the votes came despite the objections of some Council members, who believed it created an unseemly appearance, and could undermine what they believe is the sound policy of the pay bill, according to several people familiar with the conversations. The mayor seems almost desperate to complete this carriage deal and move on, but in the process is simply giving his enemies more ammunition to do battle with him. In the process, he has managed to antagonize park advocates, pedicab workers, and good government advocates. My advice to the mayor is to let this deal die. Central Park is the best managed park in the world and if the people managing the Central Park Conservancy think the plan creates problems for the park, the mayor should pay attention. The Council Speaker and mayor's attack on the Conservancy for raising questions about the deal was also disappointing. The mayor observed that, "The conservancy provides a lot, but the park belongs to the people, and those decisions are made by the City Council and the mayor." This statement was a thinly-veiled and gratuitous attack on a nonprofit that has been a model citizen. The Conservancy has quietly worked with parks all over New York City. The Central Park Conservancy knows that parks belong to the people. They know that elected officials are in charge. Reminding them of this in public was not a proper response to the Conservancy's expert critique of the mayor's poorly-thought-through carriage plan. Co-authored by Erica Fein, WAND Nuclear Weapons Policy Director. In a timeline of events that could have been lifted from an episode of The West Wing, on January 12, ten sailors in the U.S. Navy were taken into Iranian custody just hours before President Obama's State of the Union address. A U.S. Naval vessel had malfunctioned and drifted into Iranian waters where the U.S. sailors were taken captive by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. On January 13, those same ten sailors were released, less than 24 hours later. Consider that nine years ago in a similar incident, 15 British Royal Navy sailors spent 13 days in Iranian captivity. One of the differences between these two events was that by 2016, the West had opened up diplomatic channels with Iran resulting from the Iran nuclear deal. The agreement, concluded after careful and painstaking diplomacy, allowed the United States and Iran to keep a ship's malfunction from escalating to an international crisis. Not only has that agreement -- the Iran nuclear deal -- provided new ways to communicate and resolve incidents with a sometimes hostile adversary, it has also strengthened global peace and security by preventing Iran from building a nuclear weapon -- without firing a shot. As a result of the deal, Iran has gone from being two to three months away from enough material for one bomb to one year away. Four days after the U.S. Navy incident in Iranian waters, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that "Implementation Day" had arrived; that is that Iran had taken the necessary steps under the Iran nuclear deal to receive sanctions relief from the EU and United States. Under the deal, Iran has dismantled or converted its nuclear facilities, shipped out large stores of enriched uranium, and provided the IAEA with wide-ranging access to its facilities. Additionally, it has cooperated with IAEA investigations into its past behavior (in December 2015, the IAEA found that Iran had ceased nuclear weapons work after 2009). Advertisement Make no mistake, though it received less fanfare, Implementation Day is as significant an historic achievement as the day the Iran deal was signed. As Secretary of State John Kerry put it, "[Implementation Day] marks the moment that the Iran nuclear agreement transitions from an ambitious set of promises on paper to measurable action in progress." On the same day, Iran released five Americans being held as political prisoners in Iran for various lengths of time. The release was well timed, and though it happened through an apparent second diplomatic channel, the communication that occurred was fostered by the nuclear diplomacy efforts. Advertisement Despite its success, some members of Congress continue to look for ways to void the deal. They are fixated on Iran's ballistic missile program, its sponsorship of various terror groups, and its human rights abuses. On February 2, House Republicans will vote a second time on the Iran Terror Financing Transparency Act, a bill with a tough name but a counterproductive purpose. If enacted, the legislation would tie Iran's non-nuclear-related behavior to U.S. sanctions relief, which would have the effect of killing the deal. But killing the deal would isolate the United States, as the rest of the world has begun normalizing business ties with Iran. While President Obama has the votes to sustain a certain veto should the bill reach his desk, deal opponents persist in sending a message that they will stop at nothing to undermine this signature foreign policy achievement. Safe though the nuclear deal may be for now, supporters of diplomacy with Iran must remain ever vigilant. As its detractors like to point out, the Iran deal is not a treaty. Future presidents can disregard its provisions if they see fit. The diplomatic channel that helped with the safe release of our sailors and the release of five American prisoners can easily dry up with different leadership. As voters make their way to the polls they should remember that only the Democratic candidates have endorsed the Iran deal. While foreign policy doesn't always loom large in elections, this issue should rise to the top of voters' minds. In the end, it is about nothing less than war and peace. In the days after being formally endorsed by both Planned Parenthood and NARAL last week, Clinton brought up Hyde at a rally, describing it as a law that "[makes] it harder for low-income women to exercise their full rights." A few days later, when asked by Alicia Menendez at the Iowa Brown & Black Presidential Forum whether she would support a congressional effort to repeal Hyde, she answered "yes" unequivocally and described reproductive rights as "a fundamental human right." After that event, Clinton answered two further questions in an interview with Fusion's Anna Holmes. Clinton told Holmes that she believes the Hyde Amendment "deprives low-income women from being able to access the full range of reproductive health services." She acknowledged that repeal of the law could be difficult in a conservative-controlled Congress, but that as president she would work to "expand the services Planned Parenthood provides," since she is "not only against defunding Planned Parenthood, but ... would like to see Planned Parenthood get even more money because it is oftentimes both the first and last resort." Need for the affordable reproductive services it provides, Clinton went on, "is only going to grow because of the pressure the courts are putting on [providers], so we will have to do what we can to provide access to quality affordable health care that includes the full range of reproductive health, including abortion." Remarkably, Clinton wasn't done. She finished off by noting that in places where providers are being shut down, "the people who are going to suffer the most are low-income women of color," and that she's very worried about the upcoming Supreme Court decision in Whole Woman's Health v. Cole, a Texas case that will determine states' abilities to enact further debilitating restrictions on reproductive-health-care access. Clinton then proclaimed that she would treat Planned Parenthood as one of her "partners at the table, trying to figure this [crisis of access and inequality] out." Later, for emphasis, she tweeted, "I would like to see Planned Parenthood even get more funding" and "A right without the opportunity to exercise it isn't a right. Low-income women deserve health care. The Hyde Amendment should be overturned." YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. The two anti-Armenian reports discussed at the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of CoE turned into a unique touchstone for that prestigious European institution. President of the National Assembly (NA) Galust Sahakyan expressed such an opinion in his speech at the beginning of the NA session. In fact, those resolutions distorting the reality, impeding the peaceful negotiation process on the Karabakh conflict were an attempt by their authors to discredit that European high platform and deliberately mislead the international community. They were also direct and indirect attempts to cast a shadow, to underestimate the OSCE Minsk Group activities and to make an institution, which has no such function and authority, as a participant of the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh issue, Armenpress reports, Sahakyan stated. Galust Sahakyan reminded that prior to the discussions of the resolutions the OSCE Minsk Group had issued a statement once again reminding that the OSCE Minsk Group is the only format for the solution and negotiations on the problem. They had urged not to take steps which will harm the OSCE Minsk Group mandate or complicate the continuing negotiation process, Galust Sahakyan said, adding that in the statement adopted at the regular sitting of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC) it was noted the European Parliament fully supports the negotiation process going on under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which is the only internationally recognized format of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. Galust Sahakyan noted that the developments preceding the discussions of those resolutions and the results of the discussions showed that the parliamentary diplomacy is a genuinely strong weapon, which never loses its significance, and which we can reasonably use. Moreover, it refers to both the members of our delegation and our colleagues not involved in it, who made great efforts to wreck those resolutions, NA President said. On January 26, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) rejected the report prepared by British parliamentarian Robert Walter (he is no longer PACE member-edit.) Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan". 66 MPs voted in favor and 70 MPs against the report. At the same time, the PACE adopted rapporteur Milica Markovics (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. by Shayana Kadidal, Senior Managing Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights Recently we passed another sad milestone in the history of the Guantanamo prison: As of Sunday, January 31st, President Obama has kept Guantanamo open for longer than President Bush did. The standard narrative for why this has come to pass states that the fault lies with Congress. In 2008, both Obama, his campaign opponent John McCain, and President Bush all stated that closing Guantanamo was in our net national security interest, as it would take away a powerful symbol of American militarism and injustice towards Muslims, and with it a powerful recruiting tool for our enemies. Accordingly, the new president signed an executive order on his second day in office, mandating closure of the prison within a year, and there seemed to be consensus between the parties that this would be a good thing. Yet within months, a Congress with both houses firmly under Democratic control passed restrictions on transfers out of Guantanamo. The initial ban was on transfers to the U.S. for criminal trials, and Congress slowly expanded it to place onerous restrictions on all releases -- to a detainee's home country, to a U.S. ally that had agreed to extend asylum, anywhere. Advertisement We hear a lot of blame directed at Congress from this White House's defenders, but remember: Obama came into office with the biggest majorities in Congress of any Democrat since LBJ. Yet the first transfer restriction passed the Senate by a vote of 90 to 6. The vote wasn't destined to be that one-sided from the beginning. When Mitch McConnell first made the absurd claim that bringing a few detainees to the mainland to be tried in regular criminal courts posed a threat to the homeland, Harry Reid responded exactly how one would have expected: May 4, 2009: McCONNELL: "The American people want to keep the terrorists at Guantanamo out of their neighborhoods and off of the battlefield." May 5, 2009: McCONNELL: "Will these trained terrorists be allowed to travel freely anywhere in the United States? What will their status be? Will they be allowed to stay here permanently?" May 6, 2009: REID: "Republicans need to get another talking point. ... I support Barack Obama. I support John McCain. They both think [Guantanamo] should be closed. I do, too." What followed was two weeks of pointed silence from the White House. If you look at what the Democrats in the Senate were saying at the time, it's clear they were looking for protection from the White House, and when it wasn't forthcoming, they turned tail and ran from this issue. Here's Speaker Reid speaking to the press two weeks later: May 19, 2009: REID: I'm saying that the United States Senate, Democrats and Republicans, do not want terrorists to be released in the United States. That's very clear. QUESTION: No one's talking about releasing them. We're talking about putting them in prison somewhere in the United States. ... would you be all right with them being transferred to an American prison? REID: Not in the United States. ... I've been as clear as I can .... I think I've had about enough of this. You don't get a 90-6 vote on any issue in modern America any other way but through collusion between the political parties. The White House knew the fix was in; it just didn't tell Congressional democrats. As we know now from Daniel Klaidman's reporting, the president's political advisors didn't think Guantanamo was an issue worth spending even a penny's worth of political capital on. As Rahm Emanuel told White House Counsel Greg Craig: We are trying to bring in two 747s [the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq] at the same we are trying to reform our national health care system, and right in the middle you want to send up a flock of Canadian geese, which is Guantanamo, which could take down one of our 747s. It's easy to imagine that Emanuel somehow poisoned Obama's mind on this "pain-in-the-ass distraction," a "clean up the last guy's mess issue," but the years after the little man's 2010 departure from the White House were no better. The president never made good on several threatened vetoes (in 2011, 2013, and 2014) of increasingly-harsh transfer bans as they made their way through Congress. He never utilized a provision, inserted into the 2012 version of the restrictions by Senator Carl Levin, that gave the president the ability to waive most of the restrictions if doing so were in the interest of national security. (Obviously, "waiving" restrictions placed by Congress would have added to the president's perceived responsibility for anything going wrong after a release -- but look, he is president. The buck does stop with him.) Most recently, after initially vetoing a large defense appropriations bill that contained the renewed transfer restrictions, the president signed a version with an unchanged transfer bar after Congress made spending cuts he sought. Moreover, even if Obama had done the most he could have to fight the Congressional restrictions, there are several things he could do now to expedite closure of the prison without violating the ban. Most importantly, he could instruct the Justice Department to concede that release is appropriate in habeas corpus cases brought by the 34 detainees who are already cleared for transfer by unanimous consent of the intelligence agencies, the military, and the Justice and State Departments. The statutory transfer bans contain an exemption for releases to effectuate court orders. (At the same time, the president could increase the pressure on the Periodic Review Boards to hold hearings for the 47 men awaiting a clearance hearing; 85% of the men who've gotten hearings thus far have been cleared.) Advertisement Finally, the president could also defeat the ban on transfers by doing what Secretary of State Clinton suggested years ago: negotiating guilty pleas with some of the remaining detainees in federal court. Guilty pleas would present an opportunity for the courts to rule that the existing transfer restrictions were not intended by Congress to apply to such cases, allowing the hardest cases to be resolved by finally charging men who've been held for years without charge. If the Laquan McDonald video was never released to the public, then Mayor Rahm Emanuel would have never made any changes within the Chicago Police Department. Why did it take the killing of a young African American man for Rahm to do something? Superintendent McCarthy was fired, one of the city attorney's stepped down, the head of Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) resigned, and several African American Police staff were promoted to higher level positions. There were many issues in Chicago before the release of the Laquan McDonald video. Now the embattled mayor is trying to get another chance to prove his commitment to the people. Why would anyone listen to a mayor who covered up a killing to win his re-election bid? If the city attorney, the head of IPRA, and Superintendent McCarthy knew what was going on with the Laquan McDonald killing, then the mayor also knew what was happening. The blame goes to the leader of the pack for the misconduct of his team. The cover up was managed from the top down. Select CPD officials along with State's Attorney Anita Alvarez worked in concert from the very beginning to make sure that the video was not released until both election cycles were over. If a person is forced to make changes, then the changes are not sincere. Mayor Emanuel should be ashamed of himself considering that he depended on the African American vote to win office. The mayor has also been going out of his way to appear in pictures with African American people to make himself look good or feel accepted. This appears to be another futile attempt to win the people over. Several protestors have organized demonstrations in front of the mayor's house in an attempt to have the mayor step down. Advertisement Governor Bruce Rauner has also criticized the mayor for his inability to improve public safety in Chicago. Some of the mayor's supporters probably believe that this issue will go away one day, but the people will continue to fight for mayor Emanuel's resignation. How many people think that the mayor would stand by their sides if they broke the law or found themselves in a compromising position? Most politicians will not even consider standing up for one of their colleagues or supporters in a moment of adversity whether the person is guilt or not. Effective political leaders make tough decisions to move the people forward and not sit on a time bomb before addressing specific issues that could taint or destroy their legacy. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, addresses the Sunshine Summit in Orlando, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The big news from last Thursday's Republican Presidential Debate on Fox News was the absence of what Meghan Kelly called, "the elephant not in the room." Thanks to the ongoing feud between her and front runner Donald Trump, the latter was not on the stage. In what was largely treated as a footnote, Rand Paul was. Several media have asserted the debate was more substantive without Trump, the issues having more space in the absence of his overpowering personality and the likely attention that would have been paid to his controversial style. But it wasn't Trump's absence that made this debate more substantive. It was Rand Paul's presence. Without him, the last spectacle wasn't a debate at all. Advertisement Debate moderators are television people. They are interested in whatever makes the best television and gets the highest ratings. The debate moderators on Thursday, echoing the larger media narrative, continually pushed the establishment vs. anti-establishment theme. That's certainly a phenomenon in this election cycle, but it really means nothing in terms of policy. The whole purpose of this exercise is to determine the difference, if any, between the candidates seeking the presidency. Without Rand Paul, there isn't a difference to determine, not even with Trump. Trumps style might be different, but he's a lot more like an establishment Republican than the media narrative would have one believe. The president's greatest sphere of influence is in foreign policy. The very first power delegated to the POTUS in the Constitution is Commander-in-Chief of the military. The second is making treaties, requiring the consent only of the Senate, not the entire legislature. It is here the president has the most direct power, especially since WWII, when almost no one seems to consider a declaration of war by congress necessary before premeditated military action. No one, it seems, except Rand Paul, who brought a proposal for a declaration of war against ISIS to the Senate floor in 2014. The NY Times was correct to point out that Paul's proposal was unique in that it called for a declaration of war, rather than just an AUMF. This isn't just an arcane parliamentary distinction. There is a substantive difference between an AUMF and a declaration of war. Among Republicans and Democrats, only Rand Paul seems to understand that. Advertisement That's not to say Paul is eager for a war with the quasi-state. He only proposed the declaration because President Obama was already waging war on ISIS without one, unconstitutionally, in his opinion. He wasn't alone. Indeed, Paul is the only Republican not gleefully boasting of the martial destruction he will visit upon Iraq and Syria. His containment strategy is the only one that sounds different from what we'd expect if we reelected Bush/Cheney. Paul recognizes the danger ISIS represents, but doesn't vow to "make sand glow in the dark." Nor does he blow the ISIS threat out of all realistic proportion, as does all of his opponents. Paul also seems to be the only candidate in either party who noticed how disastrous toppling Middle Eastern dictators has been thus far this century. Hussein was deposed and replaced by ISIS. Mubarak was deposed and replaced by the Muslim Brotherhood, then a military junta. Ghaddafi was deposed and replaced by utter chaos, with various radical Islamic groups vying for power. His opponents in both parties are eager to get rid of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. They seem to forget what the second "S" in ISIS stands for. Only Paul reminds voters in either party who would likely replace Assad, should he be deposed. On domestic policy, the Republicans are throwing around their usual platitudes about shrinking government and free markets, but who is actually proposing any specific reduction in government interventions, beyond tax cuts? Certainly not Trump. He's running on raising taxes on imports. Cruz, to be fair, is a little better in this area, but when it was time to put his Senate vote where his mouth is on the most damaging government intervention into the economy, he didn't show up. Finally, anyone truly committed to limited government and individual liberty must oppose the insane federal war on drugs that has imprisoned generations of black men at a hugely disproportionate rate. Sadly, Paul's desire to decriminalize marijuana not only sets him apart from the Republicans, it sets him apart from all presidential candidates in either major party. One might almost say he sounds like a Democrat on this, just not like any Democrat running for president right now. Advertisement A friend of mine texted me today and said, "I can pull off a Trisha. I am convinced that like you, I can also do a 6-mo to a year sabbatical and discover more of the world." She has a steady 9-5 job and is quite happy about it. However, she just felt the need of a change of environment. Though I wasn't sure if she can just simply tell her boss that she is leaving, I suggested that she give it a try. I cannot relate much on working in an office environment because I only did it once in my life but let me tell you a story about me applying a job after traveling for a long period of time. I do not have any school credentials nor any office experience yet I dreamt of working in a big fashion magazine in the Philippines. Unlike most countries, the Philippines require an impressive school record and a diploma. It is your ticket to big and multi-national companies and your credibility is based on this. Advertisement I chose not to be one of those people. I chose to believe I am successful in my own way. On the day of the interview, I sat down and the Human Resource person looked at my resume and slowly turned her head to me: "If you were not working, what were you doing for the past few years?" she asked. "I was traveling." She can see that clearly because it was all over my CV. I think she was also puzzled on how animated my resume was. I am not sure if she was convinced with my answer. She wrote something on my resume and said, "what's the earliest date you can start?" I cannot believe what I heard. The interview wasn't long. That's the only question she asked and I got hired right away. The next day, she was telling everyone about my blog and why she thinks I am a very good addition to their creative team. Reasons why travelers make the best employees 1. Travelers are always willing to try new things and step out of their comfort zone. This is the main factor for everyone who likes to travel. You think this is an overrated skill but this, unfortunately does not fit everyone. Traveling is not for everyone, too! If you are one of those people who have the urge to travel, congratulations, you also belong to the group of the brave. Having the initiative is the first step in changing the way you live and how you look at things. Getting out of the comfort zone can be as simple as booking a ticket to somewhere you've never seen before and boarding that flight. Again, not everyone have the courage to do this. This makes travelers pitch creative ideas in the workplace -- ideas that only them have experienced. 2. Travelers have more confidence and independence. Employers, I am sure you see this whenever you interview someone for a job. Travelers are very confident and independent because they are now more comfortable of who they are. They present themselves well and they are always up for any challenges given to them in the workplace. Sometimes, they even go overboard and they do things beyond their capacity. This is very obvious most especially to those who travelled by themselves. They've been challenged. They've been tested to their limits. They've lived life over the edge by traveling and they always feel that they can do anything. Nothing can stop them from doing what they want! 3. Travelers are people people. They've met a lot of people from different parts of the world which opened their minds to possibilities and new ideas. They are not shy being around other people even if it's a culture so much different from them. Their sense of empathy and the ability to understand others are honed. With full confidence, they can speak to any kind of people you ask them to. If you are a multi-national company and you ask your traveller employee to present something in an international meeting level, they will do it. They can do it. Advertisement 4. Travelers can work under pressure, with grace. They barely panic because when they are traveling, they are often faced in situations that they need to solve on their own. Whether it's navigating the metro system in Singapore, crossing the borders by land in Argentina and Uruguay or the need to hitchhike to go from point A to B, they've been in that situation. This is not different from situations in the workplace. 5. Travelers love to learn. As time goes by, travelers' goal go deeper into learning how a culture cooks, eats and sleeps. Through time, they even ditch the required tourist spots to visit because they are eager to learn something more. Their brain activities never stop. They always have the urge to know. This love for learning also leads them to being self-taught. In my first and last office job, I was asked if I know how to use Adobe Pagemaker. I said "not really but I can try." I realised saying "I don't know" is a dead-end and there is no such thing as "I don't know." Of course, we know! Some are just too lazy to Google and learn it themselves. But travelers? They are always willing to learn new things. They have the initiative and you will never find this in another employee. What I highly recommend to employers Change the way you run the workplace. Companies who are willing to experiment in terms of hiring are the ones who thrive. It's 2016! More and more people are liking the idea of travel but their jobs make it difficult for them. Why not try to give your employees a travel vacation for a month and see what it gives you? Or if you can afford it, give them a paid vacation! If you are worried who will take their place while they are away, figure it out. Maybe you can hire another person on a short-term employment as long as it won't affect your company's productivity. I make it sound really simple but I think it is really doable. A version of this post originally appeared on P.S. I'm On My Way Are you a frequent traveler who has a full-time job? Has traveling helped in making you more creative and productive in the workplace? Leave your comments below! Advertisement Also on HuffPost: by BROOKE BOBB The warnings that have hit the news about the Zika virus are quite alarming, specifically for pregnant women living or planning to travel abroad. The mosquito-borne illness, which can cause fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis, has spread to two dozen countries and territories, mainly in South and Central America. The virus is also being linked to a birth defect found in many newborns in these affected regions, even prompting some countries to advise their residents to postpone pregnancy. While places like Tulum, San Juan, and Barbados might be typically popular travel destinations for vacations, the fear over contracting the virus is deterring many a pregnant would-be visitor. And for good reason Here, we've rounded up five easily accessible destinations without reports of Zika where you can go before your due date. Just check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for up-to-date information before traveling. Advertisement Photo: Courtesy of @oceanviewclub Ocean View Club, Harbour Island, Bahamas The three-mile-long Harbour Island is one of the most serene settings in the Bahamas. With only nine rooms in the hotel, the Ocean View Club offers a stylish and charming retreat for a quiet, peaceful vacation. There's no spa or swimming pool, but the best part about this place is that it's located right on the island's famous (and quite spectacular) pink-sand beach. Photo: Courtesy of @angiesilvy The Rose Hotel, Venice, California This is for those who don't want to be totally cut off from civilization. Located just off Venice Beach, the Rose is a boho-style bungalow hotel opened in 2014 by photographer Glen Luchford. The lobby and rooms are cozy but minimally decorated, and while there's no proper spa, the hotel can arrange for a special prenatal masseuse to visit your room or suite whenever the mood strikes. It's a very short walk from the beach and all of the amazing restaurants and cafes on Abbot Kinney Boulevard. There's also a rooftop deck for lounging in the sun. Photo: Courtesy of @hotelbudir Hotel Budir, Snaefellsnes, Iceland At the end of a stunningly scenic two-hour drive from Reykjavik, you'll spy a simple three-story white home and black church off in the distance--just two specks amid craggy lava fields, Snfellsjokull glacier, and ocean as far as the eye can see. Welcome to Hotel Budir, a charming hotel where--despite the otherworldly landscape and myriad outdoor activities--perhaps the most appealing attribute is its unique brand of calm. Read a book while watching sheep waddle by and seals play in the tide, go for a stroll through the tall grasses and mossy rocks, take a snowcat up to the top of the glacier at sunset and bask in the glow. Or just enjoy the silence--something that's sure to be a precious commodity once the bundle of joy arrives. Photo: Courtesy of @vovmart Moorings Village, Islamorada, Florida Islamorada, famed for for its spectacular sunsets, is in the Florida Keys, surrounded by pristine beaches and clear blue water. The Moorings Village is situated on an old coconut plantation right on the water, with secluded villas and cottages perfect for a romantic vacation. It's also easy to visit nearby islands from the hotel's boat. Advertisement Photo: Courtesy of @nitalakelodge Nita Lake Lodge, Whistler, Canada The only things you need to bring on this babymoon are seriously cozy, comfy loungewear and maybe a pair of snow pants. This is all about relaxing and taking in some of the great outdoors. Nita Lake Lodge is Whistler's only lakeside property and boasts fireplaces and deep soaking tubs in each of its 77 rooms. The spa and fitness center features yoga classes and prenatal massages. If you're feeling particularly outdoorsy, you can take a gondola ride up the mountain or hike the wooded trails that surround the hotel. More from Vogue: Also on HuffPost: Everyone has the responsibility to protect each other, especially those different from them. This was the message delivered on Wednesday evening at a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in New York City's Washington Square Park. The interfaith ceremony honored those who perished in the Holocaust as well as the people who risked their lives to save the ones who survived. Rabbi Yehuda Sarna spoke from personal experience as he relayed the story of his wife's relatives being rescued from the Nazis by a physician in Berlin, Germany during the height of the Holocaust. And while that scenario is not so unique, what may be surprising is the fact that the physician was a Muslim by the name of Mohammed Helmy. There are actually many similar stories of Muslims protecting Jews during the Holocaust, something that the I Am Your Protector (IAYP) campaign, which organized the event, aims to increase awareness of. In addition to the interfaith ceremony held in New York, additional ceremonies were held in Switzerland, Pakistan, and Albania on Wednesday. Advertisement "When I hear about Muslims, my first thought is about my friends, not on terrorism, not on enemies," Madeline Dolgin, a senior at NYU who spoke at the ceremony, said. "These friendships deconstruct my own learned prejudice, ones that were told to me when I was a child, and take action against the hateful rhetoric in the media, particularly aimed at Muslims." Each city added a local touch to the ceremony. In New York, the Living Theatre group reenacted testimonies of protectors and Imam Khalid Latif, Executive Director and Chaplain for the Islamic Center at NYU, spoke about his personal experience with a protector who stood up for him on 9/11. "If you're standing in a place where being the only one of your background will make it easier for others, then you have to do it just because it's the right thing to do," he said. In Switzerland, an interfaith ceremony and candle lighting was held in the streets of Geneva with a Rabbi, Imam, and Priest. Stories of protectors were also read. In Tirana, the capital of Albania, the only European country who had more Jews following the Holocaust than before it, descendants of protectors shared stories of their family members who risked their lives to protect Jews. Additionally, Prince Leka Zogu II, grandson of King Ahmed Zog I, spoke of the engagement of his grandfather, who saved thousands of Jews during his rule in the second world war. Pakistan held a similar ceremony highlighting stories of protectors. Advertisement Reenactment in New York City Pakistan Ceremony The ceremonies left a powerful mark on attendees. "I attended this event because I wanted to honor the many lives of those who were affected by the Holocaust," said Christina Tasca, who attended the New York City ceremony. "I was incredibly moved by the performance of stories of Muslims who risked everything, even their own lives, to protect Jews fleeing genocide. It was a powerful reminder that even in the darkest times, there are always unsung heroes who choose to do what is right, no matter the cost." For Rabbi Sarna, Imam Latif, and other activists attending, the work continues, especially in this time of heightened Islamophobia. A defining moment of my childhood was the night my father left and returned with tears in his eyes for a closed-door conversation with my mother. No one talked to us kids, but we figured it out (as kids almost always do): my dad had accompanied an army official to let a member of his congregation know that his son, who was serving in Vietnam, had been killed in action. I cannot imagine what parents go through when a child goes off to war. Every day, and perhaps every moment of every day, might well be consumed by a deep feeling of fear, worry that any moment an officer and a chaplain might park in front of the house and walk up to the door. No matter how much one might prepare to hear such news, it cannot soften the pain or the tragedy that occurs when someone is killed. Safety and the fear of death are paramount on the minds of parents of soldiers. When a son or daughter leaves on deployment, a service trip, or commits a year to do something like AmeriCorps or Peace Corps, there is little preparation for families. And there is probably no way to prepare for the possibility of it ending tragically. Advertisement The death of three students from Columbia University who died recently while serving in Ecuador marks the unthinkable. These college students and their instructors were on their way to the airport when their bus tumbled into a ravine. In addition to killing Olivia Erhardt, a student at Columbia University, Daneilla Moffson, a student at Barnard, and Abigail Flanagan, a nurse practitioner at Columbia University Medical Center and a student at Columbia, the accident injured several others. As the President of the Bonner Foundation, I was a part of launching and supporting thousands of service placements and trips that took students and faculty across the street and around the world. One of the most inspiring aspects of my life is hearing college students share about the ways their service work has transformed lives. While someone dying was always a possibility, it seemed so rare and unlikely, until it actually happened. When it does happen, questions race through the mind... How could something so horrible happened to such good people? Why were these students out there in such a dangerous place? Why don't we put an end to these dangerous service trips and just stay at home? These are all questions that are being asked and need to be addressed. Why does something so terrible happen to good people doing important work? It is an ageless and painful question that gets asked and never answered. The truth is that those who are doing important work are not uniquely protected from mechanical failure, random violence, human error and what is often chalked up to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. As to why there are students in such dangerous places, the answer is because they chose to be. A great deal of thought and preparation goes into these kinds of trips and this journey to Honduras was no exception. Columbia University was diligent in selecting a capable partner agency to help with logistics and details, including safety. That partner, Global Brigades, has spent years developing relationships and building up a program which, up until that point, had offered a safe and rewarding experience for its more than 35,000 volunteers. It may sound callous, but it happens. It happens in the developing world, and it happens in the wealthiest of neighborhoods here in the US. Advertisement And why don't we just stay at home and just do our service here? We should be serving in our local communities, but we also need be serving throughout the world. Service experiences that take individuals out of their comfort zone and familiar experience often are the basis for life changing events and transformative thinking that has a life-long impact on career choices, faith formation, and community connections. We have to be careful, but we also must stay engaged. Responding to Grief: Building a Living Legacy Nothing can be more painful than losing a child. When a child is lost in the name of a good cause, there is something that needs to be remembered, and something that needs to be kept alive. My inspiration for how parents respond to the unthinkable comes from Jim and Linda Hunt and their son-in-law, Aaron Ausland. Their daughter, Krista, finished college, married Aaron, taught at an inner-city high school, and then accepted a three-year service position in rural Bolivia. Six months after they arrived in Bolivia, Krista and Aaron were traveling in a speeding bus that plunged down a mountain ravine. Aaron was injured, but lived; Krista, then 25, was killed. But rather than sue the organization that sent them, or the bus company, or begin a campaign warning service-minded young adults to stay home, Krista's family chose to create a living legacy that honored and continued Krista's hopes for service. Advertisement Sharing her inspiring vision, they began the Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship, which offers support to other young adult leaders who commit to a year or more of volunteer service with agencies, either in the US or in developing nations. Each year, 17 young leaders are selected into their innovative Krista Colleague mentoring community which provides support throughout (and after) their service experience. At conferences and debriefing retreats, they receive global citizen skills training, service-leadership grants, and nationally-recognized post-service transition support for several years. Begun in 1999, Krista Colleagues have now provided service leadership in 46 countries and over 47 American cities with 123 different organizations. Today, alumni continue their global leadership as lawyers, public health advocates, artists, entrepreneurs, bi-lingual teachers, scientists and non-profit leaders. Another story of tragedy and transformation occurred in the Biehl family. After graduating from Stanford, Amy Biehl traveled to South Africa as a Fulbright Scholar with the intent of developing voter registration programs. The day before she was to return home, she was caught in a riot and killed by mob violence. Responding to her death, Amy's parents established the Amy Biehl Foundation. The Foundation works in and around Cape Town to advocate for access to education, equal employment, and health services. Additionally, it reaches out to more than 11,800 youth in the Cape Town area, providing after-school programs featuring activities like music, dance, drama, sports, crafts and HIV/AIDS peer education. As a testament to the Biehl's commitment to reconciliation, two of the men convicted of their daughter's murder and are now working for the Foundation. These families said "yes" to their daughters' lives rather than "no" to the idealism and service that they gave their lives for. Advertisement A Call to Create a National Service Memorial The landscapes of cities and towns around the world are filled with memorials for soldiers who have died while serving their country. As we honor our fallen soldiers, I wonder: why not also honor those who died while doing community service. Why should there not be a national monument honoring those who gave their lives in service to the world, not only through the military, but through the service programs that exist in our high schools, colleges, congregations and country? A location could be identified; it wouldn't have to be in Washington DC. Maybe it could be hosted at a university or large national non-profit or some other place where it would be taken seriously. Every year a list of names could be engraved in the monument while a simultaneous memorial service was held. Families would be asked to create story boards, so as to capture, share and honor the powerful yet unfinished stories of the lives that have been lost. Advertisement The community of people that the memorials would convene would offer opportunities for support, fellowship and innovation. Originally published in Washington Post (20 January 2016) History sparkles with stories of musicians overcoming illness, impairment and adversity. Beethoven composed his "Ninth Symphony" while deaf. Ray Charles performed blind. Itzhak Perlman plays through polio. Watch "American Idol" this season and you'll hear tearjerking tales of contestants beating herculean odds. These kinds of stories are so popular that activists and scholars have coined the term "supercrip" to describe them. Colloquially, we might call it "inspiration porn." Unfortunately, they obscure an important truth: Sometimes, suffering doesn't make us better artists. And that's okay. Acknowledging this un-glamorous fact may actually yield wisdom of a different stripe, wisdom about what it means to be wounded and fallible, yet unapologetically human. Advertisement I understand this truth firsthand. I'm a music professor at Dartmouth College. Until recently, I'd never gone a day without playing the piano. I started lessons at age 4 and gave yearly recitals all the way through college. In my music history graduate school program, I put together a series of improv concerts: The audience would call out themes (anything from Bach to Beyonce) and I'd weave their recommendations into real-time mash-ups. At these performances, the austere etiquette of classical music went out the window. Participants would gleefully shout, "Flight of the Bumblebee" or "Bohemian Rhapsody" or "that theme from 'Star Wars' ... no, no, the other one!" Occasionally, I'd hit wrong notes or overdo a cliched chord progression. But it was my favorite way to play. Electric, collaborative, alive. Then in 2013, while I was a post-doctoral fellow, I was besieged by chronic abdominal pain. The pain came daily and could spike into magnitudes that caused me to black out, hallucinate or lose capacity for speech. After a long string of misdiagnoses (one of which led to an unnecessary gallbladder removal), doctors landed on the possibility of Abdominal Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome. It's a rare condition that involves nerves firing pathologically in the layers of muscle and fat surrounding the stomach. Some days, I couldn't get out of bed, much less sleep or eat. The world shrunk to a small and ugly place, its stingy borders tantamount to my apartment walls. Besides seeking out pain clinics for medications and injections, I studied mindfulness techniques from a cognitive behavioral therapist, who told me that I could still "live a beautiful life," even with mysterious chronic pain. Advertisement But during actual excruciating moments, reclaiming beauty struck me as an impossibility. That was particularly true of music, something I'd often turned to in past times of loneliness or heartbreak. With the onset of chronic neuropathy, however, music couldn't touch my pain in the least. Listening to graceful Chopin or sultry Adele or the "Lion King" soundtrack didn't help when blood was pounding through my head, or when a voice of despair inside me was whispering that no relief would ever come. Playing proved even more challenging. It's difficult to sit on a hard piano bench and impossible to concentrate. My fingers became disobedient and my run-throughs of even easy repertoire ended up sounding disorderly. Passage-work was broken, and not in some gorgeously salvageable way. There was nothing romantic or radical about playing through anguish. As much as I would've hoped to find some inspiration in pain, it hasn't panned out. No overcoming narrative, no virtuosic courage. But it wasn't for lack of trying. My inability to translate suffering into artistry has made me doubt, among other things, how much I care about music -- a strange rabbit hole for a music professor and lifelong musician. For if I loved music enough, shouldn't music sometimes be enough to comfort me? Or, to frame this as the three-word inquiry at the heart of any difficult relationship: Is love enough? As much as I would've hoped otherwise, music wasn't. It was just one more thing excised from my daily activities, one more broken luxury in a life falling silent. The more I've felt pressured to rekindle my love for music, the more dejected I've become in failing to do so. It's marvelous, to be sure, when music therapy works, and I have nothing but admiration for artists who play and dance through disability or agony. It's important to believe in heroes and hear their hopeful songs. It's no less important, however, to relate and listen to the abundant stories that diverge from the happy overcoming tales that pervade our media. Because inspiration porn -- like any porn -- isn't always grounded in reality, instead propping up stratospheric standards of beauty, stamina and narrative intrigue. Advertisement Victoria Kelly's poetry collection When the Men Go Off to War received widespread critical acclaim since being published in September 2015 by the Naval Institute Press. The Military Times hailed it for "her themes of departure, absence and homecoming [which] are universal in place," and esteemed poet Dick Allen called it "Meticulously crafted [and] highly readable ... one of the finest first collections I've read in the last decade." Victoria holds degrees from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Harvard University and Trinity College in Dublin, where she was a U.S. Mitchell Scholar. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in the anthologies Best American Poetry 2013 and Contemporary American Poetry, as well as Alaska Quarterly Review, Southwest Review, Prairie Schooner and North American Review. Her debut novel Mrs. Houdini, about the passionate marriage of Bess and Harry Houdini, will be published by Atria Books in March. A military spouse, she lives in Virginia with her husband and daughters. As part of Words After War's January Book Club, Victoria answers a few questions from Matt Gallagher, author of the forthcoming novel Youngblood. Advertisement *** 1) What was the first poem in When the Men Go Off to War that you remember writing a draft of? Care to share what was going on in your life at that time, or what maybe led you to that draft? "Almost" was the first poem I had written in over ten years. I used to write a lot of poetry, but in college, after churning out some pretty bland ones, I took a break; I think I realized I had too little to write about at the time. When my husband deployed in 2011, I was a new bride with my whole life ahead of me, but I was lonely and bored. I was teaching at a university but was off for the summer; I was working on a novel that seemed to have dead-ended. I took a poetry class at a local writing center because I wanted to find another creative outlet. I still remember sitting on my balcony on a very hot day, looking at the speck of ocean in the distance, and thinking about what it would have been like to have chosen a different, safer life, one that took me back to the small town in New Jersey where I grew up. The life I had "almost" lived. By the end of writing it, I realized that the life I really wanted was the one I already had. 2) There's a recurring tension to your narrator, a grappling with and for the military culture she's married into. This is perhaps most directly confronted in the poem "Lessons" - "you can read Chaucer but not the bars/on a uniform" and "you never expected the loneliness, the certainty/of homelessness." What struck me about that tension is that it evolves and devolves through the course of the collection, there's nothing linear about it. Why is that? Advertisement Most people in my daily life, until this book was published, didn't know that I went to college at Harvard. Once, someone who knew my background asked me how it felt to have "given up that life for the military." My time at Harvard was a magical four years, but being a part of a military community feels much closer to the life I had before college, when I was going to public school in a small town. When I visit my college friends now, who are doctors and lawyers and businesswomen in big cities, I see how our daily lives have diverged. The military community, to me, feels very contained; bases have moved to largely rural areas, and the conflicts being fought abroad aren't really a part of most people's everyday lives. I felt like it was important to address the discrepancy between these two very different stages of my life. There isn't a linearity to the tension because it is more of an observation; I don't necessarily think it's something that has to be "resolved" in the story arc. I do feel like there should be greater public attention paid to what service members are doing, but at the same time, many of the people I know who are fighting do it so that those in civilian life don't have to be preoccupied with war; they don't have to live fearfully every day. My husband likes to quote John Adams: "I must study Politics and War that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematics and Philosophy." 3) When the Men Go Off to War is structured into three different sections: "Departure," "Absence" and "Homecoming." The titles feed into both the macro themes of the sections, and on a micro level, the connective tissue from poem to poem. Was this structure planned, or something that you decided on as you were compiling your various works into the collection? I wrote this book initially without a structure in mind, because for a long time I really considered each poem individually, without thinking of one as an extension of another. Each poem draws on a single event, experience or emotion I have had as a pilot's spouse. It was only after the Naval Institute Press wanted to publish the collection that I realized there was an obvious story arc there that I hadn't drawn out. A lot is said out there in movies and literature about the difficulty of returning to civilian life after war, and the stress it can put on a marriage. A story that is less often told (and one I know to be common among military families) is how sometimes the anticipation of war and separation can be just as traumatic. Quite often, the greatest struggles happen before the deployment even begins. 4) Place and memory play such central roles in When the Men Go Off to War. A good example of this is the poem "Prayers of an American Wife" (one of my favorites, and also the title of your chapbook that preceded this collection) - "I would dream back that too-bright place." That idea of "dreaming back" was something I found a lot of in your poems, but in a way that suggested immediacy and activeness over longing for the past or simple nostalgia. How did you convey that dichotomy, and why was it important to do so? I met my husband when I was still a teenager; our relationship has been full of great adventures, of growing up together. Nostalgia influences a lot of my work; I think the act of "looking back" at the past often turns something mundane into something beautiful. Everything is shinier in memory, and the luster of youth makes things magical. But I didn't want to write about things that had happened, especially pretty things; I thought it was important to write about the grittiness of the "now". Sometimes people forget that being in the military today can be very dangerous; many we have known have died too young. It is sobering. But connecting my current life to the past let me combine magic and realism. In "Prayers of an American Wife", for example, I look back on a time when I first felt truly alone--twenty years old, in a tiny village in Chile--and compare it with the loneliness of being at home during a deployment. Suddenly that little village on the other side of the world became enchanting, almost unreal. 5) What are some of the books and poetry collections that have most influenced you? The hardest question of all! I tend to love certain authors' styles of writing and have a hard time picking singular works. Some of the (many) poets who have inspired me are: Dick Allen, Jehanne Dubrow, Jack Gilbert, Dorianne Laux, David Lehman, W.S. Merwin, Faith Shearin, Sharon Olds. Some of the (many) fiction writers who have inspired me are: Geraldine Brooks, Willa Cather, Jennifer Haigh, Maile Meloy, Keija Parssinen, James Salter, Elizabeth Strout, Richard Yates. And I have to add, with great sincerity, that the Book Club selections by Words After War are stunningly beautiful and intelligent; I had read almost all of the 2015 picks long before my book was selected. 6) You have a novel coming out in March from Atria Books (whoop, whoop!) called Mrs. Houdini - does your poetry inform your prose, or vice versa? Updike famously had separate writing rooms for his fiction and nonfiction writing - do you find different spaces and environments more helpful depending on the form you're working in? Advertisement I always considered myself a "fiction writer" and a "poetry reader" until my husband's deployment inspired me to write When the Men Go Off to War. I will say that this collection was written in great humility because when I began it, I never intended to publish it; it began as a kind of a literary exercise. Now, I feel blessed that I can consider myself both a novelist and poet. For me, physical space doesn't inspire different genres. It is really about the idea. Some ideas are more suited to poetry while I know others would make better novels, or short stories. I knew immediately when I started thinking about Bess Houdini that I had to write a novel about her search to communicate with her dead husband's spirit. But while When the Men Go Off to War also tells a story--of a marriage, tested by war, that ultimately finds redemption--I found it easier to write that story in verse form. *** Words After War is a nonprofit literary organization with a mission to bring veterans and civilians together to examine war and conflict through the lens of literature. Francois Hollande and Raul Castro at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana, during the visit of French President to Cuba in May 2015. (EFE) 14ymedio, Yoani Sanchez, Washington, 1 February 2015 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani cancelled his lunch with Francois Hollande because the latter didn't want to take the wine off the table. Tonight, however, the French leader will not ask Raul Castro about the issue of human rights violations in Cuba, to avoid annoying his visitor. A gesture that will affect the image of France much more than having dispensed with a glass of red. Facing the leader of a powerful nation with a controversial nuclear program, the authorities did not want to deprive themselves of one of the symbols of their identity. But facing the General who permits no opposition nor independent press in his country, the hosts lower the tone of democratic requirements, similar to Rome's covering the nakedness of his its statues to please Rouhani. Advertisement In the homeland of "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," failing to take advantage of Raul Castro's official visit to demand a democratic opening would be a huge disappointment. The reasoning from a French government source, declaring that the question of human rights "is always present," is unconvincing. This is the time to push the octogenarian caudillo for a commitment to a democratic opening on the Island in the near term. France loses nothing if it takes a stronger stance on the lack of freedom under which 11 million Cubans live. Unlike Rouhani, Raul Castro will not purchase more than 100 modern Airbuses, not will he offer a contract for the extraction of thousands of barrels of oil. The Plaza of the Revolution is only going to offer losses and disrepute. It will fall to the French executive to silence the complaints of the creditors of the Paris Club - which last December forgave 8.5 billion dollars in Cuban debt -when they never see one cent of the remaining 2.6 billion that Havana committed to pay over a span of 18 years. Which it is highly unlikely to do, because the Cuban system is an expert in wasting other people's money and in swindling those who help them. The same thing will happen with the 360 million euros of the bilateral accord reached this Monday to finance development projects. Money that Cuban officialdom will use at its convenience, but not to empower citizens to prosper nor to develop an autonomous business network. Over time, these resources end up feeding corruption, the illegal market, and the pockets of the olive-green clad rulers. Advertisement Raul Castro will promise Hollande tonight that his piece of cake is safe. As he has said to so many, undoubtedly, he will confirm to "friends of Cuba, the Revolution will always remember you." The "friendship" in this case is inextricably linked to complicity in and silent acceptance of the authoritarianism imposed on the Cuban citizenry. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of the official visit to the Republic of Armenia, the delegation led by Minister of Defense of the Republic of Georgia Tina Khidasheli was hosted at the administrative complex of the Defense Ministry of Armenia. After the official ceremony of welcoming the Georgian delegation, a private conversation between the Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan and his Georgian counterpart took place, which was followed by a meeting in an expanded format. Armenpress was informed about this from the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia. Issues referring to Armenia-Georgia relations, regional and international security, as well as bilateral cooperation between the two states were discussed at the meeting. Afterwards, military cooperation plan 2016 between the Defense Ministries of the Republic of Armenia and Georgia was signed by relevant officials of the Defense Ministries of both countries answerable for international cooperation. The main landmarks of the cooperation plan of this year, as part of annual bilateral military plan cooperation, implemented since 2010, are exchange of experience in peacekeeping operations, military education, vocational training and strategic planning. The reception of the Georgian delegation at the Defense Ministry ended with a joint press conference of Seyran Ohanyan and Tina Khidasheli. StockSolutions via Getty Images Large deep pothole an example of poor road maintance due to reducing local council repair budgets After losing his 16-year-old son to a bike accident caused by an uncovered pothole, Dadarao Bilhore has set about covering Mumbai's unruly potholes. The 46-year-old vegetable seller fills every pothole he sees with debris and paver-blocks collected from construction sites, and then proceeds to stamp over it to level the road so accidents are avoided. Over the last month, he has already plugged a dozen potholes, according to the Mumbai Mirror. Advertisement Bilhores son Prakash, who was riding pillion with his cousin Ram, succumbed to his injuries after their bike hit a pothole submerged under a few inches of water on the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road. Prakashs cousin survived the fall with a head injury, but Prakash was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. The road had been previously dug up by a private company for some construction work, but neither the company or the civic authorities had bothered levelling it after the work was complete. Bilhore registered a complaint six months ago but has not received justice: It took the authorities five months to zero in on who was guilty, but they are now out on bail. Every second day, I call up the police station asking why the chargesheet has not been filed yet. They keep saying it will be done next week. It really makes you lose faith in the system, said Bilhore in his interview, alleging that attempts were being made to delay the case, but he would not give up without a hefty compensation. Even as the family tried to piece their lives together, Bilhores work has inspired the area residents to help him in his mission by handing over sacks for debris and paver-blocks to fill potholes. A senior inspectors statement in the report said that a BMC official and a TATA engineer had been arrested, but had filed for anticipatory bail and were let go. He also confirmed that a chargesheet would be filed later this week. Meanwhile, the municipal commissioner in charge of the roads said that action against the concerned engineer had been taken. Advertisement Betwa Sharma AYODHYA -- Laki Ram keeps his head down, ignoring the tourists stopping to admire his work, but he does smile at a toddler gawking at him as he chisels a flower into a block of pink sandstone. As the winter sun bathes huge slabs of sandstone in a golden haze, and steaming cups of tea arrive from a nearby shop, Shri Chand urges his co-worker Laki to take a break. They walk over to a handful of other artisans who are carving intricate patterns into the sandstone, which they hope will cover the edifice of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya one day. Advertisement Laki, who has been working on the temple for over two decades, recalls a time when 200 artisans would chisel away for hours in the workshop of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Hindutva organisation pushing for the Ram Temple to be built on the site where the Babri Masjid once stood. No power on earth will be able to stop it. Some say that its 212 columns will be constructed in 24 hours. Things have slowed down since then. It has taken over half a century for Indian courts to rule on the fate of the disputed site. Meanwhile, work on the temple, which started in 1990, has outpaced the litigation by several decades. Over time, exposure to the sun and rain has caused dark patches on the finished blocks of stone, forcing the VHP to slow down its construction. "Things are quieter and slower now. All the work which has been spoiled will have to be done again, and it could cost even more, says Laki. Putting everything under a tin sheet didnt help because the monkeys shelter here, and urinate and defecate over the stone." Advertisement Artisans of the Ram Temple take a tea break at the VHP workshop in Ayodhya. A 25-year-long mission During their tea break, artisans spoke about working for the project--exhilarating and uncertain. Both men are convinced that the temple will ultimately be built when Lord Ram wills it. "No power on earth will be able to stop it. Some say that its 212 columns will be constructed in 24 hours, says Chand. Laki and Chand are both from Bharatpur, Rajasthan, the place where the sandstone is mined. But their approach to the work is different. Chand is the more practical of the two. "Give me good money and I will build a mosque. Ram and Allah are the same. Build a temple, build a mosque, but give good money, he says. Money is important for Chand, who has lost his sons and wife to accidents and illness. He is now dependent on his brothers sons to put a roof over his head. If I have money, they will take care of me; otherwise they will kick me out on the streets. Advertisement Unlike Chand, Ram confides that he is emotionally invested in building the Ram Temple, and he cant imagine working on any other structure. Im happy working for God, he says "Lord Ram was born here. Where else will the temple will be made? This desire of Hindus comes from inside. Out of his four sons, two are building temples in Gujarat. The eight artisans currently employed at the VHP workshop earn Rs 325 for one days work. They begin their nine-hour shift at 8am after reciting an ode to Lord Hanuman, who is revered as Lord Rams most ardent devotee. Nagendra Upadhyay, supervisor of the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, says that VHP budgeted Rs 69 crore to construct the temple in 1989, but now that figure is around 300 crore. Over the years, Hindus have contributed money and stones for the temple. Give me good money and I will build a mosque. Ram and Allah are the same. Exposure to the sun and rain have caused black patches on the sandstone being used for the Ram Temple. With no end in sight, VHP shuttered operations for four years after 2008. The Hindutva group gradually rebooted operations two years after the Allahabad High Court concluded that the disputed site was indeed the birthplace of Lord Ram, but divided the area among three parties. The Hindu and Muslim parties to the case want the area in its entirety. Ignoring objections about the movement and carving of stones until a final court ruling, VHP leaders have argued that there is no bar on construction in its own house. Advertisement Lord Ram was born here. Where else will the temple will be made. This desire of Hindus comes from inside. Columns for the Ram Temple are kept at the VHP workshop in Ayodhya. 'Ram, Ram, Ram' Hindus believe that Mughal Emperor Babar destroyed a temple that stood on the spot where Lord Ram was born, and constructed a mosque in its place in 1528. Muslims believe that Hindus snuck into the mosque in 1949, and placed an idol of Lord Ram in the night. Some 2,000 people were killed in religious violence which erupted across the country after karsevaks, spurred by Hindutva leaders, destroyed the mosque on 6 December, 1992. Today, thousands of pilgrims line up to see the idol which is placed under a tent to protect it from the rain and sun, and surrounded by multiple rings of security forces. Before heading to the temple, pilgrims also stop over at the workshop, where a model of the completed Ram Temple is kept. This is where work is going on to build a home for Lord Ram take the name of Lord Ram, Ram, Ram, a young guide bellows at a group of pilgrims, who respond exuberantly. Advertisement Although work on the temple has been going on since 1990, the recent arrival of a truckload of sandstone after a gap of seven years rocked Parliament during the Winter Session, and provoked accusations about the VHP stirring up the Ram Temple controversy to polarise Hindus in favour of the BJP in the run up to the UP state elections, now just a year away. In an interview with HuffPost India, VHP spokesperson Sharad Sharma asked why BJPs political rivals were making such a fuss considering that its workshop has been running for more than 20 years and 60% of temple work was already completed. No one should have to die but Hindus wont leave what is their right. Shri Chand sits will fellow artisans at the VHP workshop for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Reflecting on the recent uproar, Chand shrugs and says that he isnt interested in politics. Im from Rajasthan, I honestly dont care about who gets elected here. Laki notes that religious polarisation has long been a staple of the UP polls, though he makes it clear he doesnt approve. "Some people get votes for saying a temple will be built, others get votes for saying it wont. This is a religious matter which has been politicised. This is wrong but nothing new. Advertisement The artisan from Rajasthan says that it was also wrong that people died in the religious violence which followed the demolition of the Babri Masjid, but he believes that the bloody saga isnt over yet. "This temple will be made even if the Supreme Court says no, he says. No one should have to die but Hindus wont leave what is their right. Meanwhile, Chand hopes the work on the Ram Temple continues for a while, just in case he decides to marry again and start a family. Some may say Im old, but I cant rule it out. Who knows, maybe if I meet the right woman, he says. Also On HuffPost: Hindustan Times via Getty Images MUMBAI, INDIA - JANUARY 8: Sand artist Laxmi paying a tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives at Pathankhot, through her art, at Juhu, on January 8, 2016 in Mumbai, India. Seven security personnel were killed in the attack on the Pathankot Indian Air Force Station by six terrorists who, according to officials, crossed over from Pakistan. All the six terrorists were killed by security forces later. (Photo by Vidya Subramanian/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) KARACHI -- A federal government team in Pakistan investigating the Pathankot airbase attack has sought more information from India through the foreign ministry as there has been no 'headway' in the probe as yet. According to The Dawn, a source privy to the development said that the probe into the five mobile numbers, which were allegedly used for making calls from Pakistan to India, has been completed by the team. Advertisement No further leads were found from these numbers because they were unregistered and had fake identities, the source said. He said that the team needs more evidence to take in the investigation forward and hence, has written to the government to speak to India and apprise them of the situation. Answering a question about the people, including banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, detained in connection with the Pathankot incident, the source said, "Let first more evidence come from India." Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had formed the six-member investigation team headed by the Additional Inspector General of Punjab's Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in the second week of January to look into Indian government's allegations that the JeM was behind the Pathankot attack. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Also see on HuffPost: People looking for new eating experiences in Ahmedabad can head straight to the city's first 'underwater restaurant'. Called The Real Poseidon, the restaurant has been built 20 feet below ground level. Unique underwater-themed restaurant in Ahmedabad pic.twitter.com/GtslK2Nrum ANI (@ANI_news) February 1, 2016 Run by Ahmedabad-based businessman Bharat Bhatt, The Real Poseidon might be flanked by fish on all sides, but is in fact a vegetarian multi-cuisine eatery offering Punjabi, Thai, Chinese and Mexican fare. A daily menu is also available. Advertisement The 32-seater restaurant is accessible by a stairway that leads into a tunnel-like (1,200 square feet) space, enclosed within 150,000 litres of water, and locally sourced marine life that includes over 4,000 species of fish. Happy to introduce you to first under water restaurant in Ahmedabad Real Poseidon Under Water Restaurant456, South Bopal Corner, Sardar Patel Ring Rd, South Bopal, Bopal, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380058 Posted by Naharsinh Vasava on Sunday, 31 January 2016 Booking over the phone should be made three days in advance. However, guests can also register online at their website (click here) to book tables instantly. The hotel offers a 50 per cent refund two days before cancellation, and does not accept cancellations a day before. Advertisement Contact HuffPost India Training Diaries....#boxjumps #benchovers #mountainclimber #squatjacks @deepikapadukone works on improving endurance and cardiovascular fitness this morning as she prepares for her role in #XXX #thereturnofxandercage with @vindiesel #befitbecauseyoudeserveit #yasminfitnessmantra #BeFitwithYasminKarachiwala #SculptandShape #deepikapadukone #YasminKarachiwala #trainhard #exercisereleasesendorphins #getfit #hardworkpaysoff A video posted by Yasmin (@yasminkarachiwala) on Jan 30, 2016 at 8:54am PST YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Nobel laureate and Pakistani human rights activist 18-year-old Malala Yousafzai intends to raise $ 1.4 billion to provide access to education for refugee children from Syria, Armenpress reports, referring to Reuters. Yusufzai said in the interview with the news agency that she will try to convince the world leaders, that there is a need to allocate funds for the educational programs for children from Syria during the "Supporting Syria and the region" conference, which will take place on February 4th in London. "I'm hoping to encourage and inspire world leaders to take action. I'm not going to wait. We can't wait. It needs to happen." Ria Novosti reports that in her view the Syrian children should have access to books, they must have schools and teachers as This is the way we can protect the future of Syria". 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. Hawaii is considering whether it should make liability insurance compulsory for gun owners; other states have also made similar considerations amidst sustained gun violence.Hawaiian State Sen. Josh Green (D-Kona, Kau) proposed a bill that would require gun owners to secure firearms liability insurance from private carriers. Should Hawaii approve the law, it could potentially be the first state to implement such a requirement."I don't want to take people's guns away from them but I want people to take full responsibility," Green remarked. "They have to pay insurance so that if they're in a collision and they hurt someone else who's an innocent bystander, it's covered. Just like with guns, if a gun falls into the wrong hands or if there's an accident, just an accident, it makes a lot of sense to me that we have that extra level of responsibility."Some insurance experts have called the bill redundant, saying that homeowners and renters insurance should be able to cover for accidents involving firearms. Purposeful criminal activity with firearms, however, is understandably not covered by liability insurance.Hawaii is not the first to consider mandatory gun liability insurance. Los Angeles County mulled over passing a similar bill in the wake of the San Bernardino attacks. Last October, New York State Assembly contemplated over enforcing a $250,000 gun liability insurance requirement.In light of recent shooting incidents, major insurance broker Willis Group is offering what it calls active shooter insurance, which covers the liability that companies, storeowners, academic administration personnel, and similar others have if it was found that they did not take any precautions to preempt gun violence incidents. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Member of Armenian Delegation to PACE, Armenian National Assembly Prosperous Armenia faction head Naira Zohrabyan refrains from victory-defeat formulations over the anti-Armenian reports included in PACEs winter plenary session. In her words, such formulations are more typical for Azerbaijani media. According to her, non-adoption of Walters report is the unconditional wreck of Azerbaijan, as that report was the countrys master card upon which Azerbaijan had invested immense human and financial resources. I take the failure of Walters report as a serious achievement, as it was the combination of the entire Azerbaijani policies. As refers to the adoption of the report on Sarsang reservoir I can say that, of course, it is not good that it was adopted and here we really have much to do, Armenpress reports, Naira Zohrabyan said. The MP stated that it is a positive trend when the Armenian side manages to mobilize and fulfill consolidated activities when a possible threat occurs. Now we must work more targeted with each delegate, she added. The MP was troubled at some comments on the internet referring to the works of the Armenian delegation to the PACE. She introduced a number of remarks in that regard. Referring to the rhetoric question Where was the Russian delegation during the voting?, Naira Zohrabyan said, It is already two years the Russian delegation is deprived of the right to vote and they boycott the session the second time. Even if they arrived in Strasburg for our sakes, they would not be able to vote. On January 26, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) rejected the report prepared by British parliamentarian Robert Walter (he is no longer PACE member-edit.) Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan". 66 MPs voted in favor and 70 MPs against the report. At the same time, the PACE adopted rapporteur Milica Markovics (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. 'Need to Take Clearance From Govt': BCCI President on Whether India Will Travel to Pakistan For Asia Cup YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Dear compatriots residing abroad we would hereby like to inform You that the representative of the Armenian Police will be online on February 2 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Yerevan time (GMT+4) to answer all Your questions regarding acquisition and termination of citizenship of the Republic of Armenia, obtainment of the passport and Identification card of the Armenian Republics citizen, registration according to place of residence, obtainment of a residence permit, as well as the main functions of the Passport and Visa Department and Police of the Republic of Armenia on the whole. Armenpress was informed about the aforesaid from the Department of Information and Public Relations of the Armenian Police. Contact the Armenian Police via Skype adding the following address: Armenian Police You can also e-mail the Police your questions at [email protected] and [email protected] We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. The Republican Party of Armenia is ready for cooperation for the sake of Armenias future. Vice President of the National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov told the journalists about this referring to RPA-ARF possible cooperation. At this point I am not ready to detail on it, as discussions are still underway. When the discussions are over, we will have a complete idea, and I will present it to you, Armenpress reports. Sharmazanov stated. He added that it is not right to disclose private opinions, because cooperation is a multidimensional phenomenon. When the discussions are over, we will talk more clearly, NA Vice President mentioned. He also added that there are politicians in Armenia who can raise the effectiveness of this or that post irrespective of which political force they represent. There are such politicians inside RPA, ARF, Prosperous Armenia and other political forces, but that the RPA is the most influential force as of now, it is a fact, Sharmazanov concluded. The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers. To unlock this article: Working in a startup is not for the faint of heart. It is only for the ambitious and bold. The pressure is high, the expectations are immensely great, deadlines are short and drastic changes come more often than bathroom breaks. Despite this, most millennials would prefer a role in a cool tech startup rather than becoming another employee number in a stodgy corporate company. Why is that so? Startups provide exciting work environments - a fridge full of beer, a fancy espresso machine, fast computers with large monitors, free lunch, movie nights out and more. Salarium, one of the Philippines up and coming SaaS & Fintech Startups, takes the perks game to the next level by sending employees on an adventure to see the world. When Salarium employees celebrate their anniversary, and every year thereafter, they are given a 5-day mandatory vacation to any place in Southeast Asia that they wish to visit. The company pays for everything hotel, flight, including the employees plus one. Few companies offer such a reward to staff but Salarium did not hesitate to give this amazing perk to their employees. We thought very hard about an incentive that would be impactful to employees. We wanted to provide something that employees would look forward to while leaving a positive impact in their lives. Also, we wanted to give an experience as an incentive so it cannot be simply given to someone else. There is a tendency in Filipino culture to share what you have with the family so a cash incentive would simply be split up amongst family members instead of being fully enjoyed by the person who earned it, says Judah Hirsch, CEO & Founder of Salarium. Also, this type of incentive is perfect for those who hustle day in and day out in this very challenging environment. It gives a good moment to pause, take a deep breath and reflect more about life. I am a workaholic and I never take a vacation unless it is a business-related trip. I know my colleagues are the same way. Vacation is important for any human being as it is a good time to gather ones thoughts. Research has proven that the most brilliant ideas pop out while enjoying a scenic sunset and sipping on a pina colada, adds Judah. Salarium, taking a page from the books of successful Palo Alto Startups, spends resources dishing out awesome incentives, because it recognizes the fact that the success of any startup depends highly on motivated and engaged employees. Salarium is always hiring intelligent team players. Back to top YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. In Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) the delegation of the Republic of Armenia aims at acting by principle Any issue related to Artsakh can be discussed and solved only by the participation of Artsakh. Besides, work is being done to create cooperation with Artakhs MPs within the frames of PACE formats, National Assembly Vice President and the head of the Armenian delegation to PACE, Hermine Naghdalyan announced during the interview with journalists, Armenpress reports. We did not give any retreats in this regard. Our policy in PACE was and remains the line on discussing all the issues related to Artsakh only by the participation of Artsakh. In our speeches and in all possible platforms we speak of cooperation with NKR parliamentarians and using the special formats of PACE, Hermine Naghdalyan said citing the example of PACE collaboration with Kosovo, Palestine and other countries. Referring to the 2 anti-Armenian reports and the work carried out by the delegation, Hermine Naghdalyan noticed that particularly Walters report tended to have a large and dangerous political role. As the MP mentioned, negotiation failures in the format of Minsk Group and the loss of hope on adopting pro-Azerbaijani principles and definitions made Azerbaijan to prepare such report. In these circumstances they try to initiate any move that could lead to a change of the situation. PACE adopts resolution of the issues by a simple majority, meaning that it was the first and conducive platform for them, Hermine Naghdalyan added. 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. Former Manager at HBO Agrees to Plead Guilty to Federal Fraud and Tax Charges Los Angeles, California - A San Fernando Valley woman was charged with three federal offenses in relation to a scheme in which she submitted fraudulent bills and illegally took approximately $1 million from HBO, where she worked as manager in the Talent Relations Department. In court documents filed today, Jennifer Choi, 38, of Valley Village, agreed to plead guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of tax evasion. Choi, who worked at HBO for nearly 10 years, where she was responsible for scheduling services such as hairstyling, wardrobe and make-up for actors associated with HBO. Choi set up a company called Shine Glossy, LLP, which she used to submit bogus invoices to HBO for style and make-up services supposedly provided to actors. But, according to court documents, the services were never actually provided, and HBO funds instead went directly into a bank account she had established. Through Shine Glossy, Choi submitted nearly 300 fraudulent invoices that led HBO to pay approximately $940,000. Ms. Choi has admitted to bilking her employer out of nearly a million dollars through a fraud scheme that used a fake company that provided no services, said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. This long-term scheme violated both her duty to her employer as well as federal law, and Ms. Choi now faces serious consequences beyond losing her job. Choi also admitted in a plea agreement filed today that she used a car service for herself, her family and her friends and provided HBOs account information, which led the car service to bill HBO for the unauthorized rides. In this part of the scheme, Choi fraudulently obtained approximately $63,000 in car services that were paid for by HBO. Choi was terminated by HBO in September 2014. The defendant stole $1 million from her employer by concocting a scheme to conceal her misdeeds enriching herself by choosing greed over good judgment, said David Bowdich, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to ensure that those who engage in this kind of financial fraud are held accountable. In her plea agreement, Choi also admitted that she failed to file federal income tax returns for several years, even though she earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in the years 2011, 2013 and 2014. She also admitted significantly under-reported her income when she did file tax returns for the years 2010 and 2012. Spanning more than six years, Ms. Choi stole funds from her employer by creating phony invoices for services which were never provided, stated Erick Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of IRS - Criminal Investigation. Our office will vigorously investigate individuals who line their pockets with fraudulently obtained funds and then file fraudulent tax returns. Choi is expected to make her first court appearance in this case on February 19. The three charges alleged in this case carry a statutory maximum penalty of 45 years, although the parties in this case believe that her actual sentence will be significantly less than that. The actual sentence to be imposed after she pleads guilty will be determined solely by the judge presiding over the case. The investigation into Choi was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS Criminal Investigation. Governor Brown Discusses Climate Change with Prime Minister of the Netherlands San Francisco, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. met with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte in San Francisco to discuss renewable energy and the international fight against climate change. California and the Netherlands are part of a worldwide drumbeat of cities, states and countries who have seen the threat of climate change and are taking action, said Governor Brown. Last year, the Netherlands endorsed the Under 2 MOU climate agreement, the global pact among cities, states and countries to limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius. Governor Brown and Prime Minister Rutte A total of 127 jurisdictions representing 27 countries and six continents have now signed or endorsed the Under 2 MOU. Together, they represent more than 729 million people and $20.4 trillion in GDP, equivalent to more than a quarter of the global economy. Signatories commit to either reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 to 95 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 or achieving a per capita annual emission target of less than 2 metric tons by 2050. Todays meeting also builds on a number of other bilateral and international agreements including California and the Netherlands to boost energy efficiency and fight climate change. In 2013, California signed a Letter of Intent with the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment to cooperate on zero-emission vehicles and climate change. The Netherlands was also the first party to join the International Zero Emission Vehicle Alliance, an international coalition created in 2015 to accelerate global zero-emission vehicle adoption. The state also signed a Letter of Intent with the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs to further collaboration on sustainable agricultural technology and practices. California's Leadership on Climate Change While California emits around 1 percent of the world's greenhouse gases, the state is playing a leading role in broadening collaboration among subnational leaders. The Governor last year traveled to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, the Vaticanin Italy, the United Nations in New York and the Climate Summit of the Americas in Toronto, Canada to call on others leaders to join California in the fight against climate change. Governor Brown also recently joined an unprecedented alliance of heads of state, city and state leaders - convened by the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund - to urge countries and companies around the globe to put a price on carbon. These efforts build on a number of other international climate change agreements with leaders from Mexico, China, North America, Japan, Israel, Peru and Chile and Governor Brown's efforts to convene hundreds of world-renowned researchers and scientists around a groundbreaking call to action - called the consensus statement - which translates key scientific climate findings from disparate fields into one unified document. Last October, Governor Brown signed landmark legislation - SB 350 - that codified the goals he laid out in his January 2015 inaugural address to double the rate of energy efficiency savings in California buildings and generate half of the state's electricity from renewable sources by 2030. In the same remarks, Governor Brown committed to reduce today's petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50 percent within the next 15 years; make heating fuels cleaner; reduce the release of methane, black carbon and other potent pollutants across industries; and manage farm and rangelands, forests and wetlands so they can store carbon. The Governor also issued an executive order last year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 - the most ambitious target in North America and consistent with California's existing commitment to reduce emissions 80 percent under 1990 levels by 2050. The impacts of climate change are already being felt in California and will disproportionately impact the state's most vulnerable populations. Founder of Liberty Reserve Pleads Guilty to Laundering More Than $250 Million through His Digital Currency Business New York - The founder of Liberty Reserve, a virtual currency once used by cybercriminals around the world to launder the proceeds of their illegal activity, pleaded guilty to running a massive money laundering enterprise, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of the Southern District of New York. Arthur Budovsky, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit money laundering before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote of the Southern District of New York. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6, 2016. After a prior conviction for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, Budovsky developed Liberty Reserve, which quickly became a premier service used by criminals around the world to launder their criminal proceeds, said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell. As a result of this global investigation, however, Budovsky was returned to the United States to face justice once again. Arthur Budovsky founded and operated Liberty Reserve, an underworld cyber-banking system that laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds for criminals around the world, said U.S. Attorney Bharara. The only liberty that Budovsky and Liberty Reserve promoted was the freedom to commit and profit from crime. Thanks to this truly global investigation that included cooperation from 17 countries, Liberty Reserve has been shut down, and its founder Arthur Budovsky stands convicted in an American court of law, facing the loss of his own liberty. According to the indictment filed against Liberty Reserve, Budovsky and six co-defendants and Budovskys admissions at todays hearing: Budovsky specifically designed Liberty Reserve, which billed itself as the Internets largest payment processor and money transfer system, to help users conduct anonymous and untraceable illegal transactions and launder the proceeds of their crimes. From its inception in or about 2006, Budovsky directed and supervised Liberty Reserves operations, finances and business strategy. To grow the business and evade the scrutiny and reach of U.S. law enforcement, Budovsky emigrated to Costa Rica, where he and other defendants began operating Liberty Reserve, and in 2011, Budovsky renounced his U.S. citizenship and became a Costa Rican citizen. Budovsky told U.S. immigration authorities that his company was developing a software that might open him up to liability in the U.S. Liberty Reserve became one of the principal money-transmitting services used by cybercriminals around the world to amass, distribute, store and launder the proceeds of their illegal activity, including proceeds of investment fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft and computer hacking. Before the U.S. government shut down Liberty Reserve in May 2013, it had more than 5 million user accounts worldwide, including more than 600,000 accounts associated with users in the United States, and had processed millions of transactions. Budovsky admitted in his plea agreement to laundering more than $250 million in criminal proceeds. President Obama Announces Computer Science For All Initiative Washington, DC - President Obama is unveiling his plan to give all students across the country the chance to learn computer science (CS) in school. Weve made real progress in education -- over the past seven years, 49 States and Washington, D.C. have raised expectations by adopting higher standards to prepare all students for success in college and careers. It is now time to take the next step forward. Our economy is rapidly shifting, and educators and business leaders are increasingly recognizing that CS is a new basic skill necessary for economic opportunity and social mobility. By some estimates, just one quarter of all the K-12 schools in the United States offer CS with programming and coding, and only 28 states allow CS courses to count towards high-school graduation, even as other advanced economies are making CS available for all of their students. Fortunately, there is a growing movement being led by parents, teachers, states, districts, and the private sector to expand CS education. The Presidents Computer Science for All Initiative builds on these efforts by: Providing $4 billion in funding for states, and $100 million directly for districts in his forthcoming Budget to increase access to K-12 CS by training teachers, expanding access to high-quality instructional materials, and building effective regional partnerships. The funding will allow more states and districts to offer hands-on CS courses across all of their public high schools, get students involved early by creating high-quality CS learning opportunities in elementary and middle schools, expand overall access to rigorous science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) coursework, and ensure all students have the chance to participate, including girls and underrepresented minorities. Starting the effort this year, with more than $135 million in investments by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to support and train CS teachers, who are the most critical ingredient to offering CS education in schools. The agencies will make these investments over five years using existing funds. Calling on even more Governors, Mayors, education leaders, CEOs, philanthropists, creative media and technology professionals, and others to get involved. Today, Delaware, Hawaii and more than 30 school districts are committing to expand CS opportunities; Cartoon Network, Google and Salesforce.org are announcing more than $60 million in new philanthropic investments, and Microsoft is announcing a fifty-state campaign to expand CS; and Code.org is announcing plans to offer CS training to an additional 25,000 teachers this year. THE NEED FOR CS FOR ALL Building on the progress made by states in raising standards to help students graduate from high school ready for college and career, President Obama signed the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December 2015. This law cements this progress by requiring that all students in America be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in careers and in college. Furthermore, more than nine out of ten parents surveyed last year say they want CS taught at their childs school. They understand that todays elementary, middle and high school students are tomorrows engineers, entrepreneurs, and leaders who must be equipped with strong computational thinking skills and the ability to solve complex problems. The Challenge Access to CS education is limited and wide disparities exist even for those who do have access to these courses. For example, in the fewer than 15 percent of all high schools that offered any Advanced Placement (AP) CS courses in 2015, only 22 percent of those who took the exam were girls, and only 13 percent were African-American or Latino students. Media portrayals and widely-held stereotypes exacerbate this dynamic, with far more men than women depicted in technology roles in film and television roles. As highlighted in the first-ever White House Demo Day, these disparities in who gets included, and who feels included, are one reason why women compose less than one-third of the technical employees, and African-Americans less than three percent, at some of Americas largest and most innovative technology companies. The Opportunity Providing access to CS is a critical step for ensuring that our nation remains competitive in the global economy and strengthens its cybersecurity. Last year, there were over 600,000 tech jobs open across the United States, and by 2018, 51 percent of all STEM jobs are projected to be in CS-related fields. The Federal government alone needs an additional 10,000 IT and cybersecurity professionals, and the private sector needs many more. CS is not only important for the tech sector, but also for a growing number of industries, including transportation, healthcare, education, and financial services, that are using software to transform their products and services. In fact, more than two-thirds of all tech jobs are outside the tech sector. CS is also an active and applied field of STEM learning that allows students to engage in hands-on, real-world interaction with key math, science, and engineering principles. It gives students opportunities to be producers, not just consumers, in the digital economy, and to be active citizens in our technology-driven world. CS can also help foster computational thinking skills that are relevant to many disciplines and careers, such as breaking a large problem into smaller ones, recognizing how new problems relate to ones that have already been solved, setting aside details of a problem that are less important, and identifying and refining the steps needed to reach a solution. CS also complements the Presidents Nation of Makers initiative, which focuses on the growing democratization of the hardware and software tools needed to design and make just about anything. THE PRESIDENTS PLAN TO EXPAND CS FOR ALL Over the past seven years, President Obama has led an ambitious effort to expand science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) opportunities for American students. From starting the tradition of the White House Science Fair to launching the Educate to Innovate initiative, the Presidents efforts are helping more than 50,000 new STEM teachers get trained, have catalyzed more than $1 billion of private-sector investment for STEM education, and have expanded opportunities for students who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. In 2014, President Obama became the first President to write a line of code, and issued a broad call to action to expand CS across the nations classrooms. In just the past three years, 17 states have allowed CS to count towards graduation requirements, and growing list of states like Arkansas and Washington are creating high-quality CS learning opportunities in elementary and middle school, and providing greater access to CS courses in high school. Under the Presidents TechHire and ConnectED initiatives, more than 500 employers have partnered with 35 cities, states, and rural areas to expand access to tech jobs, and the connectivity divide in schools has been cut by about half since 2013. Major school systems such as New York City, Chicago and San Francisco have announced plans to offer CS to every student throughout elementary, middle and high school, with strong support from business leaders, philanthropists, and non-profits. In addition, the President signed the bipartisan ESSA law in December 2015, which expands the opportunities that states and districts have to offer CS and other rigorous STEM coursework. Historic Investment to Empower States and Districts The Presidents Computer Science for All plan builds on the momentum at the state and local level. The Presidents upcoming budget will include $4 billion in funding at the Department of Education, available over three years, for states to increase access to CS in P-12 classrooms. Under the program, states would submit comprehensive five-year Computer Science for All plans, and every state with a well-designed strategy would receive funds. In addition to state-level grants, the budget will also dedicate $100 million in competitive grants specifically for leading districts to execute ambitious CS expansion efforts for all students, including traditionally underrepresented students, and serve as models for national replication. The funds would give states and districts the resources to train both existing and new teachers to teach CS, build effective regional collaborations, and expand access to high-quality learning materials and online learning options. States and districts could use these funds to provide access to CS courses to every high school student within five years, create a progression of CS learning experiences in elementary and middle schools, and ensure additional support and resources for students traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. Participating states and districts would also be encouraged to create plans for expanding overall access to rigorous STEM classes, utilizing CS as a catalyst for increased interest in STEM more broadly, and reducing course equity gaps for all students, including underrepresented groups such as minorities, girls, and youth from low-income families. For high school students, this could include expanded access to AP, International Baccalaureate, dual-enrollment, and other rigorous coursework that lead to college and career readiness, and to earn college credit while in high school. For students in the early grades through middle school, these plans could support implementation of high-quality curriculum, instruction, and learning opportunities that promote computational thinking and that lay the groundwork for CS and STEM coursework in high school. States and districts would also be encouraged to build robust regional collaborations, such as with industry, non-profits, and out-of-school providers, as well as securing potential financial and in-kind support from private partners. Action by Federal Agencies Starting This Year The Administration is also announcing Federal actions to expand CS in K-12 education starting this year. These include actions by the Department of Education (ED), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), within the Department of Commerce. NSF is committing $120 million for the Computer Science for All initiative over the next five years: Under this Administrations tenure, NSF has funded efforts to build the necessary research foundations for implementing effective academic CS instruction in U.S. schools. NSF has funded the development of prototypes of instructional materials, assessments, teacher professional-development programs, and teacher resources, including a new introductory CS high-school course, Exploring Computer Science (ECS), and a new AP CS Principles (CSP) course framework. Both ECS and CSP are designed to be academic, rigorous, and engaging for all students, with equity and access at their core. As the lead Federal agency for building the knowledge base for CS education, NSF will make available $120 million over the next five years to accelerate its ongoing efforts to enable rigorous and engaging CS education in schools across the nation. These funds will support continued prototyping of instructional materials, scalable and sustainable professional-development models, approaches to pre-service preparation for CS teachers, and teacher resources at the K-12 grade levels. This acceleration could enable as many as 9,000 additional high-school teachers to be well prepared to teach CS over the next five years. CNCS is committing $17 million to support teacher training: CNCS the Federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service and in developing community solutions through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Social Innovation Fund programs is committing up to $17 million in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards over the next three years to support teacher training in CS education. CNCS, in partnership with NSF, will collaborate with 100Kin10 to help thousands of teachers access the AmeriCorps Educational Awards, which will help pay for the training teachers need to learn CS fundamentals, and educate and inspire the next generation of great innovators, problem-solvers, and STEM educators. In addition, 100Kin10 is pledging to support its growing network of more than 200 partners, which includes Center for STEM Education-TRC at UT Austin, Colorado Education Initiative, New York Academy of Sciences, Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education (IISME), Roadtrip Nation, SRI International, Teach For America, the University of New Hampshire, The UTeach Institute and others, to directly prepare and support no fewer than 10,000 teachers to teach CS by 2021. As part of that commitment, 100Kin10 will launch a $1 million coopetition to identify and network leading-edge efforts to prepare and support engineering in K-12 schools in the state of New York, with a focus on CS. The Department of Defense (DoD) and NSF are collaborating with the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI): DoD and NSF will collaborate with the NMSI, a non-profit, to implement the new AP CS Principles course within the NMSI College Readiness Program for Military Families, providing teacher and student support interventions at 200 DoD-related NMSI sites across the country. NSF will also collaborate with the private sector to support high-school CS teachers: As part of its $120 million investment, NSF will provide $5 million to pilot and expand professional-development approaches in CS to additional schools across the United States, with funding from industry that will enable teachers to attend those pilot programs. Infosys Foundation USA will be a founding member of this public-private collaboration with a $1 million philanthropic donation, and, as an initial participant, Tata Consultancy Services is providing additional support in the form of grants to teachers in 27 U.S cities. This collaboration will ultimately provide opportunities for as many as 2,000 middle- and high-school teachers to deepen their understanding of CS. CS Teacher Institutes: The Department of Educations Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) and NSF will participate in a joint effort to expand the field of CS educators in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. This effort will create a first cohort of educators who will provide additional CS professional development for educators across the country. In addition, PTO will also launch a national network of teacher training institutes, open to districts across all 50 states, to upgrade existing CS professional development with new robotics programming and intellectual property modules that can animate the interests of all students, including young girls and students of color. Creating 21st Century Learners and Coders: The U.S. Department of Educations 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, funded at more than $1 billion and the Federal governments largest investment in afterschool and extended day programs, will increase awareness of high-quality CS resources for out-of-school programs. The 21st CCLC program will showcase promising practices and resources within its network of State Directors, site Directors, and front-line staff, and will feature CS in the STEM session at the programs Summer Institute. Guidance for Additional Funding Opportunities at ED: Building on the STEM Act of 2015 and new ESSA, ED will release a Dear Colleague Letter this year that will include guidance on funding opportunities for STEM and CS. ED will also release a report entitled STEM 2025 in the spring. The report will detail considerations for the next ten years in P-12 STEM education, including a discussion on the importance of computational thinking and other CS-related activities. STATE AND LOCAL ACTION TO EXPAND CS FOR ALL States and cities have been leaders in the movement to expand CS education. In 2014, responding to the Presidents call to action, more than 60 school districts committed to give more of their students an opportunity to learn CS. In just the past year, both Republican and Democratic state leaders have championed ambitious CS efforts, and New York City announced an aggressive 10-year plan to give CS opportunities to all one million of its students. Today, leaders at the state and local level are announcing new and expanded commitments to expand CS, including: The State of Delaware is expanding CS education to 13 additional high schools, and launching an online CS course option for all of its students. Delaware will designate CS as a statewide Career and Technical Education (CTE) program of study. The CTE program includes a defined sequence of courses, advanced-standing agreements with in-state two- and four-year post-secondary institutions, a professional learning model for teachers that pairs face-to-face instruction with online support, and incentive funding for school systems to offset costs associated with program start-up and teacher training. The course sequence includes a curriculum focused on the cultural and economic significance of CS, while also providing students with the skills necessary to enter a high-demand occupation. In the 2016-2017 school year, more than 18 high schools up from five in 2015 will participate in the model, which represents 40 percent of all eligible high schools in the State. For students in schools where CS is not available, Edhesives large-scale CS Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) has been made available through the Delaware Department of Education at no cost to participating students. Through the MOOC, students have to access coursework that prepares them to complete the CS AP exam. The Hawaii State Department of Educations (HIDOE) will expand its efforts to integrate CS across the K-12 progression. HIDOEs vision integrates CS education with other core subjects such as writing, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. HIDOE is committed to providing students with CS opportunities throughout their K-12 education with qualified instructors available to teach CS. To achieve this goal the Department has been sponsoring Code.org workshops for K-5 teachers and is partnering with the National Security Agency to sponsor GenCyber summer camps this year for K-8 grade teachers. Later this year, HIDOE will also offer integrated STEM-learning professional-development opportunities with a cyber-literacy and cybersecurity theme to 6-8th grade teachers. Additional steps to move CS forward in high schools include: adding the new AP CS Principles course to a number of relevant career and technical education (CTE) and education-technology courses, creating workforce-ready students through a cybersecurity CTE sequence, and expanding student opportunities for cyber-competitions. More than 30 K-12 public school district leaders, representing more than one million students, are committing to expand CS education in their districts. As part of a commitment from Digital Promises League of Innovative Schools (League), 30 school-district leaders across the countryfrom Alaska to Alabama are committing to offering high-quality CS education to over one million students. For example, Coachella Valley Unified School District (CA) is announcing that in the coming school year, every school in the district will have a CS or technology-centric class or program, impacting more than 18,000 students. Piedmont City Schools (AL) plans to make CS a graduation requirement beginning with ninth grade students in the 2016-2017 school year. Houston Independent School District (TX), in partnership with Code.org, will develop #HISDecoded, a districtwide effort to triple the number of teachers trained in CS, and to immerse the districts 201,946 students in scripting and programming experiences from the first day of kindergarten to the last day of senior year. San Francisco Unified School District (CA) and Vista Unified School District (CA) will expand CS to all students in grades K-12. And Cajon Valley Union School District (CA), in partnership with Code To The Future, is launching the first K-5 CS school and the first elementary Language Academy where CS is taught in Spanish in the U.S. To complement these efforts, Digital Promise will develop a set of CS instruction micro-credentials to provide educators with recognition for the skills and competencies they develop in a variety of settings. Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), the nations 6th largest public school system, is announcing a goal for every student to have some exposure to CS while in school. More than 38,000 students at 180 schools in Broward County, Florida are now participating in CS courses and curricula, which is a significant increase from just 240 students in 2013. With support from Code.org, NSF, and the University of Chicago, BCPS will build on this momentum with a goal of reaching every student and school in Broward County. This year, 100 percent of the Districts 34 high schools offer CS courses. In addition, by the 2016-2017 school year, nearly all of the 34 BCPS high schools will offer AP CS Principles, as well as career-relevant courses in applied cybersecurity, applied robotics, information technology, Java development and programming, digital media, game simulation, animation, or web development. Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU), which serves over 100,000 students in Pennsylvania, will collaborate with Code.org to triple the number of CS-ready educators in the district by 2017. In addition to new science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) grants, AIU will offer over 100 free professional development sessions this year, which will be primarily focused on infusing CS principles into other content areas. Additionally, elementary-school students in the Fox Chapel Area School District (FCASD) in Pennsylvania will engage in a full coding curriculum in 2016-2017, and teachers in the middle and high schools of FCASD will be provided free regional professional-development opportunities in the areas of CS, coding, and digital fabrication. The second-largest school district in Illinois is committing to give all 12,000 of its high school students exposure to CS by integrating it into its math classes. With support from the Bosch Community Fund, High School District 214 in Arlington Heights, Illinois, will develop a new math curriculum that will be implemented over the next three years. The new curriculum, along with associated professional-development opportunities, will integrate coding so that students learn the logic and language of CS while learning mathematics. District 214 will also support 1,000 students in an integrated four-year high-school IT Pathway program. In addition to the specific commitments highlighted, a growing list of K-12 district leaders are committing to support the Presidents vision of expanded computer science curricula for K-12 students, including: Albemarle County Public Schools, VA Avonworth School District, PA Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, NC Elizabeth Forward School District, PA Elizabeth Public Schools, NJ Freehold Regional High School District, NJ Henry County Public Schools, VA Highline Public Schools, WA Iredell-Statesville Schools, NC Juab School District, UT KIPP DC, DC Lincoln Public Schools, NE Mentor Public Schools, OH Mineola Union Free School District, NY Oakland Unified School District, CA Onslow County Public Schools, NC Orange County Public Schools, FL Richland School District Two, SC Rowan-Salisbury Schools, NC Santa Ana Unified School District, CA Sitka School District, AK South Fayette Township School District, PA Spartanburg District 7, SC Utica Community Schools, MI Vancouver Public Schools, WA PRIVATE-SECTOR ACTION TO EXPAND CS FOR ALL Businesses, philanthropies, and non-profits are also playing a major role in building a movement to expand CS nationally. Today, the following organizations and companies are announcing investments they are making to give more students across the country access to CS: Apple is committed to expanding coding opportunities for children with continued investment in training workshops and curriculum development. Swift was designed by Apple to be a simple, easy to use programming language, and will give more students and teachers an opportunity to have access to technology and programming tools. Apple will continue expanding its Swift coding workshops at its retail stores and will work with ConnectED schools across the country to teach coding content and curriculum to communities, students and teachers. In the past year, Apple hosted more than 1,600 workshops at all 465 Apple Stores worldwide as part of Hour of Code. It has also committed more than $40 million to Thurgood Marshall College Fund to expand the pipeline of traditionally under-represented minorities into careers in computer science and technology, and invested more than $10 million with NCWIT to expand the number of women and girls in the technology sector. Cartoon Network is launching a $30 million initiative to engage young people in creative coding. Cartoon Network is committed to growing the next generation of creators by engaging with children at the intersection of art and technology. Driving that effort will be original long-form content around coding and characters that code in two new series: The Powerpuff Girls and a new yet-to-be named series. These series will include storylines and characters that reflect the diversity of children today and encourage interest in STEM. In partnership with Scratch, a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab, and the Scratch Foundation, Cartoon Network will create free coding tutorials integrating characters from both series. In addition, Cartoon Network is announcing the development of a new PSA campaign targeting children ages 6-11, highlighting positive STEM role models, and connecting creativity with STEM disciplines. To maximize these efforts, Cartoon Network will form a Board of Advisors (BOA) that will include Mitchel Resnick, LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research, and Director of the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab. To amplify its efforts around STEM and coding, Cartoon Network will use its media platform, which reaches more than 94 million homes and 41 million unique users across its sites and apps. Facebook will expand its outreach to parents, guardians, and learners in communities that are under-represented in the technology sector, and connect them to the resources to get started on how to code. Through an online resource center, TechPrep, Facebook will help bridge the gap between potential interest and opportunity by bringing together hundreds of resources curated based on who they are and what they need, while considering factors such as age range, skill level, what kind of resources they are looking for, and where they live. Through research with McKinsey, Facebook found that 77 percent of parents and guardians do not know how to help their child pursue computer-science or programming degrees. This percentage increases to approximately 83 percent for lower income and non-college-graduate parents or guardians, yet being encouraged to pursue computer science by a parent or guardian is a primary motivator for women, African-Americans, and Hispanics. TechPrep is free and available in both English and Spanish. Google is announcing plans to invest an additional $23 million in 2016 to support K-12 CS education, reaching an additional five million students. As part of Googles ongoing work to equip the next generation with the skills to be creators, not just consumers, of technology, Google will invest in CS programs and research focusing on girls and under-represented minorities. Google will expand CS First, its free CS program, to reach one million students this year. Googles Made with Code initiative will also work to inspire and engage more than four million teen girls this year to try coding. Google will: Give more K-12 teachers resources to access high-quality CS professional-development opportunities and training through Googles CS for High School award. Conduct research to gain a deeper understanding of how to increase student awareness of and access to CS education. Develop and share innovative CS programs to engage all students with technology, including a curated collection of lesson plans and resources, and initiatives, like Google Summer of Code, offering mentors and stipends to student developers who write code for various open-software programs. Support non-profit organizations like Code.org and the National Girls Collaborative Project, through Googles RISE Awards, Google.org, and Google Fiber. Work with Hollywood studios, writers, and advocacy groups to dispel stereotypes and showcase positive portrayals of girls, women, and underrepresented minorities in tech. Microsoft is announcing its campaign to have all states adopt Make CS Count policies and invest in CS education. In September 2015, Microsoft announced a $75 million effort to expand K-12 CS education, which will allow its TEALS (Technology Education and Literacy in Schools) program to increase fivefold over the next three years to nearly 30,000 students in 700 schools in 33 states. As a complement to this investment, Microsoft is today announcing a 50-state policy push to have states invest in CS education. Through direct interactions with state leaders, and by working with other business and non-profits, Microsoft will make the case for states to take advantage of the new opportunities and funds made available for CS education under newly signed ESSA. Microsoft will also set a national goal to have all 50 states adopt policies to allow CS to count towards high-school graduation rather than the 28 that allow it today. Qualcomm will collaborate with Virginia Tech to create a Thinkabit Labpart makerspace, lab, and classroomon its campus, with the goal of supporting CS education for middle school students in the region. In 2014, Qualcomm opened its first Thinkabit Lab in San Diego, and since, more than 5,300 local students have had the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning in classes led by Qualcomm engineers and career coaches. Qualcomm is announcing that it will open a Thinkabit Lab in Falls Church, Virginia, in collaboration with Virginia Tech College of Engineerings Department of Engineering Education and Virginia Techs School of Education. The new lab will serve the region's students and give faculty the opportunity to conduct research that will create a set of academic program experiences in CS and engineering, helping teachers and school administrators to help ensure that teachers can incorporate these subjects into existing K-12 science and mathematics curricula. Salesforce.org is announcing its plan to invest $13 million in 2016 to support CS and STEM education. To start, Salesforce.org will give a $1 million grant to Education SuperHighway to upgrade and expand broadband in K-12 public schools nationwideso every student can take advantage of the promise of digital learning. The new 2016 investments build on Salesforces leadership in CS and STEM education, including more than $20 million in grants over the three years, more than 20,000 volunteer hours in schools specifically to expand CS and STEM education, and a strategic partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) that contributed to SFUSDs ambitious city-wide CS initiative. Additional Steps to Support Teachers and Schools Expanding CS Education Advance Kentucky, which has AP expansion programs in more than 90 high schools, is committing to expand adoption of the new AP CS Principles course in those schools. The public-private collaboration behind this commitment includes Kentucky Coders, the Kentucky Department of Education, and the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation. Code.org is committing to expand access to K-12 CS by preparing 25,000 additional teachers to teach CS this year. Code.org hosts CS instruction workshops for K-12 teachers throughout the country and in partnership with the nations largest school districts, such as Chicago, Los Angeles Unified, and Broward County. Workshop participants learn how to teach CS modules for grades K-5 and middle school, as well as year-long courses in high school. In December 2014, Code.org committed to preparing 10,000 teachers in 2015 to teach CS, and exceeded that goal by preparing a total of 16,000 teachers. In 2016, Code.org will host workshops and build a nationwide network of professional learning partners who can carry on this work locally. Through these efforts, Code.org is committing to reach 25,000 new teachers, who in turn will bring CS education to approximately one million students annually. CSTA will pilot a digital badging and portfolio program to capture and track what professional development a teacher obtains, mapped back to K-12 CS content standards. The micro-credentialing effort will provide teachers a means to demonstrate competence in CS, particularly among those states where no certification or educational pathway to certification currently exists. Over the next five years, CSTA expects to expand the model to all 22,000 CSTA members as part of a broader set of initiatives to build the pipeline of CS teachers. The Cyber Innovation Center (CIC) is committing to reach 10,000 teachers over the next two years through its CS, cybersecurity, and STEM focused curricula. Based in Louisiana, CIC is centrally located among twenty-three colleges and universities that collectively serve over 100,000 students. Through its multi-disciplinary, project-driven curricula, the CIC will offer teachers a flexible and modular set of resources to be used in CS, STEM, and even English and language arts classes. The CIC has also committed to delivering tailored professional development to teachers in 50 different communities across the country. Additionally, the CIC has committed to engaging 1,000 underserved students, including girls and minorities, by hosting hands-on educational and awareness events focused on CS and cybersecurity. Major CS education programs will prepare an additional 300 educators to teach computer science courses this summer. This July, three of the largest, evidence-based CS education programs, Exploring Computer Science, CS Principles, and Bootstrap, will come together to offer CSPdWeek: five days of professional development to teachers from around the country, bringing high-quality CS training to educators who collectively serve more than 10,000 students. CSTA and Colorado School of the Mines will work together to support the event, which is the first of its kind to focus on building the larger community of CS education, rather than training teachers in curriculum from just one provider. ECS will also work with CSTA and others to identify, recruit, and support CS teachers of color who can be role models, and highlight student work that showcases how CS knowledge and skills can be used to address social or environmental community issues important to youth. The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) will equip 1,400 school counselors with tools for advising high-school students on CS education and career pathways. The NCWIT Counselors for Computing (C4C) program helps counselors paint a new picture of who is right for computing and supports their strategic action toward increasing access to CS education and career pathways for all students. Through a $1 million commitment, NCWIT will scale up its Counselors for Computing initiative to equip 1,400 new school counselors with training and resources, equipping more than half a million students for growing and lucrative careers in technology. In addition, NCWIT will partner with Intel to host a convening on Native American students and tribes access to technology careers, and will host with Google a conversation on the image of African-American girls in technology. Also with Google, NCWIT will bring together leaders in computing-outreach programs to identify promising practices, evaluation and outcomes measurement, and scaling program activities for students nationwide. NPower will deploy its volunteer network of technology professionals to help 15,000 additional students access innovative CS programs. Since launching in 2011, NPowers skills-based volunteer program, The Community Corps (TCC), has registered more than 9,000 technology professionals and implemented CS-education programs in collaboration with partners such as Tata Consultancy Services, NYCDOE Career & Technical Education, Citi, American Express, Mars, Accenture, LinkedIn, and Google. Over the next two years, TCC will inspire students by having more than 1,100 technology professionals visit schools and discuss their work, have roughly 1,000 technology professionals support the teaching of CS and coding in more than 150 schools, and launch a pilot to have TCC volunteers mentor CTE students in New York City to help develop critical professional skills. TCCs initiatives will launch in one or more locations across New York, Texas, Illinois, and Florida, with plans to grow nationally and with a focus on serving schools where 50 percent or more of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Project Lead The Way (PLTW) will develop a new one-year cybersecurity course to be piloted initially in 40 high schools within the next two years. The pilot will be part of a major effort by PLTW to expand access to CS offerings in K-12 schools. Over the next three years, PLTW plans to add multiple new high-school offerings to its existing Introduction to CS and CS Principles courses. These new full-year courses include a course aligned to the AP CS A framework, and a cybersecurity course, developed in close coordination with cybersecurity experts including the Security Advisor Alliance. PLTW is a non-profit that empowers K-12 students to build and demonstrate in-demand transportable skills by applying problem-solving strategies to real-world challenges. #YesWeCode will launch a three-year pilot with Oakland Unified School District to give 5,000 underrepresented students the opportunity to take CS courses, and earn college credit for doing so. #YesWeCode will also work with leading companies such as Twitter and Zynga to provide technical internships for Oakland youth. #YesWeCode plans to use lessons learned from Oakland to expand these models nationally, and will host a national convening of community colleges later in the year. #YesWeCode will also partner with Collective Shift LRNG to create and curate a set of digital badges that students can collect to showcase their creativity and skills as they complete CS projects. Additional Steps to Create Out-of-School Opportunities to Learn CS CodeNow is committed to helping 1,000 underrepresented high school students learn to code this year. CodeNow focuses on reaching underrepresented students and exposing them to creativity and opportunities in technology. Through their weekend hands-on trainings known as CodeNow in a Box, the organization brings together students eager to learn and provides engineers from major technology companies the opportunity to teach. Adobe, Infor, Infosys Foundation USA, and Opera Media Works will work with CodeNow to reach their 2016 goal. Project CODEt, an organization run by high school students, is pledging to impact 1,000 students this year. Using a near-peer model, Project CODEt targets its outreach to elementary- and middle-school students, and helps them get excited about CS by meeting and working with older students who are doing creative CS projects, thereby emphasizing the ideals of CS equality and early exposure. Destination Imagination (DI) and Oracle Academy (OA), are committing to engage at least 10,000 students in CS this year with the release of their Dear Hero and Co{DI}ng Space challenges. The challenges are designed to encourage students of diverse backgrounds, and will incorporate artistic expression, story boarding, teamwork, and presentation skills. Luma Lab, a hybrid coding and entrepreneurship afterschool and summer program, will expand to three additional schools in Washington D.C. this year. The program challenges students to solve community issues through the design and development of mobile application prototypes. Luma Lab exposes students to several facets of technology including user experience, mobile app development, and public speaking, leadership and product management, and at the end of the program, students present their work at a mobile app pitch competition. Mozilla Foundation is launching a new open-source Web Literacy 2.0 initiative. Under the initiative, students, teachers and others will have access to training workshops to both learn and teach web literacy skills, including web mechanics, coding, remixing, privacy, community participation, open practices, and sharing. The programs free curricular resources and credentials will be structured to promote 21st century skills in collaboration, communication, creativity, and problem-solving. To start, the Mozilla Foundation plans to build collaborations to train 500 people this year, who will in turn teach 20,000 individuals to be web literate and citizens of the open web. Mozilla will also launch its first-ever Web Literacy Leaders program, a six month fellowship focused on teaching web literacy and advocating for equitable access to the Web as an open and public resource. NCWIT, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Google will launch a pilot to expand CS education to 400 girls in HUD-supported public housing. NCWIT's AspireIT program connects high school and college women with K-12 girls interested in computing using a near-peer model, in which program leaders teach younger girls fundamentals in programming and computational thinking in fun and creative environments. Giving Every Student an Opportunity to Learn Through Computer Science For All Washington, DC - In this weeks address, the President discussed his plan to give all students across the country the chance to learn computer science (CS) in school. The President noted that our economy is rapidly shifting, and that educators and business leaders are increasingly recognizing that CS is a new basic skill necessary for economic opportunity. The President referenced his Computer Science for All Initiative, which provides $4 billion in funding for states and $100 million directly for districts in his upcoming budget; and invests more than $135 million beginning this year by the National Science Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service to support and train CS teachers. The President called on even more Governors, Mayors, education leaders, CEOs, philanthropists, creative media and technology professionals, and others to get involved in the efforts. Remarks of President Barack Obama as Prepared for Delivery Weekly Address The White House January 30, 2016 Hi everybody. As I said in my State of the Union address, we live in a time of extraordinary change change thats affecting the way we live and the way we work. New technology replaces any job where work can be automated. Workers need more skills to get ahead. These changes arent new, and theyre only going to accelerate. So the question we have to ask ourselves is, How can we make sure everyone has a fair shot at success in this new economy? The answer to that question starts with education. Thats why my Administration has encouraged states to raise standards. Weve cut the digital divide in our classrooms in half. Weve worked with Congress to pass a bipartisan bill to set the expectation that every student should graduate from high school ready for college and a good job. And thanks to the hard work of students, teachers, and parents across the country, our high school graduation rate is at an all-time high. Now we have to make sure all our kids are equipped for the jobs of the future which means not just being able to work with computers, but developing the analytical and coding skills to power our innovation economy. Todays auto mechanics arent just sliding under cars to change the oil; theyre working on machines that run on as many as 100 million lines of code. Thats 100 times more than the Space Shuttle. 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. In the new economy, computer science isnt an optional skill its a basic skill, right along with the three Rs. Nine out of ten parents want it taught at their childrens schools. Yet right now, only about a quarter of our K through 12 schools offer computer science. Twenty-two states dont even allow it to count toward a diploma. So Ive got a plan to help make sure all our kids get an opportunity to learn computer science, especially girls and minorities. Its called Computer Science For All. And it means just what it says giving every student in America an early start at learning the skills theyll need to get ahead in the new economy. First, Im asking Congress to 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. Second, starting this year, were leveraging existing resources at the National Science Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service to train more great teachers for these courses. And third, Ill be pulling together governors, mayors, business leaders, and tech entrepreneurs to join the growing bipartisan movement around this cause. Americans of all kinds from the Spanish teacher in Queens who added programming to her classes to the young woman in New Orleans who worked with her Police Chief to learn code and share more data with the community are getting involved to help young people learn these skills. And just today, states like Delaware and Hawaii, companies like Google and SalesForce, and organizations like Code.org have made commitments to help more of our kids learn these skills. Thats what this is all about each of us doing our part to make sure all our young people can compete in a high-tech, global economy. Theyre the ones who will make sure America keeps growing, keeps innovating, and keeps leading the world in the years ahead. And theyre the reason Ive never been more confident about our future. Thanks everybody, and have a great weekend. California man indicted for largest methamphetamine seizure in Southeast Texas Corpus Christi, Texas - A grand jury in Southeast Texas returned an indictment Thursday against a California man for possessing 132 kilograms (291 lbs.) of methamphetamine, the areas largest-ever meth seizure. This indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. This joint investigation is being conducted by the following agencies: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Texas Department of Public Safety, Kingsville (Texas) Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force, Kleberg County (Texas) District Attorneys Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The indictment against Deandre Bennett, 57, of San Bernardino, California, was returned Jan. 28. He is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason Libby next week, at which time the government expects to request his continued detention pending further criminal proceedings. Bennett is charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 132 kilograms of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine on Dec. 2, 2015. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison as well as a possible $10 million fine. This is believed to be the largest-ever seizure of methamphetamine in the Corpus Christi Division. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Jensen, Southern District of Texas, is prosecuting this case. An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law. Getting the Endgame Right in Colombia Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "Fourteen years ago in the Colombian town of Bojaya, FARC guerillas launched an explosive that landed on the roof of a Roman Catholic church, killing 79 men, women and children who were huddled inside, seeking safety. "A tragedy of such proportions was hard to comprehend even in a nation inured to the brutalities of conflict. But an event two months ago was in its own way just as extraordinary: The FARC apologized to the people of Bojaya for the misery and misfortune it had caused and sought forgiveness. "The FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, have been fighting their countrys government for more than 50 years, meaning most Colombians have never truly known a day of nationwide peace. During that time, over 220,000 people have been killed and more than six million displaced. Many more were kidnapped, forcibly recruited as children, or subjected to sexual violence. "Most of the conflicts victims, like those in Bojaya, were civilians, often caught between warring parties demanding their loyalty or their land. "Today, Colombias peace process is at a pivotal stage. When Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos visits Washington this week, President Obama and I will commend him for bringing his country closer than ever before to ending the war. We will discuss the tough issues that remain to be resolved at the negotiating table. And we will share plans to support Colombia as it moves into a new era. "We will also take time to reflect on the partnership that made peace possible. Plan Colombia - launched in 2000 and sustained over three U.S. administrations - helped transform a nation on the verge of collapse into a strong institutional democracy with historically low levels of violence. Under that initiative, the bipartisan leadership of Congress and the executive branch worked closely with officials in Bogota to help train and equip the countrys armed forces and police so that they would be more professional in providing security and fighting crime, while also protecting human rights. "The key to Plan Colombias success was its comprehensive vision of how security is established and maintained. Law and order is only part of the equation. With support from the United States, Colombians moved ahead on multiple fronts to improve governance, reform the judiciary, enhance opportunities for Afro-Colombian and indigenous groups, provide support for the victims of conflict, and extend protections to journalists and civil society. Just as important, the government came to terms with the fact that human rights abuses were committed not solely by rebel groups, but also by its own forces - and that those abuses, too, must be stopped. "All this matters to the United States because Colombia boasts the fourth largest economy in Latin America, a highly-educated population, and a vast potential for growth. It is an Andean nation, a Pacific nation, a Caribbean nation and an Amazonian nation with neighbors that include Brazil and Venezuela. The countrys transformation in the past 15 years - and its ambitions for the future are important in themselves but also as a possible example for others. "The Plan Colombia approach need not apply to Colombia alone. For U.S. taxpayers, it is important to note that Plan Colombia required an investment of some $10 billion over more than a decade. But we would never have made that investment if the Colombian people and government had not made their own commitment - and devoted their own resources - to the plans success. "All told, the U.S. investment in Plan Colombia was less than five percent of the total cost. As a U.S. senator, I worked across the aisle with colleagues over successive administrations of both parties to help ensure Colombia got the support it needed. The success of those efforts makes it all the more essential that we get the endgame right. "Having helped Colombia create the conditions for a peace accord, the United States must now help Colombia seize the enormous promise that peace affords. The Obama administration will soon present to Congress a successor strategy aimed at further enhancing security gains, cracking down on trade in illegal drugs, and providing the means for redress and recovery in areas vacated by the FARC. "As with the original plan, Colombians themselves will bear most of the cost, but unique U.S. capabilities can help them win the peace. No peace accord will bring back the many lives lost in Bojaya and across Colombia over the past half century. But Colombians now have an historic opportunity to embrace a future free from conflict and violence; and the United States has good reason to stand by their side." Multimorbidity: What is it? Why does it matter? Whats being done about it? Dr Carol Sinnott, NSAFP Research Fellow at the Department of General Practice at UCC, examines the complex issue of multimorbidity, and the challenges it can cause for optimal medication management. At its simplest, multimorbidity is defined as the co-occurrence of multiple chronic diseases within the one person without any reference to an index condition (1). This is conceptually different to comorbidity, which refers to any additional illness in a patient who has an index condition. The term multimorbidity tends to be used in a generalist context (i.e. by GPs, geriatricians etc) where the identification of an index illness may not be obvious or useful. Co-morbidity better captures the view of specialists, and what is designated as the index disease depends on the speciality in question. Because medical evidence and guidelines are structured around single diseases, multimorbidity can lead to problems for GPs when it comes to managing medications. Few clinical practice guidelines address the reality that the majority of people with chronic disease have more than one condition (2). While individual medications may be effective for specific conditions, higher numbers of medications are associated with adverse effects, interactions and poor adherence (3). Combining clinical practice guidelines in patients with multimorbidity can lead to burdensome and even harmful polypharmacy (4). A classic example of this scenario was described by Boyd et al. (2). The patient was a 79-year-old woman with chronic obstructive airways disease, diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Implementing the clinical practice guidelines in the simplest way possible for each of these conditions led to the prescription of 12 medications, 19 doses of medication per day and 14 non-pharmacological management techniques (2). Multiple drug-drug, drug-disease and drug-food interactions were identified. Should the patients blood pressure remain uncontrolled, the guidelines do not give the marginal benefit of adding yet another medication to her existing regimen. The annual cost of the medications was estimated to be more than US$4,000 (3,720). The authors noted that the guidelines incorporated poor quality or no evidence relating to older or multimorbid patients. Similar deficiencies have been shown in Australian and Canadian guidelines (5, 6). The challenges associated with the management of this patient are not uncommon: in patients aged older than 50 years attending Irish general practice, 66 per cent are multi-morbid (7). There is a strong association with deprivation: the onset of multimorbidity occurs 10-15 years earlier in people living in the most deprived areas compared with the most affluent (8). This is important because multimorbid patients experience disproportionately higher levels of disability, hospitalisation and mortality than those with one or no chronic disease. Medication interactions Optimising chronic disease management is a key concern in these patients. However, as their numbers of chronic disease medications increase, they are more likely to receive interacting medications and experience adverse drug effects. Dumbreck et al (4) sought potentially serious drug-drug interactions between the medications indicated in NICE guidelines for 12 common chronic diseases. They found 133, 89 and 111 such interactions between medications for each of diabetes, depression and heart failure and the other 11 conditions, respectively. These findings relate to two-way interactions. Little has been published on the impact of three-way drug interactions and almost nothing on 10-way drug interactions (2, 3, 9). The recommendations issued in most clinical practice guidelines often depend on lower levels of evidence or expert opinion (10). Even when clinical trial data does exist, it rarely represents multimorbid patients or their needs (11). Most trials focus on the benefit of one drug in one condition so exclude patients with multimorbidity (11). There is also over reliance on surrogate outcomes (i.e. blood pressure, lipids, albuminuria) rather than outcomes that matter to multimorbid patients (12). Short follow-up, and under-appreciation and under-reporting of harms make valid assessments of time to benefit (or harm) difficult (3, 13). Thus, there is a need for new approaches to chronic disease management that acknowledge the predominance multimorbidity. Regarding prescribing, interventions that support proactive chronic disease management while avoiding medication-related harm are required. The question is how to develop an intervention that facilitates care that is consistent with the best available evidence but is also tailored to the needs and preferences of the individual patient. We have addressed this dilemma in our research at UCC. In a systematic review of qualitative evidence, we showed that GPs experience difficulties in four areas of care for patients with multimorbidity: the disorganisation and fragmentation of healthcare; the inadequacy of guidelines and medical evidence; challenges delivering patient-centred care; and barriers to shared decision-making (14) (see Figure 1). Satisficing In a qualitative interview study, we showed that GPs respond to these difficulties by satisficing: accepting care that they deemed satisfactory and sufficient for a particular patient (15). Satisficing was manifest as relaxing targets for disease control, negotiating compromise with the patient, or making best guesses about the most appropriate course of action to take. In multimorbid patients perceived as stable, GPs preferred to maintain the status quo rather than rationalise medications, even in cases with significant polypharmacy. GPs took this approach due to the potential negative repercussions associated with changing or de-prescribing medications. Proactive changes in medications were facilitated by continuity of care, sufficient consultation time and open lines of communication with the patient, other healthcare professionals and other GPs (15). In a cross-sectional study, we demonstrated the significant association between multimorbidity and a range of psychosocial factors, including adverse childhood experiences, lower educational attainment, and lower socioeconomic status (16). This psychosocial complexity presents competing demands for the GPs time in the consultation, and further complicates optimal disease management. MY COMRADE The findings of these three studies were used to guide the development of the MultimorbiditY COllaborative Medication Review And DEcision Making (MY COMRADE) intervention. This intervention primarily involves peer support: two GPs review the medications prescribed to a complex multimorbid patient together. In a recent feasibility study, pairs of GPs in 10 practices reviewed medications using the MY COMRADE approach. They reported that it was appropriate for the context of general practice; was widely applicable to their patients with multimorbidity; and that recommendations for optimising medications arose from all collaborative reviews. The next step is to examine the effect of this collaborative approach on medication safety, healthcare use and costs, and patient reported outcomes. Multimorbidity is the norm in chronic disease management and must be recognised as such in clinical research on chronic disease. Short-term solutions are to re-analyse existing trial datasets to determine the outcomes for multimorbid participants that were recruited. In the longer term, recruiting patients with higher levels of multimorbidity, and following outcomes that are important to them, will be essential in building an evidence base that is relevant to the majority of people with chronic disease. At the level of the healthcare provider, improving the management of patients with multimorbidity will require innovative complex interventions (like MY COMRADE), multidisciplinary involvement, and the same rigorous development and evaluation used for medicinal interventions. Dr Carol Sinnott, NSAFP Research Fellow, Department of General Practice, University College Cork, and South East GP Training Scheme References: 1. Valderas JM, Starfield B, Sibbald B, Salisbury C, Roland M. Defining comorbidity: implications for understanding health and health services. Ann Fam Med. 2009;7(4):357-63. 2. Boyd CM, Darer J, Boult C, Fried LP, Boult L, Wu AW. Clinical Practice Guidelines and Quality of Care for Older Patients With Multiple Comorbid Diseases. JAMA : The Journal of the American Medical Association. 2005;294(6):716-24. 3. Tinetti ME, Bogardus ST, Jr., Agostini JV. Potential pitfalls of disease-specific guidelines for patients with multiple conditions. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2004;351(27):2870-4. 4. Dumbreck S, Flynn A, Nairn M, Wilson M, Treweek S, Mercer SW, et al. Drug-disease and drug-drug interactions: systematic examination of recommendations in 12 UK national clinical guidelines. BMJ. 2015;350. 5. Vitry AI, Zhang Y. Quality of Australian clinical guidelines and relevance to the care of older people with multiple comorbid conditions. The Medical Journal of Australia. 2008;189(7):360-5. 6. Fortin M, Contant E, Savard C, Hudon C, Poitras M-E, Almirall J. Canadian guidelines for clinical practice: an analysis of their quality and relevance to the care of adults with comorbidity. BMC Fam Pract. 2011;12:74. 7. Glynn LG, Valderas JM, Healy P, Burke E, Newell J, Gillespie P, et al. The prevalence of multimorbidity in primary care and its effect on health care utilization and cost. Fam Pract. 2011;28(5):516-23. 8. Barnett K, Mercer SW, Norbury M, Watt G, Wyke S, Guthrie B. Epidemiology of multimorbidity and implications for health care, research, and medical education: a cross-sectional study. The Lancet. 2012;380(9836):37-43. 9. Guthrie B, Makubate B, Hernandez-Santiago V, Dreischulte T. The rising tide of polypharmacy and drug-drug interactions: population database analysis 1995-2010. BMC Medicine. 2015;13:74. 10. Tricoci P, Allen JM, Kramer JM, Califf RM, Smith SC, Jr. Scientific evidence underlying the ACC/AHA clinical practice guidelines. JAMA : The Journal of the American Medical Association. 2009;301(8):831-41. 11. Starfield B. Threads and yarns: weaving the tapestry of comorbidity. Ann Fam Med. 2006;4(2):101-3. 12. Yudkin JS, Lipska KJ, Montori VM. The idolatry of the surrogate. BMJ. 2011;343. 13. Stevens PE, Lamb EJ, Levin A. Integrating guidelines, CKD, multimorbidity, and older adults. The American Journal of Kidney Diseases: the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation. 2015;65(3):494-501. 14. Sinnott C, Mc Hugh S, Browne J, Bradley C. GPs perspectives on the management of patients with multimorbidity: systematic review and synthesis of qualitative research. BMJ Open. 2013;3(9):e003610. 15. Sinnott C, Hugh SM, Boyce MB, Bradley CP. What to give the patient who has everything? A qualitative study of prescribing for multimorbidity in primary care. Br J Gen Pract. 2015;65(632):e184-91. 16. Sinnott C, Mc Hugh S, Fitzgerald AP, Bradley CP, Kearney PM. Psychosocial complexity in multimorbidity: the legacy of adverse childhood experiences. Fam Pract. 2015. The NAGP trusts that at least half of its 1,482-strong membership will sign up by the end of this year to its new Irish telemedicine service, which will enable GPs to provide direct online consultations to their own patients. The Association is launching the service at its AGM this Saturday (January 30), complete with a demonstration of the prototype. Speaking to IMT ahead of the meeting, CEO Chris Goodey said it was the endeavour of the NAGP, which was offering the service exclusively to its members, to have general practice take control of the digital space. Its an adjunct to existing GP services and thats why I would be very optimistic that 50 per cent of our members will be signed up in the first year to be using this telemedicine service as a service to their patients, he said. While Goodey conceded that this was not a new idea by any means as there were already seven early entrants in the Irish market based on tele-medicine, he claimed those entrants arent what we would consider good medicine. Really, telemedicine does have an integral place and we need to be using technology, but from our perspective, and I know from professional indemnity insurers perspective, which is very important, that telemedicine should be used as an add-on service to existing general practice services, not in isolation, he commented. So, its not good practice to provide consultation to patients you dont know, you dont have patient history for or access to it. This is an additional service to an existing service, and not a replacement by any means of consultations between GPs and patients. This ensured there was continuity of care, Goodey said. While full details will only issue at the AGM, GPs who sign up to use the service will pay a monthly fee and then a transactional fee per patient, and GPs can set their own fee charges for their GP-Online consultations. The NAGP is hopeful it will ultimately be used for GMS appointments in the future, though it will only be available for private appointments initially. The GP-Online app, which is owned and operated by the NAGP and a number of individual GP investors, will support face-to-face video consultations across smartphones, tablets and computers, and produce prescriptions. It will allow patients to schedule an appointment with their GP through the apps booking system, which will be able to deal with the majority of health complaints seen in general practice. lloyd.mudiwa@imt.ie YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been told about the intention of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to meet with him, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, Armenpress reports. "Putin was informed of this wish of the president of Turkey, Erdogan," Peskov said giving no further details on the Russian presidents reaction to the Turkish leaders proposal. Erdogan told reporters on Saturday that he wanted to meet with Putin to discuss the alleged violation of Turkeys airspace by a Russian warplane. "If such violations aimed at Turkeys sovereignty continue, then (Russia) will have to bear responsibility for the consequences. As the violated airspace is also NATO airspace, the alliance is also following the situation," Erdogan said. "We proceed from the information declared by our Defense Ministry. Let me remind you that Defense Ministry officials dismissed Turkish claims there had been a violation of Turkish airspace by one of our planes," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. On January 30 the Turkish Foreign Ministry alleged that a Russian military plane, a Sukhoi Su-34, violated the Turkish border. The incident reportedly occurred on January 29, 2016. 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 }} With only a few weeks to go until the Zoolander sequel arrives, Ben Stiller decided to re-watch the original. Released 17 years ago, the actor - whose promotional rounds have included an appearance at Paris Fashion Week, a catwalk over Syndey Harbour Bridge, as well as appearances on the covers of Vogue and Esquire - live-tweeted the re-watch. He even encouraged fans to ask him questions about it. Among his reveals were how the film was banned in Malaysia, select moments that were improvised, and, of course, the fact his father Jerry Stiller wore artificial chest hair for the role of Derek Zoolander's agent, Maury. He also commented on one of the film's most memorable moments - the catwalk scene featuring the late David Bowie. Here are some more highlights from Stiller's re-watch: The comedy sequel's trailer - which featured Justin Bieber - came under fire for the depiction of a 'cartoonish' transgender character played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Zoolander 2 is released on 12 February. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Now Tim Burton's best buds with Disney, thanks to Alice in Wonderland's 680M gross, you've got to wonder what other classics the studio will be begging the director to add his magic Gothic touch to. He's already been pitched for an upcoming, live-action reboot of Dumbo, though there's not been any further development on when or how it may take shape. For now, then, let Moscow-based artist and animator Andrew Tarusov provide a glimpse into future Burtonised Disney worlds. Tarusov reimagined Dumbo, alongside the likes of Bambi, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast; infusing his illustrations with Burton's classic animation style, prevalent both in the concept art for his movies and animation projects The Nightmare Before Christmas, Frankenweenie, and Corpse Bride. "I love how Burtons style looks vintage, chic, and cute all at the same time," Tarusov told HelloGiggles of his admiration for the artist's work. "His work is often marketed as horror movies, but at the same time, its not a horror It could be any genre." "My main goal is to make viewers smile, laugh, and have a fun time when they come across my work," he concluded. "Its meant to be whimsical and playful, so have a look and enjoy!" Tarusov has created several works based off Disney characters, including a series featuring princesses and villains rendered as vintage pin-up models. You can see more of his work here. Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children hits US theatres on Christmas Day. There's not yet been any word on a UK release. 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 }} In January this year, Oscar hopeful Leonardo DiCaprio listed off numerous Russian revolutionaries he would like to one day play on screen. I think there should be more films about Russian history because it has many stories worthy of Shakespeare, he said, going on to name the likes of Putin, Rasputin and Lenin. Only days later, a LeninFilm spokesperson revealed they would be very interested in working with the 41-year-old on a project: It is always interesting to make movies. Leonardo DiCaprio is often compared to Lenin in his youth. We have enough scenery and props to recreate the era of the revolution. Indeed, the two look very similar, as pointed out by many social media users. However, thats not enough to satisfy some communists in Russia who have threatened to blockade the film studio if they cast DiCaprio as Lenin. Speaking to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, the St Petersburgs Communist Party - separate from the main parliamentary Communist Party - said they had written a letter to LeninFilm expressing how casting the actor would provoke protest actions. Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Show all 8 1 /8 Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - Jordan Belfort Rex Features Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac The Great Gatsby (2013) - Jay Gatsby Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Django Unchained (2012) - Calvin Candie Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Inception (2010) - Cobb Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac The Aviator (2004) - Howard Hughes Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Catch Me If You Can (2002) - Frank Abagnale Jr. Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo Di Caprio as John Edgar Hoover in J. Edgar (2011) Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Leonardo DiCaprio's roles as a rich maniac Blood Diamond (2006) - Danny Archer We would launch the civil disobedience actions near Lenfilm entrance, we simply would not let them enter it, said one of the partys leaders, Sergey Malinkovich.They should find a Russian actor. It should be noted that DiCaprios maternal grandmother, Helene Indenbirken, was Russian, and DiCaprio has on occasion referred to himself as half Russian. Malinkovich is known for his protests, having written an open letter to Olga Kurylenko when it was announced she would play a Bolivian agent in James Bond film Quantum of Solace. Recommended Read more Leonardo DiCaprio one step closer to an Oscar after SAG win "In the name of all communists we appeal to you, prodigal daughter of poor Ukraine and deserter of Slavic world," he said at the time. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up The Soviet Union gave you free education, free medical care but nobody knew you would commit an act of intellectual and moral betrayal and become a movie girl of Bond, who in his movies kills hundreds of Soviet people and citizens of other socialist countries. LeninFilm is one of the oldest film studios in Russia, with its roots going as far back as 1914 when the military were producing films in St. Petersburg. At the time, it was called the St. Petersburg film committee and had 68 cinemas in the city. Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Olly Knights is feeling "slightly excited" about the new Turin Brakes album. "Ive been trying to hold it back but its actually quite a buzz," he says. "I think were really pleased to still be making work after all this time work we feel is really strong." Lost Property is the bands seventh record, a point that Knights saw as a dream, that after all this time he would still be doing something he loved. "I think weve always felt that weve put out strong records, he says. Obviously weve come and gone into fashion, as bands do when they stay alive as long as we have. But on this record and a bit on the last record is the realisation that, you know, this bands alright. And collectively were worth something. "We never wanted to be one of those bands that put out one great album and then stopped we wanted to put out 10. So when you get to the end of our career therell be all these great stepping stones going right back to the beginning, because thats what our favourite artists did. Its a lifetime body of work, really." Knights understands that for many Turin Brakes fans their music evokes both a strong sense of nostalgia for their earliest material, along with anticipation for the new. "We are people pleasers we fully understand that people will be nostalgic and we love that, as long as theres room for the new stuff as well. Thats part of the challenge getting peoples heads round it." Recorded with Ali Staton (Madonna, Rufus Wainwright, PJ Harvey, etc), Turin Brakes have put together an LP Knights describes as bridging the gap between the 70s and 2016, recalling their first NME review which cited the film Almost Famous: Were learning to be less personable about it, Knights says of the more pop-orientated songs on the album. "'96 is a band favourite filled with an energy and attitude that they wanted to push out to their audience as the first single, while the second, "Keep Me Around", is summery and "full of hooks" short and fun. "When we wrote 'Painkiller' that was the same kind of challenge," Knights says of the latter. We can make as much highbrow philosophical indie as we like but why not also right a pop song and raid the charts?" Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Hes certain that the UK music scene is tougher on new acts than it was 15 years ago, suggesting it has great variety, but its not as easy for a band to poke their head above the water." "I guess for loads of reasons partly to do with streaming, partly to do with labels being more risk-averse he says. For us and our peers, I feel like we had a chance to develop over the years. Dear God, just look at Elbow, thats some development right there. There is still great music, you just have to look a bit harder to find it." Turin Brakes are a band very much associated with London middle class London boys and over the years Knights has noted an assumption that they had "a lot more help". "But in London there are so many bands its not easier at all, he says. Its just as tough trying to put music out in London as anywhere else." Going on tour in February, Knights will have to tackle his shyness of the spotlight: I have that problem of being a shy introvert who likes writing songs, who goes into the spotlight having to be the entertainer. But saying that Ivae never experienced the same kind of amagic as I have during live shows, that always makes up for the nerves. Ill be in the middle of a gig and I realise I actually love this. The rest of the band think Im nuts but theyre very good at keeping me in check." "For a few years we did the band and the duo but now its kind of morphed into a four-piece. We make each other laugh, which is literally the reason I think were still together if we didnt know how to deal with each other wed have broken up about 50 times by now. Its a real brotherhood." Lost Property is out now 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 "extended hiatus" for Louis C.K.'s TV series Louie now makes a lot more sense - the comedian has dropped a brand new web series out of nowhere. Written and directed by C.K. himself, Horace and Pete debuted on his website over the weekend and is available to watch for $5 (that's around 3.50 in the UK). C.K. stars as Horace while Boardwalk Empire actor Steve Buscemi plays Pete - their characters are two bar owners in Brooklyn. The first episode of the darkly humorous sitcom has been described by The New York Times as "mournful and unshakeable." The series co-stars Alan Alda as a racist uncle, Rebecca Hall as Horace's girlfriend and Edie Falco as his sister. Oscar-winning actress Jessica Lange also appears in the premiere episode which makes allusions to Donald Trump's presidential bid and next weekend's Super Bowl. It's been reported that the series' theme song was composed by Simon & Garfunkel musician, Paul Simon. C.K. is currently developing an as-of-yet untitled animated comedy series with Albert Brooks as well as producing a new Zach Galifianakis comedy titled Baskets. The comedian also stars alongside Bryan Cranston in Trumbo which is released in the UK on 5 February. 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 }} Underwear is outerwear. Please note the slight change in emphasis. Blame climate change; blame heating both underfloor and central, ubiquitously cranked up; blame our ever fluctuating moral compasses, which decree that fashion has had enough of being tastefully covered and is now ready for necklines to plunge and slits to lunge across the body. Regardless of the cause, the ultimate proof came with the spring/summer 2016 shows in September, where models were undressed to impress in clothes that frequently approximated tissue paper knotted up with knicker elastic. Example: Riccardo Tisci decamped to New York and showed a collection mostly composed of flimsy layered slips in Chantilly lace. Example: Raf Simons ended his tenure at Christian Dior with a show of antique pantalets and bra-tops in semi-transparent cotton, scalloped sweetly at the edges. Example: Sarah Burton delivered her strongest Alexander McQueen collection yet, heaving with ruffles, chiffon and diaphanous layers and fairly devoid of the grand evening dresses with which she's forged her name and reputation. Elsewhere, designers got to grips with slips, and with stuff like bias cutting (Alexander Wang, Haider Ackermann) and spaghetti straps (Balenciaga to JW Anderson). Generally, it all looked like it should be underpinning an outfit, rather than underpinning an aesthetic. The mood of aesthetic licentiousness has even encouraged lingerie labels to break out of the knicker drawer. The Italian label La Perla, founded by corset-maker Ada Masotti in 1954, has just appointed 25-year-old wunderkind designer Pedro Lourenco as its creative director. La Perla will blur the boundaries between lingerie, beachwear and outerwear, says the company's chairman Silvio Scaglia, extending its natural focus on sensuality, elegance and preciousness. Those sound like mighty big ideas for smalls. The price tags aren't exactly diminutive either: a La Perla Maison robe (a glorified dressing-gown) retails for 1,254. I'd want to wear that further than the front door. La Perla has been here before it showed collections helmed by the Italian designer Alessandro Dell'Acqua. But relaunching with a focus on lingerie-tinged everyday attire is especially astute given the slant of spring's shows. Riccardo Tisci didn't just show slips, but layered camisole tops and lightweight silk tailoring with soft tie-waisted jackets like robes. And Alexander Wang's final Balenciaga collection, loosely based on ladies lounging in a fashionable spa, injected a sense of undress into everything from filmy silk dresses with flat, lace-embroidered slippers (good) to satin backpacks and combat trousers with a hint of the Shaznay Lewis to them (not so good). Celine There's plenty of background for this look. The phrase underwear as outerwear was coined in the 1980s by the late Malcolm McLaren, a pithy description of a 1950s-style bullet brassiere worn on the outside of a sweatshirt in the winter 1982 collection he created alongside Vivienne Westwood under the label World's End. It caused an explosion in the fashion scene, inciting Jean Paul Gaultier to design corset-dresses and conical bras. By the end of the decade, Madonna was sporting the aforementioned poking through suits on her Blonde Ambition tour, and Westwood had set up on her own, reviving an 18th-century divorce corset as an elastic-sided bustier. The notion was explored notably by the designer Azzedine Alaia, who created clothes so technically ingenious that they not only resembled underwear and did its job, but negated the wearing of underclothes. The age of Lycra had dawned, and Alaia was the king of cling. Many of today's designers are referencing the work of the aforementioned: JW Anderson's exterior bras felt very Gaultier; there was a touch of Westwood to Miuccia Prada's layered baby-dolls over shirts and pencil skirts at Miu Miu. And, by God, everyone copies Alaia. Dior But there is actually a foundation (no pun) much earlier: in the clothes of the 1930s, when Madeleine Vionnet's bias cut dominated. Clothes were streamlined, cut to minimise or even eradicate underwear and show off the natural form of the body. Many were lighter and less complex in their structure than undergarments of 20 years before or, indeed, 20 years after, thanks to the corsets and petticoats necessary to support Christian Dior's New Look, the dominant silhouette of the 1950s. Vionnet's work caused a revolution in women's clothing, revealing the unfettered form of the body. Nevertheless, despite the underwear antecedents, Vionent's bias-cut gowns quickly seized on by Hollywood as the ultimate in silver-screen-siren attire exuded elegance. They were spectacularly revived by John Galliano in the 1990s, prompting none less than American Vogue's Anna Wintour to remark: The bias-cut slip-dress has really become a symbol of what women wore at night in the 1990s and that was John, completely John. Alexander McQueen Many designers are referencing Galliano today, as opposed to Vionnet's finest. It's 1990s grunge, rather than 1930s glamour, that underscored satin dresses with puckered underwear details that Alexander Wang showed for his own label; and the satin slips with ribbon ties by Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein Collection, beaten up and worn with trainers to give underwear an edge. It's styles like this that make these clothes feel modern, fresh and desirable and not like you're a sleepwalker gone a-wandering in your nightclothes. And, worst comes to worst, if you make a bad investment you can always chuck your autumn/winter wares on top. Outerwear underwear functions well as just plain underwear, too. Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Zika virus outbreak should be considered a public health emergency of international concern, the World Health Organisation has said. The global health body made its decision after an emergency meeting in Geneva to discuss the explosive nature of the virus. The rare move signals the seriousness of the outbreak and usually triggers increased money and efforts to stop the outbreak, as well as prompting research into possible treatments and vaccines. The last time a global emergency was declared was following the Ebola outbreak in December 2013, which is thought to have led to more than 11,000 deaths. Health experts have said the Zika outbreak could be far worse and WHO officials have predicted that as many as four million people could be infected with the virus this year. Recommended Read more How the Zika virus spread around the world The outbreak of Zika, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, began in Brazil last May and has moved into more than 20 countries in Latin America. The main concern is Zikas possible link to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with brain damage and unusually small heads. Reported cases of microcephaly are rising sharply in Brazil though researchers have yet to establish a direct link. Colombia has also seen a rise in the number of patients diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder which can cause paralysis. Zika Virus Following a meeting of an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan said the causal relationship between infection during pregnancy and microcephaly in babies is strongly suspected but not scientifically proven. The committee advised that the association between the virus and constitutes an extraordinary event. Dr Chan said that a coordinated international response was needed to investigate and understand the relationship between the virus and the condition. Patterns of spread of the virus, the lack of vaccines and reliable diagnostic tests are also cause for concern, she added. 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 Members of the committee agree that the situation meets the conditions for a public health emergency of international concern, Dr Chan said. I have accepted this advice. I am now declaring that the recent cluster of microcephaly and other neurological abnormalities reported in Latin America, following a similar cluster in French Polynesia in 2014, constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. Dr Chan said the committee found no public health justification for restrictions on travel or trade to prevent the threat of Zika virus. At present the most important protective measures are the control of mosquito populations and the prevention of mosquito bites in at-risk individuals - especially pregnant women, she said. Since the start of the outbreak last year, five UK travellers have been diagnosed with the Zika virus. While many do not even know they are infected, some can suffer symptoms including fever, joint pain, itching, rash, conjunctivitis or red eyes, headache, muscle pain and eye pain. The UK National Travel Health Network and Centre recommends that people who are pregnant or trying to becoming pregnant should reconsider travel to affected countries. It has also urged health professionals to consider Zika as a possible diagnosis in any patients with fever returning from South and Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, south and south-east Asia and the Pacific region. Public Health England (PHE) has said men in the UK should wear condoms for a month after returning from any of the countries affected by Zika. In guidance to health professionals, PHE said the risk of transmission of the virus through sex was very low but condoms should be used as a precaution. 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 }} A charity which delivers abortion medication by sea is taking its services to South America, where the Zika virus has rekindled the debate on stricy family planning laws in South American nations due to its link to brain damage in newborn babies. Thousands of women have caught the mosquito-borne virus across South America since late 2015, with the latest figures showing that 2,116 expectant mothers have been infected in Columbia alone. Meanwhile in the worst affected nation of Brazil, 3,700 cases of microcephaly where babies develop brain damage which can cause their heads to appear shrunken - are believed to have been caused by Zika. The World Health Organisation has warned that Zika may spread explosively in the region and that as many as 4million people in the Americas may be infected by the virus. A poorly understood condition, there is currently no cure or vaccine for Zika. Women have been urged to protect themselves from mosquito bites, and health officials in nations including El Salvador, Colombia and Ecuador have responded to the epidemic by advising against becoming pregnant in order to avoid the disease causing birth defects. However, many poorer women in the region cannot afford insect repellent to protect themselves and have highly limited access to family planning methods to prevent pregnancy. And the strict family planning and abortion laws in the predominantly Catholic region have raised questions about how women can realistically avoid pregnancy. What is Zika virus? The fear surrounding the virus is exacerbated by the fact that Zika manifests itself as a relatively harmless fever in some people, and causes no symptoms at all in four-fifths of cases meaning pregnant women can be unaware they are infected. Women must instead wait until they undergo an ultrasound to discover whether their baby has been affected by microcephaly. On top of this, Zika test kits wich cost around 150 - more than the monlthy minimum wage in Brazil - are unable to detect the virus past the first week of infection. Experts now fear that women may be forced to visit dangerous illegal abortionists to bypass their country's laws. Abortion is illegal in all circumstances in El Salvador, and is is only permitted in specific cases or in the early weeks of pregnancy in most other South American nations. Women on Waves has announced that it will provide free medical abortions to pregnant women with Zika. The charity has invited women who are less than 9 weeks pregnant to fill out online consulation to require the drugs. The service was founded in 1999. The team travels by boat to deliver contraceptives, information, training workshops and safe abortion services outside territorial waters in countries where abortion is illegal, accord to its website. Women on Waves is urging women in Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Guadeloupe, Paraguay, Venezuela, Argentina, Surinam, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Haiti, Dominican Republic to apply as soon as possible as shipment of the medical abortion can take up to 1-5 weeks. 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 The latest figures from 2008 show that around 4.4 million pregnancies were aborted in Latin America but that around 95 per cent were done in so-called back-street clinics, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a US-based non-profit organisation that promotes reproductive health rights. In light of the epidemic, womens rights organisations are urging abortion laws to be relaxed to allow women with Zika to undergo the procedure. The calls have so far only been met by the Colombian government. An appeal to the Supreme Court to liberalise abortion laws in Brazil by researchers, activists and lawyers who previously won a ruling to allow the procedure in cases of the anencephaly birth defect comes as politicians attempt to push through a bill banning abortion even in cases of rape. Recommended Read more How the Zika virus spread around the world Debora Diniz, a law professor leading the campaign told Reuters: We will soon have a generation of poor women whose destiny will be to look after extremely dependent children full-time." Rosa Hernandez, the El Salvador director of Catholics for Choice, told Broadly that the situation is absurd. "How are we going to prevent pregnancies of these girls... [if] there are no emergency contraceptive pills available at health units after someone is raped? "Abortion would be the solution but [it] is fully penalised... Asking only women not to become pregnant is irresponsible when all these factors exist." "What happens in a country where abortion is completely illegal?" Angelica Rivas of Acdatee, a Salvadoran nonprofit that advocates for decriminalisation of the procedure, asked AP. "What can be expected is an increase in the rates of illegal abortions, unsafe abortions and a mental health issue for women." Dinora Martinez, a 26-year-old Salvadoran woman who is not pregnant but has a 5-year-old son, told AP: "I can't say what I would do. It's illegal to abort they would throw me in jail." But she noted that there are clandestine clinics where her countrywomen can terminate a pregnancy: "If I did," she added, "I wouldn't tell anyone." Additional reporting by AP and Reuters YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. In 2016 the Government of the Republic of Armenia will carry out intensive work to ensure acceleration of the integration process for the Diaspora Armenians, including Syrian Armenians, who return to their homeland and over inserting mechanisms in that direction. As Armenpress reports the implementation of works on that direction are included among the priority projects of the government in the current year. According to the government, the Diaspora-Armenians continue to return to Armenia from different countries, so the development and implementation of various projects for the integration of Diaspora-Armenians in our country will provide favorable conditions for their self-expression. Taking into consideration the demands and needs of Diaspora-Armenians who returned to Armenia, it is planned to organize support , implement projects and events, including events for the solution of social, legal and educational problems, according to the legal acts adopted during the previous years. As a result various events, contributory for the educational and cultural integration of the Syrian-Armenians will be developed and implemented. The needed support will be provided for the organization of educational process, in particular, for the support of tuition reimbursement for Syrian-Armenian pupils and students. It is also expected to encourage the initiatives of Diaspora-Armenians, who moved to Armenia, to support the public associations of the Diaspora-Armenians, to provide assistance in solving the linguistic problems and to assist in the organization of at least 3 events by the organizations, which deal with the problems of Syrian-Armenians. 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 proposed merger between O2 and Three could push up mobile phone bills for users, according to Sharon White, head of communications watchdog Ofcom. Three is seeking to become the biggest mobile operator in the UK by acquiring rival O2, reducing the number of big players in the market down from four to three. White urged the European Commission to throw out the deal in a letter in the FT. Ofcom researched has shown that mobile bills are 10-20 per cent higher in countries that have three mobile operators instead of four. Austria's prices have gone up by between 15-30 per cent for customers that call and make texts since a deal there. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. "We are concerned that the smallest mobile network, Three proposes to become the biggest by acquiring its rival, O2. The combined group would control more than four in 10 mobile connections," White said. UK mobile companies generated 15 billion of revenue in 2015, partly because of strong competition, White argued. "This is not a broken market," she said. "Competition, not consolidation, has driven investment." European competition regulators opened a full inquiry into the deal in October. They have until March 16 to decide whether or not to block it. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} European and US negotiators are scrambling to meet todays deadline to reach a new data-sharing agreement that could save business millions in extra fees for privacy protection. The two sides have been working on the deal since last October, when the European Unions top court struck down the 15-year-old safe harbour pact between the US and EU allowing American companies to import the personal data of Europeans. Businesses warn that a lack of a deal could stall vital data flows in everything from banking to e-commerce. More than 4,500 firms signed up to safe harbour, which is essential for tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google to transfer data across the Atlantic. But European regulators were unsettled by the revelations of former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden on widespread data trawling by US intelligence services. The European Court of Justice ruling followed Mr Snowdens revelations. The EUs head negotiator, Giovanni Buttarelli, said he was confident that a political deal could be hammered out in time, but warned that a final deal with the appropriate legal basis could take months. If the negotiators succeed, the proposals will be sent to the EUs national data-protection regulators, who meet in Brussels tomorrow. The regulators could demand greater powers to monitor data access and handle complaints. Hopes of a deal were boosted last week when the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary voted on new rules that would give Europeans similar rights to Americans to sue in US courts over data-privacy breaches. The remaining stumbling block concerns transparency and oversight of data transfers and privacy protections. EU officials say the US has not yet provided enough information on the way it collects data for intelligence purposes. Robert Litt, counsel for the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, insisted on Friday that Washington had explained in great detail the legal framework concerning the national security services, including oversight. 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 }} Campaigners have said they will redouble their efforts to remove a statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes from an Oxford University college. They also issued a warning the campaign could spread to encompass the removal of tributes to other historical figures, arguing that murderous colonists and slave-holders belong in books and museums, not on the side of buildings. This requires the removal and rehousing of statues and portraits and the renaming of buildings, they added in a statement. Recommended Read more Cecil Rhodes statue will stay at Oxford despite student campaign They accused Oriel College of selling out and warned the university it was critical that it reckon with its past colonial history apologise for its links with the ideological violence of empire. The decision to carry on with the campaign emerged at a meeting of the Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford group in the wake of Oriel Colleges decision to retain the statue before a consultation over its future had been completed. 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 We are not backing down and we will be redoubling our efforts to take the struggle to the university as a whole, said Sarah Atayero, one of the campaign organisers. However, the group did not announce details of its future strategy other than to say it would be holding further assemblies to discuss the issue. It said it did not have and did not intend to draw up a list of other plaques and monuments that it felt should be removed. Rhodes was a student and member of Oriel College in the 1870s. He left money to the college on his death which has allowed scholarships to be made available to more than 8,000 overseas students. The college has distanced itself from his political beliefs described by opponents as apartheid-style and racist, saying: Rhodes was ... a 19th century colonialist whose values and world view stand in absolute contrast to the ethos of the scholarship programme today and to the values of a modern university. The plea from campaigners to pull the statue down met with a barrage of criticism from former Rhodes scholars - including, as The Independent revealed, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, himself a former Rhodes scholar. 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 }} Chef Benoit Violier, whose Swiss restaurant was named the best in the world in December, has been found dead at his home in an apparent suicide. Mr Violier, 44, ran the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier, near Lausanne, which earned three Michelin stars and came top of France's La Liste ranking of the world's top 1,000 restaurants. Swiss police said: "Late in the afternoon, police... went to Crissier where they discovered at his home the body of Mr Benoit Violier." The police said Mr Violier, who was born in France, appeared to have shot himself. An investigation into the death has been opened. Mr Violier had been due to attend the launch of the new Michelin guide in Paris on Monday, the Swiss news website 24 Heures reported. He had worked at the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville since 1996 and took it over with his wife Brigitte in 2012, after the retirement of his mentor Philippe Rochat. Known as a keen hunter, he was known for his signature game dishes and for using local, seasonal products. Several of Mr Violier's peers expressed their shock at his death. "My thoughts go out to Benoit Violier's family. Very sad news about an extremely talented chef," French Michelin-star chef Pierre Gagnaire tweeted. Jean Francois Piege, also French, tweeted: "An immense chef, an immense sadness, thoughts go out to his family and his team." The Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. 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 }} It would have rather odd if she had said anything else, but Bernie Sanders wife has insisted he can make it all the way to the White House. Jane Sanders said that throughout the Vermont senators career, people had been saying that he was unelectable. Indeed, many of Hillary Clintons supporters have said that while they like Mr Sanders, they believe the former secretary of state had more chance of becoming president. But speaking on CNN just hours before the Iowa caucuses were due to get underway, Ms Sanders said she believed the 74-year-old, who is running just three points behind Hillary Clinton, had proved his mettle. Ms Sanders has been a close advisor to her husband as he launched his campaign (AP) That's always been the rap on Bernie. Everybody always says, He can't win, said the former college president. He won the mayors race by ten points. If ten people had stayed home and bought the He's not electable angle, we wouldnt be here today. So every vote and every caucus member counts. Ms Sanders, who has campaigned alongside her husband as he had soared in Iowa, said that even after he was elected mayor of Burlington, Vermont, people still continued to question his ability to make it. Everything you need to know about the Iowa caucus They said he couldn't be a congressman. He lost his first election because the voters bought that. He lost by three percentage points, she said. When they woke up the next morning they said, Oh he could have been elected had we not just voted because we thought he couldn't be. The next time he won by 17 per cent. At a final campaign rally on Sunday night, Mr Sanders said that when he announced his candidacy in May 2015, he polled at just 11 points in Iowa. He currently stands at 45 - three points behind Ms Clinton. Ms Sanders said people had been energised to a level she had perhaps not anticipated. I think weve been very surprised at not the resonance of his ideas, but of the fervor of the support, she said For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump likes to tell anyone who will listen just how much he loves God and how important faith is to him. Yet, when he went to church over the weekend in Iowa, the Republican frontrunner made a slip that triggered some to question just how frequently he attends such services. At the nondenominational First Christian Church, in Council Bluffs, Mr Trump reportedly mistook the silver Communion plates that were passed around as the offering plates and dug out some dollar bills from his pocket. Mr Trump received the backing of Jerry Falwell Jr (AP) I thought it was for offering, he told his staff members, according to the Associated Press. He later placed some notes in the offering plate, or offertory. Mr Trump has been working hard to reach out and court the support of evangelical Christians as he makes his bid for the White House. Last month, he spoke at the the Christian Liberty University, only to fluff a bible reference. On Saturday, Mr Trump appeared with the president of the university, Jerry Falwell JR, whose late father was an influential preacher and Christian activist, at a campaign rally in Davenport. Mr Trump said that Mr Falwell, who has endorsed him for president, had helped him reach out to Christians and claimed that his position as Republican frontrunner on the eve of the caucuses had been secured by the support of evangelicals. On Saturday, Mr Trump also released a new video showing off the Trump family Bible, saying it is very special to me. In the video, Mr Trump holds up mothers bible to the camera, pointing to one of the early pages. In fact, its her writing, right here. She wrote the name and the address, and its just very special to me, he says. He ends by saying: And, again, I want to thank the evangelicals. I will never let you down, he said. Despite such appeals, and Mr Falwells endorsement, many have continued to question whether Mr Trumps purported embrace of religion is anything more than political convenience. Last summer, Mr Trump spoke about taking part in in communion, when he talked to CNN. When I drink my little wine - which is about the only wine I drink - and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed, he said. I think in terms of Lets go on and lets make it right. He also raised eyebrows among some evangelicals by declining to identify his favourite bible verse, saying that it was very personal to him. He subsequently said that he would choose Proverbs 24, telling the Christian Broadcasting Network: Proverbs 24 teaches that envy should be replaced with discernment. Wisdom builds and understanding establishes, whether it be a family, a house, or our community. 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 }} Donald Trump may admit to being a little nervous on the morning of his first test before an electorate. Yet he may take some satisfaction with the thousands of red 'Make America Great Again' hats he had been handing out to supporters - at a cost of$450,000, and most of them made by a company that is overwhelmingly Latino. Among the details in the end of year filings made by the the presidential candidates from both parties, is the revelation that Mr Trumps campaign spent $326,699.85 during the final quarter of 2015 with one just company to buy hats. The company that made most of the hats has an overwhelmingly Latino workforce (AP) The Politico website said Mr Trump spent a total of $450,000, or around seven per cent of his total fourth-quarter spending, went on hats. The filings also reveal that Jeb Bush paid $660,000 on payroll taxes for his large campaign organisation. Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton spent $7m on staffing in the last three months of 2015, and paid $3.7m on payroll taxes. Senator Bernie Sanders spent nearly $3m on campaign paraphernalia. The Los Angeles Times said that the company that made most of the hats, Carson-based Cali-Fame headwear company, is staffed largely by immigrants from Latin America. Brian Kennedy, the companys president, said that when the order asked his business to make the hats, he addressed his workers. I said to them, Were not political. Were here to work, said Mr Kennedy And I havent gotten any negative comments. Mr Trump told ABC that he was a little nervous heading into tonights Iowa caucuses. You have to be a little bit nervous but you have to want to win, he said. I just hope everybody is going to be able to get out and vote. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Chinese space programme has released a trove of some of the highest-resolution images of the Moon's surface ever taken. The images were taken by the Yutu lunar rover, more commonly known in the West as the 'Jade Rabbit', which touched down on the Moon on December 2013 as part of the Chang'e-3 Moon mission. The lander became the first to operate on the Moon since the Soviet Lunokhod 2 rover stopped operations in 1973, and now holds the record for the longest operational period ever spent by a lunar rover. Unlike Nasa or the European Space Agency, which release images and data from around the universe on a daily basis, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) is much more secretive, and releases of this size are uncommon. The CNSA's website is also fairly difficult to use (and is entirely in Chinese), so announcements and reports usually don't get too much attention. An image of the lander unit taken by the rover two days before its motor failed (Pic: Chinese Academy of Sciences/China National Space Administration/The Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration/Emily Lakdawalla) (Chinese Academy of Sciences/China National Space Administration/The Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration/Emily Lakdawalla)) Fortunately, the huge set of high-resolution, true-colour images were downloaded and re-hosted by Emily Lakdawalla on The Planetary Society's website. A rock formation captured by the rover which scientists later named 'Pyramid Rock' (Pic: Chinese Academy of Sciences/China National Space Administration/The Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration/Emily Lakdawalla) (Chinese Academy of Sciences/China National Space Administration/The Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration/Emily Lakdawalla) The images are some of the most detailed ever taken of the Moon, showing the rocky lunar surface, rover tracks and impressive rock formations. A photo Yutu took of its own shadow on 12 January 2014 (Pic: Chinese Academy of Sciences/China National Space Administration/The Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration) (Chinese Academy of Sciences/China National Space Administration/The Science and Application Center for Moon and Deepspace Exploration) Due to the cold lunar nights, which last around 14 days, the Jade Rabbit began to have difficulty moving by early 2014, and eventually was left totally motionless on the Moon's surface. Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427 more commonly known as WR 124 and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region Fortunately, the rover's instruments were still working, allowing it to record data and take these amazing pictures from a static position. The CNSA has already got more lunar missions in the pipeline, with the Chang'e-4 rocket set to send a probe to the far side of the Moon by 2020. Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The first licence in Britain to edit the genes of human IVF embryos should lead to a better understanding of the fundamental fertility problems suffered by thousands of couples trying to start a family, scientists have said. Approving the licence application by the Crick Institute in London would provide vital details of how genes work in human embryos less than six-days old, which could ultimately help to improve the chances of a successful pregnancy in women undergoing IVF treatment, the researchers said. Recommended Read more UK scientists get green light to genetically modify human embryos Scientists advising the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) also said that this knowledge could not come about without experiments on spare human IVF embryos donated for research. The embryos of laboratory mice have proven to be too different to shed much further light on the arcane genetics of early human development, they said. The HFEA announced that it has approved the extension of an existing research licence held by the Crick Institute that would for the first time in Britain allow the use of a gene-editing technique called Crispr-Cas9 to remove small segments of DNA in order to disable key genes suspected of being involved in the development of early human embryos. About 30 or 40 genetically-modified embryos are expected to be used in the study but none will be allowed to survive beyond five or six days well within the legal limit of 14 days and it will remain illegal for researchers to attempt to implant them into the womb. 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 However, some scientists believe the research could lead to calls for the creation of GM babies if germline genetic modification can be shown to have a proven medical benefit, such as the treatment of infertility. We will also learn about the use of the techniques in human embryos, how efficient and accurate they are, which will help inform the debate about whether germline treatments to make heritable changes would be practical and safe, said Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, an expert in mammalian reproduction at the Crick Institute. The minutes of the HFEAs scientific committee, which approved the licence application last week, were released on 1 February. They state that progress in this field using mouse embryos alone is hampered by the fact that they have proven to be too different to human embryos. The committee found that the use of human embryos is necessary because the proposed research aims to study the role of gene products in human embryos that are not present in mouse embryos at the same stage, the Minutes say. Professor Lovell-Badge said that Dr Niakins study with Crispr-Cas9 will address the role of specific genes in determining the development of the early human embryo in the first few days after fertilisation. (PA) Moreover, human embryonic development is significantly different to that of animal model species in a number of respects and, additionally, not all functions required for preimplantation development can be modelled in embryonic stem cells, they add. Kathy Niakin, who will lead the project at the Crick Institute, said that blocking the function of a set of key keys using Crispr-Cas9 in one-day-old embryos would help to understand why the IVF embryos of some women repeatedly fail to develop when transplanted in the womb. Although her HFEA licence application has now been approved, the Crick Institute still has to be given approval by the Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee before the study can proceed, which is likely to be later this year. Professor Lovell-Badge said that Dr Niakins study with Crispr-Cas9 will address the role of specific genes in determining the development of the early human embryo in the first few days after fertilisation. The assumption had been that what is true for the mouse will also be true for humans, but we now know through the work carried out by Kathy and others over the last few years that this is unlikely to be true; indeed there seem to be many differences, Professor Lovell-Badge said. The approval of her licence gives the exciting prospect that we will at last begin to understand how the different cell types are specified at these pre-implantation stages in the human embryo, he said. This fundamental knowledge may also have practical benefits in helping to improve success rates for IVF and for both the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy - in ways that will not depend on genome-editing methods, he added. Q&A: editing human embryos Q | What has been announced? A | The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which regulates fertility clinics and research, has granted a team of scientists investigating the causes of miscarriage permission to edit the genes of human embryos. Q | Why is this move so controversial? A | Until now, scientists in the UK have not been allowed to manipulate inherited germ line DNA in eggs, sperm and embryos. The new licence granted to scientists at the Francis Crick Institute in London marks a significant turning point. Critics say it is the start of a slippery slope that could eventually lead to the creation of designer babies. Q | What will the work entail? A | The team led by Dr Kathy Niakan will use a powerful new gene-editing technique called Crispr-Cas9 to make precise changes to the DNA in early-stage embryos. Q | Why is the research being carried out? A | It is part of a far-reaching investigation into what happens to an embryo in the first seven days after fertilisation, and the causes of miscarriage, which remain largely unknown. Q | Will the changed embryos develop into babies? A | No, there are strict boundaries to the research. The embryos, donated by couples undergoing IVF treatment who no longer need them, cannot under any circumstances be implanted into a womb. They can only be used for basic scientific research and legally must be destroyed after two weeks. Q | Is it the first time in the world that this has been allowed? A | No. Last year a group of Chinese scientists became the first to announce that they had genetically manipulated human IVF embryos for research. Q | What is Crispr-Cas9? A | An incredibly powerful new technology that makes it possible to cut and paste DNA with high precision. Using the system scientists can target specific sections of DNA, delete them, and if necessary, insert new genetic sequences. Q | How does Crispr-Cas9 work? A | In its most basic form, the Crispr-Cas9 tool kit consists of a small piece of RNA a genetic molecule closely related to DNA and an enzyme protein called Cas9. The RNA component is programmed to latch on to a specific DNA sequence. Then Cas9 slices through the strands of DNA, like a pair of molecular scissors. When DNA is cut in cells, repair systems kick in to try to fix the damage. This is exploited in more advanced Crispr systems which include additional DNA the cell can use to mend the break, thereby making it possible to rewrite the genetic code. 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 }} Scientists in the UK will be allowed to genetically modify human embryos for the first time in history, after they received a licence to go ahead with groundbreaking research into the early stages of human life. Permission has been granted to alter the DNA of embryos in the first seven days after fertilisation, and could provide clues in the short term as to what causes miscarriage in women. It remains illegal for the scientists to implant the altered embryos into women, but the decision represents a huge landmark in the use of revolutionary gene-editing technology known as Crispr-Cas9. The licence was granted by the UK's independent Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The committee added a caveat that no gene editing can take place until the research receives separate approval from an ethics panel, which could be achieved by March. Recommended Read more Gene editing technique named scientific breakthrough of the year The project is being led by Dr Kathy Niakan at the Francis Crick Institute in London, and colleagues said they were "delighted" her licence application had been approved. Much of Dr Niakan's application was dedicated to addressing the ethical issues surrounding the editing of human embryos. After the passing of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act in 2008, the UK has some of the strongest legislation in the world in this field. The research will see scientists cutting into the genetic code of embryos, isolating individual segments of DNA and assessing how they contribute to the early growth and behaviour of the embryos. An embryo only has around 250 cells at the seven-day point of development, and a high proportion are simply absorbed into the placenta. Understanding which genes dictate this could dramatically improve IVF success rates in future. Dr Kathy Niakan says her research will help explain the genes needed for a human embryo to develop successfully into a healthy baby The project will use surplus embryos from IVF treatment which would have been destroyed anyway, and women will be required to give specific consent for them to be used in this way. Crispr-Cas9 is an immensely powerful technique invented three years ago which allows DNA to be "cut and pasted" using molecular "scissors". It could lead to huge leaps forward in science and medicine but critics have warned that the pace of change is too fast. They fear misuse of such technology could lead to potentially dangerous treatments and "designer babies". The Independent's front page on the Crispr 'revolution' from 7 November 2013 One major concern is that making changes to embryonic DNA could have unknown harmful effects throughout an individual's body. There is also the risk of passing genetic "mistakes" on to future generations. But scientists hailed the decision on Monday as an "encouraging step" in the road to Crispr-Cas9 producing clinical results. Professor Peter Braude, an expert in obstetrics and gynaecology from King's College London, said: "I am delighted to hear that the HFEA have had the good sense to approve this important project. "Gene editing tools will allow fresh insights into the basic genetic mechanisms that control cell allocation in the early embryo. "These mechanisms are crucial in ensuring healthy normal development and implantation, and when they go wrong might result in failure to implant or miscarriage. I await results with interest." Bruce Whitelaw, professor of animal biotechnology at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, said: "This project, by increasing our understanding of how the early human embryo develops and grows, will add to the basic scientific knowledge needed for devising strategies to assist infertile couples and reduce the anguish of miscarriage. "More broadly, this approval is another example of the lead position UK scientists are taking in evaluating the exciting new genome editing technology - which ranges from advances in human reproduction, to controlling the spread of insect-borne diseases, to precision breeding in plant and livestock agriculture." Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world Show all 14 1 /14 Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 1. Bowhead whale genome, linked to cancer resistance, DNA damage repair and increased longevity, mapped by scientists In a UK-based study, scientists working together with scientists in Alaska, Denmark, Ireland, Spain and South Korea successfully mapped the genome of the bowhead whale - the longest-living mammal - identifying a number of genes that are linked to cancer resistance, DNA damage repair and increased longevity. PA Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 2. Researchers develop 'imaginary meal' pill An 'imaginary meal' pill called fexaramine has been developed by researchers at the Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory. Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 3. Scientists prolong lifespan of flies Scientists at the Institute of Cell Biology, in Switzerland, have successfully managed to prolong the lifespan of flies, activating a gene that destroys unhealthy cells. Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 4. Green tea can help cure oral cancer Green tea can help kill off cancerous cells, say researchers. Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 5. Mars once had a large ocean covering a large portion of its northern hemisphere Almost half of the northern hemisphere of Mars was once covered by a large ocean that held 20 million cubic kilometres of water: more than the Artic Ocean. Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 6. Offices playing natural sounds can boost worker moods and improve cognitive abilities Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute learned that offices which play natural sounds such as ocean waves, trees and bird calls can boost the moods of workers and improve their cognitive abilities, as well as providing privacy (by masking speech). Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 7. Impact glass may exist on Mars Brown University researchers found that spectral signals indicate the existence of impact glass on the surface of Mars, with specific deposits conserved in craters. Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 8. Fathers experience weight gain Fathers have been found to experience weight gain and a rise in their body mass index (BMI), according to a research conducted by Northwestern Universitys Feinberg School of Medicine. The study, which followed over 10,000 men throughout a 20 year period, also revealed that the men who didnt become fathers actually lost weight. Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 9. Scientists create intelligent mice that do not experience fear or anxiety Scientists participating in a joint University of Leeds and Mount Sinai Hospital study managed to alter a gene within mice; improving their intelligence and reducing their ability to feel anxious or fear. The discovery could prove instrumental in research into age-related cognitive decline, such as Alzheimers or schizophrenia. Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 10. Paralysed man walks again The brain-computer interface system will be improved by developing an implantable version, say experts A 26-year-old male who had suffered a spinal cord injury which had paralysed him from the waist down was given the ability to walk again by scientists, who rerouted brain waves to electrodes on his knees. The doctors responsible said that he was the first person with paraplegia caused by a spinal injury given the ability to walk without relying on manually controlled robotic limbs. Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 11. Virtual reality can revolutionise healthcare Cardiologists at the Institute of Cardiology in Poland have successfully used virtual reality to restore blood flow to a blocked artery, leading the way for it to revolutionise certain aspects of healthcare, in surgical procedures and during training. Using wearable virtual reality equipment, similar to that of Google Glass, developed specifically for the surgical procedure, doctor completed the difficult procedur Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 12. Puppies born by IVF in the US After years of failed attempts, scientists at Cornell University successfully bred the world's first puppies born through IVF, allowing for research into the conservation of endangered breeds and protection of those that are at risk of disease. Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 13. Cancer is caused by environmental factors Research into the causes of cancer concluded that, on the whole, it is due to environmental factors, not, as was previously thought, bad luck. Recent scientific discoveries that will change how you see the world 14. Fusion reactors could become economically viable Researchers at Durham University and the Oxfordshire Culham Centre for Fusion Energy have found fusion reactors could become economically viable ways of generating electricity in just a few decades, telling politicians and policy makers to begin the process of planning for their introduction and the replacement of nuclear power stations. Analysis by these researchers has found that the costs associated with fusion power shows its feasibility, when compared with traditional fission reactors, generating electricity at a similar price. And Dr Sarah Chan, chancellor's fellow at the Usher Institute for Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, said: "This is an encouraging step as it demonstrates that good science and effective ethical oversight can go hand in hand. "Dr Niakan's research into the biology of early human development is valuable both for scientific knowledge and the therapeutic applications it may eventually produce, for example in treating infertility and in stem cell therapies. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. All the MPs of the National Assembly must spare no efforts not to allow the next Human Rights Defender to become the marionette of the government or the opposition. Head of National Assembly Prosperous Armenia faction Naira Zohrabyan said this during the discussion over the election order of the Human Rights Defender. We must not create such conditions making someone justify his opinion or decision. The ombudsman must not become the marionette of the government or the opposition, Armenpress reports, Zohrabyan mentioned. She added that the intentions to make the ombudsman serve the interests of someone must be put aside. If we really want to have an established institute of Ombudsman, we must refrain from turning him into someone serving the interests of the government or the opposition. And if this or that opinion of the ombudsman is not favored by the government, he must not be declared a bad cadre with all its consequences, and if he refuses to work for the opposition, there should be no calls to burn him, the MP added. Naira Zohrabyan noted that a responsible election for the MPs is ahead, adding that no one has the right to be mistaken. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} One is an image of a child with meningococcal septicaemia and the other is a child with HenochSchonlein purpura. One is a condition that kills a child in matter of hours without emergency life-saving treatment and the other, with treatment, would likely recover. Can you spot the difference? This is a question being asked by doctors to highlight how lives could be "at risk from Jeremy Hunts suggestion that parents could save time by searching online to determine the severity of their childrens rash. 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. Dr Thom ONeill, a general paediatric doctor at a childrens hospital in Scotland, said the two images he shared on social media were straight from a Google image search. His tweet, highlighting the problematic nature of trying to identify the severity of a rash through an image, was similar to many tweets by other doctors over the weekend. At the hospital, a whole team of professionals will assess and investigate, and even with the support of blood tests and scans and a whole hospital of medical expertise and experience, we sometimes get it wrong, said Dr ONeill, who also blogs regularly on Youtube. Mr Hunts suggestion that a simple Internet search replaces that is ludicrous. Even more concerning is that he seems to suggest it instead of seeking medical attention, rather than complimenting it. There is every possibility that parents can be falsely reassured if taking Mr Hunts advice, leading to potentially tragedy. Junior doctors message to Jeremy Hunt The comments from the Health Secretary, which were published in the Daily Mail, have led to claims that Mr Hunt is encouraging parents to Google symptoms. Dr Hamed Khan, an emergency department doctor at St Georges hospital in London told the Independent the Health Secretarys comments could potentially put lives at risk. Dr Maureen Baker, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said to the Independent: "Health websites can be a really useful source for patients and parents, especially NHS Choices which is approved by clinicians and where there is reliable, assured information.It can help reassure parents but also might appropriately direct them to seek help from their GP. Jeremy Hunt says "If youre worried about a rash your child has, an online alternative where you look at photographs... Posted by George Reid on Sunday, 31 January 2016 "However 'Googling' symptoms may result in patients accessing poor quality sites that give misleading, superfluous or incorrect information. "Technology is not a substitute for the expertise and knowledge of a doctor and where parents are worried, especially when children are acutely unwell, they should seek advice from their GP. 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 Cameron has less than 24 hours to strike a deal with Brussels if he is to secure a reform package in time for an early EU referendum, after talks with the European Council president failed. The Prime Minister had hoped to finalise a draft renegotiation of Britain's EU membership over dinner on Sunday evening with Donald Tusk, so that it could be put to other leaders. But after less than two hours of discussions, Mr Tusk left Downing saying "intensive work" would be required over the next 24 hours if a draft agreement was to be published on Tuesday. Asked about the dinner by reporters, the former Polish President declared no deal. Mr Cameron said it was a good meeting on his Twitter account. Attempting to impress their guests, Downing Street laid on a dinner of smoked salmon followed by roast beef and apple and pear crumble for Mr Tusk and his advisers, according to reports in the Times. It was reported, however, that Mr Cameron had secured a crucial assurance that a proposed emergency brake a mechanism that could be put in place days after the referendum on welfare payment to EU workers could be triggered on the present level of immigration. PM: No deal yet It is Mr Camerons pledge to ban in-work benefits for EU migrants for four years that has been the most contentious point throughout the Prime Ministers renegotiation talks with European leaders. Eastern European countries who believe this unilateral ban will adversely affect their citizens have expressed the benefit change would be discriminatory and in breach of the freedom of movement principle. While Mr Cameron has not said explicitly how long such a brake would last, Downing Street sources said it would have to be for a meaningful length of time perhaps as long as seven years with re-assessments. Mr Tusk is expected to issue a report on 1 February setting out the broad legal basis of the proposals. However any final deal will have to win the approval of all 27 member states at a European Council meeting later this month. Ahead of the talks, Downing Street claimed: The Prime Minister intends to leave Mr Tusk in no doubt that he will not do a deal at any price, making clear he is not in a hurry and that its far more important to secure significant reforms. A crucial summit will go ahead in less than three weeks. 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 }} Former trustees of Kids Company have accused MPs behind a highly critical report of naively accepting criticisms made by people hostile to the charity. Alan Yentob, the charitys former chairman, will be accused of presiding over an extraordinary catalogue of failure and financial mismanagement that let down vulnerable children and ultimately led to the organisations collapse. In a damming report, Parliaments Public Administration Committee said Mr Yentob was negligent and suspended (his) critical faculties, by allowing Kids Companys charismatic chief executive, Camila Batmanghelidjh, to spend millions of pounds with little or no oversight. But in a robust statement, the former trustees of Kids Company including Mr Yentob accused MPs of having naively accepted allegations made in the media and by a small number of individuals, some with vested interests in damaging Kids Company and its much-praised model of loving care and practical support at the expense of the evidence of expert witnesses. It is a regrettable feature of British democracy that the committee can use the curtain of parliamentary privilege to produce what is an irresponsible report, immune from the defamation claims that would inevitably follow without this privilege, they said. Mr Yentob and the other trustees described the report as inaccurate, unbalanced and irresponsible. The report also castigated politicians from the Prime Minister down for being captivated by Ms Batmanghelidjh and authorising multi-million pound grants to the charity outside the usual decision-making process. This, it added, was done on the basis of little more than their relationship with a charismatic leader, small-scale studies and anecdotes. The committee also concluded that Kids Company helped just a fraction of the children it claimed to be working with in some cases counting a whole class of children as clients if they benefited from work with just one individual. It added that while Kids Company said it was working with 18,000 children, only 1,900 youngsters were passed onto Southwark Council when the organisation closed last August. The charity, it said, misused funds to pay for luxury items for clients that diverted money from other projects. An audit of the charitys books found purchases of 305 designer shoes, John Lewis throws which cost 80 each and four items of mens outerwear costing 149, 105, 85 and 70. The committee said such spending was inappropriate, unwise and irresponsible. The committee reserved particular criticism for the Cabinet Office Minister, Oliver Letwin, who, it said, failed to provide a convincing justification for ignoring the comprehensive advice of senior civil servants and hand over 3m to Kids Company just before it collapsed. The committee said this was a dereliction of his duty in handling taxpayer money. Bernard Jenkin, the Conservative chair of the Administration Committee, said they had heard evidence of what could only be described as an extraordinary catalogue of failures. Mr Letwin said the Government would pay careful attention to the reports findings and would be reviewing our grant-giving process. He did not address the personal criticism directed at him. 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 law student is demanding a lifetime supply of KitKats after she bought a pack of the chocolate bars without any wafer. Saima Ahmad, 20, a second-year law student at Kings College, London, is demanding Nestle compensate her with a lifetime supply of KitKats, or face her taking legal action. Ms Ahmad wrote a letter to the manufacturer claiming "monetary and emotional" loss, quoting case law from the 1930s to back up her arguments. She bought a multipack of eight KitKats from her local supermarket for 2 last month, but was disappointed when she bit into a solid bar of chocolate, ITV News reports. "Clearly, if I wanted to purchase a confectionery item that is purely chocolate, I would have purchased a bar of Galaxy," she said. "I wouldn't rule out taking this further if Nestle do not apologise or compensate me adequately." However, she admitted she is "trying her luck," adding "if you don't ask you don't get". An extract of her letter to Nestle reads: "The truth of the matter is; manufacturers owe a duty of care to consumers. "The specific duty you owe in consistency in your manufacturing process. The failure to take due care in the manufacturing process resulted in a product being defective. "As a result I feel as though I have been misled to part with my money and purchase a product that is clearly different from what has been marketed by Nestle. "The loss I have suffered is of monetary and emotional significance." Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The pay gap faced by black workers widens the more qualifications they obtain, according to research revealing the challenges faced by ethnic minority Britons pursuing professional careers. Black graduates leaving university earn an average of 23 per cent less than their white counterparts, the new analysis shows. Campaigners say the TUC research gives the lie to claims that working hard and getting educated in modern Britain leads to success regardless of ethnicity. David Cameron has launched a new drive to combat discriminatory attitudes in UK institutions, saying that the under-representation of black people in universities, businesses and the military should shame our country and jolt us to action. Recommended Read more Pay gap widening for black workers and urgent action is required There are no black generals in our Armed Forces and just 4 per cent of chief executives in the FTSE 100 are from ethnic minorities, the Prime Minister said. 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 23 per cent chasm revealed between the earnings of black and white graduates represents a difference of 4.30 an hour. The pay gap is 14.3 per cent for those with A-levels or 1.65 an hour and 11.4 per cent for GCSE-qualified workers (1.18 an hour). For unqualified workers, who are more likely to be in jobs at or close to the minimum wage, the figures for black and white workers are virtually equal. Malia Bouattia, black students officer at the National Union of Students, said: It starts the second a black child enters the education system where you see an attainment gap, a lack of diversity amongst teaching staff. You are entering a space that rejects you in many ways and then it sends you into a workspace where you hardly find anyone in positions of leadership who really looks like you. She is preparing for a day of action against racism on the workplace on 10 February. If youre white you hit the ground running, you have the skills and know how to do a job as it should be done. If youre black you are disadvantaged in every respect, she added. When all ethnic minority workers (not just black) are included in the pay comparison there is still a gap of 10.3 per cent for graduates but it is wider (17 per cent) at A-level. The figures chime with research last year by the recruitment consultancy Green Park Group, which found that the number of all-white boards in the FTSE 100 actually increased to 62 in 2015, from 61 the previous year. The recruiter also found an alarming decline amongst its pipeline top-100 leaders, with the index losing the equivalent of nearly 40 non-white leaders in 12 months. The TUC is calling on the Government urgently to develop a race equality strategy as a matter of political priority, with clear targets and adequate resourcing. The TUCs general secretary Frances OGrady said: These are very worrying findings. Black and Asian people face a massive pay gap, even if they have a degree. This is not about education, but about the systemic disadvantages ethnic minority workers face in the UK. Omar Khan, director of the the Runnymede Trust, said: This suggests that education alone will do little to address racial inequalities, and the need for interventions that directly challenge racial inequalities in the workplace. Helen Barnard, head of analysis at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said that while 25 per cent of graduates are over-qualified for their jobs, the figure rises to 40 per cent for black graduates: Government action to tackle the discrimination faced by people from ethnic minority backgrounds in education and in the workplace is vital. We also need to see action from educators and employers to provide high-quality career advice, in-work training and genuine opportunity for progression. Amir Kabel, head of diversity for Green Park Group, criticised ingrained attitudes that act to discriminate against minority candidates. They are often not seen as leaders. When someone is really fighting hard, working long hours, being competitive, this is often seen as a negative rather than as a positive. The same goes for women. There is a systemic bias which often leads to minority candidates dropping out and going to work for smaller organisations. The TUC said it drew its figures from an analysis of the Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey. In it, British, Asian and minority ethnic (Bame) workers include all who did not identify themselves as white. Black workers are a smaller subset of the Bame group, including those who identified themselves as Black, African, Caribbean, or Black British. As part of Mr Camerons new drive against discrimination, universities have been summoned to a meeting with the Business Secretary Sajid Javid to discuss the plan to force them to publish detailed breakdowns of application success rates by race as well as course, gender and socio-economic background. 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 }} Police are investigating bomb threats made to at least six schools in the West Midlands, following a similar wave of threats last week. West Midlands Police say the calls, made to schools and colleges after 8am, are "false and malicious". Recommended Read more Glasgow schools searched by police after bomb threats Police have been sent to the schools to ensure there is no threat. Schools across London, Cornwall and the West Midlands were also evacuated last week after they received bomb threats, causing thousands of pupils to be evacuated. Police later confirmed the threats were hoaxes. The affected schools include: Shireland Collegiate Academy, Waterloo Road, Smethwick Bristnall Hall Academy, Bristnall Hall Lane, Oldbury Perryfields High School, Oldacre Road, Brandhall Edgbaston High School for girls, Westbourne Road, Edgbaston Hall Green Secondary School, Southam Road, Hall Green Oldbury Academy, Pound Road, Oldbury Detective Inspector Colin Mattinson, from West Midlands Police, said: This morning we have reports of a further six bomb threats, following similar threats made to several schools last week. At this stage there is nothing to suggest there is any credible threat to any of the schools. Our response officers have been sent to the locations to ensure there is no threat to anyones safety and support the schools. A police investigation is on-going to find the person responsible for these calls." A group using the Twitter handle @Ev4cuati0nSquad claimed responsibility for last week's threats, and others made at a similar time in Paris. Before the account was suspended, it was taking "requests" to cause evacuations at schools, offices, courts and sporting events across the world. It is unclear whether the group are involved in the latest round of bomb threats. 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 British mother has been sentenced to six years in jail after being found guilty of taking her toddler to join Isis in Syria. Tareena Shakil, 26, is thought to be the first British woman convicted of terrorism offences after returning from Syria. She was also found guilty of encouraging acts of terror on social media. A deleted picture on Shakil's phone showing her with an AK 47 (PA) Shakil travelled to Raqqa, Syria, in October 2014, before fleeing in January 2015. She denied the terrorism charges and said she just wanted to live under Sharia. Sentencing her at Birmingham Crown Court, Mr Justice Inman said she had told "lie after lie" to police and knew her son would be used as an Isis fighter. There would be "an element of deterrence" in his sentence, he added, to discourage others from joining terrorist organisations. Giving evidence during the trial, Dr Florence Gaub - a senior analyst for the European Union Institute for Security Studies - said 60 British women are thought to have gone to Syria, making up around 10 per cent of women from Europe, North America and Australia who have joined the 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 }} A meningitis charity has condemned Jeremy Hunt for making a serious error of judgement, amid growing backlash over his advice to parents who suspect their children of having a rash. Meningitis Now, a charity formed in 1986 to fight the life-threatening disease, said that the Health Secretarys suggestion that parents could save time by searching online to determine the severity of their childs rash should be ignored. The intervention by the leading charity comes as doctors condemned Mr Hunts comments as ludicrous and potentially fatal advice. Medical professionals have also started sharing images of different skin rashes one of a child with meningococcal septicaemia and another with Henoch-Schonlein purpura asking whether members of the public can spot the difference. He also came under fire from the British Association of Dermatologists, who said, as there are more than 2000 different skin diseases it is not reasonable to expect parents, under pressure with a sick child, to be able to determine the severity of the condition. Mr Hunt said at the weekend: 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 CEO of Meningitis Now Sue Davie said that her organisation were deeply concerned by the Health Secretarys and added that it is absolutely critical that medical help is sought as a matter of urgency when people suspect a rash to be meningitis. She added: To suggest that people look for an online diagnosis for a rash, rather than seek medical help, could have serious consequences for anyone who has contracted meningitis. We know that swift action saves lives and significantly improves the outcome for people who have the disease. To advise people to delay seeking medical advice when they see a rash in favour of comparing their rash with online images is a serious error of judgement by the Health Secretary and advice that should simply be ignored." We know that a meningitis rash could appear at any time and importantly that it can be one of the last signs and symptoms to appear. It is therefore absolutely critical that medical help is sought as a matter of urgency when people suspect meningitisThe timing of Mr Hunts advice is a further cause for concern as we are in the peak season for meningitis in the UK. Dr Hamed Khan, an emergency department doctor at St Georges hospital in London told the Independent at the weekend that the Health Secretarys comments could potentially put lives at risk. Dr Khan said: I see lots of children with rashes. I am worried that parents will take the Health Secretary's advice, and potentially miss very serious illnesses like meningitis which could have fatal consequences. The Health Secretary should publicly retract this statement, and accept that it was a grave error of judgement. Writing for the Independent Amrita Jesurasa, a former paediatric doctor and now a public health specialist, said: For Jeremy Hunt, our own Secretary of State for Health, to put childrens lives at risk with a throwaway comment suggesting parents should search the internet for images to diagnose their own childs rash before seeking medical care is beyond reckless. Mr Hunts comments were originally published in the Daily Mail and were made during a meeting with the family of William Mead the one-year-old who died in December 2014, after GPs, out of hours services and a 111 call handler failed to spot he had sepsis caused by an underlying chest infection and pneumonia. The health secretary publicly apologised to the family earlier this week on behalf of the government and the NHS. 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 controversial pick up artist who believes rape should be legalised on private property has organised events in eight UK cities so like-minded men can meet up. The anti-feminist blogger Daryush Valizadeh, who goes by the name Roosh V, shares tips on how to pick-up' women on his website such as stop asking for permission and in his self-published books, which give advice on how to have more sex with women in different countries. Some of his titles include Bang: The Pickup Bible That Helps You Get More Lays and Bang Iceland, a travel guide designed to help you sleep with Icelandic women in Iceland without paying for it. According to his website, the international meet-ups are scheduled to take place on February 6 in 43 countries. The eight UK cities listed include: Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, Shrewsbury London which has two events listed. It adds that hosts have been designated to attend each of the location points. Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Show all 19 1 /19 Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Afghanistan Recommendation: I urge the Government of Afghanistan to adopt legislative reforms to ensure that sexual violence offences are not conflated with adultery or morality crimes and to establish infrastructure for the delivery of protection, health and le gal services to survivors. I call on the Ministry of the Interior to accelerate efforts to integrate women into the Afghan National Police, thereby enhancing its outreach and its capacity to address sexual and gender-based violence Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Central African Republic Recommendation: I urge the authorities of the Central African Republic to ensure that efforts to restore security and the rule of law take into account the prevention of sexual violence and that monitoring of the ceasefire and peace agreement explicitly reflects this consideration, in line with the joint communique of the Government and the United Nations on the prevention of and response to conflict-related sexual violence signed in December 2012. I further encourage the authorities to make the rapid response unit to combat sexual violence operational and to establish a special criminal court Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Colombia Recommendation: I commend the Government of Colombia for the progress made to date and its collaboration with the United Nations, including through the visit of my Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict in March 2015. I encourage the authorities to implement Law 1719 and continue to prosecute cases of sexual violence committed during the conflict to ensure that survivors receive justice and receive reparations. Conflict-related sexual violence should continue to be addressed in the Havana peace talks, as well as in the resulting accords and transitional justice mechanisms. Particular attention should be paid to groups that face additional barriers to justice such as ethnic minorities, women in rural areas, children, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals and women abused within the ranks of armed groups. I encourage the Government to scale up its protection measures and share its good practices with other conflict-affected countries Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Congo Recommendation: I urge the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to ensure full implementation of the armed forces action plan against sexual violence, to systematically bring perpetrators to justice and to deliver reparations to victims, including payment of outstanding compensation awards. I call on donors and the United Nations system to support the Government in its efforts and to pay increased attention to neglected areas, including unregulated mining regions Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Iraq Recommendation: I commend the Government of Iraq for its national action plan for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) and urge its swift implementation, including by training its security forces to ensur e respect for womens rights. Programmes to support the social reintegration of women and girls released from captivity by ISIL are urgently needed, as is community-based medical and psychological care. The capacity of the United Nations system should be enhanced through the deployment of Womens Protection Advisers or equivalent specialists Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Libya Recommendation: I urge the national authorities in Libya to implement Decree No. 119 and Resolution 904 of 2014 to ensure redress for all victims, including those affected by the current conflict, through the establishment of multisectoral services and the adoption of legislation to categorically prohibit sexual violence Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Mali Recommendation: I urge the Government of Mali, with support from United Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, to develop a comprehensive national strategy to combat sexual and gender-based violence and to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers so that services can reach remote areas. I further call on all parties to ensure that conflict-related sexual violence is addressed in the inter-Malian dialogue and that perpetrators of sexual violence do not benefit from amnesty or early release Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Myanmar Recommendation: I urge the Government of Myanmar to continue with its reform agenda and, in the process, take practical and timely actions to protect and support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and to ensure that security personnel accused of such crimes are prosecuted. Sexual violence should be an element in all ceasefire and peace negotiations, excluded from the scope of amnesty provisions and addressed in transitional justice processes. It is critical that women be able to participate consistently in and influence these processes Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Somalia Recommendation: I reiterate my call to the Federal Government of Somalia to implement the commitments made under the joint communique of 7 May 2013 and its national action plan to combat sexual violence in conflict, including specific plans for the army and the police. I encourage the adoption of a sexual offences bill as a matter of priority Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life South Sudan Recommendation: I urge the parties to the conflict in South Sudan to adopt action plans to implement the commitments made under their respective communiques. I call upon the Government of South Sudan to address the negative impact of customary law on womens rights and to reflect international human rights standards in national law. I also encourage the African Union to make public and act upon the report of its Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Sudan (Darfur) Recommendation: I call upon the Government of the Sudan to grant the United Nations and its humanitarian partners unfettered access for monitoring and the provision of assistance to people in need in Darfur. Given that there has been grave concern over sexual violence in Darfur for more than a decade, I encourage the Government to engage with my Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict to develop a framework of cooperation to address the issue comprehensively Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Syria Recommendation: I acknowledge the Governments invitation to my Special Representative to visit the Syrian Arab Republic and call upon the authorities, in the context of such a visit, to agree on specific measures to prevent sexual violence, including by members of the security forces. I condemn the use of sexual violence by ISIL and all other parties listed in the annex to the present report and call on them to cease such violations immediately and allow unfettered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Yemen Recommendation: I urge the authorities in Yemen to undertake legislative reform as a basis for addressing impunity for sexual violence, ensuring the provision of services for survivors and aligning the minimum legal age of marriage with international standards. I further call on the authorities to engage with local community and faithbased leaders to address sexual and gender-based violence and discriminatory social norms Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Bosnia and Herzegovina Recommendation: I urge the relevant authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to harmonize legislation and policies so that the rights of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence to reparations are consistently recognized and to allocate a specific budget for this purpose. I further call upon the authorities to protect and support survivors participating in judicial proceedings through, inter alia, referrals to free legal aid, psychosocial and health services, as well as economic empowerment programmes Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Ivory Coast Recommendation: I urge the Government of Cote dIvoire to ensure the effective implementation of its national strategy to combat gender-based violence and the action plan for FRCI, and call on the international community to support these efforts. It is critical to accelerate disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and strengthen law enforcement to ensure that ex-combatants who have been reintegrated into the transport sector do not pose a risk to women and girls who are reliant on those services. The Government and the international community must provide monitoring and awareness-raising to mitigate the possibility of a recurrence of sexual violence in the context of the presidential elections to be held in October 2015 Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Liberia Recommendation: I call on the Government of Liberia to continue its critical efforts to combat sexual and gender-based violence including through the United Nations-Government of Liberia Joint Programme, and in the context of recovery from the Ebola virus epidemic Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Nepal Recommendation: I encourage the Government to ensure that survivors of conflict-related sexual violence are recognized under the law as conflict victims, which will enable them to access services, judicial remedies and reparations. I further call on all parties involved in the transitional justice process to ensure that the rights and needs o f survivors of sexual violence are addressed in institutional reforms and that these crimes are excluded from amnesties and statutes of limitations Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Sri Lanka Recommendation: I call upon the newly elected Government of Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of sexual violence, including against national armed and security forces, and to provide multisectoral services for survivors, including reparations and economic empowerment programmes for women at risk, including war widows and female heads of household Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life Nigeria Recommendation: I encourage the Government to implement its national action plan on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) to ensure that womens protection concerns are mainstreamed throughout its security operations. I also call upon the authorities to guarantee security in and around internally displaced persons camps and to extend medical and psychosocial services to high-risk areas It is reported that Mr Valizadeh will attend an event in Australia after posting a tweet with his flight details. One of Valizadehs blog posts in February 2015 was widely condemned for advocating legalising rape in order to force women to take responsibility for their security and events that are easily preventable. The post, entitled How to stop rape, said some women would claim they were assaulted the day after having sex just because they felt awkward, sad, or guilty after a sexual encounter they didnt fully remember. It also claimed women should be made responsible for ensuring they were not raped, instead of teaching men not to rape. I propose that we make the violent taking of a woman not punishable by law when done off public grounds, he wrote. 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 }} Borders between countries will become "irrelevant" by the end of the century, the shadow chancellor has suggested. John McDonnell said it is inevitable that there will eventually be open borders, warning that people are already "ignoring" boundaries that currently exist. Meanwhile, Mr McDonnell also said the UK should be doing more to help the millions of migrants arriving in the European Union. The Labour frontbencher delivered a speech in 2013 in which he suggested borders could become a thing of the past. Appearing on the BBC's Sunday Politics programme, Mr McDonnell was asked to elaborate on that suggestion. "Inevitably in this century we will have open borders," he said. "We are seeing it in Europe already. The movement of peoples across the globe will mean that borders are almost going to become irrelevant by the end of this century so we should be preparing for that and explaining why people move." 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. Mr McDonnell stressed the need to deal with the causes of mass migration: Poverty, conflict and climate change. "In that way we can deal with the reality of the world which means that people aren't forced to move but there will be movement," he said. When asked whether he believes there will one day be totally open borders with no controls, he said: "I think at the end of this century that's what will occur. "We are seeing people ignoring borders already as they fly from Syria." Current estimates suggest close to 4 million migrants will arrive in the EU between 2015 and 2017. Mr McDonnell was asked if the UK should take its fair share of those people. "I think we should," he said. "I think we should cooperate with others and carry the burden because we are seeing, as in the refugee crisis, the majority of Britons want us to rise to that and ensure that we assist others and that others aren't suffering and that we don't stand on one side while people suffer." Mr McDonnell was unable to say how many people he would like to see the UK help. He also suggested the UK should be a part of the EU's refugee quota scheme. "I think we should be doing more in terms of assisting the refugees coming in through Syria," he said PA YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and Georgia will continue cooperation on maintaining peace in the region, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan informed during the press conference following the meeting of Defense ministers of Armenia and Georgia. On the basis of bilateral meeting and negotiations with Georgian Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli lied Armenian-Georgian age-old friendship, neighborhood and the sectors that provide the Armenian-Georgian relations, culture, tourism, etc. We also referred to the bilateral defense relations and highlighted reference to the issues on safety and confidence within the limits of formation of atmosphere on mutual trust, Armenian Defense Minister said, Armenpress reports. Joint work of Armenian and Georgian soldiers in Afghanistan for the common peace and stability is a good example of cooperative works. Although we see ourselves in different military groups, however, I am here to discuss peace in the South Caucasus, first of all. It is the main point that unites us and our overall cooperation is leaded in this direction, Georgian Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli said. Georgian Defense Minister mentioned that Georgia continues to remain on Armenias side so that the 2 parties will secure the general welfare and peace if it is necessary. 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 }} Downing Street has complained to the press regulator about news articles reporting that David Cameron might send his son to a private school. A complaint was made to the Independent Press Standards Organisation by officials at Number 10 following a flurry of media interest in the politically-charged decision. A report that Mr Cameron might send his nine-year-old son Elwen to Colet Court, widely regarded as a feeder school to Eton, originally appeared in the Mail on Sunday newspaper this weekend. The paper reported that the 18,000 a year school was being eyed by the Prime Minister despite previous comments that spending a lot of money on private schools was crazy. The news story was subsequently followed up by a variety of news outlets, including the Independent. Downing Street officials said it was concerned about further coverage of the issue and the privacy implications for the PM's children. Ipsos code of conduct says editors must not use the fame or position of a parent as justification for publishing details of a childs private life. Mr Cameron has however previously publicly discussed his school choice, including his daughters admission to a high-ranking state school. 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 Other politicians choices of school for their parents have been seen as political statements and acts of significance. It was widely reported earlier this year that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had a disagreement with his ex-wife about whether to send their son to a local selective grammar school. Mr Corbyn is against selective education and is said to have been against using the grammar school on principle. The pair later separated, though Mr Corbyn has declined to confirm whether this was the main reason for their separation. Conversely, Labour MP Diane Abbott was subject to press, public, and party criticism after she decided to send her child to a private school despite herself describing the decision as indefensible and intellectually incoherent. Ipso told the Independent its policy on disclosure and confidentiality meant that it does not comment on whether individuals have made complaints. The Independent was unable to obtain comment from Downing Street on this story. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The junior doctors strike planned for 10 February will go ahead after talks between medics and managers failed to reach agreement, the British Medical Association has said. The BMA said in a statement that the strike was going ahead despite the best efforts of our negotiating team, and hours of talks facilitated by Acas. The 24-hour walk-out will however leave emergency care in place despite initial plans for a full strike. Recommended Read more Junior doctors could be unilaterally forced to accept new contract Doctors walked out early in January as the first part of a rolling programme of strikes. The BMA however cancelled a second planned strike due to start on 26 January after apparent progress in negotiations. A strike was also cancelled at the last minute in December last year. The decision to exclude emergency care from the strike action next week comes after polling showing very high public support for junior doctors striking as long as emergency care was not included. Junior doctors to strike Doctors overwhelmingly voted to take action late last year by 98 per cent on a turnout of over 70 per cent. They have warned that a new contract for junior doctors will put patient safety at risk by incentivising unsafe working patterns and could see pay cuts for doctors who work the longest hours. The Government says the new contract is necessary to improve NHS services on weekends and that studies show hospitals are less effective during those hours. In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 20,000 Junior Doctors marched through central London in protest at the new contract changes the government is trying to impose which they say will be unfair and unsafe In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors protest in London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK 4 year old Cassius takes part in a demonstration in Westminster, in support of junior doctors over changes to NHS contracts, London In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Protest over proposed changes to junior doctors' contracts, Leeds In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors and NHS staff protesting against the health service cuts and the proposed contract changes offered by the government outside Parliament In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Over 5000 junior doctors rallied in Waterloo place, before marching through Whitehall and onto Parliament Square, in opposition to Jeremy Hunt's new working conditions for doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Demonstrators listen to speeches in Waterloo Place during the 'Let's Save the NHS' rally and protest march by junior doctors In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK Junior doctors marched in London to highlight their plight In pictures: Junior doctors protests in UK A protester at a demonstration in support of junior doctors in London The British Medical Journal has however accused the Government of misusing academic studies it published to justify their political goals. Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, has said that strike action could endanger patients. Doctors have however pointed to previous academic evidence that strike action has had no effect on mortality rates. David Cameron has previously warned in an interview that junior doctors could be unilaterally forced to accept the new contract if an agreement is not reached voluntarily. Dr Johann Malawana, chairman of the BMAs junior doctor committee, said: The Governments position based on ideology rather than reason risks souring relations with an entire generation of junior doctors, the very doctors who the Secretary of State has acknowledged as the backbone of the NHS. A Downing Street spokesman said: Weve made good progress in a number of areas. Its regrettable the BMA has decided to proceed with further unnecessary industrial action. We will continue to stay at the table, stay talking. A spokesman for the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service said: Were ready to help if the sides involved in the junior doctors dispute wish to use our services again. 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 }} Some of the worlds leading economists have launched a scathing attack on David Camerons response to the refugee crisis, urging Britain to welcome more people fleeing the Middle East. In an open letter to the Prime Minister, 123 economic experts who have worked in the UK argue that current government policy is morally unacceptable and economically damaging in the long term. The signatories, who include former diplomats and Whitehall officials as well as academics, write: We believe that the UKs response to the refugee crisis is seriously inadequate. The costs in human wellbeing of the refugee crisis ... are so extremely high that it is morally unacceptable for the UK not to play a fuller part in taking in refugees. The UKs current offer of 20,000 resettlement places spread over five years, only open to those still outside the EU, and to Syrians, is too low, too slow and too narrow. Among those to put their name to the letter is the former chief economist at the Cabinet Office Jonathan Portes. He said: Integrating refugees into our society and labour market will be, as it has been in the past, challenging. But we have done it before with enormous benefits, both economic and social, to the UK and there is absolutely no reason we cannot do it again. Pointing out the economic benefits to Britain brought by Asian Ugandans expelled by Idi Amin in the 1960s, he said: The UK has historically been good at absorbing refugees into British culture and society, and not just looking back to the Huguenots, Jews and East African Asians. Only last week, new statistics showed that children in London who dont have English as a first language were outperforming the national average at GCSEs. Immigrants and refugees who come here want to integrate and want to contribute if we give them the opportunity. Another of the signatories, Lord Malloch-Brown, former Deputy Secretary-General at the United Nations, said: The refugee crisis is a challenge not just to life but to Europes values and responsibilities, its respect for international law and its standing in the world. The lasting damage to its international authority if it betrays its responsibilities shouldnt be underestimated. The economists argue that current government policy which is for Britain to take 20,000 Syrians by 2020, plus an uncertain number of unaccompanied child refugees is based on the misguided premise that refugees will be deterred from travelling to the EU by a refusal to take in those who have arrived and by refusing to offer safe or legal routes by which to come. And they claim ministers misunderstand the intolerable push factors forcing people out of countries where they are persecuted. In October last year, more than 350 judges and lawyers wrote to the Prime Minister calling for the UK to adhere to four refugee principles. At the start of January this year, a second letter making similar demands was signed by 27 non-governmental organisations including Oxfam and Amnesty International. The four principles are: the UK should take a fair and proportionate share of refugees, safe routes to the UK should be established, safe routes within the EU should be established and there should be fair procedures to determine eligibility for international protection of refugees. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The attack in the village of Dalori began when three female suicide bombers detonated their explosive belts in the name of Boko Haram. Four hours later, after the jihadists had firebombed houses with local people locked inside, 86 men, women and children were dead. They came in through the bush, some of them riding on motorcycles and some in cars, a resident of Dalori, in Nigerias violent north east, told Channels Television. Recommended Read more Jihadists burn many children to death in brutal attack on village People ran helter skelter for safety. Some crossed the river behind our village and we made distress calls to the soldiers but no help came. They started shooting and burnt the town. They even beheaded some of us and set the elderly, who could not escape, on fire, Boko Haram, the band of Islamists that has sworn loyalty to Isis and which wants to extend its writ across West Africa, is a group that President Muhammadu Buhari has previously said he has beaten. Its continued presence is an embarrassment for the retired army general. To make matters worse, as news of the attack filtered through, his government had been forced to go cap in hand to the World Bank and African Development Bank, asking for $3.5bn in loans as the fall in the price of oil has caused the Nigerian economy to falter. Last weekend was probably Mr Buharis worst since winning the election 11 months ago and it capped an uncomfortable time in office. The rise of Boko Haram Show all 20 1 /20 The rise of Boko Haram The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram The leader of the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau delivers a message. Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the mass killings in the north-east Nigerian town of Baga in a video where he warned the massacre was just the tip of the iceberg. As many as 2,000 civilians were killed and 3,700 homes and business were destroyed in the 3 January 2015 attack on the town near Nigeria's border with Cameroon AFP The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram People displaced as a result of Boko Haram attacks in the northeast region of Nigeria, are seen near their tents at a faith-based camp for internally displaced people (IDP) in Yola, Adamawa State. Boko Haram says it is building an Islamic state that will revive the glory days of northern Nigeria's medieval Muslim empires, but for those in its territory life is a litany of killings, kidnappings, hunger and economic collapse The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Nitsch Eberhard Robert, a German citizen abducted and held hostage by suspected Boko Haram militants, is seen as he arrives at the Yaounde Nsimalen International airport after his release in Yaounde, Cameroon on 21 January 2015 The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Officials of the Nigerian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) visit victims of a bomb blast in Gombe at the Specialist Hospital in Gombe. According to local reports at least six people were killed and 11 wounded after a bomb blast in a marketplace in Nigeria's northeastern state of Gombe on 16 January 2015. Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been blamed for a string of recent attacks in the North East of Nigeria The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram People gather at the site of a bomb explosion in a area know to be targeted by the militant group Boko Haram in Kano on 28 November 2014 The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram People gather to look at a burnt vehicle following a bomb explosion that rocked the busiest roundabout near the crowded Market in Maiduguri, Borno State on 1 July 2014. A truck exploded in a huge fireball killing at least 15 people in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the city repeatedly hit by Boko Haram Islamists The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram President Goodluck Jonathan visits Nigerian Army soldiers fighting Boko Haram Getty Images The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Displaced people from Baga listen to Goodluck Jonathan after the Boko Haram killings AFP/Getty The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan speaking to troops during a visit to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State; most of the region has been overrun by Boko Haram AFP/Getty The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Members of the Nigerian military patrolling in Maiduguri, North East Nigeria, close to the scene of attacks by Boko Haram EPA The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Boko Harams leader, Abubakar Shekau, appears in a video in which he warns Cameroon it faces the same fate as Nigeria AFP The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Nana Shettima, the wife of Borno Governor, Kashim Shettima (C) weeps as she speaks with school girls from the government secondary school Chibok that were kidnapped by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, and later escaped in Chibok The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram South Africans protest in solidarity against the abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria by the Muslim extremist group Boko Haram and what protesters said was the failure of the Nigerian government and international community to rescue them, during a march to the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Boko Haram militants have seized the town in north-eastern Nigeria that nearly 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped from in April 2014 AFP The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram A soldier stands guard in front of burnt buses after an attack in Abuja. Twin blasts at a bus station packed with morning commuters on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital killed dozens of people, in what appeared to be the latest attack by Boko Haram Islamists, April 2014 The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram The aftermath of the attack, when Boko Haram fighters in trucks painted in military colours killed 51 people in Konduga in February 2014 AFP/Getty Images The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram The leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau (with papers) in a video grab taken in July 2014 AFP/Getty The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Ruins of burnt out houses in the north-eastern settlement of Baga, pictured after Boko Haram attacks in 2013 AP The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram A Boko Haram attack in Nigeria, 2013 AFP/Getty Images The rise of Boko Haram Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau, Boko Harams leader AP He came to power on a promise of ending the endemic corruption that had become rife under his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, and offering his own guarantee as a military man that Boko Harams days were numbered. He has largely over-promised and under-delivered. There is a difference between what he would like to do and what he is able to do, said Richard Dowden, director of the Royal African Society. He made a promise to tackle corruption, in a country where the only way to get something done is to bribe somebody. Nigeria is almost ungovernable, but he has also been slow to make reforms. If Mr Buhari, a straight talking military man according to Mr Dowden, has had little time to cement changes in Nigerian society, he has been quick to laud apparent successes against Boko Haram. In an interview at the end of last year, he said that the Nigerian army, criticised in some quarters for its ineffective performance against the insurgents, had technically defeated Boko Haram. It is true that the military has enjoyed a number of successes, and Nigerias regional standing has gained currency there is now more cooperation between Nigeria and its neighbours. But, as the attack in Dalori shows, the fight is far from at an end. President Muhammadu Buhari has previously said he has beaten Boko Haram (Reuters) The war between jihadists and the Nigerian government has killed 20,000 people in the last six years and driven nearly 2.5 million from their homes. Mr Buhari has promised normalcy for the people in the North-east areas around the town of Maiduguri, the worst affected area, but it appears that the normality is Boko Harams ability to act with impunity. If the Nigerian president has been too quick to declare his successes against Boko Haram, he has had little chance to solve the other problem in his in-tray. Nigerias economy relies heavily on oil about 70 per cent of national income comes from sales of crude but the recent collapse in its price has caused the countrys deficit to grow. Just a third of Nigerias income is expected to come from oil revenues this year. Gene Leon, the International Monetary Funds representative in Nigeria, told the Financial Times that Nigeria faced significant external and fiscal account challenges. Africas biggest oil producer is looking to borrow up to $5bn to shore up its economy. Up to $3.5bn will be sought from the World Bank and African Development Bank, with the rest borrowed from the capital markets. We have held exploratory talks with the World Bank. We have not applied for emergency loans, said the finance minister, Kemi Adeosun. Some of this, at least, has been sheer bad luck for Mr Buhari. The price of a barrel of oil has halved since he was sworn in last May. According to the IMF, Nigeria is expected to report growth of about three per cent for 2015. If accurate, it would be the lowest growth rate for more than a decade. 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 }} Homosexuality is illegal in 34 of Africa's 56 states. In Mauritania and parts of Nigeria its a crime punishable by death and in states such as Gambia, Sierra Leone and Tanzania it could mean up to life imprisonment. Only a handful of states have in place anti-discrimination laws protecting LGBT people. Same-sex marriage, legal only in South Africa, has been constitutionally banned by eight states. For the most part, the criminalisation of homosexuality in Africa is a direct result of colonialism, with much of the anti-homosexual legislation introduced by European states still in place. But recently, political pandering and religious influence have seen countries such as Gambia and Nigeria introduce laws which further restrict the human rights of their LGBT populations. The situation has garnered the attention of the Western media and, when President Obama made his historic trip to Africa in July last year, he called on the continents leaders to offer better protection to their LGBT citizens. Though an admirable interjection, his ability to talk openly about homosexuality in Africa, without fear of repercussion, is something of a privilege. Freedom of expression and freedom of association are integral in the fight for LGBT acceptance, but in many African states (and beyond) these fundamental human rights are heavily restricted. Graph demonstrates the areas in the world where homosexuality remains illegal (Washington Post) The above article was created for The Independent by Statista Before the continents activists can bring about the decriminalisation of homosexuality, they must first secure a platform for discussing the issue free from persecution. In countries like Uganda, that particular challenge is set to become much harder. Though Ugandas infamous Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) was nullified in early 2015, a new bill designed to stifle non-governmental organisations (NGO) operating across the country is set to come into law. The legislation will require NGOs to acquire government issued permits in order to operate. While the law is not a specific attack on the countrys LGBT population, theyre certainly a high profile target. For Dr Frank Mughisha, the countrys most high profile LGBT activist, it threatens the existence of his organisation, Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG). Recommended Read more How David Bowie became an LGBT icon Any organisation that's not in the public interest cannot exist, any organisation that is not a registered NGO cannot exist, says Dr Frank Mugisha. It will definitely affect a lot of other countries as well because many countries, including the UK, are providing development support to many NGOs in Uganda and some of those NGOs are also doing work on LGBT rights. So they'll be shut down. Despite the repeal of AHA, LGBT Ugandans still face persecution from local police forces, which carry out the arrests of those they perceive to be LGBT. While in custody, many of those arrested have been exposed to egregious human rights violations. What they do is carry out these very degrading examinations, to ascertain if someone had penetrative sex, says Mugisha. They do it with almost every suspect. They've told us that it's the only way to prove if someone had anal sex or not. So there are so many vulnerable LGBT people who get arrested by the police who go through all this ordeal without having proper representation. If the latest NGO bill comes into play, as is expected, Mugishas SMUG will be unable to operate and even fewer will secure representation when they need it. LGBT+ rights around the globe Show all 9 1 /9 LGBT+ rights around the globe LGBT+ rights around the globe Russia Russias antipathy towards homosexuality has been well established following the efforts of human rights campaigners. However, while it is legal to be homosexual, LGBT couples are offered no protections from discrimination. They are also actively discriminated against by a 2013 law criminalising LGBT propaganda allowing the arrest of numerous Russian LGBT activists. AFP/Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Brunei Brunei recently introduced a law to make sodomy punishable by stoning to death. It was already illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison AFP/Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Mauritania Men who are found having sex with other men face stoning, while lesbians can be imprisoned, under Sharia law. However, the state has reportedly not executed anyone for this crime since 1987 Alamy LGBT+ rights around the globe Sudan Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal under Sudanese law. Men can be executed on their third offence, women on their fourth Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Saudi Arabia Homosexuality and gender realignment is illegal and punishable by death, imprisonment, whipping and chemical castration Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Yemen The official position within the country is that there are no gays. LGBT inviduals, if discovered by the government, are likely to face intense pressure. Punishments range from flogging to the death penalty Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Nigeria Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal and in some northern states punishable with death by stoning. This is not a policy enacted across the entire country, although there is a prevalent anti-LGBT agenda pushed by the government. In 2007 a Pew survey established that 97% of the population felt that homosexuality should not be accepted. It is punishable by 14 years in prison Reuters LGBT+ rights around the globe Somalia Homosexuality was established as a crime in 1888 and under new Somali Penal Code established in 1973 homosexual sex can be punishable by three years in prison. A person can be put to death for being a homosexual Reuters LGBT+ rights around the globe Iraq Although same-sex relationships have been decriminalised, much of the population still suffer from intense discrimination. Additionally, in some of the country over-run by the extremist organisation Isis, LGBT individuals can face death by stoning Getty Botswana still has the anachronistic colonial laws which criminalise same-sex sexual activity in place. But, as is the case with many states across the continent, these arent actually enforced. There is even legislation in place protecting LGBT people in employment. Despite this the countrys primary LGBT organisation, LEGABIBO (Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana), has had to take the government to court in order to secure the necessary registration to operate. Though a judge ruled that the government had been unconstitutional in rejecting the groups administration, the decision was appealed. The reason why they refused to register us is that we are promoting actions that are illegal, says Anna Chalmers, coordinator for LEGABIBO. The government is not yet ready to openly say yes LGBT can associate here. The push to appeal our win at the higher court came directly from the cabinet, so there's quite a lot of opposition from the high places as well as from the society as well. With the case still ongoing, its indicative of how securing total freedom of expression is the first hurdle LGBT activists must clear in the struggle for greater equality. And while countrys like Uganda and Nigeria are restricting freedoms, elsewhere the green shoots of progress are starting to show. In April last year, Kenyan activist Eric Gitari won his challenge against the government, with the Kenyan high court ruling that attempts to block LGBT groups from registering were unlawful. It was a first step towards recognition of the existence of sexual and gender minorities, he says. We felt there was need for the state to recognise our existence in the first place. We started seeking registration as early as 2012 and we were rejected six times. We noticed what was very consistent in all the rejections was that they were underlining or circling the words gay and lesbian in the proposed organisations name. Gitaris organisation, the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, is now an officially registered charity. In what could prove to be a similarly significant case, last year an activist in Zambia was acquitted by the national courts after he was originally charged for speaking about the need to recognise the rights of LGBT people on national TV. It could prove to be a landmark decision for human rights activists across the country. Even though same sex acts are criminalised it's not an offence to lobby for the decriminalisation of those acts, says Anneke Meerkotter, litigation director at the Southern Africa Litigation Centre. Were trying to get the courts to very gradually make positive statements so that one day you can take a case to court specifically around getting rid of the offences themselves. For us the issue is more around looking at what you can win. And what you can win is arguments around freedom of association and freedom of expression. Despite signs of progress, LGBT people are still actively persecuted across the continent. As activists celebrate recent pro-LGBT court decisions in Botswana, Kenya and Zambia, those in Uganda, Nigeria and Gambia fear even further persecution, both from the government and society. For the LGBT populations living in these regions, ensuring they still have the space to speak about the issue and challenge criminalisation is essential. 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 }} Someone has apparently vandalized Donald Trumps Hollywood Walk of Fame star with a backwards swastika. Despite facing comparisons to Adolf Hitler, the backwards symbol could actually be a "good swastika." Before it was appropriated by Nazi Germany, the swastika was a symbol for the Hindu and Buddhist faiths meaning luck and good health. Trump received the star back in 2007 due to his "branding efforts, personal life, wealth, and outspoken manner" that have turned him into a celebrity. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is an institution celebrating the positive contributions of the inductees, Leron Gubler, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce CEO, said in a statement. When people are unhappy with one of our honorees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways then to vandalize a California state landmark. Last September, the star was also defaced with a yellow "x." An actor dressed up as Batman told The Wrap that hes never seen never seen this kind of hate put on a star before, not even Bill Cosby. He also said that he "often sees people stomping or pretending to defecate on the star." The Chamber of Commerce quickly cleaned the graffiti after the swastika was reported by police. Officers have maintained a constant presence to prevent future incidents, the Los Angeles Times reports. 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 }} Ted Cruz swept to Republican victory in Iowa, stealing the thunder from Donald Trump who was pushed into second place, while the race between Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders came down a margin of just 0.2 points. As Mr Cruz celebrated his victory and Donald Trump offered his congratulations, Democratic officials were still trying to tally the results. With more than 96 per cent of precincts having reported, Ms Clinton stood at 49.8 per cent while Mr Sanders was on 49.6 per cent. Former Maryland governor Martin OMalley secured less than one per cent and dropped out of the race. Mr Sanders said that Iowa had sent a message to the world (AP) Mr Cruz did better than the final poll before Monday nights vote had predicted, securing 28 per cent of the total. Mr Trump was on 24 points and Senator Marco Rubio, whose performance was one of several success stories of the night, came third on 23 points. Mr Cruz, a Texas Senator with a reputation as a hardliner and a scourge of the Republican establishment, said the victory was the result of the hard work of his team and claimed he had secured the backing of evangelical Christians. God bless the great state of Iowa. Tonight is a victory for the grass roots, Mr Cruz, 45, said during a victory speech that lasted more than 30 minutes. Tonight is a victory for courageous conservatives across Iowa and all across this great nation. He said the results showed that the nominee would not be chosen by the media, the Washington establishment or lobbyists, according to the Associated Press. Mr Cruzs win and Mr Rubios strong showing could dent the momentum for Mr Trump, whose candidacy has also alarmed the Republican establishment and been marked by controversies such as his calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. It is likely that Mr Rubio will start to secure more and more donations as the Republican establishment seeks to rally a candidate it believes could defeat Mr Cruz and Mr Trump. A subdued and chastened Mr Trump spoke briefly to supporters at the Sheraton hotel in the west of Des Moines and said he was heading to New Hampshire with polls showing him ahead. Im just honoured, Im really honoured, Mr Trump said. About caucuses and primaries When do they begin? Primaries and caucuses will take place across the US until 14 June, in which they will finish with a primary in the District of Columbia. Recommended Read more Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton take leads as US prepares to vote The Iowa caucus is huge in the US media calendar. It marks the first time in the election that the people have their say, putting an end to the polls and speculation that inevitably take place in the weeks and months before the elections really get going. If youre wondering whether the Iowa caucus is really a big deal in the grand scheme of the four months of voting to come, then the past two presidents could be considered a testament to this. Presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush both won the Iowa caucus in their first term, and capitalised on the momentum gained throughout the remainder of their election campaigns. Mr Trump claimed his position in final poll was based on his support among Christians (AP) When do results come in? The results for the caucuses and primaries are usually declared within a few hours, but these are sometimes amended at a later date. An extreme example of this is the 2012 Iowa caucus where Mitt Romney was mistakenly given a double-digit lead over his Republican co-runner Rick Santorum, and the result was amended sixteen days later to show that Mr Santorum had, in fact, won. 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 However, the reality is that the Iowa caucus chooses just one per cent of the delegates who will go on to vote for the presidential nominees. So it could be argued that the result is not nearly as important as the opportunity to gain positive media attention, and that exceeding expectations is the best outcome, regardless of where the candidate comes. Many hopefuls will build their strategy around this notion, for example it could be argued that Ted Cruz coming second by a small margin would be of less benefit than Marco Rubio coming comfortably third, because of the expectations already placed upon them. Why are the Iowa Caucuses so important? The battle to see who will go head-to-head in the US presidential election begins in earnest on 1 February. Candidates have been debating, running adverts, and making public statements, but not a single vote has yet been cast. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign event in Knoxville, Iowa. 'I am a person of faith. I am a Christian. I am Methodist' (Getty) On 1 February voters in the prairie state of Iowa will attend meet-ups called caucuses where they discuss the available candidates and make their choices. The main reason the Iowa Caucuses are important is because it is the first state in the US where a ballot is cast. Despite being tiny, atypical of the rest of the US, and providing about 1 per cent of the nations delegates, the state is the first indicator of whether a prospective presidential candidates support is holding up. The media interest generated by the timing of what would otherwise be a fairly insignificant part of the race to the White House means candidates can secure disproportionate positive coverage for a smaller amount of effort. The early timing also means that candidates have more room to adjust their messages and programmes in response to the results giving the state disproportionate influence. Donald Trump misquotes the Bible at a Christian University About half of the winners of the Iowa Caucus go on to win their partys nomination for the presidency meaning it isnt a very good predictor of who will actually get the nomination. Where the race is a better predictor is showing who is likely to get absolutely nowhere. A campaign with no real support makes contact with the electorate in Iowa for the first time, and it often isnt pretty. Since 1972 no Democratic of Republican candidate who finished worth than fourth place in the Iowa Caucus has gone on to win their partys nomination. Do not be surprised if a few of the many Republicans running this years drop out not too soon after Iowa. Whats the difference between a caucus and a primary? The caucus is the oldest method of choosing delegates. Registered members of a political party in a town, city or county meet, usually in a place in the community, such as a school or church, to elect delegates to be put forward for presidential elections. Although once more common, caucuses these days only take place in a few states, notably Iowa, Nevada and Alaska. While Republican voters cast secret ballots, Democrats vote publicly in a slightly more unusual process, in which their candidates need the support of 15% of voters. Should a candidate fall below this threshold, the voter can choose another candidate. A supporter wears a T-shirt featuring Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (Getty) Primaries, on the other hand, are much more common, conducted in 34 US states. They are similar to elections in the UK, with voters casting their ballot at polls. There are several types of primary, varying between both states and parties; closed, in which only a partys registered members can vote; semi-closed where members and unaffiliated voters can participate; open, where any registered voter can participate; and semi-open, where any registered voter may take part but must request a partys specific ballot. Once the primaries and caucuses are complete, the delegates go on to the National Conventions, which take place a week apart in July, Republican on 18-21 and Democratic on 25-28, when the presidential candidates are announced. Should we be listening to the pollsters? The Iowa caucuses are very difficult to poll. The nature of the elections a time-consuming neighbourhood meeting and discussion between locals about the candidates, followed by a vote means it can be difficult to even predict who will show up, never mind how they will vote. The polls with the best historical track record in past caucuses are published by local newspaper the Des Moines Register, which is based out of the states capital. That newspaper published its final poll of this years caucuses late last week. On the Republican side, the field was crowded. The frontrunner was Donald Trump, who led likely caucus-goers with 28 per cent, according to the DMR. It could be argued that Ted Cruz coming second by a small margin would be of less benefit than Marco Rubio coming comfortably third, because of the expectations already placed upon them. (Getty) Ted Cruz was in second with 23 per cent and Marco Rubio was in third with 15 per cent. Ben Carson was in fourth with 10 per cent and all the other candidates had less than five per cent. For the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton led with 45 per cent, while Bernie Sanders was on 42 per cent. Martin OMalley, the only other candidate, had three per cent. This years race is particularly difficult to poll, in part because of the nature of support for Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Both Trump and Sanders supporters have patchy records about whether they have attended a caucus before. Caucuses are time-consuming and require a commitment to attend, unlike voting in a primary which takes five minutes at most. The DMR polls tend to discount the opinions people who arent likely to attend caucuses. The question was whether they had discounted the right people and by the right amount. Trump and Sanders unconventional support bases could either have caused a surge in attendance giving either of them a better score than polls suggested or it could have just as easily underperformed. The caucuses are therefore far from decided. Follow this link for the latest coverage of the Iowa caucus. 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 caucus is the oldest method of choosing delegates. Registered members of a political party in a town, city or county meet, usually in a place in the community, such as a school or church, to elect delegates to be put forward for presidential elections. Although once more common, caucuses these days only take place in a few states, notably Iowa, Nevada and Alaska. While Republican voters cast secret ballots, Democrats vote publicly in a slightly more unusual process, in which their candidates need the support of 15% of voters. Should a candidate fall below this threshold, the voter can choose another candidate. Primaries, on the other hand, are much more common, conducted in 34 US states. They are similar to elections in the UK, with voters casting their ballot at polls. There are several types of primary, varying between both states and parties; closed, in which only a partys registered members can vote; semi-closed where members and unaffiliated voters can participate; open, where any registered voter can participate; and semi-open, where any registered voter may take part but must request a partys specific ballot. Everything you need to know about the Iowa caucus What happens next? Once the primaries and caucuses are complete, the delegates go on to the National Conventions, which take place a week apart in July, Republican on 18-21 and Democratic on 25-28, when the presidential candidates are announced. 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 }} Theres no business like show business, and no election on earth like an American presidential election. None last as long, close on two years. None cost as much (upwards of $4bn, or 2.8bn, is the going estimate for the 2016 campaign). None can be as inspirational (Barack Obama, 2008), and none lend themselves as much to the media circus. And none are as capable of throwing up surprises even before a single vote is cast in anger. In terms of results, the biggest surprise, beyond doubt, was Harry Trumans victory in 1948, immortalised by the photo of the re-elected President holding aloft the Chicago Daily Tribune with its headline proclaiming the victory of his Republican challenger Thomas Dewey. Those were the days before 24/7 polling. Such polls as there were all showed Dewey with a comfortable lead. But Trumans barnstorming and relentless campaigning, combined with Deweys complacency, produced an upset for the ages. Harry S. Truman, president-elect, holds up edition of Chicago Daily Tribune with headline Dewey Defeats Truman in 1948 (Rex) Earlier stages of the process can produce equally seismic shocks none greater than in New Hampshire in 1968. Until then it was assumed Lyndon Johnson would seek a second term. But the nations first primary, as so often, overturned every expectation. Everything you need to know about the Iowa caucus Minnesotas quixotic senator Eugene McCarthy, campaigning against the Vietnam War, came within seven points of victory over Johnson, at that stage only a write-in candidate. Quickly, Robert Kennedy announced that he too would seek the Democratic nomination, and on 31 March, 1968 LBJ declared he would not run for re-election. Thus was the stage set for the most tumultuous year in modern American history. McCarthy of course was an upstart, who profited from the sheer length of the process. Obama was another. Few gave him much chance against the mighty Clinton machine when he declared his candidacy in February 2007. But a superbly run campaign whittled away Hillary Clintons massive early lead in the polls. Obama won the Iowa caucuses that kick off the primary season, and Clinton never again caught up. The US electoral system, like Britains, is first-past-the-post, and thus makes life extremely difficult for insurgent third-party candidates, unless they have a solid regional basis, such as that enjoyed by the SNP in the UK. But they can cause havoc nonetheless never more so than in 1912, when former President Theodore Roosevelt ran against the incumbent William Howard Taft, splitting the Republican vote and handing Woodrow Wilson a sweeping electoral college victory, even though Wilson won only 42 per cent of the popular vote. Something similar happened in 1992, when the billionaire Texan businessman Ross Perot led his new Reform Party against the incumbent George HW Bush and the Democratic candidate Bill Clinton. Soon after entering the race, Perot was leading in the polls. Then he withdrew, only to rejoin the contest after a perceived slight from Bush. Despite his antics, Perot won 18 per cent of the vote, the strongest showing by a third-party candidate since 1912. Without a regional base, he did not carry a single state and thus won no electoral college votes. But he may well have taken enough support from Bush to hand victory to Clinton. But events in 1992 pale beside what happened eight years later. The 2000 election, featuring Democrat Al Gore, the incumbent Vice-President, and the elder Bushs son George W, also had a third candidate, Ralph Nader of the Green party. The general election campaign itself was desperately tedious. Everyone expected the result to be close, but few seemed to care much who won. Except that on Tuesday, 7 November 2000, neither candidate won. In pictures: US Elections 2016 Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: US Elections 2016 In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks to supporters after rival candidate Hillary Clinton was projected as the winner in the Nevada Democratic caucuses Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton takes photos with workers at her campaign office in Des Moines, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, second from left, prays before lunch with supporters at Drake Diner in Des Moines, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Maryland Governor. Martin O'Malley, speaks during a campaign stop in Waterloo, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks, as his wife Jane OMeara Sanders looks on, at a campaign event at Iowa State University Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio speaks at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks at a campaign event at Fireside Pub and Steak House in Manchester, Iowa. Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum visiting supporters at a house party in West Des Moines, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican candidate Ted Cruz campaigns at Greene County Community Centre in Jefferson, Iowa AP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Senator Rand Paul speaks during a Caucus rally at his Des Moines headquarters in Iowa Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Republican candidate Jeb Bush speaks at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa AFP In pictures: US Elections 2016 Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin introducing the arrival of Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Reuters In pictures: US Elections 2016 A portrait of Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders at his campaign headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa Getty In pictures: US Elections 2016 Campaign badges on sale ahead of a Trump rally at the Ramada Waterloo Hotel and Convention Centre in Waterloo, Iowa Getty America has seen plenty of close elections: Kennedy/Nixon 1960, Nixon/Humphrey 1968, Carter/Ford 1976 for example. But nothing comes close to 2000, which hinged on the disputed outcome in Florida although had Nader not secured 2.7 per cent of the national vote, Gore would probably have won the White House, irrespective of Florida. In the event, a brutal battle between the Bush and Gore legal teams dragged on for five weeks. Hanging chads and butterfly ballots entered the language. Only when the conservative majority on the Supreme Court stopped a final statewide recount was Bush declared the winner, by a margin of 537 votes. But to this day, no one knows for sure who really won in Florida. Finally, there can be fun before a single vote is cast. The Obama/Romney contest in 2012 ultimately proved pretty routine but not before some pre-primary Republican front-runners like the pizza magnate Herman Cain left their bizarre, if ephemeral, mark on proceedings. And so to 2016. Even if the actual primary voting throws up clear-cut winners, the pre-game show has been one for the ages. Hillary struggling against a self-proclaimed socialist; the saintly Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon by former trade; and of course the preposterous Donald Trump, defying every conventional law of politics. Only in America. Follow this link for the latest coverage of the Iowa caucus: http://www.independent.co.uk/topic/iowa-caucus 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 rape survivor has allegedly been sexually assaulted again in an Indian hospital where she had been taken for treatment. The unnamed 15-year-old said she was raped for a second time by a security guard at the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (MGMCH) in Jamshedpur City just a few days after she was admitted after being raped by a teenager in her neighbourhood. Public hospitals in India are frequently crowded and understaffed, with lax security. Police superintendent Chandan Jha told the AFP news agency the security guard had been arrested and the girl had been transferred to "the best hospital in the city" for further treatment. We registered a case... are now awaiting her medical report," he said. Women in Kolkata stage peaceful protest outside the courthouse where three men are sentenced to death for gang-raping and murdering a 20-year-old woman The case comes after mass protests in Kolkata (Calcutta) on Friday led by womens rights group the All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA). The protests followed a death sentence for three men who were convicted of gang-raping and murdering a 20-year-old woman in 2013. Sexual harassment and violence against women in India have been heavily scrutinised since the gang-rape and murder of physiotherapy student Jyoti Singh in Delhi after she and her male friend were attacked on a bus in 2012. India protests against sexual violence Show all 20 1 /20 India protests against sexual violence India protests against sexual violence April 2015 School girls wear black bands on their faces during a protest rally against the rape case of a 16-year-old girl at Dhupguri town in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal Reuters India protests against sexual violence March 2015 Students of Convent of Jesus and Mary School participate in a protest against the alleged gang rape of a nun in her 70s AP India protests against sexual violence March 2015 Official figures for the number of women raped in India are often disputed by Women's Rights experts who claim the numbers are far higher SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images India protests against sexual violence March 2015 Women protest after the horrific rape and murder of Jyoti Singh in India BBC India protests against sexual violence June 2014 Women in India protest against rape and other attacks on women and girls in the country AP India protests against sexual violence June 2014 Indian activists from the Social Unity Center of India (SUCI) shout slogans against the state government in protest against the gang rape and murder of two girls in the district of Badaun in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and recent rapes in the eastern state of West Bengal, in Kolkata AFP/Getty India protests against sexual violence June 2014 Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were protesting against the rape and hanging of two girls Reuters India protests against sexual violence May 2014 Members of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union shout slogans during a protest against a gang rape of two teenage girls in Katra village, outside the Uttar Pradesh state house, in New Delhi. A top government official said the northern Uttar Pradesh state has sacked two police officers who failed to respond to a complaint by the father of the two teenage girls who went missing and were later found gang raped and killed. The placard at right reads, "Punish the culprits of gang-rape and murder of two Dalit girls" AP Photo/Manish Swarup India protests against sexual violence January 2014 Student protesters outside a Suri hospital where a rape victim is being treated Andrew Buncombe India protests against sexual violence January 2014 West Bengal Women's Forum activists walk a protest rally against a rape case in Calcutta, eastern India. A young girl was gang-raped on October 25 and afterwards repeatedly threatened by the accused, following which the disturbed girl set herself on fire December 23. She was admitted to the hospital with 40 percent burns and finally succumbed to her burn injuries on 31 December EPA India protests against sexual violence August 2013 Republican Party of India supporters protest in Mumbai against the rape of a female photographer Reuters India protests against sexual violence May 2013 Indian demonstrators shout slogans at the police during a protest calling for better safety for women AFP/Getty Images India protests against sexual violence April 2013 An Indian woman holds a poster as she protests with others against how Indian authorities handle sex crimes near the Parliament in New Delhi, after a second suspect was arrested in the rape of a 5-year-old girl. Child rights activists say the rape of the girl is just the latest case in which Indian police failed to take urgent action on a report of a missing child. Three days after the attack, the girl was found alone in locked room in the same New Delhi building where her family lives AP India protests against sexual violence March 2013 Indians protests against all-too-common gang-rapes in their country Getty Images India protests against sexual violence January 2013 Indian students of various organisations hold placards as they shout slogans during a demonstration in Hyderabad Getty Images India protests against sexual violence January 2013 A protester chants slogans as she braces herself against the spray fired from police water canons during a protest against the Indian government's reaction to recent rape incidents in India, in front of India Gate on December 23, 2012 in New Delhi Getty Images India protests against sexual violence January 2013 Indian children paint messages during a gathering to mourn the death of the 23-year old rape victim. Her statement was used in the trial AP India protests against sexual violence January 2013 Indians hold a candlelight vigil in Delhi in memory of a gang-rape victim. Five men have been charged with murder AP India protests against sexual violence December 2012 Indian protesters are escorted by police as they demonstrate against the brutal gang-rape of a woman AP India protests against sexual violence December 2012 Indian protesters destroy a police van during a violent demonstration near the India Gate against a gang rape and brutal beating of a 23-year-old student on a bus AP The case drew national attention to the plight of women and many demanded harsher punishments for rapists. The furore led to legal reforms with sped up trials and harsher penalties but the number of cases remain high. Last month, Muzaffarnagar region in the northern state of Uttarakhand was left outraged when two cases of rape survivors allegedly being blackmailed by their assailants came to light in the same week. One of the women killed herself a short time later and the other made several attempts to before being rescued by her family. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. The arguments put forward by the Bosnian delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of CoE, Milica Markovic, that allegedly the Armenian side hampered her visit to Nagorno Karabakh are a total lie. Member of Armenian delegation to the PACE, head of Prosperous Armenia faction Naira Zohrabyan told the journalists about this. Armenpress reports that in answer to the question whether the Armenian side had suggested the author of the anti-Armenian report to visit Armenia or Nagorno Karabakh, Naira Zohrabyan answered, We not only suggested the honorable lady, but we met with her under different formats and platforms inviting her to Nagorno Karabakh Republic, with any reasonable conditions, but she declined the invitations for different reasons. We possess the internet conversation with her, which we can publicize, documenting the fact that the lady was not inclined to hearing adequate argumentations to visit. In the words of Naira Zohrabyan, they met Milica Markovic prior to the session, introducing facts that the PACE charter has been violated, that she had to have visited NKR, but Markarovic said with the same placid expression of face that she was going to defend the report anyway. Another member of the delegation, Naira Karapetyan, said that Milica Markovic was so much unaware of Nagorno Karabakhs location, that she asked if it is possible to reach the Sarsang Reservoir from Zvartnots International Airport by car within one hour. Head of the Armenian delegation to the PACE Hermine Naghdalyan mentioned that the report on the Sarsang Reservoir had more political connotation than was dealing with water problems of Azerbaijani villagers. On January 26, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) rejected the report prepared by British parliamentarian Robert Walter (he is no longer PACE member-edit.) Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan". 66 MPs voted in favor and 70 MPs against the report. At the same time, the PACE adopted rapporteur Milica Markovics (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. 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 }} One in three people wants David Cameron to ban all migrants from having access to in-work or child benefits. The poll, seen exclusively by The Independent, comes as pressure mounts on David Cameron's attempt to secure a deal with Europe ahead of a referendum on whether Britain should quit the EU. The main thrust of his contentious renegotiation plans has been to secure a four-year ban on in-work benefits for EU migrants. Following talks on Sunday, the EU Council president Donald Tusk delivered an emergency brake of his own as he declared no deal on Mr Camerons proposals, before agreeing to another 24 hours of negotiations. If the UK is to hold an EU referendum in June, as has been widely speculated, it is vital that Mr Cameron convinces the Commission to include his demands in a draft agreement, to be discussed at the February summit later this month. 35% Percentage of Britons who feel EU migrants should never recieve in-work or child benefits According to the results of a survey by BMG Research, such a negotiation could be crucial, as it found that 35 per cent of the British public supported the proposal to ban in-work benefits or child support for four years, while 36 per cent think that EU migrants should never be able to claim such benefits. The breakdown of Conservative voters found that 46% of those questioned felt that EU migrants should never receive these benefits, and that 70 per cent of Ukip supporters felt the same way. In addition, 40 per cent of the 1,585 people polled felt that EU migrants should only have access to social housing after spending four years working in the UK, and 32 per cent said that this access should never be allowed. A similar amount, 39 per cent, objected to EU migrants receiving job seeking benefits in any circumstances, while 33 per cent were willing to allow this after four years. Although there are other issues tabled in the UKs EU membership renegotiation, such as more competitiveness, a better deal for non-eurozone members and a move away from an ever-closer union, it is the working rights of EU migrants which fail to find common ground among the other EU countries. For many EU member states the free movement of workers is considered a central pillar to the European project, and one which they believe brings many benefits. However, it would seem that if the British public had their way such liberties would not be accepted, as 41 per cent of people want EU migrants to already have a job arranged before arriving in the UK. A six month limit was considered acceptable to 27 per cent of those asked. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A woman who shot her husband dead has had the remainder of her sentence waived by French president Francois Hollande. Jacqueline Sauvage killed spouse Norbert Marota, a violent alcoholic who had beat and raped her for 47 years, and raped their daughters. Jacqueline Sauvage, centre, a French woman convicted of murdering her abusive husband, in Blois, France. French President Francois Hollande pardoned Jacqueline Sauvage after a clemency plea by her children (EPA) Their son, who was also abused by Marota, killed himself on 9 September 2012, and the following day Mrs Sauvage shot her husband three times in the back with a rifle. Sauvage was sentenced to 10 years for the murder of her husband in October 2014, and had her self-defence plea rejected in December 2015. The controversial case gained media attention in France, while campaigners condemned the verdict and argued for the definition of self-defence to be expanded to include victims of abuse. More than 400,000 people signed a petition demanding her release. Mr Hollande is reported to have met Sauvages three adult daughters and her lawyers two days before issuing the pardon. Jacqueline Sauvages lawyers argued that she was acting in self-defence (PHOTOPQR) A statement from the French presidency said: In the face of an exceptional human situation, the President wanted to make it possible for Sauvage to return to her family as soon as possible. Although the pardon does not quash her sentence, it will enable the 69-year-old to leave prison having served just three years of her sentence. The President has only used his pardon once before, to release Phillippe El Shennawy in 2014, a bank robber who had served 38 years of a life sentence. 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 leader of Germanys main right-wing anti-migrant party has caused political uproar by insisting that the countrys border police should be authorised to shoot at refugees trying to enter the country illegally. Frauke Petry, the 40-year-old leader of Germanys once merely Eurosceptic but now increasingly xenophobic Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, made her controversial demands after addressing a political meeting in Hanover at the weekend. Police must stop migrants crossing illegally from Austria, Ms Petry told the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper. And, if necessary, use firearms. That is what the law says. She added: I dont want this either, but the use of armed force is there as a last resort. Recommended Read more Hand grenade thrown at refugee shelter in Germany in latest attack Her remarks were the most extreme political response so far by a substantial political figure to mounting public dissatisfaction with Chancellor Angela Merkels open door refugee policy and growing anxiety at the unprecedented influx of refugees and other migrants. More than 1.1 million migrants entered Germany in 2015 the majority arriving since September. A poll issued last week showed that 40 per cent of Germans now wanted Ms Merkel to resign. The AfD is attracting growing support for its vitriolic anti-migrant stance. It has already won seats in five of Germanys state parliaments and, in elections next month, is also on course to win seats in the state parliaments of Baden-Wurttemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony Anhalt, where polls suggest the party could win 15 per cent of the vote. 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. Ms Merkel has flatly refused to close Germanys borders or accede to demands from within her own party to cap the influx. At the weekend she tried to placate her critics by insisting that asylum seekers from Syria and Iraq would return home once the conflicts there had ended. Germanys mainstream parties swiftly condemned Ms Petrys demand for what some compared to Cold War border police practices last used when the Berlin Wall still stood. Sigmar Gabriel, Germanys Social Democrat Vice-Chancellor, demanded that the AfD be put under permanent domestic intelligence surveillance. There is massive doubt that the AfD stands by the free democratic principles of our republic, he told Bild newspaper. Germany: AfD's Petry links illegal immigration with increase in terror threats The police trade union also condemned the suggestion, saying officers would never shoot at refugees and accusing Ms Petry of having a radical and inhuman mindset. The Mayor wants to merge the districts that cover the central right bank and islands of the Seine (Getty) Ms Petry, who has a degree from the University of Reading, was elected party leader in an internal putsch last July which ousted its middle-class and academic former leaders, who were mostly concerned with opposing the euro. Since then she and other populist right-wingers have rebranded it as an anti-migrant party and have capitalised on events such as the New Years Eve attacks on women in Cologne by predominantly Moroccan and Algerian immigrants. The party warns that German culture and identity will be destroyed by migrants. Its most popular slogan is Merkel must go. An opinion poll published yesterday found that it would win 12 per cent of the vote in a national election which would make it Germanys third most powerful political party after Ms Merkels Christian Democratic Union and her Social Democrat coalition partners. Ms Petry helped the AfD win seats in the east German state of Saxony in 2014 by advocating mildly anti-immigrant policies. She is seen as the acceptable face of the partys right wing. But she is now being pulled further to the right by more radical and xenophobic figures within the party, whose stance appears to have increased AfDs popularity among voters. Petry cant get her way; she is just being used as a stepping stone by the right wing, said Professor Hajo Funke, an expert on the German extreme right. The AfD leader risks being eclipsed by colleagues such as Bjorn Hocke, the partys outspoken leader in the eastern state of Thuringia, whose speeches have been compared to those of Hitlers propagandist, Joseph Goebbels. Mr Hocke, who regularly draws crowds of up to 8,000 supporters, recently appeared on a popular chat show brandishing a German flag. For decades its seemed as if the rise of a politician like Bjorn Hocke was impossible, wrote Die Welt newspaper. In the meantime, the impossible has become possible. At an AfD rally in the eastern city of Magdeburg last week Mr Hocke regaled the party faithful with an apocalyptic vision of what was in store for the German volk and kultur unless the refugee influx was stopped. The migrants were a threat to 1,000 years of Germany. He talked darkly of terrified German women aid workers who were too afraid to wear makeup because they felt intimidated by Muslim migrants. I am afraid for my country. This is what it feels like to be a foreigner in your own land! This catastrophic development has to be stopped, he bellowed into a microphone at the rally. His entranced AfD supporters responded with loud cheers. 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 68-year-old French woman jailed for 10 years for murdering her husband after nearly 50 years of rape and violent abuse is set to be freed, after President Francois Hollande intervened following a public outcry. Jacqueline Sauvage, of Montargis in central France, shot her husband Norbert Marot three times in the back with his own hunting rifle in September 2012, the day after their son hanged himself. She described Marot as violent alcoholic who raped and beat her and their three daughters and also abused their son. After an appeal against an earlier conviction, Ms Sauvage was found guilty in December and given a 10-year-sentence. But then more than 400,000 people, who signed a petition, politicians on the left and right, and Mr Hollandes former partner, Valerie Trierweiler, all called on the president to use his right to pardon convicted criminals. The power is seldom used in France, but the presidents office said it had been decided to waive the remainder of Ms Sauvages sentence, stopping short of an actual pardon. In the face of an exceptional human situation, the president wanted to make it possible for Madame Savage to quickly return to her family while respecting judicial authorities, a presidential spokesperson told the Associated Press. The decision allows her to immediately seek conditional freedom, the spokesperson added. Actress Anny Duperey told the iTele TV station that she was infinitely relieved for her. Conservative politician Valerie Boyer said Ms Sauvage had become an emblem because an injustice was done. Ms Sauvages daughters, Sylvie, Carole and Fabienne, had explained that the family suffered the violence in silence because they were too humiliated to seek help and terrified of what Marot would do. In the court hearings, defence lawyers tried to argue that Ms Sauvages killing of her husband was self-defence. But the appeal court jury decided her actions were disproportionate because her life had not been in danger at the time. During his election campaign in 2012, Mr Hollande had suggested he would not use presidential pardons, saying they belonged to a different concept of power. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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 }} On a frigid night in this industrial city, three local men pulled up to a curb in a beat-up van sporting the stars and bars of the American Confederacy (because, they said, they just liked the look of it). Soon, they joined a dozen other beefy vigilantes gathering on a sidewalk for their first patrol to keep our women safe. These are the Soldiers of Odin, a new far-right citizens group sprouting chapters across Finland. Its members are multiplying as this northern nation becomes a case study in the fear and suspicion gripping Europe after multiple sexual assaults allegedly committed by asylum seekers and others on New Years Eve. Those incidents, in cities across central and northern Europe, included hundreds of complaints of sexual harassment in Cologne, Germany, as well as 15 alleged sex-related crimes in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. They have quickly altered the debate over a record wave of asylum seekers arriving in Europe from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Fresh barriers to new migrants are going up from Sweden to Greece. Germany has announced moves meant to delay refugees from bringing in close family members for at least two years, and to reject and deport more asylum seekers arriving from North Africa. The Danish Parliament backed a measure allowing seizures of cash and valuables from migrants. Citing sexual harassment of women, some public pools and nightclubs in Germany have begun banning men who live in asylum shelters. Vigilante groups are taking to the streets. And Europeans are fretting on social media about an unfolding culture clash with the newcomers. Suddenly, many are asking an uncomfortable question: Do asylum seekers more specifically, some of the men from conservative Muslim nations pose an inherent threat to liberated and casually dressed Western women? These refugees do not respect our women, said Ilkka, a 33-year-old sprinkler installer who would give only his first name. I have four daughters, and they used to be safe in Finland. We need to do something about it. Critics say the danger is vastly exaggerated, and they denounce the attacks as the work of a few bad characters. Yet even asylum seekers concede that some in their ranks have a steep learning curve to accept progressive Western European norms, especially regarding women. New reports of sex crimes suspected to have been committed by asylum seekers are now emerging in Finland, including several alleged rapes that predate the New Years Eve crime wave. A group that call themselves the "Soldiers of Odin" demonstrate in Joensuu, Eastern Finland, January 8, 2016 (Reuters) In neighboring Sweden, a 22-year-old female aid worker was stabbed to death last week by a 15-year-old migrant, authorities said. Her death sparked a fresh debate about the security threat posed by the newcomers, who include large numbers of young men traumatized by war. Just as worrying is a spate of hate crimes against asylum seekers, illustrating the new social tensions in European communities like Tampere. A city in south-central Finland bordered by miles of Christmas-tree forests, Tampere saw more than 4,000 asylum seekers, mostly from war-torn Iraq, arrive over the past six months. In that time, there have been at least 50 incidents involving asylum seekers as either suspects or victims including the alleged rape of a Finnish woman and the alleged stalking of a local teenage girl. Even foreign-born residents who have lived here for years say they have noticed a disturbing change. Abbas al-Arja a 25-year-old former Iraqi boxer who moved to Finland in 2010 said he intervened in the town center last month to stop two young Iraqi asylum seekers who were pushing themselves onto a Finnish woman who was clearly uncomfortable. Some of them coming now have a lot to learn, he said. They do not understand a woman dressed like that. Yet after the recent stabbing of an asylum seeker by a group of Finnish men and a suspicious arson at a refugee center near Tampere, the newcomers are also more fearful. The new patrols by the Soldiers of Odin, Arja said, have only made the situation worse. Now Muslim women are afraid to go in the streets because of the Soldiers of Odin, Arja said. What have we achieved? We are afraid of them, and they are afraid of us. The concerns arent limited to Tampere. In recent weeks, sales of pepper spray have gone through the roof across Finland and Germany. New self-defense classes are popping up. In some German communities, sales of fake weapons are soaring. In several German cities, including Bornheim, men from asylum shelters were banned last week from using public pools after female swimmers complained about harassment. In the city of Zwickau, asylum seekers allegedly ejaculated and defecated in a public pool, sparking a firestorm on social media. In addition to Denmark and Switzerland, two German states Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg say they are now reserving the right to seize cash and valuables from asylum seekers worth more than 750 euros ($818) to help defray the cost of care and benefits. On Wednesday, the European Commission warned Greece that it could face suspension from the regions passport-free travel zone meaning possible checks on flights and ships arriving from the Mediterranean nation if it does not do more to control and properly process migrants on the front lines of the refugee crisis. France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Austria have imposed some new border checks, putting the future of Europes open borders at risk as nations seek ways to curb the flow of migrants. We want to have a society again in which women and elderly people can move safely and freely in our streets, the leader of Austrias right-wing Freedom Party, Heinz-Christian Strache, said in January. The misogyny and contempt we have seen unfortunately has Islamist roots . . . because it is directed against infidel women who are often insulted as whores for not wearing a headscarf and a veil. In Helsinki, large numbers of male asylum seekers were hanging out one recent day at the central train station, the site of many of the New Years Eve incidents. Satu Eklund, a 28-year-old hairdresser who looked flustered before her commute home, said that one young man who looked like a refugee had grabbed her rear end and offered her a salacious grin only moments before. No, Im not scared, but I am mad, she said. I dont have anything against the refugees, but we should be able to live in peace. Helsinki police say there was an increase in rapes in the latter half of 2015, coinciding with a surge of 32,000 asylum seekers arriving in Finland. But the increase 196 rapes in 2015, compared with 179 in 2014 is statistically small. Officials, while declining to offer more details, said asylum seekers or refugees are suspects in at least three rapes. But they added that it is too early to say whether the numbers constitute a trend. 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. We still need more specific information and analysis before we can say that there is a connection between the increase in rapes and sexual harassment cases and the increase in the number of refugees, Helsinki Police Chief Lasse Aapio said. But we need to be alert, and of course we are worried, because its obvious that were facing some changes in our society right now. Police and national authorities are also worried about the rise of vigilante groups and citizen street patrols with names such as the Finnish Resistance. The Soldiers of Odin, whose name refers to the Nordic god of war and death, includes known neo-Nazis and followers with criminal records, as well as more typical men. But the Soldiers first foray in Tampere recently proved less successful than theyd hoped. Moments after they hit the streets, a troop of protesters dressed as clowns and calling themselves the Loldiers of Odin (a play on the Internet shorthand for laughing out loud) ambushed the black-clad vigilantes. At one point, the clowns most of them women surrounded the men and taunted them by singing a local version of Ring Around the Rosie. They are clowns, too, doing what theyre doing, said one young protester, who, like the others, declined to give her name. We are here to show tolerance, because these clowns, she said, gesturing toward the men, are the ones who are winning in Finland. Washington Post 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 Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed for the passage of a controversial bill requiring non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to declare on promotional and official material if they receive most of their funds from foreign governments. Mr Netanyahu said such labelling was correct, democratic and necessary, as the Knesset prepared to vote on the bill. The legislation will mostly affect the left-wing and dovish NGOs, which are critical of the government and the occupation of the West Bank. It does not apply to private donations from abroad, a main source of funding for right-wing NGOs. It may also see personnel from foreign-funded NGOs required to wear special identification badges when they are in the Knesset. The bill has been criticised by rights groups, and earlier this month the US ambassador, Daniel Shapiro, issued a statement noting US concerns about the legislation. A leading Israeli analyst said that there was no precedent for it in any democratic country. Amir Fuchs, a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute compared the bill to steps taken by Russian President Vladimir Putin to silence NGOs. Benjamin Netanyahu said such labelling was correct, democratic and necessary (Reuters) Laws that go against NGOs and treat them like traitors are something that goes with regimes like the ones in Russia and Venezuela, said Mr Fuchs. The laws now in effect in Russia and Venezuela are harsher, but we dont find a similar law in any democracy. The bill, drafted by the hard-right Minister of Justice, Ayelet Shaked, specifies that NGOs receiving most of their funds from foreign governments declare this in a manner that is outstanding to the eye. In a recent article for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Ms Shaked wrote that the law was necessary because foreign governments were pouring enormous sums into NGOs and the money was being used to interfere in Israeli prerogatives and to delegitimise the Jewish state. 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 Often those countries are not at all aware of the fact that the money they are sending is used by the bodies it is sent to for the purpose of weakening Israels moral claim and presenting it as a country that is prima facie committing a violation of international law, she wrote. Mr Netanyahu backed her in remarks to journalists before a recent cabinet meeting. I dont understand how a demand for greater transparency is anti-democratic, he said. In a democracy we need to know who is funding these organisations from the right, the left, the top to bottom. The NGOs counter that transparency is not the real issue, since they are already obliged to file quarterly reports on all of their foreign government donations and that this information is posted on the internet for all to see. This is about delegitimisation and silencing criticism, about turning the NGOs into foreign agents and enemies in the eyes of the public, said Debbie Gild-Hayo, policy advocate for the Association for Citizens Rights in Israel. Russias Foreign Agents law, passed in 2012, requires NGOs that receive foreign donations and engage in political activity to register as foreign agents and to declare their status on all their official statements. Last May, Mr Putin followed this up with the Undesirable Organisations law, which allows the Prosecutor General and foreign ministry to ban selected NGOs. 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 }} Russias air strikes in Syria have prolonged the bloody war and played a key role in the Wests refugee crisis, Britains Foreign Secretary has said, in one of the most scathing indictments of the Kremlins policy in Syria by a Western government minister. The Russians have given the regime another gasp of life and that is bad news for everyone, and they will hold responsibility for prolonging this conflict, Philip Hammond said on Monday. Its a constant source of grief to me that everything we are doing is being undermined by the Russians. Mr Hammond was speaking after visiting the Zaatari camp in Jordan, where more than 80,000 Syrians have sought safety from the civil war. His visit precedes a donors conference on Syria later this week, where Syrias neighbours who are coping with millions of refugees will be offered financial help, including the proposed opening up of European Union markets. Recommended Read more How Syrian children are turned into Isis fighters The hope is that boosting economic welfare in these countries will help halt the flow of refugees into western Europe. But Mr Hammond said: Since the Russian intervention in Syria, the dribble of people who were perhaps going back from these camps to Syria has stopped dead and there is a new flow coming in because of the actions the Russians are taking, particularly in southern Syria, along the border just a few kilometres from here. Vladimir Putins intervention in Syria has been viewed as game-changer, with Moscow now seen as central to a resolution of the five-year conflict. Russia cannot continue to sit at the table as a sponsor of the political process and at the same time be bombing the civilian areas of the groups of people we believe will be the backbone of the new Syria once Assad has gone, Mr Hammond said. The Russians cannot be both part of the political process and the key drivers of the military disaster happening on the ground. The Russians say lets talk While they are talking they are bombing and they are supporting Assad. What we need are people who will stop bombing while they do the talking, not people who bomb at the same time. Mr Hammond said the West simply did not know whether Mr Putin would, at some stage, be prepared to see President Bashar al-Assad leave power, a demand of the opposition, nor the Russian leaders long-term plan. The thing I have learnt watching Putin, first as a Defence Secretary and then as Foreign Secretary, is it doesnt matter how much you watch you cant see anything. He is completely inscrutable. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, centre, speaks with former British police officers on his visit to the Zaatari refugee camp, now as large as a city (Reuters) We have no idea what his game plan is, we dont know. There are no councils discussing these things, its whats going on in Mr Putins head. The UK has given 1bn in aid toward refugee camps in the countries neighbouring Syria. Mr Hammond brought an offer this week of 380,000 for a community policing project being overseen by former British police officers in Zaatari, which is now the fourth largest city in Jordan. But Jordan says it is already hosting 1.27 million refugees and wants to construct more well-made camps like Zaatari. More than 20,000 Syrians are now trapped at Jordans border without sanitation or medicine, desperate to enter the country properly as it permits only a trickle to do so. Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour has said there were now grave security concerns about those seeking to come. We will make it very clear in the London conference that the Syrian crisis is no longer only a refugee concern but also a security burden an issue of sleeper cells, illicit drugs, trafficking, terror and radicalisation. It is true that supporting the refugees is our duty, but we are doing this on the behalf of the world, especially Europe, he said. Conditions in Zaatari, built in July 2012, have improved recently after previous reports of extortion, drug dealing, sexual assaults and prostitution. Stephen Boddy, a retired sergeant from Northern Ireland working with Jordanian police officers, said yesterday that the introduction of mobile police stations had helped camp residents gain access to officials. 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 Zaatari now has its own schools, clinics and mosques. There are supermarkets, restaurants, fashion stores and beauty salons on a road that aid workers call the Champs Elysees. The fear among some is that their refugee status is becoming institutionalised. Hamid Abdussalam, who was a teacher near Deraa in Syria, arrived in Zaatari in 2013 with his wife and four children. I did not think we would be here this long. We dont want to end up like the Palestinians, becoming refugees for generations, he said. We thought for a long time that we would go back to Syria. But that is not possible now; I must think of something else, choose what to do. Some Syrians in Jordan have already made that choice. Last summer, after Angela Merkels apparent invitation to come to western Europe, some 500 people a week were boarding buses out. Britain and other western European governments hope that help for Jordan will lessen the incentive to make that journey. Its not just a question of a bucket of money and thats all you need, Mr Hammond said. There is a constant need to replenish, the scale of the problem isnt getting any smaller. What about the Kremlin conundrum? We will continue to pressurise the Russians every way we can. We will try to persuade them that we need to implement some confidence-building measures, get access for humanitarian purposes, end the bombing of civilian areas and ultimately get a ceasefire. He did not look convinced that peace would break out any time soon. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Two of Britains high street giants have found Syrian refugee children working in their clothing factories in Turkey, leading to calls for other retailers to investigate their own supply chains. H&M and Next were the only retailers that admitted to identifying child labour in supplier factories in Turkey, but there are fears that the phenomenon could be far more widespread after several other companies failed to answer questions on the use of Syrian workers in their factories. Along with China, Cambodia and Bangladesh, Turkey is one of the largest producers of clothing sold on the British high street, supplying labels that include Topshop, Burberry, Marks & Spencer and Asos. Recommended Read more Turkey could be gambling on an invasion of Syria The country is also the worlds largest host of Syrian refugees, accepting more than 2.5 million people who have fled the conflict since 2011. A report by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), a non-profit organisation that monitors company ethics, warns that few brands are taking adequate steps to ensure that vulnerable refugees are not fleeing from conflict into exploitative working conditions. Though Ankara has won praise for its open door policy towards Syrian refugees, it was not until this month that it announced that they would be given the right to work after striking a deal with the EU as part of an effort to reduce the numbers flocking to Europe. 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. Hundreds of thousands of Syrian adults in Turkey work for low pay far below the minimum wage of 1,300 Turkish lira (309) per month. Many children are employed as cheap labour on farms and factories in breach of Turkish and international laws that forbid those under 12 from working. Children aged 13-14 are banned from all but light work. In an effort to gauge the scale of the problem, the BHRRC asked 28 major brands last month about their Turkish suppliers and their strategies for combating the exploitation of Syrian children and adults. Volunteer observes silence as baby girl washes up on Kagia beach H&M and Next were the only ones which revealed that they had identified child labour over the course of 2015. Both companies said that they had taken action to return the children to education and support their families. They did not specify their ages. Primark and C&A said they had identified adult Syrian refugee workers. Adidas, Burberry, Nike, and Puma all stated that no undocumented Syrian refugees were found in their supply chain. So too did Arcadia Group, which owns Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Burton Menswear. All other brands that responded including M&S, Asos, Debenhams and Superdry remained silent on the question of Syrian workers. Ten companies, including GAP, New Look and River Island, have yet to respond. The BHRRC said that it was alarmed by the responses, warning: Only a few brands appear to have engaged with the extent and the complexity of these issues in their Turkish supply base; even fewer report taking action to protect these vulnerable workers. It said that many companies appeared to have an out of sight, out of mind approach to auditing their factories, conducting preannounced visits that could allow factory managers to cover up abuses. Phil Bloomer, executive director of the BHRRC, said that H&M and Next deserved praise for their honesty and urged other companies to take the problem seriously. He said: No brands want child labour in their supply chain, but what matters is how vigorous they are in looking for it and what they do when they find it. Given reports from the ground indicate refugee child labour is common in Turkey, it is positive that two brands in our report identified this problem and took action to protect the children. We need all brands to show equal vigour in eliminating this curse. 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 Labour Party has described how the Tories are contradicting themselves after Prime Minister David Cameron highlighted plans to combat racial discrimination within Britain's top universities. Kate Green MP, Labours shadow minister for women and equalities, welcomed Mr Camerons calls to force top universities to disclose the proportion of ethnic minority applicants being given places. However, she said those from low income families would be put off going to university in the first place after the Tories axed maintenance grants for more than half a million of Englands poorest students, a move which would leave students facing high levels of debt upon graduation. Recommended Read more The moment 18 MPs took just 90 minutes to axe maintenance grants Ms Green added: Once again, we see the Government stating high aims on equality while, at the same, time implementing policies which only serve to embed and entrench inequality. Writing in The Sunday Times, where he highlighted examples of discrimination within higher education, Mr Cameron said the figures should shame our country and jolt us to action. Questioning the image modern-day Britain is portraying, he wrote: Consider this: if youre a young black man, youre more likely to be in a prison cell than studying at a top university. Only one in ten of the poorest white boys go into higher education at all. There are no black generals in our armed forces, and just four per cent of chief executives in the FTSE 100 are from ethnic minorities. The University of Oxford also responded to Mr Camerons comments after he described it as striking that Oxfords 2014 intake of more than 2,500 included only 27 black students. A spokesman for the institution said the university welcomed discussions about the information it publishes, however rejected the need for a change to the rules. He insisted the university was doing well against a challenging backdrop of changes to the educational landscape, adding: The effects of social inequality are already pronounced before children begin formal schooling, and universities, schools, and government must work together to address their root causes effectively. 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 }} Tom Sutcliffe, my former colleague, asked: "What's the best artwork in an artwork?" I did the Top 10 Fictional Fictions once. Dan Jackson ("Northumbriana") suggested paintings in paintings, such as this, above, "View of the Salon Carre at the Louvre", c.1880, by Alexandre Brun (1853 - 1941), in the Louvre Museum, Paris. (Although on reflection those may be paintings of real paintings: see Dan's other examples for paintings of more obviously invented paintings.) The Top 10 in The New Review, the Independent on Sunday magazine, was Sieges. This was an absurdly popular subject, with many complaints about favourites omitted. I could have compiled a Top 10 Fictional Sieges or a Top 10 Embassy Sieges on their own. I shall do a round-up of the Top 100 later this week. I wrote about David Cameron's flexible approach to the European question for The Independent on Sunday yesterday. He has been quite as skilful as Harold Wilson was in 1975 and, contrary to conventional wisdom, started with easy, vague demands and moved onto to harder, specific ones quite late on. Last night's meeting with Donald Tusk, EU president, followed the template of last-minute difficulties over a deal that has essentially been done. The Wilson comparison is not one that Cameron will like. Wilson's reputation is one of an unprincipled temporiser, but he was a brilliant reader of politics and public opinion. Cameron may be disparaged as making it up as he goes along, prompted by the opinion polls, but that is how democracy is supposed to work. Too much "leadership" and a prime minister ends up like Thatcher or Blair, dumped by a party that supposes them to be an electoral liability. My glossary of essential terms for understanding Cameron's EU renegotiation is here: Downing Street published the menu for last night's dinner, which was quickly satirised (by Tariq Tahir): Smoked salmon non-starter, "where's the beef" fillet and pear-shaped and apple crumble. Quotation of the Week: Once youre left of Blair or right of Cameron I dont trust you. Michael Caine, Times Friday (pay wall). And finally, thanks to Glenny Rodge for this: "Tonight Matthew, I will be making a Nicholas II of Russia Biryani" Czars in Their Rice. You heard. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Russian Defense Ministry has irrefutable evidence of Syria's territory being shelled by Turkish troops. Armenpress reports, citing TASS, RF Defense Ministry representative Igor Konashenkov told the aforementioned. Russian Defense Ministry is waiting for explanations from representatives of NATO and the Pentagon of the actions of Turkish military which the ministry accuses of shelling the Syrian territory," Konashenkov said. According to Konashenkov, Turkish military shell Syrias territory from large-caliber artillery, and Russia has "irrefutable evidence" of these cases. The general said Russias military have received footage provided by Syrias General Staff that shows deployment of large-caliber self-propelled artillery weapons in one of near-border areas. The ministry also received a video from Syrias opposition showing the shelling of Syria, he said. "This is called a fact. This is irrefutable evidence that Turkeys armed forces shell near-border Syrian settlements from large-caliber artillery systems," Maj. Gen. Konashenkov said. He showed the journalists a video that pictured a part of the Syrian-Turkish border. "This facility is a Turkish frontier post where several months ago there were no firing points," he said. Speaking on Ankaras new allegations that Russia's Su-34 bomber violated Turkeys airspace last week, Konashenkov said: "Those who warn us about consequences without understanding what happened, should first of all think about the trap their Turkish partners are dragging them into." Russian-Turkish relations intensified after the Russian bomber was shot down over Syria by an air-to-air surface fired from a Turkish F-16 plane on November 24, when the bomber was at an altitude of 6,000 meters at a distance of 1 km from the Turkish border. The jet dropped 4 km away from the Turkish border. According to President Putin, the Su-24 plane incident in is "a stab in Russias back delivered by terrorist accomplices. 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 }} Prior to the civil war, Syria had more than 90 per cent attendance rates in schools. Since then, 47 specific attacks on schools were recorded last year alone - and there have been more than 4,000 assaults on school property since the Syrian crisis began almost five years ago. Unicef states that currently there are 2.8 million children out of school in Syria and surrounding areas. Schools are dangerous places to congregate in war. They are specific targets for armed groups, both militarily and for propaganda purposes, because they are in populated areas and have a high profile in society or religious affiliations. In Syria, one in four schools cannot be used because they have been damaged, destroyed, or are being used as shelters for internally displaced people or for military purposes. In order to take examinations, at least 20 per cent of children have to cross active conflict zones. As a result of bombardments or fear of attack, children do not attend schools and thus experience a lack of purpose, routine and social interaction with peers. This often means that they end up enrolling in armed groups, which are regular, social and provide a source of income. Within these armed groups, children at first perform indirect support functions such as carrying substantial loads, spying or acting as lookouts. However, their roles swiftly evolve into ones at the centre of battle. They are offered arms to solve the crisis; suicide belts to make martyrs of themselves; and husbands or wives to produce the next generation of jihadi fighters. The use of children is of benefit to militias as they are considerably cheaper than adults, consuming less food and demanding less pay. The immaturity of these young recruits is also of great advantage. Indeed, children are deemed crucial in the art of war and an exploitable resource of almost unlimited supply. It is absolutely worthwhile for the armed groups to hinder their access to formal education. Subsequently, the cycle continues: schools are attacked, children are left vulnerable, and armed groups grow. These children arent just being educated in the acts of war and used to perpetuate a conflict over further generations. Theyre also being deliberately taken away from any alternative source of instruction or empowerment. Schools are well-placed structures to inform children about reconciliation. Curriculums can educate children about previous conflicts that have ended peacefully. These institutions transmit essential skills and life-saving information, such as how to stay safe by avoiding landmines. They can be used as agents of peace, encouraging social interaction, national belonging and diplomacy. Additionally, education in emergencies provides psychological healing for children traumatised by violent experiences. In areas under the control of Isis, the very nature of education has been abused to indoctrinate children into their practices. In fact, it is a central cog in their approach to acquiring rule. Through enrolling children from a young age in Isis-curriculum schools or training camps - and thus exposing them to a venomous ideology that teaches only how to fight, attack and kill - children are led to believe that the Isis approach is merely the status quo. Recommended Read more Five things would happen if everyone stopped eating meat Not only do they therefore lose the clear benefits of real education, but, on a far more profound level, this generation of children are raised with little to no experience of the freedoms of childhood. All children learn, whether it happens in a conventional building with instruction in traditional subjects, or whether it happens in an armed militia with an AK47 in hand. Escaping instruction by arms and regaining the right to an education that offers choice will be imperative in helping the next generation of Syrians to reclaim their country. 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 }} If you are black in Britain, the harder you strive, the worse it gets. That is the bleak conclusion of new research by the TUC into job prospects for our different communities, which we report exclusively today. If you are black, leave school as early as possible and work stacking shelves or digging holes, you can be confident that you will earn roughly the same as your white workmates. You will not get rich, but you may avoid becoming bitter. If, on the other hand, you smile through the patronising pats on the head and punch your way up through the glass ceiling of race, where do you find yourself? In a topsy-turvy world where, the higher you rise, the wider yawns the gap between your pay and that of your white colleagues. The figures dont lie. Quit school after obtaining some GCSEs and your pay, as a black person, will be 13.6 per cent less than that of whites. At A-level, the gap widens to 17 per cent. Stick with the education system through university and your efforts will be rewarded by seeing it increase yet further, to 23 per cent 4.30 less for every hour you work. And, when you get there, its still lonely at the top. As the Prime Minister noted on Saturday, there are no black generals and only 4 per cent of chief executives of FTSE companies are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. Out of 2,500 students who started a degree at Oxford in 2014, only 27 were black a little over 1 per cent. Meanwhile, a quarter of inmates of our prisons belong to a minority group, even though they amount to 14 per cent of the population at large. As a member of an ethnic minority, you stand a better chance of occupying a prison cell than a place at a top university. In Britain, we tend to be complacent about this issue: our last serious riots occurred back in 2011; we have neither the seething banlieues of French cities nor the deep-rooted black-versus-police malaise of the US; and minorities in public life and on our television screens are now too numerous to mention. But these shocking statistics show that complacency is not in order. That is why we salute David Cameron for calling attention to the problem, and appointing a figure as credible as David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham, to head a review into its causes. The appointment, and indeed his highlighting of the issue, may be a typical instance of Cameron guile, but that does not vitiate its value. And he does not exaggerate the problem: as he says, improving the lives of black Britons will require revolutions in both schools and justice. Black educational achievement is unacceptably low. To reverse that, a strenuous assault on a culture of low expectations in the state sector is needed. Some of the Governments reforms, from free schools to focusing on academic subjects, will help. In the justice system, there is an urgent need to address incarceration rates. Too many non-violent offenders go to prison, and black people are disproportionately affected by this. We need to make sure that we lock up only the people who need to be locked up, and that prison rehabilitates as well as punishes. In some circles abroad it is taken for granted that our attempt to build a fair and harmonious multi-ethnic society is bound to fail. That is not the case, but it will take intelligent effort at many different levels to make it succeed. Roll on the happy day when we can all stop wailing about race. It may take some time. 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 }} Hugo Dixon (The Remain Campaign has the strongest suit, 28 January) is deluded if he thinks the facts will do anything to disperse the fog of xenophobia which seems to have engulfed this island. Fear of the other means that Syrian refugees and eastern European workers are lumped together in the public mind, along with many groups with different cultures and skin colours who have nothing to do with the European Union. One of my nicest neighbours, returning from a journey made tedious by traffic jams caused by the highway authoritys road works, exclaimed There are too many people in this country; thats why Im voting Out. I live in the country, and am involved in equestrian sport along with a group of delightfully down-to-earth colleagues, middle-aged, middle-of-the road, with middling incomes, who are all mildly hostile to anything outside Britain and resolutely refuse to accept that they are Europeans living in a country that is part of Europe. They feel threatened by cross-border co-operation, seeing only the loss of ability to act independently, and ignoring the additional support and security. This self-destructive isolationism seems to be on the increase. The unfortunate Lord Rose has himself been accused of relying too much on facts and not enough on emotion. Loyal Tory peer as he is, he is surely entitled to feel a bit miffed at being compared unfavourably to a Prime Minister who, it seems to be generally agreed, is guilty of subordinating the interests of his country to those of his party and whose considerable rhetorical powers would not be needed at all if he hadnt got us into this mess in the first place. Janet Watson Topcroft, Norfolk The more I learn about the European Union and the principal treaties Rome, Lisbon, Maastricht the more I wonder about the mentality of the UK Government over the past 55 years. By the end of 1996 we had five opt-out conditions: 1) The Schengen Agreement, but with opt-in on a case-by-case basis (a strange one that). 2) Economic and Monetary Union; in which case why is our PM trying to get sterling recognised as an official currency? 3) Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; why then can someone claim entry into the UK on the basis of human rights? 4) Area of Freedom, Security and Justice; (with opt-in on a case-by-case basis, another odd one). 5) The Social Chapter. The first act of Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1997 was to abolish the opt-out. I have the feeling that many of our hard won opt-outs have been abolished or abandoned over the years, but without telling us. We are being guided slowly but very firmly, like a flock of sheep ignorant of their fate, into a super-state. This is not what our fathers and grandfathers fought and died to achieve. Peace between sovereign nations can exist, even with a little occasional petulance, without the need for an oppressive and dictatorial super-government. D M Loxley Hartoft, North Yorkshire Until I read your report Embassies around Europe enlist expatriate vote (30 January) I was among the many unaware of the possibility that expatriates could vote in the forthcoming referendum. Its not that I didnt care: I do care very much but didnt know how to find out. So its a relief to see that British expatriates living in Europe will be allowed to vote. After all, we have probably the most at stake. To lose the right to continue to live in your home is quite something. But why is the eligibility to vote restricted to those who have lived abroad for less than 15 years? Why is there any restriction to eligibility at all? I have lived in Europe, first in the Netherlands and now in France, for the past 33 years. If the UK votes to leave, I will suffer just as much as, if not more than, somebody who has only been away for a few years. Richard Francis La Romieu, France Cancer drug approved after a years delay We are delighted that Nice has published final guidance recommending olaparib for some NHS patients and welcome the flexibility shown within the constraints of the current system. The result of British science, olaparib is the first targeted treatment for BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer. However, 10 per cent of women for whom olaparib is designed will still be denied access. It took a year for Nice to make its decision and it will still be another three months before NHS England plans to make olaparib available for patients. This is a considerable amount of time for a group of women whose average life expectancy is 24 months, exemplifying the need to reform the UKs medicines assessment framework. While recent proposals to improve the Cancer Drugs Fund are welcomed, Government needs to step up efforts in accelerating access to innovative medicines, including reform of Nice methods allowing it to approve more cancer treatments. UK cancer outcomes continue to be among the worst in Western Europe; lessons should be learnt from olaparib to ensure we do not fall farther behind. Dr Mene Pangalos Executive Vice President, AstraZeneca Prof Jonathan Ledermann Clinical Director, UCL Cancer Institute Prof Paul Workman Chief Executive, Institute of Cancer Research, London Prof Stephen P Jackson University of Cambridge Dr Rebecca Kristeleit Consultant Medical Oncologist, UCL Dr Yvette Drew Northern Centre for Cancer Care, Newcastle Natalie Percival President, National Forum of Gynaecological Oncology Nurses (NFGON) Dr Tracie Miles Research and Development Officer, NFGON Life enriched by Andy Murray I agree with Matthew Normans views on Andy Murray (Voices, 1 February). Having spent the past fortnight 12,000 miles away from home to watch a boy for whom I have quasi-maternal feelings, I would like to add the following: Yes, I hoped, against all the odds, that he would win. Yes, I grieved when he didnt, but rejoiced that he was able to catch a late-night flight home to be with his wife for the birth of their child. We have become a nation of curmudgeons when we can no longer recognise excellence in whatever form it takes, and instead expect robot-like superiority from our heroes at all times. Life isnt like that. May entire pantheons of gods and goddesses bless you, Andy and Kim, and may the delivery of your child be safe and trouble-free. Thank you for enriching our lives. Katherine Scholfield London W8 Further to your objection to George Osborne in his hi-vis jacket (Letter from the Editor, 30 January) may I mention the photographs of Andy Murray? Always that absurd angry face. He puts me in mind of King Kong. I thought sportsmen were meant to be competitive but good-humoured. David Ashton Shipbourne, Kent Accident victims dont need pictures I dont know whether to feel anger, despair or disbelief that people who were on scene when two people were trapped in their car by a fallen tree chose to start filming rather than assist directly. Perhaps a change in law is required to make it a legal requirement for people to help others in distress, as is the case in many European and non-European countries. Paul Watson Kingscott, Devon The only way to tax Google Is not the obvious solution to the avoidance of tax, on the part of internet companies, for the Chancellor to make all internet advertising a non-deductible expense for corporation tax purposes (in the same way that many years ago entertaining expenses became non-deductible)? That way the sponsors of the advertising would pay the tax, and the Googles and Facebooks of this world would have to structure their fees accordingly. I fear that is the only way that the Exchequer is ever likely to see any of this money. C R Sexton FCMA (retired) Crowthorne, Berkshire If prominent tax-avoiding companies were instead engaged in social security fraud, the Conservatives would have angrily announced a plethora of major crack-downs by now, and no effort or expense would have been spared to find and punish those found guilty of such dishonesty. Pete Dorey Bath Cancer is an illness, not an enemy The media reporting of the deaths of David Bowie, Alan Rickman and Rene Angelil does them a grave disservice. They did not lose the battle against cancer, with all the implications of failure, weakness and defeat. Like others who succumb to terminal illnesses, I am sure they lived their last days with courage, fortitude, dignity and acceptance of the sad inevitable. Dr Tim Rubidge Salisbury 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 }} You may never have heard of Dibden Bay. It is a part of the western coastline of Southampton Water, which means as youll see if you look at a map that it is right on the eastern coastline of the New Forest. Fifteen years ago, Associated British Ports, the biggest ports business in the UK, wanted to site a giant deep-water container depot at Dibden. It would have involved more than a mile of shipping berths, an array of big cranes and a 500-acre terminal, to form one of the largest dock areas in Europe. Its intended 24-hour operation was expected to generate more than 3,000 heavy lorry journeys a day. On the edge of the New Forest. It was a monster in the making, right next to the most peaceful area of unspoiled wilderness in southern England which was soon to become a national park and local people, and the whole British nature conservation establishment, united to oppose it. After a long planning inquiry, the Government saw sense and turned it down. But what was absolutely key in the rejection of Dibden Bay was that the coastline it was to impact upon benefited from very superior protection, in the form of the two European Union wildlife laws the Wild Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive which make it, if not quite impossible, then extremely difficult to carry out developments which would damage sites that they protect. Note well: this is stronger protection for a wildlife area than that afforded by our own, home-grown regulations. It is stronger than being designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or even, believe it or not, a National Park. It is the toughest protection there is for the natural world in Britain. And, if we vote to leave the European Union in the forthcoming referendum, it is likely to disappear. You werent aware? Join the club. It is just starting to dawn on many people that, for all the disadvantages of the EU (such as its crazy Common Agricultural Policy, its cosying up to big business, its democratic deficit and to some its free movement of peoples), over the past 40 years, since Britain became a member state in 1973, it has put together a wonderfully enlightened corpus of environmental law. It is European directives which have forced the sewage out of Britains bathing waters and the acid rain out of Britains atmosphere; which are getting rid of the most dangerous chemicals in our environment and the carbon pollution of our motor vehicles; which are pushing the clean-up of our rivers and the switch to renewable energy; and which, of course, are watching over our wildlife, and that of the rest of Europe. All that may be at risk for us with Brexit; and last week, as reported exclusively in The Independent by our political editor Oliver Wright, a group of Britains most senior conservationists made the point forcefully in a letter to the Environment Secretary, Liz Truss. Now action is following words, and on Wednesday a new pressure group, Environmentalists for Europe, will be being launched to make the EUs enormous role in protecting our domestic environment widely and properly understood in the run-up to the In/Out referendum. The group is chaired by two of our most senior environmentalists: Barbara Young and Stanley Johnson. In a remarkable career Lady Young she is now Baroness Young of Old Scone has headed three major British environmental institutions, the RSPB, English Nature (then the Governments wildlife watchdog) and the Environment Agency. Johnson is an even more remarkable figure. First (and there is no avoiding mentioning this, alas) he is Boriss Dad. But, far more importantly, he was the Brussels administrator who dreamed up the Habitats Directive in the 1980s, and the inspirer of the great network of protected wildlife sites which has subsequently flowered across Europe, known as Natura 2000. These two formidable characters, supported by a number of other leading environmentalists, will be seeking over the coming months to spread a vital message: you may have many reasons to want Britain to leave the EU, but if you consider the issue from an environmental point of view, you may well want Britain to stay put. Why not look at the arguments yourself? 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 }} Forty years ago, a Tory prime minister faced a choice recognise the UKs moral and legal obligation to refugees, or listen to the voices calling for us to put up the shutters. Many in the press and Parliament would have preferred us to wash our hands of the East African Asians. Fortunately for them and for us, Edward Heath did the right thing. Now politicians describe them as one of the UKs greatest success stories. We face a similar choice today. Europe, and Britain, have a responsibility to the million refugees who crossed the Med last year. The UK can and should do more. That is why more than 120 economists, many of them senior in the worlds of academia and policy, have published an open letter asking David Cameron to admit more refugees. Recommended Read more Schengen scheme on brink of collapse after Amsterdam talks This week, legislators have a chance to take concrete action. The Lords will debate proposed amendments to the Immigration Bill which would allow more refugees with strong family links here. That is an example of how Britain could quickly, efficiently and at low cost offer safe, legal routes into the country for refugees accompanied by the readymade integration assistance and support networks furnished by family members. But helping refugees is not just a moral issue. It is an economic one. Economists are almost unanimous on the economic benefits of immigration. As Philippe Legrain from LSEs European Institute points out in his forthcoming paper on this topic, welcoming refugees is not only a humanitarian and legal obligation: it is an investment that can yield substantial economic dividends. In the UK, immigration over the past two decades has boosted jobs and growth. And it has had little impact on our own jobs or wages, while providing extra tax revenues to help us fund public services in the future. Britain can show it is open, confident and outward-looking, both as an economy and a society. Or we can rely on walls and borders. If we choose the latter, it wont just be refugees who suffer. We will all be poorer. 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 child sex abuse allegations against Greville Janner were widely reported over a long period. We heard details about the claims against him; we came to know something of the illness that meant he was not fit to stand trial; and since his death there has been much discussion of why earlier chances to investigate him were missed. Many references have been made to Janners record of public service. He was a parliamentarian, an effective lawyer and particularly a pillar of the Jewish community. Indeed, it was as an advocate for Britains Jews that Janner was arguably best known prior to the abuse allegations emerging. Not only did he chair the Board of Deputies of British Jews, he was a leading figure in the World Jewish Congress, the Commonwealth Jewish Council and the British-Israel Parliamentary group among other organisations. But is his Jewishness relevant in reporting the story which came to dominate the last part of his life? This question was raised in relation to an item we published recently, regarding a report by Sir Richard Henriques that examined why Janner had not been the subject of more extensive police enquiries when claims were first levelled against him in the early 1990s. Accompanying the article was a picture of Janner seemingly wearing a Jewish skull cap, a kippah. Several readers complained about our choice of image. Two said the fact of Janner being a Jew was unrelated to our article and suggested we were motivated by anti-Semitism. The rules for journalists when it comes to discrimination are clear. We must avoid references to a persons race, religion, gender, sexuality and so on unless the information is genuinely relevant. In this case, there are a number of points to consider. First is the notion that Janner avoided proper investigation because of the powerful position he occupied. As Sir Richard concluded, police officers were blinkered in their early enquiries into the claims against Janner. Their immediate perception of him as a parliamentarian and pillar of the community led them to disbelieve the accusations. Janners public life was closely connected with his Jewish identity: to that extent, it is a relevant point in examining why he was not investigated more fully. Yet we did not refer to Janners involvement in Jewish advocacy groups in this particular article, so why use a picture of him wearing a kippah? It ought first to be said that our picture desk did not take particular notice of his headgear it was not immediately apparent to the untrained eye that he was adjusting a skull cup rather than another type of hat. More important editorially was that the image was one we hadnt used before. There is always an imperative to avoid constant repetition of the same picture of newsworthy people simply to keep pages fresh. It was also a good fit for the area it was intended to fill and, unlike many other pictures, came without a hefty usage fee. The idea that we deliberately, and motivated by anti-Semitism, sought out an image which would remind readers that Janner was Jewish is as absurd as it is offensive. Nonetheless, is there something in the idea that we should actively avoid images which incidentally show information about a persons background when it isnt strictly relevant? After all, there might be any number of examples: a crucifix on a necklace, or an Islamic headscarf, or perhaps an individual shown holding hands with a partner. Yet take this to its logical conclusion and we would publish no pictures at all for fear of showing the colour of someones skin or their gender. And the result of that would not be the end of discrimination so much as the obscuring of reality. Will Gore is Deputy Managing Editor of The Independent, i, Independent on Sunday and the Evening Standard 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 so-called Jihadi groups, which consist of extremist Muslims of every faction: ranging from Salafis, Wahhabis, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Isis and many more, consider themselves as advocates of True Islam. These terrorists claim that the Paris, London and New York attacks are supported and justified by the Quran. Meanwhile, the majority of Muslims condemn those atrocities. For those on the outside of the debate, this may seem like a confusing situation. Which side speaks the truth? Is Islam a dangerous religion? 15-year-old Muslim schoolgirl has message for people who blamed her little sister for the Paris attacks Here are the reasons why the Quran doesnt support the actions of terrorist groups both in the reasons for waging war and what it is appropriate to do when there is defensive justification for war. To be frank, God does give conditional permission for Muslims to wage war; however there are strict guidelines for this which jihadists do not adhere to. Here are some of the terms and conditions: first, Muslims cannot pre-emptively initiate a war. They are only allowed to act in defense. Muslims have permission from God to fight back only when they are expelled from their houses or lands. War can be waged if there is a situation where defenseless people are under attack and ask their Muslim allies for help. The last reason for a just war is when war breaks out between two groups of believers and one party does not intend to stop it in spite of a proposed truce. Even for battles and fights, the Quran has set limitations and frameworks. If the enemy proposes peace, Muslims should immediately stop the war. Second, Muslims are not allowed to transgress the divine justice: fight for the cause of God, those who fight you, but do not transgress, for God does not love the transgressors. The idea of unrestricted, apocalyptic warfare as proposed by Isis is totally un-Islamic. Third, Muslims have to treat prisoners of war with honour, not behead them, as seen recently in the bloody propaganda videos spread by the so called Islamic state. Prisoners should be released after the war, either in exchange for Muslims captives or only as a favour. Also Muslims do not have permission to keep prisoners of war, enslave them, or use them as future soldiers. Finally, followers of Islam are not allowed to force their religious beliefs upon their enemies. Recommended Read more How Syrian children are turned into Isis fighters According to the Quran, jihadists obliterate one of the most important commandments about relationships with other nations. The Quran indicates that Muslims should not seek hostility towards those who havent sought any war against them. The verse mentions that Muslims have to establish mutual relationships with those who have not expelled, nor have helped to expel, Muslims from their lands. Thus it becomes clear that the Quran has not hindered the Muslims from being kind and just toward free-thinkers. The permission to fight in the Quran mainly has defensive and reactive purpose. A true follower of the Quran is not allowed to initiate a war and even when a just war breaks out Muslims are not allowed to kill innocent people. This is the Islam that many Muslims follow; fundamentally it is a guideline for living peacefully alongside people of all other religions and nationalities. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} What little is known about the Zika virus makes a firm case for the strongest possible international response. Most shocking are the deformities it appears to cause in newborn babies. Across Brazil, where the virus is flourishing, hundreds of infants have been born with microcephaly, a condition that leaves them with abnormally small heads, and likely to suffer from brain damage. Parents across the Americas and now further afield live in fear for the health of their future children. So it is to be welcomed that the World Health Organisation announced a public health emergency, the first such pronouncement since the spread of Ebola caught governments by surprise in 2014. Zika is dangerous, unexpected and crossing borders, with experts of the view it could infect up to four million people, reaching Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the USA and potentially Europe. The declaration of a public health emergency will increase international co-operation and focus on the virus. It can carry political and economic costs, too: advice from the WHO to avoid travel to parts of West Africa during the Ebola crisis helped knock $1.6bn off the growth of countries at the centre of the outbreak. Though Brazilians may bristle at being cut off, such costs must be borne. Recommended Read more WHO panel declares Zika virus a global health emergency The simplest response should involve a surge in old-fashioned methods of mosquito control. The virus is carried by a mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, which can breed in soda cans, or even the pools of water collected in a plant pot. Unlike the species that carries the malaria virus, it looks for food during the day, so bed nets are no help. Vaccines are perhaps a decade off. Instead, households in at-risk zones should be advised to remove all standing water, and provided with DDT. It was this chemical that lay at the heart of successful purges against malaria and dengue-carrying mosquitos in Latin America between the 1930s and early 1960s. The risks are known: DDT is a powerful pesticide, and should not be dumped outside, as it was previously. But as the director of vector-borne diseases at Americas Centres for Disease Control and Prevention points out, it carries next to no risk used on walls inside homes. The Brazilian government has mobilised its armed forces to go door-to-door spreading information and insecticides. Other at-risk countries should follow suit. 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 In addition, it is sensible to turn attention not just to killing Zika-carrying mosquitoes, but preventing their being born. A British company has engineered a modified mosquito that sterilises the offspring of those it mates with: these creatures are already being released in Brazil, and have been shown to reduce the size of local populations dramatically. Some argue for an attempt to eradicate the mosquito altogether: yet the unintended ecological consequences of such a drive present too great a risk. Bats, turtles and fish feed on mosquito larvae. For now, as the international response kicks into gear, personal responsibility comes to the fore just as it did during the Ebola crisis, in which West Africans were advised to change their greeting and burial habits. Couples in danger zones would be wise to put off having a baby; long sleeves should be worn, and repellents applied liberally. Meanwhile, the coming burst of research into Zika must be matched by governmental efforts to inform citizens, spread insecticides, and drain the swamps Aedes aegypti breeds in. Such methods worked in the past, and can work again today. A father-of-three who drowned after a canoe capsized would have been leading a search and rescue if it had been someone else, those who knew him have said. Bill Topham, an electrician and the warden at St Patrick's Church of Ireland in Kenmare, Co Kerry, died after the 17ft (5.2m) boat overturned a few hundred yards from shore yesterday. A friend who had joined him for a duck shoot on islands on Kenmare Bay managed to swim to shore where he was rescued. Mr Topham's body was recovered at about 9.45am this morning by local divers after hundreds of local people turned out in stormy conditions in the search and rescue efforts for the popular local man. Rev Michael Cavanagh of St Patrick's said widow Geraldine and the family were hugely grateful to the professionalism of the Irish Coast Guard and all those who responded to the tragedy. "Bill was something special in this community," he said. "Everybody knew Bill and Bill knew everybody. He was a great guy. People have massive respect for him. "At 7am this morning there were 240 people there in the community hall waiting to go out and search. It's just amazing. "Bill Topham and Kenmare, they sort of almost defined each other - willing to help everybody, always there and ready. "If it had been somebody else Bill Topham would have been the first person there this morning to help in the search." The cleric paid tribute to his dedication in maintaining the church buildings and grounds. Mr Topham's family have had connections with the Church of Ireland in the village dating back to 1848. He also helped with the local Men's Sheds which was set up at St Patrick's and he also helped fund raise for Mellon Educate and took several trips to South Africa when it was focused on building houses in townships. "If you needed something doing then he was one of those people who could turn his hand to anything," Rev Cavanagh said. The tragedy occurred after the men tried to make their way from Templenoe pier, a few miles from Kenmare village, to a duck shoot on islands a few hundred yards offshore. Mr Topham's body was found by divers in the water off Templenoe, not far from where the capsized canoe was discovered on Sunday. The Irish Coast Guard co-ordinated the search operation with the Castletownbere Coast Guard unit and Derrynane inshore rescue and the Shannon Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 and local clubs all involved. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan received Georgian Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli on February 1, who is on an official visit in Armenia. The sides discussed issues referring to the development and strengthening of bilateral inter-governmental relations, military partnership between Armenia and Georgia, and regional security. As Armenpress was informed from the Department of Public Relations and Mass Media of Republic of Armenia Presidents Staff, the Armenian President and the Georgian Defense Minister highlighted high-level mutual visits, which, to their conviction, give a new impetus to inter-governmental relations, determine the prospects of future cooperation, as well as help to find practical and rapid solutions to the current issues on the agenda. The President of the Republic emphasized the traditional partnership between Armenia and Georgia, as well as the importance of balanced stance for the preservation of regional stability and peace. Minister Tina Khidasheli mentioned that the millennia-old amicable relations between the peoples of Armenia and Georgia is highly appreciated in Georgia and stated that no dividing lines can occur between the two friendly peoples with such an ancient historical background straying them away from the path which they embraced thousands of years ago, and will continue together for thousands of years. The Armenian and Georgian Defense Ministers presented the agreements reached as a result of inter-ministerial discussions conducted within the framework of Minister Tina Khidashelis visit to the President of the Republic of Armenia. Financial Services Ireland (FSI), the Ibec group that represents the financial services sector, has announced the creation of 1,000 new apprenticeships over the next four years. The new apprenticeships will be rolled out as early as this September, where 220 will be made available to school leavers, candidates with third level educations, and workers looking to upskill. The initial 220 positions will be split up into three categories. IFS Associate Professional, which is aimed at school leavers or VEC or PLC students, IFS Specialist, which is looking to attract career changers, and IFS Advanced Specialist, which looks at those with prior experience. Director at FSI, Marc Coleman, explained how the apprentice scheme will work. This dual system where apprentices work in a company and study simultaneously has been proven to work in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. FSI companies will be offering apprenticeships as part of this initiative. "The apprenticeship will give access to careers in international financial services to those that otherwise may not have considered it," Mr Coleman said. Those who graduate from the one of the three schemes will do so with qualifications in the areas of international financial services, data analytics, risk and compliance and fintech with levels varying from five to nine on the National Framework of Qualificaitons. Speaking about the apprenticeships minister for the state at the department of finance, Simon Harris, said: I welcome FSI's initiative and commitment in taking this strand of the Government's IFS2020 Strategy forward. Building capacity into our skills' base in this sector is vital to maintaining our recovery by way of sustainable job creation. The IFS apprenticeships are 2 years in duration with the apprentices spending 60pc of their time working in IFS companies and the remainder gaining specific IFS qualifications. Those interested in applying should contact Carol Kenna, senior executive at FSI, at carol.kenna@ibec.ie. By this stage it's clear that 160 years later the streets of San Francisco are still paved with gold, at least if you work in tech. On a trip there earlier this month, The Punt was struck by just how much it has changed in the last decade. Former down-at-heel areas such as The Tenderloin and SoMa are rapidly shrinking, while formerly featureless streets are now buzzing with cool bars and restaurants. A one-bed apartment in San Franciso rents for about $3,000 a month. With business booming, it's not surprising that financial firms are opening new offices there, and the latest to do so is Grant Thornton. Edel Carter, a director in Grant Thornton's Tax practice, will manage the US-Irish Business Group's office. This is the latest step for the firm in the US. Kildare man Dara Kelly is already set up in New York and is known to be working closely with firms contemplating an Irish presence or Irish firms looking at the US. No doubt managing partner Paul McCann is happy with the plan - he believes that "having a physical presence in San Francisco will allow Grant Thornton to better service our clients". The Punt does wonder about the San Francisco market though. It's boom time there at the moment, but as we know only too well, booms tend not to last forever. With tech firm valuations sinking at present, Ms Carter may end up working harder than she may have expected. No more 'other bets' for Google San Francisco famously likes to call itself "The Industrial City" and these days the industry is very much technology. Despite what the tech world likes to tell us about its "flat" organisations and how everyone is very relaxed and despises the buttoned-up superiority of the financial and legal worlds, technology staff put in hours at least as long as their suited-and-booted counterparts, and the aggression and drive of software engineers pulling an all-nighter is just as prevalent as on a trading floor. All eyes in the industry this week will turn to Google's parent company Alphabet, which releases results tonight. The results are always closely watched, but even more so this week following mixed numbers from other Silicon Valley darlings. While Facebook blew out expectations with a blockbuster set of earnings, others such as Apple and Amazon missed forecasts by wide margins. Importantly, this will be the first results which separate out Google's core business from its "other bets" such as driverless cars and smart homes. It may give us a glimpse into how unbelievably profitable the likes of Search is, and investors will like that. PwC looks at cyber attacks While Google likes to think it is changing the world for the better - founder Larry Page has reportedly bemoaned the fact that people can't make donations to Google as if it was a charity - other people in tech are tryinig to change it for worse. Cyber attacks cost companies an average of 2.3m per breach, according to new research from PwC, but it seems the victms are beginning to catch up. The report shows that there has been a 38pc increase in the number of attacks being detected by companies, and in response, 24pc of firms have beefed up their protection. The vast majority of organisations - 91pc - have adopted a security framework, or more often, an amalgam of frameworks. These technologies are yielding considerable ways to improve cybersecurity, Pwc say. France is reforming its 35-hour working week in a move that could sound the death knell of two-hour lunches and early departures for weekend breaks. The short working week was introduced under a Socialist government in the 1990s with the aim of encouraging job creation. But many employers say it has caused labour costs to rise and has handicapped French companies struggling to compete globally. Businesses have to pay between 10 and 50pc extra per hour if they want employees to work more than 35 hours a week, but they are to be given the right to renegotiate longer hours and lower overtime pay with staff. The changes are opposed by trade unions and the left wing of the governing Socialist Party, which view any move to tamper with the short working week as undermining one of the foundations of France's social model. "Exemptions to the legal duration of working time at 35 hours are no longer a violation of the law," Manuel Valls, the prime minister, said last week in an admission that France needs labour reforms to revive its economy and halt the rise of unemployment, which is at more than 10pc. However, Benoit Hamon, a Socialist MP who was sacked as education minister for rebelling against President Francois Hollande's pro-business reforms in 2014, said: "This is offering the scalp of the 35-hour week to those who have been demanding it for a long time. "What is hard for employees to swallow is that they will be allowed to do overtime but they will be paid less than before. The problem is not to characterise this policy as not being of the Left, but to characterise it for what it is: inefficient." The 35-hour week will remain enshrined in law. Workers will still be paid more for overtime, but at a lower rate. The business-friendly economy minister, Emmanuel Macron - a former banker - wants the government to go further and scrap a legal requirement to pay overtime of at least 10pc more than the standard pay rate. That would be tantamount to abolishing the short week altogether, a course Mr Macron indicated he favoured at the Davos summit last week in order to put French companies on more of a level footing with their foreign competitors. Mr Valls indicated that the government was prepared to introduce greater flexibility and compensation would be calculated "differently" in future. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Actress Saoirse Ronan presents the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for Idris Elba for 'Beasts of No Nation'. Photo: Getty Hollywood's Irish sweetheart Saoirse Ronan may have missed out on a Screen Actors Guild award but she stole the show when she made a charming recovery after a flustered late arrival on stage. The Brooklyn star was slated to present the outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role award at the prestigious award ceremony in LA when she missed her cue to take to the stage. Rushing to the podium shouting Here!, the Carlow actress joked that she was enjoying herself backstage drinking water and listening to the previous section. That didnt go well, she said when she reached the mic. Expand Close Actress Saoirse Ronan arrives at the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California January 30, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Actress Saoirse Ronan arrives at the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California January 30, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake Anyways... hi gang, she joked, addressing the crowd of stars. After regaining her composure she eventually presented the award to Beasts of No Nation star, Idris Elba, who won two awards at the ceremony in the Shrine Auditorium. Dressed in a textured, floor-length pink Michael Kors gown, the 21-year-old was up for the role of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Leading Role, for her part in Brooklyn. She missed out on the award to Brie Larson, who picked up the gong for her role in Room which was directed by Irishman Lenny Abrahamson. The pair will next battle it out at the Oscars where they are both up for the Best Actress award. The cast of Downton Abbey was named best ensemble in a drama series, beating prestigious shows Game of Thrones, Homeland, House of Cards and Mad Men. Meanwhile, Leonardio Di Caprio was quick to thank his parents for ferrying him to auditions when he was 13 as he picked up a nod for The Revenant. I would not be here without you, he said. Operation Transformation leader Noeleen Lynam has said that going on a blind date sounds like a bit of fun. Radio host Ray DArcy surprised Noeleen (51) with the offer of help in dating when she was interviewed on his show last week. Over the years we have done a lot of blind dates on the show. And we call Jenny, my wife, Cupid Kelly because she has been very successful, he said. Speaking to the Herald, Noeleen said that Ray and Jenny were starting a search to look for a blind date with the help of her nieces. Serious It sounds like a bit of fun. If anything comes of it, great and, if not, I am sure I will have a nice dinner out. So its all good, she said. Now, obviously I have been out on a couple of dates, but I wouldnt have said anything serious in that time. Noeleen said that she has been single since returning home from Abu Dhabi. She was working in teaching there for five years, and is now a vice-principal in an Irish school She said that she is really enjoying the show. They are experiences I never thought I would have, she said. Deputy Commissioner for Operations, John Twomey, will carry out the investigation. A Commission of Investigation has been recommended into matters relating to the care of children in a foster home in the southeast. Junior Health Minister Kathleen Lynch said she was recommending the measure to the Government with the support of Health Minister Leo Varadkar. The announcement came after a meeting of both ministers with senior HSE officials today. It is alleged children attending the foster home at the centre of the controversy were physically and sexually abused. However, placements continued to be made even after health officials were made aware of abuse concerns. Some 47 children were placed there by the health services between 1983 and 1995. One woman with profound intellectual disabilities, was allowed remain there for 20 years, is believed to have suffered severe neglect and sexual abuse. It is clear that there have been failures in protecting vulnerable people in our care, said Ms Lynch. For a number of reasons, it has been difficult to establish the facts with certainty. This has been acknowledged and I am confident that through the Commission of Investigation we can resolve this. While this is very much in the public interest, it is also in the interest of those vulnerable people who are directly affected. Earlier, it emerged a senior garda had been tasked to examine allegations State employees may have acted in a criminal manner when placing vulnerable individuals with the foster family. The examination was confirmed by Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan in a letter to the Dail Public Accounts Committee (PAC). It is to be carried out by the Deputy Commissioner for Operations, John Twomey. The move came after the PAC referred a report commissioned by the HSE to the commissioner. Last week the PAC wrote to the commissioner, requesting an investigation into the actions of State employees, which the committee believes may constitute potential criminal conduct, in placing vulnerable individuals with this foster family. It is claimed State employees allowed the placements despite internal concerns raised by social workers and the receipt of information on the foster family from authorities in the UK. It is also claimed the State employees allowed vulnerable adults remain in the care of the foster family, despite being made aware of these concerns. A convicted killer and armed robber who is due to be sentenced for robbery of a post office while armed with a axe has told a court that this will be the last of his offending behaviour. Kenneth Wilson (46) of Deansrath Road, Clondalkin, Dublin has 18 previous convictions including manslaughter, armed robbery and a charge of possession of firearms for which he was sentenced to ten years. In 1999 he was jailed for five years for his role in the killing of Patrick Joseph Craig, a father of six, in 1992. Wilson was one of two masked men who burst into Mr Craig's home and shot him as he lay in bed. The court heard Wilson did not intend to cause serious harm and was under the influence of his co-accused at the time. Mr Justice Paul Carney called it a a brutal and vicious assassination." Today Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that in November 2012 Wilson and two other men entered the Bawnogue Post Office. Wilson was armed with an axe while the other men had a crowbar and imitation handgun. The men began to break down the security glass with their weapons while two staff members, including Louise Thunder who was four months pregnant, locked themselves in the bathroom. The men took over 7,000 from the registers before fleeing in a blue BMW. The car was spotted near Deansrath Lawns with Wilson running away from it. When he saw gardai he slowed to a walk and went into a house. Gardai followed him in and found him sitting on a stool and out of breath. Wilson claimed he had been there all morning and that he had just let a man in who climbed over the back wall. He was arrested and interviewed ten times but refused to make admissions. Only a small amount of the money was recovered. Wilson later pleaded guilty to robbery at Bawnogue Post Office on November 28, 2012. In a short victim impact report, Ms Thunder said she feared she might lose her unborn child because of the trauma. Defence counsel Padraig Dwyer SC told Judge Sarah Berkeley that Wilson sees this as the last of his offending behaviour. He said he was now looking for work and that he was at a low risk of re-offending. Counsel asked Judge Berkeley to consider that one of Wilson's co-accused received a suspended sentence for his role. However the judge noted this person was 20 years old and had no previous convictions. Judge Berkeley ordered a probation report and remanded Wilson in custody until April 15, 2016. A doctor who has been found guilty of professional misconduct and poor performance was hired for four months in two private hospitals, the Irish Independent has learned. Dr Omar Hassan (30) was at the centre of a damning fitness to practise inquiry last week after working in public hospitals in Portlaoise, Mayo and Galway between 2012 and early 2014. It has emerged that he went on to take up duty in the Bon Secours hospitals in Cork and Tralee later that year. And in a further bizarre twist, it has also emerged that he left Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar, where he had been taken off call because of concerns about his abilities, with a glowing work reference. The reference, which has the official stamp of Mayo General Hospital, described as "excellent" his clinical judgment, theoretical knowledge, rapport with patients, willingness to learn, work organisation, punctuality, conduct, attendance and reliability. The reference, dated December 2013, for a doctor's locum agency - which has medics on its books who are sent to work in hospitals on a short- and long-term basis - described as "good" his practical skills and medical skills. Dr Hassan was said to be "very pleasant and courteous" in the general comments section. He had worked at the hospital as senior house officer, which is a junior doctor rank. Health Minister Leo Varadkar is currently awaiting a review of the case, which has raised major questions about how a doctor, at the centre of serious concerns over potential risk to patient safety, can move freely from one hospital to another without proper checks being carried out on his performance. The Medical Council hearing was told that Dr Hassan was taken off call in Portlaoise, Mayo and Galway hospitals after his colleagues became seriously concerned about his competence. It heard that at one point he mistook an X-ray of an ankle for that of an elbow. Dr Hassan, a native of Sudan, who strongly contests the allegations, confirmed to the Irish Independent that he worked in the two Bon Secours private hospitals in 2014 and that he was also offered a job contract in Our Lady's Hospital in Navan in early 2015. He was first hired by Portlaoise Hospital in 2012 as a senior house officer on the basis of two references from surgeons in the Sudan. Public hospitals, particularly regional hospitals, are very reliant on junior doctors from abroad to maintain medical cover and frequently have to employ doctors from agencies, at very high fees, because of recruitment difficulties. An official complaint was not made to the doctors' regulatory body, the Medical Council, until February of last year. It acted swiftly and secured an High Court order, suspending him from being able to work as a doctor, pending the recent fitness to practise inquiry. Around the time the Medical Council obtained the order, Dr Hassan was offered a long-term contract in the orthopaedic department of Our Lady's Hospital in Navan but that did not go ahead. The HSE has failed to explain how Dr Hassan was able to be hired by so many hospitals over a lengthy period of time. It said procedures for checks and balances were in place and it is now contacting the hospitals involved. Fianna Fail's health spokesperson Billy Kelleher has called for stricter supervision of junior doctors following the case. He said: "The revelations in this latest case raise serious questions about the hiring policy within the HSE. This ad hoc approach cannot continue, as it seriously diminishes standards and poses a major threat to patient safety. While I acknowledge that there are staff shortages in certain parts of the country, recruitment standards cannot be allowed slip. "Junior doctors are an integral part of the hospital system. People's lives are literally in their hands and it is paramount that their medical skills are of the highest professional standards. Their supervision is equally important and it is essential that there are appropriate processes in place to deal with concerns and complaints. "The fact that a doctor could be employed at three separate hospitals, despite flags about his professional conduct being raised, is deeply worrying. "The processes for monitoring misconduct and allegations of poor performance must to be immediately enhanced. "Leo Varadkar must take responsibility for what is happening on his watch and ensure that these standards are beefed up. This is not the first such case and measures must be taken without delay to guarantee patient safety." YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Police of the Republic of Armenia received an emergency call over burglary attempt in Gyumri. Press service of the Police of Armenia informed Armenpress about this. To the question if the attempter was a Russian serviceman, it was mentioned that the circumstances are being investigated. On February 1, media reports emerged about a Russian serviceman trying to break into a citizens house at night. THE JURY in the trial of four former bankers accused of conspiring to pretend Anglo Irish Bank had 7.2bn more in non-bank deposits than it did has been sent home until later this week to allow lawyers conduct legal argument in their absence. Former Anglo executives John Bowe (52), from Glasnevin, Dublin, and William McAteer (65), of Greenrath, Tipperary town, Co Tipperary; and former IL&P executives Denis Casey (56), of Raheny, and Peter Fitzpatrick (63), of Malahide, both Dublin, are charged with conspiring to mislead existing and potential investors, lenders and depositors by engaging in transactions between Anglo, Irish Life & Permanent and Irish Life Assurance to make Anglo appear 7.2bn better off than it was. The men have denied the charges. The jury has now been sent home for the day and have been told they will not be required before Thursday. The jury is now down to 14 people, after one of the men was excused from attending. Earlier this morning, Diarmuid McGuinness SC for Mr Bowe, began his cross examination of Anglo's former Director of Treasury, Matt Cullen. Mr Cullen agreed with Mr McGuinness that Mr Bowe, who he did not know prior to working in Anglo, was "hard-working, dedicated and conscientious". Earlier this morning, Mr Cullen outlined his career to the court. He said he started in the porters department of AIB, delivering the post and newspapers, before he moved into customer service and then he trained as a dealer. He moved to Ulster Bank in 1986 and worked with them for 17 years, before he was headhunted by Anglo in 2003. Mr Cullen said the first indication of the financial crisis, which he remembers, was when he was told on July 9, 2007 that the inter-bank market was drying up that day. Mr Cullen said the markets improved for a short period in late 2007 into early 2008, but Anglo's shares dipped in March 2008, dropping 15 per cent in a single day. The court heard that there was concern some dealers were short selling. Mr Cullen also said there were lots of rumours about the state of banks, both here, in Belgium, the US and UK. At the time in early 2008, Anglo had one of the healthiest liquidity ratios anywhere in Europe, and had up to 18bn in liquid assets, said Mr Cullen. He spent last Friday morning going through emails and other documents relating to a task team set up to explore funding initiatives for the bank's year end in September. Between July and September 2008, a number of initiatives were being explored and this was to show "a strong customer number" at the end of the year, said Mr Cullen. He was dealing with transactions between Anglo and IL&P, and originally, it was hoped to do a deal worth 3bn, which would be reported in Anglo's year end figures as a corporate deposit. However, by September 16, there were only three potential funding initiatives remaining, 500 million from Merrill, 200 from 'repo' and the figure from IL&P had increased to 6bn. This figure had increased to 7bn by September 30. On Friday afternoon, the jury began listening to recordings of telephone conversations in Anglo's treasury department. The trial continues. ENDS A man accused of murdering a 55-year old grandfather told gardai he was poisoned by the man's daughter, the Central Criminal Court has heard today. The man admitted to stabbing his next door neighbour's father, a jury heard today. The jury will hear evidence from a consultant psychiatrist that at the time of the killing the man was suffering from acute schizophrenia, the court also heard. Dragos Nica (30), of Mourne Park, Skerries, Co Dublin has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of Michael Gannon (55) at Mourne Park, Skerries, Co Dublin on November 14th, 2013. Today, the jury of seven men and five women was told that Mr Nica admits to stabbing Mr Gannon. He also admits that Mr Gannon died as a result of the stab wound, the court heard. Prosecuting counsel Patrick Treacy SC told the jury it will have to decide whether or not Mr Nica is guilty by reason of insanity. Giving evidence today, Sergeant David Kemp, of Balbriggan garda station, told the jury that, on the afternoon of the alleged murder, Mr Gannon was babysitting his daughter Jade's two young children and a neighbour's child at Jade's house in Mourne Park, next door to Mr Nica's house. The court heard that Mr Gannon was making dinner when one of the children told him a man was looking in the window of the living-room. Mr Gannon went to investigate, opened the door and the accused man was there, the court was told. Sgt Kemp said that Mr Gannon was stabbed and died within a few feet of the stabbing. The children ran to the neighbour's and the gardai were called, he said. After the incident, Mr Nica returned to his own house and he was "shouting and roaring" from his own house, Sgt Kemp told the jury. "Some witnesses said that he was shouting something about having lumps on his body. He said he had these lumps and they were poison and that he had to do it. He identified Jade Gannon as the being the cause of the poison," Sgt Kemp said. The court heard that Mr Nica knew Jade Gannon before the killing. Sgt Kemp said, "There was some sort of relationship between them. They were friends. Mr Nica minded her kids on occasion. He did some minor errands on her behalf. Mr Nica asserted there was a physical relationship between them." The sergeant added, "He asserted he had strong feelings for her." The jury heard that Mr Nica called 999 and spoke with a civilian call taker at Emergency Central Control, reporting that he had stabbed his next-door neighbour and that he was poisoned by the man's daughter. Gardai arrived at Mr Nica's house and met his mother who told them he had locked himself inside his bedroom and said he was going to die, the court heard. Sgt Kemp said that after Mr Nica was arrested, he told the guards, "She zapped me on my wedding finger with poison. It's all up my left arm." He told the arresting officers it was Mr Gannon's daughter who poisoned him and that he "had to do it," the court heard. Sgt Kemp told the jury that Mr Nica said: "The poison is killing me. I stabbed him to stop the poison." Mr Nica was taken to Balbriggan garda station where he was interviewed four times, the court heard. The contents of the interviews were read to the jury. Mr Nica told the guards that on the afternoon of the alleged murder he had bought 10 Euro of marijuana, which he smoked in his bedroom while listening to music, the jury was told. He listened to the song "Places to Go" by 50 Cent on repeat, the court heard, before he saw a bulge the size of a ping-pong ball on his arm. Mr Nica told the guards that, a few weeks earlier, he had been drinking with Jade Gannon at her house, next door to his, with some other friends, the court heard. He said that Ms Gannon was upstairs in her bed, he began to remove her trousers when he felt a sting on his left hand's ring finger and that he believed Ms Gannon had stung him with poison, the jury heard. "I got freaked out," he told the guards, referring again to the afternoon of the alleged murder. "I thought I was going to die. That's what made me do it." He said he was driven by "anger and despair". The jury heard that Mr Nica told the guards: "If I'm going to die, I'm going to go on a killing spree. The court further heard that Mr Nica told the guards he took a knife from the kitchen and went next door, where he looked in the window and saw the children Mr Gannon was babysitting. He told the guards that Mr Gannon opened the door. "I stabbed him. I saw him fall back and heard him say, You stabbed me." "When the knife went in, I lost all of my anger or most of it anyway," he said during the interviews. Mr Nica then returned to his bedroom and sat in a foetal position, he told the gardai, the jury was told. The gardai asked Mr Nica about his relationship with Mr Gannon, the court heard, and Mr Nica replied, "I spoke with him once or twice. We shared a joint once or twice. I didn't hate him or anything. It was my own fault." Sgt Kemp also told the court that Mr Nica said, "I know a lot of people know me, like Eminem, 50 Cent, the gardai and Mr Obama know me. They would've stopped me if they were there. They should've said something through the speakers." The jury also heard today that at the time of the alleged murder Mr Nica had stopped taking his medication and was smoking cannabis. His family, originally from Romania, moved to Ireland in 1997, the court heard. The court also heard that, prior to the incident, Mr Nica twice attempted suicide. During cross-examination, Sgt Kemp told defence counsel Jonathan Kilfeather SC that statements from Mr Nica's parents indicated suspicions as to whether or not their son was taking his medication. Sgt Kemp agreed with Mr Kilfeather that a statement from a man who knew the accused said that Mr Nica "told us stories about the CIA watching him through the red lights of the television and that he invented the LUAS and was waiting to get his share." The trial, expected to last three days, continues. A man faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced next March for possession of three sub-machine guns, two pistols and a large amount of heroin and cocaine. Jason Rowe (40) was also found with two varieties of ammunition when gardai searched his house and an unit in an industrial estate. The drugs were estimated to be worth 360,000 at street value. Rowe of Oranmore Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin pleaded guilty at District Court level to possession of heroin and cocaine worth more than 13,000 for sale and supply at his home and at Bluebell Industrial Estate on the Naas Road. He also admitted possession of a Heckler and Koch MP5 sub-machine gun, a Steyr AUG sub-machine gun, a GSG5 sub-machine gun, a 9mm handgun, a .45 handgun and 23 bullets. The items were found on February 9th and 10th, 2015 Rowe faces a maximum term of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum of ten years for the drugs. He also faces a mandatory minimum of five years for possession of the firearms. Judge Sarah Berkeley remanded Rowe on continuing bail at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court until sentencing on March 3 next. A woman has been remanded in custody after a jury convicted her of assaulting a partially paralysed woman with a wine bottle during an aggravated burglary. Grace Tormey (22) of Parnell Street, Sallynoggin, Dublin had pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to aggravated burglary at Rollins Villas, Sallynoggin on November 16, 2012. The victim, Lisa Lee, had previously suffered a stroke and was partially paralysed. She told Gerardine Small BL, prosecuting, that she awoke to hear people banging on her front door. She and her then partner, Jason Kelly, barricaded themselves into an upstairs bedroom while Tormey and an unidentified man smashed their way into her home. Mr Kelly jumped out a window to go and get help and Ms Lee was unable to hold the door. Her attackers managed to get into the bedroom and started kicking and punching her. She was lying on the ground during the attack because of her paralysis. She said someone pulled out a knife and that Tormey smashed a bottle over the back of her head. She said during the assault, Tormey kicked, punched and pulled lumps out of her hair. When gardai arrived at the house they found Tormey apparently attending to Ms Lee's facial wounds. Tormey claimed to gardai that she had been walking past the house, saw the front door damaged and had come inside to help Ms Lee. The victim told gardai that no burglary had taken place and they weren't needed. Detective Garda Darragh Phelan testified that he visited the victim in hospital the next day to see if she was willing then to make a statement about the assault. She did make a statement and gardai later arrested Tormey. Det Gda Phelan said the victim had injuries to her face and legs. After a four day trial and one and a half hours of deliberations a jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty. Judge Patricia Ryan thanked the jurors for their time and care on the case. She refused a defence application to allow Tormey to remain on bail and remanded her in custody until a sentence hearing next week. Children from non-religious families are still being discriminated against in Irish schools, it has been claimed. Children from non-religious families are still being discriminated against in Irish schools, it has been claimed. Michael Barron, Executive Director of EQUATE, a children's charity seeking education reform, says current admission laws are not fit for purpose and must be changed. Mr Bannon is calling for a legal requirement that schools to be inclusive, and this morning launched a new campaign aimed at making reform in this area a priority for the next government. He stressed that education is a fundamental cornerstone of our society - and our schools must operate in the best interest of all our children. As part of the Open The School Gates initiative, the charity is calling for reform of the school day so all pupils can partake in every class. They are also campaigning for a greater number of multi and non-denominational schools. The initiative has the support of a number of key children and human rights organisations, including the ISPCC, Barnardos, and BeLonG To. Speaking to independent.ie, Mr Barron said the next government should ensure all children can grow and learn together. Almost 97pc of schools are maintained by religious orders of some kind, the majority being Catholic. "Those schools are allowed to not admit a child, if their religion doesnt match that of the school. A recent survey shows one-in-five people in Ireland know of somebody who baptised their children in order to get them into a particlar school. We believe that in a 21st century modern education system, that should no longer be the case. We need to reform the classroom, so that all school goers can experience and participate throughout the school day, regardless of religion or non-religion. We have reached a national consensus on the need for such reforms, he said. "The question is no longer if - but how and when. We call on all political parties to prioritise equality in education in the election ahead, and we also call on the next government to make it a key area of work," he added. The arrival of 'Fiona Fail' and 'Fiona Gael' on the ballot brings added life to a constituency where, over its 20 year-history, only one woman candidate has ever previously stood for the Dail. Fiona O'Loughlin of Fianna Fail and Fiona McLoughlin-Healy of Fine Gael may cause a little initial confusion among voters not too familiar with the contest. But observers reckon both women could offer more competition to their party colleagues, than to each other. Cllr Fiona O'Loughlin, based in Newbridge and originally from Rathangan, has been a Fianna Fail councillor since 1999 and was Kildare county mayor last year. "It is astonishing that Newbridge, as the main population centre, never had a TD. It's time to change that," she said. Fianna Fail is trying to rebuild the party's fortunes, ideally getting back to the two out of three seats which it obtained in 2002 and 2007 elections. Their incumbent TD, Sean O Fearghail, has a big local reputation but lost territory in the south to the new Laois constituency and has been working to build a stronger footing in the northern end. Fine Gael's Martin Heydon won here in 2011, ending two terms when the party had no TD here since Alan Dukes lost the seat in 2002. Heydon is hardworking, popular locally and impressive at Leinster House. He should handle the internal challenge posed by Fiona McLoughlin-Healy, who is a first-time councillor. Labour has a big fight on its hands after the retirement of Jack Wall, who held the seat continuously since 1997, when he won against a big national anti-party swing. His son, Cllr Mark Wall, is canvassing hard to retain the large personal vote that his father built up over the years. Sinn Fein made progress here in the 2014 local elections. There was surprise when the party chose Patricia Ryan of Monasterevin over one of its local councillors and a breakthrough is most unlikely. The rural areas of this constituency have up until now traditionally voted for the established parties. Solid transfers from former minister Sean Power elected O Fearghail last time. But the main battle will be for floating votes, especially in the main centre of Newbridge, which has seen huge population growth over the course of the past two decades. The contest here is diminished by the absence of Independent Cllr Willie Crowley, who died in a tragic traffic incident before Christmas. The colourful Independent, who was elected to Kildare County Council in May 2014, had thrown in his lot with Shane Ross's Independent Alliance. PREDICTION: One Fine Gael; one Labour; the final seat to be a big internal Fianna Fail battle. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian received Georgian Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli on February 1, who is on an official visit in Armenia. As Armenpress was informed from the Department of Press, Information and Public Relations of MFA Armenia, Minister Nalbandian mentioned that the active interactions and high-level mutual visits between the two friendly countries foster the development of Armenian-Georgian relations and expansion of cooperation. Expressing gratitude for the reception, Tina Khidasheli introduced the goals of her visit and the results of the meeting at the Defense Ministry. A number of issues of bilateral agenda were touched upon during the meeting, including the cooperation prospects in defense sphere. The Ministers exchanged ideas over regional issues. Edward Nalbandian introduced efforts made by Armenia and Minsk Group aimed at peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict to Tina Khidasheli Alan Kelly speaks to his party leader Joan Burton at the end of her speech to the Labour conference in the Mullingar Park Hotel. Photo: RollingNews.ie The Labour Party is actively trying to "take out" the weaker of the Fine Gael candidates in a series of key constituencies in a desperate bid to prevent a number of its own ministers from losing their seats, the Irish Independent can reveal. The move comes as Taoiseach Enda Kenny summonsed his Fine Gael ministers to a meeting tonight, ahead of an expected decision to dissolve the Dail tomorrow. Labour believes it must persuade Fine Gael voters to give their second preferences to the junior coalition partner in constituencies where there are at least three Government candidates. With Taoiseach Enda Kenny now leaning towards an election date of February 26, voters who are set on supporting Fine Gael in the ballot boxes are being told to pass their support onto Labour "in the interests of ensuring the re-election of the Coalition". The strategy is being implemented in a number of key constituencies - including Dublin-Rathdown, Tipperary, Dublin Bay North and Dublin Bay South - where there are at least two Fine Gael and one Labour candidate on the ticket. "We are saying to Fine Gael people clearly to vote Fine Gael-Labour-Fine Gael in that order in order to return this government. It may be seen as us as trying to take out the weaker Fine Gael candidate but we have to do that," said a senior Labour source. "In many places, it is crucial that we finish ahead of the second and third Fine Gael candidates." The revelation will cause alarm within Fine Gael and appears to ridicule the transfer pact agreed by the two parties. The pact receives no mention in a 35-page campaign guide circulated to candidates and their campaign teams at the Labour Ard Fheis in Mullingar. Labour strategists privately believe they can win in the region of 15-17 seats, but say several of their candidates are in a dogfight for the final seat. Examples include Dublin-Rathdown where it is felt Communications Minister Alex White must finish ahead of FG's Josepha Madigan if he is to have a chance of survival. In Tipperary, Labour is targeting Noel Coonan's support with the view that junior minister Tom Hayes's seat is safe. The situation is similar in Dublin Bay South - where Labour's Kevin Humphreys is in a dogfight with the second Fine Gael candidate Kate O'Connell. And in Dublin Bay-North, sitting minister Aodhan O Riordain's chances appear to hinge on him beating the second Fine Gael candidate Naoise O Muiri. There is also growing concern about the prospects of Joan Burton, with sources saying she faces a huge challenge from Fianna Fail's Jack Chambers. Meanwhile, Taoiseach Enda Kenny is now believed to be leaning towards Friday, February 26, for the election date. Fine Gael sources say there is still a possibility of Mr Kenny opting for February 25 - but that he will be keen to avoid any suggestion he is "depriving" students of casting their vote. The charge surfaced at the Labour conference in Mullingar at the weekend and was repeated by party sources last night. Labour deputy leader Alan Kelly, who has the responsibility of moving the writ, is understood to be particularly determined that Mr Kenny chooses a Friday poll. "Kelly and others in the party made it clear he wants it on a Friday. Does Kenny want to risk an unnecessary row? I doubt it," said a Labour source. Mr Kenny has summoned his Fine Gael ministers to a meeting in Dublin tonight ahead his expected decision to dissolve the Dail tomorrow. But Fine Gael strategists say Mr Kenny could decide to wait until Wednesday before calling the election, depending on schedule issues and the progress of final Dail business. A senior Government source last night said Mr Kenny would engage in a number of debates during the campaign, the details of which are yet to be finalised. The source was responding to a report in a Sunday newspaper that both Mr Kenny and Joan Burton have reservations about participating in debates of up to seven party leaders for fear it will be an unfair contest. Tanaiste Joan Burton said a date for the General Election makes no difference to voter turnout, after her Labour party colleagues put pressure on Fine Gael for Friday, February 26. Ms Burtons comments come after it emerged her coalition partners want to hold the election on Thursday, the day before, to allow rugby supporters time to travel to an Ireland Six Nations match. The Labour leader spoke today after colleague and Environment Minister Alan Kelly told party members he would only sign off if the vote was on the Friday. I think broadly Friday has been a fairly popular day for voting with people who live in Dublin and go back home to vote and also aware there are some very important sporting events that weekend, Ms Burton said. Thats something well sit down and discuss. Looking at turnout it doesnt matter markedly whether its Thursday or Friday. Im sure its something that will be decided amicably between the two parties. Ms Burton left the door open to a joint announcement of the date by both Mr Kenny and herself, when asked about the issue. We have talked about the arrangements in relation to the calling of the election, at the end of the day that is the Taoiseachs prerogative so Im not at liberty to give you a detailed break-down. The date is expected to be announced after the Cabinets morning meeting tomorrow. Voters must quiz politicians on the doorstep on the issues of abortion, a living wage and family-friendly supports, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland has said. Archbishop Eamon Martin has urged people to ask candidates how their policies respect the role of mothers and fathers, support family and life, freedom of education and conscience, and a proper work-life balance. In his keynote address at a conference on 'Challenges for Ireland from the Synod on the Family', hosted by the 'Irish Catholic' newspaper and the Iona Institute, the Catholic Primate set out his stall on the issues that are a priority for the church in this election. Speaking to the Irish Independent, Archbishop Martin said he had been thinking about "how difficult it can be for young people to actually make a commitment to marriage" as "so many of our young people feel that they have to leave our shores for very distant places simply to live". He warned that this was putting "huge pressure on families to uproot their children from school to move" and this was "often at the whim of an employer who says, 'I need you to be flexible'." According to the Archbishop, a "really strong issue" for the Catholic Church in the election will be the position of candidates on the right to life. He said in a reference to calls for a repeal of the Eighth Amendment: "I was quite amazed that no sooner had we finished a referendum on so-called marriage equality when we suddenly had talk about a referendum on life inequality." Another priority will be support for efforts to prevent marriage breakdown. Tanaiste Joan Burton has defended her decision to sack former party leaders Eamon Gilmore and Pat Rabbitte from the Cabinet. The Labour leader said that the move, taken during the Cabinet reshuffle of July 2014, was necessary in order to facilitate the promotion of younger TDs. "I wanted to provide, as I said at the time, room for the class of 2011," she told RTE's 'The Week in Politics'. Ms Burton citied Aodhan O Riordain, Ged Nash and Alan Kelly as "vibrant" members of the party who have been given ministerial roles. Ms Burton made the remark in response to suggestions that grassroots members regretted her handling of the departure of Mr Gilmore, Mr Rabbitte and the former Education Minister Ruairi Quinn. Mr Quinn stepped down prior to the reshuffle amid widespread expectations that he too was facing the sack. All three former leaders were present at the Labour Party conference in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, at the weekend, and Mr Gilmore was seen warmly embracing Ms Burton. Meanwhile, the Tanaiste has again insisted that there is "no way" she will be involved in a Coalition supported by Independent TD Michael Lowry. "I think anybody who heard the very recent comments of a High Court judge in relation to some matters which were being examined by the court ... there were a number of very serious comments made by the judge. "And all I can say is they re-emphasise the difficulties Mr Lowry has given rise to in terms of public life," Ms Burton told RTE's 'This Week' programme. "There is no way that the Labour Party is going to be involved in a Government that is basically supported by Michael Lowry," she added. Separately, the Dublin West TD was unable to say whether she supports Finance Minister Michael Noonan's proposal to set up a 'rainy day fund'. Her cabinet colleague Jan O'Sullivan backed the plan at the party conference. But ministers Brendan Howlin, Alex White and Ged Nash have all expressed mixed views. Ms Burton said there was no differences between the two parties in government on the issue, but repeatedly refused to make a similar commitment. "Well, prudent macro financial accounting, as it is called, requires the Government to build into its forecasts safety nets. So there is actually no disagreement," said Ms Burton. ENVIRONMENT Minister Alan Kelly expects the Taoiseach to dissolve the Dail imminently, saying "the tickling is over, the phoney war is complete and I think the public now are ready for the election." Mr Kelly said he didn't know whether Taoiseach Enda Kenny will call the election tomorrow or not but said that he expects it "this week". And he reiterated his view that a Friday vote is his preference amid suggestions that Fine Gael may seek a surprise Thursday polling day. Mr Kelly was this morning at Dublin's O'Brien Institute which trains the country's fire-fighters. He announced 40m in funding for fire station construction projects around the country over the next four years. On the subject of the calling of the election he said dissolving the Dail is a "matter for the Taoiseach". "I expect it very soon, yes. I would expect that it will be this week." Asked if the election date will be Friday, February 26 he said: "Well, you know thats what the majority are saying and I wouldnt differentiate from that. It remains to be seen but personally speaking I think that the public now want the election to be held. "For want of a better phrase, you know, the tickling is over, the phoney war is complete and I think the public now are ready for the election." It has been reported that Fine Gael may consider a Thursday polling day - due to the Ireland rugby game in England on Saturday February 27 and a fear that some of their voters may travel to Twickenham on the Friday, potentially depriving the party of thousands of votes. Mr Kelly, whose Department signs off on the election arrangements was asked by Independent.ie if he has the power to block a Thursday polling day. "The prerogative of the Taoiseach is to dissolve the Dail. "Legally the minister for the environment sets the polling day, sets the conditions around the polling day which is the times of polling and various other technical things. "But seen as how we as the government have lasted five years and come through the largest economic crisis in the history of the State I dont think were going to fall out at the very end over a polling day." Asked again if he would accept a Thursday polling day Mr Kelly didn't say if he would attempt to block it or not, instead he reiterated his preference for a Friday election pointing out that he's said that "all along quite publicly and quite deliberately". "Theres many people who commute and come home on a Friday. I believe we should maximise the opportunity and give them the opportunity to vote and Ive said that numerous times this weekend," Mr Kelly said. Lorraine and Warren Reilly face a third delay in the review into the care of their two daughters. Photo: Andrew Downes A couple at the centre of the Portiuncula maternity review have hit out at the constant delays. The review, which was initially due last summer, will now not be delivered until this spring. And while the families involved were assured that they would get sight of the draft report in early January, that has not yet happened. A review into standards of maternity care in Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, including two baby deaths, was set up last March and was due to take five months. A total of 18 births at Portiuncula between 2008 and November 2014 are being investigated by the nine-person inquiry team headed by James Walker, Professor of Obstetrics at the University of Leeds. Warren and Lorraine Reilly were interviewed by the review team in October in relation to the death of their two daughters, Asha in 2008 and Amber in 2010. The couple have now criticised the HSE and the Saolta hospital group for the repeated delays. "In December, we were told the review would again be delayed but we were told we would receive the draft report of our own section to comment on by early January. "We have still heard nothing. We had to email them last night to see what the hold-up is. This is the third delay we've faced. "We've had to keep questioning and questioning since the middle of the summer when the first delay occurred," said Mr Reilly. "We don't know where we stand; once again we've been left in limbo." A spokesperson for the Saolta hospital group, which oversees Portiuncula hospital, said it had apologised to families for the delay. The group said the delay was due to the "complexity and scale of the work to be undertaken, given the increase in the number of cases (18 in total) being reviewed". "In addition to meetings with families, there have been 250 staff interviews carried out, involving the 18 cases," it added. At least one other person with significant intellectual disabilities was left in the care of a foster family accused of extreme sexual and physical abuse four years after another vulnerable woman was removed from the home. The HSE has confirmed yesterday that despite stopping all new placements to the home in 1996 and following the removal of Grace, a woman with profound intellectual disabilities, in 2009, at least one vulnerable adult from the southeast remained with the family until 2013. The woman, in her 30s, was removed by relatives after the HSE and Gardai contacted them to advise of "historical concerns in relation to the care of children in the home". It had previously been reported that Grace, who is now in her 40s, was the last person placed in the home. HSE Director General Tony OBrien told RTEs This Week on Sunday that other people were placed there privately and some remained in the home even after the removal of Grace. It is understood that some 44 people likely stayed at the foster home on health board placements between the early 1980s right up to 2009 despite allegations of sexual, physical and financial abuse stretching back to the early 1990s. There were persons in that home over a long period of time in addition to Grace and the 44 people we have talked about, including some who were there privately, who remained after Grace, he said. The woman, who remained in the home until 2013, had originally been placed with the foster family by private arrangement, he added. Speaking today on RTEs Morning Ireland, chairperson of the Irish Association of Social Workers Donal O'Malley said it was shocking to think these vulnerable women were left with the foster family after concerns for their well being were raised. Until we implement the recommendations out of the various different reports that have been published in the past and three reports that are coming on the back of this situation, I think we are going to be waiting on yet another situation where a child or a young person is left in a very risky situation. Last week the HSE delivered an apology to Grace for failings in her care. In 1995 the then South Eastern Health Board decided not to place any further people with the foster family after it became concern over allegations of sexual and physical abuse. However, a decision to remove Grace was overturned in 1996 for reasons which were not recorded. As a result she stayed in the home until 2009, allegedly suffering extreme sexual and physical abuse, including rape with a blunt instrument causing life-limiting damage to her internal organs. A Garda investigation is currently underway into the handling of her care by staff, the then health board, and the HSE. The HSE was meant to deliver an apology to Grace over the failings in her care last week, however Mr OBrien confirmed on Sunday that such an apology had not taken place. [A] breakdown in communication occurred between the people who decided an apology should be made and the people who it was expected would be giving that apology. I myself will be sending further written correspondence with an unambiguous and sincere apology, in particular for what has happened in the last few days but also for the serious failings in care going back to 1983 so that there can be no doubt that a fulsome apology has been given, he added. YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. The death toll from a suicide bombing at a police base in Kabul on February 1 has doubled to 20, Armenpress reports, the interior ministry said. "As a result of the terrorist attack this afternoon... 20 people were martyred and 29 others were wounded," the ministry said. The deputy interior minister earlier gave a death toll of 10. Photo by AP Terry Wogan belonged to the generation of exceptionally gifted Irish broadcasters that included Gay Byrne and Cathal O'Shannon. Their presenting skills may have seemed effortless, but they were the product of innate talent, acute intelligence and the utmost professionalism. Terry Wogan's career spanned both radio and television. It lasted for more than half a century, and was extremely varied. He read news bulletins, wrote books and presented radio programmes. He hosted quizzes and beauty competitions. He anchored telethons and game shows. He even made a hit record. And, of course, his name became inextricably linked with the 'Eurovision Song Contest'. I first met Terry at a Eurovision bash in the 1980s, and subsequently worked with him on a documentary about the contest. Seven years ago, I travelled to London with Gerry Ryan to record an interview for RTE's 'Ryan Confidential' series. Before the recording, we met Terry for lunch, and he was, as I had expected, the best of company: funny and shrewd in his assessments of the world of television - modest and self-deprecating about his own abilities. Terry had been educated by the Jesuits: first In Limerick, and then, like James Joyce, at Belvedere College in Dublin. Like Joyce, his Catholic education had left him sceptical of all religion, and, like Joyce, the bulk of his future career would take place outside Ireland. He had given up his permanent and pensionable job in the Royal Bank of Ireland to work as a continuity announcer on Radio Eireann. Before long, Terry had made the transition to television, and he became one of Ireland's first TV stars . It was at this time that he met his future wife, Helen Joyce. "I had seen her before," he told us, "she was a well-known model, and I'd also seen her on stage because she was an actress as well." Their paths crossed at a showbiz party. "The only reason she was there was because some eejit had stood her up," Terry recalled. He shook his head in disbelief: "What a fool!" By then, Terry was presenting 'Jackpot' - one of RTE's most popular shows. "If I was still working in the bank," he said, "I wouldn't have had the courage to approach Helen because she was extremely beautiful." He ended up giving her a lift home "in my old Morris Minor with the broken passenger seat - and things just went on from there." In 1967, RTE decided to axe 'Jackpot' - and Terry began to look for other opportunities. There were additional reasons that led him to consider a move abroad. One of them was the conservative ethos of RTE, which he felt was too strongly oriented towards rural Ireland. "I felt I was too much of an urban Irishman for RTE," he told us. "If I saw an old fellow playing the banjo, I'd want to throw a couple of pennies in his hat and move on." Terry also felt there were a lack of opportunities on Irish TV: "Gay was the man, and he was always going to be given the major shows - which I could understand because he was the best, and he deserved them." Terry found that the move to the BBC was liberating: "I found it an enormous freedom. Unlike RTE, I didn't always have to get permission from above, or submit a script to anyone in advance." The big TV breakthrough for Terry came when he was asked to present a game show called 'Blankety Blank'. It was an inane format, but, in his hands, it somehow managed to be both daft and clever, anarchic and polished at the same time. The show's success led the BBC to offer him his own chat show. Throughout most of the 1980s, 'Wogan' was broadcast live three nights a week. It featured some memorable encounters - including with a drunken George Best and a silent Chevvy Chase. These could have proved disastrous for other presenters - but Terry managed to survive them unscathed. "I didn't know then what talent I had as a presenter - and I still don't," he said. "I never watch myself on TV, or listen to myself on radio. If I did, it would only make me conscious of my failings." Of course, Terry's life had its share of setbacks. He and Helen lost their first child, Vanessa, when she was still an infant. "The pain was so bad, all you could do was to try to block it out," he said. "It was a heart defect, and she was just three weeks old when she died. I can still remember her face. It was very hard to bear and the wound has never healed, but you have to go on with your life." With IRA bombs exploding in British cities, it was sometimes difficult to be Irish in the UK in the 1970s, and 80s. Through all the atrocities, Terry ensured that a friendly Irish voice remained at the heart of British broadcasting. "I never apologised for being Irish, or for anything that was supposedly done in the name of Ireland by the IRA. After some dreadful atrocity, I may not have wanted to go on air. But that was my job. Many years later, a man came up to me at some function, and said: 'I'm Irish, and I want to thank you for all you did during those terrible times.' That meant the world to me." In the early 90s, Terry's TV chat show was axed without warning. It had been cut from the schedule to make room for a new soap opera called 'El Dorado' and, for a time, Terry's future broadcasting career seemed uncertain. He told us that he derived some consolation when 'El Dorado' proved to be a hugely expensive flop. Before long, Terry was back on the radio airwaves - enjoying a renewed popularity that never waned. When he finally retired from his breakfast show in 2009, he was still at the top of his game. His show regularly attract eight million listeners and he had become the most popular broadcaster in Europe. Terry never forgot his Irish roots. In 2006, he was voted Ireland's 'Best Living Broadcaster', and accepted the award from Gay Byrne. The two old rivals sparred humorously on stage, and, as always, Terry proved himself to be a master of the ironic throwaway line. But, in his closing words, there was no trace of any irony. "I've been in England for the past 35 years," he told the audience, "But I'm still Irish, and it's nice for me to know that the Irish people haven't forgotten me." For me, there was no doubt that he was speaking from the heart. Daniel and Amy McArthur leaving court in Belfast last May after the ruling went against the Ashers bakery On the week that their youngest daughter was born, Daniel and Amy McArthur received a letter which ultimately thrust them into the media spotlight, not just in Northern Ireland but across the world. It was notification from the NI Equality Commission that it was beginning legal proceedings against the family business over what became known as the Ashers' same-sex cake row. Expand Close Gareth Lee / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Gareth Lee Daniel is general manager of the Ashers bakery which refused to provide a cake bearing a pro-same-sex marriage slogan for a customer and was eventually found guilty of discrimination and fined 500. The company's appeal against the judgment is due to begin this week. Expand Close Ashers bakery / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ashers bakery Sitting in their comfortable detached home in the east Antrim village of Straid, Daniel and Amy still appear genuinely bemused both at how they were drawn into such a high profile legal action and the media frenzy which followed. Daniel says: "It was all a massive shock to us because we are not extrovert people. We are quiet people getting on with our business day to day. We are relying on and trusting in God to help us. If we were relying on ourselves we would just break down." Expand Close Daniel and Amy McArthur leaving court in Belfast last May after the ruling went against the Ashers bakery / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Daniel and Amy McArthur leaving court in Belfast last May after the ruling went against the Ashers bakery This reference to their Christian faith is the central nub of the controversy. The judge in the case accepted that the McArthur family - the action was taken against the bakery and Daniel's mother and father, Karen and Colin McArthur - had strongly held and genuine Christian beliefs which were opposed to same-sex marriage but that, under the law, that was no excuse for the business refusing to provide the service required by the customer. Daniel says he and Amy both come from deeply Christian homes. "I have been a Christian since I was about five and Amy was also very young when she became a Christian. "The name of the bakery comes from a verse in the Book of Genesis which my father read when he was about 15. It says 'Out of Asher his bread shall be fat and he shall yield royal dainties'. His father and grandfather had been bakers based in Sandy Row in Belfast and my father decided that if ever he ran his own bakery he would call it Ashers after that tribe of Israel." Both Daniel and Amy were originally members of the Free Presbyterian Church but now worship at Trinity Reformed Presbyterian Church in Mossley. They met when they were part of a group of seven who had gone to the Philippines to support a Belfast missionary working there. They were both aged 17 at the time and love blossomed. Now aged 26 and parents to two girls, Robyn (3) and Elia (1), they have been married for six years. Daniel says their faith is not something confined to Sunday worship. "Every day we will sit down with our children and read the Bible to them and have family worship. Our faith is not just about going to church on a Sunday and then forgetting about it for the rest of the week." Amy gives an example of how they try to instil Christian values in the everyday life of the family. "If Robyn is naughty we don't tell her that what she did is bad but that it is against what God wants us to do. That is the same lesson that we were taught when we were growing up. That is why, in this case, we could not in good conscience go against our beliefs. It is how we live our lives and how we respond to things during the day. It is something that is constantly on our minds." The test of that faith began, according to evidence at the court hearing, on May 8 or 9 2014 when a customer, Gareth Lee, entered the family's retail outlet in Royal Avenue, Belfast. The company has a bakery at Doagh Road in Newtownabbey which supplies its six retail outlets, petrol station forecourts and small supermarkets and also runs an online ordering service supplying products to the Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland markets. "The Equality Commission's official line is that you should leave your Christianity out of the workplace and should be a Christian at home or in church. To us that is like something out of a science fiction novel with people telling you how to act and think and if someone asks you to do something against your beliefs you have to do it." He adds: "I feel there should be legislation to prevent people being discriminated against and accept there needs to be good law but I also feel that the Equality Commission has its own agenda and wants to see same-sex marriage introduced here. "If you politely disagree you get shouted down and get called bigots and homophobes and it is suggested that you don't want gay people to live their lives." He reveals that the company was targeted by vandals around the time of the court hearing. An attempt was made to break windows in the Royal Avenue shop and one of the doors was badly damaged. Food was also thrown at another shop window by people driving past. He adds: "There were also plenty of adverse comments on social media and one letter was sent to us saying that the person was going to burn down our building and that they hoped we would be in it when they did it. However, these comments were very much in the minority. We have had hundreds of letters of support. "When we started out on this legal road we were worried about how the public was going to perceive us and how customers would perceive us. However the support has been fantastic. So many people have gone out of their way to buy our products and to come to our shops. It felt really surreal when people came up to me on the street, in most cases just simply to shake my hand. Our business has continued to grow as it did over the last five years. God has been really good to us." He is thankful for the support of the Christian Institute during the legal process. "We would have been lost not knowing how to deal with a body like the Equality Commission or how to put our beliefs and views across in a legal format. It is fantastic knowing that if we are worried about something we can ring the Institute and get help." Daniel says his legal team argues that it is their human right to be able to express their beliefs in the workplace and is prepared to take the case to the European courts if judgments continue to go against them in Belfast. "I hope it does not go that far," he adds. By coincidence Daniel's mum, Karen, was working in the shop that day covering for the manager who was on holiday. Gareth ordered a cake and supplied a graphic bearing the words QueerSpace (a lobby group) and Support Gay Marriage which he wanted iced onto it. Daniel says his mother was shocked by the request but did not want to make a scene in the shop. "She took the order home and over that weekend we discussed it as a family. We knew as Christians that we could not take that order with that message. "Mum later got in touch with Gareth Lee, explained the situation and apologised to him. If my granny had come into the shop and placed that order we would have said 'no' to her." After initial contact from the Equality Commission the McArthurs contacted the Christian Institute, a UK-wide organisation. It has funded the family's legal battle since then. "We had never been to court before," says Daniel. "I suppose all this was very daunting for us at first but we were left with little choice given the options presented to us by the Equality Commission. At one stage the organisation said that if we apologised formally for our actions it would go away. But why should we apologise to the commission about that as we felt we did not do anything wrong?" He expects that the appeal, expected to last two days, will be less stressful than the original court hearing with its attendant publicity. "The big factor for us in going to appeal is that it is not just for ourselves but also for other Christians working in business or, like us, owning a business. Hopefully if we can win the appeal it will give them additional rights and say that you can be a Christian and hold Christian beliefs outside the home or the church without feeling threatened," he says. He supports the idea of amendments to the current anti-discrimination legislation along the lines of the conscience clause which was proposed by a DUP MLA but which failed to get through the Stormont Executive. "I think there should be a conscience clause or reasonable accommodation for Christians or other religious beliefs in the legislation because this issue is bound to affect other faiths or political groups. Something needs to be put in place to prevent other people being ensnared in what we have been caught up in". He adds: "That is what some people don't understand. Every day we are compelled to follow Jesus Christ and do what the Bible teaches. We live our lives doing that. It is not done out of duress or hardship, we love it." In the immediate aftermath of the court case the family had considered stopping baking cakes ordered for special occasions. "However we decided that we were not going to change our company policy just because of this case. Why should we? We don't believe we have done anything wrong," says Daniel. It remains to be seen if the Appeal Court will accept that argument. Ashers same-sex cake dispute: how it got this far... May 2014: Gareth Lee wants a cake depicting Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie below the motto 'Support Gay Marriage' for an event to mark International Day Against Homophobia. He attends the Ashers Bakery Belfast city centre shop and places an order. Ashers Bakery initially accepts the order, but contacts Mr Lee a few days later to say they cannot fulfil it because it goes against their religious beliefs. Backed by the Equality Commission, Mr Lee sues the bakery. March 2015: A 17-hour, three-day courtroom battle ensues. Mr Lee tells the court that he was left to feel like a "lesser person" when the firm refused his order. The McArthurs, who own Ashers, tell the court they could not "stand before God" and produce a cake supporting gay marriage. District Judge Isobel Brownlie reserves judgment. The case of clashing religious and equality rights attracts interest from across the world. The case also ignites a political row, with the DUP attempting to introduce a conscience clause Bill which would give business owners the right to refuse service if it impinges on their sincerely held religious views. May 2015: District Judge Isobel Brownlie delivers her judgment, finding that Ashers discriminated against customer Gareth Lee on grounds of sexual orientation and political beliefs. The firm is ordered to pay 500 in damages to Mr Lee. October 2015: The McArthur family announce their intention to appeal. February 2016: Ashers' challenge to the ruling gets underway. this week. The crash in Ardrahan Co. Galway where a man in his sixties was killed and 2 gardai were injured A GSOC investigation into the circumstances of a fatal crash which killed one and left two gardai injured has identified "no Garda misconduct". Two GSOC investigators travelled to Galway this morning to review the scene of a crash where the 66-year-old nursing home resident was killed. He died after he was hit by a car while on the side of a road after midnight. Two gardai who were searching for the man were left with non life-threatening injuries in the incident. It is believed they both suffered broken bones. A spokesperson for GSOC said this afternoon: "GSOC has now examined the circumstances of the fatal incident which occurred near Gort, Co. Galway, this morning and has identified no Garda misconduct. The Garda Siochana investigation continues." It is understood that the man who died had earlier been reported missing from a nursing home, and gardai were out searching for him. It is understood that the two gardai had located the man walking along the road not far from the nursing home, and that the garda patrol car had been stopped and that the officer had got out to him. It is reported that while the gardai were engaged in conversation with the man a car traveling on the same road crashed into the stationary garda car. The elderly man was killed and the two gardai - who were outside the patrol car - were injured in the collision. "Gardai in Gort are investigating a two-vehicle fatal road traffic collision that occurred on the N18 approximately 2 kms on the Galway side of Ardrahan shortly after 12.30am," a Garda spokesman said. "The male pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene and his body taken to University Hospital Galway. The two Gardai were taken to University Hospital Galway with injuries described as non life threatening. They remain in hospital." The driver of the other car - a male in his 40s - was arrested at the scene and taken to Gort Garda Station and has since been released. This stretch of the N18 is currently closed to facilitate an examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators and local diversions are in place. Two investigators from the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) travelled to the scene this morning. Gardai wish to appeal for witnesses to contact Gort Garda Station on 091-636400, The Garda Confidential Telephone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station. PRIORY Hall developer Thomas McFeely has urged the High Court to refuse what he says is an oppressive bid to extend his bankruptcy by another five years. The official administering the bankruptcy wants the extension over Mr McFeelys alleged failure to co-operate with him by disclosing precisely where he is living, along with an interest in certain assets, including some apartments in Clondalkin and Ballymount, Dublin. Mr McFeely was adjudicated bankrupt here in July 2012, with substantial debts including 200m owed to NAMA. He was previously adjudicated bankrupt in England and Wales but that was rescinded after a woman owed 100,000 by companies of Mr McFeely brought proceedings here. His bankruptcy was due to expire last summer but, if court-official administering his bankruptcy, official assignee Chris Lehane, secures the extension sought, it will continue to 2020. Mr McFeely claims a five year extension, the maximum period allowed under bankruptcy laws, is unfair, disproportionate and oppressive. He also says Mr Lehane is unfairly singling him out from other bankrupts. Ms Justice Caroline Costello heard further arguments on behalf of both sides on Monday. Bernard Dunleavy SC, for the official assignee, will conclude his reply today after which it is expected judgment will be reserved. Vincent P. Martin BL, for Mr McFeely, said his client believed Mr Lehane had not taken him at his word in relation to explanations concerning his interest in several apartments at Aras Na Cluaine, Clondalkin and the Old Saw Mills, Ballymount, Dublin 12. The court heard information concerning those assets was discovered after Mr Lehane obtained documents from a company, Coalport, of which Mr McFeely had been a director. Mr Martin said there were issues concerning that material being seized from a company of which Mr McFeely was no longer a director. Counsel also said the developer has a permanent address at his childhood home in Claudy, Co Derry but spends most of his time in London. If Mr McFeely disclosed addresses of family and friends in London with whom he stays, he feared they could be subject to a media circus and also asserted rights to privacy under the Constitution and European Convention on Human Rights. During the period when it was alleged Mr McFeely had not co-operated, his client was trying to address a very public eviction of his family from their Dublin home and had no fixed abode for a period in the sense he was staying with various people, counsel also argued. Mr Lehane should recognise the Derry address as the address for communication but had failed to agree on a "workable" method of communication. In his reply, Mr Dunleavy said Mr McFeely "has been determined at every hand's turn not to let Mr Lehane know where he lives" which meant his client does not know Mr McFeely's style of accommodation or how he passes his days. It was not disputed leases in Mr McFeelys name in relation to apartments in Clondalkin were not disclosed to Mr Lehane, counsel said. Mr McFeely had to rely on the court "closing its eyes" to such information. It was clear aspects of Mr McFeely's conduct fall into one or more categories of misbehaviour and non co-operation and the court must ensure the integrity of the bankruptcy process is preserved, he argued. In September 1997, Jenny Green first met her husband Justin in the lift lobby of the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hong Kong. She was new and presumed he was the hotel doctor as he had a suit on and his office was in the old doctor's surgery in the hotel. "I played along with it presuming she would like the sound of me being a doctor, but I had to come clean after a few weeks," Justin, who was actually the restaurant manager, admits. "What attracted me to Jenny was how beautiful she was, but then I got to know her and it was her warmth and genuine character that I liked. She's unpretentious and fun but a really good and kind person, and is always making sure that everyone is okay." Hong Kong was a long way from home for Justin, 46, who grew up in Ballyvolane House in Fermoy in Cork, and has two younger brothers. His dad was a farmer, but in the mid-1980s, his parents began taking in guests. His mum Merrie passed away 11 years ago, which was when he and Jenny took over the family business they now run today. His dad Jeremy is still very involved. At the age of seven, Justin went to boarding school at Brook House in Bray, and then at 13, went on to St. Columba's College in Dublin, where their son Toby now boards. Seven was very young, he agrees, recalling how he chased his parents' car down down the drive on the first day, but it made him independent at an early age and he was happy there. His brothers Sebastian and Adam were there at the same time so it made it a little easier, and they formed incredibly strong bonds with all of their friends there. After school, Justin went to Shannon College of Hotel Management, and worked in hotels around the Far East. Jenny, 41, was born Jenny Marshall in London, and is the second-eldest of four children. Her dad Bill was a barrister, and the family moved to Hong Kong when Jenny was six and she grew up there. She went to a school that used the British schooling system and went to university in the UK, completing a hotel and business management degree in Birmingham. After a year's work placement in Hong Kong, she began working at the Mandarin Oriental in the front office and then as assistant manager. "I was immediately physically attracted to Justin, and just knew pretty quickly that we would be together," she says. "His dark Irish looks got me and he was funny and witty. Justin has a lot of integrity, and knows what is right and he's a real rock. He looks out for people and is very good with his friends." As Justin was in a relationship with someone else, he and Jenny had a friendship initially, and then got together a few weeks later when he was free. After three years they got married, holding a registry office ceremony in Hong Kong and a large bash in Scotland, but Justin had moved to Dubai during that time so they had a long-distance relationship, which was difficult. Justin then got a job in Bali in a luxury hotel after a year in Dubai, and Jenny moved there with him. "I had to make the decision to almost put my career to one side to be with Justin, because the Indonesians are very strict on the number of foreign people they give work to," she explains. "I hadn't been working long enough to apply for the big roles, so it was a tough decision because the Mandarin was so amazing. We lived in Indonesia for a year and a half, and eventually I got a job in a retail manufacturing company. Bali was unreal, as we had a car and driver at our disposal and lived in a luxury suite, so it was amazing." Jenny and Justin left Bali because Jenny was pregnant, and they came to Dublin. Their eldest son, Toby, 15, was born in Dublin and they now also have Jamie, 11, and Fleur, 8. They moved to Ballyvolane House 11 years ago when Justin's mum Merrie sadly passed away aged 57 from cancer. Jamie was born the day of her funeral and Fleur shares the same birthday as her. They grew the business by establishing a salmon-fishing school, and they host weddings and glamping throughout the summer - they provide a rustic and funky venue for both. Their newest venture is a gin distillery, the Ballyvolane House Spirits Company, which began when Justin realised that gin was having a moment. He spoke with his friend, Antony Jackson, who is in the wine business. They became the first Irish distillery to produce small batch Irish milk gin from whey alcohol. As Ballyvolane House practises a field-to-fork philosophy when it comes to food, they adhere to this with their first product, Bertha's Revenge Irish Milk Gin, championing a grass-to-glass approach with everything they bottle. They chose the name because they were using whey alcohol, and named it after the oldest cow in the world, Bertha, with the permission of her guardian in Killarney. A hand-crafted gin which uses whey alcohol from Irish dairy farmers, the natural spring water from Ballyvolane House and an interesting mix of 18 locally foraged and grown botanicals, Bertha's Revenge Irish Milk Gin is designed to celebrate the life of a very special cow, who passed away just three months short of her 49th birthday. The plan is to export around the world, starting first in Ireland. It's a big project, along with running the B & B and minding the children, so they both have to be fully involved for it to work. "Jenny is a rock and she's amazing for me," says Justin. "We make a great team and I couldn't do without her. The biggest challenge we have is devoting time to everything and it's hard to switch off from work because we live there. Jenny and I are good at removing ourselves when needed, as we love going to the cinema, and also made the decision to close in July for ten days, which is crazy for a hotel. It was an investment in our mental health and our family life though, and it was the best decision for us." For further information on the gin and stockists, see www.ballyvolanespirits.ie Renowned chef Benoit Voilier, whose restaurant was crowned the worlds best in 2015, has died suicide at the age of 44. Renowned chef Benoit Voilier, whose restaurant was named the worlds best in 2015, has died by suicide at the age of 44. The French-Swiss chef ran the three-Michelin starred Restaurant de lHotel de Ville in Crissier, Switzerland which was named the best in the world by Frances prestigious La Liste in December. Voilier was discovered in his home by Swiss police on Sunday who have now opened an investigation into his death. Late in the afternoon, police... went to Crissier where they discovered at his home the body of Mr Benoit Violier, Swiss police said in a statement. The chef was expected to attend the launch of the new Michelin guide in Paris on Monday. Voilier was thrilled to be recognised at the leading restaurant in the world by La Liste last year, who ranked Restaurant de lHotel de Ville on top of more than 1,000 restaurants in more than 48 countries internationally. Expand Close Restaurant de lHotel de Ville / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Restaurant de lHotel de Ville Speaking of the win at the time Benoit said: Its wonderful, its exceptional for us. This ranking will only motivate our team more. The French-born chef took over the restaurant with his wife Brigitte in 2012, and was named Chef of the Year in 2013 by the respected Gault & Millau guide. The chef obtained Swiss citizenship two years ago, according to the Swedish Daily Blick. Respected chefs internationally have paid tributes to Benoit on Twitter in the wake of his death. Pierre Gagnaire, a Michelin-starred French chef said: "My thoughts go out to Benoit Violier's family. Very sad news about an extremely talented chef." Chef Jean Francois Piege tweeted: "An immense chef, an immense sadness, thoughts go out to his family and his team." Marcella Kavanagh must be one of the luckiest women around, because her doctor was able to diagnose a rare, potentially fatal disease, at a relatively early stage. If that hadn't happened, she might well have lost her leg, and maybe even her life. Marcella, who is in her 60s, grew up in Loughrea in Co Galway. She played the cello in the school orchestra, developed an interest in historical matters, and read a lot. After her Leaving, she spent several happy and productive years in Germany, and particularly in the UK. "I really, really loved everything about London," she says. "But a time came when people were moving on, and so I decided to return to Ireland. There were more jobs opening up then." Marcella got a position with a merchant bank, and remained in the financial sector for most of her working life. "There were some very nice people in banking, and we had lots of fun," she says. Her last job, before she retired at the age of 55, was with the Bank of Ireland. Currently, she lives in Killester, on the north side of Dublin. Throughout her life, Marcella has been fascinated by historical matters, especially those that relate to the social aspects of times past. "When I was growing up, I was always pestering my grandmother and other old people about 1916, and the War of Independence. But they weren't very forthcoming; I think they wanted to put those things behind them," she says. Currently, ancestry holds a special interest for Marcella, so she spends a good deal of her spare time looking into the lives of those who have gone before us. She also plays the piano. However, in recent years, she has had to move her focus from the past to the present, especially when it comes to her health. About five years ago, Marcella began to experience some discomfort in her leg (just above her knee), when she moved her foot from the accelerator to the brake, while driving her car. "It was an occasional thing, so as soon as I completed my journey, I'd forget about it," she explains. But as time went on, she began to take more notice of the pain, and to question its origin. "I thought it might be due to stretching my leg muscles, when I exercised at the gym," she says. At the beginning of 2011, Marcella made a list of New Year's resolutions: among them was an intention to buy an ironing board, another was to have her leg seen to. In January, she bought the ironing board, but ironically she only spoke to her GP about the leg problem in April of that year. "Little did I know what I was facing when I made that list," she muses. "When I went to see Dr Helena Butterfield, she examined my knee, and then said she would send me for an MRI scan. I was taken aback, and asked why I would need a scan for what I took to be a strained muscle. And she said there was a possibility I might have a tumour. I was stunned; it was so unexpected; it was completely disarming." "I detected a problem straight away," says Dr Butterfield. "My main concern then was how long she would have to wait until she got that scan." Fortunately, Marcella had good health insurance, so she was able to have the test quite quickly. "I had it done at 5.40pm about a week later," she says. "At 8.30am the next day, I got a call from Dr Butterfield, asking me to come in to see her straight away." Marcella soon learned there was a growth above her right knee, and it needed further investigation. So she was referred to surgeon Gary O'Toole at Cappagh Hospital. She saw him the following morning. "Having examined the scans, he said a mass could look quite dreadful and still amount to very little. But on the other hand, he said it could be a tumour. I knew in my heart this was serious," Marcella says. "A kind neighbour came with me, and she took notes. Which is just as well, because I don't remember a single, solitary thing that Mr O'Toole said to me. The shock had definitely sunk in by then." A biopsy was done, and a week later Marcella learned that she had a soft-tissue sarcoma. This is a type of malignant cancer that can affect muscle, fat and blood vessels in any part of the body. Other kinds may affect the bone. Marcella knew absolutely nothing about sarcomas, so a friend researched it on the internet for her, with some very alarming results. "So she told me not to do the same, not to go on the internet. And I didn't. I decided to put all my trust in my doctors," she says. Nine days later, Marcella was operated on at St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin. When she woke after the three-hour operation, she had a wound running from her hip to her knee and "all sorts of drips and drains". She soon learned the surgeon had removed the tumour, the surrounding tissue (as a precaution), muscles and lymph nodes. "I had extensive physiotherapy and had to learn to use different muscles when I moved my leg, as the other ones were gone," says Marcella. "It was a very, very slow, painful process, but, with much help from the physiotherapist, it worked." She also learned that if she hadn't got such an early diagnosis, she might well have lost her leg. Following a period of convalescence, Marcella began radiation therapy at St Luke's Hospital under the supervision of Dr Charles Gillham. "He was very reassuring and sympathetic, as was his team. I went every day for seven weeks, as a precaution, and to clean up any rogue cells," she explains. That was over four years ago, and she has been well ever since. Last December, Marcella attended a meeting of the recently formed Irish Sarcoma Group and told her story. "People couldn't believe my GP had picked up on it so quickly," she says. Dr Gillham says the group was formed to raise awareness about the various "uncommon" cancers that fall under the umbrella term of sarcoma, and to encourage centralisation of services. He says 200 to 250 new cases are diagnosed each year, and while sarcomas are most commonly found in the legs, they can appear anywhere in the body, and at any age. He says they are best treated by a highly specialised, multi-disciplinary team. Anyone who detects a lump bigger than 5cm under the skin, (whether it is tender or not) and which appears to be growing, should have it investigated. "Many people have lumps and bumps, and most are not malignant," he says, "but the earlier a sarcoma is treated, the greater the chance of a cure." For more information about the Irish Sarcoma Group, contact Margaret Cavanagh, tel: (01) 834-1211, or email margaret.cavanagh@cappagh.ie YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. The President of the Republic of Armenia sent a condolence message to the President of the Syrian Arab Republic Bashar al-Assad on February 1 on the occasion of the terror act that occurred on January 31 in Sayyida Zeinab district of Damascus, calming dozens of lives and injuring many innocent citizens. Armenpress was informed about the aforementioned from the Department of Public Relations and Mass Media of Republic of Armenia Presidents Office. The Department of Foreign Affairs has updated its travel advice for 20 countries in response to the Zika virus outbreak. The countries (see map) are in South and Central America, where the virus is "spreading explosively" according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO has now declared Zika a global health emergency, just the fourth time in history that it has raised its highest alarm level. Zika is a disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, similar to Dengue Fever, with flu-like symptoms including fever, rash and joint pain. There are concerns that infection during pregnancy may be linked with microcephaly, a foetal abnormality in babies, although a direct link has not been confirmed. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, said: "While the risk is low in most cases, I would particularly urge pregnant women and women who are trying to become pregnant to consider postponing their travel to affected areas and to consult with their healthcare provider before travel. There is no treatment or cure for Zika. Read More Travellers are advised to prevent mosquito bites by wearing mosquito repellent, long sleeves, trousers and hats, and by using physical barriers such as screens, mosquito nets, and closing doors and windows. The current outbreak dates back to May of 2015 in Brazil, but has since spread rapidly, with almost all of Latin America affected. Expand Close Joao Batista Bezerra holds his three-month-old daughter Alice Vitoria Gomes Bezerra, who has microcephaly, at home in Recife, Brazil. Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Joao Batista Bezerra holds his three-month-old daughter Alice Vitoria Gomes Bezerra, who has microcephaly, at home in Recife, Brazil. Getty Images The Department of Foreign Affairs issued its first travel advisory on the virus last December, alerting citizens to the outbreak in Brazil. It has now updated its travel advisories for 20 countries (see map). According to the HSE's Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the following countries are experiencing either "an increasing or widespread" transmission of the virus, or "sporadic transmission" following its recent introduction: Brazil, Bolivia, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Suriname, French Guiana, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Martinique, Guyana, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Paraguay, Barbados, Saint Martin, Haiti, Dominican Republic, US (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands). Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Peru, Uruguay and several Caribbean islands are not currently on the list. No locally transmitted Zika cases have been reported in the continental United States, but cases have been reported in returning travelers, and these are likely to increase, according to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC). The European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control advice is here. NB: This story/map will be updated to reflect developments. Premium Mary Kenny Opinion A male contraceptive jab is on the way, but will it truly equalise reproductive control? It looks as though a male contraceptive vaccine will be available within the next year, according to Dr Amanda Wilson at De Montfort University in Leicester. The jab is called Risug, and it could obviate the demand for vasectomies which is falling anyway. The vaccine, which has completed its final trials, would be reversible, so it is not as radical as vasectomy. I think I was about 15 or 16 years old when I was on a school tour to London, going to see a chat show in Shepherds Bush which happened to be Terry Wogan's show. I don't know what it was, but he was magic - it had a huge impact on me. I loved watching this man come out on stage, holding it all together as a moderator, as a ringmaster but doing it with a very laid-back style. He was having fun with the audience before the show and acting the maggot to put everyone at ease. It's something I now do every Friday night before 'The Late Late Show'. It's bizarre to think that many years later, I'd be talking to him as a friend and ultimately filling in for him on the radio on occasions. So my connection with Terry Wogan started very young, but from such a distance, a vast distance. I watched Terry and I just loved his approach; what he was doing didn't look like work. That was very attractive to a young man, thinking: "That doesn't look that hard." Of course it's a lot harder than you think, but he could make it look easy. He was just so clever, he was smart, well-read, loved words but he never showed off - he wore it very lightly. I loved how he'd sign off on 'Blankety Blank' and he'd say "and that's all for this week, thanks for joining us - both of you" - it was clever, funny, goofy but yet self-deprecating. Whether it was 'Blankety Blank', his chat show, the BBC radio breakfast programme 'Wake Up To Wogan' or the Sunday afternoon show, I always followed his work. Every time he moved to a different vehicle for his talents, he nailed it, always enjoyed it - and if he wasn't enjoying himself, he got out, which was brilliant, because he was the sort of guy who would go to the party, enjoy himself and then say 'I've had enough' and go home. He never overstayed his welcome. I was researching for a book about the Irish in Britain and went over to meet Terry in London after a show one morning. I was coming through London by train, listening to his radio show, hearing him sign off with "I'm off to lunch to meet young Tubridy from Ireland", which of course would have meant nothing to his listeners. But he said it and I was smiling to myself, because within 25 minutes I was sitting in the back of a chauffeur-driven Bentley, driving through London with Terry to go for lunch. It involved some delicious food, a little wine and conversation, whereby he basically opened the box of tricks. He explained this is where it's at, this is what I've been doing, this is what I do and if you need any help along the way let me know and I'll help you. He was very generous - I think he saw an Irishman, travelling over for weekend's stints, filling in for Graham Norton or whoever, and he wanted to look after one of his own. He may have had this extraordinary ability to embrace Britain, but he never forgot Ireland. If you look back to the time of the Troubles, when all hell was breaking loose in London, he always kept calm. People would turn to him in years later and say: "You were the only Irish voice that mattered at that time." When everyone else in Britain was saying Ireland was full of terrorists and lunatics, they would look at Terry Wogan and see that that was not the case. He had an ambassadorial role that shouldn't be underestimated. We would email each other quite a bit and he was very good when it came to that kind of thing. You'd shoot him an email and you'd get one back almost immediately, always something quirky, slightly off the wall and brief - he'd have you walking away, roaring with laughter. He had the quintessential twinkle in the eye - he was the third triumvirate of twinkle-eyed older men that I always got along with, one being Liam Clancy, two being Frank McCourt and three poor old Terry. You knew there was devilment in the air when you met him, you could hear his eyebrow arch. I reviewed a book he wrote, just before Christmas, and I thought he had got very wistful and gone back to his roots, about Limerick, about working in the bank. I thought here's a man who's very happy in London, but is clearly missing home and is thinking about where it all began and I wrote this in the review. Within two days, he sent me an email saying: "Good man, Tubs, spot on, that's exactly where I'm at." I remember Gerry Ryan called it the audit of his life, he was auditing it almost. I think he might have known a little more than he let on. I'll miss the generosity, I'll miss the giddiness and I'll miss the knowledge that there was one of our own over there, looking after people like me and who would have been of great assistance to more important and bigger stars over there - he was the grand old man of Irish broadcasting in Britain. Poor Irish lads have had a rough week of it after an international dating website BeautifulPeople.com ranked our men as being the ugliest in the world. If this wasnt bad enough, Dublin matchmaking service Intro said that Irish men do need to look after themselves better when it comes to hygiene. However, Dublin designer Brendan Courtney and stylist-turned-presenter Darren Kennedy have come out in defence of their gender. I completely disagree with that, I think Irish men are gorgeous, Brendan told the Herald Diary. Brendan said he was shocked that Irish men ranked so low with BeautifulPeople.com, who are very picky about who they accept. The website placed Ireland in last place on the handsome table, alongside the UK and Poland. Irish men have completely upped their game in terms of style just look at Conor McGregor and the Kearney brothers. There is a roughness, paleness and strength to Irish men that you dont see anywhere else, he added. Khloe Kardashian reportedly feels stupid about sticking up for her brother Rob Kardashian so vehemently in the past. The Keeping Up with the Kardashians stars are said to be feuding after news went public last week (begins25Jan16) he is dating Blac Chyna - the former fiancee of their younger half-sister Kylie Jenner's current boyfriend Tyga. Khloe and Rob were so close she even allowed her little brother to stay at her house for years, but it's claimed the 31-year-old beauty grew tired of defending him. Rob is living with Blac now that Khloe kicked him out after finding out about him and Blac, a source told Us Weekly magazine. Khloe feels majorly betrayed by Rob after she always stuck up for him. She feels like this is a major blow to the family. Nobody in the family likes it. The beginning A photo posted by www.Lashedbar.co (@blacchyna) on Jan 25, 2016 at 6:07am PST Rob, who has been struggling with his weight and was diagnosed with diabetes last year (15), reportedly has ulterior motives for dating Blac. Apparently he is using the relationship as a way to express years of rage over feeling like the Kardashian black sheep, not just to upset his younger half-sibling Kylie. Kylie says Rob stabbed her in the back, the source explained. This is not about Kylie for Rob though. He was always cool with (his half-sisters) Kendall (Jenner) and Kylie. For him this is about the whole family and his way at getting back at them. However, it seems Rob is genuinely lovestruck over Blac, as it's claimed he drove through the night on Friday (29Jan16) to pick up his girlfriend from a Texas jail. Blac Chyna was arrested for public intoxication and possession of a controlled substance after reportedly causing a disturbance on a plane bound for London. Expand Close PIC: Blac Chyna Instagram / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp PIC: Blac Chyna Instagram Coldplay, Ellie Goulding and Craig David will perform at Radio 1's Big Weekend 2016. Nick Grimshaw announced the line-up during his BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show, and he confirmed the event will take place on May 28 and 29 in Exeter. Other performers will include Chase and Status, and Bring Me the Horizon. Coldplay will take a break from their A Head Full Of Dreams tour, stopping in Exeter in between their performances in Spain on May 27 and Germany on June 1. Frontman Chris Martin said: "I was born and raised in Exeter so being part of Radio 1's Big Weekend this year means a huge amount to me personally. I lived the first few years of my life less than 500 yards from where we'll be performing, so this couldn't be more of a homecoming for me." Goulding performed at the Big Weekend event in 2010, 2011 and 2013. She said: "Radio 1's Big Weekend is always a great event, and I'm really looking forward to being a part of it again this year." Noughties star David is staging a comeback in the UK, with his new album Following My Intuition expected later this year - following the recent release of his single When The Bassline Drops. He said: "I've always been a huge fan of Radio 1's Big Weekend and I'm excited to be a part of it this year. "From hearing When The Bassline Drops on the station to playing it live for the fans, this has been one of the most exciting journeys of my career." Big Weekend, now in its 13th year, is Europe's largest free ticketed festival. Thousands of fans will be able to attend the event at Powderham Castle, while listeners will be able to tune in to the festival on Radio 1. Grimshaw said: "Big Weekend is my highlight of the year - I can't wait to bring you the best in live music and to spend a weekend celebrating the start of the summer in Exeter." Video of the Day Ben Cooper, controller of Radio 1 and 1Xtra, said: "We've taken Lady Gaga to Carlisle, Taylor Swift to Norwich and now we're taking Chris Martin back home. "We're very proud to be able to bring such a diverse range of acts to Exeter, where they'll be part of our biggest weekend of the year." Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have six kids together. Police were called to the home of Hollywood couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt after a suspected intruder was detained by security guards. Members of the security team working at the couple's home in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills spotted a man on the grounds of the estate last week, and called police to the scene. After questioning the suspect, cops discovered he was homeless and had wandered onto the property to relieve himself in the bushes, according to TMZ.com. Editors of the website report the unnamed man was released without charge. Neither Brad nor Angelina were at home at the time of the incident. Expand Close Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (C) with children (L-R) Pax Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Knox Jolie-Pitt, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and Maddox Jolie-Pitt attend the World Premiere of Disney's "Maleficent", starring Angelina Jolie, at the El Capitan Theatre on May 28, 2014 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (C) with children (L-R) Pax Jolie-Pitt, Zahara Jolie-Pitt, Knox Jolie-Pitt, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and Maddox Jolie-Pitt attend the World Premiere of Disney's "Maleficent", starring Angelina Jolie, at the El Capitan Theatre on May 28, 2014 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney) The stars and their brood of six children have spent much of the last few months in Asia while Angelina has been shooting a film in Cambodia. The actress-turned-director has been working on a new movie titled First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia, adapted from human rights activist Loung Ung's memoir about the Khmer Rouge genocide in the south-east Asian country during the 1970s. The family spent the holidays in Thailand, but the vacation was reportedly marred by drama after the couple's 12-year-old son Pax suffered a nasty leg injury. Brad and Angelina were also recently hit with rumours suggesting they are planning to adopt another child, but officials in Cambodia shot down the reports. A spokesman for Inter-Country Adoption Administration told the Phnom Penh Post the story is far fetched, adding, "I saw this on Facebook, but actually it's just a rumour. The adoption between the two countries (the U.S. and Cambodia) is not yet open." Reports suggest American officials suspended adoptions from Cambodia more than a decade ago over "trafficking concerns" and the embargo has not been lifted. Video of the Day Angelina previously adopted the couple's eldest son, Maddox, from Cambodia in 2002. (I received this email/poem from a friend of mine. I think it very well sums up where the blame should be placed for the social disord... A British helicopter pilot saved his colleague's life by landing safely while he himself was dying after their helicopter had been shot at by elephant poachers in Africa. Roger Gower (37) was flying in Tanzania at low level during an anti-poaching mission, searching for men who had killed three elephants, when they shot at him with a high-calibre rifle. A bullet is understood to have passed up through the floor of the aluminium and fibreglass helicopter, hitting Mr Gower, first in the leg, then in the shoulder, before exiting through the roof. Despite being mortally injured, he brought the damaged helicopter down into a tree in the country's Maswa Game Reserve, preventing it from exploding and saving his South African colleague, Nicky Bester. Mr Gower, a former accountant from Birmingham, retrained as a pilot and moved to East Africa eight years ago to fly tourist safaris and, latterly, anti-poaching operations with the Friedkin Conservation Fund. Andy Payne, Mr Gower's colleague and housemate, described him as a "respected and professional pilot" who was becoming increasingly invested in working to stop the "wanton killing" of Tanzania's elephants. Tanzania's environment minister Jumanne Maghembe vowed to leave "no stone unturned" in catching Mr Gower's killer. "This is a tragic, very sad and extremely unfortunate event," Prof Maghembe said. "We are doing everything possible to find them. I hope within 48 hours we will have some good news." It is understood that five suspects have already been arrested. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Donald trump launched a last blitz ahead of the first US presidential caucuses in Iowa tonight, showing off the Bible his mother gave him, sending his sons to shoot AR-15 rifles and inviting children on to his private plane. At a rally last night, Mr Trump told voters: "We really are on the cusp of something so big. But it all doesn't matter if you don't vote. I don't care if you're feeling horrible, you have a temperature, if your wife leaves you for another man, get out and vote." A final authoritative poll by the 'Des Moines Register' put Mr Trump on 28pc support in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, five percentage points clear of his closest rival, the firebrand conservative senator Ted Cruz. In Iowa, 57pc of probable voters are evangelical Christians and Mr Trump released a video in which he showed his mother's Bible, saying it was "very special to me". He added: "I want to thank the evangelicals. I will never let you down." The Republican front-runner had his private Boeing 757-200 perform a fly-by for 400 supporters at a rural airfield in Dubuque and emerged to the theme music from 'Air Force One', a 1990s blockbuster featuring Harrison Ford as a heroic US president. After inviting children under 10 on to the plane, he said: "Not the parents, because parents will damage it." His own sons Donald Jr (38) and Eric (32), went pheasant shooting and then used assault rifles at a gun range, seeking the support of the gun lobby. Mr Trump also attended a non-denominational church with his wife Melania in Council Bluffs, taking communion but trying to put some money on one of the silver plates. "I thought it was for offering," he said. He sought to play down expectations of winning the backing of Republicans in the Iowa caucus. "I don't have to win it. But I think it would be really good to win Iowa," he said. "I do have, actually, much more humility than a lot of people would think." A storm bringing up to 30cm of snow is expected just after voting ends tonight; but good weather is expected to favour Mr Trump, who is relying heavily on first-time voters. But Mr Cruz has 12,000 volunteers who will fan out across Iowa's 1,681 voting precincts to mobilise support. Marco Rubio was third in the polls. In the parallel race for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton was clinging to a narrow 45pc to 42pc lead over Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders, putting the Vermont senator in position for a potential shock win. His own team admitted he had never expected to be in a position to win Iowa. A campaign source said: "Now the money is pouring in and they have a viable candidate they are not sure what to do." Mr Sanders' campaign announced yesterday it had raised $20m (18m) in January, from 770,000 individual donations averaging $26. Mrs Clinton's campaign raised $37m in the last three months of 2015. Thousands of people, mostly students, attended one of Mr Sanders' final rallies in Iowa. He appeared on stage with rock group Vampire Weekend, joining them in a rendition of Woody Guthrie's 'This Land is Your Land'. Mr Sanders, advocating free college tuition and affordable healthcare, still trails Mrs Clinton significantly in national polls. ( Daily Telegraph, London) An RAF pilot who lost his sight in the middle of a training flight was talked down through a safe landing by a comrade who flew behind him, it has been disclosed. The dramatic rescue happened last week at RAF Leeming during a routine training flight in a Hawk jet. The unnamed pilot radioed to base after he was suddenly lost vision because of a suspected medical problem while flying solo above North Yorkshire in the BAE Systems single-engine training jet. At one point the pilots vision was so bad that commanders considered having him eject into the North Sea because there was little chance he could land safely, sources said. But the prospect of him suffering ejection injuries, as well as losing the plane led them to dispatch another pilot, Flt Lt Paul Durban, to try to talk him down. Flt Lt Durban, a 39-year-old father of two who flew Tornados in Iraq and Afghanistan before becoming an instructor at RAF Leeming, flew close behind the stricken pilot to talk him down. A source said: They think he had an infection in his eye and he just couldnt see. The other pilot flew behind him and talked him down. They got him down safely and the plane is OK. Flt Lt Durban is fine too, though I think he was pretty exhausted. The RAF on Sunday confirmed the incident on January 28, but refused to comment on the condition of the stricken pilot. Sources said his vision was thought to have been affected by the sudden deterioration of an eye infection. An RAF spokesman said: During a routine training sortie on Thursday, one of our pilots temporarily suffered a partial loss of vision. To assist in the recovery of the aircraft to RAF Leeming, the pilot used the radio to request the assistance of a wingman and was promptly joined by another aircraft from the same squadron. The impaired pilot flew in formation back to RAF Leeming with the other aircraft where the pilot landed the aircraft uneventfully. Flying in formation, and conducting an approach to land as a formation, is a skill practised daily by RAF fast jet pilots. The RAFs 100 Sqn use Hawk jets at RAF Leeming, near Richmond in North Yorkshire, to train forward air controllers and to act as enemy jets in practice missions. They are also flown by the RAFs aerobatic team, the Red Arrows. Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] A drone came within metres of colliding with a passenger jet near the Houses of Parliament, a report has revealed. The "silver drone with a balloon-like centre and four small rotors on each corner" was spotted by the pilot of the Embraer 170 at 2,000ft on September 13 2015. Assessing the risk of collision as "high," according to the report published by UK Airprox Board, the pilot estimated that it was pure chance they did not hit each other. The flight had been passing in the vicinity of the Houses of Parliament at a speed of about 184mph as it came in to land at London City Airport. It was estimated by the pilot that the drone came within 20 metres (65ft) of the jet, which can carry up to 76 passengers, passing down the left hand side of the aircraft. With the drone operator posing a "flight safety risk," and flying the craft without permission, the incident was classed as category A by the board - the most serious, where a high chance of collision existed. The report also reveals that there were five other incidents involving drones between August and September last year. Three near-misses involved passenger planes either coming into land or flying out of large UK airports, including Manchester, Stansted and Heathrow. One pilot flying a B777 jet on September 22 at 2,000ft said the drone "just missed the tip of the starboard wing". While the pilot of a B737 flying out of Stansted on September 13 said the drone passed just three to four metres above the jet. None of the drone operators in these cases, including the incident above central London, could be traced. Current rules on the uses of drones state that drones must not be flown in any way that could endanger people or property. It is illegal for unmanned aircraft to be flown over streets, towns and cities - and they must be kept well clear of airports and airfields. A spokesman for the UK Civil Aviation Authority said those operating a drone must do so responsibly - observing all the relevant rules and regulations. They added: "Drone users have to understand that when taking to the skies they are potentially flying close to one of the busiest areas of airspace in the world - a complex system that brings together all manner of aircraft including passenger aeroplanes, military jets, helicopters, gliders and light aircraft. "The rules for flying drones are designed to keep all airspace users safe and anyone flouting these rules can face severe penalties including imprisonment." Angela Merkel has warned asylum seekers that they are only in Germany temporarily. In a significant change of tone, the German chancellor said even genuine refugees from Syria and Iraq would have to go home once the conflicts had ended. "If there is peace in Syria and Isil is defeated in Iraq, we expect you to return to your homelands with the knowledge of what you have received from us," she said. Mrs Merkel and her ministers sought over the weekend to reassure German voters that the refugee crisis is under control after 1.1 million asylum seekers arrived in Europe last year. "The numbers need to be reduced further and must not rise again, especially not in the spring," Mrs Merkel told a party meeting. The message was in marked contrast to her previous 'open-door' policy. Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said Germany would not accept economic migrants posing as refugees. "It is impossible for Germany to take in all the refugees from the world's crisis regions," he told 'Spiegel' magazine. Peter Altmaier, the country's refugee tsar, said Germany was in negotiations to deport criminal asylum seekers to transit countries, such as Turkey. In the wake of the Cologne sex attacks, the government plans to change the law so that asylum seekers convicted of crimes can be expelled. But in practice, deportations are often impossible. Around 50,000 asylum seekers have left Germany since the beginning of 2015, either voluntarily or because they were deported, Mr Altmaier said. Austria, meanwhile, is to pay 500 to those who leave voluntarily. Both countries have toughened their asylum policies in response to public discontent. Support for Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrat Party (CDU) has fallen to a three-year low, according to a poll yesterday, which found that 34pc of Germans would vote for the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Scotland is braced for more winds of up to 90mph as Storm Henry sweeps in. Some train services have already been suspended and roads closed, leading to a potentially difficult evening commute for some, and ferry passengers have been warned to expect widespread disruption. Henry is the eighth winter storm and comes just days after the UK saw off Storm Gertrude, which brought gusts of more than 100mph in places as well as heavy rain and snow. The Met Office has issued amber "be prepared" alerts for wind covering Scotland from 3pm on Monday until Tuesday morning. Gusts of 70-80mph are now widely expected, while 90mph is possible in the most exposed areas, especially across the Western Isles and along the west coast. The Forth Road Bridge has already been closed to high-sided vehicles and the A82 between Glencoe and Rannoch Moor is closed to all vehicles apart from cars after a van and a lorry were blown off the road earlier. Warnings for wind at the lesser yellow "be aware" level are also in place for the whole of the northern UK and Northern Ireland. Yellow alerts have also been issued for rain in northern and central areas of Scotland. The Met Office said: "A deep area of low pressure will push quickly eastwards close to the north of Scotland later on Monday and into Tuesday. "Some very strong west to south-westerly winds are expected to develop on the southern and western flanks of this system, affecting much of Scotland. Gusts of 70-80 mph are expected widely, whilst gusts of 90mph are possible in the most exposed areas, especially across the Western Isles and along the west coast. "Be prepared for some potentially severe weather, causing transport disruption and difficult driving, some structural damage, dangerous coastal conditions and disruption to power supplies." Train operator ScotRail said some of its services will only operate until early afternoon on Monday, before being suspended until the end of the day. Jacqueline Taggart, of the ScotRail Alliance, said: "Once again we find ourselves preparing for extreme weather conditions hitting the country. Last week Storm Gertrude brought incredibly high winds and treacherous conditions to Scotland - and it looks as though Storm Henry is going to do the same. "We have been working closely with the Met Office and they have advised us that conditions will worsen as the day progresses. This means that any impact on our services will be felt later in the day. "I would really urge people to look at their travel plans for the whole day. We will be running services in the morning that, due to Storm Henry, we will be unable to run in the afternoon. So, please do make arrangements for both your outward and return journeys." Caledonian MacBrayne is also advising ferry passengers to check ahead for disruptions across its ferry network. Scotland's Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: "Our Multi-Agency Response Team, based at the National Traffic Scotland Control Centre, which has been in operation throughout the weekend will remain in place to monitor events and respond as required. "Our fleet of patrol vehicles and gritters are treating roads where needed around the clock to help keep roads open to traffic, but quickly changing conditions means journeys could be disrupted." In the north of England, the Humber Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles and caravans and a speed limit was imposed after a lorry blew over in 49mph winds. Humberside Police tweeted a photograph of the overturned lorry, which appeared to have come to rest close to the edge of the bridge. Fire crews were called to attempt to stabilise the lorry using winches. The southbound carriageway is due to remain closed until after the rush-hour. Police said winds are expected to become stronger later. Undated handout photo issued by West Midlands Police of a deleted image showing what the prosecution say is Tareena Shakil posing in a balaclava branded with the Islamic State logo, recovered from a phone allegedly used by the 26-year-old Screengrab taken from video issued by West Midlands Police of Tareena Shakil's police interview on 19/02/15 which was shown to the jury at Birmingham Crown Court Undated handout photo issued by West Midlands Police showing deleted image recovered from a phone allegedly used by Tareena Shakil, which prosecutors claim shows the woman posing with an AK47 assault rifle A woman who took her toddler son to Syria to join Islamic State (IS) has been jailed for six years. Tareena Shakil posed the little boy for pictures wearing an IS-branded balaclava in what a judge described as one of the most "abhorrent" features of the case, after she secretly ran away to the self-declared caliphate in October 2014 Expand Close Tareena Shakil, who is the first British woman to be found guilty of joining Islamic State / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tareena Shakil, who is the first British woman to be found guilty of joining Islamic State After a two-week Birmingham Crown Court trial which finished on Friday, the British 26-year-old was convicted of membership and encouraging acts of terror in Twitter posts made before she travelled. Sentencing the bright former college student, Judge Melbourne Inman said: "You embraced Isis, you sent messages on the day of your arrival in Syria that you were not coming back and by October 28 you were sending a message to your brother-in-law that it was part of your faith to kill the murtadeen (apostates) and on December 9 you told your father you wanted to die a martyr." The Recorder of Birmingham added: "You were well aware that the future which you had subjected your son to was very likely to be indoctrination and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter." The judge told Shakil it was clear she had been "radicalised" following online conversations with prominent members of the terrorist group, including Fabio Pocas. He said: "You had followed tweets and other statements from radical preachers and terrorists and formed your views from those and from discussions you had with a known terrorist, and who you described as being involved in the training of terrorist fighters for Isis." As an unmoving Shakil looked on from the secure dock, the judge said she had planned her flight to the de facto IS capital of Raqqa and researched travelling without arousing suspicion. "Exactly what occurred in Raqqa is far from clear," he added. "You told lie after lie to the police and in court between February and November 2015, including that you were kidnapped, were not responsible for any tweets and any incriminating photographs were staged against your will. "You pleaded not guilty and told more lies to the jury which they have understandably rejected." The judge described Shakil's decision to involve her young son, 14 months old at the time of travel, as a serious aggravating factor. "Most alarming, however, is the fact that you took your son and how he was used," he said. "The most abhorrent photographs, however, were those taken of your son wearing a balaclava with an Isis logo and specifically the photograph of your son, no more than a toddler, standing next to an AK47 under a title which, translated from the Arabic, means 'father of the British jihad'." Shakil had also encouraged other women to join her in Raqqa. The judge said: "Your role as a woman in Isis was different to that of a man but you embraced it and were willing to support those in Raqqa and potentially those outside to come and play their role in providing fighters of the future and were willing shamelessly to allow your son to be photographed in terms that could only be taken as a fighter of the future." Jailing her for four years for membership and two years to run consecutively for encouraging acts of terror, the judge said he had had to consider the total length of her sentence. He added that she would be entitled to release on licence after the halfway point. At trial, her defence barrister said the breakdown of her marriage had made her "vulnerable" to targeted recruitment by IS, but that did not make her a member. Shakil, of Beechfield Road in Birmingham but formerly of Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire, told her father three weeks before her escape: "I can leave but I don't want (to). I want to die here as a martyr." Nevertheless, she escaped IS territory, telling jurors she realised she had "made a mistake". An order of the court made under Section 47 of the Counter Terrorism Act means that, as a convicted terrorist, Shakil must notify police of her personal details, including her home address, for 15 years after her release. Residents and soldiers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad inspect damage after a suicide attack in Sayeda Zeinab, a district of southern Damascus, Syria January 31, 2016 In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, smoke rises after three bombs exploded in Sayyda Zeinab, a predominantly Shiite Muslim suburb of the Syrian capital, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrians gather where three bombs exploded in Sayyda Zeinab, a predominantly Shiite Muslim suburb of the Syrian capital, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 Isil suicide bombers on Sunday killed 70 people near a Shia shrine in southern Damascus, underlining how current peace talks even if successful will not solve the conflict in Syria on their own. Two attackers blew themselves up near the Sayidda Zeinab shrine on the southern edge of the city, which has been heavily contested in fighting including by Iranian-backed Shia militias. Expand Close In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, smoke rises after three bombs exploded in Sayyda Zeinab, a predominantly Shiite Muslim suburb of the Syrian capital, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, smoke rises after three bombs exploded in Sayyda Zeinab, a predominantly Shiite Muslim suburb of the Syrian capital, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 The shrine contains the tomb of the grand-daughter of the Prophet Mohammed, who is particularly revered by Shia. At least 25 foreign militia members were said to be among the dead, along with 29 civilians including children. "Two soldiers of the caliphate carried out martyrdom operations in a den of the infidels in the Sayyida Zeinab area, killing nearly 50 and injuring around 120," Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) said in a statement. Expand Close Residents and soldiers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad inspect damage after a suicide attack in Sayeda Zeinab, a district of southern Damascus, Syria January 31, 2016 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Residents and soldiers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad inspect damage after a suicide attack in Sayeda Zeinab, a district of southern Damascus, Syria January 31, 2016 The bombing coincided with opening statements by the non-Isil Syrian rebel opposition on the arrival of a delegation to planned peace talks in Geneva. The regime delegation arrived on Friday. Staffan de Mistura, United Nations envoy on Syria, who is hosting the talks, said he was hoping to start them on Monday, albeit with the two delegations sitting in separate rooms. But it was not clear what they would discuss. The opposition is refusing to hold direct talks on a ceasefire until the regime has fulfilled demands made under a UN resolution last month, including an end to bombing of civilian areas and the lifting of sieges. The opposition is demanding the release of political prisoners, especially women and children, as a goodwill gesture. In his first briefing to journalists since arriving on Friday, Bashar al-Jaafari, the regime's chief negotiator, said Damascus was willing to discuss humanitarian issues. But he said the first aim of the talks was to stop Turkey and Jordan allowing foreign fighters into Syria, calling them genetically modified. "There are foreign powers endorsing foreign agendas, aiming at making political pressure on the Syrian government by using terrorism as a political weapon, he said. However, the two groups internationally designated as terrorists and most responsible for suicide bombings of the sort that hit the Sayidda Zeinab mosque on Sunday, Isil and al-Qaedas local branch, Jabhat al-Nusra, have both not been invited to the talks. Also missing is Ahrar al-Sham, a Salafist group backed by Turkey and Qatar that has been fighting alongside Jabhat al-Nusra, and which the regime says it cannot accept as a negotiating partner. The non-jihadist opposition, including political exiles, fear that the decision by Russia to join the war on the regime side means that Bashar al-Assad, Syrian president, is less likely to negotiate seriously, thinking he can win the war militarily. In an ominous note, Burhan Ghalioun, a leader of the political opposition, the Syrian National Coalition, last week warned that even if apparently defeated the rebels could turn Syria into Afghanistan or Vietnam. One Western official also said that although it seemed that the regime and the Russians were winning, it was a myth that the opposition wanted a ceasefire because they were losing. They are confident they still have ways to conduct operations against the regime, the official said. Even Mr de Mistura is not predicting quick success. He says he expects the talks to last six months, while a position paper he wrote for the UN security council which was leaked at the weekend said even if there was a ceasefire it might be too dangerous for UN peace-keeping troops to monitor it. Islamic State (Isil) What is Isil? An Islamic extremist group controlling territory in Syria and Iraq What is it called? In the West, the group is usually known as Isil (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) or Isis (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). In June, the militants said they wanted to simply be called Islamic State in recognition of the self-declared caliphate What about 'Daesh'? Daesh is an abbreviation Dawlat al-Islamiyah f'al-Iraq wa al-Sham, and is the derogatory name used by many Muslims for Isil. Following the Paris attacks, the French government is now using this term What are its aims? A worldwide Islamic caliphate - a religious government - without borders What terror attacks has it carried out? Isil has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks of 13 November 2015, the explosion of a plane travelling from Egypt to Russia, and the individual killings of Western hostages, including James Foley and Alan Henning How is the group funded? Looting, extortion and the possession of oilfields providing an estimated 1.8m in revenue per day How much territory does Isil control? An area of the Middle East that is roughly the size of Belgium Where is it based? Isil's HQ is understood to be in the city of Raqqa, Syria SHARE Donald Chapman Donald Chapman, AIA, CMB and his team at Chapman Design Group Inc. of Anderson won the 2015 Master Design Award. On Sept. 30, 2015, Chapman was honored at the 37th annual Top 500 & Master Design Awards held at the University Club of Chicago. With more that 300 submitted projects, the design firm was awarded the top honor of "Best in Show" and "Gold" for a home located on Maret Road in Townville. The project was featured in the October issue of Qualified Remodeler magazine. The 2015 Master Design Judges deemed it the best in its Whole House category over $700,000 and also the best of all projects over $300,000. Judges said: First, it met all the goals. They were able to achieve the goal of creating lake views from every room in the home. Second, they were able to incorporate the design theme that played out in many ways throughout the structure. Finally, they were truly able to make the most of the unique property, including a 20 by 20 foot octagon deck that reaches out farther toward the water. Chapman also won "Gold" in the Outdoor Design category for another home located in Anderson. Judges said: Barely recognizable as the same rear-yard space, this sunroom and outdoor living program was part of a larger whole-house remodel that doubled the original square footage of a 1980s saltbox styled home in Anderson. It is rare for design firm to win more than one award, especially for designs in the same county. Donald G. Chapman is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design and established Chapman Design Group Inc. in 1994. In addition to being a licensed architect, Chapman is a South Carolina Certified Master Builder and owner of Icon Construction of SC Inc., which is responsible for the construction of more than 100 projects since Icon's first home was built in 2005. Shown from left are Dr. Danny Merck, SDPC Superintendent; Anita Richardson, McKissick Elementary School Assistant Principal; and Beth Phibbs, executive director of SCASA. SHARE Anita Richardson, assistant principal at McKissick Elementary School in Pickens County School District, has been named the 2016 Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year by the South Carolina Association of School Administrators. Richardson was selected from an outstanding field of elementary school administrator candidates by a veteran panel of judges. The other finalist for the award was Jennifer Dodds of Chandler Creek Elementary School in Greenville County schools. "We are pleased to announce that Anita Richardson has been named the SCASA Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year," said Beth Phibbs, executive director of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators. "She is an exceptional leader who has had a positive impact on not only her students, but also the district and community as well." Gary Mohr, principal of McKissick Elementary School, said, "Mrs. Richardson is such a vital member of the McKissick family. Working closely with someone who has many of the same thoughts and philosophies when it comes to education, running a school, and being an advocate for children makes doing what we do even more enjoyable. I can't begin to describe what she means to McKissick." Superintendent of Pickens County Schools, Dr. Danny Merck, added, "Assistant principals are so important, not just for all of the responsibilities they take on to keep our schools running smoothly, but also because they are the future of leadership for our district. Mrs. Richardson is an indicator that the future of our schools looks very bright." This award was presented on Dec. 7, 2015, when Mrs. Richardson's family, school and district administration, and representatives from SCASA surprised her with the award at McKissick Elementary School. SCASA, the professional organization for school leaders in South Carolina, has more than 3,900 members. From professional development opportunities and research, to publications and legislative advocacy, SCASA's focus is to support school leaders in providing the best possible education for South Carolina's young people. As a state affiliate of three national associations for school leaders, SCASA also works on the national level. The magazine provides a general overview of the options available to foreign firms to sell to the online India... Brief us about your Financials? What were the key developments for the quarter? What was the EBITDA margin for the quarter? Brief us about the business highlights for the quarter? Your outlook for the coming quarters? is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary. He has topped with a Degree in Law and has attended the Advanced Management Programme at Wharton Business School and Harvard Business School. It is under his leadership that the company has diversified and become a multi product FMCG company. He has spearheaded the successful setting up of Fabric Spa and the Henkel acquisition. Won CA Business Achiver Award - SME category in ICAI Awards 2008 on January 25, 2009., a Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company was founded in 1983 by M P Ramachandran. The company has evolved from a single product proprietary firm into a multi brand, BSE & NSE listed company involved in the manufacturing and marketing of products in fabric care, mosquito repellant, surface cleaning, personal care and incense sticks. The company boasts of 10 brands in its kitty including Ujala, Maxo, Exo, Henko, Pril, Margo, Neem, Fa, White and Chek that are well-known and established brands in their respective categories. The Company is also engaged into service sector in organized laundry to provide World class laundry at affordable price at your doorstep through its subsidiary Jyothy Fabricare Services Limited.ofprovides you the highlights of conference call, where Ullas Kamath says There has been consistent performance in terms of PAT levels. The margins also improved in this quarter.The company reported a Net Sales of Rs 384.79 crore for the quarter ended December 31st, 2015 as against Rs 356.37 crore for the corresponding quarter last year, a rise of 8%. During the same period, the company reported a Net Profit of Rs 38.99 crore, as against Rs 26.46 crore; up by 47.4%.For the nine months period, JLL reported Net Sales of Rs 1,199.52 crore compared to Rs 1,109.18 crore during the corresponding period last year, a rise of 8.1%. Net Profit for 9MFY16 stood at Rs 122.34 crore compared to Rs 94.06 crore; up 30.1%.The results are in line with the expectations.There has been consistent performance in terms of PAT levels.The company invested 13.1% in Advertisement and sales promotion expenses.The margins also improved in this quarter.The EBIDTA margin for the quarter was at 13.9% as against 13.5% reported in Q3FY15. The company reported EPS of Rs 2.15 as against Rs 1.46 in the corresponding quarter last year.The EBIDTA margin for the nine months period ended December 31st, 2015 was at 14.8% as against 12.6% reported in 9MFY15. The company reported EPS of Rs 6.75 as against Rs 5.20 of previous year.The Revenues of Soaps and Detergent business, which includes brands like Ujala, Henko, Exo, Pril, Margo, Mr. White and Chek stood at Rs 287.25 crore in Q3FY16 compared to Rs. 276.81 crore in Q3FY15, up 3.8%.Home Care, which includes mosquito repellant Maxo, Incense sticks and Exo scrubber, witnessed revenues to the tune of Rs 81.94 crore in Q3FY16 as against Rs 65.50 crore during the same period last year, up 25.1%.The Maxo card launch in this quarter expected to fuel growths further.We expect price competition to stabilise in laundry and dish wash in Q4.We will be able to sustain our volume growth around 9%. flagship of the Hinduja Group, and one of the largest commercial vehicle manufacturers in the country, hosted the national launch of the first Captain 40iT tractor, from its popular Captain series of trucks in Jaipur today.Co-created with drivers and users through an extensive study of their lifestyle, the new Captain 40iT has been designed specifically for Indian requirements. It has undergone more than 2.3 million kilometers of on-road testing, and extensive internal testing on Pave tracks and 6 posters, this new series of Captain Tractors offers a world class cab and innovative fuel efficient new drive train in the 40T / 49T range. It features an intelligent engine management system- the dual data switch that ensures optimal fuel consumption on empty and full loads at the flick of a switch. A flat torque ensures lesser gear shifts, while the CRS engine ensures optimal performance. The new Captain 40iT offers better pickup, ease of repair, and the highest cab tilt angle in the industry.The Captain 40iT is powered by a turbocharged diesel engine that churns out 180 horsepower and generates maximum torque of 660Nm. The indigenously designed cab adheres to best ergonomic and styling standards, with spacious interiors, roof hatch and leg vent for ventilation and comfort in all weather conditions, lockers that can be opened from the outside for items required when the truck is parked, safe locker storage for valuables, comfortable sleeper berth, mobile charger, music player with a USB port, among others. It will usher in a new standard of driver comfort, and an optimal blend of performance and aesthetics.The tractor segment has seen very good growth over the last few years, and constitutes almost 12% of TIV. Rajasthan alone contributes nearly 21% of the Tractor TIV, with tractors constituting nearly 50% of all MDV vehicles sold in Rajasthan. The new range of Captain 40iT tractors is fitting extension of the Captain range of vehicles, and an important addition to the Ashok Leyland portfolio.Speaking on the occasion,said, Captain 40iT reflects the same comfort, reliability, efficiency and versatility that the Captain series of trucks is renowned for, and comes to the market after extensive testing and proven reliability. It offers versatility and adaptability not experienced in the segment before. I am confident, the new Captain 40iT will maximise productivity and enhance returns on our customers businesses.Ashok Leylands latest product is being manufactured at the companys state-of-the-art facility in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. Pidilite Industries net profit rose 49.34% to Rs 185.7 crore in the third-quarter accompanied by higher volumes. The Economic Times discussed further the companys performance with its ED, Apurva Parekh.Parekh noted that the companys standalone sale for the quarter was up 9%. The company had better volume growth in the quarter on account of more than 10% growth in consumer products sales and close to 3% rise in its industrial product sales. Parekh said that the growth and sales came despite a weak business environment in India. He added that the softer raw material prices helped the company achieve higher profit growth over sales growth.Parekh anticipates the input cost to remain low due to softer raw material prices. However, if rupee depreciation continues then the weakening of input cost will be offset to some extent. Parekh holds the view that the operating margin is pretty high and sees it sustainable in the medium term but not over the extended period of time.The demand for the companys industrial products experienced some pressure due to lower exports, which badly affected some of the sectors dependent on exports such as textiles chemical, and leather chemicals. Resultantly, the demand generation from these sectors was lesser for industrial products. Parekh said that both the export conditions and the business environment would be crucial in regards to demand or growth of the companys industrial segment.Given lower value growth in the segments, the company has implemented selective reduction in prices for products in both the segments, he said. At the same time, he averted disclosing much of the pricing strategy of the company.Parekh told ET that the companys exports from India fell by nearly 2% to 3%. He continued that demand declined at most of the export destinations such as Middle East, SAARC, parts of Europe and the USA. Meanwhile, Parekh noted that their international subsidiary in Brazil continues to face pressure due to economic slowdown in the region alongside steep depreciation in the currecy. Except which, rest all of the overseas subsidiaries are in good shape, concluded Parekh. The Offer for Sale (OFS) of Engineers India Limited (EIL) which hit the markets on January 29, 2016 met with enthusiastic response from all sections of investors with the issue getting oversubscribed by an impressive 2.54 times. The Government of India offered 3.36 crore shares to public through the OFS, thereby disinvesting 10% of its equity in the CPSE. The floor price was fixed at Rs.189 per share of face value Rs 5/-.The EIL OFS received overwhelming response from retail investors which is borne out from the fact that the OFS registered participation of 3.9 times from this category of investors. Adding to the lustre of the OFS was the encouraging participation of High net worth individuals who also lapped up the offer. The OFS also witnessed healthy participation of FIIs, banks, mutual funds and insurance companies.The investor enthusiasm for the OFS is borne out by the fact that the indicative price for the offer was Rs.190.63 which is above the floor price.The resounding success of the EIL OFS is a testimony to the Companys leadership position in the oil & gas sector as well as successful diversification initiatives into new areas like smart cities, L&G terminals, waste water management and fertilizers. The success of the offer raises the hopes for a revitalised disinvestment programme in the remaining period of the current fiscal. Magma Fincorp Limited stock was up by 3% at Rs. 71 after Honda Cars India Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the company. The scrip opened at Rs. 76.8 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 76.8 and Rs. 75.3 respectively. So far 18120(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 1756.92 crore. The BSE group 'B' stock of face value Rs. 2 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 113.95 on 19-Feb-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 68.9 on 18-Jan-2016. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 83 and Rs. 73 respectively. The promoters holding in the company stood at 27 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 65.01 % and 7.99 % respectively. The stock is currently trading above its 200 DMA. This association will help customers by providing them convenient and easy availability of auto loans with a wider reach. Magma Fincorp Limited will offer car loans up to 90% of the cost of the car, for tenure ranging up to 5 years at competitive rates. Tech Mahindra: Tech Mahindra Ltd, one of Indias leading IT consulting and software companies, will announce its Q3 results today. IIFL forecasts the companys net profit for Q3 FY16 to plunge to Rs. 742.40 crore at a rate of 7.8% yoy and 5.5% qoq.Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd: KPTL and the Amin Group are interested in acquiring Jyoti Structures Ltd. after lenders decided to convert INR 307.6 crore worth of loans into equity in December, reports a financial newspaper.JSW Steel Ltd: JSW Steel Ltd, India's largest private sector steel company, reported consolidated net loss of Rs.923.34 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015. The companys consolidated revenue stood at Rs. 8,698.27 crore, down 34.22% yoy and 20.25% qoq.Larsen & Toubro Ltd: The group has posted a net profit after tax, minority interest and share of profit of associates of Rs. 10348 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 compared with Rs. 8,665.40 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd: The company announced that Mahindra World City (Jaipur) Limited (MWCJL) is a subsidiary of the Company and a 74:26 Joint Venture between Mahindra Lifespace Developers Limited (the Company) and Rajasthan State Industrial Development & Investment Corporation Limited (RIICO) (a Rajasthan Government Undertaking).EIH: EIH Ltd. will spend INR 325 crore over the next two years to completely renovate its 51-year-old Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi, reports a business daily.Marico: The company has posted a net profit at Rs. 1,978.09 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 compared with Rs. 1,598.80 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.SpiceJet: The aviation company has increased its ticket cancellation charges by almost Rs. 100 and will be applicable from next month.IOC, HPCL, BPCL: Government hiked the excise duty on petrol by Re 1 per litre and Rs. 1.50 on diesel.Ajanta Pharma: Ajanta Pharma announce its Q3 results today. IIFL expects net revenue to soar to Rs. 93.6 crore at 10.6% yoy; however, it is expected that net revenue will likely fall marginally on a qoq basis.VRL Logistics: VRL Logistics will announce its Q3 results today. IIFL forecasts the companys net profit for Q3 FY16 to increase to Rs. 33 crore, growing at 32% yoy and 13.8% qoq.IDFC: IDFC posted a net profit of Rs. 1,761.80 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 whereas the same was at Rs. 4,216 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.Grasim Industries: The company reported a net profit of Rs.650 crore for the quarter against Rs.334 crore in the year-ago period.Jindal Saw: The company will announce its Q3 results today. IIFL forecasts the companys net revenue for Q3 FY16 to plummet at a rate of 24.1% to Rs. 1,349 crore yoy; however, it is expected that net revenue will rise marginally qoq.Siemens: The company has posted a net profit of Rs. 1,140.252 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 whereas the same was at Rs. 6,340.333 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.TajGVK Hotels: TajGVK Hotels & Resorts , Tata Group's hospitality arm, reported standalone net profit of Rs.3.43 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, registering growth of 27.79% yoy.Astra Microwave Products: The company reported an 11.96% increase in net profit at Rs.14.22 crore for the third quarter that ended on December 31, 2015.Zen Technologies: Zen Tech is all set to build customised solutions for Indian and global clients, Chairman & MD Ashok Atluri has been quoted as saying by a business daily.eClerx Services: The company has posted a net profit after taxes at Rs. 886.974 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 compared with Rs. 608.035 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.WABCO India: WABCO India Ltd clocked 82% increase in net profit at Rs.51.5 crore for the third quarter that ended December 31, 2015.Shoppers Stop: Shoppers Stop net profit for the quarter stood at Rs.23.6 crores.Tamil Nadu Newsprint & Papers: Tamil Nadu Newsprint & Papers commissioned its Rs. 1,650-crore multi-layer board plant in the in Tiruchi district of Tamil Nadu.Engineers India: The first CPSE disinvestment of the last quarter of the fiscal year 2015-16 got off to a thumping start today with the Engineers India Limited (EIL) OFS getting oversubscribed 2.54 times.Wendt (India): Wendt (India) has entered into an agreement with a leading Diamond Tool manufacturer, Star Diamond Tools Pvt. Ltd for the acquisition of the Diamond Dressing Tools business.Hindalco Industries: Hindalco Industries has informed BSE that under the composite scheme of arrangement between Aditya Birla Nuvo Limited (ABNL), Madura Garments Lifestyle Retail Company Ltd (MGLRCL), and Pantaloons Fashion & Retail Limited (PFRL), the company has been allotted on January 27, 2016, 4,49 crore equity shares of Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Limited aggregating to 5.85%.Suzlon Energy: Suzlon Energy posted a net loss of Rs. 113.2 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 compared with net loss Rs. 6538.7 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.Blue Star: Blue Star reported a total operating income of Rs 685.76 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 compared with Rs 595.57 crores in Q3 FY15, which is an increase of 15%.Nirlon Ltd: Nirlon Ltd reported a 53.4% increase in net profit at Rs.24.4 crore for the third quarter that ended on December 31, 2015.Den Networks: Den Networks posted a net loss of Rs. 483.70 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 compared with net loss Rs. 626 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.Relaxo Footwears: Relaxo Footwears , manufacturer of Footwear Products, reported standalone net profit of Rs.24.42 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, registering growth of 22.71% yoy.EIH: EIH, Oberoi Group owned luxury hotel chain, reported standalone net profit of Rs. 47.36 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, registering growth of 8.57% yoy and 336.1% qoq.Avanti Feeds: Avanti Feeds standalone revenue stood at Rs. 413.11 crore, resgistering growth of 7.29% yoy but decline of 22.49% qoq.Dr. Reddys Lab: Dr. Reddy's Laboratories has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for ZEMBRACE SymTouch (sumatriptan succinate) injection, a drug-device combination product intended for the treatment of acute migraine in adults.Magma Fin Corp: Honda Cars India Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Magma Fincorp. This association will help customers by providing them convenient and easy availability of auto loans with a wider reach. Magma Fincorp Limited will offer car loans up to 90% of the cost of the car, for tenure ranging up to 5 years at competitive rates.Pidilite Industries: The company has posted a net profit at Rs. 1,857.20 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 compared with Rs. 1,243.60 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.CARE: Credit Analysis and Research Ltd posted a net profit of Rs. 268.098 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 as compared to Rs. 262.403 mn for the quarter ended December 31, 2014.Thermax: Thermax Limited registered an operating revenue of Rs.1039 crore, lower by 8% compared to Rs.1125 crore for the corresponding period last year.GIC Housing Finance: GIC Housing Finance, state-owned housing finance major , reported standalone net profit of Rs. 30.59 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, registering growth of 21.82 % yoy Vietnam has formally lifted the ban on import of Indian Groundnut, thereby providing market access after nine months. The Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (MARD) have formally communicated the decision to the Indian Government stating that Plant Protection Department of Vietnam (PPD) will issue import permits for groundnuts for January 18th 2016. The lifting of ban has come in the wake of visit of Vietnam delegation to India in December 2015. The delegation was satisfied after seeing fumigation facilities, export procedures and export certification system for export of groundnuts export from India, as per the Standard Operating Procedure developed by Directorate of plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Faridabad. Background Vietnam had temporarily suspended import of groundnuts from India w.e.f, 6th April, 2015 due to interceptions of quarantine pests living Caryedon serratus and Trogodrma granarium intercepted in consignments of groundnuts exported since January, 2015. In order to resolve this problem, DAC&FW forwarded technical information for finalizing the Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) of the groundnut bruchid (Caryedon serratus Olivier), detailed report on investigation and remedial measures taken along with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and action taken in the matter to Vietnam. Wipro's Continental Europe head Ulrich Meister has, reportedly, put in his papers and is likely to take a break from his responsibilities soon.As per reports, CEO Abidali Z Neemuchwala, circulated an internal email announcing the resignation of Meister.Reports state that the third largest IT firm of the country is looking for the new Continental Europe head. Meanwhile, the current vice-president of the segment, Ashiq Hassanali, will work together with Neemuchwala to handle Continental Europe operations.Wipro Ltd is currently trading at Rs. 568.8, up Rs. 7.6 or 1.35% from its previous closing of Rs. 561.2 on the BSE.The scrip opened at Rs. 562.05 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 573.25 and Rs. 556.95 respectively. So far 576940 (NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 138643.6 crore.The BSE group 'A' stock of face value Rs. 2 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 676.9 on 11-Mar-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 512.55 on 24-Apr-2015. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 563 and Rs. 544 respectively.The promoters holding in the company stood at 73.35%, while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 15.52% and 10.53% respectively.The stock is currently trading below its 200 DMA. Opportunists have an eye for turning regular things around them into business opportunities. They modify a situation in a way that will benefit them and earn them some quick bucks. Here are some people who picked up regular, everyday situations and turned them into empires... 1. The boy who sold glitter for $85,000 Image Credit: politecnicocalzaturiero.gushmag.net When Mathew Carpenter started a website called shipyourenemiesglitter, his ultimate aim was to send glitter to enemies and embarrass them. The site received such a phenomenal response that the orders started flooding in. However, recently, Carpenter sold the site and made a cool $85,000 through it! 2. The married man who created a website for secret affairs Image Credit: wtvr When bored married couples want to have an affair, they head to Ashleymadison.com, which is a dating website that only accepts married people, or someone wanting to date a married individual. The sites founder, Noel Biderman, is ironically a happily married man. The site today has over millions of members and Noel is making a good business out of adultery. 3. The man who created a million dollar business of dog poop-scooping Image Credit: doodycalls Yes, you read that right. A million dollar business of just scooping dog poop. Somebodys laziness became a big business for Matthew Osborn, who runs Pooper-Scooper.com. Osborn opened Pet Butler in Columbus, Ohio in 1987. When he learned that there were about 100,000 dogs within 15 miles of his home, Osborn got to work. Later, when the business grew big, he employed seven people and owned a fleet of six trucks serving about 700 regular customers. 4. The teenager who made millions selling jam out of his grandmother's recipe Image Credit: fraserdoherty.com Fraser Doherty started making jam at the age of 14 from his grandmother's recipes in his parents' Scotland kitchen. Little did he know that his grandmoms jam recipe would get him millions! He started SuperJam, which sells around 500,000 jars a year. Today, it supplies over 2,000 supermarkets around the world and in countries including Australia, Russia, Denmark, Finland and Ireland. 5. The company that made a fortune selling glasses for dogs Image Credit: zimbio Doggles.com sells goggles for dogs, because why should only humans wear them? The business, which can be termed as silly, has actually received attention and coverage from CNN, Women's World, People, Regis and Kelly, National Geographic and Animal Planet! With goggles, they now also have accessories for animals, including backpacks, flotation jackets, t-shirts, caps, and toys. 6. The man who became a millionaire making plastic wishbones Image Credit: tuviral.net Whats a wishbone? A wishbone is a bone from a cooked bird that is broken by two people. The holder of the longer portion is then entitled to make a wish. It was Ken Ahroni who had the kickass idea of making synthetic wishbones with the sound and feel of real dried turkey wishbones while he was dining with his family at the thanksgiving table. His company Lucybreak makes 30,000 wishbones a day, and sells custom-designed, imprinted units for personal, corporate and promotional use. Their sales are over an unbelievable $2.5 million per year! 7. The housewife who invented microwaveable pillows Image Credit: inventorspot Kim Levin, a housewife, realised that if she put some corn in a cloth, sewed it together and then put it in the microwave, a warm relaxing pillow emerged. She then rushed to create 'Wuvit'. Luckily, the demand for Wuvit grew as people started exchanging the pillows as gifts. Today Kim is a millionaire and has written books about her retail success. 8. The guy who established a company that provides excuse letters to miss work Image Credit: oddee There is a company in the US that can cover for people who bunk work. The company named Excused Absence Network provides all your excuse letter needs for just $25 an excuse note. These notes are produced by professional doctors or hospitals, and even fake jury summons and authentic-looking funeral service programmes with poems and pallbearers. The anonymous founder started the business for $300 and currently runs it from a small Oklahoma town. 9. The monks who sold over 2.5 million in printer cartridge Image Credit: pbs LaserMonks.com is a website that sells discounted printer cartridges and other office stationery. Father Bernard McCoy took time out from his church service and looked after the website as a CEO. The idea for LaserMonks.com came to Father McCoy when his printer ran out of ink. He looked around for new ink cartridges but couldn't find one that was reasonably priced. Therefore, he started the firm in 2002. However he sold the company and then disbanded their small monastic community. 10. A couple who gives chicken on rent Image Credit: abcnews Who would want to rent a chicken? Well, many apparently. A couple in Michigan, USA, started a business where they put up chickens on rent. Rent-The-Chicken allows you to rent chicken and take care of them for some days. Later, you have to decide whether you want to continue petting them or give them away. 11. The Hangover Helpers who helped and earned at the same time Image Credit: Creative Commons Who you gonna call the next day after a trashy, crazy party? The Hangover Helpers. A team of two college guys in USA came up with concept that earned them quick bucks. The Hangover Helpers will show up at your house the next morning with a breakfast burrito and Gatorade. They will then start their cleaning spree, where they will even clear your puke and recycle your beer bottles! We don't really get to hear or read much about them. They operate in the shadows to make sure we are safe from forces conspiring against us. It's never fun and games for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of India, but they surely have some truly epic tales to tell. We managed to find some declassified covert operations carried out by RAW in the past, and they are nothing short of extraordinary. 1. Operation Smiling Buddha northchief.com Smiling Buddha was the name of India's nuclear program. RAW was given the task of keeping the entire operation under wraps. This was also the very first time that RAW was asked to get involved in a project inside India. Finally, on 18th of May, 1974, India successfully tested the 15-kiloton plutonium device at Pokhran and became a member of the elite group of nations who were nuclear ready. Not only was the operation carried out without any critical roadblocks, but even the intelligence agencies of countries like the USA, China and Pakistan were taken by surprise when the nuclear device was tested. 2. Khalistan Movement ibtimes.com The mid-80s was a dark period in India. Backed by the ISI, the Khalistani militancy was reaching its peak. Tough times. RAW set up two covert task forces to counter the militants in Punjab. Counter Intelligence Team - X or CIT-X, and Counter Intelligence Team - J or CIT-J. The objective of CIT-X was to target Pakistan while CIT-J was supposed to target the Khalistani groups. RAW not only managed to flush out all the Khalistani militants from the streets of Punjab but also destabilised a number of major cities in Pakistan, eventually forcing ISI to retreat and end all activities there. 3. Operation Kahuta Google Maps Pakistan's major nuclear weapons laboratory, the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) was also an emerging centre for long-range missile development. KRL is located in a small town called Kahuta in the Rawalpindi district of the Punjab Province, Pakistan. RAW first got to know about Pakistan's nuclear programmes by analysing the hair samples from the barber shops near Kahuta. The hair showed that Pakistan had figured a way to enrich uranium for weapons. RAW started operation Kahuta with the intentions of infiltrating Pakistan's nuclear energy installations, but it went horribly wrong thanks to a rookie mistake by our then Prime Minister. Morarji Desai accidentally compromised RAW's plan when he told Zia-Ul-Haq, the then President of Pakistan, that India was aware of their nuclear program. Immediately acting on this goof-up, Pakistani intelligence managed to track and kill all of RAW's officers and sources in Kahuta. India has been in the dark about Pakistan's nuclear program ever since. 4. Operation Meghdoot sapulse.com Operation Meghdoot is a perfect example of how keeping one's eyes and ears open can save a number of lives. RAW received a tip from a London-based garment company that had supplied Arctic weather gear to the Indian troops for the Northern Ladakh region. The company informed them that Pakistan too, had bought very similar gear. RAW intercepted vital information that proved Pakistan was planning an incursion in the Siachen glacier. The information helped the Indian Army take control of Siachen glacier before Pakistan. India eventually dominated in all the major peaks in Siachen. 5. Operation Chanakya india50.com During the testing times of violence in Kashmir, RAW was given the task of infiltrating various ISI-backed Kashmiri separatist groups and restoring peace in the beautiful valley of Kashmir. RAW not only managed to successfully infiltrate the area, but also evidence of ISI's involvement in the training and funding of Kashmiri separatist groups in the valley. Peace was restored, and the operation also marked the creation of pro-Indian groups in Kashmir. 6. Operation Cactus 4.bp.blogspot.com In November 1988, around 200 Tamil rebels, a part of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) invaded Maldives. The Indian Armed Forces, with assistance from RAW, at the request of the President of Maldives, launched a military campaign to clean out the mercenaries off the island nation. The Indian Air Force airlifted the 6th parachute battalion from Agra to Maldives. Swift and the precise operation carried out by the Indian Army, Navy and RAW helped restoring government's rule in Male within hours. 7. Operation Leech sputniknews.com Myanmar was always a tricky area for the Indian intelligence. Especially because of the dense forests being surrounded by the Arakans (ethnic people of Myanmar). India wanted to promote democracy and help put a friendly government in the region. For this, RAW established Burmese rebel groups and pro-democracy parties in the region, like the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). India allowed KIA to carry out trade in jade and precious stones. They even gave out weapons to them. But when relations with KIA turned sour and it became a source of training and ammunition for north-eastern rebel groups, RAW initiated Operation Leech. Their mission was to assassinate the Burmese rebel leaders as an example for other rebel groups that conspired against the welfare of Myanmar and India. In 1998, six top rebel leaders were shot dead and 34 Arakanese guerrillas were arrested the account of gunrunning in the country. 8. Anti-Apartheid movement 3.bp.blogspot.com Although we don't have a lot of information on this, it is known that RAW was also involved in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa and Namibia. They were even responsible for training intelligence officers of a number of independent countries of the African continent. Many retired RAW officers worked in the training institutes of these intelligence agencies as well. 9. Snatch operations with the Intelligence Bureau writemake.wordpress.com RAW has been involved in snatch operations for quite some time now. A snatch operation is when RAW officers catch the suspect in a foreign country and get them into the country for interrogation in undisclosed locations. This is generally done to bypass a lengthy extradition process. A good example of a snatch operation would be Akshay Kumar's film BABY. In the last decade, RAW has carried out close to 400 successful snatch operations in Nepal, Bangladesh and other countries. Some famous terrorists nabbed are Bhupinder Singh Bhuda of the Khalistan Commando Force, Lashkar militants Tariq Mehmood and Abdul Karim Tunda, Sheikh Abdul Khwaja, one of the handlers of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Yasin Bhatkal founder leader of the proscribed terrorist organisation Indian Mujahideen among others. These were only a few operations that have been declassified. There are countless others which you don't get to hear about, probably never will either. What we do know is that we are in safe hands. The Auto Expo is just around the corner and petrolheads around the country can't wait. But not all our favourite car makers will be there. Here's what you will be missing at one of the largest auto shows in the world. 1. Royal Enfield Himalayan Rushlane Royal Enfield won't be in attendance at this expo. It skipped the last time too. The company however has a lot of hopes with the new Himalayan adventure bike. It features a brand new engine of 400cc capacity with overhead cams, unlike the archaic pushrod units that the Enfield bikes usually powered by. There's a suitably tall suspension with rugged chassis on offer. 2. Skoda Superb Skoda The new generation Skoda flagship will come to India this year, but not the Auto Expo. The limo has grown in size over the last car, with a longer wheelbase, more luggage space and will be available with a more powerful engine. Mercedes E-class comfort and space for half the price. Who can beat that? 3. Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom Harley Davidson Legendary American motorcycle maker makes a big splash at the Auto Expo. Not this time around though. The company has however launched the 1200 Custom just days ahead of the Expo. Assembled at company's plant in Haryana, the motorcycle is powered by a 1200cc engine and like a true cruiser is bathed in chrome. But Harley's skipping the party this year. 4. Porsche 911 Porsche Now directly under Volkswagen India, Porsche's India arm will be sorely missed at the Auto Expo. A name synonymous with performance motoring, Porsche has recently unveiled the 911 sportscar and should be getting it to India. The entire range now features turbocharged engines, it is more powerful yet economical to run. 5. Bajaj Pulsar 400 indiancarsbikes One of India's favourite bike maker will not be in attendance this year. The Pulsar 400 range that was showcased the last time is supposed to launch this year. To be powered by the same engine as the KTM 390, the Pulsar will offer a more affordable option without any drop in performance. Guess we'll have to wait a bit longer. 6. Volvo S90 Volvo The makers of some of the safest cars in the world has come up with the flagship S90 sedan. Indian audiences, however will have to wait a while we guess. The luxury sedan features the company's new design language and will compete with other luxury offerings from Mercedes, BMW and Audi. Transgenders have been trying to find a space for themselves in the mainstream society. And while, there have been changes in the positive direction like India getting its first transgender principal, there is still a long way to go! In Kerala, with the launch of a taxi service, transgenders will soon turn entrepreneurs. This will be first such initiative in the state. In a great move, Kerala unveiled its first Transgender Policy in the country with an aim to end societal stigma towards the Transgender community, and is now getting ready to launch 'Gender Taxi', owned and operated by transgenders. 'G-Taxi' programme aims to provide a better means for livelihood for the minority group and to ensure them non-discriminatory treatment in society. Reuters The state-run Gender Park, under the Department of Social Justice, has drawn up a programme to roll out G-Taxi on the model of its successful all-women cab network She-Taxi. If She-Taxi has targeted mainly women commuters, 'G-Taxi' is envisaged as an 'equality taxi', in which all travellers, irrespective of their gender, can avail service. If everything goes as per the plan, the first fleet of G-Taxi cabs will be rolled out in the state this March. State Minister for Social Justice M K Muneer said the G-Taxi is part of the government's first step towards the practical implementation of the TG Policy, unveiled here last November. He said, We have unveiled the transgender policy with an aim to improve the life and living conditions of TG community. The G-Taxi is the first major step as part of the implementation of the TG Policy. Reuters Gender Park CEO Dr P T M Sunish said, We are hopeful that the project will help them fetch not only a better income but also a good opportunity to mingle with the mainstream society. People who avail the service of G-taxi can interact with them which will help change their mindset towards TGs. He also added, a number of transgenders, on the sidelines of the recent International Gender Conference held here last year, had requested the minister to launch an entrepreneurial programme for them on the model of She-Taxi. They had also requested to entrust it with the Gender Park as it has successfully implemented the She-Taxi network, envisaged for the empowerment of women. Like the She-Taxi, G-Taxi cabs will also have advanced security features, including GPS. (Pictures for representative purpose only) koimoi Sonam Kapoor makes the best use of social media to promote her films. Remember how she invited people to share their Prem Ratan Dhan Payo dubsmashes which she kept on reposting? Now the actress has taken to more serious stuff and urged her fans to share a clip of themselves talking about their fears and how they overcame it. As part of her campaign against fear on social media platforms, Sonam uploaded a video on Instagram. The actress is prepping up for her next big release Neerja and as a promotion strategy, she is reaching out to her followers in this way. Hi everyone I often wonder how fear gave Neerja courage. I would love to hear your stories in 15 second Instagram videos. The most fascinating and touching stories will be posted by me, so that your stories can inspire other people to overcome their fears. You can be also be #Neerja. Use #fearvsneerja when you post! A video posted by sonamkapoor (@sonamkapoor) on Jan 28, 2016 at 7:17am PST She has promised to further share the most fascinating and touching stories that come her way. Sonam is playing the title role of Neerja in the biopic on Neerja Bhanot, a valiant Indian flight attendant who lost her own life while fighting terrorists onboard. India's Youngest Braveheart saved 360 lives, of the 380 aboard Pan Am flight 73 which was hijacked in Karachi. The film is already topping the list of most awaited movies this season. Sonam is leaving no stone unturned to spread the heartwrenching story of Neerja. Goosebumps already? Here are some stories which came our way. Hats off Sonam! Katrina Kaif has time and again made headlines and not for the right reasons. From her 'much talked about' breakup with Ranbir Kapoor to her casual meetings with Salman Khan, media has always kept a close tab at her whereabouts. Instagram The way Katrina deals with all this is surely commendable. Promotions of her upcoming film Fitoor are on at full-swing, but it hasn't stopped her from being awesome. In an interview with Bombay Times, Katrina Kaif bared her soul like never before. 1. "I know that being a celebrity is a double-edged sword. Since the start of my career, my personal life has drawn a lot of attention. By now, I am immune to it." Pinterest She added: "I don't think anyone likes it when a part of their personal life is talked about. When so many people have an opinion about your personal relationship, it pinches. At the same time, I am aware that from the biggest Hollywood stars, to our actors like Madhuri Dixit or even Alia Bhatt who has just come in now all have been through this." 2. "I would never be disloyal to the person I love. My loyalty would be only to that person. I don't like dishonesty and indecisiveness." BCCL "Whether it is a snippet or it makes headlines, it is still speculation. I can't get carried away by the magnitude of what is spoken and written. I have taken a stance to not comment on my personal life. I can either change that stance or see it through," 3. "I understand that news is about current topics, and if one of the topics happens to be my relationship, I know you will write about it." Daboo Ratnani "Today, I am here in a professional capacity, as an actor. If some day I am doing an interview for a personal book or a memoir, maybe I will see it differently." 4. "This is an industry of opinions. You can't argue with an opinion which is based on what someone feels." Instagram/Katrina Kaif "It is not a fact that someone looks good or performs well, it is an opinion. It is subjective, so why argue about it," 5. I am grateful to people like Vipul Shah, Aneez Bazmi, David Dhawan who believed in me when no one did." "They took a leap of faith. It's not like I was a trained actor who needed a break. I was untrained, and I learnt on the job. Today when I stand on sets I feel in so much more in control, and more empowered. And every time I work with newer actors, it reminds me of my beginning, when people have refused to work with me and it hurt." 6. "I am competitive in a non-offensive way. I don't want to be somebody else." Instagram/Katrina KAif "Someone may be a better dancer, performer and speak the language better than me, but I have to be the best in what I do. I have a lot of areas which can be criticised with good reason. It is what it is, I am fine with it." 7. " If the reviews show a positive trend, I read them. Otherwise, I shut them down." Katrina Kaif/Instagram "Ignorance is bliss sometimes.", she chuckled! 8. "My journey has taught me that I know so little, and life is unpredictable." Twitter "I tend to get hyper and worry about the future, but I have realised that stressing about it will not change things." 9. "All the adulation is great, but I never fly too high or lose the sense of reality. This learning comes from my mother who is a God-fearing, strong woman!" Pinterest "There are times you feel everything is just too much. I don't know if I can take it anymore. Then my mom tells me to take one step at a time, and I gradually slow down. Sometimes, if you start adding all the things in your life... it seems too much. Deal with what is happening now, right now," 10. "The crab is the symbol for Cancerians; they have a shell to protect their soft side. You can't smash the shell; you have to make it feel comfortable enough to draw it out." Instagram/Katrina Kaif "I find this analogy perfect. If someone uses force and strength on me, I will cower and my walls will come up. But if someone makes me feel comfortable, safe and gives me love... that's when all my layers come off and they can see the real me." Twitter Sanjay Dutts jail tenure has been mocked time and again, so much so, that the social media users didnt leave a single chance to troll his parole breaks. However, after all, the hoopla around his life as a prisoner, Sanjay Dutt, will be released from Punes Yerawada Central Prison on February 25. (Read: A look at the 54 months of 'thug life' that Sanjay Dutt served as an inmate at the Yerwada Jail) After getting released, Sanjay Dutt will start shooting for the third installment of Rajkumar Hiranis superhit franchise Munnabhai! According to a strong buzz, Sanjay Dutt is looking forward to make a film on the life of one of his fellow prison inmate! An encounter with one of the jail inmates moved Sanju Baba. A source revealed: gg2.net Sanjay is friends with most of his cell mates and when he heard the story of this particular inmate, it touched him to the core and he immediately decided to make a film on it. The man is behind the bars following a family dispute and a significant part of the film will be of him inside the prison. Since this man is serving his jail term following a family dispute, Dutt plans to shoot major parts of the film inside the prison. According to the source, He is definitely not co-writing this one but will be actively involved in the scripting and production. The film will roll this year itself. According to some speculations, the man whose story inspired Sanjay Dutt might be his friend of 40 years, Yusuf Nalwala, who stayed in Dutt's adjacent cell. (Story will be updated) After dengue and Chikungunya, the Zika virus, which has caused a global scare, is seen as a threat to people in Indian subcontinent. The reason: the virus spreads through the bite of an infected mosquito Aedes Aegypty, which breeds in fresh water, and given India's poor public hygiene, such pools are in abundance. Reuters This Map Proves Beyond Doubt That Entire India Is Under The Zika Threat Doctors in Bengaluru are getting themselves up are getting themselves updated about the disease by sharing messages on WhatsApp groups. But the Union health ministry and the state health department are yet to take concrete action. There are no testing facilities in place, no screening procedures at airports, no guidelines on how to tackle it if it begins to spread. Bengaluru, doctors say, may be at a risk as a large number of people travel to South America and other countries where the virus has struck. Contributing to it would be the city's garbage menace and the resultant mosquitoes. Dr GM Vamadeva, director, health and family welfare department, said, "There is no need to fear.The virus has not yet come to India. We have no power to issue guidelines. The Centre must do it . We are yet to understand what kind of surveillance needed to screen travellers coming from the affected countries." Dr Satish Amar Nath, head of quality compliance and outreach programmes at Manipal hospital, said India is vulnerable to Zika infection. "It's definitely going to be a threat. A lot of Indians travel to South America. The government must set up systems at airports to screen those coming from the affected areas. We do not have facilities to test, identify and monitor Zika. Commercial testing kits are the need of the hour," he told STOI. Dr Satish, who monitors occupational clinics, said there are many cases wherein travellers who have come from South America showing symptoms of onset of fever. "But we do not know the cause of their fatigue, and at present no mechanism to test for Zika virus," he added. "It's high time we protected ourselves from mosquito breeding," said Dr SM Prasad, paediatrician and assistant professor at Dr BR Ambedkar Medical College."It is said that the infection is mild in 80% of cases and goes unnoticed in many. It's the travellers who are going to spread the virus and we must be careful with the screening at the airports.If the virus hits India, there are chances that the worst affected places will be the western ghats and coastal areas due to extreme temperatures," he added. 11 Questions You Wanted To Ask About The Zika Virus Are Answered Right Here We've known mosquitoes are responsible for chikungunya and dengue but are cavalier in tackling their breeding pools. Now, Zika joins this list and we seem clueless how to tackle it. Even as the West struggles to firefight this latest scourge, health authorities must move swiftly to ensure the staff on the ground are well trained to detect the disease and are well versed with treatment measures.The fight against Zika looks like a long and tough one. We've known mosquitoes are responsible for chikungunya and dengue but are cavalier in tackling their breeding pools. Now, Zika joins this list and we seem clueless how to tackle it. Even as the West struggles to firefight this latest scourge, health authorities must move swiftly to ensure the staff on the ground are well trained to detect the disease and are well versed with treatment measures.The fight against Zika looks like a long and tough one. Kathleen Wynne, the premier of Canada's Ontario state, was recently welcomed at the holy shrine of Golden Temple in Amritsar. Despite media controversy surrounding her visit, the first gay premier of Ontario was felicitated by Sikh leaders away from prying cameras. Robert Benzie/Toronto Star She was greeted by the chief secretary of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Mr Harcharan Singh on Sunday, in an information room located in the basement of the Golden Temple. Wynne was seen offering prayers at the holy shrine, participating in cooking langar, and taking parikrama (circumambulation). Robert Benzie/Toronto Star Mr Singh's decision to honour Wynne sparked serious opposition from Akal Takht - the most revered temporal seat of the Sikhs - for her being a vocal proponent of same-sex marriages. This, however, didn't hamper the SGPC chief's plans to award Wynne with a siropa (robe of honour), a model of the Golden Temple, and religious text. Reports suggest that the robe was not bestowed upon her inside the gurdwara, to which Mr Singh replied, "she has been honoured and why shouldn't she be honoured." TOI While speaking on Akal Takht's tenet that opposes gay marriages, Mr Singh said that the law applies to Sikhs and she was a Christian, hence the bone of contention didn't have any merit to it. He added that Wynne was there to offer her obeisance at the gurdwara and it was their duty to felicitate her. It was her loss of hope in the judicial process that convinced an unnamed 21-year-old rape victim she had nothing left to live for. This is what the B.Sc student communicated in her suicide note, before hanging herself in Bhilai on Thursday, the Indian Express reported. Ironically, the police found her body when they came to her home to issue court summons for the next hearing on February 2. zululandobserver | representative image only That's what she had written in another note. This suicide letter was tucked inside a notebook - she decided to commit suicide almost a year after her her case went to court. She had been assaulted by a doctor and two police constables, at Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital in Bhilai in 2014 she had gone for treatment on her face. The doctor, Gautam Pandit, told her she had jaundice and kept her at the hospital for three days. He drugged her, and with constables Saurabh Bhakta and Chandra Prakash Pandey, raped her. Then for over six months, they threatened her, saying they had made a video, and even took money from her on two occasions, her brother told the Indian Express. It was only months later, when she finally told her family, that they were arrested - even then, after reluctantly filing an FIR. They hit her at the time saying she was lying, but eventually the three were arrested. " Then, they were subjected to threatening phone calls, and was called "names". Please mummy, papa forgive me. Nor will I get justice any more, nor will I be able to move forward in life. Her brother she was planning to study for a law degree so she could help other women facing such cases. The Centre has nominated Ahmedabad as India's contender for the World Heritage City title. Beating Delhi and Mumbai for heritage wikimedia The 600-year-old walled city of Ahmedabad was preferred over Delhi and Mumbai, which had lobbied hard in recent months to get nominated, as India submitted its entry to Unesco on Saturday, the last date for countries to send their nominations. Ahmedabad was clearly better prepared to get the recognition, having pioneered the conservation of its "living heritage" for over 20 years. Mumbai's CST terminal. wikimedia The results will be announced by Unesco in June 2017, and the chances of Ahmedabad becoming the first Indian city to get the title are said to be bright. The Unesco tag will add immense brand value to the city and boost tourism. Of the 287 world heritage cities across the globe, the only two cities in the Indian subcontinent which enjoy the status are Bhaktapur in Nepal and Galle in Sri Lanka. wikimedia Just a few days ago, the Delhi government had written to the culture ministry to recommend the Indian capital city. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and actor Amitabh Bachchan had written to PM Modi to push for Mumbai. The culture ministry has to officially endorse a nomination before it can be sent to Unesco. The final call on Ahmedabad was taken late on Thursday evening. Ahmedabad has 35 ASI-protected structures, hundreds of 'pols' that capture the essence of community living, and numerous sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi, who lived here from 1915 to 1930. A 20-year heritage cell in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has been relentlessly carrying out a revitalisation programme, including heritage walks which have become a model for several other historical cities. A Sydney-based Indian couple donated the organs of their seven-year-old son after his death, giving Maharashtra its youngest ever organ donor and four people a freshshot at life. Times Of India | Heart image source: Medical News Today Among the beneficiaries was a seven-year-old girl from Goregaon who had been given only a few weeks to live, till Deyaan Udani's heart saved her. Dr Vijay Agrawal, who performed the surgery, said it was very rare that such a perfect match of age and weight was found. Deyaan, along with his parents and nine-year-old sister, was to fly back to Sydney on January 22, but collapsed just two hours before they were to head to the international airport. The family was holidaying in India and thought his complaints of headache could be related to travel fatigue. They rushed him to Nanavati Hospital, where multiple clots were found in his brain. The Jain family, originally from Andheri, shifted him to Mahim's P D Hinduja Hospital, where a surgery was carried out on January 27 to release the pressure inside the brain. Kid wanted to donate his organs "He did not respond to it," said Dr Sucheta Desai, the hospital's transplant coordinator. Deyaan was declared brain dead on Saturday after a second successful sleep apnea test. "Amid such grief, the family were very keen on donating his organs even before we approached them," she added. Deyaan's mother Mili said she had just fulfilled her son's wish. "Coincidentally, this year itself my children had learnt about organ donation in school. Both of them said they would want to be donors when they grew up," Mili said. The family donated Deyaan's heart, kidneys and liver. The kidneys were given to an 11-year-old and a 15-year-old at Jaslok Hospital. His liver was transplanted into a 31-year-old man at Jupiter Hospital. Should we expect an outcome similar to 2012 Bollywood hit 'OMG: Oh My God!', where Akshay Kumar (playing God) shows up to defend himself? Because if Lord Rama is real, he's getting sued. Lawyer Thakur Chandan Kumar Singh has filed a case in North Bihar's chief judicial magistrate (CJM) court on the ground of 'misconduct against women', for banishing his wife Sita to exile, the Hindustan Times reported. In the petition, the lawyer has specified that despite a trial by fire (which she passed), Sita was still banished to a life of separation from her husband. The Devi was exiled (given vanvasa) for no fault of hers. It was a hypocritical order from King Rama. How can a man become so cruel to his wife that he sends he off to live in a forest, said Singh in his complaint. Lord Rama did not think for a single moment how a woman could live alone amid wild animals, including reptiles and mammals, in the forest, he said, also adding he did not wish to hurt anybodys religious sentiment. The hearing takes place today - stay tuned! The exhibition will feature film, music, sound, archival displays and the spoken word and theres material that readers may be able to assist us acquire. With initial funding from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, Bit Na Ta will look at 100 years of history and culture in the Gazelle Peninsula from 1875-1975 for an installation as part of the Nambawan Neighbours exhibit to be staged in October by the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. THERES a project with the unusual name of Bit Na Ta in which Im involved with a number of Tolai people including historian Gideon Kakabin, musician George Telek and curator Lisa Hilli. Were keen to know the whereabouts of any footage, radio reports or newspaper articles of Gough Whitlam or John Gortons visits to Rabaul in 1969-70? Were also seeking articles written about the assassination of Jack Emmanuel and of the activities of the Mataungan Association. The 100 years were covering in Bit Na Ta represent such an amazing century. There was the six-day war between Talili and George Brown, the 1928 Rabaul wharf strike, three massive volcanic eruptions, six changes of ruling power (German, British, Australian, Japanese, Australian, PNG), the micro nationalist movements, the Kivung system, the Montevideo Maru, the Coastwatchers . Then there were the characters - Oscar Tammur, Richard Parkinson, Vincent To Baining, Damien Kereku, John Kaputin, George Brown, Wilfred Powell, JK McCarthy, its a long list. And have you ever seen those photos of Rabaul in the 1960s that look like the main street of Lismore, NSW? Anyway, if you can be of any assistance with this great project, it would be appreciated. Use the Comment link below to get in touch. Follow us on top 6 smartphones expected to arrive in 2016 New Delhi: 2016 is going to be an interesting year in the smartphone market. All major brands have big launches to please the customers with distinctive features and technology. Experts say smartphones will again dominate a major portion of the electronics market as we get set to see new technology merging with exceptional features. We look at the top 6 smartphone that are expected to arrive in the market this year! Apple iPhone 7 iPhone 7, Apple's flagship phone, is likely to be announced in September 2016. According to rumours, the phone will feature major changes in the design with an all-new headphone jack, waterproof body. The screen is expected to be bigger too. The new iPhone will be faster than ever, with an A10 processor and M10 motion co-processor along with 2GB of RAM. HTC One M10 HTC is expected to launch a new phone, One M10 in March 2016. The phone expected to have full Quad HD display. Key improvements in performance is also expected in the new phone. Design and performance will be high on the cards for this smartphone as HTC launches new phones before the Mobile World Congress which is held every year in March. LG G5 South Korean electronics major LG is likely to launch the new G5 in August 2016. The smartphone is expected to have a 4000 mAh battery which will be removable. Another feature which is expected is wireless charging option, which will be a rival to Samsung. Better performance and battery life may give LG an edge in the existing market competition. Microsoft Surface Phone Microsoft Surface Phone is expected to arrive in July 2016, with a 5.5in Quad-HD AMOLED display, 4GB of RAM, 64 and 128GB storage options, a 64-bit Intel processor and 21 mega-pixel rear and 8 mega-pixel front cameras. Surface Pen and a USB-C port is also to be a part of this smartphone. Microsoft has been working on this phone for a while now but it is expected to launch this model this year. OnePlus 3 Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus is come out with a new smartphone, OnePlus 3 which will be an addition to its flagship models. Specifications that are likely to be added in the smartphone include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip which will improve performance and battery efficiency and Adreno 530 graphics. A 1080p full-HD screen will continue to feature in the smartphone. The launch date is not confirmed but rumours suggest that it may come in April 2016. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Samsung had launched the S6 Edge last year and this year it is expected to launch the S7 Edge. The new S7 could see Adreno 530 graphics and LP-DDR4 RAM. The phone is expected to have a 5.1 inch Quad HD SuperAMOLED panel, fingerprint scanner and heart-rate monitor which exists in the S6. Rumours also suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S7 will come with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and TouchWiz. Latest Business News Follow us on is katrina going back to salman after her break up with ranbir here s what she said New Delhi: Katrina Kaif is the most talked about actress of the B-town these days and the credit goes to her break-up with Ranbir Kapoor. Indeed, Ranbir-Katrina's split took the tinsel vile by a storm. But apart form their break-up, Katrina is making to the news because of her growing proximity with her ex-flame Salman Khan. In fact, Katrina was reportedly spotted with Salman soon after she broke-up with Ranbir. Later she even went on to promote her forthcoming movie Fitoor' on Bigg Boss 9' hosted by Salman Khan and everyone was going gaga over the chemistry between Salman and Katrina. So far, there had been speculations about Salman Khan being one of the reasons for Ranbir-Katrina's split. Meanwhile, there has been a buzz about Salman advising Katrina to talk about her break-up with the media. While Salman-Katrina's closeness is raising many eyebrows, Katrina herself has come forward to clear her relationship with the Sultan' actor. A relationship or friendship or equation between two people never needs to be defined. It is important only for that two people involved to know what that equation is. In regards to Salman, what I believe in is that between us there is a lot of respect and I am sure you can see that. And for me, respect is a very important factor in any equation. The fact that there is respect says enough and there is no need to say anything more than that, Katrina told a leading daily. Well, Katrina's statement ensures one thing that she shares an amazing bond with her ex-flame Salman. We wonder if she'll be able to maintain a similar bond with her now ex-boyfriend Ranbir as well. Currently, Katrina Kaif is busy promoting her upcoming movie Fitoor', also starring Aditya Roy Kapur and Tabu, which will hit the theatres on February 12. Latest Bollywood News Follow us on ryan student death divyansh s mother remembers lost son in heart wrenching poem New Delhi: It is difficult to fathom the pain that the parents of six-year-old Divyansh Kakrora are in right now. Two days ago, Divyansh, a first standard student of Ryan International School in New Delhi's Vasant Kunj area, was found dead in a water tank in the school premises. The parents have pressed for a case of negligence among other counts against the school. Investigations are on, the post mortem says Divyansh died of drowning. As allegations and defenses fly thick and fast, Divyansh's mother has tried to pen her sorrow that will leave you broken. You cannot help but feel sad, angry and utterly helpless at the same time. One cannot help but imagine the courage of the mother to pen her feelings at a time of gravest mourning. The mother's words are a grim reminder to society that such negligence and tragic loss of life cannot be merely treated as an accident. As drama unfolds, as is usual following such incidents, many of us tend to lose sight of the irreparable loss of a young and vibrant life and the pain that the family has undergone. The heart-wrenching poem by Divyansh's mother not only spells out the agony of a mother's heart who has lost her son, but evokes emotions that none of us can and should afford to forget anytime soon. The memories of a grieving mother and the emptiness that a family having suffered such a tragic loss face are so strong that one can only feel sorry for the loss and cringe in helplessness at the sheer tragedy of the situation. Here is the poem by Divyansh's mother: Latest India News Follow us on jamshedpur shocker 15 yr old rape survivor raped again at govt hospital Jamshedpur: A 15-year-old rape victim, undergoing treatment at the government-run MGM Hospital in Jamshedpur, was allegedly raped by a security guard in the hospital premises. According to police, the minor was raped by a private security guard on duty in the hospital on Sunday night. "We have detained two persons for questioning in this regard, while the culprit is missing," said Senior Superintendent of Police, Anoop T Mathew. The police have started investigation into the allegations made by the girl and have launched a hunt to apprehend the private security guard. An FIR was registered on the basis of the statement given by the girl, Mathew said. The police had earlier arrested and forwarded a boy to the remand home after the victim alleged he had raped her in Parsudih, on the outskirts of the steel city, a couple of days ago. Following which, the girl was admitted to the hospital by the police. The incident took place hours after Chief Minister Raghubar Das inspected the hospital and held a meeting with authorities assuring improvement in the condition of the hospital. The number of crimes against women has been rising across the country with data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) showing that number of reported incidents of crime against women more than doubled from 1,43,795 in 2001 to 3,37,992 in 2014. The worst offender was Delhi, which saw a mammoth jump of 566 per cent in the total number of crimes against women, followed by West Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Odisha. With Agency Inputs Latest India News Follow us on mysterious disease hits 200 villagers in manipur Imphal: At least 200 people, among them women and children, from a village in Manipur have been hospitalised with a mysterious disease, officials said on Monday. The villagers from Lilong Chingjao in Thoubal district have been admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, J.N. Institute of Medical Sciences, and other private hospitals in Imphal. The patients are suffering from high fever and vomiting, besides loose motions, doctors said. Though the condition of some of them is said to be serious, there has been no death so far. Doctors told IANS that the disease will have to be identified properly, but declined to speak further. Many patients were seen lying on the floors, in the corridors and near the wards, because of non-availability of beds in the government hospitals. Hospital sources said everything possible was being done to give relief to these patients. Some patients told IANS that the health department needs to do something on a war-footing to contain the outbreak of the disease. Health Minister Phungzathang Tonsing was informed about the disease, and is said to be in constant touch with health officials over the issue. Latest India News Follow us on microsoft india doubles maternity leave to 6 months New Delhi: Microsoft India has doubled the maternity leave period for its employees to six months and will offer them flexible work arrangements up to two years. The move is aimed at further boosting a healthy and productive work environment as well as emotional upliftment of the company's workforce, Microsoft said in a statement. Microsoft currently offers three months of maternity leave. "This (extension) is in addition to Microsoft India's continued support to its women employees by offering them the option of availing unpaid leave up to three months and flexible work arrangements up to two years," it added. The new maternity policy will be effective from February 1, and will be applicable on all employees who are currently on maternity leave. Further, Microsoft will also offer two weeks of paternity leave to its employees, it said. Additionally, to care for adopted children, mothers will be eligible for eight calendar weeks of paid leave, while fathers are eligible for two weeks of paid leave. "We understand how important it is for new mothers to not only be able to spend time with their babies but also be able to transition back to work effectively," Microsoft India Head of Human Resources Rohit Thakur said. The enhancements to the maternity benefits are intended to ensure women employees have the time and support they need to embrace this new phase of life, he added. Over the past few months, a number of companies like Flipkart, Mondelez India Foods (formerly Cadbury India), Mumbai-based real estate developer K Raheja Corp, app-based fashion retailer Myntra have restructured their parent policies with many innovative additions. Latest India News Follow us on amid shaky start to syria talks is claimed blast kills 45 Geneva: A triple bombing claimed by the extremist Islamic State group killed at least 45 people near the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday, overshadowing an already shaky start to what are meant to be indirect Syria peace talks. Syria's state news agency SANA said that the blasts went off in Sayyda Zeinab, a predominantly Shiite Muslim suburb of the Syrian capital. SANA said attackers detonated a car bomb at a bus stop and that two suicide bombers set off more explosives as rescuers rushed to the area. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition group that monitors both sides of the conflict through a network of activists inside Syria, said at least 47 people were killed in the explosions, and that the death toll was expected to rise because a number of people were seriously wounded. An IS-affiliated website said the blasts were carried out by members of the extremist group, which controls large areas in both Syria and Iraq. U.N.-hosted peace talks in Geneva are part of a process outlined in last month's U.N. resolution that envisions an 18-month timetable for a political transition in Syria, including the drafting of a new constitution and elections. The talks got off to a rocky start Friday, with U.N. Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura meeting only with a Syrian government delegation. A delegation of the main opposition group said it will not take part in the indirect talks until its demands are met, including lifting the siege imposed on rebel-held areas and an end to Russian and Syrian bombardment of regions controlled by opposition fighters. "It's the duty of the responsibility of members of the Security Council to put the pressure on Russia to stop these crimes in Syria," opposition spokesman Salem al-Mislet told The Associated Press on Sunday. "It's enough killing our children, killing civilians. They pretend to fight terrorism. In fact they don't fight terrorism because they bring terrorism there and ISIS is spreading in many areas in Syria more than before because of these Russian strikes," al-Mislet said, using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group. The opposition delegation is to meet with de Mistura later Sunday, al-Mislet said. Meanwhile, a senior Syrian official said President Bashar Assad's government will "never accept" the inclusion in the peace talks of two militant groups it considers terrorists. Ahrar al-Sham and the Army of Islam, two Islamic groups fighting to overthrow Assad, agreed to take part in the Geneva talks. The ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham is not part of the team sent to Geneva, but the delegation has named Army of Islam official Mohammed Alloush as its chief negotiator. Assad's government has long referred to all those fighting to overthrow him as terrorists, but has agreed to negotiations with some armed groups in the latest talks. A U.N. Security Council resolution adopted last month tasked Jordan with compiling an agreed list of terrorist organizations that would be excluded from the talks. Work on the list is still underway. While virtually all parties agree that both IS and the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front should be excluded, the two sides are divided over Ahrar al-Sham and the Army of Islam. The mainstream opposition views both groups as fellow rebels, despite their ideological differences, while the Syrian government and its close ally Russia view them as extremists. "We will neither sit down directly with terrorists, nor have dialogue with them," Syrian Information Minister Omar al-Zoubi told state TV Saturday evening. Latest World News Follow us on donald trump leads hillary clinton bernie sanders neck to neck in iowa Washington: The final poll ahead of the first nominating contests in the US presidential race gave Donald Trump a 5 point lead over Ted Cruz while Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were neck-and-neck. The Republican real estate mogul Trump had the support of 28 percent of likely caucus-goers in Iowa, with Texas Senator Ted Cruz at 23 percent and Florida Senator Marco Rubio at 15 percent, according to The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics poll. On the Democratic side, the poll which is said to have a history of accuracy found former Secretary of State Clinton with 45 percent support to Vermont Senator Sanders' 42 percent within the poll's margin of error. The poll took place January 26-29, three days before Trump skipped the Republican Iowa debate to one day after and held his own rival event to raise funds for veterans. The candidates crisscrossed Iowa Saturday in a frenzied weekend prelude to the first presidential contest of the 2016 race. Trump, according to CBS News, 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." In the Democratic race, Sanders called the contest against Clinton a likely tossup depending on the turnout. "It's virtually tied," Sanders said at a Manchester rally. "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." "The eyes of America, in fact much of the world" would be on Iowa, and the state could be a model for the future of American democracy, he said. Meanwhile, Clinton's campaign received a boost with the influential New York Times endorsing her in the Democratic presidential primary describing her as "one of the most broadly and deeply qualified presidential candidates in modern history." The Times said "some of the campaign attacks (against Clinton) are outrageous, like Donald Trump's efforts to bring up Bill Clinton's marital infidelity." But it acknowledged "Some, like those about Mrs. Clinton's use of a private email server, are legitimate and deserve forthright answers." Describing "the battle to be the Republican choice for president" as "nasty, brutish and anything but short" the Times came out against two current front-runners - Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Both "are equally objectionable for different reasons," it said. "Trump has neither experience in nor interest in learning about national security, defence or global trade." And "Cruz's campaign isn't about constitutional principles; it's about ambition," the Times said. Latest World News Follow us on france to recognise palestine if new peace effort fails Paris: 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 diplomats on Friday that the conference would 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 faced a deadlock, Fabius said, France would 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. The 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, said: The Palestinian leadership does 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. Latest World News Follow us on french speaking man threatens to attack worse than 9/11 in isis video Baghdad/London: Terror group Islamic State has released a new video showing a French-speaking jihadist threatening attacks against the West and executing apostates and spies in Iraq. The French-speaker wears a beige mask and military fatigues and carries a handgun. Curls of blond hair can be seen below his mask. The video, said to have been made by the ISIS media wing in Iraq's Nineveh province, was made after the November 13 Paris attacks that killed 130 people. It also showed young men testifying to have acted against the jihadists before being shot dead execution style. The jihadi further branded US-led coalition fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq imbecile miscreants and warns that they will be unable to crush the militant group. The French speaking man vowed that ISIS will carry out acts that will make the West forget the 2001, September 11 attacks against the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. He said that the West, particularly Spain, will 'pay dearly' for having crushed Muslim rule in ancient Andalusia, in southern Spain where the Moors ruled from 711 AD to 1492. He speaks of Cordoba and Toledo and says the ancient land of Andalusia is Muslim and has not been forgotten. ISIS warns UK of attack more severe than Paris ISIS has warned Britain of an attack more severe than the Paris assaults, saying the country will receive the 'lion's share' of the slaughter for its 'declaration of war against Muslims'. In the latest edition of its Arabic newspaper 'al-Naba' (The News), ISIS warns that the UK should be prepared for an attack more severe than in Paris last November which claimed 130 lives. According to 'The Sunday Times', the article eulogises Mohammed Emwazi, the British murderer dubbed Jihadi John who was killed by a US drone strike. It said 'his words will never die' and that his message of slaughter did not end 'with the blood of the soldiers of the caliphate who sent it to France in their own special way'. An attack on Britain will be so severe, it claims, 'that it will turn children's hair to white'. The warning refers to a Quranic verse outlining the horrors of the Judgement Day. ISIS had released a video last week that featured nine of the Paris attackers, including ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud. Latest World News But there is a serious difficulty for governments that engage in such behaviour: companies can refuse to deal with them or, if they do enter into contracts, inflate the price to take account of the perceived greater risk. Unlike companies and individuals, nations don't go broke, cannot be sued unless they agree to it and, if they welsh on a deal, it can be very difficult to get redress. SOVEREIGN risk is a term used in business and economics to refer to a national government or one of its agencies refusing to repay a loan or honour a contract. It was revealed yesterday that the Papua New Guinea government has failed to pay a New Zealand company more than half a million dollars for work it was contracted to do and which it completed. One News journalist Barbara Dreaver reported that Wellington-based company, Evaluation Consult, whose team is pictured, is owed around $600,000 after it completed a strategic development program for 35 PNG government agencies. Even after a court order and political intervention by foreign affairs minister Murray McCully, PNG still hasnt paid the bills. Even as the PNG government increased the scope of the project, it stopped paying the company's invoices. Evaluation Consult's managing director Brian Rumbelow said his company has had to seek alternative financing to keep afloat. "It's hit us very hard, he told Barbara Dreaver. We've had to economise on staffing levels because we've still got vendors waiting to be paid." The PNG government now has a court order demanding it pay the outstanding fees. It says the bills will be settled in due course. Follow us on netaji gold tooth may be in ashes in tokyo uk website London: A UK website set up to catalogue the last days of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose today claimed that his gold-plated tooth is likely to be found in his last remains held at Renkoji Temple in Tokyo. Bose's trusted aide de camp Colonel Habibur Rehman, who was involved in the same air crash that is believed to have killed Bose in Taiwan on August 18, 1945, had told his son he had dropped the tooth in the urn containing Netaji's ashes when he went to collect the remains after the cremation. It had apparently been extracted before the body entered the furnace and given to him by one of the officials associated with the last rites, www.bosefiles.info claimed today. The Netaji Papers declassified by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 23 confirm that the creator of the website, Ashis Ray, brought the matter to the attention of former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, Leader of the Opposition Atal Bihari Vajpayee and West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, among other Indian political leaders in 1995. Colonel Rehman passed away in 1978, leaving the information, among other details, with son Naeemur. Rehman junior shared what his father had told him with Ray when the latter met him in Islamabad in the 1990s in course of his investigation of the tragedy. In turn, Ray brought the disclosure to the notice of Rao, Vajpayee, Jyoti Basu, President of Janata Dal S R Bommai and General Secretary of the Forward Bloc Chitta Basu. File G-16(3)/95-NGO in the Netaji Papers, released by the Indian government, reveal Ray wrote to all five on 11 August 1995. In it he said Colonel Rehman had "put a gold-plated tooth belonging to Netaji (Subhas Bose) given to him by Japanese officials after the cremation in the urn containing the 'ashes'". In the same letter, Ray informed the leaders that in course of his probe he had visited "the son of Colonel Habibur Rahman". "The veracity of Naeemur Rehman's claim can easily be determined by a scan of the urn. The existence of an un-cremated tooth will virtually guarantee success of a DNA test," he said. Another telling piece of information provided by Rehman junior to Ray was that his father was devastated by people in India disbelieving his story about Bose perishing in the tragedy and the remains at Renkoji Temple being his - which Colonel Rehman had carried from Taipei to Tokyo. Naeemur further disclosed to Ray that his father, because of the suspicion with which his testimony to the Shah Nawaz Khan Netaji Inquiry Committee in 1956 was received by Bose's followers and relatives, refused to come to Delhi from Islamabad to appear before the Justice G D Khosla Commission in the early 1970s. "Why would I lie?" Colonel Rehman is said to have told his son. Latest World News Follow us on pm modi has rs 4 700 cash in hand no bank account in delhi Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi possesses a meagre Rs 4,700 as cash in hand, while the worth of his assets has gone up to Rs 1.41 crore, largely on account of the valuation of a residential property which has appreciated more than 25 times since its purchase over 13 years ago. According to the details of Modi's assets disclosed by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Prime MInister had total 'cash in hand' of just Rs 4,700 at the end of the last fiscal, down from Rs 38,700 disclosed mid-fiscal as on August 18, 2014. However, the total value of Modi's movable and immovable assets during this period has grown from Rs 1,26,12,288 to Rs 1,41,14,893 as on March 31, 2015. Modi assumed office as Prime Minister on May 26, 2014. As per the disclosure, Modi does not own any 'motor vehicles/aircraft/yachts/ships'. While PM Modi still retains his bank accounts in Gujarat, he is yet to have a Delhi-based bank account. While he has no loans, his jewellery holdings include "four pieces of gold rings" weighing pproximately 45 grams with a value of about Rs 1.19 lakh as on March 31, 2015. The value of these rings has come down slightly from Rs 1.21 lakh since last disclosure as on August 18, 2014. According to the website of the PMO, the latest disclosures are updated till January 30, 2016. Modi's investments include L&T Infra Bonds (Tax Saving) worth Rs 20,000, as also National Savings Certificates worth about Rs 5.45 lakh and life insurance policies worth Rs 1.99 lakh, taking the total value of his movable assets to Rs 41.15 lakh. The immovable assets include one-fourth part in a residential property in Gandhinagar and his share is 3,531.45 square feet with a built-up area of 169.81 square feet. Stating that this was not an "inherited property", the disclosure mentions the date of purchase as October 25, 2002. The cost of purchase has been disclosed as Rs 1,30,488 while the "investment on the land by way of development construction, etc" has been shown as Rs 2,47,208. The "approximate current market value" of the property has been disclosed as Rs 1 crore. This puts the total appreciation at over 25-times over the cost of the property and the investment made thereon in over 13 years since the purchase. (With PTI inputs) Video: Follow us on sunanda pushkar case shashi tharoor may undergo lie detector test New Delhi: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor may be called for a lie detector test in connection with the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar, reports say. Tharoor's domestic help Narayan Singh and driver Bajrangi have been questioned again by Delhi Police in the light of the AIIMS medical board's opinion on the FBI report in connection with his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing Sunanda's case questioned Singh and Bajrangi twice in the past three days. The SIT also questioned around a dozen chemists in and around Tharoor's bungalow in Lodhi Estate, a police source said today. "They were all questioned in light of the information emerging out of the AIIMS medical board's opinion on the FBI report in connection with the case," said the source, adding that the questions revolved around the source of drugs suspected to have caused 51-year-old Sunanda's death. The investigators have so far conducted polygraph test on six persons, all prime witnesses in the case, including Narayan Singh, Bajrangi and Sanjay Dewan, a close friend of the couple. Tharoor was not subjected to the test but was questioned thrice in the case. The AIIMS medical board, which gave its opinion on the FBI report on Sunanda's viscera and other samples, had unanimously concluded that she died of poisoning, with the presence of Alprax in her stomach. The board did not rule out the possibility of any injectable poison, in view of a particular mark on Sunanda's body, and said that the FBI report confirmed the presence of lidocaine in her body. It ruled out death due to combination of illicit drugs and also said that the medical board is "highly afraid" that this case may have led to a complete "botched-up" scenario in the absence of the FBI report. It also said that the Special Investigation team (SIT) probing the case should "thoroughly investigate" if any person had access to injectable agents in view of a syringe mark spotted in Sunanda's body. In January last year, Delhi Police had registered a case of murder in connection with the death of Sunanda. An AIIMS medical board had found poisoning as reason for her death following which the police had sent her viscera samples to an FBI lab in US. The FBI had sent its report to Delhi Police two months ago. The report said the radiation levels in Sunanda's viscera samples were "within the standard safety norms" besides mentioning other details. As police could not firm up about cause of the death based on the FBI report, they requested a medical board of AIIMS to analyse the contents of the re Were excited to announce that indmin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com. A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets. Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials. If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details. Home Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter Western Media Ignores Putins Progress in Syria By Mike Whitney January 31, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Counterpunch " - The UN-sponsored Syrian peace talks, which began on Friday in Geneva, will be boycotted by the main Syrian opposition group which has insisted that Russia stop bombing its positions while negotiations are conducted. To appreciate how ridiculous these demands are, one would have to imagine a similar scenario taking place in the United States. Lets say, for example, that Ammon Bundy, the crackpot leader of the armed militia that seized the federal wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon, demanded that the FBI and all other federal agents vamoose while the UN convened negotiations between his representatives and the Obama administration for the establishment of a transitional government that would remove Obama from power after 18 months while rewriting the constitution so it better reflected the far-right political and religious convictions of Bundy and his gaggle of neer-do-well followers. Does that seem like a reasonable proposition to you? This is the context in which the current talks are being held. Is it any wonder why Moscow doesnt take this charade seriously? Its a joke. In what other country are armed militias allowed to occupy cities, kill civilians, destroy critical infrastructure, create total mayhem and threaten to overthrow the elected government? None. And yet, the Obama team thinks this is a perfectly acceptable way for citizens and even non citizens (most of the rebels are foreign nationals or jihadis) to act, provided their political objectives coincide with those of Washington. Which they do. From the very beginning, Washingtons sole aim has been to topple Syrian President Bashar al Assad so the oil fields and pipeline corridors could be secured by the western oil giants and protected by new US military bases sprinkled across the country. This has been the basic gameplan since Day 1, and this is why Obama and Co are so eager to slow the Russian-led offensive by any means possible even if it means engaging in meaningless negotiations that have no other purpose than to implement a ceasefire so these same US-backed terrorists can regroup and fight at some future date when they are better prepared. Russian President Vladimir Putin sees through this ruse butall the samehes dispatched diplomats to Geneva to play along and go-through-the-motions. But will he cave in and agree to a ceasefire so Obamas rebels can live to fight another day? Dont bet on it. What Americans are not reading in the western media is that, after months of slow but steady progress, the Russian-led coalition (Syrian Arab Army, Iranian Quds Forces, and Hezbollah) has broken through the sluicegate and is advancing on all fronts while enemy positions are crumbling. Key cities and towns in Latakia province along the Turkish border that used to be jihadi strongholds have buckled under Russias relentless bombing raids and been liberated by the Syrian Army. Aleppo, Syrias biggest city to the north, has been surrounded by loyalist forces that have cut off supplylines to Turkey leaving fighters from Salafi groups like Ahrar al Sham, Jabhat al Nusra, Jaish al Islam, ISIS and the other al Qaida-linked groups to either surrender or hunker down while they await the final desperate confrontation. The momentum has shifted in favor of Assads forces which now clearly have the upper hand. What the western media characterizes as a quagmire has all the makings of a stunning victory for the Russian-led coalition that is gradually reestablishing security across Syria while sending the invaders running for cover. This is from Reuters: Three months into his military intervention in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin has achieved his central goal of stabilizing the Assad government and, with the costs relatively low, could sustain military operations at this level for years, U.S. officials and military analysts say. That assessment comes despite public assertions by President Barack Obama and top aides that Putin has embarked on an ill-conceived mission in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that it will struggle to afford and that will likely fail since its campaign began on Sept. 30, Russia has suffered minimal casualties and, despite domestic fiscal woes, is handily covering the operations cost, which analysts estimate at $1-2 billion a year. The war is being funded from Russias regular annual defense budget of about $54 billion, a U.S. intelligence official said QUAGMIRE? An attempt by Russia and Iran to prop up Assad and try to pacify the population is just going to get them stuck in a quagmire and it wont work, (President) Obama said on Oct. 2. On Dec. 1, he raised the prospect of Russia becoming bogged down in an inconclusive and paralyzing civil conflict. The senior administration official denied any contradiction between Obamas statements and private assessments that Russias campaign has been relatively effective so far. I think the presidents point has beenits not going to succeed in the long run, the official said. The Russians have become bound up in a civil war in a way thats going to be extremely difficult to extricate themselves from.. Vasily Kashin, a Moscow-based analyst, said the war is not financially stressing Russia. All the available data shows us that the current level of military effort is completely insignificant for the Russian economy and Russian budget, said Kashin, of the Center for Analyses of Strategies and Technologies. It can be carried on at the same level year after year after year, he said. (U.S. sees bearable costs, key goals met for Russia in Syria so far, Reuters) Americans are so conditioned to believe that every military intervention ends in a quagmire that they are surprised when the outcome is different. Thats understandable given the fact that the so called best military on earth has been unable to defeat a ragtag collection of goat-herding fundamentalists for more than 15 years. (Afghanistan) No wonder Americans expect failure. The fact is, however, that Putin has no intention of getting bogged down in Syria for a decade or two.. What he plans to do is to defeat the enemy and move on. Recent reports from the frontlines suggest that that is precisely what he is doing. This is from a post at Sic Semper Tyrannis: The Fall of Salma Things had started to move early last week, when the SAA (Syrian Arab Army), NDF (National Defense Force) and local militias moved into Salma, the rebel stronghold that was key to defensive positions South of the M4 highway linking Latakia to Idlib. After weeks of preparations and softening up defences, R+6 finally moved in and there was not much the various rebel groups could have done at that point to stop or reverse this trend Once the strategic breaking point is reached though, the side having gained the upper hand usually pushes through, which results in the opponents posture crumbling under the pressure. This is what happened with Salma, a former mountain resort North-East of Latakia When R+6 went for their final assault, Salma had already become untenable. Its loss meant that the whole defensive line South of the M4 highway was compromised and both SAA advances and tactical retreat by the rebels made for a very quick correction of the frontline in the area The inroads made by the SAA again proved decisive against a rebel frontline that had already been destabilized by the loss of Salma and the prospect of being cut off from their LOCs with Jisr al-Shughur. (Rebel Defences Crumbling In Latakia Province, Sic Semper Tyrannis) Get the picture? The jihadi misfits are getting the holy hell beat out of them by a superior army that is recapturing critical cities and strategic territory along the Turkish border and across the southern and eastern parts of the country. As a result, Assad will not be removed from office nor will the country become a Salafi-jihadi principality governed by Islamic freaks who rule through terror. Thats not to say that there arent plenty of potential pitfalls ahead. There are, in fact theres a situation developing right now that could explode into a regional conflict involving Turkey, NATO, the US and Russia. You see, Russia plans to use its Kurdish allies in the YPG to seize a stretch of land along the Syrian side of the Turkish border to reestablish Syrias territorial sovereignty and to stop the flow of terrorists from Turkey into Syria. Turkish President Erdogan has promised that if the YPG pursues that course, Turkey will invade, in which case, Putin will come to the defense of the Kurds. Theres no telling how this powderkeg situation will play out, but theres no doubt that the next few weeks are going to be extremely tense as the main players rattle sabers and jockey for position while edging closer to a full-blown conflagration. Will cooler heads prevail? I cant answer that, but I can tell you that Washington has already backed off its Assad must go campaign and moved on to Plan B, which is seizing territory and establishing bases in Northeastern Syria that the US plans to occupy for as long as they can. Check it out from South Front website: As SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence predicted month ago the NATO allies are urgently trying to implement a new plan to hold control at least of the northern oil corridor from Iraq and try to take advantage of this opportunity to involve Russia in a long expensive war. This plan includes an occupation of the crucial infrastructure including oilfields by the NATO contingent and establishing of anti-government, meaning anti-Russian and anti-Iranian, forces in parts of divided Syria. Implementing of this plan could easily lead to a global war launched by military escalation over the Syrian crisis. The stakes of the global geopolitical standoff have been raised again. (Escalation in Syria, South Front) So even though Washington has scrapped its plan to topple Assad (temporarily), it has deepened its commitment to creating Sunnistan, a new state comprised of eastern Syria and western Iraq controlled by US-clients who will allow western oil giants to connect the pipeline grid from Qatar to Turkey in order to replace Russia as the EUs primary supplier of natural gas. Its all part of the imperial strategy to pivot to Asia by controlling vital resources and making sure they remain denominated in US dollars. Its an ambitious plan for global rule that is now being openly challenged by Russia, the emerging power that threatens to derail the lethal US juggernaut and put an end to the malign unipolar world order. Mike Whitney ;ives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition. He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load. What's your response? - Scroll down to add / read comments Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter For Email Marketing you can trust Donate Please read our Comment Policy before posting - It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. The West Is Reduced To Looting Itself By Paul Craig Roberts January 31, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - 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 enticed 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 governments 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 countrys assets to foreigners serves to repay the IMF. This is the way the West has historically looted Third World countries. If a countrys 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 doesnt 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 governments 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 Washingtons vassal David Cameron has blocked access to legal documents that show the impact of the Trans-Atlantic partnership on Britains National Health Service. http://www.globalresearch.ca/cameron-desperate-to-stop-scandal-as-secret-plans-to-sell-the-national-health-service-are-discovered/5504306 For any citizen of any Western country who is so stupid or brainwashed as not to have caught on, the entire thrust of their governments policy is to turn every aspect of their lives over to grasping private interests. In the UK the postal service was sold at a nominal price to politically connected private interests. In the US the Republicans, and perhaps the Democrats, intend to privatize Medicare and Social Security, just as they have privatized many aspects of the military and the prison system. Public functions are targets for private profit-making. One of the reasons for the escalation in the cost of the US military budget is its privatization. The privatization of the US prison system has resulted in huge numbers of innocent people being sent to prison, where they are forced to work for Apple Computer, IT services, clothing companies that manufacture for the US military, and a large number of other private businesses. The prison laborers are paid as low as 69 cents per hour, below the Chinese wage. This is America today. Corrupt police. Corrupt prosecutors. Corrupt judges. But maximum profits for US Capitalism from prison labor. Free market economists glorified private prisons, alleging that they would be more efficient. And indeed they are efficient in providing the profits of slave labor for capitalists. Here is a news report on UK Prime Minister Cameron denying information about the effect of the Trans-Atlantic partnership on Britains National Health. http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/26/anger-government-blocks-ttip-legal-documents-nhs-health-service The UK Guardian, which often has to prostitute itself in order to maintain a bit of independence, describes the anger that the British people feel toward the governments secrecy about an issue so fundamental to the well being of the British people. Yet, the British continue to vote for political parties that have betrayed the British people. All over Europe, the corrupt Washington-contolled governments have distracted people from their sellout by their governments by focusing their attention on immigrants, whose presence is a consequence of the European governments representing Washingtons interests and not the interest of their own peoples. Something dire has happened to the intelligence and awareness of Western peoples who seem no longer capable of comprehending the machinations of their governments. Accountable government in the West is history. Nothing but failure and collapse awaits Western civilization. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order . In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Information ClearingHouse endorsed or sponsored by the originator.) Privacy Statement Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State has denied speculations that he is eyeing the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 2019. The PDP has zoned its ticket for the 2019 presidential election to the North. There were speculations at the weekend that Dankwambos alleged endorsement as the presidential candidate of the party was causing strong division in the PDP, especially in the North East geo-political zone of the country. It was learnt that the division arose as a result of the zoning policy of the opposition party, which will not permit the national chairman and presidential candidate to emerge from the same geo-political zone. With the PDP set to finally put to rest the controversy surrounding its leadership by selecting a new chairman from the North East this week, some powerful stakeholders of the party, who are said to be backing Dankwambo, are allegedly pushing for the North, especially the North East, not getting the position of national chairman. According to a source, Dankwambo may be pushing for the Deputy National Chairman and acting National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, to retain the party chairmanship, a calculated move that will ensure his rumoured 2019 presidential ambition is kept alive. But in his reaction, spokesman of the governor, Junaidu Usman, who spoke on phone, noted that Dankwambo, a former Accountant General of the Federation, was yet to express interest in the 2019 race, although he was more concerned about rebuilding a viable PDP. According to Usman, even though the governor has the credentials to be president, given his outstanding performance as governor, which earned him re-election in the face of President Muhammadu Buharis tsunami in the North in the last general elections, Mr. Dankwambo has not told anybody that he would run for the office in 2019. All I know is Governor Dankwambo, Talban Gombe, is among the leading figures who want the best for PDP. Talban Gombe wants it to stand up to its responsibility of a sound and formidable opposition party, the spokesman added. The senator representing Borno South District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ali Ndume, has declared support for the move by Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), to petition the International Criminal Court in The Hague, over the misapplication of funds meant to fight Boko Haram by some officials of the past administration. Ndume, who is the Senate leader, said he would willingly testify at the ICC against those mentioned in Mr. Falanas petition. It would be recalled that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights activist had in a petition dated January 19, 2016 and sent to the Prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, requested the Court to investigate allegations of crimes against humanity committed against the Nigerian people by some former and serving military as well public officials and private persons who engaged in the criminal diversion of $8 billion earmarked to procure equipment for the armed forces to fight insurgency. Specifically, Mr. Falana mentioned a former National Security Adviser, NSA, who is currently standing trial for the alleged diversion of over $2.1 billion arms deal funds, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) and former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as persons of interest the ICC should probe. Speaking in an interview with Daily Trust, Sen. Ndume said: We are supporting the government in the investigation and recovery of the funds. In fact, we are saying the government should take the case to Hague. While hailing Falana, who represented majority of the soldiers and officers charged with mutiny, cowardly behaviour and sundry offences before the courts-martial, for petitioning the ICC, the Senate leader said If need be, Im willing to testify at the ICC against those who collected the money meant for the Boko Haram war. This is because I am a victim too. We stand by Falana and we are going to support him to pursue the case at the ICC. We are not surprised that Falana has taken the case further because he is always by the side of the oppressed. The senator also accused all those indicted in the probe of the alleged misappropriation of the arms fund of being Boko Haram sponsors. As far as we are concerned, these people shared blood money. Borno elders have made our position known on this through a statement they issued. We stand by our elders statement that anybody who shared from the money meant for the purchase of arms to fight Boko Haram, is part of the sect, or they are sponsors of the sect. There are classes of Boko Haram the army of Boko Haram, the supporters of Boko Haram and the sponsors of Boko Haram. Those people that shared the money for the purchase of arms are part of Boko Haram, he stated. Borno State government said yesterday that it would resettle 50,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in their communities this month. Two hundred thousand IDPs from 23 of the 27 councils are staying in 22 camps in Maiduguri after the communities were attacked by Boko Haram insurgents in 2014. The Executive Chairman of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Malam Satomi Ahmad, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri that we are returning IDPs from communities in five local governments to their homes in liberated areas. The communities are in Monguno, Gwoza, Askira-Uba, Mafa and Dikwa councils. He said IDPs movement would begin next week. The SEMA boss noted that the exercise would involve 10,000 IDPs from Gwoza, 8,000 from Monguno, 9,000 from Mafa and 500 from Askira, among others. He added that the government considered relocating the IDPs from Damboa Local Government. We are engaged in the formalities next week, Ahmed said. He said the government ordered food items for the IDPs, so they could begin a new life. Government is buying food items for the IDPs because there was no farming in the last few years. They need food to survive when they return home. We plan to provide foodstuff to last them at least two months before they settle down to start economic activities. Petroplan is a global organisation which specialises in connecting skilled professionals with exceptional contract and permanent career opportunities throughout the oil, gas and energy industry. This has been our focus since Petroplan was formed in 1976. Our company aim isnt to be the largest industry recruitment specialist but rather the best. As such, our recruitment services, contractor management and specialised support is tailored to meet the individual needs of candidates, contractors and clients. Petroplans local offices across Europe, the Middle East, North America, Asia-Pacific, Africa and Australasia support projects throughout forty countries. Our client portfolio includes multi-national companies, together with niche organisations focusing on a specialist discipline or location. Job description Great opportunity to join leading Oil & Gas Company as Commercial Director on a permanent basis in Nigeria. The successful candidate will be responsible for optimisation and proper operation of all commercial, contract, legal and insurance functions within the company. 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Click here to apply The internet went agog a little while back when the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, tore the statement he made under caution while in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on January 5th. Despite the viral nature of this news, Metuh himself through some PDP members who visited him while in prison refuted the claims that he tore his statement. Taking a look back at how everything played out on the issue INFORMATION NIGERIA has put together in this report, 5 things that you must know. The court documents obtained by PUNCH on Sunday indicate that the pieces of the torn statement have been kept with the commissions exhibit keeper. The incidence record book which gives details of the occurrence, which were part of the documents filed along with the charges of destruction of evidence preferred against Metuh by the EFCC before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja revealed that Metuh had stated in the part of the torn statement that the account in which the N400m was paid was requested for by former President Goodluck Jonathan, for payments to be made to settle some debts owed by the PDP. Mr. Olisa Metuh, who was given his statement to endorse after volunteering the statement decided to tear into pieces the third page of his four-page statement. EFCC detective, Junaid Said, who recorded in the incident duty log said the page three of Metuhs statement which he also tore read that former President Jonathan had asked him to make available, account details owed by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the debts owed him personally and some media houses. He further stated that he gave the account details of Destra Investments Ltd. to the President and thereafter he received the payment of N400m into his companys accounts which he used for specific assignments given to him by the President of which he was not willing to disclose for what purpose. Metuh allegedly tore his statement on January 5, 2016 while being investigated for an alleged fraudulent receipt of N400m from the Office of the National Security Adviser and money laundering allegation involving a separate sum of $2m. Compared with the developmental and emotional problems Jaiden suffered from the time he was born, the odd patch of skin that appeared on his right thigh when he was 7 seemed minor. He noticed it first. It was about the size of a postage stamp and looked no different than the surrounding skin. But it felt as hard as pavement. Natalie and Tim Rogers Jaidens legal guardians werent particularly worried, and neither was his pediatrician. But a specialist ordered a biopsy and told Natalie to sit down before giving her the news over the phone. She imagined cancer. The doctor gave her a different diagnosis: stiff skin syndrome. It sounded so innocuous, until she learned more about it. In healthy people, a protein known as fibrillin helps form the elastic fibers that enable skin and ligaments to stretch. But in people with the syndrome, a genetic mutation causes abnormal production of the protein, thickening the skin and limited joint movement. In the worst cases, hardening tissue can squeeze vital organs. The syndrome is extremely rare. Since it was identified in the early 1970s, fewer than 50 cases have been documented worldwide. Having so little experience with the disease, doctors said they had no way of knowing how it would affect Jaiden. There is no cure. Alone at her computer, Natalie searched online for other families afflicted by the disease to compare notes about possible treatments, or just to commiserate. But she found none. If you have cancer, there are places you can go , she said. Natalie had her own health problems. Doctors advised her long ago that pregnancy would be too risky. So she had her husband set out to find another way to make a family. They adopted. A baby girl who grew up to become a physical therapist. And a 12-year-old orphan from Russia who now serves as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. It didnt matter if I had my own kids, said Natalie, 49. There were kids out there that needed me, and I love them as much as any child that I could have given birth to. She had stayed in touch with her daughters biological family, including a sister with a 2-year-old boy named Jaiden and too many problems of her own to take care of him. Natalie offered to do it. At the time, she and her husband were living in Minnesota, where Tim was a manager in the federal prison system. Their plan was to eventually retire on an 80-acre plot they had purchased near Alamosa, a tiny town in Colorado. Jaiden had already been diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome, attention problems and autism. Those problems never scared Natalie, who simply saw an easygoing little boy, she said. And soon those issues would be overshadowed. By early 2013, a few months after the first hard patch of skin appeared, it had grown to cover Jaidens entire thigh. He began struggling to walk because hard skin coated the backs of his legs. He was already using a wheelchair when the family moved to Colorado that fall. The hard patches continued to grow, spreading across his back. Eventually they spread to his neck, left shoulder and much of his stomach. Most worrisome, Jaiden began having breathing difficulties as a result of the skin around his chest tightening. Last summer he began using an oxygen tank, and soon after stopped going to school because his medicines left him so drowsy that he would drift into sleep during class and topple out of his wheelchair. The school district now sends a tutor to the house. The couple have turned over the master bedroom to him the only room with enough space for maneuvering a wheelchair. It wasnt the retirement that Natalie and Tim had imagined. It is difficult living with such a rare disease so far from a major city and medical specialists. Mikaila Pence, a pediatrician in Alamosa, keeps up with the literature on stiff skin disease and in close touch with Jaidens specialists in Denver. He came to me with a diagnosis I dont know anything about Ive never heard of, Pence said. Im not only having to learn about a new patient and a new family, but having to learn about a new disease. Treatment options have been limited. Natalie and Tim raised $85,000 in an online charity campaign to install a heated pool so Jaiden could do water exercises aimed at maintaining his range of motion in his arms and legs. For a time, he took a drug normally used to treat leukemia that seemed to slow the diseases progression. But doctors stopped the drug after a year and a half, when the side effects became too severe. At least once a month, Natalie drives Jaiden to Denver. The four-hour journey starts on gravel county roads that link up with the highway, most of it two-lane, running east through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the interstate that leads north. His pediatric dermatologist there recently tried another leukemia drug. It is too soon to know whether it is working. Now 10, Jaiden weighs 105 pounds and stands 4 feet 7. He often rides in a large stroller, which he started using after falling out of his wheelchair during bouts of tiredness. Yet he also enjoys many of the things healthy children do, especially video games. He likes his picnics and he likes to sit in the grass, Natalie said. We have chickens, and every once in a while he likes to see the chickens. He likes to roast marshmallows and sit out by the fire pit. He calls Natalie and Tim his parents and says he would like them to adopt him, something they have been reluctant to do out of fear that it would threaten his Medicaid benefits. Were going to consider him our son whether we adopt him or not, Natalie said. Were going to love him no matter what. Im going to fight for him no matter what. Source: Linda Ikejis blog Abia State governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu says he learnt a lot from his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayodele Fayose, including virtues such as courage, identifying with the people and how to handle intricate political issues. These lessons, he says are helping him in his political journey. Governor Ayodele Fayose is a courageous man, a voice for the voiceless, a defender of the weak and defenceless, a brother, a leader, a friend and a leader of the people, Ikpeazu said at the weekend during the burial ceremony of his mother which Fayose attended. A consistent man known for speaking out the truth all the time. He told me few things that worked for me perfectly in this state. He is a man I love and respect so much and I salute his courage. He has been governor twice and he is far experienced. He has encouraged me in deed, character and in words. I pray t hat God will give me the opportunity one day to be able to show my appreciation to him and how I feel about him. He is a man I love and respect so much and I salute his courage, Ikpeazu said. Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Fayose described the Igbo people as not only industrious, but dogged. He said he admired them so much he named one of his sons Chukwuemeka. On the political situation in the country, Fayose said nobody could silence or cow him, The nation should resist dictatorship otherwise this democracy is doomed. Those that are applauding dictatorship now will soon end in the belly of the dictator, he said. It's been almost a year, but I've finally been able to make another update to the big, big batch of (mostly) referendum-related links; the most-important a... 9 years ago Former secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Dr. Temitope Aluko, has alleged that the June 21, 2014 governorship polls in the state that led to the emergence of Ayodele Fayose as governor, was rigged. Before the Primaries, we had this believe that because Jonathan was coming out for second term and because we are going to be the first election in the south-west, at a meeting, we told him (former President Goodluck Jonathan) that north-east, north-west and north-central may not be too sure for him because the Hausas are clamouring for presidency and that you now have south-east and south-south, you must manage the south-west, Aluko said on Channels TV programme Politics Today on Sunday. It was on the basis of that that we told him that he must manage south-west. Because of his interest, even before winning the primaries, we did so many security reports to tell Mr President then that he must make sure that we manage south-west zone and it was because of that that he gave us the head of security agencies, the PDP member said. Speaking further, Aluko said that the Minister for State for Defence and Minister of Police Affairs were made to give attention to the election because we know that APC was everywhere in the southwest and we must naturally capture part of southwest if we want to balance what our brothers in the north were likely to bring on. He said that there was an agreement to take out some members of the All Progressive Congress to ensure that they do not give adequate support to their members, especially as the incumbent Governor was an APC member. There was a strike team, a mixture of the DSS, military, the mobile police that is about all. We had a meeting at Aso Rock on security and funds. We were given security and funds, Aluko said, listing attendees to include himself, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the former PDP chairman, Adamu Muazu and Governor Fayose. At the meeting President Jonathan agreed that if he needed Ekiti, he would support us to ensure that we delivered. At the second meeting we had Obanikoro, Jelili, Omisore It was a combination of Osun and Ekiti people and they were discussing how we were going to move to take the south-west. Before the primaries, His Excellency, Ayodele Fayose, said that we can only win using the military. Then we came up with a plan about May, he alleged. Aluko dismissed insinuations he was opening up to get back at Fayose whom he said reneged on the agreement they had about how to distribute offices once the PDP won. For the military to indict its members because of the election of a state you will know that what I am saying is not a lie. He also said the leaked audio mentioned by a military official that was at a meeting he attended, which was subsequently leaked on the internet, saying it was genuine and not doctored. Mr Aluko also said that some monies in hard currency were given as the funding for the Ekiti governorship election. That was the money given to the strike team. It was One million per Hilux van per day and they worked for three days, he said, giving the sum as 132 million Naira, Aluko claimed. Aluko was last year expelled from the anti-party activities. Aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State have described the failure of the party to hold primaries before the last general elections, after collecting nomination fees from them as extortion. They, therefore, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the matter. The aspirants, who gathered under the aegis of The 2015 Taraba State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Aspirants Forum, made this position known after an inclusive consultative meeting in Karu, Abuja yesterday. They also demanded a refund of their money. Its Protem Chairman, Rimamnde Bitrus Nuhu, said it was no longer a hidden fact that the PDP did not conduct primaries, adding: It tasks the credulity of any right thinking individual to pretend that all is well within the PDP House in Taraba State. The group noted that the defection of former PDP aspirants to the All Progressives Congress (APC) because of its governorship candidate, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan, showed the political truth in the state. It also demonstrates that she has emerged as a rallying point among the progressives. Nuhu said attempt by the masterminds of the political debacle to cover the truth would make the PDP to play into the hands of enemies, who do not wish peace-loving Tarabans well. Medical doctors living in Lagos have gone on a march in protest against the police. Represented by the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, the doctors have expressed their outrage at the frequent harassment they receive from policemen. The associations chairman, Dr. Adeyeye Arigbabuwo said that a recent incident involving one of their colleagues, Dr. Olafisoye Odunayo of Awoyaya, Ibeju Lekki in Lagos, has left doctors with no alternative than protest. Arigbabuwo said public and relevant agencies must be alerted to the incessant arrest of doctors for nothing more than carrying out their legitimate duties. Arigbabuwo said Odunayo operated on a patient with pre-eclampsia, in December last year, however the patient, Mrs. Juliet Williams, died on the operating table. Arigabuwo said that the doctor was treated like a criminal afterwards, despite having done everything possible for his patient. Following the death of Mrs. Juliet Williams, the relations felt aggrieved and reported the case to the Police who came to arrest Dr. Odunayo, he said. The doctor spent about two weeks in detention and was eventually released on bail with the condition to report periodically to Elemoro police station. Barely three weeks after the bail, he was rearrested by another set of police officers purported to be from Abuja on the instructions of the Inspector General of Police,Arigabuwo said. What we found vexatious and demeaning of the arrest was the method employed in arresting him; he was handcuffed in the full glare of his patients as if he were a common criminal. The association is calling for the unconditional and immediate release of Dr. Olafisoye as well as any other doctor held in police custody in Lagos state and across the country. Source: Naij An argument over a sandwich led to a violent situation. Police said a man in Fruitland Park used his wife as a human mop to clean up the mess they made. He turned into a monster, said the victim, who does not wish to be identified by WESH 2 News. Keith Davidson, 46, was arrested Sunday in Fruitland Park for battery against his wife. Bruises were left on her arm. When I went to go grab the peanut butter, I hit the cup of milk. The cup of milk fell on the floor, the victim said. The 911 call made from their home phone explains how they got there. Why is she hollering? Yes, sir, the dispatcher said. Because you ripped my shirt off and threw me on the floor. Thats why Im yelling, the victim was heard saying on the 911 call. To use me as a dish mop, its not the first, not the second, not the third time. But I cant take no more, the victim said. Police said Davidson used his wifes head as a mop to clean up the spilled milk on the floor. It happened because of a dispute over a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, police said. She threw my peanut butter and jelly on the floor, Davidson told a dispatcher. According to Carol Wick, CEO of Harbor House of Central Florida, food is often a factor in domestic violence. Often times we find its around food. They use that as an excuse to then lash out at their partner, Wick said. Davidson has since posted bond and was released from jail. WESH 2 News has learned he has been in trouble with the law in Lake County before. Jail records indicate he has faced charges for drugs and battery. You can love someone with all your heart, but if theyre not going to be a good person for you, in your life, then its time to just say goodbye. And its the hardest thing for me, the victim said. The victim said Davidson is not welcome back at home. Davidson was released from jail on a $1,000 bond. Wesh.com A 26-year-old man, Caleb Nzube, who attempted to blackmail the wife of late Chief MKO Abiola of $5,000, was last week arrested in Anambra State. Nzube allegedly hacked the Twitter handle of Mrs Tinu Abiola, downloaded her picture and designed a web page showing the woman carrying a human skull. He then threatened to expose the web page to the world if the woman does not pay $5,000. Traumatised Mrs Abiola, it was learned, petitioned the Inspector General, Solomon Arase, who directed a combined team of the Inspector General Monitoring Team and the Intelligence Response Team to track down the suspect. He was arrested when the operatives stormed his hideout in Obosi. It was gathered that Mrs Abiola was not the suspects only victim, as a serving Senator and two others were also being harassed by him on the social media. Speaking with Vanguard after his arrest, Caleb Elom Nzube agreed that he is an internet fraudster as he specialised in online dating before venturing into blackmailing thinking it was more lucrative. Disclosing he spent hours on the social media searching for prominent Nigerians, Nzube said his targets are mainly rich politicians, popular businessmen and socialite. He said he goes after these set of people because he thinks they are usually sensitive to what is said about them in the public. On how he got into trouble he said, I started following Mrs Timu Alade Abiola on Twitter and I got her pictures. I felt she was a good catch and I decided to blackmail her. I used Photoshop to make it look like she was carrying a human skull. I designed a web page with a little gossip story on it that she was caught for ritual. I sent her the link and when she saw it I demanded she pays me $5000 or I will show it to the whole world. One of her friends came in and begged that I shouldnt do it and that they were ready to pay me $ 2000. I rejected the money, insisting that I must collect the amount I demanded. Later they discovered I was Igbo and they gave my number to an Igbo girl who started talking to me and I accepted their offer, what got me angry was that while we were still talking, they sent a fishing link that destroyed my website which I have been maintaining for more than four years. That website had paid me little money I have used in sustaining myself. I told the Igbo girl about it and that if I dont get the money before the end of the week I will show the web page to the whole world. She asked for my account, I gave it to her but before I knew what was happening, the police came and arrested me. I dont understand why she has to bring in the police; I told the girl that what I needed was for her to tell her madam to just pay me for my website they destroyed. In fact I regret all this, if I had known it will be this messy I would have not ventured into this. What I do is only dating. I just wanted to try my luck on this one. he lamented. Source: Vanguard More than 10,000 unaccompanied refugee and migrant children have disappeared in Europe, the EU police agency Europol said on Sunday, fearing many have been whisked into sex trafficking rings or the slave trade. Europols press office confirmed to Al Jazeera the figures published in British newspaper The Observer. The number relates to the last 18-24 months. The agencys chief of staff Brian Donald said the vulnerable children had disappeared from the system after registering with state authorities following their arrival in Europe. Its not unreasonable to say that were looking at 10,000-plus children, Donald told The Observer, adding that 5,000 had disappeared in Italy alone. Not all of them will be criminally exploited; some might have been passed on to family members. We just dont know where they are, what theyre doing or whom they are with. Donald said there was evidence of a criminal infrastructure established since mid-2014 to exploit the refugee flow. The Observer reported that Europol found evidence of links between smuggling rings bringing people into the EU and human trafficking gangs exploiting migrants for sex and slavery. There are prisons in Germany and Hungary where the vast majority of people arrested and placed there are in relation to criminal activity surrounding the migrant crisis, Donald said. Over one million migrants and refugees, many fleeing the Syria conflict, crossed into Europe last year. Whether they are registered or not, were talking about 270,000 children, Donald told the paper. Over 50 persons were killed by scores of Boko Haram terrorists armed with AK 47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons in the attack on Dalori village, near Maiduguri, Borno State, military sources have confirmed. The attack came after repeated claims by the government that Boko Haram insurgents had been degraded and no longer had the capacity to assemble or carry out such large scale attacks except through suicide bombings. As if trying to prove the president wrong, the terrorists dealt a massive blow to the community where children were among those burnt by the insurgents. The Dalori attack was the third attack this week suspected to have been carried out by the insurgent group. It is also the most deadly. In Adamawa state, a suicide bomber believed to be a Boko Haram militant killed about 10 people on Friday and at least 12 were killed on Wednesday in an attack on Chibok, from where over 200 schoolgirls were abducted on April 14, 2014. Ankas said insurgents entered Dalori in two cars and on motorcycles and opened fire on residents and burned down houses. While people were running for their dear livesthree female suicide bombers attempted to make their way into the crowdand subsequently got blown up, military spokesman, Colonel Mustapha Ankas, said. President Muhammadu Buhari has insisted that the military have won the war against insurgency and that attacks by Boko Haram were just desperate attempts to embarrass him. Secretary of the Ekiti state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party Dr. Temitope Aluko, has made a shocking revelation, alleging that former President Goodluck Jonathan gave Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, $37m cash to prosecute the June 21, 2014, governorship election in the state. The embattled PDP secretary while speaking with reporters in Abuja on Sunday said the money was effectively used to defeat the then Governor of the State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress. INFORMATION NIGERIA has put together in this piece the 6 crucial points you should note about his allegations Aluko, said he was among those who prosecuted the election and also added that he was the chairman of the Intelligence, security committee for the campaign. He said he handled the waiver Fayose got from the PDP at the national level to enable him qualify to take part in the governorship primary. Aluko also said he delivered the congresses that produced Fayose and was also the governors principal witness at the Election Petition Tribunal. He said Jonathan initially gave Fayose $2m in March 2014 for the primary election and that this money was collected at the NNPC Towers, Abuja. Aluko further revealed that aside the initially $2m Jonathan gave Fayose in March 2014 for the primary election, he gave him another $35m dollars which is about N4.7bn for the real election. Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro according to Aluko was the one who brought the 35 million dollars, which he said was delivered to Fayose at Spotless Hotel. Aluko also said he has proves to back all the tea he has spilled. U.S. Rep. John Katko and seven of his House colleagues believe upstate New York should host one of the White House's community forums on the heroin and opioid epidemic. The members of Congress all of whom represent parts of upstate New York sent a letter to Michael Botticelli, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, urging him to hold a forum in the region. In the letter, the upstate delegation details the impact the epidemic has had on the region. The number of heroin overdoses increased 417 percent between 2009 and 2013. New York reported 2,300 drug overdose deaths in 2014, according to the representatives. "These numbers are staggering and something must be done," they wrote. The White House announced in December that Botticelli would host forums around the country on the heroin epidemic. The first forum was held in Oklahoma. The rise in heroin abuse has affected communities throughout upstate New York, including Auburn and Cayuga County. Officials at the federal, state and local levels are looking to address ways to raise awareness about the dangers of the drug and increase access to treatment for addicts. A federal budget agreement passed in December included $400 million to support local law enforcement and expand treatment options. A portion of the funding will be used to support state prevention initiatives. Here is the letter sent by the upstate congressional delegation to Botticelli: At least 45 people were killed and 110 wounded on Sunday by a car bomb and two suicide bombers in the Sayeda Zeinab district of Damascus, where Syrias holiest Shiite shrine is located, the interior ministry said. Sunni fundamentalist Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to Amaq, a news agency that supports the group. It said two operations hit the most important stronghold of Shiite militias in Damascus. State television showed footage of burning buildings and wrecked cars in the neighborhood. Syrian state news agency SANA, quoting an interior ministry source, said a group of militants had detonated a car bomb near a public transport garage in the neighborhoods Koua Sudan area. Two suicide bombers then blew themselves up nearby as people were being rescued. Bodies were still being pulled from the wreckage, a witness told state news channel Ikhbariyah. The heavily populated area in the south of the city is a site of pilgrimage for Shiites from Iran, Lebanon and other parts of the Muslim world. Reuters. A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kebbi State, Salihu Isa Nataro, has rallied support for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, should the president decide not to seek a second term in office come 2019. Speaking in an interview over the weekend in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, Nataro, who was a gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the APC in 2015, also urged President Buhari to give Osinbajo more responsibilities in critical areas. Osinbajo, whom I see to be a possible replacement of Muhammadu Buhari is very active and understands the president more than any member of the cabinet. We must be proud of this co-operation to reconstruct Nigeria, he said. The APC chieftain also assessed the composition of the presidents cabinet, saying with the caliber of people appointed by Mr. Buhari, ethnic, religious and party sentiments have become a thing of the past in the scheme of politics and governance in the country. Nataro called on the need to reposition the judiciary, which he said has concentration of questionable judges, oversized staff with various categories of courts such as customary, Sharia and so on. Former President Goodluck Jonathan in a telephone call that has changed Nigerias history in more than one way conceded victory to President Muhammadu Buhari after the 2015 presidential election in the country. A lot of people have hailed Jonathan for his historic act, going as far as to confer him with awards while others have criticised that he conceded defeat to avoid going to prison. However, during a dinner organised in his honour last week by Cercle Diplomatique, Geneva, Switzerland, Jonathan revealed the real reasons why he conceded to Buhari, even though it was not an easy decision to make. INFORMATION NIGERIA in this report, brings you the 5 reasons outlined by Jonathan as to why he peacefully accepted defeat 1. He said because he believed that for a country to be great, both the leaders and the led must be prepared to make sacrifices. 2. He did not want Nigeria to slide into a theatre of war, with his fellow county men and woman dying, and many more pouring into other nations in Africa and beyond, as refugees because of the love of power. 3. He said because the tension in the land was abysmally high and palpable, in the months leading to the election. The country became more polarised more than ever before, such that the gap between the North and the South and between Christians and Muslims became quite pronounced. 4. Because he had invested so much effort into building the nation. In Jonathans words I worked hard with my top officials to encourage Nigerians and non-Nigerians to invest in our country to be able to provide jobs and improve the lives of our people. 5. He said he made a promise to God that he will not let Nigeria fall under his watch, hence the historic telephone call he put through to congratulate his challenger even when the results were still being tallied. What do you say??? Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to respect the democratic principles of separation of powers by allowing the judiciary to do its job in proper prosecution of people accused of corruption. In a statement on Monday, by the Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose also urged the President to tell Nigerians the truth about the Boko Haram insurgency. They keep telling us that they have defeated Boko Haram technically while Nigerians are still being killed daily by Boko Haram, with over 100 people killed in Dalori, less than 12km to Maiduguri, Borno State capital, Fayose said. Isnt it now necessary for the President to fulfill his promise of leading from the front and getting his Information Minister, Lai Mohammed to go and hold a press briefing in Sambisa forest unguarded by military men so as to show to Nigerians that indeed, they have defeated Boko Haram technically? The governor, who said there was nothing wrong with the legal system in Nigeria, added that in recent times, politicians like President Buhari are the ones responsible for the rot in the judiciary because of their desperation to use the courts to foist one party state on Nigerians with conflicting judgments from election tribunals. The President and his men should stop the media trial and playing with bogus figures. This is because as it is today, President Buhari is not fighting any corruption. Rather, he is engaging in political persecution in his bid to weaken opposition both in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and within his own party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Even the presidents party men are beginning to condemn openly the trial of people accused of corruption in the media, with newspapers quoting Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) on Saturday as describing it as convicting the suspects without giving them fair hearing. When your own men are corrupting an institution like the judiciary just because they needed to win back states like Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Taraba and others that they lost at the polls, thereby causing the courts to give conflicting judgments, it is morally wrong for you to go outside the country and complain about such a judiciary. When your party men are encouraging people to commit perjury and confess to rigging elections just to discredit electoral victories of PDP and those made to confess to committing these crimes are allowed to walk the streets free just because they are serving the interest of APC, such a president lacks moral rights to complain about any institution stalling his fight against corruption because his own party men are number one promoters of corruption. The President must therefore act like a democratically elected president that he is by respecting the judiciary, which is a separate arm of government before his complain about the role of the judiciary in his fight against corruption can be taking seriously, the statement read. The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo-Udoma, yesterday said that the 2016 budget is achievable, in spite of the crashing oil price. Udoma, according to the Director of Information in the Ministry, Mr Charles Dafe, said he gave the assurance when a delegation from the African Development Bank (ADB) visited the ministry. The price of oil in the international market has gone below the $38 per barrel benchmark proposed by the Nigerian government, sparking fears the 2016 budget might not be realizable. However, the Minister was quoted as saying: Our budget is achievable; we have ongoing reforms targeted at diversifying our revenue base away from single oil commodity economy. Our Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, is assiduously applying innovative financing in the oil sector to address any likely revenue gap from our projected oil revenue. Plugging leakages through zero tolerance to corruption, application of sound public financial management and improved revenue collection system are reforms targeted to achieve the budget. An Asian housemaid is undergoing trial for allegedly adding her urine to meals served to the Emirati family. The prosecutors at the Khorfakkan Court of First Instance believe that the Asian woman urinated in meals for months in her attempt to make the Emirati family like her and increase her salary. She has been charged with endangering the life of the Emirati family. The housemaid was handed over to police after the Emirati family became suspicious of persistent foul smells in their food and soup. During the time of investigation, prosecutors visited the house of Emirati family where they found bottles containing urine from housemaids bedroom which gave more credence to prosecutors. Police said that, during questioning, the maid confessed to adding urine to familys meals thinking she could control them so they would continue to employ her, reported The National. The maid justified her behaviour in the belief, which she said was common in her country, that she could control a person by adding her urine to food or drinks, a prosecutor told the court. She said she wanted to make the family like her more and give her more incentives, like raising her salary. The prosecutor said the Asian housemaid claimed her friend persuaded her to add urine to Emirati familys meal and tea as it would make them treat her well. She, however, denied the charge when she appeared in court. The court heart the argument and adjourned the trial until February. GDN. Most of Google's open source releases have centered on infrastructure-building projects, like Kubernetes, that stem from the company's work with its public cloud infrastructure. But Google's latest open source project -- a load-balancing technology called Seesaw -- instead comes from work done for the company's corporate, in-house infrastructure. Seesaw, available on GitHub, also gives Google an opportunity to demonstrate the value of its Go language in a major project. [ Also on InfoWorld: Download the quick guide to Google Go today. | Keep up with hot topics in programming with InfoWorld's Application Development newsletter. ] Seesaw was designed to fill four basic needs at Google, according to the blog post announcing its release. These include routing traffic for "unicast and anycast VIPs [virtual IP addresses]," performing load balancing with NAT and DSR (dynamic source routing, used for wireless mesh networks), checking system health, and "ease of management, including automated deployment of configuration changes." Successful open source projects rarely start from scratch, and Seesaw was no exception. An existing project, the Linux Virtual Server, was used as the substrate for Seesaw to perform the traffic handling. Google expanded on LVS' functionality and used Go's concurrency and interprocess communications functions to make the bundle easier to manage. Before Go existed, Google might have created something similar by wrapping LVS with Python. One of Go's goals is to provide a language that's as flexible as Python but delivering far greater raw performance and with native functions that make it easier to design decentralized, network-connected applications. Python gained some of these functions in version 3.5, but Go had them from the outset, and Google has been determined to prove that the features baked into the language are an inherent advantage. Seesaw is available under the Apache license, although a disclaimer on its GitHub repository notes, "This is not an official Google product," meaning Google won't provide any support. Google addressed multiple remote code execution and elevation of privilege vulnerabilities in its Android monthly security update for February. Along with the usual mediaserver suspects, the patches addressed multiple issues in several Wi-Fi components. "Builds LMY49G or later and Android M with Security Patch Level of February 1, 2016 or later address these issues," the Android team said in the Android monthly security update advisory. Android users who've already applied the over-the-air update for the recently reported flaw in the Linux kernel will not need this update as their devices have a security patch level of March 1, 2016. Of the 13 security flaws fixed in the February update, 11 were rated as either high or critical severity. Vulnerabilities rated as critical include remote code execution flaws in the Broadcom Wi-Fi driver and mediaserver, as well as critical elevation of privilege flaws in the Qualcomm performance module, Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver, and the debugger daemon. Vulnerabilities rated as high severity include denial-of-service bugs in the Minikin library, elevation of privilege vulnerabilities in Wi-Fi and mediaserver, and an information disclosure vulnerability in the libmediaplayerservice component. Google also addressed two moderate-severity bugs that could let attackers bypass factory reset protections in the setup wizard. "We have had no reports of active customer exploitation of these newly reported issues," the Android security team said. Mediaserver still vulnerable Since last August, Google has been patching vulnerabilities uncovered in the mediaserver and related components that handle how media files are processed and rendered, and this month was no exception. The most severe issue involved two critical vulnerabilities that could result in an attacker remotely executing code by means of specially crafted email messages, Web links, or MMS messages (CVE-2016-0803 and CVE-2016-0804). Mediaserver flaws are exceptionally worrisome because many applications rely on the component to play audio and video stored remotely. "As appropriate, Google Hangouts and Messenger applications do not automatically pass media to processes such as mediaserver," the advisory said. The mediaserver service also has access to privileges that third-party applications typically do not receive. A locally installed malicious app could exploit an elevation of privilege flaw in mediaserver (CVE-2016-0810) to execute code as if it was an elevated system application. An information disclosure flaw in libmediaplayerservice could let attackers bypass existing security measures (CVE-2016-0811) and successfully target the platform. Both of these bugs could give attackers elevated capabilities, such as Signature or SignatureOrSystem privileges, which are not typically accessible to third-party apps. The system grants the Signature permission only if the requesting app is signed with the same certificate as the app declaring the permission, giving it system-wide privileges. Apps receive the SignatureOrSystem permission only if they were signed with the same certificate or were part of Android system image. Developers are urged to avoid using the option since the Signature protection level should be sufficient for most needs. Potential Wi-Fi attacks patched Mediaserver vulnerabilities weren't the sole focus of this month's update; the remote code execution vulnerability in Broadcom's Wi-Fi driver is "also of particular importance," according to the advisory. Attackers on the same Wi-Fi network as the victim could use specially crafted wireless control message packets to corrupt kernel memory to remotely execute code in the context of the kernel (CVE-2016-0801 and CVE-2016-0802), the advisory said. The issue was rated as critical severity because the attack would not require user interaction to succeed. A malicious app could locally trigger an escalation of privilege flaw in the Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver (CVE-2016-0806) to execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel. The final vulnerability in Android's Wi-Fi component was rated high severity and is an elevation of privilege flaw (CVE-2016-0809). Attackers could potentially use a malicious app already installed on the device to execute code with System context, giving the remote attacker capabilities typically accessible to locally installed apps. The attack would succeed if the devices were in local proximity to each other, according to the advisory. Multiple local attacks fixed Attackers could also use malicious apps to exploit two other elevation of privilege vulnerabilities in the performance event manager for Qualcomm's ARM processors (CVE-2016-0805) and the debugger component (CVE 2016-0807). Like the critical flaw in the Qualcomm Wi-Fi driver, these bugs would let a malicious app execute arbitrary code within the context of the kernel. The operating system would need to be reflashed on the compromised device. The updates also fixed a high-severity denial-of-service vulnerability in the Minikin library (CVE-2016-0808), which could be exploited by loading an untrusted font. The overflow in the Minikin component would result in a crash and a continuous reboot loop, according to the security advisory. Google also patched two internally discovered moderate-severity bugs (CVE-2016-0812 and CVE-2016-0813) in the Setup Wizard, which attackers with physical access to the device could exploit to bypass the Factory Reset Protection and erase all data. Updates and mitigations available The severity assessment is based on the effect that exploiting the vulnerability may have on the targeted device, assuming platform and service mitigations are disabled or successfully bypassed. Users should upgrade to devices running newer Android versions where possible to take advantage of enhancements, which make exploitation more difficult. For example, newer Android versions have the Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) kernel module, which prevents third-party applications from reaching the affected code. While Nexus devices will be updated automatically, other Android handsets have to wait for the device manufacturers and carriers to roll out the security fixes. Google provides partners, handset manufacturers, and carriers with the updates a month beforehand to give them time to prep and release the fixes to their devices. The patches will also be available on the Android Open Source Project repository for anyone interested in applying the updates themselves. Coffee Recovers Early Losses on Strength in Brazilian Real Barchart - 22 minutes ago December arabica coffee (KCZ22 ) this morning is up +0.55 (+0.29%), and Nov ICE Robusta coffee (RMX22 ) is up +41 (+2.04%). Coffee prices this morning recovered from early losses and are moderately higher.... KCZ22 : 190.65 (-0.86%) RMF23 : 2,042 (+2.10%) Crude Gains on Hopes China Will Ease Pandemic Restrictions Barchart - 56 minutes ago Nov WTI crude oil (CLX22 ) this morning is up +1.77 (+2.07%), and Nov RBOB gasoline (RBX22 ) is up +3.64 (+1.37%). Nov Nymex natural gas (NGX22 ) is down by -0.044 (-0.81%). Crude oil and gasoline prices... CLZ22 : 84.96 (+0.52%) RBZ22 : 2.4881 (+0.30%) NGX22 : 5.447 (-0.27%) Will Amazon succumb to the pressure of bear? Trade Precise - 1 hour ago After hitting $146 on 16 August, AMZN price slowly drifted back to the lower range around $105. Currently there is no threatening supply to push the price lower. However, there are upcoming earnings results... AMZN : 116.79 (+1.49%) Slowing Down, Slowing Down Monica Kingsley - Thu Oct 20, 9:36AM CDT S&P 500 turned decisively lower yesterday, and the bulls were clearly rejected with their upswing attempt. No matter how HYG erased some of its intraday decline before the closing bell, TLT is still falling... Laughing It Off The PRICE Futures Group - Thu Oct 20, 9:10AM CDT Global oil markets are laughing off Biden's announcement to release another 15 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, extending the previously announced release through the month... Pacific Rim finance leaders mull ways to curb inflation AP - Thu Oct 20, 8:59AM CDT BANGKOK (AP) Finance ministers of major Pacific Rim economies pledged Thursday to combat inflation and target spending to support sustainable growth at a meeting in Bangkok ahead of a summit next month.... $SPX : 3,694.60 (-0.02%) $DOWI : 30,506.72 (+0.27%) $IUXX : 11,153.37 (+0.45%) Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to establish a paid leave program for workers is popular among New York voters. According to a new Siena Research Institute poll, 80 percent of New Yorkers support providing workers with 12 weeks of paid leave. The program would be funded by employees through a payroll deduction. A vast majority of Democrats 87 percent endorse the paid leave plan. More than two thirds of Republicans 69 percent also support Cuomo's proposal. Siena pollster Steve Greenberg noted that GOP voters are a big reason why paid leave enjoys strong support statewide. "Republicans oppose the governor's minimum wage proposal 62-36 percent differing sharply from Democrats and independents they support his family leave proposal 69-29 percent, only a little less strongly than Democrats and independents," Greenberg said. Cuomo first announced the push for paid leave during his State of the State and executive budget presentation. He joined Vice President Joe Biden at a rally Friday in New York City to build support for the plan. To make the case for paid leave, Cuomo discussed his father's final months and the importance of being at his side. The governor's father, the late Gov. Mario Cuomo, died on Jan. 1, 2015. "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," Cuomo said Friday. "It's not about work. It's about those personal relationships." While polls suggest there's strong support for Cuomo's proposal, business groups have spoken out against paid leave. Michael Durant, the National Federation of Independent Business' New York state director, said forcing small businesses to provide paid leave would be "dangerous." "This is simply a solution in search of a problem and would be yet another government mandate on small business," he said. Assembly Democrats support implementing some form of paid family leave in New York. Speaker Carl Heastie said the chamber has passed legislation in the past to extend the benefit to New York's workers. But it hasn't received a vote in the state Senate. Paid leave faces an uphill battle in the state Senate. State Sen. John DeFrancisco said it would be another burden for businesses. Biden, who praised Cuomo's plan, urged the state Legislature to act on the proposal this year. "This is in everybody's interest, including the employer," he said. "Let's get it done now." At Inside Philanthropy, we've been coming across more funding related to food allergies. Well, there's a reason for that: Such allergies are a growing problem in the United States, now afflicting one in 12 people. And lately, philanthropy has been catching up with this alarming trend. We've written about billionaire donors like Sean Parker giving big for new research on food allergies, but there are also more ordinary people raising money for this cause. When my youngest daughter, Lindsey, was 11 months old, I fed her scrambled eggs with cheese. She immediately threw up then went into anaphylactic shock, Kim Hall told Inside Philanthropy. I had to call to 911 to save her life. We learned shes allergic to eggs, dairy, peanuts and tree nuts. Elise Bates found herself sitting next to Hall at a food allergy meeting in 2013. Bates' daughter had confronted similar life-threatening emergencies caused by eggs and nuts. Food-induced anaphylactic shock now occurs 90,000 times a year in the U.S. Think of how much of our lives revolve around these common foods, whether its being served nuts on plane or cake at a birthday party, Hall said. We dont know why the problem is growing. Is it something in our food supply? People who have food allergies look and act like the rest of usuntil they get a reaction. The two university-educated mothers with business backgrounds resolved to tackle the issue. We found a tremendous funding gap in research into food allergies, Bates told Inside Philanthropy. We decided to leave to others the tasks of education and advocacy. Kim and I founded End Allergies Together (EAT) to fund research into finding a cure. For the last year and half, weve been putting our all into the organization, without taking a salary. We officially launched six months ago, in May 2015. Weve seen the first phase as building awareness, Hall said. An op ed piece [on CNN.com] did a lot to boost our website traffic with people using the donate button, Hall said. Since then, EATs tale has generated a lot of local coverage in Connecticut on TV and in newspapers. The organization is expanding. Weve already put in place a Midwest director of EAT, based in Chicago. Our donors are those who live with food allergies every day, who want the research to progress, Bates said. Weve received funding from two private family foundations, whose names Im not at liberty to disclose. We raised most of our funding through a gala, a panel discussion of medical and herbal experts. The space was donated, the speakers and researchers were free. The alcohol was donated. The gala gave us a chance to put a face to our organization while bringing Westchester and Fairfield Counties together. When it comes to raising funds, the personal touch does matter. This is especially true on Connecticut's Gold Coast. It's worth mentioning that many of the donors in the food allergy space have come to this issue for personal reasons. That includes the Jaffee family, which gave a large gift to establish a food allergy research center at Mt. Sinai in New York City. David Koch, whose son suffers from food allergies, and Sean Parker, who personally suffers from such allergies. Hall and Bates will be filing their first long form 990 with the IRS in May. When thats on record, they plan to pursue more foundation support and look into tapping bequests. We are now trying to build a medical advisory board as we start to get research proposals through our website, EndAllergiesTogether.com. In choosing whom to support, well be very careful to avoid conflict of interest. We plan to grant 100 percent of what we get in donations. We can do this because our expenses have been underwritten by our families, Bates said. We are still a start-up. After we expand, we plan to keep giving out at least 85 percent of what we take in. The number of people dealing with food allergies is staggering. Its been really great for our families to see us put our heads down and be part of a cause that will hopefully impact so many people, Hall said. The work has been very satisfying. When running a nonprofit, its so easy to get distracted. Bates said. At EAT, we are dedicated to funding research to find a cure for food allergies. If I have any advice to others in the nonprofit sector, its to keep focused on your goal. Related: A self-storage operator in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, was fined $100,000 on Jan. 29 after a person visiting the property fell through an open hole and died as a result of the injuries. Seavale Inc. pleaded guilty in connection with the June 4, 2014, incident. The court also imposed a 25 percent victim fine surcharge as required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a government fund that assists victims of crime. The property at Highway 11 N. was once part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command defense system. Seavale converted the sites 28 silos, which were originally designed to house Bomarc missiles, to self-storage buildings in 2013. Building renovations included the installation of wood flooring over the original concrete basement, according to a source. An opening, measuring approximately 4 by 10 feet, was left at the rear of each building. Framed for the later addition of stairs to the basement, the holes werent protected by a guardrail or covering. The visitor who fell was inspecting a pick-up truck stored by the person renting the unit. The trucks rear end was near the unguarded opening, and the truck bed extended partially over the hole, a source reported. When the victim bent down to examine the trucks rear wheel, he fell about six feet onto a concrete floor. Seavale pleaded guilty to failing as an employer to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstance for the protection of a worker, according to a source. The Occupational Health and Safety Act also applied because employees were exposed to the same hazard. After the storm, the calm? Last July, wrapping up six months of theatrical fulmination against Greeces creditors, leather-jacketed Yanis Varoufakis climbed aboard his motorcycle and left the Greek Finance Ministry. Varoufakis had polarized opinion during his brief spell as Finance minister. Hed insisted that reforms pushed by the so-called troika the European Central Bank, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund would cripple Greeces economy, and that debt relief was essential to the nations economic viability. His replacement, fellow academic Euclid Tsakalotos, is trying a more diplomatic approach, but reform and debt remain as controversial as ever. Januarys World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, brought mixed news for Tsakalotos, with the IMF saying it wouldnt back a new bailout without debt relief but insisting on more pension cuts than he has proposed. At first glance the new minister is a very different creature from his predecessor. Though like Varoufakis he eschews a necktie, Tsakalotos, 55, has a reputation for being fastidious, calm and diplomatic; he has quietly started to implement the 86 billion ($93 billion) bailout agreed upon in his first week on the job, including painful reforms that his left-wing Syriza party once rejected. His upbringing abroad he was educated at St. Pauls, one of Britains most exclusive private schools, and the University of Oxford, where he studied politics, philosophy and economics before earning his doctorate in economics and his clipped English accent make him an outlier at home but more at ease with the European political elite. This should come in handy as Tsakalotos works to secure relief on Greeces debt, which stands at 175 percent of gross domestic product. In some ways he has done an extremely good job because the mess left by his predecessor both in substantive and presentational terms was horrific, says Spyros Economides, an associate professor of international relations and European politics at the London School of Economics. To this extent Tsakalotos has managed to steady the boat in terms of the relationship with Greeces partners and creditors and is viewed as a more positive presence and interlocutor for the EU, the member states and the IMF. In December, Greece narrowly passed a 2016 budget that included spending cuts and tax increases totaling 5.7 billion and privatizations worth almost 2 billion. Tsakalotos, who was previously Greeces chief negotiator with the troika, contends that his country had little choice but to accept its creditors tough measures. But its at least better that Syriza implements them, he recently insisted, because the party will use the political space bought to introduce radical initiatives in health and education and prioritize the fight against tax evasion and corruption. Tsakalotos, who believes the traditional parties of right and left have long ignored these matters, blames the crisis not on Greeces past profligacy but on neoliberal economics. For some Greeks, though, Tsakalotos is an avatar for Syrizas hypocrisy in forcing through creditor demands that it was elected to spurn. Varoufakis may also have been a foreign-educated academic (and a foreign passport holder to boot), but he avoided being tainted in the same manner. This seems to pain Tsakalotos, who has belonged to Syriza for nearly a decade Varoufakis was a member only briefly and heads a hard-left faction of the party. In a December interview with British journalist Paul Mason, he argued that Syriza will have failed unless other radical parties come to power in Europe. Without debt relief, he said, the region faces a Devils decade like the 1930s. Greece is headed for another year of recession in 2016, even as Germany accuses it of stalling on reforms. Most probably the economy will continue to muddle through, with a government that fulfills some minimum conditions and the creditors who keep the economy afloat, says Othon Anastasakis, director of South East European Studies at Oxford: Tsakalotos is more reliable and trustworthy than Varoufakis but looks rather sad and pathetic because he has to pursue a policy he does not believe in. Get more on macro . The industrys fear of SEC enforcement actions should help lead to investors gaining a clearer picture of where their money goes. Andrew Palmer, CIO of the $45.8 billion Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, knows how tough it can be for investors to figure out how much theyre paying private equity firms in fees and expenses. You start the process with These are the things that are important to us as a pension system, and then you work your way down the list to indifference, Baltimore-based Palmer says, describing the efforts involved in defining fees before allocating to a private equity fund. You have to prioritize because there are only so many dollars you want to spend on legal fees within the bigger picture. Private equity remains popular with investors because in a low-yield world, its one of the few asset classes that delivers consistently high returns. But those returns come at a price, and they arent enough to silence criticism of the industrys murky fee structures. What can investors do to strengthen their hand? A combination of guidance, legal maneuvers and fear of enforcement action is converging to give them more control. Theres big money at stake. Private equity firms charged investors as much as $20 billion in so-called hidden fees between 1981 and 2013, according to a recent academic study, Private Equity Portfolio Company Fees. Ludovic Phalippou, an associate professor of finance at the University of Oxfords Said Business School, co-authored the paper with Christian Rauch, a fellow in entrepreneurial finance at Said, and Marc Umber, assistant professor of corporate finance at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. Phalippou and his colleagues argue that the hidden fees crop up in transaction and monitoring expenses levied through master services agreements that are intentionally vague. After Texas-based utility Energy Future Holdings Corp. filed for bankruptcy in 2014, they write, U.S. private equity giant KKR & Co. and other firms working on the deal still made $666 million in portfolio company fees. That number dwarfs any distribution check an individual investor is likely to see from a general partner like KKR. Such claims hark back to the now-infamous Spreading Sunshine in Private Equity speech. In that May 2014 address, Andrew Bowden, former director of the Securities and Exchange Commissions Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE), jolted private equity firms by alleging that advisers to the industry inappropriately handle fees and expenses more than half of the time. The SEC has been scrutinizing private equity firms since 2012, when they had to start registering with it under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Each year the commission releases examination priorities a bit of guidance that is closely watched because the examination process can often lead to enforcement actions. From 2012 through 2015 these priorities have touched on areas specific to the private equity industry. As a result, the commission has assembled data on how private equity firms operate. Their business practices have prompted several settlements with the SEC, according to Igor Rozenblit, co-head of the OCIEs private funds unit in New York. The incidence of issues in private equity is still surprisingly high; however, private equity is not legalized gambling, Rozenblit says. Private equity is a legitimate asset class, but it is complex, opaque and has relatively poor governance. The private equity business model can be a strength because it allows managers to operate freely, Rozenblit observes, but it also creates a disconnect between what general partners think limited partners know about certain issues and what the latter group actually knows. When hammering out deals with private equity general partners, investors must pony up the legal fees necessary to agree on a meaning for consulting costs and other vague terminology found in master services agreements. Historically, general partners have relied on these so-called terms of art to give them plenty of wiggle room when it comes to charging expenses on top of performance fees. The LP agreement process is very granular; we spend a lot of time on business terms, Maryland State Retirement CIO Palmer says. But where its less granular is that we use terms of art in the documents that may not be uniformly applied, so its important to be clear in the docs about what a fee offset means for each GP, for example. On Friday the Institutional Limited Partners Association, an industry group made up of private equity investors and general partners, released a new set of templates that investors can use in negotiations with general partners to push for more consistency. The ILPA drafted its templates after a public comment period that included feedback from private equity firms, investors, regulators and other stakeholders. What we are aiming to do with the templates is create standardization around the data points that are reported by GPs and where they are reported, says Jennifer Choi, the associations Boston-based director of industry affairs. You cant underestimate the role of standardization in this process, Choi adds. It can be interesting to ask where certain information is in mixed company, because different GPs will have the same data points in all sorts of different documents. So it becomes incredibly labor-intensive to be able to compare data on the LP side. ILPA guidelines are typically used in side letters or as reference material during the initial due diligence process before an investor comes into a fund. But these standards arent much more than a conversation starter, warns Michael Belsley, a Chicago-based partner in the private equity practice at law firm Kirkland & Ellis. From our work with LPs, they are using the ILPA standards on a selective basis, Belsley says. It really depends on the relationship between the LP and the GP. Legally speaking, the SEC agrees. From our perspective, theres nothing under the law that makes these reporting guidelines binding, the OCIEs Rozenblit says. Belsley says ILPA standards are best used when considering the total picture of fees and expenses, so investors have a clear list of points they might negotiate on. If you look at ILPA standards, they call for a 100 percent fee offset for transaction fees, he notes. But an investor may look at that and decide theyll trade away some of those fees if they end up paying a lower management fee on the other side. In negotiations, investors are also becoming savvier about using tools like carve-outs to get even more specific on fees, Belsley adds. Carve-outs typically list partnership expenses that the investor wont pay for, such as SEC examination costs. Rozenblit, who points out that the agency is just getting started on the enforcement front, says the Sunshine speech wasnt meant as an opening of the floodgates. The speech just happened to come in the middle of our examination process, when we were comfortable sharing some of our more significant findings, he explains. People mistook the speech as a signal of upcoming enforcement actions, when in fact it was our attempt to reach out and work with the industry and improve compliance. Because cases take time to build, it may be a few years before investors see a rash of enforcement actions. One of the former co-chiefs of enforcements asset management unit used to say that in private equity enforcement, were about five years behind what we are in hedge fund enforcement, Rozenblit says. So if you want to see where we are headed in private equity, you can use our historical hedge fund activity as a benchmark. A slew of purchasing manager index reports released as the new week began this morning signalled slowing industrial activity in China and Europe. Oil, base metals and commodity-centric currencies painted the tape red in response as investors braced for more signs of weakening demand for raw materials. Meanwhile, sovereign-debt yields in aggregate continue to set new record lows after the Bank of Japans decision last Friday to become the latest central bank to deploy negative rates, suggesting the possibility of a new round in the post-crisis currency wars. Chinese PMI hits three year low. Official purchasing manager index data released today by Chinas National Bureau of Statistics indicated a decline in manufacturing activity in January with a reading of 49.4. This marked the sixth consecutive contraction, with the index falling to its lowest point in three years. The Caixin Markit index, which is derived from smaller private-sector companies than the official measure, registered a pullback for the manufacturing sector for the 11th consecutive negative reading in its release today. While the industrial sector in China continues to struggle, the services sector is faring well with NBS PMI for January registering at a healthy expansion of 53.5. Wall Street banks settle on dark pools. On Sunday the Securities and Exchange Commission announced a settlement with both London-based Barclays and Zurich-based Credit Suisse Group over allegations that both banks failed to sufficiently disclose how the private trading venues, commonly referred to as dark pools, that the banks managed were overseen. Under the terms opf the settlement, Barclays will make payments totaling $70 million while Credit Suisse will pay over $84 million. U.S. consumer spending slows. Personal consumption expenditure data released today by the Commerce Department indicates that American household spending was largely unchanged in December despite higher incomes and lower fuel costs. Headline spending registered at 0 percent growth for the month compared with consensus economist estimates for 0.1 percent, while personal income index levels rose by 0.3 percent for the period versus November. Abbott Labs acquires blood testing firm. In the latest acquisition announcement in the pharmaceutical sector, Chicagos Abbott Laboratories on Monday announced an agreement to purchase Alere, based in Waltham, Massachusetts, in a transaction valued at over $5.5 billion. Alere produces blood screening products that can run multiple tests simultaneously. Portfolio Perspective: The Best January Ever January was awful for stock investors. But pension funds set a record for voting to allocate new, fresh money to credit in January. Most of that money has yet to hit the credit market, so the credit boom will persist despite Januarys correction. We know that if stock investors want to panic, nothing will stop them. On the second day of this year, with the S&P at 2012, we wrote that equity sentiment was so bad that stocks were likely to struggle for a month or so, and that if the 1990 area were to be breached to the downside, then there would likely be a panicky drop in stocks that would resemble Septembers. We initially thought that would take stocks down to the mid-1800s on the S&P, but subsequently revised that down to the 1800-1850 range, which is where the correction eventually worked down to. Weve felt that this latest correction, like all the others of this seven-year bull market, would be just that, a correction. Equity investors have had a hard time believing that the financial engineering that has driven this equity bull market will persist, so every month since August 2012, weve tracked every pension vote for the credit market that we could find. These votes have largely corresponded with the growth of the credit market. Worries among equity investors have been so high since the August panic that weve done this exercise twice a month since then, in order to illustrate that the credit boom is not about to end, and that our nations public pensions are in fact bringing in more money and allocating it to credit. Brian Reynolds is the chief market strategist for New Albion Partners in New York. February is Black History Month. I was visiting with Pauline Johnson, the great-great-grandniece of Harriet Tubman, recently. She asked me what I was going to write about. I thought about the families who migrated here from Adams County in Pennsylvania in 1793. Also, our first pioneers from Orange County, who arrived in 1789. They settled along both sides of the lake and at Baptist Corners. Few people realize they brought their slaves with them. It was slave labor that helped clear the forest alongside their owners and build the cabins and barns for the livestock. The 1800 Census of Aurelius lists the families in Owasco who owned slaves. Owasco was part of Aurelius then, and did not become a town until March 30, 1802. There is minimal record of the slaves' names. I know that Benjamin De Puy (also De Pew) left in his will the provision for his heirs to care for old Dine and old Betsy. The 1800 Census shows two freed slaves in his household. The same record shows Cornelius Van Auken with two freed and one slave. Anthony Van Etten owned two slaves in his household. Peter Howard and Moses Courtright also listed two freed slaves in their household. The following others in the census each enumerated one slave in their household. They were: Samuel Hornbeck, Andrew Van Etten, Roelif Brinkerhoff, Martin Cuykendall, Samuel De Pew, Henry Rorick, Andrew Van Little, Tilly Bathrick, Matthew Bevier, Peter Howard, Daniel and Samuel Bevier. Josiah Bevier had one slave whom he manumitted in 1821. His name was Shippo, and he was a member of the Owasco Reformed Church. The history of the church reveals that the slaves sat upstairs in the balconies. This old paper is in the archives of the Owasco Reformed Church. It reads: Whereas by a law of the State of New York passed the Eighth day of April, in the Year Of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and one, it is enacted that it shall and maybe lawful for the owner of any slave to manumit the same by obtaining a Certificate from the Overseer of the Poor of the Town where such owner resides. Now, therefore know ye that we the overseers of the Poor of Owasco duly appointed for the year 1821 on the application of Josiah Bevier of said town to manumit a certain male negro slave by the name of Ship aged thirty Eight years do in consequence of said law and applications and on examination of said slave agree and certify that we deem the said negro Slave capable of supporting himself by his labor, and do by these present receive the same Ship as a free Citizen of the said Town Of Owasco and hereby discharge the said Josiah Bevier or his heirs, Executors or administrators from all claim which the said town might otherwise have or his estate on account of any future inability of the said negro Ship. Given under our hands this 22nd day of August 1821. James I. Stryker David Bevier Overseers of the Poor The 1810 Census of Owasco still shows some families owning slaves. Benjamin De Pew, Cornelius Van Auken and Anthony Van Etten each had two freed slaves. Samuel De Pew had one freed slave, and Abby Prince had two freed, also. Martin Cuykendall's one slave was now free and still resided with him. Matthew Bevier, Samuel Hornbeck and Cornelius Van Auken each still owned one slave. The surprise for me was seeing John Hardenbergh, the founder of the city of Auburn owned seven slaves, one who was freed. We know the names of two of his slaves. Their names were Kate and Harry Freeman. Moses Courtright still owned four slaves, and the family record at Van Etten Cemetery shows the esteem it had for Major, or Thomas Courtright, their slave who took their name. He is buried along the line with the family, and the unsuspecting visitor might think he was a member of the family. He was loved, for he was buried with them and they thought enough of him to have a fine tombstone engraved with his name. We know Thomas, too. We know he gave $10 of his hard-earned money to purchase the first bell for the church. We discovered recently in the Sand Beach records that Thomas and his bride, Cornelia E. Drove, were married by the Rev. Samuel Robbins Brown, pastor of Sand Beach Church on Nov. 22, 1854. Where are all of these slaves buried? We know some are at the back of Van Etten Cemetery, but without a record of their name on a stone. Perhaps some are buried at Parsell Cemetery on Martin Road, which has many of the Brinkerhoff brothers buried there. This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Low-Level Hazard Activity Results in Decreased Damage and Loss Totals Looking at the big picture, 2015 was a quiet year in terms of natural hazard activity. Overall, the trend of fewer natural hazard events and decreased damage totals that occurred in 2014 continued in 2015. However, if you ask the people of South Carolina, who were hit with record-setting 1,000-year rainfall that caused $1.5 billion worth of damage, they might say it was anything but quiet1. Each year CoreLogic analyzes and evaluates the number and severity of wildfire, flood, hurricane, wind, hail, tornado, earthquake and sinkhole events that occurred in the U.S. in its Natural Hazard Risk Report. Even though 2015 was a relatively low-activity year for hazard events, there were still record-setting wildfire and flood events that caused significant damage, as well as increases in earthquake activity that reveal important insight into changing dynamics for this peril. Wildfire activity in 2015 was the worst in recorded history with more than 3.5 million acres burned in 2015, which is much higher than the total of 6,579,250 from the previous 15 years. This high level of wildfire activity had been expected for several years because of the drought in the western U.S., specifically in California, Washington, Oregon and Texas. Although areas that burned in 2015 are much less likely to have a wildfire return in the short term, the risk for wildfire in 2016 remains very high. According to CoreLogic data, 192,242 properties in the western U.S. are at very high risk of wildlife exposure with a total estimated reconstruction value (RCV) of almost $50 billion. While the western U.S. struggled with drought, several central states experienced record-setting rainfall that resulted in flash and riverine flooding. These flood events were unique because none were storm surge related, but rather the result of strong and persistent rainfall. Based on the snapshot statistics from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Storm Event Database, property losses from flash flood events in the first nine months of 2015 were more than 15 percent higher than the losses from riverine floods. For flash flood loss totals, Texas ranked first with property losses totaling more than $309 million, and New York ranked second with almost $14 million in property losses. For riverine flood loss totals, Nebraska ranked first with property losses totaling more than $213 million, and Ohio ranked second at just over $13 million.2 The record-setting 1,000-year rainfall in South Carolina, which was fueled by Hurricane Joaquin, led to riverine and flash flooding in 22 counties. The result was $1.5 billion worth of damage, including $587 million in agricultural losses, $181 million in insurance claims and $35 million in tourism losses1. Atlantic hurricane activity in 2015 was below normal compared with previous years. As predicted, there were only 11 named storms, seven of which never grew stronger than a tropical storm. Of the four storms that were categorized as hurricanes, two were Category 1 and the other two grew into Major hurricanes: Danny, a Category 3 and Joaquin, a Category 4. While there werent any hurricanes that made landfall in 2015, and no substantial wind or storm surge damage occurred, storm-related precipitation from Tropical Storm Ana, Tropical Storm Bill and Hurricane Joaquin resulted in record-setting inland flooding. Despite the below-normal year for hurricane activity, recent offshore hurricane activity levels have been higher than during previous lulls in landfall storms. Wind activity was also low in 2015, with the lowest recorded number of wind speeds of 65 mph or greater since 2006 when wind data collection began. Only 0.2 percent of the continental U.S. was affected by wind speeds of 80 mph or greater, and 31.5 percent of the continental U.S. experienced wind events of 60 mph or greater. Consistent with this data, anecdotal evidence from insurance carriers suggests that 2015 was a relatively quiet year for wind-related insurance claims. Sinkhole activity was also low in 2015 with 2,206 new sinkhole events recorded across the U.S. The low-level sinkhole activity for the year could be related to the absence of landfall hurricanes. Landfall hurricanes bring significant rain that increases erosion of the subsurface layers and likewise increases sinkhole probability. Sinkholes can result from both natural and man-made causes in which the movement of water through soil acts as an erosive agent on underground layers of rock. Florida is the most well-known state for sinkholes because of its geological make up and has a total of 28,159 identified sinkholes according to CoreLogic data. Hail activity was slightly above average in 2015 compared with previous years with 7.4 percent of the continental U.S. impacted by severe hail, which is defined as 1 or greater. However, for hail sizes in which damage becomes prevalent greater than 1.5 2015 recorded the eighth lowest hail fall in the last 10 years. On June 15, multiple storms produced large hail and heavy rainfall across the far southern and southwestern Chicago metro area. Giant hail was observed near Minooka, IL, and the biggest hail reported measured 4.75 inches the largest documented hail stone in Illinois since at least 19613. Still, anecdotal evidence from insurance carriers suggests that 2015 was a relatively quiet year for hail-related insurance claims. With 1,252 recorded tornadoes in 2015, tornado activity in 2015 was higher than normal. Texas experienced the most tornado activity with 76 confirmed tornadoes. This is the most on record for north and central Texas since 1950 when the National Weather Service began tracking tornado activity.4 There was a total of 1,196 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater in 2015, slightly higher than average, although none produced significant property damage or loss. Oklahoma experienced four times more earthquakes than California and Oregon, two states that traditionally have among the greatest levels of seismic activity in the U.S. There has been an increase in the number of earthquakes in the central U.S. caused by induced seismicity, which is defined as not related to naturally occurring (tectonic) activity.5 Induced earthquakes in the U.S. can occur as a result of hydraulic fracturing or wastewater injection associated with natural gas exploration. This could explain why earthquake activity has increased in recent years, especially in Oklahoma, Kansas and northern Texas. Although earthquakes in Oklahoma occur more frequently, the majority are of smaller magnitude (M<4.0) than those in California so more property damage typically occurs there.5 From a numbers standpoint, 2015 was a quiet year for natural hazards with an overall low number of events and decreased property loss compared with previous years. However, that does not discount the isolated events that were devastatingto both people and propertyacross the nation. Will this temporary reprieve from devastating catastrophic hazard events continue in 2016? Unfortunately, there isnt a crystal ball that predicts the future of hazard events; however, it is imperative to be prepared with both active response and a strong understanding of mitigation against natural hazard risk in a year with different outcomes. 2016 CoreLogic, Inc. All rights reserved. About CoreLogic CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX) is a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled services provider. The companys combined data from public, contributory and proprietary sources includes over 4.5 billion records spanning more than 50 years, providing detailed coverage of property, mortgages and other encumbrances, consumer credit, tenancy, location, hazard risk and related performance information. The markets CoreLogic serves include real estate and mortgage finance, insurance, capital markets, and the public sector. CoreLogic delivers value to clients through unique data, analytics, workflow technology, advisory and managed services. Clients rely on CoreLogic to help identify and manage growth opportunities, improve performance and mitigate risk. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., CoreLogic operates in North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com. SOURCES Topics Catastrophe USA Trends Texas Profit Loss Flood Wildfire Hurricane Property Oklahoma Earthquake The Jan. 22-24 blizzard was the fourth most powerful snowstorm to hit the Northeast in at least 66 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced. The agency gave the storm a rating of 7.66 on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale, which ranks storms according to inches of snowfall, geographic reach and population affected. That bumps down to No. 5 the Presidents Day weekend storm of 2003, which had a score of 7.50. The blizzard from Friday, Jan. 22, through Sunday, Jan. 24, affected 102.8 million people and covered about 434,000 square miles in 26 states, NOAA spokeswoman Maureen OLeary said. Almost 24 million people saw more than 20 inches of snow and 1.5 million got more than 30 inches, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Kocin, who helped develop the scale. He called the storm a slightly smaller version of a January 1996 blizzard, No. 2 on the list, which covered a similar area. This storm ranks up there with the great blizzards of the past 100 years in terms of amount of snowfall, size of impacted areas and population affected, Kocin said in a statement. The scale doesnt take into account other misery metrics, such as storm-related deaths, flight cancellations and power outages. We try to keep the scale as simple as possible, Kocin explained in a telephone interview. The scale encompasses data going back to 1950. It assigns each storm a numerical value and a category on a five-tier scale ranging from Category 1, notable, to Category 5, extreme. The recent storms numerical value puts it in Category 4, crippling. A different NOAA scale, the Regional Snowfall Index, also classifies the recent weekend storm as a Category 4, crippling event, and ranks it as the sixth strongest snowstorm since 1900. The storm dropped snow from Louisiana to Maine and across parts of the southern Midwest. It also caused major coastal flood damage in New Jersey. At least 52 people in 11 states and the District of Columbia died in storm-related incidents including car accidents, carbon monoxide poisoning and heart attacks while shoveling snow. One of the highest snowfall readings was 42 inches, in Glengary, West Virginia, where some counties remained under states of emergency until Friday, Jan. 29. This storm was unique for its high level of predictability, Kocin said. Forecasters saw it coming a week in advance and accurately predicted snowfall amounts for most places days ahead of time. Notable exceptions included northern New Jersey and New York City, where snowfall was heavier than initially forecast, he said. The most powerful storm on the NESIS scale is still the so-called Storm of the Century, which dropped more than 30 inches of snow in spots along a swath from Mississippi to Maine in March 1993. That extreme late-winter blast, characterized by NOAA as a superstorm, scored 13.2 on the scale. It affected more than 100 million people and caused more than $2 billion in property damage in 22 states, according to NOAAs website. The recent storms economic impact is still being calculated. Last week, economists at Moodys Analytics pegged the lost economic output to $2.5 billion to $3 billion. That estimate just represents lost income for hourly workers and skipped consumer spending. It doesnt include damage to roads or other infrastructure. In Maryland alone, where officials are seeking federal disaster aid, emergency management officials say they expect tens of millions of dollars in snow removal costs, damage to public property, and emergency measures to protect lives and property. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake hasnt put a dollar figure on the recovery efforts, but said anytime you have a historic storm, the budget will be historic as well. In Virginia, Gov. Terry McAuliffe said the storm may turn out to be the states costliest, wiping out a $200 million snow response budget. Crews in Baltimore and Washington were still working to clear streets Thursday, Jan. 28, and trash collection remained spotty in places. Virginia had the highest death toll 12 and state police there reported more than 8,400 calls for assistance. At least five deaths across the region involved people sheltering inside cars that filled with carbon monoxide after their exhaust pipes were covered by snow. They included a 3-year-old girl in Passaic, New Jersey, who succumbed Wednesday, Jan. 27, four days after her mother and brother died as her father shoveled snow outside their running car. A state of emergency continued through Friday, Jan. 29, afternoon in four West Virginia counties. The state transportation department says it used about 22,000 tons of road salt in four days. More than 127,000 people lost power during the storm in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. Northern Alabama saw several inches of snow. Associated Press writers Jessica Gresko in Washington; Juliet Linderman in Baltimore; John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia; Steve Szkotak in Richmond, Virginia; Bruce Shipkowski in Trenton, New Jersey; Travis Lollar in Nashville; and Katie Foody in Atlanta contributed to this report. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Windstorm New Jersey Virginia Aerospace A Long Island, New York, man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for a $35 million fraud that a judge said wrecked investors lives. Mikhail Zemlyansky, 39, was led out of a Manhattan courtroom Thursday, Jan. 28, in shackles after U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken sentenced the Hewlett resident a year after a jury convicted him of racketeering conspiracy and other charges at a monthlong trial. The judge said Zemlyansky spent millions of dollars from investors on vacations and fancy cars and watches. Oetken called him sophisticated, deliberate and premeditated as he carried out frauds that prosecutors said stretched from 2007 through 2012. He did not care about the many victims he defrauded out of millions of dollars, the judge said as he noted Zemlyanskys family and friends had packed the courtroom. People need to understand this sort of criminal fraud is punished severely. Prosecutors labeled him a leader in the largest single no-fault car insurance fraud scheme ever prosecuted. And they say two investment fraud schemes caused nearly 300 victims, some of them elderly, to lose about $17 million. In all, multiple frauds that included illegal gambling caused losses of nearly $36 million, prosecutors said. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Zemlyansky was driven by insatiable greed. But defense lawyer Gary Becker called him kindhearted, generous and charitable. Prosecutors said Zemlyansky and co-conspirators transferred millions of dollars from investors overseas to shell companies in Eastern Europe, where money was converted into cash and returned to the United States. They said Zemlyansky defrauded car insurance companies of hundreds of millions of dollars by creating and operating medical clinics that provided unnecessary or excessive medical treatments to take advantage of a no-fault insurance law that requires prompt payment for medical treatment. In court papers, prosecutors said Zemlyansky lived a lavish life, spoiling himself with $100,000 luxury cars and $50,000 watches. Oetken ordered Zemlyansky to pay a $50,000 fine and $29.5 million restitution. Becker had asked that his client be sentenced to five years in prison, saying a day more would be excessive. Prosecutors had requested that he be sentenced to prison for well over 25 years, the length of time the Probation Department had recommended. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics USA Fraud New York Hub International Northeast, a division of Hub International Limited, has promoted Steven Guthart to president of Brooklyn, New York, operations. Prior to this new appointment, Guthart was senior vice president with the firm. Holding nearly 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, Guthart will be responsible for managing all business planning, budgeting, marketing, new business development, client services, staffing, cross-sell initiatives and senior carrier relationships for all three of Hub Northeasts Brooklyn locations. Hub expanded its presence in Brooklyn last October through the acquisition of Oxford Coverage, a brokerage that specializes in commercial lines services for the nursing home and assisted living industry. Prior to joining Hub in 2005, Guthart was vice president/partner of a regional brokerage based on Long Island, New York, and has held various management positions with insurance carriers. He also was an adjunct associate professor at St. Johns University. Hub International Northeast also promoted Patti Clement to senior vice president of the firms Personal Insurance division. She is based in Fairfield, Connecticut. Prior to this new appointment, Clement was first vice president, Personal Insurance with the firm. Clement specializes in the creation and design of insurance programs for individuals with high risk exposures and visibility, with expertise for personal insurance matters. An employee of Hub Northeast since 1997, Clement holds nearly four decades of insurance industry experience, working closely with family office managers, high net worth individuals and their advisors on a consultative basis to assess risk exposures and develop customized insurance services. Hub International Northeast is an insurance brokerage with approximately 700 employees working in 18 regional offices located throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Based in Chicago, Hub International Limited is a global insurance brokerage providing property/casualty, risk management, employee benefits and life products and services across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Topics New York Lloyds has started holding open trading sessions at its Singapore hub, which are designed to speed up insurance placements. The sessions enable brokers to see multiple markets at one time and provide faster turnaround times as quotes are given, lines are bound and endorsements are signed on the spot, Lloyds said in a statement. A new concept for the local market, brokers are able to meet specialist property, power and onshore energy underwriters from eleven Lloyds syndicates on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon. In addition, political risks and trade credit underwriters from eight syndicates will be present each Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Nam Quach, broking manager at Bowring Marsh believes the face-to-face trading sessions shorten his placement process: By coming to the open trading session, I can cut out three calls and four emails back and forth to the underwriter. It also allows for better understanding of complex cases and its easier to get my points across at these sessions than through email. Vipul Shetty, a broker from Marsh was happy about his first visit to Lloyds open trading session: I came today to complete a particular endorsement which I was able to do; it saved me a lot of time. Its a great format as you can have an open discussion with the underwriter that you cant do over emails, said Shetty. The format has been a great success so far with more than 40 brokers attending the first political risks and trade credit session, which were held last week. Miles Johnstone, head of Structured Credit and Political Risk, Asia for Aon Risk Solutions commented: Credit and political risk insurance is a specialist market, and the technically complex nature of many of the transactions which are underwritten here requires face-to-face interaction. These trading sessions give us an opportunity to demonstrate best practices to our clients. It was very encouraging to see the level of activity at the first session it is a sign of the increasing maturity of the market in Singapore. Michael Ng, property underwriter from ArgoGlobal, said: The sessions have been very positive. There is more interaction and we can discuss complex issues more easily. The Lloyds open trading sessions on Thursdays each week include specialist property, power and onshore energy underwriters from Allied World, Amlin, Atrium, Argenta, ArgoGlobal, Ascot, Beazley, Chaucer, Talbot, Tokio Marine Kiln and XL Catlin. The Wednesday afternoon sessions include political risks and trade credit underwriters from Amlin, Beazley, Canopius, Chaucer, Markel, Talbot, Tokio Marine Kiln, and XL Catlin. Lloyds said that brokers are welcome to attend the sessions being held at: Level 5, CapitaGreen, 138 Market Street, Singapore 048946 The Lloyds Asia-Pacific hub consists of 24 syndicates and is the largest writer of offshore insurance business into Singapore, Lloyds said. Source: Lloyds Topics Agencies Excess Surplus Underwriting Lloyd's Dutch insurer Delta Lloyd is still discussing aspects of Europes new solvency regime with regulators as it prepares a 1 billion euro ($1.1 billion) rights issue to shore up its position. Delta Lloyds shares, which dipped 1.5 percent to 5.36 euros on Monday, lost two-thirds of their value in 2015 after it became clear that its solvency ratio under the so-called Solvency II was worse than expected. In a letter asking shareholders to approve the cash call, which compares with a market capitalization of around 1.3 billion euros, Delta Lloyd said it needs the money to endure stress tests and the material uncertainties relating to the interpretation of the new Solvency II regime. It said it was still in talks with the Netherlands central bank about issues including the treatment of tax assets, and would update investors when it releases earnings on Feb. 24. The Dutch regulator is following a relatively strict interpretation of Solvency II rules. Delta Lloyd repeated that it expects 200-250 million euros of net capital generation in 2016 and intends to pay a cash dividend of 130 million euros over the year. ($1 = 0.9216 euros) (Reporting by Toby Sterling, editing by Louise Heavens and Alexander Smith) Related: Topics Carriers A federal judge has awarded damages to three Minnesota 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 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 in Minneapolis. The women received $100,000 each for mental anguish and suffering under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, the Star Tribune reported. Erickson doubled the $15,000 that each woman sought for wage loss, to $30,000, but did not grant punitive damages, saying that while the defendants may have acted unlawfully, the women bringing the lawsuit had not shown they acted with deliberate disregard or malice. The women were among 40 drivers hired in October 2010 to chauffeur Prince Abdul-Rahman bin Abdul-Aziz, his family and friends while the prince was treated at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The lawsuit alleged that the prince and his entourage told the limousine companies they wanted male chauffeurs. Women in Saudi Arabia are prohibited from driving. Two of the three companies involved have settled with the women. Crown Prince Limousine remained a defendant. Online court records did not list an attorney to comment on behalf of Mohamed Ali Elbashir, who does business in Minnesota as Crown Prince Limousine, or the prince. The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington, D.C., was closed. The women were represented by Gender Justice, a legal advocacy organization based in St. Paul. Lisa Stratton, one of the womens attorneys, praised the judges order. The key issue for us is people know now that it is not legal in the state of Minnesota or the United States to discriminate because your customer asks you to, Stratton said. When you do business in the United States, the law of the United States applies. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics USA Minnesota A Kansas City woman has admitted to helping to burn down one home and plotting to burn another for insurance money. The U.S. attorneys office says 35-year-old Tina Shonk pleaded guilty to two federal counts. Through her plea, she admitted to helping set an April 2014 fire in a home she was renting. Her landlord had been seeking to evict her because she owned more than $10,000 in rent. Beforehand, she helped haul broken electronics and appliances into the home so it would appear valuable items were destroyed. She shared the $57,364 insurance payment with two other people. The homes owner received a $173,100 insurance payment. Prosecutors say Shonk later plotted to burn down another home. She faces up to 25 years in prison. A co-defendant pleaded guilty earlier. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Kansas Insurance providers have asked Kansas lawmakers to approve a measure that would allow them to offer health plans requiring customers to only use the insurers network. The plans are called Exclusive Provider Organization, or EPOs. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the current legislation would also mandate referrals from primary care physicians before covering specialty care. Aetna, UnitedHealth Group and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City have supported the proposal, which they say would help keep down the cost of insurance. Rep. Willie Dove, R-Bonner Springs, has expressed concern, saying the proposal could limit customer choice. The Kansas legislation remains in the House Insurance and Financial Institutions Committee. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Carriers Legislation Kansas The U.S. Labor Department on Friday took the next step toward requiring brokers who provide retirement advice to follow a fiduciary standard of putting clients interests first, a move that could roil the financial services industry. The White Houses Office of Management and Budget said on its website that it had received the departments final proposed rule. That follows an extended comment period for the proposal, which the Labor Department unveiled nine months ago. Were working aggressively to work through the process, said White House spokesman Josh Earnest at a briefing on Friday. The White House, however, does not have an exact timeframe for implementing the rule, Earnest said. The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association trade group called for the OMB to conduct a comprehensive analysis of potential costs and benefits. The proposal aims to end potential conflicts of interest by brokers who advise on individual retirement accounts and to protect consumers from buying unnecessary investment products that line brokers pockets. IRAs accounted for $7.3 trillion, or 30 percent, of U.S. retirement assets in September, according to trade group Investment Company Institute. Under the plan, brokers would have to act in clients best interests, or as fiduciaries, when advising about IRAs. For example, brokers can receive significant fees when they advise clients to roll over assets from employer-sponsored retirement plans into IRAs. Brokers now must recommend investments and strategies that are suitable, based on factors such as investors age. The industry has fought the proposal since it was first proposed in 2010, saying strict rules could limit advice to small investors because fewer brokerages would offer them services. The department, which regulates retirement plan advice, withdrew the initial proposal in 2011 after wide industry criticism. A new version was proposed in April after a nudge from President Barack Obama and discussions with the industry and lawmakers, who considered blocking funds needed for a standard. The text of the final proposal was not released on Friday but will become public after the OMBs review, which many expect to wrap up in the spring. Critics want changes to when brokers should sign mandatory contracts in which they would pledge to uphold clients best interests when giving retirement advice. They also want to extend an eight-month period for the rules effective date that was part of the April version. The department has received more than 3,000 comments about the plan, Earnest said. (Reporting by Lisa Lambert in Washington; Additional reporting by Suzanne Barlyn in New York and Roberta Rampton in Washington; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn, Bernard Orr) Related: Topics Agencies Politics The Wells College Visiting Writers Series will next welcome authors Kaethe Schwehn and Alicia Rebecca Myers for a reading at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, in the Art Exhibit Room of Macmillan Hall at the college, 170 Main St., Aurora. Schwehn is the author of "Tailings: A Memoir," winner of a 2015 Minnesota Book Award, and of the upcoming chapbook "Tanka & Me." Myers is a poet and essayist whose work has appeared in Best New Poets 2015, The Rumpus, Brain Child Magazine and more. She teaches at Wells. Admission is free and open to the public. The event is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts. For more information, visit wells.edu. Gov. Mary Fallin approved the use of nearly $1.4 million in state emergency funds for state agencies working to reduce the increasing number of earthquakes that have been linked to the disposal of oil and gas wastewater in Oklahoma. Speaking at The Associated Press annual Legislative Forum, Fallin also said she will unveil a plan for teacher pay raises during her State of the State address. The funds for earthquake research will come from an emergency account used to help the state deal with natural disasters such as tornadoes and flooding. The fund has a current balance of $10.5 million. This is a critical subject to homeowners, to businesses and to the state of Oklahoma and our future, Fallin said. Fallin said the money will go to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the agency that regulates oil and gas activity, and to the Oklahoma Geological Survey, to hire more staff and scientists and to upgrade information technology systems and monitoring equipment. Oklahoma is facing about a $1 billion shortfall in next years revenues, and the governor called again for changes to the states budgeting process to rein in tax credits and expenditures and to reduce off-the-top money earmarked for specific state programs. Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman pledged a very serious effort in the Senate to scale back some tax incentives and credits. He noted that he appointed University of Oklahoma economist Cynthia Rogers to a new committee charged with overseeing a cost-benefit analysis of hundreds of millions of dollars in state tax credits offered to businesses and industries. Bingman also said he would support an effort to consolidate some of the more than 500 school districts in Oklahoma by requiring some dependent districts to share administrative functions, information technology and other services. Weve got way too many school districts, Bingman said. Fallin, who will release her proposed budget on Feb. 1, also urged the Legislature to consider a second bond issue to pay for additional repairs to Oklahomas crumbling Capitol building. Bingman, R-Sapulpa, also said he supports another bond issue for a second phase of Capitol construction. The Legislature approved $120 million for Capitol repairs in 2014. Meanwhile, House Speaker Jeff Hickman said he expects a second revenue failure is likely to occur during the current fiscal year that ends June 30, which would prompt even deeper cuts to state agency budgets. The Republican from Fairview said the Legislature may consider revising the current fiscal year allocations to agencies when it convenes next week, rather than waiting for a second revenue failure to be declared. Hickman says doing so would give the Legislature more flexibility to target specific agencies for cuts, as opposed to mandatory across-the-board reductions. The top Democrat in the Oklahoma House said he expects the state to have its worst-funded budget in at least a generation. Rep. Scott Inman, D-Oklahoma City, said its not fair of Republicans to blame all the states budget woes on the downturn in the energy industry. We are in this situation in part because of oil prices, but in larger part because over the last decade of Republican majority rule in the House of Representatives, this Legislature has cut $1 billion worth of income taxes, Inman said. They have layered on hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax credits and exemptions, and they have reduced tax burdens for some of the wealthiest corporations in the entire world and told the citizens of Oklahoma that they can bear the costs of those financial decisions. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Oklahoma Earthquake The Florida Supreme Court will hear yet another case challenging the constitutionality of the states workers comp system on April 16, 2016. The case, Daniel Stahl v. Hialeah Hospital, et al., has been making its way through the state courts questioning if Floridas workers comp system is an adequate alternative for injured workers since its major overhaul in 2003. More specifically, the case challenges if the elimination of a type of partial disability benefits by lawmakers is legal. The court scheduled the April 16 case hearing on Jan. 22 after previously agreeing to hear the case back in October. According to the Florida Supreme Court document, participants in the case will be given a maximum of 20 minutes to argue their side. The case stems from a back injury the petitioner, Stahl, suffered while working as a nurse for Hialeah hospital in 2003, just a few months after the changes to the workers comp system went into effect, according to court documents. In Oct. 2005, his treating physician found he had reached his maximum medical improvement (MMI) and assigned him a 6 percent impairment rating. He was restricted to lifting nothing above 10 pounds, which classified his injury as career-ending because he could not return to work as a nurse. He was then entitled to impairment income benefits of 12 weeks and compensated $5,472 for his career-ending injury. It was later determined that Stahl did not meet the definition of permanent total disability (PTD) and his claim for PTD benefits was denied. In his petition to the court, Stahl claims that the benefits available to him, and all injured employees since Oct. 1, 2003 when states workers comp reforms went into effect are inadequate and therefore cannot be the exclusive remedy for on the job injuries. The court documents filed say the states workers comp law, as it is today, violates the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs also argue that the Florida legislature has eliminated injured employees right to sue and the availability of partial disability benefits without providing an adequate replacement. The suit also takes issue with the addition of a copay for medical visits after a claimant reaches their MMI. Multiple interest groups on both sides of the case have filed amici, also known as friends-of-the-court briefs, including the Florida Association of Insurance Agents (FAIA), the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America on behalf of Hialeah Hospital. FAIA, whose motion was filed jointly with the American Association of Independent Claims Professionals (AAICP), argues the resolution of the case will have important ramifications for agents and claims professionals in the state. Petitioner, if successful, would imperil the entirety of the workers compensation act, clog the courts with costly lawsuits, and weaken Floridas economy. [The petitioners] efforts should be rebuked, FAIA and AAICP said in their brief. Attorney General Pam Bondi also submitted an amici brief on behalf of the State of Florida in support of the respondents. Petitioners case is an improper vehicle for launching a broad-scale, facial attack on Floridas workers compensation system, the attorney generals office states. On the petitioners side, workers interest and public safety groups such as the Florida Professional Firefighters, the Florida Justice Association and police associations have filed briefs as well. Deputy Chief Judge of Compensation Claims for the Florida Office of Judges of Compensation Claims and Division of Administrative Hearings David Langham said many have perceived the record on the Stahl case to be very abbreviated. Langham, who is not involved in this case, said for that reason it is possible the Florida Supreme Court has been generous with allowing a number of amici briefs to assure various perspectives are all considered. However, the court has generally been willing to hear from amici in the constitutional challenge cases, Langham said. Which party the high court rules in favor of in this particular case will be closely watched as Floridas workers comp system continues to be challenged. Several other workers compensation cases have challenged the states system in recent years. One of the cases that was in limbo was over the constitutionality of the exclusive remedy provision of the Workers Compensation Act. A lower court judge found the provision unconstitutional but that decision was later overturned by the Third District Court of Appeals. In December, the Florida Supreme Court denied a request by the plaintiffs to review the case. Two other cases are still pending include one over whether the 104-week statutory cap on temporary total disability benefits is unconstitutional and another questioning the constitutionality of the statutory attorney fee formula. Last year, the court upheld the exclusive remedy portion of the law. In Stahls request for the Supreme Court to hear the case, he argues that in the 12 years since the 2003 amendments, workers compensation premiums have been reduced by approximately 60 percent. It is no longer necessary to keep benefit reductions in place to contain costs. Industry groups, such as the FAIA, say the current act continues to compensate thousands of injured workers in a self-executing manner and without regard to fault. Stahl, the FAIA and AAICP argue, has mounted an overbroad challenge to the states workers comp system, which he has no standing to claim. Workers compensation is an amazingly complex system that affects every employer and employee in Florida, Langham said. It is critical that decisions about this system be reasoned and clear. The participation of amici is hopefully conducive to that outcome. Related: Topics Florida Claims Workers' Compensation A record 50,000 South Carolinians sought to either buy guns or carry concealed weapons during December. The statistics came from the FBI criminal background check system, The Post and Courier of Charleston reported. The spike came when President Barack Obama indicated he would seek to tighten gun control measures this year. It was the busiest month ever in South Carolina. The year 2015 was second only to 2013 when sales spiked after some worried there would be more restrictions on gun purchases following the shootings at Connecticuts Sandy Hook Elementary School. The government has kept tabs on the number of times the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, has been used. Last year, there were a total of 327,000 checks. In 2013, there were a total of 335,000 checks. Neil Schacte, the owner of Carolina Rod & Gun, said sales begin to spike at his store every time politicians discuss gun control. People respond with a knee-jerk reaction when politicians start talking about strict controls because they never know what thats going to involve, he said. Merrill Chapman, president of the local chapter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, cautioned against the recent spike in gun sales. Im fearful that people arent hearing the right message, she said. They think the government is going to come take their guns, but more guns in the hands of more people promises more violence. The 50,000 figure for December does not indicate the exact number of guns sold. Some peoples requests are refused while some people buy more than one gun. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Gun Liability South Carolina A massive fire destroyed a 70-year-old beef cattle auction business in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, churning up a plume of thick, black smoke that darkened the skies for miles as the wind-whipped flames consumed several nearby businesses. No one was injured in the fire that destroyed seven acres of the stockyards operated by the Blue Grass Livestock Marketing Group. But Chief Operating Officer Jim Akers said he did not see how the 20 beef cattle in the facility could have survived. Firefighters were alerted to the fire at 2:20 p.m. and quickly called for backup as the smoke billowed through the streets near busy Leestown Road. Fire officials warned anyone living within a half mile of the fire to stay inside and turn off their heating and air conditioning units to keep the smoke out of their homes. At least 120 firefighters battled the blaze for several hours Saturday afternoon in a wooden structure that Interim Fire Chief Harold Hoskins compared to a standing lumber yard. Its just a lot of wood, a lot of combustibles. Its been here forever, so its dried out and its ready to burn, Hoskins said. The wind is what caused it to cross the street. Hoskins said several businesses were destroyed over one city block, including several vehicles parked at a towing company that exploded during the worst of the blaze. Flames were everywhere, said Steven Parrot, who lives nearby and was walking down Leestown Road with his shirt pulled over his nose to shield him from the smoke. It was big even before the firefighters got there. Hoskins said he does not know how the fire started. He said investigators were interviewing witnesses to figure out what happened. Akers said about six employees were working at the stockyards when an employee driving a Bobcat first noticed the smoke. He said the company would continue operations at its other locations in Mount Sterling and Stanford, but he did not know if the Lexington site would be rebuilt. Id like for the smoke to clear at least to see what the situation is, he said. Hoskins said it was the largest fire he has seen in his 33 years with the fire department. Lexington Mayor Jim Gray called it a significant loss for the city. Its been an historic member of our community for a very long time, Gray said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Kentucky Ridesharing company Lyft has locked in a deal to operate at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The Reno-Gazette Journal reported that Lyft obtained an agreement Friday to expand operations and will get to join Uber in doing pickups at the airport. Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority president and CEO Marily Mora says the new service expands options for travelers riding downtown, to casinos and shopping malls and to ski lifts. Mora said there are about 3.4 million passengers who use the airport annually. It was important that all ground transportation operations be treated fairly, and therefore proper permitting with these unique operators was necessary, Mora said. Now whether passengers choose Lyft, Uber, a taxi, limo, shuttle or private vehicle, there are multiple options to get them where they need to go. It was announced last week that Uber could operate at the Reno airport. Approved ridesharing drivers have a designated pick-up and drop-off spot north of baggage claim. The news marks a defeat for the states taxi industry. An audit this month found the Nevada Taxicab Authority grossly overcharged taxi customers in the Las Vegas area to the tune of $47 million a year. Auditors for the governors finance office blamed a $3 credit card processing fee that they say is much higher than in other cities and probably shouldnt exist. They also criticized a decision to increase a fuel surcharge even as gas prices are tanking, saying having the surcharge at all is unique among the 12 major Western cities that the taxi board tracks. Auditors were so critical of the Nevada Taxicab Authority that they recommended abolishing it and turning over its duties to another agency. Ron Grogan, chief of the authority, has said the taxi board would have to discuss the recommendations before making changes. But he acknowledged that his agency had probably outlasted its usefulness and struggled amid complex regulations. The taxi industry, which makes big bucks taking tourists on a 5-mile trip from the airport to the Strip, fought hard against allowing the companies before losing its battle in the Legislature last spring. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Aviation A proposal to build a cell tower near an Auburn neighborhood is scheduled to be reviewed once again by the city's planning board on Tuesday. The board last considered the concept during a meeting last November. Members then voted to hire a consultant to review plans to build a 150-foot-tall Verizon cell tower on Allen Street near the Case Avenue neighborhood. The proposal, submitted by wireless infrastructure company Crown Castle, has seen resistance from neighbors worried about the tower's potential impact on nearby property values, among other concerns. The consultant's review will be discussed during the board's meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2 at Auburn City Hall, 24 South St. The consultant, William Johnson, has been asked to attend, according to city officials. Isn't freedom great? If you've held a company-sponsored 401(k) or 403(b), you know that your company gave you a false sense of freedom. They said that you were "free" to pick from any one of the handful of mutual funds that they picked for you. Picking from their choices doesn't seem like much freedom, but maybe you took the extra step and opened an IRA. Now that's freedom. With IRAs opened outside of your company, you have the choice of just about any investment option on the market. Ninety-four billion dollars is invested in self-directed IRA accounts, where many people choose to exercise the freedom of this retirement account and put their money into stocks and bonds themselves instead of using mutual funds. However, freedom also comes with responsibility and risks. Your choices have increased from around a dozen to thousands. You might be thinking that you'll stick with funds instead of individual stocks and bonds, and that's a wise choice, especially if you're new at investing. However, what kind of funds should you choose? Mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs)? Key Takeaways Individual retirement accountsIRAslet you invest pre-tax dollars for accumulating retirement wealth. IRAs are flexible and you can invest in a wide range of assets. Until recently, mutual funds have been the primary way to diversify or access different asset classes. In the past two decades, exchange-traded fundsETFshave overtaken mutual funds for adding index or market segment exposure. ETFs are less expensive to own and trade more like stocks throughout the day making them more liquid. The Difference Mutual funds come in two main varieties: actively and passively managed funds. Actively managed funds employ a team of experienced managers who buy and sell investment products on behalf of the fund in an attempt to do better than the market as a whole. Passively managed funds employ a low-paid team of computers to track an index and are designed to mirror the market. Many ETFs, like passively managed mutual funds, attempt to replicate an index, with broad-based index ETFs intended to mimic the market (although there are also several actively-managed ETFs). For example, say you have an ETF such as the SPDR S&P 500 and the S&P 500 goes down. If that happens, then your ETF's value will also drop. Mutual funds and ETFs have many differences under the hood, but most of them aren't of much concern to you if you're just getting started as an investor. However, you should understand a few of these differences. The Exchange Mutual funds are bought and sold at their net asset value, or NAV, which is calculated at the end of the day. ETFs trade just like stocks. You can buy and sell shares at any time during the day at the current price, which changes very rapidly. You can purchase one share of an ETF or millions, but they must be full shares. Mutual funds may let you purchase fractions of one share and allow you to purchase as many shares as you would like. However, mutual funds often have high minimum investments if you're trying to manage your own IRA. No-Load There are so many mutual funds on the market now that paying load fees of any type are often ill-advised and unnecessary. A load is a fee you pay to either buy or sell a stake in a mutual fund. These loads often go to the financial advisor who sold you the fund. There are plenty of no-load mutual funds on the market but there are no ETFs with load fees. Instead, you pay another type of fee to purchase an ETF. Commission When you buy and sell a stock or ETF, you have to pay a commission to your broker. For most, this is a flat fee regardless of how many shares you buy or sell. Although it's important to take these fees into account, the more shares of an ETF you purchase, the less the commission matters, since it becomes a smaller percentage of the trade. Increasingly, brokerage firms are adding no-commission ETFs to their line-up, which takes away this concern. The Expense Ratio Both mutual funds and ETFs have expense ratiosthe amount of money for the management of the fund. Often, ETFs routinely have lower expense ratios than actively managed mutual funds and they may be in line with passively managed index mutual funds. The Bottom Line Because most actively managed mutual funds will fail to beat the market over a long period of time, paying the extra fees in loads and expense ratios may not be money well spent. Instead, consider passively managed mutual funds or ETFs. Both might have a place in your portfolio but because of the ease of buying and selling, and possibly more favorable tax treatment, many IRA investors are finding that ETFs better fit their goals and objectives than mutual funds. The dominant mobile communication technology in the U.S., fourth-generation Long Term Evolution (4G LTE), first appeared in December 2010 when Verizon Communications (VZ) rolled out a commercial network to customers in several dozen cities. Mobile operators and telecommunication equipment companies around the world are hard at work developing the technologies and hardware systems required to bring the fifth-generation (5G) of mobile networking to market. Key Takeaways The expansion of 5G mobile networks has begun in the U.S., although it might take several years before it's widespread. A number of companies are looking to capitalize on the planned expansion. The companies best positioned to take advantage of the 5G growth include Ericsson, Nokia, and Qualcomm. Notably, 5G promises vast improvements in speed, responsiveness, and scale to support all kinds of bandwidth-hungry applications and technologies. Mobile operators expect to deliver 5G mobile download speeds in the gigabits-per-second range, around 50 times faster than existing 4G LTE technology. Aside from raw speed, perhaps the most transformative feature of 5G technology is its ability to accommodate the tens of billions of connected devices, smart objects, and embedded sensors expected to come online in the coming years as the Internet of Things (IoT) becomes a reality. Mobile operators, equipment companies, and industry analysts agree that the first mobile 5G networks are expected no earlier than 2019, with a commercial roll-out in 2020 or later. While the wide-scale deployment of mobile 5G is a few years away, a number of companies are vigorously engaged in the development and testing of 5G equipment to participate in the eventual build-out of 5G networks around the world. 1. Ericsson (ERIC) Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) is a Swedish telecommunication equipment and services company with a market capitalization of $25 billion. The company operates at the forefront of 5G hardware development, participating in field trials and research programs with mobile operators around the world, including Verizon, AT&T (T), China Mobile (CHL), and South Korea's SK Telecom Company Ltd. (SKM), among many others. Ericsson's 5G radio prototype, which provides 5G wireless network access, has been widely deployed for real-world testing in the U.S., South Korea, Japan, and Sweden. These prototypes incorporate a bundle of cutting-edge technologies, including new antenna and receiver technology, to bring the promise of 5G to reality. Ericsson's development of 5G technology also informs ongoing advancements in its 4G LTE equipment business. 2. Nokia (NOK) Nokia Corporation (NOK) is a Finnish telecommunications equipment and data networking company with a market capitalization of $18.5 billion. Like Ericsson, Nokia has entered advanced testing phases on new 5G radio access products for eventual deployment by mobile operators around the world. It has ongoing collaborative research and testing programs with Verizon, China Mobile, SK Telecom, Japan's NTT Docomo Inc. (DCM), and Deutsche Telekom AG (DTEGY), among others. Nokia expects a full 5G rollout in the following years. In early 2016, Nokia acquired a 91.8% ownership stake in Alcatel Lucent S.A. (ALU.PA), a French telecommunications equipment company with its own advanced 5G development program. Nokia could use the acquisition in its 5G development plans. 3. Qualcomm (QCOM) Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) develops and commercializes wireless communication technologies, including the 3G CDMA standard and the 4G LTE standard. In addition to licensing intellectual property associated with these technologies, the company also develops and produces software and integrated circuits (chipsets), which are used in wireless network equipment and mobile devices. In the near term, Qualcomm is pursuing a parallel development strategy covering 4G, 5G, and Wi-Fi technology to support multimode mobile devices that can jump between networks seamlessly as 5G network capabilities are phased in over time. The company is closely involved with the development of 5G industry standards and has produced technological innovations in millimeter wave technology, antenna technology and other technical areas of 5G development. Qualcomm is based in California and has a market capitalization of $81 billion. Investors looking for greater diversification or trying to tap into fast-growing parts of the world may have considered emerging-market economies, such as Brazil, Russia, India, or China. Of those, Russia is certainly the largest in terms of landmass, but it ranks only 11th in terms of worldwide gross domestic product (GDP)well behind China (second) and India (sixth), and just ahead of Brazil (12th). While the U.S. ranks as the world's largest economy with a GDP of $23 trillion, Russia's nominal GDP comes in at $1.78 trillion. Key Takeaways Russia's GDP is primarily made up of three sectorsagriculture, industry, and service. The agricultural sector makes up about 5.6% of GDP, while industry and services comprise 26.6% and 67.8%, respectively. In 2021, Russia experienced its best GDP growth since 2008, posting a 4.7% growth rate. For 2022, the expected GDP growth rate is -6%. For 2022, the expected GDP growth rate is -6%. In February 2022, the U.S. and other countries imposed new sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Russia: Then and Now The initial transition period for Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 was tough, as it inherited a devastated industry and agricultural sector along with a formerly centrally planned economy. The regime introduced multiple reforms that made the economy more open, but a high concentration of wealth still continued. Russias economic growth rate remained negative during most of the 1990s, before the start of the subsequent golden decade. From 1999 to 2008, Russia's GDP grew by at least 4.7% each year. This expansion made Russia one the fastest-growing economies. This growth, however, was mostly driven by the boom in commodity prices, notably oil. The Russian economy got a jolt as oil prices dippedtriggered by the 2008-09 global financial crisisexposing Russias dependence on oil. The economy gradually recovered as oil prices stabilized. The Russian economy then grew at a decent pace for 2011 and 2012, but structural issues started to emerge that caused a slowdown during 2013. The next couple of years brought a continued slowdown as the country faced multiple issues including falling oil prices, geopolitical pressures, and sanctions by the West due to its invasion of Ukraine. Its GDP fell 2% in 2015. Russia's GDP managed to grow in each year from 2016 to 2018, before tapering off and falling 2.7% in 2020. In 2021, Russia saw the best GDP growth since 2008, posting a 4.7% growth rate. For 2022, however, the expected GDP growth rate is -6%. In February 2022, Russia once again invaded Ukraine. On Feb. 22, 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden announced sanctions against Russia in response to its military aggression against Ukraine, including the advancement of Russian troops into two separatist regions of eastern Ukraine. The administration noted this is the "first tranche of sanctions that go far beyond [the previous invasion of Ukraine in] 2014, in coordination with allies and partners in the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and Australia." The sanctions are mostly economic and include blocking two state-owned Russian financial institutionsVnesheconombank and Promsvyazbank and their subsidiaries, which provide financing to the Russian military, from accessing the U.S. financial system. Other sanctions include the U.S. Treasury prohibiting the purchase of new Russian sovereign debt and banning U.S. companies and individuals from buying sovereign debt in the secondary market. Five Russian elites and their families have also been targeted. Russia's GDP Composition Russias GDP is largely made up of three broad sectors: a small agricultural sector that contributes about 5.6% to GDP, followed industry and service, which contribute 26.6% and 67.8%, respectively. Agricultural Harsh weather and tough geographic conditions make cultivation of land arduous and restricted to a few small areas of the nation. This is one of the main reasons behind the minimal role of the agricultural sector in Russias economy. The country's agrarian sector is characterized by the coexistence of both the formal sector, represented by large producers for commercial purposes, and the informal sector, where small landholders produce for self-sustenance. The sector includes forestry, hunting, and fishing, as well as cultivation of crops and livestock production. Despite being a large exporter of certain food items, Russia is a net importer of agriculture and food. Other than the non-availability or shortage of certain food products domestically, a few factors explain Russias rising food imports. One is higher inflation in Russia vis-a-vis its trading partners, which makes foreign imports more price-competitive. The second reason is its sound economic progress, especially from 2000 to 2008. This boom period led to income growth, further pushing up consumer demand for food, which was met by imports. In 2014, in response to the West's food embargoes, the Russian government banned certain food categories for import including dairy, meat, and produce from several countries such as the U.S. and those of the European Union, which significantly cut Russia's share of food imports. Industry The contribution of Russias industry sector to its GDP has remained more or less stable, averaging about around 30% over the last decade. For context, the U.S. only generates about 18% of its GDP from industry. Industry comprises mining, manufacturing, construction, electricity, water, and gas. Russia has an array of natural resources, with a prominence of oil and natural gas, timber, deposits of tungsten, iron, diamonds, gold, platinum, tin, copper, and titanium. Major industries in Russia have capitalized on the country's natural resources. One of the prominent industries is machine building, which suffered heavily after the disintegration of the Soviet Union as there was a severe shortage of capital. This business re-emerged with time and is the leading provider of machinery and equipment to the other industries in the economy. By order of importance, the fuel and energy complex (FEC) is one of the most crucial industries for the Russian economy. While post-Soviet Russia ostensibly enjoys a market economy, its leaders have deemed its dominant energy sector too crucial to leave to the caprices of independent buyers and sellers. The idea of energy extraction and refinement being open to private enterprise, something more common in the U.S., is not commonplace in Russia. Oil, natural gas, electricity, and more are under de facto control of the federal government. The FEC comprises the mining and production of energy resources, processing, delivery, and consumption of all types of energy. The FEC complex not only supports multiple sectors in the economy, but its products are also Russia's main exports. The country is the third-largest oil producer in the world, behind the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. The nation accounted for 11% of the total world oil production. Service Sector The service sector currently comprises over 56% of the country's GDP and employs the most people in the countrymore than 67% of the population. The key segments of the Russian service sector of late are hotel and catering services, construction, culture and entertainment and trade. It is often pointed out that as the crisis that accompanied the fall of the Soviet Union devastated agriculture and industry, it gave services a chance to accelerate. What Are the Main Parts of Russia's Economy? Russia's GDP is mainly composed of three sectorsagriculture, industry, and service. Agriculture contributes about 5.6% to GDP, followed industry and service, which contribute 26.6% and 67.8%, respectively. How Does Russia Rank in World Gross Domestic Product (GDP)? Russia stands 11th in terms of global GDPwell behind China (second) and India (sixth), and just ahead of Brazil (12th) among large emerging-market economies. What Is Russia's Biggest Industry? Russia has a heavy dependence on producing fuel and energy. The country's so-called fuel and energy complex comprises the mining and production of energy resources, processing, delivery, and consumption of all types of energy. Those enterprises support multiple sectors in the economy, and its products are Russia's main exports. The Bottom Line Russia will likely need to further diversify to establish a more balanced economy that is less susceptible to commodity price moves. Focusing on its manufacturing and service sectors may help achieve more sustainable long-term growth. Although the GDP composition reflects the growing importance of services, it is oil exports that drive most of its economy. What Is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)? A certified public accountant (CPA) is a designation provided to licensed accounting professionals. The CPA license is provided by the Board of Accountancy for each state. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) provides resources on obtaining the license. The CPA designation helps enforce professional standards in the accounting industry. Other countries have certifications equivalent to the CPA designation, notably, the chartered accountant (CA) designation. Key Takeaways The certified public accountant (CPA) is a professional designation given to qualified accountants. To become a CPA, you must pass a rigorous exam, known as the Uniform CPA Exam. Certified public accountants must meet education, work, and examination requirementsincluding holding a bachelors degree in business administration, finance, or accounting, and completing 150 hours of education. Other requirements for the CPA designation include having two or more years of public accounting. CPAs generally hold various positions in public and corporate accounting, as well as executive positions, such as the controller or chief financial officer (CFO). Understanding a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Not all accountants are CPAs. Those who earn the CPA credential distinguish themselves by signaling dedication, knowledge, and skill. CPAs are involved with accounting tasks such as producing reports that accurately reflect the business dealings of the companies and individuals for which they work. They are also involved in tax reporting and filing for both individuals and businesses. A CPA can help people and companies choose the best course of action in terms of minimizing taxes and maximizing profitability. Obtaining the certified public accountant (CPA) designation requires a bachelors degree in business administration, finance, or accounting. Individuals are also required to complete 150 hours of education and have no fewer than two years of public accounting experience. To receive the CPA designation, a candidate also must pass the Uniform CPA Exam. Additionally, keeping the CPA designation requires completing a specific number of continuing education hours yearly. The CPA Exam The CPA exam has 276 multiple-choice questions, 28 task-based simulations, and three writing portions. These are divided into four main sections: Auditing and Attestation (AUD) Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) Regulation (REG) Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) Multiple-choice questions count for 50% of the total score and tasked-based simulations count for the other 50%. You must score at least 75% to pass each section. Candidates have four hours to complete each section, with a total exam time of 16 hours. Each section is taken individually, and candidates can choose the order in which they take them. Candidates must pass all four sections of the exam within 18 months. The beginning of the 18-month time frame varies by jurisdiction. The CPA designation is specific to the country in which the exam is taken, though it is a well-known program that is offered in many countries around the world. International equivalency exams are also offered so that CPAs can work in countries other than the one in which they were certified. CPA Career Paths CPAs have a wide range of career options available, either in public accounting (that is, working for an accounting firm) or corporate accounting (working inside a company), or in government service. Individuals with the CPA designation can also move into executive positions such as controllers or chief financial officers (CFOs). Those earning the CPA generally end up as an accountant of some sort. That is, they put together, maintain, and review financial statements and related transactions for companies. Many CPAs file tax forms or returns for individuals and businesses. CPAs can perform and sign off on audits. Though known for their role in income tax preparation, CPAs can specialize in many other areas, such as auditing, bookkeeping, forensic accounting, managerial accounting, and even aspects of information technology (IT). The CPA designation isnt required to work in corporate accounting or for private companies. However, public accountantswhich are individuals working for a firm, such as Deloitte or Ernst & Young, that provides accounting and tax-related services to businessesmust hold a CPA designation. CPA Ethics Certified public accountants are subject to a code of ethics. The AICPA requires that all CPA designation holders adhere to the Code of Professional Conduct, which lays out the ethical standards CPAs must adhere to. The Enron scandal is an example of CPAs not adhering to such a code. Arthur Andersen company executives and CPAs were charged with illegal and unethical accounting practices. Federal and state laws require CPAs to maintain independence when performing audits and reviews. While consulting at Enron, Arthur Andersen CPAs did not maintain independence and performed both consulting services and auditing services, which violates the CPA code of ethics. The CPA designation has become more important after the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002, which was passed partly in response to corporate financial scandals like the Enron affair. To give yourself the best chance possible when taking the exam, taking one of the best CPA prep courses might be worth considering. History of the CPA Designation In 1887, 31 accountants created the American Association of Public Accountants (AAPA) to define moral standards for the accounting industry and U.S. auditing standards for local, state, and federal governments, private companies, and nonprofits. Renamed several times over the years, the organization has been known as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) since 1957. The first CPAs received licenses in 1896. In 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) required all publicly traded companies to file periodic financial reports endorsed by members of the accounting industry. The AICPA established accounting standards until 1973 when the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) was launched to set standards for private companies. The accounting industry thrived in the late 1990s due to large accounting firms expanding their services to include various forms of consulting. The Enron scandal in 2001 resulted in major changes in the accounting industry, including the fact that Arthur Andersen, one of the nations top accounting firms, went out of business. Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which was passed in 2002, accountants were subject to tougher restrictions about their consulting assignments. What Are the Responsibilities of a CPA? Depending on their particular role, a CPA may be involved in one or more aspects of the accounting profession. CPAs can specialize in areas like forensic accounting, personal financial planning, and taxation. In addition, CPAs must complete continuing education requirements and uphold a standard of ethics. What Can CPAs Do that Accountants Cannot? CPA is a credential earned by accountants. As such, CPAs are often accountants that perform the same duties and functions as an accountant without the designation. CPAs, however, are granted certain roles that only they can perform. These include performing audits of public U.S. companies and preparing audited financial statements for a company, such as a balance sheet or an income statement. Which Is Better: an MBA or CPA? The MBA is an academic masters degree in business administration. If you are interested in starting or running a business, the MBA is a comprehensive degree that may be better for you. The CPA is a professional designation earned by accountants. If you are a "numbers person" or interested only in the accounting profession, the CPA may be better for you. SYRACUSE | The Onondaga County Legislature is slated next week to consider a proposal to spend $750,000 this year to combat the county's emerald ash borer infestation as it implements the first year of a 10-year plan to battle the invasive species. Sixth District Legislator Michael Plochocki, who also chairs the Environmental Protection Committee, said the plan involves proactively cutting down ash trees in drop zones areas in which trees could feasibly hit something or someone if they fell on county-owned property. The effort to stop the infestation from spreading comes after the county spent two years taking inventory of its ash trees a period in which the infestation was first discovered and one year developing the action plan. Plochocki noted the county's Office of Environment initially proposed allocating between $13 million and $16 million over 10 years to fight the invasive species. Legislators, however, decided to approve the spending on a year-by-year basis rather than allocating the total amount all at one time. Originally, Plochocki said the committee unanimously adopted a resolution at its Jan. 20 meeting to authorize spending $1,019,000 toward the county's ash tree management program. But, because the measure involves a significant amount of spending, it also had to go before the Ways and Means Committee. That committee, Plochocki said, adopted an amended resolution in a 5-2 vote lowering the expended amount by 25 percent to around $750,000. That measure will go before the full legislature at its Feb. 2 meeting for final approval. The Marcellus Republican said the basis for the county's plan, which he noted received recognition from the state Department of Environmental Conservation as the model for other counties, comes from the advice of officials in the Midwest who have dealt with emerald ash borer for several years. The ash trees literally start falling. It's not merely a situation where the trees die and stay standing a long time, Plochocki said, noting the infestation hits its peak after about seven years. The Midwest is really imploring us to do everything we can to get ahead of it. Under the terms of the plan, he said, the Office of Environment will request a certain amount of funding toward fighting emerald ash borer from the legislators each year, and the legislators will then consider the request based upon the situation and results. The hope of his colleagues, Plochocki said, is that something may change over the course of the 10 years that could change how the county implements its plan such as the introduction of a pest that could contain emerald ash borer or a serum that could be used to inoculate the trees. We're not necessarily expecting any changes of how this occurs in the Midwest, but you never know, Plochocki said. Essentially, there is theoretically potential that various things could happen. He said he had hoped to adopt the plan all at once and amend it as needed, noting that it was recognized by the New York state DEC for a reason, but also said he is happy to move forward with it and start tackling emerald ash borer MEETING NOTES The committee adopted a resolution calling a public hearing in connection with proposed sewer separation improvements for the county Sanitary District to help the county comply with requirements related to the Onondaga Lake cleanup. Plochocki said the committee will discuss the issue further at next month's committee meeting. The committee heard the quarterly Amended Consent Judgement report related to the Onondaga Lake cleanup. The committee confirmed the reappointments of Legislators David Knapp and Derek Shepard Jr. to the county Soil and Water Conservation District Board. This tale of a Dublin pub owner, who allows her drunk, broke customers to drink now and pay later, helps explain what led to the collapse of the economy. Mary is the proprietor of a bar in Dublin. She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem, she comes up with a new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans). Word gets around about Mary's "drink now, pay later" marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Mary's bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in Dublin. By providing her customers' freedom from immediate payment demands, Mary gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Consequently, Mary's gross sales volume increases massively. A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets and increases Mary's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for any undue concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral. At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert traders figure a way to make huge commissions, and transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then bundled and traded on international security markets. Naive investors don't really understand that the securities being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of unemployed alcoholics. Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb, and the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation's leading brokerage houses. One day, even though the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Mary's bar. He so informs Mary. Mary then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed alcoholics they cannot pay back their drinking debts.Since, Mary cannot fulfill her loan obligations she is forced into bankruptcy. The bar closes and the eleven employees lose their jobs. Overnight, DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS drop in price by 90%. The collapsed bond asset value destroys the banks liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity in the community. The suppliers of Mary's bar had granted her generous payment extensions and had invested their firms' pension funds in the various BOND securities. They find they are now faced with having to write off her bad debt and with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the bonds. Her wine supplier also claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 150 workers. Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses and their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi-billion euro no-strings attached cash infusion from their cronies in Government. The funds required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed, middle-class, non-drinkers who have never been in Mary's bar. H/T: c.tickld.com Have you ever seen anything quite like this before? Unusual rainbow-colored clouds brightened up the skies over the Dublin and Belfast areas on February 1, 2016, ahead of Storm Henrys 80mph winds. This great display in the heavens, spotted on St. Brigids Day morning, was also seen in parts of Britain but are rarely seen quite so far south. The amazing clouds, technically called polar stratospheric clouds or nacreous clouds usually occur at high latitudes, in places like Scandinavia, Iceland, Alaska and Northern Canada. The clouds, displaying the pastel colors of the rainbow, are formed high in the atmosphere, at heights of up 9 to 15 miles. The colors are created as crystals are formed at temperatures of around -121F. The clouds are normally associated with high winds. Enter Storm Henry. Reason for Nacreos clouds in Dublin today: Polar vortex displaced from North Pole where such clouds normally occur pic.twitter.com/llOXUZT49y Mark Dunphy (@Mark_Dunphy) February 1, 2016 Ireland is already being battered by the storm, which is expected to bring gusts of up to 85mph on Monday evening. Irelands metrological service, Met Eireann, has released three weather warnings for Monday night. In the southwest of Ireland, winds of between 40 and 50mph are expected with gusts of between 70 and 80mph. Winds will at their strongest along the coast and a Status Orange warning has been issued for counties Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry, and Limerick. A Status Yellow wind warning has been issued for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Tipperary, and Waterford. A Status Orange gale warning has also been issued for all coastal waters and the Irish Sea, with winds expected to reach Storm Force 10 on coasts from Erris Head to Malin Head to Fair Head. Check out the force of nature at work in this video (that could mean the man prancing or the wind) as Storm Henry batters the Atlantic coast: * Originally published in February 2016 With the onset of St. Patricks Day every year comes the debate about the best ways in which to celebrate and, to a certain degree, the role that alcohol plays in many peoples St. Patricks Day festivities. Each year, students in the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, hold a giant celebration in honor of St. Patrick, the Blarney Blowout, which is essentially a day full of huddling in a big group, egging each other to drink a lot and plastering yourself in as much green and tacky paraphernalia as possible. In 2014, the Blarney Blowout went to extremes, with 55 students arrested and tear gas released on the 22,000 students in attendance, resulting in big costs for UMass in 2015 to ensure it would not reach the same levels again. Last year, it is reported that University of Massachusetts Amherst spent $500,000 on an alternate concert to rival the normal day of drinking and increased police and ambulance presence to keep things under control. Although confrontations between police and students were minimal, there were still nine arrests. Tired of drunken antics and hoping to counteract the bad publicity created for St. Patricks Day by the Blarney Blowout, a group of Amherst residents with Irish roots took it upon themselves to create a more positive celebration of their Irish traditions, focusing instead on the feast day of the second of Irelands patron saints, St. Brigid, on February 1. On February 1, 2015 the Amherst Irish Association was officially born and they will return this year to once again mark their own Irish Heritage Day with the Feast of St. Brigid. "All these images on televisions about UMass and the Irish. All these kids walking around in green indicating it's about Ireland It's not about Ireland at all. We didn't want that association to stay in everyone's mind," said retired Amherst Fire captain Tim Goodhind, who helped create the association. In lieu of the drunk Irish stereotype, the Amherst Irish Association aims to line up sponsored programs over a month before the Blarney Blowout begins, offering people the chance to learn the Irish language and to interact with their own Irish roots and history. The purpose of the Association is to promote the understanding and appreciation of Irish culture, history, language and politics here in the Pioneer Valley, The Association said. February 1st, Brigids Day/La le Brid, we recognize our Celtic origins, the name most associated with Irish domestic servants in America and Irelands first native saint. Today on their special day of Irish celebration, they will indulge in just one of the events lined up for Spring 2016 that will look not just at Ireland as it was but engage in the changes in Ireland today. The series of lectures concerns the Irish language, Irish women, the origins of the Anglo-Normans, the recent marriage equality vote in Ireland and the beginning steps to take in tracing your Irish ancestors. Read more: In keeping with the Easter Rising centenary celebrations there will also be a special screening of the Mise Eire film "The 1916 Rising" to coincide with the 100-year anniversary. Celebrating Ireland on St. Brigids Day instead is also a great excuse to pay homage to Irelands first native and only female saint, who doesnt normally receive the same amount of attention as her male counterpart despite her remarkable story and the wealth of history and tradition associated with her. From making St. Brigids crosses to honoring one of Irelands greatest feminist figures (not always something you can say when talking about a person associated with the Catholic Church), if youd like more information on the Association or on how to become a member you can visit http://amherstirish.org/. Is it time to place less emphasis on St. Patricks Day so as to put an end to day-long drinking sessions or is it all just part of the fun? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. I am just about to alienate myself from every person I have ever considered a friend.... You're not an episode of Coronation Street. Stop posting things that are completely designed to seek attention! 2. Posting a status wishing their dad a happy Father's Day even though he's not on Facebook I'm sure he's a lovely man but one else care's how great your Dad is! 3. Wishing friends happy birthday when you've already said it to them in real life! This on its own proves that if there is a God then you can hardly called his creation of mankind 'intelligent' design. 4. Students posting statuses complaining about having to study I don't care how long you've been in the library today, nor do I want to know how many coffees you've had. I'm perfectly capable of knowing what the weather's like outside, and if I wanted to hear about what you now know on Greek and Roman Civilisation I would have taken the module! It's two weeks of work a semester so suck it up! 5. Those children of Satan that invite you to play Candy Crush or Bubble Safari This is what I'm going to do to you... 6. People who are constantly posting links to stuff they've written I'll get my coat... * Originally published in 2014. A legal expert says the former head of Anglo Irish Bank, David Drumm, is not looking for a lot in terms of bail conditions, to return to Ireland. Larry Donnelly a law lecturer from NUI Galway was reacting to news that David Drumm has written to the Director for Public Prosecutions confirming that he will come home to stand trial here, if certain bail conditions are met. The head of the Dail's Public Accounts Committee, John McGuinness, has said the HSE has been incompetent in terms of how it has dealt with a foster home, at the centre of sexual abuse concerns. It has emerged another vulnerable adult, who was privately placed in the home in the south-east, was not removed until 2013. Aldi social media campaign hijacked Aldi Australia has discovered the danger in asking social media followers to fill in the blank when a Twitter post was hijacked last Friday. Asking followers to fill in the blank to the question I became an ALDI lover when I tasted ______ for the first time, the supermarket quickly received some undesirable responses. Comments ranged from ones of a sexual nature to others already recognising the trouble the Tweet may cause the supermarket. One tweet for example said @ALDIAustralia when I tasted social media failure. The original tweet has since been removed. The same post still remains on Aldi Australias Facebook page where it received a much warmer reception. When contacted in regards to this story, Aldi Australia told Australian Food News that it had no comment. Addressing the annual conference of industry representative body, CUDA, over the weekend, the Central Banks registrar of credit unions Anne Marie McKiernan said her department will continue to support restructuring within the sector even after the conclusion of the credit union restructuring boards (ReBo) mandate at the end of March. ReBos last progress report, issued in October, showed that just over half of the credit unions in Ireland have engaged with the board since its inception in 2012. The restructuring of the sector could see the total number of unions fall from 425 in 2006 to 300 by the end of this year. We are now seeing more mid-sized credit unions assessing merger opportunities and while some proposed link-ups present special challenges, it is clear that restructuring has become widely embraced by credit unions as a strategic opportunity, Ms McKiernan said at the weekend. However, she also voiced concern over the slow pace seen to-date in the aftermath of restructuring and mergers. Has the restructuring undertaken, to date, delivered the cost savings and efficiencies which put the sector in the best position to deal with its structural challenges? Clearly, many mergers are still in the bedding-in period, but nonetheless we would have concerns aat the limited benefits becoming visible as of yet regarding cost efficiencies, service development and membership growth. Regarding the financial position of credit unions, Ms McKiernan said: It is fair to say that the picture is one of improvement in some areas and continuing concerns in others. She urged all those involved in restructuring to keep focused on using the process to help their credit unions to drive for financial and operational efficiencies and to use those efficiencies, and the broader capabilities of merged entities, to continue to attract younger active members and to facilitate business model development. Airport hotel is perfect place to stay The ambitious team at Cork International Hotel might accept that perfection is an unattainable goal, but they dont accept it of excellence. The hotels 90 or so staff, based in the Cork Airport Business Park, operate on a motto of passionately pursuing perfection in the knowledge that they can never attain it. In falling short, however, excellence is attained and from that level of service comes customer satisfaction; the Holy Grail of any business in the hospitality sector. Radio presenter Anton Savage presenting Carmel Lonergan, Avril Ring, and Aaron Mansworth with the Hotel Bar of the Year Award for The Cork International Hotels New Yorker Bar. TripAdvisor lists the Cork International Hotel as top of the pile of hotels, with a 95% guest satisfaction rating. Such a strong reputation takes hard work and its staff have had to build that name over a period of turmoil in the Irish economy. In business since 2007, the 145-bedroom, four-star hotel has come through the harsh recession, which began in 2008 when the hotel was getting off the ground. Recent years have provided breathing space to invest in the business and ensure its facilities are up to scratch, as the service economy strengthens. Attracting top events requires best-in-class facilities. A ballroom refurbishment was completed in 2014 and its conference rooms are due to be updated this year. With sales growth of 20% between 2013 and 2015, that investment is paying off. Being among the finalists of this years Cork Company of the Year awards is a sign to Mr Mansworth that the hotels way of doing business is yielding results. The team here, at the Cork International Hotel, are very humbled and honoured that we have been selected as a finalist in the special award category: Excellence in Customer Engagement (Retail and Hospitality) for the Cork Company of the Year awards. There is a fantastic sense of pride and satisfaction that our belief of passionate in the pursuit of perfection in everything we do is being recognised. We believe that this is our most unique selling point and all aspects of our business, including sales, customer care and product development follows this belief. Its all credit to our wonderful and dedicated team, who live and breathe our motto of guest on arrival, friend on departure. We would like to thank Conor, and all the team at the Cork Chamber of Commerce, for this opportunity, says general manager, Aaron Mansworth. River Lee Hotel in rude health Perched on the banks of the river and within a stones throw of the citys university and main shopping area, The River Lee Hotel has a lot going for it. The deluxe four-star hotel situated on Western Road is one of the areas most eye-catching landmarks travelling either to or from the city centre. The business has positioned itself as a smart urban hotel capable of catering for any of the multiple needs of its loyal customers. Its 182 rooms offer an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city while its dedicated suite of meeting rooms for up to 110 delegates allow it to take a significant slice of corporate business that flows into the city each year. Special occasions have a home in the hotel too with the highly popular Weir Rooms and Terrace on The Weir providing more than enough space to cater for events of all sorts. Management has invested heavily in improving those offerings and guests general experience of the hotel in the past year too. In the past year, the hotel has invested more than 2m in the service it provides, enhancing its food and drink offering with the addition of a terrace and transforming its meeting room space to facilitate the high expectations of its corporate and business clients. Building a better hotel is only half the battle though; selling it represents the other half. The River Lee Hotel has embarked on an extensive sales and marketing campaign to promote the hotel as well as the city itself across the US, UK, Europe and newer markets such as China and South America. With Corks top ranking on TripAdvisor under its belt, its clearly a strategy thats delivering results. It is a great honour to be a finalist in the inaugural special award category of excellence in customer engagement at the Cork Chamber Company of the Year awards. To be acknowledged in this way by the leading organisations for business in Cork ratifies our belief that our role in Cork is that of a partner to the business, and indeed wider, community. My colleagues and I strive every day to reflect the genuine warmth and welcome that stems from being a much-loved Irish family and local business, said River Lee Hotel general manager, Ruairi OConnor. Fota in the frame for success after large-scale investment The magnificent Fota Wildlife Park, Corks largest visitor attraction, came out swinging during the crippling recession that began in 2008. In the midst of the downturn, management at the sprawling, 100-acre wildlife park invested heavily to maintain its success. Keeping its core values of conservation, education and research, the non-profit organisation invested in improving its visitor experience. The first phase was improving its facilities with a new entrance plaza and education centre. The second phase added new animal enclosures, including for tigers, and a tropical house. Then, last summer, one of the parks biggest-ever additions arrived, in the shape of Jamil, the male rhino, the first of his kind to call Fota home. The arrival of the two-and-a-half year old Indian Rhino, which weighed more than a tonne, marked the culmination of much hard work by Fotas staff in bringing the rhino enclosure to fruition. The park has spent a remarkable 9.7m on large investment projects in the park since 2010. That investment has, in turn, led to an increase in attendances of 25%, from 344,000 visitors in 2009 to 450,000 in 2015. Clearly, the research, which showed that visitors wanted to see more of the larger, iconic species, like tigers and rhinos, has paid dividends. Further proof of the strategys success was that records have been repeatedly surpassed over the past two years. Both 2014 and 2015 were record years for visitor numbers. The park had its busiest ever day in April of last year, when 6,700 visitors passed through their gates, while August, 2015, was a record month, with just shy of 100,000 guests enjoying all the longstanding park has to offer. As an organisation that has been built on the support of the people, we are delighted to be a finalist in Cork Chamber Company of the Year awards. It acknowledges the great work our team at Fota Wildlife Park do all year-round, especially, and how they have helped build a community of loyal customers who visit us year after year, said Fota Wildlife Park director, Sean McKeown. Its staff of 80 full- and part-time workers, during the busier summer months, have been key to sustaining the organisation, which was set up by University College Cork and the Zoological Society of Ireland in 1983. To have thrived as a self-financing entity that relies on gate receipts and membership fees for its income, over the past 30 years, is a significant achievement. After reinvesting so heavily in its product over the past number of years, the chances of that success continuing into the future look as strong as ever. Over Christmas we started watching House, the US medical drama. House was a bit different. It tended to be the same storyline repeated from episode to episode. The recurring moral of the series was that if you dont diagnose the underlying illness correctly you are going to end up only treating the superficial symptoms and the patient wont recover. Which is a bit like the Banking Inquiry Report. One of the first criticisms made in the Report was that the almost universal theory of a soft landing was accepted without any substantial test or challenge. The criticism implies that had a test been carried out and evidence provided that a soft landing was likely, there would have been no cause for concern. Indeed, much of the evidence from bankers was predicated on the belief in a soft landing. The problem is that as soon as you start following this line of reasoning you have turned from being a banker/regulator into being a punter. A banking system should never be in a position where the ranch has been bet on any type of landing no matter how strong the evidence. The flaw wasnt the failure to carry out a test. If you get as far as quibbling about carrying out a test you are already lost. The flaw was in a failure to properly diagnose the underlying condition that caused the banking system to be exposed in this manner in the first place. Unfortunately when you read the Banking section of the report there is an absence of any technical analysis of this nature. If you ask of every recommendation: what difference would that have made? the answer is invariable none. Many of the recommendations are a repackaging of existing best practice. Many bank boards had directors with excellent financial skills and experience. Management information systems, particularly on credit, were state-of-the-art. In most banks, the risk function is represented by a senior independent position in the management structure with direct access to the chairman and board. In most banks, the new product approval process involves approval by risk functions. The bank asset and liability committee (ALCO) regularly reviews mismatches between liabilities and assets and the output of ALCO deliberations would be included in board reports. Bank Internal Auditors spend their professional lives focussing on the areas of highest business risk, including loan concentration, capital and liquidity risks and the management of the organisation. Internal audit has always been subject to regular reviews to ensure that it conforms to best practice. The closest direct comparison of what standard of inquiry recommendations we should expect is the Vickers 2011 Report in the UK. British banks had distinctly different problems than Irish banks, centering on exposures in their capital markets divisions. Consequently, Vickers recommended that British banks should be forced to ring-fence their high street businesses from their investment banking arms. The Vickers committee specifically say that had their recommendations been in place before 2007 they would have helped prevent the run on Northern Rock and the fallout from the collapse of Lehmans which led to the 2008 crash. At its core, the Irish banking crash was caused by a wholesale breakdown in the internal control system. One of the more telling findings from the 2011 Nyberg report was that regulatory sector credit limits were exceeded by large margins and that insistence on observing these limits in itself would have reduced the Irish banks exposure to the property market by some 62bn. One would have expected the Committee to address in some detail why the control systems around breaches of sector limits did not work and to suggest some improvements. For example, one simple suggestion would be that whenever a limit is breached in excess of a particular threshold for a particular period of time, then a bank should be obligated to disclose this breach publicly. An extension of the Comply or Explain principle. One of the founding fathers of the EU, Jean Monnet used to say that people will accept change if they see the necessity for it, however they will only see the necessity for it when there is a crisis. In Ireland we have had the crisis and people accept the necessity for change. There is just one problem, if the recommendations of the Banking Inquiry are anything to go by, there will be no change of any meaningful substance. Eugene McErlean is an expert on banking and corporate governance. Backed by 4.2m in EU funding, Cork company PMD Solutions is preparing to go global with an innovative new breathing monitor which alerts hospital staff to early signs of respiratory distress. Called RespiraSense, the monitor is described by company CEO and founder, Myles Murray, as the worlds first continuous and accurate discrete sensor that measures the mechanics of respiration. He says that early detection of respiratory rate deterioration means that action can be taken to prevent patients from becoming critical which results in better outcomes for patients, reduced hospital stays and cost savings for hospitals. While there are other breathing monitoring systems on the market, Mr Murray is aiming to establish RespiraSense as the industry standard in the early detection of respiratory compromise. It is more robust and comprehensive than competitors products using traditional methods which are prone to errors caused by patient movement and background noise. The product, which started out as his final year college project in 2011, has recently been allocated 4.2m in 2020 SME Horizon funding to be used for commercialisation and scaling up. Targeting a global market which is expected to be worth 2bn by 2020, Mr Murray expects PMD Solutions to achieve a turnover of at least 20m by 2020. Employing a staff of 10, the company launched on the market in 2015 and RespiraSense is now being used by two hospitals in Ireland, one in Germany and one in Hong Kong. PMD Solutions is also working on two new products; a monitor to detect sleep apnea, which is due for release, later this year, as well as a post hospital discharge monitor, which will be launched next year. In 2016 Mr Murray aims to ramp up sales in Europe with a view to entering both the US and the Chinese markets during 2017. Back in 2011, as he searched for a project for his final year as a mechanical engineering student, Mr Murray got inspiration from Professor Stephen Cusack, head of the Emergency Department at CUH who told him that hospitals were hugely hampered by inability to detect early signs of respiratory distress. The concept for the respiratory monitor won Mr Murray the CIT prize for Innovation, 4,000, and an invitation to participate in the New Frontiers start-up programme at the Rubicon Centre. When I started in 2011 the main aim was to establish feasibility in 2012 the focus was on proving the model and the technology. By 2012 we had a prototype and after that it was all about fundraising. Assisted initially by Cork Local Enterprise Office, PMD Solutions took part in the NDRC accelerator programme in Dublin and became an Enterprise Ireland High Potential Start-Up in 2014. Currently employing a staff of ten, it has raised 950,000 to date. Key steps along the way included the hiring of the first two staff in 2012, securing the European CE mark in 2014 and finding a company, Gentian Services in Clare, to produce the monitoring systems under contract and handle shipping. Early this year PMD Solutions signed with three distributors, one each in Ireland, Germany and Hong Kong which have undertaken to handle the sales, leaving Mr Murray and his team free to concentrate on R&D. We targeted Hong Kong in order to get a foothold in Asia and we chose Germany because it is one of the most progressive markets for healthcare, says Mr Murray. Sales targets for this year include hospitals in Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Japan. In preparation for a launch in the US and China in 2017 Mr Murray is also negotiating a partnership deal with a US multinational. Over the next 18 months PMD Solutions plans to double its staff size to 20. In preparation for this the company plans to leave the Rubicon centre in the next few weeks and move to a larger premises at Bishopstown House on the Model Farm Road. Company: PMD Solutions. Location: Rubicon Centre, Cork CEO: Myles Murray. Staff: 10 Product: Respiration monitors Website: www.pms-solutions.com She seems to be taking her job seriously. In a hard-hitting report, she concluded that the grocery giant deliberately delayed payment to suppliers and, in some cases, paid them less than they were owed, in order to meet financial targets. The ombudsman considered the breaches to be very serious, while highlighting her concern at unilateral deductions from suppliers. She recommended a halt to such deductions to allow time at least 30 days for these to be challenged by the supplier. Significantly, the company was instructed to provide its suppliers with greater transparency. Tesco is by no means unique: one could hazard a guess that pretty well all the large grocers have cracked the whip in their dealings with their many thousands of suppliers. Competition in the grocery world is cut-throat and has become more so with the advent of the German discounters, who have shaken up what was in Ireland a rather cosy market. We can only guess at just how fat were the profit margins enjoyed by the big grocers. Why major commercial players like Tesco, Lidl, or Dunnes, or, for that matter, Vodafone, and other major consumer brands, have not had to disclose separate Irish profit figures beggars belief. Consumers are entitled to know the size of the profit margin extracted by each of the major players. But producers also have a right to be treated with respect and to be provided with certain, minimum guarantees. Such respect is often lacking and it is serving as a major obstacle for businesses in the early stages of expansion. Farmers, too, have found themselves increasingly squeezed. The result is that enterprise at both primary and secondary level is being choked off. There are calls for the establishment of an independent retail ombudsman in Ireland, to act as advocate and investigator, so as to reduce the number of abuses of dominance in the system. The ombudsman should ensure that people bringing complaints are not victimised, for example, by having their products removed from the shelves. The law favours large companies in dominant commercial positions. These firms are able to access the large corporate law firms at will. The State needs to correct this imbalance. Farming organisations have played a role in highlighting allegations of misbehavior in the food sector. The IFA led a large march to the offices of the Competition Authority a couple of years back, following a dawn raid on the IFA offices. At the time, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) president, John Comer, described the authority as brass-necked and partisan. In October, 2013, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine issued a report on the grocery sector, calling for increased equity and transparency in producer-processor relationships. Dunnes Stores declined to appear before the committee. The committee concluded that it is difficult to ascertain who is getting what out of the final consumer price for food in Ireland. It suggested that heavy penalties be applied to firms engaging in illegal practices along the food chain. The Competition Act, 2012, did introduce provision for greater private enforcement of competition law, but little appears to have changed. A recent article issued by lawyers, A & L Goodbody, concluded, however, that due to national procedural obstacles and legal uncertainty, very few victims currently seek or obtain compensation. The law across the EU varies from country to country. The EC has proposed a directive aimed at harmonising the law and assisting both businesses and consumers in bringing claims for losses from anti-competitive behaviour. The old Irish Competition Authority has certainly been active in areas such as merger control, while tackling the problem of cartels and price-fixing, but the suspicion remains that, at least until the arrival of the German discounters, Ireland provided easy pickings for the big players. One can only guess at the extent, due to the limits on the availability of financial information. However, hopes raised back in 1991, when competition laws were enacted, about a new era of enforcement of private rights, have not materialised. The Troika lenders sought to push through an overhaul of competition policy, following the infamous bailout in November, 2010, but one wonders whether their guns were trained in the right direction. Do competition bodies have a problem dealing with customers who find themselves in very strong positions, relative to their suppliers? John Clifford and Sorcha OCarroll, of the Canadian law firm, McMillan LLP, question why Canada merger investigations have typically focused on the exercise of monopoly power in downstream markets, with barely a mention of monopsonies. They concluded that, on the surface, it is easier to get concerned about monopolies that act to transfer wealth from consumer to producer. Powerful monopsonies can argue that cost savings are passed on to the consumer. What politician is going to argue with companies that guarantee low grocery prices? Clifford and OCarroll conclude that overly powerful buying groups ultimately prevent their suppliers from making investments in their business, as confidence and financial resources are lacking. This results in decreased output in the long run. In Ireland, we have organisations like Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland acting to support enterprise creation, yet we have a commercial situation that frustrates such aims. This really does not make sense. The new Competition and Consumer Protection Commission needs to look, again, at how it is allocating its resources in the battle to secure fair play in the commercial arena. This week we profile Monday - Sunday, February 1-6, 1916. TUESDAY FEBRUARY 1, 1916 * GAELIC LEAGUE CORK CITY EXECUTIVE ST PATRICKS DAY. The first meeting of the newly-elected Ard Choiste of the Gaelic League in Cork was held at 3 Marlboro Street on Saturday night...The following were appointed: Chairman, Seoirse MacNiocaill, M.A.; Honorary treasurer, Seamus MacMahuna; Honorary secretary, Liam de Roiste. Messrs Denis OMahony, Town Commissioner, and Edward Sheehan, M.A., were co-opted as members of the Executive, the Chairman remarking that the former had given very great help in connection with the establishment of the traditional singing class at the Municipal School of Music....A deputation was appointed to wait on the Lord Mayor with regard to the celebrations usual to St Patricks Day. Liam de Roiste was a prominent figure in the Irish Volunteers, a close associate of the Cork Brigade commanders Tomas MacCurtain and Terence MacSwiney, and would become a TD for Cork City in the first Dail at the 1918 general election. * HIBERNIA BANK PROSPEROUS YEAR. Dublin, Monday. Mr. John Murphy, Chairman, presided at the half-yearly meeting of the Hibernian Bank. The report showed that...the net profits for the half-year amounted to 23,618... Their gross profits were substantially better than those for the corresponding half of 1914... The past year had, he was glad to say, been a prosperous one for the agricultural and farming interests in Ireland... The directors viewed with confidence the present position and prospects of the bank (applause)... it was decided to pay a dividend at the rate of 6 per cent for the half-year. * KILLARNEY LUNATIC ASYLUM. Dr. Griffin in in his monthly report stated that the male patient who escaped on the 28th ult. was, on information supplied by the police, recaptured by the attendants at a farm at Lisheen, some 16 or 17 miles from here, where he had been working from the morning following his escape. WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 2, 1916 Recently-elected Lord Mayor of Cork, Thomas C. Butterfield was impressed by the work of these boys in the metal shop at the North Monastery schools on the citys northside. THURSDAY FEBRUARY 3, 1916 Irish Parliamentary Party leader John Redmond told an army recruiting meeting in Galway an impression was being created that Irelands exclusion from conscription meant the country was shirking her duty. Such an impression would be a false one, a cruel one, and would be a deadly injury to the future interests of Ireland. Since the commencement of the war, this little island had put a huge Irish army in the field. Up to January 8 last lreland had sent 86,277 men into the army and into the navy 3,466, making a total of 89,743... He honestly believed that if this war ended in the defeat of the Allies THERE WAS IMMINENT DANGER THAT EVERY TENANT FARMER IN IRELAND WOULD BE ROBBED BY THE PRUSSIANS of his ownership of the soil...The position of the tenant farmer who would not fight for the land for his children, and who expected the people of the towns to do the fighting for him was a contemptible position. SATURDAY FEBRUARY 5, 1916 * LIMERICK The Limerick Operatic Society gave an excellent production of Gilbert and Sullivans charming opera, Patience. The public gave it their generous support, two reasons conducing to its popularity the merits of the performers, and the fact the receipts were devoted to supplementing the Fund for Comforts for the Munster Fusiliers. Source: * Irish Examiner digital newspaper archive. Follow the link to see how you can start your own search. Mr Wilson has raised concerns about the decision to prosecute, following his arrest at a protest in Cavan last April. He is expected to stand as an independent candidate for the Cavan-Monaghan constituency in the general election. Austrade seeks more Australian-made foods for exports to Vietnam A growing urban middle-class with increased disposable income and changing consumption patterns is creating new opportunities for Australian exporters in Vietnam, particularly in food and beverages. Vietnam has an estimated population of over 92 million, with nearly 60 per cent aged under 30 and is said to have the fastest growing middle class in the Southeast Asian region. A recent Boston Consulting Group Survey has projected Vietnams middle class to be around 33 million in 2020 with higher disposable incomes and a greater interest in western products and services. Austrades Acting Senior Trade Commissioner for Vietnam, Janelle Casey, said domestic and foreign retailers, as well as food and beverage outlets, require more quality international products to enhance their offerings and to meet local market demand. Vietnamese consumers are increasingly aware of health and wellness issues and are paying greater attention to the quality and safety of foods key factors which are driving change in consumption patterns said Casey. Local restaurants and importers are also keen to access more Australian food and beverage products, as they are highly regarded and viewed by Vietnamese consumers as high quality. Australian food trade show to be held in Vietnam To help Australian exporters access these opportunities and raise the profile of Australian capability a Taste of Australia in Vietnam 2016 trade promotion will be held from 19-22 April. Held in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and AusCham Vietnam, the week-long event in Vietnam is a promotion of premium, safe and high-quality Australian food and beverage products. The event will enable participants to learn about the business opportunities, showcase their products and network with Vietnamese retail outlets, distributors, importers, food service providers and processed food manufacturers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, said Casey. Participants will be also be able to obtain advice and links to help secure a local importer and distribution partner which are essential in Vietnam; especially as direct importation is uncommon. The right partner can also assist with the range of documentation needed from health authorities and customs, added Casey. Vietnam is party to the ASEANAustraliaNew Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) which entered into force on 1 January 2010 and was Australias first multi-country FTA. Casey encouraged exporters to also examine the recent tariff changes to a range of food and beverage exports to Vietnam under AANZFTA which came into effect on 1 January 2016, making the products more competitive. To assist Australian exporters determine the applicable tariff rate for their products, Austrade has developed the AANZFTA tariff finder reference guide. Visit Austrades website to read more about the business opportunities and upcoming events held in Vietnam or contact Austrade on 13 28 78 or email info@austrade.gov.au. The minister signalled that he wants to roll back local government cutbacks and changes introduced by his predecessor Phil Hogan, which he is not happy about. Speaking at Labours conference in Mullingar, the deputy Labour leader addressed concerns about shambolic changes introduced by his predecessor to local government. Carlow councillor Willie Quinn said the hands of local elected representatives were tied. Councillors were more like community workers, he told a session on working people. Rural Ireland was on its knees and changes were needed at a local level, the councillor told the minister. He also warned how council managers were allegedly on six-figure salaries and large pensions. Mr Kelly responded that he believed more decisions needed to be made at local level when it came to local enterprise and housing. Let the councillors say where they want to put houses, how they want to put them, and what type they want. There is an issue in relation to two or three areas. The outgoing minister is currently awaiting a report reviewing local government which he said would be completed soon. He told the Labour meeting: In relation to structures that have already been put in place by my predecessor, whether they are working or not, Ive my own views on that. I wouldnt necessarily be 100% happy with how they are working. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE Minister Hogan had abolished 80 town councils, which some ministers in government have now come to saying was regrettable. Mr Kelly hinted that he would be reversing these cuts. The whole issue of municipal districts where we do need to actually have town council like structures, for large urban centres all of that needs to be looked at again. But underfunded councillors who have vaster areas to cover since town councils were abolished may also see their payments increased, he signalled. We need to look at the balance between CEOs and councillors. Ultimately, at the very end we need to look at the role of councillors. There is an issue of balance. With the municipal districts being so big now, youre almost like a mini-TD in the sense that you have to do so much work, you have to cover so much of an area. The whole role of a councillors and defining the role of a councillor, the remit, needs to be looked at. Mr Kelly afterwards told the Irish Examiner that special changes could be made to PRSI payments made by councillors. The review on local government would address this, added the minister. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE This month, the great and the good of Hollywood will gather for their annual love-in at the Oscars. As always, there will be a lot of attention on the best actor category. Many believe that it is a foregone conclusion, with Leonardo di Caprio deemed a shoo-in for his role as trapper Hugh Glass in The Revenant. Whether diCaprio wins or not, his visceral portrayal has stoked an interest in the man his character is supposedly based on. Glass, who is said to have roamed the great American interior in the early 19th century, is becoming a household name. But what do we actually know about this woolly old mountain man and his exploits? Some Irish newspapers, no doubt emboldened by the unprecedented number of Irish nominations at this years awards, introduced many of their mainly positive reviews and blurbs of The Revenant as a movie about an Irish trapper. But before we go finding the village he was born in and raising a glass to our long-lost Glass in the local pub, its worth examining the facts. And the facts are we know very little about Glasss early life. So far no records have come to light on Glasss birth place and origins, says Clay Landry, historian at The Mountain Man Museum in Pinedale, Wyoming. So there is no real evidence as to his place of birth and rearing. There is a great deal of speculation regarding his life adventures, both at sea and on land. He was supposedly born in the vicinity of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania sometime around 1783, although the exact date and the precise location are unknown. As Landry points out, the only primary source we have relating to Glasss origins dates from 1825, a full 42 years after he was supposedly born. A newspaper article from June of that year headlined Missouri Trapper published in a newspaper called The Port Folio reflected upon the quandary of Glasss origins: Whether old Ireland, or Scotch-Irish Pennsylvania, claims the honour of his nativity, I have not ascertained with precision, wrote its author. The Scotch or Scots Irish were Irish-born or Irish residents that had previous Scots ancestry. A cursory glance at the surname Glass throws up numerous examples in and around the Ulster counties closest to Stranrear. There were, too, many Irishmen at the time whose adventurous spirit took them out into the wilds of the frontier and many names that crop up in stories relating to Glass, are unmistakably Irish. Indeed, one figure who was central to Glasss story is a woodsman by the name of John FitzGerald. During an expedition to find an overland route through the Rocky Mountains, Glass, the hired huntsman, had been sent forward to shoot game for that evenings supper when he stumbled upon a grizzly bear and her two cubs. He was either too slow to react or the bear was far too fast. He was attacked and mauled. His colleagues rushed to his aid and managed to shoot the bear but it was feared it was too late. His condition was far from enviable, wrote one contemporary. He had received several dangerous wounds. His whole body was bruised and mangled. After carrying Glass for two days, the group leader, Major Andrew Henry, decided it was time to move on. The territory was crawling with hostile Indians. He offered a reward of $80 to two men who would stay with Glass. John FitzGerald, put himself forward along with a man of 19. The pair stayed with Glass another five days before taking his musket, most of his personal effects and abandoning him. Glasss will had other designs. Retaining a slight hold upon life, continues the contemporary, [Glass] crawled with great difficulty to a spring which was within a few yards where he lay for 10 days. During this period he subsisted upon cherries that hung over the spring. Acquiring, by slow degrees, a little strength, he now set off for Fort Kiawa, a trading establishment on the Missouri River, 350 miles distant. It required no ordinary portion of fortitude to crawl to the end of such a journey through hostile country without fire arms, with scarcely strength to drag one limb after the other Not everyone believed Glasss tales. After all he had already escaped a pirate ship, an Indian tribe had adopted him, and he would go on to overcome more close shaves, including three poisonous arrows in his back. As with his birth, nobody knows for sure about his death. In a 1839 newspaper article, Edmund Flagg noted that a party of four Erickeraw Indians came to the encampment of a company of hunters on the banks of the Powee River, and on one of these was seen several articles of clothing, which, from their peculiar character were known to have belonged to Glass. The trapper had been missing for months. Flagg concluded by stating Glass was never again heard of. Many believe that the Revival was primarily a celebration of the Irish nation, long before that nation would become a political reality. Playwrights and poets, it is said, attempted to find a deeply buried Irish identity, by recovering ancient myths and legends, by anthologising stories, and producing plays in the Abbey theatre in Dublin. There is value in this position; when one considers the work of Augusta, Lady Gregory, and a young William Butler Yeats, it is impossible not to be reminded of the stories of Fergus, Cu Chulainn, Deirdre, Oisin and Cathleen ni Houlihan (first played by Maud Gonne) that they popularised. But, as important as this celebration of Irish culture was within the Revival, it would be inaccurate to reduce Irish writing at the turn of the 19th century into an amalgam of unquestioning patriotism. The men and women who lived and wrote during the tumultuous decades leading up to the Rising did not just take part in the revival of ancient ways, they demanded a contemporary cultural revolution. These artists were innovators and rebels, working tirelessly to understand what a new Ireland might look like. They challenged the Irish people to envisage a nation that would be able to hold all the inhabitants of the island, irrespective of religion, one that would end the terrible poverty (economic and spiritual) felt under colonialism. The Cultural Revolution was underpinned by a belief that Irish society needed to do more than rebel against the English crown. Playwrights and poets insisted that a new form of community was necessary, one that was reflective and willing to accept change. John Millington Synge was one such voice. Synge was born in 1871 and died, prematurely, in 1909. During his short life, he rejected the conservatism of his own class, the Anglo-Irish, travelled to the Aran Islands to learn Gaeilge, and wrote a play that caused a riot in the Abbey theatre. Though Synge did not live to see the Easter Rising, his work calls attention to the type of society he dreamed would emerge in Ireland. In each of his plays the audience is reminded that it is not enough to win a politically free nation, they also had to think about the type of nation this would be. As Synge highlights, in all his great plays, it is the role of the writer to criticise, as well as celebrate, and to help the audience imagine a better society. The viewer is presented with a typical small community, and into this enclosed world come characters who challenge the accepted way of life, going against the conventional grain. In The Well of the Saints, for example, we are introduced to a blind couple, Mary and Martin Doul. It is immediately clear from their dress that they are poor, living as beggars, out in the harsh elements. Despite their ugly appearance, however, they speak as though they are beautiful and attractive. Early in the play they encounter a Saint and their blindness is cured. This great miracle, however, has unforeseen consequences. When Martin first sees his wife he moans: Your hair and your big eyes, is it? Im telling you there isnt a wisp on any grey mare on the ridge of the world isnt finer than the dirty twist on your head. There isnt two eyes in any starving sow isnt finer than the eyes you were calling blue like the sea. Its a strange and wonderfully comic story that presents a miracle in such a light: where the gift of sight is viewed as a curse. But this makes perfect sense when we understand that Synge is interested in the ways that actual sight can block the imagination, as people fail to see any possibilities beyond the mundane reality. Living in the land of the fully sighted, being forced to exist in desperate drudgery, Martin Doul laments: Im thinking by the mercy of God its few sees anything but them is blind for a space. The play ends with the Douls reclaiming the gift of physical blindness and being rejected by the villagers. Similarly, The Playboy of the Western World, which caused riots at the Abbey in 1907, offers to the community the character of Christy Mahon. This young man brings poetry and garrulous tales of murder and revolution to a quiet Irish community, but, like the Douls, he is rejected when his vision challenges the status quo. He is accepted by the people so long as he limits himself to talking; as soon as action is contemplated the other characters turn on him. At the end of the Playboy, Pegeen Mike, the woman he loved, realises too late that she and her community have rejected a man capable of provoking societal change: Oh, my grief, Ive lost him surely. Ive lost the only Playboy of the Western World. The same instinct for national criticism is offered in the poetry of WB Yeats, where the reader encounters both the Revival and the Revolt, both reinforced by the same resistance to simplistic national celebration. In To a Shade, written in 1913, Yeats imagines the ghost of an Irish hero (Charles Stewart Parnell most likely) returning to his home town, where a monument has been erected in his honour. The poet advises him to have a look around, but not to linger, as the town continues to destroy those who would serve it. This is proved by the fact that a contemporary hero (Hugh Lane perhaps): has been driven from the place, And insult heaped upon him for his pains, And for his open-handedness, disgrace; Your enemy, an old foul mouth, had set The pack upon him. While this poem is certainly in reaction to a specific historical event, it captures Yeats suspicion of the pack that would reject those who dedicated themselves to social revolution. Yeats advises the shade to return to Glasnevin Cemetery and to cover his ears with dust, and angrily asserts: You had enough of sorrow before death Away, away! You are safer in the tomb. The Cultural Revival is better thought of as a Revolution. It was a period that celebrated Ireland, but its exponents were not afraid to oppose the society they loved. They were never content to merely concoct the propaganda of a perfect Irish nation, but challenged the inhabitants of the island to imagine a better society. In Synges plays and the poetry of Yeats, we find communities that propose revolution but oppose social change, and happily turn against the very people who offer vision and hope. The artist always has a complex relationship with her or his readers, and it would be foolish to believe that the Revival writers wrote only of legendary heroes and romantic myths. As the centenary of the Irish nation approaches, it is again necessary to listen to the writers who worked 100 years ago and to accept the challenge they provided. It is not enough, they remind us, to celebrate the nation; we must consider the kind of nation we have created. In The Fisherman (1919) Yeats, frustrated and saddened, talked about a society in which he witnessed The beating down of the wise / And great art beaten down. This was not the Ireland imagined by the Revolution. Martin McConigley is a recent Irish Research Council scholarship and a PhD student in University College Cork, researching partitions impact on Irish fiction. At the heart of the political debate are quotas, border controls, and controversial plans, announced by the European Commission in December, for a new European border and coastguard agency. Amid a climate of fear following the Paris attacks, the commission presented an ambitious proposal, aimed at securing the EUs borders while safeguarding the principle of free movement of persons. INCREASED POWERS Under the plan, Frontex, the current border guard agency, would be rolled into a bigger agency: A European Border and Coast Guard, with funding worth 322m by 2020, compared to the 238m due this year. Although much of the commentary around the revamping of Frontex has stated the organisations current weakness, it already has access to ocean patrol vessels, dog teams, helicopters, thermovision vehicles, night-vision goggles, heartbeat detectors, and about 1,000 border guards. The new agency, however, would be able to buy its own equipment, have a rapid reserve pool of at least 1,500 experts that can be deployed in under three days, and operate drones in the Med. Under the plan, officers could be deployed in an emergency without the approval of governments, giving it a much stronger mandate than the Frontex border teams. The proposal, backed by France and Germany, has sparked heated political debate but member states in December agreed to rapidly examine the proposals aiming to reach agreement by mid-2016. HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS The enduring memories from Europes refugee influx over the past few years will undoubtedly be the heart-wrenching stories of lives lost in the Mediterranean. Until the 1990s, there were relatively few drownings of migrants at sea, and its well documented that the only reason people resort to dangerous illegal crossings is because of Europes strict visa policies and carrier sanctions for airlines or ferries who take anyone without the correct papers. Over the past number of years, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and scores of smaller NGOs, have been documenting human rights abuses at Europes borders. Theses include pushbacks at border crossings in Greece, Bulgaria, and Spain, where border authorities have denied people access to asylum procedures in direct breach of international law. Pushbacks are often accompanied by violence and put peoples lives in danger, Amnesty says. To date, no authority has been held accountable for such practices. A report by Medecins Sans Frontieres highlights the objectives of Frontexs joint sea operations: To strengthen border controls, rather than to save lives at sea or offer safe, legal passage to people. Late last year, Human Rights Watch documented attacks by masked men on boats with asylum seekers and migrants in the Aegean Sea. Bill Frelick, director of Human Rights Watchs refugee program, said until there is meaningful accountability, the attacks will continue. The stretch of water that migrant boats have been crossing in large numbers is relatively narrow and widely known. Frontex is conducting a joint operation in those waters, as are Greek and Turkish coast guard patrols, he said, suggesting that the agency knows about the attacks and does nothing. A Frontex spokesperson said any allegation of ill- treatment or other violation of fundamental rights is reported to authorities in the respective member state and Frontex requests an probe is carried out. It is important to note the investigation on the alleged incidents is in all cases conducted by the host MS authorities, not by Frontex. Frontex monitors the developments on those investigations in all cases. PUSHING OUT THE BORDERS While the worlds eyes are focused on the frontlines of the refugee influx into European territories, behind the scenes, the EU has been active on other fronts. Since 2011, Frontex has powers to sign agreements with third countries, (countries outside the EU) as a way to counter illegal/ irregular migration and related crossborder crime, as well as to strengthen security at relevant borders. This effectively pushes the EUs borders outside of Europe. Frontex has deals with at least 17 countries such as Nigeria, Turkey, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. It has also been involved in Libya, training border guards, coast guards and border police officers. The idea behind this strategy is to make the border controls of third countries more effective, decreasing the chances of refugees and migrants getting to the EU. NGOs Statewatch, a non-profit that monitors civil liberties in the EU, and Frontexit (a campaign funded by the European Programme for Integration and Migration to highlight Frontexs activities) claim it is difficult to get data about what goes on under these deals. Frontexit says many people who entered Libya irregularly are forcibly removed. It claims border training from the EU increases the risk that migrants and refugees are detained in Libya and subsequently deported. For example, 25,000 people were deported from Libya between May 2012 and May 2013. Since September 2015, Amnesty has documented cases of refugees being forcibly returned to Syria and Iraq after being intercepted by Turkish authorities while trying to reach the EU. Others have been arbitrarily detained without access to lawyers, the NGO contends. Peter Sutherland, UN special envoy on migration, believes asylum assessment should take place in third countries, arguing its better people are vetted for eligibility before risking everything and getting into rickety boats to reach Europe, perhaps only to be deported. But, he stresses, this work should be carried out by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Nina Perkowski, a doctoral researcher on EU border controls at the University of Edinburgh, says this outsourcing of migration control has been ongoing since 2001. Co-operation in migration management is often a pre-condition for all sorts of agreements with the EU, including trade deals and development aid, she says. The EU envisions a humane EU side of the border. The violence that is necessary to prevent people from moving would then also be outsourced to third countries, and be outside of the jurisdiction of the EU. Perkowski has written a number of academic papers on Frontex. She believes strengthening the agency simply continues the path the EU has chosen over the last 10 years, which has led to unfathomable numbers of deaths at EU borders. As the votes were being counted at the last general election and tallymen had concluded Fianna Fails misfortunes and calculated Fine Gael and Labours unprecedented gains, I remember a sombre and almost emotional Ruairi Quinn walking through the doors of the RDS count centre in Dublin. Despite the extraordinary victory for the Labour TDs party, the former finance minister seemed upset. Whats wrong?, I asked him. He paused, then said: Labour will never get as many votes as this again. It was a remarkable moment. The party seized 37 seats, the highest in its 100- year history, surpassing the huge wave of support under Dick Spring in 1992. The then Labour leader Eamon Gilmore had at one stage predicted his party could win as many as 50 seats. Quinns stoic prophecy, while forlorn, was indicative of what Labour ultimately would now face going into power as the junior party in an inevitable time of austerity. It would potentially be Labours brightest moment, but not to be repeated again. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE Gilmore knew it too. As the Coalition was being formed in those dark days of February 2011, the party leader warned his newly- crowned parliamentary members that the forests of placards or protestors would come. They did too. Flash forward to Labours conference the following year when it was held in Galway. Cabinet members and TDs were forced into a lockdown at NUI Galway after protestors broke through a garda blocade and surrounded the conference venue. Five years later and under a new leader, Joan Burton, Labour is potentially facing an election meltdown, which would leave the junior coalition partner with less than half of those original seat wins. Cutbacks, new charges and unkeepable promises are all coming home to roost, so much so that many predict that Labour during the election is now very much fighting for its existence. While the humble increase in support to 10% in the weekend Red C poll will augur well for the beginning of the campaign, its a daunting battle now for Labour. Quinns poignant remark about its future is clear. He and senior Labour figures knew this day would come, where it faced extinction for decisions taken alongside Fine Gael. So how much support can the party claw back or is it too late? The partys weekend pre-election conference in Mullingar, Westmeath, saw a strong emphasis on the economy, jobs and personal finances. This is the meat of general elections. Tanaiste Joan Burtons speech was peppered throughout with continued references to jobs and the economy. She even went as far as saying that Irish people would commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising this year with our economic freedom restored. Its all about the money and jobs at election time. Moreoever, Labour are desperate to take some ownership of the economic recovery, in case voters attribute it to Fine Gael. One senior party figure shared the reality of what matters for voters, as canvassers hit the doorsteps. Its not the eighth amendment, abortion or social issues, its about that job, that tax or that cut, he said. But lest we forget what it is that has left Labours support on the floor. The litany of cuts and charges dropped on citizens under their watch wont be easily forgotten. There were water charges, the property tax, cuts to child benefit, the removal of medical cards and cuts to health and welfare entitlements. Cuts to entitlements for the most vulnerable were particularly harsh, such as those to the fuel allowance, back-to-school clothing, the footwear allowance, and the household benefits package. Now, as has been pointed out, the outgoing Government are trying to stuff money back into one pocket after having taking it out of voters other one in recent years. Another problem for Labour is that there is greater support for other candidates on the left as opposed to last time around. In several constituencies, Sinn Fein candidates and some left-wing Independents are likely to pass the line before the Labour candidate does or they may be left fighting for the last seat. While a party delegate at the weekend quipped that these alternative candidates were just throwing out phoney Harry Potter fantasy promises, their gain is Labours loss. Furthermore, Labour is in a fight for the last seat with its very own outgoing coalition partner, Fine Gael, in several constituencies, including Dublin Rathdown, Dublin Bay North and Cork South Central among areas. We can expect lots of fake wars between the two parties in the coming weeks, as Labour in particular attempts to recast its own image for voters and distance itself from Fine Gael. Nonetheless, its difficult to know if undecided voters will accept this as a credible reason to give Labour another chance in government. If not, we might see a very different Joan Burton come through the doors of the main count centres in a few weeks if Labour hit, not a new high, but a new low in the election. For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE Taraneh Shirazian, obstetrician and gynecologist at New York University Langone medical centre, has been seeing some very worried women those with pregnancies who have travelled through Latin America and the Caribbean in the last few months. As the scale of the zika virus outbreak becomes apparent, they are terrified that their unborn children may have been affected. She struggles to know what to tell them about the risk they may face. The data is simply not available. What is clear, however, is that the Americas appear to be facing a health crisis on a scale and potential complexity that could be compared to West Africas 2014 ebola outbreak. So far, thousands of children have been born in Latin America in recent months suffering from microcephaly smaller-than-normal heads with resulting brain damage and associated problems. Scientists believe the cases are almost certainly linked to the mosquito-borne virus. The World Health Organization has warned that the zika virus might well spread across the Americas, including much of the US. What is #Zika? What are the symptoms? Should I avoid travelling? How can I protect my family? Is there treatment?https://t.co/wQ0zFJzN6S World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 30, 2016 Just like ebola in 2014, this zika outbreak represents a sea-change and step-up from previous, much more limited, occurrences of the disease. Zika was first identified in 1947 but has only been seen in significant numbers in humans since 2007, with cases skyrocketing in the last year. As a result, it is outstripping both the capabilities of already stretched local health systems and much wider global scientific knowledge. The differences with ebola, though, are equally stark and may make it even harder for countries, individuals and families to handle. For most of its sufferers, of course, zika is a much less serious disease than ebola. Symptoms are usually limited to a mild fever and rash with up to 80% of sufferers showing no external signs of the disease at all. On that level, it hardly bears comparison to ebola, which is believed to have killed more than 11,000 people in 2014, almost all of them in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Symptoms were singularly horrific massive hemorrhaging that left victims covered in highly infectious sweat and blood that carried the disease to those closest to them. Breaking the cycle of infection for a disease such as ebola is a relatively simple, but psychologically brutal process. Populations have to be educated to avoid direct physical contact with the sick or dying, interacting with them only through masks and gloves, and making sure those suffering most were kept on isolation wards provided enough are even available. As a 23-year-old journalist, I covered the 2005 outbreak of the ebola-like marburg virus in the northern Angola. One anecdote in particular stands out a story that told the infectious disease specialists they were finally winning the battle for hearts and minds. In a village near the town of Uige, a pregnant woman began vomiting blood. Had this happened earlier in the outbreak, her husband would almost certainly have looked after her, infecting himself and the rest of the family. Instead, he took no chances, removing the other children from the house and locking his wife inside. It took several days for medics to reach the village she died inside the house. The rest of the family lived but the man, unsurprisingly, was apparently psychologically destroyed. Zika, though, is a different kind of cruel. The only significant worry, it seems, is over unborn children. The problem is, because the symptoms are so mild, women living in affected areas now spanning some 20 countries across an entire continent simply do not know until far too late whether they have been infected. Even when ultrasonic scans are available and in most places they are not microcephaly is not usually detectable until relatively late in the pregnancy, often the last three months. Even in countries where abortion is legal at all, it is often illegal at that late stage. In some cases, microcephaly can only be diagnosed at birth or even in the weeks and months following. The effects, though, can be awful intellectual and physical disability, shortened lifespan, huge requirements for ongoing care as long as they survive. For poor families and countries, this will be incredibly difficult to manage. For now, there remains a huge amount we do not know what the incidence rate is likely to be, how severe the arising disabilities, how wide the geographic scope of spread. Hardly surprisingly, even before US president Barack Obamas call for increased research, estimates were already ramping up. But they will take time. And the statistics that are most crucial will only come in as the number of cases rise. Under such circumstances, warnings for potentially pregnant women to avoid huge swathes of Latin America and the Caribbean make perfect sense. But that does little good for the millions living in those countries. Last week, El Salvador took the unprecedented step of advising its own population to put off pregnancy for two years, presumably in the hope that by then the situation might be somewhat resolved. How achievable that is in a country with high illiteracy rates, extremely limited sex education, and access to contraception is another matter. It might prove impossible in any country. For one thing, women in their late 30s or older are unlikely to want to wait. For now, researchers in Texas working on a vaccine say it could be 10 years away although the more scientists who join the battle, the shorter that process might be. In the meantime, the brunt of the effort against the virus will have to be an industrial fight against the mosquitoes that carry zika and their habitats. Already, Brazil has mobilised several thousand troops for that effort. As in West Africa, its not hard to imagine the US and other major powers also joining the effort. Ultimately, as with ebola, the worse the outbreak is and the richer the countries actually and potentially affected the more resources will be ploughed into it. If the worst comes to the worst, the US would probably spend almost whatever it took to make sure Americans were safe. If the World Health Organization is right in its predictions of the spread of the virus, it could yet come to that. In the meantime, however just as with ebola we look set for another spell of toughe medical policy challenges and countless personal tragedies. Peter Apps is Reuters global defence correspondent, currently on sabbatical as executive director of the Project for Study of the 21st Century (PS21): www.projects21.com Danes have say on foreigners The vote on Holocaust Day by the Danish parliament to strip refugees of valuables to pay for their stay brought to mind the collection of gold fillings, spectacles, hair, and suitcases piled high in the Auschwitz concentration camp. But just as surprising was the recent survey of 79 EU cities; some 90% of Copenhagen citizens believe that the presence of foreigners was generally viewed as positive for the Danish capital, the survey found. Dublins citizens were the fifth most positive, at 89% a sizeable increase since 2012. In all but five of the cities surveyed, an absolute majority of respondents agreed that the presence of foreigners was good for the city. The five included Istanbul, Athens, and Italian cities unable to cope with the influx of migrants. Makes you wonder just who politicians are listening to. Kelly seeks to clarify EU rules The Department of the Environment has been accused of gold plating EU rules on the environment, and then blaming Brussels for its failure to respond to emergencies. Environment Minister Alan Kelly paid a trip to the European Commission to clarify that one, but he may need to make another trip shortly. This time its in connection with a community hall in south Tipperary losing 28,000 a quarter of its grant on the basis that publishing the call for tender for the construction work in a national newspaper did not satisfy the demands of the EU directive. Sinn Fein MEP Liadh Ni Riada has asked the European Commission to clarify exactly what the requirements are since South Tipperary Development Council believed it could advertise in either a national newspaper or online. And it chose the more traditional method. MEP sees rise in studying abroad A little over 10% of the students who went abroad under the Erasmus+ scheme last year were Irish, according to MEP Mairead McGuinness. She believes that the close to 3,000 Irish students could more than double to 8,000 a year, studying in one of 4,000 third level colleges, or doing a work traineeship placement for a year. Their favourite countries are France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, she said. EU, US must strike data-sharing deal Tomorrow is D-day for the EU and the US to agree a new data-sharing deal after the European Court of Justice three months ago struck down the Safe Harbour Agreement, finding it did not protect privacy sufficiently. Since then companies have been using work arounds to continue business, the US has been lobbying the capitals, and talks continue in Brussels. Minister Dara Murphy, in his data protection role, was in Brussels to discuss the issue with the US Ambassador to the EU, Anthony Gardner. Ireland, where many of the US companies affected including Google and Facebook are headquartered, is extra worried. Mr Murphy also took the opportunity to ask what was delaying US aviation authorities giving the go- ahead to Norwegian flights from Cork to Massachusetts. EU role for Galway research student Research student at NUI Galway, Dilip Thomas, has been elected as chair of the EU Student and Young Investigator Section of the Tissue Engineering International and Regenerative Medicine Society. His doctoral studies are in the development of next-generation stem cell therapies for cardiovascular diseases, particularly on severe obstruction of arteries to the hands, feet and legs. He has already designed and developed a method for delivering stem cells to help repair damaged blood vessels. Dilip takes over from another Irish researcher, Michael Monaghan, who also studied under Professor Abhay Pandit, scientific director of Galways Centre for Research in Medical Devices. More support for Portugals left There was a very undemocratic response in much of Brussels to the election of a combined left and radical left wing government in Portugal last October, led by prime minister Antonio Costa. And despite warnings mainly from the decreasingly centre and more straight right EPP group that such left-leaning politicians would not be able to form a stable government, they have. Last week, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who is anti-abortion, an outspoken opponent of the left, and a former vice-president of the European Parliaments EPP, was elected president of Portugal. He said he would support the governments programme as it stands, including a move away from austerity. Belgium bends rules on facial scans Air travellers flying into Brussels from Ireland and Britain are having their faces scanned against the digital photograph in their passports at the moment against EU rules. Despite hosting the European Unions headquarters, Belgium is not always too observant of EU rules. Apart from being a mild inconvenience as you look into a screen that searches your facial features for digital similarities to your embedded passport photograph, it feels more invasive than being scrutinised by a human being. Now the Belgian home affairs minister Jan Jambon has said he is installing more scanners to check all those coming from outside the Schengen area in their search for terrorists. Sooner or later, he will need EU leaders to agree that he can systematically check EU citizens from outside the Schengen area too. REMEMBER that you read it here first. On this page. In this column. On this day. The general election cliche of 2016 is: The red-line issue. A lot of foot-stamping is going on, right now, about what each of the smaller parties would regard as non-negotiable, were one or more of the larger parties, post-poll, to come seeking their favours. Were going to be red-lined up to the gills between now and then. This will be the red-line election. Im sick of red lines already, and the election hasnt even been called. If red line is an irritant, so, too, is non-consensual sexual experience as a term applied to rape, abuse, groping and verbal abuse. Whats that about? Since when have we improved public understanding by removing good, short, direct descriptors and replacing them with non-specific, bureaucratic generalities? This non-consensual sexual experience phrase figured in a 2014 survey at Trinity College, where one in four female students said they had one of them. This survey, accordingly, lumped together everything from copping a feel or making a reference to the size of a girls breasts to rape. However, its statistical base is questionable, because the one in four is based on those who responded to the questionnaire and because their experiences varied. A much smaller proportion of students have been affected than the headlines suggest, but a speedy glance might leave the impression that one in four female students (and 5% of male students) was raped while in college. They were not. Some of them were. Some of them were not. The distinction matters. Invasive comments are disgusting. Being groped is grossly offensive. Being raped, however, changes your life. It can destroy your life. For some rape victims, nothing is ever the same, thereafter. So mushing all of the possible non-consensual sex- related offences together not only does nobody any service, but confuses the public understanding of rape. Of course, its all part of a continuum and a culture, but at one end of that continuum is crude vulgarity, while at the other are the physical and emotional scarring left by the brutal, power-driven crime of rape. That scarring occurs because international law has always erred on the side of demanding that a raped woman prove her virtue and demonstrate that she fought with her attacker. The law has never said that it is OK to rape a woman who is your wife (indeed, Irish law now specifically identifies wife-rape as a crime). Nor has it ever said that the crime is mitigated by the womans dress, pre-existing sexual experience, or level of drunkenness or narcotics-ingestion. However, the reality is that the low level of reporting of rape is informed by fear of the old judgement that she was asking for it. One American historian says: Well into the 1980s, there is evidence that male jurors judged women harshly if they wore provocative clothing or were promiscuous, and even if they happened to be divorced rather than married or single... A woman victim was, thus, till caught in a deadly trap. She was both victim and accused. Her case depended on chastity, or respectability and extreme resistance. Of course, that was almost 40 years ago, but some things change slowly; attitudes to rape seem to be among the societal habits which change egregiously slowly and seem to revert back to stances believed to have died off. That is probably why TCD has now instituted a class for first-year students, or at least for those living in fresher accommodation, who will be required to pitch up at workshops that teach what sexual consent means. This, of course, is a clear demonstration of good intentions on the part of the student committee, whose head guy says they want to dispel the myths around sexual assault and start a conversation about what consent is. However, in common with the earlier research, its the surrounding context that could do with a little interrogation, starting with the committees statement that the classes will be promoted as mandatory. Now, speaking as a communications consultant who does a lot of promotion, I have to tell the committee that promotion has damn all to do with it. Either the classes are mandatory or theyre not. If theyre not mandatory, promoting them as mandatory is whats usually described as lying, but which sometimes masquerades as PR. In this case, the nuanced meaning might be caused by the fact that the classes are mandatory up to the door. You, as a student, pitch up, sign up and you can then hightail it right out of there and you have fulfilled the obligations. This, bluntly, is crazy. The kind of people who will turn up and, having proven presence, buzz right off are precisely the kind of people who would benefit from the class. They are not going to enhance the credibility of the classes when they go around telling the story of the organisers being satisfied with open defiance. Ah, lads. The other contextual challenge (as you can see, this bureaucratic language is catching) to these classes is the claim that they are likely to start a conversation about what consent is. Now, Im sorry to be picky, but conversation is a red-line issue for me. The most quietly coercive people, these days, say they want to start a conversation about some desirable outcome, when what they actually mean is they want everybody to roll over and deliver the outcome. Not that I am suggesting that the well-intentioned lads and lassies who make up this committee are quietly coercive. Theyre not coercive at all. But a conversation about consent? This is not about conversation. This is about a statement. Or, rather, a series of statements. Here they go: No means no. Yes may mean yes at the beginning, but if it turns into no, that no erases the earlier yes. Thats the simple stuff. The slightly more complicated rule of consent does away with the old adage that silence gives consent. If the woman or man with whom you have decided to have sex is too drunk or drugged to speak, then his or her silence does NOT give consent. Ever. Similarly, she asked for it by virtue of being flirty, or dressed in a sexual way, is invalid. It is invalid because rape is not a crime of sexual desire. It is a crime of violence and power, directed at everybody from small children to pensioners. And it is rarely a once-off crime. One final point. The Trinity committees efforts are praiseworthy. But it is legitimate to wonder if it isnt a bit late, when kids have earned themselves enough Leaving Cert points to get into an historic and prestigious university, to be getting them to come to terms with sex as a consensual matter. IS claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to Amaq, a news agency that supports the group. It said two operations hit the most important stronghold of Shiite militias in Damascus. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the casualties were expected to rise. Sayeda Zeinaba is a district of southern Damascus where the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah, and other Iraqi and Iranian militias have a strong presence. Rami Abdulrahman, head of the British-based observatory, said the suicide bombers had targeted a military bus carrying Shiite militias, who were changing guard there. The explosions occurred as representatives of Syrias government, and its divided opposition, began convening in Geneva for the first UN-mediated peace talks in two years. Syrian ambassador, Ibrahim Jaafari, head of the government delegation at Geneva, said the blasts in Damascus just confirmed the link between what the government says are a Saudi-led and funded Islamist opposition and terrorism. State television showed footage of burning buildings and wrecked cars. Syrian state news agency, Sana, quoting an interior ministry source, said militants had detonated a car bomb near a public transport garage in the neighbourhoods Koua Sudan area. Two suicide bombers then blew themselves up nearby as people were being rescued. The authorities put the death toll at 45. Bodies were still being pulled from the wreckage, a witness told state news channel, Ikhbariyah. The heavily populated area is a site of pilgrimage for Shiites from Iran, Lebanon, and other parts of the Muslim world. Syrian prime minister, Wael al-Halaki, said the attacks were prompted by terror groups who sought to raise their morale after a string of defeats by the army. The UN has said it is aiming for six months of talks, first seeking a ceasefire and later working towards a political settlement for Syria. The nearly five-year conflict has killed more than 250,000 people, driven more than 10m from their homes and drawn in global powers. Austria and neighbouring Germany threw open their borders in September to hundreds of thousands of people who poured into Europe, many of them fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Despite an initial outpouring of sympathy for the migrants, public concern about the influx has fuelled a rise in support for the far right in Austria, and opposition to the coalition government of Social Democrats and conservatives has grown. In an apparent move to address those concerns, the government announced this month that it would cap the number of asylum claims at 127,500, or 1.5 percent of the countrys population, over the next four years. Now the government has decided to carry out at least 50,000 deportations in the same period, according to a summary of an agreement between the interior, defence and integration ministries published on Sunday. It will also offer up to 450 to migrants whose asylum applications have been turned down if they agree to be deported, the summary said. We are already among the countries with the most deportations, said interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner. But we will increase the rate further. As a joint European solution to the crisis has faced opposition and delays, Vienna has increasingly said it will act alone to bring down the number of migrants reaching its border. Facing similar pressures, senior German conservatives sought to reassure people, saying migrant numbers would have to go down and criminal refugees could be deported. By adding new states to its list of safe countries of origin, Austria will be able to send people from those states back under an accelerated process, said Mikl-Leitner. We are declaring Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia safe countries of origin, she said. The summary of the plan stated that Georgia, Mongolia and Ghana were also being added. The country is also considering using its C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft for deportations. Last years number of deportations was 8,365, compared with roughly 90,000 asylum claims. Australias first small business ombudsman appointed The former CEO of the Australian Food and Grocery Council, Kate Carnell, will be Australias first small business ombudsman. Carnell was CEO of the Australian Food and Grocery Council between 2008 and 2012. More recently she has served as the head of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCCI) since 2014. She will step down from this role effective immediately and prepare to start her ombudsman role on 11 March 2016. It has not yet been revealed where Carnell will perform the role. As the small business ombudsman Carnell says she will be an advocate for small to medium sized businesses in Australia. She will also be a liaison between representative bodies like the ACCCI and the Council of Small Business Australia (COSBOA). CEO of COSBOA Peter Strong today said he welcomed the news of the appointment. COSBOA has been calling for an Ombudsman for our sector since 1977 when our association was first formed by concerned small business supporters, said Strong. No other group has called for such a position until more recent years so it seems that patience pays off. Kate Carnell is a great selection, he stated. Carnell supports the effects test Online publisher SmartCompany today reported that Carnell is a supporter of the proposed effects test. The effects test relates to proposed changes related to Section 46 of the Competition and Consumer Act which currently deals with misuse of market power by big businesses acting alone. As presently stands, Section 46 stipulates that to be found guilty of misuse of power, a business must have substantive market power and intended to and acted in a way that misused its power in an anti-competitive manner. By contrast, if an effects test is used instead, the ACCC would only have to prove the large business acted in an anti-competitive manner, but would not have to prove the large business had the intention to misuse market power. The missile destroyer, USS Curtis Wilbur, sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, in the Paracel chain, to challenge excessive maritime claims of parties that claim the Paracel Islands, without notifying the three claimants beforehand, said defence department spokesman Mark Wright. China, Taiwan and Vietnam have overlapping claims in the Paracels, and require prior notice from ships transitting what they consider their territorial waters. China defence ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said the US action severely violated Chinese law, sabotaged the peace, security and good order of the waters, and undermined the regions peace and stability. According to Yang, Chinese troops on the island, and navy vessels and warplanes, took action immediately, identified the US warship and warned and expelled it swiftly. He said the US operation was very unprofessional, and irresponsible for the safety of the troops of both sides, and may cause extremely dangerous consequences. Chinese armed forces would take whatever measures necessary to safeguard Chinas sovereignty and security, no matter what provocations the US side may take, he added. Meanwhile, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Moscow that it will endure the consequences if its jets continued to enter his countrys airspace, after Ankara reported a new border-infringement incident by a Russian plane. Turkey, a Nato member, said another Russian warplane breached its airspace on Friday, despite several warnings two months after Turkey shot down a Russian jet for crossing over its territory. Erdogan said. If Russia continues the violations of Turkeys sovereign rights, it will be forced to endure the consequences. President Francois Hollandes Socialist government adopted state of emergency legislation following the November 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. England: A prosthetic leg, a life-sized Spiderman doll and enough musical instruments to form a band have been lost on Londons travel network. More than 600,000 items were left on the capitals trains and buses last year as Transport for London received a record haul of missing goods. Alongside the daily haul of around 150 mobile phones, the office has received a full-size house carpet, a judges wig and a hoard of musical instruments. Aside from the more peculiar finds, thousands of tablets, umbrellas and wallets were also handed in to TFLs lost property office. Sonic boom USA: Sonic booms heard and felt along the US coast from New Jersey to Connecticut were caused by military fighter jets conducting tests, officials said. A navy spokeswoman said an F-35C and F-18 from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, were conducting supersonic testing off the coast. The F-35C has a top speed of nearly 1,200 mph. Residents reported hearing loud booms and feeling the ground and buildings shake. Mural mission Bulgaria: A sleepy village in central Bulgaria is harnessing the power of celebrities, hoping for an economic revival through art. Outdoor murals in the village of Staro Zhelezare feature local people alongside celebrities on their homes. Homeowners are depicted with personalities including Pope Francis, the Queen, Albert Einstein, the Dalai Lama, Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher. The man behind the project is local artist Ventsislav Piryankov, who now lives in Poland, where he created an art school. Piryankov and his students came to the village for the First Mural Festival, creating an outdoor art gallery with Banksy-style graffiti on the walls. Living standards are low in the poorest member of the EU and the 400 residents of Staro Zhelezare struggle to make ends meet. Before the murals, the village had been best known for a nearby prehistoric stone circle. Snow way Czech Republic: The Sedivackuv Long, one of the toughest dog sled races in Europe, has been cut short by warm weather. The 20th edition began with more than 100 mushers and 700 dogs from eight countries competing in what was expected to be deep snow and freezing conditions in the Orlicke Mountains, a range in the north-eastern Czech Republic that forms the border with Poland. In the three-day race competitors were expected to cross 240km and spend one night sleeping out in the snow. Yet temperatures on the first day of the race were well above 0C and things got worse the next day. The course was a soupy mess of slushy ice and fog in the higher elevations, and portions of the lower course had no snow at all after afternoon rain washed it away. As a result, the organisers cut the race short due to a lack of snow for the first time in 20 years after only 96km. Take a break England: Firms are being urged to encourage a culture of playfulness in offices and ensure staff do not work on holiday, in a bid to boost productivity. A study found the economic benefits of flexible working hours, giving staff a chance to put forward ideas, and allowing them time to be heard. The report, by Royal Caribbean, said companies should consider blocking access to emails while workers were on holiday, and they should not be overloaded with work when they return. Research among 4,000 adults and 650 businesses, by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, found that four out of five adults said their company did not encourage socialising with colleagues. The Midwestern state offers only a small contingent of the delegates who will determine the nominees at each partys national convention in July. However, todays caucuses will provide a test of whether the large enthusiastic crowds turning out at rallies for property mogul Donald Trump and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders will turn into actual votes. In the last major opinion poll before the caucuses, Mr Trump had the support of 28% of likely caucus-goers, with Texas senator Ted Cruz at 23% and Florida senator Marco Rubio at 15%. The Iowa poll, published by The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg, also found Democrat frontrunner Hillary Clinton with 45% support and rival Bernie Sanders with 42%. The poll of likely 602 Republican and 602 likely Democratic caucus-goers was taken from Tuesday to Friday. Trump, the showman of the Republican race, 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. Cruz directed much of his fire at Rubio, sharply challenging his rivals conservative credentials on the airwaves. 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 its because youre doing something right. Seeking to lower expectations, Rubio senior strategist Todd Harris said the goal in Iowa was to finish a strong third. Rubio is hoping to emerge as the favourite within the establishment wing of the party heading into New Hampshire, where he is trying to fend off challenges from former Florida governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, and Ohio governor John Kasich. With the Democratic contest a likely toss-up, Sanders told a Manchester rally that the outcome depended on how many Iowans invested the time and energy to make it to caucus sites. The caucuses are held at schools, churches and even private homes. Its virtually tied, he said. 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. Clinton emphasised the issue of gun regulations at a rally at Iowa State University in Ames, where she was joined by former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was severely wounded in a mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, in 2011. The former secretary of state drew an implicit contrast between her push for stricter laws with Sanders mixed record on gun control measures. How it works: After more than a year of up-close and personal evaluation of the candidates, Iowans will gather tonight to kick off the state-by-state process of picking the Republican and Democratic nominees for the November 8 presidential election. The caucuses in Iowa, the 30th most populated state, will begin at 7pm local time (1am Irish time), and results are expected within two or three hours. The state Republican and Democratic parties run their caucuses separately, although in some areas they hold them in different parts of the same building. Republicans will have more than 800 caucus sites, and Democrats will have about 1,100. The two parties also have different rules. Iowa Democrats gather in groups by candidate preference in a public display of support, a tradition that can allow for shifts back and forth. If a candidate does not reach the threshold of support of 15% of voters in a caucus needed to be considered viable, that candidates supporters are released to back another contender, leading to another round of persuasion. Republicans are more straightforward. They write their vote privately on a sheet of paper that is collected and counted at the site by caucus officials. A surrogate or volunteer from each campaign may speak to their neighbours in a last-ditch plea for support, adding to the uncertainty going into the process. Burma A New Hue As Suu Kyis Party Enters Parliament The NLD enters Parliamentdonning iconic pinni jackets and longyiwith reflective enthusiasm. NAYPYIDAW Burma was brimming with anticipation as its legislative hue changed suddenly from green to red on Monday. After decades of effort, the National League for Democracy (NLD) assumed a majority of the Union Parliament, leaving hopes at an all-time high for swift and genuine democratic reform in a country that has long been ruled by its military. Following a landslide win in the Nov. 8 general election, the party chaired by Aung San Suu Kyi entered the Parliamentary building in Naypyidaw on Mondaydonning iconic pinni jackets and longyiwith reflective enthusiasm; the party had a similar win in 1990, but the then-ruling junta annulled the results and it remained a latent political force for a quarter century. The party boycotted a 2010 election that was broadly viewed as fraudulent. The poll nonetheless marked the start of the countrys transition from military dictatorship to a quasi-civilian government. The NLD later acquiesced to a 2012 by-election, landing it 43 seats in the national Parliament, which was dominated by the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). Today is an honorable day in Myanmars Parliament, and in our countrys history, for our democratic transition, said Win Myint, the newly appointed Speaker of the Lower House, at Mondays premier session. The Speaker and his deputy, ethnic Kachin USDP member T Khun Myat, were sworn in at the start of the assembly. The inside of Parliament looks new in many ways; not only is it entirely new in its make-up, but it is also novel to many of its members. A number of NLD lawmakers are brand new to politics, and have received specialized training in the months since their win. Bidhayak Das, Burma country representative of the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), said the parliamentary procedureswhile shortwere promising. I feel [new lawmakers] are learning very fast, he said. This is encouraging. British Ambassador to Burma Andrew Patrick expressed similar optimism, noting that while the military still enjoys a 25 percent bloc of the Parliament, it is wonderful to see the move toward more democratically elected leadership. We wanted to be here because this is very historical, he said, vowing continued support for the Burmese government through the many challenges ahead. But overall, he said, theres a lot of color, there are more women here; I suspect we will see more change in the future. The Upper House will meet for the first time on Wednesday, and the Lower House will reconvene on Thursday. Burma Burmas All-Powerful GAD a Challenge to New Government Even as the National League for Democracy government takes office, the army keeps control of the civil service through the ubiquitous General Administration Department. RANGOON Despite its strong mandate from a thumping election victory, Burmas new National League for Democracy (NLD) government will struggle to wield the power it needs over the civil service to carry out its reform plans effectively, political analysts say. During the days of military rule, Burmas civil service was supplanted with a powerful, centralized institution controlled by the armythe General Administration Department (GAD). It controls decision-making down to the smallest administrative unit in all corners of the country. This arrangement underlines the continuing powers of the military and raises questions over whether a civilian NLD cabinet would be able to exert control over an integral part of government machinery. The GAD is actually and potentially so powerful that its very character will really determine the extent to which Myanmars bureaucracy is democratized or reformed, said Trevor Wilson, Australias former ambassador to Burma, who continues to write about the country. Breaking up the GADs centralized control over government bureaucracy and transferring some of its powers to the states and divisions will be necessary if the NLD is to create a genuine federal union in Burma, as ethnic minorities have long demanded. The GAD falls under the authority of the Minister of Home Affairs, who, in accordance with the 2008 Constitution, is an army general, just like the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Border Affairs. Thus, commander-in-chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing wields ultimate control over the civil service down to the ward and village level, even though an NLD president will soon run the cabinet. This will be a headache for the incoming NLD-led government, said Ko Ni, a constitutional lawyer who advises the NLD. A post-election report from the International Crisis Group in December notes that the NLDs lack of control over the Home Affairs Minister post and the GAD will present the party with a serious challenge. It will be very difficult for the new government to run Myanmar without the militarys cooperation, the paper said. Powerful and Ubiquitous The workings of the GAD are little known. A 2014 report by the Asia Foundation offers a rare piece of research that describes its powers: The General Administration Department is central to the functioning of the administrative mechanism across the country. No other government organization has such a wide presence in the country. Even the Tatmadaw [army] is not spread among the general population to the same degree. The importance of the GAD depends not so much on what it explicitly controls, which is, in fact, a great deal, but rather because of the GADs ubiquitous presence, and the authority to coordinate, communicate among, and convene other government actors, said the report, noting the GAD had not been subject to any reforms during President Thein Seins term. The GAD was born in 1972 under dictator Gen. Ne Win, whose government abolished the previous bureaucratic structurethe Secretariat Office. Under the post-1988 junta, the GAD expanded in size and importance to support functioning of the Myanmar state, the report said. The department now supports coordination between the governments 36 ministries, connects the government in the capital Naypyidaw with the nearly 64,000 villages in the country, and runs the civil service of the states and divisions. It oversees local governance in rural and urban areas, with its broad powers reaching to land management, media scrutiny, registration of non-governmental and community organizations, and the documentation of the internal migration of people. District and township administrators are GAD officials, while a GAD executive secretary controls a state/divisions civil service and answers to a superior in Naypyidaw rather than to the state or divisions chief minister. On a local level, GAD administrators are the civil servants that ordinary citizens come into contact with for day-to-day needs, from registration of births and deaths to disputes and tax collection. Need for Reform Ba Maw, a Minister of Social Affairs in Chin State and a Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) member, said GAD officials were powerful in running the civil service in his state and even managed the correspondence of the state ministers, including his. He and some state ministers suggested revoking the powers of the GAD at meetings with top Home Affairs officials in Naypyidaw, but their proposal was ignored. They replied that the GAD officers will need to manage and facilitate the transfer of power from the outgoing government to the incoming administration, he said. According to Nyo Nyo Thin, an outgoing independent member of the Rangoon Division legislature, the Minister for Home Affairs had appointed mostly former military officers as district and township level administrators, adding that this had hindered transparent reforms. Nyo Nyo Thin recalled that she once managed to reveal a corruption case involving a GAD official who was a former army officer, but he did not lose his job and was instead transferred to another township. She said reforms of the GAD should be implemented so that the district and township administrator positions are filled through an election process. Currently, only ward and village tract administrators are democratically elected, but have little power. The fact that only the Ministry of Home Affairs can appoint these officers does not conform to democracy, she told Myanmar Now. Whether the chief ministers of states and regions can rein in the GAD officers will be a great challenge to the new government. Ko Ni, who advises the NLD, said the state and division chief ministers would have the power to dismiss any GAD officials who obstruct the orders of the new state and division governments. The GAD officer is responsible for implementing the decisions of the local governments. If he cannot do that he can be removed from his post, he said. According to Wilson, the former Australian ambassador, the GADs structure and authority as a department are not necessarily problematic, as long as the GAD is brought under control of the president, and its operations are made transparent and are closely scrutinized, preferably by Parliament. The GAD is effectively the elite political agency in the Myanmar bureaucracy. Most bureaucracies [in other countries] have a powerful elite agency performing a stabilizing and essential political role, he said. Hla Myo, director of the GADs Foreign Relations branch, warned against the new NLD government rushing into dramatic reforms. But NLD advisor Ko Ni said some reform was inevitable. GADs control over the civil service of the states and regions should be broken up and given to the state and division governments instead, he said. The control of General Administration Department on all the government procedures is contrary to the federal system and should be abolished, he told Myanmar Now. This article first appeared on Myanmar Now. Burma Burmas Fourth Telecoms Operator to Be Revealed This Month: Official After months of delays, Burmas fourth telecoms operator will be revealed in February, a ministry official told The Irrawaddy on Monday. Burma Censorship Remains a Big Challenge for Incoming Parliament Burmas media will be hoping for greater press freedoms as the National League for Democracy prepares to take the reins of government. Burma, once ruled by one of the most repressive regimes in the world, has entered into a new era as the parliament led by the National League for Democracy (NLD) convened on February 1, 2016 for the first time. The NLD, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, won a landslide election last November 2015 defeating the then ruling and military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). But despite this recent development, old issues have remained. Among them, the continuing restrictions on free expression and press freedom. Limited Access Covering the sessions of the previous parliament was not that easy, journalists said. In the beginning, you couldnt ask questions to the lawmakers, said Aung Htet, a senior reporter of the Voice Weekly, a local publication. We had five minutes to enter the assembly hall. Interviews and photographs are allowed [only] during these five minutes, added Aung Htet who has been covering the parliament since 2011. Journalists were not permitted to enter the Parliament chambers in April 2015 after photos of sleeping lawmakers were published online. The following month, journalists negotiated with Burmese officials to restore their access. Since then, reporters in the capital Naypyidaw have to make do watching the proceedings from a television in the parliaments corridor. We informed the NLD about it, but (there is) no reply yet, Aung Htet said. Other pictures, which showed members of the parliament (MP) using their tablets while at work and an army representative leaning over the desk of an absent MP to press a voting button, were also published. Kyaw Soe, director general of the Union Parliament who handles administrative duties, cited the public release of these photos as the main reason for the rules on the conduct of the media during sessions. The restrictions did not only apply to journalists, but also to MPs. USDP lawmakers had to pass censors before discussion in parliament all the time, said Thura U Aung Ko, who was ousted from his role as a central committee member of President Thein Seins USDP. We can only discuss issues in accordance with the party policy, Thura U Aung Ko said on his last day as an MP on 29 January 2016. In Transition In the 2010 general elections, the USDP led by the ex-generals of the former junta dominated while NLD boycotted the polls. The quasi-civilian government of President Thein Sein, a former general, restored some civil liberties including the relaxation of media restrictions. In August 2012, the authorities ended the (pre-publication) censorship regime of the local publications. This media-related development has become the linchpin of Burmas reform process, even as concerns about self-censorship and other attacks against the media continued. Media freedom advocate groups in the country said the policy has not gone far enough to introduce a normal media environment under the quasi-civilian government. Radio and television licenses have yet to be liberalized; and access to information and government officials remains almost impossible. These issues indicate that free expression and press freedom remain at a fragile stage. NLD, on its way to becoming the main opposition party, won 43 out of the 44 parliament seats vacated by Thein Sein cabinet members during the by-elections in April 2012. Its victory last November 2015 gave journalists hope for an improved media and press freedom landscape. I believe the NLD knows the role of media in the democratic transition, and will respect the right to information, said Aung Thura, a member of the Myanmar Journalist Network. Daw Suu has invited us to give advice related to the media situation here, he said. Meanwhile, Suu Kyi is under criticism for blocking the partys spokesperson from talking to the media about the party policy shortly after its election victory. Her order raised concerns whether NLD lawmakers can discuss in the parliament freely or not. She just restricts us before the power transfer, said Win Htein of the NLD. Dont worry for freedom of expression in parliament as well as in the country. We respect and value the press freedom. This article first appeared here on the Southeast Asian Press Alliance. Burma China Sentences 2 Men to Death in Slaying of Tibetan Monk A Chinese court sentenced two men to death in the 2013 killing of a well-known religious figure who built an international network of spiritual retreats. BEIJING A Chinese court sentenced two men to death in the 2013 killing of Akong Rinpoche, a well-known religious figure who founded the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the West and built an international network of spiritual retreats. Thubten Kunsal, a Tibetan man who had worked at Akongs monastery in the United Kingdom as an artist for nine years, fatally stabbed Akong, his nephew and his driver after confronting him at his home in the city of Chengdu over US$415,000 in wages he believed he was owed, according to a statement Sunday by the Chengdu Peoples Intermediate Court. Thubten and another man, Ciren Banyue, were given the death penalty while a third man was sentenced to three years prison for hiding daggers used in the killings. Thubten and Ciren said they planned to appeal, according to the court statement. Akongs monastery Kagyu Samye Ling, which is based in southwest Scotland with branches in Europe and Africa, has denied it owed Thubten pay. It did not immediately have comment on the sentences. Born in 1939, Akong was recognized at age 2 by a search party as a lama incarnate and entered the Dolma Lhakhang monastery before fleeing to India as Chinese forces moved in to stamp out the 1959 Tibetan uprising. He moved to Britain several years later, studied at Oxford University and founded his Buddhist center in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, in 1967. The monk, who became a British citizen, maintained friendly relations with the Chinese government and frequently visited the country to look after charity projects. Akong was on a fundraising trip when he was stabbed. Burma NLD Launches Sharing Program for Poor Schoolchildren The National League for Democracy (NLD) initiates a nationwide sharing project aimed at providing classroom supplies to underprivileged schoolchildren. RANGOON The National League for Democracy (NLD) has launched a nationwide sharing project aimed at providing classroom supplies to Burmas underprivileged schoolchildren, according to a statement released on Monday and signed by senior party member Nyan Win. As per party chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyis Sharing Project, please kindly implement the donation program of unnecessary school textbooks, uniforms and notebooks to NLD offices at respective townships, quarters or villages so that each office can share these school materials with students who are in need, and cant afford to buy [them], reads the statement from the NLD central committee member. The project will prioritize impoverished students in remote parts of the country and in constituencies where the NLD did not win seats in Burmas Nov. 8 general election, the statement says. Suu Kyi expressed her concern for the struggles of poor students in a request to the public, published in the partys D-Wave journal on Monday. In some villages, remote areas and areas on the outskirts, most students are having difficulties buying notebooks, school textbooks and even daily [school] uniforms. I want to fulfill their needs with the help of the public, she was quoted as saying. We can balance out the situation by sharing ones unnecessary things with others who are in need. I want a system that flows from people of wealth to those in need, and a system in which the whole nation can participate, she continued. NLD executive committee members from each township and village or quarter have been instructed to inform the public of the project and collect lists of underprivileged students, with a focus on kindergarten through 11th grade. Party chapter heads at the township- and village-level have been told to forward the lists to state and divisional NLD leaders no later than the end of March, with instructions to donate the materials to impoverished students homes during the month of April. NLD members from state and divisional offices will accept offerings from individuals but have also been asked to request donations from stationery shops and stores selling school uniforms, in order to meet a given townships need. Students from areas affected by last years widespread flooding and those who are victims of Burmas long-running civil war will also be given consideration and placed on a separate list managed by the NLD, according to the party statement published Monday. Burmas new Parliament, the members of which are overwhelming NLD, convened for the first time in Naypyidaw on Monday. The party vowed in its election manifesto to implement education programs which prioritize children who are physically or intellectually disabled, poor children and those from remote areas. Opportunity for Australian food innovators to meet investors in New York! Applications are now open for the first 2016 FoodBytes! Summit to be held in Brooklyn New York on 3 March 2016. Organised by food and agriculture bank Rabobank, the summit aims to bring food industry investors and food innovation companies together. As part of the day 10 food innovation companies will be given a chance to pitch their ideas to investors. The best idea as voted by attendees will win an invitation to the Rabobank Client Appreciation Event which will play host to food and agribusiness leaders in New York in December 2016. FoodBytes! started in San Francisco in February 2015 and its first events helped draw Applications for FoodBytes! Brooklyn, New York close at 5 pm on Thursday, February 18 2016. For more information and instructions on application, click here. Burma Questions Raised Over Thai-Backed Coal Power Plant in Mon State Locals surprised and dismayed as Thai cement company reportedly builds a coal-burning power plant on a site only designated for a factory. RANGOON A Thai cement factory in Mon State is allegedly building a coal-burning power plant on-site without informing locals or authorities, according to rights activists concerned about the projects potential environmental effects. The factory, situated near the Zami Riveran important water source for at least five villages in the areais owned by Mawlamyine Cement Limited (MCL), a subsidiary of Siam Cement Group (SCG). The coal plant on MCL factorys premises reportedly has a 20-megawatt generating capacity and will also rely on the Zamis water for its operations. We need to investigateto check if this could harm our local people, said Nai Kethara, an ethnic Mon monk and a leading member of Protection Environment, an organization in Kyaikmayaw Township, where the factory is located. Aung Naing Oo, a recently re-elected member of the Mon State parliament who has previously worked on environmental issues, said that SCG had only informed authorities of its intentions to build a cement factory in Kyaikmayaw; they did not mention plans to construct a coal-burning facility as well. They did not inform our parliament or our government about plans to build this coal power plant, he said, pledging to investigate the situation further. Nai Kethara said it was local security guards who told him of the construction of the power plant, which was reportedly kept secret even from MCLs own employees. They did not inform the locals. We only knew about it once they were already done they did not even let factory workers know that they built this coal power plant, he added. Protection Environment members have started educating people in the vicinity of the power plant and factory about the potential effects of the project. About 100 villagers attended the first meeting two weeks ago. Our local people do not understand how this power plant could affect their livelihoods, said Nai Kethara. If [the company] says this coal power plant will not harm us, then they need to give a guarantee or [show] how they will protect locals. SCG reportedly cooperated with Pacific Link Cement Industries to build the Kyaikmayaw cement factory in 2014. It was planned to be fully functional by March, and would boast a production capacity of 1.8 million tons of cement per year, the firm said. According to an SCG report, the companyone of Thailands largest cement manufacturersinvested around $7 billion in expansion over the next five years. Fifty percent of the investment is designated toward the construction of more factories in ASEAN countries, including Burma. Burma Shan IDPs Face Post-Conflict Hardships Displaced by fighting last year between the government and an ethnic armed group, about 1,600 villagers in southern Shan State are in need of assistance. RANGOON Displaced by fighting between the government and an ethnic armed group, about 1,600 villagers in southern Shan State are in urgent need of assistance, according to the Shan State Peace Task Force, a peace advocacy group that recently visited the affected population. Nearly 300 households fled fighting between the Burma Army and Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) in three Mong Hsu Township villages last year and now live in neighboring villages, or have otherwise relocated to the Heik Par internally displaced person (IDP) camp. Fighting first flared in October. Among the displaced are 355 children and 130 elderly, including a 102-year-old grandmother, along with 22 pregnant women and 24 who have recently given birth, according to Khin Moe Moe, a lawyer with the Myanmar Lawyers Network who visited the camp and villages. Several Shan State-based community organizations, headed by the Shan State Peace Task Force, last week visited the Heik Par camp and the three villages in Mong Hsu Township. As part of its mission, the team collected data on the IDPs, documenting their losses and needs. After compiling the information, the task force will submit a report on the IDPs situation to the Union Parliament through a Shan State lawmaker. Mong Hsu Township does not have parliamentarians representing it in the newly seated Parliament, because elections were cancelled in the constituency due to fighting ahead of Burmas November general election. Khin Moe Moe, who is also chairwoman of the Shan State chapter of the National League for Democracy (NLD), said displaced villagers are not yet able to return to their homes, some of which no longer exist. Their villages became battlefields between the two groups, where [land] mines still exist, so that they cant go back until they are cleared, she told The Irrawaddy. They cant return to their livelihoods either, as their houses, corn, seeds were burned and destroyed. Although there has been no fighting for weeks, the displaced population remains vulnerably situated between the Burma Army and SSA-N positions. The peace advocacy groups trip last week required that it pass through multiple checkpoints manned by soldiers from both sides of the conflict. We could only pass by Shan [SSA-N] gates by communicating in the local ethnic language, Khin Moe Moe said. Property including motorcycles and agricultural equipment such as threshing machines was destroyed by heavy artillery fire when fighting flared last year. An initial wave of donations has given way to more austere times as the conflict has subsided, with the Nang Kom Philanthropic Association of Mong Hsu Township, which is helping to manage the IDP camp, only able to guarantee a three-month rice ration supply. They will face difficulties if there are no donors in three months time, Khin Moe Moe said. Unlike more established IDP camps elsewhere in the country, temporary structures have been haphazardly erected by the displaced at Heik Par, and a systematic approach to the camps management is lacking. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) initially provided 10 million kyats (US$7,700) worth of bamboo for construction of shelters for the displaced, but security concerns have since prevented the organization from returning. The Shan State Peace Task Force was able to donate some money toward the purchase of sheet metal for roofing, but Khin Moe Moe said pressing needs remain. They need, mainly, construction materials before the rain comes, Khin Moe Moe said, referring to Burmas monsoon season, which usually begins in April or May. Looking beyond the immediate needs of IDPs, Khin Moe Moe said she was worried about longer term impacts on the affected Shan ethnic minority children. They are already traumatized, wherein they run away if they hear Burmese, assuming Burmese soldiers are coming. This could damage relations between ethnics and [aspirations for a] federal system, she said. The group plans to submit a rehabilitation proposal to Parliament to deal with the psychological effects of the conflict on affected civilians. Burma Suu Kyi Seeks Presidency in Talks With Army: Local Media Report A local media report suggests that Aung San Suu Kyi, chairwoman of the National League for Democracy (NLD), is making a move for the presidency. RANGOON A local media report on Sunday suggested that Aung San Suu Kyi, chairwoman of the National League for Democracy (NLD), is negotiating with the military to make a move for the presidency. Voice Weekly reported that NLD central committee member Win Htein spoke to the press in Naypyidaw on the weekend, announcing that the hugely popular party leader has discussed the possibility with Burma Army Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. Suu Kyis party will assume a majority of both houses of Parliament on Monday after its landslide win in the Nov. 8 general election, though she herself is constitutionally barred from the nations top executive post. The military-drafted charter disqualifies anyone with a foreign spouse or children, a clause that is believed to have been written expressly to exclude Suu Kyi. Her late husband was a British citizen, as are her two sons. Win Htein said the party leader will seek amendments to the Constitution, but that such changes are unlikely to be achieved within the first year of her governments term. In the months since the election, Suu Kyi has met twice with the powerful army chief, most recently in late January. The office of the commander-in-chief issued a statement shortly after the meeting that talks centered on matters related to a peaceful transition in the post-election period, parliamentary issues, formation of the next government and measures to be taken to build permanent peace after the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. With Suu Kyi barred from assuming the presidency and the military controlling three powerful ministries, relations between the NLD chairwoman and Min Aung Hlaing are seen as a critical indicator of the extent to which the party will be able to govern effectively throughout its five-year term. Commentary New Parliament another Stepping Stone in a Long Struggle Newly elected lawmakers assumed their seats for the first time Monday in a Parliament many hope will stand for a more just and democratic political order. At the end of January, 2012, I was able to go back to Burma for the first time after living in exile for 24 years. It was the beginning of the political opening in the country under President Thein Sein and it was a privilege to be allowed back to observe the political changes firsthand. That same year, our publication that was once banned in Burma, was allowed to operate. During that first visit back, there were hopeful smiles on the streets but, equally, an overriding sense of caution. We drove to Naypyidaw, the city without a soul, which I saw with my own eyes for the first time. It was a limited stay on a five-day visa but, memorably, Aung San Suu Kyi graciously accepted my request to meet. The country and people I missed so much warmly embraced me. In Rangoon, the National League for Democracy (NLD)s humble office was full of visitors, supporters and curious tourists. I met the uncles who founded the opposition party and senior NLD members sitting and conversing. The late U Win Tin smiled as he explained how Suu Kyi enjoyed celebrity status in the country and beyond. Daw Suus status is gigantic, he said, looking me straight in the eyes. Win Tin always maintained a healthy distrust of the government, a stance I really respected. Suu Kyi, I thought, was thinking slightly differently. Since her return to Burma in 1988, she met with many of the countrys top military leaders and her take on them was very different from the fiery Win Tin. The NLD was then preparing to contest the by-election in April 2012, in which the party would ultimately win all but one of the seats it contested. In the NLD office, members and volunteers were extremely busy preparing. In August 2011, Suu Kyi was invited to meet President Thein Sein at the presidential palace. She then decided to take part in the coming by-election, despite skepticism from some among the party, including Win Tin. Clearly, many were wary of lending underserved legitimacy to the quasi-civilian administration. However, the ever-pragmatic Suu Kyi took a gamble and decided to play by the rules of the military-backed establishment. I could sense Suu Kyis quiet determination when I met her in person that year. She bristled when we discussed criticism of her decision to contest the by-election. But I could clearly see she had firmly made up her mind and stood by the call. In order to lead the country, she realized she had to work with the military, her former captors. She found new allies and partners who agreed to work with her and believed in her charismatic leadership and international stature. One of them is Shwe Mann, a former general and the number three ranking leader in the former ruling regime. The NLDs strong showing in April 2012 was an indicator the party would also perform well in the 2015 general election. In the end, few predicted the extent of the NLDs victory in a poll which may signal an irreversible change in the countrys political fortunes. It has been a long and bumpy ride, with the outgoing government seemingly practicing a one step forward, two steps back approach to reform that caused many exiles to ponder whether they were fated to live abroad permanently. The rise of anti-Muslim violence, renewed fighting in the countrys north, and the ongoing repression of student activists, farmers and ordinary citizens, among a long list of other issues, cause many Burmese to doubt the so-called democratic transition. But it also galvanized people to vote for change on Nov. 8. The people thought, enough was enough, and were determined to see the back of the old regime. However, despite the result, many remained deeply concerned over whether the transfer of power would proceed smoothly. Thus far, their worst fears have not materialized. Last week, the final session of Parliament concluded with karaoke, dancing and laughter. On Monday, newly elected representatives of the Lower House assumed their seats for the first time. But few are under any illusions as to the formidable challenges awaiting incoming lawmakers, 390 of whom, in the national legislature, are from the NLD. The honeymoon period will be brief. All the hard work lies ahead. The opening of a new Parliament is a momentous day for Burma. Many will be hoping it is a stepping stone to a new, more constructive and democratic political order. Four years on since I first returned to the country of my birth, I hope this is a moment all Burmese can grasp; a time to rebuild, reform and continue down the democratic path. Its a hopeful vision that many, including the late Win Tin, who stood fearlessly against the old regime, would welcome. Economy Exchange Commission Mulls More Licenses as YSX Preps for Trade At least three to four more companies are expected to vie for the newly formed Yangon Stock Exchange (YSX), an industry expert says. RANGOON At least three to four more companies are contenders to be listed for the newly formed Yangon Stock Exchange (YSX), Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Supervisory Committee and Deputy Finance Minister Maung Maung Thein said on Thursday. The first group of YSX-listed companies was announced in December, but trading is not expected to begin until March, Maung Maung Thein has previously said. He added that several additional companies would also be issued licenses to participate in YSX transactions by then, though he declined to reveal any further details. Were considering another three or four public companies for the second round, he said. When YSX launches trade in March, shares will be made available to First Myanmar Investment, Myanmar Citizens Bank, Thilawa Holdings Plc, Myanmar Agribusiness Public Company Limited, First Private Bank and Great Hor Kham. Thet Tun Oo, director of the Securities Exchange Commission Myanmar (SECM), said that he is unable to predict which companies will be selected, given that there are over 200 possibilities. I think trading can begin in March, before the next government assumes power, but Im not sure that the second batch of companies will be announced before April, he said. So far, KBZ Bank and the MSEC are the only two companies that have been issued licenses. Several unsanctioned trading outlets, particularly on social media, have come about ahead of the official trade launch, some presenting themselves as authorized channels. The stock exchange is expected to dramatically ramp up Burmas financial capacities and offer stability to an otherwise poorly regulated and fickle investment sector. Monday, February 1st, 2016 (12:01 am) - Score 384 The cross-party Science and Technology Select Committee (House of Commons) has today warned that the Governments controversial new Investigatory Powers Bill (IPB) could cost significantly more than claimed and needs to be clearer about what it expects ISPs to actually do. The bill marks the third attempt by a Government to expand the United Kingdoms existing telecoms snooping laws by forcing broadband ISPs into logging a bigger slice of everybodys online activity and then keeping that log for up to 12 months, irrespective of whether or not youve committed a crime. On top of that the IPB would also make this data (ICR Internet Connection Records) more easily accessible for law enforcement agencies through a complex Request Filter (not unlike a central database) and Police would not require a full warrant in order to gain access. But a warrant would still be needed for more targeted and detailed interception of an individuals communications. More recently ISPs have also warned that the predicted costs of implementing the bill (upwards of 175m) are far too low (here) and that some of the measures could impose an effective ban on encrypted end-to-end communication services (not even the service provider can view these). A recent meeting between smaller ISPs and the Home Office also suggested that the Government didnt yet have a full grasp of the technical challenges involved (here). Into this battle steps the Science and Technology Committee, which has today published the outcome from their inquiry into the IPB and echoed the above concerns. Nicola Blackwood MP, Chair of the Committee, said: It is vital we get the balance right between protecting our security and the health of our economy. We need our security services to be able to do their job and prevent terrorism, but as legislators we need to be careful not to inadvertently disadvantage the UKs rapidly growing Tech sector. The current lack of clarity within the draft Investigatory Powers Bill is causing concern amongst businesses. There are widespread doubts over the definition, not to mention the definability, of a number of the terms used in the draft Bill. The Government must urgently review the legislation so that the obligations on the industry are clear and proportionate. There remain questions about the feasibility of collecting and storing Internet Connection Records (ICRs), including concerns about ensuring security for the records from hackers. The Bill was intended to provide clarity to the industry, but the current draft contains very broad and ambiguous definitions of ICRs, which are confusing communications providers. This must be put right for the Bill to achieve its stated security goals. Interestingly, on the subject of encryption, Blackwood states: The Government needs to do more to allay unfounded concerns that encryption will no longer be possible, particularly in regards to the impact upon end-to-end encryption. The Government should state clearly in the Codes of Practice that it will not be seeking unencrypted content in such cases, says the report. Blackwood also loosely notes the risk to international competition if UK tech companies are effectively required to limit the security of their hardware and software products in order to meet the Governments new rules, particularly in regards to weakening encryption. Rival products from other countries that do not impose such measures would naturally look more competitive. The Committee also ruled that the Government should pick up the tab for all of the additional data storing costs involved in the IPBs implementation, especially for smaller ISPs, and clarify some of the bills more confusing terms (e.g. what exactly does an ICR constitute?). It also demands further examination of the costs in order to arrive at a more accurate figure. In keeping with all that the report recommends that the bill adopt Detailed Codes of Practice, which should for example clearly set out the requirements for protecting ICR data that will have to be retained and managed by [ISPs], along with the security standards to keep them safe. Finally the report calls on the Government to review the composition of its Technical Advisory Board to ensure that it will have members from industry who will be able to give proper consideration, not just to the technical aspects of appeals submitted to it from CSPs concerned about ICR or other interception or interference notices, but also any concerns raised about costs. Nicholas Lansman, ISPA Secretary General, said: We are pleased parliament recognises that the Bill, as drafted, risks undermining the competitiveness of the UK tech sector. We now expect the Home Office to take on board these recommendations, along with those of the upcoming Joint Committee report, to produce a clearer Bill that is clear, technically feasible, proportionate and maintains trust in online services. In Blackwoods words, There are good grounds to believe that without further refinement, there could be many unintended consequences for commerce arising from the current lack of clarity of the terms and scope of the legislation. UPDATE 10:31am Fibre optic ISP Gigaclear has added some thoughts. Monday, February 1st, 2016 (2:01 pm) - Score 941 The UK Governments Minister for the Digital Economy, Ed Vaizey MP, will on Wednesday hold a not-spot summit, which will bring broadband ISPs, mobile operators, politicians, the National Farmers Union (NFU) and Countryside Alliance (CA) together in order to debate how best to close the remaining gaps in fast broadband coverage. At present the Governments Broadband Delivery UK programme is already working to push superfast broadband (24Mbps+) capable connectivity out to 95% of the United Kingdom by 2017/18 and BT expects that 96% may actually be delivered. But that still leaves 3-4% of premises left to wait for better connectivity, mostly in remote rural areas and a few urban pockets. The Government have already conducted a number of Market Test Pilots (MTP) in order to trial several alternative network approaches (e.g. fixed wireless access, fibre optic based and satellite etc.) and their 60m USC (2Mbps for all) subsidy for Satellite connections has also been expanded for use by at least one wireless provider (here). Never the less a coherent plan for closing the gap is still somewhat absent, but now might be the best time to debate this problem given. The Government are already consulting on a new approach to EU State Aid approval for future broadband contracts (here) and will shortly consult on proposals for a new 10Mbps Universal Service Obligation (USO). Matt Warman, MP for Boston and Skegness, said: I am pleased that the Government is listening to concerns from MP and other groups about the variations in broadband coverage in both urban and rural areas, and is hosting the not-spot summit to look at ways to improve coverage for families and businesses across the country. I have no doubt that the range of internet providers and interested groups will provide for an interesting and productive discussion on what we can all do to ensure better coverage going forward. Warman originally called for the debate during a related session in the House of Commons last October 2015 (here), although it wouldnt be the first time that such a debate has been held and we expect many of the usual issues to raise their heads again. Similarly representatives from BDUK, EE and BT will also be speaking at the event. The debate also claims to be open to interest groups, although some sources indicate that this wont include campaign groups, which is a bit disappointing. This blog is written solely by John Ray, who has a Ph.D. degree in psychology and 200+ papers published in the academic journals of the social sciences. It does occasionally comment on issues in psychology but is mainly aimed at giving a conservative psychologist's view on a broad range of topics. There are very few conservative psychologists.The blog originated in Australia and many (but not most) posts discuss Australian matters. Australians have an unusually good awareness of events outside their own country. Australian newspapers feature news from Britain and the USA not as an afterthought but as a major part of their coverage. So Australians do tend to have a truly Western heart, which is the reason behind the old name for this blog. So events in Australia, Britain and the USA all feature frequently here, plus occasional coverage of other places, particularly Israel.SCOTUS is the Supreme Court of the United States, the highest court in the landThe "GOP" stands for "Grand Old Party" and refers to the Republican party. The GOP is at present center/Right, while the Democrats have been undergoing a steady drift Leftwards and now have policies similar to mainstream European Leftist parties.The ideological identity of both parties has however been very fluid -- almost reversing itself over time. In the mid 19th century, the GOP was the party of big government and concern for minorities while the Democrats advertised themselves as "The party of the white man" -- an orientation that lasted into the mid 20th century in the South. The Democrats are still obsessed with race but have now flipped into support for discrimination AGAINST whites.Was Pope Urban VIII the first Warmist? Below we see him refusing to look through Galileo's telescope. People tend to refuse to consider evidence if what they might discover contradicts what they believe.Climate scientist Lennart Bengtsson said. The warming we have had the last 100 years is so small that if we didnt have meteorologists and climatologists to measure it we wouldnt have noticed it at all.The term "Fascism" is mostly used by the Left as a brainless term of abuse. But when they do make a serious attempt to define it, they produce very complex and elaborate definitions -- e.g. here and here . In fact, Fascism is simply extreme socialism plus nationalism. But great gyrations are needed to avoid mentioning the first part of that recipe, of course.Beatrice Webb, a founder of the London School of Economics and the Fabian Society, and married to a Labour MP, mused in 1922 on whether when English children were "dying from lack of milk", one should extend "the charitable impulse" to Russian and Chinese children who, if saved this year, might anyway die next. Besides, she continued, there was "the larger question of whether those races are desirable inhabitants" and "obviously" one wouldn't "spend one's available income" on "a Central African negro".Hugh Dalton, offered the Colonial Office during Attlee's 1945-51 Labour government, turned it down because "I had a horrid vision of pullulating, poverty stricken, diseased nigger communities, for whom one can do nothing in the short run and who, the more one tries to help them, are querulous and ungrateful."The book,, authored by T.W. Adorno et al. in 1950, has been massively popular among psychologists. It claims that a set of ideas that were popular in the "Progressive"-dominated America of the prewar era were "authoritarian". Leftist regimes always are authoritarian so that claim was not a big problem. What was quite amazing however is that Adorno et al. identified such ideas as "conservative". They were in fact simply popular ideas of the day but ones that had been most heavily promoted by the Left right up until the then-recent WWII. See here for details of prewar "Progressive" thinking.R.I.P. Augusto Pinochet. Pinochet deposed a law-defying Marxist President at the express and desperate invitation of the Chilean parliament. He pioneered the free-market reforms which Reagan and Thatcher later unleashed to world-changing effect. That he used far-Leftist methods to suppress far-Leftist violence is reasonable if not ideal. The Leftist view that they should have a monopoly of violence and that others should follow the law is a total absurdity which shows only that their hate overcomes their reasonFranklin Delano Roosevelt was a war criminal. Both British and American codebreakers had cracked the Japanese naval code so FDR knew what was coming at Pearl Harbor. But for his own political reasons he warned no-one there. So responsibility for the civilian and military deaths at Pearl Harbor lies with FDR as well as with the Japanese. The huge firepower available at Pearl Harbor, both aboard ship and on land, could have largely neutered the attack. Can you imagine 8 battleships and various lesser craft firing all their AA batteries as the Japanese came in? The Japanese naval airforce would have been annihilated and the war would have been over before it began. FDR prolonged the Depression . He certainly didn't cure it. WWII did NOT end the Great Depression . It just concealed it. It in fact made living standards worse Joe McCarthy was eventually proved right after the fall of the Soviet Union. To accuse anyone of McCarthyism is to accuse them of accuracy! The KKK was intimately associated with the Democratic party . They ATTACKED Republicans!People who mention differences in black vs. white IQ are these days almost universally howled down and subjected to the most extreme abuse. I am a psychometrician, however, so I feel obliged to defend the scientific truth of the matter:The average African adult has about the same IQ as an average white 11-year-old and African Americans (who are partly white in ancestry) average out at a mental age of 14. The American Psychological Association is generally Left-leaning but it is the world's most prestigious body of academic psychologists. And even they have had to concede that sort of gap (one SD) in black vs. white average IQ. 11-year olds can do a lot of things but they also have their limits and there are times when such limits need to be allowed for. America's uncivil war was caused by trade protectionism . The slavery issue was just camouflage, as Abraham Lincoln himself admitted . See also here Leftist psychologists have an amusingly simplistic conception of military organizations and military men. They seem to base it on occasions they have seen troops marching together on parade rather than any real knowledge of military men and the military life. They think that military men are "rigid" -- automatons who are unable to adjust to new challenges or think for themselves. What is incomprehensible to them is that being(to use the extreme Prussian term for following orders) actually requires great flexibility -- enough flexibility to put your own ideas and wishes aside and do something very difficult. Ask any soldier if all commands are easy to obey. Five Reasons Your Best Applicants Move On You can have a terrific corporate culture, focus on challenging projects, and provide the means for your employees to work with great technology. But if youre not paying IT pros what they can find elsewhere, dont expect job candidates to accept your offer, and dont expect the talent you do have to stick around long. Thats the conclusion that is drawn from the results of the 2016 Talent Acquisition & Retention Survey for the Information Technology Sector recently released by Harris Allied, an executive search firm in New York. The survey of 151 IT executives found that while offering an excellent compensation and benefits package topped the list of strategies companies use to attract IT talent, having a corporate culture that provides an attractive work/life balance edged out competitive compensation to top the list of strategies companies use to retain IT talent. The former strategy is apparently on track: The survey found that better compensation offered elsewhere was far and away the top reason candidates cited for declining a job offer. But the latter strategy apparently needs to be tweaked: The respondents said the No. 1 reason people leave is that theyre not being paid enough. One of the things that was interesting to us was that when candidates decline offers, and the main reason for attrition, still falls back on compensation, said Kathy Harris, managing director of Harris Allied, in an interview. People stay in a role, or leave a role and go onto something new, largely for reasons having to do with compensation. One finding that struck me was that only 8.6 percent of the respondents said theyre able to recruit top talent from within their own organizations, but it appears they have only themselves to blame: According to the survey, managers do recognize that one of the key reasons theyre having a hard time retaining top talent is their own failure to provide adequate professional growth opportunities. I asked Harris if she had any sense of what the reason for that disconnect is, and she said her guess is that theres been a lack of formal professional development opportunities ever since the downturn in 2008, when companies were cutting costs and streamlining their operations. So employees lack the resources for professional development that they otherwise would have had, Harris said. Hiring managers are just trying to keep all the plates spinning at once. If companies want to look for ways to retain their talent, this is truly an opportunity. I interviewed Harris last year when the 2014 survey was released, and I asked her at the time to predict how the 2015 survey results would differ from the results of the 2014 survey. She offered three predictions, and they turned out, by and large, to be quite accurate. First, she predicted that there would be even more aggressive recruiting in 2015, as firms look to their competitors and different industries as a source for talent. I asked her if they ended up doing that to the degree she expected, and Harris said they did. Its a very competitive market, she said, and were seeing a lot of candidates with multiple offers. Second, Harris predicted that there would be a trend toward more aggressive compensation packages for top talent, including an increase in guaranteed cash bonuses and more frequent sign-on bonuses. On that one, Harris said they havent been seeing the guaranteed bonuses so much, but the total compensation packages, to include base pay, bonus, and equity, have indeed been very aggressive. Third, Harris predicted that due to the tight labor market and increased employee attrition, there would be more consulting and contract-to-hire opportunities in 2015, as employers cast wider nets to find top talent. Asked how that one panned out, Harris said more companies are, in fact, open to contract-to-hire than they have been in the past. I asked Harris if there was anything that came out of the 2015 survey that she never would have predicted. She said companies are getting much better at articulating their own narrative relating to the value proposition they offer. Employees want to work for companies that have a story to tell in terms of future growth, Harris said, and more companies are capturing and conveying to employees their strategies for growth within their industries. Other key findings from the 2015 survey: The top three technology jobs that managers cited as those they plan to recruit for most aggressively in 2016 are software application developers and architects, followed by Web/IOS developers and infrastructure support professionals. Consistent with the 2014 survey results, 65 percent of participants predicted their need for tech consultants will either increase or remain the same in 2016. More than half (54.3 percent) of respondents said that social media played an important, very important or extremely important role in recruiting new talent. A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant. This domain name expired on 2022-10-16 00:22:36 Click here to renew it. Councillor Ian McDonald and Coun Rolson Davies have been campaigning for four years to have Kingshill Avenue widened because fire engines could not gain access down the road due to double parking. But having now secured the 9,000 necessary to have the widening carried out, they have written to residents advising them that work is due to start in the next month or so. Corporate / CSR Keywords: Corporate Money Image by 401(K) 2012 Some Rights Reserved. Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) issued its inaugural sustainability bond on October 21, 2015. The total issuance amount was 300 million euros. Sustainability bonds are a type of socially responsible investment (SRI) bond investing only into projects with a high value for the environment and society. SRI bonds have been rapidly growing in issuance amounts, mainly in Europe and America. DBJ is the first issuer of sustainability bonds in Japan. The assets to receive this financing include companies rated C or higher in the DBJ Environmentally Rated Loan Program as well as companies granted three stars or more by the DBJ Green Building Certification Program. Such companies include automobile manufacturers ranked A in the environmental loan program and real estate companies with five stars in the DBJ Green Building Certification. The issued bonds were sold to banks, asset managers and SRI investors such as IKEA, a multinational furniture retailer. DBJ will continue to issue SRI bonds and provide financial support to projects with high environmental and social consciousness. Flagstaff, Williams and Sedona are expected to receive another one to three inches of snow from 1:30 p.m. through the remainder of Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Snow showers were expected to continue through the afternoon but taper off from west to east through Monday evening and over night. Meteorologists said dry conditions are expected Tuesday through Sunday. The National Weather Service reported that strong winds will cause blowing and drifting snow throughout the day Monday, leading to low visibility. Hazardous travel conditions are expected southeast of Flagstaff. Nearly 300 people in neighborhoods around Coconino High School and Killip Elementary School have been without power since about 11 a.m. APS crews are responding and expect power to be back on between about 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Another 419 APS customers in the Mormon Lake area saw their power go out at 10:35 a.m. Crews are on site there and should have power restored by 6 p.m. 9:45 a.m. update: The Arizona Department of Transportation is warning about slippery and snow-covered conditions along Interstate 17 from Flagstaff to the Sedona turn off. The department responded to multiple slide offs along 1-17 between Camp Verde and State Route 169 earlier this morning. It also reported a rollover crash off the roadway on Interstate 40 about 10 miles west of Flagstaff. The department has not reported any major highway closures this morning. Officials at the Flagstaff Airport are urging flyers to check in with American Airlines before driving out to the airport this morning. The wintery weather didnt allow the last flight of the day Sunday to land so the first flight out this morning was canceled, said Airport Director Barney Helmick. Other flights may be delayed due to low visibility, he said. The current visibility is bad but it comes and goes. The next flight isnt due until 11 a.m. Travelers can reach American Airlines at (800)428-4322. The airport is not control of airline schedules and will not be able to give information on whether a flight is delayed or not. The city of Flagstaffs non-essential services also delayed opening for business by two hours Monday morning because of the snow. Non-essential services are due to open at 10 a.m. Most Coconino County offices will also open two hours later, at 10 a.m., due to heavy snow in Flagstaff and the surrounding areas. We wanted to give staff an opportunity to dig out, said city spokesperson Kim Ott. City plow trucks have been working hard to keep up with the snowfall and keep priority 1 streets, such as San Francisco Street clear, she said. They had started to branch out into the neighborhood streets around 5 a.m. but an increase in the snow sent crews back out to clear priority 1 streets. Priority 1 streets include main arterials, major hills, the downtown, Mountain Line Transit Routes and school bus routes. All other streets are considered second priority streets. The city has a target plowing time frames for secondary streets. When snowfall totals exceed 12 inches, the city tries to get all secondary streets cleared within 36 hours. In order to make it easier to plow the streets, residents are reminded that the citys snow parking ban is in effect from Nov. 1 to April 1. No parking is allowed on all city streets from midnight to 7 a.m. If you are parked in violation of the ban your vehicle may be ticketed and towed in order to make room for the snowplows. Property owners are also reminded that once the snow stops falling, they have 24 hours to clear the sidewalks surrounding their property of snow and ice. Violators of the citys safe sidewalk ordinance only receive one warning per snow season. Any subsequent violations will have the city clear the sidewalk and charge the property owner for the cost. Arizona Public Service is not reporting any outages in the Flagstaff area. _____ 8:15 a.m.: A winter storm has dropped 5 inches of snow on Flagstaff overnight and 5 to 9 more inches are on the way through tonight, according to the National Weather Service. The Flagstaff Unified School District and Williams and Page schools have canceled classes for the day, and Coconino Community College is on a two-hour delay. Northern Arizona University is on a regular schedule. The Weather Service says winds will pick up again today, with gusts up to 40 mph, making driving difficult in blowing snow and drifts. Pulliam Airport in Flagstaff had received 4.7 inches as of early this morning, Parks 6 inches, and Mountainaire 7 inches, according to Weather Service reports. An additional 5 to 12 inches can be expected above 5,000 feet, with more than a foot above 8,000 feet. The storm will move out by Tuesday, trailing bitterly cold overnight temperatures and sub-zero wind chills. Daytime highs will start to warm up later in the week. Following are predicted snowfall amounts for the remainder of the storm: DONEY PARK 4 TO 6 FLAGSTAFF 5 TO 9 FOREST LAKES 11 TO 17 FREDONIA 1 TO 2 GANADO 3 TO 5 GRAND CANYON 4 TO 8 HEBER-OVERGAARD 4 TO 6 JACOB LAKE 4 TO 6 KYKOTSMOVI 1 TO 2 NORTH RIM 5 TO 9 PAYSON 2 TO 4 PINE-STRAWBERRY 5 TO 9 PRESCOTT VALLEY 1 TO 3 PRESCOTT 3 TO 5 SEDONA 1 TO 3 SELIGMAN 2 TO 4 SHONTO 2 TO 4 VALLE 2 TO 4 WILLIAMS 5 TO 9 WINDOW ROCK 2 TO 4 NEW SNOW SINCE SUNDAY EVENING ...APACHE COUNTY... TSAILE 10.0 810 AM 2/01 6 TO 12 INCHES ALPINE 7.0 833 AM 2/01 WNW GANADO 6.0 805 AM 2/01 WINDOW ROCK 3.0 818 AM 2/01 2 N MCNARY 2.0 735 AM 2/01 CONCHO 1.0 750 AM 2/01 ...COCONINO COUNTY... MOUNTAINAIRE 7.0 710 AM 2/01 FLAGSTAFF 6.7 750 AM 2/01 BOULDER POINT WILLIAMS 6.5 630 AM 2/01 WILLIAMS 3.3 SSE PARKS 6.0 730 AM 2/01 FLAGSTAFF AIRPORT 4.7 500 AM 2/01 BELLEMONT 4.5 500 AM 2/01 FORT VALLEY 4.2 600 AM 2/01 DONEY PARK 3.0 630 AM 2/01 5:30 a.m. update: FUSD schools closed Monday Due to weather conditions, all Flagstaff Unified School District schools will be closed Monday, February 1. The Arizona Department of Transportation is warning about slippery and snow covered conditions along Interstate 17 from Flagstaff to the Sedona turn off. The department responded to multiple slide offs along 1-17 between Camp Verde and State Route 169 earlier this morning. It also reported a rollover crash off the roadway on Interstate 40 about 10 miles west of Flagstaff. The department has not reported any major highway closures this morning. Arizona Public Service is not reporting any outages in the Flagstaff area. PHOENIX The knocks that Kelli Ward is making against John McCain may be paying off but not for her. A new statewide survey from the Behavior Research Center shows the former state senator from Lake Havasu City remains the choice for U.S. Senate for just 11 percent of Republicans questioned. That is virtually unchanged from November, when she began lashing out at the five-term incumbent. McCain's own support also barely moved, with more than a third of GOP voters remaining uncommitted. But in that same period, Democratic challenger U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick of Flagstaff picked up six points when those questioned were asked whether they would back her or McCain. And they all came from the undecided category. The bottom line, according to pollster Earl de Berge, is if the general election were held today, Kirkpatrick and McCain would be in a statistical dead heat. And de Berge said Kirkpatrick actually has a realistic chance of unseating McCain if she handles her money right. He said there's little doubt that McCain will have far more money to spend than any challenger. His last report had him with close to $5.1 million cash on hand. For Kirkpatrick, the figure was just $850,000. But de Berge said hoarding that money would not be a good idea. "They know that the big attack is going to come in the general election,'' de Berge said of Democrats. The result, he said, is they don't usually spend money until after the primary. "That's a mistake because they need to define themselves,'' de Berge continued, and do it before Republicans with the financial advantage do it for or to them. That same factor, de Berge said, appears to be why Ward has yet to poll better in a year that should work in her favor. He pointed out the popularity of presidential candidates who voters consider "outsiders.'' But de Berge said that is going to require Ward to do a better job now and spend money to define herself. The Behavior Research Center poll of 590 registered voters was conducted last month. It included 221 Republicans, 192 Democrats and 177 independents. It has a margin of error of 6.7 percentage points among Republicans and 4.1 percent for the general election. Back To Luther... and the old (German) Missouri Synod. Below are thoughts, confessions, quotations from a Missouri Synod Lutheran (born 1952) who came back to his old faith... and found more treasures than he knew existed in the training of his youth. The great Lutheran lineage above: Martin Luther, C.F.W. Walther, Franz Pieper. Eric Buell (center), founder of Eric Buell Racing in East Troy, talks to potential investors about a motorcycle in this 2012 photo. Credit: KATHLEEN GALLAGHER SHARE By of the Erik Buell Racing, an East Troy motorcycle manufacturer, is gearing up to produce bikes again less than a month after it completed a restructuring similar to bankruptcy. Manufacturing on a limited scale could begin in March, according to Liquid Asset Partners, a Grand Rapids, Mich., firm that acquired Erik Buell Racing in a January auction. The goal is to produce 2016 model-year motorcycles while, at the same time, Liquid Asset Partners seeks a buyer or investors for Erik Buell Racing. "Those are some of the plans we are working through right now. We are talking to a lot of parties, and we are having open discussions with investors, banks and others," Liquid Asset Partners owner Bill Melvin Jr. said Monday. Erik Buell Racing is the sequel to Buell Motorcycle Co. that Harley-Davidson Inc. owned for more than a decade before Harley dropped the brand in 2009. The East Troy plant employed about 130 people until it ceased operations 10 months ago. Bikes were left unfinished on the assembly line when the company filed for Chapter 128 receivership, a state court procedure similar to bankruptcy. Now, under Liquid Asset Partners, company founder Erik Buell and an Erik Buell Racing management team are restarting the business. Production is expected to ramp up slowly, with a few employees. "The old company had many of the pieces in place for success, and I am very energized by the opportunity to re-engage under a new corporation with the right ownership and focus," Buell said. Liquid Asset Partners "believed that it was a viable business, and not just something to sell off in pieces," Buell added. The company now has motorcycle parts available for Erik Buell Racing bike owners a move Buell said was important to him personally. "I was just mortified at the thought that (customers) might be left without help," he said. Buell motorcycle owners are encouraged that Liquid Asset Partners has kept the company intact, said Robert Wade, a Buell enthusiast from Indianapolis. Erik Buell has been in the motorcycle industry for more than 30 years, having started his original company in 1983 in a barn in Mukwonago. Going forward, Buell says his role with the new company will depend on the ownership and organization. "I have done a lot of things with the business, and I still have a lot of love for it and a lot of energy for it," he said. Buell, an engineer by profession, is known as a maverick with a competitive racing streak. "Erik Buell's passion for motorcycles, and his ability to convince others that his ideas have validity, are unquestionable. Erik is probably the closest that the motorcycle industry gets to a Steve Jobs-like evangelist," said Dean Adams, who runs the website SuperBikePlanet, in Red Wing, Minn. "There are world-class engineers who have turned their lives upside down in order to work for Erik, move themselves and their family to Wisconsin, only to lose their jobs and have the backbone of their family's life disappear when his business plan is unsuccessful and fails in a huge way. You would think that these people would be waiting for Erik in the employee parking lot with a tire iron, after seeing that the business plan they were hired under was based on nearly irrational hope. Yet they remain friendly and almost devoted to Erik. He's a very charismatic individual, especially, I think, if you're an engineer," Adams said. Court records showed that Erik Buell Racing had $20.8 million in assets and $20.4 million in liabilities when it sought receivership. Liquid Asset Partners paid about $2million for the company. Buell said he has learned a lot from his experiences. Now, he said, "Even if there was a large amount of money available, I would still strongly push for starting slowly and carefully. I think the biggest thing is not rushing in." April Paul, Marques D. Causey and Alexander Pawlowski struggle to connect in The Flick. Credit: Ross Zentner SHARE By , Madison Midway through the first act of Annie Baker's Pulitzer-winning "The Flick," a 20-year-old black man named Avery is sitting in the shabby, single-screen movie theater in Massachusetts where the play takes place, its seats facing us. Intellectually precocious, painfully self-conscious and a huge film snob, Avery is talking on the phone to his therapist, trying to make sense of a dream in which he discovers that the one film he'd ever truly loved is "Honeymoon in Vegas," which he'd adored as a child but which his waking self describes as a "terrible movie." In Avery's dream, it's a happy moment, cutting through all the layers that keep him and all of us from getting real by being honest with who we are and what we want. And wouldn't you know it? At Forward Theater Co.'s Sunday's matinee performance of "The Flick," that's the precise moment when an audience member's cellphone went off, interrupting this epiphany just as it was bursting into bloom and unwittingly underscoring a central theme in Baker's heart-wrenching play. The three lonely drifters in "The Flick" each a low-wage worker at the theater desperately want out of the prison house of the self, through genuine conversations and connections rather than what passes for the same in our daily lives. Most of the time they'll fail, done in by interruptions which, like that cellphone, pull them out of those tantalizing moments when they seem destined to connect. Some of that outside noise involves the usual suspects conspiring to divide us; while Baker is never obvious about anything in this beautifully crafted play, issues of race, class and gender continually get in these characters' way. But these sometimes crippling identifiers are part of a larger problem, for Baker's characters and modern life: The more we're told we're connected on big screens and small, the more alienated we feel. Our real conversations awkward, fractured, embarrassing and often unintentionally funny as a result never measure up to our virtual expectations. Especially when we spend our days sweeping popcorn, mopping spilled soda and threading film. For 160 minutes (with intermission). Director Molly Rhode and an exceptional trio of Milwaukee-based actors Marques D. Causey (Avery), April Paul (24-year-old Rose) and Alexander Pawlowski (35-year-old Sam) capture the consequent tedium. There are long stretches in "The Flick" where nothing seems to happen and nothing gets said. That's how real life as distinct from Facebook works. But in every silence, this cast makes us preternaturally aware of all that's not being said. And in Rhode's staging, characters continually seem connected even when they're standing and sitting apart quixotically searching for moments of light as they move through a world of flickering shadows, whistling at the dark and hoping against hope that someone out there is listening. IF YOU GO "The Flick" continues through Feb. 14 at the Overture Center, 201 State St., Madison. For tickets, visit forwardtheater.com. Read more about this production at TapMilwaukee.com. TAKEAWAYS Rising Stars, Part I: I'll admit to a wee bit of hometown pride as I overheard numerous conversations involving wowed Madison audience members in which they wondered why they hadn't heard of any of the three wonderful actors they were watching, none of whom they'd apparently seen. Even Forward artistic director Jennifer Uphoff Gray had seen none of their work before she, Rhode and Forward artistic associate Karen Moeller held the auditions through which Causey, Paul, and Pawlowski were cast; kudos to her and Forward for nevertheless taking a chance and casting them. All three have strong Milwaukee connections; Causey and Paul graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee theater program and Pawlowski is a graduate of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater's Emerging Professional Residency program. Causey and Paul both had breakout years in 2015, with Causey starring in "The Ballad of Emmett Till" at Renaissance Theaterworks and Paul stealing every one of her scenes in Alchemist Theatre's "New York Stories" trilogy. I still choke up when I remember Pawlowski's performance in a 2012 Rep Lab play as a worker killed on Sept. 11. When I interviewed her a few weeks ago, Rhode remembered auditions for "The Flick" as "magical," adding that she, Gray and Moeller were blown away by how fully these actors inhabited their roles and how good they were together. "They are just starting to establish themselves in Wisconsin's artistic community," said Rhode herself having made the decision to stay and work here even though her talent could take her most anywhere. "This show really features them and all their strengths. That's wonderful, and exciting." It is indeed as are Forward's efforts to keep such actors in Wisconsin by giving them work. Rising Stars, Part II: How exciting? You'll need to drive to Madison and you should to see that for yourself. A few illustrative examples to nudge you: As he did in playing Emmett Till, Causey can come across as so hopeful and naive that it breaks your heart; one wants to believe in such childlike innocence even as one knows it will be crushed. But Avery is a young adult rather than 14, like Emmett; what makes his faith in a better world so hard to watch is that even he is afraid to reveal it, for fear it will die as soon as it's exposed to air. Watching Causey's Avery nevertheless take the plunge so that he might connect a profile in courage even as he nearly quivers with fear pays moving testament to our collective efforts to reach beyond ourselves, risking rejection because we all need love. As Rose, Paul plays a woman who reaches out through her body. But while Paul's Rose knows she's hot assuming a sexually languorous pose the first time we meet her and seating herself in movie chairs as though she's the subject of a photo shoot Paul also conveys how lonely Rose is, in ways that all her short-term relationships do nothing to dissipate. As presented by Paul, one might read the hunger in Rose's eyes as predatory and sexual, but it's also desperate and forlorn, preparing the way for a great scene in Act II where we'll hear her voice come close to breaking as she tries to talk with Sam. Easier said than done. Pawlowski's Sam is gruff, down-to-earth, and living within the moment seemingly comfortable there until he isn't, in several scenes where he's forced by his co-workers or his circumstances to acknowledge how sad his life is and how much of a coward he can be. Pawlowski lets us see how uncomfortable Sam actually is in his skin and not just because Sam has a rash and his back itches. Pawlowski's Sam is also aware of the distance separating his dreams from who he's become thereby reinforcing his awareness of his loser status and eroding what little remaining confidence he has. None of this, with any of these three, is overdone; that's not how Baker writes and that's never how Rhode directs. All three of these actors perform with the sort of emotional honesty and authenticity that comes so hard to their respective characters and which I've seen in every Rhode-directed professional play (and I've seen all but one of them). Take Me to the Movies: Even if we wanted to, can we even think ourselves free of the movies as guides to who we are and want to be? Or, conversely, do they now dominate our lives to such a degree that we can't help but imitate what we see? Those are among the many questions that Baker a film geek whose younger self had more than a little in common with Avery is asking in her idea-rich script. "The Flick" is, after all, a play in which the set's movie theater seats face us, meaning that the audience is actually on and within the movie screen (set design by Stephen Hudson-Mairet). Composer and sound designer Joe Cerqua gives texture to what this means, treating us between scenes to iconic sound clips from numerous movies, some of which are enacted by characters on stage (an obvious example: at one point Sam bellows for Rose, up in the projection booth, in self-conscious mimicry of Brando's infamous cry for Stella in "A Streetcar Named Desire"; moments later, we hear Brando himself. Similarly, Cerqua's originally composed music gives us variations on a swelling Hollywood theme, with each variation channeling a different genre of film. "A 'Digital Film' is an Oxymoron": So says Avery, passionately devoted to 35-millimeter film even as theaters like the one in which he's working are thinking about switching to digital. "Film is light and shadow and it is the light and shadow that were there on the day you shot the film," Avery points out. Conversely, he continues, digital is "actually just millions of tiny dots," which "cannot express the variation in color and texture that film can," and in which "all the dots are exactly the same size and the same distance apart." Will we, Avery asks, be like those isolated, featureless and identical automatons living in a crisp, clear and evenly lighted world that leaves no room for variation? Or will we dare to live in an uneven and unpredictable world flecked with shadow, in which things are as messy as life itself? What sorts of conversations with each other are we willing to risk? How rough around the edges and how vulnerable are we willing to be? Baker asks each of these questions and many like them in "The Flick." There's a Fourth Actor, Too: "The Flick" actually has four actors, not three: Alistair Sewell has two cameos, one in each act, that together capture the two sides of the film v. digital debate. In the first, as The Dreaming Man, Sewell is a patron awakened from a doze after the lights come up; he quietly and apologetically exits the theater. In a play filled with references to movies, this one is to "Sherlock Jr." (1924), a silent film in which Buster Keaton plays a projectionist (and janitor) who falls asleep during a movie and dreams his way onto the screen. Slapstick comedy ensues as he tries to make sense of what's going on, even as true to life itself the ground continually shifts under his feet. Near the end of the play, Sewell reappears as Skylar, a clean-cut and robotic new worker being trained by Sam, who is ruthlessly efficient in ways the trio we'd been watching never are; for the first time in the entire play, all of the popcorn in a row of seats actually finds its way into the dustbin. Skylar must touch the theater's screen to convince himself it's real; no dreamy, imagination-fueled flights into the movies for him. And one can't imagine him falling asleep during a movie; he's much too together for that. He's also an empty emoticon or one of those isolated, featureless pixels Avery was complaining about. He may make Sam look like a slovenly dinosaur. But he's also a zombie. And he reminds us what is at stake and what we and our future might look like if we don't take the time and risk involved in talking to each other, in real time and space, before we no longer know how. I am 16, 17 in a few months. I have fallen head over heels for a man who is 21. He was my camp counselor. We talk at least once a week and we talk about everything. Especially deep stuff. I know he genuinely cares about me, but I don't know if he likes me as more than friends. When I confronted him about how I felt, he said, "I'm a counselor and you're a camper, but I do care about you." Yet his actions say otherwise. He gets nervous around me. He always puts his arm around me. He held me to make sure I didn't fall. He said 17 is acceptable for him to date. All my friends noticed his actions, too. I don't know if he's saying he doesn't like me that way because of his job, of if he actually doesn't like me that way. Please help. I don't know what to do and I love this man. Gwen Gwen, at your age a five-year age difference is a lifetime. He is an adult male, of drinking age, working a job. You are still legally a child, living at home, with your parents as your guardians. Do you think your level of maturity is the same as it will be when you are a junior in college? No. Not only will you be older, you will be much more sophisticated. Do you think you should date a 12-year-old boy? Of course not. He would be much less sophisticated than you are. And if you were 37 with a 16-year-old daughter, what would you think? My child has a crush on an adult male. There must be equality between two people in a relationship. Your counselor's employer and the parents who send their children to camp have entrusted him to act with honor and character and restraint. He was not hired to get involved with the children he is paid to protect. At your age you will have feelings for people, but it doesn't mean those feelings are appropriate and should be reciprocated. There must be guidelines and boundaries. He needs to practice professional distance and you need not to pursue him. Talk your feelings over with your parents, especially your mother. If this relationship has to be secret, if it has to be hidden, if it involves lying, something is wrong. You aren't in love with someone you are not dating. There can't be love between two who are not equals. Wayne & Tamara Off the mark How can I know if the person I am with right now is someone I love or someone I like? This man is caring, sweet, understanding and besides that, he has flaws I accept. It makes him who he is right now. He is full of funny thoughts and doesn't want me to sulk on sadness or grief. He is the person I want to be with for a lifetime. Madison Madison, it sounds like you are going down a mental checklist: he's a great person, I accept him for who he is, he cheers me up. Is that what people in love ask? Do we question what we know is true? A list of attributes is not the same as love. Love is not quantifiable, and the problem with a checklist is that it can highlight the positives while ignoring the negatives. But if you stay together, the negatives will always assert themselves. You need to be a little more honest with yourself. Look inward. Is there a reason you doubt his love? Does the doubt reside with you, perhaps because of a bad experience with someone else, or is the doubt due to him? Loving someone, there is no checklist. It's like what we know instinctively. Is this art, or is this just someone who knows how to paint? You are asking for advice on something only you can judge. Wayne & Tamara Send letters to: WriteDirectAnswers@gmail.com. By of the Two privacy organizations have called out Milwaukee police for secretly tracking the precise locations of cellphone users without getting search warrants. Law enforcement officials are using devices, called Stingrays, that simulate a cellphone tower. They can find phones even when they're not in use, or when they have location privacy enabled. Originally developed for national security, they have become a powerful tool for local police who promise the FBI they won't acknowledge having Stingrays to anyone else, including judges who might ask what led to a defendant's arrest. The ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a California nonprofit founded in 1990 that advocates for digital freedom and privacy, say the practice, which pulls in all phones in the vicinity, not just the targeted number, amounts to unreasonable search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment. "It makes it a whole lot easier to use it if no one's asking questions," said Nate Wessler of the ACLU's privacy project in New York. "It's convenient (for law enforcement) but inappropriate." The two groups have filed a friend of the court brief in the case of Damian Patrick, 27. Police originally claimed only that they had "obtained information" from an "unknown source" that had pointed them to Patrick's location, in a car where a gun was found on the floor in front of him. It later came out that police simply tracked Patrick's phone in real time with the help of his service provider and probably a Stingray. "The requirement that police obtain a warrant ensures that judges can prevent the police from undertaking unjustified fishing expeditions that can reveal intimate details about a person's activities, associations and beliefs," the groups' brief says. They also argue police should have revealed that they tracked Patrick's phone as part of discovery in the case. The truth didn't come out until months later, during a hearing on Patrick's motion to suppress evidence. Milwaukee police did not return a request for comment on its use of Stingrays. The department, like the more than 50 other state and local law agencies who have them or similar devices, must sign a nondisclosure agreement with the FBI that prohibits mention of the technology to anyone even prosecutors, defense lawyers and judges without written FBI permission. The ACLU says records show that from late 2010 to August 2015, Milwaukee police used the Stingray in 579 cases, from homicides and sexual assaults to kidnappings and robberies and to track down witnesses who didn't appear at trials. As of April 2014, Wisconsin law requires police to get a search warrant before using the devices, which imitate cellular towers used by wireless providers such as Sprint and Verizon. It forces any mobile phone nearby to identify itself, allowing police to capture data from their targeted phone, as well as all other phones within range. In October 2013, a task force was rounding up people wanted for violating probation. Police got an order from a state judge for Sprint data about Patrick's phone. A service provider can place a phone in a general area, and then a Stingray, often inside a vehicle, can pinpoint the exact location of the phone, even inside buildings. On Oct. 28, 2013, the same day the Milwaukee police Stingray log shows its use for a fugitive roundup, Patrick was found in a car, along with a gun. It wasn't until a February 2014 hearing on his motion to suppress the evidence that it was revealed police had not in fact acted on an informant's tip to find Patrick, but had actually tracked his location by his cellphone. Prosecutors agree a warrant to track someone's cellphone needs to be based on probable cause, but they argue that the state court judge's order to get Sprint's records of Patrick's calls was the functional equivalent. Patrick made a conditional guilty plea, was sentenced to 57 months and then appealed the denial of his suppression motion. To get a judge to order a phone company to reveal records, investigators basically need to say it would be helpful to an investigation, a much lower standard than what investigators would have to show as probable cause required for a search warrant: that evidence of a specific crime exists at a specific location. The thought had been that cellphone customers don't have an expectation of privacy in the information because they willingly share it with a provider. But privacy advocates say as cellphones grow increasingly powerful and essential to many users, that view is changing. Since 2013, about a dozen states have adopted requirements for search warrants to track cellphones, and others have introduced similar legislation. Wessler of the ACLU noted that Wisconsin's law says a warrant should be granted if investigators show the phone tracking will provide "information relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation," a lower standard than usually required for a search warrant. Some federal agencies have adopted that as a policy, but there is no statutory requirement. Patrick's attorney and the ACLU want the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to definitely say one way or the other if the practice triggers Fourth Amendment protections. Other circuits have taken differing views, meaning the question could ultimately land with the U.S. Supreme Court. Other cities review Stingray cases In other cities, revelation of the extent of Stingray use, and the extent to which that use was purposely hidden or obscured, has led public defenders to seek reviews of cases where it might have been challenged. Randy Kraft, a spokesman for Wisconsin's State Public Defender's office said it "is exploring methods to identify cases in which Stingray and similar technology is used." "In addition, the SPD is considering whether a policy change would be appropriate, and we will reach out to the Legislature if that route becomes necessary." In some instances nationally, prosecutors have dismissed cases rather than reveal the use of Stingrays when pressed by defense attorney or judges about the sources of information. That has happened even though there has been increasing coverage of the use of Stingrays over the past two or three years, and it's no secret that police around most of the country use the technology. In fact, the nondisclosure agreement specifically prohibits Stingray users from disclosing Stingray use "in response to court ordered disclosure." Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Borowski, who spent years in the felony division, said he didn't recall a case where live cellphone tracking was suspected or revealed, but said he doesn't like the idea that it may have been going on and kept from him. "Law enforcement needs to be candid and honest with courts and judges," he said. SHARE By of the One driver was killed and another seriously injured in two separate crashes in Milwaukee over the weekend, police said Monday. The fatal crash was reported about 2 a.m. Monday in the 6600 block of W. Lisbon Ave. A 26-year-old Milwaukee man was driving west at a high speed when he lost control of his car and hit a tree, according to a police news release. A serious crash also was reported a day earlier when a driver lost control and hit a building at the corner of N. 92nd St. and W. Capitol Drive. A 30-year-old Oconomowoc man was driving north on N. 92nd St. at a high speed about 3:15 a.m. Sunday when he crashed into a building, according to the news release. The driver was critically injured and taken to a hospital for treatment. Authorities said alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash, based on the initial investigation. SHARE By of the Sixteen people were arrested by Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputies, accused of drinking and driving during the weekend, including a first-time offender who had a 1-year-old child in the car. The 27-year-old Milwaukee woman was stopped around 1:30 a.m. Saturday on Highway 100 at W. Burleigh St. when a deputy saw her Ford Explorer deviate from its lane, run up onto a curb, then return to the road. She failed field sobriety tests, then registered a blood alcohol content of .17, according to a statement from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office. The one-year-old girl was turned over to her father shortly after the woman's arrest. In all, four repeat offenders and 12 first-time offenders were arrested during Operation Sober Drive from Friday evening through Sunday morning. SHARE By of the The state has recouped $375,000 from a private religious school that closed last year after it was barred from participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. The surety bond payment reflects the amount the state paid to Jared C. Bruce Academy, 6090 N. 35th St., for the 2014-'15 school year. It is only the second time the Department of Public Instruction has recovered funds from a failed voucher school through a surety bond, an insurance policy of sorts. The agency also collected $260,000 from the now-defunct Washington DuBois Christian Leadership Academy at 5226 W. Hampton Ave., which closed in December 2013 after it was barred from the voucher program. "That's money that goes back into the general fund," DPI spokesman Tom McCarthy said. Jared C. Bruce Academy, affiliated with Mason Temple Church of God in Christ, closed in August 2015, shortly after it was barred from the state program for failing to comply with financial and other reporting requirements. In all the school received $18 million over its 13 years in the program. DPI determined in 2008 that the school was not financially feasible, but it was required to give the school an opportunity to prove it was viable or could turn itself around. As part of the ongoing auditing process, it required the school to purchase a surety bond, which would pay the state if the school failed to meet its financial obligations. In its final year, 158 of the school's 163 students attended through the voucher program. After Washington DuBois closed, an audit determined that it owed the state almost $836,500 for the 2012-'13 school year. The state has turned the case over to a collection agency. Several officials affiliated with the school appear on the agency's so-called bad actor list, which bars them from taking part in the program for seven years. The K-6 school had taken part in the program since the 2005-'06 school year. In its final year, 132 of its 154 students attended on vouchers. The city is suing to close 27th St. Tobacco for being a chronic nuisance and illegal activity. Credit: Michael Sears SHARE By of the Milwaukee city officials will return to court Monday to again ask a judge to order the closure and sale of a tobacco shop they say has been a magnet for illegal activity on the near west side. A judge in October ruled that 27th St. Tobacco was a nuisance but imposed a very limited temporary restriction that it not engage in or facilitate illegal drug sales. Monday had been the date for the city to argue for a permanent injunction, but now attorneys also will ask that the business be found in contempt, based on several illegal drug and cigarette sales last month. Several neighboring residents and business owners are expected to attend, and some will testify, said Keith Stanley, executive director of Near West Side Partners. "This an example of many operations we're concerned about, but it's the primary one, the poster child," Stanley said. Other area businesses "are leading the charge," to bring pressure on what he called unaccountable businesses. "We want investments, and don't want this place to scare that off." According to court records, an informant, monitored by police and sometimes wearing a hidden camera, asked a store employee for marijuana on two occasions and was directed to another person in the store and led to a car in the parking lot and sold the drug for $10. On three occasions, the same informant, also while monitored, was sold a single cigarette, for 60 cents, in violation of the city's cigarette sales ordinance. The city's motion for contempt notes that defendants, both the building's owners and the men who lease it to run the business, took no actions to improve security or limit parking lot access or emphasize to employees the conditions of the temporary injunction, all various measures discussed at the fall hearing. "It was, and continues to be, business as usual absent a court order that makes it physically impossible to continue the drug activity at the property," the city said, and it again asks the court to order the business closed and the property sold. In addition, the city asks that the defendants be ordered to pay the city's attorney fees. The store, near N. 27th St. and W. Kilbourn Ave., has been the focus of police for years. Since 2013, the city's suit claims, there have been more than 400 calls for police service at the address. The owners, Midhat Farrah and his father, Hazim Farrah, took over the business in January 2015. There had been about 140 calls from then until October. Assistant City Attorney Nicholas DeSiato said most of those were self-generated by police, because of their own observations or ongoing investigations. The owners of the property, Amjad Tufail and Kausar Chattha of Brookfield, also are named as defendants in the city's lawsuit. Stanley, who is also part of the area's business improvement district, said it has met with the owners numerous times and suggested ways to improve the property that could help control illegal activity there, but Tufail has not been responsive. According to the city's complaint, Hazim Farrah told police he often bought Apple electronics, TVs and other items for resale from people who came in off the street, without receipts and without paying tax. He also said he was aware that some of his employees brought marijuana into the store, though he denied knowledge of any sales of marijuana there. He said many people enter the store trying to sell guns, and that he bought a shotgun from one of them for $400. Last month, federal authorities in Milwaukee charged three men related to a California terrorism suspect with illegally trafficking in stolen iPhones and computers, and shipping some overseas. That investigation started when one of three defendants was working at 27th St. Tobacco and Wireless in 2014, according to the federal charges. An attorney for Midhat Farrah said those defendants did not work for the Farrahs. Circuit Judge Daniel Noonan, who granted the narrow temporary injunction last fall, has since retired. Circuit Judge William Sosnay is scheduled to preside at Monday's hearing. People remove merchandise Monday from 27th St. Tobacco, 848 N. 27th St. after city officials moved to have a judge to order the closure and sale of a tobacco shop they say has been a magnet for illegal activity on the near west side. Credit: Mark Hoffman SHARE By of the The owners of a tobacco store that police and neighbors called a magnet for illegal activity on the near west side agreed Monday to close and vacate the business immediately, just as the city was about to argue the business and landlord should be held in contempt. Police and the Department of Neighborhood Services were to accompany Hazim Farrah and his son Midhat Farrah to remove any personal property still left at 27th St. Tobacco and Wireless, 848 N. 27th St. before changing the locks and possibly boarding the store, the source of hundreds of police calls for service. Problems ranged from cigarette sales to minors to drug sales, prostitution, fights and gun possession. In addition, the Farrahs' landlord, Amjad Tufail of Brookfield, agreed in principle to sell the property, which has hosted a string of troublesome businesses, going back to its days as Judy's Red Hots, a hot dog shop. Last month, federal authorities in Milwaukee charged three men related to a California terrorism suspect with illegally trafficking in stolen iPhones and computers, and shipping some overseas. That investigation started when one of three defendants was working at 27th St. Tobacco and Wireless, then under different ownership, in 2014, according to the federal charges. More than a dozen neighborhood stakeholders who had come to Monday's court hearing took the news with guarded optimism. "We've been down this road before," said Keith Stanley, executive director of Near West Side Partners. "Talk is cheap," Ald. Robert Bauman said. He also questioned how serious Tufail is about selling, noting that he has previously listed the property, assessed for tax purposes at $53,000, for $800,000. Indeed, Tufail said after the hearing he feels a fair price is somewhere near $1 million. He said he has owned the property since 1994. Attorneys for the city, the Farrahs and Tufail said they would seek a couple of appraisals and come up with a plan of sale before returning to Circuit Judge William Sosnay on Feb. 16 for a status hearing. The Farrahs' attorney, David Halbrooks, said his clients have actually sold their business to someone else. Assistant City Nicholas DeSiato made it clear the city prefers the property be sold to a new owner with a clean slate. Magnet for loiterers For the time being, the audience seemed pleased that at least the current operation would close. Bauman noted the shop attracts a steady parade of loiterers who generally exhibit all the behaviors of people buying and selling illegal drugs. "They were there yesterday in the rain," Bauman said. In October, now retired judge Daniel Noonan issued a limited, temporary injunction against 27th St. Tobacco, barring the owners or their employees from selling or facilitating the sale of illegal drugs at the store or its parking lot. But before Monday's hearing on a permanent injunction, the city filed a motion for contempt, citing the sale of marijuana and single cigarettes to monitored informants at the business several times this month. The city wanted the court to order the business closed and the property sold as the only way to ensure the nuisance would be abated. It also sought attorney fees for bringing the nuisance and contempt actions. Assured Monday that the fees would not exceed $5,000, the defendants indicated they also would negotiate the payment of fees from any proceeds from sale of the property. Bauman said the city and area businesses and residents want to see redevelopment at the site, "a higher and better use" of the property, such as a nonprofit organization office, a health clinic, restaurant or other small business. But he said it's hard to attract new business to the area when "this particular actor is a toxic element" that creates "an economic dead zone." The corner lot is at N. 27th St. and W. Kilbourn Ave., next to Penfield Children's Center and across the street from a Wendy's. Stanley, with the Near West Side Partners, said about 10,000 people work in the vicinity and that a business improvement district can help any new business with grants for planning, improvements and security. He said the district has tried to work with Tufail over the years but he has never followed through. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump signs his autograph as he is joined by his wife, Melania, at a rally Sunday in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Credit: Associated Press To employ a phrase once used by P.J. O'Rourke, Monday's Iowa caucuses aren't an election, they are a restraining order. Simply by the act of avoiding scrawling a certain name on a piece of paper, the especially enlightened people of Iowa can shove the Donald Trump campaign out of bounds, where it belongs. If Trump does win Iowa and recent polls suggest he will he could be on his way to a historic feat. Since Iowa went to "first in the nation" status in 1976, no non-incumbent Republican has won both Iowa and New Hampshire; currently, Trump is well ahead in the New Hampshire polls, despite it being yet unexplained how he is any more serious of a candidate than an Iowa farm boy who has adopted the unfortunate moniker "Deez Nuts." Further, if Democrats are included in the mix, virtually every candidate who has won both Iowa and New Hampshire has gone on to secure their party's nomination. (The sole recent exception is Maine Sen. Edmund Muskie, who won both in 1972 but lost the nomination to George McGovern.) If Trump were to sweep both states, history says Air Force One soon may be fitted for a hot tub. The problem, to conservatives nationally, is that Trump's primary rival in Iowa, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, doesn't seem like a much better alternative. Cruz is an insufferable panderer who likely practices his Applebee's orders six times in the mirror before he gets in the car. For Republicans, boosting Cruz to derail Trump seems a bit like burning your house down to ensure that it's never burglarized. But Cruz has been giving speeches to packed houses in Iowa for weeks. (His campaign stops include complimentary Ted Cruz coloring books for the kids.) Last Friday night, he gave a passionate speech to an overflow crowd in tiny Wilton, Iowa, that garnered him raucous applause. Cruz has made inroads in Iowa by stressing his religiosity and muscular conservatism, vowing to "utterly destroy" ISIS, to "rip up" the Iran deal and "abolish" the Internal Revenue Service. However, "taking a flamethrower" to the Trump campaign will have to suffice for now. And if Sen. Marco Rubio were able to continue his momentum in Iowa, he might be the one to save America from Trumpmentum. In stops all over the state, Rubio has sought to become the plausible alternative to Trump, courting the small but vocal demographic known as "people who aren't delusional." On Saturday, he told a packed house at Iowa State University that "anger is not a strategy," positing himself as a clear, levelheaded leader. Rubio begins and ends all of his speeches by emphasizing America's greatness; it says a lot about the 2016 campaign that a candidate who traffics almost exclusively in optimism has yet to gain a substantial foothold. At the Rubio event in Ames, I asked one voter from Ankeny, Iowa, what he thought of Trump. He shrugged, and said he thought Trump had been entertaining, but that it was time to get serious. (Any time a voter doesn't mimic vomiting noises when I mention the name "Trump," I consider it to be the wrong answer.) If one looked closely at Rubio's event on Saturday, one would have noticed Academy Award winning actor Richard Dreyfuss wandering through the attendees. Yet in a room of Iowa voters each one of whom believes they hold the future of democracy in their hands Dreyfuss was just another guy. And if the voters in that room prevent Donald Trump from securing the GOP nomination, they each deserve a gold trophy of their own. Christian Schneider is a Journal Sentinel columnist and blogger. Email cschneider@jrn.com. Twitter: @Schneider_CM House Budget Committee member Rep. Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in 2011. Ribble announced Saturday that he won't seek re-election this year. Credit: Associated Press SHARE By of the Madison U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble's decision not to seek re-election has opened an unexpected scramble in his 8th Congressional District in northeast Wisconsin. In an interview Monday, Ribble said he would not run again for another office or try to pick his successor in the GOP primary, leaving the choice instead to voters. That underlined the suddenly wide-open nature of the race in the district, which had not previously been attracting great attention. "I wasn't expecting this," said state Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), co-chairman of the Legislature's budget committee and one of those mulling a run. "I figured I had two more years before I had to make this decision." Nygren said he's spoken with his family about the possibility and they are supportive. But he is still uncertain about whether he is willing to put in the kind of time away from them that a position in the U.S. House of Representatives would require. Chad Weininger, a former state GOP legislator who now serves as Brown County administration director, said he is considering taking a leave of absence to run for the open seat. Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, a former Democratic state representative who served as Assembly majority leader and ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor, thanked Ribble for his service and said he is considering seeking to succeed him. "I am flattered by all the calls and emails I have received and I owe it to those family, friends and supporters to give this opportunity to continue to serve northeast Wisconsin due consideration," Nelson said in a statement. Ribble, who first ran for Congress in 2010, said then that he would serve for up to eight years, leading some to believe he would run for one more term. That would have made the seat somewhat easier for Republicans to hold, since it would have left it open during a midterm election, which favors the GOP, rather than 2016, a presidential year in which Democrats traditionally fare better. But Ribble has said he would not run again because he had accomplished his main goals of making permanent the majority of President George W. Bush's income tax cuts and holding back federal spending on programs outside of Medicaid for the poor as well as Medicare and Social Security for retirees. Ribble said he had been urged by supporters, including fellow Wisconsin Republican and U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, to run for a fourth term. But ultimately, he said, he was more swayed by requests from his three young grandchildren and his wife. "I love my family more than I love my job and I have to be honest with myself about that," he said. Ribble, 60, said he didn't want to stay in politics or to retire, saying he expected to return to the private sector. The congressman said he was still considering his options but likely wouldn't go back to his former role running his family roofing company. Though Ribble declined to endorse any GOP candidate for his seat, he said he hoped for civil candidates who could work with others from both sides of the aisle and not alienate potential partners needlessly. Ribble has criticized Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for his bombastic and aggressive rhetoric. "Ideally, it would be someone who could control their tongue," Ribble said of his successor. Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) said he also was surprised by Ribble's announcement, but that he would not run for the seat because his children are too young to allow that. Rep. Eric Genrich (D-Green Bay) said the same, and Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) said he wasn't running either right now, though he will watch which Democrats get into the race. Allergist and former U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen, the Democrat who was unseated by Ribble in 2010, said he was happy in private practice and would not run again for Congress. Lars Johnson, the co-owner of Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant with its famous rooftop goats, said he had given "some thought" to running but was more inclined to support Nelson if he ran. There was no comment from GOP state senators Roger Roth of Appleton, Rob Cowles of Allouez and Frank Lasee of De Pere. The winning candidate in the end may not be holding an elected office right now. Ribble was best known for running his company before his successful run for office. Glenn Dohrmann, a Korean War veteran from Cedarburg, will join a panel of veterans for discussion of "Devotion," a book about a tale of heroism during the Chosin Reservoir battle in Korea in 1950. Dohrmann, shown in uniform at right, earned a Silver Star and was nominated for a Medal of Honor for his actions in the Korean War. Credit: Rick Wood By of the Glenn Dohrmann hasn't forgotten. Korea has been dubbed the Forgotten War, but for the men who fought there, who left their blood and buddies behind, it's still fresh in their memories. Just five years after World War II ended, America was fighting again, this time against Chinese forces on the Korean Peninsula. It lasted three long years, but back home in America things were different. "They were tired of war," said Dohrmann, 89, of Cedarburg, who served 81/2 months as a rifle platoon leader, earning a Purple Heart and Silver Star. A library's worth of books have been written about World War II. But the Korean War? Far fewer. And aside from "M*A*S*H," "The Manchurian Candidate" and maybe "The Bridges at Toko Ri," it's difficult to recall a movie about the war in Korea. Stars and Stripes Honor Flight has not forgotten Korean War veterans. As the number of World War II veterans rapidly dwindles, the organization that takes veterans on a free one-day trip to see military monuments in Washington, D.C., has begun to focus its efforts on Korean War veterans. This month Stars and Stripes Honor Flight is organizing a book club discussion centered around "Devotion," a book about an incredible tale of heroism during the Chosin Reservoir battle in Korea in 1950. Author Adam Makos is posting questions and discussion topics on the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight Facebook page and will appear via Skype at the Feb. 27 book group meeting at Concordia University in Mequon. A panel of local Korean War veterans, including Dohrmann, will lead the discussion, which is open to anyone who wants to read the book and participate. "I had heard about 'Devotion' and thought, 'How can we get this book in the hands of more people and get our Korean War veterans involved in some way?'" Stars and Stripes Honor Flight spokeswoman Karyn Roelke said. "Supposedly there are 30,000 Korean War veterans in Wisconsin. We'd like to honor as many of those guys as we can and enhance the public's knowledge of their sacrifice and courage." The inspirational book is about U.S. Navy aviators Lt. Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown as they fought to defend outnumbered Marines surrounded by Chinese forces in the Chosin Reservoir. Hudner was a white man from a well-to-do New England family and Brown was an African-American from a sharecropper's family in Mississippi. Three years earlier President Harry Truman had desegregated the military. The two became close friends and wingmen, and when Brown's plane was shot down during the battle, Hudner did the only thing he could do when he saw Brown trapped in the burning wreckage, crash landing his own plane in a heroic attempt to rescue his friend. Makos met Hudner, now 92 and living in Massachusetts, at a military history conference in 2007 and arranged to interview him. "In effect, he handed me the keys not to just a great war story, but a key to a friendship and one of the greatest war stories I've ever heard," Makos said in a phone interview from his home in Denver. When Hudner saw Brown waving from his wrecked plane, said Makos, "he looked down and saw his friend, who he knew had a young wife and young daughter, who he knew was about to burn to death. That day he didn't see Jesse's skin color, he just saw his friend. He decided to essentially throw away his career and take a risk that seems right out of a Hollywood movie." Dohrmann did not participate in the Chosin Reservoir battle he arrived in Korea in February 1951 but he vividly remembers with admiration the Air Force and Navy aviators like Hudner and Brown who supported his troops on the ground. Dohrmann had served in Korea in the occupation forces in the late 1940s and was not surprised when war broke out in June 1950 because he saw a lot of trouble between North and South Korean forces. He was training troops in Kentucky when he got orders to go to Korea with the 1st Cavalry Division. After losing his platoon sergeant when a sniper's bullet pierced the man's steel helmet right next to him, Dohrmann changed. "We had gotten to know each other, we had both recently gotten new cars, we were both married and had dogs. I made a vow I wouldn't get to know my men. I would love my men but I wouldn't get close to them," Dohrmann said. Dohrmann's heroic service Dohrmann's war in Korea ended on the day he became company commander, the day his captain was killed as his unit prepared to make an attack on a hill called Old Baldy. Though he should have stayed behind to oversee the battle, Dohrmann knew his platoons were undermanned, so he led them into an assault on dug-in Chinese troops firing machine guns, mortars and rifles. Dohrmann got the first of three wounds that day when shrapnel pierced his right shoulder. He could still move his arm so he stayed in the fight, finishing the last of his 300 rounds of M-2 carbine ammunition. Then he started throwing grenades and tending to his wounded men. Later in the battle, he was shot in the other shoulder by a round that knocked him out for a few minutes. When he woke up, Dohrmann was hit in the arm by a bullet. He couldn't raise his arms. Dohrmann knew he was done fighting. He was sent to an aid station and spent the next nine months recovering from gunshot wounds, a broken left arm and broken vertebrae. Dohrmann nominated several of his troops for Bronze and Silver Stars. He was nominated for a Medal of Honor but was denied because not enough men who witnessed his heroism survived. Instead he was awarded a Silver Star. "Combat is Hell. Capital H. There's nothing glorious about it," Dohrmann said. Stars and Stripes Honor Flight will host a book club discussion on "Devotion" by Adam Makos at 10 a.m. Feb. 27 at Concordia University in Mequon. Questions and discussion topics will be posted on the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight Facebook page throughout February. Reddit Email 0 Shares By Jeffrey E. Stern | (Informed Comment) | A few months ago, in downtown Kabul, a small man stood on top of a car with a megaphone in a city liberated by American troops, and faced down his government. His quarrel was with President Ashraf Ghani. Tensions rose, a guard fired on the protestors, the man on the car turned to the man with the gun and said, You and I are brothers, our argument is not with you. Behind the gates, the guard lay down his weapon and wiped his eyes. Although this protest barely registered in the American media, the scene was one Colin Powell might have wishfully imagined 15 years ago: Afghan people responding to a moment of crisis with civil disobedience, while the president to whom they were protesting was not a former warlord or corrupt oligarch, but an accomplished technocrat with decades of experience in democratic governance. He even used to be an American citizen. Overhead, a drone was flying, but not one with a missile or powerful surveillance equipment. Instead, it had a small camera mounted on a gimbal capturing footage for the nightly news broadcasta local news industry having sprung up to keep the citizenry informed. Jeffrey Stern, The Last Thousand: One Schools Promise in a Nation at War (St. Martins 2016) But most of all, the crowds behavior was what would have seemed too much hope for: they displayed the restraint and organization reminiscent of the most effective practitioners of nonviolent protest. Followers of Gandhi would have felt at home, as would those of Martin Luther King Jr. (who read and was informed by Gandhi, just as the man on top of car that day had read and was informed by them both). The order was all the more remarkable for the heartbreaking cause they marched about: The protestors carried with them the decapitated bodies of seven civilians, hostages from a minority group called the Hazaras, including a seven-year-old girl, who were beheaded by their captors. The government had done nothing to save them while they were aliveit had, in fact, prevented other Hazaras from trying to save the hostages during the month they were in captivity. The crowd did not seek some ambitious, impossible wish. They were not trying to replace the president with someone who was more like them, nor were they demanding some sweeping, over-optimistic change impossible to realize. They marched to bring the bodies to the feet of the president, and to issue two specific, eminently practical demands. Things the president might actually be able to do. They asked that he install more military checkpoints along a road frequented by Hazaras, so that the Hazaras might get kidnapped less frequently. They asked that he move a regional army corps to a territory where many of them live. And that was basically it. The man who stood on top of the car that day is named Aziz Royesh, and his uncanny ability to lead a crowd, guide its passion, and prevent the protest from becoming violent, moved the New York Times reporter to feature him in last weekends Saturday Profile. Royesh has been very nearly killed several times. Shot through the stomach during the countys civil war; surrounded by a mob when he helped argue against a law that would have limited the rights of women. But he has achieved respect as a leader not for his brushes with death, not for being the fiercest warrior; he is not an Imam with a large and loyal congregation. His influence does not flow from any of sources of power American onlookers tend to assume are standard there. He is respected because he is a teacher. Royesh himself has no schooling beyond the fifth grade, but after 9/11, when US troops invaded Afghanistan and offered a dealdisarm, build institutions for yourself, and we will protect youhe encourage his people to take it. He did not speak for all Hazaras, but Hazaras were generally in agreement with him; they were among the first to sign on to the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration process. They handed over their guns. Then, in the slums of Kabul, Royesh went about the process of institution building, literally raising a school out of the dust, which the students mixed with water and pounded into bricks. He found ways of paying for teachers and books and buildings, even though his people were the poorest in Afghanistan, enslaved in the 19th century, banned from universities in the 20th. He found ways to bring boys and girls together to study, even when the Ministry of Education threatened him. He found ways to send boys and girls to jobs in the government, into businesses, and to study in foreign countries. This all happened because of Americans. Royesh was able to build up his school only because America came and vanquished an oppressor, backed up a democratic government in Afghanistan, spent billions of American taxpayer money and sent over a hundred thousand US troops to keep the peace. For about six years after we arrived in 2001, Afghanistana country being run by religious extremists and providing a safe haven for terroristssprouted green shoots of democracy. People like Aziz thrived. People like Aziz were the ones with the safe haven. And then we started to leave. This was inevitable. We dont keep a hundred thousand troops in many places past a few of our election cycles. When President Obama announced the status of the troop withdrawal late last year, he added, as a note of assurance to American voters, that American forces no longer patrol Afghan villages or valleys. Our troops are not engaged in major ground combat against the Taliban. The majority of American forces have now returned home, leaving Aziz and his followers vulnerable once again. They disarmed because we asked them to, they benefited from our support, and now that it is gone, they are targets. They are now associated with us. They kept up their end of the deal. We have not. We left behind a country without a stable government, a military still unprepared, ISIS circling, and the Taliban gaining strength. And weve left behind people like Aziz, carrying the beheaded bodies of his fallen kinsman, trying to talk back the bullets from another mans gun. The biggest fear American foreign policy experts harbored for Afghanistan, aside from it reverting to a safe haven for terrorists, was it reverting to civil war along ethnic lines. But that day in Kabul, though the reason for the protest was ethnic violence, the response was ecumenical. Aziz Royesh led not just his people out into the streets. Other ethnic groups, other sects, joined him. Here was a remarkable thing: all the varied peoples of a country whose arbitrary borders were drawn by foreigners, who now talk always of ancient tribal hatreds, and that day they came together, following a man whose status comes from building civil society through a school. He is awesomely brave, or he is naive. Hes maybe a bit of a martyr. Like the future of Afghanistan without foreign forces, it doesnt look good, but its too soon to tell for sure. Reddit Email 0 Shares Maan News Agency | RAMALLAH (Maan) Clashes broke out on Sunday afternoon between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces in the village of Jabaa near Ramallah City in the West Bank after a checkpoint was closed, keeping hundreds of cars stranded. Witnesses said that that the Jabaa checkpoint, located at one of the main entrances to Ramallah, had been closed by Israeli forces for over three hours, holding hundreds of cars in traffic. Clashes broke out when Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at several vehicles which tried to take alternate dirt roads through the village to reach the southern West Bank. Israeli forces raided Jabaa to chase after vehicles, and locals responded by throwing rocks. Israeli forces fired tear gas and rubber-coated bullets and seized the keys to several cars. An Israeli army spokesperson told Maan there were violent riots near Jabaa on Sunday, and that Israeli forces had detained one Palestinian who allegedly drew out a knife. She added that she could not confirm whether there had been further arrests. Locals distributed water to stranded motorists and offered them refuge in their homes. Israeli forces shut down most of Ramallah districts roads on Sunday after a Palestinian Authority staff sergeant shot and injured three Israeli soldiers at an Israeli military checkpoint near the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit El in the central occupied West Bank district of Ramallah. Amjad Jaser Sukkar, 34, was shot and killed on the scene. The Palestinian Authority military liaison director in the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, Nadir Hijja, told Maan that people with IDs indicating they were from Ramallah would be allowed to enter the city, but not to leave it. Conversely, Hijja said Palestinians from other areas would not be allowed to enter Ramallah, but could leave the city. He added that this policy was to be applied for an indeterminate amount of time. Since a wave of unrest began in occupied East Jerusalem in October and spread across the West Bank and Israel, more than 160 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers, and over 20 Israelis have died in attacks, most of which were stabbings. The rise in tensions has been accompanied by a growing number of checkpoints and blocked roads in the occupied West Bank, despite a statement in January by Israeli army Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, who said that it would be a bitter mistake to impose curfews and closures on Palestinian communities, adding that such moves would work against Israeli interests. Via Maan News Agency Related video added by Juan Cole: Mondoweiss: Hebron checkpoint, Tel Rumeida Reddit Email 0 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) claimed responsibility Sunday for bomb attacks in the Syrian capital of Damascus that seem likely to have aimed at derailing the tentative talks in Geneva. First, a Daesh agent set off a car bomb next to a bus transporting Shiite fighters for the regime of Bashar al-Assad, killing 25. Then, when people gathered to give medical and other help, two assailants set off their belt bombs, killing more dozens. Some 60 persons were injured in the bombings, some critically. Syria has many ethnic groups and sects. Some 10% to 14% are Alawite Shiites, the group from which the upper echelons of the regime and the officer corps are drawn. There are also other sorts of Shiite or offshoots of Shiism, including Twelvers (the kind that predominates in Iran and Iraq), Druze and Ismailis. Add them all up and they come to as many as 18% of the population. Shiites give special honor to the family of the Prophet Muhammad, and they often erect shrines over their tombs. Zaynab bint Ali (d. 681) was the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. Her shrine is in a district of Damascus, and the neighborhoods around it are heavily Shiite. In the past decade the area, known colloquially as Sitt Zaynab, has attracted expatriate Shiite communities such as refugees from the Iraq War and Lebanese Shiites. Most of those residents have had to leave because of Syrias civil war and because the hard line Salafi Jihadis (who are hyper-Sunni and typically despise Shiites) have targeted the neighborhood, as they did again yesterday. But some expatriate remain, including fighters of the Hizbullah party-militia of Lebanon and volunteers from south Iraq. It was the latter that Daesh was targeting. Likely the bombings were intended to throw a wrench into the negotiations that opened Monday in Geneva between the rebels and the Syrian regime, by heightening sectarian passions. The talks were in trouble for other reasons. The Saudis sent Syrian members of the High Negotiations Commission to Geneva, but appointed as their spokesman Muhammad Alloush, leader of the hard line Salafi Army of Islam (Jaysh al-Islam), which attacks the idea of democracy. The Bashar al-Assad regime and its Russian backers see the Army of Islam as a terrorist group no different from Daesh or al-Qaeda, and refuse to negotiate with it. UN special envoy Steffan de Mistura dealt with this problem by engaging in a kind of shuttle diplomacy, going to see the regime representatives, and then after a decent interval visiting the rebels. The rebel side insisted that the regime fulfill its commitments and lift the siege on 45,000 residents of rebel-held areas. It is a war crime for Syria to starve civilian populations as part of the war effort. The rebels also have some civilians under siege, especially in Shiite areas. Related video: Euronews: Damascus blasts aimed at disrupting Syria peace talks EU foreign policy chief About Me Bagsy Born Beeston, Notts 1946, my family moved to Dorset 1959. Joined the Royal Navy age 15 years and 50 days serving 10 years. In frigates firstly then over 5 years in the Submarine Service as a Seaman/Diver, reaching the dizzy heights of Leading Seaman, before leaving to join the Merchant Service, working in Ocean Salvage and Harbour Tugs, passenger / cargo ships, trials vessels, etc. Qualified as Mate (Chief Officer) in 1976 and as Master (Captain) in 1978. For my final 20 years of 47 I worked in the Offshore Oil Industry initially on the drilling rig Stena Hunter, then the accommodation barge Borgland Dolphin and finally the Floating Production Platform Buchan Alpha. On the rigs I forged a number of long lasting friendships several of whom shared some of my extensive travels. Setting foot on Caymen, Bermuda, Bahamas and The Azores in March 2013 brought my countries / autonimous regions total to 148. The best, undoubtedly, was Antarctica, followed by Australia, Mongolia, Belize, Zimbabwe, China and Madagascar, in no particular order. Love to all our readers, your in my thoughts. Bagsy View my complete profile Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Canarc Resource Corp. (TSX: CCM, OTC-BB: CRCUF, Frankfurt: CAN) announces that it has signed a definitive agreement with the Zacatecas state government to lease and operate the permitted 500 tonne per day La Plata ore processing plant in the city of Zacatecas, Mexico, through its wholly owned Mexican subsidiary, Minera Oro Silver. Canarc plans to use the plant for processing ore from the Companys recently acquired, permitted El Compas Mine, located 20 kilometers away from the plant by road. Canarc also agreed to reserve up to 100 tonnes per day for toll milling of ores produced by local small miners in the area. Lease Agreement Highlights Lease term is 5 years with the right to extend for another 5 years Canarc assumed responsibility for the plant as of January 29, 2016 Plant will be exclusively operated by Canarcs Mexican subsidiary, Minera Oro Silver, Canarc will pay a monthly lease payment of 136,000 Mexican Pesos, approximately US$ 7,500 Grace period of 6 months to allow time for plant refurbishing Power and water are available for plant operations Plant capacity is 500 tonnes per day with possibility to expand Permitted tailings facilities has a current capacity for approximately 1 million tonnes Certain plant refurbishment costs will be reimbursed to Canarc by lease payment offsets The plant was constructed by the Zacatecas state government in September 2013 for processing minerals available from local small miners in the state. The plant last operated in October 2014 and it remains a fully permitted crushing, grinding, flotation and tailings facility. Canarc technical staff inspected the plant equipment and found it to be in generally good condition but it requires approximately US$1 million in capital investment to refurbish certain pieces of equipment and recommence operations. Lease Agreement Advantages Provides Canarc with a clear path to near-term production from the El Compas project Eliminates the substantial capital cost, risk and time required to permit and build a plant and tailings facility Agreements are already in place for power and water to support plant operations Zacatecas is a mining center with a ready supply of mining professionals and workers skilled in mine and plant operations Significantly shortens the project schedule and reduces completion risks for production in 2016 Will provide Canarc with additional revenue from processing of local small miners ores Canarc will now turn its focus to arranging the estimated US$8 million in pre-production capital financing needed to develop the mine, refurbish the plant and commence production. Discussions with several groups are now underway. Mr. Catalin Chiloflischi, CEO of Canarc, stated: Todays announcement marks the completion of yet another key step forward by Canarc to transition into a producing gold-silver mining company during 2016. With the lease agreement and PEA now complete, we are now focused on arranging the financing required to develop the mine to production this year. Qualified Person Garry Biles, P. Eng., President & COO for Canarc Resource Corp, is the Qualified Person who reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. Catalin Chiloflischi ____________________ Catalin Chiloflischi, CEO CANARC RESOURCE CORP. About Canarc Resource Corp.: Canarc is a growth-oriented, gold exploration and mining company listed on the TSX (CCM) and the OTC-BB (CRCUF). The Company is currently focused on advancing its high grade, underground El Compas gold-silver mine in Zacatecas, Mexico to production. Canarc also owns the high grade, New Polaris gold mine project in BC, Canada and is seeking a partner to drill its prospective Windfall Hills gold property in BC. For More Information, Contact: Catalin Chiloflischi, CEO Toll Free: 1-877-684-9700 Tel: (604) 685-9700 Fax: (604) 685-9744 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.canarc.net Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States private securities litigation reform act of 1995 and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking information that involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the potential economic results of mining activities at the Companys El Compas property, estimates of capital and sustaining costs, operational costs, mineral prices, and mineral recovery rates, mineral resource estimates and the Company's plans and exploration programs for its mineral properties, including the timing of such plans and programs. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "has proven", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "potential", "appears", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "at least", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks related tochanges in metals prices; changes in metals recovery rates; changes in capital or operating expenditure requirements; uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources; commodity prices; the ability of the Company to raise sufficient financing for the development of a mine on the El Compas property; changes in general economic conditions; market sentiment; currency exchange rates; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's ability to raise funds through equity financings; risks inherent in mineral exploration; risks related to operations in foreign countries;; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals; government regulation of mining operations; environmental risks; title disputes or claims; limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of litigation. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could affect the Company and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, do not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All statements are made as of the date of this news release and the Company is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that the Company's activities will be in accordance with the Company's public statements and stated goals; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; that all required approvals will be obtained and that there will be no significant disruptions affecting the Company or its properties. Park Hae Jin's Chinese drama "Far Away Love" was filmed in 2013 but will only air for the first time this March. The actor currently stars in the drama "Cheese in the Trap," which is very popular in China. The drama reached first place on China's Weibo Drama Popularity Chart during its fifth episode, attracting 350 million views. The next day, it had 400 million views. But then just about every k-drama the actor does is likely to be a hit in China. Partly because of his participation, "Cheese in the Trap" was sold to China's largest video websites, Youku and Tudou, for $2 million, the highest price in the history of Korean cable drama exports, reported the Korean media outlet Korea Times. The second priciest was his drama 'Bad Guys." The actor has been popular in China since he appeared in the 2006 k-drama "Famous Chil Princesses," then his popularity grew with his role in "East of Eden." His popularity skyrocketed after his roles in "My Daughter Seo Young," "You Who Came From Another Star," and "Doctor Stranger." And it is not just k-dramas that have cemented the actor's popularity in China. He also appeared in a few Chinese dramas including "Qian Duo Duo Gets Married" and "Another Brilliant Life." " His 2011 Chinese drama "Qian Duo Duo's Marriage Story" had 270 million views in a week and 1.5 billion in two weeks. For that drama Park earned the LeTV Biggest Asian Star Award. The first episode of "Far Away Love" airs on Guangdong TV and Southeast TV on March 1. In that drama Park plays a restaurant owner who falls in love with the sister of his first love. Why did the drama take so long to air? One reason might be censorship. Chinese dramas are heavily censored and that's one reason many Korean dramas are being produced in advance. If Chinese censors can screen them in advance, they are more likely to be shown simultaneously in Korea and China. "Far Away Love," aka "Love's Relativity," however was a Chinese drama. A more likely explanation may be that the success of Park's current drama influenced the decision to finally air the romantic comedy in March. 71 Shares Share We, as a society, cant ignore these numbers: over 47,000 human lives lost prematurely in one year from drug overdoses, a 7 percent spike over the previous year, with opioid painkillers and heroin driving much of this tragic surge. If this trend isnt disturbing enough, four out of five new heroin abusers began their habit by abusing painkillers. These numbers have faces. Caring for patients who abuse and overdose from opiates and other drugs are a growing constant in my practice. Meanwhile, pain is a common reason why patients come to the emergency department and alleviating their pain, or making it bearable, might require an opioid painkiller. This sets up a tense interior dialogue whenever Im considering an opioid. Am I treating pain or feeding an addiction, or maybe both? Am I fulfilling a moral gesture by providing comfort to someone in distress or contributing to the supply chain in the illicit pill economy, or perhaps both? For this patient, on what side of the firestorm would I find the burn from being wrong most bearable? These are often unanswerable questions, and stumbling to a response often leaves me sick with feelings of anxiety and inadequacy. I remember when the pain debate focused on a very different public health problem oligoanalgesia. In 1999, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) declared the undertreatment of pain a public health problem. Despite advances in the recognition and management of pain in the emergency department, the undertreatment of pain, and particularly chronic pain, continues to be problematic. The opioid cloud casts a haze over emergency departments so dark that patients in pain might find their complaints greeted with suspicion. And thats an uncomfortable emotional space to inhabit, both for doctors and patients. If pain could be captured like a lightning bug in a glass jar, treatment might be less problematic. It gets complicated when its invisible and embedded in people; a subjective experience best understood by listening and interpreting the patients story of that experience. How this story is interpreted, and the pain validated, can be inexplicably swayed by my impressions of the patient. Such character judgements often flawed, biased and made in snapshots of time twist my gut and burn through my white coat. Rarely are clinical decisions accompanied by such visceral reactions, registering more like a test of my character. Elaine Scarry, in her seminal work The Body In Pain, distills the challenge facing emergency physicians down to its essence: To have pain is have certainty, to listen to pain is to have doubt. Sometimes red flag behaviors raise obvious concerns. Or scrutiny of old records and a study of the state prescription monitoring database paint a picture of worrisome motives. Most of the time, however, Im working with shadows, not bright colors, which is a critical problem when the only way to value and legitimize a patients pain is through his or her self-reports. When investigating and contemplating each patients motivation takes more time and energy than assessing the nature of the pain or the underlying medical problem, the opioid epidemic has unroofed another troubling story erosion of trust producing fissures in the doctor/patient relationship. When skepticism gets the better of me, it corrupts reason to the point of embarrassment and shame. For example, while Im otherwise grateful when a patient with chronic urinary tract infections suggests which antibiotics have previously worked best, judgment beams from my eyeballs when a patient with chronic pain offers up a particular narcotic suggestion. Even worse, my impression of one patients pain may be influenced by the degree to which he or she resembles more notorious pain patients Id seen that shift. Or when I brace to see a possible drug-seeker, a patient with back pain and a history of narcotic abuse, only to learn that hes been in recovery, working a tough construction job, and seeking a referral because he needs a primary care provider. In his book, The Culture of Pain, David Morris argues that modern medicine, with a Western, technocratic worldview, misrepresents pain as purely a medical problem, the creation of anatomy and physiology, and ignores the experience of pain as phenomena of the mind, shaped by historical, cultural, and psychosocial factors. To be in pain is to be in a state of crisis, says Morris, and Id argue that pain treatment is embroiled in a crisis as well. The public health conversation is taking important steps to prevent overdose deaths call 911 early, have the antidote naloxone close at hand, provide treatment avenues for addiction. Our emergency department, like so many other ERs, have developed pain protocols that standardize practice patterns to both reduce narcotic misuse and abuse and improve coordination of care with primary care providers. On a national level, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), set forth guidelines to assist physicians on the frontlines of this crisis. A recent national study reveals that ERs are following recommendations to limit opioid prescriptions to only 3 to 5 days. These measures are important and necessary responses to a tragic problem, but we cant forget the critical medical and moral stakes for all patients in pain. If the path to legitimizing pain is to believe the patient, then doubts about the pain sheds doubt on the patient. Believe the patient, I risk the shame of being duped by an addict, and perhaps the wrath of the addicts doctors and family who are trying to curtail drug-seeking behavior. Provide substandard treatment and I risk the shame of failing the patient who comes to the emergency department in pain and goes home in pain. The overdose numbers are harrowing and cause for alarm, and non-narcotic alternatives and non-medication therapies should always be explored. But the toughest pill to swallow might be this one: the acknowledgment that doctors and patients can be distrusting of each other, subject to bias and emotions, and that non-judgmental reason and candor, though difficult, is necessary to foster honest communication and trusting relationships. Jay Baruch is an emergency physician and the author of Whats Left Out and Fourteen Stories: Doctors, Patients and Other Strangers. He can be reached on Twitter @JBaruchMD. This article originally appeared in Littoral Medicine. Image credit: Shutterstock.com DEWITT Its been almost nine months since flood waters ravaged the community of DeWitt last May, displacing hundreds while damaging basements and property in the small village. The limelight has mostly faded following recovery efforts, but many still need help. Tim Garrison, chairman of the DeWitt Area Recovery Team, said theres still $600,000 in unmet needs to repair residences. Garrison and Shawn Weise, the towns fire chief, wanted to find something unique to raise funds and awareness. The pair took a jon boat used in rescue efforts last May and revisited the formerly-flooded Turkey Creek. From a bridge just south of town, they two created a plywood platform large enough for the boat and a folding chair for each above the mud-smothered road. They stayed on the platform for 24 hours, armed with playing cards, Trivial Pursuit and a bag of Snickers to share with everyone who visited them. Dangling from the platform was a five-gallon bucket hanging from a rope to gather donations. By 8 a.m. Sunday when the exercise came to a close, the duo had raised around $6,000. Usually people will give you money if you do weird stuff, and this is kind of weird, Garrison said with a laugh. This boat was used to evacuate people from DeWitt and this is Turkey Creek, which is what flooded us. We thought if we put it up on top of here and spend 24 hours here, maybe we could get some help for the people of DeWitt. Both men live in DeWitt and know firsthand what the flood did to most in the village. Both of us had a basement full of water, Weise said. We replaced furnaces, hot water heaters, furniture, electronics and all that good stuff. Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their DeWitt homes on May 7 as flood waters swept through the Sunland. The National Guard, Red Cross, State Patrol and other local organizations all came to help flood victims in DeWitt as a strong current made its way through town toward the Big Blue River. The flood followed 8-11 inches of rain that fell on Turkey Creek and the Big Blue River basins in Saline County. Garrison said he decided to launch a fundraiser after hearing of a family whose basement is still damaged. The bedrooms of two children were in the basement, and the kids are sleeping on spare beds or couches to this day. I went in their basement and their walls are bowing in, he recalled. Theyre going to have to have it all replaced. I thought if kids cant sleep in their own bedrooms, Im going to give up mine for a night. Garrison requested that anyone interested in donating visit Blue Valley Community Actions website at www.bvca.net where a PayPal account has been set up to accept donations. Donations can also be mailed to Blue Valley Community Action, reference DART, 620 Fifth St., Fairbury NE, 68352. Theres still a long road ahead for many living in DeWitt. Garrison said in addition to raising money, letting everyone know the need is there remains a priority. Theres been earthquakes, theres been floods and theres all kinds of stuff, he said. We just want to make sure they dont forget about DeWitt, Nebraska out here. We still have a lot of people who have a lot of needs. When a good mutual fund does well, everyone takes notice. But its easy to overlook a formerly poor performer that has turned the corner. Take the three Vanguard funds described below. Once mediocre, they have turned things around in recent years. For context, compare the returns of these funds with those of Standard & Poors 500-stock index, in parentheses below. Results are through January 29 and are annualized. Vanguard Growth & Income Fund Symbol: (VQNPX (opens in new tab)) Subscribe to Kiplingers Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplingers Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Sign up Assets: $6.2 billion Expense ratio: 0.34% One-year return: -2.4% (S&P 500: -0.7%) Three-year return: 11.4% (S&P 500: 11.3%) Five-year return: 11.5% (S&P 500: 11.5%) 10-year return: 5.7% (S&P 500: 5.7%) New blood has helped to revive this large-company, computer-driven stock fund. Since Vanguard replaced Mellon Capital in 2011 with three firms that rely on quantitative stock-picking practicesVanguards own quant team, D.E. Shaw Investment Management and Los Angeles CapitalGrowth & Income has returned an annualized 16.2%, outpacing the S&P 500 by an average of 0.5 percentage point per year. (For the five-year period before the shakeup, the fund lost 2.6% annualized, lagging the index by an average of 1.5 points per year.) Each management group runs one-third of the funds assets. Vanguards team uses a five-factor model that homes in on valuation, growth and quality, among other things. Los Angeles Capital relies on some of the same screens, but it puts greater emphasis on factors that are in favor with investors and less emphasis on factors that are out of favor. Morningstar analyst Kevin McDevitt says D.E. Shaw uses models that incorporate, among other things, technical analysis (such as share-price trends and trading volume) and fundamental measures (such as the strength of a companys balance sheet). But, McDevitt adds, the new managers have delivered the goods during a period of mostly strong stock-market performance. They havent been tested yet by difficult market conditions, he says. Vanguard Strategic Equity Fund Symbol: (VSEQX (opens in new tab)) Assets: $5.8 billion Expense ratio: 0.21% One-year return: -10.0% Three-year return: 11.0% Five-year return: 11.6% 10-year return: 5.6% After six consecutive years of middling to below-average returns relative to its peer group, Strategic Equity has been on a roll since 2011. As a result, its five-year return ranks among the top 1% of all funds that focus on midsize-company stocks. But its comeback is less about the funds investment process and more about a shift in the market that now favors the shops style. James Troyer, James Stetler and Michael Roach, of Vanguards quantitative stock group, run the fund. They use screens that focus on valuation, earnings growth and market sentiment, among other factors, to pick stocks. The computer models drive the managers toward high-quality companies that trade at bargain prices. The strategy led to Strategic Equitys underperformance in 2007, when the fund held a number of homebuilder stocks that plummeted as the housing market weakened, eventually leading to the financial crisis. But the managers stuck with their process, and the market began to turn in their favor. Some of the funds best performers over the past year included video game maker Electronic Arts (EA (opens in new tab)), footwear company Skechers USA (SKX (opens in new tab)) and software developer Manhattan Associates (MANH (opens in new tab)). The fund is a good example of how active management styles can move in and out of favor, and that if you have a good manager its important to stick with them because you can recover, says Dan Newhall, who runs the group at Vanguard that monitors its funds managers. Vanguard U.S. Growth Fund Symbol: (VWUSX (opens in new tab)) Assets: $7.0 billion Expense ratio: 0.47% One-year return: 1.7% Three-year return: 13.6% Five-year return: 12.5% 10-year return: 6.3% U.S. Growth was once a shining star. A $10,000 investment at the funds launch in 1959 would have grown to $2.5 million by the start of 2000nearly $1.3 million more than the same amount invested in the average large-company growth fund. But the 00s were a different story. From 2000 through 2010, shareholders in this large-company growth fund lost an annualized 5.3%. The fund lagged the average large-company growth fund by an average of 3.5 percentage points per year. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 gained an average of 0.4% a year over that period. Things started to turn around after a manager shakeup in October 2010. Vanguard jettisoned one subadviser (Alliance Bernstein), retained one (William Blair) and signed on two new firmsJackson Square Partners and Wellington Management. Since then, the fund has returned 14.2% annualized, outpacing the market by an average of 1.8 percentage points per year. U.S. Growth is our biggest comeback fund because for some years it did disappoint, says Newhall. It was a fund that was perhaps most frustrating for us. Today, Jackson Square and Wellington together manage a bit more than 70% of the funds assets. But they share the pie with more subadvisers today than in 2010. In early 2014, Vanguards portfolio review group, which monitors all of the firms funds, folded a smaller and less- successful fund, Vanguard Growth Equity, into U.S. Growth. Growth Equitys subadvisers, Jennison Associates and Baillie Gifford Overseas, stayed on and joined the U.S. Growth management team. Jennison and Baillie each run 6% of the funds assets. William Blair runs 13%; and the rest sits in cash. Like many other large-company growth funds, this one benefited last year from a big stake in the FANGs. At last report, the fund counted Facebook (FB (opens in new tab)), Amazon.com (AMZN (opens in new tab)) and Google, now called Alphabet (GOOGL (opens in new tab)), among its top 10 holdings. All told, U.S. Growth had 27% of its assets in tech stocks. SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Pianist Mya King plays Prokofiev with the Bremerton Symphony. By Michael C. Moore SILVERDALE Mya King is learning all the customary high-school curriculum as a home-schooler. In her music career, she's also learning that good things come to those who wait. The elder of Dan and Ellen King's two daughters who'll front the Bremerton Symphony Orchestra for part of its Feb. 9 "OrKIDstra" concert, playing the first movement from Prokofiev's daunting second piano concerto has been the subject of some creative scheduling by the symphony. After winning her division in that body's annual concerto competition for young musicians last year, part of her award was the chance to front the symphony in a concert last spring. Except ... The youngest King sibling, brother Adrian, also was an award-winning pianist that year, a "Conductor's Choice" kudo from BSO music director Alan Futterman. And Futterman felt the then 11-year-old Adrian's piece the upbeat finale from Beethoven's fourth concerto better fit the theme of the spring concert. "While Mya (now 16) had more skill and polish, Adrian showed amazing skill and maturity and all of us felt that this needed to be rewarded," Futterman explained. "Since (Mya's piece) really did not fit with our concert last May, Mya agreed to wait until this concert." The mention to King of her deference to her brother is met with an aw-shucks shrug. "He deserved it," she said. "They said they wanted me to play this concert, which is fine. I've played with the orchestra before, but this was his first time." Like Adrian and 14-year-old Lucinda, Mya is home-schooled to facilitate piano lessons and endless hours of practice. All three travel to Seattle weekly to study with Peter Mack. Her first lessons were from her mother, a pianist-turned guitarist who is the principal at Belfair Elementary School. She moved on to the Bowling Piano Studio, first under Julie Mandery and then Dr. Irene Bowling herself, and began the ferry commute to study with Mack about three years ago. It was the Irish-born Mack (who'll guest with the Bremerton Symphony for next year's season-opening concert, playing a brace of pieces by George Gershwin, according to Futterman) who suggested that Mya tackle the Prokofiev, a piece many pianists, citing its difficulty, have avoided as though it was radioactive. "I think (Mack) wanted to give me a challenge," Mya said of the 1924 piece (originally completed in 1912, but lost in a fire and completely rewritten), described by one writer as "one of the most challenging of all concertos to the pianist-as-athlete," including a "huge" cadenza. "I really like it, but it is a challenge. Just that solo part, the cadenza, is maybe five minutes." To facilitate her lessons, Mya has been home-schooled every school year since kindergarten. She does run track and cross country for Central Kitsap High School, though, which gives her a link to the social aspect of public school she said she misses. "I wish I could go to regular school," she said, "but I love music, so it's a sacrifice I have to make." And the results of that dedication have been impressive. The 2015 win is Mya's second in BSO's annual age-group concerto competitions. And last year, she and Adrian teamed to finish second in the National Music Teachers' competition for duet performance. Those and her showings in other competitions and showcases will stand her in good stead as she prepares for the next step in her career. "I want to go to a good music school," she said, and she's sending out applications and audition tapes toward that end, "Music is what I want to do, so that's what I'm aiming for next." The OrKIDstra concerts have been part of BSO's schedule for several years, but are open this year to the public as well as individual students and school groups. There will be two performances, at 9:45 and 11:30 a.m., both at the Bremerton Performing Arts Center. Mya's patience lands her in what turns out to be an all-Prokofiev program, as the orchestra also will play the composer's 1936 children's favorite "Peter and the Wolf," a performance that also will feature Bremerton's Peninsula Dance Theatre and narration by Bremerton Symphony Chorale director LeeAnne Campos. PREVIEW BREMERTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTA 'orKIDSTRA' CONCERT Who: Bremerton Symphony Orchestra, Alan Futterman, music director What: Youth-oriented concert featuring two works by Prokofiev: "Peter and the Wolf," with Peninsula Dance Theatre, and Piano Concerto No. 2 (first movement), with 2015 Concerto Competition winner Mya King, piano Where: Bremerton Performing Arts Center, 1500 13th St., Bremerton When: 9:45 and 11:30 a.m. Feb. 9 Tickets: $15 adults and seniors, $5 students and teachers Information: 360-373-1722, bremertonsymphony.org SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Barbara Deering and John Ellis in BPA's "Love Letters." By Michael C. Moore BAINBRIDGE ISLAND Ann Wilkinson Ellis said she loves working with actors. That sounds like the reason she made directing Bainbridge Performing Arts' production of "Love Letters" three times as difficult as it probably needed to be, by casting three times as many actors as she actually needed. "(Casting) has everything to do with who shows up," said Ellis, who's been a regular on the BPA scene for than three decades, but will direct a main stage production there for the first time with the lovely he-wrote, she-wrote comedy by A.R. Gurney. (She also directed one of the six short plays by David Ives in "All in the Timing," Swinging Hammer Productions' recent collaboration with BPA.) "The actors that showed up, they all had such specific reasons for being there. There was a passion." Ellis, who was onstage most recently at BPA in "Private Eyes" in early 2012, said she had considered double-casting the two-person piece, which centers on two characters recounting their half-century relationship through the notes, letters and cards they wrote to each other during times of separation. "After auditions, something wasn't settling right with two (casts)," she said. "But all the stars aligned when it came to three. "The delight in this is the feedback we're getting," Ellis continued. "Some theater goers know this person or that person, and want to see it more than once." And it could be different indeed from cast to cast. As Ellis points out, her six actors bring completely different sets of life experience to their parts. "It's an eclectic group," she said. "Their hearts are completely open, and that's what I want to work with." The three sets of actors Marilyn Dearsley and George Shannon, Barbara Deering and John Ellis (the director's husband) and Victoria Brown and Jack Armstrong all impressed the director with how much they wanted to do the show. The result is that none of the duos will get to do it that often just two performances each. Dearsley and Shannon's dates are Feb. 4 and 5, with Deering and Ellis on Feb. 7 and 13 and Brown and Armstrong on Feb. 12 and 14. Ellis said the three couples have rehearsed independently. She hasn't had the entire six-person cast in the same room. "It's such an individual experience," she said of the show. "I wanted them to work out their own relationships to it, without any outside influences. A veteran actor and producer, Ellis said her first forays into directing have been "the absolute best thing ever. I'd never put my hat in the ring (to direct) before, but I love working with actors. So I just put it out there, and they've all been fabulous." Gurney himself played Andrew in the play's 1988 debut at the New York Public Library, opposite Holland Taylor's Melissa. It remains a popular piece for name actors because it requires little preparation or memorization. Andrew and Melissa actually were childhood friends before becoming romantically attached ... and unattached ... and briefly reattached. The play is about the two of them staying in touch, and how they cling to the relationship even as they live the rest of their lives. "Everyone has that one person who knows them and loves them like no one else can," Ellis said. "That's what this story is about." PREVIEW 'LOVE LETTERS' Who: Bainbridge Performing Arts What: Romantic comedy by A.R. Gurney, performed by three revolving casts Where: BPA's Hodges Hall, 200 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island When: Feb. 4-14; Marilyn Dearsley and George Shannon Feb. 4 and 5, both 7:30 p.m.; Barbara Deering and John Ellis, 3 p.m. Feb. 7 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13; Victoria Brown and Jack Armstrong, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 and 3 p.m. Feb. 14 Tickets: $27-$19 Information: 306-842-8569, bainbridgeperformingarts.org SHARE By Associated Press SILVERDALE A Washington appeals court will be hearing arguments at Klahowya Secondary School on Feb. 22. Division two of the appeals court will hear oral arguments on three Kitsap County cases in front of students in grades 7 through 12 at the school. The visit is co-sponsored by the Kitsap County Bar Association. Students and the public will have an opportunity to observe court sessions and participate in a question-and-answer session about the judicial system. The program begins at 8:45 a.m. with arguments in a case involving a bicycle accident in Port Orchard. At 9:45 a.m., there will be a case on whether random drug testing during probation constitutes warrantless searches. At 10:45 a.m. the court will hear arguments in a case involving restrictive covenants at the Olhava shopping center in Poulsbo. Midwife Melanie Brindle (right) holds Grayson Ash while parents Joe and Samantha Ash (left) talk about their sons recent birth at Salmonberry Birth Center in Poulsbo. Grayson was the first baby born at the center. (MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN) SHARE Midwife Louisa Wales gives a tour of one of the birth suites at Salmonberry Birth Center. The center has two birthing suites. (MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN) Salmonberry Birth Center in Poulsbo. (MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN) Birthing suites outfitted with beds, sinks, toilets and soaking tubs. (MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN) By Tad Sooter of the Kitsap Sun POULSBO By the time she became pregnant with her third child, Samantha Ash was tired of hospitals. The idea of giving birth at home, however, was too daunting for her to consider. "I think it was too far out of my comfort zone," the 26-year-old Bremerton mother said. Ash found a comfortable middle ground at Salmonberry Birth Center, a facility opened by midwives in Poulsbo in January. So comfortable, in fact, she spent a few hours dozing in a tub in the midst of her six-hour labor. Grayson Ash arrived Jan. 19 with the help of a midwife. He was the third son born to his parents, and the first baby delivered at Salmonberry Birth Center, now the county's only stand-alone birth center. Father Joe Ash said the experience at the birth center felt more personal than it had when Samantha gave birth at hospitals. "This is a nice alternative to that," he said. Giving Kitsap parents another birthing option was the goal of a group of midwives who began fundraising for the center in 2014. They received resounding support for their plans. More than 500 donors contributed a combined $36,000 toward the creation of Salmonberry through an online crowdsourcing campaign. All told, about $60,000 in donations helped launch the project, said Louisa Wales, a midwife and clinical director at Salmonberry. "It's a huge investment from families in our community who wanted to see it happen," Wales said. After a year of permitting, construction and licensing, the birth center opened in the medical campus at the corner of Highway 305 and Bond Road. Wales and fellow midwives Julie Bennett and Melanie Brindle practice at the center, assisted by midwifery students. The midwives consult expecting parents, assist with births and refer mothers to specialists as needed. The center's two roomy birth suites are outfitted with beds, sinks, toilets and soaking tubs. Discrete closets are stocked with emergency medical supplies and medications. If serious issues arise during a birth, Harrison Medical Center in Silverdale is an eight-minute ambulance ride away. Bennett said the intimate setting, combined with access to medical resources, can make birthing centers an attractive option for mothers who are at low risk for complications. "A lot of people want the midwifery model of care ... but they're not quite wanting to go with a home birth," Bennett said. "So they've been looking for this type of care." Silverdale pediatrician Dr. Niran Al-Agba agreed the birth center will fill a niche in the county. Traditionally mothers have had a choice between giving birth at Harrison, giving birth at home, or traveling outside Kitsap for services. "I've definitely had families who've given birth at home and have said 'I wish we had a birth center,'" Al-Agba said. "I think Kitsap County has needed something like this for a long time." Salmonberry Birth Center is at 20696 Bond Road NE., Building C, Suite 110. For information, go to www.salmonberrybirthcenter.com or call 360-779-0004. Both Charles Finny and Stephen Jacobi dispel some TPP myths. Finny in the Herald looks at the false information abut TPP and the Treaty: Former MP Hone Harawira has stated some complete falsehoods about Trans Pacific Partnership, Maori and the Treaty of Waitangi. This coincided with publication of a paper by experts Dr Carwyn Jones, Associate Professor Claire Charters, Andrew Eruti and Professor Jane Kelsey on Maori rights, Te Tiriti O Waitangi and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Days later several Maori elders spoke negatively about the TPP at Ratana and were joined by a bevy of political leaders. This criticism of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) forced me to reread a big chunk of the TPP and previous free trade agreements and to study every element of the criticisms being levelled against the TPP and Maori. My conclusions are radically different from the critics. I believe that rather than being inadequate in its protections for Maori, TPP is if anything a taonga in the way it protects the rights of the New Zealand Government to discriminate in favour of Maori. This in turn, I think, adds enormous mana to Maori. Finny has actually read the TPP, and he makes the point NZ is unique in getting protection for the indigenous people in there: TPP is an agreement between 12 countries. Pretty much all the 12 jurisdictions are home to indigenous minorities for example, the First Peoples of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, the Aboriginal people in Australia, the Malays in Singapore and Malaysia, and the Ainu in Japan. Yet none of these peoples is mentioned in the main text of the deal and none of their Governments has secured agreement from the other members that they should be allowed to discriminate in favour of them. And further: TPPs protection of the Treaty goes even further than earlier FTAs. It states the parties agree that the interpretation of the Treaty of Waitangi, including as to the nature of the rights and obligations arising under it, shall not be subject to the dispute settlement provisions of this agreement. This means it is entirely up to New Zealand to determine if any discrimination has occurred because of the treaty (so long as this is not a disguised restriction on trade). I am frankly amazed the US and others have agreed to this provision. Our ministers and officials have done a great job achieving this. All Maori should be saying: Well done! This image shows the China FTA Treaty clauses and the TPP Treaty clauses. Again the difference is Labour are just sulking because they didnt conclude the TPP. And on the wider TPP issues, Stephen Jacobi responds to Andrew Littles letter on the TPP: I agree that the dairy aspects of TPP are not as good as they could have been and as we had hoped. But they are in the view of the negotiators and the dairy industry the best that could have been achieved in the circumstances. Dairy still benefits more than any other sector from tariff cuts in key markets and the establishment of new tariff quotas. The meat deal specifically beef to Japan is a significant market opening about which the industry has welcomed. Without this we will not be able to compete with Australia which already has an FTA with Japan. To call the rest not much is a serious underestimation tariff reductions and/or elimination for horticultural products including kiwifruit, wine, wood products and seafood cannot so easily be dismissed. Addressing tariff and non-tariff barriers for manufactured products such as health technologies and agricultural equipment is also significant. And he deals with Littles claim one of their bottom lines was not met: Labours clearly signalled bottom-line for TPP was it should provide for restrictions on land sales to non-resident foreigners. This is possible under TPP: a future Government could if it wished apply a stamp duty or other tax to restrict these sales. Opinion is divided on whether an outright ban could be introduced, but there is a ready alternative to meet Labours policy position. Labour could set 100% stamp duty of sales to foreigners. They could set it at 10000%. Its a different method to achieve the same result. TPP does provide for our partners to make their views known on any measure which may be introduced that could have an impact on trade. But these provisions are far from unheard of. They are already enshrined in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other FTAs concluded by Labour including the China FTA. They are what make it possible for New Zealand to be consulted on changes affecting our exports to other markets such as subsidies under the Farm Bill or a discriminatory labelling or levy system. Importantly these provisions retain the right of the Government to continue to regulate: the Government may have to listen to the views of trading partners but not necessarily heed them. Bottom line is we do this already and have been doing so for years now. Almost every international agreement has a provision about consultation, such as the Antarctic Treaty. Little- For instance we would have to let Carlos Slim, the wealthy Mexican telecom company owner, vet any regulation of our telecommunications industry. Not quite. The Government is required to publish notice of its proposed changes as it does in the Official Gazette, but not advise everyone personally. Mr Slim may offer comment if he wishes. The Government still decides. So basically the requirement is to publish things in the Official Gazette. This is so trivial, I cant believe Labour are seriously citing this as a major issue. The reality is Labour are only against TPP because National concluded the negotiations. If they had been Government they would have got the same deal (or worse) and would be proclaiming it as a great success, as they did with the China FTA (which they did and was). Theyre just sore losers because theyre in opposition. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp More Pinterest Print Tumblr 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. Tom Campbell One of the least discussed but most important elements of the Connect NC Bond package is the $309 million designated for clean water and sewer infrastructure. Demographers report that North Carolina is growing at the rate of about 100,000 people per year and these water and sewer bond monies are urgently needed for aging and inadequate municipal and county systems.Nobody wants to encounter the water problems the citizens of Flint Michigan are currently experiencing but there are already warning signs that must not be ignored. The NC Department of Environmental Quality recently told a legislative Environmental Review Commission that 92 of the state's 131 public water systems would fail one of the two thresholds which DHHS sets at 0.03 parts per billion (ppb) for vanadium and 0.07 ppb for hexavalent chromium. Granted, those standards are stringent but groundwater in North Carolina clearly contains evidence of metals present.Many of our public water and sewer systems are owned and operated by small communities or regional cooperatives that frequently don't charge users the full cost to sustain adequate maintenance, much less fund expansion. It's not that they aren't trying. In 2013, local governments reported $8 billion in debt for water and sewer systems, approximately one-fourth of their total debt. The state's two largest municipalities owe one-third of that debt, but the debt per customer served is much greater in smaller local governments.The last time our state provided significant help in matching grants and loans to public water systems was 1998. Widely accepted estimates place current needs at $16 billion and the North Carolina section of the American Society of Civil Engineers warns that replacement of aging infrastructure is the biggest issue for our state, saying, "The degradation of existing assets in this state is occurring to a point that is beyond a practical means to resolve them."We like to boast about the quality of life in North Carolina, but without safe and adequate water that boast is unfounded rhetoric. State and federal grants, combined with long-term debt borrowings, are the only sources of financing to ensure affordable infrastructure, especially in rural areas. In 2015, local governments requested $601 million for water and sewer grants and loans from state and federal funds, but only $218 was available to be awarded.While the allocated $309 million contained in the Connect NC Bonds won't come close to meeting current and future needs it is a positive step. The bond proceeds for water and sewer will be awarded to local systems through a competitive application process, but it is generally believed most of it will go to rural systems that can least afford the improvements.The Connect NC bond package for infrastructure improvements to our public universities, community colleges, agriculture, parks and public safety are significant and will make positive investments in our state's future. But even if you don't agree with where and how the rest of the funds will be allocated, the health and safety of our state's residents is too important to deny.We should all be able to agree that the potential help to public water and sewer systems alone makes a "yes" vote on March 15th imperative. The high cost of child care is hampering working families, and a new survey says Iowa caucus-goers want the next president to address the issue. Absentee ballots already available for March 15 contests RALEIGH Advancing the North Carolina primary date to March 15 has led to earlier deadlines for registering to vote, absentee voting, changing your party affiliation, and other election-related activities.People wanting to vote absentee by mail now can apply for an absentee ballot. The deadline to deliver a civilian absentee ballot to a local board of elections is 5 p.m. March 15, said Jackie Hyland, spokeswoman for the State Board of Elections.Hyland said that an absentee ballot mailed to the local board of elections must be postmarked on or before March 15 and will be accepted as long as it is received by the board by March 18.Voters can find an absentee ballot application here Those serving in the military have a few extra days to mail absentee ballots.Hyland said.Voter registration deadline for the primary is Friday, Feb. 19. That is also the date for a voter to change his or her party affiliation.One stop early voting begins Thursday, March 3, and ends at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 12.While the General Assembly passed a law eliminating one-stop registration and voting during early voting in 2013, the practice still is allowed because of an injunction from the U.S. Court of Appeals. However, Hyland said if the litigation ends before early voting opens in March, then the status of one-stop registration may be settled.People who are 17 years old, will turn 18 before the Nov. 8 general election, and are registered to vote are eligible to vote in the primary. However, they will not be allowed to vote on the $2 billion statewide bond referendum on the March 15 ballot. Nor will they be eligible to vote in any other bond, referendums, or final elections, such as school board, until they turn 18.The law requiring voters to present a state-approved form of identification at the polls law takes effect this year and will be required for the March 15 primary. A North Carolina driver's license, learner's permit, or ID card issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles are acceptable forms of voter ID, provided they are valid and current or they expired less than four years ago.Other acceptable forms of photo ID include an unexpired U.S. military ID card, an unexpired U.S. passport, a state or federally recognized tribal ID card, a veterans ID card, and an unexpired driver's license or DMV ID card from another state (but only if the voter registered to vote within 90 days of the election).Last year, the voter ID law was modified to include a "reasonable impediment" exemption for people who are unable to obtain an acceptable photo ID. Allowable reasons include lacking proper documents to obtain an ID, family obligations, transportation problems, work schedule, illness, or disability.Those voters could cast provisional ballots if they signed a declaration describing their impediment and providing their date of birth and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers. They may also provide other documents bearing their name and address, such as a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government-issued document.Provisional ballots from these voters would be counted if the information is verified and all other eligibility requirements are met. SHARE Amy Nolan/Business Journal Lewis S. Sam Pipkin, founder of Knoxville appraisers Pipkin & Associates. By Amy Nolan of the Knoxville News Sentinel Sam Pipkin Work experience: Self-employed since 1967 as appraiser, founder of Pipkin & Associates Education: Bachelors and masters degrees, University of Tennessee Professional designations: MAI member, The Appraisal Institute Teaching experience: University of Tennessee Division of Continuing Education, Roane State Community College, Society of Real Estate Appraisers and American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers Professional service: Chairman, Real Estate Appraisal Commission (appointed by both Democratic Gov. Ned McWherter and Republican Gov. Don Sundquist); president, Institute of Real Estate Appraisers, East Tenenssee chapter; Society of Real Estate Appraisers, Chapter 124; and American Right of Way Association, Chapter 32 Bill Alexander thinks often about how Sam Pipkin dealt patiently, humbly and compassionately with irate landowners whose property had been marked by surveyors for rights of way. "People could be pretty ugly with you, but he taught me to appraise the property not the property owner," recalls Alexander, now senior review appraiser for Regions Bank. "It could be very easy to let someone who was angry warp your sense of judgment if you are not careful. He wanted to be fair to the property owner and the taxpayer." Peers describe Pipkin, 80, who retired last year after a 50-year career as an appraiser, as a pioneer who has emphasized that he and his peers advance their educations and practice their professions with the highest ethics. The Appraisal Institute's Greater Tennessee chapter has named Pipkin the first recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award. "It couldn't happen to a nicer person, and it's absolutely like Sam that he wouldn't have said anything about it," says David Pipkin, who worked with his uncle for 32 years and continues as president of Pipkin & Associates, when he learned of the honor. The elder Pipkin has held leadership positions within the profession, including serving as chairman of the Tennessee Real Estate Appraisal Commission and president of the local chapters of the Institute of Real Estate Appraisers, Society of Real Estate Appraisers and American Right of Way Association. And his impact is keenly felt among the many appraisers he mentored, say those who benefited from his guidance. "Sam was really the best teacher you could have," says Alexander, who Pipkin encouraged to attend graduate school and hosted his internship. Alexander worked with Pipkin for the next 12 years. "He's a father figure to me, a mentor, and a teacher who really enabled me to do what I do today," Alexander said. Pipkin's graciousness is also top of mind when David Pipkin talks about working with his uncle. "We've taken a tail chewing just for showing up to do our job, but it never once phased him," says David Pipkin. Instead, Sam Pipkin emphasized that the appraisers were representatives of the state of Tennessee, and often the first, or only, people the landowners had met. "He took that very seriously," says his nephew. "Every appraisal I do, I try to do the best job I can, and I get that from Sam, he had a great work ethic." Lewis S. "Sam" Pipkin was one of 10 children born to his parents, who farmed in West Tennessee. He came to Knoxville to attend the University of Tennessee, working to pay his tuition and majoring in agriculture with no desire to farm. After graduation, he worked for the Tennessee Department of Transportation in Memphis acquiring rights of way for the interstate system. Upon returning to UT for graduate school, he worked as a research assistant studying the economic impact of the interstate system on Tennessee property and started to get jobs as an appraiser. In 1967, he hung up his shingle on Fifth Avenue and later at the downtown offices of longtime client Home Federal Bank. Pipkin & Associates' offices are now in the Karns community. In addition to lenders, government agencies including TDOT, the Army Corps of Engineers and TVA have comprised a significant amount of the firm's work. Pipkin says the firm's principals were "perceived as fairly conservative folks. We don't strive to be either conservative or liberal, we appraise it as we see it." He advises those starting out in the industry to have good time management skills "the only thing you have to sell to the public is your time, and you're limited in the amount of time you have to sell your services" and a thick skin "you have to not get insulted easily, you can't have your feelings hurt if someone disagrees with you." And to enjoy what you are doing. "Most mornings when I got up I didn't mind coming to work," he says, "And I think that's a real asset if you can say that." He and his wife Janie were married 14 years ago after losing their spouses to cancer. With the marriage came three daughters, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, what Pipkin describes as as "a great cultural change. "If you're happily married once you're blessed," he says. "If you're happily married twice, you are twice blessed." Amy Smotherman Burgess/Business Journal Avison Young brokers John Adams III, left, and Jim Holleman on Middlebrook Pike, where Tennova plans a new hospital. The brokers earned the Deal of the Year from CCIMs East Tennessee chapter for the largest single real estate transaction in 2015. SHARE By Amy Nolan of the Knoxville News Sentinel The 100-plus acres were owned by heirs from two families. Previous development plans on the site met with fierce opposition from surrounding homeowners. And the organization that wanted to buy it didn't want the sellers to know who it was or what it had planned for the land. Those were the facts facing John Adams III and Jim Holleman, real estate brokers and principals in Avison Young, as they represented Tennova's then-parent company to find a site for a new hospital. After four years, the last 102-acre parcel closed in December, earning the $11.5 million transaction and Adams and Holleman the 2015 Deal of the Year from CCIM's East Tennessee chapter. In August 2014, its then-parent company, Health Management Associates, paid $3 million for two smaller adjacent tracts, including Middlebrook frontage, totaling seven acres. Hospital company HMA enlisted the brokers in summer 2012 to search for a site that would replace the aging Physicians Regional Medical Center, the former St. Mary's Hospital, just north of downtown. "They wanted to find 100 acres, two turns or less from the interstate," Adams recalls. "And it had to be west of the current location, but not too far west, because they didn't want to compete with Turkey Creek," where the company also operated a hospital. The two came up with a short list, and property at Middlebrook Pike and Old Weisgarber Road adjacent to West Hills subdivision kept rising to the top. Holleman knew one of the two families and arranged an introduction to the other. "They didn't want anyone to know it was the hospital so we had to go under an LLC, and the sellers were not excited about talking to us because they didn't know who we were. That made it difficult," Adams says. The two were able to tell the owners that the project was not a retail development, which gave them more confidence as a previous shopping center planned for the site never came to fruition. Still, the planned hospital created its own controversy. Tennova's quest for approval from the state to build the facility was met with opposition from Covenant Health, which owns two West Knoxville hospitals, and some community groups in West and North Knoxville, which argued North Knoxville would be underserved and the West Knoxville residential area would be negatively impacted by the project. The state Health Services Development Agency approved Tennova's certificate of need for the new hospital in November 2014. Adams and Holleman, in the meantime, were continuing to sell the property to their buyer as Tennova changed hands and leadership. CHS acquired HMA for $7.6 billion in January 2014, and Knoxville native Neil Heatherly was transferred by CHS from Middle Tennessee to serve as Tennova's CEO the following month. "A lot of the local folks that were with Tennova and stayed were able to convince them this was a good central location that met the needs of the community," Holleman says. Before the deal was over, Adams recalls, the sellers agreed to eight six-month options. "The negotiations really centered on terms of options rather than price," adds Holleman. Both Adams and Holleman had high praise for the Tennova executives who shepherded the project through regulatory hoops and local opposition. "In that location (a hospital) is compatible to existing uses, and you couldn't ask for an organization more sensitive to the various interest groups," Holleman says. "I think it's certainly going to be a benefit to that part of the city." Tennova has said it expects to have the $303.5 million hospital, with nearly 300 beds, open by the end of 2018. A $6.5 million, 25-bed skilled nursing facility will also be built on the site. SHARE The fifth annual Commercial Real Estate Awards grew in 2016 as The Appraisal Institute, The American Institute of Architects, Associated General Contractors, and American Society of Civil Engineers joined Certified Commercial Investment Member East Tennessee in recognizing the achievements of their members. CCIM has expanded its awards this year to not only include Deal of the Year and Broker of the Year, but also tops in specific sectors office, retail, multifamily and industrial property. Clicks the links below for the story behind each achievement. Deal of the Year: John Adams III and Jim Holleman of Avison Young, who sealed the deal for a site on Middlebrook Pike for Tennova's new hospital. Broker of the Year: Jake Brewer of Avison Young, who participated in $45 million in transactions in 2015. Office Broker of the Year: Louise Frazier of Blue Ridge Realty who represented owners of the Brookvale II office building in their deal to house TeamHealth. Retail Broker of the Year: Trey Miller of NAI Knoxville who melded 11 sales into a $14.5 million investment to bring Publix to Pigeon Forge. Multifamily Broker of the Year: Rick Gentry of Avison Young who brokered the $11 million sale of an apartment complex in Jefferson City. Industrial Broker of the Year: James Roberson of NAI Knoxville who worked on bringing Lifetime Products to Eastbridge Industrial Park, where it will invest $115 million. The Appraisal Institute, Greater Tennessee chapter has honored Lewis S. "Sam" Pipkin with its first Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing Pipkin's 50-year career in the industry. From AIA's East Tennessee chapter come the recipients of its annual Design Awards: BarberMcMurry architects, Sanders Pace Architecture, William Starke Shell and John McRae in collaboration with a team of University of Tennessee students. The Associated General Contractors announce the first Build Knoxville Awards: Merit Construction and Blaine Construction ASCE's Tennessee section recognized a civil engineer and engineering project in its annual awards: Dr. Daryl Armentrout, who retired after 45 years from TVA, and the Lakeshore Park design, abatement and demolition project with Quantum Environment & Engineering Services. Plan to celebrate these achievements at a Feb. 11 reception. Visit creawards 2016.eventbrite.com for more information. business journal Quanatum Environmental & Engineering Services, LLC (QE2) employees Jessica Lindbom senior environmental technologist inspects a vandalized hallway in the Waterside Building at Lakeshore Park. QE2 workers are preparing the plans for the demolition of 21 of the 23 existing buildings. SHARE The planned redevelopment of Lakeshore Park and a retired, longtime TVA engineer received statewide awards from the Tennessee section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Lakeshore Park Abatement and Demolishment Project, with Quantum Environmental & Engineering Services serving as the design engineer, was one of two projects to receive the Outstanding Engineering Project for 2015. The project involved design, abatement and demolition of more than 20 buildings within a year, without closing the park or roads. "There were many challenges to the project, not the least of which was trying to continue to provide utility infrasture and continual service to buildings that were to remain," says Helen Hennon, who with Michael Hogan served as design engineers on the project for Quantum. Hennon noted the work also was designed to accommodate park activities, including sporting and social events. In addition to striving to keep the park open, Quantum worked with the city's urban forester to protect trees, some of which were more than 100 years old. Dr. Daryl Armentrout, who retired after 45 years at TVA, was honored with the Daniel B. Barge Jr. Award for Distinguished Engineering Service. Armentrout's contributions to ASCE have including serving as president of ASCE's branch and Tennessee Valley section, as well as president of the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers. He continues to serve as a practitioner adviser to engineers through the Knoxville branch. He has been active at the University of Tennessee as a member of the board of advisers for the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and as a teacher of engineering licensure and ethics. In addition, ASCE's branch section named Shawn Fitzpatrick, a 20-year veteran of the city of Knoxville's Engineering Department, its 2015 Government Engineer of the Year. Projects on which he's provided oversight included the redevelopment of Lakeshore Park. SHARE About halfway through his final State of the Union address last month, President Barack Obama called on Congress to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership, arguing the historic trade pact would open markets, protect workers and the environment and advance American leadership in Asia. But East Tennesseans in Congress aren't yet sold on the deal. "I don't want China setting the rules for trade among Asian-Pacific countries, including the United States," said U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander. "That's why I'm looking closely at this trade agreement to determine whether it's good for Tennesseans and all Americans." Alexander said he would decide whether or not he would support the agreement once Obama submits it to Congress for review. U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also is undecided about the agreement, often referred to as TPP. "In general, expanding markets for Tennessee businesses and setting proper rules for how trade will be conducted are good for our economy and national security," Corker said. "However, the details of TPP are incredibly important, so we are going through the agreement very closely to determine if it contains the high standards necessary for my support when the debate occurs, which is not expected until after the November election." With just a year left in office, Obama is looking to make the Trans-Pacific Partnership part of his legacy. The United States, Canada and 10 Asia-Pacific countries announced the sweeping trade agreement last October after more than five years of negotiations. The agreement impacts 40 percent of the global economy, and the Obama administration argues it will make it easier for American entrepreneurs, small businesses and farmers to sell made-in-the-USA products abroad by eliminating more than 18,000 taxes and other trade barriers. In Tennessee alone, 158,913 jobs were supported in 2014 by goods exported to the 11 other countries that are part of the deal, according to a report by the U.S. Trade Representative's Office. Some $18.3 billion worth of Tennessee-made products, or 56 percent of the overall total, were exported to TPP partners in 2014, the report said. Under the proposed agreement, taxes would be cut on Tennessee-made goods, including cars, automobile engines, whiskey, poultry, paper and guitars. In addition to knocking down trade barriers, the agreement also puts in place minimum labor and environmental protection standards and sets up guidelines for settling disputes between governments and foreign investors. First, however, Congress has to ratify the agreement, as do lawmakers in other countries that are part of the pact. U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. said he opposes the agreement and will vote against it when or if it's put to a vote. The United States already has a lot of trade leverage that it hasn't bothered to exercise, Duncan said. The country has roughly 4 percent of the world's population but buys 25 percent of the world's goods. Other countries are "chomping at the bit" to do business with the United States, Duncan said, and he would like to see individual trade agreements with each country instead of a giant, multinational deal. "We could do a lot more for American businesses if we did it that way," he said. U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-Johnson City, said he is still reviewing the agreement and is glad it's online for anyone to review. "Free and fair trade is important to the American economy, but an agreement like this is too important to get wrong," Roe said. "The devil is in the details, and I will continue to review the agreement, talk with stakeholders and look specifically at how the TPP could affect Northeast Tennessee." Pedro Ramos, center, in National Park Service uniform and hat, hosted a delegation last week from Cuba of workers for that countrys national park system. The delegation came to exchange experiences in a park that shares ecosystems with Cuba. The photo is at a panther statue at the Coe Visitor Center in the Everglades. Ramos is a former interim superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (NATIONAL PARK SERVICE) HOMESTEAD, Fla. Everglades National Park had a kick off to the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service with a tour by Cuban park officials who came from their island home last week to learn about the national and cultural resources of the U.S. and to exchange ideas. It was a historic first for both countries under an agreement signed last November between the NPS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with Cuba's Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment. The agreement aims to facilitate joint efforts concerning science, stewardship and management related to marine protected areas and to foster conservation and understanding of natural marine resources, sharing technical and scientific data, and promoting education and outreach initiatives. Pedro Ramos, superintendent of the Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Park, told the eight-member Cuban delegation the responsibility of the NPS, although less known than others, has been to collaborate with other countries. It is important to collaborate with neighbors whose "critters, birds and marine biological resources do not know where the country line is," he said. Ramos, a former interim superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, spoke at a presentation Wednesday at the park's Coe Visitor Center, where Carlos Alberto Diaz Maza, Cuba's director of parks, talked about the protected areas system in Cuba. He spoke in Spanish, translated by a staffer with the Nature Conservancy, which paid for the U.S.-approved trip. Ramos said congressionally appropriated funds were not used. The Everglades is the largest subtropical wilderness in the U.S. and provides habitat for rare and endangered species like the manatee, the American crocodile and the rarely seen Florida panther. The Cuban park director, known simply as Carlos Diaz, gave an outline of the development and plans for his country's system of protected areas up to 2020, with the first park designated in 1930. He said the system is based on laws and international conventions, such as UNESCO's Man and Biosphere program. Diaz cited a wetlands area, Cienaga de Zapata, that he said was similar to the Everglades. The Atlantic Ocean is bringing the two countries together through their conservation departments, he said. Ramos is given credit in Park Service circles as the visionary for the agreement on marine protected areas being established. It was the first document signed by the U.S. and Cuba since President Barack Obama and Cuba's Raul Castro announced the beginning of diplomatic relationships in 2014. Put yourself inside the celebration of the Vols' win over 'Bama This is what it looked like from the field at Neyland Stadium as players and fans celebrated Tennessee's win over Alabama. By Michael Collins of the Knoxville News Sentinel WASHINGTON For refusing to back down even when staring down the barrel of a Nazi officer's pistol, Army Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds was honored last week by Israel for an act of bravery that saved as many as 200 Jewish Americans during World War II. Members of Tennessee's congressional delegation think it's time for his own government to officially recognize his heroics. U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., R-Knoxville, and the state's two U.S. senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker have begun looking for ways the U.S. government might be able to formally honor the Knoxville soldier, who died in 1985. Duncan's office has been working for two years to round up the supporting documentation needed to nominate Edmonds for the Medal of Honor. It's a huge undertaking. The medal has been awarded to just 3,496 recipients since it was first presented in 1863. Complicating matters further are the eligibility requirements, which state the medal is to be awarded for personal bravery or self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty during actual combat with an enemy of the U.S. Edmonds' defiance against the Germans was an act of personal bravery that went beyond the call of duty. President Barack Obama said so last Wednesday during an emotional ceremony at the Embassy of Israel, where Edmonds posthumously became the first U.S. serviceman to receive the highest honor Israel bestows upon non-Jewish people who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Edmonds' almost unbelievable display of courage happened in 1945, when he was a prisoner of war. One day, the Germans ordered all Jewish POWs in his camp to report the next morning in front of their barracks. Edmonds, the highest-ranking officer in the camp, ordered all of the camp's POWs Jews and non-Jews alike to stand together. An estimated 1,000 servicemen assembled in front of their barracks the next morning, Jan. 27, 1945. Upon seeing the mass of prisoners, the German officer in charge said, "They cannot all be Jews." "We are all Jews," Edmonds replied. Some of the men standing beside Edmonds that day remember him standing his ground, even when the German officer pulled out his pistol and threatened to shoot him. "If you shoot me," Edmonds said, "you will have to shoot all of us, and after the war, you will be tried for war crimes." The German officer gave up and left. Edmonds' actions are credited with saving the lives of 200 Jewish American POWs. But Edmonds' act of bravery took place while he was a prisoner of war, not in actual combat. That raises questions about whether he's eligible for the Medal of Honor. Certain eligibility requirements for the medal have been waived on occasions, although that is rare. But Duncan's office thinks Israel's recognition of Edmonds' heroics might strengthen the case for awarding him the medal. "After Wednesday's ceremony, President Obama, Steven Spielberg and Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu now all know Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds' name," said Duncan's spokesman, Patrick Newton. Spielberg, who directed the Oscar-winning film "Schindler's List," spoke at the ceremony. Netanyahu offered videotaped remarks. "We are very hopeful that with this huge exposure and support, it will give renewed effort to award (Edmonds) the Medal of Honor," Newton said. "Congressman Duncan is working with Sens. Alexander and Corker and the Edmonds family, including his son, Chris, to try to make this happen." Corker and Alexander confirmed after the ceremony that they are exploring ways for the U.S. government to honor Edmonds. "We're working all angles," said Corker, who described the observance as one of the most moving experiences of his nine years in the Senate. "To be here was a blessing it really was. I wish every Tennessean could have been here and heard firsthand the story of a great Tennessean and just the way he conducted himself. It's an incredible story and very uplifting." Michael Collins is the News Sentinel's Washington correspondent. His weekly Tennessee in D.C. column highlights Volunteer State lawmakers, causes and connections. Contact him at 202-408-2711 or michael.collins@jmg.com. It has been far too many years since the Woke theology interlaced its canons within the fabric of the Indoctrination Realm, so it is nigh time to ask: Does this Representative Republic continue, as a functioning society of a self-governed people, by contending with the unusual, self absorbed dictates of the Woke, and their vast array of Victimhood scenarios? Yes, the Religion of Woke must continue; there are so many groups of underprivileged, underserved, a direct result of unrelenting Inequity; they deserve everything. No; the Woke fools must be toppled from their pedestal; a functioning society of a good Constitutional people cannot withstand this level of "existential" favoritism as it exists now, unending. State Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, said 57 representatives have signed on as co-sponsors of the resolution calling for a national constitutional convention well over the 50 needed for passage. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) SHARE By Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel NASHVILLE Over the objections of Democrats, a House committee has cleared the way for Tennessee to become the fifth state to call for a national convention on amending the U.S. Constitution to curb "abuses of power" by the federal government and to impose term limits for members of Congress. The movement is led in Tennessee by Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, and Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, who attended a 2013 gathering of representatives from more than 30 states arranged by Citizens for Self-Governance. The group began a nationally organized push for passage last year and, according to its website, the legislatures in four states Alabama, Alaska, Georgia and Florida quickly adopted resolutions calling for a "convention of the states," as allowed by Article 5 of the Constitution, to propose amendments. Approval of 34 states two-thirds would be needed to call such a convention In Tennessee, Bell's SJR67 was approved by the Senate 23-5 last year. Butt brought the measure before the House State Government Committee last week where, after lengthy debate, it was approved on a 5-3 party-line vote all Republicans supporting, all Democrats opposed. Mack Meckler, president of CSG and described on that organization's website as previously the national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots, told the committee that Tennessee has the opportunity to hold a "special place" in the movement's history by becoming the first state to approve the resolution in 2016. That would seem likely, given that Butt said 57 representatives have signed on as co-sponsors of the resolution well over the 50 needed for passage. The measure could be on the House floor as early as Thursday. 'convention is Last line of defense' The resolution declares that the state-called convention would be "limited to proposing amendments to the United States Constitution that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress." Meckler said an Article 5 convention is the "last line of defense for liberty in America" at a time when "the republic is in danger." Butt said states could use the convention to propose amendment to curb "skyrocketing" federal debt, unwarranted regulations imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and other "bureaucrats in Washington" and stop "hundreds of unfunded mandates" from the federal government that must be financed by states. "If ever there was a time in the history of our republic that states need to take advantage of having that constitutional authority (to call a convention), it is now," she said. Only one Republican on the committee, Rep. Bill Sanderson of Kenton, voiced misgivings about the proposal, though he still voted for it. Sanderson noted that the language of the resolution provided a "big umbrella" that could lead to all sorts of amendments, that the state is dependent on the federal government for about 40 percent of its budget and the proposition could be seen as an effort at "micromanaging of Congress." While the resolution suggests term limits for congressmen, he noted there are no term limits for state legislators. Butt responded that any proposed amendments would require broad agreement among states and then would face the constitutional amendment approval process, providing another hurdle and assuring that "nothing egregious is going to get out of these state legislatures." "We are saying we trust our state legislatures," she said. Democrats criticized several aspects of the effort, including the apparent domination of the movement by Republicans and a lack of assurance that any Democrats would be included in Tennessee's delegation to such a convention perhaps in essence that they did not trust Tennessee's GOP majority. "You're turning everything over to a supermajority of people on one state," said Rep. Johnny Shaw, D-Bolivar. "There will be a whole lot of people left out of a whole lot of stuff. You'll run right over us again." Rep. Darren Jernigan, D-Nashville, said curbs on federal spending could dramatically impact state government since it provides much of the state's budget and questioned whether the Legislature would be "prepared to pass a state income tax to replace it." Butt estimated that half of the federal money provided to Tennessee was for mandates that could be removed with an appropriate constitutional amendment.' A checkered history in Tennessee An Internet search indicates that Article 5 conventions have been proposed many times in the past, but none has ever led to a enactment of constitutional amendment. Not mentioned in the hearing last week was a vote by the Tennessee Legislature in 2010 to rescind "any and all prior applications by the General Assembly to the Congress" for state-initiated constitutional conventions specifically including three resolutions that were passed in 1977, when Democrats held a majority. One of those dealt with curbs on federal spending, a second with term limits for federal judges and the third with presidential power to use a line-item veto in the federal budget. The 2010 rescind resolution was sponsored by Republicans and all no votes came from Democrats, though several voted for it and then-Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, signed it. One clause of that resolution (approved as HJR30 at the time) reads: "There is no need for and there is in fact great danger in a new constitution or in opening the Constitution to sweeping changes, the adoption of which would only create legal chaos in this nation and only begin the process of another two centuries of litigation over its meaning and interpretation." In 2014, the Senate approved a resolution calling for a state-initiated convention limited to imposing constitutional restrictions on federal deficit spending, but it never passed the House. Both chambers did approve, however, a so-called "faithful delegate" law that any Tennessee representative to a constitutional convention must adhere to any limits on a proposed amendment directed by the Legislature. Ooltewah Middle School (Allison Carter/Chattanooga Times Free Press) SHARE By The Associated Press COLLEGEDALE, Tenn. (AP) A Collegedale police officer fired a Taser gun at a woman hired to clean a middle school after police searched the school for a possible intruder. The Chattanooga Times Free-Press reports that the incident occurred on the evening of Jan. 11. According to a report filed by Sgt. Jamie Heath, he and officer Brian Desmond responded to the school after noticing an open door at the facility. Heath wrote that once inside, the officers found the woman and asked her to identify herself. After walking away, the officers chased the woman until Heath fired the Taser and she fell to the ground. The woman, later identified as 36-year-old Juana Raymundo, was arrested on a charge of evading arrest. The woman couldn't be reached for comment by the newspaper Friday. By Choi Sung-jin When trade volume between two countries grows, so does trade friction. Korea and China are no exceptions. The Chinese government has decided not to subsidize nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) batteries produced by Korean companies such as LG Chemical and Samsung SDI, for electric buses, industry sources said Sunday. Officials in Beijing say the move reflects their safety concerns about the NCM batteries, but Korean manufacturers are not hiding their discomfort with what they see as a "protectionist" policy that runs squarely counter to global trends. Chinese officials cited a recent series of explosions of NCM batteries as the reason for their decision, instead deciding to pay subsidies only for lithium ferric phosphate (LFP) batteries mostly made by Chinese companies. NCM batteries, which have a far higher energy density than LFP, are dominated by Korean companies like LG Chemical and Samsung SDI. As well, Japan's Panasonic also manufactures electric buses powered by NCM batteries. The main problem with NCM batteries is they require packaging technology to control temperature or they risk exploding, the sources said. The NCM batteries that exploded were shoddy products of Chinese firms lacking this technology, they said. LG and Samsung officials claimed that their products have never been involved in such an accident. The sources suspect the Chinese government of making excuses for trade protectionism. "Beijing's latest move apparently has some political motivations," said a foreign investment bank. "All reported explosions were by LFP batteries made by Chinese companies." An industry executive noted that BYD, China's biggest electric bus maker, uses LFP batteries. "As Hyundai Motor exerts influence on Korea's industrial policy, BYD seems to have conveyed its opinions to the Beijing government," he said. It is difficult to raise questions openly about the protectionist move, because the Chinese government could introduce additional measures if foreign firms upset it. This is also why Apple is refraining from taking issue with Xiaomi's infringement on its intellectual property rights, they said. Beijing has also raised import duties on LCD panels to protect the domestic industry. LG and Samsung will likely see their sales drop sharply and operating losses rise, the sources said. "China, along with North America and Europe, is one of the three major markets of electric cars, which account for more than 30 percent of the Korean battery makers' performance," industry official said. In a related development, the Chinese government has also begun to impose taxes on the export of natural resources for which Korea's industry has no substitutes, officials said. "Because of Beijing's export taxes on natural resources, Korean companies have lost their import sources or bear much of the burden resulting from such taxes," said an official at the Beijing office of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) Sunday. The Chinese government recently decided to charge export taxes of a maximum 40 percent on outbound shipments of 200 different items, including scrap metal. Korea imports 9 million tons of scrap a year, but only 10,000 tons from China. "Without an export tax, Chinese scrap metal would be quite competitive," an industry source said. Most of the items slapped by the export tax are mineral resources, which Korea cannot not produce or substitute. "The export tax hurts the competitiveness of Korean companies that need such resources, which means the Seoul government should tackle the matter with urgency," he said. In 2014, the World Trade Organization did not recognize the Chinese government's assertion that its export restrictions on rare earth elements were for environmental purposes, concluding it is an act of unfair trade. "Korean companies that have imported items hit by the export tax will have to readjust prices or divert import sources," said Choi Yong-min, head of KITA's Beijing chapter. "For a more fundamental solution of the matter, however, they should regard it as a trade barrier, and call on Beijing to scrap or minimize the export tax." Salaries for health care jobs are not manufactured out of thin air they are produced by someone paying higher taxes, a patient paying more for health care, or an employee taking home lower wages because higher health insurance premiums are deducted from his or her paycheck. Additional health care jobs leave Americans with less money to devote to groceries, college tuition, and mortgage payments, and the U.S. government with less money to perform all other governmental functions including paying teachers, scientists, and social workers. That trade-off can be justified if it goes along with improved health outcomes, but not if those jobs do not generate benefits that exceed those of alternative uses. This past Monday evening, I spoke on a panel at Wake Forest University's School of Law on whether North Carolina should expand Medicaid, the medical assistance program originally designed for low-income parents, children, elderly, blind, and disabled. Despite the enthusiastic, overwhelmingly pro-expansion crowd (and expansion-leaning fellow panelists), I was pleased to be given the chance to state my case as to why Obamacare's Medicaid expansion presents some very real long-term fiscal and human costs for the state. In this week's newsletter, I give you the fiscal impact. You can watch the full presentation here Before delving into the financing of Medicaid expansion, it's important to have some insight into today's program. Medicaid itself is projected to cost North Carolina over $4 billion for the 2015-16 fiscal year. That's just the state portion. Since Medicaid is funded by North Carolina and Washington, the program is actually a $14 billion behemoth. Medicaid has historically been one of the fastest growing line items of North Carolina's budget. While North Carolina has not opted for expansion, enrollment has surged by 21 percent over the past two years.Medicaid is bankrupting our nation. This is in large part due to the program's perverse financial design. For every $1 North Carolina spends on its Medicaid program, it triggers almost an additional $2 from the feds. The open-ended match rate strongly incentivizes legislators to push for additional coverage options and extended eligibility since the feds cover a majority of the tab. On the flip side, Medicaid's flawed funding is just as much of a disincentive for states to scale down on the size of their programs, since a majority of savings accrues back to Washington.If North Carolina were to expand Medicaid eligibility for those under 138% FPL ($16,000 for an individual) who currently do not qualify for the program 82% are able-bodied, childless adults the federal government promises to fully fund the cost until 2017. At that point, states will take on some of the financing, maxing out at 10% starting in 2020.In the short-term, this is a tempting deal for states to take especially since President Barack Obama has recently offered non-expansion states an additional three years of full funding. To date, 31 states have already gone forward with expansion. Since it seems like more states are catching the "everyone's doing it" mentality, why hasn't North Carolina?Starting in 2020, expansion would cost North Carolina $6 billion over the next decade. That comes out to an extra $600 million per year. In the long-term, this will either lead to a reduction in provider payments, diverting resources from other important parts of the budget such as education or transportation, or tax increases.Despite what expansion proponents say, North Carolina is NOT leaving $5 million a day on the table by opting out of expanding. According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS) , when Congress drafted Obamacare, a pot of money was not allocated for Medicaid expansion. Rather, the reality is that an influx of federal funding would merely be adding to the federal deficit taxing future generations and their children.Expansion advocates cite numerous studies suggesting that federal funds pouring into the state would help create upwards of 40,000 jobs in the health-care sector. The thinking that Medicaid is now turning into a jobs program strays away from its original purpose a health insurance program for our most vulnerable citizens. Katherine Baicker, health economist at the Harvard School of Public Health, explains Lastly, evidence indicates that expanding public health insurance programs further increases the cost of private health insurance and crowds out private health insurance. Crowd-out will happen under expansion, in which 186,000 North Carolinians currently benefiting from a heavily subsidized private health coverage plan on the exchanges will be thrown onto Medicaid. The heavier the caseload on Medicaid, the more providers will have to make up for being paid below market levels by negotiating higher payment through private carriers. By Choi Sung-jin The annual industrial output of companies in the Gaeseong Industrial Complex rose more than 20 percent from 2014 to exceed $500 million in the first 11 months of last year, officials said Monday. According to the Unification Ministry, combined industrial production by 124 companies operating in the inter-Korean factory park totaled $515.49 million in the 11-month period. With a monthly average output of $50 million, the annual total was estimated to be around $560 million. "Despite the artillery exchanges of August, the output from the Gaeseong complex recorded steady growth of more than 20 percent last year," an official said. Nor did the conflict between the two Koreas over minimum wages affect the operation much, he said, adding that the number of North Korean workers increased by nearly 1,000 with their work hours extended. A total of 54,763 North Koreans were working in the joint industrial park, along with 803 South Koreans, mostly managers, as of Nov. 30. Production has grown steadily, from $323.32 million in 2010 to $401.85 million in 2011 and $469.50 million in 2012. After falling to $223.78 million in 2013 because of 134 days of suspended operations caused by the withdrawal of North Korean workers, output rose back to $469.97 million in 2014. The South Korean government seems set to maintain the joint industrial park, regarded as the last bastion of the inter-Korean relationship. "Gaeseong complex is not included in economic sanctions against the North," a ministry official said. South Korea's exports shrank 18.5 percent in January to extend its losing streak to 13 straight months due to faltering global demand, the government said Monday. The country's overall outbound shipments reached $36.7 billion last month, compared with $45.1 billion a year ago, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The figure marked the largest on-year fall since August 2009. Exports have been on a steady decline since the first month of 2015 due to weak overseas demand amid a global economic slowdown. Imports also plunged 20.1 percent on-year to $31.4 billion last month. The country's trade surplus came to $5.3 billion, slightly down from a surplus of $5.8 billion in the same month of last year. January marked the 48th consecutive month the country has posted a trade surplus. "Global economic downturn, a slowdown in China, and a drop in export prices affected the sharp on-year decline," the ministry said in a press release. The average price of Dubai crude, which accounts for over 80 percent of the country's overall oil imports, has been nearly halved from $53.7 per barrel in the beginning of January 2015 to $31.7 per barrel as of the end of last month. China, South Korea's largest trade partner, grew 6.9 percent in 2015, missing its 7 percent mark for the first time in 25 years. The world's second-largest economy is expected to expand around 6.5 percent this year, with some experts forecasting a 5 percent growth. Exports of the oil-related goods led the overall decline, with petroleum products and petrochemical products plunging 35.6 percent and 18.8 percent on-year last month, respectively. Shipments of cars and chips sank 21.6 percent and 13.7 percent, respectively, while machinery, steel and flat panels were shipped overseas less than a year earlier. By region, exports to the European Union rose 7.3 percent, but shipments to the United States and China slid 9.2 percent and 21.5 percent on-year, respectively, according to the ministry. (Yonhap) Poster for "The Dressmaker" / Courtesy of All That Cinema By Yun Suh-young Fashion aficionados will rejoice over the release of this upcoming film because the cast is dressed in a sumptuous array of haute couture frocks. But not only are the actors attired in visually arresting period fashion, it is also a witty black comedy seasoned with a wickedly subversive plot. "The Dressmaker" (released locally on Feb. 11), starring Kate Winslet and Judy Davis, is an exquisite revenge tale set in 1950s rural Australia. It's the tale of a couturier who returns to her home town to right the wrongs that forced her to leave. It is based on the novel of the same name by Australian female author Rosalie Ham. Myrtle "Tilly" Dunnage (Kate Winslet) is a dressmaker who worked for some of the great fashion houses of Paris such as Dior and Balenciaga. After leaving her successful career in Paris, she decides to return home to Dungatar, a dusty, outback town, in 25 years in order to take care of her estranged mother Molly (Judy Davis), better known as "Mad Molly." Tilly was forced out of the town at age 10 for allegedly murdering her neighboring classmate. Barely remembering the incident but certain that she's innocent, Tilly returns to the town after becoming a successful designer to right her wrongs. Unsurprisingly, her return isn't welcomed. The sniping and insular townspeople give her scathing looks and are slow to forgive. But the hunky Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth), who has been looking after her mad mother, welcomes her and falls in love with her, protecting and caring her wholeheartedly. Nevertheless, Tilly's return is a sensation as every piece of attire she wears becomes the talk of the town and soon the frumpily dressed women start approaching her for fashion makeovers. Equipped with haute couture dress making skills acquired from Parisian fashion houses, Tilly makes an effort to win over the hearts of the townspeople by transforming their women with her mesmerizing dresses. They start lining up in front of Tilly's door after seeing ugly duckling Gertrude Pratt (Sarah Snook) turn into a swan by wearing Tilly's dresses. It is hilarious to see the women in town dressed as if they're ready for a ball against the rural backdrop where horses and wagons pass by on the dusty streets. The film manages to mix humor with tragedy. With the help of local policeman Sergeant Horatio Farrat (Hugo Weaving), Tilly unravels the mystery surrounding her alleged crime and plots revenge against the town not with a gun, but with a sewing machine. The film is a fascinating blend of genres including film noir, rom-com and melodrama, and the plot is full of unexpected twists and turns. The act of revenge can best be described as a stylish achievement! With its femme fatale protagonist, "The Dressmaker" has shades of Park Chan-wook's "Sympathy For Lady Vengeance" in terms of how the revenge tale is played out (especially when Tilly sets down her suitcase, lights up a cigarette and mutters "I'm back, you bastards" upon arriving in town). But in terms of style, it can be compared to Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" which features lavish costumes. In fact, the production, directed by Australian Jocelyn Moorhouse, won the Best Costume Design award at the 5th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards in 2015. Movie audiences will leave theaters feeling maliciously gratified and stylishly fulfilled by the joys of haute couture and the revenge plot. Pianist Cho Seong-jin speaks at a press conference at the Seoul Arts Center, Monday. / Youhap Winner of Chopin Piano Competition to hold gala concert By Kwon Ji-youn Pianist Cho Seong-jin, winner of the 2015 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, is set to perform at a gala concert with other prize winners tonight at the Seoul Arts Center. It is the first winners' gala concert in Korea, as well as the young pianist's first concert in Seoul since he won the prestigious contest in October last year. "It has been almost a year since I stepped foot in Korea," Cho said at a press conference, Monday. "I am both thrilled and anxious to be back. I want to thank all of my supporters." In October, Cho became the first Korean to win the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, one of the oldest and most prestigious music competitions in the world. In the final round of the 17th event held from Oct. 18 to 20 in Warsaw, Poland, Cho won the top prize and 30,000 euros (36.8 million won). The competition saw 160 participants from 27 countries in the preliminary round in April, and from this group, the jury invited 78 from 20 countries to the main competition that began on Oct. 3. Ten pianists from eight countries appeared in the final. "I don't particularly enjoy entering competitions because of the stress and nerves that come with the experience," Cho said. "But I entered because I wanted to become a concert pianist who performs on the international stage. The Chopin competition was not a goal, but a means for reaching other goals. This is just the beginning." Artur Szklener of the Chopin Institute, who joined Cho at the press conference, described Cho as a "hero." "The Chopin competition is one of the most important events in Poland with a long history but the impact that it has on the musical world and on the general public has never happened at this scale before," he said. "And most of this activity and interest was here in Korea. Cho, a real hero, is the real reason behind of all that interest." Cho added, "I, too, was surprised at all the attention. But as a pianist, it is great to know that Koreans are showing more and more interest in classical music." Cho said he began playing the piano because he did not enjoy playing the violin. "I loved classical music as a child and I listened to a lot of classical music at home," he said. "I actually played the violin, but it was difficult for me to practice because I had to stand up to play it," he added with a laugh. For Cho, Chopin's music has been particularly difficult because of its many interpretations. "Every person gives a different reading of Chopin's music," he said. "As I prepared for the Chopin competition, I began developing my own sound. It helped me better understand the piece." When asked who his role model is, Cho replied: "I never decided on a role model because I want to explore my own path." The gala concert falls in line with the competition winners' Asia and Europe tour. Tickets for the concert sold out in record time. "No matter how big or small a concert is, I try to approach it in the same manner," Cho said. "But (tonight's) performance will be my first in Korea since the competition, so I am especially anxious." Cho last month signed a five-year deal with record label Deutsche Grammophon (DG). DG and Cho will record five albums, two of which may include work by other composers. A live recording of his competition-winning performance was also released through DG and sold more than 80,000 discs in Korea alone, starting an extraordinary classical music boom here. His first album will feature a performance with the Staatskapelle Dresden under maestro Chung Myung-whun's baton. "Cho's music is very thoughtful, reflective, and careful and he approaches music with great dignity and dedication," said Ute Fesquet, vice president of artists and repertoire at DG. "He reaches out for the best possible results. He is critical with himself, and yet when you listen, his playing has a tenderness, delicacy as well as strength and power." Tonight's concert will feature all the prize winners of the Chopin competition, including Charles Richard-Hamelin of Canada, Kate Liu and Eric Lu of the U.S., among others. They will perform with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. Incheon District Court has sentenced a Seoul high school teacher to two years' jail, suspended for three years, for sexually harassing a student. The teacher, identified only as "A," 55, was also ordered to spend 80 hours at a class for sexual offenders. "A" was indicted for harassing a student, 15, identified only as "B," seven times from April to August 2013 in a teachers' room and other places at school. Because of the offences,"B" dropped out of school, police said. "A" denied the allegations, claiming he was merely being friendly to the student. The man also said he was just being friendly when he let his students call him "Daddy" and had them touch his stomach. The court said it handed down a heavy sentence because "A" had forgotten his duty to protect and supervise students, but had harassed the student many times. It also said "B" was not making a false accusation and that her statements had been detailed and consistent. By Jun Ji-hye Fourteen Korean War veterans arrived in Korea, Monday, to participate in the graduation ceremonies of middle and high schools they helped build during the 1950-53 war, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. The aging American war veterans were accompanied by 22 people who lost relatives in the war and three soldiers from the U.S. 40th Infantry Division (40ID), including its commander Maj. Gen. Lawrence A. Haskins. They are planning to attend a graduation ceremony at Gapyong High School, Thursday, after attending one at Kwanin Middle and High School in Pocheon a day earlier. The schools, both in Gyeonggi Province, were established by 40ID during the war and its aftermath the Gapyong school in 1952 and Kwanin in 1955. During the graduation ceremonies, the war veterans and the family members of the war dead will also present scholarships from former and current 40ID members to the schools to maintain their 60-year friendship with the students there, the ministry said. Deeply moved by Korean students who were studying under almost-collapsed tents on the frontlines, then-division commander Maj. Gen. Joseph Cleland and his soldiers collected $2 from each soldier and built the Gapyong High School in the midst of the war in August 1952. At the time, 40ID was stationed at Gapyeong, some 60 kilometers northeast of Seoul, to fend off Communist forces from the north. Gen. Cleland decided to name the school Kaiser Middle High School after Sergeant First Class Kenneth Kaiser, the first 40ID soldier to be killed in action. Kaiser died in battle in January 1952 at the age of 19. At that time, local residents called the school "Gaisa," the Korean pronunciation of "Kaiser." It was later renamed Gaisa Middle School and Gaisa High School, and is currently Gapyong High School. Kwanin Middle School was built in April 1955, also by 40ID as part of their rebuilding efforts following the ceasefire agreement. First Lieutenant Vam Hoef, who designed Gapyong High School, also designed the Kwanin school building, the ministry said. Kwanin High School was built later in 1971. During their visit, veterans and bereaved families are also planning to visit the South-controlled side of the Demilitarized Zone and attend a banquet hosted by Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Sung-choon, the ministry added. "A revisit event for war veterans began in 1975, and as of last year, some 30,000 veterans and their families have returned to Korea after the war," the ministry said in a release. "The event contributes a lot to strengthening relations with countries that committed troops to the war and boosting the nation's image by expressing its gratitude for their service." Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung, right, listens to the commander of the 6th Infantry Division during his visit to a general post near the border in Cheorwon County, Monday. / Joint press corps By Kang Seung-woo Ruling Saenuri Party Chairman Kim Moo-sung said Monday that South Korea should positively consider accepting the deployment of the terminal high altitude are defense (THAAD) system on the Korean Peninsula, citing North Korea's nuclear threats. It is the first time for the ruling party leader to openly support bringing THAAD into the country that is creating controversy due to China's adamant opposition to its presence on Korean soil. In the wake of North Korea's fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, Seoul and Washington are about to begin formal discussions on THAAD, which is designed to destroy ballistic missiles particularly nuclear ones during their terminal phase. "The North Korean nuclear test showed the dangerous behavior of the North Korean regime, so it is little wonder that we are discussing THAAD deployment to better protect us," Kim said during a party Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly. "The North Korean nuclear program is an overriding issue that can determine the future of the nation, so we should neither passively react to the threats nor take account of international interests and concerns too much." "It is high time for South Korea to have a forward-looking and aggressive stance about the deployment of a THAAD battery," Kim said. Later in the day, the defense ministry said that it can jointly operate THAAD and L-SAM, South Korea's own missile defense system, which could help the nation form a multilayer defense against the North's nuclear and missile threats. South Korea is developing its own equivalent of THAAD called L-SAM, or long-range surface-to-air missile that is expected to enter service in early 2020. "As we see L-SAM and THAAD as different systems, coordinating them will help boost our national security and defense if we can do so," said Moon Sang-gyun, the new spokesman at the defense ministry, in a briefing. His remark reveals the Korean government's apparent shift on THAAD. Last March, when the issue was sweeping the nation, the ministry said that it will set up its own missile defense system based on the development of L-SAM and M-SAM, or mid-range surface-to-air missiles instead of bringing THAAD here. However, the spokesman said that there has been no request made by the U.S. to open discussions on THAAD although talks are held inside the U.S. government. Korea has quickly been leaning toward deploying THAAD here after President Park Geun-hye said during the New Year's press conference, Jan. 13, that she would review introducing the missile interceptor here. This was followed by Defense Minster Han Min-koo's Jan. 25 media interview underscoring the need for THAAD. Rep. Chung Doo-un, the head of the National Assembly National Defense Committee, also said last week that it was time to open discussions on THAAD deployment here. Since late 2013, THAAD has been a hot-button defense issue amid growing threats from the North, but the South had kept mum on it due to China's strong opposition to its presence, claiming that it could be a threat to Beijing's security. China is the South's biggest trading partner. The government move toward allowing the U.S. military to set up THAAD batteries follows China's reluctance to press the North over its fourth nuclear test. By Kim Se-jeong Amnesty International Korea said Monday that it will hold a virtual protest to denounce repressive President Park Geun-hye administration on Feb. 24, a day before the third anniversary of her inauguration. The human rights NGO came with the idea of using a holographic image as police rejected its plan to hold a demonstration near Cheong Wa Dae, the Presidential palace in central Seoul. "Our message to the government is to allow freedom of peaceful assembly near Cheong Wa Dae, where rallies have been strictly banned since the Sewol ferry disaster," said Byun Jeong-pil, the group's campaign team manager. "We wanted to gather physically to make our message heard. But it's impossible and this is our alternative." The holographic images of people holding pickets and chanting slogans will be played at Gwanghwamun Square starting at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 24, and Amnesty welcomes citizens' participation in its making. Byun said she only needed 20 volunteers, but has already received more than 150 applicants. "But, we keep collecting citizens' voice messages." Those wanting to add their own voice messages can do so by visiting www.amnesty.or.kr/12425/. On Jan. 27, the police refused the group's request to stage a protest near Cheong Wa Dae, citing obstruction to local traffic. The police did so despite a court ruling last October which ordered them to stop banning gatherings there. This will be Korea's first hologram protest. The first one worldwide happened in Spain last April after the country passed a law banning protests near government office buildings. The Park administration has taken stern sometimes violent measures against rallies which they call illegal. The police have used water cannons, pepper spray and bus barricades against protesters. One protester is still lying in a coma after being sprayed by water cannons during a November protest. Maina Kiai, the United Nations special rapporteur on the freedoms of peaceful assembly and association, expressed his concerns during his visit to Korea last week. "Water cannons can inflict great bodily harm as the case of Mr. Baek Nam-gi tragically illustrates," Kiai said during a press conference on Friday at the end of his fact-finding mission. "The use of water cannons and bus barricades is almost guaranteed to increase tensions between police and protesters, who may see this as an unprovoked attack." The special envoy also criticized the Korean government and courts for citing security and public convenience as excuses for restricting these rights. "I acknowledge these challenges (of security and convenience), but they should not be an excuse for unduly limiting rights." He said freedom of assembly should be respected because "they are among the best tools to address social conflict. They allow underrepresented groups to amplify their voices; they give dispossessed people a channel for engagement and a stake in society." National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Lee Sang-min of the main opposition Minjoo Party, hits the gavel to approve a revision bill that allows Korean law firms to set up joint entities with their foreign counterparts, Monday. The bill includes a controversial clause that bans the foreign partner firms from owning more than 49 percent of stake in the joint firms. Foreign envoys, including U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert, recently asked the Assembly to remove the "unfair" clause to no avail. / Yonhap By Kang Seung-woo The Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly approved a revision bill aimed at opening up the nation's legal market, Monday. However, it kept a controversial clause that prohibits foreign law firms from owning more than 49 percent of joint-venture law firms with Korean partners, despite protests from four foreign envoys, including U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert. If the bill is passed through a plenary session, it is scheduled to take effect in July with the European Union and in March 2017 with the United States. According to the revision bill, foreign firms must establish joint ventures only with Korean entities that have been in operation for more than three years and hire five or more lawyers with less than five years of experience under their belts, along with the 49 percent ceiling. Last month, Lippert, representing four countries that also included Australia and Britain, met with Rep. Lee Sang-min, chief of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, to deliver a statement in protest of the bill, calling on the National Assembly to amend it. However, the committee said that it had approved the revision bill intact because the Ministry of Justice had collected opinions from relevant ministries and embassies and fully disclosed them to lawmakers. Following the envoy's protests, local lawyers' groups criticized their action, calling it a violation of Korea's sovereignty. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said later that there was no problem with the protest action. Approximately 300 Chinese tourists will visit here for medical examinations and sightseeing, the Daejeon metropolitan city said Monday. The Chinese tourists, often called "youke" in Mandarin Chinese, will travel to this city 124 kilometers south of Seoul in three separate groups by the end of this month. The groups, ranging from 120 to 150 people each, are mainly seeking physical checkups at medical facilities and hospitals. However, they will also visit other famed tourist attractions here like National Science Museum under the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. Daejeon is famous for being a hub of science and technology, with many scientists and technology-related facilities stationed there. According to the city government, the Chinese will also visit the Currency Museum, which will provide a rare opportunity for the visitors to learn about currency culture and currency-making techniques. Another place for sightseeing is Solomon Law Park, where visitors will be given useful information about law and justice. Specifically designed for the younger crowd, the park will offer them a valuable learning experience on the history of laws from different countries as well as Korea's, the city explained. (Yonhap) If there is an Article V convention, we will lose the Constitution we have, and another Constitution will be imposed.You are not getting both sides of this issue. Throughout the Country, those of us who are warning of the dangers of an Article V convention are marginalized, ridiculed, smeared, shut out of meetings, and barred from speaking in public forums. THIS short essay from the Principled Policy Blog describes what we face every day. THIS article is an account by Donny Harwood, a Citizen of Tennessee, describing how he was shut out of the public meeting which the Convention of States people held on October 19, 2015 at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. According to The Leaf-Chronicle, a number of Tennessee Legislators were at the meeting. A prominent Tennessee radio talk show host was also present.And everyone at the meeting was prevented from hearing the other side of this issue.The reason convention proponents forbid dissenting voices is that we prove, by means of Facts and original source documents, that the claims and promises of the convention proponents are false. HERE are some of the original source documents Legislators would hear about if they were presented with the other side of this issue.We are in the final stage of a takeover. Leftists of every variety want a new Constitution to legalize our transformation from the constitutional Republic created by our existing Constitution to a dictatorship.To get a new Constitution, they need a convention. So they are telling conservatives that our Constitution is causing our problems and we need to amend the Constitution. And they say we can only make the amendments they say we need at a convention.Article V of our Constitution provides two methods of amending our Constitution. Congress:1. Proposes amendments, or2. Calls a convention to propose amendments if 34 States apply for it.The first method was used for our existing 27 amendments: Congress proposed them and sent them to the States for ratification or rejection.Under the second method, Congress calls a convention. We have never had a convention under Article V. Such conventions are extremely dangerous. THIS is one of many articles which illustrate the danger, sets forth warnings from two of our Framers and two former US Supreme Court Justices, and explains why Delegates to a convention can NOT be controlled by State laws.because the Delegates have the plenipotentiary power to impose a new Constitution with a new mode of ratification. The video by Chuck Michaelis at the bottom of THIS page explains these plenipotentiary powers. Such Delegates are the Sovereign Representatives of The People and have the power to impose a new Constitution. This has already happened in our history: At the Federal Convention of 1787, this plenipotentiary power was exercised to replace our first Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, with the Constitution we now have. On February 21, 1787, The Continental Congress called a convention "for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation". But instead of proposing amendments to our first Constitution, the Delegates wrote a new Constitution - the one we now have. Furthermore, the new Constitution had a new and easier mode of ratification: Article XIII of The Articles of Confederation (p 8-9) provided that Amendments to the Articles had to be approved by the Continental Congress and all of the then 13 States. But the new Constitution, drafted at the "amendments" convention of 1787, provided at Art. VII thereof that it would be ratified upon approval by only nine of the then existing 13 States.So! Not only do Delegates to a national convention have this plenipotentiary power to impose a new Constitution; the precedent to do so has already been established.The Left has been pushing for a convention for 50 years - ever since the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations produced the Constitution for the Newstates of America. They need a convention to get it imposed.Several other Constitutions are already prepared and waiting for a convention.If there is a convention, the only issues will be (1) whose Constitution will be imposed by the Delegates; and (2) what new mode of ratification will be set forth in the new Constitution. The Constitution for the Newstates of America imposes a totalitarian dictatorship. Article XII, 1 thereof provides for ratification by a Referendum called by the President. The States are dissolved and replaced by regional governments answerable to the new national government. The Revolutionary Communist Party USA has a Constitution for The New Socialist Republic in North America. George Soros, Marxist law professors all over the Country, Cass Sunstein and Eric Holder want a Marxist Constitution in place by the year 2020. The "Convention of States" project wants a "re-written" Constitution which legalizes powers the federal government has already usurped, and delegates new powers to the federal government such as total power over children. Yet they are telling conservatives that they want a convention so they can get amendments "to limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government"! Under the planned North American Union, Canada, the United States, and Mexico will surrender their sovereignty to a Parliament set over the three countries. The United States will need a new Constitution to transform us from a sovereign nation to a member state of the North American Union. This is what the Establishment wants. And it is being imposed on us by stealth. Read the Task Force Report of the Council on Foreign Relations HERE . And to see how the European Union is working out for the formerly sovereign nations of Europe, watch this 7.5 minute video by Pat Condell In the past, conservatives defeated the periodic pushes for a convention. So the Left changed tactics: Now, they are marketing it to appeal to conservatives: they are telling conservatives that a convention is the only way to rein in the federal government. These leftists, some wearing conservatives' clothing, are using the classic techniques of the Left: They are not telling the truth; they are smearing their opponents; and they have divided conservatives. Conservatives who fell for the marketing have been induced to attack and exclude conservatives who are warning of the dangers of a convention. And they won't let us address their groups.Our existing Constitution really was a 5,000 year miracle. We delegated only a handful of enumerated powers to the federal government - you can see what we delegated HERE . Our Constitution doesn't need "fixing" - we need to restore the Constitution we already have. We begin the Restoration by reading and learning our Constitution and Declaration of Independence. And enforcing it! See, in this regard, the Tenth Amendment Center's 2015 State of the Nullification Movement Report For the Love of God and Country, heed this warning.Very truly yours,Publius Huldah 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) Japan's attempt to distort history remains unchecked By Yi Whan-woo The Korean government remains low-key in addressing Japan's attempts to distort the history of "comfort women," drawing criticisms from scholars as well as surviving victims. At the United Nations, the Japanese government is repeatedly denying its forcible mobilization of Korean women as sex slaves before and during World War II a possible breach of the Dec. 28 agreement reached between Korea and Japan to address the sex slavery issue. However, the Park Geun-hye administration is taking little action to counter Japan's move, analysts said. The two Asian neighbors promised to refrain from blaming each other at the U.N. in their "final and irrevocable" accord to end the decades-long dispute over the wartime sex slavery. "Our government apparently is concerned about breaking the agreement and has become passive in speaking out when it comes to issues over Japan's wartime sex slavery," said Kwak Jin-o, a senior researcher at Northeast Asia History Foundation. "By contrast, Tokyo is continuing to distort history involving its state-perpetrated sex crimes." Kwak noted that Seoul's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has backed away from funding women's rights activists in a campaign to win UNESCO world documentary heritage status for comfort women. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also has underscored that the UNESCO campaign is only being made on a civic level. In contrast, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet claimed it found no documentary evidence on the "forceful taking away" of victims of sex slavery in a report filed with the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination for a period review scheduled from Feb. 15. Park Won-gon, an international relations professor, agreed with Kwak. "Tokyo's argument is seen as denial of Korea's long-held demand that the victims were lured, abducted and coerced into sexual servitude at front-line brothels operated by the Japanese military," he said. "In that regard, Japan apparently ignored Korea through its U.N. report and it can be interpreted as a breach of the December agreement." A senior researcher at the Sejong Institute said the government should be "more flexible" in carrying out the agreement concerning former sex slaves. "It's true that Korea and Japan agreed to not denounce each other Tokyo's wartime atrocities, but it doesn't mean we no longer have a right to correctly inform and share our historical wounds with the international community," the researcher said on condition of anonymity. "We should be careful in addressing the sex slavery-issues for political and diplomatically reasons, not for educational and historical reasons." A foreign ministry official refused to comment, Monday, whether Japan's U.N. report violated the December agreement, but denounced Tokyo for allegedly attempting to water down the forceful nature of its wartime crimes. Meanwhile, Kwak speculated that the United States may have appreciated Japan more over Korea concerning the comfort women deal. "Despite the security alliance and economic cooperation, Tokyo's unrepentant views on history had been a hurdle in bolstering U.S.-Japan ties to the maximum level," he said. "With the December deal, the hurdle is gone and Tokyo knows it. That's probably why it is being relentless in addressing issues over sex slavery from its point of view on the international stage." Korea Foundation Vice President Yoon Keum-jin / Courtesy of the Korea Foundation Galleries overseas not fully utilized: KF vice president By Rachel Lee Korea should find ways to make the most of limited gallery space at overseas museums to better promote the country's culture, a Korea Foundation (KF) executive says. Vice President Yoon Keum-jin believes that making the best use of space, and having professional curators, should be the top priority instead of focusing too much on getting more space. The KF was founded in 1992 for international exchange and public diplomacy initiatives. "Korea joined the museums pretty late, which means we didn't have much choice for location and size in the first place anyway," Yoon, 58, told The Korea Times. "Unless major renovations take place at the venues, it is certainly not possible for us to obtain more gallery room." Yoon, who has handled almost every project related to Korean galleries abroad for over 20 years, was director at the organization's office in Washington, D.C., the Culture and Arts Department and the International Cooperation Department. The KF has helped set up rooms in 28 locations in 10 countries. The Korea Foundation has hosted workshops to educate curators from around the world since 1999. / Courtesy of the Korea Foundation According to the organization, 75 Korean galleries and small sections had been set up in museums in 23 countries as of 2014. Most are in Europe (27) and the U.S. (33). There are 12 in Asia, two in South America and one in Oceania. In 2012, there were 67 galleries in 22 countries. Leading museums including the British Museum, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Sweden have presented Korean cultural displays. The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco has 794 items on show. "Looking at the location and scale, our displays may seem to fall short of what our neighbors have done," Yoon said, pointing out rather fundamental problems apart from Korea being a late starter. "To begin with, a lack of cultural properties available for display and an unbalanced range have made it hard to attract audiences," she said. "China and Japan, for instance, boast a large quantity and also a better location, but it also has something to do with philanthropy as well. Some of the assets in the Chinese gallery include donations from Chinese individuals, which helped a lot." There are a total of 15,500 assets available here for exhibition mostly pottery from the National Museum of Korea. "Another problem is that there are not enough curators in charge of the Korean sections at the museums," the vice president said. "Their role is vital as they are the ones that come up with various ideas for exhibitions to attract and engage audiences with their in-depth understanding about the country and its collection." The Korean collection had some of the renowned experts in the past including Jane Portal and Charlotte Holyck who curated the gallery at the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London. There are Korean experts working for overseas museums including Lee So-young, associate curator in Korean Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Kim Hyun-jung, associate curator of Chinese and Korean Art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco; and Woo Hyun-soo, Maxine and Howard Lewis associate curator of Korean Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The KF has launched a series of projects to support the Korean galleries including a special day dedicated to Korea and workshops to educate curators from around the world. "We have offered a session for overseas curators to help them understand the history of Korean art. This year, those from Japan are coming to Korea for this workshop," Yoon said. Last September, the KF supported "Chuseok Family Day" at the V&A, which was designed to "share and communicate the mood and the spirit of Chuseok," Korean Thanksgiving, according to the organization. The program offered 11 activities such as Korean traditional games, pop-up performances of Korean folktales, a hanbok dressing room, a kite-making class and a Korean pop dance workshop. The vice-president also suggested holding special exhibitions with a specific theme. "We aren't satisfied with the current limited space and the relatively small of number of cultural properties available for display," she said. "Now we should think about what we can do with the circumstances instead of moaning and complaining." "If we can make the best use of what we have in collaboration with well-educated experts, I'm sure it will make the exhibitions more attractive and interesting for audiences," Yoon said. By Javier Solana MADRID Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia spiked earlier this month, with protesters storming the Saudi embassy in Tehran after the execution of a Shia cleric in the Kingdom. This is just the latest manifestation of the deep-rooted rivalry between the two Middle Eastern powers. But while their mutual enmity is longstanding, it is far from age-old, as it is sometimes portrayed. Given their common interests, a return to cooperation, though highly challenging, is not impossible. Although it has been essential in establishing their national identities, these countries' sectarian divide Saudi Arabia is the Arab world's leading Sunni power, while Shia are in the majority in Iran has not always been an element of confrontation in the region. It was not until 1501 that the Safavid dynasty established Shi'ism as the official religion of Persia, thereby distinguishing itself from its Sunni Ottoman neighbors, which were occupying part of their territory. During the subsequent two centuries, Persia confronted the Ottoman Empire the heart of the Sunni caliphate for regional supremacy. In 1932, when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was established, it adopted Wahhabism a school of Sunni Islam as its official creed. Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia and Iran established diplomatic relations. In the 1960s and early 1970s, their security and political cooperation deepened, owing to a shared interest in confronting radical movements that threatened their monarchies. As they worked to limit the advancement of Soviet-style communism in the Arab world, they emerged as key Cold War allies of the West, especially the United States. However, in the late 1970s, a sectarian battle of identities flared up. Saudi Arabia, supported by the financial gains brought by rising oil prices, started expanding its security efforts by exporting Wahhabism. And it perceived a direct threat after 1979, when Iran's Islamic Revolution toppled the Shah and the new regime declared itself to be the leader of Shia worldwide. In response to Iran's call for the liberation of all Shia, Saudi Arabia redoubled its efforts to spread Wahhabism, intensifying the struggle between the two powers. Though conflict has not erupted into direct confrontation, there has been no shortage of proxy wars, beginning with the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. More recently, it has shaped the course of Syria's civil war, in which Iran backs President Bashar al-Assad, who represents the Alawite sect of Shia Islam, while the Saudis are supporting anti-Assad Sunni forces. In Yemen, a Saudi-led coalition has used airstrikes to beat back the Houthis, Iran-backed Zaidi Shia rebels fighting the Sunni-led government a conflict that has already claimed some 6,000 lives. But, as in the past, the latest confrontation between the two powers is related to domestic developments. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia are currently undergoing important political and economic transitions that could leave their regimes vulnerable. Iran, gearing up to elect a new parliament and Assembly of Experts (which chooses the country's Supreme Leader) in February, remains in dire straits economically. The unemployment rate reached 11.4% in 2014, and is considerably higher among young people. The international agreement on Iran's nuclear program has now led to the lifting of sanctions; but the economic benefits are yet to be widely felt. Of course, if President Hassan Rouhani's efforts to open Iran to the outside world continue, those benefits ultimately will be widely felt, fueling the growth of the middle class. But for precisely that reason, more conservative elements within Iran's government are deeply suspicious of Rouhani's reformist agenda, viewing the potential emergence of a more worldly, pluralistic society as a serious threat to the regime's survival. Indeed, although Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ratified the nuclear deal last year, he has repeatedly declared that he still mistrusts the US. In addition, the conservative-controlled Guardian Council which comprises six theologians appointed by the Supreme Leader and six jurists nominated by the judiciary and approved by the parliament has rejected 99% of reformist candidates for the upcoming election. It thus appears that parliamentary opposition to Rouhani's reforms is set to intensify. Saudi Arabia, too, is at a turning point. Last year, following the death of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who ruled for a decade, his half-brother, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, ascended to the throne. Salman has since been shifting governmental responsibility to Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud. These changes at the top are occurring in a context of severe economic decline brought on by the collapse of world oil prices; budget revenue has been depleted to the point that the fiscal deficit reached 15% of GDP last year. In this unstable context, leaders in both Iran and Saudi Arabia seem to believe that continued confrontation will help sustain them in power, not least by reinforcing the notion that more change, especially in the form of increased economic or political openness, would be dangerous. Friendly (or at least constructive) relations between both powers would thus appear to be a remote possibility, at least for the foreseeable future. But steps can be taken that might at least prevent tensions from escalating further. Khamenei's condemnation of the attack on the Saudi embassy, which he called harmful for the country and Islam, was noteworthy in this sense. Even with such steps, Iran and Saudi Arabia are highly unlikely to reach an agreement on Syria in the next round of international talks. But progress toward ending the war in Yemen which is at an earlier stage than the Syrian war, and entails fewer international and regional interests is possible, especially given Saudi Arabia's economic travails. The key will be agreement on a cease-fire, as a precursor to a long-term resolution of the conflict. While the gulf between Iran and Saudi Arabia runs deep, instances of pragmatic cooperation on specific issues like Yemen can help to build bridges. Doing so would benefit the entire region. Javier Solana was EU high representative for foreign and security policy, secretary-general of NATO, and foreign minister of Spain. Shin Jae-hyun, chairman of West Asia Economic Forum / Korea Times By Kang Hyun-kyung Shin Jae-hyun's voice trembled with excitement when he spoke about the framework nuclear deal to freeze Iran's nuclear facilities in return for easing nuclear-related sanctions on April 2, 2015. It was the news that he had been waiting for since 2010 when Korea joined the United States-led international sanctions against Iran. Back in April, the deal had not yet been finalized. The final agreement came in July following a flurry of time-consuming, painstaking diplomatic efforts between six world powers and Iran. But the progress made in the nuclear talks in April was positive enough to thrill Shin, who is considered an unrivaled Iran expert in Korea. That afternoon, he traveled to Songdo near the port city of Incheon to meet Ali Masoumifar, the son of former Iranian ambassador to Korea Ahmad Masourmifar. Ali was then attending the State University of New York's Songdo campus. The Iranian calls Shin "uncle," as his father and Shin became close friends during his father's service in Seoul. Excited about the progress of the deal, Shin and Ali celebrated the framework deal together there. Shin, 70, is one of the few Koreans who have an extensive network with high-ranking Iranian officials. According to him, Iran is a country that holds an irresistible attraction for him. "Iranians are educated people, and they are intelligent," he said on Jan. 28 at his office in Seoul. "The country has a long, rich history starting from the ancient days." His affection with Iran has grown over the years as he discovered some elements that are different from his homeland, Korea. "It is a huge country, over 10 times bigger than the territories of the two Koreas combined," he said. "I felt the country has strong potential to become a regional power once the sanctions were lifted because of its quality human resources and strong cultural traditions." His bond with Iran began in May 2008 when he first paid a visit to the Middle Eastern country after he was named by former President Lee Myung-bak as an ambassador in charge of natural resources cooperation and energy affairs. His duties were to meet with high-ranking Iranian officials and businesspeople to establish contacts and bonds to improve bilateral relations. The businessman-turned-president was keen on boosting ties with resource-rich nations, hence, his appointment of Shin. Iranian officials still call him "Ambassador Shin" even though he no longer works under that capacity. Shin said he was drawn to Iran, and he has visited the country 30 times. The more he discovered in Iran, the deeper his bonds with the country and its people became. Iranian officials gradually opened their hearts to him and shared their views regarding bilateral relations and Korean companies' business opportunities in the wake of the Iran nuclear deal. The relations between the two countries have not always been smooth, however. The bilateral ties were put to the test in 2010 when Korea joined the United States-led sanctions against Iran for the latter's development of a nuclear program, for which Iran claimed its purposes were peaceful. Iran protested the sanctions. In a media interview, a high-ranking Iranian official was quoted as saying Iranians would launch a consumer boycott to retaliate at Korea for being party to the sanctions. He said his countrymen considered Korea a close friend, and his country did not deserve the sanctions. Shin flew to Iran to explain to Iranian officials Korea's reasons for joining the international sanctions and how doing so was an inevitable move. According to him, Iranian officials said they understood Korea's position after his explanation. Although his duties as ambassador ended with the retirement of President Lee in February 2013, Shin continued to visit Iran and meet officials there. "Although my official mission as ambassador was over, I felt strongly about the need to play a bridge role because Iran sanctions were still in place and consequently, bilateral relations became sour," he said. Under the approval of the U.S. government, Shin helped the Central Bank of Iran create deposit accounts in Woori Bank and the Industrial Bank of Korea. The CBI and the Korean government established a clearing system to help 23,000 small Korean companies and exporters keep doing business with Iran, on which they depended for trade. In the meantime, Shin tried to educate Korean journalists, who are relatively unfamiliar with what's going on in the Middle East, to help them gain an accurate understanding of Iran and the region's politics. He would call a few journalists he knew on a regular basis to keep them updated about Iran's positions on regional issues. He encouraged them not to be duped by many Western media outlets that wrongfully described Iran and its motives with its nuclear program. Shin denied Iran's expansionist ambitions, saying Iranians are "pacifists" and have little appetite for conflicts with neighboring countries. His siding with Iran often made him vulnerable to the allegation that he is lobbying for the country. His advocacy for Iran showed no signs of fading even after nuclear-related sanctions were lifted earlier this month. Rather, the lawyer ratcheted up efforts to get the Korea-Iran trade relations back to normal by encouraging Korean businesses to make the most of the immense business opportunities in the Middle East, particularly the post-sanction Iran. After the nuclear-related sanctions were lifted, Iran regained access to more than $50 billion of its frozen assets overseas and will start to increase its oil sales. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had a four-day trip to Italy and France a week after the sanctions were lifted. In particular, several Italian companies have signed lucrative business deals with Iran to build its infrastructure and oil services. During his visit to Italy, the Italian government announced $18.4 billion in business deals signed with Iran. Rouhani signed another business deal with Airbus to purchase 118 aircrafts from France. Korean home appliances and electronic devices are popular in Iran, and Shin predicted that cosmetics and garment products may also have a promising future in the post-sanctions Iran. However, Shin said Korean companies might miss these immense business opportunities if they stick with a self-serving business strategy. "I think now is the time for Korean businessmen and women to think about how both Korea and Iran can benefit from cooperation," he said. "I encourage them to find business partners in Iran, rather than seek to earn profits after selling commodities. They can consider investing in Iran or producing products there to benefit their Iranian partners with technology transfer." Shin said President Park Geun-hye's possible visit to Iran, if realized, would help create a positive atmosphere for Korean companies. "I've recommended to the president to visit Iran. I thought sending a special envoy to the country could be also helpful to the bilateral relations if she couldn't find time to travel there," he said. The top nuclear envoys of the United States and China held talks in Beijing last week, China's foreign ministry said Monday, as Washington presses Beijing to join in drawing up tougher sanctions against North Korea following its fourth nuclear test. China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, and his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei met in Beijing, but did not provide the outcome of the talks. "Since North Korea's latest nuclear test, the Chinese side has been in close communications with all relevant parties," Lu told reporters during a regular press briefing. The talks between Kim and Wu took place during Kim's two-day visit to Beijing last Thursday, a diplomatic source said earlier in the day. Kim and Wu discussed follow-up measures after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last Wednesday, according to the source. Kerry and Wang agreed on the need for a new U.N. resolution targeting North Korea, but Wang apparently resisted calls for tougher measures to punish Pyongyang. Meanwhile, a senior North Korean diplomat was spotted arriving at the Beijing airport last Thursday. Choi Son-hui, North Korea's deputy chief of the long-stalled six-party talks on the North's nuclear program, made a stopover in Beijing on his way to Germany to attend a seminar, the source said. South Korea and the United States have called on China, which keeps North Korea's economy afloat as a key supplier of food and oil, to back tougher U.N. sanctions against the North for its latest nuclear test on Jan. 6. 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) By Nam Sang-so It was November 11, Veterans Day at Saddle River, New Jersey years ago. I was sitting in the middle of the auditorium of my grandson's high school. "Bombs away, we B-29 bombers discharged all our bombs over the sky of Tokyo. The incendiary bombs spread fire all over the city. It was the most exciting moment in my life," recollected a bald headed, plump veteran of former B-29 pilot on the platform to the students and teachers filled in the auditorium. "I was a member of the gunnery crew of the battleship Missouri and we bombarded the enemy cities from offshore and, I tell you, that was the most thrilling moment in my life," said this time an ex-sailor. Applause erupted from the audiences. The glorious old pilot continued. "Yes, we saw Kamikaze suicide planes charging against us but we shot all of the crazy boys down." More clapping. "Sir, you have a question?" asked the bombardier when I raised my hand. "Yes, have you ever seen the face of the crazy suicide pilots?" "No, we shot the phantoms down before they could come close to us," boasted the veteran. "Then look at me, I was one of the pre-candidates for a suicide squad but was too young to get on it. I was there hiding in a bunker with my family. You guys burned my house and everything," I said in my Japanese accented English. A commotion erupted in the auditorium when a girl sat behind me screamed, "The enemy is here!" A deadly silence filled in the theater. It was Veteran's Day in the United States of America. "Well, nice to meet you guys again," I said to the former enemies on the dais raising one hand in a handshaking gesture. Suddenly rows of the students and teachers stood up and clapped their hands. It was a standing ovation for the Pacific War survivors from both sides of the ocean. The school master told me it was the best Veterans' Day school has ever had. "Now, guys in school call me Kamikaze's grandson, grandpa," the sophomore boy informed me at the dinner table. Oji Matsufuji was born in Sacramento, California of Japanese parents. The parents wanted to teach Oji Japanese cultures and sent him back to their hometown, Fukuoka. The boy exceeded in high schools and entered a university in Tokyo. He wanted to become a diplomat and bridge between his birth country of the United States and his ancestor's country of Japan when Tokyo attacked Pearl Harbor. He was recruited to the Imperial Naval Academy and commissioned to a Navy pilot Ensign, and assigned to one of the Kamikaze Suicide Squads. The Japanese at the time excluded dual nationals from the military requisitioning and Oji didn't have to serve in the Japanese force. His moments of hesitation and puzzled feelings he must have had had not been reported by media. But the Japanese-American boy decided to defend his ancestor's country making his own birth country where his parents lived as his enemy. Piloting a suicide Zero fighter plane loaded with a single bomb, he dived into one of the American battleships four months before the Japan's surrender. He was posthumously promoted to Lieutenant First Class and went to the Yasukuni Shrine. "My son was an honorable boy." Oji's mother in California later answered to the questioning of the American media. There are millions of the South and North Koreans whose parents and grandparents live on the opposed sides of the barbed wire. What Korean mothers or grandmothers would say if their grandsons start shooting at each other again? The writer is a Japanese-English-Korean translator. His email address is sangsonam@gmail.com. By Tong Kim Three weeks have elapsed since North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, and the U.N. Security Council has yet to agree on a new resolution for another set of sanctions against Pyongyang. This delay is largely due to differences in interest and policy between the two most powerful, veto-wielding permanent members of the Council China and the United States. They quickly denounced Pyongyang's nuclear test that was conducted in flagrant violation of the UN resolution. However, after five hours of discussion between their foreign ministers John Kerry and Wang Yi last week, they simply agreed to adopt another sanction resolution, but without specifying measures to be included in it. Kerry said "an accelerated effort" would be exerted to produce a new U.N. resolution. The next resolution will have to be stronger than one in 2013 resolution that stated it would "take significant action" in the event of a further nuclear test. All sanctions have so far failed to prevent the impoverished North from advancing its nuclear and missile programs. Wang Yi made it clear, "Sanctions are not an end in themselves." China will not support any sanctions that may "provoke new tension" and destabilize the Korean Peninsula. During a joint press conference with Wang, Kerry made reference to a wide spectrum of sanction areas in which China has options to punish the DPRK, including trade and services, movements of ships, aviation, banking, and exchange of resources such as crude oil and coal. Kerry noted China's connections with the North as a means to helping resolve the North Korean issue. China is not ready to bear economic and political costs by cutting off trade with North Korea. Nevertheless, China is likely to agree to a watered down version of a new sanction resolution that justifies Beijing's position of peace and dialogue in support of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. They will make sure that Pyongyang pays a price, not high enough to prompt a regime collapse. Apparently reminded of Chinese perspectives, Kerry said, "We don't want to raise military tensions we are not seeking additional measures." However, "additional measures," he mentioned does not include pursuing "what is necessary" to protect the United States and its friends and allies from a "declared" North Korean nuclear threat. President Park's suggestion to replace the six-party talks with a five-party format was effectively shot down by China and Russia on its announcement even before it ever reached the other members through diplomatic channels. The goal of the suggested five party talks was readily identifiable to unite the five to punish the North. Kerry argued that the purpose of sanctions, that should be non-punitive to the ordinary citizens of North Korea, is to bring the regime there back to the table to negotiate an end to the nuclear issue, in resonance with Beijing's emphasis on dialogue and consultation. Washington is not walking away from its commitment to economic and political assistance if Pyongyang chooses a different path. However, this rhetoric sounds like a broken record. Washington's conditional offer of dialogue was on the table for the past seven years and it did not get anywhere near a process of denuclearization. This is not taken seriously, especially by Pyongyang, which is determined to perfect its nuclear and missile technology. Understandably, the current mood is to make the North pay a high price for its latest provocation. If the next batch of sanctions also fails, what can be done about any further provocation whether it may be a more advanced missile test or a real, full-fledged hydrogen bomb? Sanctions were effective for bringing the Iranian government to negotiations. But North Korea is no Iran. It has little incentives from the lifting of current and future sanctions, short of a total cut off in trade with China or a total naval blockade that was never seen during peacetime. Washington used to say whenever the North embarked on provocative behavior that it would only deepen North Korea's isolation, which this column previously argued only helps domestic politics in the North and is therefore welcomed by the elite in Pyongyang. Interestingly enough, the Obama administration removed the term isolation when denouncing the DPRK's latest nuclear test. Now, we must think hard about whether it is still possible to deal with the North Koreans in a rational way in order to deescalate tension, secure the safety of nuclear stockpiles in North Korea, prevent proliferation of nuclear materials and technology from North Korea, and find a long-term multi-phased approach to the eventual goal of denuclearization. To look for any positive side to North Korea's nuclear program, one should note that no nuclear accident has occurred during the development and tests of nuclear devices. Pyongyang officially maintains against international concerns that it will not proliferate nuclear materials to another state or any non-state actor. It makes bluffs about the potential use of nuclear weapons against the U.S. It says that its nuclear weapons are a deterrent and that it would use such weapons only if it is attacked. There is no authentic North Korean nuclear doctrine. However, the North Korean leadership understands it would be finished upon first use of nuclear weapons. Although, Pyongyang said it would not attend any talks aiming at its denuclearization, there is a ray of hope that North Korea may give up its nuclear weapons once it is convinced its conditions are met no U.S. hostile policy, a peace mechanism, diplomatic normalization, and economic cooperation. No sanctions, but an offer of unconditional talks, are likely to bring back the North Koreans to the table. After the recent nuclear test, Pyongyang renewed the validity of its offer of talks on halting nuclear tests in exchange for a suspension of joint U.S.-ROK military drills and its offer of negotiations for a peace agreement. Washington in cooperation with other relevant countries concerned with the nuclear issue can counter this offer by seeking to discuss all issues including denuclearization. What's your take? Tong Kim is a Washington correspondent and columnist for The Korea Times. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Korean-American Studies. He can be contacted at tong.kim8@yahoo.com. By Doug Bandow The Korean War ended more than 62 years ago, but not really. The warring parties only agreed to an armistice. Technically everyone still is at war. Of course, no one wants to start fighting again. Not even the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which would lose badly since its erstwhile ally China wouldn't again intervene to save the North. Indeed, North Korea has proposed negotiations over a formal peace treaty. In October Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong used the UN as a platform to urge the U.S. and DPRK to agree to a treaty ending the conflict. In the past Pyongyang's proposals appeared pro forma. But now could be different. Cha Du-hyeogn, national security adviser to the previous South Korean president, suggested that North Korea might be "serious about holding a conversation with U.S." Washington's official position is that a peace treaty is possible only when the North "takes irreversible steps toward denuclearization." Which likely is never. Instead, the Obama administration should respond yes, proposing a time and place. Let the talks begin. Of course, no one should have any illusions about how smoothly such a process is likely to go. Nevertheless, the advantages of talking are several. First, the status quo benefits no one, especially the U.S. America is greatly concerned about the DPRK, but only because Washington still is involved in the peninsula as a potential combatant defending the South. The U.S. had geopolitical and security reasons growing out of the Cold War to intervene in 1953. It has no such reasons today. Second, Pyongyang is better behaved when involved in negotiations. Exactly why is hard to fathom. After all, preparing to fight in order to talk seems a bit odd. But the mere act of negotiating seems to reduce the likelihood of military confrontation. Third, formally ending America's role in a war that occurred decades ago would naturally lead to U.S. discussions with South Korea about turning its defense over to the Republic of Korea. The ROK's many advantages, starting with an economy some 40 times as big as that of the North, a population twice as large, and a far stronger international presence, make it time to reconsider America's security guarantee and military garrison. Fourth, engaging the DPRK would satisfy a key Chinese suggestion (approaching demand): reduce the threat environment facing the North, which, assumes Beijing, is driving North Korea to develop nuclear weapons. There's almost certainly more to Pyongyang's program. Nevertheless, the North is unlikely to disarm so long as it perceives itself at war with the U.S. Fifth, by engaging the DPRK, whatever the consequences, Washington could push Beijing to apply real pressure on North Korea to at least moderate its behavior if not disarm. Negotiations with Pyongyang would offer a practical test of the North's intentions. In any case, if Washington acts on the PRC's proposal, the former can ask Beijing for assistance in return. Sixth, formally ending the war simply makes sense. The armistice, signed on June 27, 1953, was intended to "insure a complete cessation of hostilities until a final peaceful settlement is achieved." It hasn't worked perfectly, with sporadic flare-ups. Nevertheless, broadly speaking peace has survived. After 62 years it is time to turn the "temporary" armistice into a permanent treaty. What are the arguments against doing so? One is that the North wants to leave the South on the side, like an illegitimate puppet of Washington. America should inform Pyongyang that the latter won't get very far without engaging South Korea, which is a treaty ally of the U.S. Anyway, with its greater economic and other advantages, the ROK could easily overmatch North Korea militarily even without American support. The second objection is that Pyongyang is unlikely to live up to any agreement. However, through three generations the Kim dynasty has followed the armistice's essentials, no full-scale war. That isn't likely to change. Moreover, Kim Jong-un has emphasized economic development as a broader, wealthier elite has developed. He therefore has more incentive to stabilize his nation. The PRC might be able to help ensure that a peace treaty ends up acting like a peace treaty. In the long-run North Korea might abandon its nuclear weapons, satisfying the Obama administration's condition for negotiating. But as Lord John Maynard Keynes famously observed, in the long-run we are all dead. Pyongyang says it wants to negotiate a peace treaty. Let's negotiate. The worst that can happen is nothing. Maybe, just maybe, something positive might occur. But it won't if we don't try. Doug Bandow is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and a former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan. He also is the author of "Tripwire: Korea and Foreign Policy in a Changed World." He can be reached at ChessSet@aol.com. Seoul should fully consider pros and cons Korea and the U.S. reportedly have planned to announce a decision on THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) deployment on the Korean Peninsula. Although neither side has made any official announcement here, it has already become a public issue in the wake of Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test. Despite lingering controversy within and outside Korea, the government is increasingly showing its support for the U.S.-made missile interceptor deployment. Defense Minister Han Min-koo said the deployment would be beneficial to national security and defense. The remark came after President Park Geun-hye said her administration would review the deployment of the advanced U.S. missile defense system in Korea, where about 28,500 American troops are stationed. Government sources say the President may send senior national security aide Cho Tae-yong to Washington this month for discussions on the deploying of an anti-missile battery. These developments are a clear departure from the ambiguity South Korea had maintained over the issue. Since neither side has admitted to official negotiations taking place, it is imprudent of the South Korean government to express publicly that it would welcome the deployment even before the U.S. has confirmed that Korea has requested it. Such hasty remarks will undermine Korea's negotiating power. Supporters of the deployment here say that it is necessary to better defend the nation against growing threats from Pyongyang's ballistic missile and nuclear programs. But before welcoming the U.S. move to deploy a THAAD unit, the government should meticulously review the pros and cons. The first thing people want to know most is which side will shoulder the tremendous cost of operating the system. According to the latest survey, more than 60 percent of Koreans support THAAD deployment. As taxpayers, the Korean people have a right to know more about budgetary issues regarding the deployment. Analysts say operating one unit is expected to cost about 2 trillion won, with additional maintenance expenses. The analysts say that at least three units are necessary to defend the South. Korea must make a clear stance on expenses and provide a clear explanation to the people about expenses. The government should also carefully research the system's effectiveness in deterring North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. The government also needs to consider how the deployment will affect relations with Korea's neighbors. China has voiced its opposition, saying that Korea should take into account other nations' interests. Fearing an increase of U.S military power in the Asia-Pacific region, China sees a potential deployment as a threat to its security, despite repeated assurances from Washington that the system is aimed only at deterring North Korean threats. One of life's more fruitless tasks is trying to find new and interesting beers at an airport. Amid the Bud, Bud Lite, Coors, Coors Light... Dale Sullivan Lee Il-sup By Park Jin-hai GM Korea announced Monday it has appointed Dale Sullivan, former regional director of the Chevrolet West Region in the United States, to GM Korea vice president of vehicle sales, services and marketing (VSSM). Along with him, the local unit of the U.S. carmaker appointed Lee Il-sup, ex- chief marketing officer of WiderPlanet, to the position of managing director of marketing. The appointments of both became effective from Monday. Sullivan joined General Motors in 2000 as the zone manager of Chevrolet, Cadillac and Oldsmobile in Thousand Oaks, California. A graduate of Michigan State University majoring in business administration and marketing, he completed the Advanced Executive Program at Northwestern University. Having held a range of positions in sales, services and marketing, he has acquired a wealth of experience that includes launching the Chevrolet brand in China. The newly appointed marketing managing director Lee began his career in domestic sales at SK Chemicals in 1994. The graduate of Korea University with a bachelor's degree in English literature has built his professional expertise in the fields of communications, sales and marketing at several companies, including LG Ad (currently HS Ad), NAS Media and EMNet. Previously, Lee also held executive positions at Yahoo! Korea. "Lee, in particular, has extensive expertise in digital marketing. We believe it will help strengthen GM Korea's digital marketing capability and support the continued growth of domestic sales greatly," said the company in a statement. Meanwhile, Marc Comeau, outgoing GM Korea vice president of VSSM, who had been leading GM's marketing and sales strategies here since August 2013, will leave Korea to serve as VSSM vice president of GM China. LG Display Vice Chairman Han Sang-beom, fifth from left, poses with chief executives of the company's key partners and LG executives at the Best Supplier Award ceremony at Konjiam Resort, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. / Courtesy of LG Display By Kim Yoo-chul LG Display said Monday that it will expand programs to benefit its first-tier suppliers in accordance with the group-wide strategy to pursue shared growth with local and overseas small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In a statement, the world's biggest display supplier said it held a "Best Supplier Award" event at Konjiam Resort in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, a move aimed at recognizing the achievements of the company's partners. "LG Display's top priority is to strengthen the competitiveness of its local and overseas partners, to help them boost their R&D capacity and improve communication," said LG spokesman Frank Lee in a statement. The award winners at the event included Jusung Engineering, KC-Tech, JSR of Japan and Tokyo Electron. Key LG Display attendees included Vice Chairman Han Sang-beom, chief production officer Jung Cheol-dong and chief technology officer Kang In-byeong. LG vowed to level up collaboration with its partners to take on the looming challenges that need to be addressed this year, in the face of a negative outlook in the global display industry due to weak demand and continued oversupply. The statement said a special session was also held under the theme of "leadership in an era of crisis" with a lecture by Yonsei University Professor Chung Dong-il. "The participants also shared time with LG Display's head of market intelligence Ko Kyu-young on how to tackle challenges effectively and efficiently throughout this year," said the spokesman. LG Display said close collaboration with partners is the key to expanding its current leadership beyond conventional LCDs to the OLED market, which the company identified as its next revenue stream. The statement said LG will pay out about 500 billion won in transaction fees ahead of next week's Lunar New Year holiday as part of its shared growth initiative. So far, the company has spent 546 billion won on suppliers via its shared growth fund, and it has been handling key pending issues via the winwin.lgdisplay.com portal site. This is the first in a series of articles analyzing the effects on the local telecom market of SK Telecom's proposed takeover of CJ HelloVision ED Fitch Ratings says deal intended for local market By Kim Yoo-chul The proposed acquisition by the country's top telecom operator, SK Telecom, of Korea's top pay-TV provider CJ HelloVision (CJH) faces regulatory hurdles, an analyst at Fitch Ratings (Fitch) said. "There will be some risks in completing the deal including pending regulatory approval," Shelley Jang at Fitch said in a recent e-mail interview with The Korea Times. Jang added that intensifying competition in the pay-TV market poses a risk to the performance of the merged entity. She declined to elaborate further. Such remarks came ahead of a plan by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP), the government agency which has the authority to either block or approve the deal, to hold a panel discussion in downtown Seoul Wednesday, on whether the proposed deal limits consumer choice and hurts fair market competition. Claiming the deal is a combination of the top players in Korea's pay-TV and telecom markets, SK Telecom's two chief local rivals KT and LG Uplus claimed that the deal has the potential to seriously harm fair competition, asking the MSIP to nullify the proposal. LG Uplus CEO Kwon Young-soo officially asked the MSIP to block the deal as the acquisition, if it materializes, will cost more for consumers when they watch SK-owned pay-TV programs. SK Telecom said the proposal was intended to boost its capability to better compete with global content players such as Netflix. But Fitch said the SK-CJH deal was largely due to SK's intent to boost local share. "I don't agree that acquisition of CJH should be viewed as a move to boost SK Telecom's ability to manage international businesses. I don't think SK Telecom is pursuing any international businesses aggressively at the moment," Fitch analyst Jang said. "The purpose of the acquisition of CJH is primarily to expand its market position in the local market," she said. Financial burden? The credit ratings agency said it doesn't worry too much about the financial burden that SK Telecom will face on its planned deal to acquire CJH. But Fitch seemingly expects the slight possibility that SK will probably suffer from a deterioration of its leverage with the expected increase in investment. "The one-off cash outflow for buying out the minorities in SK Broadband and paying the early-retirement benefit are likely to result in it reporting a slightly higher leverage ratio in 2015 compared with 2014, despite improved operating performance," the analyst said. "The leverage is likely to deteriorate further with an increase in investment in CJH and CJ Holding this year," she added. The proposed transaction will see SK Telecom initially pay 500 billion won for a 30 percent stake in CJH currently held by CJ O Shopping. The deal allows it to acquire CJ O Shopping's remaining 23.9 percent stake in CJ Hellovision at a later date through call and put options. Upon completion, SK Telecom will push for a merger between CJH and its fixed-line unit SK Broadband via a stock swap. But Fitch said the proposed takeover plan is generally good for SK Telecom, which seems controversial for other telecoms in terms of fair competition. The analyst said the ratings agency believes that the acquisition is a positive move for SK Telecom to secure its position as a major player in the pay-TV market. Fitch said the rating agency also believes the acquisition will strengthen SK Telecom's media competitiveness, bundling ability and operating efficiency. "Fitch believes the acquisition of CJH will create immediate synergies by expanding SK Broadband's pay-TV subscriber base. This will boost revenue from its media business with additional sales of bundled packages and other media products," the agency responded. It also stressed that SK Telecom is likely to improve its operating efficiency with better content sourcing power and economies of scale, which will contribute to improvement in its long-term profitability. "SK Telecom's financial metrics will remain well within its current A- rating level with its leverage ratio staying below our negative rating guideline," Jang said. Fukuda Kazutaka, general manager at Olympus Korea's imaging division, introduces the PEN-F mirrorless camera at a press conference at the Westin Chosun Hotel, central Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of Olympus Korea By Lee Min-hyung Olympus Korea has unveiled its new PEN series mirrorless camera equipped with what it calls an "enthusiastically classical" design. The Japanese optical equipment and camera maker said Monday that the company aims to expand its presence into the premium compact camera market with the PEN-F mirrorless camera. The 80-year-old manufacturer highlighted its new model's combination of premium features and classic design. "We believe mirrorless cameras such as the PEN series can be a great alternative to a premium compact camera," said Fukuda Kazutaka, general manager at Olympus Korea's imaging division, during a press conference at the Westin Chosun Hotel, central Seoul. The PEN-F comes with a 50-megapixel high-resolution mode, producing image quality comparative to DSLR cameras, the company said. The model is also equipped with a 20-megapixel Live MOS sensor. "The new sensor will enable users to capture high-resolution images on a professional level," said the Olympus executive. "A good camera is about how well it incorporates basic features into a single device." The PEN-F is intended for everyday use, but the company expressed confidence that the device can also meet the more demanding needs of those who seek to capture high-resolution images for professional use. Since 1959, Olympus has rolled out the PEN series, which became one of the company's most-sought-after camera series. In 2009, the company reshaped the PEN series, focusing on classical design features to meet the diverse needs of a wide range of age groups. "We have focused on developing a new camera with a traditional and vintage design, so users can be attached to the device for a long period of time," he said. In particular, this is the first PEN series device to adopt a built-in 2.36 million dot OLED electronic viewfinder. The brightness of the viewfinder automatically changes based on local lighting conditions, the company said. The new model also adopted a monochrome profile control function, expressing different photographic effects including color filters, shading effects and monochrome. This marks the first time the company has adopted these effects in its camera lineup. Although the rise of smartphones has led to a downturn in the global camera industry, the company executive expressed positive expectations for Olympus' camera business. "Olympus will never give up its camera business, though outlook for the industry may change down the road," he said. "As long as customers feel the need to take pictures, we will keep introducing new cameras." Olympus Korea plans to roll out the device here in mid-February. The device comes in two colors silver and black. The price has yet to be decided. On Thursday, Jan. 28, EXID's Hani was confirmed to be the new co-host for SBS' television cooking show Baek Jong Won's Three Great Emperors. Upon receiving confirmation, the EXID member evealed that she is excited and thankful on getting the opportunity to host. "I'm thankful that I get to taste foods prepared by seasoned chefs every week," said Hani at a news conference, as reported by Yonhap News. "I'll try to represent what women and the young generation like to eat." Since joining Team Baek Jong Won, Hani also revealed that her eating habits have improved. "I used to eat a lot of salty foods. I loved adding fermented shrimp or salt to meals when eating out with EXID members," said Hani. "But since watching how the professionals prepare food, I've been trying to savor the natural taste of foods." Producer Ahn Jae Cheol revealed the reason why Hani was chosen as the new host. "Hani has a proven track record of showing great 'meokbang' from 'Law of the Jungle' and has great chemistry with people," said Ahn Jae Cheol. Hani will host alongside chef Baek, Lee Hwi Jae, and Kim Joon Hyun as the cooking show will air on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 6:10 p.m. KST. Two SM Entertainment beauties joined forces for a good cause! K-pop princess BoA and Splendid Politics actress Lee Yeon Hee had a glamorous pictorial for the February issue of Sure. The stars modeled a variety of styles, from high-slit denim skirts to Victorian era inspired dresses. According to the magazine, the duo were enthusiastic to finally pose together after becoming fast friends. The photoshoot was created in collaboration with Louis Vuitton and promoted the brand's newest campaign for The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). For the "Make A Promise" campaign, the luxury brand launched the Lockit jewelry collection. The line includes pendants and bracelets with sterling silver lock charms. For each sale, a donation of $200 will be made to UNICEF. You can purchase a piece, HERE! Michael Burke, CEO of Louis Vuitton, told InStyle, "UNICEF is a strong and reliable leader in humanitarian action. Together, we can make a real difference to children in the most vulnerable situations." Check out the behind-the-scenes video on set below! In other fashion news, Lee Yeon Hee recently promoted Japanese makeup brand SK-II in Allure. Meanwhile, BoA's last solo photoshoot was a 70s inspired birthday feature in Singles. --- About the Author: Elsa is the founder, head writer, and editor of KPopBreak.com. In her website, she covers K-pop celebrity style, Korean actress beauty trends, red carpet appearances and Seoul Fashion Week news. On Jan. 31, EXO's Lay reportedly hurt himself seriously while in the middle of a filmshoot. According to Chinese and Korea media outlets, Lay (Zhang Yixing) was injured when a motorcycle fell on the EXO member. He was taken to a hospital, and Lay's representatives have stated he is currently resting. There was initial concern that the accident aggravated old back injuries, but Lay's Chinese workshop reassured fans that it is not a serious injury to his back, reports SBS PopAsia. Lay is taking a hiatus while he recovers. While the EXO member is resting, and the film crew is rearranging matters so that he can rest for the time being. The accident occurred while Lay was in the middle of shooting the web drama, "Old Nine Gates." He plays the role of Er Yue Hong in the series. Lay is currently pursuing solo activities in China, as many other EXO members continue to focus on solo activities within South Korea and overseas. The group is heading to North America later this month for several tour stops. It was previously revealed that Lay will not be attending the concert series, regardless of the recent injury. Lay is playing a tomb raider in "Old Nine Gates." --- Your RSS feed from RSSFWD.com. Update your RSS... The United States government would continue to assist Sri Lanka with their negotiations with the IMF and the debt restructuring Read more The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more uoc khang inh la mot trong nhung trang Web hang au Viet Nam ve truc tiep cac loai the thao , nhu Bong a, Bong Chuyen, Bong Ro, chung toi cung cap cho ban nhung buoi xem bong tuyet voi nhat cakhia Kenh cua chung toi luon luon than thien voi tat ca moi nguoi, cung cap nhung tran au truc tiep cua Viet Nam va toan cau, voi video Full HD , ko lag ko giat, am bao cung cap cho ban nhung giay phut bong a tuyet voi nhat If you're working in corporate America, chances are you've experienced your fair share of stress. Whether it's meeting deadlines, managing projects, or dealing with difficult co-workers, the workplace can be a breeding ground for stress. reducing stress from completing a project Once you've identified your triggers, it's important to take a step back and assess the situation objectively. LewiLink.com provides an in-depth article on reducing the stress from meeting deadlines at work. Trang web chung toi voi oi MC kinh nghiem va hai huoc se ua bau khong khi bong a len mot tang cao moi, chung toi to chuc hang tram su kien lon nho moi tuan e lam phuc loi cho khan gia xem bong a, voi nhieu tran au lon tren the gioi bongda truc tiep Voi o hoa ep mat , MC xinh ep chat luong, nhung tran bong Full HD, chung toi tu hao la nha cung cap bong a truc tuyen hang au Viet Nam, Hay cung on xem truc tiep bong a 24h tai ay The city of Calgary is well served by the quality services offered by Image Line Painting. Since 2007 these painters in Calgary have provided interior and exterior painting services for a multitude of projects. This includes providing excellent customer services and a commitment to excellence in the Calgary painters community. The list of responsibilities that a local government must shoulder isnt an especially long one. Typically it includes keeping the streets paved and the streetlights lit, maintaining adequate police and fire services, inspecting buildings, sometimes providing water. One hallmark of almost every local jurisdiction is the free public library. So the proposal before the Kern County supervisors to turn over the county library system to a private company operating out of suburban Maryland marks a major step. If youre looking for a sign that local political leaders are intent on giving up all pretense of working for the public interest, look no further. You can go to a library for 35 years and never have to do anything and then have your retirement. Were not running our company that way. LSSI founder and ex-CEO Frank Pezzanite, in 2010 Advertisement The competing proposals facing the supervisors, who will be meeting in Bakersfield on Tuesday, are whether to proceed with a plan to turn over the countys 24 branches and two bookmobiles to Library Systems & Services Inc., or to place a sales tax increase of one-eighth of a cent to fund the libraries as a public service by bringing in an estimated $15 million a year. LSSI is a private-equity-funded firm that currently manages 20 library systems across the country, including the Riverside County system. It isnt clear that the sales tax increase would pass. What is clearer is that a majority of residents polled oppose privatizing the library system. The issue really is about nothing but money. LSSI says that it doesnt impose its own library policies on its clients. A study for the American Library Assn. observed, however, that LSSI contracts subtly put the company in the drivers seat in mapping out long-term strategies for the libraries placed under its control, often because the public officials handing over their systems didnt understand enough about libraries to know where to push back. But LSSI holds out the prospect of squeezing employees harder to extract efficiencies. In 2010, its founder and then-CEO, Frank A. Pezzanite, raised hackles by expressing unalloyed contempt for the public employees who staff public libraries: A lot of libraries are atrocious, he told the New York Times. Their policies are all about job security. You can go to a library for 35 years and never have to do anything and then have your retirement. Were not running our company that way. You come to us, youre going to have to work. Pezzanite made his remarks shortly after LSSI won a contract to take over the Santa Clarita system. Among other changes, LSSI typically replaces public-employee pensions with 401(k) plans, which are cheaper for employers. But as a private company, it turns away questions about how much profit it earns on its library management deals. There arent widespread signs that library services deteriorate under LSSI management; complaints on that score havent surfaced in Riverside or Santa Clarita. But improvement of library services isnt typically on the agenda of local officials who opt for privatization: Theyre trying to save money or to avoid the investments necessary to bring their systems up to snuff. Library privatization is an artifact of the long slide in spending in public infrastructure, the result of viewing the public budget as an expense item instead of a source of investment. In California, the difficulty of managing local investments has only become more acute in the wake of Proposition 13, which took a huge chunk of revenue out of local hands. The Kern County libraries are an object lesson. With spending of $9 per capita, the system is the worst-funded of its size in California, according to Advocates for Library Enhancement, a local group fighting the privatization plan and campaigning to place the sales-tax increase on the ballot. The statewide average, the group says, is $25 per capita. Chronic underfunding and repeated budget cuts have allowed the Kern County libraries to deteriorate physically, while the county spends money instead on an 822-bed expansion of its jail. Library employees are among the lowest paid public workers in Kern County, the advocacy group says. Turning management over to a firm that will add its own profits to all the other expenses incurred by a library system doesnt seem on the surface to be a path to improved library services. The money will still have to be found to improve and maintain the physical plant, acquire books and magazines, and upgrade the systems electronic access. Something more fundamental is lost when a system such as libraries becomes privatized. The sense that government exists in part to provide infrastructure and services that should be immune from the influence of private interests. Sometimes that means providing a service at a price that a private company would treat as a loss on its financial statements. Thats the folly of trying to run public services like a business, the mantra that also leads to proposals to privatize the post office. The post office, like a free public library, is a service that binds a community together. Its not a business. You can be sure that LSSI wouldnt be operating the Kern County libraries at a loss, but the compromises it imposes to avoid red ink wont be visible to the average taxpayer. The Kern County supervisors favoring privatizing their libraries need to ponder this more basic question: If a local government body wont deliver a service as fundamental to community interests as a library, what is it good for? Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see our Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said two E. coli outbreaks tied to the Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. appear to be over, rallying shares of the beleaguered company. In an update on its website, the CDC said it was closing its investigation, though it was unable to determine a food or ingredient responsible for the contamination. When a restaurant serves foods with several ingredients that are mixed or cooked together and then used in multiple menu items, it can be more difficult for epidemiologic studies to identify the specific ingredient that is contaminated, the CDC said. Advertisement Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said in an email that the company has taken significant steps to improve the safety of its food. We are pleased that the CDC has concluded its investigation, and we have offered our full cooperation throughout, he said. Its stock rallied following the CDC announcement, closing Monday up $19.67, or 4.3 percent, at $472.64. Chipotles stock first started to climb when the market opened after the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday night that the outbreak was expected to be declared over. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Chipotles sales have slipped since outbreaks of E. coli were tied to its restaurants. The chains December sales were down 30%, according to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In November, the Denver-based burrito chain temporarily closed 43 restaurants in Washington and Oregon after 22 E. coli cases were linked to its eateries. Those restaurants have since reopened. A month later, 141 Boston College students were reported to have contracted norovirus after eating at a Chipotle in Brighton, Mass. That same month, Chipotle was served with a federal grand jury subpoena in connection with a criminal investigation being conducted by the U.S. attorneys office for the Central District of California in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations Office of Criminal Investigations. The investigation is related to a norovirus outbreak in August at a Simi Valley Chipotle restaurant. Chipotle has said it will fully cooperate in the probe. The chain plans to close all of its U.S. stores for part of the day on Feb. 8 in order to hold a meeting with employees across the nation. The meeting is designed to address changes in food-safety procedures, as well as to allow employees to ask questions about the situation. For more business news, follow @smasunaga MORE FROM BUSINESS Southern California casinos going all in to lure millennials U.S. markets down on weak energy prices, economic concerns Cautious consumers hold back on spending in December despite rising incomes If you thought lately that Alicia and our favorite anti-judge Schakowsky were starting to get along better, that is now out the window: Alicia tries to take the obnoxious judge down, while letting her new and old friends back in her life, in a new episode of The Good Wife. Alicia is clearly not quite herself, as she and Lucca are back in bond court. When a prisoner is brought into the courtroom, he silently asks Alicia for help, and we see Judge Schakowsky delay his trial again and extend his prison stay for another two months. Apparently hes been in jail for eight months already, since Alicia first tried to help him in her early bond court days, when Schakowsky set a steep $150,000 bail on a simple disorderly conduct charge (one in which he was actually the victim), essentially as a way of punishing Alicia. Alicia of course wants to fix this, and defends the prisoner pro bono, as they sue Schakowsky for civil rights infringement. SIGN UP for the free Indie Focus movies newsletter >> Advertisement Though Alicias out of it, this case against Schakowsky certainly wakes her up. She seems still blindingly angry with Eli but redirects that anger on Judge Schakowsky (not that he doesnt deserve it). She and Lucca go in guns blazing, doing their best to take him down, until sad sack bond attorney Bernie Bukovitz (Rob Bartlett) takes the stand. Lucca smartly sees that Schakowsky is influencing Bernies answers, just by looking at him, so she blocks his view. What I want her to ask him, which she doesnt, is Are you afraid of Judge Schakowsky? Im not sure how much that would have helped, but to me the clear answer is yes. Doesnt that seem like an abuse of power? Alicia and Lucca lose the case, and whats worse, Bernie talks the plaintiff into suing them for malpractice. Alicia then hires Cary to represent her. Good, they have to bring him back in some way. But all this time, Alicias having bigger problems. She cannot let go of wondering what might have been, if Eli hadnt erased Wills message. She demands that Eli help her torture herself by telling her exactly what Will said in his message. I remember thinking the first time I saw that season two episode that its not wise of Will to say, Just ignore this message if you dont agree. Its much too open-ended. Alicia is inconsolable over having lost her opportunity with Willso much so that when sexy investigator Jason shows up on her doorstep, back from California early because he didnt like it there, shes quiet and awkward, and essentially blows him off, professionally and romantically. While its great to see him, I keep wondering what he wants, standing there with a big goofy (yet adorable) grin on his face. We dont really know what happened between the two of them before. They clearly spent time together, but how romantic (or physical) did it really get? Lucca can tell something is up with Alicia, and asks her what Jason did to her. (I didnt realize Lucca and Jason were that close). She admits he didnt do anything, and she eventually breaks down and tells Lucca about the erased phone message. Julianna Margulies continues to deserve the accolades shes received, as this emotional collapse is touching and heartrending. (I only wish they would give her a better wig, longing for the days of her much maligned bangs.) Lucca picks up the pieces, hugging Alicia for a long time, and asking Alicia to be one of her only friends. It seems all Alicia needed was to get this weight off her shoulders, and to have a really good cry, because shortly after telling Lucca about it, shes able to forgive Eli. It also helps that he points out that she did still end up with Will. But hes still incredibly relieved, and admits he never apologizes, and that hes never been more sorry about anything. Alicia is also able to move on with her life, and stops Jason in the elevator with a big kiss. Finally! Too bad the malpractice suit doesnt go as well. Carys not able to do much for Alicia, even with tapes of Schakowsky admitting he penalizes attorneys for taking too long with cases. The ruling judge throws out the tapes, and Bernie insists on a $1.5-million settlement, feeling positive that Alicia can afford it, being the governors wife and all. Surprisingly, Cary also encourages Alicia to settle with the help of a job as junior partner at Lockhart Agos. Well have to wait till next time to see how Alicia decides. Meanwhile, Diane is busy with what should be a 1st Amendment case, but because its happening at a private college, its not as cut and dried as it seems. The college is threatening to defund the school newspaper because its editor-in-chief wrote an offensive editorial. Thanks to Jasons brilliant hidden law background and expertise, Diane eventually wins the case by proving that the college is more like a self-sufficient city, not just a campus, and is therefore a state actor, which means its essentially self-governing and has to uphold the Bill of Rights. So what do you think, Good Wife-ers? Was this an emotional episode for you? Are you excited to see Alicia forgive Eli, and to let Jason (and Lucca) into her heart? Do you think Schakowsky will ever get his comeuppance? Will Alicia ever get a better hairstyle? MORE: Julianna Margulies on the future of The Good Wife: Im unemployed come April Good Wife bosses Robert and Michelle King are exiting the series The Good Wife recap: Reproductive freedom versus freedom of speech Good morning. It is Monday, Feb. 1. Fentons Creamery of Oakland is offering up a very special sundae in honor of Super Bowl Sunday. It includes 12 scoops of ice cream in an Oreo cookie bowl with hot fudge, whipped cream and cherries on top. The $50 treat serves five to 10 adults. Yum! Heres what else is happening in the Golden State: TOP STORIES Living in fear Advertisement With her former husband on the run, Cortney Shegerian feared for her life. It was her information and cooperation that had landed Hossein Nayeri in jail. Now, he had escaped from Orange County and was on the run. As the manhunt dragged on, authorities were convinced that if Nayeri remained in California, it was to stalk and kill her. Her lawyers, and the district attorneys office, implored the media not to mention her name, for fear of inflaming him. Los Angeles Times Young gamblers Casinos across Southern California are in the midst of major expansions. They are desperately trying to lure millennials, as their most loyal customer base -- baby boomers -- begins to fade. But younger generations seem less interested in gambling. Los Angeles Times Political wife Before she was a candidates wife, Heidi Cruz was a Claremont McKenna College undergraduate who was known as ambitious, driven and bright. Now shes Sen. Ted Cruzs not-so-secret weapon. She is very much a 21st century political spouse, said John Pitney, a professor of government at Claremont. Los Angeles Times Loose sands Residents in Pacifica have reason to fear El Nino. The land around their homes is coming loose. The beach used to go way out there. I feel like were living on borrowed time, said one homeowner. Los Angeles Times DROUGHT AND CLIMATE Wind and rain: El Nino finally returned to Southern California -- for a day at least. It brought some intense downpours, but the big story was the winds. Gusts topping 50 mph hit the L.A. basin with readings topping 80 mph in some mountain areas. Los Angeles Times Weather patterns: So why has El Nino hit Northern California so much harder than Southern California -- at least so far? Blame masses of high pressure sitting southwest of California, and on top of Southern California and Nevada, which repel storms. Los Angeles Times Expensive nuts: The price of almonds is dropping. Farmers blame years of rising prices that prompted some chefs to turn to other nuts for their recipes. Then theres the weakening economics of key markets like China. While no ones predicting a major shift away from almonds, some experts say the decline in prices could bring a pause in the relentless planting that has seen almond acreage grow 50 percent in the past decade. Sacramento Bee L.A. AT LARGE Local writer: Hes 99 years old and still looking for stories about the San Gabriel Valley. Meet The Flower Drum Song writer C.Y. Lee. Los Angeles Times Top-notch invite: First Cedrick Argueta got a perfect score on the Advanced Placement Calculus exam. Then he got an invitation to the White House from President Obama. Los Angeles Times Donated to science: There is a new movement among Korean immigrants in Los Angeles to change their communitys perspective on death and donate their bodies to medical research. Los Angeles Times Missing documents: When longtime L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge left office, he says no one told him what to do with his files -- so most, if not all, were marked for destruction. Now, the missing files are becoming an issue in a legal battle over a Sherman Oaks development. Los Angeles city rules also set forth how long its departments are supposed to hold on to different kinds of records, stating that most must be retained for at least two years. But City Clerk Holly Wolcott said there is no standard way that council members are supposed to handle their files when they leave office. Los Angeles Times New city: One state senator wants to change the City of Industry. My ultimate goal is to make sure they have a voter base that is not influenced by any one individual or any one entity, so they can govern appropriately and, more importantly, they can do what is in the best interest of the city, said state Sen. Ed Hernandez. Daily News POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT Primary importance: The presidential campaign has been so crazy thus far that Californias primary could matter for the first time in decades -- particularly when it comes to the Republican candidates. There are 2,286 GOP delegates. California has 172 of them -- more than the first four nominating states combined. San Jose Mercury-News Environmental details: Riverside city officials say they need more information from state regulators about possible contamination at a former sewer plant. The plant at Jurupa and Rutland avenues closed in 1965, but a 2003 sewage sludge spill revealed the ground still had cancer-causing chemicals. The way this has been handled has been confusing and has actually done more to amplify fears, said Riverside City Manager John Russo. The Riverside Press-Enterprise Californias GOP: Without Donald Trump on stage, there was a lot for California Republicans to like at the most recent GOP presidential debate, writes columnist Cathleen Decker. There were candidates Jeb Bush and John Kasich particularly who spoke of embracing disparate groups, of their support for immigrants and the misbegotten. For a while, it was almost as if they wanted to talk to the majority of Republicans in the nations biggest state, she writes. Los Angeles Times CRIME AND COURTS Putting it together: There is still a lot unknown about how the Orange County jail inmates managed to escape. Authorities arrested an instructor who taught an English-as-a-second-language class at the jail, accusing her of helping with the plot by providing a Google Maps view of the Mens Central Jail. But its unclear how the inmates got the tools officials suspect theyd need to flee. Los Angeles Times The escape: A closer look at how the jailbreak happened. Orange County Register Deadly bombing: How a stolen necklace became a key element of a deadly firebombing in the San Gabriel Valley. Pasadena Star-News CALIFORNIA CULTURE Billionaires Row: Nob Hill in San Francisco has always been ritzy. In this tech boom, its becoming known as Billionaires Row with a mix of old and new money, including Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison and Apple design genius Jony Ive. Business Insider End of an era? Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully hopes to end his broadcasting career by calling the Dodgers vs. Giants game in October. The two teams were rivals long before they made the move from New York to California -- just like Vin Scully. Los Angeles Times Hollywood hate: Someone drew a swastika on Donald Trumps star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ive never seen this kind of hate put on a star before, not even Bill Cosby, said Batman, otherwise known as actor Austin Franklin. The Wrap CALIFORNIA ALMANAC San Francisco will be sunny and 55. Riverside will be sunny and windy with a high of 57 degrees. In Los Angeles, it will be mostly sunny and windy with a high of 58. San Diego will be sunny and windy with temperatures reaching 61 degrees. AND FINALLY This weeks birthdays for notable Californians: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (Feb. 4, 1971) and boxer Oscar De La Hoya (Feb. 4, 1973). Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad. Im Davan Maharaj, editor of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I dont want you to miss today. TOP STORIES Lets Do This, Iowa Advertisement Weve seen the debates, the Twitter fights and the polls. Today, voters finally weigh in on this years wacky presidential race. Heres what is at stake for the candidates in Iowa, a state that reflects the sharp political divisions found throughout the U.S. As for Iowas arcane caucus process: We have everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask. A Pink Taser and Poisoned Hamburger Patties Cortney Shegerian went into hiding after her former husband was one of three men to escape from the Orange County jail. She assumed a fake name, and until he was recaptured, the people around her feared for her life. Why? Shegerian had played a central role in putting him behind bars, participating in a law-enforcement scheme to lure him out of Iran. Read why she worked to turn in her husband. Be Careful Out There A powerful storm hit Southern California on Sunday, bringing unusually strong winds that are expected to last into Monday morning. Gusts of up to 70 mph toppled trees, including one that killed a person in San Diego; instruments recorded wind topping 115 mph near Castaic. The storm also brought significant rain and snow. Fighting Islamic State: All Together Now? A coalition of 65 nations is battling Islamic State, but is each member pulling its own weight? Ahead of a key meeting in Rome on Tuesday, Pentagon officials say some partners are not. The U.S. has given the most aid, $4.5 billion, in the Syrian crisis, and has conducted 68% of the airstrikes in Iraq and 94% in Syria since August 2014. Wanted in L.A.: Swiss Train Engineer Metrolink is trying to rebuild ridership, but its on-time track record suffered a blow last year. Records show 4,395 delays, nearly double the number in 2014. One big reason: Metrolink was breaking in a sophisticated system to prevent accidents by automatically slowing or stopping trains. But that wasnt the only issue. Too Poor to Retire, Too Young to Die At 79, Dolores Westfall is on the move. Unlike some who travel in their retirement, Westfall makes her journey in a RV nicknamed Big Foot, working odd jobs to make ends meet after collecting her monthly income of $1,200 in Social Security and a $190 pension. Theres the $50,000 she owes on her credit cards, and a $268 monthly loan payment for her rig. And shes not alone in her predicament. Are you or do you know someone who is? Tell us on Facebook. Chinas Wary Eye on Salafist Muslims Salafism, the ultra-conservative school of thought within Sunni Islam, is gaining popularity in China, much to the concern of officials in the officially atheist Communist government. How is it affecting Muslim communities there, as well as the countrys relationship with Saudi Arabia? Take a trip to Chinas Little Mecca to find out. OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND -- A high-pressure mass above Southern California has kept the brunt of El Nino away. -- Robin Abcarian: How prostitution is modern-day slavery, and what law enforcement is doing to stop it. -- Casinos in Southern California are going all in to lure millennials. -- No, the gas leak hasnt turned Porter Ranch into a ghost town. -- As the National Park Service turns 100, we take a look back and forward. -- Diversity is a big winner at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. -- Tales of a new Chinatown: San Gabriel Valley stories from Flower Drum Song author C.Y. Lee. -- Stoner Jesus Bible Study: The creed includes weed for these Colorado Christians. CALIFORNIA -- Pacifica: A coastal towns long and stormy relationship with El Nino. -- Fugitive Orange County inmates are back in jail as the Sheriffs Department examines what went wrong. -- George Skelton: With prison sentencing reform, Gov. Brown wants to fix a young Gov. Browns mistake. -- USCs non-tenure-track faculty are awaiting results of a vote to unionize. NATION-WORLD -- Europeans are removing the welcome mat for migrants. -- Nigerian Boko Haram extremists burned homes with villagers still inside. -- Occupy movement protesters fight on, now in support of Bernie Sanders. -- Heidi Cruz is her husbands not-so-secret weapon, but could she hurt his campaign? -- A family struggles to find answers for a boy with rare stiff skin syndrome. HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS -- Kenneth Turan: At Sundance, there was a film festival for every fan. -- Kate Beckinsale, Don Cheadle, Elisabeth Moss and more: Jay L. Clendenins Polaroid-style portraits from Sundance. -- At this point, Spotlight, The Big Short and The Revenant may be the strongest contenders for the best picture Oscar. -- Q&A: With movie comedies a little bit one-note, Zach Galifianakis tackles TV. -- Kung Fu Panda 3" punches The Revenant from the top of the box office. -- As God in the comedic play An Act of God, Sean Hayes has his OMG moment. -- Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen gets a heros welcome back at Disney Hall. BUSINESS -- Super Bowl 50 will draw an estimated $4.2 billion in bets, most of them illegal. -- Big U.S. banks will be rolling out ATMs that take smartphones, not cards. SPORTS -- Peyton Manning wants to savor every moment of the Super Bowl, whether its his last NFL game or not. -- Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully hopes to end his career Oct. 2 in San Francisco. WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING -- A woman comes to terms with not having kids but finding other ways to nurture. (Washington Post) -- A New Hampshirite argues that the New Hampshire primary and Iowa caucus need to go. (Vox) -- Look inside the Murder Castle of one of Chicagos earliest serial killers. (Chicagoist) ONLY IN L.A. Many memories were made, and no doubt some forgotten, at the dive bars in Westwood near the UCLA campus. The last of them, OHaras, played Closing Time for the final time Saturday night, as the area continues to go upscale. Whats a thirsty and cash-strapped student to do now? For one, Santa Monica is just an Uber or a Lyft ride away. Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj. Nate Heneghan was optimistic about his fledgling academic career when he joined USCs teaching ranks last fall as a lecturer in the department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. But after just one semester in the job, disillusionment had set in. His paychecks werent arriving on time. The university eliminated his vision insurance benefits. To make ends meet, he took on a crushing teaching load. That meant putting his research on the back burner along with any hope of landing a tenure-track faculty position that would bring a measure of job security and higher pay. The way out of this dead-end spiral, he hopes, is to unionize. Advertisement Heneghan is one of about 430 non-tenure-track faculty members who will decide whether to be represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 721. Ballots have been cast, and results will be announced Tuesday. I feel like a union would give us a bigger voice, Heneghan said. Concerns about low pay, large workloads and a lack of job security have prompted non-tenure-track employees at private colleges and universities around the nation to consider unionizing to improve their working conditions. Adjunct faculty at Georgetown University unionized in 2013, and Tufts University full-time faculty organized last February. If union supporters such as Heneghan win a majority of votes, USC will become one of the largest private universities to have organized faculty. The organizing effort at USC is a clear sign that the trend is continuing to grow nationwide, not slowing down, said William A. Herbert, the executive director of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions at Hunter College in New York. Faculty unions are common at public universities, including the Cal State and UC systems. Thats because, in part, unions are able to wield political pressure to ensure they have a role on campus, experts said. The service employees union has been trying to get a foot in the door at USC for about a year. Its focus is on non-tenure-track faculty members, especially lecturers such as Heneghan, in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the Roski School of Art and Design, and the USC International Academy. Lecturers are generally responsible for leading discussion groups and teaching some classes, in addition to grading papers. Unlike their counterparts on the tenure track, they are not evaluated on the basis of their research. Lecturers are paid about $30,000 annually if they teach a full-time course load of six courses, union officials say, athough USC officials say the number is much higher. A survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education found that lecturers earn nearly $70,000, and that professors on the tenure track earn an annual salary of $90,000 to $102,000. And while USC has to build a case against a professor it wants to fire, non-tenure-track faculty members can be let go before the end of their contracts if they get a warning 90 days in advance. In the current academic year, USC has 1,472 tenured and tenure-track faculty members and 4,265 non-tenure-track faculty, according to the university. If the drive is successful, all non-tenure-track faculty in Dornsife, Roski and the International Academy will have to join the union and, if a contract is ratified, pay dues totaling 1.5% of their pay. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> Union officials say lecturers such as Heneghan could have higher pay and more security if they are organized. At Whittier College, non-tenure-track faculty members negotiated a pay raise and a professional development fund in their first SEIU contract last year. Nancy Lupo, a part-time lecturer at the Roski School, said those are some of the reasons shes interested in joining a union. Its just really stressful not knowing what the future holds, said Lupo, who lost her health insurance this semester when one of her classes was canceled at the last minute. Kate Levin, a part-time instructor in the writing program, added that unionization could lead to a better educational experience for students. If you can spend your time concentrating on class instead of worrying about job security, it should make you a better professor, she said. USC administrators said a union wouldnt necessarily lead to higher salaries but could create a more adversarial relationship with faculty. Michael Quick, who became USCs provost in April, has sent several letters to faculty asking for time to address their concerns. I understand the anger and frustration that some of our faculty members feel. Those feelings are legitimate, he said in a Jan. 8 email. What I am asking is simply that, as your new provost, you give me a chance. Some non-tenure-track professors arent quite on board with the prospect of a union. One of them is Ginger Clark, who teaches counseling courses in the USC Rossier School of Education and serves as president of the Academic Senate. She sent a letter to her colleagues in December saying that USC has made progress on issues such as salary and merit pay, and things are set to improve further as the faculty continues to work with the administration. Clark did not respond to requests for comment. Heneghan, who earned his doctorate from USC last year with a dissertation on film and literature made by ethnic Koreans living in Japan, applied for nearly a dozen tenure-track positions in cities from Chicago to Irvine. When no offers materialized, he agreed to stay at USC as a lecturer. I was grateful and I thought it was better than nothing, he said. But Heneghan quickly found that the workload was overwhelming, especially this semester. On Mondays, for instance, he spends six hours in a row either teaching classes or attending related lectures. He admits its hard for him to concentrate by the afternoon. So much of teaching is energy, and I just dont have it, he said. Hes also irked by USCs failure to deliver paychecks on time and said he still hasnt seen his added workload reflected in his check. Were kind of an afterthought and not a priority, he said. Greater representation for us would make a difference. Lupo, a sculptor, also said union representation could help preserve benefits such as health insurance. Losing her health plan this semester was especially worrisome because her husband has been receiving treatment for pre-cancerous moles. Ive always supported the union in theory but now its this incredibly personal thing, she said. jason.song@latimes.com Twitter: @byjsong ALSO Department of Justice to investigate San Francisco Police Department O.C. Sheriffs Department examines what went wrong as fugitives return to jail Winds topping 115 mph hit Southern California; 1 killed when tree falls on car The U.S. Department of Justice is beginning a review of the San Francisco Police Department, which recently came under fire for the shooting of a young black man and for a separate incident in which officers sent homophobic and racist text messages. Representatives from the department will announce the details of the review Monday afternoon. A spokeswoman for the department would not say Sunday what the investigation would focus on. In December, San Francisco police officers shot and killed a 26-year-old black man who was armed with a knife. Advertisement The killing of Mario Woods was captured on cellphone video and has stirred protests in the city. On Saturday, hundreds of people marched in the streets, calling for the firing of San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr. Join the conversation on Facebook >> John Burris, the lawyer for Woods family, has said he asked the Justice Department to investigate the five officers who shot Woods. He said they acted like a firing squad. This is a golden opportunity for everyone to take a look at the San Francisco Police Department, Burris said at a news conference earlier this month. Those expected to be at Mondays news conference include Suhr; San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee; Brian Stretch, the acting U.S. attorney for the northern district of California; and Ronald Davis, director of the departments Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Lee had also asked for a federal probe of the shooting last week. In December, a judge also ruled that officers who exchanged racist and homophobic text messages would be allowed to keep their jobs because the Police Department had waited too long to address the misconduct. That decision raised objections and officials said they will appeal. The fact that San Francisco is forced to retain police officers that demonstrated explicit racism will have ramifications for the reputation of the department, the fair administration of justice, and the trust of the community SFPD serves, Dist. Atty. George Gascon said after the ruling. Scandals at the Los Angeles Police Department prompted the Justice Department in 2001 to impose a consent decree on the troubled department. The decree spelled out dozens of major reforms the police agency had to implement and frequent audits as well as monitoring from the federal court. The decree was finally lifted in 2009. Follow @skarlamangla on Twitter for more L.A. politics news. ALSO Winds topping 115 mph hit Southern California; 1 killed when tree falls on car O.C. Sheriffs Department examines what went wrong as fugitives return to jail Obama invites L.A. teen with perfect AP Calculus exam score to White House Science Fair The fugitives had already taken a hostage by the time deputies inside an Orange County jail were staring at severed air ducts and a rope of knotted bedsheets, wondering how three men had escaped from the maximum-security lockup. Forty miles northwest of the Mens Central Jail, Bac Duong pressed a gun into the rib cage of a cabdriver outside a Target in Rosemead, pulling the man into a wild flight from justice that stretched from Santa Ana to San Francisco, investigators said. The Orange County Sheriffs Department released a detailed narrative of the eight-day manhunt for the fugitives on Monday, saying Duong was critical to both the success, and ultimate collapse, of the getaway. Advertisement It was an associate of Duongs, Loc Ba Nguyen, who smuggled in tools that the men used to tunnel through four layers of metal, rebar and steel as they ascended to the jails roof on the night of the escape on Jan. 22, said Capt. Jeffrey Hallock, a department spokesman. Nooshafarin Ravaghi is released from jail Monday evening And it was Duongs refusal to kill the hostage cab driver inside a San Jose motel room days later that set in motion events that brought the sprawling search to a close, Hallock said. Nguyen drove to the jail around 5:15 a.m. on the morning of the escape, shortly after Duong, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu had rappelled down the side of the facility, Hallock said. He drove them to a residence in Westminster, and the men began moving between homes in Santa Ana and Huntington Beach, Hallock said. The men used that head start to collect money from friends in the Vietnamese community, Hallock said. At 9:30 p.m., they hailed the cabdriver and asked for a ride to Rosemead. As the trio drove toward Los Angeles County, jail deputies were just beginning to notice they were missing, Hallock said. The men went shopping at a Target in Rosemead, and Duong took the cabdriver prisoner a short time later. The escape plan had been in motion for months, according to Hallock, who said Nayeri began plotting the jailbreak with Nooshafarin Ravaghi in July. While the Sheriffs Department maintains that Ravaghi was crucial to the escape plan, Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas said Monday that there was insufficient evidence to charge her with a crime, and seemed pessimistic about the possibility of charging her at a later date. It is unfortunate she was labeled a conspirator, he said. It was not immediately clear how the men came to meet inside the Santa Ana jail, or if Nayeri recruited the other men into his plan. Duong had only been housed at the facility for two months at the time of the escape. After taking the cabdriver hostage, the men hid in Los Angeles County at an unknown location, Hallock said. Duong responded to a Craigslist posting advertising the sale of a white GMC utility van the next day, Jan. 23, according to Hallock. He took it for a test drive and never returned. Nguyen was arrested the same day, though he wasnt formally charged with aiding the escape until today, Hallock said. The men had been on the lam for roughly 36 hours and they already had a bankroll, two vehicles, a hostage and a massive head start. The trio laid low for the next several days, hiding out at the Flamingo Inn Motel in Rosemead, according to Hallock. On Tuesday, they visited a post office in Garden Grove, where Tieu sent a letter to his mother. Hallock said investigators now believe that was a distraction, used to cover their flight to San Jose. The men took both the stolen van and the hijacked taxi as they headed to the Alameda Motel in San Jose, Hallock said. While the men were on the road, the Sheriffs Department continued to exert pressure on local Vietnamese crime syndicates, and repeatedly told the public they were confident the fugitives were still hiding in Southern California. Sheriffs deputies made several arrests of people they said were connected to the fugitives. But hundreds of miles north, the escape plot was beginning to crumble inside a San Jose motel room. Nayeri wanted to kill the cabdriver and bury his body, Hallock said. Duong refused. The two got into a fight, according to Hallock. The next day, Nayeri and Tieu left the motel to have tints placed on the stolen van. Duong and the cabdriver got into the stolen taxi and fled back to Southern California. Duong released the cabdriver. On the morning of Jan. 29, he walked into a friends auto body shop and asked her to call police so he could surrender. Nayeri and Tieu were spotted outside a Whole Foods market in San Francisco less than 24 hours later by a bystander who flagged down police officers. Nayeri took off on foot but was arrested within minutes. Tieu was found hiding in the van. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has promised a thorough investigation to determine what measures could have been taken to prevent, or more quickly discover, the escape. While the men slipped out of the jail at 5 a.m. on the day of the escape, their disappearance went undetected for 16 hours. The jail was conducting only two physical head counts of its inmates each day, a practice that has drawn criticism from corrections experts and the union that represents county sheriffs deputies. In a letter issued Friday, the union called for the removal of the captain who oversees the Mens Central Jail and said the facilitys staff had been ignoring the proper policy on counting inmates for months before the three men escaped. In an interview with The Times on Monday, Hutchens said the delay gave the escapees a distinct advantage over their pursuers. Because it was not reported until 15 hours later...that created a delay for us and it took us a while to catch up to them, but eventually we did, she said. Three administrative checks are supposed to be conducted between the two physical checks. Those records checks are meant to track prisoner movements to court, educational classes, medical facilities and other areas throughout the day. Each of those checks failed to detect the escape, and Hutchens said she believes they were carried out improperly. Investigators have not said how Nguyen smuggled the tools into the jail, or what specific items were used in the escape. It also remains unclear how the inmates were able to conduct what was a lengthy construction project that allowed them to burrow through several layers of metal while remaining undetected. Prosecutors allege Nguyen snuck a knife and two other items used in the escape into the jail sometime between Jan. 12 and Jan. 15, according to a criminal complaint filed on Monday. Hutchens said she believes the men were digging their way out of the jail for several days, and said their undetected flight was an embarassment to her agency. Three dangerous individuals got out of a maximum security jail, she said. That would be an embarrassment for anybody. Follow @JamesQueallyLAT and @lacrimes for crime and police news in Southern California. MORE ON THE O.C. JAILBREAK For a week, O.C. jail escapees stayed a step ahead of authorities O.C. Sheriffs Department examines what went wrong as fugitives return to jail Her pink Taser, poisoned hamburger patties and an iPhone: the story of a wife who lured an Orange County fugitive out of Iran Two of the three inmates who escaped from an Orange County jail were booked early Sunday morning into the Santa Ana detention facility from which they had fled, marking the end of an eight-day manhunt by federal and local law enforcement officials. Shortly after 1 a.m., deputies escorted Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Hossein Nayeri, 37, into the Central Mens Jail, as shown in video released by the Orange County Sheriffs Department. Both Nayeri and Tieu were shackled and wearing orange scrubs. The men were arrested Saturday in San Francisco near a Whole Foods Market, a day after their accomplice, Bac Duong, surrendered to authorities at an auto body shop on Harbor Boulevard in Santa Ana. Advertisement Join the conversation on Facebook >> With all three men again in custody, the focus has shifted to how they carried out such a brazen jailbreak the first in nearly 30 years at the facility and how the Sheriffs Department could have prevented it. We do not want another escape from an Orange County jail, Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said this weekend. She vowed to examine where the system failed and scheduled a news conference Monday to provide more details. No disciplinary action has been taken against department personnel, she said. But the head of the union representing Orange County deputies publicly criticized the jail leadership, called for the removal of the captain overseeing the facility and said the departments policy on counting inmates was ignored in the months leading up to the Jan. 22 escape. The timing of inmate head counts, as well as the jails outdated surveillance systems have become key issues. The inmates escaped from their fourth-floor dormitory sometime after 5 a.m., when the first head count at the jail is conducted. They cut through four layers of steel, metal and rebar as they slinked through the jails plumbing tunnels and an air duct. After reaching the roof, a floor above the room where they had been housed with about 60 other inmates, they clipped barbed wire from the roofs edge and used a rope of knotted bedsheets to rappel down the side of the building. Their departure went unnoticed until the second physical head count of the day about 8 p.m., which gave them a head start of up to 15 hours, according to court documents. Kimberly Edds, spokeswoman for the Assn. of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, said there were supposed to be five physical head counts in a 24-hour period according to department policy, but jail management said only two were being performed. Tom Dominguez, the groups president, wrote in a letter delivered Friday to Hutchens that nearly a year ago, deputies in the jails were instructed to ignore department policy. Hutchens has said that the departments investigation is continuing, without specially addressing the unions allegations. In addition to two physical head counts on the day of the escape, three paper checks that involve reviewing records to account for inmate movements within the jail or to court were conducted but did not detect the breakout, sheriffs officials said. After the escape, however, Hutchens said deputies would now be required to conduct more thorough checks by confirming that inmates actually moved to other locations during the day. Neither the Sheriffs Department nor the union would provide a copy of the jail count policy to The Times. Six times from 2008 to 2014, the countys Grand Jury has called on the Sheriffs Department to upgrade its surveillance systems. The 2014 report said the lack of adequate video monitoring equipment endangered inmates and staff. Last year, the Sheriffs Department began an $11-million project to modernize its video surveillance program. Its unclear whether the module where the men were housed had cameras. Hutchens said an internal investigation will determine the complete facts of the escape and examine department practices. She said that deputies would be required to conduct more thorough checks on inmates during the day. I have been very clear from the onset of the jail escape investigation that I am deeply concerned about the length of time it took to recognize that three maximum security inmates were unaccounted for, Hutchens said in a statement. Until the investigation is complete, I am unable to discuss further. Many details of the trios escape and their time on the lam remain unknown or have been withheld from the public. Hutchens said that investigators had not determined whether others helped the trio. Authorities say an English-language instructor at the jail, Nooshafarin Ravaghi, 44, provided Nayeri access to Google Maps, which gave him an aerial view of the jails roof. The day after the escape, the three obtained a white GMC Savana van. Duong responded to a Craigslist ad for the van in South Los Angeles, took it on a test drive and never returned it, Sheriffs Capt. Jeff Hallock said. At some point, they headed north to San Jose, where they checked into a motel Tuesday and paid cash for a two-night stay. Its unclear how the inmates obtained the tools officials suspect they used to break out of the jail or the cash for the hotel room. Hutchens said she also did not know how Duong traveled from San Jose back to Santa Ana. Photos of the white van that sheriffs officials had released to the public led to Nayeri and Tieus arrest Saturday morning. An unidentified man recognized the vehicle and alerted police, said San Francisco Police Officer Grace Gatpandan. Officers responded to the area at Haight and Stanyan streets and spotted Nayeri, who fled on foot when he saw the officers, police said. He was later arrested. Tieu was found hiding in the van, police said, along with handgun ammunition but no weapons. matt.hamilton@latimes.com richard.winton@latimes.com ALSO Closing time for OHaras, the last of Westwoods dive bars Southern California casinos going all in to lure millennials Marge Hearn dies at 98; widow of Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn Hang around long enough and you might see things turn full circle. People included. Like a comet, they come back around. Gov. Jerry Brown is a comet. He dominated the Capitol cosmos two generations ago, floated off and circled back. Now one of the major public policy issues of 40 years ago also has returned, meteor-like. It concerns criminal sentencing. Advertisement Like too many things involving government, however, the jargon is wonky: determinate and indeterminate. Put simply, its about whether a judge determines how long a felon will be locked up, or left undetermined, with parole boards having the flexibility to retain or release an inmate based on behavior and perceived rehabilitation. In 1976, young Gov. Brown was a reformer who signed legislation changing sentencing from indeterminate to determinate. Last week, he proposed a new reform: Scrap that 1970s reform and return to basically the way things had been for six decades before. Times change. Situations change. Ideas? Not so much. I asked Brown why he and the Legislature had changed the system in the first place four decades ago. Back then, hed been thinking about it for a long time, he recalled, even when his father, Pat Brown, was governor in the 1960s. People were lingering in prisons and didnt know when they were going to get out, he said. Racial minorities might be in longer. Prisoners, the governor continued, were compelled to mouth certain words to demonstrate their readiness for freedom. White parole boards seemed to be trying to get the prisoners to have a certain mentality, messing with their heads. It didnt seem right to me. It came to me that if they did the crime, they should do the time. And then get out. That became many legislators attitude: The whole system was arbitrary and unfair sometimes political and racial. What else could you expect from sentences so broad? For example, one to 14 years or five to life. Republican Sen. John Negedly, a former Contra Costa County district attorney, had sponsored the bill that switched sentences from flexible to more fixed. Punishment should be swift, certain and definite, Brown said after signing the measure. But soon he began having second thoughts, mentioning ambiguities in the new law. There was bipartisan criticism. Then-LAPD Chief Ed Davis, a conservative Republican, planning to run against Brown, complained that prisoners no longer would have to pay much attention to guards. Brown is going to blow these prisons up before I can take over as governor. State Sen. Alan Sieroty, a liberal Democrat from Los Angeles, feared that fixed sentencing would lead to longer terms. That would only further brutalize the individual and make his reentry into society less possible. Both were right. Liberals thought the Legislature would jack up the sentences, which it did, Brown told me. And it never stopped. I never imagined thered be thousands of [increased sentencing] laws and enhancements. State government embarked on a prison-building, lock-em-up binge. There was a political stampede in the 1990s after the L.A. riots and the gripping kidnap-murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas. Voters and the Legislature passed three strikes and youre out meaning youre in for life. When Brown was governor the first time, there were 21,000 inmates in state custody. By the time he returned in 2011, the number had ballooned to 170,000 packed like sardines into bunks and sleeping on cots in gymnasiums. At one point, taxpayers were spending more on prisoners than on college kids. Prisoners-rights groups sued. A federal judicial panel ordered the state to knock it off. Voters and the governor got the message. The California electorate softened three-strikes and other sentencing laws. Brown, through what he calls realignment, began shifting control of low-level felons to the counties. The state prison population is now down to 127,000. Brown has wanted to eliminate determinate sentencing for years calling it an abysmal failure in 2003 but said he first needed to achieve realignment and form a political coalition. If Id done it right out of the box, I might have made mistakes, he told me. Brown added that hed also been pretty busy. No one has done more than I have, he said, listing such things as pension reform, water programs and fighting climate change. I havent been sitting on my ass. The governors sentencing proposal is targeted for the November ballot as an initiative. It would affect only inmates convicted of nonviolent crimes. Murderers and rapists, forget it. A nonviolent felon would need to complete his time for the basic crime. But he could earn credits for good behavior and rehab. And before serving added time for an enhancement such as gang activity he could seek parole for being a model prisoner An unintended consequence of the law he signed 40 years ago, Brown told reporters, was the removal of incentives for inmates to improve themselves, refrain from gang activity, using narcotics, otherwise misbehaving. Because they had a certain [release] date and there was nothing in their control that would give them a reward for turning their lives around. Why the ballot and not the Legislature? It would require a two-thirds legislative vote, and thats a hassle. And he has $24 million in leftover campaign money begging to be spent. This reform seems to make sense. The old one did, too at the time. But this is another time. The lingo also should change. Junk determinate and call it fixed or flexible. george.skelton@latimes.com Twitter: @LATimesSkelton A few hours after Bernie Sanders announced he was running for president, a group of activists associated with Occupy Wall Street sent an email blast endorsing his candidacy. It was a perfect match. The protesters, whose ragged encampments across the United States in 2011 sought to call attention to growing income inequality, finally had a presidential candidate who vowed to tax Wall Street and take on the billionaire class. Sanders even embraced their movements catchphrase, haranguing the nations wealthy elite as the 1%" in nearly every speech. The activists quickly went to work for Sanders in early primary states and online, where one Occupy organizer coined the #FeelTheBern hashtag that became the campaigns de facto slogan. Advertisement In Iowa this week, former Occupy protesters could be found easily among Sanders volunteers, knocking on doors and dialing voters to drive Sanders supporters to Mondays caucus. But their most significant contribution to the Vermont senators rapid rise may have been their protests message. Economic inequality didnt become a mass issue until Occupy, said Michael Kazin, a Georgetown University history professor and co-editor of the leftist magazine Dissent. It was the catalyst for publicizing these ideas and getting Americans to talk about them in ways they hadnt before. In other words, Sanders might not be where he is today, trailing Hillary Clinton by just a few percentage points in the polls, if Occupy hadnt helped focus attention five years ago on the ideas that are now at the core of his campaign. Occupy helped elevate the narrative that we have a rigged political system and a rigged economy, said Hugh Espey, a community organizer in Des Moines who was arrested with dozens of Occupy protesters when they refused to leave the grounds of the Iowa statehouse. He sees Sanders, a longtime independent who was agitating for greater economic equality long before many Occupy protesters were born, as the latest incarnation in a string of progressive presidential candidates from inside and outside the Democratic Party that includes Dennis Kucinich and Ralph Nader. But those candidates never generated as much support as Sanders, who has repeatedly drawn more than 10,000 people to his rallies. His popularity is partly the inheritance of Occupy and the political awakening that occurred after the 2008 economic collapse, said Espey, the director of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, a group whose political action fund has been operating phone banks and other get-out-the-vote activities for Sanders. Occupy came on the scene in the fall of 2011 when hundreds of activists partly inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings erected tents in Zuccotti Park in New Yorks financial district. The protest was pointedly leaderless and took aim at an array of targets, including what activists described as the corrupting influence of money in politics and the role major banks played in the financial crisis. Protesters called themselves the 99%, in contrast to the 1% of Americans who control most of the countrys wealth. Similar demonstrations popped up around the country. Most of them ended on their own or were evicted from protest sites by police by the end of the year. Not everyone who is supporting Sanders was involved with Occupy. But a large number of people who were involved with Occupy are supporting Sanders. In 2011, filmmaker Bob Swope drove to the Occupy protest in Columbia, Mo., and asked how he could help. Last week, Swope drove four hours to Des Moines to volunteer for Sanders. He spent the weekend canvassing neighborhoods with another volunteer, a 21-year-old from France. As they walked down an oak-lined street, keeping their eyes to the ground to avoid patches of black ice, Swope said he appreciated the energy of the Occupy movement but became frustrated with its horizontal organizational structure. It was kind of a movement without a leader, Swope said. The Sanders campaign, with its clear and passionate leader, has more staying power, he believes. Other former Occupy protesters stumping for Sanders in Iowa this week include Winnie Wong and Stan Williams, whose group, the People for Bernie, has developed a number of online memes and hashtags in support of the senator, including #FeelTheBern. The protest movement and the Sanders campaign share more than just criticism of corporate money in politics, Wong said. Sanders pledge to provide tuition-free higher education and do more to combat climate change echoes the demands of protesters five years ago. Wong sees the Sanders campaign as one way to continue the work the Occupy movement started. Its been about making sure that we hang on to the narrative and the dialogue that people were talking about when Occupy was alive and thriving, she said. For Aaron Jorgensen-Briggs, a Sanders win would be the protest movements greatest victory. We went from this moment in Occupy where we were just beginning to shed a light on these issues in a profound way on the national stage to the moment were in now, where we actually have a candidate for the highest public office in the country who has a platform that is addressing all of the issues that Occupy raised, said Jorgensen-Briggs, who was involved with the Des Moines Occupy movement. Lately, he said, hes had to pinch himself. A candidate who talks about socialism could actually become president, he said. Its absolutely unprecedented. kate.linthicum@latimes.com See more of our top stories on Facebook >> ALSO U.S. to urge partners to do more to fight Islamic State amid complaints from Pentagon Republican and Democratic candidates have a lot to lose in Iowa caucus Alone in New Hampshire, John Kasich tries to talk his way to momentum The quirkiest and most unpredictable presidential race in decades has raised many questions: about the depth and duration of voter anger, about the power of insurgency and whether the old ways of campaigning and thinking of politics no longer hold true. Some answers may finally begin to emerge Monday night here in Iowa, when voters will cast the first ballots of the 2016 campaign in a series of precinct-level meetings, or caucuses. There are fiercely competitive contests on both sides. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner whose 2008 campaign started unraveling with a third-place Iowa finish, faces an upstart challenge from Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist senator from Vermont and a relatively recent addition to the party. Advertisement In the large Republican field, billionaire Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas have battled for weeks for first place in Iowa polls, with Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida showing signs of a late surge. Crowds swarmed candidates scurrying throughout Iowa on Sunday, volunteers and campaign organizers knocked on doors and dialed their way through voter contact lists, and a barrage of radio and TV ads many of them scorchingly negative provided a harsh soundtrack to an otherwise sunny and unseasonably mild day. Live from Iowa: Get updates on the caucus results from our politics team Clinton made her final full day of Iowa campaigning a family affair, stumping with her husband, former President Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea. I really love the fact that she brought my granddaughter with her to Des Moines, Hillary Clinton told a crowd in Council Bluffs. I get to have a little time with Charlotte. Sanders, who spent most of his career as an independent before seeking the Democratic nomination, exhorted Iowans to the polls, saying a victory over Clinton would rank among the biggest political upsets in recent history. If tomorrow night there is a large voter turnout, we win, Sanders told supporters in Marshalltown. On the other hand, if there is a low voter turnout, well probably lose. Trump tried to shore up his standing among Christian conservatives by attending a morning church service, then made a rare campaign appearance with his wife. Hello, Iowa, its great to be here, Melania Trump told the crowd at a packed middle school gym in Council Bluffs before echoing her husband in her sales pitch: He will be unbelievable the best deal maker, the best master negotiator. Cruz, who has slipped to second place in Iowa surveys, also kicked off Sunday with a visit to church with his wife and young daughters. The pastor urged politicians to debate the issues but not attack their enemies, and called on churchgoers to caucus Monday night. Rubio wrapped up a nine-day blitz of the state by seeking to tamp down expectations. He feels good about his momentum, Rubio said in a classic formulation, but promised no more than a strong showing. SIGN UP for our free Essential Politics newsletter >> The results Monday will go a long way toward ordering the race, especially on the crowded GOP side. The next vote is just eight days later in New Hampshire, followed by contests in South Carolina and Nevada in this short month. The laggards in Iowa will have a tough time advancing, and for most of them, New Hampshire will amount to a last stand. For months, weve seen all these horse race polls, probably close to one a day, said Kevin Madden, a strategist for the last GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, but one who has stayed neutral in the 2016 contest. Those will all go into the rearview mirror and candidate momentum will be based on actual voter judgments. No candidate has been more disruptive, for good or ill, than Trump, the braggadocian New York billionaire who was greeted with eye-rolling when he burst into the contest last summer after repeatedly flirting with earlier runs. His actions insulting opponents, women and minorities, picking fights with the party establishment and the powers at conservative Fox News might have justified the skepticism. But the serial controversies seemed only to raise Trump in the eyes of supporters, many of them freshly engaged in the political process, who see his make-your-own-rules style as refreshingly bold. Im tired of politics as usual, said Republican Mike Walters, 61, who turned out last week for a boisterous Trump rally at a high school in Muscatine. Hes not going to say everything you like, but hes going to say it like it is. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> The test will come Monday night, depending on whether people like Walters prove more interested in seeing the spectacle than taking the time to show their support for Trump at the caucuses. Unlike voting in a primary, the meetings require a considerable investment of time and, even though the weather has been mild for an Iowa winter, the chance of snow and icy roads in the forecast may be enough to keep those less committed to their candidate from venturing out. A second-place finish would be a blow to Trump, taking away his most favorite talking point, which is how everyone loves him and hes a winner, said Stu Rothenberg, an independent analyst who has spent decades writing about campaigns and elections. We dont know how he would act after losing. But Cruz may have even more at stake in Iowa, a state that should be tailor-made for his appeal to evangelicals and strongly ideological Republicans, who make up the base of the party and historically reward candidates in Cruzs conservative mold. Hes got a coalition built on people who caucus every four years like its their job, said Matt Strawn, a former state GOP chairman who is unaligned in the race. For Trump to be successful, he needs to remake the electorate into an image that is not of the Cruz coalition. And as trite as it is to say, Strawn said, one thing weve learned when it comes to Donald Trump, were all going to have to find out together whats actually going to happen. The dynamic is somewhat similar on the Democratic side, where Sanders has tapped a rich vein of discontent among liberals frustrated with President Obama and dubious of Clintons ties to Wall Street as a former New York senator and her more hawkish defense and foreign policy views. Hes young with his ideas. Hes been super progressive since the 60s, said Dominic Tracy, 20, a political science student who recently went to see the senator from Vermont speak at the University of Northern Iowa. I see him and I believe him. I dont believe Hillary. Sanders has struck a particular chord among young people like Tracy, again raising the question of whether big crowds and buzz will translate into support Monday night. Young people are typically less likely to cast ballots than older voters, and their concentration in Iowas college towns and urban areas could dilute their influence overall. The third candidate on the Democratic side, former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, has been present in Iowa longer this campaign than Clinton or Sanders but has never risen to the level of serious contender. In the end, his greatest effect may come in defeat: Anyone supporting a candidate who garners less than 15% at a caucus must either join up with another candidate or go home, meaning the second choice of OMalley voters could determine whether Clinton or Sanders wins. Times staff writers Chris Megerian in Council Bluffs and Seema Mehta and Michael Finnegan in Des Moines contributed to this report. mark.barabak@latimes.com Twitter: @markzbarabak MORE ON THE IOWA CAUCUSES How Carly Fiorina lost the moment and the momentum in Iowa The snow forecast and 4 other things to watch for in the Iowa caucuses Everything you need to know about the Iowa caucuses and why they matter Probation was a concept dreamed up in the mid-1800s by a Boston boot maker who saw the folly of throwing children into jail for petty crimes. If he could give them a better chance outside of jail and show them the way toward a successful adulthood, he figured, then everyone the kids, their families, their neighborhoods, the taxpayers, the overcrowded jails would be better off. And if it worked for children, wouldnt it work for adults too? But John Augustus notion that probations mission is to rehabilitate has sometimes been forgotten. By the beginning of the 21st century, many probation departments with their networks of juvenile halls and camps became tough youth prisons that copied or even exceeded the abuses that adults experienced in county jails. In some Los Angeles County juvenile camps, rogue probation officers engaged in sex with the youths they were supposedly supervising. On the adult side, some probation officers chafed at their rehabilitation role and wanted to be more like state parole agents, who carry guns and are oriented more toward violating parolees catching them violating drug tests or other parole conditions in order to send them back to prison or jail. Today, probation is the linchpin of the criminal justice system. When Sacramento transferred responsibility for nonviolent felons from state prisons to the counties, it was probation departments that took over supervision of those people. When voters demanded less spending on prisons and more on reentry, recovery and rehabilitation, it was probation departments that stood to receive much of the money. When better ideas and better data produce better programs to prevent crime and recidivism, it is probation departments where they are put to work. Advertisement Yet there is no consensus on how probation should be structured or managed. Some counties have two separate departments, one for juveniles, one for adults. In some counties, the chief probation officer is appointed by the presiding judge of the superior court, in others by the board of supervisors. Los Angeles Countys department is monitored not just by the board, but also by numerous commissions, committees and councils. Yet the department is currently without a chief probation officer no surprise, given that the board has moved leaders in and out at a rate of one every other year so its the right time to think about mission, structure and oversight. Data being compiled ... around the world [show] impressive results when young adults get the kind of rehabilitative guidance traditionally reserved for offenders under age 18. The board on Tuesday is expected to consider a plan to convene yet another group, this time to evaluate how all the other oversight is working and recommend something that presumably would be more effective. The group would be much like one that met last year to recommend a structure for overseeing the sheriff. It may seem a bit odd to add a layer of supervision over probation, a department that already reports directly to the board. If the supervisors are unhappy with the operations and administration of the department, including the way it spends (as some of the their recent statements suggest), they have only themselves to blame. But if they are instead seeking the kind of oversight that can examine allegations of mistreatment of probationers, misconduct of officers and poor conditions of confinement, an oversight commission may well be in order. As would, perhaps, an inspector general. And it may seem strange to ask whether there should be separate oversight commissions for the juvenile and adult sides of the department, when the board hasnt even taken up the question, broached on this page last month, of whether the department should be split and whether supervisors ought to be looking for one new leader or two. But they are expected to vote later this month on whether to study splitting probation into two departments, one for juveniles and one for adults. ------------ FOR THE RECORD: A Feb. 1 editorial on the Los Angeles County Probation Department said that later this month the Board of Supervisors would consider creating separate oversight commissions for adult and juvenile probation. In fact, the motion the board is to consider is whether to study splitting the Probation Department into two departments, one for adult and one for juvenile probationers. ------------ As they continue to think about one of their more troubled departments, the supervisors might also want to heed the data being compiled in other jurisdictions around the world that show impressive results when young adults get the kind of rehabilitative guidance traditionally reserved for offenders under age 18. After all, the countys goal is to identify people at a crossroads, whatever their age, and use whatever skills and programs show the most success at redirecting them from crime and jail and toward successful lives as was the vision of John Augustus nearly 175 years ago. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook In the restaurant industry, the darker your skin, the more likely you will work in the back of the house. Its a world in which your accent prevents you from getting server and bartender jobs, regardless of your qualifications. Unless, of course, you have a European accent. This is true even in California where the pay and benefits for restaurant workers are better than in most other places. A recent study by the Restaurant Opportunities Center United, a workers rights group headquartered in New York, highlights the pervasiveness of racial and ethnic biases in the restaurant industry. Hourly wage and demographic data from the Census Bureau shows that black and Latino workers are most often bussers, runners and kitchen help, and rarely higher-paid servers or bartenders. In addition, in the California cities studied, whites make up close to 80% of workers in fine dining restaurants, where servers may earn up to $150,000 a year in wages and tips. Saru Jayaraman, executive director of ROC United, notes that racial segregation is one of the restaurant industrys most pressing, deep-seated problems. Advertisement The number of lawsuits filed nationally against restaurants for race-based discrimination is extensive. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions compilation of significant race/color cases lists restaurants as a common culprit, although most cases are settled and not fully adjudicated. Research by ROC United demonstrates that almost twice as many [restaurant] workers of color face poverty relative to white restaurant workers. In late 2014, McCormick & Schmicks, a fine-dining seafood restaurant, settled a 2008 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit that alleged discrimination against African-American job applicants by refusing to hire them for front-of-the-house positions and by denying equal work assignments because of their race. In 2007, EEOC records show, a renowned French chef from an upscale Manhattan restaurant settled a suit that alleged that Latino and Bangladeshi workers were refused promotions to the front of the house such as captains, which instead went to Caucasian workers with less experience and seniority. In 2006, the EEOC resolved a case with the owners of a California fast food restaurant after the restaurant owner allegedly refused to give a 16-year-old a job application because the owner thought her to be black. Moments later the teenagers white friend was immediately given an application on request. Other major EEOC restaurant discrimination cases follow similar patterns: relegating workers of color to lesser-paying jobs, not assigning them to large parties with greater resulting tips and income, and, in one case, ordering all African American employees to be strip-searched in response to a White cashiers drawer turning up $100 short. Regardless of race, and despite the six-figure wages possible for servers in high end establishments, most workers in the restaurant industry only earn crumbs at their jobs. The restaurant industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the nation, employing more than 11 million workers. Unfortunately, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, restaurant work accounts for seven of the ten lowest-paid jobs in the nation. And as bad as the pay is generally with the countrys lowest paid restaurant workers earning a median hourly wage of $8.85 research by ROC United demonstrates that almost twice as many workers of color face poverty relative to white restaurant workers. The situation for women of color is the worst. Recent fast-food worker strikes have been led by women, who make up two-thirds of that workforce. ROC Uniteds California research shows that in the category of casual full-service restaurants, women are also channeled towards lower paying positions, with women of color seeing the largest impact of such segregation on their wages. ROC Uniteds analysis of census data finds that in California restaurants as a whole women of color earn about 10% less per hour compared to white women, and only 71% of what white men earn. As restaurant goers, the public can contribute to ending occupational segregation in the industry. Just as our dollars keep restaurants thriving, they can help fight for racial equity in restaurants. ROC United maintains a list in the form of an app that identifies restaurants that treat their workers right. Patronize those with the best ethics, and if a particular favorite isnt providing its workers with a fair chance at its best paying jobs, or if it isnt paying them enough to put food on their tables as well as yours, talk to the manager, call it out on social media and add to your tip. Christina Fletes is a concurrent degree student at UC Berkeley Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School. She is a former ROC United intern. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Three weeks ago, Gov. Jerry Brown confidently predicted that the vexing question of how to extend a tax on healthcare plans in order to fund state medical coverage for the poor was well on its way to being solved. We need the [managed care organization] tax now this month, Brown said. Were going to get it. Weve got to get it. But as January has come to a close, his administration has yet to nail down an overhaul that can win support from the insurers, much less secure the Republican votes necessary to pass the Legislature. The negotiations to find a replacement for the states current tax on managed care organizations, which expires in June, are complicated. The Obama administration has said that California must overhaul the tax structure or lose more than $1 billion in federal dollars for Medi-Cal, the California Medicaid program. The Brown administration has crafted a package of tiered tax rates and relief from other levies resulting in an overall financial gain to the industry. That framework generally has been endorsed by insurers and other business groups, but they have not publicly backed the nitty-gritty aspects of the plan. Gareth Lacy, a spokesman for the governor, said that there have been productive conversations but that details arent yet public. Advertisement With daily conversations ongoing, a deal could materialize quickly. Anthony Wright, executive director of the advocacy group Health Access, said he saw a lot of momentum behind the MCO tax, adding that a vote could be held as early as this week. The arduous back-and-forth is due in part to the major policy changes the proposal entails. The current tax on managed care organizations applies only to those that serve Medi-Cal patients. The Obama administration has said the new structure must cover all healthcare plans. The complexity of re-imagining and crafting an entirely new MCO tax cannot be understated, said Nicole Kasabian Evans, a spokeswoman for the California Assn. of Health Plans. Brown, joking with reporters during his budget rollout, acknowledged very few people understand [the MCO tax]. ... I couldnt explain it to you if I wanted to. According to a draft proposal obtained by The Times, the tax rates would vary based on the number of Medi-Cal enrollees and non-Medi-Cal beneficiaries in any given plan. Kaiser Permanente, a major nonprofit plan, would have its own designated rate. Some small local plans based in Sacramento and San Diego counties would be exempted entirely. The proposal also would eliminate corporation and insurance taxes for the managed care plans. Predicting the new tax structures effect on the healthcare marketplace adds to the complexity. Theyre competitors in an extremely competitive market. Even a 1% or 2% change in the price of their products ... can have a huge impact on their success, said Micah Weinberg, president of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. Assuming the Brown administration can win over the bulk of the health insurers, there are still legislative politics to contend with. The two-thirds vote in the Legislature required to impose new taxes means at least some Republican backing will be needed. Brown has been marketing the proposal as tax reform, to make the vote more palatable. This is not a tax increase, no matter what anyone tells you, he said during his State of the State address. Assembly GOP leader Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley has not ruled out his caucus support, but said he wants assurances that the taxes would not be passed along to customers through their health insurance premiums. We will not support a tax that hurts consumers, Mayes said in a statement. Even some Democrats are signaling wariness. Sen. Cathleen Galgiani, a centrist from Stockton, has said she would not back a tax that is not ultimately approved by voters. Meanwhile, other Democrats are eager to move past an issue thats been under discussion since the early part of 2015. The Legislatures patience with the health plans on this issue is wearing thin, Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) said in a statement. We have been working in good faith for over a year to address this problem. Im disappointed the plans have been unwilling to get behind any proposal to date including the current one that provides a net benefit to their industry. Its time to stop playing games and move forward together. Times staff writer Patrick McGreevy contributed to this report. Follow @melmason for more on California government and politics and sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter ALSO: Browns state budget set to include revised health tax Follow the action in Sacramento on our Essential Politics news feed The Chinese citizen suspected of killing his two teenage nephews in Arcadia last month was denied bail in Hong Kong while awaiting extradition. Deyun Shi, 44, appeared in court in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory for a bail hearing, but a judge ruled against granting bail. I cant see any special circumstance in this extradition proceeding to grant bail, said Magistrate Lee Siu-ho, the presiding judge, adding that theres a real flight risk on Shis part. Advertisement During the hearing, Shi questioned whether the Hong Kong court was acting independently or was prejudiced by the California authorities allegations against him. I hope my case wouldnt be treated differently because the opposing party is the U.S. government, said Shi, speaking Mandarin through an interpreter. If the court is of the view that therere reasonable grounds to deny bail, Shi said, Ill give up. Anthea Li, the Hong Kong government counsel in the extradition case, argued that bail is regularly denied to local defendants suspected of the kind of serious crimes that Shi has been accused of. Investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department have said that late Jan. 21 or early Jan. 22, Shi drove to his wifes brothers town house in the 400 block of Fairview Avenue in Arcadia after assaulting his estranged wife in La Canada Flintridge. Shis two nephews, 15 and 16, were found with extreme wounds at the Fairview residence on Jan. 22 by their mother, sheriffs investigators say. She called 911 and the department later pronounced both teenagers dead at the scene from blunt-force injuries to their torsos. Shi arrived in Hong Kong on Jan. 23 on a flight from Los Angeles and was immediately taken into police custody on a warrant issued based on a provisional arrest document from U.S. authorities. They have since initiated an extradition request for Shi, who has consented to return to face charges. Hong Kong authorities say they are awaiting a full surrender request from their U.S. counterparts in order to execute the extradition in accordance with a 1997 treaty. Appearing in court in Hong Kong last week, Shi denied he was a fugitive and said he flew to Hong Kong en route to a city in mainland China, where he owns businesses. Shi apparently moved to Southern California in 2014 with his wife and two children. Recently, Shis wife had told him she wanted a divorce. Monday mornings hearing was adjourned for a few hours after Shi had told the judge he had health issues and was suffering from delusions. I feel many people are trying to kill me, Shi said. Im very confused. I dont know what has happened to me over the past few days. On the judges order, Shi was taken to a hospital for a medical examination. He returned to the court in the afternoon and spoke for himself for the remainder of the proceedings, after dismissing the public defender that the judge had arranged to represent him. Shi appeared dejected and listless. He often gave monosyllabic answers in a hoarse voice and was very soft-spoken; even his court interpreter at times strained to make out his responses. The next hearing on the extradition proceedings is set for Feb. 11. Law is a special correspondent. ALSO Jail escapees kidnapped cab driver, fought over whether or not to kill him In China, rise of Salafism fosters suspicion and division among Muslims In a case that has attracted nationwide attention in China, three journalists accused of writing stories critical of a local government in Gansu province have surfaced after a two-week disappearance. But now they are facing charges of extortion. The incident in the small city of Wuwei went viral after a letter -- reputedly written by the management of the Lanzhou Morning Post, a newspaper that employs one of the journalists -- began circulating, accusing the Wuwei government of intimidating journalists and fabricating criminal charges. Among the detainees was Morning Post reporter Zhang Yongsheng, who has written several muckraking stories in recent years. In 2014, he uncovered how a criminal ring was forcing middle school and elementary school students to sell their blood. In 2011, he revealed how the police helped a criminal to escape from custody. Advertisement Zhang went missing Jan. 7 after he went to report on a blaze apparently caused by a mismanaged firefighting exercise. His family said that after the fire broke out, Zhang received a text message from a local propaganda official in Wuwei warning him not to cover the incident. According to the letter, Zhang expressed concern to his colleague on the morning of his disappearance, saying that the local propaganda office really wants me out of Wuwei. (Morning Post management has denied penning the letter that circulated online.) After Zhang went missing, local police said that he had been detained for soliciting a prostitute at a spa center. See more of our top stories on Facebook >> But now, Wuwei officials say the three journalists were leveraging their roles as reporters and providers of public oversight to repeatedly extort other peoples property. No other details have been made public. Though the police continue to hold Zhang in detention, the other two reporters -- who work for other Lanzhou newspapers and are based in Wuwei -- were released on bail Jan. 25. Chinas government exercises strict control on its domestic media. The country ranked 176 out of 200 on the Reporters without Borders 2015 Press Freedom Index. But even the state press appears to have found the Wuwei case objectionable. China Daily, the countrys leading English-language mouthpiece, published an editorial Monday saying: It is not just the fate of three journalists that the public is concerned about. They also want to know whether local judiciaries can operate independent of local governments. According to the Daily, the provincial government of Gansu has sent an investigative team to Wuwei to find out whether the reporters have been framed for their critical reporting on local affairs. In China, negative publicity is widely regarded as irksome by local officials, who fear bad press will jeopardize their chances of promotion. In a report released last week on Chinas media climate, the International Federation of Journalists said that journalists and crews in the field were hampered by physical harassment, especially when reporting on man-made disasters that showed the authorities had failed to ensure public safety. The Wuwei governments handling of the journalists has roiled Chinese Internet users. Many users of WeChat, a popular instant-messaging app, have shared what they say is the cellphone number of Huo Ronggui, the party secretary of Wuwei. Messages on WeChat encouraged people to call Huo and demand an answer as to why the journalists were detained. The number is now out of service. Meanwhile, on the news-sharing platform Sohu, netizens posted multiple pictures of Huo sporting different watches, suggesting that he may have been involved with corruption. In 2011, an official in Shaanxi province was arrested after people posted pictures of him wearing 11 different luxury watches. The official was sentenced to 14 years in prison for accepting bribes. In the Wuwei case, China Daily criticized the covert way local police detained the reporters, and said the two-week delay in announcing their arrest had provided fodder for conspiracy theories. Authorities, the paper added, need to come clean as soon as possible. Staff writer Julie Makinen and special correspondent Chuan Xu contributed to this report. Follow @JulieMakLAT for news from China ALSO At least 10 dead after suicide bombing in Afghan capital In China, rise of Salafism fosters suspicion and division among Muslims Myanmar parliament begins historic session led by Aung San Suu Kyis party They call it Little Mecca: a city of prayer caps and hijab, minarets and oxidized green domes. In some ways, Linxia, in northern Chinas Gansu province, is a city united. About 60% of its 250,000 people are Muslim. On a frigid Friday afternoon in December, its street life grinds to a halt. Hundreds of men wearing scruffy beards and white caps pack into the tile-clad Xinhua Mosque for afternoon prayers. An imam chants Koranic passages in throaty Arabic. A speaker crackles, and a flock of birds takes flight. Its also a city divided. There are the mainstream Muslims, locals say and then there are the Salafis. Advertisement Salafism is an ultra-conservative school of thought within Sunni Islam, espousing a way of life and prayer that harks back to the 6th century, when Muhammad was alive. Islamic State militants are Salafi, many Saudi Arabian clerics are Salafi, and so are many Chinese Muslims living in Linxia. They pray at their own mosques and wear Saudi-style kaffiyehs. The growth in the Salafi movement here has rattled Chinas officially atheist communist government, which finds any expression of religious fervor to be unnerving, especially when it carries associations with foreign extremists. The Chinese public increasingly associates Islam with terrorism, and many other Chinese Muslims see Salafis as fanatics, unable to successfully navigate mainstream Chinese society. Experts say that in recent years, Chinese authorities have put Salafis under constant surveillance, closed several Salafi religious schools and detained a prominent Salafi cleric. A once close-knit relationship between Chinese Salafis and Saudi patrons has grown thorny and complex. Locals in Linxia say that in the city, relations are good, but in the countryside, where traditions are more entrenched, spiritual disagreements have created a deep social divide. Although many Chinese Salafi are avowedly nonviolent and apolitical, their faith is fraught with risk, underscoring an increasingly strained relationship between the Chinese state and its Muslim citizens. China discriminates against religious people not only Salafis, but also people from other religions, said a local Salafi man who, like many interviewees in Linxia, requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the subject. We dont have equal rights. Estimates of the number of Chinese Salafis are vague, ranging from thousands to tens of thousands. Yet experts and Linxia Muslims agree that the movement, which is growing worldwide, is also gaining traction in China, even among ethnic Han Chinese. Ive been studying Muslims in China for the past 30 years, and its only over the past four or five that we see young Han men converting to a radical, conservative Islamic ideology, said Dru Gladney, an expert on Chinese Muslims at Pomona College. Not politically radical, but radically conservative, radically orthodox. Clearly Muslim ideologies can be very powerful, he continued. Islamic State is appealing to many marginalized young men throughout the world. And I think Han Chinese men, as well as younger [Chinese Muslims], look at this and say, What are the alternatives to communism, to capitalism, to socialism? Chinese Muslims are diverse, but most fall into two groups. Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking minority group, live primarily in the northwestern region of Xinjiang; culturally and religiously, they hew closer to Central Asia than to Beijing. Authorities blame Uighur separatists and terrorists for scores of violent attacks in recent years, and intermittently place swaths of the region under military lockdown. Then there are the Hui people, who live throughout the country, tend to be well-assimilated into mainstream Chinese society and are generally free to pray as they please. Experts say that Salafism is spreading among both groups and although they barely communicate, their fates have collided in ways that remain poorly understood. On March 1, 2014, four Uighur assailants hacked 31 people to death at a train station in Kunming, the capital of the southern province of Yunnan. Soon afterward, Chinese state media reported that the assailants planned the attack from Shadian township, a Salafi stronghold about 150 miles to the south. That September, provincial officials introduced a new piece of legislation called Document 14 which pledged to strengthen management of the provinces Arabic language and Islamic studies schools, or madrassas. Ding Long, an adjunct Arabic professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said that the government has since shuttered many of Shadian townships madrassas over concerns that they could be breeding grounds for violence. In the beginning, the government didnt notice the influence, the dangers of [Salafist] thought, he continued. Then they finally realized that this was very dangerous that they undermine the balance of the different groups within the Muslim community in China. In late 2015, authorities from Xinjiang detained Ma Jun, an influential Salafi imam and teacher in Gansus capital, Lanzhou, and released him 27 days later, according to overseas Chinese media reports. Authorities had detained one of Mas students, a Uighur, on suspicion of studying religion with an illegal organization and endangering state security, and found a recording of Mas lectures on his phone. Ma had good ties to the state, said a scholar who requested anonymity to avoid complications with Chinese authorities. The incident shows how serious things are becoming and how much the problems in Xinjiang are spilling over into Gansu and Qinghai. Even in Linxia, which prides itself on sectarian accord, there are signs that the authorities are on edge. Propaganda is ubiquitous mosques are festooned with massive government banners calling for unity, harmony and patriotism. Salafism first arrived in China about a century ago, went underground during Mao Tse-tungs anti-religious campaigns of the 1960s and 70s and came back in force during the 1980s and 90s, after Mao died and his Cultural Revolution ended. In 1984, Beijing began allowing individual Chinese Muslims to make the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and by 1990, nearly 10,000 Hui were flying out each year. Some learned about Salafism and, enamored with the idea of a purer form of Islam, spread its teachings at home. Meanwhile, Saudi preachers and organizations began traveling to China. Some of them bore gifts: training programs for clerics, Korans for distribution, funding for new Islamic institutes and mosques. This exposure to Saudi discourses actually caused a momentary implosion within the Salafi community in the 1980s, said Mohammed Al-Sudairi, a doctoral student at the University of Hong Kong who spent years researching Salafi Muslims in China. The new generation, which was much more engaged and influenced by Saudi Arabia, began to contest the knowledge of the older generation. You had a lot of excommunication within the [Muslim] community, people were saying to each other that they were not real Muslims. In recent years, the Saudi-China grass-roots relationship has grown more complex. Experts say that Beijing increasingly views foreign religious influence as a threat and that Chinese Salafis have rejected overtures from Saudi patrons, fearful about how officials and other Chinese Muslim groups would react. Chinas relationship with Saudi Arabia, the worlds second-biggest oil producer, has not suffered any obvious setbacks. In mid-January, Xi met with Saudi King Salman in his capital, Riyadh. The leaders pledged to deepen energy cooperation and to resolutely oppose terrorism in any form, according to the official New China News Agency. To some extent I think Beijing has turned a blind eye to Saudi funding of Salafis in the past, said James Frankel, an expert on Islam in China at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. That may be changing now, perhaps, because of fears of extremism. In Linxia, few worshipers were willing to discuss the issue. One man at the Xinhua Mosque, dressed in a beige jacket and white skullcap, had arrived early for evening prayers. The Han like us because we care about cleanliness and peace, he said. His eyes darted anxiously. He refused to answer questions about the citys many sects; he did not give his name. Above, a fluttering propaganda poster encouraged the spread of positive energy. Were a peace-loving people, he added. We care about unity and harmony. Yingzhi Yang, Nicole Liu and Tommy Yang in The Times Beijing bureau contributed to this report. Myanmars parliament, now dominated by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyis party, on Monday began a new and historic session that will install the countrys first democratically elected government in more than 50 years. The National League for Democracy won a landslide in the Nov. 8 elections, winning 80% of the seats in the two houses of parliament to defeat the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. Legislators from the two parties and from smaller ethnic minority parties as well as nominated military representatives filed into the cavernous parliament for the session in which the members took a joint oath of office. Advertisement The session marks a historic turnaround for the NLD, which for years was suppressed by the military, which had ruled the country directly or indirectly after seizing power in 1962. NLD leaders including Suu Kyi and other critics were jailed, and overt political activity was crushed. The Southeast Asian nation started moving away from dictatorship toward democracy in 2011, when the military rulers agreed to hand over power to a nominally civilian government headed by President Thein Sein, a general turned reformist. He will stand down in late March or early April when an NLD president takes over. Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from taking the presidency, and has vowed to rule from behind the scenes through a proxy. She has not announced who her party will nominate for president. We dont know exactly when the presidential election will happen. We cannot tell you anything about who will be nominated as the presidential candidates as well, said Zayar Thaw, an NLD legislator. Despite its landslide victory, the NLD in practice will have to share power with the military, for which the constitution reserves 25% of the seats in parliament. Suu Kyi has met with senior military leaders to try to ensure a smooth change of government, and they have vowed not to interfere. MORE: Get our best stories in your Facebook feed >> Thein Seins military-backed USDP won a 2010 election in which the NLD refused to participate, protesting that it was held under unfair conditions. After several changes in the election law, the NLD contested several dozen by-elections in 2012, winning virtually all of them. The military called an election in 1990, which Suu Kyis party won handsomely, only to see the results annulled by the military and many of its leading members harassed and jailed. Suu Kyi was put under house arrest prior to the 1990 election and spent 15 of the next 22 years mostly confined to her lakeside villa in Yangon. She was under house arrest when she won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Establishing democracy is only one hurdle the country faces. The new government will also have to contend with various ethnic rebellions in several parts of the country. The military-backed government signed a peace pact with more than dozen smaller ethnic armies before the elections but major groups have stayed away, and fighting continues in many states. Most are fighting for autonomy and rights over their resource-rich land. I hope this will be a good opportunity for us to speak out for the ethnic people and demand indigenous rights, said Lama Naw Aung, a lower house member from the Kachin State Democracy Party, representing the Kachin minority who are engaged in ongoing battles with the army in the east of the country. I think there will be a change because Aung San Suu Kyi might want to finish the work for the ethnics that her father didnt get a chance to do, he said, referring to Myanmars independence hero Aung San who united various national groups. He and six of his colleagues were assassinated in July 1947, six months before Myanmars independence. ALSO Nigerian Boko Haram extremists burn homes with villagers still inside Bombs kill more than 50 people in Syria; progress is elusive at Geneva peace talks Europeans remove welcome mat for migrants In the aftermath of a deadly attack on a Pakistani university, many private schools across the country remain closed, and others have implemented heavy security to guard against the threat of further violence. By Monday, at least 12 chains of private schools had not reopened institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and other provinces that had been closed following the Jan. 20 raid by militants on a private university in Charsadda, in northwest Pakistan. In the capital, Islamabad, which has been spared the worst of the militant attacks of recent years, parent Ilyas Khan said he received a text message late Sunday night saying the private school where his two children are enrolled would remain closed until further notice. Advertisement A Pakistani Elite Police Force member takes part in a drill to fight against militants at a school in Peshawar on Thursday. (A Majeed / AFP/Getty Images) Millions of parents have experienced the same uncertainty since four attackers stormed Bacha Khan University in Charsadda and killed 21 people, most of them students. Umar Mansoor, a commander of the outlawed Pakistani Taliban militant organization, claimed responsibility for the attack in a video message and warned it was the start of a fresh offensive. Describing universities such as Bacha Khan named for a pacifist leader of the resistance to British colonial rule as bastions of secular education, Mansoor said his fighters would target law schools and other institutions that trained Pakistans military officers, politicians, judges and other officials. The Pakistani Taliban has been waging a long-running insurgency to replace the secular government in Islamabad with a system based on Islamic law. This still image taken from a video released by a Pakistani Taliban faction on Jan. 22 shows its leader Umar Mansoor, center, delivering a statement from an undisclosed location. (AFP/Getty Images) After consultation, we have decided to target schools, colleges and universities to eliminate the basis of this infidel system and establish supremacy and sovereignty of Allah in this country, Mansoor said in a video message. His message coming a year after the Pakistani Taliban killed nearly 150 people, most of them children, at an army-run school has exacerbated a security crisis in Pakistans education system. As soft targets, schools have faced the brunt of rising militant violence here over the last decade. More people have died in attacks on schools in Pakistan than in any other country since the 1970s, according to the University of Marylands Global Terrorism Database. Public schools in some provinces were open Monday, but mostly private, English-language schools in Peshawar, 20 miles from Charsadda, informed parents Sunday night that they would remain closed indefinitely. A notice about a school closing hangs on the main gate of a private facility in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. (Anjum Naveed / Associated Press) In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which includes Peshawar and Charsadda, the provincial government has spent more than $76 million on security measures at 28,000 public schools, including building new boundary walls and reconstructing damaged buildings. Pakistani authorities have ordered private schools to increase their security measures, noting that there arent enough military and police personnel to protect every campus. Pakistans home ministry said it was preparing new security guidelines; authorities in some provinces have already closed dozens of private schools for failing to upgrade security following the December 2014 attack at the army-run school. Some provincial governments have issued licenses to teachers and security guards to carry light weapons. Guards wielding assault rifles have been deployed on top of some school buildings. In Peshawar, armed police have been deployed at the entrance of the citys main higher education institution, the University of Peshawar, which has more than 60,000 students. The campus has taken on the look of a military garrison, with watchtowers set up atop buildings, new closed-circuit television cameras, raised boundary walls and additional security personnel. Pakistani activists from the Awami Workers Party shout slogans during a protest in Karachi on Jan. 22 after a militant attack on a university. (Asif Hassan / AFP/Getty Images) Khwaja Yawar Naseer, who owns a private school in Peshawar, said that following orders from officials, he installed five CCTV cameras, four security guards, a watchtower on the top floor of the two-story building and raised the height of the boundary wall to 10 feet. But Naseer wondered if even those measures were sufficient given the increasingly brazen attacks launched by militants against even the most heavily fortified targets. When terrorists can enter the general headquarters of the Pakistani Army in Rawalpindi, attack the naval dockyard in Karachi and air force installations, then they can target any place at will, Naseer said. Students attend an assembly at a government primary school in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Jan. 21. (Aamir Qureshi / AFP/Getty Images) He blamed the government for creating fear and uncertainty among children and their parents. Terrorists wanted to close education institutions, so they have succeeded in their mission, Naseer said. The government should not create fear by closing schools and universities. Ali is a special correspondent. Staff writer Shashank Bengali contributed to this report from Mumbai, India. President Obama has repeatedly touted the U.S.-led coalition assembled to battle Islamic State militants, but Pentagon officials are expressing growing frustration that some of the 64 partner nations and regional groups are backing the effort in name only. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has been the most vocal, complaining last month that some allies are not doing enough or doing nothing at all. The grumbling comes as the White House considers stepping up the war effort by sending several hundred more U.S. and allied trainers, advisors and special operations teams to assist Iraqi, Kurdish and Syrian opposition fighters arrayed against the militants in Iraq and Syria. Advertisement Pentagon planners argue that more coalition troops and other help are needed before Iraqi security forces can recapture Mosul, the militants self-declared capital in Iraq. Last years battle to retake Ramadi, a much smaller city west of Baghdad, took months longer than U.S. officials had expected. Meeting with his national security advisors Thursday, Obama was briefed on plans to accelerate military and diplomatic efforts on all possible fronts, the White House said. Secretary of State John F. Kerry will go to Rome on Tuesday to seek greater support from two dozen nations in the coalition. They will discuss ways to further intensify commitments across all lines of effort to degrade and defeat this terrorist group, the State Department spokesman John Kirby said Friday. Carter will head to Brussels two weeks later to urge defense ministers from 26 countries to send more trainers and advisors, provide more support and reconnaissance aircraft, boost deliveries of arms and ammunition, and increase their role in the war, Pentagon officials said. At least one nation has received the message. On Friday, the government in the Netherlands said Dutch airstrikes would begin to target militants in eastern Syria as well as in Iraq. In a statement, Carter called the Dutch decision a strong example of what other countries should do. Additional capabilities are needed from every member nation, he said. In addition to the military effort, coalition countries are supposed to impede the recruitment and travel of foreign fighters, stop the groups funding and financing, address the humanitarian crisis and counter the groups propaganda. So far, the participation by each country has varied immensely. Eight nations have launched bombing runs in Iraq, for example, and nine mostly the same countries have done so in Syria. But America shoulders the heaviest load by far. U.S. warplanes have conducted 68% of the 6,655 airstrikes in Iraq and 94% of the 3,305 airstrikes in Syria since August 2014. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Coalition member Estonia, in contrast, has provided 12 mortars, 480 rifles and pistols, and more than a million rounds of ammunition. Were a small country, so we cant be all over the place, Estonian diplomat Kairi Saar-Isop said. We have to be very selective in how we help. Slovenia says its listed as a member of the coalition because it holds local courses designed to dissuade young people from becoming radicalized. Lithuania has joined efforts to counter Islamic State propaganda and has helped track fighters trying to enter Europe, said Rolandas Krisciunas, its ambassador in Washington. We are currently in discussions to send instructors to Iraq to help them build the capacity of local police officers to be able to fight ISIS, Krisciunas said, using another name for Islamic State. Luxembourg has contributed $87 million to assist Syrian refugees and is adopting new financial regulations to help track money moving to the militants. We cant do everything, said Jean-Louis Wolzfeld, Luxembourgs ambassador. We prefer to give contributions in sectors where we have competency rather than send a few soldiers. Montenegro has sent ammunition to the Iraqi army and has passed laws to prosecute citizens who go to Syria to fight with Islamic State, said Srdjan Darmanovic, Montenegros ambassador. Thats what a country with 650,000 people can do, Darmanovic said. We try to contribute in accordance to our size and capabilities. The U.S. has sent 3,700 troops to Iraq. Sixteen other coalition countries have sent 2,400 troops. Italian military police are training Iraqi police officers to secure cities once they have been retaken from Islamic State. In northern Iraq, German, British and Dutch military advisor teams are training Kurdish fighters and providing new weapons, including antitank missiles. Many of the other coalition members have beefed up security measures to identify and stop foreign fighters, and have donated money to humanitarian groups working with Syrian refugees. The U.S. remains the largest donor by far, however, giving $4.5 billion in aid to the Syria crisis. In public, at least, Obama praises the joint effort. On Jan. 13, a day after he delivered his State of the Union speech, Obama noted that America has led a coalition of more than 60 countries for more than a year in trying to uproot Islamic State. Were cutting off their financing, he told a cheering crowd in Omaha. Were disrupting their plots. Were stopping the flow of terrorist fighters. Were stamping out their ideology. Weve had 10,000 airstrikes. Were taking out their leadership, their oil, their training camps, their weapons. The White House heralded support from its Sunni Arab allies when the air war began in September 2014, noting that aircraft from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates all joined the early attacks in Syria. But those flights quickly ended. Saudi Arabia launched its own war last year against what it says are Iranian-backed insurgents in neighboring Yemen. Other Sunni nations appear more focused on Shiite Irans growing clout than the threat from Islamic State. Arab states disagree over whether to target Islamic State or the Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar Assad, who is backed by Russia and Iran, Yousef Otaiba, the UAE ambassador to the U.S., said Friday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington. I think the first order of business if we are to resolve Syria is to get everyone on the same page and so far that has been very elusive, Otaiba said. The competing objectives have weakened the coalition, said Daniel Benjamin, a former State Department counter-terrorism coordinator who now teaches at Dartmouth College. You have the makings of a real disconnect between us and our partners, Benjamin said. Like other White Houses before it, this White House wanted to demonstrate the legitimacy of what it was doing in the region by pointing to a large coalition, but much of that coalition is focused on other problems and as a result we are doing all the work in the conflict. Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson contributed to this report. ALSO In China, rise of Salafism fosters suspicion and division among Muslims Bombs kill more than 50 people in Syria; progress is elusive at Geneva peace talks Europeans remove welcome mat for migrants SUMMARY: Frank Delgado, his brother and cousin own a restaurant in the Bronx that is going belly up. They are desperate for a solution to save their fathers legacy, when a crazy idea comes to them go to Cuba and find a secret chicken recipe guaranteed to bring in customers. Its supposed to be an easy trip, Frank would bribe one of the kitchen staff to sell him the secret ingredients and then return home. But the trip quickly takes a turn for the worse. Suddenly, Frank is embroiled in a Yames Bond-like adventures with secret messages, thugs with hard fists, and clandestine meetings in seedy parts of Havana. The only saving grace is Marisol, a jinetera with a heart of gold and a wicked kiss. Her support invigorates Frank and helps him accomplish his mission. But secret ingredients are not the only thing Frank finds in Cuba, he also learns secrets about his father that will change his life and family forever. In an intensive operation, two dozen members of Mexico's most powerful narcotics ring, the Sinaloa Cartel, were arrested at the US-Mexico border on Friday. The famed drug cartel was headed by feared drug kingpin, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman." Despite their leader's capture and recapture, analysts predict that the operations of the cocaine ring will live on, feeding addicts in the United States. Some of Mexico's most brutal murders have been linked to the infamous narcotics gang, including the Boca del Rio Massacre where 35 men were tortured and killed. The cross border raid happened around Arizona's border, The Guardian said. According to US immigration and customs enforcement authorities, this latest arrest was a "strong blow" to the Sinaloa Cartel's reputation. In a report with CNN, the operation was called Mexican Operation Diablo Express and mostly targeted the drug operation ring's most "high level" members, who were stationed in both the United States and Sonora. According to US authorities, those who were arrested were resposible for transporting millions of dollars of illegal drugs to the United States, which included marijuana, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. The operation was done in complete secrecy with joint efforts from police in Lukeville and Sonoyta. The Mexican authorities were allowed in the United States to ensure the safety of the officers. Mexico found significant help from Washington for the operation as was the case with El Chapo's recapture. Both Mexico and the US have found a more harmonious relationhip in busting down drug cartels. Reuters reported that two were killed when the Sinaloa Cartel opened fire on the US and Mexican police. According to the federal police, 250 kilograms marijuana, as well as 15 assault rifles were seized. Mexican drug gangs have been known to coerce migrants making their way across the border to smuggle small amounts of illegal drugs. Some are transported by way of underground tunnels or under the guise of cargo shipments making their way across the United States. The recapture Mexico's most wanted fugitive, El Chapo, has become a cause of embarrassment for the Mexican government, particularly President Enrique Pena Nieto's efforts to maintain peace and order in the country. Despite El Chapo being behind bars, the Sinaloa Cartel still continues operations, presumably under the command of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, El Chapo's business partner. The gang continues to fight for supremacy as other drug operation rings in Mexico vie for the top spot of power in the country. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Venezuela's Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino is on a mission to convince Saudi Arabia and Russia to cut oil production as prices continue to collapse. Del Pino is scheduled to meet Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak in Moscow on Monday, Bloomberg reported. Afterwards, he will head to Qatar, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter. Saudi Arabia and Russia are hesitant to agree to a reduction in oil output. One of the major reasons for that is because they are concerned that United States shale producers would benefit from any increase in oil prices following a potential cut, according to analysts Robin Mills and Edward Bell, the news outlet added. "There's a minimal chance the Venezuelans will get them to agree to anything," Mills, chief executive officer of Dubai-based oil consultant Qamar Energy, told Bloomberg. "I don't think the conditions are there for an agreement." Efforts to coordinate production cuts are made complex because of Saudi Arabia's goal of defending sales and Russia's failure to control production in winter months, when output cuts can harm fields, Bloomberg noted. Novak said in an interview with Bloomberg Television last week that Venezuela asked Russia for a possible meeting between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, and producers like Russia that do not belong to the group. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro recently said that "OPEC and non-OPEC countries are close to an agreement," but did not specify, Bloomberg further reported. Venezuela has requested an emergency meeting with its fellow OPEC members in January, saying in a letter that the slump in oil prices is causing serious repercussions on the group's most vulnerable members. The South American nation belongs to OPEC's Fragile Five members, which also includes Algeria, Iraq, Libya, and Nigeria. Brent crude fell from $115 a barrel in June 2014 to less than $30 last month, Bloomberg noted. Saudi Arabia, OPEC's de facto leader, supplies around 40 percent of the world's oil. OPEC's pump in January is its highest output since 1996 after it restarted Indonesia's membership. OPEC members hold two meetings annually to discuss market conditions, while the U.S. shale industry comprises thousands of private companies working alongside the world's largest oil firms, Bloomberg wrote. That hinders the U.S. to approve of production cuts, said Mills and Bell, a commodities analyst at lender Emirates NBD PJSC. The two added that cutting output will also result to higher oil prices that would benefit the U.S. OPEC chose to end its previous 30 million-barrel-a-day production target last month, the news outlet reported. Mills said that the group is aiming for a steady market share by pushing higher-cost producers out of the market. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A top guerilla leader said that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, will enter politics and pursue alliances with other parties after it signs a peace accord with the government. "We will be in politics without arms," FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, also known as Timochenko, said in a recent interview with local magazine Semana, as reported by Reuters. "We will enter a political scenario where it will be fundamental to unite the largest number of forces possible to guarantee the deal is fulfilled. We will put our arms to one side and take up the political struggle." The FARC and President Juan Manuel Santos' administration have been in talks since late 2012 to end five decades of war that has killed over 220,000 people and displaced millions, Reuters noted. Negotiations, which are being held in Cuba, have reached agreements on land reform, combating illegal drug trafficking, guerrilla participation in politics, transitional justice, efforts to search for missing persons, and remove land mines, Reuters listed. A United Nations mission will oversee rebel disarmament once a deal is signed. According to Londono, the FARC's political party could take part in 2018's legislative and presidential elections, the news outlet added. He noted that all sectors of Colombia, including aggressive opponents like former President Alvaro Uribe, must commit to assisting the implementation of a peace agreement. The rebel group, however, fears that they may be targeted by right-wing armed organizations if they aim for political positions, Reuters reported. Paramilitaries, at times aided by military officials, have systemically killed 5,000 members of the left-wing Patriotic Union party in the 1980s, including two presidential candidates. "A common question is: 'Comrade, will the same that happened to the Patriotic Union happen to us?' That is the fear," said Londono, as quoted by Reuters. Londono also believes that 90 percent of all FARC guerillas will abandon their arms once a peace accord with the Colombian government is signed, the Associated Press reported (via Yahoo! News). His statement is a response to the warning made by several Colombian political experts, who said that hundreds of the 7,000 FARC guerillas may have become so dependent on the cultivation of coca for their income that they wouldn't give up its production or their weapons, the Associated Press wrote. Santos has urged the United States last month to remove FARC from the State Department's list of terrorist organizations, where it has been included for nearly two decades, once a peace deal is signed, the Guardian reported. The Colombian president also asked the Obama administration to suspend drug warrants against guerilla commanders if the peace accord pushes through. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The animal conservation group Sharkproject International handed down their verdict by naming Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis the "Shark Enemy of the Year Award." According to a report from the Tico Times, the Costa Rican leader was nominated for the 'award' November last year for not supporting additional protections of shark species during international conventions. The nomination, which was made public by a full-page advertisement in the Central American country's daily newspaper La Nacion, listed down many other reasons why Solis deserves the title. Since its founding in 2002, Sharkproject International has become one of the most active and most influential animal conservation advocacy groups all over the world. Aside from 'awarding' shark enemies as a means to shame them, the non-profit organization, based in Germany, also commend people or entities who have made a significant contribution to protecting the seas' most notorious predators. In their latest post, the group presented the winners of the "Shark Guardian of the Year" and the "Shark Enemy of the Year" awards as well as the reason why they were chosen. Based on a rough translation (via Google Translate), the Sharkproject International chose Solis as the "Shark Enemy of the Year" for 2016, a second Costa Rican leader to receive the acerbic accolade. Back in 2006, then-president Abel Pacheco was awarded the same title for his shark-unfriendly policies. Because of this, his successor President Laura Chinchilla Miranda made moves to avoid getting the same award, including the prohibition of the shark fin trade and the use of secret docks to prevent smuggling of shark products along the Costa Rican Pacific coast. This earned her the title of the "Shark Guardian of the Year" in 2013, the same title granted to the State of California this 2016. In October, Solis' administration decided to no longer "propose or support" international policies for additional shark protection or adjustment of the minimum required catch size. "The government of Costa Rica promises not to propose or support the inclusion of shark species of commercial interest in the CITES convention or in CMS [Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals]" a statement from the government read as previously reported by Tico Times. This caught the organization's attention and ultimately resulted in Solis' being chosen as the "Shark Enemy of the Year." Lke all those who were awarded before him, the Costa Rican president did not attend the ceremony held at the end of January to receive his rusty metal shark fin trophy. According to Tico Times, the Costa Rican president rejected such award, claiming that the new shark fishing policies passed under his administration are poised to ease coastal poverty. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 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 Colombia will launch an investigation after Venezuela's Navy Patrol exchanged gunfire with police at their joint border. According to a report from Reuters, a Venezuelan Navy Patrol chased a number of boatmen to the town of Arauquita, located on the Colombian bank of the Arauca River, Colombia's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. The incident prompted an exchange of gunfire with the Colombian police. No injuries were reported. "The government has been investigating the case since last night and has contacted Venezuelan authorities to clarify the circumstances of the event," the Foreign Ministry said, as quoted by the news outlet. The Colombian government "has entered into contact with the authorities of Venezuela for the purpose of clearing up the circumstances in which these events took place, and to take appropriate action," Jamaica Observer reported. Diplomatic relations between the neighboring countries are often sour, Reuters wrote. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro shut down several border crossings in August last year and deported thousands of Colombians, before vowing to legalize their status if they returned. Colombia and Venezuela share a 2,219 kilometer (1,378 mile) border, Jamaica Observer noted. Maduro's decision to close the border was also a way to combat smuggling. Last month, Venezuela reopened its border with Colombia in the state of Tachira, according to regional Venezuelan Gov. Jose Vielma Mora, a political ally of Maduro. The decision was done to enable students to study in their neighboring country, EFE reported (via Fox News Latino). The governor said on state channel VTV that for the transportation of the youths to Colombia, the government has "activated buses that are now carrying students, because starting today they begin preschool, high school and university classes" in the country nearby, EFE noted. Education is being prioritized because "we remember that many Venezuelans study in Colombia and many young Colombians study in Venezuela," he added, as reported by the news outlet. Maduro, however, stressed out that the remaining area of the border will remain closed until the activities of smugglers, paramilitaries, and kidnappers are brought under control, EFE wrote. The reopening of the border in Tachira comes two days after Walter Raul Silva, kingpin of the Colombian paramilitary drug group Los Rastrojos, was killed in the area, EFE further reported. Vielma Mora said that Silva was slain in a clash with troops of the Direccion General de Contrainteligencia Militar, or DGCIM, unit and the Cuerpo de Investigaciones Cientificas, Penales y Criminalisticas, or CICPC, Venezuela's largest national police agency. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Peru's El Misti, also known as Putina, is a stratovolcano located in Arequipa, south west of Peru. The snow-capped, symmetrical cone stands at 5,822 meters above sea level and lies between mount Chachani and Pikchu Pikchu volcano. Recent reports said that the volcano is beginning to show signs of awakening and possible eruptive activity. The volcano hasn't had any major eruptions since the 15th century, as most historic eruptions involved only small events from the summit cone that limited the affected areas to the top of the volcano. Still, that doesn't mean that people near Misti can shrug off the warnings. Volcano Discovery noted that the last documented eruption was recorded in 1985. The most prominent observation back then was the new fumaroles on the noth side inside of the crater, with highly pressurized gasses escaping from the six new vents. According to Publimetro, the Southern Volcano Observatory (OVS), as of the moment, Misti is already emitting gasses. OVS engineer Luisa Macedo said, "The gases that Misti emits are magmatic. This confirms that the volcano is active and is not sleeping, as many people think." She also noted that a group of researchers started taking images of the volcano's crater four weeks ago, and their investigation revealed magmatic activity. Macedo noted that the gasses reached around 500 meters, containing sulfuric acid, carbon, and calcium. However the distance is not enough for nearby communities to be affected at the moment. Another specialist, Domingo Ramos, explained that the volcanic activity does not necessarily mean that there is danger of eruption. However, the Peruvian government is not taking chances, considering that there are almost a million residents living within a 30 kilometer radius. The statement regarding possible volcanic activity is meant as a reminder for people of Arequipa that they live near a potentially active volcano. They should plan accordingly to ensure minimal disruption as well as a plan for evacuation should the need arise. Misti has been under watch for nearly a year. Peru This Week said in July that the volcano, which has long been considered as one of Arequipa's iconic symbols, has become a cause for concern for the locals, with the region declared under a state of emergency as tremor became more and more common. El Comercio noted that the volcanic visit in June allowed specialists to take temperature measurements to verify emissions. OVS director Orlando Macedo noted that "the Misti is the most dangerous volcano in Peru, and about one million people would be affected if an eruption occurs. These field inspections complement the registered ones made by the seismic stations in making the Misti volcano in the country more secure." 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia is expecting to seek about $200 million annually during the visit to Washington later in the week. The aid is going to help pay for the reincorporation of members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) back into society. The visit comes just weeks before Santos is set to sign an agreement with the FARC in a peace treaty to end a war that ravaged the South American country for five decades. Star Telegram reported that during the state visit to Washington, Santos is expected to seek support from Congress conservatives in backing him in the cause. Still, this endeavor may prove difficult, as some members are already questioning the decision of the US to continue giving millions to Colombia now that it has stabilized. The Huffington Post mentioned that Colombia has been aided by the US for years in combating drug trade as well as poverty. However, from the almost $1 billion that it used to give annually, the Latin American nation now currently receives about a third of it -- around $300 million a year. However, in the visit to update US President Barack Obama regarding the peace talks, Santos is expected to ask for an increase of up to $500 million a year for about a decade. Michael Shifter, president of Washington's Inter-American Dialogue research center said, "Even if everybody is on board with these peace agreements, the tricky part is to implement them. To implement them is very costly and difficult." The Guardian noted that along with the additional budget, Santos is also said to ask the US to remove the FARC from its terrorist list and suspend arrest warrants on its members. In an interview, Santos said, "If [FARC members] sign the peace deal, that will be because they committed themselves to disarm, and to make the transition toward a legal life." Once the peace deal is finalized, the State Department should consider making the said changes as quickly as possible. Santos remains positive about the possibility, adding that the faster the FARC is removed from the list, the better. "Any effort by the United States to allow us to apply transitional justice, for example by suspending the arrest warrants, would help us tremendously," he said. Still, the peace treaty does not mean that the Colombian government is going to let the FARC's bad behavior slide. If they continue to enrich themselves through drugs or similar acts, Santos said they will be "extradited." 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Due to the spread of the Zika virus, health authorities in at least eight affected countries recommended that women avoid getting pregnant. While said authorities may have suggested so with the women's best interests at heart, women's rights advocates in Latin America as well as the Pan American Health Organization denounced such recommendation. They said that it is irresponsible to do so, considering that most pregnancies in these areas are unplanned, said The Guardian. PAHO director Suzanne Serruya also said, "You can't recommend that women not get pregnant. The countries need to inform people of the risks, but the final decision is the woman's alone. It's her right." Other organizations saying the same thing pointed out that putting off pregnancies effectively puts the responsibility wrongly on women's shoulders at a time when there are no alternatives. Among the countries that urged women to avoid pregnancy included Ecuador, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Honduras, Panama, El Salvador, and Puerto Rico. All of these countries were noted to have urged women to avoid getting pregnant -- at least until more is known about the dangerous Zika virus. The risk for the virus affecting newborns in impoverished neighborhoods is even higher, considering that women in these low-income areas have less access to contraception and have a greater liklihood of having standing water, which is the ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Thus, PAHO noted that affected countries should call for greater access to contraception. An expert told Fox News Latino, "We don't know how much longer it will last. What happens if in two years it's worse? That's not the solution. We've got to work to reduce the vector (the Aedes aegypti mosquito) and to ensure women have greater access to contraception." Women affected with the Zika virus give birth to babies with microcephaly, a rare birth defect that causes babies to have smaller heads. Along with this comes brain damage and life long impairment that not many women in these poor countries can stand to raise. With strict abortion laws in South America, the need for education, contraception, and avoidance of pregnancy is easier said than done, especially considering the strict abortion laws in the region. According to Time, there are only three countries in South America where abortion is legal, and that's in Uruguay, Guyana, and French Guiana. Everywhere else, abortion is only allowed in rape and incest cases, or if the life of the mother is at risk. However, Mexico, Colombia, and Panama are the only ones who allow for termination of pregnancies due to fetal impairment. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Spanning across eight developing countries in South America, the Amazon Rainforest is known as the indicator of the health of our planet. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the 90 to 140 billion metric tons of carbon that is said to be contained in the area helps stabilize local and global climate. Any deforestration or damage can result in catastrophic consequences. This is why the Brazilian government's decision to sell oil exploration rights in a corner of the Amazon to a Chinese state-owned oil company appalled indigenous groups in the country, said The Los Angeles Times. While the deal from Andes Petroleum Ecuadoe and the government covers only part of the Amazon, the area is still an appalling size of 1.5 times the area of Los Angeles. This covers a total of 500,000 acres and enough to destroy the rainforest ecosystem and threaten the endangered cultures, including two indigenous tribes -- all these risks for a deal worth about $80 million. Adam Zuckerman, an environmental and human rights campaigner at the Amazon Watch in Oakland said, "That's essentially the only Amazon in Ecuador that hasn't been devastated by oil operations." In 2013, while negotiations were still ongoing, Zuckerman spoke with The Guardian, sharing that according to his understanding, the government's decision was more of a debt issue. He shared, "it's because the Ecuadoreans are so dependent on the Chinese to finance their development that they're willing to compromise in other areas such as social and environmental regulations." The oil blocks affecting the deal overlaps with the home of the indigenous group called the Sapara, which currently consists of only 300 members. The group was declared as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the turn of the century by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] due to their small numbers and disappearing language. The Daily Star also noted that last year, a court ruled that government must obtain "free, prior, and informed consent" from native groups before approving oil activities that embark on their native land, and this hasn't been the case. Narcisa Mashienta, leader of one of the seven indigenous groups in the area,said that the government did not consult with them, adding that herself and the Shuar people are ready to tell the Chinese investors that they have not been given permission to exploit the land. Jorge Herrera, president of the Confederation of the Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, said that the government is directly responsible for the damage that the deal will strike to their villages, accusing the government of having double standards and double morality. "The project is illegitimate and illegal. It is against our villages and against nature," he said. 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Samsung Galaxy Note 6 Specs, Features & Rumors: 5 Upgrades We Expect admin@latinoshealth.com By Staff Jan 31, 2016 05:20 AM EST Samsung has just recently unveiled its Galaxy Note 5 yet rumors about its possible successor have already been emerging. Here are some of the upgrades we can expect in the new Samsung Galaxy Note 6 device (well, according to rumors): 1. More Powerful Processor According to Tech Times, it is possible that the next Note would be a gaming PC mold into a phablet. Hence, the device is said to feature a 16-core processor. To compare, the Note 5 has an octa core (2.1GHz Quad+1.5GHz Quad), 64 bit, 14 nm processor. The S6 Edge+ also uses the same. 2. Bigger RAM It is believed that the next Note device would have an 8 GB of RAM, much better compared to Note 4's 3 GB of RAM and Note 5's 4 GB of RAM. It would be perfect for multi-tasking. 3. Bigger, Better Screen Display While the Galaxy Note 5 boasts of its 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED (2560 x 1440; 518ppi) display, its successor is said to sport a 6.0 to 6.2-inch 4K screen display. It true, that's definitely a nicer viewing experience and better productivity. 4. Camera A big bump in its camera is also expected. Rumors suggest that the next Note could possibly feature a 30 megapixel main camera and a 16-megapixel front-facing shooter. Expect to get finer photos and high-quality videos. The Note 5 and S6 Edge+ both sport a 16 megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front camera. 5. Longer battery life with faster charging feature The new handset is said to get a 4200 mAh battery that comes with a wireless, faster charging feature. Other features: The Samsung Galaxy Note 6, according to Tech Times, will also likely get features like fingerprint scanner, retina or iris scanner, barometer, thermometer, compass, oxygen sensor for blood pressure and heart rate sensor. Storage options may include 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB. The phablet is also said to be dust and shock-proof. The Samsung Galaxy Note 6 may also include USB Type-C support and microSD card support, Forbes' contributor Ian Morris predicts. Morris says it is unlikely that Samsung would bring back removable batteries. Patently Mobile earlier revealed that a Samsung patent showed a Note phablet with a laptop dock. The device serves as the laptop's processor and memory. When attached, the dock will allow switching from the Android OS to the Windows 10 OS. Samsung has not yet commented about the matter. All these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, no matter how enticing these Samsung Galaxy Note 6 specs and features are, as Samsung has not yet released an official statement or comment about the new device. WATCH: Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! More than 2000 Pregnant Colombian Women Test Positive for Zika Virus media@latinoshealth.com By R.Robles Jan 31, 2016 06:29 PM EST The Zika virus is spreading and it's not wasting any time. The Colombian National Health Institute announced that there are currently 2,116 recorded Colombian pregnant women who are infected with the Zika virus, as per the Voice of America News. The numbers now puts Colombia in the second most affected country in the Latin Americas after Brazil, according to the same report. Because of this, the health ministry advised couples through a statement to delay conceiving a child for six to eight months. The first recorded emergence of the virus was in Brazil last year. Director-General of World Health Organization Dr. Margaret Chan declared caution on Thursday, as told by CBS News, that Zika is "spreading explosively" -- rapidly transforming from a "mild threat" to "one of alarming proportions." Four million people are foreseen to be infected with the Zika virus by the end of this year, according to the WHO. In Brazil, 4,000 babies were found to have been born with microcephaly -- the dreadful outcome of a pregnant woman being infected with the virus. The numbers reported by health authorities last week is a starking contrast from the 150 reported infected babies in 2014. Meanwhile, the Latin Americas are not an isolated case as there are also dozens of Zika cases reported in the United States. According to CBS News, these cases are people who travelled from another country. Furthermore, even though the virus is growing at an alarming rate in other countries, the same report noted that the U.S. do not have much to worry about. Although, citizens must be prepared for locally-transmitted cases within the country. "We will see mini-outbreaks like in Florida and in Texas that can be well controlled with mosquito vector control," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. However, while he remains optimistic for U.S., Fauci told CBS News that the Zika outbreak is a pandemic. "You have multiple countries in South America and in the Caribbean, so by anybody's definition that would be considered a pandemic," he explained. The rapid outbreak of the Zika pandemic has created notable government partnerships. The presidents of the United States and Brazil have recently reached a mutual agreement on "the importance of collaborative efforts" to fight the spread of the virus after speaking on Friday. Both U.S. president Barack Obama and Brazil president Dilma Rouseff have recognized the importance of partnering for the effort in order "to deepen our knowledge, advance research, and accelerate work to develop better vaccines and other technologies to control the virus." Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Zika Virus Cause: GMO Mosquitoes Triggered Brazil Outbreak? Altered Mosquitoes Released in 2012 -- Details media@latinoshealth.com By Rachel Cruz Feb 01, 2016 04:30 AM EST The Zika virus spreading in Brazil might have been triggered by experiments done among mosquitoes in 2012. The conspiracy theory stemmed from a post circulating on Reddit. In 2012, biotech firm Oxitec headed the experiment and released genetically modified mosquitoes in affected areas in the tropical region in the hopes of finding a cure for malaria, dengue and chikungunya (yellow fever). It aimed to render male mosquitoes of the Aedes aegypti species sterile so that it will result in two things: mating with the female species would not produce offspring, or the offspring would die before it could mature. The experiment hoped to decrease the population of disease-carrying mosquitoes. However, the conspiracy theory assumed that some four percent of the genetically-altered mosquito larvae could have survived the mutation and have reproduced and passed on their genes to their offspring. It also pointed out that the experiment didn't go through adequate research before the mosquitoes were released in the environment. The project drew some flack and other experts raised their concerns and questions when it was first announced. They cited that the experiment could do more harm than good for the environment. "They are pushing ahead to commercialize their approach so they can start paying back their investors," said Dr. Helen Wallace via The Guardian. "I would be happier if there were more experiments in controlled areas, caged areas and labs, before general release in the populated areas." Four year later, the criticisms and conspiracy theories have once again made headlines. Oxitec head Hadyn Parry defended the company's initiatives and called the accusations as "simply untrue," Daily Mail reported. "All vector control solutions - insecticides, traps, and 'sterile' mosquitoes get deployed in areas with a high incidence of disease to help stop the spread of the disease at its source," Parry said. "The fewer the mosquitoes, the lower the risk of disease. Our approach has proven to be more effective than the alternatives with a lower environmental impact." Bloomberg reported that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States is in the middle of reviewing a trial that Oxitec wants to do in Florida. However, some analysts and environmental advocates are concerned about its repercussions. "They're introducing into the ecosystem some genetic constructs that have never been there before," said Jaydee Hanson of the Center for Food Safety in the report. Meanwhile, Brazil continues to work with Oxitec and has even expanded its genetically-modified mosquito experiments this year, Latinos Health previously reported. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Repeated Childhood Trauma Increases Psychosis Risk by Sevenfold: Study media@latinoshealth.com By Staff Writer Feb 01, 2016 05:00 AM EST Children who have suffered multiple trauma throughout their childhood multiply their risk of suffering psychosis by sevenfold later in life. The research published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research analyzed 60 pairs of siblings who participated in the research where the half suffered from psychosis and the other didn't. While repeated childhood trauma can increase the risk of psychosis in adulthood by seven times, heavy cannabis use is also an added factor which increases the risk six times. Additionally, the personality trait called neuroticism or emotional stability also increases the risk by 30 percent for each point they answered in Eysenck Personality Test that they used. The researchers also used McNemar tests and paired-sample tests to find out which traits found in the two siblings are connected and not connected with psychosis. According to Simply Psychology, Eysenck's Personality Theory is a personality test measured by using three dimensions: extraversion, psychoticism and neuroticism. It was developed by German-born psychologist Hans Eysenck. In their study, researchers looked at the siblings with functional psychosis and compared it to their non-psychotic sibling. They found that repeated childhood trauma and heavy cannabis use (more than five times a week) can increase psychosis risk and a neurotic personality compounds it. "Both childhood trauma and cannabis use were significantly associated with an increased risk of suffering functional psychosis", the researchers wrote in the journal. "A neurotic personality also contributed independently to this risk. These findings might help improve the prevention of psychosis and the development of specific treatment strategies in this specific population." Previous research on psychosis has been published before but this is the first study done on pairs of psychotic and non-psychotic siblings. "This work has the value of being the first one in being carried out in a clinical sample of psychotic and non-psychotic siblings, and it brings to light the need of doctors to inquire into these precedents when evaluating their patients", said co-authors Manuel Gurpegui and Jorge Cervilla, professors of Psychiatry at the University of Granada in Spain, via EurekAlert. Several researchers from the London Institute of Psychiatry (United Kingdom), the University of Kansas (United States), Fundacion Jimenez Diaz foundation, the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain), the University of Southampton (United Kingdom), the University of Granada (Spain), and the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (University Hospital Virgen del Rocio/CSIC/University of Seville, Spain) have contributed to the study. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Zika Virus Outbreak: How the Rich and the Poor Pregnant Brazilians Cope With the Illness; Read Their Stories Here! media@latinoshealth.com By Czarmecin Feb 01, 2016 05:17 AM EST The Zika virus outbreak in Brazil shows the disparities on how pregnant women from rich and poor families deal with the disease. The Zika virus has brought the same amount of fear to every mom in Brazil. However, a woman from a rich family and a poor one have different options in the same predicament. Jenny Barchfield and Mauricio Savarese shared the stories of two Brazilian women who have the same fears against Zika virus but have a different set of choices due to their financial status, The Star reported. Regina de Lima and Tainara Lourenco are pregnant. Both were afraid that their unborn child might suffer from microcephaly -- a condition where infants are born with smaller-than-averaged head conference. To know more about this condition, check it here. Lima is rich but Lourenco is not. The former has the money to finance her needs while the other struggles to live. According to Lima, she and her husband were very happy upon learning that they would be having a child. However, the joy was short lived because of the dreaded virus. The couple had been trying to start a family and decided to put the project on hold in late November when the Brazilian government announced a possible association with the mosquito-borne Zika virus and microcephaly. However, it was too late for Lima because she was already pregnant. The audiovisual producer from Rio de Janeiro is in her first trimester. At this stage, the fetus is most susceptible to Zika. Lima confessed that the first weeks after she found out that she was pregnant was terrifying. She cried and cried. She feared that she's inflicted with the disease and that it might affect her baby. So, Lima requested for an extended vacation and left for Europe. She will be staying there until the end of her first trimester. Meanwhile, Lourenco is unemployed and is five months pregnant. She hunts for crustaceans in the nearby swamp and sells it for $2.50 per kilogram to sustain her daily needs with her 2-year-old daughter. "I think I got Zika or some other disease not long ago," she said. "What can we do? Just hope that it doesn't affect the baby." The only possible precautionary measure that Lourenco could afford is to wear long-sleeve clothing, which is a struggle given that the country is very hot. She added that she can't afford mosquito repellent. Instead of being paranoid with her fears, Lourenco learned to live with it because she can't do anything about it. "If you have to get sick you will get sick," she said. "It's everywhere." Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! MISSOULA Montana Rail Link wont be hiring this year. BNSF Railway's system-wide capital expenditures plan for 2016 is a 25-percent cut from 2015. BNSF isn't saying how many of its Montana workers have been laid off this winter. A spokesman said MRL has furloughed two dozen as we adjust employee levels to meet our customers needs. For now at least, those needs are dramatically fewer than a year ago. Montana Rail Link is a short-line railroad headquartered in Missoula and owned by billionaire Dennis Washingtons Washington Companies. Texas-based BNSF, one of the nations Big 4 railroads, is wholly owned by Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which bought it for $44 billion in 2010. Though neither claims to be in crisis mode, both are feeling the pinch of a freight recession thats battering the rail industry. The Bakken oil boom has busted. Even as the Obama administration imposes a moratorium on new coal leases on federal lands a move already being challenged in Montana and elsewhere overseas markets for coal from southeast Montana and Wyoming are turning to dust. China alone reduced coal imports by 30 percent last year. Nationwide, coal shipped by rail was down by nearly 700,000 carloads in 2015 a decline of 12 percent from 2014. And its only going to get worse in 2016. At this point we expect coal shipments on MRL to decrease 50 percent over volumes experienced in 2014, said Jim Lewis, Rail Link's chief sales and marketing manager. If that comes to pass, Montanans along the Rail Link's main route through Billings, Bozeman, Helena and Missoula will see 70,000 fewer carloads of coal this year than they did two years ago. Compounding the outlook is the global call for renewable energy. The spending bill passed in Congress late last year extended two key federal tax credits supporting wind and solar energy. In his final State of the Union address this month, President Obama said, Weve got to accelerate the transition away from old, dirtier energy sources, and asked, Why would we want to pass up the chance for American businesses to produce and sell the energy of the future? As a pundit pointed out, you cant haul sunshine on a train. The 2015 numbers are startling. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) said this month that freight rail traffic in the U.S. in 2015 was down more than 900,000 carloads 6.1 percent from the year before. In the first three weeks of 2016, its dropped 16.6 percent compared to the same three weeks in 2015. Other than a rock-bottom year in 2009, when U.S. rail carloads dropped below 14 million, the 14.3 million loads shipped last year were the fewest since the AAR started keeping track in 1988. The peak year of 2006 leading up to the nations recession was the only one above 17 million carloads. For MRL, the 2015 plummet was steep 15 percent fewer coal cars and 10 percent of its total volume of the year before. That, said Lewis, was before Cloud Peak Energys Spring Creek strip mine in Decker announced it wouldnt be shipping 4 million tons of coal to export destinations in 2016. And it was before the same company laid off 66 workers from its underground Signal Peak Mine in Roundup at year's end and nixed the shipment of 1.5 to 2 million tons of coal. According to Lewis, that equates to some 50,000 fewer carloads a 42-percent drop from even a lean 2015. BNSF, which operates in Montana and 27 other states as well as three Canadian provinces, reported relatively flat freight volumes in 2015, Matt Jones, the company's director of public affairs for Montana, said in an email Friday. However," he said, "we have experienced lower than expected freight-transportation demand from our customers, and the economic outlook is uncertain as we head into 2016. The weakening demand isnt limited to coal, but the coal industry faces several significant headwinds that are reducing U.S. coal transportation demand, said Jones. Those headwinds include additional regulations, low natural gas prices, and a strong dollar, and Jones said they impact rail demand for other commodities like grain, steel and crude oil as well. BNSF is adjusting (its) workforce demand numbers down to match volume and the work required to move that volume, he said. Consequently, in 2016 we will satisfy additional needs by bringing back furloughed employees. Jones said he doesn't know the numbers of workers BNSF has furloughed, but they arent concentrated in any one geographic area. The railroad began handing out furloughs last April. News outlets reported in December that 100 BNSF employees had been laid off at three locations in North Dakota and Minnesota. Ron de Yong worries that Montana railroads will use declining volumes to justify raising their rates. Everythings relative, the state's director of agriculture said Friday from Helena. When you say 'not a good year for producers,' theyre actually losing money. 'Not a good year for railroads' means theyre not going to make quite as much profit as they did before. Just a couple of years ago, the railroads were having entirely different challenges, de Yong pointed out. They shipped huge volumes. They couldnt keep up with volume, he said. Coal, oil, agriculture we were all having service problems, and the railroads made a lot of money. But their rates didnt go down. The rail industry tracks car-load numbers in 20 commodity groups, and across the U.S. all but five showed declines in numbers in 2015. The biggest single exception was grain, which shipped some 36,000 more car loads than in 2014, an increase of 3.4 percent. Car loads in grain mill products also showed a slight increase. The temptation is to balance the books and, as de Yong said, satisfy shareholders demands by charging more when youre hauling less. He fears grain trains are attractive targets. Lewis said that even though MRLs regional shipments were down, its 150 on-line customers in Montana experienced 5-percent growth in 2015. One of his short lines biggest hits is in intermodal cargo, those big industrial containers and trailers. To compete with the Union Pacific Railroad, its Big 4 rival in the West, BNSF spent nearly $3.5 billion during the past few years to provide expedited service for intermodal and standard traffic between Chicago and Seattle. It launched the service in September. Lewis said BNSF is now routing a majority of intermodal traffic along its Hi-Line route instead of the tracks its leases to MRL across southern Montana. Its no coincidence that Rail Links intermodal shipments fell 17 percent in 2015. Both of Montanas largest railroads stress their investments in capital improvements and focus on safety. President and CEO Carl Ice unveiled BNSFs capital expenditure plan for 2016 on Tuesday. The $4.3 billion budget is a big drop from the $5.8 billion spent last year. Our railroad is in the best shape it has ever been, Ice insisted in a press statement. Each year our capital plan works to balance our near-term need to regularly maintain a vast network that is always in motion with the longer-term demand outlook of our customers. Its not yet known how much money BNSF will spend in Montana in 2016. Jones, whos based in Bozeman, expects to have those numbers in coming weeks. He said BNSF spent a record $15.3 billion in capital investments in 2013-15, including $450 million in Montana. According to Lewis figures, Montana Rail Link invested $50 million in capital improvements and maintenance in 2014 and $62 million in 2015. That will be trimmed to $40 million this year. He said that will cover the cost of such items as replacing 133,000 ties, installing 22 miles of new rail, and resurfacing another 245 miles of track despite rail volume being on a downward trend, he said. He called the investment in infrastructure evidence of MRLs commitment to the people and land of the state we call home. Montana's two biggest railroads say theyll ride out their freight recession just as they did an even bigger one following the peak in 2006. MRL is accustomed to the peaks and valleys of the U.S. and global economy, Lewis said. Although the current economic environment will certainly be a challenge for us and some changes will likely be necessary to adjust to current freight volume levels, we will continue to be focused on safety, efficiency and providing the best rail service in the industry. Lewis is not alarmed about plummeting costs and government incentives for wind and solar production. We value the global and local environment in which our employees live, work and play, he said. MRL hauls many different commodities, including wind-power towers/blades and other products related to renewable energies and recyclables. Typically, when volumes of one commodity shrink, growth occurs in another sector. MRL stands ready to haul whatever commodity groups are in demand, Lewis said. The great stabilizer, de Yong said, is agriculture. The railroads got started with agricultural commodities, and at the end of the day, there are going to be agricultural commodities again, he said. Thats what built the railroads." Jamaica Reports 4-Year-Old Boy First Zika Virus Victim media@latinoshealth.com By Staff Reporter Feb 01, 2016 06:12 AM EST The first case of Zika virus infection in Jamaica was reported after a 4-year-old child from Portmore, Santa Catalina tested positive on Jan. 29. The boy showed some symptoms back in Jan. 17 after a visit in Texas, according to a statement released by the country's Ministry of Health. "It's unclear whether the child picked up the virus in Jamaica or Texas. The ministry said it is investigating the case to determine the source of the infection," according to a USA Today report. "The virus has been associated with a sharp jump in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads, mainly in Brazil. It is also linked to increases in Guillain-Barre syndrome, in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, causing paralysis," the report also added. The Jamaican health authorities have stepped up their campaign against the Zika virus transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. They also warned pregnant women in the country and advised them to take extra precautionary measures to prevent mosquito bites. The country's health ministry is already alerting its people flashing the warning, "Be Aware, Zika is Near" in its website. The health officials urged their people to be prepared, protect themselves from mosquito bites and prevent the breeding of these insects. In order to prevent mosquito bites, the ministry recommends using mosquito repellent with Deet, sleeping inside a mosquito net, covering the body as much as possible and wearing light-colored clothes. They also asked the people to do their part in the prevention of mosquito breeding. They advise the locals to identify and eliminate breeding grounds inside and outside their homes, and to conduct clean-up drives within the community, especially in schools and offices. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport and Works announced that it has already released J$200 million for the purpose of cleaning different areas in the country to combat the Zika virus, according to a report from The Gleaner-Jamaica. The funds came from the Tourism Enhancement Fund, the Ministry of Finance and Planning and the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already released some guidelines, especially, for pregnant women. The CDC advised them to put their plans of travelling on hold from countries affected by the Zika virus outbreak, such as Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador,French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Martin, Suriname, Samoa, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. Subscribe to the latinos health newsletter! Mexican authorities have taken extra security measures to prevent notorious drug cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman from making a third escape from prison while he waits to be extradited. After being discovered and detained on Jan. 8, the Mexican kingpin was sent back to the same Altiplano maximum-security prison he broke out in July 2015. However, this time authorities are going to great lengths to prevent the head of the Sinaloa Cartel from making another prison break. According to Hola Arkansas, motion sensors have been implemented to monitor his movement, while he is guarded by dogs trained to detect his scent and prison floors have been reinforced with metal rods. Meanwhile, tanks and extra armed vehicles have been deployed to secure the facility and thick concrete walls are being used to prevent an outside attack. In addition, Mexican officials say El Chapo is being frequently moved to different cells within the prison. "He is being moved from cell to cell without a pattern... he is only spending hours or a couple of days in the same cell," said Eduardo Sanchez, a Mexican government spokesman. "Since he arrived, he has been in eight different cells." Despite the additional security measures, some believe El Chapo is still a flight risk. "The working hypothesis is that he will try to escape again. It's a horse race now between extradition and escape," said Dan Restrepo, a former White House Latin America adviser, to USA Today. Earlier this month, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto described Guzman's second escape from the maximum security prison, which was an embarrassment for Mexico's embattled government, as "a difficult and tense moment." "But the important thing is that we were able to re-apprehend him," said Pena Nieto, according to CNN. "The most wanted criminal in Mexico, one of the most wanted in the world, was re-apprehended thanks to an intelligence effort and consistent work of the public security forces in our country," the President added. Although El Chapo has not been heard or seen much since his capture, the Mexican government recently released a new video showing Guzman being fingerprinted, giving a blood sample, taking a mugshot photo, signing documents and being questioned, reports ABC 13. The 19-minute video also provides details on how the drug lord escaped from prison last July while comparing his facial features from his first arrest in 1993 to the present. Over 1,200 enthusiastic Iowans filled a Cedar Rapids convention center Saturday morning in support of Bernie Sanders, the grassroots presidential candidate making a final, aggressive push ahead of Monday's pivotal caucus. "A great turnout means we retain the White House, we regain the Senate, we elect governors all over this country," Sanders said. "We are going to expose like they have never seen before the right wing reactionary Republican agenda." Sanders spent a majority of the speech rebuking Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton's strategy, specifically commercials insinuating that he opposes funding for Planned Parenthood and supports the NRA. Drawing a contrast between his and the former New York senator's finances, Sanders made a point of reminding Iowans that Clinton's campaign relies on Super PACs, whereas his doesn't. "In the general election campaign there is going to be a very clear choice. One of us is going to be on the side of the middle class and working families. One of us is going to be standing up for seniors and our veterans," Sanders said. Among the campaign surrogates joining Sanders onstage Saturday were former Illinois Sen. Chuy Garcia and Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva. The Latino politicians hosted a series of events urging Iowa Latinos to participate in the caucus process on Feb. 1. Progressives on Parade: Chuy Garcia, Raul Grijalva, Cornel West, Keith Ellison to introduce Bernie in Cedar Rapids pic.twitter.com/3ry5OdwGKC Sam Frizell (@Sam_Frizell) January 31, 2016 They delivered a similar message in Cedar Rapids, telling attendees that Sanders is the candidate best suited to deal with the country's most pertinent issues, including health care and climate change. Grijalva appealed to Sanders' record as a democratic socialist, saying people are sick and tired of the concentration of power and money going to the rich; many who still worry about how to pay ever-rising school and health care costs. "[People are] tired of carrying the burden, so the scraps off the table - after corporate America, the billionaire class, and the one-percent are done - the scraps of opportunity, the scraps of jobs, the scraps of democracy fall off the table," Grijalva said. "Bernie Sanders gives us an opportunity to flip that table over." Garcia compared Sanders' campaign to President Obama's initial run in 2008, saying both were told they could never be president. "Just like Iowa show what was possible in 2008, I think Iowans are ready what is possible in 2016," Garcia said. "Regardless of where we come from - from rural parts of Iowa, from the cities in Iowa, or from the Windy City in Illinois - we know that change is possible." Garcia said the "best vessel" for real transformative politics, regardless of race or income bracket, is in Sanders. The final Des Moines Register/ Bloomberg poll released Saturday night showed Sanders trails Clinton by a slim three-point margin. Clinton is the top pick for 45 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers while 42 percent said they support the Vermont senator. Four-in-five respondents firmly behind one Democrat said they won't consider voting for the other leading candidate. Nine percent said they are still undecided while 30 percent said they can still change their mind. Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter is scheduled to appear at the House of Lords in Great Britain on Wednesday. The 39th U.S. president will talk and discuss his successful campaign against the Guinea worm disease or dracunculiasis that started back in 1986, per the Associated Press. According to The Carter Center, the main goal of the "Guinea Worm Eradication Program" is to completely eliminate the Guinea worm disease. If the goal is met, it will become the second human disease in history and the first parasitic disease to be eradicated. , the World Health Organization and UNICEF to combat the parasitiThe first ever disease to be eradicated was smallpox, but the elimination of the Guinea worm disease will be done without the use of any vaccine or medicine. The Carter Center has been working for 30 years with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventionc disease caused by Dracunculus medenisis. The victim usually contracts the disease by consuming contaminated water with female Guinea worms growing as long as one meter and slowly coming out of the skin very painfully after a year of incubation. About 3.5 million people per year are affected in 21 countries in Africa and Asia by the parasitic disease since 1986, but with the help of The Carter Center and its partners, only 22 cases were reported in 2015. Besides the eradication of the Guinea worm disease, the Carter Center also has programs to prevent and eliminate diseases such as river blindness, trachoma, lymphatic filariasis and schistosomiasis. They also have a program called "The Hispaniola Initiative" that aims to eliminate lymphatic filariasis and malaria in the island of Hispaniola composed of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The 91-year-old ex-president was diagnosed with melanoma on several of his organs including the brain and liver. He underwent immunotherapy treatment using the drug called pembrolizumab as well as radiation therapy. Carter announced on Dec. 6, 2015 via his official website that his cancer was gone, but he will still continue the immunotherapy every three weeks. "My most recent MRI brain scan did not reveal any signs of the original cancer spots nor any new ones. I will continue to receive regular 3-week immunotherapy treatments of pembrolizumab," Carter said in the statement. The last U.S. president to address the House of Lords is incumbent president Barack Obama last May 2011 during his state visit in the United Kingdom, per The White House. He discussed the history of both nations as well as ways of helping other developing countries. There have been incessant reports about Kate Middleton and Camilla Parker-Bowles' power struggle. But now, it seems that the Duchess of Cambridge has gained the upper hand on the epic royal fight. Due to the nasty behavior of the Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly contemplating if son Prince Charles is still fit to rule the kingdom. According to Celeb Dirty Laundry, royal insiders revealed that Camilla's temper and verbal assault to the Prince of Wales have become much worse, making the Queen furious. "The Duchess of Cornwall supposedly gets raging drunk and screams at the Prince of Wales - once telling the heir-to-the-throne to 'grow a pair and demand his birthright' from Queen Elizabeth," the celebrity gossip site wrote. "To add insult to injury, Camilla allegedly told Charles she 'no use for his manly bits!'" While a divorce is not an option for Prince Charles since Camilla demanded a $175 million settlement, unnamed royal sources revealed the 67-year-old royal has been considering to send his wife off to rehab. However, Charles is too anxious to let his royal security detail drag the 68-year-old Duchess to a long-term inpatient rehabilitation facility. The speculations concerning the new rulers of England came as the Queen's 90th birthday looms. And reports about her retirement in favor of Prince William and Duchess Kate have also intensified while the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall's chance to be crowned as the next King and Queen seemed forlorn. Meanwhile, Kate Middleton is also rumored to be "disgusted" with Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who's said to be almost broke. In another Celeb Dirty Laundry report, the Duchess of York was reportedly "cashing out" on the royal family. The gossip site added Ferguson has enlisted a prominent public relations firm, Kruger Cowne, to book paid public appearances. The Duchess of York even demanded the firm to restore her tainted image through television interviews, endorsement deals and speaking engagements. Speaking of Duchess Kate, she and husband Prince William have decided to hire a gardener to transform the grounds of their Norfolk residence in Anmer Hall. As reported by Hello! magazine, the royal couple asked the help of garden specialist Robin Parker to make their garden bloom with flowers and vegetables. Aside from flowers and vegetables, Parker was also tasked to oversee swings and climbing frames for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children, two-year-old Prince George and eight-month-old Princess Charlotte. In other news, Pippa Middleton has stolen the spotlight from her royal sister, Duchess Kate. As a matter of fact, Inquisitr revealed that Pippa has recently gained the attention of the public because of her remarkable fashion choices. "The Duchess of Cambridge may turn heads with her classic style, but it seems younger sister Pippa is now rivalling Kate's timeless fashion..." Irish Examiner wrote. As the Zika Virus continues to alarm several countries, including Latin America like Ecuador, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Honduras, Panama and El Salvador, health organizations have recently urged for women to try not to get pregnant and have more access to contraceptives, Fox News Latino reports. The publication revealed that the Pan American Health Organization has announced that they are against the recent immediate solution that health organizations have suggested, like asking women not to get pregnant for at least two years in light of the virus outbreak. Furthermore, Pan American Health Organization asked that it may be more proper that women and families are given more access to contraceptives, since it is every woman's right to decide whether she would like to be pregnant or not, even with the risks involved. "We don't know how much longer it will last. What happens if in two years it's worse? That's not the solution. We've got to work to reduce the vector (the Aedes aegypti mosquito) and to ensure women have greater access to contraception," Suzanne Serruya, director of PAHO's Latin American Center for Perinatology, Women and Reproductive Health told EFE. Meanwhile, Monica Roa, vice president of strategy at Women's Link Worldwide, also told the publication how insufficient it is for women to be given the burden of avoiding pregnancy when they aren't given any alternatives. This comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that they will hold an emergency meeting regarding the Zika Virus, which is now reportedly identified in 25 countries, USA Today reports. The meeting is reportedly for the purpose of giving light to the situation and to provide possible solutions that the global community need, the news agency reports. "You have populations who have never been exposed and have no immunity," Lawrence Gostin, director of Georgetown's O'Neill Institute told WHO as quoted by the news outlet. "You have a huge moral and public health concern about the well-being of pregnant women and their babies." The meeting also hopes to direct more finance to the growing health problem caused by the Aedis Aegypti mosquito, resulting in new born babies with abnormal heads and incomplete brain development, the publication adds. And while initial efforts are being made, Amesh Adalja, a senior associate at the Center for Health Security at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, urged that the emergency declaration should be able to contain the outbreak so that no further risks to pregnancies will happen, the news agency reports. As the caucuses in Iowa kick off later tonight, presidential candidates are doing almost everything just to get that final approval from the Iowans before they cast their initial votes as to who will be the next US President, Fox News Latino reports. The publication revealed that Republican candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio even fuelled a new feud against each other just before the primaries, with Cruz attacking Rubio and Rubio backfiring. According to the news agency, the Texan senator, Cruz, has slammed his opponent, the Florida senator, Rubio, in an ad. According to the news outlet, Cruz launched an all-out attack against Rubio right after speaking against Donald Trump for missing a previous presidential debate. The ad reads: "Tax hikes. Amnesty. The Republican Obama," as quoted by the publication. However, Rubio, who's not always dragged along political feuds as frequently as Trump, has also slammed Cruz. "The desperation kicks in," Rubio said of Cruz as quoted by the news agency. He added, "From my experience, when people start attacking you it's because you're doing something right." Indeed Rubio was thinking of his most recent action towards the Iowans to be the right thing to do just before the caucuses. Time reports that Rubio's campaign distributed its own version of Cruz's mailer. The mailer was said to be designed for voters in Iowa to be encouraged or even pressured to vote later tonight. The mailer included the voters' voting history and the phrase "Improve your score by caucusing on Monday, February 1st," according to the publication. Meanwhile, Cruz's mailer was controversial, as it reportedly accused voters to have violations in their years of voting, the news agency reports. However, Cruz was quick to defend it, saying, "I will apologize to nobody for using every tool we can to encourage Iowans to come out and vote," he said as quoted by the news outlet. Furthermore, the Associated Press reports that Monday night's caucuses are highly anticipated despite the weather, which has the forecast of an initial snowfall that may or may not prevent Iowans to vote. And as the voting begins in a few hours, Rubio, who is currently behind Cruz in polls, has announced during a campaign at Northern Iowa University that voters must think hard as to who they will vote, as it will be the future of America. "Policy differences are not enormous," he said of the GOP candidates, adding, "who gives us the best chance" in a general election, as quoted by the publication. "This election has to be about the future," he added. Navy Commander Kevin Stephens gave his reassurance that while an Iranian drone flew over the US Carrier, it didn't pose a threat, but he did thought of it as "abnormal and unprofessional," according to Ars Technica. News on Iran's IRNA showed an alleged video of the drone surveillance, but Stephens cannot confirm whether the video was authentic. The US Navy confirmed the Iranian drone passing their channel and directly over the USS Harry S. Truman, while they are performing drills on the Persian Gulf. In his statement with the IRNA news, Admiral Habibollah Sayyari an Iranian Navy Commander said 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." Despite confirming the drone passing over Truman, Stephens, on the other hand, cannot confirm whether an Iranian drone indeed passed on the 12th of January. He also said that future incidents will be dealt by the US navy in accordance to their rules. In his statement also featured on the Navy Times, Stephens said "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 USS Harry S. Truman is located on the Persian Gulf, along with the French carrier Charles de Guille when the incident of the Iranian drone passing happened. The two carriers were performing airstrikes against the ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria at the time. Iran has previously been sanctioned over their nuclear programs and recently, the U.S. called them out for their ballistic missile program. The video that was shown in Iran's IRNA exposed an unmanned US warship at the Persian Gulf BBC reports. In the IRNA news report, the drone's apparent surveillance has been joined by Iran's light submarine during Iran's naval drill. The incident of the drone flying through the US Warship happened during the third day of Iran's drill. The said date when the Iranian drone was spotted was the same day 10 Navy Sailors were detained by Iranian officials when they mistakenly entered their territorial waters. According to the BBC News, the U.S. was quick to deliver its thanks and appreciation for the quick release of the 10 Navy sailors. Secretary of State John S. Kerry said "This kind of issue was able to be peacefully resolved and officially resolved, and that is testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure, and strong." According to U.S. officials, there are ways to finally stop pay inequality and close the wage gap among women and minority groups. The Huffington Post revealed that the White House announced on Saturday that it intends to begin gathering data on the salaries of women and minorities at big American companies to address pay discrimination. The proposal will have the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Labor Department gather summary pay, which will be further categorized according to race, ethnicity and gender. The information will be collected from employers with at least 100 employees. The individual names and salaries of workers are not required, but only the aggregate numbers. The proposal is not yet final but will involve several companies in the private sector, and about 63 million employees. Businesses are also given two months to state their comments. Based on the same report by Huffington Post, the White House stated that there are two reasons for the proposal. First, companies will be compelled to look closer at the salaries of their female and minority employees and compare these with the amount they are paying other workers. Doing an annual review may aid companies determine wage gaps and address these on their own. Second, the information will also aid the EEOC determine pay inequalities in specific industries and enforce civil rights laws in the workplace. The Boston Globe reported that Jenny Yang, chairwoman of the EEOC, stated that pay discrimination is still a persistent problem, so the new data would be a significant step in addressing the concern. If the agency would file a suit based on their findings, companies will be required to appear in a public record. The Massachusetts Senate also unanimously passed a bill on Friday, which would narrow the gender wage gap by guaranteeing equal pay for comparable tasks, requiring fairness in the method of hiring and setting up pay transparency. The White House introduced the proposal while celebrating the seventh anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was signed by President Barack Obama to give employees more time to file claims against their employers for pay discrimination. The proposal will expand President Barack Obamas 2014 executive order, which required all federal contractors to provide similar data. A recent report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers stated that the average American woman working full time still earns 21 percent less, compared to the average American man. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Chile on Sunday, with a plan to expand trade in Latin America. He will go on a tour, which will also include trips to Ecuador and Peru. Todays Zaman says that it has been more than two decades since the last time that a Turkish President has visited Chile. Suleyman Demirel, the ninth president of Turkey, visited the country in 1995. Erdogan will be the first Turkish President to visit Ecuador and Peru. Erdogan intends to boost economic relations between Turkey and South America. He is expected to finish his Latin American tour on Thursday before going back to Turkey. The head of state is slated to meet with businessmen from both Turkey and South America during his visit, where he will discuss economic, bilateral, political, regional and international issues and developments. Chile was actually the first nation in Latin America that signed a free trade agreement with Turkey. In 2012, Chilean President Sebastian Rivera came to Turkey and signed certain agreements to form a strategic partnership framework between the two countries. VOA News reported that Turkey has been looking for new markets, after conflicts ravaged nearby countries and its major trading partners such as Iraq and Syria. Turkey was also recently handed economic penalties after Ankara downed a Russian jet late in 2015. The latest trade data released at the end of January indicated that exports went down by 11 percent in December 2015. "The fundamental idea behind Erdogan's visit to Latin America is Turkey's push to search for new markets and diversify, said a Turkish official from the economy ministry. Turkey does a great deal of business with its neighbors but is experiencing difficulties because of rising problems in the Middle East." The move to bolster trade in Latin America will hopefully help Turkey close the gap in the following years. In 2014, trade with Latin America was almost $10 billion, although there is still much room for improvement. Mexico was the No. 1 Latin American destination for Turkish exports, while Peru was second. Some of the major exports of Turkey to South America include steel, iron, animal oils, vegetable oils, autos and machinery. The country is also aiming to tap into the Middle Eastern, Central Asian and African markets. The official added that there will certainly be expansion for the Turkish market, although it is not expected to be huge and groundbreaking. When Pam Kaufman's son called home from college just before Thanksgiving and said he needed to see his doctor to check out a cough, she wasn't initially sure if she'd be able to get him an appointment on such short notice. Kaufman, a lead mammography technologist at St. Vincent Healthcare, tried to get him in but had no luck. She'd recently heard about a new video-appointment app the hospital was offering to address non-urgent medical problems and thought they'd give it a try. When all was said and done, they'd met with a certified physician who helped figure everything out at a fraction of the possible cost of a face-to-face visit without having to leave home. "We spent about 10 minutes talking and he said he thought my son had bronchitis and got us a prescription for medication right there," Kaufman said. "He was very thorough. It was so convenient." Called Doctor on Demand, the service lets patients, from the convenience of home, connect with doctors using an app of the same name on a computer, tablet or smartphone. It's a national service with doctors licensed to now serve patients in 14 states after it partnered with St. Vincent Healthcare parent organization SCL Health to bring it to its facilities in Montana and Colorado. "It's a great tool that we can provide the community," said Eric Pollard, St. Vincent director of radiology and virtual health. "It allows patients quick and easy access to a doctor wherever they may be, and it's a simple application." For patients to use the service, they must first download the Doctor On Demand app and fill out their basic information. The app pinpoints a patient's location and connects him or her via video with a doctor certified to practice in the state in which they're located at the time. It's designed to help people with nonemergency medical issues, such as allergies, rashes, bumps, bruises, coughs and other ailments. After a short wait typically just a few minutes the patient chats with a doctor, going over basic info that is usually covered in a traditional face-to-face visit before going into the specific problems the patient wants addressed. The doctors can also write prescriptions for some medications if necessary. Dr. Tania Elliott, Doctor On Demand's New York-based assistant medical director, said appointments are usually allotted about 15 minutes and that hers she said she might see as many as four to six an hour typically last seven to nine minutes. "The average amount of time it takes to get in and see a doctor is four hours," she said. "All of this is done within 15 minutes." Each visit costs a flat fee of $40 about the cost of a typical co-pay. The program is available 24 hours a day and can ease the burden on people looking for basic medical care, Elliott said. They can and will also recommend somebody visit a doctor in person if the need arises. "Were not going to replace the primary care doctor but there are always so many problems with access," she said. "You now have immediate access to a board-certified doctor who can help you. Its kind of a no-brainer." The program, which began in 2013, has about 1,400 doctors involved nationwide, including about 70 who work full time for Doctor On Demand. Pollard said that no St. Vincent doctors are included in those numbers but that the hospital hopes to get some of its physicians involved soon. Part of the appeal to SCL Health was that the program is already established and has worked out many of the details and kinks that would come from starting a similar effort from scratch. "They've already figured a lot of that out, and it really lines up with our mission of access to care," Pollard said. He said that in the first few months since SCL Health rolled out its involvement in late 2015, several hundred people used the service, and he expects that number to grow. People who use it don't have to be patients at an SCL Health facility such as St. Vincent. The program's convenience is one of its major appeals. Pollard said that it's comforting to know that, should one of his own kids develop a cough or feel ill in the middle of the night, he can bring up Doctor On Demand and get some help without having to leave the house. Kaufman noted that the time it saved and the low cost, combined with the privacy of staying home, were the biggest appeals when she used it with her son. "I'd encourage people to use it, to try it out," she said. "It is very nice and very convenient." It's also part of an effort at St. Vincent to incorporate video services into its care. Pollard said there are no fewer than 30 different projects using video in the works, including a telemergency program that can connect the hospital's emergency department with 13 different emergency rooms or health facilities across Montana. "Technology is changing medicine, and there's a lot happening," he said. "We're excited to bring this to the market. It's just one more tool in the many tools that we provide. With everybody so busy today, it's hard to make time to take care of yourself. Well, with this, there's really no excuse." Dulce Candy, the beauty vlogger, made waves after she challenged the presidential candidates with a question about immigration and entrepreneurship. Her real name is Dulce Candy Tejeda Ruiz. Here are five facts about the lady who made a mark at the #GOPDebate. 1. She used to be a soldier. Fox News Latino revealed that in 2006, Dulce joined the U.S. Army and later became a certified generator mechanic. She was assigned at Fort Hood in Texas and was also sent to Baghad, Iraq, where she served as a military driver for 15 months. Candy is experienced in combat, having driven VIPs into the Green Zone under fire several times. She also earned a combat action badge for her efforts. 2. She has a tough background. Dulce, born in 1988, was an illegal immigrant from Michoacan, Mexico. In 1994, her mother brought Dulce and her sisters to the United States illegally to be reunited with her father, who was a farm laborer. She spent most of her childhood living in a trailer park. She also was also a depressed high schooler, admitting that she attempted suicide before. 3. She is now an entrepreneur and writer. Ruiz is currently the CEO of Dulce Candy, Inc., a business dedicated to fashion, beauty and lifestyle. In 2008, she started posting video makeup tutorials on YouTube. She appeared as a Beauty Smartie in Seventeen Magazine a year later and became more serious about her work and digital presence. Dulce provides the content on her website DulceCandy.com, and has also authored a book, titled The Sweet Life. 4. She is a social media sensation. Fox News Latino stated that Dulce has 1 million Instagram followers, 2.6 million YouTube subscribers and close to 250,000 Twitter followers. She has also signed contracts to provide content for companies like LOreal, Macys, Olay, Cover Girl, Kohls and Too Faced. 5. She is a mom and wife. Dulce, who is currently based in Los Angeles, met her husband in Kuwait while they were both serving in the military. They wed in 2011 and currently has a son, Izek, who is three years old. Bustle notes that the difficult question that Dulce asked the candidates in her video was, There are many immigrants who contribute positively to the American economy, but some of the comments in the campaign make us question our place in this country. If America does not seem like a welcoming place for immigrant entrepreneurs, will the American economy suffer? Her statement garnered the praise of several politicians and social media users. In light of the recent peace talks going on between Colombia and US, a recent report from Fox News Latino suggests that one man could be the key to finalize the deal or end any of the talks. Apparently, leftist-rebel Ricardo Palmera is being asked by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that US President Barack Obama release him to finally close the peace deal, the publication reports. According to the news agency, it has been more than a decade since Colombia and the US have been under tension and now, the FARC is asking that the former bank manager, who became a rebel, be released in light of the peace talks. However, the US is currently not moving a muscle to get Palmera out of jail, as he had been convicted to serve 60 years in prison for holding captive three Americans for five whole years, the news agency reports. Furthermore, Palmera was recently visited by Colombian Senator, Ivan Cepada, who's reportedly close to Colombian President Juan Manual Santos and the FARC, the news outlet reports. The meeting was said to be in discussion of Palmera's role in the peace talks between Colombia and the US. The on-going negotiations also comes with Colombia asking for more financial aid from the US, the Miami Herald reports. According to the publication, the US had been giving $300 million a year for aid against crime and poverty. The recent report revealed that Colombia is now asking $500 million a year for 10 years, releasing a new plan called "Plan Colombia 2.0." The plan reportedly includes Colombia's implementation of peace after peace talks will be finalized, the news agency reports. "Even if everybody is on board with these peace agreements, the tricky part is to implement them. To implement them is very costly and difficult," Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue research center in Washington said as quoted by the publication. Since Colombia has shown its potential to be a peaceful nation once again, having a 35-year low in homicides and an enormous decrease in in kidnappings at 90 percent, Colombia can once again rise. However, much funding is needed for further implementations, according to the news outlet. "The support of the United States has allowed Colombia to transform from a failed state -- as it was seen by many 15 years ago -- to the Colombia that is on the verge of achieving lasting peace," Colombian Ambassador Juan Carlos Pinzon said as quoted by the news outlet. Is there a conflict brewing between Colombia and Spain? It seemed that the two Hispanic nations will face a court battle as Colombia's Constitutional Court plans to file a petition demanding Spain to return the 122 pre-Colombian gold ornaments called the Quimbaya treasure. The controversial collection was given by former Colombian President Carlos Holguin to Queen Maria Cristina of Spain in 1893. The gift was presented as a token of gratitude to the monarchy for its role in demarcating Colombia's border with Venezuela, US News noted. Colombia's Ombudsman and Attorney General, however, hoped that the Quimbaya indigenous treasure will be returned to the nation. But its Constitutional Court does not believe that Spain will Spain to return the pre-Colombian artisans' collection, which currently belongs to the Museum of the Americas in Madrid, Spain. Colombia's Foreign Ministry also stressed that there's no possible legal solution that will oblige Spain to return the Quimbaya collection, Latin Correspondent reported. "There is no mechanism that allows Colombia unilaterally and coercively to force the Spanish state to return the pieces that are in Madrid," Deputy Foreign Minister Patti Londono Jaramillo said, as per El Espectador. Attorney Felipe Rincon Salgado, however, insisted that giving the treasure as a gift is a violation of Colombia's rights. He also claimed that his lawsuit was an act of "cultural and historical sovereignty." "We should not be ashamed or shy in claiming our cultural, archaeological and historical heritage, Salgado said. "Peru, Mexico, Egypt and Spain itself have done it, it is a clear theme of identity. We believe that the Kingdom of Spain will return it as it is consent that it is morally the Quimbaya treasure belongs to Colombian heritage." Aside from Salgado, several Colombians consider Holguin's action as national patrimony and are demanding its repatriation under international conventions. Meanwhile, this is not the first time the Quimbaya treasure has been the focal point of legal debate. As a matter of fact, Colombian legal experts have debated for more than 10 years whether the ancient artifacts should be repatriated. In 2006, the Quimbaya case concluded with a ruling that the gift violated the constitutional protections of cultural patrimony in Colombia. The current case, on the other hand, has been before the Constitutional Court since 2012. The Quimbaya civilization was first recorded as early as the 1st century BCE in parts of the Eje Cafetero and Valle del Cauca. According to The City Paper, the earliest Quimbaya were noted for their extraordinary skill in gold working. Unfortunately, the Quimbaya disappeared as a distinct civilization by the 18th century as a result of Spanish colonization and other factors. The illegal transport of archeological goods and artifacts has become increasingly popular as private owners and museums looked to increase their collections. Thus, Colombia recently launched a customs-based campaign thwarting the illegal trafficking of items belonging to the nation's national heritage. In line with the Quimbaya treasure case, Spain's culture ministry and the museum have yet to comment on the issue. Now more than ever, people are eager to explore the world. Wanderlust has become the world's favorite indulgence, seeking new landscapes from every corner of the planet. There is, regrettably, a downside to rising number of tourists visiting the most beautiful places around the globe. According to a report from Associated Press via ABC News, the massive influx of people in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites has resulted in a number of negative effects. Four places in particular bear the brunt of the damage and are now tagged "at risk" sites -- Machu Picchu in Peru, Omori in Japan, Lijiang in China and Mont-Saint Michel in France. Machu Picchu is one of the world's famed destinations. Countless of tourists have treaded the path to this UNESCO World Heritage Site, embarking on a pilgrimage of a lifetime. The overwhelming travelers on the site has reached around 2,500 per day, way more than the 15th century retreat's expected capacity of about 800 people. The swelling number is the root of a lot of problems expected to emerge in the Machu Picchu such as vehicle fumes and the endless foot traffic that could lead to a small-scale earthquake and the consequential collapse of the famed structures. A report from Conde Nast Traveler revealed that both Peru and UNESCO have begun to take measures in protecting the famous site. Hoping to lessen the negative effects of tourism, tourists are required to keep to the three approved hiking routes available, and the number of visitors have been limited to 2,500 daily. Another site that was recently added to the list of places in danger is the town of Omori in Japan. The quiet town boasts a defunct silver mine and very little infrastructure to cater to crowds. However, ABC News revealed that one year after it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2007, a million tourists suddenly rushed in, "rupturing the quiet lifestyle of the unprepared community." Lijiang is another such town: it was inscribed in 1997, developed to be one of China's top domestic tourist destinations and is now facing the risk of losing its local culture and ethnic roots to newcomers eager to profit from the tourist draw. Before being named a World Heritage Site, Lijiang welcomed 150,000 visitors annually. Last year, it had around 16 million. The last destination in the list is Mont-Saint Michel, France. One of the first destinations named a World Heritage Site, the islet remains a huge draw as a pilgrimage destination from the back in the Middle Ages. However, it's not meant to hold huge numbers, especially the 2.8 million visitors it gets every year; Mont-Saint Michel is only 100 hectares with a resident population of 50 people. Venezuela's conservative opposition party is stepping up their efforts to run socialist President Nicolas Maduro out of office. The AFP reports Henry Ramos Allup, the opposition speaker for Venezuelas National Assembly, expressed his feeling that letting Maduro stay in office would be a mistake. "Someone said we should let the government finish its term so it can stew in its own juice, he said. That would be irresponsible." Maduro's authority to carry out policy is set to run until 2019. "I don't want this to last three more years, going from bad to worse," Ramos said. "If you can treat an illness before it kills you, then you obviously apply the treatment." Ramos assured the media that Maduro wound not reach the end of his term. As the AFP reports, one of the ways the opposition is trying to oust Maduro is by investigating rumors that the president is in fact Colombian. If true, this would automatically disqualify Maduro from office. Since the opposition party took majority control of the National Assembly in January, Venezuela has been in a political deadlock, caught between Maduros progressive policies and the right wings desire for immediate political reform. Henrique Capriles, another opposition leader, has called for Maduro to leave office as well. "Either a solution is found here or Venezuelans must consider the way to achieve change," Capriles said. "The time has come for a recall referendum or a constitutional amendment." Maduro hopes to heal his nations economy by persuading oil nations to cut down their production. As Bloomberg reports, Venezuelas Oil Minister Eulogio Del Pino is currently trying to persuade Russia and Saudi Arabia to decrease their oil production as a glut in their supply has negatively effected the oil market for Venezuela. The Washington Post reports oil production in Venezuela went down 25 percent between 1999 and 2013. A new poll shows 2016 presidential candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have a good chance of winning the Iowa caucuses on Monday if they succeed in getting a high turnout of first-time caucusgoers. First-time GOP caucus voters in Iowa have helped Trump rise in the polls in the Hawkeye State, giving him a 7-point lead over second place winner Ted Cruz, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday morning. The poll shows that Trump has 31 percent of support compared to Cruz who has 24 percent. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came in third place with 17 percent, while retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson ranked fourth with 8 percent. The survey also shows that Trump has a commanding lead over Cruz among first-time Iowa voters, as 40 percent say they will support the billionaire businessman, while just 22 percent are standing behind the Texas senator. Likewise, first-time Democratic caucusgoers have boosted Sanders' ranking in Iowa polls. The Quinnipiac survey found the Vermont senator with a 3-point lead over Hillary Clinton, 49 to 46 percent. Meanwhile, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley gained just 3 percent of support. Sanders' support soared to a 27-point lead over the Democratic front-runner among first-time voters: 62 to 35 percent. On the other hand, Clinton holds a 9-point lead among those who have caucused before in the Quinnipiac survey, which was conducted from Jan. 25 to Jan. 31. "The size of the turnout tonight will likely be the key factor, especially on the Democratic side," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, in a statement. "High turnouts with lots of new caucus participants likely would mean a good night for Sen. Bernie Sanders, and for Donald Trump." A recent poll by Emerson College shows Trump on top of the Republican field with 27 percent support from Hawkeye State Republican voters. Cruz followed closely at 26 percent while Rubio has 22 percent. Among Democrats, Clinton led Sanders 51 to 43 percent in the Emerson College poll conducted between Friday and Sunday. While critical in the party contests to pick presidential nominees, Iowa is not known for its Latino community. But some three percent of the Hawkeye State's voters are, in fact, Hispanic, and could potentially make a difference in the close races expected in the Feb. 1 caucuses. Latinos have become a key demographic in national races, and their influence has also grown in Iowa, according to a report by the Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies at the City University of New York. In 1990, just 1 percent of Iowa's voting population was Hispanic, a figure that has now grown to 3.1 percent. Majority of Latinos registered to vote in Iowa Meanwhile, the study estimates that about 58 percent of Latinos in Iowa are registered to vote, a number that has remained virtually even in the two decades between 1992 and 2012. The vast majority of Hispanic residents of Iowa, some 80 percent, is of Mexican descent, while smaller numbers of Latinos in Iowa claim Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Cuban and Dominican ancestry. Wherever their families may originally hail from, their votes will be closely watched on Feb. 1, Laird Bergad, who led the research in the study, told CNN. "It's quite ironic that there's a very small percentage of Latinos who may very well decide the outcome of the 2016 election," Bergad said, noting that Hispanics could also decide races in other battleground states such as Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and even New Hampshire -- the site of the first-in-the-nation primary on Feb. 9. Latino voters in Iowa 'participate wholeheartedly,' activist says To make their voices heard, meanwhile, Latino voters in the United States should take their right to cast their ballots very seriously, noted Maria Bribriesco, the deputy director in Iowa for the League of United Latin Americans. "The people that participate, participate wholeheartedly," Bribriesco said about Hispanics in the Hawkeye state. "When the population is energized and they bring out new voters, that is when that candidate will win Iowa." Cuba's state-run telecommunications company ETECSA announced on Jan. 31 that it is launching a pilot project to allow everyday citizens to order broadband Internet for their homes, a service until now only available to foreign executives. ETECSA said it would cooperate with Chinese telecom operator Huawei to expand the island's fiber optic connections but prices would be announced in the future, CBS News reported. Still, the step is being hailed as a milestone in what the Verge has called one of the world's least connected countries. Cuban Authorities Slowly Recognize Value of Internet Beyond individual homes, cafes, bars and restaurants will also be allowed to order broadband service under the program. So far, common Cubans could only rely on antiquated dial-up connections or mobile plans to access state-run web services, in part because the fiber-optic access available to diplomats or employees of foreign companies had been restricted and prohibitively priced. But the communist authorities in Havana, which like other autocratic governments have long been weary of the free exchange of views made possible by the Internet, now also seem to recognize the opportunities the Web could bring to the nation, a Jan. 26 Granma article suggested. The Internet could "help us generate spaces for collective thinking between Latin Americans because it shortens physical distances," the mouthpiece of the Communist Party argued. U.S. Pushes New Submarine Cable for Island Meanwhile, the U.S. government has suggested Cuban officials might be interested in a new submarine cable between Miami and Havana that would help improve the country's communications infrastructure, Agence France-Presse reported. Daniel Sepulveda, a deputy assistant secretary and coordinator for international communications and information policy at the State Department, told the newswire that U.S. and Cuban officials were actively engaged in discussions on the topic. "We are incentivizing two things - analysis and favorable perspectives of a submarine Internet cable between Miami and Havana," Sepulveda told AFP. "And there are various proposals to the Cuban government to do that." Over the weekend, President Obama announced he was pledging $4 billion in funding to boost computer science education in the nation's schools as part of the Computer Science for All Initiative. The initiative proposes that the Department of Education divides the $4 billion in federal funds over the next three years to states that produce solid five-year plans to increase the amount of access kids have to computer science classes. The White House outlined the initiative in more detail, including a $100 million starting fund directly going to school districts in Obama's forthcoming budget for the year, intended to increase computer science (CS) training teachers' access to K-12 kids and to begin building the kind of curriculum and partnerships needed to boost early STEM education. "The funding will allow more states and districts to offer hands-on CS courses across all of their public high schools, get students involved early by creating high-quality CS learning opportunities in elementary and middle schools, expand overall access to rigorous science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) coursework," explained the White House's fact sheet, "and ensure all students have the chance to participate, including girls and underrepresented minorities." The initiative is attempting to fix a couple major problems in Silicon Valley and the pipeline that supplies the technology industry talent. First, Silicon Valley infamously has a problem with diversity, with the majority of major companies employing mostly white men. The root of the problem, as the White House put it, is that "access to CS education is limited and wide disparities exist even for those who do have access to these courses. For example, in the fewer than 15 percent of all high schools that offer any Advanced Placement (AP) CS courses in 2015, only 22 percent of those who took the exam were girls, and only 13 percent were African-American or Latino students." The White House is betting that building STEM coursework into public schools at such an early stage will expose more underrepresented minorities and girls to careers in technology, expanding the talent pool from which tech companies pull from. Secondly, Silicon Valley has a dearth of qualified applicants in the U.S. to pull from, especially when comparing current students in STEM fields with the projected future growth of the tech industry. According to Wired, only a fourth of K-12 schools offer hands-on coding classes in the U.S., while only 28 states include CS classes that count as credit towards graduation. But at the same time, jobs in that field are projected to grow at twice the rate of the general job market, leading to a shortfall of about 1 million qualified STEM graduates to fill positions expected to be open by 2020. Last year, there were 600,000 tech jobs open in the U.S., and the Federal government alone needs an additional 10,000 IT and cybersecurity positions to be filled this year. The $4 billion total in federal funding will be supplemented with donations from some of the largest technology companies in Silicon Valley. The White House announced that a diverse range of companies has pledged more than $60 million in new philanthropic investments, including Salesforce.org, Cartoon Network, and Google. Microsoft has also announced a fifty-state campaign to help expand access to computer science coursework, while Code.org will offer 25,000 additional teachers training in CS materials. Apple, Facebook, and others have also pledged support. "Our economy is rapidly shifting," cautioned the White House, "and educators and business leaders are increasingly recognizing that CS is a 'new basic' skill necessary for economic opportunity and social mobility." Justice Secretary Michael Gove announced another U-turn scrapping major cuts to England's criminal legal aid system. This is considered by many as another blatant humiliation to his predecessor Chris Grayling. According to The Guardian, Grove suspended legal aid fees meant or duty criminal solicitors representing suspects in police stations, as well as magistrate courts. The new U-turn will also cut legal aid fees by 8.75 percent. The Conservative minister will also abandon the contract-tendering process that would limit the number of law firms allowed to conduct duty legal work. These reforms, which are now reversed by Gove were all initiated by the previous justice secretary, Grayling. The Huffington Post reported that Gove rejected the creation of a "two-tier" contract system for cases that involves criminal legal aid, which are government funds that supports legal advice or representation for suspects of crimes. The significant cut is from 1,600 to 527. In a report by the Independent, Gove gave 99 different legal challenges to justify his reasons for the U-turn. He said, "By not pressing ahead with dual contracting, and suspending the fee cut, at this stage we will, I hope, make it easier in all circumstances for litigators to instruct the best advocates, enhancing the quality of representation in our courts." The reversal to Grayling's legal aid system made lawyers angry. Some claim it would make it harder for poorer people to gain access to justice. Labour agreed to this concern saying it would leave a lot of people without adequate legal representation. Some law firms are concerned that limiting the number of "dual contracts" would only make the market lose its diversity and make it less competitive. The alternative for the legal aid system is the extension of existing duty legal aid contracts and the creation of an advisory council made up of solicitors and barristers to help reduce "unnecessary bureaucratic costs, eliminate waste, and end continuing abuses within the current legal aid system." When the state health department presented a study on the leading causes of death and disability in Montana, an asterisk appeared beneath most of the charts. American Indian mortality rates (are) statistically significantly higher than white mortality rates, read the small-print notes about deaths from cardiovascular diseases, cancers, respiratory illnesses, vehicle injuries, suicides and homicides. Many of the health disparities detailed by the 2013 study had long been documented, but one paragraph of the 35-page report stated the consequences so bluntly that it triggered an unprecedented collaboration between tribal and state governments. White men in Montana lived 19 years longer than American Indian men, and white women lived 20 years longer than American Indian women, according to the report. Were losing a whole generation, said Kevin Howlett, director of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health Department. The Department of Public Health and Human Services had identified strategies to target the leading causes of death in the state, but they were not tailored to serve American Indians, on or off the state's seven reservations. Tribal leaders and health directors came together, asked for a meeting with the governor and asked two questions at the August 2014 meeting: What is the state going to do to address that? Will Montana establish a new Office of American Indian Health to collaborate with tribes on solutions? That became the springboard for where we are now, said Lesa Evers, tribal relations manager for the department, who previously served as the governors tribal liaison. On Monday, the department will post the description for a new position tasked with crafting practical plans for carrying out the vision outlined by tribes that lead Gov. Steve Bullock to issue an executive order in June. The new director of American Indian Health will coordinate with Montanas tribal governments and urban Indian centers to better identify the causes of health inequities and develop strategies to reverse them, which could include new protocols or training, developing new services and education initiatives or providing technical assistance to tribes on accessing state health programs, among other possibilities. Other states with large American Indian populations, such as Alaska and Oklahoma, have created similar programs. Additionally, public health officials nationwide have grown more interested in targeting outreach and treatment strategies within disproportionately affected minority communities. Several pilot projects were spurred, in part by federal Medicaid expansion waivers and related funding offered under the Affordable Care Act. While hopeful about the collaborations that could result from the new position, Crow Tribal Health Director Todd Wilson said improving health outcomes will be difficult because the causes of health disparities in Indian Country are pretty complicated. Evers agreed, noting that the way health care is delivered in Indian Country is very different from the other parts of the state. The federal government provides health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives through the Indian Health Service, established to fulfill the nations trust responsibility created in treaties with tribes who gave up their land during the formation of the United States. For decades, tribes have argued IHS is underfunded and understaffed, noting incorrect diagnoses, the high rates at which referral care is denied and the rationing of health services based on available funds. Because of the federal sequester, many Montana IHS clinics have operated at priority one status for years, funding only the most urgent and serious care. That limited access to preventive care also often results in the late diagnosis of serious illnesses, such as cancer. Few tribes have opted for self-governance of health services, which provides more administrative freedom but also requires additional expertise and funding strategies. Access to health care is not just limited to IHS services. About two-thirds of Montanas American Indians live in rural counties considered by the state to be medically underserved with few hospitals and fewer specialists. Residents of tribal communities also are less likely to have insurance coverage even though the Affordable Care Act offers them year-round enrollment. Poverty rates are higher, meaning many cannot afford care outside the IHS system even if they sought it. Something as simple as proximity to a grocery store with healthy food options remains a barrier, health directors said. Rosemary Cree Medicine, Blackfeet tribal health director, said the collaborative work between tribes and the state could take years to result in improved health outcomes, but must begin now because the cost of delays too often premature death is too high. Theres a better way, she said. The Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa, stated on Friday that he welcomes European authorities' concerns about his government's financial plan for this year. However, he also emphasized that he will not fail his countrymen about his commitment on ending austerity in the country. Antonio Costa, a Parliamentalist, told that his government will be "constructive" throughout the negotiation with the European officials. Together with his staff, he promised that they will "stay faithful" about his commitment on switching the government's focal point from lessening debt to economic augmentation and job foundation. According to the report of CNBC, European authorities asked the Portugal government to avoid spending too much. The goal is to cut the the debt burden pushed Portugese government to request a seventy eight billion-euro ($85 billion) bailout in 2011. In response for the money which thwarted the country's bankruptcy, Portugal government had to perform a series of spending cuts and tax enlargement that evaluated the economy and pushed unemployment higher. Despite the fact that the bailout ended in 2014, the past center-right administration persisted with the severity as Portugal is unmoving when it comes to its towering debts. Disillusion with that austerity was a solution voter apprehension in a election last October. Subsequent to the election, Costa's Socialists were able to form a minority government that depends on the support coming from the Communists party and Radical Left Bloc. They are notifying Costa against stooping to Brussels' demands. Those labor groups that are close to the Communist party also kept up the demands on Costa with their first strike since the government took over the power. The strike was component of a larger protest to regain the labor privileges that was taken away after the bailout, ABC News reports. Based on the report of Star Herald, there is an umbrella group that represents more than 600,000 workers demanding to bring back the usual working hours of the workers from 35-hour working week, down from the current 40 hours. Some nurses and school administrators reportedly joined the 24-hour strike. However, according to media reports from around the country, there are also some school administratives and clerical workers who chose to stay away from the protest. War of words took place between the two countries, Turkey and Russia, as once again the latter has been accused of violating the set airspace with their warplane. Turkey has been contacting the Russian government regarding this report and said that there would be dire consequences. Moreover, Russia released their statements claiming that this is just a proof-less propaganda from the Turkey. Turkey and Russia is on the hot topic as their issue of violating airspace has escalated again after November 2015 incident. According to BBC, now that the Turkey government has stated that Russia is intruding their airspace, the countries would have to face consequences if these infringements continues. The Turkish foreign ministry have said that Russian SU-34 jet after it crossed the airspace at 11:46pm local time on Friday and heeding warnings made in Russian and English languages. After the event, Russian ambassador in Ankara has been summoned and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan have informed the media that Russia will be facing consequences. He added that these are irresponsible steps that will cause harm than benefit. In the side of the Russians, the RT reported that Moscow has denied the accusations regarding the Russian SU-34 bomber incident. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Iror Konashenkov said that the statements from the Turkish side are merely proof-less propaganda. He even added that the airspace controlling radar stations in Turkey cannot determine the type and state affiliation of a fighter plane and would only have the speed, altitude and flight line. Further, he concluded that to know which country does an aerial vehicle affiliates, a visual contact should be done. Konashenkov said that personnel who claimed that Russian pilots were warned in English and Russian languages are "ignorant propagandists who watched too many Hollywood action movies." In light of this issue, it should be noted that there has been a previous instance that escalated the tension according to CNN. Last November 2015, Turkey's military shot down a Russian aerial vehicle after it ignored the warnings sent during entering the country's airspace. A Russian was killed in the process and Moscow stated that there has been no warnings given to the crew before F-16 busted the vehicle. After the incident, Russia imposed a series of economic sanctions to Turkey. Russia and Turkey are now in war of words after another incident involving a fighter plane have been spotted by the Turks entering their airspace and heeding any warning from them. Russia's fighter planes are being flown over Syria to help the government in fighting ISIS. Turks have stated that if these infringements continued, serious consequences will follow. Moscow busted out this report as merely a propaganda coming from the Turkey. Syrian has expressed its desire to bar two militant groups from attending the United Nations-sponsored peace talks in Geneva. The two groups, Ahrar Al-Sham and the Army of Islam, have been fighting to overthrow the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. President Bashar Assad's administration is reportedly hesitant to accept the removal of Ahrar Al-Sham and the Army of Islam's removal from the list of terrorist organizations prohibited from attending the peace talks in Geneva, which will focus on coming up on an agreeable solution to the worsening Syrian conflict. The multiparty meetings in Geneva are the realization of last month's UN resolution that envisions a timetable running for 18 months that will see to the political transition in Syria. It also outlines the drafting of a new constitution as well election of new officials. Jordan was tasked by the United Nations Security Council through a resolution to compile an agreed list of terrorist organization that should be barred from participating in the peace negotiations. Arab News reported that while the ultraconservative Ahrar Al-Sham is not part of the delegates set to be sent to Geneva, the team will have Army of Islam official Mohammed Alloush as its chief negotiator. Syria and its close ally Russia are of the same view that both militant groups are extremists. Opposition groups also share the same view that both groups are considered as rebels although they do not believe the same ideologies. According to TASS, Moscow is adamant that Ahrar Al-Sham and Jaish Al-Islam be excluded from the Syria peace talks. Russia Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Friday that it would be difficult to have terrorist organizations join the talks. "It is necessary to paraphrase the question of 'what's Russia's attitude' and readdress it to other members of the world community asking what's their attitude to the inclusion of terrorist organizations [in peace talks]," Zakharova said. "Terrorist organizations should not participate in the negotiations. If we talk about the fight against terrorism, it should be built on common principles without double standards and without dividing terrorists into 'good' and 'bad'." Syrian Information Minister Omar Al-Zoubi also said on state TV Saturday that the Syrian government "will neither sit down directly with terrorists, nor have dialogue with them." A group representing Syria's main opposition group arrived in Geneva on Saturday. The group is demanding for Assad's compliance with a UN resolution on allowing humanitarian aid into the country as well as the monitoring of human rights. "We are keen to make this negotiation a success," opposition spokesperson Salim al-Msulat told Reuters. Meanwhile, the recent Damascus blast on Sunday that killed fifty people has set a more intense atmosphere for the peace talks, which is set to begin on Monday. Twenty-two members of the Mexico Sinaloa cartel have been arrested, and two others have been killed in Mexico. According to the US and Mexican authorities, this happened after a raid near US-Mexico border where they were able to apprehend assault-type weapons. According to Reuters, during the arrest, the suspects were able to open fire on the authorities. They surrounded a building outside a town in Mexico where they run drugs and migrant smuggling activity operation. According to the authorities, this operation was a big blow to the cartel after their leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman with the help of Washington was arrested after a violent stand off last month. The operation which was called "Mexican Operation Diablo Express" was directed to capture high-level members of the cartel. According to ICE spokeswoman Gillian Christensen, the operation was carried out with outmost confidentiality to maintain the element of surprise as well keep the authorities safe. During the operation, the authorities nabbed 250 kilograms of marijuana, 18 guns plus 15 assault rifles. The Sinaloa cartel, which was operating around Sonoyta has smuggled millions of pounds of illegal drugs, millions of cash across the two countries. These gangs have been known to work with and pay migrants to smuggle small amounts of drugs across the border. They use the underground tunnels and cargo shipments to move larger amounts of drugs in the US. It is in the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, a vast wilderness in Arizona which is known as a soft point for this illegal migrants to enter the border. The cooperation between the US and Mexico has been having been solid in capturing these cartels which are responsible for sneaking in billions of dollars of illegal drugs across the border every year. The lack of extreme security across the US-Mexico border has been a hot issue during the US presidential race. Donald Trump has proposed to construct a wall along the entire length of the border. French President Francois Hollande has spared the remaining prison time to be spent behind bars for a woman convicted of killing her abusive husband. He has pardoned her from her crimes. The woman was identified as Jacqueline Sauvage who was victimized by her husband for decades, Boston Globe reported. However, for the case of Sauvage, it was not an outright pardon as the president's office said that Hollande has allowed her to immediately seek conditional freedom. As per the French Constitution, they allow a president to pardon a convict or reduce one's prison sentence. Global News reported that there has been a lot of support for Sauvage, now 68, and that the decision came two days after the three daughters of the woman met with the president. Sauvage was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of her husband back in 2012. Her husband reportedly beat and abused her for less than 50 years and her daughters also had the same fate. She was convicted last December. The president's office added in their statement: "In the face of an exceptional human situation, the president wanted to make it possible for Madame Sauvage to quickly return to her family while respecting judicial authorities." As per the daughters' explanations, they lived their lives with violence including sexual abuse and they were too humiliated to ask for help. Eventually, Sauvage shot her husband with a rifle. The husband, identified as Norbert Marot, was a violent alcoholic who also abused their son. Accordingly, the shooting of Marot came a day after their son hung himself, France 24 reported. The case has had support from women's groups, politicians, and others. A petition was even signed by thousands of supporters. Eva Darlan, a founder of an advocacy group supporting Sauvage's cause, said that she is overwhelmed, happy, grateful, and relieved for the woman. A manhunt operation is ongoing in Tanzania after a British helicopter pilot was killed and a safari guide was injured during a search after they were hit by poachers from the ground. Five people have been arrested but authorities are looking for the perpetrators in the incident. As reported by the Evening Standard, the 37-year-old Roger Gower died poachers shot the helicopter he was in with a AK-47 rifle from the ground. He had a companion while searching for the poachers in Maswa Game Reserve on Friday, but his companion was able to survive and is currently being treated for minor injuries and shock. Gower's mission in the Reserve was part of collaboration between Friedkin Conservation Fund and the Tanzanian government as response to the "industrial-scale" poaching that has occurred in recent years. According to Reuters, the joint effort was due to the rapid decrease of elephant population in Tanzania with reports declaring 110,000 elephants in 2009 down to a little over 43,000 in 2014. The harm inflicted to the elephant population is due to the increasing demand of ivory in Asia especially in China and Vietnam where they are turned into jewellery and ornaments. Poaching has affected the wildlife population of Saharan Africa. Gower and a safari tour guide, Nicky Bester, went for a search after a report reached them about shots fired in the bush 12 miles from their base. According to The Guardian, the bullets passed through the helicopter's floor, hit Gower in the leg and in the shoulder before it exited to the roof. Gower succeeded in lowering the helicopter into a tree which prevented a potential explosion and enabled Bester to jump and hide to safety. Bester was able to seek for help through his satellite phone, radio, and GPS, however it was not enough to save Gower. "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," Friedkin Conservation Fund president Dan Friedkin said in a statement. "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." Sympathy for Gower's death has also flooded in from his friends, former colleagues, and those who know Gower through social media. Gower's brother, Max, has also started a fund-raiser aiming to reach 50,000 to give to the anti-poaching efforts in Tanzania through the JustGiving website. A news conference announcing that the Montana commissioner of political practices has cleared the offices complaint backlog didnt draw much of a crowd last week in Helena. An Associated Press reporter, one TV station and a Gazette editorial writer listening by phone heard that with two decisions issued Thursday, the complaint docket was clear for the first time since 1998. That really is big news good news for Montana voters. It means, Commissioner Jonathan Motl said, that complaints filed in this election year will be investigated and resolved before the election period ends. Its often said that justice delayed is justice denied. Thats especially true of election complaints. In the past, complaints often werent resolved for years after the election. So voters cast their ballots without the information about whether a complaint was substantiated or not. Speedier resolutions Motl predicted that speedier resolutions may reduce the number of future complaints. In the past, subsequent complaints about the same conduct were filed because prior complaints had not yet been resolved. In the past, individuals sometimes filed complaints just so they could say their opponent was being investigated by the COPP secure in the knowledge that the facts wouldnt be sorted out till after the election. My prediction is were going to have fewer. I think it will discourage frivolous complaints because they will be decided quickly, Motl said. Including Motl, the COPP office has only seven employees. Fortunately for Montana citizens, this small staff works hard and has significant experience. Mary Baker has been in the office for 18 years. The office has issued 286 decisions since 1998, including 144 since Motl became COPP in June 2013. Give Motl credit for tremendously improving the timeliness of decisions. He said the additions of investigator Vanessa Sanddal and staff attorney Jaime MacNaughton were crucial to speedier resolutions. He also praised Baker and the rest of the staff members who work with campaign finance reports. Disclose Act Along with greater efficiency in the COPP office, the new campaign law enacted last year will make political spending more accountable and transparent. The old law left a lot for self-determination," Motl said. The new Disclose Act makes clear that all political spending within 90 days of an election must be reported, even if its called issue advocacy." The Disclose Act, championed by Sen. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip, and Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, also mandates an additional campaign finance report to be filed 35 days before the election, so early voters will have an update on who is spending how much before they cast their ballots. Candidates and committees still have to file another update 12 days before the election. The new law requires that all statewide and district office seekers file their reports electronically with the COPP. That means citizens can go to the COPP website and see the reports immediately after they are filed. The filing system will allow citizens to search reports quickly. The result will be a significant increase in transparency. Montanans who want to know who is funding a campaign can find out more easily than ever before. Motl concluded his news conference by saying: I hope campaigns are fair and positive for the people of Montana. We share that hope in large part because of the COPPs dedication and the greater accountability required in the Disclose Act. Downtown development groups across the state are bracing themselves as their projects, discussed and planned during a boom, are now confronting the realities of a bust. Fundraising might be harder, some project leaders say. But the economic slowdown also comes with a silver lining: lower construction costs. Thats kind of a double-edged sword, said Kevin Hawley, the executive director of Caspers Downtown Development Authority. Its not good for our economy. Id rather have our friends and neighbors working. A facade easement project is underway in Rawlins for more than half of the citys downtown properties. The citys DDA/Main Street Executive Director Pam Thayer said that the two-year project will allow the downtown to look stronger and better when Wyomings economy improves. There are projects and celebrations the Rawlins DDA had planned for the future, but Thayer said that the next few years would be challenging and that group would have to tighten our belts in the current economy. Rawlins DDA Main Street is aware of the economy of the state and local municipalities' financial environment, Thayer said. Were just being very cognizant of what were doing with public funds. Around the state capital, the Cheyenne DDA is working on some smaller projects this year. There are plans for a pair of comic book murals to be painted, as well as the start of a bike share program later this spring. At this point we're not concerned, but that doesnt necessarily mean were not careful, said Desiree Brothe, program manager for the Cheyenne DDA. The Wyoming Business Council awards grants that can help defray the costs of downtown projects. Julie Kozlowski, Business Ready Community/Community Facilities Grant and Loan Programs manager, said some projects are moving slower than anticipated. Others are moving more quickly because construction crews are available and offering lower bids. Kozlowski said the projects that receive money typically have enough of their own funding in place that its a reasonable project. We like to see projects that are complete and ready to move ahead, she said. The Wyoming Business Council awarded $500,000 in grant money toward Caspers downtown plaza last year. Hawley said the DDA will likely approach the Wyoming Business Council about another grant later this year. Caspers DDA still has to raise around $2 million to cover the costs of construction, which has yet to begin, for the David Street Station. While there are other, smaller projects in the future the group may work on, like signage, gateways and other beautification, those projects arent nearly as complex or as costly. If fundraising falls short, Hawley said theres always the worst case scenario of taking away some features and completing them later, after the plaza is constructed. You can always be worried about it, he said. But we just always have a plan B, a plan C and adjust accordingly. Feb 1, 2016, 10:00am ET Preparing direct-sales fight, Tesla applies for Michigan dealer license The California-based company has faced strong resistance in the Big Three\'s back yard. Tesla Motors has reportedly applied for a dealer license in Michigan, potentially sparking a legal battle in the Detroit Big Three's home turf. Governor Rick Snyder last year declined to veto legislation that would explicitly prohibit the California-based automaker from selling vehicles directly to consumers in the state. The company had accused a state senator of slipping language into an unrelated bill to ensure that all automakers -- not just franchisors -- can't sell vehicles to customers. The Michigan Secretary of State Office received the application in November and plans to make a decision "in the next month or two," an agency spokesman told The Detroit News. The move appears to mirror the fight in New Jersey, where dealer lobbyists last year pressured Governor Chris Christie and the state DMV to revoke Tesla's retail licenses. The company responded with its own successful lobbying effort, resulting in new legislation that approved direct sales for automakers that do not have franchise networks. Tesla has generally emerged victorious in its state-by-state battle over direct sales, receiving bipartisan support in most cases. Federal Trade Commission officials have also chimed in, arguing that restrictive laws are 'bad policy' that do not benefit consumers. The situation will be closely watched in Michigan as Tesla attempts to take on the particularly strong influence of established automakers. General Motors has been the strongest opposition voice among the Big Three, arguing that all automakers should have to follow "the same rules" in the marketplace. "The benefit of a nationwide network of thousands of dealerships is that General Motors customers never have to worry about driving to another state to buy, service or support their vehicles," GM recently said in a statement. GM's comments have been derided as disingenuous, as antiquated laws are the only obstacle Tesla faces in attempting to build a nationwide network of showrooms and service centers. Tesla has not yet publicly commented on its latest push to establish a sales presence in Michigan. CASPER, Wyo. More than $500,000 in insurance claims have been filed against the city of Casper stemming from Octobers Cole Creek Fire, which began at the municipal landfill. While losses from the fire are in the millions, and more claims are anticipated, the citys liability is capped at $500,000 under the states Governmental Claims Act. There have been at least 10 claims filed so far, with the two largest being one for $200,860 from rancher Mary Strand for burned fence and loss of pasture and a $151,560 claim by homeowner Stan Mundy for a destroyed shop building and vintage vehicles. Strand said the fire has already cost her $30,000 to replace enough fence to get by for the time being. She's frustrated by the lack of communication from the city. The city was liable theres no way they can tell me they werent and so therefore I feel that they should be trying to work things out to try to make this a little easier on us, Strand said. Especially like on a ranch, where you have absolutely no insurance whatsoever you do on your structures, but you dont on grassland and fences and thats what they dont seem to understand. The city has turned over the claims to its insurer, the Wyoming Association of Risk Management, a self-insurance pool of Wyoming communities and counties. Casper officials referred all questions on the claims to the risk management association, whose director, Joe Constantino, declined to comment. One of the key issues to be resolved is the extent of the citys liability for the fire. The state fire marshal concluded the wildfire began with sparks from a wood chipper that ignited a large slash pile at the dump. The report did not delve into whether the fire was the result of negligence or simply an accident, or even if it was the citys fault at all. Those questions may have to be resolved in the courts. Another issue will be who gets paid, and how much, once the $500,000 limit is reached. It will likely be a lengthy process. Under the Governmental Claims Act, people have up to two years to file a claim, and it may take that long to know the total amount of damages being sought by fire victims. Bob Brechtel, a former Wyoming lawmaker, filed a $20,000 claim for the loss of some 200 commercial trees, a bucket truck and other equipment. We have a little arborist business, or did have, and essentially all of our equipment got burned, Brechtel said. We carried liability insurance, in case we ever dropped a branch on somebodys roof or something, of $1 million, but we did not have fire insurance on our lawn equipment ... we just thought that it was only fair that the city be aware that they basically burned us out of business. Meanwhile, Kendell Kroeker, whose house burned to the ground, said he was not going to file a claim against the city. "I think our insurance company has taken very good care of us, so I feel like our losses were taking care of," Kroeker said. "I don't want to take away from some of the people who truly need it and didn't have any insurance coverage." Mayor Daniel Sandoval said he could understand if people were frustrated, but the city is bound by the governmental process. The matter is in the hands of the Wyoming Association of Risk Management, he noted. They have to make the determination, and ultimately that process will decide, Sandoval said. Legally the questions are not even answered yet as to liability, so we cant comment on that; also, our limit is $500,000, and thats set by state statute, and city is an arm of the state of Wyoming, so there is really nothing we can do, and this will just have to play out. I understand the frustration of people, Sandoval added. I know that if you have livestock, and your fences cost $65,000, those fences are your bread and butter I understand that and I also know that property owners have a responsibility to insure their property, and we are bound by procedure. Meanwhile, the Natrona County Commissioners recently heard from the Cole Creek Fire Organization, which was formed out of the first community meetings after the fire, when it became apparent long-term recovery assistance would be needed. Whether it is rebuilding a fence, or a barn, or a shed ... were trying to help the ones that didnt have coverage. Were doing anything we can with our neighbors out there to help them establish their new normalcy, is what we call it. Its very important for us to get the word out, who we are, because we need resources, CCFRO Chairman Rae Smith told the commission. The group has been assisting people with claims and land damage issues, while coordinating donations such as food, furniture, clothing and housing. All financial contributions have been directed to Casper-based nonprofit Serve Wyoming. No money passes through our hands. Everything weve done from day one has been our own, whether its gas, paperwork to print we funded a lot of things ourselves. We have no money that comes to our organization, said CCFRO secretary Brittney Kotunok. Serve Wyoming is only for the families every fundraiser, everything thats happened, will go to the families. Thats what we want. The organization is also optimistic that a Mennonite-related service organization, known for its tradition of construction skills, will be coming to Casper in March or April to also help people rebuild. Two Wyoming coroners next month plan to employ a rarely used law that allows them to call jurors to determine what led to someones death. Natrona County District Attorney Michael Blonigen called coroners inquests antiquated and said coroners rarely use them now due to advances in forensic pathology. However, coroners in Laramie and Carbon counties said theyre going to convene jurors to help them look into separate cases, each involving the death of a child and woman. I think a common misconception is that the autopsy will be a tell-all, and its not, said Carbon County Coroner Paul Zamora. Even that can be inconclusive. Theres a lot of investigative work that goes into this, and with the inquest, the public will be able to see that. Zamora said earlier this month he plans to hold a coroner's inquest that will examine the death of a woman who caught fire while working at a Rawlins bar. The woman, 47-year-old Denise King Martinez, died in November, days after the incident at the County Six Bar, which she owned. An autopsy confirmed Martinez died from thermal injuries, but authorities are still unsure how she caught fire, Zamora said. The coroner said its been many years since Carbon County held a coroners inquest. Zamora is conducting one for this case because of the large volume of evidence involved and the public interest in Martinezs death. He has not set a date for the inquest because hes waiting for evidence to be returned from the states crime lab. Laramie County Coroner Ron Sargent announced last week he will convene a coroners inquest next week concerning the death of a child. Sargent declined to release any information about when and where the child died. Considering the number of cases we work annually, (coroners inquests are) rare, but its not uncommon to get to the point where you need a coroners inquest to determine the cause and manner, Sargent said. Laramie County last held a coroners inquest in 2012. It involved a teenager who died from a gunshot wound to his head, according to Star-Tribune archives. The states most recent coroners inquest was held in Fremont County last year. The case involved a woman whose body was found in a field near Arapahoe. Jurors ruled her death was accidental, according to the Riverton Ranger. Sargent declined to say why, specifically, hes holding an inquest in the case of the child. The inquest will take place 9 a.m. Feb. 9 in the Laramie County Commissioners boardroom. According to Wyoming statute, a coroner may call an inquest to aid in his or her investigation into someones death. Coroners are allowed to choose three jurors of their liking, as long as they are citizens of the county. Then, people connected to the case, such as police officers and detectives, family members and other witnesses, are summoned to testify in front of the jurors. The county or district attorney questions the witnesses. The jurors are also tasked with reviewing documents related to the case, such as autopsy, toxicology and police reports. The purpose of it is to get somebody from the community to sit down, look at all the evidence thats been compiled and make a ruling on it, Sargent said. Coroners inquests are open to the public and recorded by a court reporter. However, testimony at the inquest is not permitted in future civil or criminal proceedings. Blonigen said inquests establish what is listed on the persons death certificate. While the inquests are meant to determine the manner in which someone died -- such as accident, natural or homicide -- jurors do not determine who killed the person, if a homicide took place. The district attorney said he questions the value of coroners inquests. I dont see how they could answer the questions any better than a good investigation into pathology could do, he said. Zamora, however, believes the jurors will be able to piece together all the evidence involved in Martinezs case. I have no doubt that theyll be able to come up with a sound conclusion, he said. Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe today to get the latest headlines straight to your inbox with our free email updates The proportion of Muslims living in Leicester has risen to 20 per cent, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), with the overall figure in the UK topping three million for the first time. Leicester ranks above Manchester (18 per cent), but below the likes of Blackburn (29 per cent), Slough (26 per cent), Luton (25.7 per cent) while the total is 23 per cent in Birmingham. In East London borough Tower Hamlets, 45.6 per cent of the population are Muslim. In Leicester, the most recent census which was carried out in 2011, showed that 19 per cent of the city's community were Muslim and it's expected that when the next survey is due in 2021, that figure will have increased in-line with the latest ONS figures and continued immigration and birth rates. More than half the three million Muslims that are currently living in Britain, were born away from these shores, with one in four children under 10 years of age also being born abroad. The stats revealed that there are currently 3,114,992 Muslims living in the UK of which 1,554022 born outside of the country making up 5.4 per cent of England and Wales' population. As part of the 2011 census, findings based on data supplied by the public showed that white Britons were in the minority in Leicester for the first time, with more than 50 per cent claiming to be either foreign or from an ethnic minority. The original version of this article incorrectly stated that the ONS reported that nearly half the population of London were Muslim. This part of the article has now been removed. Portlaoise antique and architectural salvage store, The Store Yard claim an increase in sales is marking the end of the recession. Portlaoise antique and architectural salvage store, The Store Yard claim an increase in sales is marking the end of the recession. The shop in Kea Lew Business Park supplies film sets, pubs, restaurants and private buyers with unusual and eclectic antiques, last weekend kitting out the VIP area of the Electric Picnic. Following nominations by customers, it has been shortlisted in The Irish Times Best Shops in Ireland competition, the only one in Laois to make it to the final. Owned by antiques dealer David Keane, The Store Yard is one of eight in the Best Day Out category, one of 100 shops nationwide chosen out of 2,700 nominated. The business opened in 2010 part time, and now opens six days a week with 20 staff, and Imelda Tynans restaurant on site. Interior designer Evelyn Egan is one of three traders operating under the umbrella of the Store Yard. It offers something that is in other European cities. It is an antiques arcade, where customers can spend a few hours, then have a coffee or even a glass of wine, she said. In the last few months we have noticed a huge increase in the number of visitors from Dublin and as far away as West Cork who are renovating hotels, nightclubs and bars and looking for interesting and eclectic items. It is one of the first signs we have seen that the recession is over as once again people are confident about spending money in this area, she said. A secret shopper will visit the store, before winners are announced in the Irish Times on Saturday, September 6. A new Bill which would allow doctors and consultants to prescribe all newly diagnosed patients with generic, more affordable medicines instead of the branded, expensive medicines that we have currently, was introduced in the Dail by Laois-Offaly Fianna Fail Deputy Sean Fleming. For some conditions, doctors and consultants continue to prescribe the more expensive branded medicines for newly diagnosed patients, he said. The 2013 Act provides an exemption allowing the prescriber not to substitute a branded medicine for a generic one in particular circumstances, he said. We all agree with this, but while generic substitution is not recommended for patients on existing treatment regimes, there is no reason new patients seeking treatment for the first time cannot be given more affordable generic alternatives. That is what the Bill proposes to do. Prescribers should move to generics when there is no good medical reason not to do so. Deputy Flemings Bill would also allow consultants and doctors to choose biosimilar drugs, or biologics, instead of existing medicines. Biologics are medicines that are made by or derived from a biological source, such as a bacterium or yeast. They can consist of relatively small molecules such as insulin or more complex ones. They are more affordable and are the norm across Europe, but Ireland has refused to adopt them, he said. My proposed Bill would allow for patients to be switched, where appropriate, from existing medicines to more affordable, but equally effective, biosimilars, he said. This is not allowed under the current legislation. The proposed measures have the potential to deliver savings for the taxpayer, he said. Savings from the use of biosimilar medicines are in the region of 40 million per annum, while savings from the use of generic medicines can amount to 10 million, giving a total saving of 50 million every year, he added. We need to do this, as that 50 million could be put to better use in the health service. Flanagan regrets omission of the legacy of the past in the NI Agreement Notwithstanding the clear gains, the Government regrets that the Fresh Start agreement on the North did not include agreement on the implementation of provisions of the Stormont House Agreement dealing with the legacy of the past, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan told the Dail. We share the deep disappointment of the victims and survivors of the Troubles and their families in this regard, he said. It is worth stressing again that it was not the Irish Government that pressed for an agreement that completely left aside the legacy of the past. However, when it became clear that the choice was between having an agreement which uncoupled the past and having no agreement at all, the Government most reluctantly agreed to have a less comprehensive deal that would at least ensure that the devolved institutions would be protected and placed on a stable and sustainable footing. What is important now is that we find a way forward that banks the good progress already achieved during the talks on legacy issues and secures a solution to outstanding matters, including the key issue of striking the right balance between the onward disclosure needs of families and the national security requirements being sought by the British Government, he said. To this end, I met with Northern Ireland's Victims Commissioner on 26 November to discuss the concerns of victims and possible ways to take the issue forward in a way that satisfies these concerns, he said. I will also meet the Northern Ireland Minister for Justice, David Ford and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers, later this month in order to take stock of the implementation of the Fresh Start agreement. A 25-year-old Laois man has told his murder trial that he would have said anything to get his garda interviews finished when he described the woman he killed as a complication A 25-year-old Laois man has told his murder trial that he would have said anything to get his garda interviews finished when he described the woman he killed as a complication Robert Corbet was being cross examined by the State at the Central Criminal Court, where he is on trial charged with murdering the 30-year-old Aoife Phelan. He said he lost self control and couldnt stop gripping Aoife Phelan around her neck after she threatened to ruin his life. Mr Corbet of Capoley, Sheffield Cross, near Portlaoise has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Phelan at Capoley. However he has admitted her manslaughter between October 25th and November 7th, when gardai found her body in a barrel buried there. The trial has heard that they had met a few months earlier and that she had soon told him that she was pregnant with his child. However, he had his doubts and an autopsy has shown that she had never been pregnant. Mr Corbet testified yesterday (Thursday) that he was in his garage with Ms Phelan on the evening of October 25th. I asked her straight out about the pregnancy and an argument broke out, he said. I said I was entitled to ask questions like this if I was the so-called father, he continued. She started making threats that shed ruin my life and my business if I didnt face up to what would be a pregnancy. He said she was referring to the haulage business that his late father had built. I was actually afraid, he said. I just saw red. He said that Ms Phelan was speaking quite aggressively and in a very harsh tone. It was like a protective instinct went off in me, he continued. To hear someone threaten everything you worked for, everything you are, I just snapped. He said he caught her around her neck with his right forearm, they fell to the ground and he kept his grip. I released it at one stage. I hit her on the back of her head and then I resumed my grip around her neck. I dont know how long for, he said. His barrister, Conor Devally SC, asked him what his state of mind was at this stage. Very surreal, he replied. It felt like an out-of-body experience. I was watching this unfold, he said. It was a loss of self control. I just couldnt stop, he added. He said he added his left hand to his right hand and had applied a lot of force. He said he was 6 feet four inches and had weighed 18.5 stone at the time, while Ms Phelan was slight and petite. He said that he had stood up and rolled her over before putting his hands around her neck for a second time. I just couldnt stop, he said. After that, I placed the plastic bag around her head. He said he believed she was dead at that stage and didnt know what was in his head. He said he also placed cable ties around her neck. The court has already heard that one cable tie was found directly around her neck and another was found around the bag. He was asked why he had done these things. I felt the anger start to boil back up in me. I couldnt look at her anymore, he said. He said he then saw a barrel in the corner of the shed. All I wanted to do was run in and get my mother or brother to ask for help, he said. I couldnt bring myself to do it. I couldnt believe what was after happening. He said he dropped her into the barrel. I just panicked, he said of hiding her body. I just cant believe Ive done this, he added, rubbing his eyes. Id never experienced anger like that before. I never set out to do this, he said. He later rolled the barrel into a pit on his property and asked unsuspecting friends to fill it in while he flew to New York to visit his ex-girlfriend. Under cross-examination by the State, he said he was suicidal when he was being interviewed by gardai. He agreed with gardai that Ms Phelan had been a complication and a barrier to him getting back with his ex. My head was absolutely fried in those interviews and I would have agreed with anything to get them finished, he said. I was suicidal, he said. Prosecutor Isobel Kennedy SC noted that he had been deemed fit for interview by a doctor. Ms Kennedy put it to him that he had not been provoked by Ms Phelan when he killed her. The threats caused me to snap, he replied. You did not lose self control. Your actions were of a person acting in a calculated way, she suggested. He insisted that he had lost self control. The trial continues before Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and a jury of nine men and three women. In response to those who consider that the humanitarian relief granted by the governments of Gulf countries is insufficient, they have defended themselves by showing that a considerable amount of financial aid is granted to the Syrian refugees through NGOs and donations from the United Nations. Since 2011, these countries have supplied them with 900 million dollars. A few days ago, a Lebanese newspaper revealed that Saudi Arabia had offered to fund the construction of 200 mosques in Germany to allow the new arrivals from Syria to practice their faith within the country. However, aside from this support and the linguistic and religious ties that these countries share with the refugees, they have not taken any of them in. Since 2011, the refugees have been forced into refugee camps in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan and are starting to flock to Western Europe, particularly to Germany, England, France or Belgium. Some of the main challenges of the development of the digital economy are the irreversible repercussions on the state of our society. This has regularly been at the centre of the conferences held within the 2015 ICT conference. Participants and exhibitors questioned which direction to take concerning the development of new technologies. Would these new technologies accompany us or replace us when it comes to completing daily tasks? What do we think about resorting to robots in the work, health, education and even government domains in terms of the evolution of the job and social responsibility markets? Will computer language become the next universal language? And how can we not be blinded by al the economic benefits that make us mirror digital technologies, risking deteriorating our social fabric? A Bismarck man wanted for a burglary was hospitalized Sunday night after being shot by two Bismarck police officers. The shooting occurred at approximately 7:50 p.m. Sunday outside a mobile home at 1119 University Dr. According to a Bismarck Police Department release a 26-year-old Bismarck man was wanted for a recent burglary. The department received an alert about the burglary out of Morton County on Jan. 20. At 6:08 p.m. Sunday Bismarck police received a request from the Mandan Police Department to check the University Drive address for the burglary suspect's vehicle, a dark green Nissan Maxima. At 6:20 p.m. an officer in the area spotted the vehicle and saw the suspect enter a mobile home. The release said the officer waited for backup to arrive since it was believed the man was armed. At 7:50 p.m. the man exited the mobile home and began walking to his car. Officers ordered him to stop and put up his hands. The man ignored their commands and entered his car. Officers saw what was described as a quick movement which was believed to be an attempt to reach for a weapon. Officers opened fire; the number of shots fired wasn't mentioned in the release. After shooting the man, officers provided first aid until he was taken to Sanford Medical Center. The man was undergoing surgery Sunday night, his condition was unknown. A revolver was found in the front seat of the suspect's vehicle. The officers were put on administrative leave as part of department policy while the incident is under investigation. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation has taken over the investigation. Stacy London Talks Midlife Hair Care and Menopause The star of What Not to Wear wants women to be their best selves, no matter how old they are. DR MARIA Hinfelaar, who has overseen a major period of expansion and innovation at Limerick Institute of Technology during her 11 years as president, has been honoured with the Limerick Person of the Month award. Dr Hinfelaar, a native of the Netherlands, joined LIT as president in 2004. She is to begin a new chapter in her career in April when she takes up the role of vice-chancellor and chief executive of Glyndwr University, which is based primarily in Wrexham in north-east Wales. Dr Hinfelaar was honoured at the Clarion Hotel this week for overseeing extensive, and overwhelmingly positive changes at the Moylish Park facility which has seen an increase in student numbers from 4,000 to 6,500 during her 11 years at the helm. The college currently has a staff of 550. It was a very, very pleasant surprise, said Dr Hinfelaar, on being presented with the award. I have had a wonderful time here in Limerick. I am really proud of how far LIT has come. The person of the month award, to me, is recognition of everything that we have achieved at LIT as a team - not just me as Maria Hinfelaar. We are here to provide a service and to work with the people of Limerick, and the region, to make things happen and thats what we are proud of. When she arrived in Limerick, Dr Hinfelaar was determined to ensure that LIT was not just an educational facility but also an important contributor to the economic, social and artistic life of the region. I always felt I wanted to deepen the collaboration with industry and with the region, she explained. That was always very much on my agenda, to make it more outwards - more engaging and more outwardly focused. I think we have definitely achieved that. During her tenure, she has overseen the opening of new campuses and business centres as a result of takeovers of other institutes of technologies across the region. LIT was named Institute of Technology of the Year 2008/09 and 2012/13 in the prestigious Sunday Times University Guide. Dr Hinfelaar led the successful negotiations that resulted in the Governments approval for the integration of Tipperary Institute into LIT in 2011. We currently have 6,500 students and that number is set to rise. Just this afternoon I was looking at our first preferences on the CAO and we are about 450 up on this time last year. We have about 1,950 first preferences at this point in time, to come into our first year. This time last year we had just under 1,500. We havent been able to delve into it yet and we also dont know how it compares to the national figures but we are amazed with the increase. Dr Hinfelaars strategic vision has seen LIT make use of the city centre in terms of its development and in ensuring community engagement within the city centre. LIT have committed to the student accommodation element of the Opera Centre site. We are also developing the Coonagh sites for some of our engineering programmes and potentially others that need a lot of workshop space. When she arrived in Limerick Dr Hinfelaar was also anxious to make education in LIT more practical and more focused on industry. I thought when I came here that you had the basic ingredients but there was just that missing link, that it wasnt quite connecting as well with industry and the community as much as I would like so I have done that and we have also introduced new programmes that werent there before such as music technology and video and sound technology. The fashion/design programme already existed but the knitwear and textiles programme was new. There is a whole number of new programmes that we developed in conjunction with all the teams in the school. Although she is leaving Limerick - and Newmarket-on-Fergus where she and her husband Graham Park have lived - Dr Hinfelaar says she will be keeping a close eye on the development of LIT and the city centre over the years to come. I think there is a whole new buzz to Limerick now. There is a whole new generation of foreign investment companies that have come into Limerick Regeneron and Uber, many of them are ICT based and science-based. We are already working very close with them but I think we need to make sure that the new generation of new companies coming in, plus perhaps smaller companies setting up that will be working with them to deliver products and services, we need to make sure we keep on developing the right programmes, the right mix of skills to keep them here and keep our eyes open to make sure we dont sit on our laurels. But she said is not only about industry and technology and the hard core industries - it is also about creating an attractive environment for people to come to work, visit and live. I think we could probably try harder to bring more tourists here and market Limerick as a place that you can strike out to anywhere from Limerick. While she admits she will miss life in Limerick, Dr Hinfelaar is always up for a challenge and is looking forward to opening a new chapter in her career in Wales. We will certainly be back from time to time. I am hoping to set up some links between LIT and Glyndwr University, for students and staff to maybe work together on some projects. I have had a wonderful time here in Limerick. I will leave part of myself behind. A NUMBER of fire safety failings were identified at a residential centre for people with intellectual disabilities, during an unannounced Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) inspec-tion. Inspectors found that a two-storey building at a Daughters of Charity centre, which comprised three buildings, was inadequate in the event a fire, during a one-day review on September 17, last year. During the inspection, HIQA noted that one bedroom had an inadequate escape route due to the buildings layout. The bedroom in question was an inner room, and the only escape route was via the kitchen, and not through the corridor. According to the report, the kitchen contained possible sources of fire such as cooking and other electrical equipment, and that it was not provided with an automatic fire detection. Additionally, while all final exit doors had thumb-turn locks, a number of internal doors had key-operated locks, which could potentially prevent a timely escape in the event of a fire if keys were in use and the resident could not find their key. The report stated that the construction of the building made of traditional masonry and internal stud partition walls and a pitched roof was inadequate to protect escape routes, and to prevent and contain the the movement of fire and smoke throughout the building. Fire doors were not provided where required to contain fire within the building. The attic space was undivided. Therefore, if a fire started upstairs, fire and smoke could potentially enter the attic and travel unseen to other parts of the building. Inspectors noted that first aid equipment and fire extinguishers were pro-vided in the building, and that day-to-day fire fire safety management checks and housekeeping were seen to be adequate, with some improvements required. The centres major non-compliance in health and safety and risk management prompted HIQA to serve an immediate action on the centre. THE first steps towards LIT opening its new campus at Coonagh Cross on the edge of Limerick city have been taken, with the site opened and made ready for fit out. Education Minister Jan O'Sullivan paid a visit to the building where the campus will be located, beside Tesco Coonagh, and hailed its development as a "change moment for Limerick" which will foster increased innovation and job creation. Some 134 jobs in construction and 100 new permanent roles will be created after LIT was given the all-clear by the Higher Education Authority to purchase the northside site - once earmarked for a cinema development - for around 3.5m. The new campus will focus on areas such as precision engineering, and will include the National Precision Engineering Hub, which will provide services to the manufacturing sector. It is hoped its first intake of students will be welcomed next year. Ms O'Sullivan said: LIT has demonstrated great vision in its plans for Coonagh, which the Department of Education is supporting by way of significant investment in the purchase of this site. The Coonagh campus will foster innovation and consequent job creation in Limerick and the region, while the provision of new amenities addresses a shortage of facilities on this side of the city." LIT president Dr Maria Hinfelaar added: "We are now on the cusp of a transformational development process, which will allow LIT to almost double its footprint and future-proof the institutes role as a catalyst for innovation and investment." And vice-president of LIT with responsibility for corporate services and capital development, Jimmy Browne said: This facility will ensure that the region continues to attract the high-value technology jobs that drive the knowledge economy and are critical in the continued development of the Mid-West." Several schools in southwestern North Dakota are knee-deep in major construction projects, and others have big plans on the horizon. Part of Dickinson's new Catholic secondary school is slated to be ready for students by September, and the remainder of the building by January. Trinity Junior High and High School's 225 students are occupying modular rooms and portions of the facility that did not burn in a March 2014 fire. "There's so much excitement now that the building is going up," said Steve Glasser, president of Dickinson Catholic Schools. Construction on the south side which will feature a two-story fine and performing arts center, conference area and classrooms should be finished first, Glasser said. Right now, crews are detailing the steel and will soon pour the second-floor deck. The building should be enclosed in a few weeks. Shortly after that part's ready, so, too, will be the three-story east academic wing and chapel. Crews are putting up steel for the building. Two crews are working on the facility through the winter. "There's a lot going on. Certainly, this weather has been a blessing," said Glasser, adding that he noticed workers in short sleeves last week as the weather climbed into the 40s during a rare January warm spell. The project costs $26 million. Dickinson Catholic Schools plans to eventually bring its elementary schools to the same campus, but the first priority is finishing the junior high and high school. "A lot depends on the economy," said Glasser, adding that private schools must fund construction without public money. Dickinson's Catholic Schools isn't the only school system building. Dickinson Public Schools also is in the middle of construction of a new middle school. Plus, two smaller school districts near Dickinson have proposed major construction projects. To the west, South Heart School District with 282 students will hold a vote March 22 on a bond referendum. If approved, a new building will replace the 100-year-old classic brick schoolhouse common on the North Dakota prairie in the early part of the 20th century. South Heart held a public forum Jan. 20 to inform the community about the plan and gauge interest. Superintendent Calvin Dean said more than 100 people attended. "Our survey results were better than you could ever expect," he said. Of the 88 people who completed a survey before they left the forum, 83 indicated they would support the $11 million bond referendum. Dean said the district plans to apply for a low-interest school construction loan from the state to help finance the project. Classroom space is tight for some grades, said Dean, adding that the boiler furnace in the basement is inefficient, the floors creak and the radiators crackle and pop while students are in class. East of Dickinson, Richardton-Taylor Public Schools may undergo a $15 million remodel at the junior high and high school building. The school, built in 1961, has had water in its HVAC tunnels, cracks everywhere and deficiencies in its structure and foundation. The district's also strapped for space to educate its 300 students. Two years ago, the district began leasing the St. Mary's Social Center the site of a former private school to house its youngest students in prekindergarten through first grade. Other elementary kids attend class in Taylor, while junior high and high school students go to school in Richardton. Superintendent Brent Bautz said the district's considering a construction loan from the state as well to help with the first phases of a remodel. The project entails a new two-story building for classrooms and demolishing the old facility where students currently attend class. A third phase involves adding a multipurpose space and band room. Glasser said the district's looking at a potential June vote on a bond referendum. If it passes, construction would begin in spring 2017. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page. Gov. Jack Dalrymple ordered leaders of state agencies to cut 4.05 percent from their budgets Monday in an effort to fix a projected shortfall of $1.074 billion for the biennium. After 15 years of receiving almost entirely good news about the growth of revenues in North Dakota, it seems strange to hear that things have gone in the other direction, said Dalrymple in the Brynhild Haugland Room of the state Capitol. Fortunately, we took into account in the last session the possibility that commodity prices could fall without warning. As a result, the legislative assembly wisely set aside excellent cash reserves to deal with this very situation," he said. The states legislative forecast from March 2015 estimated about $5.64 billion in general fund dollars; the revised forecast shows general fund dollars to the tune of $4.56 billion for the biennium. Dalrymple told agency heads the 4.05 percent amounts to about $244.9 million and was the highest cut he believed could be made without causing negative impacts to state services. House Majority Leader Al Carlson, R-Fargo, had been pushing for a 5 percent cut but said he accepted the governors actions. He said the mix of budget cuts and tapping into reserves was prudent. Every agency should be able to find some efficiencies, Carlson said. Nearly 70 percent of the shortfall comes from declining sales tax collections, a large portion of which is tied to energy production in the western part of the state. Funds come into play A portion of the budget gap will be plugged by using about $497.6 million from the Budget Stabilization Fund, which has $572 million. The remaining $75 million will be made available, if needed, following the next budget forecast, to be released in August. The Budget Stabilization Fund was created in 1987. Its current balance has been built up over the past decade. An additional $331.7 million in general fund ending balance dollars will be used, $211 million of which was what lawmakers left in reserve at the end of the 2015 session as well as unused turnover dollars. K-12 schools will be aided by a payment of about $71.8 million from the Foundation Aid Stabilization Fund, which has about $670 million. Big drop Office of Management and Budget Director Pam Sharp said the states legislative forecast from March was based on the best information available at the time. Could we have foreseen a billion dollars? No, Sharp said. We live in a world market. We have to live with what happens. Agency heads will submit their revised budgets to OMB by Feb. 17. Changes will go into effect immediately. They have all the flexibility. They can take it from anywhere in their budget, Sharp said. Among Dalrymples recommendations to agencies were to review salaries and vacant positions as well as scrutinize travel, prioritize projects and find efficiencies within offices. Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck, called Mondays cut a good compromise and that the states in a good position to weather the storm. Its certainly not the end of the world, Nathe said. We were criticized for a long time for putting all those dollars away. Thank God we did. The last state budget cut was in 2002, when then-Gov. John Hoeven ordered a cut of 1 percent. Dollar-wise, this is clearly the biggest," said Sharp, comparing the move to past budget cuts. Mixed reaction Lawmaker reaction to the cuts was split along party lines. I think the 4.05 percent is a little harsh, said Sen. Joan Heckaman, D-New Rockford, adding, that if the Legislature had banked five days as it originally had planned during the past session, a special session could have been called to address the shortfall. Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson, countered that he doesnt see there being much of an appetite for a special session. People are going to have to hunker down, Wardner said. Senate Minority Leader Mac Schneider, D-Grand Forks, called the budget cuts a blunt object that indiscriminately cuts large dollar amounts that legislators should have more input. Its a 1980s solution to a 2016 problem, said Schneider, adding that there may be a move by Democrats next session to amend the process. In the new forecast, a baseline of 1 million barrels a day of oil production for fiscal year 2016 and 900,000 barrels per day in fiscal year 2017 was factored in. North Dakota oil prices were forecast at $30 per barrel and rising to $43 by June 30, 2017. It also was projected for the state to average 50 rigs for the rest of the biennium. By comparison, the states March 2015 forecast used 1.1 million barrels per day with North Dakota oil prices between $43 and just shy of $53 for 2015-17. FARGO -- As the 2016 presidential primary season kicks off tonight with the Iowa caucuses, North Dakotans can lay claim to an important, but little known political distinction. On March 19, 1912, North Dakota held the first ever truly contested U.S. presidential primary in which voters, not party insiders, could directly express support for a candidate. It was the first of 13 presidential primaries to be held that year. Geoffrey Cowan, author of a new book about the formation of the presidential primary, says the move was sparked, in part, by a New York politician often considered to be "a North Dakota guy." After cattle ranching in western North Dakota in the 1880's and serving as president from 1901 to 1909, Theodore Roosevelt had come out of retirement to challenge his hand-picked successor, William Howard Taft, for the Republican Party nomination. While party leaders wanted Taft, Roosevelt wanted the presidency back. "Roosevelt realizes he can't get the nomination the old-fashioned way, so he embraces the idea of the primary," said Cowan, a professor at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and author of "Let the People Rule: Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of the Presidential Primary." Cowan says Roosevelt wasn't originally in favor of primaries and wasn't inherently a supporter of democracy. "Then in the campaign it became an issue, and suddenly, he became a big believer that it was to his benefit," Cowan said. Roosevelt and Taft weren't the only Republican candidates in that North Dakota primary nearly 104 years ago. Robert La Follette, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin seen as a progressive candidate, was also in the mix. Roosevelt thought he had a lock on the state, but La Follette came out on top. Roosevelt lost three more primaries but easily won the next nine, leading him to believe he was entitled to the Republican nomination. Party leaders chose Taft instead, prompting delegates and Roosevelt to march out of the national convention in Chicago and begin forming a new, progressive Bull Moose Party. Six weeks later, as the Bull Moose Party stood ready for its convention, Roosevelt made a move he thought would bring conservative white Southerners to his side. He banned Southern black delegates from being seated at the convention. "It didn't help him," Cowan said. In the general election, Roosevelt and Taft split the vote, allowing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win, and the Bull Moose Party disbanded not long after. Primary or caucus? North Dakota decided to discontinue holding a presidential primary and return to the caucus system in 1935. "That means North Dakota has even less of a role in primary races than ever," said Michael Lansing, an author and associate professor of history at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. "The same is true of many Upper Midwest states," he added. Minnesota went back and forth between primaries and caucuses multiple times over a half century, before settling back on the caucus system in 1959. In most cases, Lansing said, the changes were made in an attempt to boost a particular candidate's chances. For example, Minnesota went to a primary system in 1949 and scheduled the contest early on to help give centrist Republican Harold Stassen a good start. "States and parties began manipulating the process and when it was held," Lansing said. Most states now hold presidential primaries, leaving North Dakota and Minnesota among only a handful that hold caucuses. Lansing said in Minnesota's case, it's a contradiction of sorts. "The state has a reputation as being progressive, with high voter participation, but has this retrograde system," Lansing said. While many people consider the caucus system to be a grassroots, neighborly approach to supporting a presidential candidate, Lansing thinks the process is easily manipulated by political parties and is often confusing. "The typical American voter doesn't understand how they work," he said. Lansing says he thinks Minnesota should instead adopt a direct primary because it would engage more people, but there have been no challenges to the caucus system there or in North Dakota. "We bought it hook, line and sinker that the caucus is more reflective of our political views," Lansing said, adding he's less convinced of that now than ever. Minnesota's caucus, and the North Dakota Republican party caucus, will be held along with numerous other state contests on Super Tuesday, March 1. North Dakota's Democratic party caucuses are scheduled for June 7. The current makeup of presidential candidates could mean more influence for both states down the stretch, according to Lansing. "The longer the nomination remains unclear, the more important the later caucuses and primaries become," he said. BILLINGS, Mont. -- The electric bills of customers could rise $178 a year to improve Montana Dakota Utilities coal-fired power plants. But, MDU is being asked whether the plan makes sense with new pollution regulations coming. At issue is whether customers of MDU should pay for upgrades to coal-fired power plants that could be shut down in a few years under the Environmental Protection Agencys Clean Power Plan. MDU provides natural gas and electric service to parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. The service area covers more than 168,000 square miles with 384,000 customers. The service area in question includes the Bakken oil field, and there are also doubts, given the economic slump in the oil business, about whether the future demand for MDU electricity will grow as the utility estimated it will. And critics argue that if the power isnt needed, consumers shouldnt have to pay to expand MDUs production. The Clean Power Plan is the EPAs 15-year road map for cutting carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Beginning in 2020, the nations existing power plants will have to begin cutting carbon dioxide pollution. Some power plants will be upgraded with new pollution controls, while others beyond affordable improvement will be shuttered. States are required to submit compliance plans to the EPA by September. Extensions may be granted, but federal plans could also be issued in states were plans arent submitted. Montanas Public Service Commission will meet in Glendive on Feb. 9 to decide whether to approve the increase, which would be a 21 percent rate hike for MDUs 26,000 electricity customers in Montana. None of the MDUs natural gas customers would be affected. You shouldnt want to make large capital investments in power plants that are then subject to other regulations that could shut them down, said Travis Kavulla, PSC commissioner for most of the Montana customers in the MDU case. MDU is arguing that it isnt clear that its power plants wont survive the Clean Power Plan regulations expected to kick in in 2022. The upgrades for which MDU wants its customers to pay is for have already been done. Kavulla said this is the first time the Clean Power Plan has been an issue with rate increases tied to coal-fired power plants, but it probably won't be the last. NorthWestern Energy, Montana's other regulated gas and electric utility, would have to explain how the Clean Power Plan would affect Colstrip Power Plant Units 3 and 4, if it asked consumers to pay for pollution upgrades there. MDU spent millions adding pollution controls to its power plants to comply with existing rules. When the work was began, the Clean Power Plan wasnt even around to consider, the company argues. What made sense was complying with the pollution laws on the books. The construction costs were substantial. At Big Stone coal-fired power plant in South Dakota, upgrades meet pollution haze and mercury regulations cost $348 million. MDU has a 22.7 percent share in Big Stone and is passing its share of the bill onto consumers with rate increases. There were also $16 million in mercury pollution controls planned for the Lewis and Clark Power Plant in Sidney. The Lewis and Clark plant was built in 1950 and is within the age group of power plants that are struggling to remain operational under the Clean Power Plan, as are Colstrip Units 1 and 2, built in the 1970s. Sidney, Glendive and Miles City make up the bulk of MDUs electric customers in Montana, which is why the Feb. 9 hearing on the rate increase will take place in the Dawson County Courthouse basement in Glendive. MDU filed its rate increase request last summer, but public comment on the issue has been minimal. A few Eastern Montanans early in the process balked at a net metering arrangement written into the plan, which would have made it difficult for people with solar panels. The actual rate increase has drawn little response. The PSC will have to decide if the likelihood of the Clean Power Plan driving up costs for the MDU customers in the future means that Montanans would be better served by MDU finding another source for its power, most likely on the open market. There are two appointed consumer advocates, one for small customers and the other for large commercial customers, arguing against the size of MDU rate increase. Both are asking the PSC to limit the rate increase to roughly a fourth of what MDU wants. GRAND FORKS -- A candidate for the University of North Dakota's president position is getting a second look after her application was dismissed last week. The application for Cynthia Lindquist, president of Cankdeska Cikana Community College, will be reconsidered at the request of North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott, according to a revised agenda sent out by the NDUS on Sunday. Lindquist was eliminated from consideration during the search committee's conference call Thursday. Lindquist's application came in after the original Jan. 4 deadline, prompting the Thursday conference call. During that meeting, another late applicant, Minot State President Steven Shirley, was invited to an in-person interview, while Lindquist was denied. Committee members cited the size of Lindquist's institution, a tribal college in Fort Totten, N.D., on the Spirit Lake reservation, as the reason for taking her out of the running. The college had 251 students enrolled in the fall semester of 2013-14 school year, according to its website, which committee members said would make for too big of a jump to one of the state's two research institutions. UND has about 15,000 students. Lindquist and Shirley were the only two sitting presidents to apply for UND's top job, and she was one of three women to apply for the post. Lindquist, a UND alumna, has been CCCC's president for 13 years and worked for UND's School of Medicine and Health Sciences prior to that. The committee will reconsider Lindquist's application Monday before 16 candidates are scheduled to interview with the committee over the course of two days. On Monday, Kody Varahramyan, Jay Noren, Mark Kennedy, Ronald Elsenbaumer, Robert Kennedy, Mark Rudin, Daniel Clay, Ray Purpur and Morgan Olsen will all interview for the post. The following day will see Timothy Greene, Rodney Hanley, Robert Beatty, Nagi Naganathan, Helena Wisniewski, Allen Lee Sessoms and Steve Shirley interview. After interviews, the committee will identify semi-finalists, who will be invited for on-campus interviews between Feb. 11 and March 3. When asked how many candidates the committee would invite for on-campus interviews, Hesham El-Rewini, the search committee's co-chairman, said on Thursday it could be between four and six, but they could be a "bit liberal on that part." While the committee searches for Robert Kelley's successor, former North Dakota Gov. Ed Schafer is leading the university as an interim president. Jeremy Deaton writes about the science, policy, and politics of climate and energy for Nexus Media. You can follow him at @deaton_jeremy. Deaton contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. If you watched this year's State of the Union address, you might remember President Barack Obama's frustrated nod to congressional climate change doubters. "Sixty years ago, when the Russians beat us into space, we did not deny Sputnik was up there," Obama said. "We did not argue about the science or shrink our research and development budget. We built a space program almost overnight, and 12 years later we were walking on the moon." Despite decades of research, too many U.S. politicians still deny climate change , a phenomenon so thoroughly documented as to find agreement among virtually every leading body of American scientists NASA, NOAA, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society, just to name a few. And yet, climate contrarians continue to reject the science and muddy the waters of public understanding. Here, in an effort to set the record straight, are five facts about climate change everyone needs to know. 1) Climate change never took a break. You may have heard that, according to satellite data, there has been no significant warming for the last 18 years. This is grossly misleading. Eighteen years ago, El Nino drove up global temperatures , making 1998 an exceptionally hot year. Contrarians use 1998 as a baseline because subsequent warming appears modest by comparison. However, the mercury has continued its inexorable rise. Since the 1880s, average temperatures have risen 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, on average. 2015 was the hottest year on record, according to NOAA, and 2016 will likely be even hotter. 2) The climate is changing faster than at any point in the history of human civilization. Climate change doubters are fond of saying that climate is always changing. That is correct, and in fact, that's the problem. Atmospheric physicist Michael MacCracken, chief scientist for climate change programs at the Climate Institute, explained in an interview, "If climate had been steady in the past when there had been all kinds of things acting volcanoes or solar or changes in the orbit or something then you would think climate is pretty robust and can't change, but what we've discovered is relatively small changes in the past have changed the climate a great deal." Today, we are unloading more than 30 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, according to the International Energy Agency. All that carbon pollution is cranking up the global thermostat to sweltering levels. According to the journal Science, temperatures are rising faster than they have in the last 10,000 years, since the beginning of human civilization. 3) Humans are causing climate change. Some have suggested that current global warming is the result of natural variations in the Earth's climate. Unfortunately, humans are very much the cause of climate change. Carbon pollution from cars, trucks, planes, power plants, factories and farms are the central driver of global warming. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are trapping heat , causing global temperatures to rise, altering the climate. According to a 2014 report from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general scientific society, we now know that humans are causing climate change with at least the same certainty that we know smoking tobacco causes lung cancer. 4) Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree. Contrarians like to say that scientists disagree about global warming. And yet, a peer-reviewed study published in a leading academic journal has found that roughly 97 percent of climate scientists agree that humans are causing climate change. James Powell, director of the National Physical Sciences Consortium, argues on his website that the consensus is actually closer to 99.9 percent of climate scientists. If you're a topical expert researcher, business leader, author or innovator and would like to contribute an op-ed piece, email us here There is no serious debate about who or what is responsible for global warming. America's satirical flagship, The Onion, might have put it best: "New Climate Change Study Just 400 Pages Of Scientists Telling Americans To Read Previous Climate Change Studies." 5) Climate change poses a serious risk. The latest talking point from climate change doubters is that a little global warming just isn't a big deal. Sure, a few degrees of warming may not sound like a lot, but small changes in the average temperature of the Earth can have dramatic consequences. Hotter weather means the atmosphere can hold more moisture, leading to both more drought and more severe storms. Warmer temperatures also threaten to melt the polar ice caps, raising sea levels. And that's not to mention ocean acidification, whereby the world's oceans absorb excess atmospheric carbon dioxide and turn more acidic. In every way, climate change is rendering our home a dangerous place. If left unchecked, drought, storms and rising seas will mean less freshwater and less arable land. This could lead to widespread shortages of food and water, mass migrations and armed conflict. As novelist Margaret Atwood wrote on Medium, "It's not climate change. It's everything change." The persistent and pernicious myths about climate change that it's not real, that it's not our fault, that it's not a threat distract from the real conversation that needs to happen about policy: How should the United States move to clean power? How should cities prepare for more severe storms and coastal flooding? How should families use less energy? The science is settled. The solutions are there. It's time to get to work. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates and become part of the discussion on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Live Science . Thousands of dead seabirds have washed up on Alaskan shores over the past nine months. And while a dead bird washing ashore is a fairly common occurrence, these large numbers are leaving scientists concerned and confused. Nearly 8,000 common murres (Uria aalge) were found along the shores of Whittier, Alaska, in early January. Over the New Year's holiday, Alaska experienced four days of gale-force winds from the southeast that resulted in dead birds washing ashore, said Robb Kaler, a wildlife biologist for the Alaska branch of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Scientists have known for some time that the key to surviving strong storm winds is having an energy reserve, according to an expert at Tufts University, and Kaler and his colleagues think that the common murres were not finding enough food this season, which may be why so many didn't make it through the storm. In cases like these, experts typically measure the number of dead birds per kilometer, said Julia Parrish, a professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle and executive director of the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), which is one of the organizations studying areas where these birds are washing ashore, alongside the USFWS and the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC). For the Whittier survey, the final measurements came to approximately 4,600 birds per kilometer, Parrish told Live Science. [5 Mysterious Animal Die-Offs] The common murre is "one of the most abundant and widespread seabirds in Alaska," Kaler told Live Science in an email. While other dead seabirds are being reported on Pacific shorelines, current reports indicate that about 99 percent of the animals are common murres, Kaler said. Seeing a dead seabird on the beach is not altogether unusual, especially during September and October, when the birds are leaving their breeding colonies, Parrish said. However, dead common murres started showing up in Alaska in March. "This is really weird, because that is the beginning of the breeding season," Parrish said. "That's when [seabirds] are [usually] fat and sassy." What's going on? So far, the NWHC has examined 100 bird carcasses, and most of the birds seem to have died due to starvation, Kaler told Live Science. "While we know murres are starving," Kaler said, "we do not understand the mechanism." There is a chance that saxitoxin, a toxin related to paralytic shellfish poisoning, or domoic acid, a toxin that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning, could be responsible for some of these deaths, he said. But both of these toxins are difficult to detect in birds that have nothing in their stomachs or gastrointestinal tracts, which was the case with most of these animals, Kaler said. In the past, seabird die-off events in which thousands of birds die in a short period of time have been associated with strong El Nino events, Kaler said. In 1993, there was another die-off of common murres recorded in the northern Gulf of Alaska, where scientists found about 3,500 dead or dying common murres along the shoreline over a period of six months. Scientists calculated that over that period, about 10,900 bird carcasses actually made it to shore, according to a 1997 study published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin. Because researchers were able to monitor only a small fraction of the beaches in Alaska, that study's scientists projected that the actual final death count in 1993 was at least 120,000 birds. With this most recent event, "[w]e assume the die-off is connected to one of the largest oceanographic-atmospheric events, known as 'The Blob,'" Kaler said. This event is the presence of a large area of water that falls well above the average temperature usually observed in the North Pacific, he said. "We do not know how [that] this relates to El Nino or climate warming, but we believe they are factors," Kaler said. The USFWS also noted in a recent bulletin that common murres have turned up at locations as far inland as Fairbanks, Alaska, where the birds have been seen swimming in rivers and lakes. Wildlife biologists consider this to be unusual behavior, since common murres are seabirds and so don't usually show up so far inland, Parrish told Live Science. Additionally, while the die-off has been most visible in Alaska, similar events affected seabird populations in Washington, Oregon and California during the months of September and October, Parrish said. What does this mean? The behaviors of seabirds are often indicators of what is happening in the marine system, said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Current estimates of the common murre death toll in the recent die-off have suggested that more than 100,000 birds have probably died over the past nine months, and dead birds are likely to continue showing up through the spring, Kaler said. It is important to note that this high death count doesn't mean that common murres are in danger as a species. There are an estimated 2.8 million common murres in Alaska, Parrish said. This means that current estimates of the die-off account for only approximately 3 percent of the total common murre population in the state. That's not to say that the appearance of large numbers of dead birds on beaches isn't of concern, Parrish said. Scientists are speculating that this event indicates a species struggling to deal with altered circumstances, he said. "When there are heat waves during the summertime, you always hear about mortalities in the inner city [from people who don't have air conditioning] and [so] they just have to deal with" the heat, Parrish said. "None of these birds have air conditioning." Follow Elizabeth Newbern @liznewbern. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. The U.S. military's next-generation F-35 fighter jets will make their long-awaited overseas debut this summer at two air shows in the United Kingdom, Air Force officials recently announced. The 56th Fighter Wing, stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, will showcase F-35A Lightning IIs at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Gloucestershire and the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire, both in July. The summer events will be the first time the F-35s cross the Atlantic Ocean for the overseas air shows. [Supersonic! The 10 Fastest Military Airplanes] "We're very excited about demonstrating this capability to the world," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, said in a statement. "The F-35 represents a new way of thinking about data integration, weapons and tactics. We're thrilled to highlight the program and the amazing Airmen who support this cutting-edge fighter." The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is billed as the most advanced warplane of its type yet developed, but the program has been plagued with delays and cost overruns. In July 2014, the U.S. military canceled what would have been the F-35's international air show debut after one of the planes suffered an engine fire. The United States' entire fleet of F-35s was subsequently grounded for two weeks as military leaders and aviation authorities investigated the cause of the fire, which was later determined to be from a damaged turbine blade. At this summer's British air shows, the U.S. Air Force will also demonstrate World War II-era planes, along with aircraft from the Korean and Vietnam wars, according to military officials. "Being a part of these heritage flights allows the world to learn more about the F-35 and at the same time see just how far air power has come over the years," Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, commander of the 56th Fighter Wing, said in a statement. "The F-35 will be the backbone of the Air Force fighter fleet and represent the future for the U.S., our partners and allies. This will be a great opportunity for everyone to see how amazing the F-35 is." The Royal International Air Tattoo, the world's largest military air show, will take place from July 7 to 9 in Gloucestershire, and the Farnborough International Airshow is scheduled to run from July 11 through 17 in Hampshire. Follow Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science. Richard A. Dick Leyendecker passed away Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 at the age of 92. Born to one of Laredos leading pioneer families, Dick was the son of Peter P. Leyendecker Jr. and Emma Jordan Leyendecker. Dick as he was called, was predeceased by his beloved wife Blanche Flores Leyendecker in 1966. Also preceding him in death were his brothers Peter, Sammy, Albert, Frank & his sister Emily Ann. he was also preceded by his second wife, Joemma Dacamara. Dick attended St. Peters Memorial School, Martin High School and Texas A&M University until he enlisted and was sworn into the United States Army Air Corp during WWII at the age of 19. He was assigned to the 14th headquarters of the 301, heavy bomber group, 15th air force with orders for duty to the European Theater. Flying missions in support of the Normandy invasion, he was shot down on August 7, 1944 and was declared missing in action. Subsequently Army Intelligence learned he survived the crash landing in the B-17 bomber & was captured by German forces. He was taken to a German prisoner of war camp, Stalag Luft 4 in Pomerania, Prussia & was later moved to another POW camp, Stalag Wobblein Ludwigslust. He endured POW camp for almost a year before the advancing American armies liberated him & his fellow POWs. As a result of his heroism, and what he endured as a prisoner of war and as a soldier, he received the Prisoner of War Medal, along with the European-African Middle Eastern Ribbon with 4 bronze stars, the WWII Victory Ribbon, the Good Conduct Medal, the Air Medal, the Air Combat Balkins letter, and expert medal with the 45 caliber automatic pistol. He was also issued the WWII lapel button. Never one to complain or talk about his war experiences, Dick was proud of serving his country and was a proud soldier and honorable veteran. Dick was proud that all 6 brothers had served their country and returned to call Laredo home. Upon his return to Laredo after the war, he enrolled again at Texas A&M where he studied in Civil Engineering. In 1949 he married Blanche Flores and they had 4 sons. He worked in the family business at the City Lumber Company for many years with several of his brothers. In the early 1960s he joined his father in the construction business, Peter P. Leyendecker, Contractor. The company eventually evolved into R.A. Leyendecker, Contractor. In 1980, along with two of his sons Gary & Mark, Leyendecker Construction, Inc., was founded. In the late 90s, Paul, another son, also joined the company. Dick was extremely proud & grateful of the staff & employees and all of the accomplishments of the company in the last 30 years. He remained active in the company until very late in his life. He is survived by his beloved sons, Richard (Sylvia), Gary (Mary Lamar), Paul (Lori), Mark (Veronica) and his beloved brother Gilbert Bibi Leyendecker, along with his grandchildren, Jennifer, Katie and Sarah Leyendecker. Also surviving him are his much loved nieces, Veronica Boldt, Bidi and Elizabeth Leyendecker along with many nieces, nephews, family and friends who cared for him throughout his life. His heart held a very special place for the caring and dedicated members of the Leyendecker construction staff whom he cared for deeply. The family would like to thank Dr. Joaquin Cigarroa and Dr. Ricardo Cigarroa for the care, support and understanding of their father during his time of need. Thanks also to Jorge, Mario & Tere who helped to support him during his time of need. The family will receive condolences today, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Joe Jackson North Funeral Chapel 1410 Jacaman Rd; a rosary will be cited at 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. The family invites you to meet at the church as there will be no procession from the funeral home. Rite of Committal and Interment with Military Honors will follow at the family plot in the Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Pallbearers for the services will be sons: Richard, Gary, Paul & Mark, Jerome Jordan & Jay Leyendecker, Cliff Killam and David Killam Jr. Honorary pallbearers will be: Bibi Leyendecker, Dr. Joaquin Cigarroa, J.D. Wendeborn & Donato Ramos Sr. You may extend your condolences to the family online at: www.joejacksonfuneralchapels.com In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to: American Legion Post 59 Restoration Project PO box 1535 Laredo TX. 78042-1534 Arrangements have been entrusted to the funeral service professionals at Joe Jackson North Funeral Chapels, 1410 Jacaman Rd., Laredo, TX 78041, 956.722.8850 Alfredo G. Freddy Pellegrin, Jr., M.D. passed away on January 27, 2016 after a lengthy illness. Born March 22, 1932, Dr. Pellegrin was raised in Laredo by his parents, Alfredo Garcia Pellegrin and Helen Kahn. Dr. Pellegrin married Blanca Alicia Casso on Nov. 10, 1956, and they raised three children, Alfredo III, Enrique, and Blanca. After college, medical school, and residency training, Dr. Pellegrin returned to his hometown to serve the children of Laredo as a pediatrician for more than thirty years. Next to his family, he was most proud of the work he did caring for Laredos children. Dr. Pellegrin was a loving and compassionate husband, father, and friend, who also enjoyed life to the fullest. Outside of his medical practice, he kept busy with his many hobbies such as model plane building, gun collecting, welding, reading history, and doting on his pets. In his youth, Dr. Pellegrin worked in the familys produce business on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, where Dr. Pellegrins father had befriended many interesting (and some infamous) characters of the day. Dr. Pellegrin enjoyed recounting the story of the time that he and his father met Leon Trotsky, who was exiled in Mexico City. Likewise, one of Dr. Pellegrins most cherished possessions was a tattered black-and-white photo of Panchos Villas soldiers camped in the elder Pellegrins backyard on Vidaurri street. As a young man, Dr. Pellegrin was mentored by his favorite uncle, Dr. Adolph Kahn, a local veterinarian who cared for the circus animals coming through Laredo on their way to performances in Mexico. From his uncle, Dr. Pellegrin developed a special love for all animals. Indeed, it was this same uncle who loaned Dr. Pellegrin one of his most unusual pets, a diaper-wearing monkey named Panchita. Over the ensuing years, Dr. Pellegrin adopted many pets, including numerous dogs and cats, a bear cub that became Dr. Pellegrins roommate during medical school, a raccoon, a skunk and Tono, the parrot that became a legend in the Pellegrin household. Dr. Pellegrin had taught Tono to drink rompope and sing a medley of popular Mexican ballads. Dr. Pellegrin had many friends from all walks of life. He is survived by Blanca, his wife of fifty-nine years, his sons Freddy III and Enrique (Marissa), his daughter Blanca (Michael) Galo, and four grandchildren (Alicia, Enrique, Jr., Michael and Tyler). The family is grateful to the care given by Dr. Milton Haber and the wonderful staff at Doctors Hospital. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to Sacred Heart Childrens Home, 3310 S. Zapata Hwy, Laredo, Texas 78046 or the Laredo Animal Protective Society, 2500 Gonzalez St., Laredo, Texas 78040. The family will receive condolences Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Joe Jackson North Funeral Chapels, 1410 Jacaman Rd., with a Memorial Service at 6 p.m. You may express your condolences and sign the guestbook online at: www.joejacksonfuneralchapels.com Arrangements are under the care and direction of the funeral service professionals at Joe Jackson North Funeral Chapels, 1410 Jacaman Rd., Laredo, Texas 78041; (956)722-8850. To the editor: I disagree with a recent author who praises the Judeo-Christian principles. To me, they have been the source of many evils. Religious prejudice began in the Old Testament. The Jews were considered the chosen people of God. Jehovah rescued them from Egyptian captivity, saved them from Pharaohs armies, fed them mana in the desert, gave them the Ten Commandments, and settled them in the Promised Land. After the crucifixion of Jesus, the title of Gods chosen people fell on the Christians. As a result of the crucifixion and the ascendancy of Christianity, Jews suffered persecution everywhere, culminating in the Holocaust in Germany. The cause of all this hatred is the erroneous belief that some people or nations are preferred by God. During the Middle Ages, the Pope decided to launch military expeditions to recover the holy land. To the Pope it seemed sacrilege that the holy land on which Jesus had lived, preached, and died should be in the hands of people who did not believe in him the same way. The kings of Europe obeyed the call of the Pope. Millions of Muslims were killed. The knights would conquer Islamic cities but could not hold them. The results of these senseless wars were to create distrust and hatred between Christians and Muslims. The Protestant Reformation brought even more senseless killings and religious persecution. Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, decided to break away from the Catholic Church and establish his own version of Christianity. The authority of the Pope was replaced by the Bible. Prior to the Protestant Reformation, the Pope could control abuses of Kings by threatening them with excommunication. After Luther got rid of the Pope, Kings had no one to fear. They could do as they pleased and were responsible to no one except God. King Henry VIII made himself the head of the English church so that a Protestant bishop would annul his marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon and marry him to a Protestant lady of the court, Anne Boleyn. Throughout Europe, anyone who opposed the religious preference of the king was considered a traitor and could be imprisoned, burned alive at the stake, or beheaded. The Pilgrims who came to America were seeking religious freedom for themselves only. They wanted to escape the persecution of the King and wanted to establish a government based on Puritanical principles. They succeed in Salem, Massachusetts. Their influence declined after they hanged nineteen people on false accusations of witchcraft. The horrors of the Judaeo-Christian beliefs are vividly seen in the importation of African slaves. Slavery is not condemned in the Bible. Slaves were packed like sardines inside a slave ship, and many died when crossing the Atlantic Ocean. When slaves arrived in the Southern states, families were deliberately separated. The white masters often raped the black teenage girls. The whip and other means of torture were used to control the slaves. These are just a few of the horrors brought about by the misuse of the Judaeo-Christian principles. Sincerely, Manuel B. Blanco, Sr. Business TheStreet.com Elon Musk took out the carrot. The CEO of Tesla tried on October 19 to reassure the electric vehicle maker's shareholders after a completely disastrous first half of October for Tesla shares. Tesla shares have lost 16.3% since September 30, which translates into a decline in market value of approximately $135 billion. Family & Parenting, Local News, Business & Finance, Health & Wellness, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: February 01 2016 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, joined by Vice President Joseph Biden, today kicked off the Strong Families, Strong New York campaign to push for passage of the Governors paid family leave proposal in New York State. Albany, NY - January 29, 2016 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, joined by Vice President Joseph Biden, today kicked off the Strong Families, Strong New York campaign to push for passage of the Governors paid family leave proposal in New York State. The Governor has proposed that New York enact a 12 week paid family leave policy which would be the longest benefits period in the nation for such a policy to help working families care for a new child or seriously ill relative. The Governor also launched a new website, for New Yorkers to learn more about the need for paid family leave and the benefits of his proposal. In the coming weeks, members of the Governors administration will be visiting communities across the state to raise awareness and rally support for the policy. At todays launch event at the McBurney YMCA in New York City, the Governor and Vice President were joined by Christy Turlington Burns, founder of Every Mother Counts, along with dozens of federal, state and city elected officials. More than 500 parents, caregivers, workers, community members and advocates were also in attendance to rally support for the proposal. There are times in life when family comes first like when a child is born, a loved one is sick, or a parent is dying and I believe everyone deserves the right to be there in those times, said Governor Cuomo. The lack of paid family leave is a rampant economic injustice that runs against the grain of the American promise. Its unacceptable that people are still forced to choose between caring for their families and keeping their jobs, and were going to change that in New York. Were going to pass 12 weeks of paid family leave and stand up for whats really important in life and I urge all New Yorkers to join us in this fight. Governor Cuomos proposal would ensure 12 weeks of job-protected, employee-funded leave to be used for caring for a new child or a sick relative. It would also guarantee employees the right to return to their current job upon their return from leave and bring discrimination actions to the extent that their rights are violated. Governor and Vice President joined by more than 500 working parents, caregivers, advocates and others to kick-off event. Photo from Governor Andrew Cuomo, via Flickr. The Need for Paid Family Leave Paid family leave is currently offered by every developed nation on the planet except for the United States. Within the U.S., only California, New Jersey and Rhode Island have such a program, and none offer benefits for longer than six weeks. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Labor has reported that a mere 12 percent of private sector workers are offered paid family leave by their employers. While the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 offers 12 weeks of unpaid leave, because of various exemptions approximately 40 percent of American workers are left out. Additionally, even for those who are covered by the FMLA, taking time off to care for a new child or sick relative often means workers are forced to forego wages, use up savings or vacation time, or even risk losing their jobs in order to care for new children or sick relatives. This injustice is particularly acute for low-income workers. In New York, nearly 50 percent of low-income working mothers have $500 or less in savings, and more than 33 percent have no savings. Without paid family leave, low-income workers are also more likely to utilize public assistance after the birth of a child or serious illness in the family. In addition to parents with new children, paid family leave is a crucial benefit to families caring for an ailing loved one especially elderly relatives. More than 90 percent of elderly people receiving care in the community rely on the support and care of their loved ones, either independently or along with paid help and two-thirds of older Americans receive care solely from their family members. Seventy-eight percent of people who care for elderly relatives are employed, and 62 percent report working full time. Furthermore, with growing life expectancies nationally and an aging population, the need for elder care is expected to increase in the coming years. Proven Benefits and Support Governor Cuomos proposal for 12 weeks of paid family leave offers a number of broad and important benefits to working families, businesses, and the states economy. This includes economic security and better health outcomes for families, greater workforce longevity and productivity for businesses, and a stronger economy for all. Local News, Business & Finance, Travel & Local Attractions, Press Releases By Long Island News & PR Published: February 01 2016 U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the U.S. Department of Customers and Border Protection (CBP) to work hand-in-glove with Long Island MacArthur Airport as it designs a brand new Customs facility to attract and ... LI MacArthur Airport is seeking to attract international flights, but needs to build a customs facility before this can become a reality; international airport would bolster economic activity in the region. Long Island, NY - January 29, 2016 - U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the U.S. Department of Customers and Border Protection (CBP) to work hand-in-glove with Long Island MacArthur Airport as it designs a brand new Customs facility to attract and accommodate commercial international flights. Long Island MacArthur Airport and community officials have already committed to moving forward with a plan that would allow the airport to provide international flights. In order to move forward, the airport must design and construct a customs facility and gain approval as a User Fee Airport. Suffolk County, the Town of Islip, and New York State have collectively pledged the funding needed to move this project forward. However, Schumer today said that close coordination with CBP would help ensure that the facility is constructed to all necessary federal requirements and specifications and therefore, pave the way for future approval by CBP. Schumer explained that close coordination and active input from CBP is critical to ensuring resources and time are not wasted. A customs facility at Macarthur should be a federal priority because it could give Long Islanders direct access to some of the most popular tourist destinations, while simultaneously bolstering economic activity and job creation in the region. We cannot delay in making this facility a reality and thats why Customs should work closely with MacArthur Airport so that time and resources are not wasted, said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. Schumers latest push to get CBP to work with MacArthur to build a full customs facility at the airport follows his successful push two years ago to get approval for a smaller facility that allowed for processing capabilities for charter and private flights from international destinations as well as a USDA inspection facility for international cargo. That smaller facility, which is currently in use, allows for one-time screening of private flights, but is not permanently staffed and cannot support larger and frequent international commercial flights. The full inspection facility that MacArthur is now pursuing will greatly expand their inspection capabilities and therefore increase the airports ability to attract new and expanding service. The Long Island MacArthur Airport currently provides air travel with Southwest Airlines and American Airlines. The airport provides non-stop flights to Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach and Philadelphia. Before it can accommodate international travel, the airport must construct a customs facility and gain approval as a User Fee Airport (UFA). This designation is given to small airports that have been approved by CBP to receive, for a fee, the services of a CBP officer for the processing of aircraft entering the United States and their passengers and cargo. CBP cannot official approve MacArthur Airport as a UFA until the customs facility is at least 85 percent complete. Schumer today said that this should not prevent CBP from engaging in an active and open dialog with the community as they move forward. Schumer explained that by working hand-in-glove with Long Island MacArthur Airport, CBP can make sure that the customs facility is built and approved without delay. Schumer explained that an international airport at MacArthur would bolster economic activity in the region and the UFA designation is needed in order for this to happen. Long Island MacArthur Airport has suffered big losses including a 46.4% loss of commercial departures from 2007-2012. Departing flights from the airport dropping nearly 6 percent from 2012 to 2013. Airport administrators have been working towards improving flights and services. In January of 2012, the airport resumed U.S. Airway shuttle service from Long Island to Washington, D.C. Schumer fought hard for this service. Additionally, efforts are being made to lengthen the taxiways. Schumer explained that the presence of CBP at the airport, in tandem with the new federal inspection station, would help attract new airlines and allow current carriers to begin providing international service. A copy of Schumers letter is below: Dear Commissioner Kerlikowske: I write to urge you to work closely and collaboratively with Long Island MacArthur Airport and Suffolk County on their efforts to pursue a designation in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) User Fee Airport (UFA) Program, which would help the airport attract and maintain international flights. MacArthur Airport and community officials are committed to taking the necessary steps to clear the way for the airport to provide international flights and the first step is for them to design and construct a customs facility and gain approval as a User Fee Airport. Suffolk County, the Town of Islip, and New York State have collectively pledged the needed funding to move this project forward, however close coordination with your agency is required in order to ensure that the facility is constructed to all of CBPs requirements and specifications. Therefore, I urge you to work closely with the Airport as they move through this process. While I understand that CBP cannot officially approve MacArthur Airport as a User Fee Airport until the customs facility is at least 85% complete, that should not prevent CBP from engaging in an active and open dialogue with the community as they move toward that milestone. Close coordination and active input from CBP is critical to ensuring resources and time are not wasted in pursuit of this important project. In addition, active participation by CBP will also serve as a signal to potential carriers that your agency is serious about helping MacArthur Airport gain the UFA designation and as a result will help jumpstart efforts by MacArthur to bring new flights to the airport. MacArthur Airport has suffered significant losses in recent years, with departing flights from the airport dropping nearly 6% from 2012 to 2013. I strongly believe that making MacArthur an international airport would increase activity at the airport and bolster economic activity in the region. The User Fee Airport designation is a critical step in allowing MacArthur to provide international flights; the presence of Customs and Border Protection at the airport, in tandem with the new federal inspection station, would help attract new airlines and allow current carriers to begin providing international service. I am confident that a UFA designation will help the MacArthur Airport grow, boosting the regional economy and providing Long Islanders with direct access to international travel locations, as well as providing a gateway to international visitors traveling to the world-class vacation destinations on Long Island. Thank you in advance for your attention to this important matter. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff. Sincerely, Charles E. Schumer United States Senator 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 A senior al Qaeda leader wanted by the US, who has served on the organizations military committee, is said to have been killed in a US airstrike along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in August 2014. Abu Dujana al Basha, the al Qaeda leader, is a son-in-law and trusted aide to Ayman al Zawahiri and is known as the hidden commander for his organization behind the scenes. Al Qaeda has not officially confirmed Bashas death, but often does not issue eulogies for slain leaders and commanders. Reports of his death are given credibility because known al Qaeda leaders repeated the claim. His death was first reported in a eulogy that was published by a jihadist known as Abdulsalam al Uthman on Twitter in early December. Uthmans account of Bashas death was then retweeted by other known al Qaeda supporters and members. It is unclear if Basha was killed in an airstrike in Afghanistan or Pakistan. If he was killed in Pakistan, the US only launched one strike that month, on Aug. 6, 2014. The strike took place in the Datta Khel area of Pakistans tribal agency of North Waziristan. The Datta Khel area has served as an al Qaeda command and control center in the past, and several key al Qaeda leaders and military commanders, including Mustafa Abu Yazid, a longtime al Qaeda leader and close confidant of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri; Abdullah Said al Libi, the commander of the Shadow Army; and Zuhaib al Zahibi, a general in the Shadow Army, have been killed in US drone strikes there. The hidden commander Basha was called the hidden commander because he was relatively unknown to the outside world, yet he played a key role in the establishment of al Qaedas newest branch in South Asia. According to Uthman, Basha was responsible for establishing al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. Ayman al Zawahiri announced the establishment of al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent in September 2014, just one month prior to Bashas reported death. Bashas role in Pakistan was discussed in a letter dated Nov. 23, 2010 from Atiyah Abd al Rahman to Osama bin Laden. The letter, which identified several al Qaeda leaders who were slated for promotion, was part of a large cache of documents and files seized during the raid on bin Ladens compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011. Atiyah, who was al Qaedas general manager at the time, said that Basha (who is described as Abu Dujanah al Masri and Pasha) was being put to work in the Pakistan theater. There is the brother Abu Dujanah al Masri (Basha) May Allah Protect Him we are in the process of trying him out with responsibility of work in Pakistan, Atiyah wrote. Bashas description as a hidden commander is a similar to the description given to Sufyan al Maghribi, a Moroccan who served as the groups military chief in Afghanistan and Pakistan, after he was killed in a US drone strike in early 2014. Al Wathiq Billah, a prominent al Qaeda supporter, described Maghribi as one who works in silence. People such as these you do not hear a sound from them, they work in silence and leave in silence, Billah said when announcing Maghribis death. Known to the US Bashas eulogy also confirmed several key facts about the commander that were known to the US government back in 2009, when he was listed as a specially designated global terrorist. His other aliases were Muhammad bin Mahmoud Rabie al Bahtiyti and Abu Dujana al Pasha. Uthman said that Basha served as a military commander, was engaged to Zawahiris daughter, and was responsible for helping al Qaeda family members after the US invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001. Although Basha was not initially a public persona for al Qaeda, he was well-known to US counterterrorism officials for years. In January 2009, the US Treasury Department designated Basha as an al Qaeda terrorist, noting that he was Zawahiris son-in-law. He was located in Iran at the time. Treasury found that he served on an al Qaeda military committee and provided military training that included urban warfare tactics for al Qaeda members. Among other duties, he drafted training manuals for al Qaeda as well as a book on security that was used as a template for al Qaedas surveillance operations. Basha was a longtime member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad as well as al Qaeda, and was reportedly involved in al Qaedas 1995 bombing of the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan. Zawahiri tasked Basha with moving members of Zawahiris family to Iran after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Emerging from the shadows Basha took on a more prominent and public role for al Qaeda in recent years. In December 2013, he argued that jihad is necessary to implement sharia law in Egypt. In late August 2014, al Qaeda issued a statement by Basha where he urged followers to strike American and Israeli interests in support of Muslims in Gaza. Al Qaeda also issued a statement by Basha in September 2014, shortly after he is said to have been killed. In that statement, Basha offered a thinly-veiled critique of the Islamic State, and outlined al Qaedas goals and methods to establish a global caliphate and impose its version of Islamic law. Additionally, al Qaeda included an article by Basha on Syria in its first edition of Resurgence, its official English-language magazine, which was released in October 2014. Uthman noted that Bashas importance to al Qaeda increased over the past few years, and while he increased his security measures, this ultimately led to his death. Basha was taking care of the families and the brothers[al Qaeda members], and directly supervising military activities, and other things of that nature, which is what led to his death, Uthman claimed. Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal. Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here. Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here. Ashford Castle Offers Single Ladies 'Leap of Faith' Package In honor of Leap Year this February 29th, Ashford Castle has created a special package to make the proposing even sweeter.The legend around the Leap Year story claims that St. Brigid of Kildare, a fifth-century Irish nun, asked St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, to grant permission for women to propose marriage after single women complained to her that their suitors were too shy to propose. St. Patrick agreed, but initially he granted women permission to propose only once every seven years. When Brigid persisted, he supposedly acquiesced and allowed proposals every four years but only on leap day. The folk tale goes on to say that Brigid then bent down on one knee and proposed to Patrick. Sadly, he refused, kissing her on the cheek and offering her a silk gown instead. The Irish tradition therefore dictates that any man refusing a woman's leap-day proposal must give her a silk gown. At Ashford Castle, the perfectly romantic place to get engaged, they are confident that all the men will say "Yes!"The two-night "Leap of Faith" package includes: Two nights' accommodations Full Irish breakfast for two daily Five-course Table d'Hote dinner menu in the George V dining room "B|Africa B|Harmonized" treatment in the Ashford Castle Spa couples' suite Film screening of Leap Year movie in Ashford Castle's cinema Secret proposal on the big screen in the cinema House Champagne on arrivalFrom January through March and November through December 22, 2016, the package is priced from 1,265 (approx. US$1,387) per person, in a Corrib Lake View Room. In April and October, the package is priced from 1,290 (approx. US$1,413) per person, and from May through September, from 1,775 (approx. US$1,944). And, if the couple returns to Ashford Castle for their honeymoon and book two nights, they will receive the third night at a 50% discount (subject to availability).For more information about Ashford Castle, visit: Venice Celebrates Carnival Irene Rizzi, wrapped in an elegant orange dress designed and made by the Atelier of Stefano Nicolao, reached the St. Mark's square in the famous Volo d'angelo (the flight of the angel).The Flight of the Angel dates back to the mid-500, when an acrobat amazed and shocked the city by walking on a rope from the dock to the bell of the tower of St. Mark. The artist reached the balcony of the Doge and the crowd strongly applauded this courageous young man. Since that time, the event was organized every year.A busy and interesting program this year: until the 9th of February many events and historical re-enactments for this edition called CREATUM arts and traditions! a name centered on the ancient origins of Venice and also linked to the topography of the city. There are countless streets and squares of Venice which recall the ancient arts and traditional crafts.St. Mark's Square, the hub site of the festivities, from 30 January to 9 February, will host artisans who through the excellence of their work will tell the unique story of Venice. The audience will be entertained by the presence of mask makers, instrument makers, glass makers, tailors who will exhibit their wares in the shops of Piazza San Marco and show the beauty of their art. A real dive in the Venice of the '700 with actors and masks that will emphasize the moments and the most important passages of all crafts.The Carnival of Venice 2016 is enriched with a new event: from Thursday the 4th to Tuesday the 9th of February in Campo San Geremia, near Piazzale Roma and the train station of Saint Lucia, there will be a large pavilion in eighteenth-century style curated by the designers of the theater La Fenice in Venice. The pavilion will present the Italian regional excellence on a journey through the flavors and typical products but also through folklore and crafts. Timeless atmosphere of the Carnival, The Field of flavors and traditions narrate an old history, by telling the memory and culture of wonderful places of our country to intrigue and win in a cheerful and festive audience. This will be done through the typical wine and food and craft products, not only memory and art of an area, but often promoters of history and innovation.- Oscar WildeMore information: George Soros just donated another $6 million to Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clintons Super Political Action Committee, raising the total the billionaire has contributed thus far to her 2016 campaign to $7 million. Liberals and progressives who can be counted on to hyperventilate every time the Koch brothers drop a dollar into a Salvation Army drum havent made a peep. Theyve also been remarkably silent on other donations to Clintons Priorities USA SuperPac, including $5 million from Haim Saban and his wife Cheryl; $2.3 million from Laurie Woods; and $2.5 million from Donald Sussman. And I shall join the liberals and progressives in their chorus of silence, because, unlike them, your writer prefers intellectual consistency. So, you go, George Soros! And, likewise, Mr. and Ms. Saban, Ms. Woods and Mr. Sussman. Last, but not least, lets hear it for the Koch brothers! Because each and every one of the above-listed donors are exercising their First Amendment free-speech rights, which were girded by the U.S. Supreme Courts Citizens United decision. However, liberals and progressives dont see it that way when donations dont go their way. For example the left-leaning investors affiliated with religious shareholder activists As You Sow seemingly cant abide corporate donations in the political game when its their respective ox thats gored, namely anyone who disagrees with their views on climate change, social issues, genetically modified organisms and, you guessed it, Citizens United. Heres an example from an AYS proxy resolution submitted to DuPont: Using corporate funds to influence any political election for purposes of this proposal, includes any direct or indirect contribution using corporate funds that is intended to influence the outcome of an election or referendum. This includes independent expenditures, electioneering communications, and issue advocacy that can reasonably be interpreted as in support or opposition of a specific candidate or ballot measure. The policy should include measures, to the greatest extent practical, to prevent trade associations or non-profit corporations from channeling our companys contributions or membership dues to influence the outcome of any election or referendum. Corporate money in politics is a controversial subject. Since the high-profile U.S. Supreme Court Case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, corporate contributions to election campaigns have skyrocketed. Experts have estimated that a record-breaking $6.3 billion was spent in the 2012 electoral cycle, an increase of nearly 15% from 2008. These developments are deeply unpopular among the U.S. public across party lines, and consequently expose companies to considerable risks associated with attempts to influence controversial election outcomes. Before AYS can lift themselves from their self-imposed rhetorical fainting couch, they might want to read last weekends Wall Street Journal wherein Bradley Smith, chairman of the Center for Competitive Politics, sets the record straight on campaign financing: Hillary Clinton has tons of cash, but she cant shake off Bernie Sanders. Donald Trump keeps threatening to spend his own money, but he hasnt had to use much of it. Hes leading the Republican field, feasting on free media coverage, while spending a fraction of what his rivals, and super PACs promoting them, have spent. If his rivals hadnt been able raise large sums the GOP race would probably be overMr. Trumps celebrity, name recognition and charisma would already have carried the day. Apparently oblivious to the failure of big money to dictate the race, the goo-goosthe good-government crowdhave cranked up the same theme they use every election year. We must, they say, have campaign finance reform. We must get money out of politics. The Supreme Court must reverse its 2010 decision in Citizens United and allow reasonable regulation of campaign finance. I might add that AYS and its partners in the anti-Citizens United crusade never mention limits on celebrity endorsements for candidates. Certainly having Bruce Springsteen in his camp presented some lift to President Obama in elections past, I would imagine. There must be somebody out there who can put a dollar value on the Boss making personal appearances on Obamas behalf. Not that I care I really dont but then Im consistent that way. The goo-goos at AYS? Not so much. Green Olive Tree has been in the Managed Hosting business for over 15 years. We have the expertise to build and manage an infrastructure perfect for your needs. Did we mention we are also a veteran owned business? Where's the Coverage? Palestinian Official Praises Hitler, Says Goal of 2 States is Elimination of Israel | Main | School in Sweden Teaches Pupils Israel Doesnt Exist February 01, 2016 Iranian Leader Marks Holocaust Remembrance Day with Denial Video The Supreme Leader? of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, released a Holocaust denial video on Jan. 27, 2016International Holocaust Remembrance Day. According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a non-profit organization that translates Arab and Iranian media sources, Khameneis three-minute video was published on his official website. The Iran Military? Facebook page, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), disseminated the video. MEMRI says in the video Khamenei expresses doubt about whether the Holocaust actually happenedand hints at a conspiracy on the part of Western Europe and the U.S.? Khamenei exhorts: You dear brothers, dear people of Iran, Muslims of the great Islamic Ummah [transnational Muslim community], and officials in different countries, should know that we can stand up against the Ignorance.? The Ignorance? is a term frequently used by Iranian leaders to refer to the non-Islamic West, particularly the United States. The Iranian leader claimed that no one in European countries dares to speak about the Holocaust, while it is not clear whether the core of this matter is a reality or not.? Khamenei claimed, Even if it [the Holocaust] is a reality, it is not clear how it happened.? As CAMERA has noted, similar false claims have been propagated by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, among others. Without a hint of irony, the ayatollah, head of a theocratic police state, charged European leaders with suppressing freedom to question or debate the historical fact of the Nazi-led destruction of European Jewry. He pointed to lawsuits and arrests that some democratic countries, such as Germany, have taken against Holocaust deniers. Khameneis claims may have another purpose as well. MEMRI says, the ayatollahs charge implies the silence about the Holocaust that is imposed by the West on their citizensis a conspiracy by the Western countries and the Zionist regime [Israel], aimed at establishing falsely, justification for Israels existence, as it expels the Palestinians.? The Islamic Republic of Irans embrace of Holocaust denial is nothing new. Its former President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, repeatedly denied the murder of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators occurred. His successor, current Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, earned plaudits from media outlets, like the U.K. newspaper The Guardian, for purportedly putting an end to eight years of Holocaust denial.? Yet, as Marc Tracy pointed out in The New Republic in 2013, Rouhani did not actually denounce Holocaust denial. He said Let the historians decide?effectively casting doubt on the historical nature of the Holocaust by falsely implying that historians had not yet verified the genocide (Hassan Rouhani Is Still a Holocaust Denier,? Sept. 26, 2013). In an activity meant to help indoctrinate the next generation of Iranians, the regime is slated to hold its latest annual contest to see who can create the best Holocaust denial cartoon? this June. Last year 839 cartoons were submitted. This years winner will take home $50,000$12,000 more than the last winner was awarded (Iran to Host State-Sponsored Holocaust Denial Cartoon Contest,? Breitbart News, Jan. 16, 2016). The MEMRI clip of Khameneis Holocaust denial video can be found here. Posted by SD at February 1, 2016 01:11 PM Guidelines for posting This is a moderated blog. We will not post comments that include racism, bigotry, threats, or factually inaccurate material. Post a comment The transitional period for the 2010 amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW 2010) comes to an end on 1 January 2017. To prevent last minute certification logjams, and potential difficulties during Port State Control inspections next year, it is important that maritime employers liaise closely with maritime administrations, says the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). With less than a year to go before the end of this major transition, ICS and its member national associations are urging shipping companies to check that those maritime administrations responsible for issuing their seafarers STCW certification are fully prepared, and that arrangements have been made to ensure that any necessary updating training can be undertaken by the seafarers they employ. The 2010 Manila Amendments to STCW entered into force in 2012, with different requirements being phased-in at various dates before 1 January 2017. The provisions being phased-in by maritime administrations include new and updated seafarer competences, as well as changes to some seafarer grades and certification requirements. Most maritime administrations have determined that seafarers holding national certificates of competence will need to complete mandatory updating courses in order to be certified beyond 31 December 2016. In view of the 1 January 2017 implementation date, ICS considers that maritime administrations should, where necessary, have already approved any special updating courses for seafarers, as well as making any necessary arrangements for the issue and revalidation of seafarers certificates in accordance with the 2010 amendments. In their capacity as flag states, administrations also need to be ready to process a potentially large number of applications for flag state recognition endorsements towards the end of 2016. However, in order to ensure that any applications can be processed by certification issuing administrations and flag states well ahead of 1 January next year, ICS says that ship operators should be taking all necessary steps now to facilitate the attendance of their seafarers at relevant training courses. ICS Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe, said, Shipping companies should take early action to ensure seafarers certificates are renewed or revalidated as may be required before the end of the transition period, and to plan for their seafarers to attend any necessary courses. But as we approach 2017, employers will be reliant on the availability of courses from training providers and their timely approval by maritime administrations. This should be a simple matter of logistics but shipowners, administrations, training providers and all other parties involved should undertake to work together to avoid either non-compliance with the new STCW regime or the disruption of the operation of the world fleet due to a lack of certified seafarers. 1800 - USS Constellation engages French frigate La Vengeance in a 5-hour battle during the Quasi War. 1902 - USS Plunger (SS-2), the lead ship of the Plunger-class submarine, launches. She is commissioned Sept. 19, 1903, at the Holland Company yard at New Suffolk, Long Island, N.Y. Ensign Chester W. Nimitz is the submarines final commander when Plunger is decommissioned Nov. 6, 1909 at the Charleston Navy Shipyard. 1942 - USS Enterprise (CV 6) and USS Yorktown (CV 5) make the first World War II air strike against the Japanese at their outposts in the Marshall Islands to protect the Trans-Pacific supply route to Australia. 1944 - Three US Navy submarines, Guardfish (SS 217), Hake (SS 256) and Seahorse (SS 304), attack Japanese convoys, sinking a destroyer, cargo ship and another vessel. 1944 - USS Guest (DD 472) and USS Hudson (DD 475) sink the Japanese submarine I-171 off the Bismarck Archipelago. 1945 - USS Jenkins (DD 447), USS OBannon (DD 450), USS Bell (DD 587) and destroyer escort Ulvert M. Moore (DE 442) sink the Japanese submarine RO 115, 125 miles southwest of Manila. 1955 - Task Force 43 is established to plan US Navy Antarctic operations called Operation Deep Freeze. 2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates and is lost with all astronauts due to a failure in the shuttle heat shield protective system on the leading edge of the left wing during its re-entry into the Earths atmosphere. (Source: From Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division) Vard Holdings Limited, a designer and builder of offshore and specialized vessels, announced that its subsidiary Vard Marine has secured a new contract for the design of one Antarctic icebreaking vessel for the Chilean Navy. The contract value is approximately 4 million. Vard Marine, a consulting naval architecture and marine engineering company, has been awarded the contract by ASMAR Shipbuilding & Ship Repair Company to design an Antarctic icebreaking vessel for the Chilean Navy. The contract calls for Vard Marine to develop the basic design of the ship that will be constructed at the ASMAR shipyard in Talcahuano, Chile. The vessel will be capable of operating throughout the Southern Ocean with services to include logistic support, search and rescue missions, scientific research, and resupplying bases in the Chilean Antarctic Territory. The new vessel will be approximately 125 meters in length with a displacement of over 13,000 metric tons, a total complement of 155, and installed power of 14.5 MW to permit breaking one meter of ice at two knots. The vessel is designed to carry a wide range of containerized and vehicle cargo; helicopters and rescue boats for logistics/SAR missions, as well as the ability to undertake a broad range of scientific data gathering activities. Delivery of the vessel is scheduled in 2021. Iranian Leader Marks Holocaust Remembrance Day with Denial Video | Main | Defense One: Israel Is a Rising Cyber Super Power February 01, 2016 School in Sweden Teaches Pupils Israel Doesnt Exist A commentary in Arutz Sheva, Israel National News, Indoctrinating Swedish children? (Jan. 28 2016) charges a Swedish school with attempting to teach children anti-Israel bias and hated. Author Tobias Petersson, chairman of the Swedish pro-Israel organization Perspective on Israel (PPI), warns of textbooks that have been distributed in the city of Malmo, Sweden by a non-governmental organization. Petersson says the Swedish pro-Palestinian NGO Palestinian Centre for Justice (PRC) recently began to educate children in one or more schools? in the city. In 2006, PRC arranged a conference in which Ismail Haniyeh spoke. Haniyeh is the leader of Gaza Strip-based Hamas, a U.S-designated terrorist group. According to Petersson, the PRC is slated to hold another of these conferences, entitled Palestinians in Europe? in 2016. In June 2015, the PRC vice chairman held a meeting with Margot Wallstrom, currently Swedens foreign minister. Wallstrom has been criticized for her Jan. 12, 2016 remarks which falsely alleged that Israelis shooting Palestinian attackers were potentially guilty of summary executions.? The textbook distributed by the PRC is called To Palestine I Belong.? Written entirely in Arabic, the book shows a map that depicts all of Israel and territories ruled by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas as Palestine. Some Israeli cities are still shownhowever Tel Aviv, is not. Jewish history in the land of Israel before the 1917 Balfour Declaration is completely erased, whereas Muslim activity in the region is depicted. The book refers to Jewish presence in Israel as the occupation? and accuses the country of harboring a dangerous plan? to destroy the Palestinian cause? via war crimes against the land, the people and the holy shrines.? Israel is also falsely charged with preventing Palestinian Arabs from working, stealing land and enacting Judaization? projects to erase Islamic history in Jerusalem. In what Petersson calls the most controversial part of the textbook,? the 1987-1994 intifada in which Palestinian Arabs attacked Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, is described as brave children fighting the Zionist machines and soldiers with their bare chests.? Petersson notes that this language directly mirrors that of Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri. Terrorist attacks against Israelis are praised in the book as a heroic saga.? According to Petersson, in November and December 2015, the PRC Facebook page displayed photographs of teaching sessions with this textbookonly to remove them after journalists started asking questions. Other images show PRC rallies at which the Jewish Star of David is depictedbut made of barbed wire. Swedish Foreign Minister Wallstrom has cited her governments unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state as proof of consideration and solidarity? with Muslims. Sweden recently has accepted thousands of Muslim immigrants, some of whom were fleeing the Syrian civil war. In a Jerusalem Post Op-ed, Petersson notes that Wallstroms statements on solidarity? with the Islamic world (a notional concept for a divided, violence-torn region) frequently begin with an emphasis on her governments recognition of a Palestinian stateto show how good Sweden is for Muslims (Wallstrom has to resign,? Nov. 21, 2015).? According to the terms of the 1990s Oslo peace accordswhich Sweden supportedrecognition of a Palestinian state must be the result of bilateral negotiations with Israel. U.S. and Israeli offers for a two-state solution? in exchange for peace with and recognition of Israel made in 2000, 2001 and 2008, were all rejected by Palestinian Arab leaders, without any counter-offers. This may render Wallstroms recognition of a Palestinian state when none exists and may not be the main goal of Palestinian leaders, premature at best, an obstacle to peaceful coexistence at worst. What the Palestinian leaders rejected in favor of launching and continuing the anti-Jewish violence of the second intifada, the Swedish foreign minister and an anti-Israeli NGO also apparently reject: a peaceful two-state solution.? Instead they take Palestinian rejectionism as a given, implicitly treat anti-Israeli, anti-Jewish terrorism as acceptable and seek to indoctrinate Swedish children in those views. By erasing Israel from the map, the PRC and its supporters are doing more than just echoing the rhetoric of groups like Hamas or Fatahs al Aqsa Martyrs Brigadestheyre serving the strategic aims of terrorist groups. By using text books that advance that line, Swedens second largest cityfrom which many members of its 700-strong Jewish community fled because of antisemitic harassment half-a-dozen years agosupports efforts to make not only itself, but also the Middle East, judenrein. Posted by SD at February 1, 2016 04:34 PM What makes you think you can illimanate GODS people,but you will be banished to hell for such evil! Posted by: Rose at February 2, 2016 12:46 PM Guidelines for posting This is a moderated blog. We will not post comments that include racism, bigotry, threats, or factually inaccurate material. Post a comment Workboats depend on reliable sources of both. To that end, the basic keys to crew comfort are both manifested in Dometics newest equipment offerings. As the New Year kicks off, marine equipment OEM Dometic has unveiled two new, completely upgraded offerings. The Sea Xchange CX Watermaker, a variable capacity system that can produce between 8,000-40,000 gallons per day (GPD) of potable water, is intended for a wide range of commercial applications, including on offshore platforms, floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facilities, workboats and military vessels. Separately, Dometic has also introduced the Dometic Titan Chiller, a 45-ton unit with revolutionary new titanium coaxial tube condenser. The chiller, custom designed by Dometic and built for a 50-meter project, represents a giant leap forward in improving the longevity of its chilled water system condenser coils. The coils in the new chiller are made of industrial-grade titanium, providing captains and crews with a unit that is virtually immune to erosion and corrosion. The product announcements come at a time when workboat operators everywhere are looking to cut costs in an increasingly challenging business climate, while, at the same time, provide the best in possible accommodations, creature comforts and adherence to domestic and global habitation rules. Fortunately, the new equipment promises to satisfy all of these demands and more. Sea Xchange CX Watermaker Dometics newest equipment release, the variable capacity Sea Xchange CX, offers operators full mechanical and electrical redundancy, offsite monitoring capabilities and rugged steel plumbing and construction. Producing between 8,000 and 40,000 gallons per day of potable water, the high-capacity unit built for extreme offshore conditions, is unique for several reasons. First, it is a variable-capacity system, and can reduce output when demand is lower. And the system offers full mechanical and electrical backup to the automated features on the system, as well as remote, offsite monitoring capabilities included as a standard feature with every unit. Taking Care of Business Means Taking Care of the Crew Regulation 3.2 of the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) 2006 provides that ships shall carry on board and serve food and water of appropriate quality, nutritional value and quantity that adequately covers the requirements of the ship...,however that rule does not specifically define what water of appropriate quality is. Likewise, while the ABS Guide for Crew Habitability on Ships addresses issues relating to ship accommodations, whole-body vibration, noise, indoor climate, and lighting, it does not specifically address the issue of on board water quality. Given that, Dometic has incorporated global World Health Organization standards to the potable water that its systems produce, so that the produced water is compliant with the regulations of all countries, including the United States. The World Health Organization (WHO) standard for potable water <500 ppm of total dissolved solids (TDS) is easily matched by the Dometic system. For example, says Joe Pinto, Dometics National Account Manager, On one of our standard single-pass reverse osmosis systems, in standard seawater (35,000 TDS at 77 degrees F), when the prefilters and the membranes are fresh, you can expect the product water to be in the range of 125 TDS to 150 TDS. In a worst case scenario, our systems will produce potable water up to the WHO standard (500 TDS). In certain situations, there can be onboard requirements for so-called technical water (for boiler feed water, for example). In these cases, customers require technical water which has a much lower TDS level than standard potable water. This ultra-low level of TDS can be achieved through the implementation of a second pass of reverse osmosis processing in conjunction with engineered feed water pre-treatment and possibly post-treatment, depending on the customers particular application. This second pass removes between 90 to 95% of the TDS from the watermakers product water. Dometics systems are specifically able to achieve this ultra-low level of TDS required of technical water if this is specified by the customer. CX systems include the industrys 316SS passivated motor mount isolators, which properly support the high pressure pump during operation, thus minimizing system vibration. Properly placed vibration isolators minimize system vibration and result in noise reduction and increased crew comfort. Utility and Economy in Challenging Waters Dometics commercial grade Watermaker is Skid mounted / unitized for easy install and maintenance. Readily lifted by a crane or other onboard equipment and placed without having to undergo extensive fabrication, plumbing and other connection costs, this capability makes the system attractive in the aftermarket, where often times systems are required to fit through door openings and other confined spaces. Pinto adds, From a service perspective, maintenance can readily be performed on the system by one person because all integral parts of the watermaker are conveniently located within reach of the operator. For the thrifty workboat operator, the CX watermaker can also reduce output when demand is lower. Beyond this, operators have the ability to program the system to make a certain number of gallons and shut off, or run for a certain period of time and shut off. The CX systems, fully automatic, also have mechanical redundancy. This feature makes our reverse osmosis systems unique in the marketplace, since no other manufacturer of reverse osmosis systems offers this, adds Pinto. Consistent with todays increasingly connected seagoing operations, the CX units come with remote, offsite monitoring capabilities. Joe Pinto explained, We can monitor virtually all functions of the CX systems in that all system data is available. So, for example, we can look at a system fault history from the factory while a technician is physically in front of the unit to assist the technician in diagnosing a potential problem or other issue. The system can even be operated remotely in this manner, so the customer doesnt necessarily even need to have an onboard system operator. Another place where customers can save money is through the use of Dometics super-duplex, radial axial high pressure pump that is highly resistant to the effects of seawater. There is an 8,000 hour service interval on the pump, significantly longer than the service interval of the traditional piston pumps used by some of the other brands of watermakers. A high-capacity unit, built for extreme offshore conditions, the Dometic CX notably utilizes a piping system comprised of 100 percent 316SS plumbing as opposed to plastic plumbing. Pinto explains why. Our CX systems are plumbed completely with 316SS, unlike the other reverse osmosis systems offered in the marketplace (which use plastic plumbing on the low pressure side of their systems). The challenge with plastic plumbing is that when it is exposed to weather, the material typically fatigues over time, ultimately causing plumbing to leak and ultimately rupture. Beyond this, he insists, compared to overall system weight, the 316SS does not add a significant amount of weight. That system is plumbed with Victaulics Vic-Press plumbing system with 316 Stainless Steel Schedule 10 Pipe. Simply described, Vic-Press is a Press-to-connect piping solution offering hand-held, flame-free welding alternative installation of small-diameter stainless steel pipe in seconds. Rated for up to 2500 psi, Dometics CX typically operates at less than 900 psi. And, the savings in the elimination of hotwork, permits and labor alone are enough to justify the use of a better product, says Pinto. Dometics 45-Ton Titan Chiller If crystal clear water is a definite requirement of a fully MLC compliant vessel, then the other side of the equation arguably includes the right to work in a comfortable environment. That wasnt always the case, and in many instances in the past, air conditioning was installed chiefly as a function of keeping the ever-growing list of electronic equipment that over time was being retrofitted onto the standard bridge layout. Thats still important, of course, but a concerted effort to embark and keep the best possible mariner has led to an improvement in the way chillers are deployed, their capacities and greater attention given to aftermarket service. To that end, Dometics custom designed Titan Chiller is intended to satisfy those demands and a lot more. Central to the new design are the coils in the new chiller which are made of industrial-grade titanium, providing captains and crews with a unit that is virtually immune to erosion and corrosion. Until now, the problem has been that chiller condensers made of a softer metal called cupronickel simply couldnt stand up to the acid cleaning and high water velocity needed to keep the invasive marine life out of the chillers plumbing, said Charlie A. Barefoot, Jr., Vice President of Engineering and Technical Support at Dometic. This is why we built the Titan Chiller with a condenser made of industrial-grade titanium. Its a very strong material that does not erode the way cupronickel does. Debris from invasive marine life has been increasing considerably in recent years, causing serious issues with yacht and superyacht chillers. Dometic studied this problem extensively and found that the common methods used to battle it, such as acid cleaning and higher water velocity, were detrimental to cupronickel tubing. Therefore, Dometic developed the Titan Chiller, which uses titanium tubes that can easily withstand these cleaning methods. The robust Titan Chiller Titanium condenser comes with a limited 5-year warranty, and a maintenance schedule that promises low cost of ownership, in exchange for a minor increase in price. And, as of January 2016, the Dometic Chiller only uses new titanium coaxial tube condensers as opposed to Copper-Nickel The Dometic approach costs 3 to 4 percent more, but also results in a weight savings of 8 to 10 percent, depending on the size of the system. Ben Haynes, Dometics Director of OEM sales, explains the rationale behind the change. The real advantage is that the interior part of the tube typically made of cupronickel has sea water running through it. There are issues with that when people dont maintain them properly, which eventually results in pitting and erosion. If one tube gets plugged, for example, it increases flow through another coil which causes erosion. Growth inside is rampant for example, operators are flushing the tubes out four or five times in a summer when it used to be once annually, and the acid flush is eating through the coils. So, the lesson here is that if you follow maintenance procedures for the old style coils to the letter, youll probably be okay. But, most people dont. Eventually that leads to a condenser coil failure. And, operators can be confident that the new coils will last 5 to 10 years. Like the watermaker, the new chiller comes with a flexible control system that can be changed, customized, and makes upgrades easier. And, it also will also allow external monitoring of the system from shoreside. A new feature, the new controls and monitoring fit nicely in an era of reduced manning, and MLC code enforcement. Beyond this, a shortage of qualified engineers can also impact operations and maintenance. Not to worry, says Haynes. Remote monitoring can see and potentially prevent problems before they happen. The new controls can be bought in a basic format or, conversely, operators can get the Platinum option, which has a very user-friendly touch screen controller board. The Dometic Chiller is built exclusively for harsh on board environments, built for purpose and also built-to-fit hard to access spaces like the conditions found on some workboats, for example. And, the system is scalable up and down for a myriad of workboat applications. With the coaxial setup, for example, the system can go all the way up to as much as 75 tons. Haynes adds, Theres really no limit to what we can provide. We do a lot of tugs; anywhere from 15 to 25 ton chillers. Current commercial maritime clients and customers who have bought previous versions of Dometic watermakers include Signet Maritime, Metal Shark, the U.S. Coast Guard, Harvey Gulf, Nichols Brothers, Metal Shark, and many more. Ensuring Uninterrupted Air & Water More than 750 dealers, plus 15 distributors in the U.S. alone ensure robust service and maintenance wherever and whenever needed. Internationally, more than double that number are strategically located around the globe. Six internal Dometic training schools annually keep all technicians up to speed on new developments and the improved equipment offerings. Haynes told MarineNews in December, This is literally the largest dealer network in the marine industry. This network provides our customers with unparalleled service and support no matter where a vessel travels. For workboat operators watching the bottom line and the welfare of their crews at the same time, water and A/C are probably two things they dont want to worry about. Now, they dont have to. (As published in the January 2016 edition of Marine News - http://magazines.marinelink.com/Magazines/MaritimeNews) With three species of migrating cod to fish and new commercial species arriving as oceans warm, Norway is a fisheries Valhalla. Yet, recent boat sales suggest the Scandinavian countrys role is changing. Vessel orders and rules in Norway are propping up yards and designers on Europes fringes. Medium-sized hull orders for Romanian, Russian and Turkish boat builders are new, while large vessel orders for Denmark or Spain continue apace. Unconventional Icelandic designs, too, are gaining ground here as catches and profits soar. Stirring the stream of new-builds are rules, anticipated rules and cross-border catch agreements. In Norway, authorities have dropped limits on a coastal vessels length in favor of regulating the size and type of its hold (tank design rules and DNV Class 1A1). The result has been owner interest in new ship designs and modifications amidships. Crucially, for now, rules allowing larger vessels to accumulate fisheries quotas look set to become true in 2016 for smaller vessels of 11 meters to 15 m length. The optional new regime creates a free (coastal) fisherman class who need not buy quotas. Those that do can also buy two extra quotas beyond the ones theyre allotted. These strictures and new catch agreements with the EU mean quotas are going unused in Norway, where catches have grown just as vessel numbers have fallen (from 6,500 in 2009 to 6,000 in 2014). Change-Aware Theres certainly no crisis, Norwegian Fisheries Directorate spokesman, Olav Lekve, says. Directorate numbers show margins are up 13 percent. (Norwegian fishermen) sell to the whole world and there are many products that vary a lot in price. Wild salmon sell at pretty high prices in Europe. Lekve also points to the very detailed regulation that boat owners submit to. He says theyve learned to take advantage of every change thrown at them: Quotas, fishing areas, equipment, measures to protect young fish Theyve been pretty positive about it all. They are used to being regulated. One of those changes affects vessels of 60 m and longer and appears to allow them to pursue coastal cod, the Barents Seas shoals and the under-pressure North Sea cod shared with EU fleets. In 2016, these large vessels will fill six quotas three for pelagic (schooling species) and three for bottom feeders and theyll have more freedom to choose the gear they use, said Lekve. Booming Norwegian shipyard Kleven seems to be capitalizing on the new rules and limits. With Denmarks quotas for most species rising after a recent Norway-EU round of negotiations (minus Iceland), Kleven will supply a 90 m SALT 0155 design for Danish Gitte Henning. Tolerances on equipment choice allow for a combined pelagic trawler and purse seiner 17.8 m wide. The newbuild will be the largest pelagic vessel in its segment, Kleven says. The deal is the fourth fish-related new-build for Klevens Myklebust Verft since June and a suitable prize on its 100th birthday. Norwegian suppliers Brunvoll, Scana Volda, Hareid Elektriske, Karmy Winch and MMC are in on a build due at year-end 2017. Klevens order book now stands at 16 vessels worth NOK10 billion. Pretty Big With 25 percent of a catch shared with Europe, large vessel order in Norway are sure to continue. The 74 m, Havyard-designed Smaragd for an owner of the same name attracted much attention for its cutting-edge equipment and ability at its baptism this fall. Its cargo hold, at 2100 cu. m., is 300 times the smallest vessels. The purse-seiner and pelagic trawler is built for the open Atlantics herring and mackerel and will pump these aboard from nets astern and amidships. Pon Power delivered the main Caterpillar 4,000 kW engines and two auxiliary C32s of 994 kW. Rolls-Royce delivered the propulsion and Finny Gir & Propeller the gears. Brunvoll supplied the tunnel thrusters and Norwegian Electric Systems the electric thruster motors. Rapp Marine, Adria Winch and Seaonics delivered the capstan and winches. For the crew of 16, Maritime Monitering put in the cabin furnishings. With the all-important winter season and fisheries talks in London underway, all four Smaragd captains were out at sea or occupied and could not be reached for comment. Rise of Seacon The 90-foot MS Stokke Senior being built for a similarly named owner is a combi-boat for coastal waters and part purse seiner, side hauler and trawler. The build at Yaroslav Shipyard in Russia will include Stadt-built diesel-electric and Heimdal propellers; Triplex cranes and SMV Hydraulic winches. This SC 90 third of its type will process pelagic and whitefish, cooled in tanks or kept live in wells. Recent oversized catches of mackerel, herring and cod have topped what Lekve says has been 10 years of stable earnings. The savings are now being reinvested. Attracting that investment is Nordfjords Seacon and nearby Stadyard, builder of the Seacon SC 15 (emphasis on 15 m), the yards 39th new-build and a combined purse- and side-seiner. A Polish yard will build the hull, with its 8 m beam, for Seacons 15th sale in Norway. Seacon says the new-build T.A. Senior will replace a 2001 version of the same name (now quayside and laden with fish). Seacons SC34, at 34 m, is also hitting the mark with metal hulls and fittings pieced together in Russia, Romania and Turkey for customers in northern Norway. Build No. 10, the coastal seiner MS Breivik Junior for Breivik AS, will deliver in the fall of 2016 from VARDs Romanian yard. Fantastic Plastic Norway has been good, mostly, for Icelandic builder and designer Seigla, deliverer of over 120 boats, 30 of them to Norway. Seiglas vacuum formed plastic designs are selling. The traditional Norwegian and Icelandic sjark (say shark) has been made by Seigla into a high-speed (if desired) custom-build. Two Seigur T1100-Liberty auto-liners will be delivered to Norwegian fleet owners in Bodo in 2016. Three sjarker are on order for coastal fishermen. 2015 was a fantastic year. 2014 was very good year, says Dutch expat Sander Nieuwstad. We are working now on 2017 and five large auto-liners for Norway and Iceland. Nieuwstad claims skippers have been calling the T1100 and related designs catch machines that use up every centimeter of space while providing overhead cover for the work of fishing. Seigla celebrated 25 years this year by introducing the S XWL 1500 Liberty, 14.99 m and 6.5 m wide and featuring six single cabins or to increase the size of the hold four cabins of two bunks. Cargo holds range from 70 m3 to 90 m3. Autoline systems of up to 40,000 hooks are handled by the Libertys Mustad Autoline system. In response to Class and the authorities, Seigla has adjusted the ballast and, it is understood, the keel. One skipper reported in the Norwegian press had his first Seigla-made vessel catch fire at harbour. He said he had no qualms about ordering another. I called (Seigla) the same day (the vessel was destroyed) and ordered a new one, owner Benn Joeren Jenssen was quoted as saying. (As published in the January 2016 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News - http://magazines.marinelink.com/Magazines/MaritimeReporter) The LAV-25, or light armored vehicle, is a versatile, amphibious vehicle in the Marine Corps. Its mission is to provide combined arms reconnaissance and security in support of a ground combat element. From its M242 25mm chain-driven auto cannon, to its top speed of approximately 62 mph, the LAV-25 is a useful addition to the combat capabilities of Marines serving around the globe. To help maintain high standards, Marines with 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion conducted a live-fire gunnery qualification test at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Jan. 22, 2016. The qualification test consisted of gunnery marksmanship training, communication between the vehicle commander and the driver, and the cooperation between the crewmembers of each LAV and the command tower. This allowed them to fire accurately when aiming on targets down range. This is the most realistic firing training our vehicles can engage in, said 2nd Lt. Austin Finnell, a platoon commander with Company B, 1st LAR, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. This provides great preparation for long-distance firing and getting the Marines accustomed to firing the main armament of the LAV-25. Operating the vehicle is a complex process. Each crewmember has a specific set of tasks that must be executed before an LAV can be combat effective. The crew of an LAV has to work together seamlessly for us to be able to do what we do, said Finnell, a Chesterfield, Missouri, native. The driver has to be able to position the LAV effectively, the gunner has to be able to hit the target, and the vehicle commander has to be able to quickly issue the orders and make the call for engaging hostile forces. Although teamwork is a necessity for operating an LAV, it all falls upon individual Marines and their resolve to contribute to the success of the mission. Even when were not out here on the range, were preparing to be able to do this, said Lance Cpl. Kyle Gaitens, an LAV crewman with Company B, 1st LAR and a native of Virginia Beach, Virginia. We use computer simulations to help us train and hone our skills even when were not in the seat of an LAV. It isnt just technical skills that allow an LAV crew to do what they do. It takes dedication and commitment. This is not a haphazard process, said Finnell. These Marines have to want this. The training methods used on the range are what allow units like 1st LAR to remain relevant in an ever-evolving battlefield. Through their hard work and resolve, they are prepared for any challenges they may face in future operations. More Media SPRINGFIELD -- The grand opening -- or reopening -- celebration at Frank's Flowers hadn't even begun Monday when owner Frank Langone said the phone had already been ringing with orders. "We are hoping for a strong Valentine's Day," Langone said. "Because that will give us some momentum to carry us through to Mother's Day." Langone, his wife Irma, and their children reopened the family flower shop Monday with a new name, Frank's Flowers instead of Langone's. He opened Langone's in 1967 using a small greenhouse in his backyard and quickly built the business into a cornerstone of the Italian South End. Mayor Domenic J.Sarno spoke of how families throughout Springfield have long used Langone's to mark the major milestones of their lives. If someone was getting married, people called Langone. If there was a new baby, call Langone's. On the sad event of a funeral, people called Langone's, Sarno said. City Councilor Kateri Walsh also attend Monday's event saying the Langones were among the first people she met in Springfield. Her husband, Dan, grew up with Frank. Fank Langone, 74, sold the business in 2009 to Brent J. Bertelli but retained ownership of the building. Bertelli expanded the business, opening a satellite in Tower Square before closing it and buying a vacant building at 935 Main St., a few blocks north of the Langone's building. But then Bertelli hit financial trouble and, in early 2015, filed for bankruptcy protection. He closed the shop in November, just before the busy holiday season. Frank Langone and a few friends painted and fixed up the shop. It's Frank's Flowers now, not Langone's, because Bertelli has a legal claim on the Langone's name. Langone, who lives next door to the shop, said he'd grown tired of retirement anyway. "My joy was coming in to the flower shop," Langone said. Daughter Anne Marie Albano agreed: "I think he missed being in here talking with the people," she said. "We keep hearing that if anyone wanted to know what was really going on in the South End, they had to come in and talk with Frank. I think that's what he really enjoyed." Langone and his wife Irma have five daughters -- thee of them live locally -- and a son. "They all were born in the flower business," he said. "They all grew up working in the shop." Anne Marie Albano said they never went to the Valentine's Day parties at school. "We were here working all day," she said. "We'll be back in there to help out." For the new shop, Langone said he's hired three floral designers. "These are people who left their jobs to come here because they trust me," he said. "And they can't get over how much walk-in business we have here on the South End. People come in wanting flowers." Devlin Farmer high res.jpg Devlin Farmer is a family law lawyer, mediator and collaborative lawyer who helps families who are separating, want to adopt a child, need a pre-nuptial agreement or otherwise need family law assistance. (Submitted) Devlin Farmer, lawyer/mediator, Maplewood Shops, 2 Maple Ave., Suite 22, Northampton Years in business: I've been a lawyer for over 15 years but have just recently opened a solo practice in Northampton. What do you offer and to whom? I'm a family law lawyer, mediator and collaborative lawyer who helps families who are separating, want to adopt a child, need a pre-nuptial agreement or otherwise need family law assistance. I believe that mediation and collaborative law offer the best solutions. I recently released a book, called Representing Yourself In Court, which is available on Amazon. Why? What motivates you? I started out as an idealistic legal aid lawyer who wanted to help people, especially those who were marginalized in society, navigate their way through the legal maze. But after having children, after working for large nonprofit and legal aid organizations and working for the Massachusetts court system, something changed. All my mentors told me that family law was the most satisfying area of law to practice. I didn't shed my idealism; I still spend time volunteering and helping out in other ways, but I wanted the direct connection with clients and control over how I practice law that only a private practice can offer. I want to bring a calm, reasoned approach to separating families and help them resolve differences respectfully. What sets you apart? I practice family law exclusively. I have also trained extensively as a mediator and as a collaborative lawyer. I am also licensed in Canada and have brought to my Massachusetts practice training and skills that I developed as a barrister in Canada. I am interested in international issues that affect family law. What mark do you hope to make on your community? I'd like turn people away from adversarial court battles to alternatives that actually can bring about resolutions that everyone can live with. I'd like to be known as a positive solution builder in the Pioneer Valley. Website: www.farmerfamilylaw.com How people can contact you: 413-586-5989 devlin@farmerfamilylaw.com Voices of the Valley is compiled by Janice Beetle of Beetle Press in Easthampton, a PR and communications firm. www.beetlepress.com. To suggest a subject for this feature, email Beetle at janice@beetlepress.com. downton6.jpg A dinner party with Health Minister Neville Chamberlain turns ugly on "Downton Abbey." (BBC/PBS) CLEVELAND, Ohio - It's complicated. Even back in 1925. Men and women and all the complications of love were at the forefront of the fifth episode of the final season of "Downton Abbey" - until a dinner party turns deadly serious. Lady Edith and Lady Mary's love lives are looking promising, but not easy. Mrs. Hughes, er Mrs. Carson, is finding the early days of marriage a bit bumpy. And Baxter is dealing with the fall-out of a past entanglement. Only Mrs. Patmore seems to be having an uncomplicated time, perhaps because she's the only one who's truly free: her guesthouse is ready and she even has a - gasp! - telephone to take reservations. The episode begins with a call from London. Edith has a date, or so Lord Grantham thinks. "It's Bertie Pelham, it's nothing like that," says Edith. Of course, she's wrong. Things heat up when she invites sweet Bertie to her apartment for a drink. "I'd like a life away from Downton," she says, clad in a gorgeous red and gold brocade sleeveless dress and golden headpiece. That is seeming more and more possible for the magazine publisher who just hired her first female editor. Bertie's passionate kiss seals the deal, this is more than a date. Her future is looking very different from a year ago. Things are looking different for Mary, too. She went to a pub! Her first one, as past Grantham experience was limited to her father's yearly drink with the tenants. Mary's visit followed a day at the tracks watching Henry Talbot. She still doesn't like racing - and she tells him how Matthew died - but she likes Henry more and more, as Tom picks up. He encourages them to drop their stories and just admit they want to be together. Will the next episode heat up for Lady Mary, too? Meanwhile, Mrs. Hughes, er Mrs. Carson had to deal with trials of many new brides: not living up to her husband's mother. Carson doesn't like the sharpness of the knives, the bubble-and-squeak or the cold vegetables - and he's not afraid to tell her. "Nothing was the matter with it, except I don't seem to cook like his mother," she tells Mrs. Patmore. Carson isn't afraid to tell Mrs. Patmore, too. In the most hilariously demeaning way possible, he asks her to give his bride cooking lessons. "It's been a while since she played with her patty pans. She's got some catching up to do," he says. Ouch! Baxter is dealing with more serious matters, as covering for a thief in her former employment comes back. She finally agrees to testify against him, with the support of Mr. Molesley. Over at the Dowager's house, drama ensues with the servants, too. Denker goes rogue and accosts the Doctor in the village. He writes the Dowager a note and she is apoplectic. Denker has disgraced herself, she laments to Isabelle. "Well, how distressing for you," she drolly replies. Far more distressing for all involved is the dinner party the Dowager rigs up with Conservative Health Minister (and as Mrs. Patmore so deftly figures, future prime minister) Neville Chamberlain. She lobbies him to take her side on the hospital debate. Dinner turns ugly with arguing, then Lord Grantham is rushed to the hospital when his ulcer bursts. The debate is set aside as the family rallies around the Lord. On the way out, Tom asks Chamberlain how Lady Violet was able to convince him to visit. It turns out she blackmailed him based on a youthful incident in which he helped dig a trench through Piccadilly. The aspiring politician is worried how this would affect his career if it came out. Just think, perhaps the Dowager could have changed the course of history if Chamberlain hadn't become Prime Minister a decade later and appeased the Nazis for so long. Best scene: For pure drama, the award has to go to the world's most awful dinner party. Even before Lord Grantham started spewing great volumes of blood all over the fine place settings, the Dowager was spewing so much vitriol that everyone looked almost as pale as the Lord. "Your enthusiasm is getting the better of your manners," Isabelle scolds. Second place goes to Thomas showing true friendship to Andy when he confesses he can't read, no strings attached. And, the delightfully funny back-and-forth between Denker and Spratt when she blackmails him into helping get her job back must get a nod "Can I help it if I have a passionate nature?" she growls. "Any more of that talk and I won't be able to sleep tonight," deadpans Spratt - who does eventually help her for the sake of his nephew. Best lines: First places goes to this exchange between Lord Grantham and his mother when she suggests Neville Chamberlain may stop by. "When it comes to getting him here I'd say you have no more chance than a cat in hell without claws." "We'll see." And then there's Tom parting line about Mary taking over the estate. "Long live our own Queen Mary." And what would an episode be without some zingers from the Dowager, this time to disgraced Denker. "You've read too many novels Denker, you've seen too many moving pictures." Missed last week's episode? The Dear Abbeys.jpg The Dear Abbeys of Boston University This leap-year February gives us an extra day, but not an extra Sunday. But that didn't prevent the Northampton Arts Council from adding an extra event to this year's Four Sundays in February lineup. They simply added it on a Friday. That particular event is a special one, too: Big Bird (and the man that has played the character, Carol Spinney) will be appearing at the Academy of Music on Feb. 12. The Four Sunday's series is an annual fundraiser for arts and arts education in the city. "One thing I was thinking about was that every ticket purchased to any of these events is a mini-donation to all the arts stuff that's happening in town," said Steven M. Sanderson, arts event producer for the Northampton Arts Council. "We started keeping a list of all the things we have funded or given grants to, and the list is pretty immense." The series kicks off on Feb. 7 with the traditional Silver Chord Bowl, which features top-notch a cappella groups from around the Northeast at John M. Greene Hall. Opening the 2 p.m. performance will be Northampton High School's own Northamptones, followed by such groups as the The MIT/Wellesley Toons, The Dear Abbeys of Boston University, S#arp Attitude of UMass, MIT Ohms, Zumbyes of Amherst College. Of course the Smith College Vibes will be there to represent the home team. Mayor David Narkewicz and Smith College Dean of the College Donna Lisker will both be on hand to serve as emcees of this classic event. As mentioned above, the next Four Sundays event is actually on a Friday. A special film presentation of "I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story" will be shown at the Academy of Music on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. The night will feature a post-film screening Q&A with Carroll and Debra Spinney, who will bring along a very special surprise guest. This documentary chronicles the life of Spinney, the man who has been Sesame Street's Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969. The Feb. 14 event is a 2 p.m. screening of the silent film classic, "Son of the Sheik," with accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra. The film, Rudolph Valentino's final movie, is themed to be a perfect Valentine's Day date. After the show at 4 p.m., the public is welcome to sit in on a master class for Five College film and music students. The Alloy Orchestra will re-screen excerpts from "Son of the Sheik" and outline their compositional process, as well as the process of creating a digital restoration of the film. On Feb. 21, seminal female rocker June Millington gets honored for her influence on music with a retrospective. Millington, who now lives in Western Massachusetts, was part of Fanny, an early all-woman rock band. She will have a host of local musicians paying tribute to her at the 3 p.m. show at the Academy of Music. The lineup will feature an array of performers including Holly Near, Jill Sobule, Toshi Reagon, Gail Ann Dorsey, Christine Ohlman and Sonya Kitchell, as well as members of Fanny. The Four Sundays series winds up on Feb. 28 with The Really Big Gong Show, a showcase of local talent in a variety show format at the Academy of Music at 2 p.m. There will prizes and all sorts of acts, some of which will get bonged off the stage. For more information, including ticket prices for each event, visit www.northamptonartscouncil.org. Thanks to a prestigious, $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation http://www.wmkeck.org/ , researchers at Montana State University will be expanding their investigations into how microorganisms thrive in the hostile conditions of Yellowstones hot springs, work that may one day lead to new discoveries in medicine, energy, materials and other fields. One of the largest private foundations in the United States, the W.M. Keck Foundation supports fundamental and applied research in science, engineering and medicine as well as educational initiatives. The foundation awarded the grant for collaborative work in MSUs interdisciplinary Thermal Biology Institute (TBI), led by Brent Peyton, a professor of chemical and biological engineering. By Skip Anderson for the MSU News Service Full Story: http://www.montana.edu/news/15946/msu-team-awarded-keck-foundation-grant-to-study-extreme-yellowstone-microbes An AP news analysis Republican Gov. Phil Bryant delivers his State of the State address before a joint legislative session in House chambers at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016. Bryant unveiled his budget ideas, calling for tax cuts and proposing education policy changes during his annual State of the State address. JACKSON, Mississippi -- More than a few observers walked away from Gov. Phil Bryant's State of the State speech believing they'd heard the second-term Republican oppose plans for this year's Legislature to cut the $242-million-a-year corporate franchise tax. The governor, though, says that's not true -- it's more a matter of emphasis. Here are the key words late in the 27-minute speech, as Bryant was restating his desire for any increase in gasoline taxes to fund road and bridge improvements to be offset by at least the same amount in tax cuts: "There is no reason we cannot balance an increase in fuel tax with an equal and sufficient tax reduction. This tax cut does not need to apply to large corporations. They are and have been receiving the reduction in fuel cost for some time now. It is the working families of Mississippi I am concerned about." In 2014, Bryant proposed cutting income taxes for some Mississippi households earning less than $53,000 a year. That tax break would only apply in years when state revenue grew and the state's main savings account was full. His recent remarks have been in the same spirit, calling for tax cuts to prioritize a "blue collar dividend" for individual taxpayers. Lawmakers have granted more than $350 million in tax relief since 2011, with almost all of that going to businesses. Many firms, though, still want the Legislature to do away with the 2.5 percent franchise tax on business property or capital employed in Mississippi. Industries like banks and manufacturers dislike franchise taxes because they apply whether a business is profitable or losing money. A number of states have repealed or scheduled phase-outs of franchise taxes, leaving Mississippi among a minority that impose them. Despite what he said in the speech, Bryant has voiced support for eliminating the franchise tax in the past, and spokesman Clay Chandler said he would sign a bill cutting it. "The governor favors tax relief for the hard-working people of this state but is not opposed to a scheduled franchise tax reduction," Chandler said. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said he sees no conflict with Bryant's goals. In addition to cutting franchise taxes, Reeves last year proposed eliminating the 3 percent and 4 percent personal income tax brackets, which would have phased in income tax cuts of up to $350 a year for individuals making at least $18,300 a year. "My view is, it doesn't have to be an either-or scenario. It could be both-and," Reeves said Wednesday. Reeves has said lawmakers should lock in long-term tax cuts this year, even though Mississippi has a shortfall that will make it harder for lawmakers to write a spending plan for the budget year beginning July 1. That could mean no immediate tax cuts, though, a possibility Bryant alluded to in the State of the State. "It may not be this year, but when we are having surpluses and a full savings account, let's pledge to give the people back a portion of their hard-earned tax dollars," Bryant said. There's still a chance, though, that any fix for roads and bridges could get snagged by the inability of the GOP-dominated Legislature to agree on a tax cut. Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall, himself a Republican, noted after the State of the State that swapping fuel taxes for other tax cuts isn't an even trade, because the fuel taxes would be dedicated to transportation, while other taxes pay for the rest of government. He defers to lawmakers, though. "All of it is obviously a legislative decision," Hall said. Le MTCSL a rendu public les noms des cracks qui ont fait le deplacement au Champs de Mars. Balaclava a Port Louis S.Jones: Lead Singer, Midnight Oracle P.Nagadoo: Crushing Force, Bypass, Capkuta A.Perdrau: Well Connected, Desert Boy, Fassi, Executive Decision C.Ramdin: Brilliant Disguise Floreal a Port Louis C.Daby: Seattle Kid, Henry Tudor, Captain Flynt, Bestday Of Mylife Gujadhur: Goethe, Shah Akbar, Kalgoorlie, Borya, Roman Dancer, John Hancock R.Gujadhur: Alyaasaat, Good Buddy, Beni Des Dieux S.Hurchund: Free To Win, Bye Bye Rocket S.Mahadia: Tower Of Wisdom, Patrol Officer, Captain Garett, Massimo, Nikhils Inn, Nevil MU, Transonic, Giggin, Liverpool Champ R.Maingard: Lock Down P.Merven: Vars Elusion, Betathantherest, San Andreas, Secret Circle, Mezuzah, Black Indy, Man Of Property S.Narang: Gordonstoun V.Ruhee: French Rebel, Hakeem, Veni Vidi Vicci, Wilde World, Zum Zum Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Ardit Ferizi, 20, a Kosovo citizen suspected to have supplied ISIS's member, Junaid Hussain, with information on US servicemen has made his first appearance in a US Court on Wednesday. Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis charged him with unauthorized access to a computer, aggravated identity theft, and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist group. If he is found guilty of all three offences, he may face up to 35 years of imprisonment.The hacker was arrested in Malaysia last October and was detained there on a U.S. provisional arrest warrant. True identity of the hacker also made surface. He was a computer science student in Kuala Lumpur. He is the owner of the Twitter account @Th3Dir3ctorY and is the leader of the Kosova Hacker's Security (KHS) hacking group. He had in the past hacked several companies and government websites. Firizi also stole data from Greek mobile telecom firm OTE and IBM. He is believed to be the one who retrieved all the information about US servicemen. Hussain only published it for others to get access.Junaid Hussain who was known by the name of Abu Hussain al-Britani, was a British citizen who joined ISIS. He was the leader of ISIS hacking division and was killed last year in a drone strike conducted by the US military.Source: [ Washington Post PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Jackson County NAACP Director Curley Clark brought the Mississippi state flag issue to the board of supervisors Monday, the first day of Black History Month, encouraging supervisors to follow the lead of other Mississippi counties which have removed the state flag from county-owned properties. "Do the right thing," Clark said. "Do what needs to be done in order to portray the image that you most often speak of which is, 'One Mississippi.' You can not have this divisive symbol that divides us. "You all have the opportunity to be on the right side of history. Join the other counties such as Sunflower, Oktibbeha, Washington, and cities such as Hattiesburg, Clarksdale, Columbus, Oxford that have taken the action to remove the state flag." Around the country, protests have gone on to remove the Confederate flag and symbols of the Confederacy such as statues and names of buildings in the wake of last June's killing of nine Charleston, S.C., church members. The suspect, Dylan Roof, was seen in a photograph with a Confederate flag. Mississippi is the last state which has the Confederate symbol in its state flag. There were people on both sides of state flag issue at Monday's supervisors meeting. Vancleave resident Frank Wiysel was one of those opposed to removing or changing the Mississippi flag. "A lot of people have died under the American flag," Wiysel said. "People have died under the Confederate flag as well. African-Americans should be thankful for the Confederate flag not ashamed of it because it allowed you to be where you are today. "We bought y'all' over here as slaves and you should be thankful because of where y'all' are today." Clark said he planned on working in conjunction with NAACP presidents in proposing the same action in Hancock and Harrison County. "The history of this state is that it is a racist state and it has been symbolized by the leadership wanting to hold on to the Civil War and what the Confederacy represented," he said. "That flag perpetuates slavery and white supremacy and it is very insulting, demeaning, and something we want to try to put in our past. "We want to feel equal, however, it is very hard to do that with symbols in our face that infer we are inferior and that we do not belong." Clark also said Jackson County should be proactive on the flag issue, rather than wait for state action. "If we take the approach to let someone else do it and not put forth the effort ourselves, it will not get done," he said. "I would prefer the leadership here in Jackson County to be on the proactive end of history and stand up as one of the first counties on the Gulf Coast to not fly that flag if it will be demeaning to a large percentage of the residents of Jackson County -- black or white." Supervisors took no action on Clark's request, but took it under advisement for further study. Tyto Care, an Israeli firm, has developed a portable device that helps monitor all sorts of health parameters to let doctors diagnose patients remotely. Imagine keeping this device at home and, once a family member gets sick, calling your doctor and performing a basic checkup. This would include performing auscultations just like with a regular stethoscope, but the doctor listening to the sounds at the office; measuring temperature with the thermometer; looking under the tongue using a built-in camera coupled with a tongue depressor; and looking into the ears using an otoscope. The Tyto device is currently going through the FDA clearance process, hopefully one day offering people the option of staying at home rather than visiting the clinic in most simple health situation. Tyto Care also has plans for a TytoPro kit, a more advanced version of the device that would interface with existing electronic medical records systems. Product info page: Tyto (hat tip: Israel21C) 12661925_10208484377976238_375580577098068315_n.jpg This Jackson County jury duty summons containing two incorrect phone numbers -- one for a phone sex line -- was recently received by at least 350 Jackson County residents. (Facebook photo) Randy Carney PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Randy Carney has been the Jackson County Circuit Clerk for exactly one month as of Monday -- and already he is likely dealing with one of the more unusual problems a circuit clerk has ever faced. About three weeks ago, jury duty notices were sent out to at least 350 Jackson County residents, with instructions to call one of two numbers -- a local Pascagoula number or an 800 number -- on the night before the date of their summons, which was Monday, Feb. 1. When the potential jurors called the first number, all they received was a voicemail, rather than instructions on whether to report for duty. If they called the 800 number, they reached a phone sex line. "We're very aware of it, unfortunately," Carney said Monday morning when asked if he was aware of the issue. "We're really not sure how it happened. Carney explained that the summons are not printed in-house. Instead, the circuit clerk's office contracts to have them printed. He said the two numbers which potential jurors should receive have not changed "in years." "The only thing which should have changed is (former circuit clerk) Joe Martin's name should have come off and mine added," Carney said. The numbers printed on the recent summons each included one incorrect digit. In the case of the 800 number, the last four digits should have been 3044. Instead, they were printed as 3244 -- which connected callers to the phone sex line. Carney said he was in the process of writing a letter to all of the jurors who received the incorrect summons and those letters should be received by all of them by Wednesday or Thursday. "Obviously, there was a glitch in the system," he said. "All I can do at this point is correct it and apologize to the people who received them." Carney said he met with Jackson County Judge Dale Harkey Monday morning and had also spoken with district attorney Tony Lawrence. The summons snafu should not cause any delays in upcoming court proceedings. "I'm sure at some point I'll sit back and laugh about it," Carney said, "but right not it's not too funny." by Karlene Lukovitz @KLmarketdaily, February 1, 2016 A U.S. district court judge has granted preliminary injunctions to both Dannon and General Mills restraining Chobani from disseminating its recent ads criticizing Dannon Light & Fit Greek and General Mills' Yoplait Greek 100. In response, Chobani told the press that it had already stopped running the ads in question (which had been launched in early January), and issued a release saying that while it awaits the trial, it will "continue its mission to call on food makers to use only natural ingredients" and "provide consumers with more information about natural ingredients versus artificial ingredients." In his rulings on Jan. 29, U.S. District Judge David Hurd said that Chobani "is free to continue to spread its message about the value of selecting natural ingredients," but that Chobani is not free to disseminate false messages, including that Dannon's or General Mills's products are unsafe because they respectively contain the sweetener sucralose and the preservative potassium sorbate. advertisement advertisement Both sucralose and potassium sorbate have been extensively studied, and both are generally recognized as safe by U.S. food regulators. In his rulings, Hurd wrote that "the balance of record evidence reflects that sucralose is an unusually well-studied compound repeatedly determined to be safe for ordinary consumption," and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has stated that potassium sorbate has been found to be "nontoxic even in large quantities." Courts "regularly recognize that even where 'no combination of words' found in the advertisement is untrue, the message conveyed by the advertisement may still be 'literally false' if its clear meaning, considered in context, is false," Hurd wrote. Chobani's original "Pool" ad stated: "Dannon Light & Fit Greek actually uses artificial sweeteners like sucralose ... that stuff has chlorine added to it." It showed a woman, reclining in front of a pool, tossing a carton of the Dannon product into a wastebasket, as a voiceover says: "Now there's Chobani Simply 100...It's the only 100-calorie light yogurt sweetened naturally." Chobani's original "Fruit Stand" ad stated that Yoplait Greek 100 "actually uses preservatives like potassium sorbate...that stuff is used to kill bugs," while there are "zero preservatives" in Chobani Simply 100. Since it stopped running the original ads, Chobani is running 15-second versions of the originals that do not mention competitors. Instead, the "Pool" 15-second spot states that its Simply 100 is "the only 100-calorie light yogurt sweetened naturally," and its "Fruit Stand" 15-second spot states that Simply 100 is "the only light Greek yogurt with zero preservatives." Dannon issued a release stating: "We are pleased with the courts decision granting a preliminary injunction to stop this misleading advertising which is causing fear about safe ingredients, and we look forward to full and final resolution of this matter. Dannon considers this first step a victory for consumers who love Light & Fit. Contrary to what Chobani has said, its Simply 100 ad campaign is not about providing consumers with choice. We have always used only safe ingredients to make a wide variety of yogurts that are enjoyed every day by millions of people. " General Mills also released a statement saying it was pleased with Hurd's ruling, adding that it "supports fair and vigorous competition between companies, but false advertising only misleads and harms consumers." by Philip Rosenstein , February 1, 2016 Three days out from the Iowa caucuses, data has emerged showing skyrocketing digital ad prices in early voting states. Total ad spend in Iowa has soared to $70 million across both parties, according to data from SMG Delta. Notably, desktop video ad prices increased 16% on political sites from December to January, and the increase in early primary states was 34% on TubeMoguls desktop platform. A variety of sites were studied, ranging from RealClearPolitics to Breitbart and The Hill. Digital ad inventory in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada are among the top five most expensive states in the country for desktop video CPMs. Media Daily News spoke with Taylor Schreiner, VP of research at TubeMogul, to discuss the findings and talk about the short-term future of programmatic political marketing. advertisement advertisement Media Daily News: Other than the forces of supply and demand, what are the variables defining political CPMs today? Taylor Schreiner: Targeting is a big factor in price. Relatively few people vote, and fewer still vote in a primary or a caucus. Political advertisers use a combination of Web sites and apps, ZIP codes or cities and audience data to amplify their targeting, and campaigns are willing to pay a premium for it. The cost of alternate media also likely plays a role -- as TV rates rise, online and mobile video become more attractive. These dynamics can be exacerbated by the relatively short turnaround times and quick pulses that characterize political campaigns, especially as they get closer to voting day. Fortunately, private marketplaces provide a safe haven from open exchange price fluctuations. Political advertisers can offset rising video costs by adding display and social formats into the mix. MDN: Political ads on political sites have clearly higher CPMs than the average site. Are these CPMs likely to keep rising after Iowa and New Hampshire, or do you expect that they have hit the upper limit? TS: More people will spend more time on political sites this year; the money will follow the eyeballs. We expect that overall, rates will continue to rise gradually until they plateau during summer, and then escalate again as we move into fall. Of course, unexpected results could spike traffic at any time. MDN: Will other states later in the cycle see the same jump in CPMs that weve seen in Iowa and New Hampshire? TS: It really depends on these first few states. If the early money moves the needle in Iowa, it stands to reason that the general election funds would make a meaningful difference in Ohio and Florida come October. If that happens, the campaigns working with partners that can quickly tell them whats working where stand to benefit most. by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, February 1, 2016 In just a few hours, the first Iowans will start arriving at the 1,681 caucus locations across the state to pick their nominee for president of the United States. Later in the evening, we will have the first real numbers on paper in this most unconventional of election seasons. Former front-runner in the nations first electoral contest, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, will desperately need a win considering the effort his campaign has put into Iowa. Cruz, who pledged to visit all of the 99 counties in Iowa, has spent significant time and funds in the Hawkeye State. His team on the ground is robust, and his digital strategy has been more vigorous than that of his GOP colleagues. In the last round of polling, figures from a Bloomberg/Des Moines Register survey have Donald Trump again rising above Ted Cruz with 28% to 23%. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who many say has the momentum going into tonights caucuses, comes in third with 15% of the vote. advertisement advertisement The big question: With a possible snowstorm in the mix tonight, who will turn out to vote? Looking at the GOP leaders support base, Cruz does very well with the evangelical vote. Evangelicals are historically more likely to caucus, and as pollster Ann Selzer said on Face the Nation yesterday morning, [Cruz] can bring [his poll] numbers a lot closer on caucus night with a good turnout among that constituency. Trump has courted the evangelical vote as of late and will hope that he has made inroads with them, too. The Trump campaigns strategy will be put to the test. Instead of the traditional Iowa play that Cruz has doubled down on, Trump holds big rallies and shows up in Trump Force One. The Democratic fight is intense, too. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton carries 45% of the vote to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders 42%, in the Des Moines Register. Considering the four-point margin of error, the two are statistically tied. Bernie Sanders is competitive in the first two voting states, Iowa and New Hampshire. If he can pull off a strong showing in Iowa and win in New Hampshire, the race could start to feel reminiscent of 2008. Hillary Clinton does better among older voters when compared to Bernie Sanders. Conversely, Sanders does better with the youth vote and has the enthusiasm of the activist wing of the Democratic Party. Helpful to Sanders are the 43% of Iowa Democrats that identify as socialists. Some key questions will be answered tonight. Among the most intriguing: Is Trumps strategy working? Has the media over-hyped Sanders rise? Can we trust the polls going forward? by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, February 1, 2016 Around the time that Interpublic Group was firing the CEO of Campbell Ewald, Jim Palmer, Campbell Ewald client USAA -- the big financial services provider--was firing the agency. Campbell Ewald had held the account since winning it after a review in 2008. The agency client loss stems from the racist ghetto note circulated by a creative staffer in Campbell Ewalds San Antonio office. The financial services company, whose primary clientele is military personnel, veterans and their families, is headquartered in San Antonio. The agency had handled the account out of its San Antonio and Detroit offices. A rep for the financial concern confirmed the firing, reading from a company statement: USAA has given Campbell Ewald notice of contract termination. advertisement advertisement USAA, which spent $142 million on ads in 2014 according to Kantar Media, has begun a search for a new agency that better aligns with the companys culture and core values, the rep said. Whether Interpublic can hang on to the account remains to be seen. Its trying to put together a dedicated team within the holding company to service the account. All the USAA rep would say about that is that we will work with IPG on a transition plan as we continue our search. The USAA rep did note that the insurer has other relationships with IPG. Back in 2010, it awarded IPGs Initiative with the companys media agency assignment. The rep noted that the Initiative relationship is governed by a separate contract that is unaffected by the termination of Campbell Ewald. by Felicia Greiff , February 1, 2016 Kantar Media and 4C are partnering on a cross-screen, targeted political ad solution, the companies announced on Monday. The product, powered by 4C's Teletrax, merges ad metadata from Kantar Media with its TV Synced Ads product so political ads can be synced across devices with contextual triggers. And for those who are caucusing, take note: You might experience the cross-channel synchronization first-hand. 4C CEO Lance Neuhauser said in a release that the partnership adds "another dimension for political advertisers to swing votes from competitors via second-screen conquest." For example, Hillary Clinton can serve up her new ad, "Children," (created by Droga5) on digital and mobile when one of her own TV spots airs or when a rival's spot airs. The popular spot, with 60- and 30-second versions, aired in Iowa a week before tonight's caucus, Politico reported. advertisement advertisement Here's how it works: TV analytics firm Teletrax, which 4C acquired last July, "harvests and fingerprints" political TV ads. Then, Kantar Medias Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG) tags the ads by issue, sponsor, type of sponsor, party affiliation, tone, named targets and other factors. Lastly, CMAG's data is integrated into the 4C TV Synced Ads product so that advertisers can sync ads across channels. 4C acquired Netherlands-based Teletrax, which operates a global TV monitoring network across 2,100 channels and 76 countries and supports TV synced ads. by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, February 1, 2016 In a move sure to attract both widespread praise and condemnation, Facebook has announced a ban on gun sales, targeting peer-to-peer sales between unlicensed users. The social network will still allow licensed firearms dealers and clubs to maintain pages on the site, but they will not be permitted to sell weapons. The ban also applies to Instagram. Facebook said the ban will rely on other users to report violations, similar to its policies regarding nudity and other offensive content. Users are encouraged to flag pages, posts, and other content involved in online gun sales, including messages on Facebook Messenger. In a sign of the new policys seriousness, Facebook it maintains the right to ban chronic violators or restrict their communication capabilities, and will cooperate with law enforcement in cases where it believes someones life may be in danger. Presumably, there will also be a process of appeal, whereby users can ask to have content restored in case of a mistake or misunderstanding. advertisement advertisement The ban extends previous restrictions implemented by Facebook: in 2014 the social network unveiled nine policies intended to prevent gun sales to under-age users, including blocking minors from seeing ads for guns. Facebook also prohibits users from buying or selling illegal drugs or pharmaceuticals on its network. The new ban comes not long after the White House issued new guidelines intended to tighten restrictions on some types of gun sales, including an expanded definition of who constitutes a gun dealer. While some critics dismissed these as mostly symbolic, a number of Second Amendment advocates said peer-to-peer sales will simply move online. This, in turn, spurred calls by gun control advocates including New York State attorney general Eric Schneiderman for online companies like Facebook to crack down on gun sales. by Erik Sass @eriksass1, February 1, 2016 There is a major change of direction for health and wellness title Prevention, which is ditching advertising in its print edition concurrently with a re-launch and new editorial approach, per publisher Rodale, which announced the news Monday. Preventions new business model, relying heavily on subscription revenue, represents a gamble that consumers will pay more for authoritative health-related content whose integrity is guaranteed in part, by the absence of paid advertising or other commercial considerations. The ad-free format will also limit the amount of clutter and allow the title to highlight important messages with greater emphasis. As before, the revamped print magazine will continue to feature nutrition, fitness and lifestyle advice. It carries a new cover price of $4.99 per single copy, up from $3.99 currently, as well as a higher annual subscription price. advertisement advertisement The Web site will continue with its mostly ad-supported model, along with new paid content options for access to articles from the magazine. The new business model at Prevention follows some other big changes in the womens health and fitness category. Last year, Meredith closed the print edition of Fitness and merged its editorial operations and subscription base into Shape, which it acquired from American Media. (The Shape and Fitness Web sites continue to operate independently. Not long afterward, Fitness launched a new online video workout portal called SweatTV, giving viewers the option of choosing one of three advertising messages or become a member. Meredith also revealed plans to launch a new publication, Fit Pregnancy and Baby, set to debut sometime this month. Separately, last week Rodale laid off around 40 staffers across the company, including positions at most of its major brands, equal to about 6% of the publishers total staff headcount. In December, the company announced that it would close one of its smaller enthusiast titles, Running Times. A new study that compares weight status with timing of puberty in boys finds a mixed picture with evidence of overweight boys starting earlier and obese boys starting later. Share on Pinterest The study found that compared with normal weight boys overweight boys had an earlier onset of puberty while obese boys experienced a later onset of puberty. The study led by the University of Michigans C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital in Ann Arbor is published in the journal Pediatrics. Lead author Joyce Lee, associate professor and pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Michigan Medical School, notes how their findings suggest excess weight appears to have different effects on boys compared with girls: In girls, excess weight is associated with an earlier onset of puberty, but for boys we saw a mixed picture. Overweight boys had an earlier onset of puberty while obese boys experienced a later onset of puberty, compared with normal weight boys. For their study, the team reanalyzed recent community-based data on puberty in more than 3,600 boys aged 6-16. The data covered white (49.9%), black (25.8%) and Hispanic (24.3%) boys, and came from assessments by trained clinicians from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The data included measures of weight, height and puberty, such as testicular volume and Tanner stages a system of rating normal sexual maturity that was first described by James Mourilyan Tanner, a British pediatric endocrinologist. Tanner stages rate different levels of sexual maturity according to the development of primary (i.e. genitalia) and secondary (i.e. pubic hair) sex characteristics. People hospitalized due to an encounter with a law enforcement officer are more likely to have a mental illness, have longer hospitalizations, more injuries to the back and spine, and greater need for extended care than those hospitalized due to altercations with other civilians. The findings, based on 10 years of Illinois hospitalization data, are published in the journal Injury Epidemiology. Lee Friedman, associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health and senior author on the paper, and his colleagues wanted to find out how many and what kinds of encounters with police led to hospital admissions for civilians in Illinois. They identified 836 people injured by contact with law enforcement officers after reviewing the medical records of all patients admitted to Illinois hospitals or treated in emergency rooms between 2000 and 2009. They compared those patients to 836 civilians of the same age and sex who were were treated in hospitals over the same period for injuries due to physical altercations with other civilians. Civilians injured by law enforcement had 27 percent longer hospital stays (4.7 vs. 3.7 days) and twice as many back and spine injuries (7.4 percent of those injured by cops vs. 3.3 percent of those injured by civilians). They were nearly 2.5 times more likely to need extended care following discharge from the hospital (20 percent vs. 8 percent). Although the injury severity (a numerical score of multiple factors) of those injured by police did not differ from the comparison group, the number of spine and back injuries is disturbing, Friedman said, because such injuries "indicate that the person was already on the ground face-down or turned away from the officer when they occurred." Equally troubling, the researchers also found that only 10 percent of the people injured by law enforcement were sent to jail after being discharged from a hospital. "While we didn't have information on any associated excessive-use-of-force claims by patients, the fact that these people weren't arrested or taken into custody after being discharged - in combination with the severity of the clinical features - indicates that many of the patient injuries resulted from excessive force," Friedman said. "But it is important to distinguish between excessive force and unjustified force, since excessive force can be mitigated by providing law enforcement personnel with the tools and training that minimize both lethality and severity of injury," he added. The researchers found that of those injured by encounters with law enforcement, nearly 40 percent had psychiatric conditions that can impair judgment, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance abuse or major depressive disorder. These mental disorders were 2.3 times more prevalent among people injured by a law enforcement officer than among those injured by a general assault. The researchers also noted that a disproportionate number of persons with pre-existing paralytic disorders were among those injured during contact with law enforcement. "These are people who would be unable to physically comply with police officer commands to lay on the ground or put their hands up or defend themselves when force is used," Friedman said. About 3.5 percent of injuries caused by encounters with cops involved people with paralytic injuries compared to 1.3 percent in the comparison group. "The issue of excessive use of force by police officers is difficult to research, because there are no policy directives that require publicly accessible repositories for such information, such as those that mandate reporting of child or elder abuse," Friedman said. "This kind of data should be compiled, analyzed and publicly distributed on an annual basis in an effort to identify ways to reduce injuries - as is done in Australia." A research team led by scientists from UCL have found a way to assess the viability of 'manufactured' stem cells known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Published in ,em>Nature Communications, the team's discovery offers a new way to fast-track screening methods used in stem cell research. iPSCs are derived from cells, usually taken from skin or blood, that have been genetically reprogrammed to revert back to an embryonic-like state, which enables the cells to differentiate into any cell type in the body. iPSC technology is a hugely important new platform for the study of human diseases in the laboratory, and, offers the potential to develop transformative cell replacement therapies, for example, by creating hepatic cells to treat liver disease and stem cells to treat leukaemia and other blood cancers. It is the ability of iPSCs to differentiate to other cell types that makes them so valuable for laboratory research, however not all iPSCs offer the same differentiation capacity, some cell lines are markedly defective. "When generating iPSCs it is clearly beneficial to identify 'good' and 'bad' cell lines" explains Dr Lee Stirling, who led the research team whilst a Research Associate at the UCL Cancer Institute. "Good cell lines offer optimal differentiation capacity and are therefore the most useful for research. However establishing the quality of these cell lines using traditional ways of assessment is costly and time-consuming. We were looking to find a way to expedite this process and we think part of the solution lies in using DNA methylation as a biomarker for differentiation capacity". DNA methylation is a physical modification to the genetic material (DNA) of a cell, which can alter the behaviour of that cell. In this study, the team were looking for a particular type of methylation that only occurs in stem cells, known as non-CG methylation, to see if they could identify a link between non-CG methylation and differentiation capacity of iPSCs. Dr Stirling says: "The role of a pluripotent stem cell is to generate all three germ layers: mesoderm, endoderm and ectoderm. These germ layers then develop into all cells of the body. For this study, we focussed specifically on a pluripotent stem cell's ability to differentiate into the endodermal lineage - the lineage for organs such as liver, pancreas and thyroid gland. Once we had collected and examined our data we were immediately struck by a link - we could confidently report that a reduction in non-CG methylation is associated with impaired differentiation capacity into endodermal lineages." "The main point of this study is that we have found an epigenetic biomarker that can help us distinguish iPSCs that have a diminished capacity for differentiation. This discovery can be used to reduce costly and time-consuming analysis methods, while simultaneously offering improvements in large-scale assessment of iPSC lines for clinical and therapeutic applications." adds Dr Stirling. The research team hope that not only will their discovery be used in the short-term as an efficient analysis method of cell lines for research purposes but, going forward, findings can be used as a starting point for discovering the developmental processes associated with methylation patterns in iPSCs. Dr Stirling concludes: "In time, I'm confident that understanding these principles will impact our understanding of cancer cell behaviour and, eventually, form a solid base for regenerative medicine strategies." This study was a collaboration between UCL, Cambridge University, Cellcentric and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (HipSci). VESTAVIA HILLS, Alabama -- Alabama authorities are searching for two suspects from Missouri after police say a woman was forced into the family's SUV at gunpoint then dropped off unharmed before the vehicle was stolen. The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force will be asked to help in the search for the vehicle and the two suspects, identified as Blake Fitzgerald and Brittany Harper, both 31, of Joplin, Missouri, said Vestavia Hills police Lt. Kevin York. The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office has issued warrants for their arrest on charges of kidnapping and theft in connection to the Sunday morning abduction. The ordeal began shortly before 8 a.m. Sunday in Vestavia Hills, an upscale suburb of Birmingham. The male suspect entered the home through an open garage door, said he was having car trouble and then pulled a gun and demanded the vehicle. The woman's young children were home at the time, but not hurt, York said. The woman was later released unharmed about 10 miles away and flagged down a passer-by for help, York said. Now, police are searching for the stolen SUV -- a 2010 silver Ford Edge. "We want to know what the motivation is," York said. "I mean, what's the whole point in all of this?" The suspects were last seen heading east on U.S. 280 toward the Georgia line, but York said "they could be headed anywhere." HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) afflict approximately half of HIV infected patients. Nearly half of HIV infected patients suffer from impaired neurocognitive function. The HIV protein transactivator of transcription (Tat) is an important contributor to HIV neuropathogenesis because it is a potent neurotoxin that continues to be produced despite treatment with antiretroviral therapy. Share on Pinterest Tat changes the activity of networked neurons and the network adapts to the presence of the toxin. Credit: Dr. Stanley A Thayer, Dr. Kelly A. Krogh, Bentham Science Publishers Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that Tat altered the activity of networked neurons and that the network adapted to the presence of the toxin. The research article entitled, "HIV-1 Tat-Induced Changes in Synaptically-Driven Network Activity Adapt During Prolonged Exposure" is featured in the journal 'Current HIV Research'. The authors report that Tat alters the excitability of networked neurons by a process that required binding to cell surface proteins. Lead author Kelly Krogh, Ph.D., now a research fellow at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, suggests that "the most notable discovery from this study is that the activity of the networked neurons adapted in the sustained presence of the HIV protein." Senior author Professor Stanley Thayer, Ph.D., speculates that "the adaptations may improve survival at a cost of impaired network function. Perhaps some of the deficits caused by HIV in the brain result from coping mechanisms gone awry." Infection with HIV is associated with increased incidence of new-onset seizures in a significant percentage of patients, however the specific cause of seizure disorders remains unknown. Doctoral student Mathew Green cautions "that the electrical changes recorded in vitro may not correspond to EEG changes in HIV+ patients, but this work does establish the principle that networks of neurons adapt to the presence of a toxic HIV protein and suggest that viewing EEG changes as an adaptive response might facilitate therapeutic intervention." Future studies will focus on the mechanism underlying changes in network function to identify new targets for the treatment of neurological disorders in HIV+ patients. Refugee women who come to Canada have greater risk of giving birth prematurely than non-refugee immigrants, a study by a St. Michael's Hospital researcher has found. Those risks are fueled by the fact that the preterm birth rate was 7.1 per cent among secondary refugees - those who spent more than six months in a transit country before arriving in Canada -compared to five per cent among secondary, non-refugee immigrants. These so-called "secondary refugees" also had a greater absolute risk of preterm birth than Canadian-born women (6.4 per cent). "This suggests that refugee experiences in countries before coming to Canada are not conducive to good health," said Dr. Susitha Wanigaratne, a researcher at St. Michael's Centre for Research on Inner City Health, who has a PhD in epidemiology. Preterm or premature birth describes infants who are born before 37 weeks of gestation. Risk factors for preterm birth include infections, malnutrition and stress - all very common among women living in refugee situations. The higher risk found among secondary refugees was most apparent in very preterm deliveries, which occur at 22 to 31 weeks of gestation (1.2 per cent compared to 0.6 per cent among their non-refugee counterparts). The shorter the gestation length, the higher risk for the baby and associated health care issues. Dr. Wanigaratne's research, published today in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health looked at Ontario immigration and hospital records housed at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) from more than 120,000 births between 2002 and 2010, comparing births of refugee and non-refugee women. A total of 203 countries of origin were represented in the study. "Overall, refugees had higher odds for preterm birth," said Dr. Wanigaratne. "However, when we examined primary immigrants and secondary immigrants separately, we found much greater odds of preterm birth among secondary refugee women." As of 2013, the UN estimated about 3.15 million female refugees were living in long-term migration situations in a transition country, such as refugee camps. On average, refugees spent approximately 17 years in transition countries before finding a safe, permanent location. "Our findings on the association between secondary refugees with preterm birth are extremely important from an international perspective given the current Syrian refugee crisis and other refugee crises," said Dr. Wanigaratne. "With women living in transition countries for potentially long periods of time, the risk for giving birth prematurely is amplified." Preterm birth is a key indicator for the immediate and future health of babies. It is a leading predictor for perinatal death, feeding problems and respiratory complications at birth, as well as learning and cognitive disabilities later in life. Dr. Wanigaratne said although some countries like Somalia have experienced large refugee crises, specific countries of origin did not explain the higher odds for preterm birth among secondary refugees. Rather, the findings suggested a universal risk for secondary refugee women, regardless of their country of origin. "We believe some factors contributing to the higher risk may include long-term exposure to poor living conditions and stressors in transition countries including anxiety, racism, domestic or personal violence and major life events, such as a death in the family - to name a few," said Dr. Wanigaratne. The researchers suggest implementing policies that work toward shortening the time refugee women spend in transition countries, emphasizing the need to move them to a safe place, quickly. In the meantime, improving access to health care and social services for refugees in transition countries may also be beneficial. In addition, health providers in Canada and other countries should also be sensitive to how the refugee migration journey may impact health. Rates of malignant mesothelioma (MM) have levelled off in Australia, but the changing patterns of asbestos-related diseases mean clinicians must be vigilant about taking exposure histories from their patients, according to the authors of an Editorial published in the Medical Journal of Australia. "Since prohibition of the production and importation of asbestos in Australia in 2004, patterns of workforce and domestic exposure have further changed," lead author Professor Arthur (Bill) Musk, from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, wrote. "Increasingly, claimants are presenting with MM arising solely from domestic exposure. "Asbestosis also remains a problem because it cannot be distinguished on clinical or pathological grounds from diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis of other or unknown cause, other than on the basis of evidence (historical, radiological or pathological) of asbestos exposure. "As exposure to asbestos in the community declines, it will be increasingly unlikely that clinicians will be mindful of the condition and diligent in taking an asbestos exposure history." Overall rates of MM in Australia have levelled off at around 50 per million per annum in men and tenfold less in women, the authors wrote. Article: Asbestos exposure: challenges for Australian clinicians, Arthur W (Bill) Musk, Nicholas H de Klerk and Anna K Nowak, Medical Journal of Australia, doi: 10.5694/mja15.01072, published 1 February 2016. CLEARWATER, Fla. Feb. 1, 2016 January 27 Remembrance Day Florida Ybor Square Tampa Florida Diane Stein Florida Maxine Baker Miami Diane Stein Florida About Citizens Commission on Human Rights: Thomas Szasz Florida Florida Pinellas County Diane Stein Florida Florida /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- The anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau,, was designated International Holocaustby the United Nations General Assembly with the intention to not only honor the victims of the Nazi era but to also encourage the development of educational programs to prevent future genocides.Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160201/327911LOGOIn honor of this day, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) held a briefing on involuntary commitment inat the historic, the current home of the Church of Scientology ofInvoluntary exam initiations inincreased 81.89% from 2002 to 2013 with just over half initiated by law enforcement according to Annual Report of Baker Act Data prepared for the Agency for Health Care Administration."The murder of 11 million people during the Holocaust was made possible through the classification of entire segments of the population as inferior. The reduction of civil liberties and human rights is something that we all must be on guard for if we wish to ensure something like this never happens again," stated, President of CCHR Florida.The Baker Act, the mental health law inwhich covers all aspects of mental health including involuntary commitment, was originally designed to prevent the indiscriminate incarceration or of individuals without just cause. This statute was named after, the former State Representative fromwho sponsored the Act, who stated "In the name of mental health, we deprive them of their most precious possession liberty."Unfortunately, over the years, this Act that was intended to protect and preserve the liberties of the mentally ill has become abused."Our Abuse Case Hotline receives calls every day and unfortunately many of these calls are from the friends and families of individuals who did not meet the criteria for Baker Acting but were still sent to and detained in a mental health receiving facility," said. "When we field a call from a distraught parent of a child involuntarily committed under the Baker Act and tell them that the school can do this without their permission they are furious to learn this can happen."There were 181,471 involuntary examinations initiated in 2014 with over 17% of these for minors, one of whom was a 7-year-old girl Baker Acted from Belle Terre Elementary School in February of 2014."That change needs to occur in the mental health law inis a given but the bills currently introduced only serve to give more individuals the power to involuntarily commit citizens and fail to provide real solutions such as ensuring anyone committed is given a comprehensive medical exam by a non-psychiatric doctor to rule out one of the more than 100 medical diseases than can mimic mental illness," according to Stein. "Educating citizens on their rights under the current mental health law and how the proposed changes to the law could adversely affect their civil liberties and human rights is vital."CCHR is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious mental health watchdog. Initially established by the Church of Scientology and renowned psychiatrist Dr.in 1969, CCHR's mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enact patient and consumer protections. CCHR has helped to enact more than 150 laws protecting individuals from abusive or coercive mental health practices.CCHR Florida has already proven a major player in the state's fight against psychiatric abuse. After discovering that 55 percent of foster children inhad been prescribed powerful mind-altering psychotropic drugs, the commission documented the abuse to the health department which initiated changes that led to a 75 percent reduction in prescriptions for children under six.Additionally, working with thelegislature, CCHR Florida helped enact a law which prohibits public schools' involvement in the psychiatric drugging of children.Considered a potentially abusive, marketing tool for psychiatrists, CCHR Florida led the charge that got "Teen Screen", mental health screening of school children, banned fromschools in 2005. For more information visit, www.cchrflorida.orgSOURCES:http://bakeract.fmhi.usf.edu/document/BA_Annual_2014.pdfhttp://flaglerlive.com/64617/baker-act-children/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904480904576496271983911668, Citizens Commission on Human Rights of, 727-442-8820, publicaffairs@cchrflorida.orgNews distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.comSOURCE Citizens Commission on Human Rights of 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. Advertisement "Without limits, our society will go mad!" organizer Massimo Gandolfini told the 'Family Day' rally, as grandparents, parents and children held up banners reading 'Wrong is wrong' in the capital's ancient Roman chariot racing stadium."The bill is unacceptable, from the first word to the last," said Gandolfini, who ushered onto the stage a series of guest speakers, all of whom insisted that the only legitimate form of family was that of a mother and a father.One huge red and white banner read 'Renzi, we will remember' while a father who was digging into a picnic with his five children on the grassy banks of the arena had a placard reading: 'Renzi, those who slip, fall'.A group of protesters dressed up as knights from the Crusades vowed to defend Christian mores.In 2007, another vast 'Family Day' forced the center-left government of Romano Prodi to drop a much less ambitious civil union project - and the failure of the bill was cited as one of the reasons behind the fall of his government in early 2008.Supporters say Italy has no choice this time but to change, pointing to repeated complaints from the European Court of Human Rights. But opponents hope their protest, backed by the Catholic Church, will put the brakes on the bill.The Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) on Friday, January 29, 2016, said that it was 'concerned' about the process that was under way of putting marriage and civil unions on the same level - with the introduction of an alternative to the family.Center-left Renzi has said he is confident the bill will pass, though there are several sticking points, in particular the ability to adopt the biological children of one's partner."This demonstration sends a clear sign to parliament, and I really think it should listen," said Environment Minister Gianluca Galletti, as he joined the rally in Circo Massimo.Rights groups had pleaded with would-be participants to change their mind ahead of the protest."It is statistically certain that among your children there are many boys and girls who, even if they've never confided in you, are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender," said the Agedo association of parents and friends of LGBT people.It will not be an easy win for Renzi. His center-right coalition allies are categorically opposed to adoption of children by a gay spouse, as is the Catholic fringe of the prime minister's own Democratic Party (PD).Meanwhile, left-wing parties in the opposition and the anti-establishment Five Star movement (M5S) - whose support Renzi needs to get the bill through the Senate - are threatening to pull the plug if even one comma of the text is changed.A final vote in the Senate is expected mid-February 2016, after which the text will go before the lower house of parliament.Source: AFP In an article titled "Does Terror Truly Have No Religion?" in the pro-Iranian Iraqi newspaper Al-Akhbar, Iraqi journalist Fadel Boula came out against the claim, which is frequently heard in the Arab world and outside it, that the terror of the Islamic State (ISIS) and its ilk is completely unrelated to Islam. He pointed out that these terror organizations are motivated by an extremist Salafi ideology and claim that their atrocities represent Allah's will and directives. The following are excerpts from his article:[1] Fadel Boula (image: Al-Akhbar, Iraq) "[Does terror truly have no religion?] This slogan is uttered regarding terror, as though [terror] reflects a picture that is completely unrelated to its perpetrators' religious affiliation, and as though there are no religious goals or values behind it, but only a state of insanity that causes those afflicted with it to run amok, unaware of what they are doing or what [they seek] to achieve by their actions - [actions] that disgust not only human beings but [even] the beasts of the jungle. "The terror that is shaking the world today is not a natural disaster like a tornado, a thunderstorm or an earthquake, and it is not perpetrated by savage tribes. It is perpetrated by people who enlist [because they are] inspired by a religious ideology. [These people] advocate enforcing and spreading [this ideology as a set of] dogmatic principles that must be imposed by the force of the sword, and which [mandate] killing, expulsion and destruction wherever they go. "Since its inception, this movement of terror has espoused a Salafi ideology that champions religious extremism, and brainwashed people of all ages have rallied around its flag, [people who were] trained to kill themselves and kill others in order to attain martyrdom. "The terror organizations that act in the name of religion were born when [the mujahideen] declared Islamic jihad against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan. It was the Saudi sheikh Osama bin Laden who laid the cornerstone for the first [terror] cell, which he named Al-Qaeda. Later he called to launch a war in the name of religion, and young believers, influenced by fatwas of extremist [clerics], especially Saudi ones, flocked from the Muslim lands [to Afghanistan]. "[Then, Abu Mus'ab] Al-Zarqawi formed a branch of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which, calling itself 'the Islamic State in Iraq,' recently settled in the city of Mosul and united with its counterpart in Syria. Thus, a scary organization [namely ISIS] suddenly appeared, which advertises itself as the bearer of Islam's message and banner. [Emulating the early] Islamic conquests, [this organization] invaded Iraq and Syria and appointed a Caliph for the Muslims: Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, who settled in Mosul and showed its people what [it is like] to be ruled by a government [that is a throwback to] 1,400 years ago, in terms of the treatment [they received] and the plunder of their lands. The invaders attacked the populace of Mosul and eastern Syria, arrested them by the hundreds, and took a sword to their necks, and later singled out the Christians among them and offered them two options: either convert to Islam or pay the poll tax, as happened to their forefathers when the Arabs attacked their lands in the days of the Caliph 'Umar Al-Khattab [583-644 AD]. When [the Christians] rejected this humiliation, [ISIS] seized their property, expelled them from their historic home, the province of Ninveh, and sent them to wander destitute under the skies, seeking rescue and safety. "As for the Yazidis, their plight was and remains an historic disaster that was inflicted upon them by the God-fearing Caliph [Al-Baghdadi] when he applied to them the verse pertaining to infidels, namely offering them two options: to [either] embrace Islam, or die and have their money, women and children seized. We keep seeing images of innocent people being killed and beheaded by these terrorists, who butcher their victims while crying out "in the name of Allah the merciful" and "Allah akbar." All these crimes are [ostensibly] carried out with Allah's approval, and they are perpetrated by those who praise Allah day and night and who pray fervently and do everything according to His will. "When the terrorists blew up the World Trade Center and several airplanes, killing thousands of victims, Osama bin Laden, surrounded by his people, said on television: 'This is a victory from Allah.' And now ISIS is bragging about killing innocent people in Paris, saying that it was 'done with Allah's approval,' and threatening that the next attack will be in the U.S., Allah willing. And [Sheikh Yusouf] Al-Qaradhawi and others like him pray and hope that, in the wake of this terrorist momentum, a day will arrive when Muslims inundate Europe and subdue it to Islam. Is this not enough to convince [us] that terror [does] have a religion?" Endnotes: The Centre has nominated Ahmedabad as India's contender for the World Heritage City title. The 600-year-old walled city of Ahmedabad was preferred over Delhi and Mumbai, which had lobbied hard in recent months to get nominated, as India submitted its entry to UNESCO on Saturday, the last date for countries to send their nominations. Ahmedabad was clearly better prepared to get the recognition, having pioneered the conservation of its "living heritage" for over 20 years. The results will be announced by UNESCO in June 2017, and the chances of Ahmedabad becoming the first Indian city to get the title are said to be bright. The UNESCO tag will add immense brand value to the city and boost tourism. wikimedia Of the 287 world heritage cities across the globe, the only two cities in the Indian subcontinent which enjoy the status are Bhaktapur in Nepal and Galle in Sri Lanka. Just a few days ago, the Delhi government had written to the culture ministry to recommend the Indian capital city. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and actor Amitabh Bachchan had written to PM Modi to push for Mumbai. The culture ministry has to officially endorse a nomination before it can be sent to UNESCO. The final call on Ahmedabad was taken late on Thursday evening. wikimedia Ahmedabad has 35 ASI-protected structures, hundreds of 'pols' that capture the essence of community living, and numerous sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi, who lived here from 1915 to 1930. A 20-year heritage cell in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has been relentlessly carrying out a revitalisation programme, including heritage walks which have become a model for several other historical cities. (This article originally appeared in The Times Of India) collage.jpg A trial date has been set in the capital murder trial of Scottie Street (left), who is accused of the 2014 murder of Frankie Fairley (right). (File photos/Gulflive.com) PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- An Aug. 22 trial date has been set for the Hurley man accused of stabbing a woman to death during a robbery in Jackson County in December 2014. Scottie Lakeith Street, 37, was indicted for capital murder in the death of 55-year-old Frankie Fairley. Street has pled not guilty to the charge. Fairley was reported missing Dec. 9, 2014. She was last seen by her husband when she left their residence and Fairley asked her husband to watch a pot of food on the stove while she was gone. She was driving a gold 2004 Honda Odyssey and headed for East Central High School. Her body was found in a field near Polktown Road and David Sawmill Road about noon the next day. Fairley and Street were both residents of Polktown Road. Police said Street took Fairley's van and used it during the robbery of a D'Iberville convenience store the night of Fairley's disappearance. Street has also been charged with that crime. During Street's initial appearance in Jackson County Court on Dec. 12, 2014, he was denied bail by Judge T. Larry Wilson and has remained incarcerated in the Jackson County Adult Detention Center. A second suspect was initially charged in the murder, but was later cleared of any wrongdoing. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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. Since last September, our cage-free campaign has made more than 30 announcements from the biggest food retailers who are pledging to improve the treatment of animals in their supply chain. Photo by David Paul Morris/For The HSUS 653 shares Today, several of Americas biggest food retailers, including Sonic, a national fast-food chain based in Oklahoma City, announced new policies to make all eggs in their supply chain cage-free. Its part of a corporate revolution that is rejecting extreme confinement of farm animals and embracing animal welfare reforms. Since last September, our cage-free campaign has made more than 30 announcements from the biggest food retailers who are pledging to do better in terms of the treatment of animals in their supply chain. Lets look at what we have achieved over just the past few days. Since Friday alone: Sonic Drive-In (which uses 155 million eggs annually for its 3,500 locations) committed to going exclusively cage-free. (which uses 155 million eggs annually for its 3,500 locations) committed to going exclusively cage-free. Tim Hortons (Canadas largest restaurant chain) announced it will transition to 100 percent cage-free eggs. The announcement comes via Tim Hortons parent company, Restaurant Brands International; its a global commitment that will apply to all the companys U.S., Canadian, and Mexican locations (including Burger King) by 2025. (Canadas largest restaurant chain) announced it will transition to 100 percent cage-free eggs. The announcement comes via Tim Hortons parent company, Restaurant Brands International; its a global commitment that will apply to all the companys U.S., Canadian, and Mexican locations (including Burger King) by 2025. Hardees and Carls Jr. announced the elimination of cages from their (substantial) egg supply chains. and announced the elimination of cages from their (substantial) egg supply chains. PF Changs proclaimed that it too will go 100 percent cage-free. proclaimed that it too will go 100 percent cage-free. White Castle pledged to switch to 100 percent cage-free eggs. pledged to switch to 100 percent cage-free eggs. Starwood (operating luxury hotel brands like the W and St. Regis) announced it will go 100 percent cage-free. The world is waking up to these issues, and corporations are stepping to the forefront, promising to forever change agriculture for the better and align production practices with American values about the decent treatment of animals. Still, though, some political leaders and the trade associations they are beholden to are fighting us. There is no better example of this than the backwards-thinking Oklahoma Farm Bureau and the influence it exerts on politics in the state. More than a decade ago, The HSUS and like-minded Oklahomans overcame strong opposition from the Farm Bureau and won a solid majority of votes in a ballot initiative to outlaw cockfighting. Hard to believe that anyone, in our age, could defend this practice and oppose a ban, but that is exactly what the Oklahoma Farm Bureau did. On that same ballot, the Farm Bureau worked with its allies in the Oklahoma legislature to qualify a ballot measure that would make it virtually impossible to qualify any kind of animal protection initiative for the statewide ballot by doubling the number of signatures needed for any animal welfare measure. The good people of Oklahoma had the good sense to reject it. We were two for two, defeating the Farm Bureau at both turns on that ballot. But the Farm Bureau has kept at it, and its backing a couple of bizarre and far-reaching measures this year. Lawmakers aligned with the Farm Bureau have referred a right to farm measure for the November 2016 ballot, to enshrine special privileges for agribusiness in the constitution in an attempt to prevent future legal restrictions on any farming practices. The measure is so vaguely worded that it could create a right to raise cockfighting birds and also puppy mill dogs, in addition to keeping farm animals in extreme confinement. In pushing this measure, the Farm Bureau is trying to lock out the people from imposing animal welfare, environmental, or public health standards on agriculture. As you can imagine, well be working hard to defeat this vague, overreaching measure on the November ballot. Some lawmakers hostile to animal protection have other plans in motion that add to the mischief. One lawmaker has introduced a bill to make it a crime for animal protection groups to solicit money from Oklahomans if they want to spend money outside the state. Ive never seen or heard anything like it. No more fundraising for The HSUS because its work includes programs outside Oklahoma, no soliciting by the World Wildlife Fund, and no soliciting by The Nature Conservancy, given that these groups have national and global programs. The HSUS does spend a considerable amount of money on animal protection programs in Oklahoma: over the past decade alone we have trained 1,300 Oklahoma sheriffs and police and assisted law enforcement with the seizure, care, and placement of more than 2,100 animals from animal-fighting rings, puppy mills, hoarders, and other abusive situations. But we help animals in other states and around the globe too. Imagine telling a church in Oklahoma City or Tulsa it has to spend all its money on faith work in the state, and cannot spend any money on international missions to feed the poor or fight disease. Thats the principle at work here. This bill hits those other animal and conservation groups, although it is really not aimed at them. It is aimed at The HSUS and it aims to interfere with our member donations, because the Oklahoma Farm Bureau wants to protect puppy mills and factory farms. In the process, it is handing cockfighting advocates a get-out-of-jail-free card. Lets be clear. The Farm Bureau doesnt want to see animal welfare reforms in Oklahoma or outside the state, and theyve designed measures to achieve those outcomes. The latter measure is absurdly and obviously unconstitutional, like the ag-gag laws that Big Ag has backed but that are now facing serious legal scrutiny. Todays New York Times ripped the efforts of the American Farm Bureau Federation and state farm bureaus to pass ag-gag laws. These legislative maneuvers by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau amount to an assault not just on animal protection, but also on the discretionary choices of citizens and the basic principles of representative and direct democracy. While the progress we are making is undeniable, especially in the corporate world, we still see evidence of rearguard actions from entrenched interests. Well be fighting back every step of the way, as we celebrate the larger changes that are being driven by the public. In making our case, well not only remind people of our societys responsibilities to animals, but also of our adversaries attempts to diminish and limit the freedoms of average citizens to support charities of their choice, exercise their right to vote, and influence legislative outcomes of their choosing. Today, Monday, 1 February 2016, Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis headed a delegation on a visit to Mount Athos, on the occasion of the proceedings of the Holy Community. The delegation was initially received at the port of Dafni by the Civil Governor of Mount Athos, Aristos Kasmiroglou, and was then officially received at the capital, Karyes, according to local protocol, by the Representatives of the Holy Monasteries and the holy community Epistates. The major issues of the central administration of Mount Athos were discussed at the meeting, and solutions to these issues were considered. Mr. Amanatidis was accompanied by the Special Secretary for Religious and Cultural Diplomacy, Dr. Efstathios Lianos Liantis, and the Director of the Foreign Ministrys E2 Directorate, Ambassador Ilias Iliadis. The second meeting of the Greek-Turkish Joint Working Group on the migration/refugee crisis convened at the Foreign Ministry today, Monday, 1 February. The talks focused on ways to strengthen cooperation between the two sides with the aim of reducing migration flows and combatting human trafficking rings. Emphasis was put on the need to implement the bilateral readmission protocol as well as the measures agreed upon between the EU and Turkey for effectively reducing the unprecedented refugee and migration flows. Legal notices 1) The material on this blog has been created by W. Blake Gray, is protected under US copyright law and cannot be used without his permission. 2) To the FTC: In the course of my work, I accept free samples, meals and other considerations. I do not trade positive reviews or coverage for money or any financial considerations, unlike certain famous print publications which have for-profit wine clubs but, because they are not classified as "bloggers," are not required by the FTC to post a notice like this. Students at a charter school in Worcester, Mass., want to change the label given to students learning English as a second language, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports. Students at Seven Hills Charter Public School filed a petition last week at whitehouse.gov seeking to drop the phrase English-language learner and replace it with multilingual students. About 23 percent of students at the school are English-learners. The term English Language Learner carries negative connotations and does not value the other languages and cultures that students come from. This can negatively impact students self-esteem and academic performance, the petition reads, in part. The strengths-based label highlights the fact that being bilingual is a highly desired and valuable skill. It more accurately represents their intelligence and abilities and enables students to see themselves in a more positive light than the deficit based ELL label. The students teacher, Christine Olsen, who teachers 7th and 8th-grade ELL students at Seven Hills, told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette that she first started thinking whether the ELL label stigmatizes students a year ago. English-language learner is the not the only term used for students learning English as a second language. Dual-language learner is a term gaining popularity and some districts and states simply refer to the students as English-learners. Though its not used as commonly as in the past, some federal Department of Education documents and guides still refer to the students as limited English proficient. Seven Hills and all other Massachusetts schools have to use the term when filing their annual reports to the state Department of Education. Olsen asked her students to develop another term, and the class settled on multilingual students. The school has changed its own handbook and other materials to reflect the new terminology, the newspaper reported. As of Monday afternoon, the petition from Seven Hills Charter had 213 signatures. The students need another 99,800 by Feb. 27 for the petition to be reviewed by White House staff and merit an official response. The petition does raise questions about what it means to be multilingual. Does a student learning a second language fit into that category? A framework of English-language proficiency standards developed by TESOL International Association, the organization for teachers who specialize in working with English-learners, lists five levels of language proficiency, ranging from starting and emerging students who can understand phrases and short sentences to those who can express themselves fluently and spontaneously on a wide range of personal, general, academic, or social topics in a variety of contexts. 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. 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." The 274 pages cover 2014 and 2015. That includes the 18-month period during which the city switched its water source while under state financial management until it reconnected to Detroit's system because of lead contamination blamed on state regulatory failures. Snyder has withheld the emails of others in the executive office along with his own emails from earlier. Michigan is one of two states that wholly exempt the governor's office from public-records requests. Snyder calls the release of his emails unprecedented. Democrats and open-government advocates say he should release more since emergency managers he appointed to run Flint were involved in the decision to switch the water. 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... The Navy is expected to complete a report on the engine issues that sidelined two littoral combat ships in the span of 30 days, Lockheed Martin's vice president of littoral ship systems said. Speaking ahead of Saturday's christening of the LCS Sioux City, the 11th LCS overall and the sixth of the Freedom variant built by Lockheed Martin, Joe North told reporters the contracting company was working with the Navy to determine what went wrong with the USS Milwaukee and the USS Fort Worth. "We have been with the Navy as part of a root cause analysis that's still ongoing, and the Navy's going to get a report on that in the next few weeks," he said. "It will be their decision and their output at the end of that analysis." The USS Milwaukee (LCS-5) lost propulsion during its trip from the shipyard at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin to its new home port in San Diego, California. It was near the Virginia coast at the time and had to be towed to Little Creek, Virginia, for repairs and analysis. Navy Times, which had a reporter aboard the ship at the time, reported that metal filings in the lube oil filter had caused a loss of pressure in the combining gear. Repairs are expected to continue into this month. The Fort Worth (LCS-3) was sidelined in Singapore on Jan. 12 due to a casualty to the ship's combing gears because of an apparent failure to follow maintenance protocol, according to Navy officials. North maintained that the incidents were isolated. "There's no connection between any of the [LCS-]3 and [LCS-]5 issues," he said. "...With [LCS-]5, it's the first issue we've seen on a new gear. When the Navy is done with their assessment of that, they'll report out on where they stand." He said no new testing or criteria had been conducted with the Sioux City prior to its delivery and added he didn't expect the testing process to change for future ships. "The tests we do on these ships is through Navy approval of their test procedures," he said. "They're all tested the same way and delivered to that criteria." There are six more Freedom-variant ships under contract for construction at the Marinette shipyard. Marinette CEO Jan Allman said that will create a backlog of work for the shipyard until 2021. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. Related Video: Note: This week we have Marc Porter Magee, Ph.D, guest-blogging. He is the CEO and founder of 50CAN, a nonprofit organization that works at the local level to advocate for a high-quality education for all kids. Over the next week Im going to be writing about some of the key education policy issues bubbling up in the states in 2016, with examples drawn from the local advocacy work our 50CAN network engages in every day across the country. In this first post, I want to spotlight a recurring issue in one state that makes a larger point about the education world: When it comes to ensuring all kids receive a high-quality education, advocacy isnt optional. Even when policies are having a real, positive impact on students and communities, educators face daily, fight-for-your-lives battles to simply continue their work serving students. Supporting these leaders and the families they serve takes committed advocates who never give up. Nowhere has this come into sharper relief than in Rhode Island, where one of the most promising educational innovations of the past decade could be wiped away before the end of this years legislative session. To understand whats at stake, a little background is needed. For too long, Lil Rhody has suffered from the worst overall student achievement rates in New England . It is also home to a deeply unequal system of education. An analysis by the Providence Journal found that 11 of the 15 lowest-performing elementary schools are intensely segregated and declared, Nearly 60 years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation was unconstitutional, the Rhode Island public schools are among the most segregated in the country. In 2008, a group of Democratic and Republican mayors, parents, teachers and community members decided bold education changes were needed to get the Ocean State back on track. Their efforts resulted in a new law that made it possible to open regional, diverse public charter schools called Mayoral Academies. But getting the law passed was just step one. In order to actually open a new school, educators had to be approved by the state Board of Regents, which led to heated battles with the well-entrenched status quo. In fact, the first Mayoral Academy to serve the students of Providence and its surrounding suburbs gained approval to open its doors only after an intense nine-month campaign involving hundreds of parent advocates that culminated in a razor-thin 5-to-4 vote in support of the school. The academic results that have emerged from these hard-fought victories have been nothing short of amazing. The first public school opened under the new lawBlackstone Valley Prep (BVP)had the highest eighth-grade math scores in the state in 2014, just five years after opening their doors. Whats more, 94 percent of BVP Latino eighth-grade students were proficient in math, which was 57 percentage points higher than the state average. Perhaps even more impressive than its academic performance is the schools track record in reversing Rhode Islands troubling history of school segregation. When journalist and author Dana Goldstein visited Blackstone Valley Prep she wrote about how it was extraordinary to sit-in on the schools classes ... and observe such a wide variety of children learning and playing together, declaring it one of the most diverse schools of any type I have ever seen. You might think that this track record of success in reversing racial segregation and dramatically raising student achievement would help secure the future of these innovative public charter schools. But it is exactly because of their success in breaking down the artificial barriers that separate Rhode Island communities by race and class that they are seen by powerful actors as a threat to the status quo. And that makes them a target for further attacks. Last week the Rhode Island House of Representatives passed two bills that the Providence Journal reports could have a devastating impact on the growth of new charter schools in Rhode Island. The National Association of Charter School Authorizers put it more bluntly: these bills would, in practice, be equivalent to a possibly permanent charter school moratorium. One of the bills specifically targets the kind of diverse, integration-focused public charter schools that the Mayoral Academies specialize in. It would require that public charter schools gain a separate vote from each city or town council where it might recruit even a single student before it can open its doorsthat is on top of the approval from the statewide board that is already charged with authorizing the schools. This unprecedented process would make it almost impossible for diverse public charter schools like Blackstone Valley Prep to carry out their vital mission of bringing students together from across urban and suburban communities in academically rigorous and racially and socioeconomically diverse learning environments. Exploring the motivation behind the bill, the Providence Journal reported that Supporters of the bill seemed to have little problem with charter schools that serve students from struggling urban schools. But they cried foul when charters began pulling children away from suburban districts. Rhode Island education advocates, led by RI-CANs Christine Lopes Metcalfe , are rallying to defend these high-performing, diverse public charter schools. Its no exaggeration to say that the future of the Mayoral Academies and of the diverse charter movement in Rhode Island will rest on the success of their advocacy campaign in 2016. Yet this story from the Ocean State is just one of hundreds that unfold every day in local communities across the country. When done well, advocacy opens up amazing new avenues for change. But advocacy work, like the work of the innovative educators it defends, never has a simple and clearly defined conclusion. Its effectiveness comes from a commitment to bear the burden of a long struggle, year in and year out, to protect the gains that have been made while also standing up for the promising new innovations on the horizon. Its a challenging and essential part of the overall effort to ensure a high-quality education for all kids, regardless of their address. --Marc Porter Magee The Mariners have signed Cuban infielder Dayner Moreira to a minor league contract, reports Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. The 31-year-old will report for early work with the Mariners minor league mini-camp and figures to head to minor league camp once the rest of the position players report. Though he appears ticketed for the minors to open the year, the teams hope is that Moreira could eventually surface as a utility option. Vice president of player personnel Tom Allison told Dutton that Moreira can really, really run and praised the Cuban veterans infield versatility. Allison also said that the team hopes to get a look at Moreira in left field to see if he can be an option in the outfield corners as well. Its been more than a year since Moreira saw in-game action for an extensive period, as he missed the 2015-16 season in Cuba after defecting in Puerto Rico last winter (as Carlos Rosa Rosa of El Nuevo Dia wrote back in November). That lack of recent experience is the reason hes heading to minor league camp, per Allison, although its at least worth noting that Moreira did appear in 13 games in the Puerto Rican Winter League this offseason. Of course, he received just 38 at-bats in that time, collecting 11 hits (all singles), so hes undoubtedly still somewhat rusty. Though he lacks power, Moreira offered solid contributions in terms of batting average and OBP in Cuba, where he is a lifetime .316/.359/.376 hitter in 3247 plate appearances. Moreira played shortstop exclusively in Cuba (with the exception of one lone inning at third base), but Allison seemed confident that he could handle other infield spots as well. Facebook IPO Morgan Stanley DETROIT, MI - Seeing as people are already walking around with GPS devices in their purses and pockets, it makes sense that shared mobility continues to gain traction. Social media giant Facebook is the latest company that looks poised to move more into this increasingly crowded space. The company had a patent published Thursday that outlines a ride-sharing service for events, driven wholly by its users. Facebook users are familiar with events pages, where one can let everyone know whether or not they'll be at a particular concert or party or whatever. The new feature Facebook appears ready to launch asks its users attending an event to select whether or not they are driving. If the Facebooker is driving, they can then select their number of passengers, set of potential passengers and departure location, along with a radius of where they would be willing to pick up other passengers. The social media network will identify potential matches of people needing rides to the same event. If the user selects that he or she needs a ride to the event, Facebook will list friends with seats available. And you know how Uber and Lyft (and many public bus systems) have a map tracking when your ride is coming? Facebook's would do that, too. Non-drivers can also be paired, to share taxis or ride bus or train lines together, the patent application says. Facebook is calling it "event-based ride-sharing." The company first field the patent in July 2014, according to CNN Money, which reported that the patent has not yet been approved. In general, it appears to be another acknowledgment that, especially in more urban areas, fewer people will need to own cars in the future. It's a notion that even carmakers themselves have seemed to have embraced as of late. GM's Maven car-sharing mobile application Last month, General Motors announced the launch of Maven, a new car-sharing service with vehicles for rent by the hour or day in Ann Arbor, with more cities to follow. Earlier that same, month, GM revealed it is pouring $500 million into Lyft with the intention of developing a ride-sharing service based on a network of autonomous vehicles. Also in January, Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford, Jr. said the company's press conference at the 2016 North American International Auto Show marked the Dearborn automaker's new future as a mobility company. Ford said traffic in major cities is "a mess," and easing such congestion will be better for the economy, the environment and for people in general. "At its fundamental core, that's what mobility is," Ford said. Aside from tripling its fleet of autonomous vehicles, which Ford says is now the largest of any automaker, the company is launching a new lease-sharing program through Ford Credit, and has created a new data platform to analyze mobility patterns and find greater efficiency in urban traffic, for example. David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com, follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook. DETROIT, MI - Tesla Motors has applied with Michigan's Secretary of State to sell and service its cars through franchised dealerships in the state. A spokesman for the SOS confirmed Monday the California company applied in November for a "Class A" dealership license, meaning it would be licensed to sell new and used cars. Tesla also applied for a repair dealership license, which all Class A licensees are required to have, said SOS spokesman Fred Woodhams. Tesla typically sells its cars using storefronts in shopping malls, where customers can special order the vehicles. But this direct-to-consumer sales model is banned in Michigan, along with 19 other states. Asked for comment on the SOS application, a spokeswoman for the company emailed this statement: "Tesla is committed to being able to serve its customers in Michigan and is working with the legislature to accomplish that. The existing law in Michigan is very harmful to consumers. Tesla will take all appropriate steps to fix this broken situation." The Detroit News first reported on the application Monday. The ban on direct-to-consumer auto sales in Michigan was strengthened by legislation signed by Gov. Rick Snyder in October 2014. At the time, Snyder and legislators sponsoring the bill, which had strong support, argued that the new law was aimed at prohibiting car dealerships in the state from dictating fees they charge customers. With the legislation, dealerships can decide whether or not to charge certain transaction fees. But Tesla has maintained that it's being shut out of the state. Last month, at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the company's vice president of business development told MLive it had no display at the show because it couldn't sell its cars in Michigan. "We want have multiple sales points and multiple service points (in Michigan)," Tesla's Diarmuid O'Connell said. "We just bought Riviera Tool and Die, it's now Tesla Tool and Die in Grand Rapids. We have an expanding economic footprint on this state and we want to invest more but we can't even do business here. It's crazy." Woodhams said the application for a Class A dealership license is typical for any auto dealer franchise. He said he expects the SOS to make a decision on Tesla's application with one to two months. Asked if the state's ban on direct automotive sales would affect the issuance of a Tesla dealership license, Woodhams said, "We're reviewing the applicable state laws and requirements as we review the application." David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com, follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook. A panel of experts convened by the United Nations has recommended changes to U.S. school discipline , including the removal of police from schools, to equitable treatment of black youths. The U.N. working group of experts on people of African descent visited various cities around the United States in January, hearing testimony from experts and advocacy groups about equity concerns in areas like criminal justice, housing, and education. Those included student groups whove pushed for a reduction in zero-tolerance discipline policies in schools and a South Carolina student who was arrested for protesting her classmates violent arrest , which made headlines when a video quickly spread online. We were informed that across the country there are police in the schools arresting children for minor offences, the panel said in a statement to the media after its visit. The police have authority to detain, frisk and arrest children in school. Zero tolerance policies and heavy-handed efforts to increase security in schools have led to excessive penalization and harassment of African American children through racial profiling. African American children are more likely to face harsh disciplinary measures than White children. This phenomenon has been sadly described as the school to prison pipeline. The group said it was also concerned by reports of de facto segregation in schools, under-funding and closure of schools that are particularly in poor neighborhoods with significant African American populations and of school curricula that doesnt sufficiently cover the historical facts concerning the period of colonization and enslavement. This history, crucial in the organization of the current American society is taught differently by states, and fails to adequately address the root causes of racial inequality and injustice, the statement said. Consequently, this contributes to the structural invisibility of African-Americans. Included in its list of recommendations was a call to revisit school security policies and to abolish school policing. The group also recommended the repeal of misdemeanor laws like the disturbing schools law that led to the South Carolina student arrest , the prohibition of restraint and seclusion in schools, and more counseling for mental health issues. The U.N. groups report comes in the midst of overlapping discussions about how to best carry out discipline in U.S. schools. Federal data consistently show higher rates of school-based arrests and suspensions for students of color , particularly for black students. Some advocacy groups have responded by pushing for the replacement of classroom removals, like suspensions, with alternatives like restorative justice. But some have complained that districts have made such changes without providing educators with the resources to adequately carry them out, resulting in chaotic classroom environments. And, while some civil rights groups say there is no role for police in schools, others have said concerns about overly punitive discipline can be addressed through carefully crafted agreements between districts and law enforcement agencies. We recommend the Government develop guidelines on how to ensure school discipline policies and practices are in compliance with international human rights standards, the U.N. panels recommendations said. Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) and restorative practices in school discipline should be used for reducing disciplinary incidents and improving learning in schools. The Department of Education should study zero tolerance policies and their disparate impact on African American students, it continued. A Taskforce should be created to specifically focus on realigning and reengaging students who have been dismissed from educational institutions as part of a zero tolerance policy. The U.N. panel heard testimony in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Jackson, Miss., Chicago, and New York City. Glencoe Oaks.JPG The inside of one of the Glencoe Oaks apartments in Ann Arbor. The landlord, Ann Arbor-based McKinley has proposed a new apartment complex on the city's west side. (File photo | The Ann Arbor News) Ann Arbor real estate developer McKinley Inc. has submitted plans for its next apartment complex. The Liberty Flats, a 68-unit apartment complex is proposed on Ann Arbor's west side on Liberty Road just east of I-94. The complex will consist of six three-story buildings that have a mixture of one, two, three and four bedroom apartments on site. The majority of those units will be three or four bedrooms. McKinley chief real estate officer Ken Polsinelli points out these multi-bedroom units are not marketed toward students enrolled at the University of Michigan. Instead, the goal is to reach tenants who have a more traditional renter's profile that need more than one or two bedrooms. "We think this project along with the other communities that we've created will go a long way towards delivering a housing choice for Ann Arbor's missing middle," Polsinelli said, referring to State Street Village and the recently introduced Glencoe Oaks. The apartments will feature large, open spaces, with modern kitchens and island peninsulas. The units have bigger floor plans than the student-targeted housing being proposed around town as well. "There are really no four-bedrooms (apartments) that are designed for the traditional renter," Polsinelli said. The complex will be built on 4.7 acres of land currently owned by a Brighton-based company. McKinley has a purchase agreement in place to buy the land once plans are approved by the city. Polsinelli said the site is perfect for the plans because it is already zoned for multi-family residential use and the project guidelines fit within the parameters. "We've tried to design a building that will be easy for the city to approve," Polsinelli said. Along with the six residential buildings, a community center will be built on the property as well. A fitness center will be part of the center, along with other features, but McKinley plans on seeking feedback from residents once they've moved in to help adapt the space to their needs. The site will include 136 total parking spaces, 30 of which will be in private garages and 52 covered spots. Bike parking will be available in all 30 private garages and 12 additional bike spaces will be available on site. While there's no guarantee of when the project would be approved by the city, Polsinelli is hopeful to begin construction on the site later this summer. If work can begin this summer, he expects the apartments will be ready for rent in late summer 2017. "The demand has been very strong so we're excited to be able to provide housing that the Ann Arbor community needs," Polsinelli said. The plans are currently being reviewed by city of Ann Arbor Planning Department. Matt Durr is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at mattdurr@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter. File Photo | Mlive Media Group Don't Edit Randall, "Rico" Simmons, 13, of Howard City high fives Captain America and Spiderman from the 9th floor of DeVos Children's Hospital. The Flash, Spiderman, Captain America, The Hulk and Superman flew outside the hospital windows in Grand Rapids, Mich. Wednesday, October 31, 2012. A child life specialist at the hospital and Modern Window Cleaning workers came up with the idea to give young patients a Halloween surprise. File Photo | Mlive Media Group 'Give me 5...' Five years ago, the opening of the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital marked a new era of children's health care in West Michigan.Today, the 212-bed, 14-floor facility 100 Michigan Street NE offers care provided by pediatric nurses, therapists and clinicians. The hospital offers the services of than 200 pediatric physicians in 50 pediatric specialties and programs. The following pages review some of the high points of the building's first five years on the Michigan Street Hill. Don't Edit File Photo | Mlive Media Group Moving day Lyn Hollister of Howard City cuts the paper chain to open her daughter Makenzie's room on the seventh floor of the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital which opened Jan. 11, 2011. Approximately 100 patients were moved from the old hospital over to the new one on that first day. Click here to read our story. Don't Edit Supplied photo Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.com Rare surgical procedure saves 2-day-old infant's life In a five-hour procedure in May 2011, surgeons saved a two-day-old infant's life at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital after the baby was diagnosed with a rare and dangerous malformation of blood vessels in the lungs. Click here to read the story Don't Edit Sydnie Wade, 8, of Kentwood prepares for her pretend wedding to Justin Bieber Friday at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital where Wade had just finished an intense week of chemotherapy. Sydnie's tongue in cheek wedding involved the hospital staff with a medical assistant officiating over the ceremony and an RN standing up as the maid of honor. Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.com A pretend wedding with Justin Bieber Sydnie Wade, 8, celebrated the last day of a five-day stretch of chemotherapy with a pretend wedding with pop star Justin Bieber. The elaborate preparations for the Feb. 12, 2011 celebration were facilitated by the staff and family members. Today, Sydnie is a "13-year-old with lots of attitude," says her dad, Gary Wade. Click here to read our story from 2011. Don't Edit Don't Edit (File Photo | Mlive Media Group) Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.com Hospice program for children receives $1 million in gifts In 2011, Hospice of Michigan announced it was naming its pediatric program "The Hospice of Michigan James B. Fahner, M.D., Pediatric Hospice Care Program" in recognition of Fahner's dedication to providing care and comfort to children who are dying. Click here to read the story Don't Edit Lyn Hollister is pictured with her twin daughters Makenzie, right, and Shelbie at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Tuesday, January 10, 2012. The twins will turn 2 on Jan. 31. (Cory Morse | The Grand Rapids Press) Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.com 1-year-old and growing As the staff celebrated the first year, they announced the additoin of seventh operating room. They also reported the emergency department has seen so many visitors, an expansion is underway. Click here to read the story Don't Edit The Flash, Spiderman, Captain America, The Hulk and Superman hang outside the windows of DeVos Children's Hospital on Wednesday, October 31, 2012. A child life specialist at the hospital and Modern Window Cleaning workers came up with the idea to give young patients a Halloween surprise. (File photo | Mlive Media Group) Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.com Superheroes visit on Halloween Superman and a few of his superhero friends flew outside the 14-story Spectrum Health DeVos Children's Hospital on Oct. 31, 2012. The super heroes also handed out Halloween treats to the young patients inside. Click here to read the story Don't Edit Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.com $10 million expansion announced for 5th floor In 2013, hospital officials began seeking state approval for a $10 million project that will add 24 beds to the hospital. The additional beds are needed to accommodate periodic spikes in demand for inpatient care, said hospital President Dr. Bob Connors. Click here to read the story Don't Edit Daniel Alpatros, 1, is shown in an exam room at Helen DeVos Children's hospital Monday, December 8, 2014. The Iraqi boy was brought here by Healing the Children for heart surgery that was performed by Dr. Marcus Haw. (File Photo | Mlive Media Group) Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.com Iraqi baby undergoes life-saving surgery In December, 2014, a 1-year-old boy born in northern Iraq with a rare, complex heart defect was given hope for a long and active life, after undergoing open heart surgery at Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital. Click here to read the story Don't Edit Don't Edit Dr. James Fahner, right, talks with one of his patients, Maddy Brozek, 10, at the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids. Fahner works at the hospital with children's cancer and blood diseases, which celebrated its 25th annivesary in August, 2014. (File photo | Mlive Media Group) Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.com Hospital's cancer program turns 25 The Cancer, Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant program at Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital celebrated its 25th anniversary on Aug. 14, 2014. It also marked the 20th anniversary of P.O.R.T., its Pediatric Oncology Resource Team. Click here to read the story Don't Edit Dr. Joseph Vettukattil looks at an ultrasound of a heart at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital on Thursday, June 13. Vettukattil, an interventional cardiologist specializing in congenital heart defects, is a new specialist at the children's hospital from England.(File Photo | Mlive Media Group) Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.com Children's heart specialist recruited from England Helen DeVos Children's Hospital announced it was recruiting Dr. Joseph Vettukattil, an interventional cardiologist who has pioneered the use of 3-dimensional echocardiography to evaluate complex heart defects. Vettukattil joined the hospital in April, 2013 as chief of pediatric cardiology. Don't Edit Alexandra Van Kirk is shown in July 2014 as she is recovering from heart surgery after being born 8 weeks premature. Her parents are Heidi and Matthew Van Kirk. Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.com 2-pound heart surgery patient grows into 'Big Mighty Girl' Her parents call her Mighty Girl. Two-pound Alexandra Mae Van Kirk was one of the smallest babies in the world to undergo a heart procedure to open up a blocked artery caused by a congenital defect. Pediatric cardiologist Dr. Joseph Vettukattil, performed the pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty. Click here to read the story Don't Edit Brooke Hester, 7, stands for a portrait at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital on Wednesday, March 11, 2015, three months before she succumbed to cancer. Hester's family created Brooke's Blossoming Hope for Childhood Cancer Foundation to raise money for children's cancer research. Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.com Cancer claims life of 8-year-old 'Brooke's Blossom' founder Not every story ends with healing. On Friday, June 26, 2015, Brooke Hester died from the cancer she had fought for four and a half years more than half of her life. Brooke died two months after achieving her goal of raising $88,888 for children's cancer research through the Brooke's Blossoming Hope for Childhood Cancer Foundation. Click here to read the story Don't Edit Danielle and John Kose prepare to take home their 4-month-old baby girl, Alexia, from Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Alexia was born premature at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City and then was transferred to Helen DeVos, where she spent more than three months in the Small Baby Unit and NICU. (Taylor Ballek | MLive.com) Jim Harger | jharger@mlive.com 'Small Baby Unit' treats the tiniest arrivals The neonatal intensive care unit at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital is one of few in the country and the first in West Michigan to house a Small Baby Unit, which opened in March, 2015. The designated space within the NICU is designed to meet the complex needs of the hospital's tiniest patients referred to as micro-preemies: babies born at or before 27 weeks gestation. Click here to read the story Don't Edit beerbrownie.jpg The City Sen Lounge, at City Flats Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids, will be serving up PB&P Brownies during GR Beer Week 2016. These sweets are made with sticky plum jam, white chocolate and Double Cream Stout from Bell's Brewery. (Courtesy photo) GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Beer Week GR 2016 is a few weeks away, but you can already start planning your culinary itinerary. Experience Grand Rapids released the menus on the Beer Week GR website today. The 50 menu options are either beer-infused entrees, desserts and other creations that use beer as an ingredient or dishes curated for a specific pairing with a local brew for the Cool Brews. Hot Eats. promotion that runs Feb. 17-28. Some of the highlights of the menus -- which can viewed at ExperienceGR.com -- include: Beer Braised Pot Roast, at The Cottage Bar & Restaurant in Grand Rapids. It's beef marinated in Founders Oatmeal Stout, slow cooked and served with fresh vegetables and red skin mashed potatoes and gravy. PB&P Brownies, at City Sen Lounge at City Flats Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids, combines sticky plum jam, white chocolate and Double Cream Stout from Bell's Brewery. Farm Hand Fondue, at FireRock Grille in Caledonia, brings together house-made kielbasa, smoked cheddar, Brewery Vivant Farm Hand Ale and warm, soft pretzel bites. Pork Stew, at Harmony Brewing in Eastown. It features Harmony dark beer loaded up with local veggies and slightly spicy pulled pork. "Beer Week GR has grown into a 12-day event that is not only a celebration for beer lovers, but also the local economy," said Doug Small, chief executive officer of Experience Grand Rapids, which is organizing the event on behalf of the West Michigan bar and restaurant industry. "Paired with our ever-popular Cool Brews. Hot Eats. collaboration with nearly 50 local restaurants, Beer Week GR offers beer and culinary fans a unique experience." The activities include Michigan Brewers Guild's 11th annual Winter Beer Festival at Fifth Third Ballpark on Feb. 26 and 27. The popular Winter Beer Festival features nearly 100 Michigan breweries and more than 800 craft beers. Tickets for Saturday's festival are sold out, but tickets for Friday are still available for purchase on the festival's homepage. Experience Grand Rapids also announced an incentive to become a Beer City Brewsader during Beer Week GR. Participants who collect eight stamps in their Beer City Passport will receive a Brewsader koozie and bottle opener, plus an official Brewsader T-shirt. Passports and prizes can be picked up at GoSite inside the Grand Rapids Art Museum while supplies last. Beer City Brewsaders can also receive Beer Week GR promotions at over a dozen breweries and restaurants, including discounts on beers, growlers and food, Shandra Martinez covers business for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez. Since April, a line of tank cars on the Ann Arbor Railroad line that runs through Pittsfield Township and Saline has gradually grown, and in some areas it now cuts within 100 feet of schools, playgrounds, homes and other developments. The line, which is mostly only broken up by road crossings, now extends for several miles, and a company official told The Ann Arbor News it's composed of 237 tank cars that are built to haul petroleum. The length of time the cars have sat and their proximity to homes and schools is generating some concern about safety, environmental issues, and visual blight from residents, local officials and a developer. Steve Schafer is moving forward with plans for a large residential and commercial development on a property at State and Textile roads that's bisected by the line of tank cars. He is among those who want to know why the cars are stored in residential areas and wants them moved. "I'm hesitant to invest a bunch of money in a subdivision with a bunch of tanker cars running through it," Schafer said. "You wouldn't want to look out the back of your home and see tanker cars." Several residents who spoke with The Ann Arbor News said they feared a potential environmental disaster and said the train cars are a dangerous attraction for kids in the nearby schools and subdivisions. Tracie VanBecelaere, a spokesperson with Watco, the Kansas-based rail company that owns the Ann Arbor Railroad, offered good and bad news. The good news: The tank cars sitting in Pittsfield and Saline are brand new. That means they never carried any kind of petroleum or chemicals and don't pose any serious environmental threat. The bad news: The tank cars likely aren't going anywhere anytime soon, and there doesn't appear to be much local officials or residents can do about that. VanBecelaere explained to The Ann Arbor News that another company is paying Watco to store the tank cars on Watco's underused rail lines. The cars were ordered and built when oil prices were higher. Oil prices dropped, that caused a production to dip, and with it the need to transport oil disappeared. Until oil prices increase and domestic production is back up, companies need to stash their unused tank cars somewhere. And Watco has underutilized lines in places like Saline and Pittsfield that are becoming long-term parking lots that provide extra revenue for the company. "Basically, we have to do this in order to keep in business. We have to be profitable, and that's what we do with that line when it isn't in use," VanBecelaere said. "We have to be able to pay our taxes to keep people working in the area. "The cars have to go somewhere." Pittsfield Township Supervisor Mandy Grewal said the rail companies have jurisdiction over the tracks and there's little her office can do except to work with them as much as possible. Watco did agree to move some cars that were stored in close proximity to some homes, but it won't take any further action, Grewal said. "Unfortunately they're really taking away from the township's visual aesthetic. We would hope that these companies would look more at partnering with local communities ... and how they detract from quality of life and cause safety issues," she said. Pittsfield and Saline aren't alone. National Public Radio reported that tank cars are being stored on underutilized tracks around the country. But many of those stored elsewhere are "dirty" tank cars that carried petroleum. Those are now being decommissioned and stored until they can be pulled off the tracks, cleaned and recycled. Schafer added that he has been in touch with state legislators and representatives in Congress, as well as the US Department of Transportation, which didn't return calls from The Ann Arbor News. But it's not totally clear what action, if any, is possible at the state and federal level. An official from Gov. Rick Snyder's office told Schafer they were too busy to look into the issue. Schafer, who said he also called Watco and didn't get much help, questioned why the company needs to store the tank cars near homes and schools. "They shouldn't be there. There's a rail yard where they could go. I can understand if they're in an industrial area, but not around a residential zone," he said. It's not possible to store the cars elsewhere, says VanBecelaere. Watco operates around 4,700 miles of tracks nationally. Their tracks are called short lines and are typically smaller regional tracks that feed larger interstate lines. Many of the local tracks that cut through residential areas aren't in use. Additionally, the tracks in the industrial areas and rail yards remain in use, and Watco has to be able to switch lines and move cars without obstruction, VanBecelaere said. "Obviously we don't people to be unhappy, but it's one of those things where we have to do what we have to do to keep investing in the community," she said. Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter for The Ann Arbor News. BAY CITY, MI -- Though her story changed somewhat when questioned by police, a Bay City woman was resolute in denying she crashed into an 8-year-old girl in a Walmart parking lot, police say. Elicia E. Graham, 55, on Friday, Jan. 29, appeared before Bay County District Magistrate Janice M. Doner for arraignment on single counts of operating a motor vehicle while license suspended, revoked or denied causing injury and failure to stop at the scene of a collision resulting in serious impairment or death. Both charges are punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The charges stem from a hit-and-run incident that happened in the parking lot of the Walmart at 3921 E. Wilder Road the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 9. According to police reports contained in court records, state police troopers met with Andrew Bailor at McLaren Bay Region hospital, where his daughter Trinity Bailor was receiving treatment for injuries. Bailor told troopers that as he was parking his vehicle, Trinity was moving a shopping cart when a vehicle struck her, briefly stopped, then drove away. Bailor told troopers he saw the driver turn back and look through her vehicle's rear window before quickly driving away. Trinity suffered three fractured fingers, a fractured thumb, and road rash and abrasions to her legs. She also had to have the nail beds on two fingers stitched, court records show. Troopers reviewed surveillance camera footage from Walmart and noticed the woman who subsequently struck Trinity had made a debit card purchase inside the store at 3:22 p.m. Investigators tracked the card to Chemical Bank in Midland and obtained a search warrant to learn Graham was the cardholder, court records show. Troopers determined Graham had no active driver's license and was not eligible to have that status reviewed until May 24, 2020. Troopers went to Graham's house on Dec. 16 and interviewed her. Graham initially denied being at Walmart on Dec. 9, stating multiple times that she doesn't have a vehicle and doesn't drive. Pressed further, she said she was not good with dates and was uncertain whether she was at Walmart on Dec. 9, court records show. Graham went on to say she works at Shannon's House, an assisted living facility in Bay City. Troopers then said that since she's employed, she probably has a bank account. Graham said she does indeed have such an account and that she has a debit card, though sometimes she allows her daughter to use it, court records show. Troopers showed Graham a photo from the surveillance camera footage. Graham said the woman in the image did look like her, then admitted it was her. She continued to deny having struck a little girl with the car she was driving though, saying she only hit a shopping cart. She also said she did not notice a group of people gathering around the injured Trinity as she lay in the lot, court records show. Troopers determined Graham was driving a gold 2005 Pontiac. The vehicle had minor scratches to the front bumper area, court records show. Troopers did not arrest Graham when their interview concluded. The Bay County Prosecutor's Office received the related police reports on Wednesday, Dec. 30. On Thursday, Jan. 7, the prosecution requested additional investigation from troopers, according to Bay County Prosecutor Kurt C. Asbury. In light of that, troopers again spoke with Bailor to check on his daughter's recovery. He told them Trinity's hand was in a splint for two to three weeks and would be wrapped in bandages for another two to three weeks. He also said she had a misshapen finger and that they had planned a consultation with a plastic surgeon to correct the damage, court records show. At Graham's arraignment, Bay County Assistant Prosecutor Bernard J. Coppolino said Graham has convictions of impaired driving from 1998 and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated from 2002. Doner freed Graham on a personal recognizance bond. Graham is to appear for a preliminary examination at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18. BAY CITY, MI -- Nestled away in the woods of Midland, Jenifer Acosta works in front of a computer screen in her chic home office that looks like it was torn from the pages of a Crate and Barrel catalog. Less than 30 miles east is a city she calls authentic. A place where "salt of the earth people" live and work. A place that has seen better days, but also a place with energy. "I think it has potential," she said. "I can't quite put my finger on it." Acosta, 32, is an up-and-coming developer and mover-and-shaker who has circled her hometown of Bay City as a project in sustainable development. She's in the middle of redeveloping the former Bay City Times building into downtown Bay City's newest urban living accommodations and is starting to wade through local government red tape to see a community pavilion built in Wenonah Park. This past summer, she and a friend decided Bay City needed a craft beer festival added to its summer lineup. So, this coming summer, dozens of breweries are going to offer samples in Wenonah Park as part of a new event called Hop Riot. After her father Rod Hildebrant sold his company Hospice Advantage, she decided to put her own spin on a new "Cooking for a Cause" fundraiser this April to raise money for the pavilion project. "The best thing about this region is if you want to make a big impact, you can do it," said Acosta, a 2002 Essexville-Hampton Garber High School graduate. "It's pretty incredible." Times reporter Andrew Dodson caught up with Acosta earlier this month to learn more about her development projects, her feelings about Bay City and what she has in store in the future. Jenifer Acosta at her home office in Midland. Q: Who is Jenifer Acosta? It seems like since late 2015, I've been seeing your name pop up around town more often. A: Well, I like to be active in my community. It took a while after I got back, raising children, building a house -- that has been my primary focus. Now, I've been exposed to this region and I'm excited to make an impact on this area. Let's back up. You're from this area, you moved away, now you're back. Take me through the timeline. I graduated from Garber in 2002 and then went to Southern Illinois University where I studied sociology, focusing on poverty and inequality. My dad (Rod Hildebrant) lives in Miami, so I enrolled at the University of Miami and studied international administration, specializing in sustainable development. I ended up interning for a consulting firm in Miami that focused on energy efficiency for hotels in the city. It was something I really fell in love with because it fit into the whole sustainable building and development, which is my passion. From there, I wound up working for my family's business, my dad's hospice company. I gave it a try, but I had fallen in love with real estate development and wanted to get back into that. This past August, I launched my company (The Neighborhood Development Co.) and I'm off and running. So, you were working in Miami. Why did you return to Michigan? I actually met my husband in Miami and we had a baby on the way and started thinking about things like, where do we want to raise our kids and what kind of quality of life do we want for them. Living in Miami his whole life, my husband wanted a place with land, so we moved back here and chose Midland, where it's really open and there's a lot of land. What does your husband do for a living? We're actually a double entrepreneur family. He runs a business called Distressed Design. He's a lighting designer who can quickly look at any floor plan, know where the outlets go, what kinds of lights to use and create that perfect ambiance. Back to you. You live and run your business out of your home in Midland, but you have this focus right now on Bay City. Why Bay City? First, in this region, if you're a 30-something, you can do so many things and make this incredible impact. In a city like Miami, it would take so long to do anything because of the bureaucratic process. The idea of transforming or building a skyscraper is so far-fetched. Bay City is this authentic community. It's real salt of the earth people here and it has a nice energy. I think it has potential to be more vibrant and attract more business and people. The former Bay City Times building at 311 Fifth St. in downtown Bay City. Tell me about the former Bay City Times building project (311 Fifth Street). Where are things at this point with this $4.5 million project? We're wrapping up exterior elevations and floor plans and getting them ready for final review before we send it over to the state's historic preservation office. While that's under review, we'll have the building surveyed for asbestos, lead, do some abatements and probably a little bit of light demo on materials and then we wait. How big, how many rooms and what kind of rooms? It's going to be 31 rental units, which are going to include some two-story town homes on the (south) end of the building. It's going to be really cool. What's your favorite part of this project? I like that it's so industrial. This was a newspaper factory, so technically, it's an industrial building. I love how it lends itself to industrial windows. I think it's going to be a great place for millennials and baby boomers What can a project like this do for the rest of downtown Bay City? I'm hoping it can boost some of the vacancies on Washington Avenue. We're also looking at upgrading the landscaping at that corner (of Fifth and Adams streets), which we think is really going to make that area of town look nice. When is it going to be done? We hope to start construction in late spring. It's an aggressive schedule, but our goal is to open to residents in the fall of this year. A rendering of the $3 million pavilion that could be built in Wenonah Park in downtown Bay City. Courtesy William A. Kibbe & Associates The pavilion: People love and hate the idea of it. Specifically, they're not keen on its Wenonah Park location. What do you say to those people? Well, as you know, Bay City is redoing its master plan right now and I've been sitting at the table, speaking with the urban planners, to see where a pavilion best works in this city. I was asked, if you have $2 million to put into the city in one area that could solve all of its problems, where would you put it? I circled downtown Bay City. They showed me the same exact spot. But the main donors of the project -- the Nickless Family -- have said they want it in the park. Right. Wenonah Park was one of their requirements. Why do we need a pavilion? I believe it can boost tourism and really help us brand our city. I think it can help this city, the State Theatre, the downtown in general. This is something that can be iconic. Something that people identify with Bay City. It's something our community can be proud of. What's the status of the project at this time? We'll be doing some site surveys and soil borings to see what engineering needs to be done on the property and then we'll take it to design and figure out what kind of footprint it needs. And then we'll be in the entitlement phase -- going through the local government reviews and approvals. This is a new business for you. Your first big client was your dad, who bought the old Times building. Some people might be wondering what's next? If I do what I know I can do on that project, I'll have more jobs waiting for me once it's done. Volunteers clean up the Downtown Bay City corridor entrance off the Veterans Memorial Bridge Saturday, May 9, 2015. Are you involved in anything else around town? I'm on the Downtown Management Board, helping with some of the strategic planning of downtown. What do you think Bay City will look like five years from now? I hope Bay City continues this climb it's on right now. We're definitely in expansion phase, but I'm not sure how much the market will support it. It all really depends on if we can get some new employers and maintain and attract young talent. What about 10 years from now? Again, it's a little difficult to say what exactly it would look like. I'm a really big proponent of vibrancy. And I hear all the time of people driving two hours in any direction to go to a town with vibrancy. I hope Bay City -- and Midland and Saginaw -- is that downtown people to go to. I hope it is that new vibrant place. What's something you think Bay City needs that it doesn't have today? We have a lot of vacant space that I think we can make vibrant. Maybe attract a tech company? What do you perceive as Bay City's biggest challenges? The economics are difficult. Attracting employers is no small feat. Trying to get educated people who come out of schools and want to live here is also tough. If people realize that you can make more of an impact in a community like ours, than they could in a big city like Chicago, it would be different. I think that's this region's biggest selling point. GeneWoods Mugs.jpg Gene M. Woods' mug shots throughout the years ( ) BAY CITY, MI -- Bringing a bath salts-like designer drug into the Bay County Jail, only to overdose on it, has cost a 28-year-old parolee more prison time. Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran on Monday, Feb. 1, sentenced Gene M. Woods to 17 months to five years in prison. Due to his parolee status, Woods was entitled to no credit for time he's already served in jail. The sentence is also consecutive to the remainder of the term he was paroled on. Woods declined to speak prior to the judge imposing sentence, as did Bay County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Nancy E. Boroushko. Woods in November pleaded guilty to one count of prisoner in possession of contraband. Prosecutors did not dismiss any other charges. Police on Friday, June 5, arrested Woods on a parole violation. While Woods was in the intake area of the jail about 7:30 p.m., officers noticed he was unconscious and had labored breathing, court records show. Deputies and a nurse began rendering aid, and firefighters and paramedics soon responded as well. Emergency personnel placed Woods on a stretcher and took him to a waiting ambulance, according to court records. Paramedics looked for a place to insert an IV line, but they had difficulty doing so, court records show. To check Woods' feet, paramedics removed his socks and, in doing so, found a wad of toilet paper in one of them, court records show. The paramedics administered Narcan (naloxone), an opioid antagonist administered to those in the grips of an overdose, and Woods sat up and became lucid within five minutes, court records show. Woods was taken to McLaren Bay Region hospital for further treatment. Officers inspected the wad that was in Woods' sock and found within it a powdery white substance, court records show. They field tested it for heroin, which showed no results. Woods told police the substance was a type of bath salt, court records show. After treatment at the hospital, he was taken back to jail. Michigan State Police Crime Lab results completed Aug. 24 indicate the substance was 0.18 grams of alpha-pyrrolidinohexanophenone, known by the street name Flakka. According to the website www.drugabuse.gov, Flakka is a bath salt that comes in crystalline form and can be eaten, snorted, injected or vaporized. "Vaporizing, which sends the drug very quickly into the bloodstream, may make it particularly easy to overdose," the website states. As with other bath salts, Flakka can induce a state of "excited delirium," involving hyperstimulation, paranoia and hallucinations that can lead to violent aggression and self-injury, the site states. "The drug has been linked to deaths by suicide, as well as heart attack," the site continues. "It can also dangerously raise body temperature and lead to kidney damage or kidney failure." The drug has most widely been reported in Florida, Texas and Ohio. Its name is derived from the Spanish word "flaca," meaning "skinny." The Michigan Department of Corrections paroled Woods on July 30, 2013, as a Bay County Circuit Court judge in April 2010 had sentenced him to 23 months to 10 years in prison on convictions of breaking and entering and possession of heroin. Those convictions stem from him breaking into the Shining Star Dance Academy, 1011 Marquette Ave., in November 2009. At that time, he was on probation on two counts of larceny in a building and one count of assaulting, resisting or obstructing police. Before Michigan Department of Corrections officers led Woods from the courtroom Monday, Sheeran had some words of encouragement for him. "I hope you're able to use this time to turn things around," he said. "Good luck to you." "Yes, your honor," Woods said. "Thank you." WARREN, MI -- A state lawmaker on Monday announced his resignation as he prepared to take the oath of office for his new position as Macomb County treasurer. State Rep. Derek Miller (D-Warren) will replace former Macomb County Treasurer Ted Wahby, who died in December 2015 at 84. "Today, I'm announcing that I am stepping aside as the representative of Michigan's 28th House District to become the treasurer of Macomb County," Miller said in a statement Monday. "... Serving the people of my district was always my top priority in the state House, and serving the people of our county will continue to be my priority in my new role." He was scheduled to be sworn in as Macomb County Treasurer on Monday afternoon by Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano. Miller was chosen to fill the position by a three-person committee in a 2-1 vote last week. DETROIT, MI -- Rumbling trucks filled with bottled water destined for Flint waited nearby as dozens of Detroit residents held hands and prayed outside Second Ebenezer Church in Detroit on Monday morning. A forklift loaded the final few pallets, the contents a menagerie of different water brands bound tight with shrink wrap. More than 15 Penske and Ryder moving trucks, along with three semi-trucks and a state police escort, planned to haul more than 15,000 cases of water -- more than 100,000 individual bottles -- to Trinity Baptist Church in Flint. From there, the water will be combined with hundreds of thousands more donated cases of water for distribution in the community, including at least five nursing homes, said Tresa Galloway of Detroit, one of the water drive organizers. "They can't go out and get the water on their own," Galloway said. The water collected in Detroit came from all over the nation, including donors from Texas, Baltimore and Virginia. "The people of Flint, again, they are waiting on us. They are depending on us," Galloway told the crowd before the caravan left around 10 a.m. Monday. Some took personal cars, others drove delivery trucks or rode in a chartered bus. Volunteer Sheanta Williams says she became involved because she has personal connections in Flint, including friends and relatives. She said no one will feel completely safe until the lead-contaminated water connection lines are replaced, and she feels it's the government's duty to install them. Flint moved from Detroit municipal water to the Flint River in 2014. Weeks after the switch, some residents complained of bad tasting and smelling water. Water officials added chemicals to combat fecal coliform bacteria found in the water, but the added chemicals made the water corrosive and caused lead from service pipes to leach into the water. It took volunteers over a week to collect the water and three days to load in the trucks for Monday's effort. Galloway said more efforts to help the residents of Flint will be planned. Many people are using bottled water to bathe and wash dishes, so organizers are looking at providing paper plates, cups and plastic silverware, as well as providing hotels rooms or other places to live for families whose water remains contaminated. WYOMING, MI -- One of the suspects in the murder of a Wyoming teen last week was arraigned Monday in Wyoming District Court. Mitchel Savickas, 18, was charged with felony murder, three counts of armed robbery, carrying a concealed weapon and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Savickas is one of three suspects arrested in the death of Isaiah Blue, 17, who was shot and killed on Wednesday, Jan. 27 around 10:10 p.m. During the arraignment, Savickas said little other than "Yes, your Honor," when asked if he understood the charges and penalties. RELATED: See more pictures of the crime scene, and police searching for suspects Savickas, Daniel Benavides, 16, and Bryshaun Scott, 15, allegedly shot at Blue, who fled when the three attempted to rob him while pointing a rifle at him. The victim and his friends - as well as the suspects - had just gotten off a Rapid bus when the shooting occurred. Detectives allege Savickas fired multiple shots, striking Blue multiple times. Police said Blue, who was a junior at Kelloggsville High School, ran across the street and collapsed. He was taken by ambulance to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital, where he died. Judge Pablo Cortes ordered Savickas to remain jailed with no bond. The preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 17. Well ... yes and no, according to a pair of new surveys from the RAND Corporation, a research and analysis firm. Teachers do seem to be getting a lot of professional development aligned to the common core in both English language arts and math. The problem is that its not always focused on the topics that they say they need the most help on. Instead, teachers seem to be saying: OK, we totally get that there are these new standards. We even kinda know what they want us to do differently. But we still need help digging into the pedagogy on some of the finer points. The surveys are drawn from RANDs American Teacher Panel , which represents some 1,130 teachers. They are based on a random sample of panel members, weighted to account for differential responses and nonresponses. Lets take a look at findings in both subjects. Note that, in both subjects, more than half of teachers reported that the content of state standards was a focus of their professional development, but far fewer teachers said that focus reflected their needs (28 percent in math and 31 percent in English/language arts.) Teachers also said they got more PD on using assessment data to inform teaching than they really needed, and more on instructional strategies than they really needed. In most cases, the gap between what teachers said they needed and what their districts were providing was pretty small. But a couple of themes that emerged from the studies stand out, and both involve PD mismatches for math teachers. They reported inadequate PD on helping students construct viable mathematical arguments and critiquing the work of others, and on making connections among key topics and grade levels. Both of those, it bears mentioning, are major shifts in the common core standards compared to what most states had in place before. In English/language arts, teachers greatest needs seemed to cluster around writing instruction and helping students craft arguments in their writing. In math, problem-solving and applying math in the real world were also big topics of need. Also worth nothing is that non-ELA teachers reported feeling significantly less prepared to teach those standards. Thats not a surprise, but it indicates that there is still a long way to go to help teachers in other content areas understand that responsibility for literacyand understanding how the way we read differs in different domainsis shared by all content teachers. The surveys also showed that teachers in non-common-core states reported being more familiar with their state standards than teachers in common-core states. That could be because non-common-core teachers have presumably had a longer period of time to get used to their states expectationsalthough it starts to get trickier when you consider states like Indiana and Oklahoma that have jettisoned the common-core standards but retained much of their language. Funding for the survey analysis was provided by the National Education Association and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others. (The Gates Foundation supports coverage of college- and career-ready standards in Education Week.) Arizona Governor: We Want Out of the 9th Circuit! Is the Ninth Circuit too liberal? Arizona's governor seems to think so. Recently, he spearheaded an effort to break up the nation's largest circuit. Is this the beginning of the Twelfth Circuit? Reasoning Behind the Push According to the Associated Press, Gov. Doug Ducey proposed that Arizona either move "into a different region" or Congress should create another circuit because of the Ninth's Circuit extreme caseload and very large geographic area. He also alluded to the circuit's "high rate of cases" overturned by SCOTUS. So far, Ducey has secured the support of other republican allies in his state, including Arizona Senator Jeff Flake and Congressman Matt Salmon. Dulcey's office hopes to get draft legislation on the floor of Congress soon, with Flak drafting the bill. The Past Repeats Itself Gov. Doug Ducey's push to liberate from the clutches of Ninth Circuit liberalism is a repeat of past attempts to do essentially the same thing. Obviously, all attempts to either move the state under the federal jurisdiction of another Circuit or to split the Ninth Circuit have failed. For his part, the Arizona governor dismissed claims that this was actually part of a greater political move to burnish his republican credentials. Instead, he insisted that the move was simply a reflection of vox populi: "It's all about good government," said Ducy's chief deputy of staff, according to the Associated Press. "I think it's hard to call this a stunt when you look at the broad support and the broad cries for this that have come from [judges and Congress]." A New Circuit Map? If Ducey had his way, his plan would either bring Arizona into the Tenth Circuit or would create a Twelfth Circuit, alongwith Arizona, Montana, Nevada, Idaho and Alaska. This would leave the Ninth with California, Oregon and Washington. Admittedly, it would at least make the circuit map look much less lopsided. Related Resources: A coalition of the willing for Syrian refugees? The United States has resumed its war in Iraq, once again building a "coalition of the willing." Our government has, unfortunate... Last post Sorry about the long hiatus, dear readers. I had intended to take a short break and it seems to have turned into a long one, so I am startin... Why are we still discussing the TPP? Has anybody actually read the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement? I presume the negotiators have. And no doubt a host of corporate la... Hard times at the World Bank Paul Wolfowitz, president of the World Bank, was required to remove his shoes when he visited a mosque in western Turkey recently. Note his ... Mister Trudeau and the impossible dream Oh, if only the economy could grow forever. We could buy more stuff tomorrow and more the day after tomorrow, and in their time our children... First-past-the-post creates a conservative English Canada vs. a progressive Quebec The NDP scored a number of first s for itself in the 2011 election: the first time with seats in the triple digits, the first time as Offici... Paul MartinCanada's greatest finance minister? 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Mabels grandmother was a shining example of how someone who was disabled, though great courage and strength, was able to farm and be self-sufficient. Mabel completed her basic and, in 2009, her junior high school education in Lawra in Ghanas Upper West Region . In 2010, Ms. Suglo received a Presidential Award at the State House in Accra for having the highest scores on her basic school certificate examination for the entire Upper West Region. She attended the Angel Educational Complex in Kumasi for a year of her senior high school education before transferring to Ghanata Senior High School during the 2010 to 2011 academic year. Ms. Suglo had a big year in 2013; she not only graduated from Ghanata, but also co-founded the Eco-Shoes Project and began her studies in Health Science Education at the University for Development Studies in Tamale. The Eco-Shoes Project is an initiative that assists artisans with disabilities to create fashionable, comfortable, Afro-themed shoes and accessories from discarded tires and waste materials including recycled cloth. Ms. Suglos initiative is not only improving Ghanas environmental health, but also employs five people. Ms. Suglo is also helping to change perceptions of disabled people who all too often are discarded by their families and society as burdens not capable of making contributions to society. In many ways, her business model is like that of the impressive social entrepreneur and founder of soleRebels footwear, Bethlehem Alemu of Ethiopia, who also intentionally employs those that might not otherwise be hired. Ms. Suglo provides mentoring on product development and financial and business literacy to her employees to considerable success. In 2013 Eco-Shoes Project produced 500 pairs of shoes. Due to demand for the beautiful shoes, by 2014, the number had risen to 1,500 pairs. Although it is called the Eco-Shoes Project, in late 2015, handbags were added as a new product. Ms. Suglo anticipates that the artisans will produce 1,000 to 1,500 handbags per year in addition to the shoes that are being made. It was her good work with the Eco-Shoes Project that made her the second runner up for a 2015 Anzisha Prize and the recipient of $12,500. The prestigious Anzisha Prize is awarded through the African Leadership Academy in South Africa and the MasterCard Foundation. Ms. Suglo plans to use the prize money to purchase better machinery to enhance productivity at the Eco-Shoes Project. She also would like to invest in the creation of an e-commerce site and additional training for her employees, including computer-aided shoe design. Ms. Suglo anticipates graduating with her Bachelors in Health Science Education in 2017. Based on the literature on international development and personal success, why has Ms. Mabel Suglo been so successful in her undertakings? Some key characteristics come to mind : Mabel Suglo puts her good ideas into action so that they can make a positive difference in the lives of others. She understands that DISABILITY IS NOT INABILITY. Ms. Suglo employs people with a range of disabilities who create high quality products that can be sold into wholesale and retail markets. Ms. Suglo is LIKABLE; she was easily able to recruit employees when she approached them with dignity and respect and asked if they were willing to try something new if it paid more than what they currently earned. On November 16, 2015, Ms. Suglo won the Peoples Choice Award which is granted by the Anzisha Team. Accommodation is one of the basic needs of life. Wherever we go,for whatever purpose, we need a place to stay.Sometimes, the need for accommodation is just one night while at other times it is for longer periods such as weeks and months.Ideally, the more comfortable the hotel ,the more expensive it is. In Ghana ,there are many hotels with different styles and facilities. However,due to the current economic trend,many people are placing emphasis on quality for less.Lets see a couple of top hotels in Ghana that have a room or two for less than 500 Ghc. 1. Ramada Resort , Nungua (Greater Accra Region) Ramada Resort is one of the biggest resorts located in Accra, Ghana . This luxury resort boasts spacious chalets overlooking the beach. Free WiFi is provided for all guests. All rooms are spacious, sound-proof and en-suite. Each is fitted with ornate bedside lamp shades, gleaming tile floors, wall paintings, an in-room safe and a TV with cable service. Guests enjoy unobstructed views of the surroundings at the balconies. Ramada Resort is close to the Atlantic Ocean and a 25-minute drive from the airport. 2 .Birdrock Hotels , Anomabo (Cape-Coast) Birdrock Hotels is a high end hotel situated in Anomabo, Cape Coast, Ghana . The hotel offers guests stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean, and boasts an on-site gym. Free WiFi is available all through the premises. Each room is fitted with an air conditioner, ornate lampshades, a flat-screen TV with satellite reception, a Persian rug, a reading table, arm chairs, and designed with an en-suite bathroom.Birdrock hotel is off the Winneba-Cape Coast Road, a 15-minute drive away from Cape Coast Castle, and a 5-minute drive away from Fort William and Anomabo Bus Terminal. 3. Eusbett Hotel ,Sunyani (Brong-Ahafo Region) Along with an ultra modern gym, this hotel features an outdoor pool, 4 conference halls, an event center and a mini mall. Free WiFi is available within the premises. All rooms are elegant and well decorated. Each room has an air conditioner, a flat screen TV with satellite reception, a telephone, a fridge and an en-suite bathroom. Eusbett Hotel is a 6-minute drive away from Sunyani Airport and a 5-minute drive away from major supermarkets. 4. Bedtime Hotel ,Koforidua (Eastern Region) Located in Koforidua, Bedtime Hotel boasts luxury accommodation and events facilities for hosting seminars, board meetings and social events. Guests enjoy free access to WiFi and the well equipped fitness centre.The air-conditioned rooms at the hotel have tiled floors and POP ceilings. Each room also features a private bathroom, a flat-screen TV with satellite views, a wardrobe, a work-desk, a bedside lamp, a telephone, and a refrigerator.Bedtime Hotel is a 10-minute walk away from Koforidua Polytechnic and 4 km away from Boti Falls. 5. Axim Beach Resort and Hotel ,Axim (Western Region) Axim Beach Resort and Hotel is a beach resort situated at Axim, Ghana . Guests enjoy a panoramic view of the ocean from there rooms. Wifi internet access is available.Each room is built like a hut but with a modern touch and a thatched roof. Each room is fitted with a flat screen TV, a refrigerator, tea and coffee making facilities, an intercom telephone, a mini bar and features a terrace that overlooks the surroundings.Each room has an en suite bathroom. Axim Beach Resort and Hotel is a 48-minute drive from the Stilt Village of Nzulezu and 24 km from Kwame Nkrumah's birthplace (Nkroful). Credit : Jovago.com Skrew Faze 31.01.2016 LISTEN Hiplife artiste, Screw Face in a Facebook has disclosed that organisers of Ghana Music Awards years ago asked him to pay an amount to win an award when he was nominated for the discovery of the year artiste category. According to him, the award was given to King Ayisoba when he failed to pay the amount requested. The musician made this revelation in a post to support Shatta Wale after rumours that Charterhouse, organisers of the annual awards have planned to ban the Kakai hitmaker from the awards ceremony. To him, Charterhouse should have a change of mind if indeed they have decided to officially prohibit Shatta Wale from Ghana Music Awards. Read his unedited message below. "Eeeeiiii!! U go fi ban Charles Nii Armah Mensah(shatta wale )? I laf piss.. u write song before? Smbody needs to have a change of mind oo? Yoo!! I dont usually talk about these things Cuz I try As much As possible to stay in my lane but this tym around Ive had it. If it Wasnt for shatta, will show organizers b paying Ghanaian artists 40 50 60k per show? YES I HAVE SAID IT!!The awards self u dey make we dey pay for am after our hardwork.. SM IS NOT A WATSAPP GROUP OO, ITS A HUGE EMPIRE. I have paid my dues in dis industry and most of u can attest to it. wen I came out with my 1st album (buebue ft my bro Castro ), I had the opportunity to travel to Italy with Reggie zippy and kwabena kwabena. I heard I had been nominated for discovery of the year and I called to confirm only for me to be told I have to pay something small for the award.. can u imagine? I no mind dem. I came down for Da awards nyt only for it to b gvn to king ayisoba.. hahahahaha. sellouts!! Im still making my money anyways, with or without the award.. All I want to say is dont joke with SHATTA MOVEMENT.. I go fit drop Da swagg and show u kg life tru my music. RESPECT OUR HUSTLE AND WELL RESPECT U. EVERY GHETTO YOUTH PUT UP UR LIGHTER!! RASTAMANKOMEP3.. ILL B BACK LIKE COMMANDO FOR TERMINATOR PART 1 INSIDE!! As the BIB announced three weeks ago (11 Jan.), Roni Stoneman (left), First Lady of the 5-String Banjo, will return to Ireland this summer, combining a friendly visit with select performances, including (as in 2013) a show at the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival in June.As any banjo-player knows, travelling with a professional bluegrass banjo in a hard-shell case can be hard on one's hands, arms, and back; and Roni would be glad to leave her bow-tie Mastertone 'warhorse' (see photo) at home if she could count on being able to use a decent banjo in Ireland for about a month - from late May to late June.Hiring instruments is not as common here as in the US but isn't unknown, and that option will be explored. Meanwhile - if you have a good banjo that you keep as a reserve, or are otherwise not constantly using, give some thought to the idea of being able to say that it has been played by a historic figure in bluegrass: the first woman to be recorded playing Scruggs-style banjo, one of the stars of a long-running TV series, and daughter of one of the first major American old-time recording artists. Drop the BIB editor an e-mail if the idea appeals. Labels: Banjo, Festivals, Tours, Visiting players 01.02.2016 LISTEN Highlife artiste, Kwaisey Pee will finally release his much anticipated single, Osugyani . Produced by Kwaisey Pee, mixed by Kaywa and mastered by Ubeat, the classical high-life track talks about bachelors. Its a typical high-life song fused with some kind of modern chords and touch, Mr Seductive has said. Touching on what he hopes to achieve with Osugyani, the silky voiced artiste said he wishes that local elements as used in the song will continue to dominate our music for identity purpose. I hope to use this high-life song to remind stakeholders in the music industry that we must hold onto our high-life genre firmly and encourage one another to continue including elements of high-life in which ever genre we want to do because thats what we have, he said. Adding, Most Nigerian artistes who were used to doing pure foreign genres have diverted into high-life because they couldnt make the necessary impact due to lack of recognition out there for the kind of music they used to do so lets embrace it wholeheartedly. HKN boss, David Adeleke, a.k.a Davido, O.B.O, during the week reacted to comments that have been trailing his new deal with international music company, Sony BMG. You would recall that the Aye crooner recently signed a deal with Sony Music, which according to him, would facilitate an easy and widespread marketing of his music in the western world and beyond. Shortly after the signing, mixed feelings and reactions began to trail it. Fellow artistes, acquaintances, fans and critics took to their twitter and Instagram pages to air their opinion and feelings on the new development. A good number of his fans were optimistic about the career step, but others expressed their utmost discontent. Until yesterday, the latest Sony Music Signee was silent about these reactions. After a supposed conscious or unconscious restraint (as the case may be), Davido finally expressed his feelings on the vibe he had been getting since he broke the news of his new signing with Sony Music. According to Davido, Im getting too much money to be worried about social media!! Shit aint real here. He seems unperturbed by the series of tantrums being thrown at him ever since his announcement. Davido is unflinching in his resolve to step up his career game, irrespective of anybodys opinion. He already said it in one of his songs Owo ni koko, meaning Money is the ultimate. Therefore, pessimists & critics can continue to bad belle because its allowed. GBC24/GTV News Anchor, Conrad Kakraba, brought his 7-year career with state broadcaster Ghana Broadcasting Corporation to an end on 31st January, 2016. His resignation is in pursuit of further educational, professional and career goals. Conrad is pursuing a 4-year PhD in Business Administration (Communication/Media Management) from Open University of Malaysia(Ghana Campus). He is also reading a Masters of Divinity from Nations University, USA. Until his resignation, Conrad was a Major News Anchor, Editor, Lead Commentator and Host of Worldview. He has been host of GTVs Breakfast Show, Producer of Legends of our Time and was a lead Commentator during Election 2012 Petition Hearing at the Supreme Court. He has covered many national and international events and was adjudged the Best Journalist in Political Reporting for 2012 by the Ghana Journalists Association. He was also a finalist for Best TV Male Newscaster at the Radio and TV Personality Awards 2014/2015. Conrad will be Lecturing in Communication, Humanities and African Studies at the Business School and Faculty of Law of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration(GIMPA), Ministering the Gospel and Consulting in Communication, Public Relations and Personal and Career Development. John Dumelo 01.02.2016 LISTEN Actor John Dumelo has denied reports that he secretly met New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag bearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo. According to the report by Daily Guide, popular Ghanaian movie actor, John Dumelo, met Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, flag-bearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), in private in an obvious attempt to lobby his way into the campaign team of the party. The report further stated that during the meeting, Dumelo ran down President John Mahama, calling him names, Political Assistant to Nana Akufo-Addo, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has disclosed. John has vehemently denied the reports disclosing that he has never met the opposition leader in any private meeting. "I never met Nana Addo secretly. The last and only time I saw him was in 2014, 2 clear years ago. #ichoosejdm", the "Perfect Picture" actor tweeted this a few hours ago. The actor has come under intense criticism from a section of the public since he stated that he did not think Nana Addo would win the election in November. "I have nothing against Nana Addo but I only see one person Being sworn in come January 2017 and it's not him(Nana)," Mr Dumelo tweeted on Friday, January 29, 2016. The Spiritual leader of Tijaniyya Muslim Council of Ghana Sheikh Abul-Faidi Abdulai Maikano last week Friday led a delegation to pay a courtesy call on the Namibia High Commission to Ghana Mr Charles B Jacob as part of his activities to strengthen the Councils international with other countries. The High commissioner praised the Tijaniyya Council for the good work it is doing most especially the recitation of Quran for Ghana, Africa and the world at large for peace and development. Mr Jacob said although his country has 90 percent of Christian population, it does not discriminate among the religions. But, work with all of them to maintain the unity and peace in the country. He assured his outfits collaboration with the Tijaniyya Muslim Council to do more outreach programmes to help promote peace and unity across the continent. Sheikh Khalifa Maikano thanked the ambassador for the warm reception accorded him and his entourage and prayed that the collaboration between the two bodies will be very mutual and fruitful. He also expressed his optimism that the mutual relationship will grow from strength to strength to benefit mankind. The Public Relation Officer of the Council Abubakr Baban Yara, gave account of the Council, on what it stands for and also expressed its readiness to work hand in hand with the Namibians. He added that the Council need more collaboration to enable it consolidate its effort in assisting the youth to acquire Skills training and entrepreneurship. The Deputy Head of Mission at the High commission Gabriel S. Kakeke Shaanika enquired about the meaning of Jihad in which he made references to some unfortunate happenings around the globe in the name of Islam. The President of the Council explained that, some people misconstrue its meaning and application and go to the extreme. But, rather Jihad means a struggle or an effort to achieve a un-compulsion positive result in the spread of Islam. In another development, the Sipiritual Leader of Tijaniyya Muslim Council Ghana led congregational Jumaa (Friday) prayers at Ashiaman. He was there in hounoring of an invitation extended to him to participate in the celebration of life of Sheikh Ahmad Tijani. Sheikh Ahmad Tijani is the initiator of world Tijaniyya who led a life worthy of emulation. In his sermon the Shekh Khalifa Maikano entreated all to be law abiding citizen and desist from anything possible of disturbing the peace of the country is enjoying. He also advised all the need for upholding justice and fairness. The National Speaker of the Council Shiekh Ameer Abdul Mumuni gave short narration Sheikh Abdulai Ahmad Maikano Jallo and prayed for the success and guidance of Allah for all. The Jumaa prayers was part of activities proceeding the grand celebration. 31.01.2016 LISTEN Dont smear all of us (Muslims) with evil acts of transgressions being exhibited by so called Islamic States (ISILS) , Taliban and alshabab members in the Middle East and North Africa. We in Ghana have been taught that every good Muslim young and old, man or woman, is required to follow the five fundamental principles (pillars) of Islam. These include believing in the supremacy of God with Prophet Mohammed as prophet and his messenger, believing in the payment of zakat, fasting during the month of Ramadan and performing pilgrimage (hajj) when capable. We are required to follow the order by God to Prophet Mohammed to read (known as IKRA) and the teachings of Prophet Mohammed himself for mankind to seek knowledge even if we have to travel for it in far away china. Since we have been ordered to read widely we do not abhor but embrace secular education side by side Islamic studies. Being a practicing Muslim does not give one the license to force other people in and outside Islam through arms attacks and suicide bombings to follow the path of Islam. That is unacceptable in Islam. According to almost all good Islamic jurists apart from seeking knowledge Islam means peace and submission to the will of Allah ,therefore every Muslim is required to safeguard mankind from harm and only fight in self defense when attacked and in event of a Muslim being harassed from performing his religious duties such as performing prayers. According to Islamic teachings, we are not allowed to kill human beings for according to the teachings of Islam, the killing of a soul would amount to eliminating a whole humanity. If you are in Ghana, I suggest you visit the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu in his home at Fadama, Accra or his mosque and listen to his sermons and advise to all mankind. You may also visit the Imam of Ahlul Sunna Wal Jama, Sheikh Umar Imam in Nima and study his body language, thinking and preaching in which he always advise all Imams under him to learn to preach in English for easy interactions with all people in Ghana. If you follow up with visits to our mosques across Ghana and homes of all Imams of the Ghana Muslim Mission and other Islamic bodies whose members were once Christians you would come to the conclusion that Muslims in Ghana are good followers of Islam for being peace loving. The Ghana Muslim students associate (GMSA) and Ghana Muslim academy (GMA) that work outside the campuses were formed by Muslim students to promote Islam in the institutions and all Muslim settlements concerned. They have done so well over the years by whipping Muslim youth in line to practice Islam very well. Come to think of this, we have in Ghana Muslim intellectuals and lecturers in our nations Universities such as Sheikh Seebaway Zakariah, Dr Rabiatu Armar Konney, Sheikh Suleimana Mozu, and Sheikh Ibrahim Nuamah. These and many others all enjoyed secular education together with Christians in Ghana and abroad but as Islamic scholars they do impart knowledge to Muslims and non Muslims on how to live in peace with all people including Christians in Ghana. They, like our senior Imams do not teach fundamental radicalism for people to take up arms against Muslims and non Muslims, who do not follow their creed as we hear is happening in other nations of Africa. For that matter, in our entire neighborhoods, where we have Muslims and non Muslims, in our nations army and police barracks, in our government and private work places where we have people from all walks of life, in our markets and schools, Muslims live in peace with everybody to the extent that we all support each other during Christian and Muslim festivities. We have often held religious meetings together with Christians to deliberate to settle issues of chieftaincy and political conflicts. We have worked together over the years to advice politicians who belong to the two religions to go about campaigning peacefully as we prepare for elections. Interestingly Muslims and Christians have over the years joined hands to observe elections successfully, the outcomes of which are accepted by all political parties. Due to the positive stand of Muslims as stated above, we in Ghana are not anywhere closer to promoting fundamental radicalism in Ghana. We as a whole are not ready to get closer to joining hands with the so called Islamic States and radical movements in Iraq and Syria. We would not join hands with alshabab and talibans of North Africa or Boko Harram of Nigeria. We Muslims and Christians in Ghana are so closely knit through marriage and family lineages and understand the sinfulness in killing that we cannot believe that any Muslim apart from a criminal would take up arms to kill anyone in Ghana in the name of Islam. Fortunately for us we have in the country an umbrella organization for Muslims in Ghana known as the Federation of Muslim Councils of Ghana which is recognized by the state and the Constitution of Ghana. Together with the Federation of Women Organizations of Ghana (FOMWAG) and the Office of National Chief Imam, Muslims are made to serve on some government board of directors and advisory committees at top governmental levels to discuss national issues. This has brought Muslims closer to all manner of people high and low to work for orderly development of the nation. The state security as always must continue looking out for highway robbers who rob passengers in buses at gun point. Since we are currently experiencing radicalism in some parts of Africa the security system have a reason to continue checking to apprehend foreign nationals coming into the country with evil intentions. However I wish to assure the entire world community that according to what I have gleaned about Muslims generally, Ghanaian Muslims as a whole would never fall to the Islamic fundamental radicalism being experienced in other parts of the world including Africa. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EANFOWORLD FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 0244 370345/ 0264370345/0208844791 [email protected]/[email protected] Nyaho Tamakloe 31.01.2016 LISTEN The demeanour of supposed luminaries who are never found wanting for extreme hate stemming from a lifetime of jealousy is aptly best described as baboonish. For starters, the baboon is one animal that destroys what is built by productive people who sow the seeds of progress, love, and patriotism. When for a dollar or two, baboonism takes over the faculties of educated illiterates, they can be aptly tagged as Destructive Social Baboons, in assimilation with the uncouth and cumbrous nature of that primate. Of recent times, Dr Nyaho Tamakloe has been everywhere but nowhere. He has not chocked any appreciable feat in his profession let alone politically, but has the effrontery to exhibit hatred towards honourable persons in our society. Much before the 2012 elections, he made unsound statements that did not augur well in the midst of majority of Ghanaians who were and still are craving for change. The shame is in the fact that he refers to himself as a founding member of the NPP; a farce by all means. How could such a baseless human being be trusted with his irksome statements when he does not possess logic and prudence of wit to make sense at all? It has always been the way of losers to mock people who are by a distant stretch much more intelligible, knowledgeable and astute. He is not an NPP person otherwise his derogatory rhetoric will not dribble out of his stunned mouth that has no space except for the millions of dirty dollars that, it is alleged, he takes from John and Ibrahim Mahama, his nephews, to destroy the party. Not too different is the case of Wereko Brobbey, who found favour with the NDC by an appointment for his relative, other than the millions of Dollars he gets paid by John Mahama for casting aspersions at the honourable figures of the NPP that he claims allegiance to as is suspected. On another front, an apology to the arts that he is associated with, John Dumalor seems to pride himself in the effusive charlatanism that has become associated with and synonymous to his wishy-washy behaviour as a lazy demagogue for the NDC. It is important to note that not only is he a lazy one, but a lame misrepresentation of artistically talented people, too. His suspected status as a gay freak is indicative of the negative talk that he is circled in, which he believes is FAMEalbeit he seems to be Famous For Foolishness FFF. This is a new term I give to incredulous charlatans who sleep raw with the NDC just for a crumb or two of the fat pie that John Mahama and his scamps are eating; that big Ghanaian pie. My good friend Francis Asenso wrote, and I quote, Why cast aspersions on a man whose character you acknowledged as impeccable and worthy of the highest office of the land, only a few months ago, when u called on him to express your eagerness to campaign for. Permit me to recall the hallow words you spoke about your namesake President John Mahama on your visit to Nana Akufo-Addo sometime last year. You were disappointed in the President for supervising a corrupt and incompetent administration, for which reason, you offered to go round the country and propagate the good message of Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP. This clearly exposed the undeniable fact that John Dumelor was just out to align himself with the highest bidder. Sensible people do not need empty dunderheads like this imposter of the arts. It is very apparent that when fools take over governance, the people that are ruled over become downtrodden and disenfranchised. The nation has been reduced to a people frowned upon everywhere they went, tagged as goats for not rising up against governments hosting of perceived terrorists, and for turning a blind eye to the Create, Loot and Share that is rampant everywhere. The NDC numskulls will jump at me for writing this article, accusing me of disrespect. Let me remind them that it was their Sam George, a Presidential Staffer, who condemned Ivor Greenstreet as a non-entity making fun of his disability with a surly most unsavoury statement that the latter needed elevation to see the better Ghana, with reference to his posture in the wheelchair. It was this same group of heartless brutes in the NDC who made fun of a blind minister when they went berserk over his nomination by their own Boss, mocking his visual impairment with slogans that his vision was 20/20, and that he was a sharp driver. I am not in the least surprised at the sore utterances of Nyaho Tamakloe against Nana Akufo-Addo. Well, it figured that if one were jealous of the other, the natural thing to do would be to wage a war of defamation to taint their image. Oh lest I forget to note: the natural mode of waging such a war is instinctive of the dirty, filthy, and morally bankrupt thieving illiterates, be they educated or empty. 31.01.2016 LISTEN Dear Ivor, It is with great pleasure that the CPP North American Chapter congratulate and welcomes you as the new Presidential candidate for the 2016 elections of our great organization We have followed with interest the campaigns of all the candidates especially the debate. Well done on a deserved victory! Your election comes at a historic milestone, thus the fiftieth (50th) anniversary of the illegitimate overthrow of the founder of the party and of the nation (Ghana). Despite being banished, the party re-organized to win another election in 1981. Again, the party was illegitimately overthrown by yet another fraudulent coup detat. The perpetrators of these heinous shams have run and continue to run the hopes and fortunes of the nation aground. Ivor, Nkrumahists all over the globe are looking up to you to lead and be part of the unification of ALL the Nkrumaists groups; both home and abroad to rescue power from these organizations that have abused the trust of Ghanaians since December 1981. The Nation of Ghana is in tatters, the people of Ghana can no longer endure the hopelessness, poverty and the exasperation. We firmly believe that through your leadership and joint efforts, we will continue the long standing comradely dialogue based on mutual understanding to unify the CPP and all Nkrumahist Groups in a formidable merger towards the realisation of our collective unfinished mission. The CPP North American Chapter looks forward to positively engaging with your leadership towards working to the achievement of this realisation. Heartiest congratulations once again, on being elected as the flagbearer of the Convention Peoples Party. We wish you all the best for your noble future endeavors. Sincerely, Kweku Manful Interim Chairman CPP North America 31.01.2016 LISTEN We will shortly get to her rather outrageous and presumptuous assertion that it was the ideals of her infamous dictator father that eviscerated British colonial rule from Ghana. But for now, we are more interested in highlighting what the former Chairperson of the rump-Convention Peoples Party (r-CPP) said in the lead-up to the partys most recent presidential primary election and shortly thereafter. As we vividly recall, ever since Ms. Samia Yaba Nkrumah announced her intention of leading the party named after her late fathers old political baby into the 2016 presidential election, she has never ceased touting the rump-Convention Peoples Party as the most viable alternative to the countrys two major parties, namely, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). Now, having been soundly trounced and sobered out of her vaulting and oversized ambition of clinching her deposed late fathers old job which, by the way, Ghanas first postcolonial premier and later executive president performed epically badly, Mr. Kwame Nkrumahs daughter by his Egyptian trophy wife, Samia Yaba, is now implicitly claiming that she has been speaking purely in jest, after all, and that the leaders and delegates of the rump-Convention Peoples Party are even more corrupt and bribe-prone than their counterparts of the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress. The former rump-CPP Member of Parliament for her late fathers home district, in the Nzema area of the Western Region, has also virulently accused Ivor Greenstreet, the man who commandingly defeated her for the partys 2016 presidential nomination, as a vote-buying political scam-artist. She did not use these exact words but she unmistakably implied the same. On the whole, Mr. Greenstreet defeated Ms. Nkrumah by clinching a humongous 64-percent of delegate votes. Ms. Nkrumah is staunchly backed in her accusation against Mr. Greenstreet, the former rump-CPP General-Secretary, by Prof. Agyeman-Badu Akosa, a motor-mouthed street-brawling fixture who has failed in his bid to be elected rump-CPP presidential candidate several times in the past. Ms. Nkrumah has, however, said that she accepts the outcome of the election results. She is only not satisfied with the fairness and integrity of the same. Interestingly, what Ms. Nkrumah has yet to publicly admit is the incontrovertible fact that she has been riding on the crest of the fame and past, albeit presently jaded, popularity of her legendary father. Indeed, as a Member of Parliament for Jomoro Constituency, Ms. Nkrumah lost her seat the second time around. She has been widely accused of abusing the support and trust of those who misguidedly, in retrospect, offered her their mandate because they had naively perceived her to be her fathers political avatar in his heydays. The former First-Daughter, who is married to an Italian national, has also accused her one-time staunch ally of having induced congressional delegates with monetary bribes ranging from GHC 200 to GHC 500 in the partys most recent presidential primary. Mr. Greenstreet has called for party unity going forth; but it is not clear how such call will pan out in the long haul, especially where Ms. Nkrumah and her supporters are concerned. How Mr. Greenstreet, a fire-spitting paraplegic, emerges from Ms. Nkrumahs damning accusations of bribery and corruption remains to be seen. One thing, however, is certain as of this writing. And it is the fact that the title of Prof. Ayi Kwei Armahs literary classic The Beautyful [sic] Ones Are Not Yet Born has prophetic relevance for Ghanaian political culture even today. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs Liberal Politics from the Heart of Bluegrass Country 31.01.2016 LISTEN Accra, Jan. 31, GNA - The National Food and Agric Show (FAGRO) Secretariat, has released events labelled as 'action-packed' to guide its 2016 food and agriculture demonstration, aimed at repositioning Ghana's agricultural sector to boost food security and slash poverty. Officials at the secretariat say the fully-packed activities underline the secretariat's unflinching commitment to make a compelling statement for Ghana to focus on agriculture as the pathfinder to sustainable development and food security. 'We have a very busy 2016 and we are convinced that the agricultural sector deserves even more than the attention we are dedicating,' Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, FAGRO Secretariat General Manager said in a media interaction in Accra. 'When agricultural takes it pride of place, Ghana's developmental agenda will be greatly stepped up and the Secretariat is committed to the successfully roll out all these events this year as our contribution to making the sector attractive to the rest of the population,' she added. The Secretariat in collaboration with Spain-based agricultural marketing and consultancy firm - Naxan - would roll out the maiden Spanish-FAGRO Agric Trade Investment Programme in Navarra, Spain from March 7 to 11. The programme is expected to expose players in Ghana's agriculture front to learn best practices in the European country - Spain while offering the Ghanaian farmers opportunities for strategic alliances and investments. Between April 12 and 13, FAGRO Secretariat said, there would be Agric Career Show to offer students in agric-oriented institutions vital insight into job and career prospects in their chosen field of study. 'They will also be brought in the know about internship opportunities in the sector [agriculture] which they can take advantage of to synthesise their academic work with some worthwhile practical experience,' Nana Akosa said. 'The All State Leadership Camp, which comes off in June in Bailey, Colorado will have two Ghanaians - a student offering agriculture and a young farmer to participate in the week-long programme,' she said, indicating it would enrich their knowledge and practice and offer them 'life-changing networking opportunities.' Each summer, young members of the United States' National Farmers Union (NFU) with demonstrated leadership abilities meet to explore leadership issues and discuss their role in affecting positive change at the camp. The 2nd National Agric Summit would serves as the Secretariat's unique platform for dialogue with stakeholders including development partners, researchers, farmer groups, government agencies and corporate leaders on crucial issues confronting Ghana's agricultural sector. The secretariat described the day's event as 'confluence of ideas in repositioning agriculture for sustainable national development,' and create also a forum for constructive engagements aimed at building the knowledge base of stakeholders, besides enhancing their capacity to inform policy decisions for improved livelihood. The Beginners Agribusiness Mentorship Initiative, a practical educational farming initiative, which targets students in Agric Colleges and Second Cycle institutions and ushers them into co-operative agribusiness ventures for three months, would tee off in September, the secretariat said. The mentorship module, it said, which would feature three groups of students, each made of eight working on an acre of farmland, is aimed at redirecting students' attention to making agriculture a priority career choice rather than a 'frustration management venture,' as perceived by many. The secretariat also announced that its frontline annual event - FAGRO Exhibition, which features general exhibitions, business to business meetings and field demonstrations for visitors would kick-start from October 11 to October 13. Also labelling the event torchbearer that signposts agriculture as Ghana's answer to its development dilemma, officials said the exhibition would bring together agric-oriented companies to showcase their products and policies, forge new business contacts and network with more than 1000 exhibitors during the three-day fair The companies includes manufacturers, agri-input, financing companies, packaging companies, processing companies, irrigation, green housing companies, farmer-based organisations and directorates of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. 'Workshops, training programmes and farm tours will also be organised during this period, It's our flagship programme and has set the benchmark for other programmes to be rolled out every year by the Secretariat', Nana Akosa noted. 'The National Farmers Union 2016 Women's Conference, signs off the 2016 event year of the FAGRO Secretariat,' she said. The conference is tipped to build on NFU's experience in offering adult education classes specifically designed for women in agriculture, and provide them with important leadership and management skills as well as networking opportunities. Nana Akosa said: 'We need all stakeholders to demonstrate faith in us and partner with us to make our line-up of events successful and impactful. 'The Agric-oriented institutions should be benevolent to us in buying into our events so that we are not logistically handicapped in any of our events this year because we want to make them a reference point based on their impact and peerless relevance.' GNA Koforidua, Jan. 31, GNA - The Medical Director of Koforidua Regional Hospital, Dr Kwame Annim Boamah said the hospital has not recorded any case of pneumococcal meningitis, which has been reported in some parts of the country. He said however, the hospital is on the high alert for early detection and treatment of any case that would be reported in the facility. Dr Boamah gave the assurance when the hospital organised a media interaction as part of the activities of the 2015 Annual Review Meeting of the hospital. He urged people who suffer from headache, high temperatures' and pain in the neck not to sit in the home but to rush to the nearest medical facility for examination and treatment. Dr Boamah said HIV and AIDS were the leading causes of death in the facility for 2015, recording 167 fatalities during the year under review. This represents 12.9 per cent of all the deaths recorded in the facility for the year. He explained that, this was so because; the use of anti-retroviral drugs had turned the HIV from terminal disease to a chronic disease where people had to take the drugs for the rest of their lives. However, he explained that, when people start taking the drug and becomes healthy, many assume that they have overcome the disease and therefore stop taking them. Dr Boamah said, some move to prayer camps and other places and allow other opportunistic diseases to attack them and kill them. GNA Accra, Jan. 31, GNA - The Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute (BNARI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), has a held a day's training programme for 40 farmers in organic farming. Participants include GAEC Farmers Association, mango and pineapple growers from the Greater Accra and Eastern Regions. It was organised by BNARI in collaboration with GAEC Technology Transfer and Marketing Centre to educate the farmers on the use of organic fertilizer or compost in organic farming. The workshop was on the theme: 'Nutrient recovery from solid waste management for agriculture soil amendment.' Professor Kenneth Ellis Danso, Director of BNARI, commended the nation's farmers for the good work they have being doing. He explained that the workshop was to equip the farmers do their work well; so as to continue producing healthy food for the nation. He said BNARI has being using waste products to manufacture organic fertilizers; which has many benefits. The Director noted that inorganic fertilizers pollutes the water bodies, when rain washes them into water bodies. He said there had been complains about the quality of vegetables being exported from Ghana to the European Union market; which is of a major concern to stakeholders. He explained that the workshop would enable participants gain knowledge on safe measures to be practiced to enhance their farming business to generate more income. Prof Danso cautioned farmers against the misuse of weedicides and pesticides, which release chemicals into the food chain; eventually affecting the health of consumers. BNARI was established to be Ghana's leading public institution that provides solutions to challenges in agriculture, health and industry through exploration and exploitation of scientific knowledge in biotechnology and nuclear science. Mr Alfred Ampomah, a participant and a pineapple farmer from the Eastern Region in an interview with the Ghana News Agency appealed to government to subsidise fertilizers; so that the average farmer can afford. GNA 31.01.2016 LISTEN A 43 year old Galamsey operator on Saturday took his life at Adumasa in the Atwima Kwanwoma District in the Ashanti Region after firing a gun shot at his wife. The man, Akwasi Painstil fled the scene fearing that his wife who was wailing after the gun shot, was dead. Neighbours found his lifeless body in uncompleted building hours after his wife who had miraculously missed the bullet reported the issue to the police. Narrating the incident to Ultimate News Thomas Asamoah, the wife of the deceased Auntie Yvonne recounted that she had packed out of her matrimonial home after Painstil had physically assaulted her severally and threatened to kill her. Describing the violent nature of her husband, the widow who was thrown in a state of confusion recounted her ordeal from the beating she last received from her late husband for which reason she fled the house. I am not the lousy type of woman, sometimes he beats me inside and nobody will hear about it but I never thought it could get this far. The last time he beat me for well over an hour and threatened to kill me. She indicated that her husband trailed her to her new apartment on Friday Night where he shot at her and fled. I have a small kiosk at a nearby town called Afratia where I go to sell after work. I go there around 6:00pm and close at 9:00pm. I was returning home from my store when my husband called me from behind, and asked where I have relocated after packing out of the house. Before I could answer, he fired a bullet from a gun he was holding. He then took to his heels thinking i was dead. She recounted. The coward Pinstil who was not brave enough to face the full rigorous of the law for his actions and thinking his wife was dead, therefore killed himself to let sleeping dogs lie. According to the widow, she heard the sad news of her late husband untimely demise when she was returning from the Trede police station where she had reported her husbands attempted murder on her. Meanwhile the police has begun its investigations after conveying the body to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for Autopsy. Atwima Kwannwoma District commander DSP Augustine Mensa told Thomas Asamoah, the police will make its conclusions after the hospital produces an autopsy report but noted that he was found foaming at his mouth. He also indicated that the said weapon used to shoot the wife was not found with the man when police arrived at the scene. 01.02.2016 LISTEN The National Chief Imam of Ghana, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu deserves commendation for his effort in establishing an education trust fund towards support for needy Muslim youths to gain access to secular education throughout the country. The trust fund set up six years ago and named Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharubutu Education Trust Fund (SONSETFUND) had an Executive Council with a secretariat located at Chief Imams residence in Fadama, Accra. The day to day running of the fund has been under Alhaji Khuzaimah Mohammed Osman who doubles as the personal assistant to the National Chief Imam with the help of three staffers and national service men. The entire body is supervised by a thirteen member Council made up of men and women of repute and chaired by Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim, chairman of the Islamic Council for Development and Humanitarian Service (ICODEHS) with the support of Alhaji Mamah Gado Mohammed as vice chairman . Other members of the council are Sheikh Musa Abdul Kadir, Alhaji Alhassan, Abdulai , Sheikh Seebaway Zakaria, Madam Sakeena K. Bonsu, Alhaji Abdallah Showumi Williams, Dr. Ahmed Ben-Yunusah, Hajiya Sa-Adatu Mohammed Mustapha, And Alhaji Aminu Futa During the launch of the fund in Accra the fund received donations from Muslims dignitaries from all walks of life which were used in opening an account for the fund. Members of the fund also undertook a trip to the United States of America where together with Yankasa Association raised funds that was used partly for the trip with the remainder invested in Ghana towards the pursuit of the objectives of the fund. Apart from the previous donations the latest are from Gen. Abdulai Kado of Nima and the Ghana Armed Forces fame who donated 3000ghc with $5500 redeemed pledges from the United States and 2000ghc from Hon. Patrick Boamah, MP for okaikwei central; KEY AREAS OF ACHIEVEMENTS According Alhaji Khuzaimah SONSETFUND was able to use funds raised from its launch in Accra to provide financial assistances to 16 students at various educational levels in Ghana. According to him We also secured accountancy and management text books worth more than 30,000 pound sterling, donated to us by LondonSam, where I studied for my postgraduate diploma. SONSETFUND in turn donated the books to five public universities including the University of Ghana Legon, the University of Professional Studies (UPS), the University of Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, the Islamic University College of Ghana (IUCG) and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). SONSETFUND engineered and brought development partners from Turkey to complete the educational complex of the founder at Kasoa in the Central Region. Turkish International Development Corporation (TIKA) carried out the construction works and spent equivalent to One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000) which represented 10 percent of the entire work done on the project. The complex is currently under the management of SONSETFUND and the supervision of the Islamic Education Unit (IED). From 2011 to date SONSETFUND had secured 30 percent scholarships for 10 students to further their education at the Islamic University College of Ghana and most of them are at various completion stages. We are proud to say that SONSETFUND has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Islamic University College of Ghana last year on the following terms; One full scholarship on religious studies 70 percent scholarships for 3 students on religious studies and 50 percent scholarships for 3 students on any program of choice The first batch of the seven students will be proceeding to their second semester of level 100 next month insha Allah and we hope that next year when we meet we would update you with another seven or more beneficiaries. We say ayekoo and kudos to the Islamic University College of Ghana, the Al-Mustapha International University and the Government of Iran. We also secured scholarship facilities for 3 people to study various Islamic programs at Al-Azhar University, Cairo Egypt We have secured scholarships for three (3) students to pursue various programs at the Zenith University College of Ghana and I am happy to report that all of them are graduating this year insha Allah Last year 2015, we successfully, for the first time, helped one applicant to access the Turkish government full scholarship and the beneficiary is pursuing a program in medicine in Turkey. To further give proof to our sincerity in financing educational programs for the youth and the Ulemas that include Islamic teachers and imams we performed the following duties SONSETFUND spent 4000ghc it received from donors to build the capacity of Imams on climate change. This training was conducted in 2010 at the ICODEHS conference center and all the ten regional Imams and their representatives participated We have also received 1800 ghc from the World Bank in 2012 to carry out counseling and capacity building programs for the youth and we are happy to say that over 120 people benefited from this program The management of SONSETFUND has begun the process of awarding 10 scholarships in 2015-16 academic years targeting 10 students from the ten region of Ghana. In order for the national chief imam to provide a place for Muslims wishing to enjoy higher education Barely 6 years ago, His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, the National Chief Imam and Grand Mufti of the Republic of Ghana took the first initiative to what has become today, the hope for the Ghanaian Muslim youth. In 2009 after the commissioning of the Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu Educational Complex in Kasoa, Central Region he placed the multimillion educational complex under the care of SONSETFUND DIRECT SCHOLARSHIP The Executive council has also approved funding for three (3) students at the last meeting with credentials of three more students awaiting approval. We have already set aside (20,000GHC) for our scholarship for three years with the desire to increase the threshold to 40,000GHC for the three year period while we raise funds to cover the expenses and save more funds for the future. Below is the table of the scholarships SCHOLARSHIP TO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Student per term Unit per term (GH) Quantity Total (GH) 2nd and 3rd (second and third) terms of the 1st (first) year 400 7 5,600 1st, 2nd and 3rd terms of 2nd year 400 7 8,400 1st and 2nd terms of final year 400 7 5,600 Total This represent the cost of supporting seven (7) senior high school students for three (3) years GH 19,600 SCHOLARSHIP TO TERTIARY STUDENTS STUDENT PER ACADEMIC YEAR DESCRIPTION UNIT COST GHC TOTAL GHC Muslim Student Support package Yearly Grants to support the less privileged Muslims secure admission into tertiary institution in Ghana 1,500 4,800 Total This represents total expenditure on five (5) students for three years 22,500 Above all, I feel excited to report that a total of 1300 students in our universities have benefited from the Sheik Osman Nuhu Sharubutu Educational Trust Fund (SONSETFUND) since it partnered with the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) of Ghana four years ago. This is in addition to 400 students from last year. I feel happy to say that these younger brothers and sisters have begun cultivating the habit of consciousness and responsibilities to the extent that some of them have started repaying the loans from their national service allowance. In acknowledging our effort in supporting students to access loans to study the deputy minister of education Okudjeto Ablakwa had this to say. I wish to commend the National Chief of Ghana for embracing this scheme and I encourage other religious leaders to emulate the gesture of the Chief Imam to enable them support Ghanas education. WORK IN PROGRESS In our endeavor to raise funds we have partnered with the MTN Ghana in 2012 to conduct an Islamic text messages promotion called the Hajj Promo and we have accomplished two important projects from this particular scheme. SONSETFUND used the proceeds from this project to renovate two (2) junior high schools in the northern region at a cost of One Hundred and Eighty Thousand Ghana Cedis (180,000ghc); which include, Limanyirri junior high school and Ambariya Islamic school SONSETFUND used part of the second phase of the project to upgrade a 3 classroom block educational facility into a structure that will be able to carry more than 9 classroom blocks. The (3 class room) facility was built for us by the Islamic Council for Development and Humanitarian Services (ICODEHS) which is located at Zion City Estate at Madina-Abokobi in the Greater Accra Region. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the donors of the land and the financiers of the project, jazaakumukhairan. The school was officially handed over to us and we hope to call for admission of fresh students soon insha Allah. I would like to say that SONSETFUND which had been operating quietly has grown from strength to strength but of course like the nature of every human institution, the Fund would not succeed without challenges which include donor fatigue and short comings which we would overcome through hard work and support of God. Check from Management, SONSETFUND www.sonsetfund.com / www.sonsetfund.org and 0249826093/0266040346/0504244175 for further information EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EANFOWORLD FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 0244 370345/ 0264370345/0208844791 [email protected]/[email protected] Italian Prime Minister Mr. Matteo Renzi will arrive in Accra on Monday for a two-day working visit. President John Mahama and Mr. Renzi will hold bilateral talks at the Flagstaff House on Monday after which a State Dinner will be hosted in honour of the visiting Prime Minister. On Tuesday, Mr. Renzi will visit the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and later hold discussions with the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, the Majority and Minority Leaders. Prime Minister Renzi will also address Parliament before departing Accra to Rome. Mr. Renzi's visit follows President Mahama's visit and meetings with Prime Minister Renzi and President Sergio Mattarella in July 2015. Folks, I took the trouble to monitor the national delegates congress of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) on Saturday, January 30, but chose not to comment on it until two events prompted me to do so. First, the vitriolic reaction of the CPP to the NPPs appeal for an alliance to be able to defeat the NDC at Election 2016. Second, the choice of Ivor Kobina Greenstreet (former CPP General Secretary) as the flagbearer of the party for Election 2016. He had 1, 288 votes, representing 64.2% of valid votes cast to sweep aside Samia Nkrumah (579 votes, representing about 27%) and Joseph Agyapong (83 votes) and Bright Akwetey (42 votes). Did these events not turn my crank? They did, and here is why. I have insisted all along that for as long as the pro-Nkrumahist camp remains fragmented, there is no way it can rebound to assert its formidable place in Ghanaian politics. Viewed against this background, I saw nothing particularly significant about the congress. After all, the PNC has also held its own congress and chosen Dr. Edward Mahama as its flagbearer, triggering the splintering away by Hassan Ayariga to form his own Action Congress Party. More woes for the PNC. For the CPP, the breaking of ranks with it by Dr. Abu Sakara has added more weight to its house of cards. We are even not talking about earlier developments that brought into being Dr. P.K. Nduoms Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) or the late Dan Larteys Ghana Consolidated Peoples Party (GCPP). The pro-Nkrumahist camp is in tatters and the swan song coming from there is in the air. What, then, would the election of the CPPs flagbearer mean to such a withering political camp? Nothing except the plain truth that the election of Greenstreet has revealed: Samia Nkrumah has lost her bid to keep her fathers grips on the CPP. And with that loss comes the realization that nobody can bask in the glory of the Great Osagyefo. It takes more than biological connections to succeed in politics. Much explains why. None of the Great Osagyefos children has the political tack and attraction to exert influence and determine the ebb and flow of the CPP. They are just not well-cut-out for the job. So far, Samia has rolled along with the punches, becoming an MP and losing it; becoming the National Chair of the CPP and losing it; and now being kicked aside by Greenstreet. Her vacuous allegation of vote-inducement through bribes as the cause of her defeat is ridiculous. Her future in Ghanaian politics is as bleak as she fears. Another failure emerges in the person of her brother, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah, who entered the political scene as a CPP adherent, It didnt take long for him to lose his bearings there, which sent him toward the NDC. We know how he did things and why he was booted out to wander about until foolhardiness took him to dine and wine with his fathers killers (the NPP). When Election 2008 exploded in their faces, no one told Sekou to cut short that unholy alliance. Where is he today? Doomed!! There is an irritant now opening his mouth anyhow to attract needless attention. He is in the person of Dr. Onsy Kwame Nkrumah, whose emergence and claims to be a son of the Great Osagyefo angered not only Samia and her brothers but also casts in doubt our Ghanaian legal system, especially if we consider the annoying utterances coming from him of late. His attempt to do politics on the ticket of the CPP has already been derailed. This Onsy is an undesirable to be thoroughly investigated and dealt with. I dont want to accept him as a son of the Great Osagyefo. Ghanaians like me dont know where he is coming from. That is why he must be seen as an undesirable and treated as such. Another doomed fellow. On the flip side, the respected Prof. Francis Nkrumah (formerly of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research) resisted all pleas to enter politics. He knew he had his forte elsewhere and didnt want to take any faulty step by capitalizing on his fathers political legacy. So also has Gamal Nkrumah chosen not to. And they are the better for it. The defeat of Samia, then, seals it all and she should lick her wound in sober reflection and stop bothering us with her temper tantrums. The truth, though, is that none of the pro-Nkrumahist mushroom parties can go it alone and win general elections in Ghana, which justifies the need for them to bury their differences and merge. If they cant band together, then, they should gravitate toward the NDC (which leans more toward Nkrumahism than the duplicitous Danquah-Busia camp). Now, to the other event characterizing the CPP congress. What on earth would make the NPP people stoop so low as to seek an alliance with the CPP again before being able to outdo President Mahama and the NDC at Election 2016? Having gone abroad with huge claims and boastful smugness that they were capable of winning Election 2016, why should they go that way? Cant they go it alone? The chips wont fall in place so easily for them; hence, their desperate search for an alliance. As reported, the request was made in a solidarity message by the NPPs Greater Accra Regional Secretary, Agyei Sowah, According to him,just as the CPP agreed to be part of former President Kufuors all-inclusive government from the year 2001 to 2008, where some officials of the party served in his administration to deliver Ghanaians from the hardships then, the party should elect a candidate who will be willing to work with the NPPs candidate to rescue Ghana for the second time. That was not all. He said also that As you gather to elect a Flagbearer today, we are confident that your delegates will elect a candidate who has Ghana at heart and who will be ready and willing to work hand in hand, once again with the NPP and its candidate. Such a request angered the CPP delegates and they shouted and booed at Mr. Agyei Sowah. Reinforcing their rejection of that appeal, Dr. Edmund Delle (CPP National Chair) minced no words when he rebuffed the NPP. I like the way the disdain was captured in the news report: The Chairman of the CPP, Professor Edmund Delle, who had addressed the gathering already, immediately after the NPPs solidarity message, altered the programming by mounting the podium to reject the NPPs proposal. He said the party is not going to form such alliances anymore, but added that they are willing to unite with parties of Nkrumahist orientation. As a party, never again shall we create the impression that we are not capable of standing on our own. We shall and we must, we can and we must do it. We have the people, we have the men; we have the women and the youth to go forward. We just need everyone including all comrades to unite together and go forward. We are one invincible party and nobody can break us. We should just have a unity of purpose. We do not need anyone to tell us what we can do to win power. We are going to be the masters of our destiny. We shall be in charge of our destiny. No one else will come and dictate to us. This is an important occasion in the life of this party (See http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/CPP-angrily-rejects-NPP-s-alliance-request-411816 ). Is the message clear to the NPP rogue politicians and their bemused followers? If not, let me unpack it for them. Their search for alliance to be able to win Election 2016 is a mockery of their huge boasts. Knowing them for what they are, who will lie down for them to walk over into power? Folks, the CPP has shown the NPP a well-deserved red card. As desperation takes over, expect them to look for any straw at all to hang on to. Their kind of wagadri politics is empty. The truth is that despite their public posturing and bombastic utterances, they are really worried that they cant go it alone to win Election 2016. They are constantly looking over their shoulders to see what happened at Election 2000; but this time, it wont be easy for them to win the smaller parties over. Na who cause am? I shall return Police in the Western Region have mounted special surveillance across the region after impounding what they say is the largest cache of arms and ammunition in the region. The guns numbering thirteen were retrieved over a period of three months, police say. The arms include five pump action guns, four locally manufactured pistols, two AK47 assault rifles, one single-barrel gun, one foreign pistol and many rounds of ammunition. Western Region Police Commander, DCOP Alex Quainoo, told Joy News two suspected armed robbers were killed while retrieving some of the arms. The arms were retrieved from Asankrabreman in the Amenfi West district and Wassa Akropong in the Amenfi East district of the region. Police say members of a Watchdog Committee played a key role in the operation. So far, about five suspects have been arrested in connection with the arms seizure. Some of them have been jailed while others are currently before the court. DCOP Quainoo, said his Command has intensified the search for illegal arms and ammunition in the region because of the upcoming election. He disclosed that on September 28, 2015, some workers of Millicom Ghana Limited, operators of Tigo mobile telecommunication network, went to weed around one of their masts located in a bush at Wassa Akropong and in the course of the work they came across two pump action guns. The workers quickly alerted the police who went to the scene to retrieve the weapons. The regional commander suspected that the guns might have been used by some robbers. He mentioned that though no one had been arrested in connection with those weapons, he believed that the retrieval would thwart the plot of the robbers who might have deposited them in that bush for a planned robbery attack. The Regional Commander added that the police in Wassa Akropong also retrieved two pump action guns from a robbery scene at a galamsey site after the peace officers had information that suspected armed robbers were attacking people at the site. He pointed out that by the time the police got to the site, the armed robbers had absconded but left the weapons there, which they (police) took and sent to the police station. He added that the police in the area also retrieved a pump action gun and a pistol from a suspected robber at Akropong. Later, someone who heard the story went to the police station and identified the pump action gun as his, which was robbed from him at a galamsey site. The police have not released the weapon to the claimant because investigations are continuing, DCOP Quainoo said. He indicated that the vigilance of the members of the Watchdog Committee at Asankabreman near Asankragwaa had also led to the retrieval of four pistols from a resident in the area, one Abubakar Alari, now at large. The military has announced tougher measures to crackdown on recurrent violence in the Bunkprugu district of the Northern Region. The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Richard Kwame Opoku-Adusei, says the military will be firm on the ground, after deadly clashes in the Northern Region town last week. This year is election year and as you know we need peace to conduct the elections successfully. This is not the time for us to be pursuing petty squabble because in-fighting will divert the resources of government into conflict resolution, Major General Opoku-Adusei told elders of the two feuding factions. At least three people died and dozens of property destroyed in the latest chieftaincy dispute between two factions in the district. The Jamon family is challenging the legitimacy of the chief of Bunkrugu who is with the Jafouk family. Although the matter is in court, it has not stopped the factions from engaging in acts of violence. A 10pm to 4am curfew imposed in the district has not succeeded in quelling violence. It is not clear what triggered the recent clash. The Army Chief told the elders to allow the law to work. We agree that there must be a problem in the community, but there should be a peaceful solution to the problem. There is no problem beyond human beings. We can solve this problem. Those who should be solving the problem are you citizens of Bunkrugu, he said. Inspector General of Police (IGP), John Kudalor, who was also present at the gathering of chiefs and citizens of Bunkrugu last Saturday said police will be less tolerant of the incessant clashes in the area. IVOR LEADS CPP IN ELECTION 2016: PLEDGES TO GREEN GHANA With 1,288 votes, representing 64.21 percent of the total votes cast, Ivor Kobina Greenestreet; a former General Secretary of the Convention Peoples Party, last Saturday became the partys presidential candidate for election 2016. SANKOFA-GYE NYAME PROJECT TO INCREASE POWER SUPPLY BY 50% Development works on Ghanas third oil field, the Sankofa-Gye Nyame Project, is on course to deliver first oil and gas in August 2017 and February 2008 respectively, one of the project partners, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), has said. FIRE GUTS UNILEVER WAREHOUSE, SLUM AT SANTASI Three fire outbreaks occurred in Tema, Kumasi and some farming communities in the Bosomtwi District in the Ashanti Region over the weekend, destroying properties worth thousands of cedis. IVOR LEADS CPP: SAMIA CRIES FOUL Former General Secretary of the Convention Peoples Party, Ivor Greenstreeet, pulled a major surprise over the weekend when he beat three others, including favourite Samia Yaaba Nkrumah, to become the partys flagbearer for the 2016 General Elections. NANA PUNCHES MAHAMA Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has made mockery of President John Mahamas governing style, describing the National Democratic Congress leader as a luminary when it comes to the collapsing of businesses. QUEEN MOTHERS FIGHT SIR JOHN OVER LORDINA Some queen mothers in the Brong Ahafo region believed to have been sponsored by the First Lady, Lordina Mahama, for the second time running, demonstrated against her supposed detractors. CPC IN REAL SORRY STATE: COCOBOD STOPS BEANS SUPPLY DUE TO $50M DEBT OVERHANG Cocoa Processing Company, majority state-owned company, with the most advanced processing plant in Africa, is in a sorry financial state and risks folding up soon because of a $50 million debt overhang owed COCOBOD, which supplies CPC with cocoa beans. GHANA GAS BOARD DISSOLVED Ghana Gas Company has announced the retirement of its board, effective February 4, 2016. The decision was arrived at by resolution taken at a meeting held on January 13, 2016 to retire all non-executive directors of the company. RLG SETTLES ITS DEBT OWED GOVERNMENT SAM GEORGE Contrary to reports that Rlg, one of the nations telecommunications companies has refused to settle monies owed to government, a presidential staffer, Sam George has stated otherwise. BENEFICIARIES OF GOVERNMENT AGRICULTURE EQUIPMENT IN TROUBLE The Ministry of Food and Agriculture says it has embarked on an exercise to recover monies owed it by individuals throughout the country who have taken advantage of national agricultural development project funding over the years, to acquire expensive agricultural machinery and equipment without paying for them. 80% IN INFORMAL SECTOR AGREE THEY MUST PAY TAX Although the state has not devised an effective means to tax their incomes, over 80 percent of people in the countrys largely informal economy agree they must pay taxes once they earn an income, a survey commissioned by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung has shown. TRADE POSITION DETERIORATES AS DEFICIT RISE 138% Ghanas trade deficit has risen to the highest level in three years as exports declined while imports made significant gains, reflecting weaker export sales worsened by the fall in commodity prices on the world market, official data released last week has shown For a government class in 1982, college sophomore Gregory Watson argued that a long-forgotten constitutional amendment could still be ratified. His instructor found this implausible and gave him a C on the assignment. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll follow Watson's 10-year mission to prove his professor wrong and ultimately get the amendment added to the Constitution. We'll also learn an underhanded way to win a poetry contest and puzzle over how someone can murder a corpse. Show notes Please support us on Patreon! Davao, Philippines- A place best known for its eateries and warm weather amid beautiful scenery, Davao City in the Philippines has a rich cultural heritage of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds blended harmoniously. The only city museum that exists in Davao City, Museo Dabawenyo, also known as Peoples Museum, has advanced the local community through a range of initiatives. An event holding great significance was held at Museo Dabawenyo and drew public attention. On January 26, Mr. Orly L. Escarrilla, Director of Davao Museum, and staffs designated the second floor, Peace Hall to exhibit pictures of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) peace activities in Mindanao. Director Escarilla proudly presented the certificate to permanently exhibit the peace work of HWPL at the peace hall. The place will serve to provide community members a platform to learn about the peace work achieved by HWPL in Mindanao. At the event, Rodrigo R. Duterte, Mayor of Davao City, Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL, and Chairwoman Nam Hee Kim of International Womens Peace Group (IWPG) were invited and warmly greeted by the presence of community members and students in Davao City. A bronze-signboard inscribed with the signatures of Mayor Duterte and Chairman Lee were hung up at the entrance of Museo Dabawenyo, symbolizing the agreement between Davao City and HWPL in collaborating to bring sustainable peace. Davao City Public Library provided an exclusive shelf for HWPL to continuously supply monthly newsletters, brochures, DVDs and other educational materials for any visitors to easily gain access to HWPL peace works. As a HWPL Publicity Ambassador, Ms. Pedrita M. Badar, director of Davao City Public Library, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Davao City Public Library and HWPL to arrange permanent exhibition of HWPL peace movements. Since all citizens and tourists in the Philippines are able to visit both Davao City Public Library and Museo Dabawenyo, these places represent equal opportunities to provide peace education. A heart for peace in Davao City blossomed through Chairman Lee. Peace is something that blossoms from the hearts of each individual and can be achieved through the changes of perception through proper education. Let us all become messengers of peace to achieve peace, said Chairman Lee. Let us gather our hearts and speak in one voice for the cessation of wars and achievement of world peace. Well surely usher in an era of peace sooner, said Chairwoman Nam Hee Kim, giving a glimpse of their future action plan. Highly revered among citizens, Mayor Duterte welcomed the visits from HWPL Peace Delegates and was applauded for designating the Davao City Public Library and Museum as places for HWPL peace education. I realized each of our community members needs to take actions in order to be strong proponents of peace. I hope news of this ceremony spreads beyond the Mindanao region and sets an example for the rest of the world to follow, said the Mayor. On January 25, Cotabato City State Polytechnic College (CCSPC) became the first educational institute in the Philippines to provide peace education, passing the resolution to sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between CCSPC and HWPL. Designation ceremony of HWPL Peace Academy was held to celebrate the occasion. Prior to designating CCSPC, many institutions in Israel, Kosovo, and India were already designated as HWPL Peace Academies to incorporate HWPLs peace initiatives into their curriculum and instill the significance of peace education in students. On their journey to put an end to all wars and achieve world peace, HWPL Chairman Lee, IWPG Chairwoman Kim and the HWPL Peace Delegates will be participating at the inauguration of the IBP Peace Committee in Manila, Philippines. CHAIRMAN LEE OF HWPL AND CHAIRWOMAN KIM OF IWPG ARE POSING WITH MS. PEDRITA M. BADAR, DIRECTOR OF DAVAO CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY AND STAFFS HWPL SPECIAL PEACE EXHIBITION AT MUSEO DABAWENYO, BEARING FRUIT OF PEACE IN MINDANAO A BRONZE-SIGNBOARD INSCRIBED WITH THE SIGNATURES OF MAYOR DUTERTE AND CHAIRMAN LEE WERE HUNG UP AT THE ENTRANCE OF MUSEO DABAWENYO Seychelles has formally announced its withdrawal as the East African Candidate for the Non-Permanent Seat of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2017-2018 at the 28th meeting of the Executive Council of African Foreign Ministers of the African Union. Addressing the gathering of Ministers, the Seychelles Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport, Mr. Joel Morgan said that while Seychelles had announced its willingness to serve in 2012 on principals of rotation and equity other agreements within the region had since come to light: Seychelles announced its bid for a Non-Permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the period 2017-2018 in 2012. We made clear on what principles we were standing, that although we are the smallest member state of the African Union and one of the smallest countries in the world, we were standing for Africa, and for the principles enshrined in the AU Charter. However, since our declaration of interest, we have come to understand that there was a previous standing agreement within our region, though undocumented, which firmly placed Ethiopia as the candidate for East Africa for this rotation, explained the Minister. So while we remain firm in our support of the principles of rotation as being sacrosanct to our institution, and that those who have not served before should be given the opportunity to do so, we also recognised the need here for gentlemanly conduct. Therefore it is in recognition of Ethiopia's previous agreement, and our principles of gentlemanly conduct that we have withdrawn our bid in favour of Ethiopia, and we have done so with the provision that Seychelles reserves the right to be the preferred candidate the next time the seat comes to the East Africa Region. The Minister further extended his thanks to all those who had expressed their support to Seychelles' candidature: We have been touched by the support and encouragement we have received from African partners. The African Union has always stood for ensuring that all voices are heard based on the sacrosanct principle of rotation and as an African Island State, Seychelles remains ready to ensure that the voice of Africa is heard far and wide for 2021. Seychelles and Ethiopia had been in consultation on their competing bid since 2014 and, in October 2015, they jointly informed the East African Group in Addis Ababa of the decision for Ethiopia's candidature to go forward on the basis that Seychelles would serve for the period 2021-2022. Ethiopia had previously withdrawn in favour of Rwanda as a show of solidarity as they were seeking to serve on the UNSC during the period that coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. The African seat on the UNSC is rotated on a two-year basis between the five regional groupings and as per practice, candidacies are discussed and agreed within these regional groupings before going forward for endorsement by the African Union. Minister Morgan is currently in Addis Ababa attending the 26th Assembly of the African Union. After a successful first mini-draw, which saw a lucky customer win an all-expense paid vacation for a family of four to Dubai, the ongoing Access Bank Change Your Level promo has again rewarded another set of 15 lucky customers with amazing prizes. Mr. Humphrey Awuletey Williams, a customer with the Airport branch of the Bank was the proud recipient of a brand new Hyundai Accent after emerging tops in the second mini-draw. The other fourteen winners, including Mr. Darku Kweku Barima who received a flat screen LED TV, were rewarded with tablets, smart phones and rechargeable lamps. Presenting the prizes to the winners, Mr. Kameel Adebayo Executive Director for Operations and IT, who represented the Managing Director, reiterated the need for a better savings culture among Ghanaians. He added: Our promotions over the years have been used to encourage our customers to make savings a habit. Putting little sums of money away is good and helps to cushion us for those unexpected life situations which tend to put a lot of stress on our finances. Mr. Adebayo, further highlighted the Banks effort at promoting a cashless society through its various products and services saying We have in the past year continued to increase investments in high-end technological infrastructure. Our objective is to drive cashless transactions and move people away from the banking halls. The Group Head of Personal Banking at Access Bank, Mr. Stephen Abban, used the occasion to announce the extension of the promo to February 15, 2016. There are many out there who are yet to join the promo and we believe that after rewarding these amazing prizes in the 2nd draw, a lot more people will respond, he said. In December last year, Mr. Rajeshkumar Pravinbhai Soni with the Tarkwa Branch of the Bank emerged winner of the all-expense paid vacation for a family of four to Dubai. With both prizes gone in the two mini draws, customers who deposit a minimum of GHS 200 cedis in their account while maintaining a balance of GHS 500 or more stand to win the ultimate prize of a plush 3 bedroom house fitted with a complete kitchen, air-conditions and automated gate. The promotion launched in September last year, is in partnership with the National Lotteries Authority (NLA) under the Caritas platform, Saka Homes and Stallion Motors Gh. Ltd. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Gayle Smith announced an additional$97million inemergency assistance for Ethiopia today, to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis resulting from the impacts of the El Nino phenomenon. This additional contribution includes more than 176,000 metric tons of food to be distributed to over 4 million Ethiopians and refugees. It builds on earlier contributions-which has included not only scaling up humanitarian assistance, but also adjusting development programs-to mitigate the drought's impact and speed recovery. With this new funding, USAID will help Catholic Relief Services and the UN World Food Program to extend food delivery programs for an additional three months to July 2016. "The United States Government is helping Ethiopians cope with the impacts of El Nino, and our additional assistance will build on an ongoing response effort," said Gayle Smith, USAID Administrator. "Thanks to critical investments by the Government of Ethiopia, the United States, and the donor community, Ethiopia today is more capable of withstanding this crisis than ever before. But with the worst of the drought still ahead, the people of Ethiopia urgently need our support. By quickly providing additional resources, we can ensure that farmers are able to plant their crops and help Ethiopia bounce back from the crisis." This ElNinodrought is one of the worst to strike Ethiopia in decades. El Nino has significantly impacted weather patterns, limiting agricultural production, straining livelihoods, and exacerbating food insecurity among poor and vulnerable households. The scale and severity of this crisis exceeds the resilience capacities of the most affected Ethiopians, and is expected to worsen and far outstrip resources. The Government of Ethiopia estimates that 10.2 million people are currently in need of emergency food assistance. This is in addition to 7.9 million chronically food insecure people who are covered by the Government of Ethiopia-led Productive Safety Net Program, supported by USAID and the donor community. Though the drought in parts of Ethiopia is the worst on record, famine-level mortality like that seen during the mid-1980s is very unlikely given improved safety nets, lack of conflict, and improved information and early warning systems. The U.S. Government is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia, having provided nearly $532 million in humanitarian assistance since October 2014. This assistance is providing nutrition, water, food sanitation and hygiene support that is helping Ethiopia respond to El Nino, and assist refugee populations. While the response from the Government of Ethiopia, the United States and international donors has been robust, Ethiopia will need additional support from the international community in order to weather this crisis and to sustain its significant development gains. The Secretary-General met with the President of Somalia on the margins of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, and he commended the tangible progress achieved in Somalia in the past four years following the establishment of the Federal Government and emphasized the need to continue to make more progress so as address the multi-faceted challenges of the country. He underscored theimportance of advancing a comprehensive approach to address the root causes of violent extremism. The Secretary-General highlighted the need for the Parliament and the Government to be more inclusive and representative, including ensuring representation of women. He further encouraged the Federal Government to continue to show leadership in addressing the issue of conflict-related sexual violence. The Secretary-General stressed the urgency for the Government to establish a federal security sector architecture, as well as the need to further build up security forces to consolidate the gains made by AMISOM and Somali national security forces. The Secretary-General also encouraged Somalia to strongly commit to the sustainable development goals. Cowbell Ghana has once again demonstrated its resolve to promote and encourage academic excellence of students in the country by awarding more than seventy-five (75) students at the 47th Speech and Prize giving day of Labone Senior High School. The brand, as part of its support for the event presented souvenirs and its products to the best performing students of the various subjects taught in the school. The event which was held over the weekend at the school premises saw the entire student population, parents and guests refreshed with the different variants of cowbell. Events manager at Promasidor Ghana, producers of Cowbell, Mr. Gideon Kodo said Cowbell was happy about the opportunity to sponsor the awards as a way of motivating the deserving students to do more academically. He added that, giving such a support was a great way to connect with its key consumers; students and young people. According to him, the contribution of the students to the success of the Cowbell brand cannot be overemphasized and therefore their continuous excellence was of great interest to the company. He however challenged the recipients of the awards not to be complacent but commit to their studies to guarantee better opportunities for them in the future. Headmistress of the school, Ms. Kate Bannerman also expressed her profound gratitude to Cowbell Ghana and called on other corporate organizations to emulate the gesture. 061[1] 111[1] Around 12 UK Armed Forces personnel travelled to the country this week in order to assess how the UK can provide their support as part of a wider contribution to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). This deployment follows Prime Minister David Cameron's announcement in September at the UN General Assembly in New York that the UK will double its contribution to active peacekeeping in 2016, with plans to deploy troops to South Sudan as well as Somalia. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: This is another demonstration of the flexibility and global reach of our Armed Forces. It will support UN efforts to end some of the world's most destabilising conflicts, helping to tackle a key driver of migration. Once this initial scoping assessment is complete, further troops may be sent to South Sudan to carry out specific tasks such as providing vital engineering work to strengthen infrastructure and further advisory support. The government will work with the UN to finalise these plans and precise numbers have yet to be agreed. However support to East Africa could involve up to 70 personnel deploying to Somalia and a total of 250 to 300 troops could participate in South Sudan over the course of multiple deployments. This builds on existing wider UK Government commitments across the region that has been demonstrated over many decades. The UK Armed Forces is currently conducting peacekeeping duties in Cyprus and has valuable experience of working in varied and often difficult environments with international partners to deliver security and stability; this makes them well placed to support the UN in South Sudan. H.E Dr. Aisha Laraba Abdullahi, Commissioner for Political Affairs of the African Union (AU) held a joint press conference with H.E. Kyung Wha-Kang, ASG for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, UNOCHA, to address the issue of the El Nino effect in Africa. During the press conference that took place at the margin of the 26thAU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs said the broad effects of El Nino and La Nina phenomena can be categorized into three: erratic climate, weather extremes and altered ecosystems and habitats, all three effects are risky to human health and society. Mrs. Kyung Wha-Kang began by thanking the AU Commissioner for the efficient collaboration existing between the Political Affairs Department of the AU under her leadership and the UNOCHA. She said they have both visited countries affected by drought and other natural disasters to bring their support to the population and to implement joint strategies aimed at mitigating the crisis. The consequences of the El Nino phenomenon have resulted in successive droughts and floods affecting many countries, especially those in the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa, noted the UNOCHA representative. According to Commissioner Abdullahi, the climatic effects observed in the AU Member States could lead to distressing economic and social consequences due to lowcrop yields and its corollaries, such as reduced agricultural production, loss of livestock, rise in food prices and risk to public health, all resulting in reduced coping capacity of affected communities. Meanwhile, the Commissioner revealed that the El Nino and La Nina have affected almost the whole continent, in Southern Africa; the agriculture season in the region is experiencing erratic heavy rainfall as a result of rising sea temperatures. Malawi and Mozambique have in recent times been inundated with excessive rainfall, which has resulted in emergency responses to mitigate the devastating effects in affected parts. On the contrary, several other countries in the same region are also experiencing drought as a result of absence of rainfall due to lowering sea temperature from the Atlantic Ocean. With the current effects of El Nino expected to continue through early 2016, the Commissioner for Political Affairs stated that, it is envisaged that the dearth of rainfall will lead to poor harvests for some countries, thus a significant reduction in earnings from agriculture. However, other countries in the region are expected to receive heavy rains which could result in flooding. She explained that in West Africa, above average rains brought floods in the beds of the main rivers, destroying crops, washing away urban and rural settlements, leaving thousands of people homeless. River Niger burst its bank and caused extensive damage to agricultural land as well as livestock. In West African states, meteorological forecast predicts flooding, which are already manifesting in countries as Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Guinea and Mali. In many of these countries, forecasts predict instances of cyclical impacts, where severe droughts will succeed or results to excessive rainfalls or vice versa. This will bear heavy strains to existing community's resilience and coping strategies for affected populations. Further impacts will be felt on food security, economic sustenance, migration and security. For instance, the partial failure of the 2014 rainy season had left between 300,000 and 400,000 people in the Sahel without access to secure food supply. An estimated 20.4 million people suffer food insecurity in early 2015, 70 percent of who are in Niger, Nigeria, Mali and Chad she underlined. Responding to a journalist about the situation in Eastern Africa, the Commissioner said it is not different as the region has been experiencing the consequences of the El Nino phenomenon, which has impacted negatively in a variety of ways. She recalled that the region experienced a variable impact of climatic vagaries, ranging from floods affecting more than 3.4 million people in 2006/2007 to drought affecting more than 14 million people in 2009/2010. The humanitarian impact of La Nina, the sister phenomenon is sometimes greater, especially when it immediately follows an El Nino. Following severe flooding in lower Juba region in Somalia, Southern Ethiopia and some parts of Kenya are beginning to experiencedrier than normal conditions, there is drought inSouth Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, North-Eastern Ethiopia, Kenya and Northern Tanzania noted the Commissioner. She added that, apart from the impact of the severe drought currently raging, flooding continue to result in population displacement. This has resulted in the displacement of about 144,000 people in Somaliaand an estimated 76,000 people in Kenya, according to the National Disaster Operations Center of Kenya and further flooding is still expected in the region. Commissioner Abdullahi further explained that, the situation in North Africa is evident in the Saharawi Refugee Camps in Tindouf, Algeria was inundated with more than normal rainfall in the course of last year. This led to the destruction of the minimal infrastructure in the camp. In the case of Central Africa, She said the country is facing the effects of the twin phenomena of El Nino and La Nina. In Chad, Northern Cameroon and Central Africa Republic (CAR) there is a perennial dry spell leading to drought, on the other hand, severe and unduly heavy rainfall has led to rising water level of the Congo River, flooding is also being experienced along the riparian states of Congo Brazzaville, DRC and the southern part of CAR. Of course, this has led to enormous loss of agricultural land, livestock, food stock, leading to food insecurity. The Commissioner informed journalists that, the African Union, through its sub-committee on SEAFA will address the Union on this devastating situation and the need for immediate response by the Union. There is need to develop a concerted but diversified continental response. This is informed by the cross border nature of the consequences and effect of the El Nino phenomenon.There should be a regional approach for sustainable response to the issue of major rivers bursting their banks, for instance, appropriate water management policy including climate adaptation strategies that allows for information sharing and environmental adaptation to reduce fatalities due to flooding. Commissioner Abdullahi advised that, Member States should as a first step, implement their commitment under the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction and implement the 1.5% budget allocation to disaster risk reduction. It should be reminded that drought situations lead to famine, therefore, it is imperative that appropriate measures are taken to ensure that effective food stock pile and distribution are implemented to stave off famine, she emphasised. She urged the Member states to embark on agricultural practices that contribute to sustainable food stability.Finally, the African Union is doing all it could to provide requisite leadership by way of making available necessary resources to support regional efforts. Egypt is making progress on issues like education, women's participation in politics, and entrepreneurship, said the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, Catherine Russell. Ambassador Russell is in Cairo for two days to meet with and hear from a diverse group of Egyptian women in business, government, and civil society. I'm looking forward to seeing some of that progress first hand and learning more about the next steps Egypt is taking for women and girls, she said. During her visit January 31-February 1, Ambassador Russell will speak with women about economic inclusion, political involvement, education and health for young women, and gender-based violence. She will also hold meetings with UN Women and the Arab League during her visit. Ambassador Russell leads the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues at the U.S. Department of State, where she helps lead U.S. global efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, empower women in the economy, elevate women in peace and security, and educate adolescent girls. Prior to assuming this position in August 2013, she served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden. On January 15th 2001, two young men, in represent of Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger embarked on a digital revolutionary trajectory and it paid off. Through a dint of hard work and dedication, they succeeded in creating one of the ever best gift to mankind, Wikipedia, the free internet based encyclopedia. Fifteen years down the line, it now stands as a global product worth celebrating with lot of activities being undertaken around the world to mark its anniversary by cherished users and benefactors. In Accra, leaders of Edit Ghana, a Ghanaian based Wikimedia User Group Felix Nartey and Raphael Berchie were supported by Prince Akpah and Felix Gborglah to talk about the anniversary and other Wikipedia activities being undertaken in Ghana at Shaping Davos hosted at the Impact Hub Accra. Shaping Davos, a global event organised and led by young change makers recognised by the World Economic Forum as Global Shapers was hosted by the Global Shapers Accra Hub with support from various hubs across the country and attended by various young leaders in Ghana. The Discussion which was based on Creating 75 Million Entrepreneurs: Is this Possible? was a prior event to the annual gathering of World Leaders and Entrepreneurs in Davos for the annual World Economic Forum. From the discourse, the most important component implicated in the prospect of creating 75 million Entrepreneurs was Education which falls precisely on the very tangent that Wikipedia stands. The Edit Ghana team was given the opportunity to share the Wikipedia story and the various activities Wikipedia has been engaging in across Ghana where participants were also encouraged to contribute to the online celebration by sharing the best moments Wikipedia came to their rescues during their research and other activities. The words that especially hit home were those of Mr. Raphael Berchie were he drew the whole of Africas attention to a very worrying fact. It pains me and rightly so that Antarctica, the less inhabited continent in the world has more images on the internet than that of the whole of Africa, the worlds largest continent, he decried. The resonating message of the exhilarating evening was that Africans need to chronicle their own stories else we shall remain anonymous to the world. Also, globally, the Wikipedia article on the former US president George W. Bush attracted a record attention with 45,862 edits since its creation. The war on encryption waged by the F.B.I. and other intelligence agencies is unnecessary, because the data trails we voluntarily leak allow "Internet of Things" devices and social media networks to track us in ways the government can access. That's the short version of what's in "Don't Panic: Making Progress on the 'Going Dark' Debate," a study published today by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard. The title references the government's argument that "encrypted communications are creating a 'going dark' crisis that will keep them from tracking terrorists and kidnappers," as David E. Sanger explains in his coverage at the New York Times. But " 'Going dark' does not aptly describe the long-term landscape for government surveillance," concludes the Berkman study convened by Matt Olsen, Bruce Schneier, and Jonathan Zittrain. From the Berkman study intro: In the last year, conversations around surveillance have centered on the use of encryption in communications technologies. The decisions of Apple, Google, and other major providers of communications services and products to enable end-to-end encryption in certain applications, on smartphone operating systems, as well as default encryption of mobile devices, at the same time that terrorist groups seek to use encryption to conceal their communication from surveillance, has fueled this debate. The U.S. intelligence and law enforcement communities view this trend with varying degrees of alarm, alleging that their interception capabilities are "going dark." As they describe it, companies are increasingly adopting technological architectures that inhibit the government's ability to obtain access to communications, even in circumstances that satisfy the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirements. Encryption is the hallmark of these architectures. Government officials are concerned because, without access to communications, they fear they may not be able to prevent terrorist attacks and investigate and prosecute criminal activity. Their solution is to force companies to maintain access to user communications and data, and provide that access to law enforcement on demand, pursuant to the applicable legal process. However, the private sector has resisted. Critics fear that architectures geared to guarantee such access would compromise the security and privacy of users around the world, while also hurting the economic viability of U.S. companies. They also dispute the degree to which the proposed solutions would truly prevent terrorists and criminals from communicating in mediums resistant to surveillance. Leading much of the debate on behalf of the U.S. government is the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose leaders have commented on the matter in numerous public statements, speeches, and Congressional testimony throughout 2014 and 2015. After nearly a year of discourse, which included numerous statements critical of the government's position from former U.S. intelligence officials and security technologists, the White House declared in October 2015 it would not pursue a legislative fix in the near future. However, this decision has not brought closure. The FBI has since focused its energy on encouraging companies to voluntarily find solutions that address the investigative concerns. Most recently, terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, Paris, and elsewhere around the world, along with rising concern about the terrorist group ISIS, have focused increased attention on the issues of surveillance and encryption. These developments have led to renewed calls, including among U.S. Presidential candidates, for the government and private sector to work together on the going dark issue and for the Obama administration to reconsider its position. You can read the whole report here, it's offered in PDF. The "findings" section is chilling. Basically, they're saying the government won't have any problem tracking us and surveilling our communications, because we're freely sharing a lot of very revealing personal data and metadata to third parties, all day, every day, security be damned. "Internet of Things" connected devices, social media, and everywhere else you're leaking data without encryption? All of those are accessible sources of data for intelligence agencies or law enforcement. In short, our findings are: End-to-end encryption and other technological architectures for obscuring user data are unlikely to be adopted ubiquitously by companies, because the majority of businesses that provide communications services rely on access to user data for revenue streams and product functionality, including user data recovery should a password be forgotten. Software ecosystems tend to be fragmented. In order for encryption to become both widespread and comprehensive, far more coordination and standardization than currently exists would be required. Networked sensors and the Internet of Things are projected to grow substantially, and this has the potential to drastically change surveillance. The still images, video, and audio captured by these devices may enable real-time intercept and recording with after-thefact access. Thus an inability to monitor an encrypted channel could be mitigated by the ability to monitor from afar a person through a different channel. Metadata is not encrypted, and the vast majority is likely to remain so. This is data that needs to stay unencrypted in order for the systems to operate: location data from cell phones and other devices, telephone calling records, header information in e-mail, and so on. This information provides an enormous amount of surveillance data that was unavailable before these systems became widespread. These trends raise novel questions about how we will protect individual privacy and security in the future. Today's debate is important, but for all its efforts to take account of technological trends, it is largely taking place without reference to the full picture. The structure of the study was pretty novel. From the New York Times: "I am Issahaku Zelia, a 17 year old Junior High student in form 2. I am from a large polygamous family of 3 mothers and many children. My parents informed me in July 2014 that my bride price has been paid by a rich butcher resident in Accra, who has 2 wives and 5 children. I was very confused but was certain that I did not want to be a wife at a very young age when there are innumerable personal and professional development opportunities open to me. As a beneficiary of the ActionAid Ghanas Young Women Project (YUWP), I participated in meetings, training, exposure visits and discussions, which increased my knowledge to appreciate that I have the right to make decisions about my body and to choose a sexual partner for myself. I confided in my female teachers who together with the coordinators of the Young Urban Women Project held series of meetings with my parents to support my decision. Because of my belief in human rights and womens rights, I consistently impressed on my parents not to accept any dowry or gifts from the man. Unfortunately certain basic livelihood support that I normally receive from my parents ended because the to-be-husband was the one indirectly supporting my parents to provide my basic needs. If I had refused to marry him, the provisions should end too. My mother at a point locked me and the man in a room to initiate sexual intercourse between us. I fought bitterly and my cries got neighbors to rescue me. This in a way provoked the man and in October, 2014, he married an elderly woman without consulting my parents. This was a big disappointment to the family. Although my parents are angry and disappointed, I am free now and able to continue my education. I could have been a young mother by now if the ActionAid Young Urban Women Project had not come into our community. This is the story of a young woman growing up in Tamale, the capital city of Ghanas Northern Region. A manifestation of gender inequality, forced marriage affects the female child, with Ghanas 2011 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) indicating that 27% of girls were married before the age of 18 years as compared to boys (5%). The practice of child marriage is a global issue. The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) evaluates that one third of girls growing up in the developing world are married before they turn 18 years and out of 9 girls, 1 is married before the age of 15. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) also estimates that between 2011 and 2020, more than 140 million girls worldwide will become child brides. In Ghana, the legal age for consent of marriage is 18 years old, as stated in the 1992 Constitution and the Childrens Act (Act 560). However, despite this law, children are forced into early marriages in many communities in Ghanas 10 regions before the age of 18, with the highest records coming from the Upper East (39.2%) and Western region (36.7%) The Upper West region follows with 36.3%, Central (31.2%), Ashanti (30.5%), Volta (29.3%), Brong Ahafo (29.1%), Northern Region (27.4), Eastern Region at 27.2% and Greater Accra with 12.2% (GSS, 2011 MICS) Poverty is a major cause of child marriage, as can be seen from Zelias case. In the 6 regions ActionAid Ghana works in, cases of child marriages are prevalent. There are interventions like the Young Urban Women Project (YUWP) the Community-Based Anti-violence Teams (COMBAT), Girls camps and girls clubs which help to provide monitoring of child marriage and marriage by abduction, as well as prevention and rescue of girls abducted for marriage. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimates that 39,000 girls are forced into marriage daily, and with gender inequality and poverty increasing worldwide, UNICEF is joining hands with ActionAid Ghana in the fight against child marriage in Ghana. Child marriage affects both girls and boys, however for the girl child, the effects are most profound and disturbing. The aim of the collaboration is to start a project aimed at reducing incidence of child marriage to effectively promote and sustain the protection and well-being of the child. Two specific objectives of the project includes; < >To reduce social-cultural practices that facilitate the incidence of child marriages in the targeted communities; To build the capacities of girls aged 12-17 years to claim their rights, resist child marriage and focus on education. The project will involve working with communities and childrens clubs to increase advocacy and education towards the prevention of child marriage in Ghana. With an expected result of 30% reduction in child marriage in prevalent areas, targeted communities include Bawku West, the Bongo Districts and Binduri in the Upper East region. The project will be enrolled in 12 communities from 4 regions. The Jirapa, Lambussie-Karni as well as the Sissala East and West districts in the Upper West region where young girls are usually captured for marriage whiles trekking long distances to school. In the Brong Ahafo region, districts include the Tain, Banda and Atebubu-Amantin. In Greater Accra, the focus will be on the Ga East and West districts. The collaborative project has a duration of 2 years in which an expected 215,000 direct as well as indirect beneficiaries such as girls, boys, guardians, traditional leaders, teachers, the local community and its leaders will be impacted. For 15 year old Fatima Sumani, who was abducted and forced into an early marriage before she was rescued by ActionAid in the Tanviel community in the Upper West region, early marriage affected her education, resulting in her falling behind in class: I was not often going to school because of fear of being abducted for marriage coupled with house hold chores. As a result my performance in 2014 was not good so I could not be promoted to Junior High school. Aside an abrupt end to education for most of these girls, child marriage results in 90% of adolescent pregnancies. It is also found that complications due to this are among the leading causes of death among young girls in developing countries. The Communications/Public Relations Department ActionAid Ghana The Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) held its 16th General Assembly from 30 to 31January 2016 under the theme Advancing sustainable Partnership to end pediatric AIDS and improve Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights. In the course of the meeting it was reported that many Member States have made great strides in the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, less progress has been made in scaling up HIV diagnosis, care, support and treatment among children. It was made clear that there is no targeted care for HIV positive children as they transition into adolescence. AIDS has become the leading cause of death among adolescents (aged 10-19) in Africa and the second most common cause of death among adolescents globally, noted one of the organizers. AIDS related deaths are declining in all age groups, except among 10-19 year olds. It was reported that new HIV infections among adolescents are not declining as quickly as among other age groups. Adolescent girls, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa are the most affected. H.E. Mrs. Roman Tesfaye, First Lady of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) welcomed all the First Ladies to Addis Ababa and thanked them for their active participation to the 16thOAFLA General Assembly. In her welcome remarks the First Lady of Ethiopia explained that several campaigns, forums and advocacy works were performed to achieve OAFLA Goals in terms of HIV/AIDS prevention, cancer prevention, treatment and diagnosis along with other major priority areas that OAFLA stands for. Despite the considerable achievements in reduction of preventable deaths in our continent, the unfolded facts and figures still show that much is needed to be done in exploring ways and means through joint support to encourage the responses as well as country ownerships of immunization programs while advocating towards universal access to reproductive health services. She added. H.E Dr. Mustapha Kaloko, Commissioner for Social Affairs of the African Union informed the OAFLA General Assembly that, the AU Commission has facilitated the process of developing an African specific plan that has domesticated a global plan towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015. Dr. Kaloko underlined that the African Union and OAFLA, together, have what it takes to eliminate new HIV infections and keep mothers alive by 2030. Concretizing his aspirations he said: 'This meeting takes place at a critical juncture when Africa has started to implement its long-term development strategy, Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals. Meanwhile, the OAFLA signed two Memoranda of Understanding with WHO and AMREF. In her opening statement H. E. Dr. Nana Lordina Dramani Mahama, First Lady of the Republic of Ghana and President of the OAFLA, referred to the theme of the session as embodiment of OAFLA's belief that long-standing gains can only be achieved through sustainable partnerships. Relaying the challenges faced the Chairperson said: 'Indeed, the journey to end pediatric AIDS and improve Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and Right poses challenges including a lack of resource, inadequate capacity, poor commodity, security, and some unfavorable laws and policies'. To address these impediments, H.E. Dr. Mahama emphasized that there is a need to prioritize resources and improve the capacity of relevant stakeholders required to make this vision a reality. The African First Ladies, members of the OAFLA, adopted a communique calling on all Member States of the African Union, the Heads of State, the Ministers of Health, Finance, State, Social Affairs and Local Government Leaders, Community Leaders, Traditional and Religious Leaders, the Media, and Civil Society Organizations to unite and ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being of all the people of Africa, irrespective of age, sex and geographical location. ABOUT OAFLA: Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) was established by African First Ladies as a collective voice for Africa's most vulnerable people, women and children infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. Today, OAFLA has more than forty (40)African First Ladies as its active members, each leading her national chapter to do exemplary work in the areas of HIV/AIDS, empowering women and children. Dr. Bawumia and Samira 01.02.2016 LISTEN VICE PRESIDENTIAL Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has observed that poverty levels in the country keep rising by the minute saying, There is wahala everywhere. He particularly expressed disgust about how the Zongo communities in the country have been under-developed, claiming that the level of poverty in those communities is as unimaginable as it is unacceptable. Dr. Bawumia slammed the President Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration for being the cause of the high poverty levels in the country, especially in the Zongo communities. He has consequently appealed passionately to the electorate, notably those residing in the Zongo communities, to vote massively for Nana Akufo-Addo, the NPP presidential candidate, to resolve the problem. Dr. Bawumia was addressing a large number of NPP faithful drawn from the ten regions during the first National NASARA Conference in Kumasi, which was themed, 'Mobilizing the Zongo for Victory 2016.' The historic event was attended by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo; Dr. Bawumia's wife, Samira; Freddie Blay, Acting National Chairman; the Minority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu; Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Wontumi, NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, among others. Dr. Bawumia stated that the NDC government had proven beyond every reasonable doubt that it could not transform the country and urged the electorate to vote for change, stressing that Nana Akufo-Addo is the person Ghana needs as president now. According to him, the NPP has the development of the Zongo communities at heart and disclosed that the party will initiate 'Zongo Development Fund,' if it is able to snatch political power from the NDC this year. Dr. Bawumia explained that the Zongo Development Fund would be used specifically to construct roads, provide potable drinking water and other projects to accelerate the development of the Zongo areas. . The NPP vice presidential candidate again descended heavily on the NDC government for collapsing local businesses with high taxes, noting that doing business in Ghana now is extremely difficult. He gave the assurance that when the NPP assumes power, it would reduce the exorbitant taxes, including import duties. He said that all the social intervention programmes introduced by the NPP administration, which had been collapsed by the NDC government, would be revived by a Nana Akufo-Addo government to bring relief to the masses. FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi Nana Akomea 01.02.2016 LISTEN The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) says the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government cannot fight corruption and insists the ruling party's record is still one of create, loot and share. The NDC government has sought to take some solace from the 2015 Transparency International report on corruption. This attempt amounts to a fantasy, a mere fiddling while Ghana burns from corruption and a poor attempt by President Mahamas government to tickle itself and laugh, the NPP said in a news release on Friday. The statement issued in Accra and signed by NPP Director of Communications, Nana Akomea, was a reaction to the recent Corruption Perception Index (CPI) published by anti-graft body Transparency International (TI), which ranked Ghana 56th out of 168 countries in the world with a score of 47 in the fight against corruption. According to TI, Ghana is the 7th least corrupt country in Africa after Botswana 63, Cape Verde 55, Seychelles 55, Rwanda 54, Mauritius and Namibia which scored 53. The news has been received with glee by President John Mahama who posted on his Facebook wall that the government was on course to tackling corruption in the country. But the NPP has described the government's position as a 'fantasy.' Dubious Comfort One basis for the governments fantasy is that it had placed 56th out of 168 countries and placed 7th in Africa. But the government is not able to say if these positions amount to improvement or not, the statement said. In 2008, Ghana ranked 67th but out of a bigger sample of 180 countries. Is 56th position out of 167 countries in 2015 better or worse than 67th position out of 180 countries in 2008? The stark reality is that Ghana actually dropped from a score of 48 out of 100 in 2014 to a score of 47 out of 100 in 2015. Quite strangely, while the NDC government seeks some dubious comfort from the report, it is at the same time attempting to pass it off as report on perception, largely caused by false allegations in the media and also due to some so-called 'paradox of exposure,' the statement added. If the government's fight against corruption is really great, how can the media reports of this positive and great fight lead to negative perception against the government? the NPP queried. False Claim Nana Akomea said the government also seems happy about its claim that Ghana and Senegal have been mentioned as making progress in the fight against corruption in Africa, but said this claim is also dubious! . He said Ghana was mentioned in terms of increased civil society and individual's activism in anti-corruption activities. This has nothing to do with government. The credit for this belongs to civil activists like Occupy Ghana and lmani Ghana and to individuals such as Martin Amidu and Anas Aremeyaw Anas. On the pledge to continue to implement the national anti-corruption action plan, the NPP had a little advice to the NDC government: just implement the laws such as AFRCD 58, (as advised by the Attorney General), the financial administration act, the financial administration regulations, the law on causing financial loss, the procurement law, etc. Poor Record The NPP said the poor record of the NDC government in fighting corruption was rooted not just in perception but in stark reality, adding, GYEEDA, Woyome, SADA, Subah, Waterville, Smarttys, etc are not perceptions. It said the TI report identified transparency and accountability as well as prosecution as key ingredients in fighting corruption but the NDC governments record on these is appalling. Major financial dealings such as loans for the GNPC, floatation of ADB shares and the IMF loan agreement were not taken to Parliament. Value for money audit for the many sole sourced public works is largely not done. Mandatory reports on public procurement to Parliament are not done. Record on Prosecution The record on prosecution for financial wrongdoing is even worse. Two former ministers of state in another government were prosecuted for alleged infringement of the Procurement Law. Ghanaians are therefore still in a state of shocked disbelief over the twists and turns that have led to the loss/siphoning of millions of dollars of taxpayers' monies in the Woyome affair, in the Waterville affair, in GYEEDA, in SADA, in Subah, in Smarttys, etc. President Mahama's government, this time, will not prosecute. Even when court orders to recover taxpayers' monies are secured through the efforts of others, the NDC government is unable to recover the monies, Nana Akomea said and added, even where the government goes into agreements for mere refunds of taxpayers' monies, very little refund is reported. Massive payments of taxpayers' monies for no work done have been regular. Bus Branding The NPP further said the bus branding saga involving Selassie Ibrahim's Smarttys Productions clearly illustrates the corruption-friendly profile of President Mahama's NDC government. The Attorney Generals investigation into this matter found that the bus branding work was awarded, commenced and completed even before the procurement process was started, and before any contract was signed; and that the sole sourced contract resulted in over payment of nearly two million Ghana cedis (GH 2 million). The statement added: The Attorney General recommended further investigation of all state officials involved in this breach of the various laws on the use of public funds. So far, what has happened is the resignation of the sector minister and President Mahama ordering a refund of the excess looted taxpayers' monies. By William Yaw Owusu Nana Akufo-Addo arriving at the programme 01.02.2016 LISTEN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has made mockery of President John Mahama's governing style, describing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader as a luminary when it comes to the collapsing of businesses. He referred to the president in the Twi language as Ogu Adwuma, which literally means an expert in collapsing businesses, whilst addressing a colossal crowd of NPP faithful during the first National Nasara Conference of the party in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, on Saturday. Nana Akufo-Addo blamed the Mahama administration for not doing enough to transform local businesses in the country, complaining bitterly that they are virtually on the brink of extinction due to bad policies by the government. The NPP leader urged the electorate to vote President Mahama and the NDC out of political office later this year so that an NPP government would implement better policies and programmes to make businesses grow and transform the lives of the people. I am counting on each and every one of you gathered here, our NASARA coordinators, to work hard and help take the NPP message to every member of the Zongo communities and mobilise support for our party in these communities, he charged. Nana Akufo-Addo said the Mahama administration, despite its obvious failure, is counting on the unrestrained abuse of incumbency and the shameless exploitation of ethnicity, negative propaganda, blatant lies and outright fabrications to help it retain powerthe power they clearly do not deserve but need in order to continue with the policy of 'create, loot and share.' It is our duty in the NPP to work tirelessly this year to lay bare the facts of widespread corruption, manifest incompetence and increased poverty before the Ghanaian people. They must have no doubt about the compelling necessity of saying goodbye to 'Ogu Adwuma' John Mahama and his government, no matter the juicy inducements they are going to offer to them, he stated. Propaganda Nana Addo said the NDC would adopt vile propaganda and tribal politics in a desperate attempt to hang onto political power after seven years of failing to fulfil campaign promises. The NPP leader admonished the electorate not to fall for the NDC's politics of lies, innuendoes and insults, stressing the need for the voters to give their mandate to the NPP so that it could restore the country to the path of prosperity once again. He said the NDC doesn't have the interest of the populace at heart, noting that President Mahama and his party members only want to peddle lies and fabrications to emerge victorious in the elections so that they could create, loot and share the country's resources. . False Report Nana Akufo-Addo said information reaching him indicated that the NDC had started spreading wild rumours in the Zongo communities to the effect that the NPP would introduce the Alien Compliance Act, which would result in people being expelled from the country. The flagbearer stated categorically that The Aliens Compliance Order cannot happen in Ghana again, arguing that the NPP, led by President Kufuor, stayed in political office for eight years without talking about that issue. Nana Akufo-Addo assured, My government will also not talk about the Aliens Compliance Order, indicating that the NDC had failed to deliver and so had no campaign message to woo the voters except peddle lies and propaganda to confuse them (voters). Zongo Development Fund The NPP standard bearer stated that the party is the only political entity that has the interest and the development of the Zongo areas at heart, promising that his administration would introduce the Zongo Development Fund to speed up the transformation process of the Zongo communities. Victory Nana Akufo-Addo said the large number of people from the various Zongo communities that jammed the venue of the programme was a strong indication that the NPP was determined to wrest political power from the NDC this year. He said his government would erase the corruption tag which is now synonymous with the presidency, stressing that acts of corruption would not see the light of day in his administration. Freddie Blay, acting NPP National Chairman, stated that the party is the only political grouping in the country with sound policies to develop the Zongo communities and urged residents to vote for Nana Akufo-Addo. The programme was under the theme, 'Mobilizing the Zongos For Victory 2016.' FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi 01.02.2016 LISTEN Popular Ghanaian movie actor, John Dumelo, has met Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, standard bearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), in private in an obvious attempt to lobby his way into the campaign team of the party. During the meeting, Dumelo ran down President John Mahama, calling him names, Political Assistant to Nana Akufo-Addo, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has disclosed. After waiting for months without getting a call-up or any role to play in the NPP's campaign team, an obviously disappointed Dumelo turned his gun on Nana Akufo-Addo in an attempt to ridicule him. Sometime last week, he took to his tweeter handle @johndumelo1 and tweeted what some have described as the most ridiculous message from him: I have nothing against Nana Addo, but I only see one person being sworn in come January 2017 and it's not him. But the man (Asenso-Boakye) popularly called Original Kabila, who facilitated the actor's meeting with the NPP flagbearer sometime last year, decided to respond to Dumelo's tantrums in a letter posted on his (Asenso-Boakye's) facebook wall. He said, You were disappointed in the president for supervising a corrupt and incompetent administration, for which reason, you offered to go round the country and propagate the good message of Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP. . He wondered, Why cast aspersions on a man whose character you acknowledged as impeccable and worthy of the highest office of the land only a few months ago, when u called on him to express your eagerness to campaign for him? Mr Asenso-Boakye pointed out, Nana was generous with his time and urged you to be a good role model for the youth by striving for excellence in your chosen career. Its all the more deeply regrettable that despite his kind words and fatherly advice to you, you are willing, for the fleeting lure of patronage, to sell your soul. Dumelo did not only endorse but joined other actors, including Selassie Ibrahim, whose company Smarttys Management and Production Limited recently defrauded the nation in a bus rebranding saga, to campaign for then candidate John Mahama in the run-up to the 2012 general election. Others, including Clement Bonney aka Mr Beautiful, Kwame Djokoto and Pattington Papa Nii Papafio, also mounted political campaign platforms to canvass for Mahama. By Charles Takyi-Boadu The Board of the Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas) has, by a resolution, announced the retirement of the non-executive directors of the company, effective February 4, 2016. The announcement, which was contained in a press release issued in Accra and signed by the Board Chairman, Dr Kwesi Botchwey, named the other outgoing members as Dr Valerie Esther Sawyerr, Mr Eric Nathaniel Yankah and Mr William Patrick Tewiah. On assumption of office in July, 2011, the board immediately commenced operations by successfully establishing the administrative and operational structures of the company from scratch and superintended the recruitment of key staff. Following the review of the Gas Task Force Report and the then options for the development of gas infrastructure, the board decisively chose a configuration of having an onshore gas processing facility to process raw natural gas and produce various products, including lean gas for power production, liquefied petroleum gas and other natural gas liquids for domestic and industrial use. The board implemented the Western Gas Infrastructure Project and successfully procured the gas processing plant, associated pipelines and auxiliary equipment into operation in November, 2014, in spite of a number of incipient challenges that the company faced during the development phase of the project. 'Today, the company is well-grounded and has successfully completed a first full year of commercial operations, has suitably trained to man its facilities and operations and is poised to maintain its leadership in the downstream gas market in Ghana,' the release said. It expressed gratitude for the support received from the government and major stakeholders including SinoPec of China, which was the main contractor for the gas infrastructure project and the chiefs and people of the respective traditional areas within the project's operalional area. The release also commended the management and staff of the company for their sense of diligence and dedication to duty, without which the company would not have chalked up its achievements. It hoped that the incoming board would be given the same level of support from all the stakeholders. The African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) gathered Saturday at the 26th African Union Summit to celebrate unprecedented progress against malaria in Africa. Thirty-four Heads of State and Delegation joined the annual meeting, which was chaired by H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the current chair of ALMA. During the meeting, the incoming Chairperson of the African Union, H.E. Idriss Deby President of Chad was appointed to take over as the next chair of ALMA. The leaders reiterated their commitment to malaria elimination on the continent by 2030. We have an exceptionally strong platform from which we can now work to finally eliminate malaria from the continent once and for all, said H.E. Idriss Deby, Chairperson of the African Union and President of Chad. Since 2000, malaria mortality rates in Africa have fallen by 66 percent overall and 71 percent among children under 5. The African Leaders Malaria Alliance is a model for what we can do when we commit ourselves to a collective goal. Our progress is undeniable, said Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. This is what it looks like when we work together this is how we build a better future for Africa. At the meeting, ALMA presented its annual Awards for Excellence to 13 African countries that have shown commitment, innovation and progress in the fight against malaria. The 2016 ALMA Awards for Excellence were given to: Botswana, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Namibia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, and Swaziland for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target for malaria Rwanda, Senegal and Liberia for Performance in Malaria Control between 2011 and 2015 Mali, Guinea and Comoros for being the Most Improved in Malaria Control between 2011 and 2015 These are impressive achievements, said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. They are a result of your vision of a malaria-free world. Many African leaders have made fighting malaria a key focus over the past several years, assisted by commitments from donors such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the United States' President's Malaria Initiative, the United Kingdom's Department for International Development, and the French government. But the job is not finished. There were 188 million case of malaria in Africa last year. An African child still dies every two minutes from the disease. Despite the remarkable achievements, we should not lose sight that malaria remains a disease of poverty and a major public health concern particularly in Africa, said H.E. Prime Minister Dessalegn. We must therefore continue to invest in malaria interventions in order to reduce malaria cases and deaths. The leaders committed to achieving and sustaining high levels of coverage with effective interventions. They committed to increasing domestic public and private funding. They acknowledged the recent enhanced commitments by the U.K. and U.S. governments, and called for similar commitments from other partners, including supporting the replenishment of the Global Fund. The leaders reviewed the ALMA Scorecard for Accountability and Action and the ALMA 2030 Scorecard Towards Malaria Elimination. Building on these, leaders committed to develop their own national malaria control and elimination scorecards with an accountability and action mechanism. Professor Kwame Boasiako Omane-Antwi 01.02.2016 LISTEN Professor Kwame Boasiako Omane-Antwi, Dean of Pentecost University Graduate School (PUCGS), has appealed to government to reduce taxes on petroleum products. This, he said, will make life bearable for the citizenry and Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs). Prof. Boasiako Omane-Antwi made the appeal at a seminar on the review of the 2016 Budget Statement at PUCGS in Accra recently. Fuel prices at the pumps went up by between 22 percent and 27 percent following the passage of the Energy Sector Levy (ESL) by Parliament in December 2015. Government has given reasons why the energy levy cannot be scrapped, explaining that such a move will have serious repercussions on the energy sector and the country's economy in general. The introduction of the levy forced Organized Labour to embark on a nationwide demonstration to put pressure on government to reverse the imposition of the levy. Prof. Omane-Antwi said government should listen to Organized Labour and reduce the taxes on petroleum products. The voice of the people is the voice of God and Organized Labour has spoken so government must listen. . Widening of Tax Net Prof. Omane-Antwi advised government to widen the tax net in order to rake in more revenue. PUCGS over the years has been advocating for the widening of the tax net so as to broaden the tax base. We are therefore in full support of any policies that will help rope in persons who are found outside the tax net, he said. He said, It is important for the government to have a second look at some of the provisions in the Act which might push taxpayers to adopt inimical practices, including tax invasion. [email protected] By Cephas Larbi 01.02.2016 LISTEN Kameel Adebayor (Middle) hands over the keys to the brand new Hyundai Accent car as Stephen Abban looks on Humphrey Awuletey Williams, a customer with Access Bank's Airport branch, was over the weekend presented with keys to a brand new Hyundai Accent saloon car after emerging as the winner in the second mini-draw of the 'Change Your Level' promotion. Fourteen others won tablets, smart phones and rechargeable fans. Kameel Adebayor, Executive Director for Operations and IT, who represented the MD, called for improved savings culture among Ghanaians. He highlighted the bank's effort at promoting a cashless society through its various products and services. Stephen Abban, Group Head of Personal Banking at Access Bank, announced an extension of the promotion to February 15, this year. There are many out there who are yet to join the promo and we believe that after rewarding these amazing prizes in the second draw, a lot more people will respond, he noted. . In December last year, Rajeshkumar Pravinbhai Soni, a customer with the Tarkwa Branch, emerged winner and won the all-expense paid vacation for a family of four to Dubai. The promotion, launched in September last year, is in partnership with the National Lotteries Authority (NLA) under the Caritas platform, Saka Homes and Stallion Motors Ghana Limited. A business desk report What is a game if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare? Chris Priestman gave a beautifully-written account of one of my favourite topics: inactivity. "There's a satisfaction to be derived in comparing our own motionlessness to the busyness of the world around usto be the silence among the noise. This dichotomy can help us meditate on the glory of that singular moment." For those who enjoy awe and wonder at the majesty of concrete, Hamish Grace offered a detailed, games-oriented overview of Brutalism, an architectural style that has been increasingly significant in games of late. It's often said that games allow us to walk in somebody else's shoes, but what if the shoes don't quite fit? It's enlightening to hear from somebody who has directly experienced the situation a title purports to simulate. Reflecting on his past work as a journalist in a communist regime, Zach Hines argued that newspaper simulator the Westport Independent portrays a naive view of self-censorship. Avant-garde art blog "We make money not art" covered a French festival featuring games as well as some remarkable digital art installations (part one | part two) Finally, Darius Kazemi's interactive review of The Witness is affectionate and illuminating; a lovely thing to observe and ponder. If you're not quite done quietly contemplating videogames, you'll find lots more material in the full roundup post on our website. For regular updates, follow Critical Distance on Twitter and consider pledging your support on Patreon. 01.02.2016 LISTEN Far away in the Upper East Region in a village called Kongo, I sat beside a man who has served in his community for several years as a nurse. He set up a clinic as a result of the passion he has for his work and his interest in improving access to health for the people in the community. Surrounded by family and friends he gave a moving speech about how grateful he was for the support he had received for all his years of service. Behind Mr. Thomas Moore, founder of the Ayamfooya Memorial Clinic, lies the story of a man who overcame many challenges to be a rural health practitioner. Challenged by the lack of health facilities in the Nabdam constituency, Mr Moore set up a clinic in 1991 in his house. At that time, there was no health facility and members of the community were stranded when they needed healthcare. Dr Moore, as he is affectionately called by his patients, read his story sitting in a wheelchair. As I watched him with admiration I also looked around to see the hundreds of people who were there to support him and wondered how many of them had such projects of their own. As I listened to him speak passionately, I wondered what happened to his legs. It didn't take long for my question to be answered. Back in 1994, a child was rushed to his clinic with a convulsion. In his attempt to rush to the clinic on a motorbike to save the child he had a serious accident with a truck which resulted in the amputation of his two legs. He went into rehabilitation for six months. After his recovery he did not give up but went back to continue his work. I was amazed to hear his story. The determination of this man, in the face of the numerous challenges he faced daily to deliver quality health care to people in the constituency is simply amazing. Moved by the sheer determination and the will of Mr. Moore, the MTN Ghana Foundation offered to assist in giving the Ayamfooya Memorial Clinic a facelift after a rainstorm had ripped off its roofing and damaging property. Since MTN Ghana Foundation invested more funds into the clinic, it has seen a sturdy rise in the patient attendance with estimates at 1,200 patients a month. Before the support he was attending to only 50% of patients. The story of the Kongo Nurse is similar to the stories of many medical officers working in rural areas. Sent on a mission to save lives, many have the passion and commitment but no resources. Their intentions may be good and their services are needed but they cannot do much without the supporting facilities. . We are well aware that many rural areas in Ghana have no modern health care facilities. Patients in these areas either rely on traditional African medicine or travel great distances for healthcare. The 2012 annual Report on the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (2010 2013) revealed that Ghana's doctor patient ratio stood at 1:10,452. With such patient to doctor ratios, people like Mr Moore are virtually acting as angels on a mission in their communities. For the past two weeks, Ghana and indeed the world have witnessed the outbreak of two diseases. In Ghana, the incidence of Pneumococcal Meningitis is increasing and we all know we have an epidemic on our hands while in faraway Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbeans, doctors and global experts are battling with Zika virus, a disease caused by mosquitoes. How do doctors, nurses or medical assistants in rural areas deal with such diseases. In medical practice, time is a great resource and I can imagine how many days it takes for patients to reach health posts. In the same vein, how do medical officers do proper diagnosis in villages challenged with basic resources? Access to basic information is also a major issue. It is surprising that in a period when there is an outbreak of meningitis in many parts of the country, the Ghana Health Service website does not have any news about the disease on their website. Where do people go if they need information on how they can protect themselves against the disease? I am also wondering if there is a portal that shares how diseases can be treated in rural areas so that health practitioners can save more lives. Stakeholders in the health sector must prioritize where the nation's resources should go. I know the government is building lot of CHPS compounds but I think it is not enough to build these facilities without adequate resources including properly trained personnel with the right motivation. Health, they say, is wealth and if we indeed we want to build a wealthy Ghana, the authorities must not only focus on the hard issues but they must also focus on the soft issues that involve attitudinal change that ultimately speaks to preventive health initiatives. These days, we hear and see too many cases of people dying in their prime, thereby robbing the nation of their potentials. The causes of some of these deaths are reported to be attributed to heart diseases and organ failures which in itself is also attributable to lifestyles and substance abuse including non-prescribed drugs. In a country where people can jump on commercial vehicles and sell all sorts of magic medicines that cures all diseases, we should not be too surprised to see such negative trends. Most of these deaths could be avoided if there is massive education on preventive health issue. Most importantly we must motivate our health workers and provide resources for them. Robert Le Hunte, MD, HFC Bank 01.02.2016 LISTEN HFC Bank Ghana, a subsidiary of Republic Bank, recently launched a suite of deposit campaign products dubbed, 'You Deserve More, Make the Switch Now, to meet the financial needs of its customers. The seven products are aimed at satisfying the needs of all age groups in the society. These include HFC Cradle to Golden Age, HFC Brainy Child Account, HFC Smart Save Account and the HFC 'Susu' Plus Account. Others are the HFC Homesave Plus, the HFC I do Account, the HFC Premium Savers Account and the HFC55 Plus Account. These would provide smart financial solutions for parents investing in the education of their children, financial cover for the entire lifespan of an individual and for young couples who have started life together, among others. According to Robert Le Hunte, Managing Director HFC Bank, the products marked a new chapter in the bank's journey to reposition itself in the banking industry. Dr Abdul Nashiru Issahaku, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), commended the bank for the new initiative, adding that the BoG will continue to monitor activities of the banking sector, while legislation would be passed to address the weaknesses and create an enabling environment for operators. Within the framework of the 26th African Union (AU) Summit, the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui, on 31 January 2016 briefed the media on the key peace and security decisions of the Summit. During the briefing, Commissioner Chergui discussed Burkina Faso, North Mali, Sahel, Somalia, South Sudan, Burundi and Africa's efforts to counter the global scourge of terrorism. On the issue of terrorism, Commissioner Chergui announced the holding of a donors' conference, in Addis Ababa, on 01 February 2016, to generate additional resources to support the Multi-national Joint Task force (MNJTF) to counter the Boko Haram terrorist group. On Somalia, he called on the international community to enhance its support to the Somalia government and people, as well as the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), to enable Somalia proceed with elections, continue its stabilization and institution building, and defeat the Al-shabaab terrorist group. On South Sudan, Commissioner Chergui emphasized that African Heads of State and Government had urged the South Sudanese Parties to fully implement, without pre-conditions, the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement they signed last August. With regard to the situation in Burundi, Commissioner Chergui announced that the Assembly of African Union Heads of State and Government has decided to send a high-level delegation to Bujumbura to discuss with the Burundian Government and allay the Government's fears/reservations regarding the planned deployment of an African Prevention and Protection Mission (MAPROBU). He stated that the composition of the high-level delegation as well as the timing of its visit to Burundi will soon be announced. Commissioner Chergui further said that the mandate of the high-level delegation will be to talk with the Government of Burundi about the continuation of intra-Burundian dialogue in Arusha, Tanzania, as well as the planned deployment of MAPROBU. He emphasized that the mandate of MAPROBU will include protection of civilians, disarmament of militia, seizure of illegal arms and protection of Burundi's borders from infiltration by any foreign militia. Commissioner Chergui further announced that H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete, the former President of the United Republic of Tanzania will take over as the new AU Special Envoy for Libya, and thanked H.E. Mr. Dileita Mohammed Dileita, the former Prime Minister of Djibouti, for his remarkable service to Africa as Special Envoy for Libya. Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) (AFP) - TV reports on the crimes against humanity trial of former Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo in The Hague have been banned on Equatorial Guinea's state broadcaster. "We've been forbidden from airing Laurent Gbagbo's trial due to his friendship with our president," Teodoro Obiang Nguema, a ranking state media official told AFP. The RTNGE network in Spanish is watched by around 85 percent of the country. The charges against Gbagbo are linked to post-election violence in the country in 2010-2011, which also was ordered kept off screens in Equatorial Guinea because of what authorities said was the principle of "non-intervention in another country's internal affairs." Gbagbo went on trial last week before the International Criminal Court, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the violence, that left some 3,000 people dead. But when he was transferred to the ICC in 2011 following his arrest, Obiang urged Africans to boycott the ICC. The leader of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, who is 73, is Africa's longest-serving ruler after initially taking office in an August 1979 coup. He has said he will seek another seven-year term at elections this year in the country, which has an abysmal rights record. Leading telecom brand Tigo Ghana, in April 2015 partnered with Street Library Ghana to outdoor its digital mobile library as a way of giving meaning to its digital lifestyle brand. The digital mobile library was beautifully furnished with tables and chairs, laptops and kindles to enable children in some rural areas in Ghana to be a part of the Digital age. The project aimed at digital inclusion for children at rural areas was the first of its kind to be introduced in Ghana, making it possible for children in rural communities to have access to educational materials to aid their learning process via a digital platform. Street Library Ghana which in 2012 benefitted from Tigos Reach for Change Project, converts libraries from their traditional and static role of a permanent building for books, to a revolutionary and vibrant outdoor environment where books travel to the people who need them most, especially children who otherwise would have no access to library resources. Technology has become a central part of everyday life, driving development and simplifying every sphere of life for which education is not an exception. Digital inclusion has become extremely valuable, not only to individuals, but also to businesses, the state, and society as a whole. In bridging the rural-urban educational gap for deprived communities therefore, Tigo Ghana in partnership with Street Library Ghana has provided needed reading material to students in a soft copy version. The Street Library van Moves from community to community and from school to school setting up at each location to enable students make use of the tablets, kindles and laptops aboard the van. A total of 6,789 children have benefited from the reach of E-Library on Wheels from May to December 2015. On 15th May 2015, Anoff in the Eastern Region became the first community to benefit from the outreach of the E-Library Van. 4360 children who had never seen or touched an e-reader were exposed to the digital device. Besides Anoff, the Van has since reached out to eight other (8) communities in the Eastern Region namely Damang, Duayeden, Onoka, Kwesitenten, Adjeikrom, Ahwerase, Kwasi Nyarko and Obeng Yaw. Also, three (3) communities in the Greater Accra region namely Sapeiman, Medie and Pokuase have benefitted. In addition Seven (7) schools, Bright Kids Academy, Kawsi Nyarko LA, Jann Royal School, Damang LA, Christ Care Scool, Nsawam Adventist and Child Care and Development Centre School have benefited from the services of the van. The schools also have had an added advantage of using the van for ICT classes which ensured that the students had hands-on practical experiences for, especially for those being prepared for the BECE examination. The project also had the opportunity of hosting grantee partners of the Global Fund for Children who wanted to learn more about the E- Library on wheels Project. Participants came from Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Rwanda. As a digital lifestyle brand, Tigo says it remains committed to making digital learning accessible to rural children across Ghana, an opportunity which they believe will open a world of possibilities for children. The E-Library on wheels van will continue to travel to rural communities, by expanding to twelve (12) additional communities in 2016 to give children the opportunity to access education in a new and digital environment. The Hague (AFP) - Defence lawyers for fallen Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo on Monday accused his bitter rival President Alassane Ouattara of seizing power by force aided by former colonial power France, after disputed 2010 polls. On the third day of Gbagbo's landmark trial, the defence team also lashed out at the International Criminal Court's prosecutors saying their case "twisted the truth" about the country's former president. "Ouattara and his supporters wanted to seize power by force and the battle of Abidjan was, simply put, the very implementation of this strategy," lawyer Emmanuel Altit told a three-judge bench, denouncing what he called a "smear campaign" against his client. Gbagbo and his co-accused Charles Ble Goude, a former firebrand militia leader, have denied four charges of crimes against humanity after 3,000 people were killed following the disputed Ivory Coast presidential vote. Their highly-anticipated trial opened on Thursday at the court based in The Hague and is set to last three to four years. Gbagbo declared himself the winner of the November 2010 elections, but major powers including France, the former colonial power, the United States and the United Nations backed Ouattara, who had snatched a narrow victory. The row triggered a bitter standoff that saw Gbagbo holed up in the fortified presidential palace and Abidjan -- the country's main city and commercial capital -- turned into a war zone. - French support - "France did not want peace to be negotiated," Altit alleged. The then French president Nicolas Sarkozy "had shown unwavering support for his friend Ouattara," defence lawyer Jennifer Naouri told the court. Dressed in a dark suit, light blue shirt and dark blue tie, Gbagbo listened intently throughout the hearing but declined to make a statement as his defence team wrapped up its opening statement. Ble Goude's lawyers are to open their case on Tuesday, and he is thought to have asked to address the tribunal. Gbagbo became the first ex-head of state to go on trial at the ICC and chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda painted a vivid picture of five months of turmoil saying "the Ivory Coast descended into chaos and was the theatre of unspeakable violence." - Re-writing history - She alleged on Thursday that Gbagbo, aided by the military, police and a youth militia group organised by Ble Goude, had clung to power by "all means necessary" as part of an orchestrated plan. But Altit countered Monday there had been a deliberate campaign to make Gbagbo "out to be some kind of demon" and "paint Ouattara as the good guy." "This is nothing more than a political narrative that has been heated up and re-served." Defence lawyer Dov Jacobs added: "It has been shown that the prosecution has twisted the truth" by not contextualising the violence. "It has deprived the Ivory Coast of part of its natural history," Jacobs added. "Perhaps someone wants us to forget" alleged abuses committed by pro-Ouattara forces, Altit said, adding that even before the elections Ouattara had been recruiting mercenaries in neighbouring Burkina Faso, where preparations for the assault on Abidjan were made. "The plans for military action had been drawn up by the plotters and schemers ... in cooperation with French military leaders during the entire crisis," he said. He added that French military aircraft also delivered heavy weapons to pro-Ouattara combatants. If the two men are convicted, the maximum penalty is usually up to 30 years in prison. Judges can impose a life sentence if they find "extreme gravity" in the case. Prosecutors are focusing on four specific incidents triggered in the world's top cocoa producer, once held up as a beacon of democracy in a troubled continent. Altit regretted that no French witnesses had been called by the prosecution, saying only they "have the information needed to get" to the truth of what happened. The ICC has been repeatedly accused by some African countries of unfairly targeting them. Several continental heads of state on Sunday backed a Kenyan proposal to pull out of the ICC on the ground that it is biased at an African Union summit. H.E. Dr. Aisha Laraba Abdullahi, Commissioner for Political Affairs of the African Union Commission met with H.E. Ivan Simonovic, UN Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights. The UN Assistant Secretary General was accompanied by the Director of Africa Branch of the OHCHR and other human rights experts. The Commissioner for Political Affairs welcomed H.E. Mr. Simonovic and thanked him and his delegation for continuously visiting the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) of the African Union Commission (AUC). Dr. Abdullahi briefed the Delegationon the human rights situation in Africa as well as Project 2016. 2016 has been declared as the Year of Human Rights in Africa with Special focus on the Rights of Women. Dr. Abdullahi added that the year 2016 marks a veritable watershed in the continental human rights trajectory. It marks the 35thAnniversary of the adoption of the African Charter in 1981; the 30thAnniversary of the entry into force of the African Charter in 1986; the 29thAnniversary of the operationalization of the Commission in 1987 (in 2016 the Commission will be just one year shy of its 30th anniversary) and also the 10thAnniversary of the operationalization of the Court. The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (the Maputo Protocol) will be 13 years old in 2016. The Commissioner for Political Affairs also mentioned that Africa continues to experience persistent violence in some parts of the continent which result in destruction of life and property which reverses human rights gains. The AU Commission under the leadership of H.E. Dr NkosazanaDlaminiZuma, has emphasized on the need to silence the guns by 2020. The Commissioner also made reference to the situation in Burundi and the positive role played by the Human Rights Observers deployed in 2014. The Human Rights Observers monitor the human rights situation on the ground and contribute to the protection of civilians' population and property. The Commissioner for Political Affairs also added that the Department of Political will focus on the following areas in 2016: Implement the declaration of the year of human rights with special focus on the rights of women Develop the ten-year action plan on human rights in Africa linked to the first ten-year plan of Agenda 2063. Organize the High Level Dialogue on human rights with special focus on the rights of women in Africa. Dr. Abdullahi also briefed the Delegation on theAfrican Governance Architecture (AGA) and the activities of the five clusters of the African Governance Platform. She also highlighted the efforts of the DPA to expedite the full ratification of all human rights instruments. The Commissioner concluded by reiterating the need to support the human resource capacity of the Department of Political in order for the Department to fully implement its mandate. The Deputy General Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho has descended heavily on Sam George, a Presidential Staffer, saying, President John Dramani Mahama is fed up with him. Ill tell you today that President Mahama does not support Sam George. Let Sam George come out and tell me that President Mahama supports him. President Mahama is fed up with Sam George, he fumed on Accra based radio station, Neat FM. Sam George is reported to have said engineers at the Volta River Authority (VRA) have sabotaged the government because they have all the necessary skills and competencies to prevent the power situation that has plagued the nation yet they seem unconcerned saying the engineers at the VRA have so many questions to answer as far as this energy crisis is concerned. Angered by the statement, Koku Anyidoho said the NDC would not be in power for hundred years but we have all these small boys like Sam George just insulting everybody. You go and insult the engineers from VRA, you go and insult Ofori Atta; who the hell are you, Sam George? He further vowed to deal with recalcitrant NDC members who insult people for expressing divergent views against the government adding that now that Im the Deputy General Secretary of the party Im waiting for that Sam George boy. Me, I will deal with him. The Deputy General Secretary however begged Ghanaians to forgive them for plunging the country into the power crisis. Im on my knees and Im begging them. The president also is begging themhe has said we have a problem and that in due time, we will manage the crisis, he pleaded. Sam Georges elevation insult to Ivor Greenstreet Sam George, in 2014, made a controversial comment which seemed to have affected the sensibilities of the General Secretary of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), Ivor Greenstreet after the latter issued a damning verdict on governments performance. Ivor Green Street during the 2014 National Democratic Congress'(NDC) delegates congress said Ghanaians are yet to experience the much touted Better Ghana Agenda of the governing NDC since they took over power in 2008. He said: Apparently nobody, I mean nobody is seeing your better Ghana agenda. Continuous dumsor, dumsor. Corruption from top to bottom, left right inside out and all the challenges you are facing is suffocating the Ghanaian people. Responding to Mr. Greenstreets criticism against the NDC government in the said year, Mr. George wrote on his facebook wall that: Ivor Greenstreet apparently needs some elevation to see the Better Ghana. After a successful first mini-draw, which saw a lucky customer win an all-expense paid vacation for a family of four to Dubai, the ongoing Access Bank Change Your Level promo has again rewarded another set of 15 lucky customers with amazing prizes. Humphrey Awuletey Williams, a customer with the Airport branch of the Bank was the proud recipient of a brand new Hyundai Accent after emerging tops in the second mini-draw. The other fourteen winners, including Darku Kweku Barima who received a flat screen LED TV, were rewarded with tablets, smart phones and rechargeable lamps. Presenting the prizes to the winners, Executive Director for Operations and IT, Kameel Adebayo who represented the Managing Director, reiterated the need for a better savings culture among Ghanaians. Our promotions over the years have been used to encourage our customers to make savings a habit. Putting little sums of money away is good and helps to cushion us for those unexpected life situations which tend to put a lot of stress on our finances. Mr. Adebayo, further highlighted the Banks effort at promoting a cashless society through its various products and services saying we have in the past year continued to increase investments in high-end technological infrastructure. Our objective is to drive cashless transactions and move people away from the banking halls. The Group Head of Personal Banking at Access Bank, Stephen Abban, used the occasion to announce the extension of the promo to February 15, 2016. There are many out there who are yet to join the promo and we believe that after rewarding these amazing prizes in the 2nd draw, a lot more people will respond, he said. In December last year, Rajeshkumar Pravinbhai Soni with the Tarkwa Branch of the Bank emerged winner of the all-expense paid vacation for a family of four to Dubai. With both prizes gone in the two mini draws, customers who deposit a minimum of a200 cedis in their account while maintaining a balance of a500 or more stand to win the ultimate prize of a plush 3 bedroom house fitted with a complete kitchen, air-conditions and automated gate. The promotion launched in September last year, is in partnership with the National Lotteries Authority (NLA) under the Caritas platform, Saka Homes and Stallion Motors Gh. Ltd. Defeated Convention People's Party (CPP) Presidential aspirant, Miss Samia Yaba Nkrumah has defended her accusations of vote buying at the party's presidential primaries and revealed she was considering going back to contest the Jomoro Parliamentary seat in the Western region. She has insisted there was 'absolutely no need' to withdraw the allegations and apologise since it was 'an open secret that GhE200, GhE300, GhE 500, GhE1000, GhE3000 were given to delegates during our congress on Saturday.' CPP National Chairman, Professor Edmund Delle had suggested in a radio interview that the allegations were not true and called for an apology from Ms Nkrumah. Ivor Greenstreet on his part has denied using money to buy votes. He rather said: 'this election was bought, but bought by my service, bought by my loyalty, bought by my commitment, bought by the fact that they knew that I am the best-placed person to speak for the party. They have heard me speak on national platforms. They believe I speak eloquently. They believe that I speak the true values of the party,' he said. Listen to Samia Nkrumah in the interview with Joy FM Download (Right-click & select "save link as" or "save target as"...) But responding in separate radio interviews on Citi FM and Joy FM on Monday afternoon, Ms Nkrumah insisted she was not the only one making those allegations and that other leading members [Prof Agyeman Badu Akosa] and delegates of the CPP have all said same. Ivor Greenstreet won the CPP's flagbearer slot massively with 1,288 votes to beat her former chairperson, Samia Nkrumah who came a distant second with 579 votes. The others, Joseph Agyapong and Bright Akwetey managed with 83 and 42 votes respectively. Ms Nkrumah explained her intention for making those allegations public was to ensure that what she deemed as improper in the party was corrected going into the future. She insisted she would not apologise and said: 'What is dangerous is to hide the truth. If we want progress for this country certain things need to be said. We are a smaller party, we know that if our party is going to be bought in every election then we will never be able to deliver on our mission and we know what our mission is. I came home for a mission, I came home to make sure that the ideals that make Ghana an independent country, that made Ghana a strong dignified country in the 60s are revived for the good of all.' 'What is important to consider is that, we are not destroying the party, we are just saying we need to address the issue for our next congresses. What is important is that we close ranks, we are getting ready for our campaign, we are happy our congress to elect flagbearer for 2016 is over and we are going to conduct a very sound and vigorous campaign.' Jomoro Ms Nkrumah revealed she was considering going back to contest the Jomoro Parliamentary seat in the Western region. 'I am happy to serve my party in any capacity and I'm considering this option.' She said her aim was to contest the flagbearership so she can attract more people to the CPP and that going to contest the seat, which she formerly occupied, will afford her the opportunity to serve the CPP again. Ms Nkrumah won the Jomoro Parliamentary seat on the ticket of the CPP in 2008 and served one term as Member of Parliament and lost to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate in 2012. Follow @enochfrimpong Writer's email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Are scents really that difficult to translate into words? I dont think so. We only lack practice. Moreover, if you explore literature and poetry, from Colette to Hafez, from Virginia Woolf to Gustav Flaubert, you can find many examples of writing in which aromas play an essential role. They can help us imagine the development of a plot, the emotions of characters or even the state of the divine. My latest FT Magazine column Perfumes and Books is about such scented stories. Fragrances are intangible and evanescent hence the assumption that they are beyond the linguistic capacity of humans. Such difficulties need not be the norm. Open Virgil, Tales of the Arabian Nights, Proust, Zola or Persian poets like Hafez and Nizami, and discover how aromas can be given form and language. Invisible though scents are, they become more powerful when captured in words. To continue, please click here. Any other favorite examples of sensory descriptions in poetry or literature? Photography by Bois de Jasmin 01.02.2016 LISTEN I have resolved that this 2016, my articles to the newspapers will lay stress on my pet subject, English. And I will quote Shakespeare profusely. Africanus Owusu Ansah (See his article, NEW YEAR (2016) RESOLUTION: STRESS ENGLISH in Daily Guide issue of Thursday January 7, 2016). My Dear Vandal Mate and brother, Africanus Owusu Ansah, I greet you in the name of God Almighty. May He continue to protect you, give you good health, and increase you in wisdom and intelligence so that you will not get tired informing, educating and entertaining your readers. In your article under reference, you stated that it is not just William Shakespeare you will be quoting. You state: I will also quote other writers: Alexander Pope, John Keats, William Wordsworth, Lord Tennyson, John Milton, et al. My brother, so you will be quoting all those 'archaic' writers of English Literature? Ah, if you had lived in the days of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, you would have been described as someone with a colonial mentality. Do you not know that knowledge of the writings of these people does not put food on the table? Again, at a time when ordinary citizens like you and me are grappling with very serious social, political and economic problems, should we be wasting our time with such a useless exercise, as engaging in the literary appreciation of a group of dead writers belonging to a different race? You yourself quote from the book, CORRECT ENGLISH, by J. E. Metcalfe and C. Astley, thus: Many university graduates with excellent degrees tend to believe that grammar, punctuation, spelling and syntax do not matter. Indeed, empires have been built by those who do not know their adverbs from their adjectives, or their 'principles' from their 'principals'. My brother, indeed, unlike me, my general auto mechanic (fitter), my auto electrician, my vehicle tyre repairer or 'vulcaniser'(bognansa), my mason, my electrician, my plumber, and my grounds man never saw the inside of a university lecture room, and certainly, do not have degrees in English. Yet, all these years, their expertise in their various trades or professions has been of great benefit to me. What about the farmers whose insufficiently rewarded efforts have continued to put food on my table? And, the other day, was our Minister of Education, Professor of English Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman, not laying stress on the point that all those products from South Korea vehicles and mobile phones are produced by people who do not use English but Korean? My V-Mate, do you feel betrayed by me? Do not be. You also quoted Metcalfe and Astley as stating: But 'good English' distinguishes the professional from the amateur, and most of us cannot afford to write 'its' for 'it's' or use a colon where a comma is needed.. Messages may be too easily misunderstood if we get the fundamentals wrong. My brother, far from betraying you, I am rather with you all the way, when you declare your New Year (2016) Resolution as laying stress on using English correctly. Of course, I taught English Language and English Literature for a living, but that is not the reason for agreeing with you. In fact, contrary to what others may think, I am all for choosing and using one indigenous language, and selecting English as a second language, because of its current international importance. However, for the time being, at least, we are stuck with English. The professionals or tradesmen mentioned above may not need English, but you, as a lawyer, and others, as teachers (from basic to post-tertiary level), students, journalists, parliamentarians, medical doctors, the President and his staff, etc,. need to use English and use it well. Just before I sat down to compose this article, my attention was drawn to a statement reportedly made by the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mrs. Mary Owusu- Achiaw, that bemoaned the inability of basic school children to use both the English and local language proficiently. That statement reminded me of an article I wrote, headed, LET'S KEEP ENGLISH, and published in the Saturday, August 6, 1994 of THE MIRROR. On the problem of English usage, I wrote in part: Back in July 1, 1991, Dr. Ekow Gardiner of the University of Ghana, Legon, published an article in the then PEOPLE'S DAILY GRAPHIC entitled, The State of Science Education in Ghana. I wrote, Dr. Gardiner observed, 'I am sure a few people would be shocked to learn that we have now reached a stage where reading and understanding English texts has become a problem for some of our university students'. A full 25 years later, the situation has undoubtedly got worse, not better. Today, it is not basic school, second cycle or tertiary students grappling unsuccessfully with English. People who should know better keep saying price increment when they should be saying price increase, much more stronger instead of much stronger, for you and I instead of for you and me, etc. My Vandal Mate, yes, stress English (NOT stress or emphasise on English) because of its international spread, and, for us, its emotional neutrality (it does not belong to any tribe in Ghana). Yes, we should be able to speak it, read it, write it and understand it well. Let me remind my fellow Ghanaians that at this very moment, English is the official language of Ghana. By I. K. Gyasi 01.02.2016 LISTEN Life, as the adage goes, is irreplaceable and that is why individuals and the state have the responsibility of protecting their lives and prevent it from being taking away. One of the ways the state can use to ensure maximum protection of her citizens is to ensure that there is always the availability of drugs to take care of the medical needs of her people. If drugs are in limited supply, the possibility of people dying from their ailments is very high. It is based on this that the State of Ghana decided to set up a Central Medical Stores at Tema to store all the essential drugs and release them to the various health facilities, as when they are needed. The Tema Central Medical Stores has been in existence for many years and serving the purpose it was set up for. For unexplained reasons at the time, fire swept through the medical stores destroying drugs worth over GH200 million. A committee set up by the government to investigate the circumstances that led to the outbreak of fire presented its report to Ghanaians last week Friday. According to the committee, headed by the hard working Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah Oppong, the medical store was deliberately set on fire to conceal evidence. According to the AG, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) was earlier tasked to investigate certain malfeasance detected at the place, but before they could commence work, those involved in the deal had already contracted Samuel Dogbe, said to be a labourer, to set the place on fire. According to the AG, Samuel Dogbe is now on the run, and they have contacted Interpol to assist in arresting him. Some officials, who are suspected to be involved in the arson, have also been interdicted, and would soon be put before court to face the full rigours of the law. Since the AG herself could not conveniently say that the interdicted officials set the place on fire, The Chronicle, like the AG is also treating them as suspects until proven otherwise by a court of competent jurisdiction. The Chronicle is, however, shocked that because these suspects wanted to cover up a crime, they could go to the extent of setting such a national asset on fire without thinking about the effect their actions could have on health delivery in the country. This is sheer wickedness of the highest order, if, indeed, these suspects committed the crime they are being accused of. Apart from the huge cost accompanying the crime, Ghanaians could have died from preventable deaths, if all the government-assisted hospitals in the country had run out of drugs, and had to fall on the Central Medical Stores. If the law will permit, these suspects should be charged for attempting to commit crime against humanity. What they did, if proven, could have resulted in a catastrophe. It appears when it comes to money, unscrupulous people do not care where their corrupt practices would land this country, which is the only one we all have. As we write this editorial, there are reports from Kumasi that the National Health Insurance Authority is owing hospitals in the Ashanti Region GH726,067.97. The development is bringing healthcare delivery in that part of Ghana to its knees, yet, a group of people did not care a hoot in allegedly setting fire on a medical store that takes care of all Ghanaians, resulting in the loss of over GH200 million. Surprisingly, these people, after committing such a heinous crime, will wash down, dress up on Sundays, and drive to church to worship God. The question is are we really worshiping God or Allah, or we are just mocking the old man? The AG and her team need to set an example by prosecuting these people to serve as a deterrent to others who are contemplating committing the same crime. God would not descend from paradise to develop this country we need to do it ourselves, and deliberately setting the Central Medical Stores on fire is certainly not one of the ways to develop. Accra, Feb. 1, GNA - Mr Tony Elumelu, Chairman, Heirs Holdings, has called on the United States Congress to pass the 'Electrify Africa Act' stating that its passage into law would make a world of difference in Africa. 'When you leave this place, call your Representatives and the Leadership of the House and ask them to pass the bill,' Mr Elumelu urged members of a packed audience in Washington D.C. The bill, which would preserve and expand President Barack Obama's Power Africa Initiative by codifying access to electricity as a U.S. foreign policy priority for Africa, has already been passed by the U.S. Senate and is expected to be voted by the U.S. House of Representatives next week. Speaking at the 'Power Africa Summit' in Washington D.C, Mr Elumelu, who is also the Founder Tony Elumelu Foundation, commended President Obama for working through the Power Africa Initiative to mobilize the private sector to invest $43 billion in the African power sector. Mr Elumelu said Africa must win the energy challenge if it seeks to become an industrial power in the 21st century, noting that 'power outages on the continent must spark power outrages. The kind of outrage that ignites the activist in us'. Elumelu's Heirs Holdings, a propriety investment company, through Transcorp Power Limited has committed $2.5 billion to deliver 2,000 megawatts of electricity under the Power Africa Initiative. Transcorp Power is currently generating about 19 per cent of Nigeria's power needs with a target to increase capacity to 25 per cent in the near future. 'Power cuts across and has impacted on healthcare delivery, job creation, education, food security communications and all other sectors of the economy. It is unacceptable that 600 million Africans lack access to energy in the 21st century', Mr Elumelu said. The call in Washington DC, follows the joint letter to the U.S. Congress from Elumelu and Mr Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, on behalf of the African Energy Leaders Group (AELG), which they co-founded with other leaders in January 2015. The letter, similarly urged members of the U.S. House of Representatives to act swiftly to pass this critical piece of legislation to scale up U.S. efforts to help provide Africans with access to electricity. In continuation of his advocacy for Africa, Elumelu also testified before the U.S. International Trade Commission on 'The Future of the U.S.-Africa Trade and Investment Relationship' the same day. Chaired by Ambassador Michael Froman, the US Trade Representative, the Hearing was part of efforts by the U.S. government to put appropriate building blocks in place for the next phase in its economic relationship with Africa. As a recognized African business and thought leader, Mr Elumelu was invited to share ideas on how to enhance the U.S.-Africa trade and investment relationships beyond the preferential access to the U.S. market for Africa's products under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Speaking at the Hearing, Mr Elumelu said Africa did not need another trade agreement or preferential programme and called for a new paradigm in the trade and investment relationship with Africa. He said: 'It is time to move beyond the unequal exchange of cheap raw materials for expensive finished goods that disadvantages Africa, to one that ensures technology transfer and sustainable economic development, huge economic returns for investors and creates new jobs for both sides.' He proposed three approaches to achieving this; applying the principles of Africapitalism; focus on identifying and enabling specific value chains; and promoting entrepreneurship. 'Africapitalism can help shape the new trade paradigm because it requires governments, donors and the private sector to work together in a 'Shared Purpose' to ensure the creation of national plans and supporting policies around specific sectors and related targets, so the private sector can step in with capital and expertise geared to achieve those targets, be they tons of grain produced, megawatts of electricity generated or industrial parks created', he stated. Mr Elumelu's engagements in the U.S. comes after the recent visit by a delegation of members of Obama's Presidential Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA), along with representatives of several U.S. government trade and investment-focused agencies. Elumelu hosted the delegation in Lagos, provided them an opportunity to interact and hear directly from young aspiring entrepreneurs drawn from the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP); an audacious initiative that provides seed capital, training, mentorship and a networking platform for 10,000 African entrepreneurs over a 10 year period. Endowed with $100million by the African Philanthropist, the programme, which commenced last year with 1000 beneficiaries, is currently in its second year with another 1000 beneficiaries from Africa, scheduled to participate and benefit from the novel entrepreneurship development program in 2016. GNA 01.02.2016 LISTEN Akosombo, Feb, 01, GNA - Madam Helen Adjoa Ntoso, the Volta Regional Minister, has been adjudged the best Regional Minister of 2015 by the West Africa International Magazine, with its headquarters in Accra. The award, granted at the Magazine's fifth Heroes' Award ceremony in Akosombo, was according to the organisers, in recognition of Madam Ntoso's 'selfless contribution' to the socio-economic development of the Volta Region. Some 18 other individuals and institutions were also awarded and celebrated for their contribution to national development. These included IDEAL College, NIIT, the Asunafo Municipal Assembly and JRA Industries. Madam Ntoso, who a few months ago, received the African Female Peace Champion Award, in Dubai, dedicated her award to the disadvantaged women in the country. She said she was humbled by the award, which recognised her for 'inspiring the signing of the peace accord between Alavanyo and Nkonya' and championing infrastructural development of the Volta Region. Madam Ntoso said the Volta Region was receiving its fair share of development and commended President John Dramani Mahama for his commitment to the region. 'I wish to state categorically that the good people of the Volta Region are receiving their fair share of the national cake for the first time in the history of Ghana since independence and I commend President Mahama for this,' she stated. All awardees were given certificates and plaques. The West Africa International Magazine is published by the Intra-West Africa Communications Limited. GNA Accra, Feb. 01, GNA - The Black Star International Film Festival, a film forum and advocacy platform, aimed at bridging the gap between the local and international film industry, has been officially launched in Accra. The launch was attended by key stakeholders from the Ghanaian and Nigerian movie industries, government agencies, and development partners; and the media. Speaking at the Ceremony, Juliet Asante, the Founder and Executive Director of the Black Star International Film Festival said: 'We believe that the images we see and the stories we tell, are important to who we, are as a people. 'Through the Black Star International Film Festival, we are opening the door to stories that drive the narrative of Africa and for African film makers to share their experiences with an international audience while allowing international film makers to share in the rich culture of Africa''. Ghana, thus Ms Asante said, was poised to welcome filmmakers from around the globe annually to celebrate the Art of Filmmaking. Femi Odugbemi, an award-winning Filmmaker, Writer, Producer, and a respected voice in the Nigerian movie industry, expressed admiration for the initiative and pledged his support to the success of the Festival. Madam Dzifa Gomashie, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, noted that the Film Festival was a timely platform being created to help take the movie industry to the next level. ''I encourage all stakeholders to make the initiative a resounding success, the need for intellectual discourse around the opportunity the festival offers cannot be over emphasised and I am very happy that this initiative is taking off', she said. She gave the assurance that the Ministry would support the festival for it to gain grounds. The BSIFF's overarching theme is, 'Face Forward', while the goal this year is to highlight the importance of film as a cultural diplomacy tool, as a global connector, as a trade enabler and as an employment creator. The Black Star International Film Festival (BSIFF), was set up to research global industry policies, to mobilise and sensitise stakeholders and to identify partners to advocate industry friendly policies. The annual festival would bring together filmmakers from all over the world, would screen and celebrate films and their makers, it would work at helping to close the gaps through that the industry faces through workshops, stakeholder engagements and advocacy. GNA Ajumako (C/R), Feb. 1, GNA - The Association of Teachers of Ghanaian Languages (ATGL) has expressed concern about the ineffectiveness of the current language policy on education. This was contained in a resolution passed at their annual conference held at University of Education Winneba (UEW), Ajumako Campus, where representatives of the various Regions were elected to form the governing council of the Association. The conference was under the theme: 'Ghanaian Languages: Key to improvement in Ghana Education System'. The resolution said due to the lack of commitment to the implementation of the current policy on the part of successive governments, the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service, has not helped the progress of the country's education. 'We acknowledge the inadequacy of period for the study of Ghanaian languages at the Colleges of Education level and suggest that the period of Ghanaian language study be extended to two years', it said. The resolution said the Ministry of Education should also consider the reintroduction of Ghanaian language as a core subject at the senior high school level and make it compulsory at the basic school level (placing it in the category of Mathematics, Science, and English). It said Ghanaian languages be made a key part for the requirement for admission into Colleges of Education and also issues concerning Ghanaian languages should be directed to the technocrats for advice. Dr E. Avea Nsoh a Senior Lecturer of UEW, delivering the key note address at the conference, said beyond question, the goal of appropriate language polices for effective education is worth pursuing. He said in Africa it is obvious that the current policies of over-reliance on exoglossic languages are failing individuals, their communities and their countries. Professor Kofi Agyekum, Professor E. Torgah and Mr. Francis Kwao were the facilitators of the conference. GNA 01.02.2016 LISTEN Duayaw-Nkwanta, (B/A), Feb. 01, GNA - Mrs Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parliament for Tano North, has presented GH20,000.00 to support the smooth take-off of the newly established Presbyterian Midwifery Training School at Duayaw-Nkwanta in Brong-Ahafo Region. According to the MP, maternal mortality and child morbidity remained a national health challenge but the problems associated with maternal health could be addressed if competent midwives were produced to handle deliveries. She commended the Presbyterian Church in the area for its support and contribution to the development of the district. Mrs Prempeh advised students in the district to take advantage of the training school and learn hard so that they would gain admission without difficulties. The Reverend Daniel Asomah Gyabaa, the District Minister of the Duayaw-Nkwanta Presbytery, thanked the MP for the gesture. He explained that work on the school's administration block, lecture halls, dormitories were progressing steadily and would be completed soon. Rev Gyabaa said the first enrollment would take-off in September 2016, and appealed to especially Duayaw-Nkwanta residents both at home and abroad to support the school. GNA Accra, Feb. 1, GNA - Mr Francis Asamoah Tuffuor, Chairman of the ECOWAS Community Development Programme Media Network, has called on the African Union to create more forums to help create awareness on its activities. He said there seems to be a lot of apathy when there are discussions about African Union and ECOWAS in the various member countries and called on the AU to use the media to create more awareness about their activities Mr Tuffuor, in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, said he made the statement during a panel discussion on topic: 'Media and the African Union (AU): how to bring the AU to citizens,' at the recent AU summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mr Tuffuor said the ECOWAS Community Development Programme, sought to bridge the gap between policies and realities in relation to achieving the ECOWAS's goal of free movement of goods and services within the sub region. He called on the AU to train media personnel across the sub-region to enable them report on AU activities and programmes and enhance the citizen's understanding of regional integration. 'In so doing, the media becomes the pivot, platform or the driving force where AU related issues could be effectively communicated to the masses. Mr Tuffuor, who expressed worry about molestation, arrest, detention and killing of journalists in some countries such as South Sudan, Burundi, and Gabon and other countries, said such practices did not give the media, the 'free room' to operate. 'Such acts, draws countries backwards, breeds corruption and stifles the free operation of the media to expose wrong doings while inhibiting foreign investment,' he said. GNA 01.02.2016 LISTEN His congratulatory message to Mr. Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, the newly elected rump-Convention Peoples Party (CPP) Presidential Candidate for Election 2016, was smack in order and timely to boot. However, his decision to admonish it actually sounded more like an avuncular patronage the former rump-CPP General-Secretary on how to train the crosshairs of his campaign rhetoric and agenda came off as rather a bit condescending and downright presumptuous (See Resist Personality Attacks Nana Tells Greenstreet Starrfmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 1/31/16). It also uncomfortably reminded me of then-Candidate Joseph Bidens equally presumptuous patronizing of then-Candidate Barack Obama for having supposedly done so well as an academically and professionally accomplished African-American community organizer, state assemblyman, state senator and then presidential candidate of the Democratic Party. What then-Senator Biden actually meant was that Mr. Obama was delectably different in cognitive depth and rhetorical poise from the likes of Messrs. Jesse Jackson and Alford Sharpton who had preceded the Hawaiian-born and half-Kenyan on the national political campaign trail. To be certain, though, Mr. Biden had not totally misfired. For back then, most eligible American voters, including this writer, at best, considered Mr. Obama to be a long-long shot Democratic Party presidential nominee. Indeed, in so cavalierly patronizing the future first Black President of the United States, the Democratic Senator from Delaware actually Joe Biden was born and raised in Camden, New Jersey may very well have meant nothing mean in spirit or essence. Nevertheless, it was quite quizzically obvious that Mr. Biden thought himself to be cocksure of clinching the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party, which he had previously been forced to abandon by charges of plagiarism during the 1988 presidential-election season, if memory serves yours truly accurately. Back then, the then-Senator Biden had been accused of appropriating a globally memorable and recognizable quote from then-British Labor Party Leader Mr. Neil Kinnock several times on the stumps without making even a single passing reference to the fact that he, Mr. Biden, was not the original source of the quote. In the opinion of both his supporters and detractors, Mr. Biden woefully lacked the creative imagination and integrity requisite for the caliber of a candidate gunning for the august presidency of the most powerful nation on Earth. Like the now-Vice-President Joseph Biden, who also doubles as the Ex-Officio President of the United States Senate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo must also have felt cocksure about his chances of an Election 2016 victory. And this is precisely where the danger lies. As the three-time Presidential Candidate of Ghanas main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo may have prematurely afflicted himself with the Buhari Magic. The latter phenomenon, of course, refers to the current President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Mahammadu Buhari, a one-time Major-General in the Nigerian Army and a former military dictator who recently clinched that countrys presidency as an elected civilian ruler on his third try. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind at all, that all things being equal, as it were, Nana Akufo-Addo is certain to emerge victorious in Election 2016. However, equally significant and worthy of note is the fact that such victory as he may be poised to clinching is likely to be made much easier if Ghanas former Foreign Minister studiously focuses his undivided attention on the affairs of his battle-scarred party, rather than cavalierly and ill-advisedly presuming to be already ahead of his competitors, especially the leaders of minor political parties such as the Greenstreet-led rump-Convention Peoples Party. Some of my readers, particularly the younger ones, may not remember this, but I sternly cautioned then-New Patriotic Party National Chairman Mr. Mac Manu in the lead-up to the 2008 general election against overconfidence and exuberance, when strategic sobriety clearly appeared to be the most winsome tack. Back then, the present Director of the 2016 Akufo-Addo Presidential-Election Campaign had been widely reported to have said that with a whopping parliamentary majority of some 34 seats or thereabouts, it was virtually impossible for the New Patriotic Party to be returned to the gray margins of parliamentary minority status. Those who care may Google up the response that I gave Mr. Mac Manu at the time. Our sages of yore have said that You cannot teach an old horse new tricks. That may very well be true. But it ought to be equally true that Experience has much that is worthwhile and productive to teach the healthily careful, wise and self-disciplined. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. 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. 01.02.2016 LISTEN It is becoming glaringly clear to the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that their chances of coming back to power are fast dwindling and to save themselves from the imminent third electoral defeat, party stalwarts have resorted to finding fault with anything that is seen as projecting the ruling party. Banking their hopes on the now non-existent power crisis, the NPP is fast losing their hold on the corruption card that appeared to be the only weapon left to defeat the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the only thing left now is to discredit any positive news on the NDCs achievements. NPPs Communication Director, Nana Akomea, who has no message to offer Ghanaians as an alternative to the NDCs sterling achievements, wants Ghanaians to believe that Ghanas good ranking in the recent Corruption Perception Index was attributable to civil society organizations and other individuals instead of the Mahama administration. A latest Corruption Perception Index ranked Ghana 56th out of 168 countries in the world with a score of 47. The figure shows a slight improvement in the fight against corruption in the sub-region as against figures from previous year. It further singled out Ghana and some African countries to have inched up in the fight against corruption in the sub-region. This achievement, according to the NPP, is the result of the works of Anas Aremeyaw Anas, the president of Tiger Eye Private Investigations, private investigative, who doubles as a journalist, Occupy Ghana and Imani Ghana. Exposing his disappointment at the performance of the NDC government in the fight against corruption, Nana Akomea said the good report amounts to a fantasy, a mere fiddling while Ghana burns from corruption and a poor attempt by President Mahamas government to tickle itself and laugh. This recent comments come in the wake of the NPPs admission that, they have nothing more to show for their ability to take over from the NDC as Nana Akufo- Addo, their flagbearer, goes round pleading with Ghanaians to give him a chance to rule Ghana before he finally retires from politics. The NPPs hue and cry is all an indication of a crest-fallen, divided party that has lost all it can use as a weapon to overturn an obviously imminent victory for President Mahama, whose developmental projects have endeared him to the majority of the people. President Mahama, during the recent presidential press conference, put it on record that the NDC government is the only regime that has put its own members before the courts to stand trial for suspected cases of corruption, something former President Kufuor considered politically-suicidal. To Mr. Kufuor, prosecuting a member of the NPP was going to kill the partys electoral chances but President Mahama made it clear at the press conference that, the era of prosecuting only ex-government officials when they are out of power, was gone and that he was going to fight corruption from within even if that was going to cost the party votes. Ex-President Kufuors ant-corruption stance represents that of the current flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo who has worsened by fighting those who try pointing out acts of corruption by party leaders and the examples are evident to all. Beleaguered Chairman of the NPP, Paul Afoko, spoke about corruption in the party, when he detected and exposed prevailing corruption within the NPP. He was sacked for making that move. Kwabena Agyapong also got a sack for joining in that crusade to expose corruption within NPP, as well as Sammy Crabbe and all executives who supported them. This is how NPP fights corruption a la Kufuor-style. Dont expose any corrupt person among your colleagues because it will kill the party but go after your opponents at least offense. 01.02.2016 LISTEN The first month of 2016, January was an interesting news month with a mix up of health, crime, and most of all political stories as the nation prepares for elections in November. Ghanaians slapped with high taxes Ghanaians began the year on a rather aggrieved note as an energy sector levy introduced by government triggered an almost 30% hike in prices of petroleum products from January 1 despite crude oil prices falling below $30 per barrel on the world market. Before that, electricity and water tariffs had gone up by 59.2% and 67.2% respectively from December 14th 2015. Hundreds of workers across the country protested to register their displeasure with the killer taxes and increases imposed on them. The electricity tariffs were reduced from 59% to 45%, for domestic consumers who consume between 0 - 50 units of power, effective February 1, after a meeting between government and the Trades Union Congress. Amakye Dede getting involved in accident and losing manager Legendary Musician Amakye Dede got involved in a nasty car crash that killed his manager, Isaac Yeboah . Amakye sustained some serious injuries but he recovered after being transferred to Korle-Bu from the Eastern region where the incident occurred. The remains of Isaac Yeboah were transferred to Cape Coast for burial. He was buried on Saturday, January 30. Two Ex Guantanamo detainees transfer to Ghana Also in the first week of January was the big issue of Ghana hosting two ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees for two years. The two, Khalid Mohammed Salih al-Dhuby and Muhammed Omar Mohammed Bin Atef were part of 17 detainees sent to countries such as Uruguay, Estonia, Kazakhstan and Oman. Their transfers were part of President Barrack Obamas effort to fulfill a 2008 campaign promise to close down Guantanamo Bay. Government Communicators had said that no money was given to the state in the deal to keep the two but few days after, the Public Affairs Counselor of the US Embassy in Ghana, Mr Daniel Fennell came out to say that the upkeep of the two was a shared responsibility between Ghana and the USA. Just when everyone thought the dust about the two had settled, four Republican senators in the USA called for cutting of foreign aid to Ghana if the two former prisoners escape or return to terrorism. President Mahama meets the press The president met a section of Journalists at the Flagstaff House in Accra on January 12th and answered questions from them. The interaction covered issues of corruption , tax hikes, the state of the economy and other trending issues. He denied claims that government was paid a huge amount to for accepting to host two ex Guantanamo Bay detainees. He justified the taxes imposed on petroleum products by saying that people who own private cars can pay a bit more tax . Boyfriend of Sian Blake runs to Ghana Amidst the Gitmo issues was another story which got almost all the international media focusing on Ghana - the Ghanaian boyfriend of British Actress Sian Blake-who was wanted for the murder of Sian and their two sons -coming to hide in Ghana. On Saturday January 9, Simpson-Kent was arrested by police detectives from a thicket near Butre where he was hiding in the Western region. Subsequently, he was put before court to be extradited to the UK to face justice but his lawyers told the court he wanted a voluntary extradition. Then the shocker! Hassan Ayariga forms political party He had reportedly formed breakaway party, All Peoples Congress (APC) from the PNC to contest in the 2016 Presidential race. This came after his loss to Dr Edward Mahama in the PNC's presidential primary held in the Upper West regional capital, Wa, last December. Mr Ayariga was reported to have picked up certification forms from the electoral commission. But the EC came out to deny some claims that it had registered a new political party. The PNC has since begun moves to get its former Presidential Candidate, Hassan Ayariga to back down on plans to lunch his own political party. Meningitis outbreak Then in the last two weeks, there have been news about the outbreak of Pneumococcal Meningitis in Ghana. Over fifty people have died out of the 246 reported cases. The first reported death emerged from the Tain district in December but the disease spread to Wenchi, Techiman, Bruohan, Kintampo, and Sene in January. Some cases and deaths were recorded in Bole in the Northern region then later in the Ashanti region . Volta region also got hit by Cerebrospinal Meningitis aside the Pneumocoaal Meningitis in the course of the month. The most recent cases were recorded in the Eastern, Greater Accra and Western regions . The situation has caused a lot of panic and anxiety among residents in the eight affected regions. But the Deputy Minister of Health, Victor Bampoe says the ministry is in control of the situation . Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com| Akosua Asiedua Akuffo| [email protected] Accra, Feb 01, GNA - A delegation from Finland representing a wide range of companies, is in Ghana to explore business opportunities, strengthen the existing political relationship and further develop the economic ties between the two countries. The delegation, which will be in the country for two days, is led by Mr Matti Anttonen, the Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland. Mr Anttonen, at a courtesy call on the Chief Director of Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, on Monday said the delegation would be studying some important sectors which are relevant for development. Such areas of interest include the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), Energy, Forestry, Education, Health and Agricultural sectors. He said the delegation had a packed programme to meet with the requisite Ghanaian business community to network and secure business deals. According to him, the relationship between the two countries was complementary, as Finland has a high technology and economy, adding that the companies from the two countries were expected to meet and discuss whether or not they would be able to work together. Ambassador Leslie Kojo Christian, Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, welcomed the delegation and said government was very much enthusiastic about the intended partnership, as the country has diverse investment opportunities. He said such partnerships would also improve private sector growth, and pledged government's support by providing an enabling environment to boost investment for national development. Ms Edith Hazel, Ghana's Ambassador to Denmark and accredited to Finland, promised to network with other business groups in Finland and wet their appetites to invest in Ghana's fertile economic grounds, to help develop particularly, the ICT sector to become the engine of growth. GNA Accra, Feb. 1, GNA - HFC Bank has relocated its Tudu branch to a new and improved setting at Dakmak House, on the Kojo Thompson Road, in line with its vision of repositioning in the market. The new branch depicts the unique look and feel of HFC Bank banking halls, which will characterise the Bank's network across the country. The move is also aimed at giving its cherished customers an enhanced banking experience. The opening of the new branch follows on the heels of the launch of seven exciting deposit products. Speaking at the brief opening ceremony, Mr Robert Le Hunte, Managing Director of HFC Bank Ghana Ltd, thanked customers for their loyalty to the Bank. He used the opportunity to invite the public to come and experience the Bank's suite of deposit products including the seven exciting products that were recently launched. He urged the staff to do their best and go the extra mile to meet the needs of their customers. Mr Francis Ackon, the Branch Manager of Tudu Branch, expressed excitement with the new location and pledged the Tudu team's commitment to work diligently towards achieving their set targets. The ceremony was attended by selected customers and the management team of the Bank. GNA Accra, Feb. 1, GNA - Leading telecom brand Tigo Ghana, in April 2015 partnered with Street Library Ghana to outdoor its digital mobile library as a way of giving meaning to its digital lifestyle brand. The digital mobile library was beautifully furnished with tables and chairs, laptops and kindle apps to enable children in some rural areas in Ghana to be a part of the Digital age. The project, aimed at digital inclusion for children at rural areas, was the first of its kind to be introduced in Ghana, making it possible for children in rural communities to have access to educational materials to aid their learning process via a digital platform. Street Library Ghana, which in 2012 benefitted from Tigo's Reach for Change Project, converts libraries from their traditional and static role of a permanent building for books, to a revolutionary and vibrant outdoor environment where books travel to the people who need them most, especially children who otherwise would have no access to library resources. Technology has become a central part of everyday life, driving development and simplifying every sphere of life for which education is not an exception. Digital inclusion has become extremely valuable, not only to individuals, but also to businesses, the state and society as a whole. In bridging the rural-urban educational gap for deprived communities, Tigo Ghana in partnership with Street Library Ghana has provided the needed reading material to students in a soft copy version. The Street Library van moves from community to community and from school to school setting up at each location to enable students make use of the tablets, kindles and laptops aboard the van. A total of 6,789 children have benefited from the reach of 'E-Library on Wheels' from May to December 2015. On 15th May 2015, Anoff in the Eastern Region became the first community to benefit from the outreach of the E-Library Van. About 4,360 children who had never seen or touched an e-reader were exposed to the digital device. Besides Anoff, the Van has since reached out to eight other communities in the Eastern Region namely Damang, Duayeden, Onoka, Kwesitenten, Adjeikrom, Ahwerase, Kwasi Nyarko and Obeng Yaw. Three communities in the Greater Accra region namely Sapeiman, Medie and Pokuase have benefitted from the project. Seven schools, Bright Kids Academy, Kawsi Nyarko LA, Jann Royal School, Damang LA, Christ Care Scool, Nsawam Adventist and Child Care and Development Centre School have benefited from the services of the van. The schools also have had an added advantage of using the van for ICT classes which ensured that the students had hands-on practical experiences especially for those being prepared for the BECE examination. The project also had the opportunity of hosting grantee partners of the Global Fund for Children who wanted to learn more about the 'E- Library on Wheels' project. Participants came from Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Rwanda. As a digital lifestyle brand, Tigo says it remains committed to making digital learning accessible to rural children across Ghana, an opportunity which they believe will open a world of possibilities for children. The 'E-Library on Wheels' van will continue to travel to rural communities, by expanding to twelve additional communities in 2016 to give children the opportunity to access education in a new and digital environment. GNA We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. business Ipca Labs gets USFDA warning letter for 3 units, stock crashes Ipca Labs already voluntarily suspended shipments of its APIs and formulations for the US market till USFDA inspection observations are resolved. you are here: business Dec core sector up 0.9% vs -1.3% in Nov Growth in Indias eight core sectors came at 0.9 percent compared to a decline of 1.3 percent in November. The growth was aided by reasonably good performance of coal, cement and fertilisers sectors. Crude oil demand is still weakening. The worlds heading into a deeper deflationary phase, which will get worse before it gets better. On 18 January, Brent crude hit US$28.94 per barrel a fresh 12 year low. At the time, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley were calling for US$20 per barrel. According to Bloomberg, Citi said U.S. oil prices may fall to $20 if tanks used to store crude start to fill up before producers sufficiently curb output. Morgan Stanley said it differently. It told investors in a research report, In an oversupplied market, there is no intrinsic value for crude oil. If you think thats bearish, think again. According to Bloomberg, Standard Chartered said US$10 per barrel was possible! The message is clear from the experts youd be crazy to buy the oilers. But, talking about crazy times, crude hit a high of US$37.55 per barrel last week. Has crude finally bottomed? Surely, these experts werent wrong again. Ill explain A small bounce bring healthy rewards To start, Id like to reiterate some of my comments from 18 January. I said, If you ask me, these major banks will likely be wrong again. Im expecting a 1520% bounce in the near-term. In this case, crude should retest the US$3536 per barrel level. If you want to have a punt on the oilers, theres a good quick trade on offer. I hope you listened to my advice. You could have made some quick money. The mid-tier oilers outperformed the pack. This is expected theyre typically the most leveraged to the oil price. If the oil price drops, their share prices tend to get spanked. On the other hand, as it did this time, shareholders are rewarded if the crude surges. On this note, Senex Energys [ASX:SXY] jumped 30% from 12 cents to 15.5 cents. Tap Oil [ASX:TAP] is now 26.3% higher, rising from 9.1 cents to 11.5 cents. And Sundance Energy shares rose by 32% from 9.1 cents to 12 cents per share. If youre thinking those gains arent exactly eye watering, think again. Remember, these gains were made in less than two weeks. Most fund managers are happy to make a 20% gain in a year. Talking about profiting from a bear market, lets not forget the big players. They also fared well. Santos Ltd [ASX:STO] jumped the most, up nearly 18%. Origin Energy [ASX:ORG] rose around 9%. Woodside Petroleum [ASX:WPL] and Oil Search Ltd [ASX:OSH] surged from their lows. So, contrary to the expert view, oil stocks have gone alright. But will the fun continue? Will the oil markets be rescued? It depends I should say that Im not bullish on crude oil yet. Remember, the supply and demand story hasnt changed. Its still atrocious. Crude oil demand is still weakening. The worlds heading into a deeper deflationary phase, which will get worse before it gets better. Clueless politicians are to blame. Other than raising taxes and increasing regulation, theyre out of ideas. So businesses have no incentive to spend and expand. Consumers will just hoard capital. So its no surprise crude oil demands getting worse. At the same time, supply is overflowing. Remember, thanks to technological advancements, the US is now the worlds second largest oil producer. Furthermore, according to the Telegraph, Saudi Arabia and Russia produce 20% of the worlds oil production combined. And Irans starting to flood the world with more oil. Its already producing 500,000 barrels per day. By the end of this year, the total should rise to one million barrels per day. Its clear. Financial markets and the world economy doesnt need any more crude oil. Unless something major happens, crude oil should make new lows in the months ahead. On this note, CNN reported last week: A Gulf source [said] regional players are willing to do anything to stabilize the market and all options are open. That includes a potential emergency meeting in February between OPEC and non-OPEC producers like Russia. It sounds good. But is it just a rumour? CNN elaborates: The comments suggest a possible shift from Saudi Arabia, the powerful Gulf oil producer in control of deeply-divided OPEC. The Saudis have long resisted dialling back production out of fear of losing market share. But U.S. production is slowing slightly and oil prices have closer to $30 a barrel. This come just after Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak on Thursday said OPEC and non-OPEC producers are considering a 5% output cut, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Novak cautioned that its too early to call anything a concrete agreement. A spokesperson for Russias energy minister told CNN there is no formal date for the meeting or an official invitation yet. However, the spokesperson confirmed there are discussions taking place. Financial markets live for rumours If youre hoping for higher crude prices, it doesnt sound very assuring theres no discussions taking place. So I wouldnt get too excited. Reporting on the rumour, Bloomberg told readers: OPEC delegates said they have no meeting planned with Russia after the countrys Energy Minister Alexander Novak indicated he was willing to meet with the group next month to coordinate oil-output policy. Four OPEC representatives said they hadnt heard of any plan for talks. One Gulf member said de facto leader Saudi Arabia had no proposal to trim production by 5 percent, after Interfax reported the country had suggested such a cut at previous OPEC meetings, citing Novak. Reviewing the story, crudes pop should be over for now. Remember, markets tend to move on anticipation, not facts. Punters love a good rumour. Its why they say, buy on the rumour and sell on the news. On this note, its clear the meeting rumour is a hoax. So crude shouldnt jump much higher right now. Theres no story to build up. On the other hand, if a meeting does eventuate, punters will start to get excited. Theyll think better days are ahead for crude and start bidding up the price. Absent of any rumours, crudes in for a volatile month. Its unlikely to break through the US$40 per barrel level. And US$27.83 per barrel the recent low should remain a major target. Crude should make a new low, though probably not this month. So be careful if youre looking at buying the oil companies. A few are likely to go bankrupt. Remember, the supply and demand storys terrible. And market sentiment MUST change to confirm a MAJOR bottom. When the lows confirmed, Ill let Resource Speculator readers know. Remember, crude prices wont stay low forever. The worlds facing a major war in the years ahead. That isnt something I want. But commodities and particularly crude tend to rally during times of war. If you want to know the best time to buy commodities, and the best miners digging them up, check out Resource Speculator. To find out more, click here. Cheers, Jason The court case between Woolworths and the ACCC is about to kick off. The competition watchdog has accused WOW of forcing suppliers to cough up $60 million. Woolworths [ASX:WOW] chairman, Gordon Cairns finally gave shareholder what they wanted. He got rid of the toxic Masters project. But the problems dont stop there. Cairns has had the headache of replacing outgoing CEO, Grant OBrien. And theres one more problem. The court case between WOW and the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) is about to kick off. The competition watchdog has accused WOW of forcing suppliers to cough up $60 million in extra payments. How it all began In December last year the ACCC launched a legal investigation into suppliers actions against WOW. It was believed that WOW forced suppliers to contribute towards their short falling profits. Surprisingly, this strategy was approved by senior management. After finding a $50 million hole in their books, former head of WOW gave the green light to bully suppliers. WOW would cut their suppliers already diminishing income. Cairns was in no way affiliated with the allegation. Yet he will add the pending court case to his list of woes. But why would suppliers give up their incomes? The answer is pretty simple. WOW, along with Coles, dominates the supermarket industry. Their shear buying power and customer base can make or break suppliers. WOW can decided to exclusively buy from one dairy supplier and not others. If this happens theres a good chance the other suppliers will be out of the job. Thus when WOW was asking suppliers for extra payment, there was an implied assumption involved. If a supplier didnt pay up then WOW would no longer stock that suppliers goods. At the time WOW claimed its conduct was consistent with industry practice to engage regularly with suppliers over product and category performance. But if such actions are industry practice, then supermarkets could be in for a rude awakening. WOW managed to squeeze $18.1 million from suppliers. Yet their scheme may cost the company more than $20 million. ACCC chairman, Rod Sims stated If behaviour such as we are alleging is industry practice then industry practice needs to change, suppliers cant be in a situation where they get arbitrary demands. Sims then confirmed his worst fears of industry practice by stating: We are very surprised and very disappointed when Woolworths alleged demands surfaced late last year we were in court in relation to Coles and our proven unconscionable behaviour to their suppliers and that was all over the newspapers. Now Sims is hoping enormous fines will discourage WOWs actions within the industry. But to also act as a message. The supplier and distributor relationship needs to change. WOWs tactics to squeeze suppliers do offer value to customers. But there needs to be other ways for supermarkets to cut costs. Theres still some good news for Woolworths The ACCC and WOW are scheduled to attend court 7 months from now. Justice David Yates will decide whether WOW acted unfairly towards suppliers. Competition law experts have said to prove that WOW is in the wrong; their behaviour has to have gone beyond industry norms. Since the announcement WOWs shares have surprisingly climbed. Shares jumped as much as 2% on open. But WOWs strong performance in liquor sales might have something to do with it. Source: Yahoo finance WOW has just struck a deal to exclusively sell the biggest beer brand in the world. And it will be its first appearance in Australia. Chinese beer brand, Snow, is the biggest selling beer by volume. It holds a commanding 23% market share in its home country and now WOW will exclusively sell Snow in their stores. But Im predicting this temporary distraction will wear off. And the fear of paying upwards of $20 million could cause WOWs shares to nose dive. Harje Ronngard, Junior Analyst, Money Morning PS: The recent global downturn has beaten down many blue chips this year. Not all are worth buying but there are some out there that have fallen below their intrinsic value. Woolworths might not one of these blue chips. But according to Money Mornings Kris Sayce there ae 5 beaten down Aussie Blue-Chips that are a buy today. Kris has close to 20 years experience in analysing stocks. His experience ranges from brokerage houses to leading wealth management firm. But Kris has found his home at Port Philip Publishing. Kris understands that investing your money isnt easy, especially in a declining market. In Kriss report he will show you why moving your capital into beaten down Blue-Chips is a good idea. Kris will also tell you how to identify the common denominator that makes these 5 beaten down Blue-Chips a buy. To get your free report today, click here. The chronicle of a life split between urban Manhattan and rural Montana. February 01, 2016 Syria 'Negotiates' With New Attacks On Insurgency Supply Routes The Syrian Arab Army launched a significant new offensive in north Aleppo today. It is another move in the battlefield negotiations that will decide this war. Map by @PetoLucem - bigger - full HD The likely objective of the offensive is the creation of a corridor from north-west Aleppo to the besieged towns of Nubol and AlZaraa. The towns are under siege from Jahat al Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria) and Ahrar al-Sham and are regularly shelled. Such a corridor would also cut through the insurgents main supply route from south-west of Aleppo to Turkey. The offense has been in preparation for some time and runs in parallel (vid) with other operations in Latakia near the Turkish border, east of Aleppo and in the south. To protect against any Turkish adventure Russia beefed up the available air power. Four brand new Russian Su-35S multi-role fighters arrived in Syria. Russia would like to demonstrate their capabilities. Nine Syrian Mig-29 fighters have been upgraded (recom. reading) with new active electronically scanned (AESA) radars and new missiles. They now fly protective cover for Russian and Syrian ground attack fighters and helicopters against Turkish air interdiction. Syrian T-72 tanks have been upgraded with new defense measures against U.S. anti-tank weapons. Throughout the last weeks several thousand newly trained troops arrived in the government held north Aleppo industrial zone. These have now launched the fresh attack in the north western direction (red arrows on the map) and already captured several villages. The attack was prepared by massive ground attack airstrikes which hit the frontline positions of the foreign supported insurgents' as well as their ammunition transports (vid). (Interestingly the destroyed convoy was on a narrow, small road. That proves that major supply roads are no longer available or safe for the insurgents.) The attack today forestalled planned counterattacks by various insurgent groups and Jabhat al-Nusra. The attacked insurgent units issued urgent requests for reinforcements. There have been significant skirmishes between Turkey and Syria/Russia in the last days. Turkey claimed that Russian jets intruded its airspace which the Russians denied. It is quite possible that small intrusion happen as the Russian and Syrian ground attack jets bombard insurgents near the Turkish border in Latakia. But the Turks now have to watch out for ready-to-shoot Russian and Syrian air superiority fighters who only wait for a chance to avenge the earlier Turkish ambush of a Russian plane. Today Turkish artillery fired (vid) against Syrian army positions in Latakia. The 1998 Turkish-Syrian Adana agreement which provided for largely demilitarized Syrian side of the border up to a depth of fifteen kilometer is clearly no longer in effect. Syrian artillery is active against insurgent groups which hide in "refugee camps" near the border. The Turks claim that these are ethnic Turkmen civilians but the video showing the damage in such a camp was released (vid) with the insignia of Jabhat al-Nusra. Some other fighters in the area are Turks from the fascist MHP party. When the Syrian army and its supporters have cleared the Latakia area near Turkey Russia will install a new far reaching radar and a listening post on one of its hilltops. Such a station will allow the observance of all air and sea movements for hundreds of kilometers into Turkey. It will be part of the price Turkey and NATO have to pay for the ambush of the Russian plane. Some people think that Turkey would invade Syria if the Kurds move further into the supply corridor north east of Aleppo the Islamic State uses for its dealing with Turkey. I very much doubt such a move as any intrusion into Syria would risk open war with Russia. The Turkish army would only launch that war under a explicit, written order. NATO would not support such a move and Erdogan alone would carry the full responsibility. Most Turkish people are well aware of the economic losses that follow Erdogan's aggressive policies and would likely not support such a hopeless adventure. Erdogan's grandstanding and interference is no longer effective. The current UN talks in Geneva between the Syrian government and a Saudi supported group of the radical insurgents are a side show. The real negotiations are on the battlefield and there the Syrian government and its supporters continue to improve their already superior position. Posted by b on February 1, 2016 at 15:49 UTC | Permalink Comments Events and Training; FDIC Enforcement Actions; FHA/VA Changes; Ginnie Issuance February already? Ah, Valentine's Day - remember as a kid when your classmates would hand out a 5 word card to every classmate and you received 20 pieces of candy? Those were the days; now we wonder how much really goes into "manufacturing" Valentine's Day. The Census Bureau tells us there are roughly 1,200 U.S. manufacturing establishments that produced chocolate and cocoa products which employee 38,717 people. The estimated value of chocolate and cocoa product shipments for manufacturing establishments that produced these products in 2014 is $14.9 billion. And there are 14,161 florists around the States, about 23,000 jewelry stores. Here is something different from the production side: "originators, is your current company introducing you to the people who actually do real-estate? We're not talking about purchased leads; we're talking about actual face to face introductions. If the answer is no, maybe it is time to talk to someone who can: FortuneBuilders Inc.! We'll be in Houston at the Crown Plaza February 17th -21st for a real-estate event, come meet a qualified national network of investors that buy and sell hundreds and thousands of real-estate deals a year who are looking for professional mortgage bankers to finance and educate them on their next deal. Think about where your production is going to come from this year. Contact Jon Mekeal to set up a meeting for this event. Mortgage Builder and Bodman PLC are conducting a free webinar on February 10th to discuss some of the most vexing issues facing lenders when preparing TRID disclosures. Sign up now as space is limited. And NYCB Mortgage Banking spread the word to its table-funding clients about its 1-hour LE/CD eDelivery Training, all offered at 1PM EST: Tue 2/02, Thu 2/04, Wed 2/10, Fri 2/12, and Wed 2/17. The Georgia Real Estate Fraud Prevention & Awareness Coalition (GREFPAC) is excited to announce its 2016 Fraud Prevention Conference at the Cobb Galleria on Wednesday, March 2nd. GREFPAC is a nonprofit dedicated to providing education and resources to combat real estate and mortgage fraud in Georgia and is an organization that serves both its members and Georgia communities by identifying best practices to prevent and detect fraud and by providing a safe space to identify and analyze fraud trends. The conference is open to real estate agents, mortgage professionals, appraisers, regulators, law enforcement, and community leaders. Come hear the latest from HUD, Fannie Mae, the FBI, regulators, and more! Attendance is only $50 per person, and if you register by February 15th you can bring a colleague for free. The residential legal machinations continue. Attorney Phil Stein (Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP) wrote, "Rob, six victories that clients of mine had won over Lehman and Aurora in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado were affirmed by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver after hotly-contested rounds of appellate briefing and oral argument. In the 37-page opinion the appellate panel unanimously affirmed the loan originators/sellers' victories on statute of limitations grounds. In so doing, the federal appeals court rejected, among other arguments, Lehman and Aurora's contentions that their claims were really 'indemnification' claims that did not accrue until they paid Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac with respect to the loans at issue. The court agreed with our argument that the claims in fact accrued as soon as the loans were sold (in 2006 and 2007). This obviously has potentially significant implications for loan originators and sellers across the country facing buyback or 'indemnification' claims from their investors." And no, the CFPB is the not the only regulator out there. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) released a list of orders of administrative enforcement actions taken against banks and individuals in December. No administrative hearings are scheduled for this month. "The FDIC issued a total of 41 orders and one notice. The administrative enforcement actions in those orders consisted of seven consent orders; one amended consent order; eight removal and prohibition orders; four restitution orders; five voluntary termination of insurance orders; six Section 19 orders; four civil money penalty orders; 10 terminations of consent orders and cease and desist orders; one order terminating supervisory prompt corrective action directive; one termination of restitution order; one adjudicated decision; and one notice." FHA & VA news and adjustments continue for lenders and investors around the nation. Did you know that there are only three available phases remaining for onboarding to the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) Electronic Appraisal Delivery (EAD) portal before the June 27, 2016 mandatory use date? To register for an onboarding phase, a mortgagee's designated FHA Application Coordinator should follow the steps outlined on FHA's EAD Portal Mortgagee Onboarding Process web page. Somewhat recently the FHA announced it will cut insurance rates for multifamily mortgages, designed to stimulate production and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing. The MBA did a nice write up: Full Story. VA has published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to the Qualified Mortgage Interim Final Rule in Circular 26-16-3. Mountain West Financial has a new Case Number Services portal. The new portal will provide easy ordering access to various case number services, including FHA Case Numbers (new, cancelations and transfers), VA IRRRL LIN Number Requests, CAIVRS Authorizations and FHA Refinance Credit Queries. The new portal can be accessed from the BOLT menu located on the MWF internet, mwfwholesale.com. Effective for loans with commitments taken on or after Monday, February 1, 2016, AmeriHome's fees are changing as follows: Tax service - $75.00, Admin fee (Agency - Fannie Mae,* Freddie Mac,* FHA, VA, and USDA) - $295.00, (Non-Agency - Core Jumbo, Non-Agency Hybrid ARM, and Expanded QM) - $295.00, Standard Service Level and $775.00, Enhanced Service Level. *Reminder: If a Fannie Mae Property Inspection Waiver (PIW) or Freddie Mac Property Inspection Alternative (PIA) is used, then a $75 PIW/PIA fee also applies at delivery. Land Home Financial Services (LHFS) advantageous FHA Streamline product includes: Non-credit qualifying streamline requires no appraisal or income documentation, mortgage rating credit report or mortgage only rating allowed with no credit scores, and employment is not required to be verified, borrower current contact information is required. In addition, LHFS has a new TRID Closing Doc Request, which is now posted under Forms and TRID - (Click Here For Form). Freedom Mortgage has updated its FHA and VA LLPAs effective February 1st, FHA FICO 550-619 (Includes Jumbo): 1.5, FHA FICO 620-639 (Includes Jumbo): 0.75, VA FICO 550-619 (Includes Jumbo): 1.875, and VA FICO 620-639 (Includes Jumbo): 1.0. Effective Wednesday, January 13, Ditech changed its loan level price adjustment (LLPA) for FICO scores greater than or equal to 740 on all Government to +.125%. Also noted, Ditech has changed its calculation process in determining VA High Balance loan eligibility. Moving forward, loan eligibility is permitted to be determined by using the base loan amount excluding the funding fee. Switching gears to take a look at the markets, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation has ended publication of regional breakout figures in its weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey for 30 and 15 year fixed rate mortgages and 5/1 hybrid and 1 year ARMs. The publication of both average regional and national breakout figures for 1 year ARMs has also be terminated. The 1 year APOR distributed by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council will then be used to decide if a loan with a fixed rate of less than three years is subprime. Recently I spoke with a small mortgage bank regarding secondary marketing pricing on FHA/VA production. The question comes up from time-to-time, "Why can't we be more competitive in government pricing?" Nine times out of ten it's because they're getting beat by banks who are GNMA issuers. Over the last few years issuing GNMA securities is the litmus test for a well-run Secondary Marketing department....and it shows in recent issuance numbers posted by GNMA. The last five years, in billions: 2010: $399.75; 2011: $329.36; 2012: $424.90; 2013: $417.39; 2014: $313.49; 2015: $454.32. We had quite a rally (in both stock & bond prices) Friday after the Bank of Japan cut its main policy rate from 0.10% to -0.10%. Yes, one must pay the bank to keep their money there. We also had a big jump in the Chicago Purchasing Manager's Index although the advance estimate for GDP growth in Q4 2015 came up short at 0.7% and Michigan Consumer Sentiment was finalized at 92.0 in January. The increase in personal consumption expenditures (2.2%) accounted for 1.46 percentage points of GDP growth, which was offset primarily by the negative contribution from net exports (-0.47 percentage points) and the change in private inventories (-0.45 percentage points). The FOMC meeting came and went with little market reaction. The rates market remains subdued, helping mortgages outperform. The Fed statement reflects a more dovish outlook on rate hikes, MBS should benefit and they have modestly outperformed this past week. But all of that was so... last week. I head to Houston for a TMBA event today realizing we have a "ton" of news coming out. Today are December PCE Prices & December Personal Income and Personal Consumption (7:30 CST), December Construction Spending, and January's ISM Index. Tomorrow we take a breather and then pick up again with the MBA's mortgage application index, January ADP Employment Change, and January ISM Services. Thursday: the January Challenger Job Cuts, Initial Jobless Claims, and also Q4 Productivity and Unit Labor Costs, December Factory Orders, and Durable Goods. As with most first Fridays of the month this Friday we'll see the January Employment numbers, and also the December Trade Balance. We wrapped up last week with the 10-year yielding 1.93% and in the early going it is hovering around that level with agency MBS prices roughly unchanged. Jobs and Announcements In Ops news, Carrington Mortgage is now hiring in Westfield, Indiana. "Discover the opportunities with the Mortgage Lending Division Open House of Carrington Mortgage's Westfield Indiana Operations/ Regional Sales Center on Thursday February 11th from 12PM to 7PM. Carrington Mortgage a dynamic and entrepreneurial Mortgage Company is expanding its footprint with its new state of the art Regional Operations/Sales Center in Westfield Indiana and we are looking for Top Talent! If you are a Licensed Mortgage Loan Officer, DE Underwriter, Funder, Document Specialist, or Loan Processor we would love to meet you! Enjoy some refreshments and meet our leadership team. At Carrington Mortgage Services you'll discover an open door to opportunity. Exceptional financial strength, products and geographic scope - combined with comprehensive training programs, diversity initiatives, competitive benefits and a commitment to work/life balance we can open up a world of possibilities. We have cultivated a fun team work environment where there is opportunity to learn and develop within both the company and your career. With hard work, you'll reap benefits both professionally and personally." To RSVP please contact Carlos Fernandez at 949-517-7204. And congrats to Denise Neely who has joined Valuation Partners, a national appraisal management company with access to over 20,000 independent fee appraisers in all 50 states, as the VP of the Southwest Region. In her new role Neely will be responsible for overseeing business development and new client services in Arkansas, Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. The housing market is improving and fraud is declining a trend one economist says will continue. The First American Loan Application Defect Index, which measures defects, fraud and misrepresentation in the information submitted in mortgage applications, has fallen drastically. Nationally its down 2.6% month-over-month in December and 8.4% year-over-year, Economist Mark Fleming told Mortgage Professional America. Most of the markets seem to be improving and the main reason is the high risk markets, such as Miami, are improving. We do expect the trend to continue. Fleming believes stricter underwriting is making a difference. Part of it is the industrys own doing it is underwriting more stringently than in the past, Fleming said. Putting the proverbial club on the car has decreased risk. One are that has improved dramatically is Iowa. Iowa defect and misrepresentation risk has declined by almost nine percent in the past year and has one of the lowest levels of risk among all 50 states, First America said in a release. Misrepresentation and fraud risk has declined 23 percent from Iowas high point in September 2014. According to the company, the five states with the highest month-over-month decrease in defective loans are: Alaska (-10.8 percent), Mississippi (-5.6 percent), New Mexico (-5.3 percent), Montana (-4.3 percent) and Indiana (-4.1 percent). The return to a more normalized market has helped manage risk; there is less investor activity and cash sales, Fleming said. Tim Fischer Community involvement: I am an active resident at Manor Park Inc. and assist in local programs and activities and visit residents who are unable to leave their health care facility. Most recently, I assisted in the reorganization of the resident library, and I also assist military veterans and widows obtain benefit information, application forms and documentation, and meet local representatives of the Veteran Administration. I visit the ill and injured at the hospital on a private basis and currently recruit home caregivers to attend local training programs with the Area Agency on Aging. I am a member of Christ Church Anglican where I sing in the Chancel Choir. I have served on many committees, and as junior and senior warden, at the church. Previously, I served as a board member at Casa de Amigos and Centers for Children and Families. During my time volunteering with both organizations, I reorganized and initiated volunteer programs. I also volunteered as a substitute delivery driver for Meals-on-Wheels, a Court Appointed Special Advocate for CASA of West Texas, a home visitor for Hospice of Midlands After-Care program and with Christmas in Action helping with home repairs. During my time in the military, I had many opportunities to volunteer. While serving in Vietnam during the war, I volunteered to go into villages with Marine Corps guards to aid civilians. Professional and community involvement: Soon after opening The Blue Door, I began to notice the community spirit and philanthropic passion of our core clientele. I had volunteered with many organizations since I moved here, but knew that my impact would be greater with the power of groups. Without fail, anytime I have asked our guests and social media followers for items of need, they have come through. Last year we initiated GiveBack Mondays, which run from March to September. Each Monday, we sponsor a local charity, and they receive a sizable portion of that days profits. It is The Blue Door's way of giving back to this community that we love, and that has treated us so well. While I enjoy supporting many organizations, Lone Star Sanctuary for Animals has my heart and soul. My focus at the shelter is befriending those who are considered "lost causes" or "unadoptable." The goal is to teach them that not all people are scary, because the more outgoing, tail- wagging and purring they become, the better their chances that someone will pick them. In some cases, years pass without them being chosen, and in some of those cases, they end up coming home with me. What does it mean to serve the community and how do you do so? A successful community relies on the collaboration and efforts of many to make it a place we are proud to live in. We all have specific skills, passions and traits that we can offer to contribute in effective and meaningful ways. My personal strengths are empathy and the ability to make people and animals feel at ease, so I seek out organizations where those are most useful. I have felt most helpful at Midland Rape Crisis Center, Safe Place Women's Shelter and Lone Star Sanctuary for Animals. What unexpected lesson have you learned through your volunteer experiences? As I say often, I have learned to "get over myself." I used to want to "fix" things, people and animals immediately, and would get frustrated when I couldn't. But I now know I am here to give the tools, information and encouragement they may need, and then I must trust in the individual. When they are ready, not when I am ready, change will be made. How long has Midland been your home, and why have you stayed? Midland has been my home for 13 years, and I came here kicking and screaming. But, I have grown to love this city. Watching it grow and evolve, yet somehow stay the same, and having my own small part in that, has been an unexpected and special experience. BAYTOWN In the oil business, one mans bust is another mans boom. As the price of crude tanked in recent months, oil companies have halted work at south Texas oil fields, laying off tens of thousands of workers. Home prices have taken a big hit, as have hotels, restaurants and all the other businesses that cater to corporate boardrooms and globe-trotting petroleum engineers. But in this Gulf Coast refinery hub about 30 miles east of Houston, business is good. Really good. My company loves it when oil prices go down, said Eric Schuelzke, 31, a process technician at an Exxon Mobil refinery, one of a roomful of workers in refinery caps and blue coveralls who were busy downing fried shrimp and Driller pizzas at Pipeline Grill. The parking lots in this part of town are filled with gleaming, $60,000 Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado pickups, some from as far away as North Dakota. The guys in the offices are getting laid off, not us, said Jimmy Phinny, 30, a process technician for Chevron. Im not hurting at all. As the price of crude oil has veered south over the last year, Houston has become a city of contrasts. Most of the pain has been felt in upstream management of crude production among white-collar geologists and engineers in corporate offices clustered on a stretch of Interstate 10 known as the Energy Corridor on the citys west side. The downstream refineries, along another stretch of Interstate 10 to the east, now pay less for the crude oil they process. They are in the midst of a more than $50 billion construction boom, and their blue-collar employees are working round-the-clock shifts. Houston is unique as a metro area in having that kind of balance, said Bill Gilmer, director of the University of Houstons Institute for Regional Forecasting. That cultural split is going to be there for a long time. Its a red-neck, white-collar kind of split. That always leaves the east side of town with an inferiority complex, which makes it more fun when they get a leg up. Of 40,000 estimated jobs lost in the oil and gas sector in the Houston area last year, many were on the west side, including about 13,000 white-collar professionals lawyers, accountants, engineers, architects and consultants. As the downturn lengthens, total job losses in the region could continue, Gilmer said. But they will not be as hard a blow as the last big bust in 2008, he said, and will be cushioned this year by job gains in other sectors, including 10,000 new construction job on the industrial east side. Some of the largest refineries in the world ring the Gulf Coast, including Exxon Mobils Baytown plant. They were already expanding to meet demand for liquefied natural gas and ethylene, a building block for plastics derived from natural gas, and now they have cheaper crude to process for gasoline. The plants form a glittering cityscape on Baytowns swampy horizon, framed by construction cranes. Recently, companies were hiring and RV parks were full of new arrivals; the citys main drag was clogged with traffic. The east side has emerged, said B.J. Simon, associate executive director at the Baytown-West Chambers County Economic Development Foundation. The impact of construction has had a cascading effect here. Schuelzke and his friends didnt attend college and instead started work here for more than $60,000 a decade ago in a field that now pays six figures. Their companies have been hiring steadily, about 20 new operators a quarter. A refinery veteran sitting nearby chimed in that he tried to retire from Exxon Mobil last year, but he was so in demand as a trainer that he returned. Around town, building crews are at work on new grocery stores and restaurants. Pipeline Grill opened in 2013; theres new Target, Starbucks and Kroger grocery stores about to open, but Baytowns still a long way from rivaling upscale west Houston. The west side, they always get the nice housing, the hospitals and freeways. Were like the armpit of Houston, said the trainers wife, Erin, 57, who also works for an oil company and, like her husband, did not want to give her last name to avoid upsetting superiors. But in this economy, youre much safer as a blue-collar worker, her husband said. The restaurants owner, Andrew Rosenberg, recalled how he almost opened his restaurant on the west side before banking on Baytown. Thank goodness I built it by the refineries, not the oil corridor, he said. After halting plans to build near Exxon Mobils new campus north of Houston, he added a second location in December in nearby La Porte and is opening a third by years end in the working class Gulf Coast town of Lake Jackson, near Dow Chemical. Over on the west side, luxury town homes sit empty, and million-dollar homes that once sold within 48 hours linger on the market weeks later. The Energy 10 office park has vacancies, as does the new Energy Center 5 office tower. It doesnt have a tenant, said Clark Martinson, general manager of the Energy Corridor District. Who, he asked, would be interested in moving into that empty building when theres plenty of space available in BP and other oil company towers nearby? Martinson has friends who have taken early retirement, sold summer homes or unloaded their homes here and moved into rentals. People were happy, living fat, and now its leaner, he said. Its going to take a while for us to weather whats happening with oil prices. Four years ago this month, oil commanded $98.48 a barrel. Last week, a barrel sold for $30.34. That price drop is hurting the west side Mexican bistro Las Ventanas, which caters to oil and gas professionals from nearby office complexes and has seen business lag. Doug Poteet, 49, an offshore engineer, complained over lunch that massive layoffs have forced friends with decades of experience in the oil industry to go to work for UPS, Uber and car dealerships. What work there is, people are just almost cutting throats to get, he said. His lunch companion, Richard Gainey, 58, a pipeline engineer, was laid off in September and applied to the refineries to the east, only to discover his experience didnt translate. Theyre not hiring people from the upstream side. Theres a barrier to overcome. The recruiters are looking for a specific set of skills, he said. With Poteets help, Gainey had just snared a job with another west side oil company. But Poteet wasnt sure other unemployed friends with homes and families would be as fortunate. If this goes on another year, youre going to start to see foreclosures, he said. Another diner, a geophysicist named Bill, saw his entire department eliminated in October. Hes still working a bit with the company but as a consultant. Theres an awful lot of us out here now, said Bill, who asked that his full name not be used because hes still looking for a job in the industry. In his 36 years in the business, he said, hes never seen a worse downturn. Hes still got his house in nearby Katy and a vacation home to the north on Lake Livingston, but hes not sure how long he can hold on to them. He was surprised to hear Baytown is booming, and smiled at the news. Well good for them east side, he said. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency Call it the Saudi calculus. Oil prices were already plummeting 14 months ago when, at Saudi Arabias insistence, OPEC put the global petroleum industry on notice: Member countries would not try to prop up prices by cutting production. We dont want to panic, Abdalla el-Badri, secretary-general of OPEC, told reporters at the groups November 2014 meeting in Vienna. We want to see how the market behaves. Since then, the market has behaved in a way few could have predicted including Saudi Arabia, the worlds biggest oil exporter. The price of oil has collapsed under the weight of a growing international glut, made worse by slower growth in the global economy. And yet the Saudis keep pumping oil at virtually full capacity. And they have persuaded their Persian Gulf OPEC allies Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to do the same, despite mounting pressure from other big OPEC members to curtail production. It is a risky strategy one that is already straining Saudi finances and threatening the kingdoms ability to continue providing generous social programs, such as subsidized housing and cheap energy, that the royal family has long used to buy domestic tranquility. Oil provides more than 70 percent of Saudi government revenue. And though the Saudis still have about $630 billion in financial reserves, they are spending them at a rate of $5 billion to $6 billion a month, according to Rachel Ziemba, an analyst at Roubini Global Economics in New York. But so far, Saudi Arabia is essentially betting it can win an oil-price war of attrition not only against its OPEC rivals such as Iran, Iraq and Venezuela, but also against non-OPEC rivals like Russia and shale-oil producers in the United States that have contributed to the global glut. The Saudis argue that throttling back oil production for a short-term pop in the price would be throwing a lifeline to shale producers in the United States, some of which have already shown signs of wilting. Oil producers have dropped their rig count in the United States as bankruptcies spread. But daily production has remained resilient as remaining wells become more efficient and as projects in the Gulf of Mexico, conceived in an era of $100-a-barrel oil, come online. On top of this, Iran can increase exports now that Western sanctions have been partly lifted, potentially raising its daily production well above the current 2.9 million barrels a day. With the world awash in oil, the Saudis fear that cutting back might achieve nothing but erosion of their own share of the market 1 of every 9 barrels produced worldwide. All this adds up to oil prices that are not likely to rise significantly higher any time soon, unless the Saudi kingdom suddenly changes course. If prices continue to be low, we will be able to withstand it for a long, long time, Khalid al-Falih, the chairman of Saudi Aramco, the kingdoms national oil company, said this month at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Last week, Brent crude, an international benchmark, was trading around $34.74 a barrel. That is above the 12-year low of about $27 that oil hit last month. But it is still down more than 70 percent from the level of about $114 in mid-2014, before the price began collapsing. As daring, or even self-defeating, as the Saudi approach might seem, it is a policy born of pragmatism. Whatever Saudi Arabia does with oil production, its two big OPEC neighbors Iraq and Iran might have their own reasons to keep pumping or even raising output. And Russia, a big non-OPEC producer, is embroiled in a financial crisis from plunging oil prices and Western sanctions that might give it little choice but to maintain production and take whatever revenue it can. The Saudis also need a high level of production to support their export network, and their domestic refineries and petrochemical industry. In order to maintain an efficient economy in terms of investment you cant be pushing your production up and down a half a million barrels every time the market requires it to prop up prices, said Sadad al-Husseini, a former executive vice president of Saudi Aramco, who now runs Husseini Energy, a consulting firm. Still, the Saudis know that they are in for tough times and that their dependence on oil has left them vulnerable. At a time of great political ferment in the Middle East, plunging oil prices have gutted the export revenue that drove economic growth in the region. The Saudi kingdom is staring at a growing budget deficit and the specter of an economic recession. The Saudi government has already had to curtail some of its social subsidies, recently increasing gasoline prices. And in hopes of finding a new way to monetize its oil assets and begin diversifying its oil-dependent economy, the kingdom has even floated the idea of a public stock offering for Saudi Aramco. As far as I am concerned, the strategy is not working, Nor-dine Ait-Laoussine, a former energy minister of Algeria, an OPEC member, said of the Saudi commitment to production. El-Badri, the OPEC secretary general, who is Libyan, has called for a collective effort to reduce the global oil glut. It is crucial that all major producers sit down to come up with a solution to this, he said last week at Chatham House, a research institution in London. Venezuela has been pressing for an emergency meeting of cartel members. But the Saudis are standing firm. Our investments in capacity of oil and gas have not slowed down, al-Falih, the Saudi Aramco chairman, said last week. It was the middle of the day when Amy Rydell strolled into the office in noticably high heels. For the 36-year old Rydell, the vertical boost puts her at 6-foot, 1-inch. She has more of an unbothered strut than a mere walk. Her style is impeccable from the point of her heels to the top of her head. With bleach-blonde hair and an eye for fashion, Rydell has been told you dont belong in Midland, by friends more than once. Her height and style match her personality. Her booming voice is accompanied by a contagious laugh. These ingredients make the perfect recipe for her website, Faturday Night Live, where she breaks down barriers by adapting popular clothing trends for plus-size women, using herself as a model mixed with snappy dialogue explaining her sartorial selections. Ive always been a confident person, Rydell said. Ive always been bigger than my friends. Ive always been the big girl, but its never slowed me down. Ive always had a good life and a great attitude. But thats not the case for so many people. We shouldnt have to apologize for who we are. Growing up in Midland, Rydell didnt care about style until she was an adult out in the real world. She attended Midland Christian, and her family didnt make school clothes a high priority. She was always aware of the differences between her wardrobe and those of her peers because she chose confidence and positivity over peer pressure or frustration. Ive always loved jewelry. That started very young, Rydell explained. We didnt have a lot of money, and I just wore what my parents could afford. I was aware I didnt look like my peers, but I had a good attitude about it. Everyone goes through the constant feeling of trying to fit in, but, you know, I got over that. As an adult, she bounced from school in Virginia, to teaching English in Thailand, to College Station, where she earned a bachelors degree in Theater Arts at Texas A&M. That was also the time she began to toy with the endless possibilities of attire. I started to experience more with my style, and the love grew from there, Rydell said. When she returned to Midland in 2007, Rydell began teaching at Midland Christian, eventually heading the theater department. This past year, she found herself burned out and stepped back. But her creative urges were still there. So she turned to the blogosphere. I really kind of jumped in headfirst, Rydell said. There was a growing community online of plus-sized fashion bloggers, as well as body-positive advocates. Prior to starting the blog, I really wasnt aware of any of this. What followed were copious amounts of time spent reading about the subject of body image. Eventually, she decided to carve out a niche by helping women find chic options no matter what their size might be. Im a storyteller by nature, Rydell said. Im wordy, and I like to tell the stories about how I found certain outfits. I include a lot of humor, thats why the title fits so well. Responses on the website are overwhelmingly positive with comments like: You look divine in the fringed waterfall cardigan. We all make and break our own style rules, well done, wrote Dasha Guyton, a fashion blogger located in Chicago. Being a beacon for self-image is another reason she enjoys blogging about the industry. With typical fashion ads showcasing slim models adorned in the latest couture, Rydell believes anyone can be stylish and confident with an array of various garments. Ive read a lot of articles about how the body acceptance movement is unhealthy, Rydell said. For me, Ive not always been this size, but Ive always been a big girl. I come from a family of tall people. Were just big people. Rydell believes no one should be embarrassed with what they wear and instead should view it as an extension of self-expression. She doesnt feel the desire to fit into a mold perpetuated by social media or society even. She wants to simply be herself. I definitely think its high time people say, Forget the mold, Rydell said. You can be thin. You can be fat. You can be light. You can be dark. You can be tall. You can be short. Whatever it is, theres no reason that cant be considered beautiful. I just think its an important message. Before Faturday Night Live and her return to Midland, Rydell pursued the life of a theater actress in Chicago. Though she carved out early success as an intern at Chicago Childrens Theater, there was an unresolved feeling. Because of the distance between her and her family, and the difficulty of finding roles, at 27, Rydell headed back to her hometown. Back in Midland, she quickly became a full-time teacher of economics and social studies at Midland Christian School while hoping a theater job would open up. A year later, she was given the reins of the theater department. Although her primary theater work in Midland has either been in an educational capacity or as a performer, this Friday will be a significant mark in her theatrical career. Shes set to make her West Texas directorial debut with The Fantasticks a musical about parents forcing their children into actions through the method of reverse psychology. The show begins on Feb. 5 and runs through Feb. 13 at the Permian Playhouse in Odessa. After researching and deliberation, Rydell decided to welcome the task. One of my friends suggested me, and my initial response was very unsure because my directorial experience has been high school theater, Rydell said. I had also never directed a musical. Thats been a worthwhile decision as it brought another creative outlet into her life. She helms the show with assistant director Abby Anderson and musical directors Anthony Vickery and Jeb Harris. Its been a learning experience, and Ive had to pull my hair out a couple of times, but its been great, Rydell said. We adapted the story to take place at a carnival, and thats what great about the story, it can be where you want it to be. With a two-week run, she can soon get back to her FNL. Her plan is to refocus on the blog, and to possibly expand Faturday Night Live into a full blown business. Regardless of whether Im here or elsewhere, my main focus will be transforming the blog into a business, Rydell said. I need some time and some help, but thats not going to happen right away. My goal is to start working toward that. People can expect me to expand the blog. The business model she proposes is a tool to assist women find clothes that are both stylish and fit well. Rydell would essentially act as a personal shopper for those interested. And theres no uncertainty as she voices her own expectations just a rock-solid confidence like shes always had. Teresa Crawford HOUSTON (AP) Sandra Bland's family is asking a judge to reject arguments from Texas that state Department of Public Safety reports related to the black woman's arrest, jailing and death last summer should be withheld from them. Texas says it has immunity from damages sought in a lawsuit Bland's family filed after she died in a county jail three days after a contentious traffic stop. For many months now, Republican and Democrat presidential candidates alike have hit their respective campaign trails. And as theyve mustered as many votes as possible in Iowa and head next to New Hampshire as the primary rolls on, weve heard plans and promises aplenty from each White House hopeful. All argue theyre better than the other, that theyre the most qualified, that they have the best ideas and that theyll create an America far better than what the current president or the president before him put in place. Weve listened to the candidates, but theres a key issue we havent heard: how theyll work with Congress if elected. When youre trying to persuade the voting public to elect you president, mentioning Congress probably isnt a wise idea. A Gallup survey from the first week of January indicates Congress has a job approval rating of 16 percent. Thats better than the 13 percent in December, 11 percent in November and certainly much better than the all-time low of 9 percent in November 2013. But polls and unpopularity aside, cooperating with Congress will be critical for any future president. Why? Because a president wont get much done otherwise, at least by non-executive-order means. Remember: A bill is just a bill, and its only a bill, as its sitting there on Capitol Hill. Its a long, long journey to the capital city, and its a long, long wait while its sitting in committee. And it will be a law someday, at least people hope and pray that it will. But unless the measure can make it past a few key members of Congress who will discuss and debate, make it through the House and Senate and become signed by the president, its just a bill. As for the presidential candidates, their talk is just talk unless they can work with Congress. Its bad enough that lawmakers can barely cooperate with their counterparts across the aisle, let alone on the other side of the Capitol. However, another lame, nothing-accomplished, blame-ridden four years because the president and our other elected officials in Washington cant get along will be disappointing at best. We wont speculate on the at-worst scenario. So, our plea to all the presidential candidates is: cease with the whats and ramp up the hows. The world is listening. Give them something worth hearing. Synth-pop group, fronted by Jean-Philip Grober, St. Lucia has released their new album Matter. Fans can now stream and download at any of their favorite digital outlet. Matter doesn't have any listed features, but St. Lucia tabbed Tim Pagnotta of Walk The Moon to write on "Dancing On Glass" and Jack Antonoff to help pen the catchy "Help Me Run Away." The album starts out with the big, bombastic pop cuts that one expects from St. Lucia and that have been revealed as singles. Tracks like "Dancing On Glass," "Physical" and "Do You Remember" all carry the nostalgic and upbeat pop sound that As the album progresses, they get into some deeper cuts like the jazzy, "Game 4 U," and more vintage and subdued "Stay" that stand out from the rest of the album in their uniqueness Rounding out the album, they remind the listener why they tuned in the first place with the Antonoff hook-friendly "Help Me Run Away" that plays as a migrant's plea to his homeland, fitting with the current situation of migration around the world. To celebrate the release of their album, St. Lucia will play in front of a sold out crowds in New York City at Baby's Alright tonight and then at Webster Hall tomorrow night. Then they will embark on a month-long tour across North America, hitting cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Vancouver, Boston and Denver. Get all of the details about the tour here. Stream the album below on Spotify and head to iTunes to pick up a copy via Columbia/Neon Gold Records. Matter Tracklist: 01. Do You Remember? 02. Home 03. Dancing on Glass 04. Physical 05. Game 4 U 06. The Winds of Change 07. Love Somebody 08. Rescue Me 09. Stay 10. Help Me Run Away 11. Always 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. While stopping by The Graham Norton Show this weekend Will Smith revealed plans to tour with DJ Jazzy Jeff this summer and elaborated on the current race debate within the Oscars. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air actor and his partner in crime, DJ Jazzy Jeff, teamed up for the first time in 1991 for their single "Summertime," and in 2013 the duo reunited on The Graham Norton Show. Though Smith has become more notable for his film roles in recent years, the rapper-turned-actor made his musical comeback in 2015 when he dropped his first track in over a decade, "Fiesta.". He stormed the stage at the 2015 Latin Grammy Awards to perform the spicy track with Bomba Estereo. Smith now revealed to Norton that a bulk of his time has been spent recording and that a tour will follow as the year progresses. "I've been working on something and this time I'm not lying!" Smith explained. "We've recorded about 25 songs and have four or five I actually like. Jeff and I will be back here this summer to do shows - real shows." As the interview continued, Smith further detailed his and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith's decision to boycott the Academy Awards next month due to a lack of racial diversity. "I felt very seriously that there is a regression in America in general towards separatism and racial and religious exclusion, so for me, it's more about putting my hand up and reminding my community, the Hollywood community, that we have to lead," he said. "As my grandmother said, 'lead with love and light and good is only going to come out of it.'" Director Spike Lee also took the same vow to boycott the Chris Rock-hosted Oscars ceremony, which will take place on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A fan of Andre 3000s was wildly surprised when she was whisked away to Kanye Wests studio after Andre accidentally ordered an Uber Pool instead of a regular Uber ride. Sources told TMZ that Andre 3000 had just landed in L.A. for a studio session with West and was joined by another Uber Pool passenger. He was in the city to help put final touches on Wests new album Waves. Uber Pool is a carpool option of the ride-sharing service, in which the driver can pick up more than one passenger and drop them off along the way to the final destination. Reportedly, the other passenger and Andre 3000 had a lot of common, and had even lived in the same place in the past. Since they got on so well, Andre 3000 invited her into the studio to meet West, French Montana, Diddy, Kid Cudi and 2 Chainz. West's seventh studio album, Waves, is set to drop Feb. 11. In other news, Andre recently appeared in Season 2 of the ABC drama American Crime . Shortly after his appearance, in an interview with Billboard he talked about his new music and being in the studio with Erykah Badu -- Andre recently appeared on Badus mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone, for a duet with his ex. "I've been holding back for a long time, so now I'm really interested in figuring out some type of music to do," he told Billboard. "I'm always recording. ... I can't say that I have a target right now." He also revealed he was interested in appearing in American Crime due to a close relationship with showrunner John Ridley. The two worked together on the adaptation of Jimi: All Is By My Side, based on Jimi Hendrix. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Amid all the talk around the lack of diversity at Hollywood awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards managed to set itself apart in recognizing black actors and actresses. Idris Elba was the big winner, winning Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for Beasts Of No Nation, and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for Luther. Viola Davis picked up the hardware for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for How To Get Away With Murder. And Uzo Aduba won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series on Orange Is The New Black. Bessie's Queen Latifah was honored for the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries. In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, Latifah expressed her gratitude for the Screen Actors Guild Awards: "This is what happens when you have the SAG group -- a group of very diverse people who understand the work that we all put in and that we all deserve the same opportunities. That's about it. I feel very positive about this day." April Reign, managing editor of BroadwayBlack.com and creator of the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag that got organized the diversity discussion on Twitter last year and this year tweeted: For those saying the #SAGAwards are a knee-jerk reaction to #OscarsSoWhite: SAG voting occurred six weeks BEFORE Oscar noms were announced. April (@ReignOfApril) January 31, 2016 Voting for #SAGAwards ended yesterday, but the nominations were announced in early December, weeks before the Oscar noms. #OscarsSoWhite April (@ReignOfApril) January 31, 2016 Check out the rest of the winners on Us Magazine. 2015 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. "Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility." -- Catechism of the Catholic Church #2265 Please enable JavaScript to experience the functionality of this website. - MWEB Sarkodie should have been bigger than ... President Obama was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words: Hi everybody. As I said in my State of the Union address, we live in a time of extraordinary change change thats affecting the way we live and the way we work. New technology replaces any job where work can be automated. Workers need more skills to get ahead. These changes arent new, and theyre only going to accelerate. So the question we have to ask ourselves is, How can we make sure everyone has a fair shot at success in this new economy? The answer to that question starts with education. Thats why my Administration has encouraged states to raise standards. Weve cut the digital divide in our classrooms in half. Weve worked with Congress to pass a bipartisan bill to set the expectation that every student should graduate from high school ready for college and a good job. And thanks to the hard work of students, teachers, and parents across the country, our high school graduation rate is at an all-time high. Now we have to make sure all our kids are equipped for the jobs of the future which means not just being able to work with computers, but developing the analytical and coding skills to power our innovation economy. Todays auto mechanics arent just sliding under cars to change the oil; theyre working on machines that run on as many as 100 million lines of code. Thats 100 times more than the Space Shuttle. 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. In the new economy, computer science isnt an optional skill its a basic skill, right along with the three Rs. Nine out of ten parents want it taught at their childrens schools. Yet right now, only about a quarter of our K through 12 schools offer computer science. Twenty-two states dont even allow it to count toward a diploma. So Ive got a plan to help make sure all our kids get an opportunity to learn computer science, especially girls and minorities. Its called Computer Science For All. And it means just what it says giving every student in America an early start at learning the skills theyll need to get ahead in the new economy. First, Im asking Congress to 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. Second, starting this year, were leveraging existing resources at the National Science Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service to train more great teachers for these courses. And third, Ill be pulling together governors, mayors, business leaders, and tech entrepreneurs to join the growing bipartisan movement around this cause. Americans of all kinds from the Spanish teacher in Queens who added programming to her classes to the young woman in New Orleans who worked with her Police Chief to learn code and share more data with the community are getting involved to help young people learn these skills. And just today, states like Delaware and Hawaii, companies like Google and SalesForce, and organizations like Code.org have made commitments to help more of our kids learn these skills. Thats what this is all about each of us doing our part to make sure all our young people can compete in a high-tech, global economy. Theyre the ones who will make sure America keeps growing, keeps innovating, and keeps leading the world in the years ahead. And theyre the reason Ive never been more confident about our future. Thanks everybody. The Orange County Sheriffs office is searching for the crooks that left a local Boy Scout troop without their trailer and thousands of dollars of equipment. But the troop is holding out hope that it'll be found. From the broken hearts to the confusion, Orlando Boy Scout troop 996s emotions are all over the place. When they took this trailer they took away many boys hearts with it, said Alex Hansen. Why would you steal from Boy Scouts, asked the boy scouts. The troop and their leaders are devastated after they said thieves stole their red trailer. We tend to use our trailer to help other people. For example, we use it for Relay for Life, we use it for camping trips to store our tents, and kitchen. The troop said the parking spot where the trailer was parked has held it for 15 years, but now the thieves left just a couple of bricks and an old red rubber mat. If we weren't using it on a camping trip, it sat right here, said Bill Potocki. Scout Master Potocki said 95 percent of their valuables were locked up in this trailer. He said inside of the trailer included dozens of tents, kitchen tools, manuals and other supplies. He said between the trailer and the stuff inside, the troop took about a $20,000 to $25,000 loss. Somebody thought they needed it more than we did and I actually can't find a reason why, said Potocki. One reason they do want it back is the sentimental value, like the flames painted on the side. The former scout master who created it died from cancer. That paint job was something special that's irreplaceable, said Hansen. Spike Hopkins, who called the press conference Sunday, said he felt called to help regardless of him running for sheriff. This is not about politics folks, Im not a politician. Thirty years of my life I spent protecting the public and every time I put that badge on I risked my life. When I saw these kids who were heartbroken what this one person took away from them. How could I not help, said Hopkins. But without a trace of the trailer, Hansen and his troop are hoping someone will come forward with information. In total you're probably breaking almost 50 or more people's spirits and for what just for some money, said Hansen. The troop is planning for a big fundraiser to recover the losses on Feb. 13. The scouts will hold a car wash and a sell food. FLOYDADA -- Again in 2016, for the 52nd consecutive year, Lighthouse Electric Cooperative will sponsor two area high school students on the all-expense paid Government-in- Action Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. This years tour is scheduled for June 8-17. The winners will also receive a $1,000 Lighthouse Youth Tour Scholarship. As participants in the Youth Tour, the local students will join other winners from across the state meeting in Austin to enjoy a day of history there. They will begin by touring the Bob Bullock Museum, Governors Mansion and State Capitol. Next, they will travel by air to Washington where they will spend seven days touring places of historical interest, visiting members of Congress, and getting a first-hand view of their government in action. VERNON - A growing interest in shifting out of crop production and into a forage-based system in the Rolling Plains has Stan Bevers, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist in Vernon, consulting his crystal ball. And he has some advice for those who are contemplating the move, Have a multi-year plan and have a chunk of equity, because you cant borrow your way through this. He said there are a lot of variables and a lot of factors involved in the transition. And while he has seen a number of acres go into pasture over the past two years at the peak of the cattle market, things are changing. I think there were people thinking there wouldnt be another bad day in cattle, he said. They have quickly found out there will be. You have to have a multi-year plan, because no one can predict prices and production levels. This forces you to consider what might happen. What are the projections for calf prices in the next few years? And what about wheat prices; how long will there be below break-even-point wheat prices? With the cattle prices that have been projected for the next few years, transitioning doesnt look like a good option, especially with wheat prices expected to move up over the next five years. Bevers said it has been a combination of the continual increase of input prices and market happenings - high beef cattle prices for several years and falling wheat prices - that have prompted the move by producers out of annual production and into a more permanent pasture situation. In areas such as the Rolling Plains where there is marginal crop production, specifically on wheat where costs of production have consistently been rising and the price falling, the average production of 20 bushels per acre just doesnt work anymore, he said. We can even go to the $5 to $5.50-a-bushel wheat and still not make it work. So now we have producers saying they are willing to bear the one-time pain - the cost of putting in a permanent pasture rather than the annual pain of the cost of putting in wheat, Bevers said. The problem, he said, is the cost of establishing a pasture is only the first step in the change to a forage-based system. Once the pasture is established, they have another pain to bear - determining whether to run cows or put stocker cattle on it. You need to be able to fund that with a chunk of equity. If you have to borrow the money to seed the grass and then borrow more to stock it with cattle, the way it is penciling out, you wont have that paid off on a five-year note. Run the numbers; create a multi-year plan, he advised. This isnt something you will do overnight, Bevers said. It will be a two- and three-year process. You usually dont get 100 percent utilization the first year or two, so have an alternate plan. And while the prognosis for the future may not look good right now, he said the one given is that things will change. Considering the projections Ive seen, everybody would be giving up right now, said. But something is going to change. It might be that there is a drought that will cause wheat prices to go higher, or things get worse and other producers get out, causing less production and forcing prices to go higher. In planning, he said, producers should be prepared for best-case and worst-case scenarios. If you are going to do this, you have to have a plan and recognize the amount of equity you have available to do this. LUBBOCK - As part of United Supermarkets 100th anniversary celebration, The United Family will donate $100,000 to local schools throughout West Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth and Eastern New Mexico, as part of its Shop to Support Schools program. Through Oct. 15, guests may link a school of choice to their rewards account at any United Supermarkets, United Express, Market Street, Albertsons Market and Amigos grocery locations and earn points as they shop. At the end of the earning period, The United Family will award $1,000 to 100 schools based on the percentage of each schools shopping activity. Sadly it seems that Internet hoaxes have an aggravating trait of never going away. The information superhighway is littered with crazy rumors that get regurgitated and passed on without the posters thinking to check the source. For the past year or so Houston rapper Mike Jones has been plagued by a hoax TMZ site claiming hes a human trafficker. In 2012, other websites claimed he was dead. He also died this month too. Since most people on social media sites like Twitter shoot re-tweets first and dont check sources, the rumor lingered even while the rapper was active on the site itself. When the story of Jones and a friend being charged with a hefty, troubling list of 34 crimes began to make waves again this weekend, Jones took to Twitter to set the record straight again. The supposed report from the San Antonio Police Department is authored by a Peter Brady on the force there. Its not beyond the realm of possibility that a Peter Brady works there, but its a good hoax tip-off. Setting the Record Straight ! Call the Sgt of the City where they say the rumor happened n see what he say! The fake TMZ story was posted in March 2015 and states that Jones is being held on $100,000 bond, is facing between 5 to 14 years of imprisonment and if aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault, or death were to come into play, the maximum penalty is life imprisonment. Meanwhile Jones played Free Press Summer Festival last June sharing the stage with Slim Thug, Z-Ro, Devin the Dude, Bun B, Paul Wall, and The Suffers. Sgt. Bill Grayson with the SAPD drafted a letter to Jones lawyer affirming that there was no investigation into the rapper, which he posted onto his official Instagram page. Still, people still share the TMZ story without batting an eye. I swear People will Believe Anything! The time these people be having to come up with these rumors amaze me! Spread this Rumor... The inspector Jonas Dresden doesnt exist either, Grayson noted. Dresden is quoted in the TMZ story. Who is Mike Jones? Not an accused human trafficker. A man was arrested more than eight months after a shooting in April 2015 that left one man dead at a West Side home. Christian Lee Medina, 21, faces a murder charge in the death of Joshua Garza, 31, who was fatally shot in the back of his house at North Navidad and Delgado streets, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. On April 9, after Garza was found dead, Medina told police he could not explain how the victim was shot and that he would come back at a later time to give a statement. Instead, police arrested him on an unrelated warrant. A witness who was cleaning the home that day said an hour before Garza was killed there was another incident in which it sounded as though someone was shooting at the house. Police were called in at that time. The witness noted that during the shooting, Garza was standing inside firing his gun toward the outside. Police who responded to the first call only found a set of spent bullet casings outside and no witnesses. During a later interview, Medina eventually told police that he was firing his gun alongside Garza when they were both shooting outside. It was after the last officer responding to the scene left that Garza told him it was time to leave, the affidavit states. As a woman related to the two approached the home in her vehicle, both Garza and Medina walked to the back of the house, Medina told police. When Garza stepped out, Medina said Garza was shot and Medina jumped back into the house. Medina said he reached into a backpack, grabbing a gun and firing a shot as well. Medina then ran inside saying to call 911 because Garza had been shot, according to the warrant. A witness said that there was only one shot in the second shooting, but noted Medina had indeed taken a gun out of the backpack and fired one shot. A 9 mm casing was discovered at the scene, which matched unspent ammunition discovered in the bedrooms of the residence. Medina admitted to firing a 9 mm weapon, investigators said. As of Saturday night, he was still in jail. Jbeltran@express-news.net Twitter: @JBfromSA This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Texas Department of Public Safety is offering $8,000 for information that will lead to the arrest of a 53-year-old violent sex offender from San Antonio. Robert Bryan Chrismon was sentenced to a 55-year prison term in 1981 for kidnapping and raping a female high school student, according to DPS. Chrismon also received an additional 10 years on his sentence for attempting to stab a Corpus Christi police officer during an arrest. RELATED: The fugitives most wanted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The sex offender, now 53, escaped from a Texas Department of Corrections prison with three other inmates in 1986. The escapees overpowered a guard and fled the prison on horseback, according to Chrismon's most wanted profile. Authorities later caught Chrismon and slapped another five years on his prison sentence. RELATED: DPS looking for Most Wanted sex offender from North Texas Chrismon received parole on July 27, 2012, and promptly fled from the San Antonio area, where he was last seen at a house on the city's North Side. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles issued a parole warrant for his arrest on Sept. 9, 2012. Chrismon is also wanted on a Bexar County warrant issued Oct. 1, 2012, for failure to comply with sex offender registration. RELATED: Medellin cartel 'ghost' woman replaces 'El Chapo' as DEA's 'most wanted' fugitive The 53-year-old has previously worked as a laborer, according to DPS. Chrismon who also goes by Bobby Chrismon or Robert Chismon has a tattoo of a scorpion on his upper right arm, a cut scar on the right side of his chest and cut scars on both wrists. jfechter@mySA.com Twitter: @JFreports The daughter of Mexican immigrants who were cotton sharecroppers, Lydia Jasso Tamez championed womens rights throughout her life. Her parents fleeing from the Mexican Revolution joined a caravan of sharecroppers traveling from Piedras Negras, Mexico to El Campo, niece Evelyn Garcia said. Unfair working conditions in El Campo prompted Tamezs family to move to San Antonio, where her father found work as a laborer and where she was born. Years later, Tamez would become the first woman high school graduate in her family. Tamez died Jan. 25. She was 90. After receiving training at Johnsons Beauty School, Tamez worked as a licensed beautician for 45 years. One of her first jobs was at Frost Bros., a fashion retail store. More Information Lydia Jasso Tamez Born: Aug. 17, 1925, San Antonio Died: Jan. 25, 2016, San Antonio Preceded by: Husband Raul Tamez; son Saul Tamez; parents Antonio Beltran Jasso and Genoveva Ramirez. Survived by: Daughters Sonya Tamez Lentz and son-in-law Roger, Sylvia Tamez; two grandchildren, a great-grandchild. Services: Funeral was Friday. See More Collapse Meeting her husband in 1947, the couple wed in 1951 and had three children. Although she was one of the rare working mothers of the day, Tamezs daughters did not think it was strange. We just knew Mom was at work, daughter Sonya Lentz said. Lentzs sister agreed. We were the first latch-key kids, daughter Sylvia Tamez said. It made us a big deal at school. Tamez retired less than 10 years ago. She worked until she was 80 or 85, Lentz said. Mom said she would retire when her older customers started to fade away. Even though she was a working mother, Tamez found time to support other women in professional roles. According to Lentz, Tamez supported the first woman district attorney in San Antonio, Susan Reed. The politically active Tamez also threw meet-and greet-parties for Democratic candidates running for office. Her activity made an impression on her children. Mom did more to show us than to tell us, Lentz said. Thats how she mentored us. A longtime member of the Business and Professional Womens Club, Tamez worked to establish policies for working women, such as equal pay for equal work. Tamezs heart of service touched many areas of her life. Having a voice in public policy was part of that service. We would always vote, Sylvia Tamez said. We would all walk to the school and my mom and dad would go into the voting booth. She also was a Eucharistic minister at the Holy Rosary and Holy Spirit Catholic churches. Traveling was a special joy to Tamez, who visited Russia, Portugal and Spain, to name a few. Not only did she like to travel, but she read travel magazines, mysteries, and authors who wrote about the lands from which they came. She was cognitive to the very end, Garcia said. She lived a very full life - a woman before her time. For some of us, the issue of euthanasia is not even on our radar screen but for many in Canada it is a very important topic of discussion. In the last few months it has been something I have read about, written about, and discussed with doctors and fellow chaplains. This month, the one year period set by the Supreme Court of Canada for the Government of Canada to pass legislation related to this issue expires. This month, the Supreme Court of Canadas ruling that individuals have the right to die goes into effect. This month, February 2016, a doctor could legally euthanize a terminally ill patient who requests assistance to die without fear of criminal prosecution. Quebec has already passed Bill 52, An act respecting end-of-life care. This act provides legislative direction for advanced care directives that include palliative care, palliative sedation and physician assisted suicide. In the past 15 years private members bills have been tabled in the House of Commons seeking to recognize the right to die and to legalize euthanasia. They have always failed. But when the Supreme Court of Canada heard the appeal of the Gloria Taylor case from BC, it ruled that sections of the Criminal Code of Canada related to physician assisted suicide were void, opening the door for this practice in Canada. Does that mean that doctors in Manitoba will be assisting terminally ill people in Manitoba to die right away? Probably not, but it does mean that our parliament or provincial legislatures will begin to have bills proposed in relation to this and that the time will come in every part of Canada that a terminally ill person could ask his or her doctor to help them die. Some react to this development with applaud. The right to die movement is over 120 years old but in recent years (1960s) there has been active discussion and pressure to make choosing ones time of death a human right. Others are appalled at this development. Applaud or appalled, the horse is out of the barn and now each of us need to consider carefully why we respond to this development as we do. I believe the Supreme Courts decision is immoral and blasphemous. I understand the Bible to teach that life and death are divine prerogatives; as such human beings have no right to end a life, regardless of the circumstances. We have no right to end a life in the earliest stages of its existence; that is why I reject as evil the violence of any form of abortion, from the morning after pill to late term abortions and infanticide. At the other end of lifes spectrum, I reject as evil the violence of any form of euthanasia, regardless whether it is carried out with the knowing consent of the terminally ill person by a physician or any other agent that our governments may name as legitimate purveyors of this right established by the Supreme Court of Canada. People that share this Faith or come to the same conclusion from the perspective of another Faith or from some personal philosophical persuasion must never believe that since this right to die now is recognized in Canada that they have some obligation to participate in carrying out anothers desire to exercise the right. Free people have an equal right to object and not refuse to participate due to the objections of their conscience. It is my hope that this right will be respected and protected with the same support as this new right the right to die. We can expect a secular society and secular institutions to believe people have rights that are not recognized by God. We must also expect that we may have to fight to have the right to object honored by secularists. Are you prepared for this fight? By Lambert Strether of Corrente. Readers, this is too long. But I got seduced by the Iowa caucus story. lambert TPP/TTIP/TiSA Yet More TPP Studies Predict Slim Economic Gains, Highlight Dubious Underlying Assumptions [TechDirt]. Its striking that from a situation where there were very few studies of the likely effects of the TPP agreement, weve moved to one where they are appearing almost every week. Recently Techdirt wrote about a World Bank study, and one from Tufts University; now we have one from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, which calls itself a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research institution devoted to the study of international economic policy. Heres its summary of the results: One of the most serious is something weve noted before: despite attempts to present them as otherwise, the predicted gains are extremely small. An excellent review of the bidding; must read. Why, its almost as if TPP isnt about trade at all. TTIP transparency farce as Germany opens MP reading room [War on Want]. Naturally, the MPs have to sign a confidentiality agreement before reading. Good to see democracy is in good shape on the other side of the pond, too 2016 Policy Paid leave will be a hot issue in the 2016 campaign [Brookings]. Good policy, but its a Clinton/Dick Morris bite-sized achievement like Clintons school uniforms speech compared to single payer. So this article is really just another establishment institution explaining why we cant have nice things that the rest of the world has. Guantanamo continues to serve as a recruitment tool for jihadists, it is something we need to stop, Obama said. I will make this argument until my very last day as president.' [The Hill]. This from the guy who implemented parallel judicial branch inside the executive, all so he could whack people on his kill list disposition matrix with no checks and balances. But thats our Democrats. Perpetually making the argument. Perpetually fighting. Never winning. Purest kayfabe. Money OMalley meltdown: $169,442 cash on hand, $535,477 in debt. Owes staffers salary & has $500K outstanding bank loan (@davelevinthal) [Federal Election Commission]. Well, he might have lasted long enough to take a few votes from Sanders, and thats got to be worth something. So I hope Hillarys straw gets a nice job at The Clinton Foundation. Clintons squillionaires: Soros, $8 million, Haim and Cheryl Saban, $3 million; Sandler and Donald Sussman, $1.5 million each [Politico]. And millionaires: The top 10 employers of her contributors were the law firms Paul Weiss, Kirkland & Ellis, Jenner & Block and Sidley Austin; Cantor Fitzgerald, Lazard and Morgan Stanley; Stanford; Google; and healthcare company Centene, according to the FEC report [Politico]. Sanders small contributors: More than 770,000 people gave to the Vermont senators bid in January, with online contributions averaging just $27, the campaign said. And Sanders has so far received more than 3.25 million contributions more than any presidential campaign at this point in the cycle ever [Politico]. More than 99.9 percent of donors are able to give to Sanders again because they havent reached the limit, unlike other campaigns whose contributors are maxed out, the campaign said. Ya know, youd think Soros could at least have given Sanders $27 bucks. How hard would that have been? The Voters Sanderss strength with voters making less than $50,000 a year and his relative lack of appeal among voters making above $100,000 sets him apart from Democratic primary challengers in years past like Bill Bradley, Howard Dean, and Barack Obama. All these progressive underdogs attracted their strongest support from wealthier voters, while struggling, in relative terms, to win lower-income support [Jacobin]. How can Sanders, whose campaign program obviously leans much farther to the left than Clinton, have won so much moderate and even conservative support? The simplest answer points to the fuzziness of the ideological descriptors so beloved by the national media. Liberal, moderate, and conservative may well seem like stable identities among the pundit and professional class, but for many Americans and perhaps especially for lower-income Americans they are much more arbitrary, at once too narrow and too ambiguous to be of real use. Category errors? From our political class? Say its not so! The Bernie Bros Narrative: a Cheap Campaign Tactic Masquerading as Journalism and Social Activism [The Intercept]. There are literally millions of women who support Sanders over Clinton. A new Iowa poll yesterday shows Sanders with a 15-point lead over Clinton among women under 45, while one-third of Iowa women over 45 support him. Funny to see the supposedly feminist Clinton campaign smearing women as bros. I guess thats what they mean by pragmatic? [Y]et the same people who were making those arguments against Elizabeth [Warren] running are now Clintonsplaining to me that Im a self-hating woman and a bad feminist. They say that Im so blinded by my devotion to economic justice that Im willing to miss this historic opportunity to lift up my sisters (well, just this one very special sister) [Kate Albright-Hanna]. To which I say: Patriarchal countries around the world have been passing the baton to the female relatives of male leaders for centuries. But I dont want to just slip through a crack. I want to break BroWorld into a million pieces. Thats why this BernieLady is on board for the revolution. Moreover: It says "Bernie Bro" in pink sparkly letters. BernieBro Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) February 1, 2016 What Atrios said [Eschaton]. To me one of the weirdest things is when people in professional politics lash out at people who dont bother to vote. I mean, ok, its one thing for the rest of us to say vote, ********! but it isnt actually our job to get people to vote. Saying people suck or liberals suck or young people suck because they dont vote might make you feel better about your failure, but its your failure. Promoting bland candidates who blur the differences instead of accentuating the distinctions doesnt work very well. Failing to nationalize congressional elections doesnt work very well. Republicans nationalize every election. Wonder why Dems dont vote in non-presidential years? Could be because you arent telling them why they should vote. What do GOP voters want? Testicular fortitude, among other things. Conversations with 100 Republicans in Iowa and New Hampshire [New York Magazine]. What Atrios says applies to the Republican establishment as well. The Trail The Iowa caucuses start at 7PM today. A blizzard is on the way, but wont arrive til after the caucuses conclude. On the Republican side, I have no idea who will win. But even if Trump loses, I dont think it will be by much, and I cant see him giving up. Why would he? (Although it will be interesting to see how he redefines a loss into not being a loser.) On the Democratic side, I dont have any idea either, and although the headline is that Clinton is in the lead, in fact, Sanders and Clinton are in a statistical dead heat. Its worth noting, though, that even if Clinton does win, it took the entire political class acting collectively to heave her over the finish line, and she will have done so at the cost of never, ever being seen as progressive again. And Sanders can keep going until the FBI indictment convention, with his small donor base. Why wouldnt he? So I expect the race to remain interesting for some time to come. In a somewhat ominous sign for [Trump and Sanders], the registration numbers have not increased much for either party, and although there is same day registration, the Iowa hands all point out that the Obama upset was presaged by very substantial registrations of new Democrats for months ahead of time [Digby, Salon]. Sketchy sourcing, though And heres one reason why: Microsoft wrote really bad software that will keep new voters from registering [ABC]: Three days before voting begins, residents around Iowa are making plans to caucus, but new online tools launched by both the state Democratic and Republican parties designed to inform people where to go Monday evening were built with one major hole, the parties confirmed to ABC News. The systems were only built off the list of registered voters addresses. As a result, for new voters who have never registered in the state and who live at addresses where no one else has registered, the online feature does not work . [Daniel] Lewin, Microsofts vice president, said Microsoft has only interacted with the parties [The Hill]. Who controls the spec controls the software. And who controls the software controls the vote (or, in this case, the registration). Since it would be irresponsible not to speculate, one can only wonder if the Iowa Democrat controlling the spec took her cue from Debbie Wasserman-Schultzs manipulation of the debate schedule. Meanwhile, the Sanders campaign wrote its own vote-counting software, but Im not seeing evidence they wrote their own registration software. Which means all that work with young, first-time voters could go for naught. Yikes! * * * Donald Trump tries to put money on Communion plate [The Telegraph]. So two Corinthians walk into a bar And then theres this: Lolhttps://t.co/fIDAV3zSCO pic.twitter.com/8gDygthF1b Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) January 31, 2016 Trump was planning to run in 2013 [Politico]. And this is from Cruz is appalling. Read the image: Cruz campaign mailer tries to motivate caucus-goers with shame and suspicious voting grades: https://t.co/UYjelAxVLr pic.twitter.com/a64lsdoPVY New York Magazine (@NYMag) February 1, 2016 Tragic. Its like Cruz is exposing his very soul for all to see. * * * The margins between Sanders and Clinton in the caucuses look likely to be quite close. That means how the OMalley supporters choose between the two front-runners could be decisive [Chris Cilizza, WaPo]. If I were Governor Jawline, Id tell Clinton to forget about the Foundation no-show job, and start talking Supreme Court nominations. Since the door is open All politicians repeat good lines, but Mr. Sanders lampooned as a freewheeling radical or rumpled professor who impulsively speaks his mind is turning out to be perhaps the most on-message and disciplined of the candidates in the 2016 field [New York Times]. But everything, from the pithy recurring phrases to the thoughtfully placed pauses and seemingly folksy anecdotes are actually well-planned-out, crowd-tested presentations. And he rarely veers from them or strays into gaffe-making territory. The political class, slowly and patronizingly, comes to realize that Sanders is a skilled politician. 10 questions that will be answered by Iowa caucuses [Des Moines Register]. With all three Clintons in Iowa, a glimpse at the fire that has eluded Hillary Clintons campaign [WaPo]. Bill Clinton: There are certain, almost intangible qualities that determine whether a president succeeds or not, Clinton said, his voice raspy, even and low. You need a sticker. A sticker: someone who wont quit on you.' This is true, and in fact I really and truly admire Clintons persistence and determination (especially in 2008, when she faced a wave of vile misogyny). That said, Sanders is clearly a sticker, too. So Bill Clinton hasnt presented a unique selling proposition. The State Department late Friday evening released a new batch of emails from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton [The Hill]. Administration officials had promised to release roughly 2,000 pages of Clintons emails on Friday, but said they would not meet a court deadline for releasing the final 7,000 pages. Well, look. Who said a Clinton had to obey a court order? Stats Watch ISM Mfg Index, January 2016: Employment sank the ISM index in January which could muster no better than a 48.2 for what, following annual revisions to 2015, is the fourth sub-50 reading in a row. This is by far the worst run for this closely watched indicator since the Great Recession days of 2009 [Econoday]. When Janet took away the punchbowl, what did she use to pick it up? Tweezers? PMI Manufacturing Index, January 2016: The manufacturing PMI runs hot compared to other data on the sector and, at a solidly plus 50 reading of 52.4 in January, may be overstating the momentum of the sector. [Econoday]. Job creation slipped amid caution on the outlook with inventories steady to slightly lower and input buying, in a telling sign of defensiveness, near a 2-year low. Construction Spending, December 2015: Held down by weakness in the nonresidential component, construction spending didnt get a lift at all from the mild weather late last year, rising only 0.1 percent in December following a downwardly revised 0.6 percent decline in November and a 0.1 percent contraction in October [Econoday]. Personal Income and Outlays, December 2015: Consumers had a healthy December but kept the money to themselves. Personal income rose a solid 0.3 percent with the savings rate moving 2 tenths higher to 5.5 percent, its strongest level since December 2012 [Econoday]. Spending, as retailers already know, was very soft, unchanged with only services showing a gain. Income strength is a big plus but the consumer, perhaps, needs more confidence in the outlook in order to spend. Continued strength in the labor market would give the greatest boost of all to confidence though Fridays employment report for January is expected to show substantially less strength than December. Neoliberal Infestation in China: The western educated kids/monetarists whove taken control dont seem to be doing all that well, as China begins to look like the other countries theyve taken over, like the EU, US, etc. etc. etc. What they learned is that its about balancing the federal budget and using monetary policy to support growth and employment as needed, allowing free markets to clear as per their general equilibrium models that earned them advanced degrees. Unfortunately they fail to recognize the currency itself is a (simple) public monopoly which obviates all those market clearing assumptions in their model [Mosler Economics]. Gentlemen Prefer Bonds: [E]uropean legislation known as Mifid II would force asset managers trying to sell a liquid bond instrument to disclose what price they are seeking ahead of its sale [Across the Curve]. Traders have likened the rules to playing poker with their cards on show, which could result in markets becoming more illiquid and investors paying more for their trades. Commodities: Many of the [mining] structures are no longer assets but rather liabilities due to environmental regulations, write Goldman analysts led by Head of Commodities Research Jeffrey Currie [Bloomberg]. This suggests that, in order to delay the environmental costs of mine rehabilitation, the penalties associated with employee layoff and non-performance of commercial obligations, owners will operate the facilities until they run out of cash and are obliged to suspend operations.' Shipping: Amazon to delivery companies: Yes, were building our own service but dont worry [Business Insider]. So Amazon should be valued like a trucking company, then? Volkswagen May Buy Back Diesel Cars It Cant Fix [New York Times]. To bad Gaia cant sue for Volkswagen trying to choke her to death. Banks reach $154.3 million settlement on dark pool fraud [AP]. Just another cost-of-doing business fine. Iraqis seeking to withdraw money from banks are told there is not enough cash [New York Times]. Because freedom. There really isnt a circle of hell deep enough for the members of the political class most of whom you can see on the teebee every day, smiling or shouting, depending who made this situation, and profited and still profit from it. Todays Fear & Greed Index: 27, Extreme Fear (previous close: 26) [CNN]. One week ago: 15 (Extreme Fear). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Water Flint hopes to know health of water system come mid-April' [Chicago Tribune]. No hurry Health Care The third open-enrollment season for health plans under the Affordable Care Act moved into its final hours Sunday night with little fanfare from Obama administration officials who had been urging consumers to buy insurance [WaPo]. [O]n Sunday, the officials provided no figures about the final weekends volume of traffic on the federal insurance website. I cant imagine why. Oh wait, WaPo buried the lead: Congressional budget analysts had predicted that 21 million people would have the plans this year double what HHS has forecast but they lowered their numbers last week to 13 million. You know if the numbers were good, the White House would be trumpeting them. So they arent. The only question is how awful they are, and how long the White House can avoid releasing them. The Effect of Smoking on Obesity: Evidence from a Randomized Trial [NBER Working Paper No. 21937]. From the abstract: Our results imply that the drop in smoking in recent decades explains 14% of the concurrent rise in obesity. Semi-parametric models provide evidence of a diminishing marginal effect of smoking on BMI, while subsample regressions show that the impact is largest for younger individuals, females, those with no college degree, and those with healthy baseline BMI levels. Police State Watch A gun and knife fight at a Denver motorcycle show that left one person dead and seven wounded was between an outlaw biker gang and a club with many law enforcement members, lawyers for both groups said on Sunday [Reuters]. Lawyers for the Iron Order Motorcycle Club, whose members include large numbers of law enforcement and the military, and the Mongols Motorcycle Club, which federal authorities deem an outlaw motorcycle gang, each blamed the other side for starting Saturdays brawl. Please dont tell me Trump is seeking the Iron Orders endorsement. That would be bad. Gaia Solar sector needs better power storage, grid infrastructure and government support to meet bullish growth predictions [Guardian]. Sempras [Porter Ranch gas leak] may be erasing, at the least, a year or two from what counts as progress under Californias effort to overhaul its energy industry, a program thats cost consumers tens of billions of dollars since 2006 [San Diego Tribune]. Couple surrounds eco-home with greenhouse to keep it warm (Video) [Treehugger]. And what a gorgeous house! Scientists get gene editing go-ahead [BBC]. What could go wrong? Militia Watch [T]hose supporting the [Malheur] occupation [in Harney County] found themselves staring across a social chasm at friends and neighbors who abhorred Bundys arrival and his tactics. Community members couldnt even agree on how to gather in public to hear information and share opinions without fear, insults and holstered guns dominating [Oregonian]. That deep canyon wont be bridged soon, local residents say. Hurtful words, often entombed forever on social media, still rattle through the community, which seemed under siege for almost an entire month. 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!' [Los Angeles Times]. Class Warfare Rigged Justice: 2016 How Weak Enforcement Lets Corporate Offenders Off Easy (PDF) [Prepared by the Office of Senator Elizabeth Warren]. I know the title restricts the scope to corporate abuse, but both Ferguson and Flint have a strong financial component, and I could wish the focus of Rigged Justice was broadened to finance generally, and not merely in the corporate context (especially given that malefactors holding office are getting away with murder). The water crisis in Flint has whipped America into a state of righteous outrage, but dear God, look at the rest of Michigan: In at least 30 zip codes in more than 13 cities across the state, elevated levels of lead have been detected in a shocking percentage of local children sometimes at almost five times the rate of kids in Flint [Mic]. Id like to take this opportunity to thank private equity for turning the Rust Belt into a sacrifice zone. Thanks, guys. I knew you had it in you. Michael Moore: 10 Things They Wont Tell You About the Flint Water Tragedy, But I Will [EcoWatch]. I bet you didnt know this: Actual unannounced military exercisescomplete with live ammo and explosives were conducted last year inside the city of Flint. The army decided to practice urban warfare on Flint, making use of the thousands of abandoned homes which they could drop bombs on. Streets with dilapidated homes had rocket-propelled grenades fired upon them. Wow. Unannounced. A United Drivers Network representative told Business Insider the group expected more than 1,000 drivers to protest in front of Ubers Long Island City offices from noon to 2 p.m. ET on Monday. About 10,000 drivers were expected to shut off their phones and not drive for the company in solidarity [Business Insider]. Billable hours for David Plouffe, Obamas one-time campaign manager, now Senior Vice President for Strategy and Policy at Uber. Ka-ching. [T]he poorest American households, the bottom fifth, received just 32 cents of every dollar of government benefits distributed in 2010 [New York Times]. the distribution of benefits no longer aligns with the demography of poverty. African-Americans, who make up 22 percent of the poor, receive 14 percent of government benefits, close to their 12 percent population share. White non-Hispanics, who make up 42 percent of the poor, receive 69 percent of government benefits again, much closer to their 64 percent population share. News of the Wired Weve made a habit out of telling people not to read the comments online. But what started as a cynical in-joke has become a bad habit, and an excuse for enabling abuse across the web. [Medium]. Behind the scenes a battle is under way over who should control these [Internet] protocols and domain names. This is not only relevant to technical folks: the story of Icann might give Washington a well-timed opportunity to defuse some of the anger that European and Asian governments feel about US internet policy. [Gillian Tett, Financial Times, Why Icann and internet governance are no longer Americas domain]. This Model Deals With Unwanted Dick Pics by Contacting the Dicks Girlfriends [New York Magazine]. Good for her. Im not a prude, but I cant even. (I actual misread model as economic model. But perhaps I should have read it as business model?) The head scarf, modern Turkey, and me [The New Yorker]. Investigators are scratching their heads over the theft of hundreds of hand straps from Tokyo commuter trains [Japan Times]. As a first step in boycotting the publisher, the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) has asked all scientists that are editor in chief of a journal published by Elsevier to give up their post. If this way of putting pressure on the publishers does not work, the next step would be to ask reviewers to stop working for Elsevier. After that, scientists could be asked to stop publishing in Elsevier journals [London School of Economics Blog]. The directness and power at the heart of Twittershort bursts of information that can make you feel that youre plugged into a hulking hive mindare still its greatest asset [New Yorker]. Of course, that is an asset that Facebook cannot have, but the stupid money that Twitters management chases doesnt understand that. And of course the management doesnt use the platform and hates its users. So theres that. From the archives: the open society and its enemies revisited [Karl Popper, The Economist]. * * * Readers, feel free to contact me with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, and (c) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi are deemed to be honorary plants! See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. And heres todays plant (Tia): A Mugo pine (cone). * * * If you enjoy Water Cooler, please consider tipping and click the hat. Winter has come, I need to buy fuel, make a happy plumber happier, and keep my server up, too. Water Cooler could not exist without your support. Third Way, the self-appointed sentries holding back the barbarians of progressivism from the gates of the Democratic Party, issued a new paper three days before the Iowa caucus, with the novel suggestion that Bernie Sanders proposal to expand Social Security the consensus position among the party rank-and-file and a strong majority of the Congressional Democratic caucus is not progressive, because more of its expanded benefits pass on to the rich. This new tactic among Rubinite Democrats (Third Ways funders include hedge fund managers Dan Loeb and Derek Kaufman, and their board features dozens of investment bankers and CEOs) seeks to capitalize on the Democratic bases passions about the flow of economic growth upward to the 1%. And it will probably fool a few folks in the interim. But nobody is a more dishonest broker for that message than Third Way. Plus, the claim isnt only ham-handed and ahistorical, its factually inaccurate. Nancy Altman of Social Security Works took a hatchet to this over the weekend. First, she points out that Third Way has had it in for Social Security for years: In a 2011 Politico column, Progressives: Wise Up, Third Ways president and vice president for policy lectured advocates for Social Security to stop fighting a Grand Bargain that would have cut Social Securitys modest benefits cuts that are opposed by 93.8 percent of Americans. In 2013, the duo took to the Wall Street Journal where they attacked Senator Elizabeth Warren for proposing to expand Social Security as a solution to the nations looming retirement income crisis. This time, they lectured not just progressives; they warned the entire Democratic Party not to follow Sen. Warrenover the populist cliff. Since Senator Warren was standing with the 90 percent of Democrats (and 73 percent of Republicans) who want to increase Social Security benefits, it was no surprise that Third Way admitted that they represented, no people, beholden only to their wealthy paymasters. Its hard to accept that the same group who tried to browbeat liberals into cutting Social Security benefits, particularly for poor women who would have borne the brunt of the changes to the Consumer Price Index calculation have a genuine interest in the relative fairness of any expansion. But having lost a frontal assault on the program, Third Way is now retreating to a bank-shot raise doubts about the progressivity of new benefits to taint the entire concept. Altman goes on: Sanders, who daily attacks the billionaire class, is proposing to benefit the rich at the expense of the rest of us? Sound preposterous? That is because it is [] Here is what Sanderss plan would do. First, it would increase Social Securitys benefits across-the-board, but in a progressive manner. Those with the lowest earnings would receive the largest increases as a percentage of those earnings. Second, it would increase Social Securitys minimum benefit so that those who work a lifetime at low wages would not retire into poverty, as they do now. Third, it would adopt a more accurate cost of living increase, so that Social Securitys modest benefits dont erode in value more and more with each passing year, as they do now. To restore Social Security to long range actuarial balance, including paying for these improvements, Sanders plan imposes new taxes on those with annual incomes in excess of $250,000. Incredibly, Third Ways entire issue brief never incorporates this lifting of the cap on the payroll tax above $250,000 into their analysis of the distributional impact. They only look at the benefits being paid out, not what gets paid in. Lifting the cap raises $11.9 trillion over 75 years, and only $3.4 trillion of that goes toward expanded benefits, with the rest putting the program closer to actuarial balance. So the same wealthy people who allegedly prosper more from expanded Social Security are the ones who will be paying for the expansion. More from Altman: Third Way only mentions the increased Social Security revenue to make the specious point that the new proposed revenue will crowd out other social spending. But what Sanders is proposing is simply to require the wealthiest among us to pay the same rate on their incomes into Social Security as less well-off Americans. Right now, someone with an annual salary of around $1 million pays one-tenth the rate on those earnings paid by a minimum-wage worker on his or her earnings. The expansion plan makes the program less regressive on the tax side, in other words. This gets written out of the story with a straight claim that the rich cant afford to have this severe inequity corrected. As Altman goes on to point out, Third Way isnt even playing straight on the benefit side, to say nothing of ignoring the tax side. The report breaks beneficiaries into quintiles based on average lifetime income. But the top quintile income begins at a relatively paltry $63,000 a year. Looking at distributional impacts by lumping in everyone from the edge of the middle class to a multimillionaire does little to clarify anything. Looking at the straight dollar amounts of support also obscures the percentage of replacement rate that beneficiaries receive in retirement. A high-income worker who pays more in gets some more out with their benefits. However, the replacement rate for the working poor is far higher than for the wealthy. Judged on these terms, the Sanders expansion plan remains highly progressive. So when Third Way uses a sample case of a couple conveniently making $220,000 a year (inside the doughnut hole where the cap is not lifted) to highlight the inequity, they arent noting that, as a percentage of replacement rate, lower-income families fare much better. At the root, this is really an attack on universal benefit programs, mainly because, God forbid, they parcel out to everybody. If anyone were to propose a Social Security expansion that only augmented benefits for the poor, with the rich paying for it, Third Way would be first in line to shout loudly about the gross unfairness of the redistribution of wealth. They dont like a universal program because its harder to break the national solidarity and funnel payroll contributions to Wall Street fund managers through privatization. And yes, programs for the poor are poor programs, particularly ones that primarily deliver cash assistance. For example, welfare, which supplements the bottom half of the poor, has been gutted, while tax credits for the working poor did OK. Isolating benefits to the poor is a good way to make recipients lives miserable (limits on withdrawals, drug testing, other forms of thinly veiled class discrimination) and to chip away at their benefits over time. By contrast, heres what Franklin Roosevelt said about universal programs like Social Security over 80 years ago: We put those pay roll contributions there so as to give the contributors a legal, moral, and political right to collect their pensions and their unemployment benefits. With those taxes in there, no damn politician can ever scrap my social security program. Those taxes arent a matter of economics, theyre straight politics. Straight politics is a good way to describe Third Ways gambit, too. They want to discredit liberal ideas, at a time when progressive power is being built through the presidential nomination. Beset by the left, the radical center has adopted the famous Karl Rove strategy of attacking their opponents strengths, to turn them into weaknesses. If Third Way has to mislead to get there, thats of no consequence. Scientists put a high precision blood assay into a simple test strip (Nanowerk News) Researchers from the General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (GPI RAS) and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) have developed a new biosensor test system based on magnetic nanoparticles. It is designed to provide highly accurate measurements of the concentration of protein molecules (e.g. markers, which indicate the onset or development of a disease) in various samples, including opaque solutions or strongly coloured liquids (Biosensors and Bioelectronics, "Rapid dry-reagent immunomagnetic biosensing platform based on volumetric detection of nanoparticles on 3D structures"). The new development is similar (in its principal) to a pregnancy test. The analysis is conducted using small test strips made of porous material with two test lines. A droplet of the sample liquid is applied to one end of the strip and after a short period the result is shown as the activation of one or both lines. These test strips can be stored for a long time before being used. The test can be done quickly and does not need to be carried out by specially trained staff; tests can easily be performed next to a patient or even in field conditions. At molecular level, the magnetic nanoparticles link with antibodies to the required protein and then they are placed on a porous plate close to the intended point of contact with the test solution. The liquid, which spreads along the plate due to capillary action, captures the magnetic particles. It then meets two lines the test line and the control line. The test line contains antibodies that capture the protein in question and also the magnetic markers that became attached to molecules of the protein due to the fact that the nanoparticles are also linked to the antibodies. The control line only captures the antibodies with magnetic markers, and it will be activated in any case, if the test strip is usable. The control line serves as an indicator as to whether the test is suitable for use, the protein antibodies in it have not been destroyed due to improper storage, and the test liquid has been applied correctly. The antigen is the test protein (e.g. PSA). MP is the magnetic nanoparticle, the upside down Y is the antibody to the test protein. The test antibodies (the blue Ys) capture the test protein, and the control antibodies (the yellow Ys) capture the antibodies with the nanoparticles. (Image: MIPT) After the sample has permeated the test strip and the antibodies have interacted with one another, the result can be read. This is as far as the resemblance to a pregnancy test goes. In a classic pregnancy test, the result can either be yes or no. With this test, however, scientists are not only able to, with a high level of sensitivity, detect a protein, but they can also accurately determine the concentration of the protein. The accuracy of determining the concentration will even exceed the accuracy of methods that are only performed in laboratory conditions by trained staff. Alexey Orlov, the corresponding author of the study and a Research Fellow of GPI RAS (who also completed an undergraduate degree at MIPT in 2010, and a postgraduate degree in 2013): Normally, tests that can be performed not only under lab conditions but also in the field, use fluorescent or coloured markers and the results are determined visually, by sight or by using a video camera. In our case, we are using magnetic particles, which have a significant advantage: they can be used to conduct analyses even if the test strip is dipped into a completely opaque liquid, to determine the substances in whole blood for example. The precise numerical measurement is conducted entirely electronically using a portable device. This completely excludes any ambiguity. The scientists note that along with the high level of sensitivity of determining the concentration of a protein, the new test system also allows measurements to be taken over a wide dynamic range: the upper limit of the test concentration is more than 4000 times greater than the lower limit. Dynamic range is a familiar term in photography: in relation to a camera, it means the ability of the image sensor or film to distinguish gradations of brightness without washing out to white or converting an image into a dark spot. In biochemical measurements, dynamic range implies the ability to measure the concentration of a protein in a very dilute solution as well as in a very saturated solution. A droplet of the test liquid is applied to the strip (1). The liquid, which spreads along the strip due to capillary action, captures magnetic particles that are linked with antibodies to the test protein (2). As they move along the strip, the particles bind to the required protein. The liquid then meets two lines the test line (3) and the control line (4). The test line contains antibodies that capture the protein and also the magnetic markers that were bound to it. The control line is activated in any case if the test strip is suitable for use. (Image: MIPT) The new system was tested by measuring 0.025 nanograms per millilitre of prostate-specific antigen in the blood (the healthy range is anything lower than 4 nanograms). Prostate-specific antigen is one of the most commonly monitored markers in clinical examinations on men. Prostate-specific antigen, PSA, is one of the possible markers for prostate cancer and it is also used in forensics to detect traces of semen. Both applications have certain limitations and they are not able to conclusively provide a diagnosis/prove the guilt of a suspect, but the new biosensor platform will be able to do more than analyse PSA; this particular protein was chosen as a demonstration of the methods capabilities. This level of sensitivity of determining PSA is enough to tell whether there has been a recurrence after the removal of the prostate, and the results obtained give an idea of the potential of the new development. It is not only able to indicate when a particular indicator is outside of the normal range, but it can also be used to easily trace the dynamics of the concentration of protein markers in a disease. Having checked the results obtained by the new method against the gold standard for determining PSA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the scientists proved that the new test system works well and that it has significant advantages over traditional methods. In the new test system, the researchers used their own patented method MPQ (magnetic particle quantification) to precisely count magnetic nanoparticles by their nonlinear magnetization. Using this method, scientists are able to record anything above 60 zeptomoles (the prefix zepto- means ten to the minus twenty-first power!) of nanoparticles in a linear range exceeding ten million times. These parameters have never been recorded at this level before. The method involves applying an alternating magnetic field to the nanoparticles at two frequencies and monitoring the induction response at combinatorial frequencies. Many methods of analysing substances are based on the fact that test objects, whether they are particles or molecules, are affected by an electromagnetic field. At the correct frequency, a sample starts to either actively absorb radiation, or radiate in response. In this case, the scientists used a combination of two frequencies of the magnetic field and monitored the response at the frequency which is their linear combination this is called the combinatorial frequency. Maxim Nikitin, the Head of MIPTs Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology and a co-author of the study: We previously demonstrated the high level of sensitivity of this method of detecting magnetic particles in a joint project with US researchers from the University of Chicago. We used our sensors to record magnetic radioactive nanoparticles based on the isotope 59-Fe in the bodies of animals in vivo (see "Quantitative real-time in vivo detection of magnetic nanoparticles by their nonlinear magnetization"). In particular, it was found that the threshold for detection using this electronic method coincides with the reporting threshold of accompanying gamma radiation, which means that radioactive markers can be replaced with magnetic nanoparticles in a number of various biophysical studies. In the present study, we use this methodology to achieve ultra-sensitivity for conducting immunoassays. ...the threshold for detection using this electronic method coincides with the reporting threshold of accompanying gamma radiation means that in a number of biomedical research magnetic markers and the special device to detect them can be used to identify that was previously possible using radioactive preparations. From a doctors point of view, magnetic products are clearly better for diagnostic studies as they prevent patients from being exposed to excess radiation. Dr. Petr Nikitin, Head of Research and Head of Laboratory at GPI RAS (graduated from MIPT in 1979): The magnetic methods developed and the recorders for counting nanomarkers on test strips not only provide these limits and ranges of measurement of concentrations of antigens, but they are also able to effectively control all stages of the process: from the development and optimization of immunoassay protocols to conducting and interpreting results. This, in particular, is achieved by conducting quantitative monitoring of the redistribution of nanomarkers during biochemical reactions along all three-dimensional porous components of test strips, which has not previously been possible using any other method. Furthermore, the iron salts used to synthesize the nanoparticles are comparably more accessible and cheaper than the reagents used to synthesize gold nanoparticles, which are commonly used in threshold tests such as the pregnancy test. In this Jan. 20, 2016 photo, Aaron Martin works on a piece of logging equipment in Greensboro, Vt. Martin works for Ken Davis, who said he isn't sure what he'll do with his business when he retires because none of his employees want to take it over. Martin, 31, said he likes to work outside, but he isn't interested in taking over the business. Experts said it's a problem across the Northeast as loggers age and fewer young people take it up. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring) SHARE In this Jan. 20, 2016 photo, Ken Davis cuts logs to length at a log landing in Greensboro, Vt. Davis, who owns the business, said he isn't sure what he'll do with his business when he retires because none of his employees want to take it over. Experts said it's a problem across the Northeast as loggers age and fewer young people take it up. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring) In this Jan. 20, 2016 photo, Logs destined for a mill are unloaded at a satellite wood yard in Harwick, Vt. The owner of the yard, Ken Davis, said he isn't sure what he'll do with his business when he retires because none of his employees want to take it over. Experts said it's a problem across the Northeast as loggers age and fewer young people take it up. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring) In this Jan. 20, 2016 photo, Aaron Martin, left, and Ken Davis pose at a log landing in Greensboro, Vt. Davis, the business owner, said he isn't sure what he'll do with his business when he retires because none of his employees, including Martin, want to take it over. Experts said it's a problem across the Northeast as the loggers age and fewer young people take it up. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring) By Wilson Ring GREENSBORO, Vt. In the snowy woods of northern New England and other forested parts of the country, the lumberjack is an endangered species. As markets for forest products change and high-tech machinery replaces chain saws, which replaced the ax, a generations-old way of life is disappearing. It's a way of life in which fathers pass on to their sons their love and knowledge of the woods and the independence that comes from working for oneself. Ken Davis feels this keenly as he reaches retirement age after a half-century career. Davis has no one to pass the torch to. Davis once employed 19 people full-time to cut the wood, haul it and then truck it, sometimes to his log yard, other times directly to the now disappearing mills across Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and upstate New York that would turn it into lumber or process it into paper. He now employs seven and has no sons. His daughter and son-in-law tried it for a while, but they didn't keep at it. "I've got the sawdust in my veins, and they don't make a dialysis machine to get it out, so I'm still here," Davis said recently at his log yard in the town of Hardwick, in a rural region Vermonters call the Northeast Kingdom. None of Davis' employees are showing interest in taking over his business. It's the same story across the region, said Michael Snyder, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation. "It's dangerous, it's hard to make a living and everybody hates you," Snyder said of logging. "Who's signing up for that?" The arguments for not becoming a logger are solid. For one, there's not as much demand for paper and other wood products because of low commodity prices and international competition, making it less secure than it once was. It's physically and yes intellectually demanding work that increasingly requires special skills to run hugely expensive, high-tech machinery. And because of that machinery, capital investments needed to get started can be prohibitive. The renaissance that farming has undergone in recent years, with an emphasis on food systems and sustainable agriculture, hasn't brought the same energy to logging. In many quarters, loggers still are seen as despoilers of the land. But Snyder noted that although forests can do just fine on their own, logging can support their health by weeding out infestations and invasive species. Logging entails a number of jobs, including fallers, who cut down trees by hand essentially, lumberjacks; operators of machinery used to fell trees; and graders and scalers, who check the amount and quality of the wood. The number of all logging workers is expected to fall only 4 percent from 2014 to 2024, from 53,700 to 51,700, according to Bureau of Labor projections. Nationwide, the number of fallers is projected to decline 17 percent over the same period, from 8,200 in 2014 to 6,800 in 2024. With the industry becoming more mechanized, the number of equipment operators is expected to stay about the same, with graders and scalers declining 2 percent and all other logging workers falling 7 percent. "We need forest operations technicians; we don't need loggers anymore," said Dana Doran, executive director of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine. "Today you are running a half-million, $600,000 machine, and not only do you need to operate it, you've got to read GPS and computer-based technology equipment, you've got to be able to service and maintain that equipment, you have to know forestry, environmental law, best management practices, tree identification," Doran said. Across the region, efforts are underway to bring along young loggers. The Vermont Technical College in Randolph helps train forest technicians. In Maine, the industry is backing a plan to train logging technicians in community colleges. In the Northeast Kingdom, one of Davis' workers, Aaron Martin, 31, said he likes the freedom of working outside in different places. He has been logging for 10 years, but few of his friends have been drawn to the life, he said. "They don't like being out in the cold." As much as he likes his work, he has no interest in being the boss. "With that comes its own headaches," he said. "It's nice to be able to work for somebody else and not deal with all the stress that comes with paying all the bills and everything that goes with it, finding the next job." Traffic lights hang from wires instead of mast arms at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Vanderbilt Beach Road in North Naples because of the intersections wide span. Photo by Tim Aten Tim Aten In The Know SHARE Aerial view of the intersection of U.S. 41 and Immokalee Road in North Naples shows that the width of the intersection prohibits mast arms for traffic lights. Aerial view of the intersection of U.S. 41 and Vanderbilt Beach Road in North Naples shows that the width of the intersection prohibits mast arms for traffic lights. Q: I have noticed that at the intersections of Immokalee Road and U.S. 41 and also Immokalee and Livingston roads the traffic lights are still on cables even though the green poles seem to be in place. Will they ever put the ridged cross bars in for the lights? Barbara M., North Naples Q: Can you explain why all the major intersections on U.S. 41 have had new traffic signal poles and lights installed except Vanderbilt Beach Road and U.S. 41, one of the busiest intersections? It looks as though new green poles have been installed but they have been there for three years and nothing is done with them. This is very frustrating as a taxpayer. Rich M., North Naples A: These North Naples intersections are not works in progress. They were purposely designed to have vertical green poles with span wire, instead of horizontal mast arms. Because intersections are designed based on the specific geometry of each particular location, span wire and steel strain poles are used when one or more of the approach widths exceed the maximum distance for a mast arm design, said Zachary Burch, communications manager for the Florida Department of Transportation. "Per Florida design standards and policies, mast arms have a maximum arm length of 80 feet and, therefore, do not work for some of our busiest intersections," Burch said. "Essentially, because the width of the lanes and clear zones exceeds 80 feet, we cannot use the steel mast arms and have to use the span wire. So, it is not that the poles have been up for three years and nothing has been done with them. They have been up for three years as they were designed with the strain wire." For the intersections in question, mast arms would need to be 90 to 95 feet long to span the number of through and turn lanes as well as the necessary clear zone, the distance the poles must be from edge of road, Burch said. Of course, a total span that great exceeds specification limits. In the case of Vanderbilt Beach Road, the county route is not in excess of the 80-foot limit, but the U.S. 41 legs at that busy intersection definitely exceed it by 10 to 15 feet, Burch said. Planners prefer a uniform look rather than mixing and matching options. "We would end up having to use a combination of mast arms and strain poles and that would likely end up being more expensive and more cluttered looking, which is why we typically don't do that," he said. Know more Beefstros and Dunkin Donuts opening at East Trail car wash property Have a local question? Email it with your name and city of residence to intheknow@naplesnews.com. "In the Know" is published every Monday and Wednesday. Like In the Know on Facebook now at facebook.com/timaten.intheknow. SHARE An assortment of red and white wine in Concord, N.H. Aiming for a new and improved you in 2016? Thatas tough. Improving your wine experience? Thatas not hard at all. Because if you want to drink better wine, the first step is drinking wine better. Matthew Mead/Associated Press By Michelle Locke Aiming for a new and improved you in 2016? That's tough. Improving your wine experience? That's not hard at all. Because if you want to drink better wine, the first step is drinking wine better. To help you get the job done, we asked the pros for their best wine drinking hacks that will make you a better person (or at least a better drinker). LEARN BY DEGREES Aim for a middle ground when it comes to temperature. Good reds taste better with a little chill on them and good whites taste better when they're not ice cold, says Joe Campanale, co-owner and beverage director for Epicurean Group, which includes the NYC neighborhood restaurants dell'anima, Anfora and L'Artusi. So if a red wine isn't being pulled from a temperature controlled cellar or wine refrigerator, put the bottle in a refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes (or until slightly cool to the touch) before serving, says Jessica Pinzon, wine director of the Napa Valley's Miminashi restaurant. "Wine shows more acidity and minerality at a cooler temperature, and more fruit and alcohol at a warmer temperature. Experiencing the transition of (wine) warming up in the glass will enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the wine," she says. ADD A TOUCH OF GLASS Use clean, clear glasses with a good stem, says Campanale, who hosts the weekly "In the Drink" program on Heritage Radio Network. He uses Bordeaux-shaped glasses (your basic red wine glass) for "pretty much all wine, including Champagne." The stem plays an important role keeping your fingers from warming the warm. AGE WISELY Drink most white wines young, says Gordana Kostovski, general manager and sommelier/beverage director of the Volver restaurant in Philadelphia. And these days many red wines are made ready to drink on purchase, too. Big red wines, on the other hand think French Bordeaux may need a little more time. Wondering how long? That's a hard question to answer since wines vary. You can ask for clues at the wine shop or sometimes the label or wine website will offer suggestions. DEVELOP A BUBBLY PERSONALITY "Drink more bubbles," is the advice of Andy Myers, master sommelier and wine director for Washington, D.C.-based chef Jose Andres' ThinkFoodGroup. His pick, Raventos I Blanc "De Nit" rose from Spain. And skip the flute, says Kosovski. Serve bubbles in a coup or regular wine glass. DARE TO DECANT Decanting a wine is good all around. Whether young or old, a wine improves when exposed to a little air (which occurs naturally when pouring the wine from the bottle into a decanter). And careful pouring also means you leave any sediment in the bottle. "Decanters aren't just for somber, candle-lit ceremonies to separate the sediment out of venerable, old bottles," says David Kravitz, certified master sommelier and beverage director of The Smith Restaurants in New York. "Young, inexpensive wines are often improved with a good, hard splash decanting. Oxygen will open up the fruit and ease the tannins." Note: If you've got a decanter gathering dust at the back of the cupboard, now's the time to use it. If not, simply pour the wine into a clean pitcher or vase, says Pinzon. And don't limit this to reds, she says. Champagne, white wine or rose can benefit from decanting, too. PICK SAVVY STORAGE Store wine on its side and in contact with its cork, says Kostovski. And if you've got a wine refrigerator, keep it in there at 55 F. If not, look for a spot in a basement or closet that's shaded from heat and light. Organize your wine and know what you have so you don't forget it and leave it too long. And, says Kostovski, think about investing in a Coravin, the device that allows you to sample wine repeatedly without pulling the cork. Having friends over for dinner and plan to open a nice, older bottle of wine? Stand the bottle upright (ideally at cellar temperature, or somewhere between 50 F to 64 F) for a couple days before the dinner party, advises Pinzon. This allows any sediment that may have settled in the shoulder of the bottle to settle at the bottom instead, making serving or decanting cleaner and more ideal. PRIME THAT WINE Drinking two wines at dinner out of one glass? Don't rinse the glass with water to make the change, says Chloe Helfland, sommelier at Bazaar Meat in the SLS Hotel Las Vegas. Once the glass is empty, pour in a little of the second wine, swirl it, dump the rinse and you're ready for a proper pour. SHOP SMARTER There's no hacking a really bad wine. Campanale recommends going to a good wine shop to get a head start. If you find a wine you like, make a note of the producer; you'll probably like some of their other wines, too. RELAX Learning about and developing an appreciation for wine is interesting, but don't make it a chore. "Have fun and enjoy the wine; pair it with food and friends," recommends Kostovski. And while you're swirling and sipping but not while pouring try closing your eyes. "Feel the wine through your senses," she says, "Wine is romantic!" Angie Moore wins for best costume. A massive crowd watched the contestants do their dance moves, voting with their applause. The Mullet Festival and the Buzzard Lope dance contest returned to Stan's Idle Hour in Goodland for the 32nd year on Sunday. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News SHARE "Mickey from Minnesota" hade it to the final rounds. The Mullet Festival and the Buzzard Lope dance contest returned to Stan's Idle Hour in Goodland for the 32nd year on Sunday. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News Many Buzzard Lope contestants choose boots as the footwear of choice. The Mullet Festival and the Buzzard Lope dance contest returned to Stan's Idle Hour in Goodland for the 32nd year on Sunday. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News Sunday at Stan's represents a chance to cut loose a little. The Mullet Festival and the Buzzard Lope dance contest returned to Stan's Idle Hour in Goodland for the 32nd year on Sunday. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News Angie Moore from Ohio, winner for best costume, shows off her buzzard moves. The Mullet Festival and the Buzzard Lope dance contest returned to Stan's Idle Hour in Goodland for the 32nd year on Sunday. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News By Lance Shearer Two local events celebrated their 32nd anniversary this past weekend. In the Collier Bar Foundation's Mock Trial, kids act like grown-ups, taking the roles of lawyers in a legal competition. In the other, grown-ups act like kids. The Mullet Festival returned to Stan's Idle Hour in Goodland, bringing a capacity crowd of revelers for the unrefined, down-home pleasures of drinking, carousing, listening to loud music and judging the Buzzard Lope competition. On Sunday afternoon the weather was "just right" according to Stan's owner Steve Gober, son of Stan Gober, the restaurant's founder and longtime frontman who passed away in 2012. There was too much overcast to make it a beach day, but the temperature was perfect for an outdoor event, and enough people packed Stan's that their cars were parked all the way back to State Road 92. Judging the Buzzard Lope dance contest, and crowning a Buzzard Queen, was complicated by the fact that unless you were in the first few rows, or standing on a table a popular option you couldn't really see the dancers on the stage. It was also complicated by the largest ever field of contestants, with 32 hopefuls, the same number as how many years the Mullet Festival has been held. Cosmic. The event's theme song is "The Buzzard Lope," by Stan Gober. "Flap your wings up and down, take steps around and round," say the lyrics in the verse, instructions to the dancers who every year compete to be named Buzzard Lope Queen. The band repeated, "Looks like she's on dope she is doin' the Buzzard Lope," over and over, as the would-be queens gyrated and flapped their wings. Wardrobe for the dancers featured Mardi Gras masks, feather boas and often cowboy boots, and the judging, based on volume of crowd applause, clearly emphasized the importance of enthusiasm. By the time the contest was done, the stage was littered with multicolored feathers, and a new Buzzard Queen had been crowned. Tami Kelley is now Goodland royalty, and will have her name added to the roster of former queens painted on the wall over Stan's dining room. Kelley, a Springfield, Mass. resident, won a trophy and $150 cash for her efforts, as well as the right to be addressed as "your majesty" for the rest of her life. Angie Moore, of Ohio, another crowd favorite, won for best costume, taking home $100. Addison "Hazel" Banta, 5, won the Buzzard Princess competition on Saturday, and Haley Lamb, last year's princess, won for her costume. In the mullet cleaning competition, Adam Riccioni triumphed, gutting and cleaning three mullet in "41.79 seconds," said Steve Gober. Mullet was available on the menu, smoked or fried but no buzzard was served, although a few flew overhead and two metal buzzard sculptures top the covered bandstand. The Marco Island Firefighters, union local No. 2887, was on hand selling hot dogs, bratwurst, and T-shirts, all to benefit local Little League teams, said Dan Stoller, unit president and firefighter. After the Queen was crowned, the crowd went back to the serious business of having a good time, and the Fakahatchee Band played some tunes other than "The Buzzard Lope," including "Boot Scootin' Boogie," "I Know a Little (About Love)," and Charlie Daniels' classic "Long Haired Country Boy." "The music was great," said Gober. "I don't know how many people told me they loved Fakahatchee. When my dad was here, he was the attraction, but the music really matters now." Stan's is now open every day but Monday. On March 13, they will host the second Florida Lobster Fest and Stan Look-alike Contest. Collier Sheriff's motorcycle drill team member Evan Burd fires up his onboard laptop. The Marco Island Police Dept. hosted Community Day on Saturday at the police station, a chance to learn more about how public safety services are delivered. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News SHARE Marco Island Police Dept. officers Clayton Smith, left, and Bill Miller with a display of armor through the ages. The MIPD hosted Community Day on Saturday at the police station, a chance to learn more about how public safety services are delivered. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News Sgt. Mark Haueter with Darin, the DARE Bear. The Marco Island Police Dept. hosted Community Day on Saturday at the police station, a chance to learn more about how public safety services are delivered. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News Joe Granda and John DeRosa of the Marco Police Foundation keep the dogs coming. The Marco Island Police Dept. hosted Community Day on Saturday at the police station, a chance to learn more about how public safety services are delivered. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News Police Chief Al Schettino. The Marco Island Police Dept. hosted Community Day on Saturday at the police station, a chance to learn more about how public safety services are delivered. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News By Lance Shearer Their timing was certainly good. For Community Policing Day, the Marco Island Police Department had the first decent weather in about two weeks, a good thing when you have hundreds of people coming to interact with dozens of public safety agencies at an outdoor event. The program gave members of the public the chance to find out more about not only the Marco department, but a host of governmental and non-profit groups who work to improve the community, and also let the members of those agencies interact with and learn more about each other. "This was a really great day," said Marco Police Chief Al Schettino. "Everybody I spoke to really enjoyed the event." He estimated that 250 to 300 people attended. "The community came out, and especially the children. That's what I like to see the relationship building," said Schettino. "Here, they could get to know us as individuals. This way, we are not always viewed as disciplinarians, but as the people who keep them safe." The Naples Police Dept. was one of the agencies who showed up, and the items they brought with them were heavy duty equipment for use in keeping the public safe, as long as one was not on the receiving end of their firepower. They brought a van labeled "Special Weapons and Tactics," and officers Gallagher and Brugel exhibited some of those, including a long-barreled sniper rifle and a fully automatic Scar assault rifle. Another tool in their toolbox on display was the "breaching shotgun," with a ventilated muzzle guard, designed to be placed against a door before firing, to open it when you don't have the key. Officers Bill Miller and Clayton Smith of the MIPD showed off "armor through the ages," going back to chain mail and a pointy metal helmet that could have come straight from the set of "Camelot," through modern military and police body armor. The law enforcement division of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, brought their airboat, suited for operating in the skinniest of skinny water. Lee Dewey, senior crime lab analyst with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, talked about the techniques the real-life counterparts of the CSI-type television shows use to investigate crime scenes, and just happened to have a simulated dead body sprawled out behind their booth. One big draw for the attendees was the Collier County Sheriff's motorcycle drill team, four jackbooted deputies with their shiny Harley-Davidson Electra-Glides. Although space didn't allow on Saturday, when the team has room, they perform intricate maneuvers riding "slow and in control," team leader Cpl. Scott Butler said. Evan Burd, another of the motorcycle deputies, popped open the compartment on the back of his "hog" to show a quick video demonstration of the group in action, on his on-board laptop. For those who wanted to get above it all, the Lee County Electric Co-op and lead linesman Jim Jourdan offered people the chance to soar 60 feet above the scene in their bucket truck. Back on terra firma, Al Granda and John DeRosa of the Marco Police Foundation grilled up hotdogs, and MIPD Sgt. Mark Haueter, with his stuffed buddy Darin the DARE Bear, talked up the effectiveness of that program. "DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) isn't just about drugs anymore," he said. "We talk with the kids about bullying, stress, alcohol and about making good choices, too." The Marco Island Fire-Rescue Dept., housed right next to the police and the city council chambers, also participated in the program, with their tower truck flying the U.S. flag overhead. But even during an open house with drills and demonstrations, the public safety agencies are ready to respond, and at 12:30 p.m., an ambulance whipped out of the fire department building, on its way to a real-life emergency call. SHARE 1. Glottman photography exhibit opens today The Marco Island Center for the Arts' February gallery will feature photography of Oscar Glottman. The exhibition will be open from Feb. 2 through 23, and, the art will be available for purchase. Glottman is both an artist and architect. He has been experimenting with visual art and photography as a second career. Glottman's photography is not the usual pictures of the world we live in. It is a mixture of form and color approaching the abstract. Glottman describes his work as "fragmentation and the capture of the DNA of time and place." At 2 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 10, the Center will hold a poetry workshop event for middle and high school students, based on the exhibition. Space is limited and reservation is required by calling the Center. A highlight of the Glottman exhibit will be the Center's Second Tuesday opening reception from 5 until 7 p.m., Feb. 9. The event is open to the public, although donations are requested from non-members of the Center. The reception will feature a wonderful buffet of culinary arts with a surprise caterer. In addition to the Glottman exhibit, the works of Johanna Petropoulos will be featured in the Center's La Petit Galerie. The sculptures of Petropoulos has been recognized by numerous awards including Best of Show at the Woodmere Art Museum and juried in the Alliance of Women Artists of Greenbrae, California. Marco Island Center for the Arts is located at 1010 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island and is open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Art in the exhibits is available for sale. In addition, the Center has a full time gift shop onsite, with display and sale of art. Information: marcoislandart.org. 2. Cultural Carnivale Cultural Alliance of Marco Island and Goodland (CAMIG) presents the Cultural Carnivale from 6 until 8 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 3 at Rose History Auditorium (Marco Island Historical Society; 180 South Heathwood Drive, Marco Island). There will be no charge for admission, food and beverages. Raffle tickets will also be available to attendees without charge. Come and learn about the broad array of cultural activities and amenities in the local area. Free for children and adults. 3. 'A Century Through the Eyes of Luce' You saw her portray Grace Kelly, Evita and Margaret Thatcher, among others. Now Bonnie Bozzo takes the stage as yet another prominent character in history: Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987). Bozzo's performance will be held at 1 p.m., Feb. 4, in Rose History Auditorium. Born in New York's Spanish Harlem with nothing to recommend her but her beauty, intelligence and dry wit, Clare Boothe Luce became a successful woman of the world. She had a simple motto aim for the top and did just that, becoming a war correspondent, a versatile author with a hit play ("The Women"), the wife of magazine mogul Henry Luce. Tickets are $10.00 each and are available at the Marco Island Historical Museum gift shop. The Museum is located at 180 South Heathwood Drive. Information: 239-389-6447 or themihs.org. SHARE Immokalee Technical College students plan to integrate screws from the original boxcar with new wood. (Melhor Leonor/Staff) Jose Reza, a senior at Immokalee High School, sands wood that will go on a boxcar belonging to the Holocaust Museum and Education Center of Southwest Florida. (Melhor Leonor/Staff) In this file photo, Holocaust boxcar coming to naples' museum. photo courtesy of the holocaust museum In this file photo, the Holocaust Memorial Boxcar visited the Marco Island Charter Middle School this week, with students who had studied the World War II era touring it in small groups. Lance Shearer/Special to the Daily News By Melhor Leonor of the Naples Daily News Inside Dan Kroeker's construction technologies class at Immokalee Technical Center, students typically chop wood to build birdhouses and tables. Rarely, Kroeker said, "do you get to work on a piece of history." So when a boxcar built in Germany in 1919 and likely used to transport Jews to concentration camps during World War II came into their workspace, the tone of the class became more serious and the primary goal became to help preserve history. The project is part of a partnership between Immokalee Technical Center and the Holocaust Museum and Education Center of Southwest Florida, which commissioned the college to refurbish its 97-year-old boxcar. "We had little projects, but all of that was put to the side to finish the boxcar," said Jose Reza, 18, a dual-enrollment student at the college and at Immokalee High. The Holocaust Museum acquired the boxcar in 2007 as a loan from Jack Nortman and his family. His mother, Rose, is a Holocaust survivor who has a personal connection the boxcar. In 1939, an 18-year-old Rose traveled in a similar boxcar, crammed in with a hundred other people. When the boxcar first arrived in Naples, she said the sight of it brought back memories of the six-week journey and the six years of Nazi humiliation and torture that followed. Her son Jack was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany. The boxcar is the seventh in the country, having made a two-week journey from the Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands, to the Port of Miami, and finally to Naples, accompanied by Florida State troopers, Collier County and city of Naples deputies. It cost about $35,000 to transport the car to Naples. Since acquiring it, the Holocaust Museum has used the boxcar as an exhibit to educate the public about the history and lasting impact of the Holocaust. "We know this one was in service by the German Railway System during the time of World War II. We know it was the type of car used to deport people to concentration camps," said Amy Snyder, executive director of the Holocaust Museum. The boxcar is a metal frame with a metal roof. Long wooden planks cover its sides and make up its flooring. It's not much bigger than a small car garage, and has no windows. When the museum uses the boxcar to introduce young students to the history of the Holocaust, it allows them to step inside in groups of 10 to 15. "You add five times that, six times that, and you start to get a better picture of what it was like," Snyder said. "It really helps them see it's a tiny little space. It's not just a picture in a textbook." Since 2008, the boxcar has traveled to 90 locations in six counties on the back of a flatbed. The damage is evident to Ruby Garcia, 16, a dual enrollment student working to refurbish it. As Garcia walks through the boxcar, she points to moldy and unstable wood planks making up its floor that need to be replaced. Thursday, Garcia's main task is to prime the new wood that will replace the rotting one. "We want these to last 12 years or longer," Garcia said. "I'm putting wood filler so that water won't get in it and erode it." Kroeker and his students hope to finish the project by mid-February so that the museum can continue using the boxcar as an educational tool. He said their main task is securing the structure from the damage of humidity and water. "Our goal here is to seal it up," he said. "The boxcar was designed to be in Europe, not Southwest Florida." Isael Villa, 27, is tasked with drilling into the new wood. While taking a break, he says he is very aware of the significance of the artifact as he works on it. Jack Nortman, 69, observed the work Thursday morning and says he is glad it is students who are doing the work. The Holocaust Museum started as an expansion of a middle school project on the Holocaust, and today continues to serve many local schools. Nortman said the significance of the boxcar, beyond conveying the facts of the Holocaust, is helpful in promoting empathy. "I think it's a mistake for people to think that we take this boxcar to schools strictly as a history lesson," he said. "It's a lot deeper than that." SHARE A bowl of gumbo is prepared for consumption at the 14th annual Southwest Florida Gumbo Fest at the Shell Factory on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in North Fort Myers. The annual event features Cajun food, music and culture. (David Albers/Staff) Shira Mardis serves gumbo to customers of A Cajun Bowl restaurants booth at the 14th annual Southwest Florida Gumbo Fest at the Shell Factory on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in North Fort Myers. The annual event features Cajun food, music and culture. (David Albers/Staff) Attendees Margie Frey, Ted Shea, Jean Germundsen and Dennis Germundsen, left to right, dance to the Cajun and zydeco music of The Porch Dogs at the 14th annual Southwest Florida Gumbo Fest at the Shell Factory on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in North Fort Myers. The annual event features Cajun food, music and culture. (David Albers/Staff) Jean and Dennis Germundsen, seasonal Sanibel residents from Lisbon, Wis., dance to the Cajun and zydeco music of The Porch Dogs at the 14th annual Southwest Florida Gumbo Fest at the Shell Factory on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in North Fort Myers. The annual event features Cajun food, music and culture. (David Albers/Staff) By Alexi C. Cardona of the Naples Daily News Some say it's the roux. Others say the spices. Others still say it's the amount of time the ingredients are left to marry. "If you stick your spoon in it and it stands straight up, that's not gumbo. It's chicken stew," said Michael Catalan, owner of A Cajun Bowl, a Cajun and Creole restaurant in Cape Coral. Whatever the secret to making great gumbo, thousands of people followed their noses to the Shell Factory and Nature Park's Gumbo Fest on Sunday for their fill. The smell of spices and seafood traveled to the surrounding and packed parking lots. Karen and Marvin Mickow travel the United States in search of good food. "You know that book, 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'?" Karen Mickow said. "That's our guide. We go to the places in the book." This was their first time at the festival, and by the time they went for their first bowl, some of the vendors had already sold out. "We plan to eat a lot more," Karen Mickow said. On a stage, artists performed Zydeco music, a genre that evolved in southern Louisiana and blends blues, rhythm and blues and indigenous Creole music. Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers got the crowd going with guitars, an accordion and a vest frottoir, a ridged stainless steel percussion instrument worn over the shoulders. Vendors from different Southwest Florida restaurants sold dozens of gallons of seafood gumbo, chicken and sausage gumbo, jambalaya, lobster rolls, ahi tuna tacos and pulled pork. Cold beer provided relief on a muggy but not-too-sunny Sunday. One of most important thing for Catalan, the owner of A Cajun Bowl, is to get the roux, a mix of butter and flour, right for the gumbo. "I have it on the stove for an hour and 45 minutes, constantly stirring," he said. "If you burn one little bit of it, you have to start over." The second key is the andouille sausage. "If you don't have those two things right, the gumbo is crap," he said. Mary Beth and Chris Keslinger, owners of Lobster Lady Seafood Market and Bistro in Cape Coral, said that in addition to having a "true roux," the file powder, a spicy herb, plays an important role. "And the longer it marinates, the more flavorful it becomes," Mary Beth Keslinger said. Gumbo originated in Louisiana in the 18th century, and it is thought to be a derivation of bouillabaisse, a French fish stew. "There's a history behind it and a tradition," said Catalan, who is from Lafayette, Louisiana. "We take pride in it. It's something that comes from hundreds of years, something my great-grandmother and mom did." SHARE By Jeff Schweers Florida Legislature TALLAHASSEE Florida lawmakers and prosecutors are working on a fix to the state's death penalty following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that invalidated how the sentence is determined. The Supreme Court's Jan. 12 opinion in Hurst v. Florida found fault with was a state sentencing scheme that allows a judge to override a jury's recommendation for life or death. 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. 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 different stakeholders who spoke at the hearing to get together and come up with a solution in days, not weeks. On Tuesday, a House Criminal Justice subcommittee will take up a proposal that mirrors recommendations for a minimum 9-3 jury vote to impose the death penalty, made by prosecutors at the Wednesday committee hearing. Evers also said he might use a bill introduced by Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, requiring a unanimous jury verdict. 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." The immediate effect of Hurst is that prosecutors can't ask for the death penalty right now, as one Pinellas County Circuit Judge Michael Andrews recently declared. Andrews ruled that 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. But Polk County Circuit Judge Jalal Harb on Thursday decided to put off a Bartow death penalty case until the courts get more guidance from the Legislature and Florida Supreme Court. All sides agree that 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. 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 the 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." SHARE Fracking legislation Florida House Republicans and Democrats each had it partially right in Wednesday's vote, largely along party lines, on what the state should do about fracking, or hydraulic fracturing. The Republicans had it right in advocating for a $1 million study of what types of inland drilling procedures should be allowed in Florida and to then set regulations based on study findings. The Democrats had it right in suggesting the state shouldn't wrest a say over drilling from cities and counties. The House voted 73-45 Wednesday to support the measure co-sponsored by state Rep. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero. The Senate will have the same issue before it in a bill sponsored by state Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples. Fracturing, which injects fluids to crack open or acid to melt the rock layer to enhance productivity of an oil well, is largely the concern of two areas of the state Southwest Florida and the Panhandle, where most of the drilling occurs. As it stands, fracking can occur in Florida, which has outdated laws and rules that haven't yet caught up with modern drilling techniques, such as horizontal bores that can cut angularly underground in search of oil. A tough call This legislation is a close call to us, as demonstrated a year ago when we supported the Rodrigues and Richter bills despite some reservations. Do you keep the state's outdated, lax procedures, the ones that now allow fracking, in place? No. Should you study Florida's unique hydrology and geology to guide what should be allowed in the state, rather than relying on studies done elsewhere in the nation? Yes. Should there be a moratorium on fracking permits while the study is completed? Yes. Should the state be allowed to know what types of chemicals that drillers are injecting into the ground? Yes. Should Florida regulate what happens with the spoiled water pulled out of the ground at a drilling site? Yes. Should state inspectors be allowed ready access to the drilling site at key times? Yes. Should performance bond amounts that haven't increased in decades be raised, in case of the need for a spill cleanup? Yes. Should state regulators be allowed to consider how companies performed in other states when weighing whether to grant a drilling permit in Florida? Yes. So far, we're in agreement with all this, summarized on the House floor by state Rep. Cary Pigman, R-Avon Park, the co-sponsor. That's where the Republican majority has gotten this right. Local control Here, however, we part ways with this year's version of the legislation. When the Rodrigues and Richter bills almost passed in spring 2015, fracking was barely on the radar of most local government agencies. Nearly a year later, Democrats on Wednesday listed dozens of cities and counties that now have either banned fracking or urged state lawmakers to do so. The city of Bonita Springs was one of the first. The Village of Estero is among them. While not on the list, Collier County commissioners this fall advocated for changes to the legislation to be sure they maintain some local control, such as over zoning that determines how far drilling rigs may be kept from residences. There have been modifications to the 2016 bills in recent weeks to address local government rights, such as ensuring hometown officials are notified about a permit request so they can weigh in on it with the Department of Environmental Protection. We see this as a shallow concession, however, considering there already were procedures to object to a permit and seek a hearing. On the House floor Wednesday, GOP state Rep. Doug Broxson spoke passionately how the economy of his North Florida district has benefited for decades from nobody-got-sick, safe, clean drilling that's helped the U.S. seek energy independence. That, to us, makes the point. If it's been good for his Panhandle district, that's great. So let the local government officials there have a say what's allowed, and where. His district is as far from Collier County, Bonita Springs and Estero as is Tallahassee. The Senate can still fix this legislation by stripping out portions that restrict local control. Failing that, we wouldn't support this year's bill. SHARE George Ahearn, Naples Assessing the assessor Every time we have articles written in these pages that are contrary to climate change, global warming, solar and wind energy, or pro-fracking, Alan Keller comes out of the woodwork to put things straight. He gives us his "assessment" of the author's opinions. Of course, when someone assesses things he usually is knowledgeable and objective about the subject. You don't ask a radical environmentalist to assess the impact of fracking on the environment. But that doesn't stop him. His "assessment" cites references from the Compendium of Scientific, Medical and Media Findings Demonstrating Risk and Harms of Fracking (3rd Edition October 2015). This is published by a group called, Physicians for Social Responsibility and PSE Healthy Energy. This is a group of "concerned" health professionals from New York who likely used this compendium to lobby the governor to ban fracking in that state a decision that many New Yorkers regret when they look at the prosperity now going on in neighboring Ohio and Pennsylvania. Also, this group's definition of a scientific peer-reviewed article is not based on equal education or knowledge of the subject by the reviewer but equal disposition. These people work full time on searching for articles against fossil fuels, fracking, and energy efficiency and, of course, avoiding anything positive written about them. This is why Mr. Keller's "assessment" of this subject should be ignored, if you really are looking for the facts instead of the speculation. SHARE Tom Dyckman, Naples Professor Emeritus Cornell University This letter will attempt to correct the portion of Ken Riceman's letter aptly titled "Diz-information" in which he attempts to defend the claims of "climate change deniers." The letter accurately states that the climate of the world has been changing in approximately 80,000 year cycles and has been doing so for 650,000 years. What isn't mentioned in the letter is that in each of the eight cycles of approximately the same duration, the levels of carbon parts per million (CPM) have remained in a range of 150-300 CPM, except for the last cycle. Only in the most recent period has the interval been broken. The result is based on studies of ice core samples. The upward penetration of the 300 CPM barrier occurred recently in the 20th century when the level broke through the 300 CPM barrier, reaching 400 and continuing to rise. The growing data supporting global warming, caused in part by humans, is supported by the scientific research of a number of reputable scientific American associations, including, among others: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Geophysical Union, American Meteorology Society, U.S. National Academy of Science, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Their cautious conclusion is the chance that the trends are likely due to human activities is in the neighborhood of 95 percent. We have, it would seem, two choices. The first is to adapt in the way we live and satisfy our basic needs. The alternative is to take action. I would select the latter. SHARE Sandy Doyle, Naples New report card The Naples Daily News reports that Superintendent Kamela Patton earned high marks on her recent evaluation. Well, wouldn't anyone who creates their own evaluation questionnaire do well on it? Did you see the questions? None of them address proof of actual education gains for our children. Why isn't the emphasis of her evaluation on student improvement and performance? Isn't that really her job? Florida is rated 47th out of 50 states on ACT scores. Would you call this a good value for our $1 billion Collier budget? Would you call this "college and career ready?" These poor outcomes lead to a lot of extra tuition and time spent on remedial classes for the students in their first year in college. Patton claims she has no data concerning the number of students in remedial courses because the colleges have not given her the information. All she has to do is look at the same data the colleges use for proper class placement; high school grades and ACT, SAT, EOC, FSA, and AP test scores information she already has available. Patton has successfully denied the junior board members requests for student data relative to student achievement; prohibited outside education experts from presenting important current research to the board; covered up her failures with a plethora of photo-ops designed to make her look good; and is complicit in circumventing Senate Bill 864 and usurping elected board members' responsibility of choosing textbooks and other instructional materials. The School Board should create an honest evaluation tool for the superintendent with the outcomes of our children's education as the top priority. SHARE Joseph R. Mason is a professor of economics at Louisiana State University and a senior fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. By Joseph R. Mason It's a question that's stumped federal lawmakers for six long years: How can we kick the economic recovery into a higher gear? A new study I conducted and released in December provides a simple answer: Open more federal lands to America's energy revolution and the opportunities it provides. Those opportunities will be especially plentiful in Florida. Using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and other federal agencies, my study focuses on the potential lying beneath the millions acres of land and offshore areas owned by the federal government, but which are currently closed off to natural resource development. Here's the short version: It will spur faster economic growth, more jobs, higher wages, and revenues for federal, state, and local government treasuries. Start with the most obvious effect of more economic activity: more jobs. I estimate opening more federal lands will create 42,000 jobs annually in the Sunshine State for the first seven years aka, the "pre-production phase" and 174,000 over the following 30 years. Nationally, it could add more than 3.2 million jobs over the next 37 years. Those jobs won't only be in the energy sector, either. Most will be in other high-skilled, high-paying careers like engineering, manufacturing, and information technology. There are also the local businesses, restaurant owners and others who stand to benefit. All told, Floridians could see combined wages rise by $1.45 billion in each of the first seven years, before ratcheting up to $7.7 billion for the following three decades. Unsurprisingly, more jobs and higher wages would spur faster economic growth. I estimate the U.S. economy will grow by $127 billion annually during the first seven years, and $663 billion in each of the following 30 years. That's a combined $20.7 trillion in new economic activity more than our economy currently produces in a single year. Last, but not least, this new economic growth will be a boon for government revenues, yet it won't require any tax increases. I estimate federal revenues will increase by a total of $3.9 trillion over the next 37 years. That will certainly help to pay down our current national debt of $18 trillion and counting. Florida state and local revenues will also balloon. I estimate an additional $478 million will flow into government coffers during each of the first seven years, growing to $2 billion annually for the following 30. That's money that can be spent on education, infrastructure, and all manner of other critical state and local priorities. By now, you may be thinking, "All of these benefits sound great, but won't they harm the environment through higher carbon emissions?" Well, not necessarily. In fact, carbon emissions have actually fallen since America's energy revolution began. Since 2008, U.S. oil production has nearly doubled while natural gas production has grown by nearly one-third. Yet over that same period of time, total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions have steadily declined. There's no reason to believe this trend will change. But perhaps the greatest aspect of expanding energy opportunities on federal lands is that it doesn't require creating another government program, nor does it require any new taxes. Instead, it enables hardworking and innovative entrepreneurs to continue finding new, better, and safer ways to access America's plentiful natural resources. To be sure, no one's advocating for oil wells in the Grand Canyon or other national treasures. I, for one, don't want Old Faithful to become New Well. But after six years of government programs, tax credits, and the like, it's time for lawmakers to think outside the box to kick our sputtering economy into high gear or, in this case, look beneath their feet. __ Joseph R. Mason is a professor of economics at Louisiana State University and a senior fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Access his study at: http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/IER-Mason-Study.pdf Sanibel Captiva Community Bank contributed $2,500 to the American Heart Associations community support fund. The American Heart Association provides local program support in our area through Heart Walks, Go Red For Women luncheons and Jump Rope For Heart events, said bank President and CEO Craig Albert. We are proud to be a contributing partner in support of their recent research leading to breakthroughs such as clot-busting drugs and drug-eluding stents. The mission of the American Heart Association is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke through public health education. The nations oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke, it was founded by six cardiologists in 1924 and has more than 22.5 million volunteers and supporters. For more information, visit www.heart.org. Sanibel Captiva Community Bank is the only bank chartered on Sanibel Island, where it has two locations, the main office at 2475 Library Way and second location at 1037 Periwinkle Way. In Fort Myers, bank locations are in the Myerlee community and on McGregor Boulevard near Kelly Road. The banks professionals provide customized individual and business banking services including free personal and business checking, residential lending and competitive rates. Sanibel Captiva Community Bank also offers online banking and electronic statements and a mobile banking app. To learn more, visit www.sancapbank.com. The Naples Airport Authority Noise Compatibility Committee recognized three supporters for their commitment to the Naples Municipal Airport noise abatement program. John Mastrocinque and The Hertz Corporation were recognized for suggesting that pilots use idle-reverse thrust; Europe-American Aviation was honored for its initiatives in encouraging students to make full-length take-offs; and committee member William Goddard was applauded for his perseverance in encouraging Collier County Realtors to disclose the airports proximity to potential homebuyers. Finding ways to make the airport quieter and educating the public about aircraft noise are two of the committees key goals, said committee chair Ernest Linneman, Idle-reverse thrust is a technique that makes landings quieter, and using the full length of the runway helps aircraft achieve higher altitudes before leaving the airport, making takeoffs quieter. Educating those who are considering purchasing homes near the airport prevents surprises and fosters informed decision-making. Every step we can take to minimize aircraft noise, even small steps, adds to an overall difference, Linneman said. The nine members of the Noise Compatibility Committee serve as volunteers. In addition to Linneman and Goddard, the committee includes Vice Chair Bruce Bickelmann, City Council Member Doug Finlay, Bruce Byerly, Justin Lobb, Richard Mellon, Robert Metzler and Gary Revall. The Airport Authority and the Noise Compatibility Committee launched the Please Fly Safe Fly Quiet campaign in 2012 to encourage pilots and aircraft operators to do all they can to minimize aircraft noise. The campaign encourages pilots to observe the airports recommended 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. aircraft curfew and to use specific techniques that reduce sound. Naples Municipal Airport, a certificated air-carrier airport, is home to flight schools, air charter operators, car rental agencies and corporate aviation and nonaviation businesses as well as fire/rescue services, mosquito control, the Collier County Sheriffs Aviation Unit and other community services. During the 2014-15 fiscal year, the airport accommodated 99,569 takeoffs and landings. All funds used for the airports operation, maintenance and improvements are generated from activities at the airport or from federal and state grants; the airport receives no property tax dollars. The Florida Department of Transportation values the airports economic impact to the community at $283.5 million annually. For more information or to subscribe for email updates about the airport, visit www.FlyNaples.com. During his visit to the Kingdom of Morocco (29 - 30 January, 2016), General Petr Pavel held bilateral talks in Rabat with Mr. Abdellatif Loudiyi, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government for the Administration of National Defence, General Bouchaid Arroub, Chief of Defence and the Chiefs of Staff of the Land, Naval and Air Forces. General Pavel praised the long-standing cooperation between NATO and Morocco in the framework of the Mediterranean Dialogue (Med Dialogue). He took the opportunity to discuss NATOs continued commitment to working with Morocco, through the Med Dialogue partnership, in addressing the security challenges the nation and North African region are facing. General Pavel added that we will continue to enhance our work with Morocco to make the most of the opportunities offered by their partnership with NATO, including the Defence Capacity Building Initiative and the Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme. The Chairman also highlighted Moroccos participation in NATO Operations and exercises. The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces have greatly contributed to NATO operations and have shown an active interest in current NATO naval operations, such as Active Endeavour in the Mediterranean. NATO promotes military-to-military cooperation to improve the ability of partner military forces to operate with NATO forces. This interoperability is practised regularly in NATO exercises and partners are often invited to participate or observe. Trident Juncture 2015 was our biggest exercises in two decades. More than 30 nations and around 36,000 troops participated. Morocco was one of the Partner nations that was an observer at the exercise, underlined General Pavel. Morocco joined the NATO Med Dialogue in 1994. Today, the partnership programme counts seven non-NATO countries of the Mediterranean region: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. Medical error is a common, deadly occurrence today (NaturalNews) A young mother from Farmington, New Mexico, was left heartbroken after her newborn came back from the hospital missing a toe. A nurse at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Hospital accidentally chopped off the infant's pinky toe when removing an IV.Mother Erica Hogue gave birth to twins via emergency C-section at 29 weeks. One of her two boys made it through the surgery and was eventually cleared to go home with his mother. The other boy, Davante, was kept at the hospital due to a serious brain-bleed.The boy survived the brain-bleed, but he didn't make it out of the hospital before a nurse made a serious medical error. "He had an IV placed in his foot and the nurse that was taking care of him was cutting away the tape and cut off his toe," said Erica Hogue, speaking to local news media.It was no minor accident. "The orthopedic surgeon came up, stitched all the way around his toe, and placed him in a leg cast," said Erica Hogue. "Just makes me angry that anything like this could happen."The hospital apologized but Erica felt like there was no recourse. UNM Hospital authorities plainly said, "The only thing that they could do was use a different tape.""For me that's just not enough," stated Erica as she began to tear up.Frankly, Erica is lucky the UNM Hospital staff didn't accidentally kill her newborn. Medical error is a serious problem that happens way too often in America's hasty medical system. The statistics on medical error are appalling. Since January 1, 2000,Another 1.5 million plus have died due to general medical error. Few forms of violence and negligence around the world can compare to the deadly errors of the medical system.Hospitals are one of the most dangerous places in America, accounting for well over 1.2 million deaths since 2000 due to hospital infections alone. In the same time, over 500,000 people were accidentally killed due to surgery error.It's a hectic kind of medical system that occasionally saves lives but produces millions of severe and deadly errors that leave people debilitated, without body parts, paralyzed or comatose.Many of the serious problems that the medical system appears to fix could have been avoided altogether through a greater understanding of naturopathy and nutrition. For example, many pharmaceutical drugs include heart attack and stroke among their listed side effects . The medical system heroically intervenes to bring the person back to life but the horrifying situation could have been prevented altogether if the doctor wouldn't have prescribed a drug that caused the heart attack and if the patient would have taken their health into their own hands by making healthier lifestyle decisions. This starts with better education and understanding of where wellness comes from.Likewise, chemotherapy agents target cancer cells while accelerating the disintegration of the whole immune system. While some survive this destructive process temporarily, their quality of life noticeably diminishes and they are more prone to infections. Additionally, cancer is more likely to return since the whole immune system has been compromised. The fight against cancer ultimately becomes a fight against the deadly side effects of chemotherapy. Over 16 million people have died because of chemotherapy since 2000 This is unacceptable. Why aren't these systemic, flawed medical errors corrected and reformed? Why does the insanity of the medical system persist? Should we continue to submit to a medical system that lops off infant body parts or pumps people full of drugs that prematurely send them to their death? 'Campaign to Stop Killer Robots' co-founded by Human Rights Watch and other prominent NGOs Can autonomous weapons ever meet Geneva convention standards? UN tries to keep pace with technology (NaturalNews) It's difficult - particularly for observers of a certain age and cultural background - to resist drawing the obvious comparisons between science fiction and the reality which is now unfolding regarding the development of autonomous weapons systems, e.g. "The Rise of the Machines" and "Skynet."Sci-fi references or not, it truly is a little spooky to live in a world with organizations (that are actually taken seriously) having names like the 'Campaign to Stop Killer Robots' - a name which, of course, sounds like it was lifted straight out of an Isaac Asimov novel.In fact, that organization was co-founded by Human Rights Watch, the Nobel Women's Initiative and other eminent national and international NGOs.There is legitimate and widespread concern about the development of "killer robots," autonomous drones and missiles, and other weaponry either already being deployed or currently under development.The issue has become so relevant that the UN recently held a special meeting in Geneva to address the concerns. Participants included representatives from several European nations and other countries who met to discuss how to monitor and regulate the use of these technologies, which have the potential to cause great harm.Delegates at the meeting debated on topics including whether or not these new weapons conform to Geneva convention rulings on 'proportionality' and whether or not autonomous weapons should be banned completely.The United States is at the forefront of the technology, with most of its aerial surveillance capabilities already being partly automated and with new fully-autonomous weapons in testing and development.The technology is advancing so rapidly that some observers are foreseeing a new type of arms race based on developed countries vying with each other to stay one step ahead in terms of robotic weaponry.Even some of the most advanced developers of artificial intelligence systems, such as Tesla Motors' Elon Musk, warn of a future where autonomous machines may play an increasingly threatening role toward humankind.Indeed, there have already been a significant number of incidents in which partially-autonomous U.S. weapons have been responsible for the deaths of innocent civilians in war zones, particularly in the Middle East.The less direct human control over these weapons, the greater the chance that they will end up harming those who are not intended targets.The meeting in Geneva was the second this year addressing the issue of autonomous weapons, which indicates how grave the concerns are for members of the international diplomatic community.As the technology races ahead, it is necessary to examine all the implications, not only regarding the danger to innocent civilians but also those involved on the battlefield. There are questions concerning whether these weapons are essentially inhumane, even when used against armed enemy combatants.As the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots' website states, "there are numerous ethical, legal, moral, policy, technical, and other concerns with fully autonomous weapons."Under the rules of the Geneva Convention on Conventional Weapons as amended in 2001:That prohibition would certainly seem to apply to many of the autonomous weapons now being used and developed by the U.S. and others.The decision at the conclusion of the Geneva meeting this month was to continue deliberations on the issue. There will be another set of talks at the UN in Geneva in April 2015 to further explore solutions to the problem.It is hoped that the member states will reach some binding agreements strictly regulating, if not altogether banning, the use of killer robots and other autonomous weapons systems. Your keyboard is dirtier than your toilet seat 'Half don't wash up after using the bathroom' 'We all have a responsibility' (NaturalNews) The world is a dirty place, as most of us are aware, but some places are dirtier than others - and some are more dirty than we realize. Take your office desk and computer keyboard; who would have thought they could be such harbingers of disease?Okay, well, nothing that is really, granted. But in a recent study, researchers did find that in a number of cases, your desk can be dirtier than your bathroom.As reported by Britain'snewspaper:Non-hygienic working conditions, in fact, are a "key contributor" to hundreds of millions of lost working days in the UK, the U.S. and around the world, because they contribute to the spread of flu and cold viruses, among other illnesses.And what's more, researchers noted, the bacteria and viruses on hard surfaces like keyboards, computer mice and desks, will multiply voraciously, remaining infectious for as long as a full 24 hours, according to hygiene expert and visiting professor at the University of Salford in Greater Manchester, England, Dr. Lisa Ackerley, in an interview with the paper's online edition.Ackerley explained that the average desk serves as a prime breeding environment for infections. She has urged workers to routinely clean and disinfect their desks, keyboards, telephones and computer mice (using a natural disinfectant instead of using a chemical disinfectant you typically find at the store).The expert further explained that better cleaning of desks and overall improved hygiene measures would likely result in "significantly fewer sick days ."A new infographic fully reveals the stark reality of the study's findings, and how important it can be to regularly disinfect your workspace.For instance, the graphic - which is based on the findings of Ackerley and her team - shows that one in five workers don't clean their workspace before eating, and two in three eat lunch in front of their computers. One in five - 20 percent - never clean their computer mouse, and about 80 percent of the most common infections are spread by contact."Our hands are a germ motorway," Ackerley told the. "The slightest cough or sneeze into our hands and the germs start their journey through the office.""And if somebody doesn't wash their hands the bacteria or viruses can get on your hands, even if you [did]," she continued, as quoted by the paper.The hygiene expert said that if just one person in an office environment fails to wash their hands, fellow colleagues are at risk of picking up their bacteria by touching some of the same surfaces, door handles, water fountain tabs, and so on.Organisms can then be transferred between people when they touch their eyes, nose or mouth, resulting in a variety of conditions and illnesses like flu, colds, coughs, norovirus and even food poisoning."Any surfaces your hands come into contact with are potential breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses," Ackerley said."From the moment you touch the toilet flush and cubicle door handle, you are at risk of picking up bacteria," she continued. "Even the soap dispenser can pose a threat. Even if you thoroughly wash your hands, if you touch the door handle on the way out, and it's been touched by someone who hasn't washed their hands you will pick up any residue bacteria.'These organisms are completely invisible," she told the. "That is why it is so important everyone takes responsibility for their own personal hand hygiene. It is really important to wash your hands."She further stated that a separate recent study found that an astounding 50 percent of office workers do not wash their hands after using the bathroom."There is no excuse," she said. "Those people bypassing the sink are spreading germs all around the office."We have all got a responsibility," she added. Worker replacement imminent? Amazon to take over the skies, too? (NaturalNews) Amazon.com's online sales empire is built on the ability to quickly deliver nearly any product straight to the customer's door. Increasingly, that speed is driven by automated systems, rather than human labor.In 2012, the company purchased a robotics manufacturer named Kiva Systems for $775 million, and renamed it Amazon Robotics. In 2014, the company began using robots to do some of the merchandise selection and packaging at its warehouses. By the end of that year, there were 15,000 robots in use at 10 of Amazon's 50 fulfillment centers. That number had increased to 30,000 robots at 13 fulfillment centers by the third quarter of 2015."It's a bit of an investment that has implications for a lot of elements of our cost structure, but we're happy with Kiva," said Phil Hardin, Amazon's director of investor relations. "It has been a great innovation for us, and we think it makes the warehouse jobs better, and we think it makes our warehouses more productive."Perhaps by no coincidence, Amazon's acquisition of Kiva shortly followed a prominent September 2011 expose of working conditions in its warehouses, published in the Pennsylvania newspaper. The article recounted the plight of workers, many of them elderly, forced to walk 13 to 15 miles per day through poorly organized warehouses, trying to fill orders fast enough to meet a quota.When Amazon announced the deployment of its robots, it said that no workers would be fired as a consequence. Instead, the company said, the robots would work in conjunction with the employees, merely lightening employee workload. It remains to be seen how long the company will keep to that promise.Regardless, Amazon has certainly achieved its goal of increased efficiency. A worker teamed up with a robot now fulfills orders three to four times as fast as a worker alone. Because the robots can navigate tight spaces, Amazon has increased the amount of inventory held at its mechanized warehouses by 50 percent.So how exactly does a robot fill your Amazon order?Shelves in Amazon warehouses are still packed by human beings, but the packages are not shelved with any particular organizational system. Instead, the locations of various types of merchandise are computerized so that the robot can find it quickly. The robot in question is about 16 inches tall, weighs nearly 320 pounds, and can move at 5 miles per hour. It can move about 700 pounds worth of items at one time, and uses a motion sensor to avoid both human and inanimate obstacles as it navigates the warehouse. When an order comes in, the robot retrieves the item from the shelf and transports it to a worker, who then packages it for shipment.It's not just in packaging that Amazon is looking to remove the troublesome human element. The company has announced plans to launch a program called Amazon Prime Air, which will offer 30 minute delivery via drone. In this case, of course, there is no doubt that human workers are to be directly replaced.According to an ad unveiled recently by the company, Prime Air will be available as an option when ordering from Amazon, and will be able to drop packages into spaces the size of a typical backyard. The current prototype has a range of only 15 miles, but the company has more ambitious plans."In time, there'll be a whole family of Amazon drones different designs for different environments," says Jeremy Clarkson, the former host of BBC'scar show, in the ad.Google and Walmart have also announced similar plans. Numerous legal hurdles need to be cleared, however, before any company can deploy a fleet of unmanned delivery drones. Did CDC just find fault with a vaccine ... and publicly admit to it? Not the first time vaccines have been found to be ineffective in fact, they're sometimes deadly! (NaturalNews) Here a vaccine , there a vaccine, everywhere a vaccine-vaccine.Everywhere you look, there seems to be a sense of urgency to get one, from signs on street corners to ads in the newspaper. Undoubtedly, your own doctor has suggested that you and your children get such shots, warning of the health dangers if you don't. And of course, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises getting them; information on their website strongly urges doing so, stating the following:"... it is important to keep immunizing. Even if there are only a few cases of disease today, if we take away the protection given by vaccination, more and more people will become infected and will spread disease to others. Soon we will undo the progress we have made over the years."They warn that if people were to stop receiving such immunizations, serious problems could arise:"Diseases that are almost unknown would stage a comeback. Before long we would see epidemics of diseases that are nearly under control today. More children would get sick and more would dieHowever, could it be that the CDC is now acknowledging that maybe, just maybe, immunity to some health problems diminishes even after vaccinations are given? According to their recent article, published in the journal, it would appear so. In the article, the authors outline a case of people including 26 preschool-aged children who were given the CDC's recommended vaccinations for pertussis (whooping cough) in 2013. Interestingly, the infection rate of the pertussis virus soared to 50 percent in one classroom whose students had all received the related vaccine.But wait, shouldn't the infection rate go down, not up? Hmmm.The published article, entitled,touches on vaccines' inability to be the beneficial solution it's often made out to be. According to the authors, "This outbreak raises concerns about vaccine effectiveness in this preschool age group and reinforces the idea that recent pertussis vaccination should not dissuade physicians from diagnosing, testing or treating persons with compatible illness for pertussis."That's right, the authors actually use the I-word "ineffectiveness" in describing a particular case of the pertussis vaccination.The article continues:"Given these reports and the increased levels of circulation of pertussis among older age groups with documented waning of immunity, further monitoring of acellular pertussis vaccine performance in preschool-age children is necessary to determine if this outbreak was an isolated finding or possibly identification of an emerging epidemiologic trend."This journal article, while interesting, is hardly shocking. The ill effects of many vaccines have long-been questioned, causing people to refrain from their use.One only has to recall incidents like that of Marysue Grivna, a healthy 10-year-old who developed a serious brain disease a mere four days after receiving the flu shot . Ever since, she's been mostly confined to a wheelchair, and is only able to eat with the assistance of a feeding tube. She's experienced vision loss, paralysis and is non-verbal, all due to the brain inflammation that occurred after she received the flu shot.Then there's the instance of John Sanders, whose baby died a day after receiving eight vaccines in one day. Despite the fact that he had reached out to people about concerns over the baby's post-vaccination vomiting and rashes, he was essentially ignored. In fact, authorities actually questioned Sanders, basically accusing him of playing a role in his own baby's death. Did it even matter that his baby's medical records were found to contain errors? Apparently not. Sanders was given a life sentence in jail.It's no surprise, then, to learn that a particular vaccination was found to be " ineffective " and "inadequate." It is a surprise, however, to hear it coming from the CDC, an organization that strongly urges vaccinations on people.(1) CDC.gov (2) FoxNews.com (3) CDC.gov (4) NaturalNews.com (5) NaturalNews.com 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/052824_Zika_virus_genetically_engineered_mosquitoes_unintended_consequences.html Embed article link: (copy HTML code below): Zika virus outbreak linked to release of genetically engineered mosquitoes... disastrous unintended consequences now threaten life across the Americas Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. Follow Natural News on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and Pinterest European polecats have made a strong comeback in Britain, according to the Vincent Wildlife Trust. A recent nationwide survey revealed the animals are spreading into areas where they have not been seen for the last 100 years. European polecats (Mustela putorius), a mammal in the weasel family with distinctive white facial markings that resemble a robber's mask, are native across the continent. In Britain, however, they were brought to the brink of extinction, as they are considered a nuisance because of their appetite for chickens and small game birds. "They had a really tough time from humans," Lizze Croose, a conservation officer for the trust and lead researcher of the survey, told BBC. "They were really hated - probably one of our most hated mammal species. And that resulted in them having a very extensive decline." But recent studies suggest the little critter is mounting a strong recovery. "It's brilliant, it's a real conservation success story," Croose added in the article. "This is something we really need to celebrate, the recovery of a native carnivore that we once almost lost completely." After thousands of polecats were killed, the last survivors retreated to Wales and remote parts of Scotland. Since then, however, individuals have moved east into Suffolk and Norfolk, and north into South Yorkshire. A population introduced into Cumbria in the 1980s is also thriving, researchers added. "Polecats are turning up in areas where they haven't been seen for over 100 years, so they have re-colonized really extensive parts of England," Croose told BBC. "The main reason for their comeback is that they are not being persecuted so much now. Polecats are legally protected, so that has resulted in a real reduction in trapping and killing, so polecats have been able to recover and spread across the country once more." Although, they are not out of the woods just yet: The recent survey suggests polecats are mating with their domestic cousins,ferrets, and many animals there are now hybrids. Furthermore, an increasing amount of polecats are dying after eating poisoned rats or stumbling onto busy streets. Nonetheless, conservations are hopeful that populations will continue to grow and recover in Britain. Related Articles American Pika and Climate Change: Tight-Knit Groups are Key To Species' Survival 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 Group living may result in larger offspring. That is, a 13-year study from the University of Exeter has concluded that female mammals, such as humans too, may respond to competition by trying to grow larger babies. In the study, which used ultrasound for the first time to fill out findings, female mongooses were found to produce heftier pups in a response to reproductive competition. The research results add to growing indications that social mammals might have effects on womb conditions to increase their success in reproduction. This would be yet another factor in animals' competition to increase their likelihood of having surviving offspring, along with males' antler fights and other competitions to win a mate. "Medical and evolutionary biologists have suggested that mothers might prime their offspring during pregnancy to help them face competition after birth, but evidence for this idea remains controversial. This study provides evidence that in wild mammals, competition among mothers starts even before birth," Emma Inzani, a Master of Research student and the study's lead author, said in a release. In the family groups of about 20 in which banded mongooses live, adult females breed each season and produce (on the same day) a pup litter. The new offspring then compete to attract food and care from the adults. As a result of this system, mothers are unable to recognize their young in the large litter. This also keeps them from helping the pups to compete for food or attention. As a result, the mothers are left with one main recourse: sending more resources to their offspring while they are still in the womb. "Our study is the first to use ultrasound scans to look at prenatal investment in a wild mammal, and supports the idea that mothers adjust prenatal investment in the face of competition," Inzani said in the release. Some of the details still must be worked out, though: "We don't know whether the mongooses are eating more, or might be using their stored body fat and thus trading off their current investment with future prospects," added Inzani in the release. The study subjects were 11 groups of wild banded mongooses in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, over 13 years. Individual fetuses in ultrasound results were measured, to see how strongly each female invested her own resources in the pregnancy. It was clear that as more females competed to reproduce at the same time, the result was that fetuses were larger for each female. In particular, this increase in the size of the fetus was most remarkable among females with low weight and when conditions were dry with little rainfall. Both factors made it all the more important for each fetus to win out over the others in the communal litter. That said, pups that received this extra boost in the womb did not necessarily survive or grow in more impressive numbers once they were born. But there was at least one positive learning, other than offspring size: "We did find that mothers who produced the largest fetuses showed higher survival in the months after breeding, suggesting that better quality females can afford to produce larger fetuses with no consequence to their survival," Dr. Vitikainen noted in the release. The findings were recently published in the journal Scientific Reports. For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). -Follow Catherine on Twitter @TreesWhales An Ohio student studying to be a priest traveled to San Diego Friday seeking sex with infants, officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed. Joel A. Wright, 23, was taken into federal custody by special agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) outside of baggage claim at the San Diego International Airport. Investigators allege Wright had flown into San Diego with plans to travel to Mexico to have sex with at least three babies. Wright is charged with two felony counts: traveling with the intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor and attempting to engage in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign country within the southern district of California. His arrest follows a months-long undercover child sexual exploitation investigation conducted by HSI special agents in San Diego. Wright originally posted a Craigslist ad in Tijuana seeking to adopt an infant, a federal complaint details. An unidentified man saw Wright's ad and told Wright he could bring a child to him at a Tijuana hotel. The man then contacted HSI special agents with details about his communications with Wright. The informant said Wright paid him an adoption fee upfront and waited at a hotel in Tijuana. However, the informant told investigators he never went to the hotel with a child or otherwise. Records show Wright entered Mexico in July 2014, which is consistent with the informant's story. The man said he communicated with Wright again in July 2015 after Wright posted a Craigslist ad for a Tijuana guide, according to the complaint. By this time the informant was using a different email. Although he initially stated he wanted to adopt a child, Wright eventually said he wanted to have sex with female babies, federal officials say. When asked via email if he had sexual experience with infants, the complaint states Wright wrote, "I have not gone all the way before but I have made it very close in the past so I do have experience." In January Wright wrote again, allegedly adding, "virgin babies are the best," according to the complaint. In another correspondence Wright wrote, "Yes, I like church - it makes me feel good." Documents state Wright also planned on giving the one to three-year-old kids Tylenol and candy "to relax them." With the informant's consent, HSI special agents took over the email account in December and began corresponding with Wright themselves. Wright did not know he was going back and forth with law enforcement and thought he was still speaking with a Mexico-based tour guide. The complaint says after describing in graphic detail what he might do to a baby sexually, Wright wrote, "It is so much more fun when it's a bit of a struggle." An undercover HSI agent continued to communicate with Wright via email. Wright allegedly told the undercover agent via email that he wanted to travel to Tijuana and either own or adopt a child under three and have sex with the child. Wright then booked his flight to San Diego, where he planned to meet the tour guide. Their plans were then to travel to a Tijuana hotel where he would be brought female infants, according to HSI agents. This investigation opens a window into a secret world where sexual predators prey on young children around the globe, said Dave Shaw, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego, in a statement. Pedophiles who mistakenly believe they can escape justice by committing child sex crimes outside the U.S. should be on notice that HSI will seek to vindicate the rights of those victims regardless where they live. Fortunately, in this instance, our perseverance and diligence prevented the sexual exploitation of yet another innocent victim. Wright was a first year pre-theology student at the Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio according to the Catholic Diocese of Steubenville. He was immediately suspended from his studies after his arrest in accordance with the diocesan child protection degree. Wright is expected to be arraigned on Monday. It's unclear if he has obtained an attorney. 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. The World Health Organization declared an international emergency on Monday over the explosive spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which is linked to birth defects in the Americas, saying it is an "extraordinary event." The U.N. health agency convened an emergency meeting of independent experts in Geneva to assess the outbreak after noting a suspicious link between Zika's arrival in Brazil last year and a surge in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads. "After a review of the evidence, the committee advised that the clusters of microcephaly and other neurological complications constitute an extraordinary event and public health threat to other parts of the world," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said. The organization said last week that the virus was spreading explosively" and is now becoming more of a threat. Since Brazil reported its first case in 2015, the virus has been detected in 22 other countries and territories. WHO estimates there could be up to 4 million cases of Zika in the Americas in the next year. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, no locally transmitted cases of the virus were reported in the United States. Health officials have found cases in travelers in several states, including New York, Massachusetts, Illinois and Texas. The CDC says Zika is transmitted through infected mosquitoes. It can also be passed on from a pregnant mother to her child, which may result in a rare birth defect. Babies born with microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with an abnormally small head, have been increasing in Brazil. Although there is no definitive proof that the virus is in any way related to birth defects, WHO says it strongly suspects a causal relationship. The illness is usually mild, according to the CDC, and those infected don't realize they have the virus. Symptoms include rash, fever and joint pain. Experts said they are are currently working on a vaccine that could be ready for clinical trials by the end of the year. But a widely available vaccine won't be ready for several years. "It is to our advantage we already have existing vaccine platforms to use as a sort of jumping off point," said Dr. Tony Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Concern over the spread of the illness has prompted worldwide concern. Athletes preparing for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio say theyre taking precautions, including staying indoors and using mosquito repellent. The IOC issued a warning to all national Olympic committes to prepare for and address the problem. Airlines have been offering refunds to passengers for travel to Zika-affected areas, according to The Associated Press. Earlier this month, the CDC issued an alert, warning pregnant women to avoid countries where the virus was in active transmission. Anyone who believes they may have the virus is urged to get plenty of rest, drink liquids and see a doctor. The last time such public health emergency was declared was for the devastating 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people. Everyone from parents to a U.S. Senator is demanding action to stem the epidemic of heroin and opioids. Its a crisis rocking communities across the state. Now an event planned for Monday will look at measures to address it. The number of heroin, morphine or codeine overdose deaths in the state doubled to more than 400 in just the past three years, according to U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal's office. This is a crisis. Families are changed forever, says Karen Zaorski. Zaorski knows the pain caused by substance abuse. The Wolcott mother lost her son, Ray, to drugs in 2010. He was an amazing young man just as so many other people who are caught now in the throes of addiction, says Zaorski. Now Zaorski advocates and volunteers tirelessly to help other families dealing with the impact of drugs. She says the rise of heroin is particularly devastating and its a sometime cheaper option and more easily available. It makes no difference what color your eyes are, where you grew up, what kind of job your father has, none of that makes a difference, says Zaorski. In the past week, 13 people were hospitalized in New London for heroin overdoses. Another person died. And Hartford police recently displayed a bust of thousands of bags of the drug. Now Zaorski and others will join U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal for an event in New Britain on Monday. We need to bring together the best minds and hearts to fight this addiction epidemic, says Blumenthal. The senator says whats being done now is not working and calls for a new strategy. Zaorski says that will likely mean more education, more treatment centers, and more fighting. I do it because I cant not do it. I have to find some way to ensure that my sons death was not in vain, says Zaorski. Doctors say focus should also zero in on the use of painkillers, such as Oxycontin. They can be gateway drugs to heroin, which can be difficult to quit and easy to overdose on. Five employees were arrested on allegations of abuse when authorities raided a Massachusetts residential school to treat boys and young men with behavioral problems, officials said Sunday. According to the Berkshire County district attorney's office, about 50 local, state and federal officers executed a search warrant at the Eagleton School in Great Barrington Saturday evening. Eagleton is a private residential school for boys and young men with autism and other behavioral disorders or learning disabilities. It opened in 1977. Authorities arrested Brian Puntin, 47, of Lenoxadale; Peter Meadow, 51, of Lenox; James Swift, 54, of Pittsfield; Juan Pablo Lopez-Lucas, 34, of Pittsfield; and Debra Davis, 41, of Great Barrington. Officials said the raid was a part of an investigation into accusations of physical and emotional abuse at the school. It's unclear when the allegations were first made, but police said their investigation began in January. Puntin, Meadow, Swift and Lopez-Lucas face charges of assault and battery on a disabled person. Lopez-Lucas is also charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, while Davis is charged with intimidation and obstruction of justice. "The investigators who carried out the execution of the search warrant Saturday night at the Eagleton School should be commended for their professionalism and sensitivity to the students' privacy," Berkshire County District Attorney David Capeless said in a statement. "The operation was conducted with minimum presence, and reports back to me indicated that normal operations at the school were not disrupted and the students were unaware of the law." All five suspects were released on personal recognizance and are due in Great Barrington District Court Monday. It was not immediately clear if the suspects had attorneys. The school didn't return a telephone message left Sunday by The Associated Press. A student at William and Mary University in Virginia is the first college student in the U.S. to contract the Zika virus while travelling in Central America, university officials announced Monday. This development comes the same day the World Health Organization declared an international emergency over the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, calling it an extraordinary event. "There is no treatment," said Dr. Phil Brewer, the Medical Director for Quinnipiac Universitys Student Health Services. "The only thing we can do is prevention by avoiding exposure to mosquitos." QU has no plans to cancel any upcoming trips to regions with reported cases of the Zika Virus, QU spokesperson John Morgan said. "I wouldnt cancel a trip other than a woman who is pregnant or is trying to get pregnant, which excludes most college students," Dr. Brewer said. Dr. Brewer pointed out only one in five people infected with the Zika virus becomes ill with flu-like symptoms. The growing concern is the impact on pregnant women as health officials are investigating Zikas link to a surge in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads in Brazil. "Up to the discovery of these cases of microcephaly," Dr. Brewer said, "There really wasnt any reason to develop a vaccine. Now there is." For students planning trips to Central America or South America, such as for upcoming spring break community service trips, Dr. Brewer advises them to take precautions like wearing mosquito repellant. The type of mosquito carrying the virus tends to bite both during the day and at night, so Dr. Brewer said students should, "sleep in quarters that have adequate barrier protection, either under mosquito net or an environment thats air conditioned." Last week Dr. Brewer sent an advisory email on the Zika virus to the QU community. He recommends anyone wanting to learn more to visit the CDC website. The Democratic National Committee, under pressure from voters and candidates to add more debates to the primary schedule, has sanctioned Thursday's New Hampshire debate hosted by MSNBC and the Union Leader newspaper, the network announced Sunday. Our Democratic candidates have agreed in principle to having the DNC sanction and manage additional debates in our primary schedule, inclusive of New Hampshire this week, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. The debate will be held at the University of New Hampshire in Durham on Feb 4., just days before the first primary in the nation, and be moderated by Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow. All three Democratic presidential candidates, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley are expected to attend. [[316127531, C]] New Hampshire was originally given only one DNC-sanctioned debate, which was held Dec. 19 in Manchester. On Tuesday, DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued a statement refusing to sanction the New Hampshire debate, but said after the First in the Nation caucuses and primary, it would reconsider. Wasserman Schultz said the DNC will "reconvene negotiations and finalize the schedule" Tuesday morning, in order to "give our campaigns the space to focus on the important work of engaging caucus goers in Iowa." The DNC scheduled six debates this election cycle, with just four taking place before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries three of of which took place on weekends. The most recent debate was held Jan. 17, with another not slated until after New Hampshire voters go to the polls on Feb. 9. No one was more surprised by the DNC's decision than MSNBC's own Rachel Maddow, who tweeted shortly after the announcement "AH HA! Put it in ink!" [[367146191, C]] Connecticut homeowners who are dealing with crumbling foundations are turning to federal court in an effort to hold insurance companies responsible for covering their losses. Four homeowners filed a complaint that alleges the insurance companies are purposefully working against them, and all homeowners who have crumbling foundations. The Troubleshooters have been reporting since July on a problem that's affecting hundreds of homeowners in eastern Connecticut. http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Crumbling-Foundations_Hartford-318078561.html On Friday, homeowners from Ellington, Ashford, Stafford Springs and Manchester filed a complaint that names more than 100 insurance companies that write property and casualty policies in the state of Connecticut, as well as the Insurance Services Office, an association responsible for writing policy language used by most of the companies. "The policies are all uniform, using standardized language and issue standardized denials to all these homeowners," Manchester Attorney Ryan Barry, who represents all four homeowners, said. In the complaint, the plaintiffs allege a concerted scheme to deny them coverage for their failing basement walls, which experts say need to be replaced at a cost of $150,000 or more. Barry said they paid an engineering firm thousands of dollars over the past several months to test for the source of the problem. "They went into my clients' basements and extracted core samples from their basement wall and sent them to labs all across the country," Barry said. In each case, Barry says the tests confirmed the presence of an iron sulfide mineral called pyrrhotite, which is what the Troubleshooters have been reporting as the likely cause of the failing concrete. Research suggests that pyrrhotite oxidizes over time from contact with air and water, creating a chemical reaction that causes the concrete walls to swell, expand, crack and ultimately fail. The Troubleshooters reached out to the Insurance Services Office for a response to the lawsuit, but we have not heard back. The status as a class action is something that has to be decided by the court. If it's granted, dozens of other eastern Connecticut homeowners in similar situations would be able to join the lawsuit. A Fort Worth school was placed on lockdown Friday after a man was shot on the sidewalk in front of the campus, police say.[[367008951,C]] It happened at about 1 p.m. in front of Richard J. Wilson Elementary School in the 900 block of West Fogg Street. Police said the 18-year-old was shot while walking in front of the school. A neighbor who lives across the street, Sarah Reyes, said the victim told her and others who rushed to his aid that a vehicle pulled up, rolled down the window, yelled a gang name and opened fire. Reyes said she heard four distinct gun shots, and the man was shot in the leg. Police said the victim is expected to recover. "It was real scary," Reyes said. "It was real scary. I was thinking the worst, just to think that it was at the school. Any bullet could have gone through the window and harmed anybody." No one inside the school was injured, and the lockdown was lifted as school dismissed at 3 p.m. Students went home with letters to parents regarding the incident. Anna Uraga, who lives across the street and has two children at the school, was unhappy that the school district didn't reach parents by phone. "They're sending a note at the end of the day, why not call?" she said. "Whenever it's snowing, they're going to cancel (or) early dismissal, they call. And this is like very concerning. There was a shooting and yet no call whatsoever." District spokesman Clint Bond said the district will make calls to parents on Friday night. They do not call immediately during an incident so that misinformation doesn't spread. Bond said the campus handled the situation correctly. Parents waited anxiously outside the school for dismissal on Friday afternoon. While the shooting was random, and police say likely gang related, it still leaves parents concerned. "It worries me, especially in the daylight that it happened," Uraga said. "I could understand if it happened at night but not during school hours." There is a surveillance camera on the school facing toward where the shooting happened. It's unclear if it captured the incident or the vehicle involved. Fort Worth police patrol officers and gang unit continue to investigate and search for the suspect or suspects. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), authorized in 2000 by Congress and then U.S. President Bill Clinton, announced days ago that it has successfully secured tax-exempt bond financing to build the first national museum designed to tell the story of American law enforcement. The Law Enforcement Museum will be built in the historic Judiciary Square in Washington, D.C., adjacent to the existing National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial completed in 1991. It is slated to house the most comprehensive collection of law enforcement artifacts and contain hands-on interactive exhibitions, state of the art audio/visual educational programming, and serve as a research center that is hoped to serve as an important bridge between law enforcements past, present, and future law enforcers. Now that the funding and the required building permits from the D.C. Department of Consumer/Regulatory Affairs and other regulatory agencies have been approved, Clark Construction Group is expected to begin Museum construction sometime later this month, with an opening expected in mid-2018. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, established in 1984, is a private nonprofit organization dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement and to make it safer for those who serve. The Memorial Fund also maintains the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., dedicated in October 1991, which is the nation's monument to over 20,500 officers who have died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history dating back to 1791. Since the museum will be built on land owned by the Federal government, the $103,130,000Series 2016 Revenue Bonds are not secured by a mortgage, but instead are backed by the pledge of multiple revenue sources from the operations of NLEOMF, including revenue expected to be generated by the future museum. In addition, they have also set a goal of raising an additional $25 million over the next several years to help sustain the museum's operating and maintenance costs. For more information on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, or the National Law Enforcement Museum, see: http://www.nleomf.org/ The San Diego Zoo Safari Park announced this week that six southern white rhinos at its rescue facility now officially have names thanks to input and votes from visitors. In November 2015, the group of female southern white rhinos all between four and seven years old arrived at the Safari Parks Rhino Rescue Center, unnamed. They were relocated to the park from private reserves in South Africa as part of conservation efforts to save all critically endangered rhino species from extinction. For the past month, Safari Park has been on a quest to name the rhinos. Visitors have been casting their votes for possible names on the Safari Park website, choosing options from a list compiled by keepers at the Rhino Rescue Center. With more than 2,000 votes, visitors were able to name one of the rhinos, choosing Amani as the winning moniker. The harmonious name is Swahili for peace. Safari Park officials say the other five rhinos Nikita, Livia, Wallis, Victoria and Helene were named in honor of San Diego Zoo Global rhino rescue program supporters Nikita Kahn, Livia Stone, Wallis Annenberg, Victoria Seaver Dean and Dr. Helene Hoffman. Safari Park officials say the Rhino Rescue Center was built to house these six rhinos at a crucial time when, on average, three rhinos are killed by poachers each day in the wild. At the current rate of poaching, rhinos could become extinct in 15 years. Today, the northern white rhino is the most critically endangered rhino species, with only three remaining in the world. Researchers at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research are currently collaborating with other animal experts to develop reproductive techniques to develop northern white rhino embryos from cells stored in the institutes Frozen Zoo facility. Researchers plan to implant those embryos in the newly-named southern white rhinos at Safari Park, who will serve as surrogate mothers. There are many challenges ahead, but researchers are optimistic that a northern white rhino calf could be born from these processes within 10 to 15 years. These technologies may also be applied to other rhino species, including the critically endangered Sumatran and Javan rhinos, the Safari Park said in a press release. A section of the 5 Freeway north of Los Angeles was closed Monday morning due to potentially dangerous travel conditions caused by ice, wind and snow. The major north-south route through California's Central Valley was closed earlier before California Highway Patrol officers began escorting drivers through the area. The road reopened later during a day of strong wind gusts and possibly more snow. The snow level was expected to descend to between 2,000 and 2,500 feet with moderate snowfall expected on north slopes in the San Gabriels and in the northwestern corner of the Antelope Valley. Up to eight inches could accumulate in the northwest foothills in the Antelope Valley, and between three and seven inches could pile up on the 5 Freeway near Gorman and The Grapevine amid icy conditions and winds blowing at between 25 and 40 miles per hour and gusting at 60 mph. A winter storm warning denoting dangerous travel conditions was scheduled to be in effect in the San Gabriels and the Antelope Valley until noon. A wind advisory also will be in effect until noon in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys. In both areas, winds of 15-25 mph were expected, along with 35 mph gusts. Also in force was a high surf advisory, which will be in effect in Los Angeles County until 2 a.m. Tuesday and in Orange County until 3 a.m. Dangerous driving conditions are also expected in the Antelope Valley, including on Pearblossom (SR 138) Highway, amid snowfall and winds of between 30 and 45 mph, gusting to 65 mph, it said. In the San Gabriels above the 6,000-foot level, between one and two feet of snow are expected, with six to 12 inches expected on north slopes between 4,000 and 6,000 feet, and two to four inches at 3,000 feet, the NWS statement said. The storm began generating rain Saturday night. This morning, 21,000 customers served by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power were without power, while 70,000 Southern California Edison customers were reported to be on the dark. The numbers had been even higher earlier. Off the coast, "very strong" west-to-northwest winds were blowing this morning, with the NWS reporting winds of between 30 and 46 knots, gusting to 45 kph through this morning. Seas of up to 19 feet were expected in the outer waters, it said. A gale warning will be in force until 2 p.m. Tuesday. In these conditions, "it is highly recommended that mariners without the proper experience seek safe harbor before the onset of gale conditions," a statement said. Two of the three inmates who escaped from an Orange County jail fought over whether they should kill a taxi driver they kidnapped and held at a San Jose motel before one of them drove back to Southern California and surrendered to authorities, sheriff's officials said on Monday. Five days into their eight days on the run after a jail break out of a maximum security lockup in Santa Ana, Hossein Nayeri and Bac Duong fought at the Alameda Motel in San Jose on Wednesday. They couldn't agree over whether they should kill and bury a cabdriver who they kidnapped after their break out from the Men's Central Jail in downtown Santa Ana and who they took on a drive north to San Jose during their run from the law, said Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock during a Monday news conference. Nayeri, 37, of Newport Beach, and Duong, 43 of Santa Ana, escaped, along with Jonathan Tieu, 20, of Fountain Valley, on Jan. 22. Duong surrendered Friday. Nayeri and Tieu were arrested Saturday morning in San Francisco. Ten people had been arrested since the escape. Several other arrests -- for unrelated warrants or probation issues -- also took place during the manhunt. The night of their escape from a dormitory at the jail where they managed to climb to the roof to escape in a well-planned plot that was hatched last summer, the inmates called a taxi for a ride, first to go shopping at a Target store in Rosemead, then to use as part of their getaway plot when Duong allegedly pressed a gun to the ribs of the cabdriver and told him he's coming with them, Hallock said. The fugitives and cabdriver spent a night at an unknown location in Los Angeles County before driving to San Jose where they spent three nights at the Alameda Motel, Hallock said. It was during their stay that Duong and Nayeri fought over the cabbie's fate, Hallock said. But Duong left with the cabdriver to return to Southern California when Nayeri and Tieu went out to get the windows tinted on a second getaway vehicle, a stolen white GMC van, Hallock said. Duong eventually surrendered to authorities. Hallock did not say why he let the cabdriver go free. Duong's other two alleged accomplices were caught when a citizen spotted the white van in the parking lot of a Whole Foods Market in San Francisco's famed Haight-Ashbury district. All three were returned to the Orange County Jail where they are expected to be arraigned on new charges on March 4. The three inmates disappeared after a 5 a.m. body count in the jail, but they were not discovered missing until close to 9 p.m., when the second daily body count was conducted. Nayeri had been in custody since September 2014, Tieu since October 2013 and Duong since December. Three men who escaped a Southern California jail more than a week ago allegedly held a taxi driver hostage, had haircuts and went shopping at a Target while on the run, officials said on Monday. Orange County officials offered a detailed timeline in the escape of inmates Bac Duong, 43, Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Hossein Nayeri, 37, revealing a man was arrested for allegedly smuggling tools into the jail to help them escape. Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said Loc Ba Nguyen, 50, faces charges for multiple crimes, including smuggling items into a correction facility and aiding in a prisoner's escape. Nguyen, who was not an employee or inmate at the jail, was tied to Duong, and was one of more than 60 search and arrest warrants served during the wide-ranging investigation, Rackauckas said. It wasn't immediately clear if Nguyen had an attorney. All three escaped inmates were back in custody by Saturday after a massive manhunt. Duong, Tieu, and Nayeri escaped from the Orange County Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana on Jan. 22, in what officials called an elaborate effort believed to have been planned for about six months. The inmates allegedly cut through a steel grate, half-inch steel bars and plumbing tunnels before making their way to an unsecured part of the jail's roof and using makeshift ropes to rappel several floors to the ground. At a media briefing Monday, Cpt. Jeff Hallock said that someone picked up the trio from the jail or nearby before they hailed a taxi driver at gunpoint, taking him hostage for days. While on the run the three men allegedly went shopping at a Target store in Rosemead and got haircuts in El Monte. They also answered a Craigslist ad for a white SUV, which they stole. Hallock said the inmates spent a few nights at a motel in Southern California, then drove to San Jose, where they stayed for several nights. Duong and Nayeri had a physical fight in a motel room about whether or not to kill the taxi driver and bury his body, Hallock said. Shortly after, Duong and the taxi driver left San Jose and returned to Santa Ana where he turned himself in. The taxi driver was not injured and was helping investigators, Hallock said. Prosecutors also mentioned there was insufficient evidence to charge ESL jail teacher Nooshafarin Ravaghi, who was arrested last week for allegedly assisting in the escape. Investigators found Nayeri and Ravaghi had more than a teacher-student relationship, but did not confirm it was a romantic affair, Rackauckas said. He also mentioned letters that were found between the two appeared to have been written by Nayeri, not Ravaghi. Ravaghi was set to be released Monday and expected to remain in Orange County. Duong was taken into custody on Friday after he walked up to a civilian in Santa Ana and said he wanted to turn himself in. The San Francisco Police Department arrested Tieu and Nayeri on Saturday after receiving a tip from an observant witness, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said. The witness will be eligible for a $200,000 reward, Hallock said. Nayeri had been in custody since September 2014, Tieu since October 2013 and Duong since December. The inmates are currently being held in isolation cells and will be arraigned on March 4. Miami Springs is a charming community often overlooked because it's tucked between the airport and Hialeah. The city's high school has two unique magnet programs, many decades of tradition, great teachers and yet it feels like a hidden gem. "A lot of great people that really are dedicated to this. This is more than just a job for them, this is a passion, this is a vocation for them. That's what makes our school so great," said Principal Ed Smith. "A hidden gem. Yes, a hidden gem." Miami Springs High has the innovative iTech Academy, in which students focus on video game design in a four-year course of study. "The students will be incorporating everything that they use within the core subject areas: language arts, math, science, biology, physics," said iTech teacher Rene Barge. On the other side of the brain, art also flourishes at Miami Springs. Teacher Beth Goldstein was named the state's art teacher of the year. The school also added a modern dance program, new for this school year. It's a needed outlet for student creativity. The kids in the program are like investors in a new startup company, except they're also the capital. "But they don't have the opportunity outside of school, unfortunately, to take a dance class or to be able to express themselves or to even learn how to move within their own bodies, so that's what we're exploring this year," explained dance teacher Samantha Pazos. "They're taking ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz. We're even going into musical theatre." The school's other magnet program is the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism. It prepares students to move up the ladder of opportunity in Florida's biggest industry, placing them in hotel, travel and restaurant internships. Miami Springs offers the Cambridge Program and a full range of AP classes for advanced academics, and a Special Olympics team for its most special students. There's also a class, started by a student, in which mentally handicapped kids are tutored by advanced colleagues. It seems the Golden Hawks have hearts of gold. In the latest chapter of a scandal that's jolted New York's art world, a federal jury is hearing about a Chinese immigrant who forged fakes of modern masters such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko in his garage, a once-reputable Manhattan gallery that sold them and the wealthy buyers who paid millions for the knockoffs. "I got a fake painting for $8.3 million and they don't want to give my money back to me," Domenico De Sole, the chairman of the board at Sotheby's auction house and a former Gucci CEO, groused from the witness stand last week at a high-stakes civil trial that continues Monday. His wife Eleanore testifying with the faux color-block Rothko called "Untitled, 1956" unceremoniously propped up on an easel next to the witness stand told jurors she "went into a shaking frenzy" when she first learned of suspicions about it. The couple sued the Knoedler & Company gallery and its former director, Ann Freedman, in 2013 after federal prosecutors brought a separate criminal case against Long Island dealer Glafira Rosales, who admitted in a guilty plea that she sold or consigned 40 fakes to the gallery before it closed in 2011 after more than a century. The De Soles are seeking $25 million in damages, claiming Freedman should have known the painting was a forgery. The defense has portrayed Freedman, who wasn't charged in the criminal fraud, as a victim as well. It also contends the evidence will show that the forgeries were so good and such a surprise even respected art experts lost their bearings. "This is the art world equivalent of finding dinosaur bones," Freedman's attorney, Luke Nikas, said in opening statements. "This was an important discovery. Ann believed in it and the art world believed in it." The fraud dates to the 1990s, when Rosales, her partner and her boyfriend discovered future forger Pei-Shen Qian painting portraits on the streets of lower Manhattan. The dealer learned the artist had trained at the same art school attended by Rothko and other famous abstract expressionists and had a knack for mimicking their style. Qian, who was charged criminally but has fled to China, began painting fakes of Rothkos and others out his garage at his Queens home in exchange for a few hundred dollars up to $9,000. The dealer then began taking them to the Knoedler gallery, where she told Freedman they were undiscovered works supplied by the anonymous son of a deceased Swiss collector. After obtaining "Untitled, 1956" for $950,000, Freedman sold the painting to the De Soles for more than $8 million in 2004. The couple hung it on the wall at their Hilton Head, South Carolina, home, believing they were the owners of a museum-worthy Rothko. "I thought it was beautiful," Domenico De Sole testified. Pressed on cross-examination on why he hadn't done more to authenticate the painting, De Sole shot back, "I had complete trust in (Freedman) and Knoedler. It never crossed my mind that these guys were in the business of selling fake art. Is that clear?" The defense insists Freedman was so completely conned that she paid nearly $300,000 for a phony Pollock drip painting in 2000 and displayed it in her apartment for a decade, even though artist's signature was misspelled "Pollok." It also claims art experts who saw the Rothko were believers as well, and have asked the jury to be skeptical of testimony that they never actually authenticated the work. "The experts were fooled," defense attorney Nikas said. "And now they feel like fools." De Sole lawyer Emily Reisbaum told jurors that, at minimum, Freedman was at fault for ignoring obvious red flags such as the proliferation of pieces from the mystery collection over a 15-year period and Rosales' willingness to sell them to the gallery at prices far below market value. "Your common sense will tell you," Reisbaum said. "Such a treasure trove of never-before-seen masterpieces by America's most famous artists was too good to be true." Supermodel Stephanie Seymour slammed her Land Rover SUV into a utility pole about an hour before she allegedly got into a fender bender and was arrested on drunken driving charges in Connecticut last month, authorities say. The onetime Victoria's Secret model was arrested on Jan. 15 after authorities say she backed her Range Rover into a Mercedes near a ramp to Interstate 95 in Greenwich. She allegedly had bloodshot eyes and smelled like she had been drinking, but refused to take field sobriety tests and was booked on DUI charges by state police. She was re-arrested Monday by Greenwich police after authorities alleged that about an hour earlier that same night, she slammed the SUV into a utility pole near her home on Stanwich Road. She left the scene after the impact. When she was arrested for the fender bender near I-95, state police had noted that the car had some damage from a prior crash, according to Greenwich Police. In addition to charges from her original arrest, police say Seymour has also been accused of evading responsibility and failure to drive in a proper lane. Seymour, who appeared in several Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions and was a model for Victoria's Secret, was scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on Feb. 2 on the state police charges and on Feb. 7 for the charges Greenwich Police filed. Attorney information for the woman wasn't immediately available. Authorities dealing with Europe's migrant crisis have lost track of about 10,000 unaccompanied children amid fears that organized crime gangs are beginning to exploit the vulnerable youngsters, a senior official at the European Union's police agency said Monday. Europol Chief of Staff Brian Donald said that the figure "would be a conservative estimate across all the countries that are dealing with this migrant crisis" over the past 12-18 months. The revelation that so many youngsters are unaccounted for is the latest worrying development in the migrant crisis and underscores the risks faced by people fleeing conflict, poverty and persecution in the Middle East, Africa and Asia even once they have reached the apparent safety of Europe. Donald said the estimate of 10,000 missing was based on reports by law enforcement authorities, governments and non-governmental organizations. "They're lost in the system," he said of the minors. "I think our concern is that we know that there are people out there who will exploit minors. We know there are people who will take them and use them for their own purposes." Sweden, a popular destination for migrants, already is aware of the problem. The Stockholm county government released a report last week citing Swedish Migration Agency statistics that said 1,900 of the 55,000 unaccompanied minors who have applied for asylum in Sweden in the past six years disappeared. The whereabouts of 1,250 of those is still unclear. About 88 percent of those who went missing are boys. "There is very little information about what happens after they disappear. These children are particularly vulnerable to being exploited in various ways," the report said. Amir Hashemi-Nik of the Stockholm County Administration said some of those who disappear are believed to be in the grip of human-trafficking rings and end up in prostitution, begging or other criminal activities. some disappear simply because they don't like the place where they have been assigned and decide to leave, others go when they approach their 18th birthday because they are worried it will be harder to get asylum. North African boys are particularly likely to go underground because, unlike Syrians or Afghans, they are unlikely to get asylum. "Many of them have lived on the streets in many other countries before coming to Sweden," the report said. "Many of these children become involved in crime." Last week Britain announced it would accept an unspecified number of refugee children, after charities and opposition politicians pressured the government to help the thousands of unaccompanied minors fleeing conflicts in Syria and elsewhere. The charity Save the Children has urged Britain to accept 3,000 children immediately. It estimates 26,000 minors arrived in Europe last year without adults, and are at risk from traffickers and sex abusers. The British government, however, says it will take children from refugee camps in the Middle East rather than those already in Europe. It also will provide more funding to the European Asylum Support Office to help Greece and Italy reunite migrants, including children, with family members already in Europe Europol analysts studying law enforcement details from across the 28-nation EU are concerned that they are beginning to see cross-pollination between people-smugglers and criminals who traffick and exploit humans. "That confirms our understanding of criminal organizations at the European level," Donald said. "They are very adept at making changes to reflect the current situation. So if the market for them is changing then they will follow that market and at the moment the area of exploitation that's largely available is the exploitation of migrants." Of the 150,000 migrants and refugees rescued at sea and brought to Italy in 2015, accompanied minors accounted for 12,360, according to the UNHCR office in Rome. UNHCR official spokeswoman Carlotta Sami said there is no firm figure on just how many of those have slipped away or might have been exploited. "More than disappeared, they are on the move," often trying to reach relatives or other contacts in northern Europe, not wanting to stay in Italy, Sami said. "There is no certainty where they are" or if they ever reached their destination. Save the Children Italy spokesman Michele Prosperi said that Europol, "sounded an alarm that is based on a real risk" because thousands of minors don't stay within the system of migrant protection. "They find themselves in a very vulnerable condition, and can be subject to violence or pressure," Prosperi said. They look at the traffickers not as a threat but as people who are trying to help them finish their journey, he added, and are very reluctant to tell anything about their treatment to aid workers or officials in Italy for fear that their plans to continue onward will be jeopardized Israeli anthropologist Dan Rabinowitz is a leader in his field, heading a prestigious school of environmental studies at Tel Aviv University, authoring dozens of publications and holding visiting teaching positions over the years at leading North American universities. But the British-educated Rabinowitz fears that his younger counterparts may not enjoy the same professional opportunities for a very personal reason: They are Israeli. As a global boycott movement against Israeli universities gains steam, Israeli professors say they are feeling the pressure from their colleagues overseas. Although the movement ostensibly targets universities, not individuals, Israeli academics say they are often shunned at the personal level. They experience snubs at academic conferences, struggle to get recommendations and can experience difficulty publishing their work in professional journals. "This is highly personal and personalized," said Rabinowitz. The academic boycott is part of the broader pro-Palestinian "BDS" campaign, which advocates boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Inspired by the anti-apartheid movement, BDS organizers say they are using nonviolent means to promote the Palestinian struggle for independence. Israel says the campaign goes beyond fighting its occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and often masks a more far-reaching aim to "delegitimize" or destroy the Jewish state. But the BDS movement's decentralized organization and language calling for universal human rights have proven difficult to counter. The BDS website says "the vast majority of Israeli intellectuals and academics have either contributed directly to the Israeli occupation and apartheid or at the very least have been complicit through their silence." And yet Israeli universities are widely seen as liberal bastions, and their professors are some of the most vocal government critics. Already enjoying significant support in the U.K., the academic boycott has chalked up a series of accomplishments in the United States. In recent years, the Association for Asian American Studies, the American Studies Association, the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association and the National Women's Studies Association have approved boycott measures. In November, a meeting of the American Anthropological Association overwhelmingly endorsed a motion supporting a boycott of Israeli universities. Peretz Lavie, president of the Technion, Israel's premier science and technology university, said the effect of such decisions has so far been minimal. Lavie, who chairs the Association of University Heads in Israel, said relations between Israeli and American universities remain strong at the institutional and leadership levels, and praised this month's decision by the Association of American Universities reaffirming its opposition to the boycott. The group, which represents 62 leading U.S. universities, said the boycott "violates academic freedom." Nonetheless, Lavie said the boycott movement has become a top concern for Israeli university leaders, particularly as it gains support at the "ground level" from U.S. student unions and academic associations. "There may be a domino effect," he said. "If we do not deal with it, it will be a major problem." Lavie is now leading a battle against the boycott. While acknowledging that Israeli government policies are open to criticism, he said that holding universities responsible for them is unfair and asked why countries with abysmal human rights records, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, have been spared. "We have the feeling that these movements treat Israel differently than any other country in the world," he said. Rabinowitz counts the November vote by the anthropological association as one of the most painful chapters of his career. He said he personally tried to alter the boycott resolution twice only to be rejected with little or no debate. He said the rejection by his colleagues was a "defining moment" for him. In a statement, the association confirmed Rabinowitz's account, noting that the meeting was "highly charged." Ed Liebow, the association's executive director, said the organization felt "a strong commitment" to take some sort of action. "The one thing we can't do is nothing," he said. The measure goes to the association's more than 10,000 members for a vote this spring. Although the American anthropologists have never before proposed a boycott of academic institutions, the association said it commonly takes public stands against governments accused of restricting academic freedom. It recently sent a letter to leaders of Turkey, criticizing them for allegedly curbing scholars there. Ilana Feldman, a professor of anthropology at George Washington University and a boycott supporter, said the proposal, if passed, would not impede professors "in any way" from working with Israeli scholars. Rabinowitz, however, said it is impossible to distinguish between a person and his institution, which becomes part of one's professional identity. Israeli academics say such feelings are increasingly common. Rachelle Alterman, a professor emeritus of urban planning at the Technion, said she still has strong working relationships with colleagues around the world, but the pro-boycott camp is a "rising minority" in academia. She said it is less of an issue in the hard sciences like medicine and physics, and much more palpable in more subjective social sciences. Younger academics trying to establish a reputation are especially vulnerable. Alterman said she has begun to feel a "coldness" from some colleagues at conferences that was not there in the past. She said some colleagues refuse to attend conferences in Israel, and editors at professional journals tell her it is difficult to find people willing to review papers by Israeli academics. "I call it the dark matter. It's there all the time, but elusive, hard to spot," she said. In one recent case, a British colleague coolly rejected a request to assist one of her graduate students. "I am afraid that as part of the institutional boycott being observed by some academics in relation to Israeli organisations I am unable to help with your request," the British professor wrote in an email. Rabinowitz said the boycott efforts will backfire by undermining Israeli moderates and playing into the hands of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-line government. "It is the best present they can give Netanyahu and the radical right in Israel," he said. Two men were arrested after they allegedly shot at an SUV, striking one person, early Sunday morning in Allentown. Allentown Police were patrolling the area Sunday shortly before 5 a.m. when they heard gunshots around American Parkway and Gordon Street. When they arrived at the area they saw a light-colored pickup truck chasing after a black Suburban SUV. As the officers followed the two vehicles they heard more gunfire. The pickup truck became disabled at 7th and Green streets and two men left the vehicle and fled the scene on foot, according to police. Both men, later identified as 19-year-old Elias Ariza and 19-year-old Abram Rios, were captured by responding officers. Police say Rios and Ariza, both of Bethlehem, had opened fire at three men inside the SUV. One victim, a 39-year-old man, was struck at least once in the shooting. He was taken to the hospital where he is currently in stable condition. The other two men inside the SUV were not hurt, police said. Ariza is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm without a license. Rios is charged with possession of a firearm without a license and aggravated assault. The engineer of an Amtrak train that derailed eight months ago in Philadelphia, killing eight people and injuring more than 200, told federal investigators he remembers opening the throttle in the moments before the deadly crash. Brandon Bostian Interview 1 More than 160 documents released Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board don't come to any conclusions on the cause of the derailment but offer a glimpse into what investigators have learned thus far. Brandon Bostian Interview 2 Among the most illuminating are two transcripts of interviews engineer Brandon Bostian had with investigators, one immediately after the May 12 crash, and the second in November. According to a transcript of his interview with federal accident investigators, the last thing Bostian remembers is pushing the throttle forward to pick up speed, then braking when he felt the train going too fast into a sharp curve. New Images of Deadly Amtrak Derailment When he realized the train was about to derail, Bostian recalled holding tightly to the controls and thinking, "Well, this is it, I'm going over," according to the documents. Investigators do not believe Bostian was on his phone or texting. Cellphone records showed Bostian's phone was inactive for at least two hours before the accident, then called 911 six minutes afterward. The focus of the investigation remains on the possibility that Bostian lost "situational awareness" for some reason prior to the crash, NBC News reports. An NTSB official described Bostian as "extremely cooperative" with investigators. The official, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly, talked to reporters on condition of anonymity shortly before the board released the documents. The train's data recorder shows it reached a speed of 106 mph, then the emergency brake was activated and the speed dropped to 102 mph as it entered a sharp curve in Frankford Junction, one of the sharpest curves in Amtrak's northeast corridor. By then it was too late, and the train derailed. The speed limit for the curve is 50 mph. The limit for the stretch of track prior to the curve is 70 mph, although there is a portion prior to that where it is 80 mph. "Once I pushed the throttle forward in an attempt to bring the train up to 80 miles an hour, I don't have any other memories until after the train was already in the curve," Bostian said in the November interview. Bostian suffered a possible concussion and had other minor injuries. Other crash victims, more seriously hurt, have racked up more than $1 million in hospital bills and are continuing to rehabilitate from injuries. NTSB has wrapped up its investigative phase into the accident. Evidence and reports show there was no identifiable problem with the track, locomotive or signal. Next, investigators will analyze the evidence, prepare a report on the probable cause of the derailment and make safety recommendations. A draft report is expected to be delivered to board members in a meeting not yet scheduled, but that will likely happen around the May 12 anniversary of the crash. Other avenues of investigation have also turned up dry holes, according to previous statements by investigators. The data recorder shows the train's top-of-the-line new Siemens engine was functioning normally. No anomalies were found in the tracks or signal boxes. There was no vehicle or object on the tracks. The train's assistant conductor said that before the crash he heard Bostian on his radio say the train had been hit by something. Trains operating in the Northeast corridor are frequent targets of rock-throwing vandals. Other trains in the vicinity of Frankford Junction reported being hit by rocks that evening not long before the derailment. A small dent was found in the windshield of Amtrak 188's locomotive. Bostian has been suspended without pay since the crash. A letter from Amtrak in the NTSB files shows he was suspended for speeding the night of the crash. The NTSB will hold a formal hearing in April, at which time it could announce a preliminary cause of the derailment. Monday's release is the first major development in the investigation since a preliminary report a few weeks after the crash in which the National Transportation Safety Board pinpointed excessive speed as a key factor. A final report isn't expected for months. 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. Dozens of victims are 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.'" One of the 160 documents released by the National Transportation Safety Board Monday on last years deadly Amtrak derailment details the work schedule of engineer Brandon Bostian and describes all the events leading up to the crash, which killed eight people and injured more than 200 on May 12, 2015 in Philadelphia. The Human Performance Group Chairmans Factual Report first describes Bostians 72-hour work/rest schedule. The Report includes details from two interviews with Bostian, one three days after the crash and the second one in November. INTERVIEW 1 INTERVIEW 2 Bostian, 32, told investigators he normally sleeps between six to eight hours or more each night and normally felt pretty good whenever he got at least six hours of sleep. Bostian also told officials he doesnt have any sleep disorders, doesnt take naps during the day and didnt remember feeling tired or sick the day of the crash. Day Duty Times Activities at Home Sleep Saturday (Departed for work 1:20 p.m.) On duty from 2:20 p.m.to 11:57 p.m. Arrived home Sunday morning about 1:00 a.m. Relaxed for 1-3 hours Fell asleep between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. Awoke between10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday (Departed for work 1:20 p.m.) On duty from 2:20 p.m.to 11:57 p.m. Arrived home Monday morning about 1:00 a.m. Relaxed for 1-3 hours Fell asleep between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. Awoke between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Monday (Departed for work at 12:20 p.m.) On duty from 1:20 p.m. to 10:44 p.m. est. Arrived at terminus 11:30 p.m. Arrived home Tuesday morning about 1:00 a.m. Relaxed for 1-3 hours Sleep began between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. Awoke at 10:20 a.m. Tuesday (Departed for work at 12:20 p.m.) On duty at 1:20 p.m. Was scheduled to work to 10:44 p.m. est. (accident at 9:31 p.m.) Bostian also said he was off duty the Wednesday and Thursday (his normal scheduled days off) before the accident. What Happened Before the Derailment? (May 12, 2015) Bostian went on duty at 1:20 p.m. in New York and was scheduled to operate train #2121 to Washington, DC. Bostians trip was uneventful until the train experienced some technical problems while passing through the Baltimore-Washington International Airport area which delayed their arrival at Union Station in Washington, DC. Once he arrived at Union Station, the crew got off the train and Bostian met a friend (non-railroader) in the food court. He returned to the train depot at 6:30 p.m. to prepare for his departure. Bostian said he and his crew agreed to use the temporary speed restriction bulletins for the return trip to New York. The trip would be on a different train, Amtrak #188, with the same crewmembers as well as a Lead Service attendant. Bostian told investigators that prior to the derailment in Philadelphia, his return trip was mostly uneventful. His last station stop before the deadly crash was at Philadelphias 30th Street Station, about eight miles (12 minutes) from the site of the derailment. After leaving 30th Street, Bostian heard a SEPTA train engineer call a train dispatcher on the radio, reporting his windshield had been shattered due to an object being thrown at it. The SEPTA train, which was operating on track 1, had stopped ahead of Bostians train, which was operating on track 2. Bostian then made a radio broadcast a few minutes later, letting the SEPTA crew know that the Amtrak train was approaching and about to pass them. Officials say that after his last station stop, Bostian routinely operated the train at, and occasionally below, track speed. In the stretch of the track between 30th Street and the derailment site, the track speed went from 30 mph to 70 mph to 60 mph to 80 mph to 65 mph to 80 mph and then to 50 mph at the accident curve. Bostian told investigators he would normally begin braking for the 50 mph curve at the SEPTA El Bridge or at the Shore signal. Bostian also told officials he doesnt look for speed restriction signs because he believed that sometimes they are missing or wrong. According to event recorder data, about 55 seconds or 1 miles before reaching the curve, Bostian applied notch 8 (full throttle) and kept it at that position for about 30 seconds, reaching a speed of about 95 mph. Bostian then placed the throttle in notch 7 for about two seconds and then returned it to full throttle again for about 20 seconds, according to investigators. About three seconds before it derailed, the train reached a speed of 106 mph, investigators said. Bostian then placed the train into an emergency brake application and the train derailed while traveling 102 mph, according to officials. Bostian told investigators one of the challenges he faced when working at night was being unable to see the rail curve until he was about one or two car lengths away. When approaching the accident curve at night, Bostian normally used the Shore signal, elevated bridge near Frankford and a signal box to the left as external cues, though he also said at times he couldnt see the signal box. Bostian also told investigators his method of accelerating trains was to gradually increase the throttle. I dont slam it all the way open when Im going slow, Bostian said. But if youre going kind of fast, its okay to slam it open. But I typically accelerate in full throttle and then back off as I approach the maximum speed. Bostian told investigators in his November interview he had a "dream-like" memory of the train going too fast around the curve and hitting the brakes once he realized it was going to tip over. "I remember holding onto the controls tightly and feeling like, okay well this is it, I'm going over," Bostian said. Bostian told investigators he tried to brace himself and saw "objects fly in front of me, kind of a bluish tint to them." During his first interview immediately after the crash, Bostian said one of his last memories was passing the station platform at North Philadelphia. His next memory was standing up in the cab of his locomotive after the train had derailed. Bostian said he took his cellphone from his backpack, powered it up and walked by passengers outside the train. He then took his phone off airplane mode and called 911, saying the train had derailed but he was unsure of his location. A 911 operator told him they had already been notified however. Bostian then gave his phone to a passenger, officials said. When EMS arrived they gave Bostian a green tag, a classification given to victims who are not seriously injured. Bostian, who suffered a concussion during the crash, was taken to the hospital where he received treatment. Philadelphia Police then took him in for questioning. Bostian told investigators his personal cellphone had been turned off at the time of the crash and placed in airplane mode and stowed in his backpack while he was operating the train. Investigators also determined Bostian didnt call or receive calls, send or receive texts or access the Internet on his phone while he was on-duty the day of the accident. Investigators also didnt find any drugs or alcohol in his system after performing toxicology tests after the derailment. Bostian is not facing any criminal charges though he has been suspended for exceeding the track's speed limit. That could change however as the NTSB's investigation continues. The report also detailed radio transmissions during the derailment as well as Bostians training history. CLICK HERE to read the full report or view it below: A duo of armed robbers burst into a Northeast Philadelphia auto-detailing shop posing as police officers and took off with more than $1,000 after tying up an employee. Police said the bandits walked into DTMS Detailing on Geiger Road near Gantry in Bustleton, about 8 p.m. Saturday yelling "Cops!" The gunmen went to an employee's office on the second floor, where they forced him onto the ground at gunpoint. The robbers then zip-tied the victim's hands behind his back, sat him in a chair and demanded money and drugs, police said. The suspects then took $1,200 out of the victim's wallet and asked him where the rest of the money was, telling him they were "going to get the warrant" before fleeing. Police said the victim was able to break free quickly. He jumped out of a second-floor window and reached the parking lot just in time to see a dark-colored vehicle speed out of the lot and head east on Geiger Road. The victim was not injured, and nothing in the shop was damaged. Anyone with information is asked to contact Northeast Detectives at 215-686-3153. The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia left on a pilgrimage to Honduras Saturday to help those with little. Last year they went to a couple of villages in that same country with basic items such as shoes, underwear and socks and several of the people who benefited from the clothes had not used the items before, said Salvation Army spokesman Omar Colon, "In our last visit we found a bleak picture: No drinking water, no school for children an no electrical service, said Colon. Thats why in this trip he made sure the Salvation Army got plenty of items to give away. In terms of socks they have almost 500 pairs. The good-will mission came as deportation raids intensified in the Philadelphia area and other parts of America. Colon explained that his group has found that thousands of people decide to their homes in search of better opportunities and become undocumented immigrants in the US. "Thousands of Central Americans left their country to escape these conditions and are now the focus of immigration raids nationwide," Colon said. "They leave nothing and if deported they go back to nothing. Immigrant rights activists in Philadelphia sent a letter last week to the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demanding an end to the raids. According to the New Sanctuary Movement federal authorities have deported more than 120 Central Americans so far this year. Click here to donate to the Salvation Army. A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of a suspect who allegedly killed two men and critically injured a teenager during a triple shooting in North Philadelphia. On January 3 around 5:45 p.m., police responded to a radio call on the 100 block of West Wishart Street for a report of a person with a gun. When they arrived they found Richard DaVilla, 47, and Raul Rodriguez, 21, on the ground. DaVilla had been shot in the right thigh and back while Rodriguez had been shot in the back of the head. Police also found a 17-year-old boy inside a nearby home who had been shot in the face. All three victims were taken to Temple University Hospital. DaVilla was pronounced dead at 5:59 p.m. that same night while Rodriguez died from his injuries on January 6 at 11:30 a.m. The teenager remains in critical condition. After over two weeks of investigating, police identified 19-year-old Ativa Jackson as a suspect in the shooting. A warrant was issued for his arrest on January 19. Philadelphia Police DaVillas sister Carmen Pagan told NBC10 her brother was an innocent bystander who was across the street from his home when the shooting occurred. My brother was a very humble guy, she said. He never got into problems with anybody. Out of all people we cant understand something like that happening to him. He didnt get into any trouble and he was always by himself. Pagan said the death has been especially difficult for her mother. He was her first-born of eight children, Pagan said. Weve never had anything so tragic happen to our family. Shes heartbroken. Family Photo The City of Philadelphia is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to Jacksons arrest and conviction. If you have any information, please call the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334/3335 or call 911. A witness to the drowning of 37 people including babies and other young children off Turkey's coast described the horror and screams in the moments after the boat carrying the migrants slammed into rocks, saying it was like "somebody was being murdered." Gulcan Durdu, who lives on the beach in the Aegean resort of Ayvacik, cried Sunday while recounting for The Associated Press the tragedy that happened at dawn the previous day. She described being awakened by screaming and wailing after the boat struck rocks and capsized. "I thought somebody was being murdered," Durdu told the AP. Durdu said that she and her husband rushed to try to help survivors and brought a boy to their home to try to warm him up. "We wrapped him up (in blankets)," she said. "I brought the hair dryer to 'warm.' The boy became limp in my arms" before losing consciousness. The boy was still alive when she handed him over to paramedics who had arrived, Durdu said, adding that she would be haunted by the tragedy forever. "I will never stop hearing those cries for the rest of my life," Durdu said. "I will never forget. It was terrible. They died screaming. It was dark. "We were only able to save those who were able to swim ashore." On Sunday, the overturned boat was still sitting on rocks offshore and visible from the construction site where Durdu lives. The beach was littered with grim reminders of the disaster, including lifejackets, a child's sandal, clothing and other personal belongings that had washed onshore. The migrants were trying to make the short journey from Turkey to Greece. Europe has endured a huge influx of migrants, most of whom undertake a dangerous journey in search of a better life. 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. The body of one boy was lying on large rocks on the beach, his face covered by a cloth, while the faces of other bodies scattered nearby were covered with lifejackets. 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 caused by the war in the Middle East and the treacherous journeys many risk seeking shelter in Europe. European countries have been strained by the influx of migrants, leading to disagreements over what to do with the large number of new arrivals and how to share the burden. In Germany, the vice chancellor called for a nationalist party to be put under observation by the government agency that tracks extremists after its leader suggested that police should be allowed to shoot refugees trying to enter the country. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told Bild newspaper that "there is massive doubt that (the Alternative for Germany party) stand by the free democratic order of the republic." Frauke Petry, the head of the party also known by its German initials AfD, told the Mannheimer Morgen daily on Saturday that a border police officer "must stop illegal border crossings, and also make use of his firearm if necessary." Pushed by the newspaper for more, she continued that "no policeman wants to fire on a refugee and I don't want that either. But the last resort includes the use of armed force." Germany saw nearly 1.1 million asylum-seekers enter the country last year and the AfD has been gaining in support as more people question whether the government will be able to deal with the influx. Joerg Radek, vice chairman of the GdP police union, slammed Petry's suggestion, saying no German police officer would shoot at a refugee. "Whoever proposes such a radical approach apparently wants to overturn the rule of law and exploit the police," he said in a statement. Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, received support from an unlikely source for her handling of Germany's refugee crisis. Baden-Wuerttemberg governor Winfried Kretschmann, a member of the Greens party that is in opposition at the federal level, told Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper the chancellor's insistence on "working step by step" on a European solution to the refugee crisis was the correct path. "Which of her counterparts in the EU will hold Europe together if she fails?" he asked. "Far and wide there's nobody in sight. Therefore I pray every day that the chancellor remains healthy." A D.C. firefighter who's been with the department for decades has been indicted on child pornography charges in Pennsylvania, authorities announced Monday. Authorities say that Earl Greg Walker, a fire lieutenant at Engine 22 on Georgia Avenue NW, received and possessed child pornography at his home in Adams County, Pennsylvania in 2011 and 2012. Walker, 53, has been with the D.C. fire department for more than 20 years, fire department spokesman Tim Wilson confirmed. Walker is now on paid administrative leave. Walker was identified as a suspect through Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative that fights the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said. The program uses federal, state and local resources to find those who sexually exploit children and to identify and help victims, prosecutors said. Walker was indicted Jan. 20 by a federal grand jury for receipt and possession of child pornography. He was arrested Jan. 29 and the indictment was unsealed Monday. Walker was scheduled to make his initial appearance in court Monday. A man stabbed his stepbrother to death inside a Leesburg, Virginia, home Monday morning, police said. A woman ran into the police department's headquarters at 12:25 a.m. to report a stabbing at a home across the street. When officers got to the home, they found 27-year-old Mario Arturo Ochoa Robles with two stab wounds to the chest. Police say a second man and woman were also inside the home. Investigators believe the suspect and victim were involved in an altercation before the stabbing. The victim was pronounced dead at an area hospital. Sergio Ramon Zuniga Robles, 34, was charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond. This is the city's first homicide of the year. An Elks lodge in Salem was the scene of John Kasich's 85th town hall in New Hampshire. Sunday afternoon, with other candidates campaigning in Iowa ahead of that state's first-in-the-nation caucus, Kasich continued along the campaign trail in the Granite State. "I'm going to look at a problem and I'm going to go fix it," he said. Kasich spoke with the crowd for a little more than an hour, answering questions about policy and what he would do as president. But why is he the only candidate in New Hampshire this weekend while all others are in Iowa ahead of the caucuses? "Well, I've been to Iowa. I was there for the debate, the day after, the day before," he said. "I've been there a number of times, but there is only one of me." The governor also talked about the geography of Iowa making it less cost-effective, because you have to fly from city to city, whereas in New Hampshire, he can take his bus. "There's 1.3 million people, You can meet - you know, I've met all of them twice, I only have three more times to go," Kasich said. "It's just a perfect place." But there could be other motives for staying out of the Hawkeye State. "Kasich isn't doing well in Iowa," said Erin O'Brien, the chair of the political science department at UMass Boston. O'Brien explains Kasich's strategy may have more to do with what he's doing well in New Hampshire as opposed to what may not be going well in Iowa. "His advertising in New Hampshire is widely considered the best of the campaign," she said. "He has some inroads." Kasich is likely using those things, and his town hall, face-to-face meetings with voters to his advantage in New Hampshire. "This is a testing time for candidates, and you can't hide behind a 30-second commercial when you are in New Hampshire," he said. The governor left to head to another town hall meeting in Bow Hampshire for his 86th town hall. Five Eastern Connecticut State University students, including two members of the university baseball team, are facing charges after a late Friday night college party in Willimantic spilled outside a private home and police received noise complaints, police said. ECSU students Hunter Hamlin, 20, of Mansfield Center, Steven Odonnell, 19, of Meriden, Collin Keane, 19, of Tolland, Joseph Siecinski, 19 and Zachary Wilkins, 19, of Willimantic, charged with breach of peace. Hamlin was listed as a pitcher on the ECSU Warriors' baseball team for the 2015 season and Wilkins was on the team roster last year as a first baseman. Police said they discovered 100 college-aged party-goers in and outside a home on Prospect Street after responding to investigate numerous calls reporting a "very loud college party." Several of the people at the party were in the road, blocking traffic. This type of belligerent behavior will not be tolerated within the city," Willimantic Police Lt. Alex Coriaty said in a statement. Police charged all five students with second-degree breach of peace. The suspects were released on written promises to appear in Danielson Superior Court on Feb. 8. ECSU released a statement about the incident and said the students will be disciplined, and that could include suspension or dismissal. We are disappointed that a handful of students disrespected our neighbors and cast a cloud over the good behavior of the other 5,000 students who study each day on our campus. For the past two years, we have extended the student code of conduct to off-campus behavior. The students arrested this weekend will be subject to our judicial process, which includes a range of disciplinary options, including suspension and dismissal," Ken Bedini, vice president for student affairs, said in a statement. "We apologize to any residents who were inconvenienced or affected by this unacceptable conduct. We will continue to educate our students on appropriate good neighbor behavior and healthy lifestyles, while working closely with local officials to monitor and manage the situation, Bedini's statement says. Now a Boston city councilor, a former teacher says she fears gangs recruiting children in area schools. After a sweeping raid led to charges against 56 alleged members of the violent MS-13 gang, authorities said members had been recruiting in high schools with large populations of immigrants from Central America. "We've got to continue to offer our students, our children in this community, alternatives to bad choices," City Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George, a former teacher at East Boston High School, said. Overnight from Thursday into Friday, federal authorities raided parts of East Boston, Chelsea, Somerville, Everett, Revere and Lynn. Weapons and cash were also seized. In a statement, Boston Public Schools said the district "considers safety of students and staff a top priority. Gang activity is very troubling and an issue all urban school districts face. BPS works very closely on a daily basis with the Boston Police Department, Mayor's Office of Emergency Management, the Mayor's Public Safety Initiative, and several community organizations, to provide resources, education, and open lines of communication for students, staff, and families with concerns about gangs and issues that are present in our communities." The district added that it is working to expand its office of safety. We are tracking a powerful Pacific storm that plowed into southern California Sunday. This El Nino-fueled storm generated flooding rain, damaging thunderstorm winds and heavy snow in the areas around Los Angeles and San Diego all day Sunday. Winter storm warnings are in effect all the way up through Iowa into the Great Lakes. The blizzard watch in Iowa is primarily after the caucuses end Monday night. necn What does this storm mean for New England? It is a powerful storm, but because of its track to our west, we are on the warm, wet, and windy side of the storm arriving here early Wednesday. Before this storm we have a warm Monday, with a few showers and highs near 60. The Massachusetts groundhog Miss. G should see her shadow Tuesday morning, thanks to high pressure from Canada, replacing record Monday warmth with mild and dry here Tuesday. (Side-note: when Miss G sees her shadow, folklore says six more weeks of winter - a prognostication this human weather forecaster agrees with. More on that later.) Rain will arrive in Western New England at sunrise on Wednesday. Rainfall will become heavy at times and progress to the Boston area before lunchtime. necn The duration of rainfall appears to be about six to eight hours. Rainfall amounts are likely exceed one inch, perhaps two inches in some locations, with minor urban flooding possible. Due to the lack of deep snow to melt, and the fact that colder air arrives Wednesday night, widespread river flooding is unlikely. Wind will increase to 30 to 40 mph near the coast with gusts past 50 mph. necn We may see a few thunderstorms also capable of producing damaging wind gusts. Astronomical tides are running low this week, and low tide is in the middle of the day, so coastal flooding is also unlikely. But south-facing shores will experience some erosion. Not all of New England sees only rain with this storm. In northern Maine, colder air may hold for several hours of snow, then freezing rain, then all rain. The storm will should end rapidly around sunset Wednesday, with partial clearing and colder air arriving overnight. Thursday should be quiet weather-wise, with a good amount of sunshine near the shore, remaining mostly cloudy at higher elevations. Highs on Thursday in the 30s north to 40s south. Though the weather may be quiet down on the ground, up in the sky there is what is called a full latitude trough along the east Coast Thursday and Friday. That represents colder air from Canada headed south toward Florida, and warmer air from the Bahamas remaining in place just off the east coast. That boundary between advancing new cold, and the warm air we have right now, will be very close by east of Massachusetts. Along that boundary we will see several storms form and threaten New England starting on Friday and then through next week. At this time, odds favor an intensifying Friday storm staying just offshore, perhaps clipping Cape Cod and eastern Maine with some rain or snow. Brief high-pressure system here on Saturday should bring bright weather and more seasonable temperatures, back down to the 30s. Beyond that, the weather stakes become much higher. Indications are that a vortex (spin) of cold air from the north pole will be gyrating toward the Great Lakes Sunday, at the same time we will see additional low pressure systems coming up from off of Florida toward New England. If that very cold vortex to our west draws in and merges with the warmer system coming up from the south, we could be talking a serious winter storm, or two, or three.. storms between Feb. 9 and 19. The potential exists one of the southern El Nino fueled systems merging with a wayward Polar Vortex around Valentines Day. It could be one storm, or series of storms. Either way it would be a Mega-Merger event - El Nino and polar vortex. Odds in favor of such an event, or series of events, and validate Miss G, if and when she sees her shadow. The death of a student whose body was found Sunday morning on a Massachusetts college campus is not suspicious, the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office says. The Lowell Sun reports that a custodian discovered the body in a bathroom of Ball Hall at UMass Lowell around 6 a.m. Police say the student did not live on campus. "The university has reached out to the student's family as part of our campus response," the school said in a statement. "We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and offer our condolences to the student's family and loved ones." No other information about the student's identity or the circumstances of the death were immediately available. At least four Massachusetts schools had an increased police presence on Monday after receiving threats. Middle and high school students in Mashpee were dismissed early due to a threat. Students were already scheduled to have a half-day, but were let out even earlier than planned because of the threat. All students and staff at the Mashpee Middle-High School got out of the building safely. Lexington High School received a pre-recorded threat on Monday morning. All students, faculty and staff were evacuated from the building as police conducted a sweep. A handwritten threat was also found by students on a bathroom wall. Nothing else was found, and students returned to class. Wilmington High School also received a threat, but students were not evacuated. Police and fire personnel responded and decided that a shelter-in-place was the best option. A search of the building found nothing of concern. There was no disruption to students or classes. Billerica High School received a threatening phone call on Monday, and contacted police and fire. The building was swept by police, but nothing was found. An increased police presence will remain for the rest of the school day. Police are currently investigating all four incidents. For some of the schools, it was the second threat received this year. Windows Phone has always struggled in the U.S., but last year it was at least making progress. Almost all of that is being frittered away as the company stalls with the release of Windows 10 Mobile and new hardware, giving Android and iPhone even bigger leads. According to Kantar WorldPanel's latest numbers, Windows Phone market share in the U.S. for December 2015 was down to a paltry 1.6%. In September, Windows Phone share stood at 3.9%. In February 2015 it was at 4.8%, only a little off its high of 5.6% in 2013. Kantar So, why the huge drop from September to December? Kantar didn't get into it, but it's likely safe to say that it had to do with the holiday season, when people are likely to upgrade. But while Windows 10 for PCs is everywhere, Windows 10 Mobile is not. Windows Phone users looking to upgrade had little other choice than to switch platforms. Even worse, Windows 10 Mobile has no release date and its chief proponent, Joe Belfiore, just took a one-year sabbatical. On the handset side, one new device was released in Q4 of 2015, the Lumia 950, which is only available on AT&T and got pretty much no marketing. So really, I can see why people would abandon Windows Phone like it were the BlackBerry. Do you see any signs of encouragement? All is not lost. Europe is still holding on, most likely due to residual popularity from Nokia, even though that brand name is dead. December sales share was at 9.2% in Great Britain, 8.7% in France, 8.1% in Italy and 6.4% in Germany. Unfortunately, those are all down from highs of mid-2015. Rumors persist of a Surface Phone branding. Reddit users noticed that Microsoft has a new domain, www.surfacephone.com. Would a new name matter at this point, given the low priority the handset business has been given? 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. 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. 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." As radiation sources used to map disease and attack cancer grow in number and complexity, a University of Wisconsin-Madison center continues to offer the last word on accurate radiation doses. From its headquarters in the basement of the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, the University of Wisconsin Radiation Calibration Laboratory fine-tunes instruments used by clinics to measure radiation doses from X-ray machines, CAT scanners and medical linear accelerators used to treat cancer. "We are one of three institutions in the United States that base our accuracy on devices verified by NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology)," says director Larry DeWerd, a UW-Madison professor of medical physics. "And we provide calibration to approximately 60 percent of the U.S. medical physics market." By measuring an unknown instrument against a known one, the process of calibration creates a correction factor that clinics can use to ensure safety and accuracy of the dose, says DeWerd. DeWerd, who received his doctorate from UW-Madison and has worked at the lab since its inauguration in 1981, credits John Cameron, founder of the world's largest department of medical physics at UW-Madison, with help in the startup. "I was talking with him about a calibration lab, and he thought it was a great idea." The lab has a full set of equipment, such as radiation sources and calibration devices, 10 employees and 15 graduate students. "Our students get a hands-on opportunity to do research and work in the lab," says DeWerd. "We provide education to users as well as calibrate their devices. We do charge fees for our calibration services, and most of the graduate student research is supported by fee income." As radiation sources evolve, "we need to ask questions so these new devices can be used safely and effectively," DeWerd says. "The organizations and clinics that buy calibrations from us are funding necessary research while they get a service that's only available from two other sources in the nation." The high-energy photons created by X-ray machines, CAT scanners, medical linear accelerators and radioactive decay are called ionizing radiation because they can strip away electrons to ionize atoms. Medical radiation is measured by sophisticated ionization chambers that create an electrical current when exposed to the ionizing radiation. This electrical current is read out by an electric meter that can provide the radiation dose. To begin a calibration study, the lab measures a beam of radiation using a chamber that has been calibrated at NIST and is accurate to within 0.5 percent. Then clinical medical physicists place chambers owned by clinics, hospitals or cancer centers in the beam. "We first measure with our chamber, which has been tested at NIST, and then measure their chamber in the exact same beam," says DeWerd. "If our chamber measures 100 units, and their chamber measures 105, that establishes the correction factor they must use to obtain an accurate measurement from their chamber." After being returned to its owner, a calibrated chamber may be used for two years before recalibration is needed. Half a century or so ago, the dosage from X-ray machines and accelerators could vary significantly, DeWerd says. Although calibration has changed all that, innovations in medical systems continue to overturn the field. One significant advance comes from steerable radiation treatment machines like the TomoTherapy machine. This device, invented at UW-Madison and still manufactured in Madison, "shapes" a beam and "shoots" it at multiple angles. Both measures are intended to reduce damage to healthy tissue while tumors are irradiated. External radiation beams are not the only sources needing calibration. Lab researchers have also been calibrating an innovative sheet radiation source designed to treat multiple cancer sites. Continual advances in "brachytherapy" the placement of small, contained sources of radioactive isotopes inside the body to treat cancer also raise research questions. Beyond servicing radiation oncology and radiology clinics around the nation and far beyond, the lab calibrates for some of the UW-Madison spinoffs that sell calibration devices to industry. These businesses, like the lab itself, trace their roots back to John Cameron. "Our emphasis is standards; making measurements and tracing them back to the primary numbers from NIST," DeWerd says. "We also work closely with NIST. Sometimes we do original research and pass it on to them. Or they do the research, and we put their results to work for us." 'We Can Beat Any Team': Scotland Coach Wants His Players to Play Without Focusing Too Much on Opponents The American Red Cross has an emergency need for blood and platelet donors. Severe winter weather since Jan. 1 has forced the cancellation of more than 300 blood drives across 20 states, resulting in more than 9,500 donations uncollected, further depleting an already low winter supply. In the Appalachian Red Cross Blood Services Region, 13 blood drives have been canceled since Jan. 23, causing more than 400 blood and platelet donations to go uncollected. The Red Cross must collect about 14,000 blood and platelet donations daily for the patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide. Blood and platelets are needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. Upcoming blood donation opportunities: Friday, Feb. 5, 12 to 6 p.m., Lynchburg Blood Donation Center, 1900 Tate Springs Road, Suite #5, Lynchburg; Monday, Feb. 8, 12 to 6 p.m., Bethlehem United Meth Church, 13586 Moneta Road, Moneta; Tuesday, Feb. 9, 12 to 6 p.m., Forest Presbyterian Church, 1226 Two Church Lane, Forest; Tuesday, Feb. 9, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Brookville High School, 100 Laxton Road, Lynchburg; Wednesday, Feb. 10, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Va. Dept of Highways and Transportation, U.S. 501, Lynchburg; Wednesday, Feb. 10, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Randolph College, 2500 Rivermont Ave., Lynchburg; Thursday, Feb. 11, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., E.C. Glass High School, 2111 Memorial Ave., Lynchburg; Thursday, Feb. 11, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Virginia Baptist Hospital, 3300 Rivermont Ave., Lynchburg; Friday, Feb. 12, 12 to 6 p.m., Lynchburg Blood Donation Center, 1900 Tate Springs Road, Suite #5, Lynchburg; Saturday, Feb. 13, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Church of Jesus Christ of LDS, 110 Melinda Drive, Lynchburg; Monday, Feb. 15, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Lane Memorial United Methodist Church, 1201 Bedford Ave., Altavista. Breakfast will be held Feb. 10 Business at Breakfast, hosted by the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance, will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Feb. 10 at The Summit, 1400 Wyndhurst Drive. To network and learn about economic opportunities in the area, call (434) 845-5966 to RSVP by Friday. Cost is $17 for members of the alliance (formerly the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce), and $27 for general admission. Breakfast is included in the cost. City woman joins Va. chamber board Lynchburg resident Janice Crawford, who is the supplier diversity and commodity manager for Areva, was one of 18 people to recently join the Virginia Chamber of Commerce board of directors. The organization is the largest business advocacy organization in the state, with more than 23,000 members. The Virginia Chamber also elected Tom Palmer of Wells Fargo & Company to serve as chairman of the board of directors during the organizations annual meeting Jan. 27 in Richmond. GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us. 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 Capital and labour This was followed by the news that the trade union representing the workers and the company could not agree on the steps that should be taken in a situation where the demand for steel had fallen. That was followed by the news that Arcelor-Mittal was closing down here and pulling out. Alarmed at the move, the union requested that the Government intervene. It is doubtful the Government can. There is at present a world-wide over-production of steel and as a result a slump in the price of steel on the market. Where there is no guarantee that the price of steel will rise in the foreseeable future, the Government taking over Arcelor-Mittal with no plan for the alternative use of steel could only be to save jobs. In order words, another make-work endeavour. The Arcelor-Mittal layoff has been followed by the news that BP will be laying off 4,000 of its workers, largely those employed in exploration. We have no idea if these will include our workers. However, with oil having declined from US$110 a barrel to as low as US$30 a barrel, we can hardly feel comfortable with the BP news. This pulling out if there is a decline in the market price of goods is particularly worrying when the decline concerns commodities like oil, platinum, copper, major plantation crops or indeed a slump in unfinished goods. And it is doubly worrying for a small State. Small States are more likely to find diversification more difficult than do large States with complex economies. We are not, however, the first small State to face a crisis given the slump in market price. Norway, Denmark, even Holland with a more complex economy, have faced a crisis not unlike our own. If I turn to Ireland it is because I know the crisis better, it is recent and both its colonization and its plantation economy mirror our own. Moreover, it is in turning to the example of small European States that Ireland partly constructed the model that resulted in the Celtic Tiger. Returning to Mittal One of the assumptions of most of the 20th century was that heavy industry was the first plank in moving from the production of primary products to manufacturing and therefore to industrialisation. It is not surprising that in the mid-1970s, with the first major increase in oil prices, Eric Williams decided to utilise part of the oil money to establish the production of steel. This was to generate downstream industries as well as to provide employment if mechanisation, particularly in agriculture, resulted in massive layoffs as it had historically. In the oil crash of the early 1980s, ISCOTT , as it was called, was one of the Government-owned enterprises which was privatised. It was acquired by Mittal, an Indian firm anxious to expand. The terms agreed to with a Trinidad and Tobago government anxious to obtain foreign investment, ie, the cheap electricity and cheap oil, made the deal attractive to a Mittal hoping to break into overseas (from an Indian) market). In Ireland it was a range of incentives, most of which were tax breaks, which tempted foreign countries to invest in Ireland. Foreign firms however had little loyalty to Ireland. If there was a downturn in the economy, they left. As Mittal had left. Their presence did not bring with it a transfer of knowledge. Nor did the downstream enterprises that the Irish had hoped for materialise. Whatever trade unions thought about it, successive Irish governments did little, or perhaps could do little, to make foreign-owned businesses stay in Ireland if their profits risked falling. The CelticTiger By the early 80s, Ireland was nearing bankruptcy. It was the realisation of this which shocked political parties, in Government as in Opposition, to unofficially place nationalism rather than confrontation on the Irish desk. This was not as easy as it sounds. True, Ireland was perhaps the most homogenous State in Europe. The Irish had, however, fought a civil war and, in spite of myth, were also divided by class. Complicated proportional representation did little to bring harmony. And whatever our belief in magical PR, political nationalism did not necessarily spill over to Irelands unions. In spite of tripartite meetings or Prime Ministers offers, unions had refused to be drawn into a national consensus. It was their entering into policy decisions, in particular those concerning the Budget, which brought the unions on board the consensus that helped bring in the Celtic Tiger. In this, power passed from union leaders to members of the union. It was they who pronounced first over a Governments proposed budget. This diverted funds from vanity projects to the construction of the social and intellectual structures Ireland so badly needed. It must be underlined that while this performed the Irish miracle it could not withstand the storms of the recent financial crisis. M a r i o n OCallaghan Social Anthropologist, f o r m e r l y Director of Social Science Programmes, UNESCO Looking at the world through the eyes of the Web The Amerindians: Lessons from the past Here, 15th century culture and history breathe in concert. It presents a measured, judicious look at a tradition that still speaks to us. Interestingly, Kennedy does not fold under the pull of romanticism, oftentimes the Achilles Heel of writers enchanted by everything indigenous. Well-researched, and annotated with illustrations and photographs of artifacts, Kennedy interlaces several plots glued by a common theme. And notable is a glossary that ably responds to the many Amerindian terminologies that litter these pages. This exhaustive undertaking can make for laboured reading at times. Kennedy, though, will have it no other way. He submerges us into the past and never lets up. Every nuance of Taino (also called Arawak) custom marriage, kinship, religion, spirituality, funerary rites, political structure, and economic sustenance, is explored. In the end, our awareness and identification with the first peoples of the Caribbean are heightened. In an idyllic way, we are all Taino. Ancestral teachings and the deterministic role of the gods are conveyed through oral tradition. And spirits roam, ever poised to exact a pound of flesh from errant villagers. We must accord nature its due. Ritualistic obeisance is the only armour against the fretful, unsatisfied impulses of these powers. Providence can be unyielding and the role of shamans to divine and placate these cosmic forces takes on a disturbing urgency. Huareo assumes the leadership of a robustly impressive kingdom. Immediately, we respect and admire the decision of the gods. A natural teacher, he is called. His mental poise, patience and overall leadership skills during a fishing expedition are prophetic. When hunting in the dead of the night, [he] showed no fear. If the opia greeted him, he would forbid them to touch him because they were spirits of the night. The Great Spirit was present to give him courage. He is taught the arieto (narratives and songs of the ancestors), painting, herbalism, and how to make cemi (sculpture inhabited by a deity), from where originate power and strength. He absorbs the energy of the spirits and the ancestors and moulded into a leader of men. He is destined to inherit the cacicazgo of Majagua. And he eyes Caona, an attractive dame. There is a definitive maturity to his amorous pursuits. But, a damning oracle interrupts Taino life. The Great Spirit always tells the truth, Majagua, the cacique is told. The Taino will enjoy their dominion for but a brief time because a clothed people would come to their land who would overcome them and kill them, and they would die of hunger. And when messengers travel to Yamaje (Jamaica) from as far as Lucayos and Haiti to deliver the unsettling news of settlers, taller than any man we know, and their faces as white as the flesh of the barracuda, the stage is set for a cataclysmic clash of cultures. The insatiable greed of the Europeans is immediately evident. One messenger relates, We offered them gifts of cotton, we gave them water, the iguana and casabe [bread], but they were not satisfied. They wanted the guanine [an alloy of gold silver and copper]. In the first encounter, Huareo calls upon the spirit of Guabancex, Lady of the Winds, to cast her spell on the strangers, to destroy them in her path with forces of wind and water. Kennedy captures the array of emotions - trepidation, anxiety, and determination. The Taino lack the notorious ferocity of the Caribs but are steadfast, prepared to stand their ground. But their will succumb to the might and violence of the enemy. Huraeo shuddered from the howls of the wounded men and vomited at the bloody savagery that unfolded before his eyes. The Taino cave in, reluctantly appeasing the settlers, praying that they will depart upon learning that (Yamaje) did not offer gold or other precious metals. But the visitation of evil that befalls other Taino land is imminent. Huraeo listens to portentous narratives: They capture our caciques and kill them. They imprison our people by the thousands and take them as slaves if the gold they trap is not sufficient. They tie men on together with ropes and load them on their boats and we never see them again. The incorrigible, untrustworthy arijuana (strangers) tax the will and wits of the unwilling hosts. What will Diego Mendez, Cristobal Colon, Don Juan de Esquivel, and others ultimately bring to Yamaje, the sacred land of many springs? Powered by the church and royal decrees, the colonisation of the island marked by the construction of the town Sevilla is a death knell to the indigenous people. They are now subjects of a king and their new ruler will not ask them to work for free, [and that] their finest rewards will be the salvation of their souls, Huareo is told. And although the clerics would much prefer a benign subjugation, the ominous threat lurks. Huraeo leads the resistance against genocide, growing division, and the crushing reality that his very son has joined the enemy. As quislings (collaborators) arise within the ranks , the nail is driven deeper into the coffin of the Taino. Huraeo speaks on multiple levels. The impermanence, vicissitudes, and unpredictability of life are underscored. And today, we grapple with the very forces that collided centuries ago. Occupation, migration, nationalism, identity, culture wars, forced conversions, and xenophobia still wrestle with our conscience. Huareo does not offer a template toward conflict resolution. It is not meant to. But as we replay the drama of this regrettable era, hindsight is our only safeguard against the persuasive evils of greed. Feedback: glenvilleashby@ gmail.com Huareo: Story of a Jamaican Cacique by Fred W. Kennedy 2015 Ian Randle Publishers ISBN 978-976-637-859-2 Available: Amazon Rating: Essential Believe It or Not, Some World Leaders Lasted Just Minutes (Newser) The mother of a boy who died under suspicious circumstances was able to hear his heart beat againinside the body of a 4-year-old girl. Heather Clark, who donated her son's organs after his death in 2013, visited the Phoenix family of donor recipient Jordan Drake for the emotional encounter, KSAZ reports. Clark shared hugs and tears with Jordan and her mother, Esther Gonzalez, before placing a stethoscope to Jordan's heart and hearing her son's heart beat again. "It's hard to describe that she would be so selfless to be able to think of another family while she's going through her grief," says Gonzalez, whose daughter spent years in Phoenix Childrens Hospital with a congenital heart defect. "We're family now, we're friends now, our families are families, we've brought our families together." Clark's son Lukas was only seven months old when he died with a babysitter, whose boyfriend allegedly abused the child; the matter is under police investigation, Clark says. The California mom quickly donated his organs to three recipients, including Jordan. "There is another family out there ... and I have the chance to make them not go through what I'm about to go through," she said of her decision. She reached out to Jordan's family around Thanksgiving and wrote on Facebook about her plan to meet Jordan in Phoenix, Fox 8 reports. "One week from today I will be listening to Lukas' heartbeat once again," Clark wrote. "I will be holding Jordan in my arms showering her with love and kisses!" Jordan even gave Clark a Build-a-Bear containing a recording of Lukas' heart, reports KNXV-TV. "It's perfect," Clark told her in accepting the gift. (In his final act, an Army veteran gave his organs to fellow vets.) (Newser) Most people who get sent to prison for fraud don't come out of it with a book deal, but most people aren't Teresa Giudice. Yes, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star is out next week with a memoir of her year in prison, Turning the Tables [GET IT?!]: From Housewife to Inmate and Back Again, and as the New York Daily News reports, the book includes a lot of lesbian sex. Giudice, whose fellow inmates at the Danbury, Conn., prison called her "Hollywood," writes that so much lesbian sex happened in the room she shared with four other women that it was called "the Boom Boom Room." She first experienced it on the second day of her stay, just after saying her prayers for the evening, when she heard suspicious noises and looked over to see "two women ... writhing around." Giudice also writes about what the Daily News will only describe as "unsettling shower escapades," among other things. In fact, as the News describes it, it seems much of the book is about sex in some fashion (Giudice did not, as other straight prisoners did, go "gay for the stay," but she did share some new sex positions she learned with her husband). But, of course, the tome also serves as a sort of prison style guide, explaining how Giudice found steals in the prison commissary (sunglasses for $5.20!), paid the prison seamstress extra to tailor her jailhouse clothes specifically for her, exercised up to six hours a day, and got massages, hair styling, and manicures from other inmates. Giudice is set to give her first interview since her release to Good Morning America on Feb. 9, NJ.com reports. Hubby Joe, who bought Teresa a $90,000 Lexus as a welcome home gift, is due to start his own 41 months in prison in two months. (More from the memoir here.) (Newser) Police community officer Mike Ober was on foot patrol in Wiltshire, England, on Saturday when he admits having to "beat a hasty retreat." But he didn't skedaddle because he was outnumbered by a gang of criminals. Ober was instead outnumbered by a group of women gathered at a social club for a 50th birthday partyand they thought he was the stripper they had ordered, the BBC reports. Ober says he investigated after noticing a door to the club propped open, only to be met by wild cheering. "Oh, are you the stripogram?" yelled one. As Ober withdrew after being informed that he had arrived too early, he passed the real stripper on his way in. All in all, he tells the BBC, it was "flattering I guess." Or as Jezebel puts it, it was "a case of real life imitating an episode of The Golden Girls." And it's not the first time this sort of thing has happened. In 2014, a female cop investigating the rowdy behavior of pub patrons in the UK was the one mistaken for a stripper, the Telegraph reports. One guy who danced in front of her and whipped her with a bar towel learned his mistake the hard way by being promptly arrested. (San Francisco has a hot cop of its own, and he got into some trouble last year.) (Newser) The mother of a Blacksburg, Va., seventh-grader whose body was found Saturday some 100 miles from home says her daughter knew the Virginia Tech student charged in her killing. Tammy Weeks says police told her 13-year-old Nicole Lovell met David Eisenhauer, 18, several weeks ago online. "Thats all I know," Weeks tells the Roanoke Times. "It was some off-the-wall site I never heard of." Police provided less, but backed up the gist of that at a Sunday night news conference. Blacksburg police Lt. Mike Albert said the two "were acquainted" and alleged that "Eisenhauer used this relationship to his advantage, to abduct and then kill her." On Sunday, police were searching a pond on Virginia Tech's campus, and divers are expected to return to the pond today. The Washington Post reports the freshman engineering student is being held without bond in the Montgomery County jail, as is Natalie Keepers, who was arrested Sunday morning in connection with Nicole's death. "Keepers helped Eisenhauer dispose of Nicoles body," said Albert at the conference. Nicole was found to be missing from her bedroom early Wednesday, and the search for the teen had added urgency because she left without the medication she needed to take in relation to her liver transplant. Weeks says her daughter survived that transplant, an MRSA staph infection, and lymphoma at age five. "God got her through all that, and she fought through all that, and he took her life. That evil bastard took her life." (Read more murder stories.) (Newser) One of these days, the cloud may be underwater. In what the New York Times calls "taking a page from Jules Verne," Microsoft has tested a prototype of an underwater data center powered by renewable energy generated by ocean movement. One of the big benefits of housing data centers under cold ocean water: You don't need 24/7 air conditioning to cool servers. Another benefit is the relatively close proximity of large urban populations to oceans, as opposed to today's data centers in out-of-the way places with plenty of room. The closer the user is to the data center, the less delay in streaming video or using social media. One Microsoft engineer working on the projectdubbed Project Naticktells the Times his first impression was: "Water, electricity why would you do that." But, he says, "it actually makes a lot of sense." Microsoft believes that using mass-produced underwater capsules could cut the time it takes to deploy a data center from two years to 90 days. For now, though, Project Natick has a single prototype named Leona Philpot, a character from Microsoft's Halo. The prototype spent 105 days between August and November in 30 feet of water in the Pacific Ocean off San Luis Obispo, Calif. Leona performed well, per the Times. The next step is building a larger system and testing it next year. While Microsoft is going underwater to improve the cloud, Google and Facebook are taking to the sky to deliver the Internet, Venture Beat reports. Google, for instance is working on a project called SkyBender in New Mexico, the Guardian reports. The gist? Solar-powered drones delivering high-speed Internet from the sky. (Read more Microsoft stories.) (Newser) Acclaim apparently didn't equal happiness for top chef Benoit Violier. Police say the 44-year-old head chef at Switzerland's Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville has taken his own life just six weeks after the establishment was named the best in the world by France's influential La Liste rankings, the BBC reports. Le Figaro reports that police say Violier apparently shot himself at his home in Crissier, Switzerland, where his body was found on Sunday afternoon. The BBC notes that Violier, a hunter who was renowned for his game meat dishes, had worked at the restaurant since 1996 and took it over with his wife, Brigitte, in 2012. (Read more suicide stories.) (Newser) A coastal resort and a national park are in peril if salvage workers aren't able to harness a listing cargo ship poised to crash into France within the next 48 hours. Since the 540-foot Modern Express began tilting Tuesday off the coast of Spain, rescue efforts have been dogged by bad weather and turbulent seas, RFI reports. In fact, rescuers can only approach the ship, whose 22 crew members were pulled to safety Tuesday, by helicopter, the Washington Post reports. "We will do everything within our power to succeed," Emmanuel De Oliveira, with France's Atlantic Maritime Prefecture, says of what the Post is calling Monday's "Hail Mary salvage maneuver." "If this does not succeed, the Modern Express will run aground on the sandy coast." Per RFI, the Modern Express was traveling from Gabon to Le Havre, France, when it began leaning heavily to one side. A salvage team tried to tow it Saturday, but the line snapped, a local paper reports, per SeaNews Turkey. Harsh conditions stalled Sunday's rescue efforts, but had calmed enough Monday for a new attempt. Although the ship's cargo of 3,600 tons of timber and construction equipment isn't expected to have more than a "limited" environmental impact if it barrels into the Landes region near the Biarritz resort, its 300 tons of diesel fuel have officials worried, per the Post. But that amount is relatively smallthe Post notes the Exxon Valdez dumped 35,000 tons of fueland officials have an emergency plan to mitigate spillage. "We will accompany the vessel to the end," De Oliveira says. (Mechanical failure doomed the El Faro.) (Newser) It is the best pulled-over-for-speeding story you'll read in a long, long time. It's out of Florida, of course, where CBS Miami reports that a woman spotted a police cruiser flying down the highway without its emergency lights on and decided to pursue. "He passed me with so much speed, so much force, my car shook," Claudia Castillo tells WSVN. "It scared the daylights out of me." She eventually got behind the officer and began flashing her lights and honking, and the unidentified officer pulled over to see what the emergency was. He approached her car, and a common exchange unfoldedbut with the roles reversed. Some highlights from her cellphone recording, posted on YouTube: Castillo: "The reason I pulled you over today ... is because I saw you since Miller Drive when you were first jumping onto the Palmetto, and you were pushing 90 miles an hour." "The reason I pulled you over today ... is because I saw you since Miller Drive when you were first jumping onto the Palmetto, and you were pushing 90 miles an hour." Officer: "Really? OK." "Really? OK." Castillo: "I pushed 80 [mph] to try and catch up to you, and I was still eating your dust. ... I just wanted to know, what's the emergency?" "I pushed 80 [mph] to try and catch up to you, and I was still eating your dust. ... I just wanted to know, what's the emergency?" Officer: "I don't know how fast I was going, but I can tell you this: I'm on my way to work right now. I don't believe I was speeding." Miami-Dade police says they're investigating and promise that the "appropriate course of action will be taken." Castillo, though she acknowledged speeding, is not expected to get into trouble, but the officer might: The Miami Herald notes that the Sun Sentinel won a Pulitzer in 2013 for exposing how off-duty police cars zip down highways at speeds exceeding 100mph. (This guy got a $1,500 ticket rushing his dad to the hospital .) (Newser) Thanks to French President Francois Hollande, Jacqueline Sauvage will be leaving a French prison in April after serving three and a half years of a 10-year sentence for killing her husband, the Guardian reports. Sauvagewho said Norbert Marot, her husband of 47 years, was an alcoholic who raped and beat her and her three daughters and abused her sonshot Marot in the back with a rifle the day after her son hanged himself in September 2012. But Hollande, recognizing the circumstances behind the killing, made the rare move of waiving the remainder of Sauvage's five-year minimum sentence so she could apply for release in April (meaning, as the Independent notes, it's not technically a full pardon). "In the face of an exceptional human situation, the president wanted to make it possible for Sauvage to return to her family as soon as possible," Hollande's office said in a statement. Although what Sauvage did may have been defensible after so many years of abuse, French law presents a trickier situation: An act such as Marot's killing can only be labeled self-defense if it's a direct response to, and proportional to, the original act of aggression. Sauvage was sentenced to 10 years in prison in October 2014, and that judgment was upheld on appeal this past December, with the state prosecutor arguing that her firing three shots into Marot's back was inadmissible, the BBC notes. But the public rallied to her defense, with more than 400,000 people asking Hollande to get involved, and he didjust two days after meeting with Sauvage's three grown daughtersdespite what the BBC labels his "qualms" at using the presidential pardon (he's only used it once before). "I'm overwhelmed, happy, grateful, relieved," the founder of an advocacy group for Sauvage tells the Guardian. (A Florida judge had no such sympathy for a battered woman in her courtroom.) (Newser) Conservationists say they have confirmed the existence of lions in a remote national park in Ethiopia, a rare piece of good news for a threatened species whose numbers have plunged in many parts of Africa, the AP reports. Born Free, a charity based in Britain, said in a statement Monday that the discovery was made in Alatish National Park in northwest Ethiopia, on the border with Sudan. The charity says conservationists obtained camera trap images of lions and also identified lion tracks, confirming reports from local residents that lions were in the area. "During my professional career I have had to revise the lion distribution map many times," lead researcher Hans Bauer tells New Scientist. "I have deleted one population after the other. This is the first and probably the last time that Im putting a new one up there." Alatish borders on Sudan's Dinder National Park, which Bauer thinks is also home to lionswith a combined population of 100 to 200. (Read more Africa stories.) (Newser) The federal agency that monitors public health says the outbreak of E. coli illness linked to Chipotle restaurants that sickened 60 people appears to be over. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday the most recent illness reported to the agency started on Dec. 1. Although the CDC closed its investigation, the source of the illness that spread to 14 states is still unknown. Chipotle executives say they may never be able to identify what made people sick. "We are pleased that the CDC has concluded its investigation, and we have offered our full cooperation throughout," the company says in a statement. It added that it's confident that changes in its preparation methods mean all its food is "delicious and safe." Denver-based Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. undertook an aggressive revamping of food preparation methods at its more than 1,900 locations. But the outbreak drove the company's stock down by 26% over the past three months and it warned in December of a potentially sizeable hit to profits. Its stock rallied following the CDC announcement. By mid-afternoon, Chipotle's shares were up $14.09, or 3%, at $467.06. The company disclosed last month that it's been subpoenaed by federal prosecutors and the US Food and Drug Administration as part of a criminal investigation. It has also said it plans to open stores at 3pm local time on Feb. 8 to hold meetings with employees to discuss changes concerning food-safety measures. (Read more Chipotle stories.) Swiss criminal investigations into 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) found convincing traces of a possible misuse of funds from Malaysian state-owned enterprises amounting to US$4 billion. The revelation from Switzerland's chief prosecutor is bound to escalate the controversies surrounding the alleged illicit transactions tied to the office of the embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. An official statement from the Swiss Attorney-General's office brought to public light allegations of criminal activities happening between 2009 and 2013. The statement also mentioned about the transfer of funds being diverted to Swiss accounts of former Malaysian government officials. This new development prompted the Swiss Attorney-General's Office to 'mutual assistance' from its counterpart in Malaysia. "The monies believed to have been misappropriated would have been earmarked for investment in economic and social development...To date...the Malaysian companies concerned have made no comment on the losses they are believed to have incurred. The object of the request for mutual assistance is...finding out whether losses on this scale have been sustained," the Attorney-General's Office said in a statement as quoted by Bloomberg. Malaysians are used to the patronage-oriented and corruption-laden nature of their democratic system. While 1MDB already triggered a string of anti-government protests last year, the controversy began to heighten when foreign media took a great interest as well. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, 1MDB was established by Najib Razak upon ascending to office in a bid to revive Malaysia's slow growing middle-income economy. As the issue started to build up, the state fund has been subjected to countless probes in Malaysia, the United States, and other foreign investigative authorities. Malaysian politicians from both sides of the political fence are calling for mutual cooperation with external investigating agencies to clear the muddle once and for all. "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," said Tony Pua, a member of the parliament from the Malaysian opposition as mentioned in a report by CNBC. The teenager from Germany, who claimed she was kidnapped and raped by a group of migrant men, has admitted to fabricating the entire story, an official revealed on Monday. The 13-year-old Russian-German girl's story had sparked outrage in Russia, creating tensions between the country and Germany. The girl, who is only identified as "Lisa," was reported missing on Jan. 11. The girl showed up about 30 hours after her disappearance with injuries to her face. She told German officials three men, who looked Middle Eastern or North African, had sexually abused her in a car near a train station in Berlin. The German media had reported that there was no evidence that a sexual assault had occurred. The spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Berlin, Martin Steltner, stated that the girl had withdrew her claim after her medical examination did not show signs of a rape. He added that after three days of careful questioning at the hands of trained investigators, the girl admitted to lying about the story. The investigation then hinted at the possibility that the girl could have made up the story in order to cover up the fact that she had slept with an older man. In Germany, the age of consent is 14. Russian coverage of the story, however, was starkly different. The rape story was circulated throughout social media, leading many people from Russian-German communities to carry out protests. The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also commented on the case, claiming that Germany was trying to cover up a horrible incident. Germany then accused Russia of using the story as a political tactic. Russia has not commented about the case after the German police investigation found, with the help of phone records, that she was staying with a man during that night. The man and his mother have since confirmed that the girl was with him. They added that no sexual activity happened. The investigation also concluded that the girl had slept with two men months before the night of her disappearance. Steltner said that both men, one of who is of Turkish descent, admitted to having sexual relations with the girl. New Delhi: In a bizarre incident, a man has sued Lord Rama for the act of renouncing his wife Sita in the Ramayana. The case has been filed and the court has scheduled a hearing for today. The incident has been reported by News 18. As per the report, Sithamari based lawyer Thakur Chandan Singh has filed a case in a civil court against Lord Ram and his brother Laxman. In his petition the lawyer has accused Lord Rama of abandoning his wife Sita on merely after accusations by laundrymen. The court will now hear the case on Monday where a decision will be taken on whether to accept the plea or reject it. Years ago, a case was filed against Lord Krishna. A nun in Poland had filed a case against Lord Krishna and his followers the alleging that god had loose morals, having married 16,000 women called Gopis. Well lets wait and watch the fate of this new case against Lord Rama. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Bowalley Road Rules The blogosphere tends to be a very noisy, and all-too-often a very abusive, place. I intend Bowalley Road to be a much quieter, and certainly a more respectful, place. So, if you wish your comments to survive the moderation process, you will have to follow the Bowalley Road Rules. These are based on two very simple principles: Courtesy and Respect. Comments which are defamatory, vituperative, snide or hurtful will be removed, and the commentators responsible permanently banned. Anonymous comments will not be published. Real names are preferred. If this is not possible, however, commentators are asked to use a consistent pseudonym. Comments which are thoughtful, witty, creative and stimulating will be most welcome, becoming a permanent part of the Bowalley Road discourse. However, I do add this warning. If the blog seems in danger of being over-run by the usual far-Right suspects, I reserve the right to simply disable the Comments function, and will keep it that way until the perpetrators find somewhere more appropriate to vent their collective spleen. New Delhi: It seems that tech giant Google will not bound itself with any kind of tech service to its users. After fast internet, Google now is reportedly planning to launch something utterly helpful for the Fiber users. As per the reports, named Google Fiber Phone, the new service would work just like Google Voice and would direct mobile and landline phones to a single number operated by the companys network. This will remove user's dependency on the service provider. The Washington Post, which has received an invitation for the product, has reported that customers who are part of the Google Fiber Trusted Testers Program have been receiving these invites over the past month or so. The people who are receiving the invites are the trusted people who have agreed to act as experimental subjects for the products. However, there is no information yet been received about which US cities will have access to the phone services, or how much they will cost. Well, lets wait and watch that what Google brings out for us. Lucknow: The surprise presence of expelled Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh at the swearing-in of Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta today fuelled speculation of his early return to the party. I am present in SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadavs heart. It is much more than my presence in the party, Singh, SPs once powerful general secretary, told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhawan. A political party may be guided by swarth (vested interest), but not the heart, which is pure and selfless. If one resides in someones heart, it is immaterial whether one is in the party or not, Singh said. His attendance at the event came days after the SP chief had said, Amar Singh may not be the formal member of the party, Amar Singh was in my heart, he is my heart and he will remain there. Yadav said he always had very close ties with Singh and there is no change in those relations and they will remain for all my life, dropping ample hints of his early comeback in the party fold. Though Mulayam is said to be backing Singhs return to the party, a few senior leaders, particularly SPs Muslim face Azam Khan, are wary. Amar Singh was present at the birthday function of the SP chief in Saifai on November 22, last year. In January 2010, Samajwadi Party Parliamentary Board had expelled Singh from the party, terming him as intruder. On his expulsion, Singh had said he was hurt when he was thrown out of the party fold on his birthday which falls on January 27. But I dont carry any baggage. Mulayam Singh has always been an elder brother to me and Akhilesh is like my son, he had said. Singh had a long meeting with the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav here on January 26, fuelling speculation in political circles over his return to the party fold. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Mumbai: In continuing war of words, director Hansal Mehta today hit back at censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani, saying he would rather quit filmmaking than seek publicity from him. Nihalani had accused Mehta of trying to garner publicity by making an issue out of the A certificate given to the trailer of his upcoming movie Aligarh, based on the real-life incident of professor Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who was fired from his job because of his alleged sexual orientation. They (censor board) are not understanding my anger. About Nihalanis comments that I am seeking cheap publicity, I would rather hang my boots, get retired and sell underwear than seek publicity from him, Mehta told PTI. The 47-year-old director said he was surprised by the cuts the board asked for in the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer and is planning to approach the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT). I dont accept the cuts they have asked for. I will go to the tribunal. The film has been made with an honest intention. The cuts, whether visual or verbal, hamper the narrative, the characters in the film. Censorship is certification, not cutting, he said. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has targeted the Modi government over the shocking attack by police on students protesting against Hyderabad research scholar Rohith Vemulas suicide outside RSS office in Delhi. He insisted the demonstrators were brutally beaten as they were protesting against the RSS. Shocking attack on students. Instead of listening to them, now the Modi govt is brutally beating them up for protesting against the RSS!, the Congress leader tweeted. Rahuls tweet came as the Delhi Police faced criticism following emergence of a video in which its personnel were seen thrashing protesters and dragging female activists by their hair outside the RSS office here during a demonstration against dalit student Vemulas suicide. The video of Saturdays incident went viral on social media, triggering sharp reactions, with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleging the police force was being used as RSS and BJPs private army under a political dispensation that is at war with students across the country. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Patna: In an unusual hearing, a Bihar court which began the hearing the case against Lord Rama for exiling his wife Sita to forest as epic Ramayana says, it asked the petitioner who to punish for the incident. The judge asked the petitioner why has he filed a case and who will be his witness in the case. He also said no date has been mentioned on which Rama ousted Sita to forest. However, the petitioner said he approached the court to seek justice for Sita. The complaint filed a case against Lord Rama and his brother Lakhman in the court of chief judicial magistrate in Sitamarhi on Saturday by lawyer Thakur Chandan Kumar Singh. Singh claims in his petition that Rama sent Sita to a life in exile in a forest without any fault of her and there was no justification for doing it. The lawyer said, Sita was exiled for no fault of hers and it was hypocritical order of King Rama. A case has been filed under Section 367/34 and other sections of the IPC. Singh is a resident of Dumri Kala village under Majorganj police station. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kathmandu: Nepals agitating Madhesis today vandalised the house of a senior leader of main opposition Nepali Congress and lawmaker, and injured his sister-in-law in Janakpur, the southern historical town that has witnessed a number of violent incidents over the past weeks. Cadres of agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) attacked the house of Bimalendra Nidhi - a Madhesi himself - and torched a motorcycle parked in the premises, according to party sources. The motorcycle was reduced to ashes in the arson at Nidhis house in Janakpur, over 225 kms from here, as the protesters also pulled down the compound wall and pelted stones at the house besides breaking some half a dozen chairs, the sources said. Nidhis sister-in-law Kiran Nidhi sustained injuries in her hand, arm and back in the attack. The Nepali Congress (NC) leader himself was not present in the house at the time. Police and neighbours doused the fire, according to in charge of Railway Station Police Post Ayodhi Prasad Yadav. A local media report said two motorcycles were torched and that the fire destroyed Nidhis parking zone roofed with zinc sheets but further damage was prevented as police doused the fire. In a similar act of violence in Janakpur yesterday, the Madhesi cadres vandalised the house of another senior leader of Nepali Congress, Lila Koirala, triggering a clash with police that injured eight persons. Police was mobilised from yesterday soon after the cadres began protesting in front of NC leaders houses in Janakpur but it was not immediately clear if enough security personnel were deployed outside Nidhis house or how strong the group of Madhesis was. NC is holding its 13th General Convention next month and the party is undertaking local bodies polls to elect representatives for the convention but the Madhesi cadres are opposed to any party activity in southern Nepal by major parties Nepali Congress, UCPN-Maoist and CPN-UML. Earlier, they have also disrupted activities of other parties in districts of southern Nepal. Janakpur, home to the famous Ram Janaki temple, has witnessed a number of violent incidents including when the motorcade of Nepals first woman President Bidya Devi Bhandari was attacked with stones and a petrol bomb in December. Madhesis, who are largely of Indian-origin, also resorted to aggressive protests in various persons of Janakpur after a prominent leader sustained injuries in a clash with police. The UDMF has led violent protests in southern Nepal for the past five months over the seven-province provision in the new Constitution that divides their ancestral homeland and are demanding more representation in Parliament. They have also imposed a blockade of key border trade points with India as part of their protest that has claimed over 50 lives. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. NZCPR.com - register for the free weekly NZCPR newsletter Breaking Views brings you expert commentary on topical political and policy issues. The views expressed are those of the author alone. The blog is administered by the New Zealand Centre for Political Research, an independent public policy think tank at Stephen Brashear / Stephen Brashear/Getty Images Boeing flew its new 737 MAX single-aisle passenger jet for the first time, with the aircrafts engines and airframe including components from Stamford-based Hexcel (NYSE: HXL). Chicago-based Boeing (NYSE: BA) flew the 737 MAX at its final assembly plant in Renton, Wash., with the single-aisle aircraft having collected more than 3,070 orders to date including from American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and GE Capital Aviation Services, a Norwalk-based subsidiary of General Electric (NYSE: GE) that leases aircraft to airliners. First delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of 2017. Find the Best Near You Stephanie Seymour, a former supermodel, was arrested by Greenwich police on Monday morning for leaving the scene of an accident the second accident of the day for Seymour, who was previously charged Jan. 15 with driving while intoxicated. Police said Monday that Seymour smashed into a utility pole on Stanwich Road on Jan. 15, breaking it in half, then drove off in a 2015 Range Rover. An hour or two later, according to authorities, she backed into another vehicle off exit 5 near I-95 at 9:15 p.m., which led to a charge of driving while intoxicated. By GMM 1 February 2016 - 09:01 Kevin Magnussen has now agreed a deal to race with the new Renault works team in 2016, according to sources. "Its not yet official," declared the Danish newspaper BT, "but we reveal that Kevin Magnussen has already signed an agreement with the French car giant." The report said it was told by "several well-informed sources". It is expected the former McLaren drivers deal will be confirmed officially on Wednesday, when the international press gathers at the Technocentre Renault in Guyancourt, just outside of Paris. If confirmed, 23-year-old Magnussen will replace Pastor Maldonado, who finds himself in the middle of a sponsorship dispute between Enstone based Renault - formerly Lotus - and his crisis-struck backer PDVSA. PDVSA, the state-owned Venezuelan oil company, reportedly missed Renaults final deadline of last Friday to catch up on payments, as the oil price crisis threatens the countrys entire economy. "The only question now is whether Venezuelas government or economy will completely collapse first," the Washington Post declared in a report last Friday. BT said the terms of Magnussens deal, or whether his return to the grid is being powered by the CEO of the fashion chain Bestseller, fellow Dane Anders Holch Povlsen, are unclear. But Marco Sorensen, another Dane and a recent Lotus test driver, told the Ekstra Bladet newspaper: "Its great for him (Magnussen) and for Danish motor sport. Its really big." Another rumour ahead of Renaults Wednesday announcements is that the carmaker could use its new works foray to promote some of its other brands. La Gazzetta dello Sport suggested that Infiniti, the luxury division of Renaults Japanese partner Nissan and the former Red Bull title sponsor, could now return to F1 in 2016. And another rumour is that Renault could revive the iconic name Alpine for its F1 foray. "Other brands may be involved," admitted F1 managing director Cyril Abiteboul recently, according to Frances Canal Plus, "but I will not say more about it because it is part of the official announcement." The widow of the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, Bianca Ojukwu Monday told a Lagos State High Court sitting in Igboser... The widow of the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, Bianca Ojukwu Monday told a Lagos State High Court sitting in Igbosere that she is the only woman that was legally married to him.Mrs. Ojukwu said this during her Evidence-in-Chief before Justice Abdulfattah Lawal, in the ongoing legal battle between her children and the deceaseds brothers over the family estateShe admitted that Ojukwu has eight children who include the claimants, Afamefuna and Nwachukwu, but that being the only one that was wedded by her late husband in court, church and according to traditional marriage rites, she is the only one that was legally married to him.The former beauty queen admitted that neither she nor her children are shareholders or directors in Ojukwu Transport Limited (OTL), one of the properties in the family estate.Under Cross Examination Bianca told the court that the suit filed before the court is for the preservation of the rights of her children alone and not that of Ojukwus other children.The witness further informed the court that some of the OTL property in question had been in the possession of her husband before his demise, adding that the rent of those properties were collected by him.Mrs. Ojukwu had on behalf of her two under-aged children, Afamefuna and Nwachukwu (claimants) dragged Ojukwu Transport Limited (OTL) and seven others before the High Court over an alleged move by the family to eject her sons from the companys property located in Lagos.She had asked the court to declare that her children are entitled to the possession and occupation of one of the property known as No. 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Street, Ikoyi, Lagos, until the harmonisation of the management and administration of the assets of the first defendant (OTL).The defendants in the suit are; Prof. Joseph Ojukwu, Engr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, Lotanna Putalora Ojukwu, Dr Patrick Ojukwu, Arc Edward Ojukwu, Lota Akajiora Ojukwu and Mrs. Massey Udegbe (doing business under Massey Udegbe & Company).In their statement of claim, Bianca, and her two children prayed the court to declare that the threat of forceful ejection from 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Street by the defendants is illegal.She is also asking the court for a declaration that her children are entitled to possess the following property, namely: No. 13 Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi (now known as No. 13 Ojora Road); No. 32A Commercial Avenue, Yaba, Lagos; No. 30 Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos and No. 30 McPherson Avenue, Ikoyi.According to her, the properties were in the possession of the Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu the father of the claimants from the time the properties were released from government acquisition till date.The claimants stated that throughout the period their father was struggling to retrieve the properties from the government, the second to seventh defendants never played any role in the struggle nor contributed financially or otherwise to the realisation of the struggle.However, Justice Lawal adjourned the matter till today, for continuation of Cross Examination of Bianca. Ebira community residents in Abuja have walked to Okene with their masquerade, Anupo, to celebrate the inauguration of Alhaji Yahaya Bel... Ebira community residents in Abuja have walked to Okene with their masquerade, Anupo, to celebrate the inauguration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello as the new Governor of Kogi StateThe walk, which was coordinated by the custodian of the Anupo masquerade, Mallam Kabiru Sule lasted six days.Speaking on behalf of the contingents shortly after arriving at Okene with the masquerade, Sule said the decision to embark on the journey was in solidarity with their kinsmen from the Central Senatorial district for the governorship slot God has given them.We have been celebrating since last week Wednesday when Yahaya Bello took the oath of office as the fourth governor of the state and we decided to hit road by trekking to Okene, Sule said.We started the journey six days ago from Zuba through Abaji, Lokoja to Okene to rejoice with our peopleThe masquerade and its members who arrived at Ogaminana at about 10a.m yesterday went to the palace of the Ohinoyi of Ebira land Dr Ado Ibrahim to pay homage and to rejoice with him over the new governor who is from the kingdom.Sule called on the governor to liaise with the federal government for the actualization of Ajaokuta /Itakpe iron mining project to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in the state.The masquerade custodian appealed to the people of the state to support the new administration in the interest of development.Commenting on the long journey completed on foot by the masquerade and its entourage, the Co-ordinator of Hajia Hawawu Political Group in central senatorial district Mallam Tijani Abdulrahim Oguna lauded the effort of the masqurade, saying the celebration knows no boundary as Ebira people have struggled and prayed for this day in the last 24 years.Oguna called on the governor to appoint competent people into his cabinet so as to swiftly achieve his blueprint for the development of the state. An ex-Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, has asked with Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in L... An ex-Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, has asked with Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos to set aside the warrant of arrest issued against him.Justice Buba had on January 14 issued a bench warrant against Tompolo and ordered his arrest for failing to honour a court summons dated January 12 in respect of a 40-count of alleged N34bn fraud levelled against him and nine others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.On January 14, while all his co-accused persons were in court with their lawyers, Tompolo was absent and was not represented by any lawyer.The EFCC prosecutor, Festus Keyamo, had then applied under Section 131 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 for an order to arrest Tompolo and bring him to court to answer the charges against him.While granting the order, Justice Buba had said there was a proof that the EFCC had served the summons and the charge sheet on Tompolo by pasting them on the wall of his residence at No. 1, Chief Agbanu DDPA Extension, Warri, Delta State.The judge ordered that Tompolo should be arrested and produced in court on February 8 to answer the charges.But Tompolo has filed an application through his lawyers, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, seeking an order of the court to set aside the warrant of arrest issued against him, on the claim that the EFCC did not serve him with the summons and the charge sheet.In the application, Tompolo described as fictitious the address known as No.1, Chief Agbanu DDPA Extention, Warri, Delta State, where the EFCC said it pasted the summons and the charge sheet.In the history or geography of Warri or its environs no such street name is known, Tompolo claimed.His lawyers also argued that the application filed by the EFCC to obtain the order for substituted service was incompetent because it did not bear the seal of the legal practitioner who signed it.In an affidavit filed in support of the application, one, Nsikan Udo, who was the deponent, claimed that Tompolos resided at No. 13 Chief Agbamu Close, DDPA Extension, Warri (Effurun), Delta State and not No. 1, Chief Agbamu DDPA Extension, Warri, Delta State where the summons and the charge sheet were pasted by the EFCC.The deponent claimed that as of January 11 when the EFCC went to paste the court papers, Tompolo was at a premises known as No. 1 Chief Agbamu Lane DDPA Extension, Warri (Effurun), Delta State throughout the week beginning from 11th January 2016.The gate of the premises known as No. 1 Chief Agbamu Close, DDPA Extension, Warri (Effurun), Delta is black in colour and is not perforated nor does it have a see-through, reddish/brown gate with iron bars shown in Exhibit GE4, Udo claimed.Tompolo is therefore seeking, among others, an order setting aside the warrant for the arrest of the 1st accused person/applicant (Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo) issued by this court on 14th January 2016 pursuant to the purported service of the summons and the criminal charge instituted in this case on the applicant.Adegboruwa, in a statement, however, said his client was prepared to willingly come to court to answer any charges preferred against him.He also said the Inspector General of Police, the Chief of Army Staff and the Navy had been notified of Tompolos application, so that overzealous persons do not take advantage of the court process to attempt to trample on his legal rights.In the charge against Tompolo and others, the EFCC accused them of conspiring to divert various sums running into over N34bn, stolen from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency to their personal use.Charged alongside Tompolo is the immediate past Director General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi; one Kime Engozu, Rex Elem, Gregory Mbonu and Capt. Warredi Enisuoh.They were charged along with four companies Global West Vessel Specialist Limited, Odimiri Electrical Limited, Boloboere Property and Estate Limited and Destre Consult Limited.The EFCC said they acted contrary to Section 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and were liable to punishment under Section 15 (3) of the same Act. Ex-President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday lambasted some state governors in Nigeria for living like emperors while dem... Ex-President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday lambasted some state governors in Nigeria for living like emperors while demanding sacrifice from the citizens for Nigeria to survive the hard times.Obasanjo chided the governors while speaking as the chairman at the inaugural conference of the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, held at the University of Ibadan.Obasanjo said when he became Nigerian president in 1999; he recognised corruption as a major impediment to the Nigerian state, setting up structures like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to fight the rot. However, he said that after he left, corruption returned to Nigeria with a vengeance, draining billions of dollars from the nations economy that could hardly afford to lose even a million dollarsHe said, Leaders who call for sacrifice from the citizenry cannot be living in obscene opulence. We must address these foundational issues to make the economy work, to strengthen our institutions, build public confidence in government and deal with our peace and security challenges.We must address the issue of employment for our teeming population particularly for our youths. Leadership must mentor the young, and provide them with hope about their future as part of a process of inter-generational conversation.Nigeria is a country where some governors have become sole administrators, acting like emperors. These governors have rendered public institutions irrelevant and useless.Is there development work going on in the 774 constitutionally recognised local government councils, which have been merely appropriated as private estates of some governors?Some governors have hijacked the resources of the local governments and this has crippled the developments of the local government councils in the country. The National Assembly must also open its budgets to public scrutiny.The former president said drastic fall in the price of oil in the international market had exposed the weakness of governance in Nigeria, while also saying that Nigeria was racing towards becoming a nation of debt with its attendant burden on the citizens.The drastic fall in the price of oil in the international market has unraveled the weakness of governance in Nigeria. The Minister of Finance has recently announced that the 2016 budget deficit may be increased from the current N2.2 trillion in the draft document before the National Assembly, to N3 trillion due to decline in the price of crude oil.If the current fiscal challenge is not creatively addressed, Nigeria may be on its way to another episode of debt overhang which may not be good for the country, Obasanjo said.On the establishment of ISGPP in Ibadan, Obasanjo said there was clearly a need for schools of its kind that would focus research and teaching on implementing policy and making the government work well in Africa.I hope it will generate ideas that will lead us from thinking to doing. It must not only generate ideas, it must foster a willingness to use those ideas within government and non-government sectors, he said.At the two day-conference, themed, Getting government to work for development and democracy in Nigeria: agenda for change, Chairman, Board of Governors of the ISGPP, who is a former foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and professor of international history and politics, John Evans, also delivered addresses among other speakers. A police officer died on Sunday night after he was hit by a speeding motorist on Mombasa Road as he controlled traffic to pave the way fo... A police officer died on Sunday night after he was hit by a speeding motorist on Mombasa Road as he controlled traffic to pave the way for President Uhuru Kenyattas motorcade.According to www.nation.co.ke, the officer, identified as Corporal Levi Njonjo, was in company with Embakasi OCPD Apollo Onyonyi, OCS Victor Nyongesa and three other officers near a diversion to the airport a few minutes before midnight when he was hit by the car.His colleagues escaped unhurt when they saw the car approaching.One of the officers, Mr Onyonyi, said, We were clearing traffic awaiting the Presidents arrival from the AU summit in Ethiopia.A speeding Toyota Which was driven by a man approached and did not stop. We jumped off the road but one of the officers was hit.Nairobi Traffic Commandant Edward Mwamburi said the driver of the car would be charged after investigations into the crash were completed, the website reported.The driver was arrested and taken to the Embakasi Police Station. His vehicle was also detained at the station. Details have emerged about what the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, allegedly wrote in the to... The statements of the operatives who were said to have witnessed the incident and the incidence record book which gives details of the occurrence were part of the documents filed along with the charges of destruction of evidence preferred against him by the EFCC before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.The court papers obtained on Sunday indicate that five operatives of the commission witnessed the incident which was said to have happened on January 5, 2016, the day the PDP spokesperson was arrested.Metuh allegedly tore his statement on January 5, 2016 while being investigated for an alleged fraudulent receipt of N400m from the Office of the National Security Adviser and money laundering allegation involving a separate sum of $2m.The court documents indicate that the pieces of the torn statement have been kept with the commissions exhibit keeper.The entry number 049 in the incident duty log which was recorded at 4.30pm by an EFCC detective, Junaid Said, on January 5, 2016, reads, Destruction OF Written Statement: I have booked the incident of tearing into pieces of statement by Mr. Olisa Metuh, who was given his statement to endorse after volunteering his statement and he decided to tear into pieces the third page of his four-page statement.The torn statement has however been registered with the Exhibit Keeper. Entry made by Det. Junaid Said.The document gives the timeline and details of how Metuhs arrest was effected at about 10.55am in his residence at Prince and Princess Estate in Gudu, Abuja, on January 5, up till when he allegedly tore part of the statement at about.4.25pm on the same day.It also indicates that Metuh had stated in the part of the torn statement that the account in which the N400m was paid was requested for by former President Goodluck Jonathan, for payments to be made to settle some debts owed by the PDP.It reads in part, 12.30 hours: Mr. Metuh Olisa began to volunteer his statement under words of caution.15.30 hours: Mr. Metuh Olisa concluded his statement which was of four pages. I passed the statements to the team leader, CSP Ibrahim Musa, to read over and endorse accordingly but in the process of reading and after endorsing pages one and two, he swiftly tore into pieces page three of his statement which read that former President Jonathan had asked him to make available, account details owed by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the debts owed him personally and some media houses.He further stated that he gave the account details of Destra Investments Ltd. to the President and thereafter he received the payment of N400m into his companys accounts which he used for specific assignments given to him by the President of which he was not willing to disclose for what purpose.I thereafter refused to give him page four of his statement for endorsement because I did not want him to tear it as well. This incidence (sic) happened in the presence of the following officers: Mr. Ibrahim Musa, Mr. Wetkas Michael, Mr. Bello Umar, Ms. Ibrahim, who were all carrying out their various assignments.16.30 hours: The torn page of the statement which is in pieces was registered with the exhibit keeper and the incident recorded in the incidence record book of the commission. South Sudanese government troops have reportedly killed 50 civilians by keeping them in a hot container where they suffocated, a commissi... South Sudanese government troops have reportedly killed 50 civilians by keeping them in a hot container where they suffocated, a commission monitoring the ceasefire between the government and rebels said.About 50 people suffocated in a container on 22 October in northern Unity State, the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission said in a report made public at an African Union summit in Addis Ababa late Sunday.The commission also reported other violations of the peace deal signed by President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar in August.They included rape and murder by unidentified uniform men in November, and the killing of 12 people in the ambush of a civilian vehicle by rebels on December 2015.According to reports, the militarised power struggle between Kiir and Machar, had killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 2.3 million people since mid-December 2013.The peace agreement foresees the establishment of a transitional government including government and rebel representatives, but its implementation is lagging far behind schedule and the agreement risks becoming ineffectual, JMEC Chairman Festus Mogae said in the report.The commission accused Kiir of contradicting the terms of the agreement by announcing the division of South Sudan into 28 states, up from the previous 10 states.The rebels want Kiir to cancel the move, which they regard as a form of gerrymandering aimed at diluting their power in the future government.Reacting to the commissions report, presidential Spokesman Ateny Wek told newsmen that we dont have that information, while calling the allegations completely ridiculous and fabricated lies by people working for regime change.NAN Mo Yan Biographical Mo Yan The Story of My Life I was born on the 2nd of February 1955 into a peasant family in the Pingan Village Production Brigade of the Heya Peoples Commune, Northeast Gaomi Township, Shandong Province, the Peoples Republic of China. The youngest of four children, I have two older brothers and a sister. Since my father and his brother had not yet divided the family property, ours was the largest clan in the village. These days people flock to see Mo Yans former residence, which has not changed much since the day I was born; gone, though, are the two side buildings, one to the east, another to the west, and two trees an apricot and a pear in the yard, which appear frequently in my novels. Perhaps I should write about something other than hunger in this brief story of my life, but whenever I think back to my childhood, I cannot avoid scenes of hunger; they are engraved on my memory. The physical pain of hunger alone might not count as unbearable. Much harder to bear during my childhood was the absence of love. I was not well liked in the village, was in fact detested. I wrote about that boy in my story Ox. Though he isnt me, the emotions I experienced in my childhood are re-created in him. I could abide the fact that people in my village hated me; harder to endure was the reality that even my own family did not like me. As I reflect on my past, I have no reason to complain, since I brought those sentiments on myself. I was lazy, I had a greedy mouth, and I could not stop talking. There really wasnt much about me worth loving, and that often drew a sigh from my mother. Fortunately, I had some natural gifts. In school, despite the trouble I got into, my grades, especially in writing, were exceptional. A teacher in the nearby agricultural middle school once read one of my third-grade essays to his students, an incident that made my parents proud. But then came the Cultural Revolution, and this little talent of mine caused them considerable distress; then something I scribbled on the school wall brought trouble to their door. I dropped out of elementary school in the summer of 1967, before I even graduated. Since I was too young for heavy work, I went out each day to tend livestock and cut grass for the production brigade. The sight of my former schoolmates playing in the schoolyard when I drove my animals past the gate always pained me, creating a feeling of being cast out of a group, the sadness of becoming the other, and that instilled in me a fear of becoming an outcast. That fear, which constituted a painful chapter of an era characterized by unending political campaigns, caused a great many intellectuals to sell out their friends, to spread unconscionable lies, and to dump shit on their own heads precisely. This phobia exists wherever there are people, but is especially strong in collectivist nations. I have described this phenomenon in much of my fiction and have created vivid characters who stand alone in defiance of society. Lan Lian, the farmer in Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out who chose not to join the brigade, was modeled on a peasant in a neighboring village who pushed his wooden-wheeled cart past the school gate and left an indelible impression on me. As I think back over my writing career, leaving school may have been the best thing that happened to me. Having been cast out of the group, I changed into a child who was accustomed to being alone. Spending my days with cattle and sheep and wandering the grassland, I became one with nature. That experience nurtured in me a reverence toward the natural world and engendered an understanding of the animal world. These two in turn comprise a foundation of my fictional world. During my herding days, I dreamed of growing up fast, with a physique like the villages brawniest men, someone who could lift objects too heavy for other people, who could do jobs beyond their ability, who could grasp the most complex labor techniques, and who could thus earn the respect of his fellow villagers. Naturally, practicing martial arts and coming to the aid of the weak were at the top of my dream list. I haunted the house of an old villager named Wang, a martial arts master, a terrific storyteller, and a practitioner of healing massage techniques. With five daughters and no son, he was regularly visited by young men in the village, all of whom hoped to become his son-in-law, while others merely wanted to study martial arts. I too wanted to study martial arts, but I also loved to hear him tell stories. Though I lacked the physique and stamina to become proficient in the martial arts, I heard some wonderful stories, many of which became material for my writing. Father felt guilty that his class standing had curtailed my right to an education. I was forced to leave school, not because I was a mischievous student, but because powerful people in my village were afraid that Id gain knowledge that placed me a cut above them. Father wrote to my eldest brother, who taught in a Hunan factory school, and asked him to enroll me so I could continue my studies. My brother quickly wrote back to say that was highly impractical. Without doubt, a romantic conception had gotten into Fathers head. Though he never actually talked about my leaving school, deep down he was worried. One day, after saying he wanted me to become a useful member of society, he took out some of my brothers traditional medical books and told me to read them till I knew them inside and out. He also told me to study Chinese medicine under my grandfathers brother during my spare time. There probably isnt a better profession anywhere than physician, he said. Everyone gets sick at some time, and no matter whos running the country, a doctor will always have a job. I quickly memorized those few books, and I took every opportunity to watch my great uncle treat patients with traditional Chinese medicine. He had been born into a landlords family, and his only son had fled to Taiwan with the Nationalist army in 1947. With that sort of bad family background, by rights the dictatorship of the proletariat should have sent him under the whip to perform hard labor. But, dressed in silk and sporting a beard, he continued taking the pulse of his patients and curing their illnesses. This dialectic proves that the medical arts can transcend class. This great uncle discouraged me from going into medicine. What good will that do you? he asked. You need to go out into the world and do big things. He refused to teach me his medical skills, but he did urge me to read the Chinese classics. If you dont, he said, Chinese medicine will always be a mystery to you. So while I did not learn the arts of medicine from my great uncle, I did hear some wonderful stories that subvert history and penetrate reality, that tie together Heaven, Hell, and humankind, and that treat animals, nature, and human beings equally. Most important, he narrated his fantastic stories in the first person, leaving no doubt about their authenticity, as if he had seen, heard, and lived every word of it. That is what made them so believable. Years later, when I read the novels of Kafka and Garcia Marquez, I understood the secrets at their core. Truth be told, I had no interest in studying medicine. What I wanted most of all was to go out into the world and do big things. But society got caught up in class struggle, assigning class lines as the sole determinant. The occupations that made it possible for a young villager to leave home soldier, student, worker could not possibly fall to the son of a middle peasant father. Nothing but illusions, and yet I pursued them with all my heart. Once, as I entertained a dream of becoming a student in a worker-peasant-soldier college, I wrote to the Minister of Education, and actually received a return letter. Though written in officialese, it pumped me up so much I envisioned college doors opening up to me one day. I even boasted to girls who worked in the village flourmill; thinking I was soft in the head, they spread the story, and in short order, my unrealistic sense of worth was passed among the clever villagers as a joke. Every time one old woman who was constantly ill treated by her daughter-in-law met me, I recall, she called me by my infant name and said, Youre not stupid, youre a good boy. The people who laugh at you are the stupid ones. When my father saw that I was no good at medicine, he encouraged me to go into music, all because he had seen a musical performance when he was at a meeting in the county seat; the two-stringed huqin and flutes deeply impressed him. Getting by in life requires a skill, he said, and even though playing the huqin or flute does not count as much of an occupation, if you do it well, it beats laboring in a rural village. He must have discussed this with his younger brother, because a few days later, my uncle rode his bicycle over from the commune head-quarters with one of his own huqin for me, and gave me a demonstration of a song from a model Peking opera. Before picking up the huqin, he said, you must learn how to read music. If you dont, no matter how good you get, you will never be more than a local talent, with little chance to appeal to refined tastes. The big stage is reserved for those who can read music. Back then I revered my uncle and could not imagine anyone who played the huqin as well as he. I later discovered that he did not read music, that his skills were on a par with local musicians, and that he had hoped I could rise to a level of artistry he had only dreamed about. So I picked up the huqin and began on my own, producing scratchy noises like the sound of a stone rollers wooden axel. Take a break, Son, my mother would say, her voice evoking concern and sarcasm in equal measure. Weve got enough rice for today. After a period of time, I began to sense that my internal rhythms and the sounds I produced on the huqin were nicely in sync. That is to say, melodies that rattled around in my head found expression in the notes I played. My mind and my hand were in perfect harmony. This was the path village musicians took in learning to play musical instruments, but most stopped at this point. A talented few worked with a master or experimented on their own to rise to a professional level. Many years later, I wrote about my experience with the huqin in a story I called Popular Music. At the age of fifteen I was assigned to record work points. In those days, everyone who worked in a production brigade was required to keep a workers logbook. My job was to go to a special room after the evening meal and enter each commune members work points into his or her logbook. These books served as the sole annual record of each commune members work history. At years end, a familys accumulated points determined rations and allowances. Since an uncle of mine, the brigade commander, was illiterate, he had chosen me to record out of a fear that people might try to hoodwink him with false numbers. As the place where brigade members gathered each night, the recording room was where frequent disputes over the distribution of work points occurred. It was also where news was collected and became a window for observing society. The responsibilities of my job were what launched me into adulthood, and created a gulf between children who were still quarreling and fighting in school and me. I was still developing physically, but the satisfaction of working with grownups at my young age helped me evolve into a relatively productive worker, even though I usually made a fool of myself when I emulated the skills of the best workers. During this period, I devoted all my spare time to reading the high school textbooks my brother had left at home and other books I borrowed from nearby villages. A rightist neighbor who had been sent back to labor in the fields a college graduate in Chinese literature poured all sorts of literary knowledge into me, and my writing dream was born. I became a full-fledged laborer in February 1973, when I turned eighteen, which meant that I had the skills and experience to engage in all forms of labor, and that my strength was adequate to any task; I managed to accumulate the maximum number of work points. In order to build up arm strength, each evening, after recording the work points, I went to the threshing ground to work out with stonerollers that weighed a hundred jin apiece; I could do a hundred presses at a time. Soon thereafter, the village sent a hundred able-bodied men to Changyi County, more than two hundred li away, to excavate the Jiaolai River. I was one of them. This huge water project involved hundreds of thousands of laborers from three counties, who worked with no equipment other than their hands and the shoulders over which dirt was carried off. What had once been level land was converted into a broad riverbed, and at the time, I thought back to Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty, who must have used an identical method to dig the Grand Canal, the sole difference being the loudspeakers on poles erected on the work site to broadcast quotations from Chairman Mao and songs of praise to him. The living accommodations were crude just holes in the ground and the food was coarse, if sufficient to fill our bellies. In those days I had a fearsome appetite; my gruel bowl was nearly the size of a small basin. And yet, even under such trying conditions, lilting strains of a harmonica came on the air every night, played by a youngster from our village. It was in that environment that I began thinking of a novel, one about excavating a river. I returned from the Jiaolai River during harvest season, and as I walked around my village I felt that I had become a man. In the fall of that year, the 20th of August to be precise, through my uncles contacts, I was given a job as a contract worker in Gaomi Cotton Processing Plant No. 5. As a contract worker I was still considered a resident of my village, and a portion of my monthly wages was sent back to the village. I received one Yuan, thirty-five fen a day, sixty percent of which went to the production brigade, leaving me with a monthly total of less than twenty Yuan. But that was quite a sum in those days, and it made contract labor a plum job that required an outside recommendation and the approval of a village cadre; not just anyone qualified. One of my uncles, the plant accountant, had spoken to the village Party secretary, who reluctantly approved my request with a condition that his daughter would go as well. I wrote about this in the story White Cotton. The several hundred contract laborers in the plant came from nearly a hundred villages in the countys dozens of communes, plus urban locals who were waiting for job assignments and some sent-down students from Qingdao. Everyone showed up in their best clothes, especially the young women, whose dressy appearance was an eye-opener to someone like me, a young man who had seldom strayed from his village. Most of the workers had attended middle school, and among them were a few who could play musical instruments or sing well. Their music gave birth to a feeling that I had left the muddy confines of a village where even a diamond encrusted sword will rust and entered the ranks of the upper class. But this sort of illusion did not last. There were, in fact, only two kinds of people in the plant: city and town residents, who ate high-quality food, and villagers, who ate food distributed by the brigade. Though in theory they were equal, in practice they were anything but. Contract workers all dreamed of one day becoming regulars and, in the process, urban residents who would earn enough to eat better, and as we lay on our bunks at night, we gazed out the window at the stars and dreamed our dreams. Work at the plant was seasonal. The annual cotton harvest from dozens of villages arrived around the middle of the eighth lunar month. Since there were no warehouses, the raw cotton was left out in the open in stacks that were many meters high, a sight to behold. Thanks to my uncles status, I was assigned the job of scales clerk, responsible for weighing each farmers harvest. The job required an abacus and a bit of education. The real work began after the plant bought the desired amount of cotton, when it was sent to the roller shop, where the bolls and seeds were separated. A total of twenty rollers were tended by the same number of young women, behind whom mountains of cotton waited to be thrown between a pair of rollers at a steady pace. It was boring, dangerous work, and no year went by without casualties. The women wore hospital masks, and their eyelashes were so densely covered with cotton fuzz you could not see what they looked like. The plant was not equipped with air filters, and when good quality cotton was processed, fine cotton fibers floated throughout the plant. But fibers from lower quality cotton merged with dust and fouled the air, some of which was breathed in despite the presence of facemasks. One of these women, Du Qinlan, became my wife. It happened very fast. Before Id had a chance to settle into adulthood, I was engaged to be married. Id only been working at the plant a little over a month when a man named Li also a contract worker surprised me by saying hed introduce me to someone, his niece, a good worker who was not afraid of hard-ships to get through life. He invited me to his home to celebrate his birthday, and Du Qinlan was there. She asked me: Whats your familys class standing? I said middle peasant. I asked her the same question. She said poor peasant, and I detected an air of superiority in her response, which instilled in me a sort of inferiority complex. Arrangements soon followed, and she and I were engaged before Id even asked her age. For the longest time it all seemed unreal. One meeting, a couple of comments back and forth, and two peoples fates were entwined, just like that? Well, thats what happened. From 1973 to now I have lived with this daughter of a poor peasant; we have raised a daughter of our own, and there have been many hardships over that forty-year period, but in the end she and I appeared together on the Nobel stand, and in one sense, this must count as testimony to our mutual affection. My ideal was to make a life out in the world. Those three years in the plant facilitated my eventual departure from home: while there, in addition to making contacts with talented people and raising my cultural level, in terms of my long-range goal, the experience laid the groundwork for writing in the years to come. I set my eyes on the army as a way out. Though the prospects for the son of a middle peasant to be admitted into the army were extremely remote, and though Id twice answered the call for recruits and passed the physical exams, only to fail to be admitted, I refused to give up. If I was going to realize my dream, it would have to be in the army, for it was the only place a young man like me could reach his potential in the society of that time. In the winter of 1976, I took advantage of an opportunity for contract workers to apply directly at the commune where they worked, bypassing the village level, and, supported by some armed forces cadres, I finally received my enlistment notification. My first assignment was for guard duty at a small outpost. Our barracks were near a livestock-feeding shelter, and from my post I could see cows and horses hitched to posts. Villagers walked past my post; wheat fields in the spring and corn in the fall were everyday scenes, and all that differentiated me from the locals, I felt, was my uniform. The contrast between my idealized army life and the real thing was so great I predicted that Id be out of the army and back home within two years. Worst to contemplate was that I might not regain my job at the cotton processing plant, even as a contract worker. Mao Zedong died in September of that year, and China entered a new historical era. Before long, Peoples Literature and other magazines resumed publication. The ban on poisonous weeds was lifted and scar literature came into being. A frenzy for literature gripped the nation, and my literary dream was reborn. I subscribed to several literary magazines and borrowed dozens of highly regarded novels from the county library, where the girlfriend of one of my comrades worked. I began creating story lines in my head when I was on duty and hid out in the tool shed to start writing during my time off. My first attempt, a play I called Divorce, was patterned after popular dramas of the day. I followed that with a short piece called Mamas Story. I sent both off to several magazines, but they were all rejected. Once, I recall, one of the magazine editors included a personal letter with the rejection slip. Even though it informed me that they would not publish my work, I was thrilled to receive it. I returned home in July 1979 to marry Du Qinlan, but before my marriage leave was over, I received a telegram to return to my unit, which I did without delay, and learned I was being posted to the Hebei city of Baoding. My comrades all felt that I was being groomed for promotion to officer ranks, and I was excited by the news. My new unit was in a ravine deep in the mountains, a base area during the war with Japan, and a two-hundred-li trip on rugged mountain roads to Baoding. My first assignment was as a squad leader, responsible for training sixteen recent high school graduates. They were to learn basic military skills from formation drills to marksmanship and grenade use. My military skills were so poor that none of my trainees passed muster as soldiers. After the completion of recruit training, I remained in the unit as a confidential clerk and librarian. This assignment was a sure sign that my superiors were grooming me for officer ranks. But not long after my reassignment, the General Political Department sent down an order to stop the direct promotion of enlisted men to officer rank; such promotions could be approved only after a candidate had completed military academy training. That effectively blocked my promotion. But an article in the document stated: Exceptional soldiers may be promoted to cadre status, but only if approved by the cadre section of a military area command or above. A thread of hope in the midst of my despair. My jobs as confidential clerk and librarian gave me private space to read, and I was like a fish in water with the thousands of volumes in the library. Before long, my superiors appointed me to be an instructor of theory, responsible for teaching philosophy and political economics to two classes of students. Both subjects were totally alien to me, but the position created the condition for my possible promotion, so I braced myself and accepted the assignment, taking advantage of a summer break to read as many of the library books on philosophy and political economics as possible to prepare myself for the classroom. That was also the time I began to write again. In September 1981, my short story A Rainy Spring Night was published in the Baoding literary magazine Lotus Pond as the first selection in its fifth issue. My daughter Xiaoxiao was born back home on November 3rd. The attending physician at her birth was the daughter of my great uncle, the model for Aunt in my novel Frogs. I wheeled my wife in a wheel-barrow to the health center, whose facilities were rudimentary at best; the day was cold, and I waited outside the delivery room listening to my Aunts crisp talk and laughter. All this I wrote about in the novel The Garlic Ballads. The publication of A Rainy Spring Night boosted my confidence and set loose my passion for writing. The support of Lotus Pond was a boon, for its editors published five of my stories in a row, and the famous writer Sun Li even wrote a critical piece in praise of the story Popular Music. In July 1982, I was promoted as a regular instructor, which was a bending of the rules. Not long after that I was transferred to Beijing. In September 1984, my high exam scores got me into the Literature Department of the PLA Arts Academy. Acceptance into the Academy was a major turning point in my literary career. There I undertook a systematic study of Chinese and foreign literary histories and read many foreign novels in translation: works by Faulkner, Garcia Marquez, and others inspired me to concentrate on my native home. Northeast Gaomi Township became my literary kingdom; childhood memories and the people from my hometown became the material for my fiction. In March 1985, the publication of my novella The Transparent Carrot elicited strong reactions. It established my status as a writer and was partially responsible for changing the face of contemporary Chinese literature. In the year that followed, I published a series of novellas Dry River, The White Dog and the Swing Set, Explosion, and Red Sorghum in what critics called a literary carpet bombing. My work demolished an ossified literary concept that had shackled Chinese writers for decades; many pieces were no sooner published than they created firestorms of controversy. It is no exaggeration to say that I took a considerable risk by what I wrote, and many people were shocked and affronted to learn that a military academy literature department had produced a writer like me. During my most trying moments, my revered teacher, the chair of the academys literature department and a highly regarded writer in his own right, Mr. Xu Huaizhong, shielded me from attacks. Foreigners are often amazed to learn that the Chinese military has a literary component, but this has been a unique constituent of modern Chinese history. Military writers have been key in the development and transformation of Chinas new literature. With bold experiments and a disdain for hardship, we have served as vanguards. Upon my graduation from the Arts Academy, I was assigned as a writer in the cultural department of a military unit. There I wrote a series of novels set in Northeast Gaomi Township. Anyone reading The Garlic Ballads and Thirteen Paces today will be astounded by the power of the criticism and the courage of my advocacy for the poor and disadvantaged. In the fall of 1988, I was admitted into a graduate seminar on creative writing jointly offered by Beijing Normal University and the Lu Xun Literary Academy. While attending classes I wrote, among other works, The Republic of Wine. All these works penetrate deeply into the roots of corruption from a humanistic perspective and, to my way of thinking, are more significant as literature than the novels of officialdom and anti-corruption fiction that would later gain popularity. Back home in 1995, I wrote the controversial novel Big Breasts and Wide Hips, and was roundly criticized. Among the most frequently reviled features of contemporary Chinese fiction has been a co-optation of art by politics, narratives based on class replacing those based on humanity. Big Breasts and Wide Hips was a total subversion of that narrow literary concept, and its publication shocked both literary and intellectual circles to a degree current readers would find unimaginable. I left the army in October 1997 and took a job at the Procuratorate Daily. During my ten years with the publication I wrote three novels: Sandalwood Death, POW! and Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out. Sandalwood Death constituted a course change in my twenty-year writing career. In striving to break free from Western influences, in particular the magic realism of Latin America, I set out to write a novel in my distinct style, informed by Chinese characteristics. To reach this goal, I drew nourishment from popular culture, especially drama, in writing a drama-inspired novel. Though the novel is set in the late Qing era, it is infused with a contemporary consciousness. In it I inherited and developed a critique of national characteristics by Lu Xun and other modern writers and created a set of richly symbolic characters. That was followed by POW! In this novel I employed water-infused meat, which was based upon a real-life case, as a point of entry in constructing a novel from the perspective of a boy, resulting in one that reads like a fairy tale. In an act of defiance, the protagonist, Luo Xiaotong, asks members of the power structure to kill him with his own knife, a trick commonly employed by rough-hewn proletarians in Chinas agricultural society. I witnessed such a scene in the marketplace with my own eyes. In 2005, when I was tormented by severe insomnia, I wrote the novel Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out in the space of forty-three days. In it I borrowed the concept of the Buddhist wheel of life to throw light on half a century of enormous changes in Chinese society, narrated from the perspective of animals. I explore modern Chinese societys most critical issues, describing a series of tragedies associated with land. Naturally, what I find most satisfying about this novel is not its social significance, but the representative characters inhabiting it. In October I was transferred to the Chinese Arts Research Institute, where I remain today. In 2009, my novel Frogs appeared. I have repeatedly suggested that Frogs is a novel about people and not about family planning. In novels dealing with social issues, an author usually is absent, but in this novel I included myself as a target of exposure and criticism. On October 11, 2012, I was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Looking back over the course of my life is a very emotional experience. People who are critical of me cannot begin to imagine the suffering I have endured. The courage I have demonstrated in attacking what was considered orthodox revolutionary literature, and an absence of fear over being consigned to Hell is something todays lickspittle individuals cannot possibly understand. Knowing what resides in my heart is possible only by reading my written works with care. I have been deeply influenced by traditional concepts of morality. Treating people with kindness and sincerity are the principles by which I engage in interpersonal relationships. In my youth I hated evil with a passion and yearned to die fighting evildoers; but as I grew older and gained a greater understanding of human beings, my attitude gradually softened. I am getting to know myself better all the time, and am gaining a more thorough understanding of others. My play, Our Jing Ke, which was performed in Beijing in 2012, is an expression of my new understanding of people and an earnest quest to attain my ideal of a man of noble character. If life is a river, then I am now on the lower reaches. I will roar no more, and I no longer favor waves. I have the capacity to tolerate filth and mire. I am hiding my strength in a deep place. I am a storyteller, I tell stories of people. I enjoy watching plays, I write plays, but I do not act in them. Translated by Howard Goldblatt From The Nobel Prizes 2012. Published on behalf of The Nobel Foundation by Science History Publications/USA, division Watson Publishing International LLC, Sagamore Beach, 2013 This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and later published in the book series Les Prix Nobel/ Nobel Lectures/The Nobel Prizes. The information is sometimes updated with an addendum submitted by the Laureate. Copyright The Nobel Foundation 2012 To cite this section MLA style: Biographical. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2022. Thu. 20 Oct 2022. WASHINGTON (AP) The House Jan. 6 committee plans to unveil "surprising" details at its next public hearing about the 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol. The session Thursday afternoon is likely to be the last public hearing before midterm elections next month. The panel is expected to include new evidence from the U.S. Secret Service about its actions with Donald Trump that day. Ahead of a report later this year, the panel is summing up its findings. The committee says Trump, after he lost the 2020 presidential election, launched an unprecedented attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory. They say the result was the deadly mob siege of the Capitol. A 21-year-old Council Bluffs woman is in critical condition from injuries suffered in a two-vehicle wreck in Omaha. The driver of the other vehicle is suspected of drunken driving. Sarah Root was taken to Nebraska Medicine after the crash at 2:15 a.m. Sunday near 33rd and L Streets, according to the Omaha Police Department. A family friend said Root graduated from Bellevue University on Saturday with a bachelor of science degree in crime investigation and a 4.0 grade-point average. Eswin Mejia, 19, of Omaha, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious bodily injury while driving drunk. Officers determined that Root, an Abraham Lincoln High School alumnus, was driving a 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada east on L Street when the accident occurred. The Oldsmobile was stopped or slowing down when it was rear-ended by a 2000 Chevrolet 2500 pickup truck driven by Mejia, police said. Mejia, who doesnt have a valid drivers license, was treated at Nebraska Medicine for a leg injury before being booked into the Douglas County Jail. According to Douglas County Court records, an arrest warrant was issued for Mejia in May of 2015 for failure to appear for several traffic infractions, including driving without a license. A spokeswoman for Nebraska Medicine said Root is listed in critical condition. BH Media News Service 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. A new mining project coming to Timmins has the capacity to create 1,000 local jobs and economically diversify the City With a Heart of Gold. General Magnesium Corp. A new mining project coming to Timmins has the capacity to create 1,000 local jobs and economically diversify the City With a Heart of Gold. General Magnesium Corp. is set to start production this spring on a magnesium-talc mine that has an NI 43-101 resource estimate of close to 100 million tonnes, including 54,076,357 tonnes in the measured and indicated category, and 43,000,000 tonnes in the inferred category. Last fall, following 16 months of due diligence, the company secured a multi-year, $4.9-billion deal with Hunter Douglas Metals, whose parent company manufactures aluminum blinds. Magnesium is a key component used as an alloy in manufacturing aluminum. General Magnesiums president and CEO, William Quesnel, said the deal is huge and marks an excellent foundation for the longevity of the company. Weve sold all our product 100 per cent of our magnesium for a 15-year renewable contract, he said. So if you do the math on it, its worth billions of dollars. Lighter than aluminum by a third, and two-thirds lighter than steel, magnesium is also valued in the auto industry for use in making vehicles lightweight. Quesnel said his company has been approached by die cast manufacturers whove expressed an interest in setting up shop alongside the mine, hinting at potential future investment in the city. The company is currently working on securing an offtake agreement for its talc. Once we do that, then we have all our products sold, so its kind of really neat, Quesnel added. Though the magnesium-talc operation may seem to have come out of nowhere, the company has been working on the project since 2000, when it acquired the property, located in Porcupine just east of Timmins, from Teck Cominco. Quesnel, a 30-year industry veteran, grew up in Timmins, but left to attain his geology degree at the University of Waterloo. Since then, hes worked in Thunder Bay for a consulting firm, at Kidd Creek in Timmins, with LAC Minerals (now Barrick Gold), and in various capacities in Nicaragua, Argentina, Venezuela and Chile. I thought once I left Timmins I would be gone, said Quesnel, who currently resides in Perth, south of Ottawa. But coming back, I love the North and I really believe in the North. Because the ore is so soft, theres no need for drilling, blasting or crushing on site, which offers a huge cost-saving measure, Quesnel said. Instead, the company employs a Wirtgen surface miner made in Germany and one of only 500 worldwide to cut into the ore. It will then be sent to a local facility for toll milling. In test trials leading up to development, the surface miner extracted up to 1,000 tonnes of ore per hour, and the company stockpiled 50,000 tonnes at the mine site, which will be processed starting in June. So, we dont have to mine all year, Quesnel said. We just have to mine seasonally to make our production. In three months, we make our production for the year. As the company starts to generate cash flow, it plans to build three plants: one for talc, one for magnesite, and a magnesium thermal reduction plant, which will reduce the magnesite to a metal (magnesium). Quesnel said the company is looking to build near Kidd Creek, which already has access to power, water, gas, and rail access. It plans to use rail access both to transport the magnesite concentrate to the thermal reduction plant, and to haul out the resulting magnesium ingots. Environmental baseline work for the operation has been completed and a mine closure plan has been filed. Quesnel estimates the three plants will require 1,000 workers, and the company has already started hiring, taking advantage of the pool of highly skilled workers that have recently been laid off from other local operations. The company is now working with investment firm Haywood Securities to take General Magnesium public, which will help raise money for the first phase of construction the talc plant. Theyve come up to the site, and theyre really excited about the project, Quesnel said. They really think this is a neat thing for Northern Ontario, which we do too. Production will start at 500,000 tonnes per year, and ramp up to 1.2 million tonnes annually, resulting in a 100-year mine life. A recently completed drilling program revealed more ore below the current deposit. Quesnel is excited about the predicted longevity of the mine and the accompanying long-term job security for generations of Timmins miners. Though the city gained its reputation as a gold-mining town, he believes Timmins could become a new centre of excellence for light metal research and development. Its important to have the gold, but its also very, very important to have the industrial minerals, because they can attract the manufacturing jobs, he said. So its a whole different base. Something went wrong, please try again later. Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. The 11 areas in Nottingham where people are most likely to be mugged have been revealed, although the way the data has been compiled has raised eyebrows among many who live and work in the apparent hotspots. The figures are based on postcode areas, which means some crimes from small side streets are assigned to nearby, larger streets. The Home Office data outlines the streets within a 7.5-mile radius of the city where the most robberies between December 2014 and November 2015 took place. City centre venues have put the figures down to their central locations, some local residents have defended their areas' safety while others called for more action. It comes as police charged a 21-year-old man with nine counts of robbery after a spate of incidents in the Lenton and Radford areas. Nisar Nazir, of Radford Boulevard, appeared in magistrates' court on Saturday charged with the robberies and two counts of possessing a blade. According to the Home Office statistics, the most common locations were: St Ann's Well Road, by its junction with Ransom Road, Forest Grove, Forest Fields, Bestwood Park Estate, Bath Street, in the vicinity of the Theatre Royal, Mansfield Road, near the city, around the Victoria Centre, Wollaton Street, Melbourne Road, Aspley, by Nottingham Arts Theatre, Hockley and Redoubt Street in Radford. Among the 11 zones, none of which recorded more than 13 robberies in the 12 months, was St Ann's Well Road. One shopkeeper, who asked not to be named, said council CCTV cameras were removed from the area six years ago. "Ever since they got rid of them, more has kicked off. All we can do is report it to the police and they can't be everywhere. But Gisella Sobarasua, chairman of the St Ann's Tenants' and Residents' Association, said the numbers surprised her. "I find it very hard to believe St Ann's Well is in the top ten," she said. "If there's a problem it usually gets round on the grapevine and none of that has come back to me." In Aspley, the spike in robberies reported in Melbourne Road was put down to its proximity to Melbourne Park. Gill Bainbridge, secretary of the Bells Lane and Aspley Tenants' and Residents' Association, said: "We have had a couple of robberies in the park," she said. "Demographically, they tend to be committed towards young people. I suppose it is to be expected because they're further from people's houses, with space to run off into. "We've done research before that suggests young people say the reason they go out together in groups is for protection. "It's not completely surprising that Melbourne Road is in there because we have heard of trouble. Police can't be everywhere but they could certainly do more to raise awareness with parents about where these problem spots are." The Forest Grove area, in Forest Fields made the top 11 despite the cul-de-sac containing only 14 houses. Resident Reuben Williams, 27, whose family has lived in the street for decades, said: "Forest Road is close, and more students live here now than before. I think sometimes they can be targeted, especially when they've been out and drunk too much." The intu Victoria Centre and the Theatre Royal were both named, although their inclusion appears to be the result of the way the figures were compiled. Nottinghamshire Police says the Home Office data can produce some anomalies because it is recorded on a post code basis, meaning some robberies recorded as the Theatre Royal will not have taken place directly outside. Inspectors also explained that if victims are unable to remember exactly where an attack took place, the location may be recorded as the police station it was reported at. A spokeswoman for the Theatre Royal said: "We have no record of customers or staff reporting robberies or muggings either arriving at or leaving the venue." And an intu spokeswoman said: "This research piece doesn't relate to inside the intu shopping centre. The safety of our guests will always be our first priority. Our staff are well trained and we work closely with the police to keep our centre safe and secure for our guests and staff." Officers were keen to remind people how to stay safe. A police spokesman said: "Crimes against a person by strangers in public places are rare and account for a very small part of recorded crime. "However, you can make yourself even less likely to be the victim of a personal crime by taking a few sensible, common sense precautions." Tips include: Be aware of your surroundings. Concentrate on what and who is around you. Don't be distracted by using mobile gadgets and MP3 players. If you are listening to music, use just one headphone so that you are aware of someone approaching you. Don't leave your bag, wallet, valuable jewellery, mobile phone or MP3 player on display. Don't leave bags or pockets open or unzipped. It's easier for a thief to dip into an open bag. Purse bells are a great way of further protecting your purse. Try to walk in areas where there are other people and where it is well lit. When out walking, be careful not to make your personal items, as mentioned above, an easy target for robbers. Try to keep them hidden. Hotspots Using Home Office website police.uk, the Post created a crime map within a 7.5-mile radius of Nottingham city centre to locate the areas with the most robberies. Between December 2014 and November 2015, in our area of focus, 746 robberies were recorded. May was the month with the most muggings, with 76 recorded compared to April, when 51 were recorded, which was the lowest number of recorded robberies. Other spots that saw multiple robberies in that time include: Towlsons Croft, Basford. Thurland Street, city. Arnold Road, Basford. Bracebridge Drive, Bilborough. Sneinton Dale Radford Road Police Station, Hyson Green. Office of National Statistics figures , released last week, showed 903 robberies were recorded by Nottinghamshire Police in its whole beat area in the year ending September 2015, a 15 per cent drop on the previous year. Robberies, according to the ONS, account for 0.8 per cent of all Nottinghamshire crimes. He may have a quiet word in his ear as he fills the unfamiliar role of waterboy but Broncos half Ben Hunt says he is excited to see how Kodi Nikorima handles the extra playmaking responsibility in his absence at the World Club Series. A one-game suspension stemming from a lifting tackle in the grand final means that Saturday's trial against the Cowboys in Bundaberg takes on extra significance for Hunt who will be confined to watching the clash with Wigan on February 20 from the sidelines or while wearing a yellow trainer's bib. The Broncos are set to announce their squad for the Downer NRL Auckland Nines on Tuesday but the names of Hunt, Nikorima and Anthony Milford will all be missing as they instead head north for a rematch with their grand final conquerors. Having represented the Kiwis at halfback in two Tests in England over the off-season the conditions awaiting Nikorima at Wigan's DW Stadium will not be completely foreign but wearing the No.7 for the Broncos will be a new experience. The 21-year-old came off the bench in 20 games for the Broncos in 2015 and having spent the majority of the pre-season training with the backs Hunt has no doubt he has what it takes to pilot a team around the park. "I watched a couple of [New Zealand's] games and I only saw things that I already knew about Kodi," Hunt told NRL.com. "He's an exciting little player and really quick. He runs the ball really well and any opportunities he gets for us this year he's going to do really well. "It is [a hard thing to miss] but in saying that I'll be going over and I'm excited about being able to sit back and watch the boys for once. "It's something that I don't really get to do very often because I like playing but to have that opportunity to watch and have a look at some players, I'm excited about it." Hunt's suspension places greater emphasis on Saturday's trial and the chance to wipe away some of the grand final nightmares he endured when he last lined up against the Cowboys. He, Milford and Nikorima will share the playmaking duties in Bundaberg but the 25-year-old doesn't expect to get much of a rest in his one-and-only pre-season hit-out. "It's definitely important, especially for me, that will be pretty much my only hit-out before Round 1 so it's going to be a pretty big one for me," Hunt said. "We've got a pretty solid side going up and I think the Cowboys' is pretty good too so it's time to blow the dust off from the pre-season and get back into it. "I think I'm leaning towards close to a full game. 'Milf' is coming up but he won't be playing too much time. Me, 'Milf' and Kodi Nikorima will be sharing the halves' role there but I think I'll be playing close to a full game." CHESTERTON There are budding scientists, designers and engineers in Sue Gore's fifth-grade class at Liberty Intermediate School in Chesterton. The youngsters, with the help of their parents, were able to work on a project at home where they made a prosthetic hand. Gore said the project was made possible by a science grant from the Duneland Education Foundation for fifth- and sixth-grade students at the school. All science teachers collaborated on the proposal so that all Liberty Intermediate students would benefit. "We've been studying engineering and the design process," Gore said. "There's always a problem. When engineers design something, it's because there is a need. The first thing they do is to identify the problem, then brainstorm ideas." The first project students embarked on was to design a prosthetic hand. "The creativity and functionality of each arm was impressive," she said. Gore said some students worked with a Phillips screwdriver for the first time, learning the difference between it and a slotted screwdriver. She said students worked with parents. One student's mother is a nurse who explained the bones in the hand. "We were trying to reach out to the community to tie in more knowledge," Gore said. Gore and other teachers have developed a "maker space," and intend to buy tools and equipment for students, in addition to technology like laptops. The maker space will give students the opportunity to design and develop projects that display an understanding of solving real-life problems. Giovanni DePasquale and his father used a 3-D printer to make a prosthetic hand. "Once I get my grade, I'm going to donate it to someone who needs it," Giovanni said. "It took 17 hours for the printer to print it out and a couple of hours to put it together." Some of the simple tools Giovanni learned to use were a drill, a slotted screwdriver and Velcro. The prosthetic hand will be donated to an organization called enablethefuture.org. The youngsters were excited about the projects. Evan Cowsert said he had an opportunity to "bond with his mother" when he worked on his prosthetic hand where he used straws, string and silicone to make it soft and easy to move. Rebecca Carpentier and Peyton Moore worked on their hands with the help of their prosthetics. Moore pointed out the wires and how she pulls them to move the fingers. Next, students worked on a Rube Goldberg project. Gore told students Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist who created elaborate ways to complete simple tasks. The students watched competitions as part of an introduction to the lesson. They learned about simple and complex machines. The objective was to build a complex machine that could complete a simple task of popping a balloon using at least five steps and three different simple machines. Aubree Wallen and her group used her Barbie doll, armed with a pin, to slide down the ramp and stick the balloon to bust it. Liberty Intermediate School Principal Greg Guernsey said Gore initiated a more hands-on approach to teaching both science and math by introducing key projects like her engineering unit and creating maker spaces. "Her obvious passion and persistence has helped rejuvenate and lead other teachers in our school," Guernsey said. Chicago police involved in 2 shootings, leaving 1 dead CHICAGO Authorities say Chicago police fatally shot a person on the city's South Side. Police say they received multiple calls of a person with a gun and a home invasion around 4:30 a.m. Sunday. Police allege an armed offender met officers and "shots were exchanged." A weapon was recovered at the scene. No officers were injured. Police were involved in another shooting Sunday. Officers were on patrol on the North Side when shots were fired. Police didn't say what time the shooting happened. A news release says an officer "perceiving" he was "being fired upon" discharged his weapon. Authorities say the offender or offenders fled. No officer injuries were reported. Stables take precautions against horse virus BARTLETT Horse stables in DuPage County are taking steps to protect their animals from equine herpes virus after one stable was placed under quarantine by Illinois animal health officials. Two horses at Sunset Hill Farm in Bartlett have been euthanized and others have fallen sick. The virus has been confirmed by a lab test. The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reports other farms in the area have been notified. The virus can spread among horses through air, equipment, clothing and hands. Humans are not at risk. Forest Trails Stable is among the stables taking precautions. The Bartlett stable is keeping visitors away for three weeks to protect the 40 horses boarded there. The Illinois Department of Agriculture has provided requested information to the stable operator and practicing veterinarians. Former suspect in murder faces attempted murder charge FORT WAYNE A Fort Wayne man whose 2014 murder charges were dropped after a witness was accidentally killed by a train now faces attempted murder charges for allegedly trading gunfire with police. WANE-TV reports Charles Benson, 26, is accused of firing at an unidentified Fort Wayne officer after running from a car in which he was a passenger following a Saturday traffic stop. Police say the officer shot back. Neither man was wounded. Benson was also charged with resisting arrest by fleeing and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. It could not be immediately determined whether Benson has hired an attorney. Murder charges against Benson involving a 2014 shooting were dropped in May 2015 after a key witness was struck and killed by a train. Body of missing man found near home BLOOMINGTON The body of a 44-year-old Bloomington man who's been missing for several weeks has been found. The (Bloomington) Herald-Times reports a neighbor found Troy Richardson's body on Saturday in a wooded area near his home. Richardson's family reported him missing to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office on Jan. 13. He was last seen outside his stepmother's home. An autopsy will be scheduled to determine the cause of his death. INDIANAPOLIS The always chaotic final weeks of the General Assembly's annual session could be busier than usual this year due to a possible confirmation vote for a new lieutenant governor. House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, last week said if Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann intends to resign in anticipation of becoming president of Ivy Tech Community College, she should consider doing it sooner rather than later. "If she should be selected for that position, or leave the lieutenant governor position for any reason, a new lieutenant governor would be selected by the governor and has to be approved by the General Assembly," Bosma said. "It would be the preference that it would happen before the General Assembly leaves, so we don't have to have a special session." The Republican-controlled Legislature is required by law to adjourn for the year on or before March 14. However, the governor can call a special session at any time if he determines "the public welfare shall require it." The most recent special session, a 16-day budget fight in 2009, cost taxpayers $10,000 a day to have Hoosier lawmakers back at the Statehouse. The General Assembly only once has been called on to confirm a lieutenant governor since the Indiana Constitution was amended in 1978 to establish a mandatory process for replacing the officeholder. Previously, Indiana went without a deputy chief executive until the next election following the ascension, death or resignation of a lieutenant governor. In 2003, Democratic Gov. Joe Kernan nominated Kathy Davis to take his place as lieutenant governor about a month after he succeeded Gov. Frank O'Bannon, who died in office. Davis, who was Indianapolis city controller at the time and a former state budget chief, unanimously was confirmed 11 days later by both the Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic-controlled House meeting in a one-day special session. Republican Gov. Mike Pence has given no indication who he might nominate if Ellspermann resigns for the Ivy Tech post, a job Pence spokesman Matt Lloyd said the governor believes Ellspermann is "uniquely qualified" to fill. Pence also potentially could select two lieutenant governors in coming months: one to finish the 11 months remaining in Ellspermann's term; and a different person to be his running mate in the November election. Either way, it is unprecedented, since Indiana re-authorized governors to serve consecutive terms in 1972, for a lieutenant governor to quit the ticket instead of seeking a second term. Ellspermann confirmed in December she is interested in becoming Ivy Tech president following the retirement this summer of its current leader, Thomas Snyder. The Ferdinand, Ind., native, who holds a Ph.D. in industrial engineering, said the opportunity to lead the 32-campus institution that educates some 173,000 students is a perfect fit "given my deep engagement in workforce development." The Ivy Tech trustees, who are appointed by Pence, have established a seven-member search committee to lead the process of selecting a new president. Applications are due March 15. In 2012, a similar national search process for a new Purdue University president was essentially short-circuited when Gov. Mitch Daniels indicated his interest in becoming the university's president. Illinois Senate President John Cullerton says he wants to give Gov. Bruce Rauner a cooling-off period before sending him a bill which the first-term Republican has threated to veto that would fund community colleges and grants to low-income students. Cullerton and fellow Democrats in the General Assembly approved the measure Thursday without any Republican votes. It would devote $397 million to grants through the Monetary Award Program and more than $324 million to community colleges. MAP grants, community colleges and public universities have gone without state funding since July 1 after Rauner vetoed all but the elementary and secondary education portion of the state budget. Although it didnt deal with their funding, universities supported the bill approved last week. Thousands of students across Illinois rely on the Monetary Award Program to be able to attend college and pursue degrees, Cullerton, of Chicago, said Monday in a written statement. This year, the state isnt honoring its commitment to them. The governor already vetoed funding once and now is threatening to do it again even before weve sent the proposal to his desk. I would urge the governor to rethink his position, reconsider his priorities and not act rashly but rather in the best interest of these students, their futures and the future of Illinois. Rauner, who emphasized areas of common ground with Cullerton in his State of the State address last week, seems unlikely to change his mind. Spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said hes made it clear that he will veto the bill because there is no way to pay for it. But he has offered a path toward compromise by agreeing to sign legislation that funds MAP, community colleges and universities tied to ways to pay for these important programs, Kelly wrote in an email. Rather than playing politics with a dead piece of legislation, we urge the Senate to focus on finding real solutions and vote next week on legislation that would fund MAP grants with a fiscally responsible way to pay for them. Republicans have proposed two plans that would fund community colleges and universities at reduced levels as well as MAP grants. One would tie funding to a measure giving Rauner more budget authority, and the other would tie it to changes to the way schools buy goods and services. EAST CHICAGO | When asked by an East Chicago police officer to exit his vehicle, a man instead pulled a handgun from beneath his leg and pointed it at his own head one day last summer. The East Chicago officer saw the gun as it came out and ordered the man to drop the weapon. The officer and two colleagues, who had arrived as backup, loudly ordered the man several more times to drop the weapon, police said. But, still holding the gun, the man quickly exited his vehicle. The first officer fired two shots. Neither of the shots struck anyone, and the man took off running north behind several homes in the 5000 block of Alexander Street, police said. When Joiey Jones, 37, of East Chicago, ran back onto Alexander with officers in pursuit, a bystander who knew Jones grabbed the gun from him, police said. Officers then took Jones to the ground with minor resistance and handcuffed him. 'If only one person can go home ... ' The police-involved shooting occurred about 4 p.m. Aug. 10. Indiana State Police arrived at the scene about 7:30 p.m. to investigate at the request of East Chicago Police Chief Mark Becker. Indiana State Police Detective BJ McCall recently recounted the story to The Times. State police were in contact with the Lake County prosecutor's office, and the shooting was determined to be justified, McCall said. Becker said he was happy with the finding. The officer who fired the shots had a legal right to protect himself and should be commended for his actions, Becker said. "If only one person can go home at night, it's going to be the police officers," said Becker, who also has served as Portage's police chief. "And that's usually a choice that the bad guy makes." The East Chicago shooting occurred one day after 18-year-old Michael Brown was fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo. Becker said East Chicago police have not been criticized in Jones' recent case, but there's a growing trend of people blaming police when it comes to police-involved shootings in the U.S. More police officers are being killed, because they're hesitating more before pulling the trigger to defend themselves, Becker said. That hesitation stems in part from pressure created by news media and community activists who are increasingly claiming police-involved shootings are racially motivated, he said. "There's a small fraction of people who want to come to judgment before knowing all the facts," he said. That public pressure is a factor as police officers make life-and-death decisions within seconds, he said. "That plays out in a police officer's mind," Becker said. " 'What do I do, what do I do?' and then all of a sudden he's getting shot." Becker said that's why he's working with Patrick Murray at the Northwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, the Lake County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the Indiana Welcome Center to provide training to local police regarding appropriate use of force. Uptick in officer shooting deaths In Northwest Indiana, two police officers have been fatally shot in the line of duty this year. Several more have fired shots, been injured or been shot at during various violent encounters. Gary Patrolman Jeffrey Westerfield was fatally shot July 6 in Gary's Midtown section while searching for a suspect in a domestic disturbance. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Carl Blount, 26, of Gary, who has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in Westerfield's homicide. Merrillville police Patrolman Nickolaus Schultz died Sept. 7 after he was shot by a man waiting in ambush inside a Merrillville condo. Michael Hrnciar, 33, who was wearing body armor when he shot at officers, died in the condo from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Nationwide, firearms-related officer deaths were up 63 percent as of Oct. 13 compared to the same time last year, according to the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund. So far this year, there have been 39 firearms-related officer deaths nationally. At the same time last year, there were 24, according to the fund's statistics. However, the FBI's preliminary statistics for 2013, the latest year available, show the number of police officers killed as a result of criminal acts was down 44 percent from 2012. Of the 27 officers killed in 2013 as a result of criminal acts, 26 suffered gunshot wounds, the FBI said. In 2012, 48 officers died as a result of criminal acts. Seventy-two were killed in 2011. Among local violent encounters, a Hobart police officer shot at a Portage man's tire Oct. 2 when the man drove away with another officer partially inside the vehicle, court records show. Police stopped John Wayne Shannon, 33, in the 300 block of Liverpool Road, because his vehicle had improper headlights, no license plate light and a loud exhaust system, according to a probable cause affidavit. Shannon, who refused to exit his van despite repeated commands to do so, dragged an officer who was trying to use a Taser against him, court records said. The officer, who suffered facial injuries, was able to climb in the van and steer it into a ditch after threatening to shoot Shannon, the affidavit said. Hammond police are embroiled in a lawsuit stemming from a traffic stop Sept. 24 for a seat belt violation. Jamal Jones and Lisa Mahone filed a lawsuit Oct. 6 against the city and officers Patrick Vicari and Charles Turner, alleging the officers used excessive force when they smashed the passenger-side window, used a Taser on Jones and pulled him from the car. Police said they used force after Mahone tried to drive away and Jones refused repeated demands to exit the car and reached into the back seat. In Porter County, Eric Martin was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly shot at police during a nine-hour standoff in August 2013 at his home in Jackson Township. Police went to Martin's home after his father reported Martin punched him, gouged his eyes and cut his neck with a knife, court records state. Police never returned fire because of a lack of clear line of sight, Porter County Sheriff Dave Lain said. Police eventually created a hole in the front of the house and found Martin in a closet. Police recognized E.C. man When East Chicago police stopped Jones last August for the seat belt violation, it wasn't his first run-in with law enforcement. As the officer approached Jones, he recognized Jones from a previous encounter, heard loud music and smelled marijuana coming from Jones' vehicle, police said. Jones pleaded guilty Feb. 21 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced in May to one year in prison. He put the gun to his head during the East Chicago traffic stop just 12 days before he was scheduled to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, police said. Indiana State Police are working with federal prosecutors to file another felon in possession of a firearm charge against Jones, McCall said. Jones was convicted in 1999 of possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and sentenced to five years, 10 months in prison. Jones also has had a number of contacts with East Chicago police over the years for noise and traffic violations, county court records show. Jones' attorney, John Cantrell, said Jones was shot in 2011 and 2012. In one of those instances, he suffered multiple wounds and was left for dead. As a result, Jones has paranoia and post-traumatic stress disorder, Cantrell said. Jones has not committed any more serious offenses since his drug crime and doesn't know who targeted him or why, Cantrell said. Jones had gotten a break in his previous case when he was sentenced in May, Cantrell said. He said he couldn't comment specifically on the Aug. 10 shooting involving Jones, who is black, because he hadn't seen any police reports. "When a police officer shows up, that never makes the situation better for people who are going through a bad time," Cantrell said. Law allows police to act first Becker said police are trained to deal with all sorts of situations, including those presented by the mentally ill. In the Aug. 10 episode, East Chicago police were dealing with a man who had a gun and refused to drop it, Becker said. Department policy allows for the use of deadly force in that situation, and so does federal law, he said. "The Constitution does not require police to gamble with their lives in the face of a serious threat or harm to themselves," he said. "They don't have to react. They can be proactive. They can take steps to prevent a serious event from happening." The U.S. Supreme Court also has sided with police on the issue, he said. "We don't have to let you get a shot off at us; we can be pre-emptive," Becker said. "That's why we have so many officers getting killed because we're afraid to be pre-emptive." Becker said he has a problem with the "snippets" offered by media about police-involved shootings activists claim are racially motivated. He cited a recent study by the Force Science Institute that showed white police officers are 25 times less likely to shoot a black person than they are a white or Hispanic person in situations where the shooting would be justified. The institute, which is led by a professor at Minnesota State University, conducts scientific research of high stress and deadly force encounters between police and the public. Porter County's Sheriff Lain said "no police interaction with an armed or violent person is a clean and clinical one. "There are nuances to each that require officers to change tactics immediately and often," Lain said. "The police are duty-bound to contain, control and resolve threats at every level, from the maniacal rantings of the mentally ill, to active shooters who are either criminally or psychologically motivated." People can present a threat even if they're not armed with a gun, Lain said. Lain offered an example of a man who implies he has a weapon during a bank robbery, doesn't comply with repeated police orders to stop and reaches into his pocket. It may turn out the man had no gun, but police can't wait to find out, he said. What matters is how a suspect behaves when police arrive, officials said. If commands are ignored, police have to look at that as an escalation of threat, Lain said. Another study Becker cited shows that of 100 officers fatally shot in the line of duty in 2010, 75 percent allowed their killers to get within zero to 10 feet of them. Of those officers, only 22 percent fired a round in defense of his life, he said. No officer wants to face a situation where they have to decide to use deadly force, officials said. "We want to do what's right," Becker said. "We're not a bunch of bullies out there trying to hurt people." But ultimately, he said, police have to do whatever it takes to go home to their families at night. MERRILLVILLE The Town Council took an initial step toward granting tax abatement requests for a possible multimillion-dollar expansion project at Polycon Industries. The council approved a resolution designating the Polycon property at 8919 Colorado St. as an economic revitalization area. Last week, Polycon representatives said the company is in the midst of negotiating an agreement with a potential new customer. If that agreement is reached, the company would invest between $10 million and $17 million to expand its facility and operations, said attorney Richard Deahl, of Barnes & Thornburg. Polycon manufactures containers for a variety of industries. Products for the new customer would involve containers for chemicals, Deahl said. Polycon is seeking 10-year real estate and personal property tax abatement for the proposed addition to the building and new equipment that would be purchased. The council at first planned to consider the requests Tuesday. Councilman Shawn Pettit said the Polycon property more than a decade ago was designated as an economic revitalization area in connection to a previous tax abatement that is no longer in effect. The previous economic revitalization area designation has expired, and the council needed to approve it again Tuesday before it could grant the latest tax abatement requests, Pettit said. Decisions about the new tax abatement application are expected to occur in coming council meetings. Polycon's facility is about 165,000 square feet. The expansion would add at least 100,000 square feet to the structure, but it's possible the size of the addition could be as large as 200,000 square feet. Polycon currently has 106 employees, and payroll is $3.1 million. The company would create at least 25 new jobs and increase payroll by $600,000 to $1 million if the expansion advances, Deahl said. In another matter, the council approved a contract with the Indiana Department of Transportation regarding the modernization of some traffic signals in town. Merrillville is planning to install emergency vehicle pre-emption devices at signals. Those devices enable first-responders to change red lights to green to respond safer and faster. Town Manager Bruce Spires said Merrillville, Schererville, Hobart and Crown Point collaborated to apply for $1.9 million in federal Highway Safety Improvement Program funding to purchase the devices for the municipalities. Spires said each of the communities will receive a portion of the funding awarded for the projects. He said Merrillville was the lead agency on the grant application, and the town will install devices at 47 intersections. Schererville will install the devices at nine intersections, and Hobart and Crown Point will each have the systems at eight intersections, Spires said. MUNSTER Lucrative steel jobs lost. Declining personal income. Low voter turnout. Gang violence. The heroin epidemic. Northwest Indiana faces many challenges, but seven panelists at a forum Sunday in Munster said the Region also has seen successes and pointed to various signs of encouragement. Calvin Bellamy, a partner at Krieg DeVault LLP and president of the Shared Ethics Advisory Commission, said he's concerned about a decline in civic and civil participation. "You don't need to be reminded of the hostile presidential primary debates, but it is a lessening of real dialogue, real discussion of real issues," he said. The decrease in civil engagement was evident in Lake County's voter turnout numbers last year, he said. Just 15 percent of registered voters cast ballots. Mark Lopez, chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, said there has been a regrettable change in the political process during the 20 years he's worked for the congressman. It used to be that campaigns worked to gain supporters, but the focus for some has now shifted to persuading voters to hate a candidate's opponents, he said. Visclosky doesn't run his campaigns this way, Lopez said, but the change reveals the divisiveness in Washington. "What people in this room need to recognize is you ultimately are the voters," Lopez said. "Money doesn't vote." Lopez said the Region has seen many successes in the past year, including the completion of the runway extension at the Gary/Chicago International Airport, rehabilitation and stabilization projects along the Grand Calumet and Little Calumet rivers, acquisition of land in Portage as part of the Marquette Plan and movement on the extension and recapitalization of the South Shore commuter rail line. The challenge, Lopez said, will be maintaining the momentum moving forward. Bellamy said the Region has scored some successes by luring Illinois manufacturing businesses, but it will be imperative to bring in newer technology businesses, too. He's encouraged by the amount of innovation in the Region, he said. David Capp, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, said his main concerns are violent crime and heroin. "In the last four years, we've taken off the streets of the Region 56 Latin Kings and Imperial Gangsters members," Capp said. "And those 56 were responsible and this is just the ones we can prove for 36 murders." Heroin sold on the streets is more potent than ever before, Capp said. "It cuts across every socioeconomic line, every racial line. It's everywhere," he said. "I can take you to some of the more affluent high schools in northern Indiana and show you a major heroin problem, just like I can take you to some of the poorest high schools and show you a heroin problem." Jillian Van Volkenburgh, director of education for South Shore Arts, said she's encouraged that recent changes in legislation have put more emphasis on the arts in schools. "These are skills that they can take into their lives as adults. Anybody in any aspect, whether it's law enforcement, health care, government, you want to have all of those things involved," she said. "There's more than one solution to a problem." GRIFFITH Police said Monday they have identified a person of interest in a shooting last week that left a man in critical condition. Griffith police opened an investigation Wednesday after they were notified of a man with a gunshot wound to the back being treated at a Gary hospital. A woman who drove the man to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus told officers he called her and asked her to pick him up from the 1500 block of North Glenwood Street, which is in The Mansards apartment complex. She found him wounded inside a vehicle when she arrived, police said. Detectives have determined the man, who is in his 30s, was shot in the 1400 block of North Glenwood, police Detective Cmdr. Keith Martin said. A person of interest has been identified, but that person was not in custody as of Monday afternoon, Martin said. The man remained in critical condition Monday, he said. The shooting is not believed to be random and might be related to another ongoing investigation, Martin said. It remained under investigation. HIGHLAND Police Chief Pete Hojnicki said he is pleased with the crime fighting efforts of his department in 2015. In comparing Highland crime statistics between last year and 2014, Hojnicki said the total number of major crimes dropped from 684 to 635. There was one homicide and one rape in 2015, compared to none in 2014, Hojnicki said. "Through the efforts of our Criminal Investigations Division and Major Crimes Task Force, a (murder) suspect was quickly identified and charged," he said. The Lake County prosecutor's office charged 28-year-old Hobart resident Roberto Valentine Lebron with stabbing Whiting resident Joshua Headley, 28, during a fight at Franco's Bar in Highland on March 22. In the rape case, Hojnicki noted that the Patrol Division arrived at the scene, arrested and charged former Lake County Sheriff's police officer Jon O. Breitweiser. The 41-year-old Highland man was charged with rape, criminal confinement, strangulation and domestic battery. In other categories, Hojnicki said robberies dropped from nine to eight last year while assault cases remained the same at 60. Burglary dropped from 81 to 48, car theft dropped from 39 to 34 and larceny went from 495 to 482. Hojnicki noted that the collective efforts of the police officers and the Volunteers in Police Services have made Highland a safer place to live, run a business and to visit. "Also, a special thanks to our residents for their diligence in reporting suspicious behavior," Hojnicki said. "They truly are our second set of eyes." MICHIGAN CITY A man wanted by LaPorte County authorities for the alleged abuse of a pit bull was arrested late Sunday in El Paso, Texas, authorities said. Richard Cope faces one count of torturing an animal, a Level 6 felony, and three Class A misdemeanor counts of cruelty to an animal. Michigan City and LaPorte County authorities said in social media statements Sunday night they would seek Cope's extradition back to Indiana. "I'm proud of the efforts put forth by Detective Jillian Ashley and Detective Cpl. Al Bush," Michigan City Police Chief Mark Swistek said following the arrest. "They quickly followed up on leads and their diligent work led to the warrant being issued for Cope." Cope was arrested about 7:30 p.m. Sunday by United States Marshals, officials said. Cope allegedly abused the dog severely after the animal was found on Christmas in Michigan City. Officials said the puppy was found with its mouth taped shut and had two broken hips. Camille Germain and her friends were in the backyard after having dinner when they heard the dog "wheezing" then saw him stumbling up to them with its mouth taped shut. They took the dog to the North Central Emergency Veterinary Center near Westville. Eight days later, a veterinarian repaired the puppys shattered femoral heads in both hips during a nearly two-hour surgery. The injuries to the pit bull puppy may have been from being used as bait for dog fighting, officials said. The puppy is recovering and has been named Chance Christmas. Police said Cope was identified as a suspect and fled after a warrant was issued Jan. 11. Initially, the Fugitive Apprehension Street Team took over the investigation. The U.S. Marshals became involved in the case when it was learned Cope fled to Texas. LaPorte County Sheriff John Boyd praised the work of the FAST unit. "Once again the collaborative efforts between the Michigan City Police, LaPorte County Sheriff's Office and the United States Marshal's Service have proven fruitful," Boyd said. "Many leads were developed and followed up not only in LaPorte County but across Indiana and all the way to Texas." Authorities said the investigation continues and more charges are possible. VALPARAISO Charlotte, a two-year-old Great Pyrenees, found herself on the wrong end of a gun last week. Her owners neighbor shot her twice once in the leg and once in the chest when he found Charlotte on his property. Charlotte survived the ordeal after a surgery to repair her shattered femur, but because the breed has a tendency to roam, her owner feared the dog might be shot again. So she sought the help of a rescue to find Charlotte a new home. Valparaiso-based Giant Paw Prints Rescue, which specializes in rescuing large breed dogs, transported Charlotte from Kentucky to a foster home in Valparaiso, where she is recovering. Charlotte, and other GPPR rescues like her, benefited from Giant Paw Prints Rescues 2nd annual Chili Cook-Off on Sunday afternoon at Sementos Napoli Cafe in Valparaiso. Aspiring top chefs brought 15 Crock-Pots of homemade chili to the event, and for $5, diners could sample the chilies and then vote for their favorites in a Peoples Choice award. Three judges George Lopez, of Valparaiso, and Joe and Donna Riley, of Hobart also chose one first-place winner and two winners each in second and third place. GPPR volunteer and chili chef Krystal Jeffers personalized her chili entry with venison both she and her husband procured on a hunting trip. Its a family affair, said the Westville native of the secret recipe chili. We eat it every winter, all winter. Jeffers spilled the beans by listing the ingredients, a move she said her husband wouldnt have approved. Judge George Lopez said his favorite chili would have a unique flavor with a little bark and bite to it, while the Rileys prefer a tamer traditional chili. The older you get, the less bite you need, Joe Riley said. GPPR volunteer Megan Stem said the event raised nearly $700 in 2014, all of which go to the veterinary care of dogs like Charlotte. Nolan said Charlotte, despite the pain of her recovery, has been a sweetheart. She loves to give kisses and she loves people and cats, said Nolan, of Valparaiso. Great Pyrenees are known as protectors of the weak. GPPR volunteer Maureen Riffel praised Sementos for allowing the group to host its event. They support our cause and whatever we need, Riffel said. This place is packed. This really supports our dogs. Giant Paw Prints Rescues next fundraising event will be Wine and Canvas from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at Semento's. VALPARAISO Porter Superior Judge Roger Bradford reduced by half a $100,000 bond for a Lakes of the Four Season man charged with raping a 16-year-old babysitter at his home. The decision on Monday came after the accused, James Luttinen, and his wife, Julie Luttinen, testified that his continued incarceration would amount to an undue hardship. The pair testified that James Luttinen has no criminal history, works as a information technology specialist for the FBI, with high-level clearance, waived extradition after his arrest outside his workplace in Chicago, and is a U.S. Army veteran. Deputy Prosecutor Tammy Gregg opposed the decrease in bond, arguing James Luttinen is a danger to the community and poses a flight risk. Bradford rejected the argument that he is a danger to the community, and said he believes James Luttinen would show up for future court hearings. Bradford added that James Luttinen is to have no firearms and may not possess or consume alcohol. His next court date is April 11. James Luttinen is accused of raping the girl July 18 at his house, according to court records. The girl reportedly told police Luttinen bought her wine coolers after picking her up for a babysitting job. The girl said she drank a few and was feeling drunk when Luttinen and his wife returned from their evening out, police said. She said she consumed a Jello shot offered to her by Luttinen, blacked out and awoke to Luttinen having sex with her. He only stopped because his wife walked in and yelled after seeing what he was doing, the girl told police. His wife reportedly told police she saw her husband kiss the girl on the lips shorty before walking in on them. She did not call police and later told them she "could not be the one to tell on James, because she could not do that to her sons." James Luttinen reportedly asked his wife to tell the girl he was sorry and that "she could punch him if she wanted to." James Luttinen, who was interviewed with his attorney present, reportedly explained himself in part to police by saying he was drunk and "there was a young, good-looking girl, rubbing up against me." He said the girl pursued the sex and verbally affirmed that was what she wanted when asked, police said. He said it dawned on him what he was doing once his wife yelled at him, and he "freaked out at that point." The American Association of University Women Foundation, Valparaiso branch, is looking for woman applicants for a scholarship award for the 2016-17 school year, up to the amount of $5000. The award is designed to help women 25 years of age or older continue their education. To be considered for the AAUW scholarship, the applicant must be a woman at least 25 years old and a Porter County resident with a high school diploma or GED, who demonstrates financial need and who is enrolled in a post-high school institution. Other considerations for scholarship awards are the applicants' academic achievement, leadership ability, community service, and personal traits such as self-reliance. Applications are now being accepted and are due by March 15. The application is available on the AAUW website, www.aauwvalparaiso.org. Finalists will be interviewed in April by the scholarship committee and will be notified of the committee's selection by the end of April. Scholarship recipients will be invited to attend the AAUW Valparaiso Branch Spring Banquet in May. Scholarship funds will be awarded subject to proof of acceptance of the winner to a post-high school educational institution. The school will receive the funds in July. Since the scholarship program was begun in 2000, AAUW Valparaiso has awarded scholarships to forty-five women totaling $58,000. VALPARAISO Larry Clark, head of the Genealogy Department for the Porter County Public Library System, is being remembered not only as a walking encyclopedia of local history but also as a kind friend and wonderful person. Clark, who died Sunday, was an amazing man and a giving person, said Library Director Jim Cline. "He had more knowledge of Porter County in his head than anyone could imagine," Cline said. "He could drive past a house in town and say who lived there and who built it." Porter County Museum Director Kevin Pazour said Clark is not replaceable in terms of what he knew and what he was willing to do in terms of research. "It's just a tremendous loss, one I think we feel for some time to come," he said. "He would give you the shirt off his back." Valparaiso Clerk-Treasurer Sharon Swihart said Clark was not only a fountain of knowledge, but "just a downright nice guy." "It's just a huge loss in so many ways for so many of us," she said. Library branch manager Connie Sullivan knew Clark for 24 years. She said it was not only astounding how Clark was able to retain his extensive knowledge of Porter County, but he also made time for everyone and had a wonderful sense of humor. "He was just a wonderful person all around," she said. Christine Martel, of the library's Genealogy Department, said Clark always looked out for the welfare of the people in his life and treated staff and friends like his family. "It's hard to believe he's gone," she said. "His passing leaves a hole in our hearts." Alice Gustin, head of the library's technical services, was a friend and co-worker of Clark's for 20 years. "I have never known a more generous, helpful, funny, giving person in my life," Gustin said. "Larry knew everyone and was possibly related to them somewhere in their family trees. He was an incredible genealogist and historian. I will miss him so very much." Genealogy Department staffer Kathy Holevinsky called Clark a genius and generous man. "But, actually, nothing I can say about Larry would do him justice," she said. Tributes poured in from other library staffers, including Lois Johnson, Shelly Gold and Joyce Jones, who said Clark was full of so many stories, liked to tease, offer to safely walk co-workers to their cars and was a joy to be around. "He was always ready for fun," Johnson said. Marlene Polster, of the Indiana Genealogy Society, said Clark was an amazing man. "It's a great loss," she said. Crossing the line separating Indiana and Illinois sometimes means dealing with different laws and customs. Readers are asked to share ideas for this weekly feature. This week: Tampon tax. Women in Illinois and Indiana are required to pay sales tax on tampons and other feminine hygiene products, even though both states generally exempt necessities, such as food and housing, from sales tax. Last week, Indiana House Democrats, led by state Rep. Christina Hale, D-Indianapolis, a Michigan City native, proposed changing House Bill 1046 to end the state's sales tax on feminine hygiene items and baby diapers. Her effort was defeated on nearly party-line votes in the Republican-controlled chamber. House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said GOP lawmakers needed more information about the potential revenue loss to the state before deciding whether they could support a sales tax exemption. Hale declared, "Women should not be taxed for a normal bodily function that they cannot control or ignore." Forty states assess sales tax on feminine hygiene products. Illinois even collects sales tax on most prescription drugs. Police are investigating a knifepoint robbery on a subway train in Manhattan Sunday night that left one man injured. It happened around 8:30 p.m. on a southbound C train at the 155th Street station in Washington Heights. The incident was initially believed to be another subway slashing. Investigators say a man pulled a knife and tried to take the victim's cell phone. But the victim tried to grab the knife, and was cut on the hand. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. The man with the knife stayed on the train, but it's not clear where he got off. Meantime, police are still looking into a slashing at a Harlem subway station Sunday morning. Investigators say a man got into an argument with a woman on the southbound platform of the Central Park North-110th Street Station. The woman left the station and came back with another man. Police say the attacker then slashed that man in the face before running away. This was the sixth subway slashing so far this year. Anyone with information on either case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS, or text CRIMES and then enter TIP577, or visit www.crimestoppers.com. The Muslim Community in Queens held an interfaith event in Jamaica Estates, to talk about how to end religious extremism. NY1's Natalie Duddridge reports. Religious and community leaders from a range of faiths gathered at the Ahmadiyya Mosque Bait Uz Zafar in Jamaica Estates, to try to change the narrative about Islam and erase extremism. Certain people who are carrying out terrorist activities in the name of Islam, it disturbs because Islam is for Peace, says Imam, Daud Hanif at Bait Uz Zafar. To set the record straight, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, the nations largest Muslim organization, launched a campaign called "True Islam, and the Extremists." In the past month, the campaign has garnered support from over 2500 Muslims and non-Muslims alike. "We have rabbis, we have ministers we have Imams, said councilman Barry Grodenchik. The community says in the wake of recent devastating terrorist attacks, they heard President Obamas call to work together to spot radicalization early, and change the headlines. "Many terrorists have been distorting what is Islam stands for, and most Muslims are peaceful loving individuals, said Assemblyman, David Weprin. The campaign also has a rapidly growing social media presence to take the battle against extremists online, and to engage kids and young adults. "If the foundation is strong then when they're in their 20s and they're teenagers they will not go off the cliff in that sense, said secretary at the Mosque, Asas Bhawa. The campaign also focuses on teaching what religious leaders say are the 11 fundamental principles of True Islam. Members from other faiths say it's also up to them to open their minds. "It's important to involve yourself in interfaith activities so that you go from being strangers to neighbors." Religious leaders say they also started a Youth Group, and that this meeting is the first of "many more" conversations to come. Season 6, Episode 5 This recap contains spoilers for Sundays episode of Downton Abbey. Downton, meet Alien. Im telling you, Abbots, when Lord Grantham staggered to his feet and started vomiting geysers of blood all over that exquisitely assembled dinner table, I fully expected some foreign life form to come bursting out of his chest. The long-absent Michael Gregson, perhaps, or the unquiet spirit of Kemal Pamuk or, heaven help us, Reanimated Isis. I mean, who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? There he lay on his ruined rug, gasping to his beloved (seriously splattered) Cora, If this is it, just know I have loved you very, very much. And for all we knew, Abbots, this really was it. Wouldnt that have been squarely within the Fellowes m.o.? Whenever the narrative battery shows signs of stalling, he clamps on a pair of jumper cables and shocks the thing back into life. It happened with Mr. Bates arrest, Matthews death-by-car, Annas rape, Sybils pre-eclampsia. Downton never scruples to draw blood. So even when Robert received the preliminary diagnosis of a burst ulcer and not, say, extraterrestrial fertilization I wasnt entirely sure hed live to see another morrow. In fact, as he was carted away in the ambulance, I began to wonder if the whole business wasnt some bizarre dramatization of the health care debate thats been, well, lets just say raging over the past season. Would the Earl of G die for want of some far-off York technology? Or would he be saved by the bureaucratically unencumbered prowess of a local doctor? Dr. Jacqueline Yuey Lonier and Dr. Andrew Evan Dikman were married Jan. 30 by Rabbi David Adelson at City Winery, an event space in New York. Dr. Lonier, 32, who is keeping her name, is an endocrinologist at the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University Medical Center, and is an instructor in medicine with Columbias College of Physicians and Surgeons. She graduated cum laude from Yale and received a medical degree from Columbia. She is the daughter of Elaine Y. Fry and Michael L. Lonier of Osprey, Fla. The brides father, who retired as the chief information officer of The Deal, a former weekly finance and business magazine in New York, is now is a financial advisory planner in Osprey. Her mother, now retired, worked in Jersey City as the senior vice president for manufacturing and distribution of Forbes Media. Dr. Dikman, 34, is a third-year fellow in gastroenterology at NYU Langone Medical Center. He graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and received a medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra opened its first set at the Village Vanguard on a recent Monday night with a familiar blend of purring saxophones and punchy brass, carving up Big Dipper just as it had in its first performance in the same room almost exactly 50 years ago. That debut, on Feb. 7, 1966, initiated a residency with no close equivalent in jazz, and few parallels in any creative field. The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra has been a Monday-night fixture in the club ever since, carrying on the legacy of its founder, the trumpeter and composer Thad Jones, and his co-leader, the drummer Mel Lewis. Hearing the band in its natural habitat, on any given Monday, has long been an essential New York experience. I used to go down and hear that band, oh my gosh, almost every Monday night, said the composer Maria Schneider, referring to her early days in New York, in the mid-80s, before she formed her own orchestra. Just to take in the exuberant sound of that music in that room. This week the Vanguard band celebrates its 50th anniversary with an extended engagement, Monday through Feb. 8. And the historical echoes in the club should ring even more clearly than usual, owing to the forthcoming release of All My Yesterdays: The Debut 1966 Recordings at the Village Vanguard, a revelatory two-disc set documenting the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, as it was known for its first dozen years, at a moment of explosive arrival. Lady Edith Crawley, the second Grantham sister, has had a miserable time through most of the six seasons of Downton Abbey. Always second fiddle to her sister Mary, Edith, played by Laura Carmichael, has been jilted at the altar, involved with a married man (his wife was in a mental institution), then left pregnant when he mysteriously disappeared. But in Seasons 5 and 6, Edith emerges from her chrysalis to become an independent woman about London town, running a magazine and finding her own voice and perhaps, if Julian Fellowes, the writer of the series, allows, romantic happiness, too. Ms. Carmichael spoke about Ediths bad luck, the problem with male editors and sisterly rivalry. Here are edited excerpts from the conversation: Q. Your character is known by many viewers as Poorladyedith. How have you coped with her constant bad fortune? A. It has been sort of great! Julian does believe that some people have bad luck, and Edith is one of them, but they were really good story lines. I never knew where I was headed or where the plot was going. The postman coming with the scripts was very exciting. Ive been delighted and shocked, particularly when she ended up pregnant. It was all juicy stuff actors love this sort of thing. Were you surprised at how much Edith changes over the six seasons? Yes, I dont think we would have expected that Edith would be the one whose role would alter as much. Whats interesting is that had her life been as traditional as she wanted, she wouldnt have progressed so far into the modern world. It was exciting to see the character move from the Yorkshire countryside and dining rooms to a completely different London world. It almost felt like a different job in a different drama. Inevitably, when she finds work and a purpose, you see her grow. The relationship she forms with Gregson means she is part of his exciting Bohemian life and a world of intellectuals. Outrage may be Americas leading source of energy right now, and it seems endlessly renewable. No Mas Bebes adds to the supply but in an understated, melancholy way that leaves you more sad than angry. The hourlong film, showing on Monday night in PBSs Independent Lens series, tells a story that has been largely forgotten, even though it was reported with outrage at the time. The director, Renee Tajima-Pena, includes clips of Walter Cronkite and other journalists detailing the sterilization of thousands of poor, mostly nonwhite women around the United States, a practice that continued into the 1970s. No Mas Bebes, or No More Babies, focuses on a 1975 lawsuit brought by 10 Hispanic women over sterilizations performed at the Los Angeles County-U.S.C. Medical Center. Several of the plaintiffs, now grandmothers (the unofficial rationale for their unwanted tubal ligations was that they had already had too many children), appear and tell harrowing, heartbreaking stories. Pain medication was withheld until consent forms were signed. A woman was told she wouldnt receive a cesarean section until she signed a form she couldnt read; four years later, she found out she had been sterilized. Bernard L. Rosenfeld, a young resident who later became a whistle-blower, recalls questioning the practice of obtaining consent during labor and being told by a more senior doctor: After the eighth pain. Thats how its done, isnt it? Mean Streets is offering a chance to reacquaint yourself with the raw 1970s work of Martin Scorsese in anticipation of HBOs Vinyl, of which he is an executive producer. The X-Files has Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny back on screen together, with paranormal complications. Armageddon is being added to Netflix, and the Iowa caucuses are taking place. Its quite the night. Whats Streaming LIMITLESS (2011) on iTunes. Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a dejected novelist with writers block whose woes include being dumped by his girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) and harangued by his landlord about the rent. He then encounters his ex-brother-in-law, Vernon (Johnny Whitworth), who gives Eddie a prototype brain drug that miraculously helps him write a book and clean his apartment. It also gets Vernon killed. This energetic, enjoyably preposterous film directed by Neil Burger, A. O. Scott wrote in The New York Times, is a paranoid thriller blended with pseudo-neuro-science fiction and catalyzed by a jolting dose of satire. (Image: Mr. Cooper.) ARMAGEDDON (1998) on Netflix. As a meteor heads toward Earth in this Michael Bay film, NASA hires an oil driller, Harry (Bruce Willis), to train astronauts to destroy the threat. Smaller meteorites hint at the impending disaster as they ruin cities like Shanghai and New York. Adding to Harrys stress is the discovery that his daughter (Liv Tyler) has taken up with one of his employees (Ben Affleck). (Image: Mr. Willis and Ms. Tyler) Whats on TV MEAN STREETS (1973) 11:30 a.m. on Sundance. Martin Scorseses classic, set in the grit of Little Italy in New York, stars Harvey Keitel as the sympathetic, stolid petty crook Charlie, and Robert De Niro as Johnny Boy, a flashy dope who cant take care of himself. Writing in The Times, Vincent Canby called it an unequivocally first-class film. The son of a prosperous textile manufacturer, Zweig was the elegant embodiment of the assimilated Jew urbane, instinctually tolerant, inclined toward pacifism. When he first arrives at the beach, he is a man in crisis: reeling from the incursions of his beloved Austria into the sanctuary of his home (the police raided his mansion in Salzburg), denuded of his German readership (Jews are no longer welcome in print), estranged from his wife (he has fallen in love with his secretary, Lotte Altmann). The universe, literature, politics wouldnt it be wonderful never to have to think about them again? Where would be the farthest place from it all? Weidermann writes. A beach in Belgium, white house, sun, a broad promenade, little bistros looking out over the water. He wants Ostend. With Lotte. He brings her along. Zweigs friend the writer Joseph Roth descends from scrappier stock. Hes a poor Eastern Jew from the far frontier of the monarchy bitter, bilious, the king of grumps, the king of curses and the king of all hates. From Amsterdam, he, too, joins Zweig on the beach, but only thanks to Zweigs largess and patient indulgence: Roth is a penniless drunk and alcoholic of such spectacular devotion that he spends every morning throwing up, sometimes for hours. He eats almost nothing. In The Pity of It All: A History of the Jews in Germany, 1743-1933, Amos Elon argues that one of the greatest unrequited love stories may be that of the Jews with Germany. Before Hitler rose to power, other Europeans often feared, admired, envied and ridiculed the Germans, he writes. Only Jews seemed actually to have loved them. The same might readily be said of many Jews in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and this pining for returned affection all while its opposite, a genocidal hatred, is aborning back home forms the emotional core of Mr. Weidermanns book. The men and women in Zweigs circle badly yearn for their native countries; away from home, they feel lost in their own skins. Five will eventually kill themselves, Zweig and Lotte included. There are some souls who survive deracination. But others shrivel at the roots. In her novel, she presents those experiences as farce. A comic tone, she said, would make the subject more accessible and widen the conversation. Isabelle endures the lewd jokes and groping of male colleagues and bosses to sell, among other things, collateralized debt obligations, or C.D.O.s. By 2007, Isabelle is on a bond-trading roll until the market collapses, wiping out her gains and throwing more than one million people out of their homes. After the market begins to fall, Isabelle and a client take a closer look at the underlying bank records, zeroing in on a family in Nebraska facing foreclosure. My eyes well up and we sit there for a moment with something bordering wonder, Isabelle writes in what is presented as her memoir. I never saw things going this way. The novels dueling themes divide the mass-market publishing world. Some observers say readers might embrace it as a lighthearted but inspiring empowerment parable. I think it can work, said Louisa Ermelino, the reviews director at Publishers Weekly, who has not read the work but knows its gist. Even though she is rich and powerful, shes still a woman up against men in suits on Wall Street. For other students of the genre, though, its a step too far in favor of the 1 percent. I would expect a novel set in the mortgage crisis to look at the precarious situations of more ordinary working women, said Suzanne Ferriss, an English professor at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and a co-editor of Chick Lit: The New Womans Fiction. There was a backlash against Primates of Park Avenue, Ms. Ferriss noted, referring to a tongue-in-cheek memoir by Wednesday Martin about trying to fit in on the Upper East Side. That suggests to me that in the current climate, this might not have many followers. This question of whether feminism outweighs populism echoes the countervailing currents in the presidential race. Voters in the Democratic primary are watching an accomplished, experienced member of the establishment, Hillary Clinton, argue that the top echelons of power are rigged against women, while her main rival, Bernie Sanders, has soared in the polls by saying that the system is rigged in favor of the rich and powerful. Republicans are watching a billionaire populist, Donald Trump, clash with Megyn Kelly, a star anchor at Fox News who questioned his respect for women in a debate. Sam Sifton emails readers of Cooking five days a week to talk about food and suggest recipes. That email also appears here. To receive it in your inbox, register here. Good morning. It is a feast day in the Catholic Church, celebrating Brigid of Kildare, patron saint of dairymaids and cattle, midwives, newborn babies and Ireland itself. The festivities derive from a Gaelic celebration of midwinter, of the promise of spring and the start of the lambing season. So maybe well make Jonathan Reynoldss recipe for lamb chops tonight, accompany them with a big bowl of Martha Rose Shulmans kale-y take on colcannon, and bring some light to the darkness, as the prayer has it. For sure well set up the rice cooker to make a big bowl of steel-cut oats overnight so we can eat it in the morning. Those looking to go varsity can pair the finished oatmeal with cream, bacon and a shot of Jameson: a breakfast of champions, at least in my late fathers view. A new approach to treating early schizophrenia, which includes family counseling, results in improvements in quality of life that make it worth the added expense, researchers reported on Monday. The study, published by the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin, is the first rigorous cost analysis of a federally backed treatment program that more than a dozen states have begun trying. In contrast to traditional outpatient care, which generally provides only services covered by insurance, like drugs and some psychotherapy, the new program offers other forms of support, such as help with jobs and school, as well as family counseling. The program also tries to include the patients people struggling with a first psychotic break from reality, most of them in their late teens and 20s as equals in decisions about care, including drug dosage. In a widely anticipated study last fall, called the Raise trial, researchers reported that after two years, people who got this more comprehensive care did better on a variety of measures than those who received the standard care. But the study found no evidence of related cost savings or differences in hospitalization rates, a prime driver of expense. As lawmakers in Washington are considering broad changes in mental health care, cost issues loom especially large. The Pulitzer Prizes were established a century ago, and soon after, The New York Times won its first, for articles about World War I. Since then, The Times has garnered far more Pulitzers than any other news organization, 117 in all. Last week, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the prizes, the Pulitzer board held a gathering in Washington to honor hundreds of winners, going back decades. Disturbed by the situation, another resident in Countys obstetrics unit, Dr. Bernard Rosenfeld, quietly copied the medical records for hundreds of sterilizations. Eventually, he passed this documentation along to Antonia Hernandez, a recent graduate from U.C.L.A. Law School who worked at the Los Angeles Center for Law & Justice, a legal advocacy group just a few blocks away from County Hospital. She and her colleagues joined forces with the Chicana feminist organization Comision Feminil, led by a legal secretary named Gloria Molina, to build a case on the foundations laid by the recently decided Roe v. Wade. If a woman had a civil right to terminate a pregnancy, they argued, she also had a civil right to procreate. Like many of the plaintiffs that Hernandez and Molina persuaded to join Madrigal v. Quilligan, Consuelo Hermosillo initially wanted nothing to do with the case. Her sterilization at County hospital had become a secret so painful that she and her husband never shared it with anyone. They did not even discuss it when they were alone. But after Hernandez showed her the evidence Rosenfeld had gathered, Hermosillo joined the suit, without telling her husband, in hopes that would help protect other women perhaps even her two daughters. She told a baby sitter she was going to work and rode a bus alone to the courthouse, angry, ashamed and afraid. After Judge Curtiss ruling, Hermosillos silence cemented. She never built friendships with the other plaintiffs. Some of them, shed learned, were being beaten and castigated by their husbands for being sterilized. Her husband didnt do that. But Hermosillo had no one to confide in either. Once, she told me, she accompanied her son to a funeral for his friends mother and was surprised by the photographs at the wake: Until that moment, she had no idea that the deceased was also one of the Madrigal Ten. Though the hospital won, Madrigal changed state laws and buttressed the careers of several prominent Latino politicians. In its wake, the California Department of Health revised its sterilization guidelines to include a 72-hour waiting period and issued a booklet on sterilization in Spanish. The California State Legislature unanimously repealed its sterilization law, which had legalized over 20,000 nonconsensual procedures since 1909. Hernandez went on to become the president of the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund; Molina later became the first Chicana elected to the Los Angeles City Council. What interested me about this case, Tajima-Pena told me, is how you have well-meaning policy and some very well-meaning doctors, and how women could still be abused. Where Espino sees a history of backdoor eugenics, Tajima-Pena is more persuaded by the sociologist Elena Gutierrezs argument that the sterilizations at County Hospital were a result of a perfect storm of pressures: fears about a global population bomb mixing with prejudice against welfare use and illegitimacy, accelerated by a rush of federal funding for family planning through the War on Poverty. To sort of claim that were part of a greater goal of sterilizing the Mexican population that immigrates to Los Angeles, Dr. Michael Kreitzer, a defendant in Madrigal v. Quilligan, says in the film Im offended by that. Thats not what we did. Thats not what we discussed. Thats not what anybody even intimated. Its not like these evil old white guys are the problem, Tajima-Pena told me, the day before No Mas Bebes screened at the NYC Doc festival in November. Were all the problem. Because we all have this really complicated, maybe misguided thinking about what reproductive freedom really means. Such beliefs are still common even among progressives, she pointed out. When she and Espino showed rough cuts of the film to friendly audiences before its June debut, people would find out that one of the plaintiffs, Maria Hurtado, had five children and say, Well, she already had five kids. On the corner of 35th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan, in a small shop filled with shelves of books containing photographs and stories meant to entice readers to exotic locales, Arnold Greenberg found a place where his passions intersected. Mr. Greenberg and his wife, Harriet, were travel writers in addition to their day jobs; he was a lawyer, she was a teacher. And in the early 1980s, they became owners of Complete Traveller, which was as much a business proposition as it was a way to indulge their affinity for travel and, for him, antiquarian books, which started after his son gave him one about the lawyer Clarence Darrow, his hero, years ago. They bought the store in 1984 after two years of part ownership. Over time, the store survived threats that had proved fatal for many independent booksellers, like the arrival of Internet retailers, and it adjusted to a changing marketplace, particularly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which shrank American appetites for travel. The store shifted its focus from contemporary travel publications toward mostly rare books and maps, including a wall devoted to Baedeker books, the small red travel guides considered to be the first of their kind. By last year, though, as the lease was expiring and the rent was increasing, the couple were ready to retire. It was time, Mrs. Greenberg said. Rare is the big-city mayor who swoops into a presidential nominating state, days before its pivotal caucuses, and seeks privacy, not attention. In a breakfast interview on Sunday, Mr. de Blasio said the solitude was refreshing, describing door-to-door campaigning as his version of a date with his wife. Engaging with Iowans, he said, doesnt feel particularly different because I am mayor of New York City. Life as mayor, however, can be more complicated. Mr. de Blasio was slow to endorse Mrs. Clinton in the presidential race, despite their longtime ties, and he was not scheduled to appear here beside her. In the interview on Sunday, the mayor said that Mrs. Clintons team had initially declined his suggestion of traveling to Iowa to support her. What I said was, I want to go do whatevers needed, Mr. de Blasio said, over a cappuccino and a bran muffin at Smokey Row Coffee in Des Moines. And the first response was, they dont need more surrogates in Iowa, theyve got plenty. Mr. de Blasio recalled telling the Clinton camp that he did not necessarily want to be a traditional surrogate, saying that he clarified his interest in whatever kind of work you need, including the duties typically assigned to a volunteer. Everyone gave a little to get to this outcome, but the solution will mean a more livable city for everyone, Mayor de Blasio, a Democrat, said in a statement. Yet there are many who believe that even one tourist helicopter is too many. Im happy theres finally movement on the issue, but I have serious doubts that the 50 percent will be enough, Representative Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat who represents the West Side of Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, said. Like many elected officials, Mr. Nadler has been campaigning for an all-out ban on the helicopters dating to the administration of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, something he still believes is the best course of action. According to the agreement, tour operators would have to reduce the number of flights by 20 percent by June, and the following month, they would be required to submit monthly reports tracking flight routes, including whether any helicopters stray too close to land. The aircraft are allowed only over the harbor and Hudson River as far north as the George Washington Bridge. A third-party monitor, paid for by the operators, would also conduct field observations. Currently, 219 people are employed in the industry, according to the citys Economic Development Corporation, including 50 at the Pier 6 heliport, which is owned by the city and operated by Saker Aviation. The tours used to take off from the citys two other heliports, at East 34th Street and West 30th Street, but they were all moved downtown by 2010 after neighborhood opposition. Updated at 9:30 a.m. Good morning on this gray Monday. When Frederick Douglass reached New York in 1838, after narrowly escaping the clutches of slavery, he wrote in a letter to a friend, I felt as one might feel upon escape from a den of hungry lions. Today, an eight-foot bronze sculpture of Mr. Douglass stands on the northwest corner of Central Park, along a boulevard named after him. Indeed, New York has long been a hub of black life in America, from the Harlem Renaissance to the elections of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Shirley Chisholm, and the city is rich with monuments, events and exhibits celebrating that history. As Black History Month begins today, here are a few things worth exploring: At the Arsenal in Central Park, the Ebony Society presents an exhibition on the legacy of African-American public service. (Want to get this briefing by email? Heres the sign-up.) Good morning. Heres what you need to know: Whose voters will show up? The Iowa caucuses are tonight, and the results will hinge on turnout. The White House hopefuls are making last-ditch pitches to their supporters. One big question is whether Bernie Sanders and Donald J. Trump can bring out a lot of nontraditional voters and remake the electorate, like Barack Obama did in 2008 to defeat Hillary Clinton. Mr. Trump has widened his lead against Ted Cruz in Iowa. Many Wall Street financiers are split between Marco Rubio and Mr. Cruz. For the Democrats, Martin OMalleys supporters could swing the results. But these arent just empty postures for Mr. Sanders. He promises that as president he would bring them about through what hes calling political revolution. The idea is that his campaign will be so inspirational to voters, particularly young people and others who might not otherwise vote, that they will not just sweep him into office. Theyll vote out intransigent Republicans and usher in a wave of legislators who will help enact his agenda. The only way we can get things done is by having millions of people coming together, he explained at the first Democratic debate in October. He also promises to get things done because he is relying mostly on small-dollar contributions, so he wouldnt be beholden to the moneyed interests that he believes are poisoning the current political system. In his view, its so corrupt that it basically needs to be scrapped for something better. I believe that the power of corporate America, the power of Wall Street, the power of the drug companies, the power of the corporate media is so great that the only way we really transform America and do the things that the middle class and working class desperately need is through a political revolution, he said at that first debate. He made this even clearer in the most recent debate, claiming that the problem is not that Republicans and Democrats hate each other, which he says is a myth. The real issue, he says, is that Congress is owned by big money and refuses to do what the American people want them to do. Mr. Sanders is reacting to a reality: Researchers have found that when the wealthy or organized interest groups like banks or pharmaceutical companies support a particular policy, theres a strong likelihood that they will get their way. But when average citizens support something, they wield virtually no influence over lawmakers. Plenty of other studies have also found that government is far more attuned to the desires of the rich than those of the poor or middle class. Still, Mr. Sanderss revolution is somewhat far-fetched. Republicans currently control both houses of Congress, and Democrats chances of retaking both are pretty narrow. It would require an enormous mobilization to usher veto-proof majorities into both bodies. And even if that did happen, there is no guarantee that those majorities would all agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Sanders. United Nations IN Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, 2016 has begun much as 2015 ended with unacceptable levels of violence and a polarized public discourse. That polarization showed itself in the halls of the United Nations last week when I pointed out a simple truth: History proves that people will always resist occupation. Some sought to shoot the messenger twisting my words into a misguided justification for violence. The stabbings, vehicle rammings and other attacks by Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians are reprehensible. So, too, are the incitement of violence and the glorification of killers. Nothing excuses terrorism. I condemn it categorically. It is inconceivable, though, that security measures alone will stop the violence. As I warned the Security Council last week, Palestinian frustration and grievances are growing under the weight of nearly a half-century of occupation. Ignoring this wont make it disappear. No one can deny that the everyday reality of occupation provokes anger and despair, which are major drivers of violence and extremism and undermine any hope of a negotiated two-state solution. Israeli settlements keep expanding. The government has approved plans for over 150 new homes in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Last month, 370 acres in the West Bank were declared state land, a status that typically leads to exclusive Israeli settler use. Furthermore, there also seemed to be a generational divide between the people who felt more embraced and informed by the political campaigns the older ones, and those who felt more abandoned or ignored by them the younger ones. As Wayne Ford, co-founder and co-chairman of the Iowa Brown and Black Forum, told me Sunday, the level of excitement in the black community is nowhere near where it was 2008 when Barack Obama was a candidate. Also, the preference for Clinton over Bernie Sanders was a two-pronged assessment; it was a sophisticated weighing of comfort and of policy without an absolutism of good vs. bad, but rather a matter of degrees better or worse, more real or more fantasy. On the policy front, many simply found Sanderss policies unrealistically ambitious, an over-promising of giveaways. As one woman put it, He sounds like Oprah: You get a car! And you get a car! And you get a car! How is he going to pay for all that? Clintons ambitions seemed to be judged more realistic. Then, there was the problem of comfort. The Clintons seem to intuitively understand the value of retail politics, particularly when doing outreach to marginalized groups. I cant tell you how many stories Ive heard from black people about the time that one of the Clintons most often Bill Clinton spoke at or showed up at an event important to the black community. Factory farm operators believe that the less Americans know about what goes on behind their closed doors, the better for the industry. Thats because the animals sent through those factories often endure an unimaginable amount of mistreatment and abuse. Cows too sick to walk are dragged by the neck across cement floors. Pigs are stabbed and beaten with sledgehammers. Chickens are thrown against walls and stomped to death. And accepted industry practices, like confining animals in impossibly small cages, are just as brutal. Nearly always, this treatment comes to light only because courageous employees or those posing as employees take undercover video and release it to the public. The industry should welcome such scrutiny as a way to expose the worst operators. Instead, the industrys lobbyists have taken the opposite approach, pushing for the passage of so-called ag-gag laws, which ban undercover recordings on farms and in slaughterhouses. These measures have failed in many states, but they have been enacted in eight. None has gone as far as North Carolina, where a new law that took effect Jan. 1 aims to silence whistle-blowers not just at agricultural facilities, but at all workplaces in the state. That includes, among others, nursing homes, day care centers, and veterans facilities. Anyone who violates the law say, by secretly taping abuses of elderly patients or farm animals and then sharing the recording with the media or an advocacy group can be sued by business owners for bad publicity and be required to pay a fine of $5,000 for each day that person is gathering information or recording without authorization. Small and mostly rural, overwhelmingly white and unusually religious, Iowa is not a microcosm of America. But its the undeniable birthplace of political success stories that few saw coming. From Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama, Iowas esoteric caucus system is a crucible where a long shot without much money and a lot of time to shake hands can make it onto the nations radar screen. Its easy to grouse about Iowas outsize role. It forces candidates who never stood in a cornfield to pay homage to farm subsidies of questionable merit. It skews Republicans stances to the evangelical right, and Democrats to the far left, given its vigorous progressive element. Its system of caucuses, in which precinct voters turn up in a school gym or social hall to vote under arcane rules, is not a traditional primary at all and isnt even called one. But Iowa matters, particularly for this years national front-runners. In an election whose subtext is the anger of the fringes in both parties, Iowa is the epicenter of disaffection. For Hillary Clinton, just a hair ahead of Senator Bernie Sanders and still twitchy at her third-place finish in 2008, the state is a psychological test. Many Iowans again seem to have doubts about her, and shes virtually tied with Mr. Sanders, a 74-year-old whose backers insist hes a fresh face. A big turnout will boost Mr. Sanders, who needs young people and independents to win. His surprising challenge has prompted a big change in Mrs. Clintons game. She has adopted a more forceful, up-close-and-personal approach. That could help her in a race that promises to be a longer slog than she anticipated. The Republican candidates who see themselves as mainstream compared with Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz, like Jeb Bush and Gov. Chris Christie, are mostly focused on New Hampshire. Senator Marco Rubio, however, hopes for a third-place finish in Iowa, and is working the state nonstop. This leaves Mr. Trump, the developer, and Mr. Cruz, the Texas senator, as the top competitors. Anxieties could ratchet up again this week, with a protest planned for Monday at the Harney County courthouse by self-styled patriot groups angry about Mr. Finicums death. The United States Marshals Office also said Sunday that one of the 11 people arrested in the standoff Shawna Cox had been released, though the authorities would not provide other details. A judge had previously said Ms. Cox could not leave custody until the occupation had ended. But heres the thing: For the most part, Burns has not stopped being warm and welcoming to outsiders, even as that has become harder to do. If you were going to spend nearly the entire month of January in a town of about 2,000 people isolated by distance in the high eastern Oregon desert, and often with bad weather to boot you could do a lot worse. We just decided to be kind, said Leah Planinz, who owns Glory Days Pizza with her husband, Nick. She was perhaps talking partly about her philosophy, but more specifically about the restaurants overstuffed brown leather couch in the back near the arcade room. The Planinzes, who are both in their mid-30s and have three children together, live above the shop. Last week near closing time, a desperate reporter (who does not work for The New York Times) wandered in. A kind woman at a motel across the street who had no vacancies told him that Glory Days had a couch. Was there any possibility, he asked, that he could throw down a sleeping bag? Of course! The Planinzes initially refused to take any money, though finally they accepted $20. A similar thing happened at the Sage Country Inn, a farmhouse bed-and-breakfast built in 1907 just down the street. I have been happily holed up there in a camper out back, thanks to the take-in-a-stranger kindness of the inns owners, Mike and Corinne Huseby. The Husebys typically have one or two guests over the entire month of January and never, until now, imagined offering the camper let alone anyone being thrilled about taking it. (On a personal note: The space heaters keep the camper toasty, but a midnight trip to the bathroom in Mr. Husebys workshop garage can make you wish you hadnt had that I.P.A. at the Pastime.) AMES, Iowa Tim Recker has been growing corn in this state his whole life, and using his crops to make ethanol almost as long, at first by the jar for his trucks, now by the barrel for the nation. That is in large part because Congress in 2005 mandated that oil refiners blend ethanol into gasoline. When I look out my window and see farms that have built and expanded and improved, its because of the ethanol mandate, Mr. Recker said from his farm in Arlington, Iowa. Mr. Recker, a Republican, said his decision at the presidential caucuses on Monday would be driven by what candidates have said about the 2005 law, which created the Renewable Fuel Standard. But beyond the borders of a state with outsize importance in the selection of presidents, ethanol may be losing its grip on the body politic. Energy policy experts, advocates in the fight on poverty and even other farmers say a law that has been a boon for Iowa has been a boondoggle to the rest of the country. The ethanol mandate has driven up food costs while failing to deliver its promised environmental benefits. Rising domestic oil production and a global energy glut have all but nullified the pitch that ethanol would help wean the country off foreign oil. And now a powerful coalition including oil companies, environmentalists, grocery manufacturers, livestock farmers and humanitarian advocates is pushing Congress to weaken or repeal the mandate. As soon as this week, the Senate could vote on a measure to roll back the Renewable Fuel Standard, just days after the Iowa caucuses close and the issue largely goes to rest for another four years. Apples chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, has led the charge on the other side. He recently told a group of White House officials seeking technology companies voluntary help to counter the Islamic State that the governments efforts to get the keys to encrypted communications would be a boon for hackers and put legitimate business transactions, financial data and personal communications at greater risk. The Harvard study, funded by the Hewlett Foundation, was unusual because it involved technical experts, civil libertarians and officials who are, or have been, on the forefront of counterterrorism. Larry Kramer, the former dean of Stanford Law School, who heads the foundation, noted Friday that until now the policy debate has been impeded by gaps in trust chasms, really between academia, civil society, the private sector and the intelligence community that have impeded the evolution of a safe, open and resilient Internet. Among the chief authors of the report is Matthew G. Olsen, who was a director of the National Counterterrorism Center under Mr. Obama and a general counsel of the National Security Agency. Two current senior officials of the N.S.A. John DeLong, the head of the agencys Commercial Solutions Center, and Anne Neuberger, the agencys chief risk officer are described in the report as core members of the group, but did not sign the report because they could not act on behalf of the agency or the United States government in endorsing its conclusions, government officials said. Encryption is a real problem, and the F.B.I. and intelligence agencies are right to raise it, Mr. Olsen said Sunday. But he noted that in their testimony officials had not described the other technological breaks that are falling their way, nor had they highlighted cases in which they were able to exploit mistakes made by suspects in applying encryption to their messages. Jonathan Zittrain, a professor of law and computer science at Harvard who convened the group, said in an interview that the goal was to have a discussion among people with very different points of view that would move the state of the debate beyond its well-known bumper stickers. We managed to do that in part by thinking of a larger picture, specifically in the unexpected ways that surveillance might be attempted. He noted that in the current stalemate there was little discussion of the ever-expanding Internet of things, where telemetry from teakettles, televisions and light bulbs might prove surprisingly, and worryingly, amenable to subpoena from governments around the world. Responding to criticism of its rampant bombings in Yemen, including a toughly worded appraisal from a United Nations panel that was leaked last week, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting there announced on Sunday the formation of a high-level independent committee to investigate the bombardments, which rights groups have called war crimes. In an announcement reported by Saudi news outlets, the coalition, which has been battling the rebel Houthi movement in Yemen for nearly a year, said the committees objective would be to develop a clear and comprehensive report on each incident with the conclusions, lessons learned, recommendations and measures that should be taken to avoid killing civilians and to respect international law. The coalition also said it was establishing a hotline with Doctors Without Borders, the medical charity, which has expressed outrage over repeated aerial attacks that have hit at least three of its facilities in Yemen in recent months. Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asseri, a spokesman for the coalition in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, told reporters at a news conference, We seriously deal with the United Nations and its agencies. He also said British and American military experts were advising the Saudis on how to improve aerial targeting to minimize risks to civilians. The announcement did not specify who would be part of the independent committee or the time frame for its work, but it did say committee members would be tasked with assessing the coalitions rules of engagement involving citizens during this conflict. The Swan Queen enters the stage to the familiar harp ripples that signal the beginning of the tender Act II pas de deux of Swan Lake. Dressed in a white tutu and feathery headdress, she plunges her arms forward, wrists crossed, in a movement familiar to lovers of this ballet. But the familiarity ends there. Prince Siegfried is nowhere to be seen; this Swan Queen is barefoot and bald; and as Tchaikovskys plaintive violin melody begins, her movements incorporate balletic sweep and the grounded, hip-shaking, stamping notes of African dance. Its a pivotal solo by Dada Masilo in her version of Swan Lake, which arrives on Tuesday at the Joyce Theater after a jubilant reception in Ms. Masilos native South Africa and an extensive tour in Europe, where it has been greeted by rave reviews and packed audiences. Its the first time that a work by Ms. Masilo, 30, has come to New York, although she appeared in the city recently in Refuse the Hour, a performance work by the artist William Kentridge, with whom she has collaborated on film pieces for installations, as well as on live performance work. Weve been everywhere Im so pleased were finally here, Ms. Masilo said in a telephone interview from Amherst, Mass., where her company was midway through its United States tour. On the phone, Ms. Masilo sounds girlish, but her dancing is powerfully muscular and kinetic, and she has been singularly unafraid of tackling issues that are volatile in her home country. Given Irans recent nuclear deal with the West, the lifting of economic sanctions and political maneuvering before this months parliamentary elections (in which hard-liners have tried to disqualify large numbers of moderates and reformists from running), Laura Secors new book about Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution could not be more timely. In Children of Paradise, Ms. Secor who has written about Iran for The New Yorker, The New York Times and Foreign Affairs, among other publications indelibly portrays the journalists, dissidents, reformers and student activists who have fought bravely for their ideals in a country where voicing ones beliefs has often led to imprisonment, torture and death. As described by Ms. Secor, their ordeals often read like Kafkaesque nightmares in which nearly every Iranian was guilty of something that could carry a prison sentence or worse, be punished by death (apostasy, alcohol consumption and crimes against chastity). Or like monstrous fairy tales, complete with secret prisons and miracle rooms, where torture (savage beatings, sexual humiliation, sleep deprivation and mock executions) was used to extract forced confessions. Some of those profiled began as anti-Western militants involved in the taking of American hostages and evolved into proponents of democratic reform. Some began as revolutionaries with the highest hopes of creating a new Islamic state with room for liberal, humanist ideas, only to find themselves in the crosshairs of extremists, intent on cementing their own power and crushing all dissent. Some tried to maintain political viability by trying to triangulate among the many factions in Iranian politics. And some were killed or forced into exile after excruciating stints in prison and threats against their relatives and friends. The E. coli outbreaks at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in the United States appear to be over, but investigators have been unable to trace the cause of the sickness, federal authorities said on Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they had investigated two outbreaks that occurred last year: one in 11 states that sickened 55 people and another that sickened five people in three states. Twenty-two people were admitted to hospitals. There were no deaths. The C.D.C. said in a statement that a common meal or ingredient served at the restaurants was a likely source of the outbreaks, but investigators were unable to specify the food or ingredient responsible for the contamination. Most ill people in these outbreaks ate many of the same food items at a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant, the statement said. When a restaurant serves foods with several ingredients that are mixed or cooked together and then used in multiple menu items, it can be more difficult for epidemiologic studies to identify the specific ingredient that is contaminated. Abbott said on Monday that it had agreed to acquire Alere for an expected $5.8 billion to enhance its diagnostics business. Alere, which had a market value of $3.2 billion as of Friday, makes point of care medical tests that can provide results in a matter of minutes. The company, based in Waltham, Mass., will become a subsidiary of Abbott, which is expecting to have annual diagnostic sales of $7 billion after the transaction closes, according to a statement released by the companies on Monday. We want to offer our customers the best and broadest diagnostics solutions, Miles D. White, chairman and chief executive of Abbott, said in the statement. Alere helps us do that. Alere, which was founded in 2001, said it delivered more than 1.4 billion tests last year, producing annual sales of $2.5 billion half of that from the United States. The company provides tests for H.I.V., tuberculosis, malaria and dengue, as well as the flu and strep. Alcoa has headed off a potential board fight with the activist hedge fund Elliott Management, announcing on Monday that it will add three directors. As part of an agreement between the two sides, Alcoa will put on its board Ulrich Schmidt, the former chief financial officer of Spirit AeroSystems; John C. Plant, the former chief executive of TRW Automotive; and Sean O. Mahoney, a former investment banker who is a director of the car-parts maker Delphi Automotive and of Formula One Holdings. The settlement comes as the aluminum stalwart prepares to divide itself in two, cleaving its commodity side from its metal products business. Elliott, one of the busiest activist investors on Wall Street, emerged as a potential spoiler, disclosing what has become a 7.5 percent stake in the company. Mondays settlement reflects the trend of activists appearing in companies investor roll and not picking a public fight, but instead working behind the scenes for changes and board seats. Such funds, previously known as noisy brawlers, have increasingly preferred to cast themselves as constructive agents of change. A more likely path to pursuing individual officials may be under Michigan law. Bill Schuette, the Republican state attorney general, appointed a former prosecutor who now works as a defense lawyer along with the former head of the Detroit office of the F.B.I. to investigate who was responsible for the contamination, which could reach all the way to Governor Rick Snyders administration. The appointment allows Mr. Schuette to avoid conflict of interest problems related to his office defending state officials in lawsuits arising from water contamination, including a case filed last Wednesday under the Safe Drinking Water Act by a group of pastors and the American Civil Liberties Union, among others. Appointing an independent counsel also gives him a bit of political cover: The New York Times has reported that he is likely to run for governor in 2018 to succeed Mr. Snyder. Michigan law allows for the prosecution of public officials for misconduct in office under a statute that permits charges based on common law crimes that are not otherwise included in any statute. This crime dates to England before the American Revolution, and is defined by the courts as corrupt behavior by an officer in the exercise of the duties of his office. The breadth of this offense is alarming, at least for those involved in any of the decisions regarding Flints water or the response to reports of contamination. The Michigan Court of Appeals explained in People v. Coutu that this crime encompasses malfeasance, which is the doing of a wrongful act, misfeasance, which is the doing of a lawful act in a wrongful manner, and nonfeasance, which is the failure to do an act required by the duties of the office. A violation requires more than negligence, so the government would have to prove the officials misconduct was done intentionally. What the crime does not require, however, is showing that the person gained anything from the conduct, or even that the person intended any harm. Failing to fulfill the duties of office or acting wrongfully, even if not illegally, can result in a felony conviction. This crime is charged with some regularity in Michigan. Cases have been filed against police officers for not adequately investigating illegal activity at a strip club and the former mayor of Detroit, Kwame M. Kilpatrick, for lying about an affair with his chief of staff in his testimony in a whistle-blower lawsuit. Just as the Iowa caucuses, the first official test of the 2016 presidential election, begin, and with the New Hampshire primary looming next week, a new study has been released that looks at the candidates and their appeal in a somewhat different light. To be specific: a fashion light. On Monday, the Global Language Monitor, a Texas-based company that tracks word usage online, unveiled its first presidential candidates fashion study, which ranks perceptions of the candidates according to the following categories: presidential style, off-the-rack style, pret-a-porter (designer) style and overall style. The company says the results were culled from billions of web pages, millions of blogs, the top 375,000 global print and electronic media, and new social media formats across the English-speaking linguasphere. And the overall winner is Donald Trump! By a wide margin. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas came in second, followed closely by Hillary Clinton, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Jeb Bush. An emergency designation from the W.H.O. can prompt action and funding from governments and nonprofits around the world. It elevates the agency to the position of global coordinator and gives its decisions the force of international law. It could also help standardize surveillance of new cases across countries something that Dr. David L. Heymann, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who chaired the emergency committee, said was critical to getting control over the virus. The global health agency is trying to strike a balance between alerting the public and scaring it. Zika symptoms are mild or even nonexistent in most people. Overreaction could have the effect of punishing countries that are experiencing epidemics, experts say, for example, through restrictions on travel, trade or tourism that could hurt economies. The thrust of Mondays meeting which was held by teleconference and included presentations from officials of the affected countries was a renewed emphasis on research to determine whether Zika can cause microcephaly. Dr. Heymann said afterward that he could not discuss the evidence that was presented in a confidential meeting. But he underscored that committee members were mostly concerned that the research efforts, unfolding in multiple countries, were not coordinated. The research needs to be pulled together instead of different groups doing different things in their own corners, Dr. Heymann said in a telephone interview. He added that the committee members were pretty unanimous in their decision to recommend emergency status. Dr. Chan said new case control studies on the connection between Zika and microcephaly will start in the next two weeks. Can you imagine if we do not do all this work now and wait until all the scientific evidence comes out, people will say why didnt you take action? said Dr. Chan, who is trying to cast the agency as a global leader to revive its reputation after a faltering response during the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. LONG after the dust settles in Iowa and New Hampshire, and even the 2016 campaign itself one question will remain: Why, after decades of supporting the liberal and conservative establishments, did the white middle-class abandon them? Wherever Donald J. Trump and Bernie Sanders end up, their candidacies represent a major shift in American politics. Since World War II our political culture has been organized around the needs, fears and aspirations of white middle-class voters in ways that also satisfied the interests of the rich and powerful. Thats no longer true. As we know, the rich are now quite a bit richer. In itself, this need not disrupt the old political consensus. More decisive is the fact that the white middle class is in decline, both economically and culturally. This story of decline is often told in racial and ethnic terms: White America is being displaced by a multicultural America, and especially on the right, voters are retreating to racist posturing. There may be some truth to this story, but for the most part its a huge distraction. In fact, the real cleavage is not interracial, but intra-racial: The populism were seeing stems entirely from the collision of whites who flourish in the global economy and amid the cultural changes of the last 50 years with those who dont. In what sometimes seems to be a race to the bottom among European countries to see who can be the least welcoming to asylum seekers, Denmark last week adopted an appallingly cruel strategy: stealing from people fleeing war. A law approved by the Danish legislators allows immigration authorities to seize valuable items, including jewelry and cash, to offset the cost of resettling them. The law is Denmarks latest effort to repel Syrians and other refugees. Last year, the Danish government published ads in Arabic and English in Lebanese newspapers announcing that it had cut social programs for asylum seekers by 50 percent. The ads warned that those who managed to slip in and apply for asylum would be kicked out of the country quickly if their petitions were rejected. When the ads didnt stop the human tide, lawmakers introduced a bill to lengthen the amount of time refugees admitted to Denmark would have to wait to sponsor close relatives for immigration from one year to three. That bill, which passed with strong support last Tuesday, also allows the immigration authorities to confiscate jewelry and other valuable items worth $1,450 or more. Denmark has absorbed a significant number of refugees. It admitted roughly 20,000 asylum seekers last year, making the nation of 5.6 million one of the top recipients of refugees per capita in Europe. But, like many other Western nations, it is panicking about the costs and burdens of the largest displacement crisis since World War II. The United States, for instance, has admitted only 2,647 of the more than 4.5 million Syrians who have been displaced by war. Several Republican candidates have preposterously promised to ban all Muslims from traveling to the United States. Italys decision to cover up the nudes at the Capitoline Museum in deference to the sensibilities of the visiting Glasgow-educated Iranian president has been widely interpreted as final proof of the capitulation of Western civilization to theocratic Islam. It was, Hisham Melhem, a columnist for Al Arabiya English, suggested, a brazen act of self-emasculation and obeisance. If Italy, inheritor of the glories of the Roman Empire, boxes up some of its finest works of art just in case the eye of President Hassan Rouhani should fall on the plum-like breast of a marble goddess, then nobody should be surprised if Islamic fanatics (Sunni, not Shiite, but still) choose to destroy the glorious Greco-Roman legacy at Palmyra. Or so the reasoning goes. As a consequence of Boxgate, Italy has suffered ridicule. Nothing is worse than ridicule. Here it is merited. Not so much, I would argue, for Italys clumsy attempt at courtesy, for courtesy is important and has become an undervalued virtue. Reading the fall of the West into the concealment of a nude is going too far. Mistakes happen. The case remained stalled because President Alberto Fujimoris government had passed an amnesty law giving immunity to military personnel implicated in human rights abuses during the emergency. It was not until 2001, when a truth commission was appointed, that the Peruvian government finally agreed to investigate 165 cases, including the murder of Mr. Bustios. In 2007, a court sentenced two officers for the crime; but in 2009, one of those convicted implicated General Urresti as having taken part in the killing. General Urresti denies the charges, and insists that the prosecution is politically motivated designed to block his presidential ambitions. For her part, Ms. Villaran has said that, despite past doubts, she is now convinced of her running mates innocence. I had never seen the general in person until last December, when I testified at his trial, but he has been a controversial public figure in Peru for some time. In 2014, he was appointed interior minister by President Ollanta Humala who was himself an army officer during the dirty war even though the general was already under investigation for the Bustios assassination. He lasted only eight months in that post forced to resign after criticism of police brutality during protests last year. Yet General Urrestis combative style in television appearances made him popular. By perverse coincidence, the court is expected to give its verdict in the Urresti case just as Peruvians go to the polls in the first round of Aprils elections. Voters thus face not only the bizarre prospect of a presidential candidate who alternates campaigning with televised court appearances, but also the theoretical possibility of an elected president governing from prison. He is unlikely to win, but that may not be the prime objective of his candidacy. By anointing General Urresti as his political successor, Mr. Humala seemed to exculpate a suspect under indictment. Perus judges are not renowned for their independence and integrity; the presidential endorsement can certainly be seen as an attempt to influence the course of justice and indeed could compromise the trials impartiality. The effort to install an ally in office may be a quid pro quo for the departing president. The first lady, Nadine Heredia, is under investigation by prosecutors on possible charges of money laundering undeclared campaign funds and of transferring millions of dollars into secret personal bank accounts overseas. (The president himself has immunity from prosecution, which could only be lifted by an act of Congress after he leaves office.) Mr. Humala will leave the presidency with miserably low approval ratings; his sponsorship of the candidacy of General Urresti could be seen as a desperate final attempt to shore up his political standing. It goes without saying that those who aspire to high public office should be free from suspicion of criminal conduct. That is clearly not so in the Urresti case, and that undermines Perus fragile democracy. Worse, General Urrestis candidacy seriously interferes with the administration of justice. That subverts Perus decades-long struggle to come to terms with its dark past of crimes against humanity. These women are wrestling with the same question we all try to answer when we vote. At the end of the day, whats more important in a candidate character as demonstrated over time, or policy positions, which can (and do) blow with the wind? BILL BRADFORD Maplewood, N.J. To the Editor: I was on that cruise sponsored by The Nation that Gail Sheehy writes about. And while people were passionate about politics (as Nation readers tend to be), there was absolutely no vitriol on display. Ms. Sheehy is, of course, entitled to her feeling that she was being shunned as a traitor to the progressive cause. But I can assure your readers that no one on the Nation cruise or at the magazine thinks of Hillary Clinton as evil incarnate. And while its probably true that a large majority of those on the cruise favored Bernie Sanders, all of those I encountered did so because they agreed with his political views for much the same reasons, in fact, that The Nation endorsed the senator several weeks later. His campaign to tell Americans the truth about a rigged system that works for the very few and not the many has already transformed the 2016 election and demonstrated that a different kind of politics is possible. KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL New York The writer is editor and publisher of The Nation. To the Editor: Gail Sheehys essay about Hillary Clinton breaks my heart. There is a deep-seated misogyny in the hearts and minds of too many men (and, sad to say, some women as well). Hillary Clinton has been a target most of her adult life, and yet she has continued to stick her neck out, time and again, to say what she believes is right. The current vitriol aimed at her from most of the Republican candidates is astounding. But, in addition to giving voice to their fear of women, they are also doing something very clever. By attacking Mrs. Clinton so viciously, they are, along with conservative media and financiers, trying to ensure that Bernie Sanders is the Democratic nominee, believing that he will be easier to defeat in the 2016 election. Mrs. Clintons candidacy is a too rare opportunity to elect someone, of any gender, who stands tall on so many of the important national and international issues of today, including, but certainly not limited to, issues of gender equality. The latest exhibit at the National Museum of Mathematics in Manhattan was supposed to have been put on display last fall, except it was not quite working. Its called Beaver Run, but the way things were going, Beaver Derailment would have been more accurate. We could have opened it, and it would have been unsatisfactory, said Cindy Lawrence, the executive director of the museum, popularly known as MoMath. So the museum decided to gnaw at the problem a while longer. The concept is straightforward. Two mechanical beavers move along winding tracks, which visitors can reconfigure using a panel of 24 knobs. Each twist of a knob causes a corresponding turntable to pivot 90 degrees, and that switches the connections between segments of track. Carnivorous plants stir the imagination. You can find the results in science fiction novels (The Day of the Triffids), Broadway plays(Little Shop of Horrors) and in recent research that concludes that the Venus flytrap can count. Not out loud, of course. And no one is claiming that the plants are aware that they are counting. But even so, this is the first time someone has demonstrated counting in a plant, according to the researcher who led the experiments, Rainer Hedrich at the University of Wurzburg, in Germany. Dr. Hedrich, Jennifer Bohm and Sonke Scherzer, all at Wurzburg, and a team of other scientists reported their research in Current Biology. Venus flytraps are carnivorous. They live in poor soil and pull needed nutrients from the insects they trap and dissolve. Their trap is a pair of leaves that act as jaws and stomach. The plan called for 30 dropsondes, and the crew released a few during the long flight down to the convection zone and then picked up the pace as the plane headed west. A brief whooshing noise was the only indication that a sonde had been released. The cylindrical tubes, which weigh about a pound, are simply sucked out of the plane by the difference in pressure between the cabin and the outside air, and quickly sink when they hit the water about 15 minutes later. Data starts streaming in almost immediately once a dropsonde leaves the plane, and is displayed in real time on a few of the several computer screens in the cabin, including the one manned by Richard Henning, the other flight director. Mr. Henning, who like Mr. Holmes is a meteorologist, makes sure the data is clean with his practiced eye, he can quickly tell if a sensor has malfunctioned or the sonde has otherwise provided unusable data before sending it off in several forms, including a condensed format that can be immediately fed into models around the world. Elsewhere in the cabin, crew members made sure all the planes electronics were running properly and monitored the Doppler radar. Mr. Holmes, Dr. Spackman and the aircraft commander, Ron Moyers, talked from time to time about course changes designed to get closer to the convection to obtain better data. After two and a half hours of flying west, it was time to turn to the northeast and head back to Honolulu, still three hours away. The pace of work slowed again, with only a few dropsondes left to release. Mr. Henning and Dr. Spackman took time to look over some of the dropsonde data. They saw winds coming out of the top of the convective cell and blowing toward the northwest. Earths rotation, Dr. Spackman said, would make that wind curve to the east, where it would no doubt join up with the Pacific jet stream that was affecting the West Coast. Dr. Spackman seemed pleased despite the change in plans. We did a lot of good science today, he said. Join us for live coverage of the Iowa caucuses. Voters in Iowa will cast the first ballots of the 2016 presidential election in caucuses across the state on Monday. Polls show a close race in both Democratic and Republican contests. Hillary Clinton is leading Bernie Sanders by around three percentage points, and Donald Trump is ahead of Ted Cruz by a more comfortable eight-point margin. Marco Rubio holds a strong third place in the Republican race at around 15 percent. Heres a guide to understanding the results. Watch the Turnout Polling, of course, is not perfect. Its more challenging in primaries than in general elections, because there are far more undecided voters and turnout is more unpredictable. Its even harder in an early caucus; the turnout is especially variable and the views of voters are unsettled between many more candidates than remain in later states. It would not be particularly surprising if either Mr. Cruz or Mr. Sanders went on to win tonight. Turnout is a critical question in both races, and polls always struggle to anticipate the composition of the electorate. Polls show Mr. Cruz and Mrs. Clinton faring well among traditional caucus-goers, and Mr. Sanders and Mr. Trump faring best among those with no prior participation. He deemed it not suspicious; it will be up to insurance investigators to assess the damage and determine the cause. On a cold, gray afternoon last week, Mr. Edwards was holed up with those investigators, working out of the trailer that usually serves as the companys lunchroom and is now a makeshift office. His national sales manager was hunched over a laptop, filling orders. (The company, which typically ships about 50,000 hams a year, still has 14,000 in cold storage off site.) His plant superintendent was drawing up lists of equipment and inventory. His son, Samuel Wallace Edwards IV, who goes by Sammy, had been digging through the rubble with the maintenance manager, J. C. Judkins III, looking for the old smokehouse key. The younger Mr. Edwards, 26, cradled it in his hands. It was charred but intact. Mr. Judkins, a burly man in a knitted cap, fought back tears. Its not one of those things you can find the words for, he said. This is all extended family. Mr. Edwards is more stoic than tearful. Yet there is an image he cannot get out of his mind: a photograph taken as his company burned down. Part of the sign that read EDWARDS had dropped off, leaving only four letters: D-A-D-S. He wondered, he said, if his father and grandfather were talking to him. He could almost hear them saying, This was my place. At night, Mr. Bostian said it was difficult to see where the curve began. It would be easy to hit the curve a little bit hot by 5 or 10 miles an hour if you werent being careful and looking very carefully at the cues because it can sneak up on you, he said. In one safety board report, officials noted that Mr. Bostian said he did not look for speed restriction signs near the tracks because he believed they were sometimes missing or wrong. A footnote explained that Amtrak said the permanent speed restriction sign for the curve where the derailment took place was properly displayed with the correct speed of 50 m.p.h. The report said Mr. Bostian tested negative for drugs and alcohol, had not been under high levels of stress and had not been given a diagnosis of a sleep disorder. In January 2015 he had Lasik eye surgery and no longer wore glasses, the report said. Lawyers representing people killed or injured in the derailment said on Monday it was significant that Mr. Bostian had acknowledged that he was accelerating the train. The victims of the crash are still struggling to understand why the crash happened, said Robert J. Mongeluzzi, one of the lawyers. Nowhere in the 2,200 pages of documents is there any justification for why Brandon Bostian was going 106 miles per hour, he said. Investigators examined Mr. Bostians cellphone and found no evidence that he was using it at the time of the crash. They have also focused on reports that two trains in the area were struck by flying objects on the night of the accident. On Sunday night, an Acela train traveling from Washington to New York was struck by an object around 7 p.m., not far from the site of the derailment in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia. Amtrak is investigating the incident, which did not lead to injuries to the passengers or the crew, said Craig Schulz, a spokesman. WASHINGTON When the Supreme Court returns from its winter break this month, it will hear two minor cases and reach a major anniversary. Unless something very surprising happens during the arguments that day, Justice Clarence Thomas will have gone 10 years without asking a question from the bench. Maintaining a decade-long vow of silence takes monkish dedication and a certain stamina, and Justice Thomas has no modern competition. It has been at least 45 years since any other member of the court went even a single term without asking a question. Justice Thomass explanations for his disengagement from this aspect of the courts work have varied, but he seems to have settled on one in recent years. It is simply discourteous, he says, to pepper lawyers with questions. I think its unnecessary in deciding cases to ask that many questions, and I dont think its helpful, he said at Harvard Law School in 2013. I think we should listen to lawyers who are arguing their cases, and I think we should allow the advocates to advocate. The debate over widening inequality, and what to do about it, has gradually moved toward the center of the political agenda and fueled populist movements on the left and the right in many nations. But in the United States where a competitive political campaign requires huge sums of money, and wealth or access to it is increasingly a prerequisite for entry the debate has become supercharged. Voters in both parties find themselves wondering whether anyone is looking out for the little guy, even as a candidate like Donald J. Trump suggests that it is precisely his wealth that liberates him from the influence of special interests. So it is fair to ask whether a politicians personal bankroll should be taken into account by voters as a predictor of how he or she might lead. A growing body of research has addressed the extent to which wealth, behavior and policy are linked. Join us for live coverage of the Iowa caucuses. The Iowa caucuses signal the official start to the 2016 presidential nominating process, and an end to months of candidates courtship of voters in the state. While a victory in Iowa does not always lead to a candidate capturing the nomination, it often provides a significant boost to the top finishers and has the potential to reorder dynamics of the race. Heres some background and a look ahead: Why Iowa? The caucuses have been taking place in Iowa for decades, but in 1972 they became the first contest in the nominating process. The Democratic Party made rule changes that required the state to move its caucuses earlier after problems at the 1968 Democratic National Convention led to a desire for more transparency in the delegate allocation process. Jimmy Carters strong showing in 1976 was credited with catapulting him into the presidency and with giving Iowans their special influence. What is at stake? Besides momentum, there are some delegates to be won. Democrats allocate 44 delegates though none of them will be bound to any candidate as a result and there are 30 at stake for Republicans. They are awarded proportionally based on the outcome of the caucuses and Democratic candidates need to win at least 15 percent of the votes statewide to be eligible to secure any of the delegates. How prescient are Iowans? The Republican winner has not gone on to win the nomination since George W. Bush in 2000. Iowans kicked off Senator Barack Obamas upstart presidential bid with a win in 2008. Now, it seems, the marriage of entertainment and politics has been fully consummated producing a hail of yo-momma jokes, boot bashing, birtherism, illicit peeks at voter data, cellphone destruction (in a blender) and campaign messaging communicated via YouTube comedy clip. A few nights ago, Mr. Cruz, the Princeton grad and Texan, walked into the lobby of a hotel here still swaddled in his winter coat and scarf whipped out his iPhone and previewed a future Twitter post: a Monty Python video that he used to mock the cowardice of his chief rival. That would be Donald J. Trump, who hours earlier had withdrawn from a Republican debate to protest the presence of a moderator, Megyn Kelly, whom he might or might not have accused of menstruating onstage during their first run-in. All the while, the onetime Trump slayer, Carly Fiorina, has slipped into polling oblivion, dashing Republican dreams of a businesswoman with Clinton-esque gravity and none of the political headaches. In recent weeks, she has by turns rooted against her alma mater in the Rose Bowl (because it was playing the University of Iowa), pledged $2 million to charity if Mr. Trump agreed to debate her (because a super PAC supporting Mr. Cruz had offered $1.5 million) and quipped that she actually enjoyed spending time with her husband, unlike another woman in this race. KADUNA, Nigeria It was a particularly brutal raid, the kind that had become rare in recent months. Dozens of homes were burned to the ground. Children were abducted and carried off into the bush. People seeking refuge under a familiar tree were blown up by a suicide bomber who had infiltrated their ranks. The suspected perpetrator is a familiar foe to this part of northeastern Nigeria: Boko Haram, the militant Islamic group that has carried out dozens of attacks across the region in recent years. On Monday, government officials raised the death toll of the weekend rampage to 65 people, with twice that number injured. Residents of Dalori, the site of the latest attack, said the death toll was even higher, with as many as 100 dead. Boko Haram has marauded across northern Nigeria for years, killing thousands of civilians, burning entire villages and kidnapping hundreds of women and girls crimes that came long before the group declared allegiance to the Islamic State last year. Nigeria and its neighbors have struck back, chasing the militants out of villages they had seized. The military campaign has been so effective, according to Nigerias president, Muhammadu Buhari, that he recently declared the group technically defeated. His key evidence: the military had reclaimed territory from fighters in northern Nigeria roughly the size of the state of Maryland. Even so, the group has launched attacks at a relentless pace across northern Nigeria and neighboring countries in recent weeks, including an assault in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, in late December. But its recent attacks, while deadly, have been relatively simple, carried out by suicide bombers who often hide explosives under religious gowns or in bags of vegetables. Mr. Buharis supporters cite the tactic as evidence that the group is grasping for relevance after being scattered by the military. Then, over the weekend, the group appeared to go back to its old playbook: storming a town with multiple fighters and leaving a path of destruction. Militants descended on Dalori, a small village just outside of Maiduguri, on Saturday evening, unleashing a torrent of gunfire and setting homes ablaze as suicide bombers attacked fleeing residents, according to witnesses and officials. And while government and military officials maintain that they have wrested control of territory from Boko Haram, a handful of people have been showing up in Maiduguri recently, saying their villages have been overtaken as well. Analysts warn that the war against Boko Haram may have shifted, but it is far from over. Residents point to painful reminders that the group is very much alive. The nearly 300 schoolgirls it abducted from the village of Chibok in 2014 are still missing, they note, and neither the government nor the military know where they are. This weekend in Dalori, witnesses said that fighters rampaged through the village for hours, and some residents complained that the authorities had not arrived fast enough to help fight the attackers. In a news release, military officials reassured residents of the commitment of the military to apprehend and deal with the perpetrators. Hours before the attack this weekend, the military announced several aerial bombings of the Sambisa Forest, where fighters are believed to be hiding. The challenge comes at a particularly bad time for Nigeria. The country faces mounting economic problems because of the falling price of oil, on which its economy is heavily reliant, and it will need to find a way to deal with major budget gaps. KABUL, Afghanistan A Taliban suicide bomber struck near a Kabul police complex on Monday, killing at least 20 police officers and wounding 29 people, Afghan officials said, in the latest of a rapid-fire series of militant attacks on the capital this year. The attack came as the American military issued a grim confirmation of the wars toll on the Afghan security forces, saying that casualties among Afghan soldiers and police officers had risen by almost a third in 2015, compared with a record casualty rate in 2014 that some officials then considered unsustainable. Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said the attack on Monday happened near the gate of the National Civil Order Police. Witnesses said the bomber had walked up to a line of visitors waiting for a security check and detonated his explosives. A statement from a Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the bomber had targeted the complex as a large group of police officers was leaving. Its easy to live an intensely Muslim life here, said Ma Habibu, 67, a retired truck driver, whose surname, Ma, with its phonetic resemblance to the name Mohammed, is common among the Hui. Even government officials here are very devout and study the Quran every day. Descendants of Persian and Arab traders who settled along the Silk Road and took Chinese wives, the nations 10 million Hui are a minority primarily defined by their faith and, in some cases, solely their culinary habits. Compared with the Uighurs, they have also demonstrated a remarkable ability to coexist with the Communist Party, an organization hard-wired to distrust those whose first loyalty belongs to a higher power. Unlike the Uighurs, who speak a Turkic dialect and whose Eurasian features set them apart from the countrys Han Chinese majority, the Hui speak Chinese and are often indistinguishable from their non-Muslim neighbors. In much of China, the white caps worn by men and the head scarves worn by women are all that give them away. In many places, the Hui have so thoroughly assimilated that their only connection to Islam is a vestigial aversion to pork. Most subscribe to a moderate brand of Islam, though tradition frowns upon intermarriage Hui men who break convention by marrying outside the faith often demand that their wives convert to Islam. Their loyalty to the Communist Party has been well rewarded. In places like Linxia, people can easily obtain passports and about half of the senior officials are ethnic Hui, according to local residents. In Xinjiang, by contrast, most important government posts go to the Han, and young Uighurs find it hard to get passports to travel abroad. Government workers in Xinjiang who go to mosques or fast during the holy month of Ramadan often find themselves unemployed. Myanmars first freely elected Parliament after half a century of military rule opened on Monday, a symbolic but critical milestone in the countrys fragile transition to democracy, and a moment long awaited by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the nations democracy movement. Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi entered the parliamentary chambers in Naypyidaw, the capital, through a side door. The chamber was swathed in orange the color of her National League for Democracy Party, which overwhelmingly won a landmark election on Nov. 8. The military, as part of a complex political transition that has unfolded since 2010, retains 25 percent of the seats in both houses; its members wore green uniforms. At least 110 of the partys 390 members in the new Parliament are, like Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, former political prisoners. They were formally installed on Monday following an unusually jubilant celebration on Friday, with karaoke singing and dancing, to mark the end of the military-led Parliament. The honeymoon period will be brief, U Aung Zaw, an influential journalist who returned to Myanmar in 2012 after 24 years in exile, wrote on Monday on the website of his publication, The Irrawaddy. All the hard work lies ahead. In the rarefied galaxy of restaurants that have received the Michelin guides highest honor, three stars, Benoit Violiers, in Switzerland, was by one measure the most glittering. Only two months ago his establishment, the Restaurant de lHotel de Ville in Crissier, near Lausanne, was designated the best restaurant in the world in La Liste, rankings commissioned by the French Foreign Ministry an honor that only added luster to the glory of French chefs (he was born in France) in the face of competition from plucky foreign rivals. But on Monday, his friends and associates in the restaurant industry were groping to understand why Mr. Violier, at 44, had apparently shot himself to death over the weekend at his home in Crissier. And they asked whether he was the latest victim of a high-pressure world that demands perfection, shuns signs of weakness and promotes a culture where culinary demigods can be demoted with the stroke of a pen. Mr. Violier, a perfectionist known for his acumen in cooking game, ran the Restaurant de lHotel de Ville with his wife, Brigitte. It has been awarded three Michelin stars and in December took the No. 1 spot in La Liste, Frances ranking of 1,000 restaurants in 48 countries. A listing, out-of-control cargo ship on a collision course with the French coast has been rotated away from danger, French maritime officials said on Monday. The ship, the Modern Express, had been adrift in the Bay of Biscay between Spain and France since early last week, when it began tilting severely to its starboard side, prompting an aerial rescue of its 22 crew members. Since then, rough seas have thwarted attempts to attach a towline to the vessel a Panamanian-flagged ship that could be used to steer it back out to sea. On Friday, specialists succeeded in attaching a line, only to see it snap when powerful waves applied too much strain. GENEVA The United Nations top human rights official urged Turkey on Monday to investigate a report that the army shot unarmed civilians in the mainly Kurdish southeast, and expressed alarm at a crackdown on journalists and critics of the countrys government. Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, said Turkish authorities should open an independent investigation of the shooting in the southeastern town of Cizre. The events were captured by what Mr. al-Hussein called an extremely shocking film by a Turkish journalist, which appears to show a group of people, some holding white flags, being shot at while they pushed a cart carrying bodies in view of an armored vehicle. Two people were said to have been killed and nine others wounded in the episode about 10 days ago. The wounded included the journalist who had filmed the shooting, Refik Tekin. The local prosecutors office has issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Tekin, alleging that he is a member of a unnamed terrorist organization. ROME President Obamas envoy to the American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State said Monday that he had just completed a two-day weekend trip in Syria, the first known visit by a senior United States official since the coalition began airstrikes there in 2014. The envoy, Brett McGurk, said that he had spent a day touring Kobani, the small border town where Kurdish fighters backed by heavy American bombing repelled an invasion by Islamic State fighters almost exactly a year ago. Mr. McGurk said he had toured other places in northern Syria as well to evaluate the success of the campaign to defeat the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Mr. McGurk and officials from the Defense Department met with what he described as a very diverse array of committed fighters in the anti-ISIL campaign, including Arab, Kurdish, Christian and Turkmen leaders, as part of a long-planned trip to the region. The news of Mr. McGurks trip was expected to draw a hostile reaction from the government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, which regards such visits as a violation of Syrias sovereignty. United States The White House is extremely eager to begin the talks in earnest, and to yield something that resembles a path to ending the war As Mr. Kerry signaled in his speech, and as American officials have argued all along, the longer the war in Syria, the more fertile the ground for the militant Islamic State group to thrive and spread across the region. For the Obama administration, and particularly for Mr. Kerry, it is also a legacy issue. The administration is eager to rebut criticism that it has not exerted enough effort to ease the suffering of Syrians, and pictures of starving children in besieged Syrian towns do not help. Getting food aid into the stricken areas has become an imperative. The United Nations says the Syrian government is responsible for most of the towns under siege, with about 187,000 trapped inside, deprived of food and medicine. Mr. Kerrys statement on Sunday appeared to publicly step up pressure on Russia, the most powerful backer of the government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. The international community must be united in pressing for compliance. Both governments that are supporting the opposition and especially governments that are supporting Bashar al-Assad, whose forces control the vast majority of territory under siege have this obligation also, the statement said. Russia The Russian news agency Tass has reported that Mr. Kerry spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergey V. Lavrov, on Saturday and that the two men agreed on the need to settle humanitarian issues in the initial phase of the talks. The talks would never have gotten off the ground without Russian approval. But what Russia wants out of them, and when, remains unclear. Moscow has been carrying out airstrikes to help Syrian government forces for the past four months, and the Kremlin is accused by its opponents of intensifying the strikes in recent weeks to improve its negotiating position. But when it is ready to extract itself from the battlefield, it needs to have a political process underway, and a way to make a deal. Also, diplomats speculate perhaps optimistically that being involved in bringing peace to Syria offers Russia an enormous opportunity to rehabilitate itself diplomatically. It can be seen as a peace broker rather than a rule breaker. GENEVA Declaring the official beginning of the first Syria peace talks in two years, the United Nations mediator said Monday that they must show results to the countrys suffering civilians and he called on the outside powers that are helping drive the conflict to take steps to reduce the violence. The mediator, Staffan de Mistura, also said his most important objective now was to keep both sides talking even if they are not talking directly to each other. Mr. de Mistura, a veteran Swedish-Italian diplomat with a four-decade career at the United Nations and its third mediator in the Syria war considered the negotiations underway after he met for two hours with members of Syrias opposition delegation at the organizations Geneva headquarters. He had met with the Syrian government representatives here on Friday. Speaking to reporters afterward, Mr. de Mistura emphasized that he was paying attention to the calls by opposition representatives for an end to airstrikes, relief from sieges, and a release of political prisoners. Until six months ago, Imam Khalid Latif, a chaplain of the New York Police Department and the executive director of the Islamic Center at New York University, did not own a dining table. With his wife, Priya Chandra, and their daughter, Madina, now 3, he made do with eating on the couch or the floor, just as he had as a bachelor chaplain in residence living in the same N.Y.U. dormitory apartment. An island once stood in the open kitchen, effectively functioning as a hall closet. We threw our clothes on the stools, Ms. Chandra said. Days before their son, Kareem, was born, with half the apartment under renovation, the table arrived from Macys. Its particulars (acacia wood, dark rustic finish) mattered less than simply having a place to sit and eat together. Theres nothing subtle about the heart-shaped baguettes that Kamel Saci, the baker at Il Buco Alimentari, will sell on Feb. 13 and 14. The choices are sprouted grain, savory Parmesan and an earthy double chocolate called Mon Cheri thats sweetly fruity with amaretto-soaked cherries. You can order them in advance: Heart-shaped baguettes, $5 each, Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria, 53 Great Jones Street (Bowery), 212-837-2622, ilbucovineria.com. Image Credit... Caitlin Ochs for The New York Times To Munch: Not the Usual Super Bowl Snack Instead of the inevitable chicken wings, treat your Super Bowl guests to crackling chicken skin snacks. Ken Oringer, a chef and owner of Toro on the edge of Chelsea, bakes the skin until crisp and spreads it with Spanish pimento cheese for little bocadillo sandwiches. To make them at home, place pieces of chicken skin seasoned with salt and pepper atop a layer of parchment on a rimmed sheet pan, cover with more parchment and weigh down with another pan. Bake for about 50 minutes at 325 degrees until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and cut into two-inch squares. I used the skin from eight chicken thighs, which gave me 32 nicely uniform pieces of crisp skin, and froze the thighs for future use. I set up two pans on two oven racks, reversing them halfway through the baking. The skin shrinks during the baking. I left my sandwiches open-faced, which Mr. Oringer endorsed, and topped some with blue cheese softened with mayonnaise garnished with a morsel of celery as a nod to those wings. Image Credit... Tony Cenicola/The New York Times To Observe: Chocolates for the Lunar New Year A wooden box stamped with a good-luck seal, secured with a ribbon and packed with Asian-flavored bonbons is a festive token for the Lunar New Year (Year of the Monkey) starting Monday. The chocolatier Michael Klug uses ingredients like lemongrass, mango, Lapsang souchong tea, plum wine and five-spice: $24 to $75 through Feb. 18, L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates, 5 East 20th Street and elsewhere, 800-229-2419, burdickchocolate.com. Who constitutes a homegrown jihadist, and what distinguishes the terrorist attack in San Bernardino from the mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School? In post-9/11 America, questions like these shape our national discourse on terrorism, law enforcement and public safety. Peter Bergen, CNNs national security analyst and the author of four other books on terrorism, addresses these and other salient questions in his excellent new United States of Jihad: Investigating Americas Homegrown Terrorists. Bergen seeks to understand why some Americans choose to become jihadists, how our institutions have responded to terrorism and how American society has been changed by terrorist threats. Terrorism has long existed in this country Bergen describes the 1970s as the golden age of terrorism in the United States but the horrific attacks of Sept. 11 and the loss of nearly 3,000 lives on American soil were to earlier terrorist attacks as a tsunami is to a high tide. Just as a tsunami leaves a landscape forever altered once it retreats, so too has Sept. 11 fundamentally changed America. The difficulty Bergen faces in mapping and analyzing post-9/11 homegrown terrorism is the ever shifting, contemporaneous terrain of his subject its a bit like writing a history of the 1960s while the Beatles are still singing. Nonetheless, Bergens book is the best one-volume treatment available on the current state of jihad in America. A jihadist is one who adopts militant, violent beliefs to further bin Ladenism, itself an ideology that dictates the restoration of a Taliban-style caliphate that will stretch across the Muslim world from Indonesia to Morocco. Almost all of the jihadists Bergen depicts are converts to Salafism, an ultrafundamentalist branch of Sunni Islam; as Bergen relates, their Salafism became increasingly politicized. For them, politics and theology merge with the caliphate. At the same time, however, many of the 330 militants whom Bergen studied are well educated, a large percentage are married or have children, and a number of those he portrays come from middle- or upper-class households. Their very ordinariness is one of the many obstacles to the early detection of terrorist threats. The dozen or so cases Bergen selects to illustrate jihad in America are wide-ranging and include Faisal Shahzad, who parked a bomb-loaded S.U.V. in Times Square in 2010; Zachary Chesser, who incited an online plot against the creators of South Park; and Najibullah Zazi, who joined a Qaeda plot to blow up the New York subway system in 2009. Jihad in America has evolved over time, and as Bergen demonstrates, a recent key mutation in its evolution is leaderless jihad, which has grown as a threat even as leader-led jihad efforts remain serious. For example, Zazi and Shahzad, as well as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called Underwear Bomber who tried to detonate a bomb aboard a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas 2009, were leader-led jihadists directed from overseas. Plots like these that involve travel and communications are difficult, but not always impossible, to interrupt. And although Bergen neither overlooks nor excuses the many mistakes made by American security agencies, he also explains how leader-led plots that might have been successful in the past are now compromised, whether because of the force multiplier effect of greater intelligence sharing (the British tipped off Americans to Zazi); or the publicity given to the efforts of law enforcement and government agencies to connect with commercial vendors whose products might be purchased by would-be terrorists (Shahzad bought a less incendiary fertilizer so that his purchase would not trigger suspicion); or the American security apparatus, which continually adjusts when a new tactic emerges. Leaderless lone wolves present different challenges for law enforcement than do leader-led jihadists, and Bergen correlates their recent rise with the long reach of the Internet. As Bergen writes, a new generation of English-speaking, Internet-savvy jihadists is now just a mouse click away; he quotes a study that terrorist websites increased to more than 4,000 in 2006 from a dozen in the 1990s. Print publications like the 1980s magazine Jihad gave way to online forums, encrypted emails and webzines, which are now complemented by the social media channels that ISIS deftly manipulates. In 2010, Samir Khan, a young man in Yemen, who had been a typical teenager while growing up in the United States, started Inspire, an online magazine written in colloquial American English that transformed the delivery of jihadist propaganda over the Internet (early on, British intelligence officials hacked it and swapped out its recipes for bombs with ones for cupcakes). Americans no longer needed to wade through Osama bin Ladens ponderous sermons or travel abroad; in fact, Inspire advocated jihadist attacks at home to avoid increased travel security. Direct sales for off-premise consumption could soon become a reality for small breweries and distilleries, thanks to a state commission tasked with examining Alabama alcohol laws, which voted last month to present lawmakers with recommendations that would loosen regulations and allow for greater sales opportunities. The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Study Commissions recommendations would allow certain licensed breweries to sell up to 288 ounces of beer per person, per day directly to consumers in growlers containers used to store draft beer bottles or cans. Distilleries would be allowed to sell up to one 750-milliliter bottle per person, per year for off-premise consumption, and wineries would be able to retail at a location approved by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Opelika alcohol manufacturers agree the recommendations, if passed, could have a positive impact on local business. To us, generally speaking, its going to mean a lot better way to get our product to our customers, said Red Clay Brewing Company co-owner John Corbin. Well be able to sell someone a six pack or a growler. It gives us more opportunity to sell our products to guests. Currently, we dont do any type of canning or bottling ourselves, so for us to be able to fill up a growler for somebody is going to be really significant for us. It opens up more doors for us. Brewers would also be allowed to deliver up to two kegs of beer directly to charity events, according to the commissions proposal, which Corbin said will lift yet another burden for the brewery, which regularly donates beer to the March of Dimes and various Auburn University functions. This will also allow us to do two kegs per charitable event. Currently you have to go through the whole system to donate a keg free to somebody. If you want to just donate to a private charity, you can actually just bring it to them and its not the hassle of shipping costs and things like that. Corbin said he believes the proposed changes in legislation, which would also include eliminating current requirements for brewpubs to operate in historic buildings or financially strained areas, would encourage other breweries to locate within the state, opening up more economic opportunities. This will make it a lot more attractive for other breweries to come, he said. We think overall, its just a good, positive thing for the state to be able to move forward and to be more competitive with other states. John Emerald Distilling Company co-owners John and Jimmy Sharp believe the proposed sales regulations would have a tremendous impact on Alabama breweries, but say it would only have a minor effect on distilleries. The duo feels the states craft distilling industry is being underserved by the proposal. Our state goal is to modernize and make Alabamas alcohol laws more competitive. Theyre doing that for beer, and theyve made itty-bitty steps for liquor for spirits for distilleries. Theres a weird psychology, I think, about liquor over beer and wine. Its like somehow its more alcohol, said Jimmy Sharp. Society has figured this out over time. Wine is usually five ounces, beer is 16 ounces and spirit drinkers, its about an ounce and half. They equal about the same amount of alcohol on average in the particular drink, so its really strange that theres a different mentality. Theyre letting the brewery sell whats effectively a case of beer a day, per customer. Theyre telling us and suggesting we can sell one bottle per person, per year, which is super bizarre and super strange. Part of the discrepancy, John Sharp said, could be left to confusion regarding the two industries similarities and differences. Maybe some guys on the committee just dont understand spirits. And were a new industry in the state. Craft distilling is where craft brewing was probably 10 years ago. I understand there may be some confusion, quiet frankly, but it doesnt seem fair that they can sell that amount of alcohol 228 ounces is exactly 750 milliliters of whiskey. Its the same amount of alcohol, he said. The Sharps have written Senator Paul Sanford, who serves as co-chair of the commission that developed the proposed legislative recommendations, requesting he consider the economic impact allowing distilleries to sell the same amount of alcohol as breweries could have. A 750-milliliter bottle of 43 percent ABV spirits contains the same amount of alcohol as 228 ounces of 5 percent ABV beer. And considerably less alcohol than beers with higher ABVs, the Sharps wrote in an email to Sanford. Restricting distilleries to one bottle per person, per year while allowing breweries to sell the same amount of alcohol to each individual every day of the year seems to be placing a tremendous burden on a young and upcoming Alabama spirits industry. Increasing it to allow us to sell one bottle per person, per day would let us expand our research and development, as well and experiment with local agriculture, Jimmy Sharp said. Obviously, wed rather sell a bottle per year than no bottle, but it just seems weird. If distilleries could directly sell one bottle per person, per day, John Sharp believes the industry would boom in Alabama. It would go from nine (distilleries) to 20. What happens is that a small operation could open and sustain themselves. You could just be a little outfit and sell two products and serve a drink or two and make a living off of it, he said. Run a little small still and get by on a micro scale, and I think youd see a lot of those pop up and some would grow to the next level. Adding that amount of direct sales, Jimmy Sharp said, would effectively increase John Emeralds revenues by an estimated 30 percent. Right now, were at a point where half of our operation is funded by this bar and half of it is funded by what we distribute. Adding the ability would add probably add another 30 percent to our general income, if we could do a bottle per day, per customer. The Sharps said they want to encourage legislators to give distilleries the same opportunities as breweries. We certainly want this recommendation by committee, Jimmy Sharp said. Sanford has stated he is confident that all recommendations to go before lawmakers will be passed this session. Re: How the wetlands were saved [Front page, Jan. 27]: The Amigos de Bolsa Chica is celebrating its 40th anniversary, during which time the organizers saved the Bolsa Chica wetlands from development, claiming they were a relatively powerless group at the beginning. But I understood their power even at the time. It was just under 40 years ago that a representative of a major public-relations firm in Los Angeles came to my office in Newport Beach. I was director of public relations for the Irvine Co., and we had gone through the sale of Upper Newport Bay to the state of California following the Irvine Co.s battles with the Friends of the Upper Bay. The Los Angeles public-relations agency, I was told, represented Signal Landmark, which owned Bolsa Chica and wanted to develop the property, near Huntington Beach, into a residential-based marina. He told me that a group called Amigos de Bolsa Chica had been formed and was opposing the development. Go back to your client and tell them to sell the land get rid of it they will never get permission to develop, I told the public-relations man in no uncertain terms. Signal Landmark did not listen. For 30 subsequent years, that firm, and others that followed it, fought a losing battle. As we used to say at the Irvine Co.: If two people get together to oppose a development, watch out. But if three people get together and print a letterhead, you are done. Martin A. Brower Corona del Mar Tax season advice The libertarian author Harry Browne wrote something to the effect that the only way to tell a mafia building from a government building is by the flag out front. And now, apparently, the IRS is warning us that the only way to distinguish a scam IRS threat from a real one is that a genuine one will always arrive by snail mail, not by email. Otherwise, they essentially look the same. Thats a good thing to keep in mind as we face our annual fleecing at the temple of greed and waste. Gordon Wilson Laguna Niguel Appreciating Sowell I want to thank the Register for carrying the syndicated columns of Thomas Sowell. His view and clear commonsense writing on culture and politically sensitive issues is a breath of fresh air in an everchanging world. Keep it coming, Mr. Sowell; this country needs you more than ever. Dennis Sitar Trabuco Canyon BUNKERVILLE, Nev .Two of Cliven Bundys sons sit in an Oregon jail, their protest over government land policies crushed by federal lawmen. Yet, when the rebellions patriarch surveys the land around his Nevada ranch, he sees only signs of victory. Gone now are the federal officers who used to show up at his door asking about the $2 million he owes for grazing his cattle on U.S. property. The rangers in their white pickup trucks are rarely seen since the night last summer when two government workers were chased from the area by gunfire. Theyre leaving me alone, the 69-year-old Bundy said on a late January afternoon as he took a break from rounding up stray livestock on a parcel of desert scrub an hours drive northeast of Las Vegas. In this part of Clark County and on Bundy ranch, we say were the freest place on Earth. By outward appearances, Washington appears to have indeed given up on the fight with the man who started the protest movement that erupted in violence last week near Burns, Oregon. Some locals have taken to calling the area Bundystan, a kind of rebel enclave on taxpayer-owned land. Makeshift signs erected by Bundys supporters welcome visitors to enjoy A free land, by the people. Whether Bundy and his ranch will remain free is unclear. Obama administration officials say they are moving forward with the case against the cattleman whose sagebrush revolt became a cause celebre for groups opposed to federal ownership of western lands. But, U.S. officials also are anxious to avoid violence, particularly in the wake of the arrests last week outside a wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon that left one protester dead. In April 2014, government officials backed away from a confrontation with Bundy after his armed supporters threatened to go to war over an attempt to round up livestock that had been grazing on federally owned land for years without a permit. Nearly two years later, there has been no attempt to arrest him or collect the fees he is reckoned to owe. They have no jurisdiction or authority, and they have no policing power, Bundy, ever defiant, said in an interview. They have no business here. Officials for the Interior Department, the federal agency that manages most of Nevadas public lands, declined to discuss plans for resolving the case or to comment on ongoing investigations stemming from the 2014 standoff. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell has said repeatedly that Bundy broke the law and will eventually be held to account. The wheels of justice move at their own pace, Jewell said during a visit to Nevada last summer. But others, including some former Interior employees, say the reluctance to confront Bundy has only emboldened the ranchers followers. Over the past 21 months, government employees have faced a barrage of threats and occasional harassment from those opposed to federal ownership of any western lands, said Edward Patrovsky, who worked 28 years as a law enforcement officer for the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service. The atmosphere seems a lot more toxic than it was before, and some of it comes from the Bundy confrontation, Patrovsky said last week. The government backed down. And when they did, the militia groups sensed a victory. Bundy, who had predicted no government interference in the standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, appeared agitated when asked about the FBI operation that led to the arrests of two of his sons and six others, plus the fatal shooting of activist LaVoy Finicum. But he showed no signs of wavering. My sons and those who were there were there to do good. No harm was intended, he said in a video posted Thursday by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. This will be a wake-up call to America. The standoff that thrust Bundy and his family in the media spotlight was over livestock specifically, where and how a few hundred Bundy cows would be allowed to graze. Western ranchers have long paid fees to the U.S. government for permission to fatten their cattle on taxpayer-owned territory. But two decades ago, Bundy abruptly stopped paying. His explanations have differed over time, but the one today is philosophical: He believes the government illegitimately holds property that rightfully belongs to states and private citizens. His bill now exceeds $2 million, and he still wont obey orders to stop his cows from roaming on federal land. A solidly built son of Mormon cattlemen, Bundy speaks with the conviction of someone who believes the Constitution is on his side. Standing by a windswept desert highway in late afternoon, he patiently walked a visitor through his interpretation of Article 4, which delineates responsibilities for federal and state governments. He spoke in a soft drawl, wearing boots soiled with mud and manure. The land belongs to We the People, Bundy said. We own the rights, like the rest of the public, to go out there and fish and camp and hunt. The federal government does not have that right. Theyre not citizens of Clark County. Courts and legal scholars have repeatedly rejected such views. The land where Bundys cows graze has been owned by Washington since 1848 when the territory that is now Nevada was annexed following the U.S. war with Mexico. Federal agencies own and manage more than 80 percent of Nevadas land, the most of any state. Bundy thinks the federal government should turn over all of it, with a small exception granted for Nevadas military installations. He also argues that the BLM and other federal agencies have systematically mistreated landowners, such as Dwight and Steven Hammond, the ranchers whose legal issues helped to trigger activists Jan. 2 takeover of the Malheur refuge building. The Hammonds were convicted of arson charges after setting a fire that spread to nearby federally owned land. The federal government has been overreaching and abusing the citizens of the West mainly the ranchers but also miners and loggers, Bundy said as two grandchildren played in the back of his SUV. Theyve been abusing us for such a long time that were tired of it, and were not going to put up with it anymore. While some dismiss such talk as harmless venting, others say Bundys confrontational rhetoric has consequences, not just in Nevada. The longer the federal government delays a reckoning, current and former employees say, the worse things are becoming for the thousands of park rangers, BLM lawmen and others charged with policing the land. Some face constant harassment, according to Jeff Ruch, executive director of the nonprofit watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. A third of the Fish and Wildlife Services employees said in a survey that they had been threatened, he said. The irony, Ruch continued, is that the antigovernment rhetoric paints government employees as armed oppressors when its now the government workers who are intimidated and often outgunned. Officials are pointing to the peaceful resolution of the (2014) Bundy case as a success and a model, he said. The reality is that, by avoiding violence, we may have created a recipe for bringing on even more of it. Leonard Bernsteins Candide is whats known as a problem opera, or operetta, or musical; call it what you will. It seems that no one has ever quite managed to make it work, and so new hands are brought in and new versions made and fingers crossed every time it is produced again. Leave it to good ol Long Beach Opera to figure it out. The little opera company that could presented its own version of Candide over the last two weekends at the Center Theater. It provided plenty of chuckles (well, Candide usually does), but, more to the point, was brisk and stylish and coherent. For those keeping score, Long Beachs version was based on an adaptation made by John Caird and first performed in 1999 at the National Theatre in London. David Schweizer, the stage director here, then made what he called liberal cuts to the script and reduced the cast. Further, he reimagined Candide as a rehearsal of Candide, with the narrator/host of the show, Voltaire himself, becoming a stage director, script in hand, nervously taking his players through an early run-through of the piece. Creative decisions were being made on the fly (or it was pretended that they were), including the selection of actors for particular roles, the positioning of props, the choosing of costumes. Stage directions were read aloud. The stagehands stood around watching and got into the spirit of the thing, supplying homemade projections to represent the global locales and homemade puppets to flesh out the action. (The stagehands were played by the wonderful Rogue Artists Ensemble.) I suppose it could have been a disaster, but it wasnt. Long Beach Opera is well known for its esprit in pulling off such conceptions (see Powder Her Face, Semele, among others) and Schweizer, it appeared, made the right cuts and kept the whole thing moving along in a kind of controlled mayhem. The loose joints of most versions of Candide were both minimized and turned into a virtue. Of course the musical numbers, almost all parodies, have always been among Bernsteins most brilliant. Fortunately, the company enlisted a cast, including several regulars, that pulled them off con gusto. Soprano Jamie Chamberlin, as Cunegonde, negotiated the most famous aria in the score, Glitter and Be Gay, with clarion tone and pointed agility, all the while keeping a straight face during one of the funniest stagings (involving ridiculous obscenities) of a song weve ever seen. Tenor Todd Strange introduced a properly innocent and sturdily musical Candide who plumbed genuine depths of feeling. Suzan Hanson hit it out of the park in multiple roles, including as the Old Woman (with one buttock) in I Am So Easily Assimilated. Zeffin Quinn Hollis, also in multiple duties, was a crisp and hammy delight whenever he stepped forward. Robin Buck brought a real sparkle, rhythmic verve and a sense of slight befuddlement to the role of the ersatz stage director (Voltaire/Pangloss), consulting script and jumping in where necessary. Roberto Perlas Gomez, Danielle Marcel Bond and Arnold Livingston Geis (an irresistibly dopey hippie king) also charmed and effervesced. Conductor Kristof Van Grysperre fluently led a chamber version of the score for 14 instrumentalists, seated behind the rehearsal. The clarity and lightness of this orchestration were remarkable, and the musicians played it nimbly. Voices and instruments were subtly, sensitively amplified no complaints. If one didnt quite catch all the words, well thats a problem not just here. This ones a keeper. Long Beach Opera should bring it back in 2018, for the Bernstein centenary. Contact the writer: 714-796-6811 or tmangan@ocregister.com THE HAGUE, Netherlands Authorities dealing with Europes migrant crisis have lost track of about 10,000 unaccompanied children amid fears that organized crime gangs are beginning to exploit the vulnerable youngsters, a senior official at the European Unions police agency said Monday. Europol Chief of Staff Brian Donald said that the figure would be a conservative estimate across all the countries that are dealing with this migrant crisis over the past 12-18 months. The revelation that so many youngsters are unaccounted for is the latest worrying development in the migrant crisis and underscores the risks faced by people fleeing conflict, poverty and persecution in the Middle East, Africa and Asia even once they have reached the apparent safety of Europe. Donald said the estimate of 10,000 missing was based on reports by law enforcement authorities, governments and non-governmental organizations. Theyre lost in the system, he said of the minors. I think our concern is that we know that there are people out there who will exploit minors. We know there are people who will take them and use them for their own purposes. Sweden, a popular destination for migrants, already is aware of the problem. The Stockholm county government released a report last week citing Swedish Migration Agency statistics that said 1,900 of the 55,000 unaccompanied minors who have applied for asylum in Sweden in the past six years disappeared. The whereabouts of 1,250 of those is still unclear. About 88 percent of those who went missing are boys. There is very little information about what happens after they disappear. These children are particularly vulnerable to being exploited in various ways, the report said. Amir Hashemi-Nik of the Stockholm County Administration said some of those who disappear are believed to be in the grip of human-trafficking rings and end up in prostitution, begging or other criminal activities. some disappear simply because they dont like the place where they have been assigned and decide to leave, others go when they approach their 18th birthday because they are worried it will be harder to get asylum. North African boys are particularly likely to go underground because, unlike Syrians or Afghans, they are unlikely to get asylum. Many of them have lived on the streets in many other countries before coming to Sweden, the report said. Many of these children become involved in crime. Last week Britain announced it would accept an unspecified number of refugee children, after charities and opposition politicians pressured the government to help the thousands of unaccompanied minors fleeing conflicts in Syria and elsewhere. The charity Save the Children has urged Britain to accept 3,000 children immediately. It estimates 26,000 minors arrived in Europe last year without adults, and are at risk from traffickers and sex abusers. The British government, however, says it will take children from refugee camps in the Middle East rather than those already in Europe. It also will provide more funding to the European Asylum Support Office to help Greece and Italy reunite migrants, including children, with family members already in Europe Europol analysts studying law enforcement details from across the 28-nation EU are concerned that they are beginning to see cross-pollination between people-smugglers and criminals who traffick and exploit humans. That confirms our understanding of criminal organizations at the European level, Donald said. They are very adept at making changes to reflect the current situation. So if the market for them is changing then they will follow that market and at the moment the area of exploitation thats largely available is the exploitation of migrants. Of the 150,000 migrants and refugees rescued at sea and brought to Italy in 2015, accompanied minors accounted for 12,360, according to the UNHCR office in Rome. UNHCR official spokeswoman Carlotta Sami said there is no firm figure on just how many of those have slipped away or might have been exploited. More than disappeared, they are on the move, often trying to reach relatives or other contacts in northern Europe, not wanting to stay in Italy, Sami said. There is no certainty where they are or if they ever reached their destination. Save the Children Italy spokesman Michele Prosperi said that Europol, sounded an alarm that is based on a real risk because thousands of minors dont stay within the system of migrant protection. They find themselves in a very vulnerable condition, and can be subject to violence or pressure, Prosperi said. They look at the traffickers not as a threat but as people who are trying to help them finish their journey, he added, and are very reluctant to tell anything about their treatment to aid workers or officials in Italy for fear that their plans to continue onward will be jeopardized. NEW YORK After St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Lower Manhattan was destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001, by the collapse of the World Trade Center nearby, the Rev. John D. Romas held his small congregation together as its worship services moved to Brooklyn and instilled in his parishioners the hope that they would live to see their church rebuilt. He, however, did not. Romas died of pancreatic cancer on Jan. 24, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of New York announced. He was 86. Construction of the new St. Nicholas National Shrine did not begin until last fall, at a site overlooking the National September 11 Memorial from an elevated park. It has been designed by Santiago Calatrava to evoke the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Its translucent marble walls will glow at night. Archbishop Demetrios, the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, has called it a place of pilgrimage for our nation. It will be, in short, a far cry from the parochial church Romas joined in 1972, more than a decade before his ordination, when the first trade center was under construction. St. Nicholas was a remnant of a once-vibrant Greek community. Until 2001, the church was best known for sponsoring a celebration of the Epiphany each January, during which divers competed to retrieve a cross from the Hudson River. Parishioners worshipped on the ground floor of a modest four-story building at 155 Cedar St. On the exterior, about the only indication of any religious function was a small bell cote at the parapet. Romas said he felt predestined to lead St. Nicholas. His father, Demetrios Rampaounis, a flour miller, encouraged him as a boy to tend the church of St. Nicholas in Dorvitsia, Greece, where he grew up. He was born on April 10, 1929, and emigrated to the United States in 1952. That year he married Lorraine Papachristou, who survives him. He was ordained in 1984. In 1987, Archbishop Iakovos appointed him pastor of St. Nicholas Church downtown a spiritual retreat for office workers on weekdays and a parish church on Sundays for about 40 to 50 worshippers who commuted to Lower Manhattan from Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, New Jersey and Westchester County. No one was in the church on the Tuesday morning in 2001 when the terrorist attack occurred. The building was compressed into a pile of rubble about 2 feet high by the debris falling from 2 World Trade Center. I was crying like a baby, Romas recalled. He managed to extract some remnants from the ruins, including part of the wooden kouvouklion, a bier representing the tomb of Jesus that figures in Good Friday services, together with an icon called the epitaphios, showing Jesus after being taken down from the cross. Its a very symbolic and important piece of a church, said Peter Drakoulias, a former board member of St. Nicholas, who combed the wreckage with Romas, so finding it, or at least a piece of it, was almost miraculous when you think of the devastation that occurred. Romas did not give up the hope of re-establishing the parish, whose members he served after 2001 at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn, where a number of them continue to worship. At times he was the public face of the broader redevelopment effort. The archdiocese said he anxiously awaited the completion of his beloved St. Nicholas. Housed within the shrine will be a new kouvouklion dedicated to Romas. AYVACIK, Turkey A witness to the drowning of 37 people including babies and other young children off Turkeys coast described the horror and screams in the moments after the boat carrying the migrants slammed into rocks, saying it was like somebody was being murdered. Gulcan Durdu, who lives on the beach in the Aegean resort of Ayvacik, cried Sunday while recounting for The Associated Press the tragedy that happened at dawn the previous day. She described being awakened by screaming and wailing after the boat struck rocks and capsized. I thought somebody was being murdered, Durdu told the AP. Durdu said that she and her husband rushed to try to help survivors and brought a boy to their home to try to warm him up. We wrapped him up (in blankets), she said. I brought the hair dryer to warm. The boy became limp in my arms before losing consciousness. The boy was still alive when she handed him over to paramedics who had arrived, Durdu said, adding that she would be haunted by the tragedy forever. I will never stop hearing those cries for the rest of my life, Durdu said. I will never forget. It was terrible. They died screaming. It was dark. We were only able to save those who were able to swim ashore. On Sunday, the overturned boat was still sitting on rocks offshore and visible from the construction site where Durdu lives. The beach was littered with grim reminders of the disaster, including lifejackets, a childs sandal, clothing and other personal belongings that had washed onshore. The migrants were trying to make the short journey from Turkey to Greece. Europe has endured a huge influx of migrants, most of whom undertake a dangerous journey in search of a better life. 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. The body of one boy was lying on large rocks on the beach, his face covered by a cloth, while the faces of other bodies scattered nearby were covered with lifejackets. 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 caused by the war in the Middle East and the treacherous journeys many risk seeking shelter in Europe. European countries have been strained by the influx of migrants, leading to disagreements over what to do with the large number of new arrivals and how to share the burden. In Germany, the vice chancellor called for a nationalist party to be put under observation by the government agency that tracks extremists after its leader suggested that police should be allowed to shoot refugees trying to enter the country. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told Bild newspaper that there is massive doubt that (the Alternative for Germany party) stand by the free democratic order of the republic. Frauke Petry, the head of the party also known by its German initials AfD, told the Mannheimer Morgen daily on Saturday that a border police officer must stop illegal border crossings, and also make use of his firearm if necessary. Pushed by the newspaper for more, she continued that no policeman wants to fire on a refugee and I dont want that either. But the last resort includes the use of armed force. Germany saw nearly 1.1 million asylum-seekers enter the country last year and the AfD has been gaining in support as more people question whether the government will be able to deal with the influx. Joerg Radek, vice chairman of the GdP police union, slammed Petrys suggestion, saying no German police officer would shoot at a refugee. Whoever proposes such a radical approach apparently wants to overturn the rule of law and exploit the police, he said in a statement. Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, received support from an unlikely source for her handling of Germanys refugee crisis. Baden-Wuerttemberg governor Winfried Kretschmann, a member of the Greens party that is in opposition at the federal level, told Berlins Tagesspiegel newspaper the chancellors insistence on working step by step on a European solution to the refugee crisis was the correct path. Which of her counterparts in the EU will hold Europe together if she fails? he asked. Far and wide theres nobody in sight. Therefore I pray every day that the chancellor remains healthy. LONDON In a landmark decision that some ethicists warned is a step down the path toward designer babies, Britain gave scientists approval Monday to conduct experiments in which they will try to edit the genes in human embryos. The scientists wont be creating babies the modified embryos will be destroyed after seven days. Instead, they said, the goal is to better understand human development and thereby improve fertility treatments and prevent miscarriages. The decision by Britains Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority marks the first time a countys national regulator has approved the technique. Permission isnt explicitly required in many other countries, including the U.S. and China. The U.S. does not allow the use of federal funds for embryo modification, but there is no outright ban on gene editing. Gene editing involves deleting, repairing or replacing DNA inside living cells in a sort of biological cut-and-paste technique that scientists say could one day lead to treatments for conditions like HIV or inherited disorders such as muscular dystrophy and sickle cell disease. A team led by Kathy Niakan, an embryo and stem cell specialist at Londons new Francis Crick Institute, received the OK to use gene editing to analyze the first week of an embryos growth. This research will enhance our understanding of IVF (in vitro fertilization) success rates by looking at the very earliest stage of human development, said Paul Nurse, director of the institute. None of the embryos will be transferred into women. They will be allowed to develop from a single cell to around 250 cells, after which they will be destroyed. Peter Braude, a retired professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Kings College London, said the mechanisms being investigated by Niakan and her colleagues are crucial in ensuring healthy, normal development and implantation and could help doctors refine fertility treatments. Braude is not connected to Niakans research. There are a few methods of gene editing, but the technique Niakans team plans to use is known as CRISPR-Cas9, a relatively fast, cheap and simple approach that many researchers are keen to try. Some critics warn that tweaking the genetic code this way could be a slippery slope that eventually leads to designer babies, where parents not only aim to avoid inherited diseases but also seek taller, stronger, smarter or better-looking children. Many religious groups, including the Catholic Church, object to people playing God and manipulating embryos. Some scientists have voiced concern that tampering with genes might have unintended consequences not apparent until after the babies are born or generations later. And some fear such tinkering will only widen the gap between rich and poor by enabling the wealthy to create superbabies. This is the first step on a path that scientists have carefully mapped out towards the legalization of genetically modified babies, David King of the advocacy group Human Genetics Alert said last month when British regulators took up the issue. Around the world, laws and guidelines vary widely about what kind of research is allowed on embryos, since such experiments could change the genes of future generations. Countries such as Japan, China, India and Ireland have unenforceable guidelines that restrict editing of the human genome. Germany and other countries in Europe limit research on human embryos by law. Last year, Chinese researchers made the first attempt at modifying genes in human embryos. Their laboratory experiment didnt work. In any case, the embryos they used were never viable, or capable of developing properly in the womb. The CRISPR-Cas9 technique was developed partly in the U.S., and scientists there have experimented with it in animals and in human cells in the laboratory. It has not been used for any patient therapies, though Sangamo Biosciences in Richmond, California, is trying to develop an HIV treatment. At an international meeting in Washington last year, scientists agreed that attempts to alter early embryos as part of laboratory research should be allowed but that the technique was nowhere near ready for use in pregnant women. Last year, British lawmakers voted to allow scientists to create babies from the DNA of three people to prevent children from inheriting potentially fatal diseases from their mothers. In doing so, Britain became the first country to allow genetically modified embryos to be transferred into women. UNITED NATIONS The Syrian government on Monday approved a United Nations request for new aid deliveries to the besieged towns of Madaya, Foua and Kfarya where hundreds of civilians are facing severe malnutrition and some have starved to death. The U.N. humanitarian office announced the approval as talks aimed at ending the nearly five-year Syrian conflict started in Geneva between the government and opposition. Aid deliveries to the three villages had been blocked until about three weeks ago when trucks from the U.N. and other humanitarian organizations were allowed to enter. Madaya, a town northeast of Damascus with a population of 40,000 that has been besieged by government and allied militiamen for months, gained international attention after harrowing pictures emerged showing emaciated children. Aid workers who entered the town last month described seeing skeletal figures, children who could barely talk or walk, and parents who gave their kids sleeping pills to calm their hunger. The international aid group Doctors Without Borders said Friday that 16 people have died in Madaya since the relief convoys began arriving on Jan. 12, citing health workers affiliated with its operations. The group, also known by its French initials MSF, reported 320 cases of malnutrition and said 33 of those people are in danger of dying if they do not receive prompt and effective treatment. In the Shiite villages of Fouaa and Kfarya in northern Idlib province, which have been blockaded by rebels for more than a year, recently evacuated pro-government fighters described desperate conditions. They said people in the villages, with a combined population of around 20,000, had little food and medicine and some were eating grass to survive and undergoing surgery without anesthesia. The three villages are among 15 besieged communities across Syria, with more than 400,000 people, according to United Nations estimates. Roughly half of them are in areas controlled by the Islamic State extremist group whose fighters occupy about a third of Syria. In 2014, the United Nations was able to deliver food to about five percent of people in besieged areas, but the latest U.N. humanitarian reports estimate that less than one percent are being reached. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called the deliberate starvation of civilians a war crime. He urged both the Syrian government and rebels to end the sieges before peace talks started which didnt happen. But the main opposition coalition kept up its demand for humanitarian aid to the needy at the Geneva talks on Monday. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it will submit a detailed list of supplies to be delivered to Madaya, Foua and Kfarya to follow up on Mondays approval of new convoys by the government. OCHA said the U.N. will also reiterate a request, which has not yet been approved, for experts to go to the three villages to assess health and nutrition needs. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti A Haitian opposition alliance is declining to meet with a regional mission that traveled to this troubled Caribbean nation to help mediate a solution to a political crisis that has postponed elections indefinitely. Samuel Madistin, spokesman for the Group of Eight that includes second-place presidential candidate Jude Celestin, asserted Monday that the Organization of American States mission was not welcome here and was unable to play any role as a mediator. The OAS doesnt help Haiti come out of crisis. They create more crisis, insisted Madistin, pointing to its role in 2010 elections that saw Celestin get eliminated from a runoff after his reported second-place finish was challenged by foreign observers complaining of irregularities. The OAS mission is headed by Ronald Sanders, an Antiguan diplomat who is chairman of the Washington-based bodys permanent council. Members arrived in Haiti on Sunday at the request of President Michel Martelly, who is required to leave office by Feb. 7 under the countrys charter. Reached by phone Monday afternoon, Senate President Jocelerme Privert said he was in a meeting with OAS officials. The opposition lawmaker has said officials are crafting a workable solution after reviewing a number of plans for the way forward, including one proposed by the Group of Eight. Officials say there appears to be a measure of consensus emerging for a plan that would see Martelly stepping down as scheduled on Feb. 7, an interim government taking over and a runoff vote held within a few months. Kenneth Merter, the U.S. State Departments special coordinator for Haiti, told The Associated Press that he believes the vast majority of Haitian citizens want to see the suspended electoral process settled. Merten said hes hopeful that Haitian negotiators can soon find a good solution that gives everybody something of what they want but that moves Haiti forward. Washington does not have a desired outcome, he insisted. The U.S. wants the Haitian people to democratically decide who their next leader is, Merten said, and not to have a small group of people deciding the countrys fate. Recent violent protests stoked by the opposition and counter-protests organized by the ruling party have ramped up tensions. Its not uncommon in Haiti for politicians and political activists to hire protesters to take the streets or for troublemakers to do their dirty work for them. Haiti had been scheduled to hold a presidential and legislative runoff on Jan. 24. But the now-defunct electoral council has canceled it for a second time amid violent protests and suspicion that the first round was marred by massive fraud favoring Martellys chosen candidate, Jovenel Moise. Second-place finisher Celestin rejected the first-round results as a farce and announced a boycott. While there have been plenty of opposition boycotts in recent decades, historians say this was the first time in Haitis young democracy that a presidential candidate boycotted a runoff after qualifying for it. Seven heavy hitters from the world of magic have joined together like a band of superheroes to present the jaw-dropping spectacle The Illusionists: Live From Broadway. Just coming off of a multi-city tour and residency on Broadway, the show will kick off a new 45-city U.S. tour on Tuesday at Segerstrom Center for the Arts for an eight-show run. The ensemble is comprised of professional illusionists, including Americas Got Talent veterans, with nicknames such as The Deceptionist, The Manipulator, The Anti-Conjuror, The Trickster, The Escapologist, The Inventor and The Weapon Master. Created and produced by Simon Painter, who hails from London, the production showcases a family-friendly variety of magic tricks, death-defying stunts and surprise acts that are sure to generate oohs and ahhs throughout the audience. The Trickster Jeff Hobson, an award-winning comedian who hosts the show, entertains with a mixture of magic and comedy. His act features audience participation, including unsuspecting audience members who may not notice a removed watch or misplaced wallet until Hobson reveals and returns it. No one knew what to expect our first season on Broadway, and when we broke all the records, everybody was pretty amazed, said Hobson, who has performed a one-man show for more than 15 years in Las Vegas, as well as made television appearances on Showtimes Comedy Club Network and NBCs Worlds Greatest Magic. Hobson starts the show out by choosing a patron to participate in a magic trick on stage. Im the first magician that pulls someone out of the audience, and thats what gets everyone excited and nervous, said Hobson, You never know what someone is going to do or say; nothing is planned in advance, and we get more than a dozen people up on stage throughout the show. The lineup of illusionists includes the Academy of Magical Arts 2014 Magician of the Year Yu Ho-Jin, who performs several manipulation magic tricks. Dan Sperry, The Anti-Conjuror and Ben Blaque, The Weapon Master, may be recognized for their magic and weaponry performances on Americas Got Talent. Theres some blood in Dan Sperrys act that makes people cringe, but dont worry, its like the Midwest weather: if you dont like what you see, wait five minutes and it changes, said Hobson. British-born James More, The Deceptionist, is known for his modern approach to magic and high-risk illusions. Kevin James, The Inventor, is a comedian and collector of bizarre items who performs innovative illusions on stage. Kevin does amazing magic where a gentleman gets cut in half, and someone from the audience is called up on stage to touch and make sure he is real, said Hobson, It really gets people jilted out of their seats. Italys escape artist Andrew Basso, The Escapologist, is the only person in the world to perform Houdinis famous water torture cell. Hobson said. Bassos death defying stunts even shake up the magicians backstage, because theres always a small chance he wont make it. A show has never been mounted like this with the amount of diverse talent on one stage, said Hobson, This is also a show for people who say they dont like magic shows. Weve converted quite a lot of fans who did not like magic. Contact the writer: jmoe@ocregister.com SANTA ANA I have him here. Thats what Theresa Nguyen said in a 911 call to police, according to a recording released by the Orange County Sheriffs Department on Sunday. Nguyen told a Santa Ana police dispatcher on Friday morning that fugitive and family friend Bac Duong, 43, had just walked into her fathers business, Auto Electric Rebuilders at 1421 N. Harbor Blvd., and wanted to give himself up. I have him here; he is ready to turn himself in, Nguyen says in the recording, which lasts one minute and 40 seconds. The three inmates who escaped, I have one of them here. He asked me to call. Another man comes on the line and says, He is not armed, he wants to turn himself in. Heavily armed officers quickly converged on the auto parts business and took Duong, into custody without incident. Duong was the first of a trio of inmates caught following their daring escape from the Orange County Central Jail on Jan. 22. Sheriffs Department officials have said Duong, Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu, cut through steel bars and a metal grate before making it through a plumbing tunnel and on to the jails roof where they used a makeshift rope fashioned from bed sheets to drop to the ground. Saturday morning San Francisco police apprehended Nayeri and Tieu near Golden Gate Park. Police captured the two fugitives just before 9 a.m. after a man flagged down officers near a Whole Foods Market close to the park. The man had seen the photos of the escapees and their stolen white van on television. When police arrived, Nayeri ran away but was captured within minutes,Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and San Francisco police said. Officers said they found Tieu hiding in the van. Police discovered ammunition in the van, but no weapons. Tourist Kevin Marks had been parked waiting for the market to open Saturday morning when he spied a white van near a bank of newspaper racks. Marks saw police cruisers block the van and said he watched as officers calmly approached the driver. I thought they were hassling some poor guy living in his vehicle, Marks said. It didnt seem super-agitated. Contact the writer: 714-796-7767 sschwebke@ocregister.com Twitter: @thechalkoutline COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa Illegal immigration makes Bill Hartzell seethe. The memories are fresh from the afternoon in October 2013 when he saw his wifes 93-year-old grandmother bloodied and unconscious, after being beaten and raped in her house by a 19-year-old Mexican who crossed the border and never left. His outrage is driving Hartzell to vote in Mondays Iowa presidential caucuses for Ted Cruz, who has vowed to battle the sanctuary cities that refuse to help the feds deport illegal immigrants. Cruz has said he would block these localities from receiving federal funds for law enforcement an idea that makes perfect sense to Hartzell. Except when it applies to the place where he lives. Pottawattamie Countys sheriff adopted a sanctuary policy in 2014. Hartzell knows the sheriff. He trusts the sheriff. And he is uncomfortable that his county, which includes Council Bluffs, would lose at least a million dollars should a President Cruz carry out his threat. For us in Council Bluffs, its a little more tricky issue, he said. This isnt San Francisco. With illegal immigration roiling the GOP electorate, the partys presidential candidates have spent months blasting sanctuary cities as bastions of liberal naivete and bleeding-heartedness gone awry. No place symbolized this mind-set better, they have said, than San Francisco, where last year, 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle was allegedly murdered by an illegal Mexican migrant. But there is an awkward, and unstated, element to the hostility toward sanctuary cities. In Iowa, at least 26 of the states 99 counties are deemed sanctuaries including some of the states most conservative. The designation is an informal one, assigned by activists on both sides of the immigration debate. Governments are generally considered sanctuaries if local officials refuse to honor requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold onto suspected illegal immigrants arrested on minor charges while federal agents figure out their status. After a federal appeals court ruled in 2014 these federal requests known as detainers were optional, the American Civil Liberties Union alerted local sheriffs departments that they would be subject to lawsuits if they held a citizen without a proper warrant. Nearly 300 jurisdictions nationwide, conservative and liberal, have opted not to take that risk. Typically, the decisions that lead to a community earning sanctuary status are made without fanfare or public debate. Instead, the refusal to cooperate with ICE usually comes from a police chief, a sheriff or a government attorney not necessarily a politician looking to extend an act of mercy toward illegal immigrants. Republican presidential contenders on the campaign trail have avoided such details. Others have joined Cruz in demanding that local governments face penalties for not assisting immigration officials. At times, the candidates have blasted sanctuary cities while standing in one. We will finally, finally, finally secure the borders and end sanctuary cities, Cruz said to applause recently in the public library in Onawa, Iowa in a county that has a sanctuary policy. If you are a sanctuary city, you will lose your federal funding, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., declared this month to an eager audience at a hotel in Coralville, Iowa, which also has a sanctuary policy. Crap is the word that Donald Trump, the GOP front-runner, has used across the state to describe sanctuary cities. The dynamic illustrates the disconnect between hard-edged, campaign-year rhetoric on illegal immigration and the complications of enacting policy on local communities. Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker said that he did not want his jail to keep anyone without a proper warrant. Keeping someone longer for the sake of immigration officials, he said, could be a civil rights violation. The presidential candidates are threatening to take millions of dollars from local communities over a relatively small disagreement, Danker said. ICE only issued 13 detainer requests between November 2014 and November 2015 in Pottawattamie, according to a Syracuse University study. The local jail here received about $1 million in federal funds last year. Danker, who describes himself as a conservative, said he hoped the presidential candidates focus on sanctuary policies was just political bluster. When you bring things down to a local level, things are not so clear cut, he said. Over the next few days, Danker expects a flurry of phone calls and visits from presidential campaigns. Trump is expected to visit Council Bluffs, as is Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. The city, which has a dual identity as a small town nestled beside endless rows of cornfields to the east and as a suburb of metropolitan Omaha to the west, is vote-rich and not particularly ideological. Twenty-seven percent of voters were registered as Democrats, 37 percent are Republican, and the rest are affiliated with no party at all. In a county of 93,000 residents, about 6 percent are Hispanic or Latino, according to Census data. Those immigrants have largely supplemented an aging workforce in farms and factories as younger white residents decamp for cities, according to Melvyn Houser, a corn and soybean farmer who serves on the countys board of supervisors. Houser, a Republican who said he plans to caucus for one of the former governors in the field, said that he believes GOP candidates who talk about having the federal government punish sanctuary cities are contradicting traditional conservative values of limited government and local control. This isnt Texas or Arizona, where there are issues at the border and its more of a burden on the local schools and hospitals, Houser said. If the federal government wants something done, they should get their act together and do it. They shouldnt try and take away funding while we get stuck with all the work and responsibility. But anti-illegal immigration activists say the issue is far simpler than the sheriff or his backers suggest. Thats a clear sanctuary policy, said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the conservative Center for Immigration Studies. This county is choosing to obstruct the work of the government. Vaughan acknowledged that there is no settled law on the legal risks of detaining immigrants. Still, she added that a plethora of other local governments including such cities as Dayton, Ohio, and Salt Lake City have insisted on complying with federal requests because its the right thing to do. Lynne Branigan, a former Council Bluffs City Council member, expressed shock when a reporter told her that her own community was deemed as having a sanctuary policy. Based on what happened in California, I absolutely dont agree with sanctuary status, Branigan said. Im not versed in all it means, but believe me, Im going to find out. In Iowa, immigration can be a messy and sometimes ethereal issue. Politics and practicality both are often discussed at Barleys Bar and Grill in downtown Council Bluffs, where owner Matt Johnson has hosted town halls for several candidates, which explains why there are Jeb! and Bernie Sanders 2016 stickers on a bar table. But few people seem to want to work in the kitchen at $10 an hour, explaining the Kitchen Jobs Available sign. We need immigrants here because we dont have enough people for these jobs, said Johnson, who has supported former Texas congressman Ron Paul and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in past Iowa Caucuses. When it comes to such issues, Johnson tended to be as conflicted as his customers. But Christie was here talking about enforcing the rule of law, which no one seems to be doing anymore. Further down, at the bar, a man who feared Bernie Sanders is gonna break our hearts if he doesnt win, said he had no problem with the sheriffs departments stance on cooperating with federal officials. It seemed unfair to him that anyone, even an undocumented migrant, could be detained without a warrant. Is that even legal? asked Tim Moon, 65. The problem with illegal immigration is in the first word: illegal. So we should make sure that we are acting legally. At another table, business owner Bill Letuli, 49, said he felt bad for the kids who were here who would be sent back to dangerous places. And yet, he worried about the impact of a mass migration if the country did not use more deterrents. Already, he said, nearby meat-packaging towns such as Denison have seen significant demographic shifts as companies employed more immigrants who would accept lower wages. Many are working hard, no doubt, but also we dont fully know how many are illegals, Letuli said. We dont know who they are and what they are giving back in taxes. We can fix these problems, but someone needs to do it. That place has completely changed. He wonders whether Pottawattamie would some day change, too. Locals estimate that since 2000, the number of Hispanics living in the city of Council Bluffs doubled to about 4,000. Stores offering authentic Mexican food with menus in Spanish are popping up, and the Latino community center in 2014 expanded its office spaces to have more citizenship classes and teach English. In a wood-panelled hall at El Centro Latino on a recent day, three women practiced English with one another. All feared revealing their full names might get someone they know in trouble. I became citizen because I want to make things easy for my kids, said Maria, 38, who moved from Mexico six years ago. And now, I get to vote even though many of my friends cant. The English soon turned to fluid conversation in their native language. An undocumented woman from Mexico named Maricela, 26, mentioned how she recently saw a deportation raid at a nearby house. At the very mention of a raid, Laura, 34, became so anxious that she could not sit down. She said that she had temporary protective status from El Salvador and married a man who was here illegally. Now her family lived in so much fear of a deportation raid that she moved the television to the back of the house, so ICE officials might not hear any noise if they decided to knock on her door. Six years ago, Laura recalled, her husband got pulled over for driving past a stop sign. The following morning, ICE knocked on their door and asked for him while he was in the shower. And they arrested him, naked, she said. They served him an order to leave the country. He never did. Why him? He lives a good life. He just wants to make things better for his kids. As the three women spoke, a family coordinator Sofia Sandoval walked in to calm things down. She told them a story about an undocumented man who was arrested at a traffic stop in a nearby town a few weeks ago. He stayed in jail for a day. Then they let him go, she said. ICE never came back for him. Laura said it was a nice thing to happen, if its true. Maricela said that she had heard of policies like that on television. Ah, sanctuary,she said in English. I didnt know it was like that here. Have they been keeping it a secret? GENEVA The U.N. special envoy for Syria announced the official start of peace talks Monday between the Syrian government and opposition leaders, hoping to keep a wobbly process alive and compel world powers who helped set the stage for the talks to do more to bring about a cease-fire in a five-year war. Staffan di Mistura said the mere arrival of a delegation from the main Syrian opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee, at the U.N. offices in Geneva was enough to allow him to declare the talks formally open. He previously met with a government delegation on Friday. We are starting officially the Geneva talks. We are actually listening with attention to the concerns of the HNC, and we are going to tomorrow discuss and listen to the concerns of the government, de Mistura told reporters after Mondays meeting. De Mistura laid out the oppositions concerns and said he planned to take up further talks in a new meeting with government representatives on Tuesday morning, before hosting the HNC again in the afternoon. He said his first goal is simply to keep the talks going, and his overall aim is to help show concrete progress for embattled Syrians. He also tried to set a new tone, insisting these talks must be different from earlier ones that failed in 2014. De Mistura also threw out a challenge to 17 world and regional powers led by the United States and Russia that held a key meeting in Vienna in November that helped pave the way for the Geneva talks: He said those powers had sent a message that called for the beginning of a serious discussion about cease-fire once the talks began. The challenge is now: Lets also have those who have the capacity of discussing this at the different levels, time to discuss about cease-fire, he said. Minutes earlier, though, the HNCs chief spokesman in Geneva had tough words for a key player in the process: Russia. Salem al-Mislet lashed out at Russia for its air campaign in Syria that began four months ago in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad, which has helped his troops take dozens of towns and villages in recent weeks. The regime is the one killing the Syrian people, al-Mislet said when asked by a reporter working for a Russian media outlet about the participation of a representative of the militant Army of Islam group that is in the oppositions delegation. The regime in Russia will produce a new Hitler, and we are suffering from another Hitler in Syria. Earlier, the HNC said they had planned to give de Mistura a roadmap for implementation of their humanitarian demands on Syria that they say must happen before they formally join indirect peace talks with a government delegation in Geneva. The day belonged to the opposition, as de Misturas team put off a planned morning meeting Monday to meet with the opposition which he had not hosted yet. HNC member Farah Atassi said the oppositions top priority was to stop the unprecedented bombardment by the Syrian regime of rebel-held suburbs of the capital, Damascus. The meeting coincided with a sharp spike in violence in Syria, particularly in the rebel-held besieged town of Moadamiyeh southwest of the capital where opposition activists reported dozens of helicopter-dropped barrel bombs in the past few days. The Geneva talks are aimed at ending a five-year conflict that has killed 250,000 people and displaced millions, leaving vast swaths of the country in ruins and fostering territorial gains of the radical Islamic State group which is considered a terrorist group and was not invited. The talks were slow in starting, largely because of disputes over which opposition groups can take part and opposition demands that the government allow aid into besieged rebel-held areas and halt its bombardments of civilians before the talks start. The talks are part of a process outlined in a U.N. Security Council resolution last month that envisions an 18-month timetable for a political transition in Syria, including the drafting of a new constitution and elections. That resolution was an outgrowth of the Vienna meeting in November. In northwest Syria, advances by government forces and allied militia fighters over the weekend sent more than 3,000 people, many of them ethnic Turkmen, fleeing over the border to Turkey. The Turkish government, sees itself as the protector of Syrias ethnic Turkmen. They are heavily concentrated in the eastern border region. In Moadamiyeh, near Damascus, activists reported a sustained, relentless campaign of barrel bombs by the Syrian army. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported an average of around 60 barrel bombs falling on Moadamiyeh every day for the past three days. The town is located about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) southwest of Damascus. Ahmad Moadamani, an opposition media activist in the town, said helicopters dropped 10 barrel bombs in the span of few minutes on the southeast front of the town on Sunday evening. He said 97 people, among them civilians, militants, and civil defense personnel, who arrived after the attack, suffered injuries. Most of them suffocated, he said. He said the pattern of injuries pointed to some sort of gas attack although he acknowledged they have no way of knowing for sure what it was. Moadamiyeh was the first major Syrian town to enter into a truce with the Syrian government in late 2014 after enduring a suffocating months-long siege during which the military pounded the community with artillery and airstrikes and refused to allow in food, medicine and fuel. Moadamani said residents in the town had no faith in the Geneva negotiations. We dont have any trust in the negotiations, he said. When people are dying from the hunger or at the barrel of the gun, how are we going to pursue the Geneva negotiations? He described the humanitarian situation in the town as terrible in every sense of the word, adding that conditions deteriorated after access to the town was choked off by the government on Dec. 26. Weve lost most of our nutritional supplies, he said. Moadamani said there were more than 1,500 cases of malnutrition in the town, including 50 severe cases of malnutrition among children. Until today, no food or humanitarian or medical aid is allowed into the city, and no humanitarian cases are allowed to leave, he added. The opposition delegation said it will meet de Mistura Monday after receiving reassurances from several countries as well as the U.N. envoy regarding sieges on rebel-held areas and bombardment of civilians. 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 between them. He has tamped down expectations by saying he expects the talks to last for six months. The U.N. human rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, meanwhile told reporters in Geneva he hopes that peace talks will lead to the end of all these horrific abuses human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law that we are all too familiar with. Al-Hussein added that the U.N. has a principled position that no amnesties should be considered for those suspected of having committed crimes against humanity or war crimes. Nobody who knew The Godfather and Barney Miller actor Abe Vigoda made mourners smile through their tears Sunday faster than comedian and friend Gilbert Gottfried. This is the 20th time we buried Abe Vigoda, Gottfried announced at a memorial service for Vigoda on Sunday in New York. It was a reference to a running joke about whether Vigoda, the character actor best known for his portrayal of Mafia soldier Sal Tessio in The Godfather, was dead or alive the result of a false report of his death decades ago. The true end came Tuesday when Vigoda died in his sleep at age 94 at his daughters Woodland Park, N.J., home, where he went to escape the hazards of a blizzard. His big wish was not to be alone and not to die alone, said the daughter, Carol Vigoda-Fuchs. So Im grateful he got what he wanted. Vigodas step into fame came when director Francis Ford Coppola plucked him from obscurity as a supporting actor in New York theater for a role in the Oscar-winning The Godfather. His fame was cemented with his comic turn as over-the-hill detective Phil Fish in Barney Miller, which ran from 1975 to 1982. The program for the memorial service featured a photograph of the actor in a suit and tie with a line from Coppolas movie: Can you get me off the hook for old times sake? It was one of Vigodas more memorable lines from the 1972 classic as his character, the doomed Tessio, pleaded for his life after he had turned against the Corleone Family. His request was denied. The printed program included written tributes from fellow actors, including Robert Duvall, who said it was impossible to watch The Godfather and not remember his performance. Todd Bridges, who worked with him on a sitcom spinoff of Barney Miller, recalled him as a man of dignity who protected him like a father, including when he scolded a director for yelling at children on the set. Bridges said Vigoda backed him during the darkest times of his life, telling others: Hes a good kid. He will find his way back. And I did, Bridges said. Those who spoke at the memorial, where a large picture of Vigoda rested beside white flowers and before the crowd, included former New York City Mayor David Dinkins. As the service ended, the theme from The Godfather serenaded the departing crowd. Last week, Washington, D.C. mourned the death of Concepcion Connie Picciotto, a legendary peace activist who had been camping in front of the White House since 1981. She was a well-known personality in the U.S. Capital, having manned the peace vigil tent for three-and-a-half decades, suffering the worst of both weather and humanity, all in an attempt to stop the world from being destroyed. Orphaned in Spain and raised by a grandmother, Connie arrived in New York in 1960, where she worked as a receptionist for a Spanish government commercial attache. She married an Italian immigrant a few years later, and they adopted an infant daughter, Ogla, in 1973. But she claimed that things started to turn sour when her husband, in an attempt to conceal his criminal dealings, sent her to a mental institution. She lost her daughter in a custody dispute after her release, and ended up in Washington, where she naturally gravitated towards larger causes. Connie joined the anti-nuclear White House Peace Vigil a few months after it was started by another activist, William Thomas. They camped out together outside the White House for 25 years, and when he passed away in 2009, she kept the vigil going with the help of other activists who joined her from time to time. Picciottos peace vigil is considered the longest in the history of the United States. Photo: Christina B. Castro As you can imagine, spending three and a half decades in a tent in front of The White House wasnt easy. Connie constantly wore a helmet underneath her headscarf, for protection. Over the years, shed been attacked by random people several times, hit by a cab, and claimed that shed even been pushed around by the Secret Service. According to The NY Times, She played a cat-and-mouse game for more than three decades with the United States Park Police, which prohibits demonstrators from sleeping on its property or leaving a protest site unattended. When she left to rest, volunteers would relieve her. In September 2013, when the police dismantled the vigil tent because it was mistakenly left unmanned for a brief period of time, she stood at the site until they returned it to her. Speaking to Huffington Post then, she said: This is the time, more than ever, we need people to mobilize, to stop killing and the wars all over the world. Its frustrating, because its hard to be there. I am in the heat, in the cold and the snow. Photo: tpholland Indeed, Connie held firm through terrible blizzards, extreme heat waves and heavy rains. She was there through the tenures of presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, and while her vigil was always in plain sight from the front windows of The White House, none of theme ever came to meet or speak to her. Not a single president ever walked across the street from the White House to meet her or to recognize her quest for peace and justice, said consumer advocate Ralph Nader, an admirer of Connie. But her efforts were definitely noticed outside of the White House. Over the years, she became a permanent fixture in the U.S. Capital, gaining attention from locals and tourists alike. Her appearance in Michael Moores documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11 added to her celebrity, and 2011, she was honored by the Shafeek Nader Trust for setting the highest standards for testing the authenticity of free speech protection under the Constitution. Photo: Wikimedia Commons As for the effectiveness of her vigil, The NY Times reports that many of her goals were achieved. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washingtons nonvoting delegate to the House of Representatives and long-time admirer of Connie, said her protests resulted in a measured reduction in atomic weapon proliferation. A few days after Connie vacated the vigil tent for the final time, she breathed her last in a room she had been sharing with three other roommates at a homeless womens shelter. She was 80, and her health had been deteriorating for a while. When she was alive, she was considered both a hero and a fool, and some people even worried about her mental health. But now that shes gone, thousands of people are offering their respects and condolences. The morning after her passing, people left flower bouquets in her honor at the protest site. A note clipped to the top of the tent read: Concepcion R.I.P. Photo: George Kauper White House press secretary Josh Earnest also issued a statement on Wednesday: Weve certainly got to pay our respects, not just to the life that she lived but her passion for making the world a safer and more peaceful place. He added that he wasnt sure if President Obama was aware of her passing. People are also leaving messages on the Facebook page of The Peace House, a community organisation in D.C. Connie manned the White House Anti-Nuclear Peace Vigil the longest, a post on the page reads. She stayed there through thick and thin and was dedicated to the cause that sometimes seemed to be like an unhealthy relationship. Connie may not have been the easiest person to live or work with, but the peace vigil was never about Connie and even throughout the biggest struggles we all knew that. That was the reason why we suffered through sub-zero temperatures, hurricanes, and dealing with impolite people. Connie was a source of inspiration for many during her life, and continues to motivate people even after her passing. Craig, who was manning the vigil tent on Wednesday, revealed that Connie had been taking turns with four other people staying at the tent. But after her death, 17 people signed up to take shifts, making a total of 21 volunteers. According to Craig, thats a lot. Whats happening in the aftermath of her death is testimony that she did accomplish something, said Schroeder Stribling, a social worker who runs N Street Village, the shelter that Connie was staying at whenever she wasnt at the tent. She was a person of passionate attachment to some ideas. You can call that sane or not, but it made a difference. The 7,500 high-powered Wi-Fi kiosks proposed for New York City are a violation of civil rights, say critics. The kiosks are to be discussed Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. at an NYU facility in Brooklyn. The event should be shifted to New York. Dan Doctoroff, ex-CEO of Bloomberg and now CEO of Sidewalk Labs, builder of the Kiosks, is to speak for a half hour and then take questions at the Center for Urban Science & Progress, downtown Brooklyn. The event is fine but the location and format are no-brainers. Dan Doctoroff It should take place at the Kimmel Center off Washington Square in New York where the New York chapter of PRSA held a career day April 2, 2013. That was a sad day for the chapter, students, NYU and education since the press was barred and no literature table was allowed. The chapter allowed itself to be dominated by the anti-press policies of national, a staff member of the Society showing up at Kimmel to make sure no press got into the event. Bill Doescher, 2016 chapter president, should set up an event to discuss the hazards of radiation since PR people are heavy users of cellphones and computers and work in offices that are bathed in Wi-Fi. Holding the Doctoroff session in Brooklyn would be like the New York Times reporting the Center for Disease Controls pullback on caution for cellphone use in the business section on a Saturday (Jan. 2, 2016) when the story belonged on page one of the general news section on a weekday. Literature Table Needed Since the Doctoroff appearance is on educational turf, no limits should be put on the pursuit of knowledge about the kiosks and other sources of radiation such as cellphones, cordless phones (among the worst emitters of radiation), computers, Wi-Fi routers, smart electrical meters, baby monitors etc. There should be a literature table and the event should not be limited to an hour. Doctoroff and his staff should answer questions in advance since this can be a subject of almost unlimited complexity. Financing the $200 million project, described in the Jan. 25 New Yorker, are Google and Qualcomm. It will be more than half finished by 2020. An additional 2,500 Wi-Fi hotspots are to be created. Doctoroff, announcing the new company June 10, 2015, said, We are at the beginning of a historic transformation in cities. At a time when the concerns about urban equity, costs, health and the environment are intensifying, unprecedented technological change is going to enable cities to be more efficient, responsive, flexible and resilient. Wireless Causes Host of Health Problems Sandi Maurer, director of the EMF Safety Network, said Environmental protections are insufficient to protect public health, children and nature from what is a new rapidly deployed technology. Wireless disrupts cellular communications, damages immune and nervous systems, desynchronizes brain and heart rhythms, and causes headaches, sleep problems, tinnitus, anxiety and a host of other health problems. She refers the public to bioinitiative.org. The link addresses the NYC payphone and hotspot scheme and says it provides forms and contacts to file complaints with the New York Attorney General. It contains a sample letter as well. The kiosks violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York City Human Rights Law and the New York State Human Rights Law by subjecting citizens, including those with sensitivity to electromagnetic radiation and many other medical conditions and pregnant women to radiation, says the EMF Safety Network. City officials who authorize this scheme would be committing Public Endangerment in the Second Degree, says EMF. Under NYC Human Rights Law, those with electromagnetic sensitivities and most medical conditions would not be able to heed the advice of their own physicians, it adds. If a hotspot is put on the street near a home or critical institution, many people will not be able to access the sidewalk to access the building in question without getting serious symptoms and violating doctors orders, said EMF. Googles Wi-Fi from Space Battled by GUARDS Global Union Against Radiation Deployment from Space (GUARDS) is battling plans by Google, Facebook and SpaceX to launch and replace thousands of satellites to provide worldwide internet service. The harmful pulsed microwave radiation violates human rights conventions due to the serious biological effects and involuntary nature of the exposure, says the organization. The sky-based technology will destroy ozone and worsen climate change due to the emission of black soot from so many rockets, says GUARDS. Combined with the detrimental effects RF radiation has on both flora and fauna, including bees, these global wireless projects are predicted to lead to environmental devastation and even widespread starvation. Diane Hickey, co-founder of the National Assn. for Children and Safe Technology, wrote on Jan. 28 to Sari Feldman, president of the American Library Assn., asking ALA to publicize the dangers of radiation, especially to children. She said the numerous radiation emitters are an emerging public health crisis, a five-alarm fire. Defenders of radiation-emitters may resort to complexity but there are simple rules that people can follow now without getting a Ph.D. in electromagnetism. Precautions for Cellphone/Computer Use Keep cellphones 10 inches from face Wash face after computer use (electrons are sticking to face) Unplug cordless phone base at bedtime or earlier Keep phone on airplane mode most of time Dont sleep near cellphone that is on Dont carry cellphone in pocket Dont use cordless phone at all; they transmit 24/7 at a high level of radiation Have wired computer, mouse, keyboard and other wired connections in home, office, libraries, car, etc. Dont use laptop keyboard Keep face three feet from computer monitor Dont put laptop on lap Dont use cellphone in a car and especially a moving car or vehicle since phone will work extra hard to bring in signal Only use cellphone where there is a strong signal Dont let children under 13 use cellphones except in emergency (skulls are thinner than adults) ; Wi-Fi equipment in schools, libraries, offices should be replaced with wired equipment. If you are an office worker in cubicle, make sure your head, if against a partition, is not up against the back of a computer; Children under 13 should not put Virtual Reality devices on their heads. Ronn Torossian One longstanding, unwritten rule in political public relations has always been dont bite the hand that feeds you. In other words, play nice with the media. This year, however, the corporate media has often found itself a target of ire from candidates looking to score points with their respective bases. Several GOP candidates made attacking the mainstream media a central point of their campaigns. Hillary Clintons camp has taken shots at Fox recently, as well as other conservative radio and internet sites. But no one has gone as far as Donald Trump. Trump started off with a bang, getting combative with Foxs Megyn Kelly in an early debate last fall. He continued to attack her after the debate on social media, revving up his followers to a fever pitch. When he skipped out on a national debate in January hosted by GOP-friendly Fox, he took the disdain for media one step further. In the week leading up to the debate, there was really only one story: would Donald show or not? He said probably not; his aides said definitely not. CNN, Fox and other networks said everything they possibly could for or against him. Talking heads discussed, debated, and pontificated, and every time they mentioned his name, Trumps PR stock went up. In an era when media PR is an around-the-clock business, Trump managed to make an event about him by saying he didnt plan to be there. Theres fashionably late and there are polite refusals, but Trump took no-showing to an entirely different level. Lets face it, Trump has played the media masterfully this election cycle, and this part of his symphony may just be his magnum opus. When your primary goal is to make your PR about you, rule number-one is keep them talking about you. It doesnt really matter what they say. Trump understands, especially in politics, that name recognition is huge. Think about it. How many people have been elected to the Senate on that aspect alone? Now Trump, who specializes in over-the-top performance art, aims for an even higher office. Hes trying to talk about himself right into the Presidency. And he may just do it. * * * Ronn Torossian is the CEO & Founder of 5W Public Relations. 5WPR is headquartered in NYC with offices in Los Angeles and Denver. Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Health Billy Kelleher and Offaly TD Barry Cowen have met with representatives of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation at the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore amid concern about overcrowding, staff shortages and patient safety at the hospital. Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Health Billy Kelleher and Offaly TD Barry Cowen have met with representatives of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation at the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore amid concern about overcrowding, staff shortages and patient safety at the hospital. Speaking after the meeting Deputy Kelleher commented: I want to commend the work that nurses and doctors are doing on the frontline of our health services. The sheer scale of budget cuts in recent years has put enormous pressure on staff and it is to their credit that they have been able to continue to provide and safe and high standard of care to patients. There has been concern in recent weeks about overcrowding at the Accident and Emergency Department and Im pleased my colleague Deputy Cowen organised this meeting so we could hear those concerns first hand. The INMO members at the hospital are continuing to provide excellent care for patients and leadership for staff. I am concerned however about a number of vacant posts at the Midland Regional Hospital. All across the country there are vacancies in key positions in hospitals that must be filled in order to main the safe delivery of care to patients and the Midland Regional Hospital here in Tullamore is no different. In fact I have learned through this visit that the hospital is actually taking in more patients and from outside its traditional catchment area, that the hospital in a way is a victim of its success - its standard of care and treatment is resulting in more patients seeking its services. Deputy Cowen commented: I was pleased to have the opportunity to arrange this meeting and for staff to brief our Health Spokesperson directly. We will be relaying the points and concerns that they have raised with us about vacant posts and the need for a better approach in the delivery of our health care system with Minister Reilly in the Dail. . Pictured are Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Health Billy Kelleher met last Thursday afternoon with members of the INMO. The meeting was organised by Deputy Cowen with the co-operation of the INMO locally. Please find attached picture taken following the meeting. L-R: Billy Kelleher TD, Geraldine Talty, INMO executive representative; Sinead Fitzsimons, Tullamore; Nuala Murray, Birr; Lorraine Monaghan INMO industrial relations officer; Barry Cowen TD at the Tullamore Court Hotel. Picture: Ger Rogers/HR Photo. PHARMACISTS from the Midland Regional Hospital at Tullamore, Lisa Kelly (Renal Dialysis Pharmacist) and Shirley Armitage (Birr CNU clinical pharmacist) won awards for their work at the annual HPAI Conference recently. PHARMACISTS from the Midland Regional Hospital at Tullamore, Lisa Kelly (Renal Dialysis Pharmacist) and Shirley Armitage (Birr CNU clinical pharmacist) won awards for their work at the annual HPAI Conference recently. Joan Peppard, HPAI President and head of pharmacy in the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore said hospital said Pharmacists play a vital role in the Irish healthcare system. They make a significant contribution to improving medication safety and patient care by working with their hospital colleagues in a collaborative multidisciplinary way. I am especially delighted that two of my colleagues in the Pharmacy Department in the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore were prize winners at the Conference. Lisa Kelly received first prize for her audit of medication use and associated cost savings in the Renal Dialysis Department. Oisin O hAlmhain accepted second prize on behalf of Shirley Armitage, from Birr, for her work in the Community Nursing Unit in Birr. This clinical pharmacy service supports the Birr Community Nursing unit in meeting the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland. Hospital pharmacists are highly trained healthcare professionals and can contribute more to the hospital setting in terms of improving patient care and delivering cost efficiencies said Ms. Peppard She also highlighted the success of antimicrobial pharmacists in contributing to the reduction in MRSA and C. Difficile cases reported in Irish hospitals. Just under 200 delegates attended the weekend Conference including pharmacists from the pharmacy departments in Mullingar, Tullamore and Portlaoise. Loading... OilVoice will be with you shortly... EWING, Neb. Dave Wrights cattle are Nebraska through and through. Theyre born on his Holt County ranch, raised eating hay grown here on the land his great-grandfather ranched, and auctioned at the sale barn 90 miles away in Burwell. From there its on to a Nebraska feedlot and likely a Nebraska slaughterhouse. But when they make it to the supermarket as steaks and roasts, itll be anyones guess where this beef is from. Shoppers may not even know whether it came from the United States. Thats because retailers are no longer required to put country of origin information on beef and pork labels. Congress repealed a labeling law in late December after the meat industry fought the law for more than a decade. The tipping point came when the World Trade Organization authorized more than $1 billion in retaliatory tariffs, after Canada and Mexico said the label requirement put their exports at a disadvantage. Wright and other Nebraska ranchers say the repeal takes away an important marketing tool and somewhat devalues their product. Meanwhile, consumer groups say it will mean less information at the meat counter for supermarket shoppers. If you cant identify yourself in the marketplace, how are you going to sell your product? Wright asked. We have world trade, and the consumer does not know what country the food is coming from. Before repeal, the labels told shoppers that a particular cut of meat was, for example, born in Canada, raised and slaughtered in the United States or born, raised and slaughtered in the United States. Congress first required the labels in 2002 amid fears of mad cow disease from imported cattle. The labels werent on most packages until 2009, though, due to delays pushed by the meat industry. The repeal comes at a time when consumers increasingly say they are looking for transparency on labels, and when the government and food industry are grappling with other labeling questions, including how to define the claim of natural and whether to require labeling of GMO food ingredients. Many in Nebraskas big beef industry, though, say the repeal was the right move. Nebraska Cattlemen supports voluntary labeling, saying ranchers and meatpackers that want to promote U.S. beef are still free to do so. Who wouldnt be supportive of saying, Thats mine, and I put my pride and passion behind producing that high-quality protein? said Pete McClymont, executive vice president. But when labeling becomes law, he said, it can have unintended consequences. Greater Omaha Packing, which employs more than 1,000 people in Omaha, said it wasnt difficult to meet the labeling requirement, because the cattle it purchases are born and raised in the Midwest. Still, said Henry Davis, Greater Omaha president, We do support free-market policies and recognize the need for the U.S. to live up to its international trade obligations. Nebraska Beef, another Omaha beef processor employing about 1,000 people, said it too processes only cattle born, raised and slaughtered in the United States. The packer will leave Product of USA on its packaging material and does not plan to change its established processes, said James Timmerman, a company vice president. He didnt think the repeal would hurt the company, and said it might help if it means more market-ready cattle imported to the United States from Canada, which could bring down the price processors pay. Another savings for the meatpacking industry is the end of paperwork and procedures. A spokesman for Tyson Foods, one of Nebraskas biggest employers, said the company is grateful for the repeal of mandatory labeling. This law resulted in increased operating costs, hurting livestock producers and meat processors without providing any additional value to our customers and consumers, Gary Mickelson said. With the repeal, he said, Tyson can now eliminate the practice of segregating cattle and hogs and finished products, as well as the record-keeping needed to meet labeling requirements. Tyson will continue to use the traceability program it has had for years for food safety and quality reasons, he said. Each beef carcass gets an ID number so it can be traced back to the feedlot. This is not, and has never been, a food safety issue, said Mark Dopp, senior vice president at the North American Meat Institute industry group, which represents packers. Its all marketing, he said. He pointed to the Certified Angus Beef brand as a way the meat industry has successfully created a voluntary marketing program. But while consumers may pay more for Angus beef, or for other specialty meat products, Dopp questioned whether they will pay more to know where their beef comes from, enough to cover the costs of labeling. Its easy for somebody to say, yes, they want to know where the meat originates, he said. Its another thing to see if people will put their money where their mouth is. Kansas State University agricultural economics professors in a 2013 study determined that mandatory country of origin labels had no impact on consumer demand for meat. More than 80 percent of beef sold in the United State comes from animals that have been born, raised and slaughtered in the U.S., but seeing that information on packages didnt drive up consumer demand for meat overall, co-author Glynn Tonsor said. While studies have shown that consumers say they would prefer to buy U.S. beef, Tonsor said he doesnt know of existing research on the question of whether consumers actually have paid more for, or bought more of, U.S. beef relative to beef from, say, cattle born in Canada, after the labels were mandatory. Shoppers may not even have realized the information was on labels. I just assumed it was from the U.S., said Cary Mohiuddin of Omaha. Although she said she likes to buy local food, she doesnt check meat labels for country of origin information. I havent paid attention, she said. Another shopper said she checks labels, but that country of origin information doesnt drive her decisions. Im looking for more lean, antibiotic-free, said Stella Haggas of Omaha. Im willing to pay a little more to get a better quality of meat. It doesnt matter to me if it came from Brazil or Canada. The supermarket industry has opposed the regulations, saying they would bring extra training, equipment and labeling costs. Still, several Omaha retailers said they will continue to provide origin information because some consumers want to know. We will still continue to have the country of origin on our products, and let people know where their food comes from, said Allison Phelps, spokeswoman for Whole Foods Market. Hy-Vee said it would do the same. All of our beef and pork has been and continues to be sourced (born, raised, harvested) in the United States, so the labels will say Product of USA, spokeswoman Tina Potthoff said. Ralston meat market Just Good Meat sources beef from seven Nebraska ranches, and pork from Iowa, and co-owner Sean Fuller said his customers are looking for a local product. Everybody knows its local, Fuller said. Rancher Wright still would like to see the information on display on every meat package. We want the consumer to have a choice, he said. As it stands now, once he brings his cattle to the Burwell Livestock Market, they enter a food system where the beef is indistinguishable. At a Friday afternoon sale in January, other local ranchers sat on bleachers and watched the steers and heifers trot into a pen. The cattle had snow on their backs and manure on their tails, as feedlot buyers sized them up and bid with a slight hand movement or a nod. The auctioneer told one rancher, Good job, nice cattle, and said to another, Really outstanding head. Pat Waldmann, who sold 90 cattle, took pride in the scene and said he wants consumers to know where their meat comes from: We raise some of the best beef in the world, and we need credit for it. This report includes material from the Associated Press. Contact the writer: 402-444-1336, barbara.soderlin@owh.com Not to fear, the Doubletree Hotel downtown will have 10,000 chocolate chip cookies on hand for hotel guests who find themselves stranded downtown in a possible blizzard. Sandy Buonanni, the Doubletrees general manager, said Monday he expects the hotels 414 rooms to be full Tuesday. Hotel staff started planning for the storm last week, he said. Besides those 10,000 cookies the hotels standard weekly reserve there will be plenty of other food and drink on hand for guests. The citys centrally located hotels are likely to be booked up for Tuesday night after companies began reserving rooms as early as Sunday for their employees who might be unable to drive home or fly in or out of the city today. Weve been in contact with a lot of companies downtown whove reserved rooms, Buonanni said Monday. The hotel at 1616 Dodge St., which maintains a regular bank of rooms for several airlines, expects to make additional rooms available for airline crews grounded due to flight delays and cancellations. Fortunately, there arent any big conventions or groups in town Tuesday that will have their trips disrupted by the storm, the Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau said. The Embassy Suites hotel at 555 South 10th St. should be fully booked Tuesday, in part because of its partnership with Union Pacific, said Jim Crawford, the hotels assistant general manager. By Monday afternoon, Union Pacific had already made its reservations, Crawford said. The 249-room hotel has been preparing for the onslaught for several days. Obviously everybody was talking about it last week, Crawford said. We expected it, and were stocked up. The Marriott Courtyard in downtown Omaha at 101 South 10th St. began taking reservations ahead of the blizzard on Sunday, said Hanin Alnajjar, the hotels operations manager. Among the first to book several blocks of rooms? Airlines, Alnajjar said. The hotel also has received a flurry of cancellations, freeing up rooms. Some guests who planned to fly in Monday or Tuesday from destinations such as Chicago or Denver already had canceled their reservations Monday due to the impending storm, she said. Car caught in a snowdrift? Cant make it out of downtown? Alnajjar said she expects the hotel may have some rooms available Tuesday. Well have some people walking in tomorrow, Alnajjar said Monday afternoon. After all, she added this is Omaha. At the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Omaha Southwest thats the recently remodeled hotel at 72nd Street and Interstate 80 lead front desk agent Rene Graham said new bookings are making up for cancellations. Business travelers especially were extending their stays, she said. The hotel wasnt charging the usual fee for people who canceled rooms after a deadline. If you cant get here ... , Graham said. There were just six rooms left out of 100 on Monday afternoon at the Holiday Inn Express at 8736 West Dodge Road fewer than normal, manager Mary Crawford said. Area businesses were booking for their workers, and people traveling to Omaha for medical and other appointments were planning to arrive a day early to beat the snow. Both hotels had set aside rooms for their own employees to spend the night. Its kind of a vacation for them, Crawford said of her employees even if its one where they have to make their own beds. Contact the writer: 402-444-1142, janice.podsada@owh.com Family in disbeilef as NIA arrests alleged ISIS man Feature oi-Vicky By Vicky For the family of Farhan Shaikh the Maharashtra youth, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency after being deported from Dubai, times could not have been harder. A weeping grandmother who raised him after he lost his mother and father abandoned him, the arrest of Farhan for his alleged ISIS link is shocking. The grandmother, Mehrunisa is 55 years old and for her Farhan is not a terrorist. With great difficulty she raised him since he was one year old when his mother passed away. Shortly after his mother passed away his father abandoned him leaving him with his grandmother. Family in disbelief Farhan is 21 years old and was working as a hardware engineer in Dubai. He was detained in Dubai following a tip off by the Indian Intelligence Bureau which stated that he was allegedly involved in ISIS related activity. After being held by the Dubai police, he was in detention as India was working out his extradition formalities. During her conversation with the NIA, Mehrunisa kept insisting that Farhan is not a terrorist. She kept asking them what wrong had he done. The NIA however told her not to worry and he is fine. Mehrunisa who has stopped eating ever since Farhan was arrested hopes that he will be released. She insists that there has been some misunderstanding and the same has to be cleared. Arrest on solid grounds The NIA on the other hand says that the arrest of Farhan is on a solid ground. We had information that he was conversing with several ISIS operatives and had even been planning attacks in India. The request to detain him was sent on a strong ground, an NIA officer informed. Investigations are being carried out at the moment. It is a big module and there is a connection with arrests that we carried out the officer also noted. Each one of these persons had a big role to play in this module and we are probing that the official further pointed out. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 1, 2016, 10:28 [IST] Even if not contesting 2020 polls, Hillary Clinton will not be entirely out of scene Hillary Clinton says Julian Assange must 'answer for what he has done' Iowa caucuses: OMalleys supporters could make the difference between Hillary & Sanders Feature oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Sometimes, a trailing competitor can prove to be more than helpful for two closely placed contestants. The current race within the Democratic Party for the presidential nomination is a classic case in hand. O'Malley's 3% can change the game Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, the 74-year-old junior senator from Vermont, are virtually tied at the moment and observers feel it could be Martin O'Malley, the distant third in the race who polled just three per cent before Monday's caucus and looks to be almost out of the nomination race, could ultimately break the tie between his rivals. [Race for White House 2016: What are Iowa caucuses?] The Des Moines Register poll, which saw the former Maryland governor getting a paltry three per cent, also saw Clinton (45 per cent) leading Sanders (42 per cent) by the same three-percent difference. Could O'Malley be the kingmaker? The Democrat, however, told the CNN that he didn't consider himself so and focused more on the original battle he was fighting, which is the presidential nomination. But O'Malley's three-percent support would be crucial for any Democratic candidate who doesn't receive 15 per cent of support in the first round of polling in each of the 1,682 caucuses gets eliminated and his/her supporters would then have to choose between the candidates in fray. Hillary already eyeing O'Malley's supporters O'Malley might still be fighting for the revival of his fortune but it seems Hillary Clinton and her teams have already set their eyes on this key group. The teams looking after Hillary's campaign have been engaging a lot with O'Malley supporters to take the battle beyond Sanders's reach. Hillary applies Obama's 2008 strategy This strategy resembles that of Obama, to who Hillary had lost in the 2008 campaign. Then, Obama with his inspirational message and organising skills, convinced supporters of the third-ranked candidates like Joe Biden to pick him as their second choice. The other strategy to beat Sanders But Hillary's team has added an extra effort to beat Sanders this time and that is to shift some supporters to the distant O'Malley even if things look advantageous to deny Sanders any extra support. That Hillary is attaching so much importance to the election this time is evident from the training her team has imparted to the precinct captains. Sanders's camp not equally keen on O'Malley voters The practice of helping a weaker candidate to weaken a stronger candidate is not morally supported by many but realpolitik has little to do with morality, isn't it? Sanders, on his part, has emphasised more on "political revolution" vis-a-vis Hillary's massive organisational tactic. It is not that the former has less number of volunteers at his disposal but his supporters are eyeing less in winning over other candidates' supporters. Sanders is banking more on new voters unlike Hillary, his seasoned opponent who is focusing on the proven electorate. Manipur fake encounter: Time to revisit Justice Hegde commission recommendations Feature oi-Vicky By Vicky The confession of head constable Heojit Singh from Manipur about an encounter that was fake has promoted one to look into the recommendations made by the Supreme Court appointed Justice Santhosh Hegde Commission. Singh had recently confessed that he had shot a member of an insurgent group, Sanjit Meitei at Imphal. He further stated that he shot him while he was unarmed. His confessions make it clear that the encounter was fake. This brings us to discussing the recommendations that were made by the Justice Hegde commission in 2013. The commission which also comprised former Chief Election Commission J M Lyngdoh and retired IPS officer A K Singh was constituted to investigate the extra judicial killings in Manipur. What had the commission recommended: First and foremost the commission noted that there has been rampant misuse of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA. This act has failed to tackle insurgency, the commission noted. Further it also noted that encounters being carried out were not genuine. "It would appear that the security forces believed a priori that the suspects involved in the encounters had to be eliminated and the forces acted accordingly," the report also stated. Further it was also noted that the armed forces should not be used to fight Indians. It was stated that the people who were being killed were Indians and there is a need to fight them in a different manner. There is a need to have a police force of Manipur in troubled areas and also ensure that they reside with their families so that there is a level of psychological kindness in them. Provide security to citizens: The report also stated that maximum force was being used to kill people. Though the Act gives sweeping powers to security forces even to extend of killing a suspect with protection against prosecution, it does not provide any protection to the citizens against its possible misuse. Normally, the greater the power, the greater the restraint and stricter the mechanism to prevent its misuse or abuse. But in case of the AFSPA in Manipur this principle appears to have been reversed," the commission also noted. The commission also makes a note of how governments should do more to ensure that Manipur is utilised as a tourism destination. It is a wonderful place for tourism and the governments must capitalise on it. None of the governments have done anything to improve the situation out there and each one has been using Manipur for their own selfishness, the commission further observed. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 1, 2016, 10:46 [IST] Race for White House 2016: What are Iowa caucuses? Feature oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer As the United States of America proceeds towards its presidential election this year, the state of Iowa steals the headlines for the first polls to determine the presidential nominees are to be held there. The Iowa caucuses, as they are known, form an intricate part of the entire election process to be held in the small state of Iowa, located 350 miles west of Chicago and having a diverse economy. What are caucuses? The caucuses, unlike the primaries, have a more feel of "direct democracy". Instead of going to the polling stations to cast their secret ballots at any point of the day, those attending the caucuses must arrive at the venue at a particular time to take part in a live process. While the Democrats have around 1,100 caucus sites, the Republicans have 900-plus of them. Democratic vs Republican caucuses In Iowa, the caucuses of the two parties do not function in the same manner and the participants at the caucus are disproportionately picked from dedicated supporters of the party. The Republican caucuses have a more a populist look where party supporters assemble and the representatives of the candidates' campaigns give short speeches before the attendees who then decide on a particular candidate through secret votes. The Democrats' practice at the caucuses is different. Their caucuses have no secret ballots and the attendees simply gather at various corners and form physical clusters in support of each of the candidates. They then speak to convince supporters of the less popular candidates to attract them to their sides before the final count of support is taken. Difference with primaries: The caucuses are dominated more by party activists and doesn't present much of a representative picture of the general voters. The primaries work more like the average election featuring secret ballots, voting booths, etc. whereas caucuses, as has been said earlier, has a more "direct democracy" outlook. Moreover, while primaries are organised and sponsored by state governments, caucuses are held and financed by state parties. Significance of Iowa in caucuses: Since the caucuses in Iowa form the first important step in the key race for the White House, the presidential candidates always look towards a good beginning so that they can remain psychologically ahead and gather a momentum in due course. A poor show in Iowa and it makes the candidates' chances that much difficult in sustaining support, most importantly, financial. For the record-keepers, Democrat Bill Clinton is the only leader from either side who went on to become the US president in the last 40 years despite losing Iowa. It shows the significance of Iowa, despite the state contributing to just two percent of the delegates required to become a Democrat nominee. In 2008, Barack Obama had prevailed over the heavyweight Hillary Clinton in this version in his long march to the presidency, leaving a serious psychological impact on the latter. Joe Biden, the vice-president, couldn't get even one per cent vote. There is another side, too. The Republican John McCain had finished fourth with just over 13 per cent in 2008 but yet managed to become the party's presidential nominee at the end with some good show later. This time, the Democrats are seeing Hillary Clinton in a virtual tie with Bernie Sanders, Vermont's junior Senator while former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley trailing by far. The scenario is more puzzling in the Republican camp where although real estate moghul Donald Trump has a small advantage over Texas's conservative senator Ted Cruz, but people like Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich and others are also in the contention. Tonight will be an exciting one as Iowa will show the way for an absorbing battle ahead. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 1, 2016, 12:46 [IST] TS EAMCET 2022 Seat Allotment Result 2022 for round 2 on Oct 16: How to check and more Rohiths suicide: Its not about Modi versus Rahul; its about Dalit lives Feature oi-Oneindia By Maitreyee Boruah Political discourses in the country always veer towards absurd logic. After all, it serves the "agenda" of political parties well. Now, when it's time to debate and change our mindset about discrimination faced by Dalits, our focus is strangely on rivalries between two main political parties and their "supreme" leaders. The BJP-led NDA government is miffed that Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi has joined the students at the University of Hyderabad in their protest to deliver justice for Rohith Vemula. Congress leaders are accused of cashing in on the death of the Dalit research scholar to serve their vote bank politics. On the other hand, opposition parties want the heads of Human Research Development Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya, for their alleged mishandling of the entire crisis, right from Rohith's expulsion. The 26-year-old research scholar was found hanged in the university campus on January 17. Rohith was one of the five scholars who were expelled, after a scuffle broke out between Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA) (Rohith was a member of ASA) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in August last year. Rahul's speeches versus Modi's tears Political pundits and critics are calling Rahul's activism on the university campus as "political opportunism". BJP leaders have accused that it was the same Congress who was "silent" when nine other Dalit students in the campus committed suicide during the Congress regime. If those tragic incidents were addressed with silence by the then ruling party at the centre, it is a similarly uncanny scenario we are witnessing now. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his colleagues are yet to strongly condemn the incident and meet the demands of the protestors. It took Modi five days after Rohith's death to speak bare minimum about the incident that led to massive students' agitations across the country. "Leaving politics aside, more than anything else a mother lost her son. I share and feel her pain," said a teary-eyed Prime Minister. Thereafter, Modi went back to his cocoon, deciding not to speak or do anything about students' demands. Even during his first Mann ki Baat (where he addresses the nation on All India Radio) of 2016 on Sunday (January 31), Prime Minister did not mention anything about Rohith or the ongoing strike at the university campus. BJP tries its best to label Rohith as a non-Dalit All his life, Rohith faced discrimination and injustice because he was born as a Dalit. This is the plight of Indian Dalits, exceptions are a rarity. Their caste comes in every step of their lives denying most the dignity of life. Politicians and unfortunately many journalists (believed to follow right wing ideology) are trying to call Rohith a non-Dalit. Even the national security adviser Ajit Doval engaged the service of his spies to gather a report stating Rohith family's caste as Vaddera, which is a backward caste and not part of the 'Dalit' fold. If similar diligence was shown to gather information about terrorists prior to the Pathankot terror attack, India could have saved the lives of several of its brave hearts. Politics over Dalit versus non-Dalit issue BJP leaders are trying to hammer us with lies that Rohith was not a Dalit. If the attempt of BJP succeeds then the whole issue automatically becomes a non-issue. Thus Modi government is safe from delivering any duty towards the Dalit cause. First it was HRD minister Irani. She infamously said, "I am compelled to come out today because there has been a malicious attempt to present this as a Dalit versus non-Dalit issue to ignite passions." Rohith's heart-wrenching suicide note was misinterpreted by the BJP. The ruling party conveniently failed to read the finer message in Rohith's suicide note. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday (January 30) said, "The facts have come out in the case, and as per as my complete knowledge, that student [Rohith] was not a Dalit". Instead of punishing the guilty and doing the needful to end caste-based discrimination, BJP's energy is concentrated on proving Rohith a non-Dalit. Similarly after the Dadri lynching of Mohammed Akhlaq, government was busy proving whether the meat found in his house was "beef" or not. Rohith's suicide and Dadri lynching are two classic examples of Modi government's attempts to turn issues of grave concern into non-issues, instead of offering helping hand to the victims. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 1, 2016, 9:24 [IST] Trump is convinced Russia didnt interfere in 2016 polls; blames US for sour ties with Moscow US poll caucuses: Like Hillary-Sanders, why we never see a Modi vs Nitish debate Feature oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer A significant feature of American presidential election is the election that the country's contesting parties first go through before the final battle. This year, both the Democratic and Republican parties are seeing absorbing contests with no definite answer over who would have the final say. While Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Party are virtually tied at the moment, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and a few others in the Republican Party are also fighting it out to maintain a lead in the race for the presidential nomination and the White House. [Race for White House 2016: What are Iowa caucuses?] The candidates are engaging in debates and arguments to corner the opponent, something which is key for a healthy democracy. Yes, Trump's words were not up to the mark at times but he faced a strong criticism for such act. Overall, differences in the American democracy still find the channels for a decent expression. [Iowa caucuses: O'Malley's supporters could make the difference between Hillary and Sanders] Comparing the ugly spat in NDA over Modi's elevation in NDA in June 2013 In India, the same issue leads to an opposite result. In June 2013, when the high-voltage parliamentary election in the country was less than a year away, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) comprising two heavyweight chief ministers Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar saw a serious fracture. The Bihar CM refused to accept the rise of his Gujarat counterpart in the ranks of the alliance to emerge as it face for the Lok Sabha elections. Stirring up a controversy over the eternal secular-communal debate, Nitish called off the 17-year-old alliance between his Janata Dal (United) and the BJP. Modi later went on to become the NDA's prime ministerial candidate and eventually the prime minister the next year. Advani couldn't digest Modi's elevation as PM candidate The process of choosing the PM candidate was not smooth in the BJP either. Party patriarch and former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani was so upset over Modi's nomination that he refused to be present on the occasion. The difference is far from being bridged today as many believe. Anti-Modi voices across the political spectrum often express sympathy for the patriarch who the PM was accused of sidelining for his personal gains. So when a Clinton and Sanders can do it in a way which speaks about the US democracy in a positive way, why does the scenario in India looks disappointing? In India, personality clashes prevail over institutionalised democracy The main reason for the political tussles in India is the lack of internal democracy. Since there is no culture of debating issues of national interest, the Indian politicians only focus on personal ego clashes to emerge as a better choice. In India, why can't we have debates over candidate nomination? Had there been a process of democratically debating who would make a better prime ministerial candidate in the NDA, one feels those ugly scenes of 2013 could have been avoided and the loser would gracefully withdraw from the race after finishing the second-best. But the post-Indira Gandhi India is more obsessed with personality cult and dynastic politics and not institutionalised democracy, whether in party or at the level of governance. The Indian politicians, one suppose, are also too opportunistic and have their vision limited to election results. Given this lack of a bigger visualisation and only focus on power formation involving the votes of a largely underqualified electorate, our leaders don't feel the necessity of take things to a better level. They just remain busy in scoring one more point by attacking the opponent in a crass language. Hence, we remain a quantitative democracy while the US leads as a qualitative one. Will the new RSS dress code be approved? Feature oi-Vicky By Vicky In an effort to lure the youth to join the RSS, the organisation is considering an option to make some changes to the dress code. There has been a demand among the urban youth to introduce pants instead of the khaki shorts and in the month of March 2016, a decision is likely to be taken. The RSS Pratinidhi Sabha which will be held at Rajasthan on March 11 is expected to deliberate on this subject. While some senior leaders of the RSS have approved the idea of replacing the shorts with trousers,a final call will be taken during the meet at Rajasthan. Dress code change The RSS dress code currently comprises a black hat, , khakhi shorts, full sleeved white shirt and a canvass belt. The last time that a change in the dress code was effected was in 2010 when the leather belt was replaced with a canvass belt. In the recent past there has been a demand by several youth in urban areas to replace the shorts with trousers. There had also been a demand to replace the white shirt with a t-shirt. While the RSS may consider replacing the shorts with trousers, the question of switching to t-shirts has been ruled out. Many youth are attracted to the ideology of the RSS and are willing to join in larger numbers. However there have been reservations regarding the dress code, a functionary in the RSS said. The RSS has no problem in effecting this change. However what needs to be ensured that the dress code is comfortable, the functionary also added. While many in the top leadership are comfortable with this change, a final call would be taken either at the Pratinidhi Sabha on March 11 or at the Sangh Sikhsha Varga or training session in April. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 1, 2016, 9:10 [IST] AAP alleges BJP, RSS were involved; asks PM to take action India oi-PTI New Delhi, Feb 1: AAP on Monday, Feb 1 alleged that BJP and RSS were "involved" in the purported assault on the protesters, including women, demonstrating near the RSS head office here and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the matter. The party also demanded action against Delhi Police personnel "responsible" for the assault on the agitators protesting over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. "BJP and RSS were also involved in the assault on the protesters. The police are acting at the behest of the Sangh," senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh claimed. He was referring to people in civilian clothes in the video of the purported assault. "Action should also be taken against the people dressed in civilian clothes. Those who were in civilian clothes and were seen attacking protesters should be probed," he said.The party also slammed Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi, demanding "an explanation for the act by the police". "This (the incident) shows the cruel face of Delhi Police where even women protesters were assaulted. This has been happening in the national capital. "During the (Delhi Assembly) election campaign, the Prime Minister had said that he stays in Delhi and it is his home. How can he allow attack on women by his police?" Singh questioned. He demanded "urgent intervention" by the PM and urged him to "take action against the erring police officials and fix responsibility". "The PM should intervene as he talks about 'Selfie with Daughter'...talks about the security of women from the Red Fort. If his police is assaulting women, then there can't be a more serious thing than this," he said. Attacking BJP, AAP leader Ashutosh said, "Comments made by the BJP leaders reflect insensitivity of the party towards Dalits. In fact, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that Rohith was not a Dalit." Delhi Police today drew flak as a video emerged in which male police constables can be seen purportedly assaulting protesters, including women, during the demonstration. The video went viral on social media, triggering sharp reactions. PTI Gap between rich and poor has widened, needs to be bridged: Gadkari Congress flays BJP-led Nagpur civic body over 'smart city' failure India oi-PTI Nagpur, Feb 1: The Opposition Congress has lashed out at BJP-led Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) for its "utter" failure to get the 'Orange city' in the Centre's first list for the Smart City project. "Nagpur was among the top ten cities in the nation in every manner under Congress rule. Unfortunately, the city has now slipped to the 256th place in 'Swachh Bharat' rankings," Congress leader in the NMC, Vikas Thakre said here yesterday. Blaming the BJP-led ruling alliance at NMC "for degrading the city's position", Thakre said, "It (BJP) has failed to control the administration and irregularities in its nine-year rule". Thakre, who is also the president of Nagpur City and District Congress Committee demanded that city mayor Pravin Datke and Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar should reveal the reasons to the tax payers, on why Nagpur failed to make it to the first list of the cities announced under the 'Smart City' project. He ridiculed NMC for its announcement that it would participate again in the 'Smart City' contest in the next fiscal. "The Opposition Congress had extended all support to the BJP-led ruling alliance for gaining a place in the list. Nagpurians (Nagpur citizens) have been greatly disappointed when cities like Solapur, Guwahati, Jabalpur can make it to 20 city-list, why not Nagpur," Thakre questioned. "Presentation before the Centre should not be an issue since it was prepared by spending crores on consultants. (The) BJP hyped the Smart City project too much. It would have taken credit if it had been selected for the project. Therefore, now BJP and (the) mayor should come before public and general body to reveal reasons and take responsibility for insulting the city," he added. BJP and Shiv Sena share power in the Nagpur civic body. "BJP is in power at the Centre and state. Still the Centre has not selected the city in top 20, which proves BJP's failure at NMC," the Congress leader said. Thakre also hinted that Maharashtra and city BJP might put pressure on the Centre and get into Smart City list in next fiscal when the Municipal Corporation elections are around in early 2017. Bhubaneswar emerged on top among 20 cities, including Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Bhopal, that have been selected as part of the first batch of the Smart City initiative for which the NDMC area of Delhi has also made the grade. The announcement was made by the Centre on January 28. PTI HC gives direction to MSRB on recruitment India oi-PTI Madurai, Feb 1: Madras High Court today directed Chairman of Medical Services Recruitment Board (MSRB) to consider giving weightage to the experience of the members of the Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Lab Technicians' Federation, while recruiting candidates for the post of Lab technician (GradeIII). Justice Pushpa Satyanaranaya, disposing a petition filed by the President of the Federation M Satheeshkumar, directed the government to consider the representation of the petitioner to give weightage for the experience also within two weeks. The petition stated that the members of the association had been working for over eight to 10 years in various departments including AIDS control society, Municipal corporation and Department of Health and Preventive Medicine. While many had even worked continously for five years, the Chairman had invited applications for the post of lab technician. As per the selection procedure the candidate is required to possess a minimum qualification of 12th standard with a certificate in Medical technology. Though they had given weightage for marks in certificate courses, they had not given any priority to experienced candidates who were already working as a lab technician on contract basis, thus leading to inequality. The federation had sent a representation to consider their plea, but of no avail. Hence, the court should direct the government giving weightage of marks for working experience in Tamilnadu AIDS Control Society on Contract Basis and give priority over the other candidates, the petitioner said. PTI If I die, nobody will call me a prostitute anymore: Rape victim in suicide note India oi-Reetu New Delhi, Feb 1: A rape victim is always blamed for whatever has happened with her, but people hardly think about the trauma through which she goes. She always has to listenn to the taunts from others. Hardly, any sympathy! This is what can be understood from the suicide note of a rape victim who wrote, "If I die, nobody will call me a prostitute anymore." These were the last words of the Bhilai rape victim who committed suicide after a one-year-long legal battle. The deceased was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her room on Thursday. According to an Indian Express report, "For six months, she had kept the alleged assault by a doctor and two police constables hidden from her family, worried about their "izzat (honour)". Her father retired as the guard of an engineering college in Nagpur, and she was the fourth of seven children. The family lives in a two-room house. She had gone to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital in Bhilai in June 2014 for some treatment on her face when she was "raped", allegedly first by the doctor and then the two constables posted there. "The doctor, Gautam Pandit, told her she had jaundice and kept her at the hospital for three days. He drugged her, and with constables Saurabh Bhakta and Chandra Prakash Pandey, raped her. Then for over six months, they threatened her, saying they had made a video, and even took money from her on two occasions," her brother was quoted as saying in the report. The suicide note also accuses the Public Prosecutor of threatening the victim's family and the girl also said her lawyer, Kalpana Deshmukh, told her there was little hope of her getting justice. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 1, 2016, 18:44 [IST] Bengaluru: Heavy rains lead to mayhem, wall collapse; IMD predicts more rains Rs 1,000 fine if found without wearing rear seat belt in Karnataka 'Kantara' impact: 'Daiva Narthakas' above 60 years of age to get Rs 2,000 monthly allowance Late actor Puneeth Rajkumar to be conferred with 'Karnataka Ratna' award on Nov 1 News Flash: NIA arrests ISIS suspectagent in Bhopal India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Bengaluru, Feb 1: NIA and Crime Branch in a joint operation arrest a suspected ISIS agent from Bhopal. Get all the latest national and international news updates of Monday, Feb 1, here: 1.50 pm: New SSB chief, IPS officer Archana Ramasundram , becomes 1st woman police officer to head a paramilitary force. 12.31 pm: Supreme Court Admits 'Mistake' in Issuing Notice to Arunachal Pradesh Governor. 11.12 pm: IPS officer Archana Ramasundram appointed as DG, SSB. She becomes the first lady IPS officer to head the Central Armed Police Forces. 10.28 pm: One police official dead, 6 injured after a police van falls off a bridge near Chambal River. 9.18 pm: Extremely saddened & shocked to know about Murud incident where 14 students lost lives.My deepest condolences to families, says Devendra Fadnavis. 8.22 pm: Naxal carrying reward of Rs 30 lakh on his head, killed in an encounter with SSB in Jamui district of Bihar. 8.18 pm: India- Bangladesh Foreign Secretary level talks held in Delhi, earlier today. 7.56 pm: Vice President Hamid Ansari arrives in Brunei,meets members of Friendship Association and Indian Chamber of Commerce. 7.54 pm: NIA and Crime Branch in a joint operation arrest ISIS suspect from Bhopal. 7.25 pm: It was an unfortunate event, no Kapu community protesters were involved in it: Kapu leader on train coaches burning incident. 7.20 pm: Had she waited bit we would have provided the woman a wheelchair: Ashwini Lohani (CMD, Air India) on differently abled passenger Anita. Started an inquiry, agent who booked ticket should have mentioned that a wheelchair was needed: Ashwini Lohani pic.twitter.com/xQ7ewjvQTb ANI (@ANI_news) February 1, 2016 7.10 pm: We have sent two ambulances and members of our management staff at the spot: SA Inamdar (College trustee) on Murud beach drowning incident. We took all necessary steps after we got info: SA Inamdar (College trustee) on Murud beach drowning incident pic.twitter.com/Lb1gpIGbSa ANI (@ANI_news) February 1, 2016 7.00 pm: Murud beach, Raigad (Maharashtra): More than 13 bodies of students recovered till now. 6.55 pm: PDP-BJP have thrown a state into constitutional crisis: Junaid Mattu, NC 6.50 pm: Two-year old falls into a borewell at Valhalla village in Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh. Rescue operations underway. Two-year old falls into a borewell at Valhalla village in Nalgonda district (AP). Rescue operations underway. pic.twitter.com/MLOoJud37t ANI (@ANI_news) February 1, 2016 6.45 pm: Indian Coast Guard launches search operation after 13 students drowned in Raigad (Maharashtra). 6.40 pm: Karnataka police officer transfer issue: Ballari Deputy superintendent of police (DySP) reinstated in service, notification issued. 6.30 pm: Sad day for Gujarat. State Govt's repeated failure to implement National Food Security Act has finally forced SC to intervene: Ahmed Patel,Congress. 6.25 pm: Shocking attack on students. Instead of listening to them, now Modi Govt is brutally beating them up for protesting against RSS: Rahul Gandhi. 6:11 pm: State BJP leaders to meet General Secretary Ram Madhav today on J&K Govt formation. 5:45 pm: Delhi court takes up chargesheet filed by ED against Dayanidhi Maran,Kalanidhi Maran and Kaveri Kalanidhi in Aircel Maxis case in 2G scam. 5:40 pm: Shocking attack on students.Instead of listening to them, now Modi Govt is brutally beating them up for protesting against RSS, says Rahul Gandhi. 5:33 pm: More than 8 students drown near Murud Beach in Raigad(Maharashtra), Police launch rescue operations. 5:15 pm: We're sorry if any of our stmnts have hurt sentiments of the parents, says Spox, Ryan International School on death of student. 5:00 pm: PDP legislature party meeting ends in Srinagar. 4:59 pm: Party has authorized Mehbooba Muftiji to place party's pov before Guv, which she is doing tomorrow-Naeem Akhtar, PDP on Govt formation in J&K. 4:40 pm: A post office official detained for allegedly spying for Pak, by IB in Pokhran area of Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district, questioning underway. 4:39 pm: An agreement for visa free travel for diplomatic passport holders of 2 countries (India-Afghan) was exchanged in presence of two leaders. 4:38 pm: 'Urine is as effective as Dettol', says Lalu Prasad Yadav 4:15 pm: I'm not a political person, I was never a member of any political party, says Arunchal Pradesh Governor JP Rajkhowa. 4:00 pm: I nowhere mentioned about cow slaughter, MoS Home has already clarified that, says Arunchal Pradesh Governor JP Rajkhowa. 3:45 pm: Sensex falls more than 40 points to close at 24,824.83. 3:30 pm: There is nothing political in this, I am an artist: Hema Malini on land allotment issue. 3:19 pm: Delhi Court has posted the matter for hearing on Feb 3 on Arun Jaitley defamation case against AAP leaders. 3:00 pm: Delhi HC grants four week parole to INLD leader OP Chautala on medical grounds. 2:45 pm: Venkaiah Naidu had to give money to the MCD, that hasn't happened yet. We have provided all docs on us giving money to MCD, says Sanjay Singh. 2:40 pm: Hearing on Arunachal Pradesh crisis continues. 2:31 pm: SC recalls it's notice to Arunachal Governor on President's Rule on ArunachalPradesh Crisis. 2:15 pm: Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and other groups protest in Mumbai in Rohith Vemula suicide case. 2.00 pm: India register their third consecutive win in the #U19CWC by beating Nepal with 7 wickets. 1.55 pm: Will look at report, law will take its course, says Surendra Kumar, Media incharge Uttarakhand CM on report on Baba Ramdev's 'Putrajeevak Beej'. 1.50 pm: India and Bangladesh Foreign Secretaries to meet today at 6 pm in Delhi. 1.40 pm: "It is upto Mehbooba ji to do whatever is required, Congress has no role to play", says Congress leader Ghuam Nabi Azad on J&K govt formation. 1.30 pm: Relief for Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje as Supreme Court dismisses plea demanding CBI probe into Dholpur House matter. 1.25 pm: ABVP protests in Delhi against Congress VP Rahul Gandhi's Hyderabad University visit in Rohith Vemula suicide case. 1.20 pm: Padma Bhushan was a complete surprise for me, says Sania Mirza. French Open is the toughest slam for us to win because it is not our best surface-Sania Mirza pic.twitter.com/OdMpd1rEWp ANI (@ANI_news) February 1, 2016 1.05 pm: Afghanistan CEO Abdullah Abdullah meets EAM Sushma Swaraj in Delhi. Afghanistan CEO Abdullah Abdullah meets EAM Sushma Swaraj in Delhi pic.twitter.com/W4qgMEyXF4 ANI (@ANI_news) February 1, 2016 1.00 pm: NHRC issues notices to Commissioner, SDMC and DCP, South West Delhi over reports of drowning of 4 year old boy Ankit in a Municipal school. 12.55 pm: Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa writes to PM,seeks secure release of 15 fishermen and 69 boats from Sri Lankan custody. 12.50 pm: Delhi Cabinet meeting to take place today, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia to chair the meet over MCD Strike. 12.45 pm: A group of 40 Maoists set six vehicles of a company to fire, including JCB Machine and Tractors late last night in Koraput, Odisha. MCD salary issue: Workers protests outside Urban Development minister Venkaiah Naidu's residence pic.twitter.com/b2hf2nTKXs ANI (@ANI_news) February 1, 2016 12.40 pm: Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary affairs to meet on February 4 to decide dates of budget session. 12.05 pm: Delhi L-G Najeeb Jung. to meet sanitation workers at 2 pm. 11.30 am: Delhi: MCD workers protest in Jagatpuri over non payment of dues. Delhi: MCD workers protest in Jagatpuri over non payment of dues pic.twitter.com/rl2om8tZVb ANI (@ANI_news) February 1, 2016 10.45 am: 16-year-old dies after being hit by train in Chennai. The teenager was taking selfie on his way back home. 10.08 am: The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir has directed both the BJP and PDP to clarify its stand on the government formation by tomorrow. 9.45 am: Hearing on issue of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh to be held in Supreme Court today. 8.37 am: I am reviewing the situation with the officials, Criminals would be punished-AP CM Chandrababu Naidu on Kapu community protest. 8.22 am: Flight services affected at Delhi Airport due to dense fog in the region, visibility below 75 metre. 7.58 am: Boko Haram burns kids alive in Nigeria, 86 dead: officials. 7.55 am: Kapu community protesters set police station on fire in Tuni city. Kapu community protesters set police station on fire in Tuni city (East Godavari district, AP) (last night visuals) pic.twitter.com/bdWAIQoPhZ ANI (@ANI_news) February 1, 2016 OneIndia News Zika virus threat: India yet to take concrete action, Bengaluru may be at risk India oi-Jagriti Bengaluru, Feb 1: India is yet to take concrete action to make people aware about the zika virus that has created havoc in South America and other countries. Testing facilities are yet to put in place, no screening procedures at airports, and no guidelines on how to tackle it if it spreads its wings in the country. The growing presence of Zika virus in Brazil, US has drawn international attention this month. The Zika virus is thought to cause brain damage in babies called microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads. The virus is primarily thought to be transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. These are the same mosquitoes that spread dengue and chikungunya viruses. According to the Times of India, doctors in Bengaluru have started sharing by sharing messages on WhatsApp groups to keep themselves updated about the disease. Bengaluru may be at risk of zika virus threat as a large number of people travel to South America and other countries where the virus has struck. Garbage menace in the city has also put the city on risk. "There is no need to fear. The virus has not yet come to India. We have no power to issue guidelines. The Centre must do it . We are yet to understand what kind of surveillance needed to screen travellers coming from the affected countries," said Dr GM Vamadeva, director, health and family welfare department. Zika virus: Know all about the mosquito borne disease that causes birth defect "India is vulnerable to Zika infection. It's definitely going to be a threat. A lot of Indians travel to South America. The government must set up systems at airports to screen those coming from the affected areas. We do not have facilities to test, identify and monitor Zika. Commercial testing kits are the need of the hour," said Dr Satish Amar nath, head of quality compliance and outreach programmes at Manipal hospital. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 1, 2016, 15:30 [IST] A great tragedy say activists after 200 bodies are recovered from roof of Pakistan hospital International news brief: Confident of Pak's commitment, ability to secure its nuclear assets, says US & more From 'dangerous' to 'secure and confident': US makes a u-turn after Biden's comment on Pak The persecution of Hindus in Pakistan continues with a Hindu girl forcibly converted and married 182 Pak 'madrassas' sealed since 2014 Peshawar school attack International oi-PTI Islamabad, Feb 1: Pakistani authorities have sealed 182 'madrassas' since the deadly Peshawar school attack in 2014, in a countrywide crackdown on religious seminaries allegedly involved in extremism, a media report said today. The madarassas were closed in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because of their involvement in promoting extremism and other suspicious activities, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported. The action was taken under the National Action Plan (NAP) that was put in place after militants stormed an army school in December, 2014 killing at least 150 people, mostly schoolchildren. As part of the strategy to choke terror financing, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has so far frozen Rs 1 billion in 126 accounts which have a link to banned militant groups. Pakistan army murders Baloch political activist leader Dr Manan Law-enforcement agencies have also recovered around Rs 251 million in cash. The government has put names of 8,195 people in the fourth schedule and 188 on the Exit Control List while movement of 2,052 hardcore militants has been restricted. Similarly, the government has registered 1,026 cases and arrested 230 terror suspects. There were 64 banned organisations in the country while 74 have been declared unlawful by the UN. Activities of some organisations are constantly being monitored and their activists are under surveillance. With regard to hate speech, over 1,500 books and other hate material have been confiscated and 73 shops sealed. Law-enforcement agencies have registered 2,337 cases for hate speeches and material and arrested 2,195 people. PTI The terror groups that threaten the US and why Lashkar made it to the list Boko Haram burns children alive, 86 dead in Nigeria International oi-Jagriti Abuja, Feb 1: At least 86 people, many of them were children killed when Boko Haram militants attacked a village in Nigeria, media reported. In a series of attacks in the village of Dalori in north-eastern Nigeria, Boko Haram militants firebombed huts, and opened fire on civilians on Saturday, reported the Al Jazeera. They also tried to attack a refugees camp close to Dalori, home to some 25,000 people but were repelled by troops. Witnesses said they heard the screams of children burning to death as huts and homes were razed to the ground. The war between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government has killed 20,000 people in six years and driven 2.3 million people from their homes. The UN children's agency says up to one million children have been forced out of school. Boko Haram changes tactics for terror attacks in Nigeria More than 200 school girls were abducted from Chibok town in 2014 by Boko Haram. The abduction has aroused international outrage. None of the missing girls has been found, although government said it is making efforts to know their whereabouts and ensure their freedom. Nigeria has seen increase in attacks carried out by the group since Nigeria's new President took office in May, unleashing a wave of violence that has claimed 800 lives in just two months. OneIndia News Fact Check: This video of a bus being attacked is from Egypt and not related to the ongoing violence in Iraq Egypt attacks in Sinai leave four security forces dead International oi-PTI Cairo, Feb 1: Two Egyptian policemen and two soldiers were killed in two bombing attacks in the country's restive Sinai Peninsula, where Islamic State (IS) jihadists have regularly attacked security forces. In one attack at dawn yesterday, a remotely-detonated bomb hit a police vehicle as security forces were carrying out a search operation in the Rafah region, on the border with the Gaza Strip, killing two policemen, officials said. An army officer and a soldier were also killed in a similar attack yesterday in the Sheikh Zuwaid region of northern Sinai, the officials added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the region is an IS stronghold. Jihadists have regularly attacked security forces in the peninsula since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. They say their attacks are in retaliation for a government crackdown targeting Morsi supporters that has left hundreds dead and thousands imprisoned. The authorities say hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been killed in attacks, mainly in North Sinai, since 2013. Egypt's branch of IS also said it planted a bomb that caused the crash of a Russian airliner in the Sinai in October, killing all 224 people on board. AFP Delhi air quality projected to cross 301 by Sat; GRAP stage II comes into effect ahead of Diwali IRCTC update: 140 trains cancelled on October 20; here is the complete list Partial solar eclipse on Diwali: Can you perform Lakshmi Puja on Oct 25? Indian, Afghan diplomats to enjoy visa-free travel International oi-IANS By Ians English New Delhi, Feb 1: India and Afghanistan on Monday signed an agreement on allowing their diplomats visa-free travel. The agreement was signed as Afghan Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Council of Ministers Abdullah Abdullah called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. "Promoting stronger diplomatic ties. During CE @DrAAbdullah`'s visit, India & Afghanistan sign agreement on visa free travel for diplomats," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted "Sustained engagement with Afghanistan. Chief Executive @DrAAbdullah meets PM @narendramodi in Delhi," he stated in an earlier tweet. Abdullah Abdullah, who arrived here on Sunday on a five-day visit to India, is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. He will leave for Jaipur on Tuesday where he will attend a conference on counter-terrorism. 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. IANS Islamic State bomber detained in Russia for attempting attack in India was recruited through Telegram Why India should get access to Islamic State bomber detained in Russia Prosecutions story may be attractive but should be backed by evidence ISIS warns UK to get ready to face severe attack than in Paris International oi-PTI London, Feb 1: The Islamic State (ISIS) terror group has warned Britain of an attack more severe than the Paris strikes, saying the country will receive the "lion's share" of the slaughter for its "declaration of war against Muslims". In the latest edition of its Arabic newspaper 'al-Naba' (The News), ISIS warns that the UK should be prepared for an attack more severe than in Paris last November which claimed 130 lives. According to 'The Sunday Times', the article eulogises Mohammed Emwazi, the British national dubbed Jihadi John who was killed by a US drone strike. It said "his words will never die" and that his message of slaughter did not end "with the blood of the soldiers of the caliphate who sent it to France in their own special way". Britain will receive the "lion's share" of the slaughter "in response to its declaration of war against the Muslims", the group said in reference to last month's UK Parliament vote on airstrikes against ISIS in Syria. An attack on Britain will be so severe, it claims, "that it will turn children's hair to white". The warning refers to a Quranic verse outlining the horrors of the Judgement Day. Three Indian ISIS sympathisers deported from UAE, detained by NIA ISIS had released a video last week that featured nine of the Paris attackers, including ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud. By examining the montage frame by frame, 'The Sunday Times' has identified a string of potential targets, includingBuckingham Palace and the National Gallery in central London. A palace spokesperson said, "We never comment on security matters." PTI International news brief: Confident of Pak's commitment, ability to secure its nuclear assets, says US & more From 'dangerous' to 'secure and confident': US makes a u-turn after Biden's comment on Pak Pak channel violates ban on coverage of JuD; Mumbai attack mastermind Saeed appeared on talk show International oi-PTI Lahore, Feb 1: Notwithstanding Pakistan government's ban on the media coverage of militant groups like the JuD and LeT, Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief and Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed has appeared on a private Pakistani channel's talk show. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on November 2 had restrained all Pakistani television channels from "all kinds of coverage" of the JuD, its front Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF)and about 60 other proscribed organisations and their leaders. Saeed made an appearance on a talk show on Channel 24 on January 27. He glorified his organisation's "public welfare" works and talked about how India and the US were "pressuring" the Pakistani government to take action against organisations like the JuD and Jaish-e-Mohammad. Saeed, in reference to the Pathankot terror attack, dismissed the suggestion that the government was "patronising" some "non-state actors and banned organisations". A PEMRA official told PTI that a notice to the channel would be issued for the violation of the directive. "We had warned the electronic media that in case of non-compliance (to the directive), we will take legal action -- imposition of fine or suspension or cancellation of licence," the PEMRA official said. The PEMRA notification banned all TV channels and FM radio from coverage of banned groups including LeT, JuD and FIF under UN restriction. JuD chief Hafiz Saeed chides Pak govt The UN declared JuD a terror organisation and also individually designated Saeed as a terrorist in December 2008. The US has already put USD 10 million bounty on his head. Saeed, who orchestrated the November, 2008, Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people were killed, roams around freely in Pakistan despite being a designated terrorist and has made many anti-India remarks and speeches. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 1, 2016, 8:41 [IST] US presidential aspirants make final push before first vote International oi-IANS By Ians English Washington, Feb 1: US presidential aspirants are making a final push before Monday's first nominating contest in Iowa where Donald Trump leads the Republican side while Bernie Sanders poses a top challenge to Hillary Clinton among Democrats. The former secretary of state Clinton, clinging to a narrow 45 to 42 percent lead over Sanders, spent much of Sunday in western Iowa with her daughter, Chelsea, before heading back to Des Moines, Iowa, for a rally with former president Bill Clinton. Trump leads; Clinton, Sanders neck and neck in Iowa In an apparent jab at Sanders, who has drawn huge crowds with his attacks on the Wall Street and the rich, Bill Clinton decried politicians who did little more than voice the frustration of voters. "When you're angry and frustrated, the typical thing to do-and it's so emotionally satisfying for about 30 seconds-is to label and blame, label and blame, label and blame," Clinton said. As he rallied in Waterloo, Sanders complained he could not keep up with distortions of his record by the Clinton camp which has taken ads suggesting he is attacking Planned Parenthood and protecting the interests of the National Rifle Association. "I think the excitement and the energy is with our campaign," said the Vermont senator who is maintaining a wide lead over Clinton in New Hampshire which holds the first in the nation primary on Feb 9. On the Republican side, poised for a stunning win in Monday night caucuses, Trump who in latest polls leads his nearest Republican rival Ted Cruz by five points (28-23 percent) called him a "liar" as he made his final pitch in the heart of evangelical Iowa. He announced that Sarah Palin will again join him Monday for a final get-out-the-vote effort and in an interview with ABC News Trump bragged about "how well I'm doing with evangelicals." New York Times endorses Hillary Clinton for Democratic nomination Texas Senator Cruz questioned his rival's conservative authenticity on abortion and religious liberty and appeared alongside Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson, who branded same sex marriage "wicked" and "evil." Meanwhile according to a new CNN/WMUR poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Centre, Trump backed by 30 percent likely Republican primary voters continues to hold more than double the support over Cruz (12 percent) in New Hampshire. In the Democratic race, Sanders continues to lead Hillary Clinton by a wide margin, 57 percent to 34 percent in the new poll. Sanders holds an edge across nearly all demographic groups measured in the poll, though Clinton fares better among women than men, and she splits voters age 65 or older with Sanders about evenly, while trailing Sanders by a significant margin among younger voters. IANS Terror in Islamabad: A top secret mission, all for the nation, all for the truth Will surprise visit by Nawaz Sharif help talks with India: Pak Daily International oi-IANS By Ians English Islamabad, Feb 1: The possibility of Pakistan-India talks being held in the first week of February now seems to be mostly unrealistic, a leading daily said on Monday, wondering: "Will it take a surprise visit to India by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to get the talks back on track?" An editorial, "Dialogue with India", in The News International said if talks between India and Pakistan are delayed, there is no saying when they will restart. Pathankot terror attack: Indo-Pak talks momentum affected, admits Nawaz Sharif This was seen last summer too after high-level talks between the National Security Advisers of both countries were called off at the last minute. "It took a rather unorthodox visit to Lahore by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set a talks timeline once again. This was, as we know, disrupted by the Pathankot attack, which Indian officials blame on elements based in Pakistan," said the daily. Pakistan launched a "mini-crackdown on the Jaish-e-Muhammad and asked to join the investigation of the Pathankot attack. The hope was that these measures would result in confidence building and allow the talks to be restarted on an immediate basis". The daily said that while talks are ongoing with India for convening a meeting of foreign secretaries to start what is being called a 'Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue', it seems the tendency is to rather play to the gallery instead. "The possibility of talks being held in the first week of February now seems to be mostly unrealistic." It went on to say that one must hope the delay is not going to be as long as we have seen in the past. Noting that Pakistan has suffered more than India in the war on terrorism, the editorial said that while our priorities may not have always been in the right direction, there have been serious attempts at building regional cooperation on the issue of terrorism over the past years. "Blaming each other will only lead to a failure of this budding cooperation and, in the long run, strengthen the hands of terrorists who prey on the mistrust India, Pakistan and Afghanistan have of each other." The daily wondered: "Will it take a surprise visit to India by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to get the talks back on track?" "This past Saturday, PM Nawaz promised that Pakistan would soon complete its investigation into the Pathankot attack. This would go a long way towards reviving talks between the two countries." IANS Delhi air quality projected to cross 301 by Sat; GRAP stage II comes into effect ahead of Diwali IRCTC update: 140 trains cancelled on October 20; here is the complete list Partial solar eclipse on Diwali: Can you perform Lakshmi Puja on Oct 25? Supreme Court to give final verdict on LGBT rights tomorrow New Delhi oi-Sandra New Delhi, Feb 1: Members of the LGBT community would be holding their breath eagerly as the Supreme Court will hold an open hearing on Tuesday, Feb 2 reconsider the 2013 judgement that criminalises homosexuality. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, Justice Anil R Dave and Justice JS Khehar will hear a curative petition filed by LGBT community members, civil society, activists and others. Supreme Court had earlier refused to decriminalise homosexuality and will now re-consider the 2013 judgement upholding the Sec 377 of the Constitution. Meanwhile, members of the LGBT community upped their fight against decriminalisation of the section and will now have to wait until tomorrow to hear the verdict. The Review bench had in 2014 agreed with its decision which was given out in Dec 11, 2013 setting aside the Delhi High Court's verdict that had declared Sec 377 unconstitutional and that it was a violation of fundamental rights. However in 2009, the verdict was challenged immediately in the Supreme Court, following which the Supreme Court overturned the Delhi HC verdict. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Monday, February 1, 2016, 14:29 [IST] by Graham Pierrepoint The 10s our current decade, however you may pronounce it, seems to be all about reviving the 1990s it always seems to run in twenty-year cycles, meaning that we may well be spending much of next decade looking back at the noughties, spiking our hair up and listening to pop punk! If television and film are anything to go by, reboots and remakes are hot property meaning that now clearly is the time to monopolize on some great content from years gone by. In the world of animation, 2016 and 2017 look set to be busy years for resurrection heres just a few making a comeback! HEY ARNOLD! With Nickelodeon recently showing interest in their old stock of animation from the 1990s when they were arguably at the peak of their game its been announced that the first show to get the relaunch treatment will be Hey Arnold, in the form of a TV movie that will supposedly pick up from where the original run left off. The show, which centered around the trials and tribulations of city kid Arnold and his friends, garnered critical praise for its unique storytelling and character progression. THE POWERPUFF GIRLS Arguably one of the most iconic animated series to have launched from Cartoon Network, superhero sisters Bubbles, Blossom and Buttercup will return in Spring 2016 in an all-new series, albeit without original creator Craig McCracken at the helm. The series is set to be a creation between Spanish, Brazilian and US staff, and will see debut first in Latin America and Brazil on April 4th of this year. REBOOT As ironic as it may sound, Reboot is getting a reboot. The popular 1990s series based around adventures in The Mainframe, a computing-inspired world full of rogue viruses and malicious code, is set to be brought back to new audiences in the form of a CGI / live action hybrid of sorts, with the secondary title The Guardian Code having been confirmed. THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS An iconic but perhaps overlooked staple of educational childrens programming in the 1990s, the bus that can take you anywhere in time and space is set to be revived for a whole new generation of kids thanks to Netflix which has done a fine job of exorcising shows in recent history and its stated that the new show will see a high-tech bus in glorious CGI, and that at least 26 episodes will be ready view in the very near future. 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. By: Radio AustraliaIjivitari MP David Arore has criticized the Governor Garry Juffa's crackdown on foreign-owned shops as "dictatorial", warning it is "causing division" among the community.Arore said the actions taken by the Governor against mainly foreign-operated shops is "dictatorial and unbecoming of an elected leader".Arore said Juffa's approach is ill-conceived because he can actually get Papua New Guineans, especially from Oro Province, to react and become very violent against foreign-owned investments in this province, especially Asians.Arore adds that Juffa's actions is causing division in the province because some of the shops that he is targeting are actually owned by Papua New Guineans but are rented out to Asians.Juffa has published videos on social media showing him visiting mostly Chinese businesses in the town of Popondetta and checking the immigration status of employees, as well as questioning the hygiene standards. Rickson Masol and Chris Pagan, the two survivors of the five passengers from New Ireland Province that went missing at sea last September arrived in the country from Fiji today.From arrival the two were received by the officials from the International Organisation for Migration but and were taken away by an unrecognised official believed to be working for a mining company in New Ireland.The two men will be staying in Port Moresby for a night and will be travelling to New Ireland Province early tomorrow morning.Meanwhile information about the three deceased remains unknown because the media were not allowed to do interviews with the two men by the unknown official who picked them up at the Jacksons International Airport. Papua New Guinea Defence Force personnel had been challenged to aligned themselves and walk before God in their career this year in Port Moresby last Friday.Hundreds of soldiers turn up to dedicate the force to God at St Martins Anglicare Church at Five mile in Port Moresby. Papua New Guinea Defence Force Chaplain Lieutenant-Colonel Misael Baude made the statement based on the book of Genesis chapter seventeen verse 1 using the example of God spoken to Abraham in the bible.The message reads I am God almighty, walk before me and be blameless,Chaplain Baude described it as the light of excellent, purity and righteousness.We need Gods governing rules to abide by. In order to achieve that, the first way is to put ourselves in right and having the perfect relationship with God. The second way is to ensure your decision making process is always to do what is right.Papua New Guinea Defence Force Commander Brigadier General Gilbert Toropo in the closing remarks said that the word of God is very important to all Papua New Guineans. When there is no proper access roads into Papua New Guineas homes in the past, missionaries brought the word of God in our rural villages first .That is why it is important that we should put God first to lead us this year.Brigadier Toropo said that the force vision and priorities can only be achieved when we put God first through unity starting from all PNGDF branch heads down to directors and down.He thanked all those who work hard last year especially the Australian, New Zealand Defence Staff and encouraged all the soldiers to put extra effort this year to move the force forward.The dedication ceremony was wonderful as all Port Moresby Base units gathered to seek God first to lead in their respective roles in the force. The Papua New Guinea Defence Force Commander and his entire branch heads, directors and unit commanding officers dedicated themselves to God at the end the ceremony and pledged their honour to serve God, Queen and the country.Picture caption:Commander PNGDF Brigadier General Gilbert Toropo(5th from right) with all his Branch Heads recommitting themselves to God during the dedication service last Friday at St Martin Anlicare Church in Port Moresby. Picture by PNGDF Media. It's entirely possible that in the upcoming presidential election the Republican candidate could win and become the next U.S. president and, at the same time, the GOP would retain control of the Congress. If that happens then this country and society would undergo a drastic change, one that is almost unimaginable. That grim prediction and the points presented in the following discussion are not based on supposition or unsupported speculation but, rather, on explicit, documented statements and actions of the Republican Party and its members. They have clearly stated their positions on the major issues and problems facing this country and what they intend to do if they are given the opportunity, i.e., when they have assumed total control of this government. In this new America there is no question but that Corporate America will reign supreme, and its current power and control over this government and the direction of this country will be greatly magnified. Profits above all else will be the guiding principle shaping its agenda. The Affordable Care Act, aka, Obamacare, would be singled out for immediate repeal; appropriate legislation would swiftly pass the House and the Senate and be signed by the president. The GOP representation in the Congress has, in the last few years, attempted to repeal the ACA legislation over 50 times, and each time President Obama has vetoed it. The vetoes were never overridden because of substantial Democratic opposition. But this time there would be no presidential veto, that program would be phased out, and it's anyone's guess what would follow. Since the Republicans have never presented any plan to replace it with a more effective health care system we can only surmise that they would just dismantle the program and turn it over to the insurance companies. The bad news is that millions of Americans would lose their ACA membership and benefits that guarantee coverage for pre-existing conditions and would have to try to qualify for other coverage. Even if successful, they would see their premiums skyrocket as the insurance companies would, once again, be in full control. Medicare: what would happen to this critically important program? It's quite likely that the Medicare system would remain intact for those already enrolled but other Americans seeking new coverage would have to obtain it from the corporations of the insurance industry. As we know, turning over government programs to the private, profit-making sector is one of the key objectives of the GOP. Inequality in America: the current huge gap between the wealthiest Americans and the rest of the people in this country would widen as all gains in national income would continue to flow to the top. America would become a full-blown oligarchy inhabited by haves and have nots. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). (Image by Berniesanders.com) Details DMCA There are many vast and important differences when you compare Bernie to Hillary and the GOP. Here are 50 righteous reasons to support Bernie Sanders for President. 1. If you like the Walmart Corporation (with its union busting, racial and sexual discrimination, aggressive outsourcing, low pay, wage theft, super exploitation, destruction of small businesses, business manipulation, environmental destruction, etc.), you'll love Hillary Clinton! She was on its Board of Directors for 6 years (1986-1992), only leaving to become First Lady. She has many other big corporate friends, as well (e.g., Goldman Sachs and Wall Street, Big Pharma, Big Oil, Big Banks, Corporate Mass Media, MIC). Bernie calls Walmart out for its misdeeds, is adamantly against corporations that are too big to fail, that avoid taxes and don't pay their fair share, that rip off workers and consumers, that defraud the government, and that have too much power in Washington. 2. Hillary and most Republicans are also too close with Monsanto and uncritically support GMOs; Hillary hired Monsanto lobbyists for her campaign. Bernie supports labeling GMOs to give consumers more informed choices and to keep us safe, while also supporting more organic agriculture, family farms, and a sustainable food system and environment. 3. Hillary and most Republicans support the death penalty, with all its many problems. Bernie wants to abolish the death penalty, making the U.S. more civilized, as has been done in most other advanced countries. 4. Hillary and most Republicans supported the privacy-invading Patriot Act and the disastrous war in Iraq, which cost so many lives and so much money, spreading terrorism and giving rise to ISIS. Hillary referred to the Iraq War as "a business opportunity", recently calling her decision a "mistake"; that is not the kind of foreign policy experience and judgment we need. Courageously voting against it, Bernie refers to the disastrous Iraq War as a major foreign policy blunder that shouldn't be repeated. 5. Unlike Hillary and most Republicans, Bernie showed judgment and courage by vociferously opposing the privacy-invading Patriot Act, opposing NSA spying on Americans and supporting whistleblower Edward Snowden, and opposing both Iraq wars, as well as opposing military intervention in Libya and Syria, clearly stating that war should be the last resort and that the Iraq War was an unmitigated disaster built on lies, which resulted in many deaths and disabilities, much destruction, trillions of dollars wasted, a suppression of civil rights, the spread of Al Qaida and terrorism, and the creation of ISIS. Hillary's "experience" has not done us any favors, to say the least, while Bernie's experience has been invaluable. 6. Hillary and most Republicans support a major air and/or ground war with American ground troops against ISIS in a variety of countries. Bernie opposes the philosophy of endless war that creates many more problems than it solves. Bernie supports limited military engagement within a broad international coalition with Muslim countries playing a major role in terms of combat and finance. Bernie believes war should be a last resort, that our actions shouldn't lead to worse results, and that we shouldn't fight if we're not willing to take care of our veterans afterward. While Bernie has often been anti-war, he's always been dedicated to taking care of veterans and our homeland. 7. Hillary and most Republicans don't say much about ending racism; too often, quite the contrary. Hillary's record on race has been called "abysmal" by a leading #BlackLivesMatter activist; Republicans are even worse. Refreshingly, Bernie often speaks out about the "ugly stain of racism" as well as xenophobia, Islamophobia, immigrant-bashing, refugee refusal, voter suppression, mass incarceration, police abuse, the war on drugs, the criminal injustice system, immigration reform, unemployment, wage gaps based on race and sex, rollbacks of affirmative action, and discrimination based on race, sex, and sexuality, and Bernie has declared that we need to "end institutional racism". Bernie has a very strong record on civil rights as well as a very strong platform on racial justice. Bernie is willing to say that #BlackLivesMatter and to invoke Sandra Bland and #SayHerName. 8. Hillary and most Republicans oppose granting asylum to child refugees fleeing violence in Central America. Hillary coldly stated "they should be sent back". Bernie said "The U.S. has always been a haven for the the oppressed. Is there any group more vulnerable than children?" Bernie is the only candidate who compassionately supports asylum for refugees, supports a path to citizenship for undocumented residents, supports DACA & DAPA, supported the Senate's 2013 immigration bill, supports comprehensive immigration reform (CIR), and supports fair wages and good working conditions for all workers regardless of status. While Hillary supported a border fence/wall, Bernie opposed it. 9. Hillary and many Republicans are too close to Rupert Murdoch and #FauxNews. Murdoch supported Hillary's senatorial campaign, hosted a fundraiser for her, and said he would be fine with her as president. Bernie is his nemesis and Bernie is proud of it. 10. Hillary and most Republicans oppose the legalization of marijuana and agricultural hemp. Bernie supports it as part of criminal justice reform, saying that people shouldn't go to jail for simply smoking a joint. Bernie is sensitive to the fact that the War on Drugs has mostly been a war on the poor and people of color, costing billions of dollars and ruining people's lives, while ignoring important issues. Bernie also supports the legalization of agricultural hemp. Ending the War on Drugs would not only raise a lot of tax money, but would also save huge government spending on surveillance, arrests, trials, and mass incarceration. Bernie has also supported the legalization of medicinal marijuana and believe that marijuana should be removed from the schedule of the most dangerous drugs. 11. Hillary and the Republicans don't say much about raising the minimum wage to a living wage (wealthy Hillary suggests $12 an hour or $24,000 per year for a full-time worker is enough). Bernie marches with strikers and picketers, actively supporting unions and very clearly and repeatedly saying that he wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour and that no one who works full time should live in poverty. Bernie also supports making it easier to unionize, facilitating worker co-ops, and would create millions of new high-paying jobs by fixing the nation's infrastructure. 12. Hillary and most Republicans don't have plans to make public colleges and universities free for all qualified students, while Bernie believes that no one who is qualified and desirous should be denied the opportunity to pursue higher education because they can't afford it and he plans to pay for this with a small tax on Wall Street and/or a small cut in military spending. 13. Hillary and most Republicans have super-secret SuperPACs, which raise money from millionaires and billionaires. Bernie doesn't have one, doesn't want one, and and is the only candidate who opposes the billionaires buying our elections. SuperPACs undermine democracy and Bernie actively opposes the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision giving big corporations and the billionaires undue influence to pervert our system for their greedy ends. 14. Hillary and the Republicans are unwilling to make the necessary investments in maintaining, repairing, and rebuilding our nation's infrastructure, the physical backbone of the country. Bernie advocates investing $1 trillion to maintain, repair, and rebuild crumbling infrastructure all around America (e.g. our roads, highways, tunnels, bridges, levees, airports, sea ports, parks, playgrounds, picnic areas, hospitals, schools, libraries, housing, community centers, recreation areas, beaches, monuments, lighting, signage, public transportation, broadband internet, etc.), thereby strengthening it for this and future generations, while creating millions of good jobs and significantly boosting our economy. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Reprinted from Telesur Chinese President Xi Jinping met with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani (Image by CCTV+) Details DMCA If Iran successfully engages in a Chinese-style economic development program it would further enhance its geopolitical status and significance. It's currently quite a toss-up when it comes to naming the hardest working man in geopolitical business: Chinese President Xi Jinping or Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Their paths crossed last week in Tehran in spectacular fashion as Xi and Rouhani clinched a crucial strategic partnership. The two nations agreed to increase bilateral trade to $600 billion over the next decade. Geostrategically, as I pointed out, that was a master class. Beijing regards Iran, not only in Southwest Asia but across Eurasia, as the essential hub for countering Washington's much-advertised "pivot to Asia," centered on U.S. naval hegemony. No wonder Xi made it clear that Iran is to be accepted as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as early as this year. A strategic partnership implies Beijing's full support for the Iranian economic/political/diplomatic renaissance across the arc spanning the Persian Gulf to the Caspian -- and beyond. The arc also happens to span all the crucial New Silk Road maritime and land routes that are vitally important for the global projection of the Xi-coined Chinese dream. And then, only a few days later, Rouhani was in Rome in a warm closed-door meeting with Pope Francis after clinching$17 billion in multiple deals. This frantic post-sanction activity only enhances, in perspective, the absurdity of the Washington-manufactured Iranian nuclear crisis. Geopolitical realism, from Europe to Asia, cannot ignore a nation placed in the intersection of the Arab, Turk, Indian and Russian worlds, underscored by its role as privileged entry and exit point to the vast Caucasus-Central-Asia ensemble, which also includes Afghanistan. Geostrategically, as the ultimate Eurasian crossroads, Iran is unbeatable, linking the Middle East, Caucasus, Central Asia, Indian subcontinent and Persian Gulf; between three seas -- Caspian, Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman; relatively close to the Mediterranean and Europe; and on the doorstep of Asia. Xi did not have to talk explicit politics in Tehran as he was sufficed to clinch deal after deal to impress his point. The long-term trend, inevitably, is for China's One Belt, One Road vision to bridge the gap toward a Sino-Russian leadership across Eurasia, which translates practically into the progressive sidelining of the British-American imperial continuum. Meanwhile, Italy and France, during Rouhani's European tour, kept themselves busy playing catch-up. The Next War|Pepe Escobar Very good to watch, 45 mins but well worth it! https://youtu.be/hRhbs_m463A 23:11 - 16 dic 2015 When Khamenei Becomes Deng The frantic post-sanction Iranian scene at least punctures the previous, relentless Western demonization and lays out the bases for economic development in just about every sphere. The Islamic Republic of Iran has faced a tremendous handicap for the past 36 years -- something that would have broken any less-resourceful society. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Federal Government Giving Bankers Get Out of Jail Free Card (Image by DonkeyHotey) Details DMCA The 2008 financial crises and meltdown occurred because large banks were speculating in fraudulent risky loans that failed. When the meltdown occurred, banks turned to the federal government, who immediately bought into the idea that banks were too large to fail, and taxpayers subsidized banks to the tune of trillions of dollars. No one really knows how much the bailout cost, but here is partial list of banks you generously helped out: Citigroup - $2.513 trillion Morgan Stanley - $2.041 trillion Merrill Lynch - $1.949 trillion Bank of America - $1.344 trillion Barclays PLC - $868 billion Bear Sterns - $853 billion Goldman Sachs - $814 billion Royal Bank of Scotland - $541 billion JP Morgan Chase - $391 billion Deutsche Bank - $354 billion UBS - $287 billion Credit Suisse - $262 billion Lehman Brothers - $183 billion Bank of Scotland - $181 billion BNP Paribas - $175 billion Wells Fargo - $159 billion Dexia - $159 billion Wachovia - $142 billion Dresdner Bank - $135 billion Societe Generale - $124 billion "All Other Borrowers" - $2.639 trillion Taxpayers were not consulted or asked their opinion; it was an example of how fast government can respond to the moneyed class. Even though it was disclosed that banks were lying and speculating in fraudulent loans, including money laundering to drug cartels, no one was indicted or found guilty of any criminal charges, while millions of citizens were ruined. Banks, who had committed a variety of felonies, simply turned to the government and asked with their checkbook, how much do you want to keep our executives out of jail? The government responded by a fine on banks, which amounts to nothing because banks simply pass the fine on to consumers, who pay yet again. Corporate media has deliberately not informed the US public of how other countries, namely Iceland, faced their crises. If you were told, you might demand we act like Iceland, but if you don't know about Iceland, you will not demand. Iceland was one of the hardest hit by the bank collapse, but they, unlike us, handled things differently. The first major difference is that Iceland decided since banks speculated and made stupid loans, it was not the responsibility of the taxpayers to bail out irresponsible banks for their stupidity, and therefore decided to allow large banks to fail. The financial world predicted this would cause irreversible difficulty for Iceland, and financiers argued Iceland would never recover from their defiance, but citizens persisted. Despite the warnings, the Icelandic people on two occasions were allowed to vote and decide if they wanted to bail out banks or let them fail. Great pressure was put on the voters by the financial sector, but citizens held fast and democratically voted to let banks fail. We, on the other hand were not given the luxury of a democratic vote; the money was simply taken from taxpayers and handed to banks. The American public, who naively think they have democracy, were not allowed to vote on whether they wanted to bail out large banks; it was just a done deal. Meanwhile when Iceland refused to bail out banks, they failed. Iceland did have economic problems as a result, but if one compares their economy with the rest of the world, they currently have the strongest economy in Europe. During hard times Iceland shunned austerity and maintained all social programs, allowing people to spend, which of course stimulated the economy. All the doomsday prophecy failed to materialize and today Iceland is stronger than ever. Icelanders were not done however; they took an even bolder step. They decided to legally prosecute bank leaders who were responsible for the financial collapse of 2008, and so far have put 26 bankers in jail. A novel concept; bankers being held accountable as ordinary citizens. Doesn't happen here. Banks simply buy their way out of jail time, but little Iceland took a different approach, and so far has found 26 bankers guilty of fraud, and they will serve a total of 74 years in jail. Iceland is not done with their prosecutions. It would be a democratic concept for the US to hold bankers in the same legal regard as the rest of us, and it would have been very democratic to allow citizens the right to vote and decide if they wanted to pay for a bank bailout, but unfortunately, in this county bankers are our superiors and are not accountable, and we are, apparently, far less democratic than Iceland. Little Iceland is offering great lessons to big USA, but who is listening to the lessons of equality before the law, and the right of the citizens to vote? Not our federal government that's for sure. We are not even allowed to know what others like Iceland did. Boy are we saps! Admittedly, there has been a great deal of agonizing. It is not that one individual endorsement for president in 2016 really counts for anything -- but the reasoning behind such an endorsement can be interesting, even enlightening. Having known Bernie Sanders since living in Vermont in the 1990s, and having had lively exchanges of views with Bernie on topics ranging from national security to the need for America to adopt the Scandinavian "ombudsman" system, I have been immensely impressed with his candidacy and his campaign. I have indeed been "feeling the Bern." Bernie Sanders is a most admirable human being who has been a great mayor, Congressman, and now U.S. Senator. Speaking as an economist who designed a new economic system which I call Cooperatism, his issues are indeed my own. On the need to rein in giant corporations, reduce the role of the very wealthy, and re-build America once again, I stand with Bernie. Regretfully, though, those strengths can become weaknesses when they are pursued to the exclusion of other issues. Bernie Sanders is a bit of a fanatic on such topics as reversing the erosion of America's middle class, and finally achieving single-payer health care as a right of all Americans, and the need to spread the wealth around so that the top one percent no longer control the nation. It is not that he is the slightest bit wrong -- it is that he is unlikely to achieve these goals in four years, or eight years, or even longer. It has taken many decades to get to where we are: a nation of, by, and for the oligarchs. Short of revolution, it will take many years to reverse course. Bernie Sanders is not a person of great patience, however. He is more like the man who prayed, "God, grant me patience, and grant it soon." Along the way towards the goal of re-democratizing America so that this nation once again becomes progressive, we will experience a host of pitfalls ranging from the ignorance of large segments of society to the willful obstruction of the opposition party at all levels and in all capacities. Bernie would become so frustrated at how little he can really accomplish that there are serious risks of intransigence and unwillingness to compromise. Bernie Sanders would make a great saint, or a great emperor -- but not, perhaps, as great a president as one might realistically wish. He needs, and well deserves, a major cabinet post, such as Secretary of the Treasury. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, will make a great president, who is prepared from Day One to take on a host of challenges facing this nation, and to deal with them simultaneously and effectively. Her handling of that infamous "Benghazi Witch Hunt", including the eleven-hour spectacle staged by the opposition party in a failed attempt to discredit her, is but one recent example of her ability to survive, and even thrive, in the face of adversity. Her decades of experience, both in and out of government, in a wide variety of capacities, will be invaluable. Her ability to grasp the complexity of issues, combined with her humanitarian goals and focus, allow her to keep "her eyes on the prize." Her ability to deal with whomever the opposition nominates will be a given -- and for many of us progressives, also a joy to experience. And, for good measure, it is long overdue that America have a competent and caring woman as our president. In the mid-1960s, I was privileged to serve as Atlantic County, New Jersey chair of the campaign of the first Black woman to run for president: Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm from New York. Shirley did not win that Democratic nomination then, and the good man who was nominated went down to defeat by the horrid Richard Nixon. That election was a major wrong turn for America, as Nixon was later impeached and removed from office for "high crimes and misdemeanors", as the Constitution phrases it. During that 1968 campaign, I got to know Shirley Chisholm, who spoke out on behalf of the oppressed minority and poor residents of Atlantic County on many occasions. Shirley presented a list of demands we local progressives had prepared, as keynote speaker at the annual conference of the New Jersey Education Association in Atlantic City, which then voted to never return to A.C. until those demands were met. If Shirley Chisholm were alive today, she would surely stand with those supporting Hillary Clinton for President. I am pleased and proud to be among them. Stop Pipelines of Death (Image by Akemi Ohira) Details DMCA Can we all join Mona Hanna-Attisha, Rachel Maddow, Hillary Clinton and Andrea Miller in, Not While I'm Around? Not a Day Goes By, that I don't wonder how conservatives insist patriotism is emancipation from the federal government, while drowning America in too many Food Deserts, too few school nurses and too little awareness of how many lead water pipes exist, undisclosed, from sea to shining sea. Denial is a terrible disease for a nation, or people, because Children Will Listen. Take Me to the World, where assuming earth's resources are limitless, and overconsuming our constitutional right, and I'll show you a Good Thing Going, going, gone. Anyone can whistle, My Country tis of Thee while occupying Oregon, Congress or even Governors' mansions, but must 47% of us vote like Sooner or Later never comes? Not a Day Goes By with peace on earth if in our past, we have already left behind our children's future. On Main Street or behind the wall of The Street, No One is alone in failing to be responsible adults accountable for our greatest infrastructure: children. Maybe not Everybody Ought to have a Maid, but imagine We Built That CEOs taking the road less traveled by. Not a Day Goes By, without my pondering why America has transformed from Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley to, over the top Steve Kornacki, condescending Luke Russert and know-it-all Chuck Todd -- but Send in the Clowns: Glenn Beck, Matt Lauer and Bill O'Reilly, and the laughs are on us. Why is it, Not a Day Goes By, without emerging Koch head Governors corrupting our life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with substandard handling practices and Emergency Manager Laws? There Won't Be Trumpets November 8, 2016 for those who take the elderly Into the Woods, abandoning them to Alzheimer's, and calling it Family Values. We are defined by how we lift up our fellow human beings, for that is the Love I Hear missing through feet of snow, flooding cities, and racial slurs. Is not Ol' Red, White and Blue Glory, only as exceptional as Flint, Ferguson, Cleveland, Detroit, Harris County Texas, South Florida and the Supreme Court of Wall Street? From declared independence to slavery, to congressionally inspired Draft Riots, saving the 'Affluenza' Teen Ethan Couch types from being bloodied by war -- not a single day, is American harmony limited to one Francis Scott Key. From the Harlem Renaissance to 9/11, America is those who first respond by voting; those standing up for equality in the face of a Nixon used and Trump abused silent majority chanting for an imperfect work in progress to recapture its greatness in reruns of Father Knows Best about Gunsmoke . Not a day goes by that I'm not thankful for people like, immediate past Chair of Albemarle County Virginia Board of Supervisors, Jane Dittmar, who campaigns for Congress to Get Connected to We the People, rather than descend to depths of Buckingham County supervisors' choice to entangle its constituency in the octopus of Methane Gas pipelines. America is as complex as our Native, African, Latin, Asian, European immigrant Her & History, and as potentially tragic as West Side Story. So now is never the time to right step our way into a Sweeny Todd nation, cutting out All Things Bright and Beautiful. America, You Could Drive a Person Crazy, but whether Sunday in the Park with George or Poor Thing, we must remain Together wherever we go! The website, "Hourworld" introduces the time banking model as follows We are social architects who believe people are the true wealth of the world as their talents gracefully flow out to the benefit of all. We are grounded in the principles of simplicity and abundance and in the joy of giving and receiving. It is our desire to help the reclamation of local community prosperity by providing gifts of time, training and tools in a pay it forward model within the Hour Exchange networks of Hourworld. https://www.hourworld.org/ The United States is not the only country where people are fostering local economies. There are also groups in the United Kingdom who are involved in fostering localized, resilient economies that use hour exchanges as "pay." This is an important piece to my series regarding local economies here in the States. We are not the only ones fostering local economies. The Mid-Maine Time Bank, which I have reported on, is not isolated. Nor are other Time Banks in the United States isolated in the world. The movements of Transition Town, Permaculture and Time Banks are much larger than what people realize. These are huge movements; yet continue to receive very little coverage by the media. Why? I believe that with Transition, Permaculture and, especially Time Banks, many readers and writers on OpEd are not aware of the extent of the evolution going on in our world. Why are they not aware? My sense is that the media does not report on these "goings on". Why? The answer is inherent in the next question. "Who owns the media?" You know the old saying, "Follow the money!" Could it be because the media is controlled and funded by megalithic corporations that are worldwide? Of course! It could also be that internet media like OpEd take the cap off the bottleneck of information and let the information flow freely. Perhaps we are on the "cusp" of an evolution. No more revolutions, which entail circular motions. What we need is an evolution fostering a movement away from thousands of years of conditioning regarding how we look at economy. In today's world, we need to reclaim the eco in the term ecology, which speaks to the environment. Do you consider the time you spend doing something worthwhile? That's the philosophy of Time Banks. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). (Image by Cafe Press) Details DMCA I'm prompted by some of the reactions to my Bernie Sanders piece the other day, to make some further comments. Many people seem to think I was being unkind and unfair to a man who has had a long and honorable career "wisely and effectively" promoting progressive causes. It was not only unkind of me to suggest that Bernie had "entered this race planning to lose," it was horribly "cynical" (a word that appeared in a number of comments). First of all, I want to say that this is not about personally dissing Bernie Sanders. I agree that Bernie Sanders has often been a wise progressive on many issues, consistently head and shoulders above almost all of his colleagues. It is also true that Bernie Sanders is not all that radical. It's not a very progressive cohort, after all. His limitations from a left, socialist, or anti-imperialist perspective are well-known. (You can find them analyzed in the sources in note 3 of yesterday's post.) Bernie is an FDR-New Deal-type American liberal, with all the limitations that entails. He's a moderate welfare-state social democrat, who calls himself a socialist in a way that can resonate within the strange paradigm of American politics. It's another peculiar effect of the American political paradigm that Bernie Sanders ever appeared to be super radical. It's particularly disturbing, as we should all notice, that his brand of FDR social politics is now seen as marginal, exceptional, and out of touch with reality within the Democratic Party. It's also the case that, though Sanders has been an effective, if limited, progressive on a local and congressional level, he's never been, or tried to be, a nationally transformative figure, and never evinced serious Presidential aspirations. Bernie has also had a particular, cozy, relation to the Democratic Party. Though he's always identified himself and run as an independent socialist, he has maintained close, reciprocally-supportive relationships with the Democratic Party. He participates in the Democratic Senatorial caucus, and the party defers to him in Vermont, never fully supporting a Democratic opponent for his Senate seat. Bernie may not formally be a Democrat, but he's an Adjunct Democrat as least as much as he's an Independent Socialist. With his run for the Democratic presidential nomination within the Democratic Party, the contradictions of that relationship have come to a head. This is not a question of a psychological or personal fault of Bernie Sanders. It is a question of the limitations of his political stance and of the tensions of the political relationship he put himself in by running for President in the Democratic Party, and pledging his support to any nominee it chooses: STEPHANOPOULOS: So if you lose in this nomination fight, will you support the Democratic nominee? SANDERS: Yes. I have in the past. STEPHANOPOULOS: Not going to run as an independent? SANDERS: No, absolutely not. I've been very clear about that. Anybody who understands the Democratic Party -- as I and many other socialists and progressives do -- as a positive obstacle to substantive progressive policies, including the ones Bernie champions, understands that there are huge problems and contradictions in that position. Especially when, as Bernie knew, it's Hillary Clinton that Stephanopoulos was likely talking about. Nothing Bernie Sanders has done in his career or that he promises to do in this election gets him out of the problem, or grants him a pass from us considering how those contradictions may play out. It's facile to reject a critique of what are the complicated, unexpected considerations that arise from a political personality putting him or herself in that kind of contradictory position, as if that critique were some kind of personal or psychological attack. It's not a matter of saying that Bernie Sanders entered the race "intending to lose," in order to charge him with some kind psychological deceit. It's a matter of saying he entered the race to make sure certain issues were aired publicly and to help prevent a Republican victory (all consistent with what he has done and said), and, probably, expecting to lose, which is a reasonable inference given the objective circumstances of the political situation. It's possible, but I doubt, that Bernie Sanders was the only person in the country who did not have the expectation that he would lose. At any rate, it is interesting for us to consider the unexpected consequences and decisions that arise if those expectations, which we at least had, change dramatically. It's a question of whether Bernie Sanders will be forced to make a choice he does not want, and probably did not expect, he would have to make. That is not, either, a matter of whether Bernie Sanders is prepared to "take on the DNC" -- as many of commenters seem to think is the issue. If only the DNC were the only impediment he will face. It's a question of whether Barry Sanders is prepared to take on the ruling class. Has he positioned himself politically in a way that demonstrates a willingness and a preparation to do that? The ruling class can and will mobilize an entire apparatus of institutions and agents against him, including but not limited to the Democratic Party as a whole. Bernie Sanders is the dog who's about to catch the car. We all thought it would pull away too quickly, but that doesn't seem to be happening. If he catches it, he's going to have to turn into a helluva ferocious beast, or let it go. Let's consider the kinds of things that are going to happen if it looks like he's about to catch that car. It will be a whole array of meetings and conversations and feelers, but let's imagine it all at once in one room -- the Bernie intervention. Every powerful member of the Democratic Party, from Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi on down, will lean into to him and say: "We will lose the general election if you are our party's nominee." He will say, "No, my message, more than that of any Republican, will resonate with the people." -- and he will be right. They will then bring in the A-Team of prominent "progressive" Democratic mayors and governors and emeritus politicians, and the leaders of prominent liberal civil society groups and NGOs and (yes, horrifically) labor unions and prominent liberal businessmen--you know, the good guys, the progressives from Hollywood and Silicon Valley and the media and the law firms. They will point out to him that many of them, and many of their colleagues, who would support some other Democrat, will not give him their full support in the general election. "There will be a lot of Democrats -- Not me, of course! -- who will perfunctorily say they'll vote for you, but will just sit back and watch you feel the burn." They will remind him that he will get very little financial support and very few media endorsements, while the Republican candidate will capture a windfall. "So, no," they will say, "You won't win. No matter how attractive your message is to the people, you know very well what edited version of that message will be transmitted to them, and through which channels. No matter how right you are, you will lose." They will remind him that, parallel to his weakened support among Democrats, there will be a mass offensive by the ruling class, that he will be made quite aware of, to steer the Republican race to produce a "moderate" nominee. If Trump is leading, and they're afraid of how he will run in the general election, the Donald will be approached and told that there are billions of dollars of deals awaiting him if he can find a way to lose the race to Jeb Bush or whomever and get back to business. They will, then -- it's tough love, but a friendly meeting -- offer Bernie some serous incentives for him to get out of the race, according to how far he's already got. Understanding that he is too honest to bribe, they will offer some real ameliorative policy proposals for the "middle class" -- the extension of Medicare to 55, increases in student aid and lower interest on student loans, maybe a big infrastructure spending project, etc. -- perhaps even the right to name the Secretary of Labor or the Secretary of HUD. "You have already achieved so much. Now don't blow it by jeopardizing our chances in November." Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Image of Ancient Egyptian Dentistry, via Wikimedia Commons When we assume that modern improvements are far superior to the practices of the ancients, we might do well to actually learn how people in the distant past lived before indulging in chronological snobbery. Take, for example, the area of dental hygiene. We might imagine the ancient Greeks or Egyptians as prone to rampant tooth decay, lacking the benefits of packaged, branded toothpaste, silken ribbons of floss, astringent mouthwash, and ergonomic toothbrushes. But in fact, as toothpaste manufacturer Colgate points out, the basic fundamentals of toothbrush design have not changed since the times of the Egyptians and Babyloniansa handle to grip, and a bristle-like feature with which to clean the teeth. And not only did ancient people use toothbrushes, but it is believed that Egyptians started using a paste to clean their teeth around 5000 BC, even before toothbrushes were invented. In 2003, curators at a Viennese museum discovered the worlds oldest-known formula for toothpaste, writes Irine Zoech in The Telegraph, used more than 1,500 years before Colgate began marketing the first commercial brand in 1873. Dating from the 4th century AD, the Egyptian papyrus (not shown above), written in Greek, describes a powder for white and perfect teeth that, when mixed with saliva, makes a clean tooth paste. The recipe is as follows, Zoech summarizes: one drachma of rock saltmeasure equal to one hundredth of an ouncetwo drachmas of mint, one drachma of dried iris flower and 20 grains of pepper, all of them crushed and mixed together. Zoech quotes Dentist Heinz Neuman, who remarked, Nobody in the dental profession had any idea that such an advanced toothpaste formula of this antiquity existed. Having tried the ancient recipe at a dental conference in Austria, he found it not unpleasant It was painful on my gums and made them bleed as well, but thats not a bad thing, and afterwards my mouth felt fresh and clean. I believe that this recipe would have been a big improvement on some of the soap toothpastes used much later. Discovered among the largest collection of ancient Egyptian documents in the world, the document, says Hermann Harrauer, head of the papyrus collection as the National Library in Vienna, was written by someone whos obviously had some medical knowledge, as he used abbreviations for medical terms. When we survey the dental remedies of Medieval England, we do indeed find that modern dental care is far better than much of what was available then. Most dental cures of the time, writes Trevor Anderson in a Nature article, were based on herbal remedies, charms and amulets. For example, in the 1314 Rosa Anglica, writer John of Gaddesden reports, some say that the beak of a magpie hung from the neck cures pain in the teeth. Another remedy involves sticking a needle into a many footed worm which rolls up in a ball when you touch it. Touch the aching tooth with that roly-poly needle and the pain will be erased. However, there is also documentary evidence, writes Anderson, for powders to clean teeth and attempts at filling carious cavities, as well as some surgical intervention. In Gilbertus Anglicus 13th century Compendium of Medicine, readers are told to rub teeth and gums with cloth after eating to ensure that no corrupt matter abides among the teeth. In The Trotulaa compendium of folk remedies from the 11th or 12th centurywe find many recipes for what we might consider toothpaste, though their efficacy is dubious. Daniele Cybulskie at Medievalists.net quotes one recipe for black teeth: take walnut shells well cleaned of the interior rind, which is green, and rub the teeth three times a day, and when they have been well rubbed wash the mouth with warm wine, and with salt mixed if desired. Another, more extravagant, recipe sounds impractical. Take burnt white marble and burnt date pits, and white natron, a red tile, salt, and pumice. From all of these make a powder in which damp wool has been wrapped in a fine linen cloth. Rub the teeth inside and out. Yet a third recipe gives us a luxury variety, its ingredients well out of reach of the average person. We are assured, however, that this formula works the best. Take some each of cinnamon, clove, spikenard, mastic, frankincense, grain, wormwood, crab foot, date pits, and olives. Grind all of these and reduce them to a powder, then rub the affected places. Whether any of these formulas would have worked at all, I cannot say, but they likely worked better than charms and amulets. In any case, while medieval European texts tend to confirm certain of our ideas about poor dental hygiene of the past, it seems that the daily practices of more ancient peoples in Egypt and elsewhere might have been much more like our own than we would suspect. via The Telegraph/Medievalists.net Related Content: Discover the Oldest Beer Recipe in History From Ancient Sumeria, 1800 B.C. Cook Real Recipes from Ancient Rome: Ostrich Ragout, Roast Wild Boar, Nut Tarts & More How the Egyptian Pyramids Were Built: A New Theory in 3D Animation Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness Update, January 2018: An updated list of Portland's best dumplings would likely include Han Oak, Chin's Kitchen, Duck House and XLB, to name a few, though this story, published in 2016, still has many of our favorites. Don't Edit Stephanie Yao Long | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings From Shanghai soup dumplings to Ecuadorian empanadas, almost every culture in the world has a signature dumpling. With four weeks left until our annual Cheap Eats guide -- and Dumpling Week kicking off on Friday -- we're rounding up our 10 favorite Portland dumplings. -- Samantha Bakall and Michael Russell Don't Edit Michael Russell | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings No. 10: Gyoza at Mirakutei Most American gyoza are less fresh than fresh from the frozen-food aisle, or, worse, arrive soggy and soft. You can find good versions at Biwa or Yuzu, but I get my gyoza on most frequently at Mirakutei, Hiroshi Ikegaya's sleek east-side sushi bar and ramen spot. At $10 for six, these dumplings are a bit exorbitant, but they're also suitably crisp, with a juicy pork-chive filling and a tasty vinegar-tinged soy dipping sauce. They go well with a bowl of ramen and a cold Sapporo. 536 E. Burnside, 503-467-7501, mirakuteipdx.com Don't Edit Courtesy of Stammtisch | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings No. 9: Maultaschen at Stammtisch A traditional German dish, maltauschen are basically extra-large ravioli, trading in cheese for a mixture of meat, spinach, onions, breadcrumbs and more. In 2009, the European Union recognized the dish as a "regional specialty" significant to the cultural heritage of its area of origin -- Baden-Wurttemberg. Stammtisch's maultasche are reinvented with large, pan-seared triangles of handmade pasta in a white wine sauce with mushrooms and leek fondue. 401 N.E. 28th Ave., 503-206-7983, stammtischpdx.com Don't Edit Michael Russell | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings No. 8: Mandu at Nak Won There are at least a dozen different types of mandu in Korean cuisine. Some are fried (gun) or steamed (jjin), while others have specific fillings, such as kimchi or vegetables, and particular shapes. Nak Won, the godfather of Beaverton's Little Korea, rolls its jjinmandu like a cigar, rather than sealing the edges, leaving the scallion-pocked, ground pork filling exposed through the sides and incredibly juicy when hot. They're served by the wrinkled plateful alongside a light, soy-based dipping sauce. 4600 S.W. Watson Avenue, Beaverton, 503-646-9382, facebook.com/pages/Nak-Won-Korean-Restaurant Don't Edit Don't Edit Samantha Bakall | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings No. 7: Har Gow at Pure Spice One of dim sums requisite dumplings is har gow, the crystal-skinned dumplings shaped like a small bonnet and served steaming from a push-cart. These dumplings are often filled with seasoned pork fat and shrimp before being swaddled in a tapioca and wheat starch dough folded as many as 13 times per dumpling. At Pure Spice, the restaurant does away with carts and brings metal steamer baskets straight from the kitchen, ensuring the plump dumplings are piping hot and freshly made. 2446 S.E. 87th Ave., 503-772-1808, purespicerestaurant.com Don't Edit Michael Russell | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings No. 6: Gnocchi at Lincoln Note: Lincoln closed permanently in 2017 Soft dumplings made from flour, potatoes or semolina, gnocchi is a traditional pasta "alternative" made across the Italian peninsula. At North Portland's Lincoln, chef Jenn Louis experiments with many different varieties of gnocchi, including one with a buckwheat and ricotta dough, giving the dumplings a toothsome, earthy flavor and a strangely beautiful shade of stone gray. They're impressively light, but still firm enough to not be outdone by black trumpet mushrooms, thin slivers of delicata squash and a rich cream sauce. 3808 N. Williams Avenue, Portland, 503-288-6200, lincolnpdx.com Don't Edit Michael Russell | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings No. 5: Samosas at Chennai Masala India's spin on the dumpling, a crunchy pastry typically filled with spiced vegetables, often appears at Portland-area Indian restaurants in a stodgier, baked form. Chennai Masala, Hillsboro's outstanding southern Indian restaurant, fries theirs instead, serving two crunchy triangles stuffed with potatoes and peas, their glistening skin as flaky as an egg roll. You're meant to cut off a corner and dip it into one of the two dipping sauces, a spicy cilantro chutney and sweet tamarind sauce, though they're just as good on their own. 2088 N.W. Stucki Ave., Hillsboro 503-531-9500, chennaimasala.net Don't Edit Michael Russell | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings No. 4: Xiao Long Bao at Taste of Sichuan The poster child for all dumplings, the Shanghai-style soup dumpling -- also known as XLB -- have reached cult status among dumpling fiends. Sometimes, the Taste of Sichuans xiao long bao dough is too gummy, causing breaks that spill precious soup into the steamer basket. But when theyre on, the XLB here are the best you'll find in town, with supple skins barely holding in a filling of pork and savory pork broth. 16261 N.W. Cornell Road, Beaverton; 503-629-7001; tasteofsichuan.com Don't Edit Michael Russell | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings No. 3: Khinkali at DaNet Downtown Portlands Kargi Gogo cart was once our go-to for khinkali, the fat Georgian dumplings with their knobs of dough and soupy filling. Then they switched to an all cheesy bread format. Then they closed. Now, the best place to get your khinkali fix is DaNet, chef Vitaly Paleys occasional food pop-up devoted to the food of his Russian youth. Here, the dumplings arrive by the platter with a swirled wrapper and a beef-pork filling, each bite soothed by a teaspoonful of dill-flecked yogurt. At Portland Penny Diner, 410 S.W. Broadway. For more information, visit imperialpdx.com/news-events or call 503-228-7222 Don't Edit Don't Edit Michael Russell | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings No. 2: Sheng Jian Bao at Wei Wei This year, Portland found itself awash in restaurant serving the food of Taiwan, the island nation that birthed the original location of ultimate dumpling destination Din Tai Fung. That means more dumplings. Better ones, too. Sellwood newcomer Wei Wei serves these gorgeous pan-seared soup dumplings -- think xiao long bao, only with a crisp base. Then think about ordering another round. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday; 7835 S.E. 13th Ave., #102; 503-946-1732 Don't Edit Michael Russell | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings No. 1: Pelmeni at Kachka This is getting boring. Less than two weeks after topping our guide to Portlands best places to eat after 10 p.m., here comes Kachka with some juicy Siberian pelmeni. Perhaps our most ordered dish of the past two years, these hexagonal dumplings are stuffed with savory beef, pork and veal and cooked until firm. You can order them boiled or fried, but, to our mind, they're best served in chef Bonnie Morales' wonderfully pungent "fancy broth," along with a dollop of smetana, the Eastern European sour cream. 720 S.E. Grand Ave., 503-235-0059, kachkapdx.com Don't Edit Michael Russell | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings Read more: Check out our guides to Portland's best Italian restaurants, steakhouses and sushi counters, plus the top spots for after-hours eats and our ranked roundup of the city's 101 best restaurants. Don't Edit Teresa Mahoney Portland's 10 best dumplings Learn more: We visited Wei Wei, a Taiwanese restaurant in Sellwood, to learn six different ways to fold dumplings. Don't Edit Takoyaki octopus dumplings, served with anori, okonomi sauce, mayo and bonito flakes at the Japanese ramen chain Kukai (now Kizuki) Ramen & Izayaka, located in Beaverton in the Timberland Town Center. Kristyna Wentz-Graff / Staff Kristyna Wentz-Graff | The Oregonian/OregonLive Portland's 10 best dumplings What are your favorite restaurants for dumplings? Nominate your picks for Portland's best (people's choice). Don't Edit 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. SwastikaTrump.jpg On Friday, Donald Trump's Hollywood Star was defaced with a swastika. (Reddit) (Reddit) With the Iowa Caucuses just hours away, Donald Trump is once again asking for forgiveness for a faith flub that's bound to raise eyebrows among the evangelical Christians he's courting. Two weeks after sort of quoting from "Two Corinthians," the billionaire GOP frontrunner mistook a communion plate being passed around an Iowa church Sunday morning as a collection plate, the Associated Press reports. Instead of picking up a communion wafer, representing the body of Jesus Christ, Trump dug into his pocket, pulled out a wad of cash and tried to toss it into the silver plate at First Christian Church, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. "I thought it was for offering," he told staffers, chuckling. He contributed money several minutes later when the offering plates were passed, the AP reported. But the idea of taking Holy Communion isn't foreign to Trump. Last summer, he described the sacred ritual to CNN. "When I drink my little wine -- which is about the only wine I drink -- and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed," he said, according to CNN. "I think in terms of 'Let's go on and let's make it right.'" Meanwhile, things are getting nasty in Hollywood. Over the weekend, a Reddit user posted a photo of Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star defaced with a spray-painted swastika. TheWrap gives the vandalism a little more context: The "Apprentice" host received the star in 2007. In September, someone placed a yellow "X" over it. And in December, someone wrote "Rapist" on Bill Cosby's star. Austin Franklin, an actor who spends his days patrolling Hollywood Boulevard dressed as Batman, said he often sees people stomping or pretending to defecate on the star. He was among those who saw the swastika Friday before it was cleaned up. "I've never seen this kind of hate put on a star before, not even Bill Cosby," Batman told TheWrap. Of course, if the vandal was trying to compare Trump to Hitler, perhaps he or she should study up on the difference between a Third Reich swastika and a Buddhist swastika. He or she gave Trump a counter-clockwise symbol meaning good luck and fortune. And things just keep getting nastier for Trump on the day of his first big election test: He is the least favorably viewed candidate in 25 years, Trump is accused of sexually harassing staffer, Meanwhile, -- Joseph Rose 503-221-8029 jrose@oregonian.com @josephjrose Hi Carolyn: I buy Girl Scout cookies to support my friends' kids and nieces. But I'm frustrated that the requests for my purchase always come in the form of an email from the parents saying the more cookies their child sells, the more chances they have to achieve rewards, or it's a form letter from Girl Scouts with the child's name in the subject. I've told the parents to please have their child email me directly (or better, call me) and sell me the cookies! We go through this every year. I feel like it's a large institution using children as an instrument to raise money without the kids having any responsibility in the transaction. And now, it's that time of year again. Should I just bite my tongue and buy the darn cookies, or keep pressing my cause? -- Anonymous Carolyn Hax Neither! From now on, just buy cookies -- or support any other youth fundraising efforts -- only when the kids themselves do the work. No lectures or grudge-buying necessary. Any emails can be ignored. It's a little tougher when a parent approaches you in person, but in that case you cheerfully say yes, you'd be happy to buy some cookies -- "Have your daughter call or email me." If you fear this imperils your Thin Mint supply (I won't judge), then keep an eye out for groups of Girl Scouts who set up tables near local businesses to ambush the defenseless . These kids are walking the walk -- standing the stand? -- and earn all the business they get. Hi Carolyn: I bought a house a few years ago in a development in a non-metropolitan part of Virginia. There was a homeowners association with a president. However, the association was not active until about two years ago when I started a Facebook group for it. Now there are approximately 30 neighbors in the Facebook group. It was a nice way to get to begin to know our neighbors. For the first time in many years, last year there was an association dinner that about 18 people attended. I was not an official in the association but did most of its work. This November I drafted a warm message for the president to all neighbors, wishing everyone a happy holiday season, and emailed it to her for review. She responded with the following message: "I would, instead, say Merry Christmas. If people are offended, too bad. This is, after all, the Christmas season." I wrote back and said our association is comprised of all homeowners, whether they be Christian, Jewish, African-American, etc. It's important to be welcoming and inclusive. She responded: "I don't know of any families that are of alternate religions, and even if they are, Christmas is, whether they like it or not, a Christian holiday. Otherwise, no Christmas." I am Christian -- my father was a minister -- but I was stunned and offended by her emails. After the holidays, I wrote to her and said that I am leaving the HOA (and the Facebook group) because I cannot belong to an association whose president doesn't care if she offends people whose religious beliefs are different from her own. She hasn't responded. I haven't shared her emails with any neighbor. There are no dues to the HOA, as there are sufficient monies in the treasury. I have never encountered something like this. Should I do anything else? Should I have done something differently along the way? -- Stunned and Offended Unfortunately, what you've done to this point limits what you can do now, unless you're willing to eat dirt and let yourself back into the group. I share your disgust with the president, who apparently is another victim of this cultural moment when nickel-and-dime religious bigotry is held up as a brave and principled stand. If nothing else, Madam President also has a stunning ignorance of this thing called New Year's, which I am quite certain is an early winter holiday that isn't Christmas. (It's also hard to imagine an institution less in need of impassioned defenders than Christmas Month.) However, the neighborhood association, with your energy fueling it, seems to have added more to your community mosaic than this blinkered president ultimately will subtract by banning the H-word in a one-off email she didn't even write. So while the temptation to act on principle here is great, it might make more sense to follow the call of pragmatism: Stay in the association, keep nurturing ties to your neighbors, keep bringing your own inclusive sensibilities to bear, and trust that effort to outweigh, many times over, her fool's errand of using newsletter phrasing to protect Christmas from the marauding celebrants of other solstice-rooted events. Email Carolyn at tellme@washpost.com, follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/carolyn.hax or chat with her online at noon Eastern time each Friday at www.washingtonpost.com. (c) 2015, Washington Post Writers Group Jacksons_1.jpg Wilton and Margery Jackson have been married since 1945. (Jennifer Willis) Wilton and Margery Jackson were married December 26, 1945, in Victorville, California. Wilton, 95, was a Captain in the Army Air Corps and served as a bombardier during World War II. Margery, 88, saved the letters and telegrams--220 in all--Wilton sent to her from the European theater. A self-described "opportunist," Wilton owned a propane gas business that covered parts of Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and Montana. He later bought and sold petroleum leases. The couple has eight children, 45 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. Margery now has dementia. We caught up with the couple over coffee and cookies in the lounge of their Lake Oswego retirement community to learn their secret to a long and happy marriage. How did you meet? Wilton: I was stationed in the Air Corps in Victorville, California. I went down to the movie on Saturday afternoon, and she was selling tickets to the movie. I asked her for her name and address and phone number, and she wouldn't give it to me. Margery: I did! Wilton: You wouldn't. Margery: How about that. Wilton: So, it had Dutch doors behind the ticket booth and the top was open. So I just opened the bottom door, and come inside and shut the bottom door behind me. And she said, "You'll get me fired if the boss catches you in here." I said, "You'd better talk pretty fast then." So anyway, the next day I went to her home, and it's been uphill since then all the way. Uphill, yeah! Not downhill. It was uphill. Getting better and better. Was it love at first sight? Wilton: That's what I thought. That fact is, I even told the guy I went to town with, "That's the girl I'm going to marry." Margery: Ah! I didn't know that. Wilton: I didn't want to tell you that. How did you decide to get married? Wilton: Well, we met during the war, you know. World War II. And I went overseas and did my tour of duty and came back. (I was) living in Texas, and she was (at) UCLA going to school. So I went out to Los Angeles and met her. And I always say, that's when she asked me to marry her. Margery: Oh. That was probably a good idea. Wilton: It makes me look good. What do you remember most about your wedding day? Wilton: I was excited! Margery: And then what did we do? Wilton: Then we had a reception, behind your house. After a 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock wedding. She was just a child. Margery: Was I? Just a baby. Wilton: Well, we were married in Victorville, and we were on the way to San Francisco. We had reservations at the Fairmont Hotel. And on the way, a car cut us off. He had a broken bumper. The back of the car (had) half the bumper, (or) a third of the bumper and the spare tire, and one of those came loose and went right through our radiator. So we had to stop. We spent the night. I don't remember what the name of the town was. Then we rode up to San Francisco anyway, on our honeymoon. What do you enjoy doing together? Wilton: Well, we enjoy everything we do together, believe it or not. We've had various RVs, and we traveled on one trip to the four corners of the continental United States: Maine, Washington, California, Florida. Just the two of us. We did a lot of family trips to Mexico. We drove down to the Panama Canal one time in the motor home, with another couple in their travel trailer. We took a trailer to Alaska. A pop-up tent. It never was raining except (when) I was putting the tent up or down; that was the only time it rained. Margery: Just being together. Wilton: Yeah. Being together is fun. We like to go out and have coffee and visit, and have people in. Play cards. I play poker. We play bridge. She doesn't play poker. I play poker every Friday. I gotta do something that helps pay the bills. Dominoes. Margery: We don't play dominoes much. Wilton: We went to church every Sunday. And holy days. We left to go camping, and we'd come back to go to church in Ontario at 6 on the way home, in our smoky, dirty camp clothes. Pretty hard to get somebody to sit by us in the church. (laughs) Was there ever a time you thought your marriage wouldn't last? Wilton: Lots of times! (laughs) No, not really. Margery: No, I don't think so. I didn't anyway. Maybe he did. Wilton: We were both very blessed to have each other, I think. (turns to her) I'm still in love with you. Margery: And I kind of like him. Pretty good guy. Wilton: I never give up. The Jacksons on their wedding day. What's the biggest challenge that you have faced together? Wilton: Our children. No! Not really. Well, making a living for eight kids, a good one. But I don't think they ever wanted for anything. Well, they might have wanted but they never needed for anything. Would you say your marriage has been a happy one? Wilton: I do love her. Margery: Oh, yeah. I kind of like it. Do you like it? Wilton: I love it! There's no part that I would disremember. Why do you think you've stayed together so many years? Margery: I don't know what else to do with (myself). I don't know. Same old thing, I guess. Wilton: Her. Margery: Because I can't think of who else (it) might be, I don't know. (they laugh) Wilton: Well, I'm just any old port in the storm, huh? (they laugh) What advice would you give to newlyweds today? Wilton: Honesty. That's a big, big thing. Never turn the lights out until you get everything resolved. Don't go to sleep with a problem on your mind, if you can. Margery: Oh, well, I think that's a nice idea. Yeah. Wilton: It's pretty hard sometimes. It's hard to get rid of the anger before bed. Margery: Yeah. Wilton: Well, there must be some sage words somewhere. Margery: Whatever we did, I guess we did together, together. Wilton: Yeah. What do you like and admire most about each other? Margery: Like or dislike? Wilton: Not what you don't like, honey! Margery: I think we get along pretty well, don't you? Wilton: Yeah, I think so, too. We really don't have to do too much yielding. We agree on most everything. That makes it pretty easy, too. If you build a problem, you don't have anything you've got to solve. You don't build a problem. Margery: I think he's very kind. Wilton: I think she's my kind. (they laugh) Margery: I think he's easy to be with. I've enjoyed him. Wilton: You've got a short memory, don't you? Margery: Yeah. But I like him. Wilton: She doesn't act like she gets tired of me. Margery: I like you. Wilton: Good. capitol.JPG The Oregon state Capitol in Salem amid cherry blossoms in March 2014. (File photo) Oregonians who'd like their lawmakers to support bipartisan policies and their public schools to accommodate the wishes of students and their families should follow Senate Bill 1566, which would remove the sunset date on the state's "open enrollment" law. The law passed in 2011 with support from both Republicans and Democrats, and it was signed by a Democratic governor. It deserves no less this year. There are a handful of ways in which a student who lives in one school district may attend a public school in another. A student's family may pay tuition to an out-of-district school, for instance, though this option isn't available to everyone. A student may transfer by securing the consent of both the district in which she lives and the district in which she'd like to enroll. The problem here, of course, is the ability of the student's home district to say "no," which officials might want to do in order to prevent the loss of state funding, which would follow the student to her new school. http://media.oregonlive.com/opinion_impact/photo/agenda-2013jpg-da8a3522a991b9c6.jpg Editorial Agenda 2016 Get Oregon centered Better leadership in education Make Portland a city that works Build Oregon prosperity Protect and expand personal freedom Get pot right _______________________________ To get around affordability and money-hoarding problems, the Legislature in 2011 agreed to let students transfer to out-of-district schools without securing the permission of their home districts. Districts that would like to receive students decide how many they can accommodate, and in which schools and at which grades. They then fill these available slots in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner. If the districts "donating" students don't like the end result, well, too bad. The benefits of this law are fairly self-evident. Students and their families aren't forced to attend a district's schools simply because they live within its borders. By exercising this choice, they don't pull money out of the state's public school system, as they could with, say, a voucher program. Money simply moves, along with students, from one set of public schools to another. At least in principle, meanwhile, such competition within the public-education world rewards districts that provide programs that families want while giving other districts an incentive to improve. But open enrollment does have its critics, most prominently the Oregon Education Association. A representative of the state teachers' union testified against the proposal in 2011, arguing, in part, that the transfer of students (and their funding) would affect the students who are left behind, "and their interests ought to be considered in equal measure to those students seeking a choice." The passage of time does not seem to have changed the union's view. OEA president Hanna Vaandering would like the Legislature to do nothing this year and address open enrollment during the 2017 session. The law will sunset in July of that year. "There has to be an evaluation of how it's working," she says, noting that the law may need adjustments - among them elimination. Vaandering is certainly right about one thing: The Legislature should have ensured better tracking of open-enrollment data when it approved the law in 2011. The state Department of Education, believe it or not, has no idea how many students use the law, or where. Individual districts do keep track, however. Portland, the state's largest district, lost a mere 114 students through open enrollment during the 2014-15 school year. But the district gained many more students through all forms of transfer than it lost that year, coming out ahead by about 400. Vaandering, notably, said her union had no usage data to share, though it intended to collect some. That's a worthwhile effort, no doubt. But the OEA has had years - since 2012, when open enrollment went into effect - to develop a data-driven case about a law it never liked, knowing all the while that the Legislature would be asked to lift the sunset. Of course, the union is probably less interested in gathering data than in pushing open enrollment up against the sunset precipice next year, then giving it a little nudge. Oregonian editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. are Helen Jung, Erik Lukens, Steve Moss and Len Reed. To respond to this editorial: Post your comment below, submit a , or write a . If you have questions about the opinion section, contact Erik Lukens, editorial and commentary editor, at or 503-221-8142. Lawmakers should not let that happen. In February, they'll consider a bipartisan proposal, SB1566, to lift the sunset. Its sponsors include Republicans Tim Knopp and Kim Thatcher and Democrat Arnie Roblan, who happens to chair the Senate Education Committee. If opponents of open enrollment have evidence that allowing Oregonians to choose which public schools their children attend has caused unacceptable harm, they should present it. Otherwise, the Legislature should give open enrollment the bipartisan support it did only five years ago and yank the sunset. If lawmakers would prefer not to lift the sunset entirely, they can always extend it by another five years while requiring the Department of Education to track and report the usage of all forms of transfer, including open enrollment. To do nothing about the sunset date, on the other hand, would be to send Oregonians a clear message about whose interests the Legislature truly serves. Shawna Cox Shawna Cox (Beth Nakamura) KANAB, Utah -- Shawna Cox will be fitted with an ankle monitor on Monday and is expected to return home to Utah, her husband said Sunday. Don Cox said his wife was released late Friday night but remains in Portland. She and 10 other participants in the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon have been charged with conspiracy to impede federal officers from their official duties through use of force, intimidation or threats. Cox's husband said he wasn't sure why she was released. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman on Friday had ordered the release of Shawna Cox, 59, and another defendant, but it was contingent on the departure of the remaining four occupiers at the wildlife refuge. It's not clear what changed. Arraignment in federal court of Shawna Cox. Deborah Marble/Special to the Oregonian/Oregonlive Multnomah County Jail records show the other defendant, Joseph Oshaugnhessy, still in custody. The judge denied release for five other defendants including leader Ammon Bundy, finding that they were central figures in the four-week standoff. Don Cox spoke briefly to a reporter outside the family's one-story home on the outskirts of Kanab, Utah, a city of 4,500 situated just north of the Arizona state line. It's two hours from Bunkerville, Nevada, where rancher Cliven Bundy led a standoff with federal agents in 2014. Shawna Cox was present at that confrontation, as well. Kanab is also where memorial services will be held on Feb. 5 for Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, who was killed by police in the same traffic stop where Cox was taken into custody Jan. 26. Don Cox wouldn't say much about the confrontation with police that unfolded as the group was driving to a community meeting in John Day. "It was a cowardly thing they did, ambushing my wife in that truck," he said. "There you have a woman who has 12 kids." "It's amazing she didn't get killed," he said of his wife, adding that police "meant to kill them." Shawna Cox presented her detailed version of the traffic stop in a recorded interview that a conservative activist posted on Saturday. In it, she said Finicum told officers before he died, "Just shoot me." Cox's husband said the family planned to hire "a big expensive legal team" to fight the charges against her. Don Cox also said his wife isn't a terrorist or anti-government. "But there's some things in the government that are not right," he said. "This has always been about putting God back in American and back in our schools." He said police kept his wife's wedding ring, cell phone, wallet and the clothes she was wearing when she was arrested before releasing her around 11 p.m. She can't get on a plane home because police kept her identification. -- Elliot Njus enjus@oregonian.com 503-294-5034 @enjus BURNS -- Silence settled over the monthlong armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Sunday, after the final four protesters reported losing nearly all of their communication channels. Regular video streaming from the remaining three men and one woman had offered a real-time and firsthand insight into ongoing negotiations. The sudden quiet only heightened the sense of uncertainty about when -- and how -- the anti-government standoff would end. The protesters entrenched at the refuge headquarters are: Sean Anderson, 48, and his wife Sandy Anderson, 47, of Riggins, Idaho; David Fry, 27, of Blanchester, Ohio and Jeff Banta, 46, of Elko, Nevada. They were the last of a group that arrived at the headquarter of the 187,000-acre wildlife refuge Jan. 2 to protest the imprisonment of two local ranchers. The occupiers were the offshoot of a Burns rally by activists who viewed the prison terms of Dwight Hammond Jr. and son Steven as the latest example of federal overreach. Fry and Sean Anderson told supporters Sunday morning that their phone lines with Internet capabilities were cut. None of the occupiers has shared anything online since Saturday evening. The main phone at the refuge also appears to be out of service. Public access to the site has been blocked since the Tuesday night arrest of several standoff leaders, including Arizona businessman Ammon Bundy. Group spokesman LaVoy Finicum was shot and killed as police moved to take the occupiers into custody on their way to a community meeting in John Day. Bundy has implored the four holdouts to leave the refuge. But they have so far been unwilling without promise of pardons. Throughout the day Sunday, law enforcement vehicles entered and exited the refuge checkpoint where a handful of reporters, supporters and onlookers had gathered. The vehicles included two armored trucks, as well as marked SUVs from the Deschutes County and Linn County sheriff's offices. Deschutes County Sgt. Kevin Dizney said his agency was one of many on hand to offer "mutual aid" during the standoff. Deschutes County deputies are also leading the investigation into the death of Finicum. New details about the confrontation emerged Sunday about the traffic stop in which Finicum died. One passenger in Finicum's vehicle, Shawna Cox, gave her account of the shooting to a blogger who shared the interview online. Cox said she was crouched on the floor of the pickup but heard Finicum yell to police, "Just shoot me." Cox was among the standoff leaders who were arrested. Unlike the others, she was released on Friday. Her husband said he expected her to be fitted for an ankle bracelet monitoring system in Portland on Monday and then head home to Kanab, Utah by car. Ryan Bundy's wife also spoke out against the police action during an interview with an Idaho television station. An FBI spokeswoman said Sunday afternoon that the standoff hadn't ended, but that she could not say why Cox was released. She also would not confirm whether authorities had shut off most communication points of the occupiers. Two demonstrations are planned for Monday in Burns, one by protesters who back the standoff and another by locals in support of law enforcement officials. -- Molly Young myoung@oregonian.com 503-412-7056 @mollykyoung Ryan Bundy's wife, Angela, said in an interview with a Boise television station that her husband is "really shaken up" over the shooting death of Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, spokesman for the occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Angela Bundy told an anchorwoman for station KIVI that she has spoken to her husband, in custody in Portland, and he has "shed tears over" the death of Finicum. Her husband was inside the truck with several other people when it crashed into a snowbank following a road block set up by law enforcement on U.S. 395. The group was originally heading to John Day, Oregon to meet with city officials before the attempted traffic stop. In the interview, Angela Bundy said she wants a video of the shooting analyzed. --Tom Hallman Jr. thallman@oregonian.com; 503 221-8224 @thallmanjr Lawyers for Ammon Bundy this week will challenge U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman's order to keep Bundy in custody pending trial. Beckerman on Friday denied release for Bundy, citing his repeated disregard of federal orders to leave the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, where he's accused of leading a month-long armed takeover of the federal property that began Jan. 2. The judge also determined Bundy, the leader of the armed occupation, would be a danger to the community, noting his and other siege leaders' 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 last Tuesday. In a court filing Sunday, Bundy's lawyers argue that Bundy can be released, with GPS monitoring and orders that he not return to Oregon from his home in Idaho, except for his court appearances. Ammon Bundy and his family moved to Idaho seven months before the refuge takeover occurred so his kids could have a better life, his lawyer Lissa Casey told the court on Friday. His wife's parents live in Idaho, and Ammon Bundy had been and could continue to run his Arizona fleet repair business "remotely'' from Idaho, using his computer and phone, Casey said. "He has no desire to go anywhere but home to provide for his family,'' Casey told the court. "He's done in Harney County.'' Casey and co-counsel Mike Arnold said the government failed to prove with clear and convincing evidence that no conditions of his release will assure the safety of the community. They will ask U.S. District Court Chief Judge Michael W. Mosman on Tuesday to revoke Beckerman's order. Mosman will hear their appeal because he's the duty district judge assigned this month to consider such reviews. Bundy, 40, and 10 others face a felony conspiracy charge, accused of using intimidation, threats and force to impede federal officers from doing their jobs at the federal wildlife sanctuary in Harney County. FBI agents and state police arrested Ammon Bundy last Tuesday as he and other occupation leaders were driving along U.S. 395 to a community meeting in John Day. Occupation spokesman Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, 55, was shot and killed by state police after he attempted to elude the felony police stop. Bundy's request for a review of Beckerman's findings is expected to be heard by Mosman at 10 a.m. Tuesday. At 10:30 a.m., federal prosecutors plan to challenge Beckerman's release order for another defendant, Joseph O'Shaunghessy. O'Shaughnessy's lawyer Amy Baggio Friday successfully argued that her client wasn't among the key players in the alleged conspiracy and did not spend one night at the refuge, providing receipts from the Silver Spur Motel where she said O'Shaughnessy stayed the first week in January. She also argued that O'Shaughnessy only went to the refuge to try to "bear witness' to any federal law enforcement actions taken against the occupiers. Co-defendant Pete Santilli, who remains in custody, also is scheduled to go before Judge Mosman Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., according to the court's docket. It's possible other co-defendants may appeal Beckerman's detention orders as well. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian As we enter Day 31 of the standoff at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, here are the latest developments: * According to witness Shawna Cox, who was arrested with four other occupiers on Tuesday, Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, spokesman for the occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, was yelling "just shoot me" before he was shot and killed by police in a traffic stop. * Shawna Cox will be fitted with an ankle monitor and is expected to return home to Utah, her husband said Sunday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman on Friday had ordered the release of Cox and another defendant, but it was contingent on the departure of the remaining four occupiers at the wildlife refuge. It's not clear what changed. * The four holdouts awoke Sunday to discover that many lost phone and Internet service overnight. The occupiers have produced several online videos detailing their stance, but their account has been quiet since Saturday evening. The sudden quiet heightened the sense of uncertainty about when -- and how -- the standoff would end. * Ryan Bundy's wife, Angela, said in an interview with a Boise television station that her husband is "really shaken up" over the shooting death of Robert "LaVoy" Finicum. * Two demonstrations are planned for Monday in Burns, one by protesters who back the standoff and another by locals in support of law enforcement officials. Follow The Oregonian/OregonLive team from the scene today on Twitter: Les Zaitz @LesZaitz Molly Young @mollykyoung Hashtag: #OregonStandoff Pete Santilli copy.jpg A court-appointed attorney for Peter T. Santilli, described as an independent broadcaster, has argued that Santilli is being prosecuted for his speech. Federal prosecutors contend he had issued a "call to action'' for others to join in the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. (Screengrab ) Peter T. Santilli, one of the 11 defendants charged with federal conspiracy stemming from the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, will challenge a magistrate judge's detention order before another federal judge on Tuesday. On Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman had characterized Santilli's case as a "close call,'' but on Monday, she ordered him to remain in custody, pending trial. She found he remains a serious risk of flight and danger to the community. She cited his lack of ties to Oregon, the nature of his alleged offense, his role in the nearly month-long refuge occupation, the lack of an appropriate plan offered for his release, unstable residence and mental health concerns, according to Beckerman's detention order. She also cited statements he made in October, regarding complying with a government order. Beckerman issued her ruling Monday, after having reviewed material from Santilli's videos, according to court records. Santilli's lawyer Tom Coan is expected to challenge Beckerman's finding before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Michael W. Mosman at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Federal pre-trial services officers had recommended Santilli, 50, be released to a halfway house, but federal prosecutors opposed such an arrangement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Knight had argued Friday that Santilli was encouraging others to join the occupation in a "call to action.'' Knight also said that Santilli's own parents believed he'd be at risk of not returning to court and cited mental health concerns about their son. Coan countered that Santilli, who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, was being punished solely for his "speech,'' as an independent broadcaster who provided "unfiltered'' broadcasts of the developing story. Coan said he also talked to Santilli's parents, who said their son had a temper, but they've been estranged from him the past few years. Coan said Santilli was enthusiastic about challenging the government's case in court. "He wants to appear in court,'' Coan said Friday. Late Monday, Coan filed a 51-page memo in support of his argument that Santilli is not a danger or a flight risk and should be released, pending trial. It includes a signed declaration from Brandon Curtiss, a former police officer who founded Pacific Patriots Network, who wrote that Santilli first learned of the planned refuge takeover on Jan.2 in a Safeway lot in Burns, that Santilli was opposed to the armed refuge takeover and tried to talk others out of participating. It also includes receipts that show Santilli paid for a room at the Silver Spur Motel in Burns from Jan. 2 through Jan. 28. Santilli is one of 11 defendants charged with federal conspiracy, accused of conspiring to use intimidate, threats or violence to impede federal officers from doing their jobs at the federal wildlife sanctuary. He was arrested last Tuesday in Burns. He's currently being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian Shawna Cox Shawna Cox (Beth Nakamura) A judge's formal order releasing protester Shawna Cox makes no mention of a condition issued in court on Friday that the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation would have to end before she could leave jail. The formal order, signed by U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Stacie F. Beckerman and dated Monday, calls for Cox to be placed on home detention with GPS monitoring and that her travel be limited to Kanab, Utah, Fredonia, Arizona, and Multnomah County for future court appearances. She also was ordered to not possess or control any firearms, surrender her passport and have no contact with the co-defendants in the case. The formal order appears inconsistent with the order Beckerman gave Friday during Cox's detention hearing in U.S. District Court in Portland. Beckerman had said then that Cox could be released with conditions but not until the occupation outside Burns was over. Four people remain at the bird sanctuary in Harney County. Cox's court-appointed defense lawyer Tiffany Harris had objected to the timing of the release, urging the judge to treat Cox independently from others who remain at the refuge. Harris told the court that Cox's younger sister was in court Friday and ready to take her home on a plane. Cox, 59, is the only woman of 11 defendants charged with a federal conspiracy charge stemming from the nearly month-long armed takeover of the wildlife refuge in a protest over the imprisonment of two local ranchers and federal management of public lands. Federal prosecutors said Cox arrived at the refuge in early January. She was among those arrested last Tuesday when federal agents and state police moved in to stop two vehicles carrying the leaders of the occupation, who were headed to a community meeting in John Day. Cox was in the back seat of a truck driven by Robert "LaVoy'' Finicum, who sped off from police and crashed into a snowbank at a police roadblock along U.S. 395. Finicum, 54, was shot and killed by state police after he emerged from his truck and reached his right hand toward the inside of his jacket at least twice, where he had a loaded 9 mm handgun, according to the FBI. Cox recently gave her account of what occurred in a phone interview with Rick Koerber, who runs a web-based talk show out of Northwest Utah and posted it to the Periscope online video service. She said she was hunkered down in the back seat. She said Finicum screamed out the window "Go ahead and shoot me. We're going to see the sheriff,'' before getting out of the driver's seat, according to her account. The U.S. Marshal's Service said it received the judge's order to release Cox on Friday evening from the federal court's pretrial services program. Cox was released from the Multnomah County Detention Center in downtown Portland at 8:15 p.m. Friday, according to jail records. She was to return to the U.S. Marshal's office Monday to be fitted for a GPS-monitoring ankle bracelet. "An order made in open court is an order,'' said Eric Oss, a U.S. District Court supervisor. "The formal order just followed a little later.'' As for the apparent discrepancy between Beckerman's words in court and the written formal order, Oss said he wasn't present in court. "I don't know what to tell you about that,'' he said. Usually, pre-trial services alerts the U.S. Marshal's office about any release arrangements. Officers in pre-trial release program declined to comment, forwarding questions to Beckerman. Cox's lawyer did not return calls Monday. Prosecutors in Oregon's U.S. Attorney's office couldn't explain the inconsistency, and Beckerman didn't comment further. -- Maxine Bernstein mbernstein@oregonian.com 503-221-8212 @maxoregonian RICE HILL, Ore. -- Authorities say an exchange of gunfire in the Rice Hill area midway between Eugene and Roseburg has left a 24-year-old man and two dogs dead. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office tells The Register-Guard that Ryan Scevers died in the Saturday morning altercation. Authorities say that 65-year-old Frank Hendrickson told deputies he heard a commotion outside and then fatally shot a dog that was chasing his animals. Police say that Scevers rode up on a stolen all-terrain vehicle and took a rifle from Hendrickson's pickup truck and started shooting at Hendrickson's 62-year-old wife, who fell and was transported to a hospital with a possible broken hip. Police say Scevers shot and killed Hendrickson's dog. Deputies say Hendrickson returned fire and struck Scevers. Authorities are investigating. -- The Associated Press A 20-year-old man allegedly tried to carjack at least two people before successfully climbing in the back of a woman's car and holding a gun to her head as he forced her to drive around Corvallis, police said Monday. Trenton Huber, 20, of Corvallis faces a string of accusations tied to the half-hour crime spree Sunday afternoon that involved encounters with at least half-dozen people. Trenton Huber He was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, robbery, unlawful use of weapons, coercion, menacing use of a vehicle, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, sex abuse, carrying a concealed weapon and pointing a gun at another person, Corvallis police said. His bail stands at $868,500, according to the Benton County Sheriff's Office. Huber first tried to enter a car driven by a man and his family at a neighborhood on Northwest Foxtail Place, but couldn't get inside because the doors were locked, police said. As he approached, police said he told the man, "I'm not going to hurt your family." Huber then approached a father and his 11-year-old boy on a nearby bike path and asked for the man's car keys and home address, police said. He grabbed the boy and placed him in a headlock while walking down the bike path, police said. The father hit Huber in the back until he let go of his son while Huber threatened to kill them, police said. The two fled and Huber didn't follow them, police said. As the father and son called 911, Huber then approached a woman in her 20s inside her car about a block north, police said. He asked for help, and as she rolled her window down, he pointed a gun at her face and then got into the back seat of her car, police said. Huber forced her to drive away while holding the gun to her head, police said. He fondled the woman, struck her multiple times in the head because she was driving too fast or too slow, took her cellphone and kicked out a rear window of the car, police said. The woman convinced him to let her go at a corner just north of the Oregon State University Campus where she fled to a nearby business for help, police said. Huber drove the car and parked it at a driveway several blocks north and left the gun inside, police said. As Huber walked away, he used a knife to confront another man before slapping him and giving him the keys to the car that he left behind on Northwest 25th Street, police said. As the man fled and called 911, Huber kicked open the rear gate of a nearby home, jumped a back fence, then entered an unlocked home, police said. Huber confronted a resident inside the house, police said, but as he left the home, officers caught up to him and arrested him on the spot. "Huber told officers he had not hurt anyone and asked to get a citation for (minor in possession of alcohol) so he could leave," police said in a news release. Huber was scheduled to make an initial court appearance Monday afternoon. -- Tony Hernandez thernandez@oregonian.com 503-294-5928 @tonyhreports Coffee Creek inside pic.JPG An employee at the state's only prison for women was recently convicted of "patronizing a prostitute." He has not been investigated and continues to work at his job in which he has "limited contact" with female inmates. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian) The Oregon Department of Corrections is allowing an employee who works with inmates at Oregon's only prison for women to remain on the job after a recent conviction for soliciting a prostitute. Nathan Cantlin, 41, the inmate work program coordinator at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, was arrested Dec. 8 as part of a prostitution sting by the Tigard Police at a local hotel. The fake posting police used in the sting advertised women in their "early or mid-20s," said Jim Wolf, spokesman for the Tigard Police. Cantlin pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor on Jan. 8, receiving an 18-month probation and a $520 fine. His lawyer did not return a call seeking comment. Cantlin, a union-represented employee, manages the program that assigns inmates to jobs, such as working in the prison kitchen or maintaining the grounds at the Wilsonville facility. Cantlin has limited contact with inmates and doesn't supervise them directly, said Liz Craig, a spokeswoman for the Corrections Department. Corrections officials sometimes will move an employee to a different facility or have them work from home when such issues arise, Craig said. But corrections officials haven't moved Cantlin, altered his duties or launched a human resources investigation. "We did not complete an investigation because there was nothing to investigate," Craig said. "He was arrested and convicted of a misdemeanor." No human resources rule requires an investigation, she said. That's not necessarily the case for other employees at state prisons, however. Leaders with two unions representing correctional officers said they expect their members would be investigated internally. Such a conviction also would likely trigger a review by the state Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, which issues their certifications. A "patronizing a prostitute" conviction isn't on the list of offenses that automatically disqualify an officer for certification, but it's on a list that the training department may consider to revoke a license. "Employees should be treated equally by the Department of Corrections," said Tim Woolery of AFSCME Corrections, which has members at all of the state's prisons. He also specifically represents employees at Coffee Creek. "This is not a male facility, it's a female facility," he said. "I think it bears further investigation." Jeff Hernandez, executive vice president of security for the Association of Oregon Corrections Employees, agreed. His union covers employees at five facilities, not including Coffee Creek. "We hold our officers to the highest ethical and moral standards and expect the same out of every other employee of the department," Hernandez said. "I would expect a member of management to be found guilty of committing a crime would be investigated fully and appropriately disciplined." Cantlin recently returned to his position at Coffee Creek after taking a brief leave to serve as Portland Community College's interim corrections education director, a position overseeing all education programs at both Coffee Creek and the Columbia River Correctional Institution in Northeast Portland. Typically, women who convicted of prostitution-related charges serve their sentences in county jails. While none of the approximately 1,270 women at Coffee Creek re currently serving time for a prostitution offense, six there have past convictions for prostitution. Julia Yoshimoto, an attorney and director of the Women in Prison Project at the Oregon Justice Resource Center, questioned whether it's appropriate for Cantlin to have any contact with women inmates. "The security and wellbeing of the women at Coffee Creek must be a top priority," she said. "We believe DOC has a responsibility to foster a culture that is respectful of and responsive to women whose past life experiences and present status as inmates may render them uniquely vulnerable." -- Laura Gunderson 503-221-8378 @lgunderson SALEM -- The leader of the Oregon Senate's revenue committee introduced a longshot compromise Monday on a corporate tax measure speeding toward the November ballot. Sen. Mark Hass' proposal -- which he described as a "peaceful solution between two warring camps" in business and labor -- would raise $1 billion in new revenue for the next two-year budget cycle. It would replace Oregon's corporate income tax with a new commercial activity tax. Half the new revenue would go to schools, with the other used to cut taxes for middle and low-income residents. The overall revenue increase is less than half what's proposed in Initiative Petition 28, which would raise $2.5 billion a year for the state's general fund. By comparison, the current state budget is $18 billion. The measure would target corporations reaching $25 million in annual sales. Hass' proposal would target corporations with $1 million in sales. It also would double personal income tax deductions and expand federal earned income tax credits. Hass, D-Beaverton, unveiled his plan as the Legislature embarked on its 35-day short session. His proposal faces steep odds in the House, with Democratic leaders less than willing to entertain a compromise backed by some of Oregon's most powerful unions unless it offers significantly more money. "I'm not delusional. I know the chances of getting there this session are very slim. I know that better than anybody in this building," Hass said at a press conference Monday morning. "But it's important to me that Oregonians know there's been some thoughtful diligence in an effort to balance revenues, taxes and Oregon's economy." Rep. Mark Johnson, R-Hood River, also spoke at Hass' news conference. Johnson stopped short of saying he'd vote for the plan as written but called it a good faith effort to stop an acrimonious ballot fight. "This is the way we should make good public policy in Oregon," Johnson said. Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, added House leadership to a list of those who oppose a compromise, including business and labor groups. Asked which one is the biggest obstacle, Burdick replied: "All of the above." -- Ian K. Kullgren 503-294-4006; @IanKullgren Nigel Knott Nigel Knott poses during a visit to Eugene (Courtesy of Nigel Knott) UPDATE: Nigel Knott commits to Alabama Elite linebacker Caleb Kelly, cornerback Nigel Knott and defensive linemen Connor Murphy and Prince Sammons appear to be the highest-rated targets left on the board for the Oregon Ducks. But that number diminished by one over the weekend, according to a tweet from 247Sports' Justin Hopkins, who indicated that four-star cornerback Nigel Knott has eliminated the Oregon Ducks: That news has also been confirmed by Scout, who said, "it will be Alabama, Ole Miss or Mississippi State for the four-star cornerback." Knott, an Under Armour All-American selection, is rated the No. 5 cornerback in the country and No. 36 player overall by ESPN. Oregon, once the leader for Knott, has slipped, in large part, due to the distance factor. Even early in the process the 2,000-plus-mile trip to Eugene made for a tough visit for the Knott family. "The only problem is that I haven't had a chance to go visit to see the type of atmosphere," Knott said last spring. While a visit eventually took place, it seemed distance became more of a factor as the process went on. Since this fall, regional schools, such as Alabama, and in-state programs Ole Miss and Mississippi State have worked their way to the forefront of Knott's decision. Even a solid Oregon in-home visit wasn't enough to steer things back in its favor. Duck fans will continue to hold out hope that a late steal is in the works, but it appears it won't be for Knott. -- Andrew Nemec anemec@oregonian.com @AndrewNemec The Tektronix oscilloscope has been a hardware staple on engineers' lab benches for 70 years. As the Washington County company begins its eighth decade, Tek is thinking more about software. Oscilloscopes measure the electronic output from a device so engineers can assess how it's performing. It's a key tool in designing and improving every kind of electronics, from TV sets to smartphones. But it's no longer enough, says Tek President Pat Byrne. Tektronix marks its 70th birthday Monday with a revamped logo, an updated strategy and - in the months ahead - a new owner. As electronics grow more sophisticated, Tek President Pat Byrne said the company needs to sell more than a scope. It needs, he said, to offer products tailored for specific fields - computing, communications, automotive and the like. "That really is a significant movement from being a hardware box," Byrne said. "We need to become more savvy and knowledgeable about these applications and markets." Along with an updated strategy, Tek is also getting a new logo to accompany a new era. The new one is a two-tone, sans-sarif update that replaces one adopted in 1992, ancient times in the tech industry. (The original logo, which lasted 40 years, famously trumpeted the Tektronix-name in bold, comic-book style in front of an oscilloscope's signature sine wave.) Tektronix logos through the years Tektronix is godfather to Oregon's technology industry, spinning off dozens of companies during its heyday from the 1950s into the '80s. It sold a number of ancillary product lines during the 1990s to refocus on its core oscilloscope market, then sold the business itself in 2007 to an East Coast conglomerate called Danaher Corp. Several rounds of layoffs followed as sales fell through the Great Recession and beyond, and as Danaher installed a new, austere business management style. Danaher won't say how many employees remain at Tek's headquarters near Beaverton, but it could be more than 1,000 -- that would make Tekronix the state's second-largest high-tech employer, after Intel. Danaher is now splitting itself in two, packaging Tek and other slow-growth industrial businesses into a new company called Fortive Corp. Fortive draws its leadership from Danaher's ranks, and Byrne said he doesn't expect big changes in how the new owner runs its subsidiaries. "I think Fortive will be a very similar company to Danaher," he said. -- Mike Rogoway mrogoway@oregonian.com 503-294-7699 @rogoway FLINT, Mich. (AP) A state lab analyzing lead levels of tap water in Flint is operating seven days per week and can process 1,000 tests each day, officials said. Test results are mailed to homes and are available online, and people who get their water from Flint's system were urged to have their water tested. Water samples must be taken with at-home testing kits provided by the state and dropped off at five Flint firehouses that also are operating as water resource sites, state officials said in a release. Meanwhile, the city's water crisis continues to garner attention outside Michigan, especially among celebrities. Actor Michael Keaton told reporters backstage Saturday night at the 22nd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles that reporters could have gotten ahead of the water crisis. " ... had there been a spotlight put on that ... maybe they would have been a little bit ahead of the situation," Keaton said. Rapper Snoop Dogg also met Saturday with Mayor Karen Weaver during a water drive in Flint, according to MLive.com. They join Cher, Eminem, Madonna and other celebrities involved in water donation efforts or who have pledged support to the city. Snoop Dogg stopped in Flint before a Saturday night performance in Detroit. "He came and just wanted to sit down and talk about what's been going on in Flint," Weaver told MLive.com. "What I appreciated is he wanted to get a thorough understanding about how long this has been going on and what's been happening." 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. Tests have shown high lead levels in some Flint children. Water donations have been coming into Flint from across Michigan and the country. The state has been distributing free water filters and testing kits door-to-door in the city. But federal officials warned Flint residents Friday that water samples from more than two dozen locations have higher lead levels than can be treated by the filters. Lead level in some Flint locations has exceeded 150 parts per billion, which is the level for which water filters are graded. About 300 union members of Plumbing Manufacturers International also have started installing donated faucets and other plumbing items to homes and apartments in Flint. "People that don't even know us, have never heard of flint before are at our side," Flint resident Lawanda Asa, 70, told The Flint Journal. "We're so very blessed that the American people have such big hearts." Aetna has joined other major health insurers in sounding a warning about the Affordable Care Act's public insurance exchanges. The nation's third-largest insurer said Monday that it has been struggling with customers who sign up for coverage outside the ACA's annual enrollment window and then use a lot of care. This dumps claims on the insurer without providing enough premium revenue to counter those costs. The ACA provides an annual enrollment window that gives people several weeks starting every fall in which they can buy coverage for the next year. The law established that window to prevent people from waiting until they become sick to buy insurance. But insurers say it has become too easy for customers to sign up outside of this window. Customers are allowed to buy coverage outside that time frame if they lose a job, get divorced or have a child, among other reasons. Insurers want the federal government, which processes coverage applications in 38 states, to take a closer look at whether people actually qualify for these special enrollment periods when they apply for coverage. Both Aetna and UnitedHealth Group Inc. said the exchange customers they get outside the annual enrollment window use more health care than those who sign up within it. This includes some cases where it appears that a customer bought coverage, used it and then dropped it. "Insurance systems tend to get stressed when people can buy coverage when they know they need it and then drop it when they know they don't," Chief Financial Officer Shawn Guertin told The Associated Press. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently outlined several changes it said it was making to help shore up exchange enrollment windows. Aetna is a big player in the ACA's state-based exchanges. It has enrolled about 750,000 people and is selling coverage in 15 states this year. It lost more than $100 million last year on its exchange business, which makes up a small part of its overall enrollment. "We continue to have serious concerns about the sustainability of the public exchanges," Aetna Chairman and CEO Mark Bertolini said Monday. Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurer Anthem Inc. also is paying close attention to how the government deals with special enrollment periods as it judges how sustainable the exchange business will be in the future, CEO Joseph Swedish said recently. UnitedHealth Group has said it will decide this year whether to participate in the public exchanges in 2017. Aetna leaders, who have publicly supported the exchanges in the past, say they are still committed and not ready yet to make that kind of call. "It would be premature frankly to declare victory or defeat at this stage in the process," Guertin said. Federal officials announced last month that they would end several narrow special enrollment windows that focused on consumers like non-citizens with incomes below the federal poverty level who experienced processing delays. Customers will still be able to use special enrollment periods to shop for coverage if they lose their insurance for more common reasons like a move, a marriage or divorce or the loss of a job. But the government plans to clarify guidelines on those remaining windows so customers understand them better. That includes clarifying that an enrollment period cannot be used for a temporary move, and people who do not provide accurate information on their insurance application could be penalized. HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan said in a Jan. 19 blog post that special enrollment periods will not be available for "the vast majority of consumers." HealthCare.Gov operates public insurance exchanges in 38 states. "For example, special enrollment periods are not allowed for people who choose to remain uninsured and then decide they need health insurance when they get sick," he wrote. Insurers are also making adjustments. Aetna has left exchanges in markets like Kansas where it incurred high costs. It also has raised rates and done other things to shore up a business that only contributes about 5 percent of its total enrollment. Guertin said the company hopes its exchange business will move closer to breaking even next year Midland Christian School was recently approved for a five-year accreditation by Christian Schools International. We worked hard to achieve this status, Head of School Carianne Robbins said. Accreditation recognizes Midland Christian School with what is regarded as the gold seal of excellence from a nationwide accrediting body that has been working to advance Christian education for nearly 100 years. It also reassures families that send their children to Midland Christian School that they are receiving an excellent education that is integrated with our Christ-centered mission, Robbins said. The accreditation was awarded after a year-long process followed by a two and a half day on-site visit by a team of six educational professionals from various schools in Michigan and Georgia. The team reviewed the validity of information the school submitted, analyzed school improvement goals and collaborated with the faculty and board to explore what the school will look like in five years when it accomplishes the goals of its school improvement plan. Accreditation is both significant and a significant effort, according to Bob VanWieren, accreditation program director of Christian Schools International of Grand Rapids. Schools must analyze their academic program, student services and operations based on best-practice standards and their own Christian mission, VanWieren said. Midland Christian School joins a select group of 112 other schools accredited by Christian Schools International. We are excited about where God is leading Midland Christian School in the next five years, Robbins said. We have a great team of teachers, parents and board members working together to make sure we have a solid foundation of excellence in the education we provide. This accreditation is confirmation that were on the right path and encourages us to press on to the high calling of educating children to impact the world for Gods glory. Midland Christian School is a multi-denominational school founded in 1960. The school says it offers a classical program with challenging academics based on a foundation of Biblical truth for students in grades Pre-K through 12. More information is available at www.midlandchristianschool-mi.org. WATERS NEAR GUAM (NNS) -- The forward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Mustin (DDG 89) and USS McCampbell (DDG 85) completed Guam Exercise 2016 (GUAMEX) with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) Jan. 23. "GUAMEX was a fantastic opportunity to hone our tactical skills in close cooperation with our JMSDF allies," said Cmdr. Thane Clare, commanding officer of USS Mustin. "Just as importantly, exercises like these build close personal and professional ties that strengthen our partnership at the Sailor-to-Sailor level, making us even more effective as we operate together at sea." This annual training exercise allows JMSDF and U.S. Navy to work alongside each other in the international waters near Guam. The helicopter destroyer JS Ise (DDH 182) served as the JMSDF flagship for Rear Adm. Hiroshi Ito, commander, Escort Flotilla 4, during the exercise and was accompanied by six ships of various classes of JMSDF Escort Divisions 4 and 8. The training events spanned the anti-submarine, anti-surface and anti-aircraft warfare areas, in some cases involving the protection of the flagship Ise. "I'm always excited to work with our Japanese counterparts," said Cryptologic Technician (Technical) 2nd Class Kevin Hughes, assigned to Mustin. "Working with them in the past, and now again, I'm impressed with the JMSDF personnel's professionalism and the proficiency of their sailors." The crews of both Mustin and McCampbell enjoyed a brief visit to Guam, where they were joined by their Japanese counterparts from the JMSDF ships. Additionally, both countries exchanged liaison officers for the duration of the exercise. Ensign Soon Kwon described his experience hosting one of the Japanese liaison officers aboard McCampbell. "This exercise provided a great opportunity for the JMSDF and U.S. Navy to work on various tactics and the ability to work together as allies," Kwon said. "However, the most important takeaway was that it allowed JMSDF and U.S. Navy officers to learn about each other's cultures and create long-lasting relationships." Mustin and McCampbell participated in GUAMEX as part of a routine patrol in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asian Pacific. CHICAGO A market research company is growing pessimistic about Illinois medical marijuana, telling investors that retail sales could reach just $15.6 million in 2016 due at least in part to moves by Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration to limit the program's expansion. ArcView Market Research released its projections Monday exclusively to The Associated Press to coincide with the company's annual guide, which estimates the national cannabis market for 2016 at $6.7 billion. Last year, the California-based company was predicting an Illinois market of $36 million in 2016. CEO Troy Dayton said a change in methods means comparing the two predictions "isn't apples to apples," but that Rauner administration decisions did affect this year's gloomier forecast. Bloomington-Normal's first medical marijuana dispensary is on track to open this spring. The facility at 501 Northtown Road in Normal will open in April, said an official with the Green Solution, a Denver, Colo.-based marijuana developer and retailer. Normal's will be the only dispensary in Illinois' sixth state police district, which stretches from Pontiac to the Twin Cities. Officials expect the dispensary to have 500 patients within a year of opening. The Illinois figure takes into account a decision Friday by state officials not to expand the state's program to chronic pain and seven other conditions. About 4,000 Illinois patients can buy the drug, and Dayton predicted some Illinois businesses will close if the slow pace of patient approvals continues. "Either there is going to be some shift in the coming years to expand things or you will probably see some of these businesses fail," Dayton said. Attorney Bob Morgan, who helped write the marijuana regulations in former Gov. Pat Quinn's administration, sees a brighter picture. "Most of these Illinois businesses have long-term financial security and knew it would take several years to recoup their investments," Morgan said Monday. ArcView's report predicts the Illinois market will reach $23 million in 2017, the year the four-year pilot program is set to expire. Only two of 23 states with medical marijuana programs have sunset clauses: Rhode Island had one, but later made its program permanent. New York's law, enacted in 2014, expires after seven years. The Illinois Legislature could extend the program with the governor's signature. Pharmacist Joseph Friedman, co-owner of a suburban Chicago cannabis dispensary, said he fears Rauner will justify letting the program die based on low patient numbers and physicians' lack of interest. "In two years, the governor will look at it and say, 'Doctors aren't really behind it, let's cancel it.' It will be a self-fulfilling prophesy," Friedman said. Still, he said, he's in for the long haul. "No one's going out of business right away, including us," Friedman said. NORMAL It all started with a textbook costing $300 to $400 and a neighbor asking a Heartland Community College trustee why a textbook could cost almost more than the class itself. That triggered discussion about textbook affordability, creation of a Textbook Task Team and several initiatives at Heartland, including: A largely student-run textbook swap program. Changes in the campus bookstore contract, including a reduced mark-up and a price-match guarantee. Eliminating the college's commission on books sold at the campus bookstore. Greater attention to alternative information sources, especially what are called open educational resources. Heartland isn't the only place where textbook costs are getting attention. Illinois State University's Academic Senate has created a textbook committee at the urging of the Student Government Association. The committee, which begins work this semester, includes faculty, students and administrators. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has introduced legislation that would provide grants to expand the use of open textbooks. The Affordable College Textbook Act is co-sponsored by Sens. Al Franken, D-Minn., and Angus King, I-Maine. We talk about college costs and we often overlook textbook costs, which can be substantial, said Durbin. According to the Government Accountability Office, new textbooks prices jumped 82 percent between 2002 and 2012. The College Board reports the average student at a four-year public institution spent $1,225 for books and supplies in the 2014-2015 academic year. Durbin, who has been involved in the issue for the past decade, said, I was stunned by how many faculty members had no knowledge of nor did they care how much books costs. That's inexcusable. Heartland's first student government association book swap took place in spring 2014. A hundred textbooks were distributed, saving students $10,000 compared to what they would have spent purchasing new books, said student trustee Chad Rosenbaum. In this semester's swap, 208 books were distributed at a savings of $19,233, he said. It was the anatomy/physiology book that started the whole conversation about textbook costs, said Marvin Rasch, director of student engagement. The book was used for both semesters of a two-semester course, so it didn't really cost more than the course itself. Nevertheless, it was a huge hit to student finances. That's changed. Instead of that expensive anatomy/physiology textbook, the two-semester course uses an open educational resources book that is free as a digital version, or can be printed at a much lower cost than the previous book, explained Rachelle Stivers, Heartland's library director and head of its Textbook Steering Committee. Every institution is concerned about textbook costs, noted Rasch. Our institution was committed to, 'What are we going to do to fix it?' He said the college has a great partnership among the faculty, administration, students and bookstore. It takes the cooperation of all four groups to address this issue, he said. Illinois State ISU is hoping a similar partnership can lower textbook costs for its students. When Ryan Powers, an ISU finance and accounting major, ran for student body president last spring, one of his platforms was working to lower textbook costs. It's not a quick fix, Powers said. You have to look at sustainable solutions. So he gained approval from the Academic Senate to create a textbook committee that will continue working long after Powers, a senior from Mundelein, has left campus. The nine-member committee has three students, three faculty members and three administrators. Dane Ward, dean of Milner Library, is one of the administrators. We can tackle some low-hanging fruit create a simple web page that provides faculty and students with their options, Ward said. Among the options are open educational resources. Helping faculty find good open access textbooks is one of the things the committee expects to do, said Ward, emphasizing the group will not direct faculty decisions on which textbook to use. Stivers also is developing a resource list of open educational resources and said the college offers workshops to faculty on how to use them. Open educational resources include not only textbooks, but also quizzes, PowerPoints and other material, she explained. Under a creative commons license, she said, they can be modified to include examples and other material relevant to specific areas. The bill sponsored by Durbin would provide grants on a competitive basis to higher education institutions to expand the use of open textbooks, including creating open educational resources, especially textbooks. Durbin is convinced open textbooks will catch on eventually, but things are changing slowly and he would like to see a bigger push. He commended Heartland for its efforts particularly giving up its book commission saying, Heartland got it. Stivers said, That's one reason I like working at Heartland. People really think about the students. It's not hollow words. ISU is hoping for similar results. I hope the committee is just the start of something to get the conversation going, said Powers, citing the common goal to reduce the cost of education. Ward said, The bottom line: It is the right thing to do at ISU. We're a student-centered institution. BLOOMINGTON William Frinsko began studying politics in 1932 when, as a 9-year-old boy in Macoupin County, he began collecting autographs of candidates campaigning for office. Ive been following politics as a Democrat all of my life, he said Sunday night prior to the annual McLean County Democrats Honoring the Roosevelts dinner at The Chateau of Bloomington. Frinkso and Merlin Kennedy were the two McLean County Democratic activists to received the 14th annual Roosevelt Award, which honors the public service legacy of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. About 150 people attended the dinner, which featured a keynote speech by Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza, the Democratic candidate for Illinois comptroller. But even with all of Frinsko's experience, he isnt sure what will happen in the Iowa caucuses Monday. Iowa voters will gather as groups in 1,681 precincts to elect delegates to the corresponding 99 county conventions. Those county conventions then will select delegates for Iowa's congressional district and statewide conventions, which eventually will choose the delegates for the national party conventions. I favor Bernie Sanders, Frinsko, of Normal, said of the independent senator from Vermont, who is in a tight race with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. I hope he does well. I think he is going to appeal to all of the people. "Hes got to overcome that association with being a socialist. I think he can answer his critics, though. Mendoza said she also is looking forward to the Iowa caucuses. Its exciting and its wonderful because for the first time, we have the possibility of the first female getting elected to the presidency, and we also see this excitement with the young people for Bernie, she said. I really love the tone of this election because all of the Democrats have behaved responsibly and like adults. "Iowa is always fun to watch because it is the first and it kind of sets the tone for the rest of the election cycle," she said. "I dont think anyone knows what is going to happen. John Penn, chairman of the McLean County Democratic Party, spent a few days in Iowa, campaigning for Clinton. I saw a lot of enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton, he said. We arent going to put down Bernie Sanders at all, but there are a lot of pros and cons when it comes to organized labor, and we feel Hillary would certainly be a big help. But what I saw was a lot of support for Hillary. While Monday may set the tone for the rest of the campaign, not all agree allowing the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, on Feb. 9, to go first is the best way of doing it. Our primary system is very problematic in my eyes, said Laurie Bergner, a member of the McLean County League of Women Voters. Here we have two of the least representative states in our country and they end up being the beginning of this very important primary season. "The primary system has become populist because when you see people that are supporting people that are totally inexperienced whether they be Republican or Democrat I have a big problem with that. "It scares me to think that people are supporting people that are not competent and not experienced. Brazil's Export of Pulp, Wood Panels and Paper Increased in 2015 Feb. 1, 2016 - In 2015, the planted trees industry benefited from the currency depreciation and recorded an increase in exports of pulp, wood panels and paper, according to the Brazilian Tree Industry (Iba). Pulp exports totaled 11.5 million tons in 2015 YTD, a 8.6% growth compared to 10.6 million tons exported in 2014. From January to December 2015, wood panel exports totaled 641 thousand m3, 52.3% higher year-over-year. Paper exports totaled 2.1 million tons in 2015, 11.5% higher year-over-year. Exports revenue. In 2015 YTD, export revenues from pulp, paper and wood panels totaled US$7.8 billion, which represents a 6.1% increase year-over-year, which totaled US$7.4 billion in 2014. Total balance of trade for the industry in 2015 is US$ 6.5 billion, which represents a 17.3% increase compared to the balance of trade year-over-year. Europe remains the main destination for Brazilian pulp, and accounted for approximately 38.5% of that revenue, followed by China and North America, respectively responsible for approximately 33.2% and 17.6%. Shipments to China increased 8.8% in 2015. Production. From January to December 2015, pulp production totaled 17.2 million tons, a 4.5% increase year-over-year. Paper production also remained practically stable, totaling 10.3 million tons in 2015. Domestic sales. From January to December 2015, domestic paper sales totaled 5.5 million tons, 4.6% lower year-over-year. Wood panel sales totaled 6.4 million m3, 11.3% lower year-over-year. Outlook. 2016 will be an austere year, and the market will continue to face the same challenges as in 2015, said Elizabeth de Carvalhaes, Executive President, Iba. Forecasts should be careful, because we still do not have a clear picture about the measures to boost the economy that will be announced by the government, de Carvalhaes cautioned. The Brazilian Tree Industry (Iba) is the association responsible for institutionally representing the planted tree production chain. The association was established in April 2014 and represents 61 companies and nine state entities that provide products obtained from planted trees, with special mention to wood panels and laminate flooring, pulp, paper, energy forests and biomass. To learn more about Iba, please visit: www.iba.org. SOURCE: Brazilian Tree Industry (Iba) Kemira to Supply Chemical Technology to Kotkamills Paper Machine Conversion Project Feb. 1, 2016 - Kemira has been awarded a start-up contract in the "Flying Eagle" project of Kotkamills' mill in Kotka, Finland, which involves the grade conversion of PM2 (printing paper machine) to produce recyclable folding boxboard and barrier board grades. Kemira will supply the start-up with sizing, retention and drainage, board hygiene, and microbe control technologies. Start-up of the rebuilt machine is scheduled for June 2016 and the production capacity will be 400,000 tons per year. "Kemira is proud to have the opportunity to participate in the new Kotkamills board machine start-up," said Kimmo Strengell, Marketing Manager, Strength & Tissue Additives, Pulp & Paper EMEA. "With our expertise, service capability and broad portfolio of board making chemistries, we are able to support Kotkamills in reaching the desired quality and productivity targets of the new board grade." Kemira noted that its microbe control programs ensure hygienic quality of the food service board. Hygienic quality control is critical for FSB machines if the final board doesn't meet the expected hygienic quality standards, converters can reject the whole production. Optimal retention and drainage programs are a prerequisite for improved runnability, productivity and board quality. Kemira sizing technologies are applied to control liquid resistance and to improve the printability of the board. Kemira is a global chemicals company serving customers in water-intensive industries. To learn more about Kemira, please visit www.kemira.com SOURCE: Kemira See related story: Kotkamills Paper Machine 2 Conversion Project on Track for Mid-2016 (Dec. 9, 2015) Mohawk Continues Adding Workers to Envelope-Folding Plant in South Hadley Feb. 1, 2016 (Daily Hampshire Gazette) - Two or three tractor-trailer trucks loaded with rolls and large sheets of paper pull up to the loading dock at one end of the Mohawk Fine Papers envelope-folding plant at 28 Gaylord St. each week. At a dock at the other end of the building, about 7.5 million envelopes a week are leaving the plant in the Falls section of town. Robert Scammell, the senior vice president for strategy and business operations for the company based in Cohoes, New York, said he expects that number to grow in the next months and years. Mohawk, which expanded its operations to South Hadley last year, has another envelope-folding plant in Ohio with more than double the capacity of this one. The demand for envelopes looks bright, according to Scammell. The markets are returning, he said. Analysts are seeing some movement away from email and other electronic communications and back to actual physical mail that ends up in a targeted customer's hands. To some degree this whole advertising space has come full circle, said Scammell. The studies out there show a higher response rate, a higher return rate, and higher impact with a promotional piece of mail that people read that way as opposed to on a smartphone or computer screen. Go to the full story at: Daily Hampshire Gazette. SOURCE: Daily Hampshire Gazette There is a new McDonald's product launching this week in Japan -- chocolate-covered French fries. Is this new menu-item enough to stop the dropping sales of McDonald's in Japan? According to The Guardian, the chocolate-covered fries is called McChoco Potato and it costs 330 yen or $2.77. The fast food giant is hoping that this new menu item can reverse their fortune in Japan. "Customers will find McChoco Potatoes enjoyable for different occasions, as it also makes for a great dessert. The combination creates a wonderful, salty and sweet harmonious taste," McDonald's said in a statement released to the press. Although there was a 5.7 percent increase of sales in the U.S. during the last quarter of 2015, the sales in Japan continued to drop. "McDonald's Japan, which operates almost 3,000 stores, reported a group net loss of 29 billion for the first nine months of 2015," the article revealed. The poor sales are blamed on the food scandals and supply problems experienced by McDonald's in Japan. One example of McDonald's food scandal in Japan is the incident involving reports of foreign objects -- a piece of plastic and something that appears to be a person's tooth -- being found in McDonald's nuggets and fries. The supply problem for McDonalds occurred in Japan when they were forced to limit selling french fries because of problems with shipments from U.S. ports. The creation of new and unique dishes might help the company get bigger sales this year. "We will continue to focus on ensuring food quality while making additional progress on our modernisation plan, delivering customer visible points of change, accelerating business recovery, and achieving long-term growth," the company stated, according to Inside Retail Asia. Early reviews for the new McDonald's product have been good so far, says The Guardian. Hence, some people have been complementing McChoco Potato's combination of sweetness and saltiness while others have positive comments about the chocolate aroma -- being enhanced by the heat from the French fries. At only two years old, Sutton Whitt from South Carolina already knows how to pray and it was even captured by a baby monitor placed on her crib by her parents. It was last weekend when this adorable scene was captured by her parent, which they immediately posted on YouTube and Facebook and it is started to go viral. The baby's prayer included how grateful she is for her parents and grandparents, People reported. A little interesting piece on this news is that she was actually thanking a huge man wearing red, which everyone is assuming is Santa Claus. "We put Sutton to bed about an hour ago and then heard noise coming from her room," Kathryn Whitt said on her Facebook account. "We turned on her baby monitor and found her praying! Wish we could have gotten the whole thing recorded. You've got to watch this! So sweet!!!" And just like how every prayer should end, the sweet adorable toddler uttered "Amen!" Her parents Kathryn and Caleb Whitt said they pray every night and it must have been something that their child has picked up from them. "We encourage her to think of things she's thankful for and she's grateful for," Sutton's dad said in an interview the couple had with Fox & Friends. "We kinda rushed through the bedtime ritual but she apparently didn't forget." It was a precious moment for the couple and it was a good thing that Kathryn had the baby monitor on. She also told the publication, "We heard something upstairs and I'm always paranoid about her being upstairs anyway so I said 'what's that' and turned on the baby monitor and realized she was praying, so at that point is when I hit the record option." The video on Facebook has already made more than 2 million views, which only shows how powerful a prayer is. The staff of a restaurant called Tuscany in Salt Lake City, Utah delivered a baby during a couple's dinner on Jan. 30, Saturday. Eric Bailey and his wife Heather decided to go for an advance Valentine's Day dinner at Tuscany restaurant when the unexpected happened that they eventually needed the help of the waiters serving them to deliver their baby instead of their food. The doctor told them that the baby is not due until February 14, but then Heather started to go on labor until her water broke. The website Parenting reported that Heather started to have contractions before they could even have the main course for dinner. She then decided to go to the ladies' room to find some comfort. FOX 13 reported that her husband noticed she has been in the ladies' room for a while and started to be a little worried. He then called their waiter Sydney Malmrose who saw the worry on his face. Malmrose approached Eric and offered to check his wife to make sure she was not going to be in labor while in the bathroom. It was a joke at first, but kidding aside, she actually had an experience in helping his mom deliver her baby sister at the age of fifteen. Eric, Sydney and another waitress went to the bathroom just right on time because Heather was already about to give birth and Eric was able to catch his newborn son. One of the hostesses said that they tried to grab a bag of washcloths, but by the time they were back in the bathroom, they already heard the baby crying. It was quite an eventful night for the Baileys. They stayed for a while after the baby has been delivered. The co-owner of the restaurant who was also a basketball player for Utah Jazz, Mark Eaton, took photos with the couple and their new baby boy along with the staff. The couple named their son Christopher -- their third child. In the "Madam Secretary" episode tonight, on the air at CBS Television Network, Henry learns shocking secrets after his father's death. According to TV Overmind, Henry's family has to deal with open old wounds after the death of Henry's father. Emelyn Daly stars as Henry's niece, Sarah McCord. His grieving sister Maureen (Kate Burton) blames Henry for being too busy and not spending enough time at home. At the State department Russell hides sensitive information from Elizabeth's team. From the teaser and the promo, we understand this is going to be an emotional episode. Henry and Elizabeth are together in a lovely way, very expressive through that tone and comforting hand touch. This is among the facts that keep the audiences tuned into the CBS show. We are all expecting Kate Burton to entertain us with one more classic performance tonight. Kate Burton is the daughter of Richard Burton, one of favorite actors of the classic Hollywood era. One of the strengths of this season in "Madam Secretary" has been the fact that this really looks like a real family. According to Broadway World, the family side attracts audiences to this CBS show just as much as the politics. The cast is so harmonious and works so well together as if they aren't even acting. Elizabeth McCord, the determined Secretary of State, is played by the star Tea Leoni. In the series she is a strong woman who battles office politics, drives international diplomacy and circumvents protocol as she negotiates domestic and global issues. Her character is credible and well contoured both at home and at the White House. Elisabeth McCord is a brilliant former CIA analyst and a college professor. She left the agency for ethical reasons but at the request of President Conrad Dalton she was willing to return to public life. The President invited her to occupy the function of Secretary of State following the suspicious death of her predecessor. The President values McCord's flair for languages, her deep knowledge of the Middle East, her apolitical leanings and her ability to think outside the box. The Zika virus outbreak in Latin America has created panic all over the world. Health experts say that it is possible that this outbreak might even be a more severe threat to global public health compared to the Ebola outbreak that took the lives of over 11,000 people. Voice of America reports that those statements were made by health experts who were interviewed by The Guardian and Examiner. An emergency meeting of the World Health Organization will be held on Monday, Feb. 1 to discuss the severity of the Zika virus outbreak as a global health crisis. Health experts from WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also gave a warning that there is a possibility that the Zika virus outbreak could affect as many as four million people. "In many ways the Zika outbreak is worse than the Ebola epidemic of 2014-15," Wellcome Trust head Jeremy Farrar told the Guardian. "Most virus carriers are symptomless. It is a silent infection in a group of highly vulnerable individuals, pregnant women, that is associated with a horrible outcome for their babies." Public health experts are also saying that the biggest problem in dealing with this outbreak is the lack of development for the Zika virus vaccine. "The real problem is that trying to develop a vaccine that would have to be tested on pregnant women is a practical and ethical nightmare," said Mike Turner from the Wellcome Trust. The Zika virus is spread through mosquito bites with symptoms that include fever, rashes, joint pain and conjunctivitis that last from a couple of days to a week, according to CDC . However, the real reason behind the panic caused by the Zika virus outbreak is the virus' effects on pregnant women and their babies. Zika virus is linked to cases of birth defects such as congenital microcephaly. There is evidence that the Zika virus can be passed on through sex, as suggested by two medical reports. While evidence is slim, federal health officials feel all travelers should be informed of the danger. Zika virus has been linked to thousands of babies in South America who are born with birth defects typically with smaller heads than normal and undeveloped brains. To date, 21 countries have been affected by the virus. Mothers are the ones first contacted by the virus, which is transmitted by a similar type of mosquito that spreads dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya. While the virus is known to spread similarly to other tropical diseases, two medical reports suggest otherwise. The first case occurred when researchers found high levels of the Zika virus in the semen of a 44-year old man from French Polynesia. Symptoms experienced by the Tahitian patient include low-grade fever, joint pain and lack of energy. Two weeks after his recovery, the patient noticed blood in his semen and decided to seek treatment. He was referred to conduct further tests in Papeete at the country's Institut Louis Malarde. The patient did not have signs of any condition that caused blood in the urine and did not have any physical contact with anyone who was suffering from the Zika virus, according to Dr. Didier Musso, director of the infectious diseases unit. However, further tests revealed that the virus was present in his semen and in his urine, according to Daily Mail. The second case involves an insect-borne disease specialist named Professor Brian D. Foy, who fell ill with symptoms of the disease. The professor from the University of Colorado contracted the virus while on a trip to Senegal. A few weeks later, his wife showed similar symptoms and tested positive for the Zika virus. Extreme, tiredness, swollen wrists, rashes, painful urination and extreme sensitivity to light were some of the symptoms experienced by the couple. The disease, however, was not passed to any of their kids or close family members. Researchers, including Foy, then realized that the virus might have been sexually transmitted to his wife. In 2011, Foy wrote about his experience and has been trying to get funds to research the phenomenon. Published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, this is the first instance of sexual transmission of a mosquito-born virus among humans. "While the two instances suggest a 'theoretical risk' of sexual transmission, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note the primary vector is clearly mosquitos, the New York Times reported. Similarly, the World Health Organization said there was not enough evidence to make the link. China is known to have a good economy and strong military capabilities. Unfortunately, there is also a great health crisis in China -- having an estimated 7,500 deaths happening daily due to cancer. Medical Daily reports that cancer is the leading cause of death in China since 2010. There were 2.8 million cancer-related deaths in China last year and more than 4 million new cases of cancer. The statistics were researched by scientists from the American Cancer Society, University of Sydney and National Cancer Center. Led by National Cancer Center's Dr. Wanqing Chen, the researchers were able to gather relevant data from hospitals, health centers and the Civil Administration Bureau. "Almost 22 percent of global new cancer cases and close to 27 percent of global cancer deaths occur in China," the researchers shared. "More importantly, the cancer profile in China is markedly different from those of developed countries." The difference between the cancer profiles of China and those from other developed countries is that the most common cancer cases in China -- representing almost 60 percent of all diagnosed cancers in the country -- are lung cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer and esophageal cancer. These kinds of cancers make up only less than 20 percent of all diagnosed cancers in the U.S. Lung cancer, the most common cancer in China, is usually caused by smoking and air pollution. The researchers noted that the air pollution in China is one of the worst all over the world. Fortunately, there are some tips people can follow in order to avoid getting lung cancer. Not smoking, avoiding second hand smoke, testing your home for radon levels, avoiding exposure to toxic chemicals, eating a healthy and balanced diet, and exercising regularly are some of the most effective ways to prevent lung cancer, according to Mayo Clinic. Reducing the cases of the most common type of cancer in the country is a great way to solve the health crisis in China. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions (Note: This is Part 4 of the Iowa Caucus dispatches, which will run Monday and Tuesday.) Part One: What the HELL are the Iowa Caucuses, and How Do They Work? An Angry Q&A Part Two: Fear, Apathy, Passion, Hope, Hate: The American Spirits Rise in Iowa Part Three: Discussing the Caucus with Professor Tim Hagle Earlier this morning, I pointed out the historical and practical absurdities of the Iowa caucuses in an angry Q&A (the first link above). But as with everything, there are shades of gray at work. This afternoon, I sat down with Prof. Cary Covington at the University of Iowaa political science professor and part-time TV analystand he gave a compelling defense of the system, arguing that it benefits underdog candidates and is superior to the alternatives. Below is the portion of our talk dealing with that topic, along with Covingtons background. Tell me about your experience with Iowa politics. Ive been here since the 1980s so Ive been around the caucuses, and my coursework tends to work on the presidency and the congress, so the presidency and elections are in my wheelhouse. I dont do my own research on elections, but Ive been called in to comment so often that Ive made myself knowledgeable over the last four or five election cycles. So its more a matter of being an informed observer as opposed to being a researcher I think, since Ive been at it this long. What are the media requests like for you at this point? (Counts on his computer) Seven requests since 10 a.m. this morning. And today is unusual, but it really ramps up. Id say on average, I probably answer one to one and a half per day. And that includes the student newspaper. And whats really interesting is I get a lot of requests from overseas. So one of these guys is from Russia, ones from France, ones from Japan, and you know, they understand that whats going to happen is important, but they dont really have much of a grasp of how its going to happen. And why is Donald Trump doing so well? (laughs) You know Englands trying to decide whether to let him in the country or not. So they have more interest than usual this time. But I get links to stories in Japanese and Russian. Its fun. Where are you from originally? California. I left in 73. (He points to his Dodgers memorabilia.) I was eight years old when they won their first L.A. World Series in 59. Let me ask this question first. The idea that Iowa, 30th in population, has this much influenceand adding the fact of low turnoutthat they have so much impact, is there something absurd or unfair there? Well, its one thing to try to talk about it in absolutes, but its another thing to talk about it comparatively. Compared to what? What I would say is, Iowa alone, and even Iowa and New Hampshire alone, are demographically not representative. Were more rural, were more white. Thats why the parties added South Carolina and Nevada. So by the time youre through the first month, youve had a shot at talking to a diverse group of people and you want to try to do well somewhere. Iowa is first because of an accident, its not a conscious choice. (Read those details here.) The dynamics of the old system, which ended in 1968, was that a state should be at the end of the process for the greatest leverage. So by then, candidates would be close to going over 50 percent and you can be the state to put them over the top. So you want leverage, and California and New Jersey were at the end, in part, because of that. And candidates thought of it like a race, and if I go out early will I get worn out and worn down, and run out of steam before I get to the end? Should I wait and conserve my energy and make a mad dash at the end? In 76, Jerry Brown, who was governor of California back then too, and Frank Church, who was a Senator from Idaho, intentionally sat out the first month and a half to wait for western primaries where they would show well. And what we learned was, showing well wasnt what matters, winning delegates is what it matters. Conventions are not deliberative events, they are calculating machines. And whoever comes in with the majority wins. Even in 1980, Gerald Ford sat out, thinking he could be the savior at the 80 convention to rescue the party from Reagan. And even as recently as Rudy Giuliani in 08, and he stayed out of Iowa, he stayed out of New Hampshire, and by the time they got to Florida, nobody cared. So there was an evolution in strategies, and we began to see which strategies fit the environment, and it was to run early. And so then Iowa becomes very important, because it becomes the signal to the rest of the states. So what Iowa does is signal to the rest of the states who the losers are. The favorite word we use is winnow. They winnow out the losers. We dont make the claim that we pick the winner, but we do sayyouve heard the phrase three tickets out of Iowa. And the only exception to that was John McCain in 08, and his was exceptional because hes anti-ethanol, and he didnt run in Iowa in 2000 or 2008. Apart from that, you had to finish in the top three to be the nominee. And the other dynamic to it is that Iowa and New Hampshire become like a sibling rivalry, and New Hampshire doesnt want to be seen as following Iowa. So we never pick the same guy. Were a negative signal to New Hampshire. Obama lost New Hampshire as much because he won here as because Hillary Clinton was an attractive candidate. You can see that were in no sense determinativeother states are going to get three or four candidates to choose from, at least early on in March. By the time you get to May, youre left with whatevers left. But in March, theyll have three or four choices (maybe two on the Democratic side this year). So why Iowa? Why not Iowa, in a sense. It happened by historical happenstance, and the question is, is our work useful to the process or not? And thats really where the criticism will come, especially from the Republicans right now, do the social conservatives have too much weight? But what I would say is that it does happen that theyll have a lot of weight. So you get that, and the criticism from the Democrats is that they fall in love with very liberal guys, like you see with Sanders this year. And part of it is that we have no military component to the state, and we are not wedded to military policies. We tend to be more of a peace state. Domestic matters more than defense. But you know, Paul will do well here because of the Libertarian thing. There are a lot of people who want small government, but to want small government with a restrained form of national security policy doesnt sit well with Republicans. But it sits well with Libertarians, and they tend to show a little better here than they will in the south, for instance. Just imagine the can of worms youd open if you said its not Iowa anymore. Who gets to go first? If you dont pick a small state, youre immediately making it harder on candidates who dont have name recognition or deep pockets. So if you want a populist candidate, if you want someone who is going to go to the grassroots and build, they cant go to California or Texas or New York, or they wont get heard. So its got to be a small state, and any state thats small tends to be distorted in some way demographically. You dont find small states that are well-representative of anything. Moreover, while everybody thinks Iowa shouldnt go first, nobodys in agreement about whos the better choice. Youd have 20 states lining to say it should be us. And if you go away from the one, two, three, four, zoo model, then again you only get name recognition, deep-pocketed candidates running. So the rotating regional primary falls unless you keep the four states in front. The national primary is disaster for anybody whos not named Clinton or Trump. Theres a model out there thats called the Delaware Plan, where you start with the ten smallest, and the ten next-smallest, and so on over five months. But even if you break it that way, those ten states are small but theyre probably not all next to each other, so its going to be hard to be present and campaign in all of them. And if you have the candidates hive off, youre not doing any winnowing. So my answer to you is, whats the better solution? It wasnt intentional, and nobody can take credit, and there are certainly flaws with it. But its like whoever that Greek guy was who said democracy is a bad form of government, its just better than all the rest. And so I would just say, well, the only way for me to defend Iowa is to know your alternative. And then when you tell me your alternative, I can tell you why Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina is a better way. And if somebody wants to say, lets let Nevada go first, and Iowa will go lasttheres a point to that. But then you lose the history of taking them seriously that you have in Iowa. And I have no doubt that other states could learn over two or three election cycles to take the role as seriously as Iowans do, but it would be a generational process, and if you really said theres ten states out there, and each of them is going to get a turn, well that means you get a turn once every 40 years. What if your year is a year where theres an incumbent? Thats a raw deal. And how do you know how to take it seriously. Theres a process to vetting candidates and looking them in the eye and spending evenings with them, which Iowans do. So sure, Iowa gets a lot of reward, but it also provides a lot of service to the other state, theres a lot of externalities to the other states that they dont think about. You know, if Iowa picks Trump and Sanders, the rest of the country may go nuts, and then you may have a strong move to change the system. But I think it will be results driven, not process driven. Its like 2000. I told my class back in the 90s, wow, boy if we ever get an election like 1888 again, the country will go nuts. Thats when Cleveland won the popular vote but Harrison won the electoral vote. And then it happened in 2000, and there was barely a burp. There were some complaints and people had the 49 percent signs, but 9/11 happened and nobody thought it about anymore. So my thought is, if that happened every three or four cycles, wed change the electoral college. But if it happens once every 100 years, we can live with it. If Iowa kicks out a clunker of a candidate, we didnt pick him. We just told you who not to pick. You can still pick somebody else. Its like proposals to amend the constitution to get rid of the electoral college. And youre never going to get enough states to go with any reform, I think. Its interesting that it does make a candidate like Sanders or McCain possible. Jimmy Carter wouldnt have been president. Dukakis. Who would the Democrats have picked in 88? There was nobody to choose. And 2012 on the Republican side was an example of that. Iowa doesnt get credit for vetting Michelle Bachmann, and saying no, we dont want you. And vetting Herman Cain, and saying no, we dont want you. And the same for Newt Gingrich. And by then they were down to Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, or Santorum. Thats it. Follow-up question, which you may answer in a similar way. Theyve showed studies that caucuses dampen turnout, especially on the Democratic side where you have to vote publicly I know where your question is going. That really is a matter of get-along, go-along politics. New Hampshire and Iowa have to find a way to get along. New Hampshire is vested in its image as first in the nation. And when Iowa came along, they were willing to say first primary in the nation. So if Iowa creates a primary, New Hampshire will jump us. Its as simple as that. And Iowa doesnt want to be jumped, so they stay a caucus. And the way that plays out is very interesting, because the Republicans are putting their toe over the line of what a primary is. All they do is add up the votes. Thats what made me curious? Why call it a caucus, because they have two-minute speeches? They call it a caucus to keep New Hampshire from getting angry. But the Democratsand we had a conference here on the Iowa caucuses, and there was a guy named Richard Bender who everybody says was the midwife of the modern caucus system. And his point was, just what I told you, that Iowa wanted to give everyone a chance, and so we ended up in February and that show it happened. But, he said, we knew that New Hampshire would come hunting us if we had a primary. So we kept our caucus format, and the way the Democrats do that is this very convoluted process of not reporting votes, but reporting what we call delegate equivalents. Which makes it so that you can actually win the caucus, but lose the popular vote. Thats right, because each precinct is awarded a number of delegates based on its historical voting patterns. So in 2008, when students blow the roof of the precincts in the university area, they still only got the number of delegates reported that they got on the basis of their performance in the three or four before where they werent turning out for beans because they didnt care. And so the student vote was dramatically under-represented in 08 because of that. Sanders faces the same concern this time. But is helped slightly by 08? Its helped, because its weighted. But still Sanders will worry, and you may have heard that his people were encouraging students to go home. Weve got plenty of votes here, go home. (Note: This is Part 1 of the Iowa Caucus dispatches, which will run Monday and Tuesday.) Lets get one thing straight before we begin: If you care about the American political system, even a little, what youre about to learn will drive you up a f***ing wall. Do you believe in fair elections and sensible participatory democracy? Then be advised that I am issuing a big, fat trigger warningthe ear-splitting kind, with strobe lights and tornado sirens. Believe me, youll need it. Weve found ourselves in the thick of two highly competitive presidential nomination races, with heavy implications for the future of our country, and it all hinges on what happens tonight at a handful of precinct caucuses. In Iowa. Iowa. Nothing against Iowa, of course. I like the state. The people seem fine. This is not about hating Iowa. This is about hating their caucuses, which are emphatically not fine. Against all logic and sense, Iowa gets the first vote in the nation, and all the massive influence that comes with it. That fact alone is enough to make you want to punch a corn stalk or chug a gallon of ethanol, but whats really aggravating is that they dont even hold a normal primary. One person, one vote? Thatd be great, but NOPE. Instead, they troll us by staging a weird, atavistic, political-theater throwback to a time when American politics looked a lot like Gangs of New York. This isnt just about Iowa making life difficult for democracy. This is about being unable to ignore Iowa. Were a hostage audience, and its all because the results of this screwy caucus produced by a screwy system will have outsized importance in everything that happens over the next year. Theres no escape. If we give a shit about presidential politicsand we shouldwe have to pay attention. But that doesnt mean we have to like it. I intend to answer all your questions about the Iowa Caucus, but I intend to do with with a seriously bad attitude. Join me now in a spittin mad Q&A. Q: Before we learn the basics, can you please put this bullshit in perspective for me? A: Lets start here: Iowa could easily determine the outcome of the primary races by virtue of being the first contest in the country. But Iowa is just the 30th most populous state in the country. Iowa has fewer people than Puerto Rico, which is not even a real state. With just over three million residents, Iowa has about a third of the population of New York City. Iowans seem like nice people, but theyre just a blip on the American radar. Yet for some reason, theyre the ones that get to tip the presidential scales. Q: Holy shit, thats infuriating. A: Oh, that makes you mad? How about this: NOBODY IN IOWA EVEN PARTICIPATES. On average, about 20 percent of registered party voters actually bother to attend the caucuses, for a total of about 300,000 people. Twenty f#%$ing percent. Thats terrible even by terrible American political participation standards. Even in the most soul-killing mid-term election, we manage to turn out 40 percent. I could run for neighborhood spirit guide against that annoying dog from across the street, and 30 percent of people in a five-block radius would turn out to vote. But the Iowa caucuses, which could determine the goddam president of the United States? Twenty percent. And thats for both parties combined! Q: Could you illustrate your point with a list of minor American cities whose population eclipses expected turnout tonight? A: Gladly: Stockton, CA. Lexington, KY. Aurora, CO. Wichita, KS. Anchorage, AK. Tulsa, OK. Now imagine that the constitution was amended to mandate that one of those cities, at random, got to choose the president every four years. Would you be happy? Didnt think so. But thats roughly whats happening in Iowa. And its partly because of the caucus format itself. Q: Hold up for one damn second. Before we get into all that, are you sure the Iowa caucuses even matter that much? A: The last three Democratic winners in Iowa have gone to be the presidential nominee, and one of them (Obama) was a pretty big underdog before he won. Losing Iowa absolutely killed Hillary Clinton in 2008, even when she went on to win New Hampshire in a surprising comeback. And thats just one of many examples of how fortunes have shifted since 1972, when Iowa first moved to the front of the line. Jimmy Carter, for one, basically owed his entire presidency to the state. On the Republican side, there are a ton of conservative evangelical Christians in Iowa, so the winner there isnt quite so inevitableas we learned from victories by Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee in 2012 and 2008, respectively. (Although in 2012, Romney was declared the winner long enough to benefit from the momentum, and it was only a month later that a closer count determined that Santorum had won.) But consider these stats, from Nate Silver: 1. No candidate (Democrat or Republican) has lost the nomination after winning both Iowa and New Hampshire since Ed Muskie in 1972. 2. No candidate has won the the nomination without winning either Iowa or New Hampshire since Bill Clinton in 1992. Q: Okay, but there are times when succeeding in Iowa is less critical, right? A: Not really. Even when an eventual nominee doesnt win the caucus, the way his opponents finish tends to change the whole race. In 72, George McGovern came in second to Ed Muskie, but since it was a close race, at a time when the rest of the country thought Muskie would annihilate the field, McGovern gained momentum and eventually won. In 2008, Mike Huckabee beat heavy favorite Mitt Romney on a wave of evangelical fervor, and even though John McCain finished fourth, the weakness of Romneys campaign was exposed. That opened the door for McCains charge to the nomination. In short: Iowa always matters. Q: Why do these patterns play out? Couldnt we just ignore the results? Is it possible that Iowans are just really adept at identifying the eventual winner? A: Maybe. But theres no denying that the build-up to Iowa has become almost hystericalthe explosive growth of the corporate media in the age of horse race journalism has guaranteed thatand the coverage that follows an Iowa win, positive and negative, has an enormous impact on how the rest of the race shapes up. And the hype starts earlybased on the breathless media accounts leading up to the day, youd think the Iowa voters were actually the hand of God anointing the next president. To go back to Obama, his Iowa win transformed his campaign. He went from trailing by 20 points in national polls to trailing by five, and it all happened within a week. He had a new legitimacy in the eyes of the country, it earned him tons of coverage, and it painted the Clinton campaign as a sideways cyclone of panic and in-fighting. All because a few thousand Iowans liked him a little more than Clinton. Q: Basically, youre saying Iowa matters becausepeople say it matters? A: Yup! Its a freakish self-fulfilling prophecy. And one which poured about $51 million in campaign dollars in 2008. Q: I am officially terrified by Iowas power. Whats at stake this year? A: An Iowa loss could be the thing that finally knocks the wind out of Trumps sails, for onea loss is a loss, even for a group of people who become experts at ignoring the truth. On the Democrats side, teplace Obama with Bernie Sanders, and youre looking at a potential carbon copy of 08. With a win tonight, Sanders stands to gain the kind of legitimacy that could propel his campaign through the rest of the primaries on a wave of momentum, at which point Clinton would probably be so infuriated that shed beg Obama to order drone strikes on Des Moines. As a Sanders supporter, Im thrilled at this possibility. I love Iowa! And you could probably make an argument that by giving underdogs a chance, the Iowa caucuses actually serve a positive role in the nomination process. Which still doesnt mean its fair, exactly. Q: But whats wrong with Iowa, compared to any other state? Lets be realIowa is a very white state, and the low percentage of minorities means that its not representative of the rest of the country. Theres probably no state in the untion thats truly representative, but Iowa benefits some candidates more than others. In 2016, its not perfect for Bernie Sanders (that would be New Hampshire), but its a hell of a lot better than it could be. If everybody in the country voted tomorrow, as they would in a normal presidential election, Clinton would win easily. If the first primary took place in South Carolina, where Clinton holds a significant lead because of her advantage among black voters (which is puzzling, but thats another story), shed coast, and Sanders would have a tough time recovering. Q: Can you recover from a disappointment in Iowa? Rarely. For the most part, its where losing campaigns go to die. Take Howard Dean in 2004. Everybody remembers the infamous scream, but what people often forget is that he had finished a disappointing third in Iowa. His goose was cooked before his awkward war whoop, and Iowa was the one that cooked it. Lets look at Hillary this year. If she does lose Iowa, her hope is that a firewall of states on Super Tuesday (later in March) will secure her nomination, but everyone knows thats a faint hope at best. The nature of momentum in these things gives Iowa so much sway, and if she fails here, the whole firewall could crumble just like it did against Obama. Thats why sheand Sanders, and OMalley, and all the Republican candidatesare spending so much time and money in Iowa and New Hampshire. Ignore the blustery shows of confidence candidates make about life after Iowa; deep down, they know this could be everything. Q: Why the hell does Iowa get to go first? A: This is really going to make you mad. Im warning you. Q: Just tell me. This nightmare cant get much worse. A: Challenge accepted. The 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago was disastrous for a few reasons, but mostly because party bosses chose the nominee (Hubert Humphrey) almost unilaterally, and people were really pissed off about Vietnam. The tensions from that corrupt process led to riots in Chicago, and the optics werent great. Recognizing the need for a change, the DNC made the whole process more transparent, including a weird rule that mandated 30 days between state and local nomination events. It gets sort of foggy here, but the gist is that each part of Iowas four-step caucus process now had to be separated by a month, and since there werent enough hotel rooms available in Des Moines for the scheduled date of the state convention in June, they pushed it ahead, which meant they had to push the distinct and county and precinct caucuses ahead too. By the time they were done, the precinct caucuses had moved all the way up to January, making them the first in the country. Q: SO IT WAS AN ACCIDENT?! THIS WHOLE THING IS A WEIRD HISTORICAL ACCIDENT BASED ON AN ARCANE PROCEDURAL RULE AND SOME HOTEL ROOMS?!!? A: Welcome to Iowa, baby! It didnt take long before candidates started to realize how they could take advantage of the anomaly. In 76, Jimmy Carter essentially camped out in Iowa for a year, won the state,* got lots of press, won the nomination, and became president. From that point on, Iowa became a juggernaut. *Uncommitted actually won the state with 37 percent of the votenot a jokebut Carter was first among actual candidates. Q: Im going to rip my hair out. A: Thats not technically a question. Q: Waitwhy doesnt some other state just jump the line and schedule their primary ahead of Iowa? A: Good idea. And Florida tried, in both 2008 and 2012! In what was described as a rogue quest to be first, they jumped the line, prompting states like New Hampshire to re-schedule its own primaries to continue the absurd leapfrog. Eventually, Republicans responded by slashing the states delegates in half, and the penalties on both sides made Florida basically irrelevant. (On the Democrats side, Michigan got nailed too.) It was a big statement from the national parties, who essentially broadcast the fact that Iowa and New Hampshire had their protection. This time around, Florida and Michigan have both been slapped back to March, which means theres no leapfrog, which means that there are no caucuses or primaries in January. One weird side effect: Because Iowas caucuses fell over the winter break period for universities in 2008 (Jan. 3), it helped Obama by spreading out his young, college-going constituency back to their homes in rural counties. The same wont be true for Sandershis college supporters will be in school, and his campaign is actually encouraging those students from rural areas to go home to vote. Theyre even offering to provide transportation. Q: I hate the caucuses. And I hate that I have to ask you how they actually work. But, since were here, how do they work? A: Dont ask that. Please dont ask that. Huh? But I want to know. You said I had to know. Just tell me. IM WARNING YOU, DONT F#$&ING ASK! I HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW, GODDAMIT! FINE. Republican voters go to a precinct, hear two-minute speeches from representatives of every candidate, and then write their vote on slips of paper. Based on those vote totals, delegates are allocated to each candidate by county, sort of like the electoral college on a smaller scale. Good? We good here? That seems simple. Same deal for the Democrats? A: .... Q: I DEMAND ANSWERS! A: Fine. But dont shoot me. Im just the messenger. Heres what happens: In 1,681 precincts across the state, people show up at 7 p.m. to caucus. There are various discussions and speeches and politicking within the caucus sitecommunity centers, senior centers, gyms, libraries, etc.and then everyone in the room gathers into preference groups. There will be a Sanders group, a Clinton group, and, in some cases, an undecided group. At that point, the precinct chair will determine if each group is viable. Viability is determined by how many people are in the preference group as a percentage of the whole. In most larger caucus sites, a group needs 15 percent to be viable. At smaller sites, this percentage can be higher. If some preference groups are not viable (cough Martin OMalley cough), there will be more speeches, and representatives from those groups will have the opportunity to join a larger, viable group, form new groups, or whatever. This is the realignment process. Finally, the new groups are counted, and delegates are awarded proportionally. In simplified terms, lets say that 100 people show up at a caucus site that has 10 delegates to award. Sixty jump in Bernie Sanders group, and the other 40 are with Clinton. In that case, six delegates would go to Sanders, and four to Clinton. Q: Thats insanely complicated. Why dont they just vote? A: Great question. Q: ... A: Really great question. Q: UhhDo you plan to answer it? I have no answer. What I can tell you is this: Most of America recognized that caucuses were a shitty way to do business a long, long time ago. Since they require an individual to vote publicly, outside influencespowerful party bosses, unions disapproving spouses, or whatevercan force someone to vote against their political beliefs. Thats why, in most sane places today, we vote in private, and nobody has to tell anyone else how they voted. You can even lie! But in a caucus, theres no hiding, and since everything happens locally, a voters place in his community might be affected if he votes the wrong way. This explains, at least partly, why turnout is so lowyou have to be pretty passionate about politics to want to expose yourself that way. (In fact, studies show that primaries with secret ballots inspire far higher turnout, while caucuses tend to attract a more hyper-partisan kind of voter. The moderates stay at home.) Eleven states still hold caucuses, including Nevada, another early state. The rest hold regular primaries with secret ballots. Q: Any other terrible facts I should know? A: Glad you asked. Its also way, way harder to vote absentee, especially for military service members. And if you work at night? Caucuses take place at 7 pm, no exceptions, so youre shit outta luck. Q: A lot of what youre saying here is actually kind of tragic, in the greater context of our democracy. A: I totally agree. Q: Thats because youre writing these questions A: Another solid point. While were here, Ill let you in on one more enraging tidbit: The number of delegates allotted to each precinct is set beforehand, based on population, and doesnt change based on turnout. So lets say that in the Johnson CountyIowa City 16th precinct, which awards ten delegates, a ton of Bernie Sanders supporters show up, dominate, and win eight of ten delegates for their candidate. Conversely, imagine Hillary Clinton wins ten small, rural precincts, each with one delegate, by a 55-45 percent majority. If you tally up the total votes, Sanders may have three hundred more individual supporters than Clinton. Doesnt mattereach will end up with ten delegates. Q: Dear God. Let me get this straight.these caucuses squash turnout, misrepresent popular support, and disenfranchise voters. You got it! Q: So youre telling me its somehow worse than the electoral college? A: Impressive, right? Q: I have to move on before I get violent. Tell me thiswhat happens with all these delegates? A: I asked Josh Levitt, a very helpful person from the Iowa Democratic Party, and heres how he put it: The precinct caucuses award delegates to the county convention. The total number is 11,065. After county conventions come District Convention and then State Convention (then of course the National Convention). What the media will be reporting on caucus night is actually percentage of state delegate equivalents won by each candidate. In other words, while Johnson County has 353 precinct delegates in the Democratic race, it will send only 92 delegates to the state convention, so what the media is reporting, essentially, is how many of those 92 will be supporters of each candidate, based on how many of the 353 they win tonight. But on a state-wide level, so that in the end, the figure viewers will see is expressed as a percentage, which is easier to understand. Q: NONE OF THIS IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND! IM MOVING TO SWEDEN! A: Can I come with you? Q: ILL ASK THE QUESTIONS HERE. And no, you cant comeyou have the taint of Iowa on you. A: Tough, but fair. Q: Anything else I should know? A: Yeah. Remember how I told you that turnout is typically super low in Iowa? Q: Yeah A: There will probably be a snowstorm tonight. Q: ... A: Which will depress turnout even mo Q: I GET IT. A: Im sorry. This must be quite a shock. Q: Its fine. It helped clear things up for me. Adjo, dumma Amerika. A: Huh? Q: Thats Swedish for goodbye, stupid America. And let me add: Ta dig i roven! A: Sounds nasty. Enjoy the caucuses! Why should just a few hundred thousand voters taking part in a bizarre caucusing ritual in a demographically unrepresentative state have such a massive impact on who runs for president? It seems pretty shady, but thats a whole nother question. This time around Iowa will probably have a big impact on the campaigns of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Nate Silver cited five reasons on his blog today. Heres a synopsis of what he said: 1. Iowa results will dominate news cycles for weeks. The tone of that coverage could sway a large swath of voters toward the scrappy upstarts. Trump lives and dies by dominating news cycles and manipulating coverage. Nobody wields press coverage like a weapon as well as the Donald. The press still doesnt love Sanders, but a surprise win over Clinton would force the press to begin taking him more seriously. 2. Theres room on the bandwagon. With much of the Democratic electorate just beginning to feel the Bern a showing within two percentage points of Clinton would be a press boon. While Clinton remains quite electable, shes still not well liked. Sanders has the opposite problem. Hes incredibly likable, but electable? Hell have to begin to see an Obama-like groundswell soon. Trump still has to convince Republicans that he can actually win a general election. 3. Iowa will cement opinion among party elites. The unknown drives party power-brokers nuts. They really want a clear front runner to emerge, and they want to be as early to that party as they can be. Nothings worse than backing the wrong horse, though. So post-Iowa handshakes between Republican big-wigs and Trump may be forthcoming unless he bombs. Sanders will not likely see a huge bump in endorsements from a strong showing in Iowa. 4. Iowa will weed out the posers. Again this benefits Trump, whos decision to skip the last debate has made the other candidates seem small. Those who dont have the money to go the distance will have to cash it in. OMalley is actually very important to Sanders, since he siphons off some of the I just dont like Hillary vote. 5. Iowa matters because its the first concrete test of whether pollsters are on track or not. This matters most for Sanders, who has gone from 29 points down in Iowa to within the margin of error in many polls. The moment of truth is here. An extremely strong showing by Clinton in Iowasay an 8-10 point win over Sanderswould be incredibly hard to overcome. Nobody really knows if Trumps polling numbers are soft, but it seems as though the suspicion is that they are, mostly likely the result of Trump being the candidate most likely to be over-hyped. "We're not used to seeing growth in our check business," said Deluxe's Tracey Engelhardt, who reports a 6% to 7% increase in revenue for check orders from businesses and consumers in each of the last three quarters, driven by various factors originating from the pandemic. Damascus Suburb Blasts Kill 60 near Zeinab Shi'ite Shrine 01/31/16 Source: VOA Islamic State has claimed a triple bombing in a southern Damascus suburb Sunday that killed at least 60 people. Two suicide bombers detonated explosives as rescue efforts were underway after a car bombing in the Sayeda Zeinab district of Damascus, near a revered Shi'ite shrine. Terrorism (cartoon by Javad Takjou, Iranian daily Etemad) The violence occurred before Syria's main opposition group met with U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura in Geneva. Mistura is attempting to get warring Syrian factions to the negotiating table for a political solution to the country's nearly five-year civil war. In a statement Sunday, European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the bombings were "clearly aimed to disrupt the attempts to start a political process." Shi'ite fighters are among the dead in this predominantly Shi'ite city, according to an AFP report. The area has come under attack before, with several bombings near the shrine in recent years. Photos: Iran Navy holds massive maritime parade, ends major drills 01/31/16 Report by Press TV; photos by Akbar Tavakkoli, Islamic Republic News Agency Iran's naval forces have staged a maritime parade in the Sea of Oman, marking the end of large-scale naval drills in the country's southern waters where they successfully hit and destroyed mock enemy targets. Different units of Iran's Navy staged the naval parade on Sunday ending military maneuvers, code-named Velayat 94, over a large swath of territorial waters and high seas in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Indian Ocean. Various kinds of destroyers and warships including Alborz, Sabalan and Bushehr in addition to Nasr-class and Nour-class frigates as well as Younes and Ghadir-class submarines took part in the parade. Iranian Navy's speedboats such as Azarakhsh, and Shahab as well as BH7 hovercraft also took part in the naval parade in addition to Navy helicopters. Iranian Air Force's F-4, Falcon and F-27 squadrons flew over the Navy's vessels, submarines and speedboats in the Sea of Oman and displayed their high power. High-ranking Iranian military officials and foreign military advisors watched the naval parade aboard Iran's domestically-manufactured Jamaran destroyer, which was the flagship in the military exercises. Iranian Navy's submarines and destroyers on Saturday successfully test-fired different types of torpedoes and advanced missiles. Various types of Ghadir-class and Tareq-class submarines detected and tracked the mock enemy's mobile targets and destroyed them by firing advanced and overhauled torpedoes. On Friday, Iranian naval forces successfully test-fired Nour (Light) surface-to-surface cruise missile, which has a range of 150 kilometers (93 miles). Nour is among high precision and high-speed Iranian cruise missiles with high detection power capable of delivering powerful warhead. It could be launched both from sea and surface. Iran's Navy started its annual military exercises on January 27 to demonstrate the Islamic Republic's power in establishing security in the region. The best 2-in-1 laptop 2022: our picks of the best convertible laptops These are the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy right now Update, Feb. 2: After only one day of sales, US Mobile came under fire from both Xiaomi and T-Mobile and has stopped selling the devices. No Mi for you! Full story. Original story, Feb. 1: Xiaomi and Meizu are huge. According to IDC, Xiaomi is one of the top five smartphone makers in the world, ahead of better-known names like LG, Sony, and Motorola. But the two companies are largely unknown in the U.S., although they've both promised to enter our market from time to time. Now Americans can see what the fuss is about, thanks to an unusual little wireless carrier run by a former phone importer. US Mobile(Opens in a new window), which uses T-Mobile's network, is selling, servicing, and supporting a few Xiaomi and Meizu phones as of last night. "U.S. consumers have traditionally had to compromise to afford incredible devices," Ahmed Khattak, founder and CEO of US Mobile, said in a statement. "Now, with the launch of our marketplace, we are thrilled to offer complete range of exceptional smartphones for low monthly payments and to give our customers access to exceptional phones otherwise not available in the U.S." The phones going on sale include the Xiaomi Redmi 2 for $119, the Xiaomi Mi 3 for $139, the Meizu Note 2 for $149, and the Xiaomi Mi 4 for $219. The point here is value for money, especially in build quality. Many of the Redmi 2's specs, for instance, are similar to the $129 Blu Life XL, in terms of processor and camera. But the Xiaomi and Meizu phones are known for very good builds. Khattak said that the carrier would provide service and support for the devices. US Mobile's plans are also very inexpensive, for less heavy cellular users. The carrier has a mix-and-match plan structure that's like competitor Ting, but cheaper. You can get 500 minutes, 500 texts, and 500MB for $24 per month, for instance. Or you could go to 2.5GB with unlimited texting, but only 100 minutes of talk time, for $37. There are 150 different possible plan combinations. There are some down sides to these new phones. Most notably, the phones can't get LTE in the U.S. They just weren't designed for our networks, and they don't have U.S.-compatible 4G bands. That puts them behind Blu's competing product line, which can get LTE on US Mobile's (and T-Mobile's) network, as well as behind the Moto G and Alcatel One Touch Idol 3 ($92.05 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) series. We found the Mi 3 to be extremely impressive. I really like its rounded metal body, which feels a lot like the high-quality polycarbonate that was used in Nokia phones a few years ago. The screen is very punchy. It has an older Qualcomm processor, which still feels fast. But the fact that it runs Android 4.4 is disappointing, even at this price point, and I really miss LTE. It'll also be interesting to see how the phones do when stripped of their services layer. One reason Xiaomi and Meizu are so popular in China, for instance, is that Google services aren't available in China, so Chinese consumers are more accustomed to heavy Android skins and customized app stores. That's one reason why Huawei is so popular in China, yet U.S. reviewers tend to recoil at its very non-Googly EMUI skin. Both Xiaomi and Meizu also have pretty aggressive Android skins. US Mobile works with any T-Mobile-compatible phone, but it also has an outright amusing array of phones in its own Web shop: the BlackBerry Passport ($249.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , some iPhones, and even the Nokia 106, a $29 voice phone I'd really like us to review. But the Chinese models will clearly become the price-performance stars in this lineup. Khattak promises an ongoing relationship with Xiaomi and Meizu distributors, and says that their future devices may have U.S. LTE bands. Millions of people around the world love these brands now. I think there's a chance Americans could as well, and I'm glad to see US Mobile giving them the chance. You can find the phones in US Mobile's Web shop(Opens in a new window). Children (and technology) are our future, so President Obama's new Computer Science For All(Opens in a new window) initiative aims to turn K-12 students in the U.S. from digital consumers to creators. The White House is proposing that the upcoming budget include billions for computer science training in grades K-12. "Our economy is rapidly shifting, and both educators and business leaders are increasingly recognizing that computer science (CS) is a 'new basic' skill necessary for economic opportunity and social mobility," U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith wrote in a blog post(Opens in a new window). The president wants to allocate $4 billion for states and $100 million for school districts to train more teachers, expand access to high-quality computer science instructional materials, and build regional partnerships. Obama also called for $135 million in computer science funding from the National Science Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service. In his recent State of the Union Address(Opens in a new window), Obama said "real opportunity requires every American to get the education and training they need to land a good-paying job. "We've increased early childhood education, lifted high school graduation rates to new highs, and boosted graduates in fields like engineering. In the coming years, we should build on that progress, by offering every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one." In 2015, more than 600,000 high-paying tech jobs across the country were left unfilled; by 2018, 51 percent of all STEM jobs are expected to be in computer science-related fields. But a majority of K-12 schools in the U.S. do not offer programming and coding classes. And those who do have access to such courses are mostly white males. The administration said Delaware, Hawaii and more than 30 school districts have already pledged to expand their CS offerings. In the private sector, Cartoon Network, Google, Apple, Facebook, Qualcomm, Salesforce.org, Microsoft, Code.org, and more have pledged(Opens in a new window) will expand their computer science education-related outreach. "Tech careers are exciting, fun, high-impact, and collaborative as well as being critical for our economy. We want all Americans to have the opportunity to be part of these teams," Smith wrote. "CS For All will help make that a reality and ensure every student has access to computer science in their classrooms at all levels." The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) beat more than 115 student engineering teams from 27 states and 20 countries to win the weekend's Hyperloop design competition. On Friday and Saturday, hundreds of students gathered at Texas A&M University to present their plans for overall Hyperloop pod design. They were judged on a variety of criteria, including uniqueness of design, full Hyperloop system applicability, level of design detail, and strength of supporting tests. The MIT group walked away(Opens in a new window) with the Best Overall Design Award. "MIT has been involved in so many technological breakthroughs in the past century," team captain Philippe Kirschen, a master's student in aeronautics and astronautics, said in a statement. "It just makes sense we would help advance what might be the future of transportation." But the MIT Hyperloop Team(Opens in a new window) is not the only group headed to California this summer to try out its prototype on the first Hyperloop Test Track. Twenty-two student crews will make the pilgrimage. That includes Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands), winner of the Pod Innovation Award, as well as the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Virginia Tech, and University of California Irvineeach of which took home the Pod Technical Excellence Award. "Congratulations to the finalists and all the student teams who competed in the first-ever SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition," John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, said in a statement. Aerospace Hyperloopa finalist representing the Texas university, will also move on to the competition weekend in California. "It is our hope that everyone who participated uses the momentum from this historic meeting of young innovators to go out into the world and continue to create and innovate," Texas A&M President Michael Young added. "This weekend's competition proves the future is in very good hands with such an inspiring and talented group of young people." Technical awards were also given to student teams whose design displayed outstanding technical merit in subsystem and design. The Hyperloop is the brainchild of SpaceX and Tesla chief Elon Musk, who in August 2013 unveiled plans for a $6 billion system that would allow for high-speed travel between U.S. cities. But Musk is busy with other things, so he handed the project off to transportation-system manufacturer Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, which last week filed construction permits with California's Kings County to start building in the Quay Valley later this year. Groundbreaking and principle construction of the five-mile track is slated for mid-2016, ahead of an official public opening by 2018. Theres nothing more frustrating than dealing with slow Internet at home, especially when youre paying a steep premium for a fast connection speed. Washington, DC-based Reddit user and Comcast customer AlekseyP came up with an interesting solution for this problem. Instead of wasting time calling up Comcast over the issue, he is using the power of Raspberry Pi to complain to the Internet Service Provider over Twitter under the name @A_Comcast_User. Every hour, AlekseyPs Raspberry Pi (he didnt specify which model) runs Internet speed tests and then stores that data. If his Internet speed drops below 50 megabits per second, the Pi tweets at Comcast about the slow speeds. AlekseyP says he pays for 150mbps down and 10mbps up. Since AlekseyPs Twitter script went live on October 30, his bot has tweeted at Comcast 16 times over Internet connection speeds. He says Internet usage at home is not causing the drop in bandwidth. In fact, he says that many times the tweets happened when no one was at home, or late at night when everyone was asleep. Comcast tends to respond to most direct consumer complaints on Twitter and in this respect the company hasnt failed AlekseyP. But the Reddit user declines Comcasts request for help every time its offered. I have chosen not to provide them my account or address because I do not want to singled out as a customer; all their customers deserve the speeds they advertise, he said on Reddit. @A_Comcast_User Please send us a DM with your account number or full address so we may assist. -AC ComcastCares (@comcastcares) January 30, 2016 The impact on you at home: If youre a Comcast customer, or with another ISP that handles customer service on Twitter, you can play along with a Raspberry Pi, too. AlekseyP posted the code to his Python script on Pastebin. This code will help get you started, but youll also need to install dependent programs and utilities such as speedtest-cli, a command line interface program that tests your bandwidth speeds via speedtest.net. Python, the core scripting language behind the tool, should already be installed on your Raspberry Pis operating system. Sony spinoff Vaio Corp. will launch a phone based on Windows 10 Mobile this week, following Acer into the suddenly hot market for third-party Windows phone hardware. Mynavi.jp reports that Vaio will be holding a press conference to announce the new phone on February 4. Executives from both Microsoft and Vaio are expected to attend, including Takuya Hirano, the president of Microsoft Japan. A spokeswoman for Vaio in the United States confirmed the announcement, but declined to provide further details. Mynavi.jp also published a photo which named both Acer and Vaioas well as Mouse Computer, freetel, ThirdWave, and NuAnsas Windows 10 Mobile partners dating back to last October. Vaio is a spinoff from Sony, which manufactured the Vaio PC brand in the late 1990s until March 2014, when Sony sold off the division to Japan Industrial Partners. JIP then resuscitated the business under the Vaio name. Sony went on to sell numerous smartphones based on the Android OS but never became a major player. Launching into a void Microsoft has already launched the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950XL as its own flagship smartphones running Windows 10 Mobile. Despite these new models, the company has suffered a sharp decline in Lumia sales. Into the breach has stepped companies like Acer, which launched the Liquid Jade Primo Windows 10 Mobile phone last year and then showed it off at CES. Why this matters: If Microsoft cant sell its own Lumia phone, its hard to say whether third-party companies like Acer and Vaio will be able to pick up the slack. Still, Sony was said to be interested in manufacturing a Windows Phone as far back as 2013, when it would probably have been built around the Windows Phone 8 operating system. Its likely that some of the same attitudes transitioned to Vaio as part of the spinoff, to avoid the same Apple-Google hegemony that defines the smartphone market today. This story was updated at 3:45 PM with confirmation from Vaio. When it comes to the problem of stopping errant drones, theres been a number of high-tech solutions from radio jamming to laser beams to nets launched by other drones but a group in The Netherlands is proposing a low-tech solution thats much more elegant. Guard From Above says it is training birds of prey to attack drones, taking advantage of their natural predatory instincts and precision in the sky. A video posted by the company on YouTube shows a bird attacking a DJI Phantom drone as it hovers, grabbing the drone with its feet and flying away with it. The birds claws have scales that should prevent it from getting injured by the fast rotating blades, said the company. But it did say it is investigating extra protective measures that could be taken Alphabet, the parent company of Google, racked up $3.6 billion in losses last year through investments in big bets such as self-driving cars and Internet balloons. The company was known to be spending heavily on these items but revealed actual figures for the first time Monday when it broke out results separately for its core Google business and for big-bet investments, which it also calls moonshots. The losses for those items were much higher in 2015 than in 2014, when they totaled $1.9 billion. And they brought in just $448 million in revenue last year. Still, Alphabet says it stands to reap rich rewards in the long term if any of those big bets pays off. They also include its investments in smart thermostat company Nest, Google Fiber, and medical science, including efforts to build a smart contact lens that measures glucose levels. The losses were more than offset by the profits Google made from its core businesses in advertising and search. Google generated $23.4 billion in operating income last year, on $74.5 billion in revenue. Google reorganized itself last year under a holding company called Alphabet, which consists of Google its core search and advertising businesses and then other business units that place long term bets on emerging areas. It said the move would provide more visibility into how its core search and ad businesses are doing. Alphabet as a whole reported strong results for last quarter. Revenue for the three months to Dec. 31 was $21.3 billion, up 18 percent from the year before and higher than the $20.8 billion analysts had been expecting, according to a poll by Thomson Reuters. Net profit for the quarter rose to $4.9 billion. On an adjusted basis, net earnings per share was $8.67, up 28 percent and much better than the $8.10 analysts had forecast. Kelly J. Fredericks, a former Rhode Island airport executive, got the final nod Monday to head the authority that will oversee Ontario International Airport when it returns to Inland control. The Ontario International Airport Authority formally approved Fredericks contract at a morning meeting. He is an at-will employee who can be separated at any time, and the language of his contract can remain until 2021. His first day on the job is March 6. Los Angeles World Airports and the airport authority reached a deal last year to return Ontario International to local ownership and control, decades after Ontario handed both over to L.A. Along with Fredericks annual salary of $398,500, the authority decided to make direct contributions to his retirement plan, atypical for government or public agency hires. The contribution will be $47,820 annually, plus a sliding-scale entitlement that could add up to another $40,000 annually, structured on a formula anchored to any excess of Fredericks base salary. If Fredericks receives a yearly raise of $2,000, as an example, the authoritys entitlement contribution would be $38,000. Al Boling, interim CEO for the authority, said the retirement plan more closely mirrors what private industry does. Its a way to create financial certainty on future costs. Boling, who is also Ontario city manager, said the authority decided to avoid the usual kind of pension plans included by agencies, such as CalPERS. Its rare that they hit their investment target for returns, at least in recent years, Boling said. Assistant City Manager Jacob Green said Monday that he could find no comparable agency pension arrangement in California such as the one the authority reached with Fredericks. The new CEO also will be eligible for a $100,000 performance bonus after his first year, and for the succeeding years a performance bonus of not less than 25 percent but not more than 40 percent of his annual base salary. The bonuses are at the discretion of the authoritys board of directors. Contact the writer: rdeatley@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9573 Corona Assemblyman Eric Linder managed to get a public employee union to do what it hasnt done in more than 20 years endorse a Republican. Linder, who first took office in December 2012, received the endorsement of Service Employees International Union, the labor organization announced late last week. SEIU members cited Linders accessibility and willingness to meet face-to-face with constituents, as well as his track record of standing by workers who have voted for union representation in their workplace, the union, which represents state and county employees, said in a news release. In an emailed statement, Linder said: I am proud to be recognized by hard working men and women for protecting and creating good jobs in the Inland Empire. Mark Janov, who works at Community Hospital of San Bernardino and is a member of SEIU Internationals Conservative Committee, cited the ongoing effort to unionize workers at Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside as a factor in the decision to endorse Linder. Eric Linder has been such an outstanding leader time after time on behalf of hospital workers who voted to unionize at Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside, he said in the news release. While the hospital is refusing to recognize the union, Linder has never stopped urging management to honor workers wishes and sit down and bargain a contract. He is a great advocate and were fortunate to have him helping so many working families. This is why SEIU members are endorsing him for Assembly. Linder represents Corona, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Norco and part of the city of Riverside. He is being challenged for re-election this year by Democrats Sabrina Cervantes and Ken Park. Cervantes, who works for Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside, said: I am very proud of the endorsements that I have earned from various labor organizations, including the California Nurses Association, which represent working people throughout the 60th Assembly District. From the day I announced my campaign, we have focused on developing policies that advance and empower middle-class families, and I look forward to continue building on our momentum as the Primary Election nears. Also of note, while Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside, got SEIUs endorsement for his re-election bid, no endorsement was announced of Medina or Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-San Bernardino, who faces Democrat Eloise Reyes in the race for the 47th Assembly District. Medina thus far has no announced Democratic challenger. Brown and Medina are connected with a loosely organized group of moderate Democrats in the Assembly, who played a big role last fall in the weakening of legislation to fight climate change. A group of 13 Redlands nurses are now tied together by more than work. Each of them pitched in $10 to buy 65 tickets in the recent Powerball lottery worth a record jackpot of nearly $1.6 billion. The group missed the big jackpot, but matched five of the six lottery numbers (04-08-19-27-34), in the Jan. 13 drawing and will win $638,000, or $49,088 per person, before taxes. Janelle Mejia, the pools organizer, said the nurses all work at a skilled nursing facility in Redlands. UPDATE: Excitement at nursing home where 13 nurses won thousands I didnt even know we had the five numbers until one of my coworkers texted me and asked if we had won anything the night of the drawing, she said in a news release. I checked the numbers on my phone and couldnt believe it. I called everyone who was off of work and even called work to tell everyone else we had won. The 65 tickets were purchased at the 7-Eleven at 1601 W. Redlands Blvd. in Redlands. Store owner Prince Sandhu said that even though the store sold a ticket matching only five of the six numbers falling short of the threshold that triggers a 0.5 percent share for the retailer its still been a big boost for business. Numerous people have been coming into the store in the hope that good luck will rub off on them. And its worked so far. One customer won $20,000 on a $3 Crossword scratcher just a week after the Jan. 13 drawing, Sandhu said. The nurses arent the only big winners to come forward in recent days. Jessa Mae Del Barrio of Las Vegas, a certified nursing assistant, won $779,264 after purchasing a ticket with five of the six numbers (16-19-32-34-57) during a trip to California. The ticket was purchased in advance of the Jan. 9 drawing. The group of 13 nurses and Del Barrio might have gotten close, but there was only one big winner in California. Whoever bought a ticket at a Chino Hills 7-Eleven matched all six numbers and will split the winning prize with winners in Tennessee and Florida. Each will receive either an annuity payment of $528.8 million over 30 years or a one-time payment of $327.8 million. The Tennessee winners already have come forward. A committee is gearing up to present its 11th annual Salute to Veterans Parade in Riverside. Veterans have served our country selflessly and they deserve our respect, said parade director Bill Densmore. It is important that we teach our children the importance of our military and the role veterans play in protecting the United States and other countries. This years grand marshal is Rear Adm. Allen E. Boot Hill, an Inland area native and decorated fighter pilot. Hill earned more than 50 combat medals over the course of his 32-year military career including a Purple Heart and served in both Vietnam and Korea. He grew up in Rubidoux and attended West Riverside Elementary School, Poly High School and a Riverside community college. The two-hour parade will feature veterans from each branch of the military, plus floats, tanks, horses, vintage cars, tanks, marching bands and more. The committee will post details on asalutetoveterans.com as they become available. Densmore hopes the parade will be an opportunity for the Inland region to unite as a community and remember its roots. We hope that community members will use this event as a reminder of the importance of our military and those who have served in the military, Densmore said. The parade will take place at 10 a.m. April 30 in downtown Riverside, beginning at the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Terracina Drive. A pancake breakfast will precede the parade around 7 a.m. at the Riverside City College parade staging area. No RSVP is necessary to attend the breakfast. The committee is seeking volunteers, sponsors and participants. For information, email Cheryl-Marie Hansberger at cmhansberger@riverside ca.gov. Contact the writer: community@pressenterprise.com Hemet police officers arrested two robbery suspects Saturday, Jan. 30, authorities said. Sean McConnell, 24, and Lorraine Moreno, 30, were both arrested around 10 p.m. on suspicion of attempted robbery and conspiracy to commit a felony, according to a Hemet police news release. Both were booked into Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility with bail amounts set at $30,000, online jail records show. Police officials say McConnell and Moreno are suspected of entering a restaurant in the 2200 block of East Florida Avenue with scarves on their faces and demanding money from people at gunpoint before fleeing. It wasnt clear from the release whether the duo was able to attain any money. Hemet police officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the incident. Police say that not long after the robbery was reported, they saw McConnell and Moreno fleeing through the parking lot of a nearby shopping center. The two were reportedly arrested without incident. Police say they have not located the handgun that was used during the incident. Contact the writer: 951-368-9693 or agroves@pressenterprise.com Updates with additional details on victim Mitesh Patel saw opportunity in the United States when he immigrated from India. His brother-in-law, Samir Patel, later joined him, and together they purchased the Bossey Dairy drive-up convenience store on N. E Street in San Bernardino. The community embraced Mitesh Patel, 33, as he was known to extend credit to customers who were a couple of bucks short. He knew how hard it was out there, said customer Patricia Avalos. On Monday, Patels family members and customers welcomed the news that Desmond Stevenson, 25, and Robert Green 23, had been arrested on suspicion of murder and robbery after Patel was killed during a robbery Friday. Stevenson, according to Police Chief Jarrod Burguan, blasted Patel with a shotgun at close range, only seconds after demanding money. UPDATE: Third suspect arrested in Bossey Dairy slaying What did they get out of it? They wanted the money, they gave them the money. Why shoot a life? one of Patels cousins said Monday during a news conference. She asked not to be identified or photographed because she feared for her safety. Patel came to the U.S. in 2002 with his parents and dreamed of bringing his brother and sister to the U.S. to live with him. He married Bhavika in 2009 and had a 3-year-old daughter, Vrisha. She has lost a father. What can I say? the cousin said. Yesterday she was still remembering him like, Oh Dad, hes coming. She doesnt even know whats going on. Patel worked part time at a gas station, a convenience store and pizzeria while attending college classes and saving the money to buy the store. He found it exciting to run a business, the cousin said. He was a self-made man. In the past five years, the community had become one of their own. They had so many friends, the cousin said. Mourners stopped by the closed store at 1611 N. E St. on Monday to look at the candles and signs placed in Patels honor. Such a wonderful person with a big heart, a sign read. No such sentiments were offered for the defendants. Stevenson served eight months after a March 2015 conviction for carrying a concealed weapon and has an extensive criminal record, Burguan said. Green also has a record, although less extensive, Burguan said. Both have gang ties, Burguan said. Police believe they entered the store about 7:50 p.m., Stevenson carrying a shotgun and Green a handgun. Stevenson wore a hooded sweatshirt and a bandana, and Green wore a hockey goaltender-style mask, according to pictures posted at the news conference. Patels brother-in-law was in the bathroom and another employee was working, the cousin said. Surveillance video, and an officers hunch, led to the arrests. The camera taped a small portion of the getaway vehicle, a Mercedes SUV, and it showed rims that had distinctively been modified. A gang detective remembered working a case with such a vehicle. Investigators traced the vehicle to its previous owner, and that led investigators to arrest Green on Sunday in Highland. Stevenson was arrested later Sunday in San Bernardino. Police said they recovered a shotgun, masks and clothing used during the robbery. Regardless of all the technology we have, at the end of the day, the technology is only as good as the people that are using it, Burguan said. And in this case it was really just truly good police work that connected things. He added that police believe that the pair robbed Bliss Liquor on 9th Street barely three minutes later. The investigation is ongoing, and police asked anyone with information on the crimes to call detectives at 909-384-5742. ICYMI, an interview with two Instagram models about their particular brand of justice for dudes who send them unsolicited dick pics went gang-busters viral over the weekend. Aussie model Emily Sears (2.4 million Instagram followers) and her mate DJ Laura Lux (678k Instagram followers) have been making headline after headline for the last 24 hours, thanks to their habit of naming and shaming the douchebros who slide into their DMs with abuse and dick pics to their wives / girlfriends / sisters / etc. Heres when happens when you send me dick pics to DM. I do not play. Names hidden to protect this womans privacy.?? pic.twitter.com/IDZnkUpfXB Emily Sears (@tweetemilysears) January 18, 2016 The reason I initially decided to take a stand and encouraged my female friends to do the same was because men simply werent listening or learning, Laura wrote for Daily Life. Women dont like unsolicited dick pics isnt a new topic of conversation, its something that weve been having pretty consistent dialogue about for a number of years now. The thing is, theres always been zero consequences for online sexual harassment so it doesnt matter how many news articles are published, how many bloggers write about it, how many women tweet on the subject men can still get away with doing it with absolutely no ramifications, so they simply dont care. my bff @emilysears and i are featured on @buzzfeeduk today talking about online harassment and how we deal with it. go check it out! A photo posted by ?? LAURA LUX (@darthlux) on Jan 29, 2016 at 1:12pm PST Emily who receives, at a minimum, one to two dic pics per day initially had the idea. We send the photos as a reminder for them to have respect for women, Emily told Buzzfeed News. I think it provides an accountability that people seem to lose online; being behind a screen gives people a false sense of anonymity. I have noticed since posting my responses as a warning that the number has been significantly lower. I think my followers are slowly getting the message. Yet, somehow, despite being very open about how she deals with this shit, plus every other media outlet covering the story over the last few days, it is STILL. HAPPENING. Emily tweeted this one about four hours ago (at the time of writing): Say hello to your mum (and little sister) for me????@djlauralux and I will find you,even if you live in Greece. ?????????? pic.twitter.com/6RxLVzeixv Emily Sears (@tweetemilysears) February 1, 2016 Honest question: what will it take for men to stop pulling this kind of shit? Because Christ, enough is enough. Source: Buzzfeed News / Daily Life. Photo: Instagram. Talent Camera is a wicked photography studio specializing in corporate snaps, as well as helping the people of Sydney look a little more profesh and making those LinkedIn profiles look super schmick. An awesome opportunity has come up for a Sales Executive (SYD) to join the killer crew at the Talent Camera studio in North Sydney. To be suited for the role, youll need to be keen on building a portfolio of new clients, and engage in a thorough learning & understanding of competitors to establish strategic pricing/packaging combos for customers. Youll need to have a natural flare for sales and have some solid relationship building and maintaining skills up your sleeve. If you are craving a creative environment, froth on flexible hours compared to the grind of a norm 9-5 gig, and wouldnt mind some sales commission on top of that base salary of yours, then shoot your CV through HERE. We at PEDESTRIAN.TV are looking for one fan-fucking-tastic Advertising & Partnerships Executive (SYD) to come on board and work as part of our advertising sales efforts, across both media agencies and direct advertising clients. If you can cut a deal like Gordon Gekko, have the oratory skills of Don Draper and the Work ethic of Iggy Azalea, then we want to hear from you. Were looking for someone who loves people, advertising, creativity and pop-culture with one to two years experience in a similar role and a clear understanding of advertising, marketing, online publishing as well as traditional and social media. Sound like your kind of dream stint? Apply HERE. Nickelodeon has been entertaining kids and kids at heart for years with their shows, slime and shenanigans and are currently on the hunt for their next Nickhead to get a piece of the action as a Digital Video Producer (SYD). As Digital Video Producer, you will already have some solid experience writing, shooting and editing (3 years plus!), and youll be an expert at pitching and producing new content ideas that can engage kids immediately, all while pre-empting the latest on-line trends! Youll need to be a little more than obsessed with social and digital media and have thorough knowledge of the types of video content kids dig, and that guarantee clicks. So if you love feeling young at heart, know what Nickhead really means and love the digital domain, then dont delay! Shoot through your CV HERE. Apple needs no introduction, being the epitome of innovation in the digital age. A rare opportunity has arisen for an Apple Music Label & Artist Relations Role (SYD) in one of Apples newer divisions Apple Music. Apple is profoundly passionate about all things music and tunez, and bringing the raddest of listening and interactive experiences to music lovers. Under Apple Music Label & Artist Relations, your main responsibility will be to contribute to the growth of music businesses by being stellar at managing relationships with label partners, artists, and artist manager. Your knowledge of the Oz & NZ music landscape will need to be ace and youll be the type who is always uncovering the newest tracks and artists on the reg. So if you appreciate an array of genres, know a thing or two about the local music and media markets, and have some steady music industry experience under your belt, apply HERE. Urban Walkabout provides the travellers and locals of Australia with pocket-sized bundles of urban info with a carefully curated selection of fashion, design and foodie destinations! With a discerning eye for all things creative and innovative in Ozs great cities, Urban Walkabout is for the inquisitive urban explorer. An awesome opportunity has come up for a Freelance Lifestyle Writer (HOB) to contribute to the excellence that is Urban Walkabout. To be ideal for this role, youll need to be in the know of whats happening in Hobart from food, to art and design and even nightlife. If you have a coupla years of profesh writing experience, and consider yourself a culture connoisseur of Hobart, then go get em and apply HERE. All deets courtesy of Pedestrian Jobs. Dont let your dream job slip you by Love your work! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and get yourself signed up to our Daily Job Alerts. A petition to stop supporters of legal rape advocate Daryush Roosh Valizadeh, the troglodyte behind misogynistic website Return Of Kings, meeting up in Sydney has garnered over 24,000 signatures overnight. Australia already has a widespread problem with rape, abuse and violence against women and does not need any more encouragement to harm women from people like Roosh V and his followers, the Change.org petition reads. What these men are advocating is, and should legally be considered, a hate-crime. Not only should the police stop this event from occurring they also need to inspect the men attending this event. News of the global meet-ups in which like-minded men are encouraged to get together and discuss hating women broke yesterday. Just so yall are aware, RoK outlined in their FAQs section that gay / bisexual / transgender men are not allowed, but as the Tribal Meeting is not a white nationalist organisation, men of all races and backgrounds are allowed. IF YOU HAVE TO CLARIFY THAT YOUR MEET-UP IS NOT A WHITE NATIONALIST MEET-UP, YOUVE MADE A FEW FUCKING WRONG TURNS. The Roosh-canoe himself was set to attend the Washington DC meet-up, but, upon learning yesterday that we as a nation think he and his views are bile-coated pond scum, decided to book a flight to Australia. And if that fails: Ill just take a private boat to Darwin from Indonesia or East Timor. Ill find a way to enter. I wont be stopped. https://t.co/CKbXdRLS4C Roosh (@rooshv) February 1, 2016 Ill hire a private yacht to sneak into the country. On google maps I see vulnerabilities in the northwest quadrant. https://t.co/bLLC9mrY5P Roosh (@rooshv) February 1, 2016 CC: Border Force? This is the one and only time well be saying this, but do your thing. According to his Twitter, Roosh will be arming himself with a baton and pepper spray, and is currently devising additional security precautions. Idk you guys, does it look like hes on the verge of a meltdown? Liberals are trying to no-platform the world with their faggot outrage. Fuck them. The meetings on Feb 6 will absolutely not be cancelled. Roosh (@rooshv) February 1, 2016 Yeah, hes on the verge of a meltdown. Updated at 10:40am: Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has released a statement on Roosh, and its looking like this dickwad will have his visa revoked: Australia doesnt welcome people to our country who disrespect women, he said. The department in the past has made decisions to cancel visas of people that advocate violence, particularly against women. Photo: Instagram. grease-live-foxjpg-d83b834541dd7ee3.jpg The cast of GREASE: LIVE: (L-R): Keke Palmer, Kether Donohue, Julianne Hough, Andrew Call, Carly Rae Jespen, Carlos PenaVega Aaron Tveit, David Del Rio, Jordan Fisher and Vanessa Hudgens. (Tommy Garcia/FOX) It was back to Rydell High on Sunday night as Fox brought "Grease" to the live TV stage. Under the direction of Thomas Kail ("Hamilton"), it was an ambitious undertaking: 600 cast and crew members performing with no net on 14 sets (including one outside in the rain) in front of a studio audience on live television. That's not to mention the huge shadow of the blockbuster 1978 movie or the millions on Twitter eager to get their snark on. But once the show started and found its groove, the hate watchers were drowned out by the "Grease" fans. "Grease: Live" was a success -- with its game cast, classic songs, seamless transitions, moving camera, quick changes and, above all else, energy. In three hours, it outshined everything NBC had done in its three recent television musicals. That's not to say it was perfect. There were audio problems during "Born to Hand Jive" and "Hopelessly Devoted to You." It was probably 30 minutes too long. The two leads -- Aaron Tveit's Danny and Julianne Hough's Sandy -- didn't have quite the charisma or chemistry as John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. But that's a pretty high bar and each acquitted themselves more than admirably. Hough, in particular, delivered an infectious performance. By the time of the final number -- a rousing fourth-wall breaking performance of "We Go Together" -- Fox had accomplished what it set out to do in delivering a "Grease" for a new generation. Here's a look at some of the highlights, in GIF form, in chronological order. Jessie J's "Grease" in the rain You knew how high "Grease: Live" was aiming right in the opening song: a continuous shot through the set that was made infinitely more complicated by El Nino. Summer Nights First "Is this real life?" moment of the night. Was it love at first sight? Tell me more, tell me more Did you Netflix and Chill all night? #GreaseLive pic.twitter.com/UvxbswNTMz People (@people) February 1, 2016 Cheerleader tryouts Hough showing early why she won the Mirror Ball Trophy on DWTS. Freddy My Love Impressive set transition and quick change as Keke Palmer channels her inner Whitney Houston. William Ivey Long making Cinderella magic for Keke Palmer (again) #GreaseLive pic.twitter.com/xIK3wjrhWd Ryan McPhee (@rdmcphee) February 1, 2016 Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee Vanessa Hudgens gets her first spotlight of the night. She's performing for her dad, who died of cancer on Saturday, and crushing it. Greased Lighting Tveit's Danny gets the song off to a rocking start... My high school was just like this. #GreaseLive pic.twitter.com/NEJb3DPq42 The Daily Dot (@dailydot) February 1, 2016 Before letting Carlos PenaVega's Kenickie take over for some reason. All I Need Is an Angel After nice moment between old Frenchy (Didi Conn) and new Frenchy, Carly Rae Jepsen sings an original song and shows why she has one the best pop voices today. What do you guys and gals think about Frenchy's song, "All I Need is an Angel?" #GreaseLive (cc: @carlyraejepsen)https://t.co/zPuPzNRZHd Grease (@GoGrease) February 1, 2016 Boyz II Men as Teen Angel! Sorry, Mr. Avalon, this is the version of "Beauty School Dropout" I've been waiting for since I saw Boyz II Men in concert in 1995. DNCE plays Rydell High Joe Jonas' band performs "Rock N' Roll Is Here To Stay" and nobody is missing Sha Na Na right now. Mario Lopez as Vince Fontaine In his quest to host literally everything, Mario Lopez goes back in time to host "National Bandstand." Have a day, Slater! Here we go, Rydell! Get ready to jive to Johnny Casino and the Gamblers (@DNCE)! #GreaseLivehttps://t.co/INUgWo5pGp Grease (@GoGrease) February 1, 2016 Born to Hand Jive Bruno, Carrie Ann and Len would've given Julianne's dance three 10s if somebody had invited them. Fully screamed in my apartment at this particular piece of insane choreography #GreaseLive pic.twitter.com/bH0csAAV36 Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) February 1, 2016 Hopelessly Devoted To You In somewhat of a surprise, girl can saaang. When you spend your whole evening stalking his new girlfriend's Instagram #GreaseLive pic.twitter.com/cQOhwfRz3j People (@people) February 1, 2016 Sandy I'll admit, I thought Tveit had a shaky start as Danny, but he nailed this song (not to mention Sandy in the, ahem, shoulder.) There Are Worse Things I Can Do You can just feel the emotion in Vanessa's voice in, hands down, the best vocal of the night. The race at Thunder Road This is how you stage a race between cars that aren't moving. Danny Zuko on his way to steal your girl. #GreaseLive pic.twitter.com/H2Lzm9YxCU E! News (@enews) February 1, 2016 You're The One That I Want We got chills. And, yes, they are multiplying. When he tells you how pretty you look rn #GreaseLive pic.twitter.com/Muqq1JH5Ot People (@people) February 1, 2016 We Go Together Turns out, "Grease" and live TV do go together like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong. WILKINSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Authorities in western Pennsylvania say a K-9 officer was stabbed to death and a suspect shot during a foot pursuit on a transit busway. Spokesman Jim Ritchie of the Port Authority of Allegheny County said the pursuit began Sunday afternoon at a transit station in Wilkinsburg just outside the city of Pittsburgh. He said authority and police officers chased the suspect along the transit busway that leads from downtown Pittsburgh into the city's eastern suburbs. Ritchie said that during the pursuit, the suspect stabbed the Port Authority K-9 officer and the animal died. He said police officers shot the suspect. Ritchie said the suspect's condition wasn't immediately available and he didn't know what prompted the pursuit. A swell of grief was rising Sunday afternoon as word circulated about the sudden death of well-known Carlisle attorney and children's advocate Jason Kutulakis. Kutulakis, 47, a founder of Abom & Kutulakis, died Sunday morning at his home, apparently from a heart attack, according to a statement issued by his law office. Jason Kutulakis. His death almost immediately set off a wave of tweets and Facebook posts from his wide array of associates, friends and admirers. Just months ago Kutulakis was quoted among the mourners in a PennLive story about the cancer-related death of one of his friends, Dauphin County Judge Bernard L. Coates Jr. "He was certainly the most generous person I knew, with his time, with his energy," Kutulakis' law partner, John "Jay" Abom said when reached Sunday afternoon. "His life was being a lawyer, but it was also about being a husband and a father." Kutulakis' survivors include his wife, Joanne and daughter, Alexandra. Kutulakis is perhaps best known as an advocate for victims of child abuse. In 2012, he was tapped to serve on the Pennsylvania Governor's Task Force on Child Protection, an initiative triggered by the Jerry Sandusky child-sex case at Penn State. In 2006, the Children's Rights Committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association named him its Child Advocate of the Year. The graduate of The Dickinson School of Law also helped create ChildFirst PA, which trains interviewers in child abuse cases. Just days ago, Kutulakis was at the state Capitol to help announce an initiative to train people who are mandated to report child abuse regarding how to recognize such cases. He also was involved in some high-profile midstate legal battles. For example, he represented former Susquehanna Township School District Superintendent Susan Kegerise in her court fights with the school board. Former Gov. Tom Ridge was among the mourners. "Central Pennsylvania has lost a remarkable civic leader who dedicated much of his life to the protection of child-abuse victims," Ridge said in a statement. "Jason Kutulakis leaves a legacy that will continue to impact the lives of young people for decades to come. His life made a difference and will continue to do so." Delilah Rumburg, CEO of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, agreed that Kutulakis' impact will be lasting. "While Jason Kutulakis' life was too short, his death so sudden, there is no question that Jason's words, actions and fighting spirit to protect each and every child made a difference yesterday, today and for years to come," she said. News of Kutulakis' death circulated quickly. Jason kutulakis will be missed. He was a strong advocate for young people. He didn't just bitch about the law, he helped improve it. Drew Crompton (@drewcrompton) January 31, 2016 Rest in peace Jason Kutulakis whose work in child advocacy will be sorely missed. A @Penn_State alum and a good man. https://t.co/c1JSKVx2wq Defend A Child (@DefendAChild) January 31, 2016 Inch vigil.jpg Nearly 100 attended a candlelight vigil Sunday evening on the lawn of the Montoursville Area High School for Michelle Lynn Inch who has been missing since last Tuesday. (John Beauge, for PennLive) MONTOURSVILLE -- Nearly 100 friends and family of a missing Lycoming County woman gathered Sunday evening for a candlelight vigil to pray and talk about Michelle Lynn Inch. Matt Perna, one of the organizers, said they were there not to mourn but to come together for Inch, who has been missing since about 5 p.m. Tuesday. The vigil took place on the lawn of Montoursville Area High School, from which Inch graduated in 2003. Her mother, Linda Inch, and a brother, Christopher Inch, spent a short time mingling with well-wishers but did not speak. Linda Inch's husband, Gary, was released Sunday from Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown, where he had been treated for smoke inhalation. The Inch home on Sechler Drive east of Montoursville was extensively damaged early Wednesday by a fire set by two armed intruders. The Rev. David Letsdcher, pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Montoursville, told those at the vigil it is "important we stick together." He expressed the sentiment of the others when he said, "We hope she is safe, wherever she is." Alex Turner said not knowing the whereabouts of his cousin makes things difficult. "We would like some closure," he said. "It's very difficult," Perna said. "You want closure. You want people to grieve. You don't know if she is out there. We want to be there for the family." "We're staying optimistic," said his wife, Merissa, a childhood friend of the missing woman. Everyone has questions about what happened to her, she said. Turner described his 31-year-old cousin as an outgoing, happy, generous individual. When she gave, she never thought about getting something back, he said. After graduating from high school, she became a massage therapist but more recently has been home caregiver, he said. Turner met her boyfriend, Michael James Houseweart, last summer and it seemed at the time they had an amicable relationship, he said. About Christmas, Houseweart moved in with Michelle Inch at her parents' house, police said. He moved out shortly before the home invasion, but Turner said he does not know why. Inch was last seen about 5 p.m. Tuesday in Canton with Houseweart, who was living there with two other individuals, according to police. That was several hours after the Inchs and their daughter reported to state police that checks had been stolen and, when cashed, were made out to Houseweart. The home invasion occurred about 3 a.m. Wednesday, and Houseweart and Brian Matthew Vroman, both 27 of Canton, were in custody later that day. They are in the Lycoming County Prison without bail on charges stemming from the home invasion and arson. Michele Inch's car was found abandoned about 8 a.m. Thursday in a rural area outside Canton. Because blood was found on the outside of the car, investigators say they fear Inch might have been the victim of foul play. MONTOURSVILLE -- State police have released a new photo of the Lycoming County woman who disappeared last Tuesday hours before an armed invasion of her parents' home. Michelle Lynn Inch was last seen Jan. 27, possibly wearing clothing seen in this photograph. The new picture shows Michelle Lynn Inch in clothing she might have been wearing when last seen about 5 p.m. Tuesday in Canton with her boyfriend, Michael James Houseweart, police said. It was taken Tuesday morning at the state police barracks in Montoursville when she and her parents, Gary and Linda Inch, reported fraudulent activity in their bank accounts. Police said they believe after reporting the checking account activity, Michelle Inch drove Houseweart to where he was staying in Canton, Bradford County. Her car was found abandoned about 8 a.m. Thursday in a rural area outside Canton. Because blood was found on the outside of the car, investigators say they fear Inch might have been the victim of foul play. Searches of areas where Houseweart and she were known to frequent have had negative results, police said. Inch's cellphone went dead Tuesday and there has been no activity on her bank or credit cards. Inch, 31, who worked in the healthcare field, is described as 5-feet-2-inches tall and weighing 180 pounds with brown shoulder-length hair and hazel eyes. Houseweart and Brian Matthew Vroman, both 27 of Canton, are accused of breaking into the Montoursville-area home of Inch's parents, about 3 a.m. Wednesday, securing them with duct tape, stealing several items and setting fire to the house. Linda Inch freed herself and went to a neighbor's for help. Montoursville firefighters rescued Gary Inch. Both suffered smoke inhalation. Houseweart and Vroman are in the Lycoming County Prison without bail on charges stemming from the armed home invasion. Houseweart had been living with Michelle Inch in the Fairfield Township house of her parents until a few days before the home invasion, police said. SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) -- Mourners attending the funerals for four of the five people killed in what authorities call a wrong-way crash on a northeastern Pennsylvania interstate say their communities are devastated by the loss. About 500 people from the south Asian communities in the region attended the joint funeral services Saturday at Chipak Funeral Home, The (Scranton) Times-Tribune reported. Vinodchandra Patel, 68; Komal Vyas, 30; Bhaveshkumar Patel, 42; and Shilpa Patel, 29, were from India and were co-workers at a Scott Township factory. They were killed and another person was injured as they were returning home from work Jan. 23. Pennsylvania State Police say their vehicle was struck head-on by a car that apparently was heading north in the southbound lanes of Interstate 81. A passenger in that car was also killed. A funeral services for 32-year-old Ashley Wheeler, of Scranton, was held last week. Shashikant Kalariya of Waverly, who knew Vyas and Bhaveshkumar Patel, said the Indian community was reeling from the accident. "So sad," Kalariya said. "And the way it happened. Those people were here (in America), five years, 10 years, to get a better life." Hina Patel, of Scranton, also knew Vyas and called her "a good human being." "It's very heartbreaking you know. She definitely didn't deserve this," Hina Patel said. Two mourners displayed framed portraits of the married couple, whose survivors include an infant daughter and a young son. Kuldeep Dhaliwal, of Dupont, said he didn't know the victims but came out of respect for them and to support their survivors. "Those little babies (will) never know mom and dad," she said. Gennadiy Manannikov, 28, of Lake Ariel, has been charged with multiple counts of vehicular homicide, reckless endangering and traffic-related violations; prosecutors say more charges are possible. Manannikov was being held on $500,000 bail pending a hearing Tuesday. A Harrisburg activist launched a political action committee Monday to oppose Kathleen Kane even as the embattled attorney general leads recent polling in advance of the April primary for her seat. "We're trying to convince voters that Kathleen Kane is not the appropriate candidate and that it's time for her to resign," said Gene Stilp, who announced the committee and a website, FireKane.com, at the Capitol. Stilp said the committee's goal is to encourage Democrats not to sign Kane's nominating petition and to ask her personally to step down. The PAC is also soliciting donations to cover copy fees and travel expenses, he said. "The reform movement has always operated on nickles and dimes," he said. "I'm sure we'll continue to do so." It's unlikely the committee will gather enough money for television ads, but Stilp said it will develop a social media presence. The objective is to better educate the electorate, he said. "I'm surprised to learn that Gene believes the introduction of dark money into the Kane drama will somehow affect the outcome," said Kane spokesman Chuck Ardo. In order to appear on the Apr. 26 primary ballot, Kane would have to gather at least 1,000 registered voters by Feb. 16. That process has reportedly already begun, although Kane's political consultant Ken Smukler did not respond to a request for comment Monday. Kane remains the frontrunner in that Democratic primary even amid the filing of criminal charges, a Senate removal process and a nascent impeachment push in the House. A recent Harper poll showed that 31 percent of likely primary voters supported the state's first female elected attorney general. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala, Jr., garnered the support of 18 percent of respondents. He was followed by Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro, at 13 percent, and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, at 9 percent. The poll had a 3.8 percent margin of error. Stilp, who's filed a number of court actions and disciplinary complaints against Kane, said he believes most Pennsylvanians haven't been paying attention to the race. "I'm trying to educate people," he said. Ardo said such early polls reflect little more than name recognition, although Kane does still have supporters. "I think that outside of the Capitol cocoon, there are significant number of people who believe that her travails are a result of the corruption she's exposed," he said. Stilp was joined at his press conference Monday by two Democrats who oppose Kane's reelection bid. Holly Sebastian, a member of the Cumberland County Democratic Committee, said she believes Kane has acted unethically, regardless of the "old boy's network" the attorney general has worked to expose. Sebastian said she appeared based on her own sense of duty and that her opinions don't necessarily reflect the larger committee. "If she were to become the nominated candidate in the primary, I would hope that someone would run as a write-in candidate," said Sebastian, 62, of Enola. "I would not vote for her." Dennis Baylor, who ran for a state House seat in 2010 as a third-party candidate, said he believes Kane's campaign could hurt the party ticket this year. He switched his registration from Democrat to Republican in order to vote for Donald Trump in the primary, as he did for Richard Nixon in 1968, out of the belief that he would never win in November. "People should have saw in Nixon what I didn't like about him," said Baylor, 66, of Hamburg in Berks County. Water faucet.jpg (Shutterstock) As Flint, Mich.'s lead-ridden water garners national attention, large water utilities in central Pennsylvania don't appear to be facing a similar crisis. But some do share a disputed, yet not uncommon technique in the sampling process, which has been cited as potentially skewing the lead readings in Flint's water and masking the problem. After surveying eight utilities serving parts of Dauphin, Cumberland, Adams, York, Lebanon and Lancaster counties, the most recent water quality reports showed 90 percent of the taps sampled had lead concentrations at 5.2 parts per billion or less -- well under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb). Lead poisoning can cause neurological and behavioral defects in children and long-term harm in adults. According to the World Health Organization, "There is no known level of lead exposure that is considered safe." Charles N Haas, a professor of Environmental Engineering at Drexel University, said, in general, a level of 5 ppb would appear to be "adequate" and not cause for alarm. While evidence indicates that there's no level that's absolutely safe, Haas said serious effects begin to manifest at lead concentrations above the EPA threshold. If water utility companies are sampling properly, the midstate's lead readings don't rise to the level of Flint's water crisis, Yanna Lambrinidou, an adjunct professor in Virginia Tech's Department of Science and Technology Studies, confirmed. But Lambrinidou -- a colleague of Marc Edwards, a Virginia Tech professor and water quality expert who helped expose Flint's water issues -- said if water samples are using protocols that are "known to miss lead," the lead readings could be an underestimation of what's really in drinking water. Lead and compliance Systems must take action to control corrosion if the EPA's 15 ppb threshold is exceeded in more than 10 percent of customer taps sampled, according to the Lead and Copper Rule. If that happens, the water supplier also must tell the public about measures they need to take to protect their health. As of last week, when Lambrinidou spoke with PennLive, she said Flint remained in compliance with this rule because people took samples through a "flawed protocol" that missed high levels of lead. MLive.com has reported that, last year, Flint's water tested with lead concentrations of at least 11 ppb at 10 percent of the homes surveyed, according to the city's tests, but Virginia Tech researchers ultimately found that Flint's lead levels in drinking water exceeded federal thresholds. Following a new round of water tests, local, state and federal officials on Friday said samplings from 26 homes showed lead levels that were more than 10 times the federal action level, according to MLive.com. Months ago, children were found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood after the city stopped buying its water from the Detroit system and began using water from the Flint River, according to MLive.com. The Guardian has reported that cities, including Philadelphia, have "advised residents to use questionable methods when conducting official tests for lead content," including flushing pipes prior to letting the water sit. Lambrinidou, in a letter to Philadelphia residents dated Jan. 23, said such flushing methods also were used in Flint and "resulted in false assurances that lead levels fell within EPA standards." However, EPA spokeswoman Monica Lee said in an emailed statement that an EPA task force has advised Flint and Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality to remove prestagnation flushing from their instructions to samplers. Three of the eight utilities and water service providers PennLive surveyed advised customers to flush their taps, allow their water systems sit for at least six hours unused, and then take a sample, according to sampling instructions. Aqua Pennsylvania, which supplies water in Boiling Springs and Gettysburg, instructed samplers to flush the cold water for about 30 seconds. Pennsylvania American Water -- which provides service to Cumberland, York, Dauphin and Lebanon counties -- said to flush the tap "for a minute or two." And York Water Company told customers to "flush the cold water tap as vigorously as possible for 1-2 minutes." While a page from a Pennsylvania Department of Environment Protection guidance manual provided by Aqua Pennsylvania said "water suppliers can encourage homeowners to flush the sample site prior to the six hour standing time requirement," there is no mention of flushing in the Lead and Copper homeowner sampling procedures now on DEP's website. DEP was unable to clarify that discrepancy Friday. Sampling instructions used in recent tests by the cities of Harrisburg and Lancaster, Steelton Borough Authority, and Suez, formerly United Water Pennsylvania, didn't mention flushing. PennLive was unable to obtain Lebanon's sampling instructions last week. Experts dispute whether flushing water prior to allowing it to sit for six hours before sampling is a problem. Haas said it's accepted procedure. But Lambrinidou says that, while the EPA has not banned it, it goes against the intent of the EPA's monitoring requirement, which is to catch the worst-case lead in the highest risk homes under normal water use conditions. "The pre-flushing cleans out the pipes the night before sampling. It's a little bit like sampling for lead dust and vacuuming the room the night before sampling," Lambrinidou said. "You risk not capturing worst case lead that under normal use conditions people are getting exposed to, which is the intent of the Lead and Copper Rule." Lambrinidou said when people are instructed to flush for 2 minutes or more the concern rises that customers will miss "the chance to capture high lead." But Haas said six hours is enough time for the water in a home to absorb lead in the line, and flushing the line with cold water before letting it sit allows the sampler to draw solely from the cold water line. "Hot water systems may have other connections in there that could leach lead," Haas said. "And most people don't draw a glass of water from the hot water line." PennLive reporter Rachel Bunn contributed to this report. A Lancaster County man serving a life sentence for strangling, stabbing and burning his girlfriend in 2004 had his latest appeal denied by a federal district court in Philadelphia. Micah Jermaine Stewart, now 30, recently appealed the conviction for killing 19-year-old Courtney Fry in July 2004 by bludgeoning her in the head with a screwdriver, just days after she gave birth to the couple's daughter. About six months after Fry went missing, a hunter found the woman's body burned in a Manor Township field. Stewart argued that his trial and appeal attorneys were ineffective, according to a news release from the Lancaster County district attorney's office. Stewart has served about 10 years in prison for the killing In this appeal, Stewart argued that his attorney's should have introduced a diminished capacity defense because he was high on crack cocaine and marijuana at the time of the killing, according to the release. He said that he was incapable of specific intent to kill because his intoxicated state. The court wrote that there was no testimony to support such a defense. Stewart has exhausted all state-level appeals. Officials said Stewart was enraged over his belief that Fry was having an affair and the child was not his. A paternity test proved the child was fathered by Stewart. Stewart also confessed to his stepmother and stepbrother that he killed Fry, according to the release. Police also found gloves stained with Fry's blood and the screwdriver in Stewart's car. A witness also saw Stewart throw away Fry's clothing and other personal items in a trash bin two days before she was reported missing. In addition to serving the life sentence, Stewart is serving a 30- to 60-year term for beating a cellmate while at Lancaster County Prison. odom.png Nykeem Odom A man wanted in connection with a fatal drive-by shooting in North Carolina was arrested in Harrisburg by U.S. Marshals on Monday morning. Nykeem Odom, 20, of Rocky Mount, was apprehended in the 2300 block of Kensington Street, U.S. Marshal Martin J. Pane said. Odom was wanted on a first-degree murder warrant for an Oct. 19 shooting in Rocky Mount that killed one man and wounded two other people. Pane said Odom was taken to the Dauphin County Prison pending extradition to North Carolina. He said Odom's apprehension was a joint effort involving his agency, Pennsylvania State Police, police from Harrisburg and Lower Paxton Township and the Dauphin County Crisis Response Team. Denver Police Chief Robert White, front, talks while Stephanie O'Malley, manager of safety, looks on about a shooting and stabbing incident at a motorcycle expo during a news conference Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Denver. Police say that multiple people were injured in the incident, which took place at The Colorado Motorcycle Expo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) A survey of GPs carried out by the British Medical Association indicates a low level of confidence in the Care Quality Commissions (CQC) inspection regime, prompting calls for a reform of the system. The vast majority - 90 percent - of GP practices consider inspection ratings too simplistic or misleading to measure quality of care accurately, while 80 percent said checking their services eats into GPs time with patients and also increases their stress levels, according to the survey. Eighty percent say the workload to prepare for a CQC inspection is excessive, while three in four GPs say the inspection system makes them more likely to want to leave general practice. The BMA GPs committee is now calling for a wholesale reform of CQC inspections because of their potentially damaging, negative impact. Doctors say the system has eroded moral and has hit the sustainability of general practice. GPs are being forced to divert valuable time away from treating patients towards the endless box ticking, paperwork and bureaucracy that is the hallmark of this programme, said GPC chair Chaand Nagpaul. It is unacceptable that precious resources and time is being taken away from patient care when general practice is under unprecendented pressure from soaring patient demand, falling resources, staff shortages and unresourced work being moved from hospitals into the community. Addressing the Local Medical Committees conference in London, Maureen Baker, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, has called for an immediate suspension of the inspection process. Not fit for purpose We all know the current inspection regime for general practice is not fit for purpose and has to change, she stressed. Of course some form of regulation is necessary, but the system should be working to support practices not beating them with a stick because a GP has not attended a refresher training course on how to resuscitate. The CQC has now launched a large-scale review of its approach, and this is an important opportunity to drastically change the inspection regime and ensure it upholds standards of care whilst letting good GP practices get on with the job they are there to do, she argued. Findings of the survey, to which there were 1,900 respondents, also come as the CQC plans to increase its fees, which the BMA is strongly opposing as exorbitant and inexplicable. Industrial action by junior doctors in England is to go ahead after contract talks with the government reached an impasse yet again. The British Medical Association had called time on its programme of strikes after signs of early progress in conciliatory talks with the government and NHS Employers on plans for the new working contract. But junior doctors will now take to picket lines again after talks ended without agreement, despite the efforts of the Department of Healths newly-appointed chief negotiator Sir David Dalton, who has been praised by the BMA. His understanding of the realities of a health service buckling under mounting pressures and commitment to reaching a fair agreement has resulted in good progress on a number of issues, said junior doctors committee chair Johann Malawana. It is, therefore, particularly frustrating that the Government is still digging in its heels. The Governments entrenched position in refusing to recognise Saturday working as unsocial hours, together with its continued threat to impose a contract so fiercely resisted by junior doctors across England, leaves us with no alternative but to continue with industrial action, he explained. There was one concession, however, as the full-scale walk-out planned for February 10 has now been scaled back to excluding doctors working in emergency care. In a letter to BMA council chair Mark Porter, health secretary Jeremy Hunt argued that the government and NHS Employers made "a significant offer" on the extent of what is considered normal working hours and stood ready to discuss these matters. "It is very disappointing that the BMA felt unable to negotiate", he said, adding: "Our door remains open and I hope you will continue to reflect on the value of further discussions." The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has given the go-ahead for scientists at the Francis Crick Institute to carry out research using new gene editing techniques on human embryos for the first time. Their study plans to look at the first seven days of a fertilised eggs development, when it grows from just a single cell to around 250, to further understanding of the genes necessary for this process and perhaps shed more light on the reasons for miscarriage. The knowledge could also improve embryo development after in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and thus boost the success rate, and might provide better clinical treatments for infertility, using conventional medical methods, the researchers note. Many of the genes switched on after fertilisation are only found in humans, making animal research in this area difficult. The team are planning to use gene-editing tools to switch off certain genes within human embryos and observe the effect. The research still need ethical approval before the programme begin and, in line with current HFEA regulation, any donated embryos will be used for research purposes only and cannot be used in treatment. While the move is a first for the UK, Chinese researchers have already attempted to modify genes in human embryos, with a view to ultimately being able to repair faulty genes responsible for the development of inherited illnesses such as muscular dystrophy. However, the field has long been surrounded by controversy, with critics fearing that gene-editing could be used to create a generation of so-called designer babies. BLACK HISTORY MONTH, celebrated each February, routinely draws attention from legislative bodies at all levels. Why, just last week the state House unanimously passed a resolution in recognition of Black History Month, honoring Army Brig. Gen. Charles Hamilton, an African American. Never mind that he's not a historical figure but is very much alive at the Philadelphia Navy Yard as Defense Logistics Agency troop support commander. Still a nice gesture, one of many such measures passed each year. But the same House that consistently embraces gestures toward diversity consistently ignores its own directives. In March 2007, the House unanimously adopted Rule 1(a) to ensure fairness in hiring and contracting. The rule calls for an equal-opportunity officer and an advisory committee to develop and implement diverse hiring and purchasing policies for the House. It was part of "reform" efforts aimed at improving (let's be honest) one of the worst legislative bodies on the planet. The rule's been reaffirmed at the start of every two-year session since 2007. But in nearly nine years since its adoption, it's never been implemented. Not as if it's hard to find. It's right below Rule 1, atop a list of 78 rules, followed by a list of 30-plus rules governing (cough) "ethical conduct." And, remember, the House is a big deal: budget of $200 million; 203 members; staff of more than 1,250. For context, Central Pennsylvania is white-bread world and legislative staff reflects that. Also, face it, parties have different demographics, so that's also reflected. A top Democratic staffer estimates that 95 of 633 caucus employees are people of color. A senior GOP staffer says that only two of roughly 650 Republican employees are people of color. Over time, the House hires lots of people, spends lots of tax dollars, so you'd think it'd use basic diversity policies that already exist in every state agency - especially because it has a specific rule. (If you're wondering, the Senate has no such rule, which is pretty much like having a rule that's ignored; but at least the Senate, in this instance, isn't breaking its own rules.) The House rule says that the speaker "shall designate" an equal-opportunity officer. It dictates that there "shall be" an advisory committee. Yet under four speakers - three Republican, one Democrat - it hasn't happened. Oh, there's been talk. One staffer even assumed the post without direction, extra compensation, any action, or an advisory committee for about nine months back in 2007. The experience was such that the staffer declined to be interviewed for this column. Where's officialdom on all this? Mostly bobbing and weaving over the rule's vagueness, whether the post should be salaried, the makeup of the committee, how exactly both operate, and so on. Stuff, in other words, that could have been addressed before adopting the rule. And there's hardly an outcry. The Legislative Black Caucus - mostly Philly lawmakers, not exactly a top-notch advocacy group - is largely quiet about the rule being ignored. Caucus director Brandon Flood: "To be honest, I think it was just a general oversight." House Democratic Caucus spokesman Bill Patton says Democratic House Leader Frank Dermody and Black Caucus members met with GOP Speaker Mike Turzai several months ago: nothing since. Turzai says that he can't speak for former speakers but that he's been "proactive on this since before I was speaker." He says that although implementing the rule has been hampered by the (non-)budget process, "we need to accomplish it." Philly Rep. Curtis Thomas writes every session to whoever is speaker, seeking "to put some meaning into the rule." He says he's "most certainly disappointed" nothing's happened but "cautiously optimistic" something will. So it goes. This rule-that-really-isn't-a-rule clearly doesn't reach the level of most legislative sins: members prosecuted for taking cash bribes; failure to get a budget; tolerating ghost-voting; allowing members to collect expenses without receipts; being too damn big, overpaid and overperked, you know the long list. And it isn't solely a racial thing. Fair hiring/contracting impacts women, the LGBT community, the disabled, minority-owned businesses, etc. But it is symbolic of institutional enmity, the kind that panders without providing action and demonstrates disregard for its own regulations. Passing resolutions honoring diversity is fine. Showing resolve to ensure diversity is better. So welcome to Black History Month. Just don't look to Harrisburg for lessons. Email: baerj@phillynews.com Blog: ph.ly/BaerGrowls Columns: ph.ly/JohnBaer 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 Jamis' focus over the last few seasons has been on their trail and cross-country mountain bikes, but for 2016 they've turned their gaze to the all-mountain / enduro race side of the sport with the introduction of the Defcon series. There are a total of three bikes in the line, with prices ranging from $2,799 USD on up to the highest end option, the Defcon 1 tested here, which comes well spec'd with a Shimano XT 11-speed drivetrain, a 160mm Fox 36 Float fork, Shimano Saint brakes, and a healthy dose of parts from Loaded Components, all for $4,899 USD. Defcon 1 Details Intended use: all-mountain / enduro Rear wheel travel: 160mm Wheel size: 27.5'' Head angle: 66.5 Frame material: 6061 aluminum 73mm threaded bottom bracket Sizes: 15,17,19, 21 Weight (as shown, 19" w/o pedals): 32 pounds (14.5kg) MSRP: $4,899 USD www.jamisbikes.com Intended use: all-mountain / enduro Rear wheel travel: 160mm Wheel size: 27.5'' Head angle: 66.5 Frame material: 6061 aluminum 73mm threaded bottom bracket Sizes: 15,17,19, 21 Weight (as shown, 19" w/o pedals): 32 pounds (14.5kg) MSRP: $4,899 USD The KS LEV seatpost's housing is routed through the bike's top tube. Internal routing is also in place for the rear derailleur housing. Frame Details Enduro was in the bearing business long before the term became a buzzword. The lack of a seat stay bridge provides clearance for wide tires. Suspension Design Geometry Specifications Specifications Price $4899 Travel 160mm Rear Shock Fox Float X Factory Series EVOL Fork Fox 36 Float Factory Series 160mm travel Headset FSA Orbit 1.5 Zero-Stack Cassette Shimano M8000, 11-speed, 11-42T Crankarms Shimano XT M8000 Bottom Bracket Enduro BSA Rear Derailleur Shimano XT M8000 Shadow Plus 11-speed Chain KMC X11SL DLC, 11-speed Shifter Pods Shimano XT M8000 Handlebar Loaded Precision AMX Riser, 760mm x 25mm rise, 35mm diameter Stem Loaded Precision AMX Trail, 45mm Grips Jamis lock-on Brakes Shimano Saint M820 Wheelset Loaded Precision X-Lite X30 Tires Vittoria Goma 27.5 x 2.4" front, Morsa 27.5x2.3 " rear, TNT Seat WTB Volt Comp Seatpost KS LEV DX,125mm travel, handlebar remote, 385mm x 31.6 Compare to other All Mountain/Enduro/XC Climbing Descending Component Check Pinkbike's Take: There's no denying the fact that the Defcon is well spec'd considering its asking price, but unfortunately that doesn't translate to high end performance out on the trail. It'll get the job done, and less aggressive riders may find themselves right at home aboard the orange machine, but it's lacking the surefootedness necessary to inspire confidence on extremely technical trails. - Mike Kazimer Visit the high-res gallery for more images from this review About the Reviewer Stats: Age: 33 Height: 5'11 Inseam: 33" Weight: 155lb Industry affiliations / sponsors: None Twenty years deep into a mountain biking addiction that began as a way to escape the suburban sprawl of Connecticut, Mike Kazimer is most at home deep the woods, carving his way down steep, technical trails. The decade he spent as a bike mechanic helped create a solid technical background to draw from when reviewing products, and his current location in the Pacific Northwest allows for easy access to the wettest, muddiest conditions imaginable. Age: 33 Height: 5'11 Inseam: 33" Weight: 155lb Industry affiliations / sponsors: None The Defcon's bright orange paint job combined with the anodized blue bar, stem, and wheels from Loaded Components met with mixed reactions out on the trail. Some riders loved it, and it certainly stands out from the crowd, but others found it to be a little over the top. Personally, I fall into the latter camp, but my view may be tainted by my trips to the Taipei Cycle show, where bright color schemes like this seem to be lurking around every corner.The frame itself is constructed from 6061 aluminum using a process called SPF air forming. This involves using air, rather than the water used during hydroforming, to create the desired tube shapes once the aluminum has been heated up to a specific temperature. US-made Enduro Max bearings are found at all of the Defcon's pivot points, and even the Shimano XT crankset's bottom bracket bearings are supplied by Enduro, a testament to Jamis' confidence in the company's products.Internal routing is in place for the KS Lev DX dropper post, but oddly, the housing runs through the top tube, rather than exiting further down the seat tube, which means that a traditional stealth routed post isn't compatible with the Defcon. Ports on either side of the head tube allow the derailleur housing to be hidden inside the frame, leaving only the rear brake housing to run externally along the downtube. Our test bike was equipped with a 1x11 Shimano XT drivetrain, but it is possible to run a front derailleur, and there are also ISCG tabs for riders who want to toss on a chainguide for a little extra security.Amidst the latest round of new standards, Jamis chose to go with a threaded bottom bracket shell and 12x142mm rear spacing. The number of Boost equipped bikes is increasing, but Jamis was able to achieve their desired chainstay length and tire clearance without adopting the new standard. There's also room to mount a water bottle cage inside the front triangle, a design feature that seems simple, but is all too often overlooked.The Defcon uses Jamis' MP4 suspension design, a link-driven single pivot layout. This design provides a fairly linear suspension curve, with a slight ramp up towards the end of the stroke to prevent the shock from bottoming out too quickly or harshly. A one piece bellcrank connects the seat stays to the rear shock, which Jamis says provides enough stiffness to eliminate the need to for a seat stay bridge.We're entering an age where it's becoming less unreasonable to expect bikes with 160mm of travel to behave almost as well on the climbs as they do on the descents. To that end, there are now a number of bikes (Yeti's SB6 and the Santa Cruz Nomad for example) whose suspension designs allow them to be run with the rear shock in the fully open position the vast majority of the time. However, the Defcon doesn't fall into that category. With the shock set at 30% sag and in the fully open position there's a very noticeable amount of pedaling related suspension movement. This is especially prevalent when standing out of the saddle, causing the Float X shock to rhythmically dive into its travel like an oil pump plunging towards the earth. Thankfully, the shock's compression dial is relatively easy to reach, and there's a drastic improvement in the bike's pedaling performance when it's in the middle or firmest compression setting.The Defcon weighs in at 32 pounds without pedals, but it carries that weight well, and prior to hanging it on the scale I would have guessed it was a pound or two lighter. With a 66.5 head angle and a reach of 436mm for a size large, the bike's geometry numbers are a touch more conservative than some of the sprawling enduro race rigs out there, but they also make it easier to keep weight over the front end on steep climbs, and keep the handling from feeling too sluggish. On the whole, the bike feels well balanced, and once I had the shock flipped into the firmest setting there weren't any problems navigating through tricky root-filled climbs, as long as conditions were on the dry side - in the wet the Vittoria tires would spin and slide out in the blink of an eye.My time on the Defcon got off to an inauspicious start due to a misaligned rear end, which put the tire close enough to one of the seat stays to rub during hard cornering or when landing a drop. According to Jamis, the bike was part of an early pre-production run, and they quickly sent out a replacement. The replacement frame was better aligned, but there was still not much room between the tire and where the seat stays are joined to the shock linkage.The steep, rooty, and rocky trails surrounding Squamish, BC, served as the main testing ground for the Defcon, the type of terrain where a 160mm bike should shine on the descents. Unfortunately, it wasn't as up to the task as I'd hoped. At slower speeds and on smoother, flowier trails there weren't any issues the Defcon's handling was very neutral, and it wouldn't be a stretch to call it mild-mannered. At a casual pace the bike would happily pop off bumps and carve through bermed corners without requiring any heavy-handed rider input. Unfortunately, at higher speeds in rougher terrain the Defcon's performance began to suffer. There's a noticeable amount of rear end flex, and when that's combined with a set of underwhelming tires and a very linear rear suspension feel you have a trifecta of performance attributes that makes for a less-than-inspiring ride.I was never able to get completely comfortable on the Defcon in really technical terrain there was a skittishness to its handling that made me hesitant to fully open it up. It seemed to have a mind of its own when faced with really chunky, chopped up trail, and it took extra effort to keep on track. Sure, it's laden with high-end components, but on the trail it's just not on the same level as other comparable aluminum bikes Kona's Process 153 and the Transition Patrol come to mind as bikes in this travel and price bracket that offer excellent stiffness and performance.Regarding suspension performance, the bike never bottomed out harshly, but there's not a lot of mid-stroke support. My favorite bikes are ones that you can push into and they push back slightly, allowing you to rail through a berm or stay in the sweet spot of the suspension through rough sections of trail, but I had trouble achieving this aboard the Defcon. Even when I reduced the amount of sag to 25% it still lacked the support I was looking for during hard cornering or big G-outs. Adding a larger volume reducer would be a recommended step to help achieve more ramp up at the end of the shock's stroke.Even without a chainguide and with a non-Shimano chain (the Defcon is spec'd with a KMC X11), there weren't any dropped chains, and shifting remained crisp and accurate throughout the test period.Vittoria speak highly of the four rubber compounds used in their Morsa and Goma tires, and in dry conditions they were quick rolling and predictable, but in the wet they were downright treacherous. Wet roots are their absolute nemesis they offer minimal grip, and I found myself floundering on sections of trail that hadn't posed a problem with stickier tires.Fox's 36 is one of the best all-mountain forks currently on the market, and the one mounted to the front of the Defcon didn't disappoint. Stiff and supple, with enough range of adjustments to get it dialed in perfectly, there are absolutely no complaints about the latest iteration of this classic.The X-30 wheelset survived the test period without any dents or dings, and they're still running straight and true. However, they're not the stiffest wheelset out there, which may have contributed to some of the Defcon's vague handling. It also took a little extra effort to get the Vittoria tires set up tubeless, but that may have been more of an issue with the tires themselves rather than the rims, and once they snapped into place there weren't any further issues. Sam Shucksmith Sam had a great 2015 taking the UKGE series overall. For 2016 Sam has joined the Whyte family as a racer on their enduro team and also as an engineer at their UK R&D center.! -Guy Farrant, MD at ATB Sales Ltd., the company behind Whyte, said Stay tuned Stateside -There's news about a top North America Enduro racer joining Whyte soon... Record Breaking Malaysian Visitors to Thailand in 2015 Malaysians love Thailand, the scenery, the food, the hotels, the beaches, the islands, the massage and the beer. Last year, it is record breaking year for Malaysian visitors to Thailand with over 3.4 million visitors to the Land of Smiles. The exact number is 3,423,397 Malaysians visited Thailand in 2015 (with minimum stay of two nights). Border crossing numbers with less than two nights stay will not make up the numbers. This record breaking number of Malaysian visitors to Thailand is more than 31% from 2014. The credit should go to team from Tourism Authority of Thailand Malaysia (TAT) for their relentless efforts to promote the Land of Smiles. Congratulations to Tourism Authority of Thailand Malaysia for the record breaking Malaysian visitors to Thailand and thank you for supporting us in the couple of years. You can check out our Thailand stories at https://www.placesandfoods.com/category/thailand Bangkok is also the top city in Asia in terms of tourist arrivals as well as total nights stayed as well as top total expenditure according to report by Mastercard. You can also read more about Bangkok at https://www.placesandfoods.com/category/thailand/thailand-bangkok Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S22 Ultra and Sony ZV-1. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two. I used to travel around 17 International trips per year but now staying at home. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For advertisements or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print If there is only one thing Americans the least bit familiar with neophyte Democrat Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are aware of, it is his abhorrence of Citizens United-driven super PAC and special interest money in politics. In fact, throughout the past week traversing Iowa, Senator Sanders never missed an occasion to slam the rise of money in the political process. It is a system, Sanders bellows loudly from the campaign stages, that is corrupt and undermining American democracy. Obviously, such a position informs that Senator Sanders is not and will never take a red cent from a special interest group; particularly not a super PAC. Senator Sanders is right of course, but what is likely not right is that accompanying him through Iowa was a group of nurses whose super PAC has doled out close to $1 million on ads and other kinds of campaign support for Sanders. What should raise a hypocrisy alert is that this is the same candidate who incites liberal and EmoProg supporters with persistent calls to eradicate such outside groups from political campaigns. Out of deference to feeltheBern acolytes sensibilities, it is better to raise an inconsistency alert to avoid being accused of being a Clinton, Wall Street, and Koch paid shill. As a matter of pure uncontested fact, there has been more super PAC money spent thus far in express support of the Sanders campaign than for either one of his Democratic rivals. Let that sink in. That includes, by the way, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. And no, the FEC is not paid by the Clinton campaign, or Koch brothers, or Wall Street any more than this column is. Their job is to report who is contributing to the Sanders campaign based on information provided by the Sanders campaign and the super PAC according to FEC campaign finance reporting requirements. The super PAC and group following the Sanders campaign in and around Iowa is National Nurses United. The groups executive director, RoseAnn DeMoro said, regarding the super PACs largesse for Sanders, that I do appreciate the irony. All things being equal, we would rather not be doing this. On the other hand, we want to see Bernie as president. Ms. DeMoro confuses irony with hypocrisy; or inconsistency. A super PAC funding, and the candidate accepting, super PAC and special interest money when the candidate perpetually slams special interest and super PAC money in politics is not irony. It is hypocrisy to regular people, inconsistency to some others. However, to Senator Sanders it is not even an inconsistency because he is not Hillary Clinton. Some of Clintons supporters have suggested the term hypocrisy over the Sanders campaign taking special interest money from a super PAC. They also note that the Senator has never called National Nurses United to refrain from doling out special interest money to his campaign; something they are able to do thanks to Citizens United. If anything, Senator Sanders not only is not shunning special interest money as he pledged, he began openly thanking what he calls one of his sponsors publicly in campaign speeches; people in audiences like nurses. A spokesman for the Clinton campaign, Brian Fallon, said, This is one of the prime examples of Senator Sanders saying one thing and doing another. For months he has criticized super PACs and pledged to shun them in his campaign, but all along he has benefited from hundreds of thousands of dollars in independent expenditures from those very organizations. In the case of National Nurses United, the number is a million dollars and an ornate bus shuttling around a retinue of scrub-clad nurses Senator Sanders refers to by name on stage in Iowa. It is noteworthy that Senator Sanders inconsistent rise to Super PAC pre-eminence is, in part, due to an unusual pairing of the Sanders campaign and Republican and ultra-conservative super PAC spending to attack Hillary Clinton. Of course the conservatives intent is simply to elevate an avowed socialist. One that Republicans, conservatives, and the Koch brothers believe will be easy to disparage in a general election. Dont believe conservative PACs are helping Senator Sanders? In just one recent ad from the influential Republican super PAC American Crossroads, the uber-conservative group spent a substantial amount of its and the Kochs $4.3 million against Clinton parroting a constant Sanders attack against Clinton for earning Wall Street speaking fees. There have been no small number of pundits who have suggested, not errantly according to the American Crossroads ad campaign, that a fair share of the attacks on Clinton from alleged liberals are being funded and promoted by uber-conservative groups. If one looks at it from that perspective, Senator Sanders campaign is being funded and assisted by more than just one special interest super PAC, and at least one of them is run by Karl Rove. There is nothing wrong with a campaign taking special interest money; at least not according to Citizens United ruling that Sanders abhors. However, there is an issue when a candidate fairly bases a key part of their campaign and appeal on shunning special interest and super PAC money; all while claiming it is funded by grass roots contributors and now Americans know by special interests and super PACs; even uber-conservative super PACs. While some may call it hypocrisy, and others just an inconvenient inconsistency, maybe Senator Sanders wrongly agrees with the executive director of the super PAC funding his campaign and considers it something it is definitively not; irony. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print While her rivals were stumping in Iowa, Hillary Rodham Clinton took time to go to Philadelphia to fundraise and, more importantly, meet with about 50 African American ministers from around the nation. Part and parcel of Clintons visit was speaking specifically to issues critical to the ministers and their African American communities. There is already an inordinate amount of time spent on white middle class issues, and they are important. But there is another class of Americans that are generally underserved, deliberately disenfranchised, and particularly targeted for abuse by Republicans simply because they are poor and not white. Clinton began by saying, Now I doubt that I am saying anything that you dont already know. But anyone running for president should see things as they actually are, not just as we want them to be, talk about the real problems, not try to create and inhabit some alternative universe. Clinton then went on to present the ugly reality facing African Americans in particular, and all disparaged and impoverished minorities in general. It is doubtless that Clinton missed one issue important to people of color. She said, We know there are systemic inequities that haunt our economies, our laws, our schools, our prisons, our hospitals, even our water supply. There is something wrong when African Americans are nearly three times as likely as whites to be denied a mortgage. Or when the median wealth for white families in 2013 was over $134,000 but for black families it was $11,000. Or when the rate of African American unemployment remains stubbornly high while the country as a whole is slowly doing better. And far too many communities struggle to overcome a legacy of poverty and neglect. There is something wrong when African Americans are more likely to be arrested, charged, and sentenced to longer prison terms than white people for doing the exact same crimes. Or when so many encounters between African Americans and the police end up in humiliation or worse. There is something wrong when our schools are more segregated today than they were in 1968. And there is something deeply wrong when people in an American city like Flint have been drinking and bathing in poisoned water for almost two years. They told their state government but no one could be bothered to listen. We know there are more Flints out there. Communities, often poor and black, and often poor and Latino, where kids lives and health are at risk every single day. This was not Clintons first time talking solely about African Americans plight, or the lead poisoning of Flint. She brought the subject up during the South Carolina debate when the candidates were asked if there was anything they wanted to talk about. To bring even more attention to the poisoning of a predominately African American city, Clinton has called for a Democratic debate in Flint. Now, Clinton went beyond just reminding people of color they are treated like second-class citizens. She likely touched on everything Americas minorities are suffering including highlighting that Flint residents were singled out because it is a predominately poor African American population. It is exactly the same situation, as Clinton noted, with education in particularly poor African American communities. In fact, just last year it was reported that Americas education system rivals any in the world and its students are among the highest achievers among all nations. But only if the students are white and live in affluent communities with well-funded schools. According to research, any American school that is adequately funded consistently post test scores and achievement results that are at least equal to, or greater than, any nation on the planet. As Jonathan Capehart noted, Clintons speech in Philadelphia was politically important as explained in Steve Phillips book; Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority. Phillips is the senior fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP) who referenced census and voting data to propose a New American Majority comprising 51 percent of the voting-age population in America. According to Phillips, Progressive people of color now comprise 23 percent of all the eligible voters in America, and progressive Whites account for 28 percent of all eligible voters. The New American Majority electoral equation requires securing the support of 81 percent of people of color and 39 percent of Whites. Phillips book includes fairly important census and voting data for any Democrat errantly believing that pandering to predominately white middle class voters is the key to victory. It is true in all elections including the race for the White House, but particularly in state and regional races where Republicans dominate. Phillips book provides justification for asserting just how important it was for Hillary Clinton to take time out from stumping in Iowa to acknowledge the plight of African Americans in a nation geared to serve white peoples interests and a presidential campaign focusing on the middle class. There is a self-evident truth in American that applies to most poor Americans, but particularly people of color; it is difficult to motivate them to vote and with damn good reason. According to Phillips, People of color vote in lower numbers because many of them feel that most of the U.S. public policy agenda has little relevance to their lives. It is why Clintons speech to African American clergy was so crucial and why all Democrats running for any office should make their campaigns about more than middle class economic issues. Phillips continues that, Any discussion of the Democratic base must include the acknowledgment that that base is heavily Black. As Barack Obama showed, successful candidacies require a large and enthusiastic Black vote. Progressives cannot win going forward without large and enthusiastic support from people of color. White can no longer be the starting point. We must now begin with Brown, and that is why Brown is the new White. This is an even more important point for congressional and state-level elections where Democrats and progressives are being increasingly relegated to also ran status that has given Republicans control of Congress and a majority of state governments. And, it is worth noting, why Republicans are able to enact harsh restrictions on minority voting rights; something they could not have accomplished if they did not own state legislatures and Congress after the 2010 midterms. To win minority votes, Democrats have to start acknowledging their past and present plight; no Democrat will convince minorities they can help remedy their problems without first identifying them specifically. All Americans comprehend there is gross income inequality, but African Americans face more than just economic injustice and Clinton deftly acknowledged that fact of life. Republicans have made no secret they are openly racist and have no intention to appeal to what Steve Phillips labeled the New American Majority. It is something every Democrat in the nation should take advantage of and at least acknowledge that the issues facing the African American community are issues facing the New American Majority. It is what Hillary Rodham Clinton did and why meeting with Black clergy and saying what she said was significantly more important than a day on the stump in Iowa. One of UKs leading financial news & investment guides have taken the battle against fraudulent brokers and decided to help traders who are having issues with trading brokers. PR-Inside.com: 2016-01-29 13:16:25 Press Information Investing.co.uk Fulham Island Farm Lane SW6 1DP David Jones Senior Account Manager +441377161231 email http://www.investing.co.uk Published by David Jones +447123771 e-mail http://www.investing.co.uk # 533 Words Fulham IslandFarm LaneSW6 1DPSenior Account Manager+441377161231David Jones+447123771 LONDON - Jan. 25, 2016 - British financial news source Investing.co.uk has announced that it will now be offering the benefit of its legal counsel and account advisers at no cost to traders dealing with disreputable brokers. This move is made to help traders with the best industry support, as well as to discourage brokerages that seek to defraud the traders they work with.It is no secret that Forex and binary options trading have become two of the most popular and lucrative methods of making money in the markets. The power of the internet now allows investors to execute trades from the comfort of their homes with only a few keystrokes. 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Traders seeking these services need only register their complaint on the firm's complaint page to receive Investing.co.uk's assistance at no cost to themselves."As a part of the network that provides traders with information, we are firmly committed to holding brokers to the highest possible standards of quality and customer service. Illicit brokers negatively affect this entire market, and hold people back from trading who might otherwise be able to achieve their financial goals through these market vehicles," commented David Jones, Head of Account Management.About Investing: Investing.co.uk is a leading online source of market news and brokerage reviews for Forex and binary options traders. The firm specializes in keeping traders up to date with the latest innovations and improvements in the online trading world in order to give them the edge in these evolving markets.Media Contact Details:support@ investing.co.uk Fulham IslandFarm LaneSW6 1DP The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, has assured that the 2016 budget was be achievable in spite of falling oil price. This is contained in a statement issued by the Director of Information in the ministry, Charles Dafe, in Abuja on Sunday. It said that the minister stated this when a delegation from the African Development Bank (ADB) visited the ministry. The statement said that ongoing reform targeted at diversifying the revenue base of the country would guarantee the achievement of the budget. Our budget is achievable; we have ongoing reforms targeted at diversifying our revenue base away from single oil commodity economy. Our Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, is assiduously applying innovative financing in the oil sector to address any likely revenue gap from our projected oil revenue. Plugging leakages through zero tolerance to corruption, application of sound public financial management and improved revenue collection system are reforms targeted to achieve the budget, it said. The statement assured that the ministry would proactively plan, advice and monitor all matters relating to national development, adding that it would also ensure that vital development policies were properly implemented by all stakeholders. It explained that 30 per cent of the budget allocated to capital projects was critical for the stimulation of economic development. It quoted the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, as saying that naira depreciation, falling oil prices and infrastructure decay were challenges facing the country. Ms. Ahmed, however, said substantial monies from recoveries of looted funds were not factored in as sources of revenue and as such would also be utilized for our development projects. We are counting on assistance from other developmental partners like the African Development Bank to access N1.8 trillion loans needed for Nigeria infrastructural development. Assistance is also required in our 2016-2020 medium Term Expenditure Frameworks and the Nations Sustainable Development Goal. The statement said that the AfDB delegation commended the 2016 budget, describing it as good and ambitious. According to the statement, Country Director of AfDB, Ousmane Dore, said the bank would assist Nigeria to achieve its efforts in poverty reduction. Nigeria is having an impressive and a better economic direction that would attract foreign investors, Mr. Dore was quoted as saying. (NAN) Speaking on a political programme, Politics Today, on Channels Television, Mr. Aluko narrated how the states chapter of the party convinced Mr. Jonathan to part with huge sum of money and direct the military and other security agencies to cooperate with the PDP and ensure the party wins the election at all cost. Before the primaries, we had this believe that because Jonathan was coming out for second term and because we are going to be the first election in the south-west, at a meeting, we told him (former President Goodluck Jonathan) that north-east, north-west and north-central may not be too sure for him because the Hausas are clamouring for presidency and that you now have south-east and South-south, you must manage the South-west. It was on the basis of that that we told him that he must manage South-west. Because of his interest, even before winning the primaries, we did so many security reports to tell Mr President then that he must make sure that we manage South-west zone and it was because of that that he gave us the head of security agencies, Mr Aluko said. The PDP chieftain was also quoted as telling reporters in Abuja that Mr. Jonathan actually gave Mr. Fayose $37 million (N4.7 bn) which was used to rig the election. The then incumbent governor, Kayode Fayemi, conceded defeat after the Independent National Electoral Commission, declared Mr. Fayose winner of the election. Before the election, security operatives from the State Security Service, acting as a Strike Team arrested some chieftains of the APC, including then spokesperson of the party, Lai Mohammed and others. Troops of the Nigerian Army also blocked all roads leading into the state, and the planes of some APC governors, including those of Rivers and Edo States, were denied landing rights. Mr. Aluko on Sunday said the then Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, and that of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan, were made to give attention to the election because we know that APC was everywhere in the southwest and we must naturally capture part of southwest if we want to balance what our brothers in the north were likely to bring on. He also revealed that there was an agreement to take out some members of the APC to ensure that they do not give adequate support to their members. There was a strike team, a mixture of the SSS, military, the mobile police that is about all. We had a meeting at Aso Rock on security and funds. We were given security and funds. He listed the persons at the meeting to include Mr. Jonathan; the then national chairman of the PDP, Adamu Muazu, Governor Fayose; and himself (Aluko). At the meeting President Jonathan agreed that if he needed Ekiti, he would support us to ensure that we delivered. At the second meeting we had Obanikoro, Jelili, Omisore It was a combination of Osun and Ekiti people and they were discussing how we were going to move to take the South-west. Before the primaries, His Excellency, Ayodele Fayose, said that we can only win using the military, he said. Rigging claims confirmed After the election in 2014, an Army Captain, Sagir Koli, revealed how some top officials of the federal government and the PDP used the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to rig the governorship election in Ekiti and Osun States. In a statement he released, titled, How Nigerian Army personnel were used to rig Ekiti and Osun States Gubernatorial Elections 2014, Mr. Koli gave details of all that transpired between himself, his commanding officer, two ministers and some politicians prior to the elections in Ekiti state. Mr. Koli, who came back from his self-imposed exile and was reinstated to the Army recently, stated in his statement released early last year that he was officially deployed as the 32 Artillery Brigade Intelligence Officer to provide credible Intelligence for the success of the Ekiti State governorship election. At about 2030 hours on June 2014, a day to the election proper, the commander, Brigadier General AA Momoh told me to escort him to a place where the State Minister for Defence wanted to see him. Reaching the place (Spotless Hotel in Ado- Ekiti), which serves as coordinating campaign office for the PDP candidate Mr. Ayodele Fayose, we met the Minister himself, Minister of Police Affairs, Mr Fayose, Mr. Iyiola Omisore, one Honoruable Abdulkareem and host of other top PDP chieftains, he said. The Army Captain revealed that the presidential team told the brigade commander at their meeting that day that they were on presidential assignment and they could not afford to fail. They also told him that they were there to remove any obstacles that would block their victory and that the commander was key in achieving that objective. Therefore, he has no option but to collaborate with them. They said, if the commander play(ed) with them, his promotion is in their hands and the president and the chief of army Staff would be very angry with him and he knows what that means, Captain Koli said He also said having convinced the Brigade Commander, the team, directed that soldiers on election duty must work hand in hand with the PDP agents and give them all necessary support they needed without limitation. They ordered the arrest of selected APC stalwarts that could greatly assist the party during the election including the DG campaign organisation for Dr Fayemi Mr. Bimbo Daramola. They directed that soldiers must block APC members access to the electorates but all PDP supporters movement anywhere using a designated sticker with inscription, National Security Task it should be noted that some of these PDP agents were given NYSC uniforms because we were well briefed by the commander, the Captain said. Mr. Aluko, who was reported to be the Chief Returning Officer for the PDP in that controversial election, was quoted as saying he was forced to come forward with the revelations because Mr. Fayose betrayed him and derailed from the original plan they had for the development of Ekiti state. Mr. Aluko told reporters that Mr. Jonathan initially gave Mr. Fayose a first tranche of $2 million in March 2014 for the primary election. He said cash was collected at the NNPC headquarters in Abuja and was taken to Mr. Fayoses private home in Abuja before it was moved to Ekiti. Immediately after the primary election, we collected another $35 million from Jonathan on June 17, 2014. The money was brought to us by the former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro. We all assembled at the front office of Spotless Hotel, Ado Ekiti, owned by Fayose. Thereafter, the cash was taken to a Bureau De Change in Onitsha where it was converted to N4.7 billion, Aluko added. Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari claimed recently that militant Islamist group Boko Haram have been driven into fall-back positions and are currently not holding any territory in the country. Mr. Buhari was speaking during a meeting last month with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. His comments came just weeks after he claimed that Nigeria had technically won the war against Boko Haram, which in July 2014 had moved on from staging ad-hoc guerrilla-style attacks on security forces to seeking, and gaining, control of large swathes of Nigerian territory. For Mr. Buhari, a victory over Boko Haram is key to meeting promises that formed a cornerstone of the election campaign that swept him to power last year. Boko Haram technically defeated The militant groups deadly six-year insurgency in Nigerias northeast is estimated to have cost the lives of between 13,000 and 17,000 people, led to hundreds of homes, businesses and schools being destroyed and forced more than 1.5 million people to flee for their lives. Soon after winning the election in April, Mr. Buhari set an ambitious December deadline to achieve victory over Boko Haram. Two days before Christmas, his information minister, Lai Mohammed, told reporters that he could confidently say that the war against Boko Haram is largely won. In an interview with the BBC, Mr. Buhari said Boko Haram were technically defeated. Forty-eight hours later a wave of attacks by female suicide bombers claimed the lives of more than 50 people in northeastern Nigeria. So is Mr. Buharis claim that the militants no longer hold any territory in Nigeria correct? What does it mean for the battle against the group? From guerrilla attacks to seeking a caliphate Launched in 2009 with a wave of guerrilla-style attacks on the security forces, Boko Harams efforts to establish an Islamic state or caliphate in north-eastern Nigeria gained momentum in July 2014 with a rapid advance through vast swathes of territory in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states. By January 2015, the group had pushed out government forces and controlled four towns in Borno and Yobe states Gwoza, Bama, Baga, and Gulani an area spanning about 51,800 km. According to a report published by the Nigeria Security Network in March 2015, Borno State was the worst affected with as much as 70 per cent of its territory annexed by Boko Haram. Renewed offensives by the Nigerian military, aided by South African mercenaries, saw [m]ost of the towns captured during Boko Harams recent offensive re-taken [by March 2015], including Baga, Bama, Gamboru Ngala, Goniri, Dikwa, Buni Yadi , Marte, and Madagali. The only major hold-out was Gwoza, a town in a mountainous region near the Cameroonian border in north-eastern Nigeria that Boko Haram militants had claimed as the headquarters of the caliphate. In late March, a day before the countrys presidential elections, the Nigerian military said it had recaptured the town. But those claims were called into question last month. Philemon Emmanuel, described as the chairman of an internally displaced persons camp, told journalists on January 6 that Gwoza and other towns within the area were still under the control of Boko Haram. Villages in Borno state still occupied A community leader in Bama, Ibrahim Bukar, told Africa Check that claims that all areas of Borno state had been liberated from Boko Haram are an exaggeration. We are not yet back to our local government, Mr. Bukar, who now resides in Maiduguri the state capital said. Apart from the Damaturu-Maiduguri road, there is no other road a civilian can travel without any problem. The army will not even allow us to go to Bama, on our own, theyll tell us to wait for their truck. A former resident of the market town of Gamboru-Ngala in Borno, Muhammad Awwal, said Boko Haram still hold some villages in the state. My source in Gwoza told me Boko Haram is gathering around Ngoshe and Ashigashiya, all in Gwoza [district], Mr. Awwal said. In Kala-Balge, there are some parts which are still not liberated. In my local government too, there are places like Zanari up to Bulgaram still occupied by Boko Haram. Mr. Awwal also claimed that villages in the Monguno district such as Zuma Kuwon and Lahadin Bida were still under Boko Haram control. The caretaker chairman of Gwoza local government, Ibrahim Abba, told Africa Check that Boko Haram fighters were still present about 6 km from Gwoza township. Our major problem now is access road to Gwoza township (from Maiduguri) and Pulka (from Adamawa State). Our people going to market Limankara (about 13 km from Gwoza) use army escorts. The army have not given us permission to move on our own. Mr. Abba who fled Boko Harams advance and now lives in Maiduguri also told Africa Check that out of the 13 wards that make up Gwoza, there is no military presence in six. We are still appealing to the Nigerian army to move there. Boko Haram boys are there disturbing our people. It is only the Cameroonian army that reach there, and and when they get there, they do not differentiate between our people and Boko Haram they clear everybody. In addition, the Nigerian military has yet to dislodge Boko Haram fighters from a stronghold in the 60,000 km Sambisa Forest in Borno. Operational bases but not governing any areas A security analyst and member of the Nigeria Security Network, Ryan Cummings, said Mr. Buharis claim that Boko Haram was not holding any territory was difficult to assess because there is just no independent reporting from rural, northeastern Nigeria, specifically Borno state where a lot of the violence takes place. In recent days, the Nigerian military has claimed to have dislodged Boko Haram from within local government areas which dilutes the credence of claims that all areas have been recaptured. It revolves around how you define whether a territory is being held. There is a fair claim to be made that Boko Haram isnt governing any areas but they do have operational bases within rural north-eastern Nigeria, Mr. Cummings said. Conclusion: Buharis claim that Boko Haram are not holding any territory is exaggerated While Boko Haram appear to have been driven from most major population centres, there is evidence that they still hold territory and have operational bases in some remote rural areas such as the Sambisa Forest. There are also claims by displaced residents that the militants remain active in remote areas like Gwoza and Monguno. Mr. Buharis assertion that Boko Haram have technically been defeated has also been criticised by some analysts as the defeat that never was. The Nigerian government has effectively sought to equate loss of territory by Boko Haram with defeat. The capture of territory by Boko Haram lasted only about six months in the six-year long insurgency, Mr. Cummings said. It appears that they are not looking to capture any more territory at the moment because it is such a resource heavy exercise to do so. It is always a bad idea for the leaders of countries to declare highly active terrorist groups dead, Max Abrahms, assistant professor of political science at Northeastern University in Boston, told AFP. History shows that terrorist groups are extraordinarily difficult to snuff out once they have reached a critical mass. The truth is that terrorism is very easy to perpetrate. Historically, Boko Harams strategy has not centred on territorial control or conventional military operations but hit-and-run guerilla-warfare tactics and suicide bombings that terrorise and demoralise. While it appears that Boko Haram are no longer governing key areas and cannot launch conventional military attacks, their insurgency remains deadly. The recent spate of suicide bombings that have left dozens dead and injured is evidence of this. While Buhari would probably have been correct if he had claimed that Boko Haram are no longer governing any territory or holding major towns, his claim that they are not holding any territory at all is exaggerated. The conflict appears far from over. Edited by Julian Rademeyer This fact-check was done by our partner, Africa Check, a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and the media. We have its permission to republish. Follow the organisation on Twitter at @AfricaCheck or visit its website atwww.africacheck.org The Nigerian government has said that whatever weapons that were procured by the Jonathan Administration for the military to prosecute the war against terrorism were substandard and could not have been responsible for the string of successes recorded by the military in recent times. In a statement issued in Abeokuta on Monday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, described as unfortunate and unsubstantiated the statement credited to former President Goodluck Jonathan attributing the recent successes in the war to the weapons bought by his administration that were delivered after he had left office. Mr. Jonathan tweeted about the weapons last week. The current administration continues to fight them with the weapons we acquired and collectively I am confident we will eradicate them, he said referring to Boko Haram. Mr. Mohammed said the present administration owes it a duty to put the record straight, especially because the issues raised by the former president are of public interest and borders on national security. The weapons, munitions and equipment which the former President said he bought were refurbished and lacked the basic components and spare parts. Additionally, the ammunition bought for both high calibre and small weapons have mostly expired, incompatible with weapons and grossly inadequate, Mr. Mohammed said, according to a statement signed by his media aide, Segun Adeyemi. It is pertinent to state that the ammunition he was referring to were back loaded because they explode within the barrel when fired, thus leading to deaths and injuries among soldiers. Mr. Mohammed said that the troops also lacked the much-needed lift and operational vehicles and other equipment which they needed for an effective prosecution of the war, until the present Administration ameliorated the situation. The situation was so pathetic that soldiers were often transported in Civilian JTF vehicles, civilian vehicles, trailers and water tankers when going to the theatres of operation. The revelations on the sorry state of things in the past, which have emanated from the investigative panel so far, point clearly to the kind of legacy bequeathed to this administration by the past government. That explains why troops remained largely static and were unable to effectively deploy to completely rout the Boko Haram terrorists in all their known enclaves. The high level of casualties sustained by our gallant soldiers was most unprecedented and cannot be compared to any known military operations in recent times, all because of the terrible state of affairs suffered by the military under the Jonathan Administration, the minister said. Mr. Mohammed said because former President Jonathan could not understand how credible and dedicated leadership could impact positively on the morale and performance of troops, he has chosen to denigrate the system for the unprecedented feat that was achieved within the first six months of the Buhari Administration something that he could not achieve in all of six years! It is also clear, as has been shown so far by the outcome of the panel probing past arms deals, that the purchase of substandard weapons apparently resulted from the massive corruption that enveloped the deals, the kind of horrifying graft that saw the purchase of refurbished choppers that lacked rotors, or fighter jets that could not be deployed to the theatre of war because they were not up to par. The needless loss of lives of many of our gallant troops, resulting from the lack of standard weaponry and low morale in the past, is not a matter to be trivialized under any circumstance, the Minister said. The World Health Organization on Monday declared Zika Virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. WHO also said protective measures against mosquito bites remain the most important preventive measure against the virus. Margaret Chan, the WHO Director General, said at a press briefing in Geneva, Monday, that a coordinated international response is needed to intensify the control of mosquito and expedite development of diagnostic tests. I convened the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee to gather advice on the severity of the health threat associated with Zika virus, said Dr. Chan. The experts agreed that a causal relationship between Zika during pregnancy and microcephaly is strongly suspected. The causal relationship between Zika during pregnancy and microcephaly is not yet scientifically proven. The Committee found to public health justification for restrictions on travel or trade to prevent the spread of Zika virus. At present, the most important protective measures against Zika virus are the control of mosquito populations, prevention of mosquito bites in at-risk individuals, especially pregnant women. Dr. Chan, however, advised pregnant women to consider delaying travel to Zika virus-affected areas as well as protect themselves with safe mosquito repellant or long clothing. The WHOs position came a day after the Nigerian government advised a travel restriction of its pregnant citizens to Latin America, the worst hit region since the Zika virus outbreak began late last year. Isaac Adewole, Nigerias Health Minister, said the restriction would remain in place until the situation improves. Zika virus is transmitted via the bite of Aedes mosquitoes. The viral infection has been linked with babies born with underdeveloped brains. There is currently no vaccine or drug to stop its spread. Dr. Chan said that lack of vaccination; rapid, reliable diagnostic tests; and absence of population immunity in newly affected countries are causes for concern. The (convened) experts also considered patterns of recent spread, the broad geo distribution of mosquito species that can transmit Zika virus, she said. The Committee advised that the association between Zika virus and microcephaly constitutes an extraordinary event. Outbreak in the Americas According to updates published on the WHO website, Brazil reported its first case of Zika virus disease in May 2015. Since then, the disease has spread within Brazil and to 22 other countries and territories in the region, the world health body said. Arrival of the virus in some countries of the Americas, notably Brazil, has been associated with a steep increase in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads and in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a poorly understood condition in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, sometimes resulting in paralysis. President Muhammadu Buhari will begin an official visit to France and Britain on Tuesday, February 2. At his first stop in Strasbourg, France, President Buhari will on Wednesday, February 3, address a special session of the European Union Parliament to be attended by members of the executive and legislative arms of the Union, presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, said in a statement Monday. The Presidents address, according to Mr. Adesina, is expected to focus on terrorism, violent extremism, corruption, Nigeria and Africas current security, economic and developmental challenges, as well as the need for greater support from the European Union and advanced nations for their rapid resolution. President Buhari will also hold talks with the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz and the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker on the same issues before leaving Strasbourg for London to join other world leaders at the Supporting Syria and The Region Conference scheduled to open in the British capital on Thursday, February 4, 2016. Mr. Adesina said the President would use the opportunity of his participation in the conference, being co-hosted by Britain, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations, to continue his push for more global understanding, collaboration and support for Nigeria and other countries in the frontlines of the war against terrorism who are striving to overcome its very adverse effects on affected populations. He is due back in Nigeria at the weekend. As Muslims in Nigeria join other countries to mark World Hijab Day on Monday, stakeholders at a forum in Ibadan have tasked Muslim women to see wearing of hijab as an act of faith and obedience to their Creator. This was the submission at a one-day public lecture organised by Bodija Muslim Youth Forum at the Islamic Centre in Ibadan on the topic: Hijab: Why the Controversy. Contributing to the topic, Prof. Kamil Oloso, Head of Department, Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan, said hijab wearing was an injunction from Allah as contained in the Holy books of both Muslims and Christians. Mr. Oloso, who doubles as the Chairman, Board of Religious Affairs (BORA) of Bodija Estates and Environs Muslim Community (BEEMC), said it was surprising for anybody or institution to be antagonising or legislating against divine commandment. The islamic scholar said it was ignorance on the part of those criticising the wearing of hijab as it does not in any way diminish the status of those wearing it. Having listed major advantages of wearing the hijab, Mr. Oloso encouraged Muslim girls and women wearing it not to despair or be intimidated as they are protected under both the divine law and Nigerian constitution. Hijab is an injunction from Allah. It does not diminish your intellect, instead, it enhances your beauty and dignify you as a Muslim woman, Mr. Oloso said. Earlier, an Ibadan-based islamic scholar, Abdulhakeem Ishola, who was the guest lecturer at the occasion, traced the origin and types of hijab, saying it is a dress code prescribed for female Muslims who have reached puberty. Mr. Ishola, who quoted various portions of the Quran and Hadith to justify his position, said hijab was a commandment from Allah and that wearing it was an act of obedience to His commands. He said wearing of hijab, like any other commandments of Allah, brings the wearer closer to her Creator and give her a sense of satisfaction and contentment. While frowning against the call for ban on hijab for security reasons in Nigeria, Mr. Ishola said hijab promotes modesty, decency and seeks to minimise immorality within the society. He, therefore, said banning hijab under any guise in Nigeria would be tantamount to denying Muslim women of their God-given fundamental human rights as it is part of our religion and symbol. According to him, Muslim women followed the example of righteous women in the past such as Mary, the mother of Jesus, as evidenced in 1 Corinthians 11:3-6 and 1 Timothy 2: 9-10. He appealed to Muslim women not to shy away from Allahs commandment as hijab enables them to have confidence in themselves and increases their self- esteem. Mr. Ishola added that hijab is an act of liberation, purity and most importantly, belief. Respect for women is an important aspect of Islamic teachings, and this is illustrated through the use of hijab. Earlier, the chairman of the Forum, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the lecture was to sensitise members of the public on the importance of hijab globally and correct the erroneous perception of those wearing it. Mr. Balogun, therefore, urged Muslim women to continue to wear their hijab without fear and abide by the rules guiding it. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has come down hard on President Muhammadu Buhari over his comments on the nations judiciary. Mr. Buhari had on Sunday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, said his ongoing fight against corruption in Nigeria could be effectively tackled with the strong support of the judiciary. A statement by Mr. Buharis spokesperson, Femi Adesina, quoted the president as saying that far-reaching reforms of the judiciary remained a key priority for his administration. On the fight against corruption vis-a-vis the judiciary, Nigerians will be right to say that is my main headache for now, he said. The president, who recalled all his past attempts to get elected, said if not for God and the use of technology, he would not have emerged as president in the 2015 elections. He also recalled how his cases before the judiciary were resolved unfavourably. The PDP on Monday called on the judiciary, as the last hope of the common man, to continue to assert its independence and not allow itself to be deterred from upholding justice and the rule of law, no matter the pressure. The acting national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, who spoke during the inauguration of the Imo State caretaker committee, said the judicial community and in fact, all discerning Nigerians, were shocked by the release by the presidency on Sunday wherein President Muhammadu Buhari was quoted to have described the judiciary as the major headache of his administration. This statement is a direct affront on the statutorily guaranteed independence of the judiciary and more worrisome is the fact that a President of a country had to tie back already settled judgments of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, in cases involving him, as a benchmark of his assessment of the institution of the judiciary at the moment, Mr. Secondus said. PDP said the remarks by the president was intended to blackmail and stampede the judiciary to deliver judgments against the PDP in various pending cases involving the party and some of its leaders in the courts. While we urge the judiciary to ensure that it adequately guards its flanks from all external influences, we also caution the executive to focus on governance, while respecting the constitutionally guaranteed principle of separation of powers by allowing the judiciary and the legislature indeed, all statutory arms of government to freely operate within the bounds provided by our laws, Mr. Secondus said. The PDP chairman charged the caretaker committee being inaugurated to be fair, just and balanced, and to also accommodate every interest and restore Imo PDP to winning ways. Human Rights group, Amnesty International (AI), has condemned the reinstatement of a former commander of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Ahmadu Mohammed, who the organization accused of possible war crimes following the alleged execution of suspected Boko Haram detainees in Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri, Borno State. Amnesty implicated Mr. Mohammed, a Major General, alongside other serving and retired military chiefs for possible war crimes following the alleged torture and extra-judicial killings of more than 8,000 suspected Boko Haram detainees. Mr. Mohammed was specifically accused of overseeing the killing of 640 detainees at Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri, Borno State on March 14, 2014 after the Barrackss detention centre was attacked by Boko Haram. Mr Mohammed was retired in 2014 after a mutiny by soldiers who accused him of knowingly leading them into a Boko Haram ambush around Chibok on May 12, 2014. More than 70 soldiers were killed in the ambush. Mr Mohammed, whose vehicle was shot at by the angry soldiers during the mutiny, has been quietly reinstated after he allegedly wrote several letters to the army authorities asking to be recalled. In a statement Monday, Amnesty International described the reinstatement of Mr Mohammed as a monumental failure of the government to stamp out impunity for wars crimes at the highest level. Major General Mohammed must be investigated for participating in, sanctioning or failing to prevent the deaths of hundreds of people, said Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International. Young men and boys, rounded up by the military, were either shot, starved, suffocated or tortured to death and no one has yet been held to account. It is unthinkable that Major General Muhammed could resume command of troops before an investigation has even begun, Mr. Shetty added. According to the statement, the report that implicated Mr Mohammed, Stars on their shoulders, blood on their hands: War crimes committed by the Nigerian military, was based on years of research and analysis of evidence, which included leaked military reports and correspondence as well as interview of some 400 victims, witnesses and top military officers. AI stated that the report exposed a range of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity committed by the military in the course of operations against Boko Haram. It found that, since March 2011, more than 7,000 were starved, suffocated, and tortured to death in military detention camps. A further 1,200 were rounded up and unlawfully killed. The organisation also stated that the recall of Mr Mohammed flew in the face of assurances by President Muhammadu Buhari that allegations of human rights abuses against the military would be investigated and those found culpable brought to book. Hours after the publication of the report on 3 June, President Buhari responded personally on Twitter to say: I assure you that your report will be looked intoThis administration will leave no stone unturned to promote the rule of law, and deal with all cases of human rights abuses. Likewise the President announced on 12 June 2015 that investigating criminal responsibility for the violations documented in Amnesty Internationals report would be the first task of the Attorney General. This investigation is yet to begin. Mr Shetty called on Mr Buhari to honour this pledge and make sure those implicated were investigated and made to account for their actions. Seven months after the publication of these horrific discoveries and the Presidents pledge that they will be looked into, we continue to call for urgent independent investigations to begin. Those responsible for the crimes detailed in Amnesty Internationals report must be held to account, no matter their rank or position. Only then can there be justice for the dead and their relatives, said Mr. Shetty. A total of 65 persons died and 136 others were injured in Saturday attacks on Dalori village in Borno State, the National Emergency Management Agency has said. Dalori, which is less than 10km from Maiduguri, came under attack on Saturday evening. NEMA said Monday that after the attack, its Emergency Response Team immediately mobilized for rescue along with other rescue agencies that included the Police Anti-bomb Squad, the National Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigerian Army, the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Nigerian Red Cross. Victims were evacuated to Umaru Shehu Hospital, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and Borno General Hospital for medical attention where 40 persons were confirmed dead, Sani Datti, a spokesperson for the rescue agency said in the statement. However the community buried 25 deaths beside those that were taken to the hospitals. 136 persons were injured in the attacks. Mr. Datti said the suspected Boko Haram insurgents, who launched the attack, came into the village and started shooting sporadically. That put the villagers and the neighborhood into pandemonium and they started running helter-skelter, Mr. Datti said. Some of the villagers that succeeded in moving out, including those in the nearby IDPs camp (Dalori Camp II), converged under a big three where people normally gather in the evening to do menial trading activities. Unknown to them, one of the suicide bombers sneaked into the midst of the gathering and detonated explosive devices killing scores of people and injuring many. The drop in oil prices not withstanding, Nigeria has everything it needs to build and sustain a vibrant economy, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said. This country has practically what it takes to run a solid economy that is not dependent on oil, but on business and commerce, the Vice President said Monday during a meeting with a group of international investors looking to invest in the country in the light of the new administration. According to Mr. Osinbajo, the President already directed that a conducive environment be created for business investments in the country, adding that work had already started with government looking at the different aspects involved. The Vice President, alongside the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Okey Enelamah, had held a meeting earlier Monday with the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Ranking Team, where issues were laid out and specific lines of action identified on how to improve the business climate in the country. At the the interactive session with visiting global investors, drawn from companies such as Renaissance Capital, Russia-China Investment Fund, China Africa Development Fund, Invest Abu Dhabi, Actis, Emerging Capital Partners, ECP, KKR & Co. LP, Old Mutual of South Africa, among others, Vice President Osinbajo explained that working with state governments and the Buhari presidency would ensure that issues such as pre-investment approvals, and acquisition of land titles would be reformed to ease investment in the country. He said where necessary, government would reduce or merge agencies involved in granting approvals, thereby creating space for businesses to thrive. Regarding the critical role of electricity in creating a conducive business environment, the Vice President stated that while the federal government would be making further investments in the sector, the entire power value chain would have to be well compensated in order to produce the needed results. Prof. Osinbajo also restated the commitment of the Buhari administration to creating jobs through businesses and direct action of the government to engage the youths. He said the 500,000 teaching positions for unemployed graduates worked into the 2016 budget is a means of engaging the youths in paid voluntary occupations in their communities until such a time they can find jobs in their different disciplines. Besides, he noted that the programme would also address the critical need for teachers in the public school system. He also said the federal government would create opportunity for about 370,000 youths who are not graduates to receive vocational training and acquire skills, while one million artisans and market women would receive soft loans through the Bank of Industry as already proposed in the 2016 budget. A former Minister of National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman, led the delegation of international investors, while Rachid Benmessoud, the Nigeria Country Director of the World Bank led the banks Ease of Doing Business Ranking Teams visit to the Vice President. Both meetings were attended by the industry, trade and Investment minister. The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has berated President Muhammadu Buhari, for his criticisms of the countrys judiciary, saying the President should respect the principles of separation of powers. In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, on Monday, Mr. Fayose advised President Buhari to allow the judiciary to do its job. He said the president should obey court orders and focus on proper prosecution of people accused of corruption rather than castigating the judiciary and making the arm of government to appear as the stumbling block in his fight against corruption. The governor also expressed doubts on the claims by the federal government that it had defeated Boko Haram, urging the president to tell Nigerians the truth. They keep telling us that they have defeated Boko Haram technically while Nigerians are still being killed daily by Boko Haram, with over 100 people killed in Dalori, less than 12km to Maiduguri, Borno State capital, Mr. Fayose said. Isnt it now necessary for the President to fulfill his promise of leading from the front and getting his Information Minister, Lai Mohammed to go and hold a press briefing in Sambisa forest unguarded by military men so as to show to Nigerians that indeed, they have defeated Boko Haram technically? Mr. Fayose said the president should have simply told the whole world that he hated the Nigerian judiciary because he lost the petitions that he filed against his electoral defeats in 2003, 2007 and 2011 instead of hiding under the fight against corruption to ventilate his anger. The governor said there was nothing wrong with the legal system in Nigeria. In recent times, politicians like President Buhari are the ones responsible for the wrath in the judiciary because of their desperation to use the courts to foist one party state on Nigerians with conflicting judgments from election tribunals, he said. He said making noise in the media about discovery of fraud was different from being able to prove allegations of fraud in the court. The president and his men should stop media trial and playing with bogus figures. This is because as it is today, President Buhari is not fighting any corruption. Rather, he is engaging in political persecution in his bid to weaken opposition both in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and within his own party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), he argued. Even the presidents party men are beginning to condemn openly the trial of people accused of corruption in the media, with newspapers quoting Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) on Saturday as describing it as convicting the suspects without giving them fair hearing. He further said that the president needed to purge himself of the blood of military dictatorship running in his veins, as he was using his fight against corruption to persecute those opposed to his government. When your own men are corrupting an institution like the judiciary just because they needed to win back states like Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Taraba and others that they lost at the polls, thereby causing the courts to give conflicting judgments, it is morally wrong for you to go outside the country and complain about such a judiciary, Mr. Fayose said. When your party men are encouraging people to commit perjury and confess to rigging elections just to discredit electoral victories of PDP and those made to confess to committing these crimes are allowed to walk the streets free just because they are serving the interest of APC, such a president lacks moral rights to complain about any institution stalling his fight against corruption because his own party men are number one promoters of corruption. The president must therefore act like a democratically elected president that he is by respecting the judiciary, which is a separate arm of government before his complain about the role of the judiciary in his fight against corruption can be taking seriously. R Sridharan, president of AIPIMA and Vimal Mehra, past-president of AIPIMA, in this interaction, say, the association is doing all it can to... 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. Inaugural Innovations That Inspire initiative highlights creative strategies developed by business schools across technology, experiential learning, entrepreneurship, career development and more TAMPA, Florida, February 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Business schools have long been important drivers of change by creating an environment where out-of-the-box thinking flourishes. Today at its 2016 Deans Conference, AACSB International (AACSB), the global accrediting body and membership association for business schools, showcased a sampling of 30 innovations that represent how business schools are innovating and diversifying the business education environment. Celebrated as part of AACSB's Centennial Anniversary and upcoming Visioning Initiative, the inaugural Innovations That Inspire shines a spotlight on a variety of ways that AACSB member schools, around the globe, are working to innovate and diversify the business education environment. From their approaches to research and learning, to their engagements with stakeholders and oversight of their management and operations, business schools are redefining the way that academic institutions of all kinds create, teach, connect, and lead. "Globally business schools are contributing to society in unprecedented ways, through their groundbreaking ideas, pioneering academic practices, and unwavering commitment to preparing the business leaders of the future," said Thomas R. Robinson, president and chief executive officer of AACSB. "The Innovations That Inspire initiative brings visibility to the innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship ingrained into the DNA of business schools. We're proud to highlight a sample of the depth, and breadth, of ingenious thinking that takes place in management education every single day." As part of the initiative, AACSB members were invited to share ways in which they have challenged the status quo, and made a positive impact on their school, students, and greater community at large. Nearly 300 submissions were submitted from more than 200 AACSB member institutions across 35 countriesan array of inspirations that illustrates an impressive commitment to engagement, innovation, and impact. "Innovations That Inspire is one of the many ways AACSB seeks to encourage and celebrate business schools embracing out-of the-box thinking," said William H. Glick, chair of AACSB Board of Directors and dean of the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. "The submissions illustrate trailblazing power of AACSB's member schools as catalysts for innovation, co-creators of knowledge, hubs of lifelong learning, leaders on leadership and enablers of shared prosperity." For a detailed overview of the featured innovations, please visit www.AACSB.edu/Innovations-That-Inspire. In the coming months, AACSB will continue to showcase more schools and innovations that demonstrate an impressive range of creativity and commitment to quality. Additionally, access to the full portfolio of submissions will be available to member schools via AACSB's benchmarking database, DataDirect. A comprehensive look at AACSB's upcoming Visioning initiative is also available online at www.AACSB.edu/Vision, and findings from the Visioning Initiative will be presented at ICAM 2016 in Boston, MA, USA on April 3-5, 2016. About AACSB International Founded in 1916, AACSB is an association of more than 1,450 educational institutions, businesses, and other organizations in 90 countries and territories. AACSB's mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services. As the premier accreditation body for institutions offering undergraduate, master's, and doctorate degrees in business and accounting, AACSB offers a wide array of services to the management education industry. AACSB's global headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida, USA; its Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore; and its Europe, Middle East, and Africa headquarters is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Related Links http://www.AACSB.edu SOURCE AACSB International LONDON, February 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Elliott announced today that it believes Hitachi Rail Italy Investment's EUR 9.50 per share offer for STS significantly undervalues the company and therefore intends not to tender its shares. STS is a unique strategic asset with market leading products and world-class technologies in TMS, signaling, ERTMS and driverless mass transport systems, poised to benefit from increased adoption and urbanization trends. The Company has a solid track record of growth further evidenced by recent contract wins. Elliott believes the combination of STS and Hitachi Rail's complementary geographical exposures, product portfolios and competencies will create a leading integrated player in the global rail market, able to compete for larger contracts, increase operational efficiencies and leverage cross selling opportunities leading to higher market shares across geographies. It is our opinion that these benefits will create additional shareholder value and that value is not reflected in Hitachi's current offer price. For that reason we do not intend to tender our shares. We would hope other STS shareholders will not tender their shares and that the Company remains listed allowing all shareholders to benefit from the value creation that we expect from the combination About Elliott Elliott Associates, L.P. and Elliott International, L.P. together have approximately $27 billion of assets under management. Founded in 1977, Elliott is one of the oldest investment funds under continuous management. The Elliott funds' investors include pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, funds-of-funds, high net worth individuals and families, and employees of the firm. SOURCE Elliott NEW DELHI, February 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- 2016 marks the beginning of a year dedicated to online reputation management and digital engagement as numerous brands and agencies are seen coming together to create new interactive opportunities in the digital space. The field of digital reputation within India and Asia-Pacific region at large is witnessing a paradigm shift with several companies reporting substantial growth in terms of revenue. Digital engagement and online reputation management is increasingly becoming a vital ingredient for almost every company across the varied business sectors owing to the easy reachability to masses present online. Mohit Panicker, the official spokesperson for aRep Global , a leading digital engagement agency based in Delhi, India, says, "There has been a gradual change in the way the digital world operates with companies as well as individuals being more than ever concerned about their online image and interaction with customers through the popular digital means. Compared to a less conducive era, today we are experiencing a 300% year-on-year increase in our revenue, primarily given the substantial exposure people have got into the vast digital cosmos." Digital engagement is a form of brand engagement where emphasis is laid on pertinent correspondence of the company with its target audience. Internet platforms, particularly the social media tools like Facebook, Twitter etc., are a potent device to enter into productive interaction with the consumers and generate valuable feedback on a brand. Companies are becoming fast aware that the online reputation of a business plays a tremendous role in shaping the perception of their clients, associates, employees and customers and decide on their scale of progress. Statistics pertaining to the global online industry also indicate signs of companies now recognizing the need for professional ORM services to keep up with the shifting digital scenario. Maintaining a healthy online existence is a continual process and getting rid of one disturbing negative is simply not enough from a long term approach; the idea is to keep evolving and reforming your online stance going from negligent or negative to noticeable and positive to going viral and becoming the ultimate brand name. Mohit added, "Having successfully arrived at a turnover figure of around 10 million, our sole endeavor at aRep Global is to be the complete digital wellness partner for all our clients, ensuring them a sound and profitable business with the support of adequate digital engagement and ORM." Organizations like Reputation.com in the west and aRepGlobal in the east among others, are changing the face of the wired world, liberating the enterprises of a tainted past owning to unmanageable circumstances. While several businesses excel at their core operations, a good chunk is still either blissfully ignorant of how the internet routinely affects them or handicapped to act given the lack of knowledge and skills. To beat the competition, excel as a brand and to sync in with the cutting-edge technology, it is critical to prudently manage the digital platform. About aRep Global aRep Global is one of the top online reputation management companies which rightfully acknowledge the severity of creating, enhancing and stabilizing a suitable reputation in the digital arena. It is the pioneer in the field of ORM, having duly recognized the necessity of building, enhancing and maintaining one's appropriate reputation online. The company offers a great deal of online reputation management services and digital PR services including online reputation repair and monitoring, online reputation management tools remove complaints like negative review etc. and celebrity reputation management with online reputation management case studies and more. The company was set up in 2013 in New Delhi, India and established a marketing arm in London UK at the beginning of next decade. aRep Global is an UKTI empanelled corporation. The company is successfully running operations world over and has served a wide global clientele. Though having started with India and UK, it is also referred to as an Indo British firm. The organization works on the three pillars of repairing, branding and monitoring the online image of a business enterprise. Its exclusive ORM services are constituted considering the relevant pain points of the Indian commercial sectors so as to cater accurate and precise solutions to the business enterprises. Media Contact Mohit Panicker +91-9821205878 moh@arepglobal.com SOURCE aRep Global SYDNEY, January 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- FinnOne to support BOQ's retail lending digital transformation program Nucleus Software, the leading provider of lending and transaction banking solutions to the global financial services industry, further strengthens its global presence by announcing the successful launch and roll-out of its lending software at Bank of Queensland (BOQ), in Australia. BOQ, a leading Australian challenger Bank, has implemented Nucleus Software's award winning flagship lending product, FinnOneTM for its retail loan origination operations. Click to Tweet: Nucleus Software announces FinnOne Go Live at Bank of Queensland (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160131/327710LOGO ) Established in 1874, today Bank of Queensland has more than 200 branches across Australia, including a majority of owner-managed branches, ensuring a commitment to deliver exceptional personal service to their customers. To power its ongoing transformation program, BOQ selected Nucleus Software's FinnOne for its home and personal lending markets. With FinnOne, Nucleus Software is helping BOQ to increase its business agility and become paperless. FinnOne is revolutionizing multi-channel retail loan processing at the Bank across the front and middle offices. The advanced solution is also reducing process complexity in a range of ways, including replacing inflexible, hard copy rules with sophisticated, automated credit policies and process checklists. FinnOne will enable BOQ to get closer to its customers and help to speed up its "Time to Yes". "Nucleus Software is a key partner and is assisting us in digitizing our home and personal lending operations. Their global expertise is helping us to achieve our vision of having a Bank that is much closer to our customers, and is assisting us to develop digital capabilities that will eventually allow our customers to transact anytime anywhere. FinnOne will streamline the Bank's retail loan operations as well as make us more nimble, providing us with the ability to introduce innovative, tailor-made products and customer-oriented services to meet the growing demands of our customers. Nucleus Software is at the centre of our mission to create Australia's most loved Bank," Mr. Jon Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, BOQ said. Commenting on the successful launch, Mr. Vishnu R. Dusad, Chief Executive Officer, Nucleus Software said, "The collaboration with BOQ is significant in two ways - it is FinnOne's first customer in Australia and it further demonstrates our global expertise in lending. With more than 150 customers across the globe, we are delighted to welcome BOQ to our growing family. BOQ is on a major digitization drive in order to deliver par excellence customer experience and satisfaction. I am happy to see the confidence that they have placed in our advanced and functionally rich solution. I know that our three decades of expertise will help BOQ meet its business objectives, deliver better service to its customers and drive higher business value. I am confident that this partnership with one of Australia's leading challenger Banks will bring greater levels of customer satisfaction and I know that it will help to prove that it is possible to love a bank." He further added, "Australia is an important market for us and in line with this ongoing commitment, we have also established our regional headquarters covering sales, professional services and support in Sydney." Nucleus Software's flagship lending product, FinnOneTM has been ranked as the 'No. 1 Best Selling Lending System' by International Banking Systems (IBS) for the 7th year in a row. FinnOne is designed to support seamlessly integrated applications, provide operational support, risk management and decision-making capabilities to banks and financial services companies. FinnOne focuses on both, retail and corporate loans, thereby emerging as a comprehensive solution to back any line of the lending business. About Bank of Queensland : BOQ is one of Australia's leading regional banks and provides a genuinely independent alternative for Australian financial services customers. BOQ's strategy is based around operational excellence and delivering outstanding customer service. It offers products and services across retail and business banking, finance, general and life insurance and superannuation. Established in 1874, Bank of Queensland has more than 200 branches nationally with representation in every Australian State and Territory. BOQ is one of the top 100 companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and has total assets of around $43.027 billion. http://www.boq.com.au/ Ab o u t N uc l eu s So ft w a r e Nucleus Software is the leading provider of lending and transaction banking products to the global financial services industry. Its software powers the operations of more than 150 companies in 50 countries, supporting retail banking, corporate banking, cash management, internet banking, automotive finance and other business areas. Nucleus Software is known for its world-class expertise and innovation in lending and transaction banking technology. It has two flagship products, built on the latest technology: - FinnOneTM, named the World's Best Selling Lending System for 7 years running (IBS Publishing) - FinnAxiaTM, an integrated global transaction banking solution used by banks worldwide to offer efficient and innovative global payments and receivables, liquidity management and business internet banking services. Nucleus Software is listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange in India. For more information, please visit http://www.nucleussoftware.com. For further information, please contact: Jamin Smith, Head of Media and Corporate Communication, BOQ Email: mediarelations@boq.com.au Phone: +61(0)7-3212-3018 Thomas Jones, Associate Vice President & Regional Sales Director - ANZ, Nucleus Software Email: Thomas.jones@nucleussoftware.com Phone: +61-2-9004-7202 Rashmi Joshi, Nucleus Software Email: rashmi.joshi@nucleussoftware.com Mob: +91-9560694654 SOURCE Nucleus Software Exports Ltd. CAIRO, February 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This month (16 -18 February 2016) Egypt's government, regulators and public sector stakeholders will discuss the role of DFIs and the private sector to fund and build 30GW of electricity generation, transmission and distribution projects that are about to go to tender, and projects which will require additional investments and partnerships to be completed. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160201/327815LOGO ) The Egypt Energy Investment Summit will take place from 16 - 18 February in Cairo , designed to drive forward investments into Egypt's energy sector. The meeting will cover central issues including the progress in the renewable energy FIT programme, the 'Build-Own-Operate' projects and the IPP scheme, showcasing the pro-activeness of government to engage credible investors efficiently and commercially. Speaking recently about the signing of the Dairut IPP deal, H. E. Dr. Mohamed Shaker El Markabi, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, said "Egypt is committed to meeting its energy needs and access to electricity to promote economic growth is an absolute priority". Egypt's National Energy Strategy will also be discussed with all stakeholders including; the New and Renewable Energy Authority, EgyptERA, Egyptian Electricity Holding Company participating, as well as the leading private and international investors Elsewedy, EGAS, World Bank, AfDB, IFC, EBRD, KfW, The Egyptian Exchange, Schneider Electric, Siemens, ABB to name a few. Commenting on the aims of the National Energy Strategy 2035, Eng. Hatem Waheed, Managing Director, Egyptian Electricity Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency says "Egypt will create a highly competitive and proper environment for new investment in conventional and renewable energy and energy efficiency". South Africa: Egypt trade relations - South Africa's Department of Energy and IPP Office will participate at the meeting, sharing experience of their hugely well-received REIPPP Programme and collaborating with Egyptian stakeholders to promote renewable energy development in the country. Additionally we will focus heavily on the future of Egypt's gas strategy and discuss what role Egypt could play in South Africa's Gas IPPP Programme, as well the potential for South African coal in Egypt's massive Coal IPP Programme. The scale of this partnership would create a South: East Africa Trade Corridor, drawing in countries such as Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya, boosting agriculture, mining and all sectors, increasing energy access and wealth for billions of people across the region. "This is such an important meeting, we hope that our long standing partners will take advantage of the platform and contribute to this unparalleled opportunity for energy investors." P.S. As with other EnergyNet meetings, this is a private investor meeting to connect the utility, gas company and ministry with the 'outstanding' companies that operate on the continent and is not an open forum for non-commercial or businesses operating outside of the electricity investment sector. For more information about this meeting: Meeting dates: 16th - 18th February 2016 Location: Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo Visit: www.egypt-investment-summit.com Contact: Alexandra Cianciara - Marketing Executive E: alexandra.cianciara@energynet.co.uk T: +44-(0)20-7384-7936 http://www.energynet.co.uk/event/egypt-energy-investment-summit?utm_campaign=PR%20Agency&utm_medium=PressRelease&utm_source=PRNewsWireUK SOURCE EnergyNet Limited AMSTERDAM, February 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study by eBay Business found that seventy percent of online entrepreneurs are not able to profile their business on the Internet. Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for the success of a business and many entrepreneurs are missing out on sales they would otherwise receive. In an effort to improve the sales of these businesses, Webexttool has created a do-it-yourself tool that allows businesses to write optimized text that will rank well on Google and other search engines. The tool has successfully helped entrepreneurs in the Netherlands and is set to release in the United States today. In the same eBay Business study, it was found that forty percent of entrepreneurs rely on the internet for sales, yet they don't know how to find customers online. Additionally, while some businesses hired companies for SEO help, others simply did not know what to do. With a clear need for SEO education, Webtexttool collaborated with eBay Business to create a webinar for Dutch businesses, in an effort to improve online visibility. According to founder and CEO Kyrill Poelmans "Optimizing your website is an important condition to get more visitors and possible customers to your site. A lot of entrepreneurs don't know how they can accomplish this or don't even know it is possible to get more visitors with just a few simple adjustments. Webtexttool comes to the rescue and helps business owners with their online activities. Our clients are happy to see the number of visitors on their websites improve." Webtexttool is a Dutch startup with a goal of making search engine optimization available to everyone. The do-it-yourself tool helps business owners to write content that is optimized for search engines. Unlike other SEO tools, Webtexttool is simplistic and accessible to people who don't know much about technology. Additionally, the team at Webtexttool keeps users up to date with a blog that outlines a variety of articles involving SEO and the latest techniques. It is projected to grow exponentially in upcoming months. For more information, visit http://www.webtexttool.com SOURCE Webtexttool LINTHICUM, Md., Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- From the front desk to private suites and everything in between, it's an all-new stay at SpringHill Suites Baltimore BWI Airport. Undergoing a $3 million renovation, the all-suite hotel, less than 3 miles from Baltimore-Washington International Airport, now features reimagined suites and public spaces while providing updated services. No detail was overlooked during the improvements to the guest rooms, lobby, hallways, business center, front desk, breakfast area and 24-hour Market. SpringHill Suites Baltimore BWI Airport has completed a $3 million renovation to all guest suites and public spaces. For information, visit www.marriott.com/BWISS or call 1-410-694-0555. Custom artwork, strategically placed throughout the hotel, reflects the commitment of the SpringHill Suites brand to support local artists through their Save Art! initiative. A reimagined check-in experience awaits at a more functional front desk, which better allows the hotel staff to easily assist guests with luggage and other needs. No matter what brings guests to town, there are plenty of spaces to relax or get down to work. The lobby has been divided into three sections with new big-screen TVs, high-top tables with power outlets and a large community table. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the lobby to keep guests connected 24/7, and an expanded business center provides a complimentary boarding pass print station. Visitors are invited to pick up a signature Chupa Chups lollipop upon check-in before heading to a completely remodeled suite. Boasting new mattresses with spandex bed skirts, blackout drapes and sheers and new pull-out sleeper sofas, the suites serve as a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. Updated wall treatments, carpet, lighting, USB ports and outlets complement amenities including wet bar areas, stainless-steel microwaves and mini-refrigerators. Business travelers will appreciate larger desks with ergonomic chairs and pod-style end tables that can be easily moved for working comfortably from the sofa. New flat-panel TVs will keep guests entertained during downtime. Whether in town for a day or week, it's easy to stay fueled up for adventure with the hotel's complimentary breakfast buffet and coffee station. The hotel's breakfast area now offers built-in coolers and induction stovetops to accommodate a better quality breakfast. The revamped 24-hour Market features snacks, sundries, energy drinks, ice cream and microwavable meals in addition to Cake Love in a Jar, single portion sizes of cake done by Warren Brown, star of the Food Network show Sugar Rush. The local chef personally makes deliveries to the hotel. To continue offering free transportation to and from BWI airport, the hotel purchased a more spacious shuttle that makes it more comfortable for guests traveling to the area. About SpringHill Suites Baltimore BWI Airport SpringHill Suites Baltimore BWI Airport at 899 Elkridge Landing Road in Linthicum, Maryland is near Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), Baltimore Inner Harbor and Arundel Mills Mall. The hotel features 4 floors with 133 suites and 3 meeting rooms totaling 1,110 square feet of event space. Guests enjoy access to complimentary Wi-Fi, a free breakfast buffet, indoor pool, fitness center and 24-hour airport shuttle service. For information, visit www.marriott.com/BWISS or call 1-410-694-0555. Follow the hotel on Twitter, like on Facebook and add to a circle on Google Plus. Sign up now for Marriott Rewards and get on the fast track to earn points for free hotel stays, room upgrades, flights, credit card purchases and deals with Marriott partners. Learn more about SpringHill Suites and Marriott International Inc. PRESS CONTACT Kristi Pearce 1-410-691-0519 [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160129/327438 SOURCE SpringHill Suites Baltimore BWI Airport Related Links http://www.marriott.com/BWISS NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, is investigating potential misconduct at Cobalt International Energy, Inc. ("Cobalt" or the "Company") (CIE). The investigation focuses on whether the Company's Board of Directors and its officers committed mismanagement and breached their fiduciary duties. In 2007, Cobalt entered into an agreement with Sonangol E.P. ("Sonangol"), the Angolan national oil company, to acquire a 40% interest in oil exploration Blocks 9, 20 and 21 in offshore Angola. In 2009, the Angolan Parliament issued two decrees assigning an interest in the Blocks to Nazaki Oil & Gaz ("Nazaki"), Sonangol P&P, and Alper Oil, Limitada ("Alper"). In February 2010, Cobalt and these other companies signed Risk Services Agreements ("RSAs") with Sonangol. Cobalt drilled two exploration wells in the offshore Angola drilling region: Lontra on Block 20 and Loengo on Block 9. Cobalt had no rights to gas discoveries and, instead, had rights only to any oil that was discovered in the Blocks. Ultimately, Lontra was found to contain a higher percentage of gas than originally estimated, and drilling at Loengo failed to discover oil. On January 4, 2011, Cobalt filed a Registration Statement and Prospectus with the SEC. Pursuant to this registration statement, Cobalt conducted a stock offering in late February 2012 and a bond offering in December 2012. On March 10, 2011, the SEC commenced an informal inquiry into allegations that a connection existed between Nazaki and senior government officials in Angola. Cobalt contacted the Department of Justice ("DOJ") regarding the allegations, and both the SEC and the DOJ began formal investigations into whether Cobalt had violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 ("FCPA"). The SEC investigation terminated in January 2015, with no recommendation for enforcement action against Cobalt. The DOJ investigation remains ongoing. As a result of the foregoing, two securities fraud actions were filed against the Company and certain of the Company's directors and officers. Although the Cobalt defendants moved to dismiss the securities class action claims, on January 19, 2016, Judge Nancy F. Atlas denied the Cobalt defendants' motions and held that the plaintiffs sufficiently alleged that the Cobalt defendants knew that Nazaki was owned by Angolan officials and that the Cobalt defendants knew "fairly early on" that Lontra was primarily gas, to which Cobalt had no rights, and there was "not even a remote chance" that Loengo would be successful. Request more information now by clicking here: www.faruqilaw.com/CIE. There is no cost or obligation to you. Take Action If you currently own Cobalt stock and would like to discuss your legal rights, please visit www.faruqilaw.com/CIE. You can also contact us by calling Stuart Guber toll free at (215) 277-5770 or by sending an e-mail to [email protected] Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Cobalt's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others. Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner. FARUQI & FARUQI, LLP 685 3rd Avenue, 26th Floor New York, NY 10017 Attn: Stuart Guber [email protected] Telephone: (215) 277-5770 Attn: Tim Peter [email protected] Telephone: (215) 277-5770 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120119/MM38856LOGO SOURCE Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Related Links http://www.faruqilaw.com CLEARWATER, Fla., Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On the birthday of a human rights hero Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., United for Human Rights Florida celebrated his legacy with petition drives, presentations, and distribution of their award-winning educational materials on human rights. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160201/327877 This follows on the heels of United for Human Rights relentless drive to make human rights a reality in 2015. In the final five months of 2015 alone, following the opening of the United for Human Rights (UHR) Florida headquarters in downtown Clearwater, United for Human Rights representatives toured more than 4,000 through their state-of-the- art human rights information center, distributed over 47,000 What are Human Rights? booklets, DVDs and Educator Kits, and forged forty-two partnerships with like-minded organizations. The Human Rights program is based on the 30 human rights incorporated by the United Nations in 1948 as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Cristian Vargas, the Executive Director of United for Human Rights Florida, said, "Our aim for 2016 is to get our human rights materials to 10% of the Tampa Bay area's population which will be a major step towards making human rights a fact here in this area." According to the United for Human Rights website, a majority in the world cannot name their 30 human rights thus making many vulnerable to abuses such as discrimination, human trafficking, and terrorism. Throughout 2015, Vargas said that their staff, volunteers and partners delivered presentations using the human rights materials provided by UHR to hundreds of students, police officers, and non-profit organizations. The educational materials are available to these groups at no charge. In October 2015, one educator wrote to Vargas after UHR staff presented their materials to a high school class: "I am writing to thank you on behalf of myself, Master Chief King and all of our students for your visit today. Your interactive Human Rights presentation was OUTSTANDING! Our principal was equally impressed and thankful for the assistance that you provided to our ESL (English as a second language) and model United Nations and Spanish instructors." For more information, visit the Human Rights Office at 29th North Fort Harrison Avenue, Clearwater, FL 33755, call 727-467-6960 or email [email protected]. United for Human Rights United for Human Rights is the world's largest nongovernmental human rights education campaign, active in 192 countries and partnering with 1,500 groups and organizations. Working in tandem with its affiliated, Youth for Human Rights group, and supported by The Church of Scientology, its purpose is to raise awareness and implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its 30 articles through its award-winning Story of Human Rights documentary, 30 Rights/PSAs and the What are Human Rights? booklets. The organization's agrees with the declaration made by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, "Human Rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream." SOURCE United for Human Rights PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A dozen roses may be a symbol of love in February, but one single rose can be a symbol for life for children with diabetes. The Diabetes Online Community (DOC) is encouraging people to buy one less rose this Valentine's Day and donate the difference in cost to the annual Spare a Rose, Save a Child initiative. Now in its fourth year, Spare a Rose, Save a Child initiated by the Partnering for Diabetes Change Coalition (P4DC) supports the International Diabetes Federation's (IDF) Life for a Child program, which provides life-saving diabetes supplies to children in developing countries. "Since its start in 2013, Spare a Rose has raised nearly $56,000 through the generosity of those who have chosen to make a simple donation for the lives of 1,000 children with diabetes in need worldwide," said Kerri Sparling. "But there are countless others who still need help, and that's why we're pushing to make this year's campaign our best ever. Such a small donation makes such a difference in these children's lives." Spare a Rose, Save a Child will run from February 1-14, 2016. To raise awareness and garner support for the fundraiser, members of the DOC will highlight Spare a Rose through their respective online and social media channels by blogging, tweeting (#SpareARose), and posting on Facebook. According to the IDF, there are more than 497,000 children with Type 1 diabetes under the age of 15. For those children in developing countries, the lack of access to insulin, monitoring equipment, and expert care can be life-threatening. In fact, in some parts of the world, the estimated life expectancy of a child who has developed diabetes could be less than a year. The IDF's Life for a Child program works hard to change that through this sustainable and innovative support program where individuals, families, and organizations contribute monetary or in-kind donations that help children living with diabetes in 43 countries. "The Spare a Rose fundraiser is such a simple way to make a big impact this holiday and your loved ones will appreciate the gesture much more than the extra rose," said Bennet Dunlap. Any member of the online community wanting to promote Spare a Rose, Save a Child can visit www.SpareARose.org and download the image to host on their site as well. To "spare a rose" (or more) and make a donation directly to the Life for a Child program, please visit www.SpareARose.org. About Spare a Rose, Save a Child Spare a Rose, Save a Child is an online effort that raises money and awareness for IDF's Life for a Child program, which provides life-saving diabetes supplies to children in developing countries. Initiated by a group of members from the Diabetes Online Community in 2013, the idea behind this effort is simple: people are encouraged take the typical "dozen roses," so popular on Valentine's Day, and donate the value of one rose to spare the life of a child. About Life for a Child The International Diabetes Federation Life for a Child program was established in 2000 with support from the Australian Diabetes Council and HOPE worldwide. It is an innovative and sustainable support program in which individuals, families and organizations contribute monetary or in-kind donations to help children with diabetes in developing countries. www.idf.org/lifeforachild About P4DC Partnering for Diabetes Change (P4DC) is a coalition of people living with diabetes and of industry representatives who seek to address unmet needs in diabetes. P4DC aims to validate the role of peer support in diabetes management, minimize the stigma of diabetes, and ultimately support underserved communities. It was formed in January 2013. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160129/327391LOGO SOURCE Partnering for Diabetes Change Related Links http://www.p4dc.com Rabat, Jan 26 : Religion should be a bridge between people, not a wedge, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told participants in conference on religious minorities in Muslim countries in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh. "Inter-faith dialogue is necessary and urgent. Religious leaders have a responsibility to help heal differences in their communities," Xinhua cited the UN Chief as saying at the conference "The Rights of Religious Minorities in predominantly Muslim Lands: Legal Framework and A Call To Action", which kicked off on Monday. "There are no quick remedies, and solutions will have to come from within," he said, calling for common work to preserve and reinforce diversity and dignity across the Middle East. He noted that the UN will continue to support efforts to end the cycles of violence and discrimination, including through the alliance of civilizations initiative, the human rights up front effort and the recently issued plan of action to prevent violent extremism. He said the history of the Middle East is rich with examples of co-existence and pluralism, and warned that today's unresolved conflicts, violent extremism and injustice were endangering the region's people, destroying centuries-old social fabrics and undermining economic and social progress. This three-day meeting brings together prominent scholars, experts, religious leaders, and government officials. Jaipur, Jan 26 : An unidentified balloon-like object detected by the Indian Air Force was on Tuesday shot down by a fighter aircraft in Rajasthan's Barmer district, over 515 km from here. "Between 10.30 - 11.00 a.m., unidentified balloon-shaped object was picked up on IAF radar, which was unidentified and was in our airspace. An IAF fighter was launched, which intercepted the object and brought it down. We have launched further investigations into it," a source in the IAF told IANS. Meanwhile, panic gripped villages in the district after the loud explosion was heard in the afternoon. The villagers living in Gugri and Panawara villages claimed that the explosion was so loud that cracks developed in some of the houses in the villages. "The explosion was loud... and we saw some objects falling from the sky... my house has developed cracks," said Manohar Singh, a resident of Gugri village. A police team was rushed to these villages, which found cone-shaped metallic objects. "We are in touch with the IAF officials and are sending them the pieces for further analysis," a statement issued by Barmer police said. Ankara, Jan 26 : At least five migrants drowned off Turkey's western coast near Aydin province on Tuesday when their boat capsized in the Aegean Sea leaving 16 other migrants missing. The Turkish Coast Guard recovered five bodies from the water and rescued one migrant after being informed by fisherman that there were dead bodies floating in the sea. The rescued migrant said there were another 16 migrants on the boat, Xinhua reported. Meanwhile, 28 migrants and 12 human smugglers were caught during two different police operations in the Aegean province of Balikesir. A motorboat and eight vehicles, including two taxis owned by smugglers, were seized during the operations by district police's anti-smuggling and organised crime teams. The group of smugglers attempted to transport migrants to the Greek island of Lesbos through Turkey's Cunda Island. Since the beginning of 2016, 24 smugglers have been arrested. Kolkata, Jan 26 : A rally in the city by the ultra-left United Students' Democratic Front (USDF) protesting over the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula turned violent on Tuesday. The demonstrators claimed they were assaulted by Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) activists, a claim which the latter denied. The USDF activists were staging protests outside the city office of the RSS, holding the outfit responsible for the death of Vemula, who committed suicide on January 17 following his suspension along with four other Dalit students over an alleged clash with a leader of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS. In video grabs broadcast by TV channels, several RSS and USDF activists were seen engaged in scuffles, with police trying to rein them in. Several of the protesters were also arrested or detained by police. "We were protesting peacefully, but suddenly a group of RSS activists assaulted us," said a USDF activist. Denying the protestors were assaulted, the RSS blamed the police for the melee. "The allegations of assault are false, rather it's the police who are to be blamed. The police preferred to be mute spectators and did nothing to control the protestors," RSS state secretary Jishnu Basu said. State Bharatiya Janata Party president Dilip Ghosh though justified the RSS' stand. "Rohit in his suicide note did not blame anyone rather committed suicide out of depression. Yet people are politicising the issue and blaming the BJP. "Nobody has the right to create trouble at anybody's house. When people create trouble, that needs to be given a reply. RSS activists are very restrained and aware who deserves what kind of treatment," said Ghosh. Mumbai, Jan 26 : Actress Rekha, who was honoured with the Yash Chopra Memorial Award, says that the filmmaker taught her how to love and inspired her to write "shayri". "Talking about Yashji would be like 'chota muh badi baat'... what can we say about him? I'd like to definitely state that he taught me how to love. Not just by watching his films (did) I understand 'Oh, this is love', not just by speaking or watching that there is beauty and a very tender emotion, but a feeling that is invisible which every person definitely feels it - that Yashji taught me," Rekha said in her speech after accepting the award. It was Rekha's turn to receive an award after she is usually the one who is seen presenting awards to the best actor or actress. On this, she said: "I've always maintained that it's more important for me to give than to receive. I guess I gave my share of the only thing I know of, that is love." "I take this award as not just an award or a validation but I think it is something of a reminder to say that the curtains have not fallen yet but the best is still to come in the near future. And it will definitely be a reminder for me to do better than the best, better than ever before and this is not my last chapter but it is the best chapter, yet to begin." Rekha had acted in Chopra's films such as "Faasle" and "Silsila" starring Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, both of which were strong love stories. "Being in Yashji's company, I have become a 'shayar', I've written one 'sher'. He inspired me and taught me this," she added and then recited the couplet as well as one of her dialogues which had been written by Gulzar. As someone tried to imitate Chopra's "hmm" after her recital, Rekha responded that no one could replicate it the same way because of the base it had. The award has been instituted by the T.S.R. Foundation of T Subbarami Reddy in the memory of the producer-director, who died in 2012, to annually honour a distinguished senior film personality for outstanding contribution to film industry with a gold medal and a cash prize of Rs.10 lakh. Previous recipients include Melody Queen Lata Mangeshkar and megastar Amitabh Bachchan. The Jury constituted to zero in on this year's awardee comprised Pamela Chopra, Simi Garewal, Boney Kapoor, Jayaprada, Pinki Reddy and Reddy himself as its chairman and they unanimously decided that the third award should go to the actress par-excellence. Among the celebrity guests included Ranveer Singh, David Dhawan, Poonam Dhillon, Jaya Prada, Adnan Sami, Mohan Babu, Gulshan Grover and many others. Chennai, Jan 27 : An hour of full body massage - Swedish or Ayurvedic - a hot water bath and signing off with sumptuous food beside a water body - all this is offered at the new InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort near here. Walking leisurely - more like floating - from the spa towards the restaurant one will note that the resort's architecture is largely drawn from the imposing south Indian temple architecture - cuboid design, long corridors, pillars and temple-pond-like swimming pool where the steps go into the water. The restaurant Melting Pot: The Market Cafe' offers the option of dining inside or al fresco where one can enjoy the gentle breeze beside the large expanse of the water body. The beach resort is the first luxury resort property in India for the global hotel chain InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). Owned by Adyar Gate Hotels, the property was under ITC management till its pre-opening stage. "The restaurant's philosophy has not changed with the management change, but the menu has slightly changed in line with IHG's standard, like having a minimum number of items under different heads," executive chef Ashis Rout told IANS, serving hot masala chicken chunks cooked in a bamboo stem. The proof of Rout's claim that he would serve what the guest wants provided he is given sufficient notice is true. The bamboo chicken was outside the menu and was specially requested. Masala-marinated chicken is stuffed inside the bamboo stem, both the ends are closed and it is heated over charcoal. The result: the chicken was soft, juicy and spicy. "I am game for having country chicken in our menu, including the Kadaknath chicken - the meat is also black in colour. Recently we set a dining table for a young couple near the sea. The table was set in such a way that the waves would touch their feet and go. The idea is to give the guests an unforgettable experience," Rout said. According to him, some star hotels do offer guests a choice of dishes which are not in the menu card. "But chefs do not cook anything that is not in the menu card in overseas hotel restaurants," Rout pointed out. "Two more restaurants - Chinese and a sea-side grill - will go on stream soon," Rout said, offering taster's portions of pan-seared scallops which rolled down the throat smoothly. Similarly, the sea bass rubbed with coconut lemon curry with raw mango sauce also tasted good. "Working in a running hotel is easy as one can go with the flow. But pre-opening hotels are different as one has to arrange for everything, including finding a vendor, hiring and training staff, finalising the menu and managing last minute hiccups," Rout said. "Normally 70 percent of the staff who were in the pre-opening stage would quit the hotel around two months after its formal opening," he said. Despite several days of trial runs, operations at new restaurants would collapse due to reasons like insufficient food, among others. "Trial runs are made with the hotel staff and their feedback is received later. But in a restaurant that is open to public, the guest reacts instantaneously. It takes some time for the staff to get used to this," Rout said. Coming to the main course, the vegetarians can go for iddyappam with kathrikai ketti kara kuzhumbu (brinjal cooked in tamarind and tomato gravy) or bendekaya masala pulusu (okra in masala gravy). Rout suggested NH 203 lamb curry that goes well with Indian breads, veechu paratha, steamed rice or iddyappam. The rustic and relatively thin lamb curry was inspired by the lamb curry sold on the highway along Bhubaneswar to Puri in Odisha. Similarly, the Sivakasi chicken kozhambu was also good with steamed rice and left the flavour of gingelly oil and masala in the mouth for some time. "It is the masala - shallots, garlic, fenugreek, mustard seeds, curry leaves slightly mixed in gingelly oil and dried in sun - that gives the unique taste to the fish kuzhambu," chef N.Lokheeshwaran told IANS. Children (and adults who are not counting calories) would love the continental menu - particularly the artisan pappardella pasta, lasagna, and the four- cheese- flavoured risotto. It was time for the tasty cheese cake with berries and mishti doi. Queried about his management style Rout said he is open to suggestions and criticism. "It is more important for me to create leaders than followers. There is a whole lot of difference between a human being and being human," he added. Well, that is really food for thought that Rout served direct. FAQs: Where: On the East Coast Road after Crocodile Park, some 30 km from Chennai Timings: Breakfast 7-11 a.m, Lunch 12.30-3.30 p.m. Dinner: 7-11 p.m. Cost of Lunch/Dinner for two: Around Rs.2,000 (without alcohol) (Venkatachari Jagannathan visited the InterContinental Chennai Resort at its invitation. He can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in) New Delhi, Jan 27 : Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has signed agreement with its counterparts in Malaysia, Singapore and Japan, an official statement said here on Wednesday. The agreements related to cyber security will promote closer cooperation for exchange of knowledge and experience in detection, resolution and prevention of security related incidents between India and the respective country, the cabinet statement said. The CERT-In and its Malaysian counterpart signed an agreement on November 23, 2015, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Malaysia. The agreement between CERT-In and Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team, Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, was signed on November 24, 2015. The agreement between CERT-In and Japan Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center was signed on December 7 through diplomatic exchange and exchange of the signed agreements between the two parties completed by December 22, 2015. New Delhi, Jan 27 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the central and the Delhi governments, and all three civic bodies here on a petition seeking release of salaries of municipal workers. The order came after the workers decided to go on a three-day strike over non-payment of dues. A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath also directed the Delhi Police to ensure that sanitation workers do not face any difficulty in their job. The court sought the response of the Delhi government, NDMC, SDMC, EDMC and DDA by the next date of hearing on February 2. Sanitation workers also staged a demonstration at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on Wednesday. During the hearing, the city government's standing counsel Rahul Mehra told the bench that the government has released 100 percent funds to the civic agencies. Mehra asked the court to order the workers of the MCDs to call off the strike. In June and October 2015, the sanitation workers of various bodies of MCDs -- East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) -- went on strike which resulted in the accumulation of garbage in different places across the capital. The petition filed by Rahul Birla said: "It deteriorated the sanitary condition of the capital to such an extent that it created an imminent threat of outbreak of various diseases." It further added that after the trifurcation of MCD into three municipal bodies, the financial health of the civic bodies deteriorated on account of revenue deficit. Mumbai, Jan 27 : Akshay Kumar is overwhelmed with the response to his latest film "Airlift", which revolves around the evacuation of Indians from Kuwait during the 1990 Iraq-Kuwait war. The actor says such type of films come "almost once in an actor's lifetime". "My Twitter feed has been flooded with #Airlift, so much positivity and love... I couldn't have asked for more and for sure wasn't expecting this much hence feeling very overwhelmed," Akshay tweeted on Wednesday. "While most of you have written I should do more films like 'Airlift'... I wish I could but honestly films like these come very rarely, almost once in an actor's lifetime and I am extremely fortunate to be a part of it. Thank you all for everything," he added. Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, "Airlift", which also stars "The Lunchbox" actress Nimrat Kaur, tells how the Indian government evacuated 1,70,000 people of Indian origin and also of other nationalities through 488 flights during the Iraq-Kuwait war. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, "Airlift", which released on January 22, has collected Rs.72.50 crore till now. "#Airlift is sensational on Tuesday. Crosses Rs.70 crore. Should easily surpass Akshay's highest *Week 1* biz - #RowdyRathore Rs.79.52 crore," Adarsh posted on Twitter on Wednesday. "#Airlift Friday Rs.12.35 crore, Saturday Rs.14.60 crore, Sunday Rs.17.35 crore, Monday Rs.10.40 crore, Tuesday Rs.17.80 crore. Total: Rs.72.50 crore. India biz. Speeding towards Rs.100 crore. Fab," Adarsh added. Many Bollywood celebrities like Rishi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Anupam Kher, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Hansal Mehta, Karan Johar, Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat have given a thumbs up to the film while sharing their reviews on the micro-blogging site. Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 27 : Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Wednesday dismissed allegations of bribery in the solar scam levelled against him by Saritha Nair, one of the main accused in the case. His comments came after Nair deposed first before the judicial commission probing the case. She later told reporters at Kochi that she had given Rs.1.90 crore in two instalments which, she claimed, was part of the Rs.7 crore bribe demanded by Chandy through his then staff Jikumon. "Even a Rs.2 cheque she gave to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund had bounced and then they say they gave crores (of rupees) as bribe money. This is not tenable," Chandy told reporters. Chandy also questioned the benefits Nair's company allegedly got from the state government. "The state government has not given any benefits to their company, nor has this scam caused a single paisa loss to the exchequer," said Chandy. On Wednesday, Nair said: "I gave Rs.1.10 crore to Thomas Kuruvilla in Delhi and another Rs.80 lakh in the state capital. I was arrested 15 days after giving the second instalment." Nair also said that she had given Rs.40 lakh to State Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed. Nair and her live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan were arrested in the solar scam in 2013. While Nair is out on bail, Radhakrishnan is still in custody after it came to light that he murdered his first wife. "I waited all this while expecting I will get back the money I gave, but now I feel it's time to open up," said Nair. CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan demanded Chandy's resignation after Nair's disclosure. State Congress president V.M. Sudheeran backed Chandy and said this was the latest release in the series of canards and was timed with an eye to the upcoming assembly elections. "Kerala will take this disclosure with a pinch of salt and none will pay heed to what has been alleged," said Sudheeran. Nay Pyi Taw, Jan 27 : Myanmar's election-winning opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), on Wednesday formed a five-member Parliamentary Affairs Leading Committee with its senior party members. The formation of the committee came a day ahead of the end of the last session of the current term of parliament when President U Thein Sein is expected to address the parliamentarians, Xinhua reported. The current term of parliament is to expire on January 30 and the newly-elected parliament is due to meet for the first session of its two Houses -- House of Representatives (Lower House) and House of Nationalities (Upper House) -- next Monday. NLD won absolute majority in the November 8, 2015 parliamentary election. NLD will nominate the new speakers and deputy speakers of the two houses, followed by election of the country's president and two vice presidents. The president will then form a new government according to the country's parliamentary process. Meanwhile, Suu Kyi and military chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing on Monday held discussions on the formation of the new government besides a series of matters dealing with post-election transition, peace and tranquility. New Delhi, Jan 27 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the central government and Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa on a plea challenging the imposition of President's Rule in the north-eastern state on January 26. An apex court constitution bench of Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh and Justice N.V. Ramana also ordered the centre to file its response, if any, by January 29 and directed further hearing in the matter on Monday (February 1). The court recorded that senior counsel Satya Pal Jain, appearing for Governor Rajkhowa, "undertakes to furnish a copy of the governor's report and other material recommending issuance of a proclamation under Article 356 of the Constitution of India, to the court in a sealed cover". The court directed that the "original record be kept available by the attorney general during the hearing". The court gave liberty to the petitioner, Congress chief whip in Arunachal Pradesh Rajesh Tacho, to amend the plea to "assail the report of the governor, and the consequential (presidential) proclamation". The court directed that Tacho be provided, during the course of the day, the date on which Rajkhowa sent a report recommending the imposition of President's Rule. At the outset of the hearing, senior counsel Fali S. Nariman told the apex court that ever since the last hearing on February 22, Arunachal Pradesh had been put under President's Rule and two advisors appointed to assist the governor in running the affairs of the state. Seeking the date on which the governor recommended the imposition of President's Rule, Nariman said senior counsel Harish Salve, who appeared for the governor, told the court on January 14 that nothing untoward would be done to precipitate the situation. Describing as "crucial" the date on which President's Rule recommendation was sent by Rajkhowa, senior counsel Kapil Sibal sought to know the grounds and material relied upon by the governor while making the recommendations. Opposing the plea, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said that the governor's report was confidential and could not be shared with petitioner Tacho. However, he said, it could be shared with the bench. Nariman contested Rohatgi's plea that the governor's report was confidential as he cited an earlier seven-judge bench judgment in former Karnataka chief minister late S.R. Bommai's case, wherein the court said that the governor's report was not confidential. Justice Lokur confronted the attorney general with the apex court judgment wherein the governor's report was reproduced. The presidential proclamation mentions "a" report by the governor, Justice Ramana pointed out as Rohatgi said there were a series of reports by Governor Rajkhowa. "Whatever is the worth of this petition (by Rajesh Tacho), you reply. You may accept it or you may not accept it," the court observed as the AG contested the maintainability of the plea challenging the cabinet decision to recommend President's Rule. Contending that the cabinet recommendation was immune from challenge, Rohatgi said that unless there is an order, decree or a crystallised situation, you can't challenge it. As the AG told the court that there was no challenge to the presidential proclamation in the matter before the court, Nariman said the attorney general could not be technical in his approach. Rohatgi said it was not a question of his getting technical but every proceeding of the court is governed by rules and procedures. The Congress on January 25 moved the Supreme Court challenging the cabinet decision to impose President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh on the recommendation of Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa. The union cabinet on January 24 decided to impose President's Rule.A Imphal, Jan 27 : A Manipur Police head constable who confessed he killed an unarmed former insurgent on the orders of a senior officer seems to have gone missing, informed sources said on Wednesday. Thounaojam Herojit flew from Delhi on Wednesday afternoon. But he never came out of the airport, disappointing journalists waiting for him outside the main exit. Officials confirmed that Herojit was on the plane but could not say where he had gone. The development comes shortly after Home Minister Rajnath Singh promised action on Herojit's claim over the killing of the ex-insurgent, Chungkham Sanjit. A former insurgent, Sanjit had given up militancy. He was allegedly trapped inside a chemist's shop on B.T. Road in Imphal, and a few minutes later his body was dragged out by security personnel. Police told the media that he was killed in an exchange of fire. The CBI, which probed the case after public outcry, however accused Head Constable Herojit of killing Sanjit. Herojit later said he committed the killing on the orders of a senior officer. According to rights activists, there are 1,528 known cases of 'fake encounters' in Manipur since the beginning of the insurgency in the late 1970s. The Supreme Court is looking into the alleged 'fake encounters'. If cases of "missing persons" are taken into account, the number will be more, the activists say. Washington, Jan 28 : Defying conventional wisdom, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has refused to reconsider his decision to skip the party debate before the first crucial nominating contests and in the process become the talk of the talk shows. As pundits discussed whether his move to sit out Thursday night's Fox News debate four days before the Iowa caucuses would hurt him or help him, Trump said Wednesday he'd move forward with his own competing event. His "tremendous" rally at Drake University in Des Moines at the same time as his Republican rivals gather for the debate just two miles away will raise money for wounded veterans, he said. Suggesting that television networks have made millions of dollars in advertising on debates he's participated in, Trump said he doesn't mind debating, but "I just don't like being used." "Fox was going to make a fortune off this debate. Now they're going to make much less," said the billionaire real estate mogul on another show on the conservative show as the anchor vainly tried to cajole him to reconsider. Escalating his long-running feud with Megyn Kelly, Trump lashed out at the Fox News anchor whom he has accused of treating him "unfairly" for questioning him on his past derogatory remarks about women at the first Republican debate in August. Calling it a "conflict of interest" Trump demanded that Kelly be not allowed to moderate Thursday night's debate. But Fox News declined to give in. Kelly will be one of the three moderators at the debate. "I have zero respect for Megyn Kelly," said Trump. "I don't think she's good at what she does and I think she's highly overrated. And frankly, she's a moderator; I thought her question last time was ridiculous." Kelly herself weighed in that Trump skipping the debate would "probably be a bad decision" while conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh lauded him for "controlling the media." But despite Trump's continued attacks against her, Kelly said he is a "breath of fresh air" in politics. "He doesn't care about P.C. culture," Kelly said in an interview with Time magazine published on Wednesday. "It's a breath of fresh air." Kelly who spoke to Time on Tuesday, just hours before Trump announced his plan to skip Thursday night's Fox News debate, said her network can't give in to "terrorizations toward any of our employees." Trump's other Republican presidential rivals also lost no time in criticising him. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said Trump's decision reminds him of "a 13-year-old arguing." Texas Senator Ted Cruz challenged Trump to debate him Saturday night in Sioux City, Iowa. But Trump laughed off Cruz's call to debate, saying in a message on Twitter that if they did it the contest should be held in Canada, where Cruz was born. Florida Senator Marco Rubio called Trump's decision to skip the debate, and Cruz's one-on-one challenge an "interesting sideshow." (Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) New Delhi, Jan 28 : The municipal sanitation workers on Thursday staged a protest against non-payment of their salaries and dumped garbage outside Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's camp office in east Delhi. The protestors demanded immediate release of funds for their salaries, which they said were pending for months, and threatened to go on an indefinite strike if their demands are not met soon. The sanitation workers gathered at Sisodia's camp office located in Patparganj -- his assembly constituency -- in east Delhi and raised anti-government slogans. They dumped garbage at the gates of his office building. "Many workers are not being paid their salary for two to three months. Despite several appeals, our demands are not considered," said Sanjay Gehlot, president of Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukta Morcha. "We will call off work for an indefinite period if our demands are not met," he added. Over 1.5 lakh workers of Delhi's three main civic bodies went on a three-day strike on Wednesday over non-payment of their salaries. Besides salaries, the employees are seeking payment of arrears, regularisation of employees who have been working on contracts, and merger of the three corporations. Earlier in October last year, the sanitation employees of East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) had gone on a strike with similar demands. Accra, Jan 28 : Ghana wants to learn from India's experience in harnessing the power of the diaspora, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology Mahama Ayariga has said. At a ceremony to mark India's 67th Republic Day, Ayariga said India's relationship with diaspora dates back to 1890 when the first Indian landed on the shores of Gold Coast -- Ghana's pre-independence name. He said that since then the Indian diaspora have helped to contribute to the development of New Delhi's economy. Even before a formal diplomatic relationship was established with India after independence in 1957, New Delhi set up a Consul General in 1953, he said, and thanked India for the number of scholarships it provides to both students and government employees from Ghana. Indian High Commissioner Jeeva Sagar said over 25 million Indians in the diaspora have helped to enrich culture and economies across the globe. Sagar said since its independence, Ghana had emerged "victorious at every challenge thrown at her", adding the country had become the model of stability, peace and rule of law guided by the spirit of democracy on the African continent. Stating that Ghana had to deal with a few developmental issues in recent years, he said: "Ghana has the resilience and institutional strength to overcome the challenges of recent times. "Such challenges are an inevitable phase in the life of every developing nation that endeavours to build a better tomorrow to her people." (Francis Kokutse can be contacted at fkokutse@gmail.com) Hyderabad, Jan 28 : Three faculty members of the University of Hyderabad on Thursday launched a hunger strike even as students continued their protest for the 11th day over the suicide of a Dalit student. A faculty member from Osmania University too joined the students on relay hunger strike demanding the resignation of Vice Chancellor P. Appa Rao. V. Krishna, a professor, told IANS that this was an indefinite relay hunger strike to demand the resignation of Appa Rao, who last week went on leave. The forum is also demanding the resignation of interim vice-chancellor Vipin Srivastava as he headed the panel which suspended five Dalit students. One of them, Rohith Vemula, committed suicide on January 17, triggering widespread protests. Students under the banner of the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice-UoH continued their protest on the campus, demanding action against the vice chancellor, central ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya and others responsible for the suicide. The interim vice chancellor's attempt to reach out to the protesting students on Wednesday proved futile as JAC said it was unacceptable as he was part of the decision to hand out punishment to the Dalit students. The umbrella of various students' groups said Srivastava was also an accused in a case relating to Dalit research scholar Senthi Kumar's suicide in 2008. Tension prevailed on the campus on Thursday as students, mostly belonging to Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), staged a demonstration, demanding immediate resumption of classes. The students of life sciences department raised slogans for saving their academic career. The JAC alleged that the interim vice chancellor was provoking one group of students against the other. It made it clear that the protest will continue till justice is done in Vemula's case. Jammu/Srinagar, Jan 28 : What is holding back PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti from taking oath as Jammu and Kashmir's new chief minister? More and more people are asking this but there seems to be no clear answer. The National Conference is poking fun at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), demanding to know why it is not resuming its alliance with the BJP, its coalition partner. Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, Mehbooba's father, died on January 7, and Governor's Rule was imposed in the state two days later. Mehbooba's initial refusal to talk politics was attributed to her bereavement. For the Lok Sabha MP, her father was a political mentor too. But after three weeks, people are wondering if there is something more than shock which is keeping the daughter away from committing herself to governance in the state. On Wednesday, former chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah urged Mehbooba Mufti: "For God's sake, form the new government in the state or else seek fresh elections." The statement was not a well-wisher's concern but an adversary's comment on the Devil-and-Deep-Sea situation the PDP president finds herself in after the father's death. Mehbooba Mufti made her first official appearance after her father's death on January 26 -- at the Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar on the occasion of Republic Day. The PDP has called a 'Feedback Meeting' in Srinagar on January 31 and in Jammu on February 3. These have been called to get the feedback on the 10 months the PDP ruled the state with its Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally. The National Conference is enjoying the PDP's political predicament. Reacting to Omar Abdullah's jibe, PDP senior leader Naeem Akhtar said: "I don't want to get involved in what the Abdullahs say. For us, the welfare of the people is more important than getting into power." Sources claiming to be close to Mehbooba Mufti say she is weighing her political options very seriously. "She is convinced that the 10-month tenure of her father has left much to be desired on the promises the two ruling parties made to each other and finally to the people," one source told IANS. BJP leaders in Jammu have said that the final call on government formation will have to be taken by the PDP. "We will respond positively after the PDP makes the move," said Sat Paul Sharma, the BJP state president. BJP sources say a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah with Mehbooba Mufti could take place soon. But the same sources ruled out any fresh assurances on the alliance agenda. "Since she will take over as chief minister of the state at a crucial time, there could be a meeting between the prime minister and Mehbooba Mufti and also with Amit Shah," a BJP leader told IANS. The 40-day mourning period for the Mufti family will end around February 15. Optimists say a new government will be in place anytime after that day. Governor N.N. Vohra has asked senior officials to move fast on preparation of the annual budget, which must be passed before March 31. (Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at sheikh.abdul@ians.in) New Delhi, Jan 28 : India will take up with Pakistan the issue of an unidentified balloon-like object that intruded into Indian territory and was subsequently brought down in Rajasthan on Tuesday, an official said on Thursday. "The defence ministry has written to us (about the balloon issue) and we will take this up with Pakistan," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said at a media briefing here. An unidentified balloon-like object detected by the Indian Air Force was on Tuesday shot down by a fighter aircraft in Rajasthan's Barmer district, over 515 km from Jaipur. Panic gripped villages in the district after a loud explosion was heard in the afternoon when the IAF fighter jet brought down the suspicious balloon-like object. A police team rushed to these villages found cone-shaped metallic objects. On Wednesday, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said his ministry has written to the external affairs ministry "which would do the needful". New Delhi, Jan 28 : Twenty children, including eight girls, were rescued from shoe factories and placement agencies here on the initiative of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, an official of the child rights organisation said on Thursday. Five employers were arrested by the police and an FIR was registered against them under section 370 of IPC, sections 75 and 79 of Juvenile Justice Act 2015, and section 16 of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976, he said. Rakesh Senger, Director of victim assistance and campaign of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), told IANS that the rescue operation was conducted in Kanjhawala area in the presence of District Magistrate and Delhi Police accompanied by a team of six Jharkhand policemen, the labour inspector, and a team of his organisation. "Two rescue operations were conducted in the same area on Wednesday. Nine kids from various districts of Bihar, between the age 12-18, were rescued from three shoe making factories whereas 11 children, consisting of eight girls and three boys, were rescued from two placement agencies," Senger said. All children rescued from the placement agencies are below the age of 14 years and belong to different districts of Jharkhand, he said. "The Jharkhand police came to Delhi to rescue children and approached us for help since they did not have any official complaint or identification of the children," Senger said. According to BBA, the rescued children were living in dingy rooms in deplorable conditions. All the children have been sent to various children homes in the national capital. They will soon be taken to the Child Welfare Committee and a sum of Rs.20,000 will be given to each child as compensation by their employers. Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi is the founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan. Imphal, Jan 28 : The Manipur government will provide security to Thounaojam Herojit, a head constable in a police commando unit who is accused of gunning down an unarmed former insurgent, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam on Thursday. Gaikhangam, who also holds the home portfolio, said the government would provide him security since he seemed to be apprehensive of his personal safety. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju had earlier said that security will be provided to Herojit. Gaikhangam said the reports that Herojit, who was coming from Delhi to Imphal on Wednesday, went missing from the Imphal airport were being looked into. He expressed the view that the CBI will unearth the truth. On the charge by Herojit that he gunned down an unarmed former insurgent on the orders of Akoijam Jhalajit, now the superintendent of police Imphal West, Gaikhangam refused to comment, saying the matter was sub-judice. After Herojit reportedly went missing from the airport on Wednesday, a reporter got a phone call from him saying he was safe and sound though he did not disclose his whereabouts. Speculation is rife that Herojit was accompanied by a friend on the Delhi-Imphal flight. The friend bought a Delhi-Guwahati ticket, while Herojit bought a Delhi-Imphal one. While Herojit might have got down at Guwahati masquerading as his friend, his companion came to Imphal using Herojit's ticket. Hyderabad, Jan 28 : Cracks appear to have developed among students protesting over a Dalit research scholar's suicide at University of Hyderabad with the authorities claiming that a section of students have agreed to allow research activity to resume from Friday. Interim Vice Chancellor Vipin Srivastava told reporters on Thursday that he was optimistic that classes in all streams will resume in a day or two. He said after 10 days, the administration started functioning to deal with urgent matters like disbursement of salaries of employees, fellowships and scholarships. While Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising various student groups continued their protest for 11th day and some faculty members also launched hunger strike at the campus located on the city outskirts, the vice chancellor along with registrar and two senior deans held a press conference in the city to claim that normalcy is returning. The JAC and a section of faculty members are demanding resignation of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao. They also want Srivastava to step down as he headed the committee which suspended five Dalit students, out of whom Rohith Vemula committed suicide. Srivastva, who took over as interim VC last week after Appa Rao went on leave, rejected the demand saying he got the position as per the university ordinances. Interim vice chancellor and dean, school of chemistry, M. Durga Prasad, who was member of the six-member panel, defended the action taken against the five students. Both maintained said if the judicial commission, constituted by the union human resources development ministry to probe the incident, asks them to step down, they will do so. The interim VC said the university had accepted all demands of the students which fall in its realm. It revoked suspension of four students and announced an ex-gratia of Rs.8 lakh to the family of Rohith. Pointed out that eight Dalit students and one tribal student committed suicide in the university during last 10 years, Srivastava said there should be a national debate on this. He believes that the reasons for the suicide were not difficult to find out. Claiming that there is no caste discrimination by the faculty, he said the administration will take all steps to address any complaints by the students. The VC said a mentoring system was already in place in some schools and will be extended to others to attend to the students' problems. He said students would be cajoled to come out with their problems and inform their mentors. New Delhi, Jan 28 : The Delhi High Court was told on Thursday by the city government that private unaided schools do not have "absolute autonomy". Justice Manmohan was told by the Delhi government that by way of the January 6 notification, it did not prescribe any criteria, but only asked the private schools to adopt criteria which were "fair, just and reasonable". The private unaided schools have their autonomy but if they misuse it, the government will step in as they do not have absolute autonomy, it said. The court was hearing pleas of Action Committee of Unaided Recognised Private Schools and Forum for Promotion of Quality Education seeking quashing the January 6 circular that scrapped 62 criteria, including management quota, for nursery admissions. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also attended the court proceedings. The hearing would continue on Friday also. Hearing the case, the court also remarked that there is no consistency in a policy made by way of circulars or office orders which are passed without statutory backing, as there could be new circular every day, adding that as per law, the lt. governor should have issued the notification. The petitioners said the circular was "absolutely without jurisdiction" and should be quashed as it completely took away the autonomy of schools. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on January 6 said the decision to scrap the management quota was taken to bring in more transparency in the admission process. He said the existing provision of 25 percent seats for students from poor families will however remain in place. Schools were however free to grant admission to children of their employees and could allocate points in their criteria. Currently, the schools keep 20 percent or even more seats under the management quota, while 25 percent seats are reserved for economically weaker sections students. The remaining are open for the general category children. Lucknow, Jan 29 : The budget session of the Uttar Pradesh assembly would begin on Friday with the address of governor Ram Naik to the joint session of both Houses. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav would be presenting the budget for the year 2016-17, which would be his fourth. This would also be the last budget of the present Samajwadi Party government as the state goes to polls early next year. Officials told IANS that for now the session had been planned for 43-days but would be sitting for a month as the tenure of the budget session included public holidays and Sundays. Sources said that the chief minister was going to focus majorly on farmers and youth as the state government wanted to be seen as their protector in an election year. While the budget session, like other sittings in the past, is likely to face turbulence on many issues as the opposition is likely to rake up issues of growing crimes, poor law and order, communal incidents in some parts of the state, non-payment of arrears to sugarcane farmers, governor Naik has called upon all sides to ensure smooth functioning of the house. Washington, Jan 28 : North Korea may have had a failed test of some components of a hydrogen bomb earlier this month, the media reported. "There may have been a partial, failed test of some type of components associated with a hydrogen bomb," Xinhua quoted a US official, familiar with the latest US assessment, as saying. The official said the assessment was based on "careful examination of latest intelligence analysis of the test data." However, there was no final conclusion, said the official. Although the US still denies that Pyongyang tested a hydrogen bomb, "air sampling conducted after the test has proved inconclusive", which prompted Washington to review the seismic data, the official added. Pyongyang tested a nuclear device on January 6 that North Korea said was a hydrogen bomb. The official said the analysis showed that the test was conducted more than two times deeper underground than originally assessed -- at a depth consistent with what might be needed for a hydrogen bomb. However, the size of the seismic event and other intelligence indicates it was not likely a fully functioning device. The official said it was possible Pyongyang believed it conducted a full hydrogen bomb test, but the US thinks it was likely only some components that exploded. The US State Department spokesman Mark Toner on Thursday said the US still believes that Pyongyang did not test a hydrogen bomb. Washington, Jan 29 : The US researchers are working on two potential vaccines for the Zika virus, but warned that it will likely take years before these are ready for use, a senior US health officials said. Both the candidates were based on earlier vaccines related to the viruses of West Nile and dengue, with one ready for clinical trial later in 2016, Xinhua quoted Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as saying on Thursday. Zika, transmitted primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, is believed to cause birth defects such as microcephaly, or small heads. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat the disease. "While these approaches are promising, it is important to understand that we will not have a widely available safe and effective Zika vaccine this year and probably not even in the next few years," Anthony Fauci said. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said her agency has identified 31 travel-related cases of Zika virus in the US. All of the cases involved people returning to the US from countries where the Zika virus is spreading, she said. Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration said it was working to rapidly implement appropriate donor deferral measures for travellers who have visited affected regions in order to protect the blood supply. About one in five people infected with Zika virus will develop symptoms which include fever, rash, joint pain, and pink eye. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalisation is uncommon and the case fatality rate is low. Kochi, Jan 29 : Saritha Nair, one of the main accused in solar panel scam, having first dragged Chief Minister Oommen Chandy into the case, on Friday claimed his son Chandy Oommen as the one who was closely involved in it. Saritha made the disclosure on the third day of her deposition before the Solar Judicial commission, and said she met the chief minister many times and not just three times as mentioned by Oommen Chandy before the commission. She said there was a picture of hers that had come out at a function at Kottayam where she met the chief minister and on that day she was talking about a new company to be formed by his son Chandy Oommen and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy agreed to that. Saritha on Thursday alleged that she gave Rs.1.90 crore in bribes to the chief minister in two instalments through a person called Thomas Kuruvilla, based in Delhi. On Friday, she added that the Oommen Chandy's son was always available on Kuruvilla's mobile phone when they discussed the solar panel business and the formation of a new company to import solar panels. Saritha also claimed there were speculations about a relationship between her and Chandy Oommen. But she was not the woman mentioned in that story, but another one who was involved in the solar company. Saritha said that chief minster's son had made trips with the other woman to the Middle East. She then said all the evidence of the relationship between Chandy Oomen and the other woman is in the custody of state Minister for Forests Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan. Saritha informed the commission that she would not make any revelation about the sleaze stories that were heard when the scam first surfaced involving her and top political leaders as that involved her privacy. Saritha asked the commission that since she has some urgent work, she may be allowed to leave and she would appear again on Monday. The Kerala government's counsel objected to this, stating that she was in a hurry to go only to brief the media and put the government in trouble by airing these allegations. But the commission allowed Saritha to return on Monday and Tuesday for her further deposition. Saritha's deposition comes at a time when a petition filed by the chief minister and state Power Minister Aryadan Mohammed is coming up before the Kerala High Court, challenging the Thrissur Vigilance court directive to register an FIR against them for accepting bribes from her. Mumbai, Jan 29 : Actor Irrfan Khan says he loves flying kites, and it's something that the cast and crew of his film "The Song Of Scorpions" used to enjoy while shooting in Jaisalmer. "I love flying kites. It has been my favourite since forever now. On the sets of 'The Song Of Scorpions', every person from the cast and crew used to go crazy flying kites," Irrfan said in a statement. "If we used to pack up early, the crew members would come with kites and we would fly (kites) till sunset," added the "Piku" star. Directed by Geneva-based director Anup Singh, "The Song Of Scorpions" also stars veteran actress Waheeda Rehman, Iranian beauty Golshifteh Farahani and Tillotama Shome in key roles. -*-Radhika Apte wraps up 'Phobia' shoot Actress Radhika Apte is done with shooting the upcoming thriller and horror film "Phobia". "Night shoot.. Last shoot day for 'Phobia'," Radhika tweeted. As the title suggests, the film revolves around some kind of a phobia -- the fear of something. Radhika was meeting doctors and patients, apart from reading extensively, about the subject to gather as much information as possible for the role. She was also in close contact with psychiatrists to understand the mental aspect, and neurosurgeons for the biological aspect so that she understands better how a person reacts to a particular phobia. The actress has also been meeting patients and observing them to understand their behavioural patterns. -*-I'm seasonal: Sidharth Malhotra Actor Sidharth Malhotra has been screen stealer with his pairing with Alia Bhatt as much as with Shraddha Kapoor. He says it's a "seasonal" phenomena for him! Asked that between Alia and Shraddha, with whom does he look best, Sidharth said here: "I was looking good with Shraddha in 'Ek Villain'. It was an interesting love story. Recently, I am looking amazing with Alia because of 'Kapoor and Sons'. So, I am seasonal." Sidharth spoke at an event for Tourism New Zealand, of which he is a brand ambassador of in India. He also addressed rumours that he's now staying with Alia, his rumoured girlfriend. "I am not living in with Alia. I am doing up my house currently and that is my house only. There is no so such truth. Alia and I are only sharing films, not our house," said the "Student Of The Year" actor. However, he may be spending Valentine's Day with her! Asked about his V-Day plans, he said: "I have not planned anything yet. I think I will be working. I will be promoting my film and Alia might be there and Fawad Khan also. So we all will be celebrating Valentine Day together." New Delhi, Jan 29 : The union health ministry said on Friday it is making sure that India is well prepared against cases of Zika virus that has already caused much damage in Brazil and elsewhere in the Americas. "We are closely monitoring the situation of Zika cases and all necessary steps have been initiated to ensure that India is well prepared in case of any eventuality," said Health Minister J.P. Nadda at a meeting held to take stock of the recent cases of Zika in the world. The minister directed the authorities to set up a technical group that would monitor the situation arising out of the spread of Zika virus in other countries and suggest steps that would need to be taken in India. "We are focusing on especially strengthening the surveillance system," said the minister. The minister called for increased focus on prevention to control the spread of the Aedes mosquito that breeds in clean water and is implicated in the spread of the Zika virus. "Community awareness plays an instrumental role in this regard. There is a need for greater awareness amongst community," the health minister said. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that Zika virus, which has been linked to birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, was "spreading explosively" in the Americas. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is like dengue and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. The effort against the disease focuses on protecting people from mosquitoes and reducing mosquito populations. Mumbai, Jan 29 : A gigantic Bryde's whale, approximately 40 feet long, which was washed to the Juhu beach here around midnight, drew huge crowds even as authorities made efforts to clear it off on Friday. Officials from the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), forest department and police, besides veterinarians are engaged in the gigantic operation to remove the whale's carcass safely and dispose it of. A BMC official said that the whale, which had no external injuries, may have died in the Arabian Sea in the past 48 hours and and washed ashore late Thursday night. Though the carcass has not degenerated, it has become bloated with water and gases, making the task of disposing it challenging, the official said. Two hydraulic cranes have been deployed by the BMC to lift the carcass onto a container van and take it to the outskirts of Mumbai for safe disposal. The estimates of the whale's weight ranged between three to five tonnes and it is among the biggest mammals which has washed ashore on the state's coastline in recent years. In June 2015, a 42-feet long Blue Whale had washed ashore on Revdanda beach in adjacent Raigad district. Police had a tough time controlling thousands of curious citizens and tourists who trooped in to the Juhu beach for a glimpse of the gigantic mammal and attempted to click selfies with the dead whale from different angles. Nay Pyi Taw, Jan 29 : Myanmar's outgoing speaker U Shwe Mann on Friday said the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, would make a successful ruling government. Winning the 2015 general election, the NLD is organising the new government by not taking up all the available posts held but reserve for other parties and ethnic nationalities as well as for outside experts, Xinhua quoted Shwe Mann as saying. However, he said that no offer for taking up certain post in the new parliament or government is so far made by the winning party. Appraising Aung San Suu Kyi's wisdom and far-sightedness, U Shwe Mann said he is willing to be made use of for the interest of the country and the people. He further said that he did made arrangement for a meeting between Suu Kyi and ex-Senior-General Than Shwe, the top leader of the previous military government, to create a favourable condition for the nation although he holds no power now but is still influential. In his final speech at the last session of the union parliament that comprises two Houses, U Shwe Mann also called on law makers of the new parliament to inherit the good democratic practice of the previous parliament and continue to take the responsibility for the next term. The present five-year term of the parliament, which lasted from January 31, 2011, came to an end on Friday and the new term of the elected parliament, dominated by the National League for Democracy (NLD), will start on next Monday. The current term of the government will also expire on March 30 and a new government will take office on the day in accordance with the result of November 8 general election in 2015. On Thursday, the NLD nominated two new speakers of the two houses of the next term of the parliament with U Win Myint as speaker of the House of Representatives (Lower House) and U Mann Win Khaing Than as speaker of the House of Nationalities (Upper House). The nominated speakers are yet to be approved in the new parliament session. The NLD won the absolute majority of the parliamentary seats in the general election 2015, competing mainly against the former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). New Delhi, Jan 29 : Employees of three civic bodies here on Friday announced to extend their strike for an indefinite time period against the Delhi government over the non-payment of dues, while the AAP government termed the entire sequence of events "an indication towards a massive salary scam". "It was a symbolic strike for three days but since no one from the government assured us that our demands would be considered, we have decided to boycott work for indefinite time period," Sanjay Gehlot, president of the Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukta Morcha, told IANS. "Tomorrow (Saturday), we will protest at Delhi assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel's home in Vivek Vihar (in east Delhi) and dump garbage there," he said. Over 1.5 lakh workers of three civic bodies had begun their three-day strike on Wednesday. Earlier in the day the striking employees of the three MCDs had dumped garbage outside the residence of Transport Minister Gopal Rai. "We will continue to dump garbage on roads till they (government) feel ashamed," a protester said. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in a statement said that the three corporations have themselves admitted having received 100 percent of the non-plan funds - Rs.892.92 crore for North MCD, Rs.465.53 crore for East MCD and Rs.830 crore for South MCD for the current financial year. "It is clear that 90 percent of the non-planned allocation is for payment of salaries, then why the MCD employees have not been paid their salaries?" it asked. "The sequence of events indicates towards a massive salary scam in these corporations," the statement added. Meanwhile, the Delhi unit of Bharatiya Janata Party wrote an open letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the financial crisis of municipal corporations, with state unit chief Satish Upadhyay urging him to rise above party politics and discharge his responsibilities to the people of Delhi. Upadhyay also requested Kejriwal to release about Rs. 3000 crores to the municipal corporations pending on the basis of the recommendations of 3rd Delhi Finance Commission. He also announced that the BJP workers on Saturday would assemble at Nirman Vihar Metro Station in east Delhi and march towards Delhi Secretariat in support of agitating employees. Striking employees of Delhi's three civic bodies on Thursday had protested and dumped garbage outside Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's office, while Kejriwal had sought fresh election to the three civic bodies. Hyderabad, Jan 30 : Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi late on Friday night reached the University of Hyderabad and participated in a candle light march by the students to mark the birth anniversary of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit research scholar who committed suicide two weeks ago. Rahul, who landed at Hyderabad airport around midnight, drove straight to the university to express solidarity with the students protesting over the suicide. This is the second time in less than two weeks that the Congress leader is visiting the campus to meet and address the students. He will spend the night with the students on the campus and participate in the programmes organised by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) for social justice on Saturday. Immediately after reaching the shopping complex where students are staging the protest for the last 12 days, Rahul paid tributes to Rohith at the memorial constructed by the students. He then sat with Rohith's mother, brother and other students. The students are demanding action against Vice-Chancellor P. Appa Rao and others responsible for the suicide of Rohith Vemula. 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. Rahul had visited the campus on January 19, two days after Rohith committed suicide. He had also interacted with the mother of Rohith and four other Dalit students who are on protest for nearly a month. The MP had demanded action against the vice chancellor, central ministers and others responsible for the student's suicide. Mumbai, Jan 30 : The Maharashtra government on Saturday named senior IPS officer Dattatray Padsalgikar as the new Commissioner of Police, Mumbai. He will succeed Ahmad Javed, who has been posted as India's next ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Additional Chief Secretary (home) K.P. Bakshi told IANS. Ahmad relinquished charge on Saturday and was given a ceremonial send off. Padsalgikar will assume office on Sunday. The Ministry of External Affairs had announced on December 11, 2015, the appointment of Javed as the next envoy to Saudi Arabia, a key posting in the Arab world, and he is expected to take charge there shortly. This will make Javed the second former Mumbai police commissioner to get a prestigious diplomatic posting after J.F. Rebeiro who served as Indian ambassador to Romania between 1989-1993. An IPS officer of the 1982 cadre, Padsalgikar was on deputation to the central government in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) for the past few years, but was repatriated earlier this month in preparation for his new charge. Enjoying the image of an honest and upright officer, Padsalgikar has vast experience in terror and counter-terror operations and had been playing a critical role in gathering evidence against the Pakistani non-state actors who directed the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008. He helped procure the telephonic intercepts from the USA between the terrorists and their handlers which effectively nailed them in the case, officials said. In the past, Padsalgikar served as a deputy police commissioner handling various assignments and also in the economic offences wing before he was sent on deputation to the Centre. After his repatriation to Maharashtra, he was given the rank of Additional Director-General of Police, but was not given any posting until being appointed the Commissioner of Police. Lahore, Jan 30 : Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said the terror attack on an Indian Air Force 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 Indian Air Force 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 Jaish 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. New Delhi, Jan 30 : 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. Kolkata, Jan 30 : The Haryana government is expecting to attract investments worth over Rs.one lakh crore in its first ever investors summit to be held in Gurgaon in March, a state minister said here on Saturday. In the build-up to the March 7-8 investors' summit, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and state Industry Minister Capt. Abhimanyu held a road show in the city inviting investors. "On the investment front, we have been doing really well. In 2015 we attracted investments worth over Rs.20,000 crore. In our first ever investors' summit, we have ambitions to garner investment worth over Rs.100,000 crore and generating employment of at least four lakh," Abhimanyu told media persons. Khattar who during the day held meetings with city investors said discussions were made for investments worth Rs.5,000 crore from them. "So far we have met over a dozen investors here and w had discussions of investment of at least Rs.5,000 crore. We will be meeting some more investors and confident the invstmnet figure will rise," he said. Projecting Haryana as the ideal destination for investment, Khattar cited the state's geographical advantage and the state government initiatives in ensuring ease of doing business. "With at least 57 percent of area under the National Capital Region, Haryana enjoys locational advantage. We are a power surplus state besides there is sufficient land for any project," hje said. Talking about ease of doing business, Khattar said for projects worth Rs. 10 crore or less, the procedural clearance will be done at the local administration level. "We have not only created a single window clearance for the projects, but we have identified 31 administrative blocks where investors will be given auto certification for CLU (change in land use)," he added. New Delhi, Jan 30 : Indian shooters endured a disappointing day at the Asia Shooting qualifiers at the Karni Singh Shooting range here on Saturday with none of them managing to secure a quota for the Rio Games. In the men's Double Trap Md. Asab, the World No.7 in the event, had to settle for a bronze thereby missing out on a Rio Olympics quota. Asab and Ankur Mittal qualified for the six-man semi-finals in the top two positions shooting an excellent 142 and 141 respectively. The extent of their performance can be gauged by the fact that Kuwait's double Olympic medalist Fehaid Aldeehani shot 140 to qualify behind the two Indians. In the semi-finals Ankur started off on the wrong foot from the very beginning but Asab looked on course to qualify for the gold medal match-up and bag one of the two quotas available, but a protest which got rejected and one inexplicable double miss meant that he missed out on the Gold medal match and quota by one point ending with a score of 26. Khaled Alkaabi of the United Arab Emirate (UAE) shot 28 and Fehaid scored 27 to reach the gold medal match-up and claim the two Rio quotas available. In the bronze medal match Asab, who suffered a shoulder injury just before the competition that resulted him in not training for five days, regained his bearings back and defeated Korea's Hyun Woo Shin 26-24. "I tried my best and am very disappointed. I took a pain killer in the morning for my shoulder injury and the effects were starting to wear off. Due to my injury I could not train properly for the finals here and it could have affected the final result today," a visibly dejected Asab said after the medal ceremony. Upcoming talent Akhil Sheoran made it through to the biggest final of his nascent senior career and looked set to grab one of the two Rio quotas available in the men's 10m Air Rifle event, but eventually finished fourth to miss out by one position. India had already had a quota through Abhinav Bindra. Sheoran, competing in his first big event as a senior, came out with a creditable performance shooting a score of 620.1 in qualifying to make the final in eighth position. In the eight-man final, all except Kazakhstan's Yuriy Yurkov were eligible for the two available quotas in the event. Akhil was in contention for bronze and a quota till the 13th shot out of 20 before Iran's Pourya Norouziyan got ahead of him on the 14th shot and held on. Akhil thus got eliminated in fourth position finishing a final round with a score of 163. The gold in the event was claimed by Naoya Okada of Japan while Yurkov won the silver. Iran claimed the bronze. The two Rio quotas thus went to Japan and Iran. The day also saw the commencement of the qualification rounds of the women's 25m Pistol event. Annu Raj Singh was lying fourth with a score of 289 while Anisa Sayyed lay 13th with 288 and Rahi Sarnobat lay in 21st position with a score of 285. They will be looking to win one of the three available Olympic quotas in the event on Sunday. Sunday will also see the finals of the women's 50m rifle 3 positions event which also has three Olympic quotas on offer with India's Lajja Gauswami and Elizabeth Susan Koshy as contenders. New Delhi, Jan 30 : Civic workers here, protesting against the non-payment of their salaries and non-clearance of arrears, announced on Saturday that the stir would continue for an indefinite period until their demands were met. "We will continue our strike till our demands are not met... These people (government) should realise our demands are genuine," Sanjay Gehlot, president of the Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukta Morcha, told IANS. "It was a symbolic strike for three days but since no one from the government assured us that our demands would be considered, we have decided to boycott work for indefinite period," Gehlot added. Gehlot said the protest will continue on Monday when employees would throw ink on Delhi's Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra. "We will blacken the face of Kapil Mishra on Monday to protest against the government." On Saturday, hundreds of workers of three civic bodies - North Delhi Municipal Corporation, East Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation - dumped garbage outside Delhi assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel's home in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar area. Over 1.5 lakh workers of three civic bodies launched a three-day strike on Wednesday. As a mark of protest and highlight their demands, garbage was dumped outside Transport minister Gopal Rai's residence and outside Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's office. On Wednesday, it was dumped outside Delhi assembly speaker Goel's house. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has demanded fresh elections for three civic bodies. New Delhi, Jan 30 : 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 politics 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. New Delhi, Jan 30 : The Delhi government said on Saturday it has formed a PWD taskforce as part of special arrangements for picking up garbage that has been piling up across the city because of a strike by the employees of three civic bodies. "The PWD (public works department) has deployed 93 vehicles to clean garbage dumps. We have informed the Delhi Police as to which areas these vehicles will be operating in," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said here. He said the Delhi High Court had directed the police to provide security and extra labourers had been deployed with the trucks. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had failed in their duties, but the Delhi government was cleaning up the capital, Sisodia said. "Hopefully by tomorrow the situation will be under control," he added. Sisodia reiterated the charge made earlier by his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government that there was a massive "salary scam" going in three municipal bodies that make up the MCD. "We had given money for the salary of the employees for 12 months, where did that money go? We think there is a big scam in the municipal corporations," he said. Meanwhile, PWD Minister Satyendra Jain said: "DDA, which comes under the administration of Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung, owes Rs.1,600 crore to the three municipal corporations. The BJP leaders (mayors) can go with folded hands to union minister Venkaih Naidu and the LG and request them to pay this amount." "I request them not to throw garbage as that is not the right way to protest," he added. On Thursday, the striking municipal workers dumped garbage and shouted slogans outside Sisodia's office as a way to protest against non-payment of their salaries. Over 1.5 lakh employees of the municipal bodies went on a strike on Wednesday 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. New Delhi, Jan 30 : A six-year-old boy died after falling into an open septic tank at his school here on Saturday, police said. Devansh Meena, a class 1 student, fell into the septic tank around 12.30 p.m. at Ryan International Public School in Vasant Kunj area in south Delhi. The boy was trapped inside the tank till the sewage workers reached there and fished him out. "The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead," said a police officer. The officer said that the hospital authorities informed police about the incident when the boy was admitted. Police have registered a case of negligence against the school authorities and asked the principal to join the probe. The school authorities reportedly did not inform the student's family members about the incident for over two hours. Srinagar, Jan 30 : A 23-year-old youth, who was arrested in Delhi after his arrival from Dubai for being a sympathiser of the Islamic State 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 National 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. Mumbai, Jan 30 : Actor Manish Paul said that he was initially tense about familiarizing himself with the starcast of "Tere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive" since he was the new entrant to the cast. "When I became a part of this film, initially I was in a bit of tension. All of them were already a part of a very big hit film. So when a new character comes in, you don't understand what you have to do. "And on top of that, Abhishek Sharma had already given me a bit of tension by saying that there was a big responsibility on me, and that I have to take care," the actor added. Actors like Pradhuman Singh, Piyush Mishra and Sunanda Garg have been retained from the first part, while Manish and Sikander Kher are the new additions to the starcast. Manish said: "Thankfully I met Pradhuman and had a lot of fun. I had numerous scenes with Sikander as well, and it was fun too. The timing with them was very good and the chemistry was brilliant. "So the best part was that the whole team was like a family, all are working together. It wasn't that all actors go into their corners working on their own lines. All remembered the lines of each other. All would help each other for the scene." Manish plays an aspiring filmmaker in the film, who meets up with a lookalike of terrorist Osama Bin Laden and makes him an actual one to accomplish his dream of becoming a director. His character is modeled on director Abhishek Sharma. "It is the fictional character of Abhishek Sharma. I enjoyed it when I heard the character and I was happy after just listening to the one-liners," he said. Regarding the terrorist and the risk of making a film related to him, Manish said: "The film is not on Osama's life. There is no Osama in this film. There is a character who we make as fake Osama for our benefit. It's all in a comic way, we haven't made fun of anyone regarding politics or other such aspects." "Tere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive" is gearing up for release on February 19. New Delhi : What makes a successful secret agent - at least the ones we read about or see on-screen? Is it the infinite ability to take pains and remember and connect small details, like John Le Carre's Smiley, or a debonair approach, a way with women and plenty of innovative gadgets a la James Bond? How about the ability to never sleep? It is this power acquired accidentally that helps American agent Evan Michael Tanner accomplish a range of fiendishly-difficult tasks - instigating revolution in communist Yugoslavia, arranging defections from behind the Iron Curtain, foiling nefarious plots - communist and otherwise - in Southeast Asia, Canada and Afghanistan, tracing from the bush and jungle an escaped African leader who fled with the treasury, and shaking up (rather badly) Myanmar's military junta. Unfortunately, he is not as well known as his other famous contemporaries. Tanner, who served in the Korean War, was hit by a shred of shrapnel which destroyed his brain's "sleep centre". Since then he has been awake and used the extra time to learn languages - "he's fluent in Basque, but has trouble with Chinese" - and join lost causes, political and otherwise. These include The Flat Earth Society, the League for Restoration of Cilician Armenia, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation, the Free Latvian Army, the Irish Republicans, Quebec secessionists, and so on, which help him with a network of sympathisers and helpers in many countries which he cannot enter legally. Augmenting his $112 monthly disability pension by writing term papers for rich but clueless students, he eventually finds himself working for an American spy organisation so secret that even the CIA doesn't know about it, and is sent to various exotic locations on complex missions. Tanner is the invention of prolific American crime writer Lawrence Block, who has hundreds of books under his own name and a string of pseudonyms. Tanner, overshadowed by his creator's other more famous series of alcoholic private investigator Mathew Scudder and erudite cat burglar Bernie Rhodenbar, still holds his own for a vivid, wicked but informed portrayal of international politics in the 1960s and an uproariously satirical send-up of the espionage genre. He appears in eight novels - seven published between 1966 and 1970 but the final one only coming out in 1998. The debut, "The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep" (1966), sees Tanner go to Turkey to trace a stash of gold hidden by fleeing Armenians in World War I's aftermath and facing double-crosses galore while trying to recover it. Returning through (then Yugoslav republic of) Macedonia, he triggers an ethnic revolt. Taken into custody by the CIA on his return, he pretends to be working for an ultra-secret outfit - and to his stupefaction, is claimed by it. "The Canceled Czech" (1966) has him storming an impregnable castle in Prague to rescue an old Slovak Nazi facing the gallows and succeeding - with the unwilling help of Mossad agents and a well-endowed ethnic German girl - but eventually delivering his own justice. "Tanner's Twelve Swingers" (1967) has him on his most complex - and hilarious - mission. Talked into helping rescue his buddy's gymnast girlfriend from then Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, he begins his trip behind the Iron Curtain from Yugoslavia and then works his way northward, picking up more people and documents to smuggle out - including a dissident politician and the descendant of the Lithuanian king, till in Riga, he finds the entire 12-member troupe wants to defect. How will he manage? Well, there is always the Soviet Air Force's latest advanced bomber. "The Scoreless Thai" (1968) takes him to Thailand and war-torn Vietnam, "Tanner's Tiger" (1968) to Montreal where the Cuban pavilion at the World Expo is dodgy, "Tanner's Virgin" (1968) has him swim the English Channel on his way to Afghanistan to rescue a friend forced into white slavery - and defeat a purported Soviet-inspired coup, and "Me Tanner, You Jane" (1970) to Modonoland (west Africa) where he has to confront a murderous gang led by a missionary's daughter who is a maneater in all senses of the word. He returns in "Tanner on Ice" (1998) where he is resurrected from a cryogenic tank in which he was placed by a Scandinavian agent too fastidious to kill him outright. Slowly taking in a quarter century of political, social and technological development, he finds his old boss is still in action and is sent to Myanmar on a mission of destabilisation, including assassinating Aung San Suu Kyi. But he is his own man. Block admitted the plots "generally range from far-fetched to absurd" but he had stopped writing them when they grew too close to the truth. Packed with a gamut of memorable characters, abundant hilarity but plenty of darkness and collateral damage too, the series offer a unique perspective of a world seemingly past but still having many resonances to our present - especially on nationalism. (31.01.2016 - Vikas Datta is an Associate Editor at IANS. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in ) New Delhi, Jan 31 : Indonesia may be attracting almost double the number of global tourists than India but visitors from here are few and the southeast Asian country has decided to grant free visas to Indians to attract more travelers from India which is a "big market" for them. Vinsensius Jemadu, Indonesia's tourism director, was in India to promote Indonesian tourism and attract more Indians. He says Indonesia and India enjoy very good relations which will help in attracting more tourists. Indonesia is also participating in the South Asian Tourism and Travel Expo (SATTE) 2016. Jemadu said that more than 10 million people from across the globe visit Indonesia every year - but only 270,000 from India. Indonesia attracts the highest number of tourists from Singapore, followed by Malaysia, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and then India. "Realising that India is a big market, the Indonesian government decided to grant free visas to Indians. We have set a target to attract 350,000 tourists from India this year, which is a big challenge for us," he said. "Most of the people from India visit Bali. May be it is because they do not know about other places there. We want them to explore other places of the country as well," he said. Indonesia's tourism industry contributes nine percent to the country's GDP. "Our plans are to boost tourism industry and increase it to 15 percent of the GDP by the end of 2019." "As many as 60 percent of the total tourists visit Indonesia because of its rich cultural heritage while 35 percent come to the country to see its natural beauty. Five percent tourists come here to enjoy manmade activities," Jemadu told IANS. Expressing concern over lack of direct connectivity between India and Indonesia, Jemadu said: "So far there is no direct flight between the two countries. People from India reach Indonesia via Singapore or Malaysia which is not good for tourism because people have to spend more time and money in travelling." He, however, added that this issue will be sorted out soon as both the governments have agreed to start direct flight between the two nations. "I am hopeful that the direct flight between Mumbai and Bali will start by March or April. Garuda Indonesian airline had agreed to operate flights between the two countries," he said. Washington, Jan 31 : The final poll ahead of the first nominating contests in the US presidential race Monday gave Donald Trump a 5 point lead over Ted Cruz while Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were neck-and-neck. The Republican real estate mogul Trump had the support of 28 percent of likely caucus-goers in Iowa, with Texas Senator Ted Cruz at 23 percent and Florida Senator Marco Rubio at 15 percent, according to The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics poll. On the Democratic side, the poll which is said to have a history of accuracy found former Secretary of State Clinton with 45 percent support to Vermont Senator Sanders' 42 percent within the poll's margin of error. The poll took place January 26-29, three days before Trump skipped the Republican Iowa debate to one day after and held his own rival event to raise funds for veterans. The candidates crisscrossed Iowa Saturday in a frenzied weekend prelude to the first presidential contest of the 2016 race. Trump, according to CBS News, 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." In the Democratic race, Sanders called the contest against Clinton a likely tossup depending on the turnout. "It's virtually tied," Sanders said at a Manchester rally. "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." "The eyes of America, in fact much of the world" would be on Iowa, and the state could be a model for the future of American democracy, he said. Meanwhile, Clinton's campaign received a boost with the influential New York Times endorsing her in the Democratic presidential primary describing her as "one of the most broadly and deeply qualified presidential candidates in modern history." The Times said "some of the campaign attacks (against Clinton) are outrageous, like Donald Trump's efforts to bring up Bill Clinton's marital infidelity." But it acknowledged "Some, like those about Mrs. Clinton's use of a private email server, are legitimate and deserve forthright answers." Describing "the battle to be the Republican choice for president" as "nasty, brutish and anything but short" the Times came out against two current front-runners - Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Both "are equally objectionable for different reasons," it said. "Trump has neither experience in nor interest in learning about national security, defence or global trade." And "Cruz's campaign isn't about constitutional principles; it's about ambition," the Times said. (Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) New Delhi, Jan 31 : It's got a dark, smoky feel, extensively uses the hexagonal beehive motif and serves a wide array of cuisines. Welcome to the Hive Kitchen and Bar, the latest entrant to the Green Park Main Market, which is slowly becoming as busy at night as by day. "After being a social media influencer for so many years,I realized the importance of networking. That is when I imagined a place where people could come together to enjoy a meal or a drink and network. This is my first venture in the restaurant business and I hope it will be amongst many ventures in the future," the eatery's co-founder, Abhinav Mathur, a lawyer by profession, told IANS. As I took a seat beside a large window that allowed me a partial view of the market, I was greeted with a red wine with orange caramelised honey as a welcome drink. As I gazed around the restaurant, I realised what creates the atmosphere is perhaps the lighting. It softens the edges of the wooden, chic furniture and lends the place a hazy, almost tipsy air. In fact, the interiors seemed to be an amalgamation of New York attic grunge and a Parisian cafe. It has been intelligently designed to serve both party-goers and families together at different levels of the outlet. The lower level is in a cheerful cafe style and the upper level is the pub-cum lounge area with aesthetic, monocycle bar stools and chic industrial furniture. The food menu is much inspired, introduces the concept of "dinner theatre", with some interesting, tempting options on the list, a combination of light finger food and Spanish tapas that sit well with a round of cocktails. "The alcohol selection in the bar is for mature lovers of premium spirits accompanied by a small plates' menu that allows you to pair your favourite short eats with the drinks," Mathur pointed out. The kitchen serves lively world fare with diverse flavours: Moroccan tagine cuisine, hearty Italian dishes and Spanish tapas-style finger food with a touch of fusion. Among the others are Saked sea bass with hummus, mint & tahini served with quinoa tabbouleh and braised lamb shank served with mashed potatoes. FAQs: Location: S-27,Green Park, Main Market Cost for two: Rs.2,000 (including alcohol) Timings: 11am - 12:45am (Shamshad can be contacted at shamshad.a@ians.in) New Delhi : Considering that 2015 was an extraordinary year for the global environmental movement for saving the planet, 2016 has begun with a bland and flat business-as-usual. I had heard European Parliament President Martin Schulz's intervention after the climate agreement was adopted in Paris on Dec 12, 2015. "Historic is an often-abused adjective in politics, but today's agreement deserves this qualification", he had said. Interestingly, less than 50 days later, another adjective has emerged in the US on the climate change issue during the presidential debates among Republican and Democratic candidates. "Callous" is that adjective used to describe the attitude of the candidates, and even the moderators of the debate on climate change. The most crucial election in the world to elect a leader in the most powerful country is now signaling the true fate of the Paris climate agreement. Benjamin Franklin, the first US ambassador to France, is credited with creating the world's first bifocal lens. Tired of switching between two pairs of glasses, Franklin cut two sets of lenses in half and assembled them in a frame. The Paris summit did exactly that after two groups of countries haggled for more than two decades about their distinct history of carbon emission and future road map to de-carbonize the development space. Tired of these wrangles, the Paris summit succeeded in forging the two groups in such a way that both serve a common purpose with differentiated responsibility. The significant success of bringing the two blocks together can be attributed to honesty and French diplomacy. Interestingly, it was American diplomacy that raised a literally last-minute issue about an innocent and decent four-letter word - shall - that almost cracked the bifocal frame assembled so carefully by French presidency. That was in article 4 in its fourth para, that was earlier missed by American team. When it was noticed, all hell broke and the whole COP-21 came to a halt. French efforts with seductive diplomacy turned into bizarre show of calls behind the curtain. The sentence that made the American delegate pull the chain in the running train was the sentence: "Developed country Parties shall continue taking the lead by undertaking economy-wide absolute emission reduction targets. Developing country Parties should continue enhancing their mitigation efforts." English dictionaries, including American editions, explain that "shall" expresses certain laws, rules and events that are intended to be certain in the future. It gives a legally binding coloor to the sentence. "Should" is used to express advisability, possibility or making suggestions, permissibility, making propositions and recommendations that has colour of encouragement. What happened next for nearly an hour in that high frequency excitement is the subject of classical case study in modern multilateral diplomacy. It was conveyed by the US that either the French presidency change the word to "should" or the Americans would not support it. It was, indeed, too late to fail the Paris agreement. The sentence was changed to: "Developed country Parties should continue taking the lead by undertaking economy-wide absolute emission-reduction targets." Witnessing that high-octane development, sitting and waiting in the delegates' hall and corresponding at TGV speed on WhatsApp with my friends in the frontline of negotiations, I was not baffled. I had seen such terse turns, tricky trials and turbulent tribulations in environmental diplomacy before. What baffled me was what triumphed at the end of that drama - a spirit of "we shall", passing the phase of "we should". Without such "we shall" instinct proactively demonstrated by the developing countries, the Paris Summit would have opened yet another round of negotiations for next two decades. But the French presidency's seductive gravel went down to adopt the Paris agreement. The American drama in the "green room" was brought on stage with a script that was read out by the UNFCCC secretariat as a "typographical error", which of course was a cover-up. Earlier drafts clearly indicated "shall" and were overlooked by the Americans. It all boils down to the fact that US did not want the Paris agreement to be legally binding, because the Republican dominated Senate would never approve it. The verb "should" would give a developed country the freedom from legality. While presenting the draft agreement, French Foreign Minister and COP-21 president Laurent Fabius described it as "ambitious and balanced, fair, sustainable, dynamic and legally binding". French President Francois Hollande just described it as "binding" as did the UN press release issued immediately after Hollande's gravel went down. International legal experts say any agreement is not binding in so far as it does not provide for coercive or punitive mechanism for countries that fail to comply with their commitments. If the states that would ratify the Paris agreement want to just walk out of commitment, there is no provision to deter them. The intent, however, as can be read from the Paris pact is that legally binding policies on compliances would emerge in future. As per the agreement, countries are required to re-convene every five years, starting in 2020, with updated plans that would tighten their emission cuts and starting in 2023, to publicly report on how they are doing so. Considering the on-going presidential debate in the US, those dates appear to be, to use another adjective, a "distant" dream that does not show any sign of getting ready. Benjamin Franklin's quote, loaded with verbs, says: "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." (31.01.2016 - Rajendra Shende, a former director of the UNEP, is chairman of the TERRE Policy Centre. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at shende.rajendra@gmail.com) Los Angeles, Jan 31 : Actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Idris Elba won the big honours at the 22nd Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, which focussed on diversity amongst winners, especially in the wake of the Oscars controversy. Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra was among the presenters at the awards gala. The annual awards show took place at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall here on Saturday night, reports hollywoodreporter.com. Elba, who failed to earn a nomination at the upcoming 88th Academy Awards, clinched the trophies for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in "Beasts of No Nation" and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for his performance in "Luther". While introducing a clip from "Beasts of No Nation", Elba took a dig at the lack of diversity in this year's Oscars' nominations. "Ladies and gentleman, welcome to diverse TV," Elba said. DiCaprio, whose 2015 film "The Revenant" is up for 12 nominations (maximum this year) at the Oscars, including the nomination for Academy Award in the Best Actor in a Leading Role for him, won the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role award for his role in the Alejandro G. Inarritu directorial. The Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role award was taken by Brie Larson for her role of a fiercely protective mother in "Room". While the stars of biographical drama film "Spotlight" took the honour for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, the cast of "Downton Abbey" won the award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series trophy was given to the cast of "Orange Is the New Black". While taking the award, actress Laura Prepon also put light on the "#OscarsSoWhite" controversy. Meanwhile, Priyanka, who flaunted a pink off-shoulder gown at the awards, presented the trophy for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series to Kevin Spacey for "House of Cards". "How to Get Away With Murder" actress Viola Davis took home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. Among other winners were Uzo Aduba, who won the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series award for "Orange Is the New Black"; Jeffrey Tambor, who clinched the trophy for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for "Transparent"; and "The Danish Girl" actress Alicia Vikander, who was honoured with the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron-starrer "Mad Max: Fury Road", which is nominated in 10 categories (second highest) at this year's Oscars, won the award for Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture. Fantasy drama series "Game of Thrones", which is all set for the premiere of its sixth season later this year, was given the award for Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series. The biggest highlight of SAG Awards was the focus it put on diversity while picking up winners. Nominations for the SAG Awards, which cover both film and TV, were announced in December, ahead of the Oscars' January 14 nominations announcement, which provoked protest when all the Oscar acting nominationss went to white performers. The 88th Academy Awards will take place on February 28 here. Visakhapatnam, Jan 31 : Violence broke out in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district on Sunday as thousands of protestors from Kapu caste set afire a train and blocked rail and road traffic, police said. The protestors also set afire a police station in Tuni, a town in East Godavari district, about 100 km from Visakhapatnam. All trains between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam and the vehicular traffic on Chennai-Kolkata national highway came to a halt as thousands of protestors squatted on the tracks and the highway. The violence broke out around 3 p.m. during a massive public meeting organized by Kapu State Committee at Tuni to demand the government to include Kapus in the backward classes list and provide them reservation. Kapu leaders declared that they will not leave tracks and highways till the government issues an order to meet their demand. Soon the protestors marched towards the track and stopped Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada Ratnachal Express near Tuni railway station. They attacked the engine and set afire eight bogies after ordering passengers to get down. A railway official said no one was injured in the incident but the passengers including women and children ran in panic. The protestors later attacked Tuni railway station and ransacked the furniture. Four railway employees were injured. The agitators also set afire Tuni rural police station. Five policemen were injured in the stone pelting. Dozens of trains were stopped at various stations in coastal Andhra due to the violence and the presence of protestors on the track. With situation going out of control, additional forces were rushed to the region. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu called an emergency meeting of his cabinet colleagues and top officials in Vijayawada. Trouble began soon after M. Padmanabham, a senior leader Kapu leader, announced at the public meeting that they will not tolerate any further delay. "We will not move from highways and tracks till the government issues an order," he said amid loud cheers from tens of thousands who had gathered from different parts of the state. The Kapu leaders were angry with the ruling TDP for not implementing its poll promise to include Kapus in BC list. Ramallah, Feb 1 : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told US Secretary of State John Kerry that it is important to back the French initiative for holding an international conference for peace in the Middle East. A report published by the Palestinian state-run news agency (WAFA) quoted Nabil Abu Rdineh, an aide to President Abbas as saying that Kerry telephoned Abbas, who is currently in Amman, Xinhua reported. Abu Rdineh stated to Wafa that the telephone conversation between the two men focused on the French initiative. "President Abbas stressed to Kerry that he welcomes the initiative and it is necessary to back it, end the current stalemate and create the proper atmosphere to end the Israeli occupation," said Abu Rdineh. The Palestinian presidency had earlier on Friday welcomed the declaration of French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius that his country will soon renew its efforts to move up its project of holding an international peace conference to succeed the two-state principle between Israel and Palestine." Israel criticised the French initiative and said that it would encourage the Palestinians not to make concessions for peace, where the US expressed reservations. Algiers, Feb 1 : Algerian army troops on Sunday arrested nine illegal immigrants in the province of Ouargla, 800 km of the capital Algiers, defence ministry said in a statement. The arrested people in question possessed a hunting rifle and cartridges, added the statement. Even if there was no reference to a probable link between this arrest and recruitment of Moroccans to fight in Libya, the Algerian government has already warned about the existence of Moroccan nationals who join to Daech ranks in Libya through Algerian territory, Xinhua reported. Last week, the Algerian Minister for Maghreb Affairs, the African Union and the Arab League, Abdelkader Messahel, had summoned the ambassador of Morocco to Algeria to inform him of the existence of "massive and unusual" flow of Moroccan nationals heading to violence ridden Libya through Algeria. Soon after this remarks, the Algerian authorities on Friday suspended flights between Algiers and Tripoli until further notice. Helsinki, Feb 1 : Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila said on Sunday his plan to house a refugee family at his private property did not progress as originally expected. Last September, Sipila pledged to give his second private residence, located in northern Finland, for use as a home for refugees. He said that this pledge is still valid, but the newcomers must wait, Xinhua reported. His September pledge got international publicity at the time. Sipila told Finnish national radio Yle on Sunday that security specialists considered the vast publicity had created security issues. Sipila did not specify what kind of security issues he meant, but there have been attacks on asylum seekers' accommodations throughout Finland. Not all local residents were pleased with Sipila's initial decision. At the time, Sipila's announcement was viewed by many as a gesture as well. New Delhi : Title: My Father, The Villain - The Life and Times of Madan Puri; Author: Kamlesh Puri; Publisher: Bloomsbury India; Pages: 224; Price: Rs.499 Out of all actors, those portraying villains have it the hardest. They usually get their just desserts onscreen but the odium around them doesn't dissipate with the film's end and still influences people, though this is an abiding reflection of their skills, not character. This is especially true for Bollywood. Its iconic and reviled villains were the most respected, and gentle people in the real world, be it Pran, Prem Chopra, Amjad Khan and especially Madan Puri - and we owe a debt of gratitude for their families for acquainting us with the real person and what they thought of their notoriety! But it is not easy to overcome widespread and pervasive public perception, as this book's title, and a telling anecdote of watching one of his father's unspeakable actions onscreen, indicates. How you do portray your father if his biggest claim to fame was his villainy - the portraying of it onscreen, that is? Well, you could cite his simple principled life outside with the professional aspects kept apart, always remaining grounded to his middle-class moorings and family values and ensuring the children followed it too. And Lt. Col. Puri (retd.), the actor's second son, presents an endearing account of one of Bollywood's most accomplished actors, whose presence in movies was so pervasive - and expected - that a popular saying then was "that if you wanted to make a movie then all you needed was an Arriflex camera, some raw film and Madan Puri". Madan Puri's career spanned four decades from the heyday of K.L. Saigal to Amitabh Bachchan and saw him in over 400 films, mostly as an egregious, inveterate, and chronic villain - though he had begun as a hero and later switched to roles of a kindly elder. The account takes us through most of this, though not in detail but making it up with some captivating anecdotes - such as the one about Dharmendra and the female fan. Though most people only know Madan Puri as Amrish Puri's elder brother, we also learn he came from a family, broadminded (for those days) enough not to scorn the acting profession, was not the first of his siblings to join and shine in films, and was never seduced by the trappings of the glamour world. Madan Puri managed his entire career from a place on the carpet (where he also slept) in a modest two-room apartment on R.P. Masani Road in Matunga. This road - when when the family moved there in around 1945 - had come to be known as Punjabi Gully due to the number of Punjabi members of the film fraternity living there - Prithviraj Kapoor and his entire family, Manmohan Krishna, Lekh Tandon, J.K. Nanda but also K.N.Singh, Anil Biswas, Jairaj, Phani Mazumdar, Sitara Devi, Manna Dey, Raj Khosla, and Kanhaiyya Lal among others, and we are treated to compelling and colourful account of life there at its peak. Madan Puri, whose first starring performance was a 1936 play at Simla's Gaiety Theatre (where Pran was the female lead!), moved to Bombay in 1945, when he was helped into films by Saigal, a first cousin. Though he began as a hero, these films never clicked and he found his niche as a villain - on the suggestion of Dev Anand - and began an eventful career which, among other high points, saw him possibly the only actor to portray a villainous Chinese character thrice. Kamlesh Puri, who also weaves in his and other relatives' life stories in his narrative, confesses that he started too late - over a quarter century after his father's death in 1985 - thus robbing him of chances to talk to several of his father's contemporaries who had also departed the world in this span, but has still managed a creditable job. It is not only a rare account of a prolific and multi-facetted character actor who saw himself as "the aloo-pyaz that can be put in any Bollywood dish", but also in essence of the craft of acting itself, and of the development of Bollywood - though the first would be enough for film aficionados. (Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in) New Delhi, Feb 1 : India and Afghanistan on Monday signed an agreement on allowing their diplomats visa-free travel. The agreement was signed as Afghan Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Council of Ministers Abdullah Abdullah called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. "Promoting stronger diplomatic ties. During CE @DrAAbdullah`'s visit, India & Afghanistan sign agreement on visa free travel for diplomats," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted "Sustained engagement with Afghanistan. Chief Executive @DrAAbdullah meets PM @narendramodi in Delhi," he stated in an earlier tweet. Abdullah Abdullah, who arrived here on Sunday on a five-day visit to India, is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. He will leave for Jaipur on Tuesday where he will attend a conference on counter-terrorism. 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. Wellington, Feb 1 : New Zealand welcomed a record 121,900 migrants, mostly from Asia in 2015, the government statistics agency said on Monday. According to Statistics New Zealand, the country had a net gain - more arrivals than departures - of 5,500 migrants in December, down from the record high of 6,200 in November, Xinhua news agency reported. Of the migrant arrivals in 2015, 25,300 were from Australia, 14,500 were from India, with three-quarters having student visas, and 11,000 were from China, with almost half having student visas. Around 13,400 came from Britain, with almost half having work visas. It resulted from a record 121,900 migrant arrivals and 57,000 migrant departures, said a statement from the agency. Reserve Bank of New Zealand governor Graeme Wheeler said last week that continued strong net migration, along with tourism, would help raise New Zealand's slowing economic growth this year. New Delhi, Feb 1 : The Supreme Court on Monday slammed the Gujarat government for not implementing the National Food Security Act, asking if it was not part of India or wanted to break away. Taking exception to the Gujarat government's stand that it had not implemented the food security act since it had some issues with the law, a bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice N.V. Ramana asked: "You have to tell us whether you believe in parliament of India or law passed by it. If not, then why?" Asking if Gujarat was "unique", the court said its stand amounted to "undermining" the law. "The National Food Security Act extends to the whole of India. How can Gujarat say it will not be implemented?" Saying that Gujarat's stand was "sad", the court asked: "What is parliament of India doing? What is the government doing?" Can a state say that it would not implement the law passed by the parliament because it has some issues, the court asked Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar as he tried to argue that law was an enabling provision. The bench said if the court was to accept Gujarat's stand, other states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana etc too would say that they will not implement the said law because Gujarat was not doing so. "Do you see the consequences of it (Gujarat's stand)," the court asked. "Tomorrow, some other states will say they will not implement the Code of Criminal Procedure, Indian Penal Code or the Evidence Act as they have issues with the provisions of these laws," the court observed. The court's rap came during the hearing of a public interest litigation by NGO Swaraj Abhiyan seeking relief for people living in drought-affected states. The court said that central government would be in touch with Gujarat, Haryana and Bihar who have not declared drought in their states as of now. The court order came as it was told by Ranjit Kumar that Gujarat, Haryana and Bihar don't think that drought-like situations prevails in their states. Meanwhile, counsel Prashant Bhushan appearing for Swaraj Abhiyan told the court that distinction between priority and non-priority sections of people should be dune away and everyone should be given 35 kg of rice or wheat, two kg of Dal, one kg of edible oil per month and one egg or 200 ml of milk every day. Beijing, Feb 1 : Over 137 million foreign tourists will visit China in 2016, a jump of 2.5 percent from the previous year, authorities said on Monday. This would be the second year of growth in inbound tourism after the country saw years of decline in foreign tourists since 2011, the China Daily reported. During the annual meeting held on January 29, the China National Tourism Administration set its development goal for 2016 with international tourism revenue this year expected to reach $121 billion, an increase of 6.5 percent. Earlier, the China Tourism Academy, a think tank under the China National Tourism Academy, also confirmed the trend. It predicted more than 138 million overseas tourists would visit China. Li Shihong, deputy head of administration, said second and third tier cities, as well as small towns including Wuzhen in Zhejiang province, Yueyang in Hunan province and Tongli in Jiangsu province will play a leading role in attracting overseas tourists. "Second and third tier cities and small towns have unique culture symbols, beautiful landscape and have persevered history in their daily lives better (than modern cities). All those are attractive factors to frequent visitors to China," said Li. "Besides, the high-speed railway network has connected small towns and also made them more accessible than before. It is a great timing for them to develop inbound tourism industry." Chennai, Feb 1 : India's second largest carmaker Hyundai Motor India Ltd. on Monday said its total sales last month, including exports, went down marginally by 1.2 percent. In a statement here, the company said it sold 44,230 units (domestic 38,016 units, exports 6,214 units) last month -- down from 44,783 units (domestic 34,780 units, exports 10,003 units) sold during January 2015. "Hyundai started the year with a positive note registering the domestic volume of 38,016 units with a growth of 9.3 percent over last year," Rakesh Srivastava, senior vice president -- sales and marketing, was quoted as saying in the statement. New Delhi, Feb 1 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday accused the BJP of using Delhi Police as a "private army" -- after a video showed policemen thrashing students protesting here two days ago. Delhi Police "being used by BJP/RSS as their (private) army to terrorize and teach (a) lesson to anyone opposing the BJP/RSS," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader tweeted. "I strongly condemn (the) attack on students" on January 30, he added. The video, released by the AAP, showed policemen both in uniform and in civilian clothes charging at students from the Jawaharlal Nehru University and beating them with lathis. Some officers were also caught on the camera fisting and thrashing student activists, and physically pushing them to the ground. Delhi Police has not denied the authenticity of the video. Referring to the earlier student protests at the Film and Television Insitute of India (FTII) and Hyderabad University, Kejriwal said: "FTII, Rohith case, Hyd Univ, IITs and now brutal attack on Delhi students. "Modi government seems to be at war with students all across." Delhi Police does not report to the Kejriwal government but to the central home ministry and Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung. Mumbai, Feb 1 : Actor Arjun Kapoor tried his hand at cooking a Lebanese dish while shooting for his upcoming romantic comedy film "Ki and Ka", and even let the cast and crew of the film feast on it. The actor is said to be fond of Lebanese food. And when he had to cook a dish for a scene in the film, he even requested the chef of his favourite Lebanese restaurant to come to the sets and teach him how to prepare it. Arjun prepared a dish called Seven Spice Arabic Chicken. Since several scenes were shot capturing Arjun cook at different stages of the dish, the actor actually prepared the delicacy, which the rest of the cast and crew feasted on once the scene was successfully shot, said a source from the sets of the film. "Everyone on the sets loved it and were literally fighting over it. The makeshift kitchen set was a fully functional one and Arjun had a blast trying his hand at cooking," the source added. Directed by R. Balki "Ki and Ka" also features actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who plays a career-oriented woman in love with Arjun's character who's a house husband. Releasing on April 1, the film will also see megastar Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya Bachchan in a cameo. Mumbai, Feb 1 : Director Abhishek Sharma of "Tere Bin Laden" says his next movie zooms in on the much talked about issue of 'intolerance' in the country. Sharma, who has a knack for making satirical movies, shared: "Currently, I am writing a film. My next film 'Humein Aitraz Hai' is based on the intolerance issue in the country. This is an issue we need to talk about. Our country is very great, where you have freedom and we should utilise it without offending anyone." As of now, Sharma is busy promoting "Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive". Talking about his satirical style, he said: "First we made 'Tere Bin Laden' in such a way that it did not offend the real Osama. Until you are not offending anyone, it's your right to make such films." The sequel to "Tere Bin Laden" stars Sikandar Kher, Piyush Mishra and Pradyuman Singh. It will release on February 19. Panaji, Feb 1 : Construction and real estate development in areas where coconut trees have been cut should be banned, the Goa unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) demanded on Monday. The opposition, meanwhile, continued to badger the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government over the controversial new law which derecognises coconut palms as trees. "To save Goa's coconut trees, the BJP should come out with an ordinance to ensure that areas where coconut trees are chopped should be barred for construction. Only agricultural activity should be allowed in these areas," Nationalist Congress Party senior vice president Trajano D'Mello told reporters on Monday. The comment comes two days after forest minister Rajendra Arlekar, while denying any ulterior motive behind the change in official nomenclature, said that the Goa, Daman and Diu Protection of Trees Act, 1984 had been changed so that farmers could replace existing coconut varieties with newer breeds which have better yield. "Goan varieties now produce on an average about 32 coconuts per tree every year, but new varieties produce 300 to 350 coconuts per tree, per year. The old trees need to be replaced with new ones and to do that under the earlier law needed a lot of formalities," Arlekar said on Saturday. During the recently concluded winter session of the Goa legislative assembly, the government had passed a controversial amendment to the Goa, Daman and Diu Protection of Trees Act, 1984, to formally derecognise the coconut palm as a tree. The move had invited a lot of criticism from the opposition, coalition partners as well as from civil society both in India and abroad. Soon after the act was passed in the state legislative assembly, Opposition MLAs as well as civil society activists alleged several instances where chunks of coconut groves were chopped to make way for development of the land for real estate and industrial projects. Sydney, Feb 1 : Australia and Pacific island countries are on high alert for the mosquito-borne Zika virus that has been linked to severe birth defects, the media reported on Monday. "There is great deal that remains unknown about the Zika virus, but the reports and suspected links to birth defects and neurological problems mean that this threat must be taken very seriously," Xinhua news agency reported citing Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. Australian authorities have implemented measures to check the spread of the virus through the Torres Strait with monitoring in the nation's remote north already underway, Xinhua said. "We'll monitor closely through the Torres Strait. We already do that with a number of infectious diseases," Queensland state health minister Cameron Dick said. Dick said the Zika virus does not pose a significant health risk to Queensland "at this time ... but we're going to continue to monitor that". Zika carrying mosquitoes are endemic to tropical and sub-tropical environments. There are currently no reported cases of Zika in Australia. Though the World Health Organisation (WHO) is convening an emergency meeting in Geneva later in the day to determine its response to the spread of the virus, vaccine manufacturers have said a vaccine for wide-scale public use is months, if not years away. Current efforts to combat Zika are focused on protecting people from being bitten and on eradicating mosquitoes, a tough task for many parts of the poverty stricken Pacific islands that have been saving water from the El Nino enforced drought, inadvertently providing a breeding ground for the disease spreading insect. Edinburgh, Feb 1 : Fresh weather warnings were issued on Monday as Scotland prepared for the arrival of storm Henry. According to the Met Office, gusts of 70-80mph were expected widely, with 90mph gusts possible in exposed areas, especially in the west, BBC reported. All schools in the Western Isles were ordered closed and some rail services were also likely to be suspended later in the day. The office will issue an amber "be prepared" alert which will remain in force until 9.00 a.m. on Tuesday. Lesser yellow "be aware" warning were in place for Northern Ireland, Wales and northern England. "Gale to severe gale-force, west to south-westerly winds are expected to develop on the southern and western flanks of this system, firstly affecting western Scotland from late afternoon before progressing east through the evening and overnight," said the assessment by the Met Office chief forecaster. "Storm-force winds are likely in the most exposed areas. Winds should ease early on Tuesday morning as the system clears away to the north east," it said. New Delhi, Feb 1 : Just two days after students protesting over the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula were reportedly assaulted here while marching towards the RSS office, the social media is abuzz with condemnation of the act, with Bollywood actor Swara Bhaskar decrying the "brutal" and "unprovoked" action of Delhi Police. In an email sent to media, an indignant Swara said: "It was a peaceful students' march in support of late Rohith Vemula calling for justice. They were simply raising the usual slogans when they were disrupted by Delhi Police in the most brutal way. May I add that the police action was totally unprovoked." Swara has also expressed her views on Twitter and Facebook, where she has shared a link of a video showcasing the policemen's baton-charge on the student protestors. The video has gone viral online. Talking about it, Swara told IANS: "The most damning aspect perhaps is, that apart from police, there are also some random goons who are hitting men and also women. This act happened in the presence and under the watch of Additional DCP Mr. Kalsi." Swara Bhaskar, who belongs to Delhi and is the daughter of well known strategic analyst C Uday Bhaskar, is among a new crop of young, well educated and aware actors who do not hesitate to speak out against social wrongs and community injustices and take to social media to voice their opinions fearlessly. According to a Delhi Police official, the students manhandled the police team. "The protestors were stopped at the barricade by a police team and asked to continue their protest peacefully but they broke the barricade. They also manhandled the police team when they were stopped," Deputy Commissioner of Police Parmaditya told IANS. The officer said he was unaware that the protestors were assaulted by policemen. Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi, Feb 1 : Whistle-blower bar owner Biju Ramesh on Monday opened a new can of worms in Kerala, alleging that Rs.2 crore was paid to then state Congress president Ramesh Chennithala and Rs.25 lakh to Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar as bribes. Both leaders denied the charge. Refuting Ramesh's allegation, Chennithala, who is now the home minister, said that every time money is received as party fund, it is not only accounted but also audited. Sivakumar also denied it, saying he deals with health issues and not with bars. Ramesh had earlier alleged that bribes were paid to Excise Minister K. Babu and Finance Minister K.M. Mani -- both of whom later resigned. On Monday, he said the bar owners paid Rs.2 crore to Chennithala and Rs.25 lakh to Sivakumar. "We (bar owners) handed over the money to Chennithala at his office in the state party headquarters and it was given to see that government policies when taken will not affect the bar owners. "The money to Sivakumar was paid to his staff," Ramesh told reporters. State Congress president V.M. Sudheeran said things will have to be found out. UDF leader Antony Raju told the media that the government has got "valuable leads" about the conspirators behind these revelations, and in the next few days more details will be coming out. Meanwhile, Babu, who resigned after a lower court ordered further probe into the allegation of bribe given to him, returned to office on Monday, after the ruling United Democratic Front asked him to take back his resignation as the Kerala High Court gave him a reprieve. "Who does not know that all that has happened in the bar issue is nothing but a well-planned conspiracy," Babu said after resuming office in the state secretariat. Islamabad, Feb 1 : A Pakistani minister has said that Islamabad had always kept the Kashmir dispute on the top of the agenda in its talks with India, but terrorists seem to be toppling it, media reported on Monday. Pervaiz Rashid, the federal minister for information and technology, said here on Sunday that terrorist activities have dealt a serious blow to the Kashmir cause, the Nation reported. The foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India are expected to meet in Islamabad this month to work out the schedule and agenda for talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries later. Raigad (Maharashtra), Feb 1 : At least 10 college students, including three girls, have drowned in the Arabian Sea at Murud Beach in Raigad district, around 150 km south of Mumbai, police said here on Monday. The students were part of a group of around 130 from Pune's A. Inamdar College and had come to the picturesque Murud beach for a picnic, Superintendent of Police Suvez Haque said. So far, of an estimated 20-22 students who had gone into the sea, four girls have been rescued till late afternoon and a search continues for the others. College Principal P.A. Inamdar told mediapersons that the senior students, studying computer science, had gone on a college-sponsored annual picnic accompanied by five staff members and other support staff. "We are shocked by this tragedy. We are making all efforts to help the students and their families with the help of the local villagers and police. A team of our trustees has already left Pune for Raigad for rendering further assistance," Inamdar said. According to available information, the number of casualties may go up as some more students were reporting missing in the water. Rescue operations are underway in full swing by locals and the Raigad police with help from nearby police stations. Kabul, Feb 1 : At least 17 people were killed and 25 wounded when a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up trying to enter a police building in Afghanistan's capital Kabul. The area was sealed off by police as ambulances rushed to the scene of what witnesses described as a powerful blast on Monday, reports Al Jazeera. "The suicide bomber blew himself up in front of a civil order police building in the centre of the city," the TV report said. The blast took place in Dehmazang area. Earlier, General Mohammad Ayoub Salangi, a top police official, posted on his official Twitter account: "In the Dehmazang square suicide attack, 10 people have been reportedly killed and 20 wounded. Most of them are civilians." The attack comes five days before another scheduled round of peace talks in the presence of Afghan, Pakistan, Chinese and the US officials. Kabul was hit by a series of suicide attacks last month, including one that killed seven journalists from a private television station, as the Taliban stepped up its campaign against the West-backed government. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the incident. New Delhi, Feb 1 : Vice President Hamid Ansari left on Monday for a five-day visit to Brunei and Thailand. This will be the first visit by an Indian vice president to Brunei and the first in 50 years to Thailand. During his visit to Brunei from February 1 to 3, he will meet the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah. "Brunei has become an important partner and ally for India in the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)," Anil Wadhwa, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry, told the media here ahead of the visit. "Brunei has played a very important role as India-Asean coordinator from 2013 to 2015," he added. Brunei supported India's stand on Jammu and Kashmir and its candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. The trade volume between India and Brunei is about $1 billion, most of which is made up of crude oil. Potential gas requirements can also be met from Brunei. "Petroleum products as well as organic chemicals, metal ores and scraps are the other commodities that we import from Brunei," Wadhwa said. "Our main exports to Brunei consist of transportation equipment, meat and meat products and gems and jewellery." He said that during the visit, the issues that would come up for discussion are civil aviation, space, trade and investment, ICT and hydrocarbons. Memorandums of understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed on health and defence cooperation, Wadhwa said. Ansari will also address members of the Indian community. There are over 10,000 Indian professionals in Brunei and, according to Wadhwa, there is a great deal there for them, particularly those who were working as teachers and doctors. Ansari will then visit Thailand from February 3 to 5 at the official invitation of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Apart from holding a meeting with Prayut, Ansari will also have an audience with Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who is a scholar in Sanskrit, Wadhwa said. Ansari will deliver a speech on India's Look East and Act East policy at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and also address members of the Indian community. India-Thailand trade now stands at around $8.66 billion. Ansari will also briefly visit the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. "The relationship between India and Thailand has traditionally been very close," said Wadhwa, adding that Thailand was an important partner in India's strategic partnership with Asean. Beijing, Feb 1 : Five Chinese airlines on Monday signed an agreement to limit services to passengers deemed "uncivilised". Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Spring Airlines will record names of passengers who misbehave while in travelling with them, Xinhua news agency reported. The database will be shared among the airline companies in addition to tourism and civil aviation authorities. Those on the blacklist will be subject to limited services. The five companies, together with their subsidiaries, account for more than 80 percent of China's total air traffic capacity, according to the statement. In September 2015, four poorly behaved Chinese tourists were punished and placed on the "uncivilised tourists' behaviours" blacklist, according to the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). A flight delay at Bangkok airport irked Chinese tourists. The four blacklisted tourists encouraged other tourists to disobey public order at the airport, severely tarnishing the image of Chinese tourists, according to the CNTA. They will stay on the blacklist for up to three years, the CNTA said. The record was first introduced by CNTA in March 2015 amid growing concerns about the behaviour of some Chinese tourists. Patna, Feb 1 : As a Bihar court on Monday began hearing of a case against Lord Rama for exiling his wife Sita to forest as Ramayana narrates, it asked the petitioner who should be punished for an incident of such ancient times, a government lawyer said. "Judge of the court asked the petitioner soon after hearing in the case began, whom should he punish in such an ancient incident?" the lawyer said. The judge also asked the petitioner why has he filed a case in such an ancient incident and who will be his witness? "You have also not mentioned the date on which Rama ousted Sita and sent her to forest. And what is the basis of complaint," the judge posed, according to the lawyer. The petitioner said he approached the court to seek justice for Sita. "I am in court, begging for justice to Sita." The complaint-case was filed against Lord Rama and his brother Lakshman in the court of chief judicial magistrate in Sitamarhi on Saturday by lawyer Thakur Chandan Kumar Singh. In his petition, Singh said Rama sent Sita to a life in exile in a forest without any fault of her and there was no justification for doing it. Sita was exiled for no fault of hers. It was hypocritical order of King Rama. How can a man become so cruel towards his wife that he sends her to live in a forest alone? the petitioner said. The court admitted the case and fixed the hearing for February 1. "I have filed a case under Section 367/34 and other sections of the IPC, seeking direction of the court for justice to Sita in this regard," Singh said. He said as per Ramayana, Rama sent Sita to the forest after her purity was questioned by a washerman of his kingdom Ayodhya. Singh is a resident of Dumri Kala village under Majorganj police station. "Sita, who was a devoted wife, always fulfilled her duty in good and bad times with her husband. How could such a crime be committed against her? Rama also ignored how could a lonely woman spend time in deep forest," Singh said. Stating that Sita was daughter of Mithila in Bihar and justice was not done to her by Lord Rama, Singh said the aim of his petition was to seek justice for Sita. "My petition in the court is not to hurt religious sentiments." New Delhi, Feb 1 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday accused the BJP-RSS combine of misusing Delhi Police as a "private army" after a video showing policemen thrashing students protesters here surfaced. The Congress too joined in condemning the police action against students two days ago, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre of crushing dissent. In a tweet on Monday, Kejriwal said Delhi Police is "being used by the BJP/RSS as their (private) army to terrorise and teach (a) lesson to anyone opposing the BJP/RSS". "I strongly condemn (the) attack on students" on January 30, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader added. The video showed policemen in uniform and in civvies lathi-charging students of Jawaharlal Nehru University protesting against the suicide by Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula. Some officials were caught on camera using fisticuffs on student activists, including women, and pushing them to the ground. Delhi Police has not denied the authenticity of the video. Referring to earlier student protests at the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and Hyderabad University, Kejriwal said: "FTII, Rohith case, Hyd Univ, IITs and now brutal attack on Delhi students. Modi government seems to be at war with students all across." The Delhi Police does not report to the Kejriwal government but to the home ministry and Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung. The Congress too condemned the beating up of protesting students. "The Congress would like to put on record that this government has become completely apathetic to the voice of students, in addition to being anti-Dalit and anti-poor. They have time and again indulged in crushing dissent," Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said. "This insane crushing of dissent by using state machinery will not go down well with the youth of this country," he said. Raigad (Maharashtra), Feb 1 : At least 14 college students - part of a group of 130 on a picnic - drowned in the Arabian Sea at Murud Beach in Raigad district, around 150 km south of Mumbai, police said here on Monday. The toll is expected to rise as 10-12 students are still missing. The Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard deployed a Chetak helicopter and a speed boat besides police divers for the combined mega rescue operations. Among the victims are at least four girl students. Four girls were successfully rescued while another six have been rushed to nearby hospitals. The cause of the massive tragedy is still not clear. The students were part of a group of more than 130 from Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society's Abeda Inamdar College and had come to the picturesque Murud beach for a picnic, Superintendent of Police Suvez Haque said. The MCES president, P.A. Inamdar, told IANS that the 130 senior students, studying in first, second and third year B.Sc. (Computer Science) and BCA (Computer Applications), had gone on a college-sponsored annual picnic accompanied by at least five staff members and other support staff. "We are shocked by this tragedy. We are making all efforts to help the students and their families with the help of the local villagers and police. A team of our trustees has already left Pune for Raigad for rendering further assistance," Inamdar said. He added that the process of ascertaining the identity of the victims and informing their families is underway. According to available information, the number of casualties may go up as some more students were reporting missing in the waters. Rescue operations are underway in full swing by locals and the Raigad police with help from nearby police stations and now joined by Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. Meanwhile, thousands of tourists and locals gathered at the Murud Beach where the bodies of the victims were lined up even as grieving parents and relatives rushed to the college campus or to Murud. Jammu/Srinagar/New Delhi, Feb 1 : Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra on Monday asked the PDP and the BJP to meet him on Tuesday regarding government formation but the two appeared to be drifting apart. Political sources in Srinagar said that after being delayed by three weeks, government formation was looking increasingly a remote possibility. In Srinagar, PDP legislators met and asked their president Mehbooba Mufti to meet Vohra in the winter capital Jammu on Tuesday. "The MLAs authorized Mehbooba Mufti to convey the legislature party's views to the governor," senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar told reporters. The legislators did not elect Mehbooba Mufti, an MP, leader of the legislature party in the 87-member state assembly. Party leaders said the matter was not even discussed. The state came under Governor's Rule on January 8, a day after Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed -- Mehbooba's father -- died. He had headed an alliance of his PDP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mehbooba has said she would not stake claim to power in the state unless the central government gave assurances on time-bound implementation of the agenda of alliance between her party and the BJP. She is not a member of the hung assembly and represents Anantnag in the Lok Sabha. There has been speculation that she may ditch the BJP and embrace the Congress and smaller parties. BJP state president Sat Pal Sharma meanwhile flew to New Delhi with former deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh and Lok Sabha MP Jugal Kishore and met party general secretary Ram Madhav and president Amit Shah. Earlier in the day, Sharma said in Jammu that there were no preconditions from the BJP vis-a-vis the PDP. He also said there were no differences between the two parties and hoped that an elected government comprising the PDP and BJP would soon be in place in the state. But he ruled out any further assurances on the alliance agenda. Sources told IANS that BJP has decided not to bow before any pressure from PDP. "Our stand is clear. PDP will have to come forward for the government formation. Let them decided a leader then we will take a call," a BJP leader told IANS on the conditions of anonymity. However, he added, "We have our own plans too if Mehbooba remains rigid to her decision. If she is planning to form government with Congress and others regional parties and independents, this will not be possible. Two of the legislators of Jammu and Kashmir People Conference led by Sajjad Gani Lone and one of the three independents are with us." Governor Vohra has asked both the PDP and the BJP to call on him on Tuesday to discuss government formation. Leaders of both parties will meet him separately. On Sunday, Mehbooba Mufti told her party colleagues she was was not ready to become the chief minister of the state "for nothing". The sources say it is now a game of brinkmanship between the PDP and the BJP. Meanwhile, Vohra is reported to have finalized a list of advisors he needs to run the country's only Muslim-majority state during Governor's Rule. Under its own constitution, the state can be under Governor's Rule for six months. If the governor is convinced there are no chances of a government taking power, he can recommend dissolution of the state assembly and seek fresh elections. Bhubaneswar, Feb 1 : Odisha Police rescued at least 515 missing children in January as part of its 'Operation Smile-II' programme, a top official said on Monday. Special Director General of Police (Crime) B.K. Sharma said 330 missing children, including 41 child labourers, were rescued in Odisha while 185 children were tracked down outside the state. "They have been handed over either to their parents or rehabilitated in child care institutions," a police statement said. In the first phase, police rescued 122 children in Odisha during January 1-15, while the rest were rescued in the later part of the month. Police and the Women and Child Development department, in a joint effort, carried out the operation from January 1 to rescue and rehabilitate the missing children. In the second phase, 10 police teams along with representatives from the Women and Child Development department visited many states, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, to trace the missing children. As many as 185 missing children were rescued from these states, the statement added. New Delhi, Feb 1 : Over 100 ABVP members protested against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday at Delhi University for "politicising" the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula. ABVP, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), had called for a two-day nationwide protest from January 31 to February 1 to condemn the alleged caste politics being played by the Congress. "We are protesting against the attempt to politicise the death of Rohith (Vemula). It is unfortunate that a bright scholar has lost his life and leaders like Rahul Gandhi are trying to get mileage by playing caste politics. This is equally condemnable," ABVP Delhi state secretary Saket Bahuguna told IANS. Vemula committed suicide on January 17 following his suspension along with four other Dalit students over an alleged clash with an ABVP leader. ABVP national general secretary Vinay Bidre on Sunday demanded an apolitical investigation into the suicide, besides a forensic investigation of the suicide note. Bahuguna also condemned police brutality on the students who were protesting outside the RSS office last Saturday. "Police should not have lathicharged them. ABVP does not support any such act against students. We strongly condemn this," Bahuguna said. On January 30, students protesting over the suicide of the Dalit research scholar were reportedly assaulted here while marching towards the RSS office. To disperse the students, police used excessive force on the students and lathicharged them. The protest over the suicide of Rohith in the University of Hyderabad intensified when Rahul Gandhi joined the agitators on the campus, observing a day-long fast on Saturday. Gurgaon, Feb 1 : An NRI, working with a private airline in Saudi Arabia, has been booked on charges of raping a divorcee in Gurgaon on the pretext of marrying her, police said on Monday. The 33-year-old woman, who works in a private firm at Delhi airport, lodged a complaint against the man named Kshitij. The woman said Kshitij came in contact with her through a person working in her company. He had come to India in November 2015 for a week and established physical relations with her on many occasions on the pretext of marrying her. She said Kshitij went back to Saudi Arabia and blocked her on various social networking sites as well as her phone numbers. Police have registered a case on charges of rape and criminal intimidation, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hawa Singh told IANS. Mumbai, Feb 1 : Caution over the upcoming monetary policy review, coupled with negative global indices and a weak rupee dented the Indian equity markets on Monday. This led to a barometer index of the Indian equity markets to close the day's trade on a flat-to-negative note -- down 46 points. Initially, both the bellwether indices of the Indian equity markets opened on a positive note, following their steep rise on last Friday. However, sentiments were soon subdued due to negative Asian markets, and selling pressure in the banking and the automobile sectors. Investors were also seen to be cautious ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) upcoming monetary policy review. The RBI is expected to conduct its sixth and the fiscal's final bi-monthly monetary policy review on February 2. Besides, a weak rupee unnerved investors. It weakened by six paise to close at 67.84 to a US dollar from its previous close of 67.78 to a greenback. "Rupee yo-yoed against the US dollar, thanks to the see-saw moves in domestic bond and equity markets. The BoJ's (Bank of Japan) lead risk-on failed to carry markets through today, as risk of competitive devaluations from other Asian countries, like China, has increased," Anindya Banerjee, associate vice president for currency derivatives with Kotak Securities, told IANS. "Rupee too weakened from the day's high of 67.64 to 67.84 levels on spot. Demand for US dollars from importers at lower levels supported the pair." Even the flat-to-negative European indices disappointed the Indian equity markets. In addition, investors seem to have ignored positives such as a rising PMI (Purchasing Managers index) for January and firm crude oil prices which stood around $33 to a barrel of 159 litres. The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) closed lower by 46 points, or 0.18 percent. Similarly, the wider 50-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) ended the day's trade flat. It inched down by eight points, or 0.10 percent, at 7,555.95 points. On the bright side, Nifty touched an intra-day high of 7,600 points -- first time since January 14. The S&P BSE Sensex, which opened at 24,982.22 points, closed at 24,824.83 points -- down 45.86 points or 0.18 percent from the previous day's close at 24,870.69 points. It touched a high of 25,002.32 points and a low of 24,788.58 points during the intra-day trade. The S&P BSE market breadth ended flat, though it marginally favoured the bulls -- with 1,423 advances and 1,278 declines. "Caution over RBI's monetary policy review and a weak rupee subdued investors' risk-taking appetite. Negative Asian markets and flat-to-negative European indices, too, dented sentiments," Anand James, co-head, technical research desk with Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services, told IANS. Vaibhav Agarwal, vice president and research head at Angel Broking, elaborated that markets ended in the red after trading in the positive territory for most part of the day. "We expect RBI to maintain status quo in tomorrow's bi-monthly monetary policy. Although CPI (Consumer Price Index) has inched up, it remains within the RBI targets," pointed out Agarwal. "Also, despite a weak IIP (Index of Industrial Production) data, we believe the RBI would follow a wait and watch approach and seek more clarity from the upcoming union budget, before taking a call." Nitasha Shankar, vice president for research with YES Securities, cited that Indian markets ended trade marginally in the red amidst thin volumes indicating a pause before it resumes a pullback rally. "Moreover, equity markets globally are witnessing profit booking post recent rise leading to this weakness in our markets. Broader markets, however, ended in the green outperforming the headline indices as high beta stocks witnessed buying interest," Shankar noted. "Banking index continued to be a major drag in trade as PSU (public sector undertaking) banks witnessed fresh round of selling dragging the PSU index down 3.5 percent." According to Shankar, metal, FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) and IT (information technology) indices ended in the green, while bank, auto, energy, media and pharma indices ended in red. The S&P BSE capital goods index augmented by 120.60 points, FMCG index gained 72.58 points and IT index swelled by 63.59 points. However, the S&P BSE banking index plunged by 246.93 points, automobile index receded by 60.95 points and finance index depleted by 26.33 points. The domestic institutional investors (DIIs) turned net sellers, while foreign institutional investors' (FIIs) were net buyers during the day's trade. The data with stock exchanges showed that DIIs divested Rs.535.70 crore, while the FIIs' picked up stocks worth Rs.253.88 crore. Major Sensex gainers during Monday's trade were Adani Ports, up 3.67 percent at Rs.220.50; Coal India, up 2.67 percent at Rs.328.60; Bharti Airtel, up 2.35 percent at Rs.296.50; Asian Paints, up 2.12 percent at Rs.887.25; and Cipla, up 2.07 percent at Rs.597.80. Major Sensex losers during the day's trade were ICICI Bank, down 5.63 percent at Rs.217.15; State Bank of India (SBI), down 3.92 percent at Rs.172.90; Maruti Suzuki, down 3.68 percent at Rs.3,946.80; Axis Bank, down 2.17 percent at Rs.399.30; and Hindustan Unilever, down 1.96 percent at Rs.800.90. Kolkata, Feb 1 : A Trinamool Congress leader, who was arrested for trying to board a Chennai-bound flight at the airport here with an unlicensed revolver and three rounds of cartridges, was on Monday sent to a day's police custody by a court. Naren Chakraborty, a senior Trinamool leader of Burdwan district, was arrested under the Arms Act on Sunday evening after he was caught by personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) posted at the check-in point of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. Chakraborty, also a top functionary of the Burdwan zila parishad, was allegedly found carrying the revolver and the cartridges, and could not show any valid licences. He was later handed over to the airport police station. Chakraborty was on Monday presented before a lower court, with the prosecution praying for a three-day police remand to check how he procured the gun and the ammunition. On the other hand, the defence counsel claimed that Chakraborty was framed by unscrupulous people who "planted" the revolver and the ammunition in his bag. "We asked for three days of police custody. The court, after considering all aspects, allowed a day's police remand," said a government lawyer. The court also asked the investigating officer to produce the case diary on Tuesday, when Chakraborty will again be presented before the court. According to police, Chakraborty had taken a chopper from Andal airport on Sunday afternoon and descended at the NSCBIA airport to catch an evening flight to Chennai. New Delhi, Feb 1 : The majority of the members of a team from the West Bengal Congress on Monday expressed their willingness for an alliance with the Left Front for the upcoming assembly polls, after meeting party vice president Rahul Gandhi. According to one of the members of the delegation of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, almost all members were against tying up with the Trinamool Congress. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will take a final call on a possible alliance. "We had a long discussion with our vice president Rahul Gandhi ji. I must appreciate that Rahul Gandhi ji gave us a patient hearing," the Congress's Bengal unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told media persons. "He (Gandhi) listened to us with rapt attention, although everyone present there expressed independent views. Rahul ji has assured us that all the views expressed will be taken into account. After having a threadbare discussion with Sonia ji, we will be sitting together again and at that time, the views of the Congress party will be announced," he said. On the possibility of an alliance with the Left Front, he said: "I cannot say that an alliance between the Congress and CPI-M has been done. "Rahul Gandhi assured us that in consultation with Sonia Gandhi, he will be able to conclude the chapter of alliance, either yes or no." Chowdhury is believed to be among those leaders who are of the view that an alliance with the Left Front was the only way to challenge the ruling Trinamool in Bengal. "Everybody expressed their views in the meeting. There were only few of them who said that the Congress should go alone in the polls," Chowdhury told IANS. Meanwhile, state Congress spokesperson Omprakash Mishra, who has been advocating a tie-up with the Left Front, said: "We hope that decisions on seat-sharing adjustments with the Left will be finalised soon. "We had a good meeting with Rahul ji and it was an interactive discussion. It was very democratic and transparent. "Everyone expressed their views and almost everybody pitched in for seat-sharing adjustments with the Left. Not a single member was in support of an alliance with the Trinamool Congress. Only two of them wanted that the Congress should contest the elections alone and (former state Congress chief) Manas Bhunia was one of them," Mishra told IANS. "To this, most of us gave an explanation that if we go alone, then we will get only 15-16 seats," Mishra added. Asked about Rahul Gandhi's reaction, Mishra said: "Rahul Gandhi ji said he was yet to get a complete picture of the situation and only after discussions with Congress president Sonia ji, he will be able to come to a conclusion." New Delhi, Feb 1 : Asking the government to act fairly instead of invoking technical objections, the Supreme Court on Monday asked it to make available to former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki, copies of all files and documents taken away from his office after it was sealed following the promulgation of President's rule in the state on January 26. The court has also directed that the copies of the hard disc of the computers and laptops of Tuki should be provided to him too. The court direction would also cover the former ministers and parliamentary secretaries in Tuki government. Besides this, the court said that all the private letters, books and files, if any, which came to be seized and which are in the custody of the administrator/chief secretary after their offices were sealed, should too be returned to them in original. Passing the direction be complied with by Friday (February 5), a constitution bench of Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghosh and Jutice N.V. Ramana said that the former chief minister and others should get a fair chance to rely on documents in support of their case. "We are of the view that certain records deserves to be furnished to the former chief minister and ministers whose offices have been sealed and from whose offices, files and documents have been taken away," the court said in its order. Asking Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to make available the copies of the documents taken away, the court said: "This is the basic fairness level. You are not giving them." Initially hesitant to give any document, Rohatgi told the court that all it had to examine is "whether there is material for the promulgation of President's rule and if (court is satisfied) it is there then everything else goes". But the court was not impressed with his argument. "You are on technicality. We are on fairness. Allow them to fight their own battles. If you have a sword, then you have to allow other side to have a sword too," said Justice Khehar. Seeking more time to provide the documents, Rohatgi said that it has to be seen that certain privileged documents are not given out. The court order came as senior counsel Fali Nariman who along with other senior counsel Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Dhavan and Vivek Tankha are leading the challenge to the President's rule urged the court that Tuki must get the copies of all the documents taken away from his office and official residence following Rajkhowa's directions on January 26. Nariman also sought the stay of January 26 memorandum issued by the governor dismissing the chief minister and his council of ministers. He said that under the President's rule, their functioning gets suspended and executive functions are performed by the governor but the chief minister and the council of ministers don't cease to exist. He said what Governor Rajkhowa has done was presenting a fait accompli wherein even if Presidential promulgation is set aside by the court, it would lead to fresh polls and not the automatic revival of Tuki government and described the action as "unprecedented". Also describing as "unprecedented" the governor's action in ordering sealing of their offices, Nariman said Tuki needed these documents to rely upon in his legal battle to establish the malafide and irrational acts of Rajkhowa. Pointing out that all these acts of the governor were being done in the name of the president, Nariman wondered if the president would have ever acted in such a way. Meanwhile, the court on Monday recalled its notice issued on January 27 to the governor on a plea by the Congress' chief whip Rajesh Tacho challenging the imposition of President's rule as Rohatgi referred to a constitution bench's judgment which had exempted governors and the president from court proceedings and notice could not be issued to them. New Delhi, Feb 1 : The AAP and the Congress on Monday hit out at the central government after a video showed Delhi Police attacking viciously students protesting against a Dalit student's suicide in Hyderabad. After initially trying to justify the police action on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students here on January 30, Delhi Police ordered a probe "for necessary action". The origin of the video was not clear. It appeared to have been shot by a student. It went viral after Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) shared it on its Twitter handle. The video showed policemen in uniform and in plainclothes raining lathisc on the students protesting against the January 17 suicide by Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula. Some officials were caught on camera using fisticuffs on the students, including women, and pushing them to the ground. A young woman who saw the beating said on Monday they would file an FIR against police. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Delhi Police was "being used by the BJP/RSS as their (private) army to terrorise and teach (a) lesson to anyone opposing the BJP/RSS. "I strongly condemn (the) attack on students," the AAP leader added. Referring to earlier student protests at the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and Hyderabad University, Kejriwal said: "FTII, Rohith case, Hyd Univ, IITs and now brutal attack on Delhi students. Modi government seems to be at war with students." Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia demanded the suspension of the police personnel. Another AAP leader, Sanjay Singh, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "immediately intervene and take action against the responsible police personnel". Delhi Police does not report to the Kejriwal government but to the central home ministry and Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said the Modi government "has become completely apathetic to the voice of students, in addition to being anti-Dalit and anti-poor. "This insane crushing of dissent by using state machinery will not go down well with the youth of this country," he said. Police did not deny the authenticity of the video, and ordered an inquiry to be supervised by Deputy Commissioner Parmaditya. Parmaditya told IANS that police were so far unaware of the assault. "The whole issue will be investigated. We will be able to comment on it only after it is over," he said. "We will take necessary action after the inquiry." He, however, accused the students of breaking police barricades and of misbehaving with police personnel. The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Monday issued notice to Delhi Police and demanded a report. In a notice to Joint Commissioner of Police Sunil Kumar Gautam, DCW chief Swati Maliwal said: "It is observed in the video that no female police personnel are present and male police personnel are beating protesters. "The video is extremely disturbing," she said, and sought the names and designations of the officers who approved the police action against the students. The Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) also condemned the assault and said that BJP government was using Delhi Police to crush the voice of students. New Delhi, Feb 1 : India has signed two bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APA) with Britain, said the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) here on Monday. In statement issued here, the CBDT said it has entered into two bilateral APAs with Britain on January 29. "With this signing, CBDT has concluded three bilateral APAs - the first one being a bilateral APA signed with Japan in December 2014," the statement said. According to the statement, the two bilateral APAs were signed with two Indian group entities of a Britain-based multi-national company (MNC). The APAs have been entered into soon after the competent authorities of India and Britain finalised the terms of the bilateral arrangement under the Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) process contained in the India-UK DTAA (Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement). The APAs cover the period 2013-14 to 2017-18 and also have a "rollback" provision for 2 years (2011-12 and 2012-13). With the signing of the bilateral APAs, the two Indian companies have been provided with tax certainty for 12 years each (5 years under MAP and 7 years under APA). This is a significant step towards providing a stable and predictable tax regime. The two APAs are also significant because they address the issues of payment of management and service charges and payment of royalty. These transactions generally face prolonged and multi-layered transfer pricing disputes. With this signing, CBDT has so far signed 41 APAs out of which 38 are unilateral and 3 are bilateral, the statement said. Imphal, Feb 1 : Human rights activists are demanding action against Manipur's police brass over a head constable's confession that he killed an unarmed former militant on the orders of his seniors. Thounaojam Heroijit, the head constable who has admitted to shooting an unarmed Chungkham Sanjit on July 23, 2009, has said Superintendent of Police Akoijam Jhalajit gave the order to kill. The senior officer reportedly said that both Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and then director general of police Yumnam Joykumar were in the know of the matter. Joykumar is now a prominent member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Manipur BJP president Thounaojam Chaoba has demanded the chief minister's resignation over the cold-blooded killing that has sent shockwaves across the state. Chaoba says Okram Ibobi should own moral responsibility for the ex-militant's death. Meanwhile, family members of Thokchom Rabina, who was killed a few minutes before Sanjit was shot dead, are demanding to know the identity of the policeman who killed her. The police version is that Sanjit killed her and that in the follow-up police action, he (Sanjit) got killed. Anand Meitei, president of the Threatened Indigenous Peoples Group, said a meeting of rights and civil society groups as well as families of the victims of staged encounters will be held on February 6. Activists say that in the last 30 years of violence in the state, at least 1,528 people have been killed in so-called "encounters". Some human rights activists wondered why Superintendent of Police Jhalajit had not filed a defamation case against Herojit if the latter was lying. Herojit earlier said he was staying with "some well-wishers" and he has spurned an offer of Home Minister Gaikhangam to accept security. Rome, Feb 1 : An explosion at a villa in northwest Italy killed a 76-year-old woman on Monday and injured Italian actor Gabriel Garko, who was treated in hospital for a head injury, cuts and grazes. The blast in the coastal city of Sanremo is believed to have been caused by a gas leak and occurred around 9 a.m. A part of the building collapsed, killing Maria Grazia Gugliermetti, who was crushed to death by falling masonry. Garko is due to appear at the popular Sanremo musical Festival next week, but his agent said it was too early to say if the 43-year-old actor would be fit enough to take part. Gugliermetti was the mother of the villa's owner. Riyadh, Feb 1 : Saudi Arabia on Monday put a man to death in the northern city of Tabuk for murdering another Saudi citizen, bringing to 56 the number of people executed this year. Ahmed al-Harbi was executed after he was convicted of stabbing and shooting Fahed al-Balawi during a dispute, the interior ministry said in a statement quoted by the state-run SPA news agency. Amid an ongoing spike in executions in the kingdom, Saudi authorities put 47 people to death for "terrorism" on a single day last month, including influential Shia cleric and political dissident Nimr al-Nimr. A vocal critic of the Saudi government, Nimr was among seven activists whose death sentences were upheld this year after they were arrested for taking part in protests in the predominantly Shia Eastern Province in 2011 and for urging political reform. Saudi Arabia executed at least 151 people between January and November last year, its highest recorded number of executions in two decades, according to Amnesty International. Most executions in Saudi Arabia are done by beheading with a sword and some by firing-squad. Murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death under the kingdom's strict Islamic legal code. Rome, Feb 1 : Italy has urged Egypt to locate an Italian doctoral student who "mysteriously disappeared" in Cairo on January 25, the foreign ministry said. "The Italian embassy in Cairo and the foreign ministry are closely following with great concern the fate of Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old student who has mysteriously disappeared in the centre of the Egyptian capital," said the ministry in a statement. Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni spoke on the phone with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry and asked him to "do his utmost" to trace Regeni and inform Italy on the student's condition. New Delhi, Feb 1 : Condemning the police action against student protestors in national capital, the Congress on Monday blamed the Centre for turning apathetic towards the voice of students and indulging in crushing dissent. A video released on Monday on social media showed policemen in uniform and in plain clothes lathi-charging students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University staging a protest over the suicide by Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad. "On a video widely doing the rounds of the social media, Delhi Police under the central government are seen brutally assaulting a silent protest by students of various Dalit organisations in front of the RSS headquarters," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said. "The policemen did not even spare women supporters. They are seen mindlessly pulling the hair of women students. We would like to put this on record that this government has become completely apathetic towards the voice of students in addition to being anti-Dalit and anti-poor. They have time and again indulged in crushing dissent." "The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are indulging in the worst kind of fascism and autocratic behaviour," he said. "This insane targeting and crushing dissent by using state machinery will not go down well with the youth of this country and we caution the Modi government to exercise restraint, otherwise more passions will ignite." New Delhi, Feb 1 : Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi during a meeting with partymen from West Bengal on Monday conceded that it was "not a wise decision" to contest so few seats in the 2011 assembly elections in alliance with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. At the meeting with a delegation of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, Gandhi asked all the leaders if the Trinamool would have won the 2011 elections without the Congress's support. Everyone present replied "no". "Following this, the Congress vice president conceded that the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress won that elections at the cost of the Congress and it was not a wise decision to contest the elections with so few seats (65)," said West Bengal Congress spokesperson Omprakash Mishra. The majority of the delegation members after meeting Gandhi expressed their willingness for an alliance with the Left Front for the upcoming assembly polls. According to one of the members, almost everyone was against tying up with the Trinamool Congress. C.P. Joshi, general secretary in charge of party affairs in West Bengal, was also present in the meeting. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will take a final call on a possible alliance. "We had a long discussion with our vice president Rahul Gandhi ji. I must appreciate that Rahul Gandhi ji gave us a patient hearing," Congress's Bengal unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told media persons. "He (Gandhi) listened to us with rapt attention, although everyone present there expressed independent views. Rahul ji has assured us that all the views expressed will be taken into account. After having a threadbare discussion with Sonia ji, we will be sitting together again and at that time, the views of the Congress party will be announced," he said. On the possibility of an alliance with the Left Front, he said: "I cannot say that an alliance between the Congress and CPI-M has been done." "Rahul Gandhi assured us that in consultation with Sonia Gandhi, he will be able to conclude the chapter of alliance, either yes or no." Chowdhury is believed to be among those leaders who are of the view that an alliance with the Left Front was the only way to challenge the ruling Trinamool in Bengal. "Everybody expressed their views in the meeting. There were only few of them who said that the Congress should go alone in the polls," Chowdhury told IANS. Meanwhile, Omprakash Mishra, who has been advocating a tie-up with the Left Front, said: "We hope that decisions on seat-sharing adjustments with the Left will be finalised soon." "We had a good meeting with Rahul ji and it was an interactive discussion. It was very democratic and transparent," he added. "Everyone expressed their views and almost everybody pitched in for seat-sharing adjustments with the Left. Not a single member was in support of an alliance with the Trinamool Congress. Only two of them wanted that the Congress should contest the elections alone and (former state Congress chief) Manas Bhunia was one of them," Mishra told IANS. "To this, most of us gave an explanation that if we go alone, then we will get only 15-16 seats," Mishra added. Asked about Rahul Gandhi's reaction, Mishra said: "Rahul Gandhi ji said he was yet to get a complete picture of the situation and only after discussions with Congress president Sonia ji, he will be able to come to a conclusion." "I raised the issue of the 2019 general elections. I told Rahul ji that the Trinamool Congress must be defeated in the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal to thwart their chances of winning the elections in 2019. If Mamata Banerjee is defeated in 2016, then her overall influence and hold over the state will reduce. She is basically a soft ally of the BJP," said Mishra. "It is imperative to defeat the TMC in order to save Bengal," he added. Bhopal, Feb 1 : A man suspected to be working for the Islamic State terrorist group was on Monday arrested in the Madhya Pradesh capital by a team of state police and the NIA, officials said. The man named Azhar, who was wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), was arrested from Tila Jamalpura area, Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Shailendra Singh Chauhan told IANS. Azhar, a resident of Obaidullah Ganj town in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh, was hiding in his paternal uncle's house in Bhopal, from which he was arrested by a team of NIA and Crime Branch officials. Bengaluru, Feb 1 : The Karnataka government on Monday cleared nine IT projects with a combined investment of Rs.3,097 crore, including a proposal by global chip maker Intel's Indian subsidiary. "The state high level clearance committee, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, cleared four major IT projects, with combined investment of Rs.2,957 cores, while the single window clearance cell, chaired by IT Minister S.R. Patil, cleared five projects with combined investment of Rs.140 crore," said an official statement. Intel will invest Rs.1,100 crore to set up its second computer software development centre and hardware design services facility in the city's southeast suburb with job potential for 3,000 engineers. Velankani Electronics Ltd will invest Rs.1,130 crore in the electronics city to expand its capacity to make electronic products and generate jobs for 2,400 people. Saltire Developers Ltd to invest Rs.463 crore for setting up a special economic zone for IT/IT-enabled services with job potential for 25,000 people. Amin Properties will invest Rs.265 crore to set up a SEZ at Devanahalli near the city's airport for IT/IT-enabled services with job potential for 8,000 people. The five other IT projects are from Alisa Agency (Rs.14 crore), Regen Environ Management Services (Rs.7 crore), Itwine Technologies (Rs.7.5 crore), Sol Biz Consulting Ltd (Rs.16.5 crore) and Hical Technologies (Rs.95 crore) with a combined job potential for 1,355 people. The approvals come two days ahead of the global investors meet (GIM) from Wednesday in the city to attract global investments in diverse sectors. New Delhi, Feb 1 : India and Bangladesh on Monday discussed ways to take forward multi-sectoral cooperation following the agreements signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka last year. The issues came up for discussion during talks between Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and his visiting Bangladeshi counterpart Shahidul Haque here. "Building the partnership with another close neighbour," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted. "The foreign secretaries of India and Bangladesh hold talks." India and Bangladesh signed 22 key agreements during Modi's visit last June, including on prevention of human trafficking, circulation of fake currency notes, setting up an Indian economic zone in Bangladesh and extending a new Indian line of credit of $2 billion. New Delhi, Feb 1 : A public interest litigation (PIL) was on Monday filed in the Delhi High Court by an AAP legislator, seeking a judicial inquiry into the death of a six-year-old Class I student in the premises of a private school last week. Police have registered a case of negligence against the authorities of the Ryan International School in Vasant Kunj in south Delhi and asked the principal to join the probe. The school authorities reportedly did not inform the student's family about the January 30 incident for over two hours. Devansh Meena was trapped inside the septic tank till sewage workers reached there and fished him out. Aam Aadmi Party lawmaker Col. Devinder Sehrawat (retd.) also sought similar inquiry into the death of five-year-old boy Ankit after falling into an open septic tank in an MCD school in Kapashera area of south Delhi on January 27. The petition has sought direction for payment of Rs.50 lakh each as compensation to the families of the deceased kids. The petition would be heard by a division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini on Tuesday. Besides the judicial inquiry, Sehrawat has also asked the high court to pass an order for immediate disaster assessment of all the schools in Delhi by a committee comprising of the representatives of Delhi government, MCD officials, disaster management authority and Delhi Police. Gurgaon, Feb 1 : The Haryana government would support budding entrepreneurs who set up units related to art and culture, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said here on Monday. Khattar was speaking at a function where the Haryana government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) for promoting the state's cultural heritage abroad. He said that during the Global Investors Summit to be held in Gurgaon on March 7-8, a special session for start-ups would be held where youths would be able to give valuable suggestions on various issues concerning art and culture. Prior to the summit, camps would be organised at Kurukshetra University and Guru Jamweshwar University in Hisar. He said that Haryana was home to rich cultural traditions like Saang, Raag and other folk arts. Paris, Feb 2 : Cuban President Raul Castro on Monday paid a historic state visit to France, the first ever by a Cuban leader in two decades, with a view to reinforce bilateral ties, increase trade links, and discuss debt relief. The two-day visit reflects Cuba's "friendship and high esteem," the French president's office said in a press release, Xinhua reported. At the Elysee Palace, French President Francois Hollande rolled out the red carpet for the Cuban leader, who is seeking to bolster Havana's connections with the West after being isolated for decades. During a one-hour talk, both leaders were to discuss ways to inject dynamism into a bilateral economic partnership via tourism and transport, in addition to development accords. Besides, they are to sign an agreement to write off $8.5 billion of Cuba's $11.9-billion debt, to convert it into financing for development projects expected to help Havana quicken its growth. France's sales to Cuba totalled 131 million euros ($142.8 million) for January to November 2015, down from 157 million euros in 2014, figures which, according to Mathias Fekl, junior minister in charge of foreign trade and tourism, were "not in line with our ambitions". In December 2014, the US and Cuba decided to restore their diplomatic ties, which had been severed for 54 years. The European Union also said, led by France, the Netherlands and Spain, that it was interested in resuming ties with the Caribbean island. Several months after, Hollande flew to Havana in a move to further bolster relations and open new business opportunities in Cuba and neighbouring Latin American countries. France's economic presence in Cuba is mainly in the hotel industry, construction, telecommunications, energy and banking. Some 60 French firms already operate in Cuba, according to official figures. The new 3% surcharge on second homes in the UK is dangerously flawed and it could harm the very homeowner that the government wants to help, it is claimed. According to the Home Owners Alliance, a consumer group for home owners, said that while the surcharge is welcome in principle, the way it is going to work is not helpful due to a number of situations which have not been taken into account. In its response to the proposed change due to take effect from 01 April, the HOA says it is so overly complex and flawed that it will lead to massive unintended consequences. It is great the government is trying to use stamp duty to help home owners, but they have made a real hash of it. The ridiculously complex way they are planning to introduce the scheme will end up harming many of the very home owners it is meant to help, and lead to widespread confusion among home buyers, said Paula Higgins, HOA chief executive. We are already being contacted by distressed home owners who have worked out they will be caught by it, and not be able to buy the home they want to. Rather than push ahead with a well-intentioned but dangerously flawed scheme, it should go back to the drawing board and put it right, she added. In its consultation response, the HOA has suggested many remedies to iron out some of the worst problems with the proposals, but points out that almost none of the problems would exist if the government used the more simple system. It is really simple, no one should pay the stamp duty surcharge if they are going to buy a home to live in, and home owners need confidence that will be the case. However, if you are buying a residential property for any other purpose, you should pay the surcharge, said Higgins. The HOA consulted widely with members and other stakeholders, and identified various problems. It pointed out that many ordinary buyers who are not buying a holiday home or one to let out will be hit by the 3% stamp duty surcharge at the last minute, forcing them to give up purchasing their new home. For example, a first time buyer will be charged the stamp duty surcharge if they jointly purchase their home with someone who already owns a property and they could pay more stamp duty than an existing home owner with a major property portfolio. Separating couples could be hit by the surcharge when one of them sets up a new family home and people moving to new build homes where the timetable is dictated by the developer will generally have to pay the stamp duty surcharge, only to reclaim it from the government later. This will particularly hit hard stretched pensioner downshifters moving into newly built retirement homes, says the document. Also, home owners who move for work and rent out their homes will have to pay the stamp duty surcharge when they sell their old home to buy a new one in their new area and first time buyers could pay the same stamp duty as a foreign speculative property investor. People with a cheap buy to let property wanting to buy a more expensive home will get a huge financial incentive to churn their properties in the market to reduce the stamp duty bill, it adds, and home owners wanting to buy additional properties will try to avoid the stamp duty surcharge by putting buy to let properties and second homes in their childrens names. The Home Owners Alliance is calling for a stamp duty surcharge that applied simply whenever someone buys a residential property that will not be their primary residence, such as a second home or buy to let investment, aligning it with capital gains tax, which also doesnt apply to primary residences, but does to residential properties used for other purposes. However, it says that the Treasury has devised a far more complicated scheme where everyone can buy one residential property, for any purpose, without paying the surcharge, but they must pay the surcharge if they are buying a second property for any purpose, even as a home, unless it is replacing an existing home within 18 months of the transaction. People who buy a new home before they have sold their old one will have to pay the stamp duty surcharge, and then later reclaim it from the government. Many times property and business owners don't realize that offers of just compensation from the government are an estimate and are negotiable," said NC Eminent Domain Law Firm attorney Stan Abrams. Property and business owners in the path of the new Greenville SW Bypass will soon receive offers from the NCDOT, according to two attorneys from the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm. In response, the firm is holding a free seminar on February 4th for those affected. The NCDOT has earmarked roughly $28.8 million for right of way purchases. Some of the more than 130 property and business owners whose land will be taken are currently being contacted to schedule appraisals in advance of making offers. Former NCDOT Attorneys Now Represent Landowners Stan Abrams, an attorney with the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm, said, Many times property and business owners don't realize that offers of just compensation from the government are an estimate and are negotiable. Truth be told, not only are they negotiable, based on my experience, the initial offers can often be much too low." Abrams and his colleague, Jason Campbell, were attorneys for the North Carolina Department of Transportation for many years before joining the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm. Campbell adds, "Working as an attorney for the NCDOT, I learned that it functions much like any other real estate buyer. In other words, in many cases they may not offer you what your property is worth. For that reason, were encouraging property and business owners impacted by the new Bypass to attend our seminar. Seminar Explains Property and Business Owners Rights The seminars purpose is to inform property and business owners about their legal rights under the North Carolina eminent domain process, and illustrate how owners can try to best protect these rights and their financial interests. This seminar offers some really valuable information, such as an often-overlooked approach that allows property owners to potentially collect funds from the governments first offer so theyll have some money to use, while negotiating for more, Abrams said. The seminar will also cover: How NCDOT offers are calculated What fair market value means in your situation How to determine if the governments appraisal is truly just How to know if the offer for your property is fair Optional question-and-answer session for individual situations Property Areas the Bypass Will Impact The new 12.4-mile Bypass will be built just southwest of Greenville from the U.S. 264 Interchange to Memorial Drive, about 2.5 miles south of N.C. 102. Seminar Date, Time, Location Date: Thursday, February 4th Time: 79 pm Location: Courtyard by Marriott Greenville 2225 Stantonsburg Road (U.S. 264) Greenville, NC 27834 For more information about the seminar, contact the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm at 1-877-393-4990. ABOUT THE NC EMINENT DOMAIN LAW FIRM: A division of the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm is dedicated solely to representing property owners throughout North Carolina, who may be impacted by eminent domain law. The NC Eminent Domain Law Firm is led by attorneys Stan Abrams and Jason Campbell, both of whom previously worked as Assistant Attorney Generals for the North Carolina Department of Justice in the Transportation Section, where they litigated condemnation cases for the NCDOT. They have over 20 years of combined experience working exclusively on eminent domain cases. The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin has the legal resources of 38 attorneys and is based in Durham, North Carolina, with offices throughout the state to serve its clients. Contact Information: Stan Abrams 1-877-393-4990 NC Eminent Domain Law Firm 280 South Mangum Street, Suite 400 Durham, North Carolina 27701 Ken Matejka, a well-known national authority on website lead generation, attorney marketing and ethics, is pleased to announce that the 2015 edition of his #1 Best Seller, "The Lawyer's Ultimate Guide to Online Leads" has been updated for 2016. The new edition incorporates numerous changes in the legal online marketing landscape over the course of the last 12 months and is current as of January 2016. Mr. Matejka, who is president of Matejka Marketing, Inc., (http://matejkamarketing.com) and a frequent CLE presenter across the nation on attorney lead generation and related ethical concerns, wrote this book to help lawyers gain a deeper understanding of various online visibility channels and what role each channel plays in the lawyer's overall online ecosystem. The update covers important changes relating to Google, Yahoo, Facebook and more. "With 40,000 new law school grads entering the marketplace this year, and with fewer legal consumers hiring lawyers because of self-help websites like LegalZoom, every lawyer who wants clients through their websites needs to know what it's all about," Mr. Matejka points out. "It's not enough to know what you need to do online to get more clients - you also need to know WHY you do it so that you can prioritize when faced with limited resources." Mr. Matejka stated that he will email the 2016 update to lawyers who purchased the 2015 edition of the book. For lawyers who didn't buy the 2015 edition, the 2016 edition of Mr. Matejka's book is available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Lawyers-Ultimate-Guide-Online-Leads/dp/0986161306/ref=sr_1_1 in print and digital formats. Heres what some readers have said. "I am amazed at how much I learned about ways to measure the performance of our online efforts. It seems we strive to find metrics to measure everything else we do, but have failed to do that in an area where so much of our money and time are being spent. I want to let you know that we're ordering 15 more online today so that all our lawyers can benefit from your expertise!" - Thomas G. Schober (5-Stars) "What a helpful book! A great way to navigate the confusing maze of online advertising for the legal industry. The author is obviously very knowledgeable. I highly recommend it!" - AJ (5-Stars) Informative and useful. I highly recommend this not just for lawyers but for nearly any small business owner who wants to enhance their online presence, rainmake, and improve on already existing client relationships. Garrett Vachal For more questions or to schedule an interview about this press release, contact Sarah VanAllen, Author Liaison, at sarah(at)matejkamarketing.com or 415-766-8512. About the Author. Ken Matejka (J.D., LL.M) is a California attorney and former-member of the American Bar Associations Standing Committee on Lawyer Referral and Information Services. He is the founder and president of Matejka marketing, Inc., an online visibility company for the legal profession. For 17 years, he worked at the Lawyer Referral and Information Service of the Bar Association of San Francisco and for many years there, as LRIS Operations Manager, he was chiefly responsible for advertising the LRIS, including actively managing its Google advertising. He is a frequent speaker across the country on topics of website visibility and client acquisition for the legal profession and currently assists 24 bar associations with Google visibility. Press Release Contact Information: Sarah VanAllen Chief Editor Matejka Marketing, Inc. 415-766-8512 sarah(at)matejkamarketing.com The majority of living wills presented to various health care providers were incorrectly interpreted as synonymous to DNR orders (EMS 89%, RN 79%, MD/DO 64%). LifeWings, a leader in patient safety improvement programs, today announced a new free tool to help hospitals prepare for significant changes in end-of-life care needs. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have approved payment for voluntary end-of-life counseling as part of its 2016 Medicare physician fee schedule. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes this public health opportunity to educate Americans, especially older adults, about advance care planning to improve their quality of care at the end of life. The American Medical Association and many other medical societies also support paying for end-of-life counseling. And, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently released a groundbreaking report on end-of-life care that focused heavily on the projected costs, limitations of living wills, and promotion of Physician Orders for Life-Saving Treatments (POLST). These efforts are striving for patient-centered end-of-life care, but advance care planning should be viewed as preparation for both critical illnesses when patients would desire treatment, and also end-of-life care when patients would wish to forego treatment. Advance Directives (ADs) have been in existence for over 30 years, and have proliferated: Living will, "Five wishes" document, "Right to live" living will, "Right to die" living will, "Natural dying" living will, etc. Beginning in 1991 many leading medical ethicists recognized that advance directives were inadequate for patients with serious illness or frailty. A group of stakeholders developed a new tool for honoring patients wishes for end-of-life treatment. After several years of evaluation, the program became known as Physician/Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST/MOLST). Dr. Ferdinando Mirarchi is the principle investigator in a series of studies entitled The Realistic Interpretation of Advance Directives (TRIAD), and his findings are troubling. According to his research, the majority of living wills presented to various health care providers were incorrectly interpreted as synonymous to DNR orders (EMS 89%, RN 79%, MD/DO 64%). His research also found that this confusion is not confined to living wills, but affects the POLST process as well. The Joint Commission confirms that this represents a new patient safety risk. Dr. Mirarchi also noted that based on provider understanding in the setting of critical illness, patients are at risk to be either over- or under-resuscitated. While ADs and POLSTs are well intended and can be effective, TRIAD research reveals they may be compromising patient safety (under-resuscitation) and patient-centered care (over-resuscitation). Dr. Mirarchi is the first to point out that this isnt a problem with the POLST/MOLST paradigm or the living will documents themselves. Rather, its a failure to provide adequate education for health care providers in how to interpret these documents. Dr. Mirarchi found that by applying TeamSTEPPS methodology he learned during his collaboration with LifeWings at UPMC-Hamot, he could consistently engage the health care team through the use of a Resuscitation Safety Checklist. Because LifeWings has helped over 170 health care organizations around the world implement checklists and other evidence-based best practices, Dr. Mirarchi has chosen them to help him address the alarming shortfall in assuring patient safety and patient-centered care. Steve Montague, Executive Vice President of LifeWings stated that, While replicating Dr. Mirarchis success seems to be a fairly straight-forward proposition, Dr. David Urbach, a surgeon at the University of Toronto who led a study of the adoption of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist in Ontario, refutes that notion, A lot of studies that should be a slam dunk dont seem to work in practice. This is why we created Get It Right, a comprehensive package to diagnose and treat institutional gaps in assuring safe, patient-centered care. To help hospitals get started on the process of assessing and planning for improvement in this critical area, LifeWings is making the Resuscitation Checklist, available free at http://www.saferpatients.com/knowledge/advance-directives.html. About LifeWings LifeWings Partners, LLC is a team of physicians, nurses, Toyota-trained Lean experts, health risk managers, astronauts, military surgeons, and flight crews. The team was the first in the U.S. to study the best practices of organizations with high reliability, and successfully adapt their strategies for use in health care. They have distilled the methodology used in commercial aviation, military aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and cutting-edge manufacturing to help health care organizations create safe, efficient, high-quality hospitals and clinics. We strive to provide industry-leading and quality products for our RIAs and continue to add more features to our companys platforms, said Felipe Luna, CEO With the ERISA laws changing, we want to take advantage of a prime opportunity." The regulatory shift affecting the retirement plan business has created an opportunity for ERISA savvy RIAs who have the infrastructure and technology to track and administer this data intensive business. CONCERT Wealth Management, Inc. has teamed up with DailyAccess, a Verisight company, to build a turnkey service for CONCERTs advisors with, or wanting to pursue, retirement plans. The Retirement Plan Services program offers customizable support levels for both the Plan Sponsor and advisors as well as full marketing and compliance governance. In order to provide a robust platform for advisors, the services include the options of 3(21) and 3(38) fiduciary roles, as defined by ERISA, as well as managed models supported by CONCERT Capital Management, Inc. DailyAccess powers the plans using their expertise as retirement and benefit plan service provider, providing a comprehensive, cost-effective, and easy-to-use program for CONCERTs advisors. CONCERT Global is an Advisor Technology and back office services company providing a comprehensive suite of services to independent Advisors (IARs), Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) and Broker/Dealers (B/Ds). Our fully integrated platform of technology solutions, technology services and administrative support offers increased efficiency and scale allowing our Advisors to focus on clients instead of the back office. CONCERT Wealth Management, Inc., its registered investment advisor affiliate, provides additional efficiencies to advisors throughout the country by leveraging strong industry relationships, back office and compliance services. The firm's Capital Management division also provides investing solutions to help advisors better serve their existing clients while cultivating practice growth. DailyAccess,a Verisight company, is a retirement and benefit plan service provider headquartered in Mobile, Alabama. As part of its Diamond Strategy, DailyAccess delivers comprehensive, cost-effective, and easy-to-use benefits services. DailyAccess provides, either directly or through its wholly owned subsidiaries, InterServ, LLC and DailyAccess Health and Welfare Services, LLC, recordkeeping, administration, consulting, actuarial, investment advisory, and health and welfare services customized to its clients needs. Artifact Interactive (AI) Director of Software Development, Ben King collaborates with sixth-graders from The Museum School on a paper prototype concept for AI's next-gen interactive museum experience "We set out to design an experience that would inspire children like these. Theres no better way to achieve that goal than to have them help us design it, shares Artifact Interactive Founder, Ken Vale. Artifact Interactives award-winning design team will collaborate with forty sixth-grade students at The Museum School to reimagine their next generation interactive museum exhibit, Stories in the Sky. The exhibit, recently exhibited in a field trial at the Fernbank Natural History Museum, explores the science and mythology of constellations. Students will participate in design workshops held in The Museum School of Avondale Estates STEM lab, headed up by Ms. Dawn McGowan. Students will be introduced to the core concepts of design thinking and maker culture. Working design and development professionals from Artifact Interactive will guide students through the initial phases of product design including; customer research, workflow, user experience (UX) design, prototyping and user testing. We are so thrilled to be working with The Museum School and their amazing students. These students have grown up attending museums and interacting with technology. We set out to design an experience that would inspire children just like them. Theres no better way to achieve that goal than to have them help us design it, shares Artifact Interactive Founder, Ken Vale. Artifact intends to incorporate student feedback and designs in a major system update anticipated for late spring release. At that time, they will host an exclusive launch party for The Museum School students, their friends, and families prior to unveiling the enhanced experience to the public. For additional information on this project contact Keirsten Alexander or visit storiesinthesky.org. About Stories in the Sky Stories in the Sky is a prototype interactive experience built to engage kids and inspire them to learn more about the science and mythology of constellations. With a futuristic one-of-a-kind platform, beautiful illustrations and animation, it is a key component of a larger program that unites museums, schools, and communities through collaborative design and citizen-science programs. http://storiesinthesky.org About Artifact Interactive Artifact Interactive (AI) is a newly formed offshoot of Artifact Design, the acclaimed Atlanta-based motion design company that specializes in high-end television commercials and network identities. AI leverages award-winning design skills to deliver interactive educational experiences that connect schools with local museums and their communities. About The Museum School of Avondale Estates The Museum School of Avondale Estates was begun by the Avondale Education Association with a goal of creating an innovative public school for grades K-8 built on academic achievement and strong community involvement. The museum concept is a proven school model that provides project-based learning through partnerships with museums and other community organizations. Students learn collaboratively by engaging in real-world projects and mentorships with these experts. http://themuseumschool.org Contact: Keirsten Alexander Artifact Interactive 404-888-0061 keirsten(at)artifactdesign(dot)com http://storiesinthesky.org Also known as Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Maryland and Delaware, Inc. We are excited to offer Americans with student loan debt a best-in-class counseling program that meets the highest standards. Our NFCC-certified counselors are qualified to address the full range of financial challenges everyday consumers face. National nonprofit Guidewell Financial Solutions (aka Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Maryland and Delaware, Inc.) is pleased to announce the launch of their student loan counseling program. This service will provide effective repayment strategies and relief to student loan borrowers who have taken out funds to pay for their college education. Guidewell Financial President and CEO Helene Raynaud says, We are excited to be able to offer Americans with student loan debt a best-in-class counseling program that meets the highest standards. Our NFCC-certified counselors are uniquely qualified to address the full range of financial challenges everyday consumers face. We are committed to helping these borrowers develop workable repayment strategies that are tailored to their specific financial needs. Why Is Student Loan Counseling Needed? Americans now owe more student loan debt than credit card debt. In fact, some estimates show the rate of student loan debt growth to be nearly $3,000 per second, propelling the national student loan debt total above $1.3 trillion. Among the 43 million total student borrowers, 7.3 million are at least 90 days delinquent on their loans, 5 million are in default, and millions more are in negatively-amortizing income-driven repayment plans. These figures indicate that student debt may fuel the next major national financial crisis. Struggling student loan borrowers do not know where to turn. Until now, there has been no established student loan counseling provider and many borrowers receive misleading information from servicers and debt collectors. According to a 2015 report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), student loan debt collection is among the five highlighted areas where the Bureaus examiners have uncovered legal violations and abusive practices. Guidewell Financials program is part of an initiative developed by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) to address these issues. NFCC Spokesman Bruce McClary says, Our National Student Loan Counseling Program is unique, because its supported by the largest nonprofit network of comprehensively certified counselors. They take a holistic approach that enables consumers to make informed decisions about their student loan repayment options and take charge of their financial lives. What Makes This Student Loan Counseling Program Different? All of Guidewell Financials student loan counselors are experienced, NFCC-certified financial counselors and have completed specialized training that covers the full inventory of student loan programs associated with repayment, forbearance, and other loan modification options. In addition to training, they have received NFCC student loan counselor certification, which is regarded as the most thorough and rigorous process for student loan counselors in the country. Consumers who receive counseling through this program benefit from a thorough financial review that identifies options based on their specific circumstances and needs. This comprehensive approach, already a standard among NFCC certified counselors, empowers borrowers to make informed decisions about their student loan repayment options and to become more financially secure. Guidewell Financial Director of Counseling and Client Services Nina Heck says, For-profit student loan counseling companies often take a very limited approach. If a client comes to them hoping to lower the monthly payment on a single student loan, they offer a plan to do just that. However, borrowers often have other financial obligations and additional student loans that need addressing. Otherwise, theyre likely to end up in trouble again. We dont just provide a bandaid we provide a full financial review and discussion of options. If other personal finance issues are affecting their ability to repay loans, we may even have services to help them resolve these concerns. Please visit studentloanhelp.org for more information about the NFCC student loan counseling program. Call 1-877-222-7435 to schedule a Guidewell Financial student loan counseling appointment or visit guidewellfs.org to learn more about Guidewell Financials student loan counseling initiative and other services. About Guidewell Financial Solutions Guidewell Financial Solutions (also known as Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Maryland and Delaware) is an accredited 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that helps stabilize communities by creating hope and promoting economic self-sufficiency to individuals and families through financial education and counseling. Maryland License #14-01 / Delaware License #07-01 About the National Foundation for Credit Counseling Founded in 1951, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) is the nations first and largest nonprofit dedicated to improving peoples financial well-being. With 600 member offices serving 50 states and Puerto Rico, our NFCC Certified Consumer Credit Counselors are financial advocates, empowering millions of consumers to take charge of their finances through one-on-one financial reviews that address credit card debt, student loans, housing decisions and overall money management. For expert guidance and advice, call (800) 388-2227 or visit nfcc.org today. The platform can be customized for any investment provider who wants to attract HSA investors or financial advisors who want a turnkey HSA solution for their clients. The Investment Provider Xchange (IPX), a platform offering the collective services of the Financial Processing Solutions (FPS) Group and its affiliates, today announced the launch of the first-ever health savings account (HSA) featuring investment funds managed by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, a global investment firm headquartered in Austin, Texas. The Dimensional HSA is made available on IPX through HealthSavings Administrators, the first company to implement an HSA on the IPX platform. Through IPX, Dimensional Fund Advisors enjoys one, single sign-on platform that enables individuals to open HSAs, self-direct investments and order debit card(s) while providing online access to trading, rebalancing, statements and educational materials. Late last year, Dimensional Fund Advisors began enrolling employees on the IPX platform with access to 22 Dimensional funds, including 10 new Target Date Retirement Income Funds (TDIFTM). IPX offers the single delivery of custodial services, including cash processing and customized debit cards, as well as necessary administrative and recordkeeping services, noted James Olson, Managing Director at FPS and architect of the platform. In addition to enabling individuals to self-direct 100% of their HSA balance into a variety of investments, the platform also allows financial advisors to offer HSA investment management services to the same clients who know and trust them for other services, like IRAs, he added. Pat Jarrett, President of HealthSavings, said: We are excited to give Dimensional Fund Advisors employees as well as the financial advisors they work with the ability to view the activity within their HSA program, much the same way they might view the aggregated or individual records of a 401(k). For institutions who wish to enter or remain relevant in the HSA space, IPX offers a cost-effective way to provide an HSA program, said Olson. He added, The platform can be customized for any investment provider who wants to attract HSA investors or financial advisors who want a turnkey HSA solution for their clients. And because the platform includes a link to the NSCC via Matrix/Broadridge, all account opening and transaction activity is completely automated, putting investment providers into a DCIO-like position for the growing HSA market. The triple-tax advantages of HSAs are well known; however, to date, the accounts have not been fully embraced by investment providers because of the perceived lack of efficiencies surrounding what have typically been low-balance, high-transaction accounts. IPX removes this burden and makes it possible for providers to engage with HSAs the way they do with IRAs. About FPS Trust Company FPS Trust Company is a non-depository trust company dedicated to serving financial intermediary clients. Its innovative, cost-efficient products and services are designed to ensure streamlined processing and electronic solutions. The company strives to consistently deliver industry-leading products with exceptional service. It provides a positive environment for impeccable standards, professional ethics and integrity for our clients and our employees. It specializes in offering agent custody and transactional processing services to mid-market financial services companies. FPS Trust Company prides itself in being loyal and ethical. And will work to meet your objectives with an uncompromising commitment to integrity. Learn more at fpstrustco.com. About Dimensional Fund Advisors Dimensional Fund Advisors is a leading global investment firm that has been translating academic research into practical investment solutions since 1981. Guided by a strong belief in markets, we help investors pursue higher expected returns through advanced portfolio design and careful implementation. An enduring philosophy, strong client commitment, and deep connections with the academic community underpin our approach. With clients around the world, Dimensional has 12 offices in eight countries and global assets under management of $388 billion as of December 31, 2015. Learn more at us.dimensional.com. About HealthSavings Administrators HealthSavings helps clients prepare for lifes changing health and financial needs with what we know best investment health savings accounts (HSAs). The firm got its start in 1996 as a medical savings account (MSA) administrator. After the legislation enacting HSAs passed in January 2004, we shifted our focus to HSAs and now serve more than 66,000 members. Known as the investors HSA, HealthSavings has been consistently recognized as one of the best values in HSAs with mentions in Forbes, Money magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Kiplingers and Reuters as well as various online publications. Learn more at HealthSavings.com. ### Sarah Sahs Im eager to bring my experience in the legal industry to Planet Depos, where a culture of extraordinary customer care runs deep within the organization. Planet Depos LLC, an international court reporting, interpretation, and trial services firm, is pleased to announce that Sarah Sahs has joined the company as Account Executive. Ms. Sahs experience in the legal industry dates back to 1999, when she worked for the Bureau of National Affairs (BNA), a specialized news and information provider now owned by Bloomberg Law. She worked exclusively with law firms and Fortune 500 general counsel offices. Were delighted to welcome Sarah to the Planet Depos team, said Bill DiMonte, a founder of the firm. She is a high-performing sales executive with a special ability to create trusted relationships. Her role is critical to our growth strategy as we look to expand the Planet Depos footprint within the State of Texas, while supporting our existing client base. Following BNA, Ms. Sahs went on to work for CCH Group, a Wolters Kluwer business, calling on attorneys, CPAs and general counsel offices in the tax and accounting arena. She managed a team in Texas and then went on to become the National Strategic Account Manager for all Fortune 500 accounts across the country. For the past three years, she worked with FindLaw, a Thomson Reuters business, as Client Development Consultant, advising law firms on conducting research through digital solutions. Ive been successful because I believe in exceptional customer service. I always put my clients first, said Sahs. Im eager to bring my experience in the legal industry to Planet Depos, where a culture of extraordinary customer care runs deep within the organization. Ms. Sahs grew up in South Texas, where she resides today with her husband and two children. About Planet Depos Headquartered in Washington, DC, and with 60 offices around the globe, Planet Depos, LLC, is the only international court reporting agency led by court reporters and world-renowned industry experts. Planet Depos provides court reporting, videography, videoconferencing, interpretation, and trial support services throughout the United States and abroad to international law firms, worldwide corporations, and government entities. The Company has extensive experience reporting complex matters around the globe, including arbitrations, trials and depositions. A forward-thinking company, Planet Depos is conversant with the latest technologies and works closely with clients to implement case-winning tools, including streaming text and video, realtime to iPads, mobile videoconferencing, and digital exhibits. Learn more about Planet Depos Follow Planet Depos on Facebook Follow Planet Depos on LinkedIn Follow Planet Depos on Twitter Read our blog Virtuance Las Vegas, NV We're thrilled to be able to offer our agents this advantage. Virtuance, one of the nation's leading real estate photography providers, has been selected by Wardley Real Estate as the preferred provider for real estate photography and virtual tour services for all its agents. Wardley is one of the largest and most successful brokerages in Greater Las Vegas with 250 agents, a strong commitment to making clients the first priority, and to fulfilling its motto that Wardley Real Estate is Positively the Best Decision in Real Estate. Virtuance is a natural partner for us, says Broker/Owner Jeff Sommers of Wardley Real Estate. We share the same core values, Virtuance images are stunning and proven to result in more listings, more showings and faster sales. Were thrilled to be able to offer our agents this advantage. Virtuance is offering Wardley agents 25-35 HDReal Images and a virtual tour for each one of their listings. Wardley Real Estate is an icon in the industry, with decades of experience in the Southwest, and relationships with many of the most successful broker/owners across the country, says Jeff Corn, Virtuances co-founder and CEO. Were excited to be working so closely with the entire Wardley team. Virtuance is the only real estate photography solution that combines the art of beautiful photography with the science of cutting-edge marketing technology. The result is increased traffic to Virtuance clients listings, leading to more showings and faster sales. Virtuance currently offers HDReal photography and marketing services in 12 major U.S. metropolitan areas, with plans to continue its expansion into new markets across the country. About Virtuance Based in Denver, Virtuance was founded in 2010 and is one of the fastest growing real estate photography companies in the world. Virtuance is the creator of HDReal, an award winning proprietary imaging system designed specifically to market real estate. Using artificially intelligent automated algorithms and highly trained HDReal-certified photographers, Virtuance produces real estate marketing images that are proven to drive online traffic and result in conversions through more inquiries and property showings. Virtuance supports the HDReal system with a comprehensive array of marketing tools and platforms. Pro Mach named to the Inc. 5000 and to Cincinnati's Deloitte 100 list This honor is a testament to our employees and their ability to work together, deliver results, and aspire for new levels of excellence each and every day. --Mark Anderson, President and CEO Pro Mach, Inc. announced today that it has been named to the 2015 Inc. 5000 and the 2015 Deloitte 100 lists for top private companies in the U.S. and Cincinnati region. This marks Pro Machs 5th time on the Inc. 5000, which ranks the fastest growing private companies nationwide by 3-year sales growth. This is Pro Machs 11th year on Cincinnatis Deloitte 100, which ranks private companies in the region by total revenue. Driven by a 3-year sales growth rate of 73%, Pro Mach moved up more than 750 spots on the Inc. 5000 from its first year on the list in 2008 and 44 spots higher than last year to receive its highest ranking yet. Inc. ranks Pro Mach 37th among the fastest growing companies in the Cincinnati Metro Area. Pro Machs total 2014 revenue of $497 million ranks 60th among all companies on the Inc. 5000 and 2nd among manufacturers. Pro Mach ranks 2nd in total revenue among Cincinnati companies on the Inc. list and 3rd among Ohio companies. Pro Mach ranks 24th on the Deloitte list, which lists all private companies in the greater Cincinnati region by total revenue, regardless of growth rate. We are fortunate to have outstanding employees across all our brands who focus on creating value for our customers and growing our business, said Pro Mach President and CEO Mark Anderson. This honor is a testament to our employees and their ability to work together, deliver results, and aspire for new levels of excellence each and every day. Pro Mach is one of North Americas largest packaging and processing machinery manufacturers and integrated system providers, with more than 25 equipment brands sold throughout the world. Pro Mach provides automated solutions that drive efficiency and increase packaging and processing performance for diverse food, beverage, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, and industrial goods companies. It manufactures and integrates Bottling and Capping, Primary Packaging, Flexible Packaging, Material Handling, Labeling and Coding, and End-of-Line solutions. Pro Mach has manufacturing and sales facilities in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. Pro Machs capability to be a single source provider for a wide range of complementary products and integrated systems across multiple parts of the processing, packaging, and product handling line makes it unique in the industry. Pro Machs top customers include many of the worlds most recognizable brands. Pro Mach added over 845 employees in the three years, making it one of the leaders among manufacturers on the Inc. list for employees added. Pro Mach boasts one of the largest and most experienced engineering and customer support staffs in the packaging industry. Average employee tenure is well over 15 years. Pro Mach is a leader in packaging and processing innovation, sustainable manufacturing and incorporating common packaging machinery standards such as PackML. Pro Machs ProCustomer brand for service and support is at the forefront of ensuring a superior customer experience throughout the purchase and product lifecycle. Earlier this year Pro Mach introduced ProTech, an advanced remote monitoring and service support system to improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness. Our focus remains on building long term customer relationships based on providing high performing packaging, processing, and material handling systems and outstanding service and support, added Mr. Anderson. We will continue to invest in our solutions by hiring the best and brightest in manufacturing, engineering and customer support. According to Inc., the companies on this years list reported aggregate revenue of $205 billion and generated 647,000 jobs over the past three years. About Inc. and the Inc. 500|5000 Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for todays innovative company builders. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 6,000,000 today. The Inc. 500|5000 is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation's most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. The Inc. 5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony is an annual event that celebrates their remarkable achievements. The event also offers informative workshops, celebrated keynote speakers, and evening functions. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com. About Pro Mach Pro Mach is a leading provider of integrated packaging and processing products and solutions for food, beverage, consumer goods, pharmaceutical, and other diverse companies. Through multiple brands, Pro Mach provides product packaging and processing equipment, PMMI certified trainers, installation, parts, and service in Bottling & Capping, Primary Packaging, Flexible Packaging, Material Handling, Identification & Tracking, and End of Line Packaging. Pro Mach has a diverse customer base, from Fortune 500 companies to smaller, privately held businesses worldwide, which depend on reliable, flexible, technologically advanced equipment and integrated solutions. Pro Mach is headquartered near Cincinnati, Ohio with manufacturing facilities and offices throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. For more information about Pro Mach visit http://www.ProMachCareers.com. ### ECOS Paints confirmed its commitment to the commercial market by hiring Jeff McCann to lead its national sales team. Jeff is a highly-respected paint professional, with extensive experience and knowledge of sustainable materials said Julian Crawford, CEO of ECOS Paints. He will manage our commercial team, focused on national accounts, and customers who have already demonstrated a strong commitment to health in the built environment. McCann has over twenty years experience in the paint industry, in virtually every role, from owning a store, to managing dealers and selling products to commercial customers. Most recently, Jeff was Vice President of Global Sales at Mythic Paint. I am excited to be joining ECOS Paints said McCann, They have a fantastic range of sustainable products including paint, primer, stain and varnish, as well as a number of specialty coatings. They are also the first coatings company to make a total commitment to product transparency, which is reinforced by the release this week of their industry leading Material Health Overviews. I am really looking forward to getting out there and representing ECOS Paints. ECOS Paints, based in Spartanburg, SC, has produced eco-friendly, non-toxic paints and finishes for prestigious clients in the US and Europe for over twenty five years. The company offers both interior and exterior products, including wall and trim paints, and stains and varnishes. The ECOS Paints portfolio also includes many innovative, specialty products including MDF Passivating Primer, EMR Shielding Paint, and Air Purifying Paint. Learn more at http://www.ecospaints.net. For further information, please contact either Jeff McCann at jeff.mccann(at)ecospaints.net, or Julian Crawford at julian.crawford(at)ecospaints.net. To find out about ECOS Paints Material Health Overviews, please visit: http://www.ecospaints.net/professional.html. You can help us reach our goal and make a difference in our community, and in childrens lives, by visiting the Hawthorne Cat fundraising website to donate." - Anita Raygoza, Hawthorne Cat Benefits Manager On April 1 and 2, 2016, a team of 12 Hawthorne Cat employees will run a 190-plus mile relay from Huntington Beach to San Diego, CA as part of the 2016 SoCal Ragnar Relay Race. Hawthorne Cat, the exclusive Cat equipment dealer in San Diego and the Pacific Region, is seeking support in raising money for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater San Diego. Hawthorne Cat has set a goal of raising $10,000 for the Boys & Girls Club and is asking for tax-deductible donations to be made from now until Friday, March 25, 2016. Anita Raygoza, Hawthorne Cat Benefits Manager, says, You can help us reach our goal and make a difference in our community, and in childrens lives, by visiting the Hawthorne Cat fundraising website to donate. Those donating $50 or more will receive a free team t-shirt. Raygoza continues, All proceeds will help provide scholarships and opportunities for youth to participate in programs offered by the Boys & Girls Club. Visit the Hawthorne Cat website for more information and to make a donation. Donations will be accepted until March 25, 2016. About Hawthorne Cat Hawthorne Cat is the authorized dealer for Cat construction and power equipment in San Diego, Hawaii, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa. Hawthorne sells, rents, provides parts and service, training and emission solutions to various industries including general building construction, landscaping, marine, paving and power generation. For more on Hawthorne Cat, visit http://www.hawthornecat.com. Morgan Moliver Morgans efforts will play a key role in increasing our value and service to even more clients, as we continue to expand our presence and services in the great state of Texas! EBI Consulting is pleased to announce that Ms. Morgan Moliver has joined the Company as an Account Executive Real Estate Services in Houston, TX. This new addition to the EBI Team will help EBI continue to develop business and manage relationships with new and existing clients, including commercial real estate financiers, asset managers, equity investors, commercial bankers, property managers and other institutional clients. Morgans addition to the team also marks an important expansion for the company into the Houston area market. Morgans dedication, enthusiasm, and client-focused work ethic is a great fit with our culture at EBI, and we are very excited to have her on our team. The Texas market is an important one for EBI and many of our existing clients. Morgans efforts will play a key role in increasing our value and service to even more clients, as we continue to expand our presence and services in the great state of Texas! - Dan Spinogatti, Senior Vice President. Morgan brings several years of work experience in environmental and engineering real estate due diligence to the team. She has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies with Minors in Creative Studies and Geography from Texas A&M University. I am excited to be joining EBI Consulting at such a pivotal time for the company. EBI Consulting is truly the most service oriented Environmental and Engineering company. Their employee-positive culture and rapid growth are the ideal for this generation in the Environmental and Commercial Due Diligence industry. The opportunity to start an office in Houston, TX while being a local point of contact for the central and south region of EBIs nationwide reach is very exhilarating, and I look forward to continuing the growth of the company and providing exceptional environmental and engineering services. Morgan Moliver, Account Executive Morgan is a dedicated Client Service Professional with business acumen, sales and management experience, and a problem solving attitude. She is experienced in a multitude of areas, but specifically enjoys relationship building, problem solving for business success and analyzing trends for marketing purposes. Morgan holds a certification in Conflict Resolution Mediation, is OSHA 24hr HAZWOPER trained and has taken the training class for the ASTM e1527-13 Phase I Environmental Site Assessment. About EBI Consulting EBI Consulting provides environmental due diligence, risk and compliance management, sustainability, and engineering services to a diverse base of top real estate, finance, telecom, life sciences, healthcare, academic/laboratory and manufacturing clients nationwide, including many Fortune 50 companies. Founded in 1989, EBI is based in Burlington, MA and has employees located in 40 states across the U.S. EBI has been recognized as one of the nations 50 fastest growing environmental firms and was named in 2012, 2013 (122nd), and 2014 (110th) by Engineering News-Record (enr.com) as one of the Top 200 Environmental Firms in the country. For more information about EBI Consulting, our service offerings and current open positions, please visit our website at http://www.ebiconsulting.com Researchfish enhances the way an organisation can track, measure and understand the impact from the research it funds. In recent years, the government and the wider research community has placed increasing emphasis on the need for evidence of its investment in research. By ensuring that funders are making the biggest possible impact on policy and practice, and improving how they measure and capture this, they are better able to support the case for research funding. To enable accountability, many funders are adopting Researchfish, a service which connects the research community and provides a structured, consistent and accurate platform to report research outcomes to enable better research impact assessment. It has been recognised that assessment of this data and reporting on the findings, has proved challenging, and these two new key personnel will be instrumental in supporting funders to best apply their data to inform evaluation and strategy development. With over 9 years of experience, Dr. Beverley Sherbon, was formally Evaluation Programme Manager for the Medical Research Council and responsible for managing their evaluation portfolio. Beverley has a wealth of knowledge in reporting to government on research progress, productivity and impact and also funding and commissioning research into impact methodology. As Impact & Evaluation Adviser, Beverley will have a central role in helping funders to utilise the information they collect to fulfill their business need, whether this is for use in communication, strategic reporting, impact assessment and so on. Researchfish enhances the way an organisation can track, measure and understand the impact from the research it funds, and having the capability to support and enable funders to fully utilise the information they collect is an important step for Researchfish, which Im pleased and excited to be part of, explains Beverley Sherbon. Gavin Reddick recently joined Researchfish as Chief Analyst. Before this Gavin was a Senior Information Analyst for the Medical Research Council, specialising in statistical analysis and information flows and working primarily with output data collected in Researchfish. Gavins new role will ensure the enrichment of reported data, improve the sophistication of its analysis, and facilitate broader and deeper use of this data by funders. These new appointments are a great addition to our team as we profoundly believe in changing the way that global research is assessed. They will enable our customers to access both knowledge and expertise in research impact assessment to support the next stage of their evaluation process, comments Mark Connelly, Managing Director of Researchfish. -Ends- Lisa Badcock, lisa.badcock(at)researchfish(dot)com Researchfish, the national standard in the UK, currently has over 63,000 researchers reporting from around 145 countries and have reported over 1 million outputs to date. Researchfish tracks over 40 billion of research funding across over 90,000 awards, and has members internationally including Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation, Department for International Development and Novo Nordisk Foundation. Researchfish has a LinkedIn group and can be found on Twitter @Researchfish http://www.researchfish.com researchfish is a registered trademark of Researchfish Limited FinTech Sandbox, a nonprofit that helps FinTech startups access data and build great products, today announced a new data sourcing agreement with The Associated Press the global news company. The AP will provide FinTech Sandbox residents with access to APs financial, business and political news archive, as well as APs breaking news and data feed. FinTech Sandbox facilitates free access to financial data and infrastructure for highly qualified FinTech startups. The Sandbox doesnt charge fees or elicit equity from residents who are selected into the program. Instead, residents are expected to collaborate with each other in order to share learning and promote advances that benefit the entire FinTech ecosystem. The six-month program includes: A robust set of data feeds and APIs from a wide array of data partners Cloud hosting from industry-leading infrastructure partners Learning, networking and collaboration opportunities in a dynamic FinTech community The Associated Press is offering FinTech Sandbox participants access to the following products: AP Financial News (APFN) -- APFN provides hundreds of business, political and other breaking news stories daily that inform and influence business decision makers around the globe. APFN offers the stories with full and rich metadata values focused on subject, tickers, industries, geography and entities -- ideal for programming and predictive analysis. AP News Archive APs complete archive of fully classified geopolitical news (including APFN) from around the world. This comprehensive, time-stamped archive is ideal for machine learning and backtesting. FinTech Sandbox residents will be able to work with a one-year block of AP archival data. FinTech innovation is occurring at breakneck speed and one of the best ways to participate in this marketplace is by partnering with FinTech Sandbox, said Bruce Glover, APs director of business development, finance and data. Were excited to challenge FinTech entrepreneurs to fully exploit the valueof our world-class news feeds in order to bring amazing FinTech ventures to market. "By working with with The Associated Press, FinTech Sandbox is now able to provide our residents with a renowned and rich source of macroeconomic news," said Jean Donnelly, executive director of FinTech Sandbox. We are extremely excited to welcome one of the worlds pre-eminent news gathering sources to our ever-growing portfolio of Data Partners who, through their generous support of FinTech Sandbox, are directly promoting global FinTech innovation." About FinTech Sandbox FinTech Sandbox is a Boston-based nonprofit founded to promote financial technology innovation globally by providing free access to critical data and resources to FinTech entrepreneurs and startups. Sponsors include Fidelity Investments, F-Prime Capital, Thomson Reuters, Silicon Valley Bank, Amazon Web Services, Intel, SIX Financial Information, Goodwin Procter, and .406 Ventures. For more information, please visit http://www.FinTechsandbox.org and https://twitter.com/FinTechsandbox. "I am delighted to join the team and look forward to contributing to the next stage of Misys success, said Rob Binns, Chief Financial Officer, Misys. Misys, the leading financial software company, announces today that it has appointed Rob Binns as its Chief Financial Officer. Mr Binns joins Misys from HP Inc where he was Head of Treasury and Investor Relations. He joined Hewlett-Packard in 2007 from Mercury Interactive and has held a number of senior finance positions in the company including VP Software Field Operations and VP Investor Relations before being appointed Vice President and CFO, HP Software in 2014. He has a strong track record within the software and technology sector, working closely with field organisations and delivering significant increases in operational profit. Misys has shown healthy growth over the past four years driven by strong investments in products and focus on operational excellence. We see tremendous opportunity to continue to drive growth and delivering outstanding financial performance is a key component of our long-term strategy. I am excited to welcome Rob on board, at a time when we are looking to further accelerate our growth, said Nadeem Syed, Chief Executive Officer, Misys. Misys has made great progress over the past few years, and I believe it is well placed to take pole position as the number one provider of financial software. The management team is strong, and its investment in product development is setting it apart from its competitors. I am delighted to join the team and look forward to contributing to the next stage of Misys success, added Rob Binns, Chief Financial Officer, Misys. Rob was recognised by Institutional Investor Magazine for his work in Investor Relations, winning the leading Tech IR award in 2014 and 2015. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants in the UK. Ends - For further information please contact: Nicola Hamilton Senior Director Communications T: +44 (0)20 3320 5021 E: nicola.hamilton(at)misys(dot)com http://www.misys.com About Misys Misys is at the forefront of the financial software industry, providing the broadest portfolio of banking, capital markets, investment management and risk solutions available on the market. With more than 2,000 customers in 130 countries our team of domain experts, combined with our partner eco-system, have an unparalleled ability to address industry requirements at both a global and local level. We connect systems, collect data and create intelligent information to drive smarter business decisions. To learn more about how our Fusion software portfolio can deliver a holistic view of your operations, and help you to solve your most complex challenges, please visit http://www.misys.com and follow @MisysFS on Twitter. Douglas Mirsky, PhD "IIA has established itself as the preeminent source for unbiased analytics advice, said Mirsky. The International Institute for Analytics (IIA) has named Douglas Mirsky, Ph.D., as its Director of Advisory Services. An accomplished executive and consultant for Fortune 500 accounts, Mirsky will join IIAs leadership team and oversee the continued growth of the research and advisory firms advisory services arm. In his role, Mirsky will manage the growing Advisory Services business that serves IIA clients with custom analytics consulting engagements. I look forward to working with Doug as we further IIAs mission to serve as the authority on analytics maturity and best practices. His leadership and advisory expertise will be a great asset to IIA and our global clients seeking unbiased consulting engagements around their analytics initiatives," said Jack Phillips, IIA Co-Founder and CEO. Mirsky brings over a decade of experience managing and providing advisory services to the professional community in various industries and settings, most recently in the biomedical and life sciences domains. Prior to joining IIA, he was an executive with Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG) where he held roles in operations, business development and consulting. Of the many roles Mirsky held while with GLG, he was initially brought onboard in New York to run the subject matter expert business of GLGs Healthcare practice area. In that role he was ultimately responsible for deploying GLGs 70,000+ consultants to inform his clients most challenging business decisions. He was then made director of the Austin, TX research office, a cross-industry client-facing office, and successfully grew it into the largest of its kind amongst GLGs 20+ global offices. Mirsky has also held leadership roles in academia, television production and medical communications. "IIA has established itself as the preeminent source for unbiased analytics advice, said Mirsky. Im excited for the opportunity to apply my experiences building an advisory services business across industries from Wall Street to Fortune 500 corporations to drive IIAs further growth and support the increasing client inquiries with IIAs proven solutions." About IIA The International Institute for Analytics (IIA) is an independent research and advisory firm for organizations committed to accelerating their business through the power of analytics. Co-founded by Tom Davenport and CEO Jack Phillips, IIA works across a breadth of industries to uncover actionable insights from its network of analytics practitioners, industry experts and faculty. IIAs research clients gain access to an extensive research library, faculty-moderated executive roundtables and phone conversations. IIA also provides analytics benchmarking, dynamic inquiry and advisory services to its members, allowing business leaders and analytics professionals to keep their fingers on the pulse of analytics in the new data economy. Since its inception, SAS, Intel, Teradata, and Dell have supported IIA as underwriters. For more information about IIA, and how you can become a member, visit iianalytics.com or call 503-467-0210. Award-winning Michigan and northern Ohio heating and cooling distributor, Carrier Great Lakes is pleased to announce that it will be stocking and selling Bradford White Water Heaters at all seven of their Michigan and Ohio locations. Bradford White is a manufacturer of water heaters and boilers, which has recently invested in Michigan by remodeling their state of the art Middleville, Michigan plant. Bradford White builds their American-Made products with passion, determination, and quality craftsmanship from American employees. Ben Copeland, Bradford White Product Specialist at Carrier Great Lakes had this to say about the partnership between Carrier Great Lakes and Bradford White: "I am pleased that CGL can continue to offer not only an expanded line of products for our customers, but also the right ones. Bradford White fits into our line perfectly; it is a superior product, wholesale only and also made in Michigan! Why would you install anything else? Carrier Great Lakes is committed to providing industry leading, best-of-breed products. Offering Bradford White products at all Carrier Great Lakes locations aids in achieving this goal. To learn more about Bradford White Water heaters, visit your local Carrier Great Lakes branch at http://www.carriergreatlakes.com/locations/. About Carrier Great Lakes Carrier Great Lakes is a proud, privately owned, distributor of Carrier heating and cooling equipment, parts and supplies. With seven branch locations in Michigan and Northern Ohio, we have enjoyed continued success at distributing quality heating, ventilating and HVAC systems to Michigan and Northern Ohio HVAC contractors for over Twenty years. Our team remains steadfast in the belief that our focus is on supporting our customers; this is recognized by our continued commitment to understanding their needs and finding the best solutions to service them. Fiberglass Structural Engineering is proud to announce that they have been in business for forty years. The company was founded in 1976 by Winston Renoud when he recognized serious problems in the corrosion composites industry. Prompted by extensive failures of unreliable FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) equipment, Mr. Renoud founded the company to address the inadequate designs and poor quality fabrications and installations that caused these failures. By creating the first third party FRP engineering and inspection company in the industrial fiberglass industry, FSE brought unbiased objectivity to industrial FRP projects and end-users. Upon reaching this milestone anniversary, founder Winston Renoud reflects, Wow! It is such an honor to do work that changes industries in meaningful ways. Whether we are preventing a major pipe failure or tank collapse the work we do improves the safety of communities and the environment. FSE transitioned from father to son Chris Renoud, P.E., in 2008 and continues to lead the industry with headquarters in Bellingham, WA, USA and two new branch offices in the Middle East: The United Arab Emirates and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Chris Renoud explains, Its a real achievement to transition from first generation to second and I am proud of the work weve accomplished over the years. Im looking forward to taking the new technologies that weve developed to improve safety for reinforced plastics throughout the world. With our multiple worldwide branch offices, we can be most anyplace in the world on short notice to support our clients. Im proud to contribute to a positive safety record for all the industry sectors we serve: petroleum, petrochemical, energy, chemical, pulp and paper, municipal waste water, mining and electronics. Over the past 40 years, FSE has provided specialized FRP engineering and inspection support services to some of the largest companies and EPC/M firms in the world, such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, Intel and Fluor. Many of todays most commonly used FRP design codes and industry standard practices are based largely on FSE research and innovation. Part of the success FSE has enjoyed is due to the companys continuing commitment to embrace innovation. FSE has partnered with scientists and professors to research new FRP nondestructive testing methods that will provide additional capabilities for evaluating industrial composite equipment and piping. Along with their research partners, FSE recently co-authored and published a research article on this exciting innovation. In 2016, FSE is implementing new NDT technology into their preventive maintenance inspection, evaluation and failure investigation services. FSE would like to thank all their clients for forty great years of partnership and support. They look forward to continuing to serve their clients and their industry for many years to come. FSE is an engineering firm specializing in fiberglass design and inspection services based in Bellingham, Washington USA. To learn more about FSE, please visit their website at http://www.fse.com Carl Warren & Company, an employee-owned Third Party Claims Administrator, has announced the hiring of Todd Johnson, CPCU to oversee and help further develop their workers compensation division. He will also be an integral part of their management team. Todd comes with a wealth of insurance industry experience having spent the last 7 years at Berkley Risk Administrators where he directed a team of 175+ individuals for claims administration, managed care, loss control, internal audit and data reporting. He started his career at Workers Compensation Reinsurance Association where he handled and managed catastrophic workers compensation claims. He has over 25 years experience in providing strategic direction and leading national claims operations for self-insured companies and public entities. Todd will be based out of Carl Warrens Placentia, CA office. He will be directing the planning, development, program assessment, financial performance, regulatory compliance, and delivery of services for their workers compensation department. Todd stated I am excited to join Carl Warren & Company and lead their national workers compensation operation. The passion of the staff, investment in new systems and commitment to providing exceptional claims services creates great value for their clients. Having Todd on board is a great start to 2016. We view his appointment as a sign of our commitment to developing and strengthening our workers compensation services. We are very fortunate to have found Todd who is not only as focused as we are on providing exceptional claims service, but is also a great cultural fit as we pursue new growth opportunities. said Richard McAbee, Chief Marketing Officer. -------------------------------- About Carl Warren Carl Warren is a national, employee-owned Third Party Claims Administrator that specializes in liability, workers compensation, and property claims management for private corporations, public entities, insurance companies, and captives nationwide. New York-based accounting practice SUM Innovation is thrilled to announce the expansion of its outsourced accounting department to include broker/dealer services for its clients. We are incredibly excited to expand the services of our accounting department, said Mathew Heggem, CEO of SUM Innovation. We believe this is a great opportunity to assist our clients and help them succeed in new areas. To spearhead this expansion, SUM Innovation is adding CPA Michael Davison to the team. His 15 years of experience as a FINOP and compliance officer in the broker/dealer industry will prove invaluable. Specifically, Davison has extensive experience in accounting and financial management and has worked for numerous NASD- and NYSE-regulated firms of various sizes (after regulatory consolidation, now called FINRA). The updated department will expand the services available to SUM Innovations clients and give small and mid-sized broker/dealer firms a marketplace advantage. According to Heggem, smaller firms often have trouble retaining employees for broker/dealer services, and the constant recruiting and training process can become an issue. The goal of this initiative is to allow smaller, newer broker/dealer firms to compete with their larger counterparts by hiring an outsource provider. While large financial institutions that have teams of accountants on staff could easily absorb the loss of one departing employee, for other firms, such an event can be a major upheaval and at some smaller firms, hiring a full-time FINOP on salary is costly and often more than whats needed. So this strategic partnership was conceived to give small and mid-sized broker/dealer firms the following unique advantages they can gain from outsourcing the FINOP and bookkeeping role to SUM Innovation: Stability: The necessary number of accounting staff is always available. So any worries about an employee quitting or even a sole proprietor consultant leaving are gone. Core competencies: Owners and other producers can focus on their main jobs and let SUM Innovation take care of the rest. A professional network: The SUM Innovation staff works together on accounts, and firms benefit from the combined knowledge and experiences that they share. So unlike some outsourcing resources that merely act as a referral service to a one-person provider, SUM Innovation works as a team. Cost-effectiveness: Teams of CPAs or even a full-time accounting staff may be more than whats needed. SUM Innovations licensed professional CPA oversight that supports its teams of accounting professionals offers many broker/dealers the level of services they need at a cost they can afford. I really think outsourcing is an effective solution, and Im very happy to be a part of it, said Davison. Im happy that I can share my industry experience and knowledge with smaller broker/dealers and give them a leg up in this competitive marketplace. Davison has been training SUM Innovation team members in specialized procedures, familiarizing them with the necessary accounting processes, and sharing his extensive knowledge of the broker/dealer industry. About SUM Innovation SUM Innovation is an accounting management and consulting firm on a mission to help its clients grow. Its dynamic team of experts assesses, designs, implements, and manages accounting solutions for fast-growth startups, international businesses, established and growing businesses, and nonprofits across the U.S. by leveraging its outsourced accounting department and its training and staffing services. SUM Innovation has worked with more than 550 clients in 35 industries and aims to be a continuous leader in the industry. Learn more about SUM Innovation at http://www.suminnovation.com. The legal profession has to make a greater effort to ensure quality legal advice and counseling are accessible to the public at an affordable price Freiwald Law, P.C., highly regarded for representing plaintiffs in catastrophic personal injury cases, has expanded its practice to now offer affordable legal counsel, including estate, healthcare planning, and related services. Recognizing the demand and growth potential, the firm just established a Community Legal Advisors (CLA) group, Founder and Managing Partner Aaron J. Freiwald announced today. Mr. Freiwald, who said that too often citizens cannot access or afford primary legal services, such as preparation of a simple will or a Power of Attorney, established the CLA group along with a transparent, below market fee structure to provide these vital legal services that are just as important to individuals and families as core family medical care. Noting that it is time to redefine the traditional law firm model to positively impact middle-class citizens who find themselves economically disenfranchised from representation and legally vulnerable, Mr. Freiwald said the CLA group fills the service gap between the costly bigger firms and subsidized non-profit legal services organizations with strict low-income eligibility requirements. In contrast to common Pennsylvania law firm charges that include an average hourly rate of $325.00, or more than $1,000 for a simple will, CLA is charging $125 per hour and $125 for the same basic will preparation (plus standard filing fees). There is a lot of talk about affordable self-directed healthcare in America but that same conversation is not taking place when it comes to managing a person or familys fundamental legal affairs, Mr. Freiwald explained. We decided it was time to act and we are committed to helping people who risk slipping through the cracks make these important decisions now so someone else possibly appointed by a court - doesn't make decisions for them later. The legal profession has to make a greater effort to ensure quality legal advice and counseling are accessible to the public at an affordable price, particularly to assist with critical healthcare decisions, says Frank M. McClellan, Professor of Law Emeritus at the Beasley School of Law of Temple University and Special Counsel at Freiwald Law. Poor planning in that area may prove financially and emotionally devastating, which is why we created CLA, Professor McClellan adds. Matthew R. Bravette, CLA Staff Attorney, noted that his group will prepare an Advance Healthcare Directive, which combines a Living Will and Healthcare Power of Attorney, for $125, a rate almost unheard of at many traditional firms. I know first hand, growing up with a severely disabled brother, the types of hardship a family can face at any time without proper legal guidance, said Mr. Bravette. Im proud to be among the first attorneys in CLA addressing this serious need for affordable legal services for everyone in our community, he added. Engel & Volkers is unique in that it goes beyond the average real estate company we truly are a lifestyle brand and we are excited to exhibit that at the festival. - Cam Gittler Engel & Volkers Santa Barbara/Montecito announced today their premiere sponsorship of the 2016 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where the elite real estate brand will proudly present this years American Riviera Award honoring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel McAdams. The star-studded event is set for Friday, February 5th at the Arlington Theatre. Celebrations will continue throughout the festival at the Engel & Volkers Pavilion at the Lobero Theatre, including the much-anticipated closing night party on February 13th. The Engel & Volkers Santa Barbara shop is also gearing up to host pre-tribute Club 85 VIP cocktail receptions reserved for select sponsors before every celebrity tribute event. "We are honored to be sponsoring this incredible event, said Cam Gittler, President of Engel & Volkers Santa Barbara/Montecito. Engel & Volkers is unique in that it goes beyond the average real estate company we truly are a lifestyle brand and we are excited to exhibit that at the festival. In addition to the American Riviera honorees, Johnny Depp, Rooney Mara, Brie Larson, Saoirse Ronan, Elizabeth Banks, Joel Edgerton, Paul Dano, Jacob Tremblay, Alicia Vikander, OShea Jackson Jr., Geza Rohrig, and many others will also be receiving awards this year. Over 90,000 guests are expected to attend the festival, which features more than 200 films, including 52 world premieres and 53 US premieres, hailing from more than 60 countries. Boasting an incredible film lineup, coupled with exciting celebrity panels and symposiums, Engel & Volkers is honored to be at the forefront of Santa Barbaras most prestigious networking event of the year. About Engel & Volkers Since its beginning in 1977 as a specialty boutique providing exclusive, high-end real estate services in Hamburg, Germany, Engel & Volkers has become one of the worlds leading companies specializing in the sale and lease of premium residential and commercial property, yachts and private aviation. Engel & Volkers currently operates a global network of over 7,000 advisors in more than 700 brokerages spanning 37 countries across five continents, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services. It established its North America corporate headquarters in 2007 and opened its first brokerage in the same year. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and tools; multiple platforms for mobile, social and web; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Engel & Volkers is an active supporter of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated. # # # For more information please contact: Sheela Shouhed Director of Communication For specific information about festival events: Engel & Volkers Santa Barbara (805) 364-5141 santabarbara.evusa.com Raj Kosuri On the day of release, Under Attack reached best-seller status in six Amazon categories - reaching as high as #1 in the Cloud Computing, Network & Cloud Computing, and Computer Network Security categories. Raj Kosuri recently joined a select group of business experts and entrepreneurs from around the world, along with Robin Robins to co-write the book, Under Attack: How to Protect Your Business & Bank Account From Fast-Growing, Ultra-Motivated and Highly Dangerous CyberCrime Rings. CelebrityPress, a leading business book publisher, released the book on January 14, 2016. On the day of release, Under Attack reached best-seller status in six Amazon categories - reaching as high as #1 in the Cloud Computing, Network & Cloud Computing, and Computer Network Security categories. The book also reached #2 in Cyber Security & Encryption, #5 in Computers & Technology. Raj Kosuri contributed a chapter titled Cloud Computing and Cybercrime: Keeping Data Safe in a Virtual World. CelebrityPress describes the book: The wording "Under Attack" implies a dangerous situation - one that signifies we are currently under assault. In this book, the Celebrity Experts showcased are in the vanguard of protecting data and sensitive information under threat - the threat of digital information being made available to unscrupulous sources, and at times just pure vandalism. There are very few businesses, organizations or even individuals, left in this country that don't use electronics today. The Electronic Revolution has been all encompassing. Remaining vestiges of 'old world' practices - like manually writing or recording transactions or events, or the time-honored tradition of 'hiding money under the mattress' - have all but disappeared. So, along with the use of bows and arrows and pony dispatch riders, these are becoming historical markers strewn along the path of progress. The Celebrity Experts in this book are people who are in business to protect digital information. In addition to unscrupulous sources that wish to profit from competitive information, businesses also have to deal with governmental regulations that ensure both consumers privacy, as well as organizational transparency. Penalties for not adopting legislated governmental requirements in medical, financial and various other industries are severe. The information herein highlights the usefulness and ability of these experts - and their expertise is varied. We should not be surprised that electronic systems are "Under Attack," and also, that these Celebrity Experts are not merely qualified, but more importantly, experienced in helping stave off the inevitable attacks that businesses, governments and organizations face daily. Using such expertise is a form of insurance, without which the cost of remediation can be devastating. After such a successful release, Raj Kosuri will be recognized by The National Academy of Best-Selling Authors, an organization that honors authors from many leading independent bestseller lists. Click HERE to order a copy of Under Attack A portion of the royalties earned from Under Attack will be donated to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, the leading children's hospital pioneering research and treatments for kids with cancer and other life-threatening disease More About Raj Kosuri: Raj Kosuri deeply believes in Simple Living & High Thinking and possesses extraordinary technical expertise in the field of Information Technology and business acumen. Raj believes that sharing knowledge and innovation are among the most effective ways of progressing especially in the field of Information Technology. As a CEO & CTO he has authored Best Practices for Business Rules Integration in 2006 to share his expertise with the world. His chapter on Mobile Application is yet another way to do so. Raj led his company to the Deloitte Fast 50 & 500 four years in a row. He was awarded the honor of being named one of the Smart 100 CEOs by SmartCEO Magazine in 2009. In the same year, he introduced Verdio the Green PC which won the NVTC Green Award for Small Business 2010. In 2011, Raj released the Climetric Software designed to help Fortune 500 companies with carbon management and accounting. Raj has very optimistically developed the Green Data Center in Danville, VA spread across 27,000 sq. feet to offer cloud computing, disaster recovery and business continuity solutions in a virtualized environment. He plans to generate local employment there for those qualified allowing them to stay in their hometown and work. About Celebrity Press: Celebrity Press is a leading business, health and wellness book publisher that publishes books from thought leaders around the world. Celebrity Press has published books alongside Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, Dan Kennedy, Dr. Ivan Misner, Robert Allen and many of the biggest experts across diverse fields. CelebrityPress has helped launch over 1700 best-selling authors to date. Learn more at http://www.celebritypresspublishing.com ### Contact: Kasey Kalchert Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency 800-980-1626 Kasey(at)DNAgency(dot)com Tags: Under Attack, Celebrity Press, Amazon, Best-Seller, International Best Seller, National Academy of Best-Selling Author, Raj Kosuri, Climetric Software, Information Technology, Verdio the Green PC, EcomNets On December 18, 2015, Safety Net Recovery donated a check for $1,000 to New Beginnings, a local food bank. This donation was used to augment their regular weekly food donations and help feed hundreds of locals. In addition, they donated furniture to help furnish several transitional homes through Essence of Hope in order to provide warmth and comfort to those in need. Safety Net Recovery has helped keep hundreds of locals fed every week for the last two years through their partnership with New Beginnings. Each week, Safety Net Recoverys clients load up a truck full of food for the pantry, which keeps 70 to 100 families fed for the entire week. Essence of Hope provides transitional housing and supportive services to those suffering from addiction, mental illness, homelessness or abuse. Safety Net Recovery recently donated 30 mattresses, 120 sets of linens and several sofas, dishes, bedroom sets and more in order to furnish numerous houses and allow those in need a warm, safe place to reside while they heal. We believe in leading by example, said Taylor Hagin, co-owner of Safety Net Recovery. Through helping the community, were able to teach our clients what it means to be productive members of society. This joy in helping others shows clients that there is more to life than drugs or alcohol and that they have the ability to greatly impact the world around them. Though these contributions qualify for a tax break, Safety Net Recovery will not be reporting the donations to the Internal Revenue Servicethey are solely meant to make a difference in the community and allow their clients to learn and grow through helping others. About Safety Net Recovery Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Safety Net Recovery is a structured sober living facility for men and women who want to maintain their sobriety after completing treatment. It provides them with a secure place to reside within a supportive community in order to help them achieve lifelong sobriety. Safety Net Recoverys dedicated, licensed professionals create a foundation for men and women to stay spiritual, safe and loved while learning how to grow and live in their new, sober lives. For more information, please contact their office at 1 (770) 432-9774. The American Board of Audiology (ABA) today announced that Maggie Boorazanes, AuD, of Chicago, IL; Ellen Hambley, AuD, of Toledo, OH; and Samantha Vrooman, AuD, of Raleigh, NC; are now Board Certified in Audiology. By obtaining this nationally recognized credential, Drs. Boorazanes, Hambley, and Vrooman demonstrate their commitment to professional excellence in audiology. The ABA identifies and formally recognizes audiologists whose knowledge base is consistent with the highest professionally established credentials and distinguishes them as Board Certified in Audiology. By becoming ABA certified, Drs. Boorazanes, Hambley, and Vrooman also show they are willing to achieve and maintain the highest professional standards while remaining current in the latest audiology developments and issues. The Board Certified in Audiology credential is administered by the ABA for the express purpose of certifying audiologists and helps consumers recognize those individuals who have completed standardized education and training and are committed to continuing their professional development. Meagan Lewis, AuD, Board Certified in Audiology and holder of the ABA Cochlear Implant Specialty Certification (CISC), is the Chair of the Board of Governors for the ABA. Lewis notes, I am a firm believer that pursuing certification is a way for audiologists to demonstrate true commitment and dedication to the field and to excellence in audiology. Holding the ABAs Board Certified in Audiology will allow Drs. Boorazanes, Hambley, and Vrooman to demonstrate to both patients and colleagues that they care deeply about their profession and are willing to take the time and make the effort to stay current in best practices in audiology. The ABA has been granting credentials to audiologists since 1999. Board Certified in Audiology is a voluntary program administered by audiologists for audiologists through the ABA. Benefits accrue to both the audiologist and the consumer through recognition of the commitment to continued education in the field of audiology. For more information regarding Board Certified in Audiology and the American Board of Audiology, visit http://www.boardofaudiology.org or call the ABA at 1-800-881-5410. About the American Board of Audiology (ABA) The American Board of Audiology (ABA) creates, administers, and promotes rigorous credentialing programs that elevate professional practice and advance patient care. The ABA administers the Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification (PASC) and the Cochlear Implant Specialty Certification (CISC), both of which are voluntary certification programs. These specialty certifications were created by and are administered by ABA certified audiologists. Follow us on Twitter @AmerBoardofAudiology. # # # Website: http://www.boardofaudiology.org Weve all experienced extreme weather just this week in factand scientists suggest extreme weather and climate events have increased in recent decades. NOAA predicts El Nino will have a big impact on weather and climate patterns this winter across the nation. To learn more about this, join The Pew Charitable Trusts and experts from the National Guard, FEMA and NOAA for a discussion on trends in extreme weather over the past decade and the impact of more frequent and more complex weather events on national preparedness and how the United States responds to natural disasters. The event also will be live webcast. WHAT: Extreme Weather Our Nations Response WHERE: The Pew Charitable Trusts, 901 E St. NW, Washington, D.C., 20004 WHEN: Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, 10:30 a.m. to noon EST WHO: Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, chief scientist at NOAA Joseph L. Nimmich, deputy administrator with FEMA Maj. Gen. Robert Livingston, Adjutant General of the Army, South Carolina National Guard Phyllis Cuttino, director, Pew Project on National Security, Energy and Climate RSVP: Register to attend here or watch via a webcast here. Contact Michelle Blackston (mblackston(at)pewtrusts.org) for more information or to schedule an interview with one of the speakers. ### The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve todays most challenging problems. Learn more at http://www.pewtrusts.org Michelle Cadwell Blackston, 202-540-6627, mblackston(at)pewtrusts(dot)org Today Sabadell United Bank reported net income of $34.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2015. A 57 percent increase from the $22.2 million of net income earned in 2014. Sabadell reported $5.2 billion in assets as of December 31, 2015, having grown 14 percent from the $4.6 billion reported at the conclusion of 2014, while maintaining a high liquidity level and strong core operational earnings. The banks total gross loan portfolio reached $3.7 billion, up 12 percent from the same period last year, and deposit balances reached $4 billion, up 13 percent from the same period last year. The banks quarter-end Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio (CET1) and Tier 1 capital ratio were both 13.76 percent, while its Tier 1 leverage ratio was 9.73 percent and its total capital ratio was 15.01 percent. These far exceed the FDIC standards for a well-capitalized bank. In 2015 we have achieved our strategic growth goals, for both loans and deposits, while at the same time, increasing core earnings and operational efficiency. Our goals of focusing on developing close relationships with our clients and excellent service continue to be vital to our ongoing success, said Dwight Hill, President of Sabadell United Bank. We are pleased to have maintained our strong capital ratios while continuing to increase our deposit and loan portfolios, said Mario Trueba, CEO of Sabadell United Bank. He added, During 2015 we have also been focused on efficiency, improvement of our operational model and enhancement our clients service experience. All these efforts position us well for further growth. ABOUT SABADELL Sabadell United Bank, N.A. is a locally managed, nationally chartered banking institution that serves over 40,000 clients through its branch network in Florida. Professionals, businesses, as well as high-net-worth individuals look to Sabadell as their trusted financial advisor. Sabadell United Bank consistently ranks as one of the well-capitalized banks in the state and is rated 5 stars by Bauer Financial for its financial stability. Sabadells Florida operations include Sabadell United Bank, its wealth management division, Sabadell Bank & Trust, and Banco Sabadell Miami Branch, an international branch of its parent company, Banco Sabadell. Sabadell currently manages more than $16 billion of business volume in Florida. Since 2007, Sabadell has grown its presence in Florida over twelvefold in terms of business volume. "Upon completion of our Student Loan Certification Program, counselors are able to guide borrowers through the often complex and overwhelming process of evaluating options. -Kevin Weeks, FCAA President Student loan debt headlines continue to mount even as consumers continue to struggle with their debt. Since its inception in March 2015, the Financial Counseling Association of America has offered an intensive student loan counseling training course that has been very successful. Eleven Student Loan Certification Program classes were offered in 2015, attended by both FCAA members and non-members. Classes for 2016 are now scheduled. This program offers the tools needed to understand and apply the various student loan solutions to consumers in need. Each student loan situation has unique circumstances and each solution should be unique to those circumstances, said Kevin Weeks, president, FCAA. Upon completion of our Student Loan Certification Program, counselors are able to guide borrowers through the often complex and overwhelming process of evaluating options. Comments from persons who have successfully completed the course include: Wonderful information. I learned a lot. The content was excellent. I found it organized in a very useful way. Im a financial planner and not very familiar with the student loans space. I found the information overwhelming so I guess it did its job! At least now I know where to get help. The information was complicated, but that is the nature of student loan counseling. The modules did an excellent job breaking it all down in small pieces that could be comprehended. The program is a combination of self study via an on-line four module course and interaction with an instructor. Each module is meant to be completed weekly, with access to the instructor via email as needed throughout the course. The instructor holds a weekly one hour call in session for review and group discussion. Each module has interactive quizzes and a final test is administered at the end of the course to ensure mastery. The program modules are: State of Student Loans Student Loans Types and Programs Real World Application of Student Loan Programs Enrollment in Student Loan Programs The course has been approved for Continuing Education Unit credit through: the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education, the Center for Financial Certifications, the Partnership for Financial Education, and the state of South Carolina. Continuing Legal Education credits will be applied for upon request. 2016 class schedule: February 1, 2016 (weekly calls on February 8, 15, 22 and 29) March 7, 2016 (weekly calls on March 14, 21, 28, and April 4) April 11, 2016 (weekly calls on April 18 and 25 and May 2 and 9) May 16, 2016 (weekly calls on May 23 and 30 and June 6 and 13) June 20, 2016 (weekly calls on June 27 and July 4, 11 and 18) July 25, 2016 (weekly calls on August 1, 8, 15 and 22) August 29, 2016 (weekly calls on September 5, 12, 19 and 26) October 3, 2016 (weekly calls on October 10, 17, 24 and 31) November 7, 2016 (weekly calls on November 14, 21 and 28 and December 5) December 12, 2016 (weekly calls on December 19 and 26 and January 2 and 9, 2017) The cost to participate is $199 for FCAA members and $299 for non-members. Class size is limited. The training has been set up in conjunction with FCAA's website studentloancounselors.org. The site was built as a one-stop resource for consumers as well as counselors who are trying to help. For more information, visit fcaa.org or studentloancounselors.org. About FCAA: The Financial Counseling Association of America was founded in 1993 as the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies. FCAA is a national membership organization established to promote quality and professional delivery of financial counseling services. FCAA and its members are focused on financial education, efficient processes and advanced technology to best serve consumers. FCAA members are independent agencies that advocate for debtors and annually counsel more than 600,000 consumers. Visit http://www.fcaa.org for more information. We have a passion for health and wellness and this is our opportunity to reach more people. Jeni Hemingson will be holding two days worth of celebrations for the opening of her North East Mesa Fit Body Boot Camp location. On April 1st from 5:30-7:00pm and on April 2nd from 9:00am-12:00pm at 2622 N. Odgen #106, Mesa, AZ 85215 there will be sample boot camps, prize drawings and fundraisers for Family Promise of Greater Phoenix, a charity that works to help homeless families with children. Fit Body Boot Camp is the worlds fastest growing and most popular indoor fitness boot camp brand, with hundreds of locations worldwide. The boot camps unique brand of fitness combines individualized personal training from licensed professionals, clinically proven Afterburn workouts, and nutritional guidance to guarantee weight loss results. Jeni and her husband, Jeff, are excited to bring health and fitness into their community: Jeni was a stay-at-home-mom with a passion for helping other people reach their health goals, explains Jeff. As the kids are in school full-time, this is her chance to get to work to see her dreams come to fruition. We are very excited to bring Fit Body Boot Camp to the NE Mesa area. We have a passion for health and wellness and this is our opportunity to reach more people. Jeni believes that people have less and less time to take care of themselves and wants to provide her community with something quick and convenient. At the event they will be doing mini boot camps in order to give people a preview of the workouts. There will also be a raffle and the proceeds support Family Promise of Greater Phoenix. The Family Promise of Greater Phoenix is an organization that aims to reduce homelessness in greater Phoenix by helping low income families with children attain self-sufficiency. The group looks to create a safety net of services so they can become independent and sustainable as a family unit. Attendees of the event are encouraged to dress as celebrity fitness instructors. Judging will take place at 6:00pm on Friday and 11:00am on Saturday. Prizes will be awarded. About North East Mesa Fit Body Boot Camp: North East Mesa Fit Body Boot Camp is a part of the Fit Body Boot Camp family of indoor fitness boot camps, whose global goal is to engage 20% of the worlds population in a healthy and fit lifestyle by the year 2020. North East Mesa Fit Body Boot Camp is owned and operated by Jeni Hemingson. Hemingson is committed to helping members of the North East Mesa community set and accomplish their own health and fitness goals. For more information about North East Mesa Fit Body Boot Camp, please call: (480) 382-3663 Visit their website at: http://www.fitbodybootcamp.com/northeastmesafitnessbootcamp/ Or their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/northeastmesafitbodybootcamp/ Joel Rapp, CEO, President of Right Place Media Right Place Media, one of the largest independent media agencies in the Southeast, celebrates its 15th anniversary on Monday February 01, 2016. Headquartered in Lexington, KY, Right Place Media was founded on February 01, 2001 by CEO, President Joel Rapp. Right Place Media offers expertise in traditional, interactive and direct response media services. Im extremely proud of our growth over the past 15 years in this rapidly changing world of media, said Joel Rapp. I credit our success to having the best media talent in the region and working with clients who give us the opportunity to use our expertise to develop and execute strategies that help them outsmart their competitors. Since its inception, the company has successfully managed the media strategy, planning, and buying assignments for clients across the country in a myriad of categories ranging from automotive and banking to restaurants and retail. Devin Johnson, Senior VP, Media Director, who has been with the company from the start, has managed multiple client accounts over the years. We've been fortunate over the years to have great relationships with folks from a variety of clients and categories, said Devin Johnson. And we're very proud of the organic growth those relationships have created for RPM. In some cases, we've worked with the same person for 10+ years as they've advanced through three different companies. That's very fulfilling. Right Place Medias sustained progress during a period of significant change in the industry, from technological advances to shifting consumer media habits, is a testament to its ability to evolve and adapt. Building on its successful foundation, the Right Place Media team is thrilled to kick off another 15 years! About Right Place Media: Right Place Media (RPM) is a strategy-driven media agency focused solely on delivering better results for its clients through expert strategy, smart planning, tough-but-fair negotiating, and thorough post-campaign evaluation. At RPM, media strategy leads the campaign development process. RPM currently places advertising in over 125 markets across the U.S. ranging from Los Angeles to Bangor, Maine. No market is too large or too small. Enclosed: Fact Sheet ### This patent provides Cannabix with an engine to drive miniaturization of THC detection from exhaled breath, and the expertise provided by the Yost lab at the University of Florida is unparalleled in the analytical chemistry device development arena Cannabix Technologies Inc. (CSE: BLO) (OTC PINK: BLOZF) (the Company) is pleased to report it has exercised its option to license University of Florida US Patent 8,237,118 (the Patent) in the area of breath analysis of controlled substances. Cannabix entered into a research and patent option agreement with the University of Florida (the University) in July of 2015. Due to the positive results received on the FAIMS THC Breathalyzer development to date, Cannabix has moved to exercise its option to license the exclusive patent rights immediately. The Option exercise will give Cannabix exclusive worldwide rights in the area of breath analysis of controlled substances. In addition, Cannabix will be renewing its agreement with the University of Florida to continue development of its FAIMS-MS based marijuana breathalyzer. Since the fall of 2015, Dr. Yost's group and Cannabix have been working diligently to optimize the high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) cell for detection of trace amounts of THC through exhaled breath. The team has made consistent and impressive progress towards the development of a FAIMS- based hand held breathalyzer to accurately detect trace amounts of THC. The superior design developed by Dr. Yosts team improves resolution, sensitivity and consistency using novel methods, with industry standard mass spectrometry being used for characterization. Dr. Raj Attariwala, Cannabixs Chief Scientific Officer, states, FAIMS technology builds upon the current gold standard technique of Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry for measuring THC. This patent provides Cannabix with an engine to drive miniaturization of THC detection from exhaled breath, and the expertise provided by the Yost lab at the University of Florida is unparalleled in the analytical chemistry device development arena. This combination will lead Cannabix towards consistency and accuracy in real-time trace levels of THC detection in exhaled breath. Kal Malhi, President of Cannabix stated, Cannabix is very pleased with the progress that we have made to achieve highly accurate detection of THC in breath using FAIMS technology. Due to positive results, we are immediately exercising our Option on US Patent 8,237,118, Partial Ovoidal FAIMS Electrode for breath analysis of controlled substances. Cannabix is a pioneer and a leader in the development of a FAIMS based THC Breathalyzer and we are cognizant of this lead position and the need to protect our know-how and developments. We are amassing a portfolio of intellectual property including patent protection for various devices and need to protect the details of our developments until the required patent protection is in place. Cannabix will provide updates on the development of its device as they occur and as patent protection requirements permit. PITTCON 2016 Cannabix is pleased to report that Company officers and research delegates have been invited to present at the PITTCON 2016 conference on its technology development and know how in the area of breath testing for THC. PITTCON will be held from March 6-10, 2016 at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia. PITTCON is the worlds largest annual premier conference and exposition on laboratory science. It is a scientific conference on leading discoveries and innovations in analytical chemistry and applied spectroscopy that serves life sciences, pharmaceutical discovery, environmental and bioterrorism industries. PITTCON attracts attendees from industry, academia and government from over 90 countries worldwide. Dr Rick Yost, Dr Bruce Goldberger and Dr Jared Boock will be presenting at the conference. Cannabix and Washington State University researcher Dr. Herbert Hill have been invited to present on THC breath testing technology at this prestigious event. For more information visit cannabixtechnologies.com About Cannabix Technologies Inc. Cannabix Technologies Inc. is a leader in marijuana breathalyzer development for law enforcement and the workplace. Cannabix has established breath testing technologies in the pursuit of bringing durable, portable hand-held tools to market to enhance detection of marijuana impaired driving offences on roads at a time when marijuana is becoming legal in many jurisdictions globally. Cannabix is working to develop drug-testing devices that will detect Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC- the psychoactive component of marijuana that causes intoxication) using breath samples. This technology would be used to provide detection of use of THC at the roadside to identify drivers intoxicated by the recent use of marijuana. In particular, Cannabix is focused on developing breath testing devices for THC detection that would target recent use of THC, in contrast to saliva or urine testing for THC which can be invasive and take considerable time for laboratory analysis. The devices will also be useful for other practical applications such as testing employees in the workplace where intoxication by THC can be hazardous. About The Yost Research Group at the University of Florida Research in the Yost Group at the University of Florida is led by Professor Rick Yost and centers on instrumentation, fundamentals, and applications. Instrumentation development includes a wide range of projects in tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and ion mobility. The Yost Research Group is developing and evaluating high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) coupled to a mass spectrometer for the analysis of various compound classes including THC. Dr. Yosts research has involved over 100 graduate students funded by over $40 million in research grants, and has led to the publication of over 160 papers and 16 patents. Over $30 billion worth of instruments have been sold based on these patents. We seek Safe Harbor. On behalf of the Board of Directors Rav Mlait CEO Cannabix Technologies Inc. For further information, contact the Company's CEO, Rav Mlait 604-551-7831 email at info@cannabixtechnologies.com The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company, such as final development of a commercial or prototype product(s), successful trial or pilot of company technologies, no assurance that commercial sales of any kind actually materialize; no assurance the Company will have sufficient funds to complete product development. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and the Companys plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information, including: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) risks regarding protection of proprietary technology; (iii) the ability of the Company to complete financings; (v) the ability of the Company to develop and market its future product; and (vi) risks regarding government regulation, managing and maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation, competition and other factors which may be identified from time to time in the Company's public announcements and filings. There is no assurance that the marijuana breathalyzer business will provide any benefit to the Company, and no assurance that any proposed new products will be built or proceed. There is no assurance that existing patent pending technologies licensed by the Company will receive patent status by regulatory authorities. The Company is not currently selling commercial breathalyzers. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements. Marvin N. McLellan Crucial Care announced today the appointment of Marvin McLellan as its Vice President of Business Development. Crucial Care is located in Jacksonville, FL and operates high acuity urgent care and freestanding emergency centers that combine high quality emergency care and robust real-time managed care. Crucial Care both owns facilities and collaborates with payers, health systems and other innovators in health care delivery that focus on patient-centered quality outcomes that produce actuarially validated savings up to $30M+ per facility per year. Marvin is an outstanding leader who shares our corporate vision for excellence and will contribute greatly by leading the national expansion of our innovative and proven business model said Mike Shumer, Chief Executive Officer for Crucial Care. His solid reputation for excellence and passion for delivering quality clinical care will make him an invaluable asset to Crucial Care and our strategic partners. McLellan joins Crucial Care with three decades of experience in business development, strategic planning, and healthcare operations leadership. McLellan most recently served as market director of business development at Tenet Healthcare, where he was responsible for business development, physician relations, marketing, strategic planning and growth initiatives in the El Paso, Texas region. Prior to joining Tenet, McLellan also served in senior leadership roles at Air Methods Corporation, OU Medical Center, TransCare New York and Northwell Health, formerly North Shore LIJ Health System. Crucial Care owns and operates ancillary health care businesses, which include high acuity urgent care centers and freestanding emergency care centers. Crucial Care is a leader in transforming the delivery of health care. The company is now expanding its footprint across the country, and is focused on delivering superior health outcomes and experiences to patients via its high quality, cost effective and innovative care delivery models. For more information, please visit http://www.crucialcare.com Dr. Trout has joined Generations Family Medicine, Inc. in Gahanna, OH. Every interaction with my patients is an opportunity for me to learn from them so I can better guide them toward their unique health goals. OhioHealth is proud to welcome Dr. Andrew Trout to Gahanna, Ohio family medicine practice, Generations Family Medicine located at 765 N Hamilton Rd Ste 255 Gahanna, Ohio 43230. He will see patients at Generations Family Medicine, Inc. at 765 N Hamilton Rd Ste 255 Gahanna, OH 43230. Dr. Trout will offer extended evening hours one day per week, same-day visits, and walk-in visits Monday through Thursday, and half days on Saturday. Dr. Trout, a Gahanna native, is a compassionate, patient-centered family physician, who joins Generations Family Medicine after completing his residency at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital and completing medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. With his emphasis in family medicine, his practice interests include preventative care, chronic disease management, wellness, pediatrics, adolescent medicine, osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), and infectious diseases. My main job as a family physician is to listen to each patient and ensure that I understand their individual needs said Dr. Trout. Every interaction with my patients is an opportunity for me to learn from them so I can better guide them toward their unique health goals. Dr. Trout takes a holistic and integrated approach and is committed to compassionate, personalized, patient-centered care. Dr. Trout enjoys seeing patients of all age groups and strives to establish long-lasting, trusting relationships with his patients. I approach the patient as an intersection of mind, body, and spirit said Dr. Trout. To encourage fundamental health and well-being, I believe it is essential to approach each patient comprehensively and individually. To learn more and schedule an appointment with Dr. Trout at Generations Family Medicine, visit: https://findadoctor.ohiohealth.com/Doctor/2742/Andrew-Trout About OhioHealth OhioHealth is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable, healthcare organization with Methodist roots. Based in Columbus, Ohio, OhioHealth is currently recognized as one of the top five large health systems in America by Truven Health Analytics, an honor it has received six times. It is also recognized by FORTUNE Magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For and has been for nine years in a row, 2007-2015. Serving its communities since 1891, it is a family of 28,000 associates, physicians and volunteers, and a network of 11 member hospitals, 50+ ambulatory sites, hospice, home-health, medical equipment and other health services spanning a 40-county area. OhioHealth hospitals include OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital, OhioHealth Hardin Memorial Hospital, OhioHealth Marion General Hospital, OhioHealth OBleness Hospital, OhioHealth Mansfield, OhioHealth Shelby and OhioHealth Rehabilitation Hospital. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.ohiohealth.com. With the live event just weeks away, the final 16 are working hard to prepare for the head to head competition Invest Southwest, in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority, has selected the top 16 companies that will advance to the final elimination round of the 2016 Venture Madness competition. The competition launched in January, giving 64 early stage companies in the Southwest a chance at part of the $100,000 prize. With the live event just weeks away, the final 16 are working hard to prepare for the head to head competition, said Karen Katzorke, executive director of Invest Southwest. It was a particularly competitive group of companies this year, so it will be an exciting few days in March. Our sponsors and planning committee have outdone themselves with this years event. I look forward to seeing who leaves with the prize! In addition to the final four, the $5,000 Peoples Choice Award will be presented to the company that received the most online votes during the public voting timeframe. Listed in alphabetical order, the 16 companies who made the third cut for the 2016 Venture Madness event are: Aquatricity ClearVoice, Inc. eVisit Iron Horse Diagnostics, Inc. MobileLogix NuvOx Pharma Omedix ParkX LLC RevolutionParts, Inc. RightBio|Metrics SalesFitRX Shelvspace.com SimpleWan Smart Clinic SolarThermiX, LLC The Medical Memory This years event will be held at the Talking Stick Resort on March 2-4, 2016. Tickets are on sale now for the live event, which is expected to sell out. To learn more about Venture Madness and register, please visit: http://www.venturemadness.investsouthwest.org. About Invest Southwest Invest Southwest is the premier organization for connecting investors with the best and brightest ventures in the region. In addition to providing valuable information on topics important to the investment community, Invest Southwest offers year-round opportunities for investors to connect with emerging growth companies. Its signature event, Venture Madness, is a unique competition presented in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority. Venture Madness pits 64 thoroughly evaluated emerging companies against one another in a bracket-style, head-to-head competition to crown the champion of champions. Visit http://InvestSouthwest.org for more information. ASDS member Harold J. Brody, M.D., demonstrates injection points and techniques during last years Premier Annual Resident Cosmetic Symposium. The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery is furthering its leadership role in enhancing cosmetic medical training for residents by offering a second annual symposium this spring focusing on patient safety and achieving optimal cosmetic outcomes. ASDS President Naomi Lawrence, M.D., said the 2016 Premier Annual Resident Cosmetic Symposium taking place April 15 to 17 in Dallas is a prime example of ASDS delivering on its commitment to help residents gain the knowledge and training they need to become proficient at performing cosmetic medical procedures. Many residency programs struggle to provide the needed resources to effectively cover the training for the cosmetic side of dermatology practices, said Lawrence. Taking steps to fill the training gaps in the ever-evolving array of cosmetic medical procedures will help ensure dermatologic surgeons of the future are prepared to deliver optimal results for their patients. The Societys commitment to enriching resident education is evident on multiple fronts. The ASDS Visiting Professor Program sends renowned experts in dermatologic surgery to share their experience at residency programs supplementing the education residents receive at no cost to their institutions. Residents also can access vast educational resources on Quest, the ASDS digital knowledge network. This includes the ResQ procedural dermatology review that poses hundreds of sample board questions to assist residents who are preparing for exams and a dozen fundamentals lectures. The Society also maintains a comprehensive database of all dermatologic surgical fellowships in the United States, including the rigorous programs that are part of the ASDS Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgery Fellowship Accreditation Program launched in 2013. With ASDS offering 100 scholarships for this years Cosmetic Symposium, residents have a valuable opportunity to strengthen their foundations in the anatomy of beauty, fat-reducing and acne scar injectables, soft-tissue fillers and neuromodulators, peels and cosmeceuticals, vein treatments, laser and energy-based rejuvenation, and body contouring. Last years Cosmetic Symposium was met with glowing reviews. The 2015 symposium was without a doubt the most well-coordinated, relevant and practical conference I have attended in all of residency, said Cindy Chambers, M.D., of Sacramento, Calif. The lectures were fantastic and covered in-depth the full breadth of cosmetic procedures I hope to incorporate into my future practice. Jonathan Weiss, M.D., of Miami, was similarly impressed. This was an excellent opportunity to learn procedural techniques from some of the masters in the field, Weiss said. The course was very well-run and the educational experience was outstanding. ASDS members Thomas E. Rohrer, M.D., and Susan H. Weinkle, M.D., are co-directors of the 2016 Cosmetic Symposium. We were thrilled with the feedback we received from last years symposium and are energized to build upon that success with more tremendous content for residents this April, said Rohrer, who is the Societys President-Elect. Weinkle, who is an ASDS past President, said she looks forward to a dynamic weekend of mentoring residents. ASDS is proud to continue its role of providing dermatology residents with quality education to augment their training in cosmetic medical procedures and help prepare them to be leaders in the field, she said. Lawrence said the Cosmetic Symposium is important to the Society and the future of the specialty. The live patient demonstrations and hands-on training in the latest cosmetic medical procedures will help prepare these residents for real-world scenarios, she said. About ASDS The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery is the largest specialty organization exclusively representing dermatologic surgeons who have unique training and experience to treat the health, function and beauty of your skin. ASDS members are pioneers in the field. Many are involved in the clinical studies that bring popular treatments to revitalize skin and fill and diminish wrinkles to the forefront. Their work has helped create and enhance many of the devices that remove blemishes, hair and fat, and tighten skin. Dermatologic surgeons also are experts in skin cancer prevention, detection and treatment. As the incidence of skin cancer rises, dermatologic surgeons are committed to taking steps to minimize the life-threatening effects of this disease. For more information, visit asds.net. Follow us: Website: asds.net Follow ASDS on Twitter: twitter.com/ASDSSkinExperts Become a fan of ASDS on Facebook: facebook.com/ASDSSkinExperts Locate a dermatologic surgeon in your area: asds.net/findadermatologist.aspx Contact: Jay Schwab Communications Manager American Society for Dermatologic Surgery jschwab(at)asds(dot)net 847-956-9143 2016 BLR Workplace Violence Prevention Symposium BLRBusiness & Legal Resources, the leading provider of employment, safety, and environmental compliance solutions, is pleased to announce the 2016 Workplace Violence Prevention Symposium. The 2016 Workplace Violence Prevention Symposium, March 10 and 11 in Orlando, Florida, is one of the leading conferences on workplace violence prevention, showcasing tactical risk management strategies and response plan guidelines from experts in the field. Conference sessions include: Effective threat assessment tactics Critical awareness exercises Crisis management tips Techniques for addressing warning signs and behavioral red flags Response protocol for an active shooter event The Workplace Violence Prevention Symposium was created in response to a critical market need, says Rafael Cardoso, executive vice president of BLRs workforce division. Recent tragedies involving active shooters in commercial facilities have employers on edge and scrambling for a solution. This event will address their specific concerns and will help our customers maintain a prepared, proactive, and safe work environment. Among the speakers at this symposium are Joan Spencer, MPH, CIH, compliance assistance specialist with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor and Frank M. Spano, JD, executive director and founder of The Counterterrorism Institute and former special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Antiterrorism Specialty Team. For more information, please visit http://store.blr.com/workplace-violence-symposium-2016. About BLR BLRBusiness & Legal Resources helps U.S. businesses simplify compliance with state and federal legal requirements and helps them become more successful. They accomplish this by offering authoritative content and practical, easy-to-use tools. Through their expert in-house editors and exclusive attorney network, they provide the most comprehensive, reliable state-specific information availableand do it in all 50 states. Their award-winning information productsincluding training programs, events, Web portals, reports, and subscription servicesgive businesses of all sizes and industries the best tools available at affordable prices. Connect with the organization at: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2174166/profile. The Republic of Tea's new Gift Teas The Republic of Tea, leading purveyor of premium teas and herbs, announces the arrival of its new Gift Tea collection, offering Citizens the opportunity to send messages of well-wishes and appreciation Sip by Sip. Gift Tea blends include four delectable flavors: CELEBRATE With a Cuppa Cake Tea, THANKS Youre a Peach Tea, MOM Youre the Berry Best Tea, and Enjoy a Cup of CHEER Tea. Each uplifting tea from The Republic of Teas Gift Teas are the ideal treat to delight and inspire friends, family, co-workers and everyone who deserves an encouraging cup. Celebrate With a Cuppa Cake Tea Its time to celebrate! And what better way than with a premium green rooibos tea that is reminiscent of vanilla cake with lemon-coconut icing. This flavorful caffeine-free blend is just as amazing and spectacular as friends and family. Cheers! Thanks Youre a Peach Tea Tell a special someone they are awesome! Amazing! Fantastic! The best! Thanks! So invite them to kick back and enjoy a cup of this premium Ginger Peach Black Tea, which is delicious hot or over ice. They deserve it. Cheers to them and all that they do! Mom Youre the Berry Best Tea Cheers to Mom! More than anyone, she deserves some extra tie to relax with a cup of tea. This premium, caffeine free red rooibos blend, reminiscent of strawberry shortcake, will help Mom unwind anytime she is looking for a little respite. Enjoy a Cup of Cheer Tea Seems like someone special could use a nice warm cup of tea these days, and this caffeine-free herbal blend with premium rooibos and vanilla beans should do just the trick. They will soon discover that with each sip, life gets a little bit better. Cheer up, sunshine! Each tin from The Republic of Teas new Gift Teas collection contains 36 tea bags and retails for $10.25. Now available for purchase nationwide at natural and specialty food stores, through the company website (http://www.REPUBLICofTEA.com) ), mail-order catalogue and by calling 800.298.4TEA(832). About The Republic of Tea: The Republic of Tea enriches peoples lives through its premium teas, education and innovation, as it emphasizes a Sip by Sip Rather Than Gulp by Gulp lifestyle. Founded in 1992, The Republic of Tea sparked a specialty tea revolution. Today the brand offers an unequaled selection of the highest-quality teas, herbal blends, books and nature-inspired sip ware, available exclusively at specialty retailers throughout the U.S. Further, The Republic of Tea is mindful of how its actions impact the greater community and actively supports worthy organizations like Action Against Hunger, The Ethical Tea Partnership, The Prostate Cancer Foundation, Xerces Society and The Whole Planet Foundation. Certifications include Demeter USA Certified Biodynamic, Fair Trade certification, Gluten-Free certification, Non-GMO Project verification, OU Kosher certification, Rainforest Alliance certification and USDA Organic certification. For more information, please visit http://www.REPUBLICofTEA.com or call 1.800.298.4832. Follow The Republic of Tea on Twitter at twitter.com/republicoftea and Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/RepublicofTea. Contact Information: Claire Storrs, Minister of Enlightenment, claire(at)republicoftea(dot)com 5 Hamilton Landing, Suite 100, Novato, CA 94949 ~ Tel 415.382.3400 ~ Fax 415.382.3401 ~ http://www.REPUBLICofTEA.com Her long-term relationships, local knowledge, and specific market expertise will strengthen our local portfolio" - Tim Hensey, Gilbane Vice President and South Florida Business Unit Leader. Gilbane Building Company welcomes Laurie Henry as Business Development Manager for the local Tampa Bay area including counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota and Manatee. Henry has 22 plus years of industry experience helping build business strategies and expanding relationships for clients such as University of Tampa, BayCare Health Systems, University of South Florida, Pasco County Public Schools and St. Petersburg College. In her new role she will concentrate on geographic growth and serving clients in both private and public construction projects. Her expertise and areas of focus include healthcare, higher education, k-12, criminal justice, mixed-use, and multi-family high-rise residential. Laurie was the perfect choice to lead our business development efforts here locally, said Tim Hensey, Gilbane Vice President and South Florida Business Unit Leader. Her long-term relationships, local knowledge, and specific market expertise, will strengthen our local portfolio and allow us to continue to grow strategically while exceeding our clients expectations. Henry holds a Bachelor of Science in Advertising and Marketing from the University of Florida and participated in Leadership Tampa Bay 2015. She is active with several industry associations including Florida Healthcare Engineering Association, University of Tampa Board of Fellows, Tampa Bay Area Chief of Police Association, Junior League of Tampa and the American Cancer Society of Tampa. About Gilbane Building Company Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, close-out and facility management services for clients across various markets. Founded in 1873 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 50 office locations around the world. Since 1972, Gilbane has been an industry leader in the state of Florida with a reputation for construction quality and client satisfaction. The companys market expertise is focused on education, healthcare, and public facilities working with some of the areas major organizations including Baptist Health South Florida, University of South Florida, Fort Myers Fire Station and Sarasota County Public Schools. For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com. ## Bill Toti, president of Cubic Global Defense Cubic is committed to supporting the advancement of technology and innovation in this sector, and we will continue to deliver industry-leading training technologies and solutions that help with the safe return of our warfighters. Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB) today announced that Bill Toti, senior vice president and president of Cubic Global Defense (CGD), was inducted into the 2016 Wash100 list of most influential executives in the government contracting (GovCon) industry by Executive Mosaic, a leadership organization and media company. The Wash100 is the premier group of private and public sector leaders selected by Executive Mosaic's organizational and editorial leadership as influential in the GovCon sector and recognized for their leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision. This year represents the third annual Wash100 award selection. It is a privilege to be included in this prestigious group of GovCon leaders, said Bill Toti, president of Cubic Global Defense. Cubic is committed to supporting the advancement of technology and innovation in this sector, and we will continue to deliver industry-leading training technologies and solutions that help with the safe return of our warfighters. "The resilient GovCon market is primed for an exciting year of growth and recovery in 2016. The leaders that will demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement, and vision are included in our selection of this year's 2016 Wash100 awards," said Jim Garrettson, President and Founder of Executive Mosaic. Totis induction to this years Wash100 is the second recognition a Cubic executive has received. Cubic President and CEO Brad Feldmann was recognized in the 2015 Wash100 list. # # # About Cubic Corporation Cubic Corporation designs, integrates and operates systems, products and services focused in the transportation, defense training and secure communications markets. As the parent company of two major business units, Cubics mission is to increase situational awareness and understanding for customers worldwide. Cubic Transportation Systems is a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services to create intelligent travel solutions for transportation authorities and operators. Cubic Global Defense is a leading provider of realistic combat training systems, secure communications and networking and highly specialized support services for military and security forces of the U.S. and allied nations. For more information about Cubic, please visit the company's website at http://www.cubic.com or on Twitter @CubicCorp. About Executive Mosaic Founded in 2002 Executive Mosaic is a leadership organization and media company. It provides its members an opportunity to learn from peer business executives and government thought leaders, while providing an interactive forum to develop key business and partnering relationships. Executive Mosaic offers highly coveted executive events, breaking business news on the Government Contracting industry, and delivers robust and reliable content through seven influential websites and four consequential E-newswires. Executive Mosaic is headquartered in Tysons Corner, VA. Media Contact Laura Chon Corporate Communications Cubic Corporation 858-505-2181 laura.chon(at)cubic(dot)com David Smith Executive Mosaic David.smith(at)executivemosaic(dot)com 703-226-7002 GM Holiday Sales Event Conquest Sales We were able to work with Costco Auto Program to ensure that we offered a diverse vehicle selection and value that resonates with Costco members," said Dan Flores, GM spokesman, "And received great results that included conquests from other brands. Costco Auto Program today announced the GM Holiday Sales Event, which ended Jan. 4, 2016, exceeded the company-projected 20 percent sales growth over last years promotion. During this limited-time offer, Costco members purchased 34 percent more vehicles than the previous years promotion, totaling approximately 58,000 sales on a variety of models from Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. The offer featured GM Supplier Pricing and all qualifying manufacturer rebates and incentives on a selection of vehicles, including trucks, SUVs, luxury and fuel-efficient models. Additionally, members who made a purchase during the event received a Costco Cash Card for completing a Costco Auto Program member satisfaction survey; Executive Members received a $700 Costco Cash Card, and Gold Star and Business Members received a $300 Costco Cash Card. Gold Star and Business Members also had the option of upgrading their membership to receive the $700 Costco Cash Card. This year, Executive Member interest was more than 60 percent higher than last year. As part of the survey, Costco members were asked if the promotion was a deciding factor in their decision to purchase a GM vehicle versus a competing brand more than half said they switched brands. According to the data collected, the special offer gained the majority of its conquest sales from comparable Ford, Toyota and Honda models. General Motors is pleased that Costco members continue to find our holiday offer with Costco Auto Program valuable, said Dan Flores, GM spokesman for U.S. sales. We were able to work with Costco Auto Program to ensure that we offered a diverse vehicle selection and value that resonates with Costco members, and received great results that included conquests from other brands. Costco Auto Program, the only auto-buying service serving Costco members year-round for more than 25 years, reports a continued rise in overall annual sales; accruing a 16.8 percent increase for 2015, with more than 465,000 vehicles purchased or leased through the program. Sales in 2014 were reported at nearly 400,000. The program showcases a streamlined buying experience to Costco members through its network of more than 3,000 hand-selected dealerships nationwide. In addition to saving on a wide selection of makes and models, Costco Auto Program provides a solution for members who want to maintain their current vehicles by offering 15 percent off parts, service and accessories at participating service centers. Also, member advocates are available to support Costco members throughout the purchasing process to further ensure an exceptional vehicle-buying experience. Visit CostcoAuto.com or call 1-855-703-2559 to learn more about the Costco Auto Program. About the Costco Auto Program The Costco Auto Program is recognized as a leading member-focused auto-buying program in the industry. The service offers prearranged pricing and a first-class buying experience on new and select pre-owned vehicles, motorcycles and powersports products, as well as discounts on automobile parts, service and accessories to more than 45 million U.S. Costco cardholders. The Costco Auto Program is operated by Affinity Auto Program, which has been managing the program since its inception in 1989. Last year alone, Costco members purchased more than 465,000 vehicles through the program. The Costco Auto Program surveys every member who uses the program to ensure the program continues to meet their high expectations; as a result, more than 96 percent of members surveyed gave it high marks for value, service and overall experience. About General Motors General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GMs brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com. ### Quasars Cloud services will free up the time a small business spends managing their IT operations and allow them to do what they do best, manage their business! Quasar Data Center has developed a new set of Cloud services for small business designed to solve their IT problems and network challenges. Most small businesses do not have a large or experienced IT staff to manage their network and in most cases have to rely on expensive consultants who are unreliable or difficult to reach particularly when there is a problem. Many small business owners find themselves in a helpless situation when faced with chronic IT problems that never seem to get resolved; loss of network connection or slow performance; extensive licensing fees and refresh cycle cost; or data security issues. As the number of network problems increase, so does the expense and frustration particularly as it impacts customers and profitability. Quasars new small business Cloud services included the latest Microsoft products, business applications, backup, security and support demanded by todays competitive and sophisticated business community. According to General Manager Casey Jones, Quasars Cloud services will free up the time a small business spends managing their IT operations and allow them to do what they do best, manage their business! Quasar Cloud services establish a new benchmark in network management Service Level Agreements (SLA) with 24/7 customer support from experienced and certified technicians. Quasar plans to showcase the new small business Cloud services at the Small Business Expo in Houston, Texas, on February 4, 2016. Representatives will be available to demonstrate the Cloud capabilities and explain how to improve your business application performance and access by leveraging a modern cloud infrastructure. With Quasar, small business no longer has to worry about surprise expenditures. The need for expensive refresh cycles, annual licensing fees and hardware purchases is removed as is the need to maintain depreciating IT assets. The fixed-price structure eliminates expensive IT consultants or unreliable technicians. This enables a small business to reduce or re-purpose their existing IT Staff or free up those resources to concentrate on revenue producing initiatives. About Quasar Data Center Services Quasar Data Center is a full-service, carrier neutral data center located in downtown Houston, Texas. Quasar offers a wide range of 24/7/365 services including cloud services, colocation, business continuity and disaster recovery, data back-up and storage, managed IT services, high performance computing and cyber-security. Quasar has proven itself as a reliable, hardened data center and cloud provider. The facility has redundant cooling, redundant network switches, dual power grids and two backup generators - Quasar is on the same power grid as the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Corrections Department, which are top priorities for CenterPoint Energy. The facility operations, environmental controls, network and cloud computing operations have been SSAE16, Type II certified for the last 4 years. For more information visit http://www.quasardata.com Location: 1001 Texas Avenue, Suite 310 Houston, Texas 77002 Contact Information: Phone: 713.936.0598 SHOTBOX Photo Light Studio "We are very excited to show our market ready SHOTBOX to the Rootstech audience this year. Last year we had incredible interest with just our early prototype" Michael Hohl - SHOTBOX Last year, SHOTBOX demonstrated the prototype model, which created non-stop crowds throughout the conference. This year SHOTBOX will have the final version of its photo light studio on display, demonstrating how to take perfect pictures of family history documents such as photos, photo albums and solution to get rid of glare, journals and family heirlooms that need to be digitized and preserved. Aaron Johnson, SHOTBOX Inventor and Founder, said, RootsTech attendees are the perfect audience and customer for our portable photo light studio. It was designed to take pictures of documents and photos much faster than using a traditional scanner. We are really excited to be there again and show our final version of the SHOTBOX. Not only will products be available but SHOTBOX will be signing up blogger affiliates, resellers and international partners who would like to sell SHOTBOX through their various channels. About SHOTBOX: Based in Salt Lake City, UT the SHOTBOX is a Collapsible Tabletop Photo Light Studio that uses high-powered LEDs to create a perfectly lit micro-studio environment to get great images with any camera, including smart devices. It is engineered to take perfect pictures of family photos, journals and objects to digitize and store on sites such as familysearch.com and ancestry.com. For more information go to http://www.shotbox.me or follow us on twitter @shotboxme Click here to see youtube About Rootstech: RootsTech is a global family history event, where people of all ages learn to discover, share, and celebrate their family connections across generations through technology. Over 23,000 registered attendees from 49 U.S. states and 39 countries will be attending and an estimated 150,000+ of live-streaming viewers on RootsTech. For more information go to http://www.rootstech.org or follow on Twitter @RootsTechConf #RootsTech CONTACT INFORMATION: Michael Hohl 801-710-8557 mhohl(at)shotbox(dot)me http://www.shotbox.me Shark Shield Seat belts have been proven to save lives by reducing risk, without doubt Shark Shield products have been proven to reduce risk, buckle up and wear one on your next adventure Shark Shield has been named by Choice, Australias leading independent consumer watchdog, as the only effective shark deterrent on the market. Following an extensive review of the shark deterrent options currently available, Shark Shield was the only deterrent shown to be independently tested and scientifically proven to turn sharks away. According to Choice, Shark Shield is the only electrical repellent on the market that's been independently shown to be effective at deterring sharks from biting. Choice author, Chris Doyle said the device worked by creating an electrical field along a 2m cord that trailed behind the wearer. Sharks have small gel-filled sacs in their snouts called Ampullae of Lorenzini, short-range sensors used for feeding, so Shark Shields unique three-dimensional electrical waveform causes spasms in these sensors and effectively turns sharks away. Recent independent research funded by the Western Australian State Government, as part of its investment in Shark Hazard Mitigation, lead by Professor Shaun Collin, Director of the University of Western Australia Oceans Institute, has proven the efficacy of Shark Shields technology. Collins stated, During testing Shark Shield successfully turned sharks away in nine out of ten times. We hope this research will ultimately lead to the development of new shark deterrent technologies in the future. A renowned expert in his field, Collins also authored Electroreception in Vertebrates and Invertebrates published in the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, Oxford Academic Press 2010. In 2012, Dr Charlie Huveneers from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and Flinders University and his team also tested the effectiveness of Shark Shield. Part of this independent scientific testing used a seal decoy off the coast of South Africa, with white sharks seen to visibly abort attack charges with no surface breach observed with the Shark Shield device turned on. Huveneers was quoted in the Choice report explaining, the effectiveness of an electrical deterrent partly depends on the strength and frequency of the electrical pulse they emit and configuration of the electrodes". Dr Vic Peddemors, a renowned shark scientist who has been working with sharks since 1987, was involved in statistical testing of Shark Shields effectiveness back in 2003, also in South Africa on white sharks. During this testing it was shown that by using a Shark Shield the probability of an attack was reduced from 0.70 to 0.08. Lindsay Lyon, Managing Director of Shark Shield says, Shark Shield remains to be the only scientifically proven and independently tested electrical shark deterrent in the world, a statement again proven this time by Choice. We hope that both governments and consumers accept the evidence and take action in the interest of reducing risk". Seat belts have been proven to save lives by reducing risk, without doubt Shark Shield products have been proven to reduce risk, buckle up and wear one on your next adventure, added Lyon. About Shark Shield Shark Shield is for professional adventurers. It is the worlds only scientifically proven and independently tested electrical shark deterrent. Sharks have small short-range electrical receptors in their snouts used for feeding. Shark Shields unique three-dimensional electrical waveform turns sharks away by causing unbearable spasms in these sensitive receptors. Used by professionals, such as navies around the world, Shark Shield is a safety device providing peace of mind while supporting the conservation of sharks. If youre serious about adventure, you wear a Shark Shield. About Choice: Choice is the leading consumer advocacy group in Australia. Independent and member-funded, Choice was established more than 50 years ago, ensures that consumers get a fair go, and is always on the look out for dodgy or misleading practices. Wholly independent, Choice review, advise and campaign on diverse issues, delivering expert, unbiased consumer information you can trust. Well celebrate music by composers and performers of African ancestry throughout the month. WCPE FM Celebrates Black History Month Celebration of African-American Music on TheClassicalStation.org WCPEs Music Director William Woltz announces a celebration of African-American contributions to classical music to commemorate Black History Month. Well celebrate music by composers and performers of African ancestry throughout the month, offers Woltz. Some of the works offered include: 1 Monday 1:00 p.m. Joplin: Elite Syncopations 10:00 p.m. Dett: Magnolia Suite 3 Wednesday 3:00 p.m. Sowande: African Suite 4 Thursday 12:00 p.m. Hailstork: Three Spirituals 5 Friday 9:00 a.m. Chevalier de Saint-George: Violin Concerto in D 6 Saturday 12:00 p.m. Coleridge-Taylor: Romance in G for Violin and Orchestra 7 Sunday 4:00 p.m. Still: Africa 8 Monday 9:00 a.m. Gretry: String Quartet no. 5 in G 11 Thursday 12:00 p.m. Joplin: Solace (A Mexican Serenade) 3:00 p.m. Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony 12 Friday 3:00 p.m. Hailstork: Two Romances for Viola and Chamber Ensemble 13 Saturday 12:00 p.m. Coleridge-Taylor: Symphonic Variations on an African Air 15 Monday 7:00 p.m. Joplin: Bethena (A Concert Waltz) 16 Tuesday 5:00 p.m. Hailstork: Fanfare on Amazing Grace 19 Friday 12:00 p.m. Still: Mother and Child 22 Monday 10:00 p.m. Still: Summerland from Three Visions Suite 23 Tuesday 10:00 p.m. Dett: Madrigal Divine from Eight Bible Vignettes 24 Wednesday 10:00 p.m. Joplin: The Chrysanthemum (An Afro-American Intermezzo) 25 Thursday 10:00 a.m. Chevalier de Saint-George: Violin Concerto in A 28 Sunday 7:00 a.m. Dett: Dont Be Weary, Traveler In addition you may request your favorite every Saturday and the last Friday by going to our home page and clicking on Music Request under Quick Links. About WCPE: With a 37 plus year history, WCPE 89.7 FM is a non-commercial, 100 percent listener-supported, independent station dedicated to excellence in Great Classical Music broadcasting. Community-minded business underwriters and foundations are among the 150,000 listeners in the North Carolina broadcast area. General Manager Deborah S. Proctors leadership has enabled the WCPE community to include national and worldwide listeners. Big and small dish home satellite transmissions serve North America. Other radio stations and cable television systems use these services to rebroadcast Great Classical Music, 24 Hours A Day. WCPE is one of the first public broadcasters to stream on the Internet. WCPE is heard worldwide on the Internet in multiple formats, including the next generation IPv6. Because WCPE receives no tax-derived support, the station conducts two on-air fundraising campaigns and two major mail-out campaigns per year to raise needed operating funds. For more information, visit http://www.TheClassicalStation.org or call 919-556-5178. ### Media Contact: Curtis Brothers 919.556.5178 curtis(at)TheClassicalStation.org Houghton International Inc., a global leader in metalworking fluids and services, today announced the appointment of Kevin Smith to the positions of senior vice president, Houghton International and president, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Global Automotive and Aerospace, effective February 1. Smith will be based in the companys Manchester, UK office and report to CEO Mike Shannon. Smith will assume responsibility for the general management of Houghtons EMEA region and the global leadership of Houghton specialty product lines for the major transportation industry segments, including automotive and aerospace. He will become a member of Houghtons Executive Committee. Kevin brings to Houghton over 30 years of commercial and general management experience in global industrial, specialty chemical and consulting businesses, said Shannon. His broad leadership experience is essential to supporting our ambitious plans to accelerate growth in EMEA and expand our metalworking fluids business with global transportation industries. Prior to joining Houghton, Smith held the position of chief executive officer, EMEA for Arysta Lifescience, a $1.6 billion global specialty crop protection firm, where he led the region to strong growth in revenue and profitability through acquisition, sales execution, commercial discipline, and product development. Prior to Arysta, Smith held the executive position of Group Managing Director, Europe for Sun Chemical, the $3.8 billion number one producer of industrial printing inks and pigments in the global market, where he also increased the organizations revenues and profitability. Most recently, he held a two-year advisory role supporting private equity investments in specialty chemical businesses both in Western Europe and globally. Smith earned a bachelors degree in French from Leeds University and an M.B.A. from London Business School. About Houghton International Inc. Since 1865, Houghton International Inc. has been serving the metalworking, aluminum and steel industries, along with a variety of other markets including the offshore oil exploration metal finishing and surface treatment industry, with the development and production of specialty chemicals, oils and lubricants. Headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., Houghton maintains manufacturing and research facilities throughout the world. Houghton International continues its focus to expand its customer service operations and grow its worldwide facilities. Visit http://www.houghtonintl.com and http://www.twitter.com/houghtonintl. With 25 years of educating the public, Chambersburg Civil War Seminars planned another excellent year of program to engage and elevate the understanding of history that happened in Franklin County and the Great Valley region. Chambersburg Civil War Seminars was established in 1989 under the direction of Ted Alexander and facilitated by the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce. Since 2008, the Franklin County Visitors Bureau has served as the marketing sponsor of the Chambersburg Civil War Seminars in an effort to build the awareness of Civil War and military history in the greater Chambersburg, Franklin County, PA, and Great Valley areas. Annually, the Chambersburg Civil War Seminars offer four symposiums which included guided tours, recognized authorities on major Civil War themes, and leading authors in varied Civil War topics. The 2016 Civil War Seminars are scheduled for April 7-10, May 19-22, July 27-31, and September 22-25. The April 7-10 seminar, Ed Bearss Symposium, is focused on more than the Civil War. It will cover the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, and World War II. Guided by Ed Bearss and Dave Friend, the tour includes Gettysburg and an opportunity to explore the role of Hispanics, Mexican Indians, Asians, and other ethnic groups that fought for the Confederacy. After exploring the Civil War, the seminar will offer "Give Them Cold Steel (or Not): A Military and Cultural History of the Bayonet" presented by Dana Shoaf and talks by Tom Clemens, John Fox III, Ed Bearss, Stuart Dempsey, Christopher Kolakowski, and Lt. Col. Ralph Peters. In addition, the symposium offers a guided tour of Kennett Square, Kennett Meeting House, Lafayette's Headquarters, and Brandywine Visitor Center as well as talks with Dennis Frye, Steve Bockmiller and John Miller. The May 19-22 Seminar is "Harpers Ferry to Falling Waters: Jackson in the Lower Valley, 1861" with prime presenter Steve French, a top authority of the Civil War in the Lower Shenandoah Valley. He has anchored a number of books on the subject, including an award-winning study of General John Imboden's command in the Gettysburg Campaign. The symposium includes tours of Lexington, Va., Jackson Battle sites of 1862 in the Valley, Camp Allegheny, Cross Keys, Kernstown, First Winchester, and Front Royal. Speakers and guides include Dr. James Bud Robertson, Jeff Wert, Ed Bearss, Keven Walker, and Jerry Holsworth. The July 27-31 Seminar is "Gettysburg Day 3 & Beyond" and offers off-the-beaten-path tours of Gettysburg, East Cavalry Field, the Retreat, and the Confederate Wagon Train of Wounded. Speakers and guides include Carol Reardon, Jeff Wert, Ed Bearss, Eric Wittenberg, Wayne Motts, and Steve French. The final seminar of 2016 is "Lincoln at Gettysburg" on September 22-25, and it features Joe Mieczkowski and John Schildt. This symposium promises a thought-provoking look at Lincoln and the pivotal directions that came out of Gettysburg. With 25 years of educating the public, Chambersburg Civil War Seminars planned another excellent year of program to engage and elevate the understanding of history that happened in Franklin County and the Great Valley region. The Franklin County Visitors Bureau invites all to explore Franklin County PA and enjoy the trails of history, arts and architecture, recreation, natural beauty, fresh foods and the warm hospitality of communities like Chambersburg, Greencastle, Mercersburg, Shippensburg, and Waynesboro. Franklin County PA is located just north of the Mason Dixon Line and is an easy drive to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Discover more....plan a visit soon at ExploreFranklinCountyPA.com or by contacting 866.646.8060. Doxims latest SaaS-based loans origination platform is designed to increase the overall velocity of loan origination, reducing time to loan approval. Chris Rasmussen, President and CEO at Doxim. Coastal Community Credit Union (CCCU) has partnered with CUMIS to provide comprehensive creditor insurance for its members on all types of debt, from small loans to large mortgages. As part of this initiative, CCCU has also chosen the Doxim Loans Origination platform to provide enhanced loan processing services to its members. Coastal Community Credit Union is the largest financial services organization based on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Across the Islands, CCCU operates 23 branches, 16 insurance locations, nine wealth management offices and four business service centres. Coastal Community Credit Union and its family of companies Coastal Community Insurance Services (2007) Ltd. and Coastal Community Financial Management Inc. provide a full range of financial products and services. These include personal and business banking, commercial and personal loans, residential and commercial mortgages, investment products and services, and a suite of insurance products. Creditor and mortgage insurance from CUMIS will provide financial protection to members holding loans or mortgages from unexpected financial loss. Said Adrian Legin, CCCU President and CEO, We knew we wanted to find partners who could meet the current and future needs of Coastal Community Credit Union in order to support our core member lending experience and growth projections. Were excited to enter into partnerships with CUMIS and Doxim as they each excel in their respective industries. We trust these partnerships will provide long term strategic and financial strength that aligns with Coastal Community Credit Unions goals to significantly improve the lending experience for both our employees and our members. CUMIS partners with more than 300 credit unions across Canada to deliver competitive insurance and financial solutions to them and their members. It helps create financial security and promotes the growth and success of the Canadian credit union system. Coastal Community is a thriving credit union, well positioned to provide a comprehensive suite of financial security products to its members, said Bob Hague, President, Credit Union Distribution at CUMIS. Were very excited to have the opportunity to partner with Coastal Community to help ensure that its members have access to simple and affordable creditor insurance that protects them and their loved ones from the unforeseen. Coastal Community will also implement a new loans origination platform from Doxim with integrated e-signature support, allowing them to move towards true, end to end, paperless loan processing. Doxims latest SaaS-based loans origination platform is designed to increase the overall velocity of loan origination, reducing time to loan approval, said Chris Rasmussen, President and CEO at Doxim. This provides for a greatly enhanced member experience and drives significant improvements in lending staff efficiency. About Coastal Community Credit Union Providing services for almost 70 years, Coastal Community Credit Union (CCCU) is the largest Vancouver Island-based financial services organization, serving over 110,000 members and clients. CCCU provides personal, business and commercial banking services, complemented by its wholly-owned subsidiaries Coastal Community Insurance Services (2007) Ltd. (offering personal and commercial insurance solutions), and Coastal Community Financial Management Inc. (offering wealth management services through its Coastal Community Private Wealth Group division). About The CUMIS Group Limited The CUMIS Group Limited is a trusted partner to credit unions and their members for protection personal, financial and business. CUMIS principal companies are CUMIS Life Insurance Company and CUMIS General Insurance Company, and it has a 50 per cent interest in Credential Financial Inc. CUMIS is jointly owned by Co-operators Life Insurance Company and Central 1 Credit Union. About Doxim Doxim is a leading provider of SaaS-based customer engagement software for credit unions, community banks and wealth management firms. Doxims Customer Engagement Platform helps financial institutions transform their client experience, communicate more effectively throughout the client lifecycle and improve cross sell and upsell activities that drive increased wallet share. The platform addresses key digitization challenges, from automated client onboarding, through improved, personalized communications to anytime, anywhere content access, tailored to a clients channel preferences. This eliminates costly traditional paper-based, manual processes and enables cost-effective provision of an omni-channel experience that delights customers and improves their long-term loyalty. Find out more at http://www.doxim.com. For further information, please contact: Allyson Prescesky Coastal Community Credit Union 250-741-3268 Leonard Sharman CUMIS 519-767-3937 Sean ODonovan Doxim 416-840-9910 Zipper SEO & Web Design provides high quality SEO, social media optimization & web design across varieties of platforms. SEO & social media have worked apart from each other for too long. Zipper's Perimeter Attack system will close the gap between traditional SEO & the effect of social media on websites and brands. Zipper SEO & Web Design announces a new digital marketing strategy for individuals & businesses around the world. The strategy is known as Perimeter Attack (TM) & is now available for use in the company's SEO & web design campaigns. Perimeter Attack will include the basics of white-hat SEO that has been proven over time to help websites increase position in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Baidu & other top search companies. Along with the quality SEO, Perimeter Attack will strongly emphasize the use of social media optimization techniques for use on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Vine, & Google Plus. The new digital marketing method will focus more on website & social media engagement from clients & the general public as opposed to only building up the strength of a domain name or website through backlinks, bookmarking & other methods of SEO that have been known to succeed, but over a period of time. Perimeter Attack will help build a brand to the highest levels of ranking in search engines, along with building awareness of a company or individual's brand strategy along with their day-to-day announcements of new news items, sales, acquisitions & other pertinent information that is valuable knowledge to clients & potential stockholders. "SEO & social media have worked apart from each other for too long," the company released in a statement on Monday. "Zipper's Perimeter Attack system will close the gap between traditional SEO & the effect of social media on websites and brands." The Perimeter Attack solutions will be available for businesses & individual consumers not only at the Detroit & Grand Rapids locations, but also in the newest locations in Orlando, Houston, Las Vegas, Chicago & the upcoming Los Angeles location scheduled to open in the middle of February. Perimeter Attack was originated from the idea of SEO for websites should be targeted from the outside social media sites & drive up engagement on the website & social media engines, instead of working from the inside (website) out to the world. The new service will put a high concentration on the user's experience & keeping users browsing the site for a longer period of time. For more information regarding the Perimeter Attack & Zipper SEO as a whole, please visit zipperstudio.com. This Phase II TEC Validation Project via the Technology Evaluation Consortium and researchers at Northeastern University is validating nanoparticle technology that could forever change the delivery of drugs. The Technology Evaluation Consortium (TEC), managed by One Million Solutions in Health, recently completed a successful Phase I TEC Validation Project. In this Phase I project, it was shown that the patented nanoparticle technology process developed by researchers at Northeastern University could incorporate compounds, such as poorly water-soluble drugs, into an assembly of fully functional nanoparticle structures. Based on this success, the TEC and the Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN) have announced their intention to begin a Phase II TEC Validation Project. Dr. Ahmed Busnaina, the Director of the CHN, and a Distinguished Professor and holder of the WL Smith Chair at Northeastern University in Boston, is the lead investigator responsible for developing the nanoparticle technology. This new manufacturing process produces nanoparticle structures with a unique ability to pass through normal tissue boundaries. The research team has found that nano-sized particles can be fabricated into distinct shapes, such as nanopillars, with controlled size and shape that could potentially have high tissue permeability. This process could have far-reaching impacts, including important applications within the pharmaceutical industry. The goals of a Phase II Validation Project will be three-fold. Firstly, researchers wish to increase the number of drug-loaded nanorods for in vitro characterization. Success in this area will demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating drug-loaded nanorods with sufficient drug dosage to perform in vitro characterization for the next two goals. The second goal is to evaluate the in vitro permeability and cytotoxicity of drug-loaded micellar nanorods in cell lines. The final goal is to evaluate in vivo permeability and cytotoxicity of drug-loaded micellar nanorods in animal studies. We are excited to be advancing to the next step with Northeastern University, explained Dawn Van Dam, President and CEO of One Million Solutions in Health. The team at CHN have developed highly relevant and unique nanoparticle technology that will be extraordinarily helpful for the pharmaceutical industry, once the technology is validated by the Technology Evaluation Consortium. The consortium will bring together a number of industry leaders from pharmaceutical companies to evaluate and further qualify the CHNs patented nanoparticle technology process. Consortium members and pharma experts affiliated with the university will share ideas and solutions with the hopes of creating a likely path of adoption for Northeastern Universitys nanoparticle technology. We are working with leading companies like AbbVie, Allergan, Amgen, Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) and Novartis and expect to have the results from this nanoparticle technology evaluation to be applicable to dozens of pharmaceutical and other medicinal companies that struggle with formulating non-soluble compounds (intravenous) so that the drugs can be swallowed, instead. In the end, this will allow more patients to be able to access important medications, thereby enhancing the success of medical care in many diseases. ABOUT ONE MILLION SOLUTIONS IN HEALTH The goal of One Million Solutions in Health is to shape health care by sharing solutions and, importantly, to accelerate the discovery, development and delivery ... of innovative cures, treatments and preventative measures for patients around the world. In this next year, we will be reviewing 1000's of new solutions and new scientific discoveries. By engaging scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, innovators, industry experts, health care professionals, and patients across various disciplines, and from around the world, we can utilize the power of the internet to disrupt things in a positive and transformative way to accelerate the movement of new solutions and scientific discoveries from the scientist to the patient. We are on our way towards accelerating high-potential innovations, catalyzing investment and increasing awareness of, and support for, transformative ideas to improve health and save lives. By facilitating efforts to ensure organizations can Connect, Learn + Share, Innovate and Collaborate, our vision is to improve health care delivery, accelerate life sciences research and share patient and consumer-focused ideas and solutions. As a not-for-profit, we welcome your participation and are thrilled to have you be a part of this transformative journey! ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION CONSORTIUM The Technology Evaluation Consortium from One Million Solutions in Health is dedicated to improving and accelerating life sciences R&D and health care outcomes. The Technology Evaluation Consortium brings together life sciences and/or health care companies and industry vendors or scientists, and other relevant partners (e.g., government and Universities), to evaluate and validate technologies or services in a collaborative environment. The model empowers technology providers/scientists and industry end-users to collectively assess a number of solutions in a cost-effective manner, producing a depth and breadth of results that no company can achieve alone. Our mission is to triage and streamline new technology consideration for the industry and to be the place for the industry to conduct their evaluations and validations. ABOUT NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY The Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN) at Northeastern University in Boston is focused on developing tools and processes that will make it possible for businesses to quickly and efficiently manufacture products that have unique characteristics due to their size and shape. The CHNs work on advancing our capacity to make high-rate, value-added products using nanoparticles and specialized processes is one of many initiatives that are making the university a leader in nanotechnology. Northeasterns advances in affective science, drug discovery and delivery, personal health informatics, and sensors are characterized by global collaborations with industry, government, and other academic institutions. Its leadership in nanotechnology and data science provides a growing technological foundation for new discoveries in these and other areas of interdisciplinary research. http://www.nanomanufacturing.us. MEDIA CONTACT: Dawn Van Dam President and CEO dawn.vandam(at)onemillionsolutionsinhealth(dot)org http://www.onemillionsolutionsinhealth.org Hepatotoxicity is one of the most important reasons for the failure of drug candidates. This new technology has the potential to increase the accuracy of liver toxicity (hepatotoxicity) detection during the pre-clinical phase. The Technology Evaluation ConsortiumTM, managed by One Million Solutions in Health, has a TEC Validation Project underway to evaluate and validate a new liver toxicity prediction assay (hepatotoxicity) to further inform scientists in the drug discovery process. In particular, the Technology Evaluation Consortium is running blinded tests to demonstrate the performance of the new liver toxicity prediction assay technology. Hepatotoxicity is one of the most important reasons for the failure of drug candidates during the clinical phase of drug development. Therefore, the Technology Evaluation Consortium will be evaluating a new liver toxicity prediction assay that increases the accuracy of hepatotoxicity detection during the PRE-clinical phase. The concept behind the assay is that a panel of hepatotoxicity biomarkers, validated to collectively detect hepatotoxicity, is more predictive than several biomarkers used individually. This liver toxicity prediction assay has the unique potential to analyze different toxicities with multiple endpoints, considering factors such as metabolism and pharmacokinetics. The assay is particularly appropriate for safety assessment in the pre-clinical phase as it also provides valuable mechanistic information to support the data needed for regulatory submission of these pre-clinical experiments. The Technology Evaluation Consortium (TEC) will bring together a number of industry leaders from pharmaceutical and biotech companies to accomplish the following goals in the TEC Validation Project for this liver toxicity prediction assay: 1. Close collaboration with the TEC members to advance the technical and non-technical aspects of the in vivo liver toxicity prediction assay to achieve a strong, mutually agreed upon proof-of-concept (POC) 2. Gain the interest of the TEC members in participating in a 2nd follow-on project, a Phase II TEC Validation Project aimed at closing any technical and non-technical gaps that will be identified by the TEC members during the execution of the present TEC Validation Project (Phase I) 3. Optimize the new assay for adoption by the TEC members and by the pharmaceutical drug development industry in general We look forward to evaluating this new hepatotoxicity assay. Once validated, this assay could be immensely useful to our partners in the pharmaceutical industry, explained Dawn Van Dam, President and CEO of One Million Solutions in Health. Each member of the Technology Evaluation Consortium will nominate one Subject Matter Expert to represent their company. These experts will meet virtually once every two to three weeks to formulate the project and then to discuss updates about the project, offer advice, and decide the next steps. In this manner, the technology will be validated by the top minds in the field, from across the globe. ABOUT ONE MILLION SOLUTIONS IN HEALTH The goal of One Million Solutions in Health is to shape health care by sharing solutions and, importantly, to accelerate the discovery, development and delivery ... of innovative cures, treatments and preventative measures for patients around the world. In this next year, we will be reviewing 1000's of new solutions and new scientific discoveries. By engaging scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, innovators, industry experts, health care professionals, and patients across various disciplines, and from around the world, we can utilize the power of the internet to disrupt things in a positive and transformative way to accelerate the movement of new solutions and scientific discoveries from the scientist to the patient. We are on our way towards accelerating high-potential innovations, catalyzing investment and increasing awareness of, and support for, transformative ideas to improve health and save lives. By facilitating efforts to ensure organizations can Connect, Learn + Share, Innovate and Collaborate, our vision is to improve health care delivery, accelerate life sciences research and share patient and consumer-focused ideas and solutions. As a not-for-profit, we welcome your participation and are thrilled to have you be a part of this transformative journey! ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION CONSORTIUM The Technology Evaluation Consortium from One Million Solutions in Health is dedicated to improving and accelerating life sciences R&D and health care outcomes. The Technology Evaluation Consortium brings together life sciences and/or health care companies and industry vendors or scientists, and other relevant partners (e.g., government and Universities), to evaluate and validate technologies or services in a collaborative environment. The model empowers technology providers/scientists and industry end-users to collectively assess a number of solutions in a cost-effective manner, producing a depth and breadth of results that no company can achieve alone. Our mission is to triage and streamline new technology consideration for the industry and to be the place for the industry to conduct their evaluations and validations. MEDIA CONTACT: Dawn Van Dam President and CEO dawn.vandam(at)onemillionsolutionsinhealth(dot)org http://www.onemillionsolutionsinhealth.org Hot Tubs Change Lives We used the hot tub to prepare Christian for the operation and it will play an even more important role in his recovery. Hot Tub Suppliers, based in Leicester, Leicestershire, is celebrating after collecting Gold and Bronze Awards at the prestigious British Pool & Hot Tub Awards, hosted by BISHTA and SPATA held on Sunday 31st January at the Ricoh Arena, in Coventry. The British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association (BISHTA) and the Swimming Pool and Allied Trades Association (SPATA) are the relevant trade associations upholding standards within the Wet Leisure Industry. Rebranded in 2015 the first SPATA awards were won in 1978 and the first BISHTA awards were won in 2008, these well-established awards, are the UKs number one wet leisure industry accolades. The BISHTA awards were given to Hot Tub Suppliers for Hot Tubs Change Lives (Gold Award), Best Website (Bronze Award) sponsored by Spatime by Bayrol, Complete Pool Controls, Elite Spas and Spa Crest Europe. The Gold award was won by Hot Tub Suppliers in a very special category that celebrates the life changing benefits that hot tubs and spas provide consumers. The award provides the opportunity to really focus on the health benefits of hot tub and spa ownership and how they can make an enormous impact on peoples lives. The Gold award was won, by Hot Tub Suppliers for a hot tub they installed for the family of a brave 8 year old called Christian, who was born prematurely and delivered by emergency caesarean, after doctors discovered that his twin brother had passed away whilst undertaking a routine scan. Four weeks after his birth, Christian was allowed to leave hospital and go home, his parents thought that the worst battle had been fought and won! Unfortunately 18 months later, Christian was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and his battle started again. He was unable to walk unaided, and his parents were advised that a hot tub with good hydrotherapy would help Christian (whilst they started fundraising for the 50,000 operation which was not funded by the NHS). Christian received his life changing operation in December 2015 and his parents commented We used the hot tub to prepare Christian for the operation and it will play an even more important role in his recovery. Arun Sarna from Hot Tub Suppliers, commented; We are thrilled to be winners at the British Pool & Hot Tub Awards. The fact that the entries are judged by top industry professionals with exacting standards is a great accolade for our company and highlights the passion that our team puts into every project. The awards event brings together BISHTA and SPATA to showcase the best examples of design, construction, installation and innovation in the wet leisure industry. Chris Hayes, Managing Director of both BISHTA and SPATA, says, We congratulate all of the winners of this years British Pool & Hot Tub Awards. BISHTA represents 111 specialist hot tub companies across the British Isles and SPATA represents 173 companies (mainly from the UK, but with some overseas). We set a high standard for our judges to score each entry on visual impression and technical merit. Meaning that an award won at the British Pool & Hot Tub Awards is very well deserved, and ownership of one or more of these awards stands as a strong endorsement to consumers of the standard of work a winning company offers. Each year the outstanding quality of submissions creates stiff competition. The high quality of the entries provides a fantastic opportunity for showcasing what our members can do for their customers and why it is so important to choose a BISHTA or SPATA member to turn a dream into a winning project. The awards evening is held alongside SPATEX, the UKs largest Pool, Spa and Wellness Show, an event that sees companies from across the UK and overseas, gather to exhibit their finest products and services, along with promoting themselves and networking with colleagues. SPATEX is not only the UKs largest, but is also the longest running dedicated swimming pool, spa and wellness exhibition, holding its 20th anniversary annual trade show at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry from 31st January to 2nd February 2016. Chris Hayes commented further, This year the show has exceeded our expectations, having sold out much earlier than expected. Once again this has led to the show expanding the size and in the third year of being in Coventry, this is an amazing achievement by the SPATEX team. The Ricoh Arena offers purpose-built facilities, which have given us the opportunity to make the show even bigger and better for our exhibitors and visitors and our plan it to continue with this expansion in the coming years. >>>ENDS<<< Editors Notes: Contact: Arun Sarna Hot Tub Suppliers Ltd 11 Midland Street The Cultural Quarter Leicester Leicestershire LE1 1TG T: 0116 2513378 E: arun(at)hottubsuppliers(dot)com http://www.hottubsuppliers.com Folksam headquarters in Stockholm The combination of an attractive pricing model and the ability to make sure that we can follow all the rules and regulations that our industry is subject to were key reasons for choosing to partner with City Network. City Network, one of Europe's fastest growing providers of infrastructure as a service (IaaS), today announced that Folksam, one of the leading insurance and pension savings companies in Europe, chose City Network as their IaaS partner. Folksam recently implemented a new IT strategy which includes an increased focus on IaaS. This led to the procurement of cloud services for the companies IT-infrastructure and Folksam selected City Networks' service City Cloud for Bank & Finance. City Cloud for Bank & Finance is dedicated to the financial services industry, and other companies with regulatory requirements for high security, and fulfills several important security measures as well as ISO certifications. The service is based on the open OpenStack platform which was one of the important requirements and reasons why Folksam chose City Network. "City Network meets all our requirements for availability and security, which are key parameters as we are shaping Folksam for the future," says Gunnar Froderberg, CIO at Folksam. "The combination of an attractive pricing model and the ability to make sure that we can follow all the rules and regulations that our industry is subject to were key reasons for choosing to partner with City Network." Initially, Folksam will use City Cloud for Bank & Finance to run development of services linked to Folksam.se. The agreement, which is ongoing, means that Folksam can acquire the capacity it needs at any time. "Our goal is that all companies and organizations should be able to take full advantage of a cloud-based infrastructure," says Johan Christenson, CEO and founder of City Network. "We are proud of our ability to build services that can cater for the needs of such a demanding industry and thrilled to see that Folksam, one of Europes largest insurance and pension companies, selected our platform." City Cloud for Bank & Finance was launched in 2015 and is a high security IaaS for companies who are subject to regulatory requirements for information security, management and traceability. In short, the service enables financial institutions to use a true IaaS with a pay-as-you-go model. Both the physical security of the data centers where the service is located, and the requirement for logging, monitoring, and traceability, meet regulatory and industry-specific security requirements such as Solvency 2 and Basel 2. About City Network City Network is a leading provider of infrastructure services in Europe with more than 25,000 customers and data centers in 27 locations around the world. The company provides public, private, and hybrid cloud solutions based on OpenStack and is certified as per ISO 9001, 14001, and 27001 (internationally recognized standards for quality, information security, and sustainability). Through its industry-specific IaaS, City Network can ensure that customers comply with demands that originate from specific laws and regulations concerning auditing, reputability, data management, and data security such as Basel II and Solvency II. For more information, visit http://www.citycloud.com and http://www.citynetworkhosting.com About Folksam Folksam is a customer-owned company. We offer insurance policies and pension investments. Almost one in two Swedes is insured with Folksam, and we are one of the largest asset managers in Sweden. Our vision is that our customers should feel secure in a sustainable world. Read more at http://www.folksam.se Jim Adams, President of Natural Power North America Natural Powers President and Senior Vice President in North America are set to take to the floor at the AWEA O&M and Safety Conference Leveraging Technology: Taking O&M and Safety to the Next Level, which is being hosted at Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego, California on February 8 10. Jim Adams, President, Natural Power North America, will chair the session Operational strategies by ownership type drivers, dynamics and nuances on February 10, 8:30am - 9:45am. This session will explore the perspectives of various project owners, their priorities, and how they plant operations based upon many often competing variables. Holly Hughes, Senior Vice President, will present Breaking through the OEM filter: A real-world case study on independent data collection and monitoring on February 9, 11:10am - 12:10pm, along with co-presenter Mike Hornemann of Romax. The timing of these presentations is apt as earlier this month Natural Power released the results of its latest validation study an evaluation of North American pre-construction wind energy yield predictions by comparison to operational production demonstrating 99.1% accuracy for project analysis. The teams attendance at AWEA provides a platform for them to share their real-life know how and technical ability that has been developed over the years as well as through their delivery of the most recent independent inspection service and operational project and portfolio assessments. Jim Adams, said: AWEA is host to some of the best events in the North American wind industry. As always, we are delighted to be presenting our latest research and sharing our perspectives with our peers at an important time for the industry. To view the full event schedule and register to attend visit http://awea.ebiz.uapps.net/PersonifyEbusiness/Default.aspx?TabID=1356&productId=1381587 About the conference The AWEA Wind Project O&M and Safety Conference is where leading owners, operators, turbine manufacturers, material suppliers, wind technicians, managers, supervisors, engineers, and occupational environmental, health and safety professionals come together to share the best strategies to manage wind project assets, analyze the environmental, health, and safety challenges workers face, learn about the future of the US O&M market, and network with top asset managers, OEMs, and vendors. It is the largest gathering of the US operating wind industry and stakeholders in North America. The 2016 event encourages visitors to: Analyze the latest technology to boost operations Discover the latest on blade design and repair Gain the wind tech perspective in field operations and safety Learn what you need to know about the new NERC-GADS reporting requirements for the wind industry About Natural Power Natural Power is a leading independent renewable energy consultancy and products provider. The company offers proactive and integrated consultancy, management and due diligence services, backed by an innovative product range, across the onshore wind, offshore wind, wave, tidal, renewable heat, solar pv and hydro sectors, whilst maintaining a strong outlook on other new and emerging renewable energy sectors. Established in the mid 1990s, Natural Power has been at the heart of many groundbreaking projects, products and portfolios for more than two decades, assisting project developers, investors, manufacturers, research houses and other consulting companies. With its iconic Scottish headquarters, The Green House, Natural Power has expanded internationally and now employs 320 renewable energy experts. As plant operators of over 150 sites across four countries, the company is uniquely positioned to provide unmatched insight into wind plant and turbine performance, turbine technology as well as long-term operational planning considerations including OPEX and CAPEX. Project experience includes over 16,000 wind turbines, equivalent to over 70GW of installed capacity; and we have been involved with almost 1,500 renewable energy projects globally. Currently under our asset management, we have 2.6GW globally across onshore wind, offshore wind and solar PV thats equivalent to nearly 1.5m homes powered! http://www.naturalpower.com https://twitter.com/Natural_Power https://www.linkedin.com/company/natural-power Contact details: Jane Maher PR and Media Natural Power T: 07887 995 589 E: janem(at)naturalpower.com http://www.naturalpower.com https://twitter.com/Natural_Power Connecting Generations for Good It is our honor and privilege to present this years Eisner Prizes for Intergenerational Excellence to Generations United and L.A. Kitchen, said Michael Eisner. This month, The Eisner Foundation will honor two exceptional organizations, Generations United of Washington, D.C., and L.A. Kitchen of Los Angeles, California with The Eisner Prizes for Intergenerational Excellence. The Prizes are $100,000 cash gifts that recognize an individual or a non-profit organization for efforts to unite multiple generations and bring about positive, lasting changes in their communities. The Prizes will be awarded at the Encore.org National Conference in San Francisco on February 10, 2016. It is our honor and privilege to present this years Eisner Prizes for Intergenerational Excellence to Generations United and L.A. Kitchen, said Michael Eisner. The Prizes allow us to award organizations that share our mission of bringing together older and younger people to enrich the places in which they live. We applaud the efforts of these two intergenerational organizations to make their communities better places to live, especially for vulnerable children and elders, and we want to shine a light on their work through awarding them our Eisner Prize. The Eisner Foundation is honoring L.A. Kitchen for Innovation in Intergenerational Solutions. L.A. Kitchen brings a unique intergenerational approach to the problems plaguing Los Angeles County by providing young adults aging out of foster care and older adults recently released from prison with culinary job training in a 20,000 square foot kitchen. Through food preparation, L.A. Kitchen addresses issues of unemployment, poor health and food waste. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Robert Egger was President of D.C. Central Kitchen, the countrys first community kitchen. At this crucial moment, when generations are often divided, we are both humbled and honored to receive The Eisner Prize. While the award is a powerful affirmation of our daily work at the L.A. Kitchen, it is something we intend to leverage, said Robert Egger, President of L.A. Kitchen. We want to join other colleagues to help expose the social wisdom and economic vitality of an intergenerational agenda. From nonprofits and social enterprises, to everyday citizens and local governments, we want to show that there are powerful opportunities, in every town, in bringing young and old together to tackle tough social issues side by side. The second winner of this years Eisner Prize, for Lifetime Achievement in Intergenerational Advocacy, is Generations United, a national organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. For nearly three decades, Generations United has been the catalyst for policies and practices stimulating cooperation and collaboration among generations, evoking the vibrancy, energy and sheer productivity that result when people of all ages come together. Generations United uses two, three and four generation approaches to stimulate economic opportunity and address poverty by promoting solutions directed at children, parents and extended family members. The Best Intergenerational Communities, Program of Distinction, National Center on Grandfamilies and Seniors4Kids are just a few of the broad-reaching programs of Generations United. This year Generations United celebrates its 30th anniversary. There couldnt be a more outstanding endorsement of our work than to receive The Eisner Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Intergenerational Advocacy, said Donna Butts, Executive Director of Generations United. We are so proud to receive this prestigious recognition by a foundation that shares our deep belief that we can only be successful in the face of our complex future if generational diversity is regarded as a national asset and fully leveraged. To do this we must use policies and practices to connect generations and not separate them. The prize has given us cause to celebrate but even more important its given all of us at Generations United--including our board, staff and members--reason to reflect and recommit even more vigorously to building a world that values all ages. The Eisner Prize brings the subject of intergenerational programming, and its benefits, into a national conversation, said Jane B. Eisner, Board President of The Eisner Foundation. Highlighting programs across the country that bring seniors and youth together to enhance their communities is an important component of what we do at The Eisner Foundation. These two organizations are true leaders in this field, and were proud to find a way to honor and celebrate their innovative commitments to children and seniors. This is the fifth year of the annual Eisner Prizes. Previous winners are The Intergenerational Center in Philadelphia, the national organization Experience Corps, The Motion Picture and Television Home in Los Angeles, The Intergenerational School in Cleveland, Ohio, and Bridge Meadows in Portland, Oregon. One of the reasons we started The Eisner Prizes was so we could identify and subsequently learn from the most innovative and entrepreneurial intergenerational organizations in the country, said Trent Stamp, CEO of The Eisner Foundation. Ive learned more from L.A. Kitchen and Generations United than I ever could have imagined. They are the best of the best in this growing intergenerational arena, and they are worthy recipients of our 5th annual Eisner Prize. About The Eisner Foundation The Eisner Foundation identifies, advocates for, and invests in high-quality and innovative programs that unite multiple generations for the betterment of our communities. The Eisner Foundation was started in 1996 by Michael D. Eisner, then-Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and his wife Jane in order to focus their familys philanthropic activities. The Eisner Foundation gives an estimated $7 million per year to nonprofit organizations based in Los Angeles County. In 2015, The Eisner Foundation became the only U.S. funder investing exclusively in intergenerational solutions. To learn more about The Eisner Foundation, please visit the organizations website at http://www.eisnerfoundation.org. About L.A. Kitchen Founded in 2013 by Robert Egger, L.A. Kitchen brings a unique intergenerational approach to the problems plaguing Los Angeles County. L.A. Kitchen provides young adults aging out of foster care and older adults recently released from prison with culinary job training in a 20,000 square foot kitchen. Through food preparation, L.A. Kitchen addresses issues of unemployment, poor health and food waste. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Robert Egger was President of D.C. Central Kitchen, the countrys first community kitchen. L.A. Kitchen believes that neither food nor people should ever go to waste.To learn more, please visit http://www.lakitchen.org. About Generations United For nearly three decades, Generations United has been the catalyst for policies and practices stimulating cooperation and collaboration among generations, evoking the vibrancy, energy and sheer productivity that result when people of all ages come together. Generations United uses two, three and four generation approaches to stimulate economic opportunity and address poverty by promoting solutions directed at children, parents and extended family members. The Best Intergenerational Communities, Program of Distinction, National Center on Grandfamilies and Seniors4Kids are just a few of the broad-reaching programs of Generations United. Generations United believes that we can only be successful in the face of our complex future if generational diversity is regarded as a national asset and fully leveraged. To learn more, visit http://www.generationsunited.org. Contact: Trent Stamp, CEO The Eisner Foundation trent.stamp(at)eisnerfoundation(dot)org 310-228-6808 ### Author Solutions, LLC, the world leader in supported self-publishing services, announced proudly today that Xlibris title Accidental Droning, (ISBN: 978-1503537590) by Pete Liebengood, has been optioned for a possible film adaptation by a Hollywood producer after being discovered at the 2015 Author Solutions Book-to-Screen PitchFest in Los Angeles. In Accidental Droning, the protagonist, Bo Granger, begins flying his private drone to occupy himself after losing his job. One day, Grangers drone camera accidentally captures the drowning of a woman. Upon discovering the footage, Granger weighs his moral oblgation to turn the video over to authorities against possibly endangering his wifes political career and his own well-being. Almost immediately Granger becomes the target of a hit man, false sexual assault allegations and the desires of an ambitious reporter who draws him into an extramarital affair. Liebengood becomes the second former PitchFest participantsince July 2015to have a title optioned as a result of the opportunities brought about by PitchFest events. Author Solutions hosts its next Book-to-Screen PitchFest in Las Vegas in June 2016details coming soon. For more information about Author Solutions supported self-publishing services, please visit http://www.authorsolutions.com, follow @authorsolutions on Twitter and Like us at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorSolutions for the latest supported self-publishing news. ### Portrait of Ruth Shack by Martin Kreloff, 2016 "Presenting Miamis Cultural Champion Award to Ruth Shack means so much to so many, national arts leaders, international philanthropists, artists, performers and cultural visionaries. Her accomplishments are legendary, said Adolfo Henriques. Miamis Cultural Champion Award 2016 honors Ruth Shack, presented by Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust on February 9, 2016. The award ceremony and reception will feature arts leaders and cultural luminaries celebrating Ruth Shacks pioneering leadership that helped Miami evolve into a globally renowned cultural destination. The private, invitation-only event takes place on Tuesday, February 9 (6-8pm) on the terrace of Gibraltar Privates headquarters in Coral Gables. Ruth Shacks leadership contributions are far reaching, to national and international levels, said Adolfo Henriques (Chairman and CEO of Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust). Cultural pioneers like Ruth Shack paved the way. Presenting Miamis Cultural Champion Award to Ruth means so much to so many, including national arts leaders, international philanthropists, artists, performers and cultural visionaries. Her accomplishments are legendary, said Henriques. The Cultural Champions series of annual events began in 2012, with national and international media coverage praising its singular theme of recognizing cultural pioneers who created the foundation for artistic growth at the community level. The Miami Herald praised the first Champions event for presenting a new angle whose time had come -Art Week Miami kicked off as it perhaps always should but never has: with a tribute to the citys arts-loving pioneers. The newspaper featured this question poised to Shack - So just how much has the city changed, art-wise? Shacks reply - Miami has become everything we ever anticipated and hoped for. It keeps on growing and getting better. Today, the influence of Miamis cultural communities radiates throughout the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Pioneer Leadership During a Pivotal Time: Ruth Shacks pioneering cultural highlights offer a glimpse into a time-line that shaped and defined todays Miami. She was elected to the Metro-Dade Commission (now known as the Miami-Dade County Commission) in 1976, 1978 and 1982. These years 1976-1986 - are recognized as pivotal to the areas growing prominence, and many of the eras most important cultural milestones were championed by Ruth Shack. She led the charge amongst her fellow Commissioners to approve Christos Surrounded Islands project that shined the global spotlight on Miami as an arts destination. She sponsored the Countys first historic preservation ordinance, and urged reconsideration by municipalities to recognize the value of their historic resources, including South Beachs Art Deco District. A History-Making Legacy that Continues Today: Ruth Shack has been honored for her contributions in a remarkably broad set of fields. She has received the highest award for her commitment to civil rights by the ACLU; to philanthropy by Leave a Legacy and The Association of Fund Raising Executives; to leadership by the Miami Foundation, to the humanities by the Miami-Dade Public Library System; to human rights by the LGBTQ Task Force; and to the arts by the Knight Foundation. Her service has included serving as Vice Chair of the Council on Foundations and Chair of its Management Committee; on the Board of the Community Foundations for Youth; and the Board of Funders Concerned about AIDS. She is a member of the Bertelsmann Foundations' Transatlantic Community Foundation Network and was Chair of the Communications Network. She was a Founder and former Chair of the Florida Philanthropic Network and Founder-Chair of the Alliance for Human Services. Along with her late husband Richard Shack, she has supported, through the 60 years during which she has lived in Miami, many emerging artists and served on Boards of nascent artistic organizations and community art centers. Together they developed one of the areas most significant art collections. Shack served as President of the Dade Community Foundation, now known as The Miami Foundation, from 1985-2009 where she spearheaded the campaign to foster philanthropy and charitable giving by developing a permanent endowment to meet Greater Miamis emerging charitable needs. Her legacy continues with the Ruth and Richard Shack Society recognizing the Foundations most generous philanthropists. Each year, The Miami Foundation and Leave a Legacy present the Ruth Shack Leadership Award to one of Miamis most promising young leaders of today. Miamis Cultural Champion Award Honorary Host Committee members are: Alberto Ibarguen (CEO of the Knight Foundation); Arva Moore Parks (author & historian); Barbara Young (former Art Historian for MDC Public Libraries); Beth Boone (Artistic & Executive Director of Miami Light Project); David Lawrence (Board Chair of The Childrens Movement of Florida); Eduardo Padron (President of Miami Dade College); Franklin Sirmans (Director of Perez Art Museum Miami); Javier Alberto Soto (President & CEO of the Miami Foundation); John Richard (President & CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center); Jordana Pomeroy (Director of the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU); Teresa Weintraub (Managing Director at Merrill Lynch); Toni & Carl Randolph (arts activists); Wendy Kallergis (President & CEO of the Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association); and William Talbert, III (CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau). About Gibraltar Private Bank and Trust: Celebrating its 21 years, Gibraltar Private is an integrated private banking and wealth advisory company dedicated to enhancing the wealth and well-being of its clients and their families. Gibraltar offers residential and commercial lending, private banking and wealth management services to professionals and professional service firms, corporate executives, families, entrepreneurs and their businesses. Gibraltar Private has eight full-service offices with its headquarters in Coral Gables, offices in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Miami Beach, South Miami, Naples, Ocean Reef, West Palm Beach and New York. For more information on Gibraltar Private, visit http://www.gibraltarprivate.com. Note to Editors: Media interviews with Ruth Shack and Adolfo Henriques available upon request. Media credentials to attend the event on Feb. 9 may be requested via email. Photos current and historical are available (including the new 2016 Cultural Champion portrait of Ruth Shack by Martin Kreloff, whose retrospective Miami Says Art launched the Miamis Cultural Champions series of events in 2012). Students' Votes and Voices Count! Teachers, parents, community leaders - help students to cast a "vote" TODAY - just 9 days left! What key topics are of greatest concern to Americas youth in a Presidential year? As 2016 Presidential hopefuls rally voters in advance of Iowa, New Hampshire and other key caucuses and primaries, what top issues matter most to Americas youth? Youth Vote America invites Americas students in grades 3-12 to take a 60-second online poll to identify the national issues that matter most to them. Parents, teachers, administrators, and community leaders, help kids to learn about and engage in the American Public Education Foundations (APEF) Youth Vote America national campaign, now February 10, 2016. What better way to show how the health of our democracy relies on citizens participation than by asking Americas youth to lend their passion, perspective and voices to the electoral process? Americas students your virtual polling booth awaits. Whether you are a child or a teen, vote on the issues in America that matter most to you, said David A. Pickler, President, American Public Education Foundation. APEF will then share poll results with Presidential hopefuls on both sides of the aisle. Go Online to Vote Today. Casting a virtual student vote is easy: In less than 60 seconds, visit http://www.theapef.org; view a top 10 list of issues that todays Presidential hopefuls are actively debating; and choose the top 3 issues facing America today or write in your own idea(s); the poll is available in English and Spanish Early Voting Trends. A preview of early voting follows: Terrorism (27%), College Debt (20%), and Education (15%) are the top 3 issues youth voters identify, followed by Immigration (13%) Environmental Issues, Global Warming (9%), Economy (5%), and Healthcare (5%). (Other key topics i.e., Poverty, Texting and Driving and Unemployment/Jobs - are initially polling at or less than 4%.) Teachers and Administrators Request Free APEF Electoral Curriculum. By Presidents Day, February 15, 2016, APEF will newly release two free curricula around Americas electoral process, one version for elementary school students and a second version for middle/high school students, available in English or Spanish (March). See http://www.theapef.org to watch for the Feb. 15 Presidents Day release of the APEF electoral curriculum. Get on the Bandwagon. Vote Today. Please help APEF to spread the word to capture and reflect as many student voices across America as possible. Kudos to groups that promote student engagement like Destination Imagination and Student Voice that helped to get the student vote out! Student Voice (SV) will soon be live on the Presidential trail! To follow student perspectives and gain field-level student insight on caucus and primary contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and beyond, visit stuvoice.org or the APEF SV spotlight at theapef.org. Discover SVs 12-point Student Bill of Rights, a new, student-driven set of qualitative standards that encourage students to vote on issues in their schools that matter most to them. See also SV partner Project Next Generation for their 2016 Voter Initiative and Cape Cod-based Presidents Day Extravaganza, Feb. 15, for middle school students. On the Horizon Picture Freedom Art Contest. A national contest in partnership with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) in Cincinnati, Ohio and Toyota will be announced Feb. 16 focusing on the freedoms we have in the U.S. The contest is open to students in grades 7-12. More details soon at theapef.org Presidential Poll. In October 2016, ahead of the November 8, 2016 general election, APEF will hold an online Presidential poll for Americas school-age students. Stay tuned to theapef.org ### About APEF: The American Public Education Foundation (APEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to help educate, inspire and lead with all those involved in public education and prepare the next generation of leaders for engaged citizenship. APEF was founded by nationally recognized education leaders to help ensure Americas economic and national security interests through public education. APEF passionately and profoundly believes in the power of public education. Take action at theapef.org International College Counselors All families who have a student planning to attend college in the upcoming academic year should fill out the FAFSA. Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and CSS Profiles (if applicable) as soon as possible. A number of merit aid scholarships require the FAFSA or CSS Profile to be filled out, and students and their parents do not want to miss those deadlines. The FAFSA also determines eligibility for federal student loans and the federal student-work program. Students are advised to complete and submit your FAFSA as soon as possible. Some deadlines were as early as the end of January. "Don't wait, because its being said that new ID and password requirements for the FAFSA are so strict that theyre causing delays and frustration for people rushing to file applications to meet deadlines, said independent education consultant Mandee Heller Adler, CEO of International College Counselors. Florida students, make sure to register for the Florida Bright Futures and other grants and scholarships offered by the State of Florida. For any questions about filling out the FAFSA, watch this quick tutorial video: 7 Easy Steps to the FAFSA Before submitting the form, make sure what is required is completely understood. Students who use a name that does not match what is on their Social Security card or who submit any other wrong information can cause delays or reporting errors. Remember, there is no fee for filling out the FAFSA. Make sure to only use the official FAFSA website. "All families who have a student planning to attend college in the upcoming academic year should fill out the FAFSA," said Adler. Pan Atlantic As the sales function is critical to meeting growth targets in what is still a recovering economy, we anticipate consistent hiring throughout 2016 Pan Atlantic is in high demand because of the success of their field sales solutions over the last 12 months. After recently completing an end of year review for 2015, the firm believe that this success can mainly be attributed to their excellent content of sales messages, their customer-facing collateral, and their sales support training. The agencys financial reports are due to be released in Q2 of 2016, but early predictions indicate a massive 232% increase in demand of their services over the last 12 months. About Pan Atlantic: http://panatlanticinc.com/about-us/ A spokesperson for the agency stated: As the sales function is critical to meeting growth targets in what is still a recovering economy, we anticipate consistent hiring throughout 2016. SBG research indicates that the actual cost of ineffectual customer communication is between 10% and 20% of a companys annual revenue. B2B companies lose hundreds of billions of dollars annually to ineffective customer communication just in the United States. It is because of this that Pan Atlantic suggests one of the main reasons more businesses are seeking out field sales services is to communicate to their audience in a more personal way. Pan Atlantic goes to great measures to ensure that all of their sales messages at every consumer touch point are on brand. The agency believes many of their competitors failings can be traced to their content of sales messages, which are too concerned with what the product or service does, and how it works. The firm claims that the sales industry is inundated with descriptive messaging to solve customer buying questions, and suggest that its not working. Pan Atlantics messaging strategy focuses on how and why a given product is the best solution for the customer to help them achieve their business objectives, and the firm swear by it. They recommend creating a customer engagement model with a common vocabulary for the go-to-market components, which would be created by a marketing department, and then implemented through the usual sales channels of conversations, emails, and voicemails. The firm strongly believe that the sales team can only be as strong as the marketing department allows them to be, as the less effective the marketing messaging, the less effective the content and conversations will be in person. Sales messages are incorporated into content via copywriting, and the entire creative process that resonates with target audiences is integrated into sales conversations by way of the salesperson. Pan Atlantic are specialists in offering innovative direct and field marketing solutions to businesses across the USA. Through personal, face-to-face marketing interactions, the firm are able to build lasting connections with consumers on behalf of their clients. This increases sales, and overall brand awareness for clients, allowing them to expand into new markets. Telmate Deploys Guardian, a High Tech, High Touch Smartphone-Based Monitoring Solution, at Northwest Regional Re-Entry Center With Guardian its incentivizing for them to get the ankle monitor off and to be placed on the smartphone app. Telmate today announced The Northwest Regional Re-Entry Centers (NWRRC) adoption of Telmate Guardian -- a technically advanced, low-cost, smartphone-based, GPS solution to its pre-release populations. Working together with the Bureau of Prisons, United States Probation and Pretrial Services, and other community agencies the Reentry Center serves up to 150 men and women in a transitional supervised environment in their Portland facility. The Reentry Center is offering Telmate Guardian to their low-risk, federal, pre-release population as an option to other traditional means such as ankle bracelets. With Guardian, were looking at those individuals that dont need the level of monitoring that an ankle monitor provides, so its incentivizing for them to get the ankle monitor off and to be placed on the smartphone app, reports Case Manager Supervisor Troy Esera. So far, the feedback has been positive he added. Individuals enrolled in NWRRCs program are working to reunite with society by gaining suitable employment, securing housing, and reuniting with friends and family. Familiarizing themselves with the latest technology like using smartphones is absolutely essential for them to make these connections, Esera said. Imagine going into prison during a time we didnt even have smartphones, and coming out to the society we have today talk about culture shock! The newly adopted Telmate Guardian app is compatible with both Android and Apple smartphones, and requires no new hardware or equipment making it a low cost, robust and easy to use monitoring solution. Guardian offers case managers real-time supervision, easy to read reports, and check-in controls, along with features like photos, voiceprints, and location compliance zones that make it simple to actively pinpoint and supervise enrollees. With Guardian, case managers create an account online and provide a unique PIN to the enrollee; the enrollee then downloads the app and signs in. Based on their program, enrollees are prompted to check in by reading a series of randomized numbers. Voice and facial detection confirm the check-in as successful. Check-ins are reported and delivered to the case manager, which adds unprecedented human insight for case managers, who can determine not only where enrollees are, but how they are. Additionally, case managers can easily increase supervision coverage as a result of Telmate Guardian. We are proud to offer Telmate Guardian to non-violent, federal offenders, said Telmate Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Hansen. With Guardian, offenders have a better choice with a progressive, low-cost and discreet way of transitioning back to society without compromising security and control for case managers, he said. Telmate is giving live demos of Telmate Guardian at the American Probation and Parole Associations (APPA) 2016 Winter Training Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, from January 31st through February 2nd. For more information about Telmate Guardian, visit http://www.telmate.com/guardian/. ### About Telmate: Telmate is the fastest growing provider of inmate phones and video visitation, secure messaging, mobile applications, inmate tablets and investigator tools. Telmates cutting-edge platforms are deployed in over 300 correctional facilities in North America spanning nearly all U.S. states and Canadian provinces. Telmate is headquartered in San Francisco, California. To find out more about Telmate, visit http://www.telmate.com. About The Northwest Regional Re-entry Center: The Northwest Regional Re-entry Center (NWRRC) helps offenders make a safe and successful transition from prison to their communities. Working together with the Bureau of Prisons, United States Probation and Pretrial Services, and other community agencies, we serve up to 125 men and women in a transitional supervised environment. While in our program, these individuals are working to gain suitable employment, secure housing, and reunite with family. Securing employment, an appropriate residence, and adequate mentoring support is essential to reducing recidivism and strengthening our communities. If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity. PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move. Cookies What are cookies ? How do we use cookies? How to control cookies? Managing cookies in your browser see what cookies you have got and delete them on an individual basis block third party cookies block cookies from particular sites block all cookies from being set delete all cookies when you close your browser X A cookie is a small text file that a website saves on your computer or mobile device when you visit the site. Cookies are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.Website use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. ("Google") to help analyse the use of this website. 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You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer and you can set most browsers to prevent them from being placed.Most browsers allow you to:If you chose to delete cookies, you should be aware that any preferences will be lost. Also, if you block cookies completely many websites (including ours) will not work properly and webcasts will not work at all. For these reasons, we do not recommend turning cookies off when using our webcasting services. In 1928 Zora Neale Hurston published a provocative essay, How It Feels to Be Colored Me. In it she describes her childhood in racially segregated Florida and the moment when she left the African-American town of Eatonville and went from being a beloved, recognized member of her community to being an anonymous, insignificant member of a marginalized and despised race. It seemed that I had suffered a sea change, she writes before assuring the reader, But I am not tragically colored. Last month I recalled Hurstons essay and thought to myself, I am not tragically self-published. After all, I was heading to UConn to give two (paid) presentations and I later received a similar invitation from a professor at Harvard. When I presented at a school in the Bronx recently, my former student (who had arranged the free visit) thanked me for inspiring the children. Her closing remarks touched and surprised me: You were so radiant, she wrote, I am so glad you've found such happiness, purpose, and much deserved success as an author. Part of me wanted to correct her assertion that I have found success as an author. Like Hurston, I remember the moment I went from being an admired, multi-award-winning debut picture book author to a largely unknown, ignored, and even pitied self-published author. In the past two years I have published sixteen books for young readers, but my books are not eligible for review in the major outlets, public libraries refuse to acquire them for their collections, and major awards are no longer a possibility. Despite the many voices clamoring for books that better reflect the nations diverse population, my indie titles that center on marginalized children are summarily dismissed. And there is little I can do about this marginalization; there are no penalties when gatekeepers reject books simply because they dont come from a system thats rigged against writers of color. So have I really found the success I deserve? If Hurston felt most colored when she was thrown against a sharp white background, then I feel most self-published when I gather with other writers of color who only publish traditionally. I have little to contribute to the conversation, and find it hard to congratulate a friend on the sale of her novel when the publication date is two or three years away. We both know that the kids of color in our communities need diverse books NOW. But the urgency we feel is not shared by the overwhelmingly white publishing industry. When I set the objectives for my Rosetta Press imprint, I made it clear that I want to operate at the pace of the 21st century. I sold a manuscript to a small press in 2014 and that book, Melenas Jubilee, is scheduled for release in 2016 or 2017. Yet in that time I have self-published more than a dozen titlesmost of them illustratedand I had two of the books translated into Spanish. A friend quipped that I drop books the way Prince drops albums. My goal is to produce a steady supply of compelling, diverse stories that will nourish the imagination and excite even reluctant readers, so I choose not to ration my books. I still have over a dozen unpublished manuscripts on my hard drive and just hired an illustrator to work on a picture book that will come out next month. Most people know that an indie author is a writer who has decided to publish her work without the help of an agent or editor employed at a publishing house. But many people dont know that indie authors often come from minority groups that are chronically underrepresented in the publishing industry and have only limited access to the traditional system. Print-on-demand technology makes it possible for these writers to inexpensively produce books that can circulate in limited but also unexpected ways. I urge readers to consider the value of organic writing: stories genuinely reflect the values, cultural practices, and histories of a particular community. Organic writing originates within specific communities and recognizes that culturally-specific narratives affirm the realities of marginalized children who rarely see themselves (accurately) depicted. Community-based publishing supports organic writing by prioritizing the welfare of community members over commercial success (look at the amazing, important books we can create when we put people ahead of profit). But perhaps the greatest benefit of community-based publishing is that it can respond rapidly to events transpiring at a local, national, or global level. My latest picture book, Let the Faithful Come, is a nativity story that reflects the plight of refugees in the U.S. and abroad. Its a topical, timely book that resonates with immigrants like me and those who believe compassion should be shown to allall year round. Hurstons response to racial discrimination was astonishment rather than anger (How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company?), and I am learning to shift my righteous indignation toward a more self-affirming attitude. In the New Year, I will continue to urge others to find their authentic voice (or as the late poet Jayne Cortez wrote, Find your own voice & use it, use your own voice & find it). Ill keep directing aspiring writers of all ages to sites like WriteNowMakeBooks.com, which guides writers through the self-publishing process. And instead of despairing at the persistent lack of traditionally published diverse books, I will focus on the many untold stories just waiting to find their way into the world. Paul Aiken, the former long-time executive director of the Authors Guild, died Friday January 29, one day shy of his 57th birthday. A lawyer, Aiken first joined the guild in 1993 and was named executive director in 1995. He stepped down from an active role in the association in the fall of 2013 when he disclosed that he has been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Aiken established a blog, n=2.com, to record his fight against the disease which included taking a number of alternative cures. In addition to the blog, Aiken made n=2.com into a foundation with the aim of building a global ALS community. Aiken led the guild through a time of tremendous change in the book industry, particularly in the digital area. It was during his tenure that the guild filed its lawsuit against Google that charged that the companys library book scanning project was copyright infringement. Aiken helped to craft the agreement to settle the case and worked hard for its approval, but the settlement was rejected by a federal court in March 2011. The guild continues to appeal the case. Another initiative issue championed by Aiken was getting publishers to raise the royalty rate on e-books, a cause that remains one of the guilds top priorities. In a tribute posted on its website the guild observed that it owes a great deal to Paul, who devoted his keen intelligence, good humor, enormous energy, and the best part of his life to our cause. Paul's optimism and tenacity--for writers, and then for himself and his family--were vibrant and rare. He was a beacon for all of us. In a statement, guild president Roxana Robinson noted that, "Brilliant and fierce can change the world, but it's generosity that makes it a better place. For twenty years Paul worked to make the world a better place for writers, readers and everyone else affected by the written word. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to MAC Angels and Project ALS. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) The Friday afternoon email read with remarkable alacrity, given its message: The trip to a Springfield store to buy all-purpose Fabuloso Cleaner for the Secretary of State's office was for naught. "They would not sell to us because we are shut off due to lack of payment," the storeroom worker wrote to his boss and others. "Have a great weekend!" As Illinois politicians continue to squabble over a budget that should have taken effect July 1, hundreds of state contractors have been left with little more than I.O.U.s, according to more than 500 pages of documents just since Nov. 1 released to The Associated Press under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. From a $28.44 late-notice water and sewer bill at the 1848 Mt. Pulaski Courthouse which had neither when Abraham Lincoln practiced law there to $4.8 million that Illinois owes Michigan for a health partnership, vendors have flooded the Capitol with disconnect warnings, credit-hold notices, desperate pleas and even a frowny face stamp in an effort to get paid. The state owes $2 million to Ashley's Quality Care in Chicago, which provides in-home care workers to keep seniors out of nursing homes, according to chief accountant Michael Robinson. The company has not met its payroll for 14 weeks, forcing the departure of 40 percent of its previous 1,000 employees; clientele has dipped by one-third, to 800, slicing revenue. "You go from affecting a company, to its employees, to the clients, to the social well-being of the community," Robinson said. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, insistent on pro-business changes to boost commerce, can't agree on an annual spending plan with Democrats who control the Legislature. They oppose his conservative agenda, saying a multibillion-dollar deficit needs tax-increase and spending-cut triage. "No one is more frustrated about the lack of a budget than Gov. Rauner," said his spokeswoman, Catherine Kelly. "Bills could be paid if the Democratic majority in the Legislature worked with the governor to pass structural reforms and a balanced budget." The Department of Central Management Services, which oversees state facilities and purchasing, doesn't track service disruptions because the number constantly changes as officials work to resolve issues, spokeswoman Meredith Krantz said. As for CMS, the agency declared the AP's FOIA request for vendor notifications too burdensome to honor. A preliminary search revealed 7,800 emails related to the subject. Billions of dollars continue to be spent on services ordered by federal court orders or limited legislative action, but the lack of spending authority means bureaucrats are spending more time dealing with angry vendors. Consider: The storeroom staffer's failed shopping trip led a supervisor to compile a list of Springfield businesses that had cut off the state. It included a janitorial supply shop, hardware stores, a carpet store, an electrical supplier and a general construction firm. A Department of Human Services rehabilitation counselor in Downers Grove sought a taxi for a client and received an email that "all service is on hold due to non-payment." An Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission arbitrator's personalized date-stamp broke but it wasn't replaced because the supplier was awaiting $511.06 that was past due. A New Jersey landlord threatened to evict Illinois Revenue Department tax auditors from their rented home in that state unless he received five months' rent totaling $37,936.20. It was paid. John Ulzheimer, an Atlanta-based consumer-credit expert, said credit risk is judged the same way for a government with a $35 billion budget as it is for an individual: If you don't pay, you get cut off. "People are going to start avoiding doing business with you or setting terms that are punitive because you're risky to do business with," Ulzheimer said. One such vendor is Beatty TeleVisual, in Springfield, which is owed almost $400 by the state. Co-owner Wilma Beatty said she used to do more state work, but 56 years in business have taught her how to keep red ink out of the books. On a $207 bill to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, she used a stamp that reads, "Please" with a frowny face. The debacle has produced provocative exchanges. "I feel sorry for the people who live in Illinois. Pretty sad!" wrote a St. Louis company's administrative assistant. One bureaucrat, forwarding a sales rep's overdue-payment warning up the chain, protested without irony, "I am only ordering what we need, nothing more." The state has deflected blame at times. When the Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging laid off a state-paid worker because of the spending freeze, the contract-termination letter noted, "the state does not intend to pursue damages as a result of this breach." That made the Peoria-based agency's director, Keith Rider, scratch his head. "If you have a contract with someone, and part of the contract is to pay them, and you don't pay them, we're in breach?" Rider asked. "That's an ironic attitude for the state to take." Rarely seen in public, Fethullah Gulen has long been one of Turkey's most important scholars, with multitudes of followers in his native country and around the world. More recently, Turkey's increasingly autocratic president, Recip Erdogan, has accused Gulen of plotting to overthrow the officially secular government from his Pennsylvania idyll some 5,000 miles away. Gulen's supporters call the charge baseless and, so far, the U.S. has shown little inclination to send him back to Turkey to face a trial that began without him Jan. 6 and is expected to last several months. A second trial, involving accusations that his movement took part in espionage, opened Monday. If the reclusive leader worries about the possibility of deportation, he hasn't shared it with confidants, they say. "He said that the United States has a long tradition of democracy and rule of law," said Y. Alp Aslandogan, who sees Gulen about once a week as president of the New York-based Alliance for Shared Values, a group that promotes Gulen's ideas. "They will see that these are politically oriented charges, and they will not allow Erdogan to spread his ambition into the United States." Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr declined to comment on Gulen's case. Gulen's followers run a loosely affiliated global network of charitable foundations, professional associations, businesses and other projects, including about 150 taxpayer-funded charter schools throughout the U.S. But details about Gulen's personal life and his ties to those ventures have long been murky, giving rise to suspicions about his motives. Some of the U.S. schools have been investigated by the FBI amid allegations of financial mismanagement and visa fraud. One of the most explosive claims, leveled by a lawyer who is representing the Turkish government in a U.S. lawsuit against Gulen, is that the schools are importing Turkish teachers to identify impressionable students and indoctrinate them into Gulen's movement, sometimes called Hizmet, Turkish for "service." Nobody associated with the U.S. schools has been charged, and there has been no public outcry from parents or students about teachers promoting Islam, Gulen's supporters say. In America, the schools are public and open to students of all faiths. "Try proselytizing evangelical Christians in the center of Texas. See what happens," Aslandogan said. "Anybody who knows American society and climate today would know that's a ridiculous claim." In any event, he said, Gulen has nothing to do with the schools' finances or operation. Trained as an imam, or prayer leader, Gulen gained notice in Turkey some 50 years ago, promoting a philosophy that blended a mystical form of Islam with staunch advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue. Supporters started 1,000 schools in more than 100 countries. In Turkey, they have run universities, hospitals, charities, a bank and a large media empire with newspapers and radio and TV stations. But the extent of Gulen's reach is shrouded in such mystery that Loyola University Maryland sociologist Joshua Hendrick, who has studied and written about him, estimates his following at anywhere from 500,000 to 4 million people. "I think deep down in the hearts of these people, they want to create a better world, a world of peace, a world of respect," said University of Houston sociologist Helen Rose Ebaugh, who traveled the world studying the Gulen movement's finances and aims. "I saw no indication they are after power or creating any kind of (Islamic) state." In 2000, a year after traveling to the United States to seek medical treatment, Gulen was charged by Turkish authorities with leading an Islamist plot to overthrow the regime. He was acquitted after a trial in absentia. Now, after a public split with Erdogan, he is facing another trial. This time, the Turkish government contends Gulen has been running a parallel state by getting his followers into key police and court positions to instigate a 2013 corruption probe that targeted people close to Erdogan. Erdogan's government has branded the movement a "terror organization," though it is not known to have committed any acts of violence. "The grain of truth, which we don't deny, is that yes, there are some sympathizers in every government institution. But to claim that there is a parallel entity, or there is a mastermind or puppeteer, is simply an empty claim," Aslandogan said. A continent away, Gulen, who is in his mid-70s, lives like a monk on the grounds of the Golden Generation Worship & Retreat Center, an Islamic retreat founded by Turkish-Americans. He spends hours a day in prayer and meditation and goes out rarely, mostly to see doctors for ailments that include heart disease and diabetes, according to Aslandogan. During a tour last week, an Associated Press reporter visited Gulen's book-lined living quarters, where shelves hold jars filled with soil from various regions of Turkey. The reporter was unable to see the cleric. He was in another building on the compound and declined to be interviewed. Ill keep this short. I will not vote for Mayor Thoms for Illinois state representative. I have one reason: I think he has not fixed much of what ails the city of Rock Island. My primary example is the continual decline and collapse of the business and retail community and the increase in number of empty buildings in DT Rock Island and throughout the city. Mayor Thoms did assist in managing a successful family business, but he has not transferred those skills to the much larger public service arena and has failed, as mayor, to promote the city of Rock Island as other Illinois Quad Cities mayors have done for their towns. Turns out there are now some big-time losers in the wash-up from the US Copyright Royalty Boards decision late last year. Sure, broadcasters did OK, from what, on the surface, looked to be a victory for common sense in regards to web-streaming. But alas, like most legal quandaries, the devil is in the detail. While the impost of broadcast royalty rates thankfully went down about 30-percent, making it just a little bit easier for many of middle Americas commercial radio stations to keep operating above poverty levels, the rates for internet-only webcasters, went up. For those of us primarily interested in the survival of Australian commercial radio, that really didnt mean a lot at the time, but when you look into the US Boards decision, small niche web-only operators have been hung out to dry. Now, Im sure those parties, wholl benefit directly from the increased royalty payments, are no doubt saying its a great breakthrough. Pecuniary interest is a substantial motivator when it comes to working out which side youre going to be barracking for. However, short-term wins, like this, are often extremely short-sighted, as those of us, who have been in the media business for a while, know all too well. The fallout from the new US webcaster streaming rates means that only those services that attract more than one million unique listeners a month will be able to survive financially. The likes of Pandora, Spotify and Apple will be the only dogs left in the hunt, and, it virtually puts paid to any future streaming start-ups. Since the decision came down in December, smaller niche webcasters, like AccuRadio and Pulse 87, have found themselves facing a situation where royalty payments will increase so much faster than advertising revenues. Those niche players, many of whom have really been in the business for the love of the music, will now face the prospect of being cast on the scrapheap of history. Several have already fallen on their swords this month knowing they are ultimately facing a financial Armageddon. These are the webcasters, who have been catering for and promoting specialty genres like folk, piano bar music, jazz and alternative AC, when no one else would take the chance. Until now, its been a real struggle for most of them, but theyve been able to operate by paying the record companies based on a percentage of their often-meager revenues. Unfortunately, that no longer suits the bean counters of Big Music. Lawyers for the US royalty group, Sound Exchange, managed to convince the Copyright Royalty Board that their client should be entitled to be paid on a per-stream basis by webcasters, regardless of the webcasters financial circumstances. Thats the same line PPCA has been running here in Australia against commercial broadcasters in the Copyright Tribunal. Thing is, everyone involved in the process, both in Australia and the US, knows deep-down that financially, the per-stream model simply isnt viable across the entire industry. What happens when this sort of model is put into practice in any industry, you see Darwins Law prevailing only the strong will survive. Smaller players are forced to fold and the overall diversity of the market contracts. Gordon Gekko is wrong when it comes to Sound Exchange and small webcasters. Greed isnt good and doesnt benefit anyone. The upshot of the American scenario, just one month after the court decision, is becoming very clear, and, confirms what I have previously said. The per stream model only works for the big boys with their big economies-of-scale. This outcome probably suits Sound Exchange, and other copyright collection agencies, because natural selection wipes out small webcasters, and, theyll be left with only two or three large players to negotiate with. Its so much easier than allowing a diverse industry to prosper. Theres little evidence that copyright groups care at all that these niche players are being forced to shut down their webcasting and move on. The industry perception of these copyright groups is that, for them, its never really been about the music, the musicians, the songwriters or the end-user, its always been about the money. From a creative perspective, its highly regrettable, that we now starting to see small start-up webcasters across the US, like Pulse 87 in New York, forced to put up the shutters and call it quits. It really is a sad irony that the ones wholl suffer most from this webcast genocide will be the grass-roots musicians, particularly those who arent locked into the mainstream genres of Big Music. These musicians are standing to lose the few outlets that have been available to showcase and promote their works. But, whos going to worry about that? Certainly not the business side of Big Music, because theres not enough money in niche music to change their mind! Im sure the mainstream music industry will, however, view this rate increase in webcasting royalties as a just and righteous outcome to pay for their legal costs of fighting the copyright battle. Until they finally see the light, many of the musicians these groups represent may also see these new percentages as a form of sweet revenge. But, what is it they say? If you embark of a course of revenge, be sure to dig two graves. Perhaps, thats exactly whats happening now. The smaller webcasters are being wiped from the internet landscape, while their previous owners now stand in the unemployment queue. But, what of the music industry and its musicians? Well, they could have benefited fairly and consistently over a lengthy period, if theyd just worked with these small webcasters until they built a mature business model. Instead, the music industrys greed to push for immediate and excessive benefits appears to have been a more powerful desire than approaching the situation rationally. Sure, Big Music may have been granted its pre-Christmas wish for an increase in webcaster royalties in the short term, but now, many of their members wont benefit at all from the specialty audiences that smaller webcasters could have generated, because it appears the Sound Exchanges of this World would rather see these webcasters off the air than conceive of taking a lesser payment. Gosh . and all this New Year drama, just as we thought some common sense was returning to the royalty debate in the US. It has occurred to me that if these multinational music conglomerates are happy enough to play these fiery games on American soil, we can only imagine what surprises they may have planned for us on the Australian copyright front this year. About The Author: Brad SMART has been a journalist, consultant, author, broadcaster, film director and was the former owner of the Smart Radio Network throughout Queensland. Brad can be contacted on his website here. Ned & Josh are a couple of mates who six months back landed a gig doing dawns across SCAs regional network out of the Gold Coast. Across the summer break they covered breakfast across the regional network and now they have made the move West, to be the new network breakfast team for HOT FM WA. The boys told Radio Today: We are very excited to head to Hot FM WA because we are both massive fans of west coast rap. Its only since moving here that we have discovered that in fact refers to the west coast of an entirely different country. (Wait, that was kinda lame, dont print that. Well come up with a far more clever relocating announcer joke.). Now in their early 20s, Josh got his start in Mt Gambier at 15. By 16 he was on breakfast fulltime. Hes worked at Star FM Dubbo, Sea FM Burnie and Devenport and Chilli 90 Launceston. It was Lauceston, where Josh & Neds paths crossed at Chilli FM. For the last six months they have been working together at SEA FM on the Gold Coast. Ned & Josh replace Ryan and Rosie. Ryan Jon recently moved to Canberra to team up with Tanya Hennessy on hit104.7. In WA now, their first HOT FM Network Breakfast show will be next Monday. A strategic business plan signed by General Electric and Russian locomotive and car builder Transmashholding for a diesel powerplant joint venture is an important component of a plan for GE to invest $1 billion in Russias oil and gas, power and transportation industries by 2020. GE announced it will work with Russian businesses to develop up to $1 billion in sourcing opportunities by 2020 to better meet its global manufacturing needs by capitalizing on the increased competitiveness of Russian fabrication, forging and casting, GE said. The company is currently working on several key infrastructure projects with Russian producers that meet GE quality and safety standards. GE and Transmashholding (TMH), Russias largest rail equipment producer, signed a strategic business plan providing for the launch of a 50-50 joint venture, pending final regulatory approvals, to localize manufacturing of GEVO diesel engines at a new facility in Penza, Russia. The project is aimed at addressing the locomotive needs of Russian Railways, as well as providing engine solutions for marine vessels and distributed power applications. The companies plan to invest more than $70 million in the plant and related equipment, training and technology. The GEVO engines to be produced at the new facility will incorporate advanced GE technologies to lower life-cycle operating costs, while increasing efficiency, reliability, ease of maintenance and time between overhauls, GE said. The agreement envisages initial production of up to 250 engines per year in the 2,9004,700 kW class, with the potential to expand the ventures production capacity and product portfolio according to future market demand. The companies also agreed that a priority goal for the joint venture will be identifying export opportunities for its products. Andrey Bokarev, Transmashholding President, said: Transmashholding has high expectations for the future of this joint project with GE to develop and produce state-of-the-art diesel engines. It will significantly expand our expertise and the range of products we offer to the market. In combination with our existing solutions, we will be able to offer engines to our customers that precisely meet their needs. Its particularly noteworthy that the new venture will produce engines not only for the Russian market, but also for export. Jeff Immelt, GE Chairman and CEO, said: We continue to see long-term development opportunities in Russia, including in sourcing from Russian manufacturers for our global businesses. Today, we are also pleased to be strengthening our partnerships with Rosneft (Russias largest oil and gas company) and Transmashholding. This is a great example of GE working with leading Russian companies to tackle some of the regions most technically intensive projects. In marine, GE and Rosneft will proceed with preparations for joint work at an industrial shipbuilding cluster in Vladivostok. GE, Rosneft and Transmashholding signed a Letter of Intent providing for the local production of GE V250 marine diesel engines by the GE-Transmashholding JV in Penza. In oil and gas, GE and Rosneft will further explore development plans for a facility in Murmansk, Russia to locally assemble GE oil and gas equipment to support Rosnefts production activities. GE and Rosnefts subsidiary Itera will move forward with development plans for the first small-scale LNG plant in Russia. GE has been working in Russia for nearly 100 years. More than 1,500 GE employees are working in Russia/CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), with regional headquarters in Moscow. For more information, visit GEs official website, www.ge.ru. United Rail, Inc. announced on Jan. 6, 2016 a new partnership with German rail supply manufacturer, BBR Rail Automation GmbH (BBR), to represent and support its products and services to the North American freight and passenger rail transportation markets. United Rail will provide business development, sales and marketing, and engineering services support to BBR for the companys work in North America. We are very excited with this new partnership, said BBRs Thomas Bergmann. We feel that BBR has a very strong portfolio for the North American rail industry. Through this new partnership with United Rail, we expect to have a very successful entry and long term experience here, providing great experiences for our current and future customers. Our services, support, and in-house manufactured products are well designed and well manufactured, and are perfect for the demanding environment that is the North American Rail industry. United Rail and BBR will be introducing various railroad systems and products including signaling and interlocking systems, systems for intermodal and switching yards, data transmission and train control, passenger information systems, magnetic and inductive signal transmission, traditional signal equipment and in-house manufactured electronics. BBR is an IRIS and ISO 9001 certified supplier. BBR is a perfect fit for us and our capabilities, said Norwin Voegeli, President & CEO of United Rail. The North American rail market can be a challenge for international companies not familiar with it, and having the right local support can make the difference between success and failure. This new partnership is a great opportunity not just for BBR and United Rail, but also for our local rail operators and engineering companies, as BBR brings their strong experience and product offerings to support the North American rail industry. We are looking forward to a very long lasting and successful experience relationship with BBR in North America. Welcome to Railway Gazette. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. You can learn more about the cookies we use here. OK The Italian subsidiary of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) is prepping the launch of Paramount Channel, a new entertainment channel, on DTT in the country. Paramount Channel is claimed to be the most widely distributed ad-supported movie channel in the world. The launch of Paramount Channel in Italy will bring the total international reach of the channel to more than 90 million households.We are excited to announce the arrival of Paramount Channel in Italy, said Raffaele Annecchino, executive vice president and managing director for VIMN South Europe, Middle East and Africa. Paramount Channel is already present in several of our territories, and the expansion into Italy further strengthens the position of Paramount Channel as the fastest growing brand in VIMNs international portfolio. In Italy, we look forward to offering a unique programming line-up with exciting content that our audiences will love.The upcoming launch of Paramount Channel in Italy is indicative of the momentum of this great brand, added Michael Armstrong, executive vice president and general manager of International brand development, VIMN. Paramount Channel has been an important addition to the VIMN portfolio and demonstrates the power of combining the iconic Paramount brand with VIMNs expertise in building global brands. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on the website. The purposes of using cookies are defined in the Privacy Policy of RAPSI If you agree to continue using cookies, please click the "Confirm" button. If you do not agree, you can change your browser settings. Case against Defense Ministry fraud suspect reaches court MOSCOW, February 1 (RAPSI) A criminal case against Yekaterina Smetanova, who stands charged with commercial bribery and embezzlement at the Defense Ministrys subsidiary Oboronservis, has been submitted to the Presnensky District Court in Moscow, RAPSI learnt in the court on Monday. The date of the hearing has not been scheduled yet. Smetanova has pleaded guilty to the crimes of which she has been accused, and provided detailed and consistent testimony exposing the other individuals involved in the crime. She has been released under restriction notice. Case against her was singled out and considered separately. The corruption scandal broke out at the Defense Ministry in 2012 and led to led to the resignation of the then defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Yevgeniya Vasilyeva. Serdyukov was charged with negligence. Investigators claimed that his actions or inactions resulted in damages to the state estimated at 56 million rubles (about $745,000) by ordering army personnel to build a private road to a Caspian Sea resort owned by his brother-in-law. However, the Russian media reported in late December 2013 that the criminal probe into Serdyukovs actions was closed. Serdyukov's lawyer Genrikh Padva said later that his client was pardoned under an amnesty program. On May 8, the Presnensky District Court of Moscow sentenced Yevgeniya Vasilyeva, an aide to Serdyukov, to five years in prison for her involvement in corruption cases at the Defense Ministry. In late August, a court in the Vladimir Region released Vasilyeva on parole. MOSCOW, February 1 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court on Monday upheld the detention of Dmitriy Buchenkov, who stands accused of participation in the riots on Bolotnaya Square on May 6, 2012 and attacking police officers, RAPSI reported from the courtroom. Buchenkov will remain in jail until June 2. Over 400 people were arrested and scores were injured in the authorized Bolotnaya Square protest that turned violent in May 2012. Dozens were later charged with inciting mass riots and battery against law enforcement officers. Riot organizers Leonid Razvozzhayev and Sergei Udaltsov were sentenced to 4.5 years in prison each. Other defendants in the case received prison terms ranging from suspended sentences to four years. Several defendants were pardoned; one is undergoing compulsory mental treatment. "There's never been a line of commercial insurance that has more data at its fingertips than cyber insurers do today," says Methven. "But it's how they find that needle in the haystack." The VAT syndrome began bending American minds in 1971, when Richard Nixon briefly considered importing this European tax into the United States. At the Treasury Department, I was tasked with drafting the prototype VAT statute.Forensic examination of the VAT revealed a tricked-up national sales tax with a misleading name. It was rejected by President Nixon and has since had no political viability, although the "VAT" word has clung to life in the related realms of semantics and sophistry. With topflight young statesmen like Speaker Paul Ryan, Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Marco Rubio taking a lead, the prospects for tax reform in 2017 are bright. It's not necessary to invent the tax reform wheel. The circa 1998-2005 "Five Easy Pieces" approach to tax reform shows that all the current brand-name tax reform proposals are packages of long-sought, familiar, "regular order" amendments to the current federal income tax arranged and rearranged in different ways. Those components of income tax reform as originally articulated by the late Jack Kemp and myself are: (a) lowering marginal rates (including capital gains tax rates); (b) eliminating the double tax on corporate earnings; (c) accelerating depreciation, ultimately to the point of 100 percent first-year expensing for business capital investment; (d) expanding the Roth IRA to all personal saving; and (e) excluding export and other foreign trade income of American companies from tax in much the same way that other countries already do in the world marketplace. Whether enacted in the ordinary course of tax reform or as part of the Cruz, Rubio or Carson proposals, the "Five Easy Pieces" create a high level of tax efficiency, economic growth and bang for the buck. Senator Cruz proposed a variation on a classic that, according to Tax Foundation data, adds $23 to GDP over a ten-year period for every $1 of dynamically computed ten-year revenue cost. Dr. Carson has adopted another one with a benefit/cost ratio of $8 to $1. Senator Rubio has substantially modified another classic. His proposal has a benefit/cost ration of $8 to $1. All three proposals are imperfect and all are likely subject to change - but all are far better than the current tax code. The barrier to tax reform is one of communication. In Washington, and especially in the politics and economics of taxation, semantics becomes substance. Misunderstanding quickly morphs into disinformation. For example, although he was careful to say that the Cruz tax plan is not a sales tax, a Tax Foundation analyst innocently strayed off into the semantical minefield and referred to it as a tax on value added. Predictably, the VAT bomb exploded. Facts to the contrary, the Cruz proposal was immediately pilloried in the media as a VAT "form of sales tax" or worse. The VAT word is strictly a red herring. Neither Senator Cruz nor anyone else is proposing a VAT (crypto or otherwise) - and no one is ever likely to do so. It is time to excise the VAT word from the tax lexicon or at least to stop using it incorrectly. The damage to tax reform can be dire. To 99.9% of people, the term value-added tax and its lingua franca VAT acronym mean a sales tax paid by consumers. And they are right. Using the VAT word to describe a tax reform plan that is not a sales tax misleads the press and the voters. A VAT is so inimical to tax reform that the mere mention of it word has recently scared some of my fellow conservatives nearly out of their wits, to the point of seeing VAT taxes lurking where none exist. Senator Cruz, Senator Rubio and Dr. Carson propose to tax income from work (expressed as wages and salaries) and income from capital (generally expressed as profits, dividends, interest and gains). Because the income from work plus the income from capital equals the amount of value added in the economy, each of these income tax reform proposals could be said to tax value added. But, so what? The base of the current federal income tax is also equal to value added. A base equal to value added does not a sales tax make. The determination of "value added" is a bookkeeping transaction in the European retail sales tax. A tax is "collected" from each upstream company (the miller, the baker, etc.) based on the amount of value it added. However, because of statutory reimbursements and refundable tax credits between businesses, the only "real" taxpayer under the VAT-type sales tax is the retail customer. He is the last one in the chain and receives no reimbursement and no tax credit. Some people have confused themselves into thinking that merely because a tax has a base equal to value added, taxes paid by businesses get passed on to consumers -- but that is not true. In the VAT system, it is the reimbursement and credit system that moves the tax forward, not the tax base. Whether the tax base is value added or net income, it is obvious that businesses can pass forward their tax costs (in the form of a higher price) only to the extent market forces allow. The term "value-added tax" is relevant to an abstruse provision in the World Trade Organization (WTO) treaty. In 1996 and 2004, the pre-eminent expert Dr. Gary C. Hufbauer and I advanced the thesis (here oversimplified) that a tax similar to the current Cruz and Carson proposals that taxed wage income and capital income at the same flat rate could qualify under the WTO and correctly exclude export sales from U.S. income tax - in the same way that European VATs exclude exports from sales taxes. (In my zeal, I may have helped propagate the horrible "subtraction-method value-added tax" appellation -- and for that I contritely apologize.) The Cruz proposal pushes the envelope with an exclusion for export income - but that does not mean he has proposed a sales tax; just the opposite. He is apparently trying to break through a WTO barrier and establish that the U.S. does not have to adopt a VAT-type sales tax in order to level the international tax playing field for made-in-America exports. Tax reformers should focus on creating a high-growth, job-boosting tax code for America -- and leave semantic confusion to others. Property details: 5 Acres vacant land in the San Luis Valley at the base of Mount Blanca. Beautiful views. This is a down payment auction. THE BID IS FOR DOWN PAYMENT ONLY ! The winning bid will be deducted from the full price of $2,600 and the balance will be paid at $200 per month at 0% interest. Excellent access to the lot. The county road the lot is on is 6th st. You can get a well permit for this lot. Sewer would be by septic. Contact Costilla county or state for any information regarding codes and or permit... Price: $ 1 Seller State of Residence: Colorado State/Province: Colorado City: Blanca Location: , Blanca, Colorado You will be redirected to eBay Nearby Blanca Property details: Historic Bannock Mine Item Description Please Scroll To The Right Margin To See More Bigger Pictures, Thanks!! Large Stoped Out Area Indicating A Rich Pocket Was Discovered!! Some Shoring Near The Lower Level!! Please Take Note All Maintenance Fees For This Year Have Been Paid & Are Not Due Again Till September 1st 2016! We charge a $200 dollar document transfer fee on top of the winning bid. This fee covers the entire transfer into the buyers name at the county and BLM. Acceptable forms of paym... Price: $ 1,500 Seller State of Residence: Nevada Property Address: Bannock Mine State/Province: Nevada City: Tonopah Type: Mining Claim Zoning: Mining Claim Location: 894**, Yerington, Nevada You will be redirected to eBay Nearby Mining Claim 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 By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/01/2016 ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. , We're sorry, this article is not currently available Months ago, there have already been talks about foreign investors pulling out of UK's commercial real estate market. According to a FT, back in November one of the factors that worry property fund investors is increasing signs that foreign investors are looking to check out of the London market, particularly the Chinese. According to sources, they have been talking about selling. Investors leaving the UK market might soon be a trend this 2016. More recently, according to Business Spectator, foreign investors reportedly have pulled back from UK's commercial property market. A survey of property agents found that demand from investors overseas for commercial real estate slacked in the last quarter of 2015. According to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the withdrawal follows the slow dwindling of overall buyer interest in UK commercial properties in more than two years. But even with lesser foreign buyers, interest from other investors keep demand for commercial real estate high. With high demand, limited supply and a flourishing economy commercial property values could continue to grow. In a statement, RICS Chief Economist Simon Rubinsohn reportedly said, "For the time being, the real estate sector seems largely insulated from the turmoil affecting financial markets." Meanwhile, London's commercial real estate seem "overpriced to some extent" in the last quarter to 81 per cent of the agent surveyed. That is up by 4 percent compared to the 77 percent in the third quarter. According to RICS, values of offices, shops and warehouses are expected to continue rising because demand for a limited number of asses was aggressive. Foreign investors were said to have their eyes focused on London last year with $US40.5 billion of commercial real-estate transactions were closed in London last year. That amount is half the total in UK that is $US72.7 billion, according to data-provider Real Capital Analytics. The city of Melbourne hosted twice as many auctions as Sydney over the weekend, with about 98 auctions in metro Melbourne. According to Domain, this is nearly twice the number of auctions, at 56, on the same weekend last year. On the other hand, there were only 44 properties in Sydney that went to auction during the weekend and it's about half the number of properties auctioned a year ago. Based on the report provided by the Domain Group on Saturday, Melbourne has a clearance rate of 74 percent from 55 reported auctions. It may still be too early to come up with a valid market insight based on this figures. According to Domain, clear market trends for 2016 will not be seen until late February as higher volumes are expected to pitch in. However, it is noted that the seller demand for auctions depend on the confidence in residential property, in this case the willingness of sellers could most likely double the number of auction listing. Domain Group chief economist Andrew Wilson said, "It is a clear reflection that people are still quietly confident they can find a buyer, whereas Sydney has half the number of auctions it had on the same weekend last year. We need to see how things unfold, but the signs do reflect the price energy of last year." Melbourne houses are relatively cheaper than Melbourne. According to Domain, this drives up among interstate and overseas migrants. Based on the house price data released last week by the Domain Group, Sydney's median house saw the biggest drop in home prices at 3.1 percent to $1,013,258 as median unit price dropped 2.8 percent to $655,845. On the other hand, even if the median house prices in Victoria's capital have risen 1.8 percent and a 1.3 percent increase for units the Melbourne market is steady and prices are still slow. Your kids' room may be one of the messiest and dirtiest rooms at home, especially if you leave them on their own in just a couple of minutes (or even seconds). How can you quickly organize their room and teach them how to clean on their own? Teaching your children the value of making their beds and cleaning their rooms are two of the most important things you can impart with them as they grow up. It may be taken as one of their earliest responsibilities in life, as you can teach them that their own room is their sole responsibility. However, doing this does not seem as easy as it sounds. Your kids' room may sometimes look like a battlefield, especially when they bring out all of their toys at once or if they bring food and outside items inside their rooms. How Does She listed five easy steps to help your kids understand and learn how to clean and organize their own room. Taking your kids' age into consideration, the publication noted on the significance of giving them just two options in every step. The first step only entails clearing the bed of anything other than the sheets and the pillows and making them afterwards. This will leave you will some stuff on the floor. Next, you need to ask your kids to pick up all the clothes from the floor and place it on the bed. This step, again, leaves them with just two options: clothes and non-clothes. Third: items that belong inside the room and those that do not. Give your kids baskets to use to sort the items on the floor. You can give them a couple of baskets if there are a lot of items left on the floor. Real Simple, however, noted that there might be some things that need to be tossed out for good instead of keeping them stored inside baskets and closets. According to the publication, broken toys, worn-down crayons and those items that are no longer fulfilling their purpose are better tossed out than creating unnecessary clutter at home. After clearing out the floor, the last step would be to separate the clean clothes from the ones that are already dirty. Ukranian Village, a quaint little town located in Chicago's West Town, topped the "Hottest Neighborhood" list this year. The survey, conducted by Redfin, was based on data gathered from their readers' input and market reports. This year's criteria are affordability, public access and charm. According to real estate analysts, today's homebuyers are looking for inexpensive properties located in "livable communities" that offer shops and easy public commute. Moreover, another trend that buyers are now into are unique homes and communities with character. Chicago's Ukranian Village ticks off all categories. The neighborhood was originally home to Polish and Slovak immigrants in the late 1800s. During World War I, Ukranian refugees made their way into the area, hence the name. According to Elle Decor, this historical hotspot is close to some of the best local bars in Chicago's West Side. Specialty shops and landmarked buildings are also plenty. Median sale price for a property is not entirely cheap at $472,000, but the neighborhood has a high sale-to-list average at 98.6 percent. "Ukranian Village itself is tranquil, but bordered on all four sides by business and nightlife corridors. For someone who wants a single-family home while still enjoying life, the location is ideal," Redfin's agent Niko Voutsinas reported. "Plus, the homes have very high curb appeal, as compared to adjacent neighborhoods. Much of Ukranian Village is landmarked, so you'll find brick and stone housing built in the late 1800s." This is the first time Ukranian Village made it to the list. Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that for the first time, the San Francisco Bay Area did not make the cut. Nela Richardson, Redfin's chief economist, attributed it to soaring sale prices. "In fact, one in four Bay Area users of Redfin.com are now searching for homes in other cities. San Diego and Los Angeles, home to some of the the nation's highest real estate prices, also failed to make the top ranks this year," Richardson stated. Rounding off the top 10 are Nashville's Eastwood, Minneapolis' Ericsson, Hyde Park Texas, Mount Pleasant in Washington, D.C., El Camino Real in Irvin, California, Baltimore's Hampton, Minneapolis' Powderhorn Park, and Roosevelt in Seattle. The Saudi Arabian government is collaborating with a Jeddah-based bank to set up another home loan lender trying to support home proprietorship in the nation. Bidaya Home Finance, a joint veture between the Saudi Ministry of Finance's Public Investment Fund and Jeddah-based Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, a unit of the Islamic Development Bank, was propelled to give Sharia-compliant home loans to Saudis. The organization, which would like to rearrange Saudi Arabia's long and lumbering home loan procedure, to empower more extensive levels of home possession in the kingdom, will start operations with a capital of 900 million Saudi riyals or $240 million. Bidaya was conceded a home loan fund permit by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (Sama) a month ago, making it the primary recently settled land account organization to get such a permit. Saudi Arabia has since a long time ago experienced an absence of affordable lodging. By there is a shortage of around 400,000 affordable units over the country, while only 30 percent of Saudis possess their own particular homes contrasted and a worldwide normal of 70 percent. Barely any parts of either Riyadh or Jeddah had homes esteemed "affordable" for center wage families - families winning somewhere around 6,000 and 20,000 riyals for every month, or 62 percent of the populace. Bidaya was set up with the main role of empowering home possession, said Khaled container Mohammed Al Aboodi, the administrator of Bidaya Home Finance. "Our role as a facilitator will aim to address the economic and social issue by increasing access to finance for middle-income home buyers, and thereby significantly contributing towards the sustainability of the housing sector in the kingdom." For the current week, property merchant JLL reported that a great many Saudis wanting to purchase their own homes are being compelled to lease since they can't bear to put down the expansive stores required by new government regulations. Home rents in the Saudi capital Riyadh developed by 6 percent in the year to November. In Jeddah, the kingdom's second-biggest city, rents ascended by 11 percent over the same period as would-be purchasers were compelled to lease. Villa costs in Riyadh fell by 6 percent a year ago. In Jeddah, despite the fact that costs expanded by a normal of 6 percent, this originated from a low base. JLL said that the explanation behind the progressions was an administration move in November 2014 to control loan-to-value ratios on mortgages. It implies that purchasers require a 30 percent up front installment in a business sector where the vast majority can't manage the cost of their own home. Buyers thinking of purchasing a beachfront vacation home in Thailand, Malaysia or Bali have something to rejoice about. Vacation homes for sale in Thailand, Malaysia and Bali now come with a more affordable price tag as the currency in Southeast Asia drops. The Wall Street Journal claims that although vacation homes for sale in Thailand, Malaysia and Bali are less costly, luxury buyers must think twice if they are planning to invest properties in these locations. With the declining value of Thai Baht, Thailand properties are now 10 percent to 15 percent cheaper than in the earlier months of 2015. Investing could be easier, but the currency fluctuation is becoming a major issue. Several real estate agencies have said that people interested in inquiring for vacation homes for sale in Thailand, Malaysia and Bali are increasing. However, they conclude that closing a deal is hard. The managing director of Hunter Sotheby's International Realty in Phuket, Andrew Hunter, revealed that more people have inquired on properties priced at more than $2 million, but they only closed a few sales in the end. The political and the economic volatility in these places are the major factors affecting the buying decision of the buyers. Like for instance, since the May 2014 coup in Thailand, its economy has been suffering a massive loss despite the government's effort to attract foreign investors. According to East Asia Forum, Thailand's economy is shaky, and the political system is also going disorderly for the last two years. Bali, one of the popular vacation destinations in the Southeast Asia, is also suffering due to a major drop of the Indonesian Rupiah. The currency was down to 11.3 percent, which also affected the real estate industry. Meanwhile, the Malaysian ringgit fell down to 22.7 percent last year. Just like the two previous vacation destinations, Malaysia saw a 45 percent increase in property inquiries but only closed a few deals. The Canadian economy has been suffering due to the collapse in oil prices which is a result of the recent surplus of oils caused by the sudden influx of oil-producing countries and companies. With the unexpected downward curve of oil prices, Canada's economy is now standing and being supported by only one sector: the real estate. "It is concerning to see that degree of concentration coming from one sector," said Brian DePratto, economist at Toronto-Dominion Bank. "This underscores the importance of real estate to Canadian growth, and also reinforces how key of a risk the real estate sector is for the Canadian economy." The sudden downfall of Canada's economy can be observed in the goods-producing sector that experienced a 2.6 percent year-to-date decrease through November. On the other hand, the service producing sector has shown an increase of one percent. The real estate industry in Canada is accountable for the 12 percent of the gross domestic product of Canada through November, as a result of its gains in 2015. Bloomberg reported that the real estate industry in Canada has been overvalued by as much as 30 percent, according to the Bank of Canada. In the December Financial System Review of the Bank of Canada, policy makers in Canada said that the two key vulnerabilities to the financial systems are the high level of household indebtedness and the disproportion in the housing market, according to a December report by Bloomberg. "Certain vulnerabilities are still edging higher, but recent changes by Canadian authorities to the rules for mortgage financing will help to mitigate these risks as we move into 2016," said Governor Stephen Poloz. "Housing activity should stabilize in line with economic growth, as the driver of growth in the economy switches from household spending to non-resource exports." According to the report from LINK, the real estate market of Canada in 2016 will be determined by various factors including oil prices, low Canadian dollar cost, borrowing cost and foreign investors. SHARE By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight Shasta County Supervisors will consider on Tuesday a zoning amendment to prohibit medical marijuana delivery services. Along with the amendment to ban delivery services from operating in unincorporated areas of the county, supervisors will also consider adopting a zoning permit system for private cultivation of medical marijuana. The permit to grow medical marijuana, in a code-approved structure like a greenhouse, would be obtained from Shasta County Resource Management, and would likely be a two-year permit with the option for additional renewals. County documents refer to a March 1 deadline in last year's Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act as the reason for the proposed amendments. On Jan. 28 state lawmakers passed emergency legislation to fix the March deadline. That legislation is currently on the governor's desk. If the March deadline had not been modified, cities and counties could have found themselves under the authority of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Shasta County's own ordinance did not explicitly mention regulation of medical marijuana delivery services. County officials did not waste any time with its proposed amendment, directing staff to investigate and draft changes to existing zoning plans at the first board meeting of the year. Shasta County Planning Commissioners voted to send the resolution to the supervisors for a public hearing and adoption. The proposed ban on delivery services would not impact primary caregivers who provide medical marijuana to qualified patients if they are in compliance with county code. Shasta County Supervisors meet Tuesdayat 9 a.m. in the supervisors chambers at 1450 Court Street in Redding. SHARE Updated at 10:15 p.m. One vehicle at a time are being allowed with controlled traffic, according to dispatch reports from the California Highway Patrol. Motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible. Original story A rockslide has closed Highway 299 about five miles west of Big Bar in Trinity County. According to dispatch reports the road is closed in both directions. The California Highway Patrol log reports once the slide is cleared the cleanup will take at least 2 hours. Trinity High School has been notified of the closure, and the California Department of Transportation has no estimated time for the lanes to reopen. Natalie Keepers (left), of Laurel, and David Eisenhauer (right), of Columbia, are accused of participating in an abduction and murder in the death of a 13-year-old girl in Virginia. Both suspects are students at Virginia Tech. (Images courtesy Blacksburg Police / Baltimore Sun) BLACKSBURG, Va. Two Virginia Tech students who had bright futures appeared before a judge Monday in the death of a seventh-grade girl who was active on social media and apparently climbed out her bedroom window. Nicole Madison Lovell, 13, was described as "an awesome little girl" who had a tough life she survived a liver transplant as a youngster and suffered from bullying at middle school and online, her mother said. Advertisement Police found her body on Saturday, four days after she disappeared. David Eisenhauer, 18, is charged with her kidnapping and first-degree murder. Natalie Keepers, 19, is charged with improper disposal of a body and accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony. Police in Blacksburg, Va., said they have evidence showing Eisenhauer knew the girl before she disappeared, but have not released any details about what led up to her death. Advertisement "Eisenhauer used this relationship to his advantage to abduct the 13-year-old and then kill her. Keepers helped Eisenhauer dispose of Nicole's body," a police statement said. Eisenhauer's hearing happened ahead of schedule and out of sight of reporters on Monday. Keepers appeared later, handcuffed and shackled in an orange jumpsuit. She told Judge Robert Viar Jr. she understands the charges. Both have lawyers; neither one commented. The arrests of the engineering majors shocked people who knew them in high school, where they lived nearby each other in Maryland. Neither had prior criminal records, police said. "We had no reason to think he would be unsuccessful in his goals, because he was very focused," said Principal James LeMon at Wilde Lake High School, where Eisenhauer graduated last year. Eisenhauer, named Boys Indoor Track Performer of the Year by The Baltimore Sun last March, chose Virginia Tech to pursue engineering while competing with the Hokies' top college runners, LeMon said. Keepers interned at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, led science experiments at her church's Bible school and hoped to build a future in aerospace or ocean engineering, her online resume said. "It's just very, very surprising," said her principal, Marcia Leonard. Nicole's family said they discovered Wednesday morning that she had apparently blocked her bedroom door with furniture and climbed out a window overnight. Advertisement Eisenhauer was arrested Saturday, hours before Nicole's remains were found in Surry County, North Carolina, a two-hour drive from campus. Blacksburg police Chief Anthony Wilson told The Roanoke Times that Eisenhauer did not provide information that led to the body. State police divers have been searching a pond on campus, but authorities would not say what they were looking for. Blacksburg Police have arrested and charged a Virginia Tech student from Columbia after 13-year-old Nichole Lovell is found dead. (CBS Baltimore) Nicole was just 5 years old when she survived a liver transplant, MRSA (a drug-resistant bacterial infection) and lymphoma, her mother, Tammy Weeks, told The Washington Post. "God got her through all that, and she fought through all that, and he took her life," Weeks said. Nicole didn't like going to school because girls called her fat and talked about her transplant scars. "It got so bad I wouldn't send her," Weeks said, but the bullying continued on social media. Nicole's classmates were grieving Monday at Blacksburg Middle School, where 10 counselors were brought in to support them, Montgomery County schools spokeswoman Brenda Drake said. Advertisement Drake said privacy laws prevent her from commenting on Nicole's experience, but she said the school has anti-bullying programs. Davy Draper, a close family friend, called Nicole an energetic and outspoken girl who got along with everyone. "She was an awesome little girl. She was an angel here on Earth, and she's an angel now," Draper said Sunday. A number listed for Eisenhauer's parents in Columbia, Maryland, rang busy. A message left at Keepers' home in Laurel, Maryland, was not returned. Associated Press A number of countries allow you to become citizens by investing in government-approved projects or real estate or by buying bonds. Image: Many countries are offering long-term visas for high-net-worth individuals. Photograph: Reuters You have got money and want to shift abroad? There is some good news. Many countries are offering long-term visas for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), if they are willing to invest Rs 3.5 crore (Rs 35 million) or more. The money can be used to even buy a property. Also, the residency rights obtained through a 'golden visa' can be upgraded to citizenship after a few years. This is also the fastest way to get a long-term visa for a country - be it the US, Canada, Australia or small countries like St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and Dominica in the Caribbean. In general, there are two separate categories for investment - active and passive. Under active investments, the person needs to start his or her own business (or acquire one). Under the latter, one invests either in projects, bonds or property. Image: To get ahead in education and career, children need to have citizenship or permanent residency. Photograph: Reuters Why migration by investments? Indians usually migrate using these programmes for benefit of their children, says Pankaj Joshi, managing director at NYSA Consultancy Services. These migrants feel that the facilities offered in developed countries are better for overall development of their kids. "To get ahead in education and career, children need to have citizenship or permanent residency (PR)," says Joshi. For example, a person wants his/her child to be a doctor in the US. It's much easier to get a job if they study in the US. Also, if they have a PR or citizenship, the seats available to them are more than international students. They can also get scholarships easily. Image: Many countries also offer subsidised medical facilities and social security benefits. Photograph: Reuters CITIZENSHIP THROUGH INVESTMENT Ajay Sharma, president, Abhinav Outsourcings, says for these migrants, it's about improving quality of life. Many countries also offer subsidised medical facilities and social security benefits. Sandeep Chauhan, AVP - sales & marketing at WWICS, says those planning to expand their business internationally also prefer migration by investments. Some of the smaller nations, especially those in Caribbean, have low taxes. Moving there can be more tax-efficient for businesspersons. These programmes also offer freedom of movement and these individuals can get into many more countries globally either without a visa or availing visa on arrival. Many such individuals prefer a residency permit in another country while holding an Indian passport. For example, a person holding a Green Card in the US gets almost all citizenship benefits. The only difference is that Green Card holders can't vote or serve jury duty, says Joshi. Image: A person holding a Green Card in the US gets almost all citizenship benefits. Photograph: Reuters Requirements An investor is allowed to take spouse and unmarried dependent children along. Usually, children above 18 or 21 are not allowed as dependents. In case of the US, the dependent child's age limit is 21 while for Canada it is 19. Apart from investment, for many countries, like Canada and Australia, the applicant needs to be proficient in a local language. Few countries also specify a cut-off age for the applicant. One strict requirement is that the funds need to be legal and the person should be able to establish the money trail. An application for developed countries takes around two years. For smaller nations, like in the Caribbean, it can be as fast as six months, and the person can even get citizenship on processing of the papers. The investment criteria differ widely. While for the US, you cannot apply without having the funds, Canada first lets you apply and only if you are selected, other documents are needed. For Spain, the applicant can buy property and own it, and for countries such as Hungary, the investment should be in government bonds. Image: The demand for Australian investor visas slowed after the government changed the rules last year. Photograph: Reuters Risk While passive investment visas are the easiest to get, they have pitfalls. For example, almost all the projects in the US are under the private sector. There have been cases in the past when lesser known developers tried to take advantage of the programme by taking the investor's money and never launching the project. Though investors didn't lose money, as it's kept in the government's escrow account, they had to return home. The US also has strict guidelines. For example, the projects are required to generate certain amount of employment. Rules also change every year for these programmes. For example, the demand for Australian investor visas slowed after the government changed the rules last year. Applicants now need to invest in riskier assets such as venture capital and emerging companies to qualify for a visa. There's also cap on residential real estate investment. In 2014, one of Canada's provinces, Ottawa, scrapped a programme offering residency to rich foreigners as there was a feeling that it undervalued Canadian citizenship. And the programme was also cited as a reason for a spike in house prices. Image: Canada and Australia have more programmes for entrepreneurs. Photograph: Reuters A BUSINESS CAN TAKE YOU PLACES If a person plans to set up a business abroad, many countries are willing to roll out the red carpet for him/her. The idea behind these visas is to generate employment for citizens and help economic growth. These visas are called as entrepreneur or active investment programmes. The UK, for example, has an entrepreneur visa. The applicant needs to start a business (or take over one) in the country and should be able to generate employment for 10 citizens or should be able to maintain a turnover of more than 5 million in three years. To apply, the person needs to have 200,000 in regulated financial institutions and also access to an additional 200,000. In many countries entrepreneur visa is based on points. Each criterion is assigned specific points. And, the aggregate should cross a minimum threshold. Many English-speaking countries also mandatorily require the person to prove language proficiency by taking a test. But, if you are planning to set up a business for the purpose of visa, do explore different programmes in the country. Canada and Australia have more than one programme for entrepreneurs. They vary depending on the nature of business, investment amount and location. Then there are also smaller countries such as Armenia where one can obtain a business visa easily and there are no requirements to make an investment, buy or rent property, prove annual income, deposit money within a bank, obtain insurance, provide character references, etc. All countries offer citizenship after a person has met the objectives of the programme and has stayed for certain years. Image: English proficiency is mandatory for many countries. Photograph: Reuters SKILLS CAN BE YOUR ASSET Every year, countries such as Canada and Australia release a list of profession and skills they need. If you are below 35, well-educated, proficient in English and with relevant work experience your chances are high. The person needs to have a budget of Rs 12-15 lakh. This would include various fees that country charges, visa cost, flight tickets, consultant bill and three-month expenditure the family will incur after going abroad. Most of these countries have a point-based system. They allot points for each criterion, such as age, education and work experience. English proficiency is mandatory for many countries. Some give additional points for spouse's qualification and language ability, and for children below 18 years of age. There is demand for professionals in software, finance and medicine. Despite a couple of flaws Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Duos remains a superior package and still stands out, contends Himanshu Juneja Samsung recently introduced the much expected dual SIM version of the Galaxy Note 5. After drawing criticism for the missing microSD card slot and the removable battery option, expectations were high that Samsung will at least try to undo a part of their mistake. Those hopes were dashed when the dual SIM slot was confirmed instead of a hybrid one. With dipping profits and tight competition, Samsung seems to have enhanced one of its more bankable products. Despite missing the hugely popular features, Galaxy Note 5 still remains very capable and boosted with a dual SIM option, maybe it will show better traction among customers. Here is a quick reminder why the phablet still remains a strong contender in its category. Construction The Note series gets a huge shot in the arm with the Note 5 iteration. Samsung dumped the plastic and faux leather construction from previous edition, opting for a much more classier glass and metal combination. Grade 7000 series aluminium lends the confidence against bendgates. The back glass has been given a curved shape, but the sides sport the same scheme. This allows the user to establish a firm grip despite the phablet's size. The phone measures 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm, and weighs 171 gms. Not only is the construction a huge jump from previous iterations of the Note series, Samsung has also addressed one of the longest standing complaint from the fans and critics alike. Display Galaxy Note 5 has been provided with the signature Super AMOLED screen. The 5.7-inch HD display confirms the phablet tag for this phone, and is one of its major selling points. With a resolution of 1440 x 2560 p, the 518 pixel density ensures that the vibrant colours are accompanied by crisp text as well. Gorilla Glass 4 protection is all the more reassuring. A strong point for the display is the brilliant brightness level. This boosts the readability under direct sunlight. The display is, without a doubt, class leading. Specifications The 4G enabled device seems to have pulled a fast one on the loyal fans. With the missing microSD card slot, and the non removable battery, the device has (and rightfully so, to some extent) drawn flak for the missing features. Apart from that, Note 5 has maintained its image of being an absolute beast in terms of processing power and specifications. Samsung decided to steer clear from the fiery Snapdragon 810 SoC, and preferred its own Octacore Exynos 7420 chipset. With a Quad core Cortex A57 (clocked at 2.1 GHz) and a Quad core Cortex A53 (clocked at 1.5 GHz) the phone is well equipped with processing power. The Mali T760MP8 GPU along with a generous 4 GB RAM makes up for a very strong configuration. Operating system Touchwiz remains Samsung's preferred skin, and Note 5 comes with Android Lollipop (ver 5.1.1) as the underlying OS. Samsung has been paying heed to the criticism, and apart from construction material, Touchwiz also gets a face lift. An improved custom UI while keeping the bloatware to acceptable levels has proved to be a good dual-pronged approach. Some of the Samsung features like the multimedia gallery and the music app pip even the apps from Google, as they load easily and get the job done effectively as well. There is still scope, like avoiding the excessively bundled apps like S planner, S voice, the internet explorer, since Google provides superlative options to these, but Touchwiz has been changed a good deal from earliest days, and this is a very welcome change. The connectivity features include options like WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and wireless charging. Stylus and revamped software The stylus on the Note 5 remains the distinctive feature on Samsung's phablet, and invariably catches the eye of those looking for an enterprise solution. The plastic stylus can now be summoned into action with an ejecting mechanism. The Air command center also pops up once the stylus is out. This time round, the options within Air command have been made more colourful for distinctiveness. The off screen writing mode allows users to scribble some last minute information easily, with the jotted information getting saved via S Notes app. Another superb feature allows the user to capture an entire page as a screenshot, which will come in handy during office use and otherwise as well. One small, yet massively useful improvement is, that if inserted incorrectly, a small internal tab allows for a damage free removal of the stylus. Earlier, this usually led to a broken detection mechanism. Users can surely heave a big sigh of relief. Samsung Pay It was imperative that Samsung's payment system gets a mention. More so, with Marshmallow now allowing native support for the finger print scanner, users can look forward to better implementation of the feature. But Samsung is in no mood to wait. The fingerprint scanner works like a charm with users now only needing to place the digit on the scanner. And with Samsung Pay, the company has a huge head start over Android Pay and Apple Pay features. A huge chunk of compliment is reserved for the MST protocol, which makes Samsung Pay a hit at even the non NFC compatible stores. The protocol mimics card swiping method, allowing Samsung Pay to make its mark at the most basic level while the competitors vie for more sophisticated payment system. Performance As was expected, the phablet comes out with flying colours when put to test. The Exynos 7420 chipset from Samsung proves to be no slouch, and the mammoth 4 GB of RAM combines with the GPU to give a blazing performance. The Touchwiz skin by Samsung has been optimised, so the results are even more apparent. The phone shows no signs of being hindered by bottlenecks, and users can be assured to get their money's worth. The sound was loud and clear, and the only complain would be the mono speaker setup. Maybe Note 6 will see the dual speaker happening. Camera The camera on the Note 5 is not a pushover for sure. A 16 Megapixel camera with LED flash sounds good; add optical image stabilisation to the mix and the package sounds very good. The front facing camera is a 5 Megapixel affair. A double tap on the home button will fire up the camera app. The app has a Pro mode for the veterans as well. There are plethora of shooting modes available, with Panorama, selective focus, slow motion, RAW to name some. The results are stunning, as the colour reproduction comes out impressively well, and OIS shows its worth. Night time photography was a sight for the sore eyes, and makes Note 5 look even more impressive as a package. Same goes for the videos too, and users get the advantage of shooting UHD/4K videos or the 1080 p videos according to their preference. Camera app has the broadcast feature baked in, allowing users to broadcast their videos via YouTube. The front facing camera has a wide angle camera set in, and the results are good enough to be shared around. Battery Here is another area which will draw some flak from the loyal fan base. Samsung has been known for its persistence with the removable batteries since long. Sadly, the battery with the Note 5 is not removable anymore. The 3,000 mAh allows the user to carry on using their device uninterrupted for just about a day's worth of usage before charging the device becomes necessary. This is on a heavy usage pattern, and sounds just about convincing. The fast charging allows the phone to be juiced up within an hour and twenty minutes. Verdict The dual SIM version is Samsung's attempt to offer the least possible variety on one of their marquee products. The missing microSD card option, and the non removable battery continue to draw flak, and the cut throat competition only make things worse for Samsung's wavering profit margins. The Note 5 still remains a superior package, and still stands out. Those who still crave for expandable memory and replaceable battery option, can look up the spectacular LG G4, or maybe even Samsung's own Galaxy S6 Edge+, but there is no stylus on either of these options. The Note 5 still remains the go to phablet owing to its superb hardware, and with the price of Rs 47,900 for the 32 GB and nd Rs 53,900 for the 64 GB variant, those in immediate need of an upgrade should pick one up. Photographs: Courtesy, Samsung 'Why would the Communists do this? I have three possible answers: One, they are specifically opposed to the Global Education Meet that the ambassador organised. Two, they are beginning to realise their days are numbered in Kerala. Three, the standard modus operandi of leftists is anarchism because they are not constrained by any codes of ethics. Roughly, the bad, the good, and the ugly,' says Rajeev Srinivasan. IMAGE: Ambassador T P Sreenivasan, soon after being manhandled by Students Federation of India 'activists' during a protest in Thiruvananthapuram, January 29, 2016. Photograph: PTI Photo/TV grab. The incident in which retired ambassador T P Sreenivasan was assaulted and slapped so hard that he fell down was truly shocking, even to those used to the antics of leftists. As a respected and prominent citizen of Thiruvananthapuram, the ambassador is an active participant in many fora, and the head of the Kerala Higher Education Council, as well as a Rediff columnist and host of the foreign affairs television programme, Videsa Vicharam. He is an urbane diplomat who represented India's interests in many countries, and the assault on him is in a way an assault on the Indian State as well. Why would the Communists (the Student Federation of India) do this? I have three possible answers: One, they are specifically opposed to the Global Education Meet that the ambassador organised. Two, they are beginning to realise their days are numbered in Kerala. Three, the standard modus operandi of leftists is anarchism because they are not constrained by any codes of ethics. Roughly, the bad, the good, and the ugly. Why is there opposition to the Global Education Meet? Well, Kerala's campuses have truly been destroyed by politics. My late father, who was a professor at a once-prestigious college, once wrote in a book on politics that students should have no role in it. This, despite the fact that he himself was elected speaker of the college union in the same college, on a leftist ticket. (Which he resigned in disgust, but that's another story). I have been back to that college with my mother (also a former professor there), and the place is truly in ruins. Decades ago, I remember it as a vibrant arts-and-sciences campus with brilliant students, many of whom went on to illustrious careers, especially in the civil services. Now, just a cursory look at the students (I am sorry to say they don't look like the cream of the crop), the campus (once stately, now overgrown with weeds and covered with posters), the library (pathetic), each tell their sad stories. Sic transit gloria mundi! This is symptomatic of what has happened to education in Kerala in general. At one time, Travancore University aspired to be the best: In fact, in the 1920s (if I remember right) they invited Albert Einstein to be their vice-chancellor (he declined politely). The Indian Institute of Science was almost set up in Thiruvananthapuram before they decided on Bengaluru. The decline was swift. By my days some time ago, Kerala University had already become pathetic. During my pre-degree coursework (equivalent to Plus 1 and Plus 2) days, there was practically not a single week of uninterrupted classes. There were boycotts or strikes by the Congress or Communist student unions. Leaked exam papers were not uncommon. Today, I'd say that a degree from any university in Kerala is not worth much. Unfortunately, that's true of degrees from many other states as well, as it has been a race to the bottom: A degree does not guarantee that the student is anything more than marginally literate. Dispirited professors, cowed administrators, rampant politics on campus: It is a nightmare. All political parties use college students as cannon fodder. No one wants colleges to return to being purely academic: They need foot soldiers. None of this bodes well for India as a whole. Other countries have caught up with and surpassed us. At IIT Madras, I had classmates from Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Fiji, Palestine and Iran. I am pretty certain that they have their own, well-equipped universities now, and would be uninterested in coming to India. This means education, traditionally part of our competitive advantage, is slipping out of our hands, especially in Kerala. Into this scenario rode the brave Ambassador Sreenivasan, with a proposal to create the equivalent of Special Economic Zones in education. However improbable, the attempt is laudable: To induce foreign universities to set up shop in conjunction with local colleges, with the student thus able to get a degree from the foreign university. Let us remember that college education is a major export for many Western countries, with India being a big consumer. I have read somewhere that Australia makes $19 billion a year in tuition fees; a large proportion of that is from Indian students going there to study. It appears that the Communists had gathered to protest the Global Education Meet mooting the same. The chief guest was supposed to be Kerala's Congress Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who is in the eye of a firestorm of scandals and scams. The Communists were prepared to confront him, but he wisely stayed away: His political instincts served him well, once again. Instead, they took out their wrath on poor Ambassador Sreenivasan, slapping him to the ground. If you can't get the one you want, bash the one you can get, I suppose, is the logic. Incidentally, it is not that Communist leaders want to deny their own offspring a Western education. A senior leader's son is apparently studying for his MBA at Birmingham University, paying Rs 50 lakhs (Rs 5 million). I had an IIT classmate who was another senior comrade's son, and he used to harangue all of us about how wonderful the Soviet Union was. However, when it came to graduate study, it was the US he chose. It's a truism comrades excel in: do as I say, not as I do. There is a second reason: Kerala assembly elections are nigh, and all political parties are a little nervous. The Congress, with its scam-a-day, is almost certain to lose, and is acting as though it expects to: They are happily indulging in scorched-earth policies. The Communists, by prior form, including Kerala's habit of alternating between the two fronts, should win this election. But they are nervous because their traditional vote bank among the Hindus is in some jeopardy now: The Ezhavas are seriously considering switching allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP, for that matter, have never actually elected a single MP or MLA, although they have come tantalisingly close; and a new campaign, and a new leader, and the presence of Prime Minister Modi at the Centre, as well as an alliance with Ezhavas, are giving them some leverage this time. Then there is the third, and ugly reason: This is how Communists are. Just yesterday came the news that Comrade Bala (alias Aravindan Balakrishnan), a Malayali-origin Brit, had been sentenced to 23 years in prison. A charismatic Maoist cult leader, he had kept several women enslaved, raped them, impregnated some, abused children, etc. He had kept his daughter in captivity for 30 years. His heroes were Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot. A few weeks ago, another leftist, The Hindu paper's long-time British correspondent, the 65-year-old Hasan Suroor, had been caught in a sting where he thought he was about to have an illicit rendezvous with a 13-year-old. And these are just the tip of the iceberg. Is there something seriously wrong with Communists? Are they amoral monsters? Two recent books make the case coming from different angles. The first is Party Animals: My Family and Other Communists by a British author, David Aaronovitch. He dutifully chronicles how his committed Communist parents kept supporting Stalin and others through the decades, ignoring, 'cult-like', their depravities and their monstrosities. It must be some kind of Stockholm Syndrome, a religion, where absolute blind faith is the norm. The second is God is Watching You: How the Fear of God makes us Human by Dominic Johnson. Although his context is a Semitic world-view (the 'fear of God' is not Indic), he makes the interesting point, invoking Daniel Kahnemann's ideas, that the fear of retribution from a jealous god is a deterrent to bad behaviour. If you don't fear this, then you feel free to indulge in being loutish. Apparently, the weak Indian State has no deterrent value. In fact, Ambassador Sreenivasan will be able to testify that there were several policemen just standing around and watching while the Communist fellow attacked him. There was no deterrence, no fear of punishment, nor any sign of morality. Ambassador Sreenivasan has recovered his sense of humour, and noted wryly in an article that this is the second time he has been assaulted in the line of duty. Once before, Kenyan extortionists had tunnelled into his official residence, the Indian embassy in Nairobi, and attacked him. That, at the very least, had an identifiable motive: Money. This incident, for a dying ideology, and on his home turf, is much more alarming. The Ambassador will laugh it off. But the incident is a serious blot on Indian politics. 'There is the perennial worry in the Indian mind regarding the US 'hyphenating' India and Pakistan. Frankly, this is a completely nonsensical hypothesis. The US has always 'hyphenated' India and Pakistan and it couldn't have been otherwise,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar. IMAGE: US President Barack Obama and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the White House, October 22, 2015. 'If the US has largely managed to do the balancing act, it is largely because there is an uncanny similarity in the DNA of the Pakistani and Indian elites. Both elites seek defining partnerships with Washington,' says Ambassador Bhadrakumar. What an erstwhile American diplomat and South Asia hand Robin Raphel once said still holds true -- it takes no time at all to raise dust in New Delhi. Indians are a prickly lot. Why else should we get excited that rumours have appeared in Washington that there might be a reorganisation of work in the US State Department and the office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAP) could revert to the Bureau of South and Central Asia (BSCA)? Foreign offices the world over reorganise their departmental work in tune with requirements of policies or sheer efficiency. South Block had a Pakistan Division once, which later became AP Division (Afghanistan-Pakistan), still later Pak-Iraf Division and down the line the IPA Division (Iran-Pakistan-Afghanistan). It is currently known as PIA (Pakistan-Iran-Afghanistan) Division. Did the whimsical changes mean radical shifts in Indian policies towards those three countries? Why should it concern us if US Ssecretary of State John Kerry wants the SRAP to merge with the BSCA? Actually, it seems an act of downgrading the SRAP and could be a prelude to its winding up. The SRAP has been downgraded anyway since its halcyon days when the late Richard Holbrooke held the job. It stands much diminished today, and the new quadrilateral mechanism (comprising Afghanistan, Pakistan, US and China) may replace it. The top priorities of Washington's India policies have been on extracting better access to the Indian market for US business and boosting American exports (civilian and military), co-opting India into the US' 'pivot' strategy in Asia, and promoting India-Pakistan normalisation (which helps the US' regional strategy.) These priorities are for the long-term and will not change with the merger of the SRAP with the South and Central Asia bureau. When the SRAP was created, Washington wanted to mandate Holbrooke to work on conflict resolution on the broader Afghan-Pakistani-Indian canvas. But India suspected, rightly so. It would have been a matter of time before a hyperactive diplomat like Holbrooke wandered into the Kashmir Valley and created headaches. Washington understood the Indian sensitivities and limited Holbrooke's mandate to the AfPak region. Which was, really speaking, not a difficult thing to do because Holbrooke's focused mission at that point in time related to kickstarting a dialogue with the Taliban leading to an Afghan settlement riveted on Afghan-Pakistan entente. India was peripheral to Holbrook's brief. Besides, he wouldn't risked annoying Pakistan by engaging the Indians. Clearly, much has changed since then. India is now overtly keen to gatecrash into the Afghan peace process. If the reorganization of the South and Central Asia Bureau will now help India to consort with the SRAP, we should welcome it. Then there is the perennial worry in the Indian mind regarding the US 'hyphenating' India and Pakistan. Frankly, this is a completely nonsensical hypothesis. The US has always 'hyphenated' India and Pakistan and it couldn't have been otherwise. The US is a superpower with vast interests globally and it is inconceivable that Washington can work on any bilateral relationship within a water-tight compartment. The US-Indian partnership, Sino-US ties, New Cold War -- these are not independent templates of global politics. No doubt, each has own raison d'etre, but these templates also overlap in the lone superpower's global strategies. Second, US diplomacy always works on the basis of linkages. Washington's diplomacy towards Manila or Hanoi takes into account the tensions between these capitals and Beijing. By inserting itself into the antipathies between Beijing and Hanoi, or between Beijing and Manila, or into the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the US is able to advance its regional and bilateral interests in the Asia-Pacific in a cost-effective manner. The India-Pakistan tensions are no different insofar as it is in the US' self-interests to insert itself into the role of an intermediary. The point is, despite India's professed aversion toward US mediation, it never really shut the door on an American role in keeping tensions with Pakistan under check. Of course, the ultimate hope is that Washington will join hands with India to 'isolate' Pakistan and pile pressure on it. On the other hand, Washington regards Pakistan as an irreplaceable interlocutor/partner in many areas vital to the geopolitics of the Central Asian, West Asian regions and constantly seeks to strengthen its leverage with Islamabad, especially with the military leadership. Unsurprisingly, Washington cannot remain indifferent to Pakistan's tensions with India, Pakistani sensitivities over India's perceived 'hegemony' or Islamabad's keenness for US mediation. It becomes a challenge to Washington to maintain balanced relationships with India and Pakistan that would upset neither or create misgivings. However, if the US has largely managed to do the balancing act, it is largely because there is an uncanny similarity in the DNA of the Pakistani and Indian elites. Both elites seek defining partnerships with Washington. Suffice it to say, the angst that the US may 'hyphenate' its ties with New Delhi and Rawalpindi is borne out of delusionary thinking that the US is committed to build up India as the pre-eminent regional power and eventually a global power. It betrays lack of self-confidence, since India's destiny is ultimately its own for the making. Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar is one of the world's leading experts on Afghanistan. As India strives to make its Act East Policy a comprehensive politico-diplomatic and economic success, Brunei gains more salience, says Dr Rahul Mishra. Vice-President Hamid Ansari is on a two-day official visit to Brunei Darussalam from February 1-3 at the invitation of Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah. The visit aims to explore new avenues for New Delhi to constructively engage with Brunei, the energy-rich nation situated on the island of Borneo. The vice-president's visit is a remarkable step forward to engage Brunei, and plug the gaps in India's Act East Policy in terms of comprehensively engaging the countries of the Southeast Asian region. This will be the first exclusively bilateral high-level visit by the Indian leadership since the establishment of Brunei-India diplomatic ties in 1984. Several Indian ministers have visited Brunei in the past. Then prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh visited Brunei in October 2013 to participate in the ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit. From Brunei's side, significant visits have taken place in the past showing Brunei's commitment to build strong ties with India. In 1992, the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, paid a State visit to India at the invitation of then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao. The next bilateral visit took place in May 2008 when the sultan visited India. The sultan also visited India in 2012 to participate in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-India Commemorative Summit held in New Delhi in December that year. Accompanied by Minister of State for Home Haribhai Chaudhary and four members of Parliament, Vice- President Ansari will meet the sultan. He will also address the Indian community at a reception, in addition to delivering a lecture at the University of Brunei Darussalam. According to a ministry of external affairs statement, MoUs in the field of defence and health cooperation are likely to be inked during his visit. The discussions will include issues such as information and communication, space and energy cooperation, especially hydrocarbon and natural gas -- areas that hold vital significance for Brunei-India cooperation. Vice-President Ansari's visit was scheduled in November after his visit to Indonesia. However, due to the closure of the Ngurah Rai International Airport, he was compelled to stay in Bali for longer than planned. The delay left too little time for him to visit Brunei as he was supposed to host his Chinese counterpart Li Yuanchao during the latter's five-day visit. A closer look at Brunei-India relations demonstrates that while bilateral ties have been on right track, with cooperation between the two countries primarily driven by the ASEAN multilateral framework, it demands more focused attention and careful nurturing. As India strives to make its Act East Policy a comprehensive politico-diplomatic and economic success, Brunei gains more salience. Four major reasons may be listed in that regard. First, as a member of ASEAN, Brunei is integral to India's Look East Policy, rechristened as the Act East Policy under the National Democratic Alliance government. For years, Brunei has been supportive of India's participation in ASEAN-led initiatives. While other countries have also been supportive of India's active presence in the Southeast Asian region, since 1990s Brunei has been encouraging India's active involvement in the region. Brunei also supported India's candidature for full dialogue partnership at ASEAN. The ASEAN-India FTA and the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) are likely to provide new vistas of cooperation between India and Brunei, especially in terms of economic cooperation and integration in the regional supply chains. Brunei also supported India's candidature for full dialogue partnership at ASEAN. The ASEAN-India FTA and the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) are likely to provide new vistas of cooperation between India and Brunei, especially in terms of economic cooperation and integration in the regional supply chains. Second, India's cultural relationship with Brunei is deeply rooted. India's engagement with Brunei through the presence of the Indian Diaspora has also been significant. The discovery of oil in Brunei in the 1920s attracted several Indians who, for commercial purposes, began to migrate to Brunei. There are as many as 10,000 Indians in Brunei and Indians constitute approximately three percent of Brunei's total population. A majority of the Indians in Brunei are either Tamil or Malayali. Due to the sizeable presence of Indians in Brunei, there is an urgent need to connect with Brunei and also to reconnect with the Indian Diaspora. For this purpose, greater emphasis should be put on strengthening people-to-people contacts between two countries. There are as many as 10,000 Indians in Brunei and Indians constitute approximately three percent of Brunei's total population. A majority of the Indians in Brunei are either Tamil or Malayali. Due to the sizeable presence of Indians in Brunei, there is an urgent need to connect with Brunei and also to reconnect with the Indian Diaspora. For this purpose, greater emphasis should be put on strengthening people-to-people contacts between two countries. Third, Brunei overtly supports India's candidature for permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council. In addition, in 2011-2012, Brunei also lobbied for a non-permanent seat on the UNSC for India. Fourth, India's energy needs have been swiftly growing in recent times. Brunei is an important source of crude oil for India. In 2014-15, bilateral trade stood at US$ 882.82 million, out of which US$ 840.85 million accounted for India's imports from Brunei and US$ 41.97 million for India's exports to Brunei. More than 90 percent of the trade volume is linked to India's oil imports from the Southeast Asian nation. The vice-president's visit to Brunei will further strengthen the energy cooperation between the two countries. As the Indian economy grows further, its energy demands will grow by leaps and bounds, making it difficult to satiate the demands of domestic industries and households. Brunei can be a great support in dealing with that situation. With the Look/Act East Policy already in its third decade, it is vital for India to not only 'look' towards Southeast Asia but also 'act' comprehensively in the Southeast Asian region. The 'Act East' should not be confined just to the politico-diplomatic and socio-cultural domains but should achieve greater linkages, namely: a. building robust infrastructural connectivity; b. strengthening Diaspora linkages; c. realising regional economic integration through integrating with the regional supply chain mechanism and; d. establishing energy cooperation as a strong pillar of the Act East Policy. Engaging Brunei comprehensively will pave the way in making these objectives a reality, especially in the context of India's energy diplomacy in the region. In that context, it is imperative that bilateral exchanges and top-level meetings between the two countries should be increased and the two countries must institutionalise mechanisms to make that an annual feature. The time has come for India to sense the potential of Brunei in meeting the energy demands of the Indian economy. Brunei's active role in the ASEAN mechanism, cultural commonalities between the two countries and convergence of strategic and economic interests and objectives on regional and global issues make Brunei more significant than ever for India's Eastward engagement. Dr Rahul Mishra is a Research Fellow at the Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi. He can be reached at rahul.seas@gmail.com. The views expressed do not represent the views of the ICWA. 'It was planned in such a manner that it was made to look like a communal incident.' Mausam Noor, the two-time Congress MP from Maldaha Uttar (North Malda), speaks to Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com IMAGE: Vehicles were set on fire at the Kaliachak police station in Malda. Photograph: PTI What is the situation in Kaliachak after the January 3 riot? The situation is stable and peaceful now. What was the reason behind the trouble there? It is being portrayed as a communal incident, but it was actually not a communal incident. It was planned in such a manner that it was made to look like a communal incident. It was the work of anti-socials who are involved in anti-national and anti-border activities like drug smuggling, fake currency notes smuggling and extortion and all sorts of other criminal activities. Most of these criminals belong to the TMC (Trinamool Congress)... How could 100,000 people gather in Kaliachak without the state government getting an inkling about such a huge protest? One lakh people were gathered by the Edara-e-Shariyah. I don't know exactly what happened and so we have demanded a CBI inquiry into the January 3 incident. What did the people of Kaliachak tell you when you visited them? The protesters were very peaceful. But some anti-social elements flared up the whole incident. They went to the thana (the Kaliachak police station) and burned criminal records of the smuggling kingpins in this area. The people who had gathered there for a peaceful protest wouldn't go to the thana and burn records of criminals there. A few people who came out of the protest went to the police station and other places and undertook violent activities. Why is the West Bengal chief minister not taking action against those involved? There has to be a concerted effort by the state and central governments to take firm action against these criminals, because this is not a particular incident. Of course, this is the most alarming incident, but such incidents keep happening all the time. Even during the day time there are bombings, murders. There are groups within the TMC who are fighting for supremacy in this area for more power and because of this the whole area is under unrest. Definitely, very firm action needs to be taken against them. Is the BJP trying to play with fire in Maldaha? Absolutely. We are going to face the assembly elections in about three months and so people are trying to give it a communal colour. By people, do you mean the BJP? Yes (the BJP). Even the TMC, which is trying to cover up the incident, because they are trying to protect their people. The BJP is trying to encash by portraying this as a communal incident, so that they can do communal politics in the elections. You represent Maldaha Uttar (North Malda) and your uncle Abu Hasem Khan Chaudhury represents the Maldaha Dakshin (South Malda) constituency in the Lok Sabha. How geared are you to face the assembly election in Maldaha district? We are very much prepared. These (two Lok Sabha constituencies) are strong Congress bastions so we have nothing to fear. But we fear that the elections might turn out to be very violent and the voters will not have the right atmosphere to participate in this election here. We need a peaceful atmosphere for people to go out and vote without fear. If they cast their vote fearlessly, definitely the Congress will win all the seats in Maldaha district with a big margin. But if an atmosphere of fear is created, then obviously people will not come out of their house to vote. Every time Kaliachak assembly constituency votes, there is lot of rigging by the goons of the TMC and the CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) and a lot of violence takes place during elections here. Last time we had asked for the central police force during the election. This (Kaliachak) incident is all the more alarming. I would request the state and the central government to come together and ensure that firm action is taken against the criminals trying to inculcate fear in the hearts of the people here. You said the Kaliachak incident was not communal. How do you explain the fact that the Hindu locality of Baliadanga was attacked by a mob? If this would have been a communal incident, there would have been a ripple effect. It would have continued for some time. But there was only one incident. This was the work of criminals who wanted to portray this as a communal incident and burn down the police station with all their criminal records and try to escape law and punishment. Senior Indian Police Service officer Archana Ramasundram was today appointed Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal, the first woman to head a paramilitary force. Ramasundram is currently special director, National Crime Records Bureau. She has been appointed to the post till the date of her superannuation September 30, next year, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said. Ramasundram, 58, is the first woman police officer to have been appointed as the chief of a paramilitary force. The SSB is entrusted with guarding the country's frontiers with Nepal and Bhutan. There are five paramilitary forces -- SSB, Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force and Indo Tibetan Border Police -- and none has ever had a woman chief. The Tamil Nadu cadre officer was in news in 2014 over her appointment as Additional Director in the Central Bureau of Investigation. Her appointment was also challenged in the Supreme Court after which she was moved to the NCRB as its chief. Besides her, IPS officers -- K Durga Prasad and K K Sharma -- have been appointed director generals of the CRPF and the BSF, respectively. They will take over after the incumbent chiefs of these forces retire at the end of this month. Prasad, a 1981 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, was in 2014 unceremoniously removed as chief of the Special Protection Group, which provides security to the Prime Minister, former prime ministers and their family members, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Nepal to attend the Saarc summit. He was in January last year appointed special director general of the CRPF, the force entrusted with multiple duties in the internal security domain including, anti-naxal operations. K K Sharma is currently Special Director General, BSF, which guards the country's border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. M K Singla, a 1982-batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre, has been appointed Special Secretary (internal security) in ministry of Home Affairs. He is at present serving as Special DG (West) in the BSF. In his new posting, Singla will be entrusted with the task of dealing with matters related to policing, law and order and analysing threats from terror groups, Maoists and other anti-national forces. Both Singla and Durga Prasad will hold the post till their retirement, i.e. February 28, 2017. Sharma will hold the post till September 30, 2018, when he superannuates. A R K Kinni has been appointed as Director NCRB in place of Ramasundram. Kinni, a 1981 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre, is currently Special DG in Bureau of Police Research nd Development. All these appointments were approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by the prime minister. The ACC has approved Kinni's appointment by temporarily upgrading the post of Director, NCRB to that of DG-level up to the date of his superannuation i.e. November 30, 2017. Scores of people, including children, have been killed in a Nigerian town by Boko Haram fighters who shot at villagers and set fire to their homes in the latest deadly attack by the Islamist militant group. The extremists armed with guns and explosives stormed Dalori, some seven miles from the city of Maiduguri, late on Sunday. They began shooting indiscriminately and set fire to homes and businesses after driving into the village shortly after evening prayers. Residents who tried to escape by fleeing to nearby bush were later hunted down and shot dead by insurgents. A child survivor who hid in a tree said he could hear other children scream while being burned alive by Boko Haram militants, during the jihadist groups latest siege. Colonel Mustapha Anka, a spokesperson for the army, said the assailants arrived in two cars and on motorcycles, they opened fire then set light to homes. Three female suicide bombers who had initially tried to mingle with the villagers were intercepted, then blew themselves up, he said. Charred corpses and bodies ridden with bullet wounds littered the streets after the horrific attack, which lasted for four hours. Villagers who survived the attack said they fled into the bush when the assailants entered Dalori. We were seated outside our home shortly after the Isha prayer when we heard gunshots and within a few minutes the invaders had arrived, said Malam Masa Dalori, a community leader. Boko Haram has killed about 20,000 people and driven 2.5 million from their homes. INS Sumitra, the 2,200 ton Saryu class patrol vessel, will host President Pranab Mukherjee when he reviews the naval fleet on February 6. The indigenously-built Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel will be the presidential yacht and lead the presidential column for the 11th edition of the Fleet Review in Visakhapatnam. Warships from over 60 maritime nations are expected to participate in what would be the second time that the Navy will be hosting the International Fleet Review. The first edition was held in Mumbai in 2001. INS Sumitra, commissioned into the naval fleet on December 6, 2014, hit headlines in March 2015 when her crew rescued 350 Indian citizens stranded in Yemen. It escorted the evacuees from the Yemeni port of Aden to Djibouti across the Red Sea. As part of Operation Raahat, the INS Sumitras crew cleared living quarters to make room for the women, elderly persons and children while 2-3 cooks of the warship worked day-and-night to prepare meals for the evacuees as the ship's kitchen is designed to serve only about 100 people. The ship can travel a speed of up to 26 knots, and is equipped with state-of-the art medium and short range weapons which include 76mm medium range gun, a potent Close-In Weapon System, Electronic Support System Sanket Mk III and Communication Intelligence System ELK 7036. The ship is a well-balanced weapon-sensor platform, with the capability to undertake offshore patrolling, support high value assets and defence of offshore installations. The latest generation warship will join the Eastern Naval Command fleet for maritime surveillance and coastal security. Sporting a flight deck, the vessel also supports operation of helicopters. The Enforcement Directorate on Monday conducted multiple searches in Mumbai in connection with its money laundering probe against senior Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Maharashtra public works department minister Chhagan Bhujbal and others. ED officials said the nine premises covered under the action included properties and offices belonging to Bhujbal, son Pankaj, nephew and former member of Parliament Samir and a few others. A team of 20 officers of the Mumbai zonal unit of the agency is conducting the operation, they said. The NCP described the searches as political vendetta. This is vendetta politics. This has been done to support the Bharatiya Janata Party whose MP Kirit Somaiya first makes a statement and then two days later, action (by the ED) happens, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said. This proves that BJP plans and the agencies execute it. Our party has full faith in (the) judiciary, he said. ED officials said the investigating officer of the case is also recording the statement of Samir at its office in Mumbai after he was summoned for questioning sometime back. The agencys action came days after the Bombay high court, on January 28, sought progress reports from the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau and the ED in four weeks on their probe against Bhujbal and his family members. The agency has filed two first information reports against the Bhujbals and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, based on earlier filed Mumbai police FIRs, to probe the Delhi-based Maharashtra Sadan construction scam and the Kalina land grabbing case. The agency has also brought out three property attachment orders worth over Rs 280 crore in this probe case under money laundering laws. The government, in the last Parliament session in December, had said that PMLA investigations against Bhujbal and others have showed that entities which have subscribed to companies controlled by the politicians family were dubious and their transactions were done only on paper. Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha, in a written reply to Lok Sabha on December 18, had said a case has been registered by the ED against Bhujbal, his family members including MLA son Pankaj, ex-MP nephew Samir, a firm called Ms K S Chamankar Enterprises and others. Investigation conducted so far has revealed that the entities which have subscribed to the companies controlled by the Bhujbals were dubious companies which existed only on paper and their transactions are not genuine transactions, he had said. The Bombay high court, in December 2014, had constituted a Special Investigation Team comprising the ED director and the director general of state ACB to conduct the inquiry against the politician and others and submit a report to it. The Mumbai police complaint names Pankaj and Samir and they had been booked under Indian Penal Code sections related to cheating, criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and relevant provisions of Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act. Tamil Nadu unit Bharatiya Janata Party president Tamilisai Soundarajan on Monday said the list of those joining the party was growing as it was the "last hope" for the nation's development and a corruption-free administration. "Several anti-corruption crusaders, philanthropists and neutral public figures are joining the BJP as it is the last hope for the nation's growth and to provide a corruption-free administration," she told media persons. She was replying to a question on whether Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth would join BJP at a public meeting to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Coimbatore on Tuesday. Evading the question, she merely said, "The list of those joining the BJP is long and going on." When media persons asked the same question to BJP national secretary Muralidhar Rao, he said "all things" would be answered by the prime minister in the public meeting. The BJP is looking for a strong alliance for the coming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Modi had met Rajinikanth weeks before the commencement of Lok Sabha elections in 2014 at his residence in Chennai, but the actor had described it as a courtesy call. Both had also exchanged birthday greetings in the past. The fate of the BJP-PDP alliance in Jammu and Kashmir may be known on Monday as PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti talks tough. Mukhtar Ahmad/Rediff.com reports from Srinagar. A day after she set out conditions for government formation with alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party, in Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti has convened a meeting of PDP legislators on Monday afternoon. A senior PDP leader told Rediff.com that Mehbooba will meet the MLAs at her home and seek their opinion on government formation and the PDP stand on the matter. Addressing a meeting of PDP leaders, legislators and office-bearers in Srinagar on Sunday, January 31, Mehbooba made it clear that though she is not averse to government formation, she wants a firm assurance from the BJP about realising her late father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed's dream about the state. 'Mufti Mohammad Sayeed took a courageous, although unpopular, decision of aligning with the BJP with the hope that the central government headed by Narendra Modi will take decisive measures to address the core political and economic issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir and its people,' Mehbooba told the PDP meeting on Sunday. Unfortunately, she added, instead of partnering with and implementing the late chief minister's vision of bringing peace, stability and prosperity to the state, certain quarters, both within the state and in New Delhi, started overtly and covertly triggering frequent controversies over avoidable contentious issues resulting in wastage of the state government's energies in fire fighting and propitiation. 'In such violative circumstances around, we will have to reassess whether we can absorb the shocks which Muftisahab had to do so frequently in his effort to forge reconciliation between the regions and the people of the state,' she said. 'The PDP can't form a government just for the sake of power but if it does it will be, as envisioned by Muftisahab, with the objective of addressing the core political and economic issues confronting Jammu and Kashmir as was done by the PDP-led government between 2002 and 2005,' she added. The Centre, she said, shall have to take substantive measures towards implementation of the PDP-BJP 'Agenda of Alliance' in the interest of peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir and for this the PDP needs a set time frame to be worked out. 'The PDP will have to reassess whether the central government is ready to trust the people of Jammu and Kashmir and carry out the implementation of 'Agenda of Alliance' with sincerity of purpose,' Mehbooba said. 'It has been made clear in the very preamble of the 'Agenda of Alliance' that the document is an effort to seek national reconciliation on Jammu and Kashmir and facilitate the formation of a coalition government in the state that will be empowered to catalyse reconciliation and confidence building process and create conditions to facilitate resolution of all issues,' she added. Sources in Srinagar said the PDP's stand could further delay the formation of a new government in the state. 'If the PDP wants assurances from the BJP about the 'Agenda of the Alliance' now, what was Muftisahab doing for the last ten months while every single political and developmental promise in the common minimum programme was flouted and broken by both parties in carefully cinematographed fixed matches?' the Opposition National Conference asked. 'A continued delay in government formation has put Jammu and Kashmir in a precarious Constitutional situation where two legislative parties continue to be in an alliance with adequate numbers, but are still adamant to rob the people of their Constitutional right to a have an elected government,' the National Conference said in a statement. A video of police thrashing a group of students with sticks and fists and dragging women by their hair outside the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters in New Delhi during a protest over Dalit student Rohith Vemulas suicide on Monday triggered widespread outrage with the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party seeking action against the erring cops. Delhi Police came under sharp attack from political parties and student groups as the video of Saturdays incident went viral on social media but the RSS appeared to defend the security personnel, saying they must have done whatever they found was appropriate. In the 30-second clip, apart from police, some men in civilian clothes are also seen beating up the protesters near the RSS office in Jhandewalan in Central Delhi. The students who staged the protest and the AAP alleged that the men were the RSS workers The RSS, however, rejected allegations. No RSS worker was there at that time. If somebody feels that there was some highhandedness then there is option of inquiry, law. Police must have done whatever they found was appropriate, in-charge of the RSS media unit of Delhi Rajiv Tuli said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged the police force was being used as the RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Partys private army under a political dispensation that is at war with students across the country. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi targeted the Modi government over the shocking attack on students and insisted the demonstrators were brutally beaten as they were protesting against the RSS. A Delhi School of Social Work student, who was at the receiving end of a police assault, alleged police took turns in brutally thrashing him and did not even let him sip water. I spotted few men, who were not in uniform, pulling few of our women activists. When I raised my voice against that, someone from the police counted 1, 2, 3 and launched an assault on us and cornered me. After the first round of assault I was sitting on a road divider. Friends offered me water. At that very moment police once again started beating me up. Yadhul Krishna who was with me fractured his hand, Samudra Sanghka, a final year MA student at DSW, said. Under fire, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi appeared defensive and said he has ordered an inquiry into the incident which will include examining whether there was any indiscretion. Two journalists, who have alleged they were beaten up while covering the protest, claimed the police action was unprovoked and that the protesters were beaten up mercilessly. They said their cameras were snatched and smashed. The student protesters were holding a demonstration outside the RSS office at Jhandewalan in central Delhi demanding justice for Vemula, the Hyderabad university research scholar whose suicide last month triggered nationwide outrage. In the video, a constable is seen dragging a woman protester by hair and pushing her down when she remonstrated against the assault on a fellow demonstrator. Addressing a press conference, AAP leader Sanjay Singh alleged the BJP and the RSS workers were also involved in assaulting the students along with police. One of the protesters Sanghka, who hails from Assam, said that he received multiple injuries on his body following which he was administered an injection at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and is on painkillers since then. Pratim Ghosal, an M Phil student at JawaharlalNehruUniversity, said that the incident happened around 4 pm when the protesters, numbering around 250, under the aegis of Joint Action Committee for Social Justice tried to hold a meet in front of the RSS office. We could cross the first barricade in front of Ambedkar Bhawan and were stopped ahead of the second barricade. A view emerged that we should hold a protest meet and within minutes police started thrashing us. I have been to many protests but the brutality was unprecedented, Ghosal, a Democratic Students Federation activist, said. Prashant Mukherjee, another final year student at DSW and an Students Federation of India activist, said they were not planning to break the last barricade put up by the police but all of a sudden a number of hooligans launched the assault. Kejriwal, who is undergoing naturopathy treatment in Bengaluru, condemned the polices alleged highhandedness, including with women. Delhi Police being used by the BJP/RSS as their private army to terrorise and teach lesson to anyone opposing the BJP/RSS. I strongly condemn attack on students, Kejriwal tweeted. FTII, Rohith case, HyderabadUniversity, IITs and now brutal attack on Delhi students. Modi govt seems to be at war with students all across (sic), he tweeted. One of the journalists who was allegedly beaten up, said, I had gone to cover the protest and found myself being assaulted by members of Delhi Police who also shattered my camera. These policemen were aggressive, possibly because I was shooting pictures at the back of the rally. Male personnel manhandled the female students, dragging and pushing them, scenes that I was about to capture with my camera. This was when the police attacked me, he claimed on a news portal. He and another photojournalist, who was also covering the protest, claimed their cameras were snatched away and smashed by police. This kind of police brutality on unarmed students is unacceptable. We strongly condemn it and guilty policemen must be punished, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Maken said. The Enforcement Directorate on Monday arrested former Member of Parliament Sameer Bhujbal, nephew of Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal, in a money laundering case in Mumbai after the agency conducted multiple searches in connection with its probe against Bhujbals and others. Sameer was arrested after over six hours of questioning under the provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act at the agency's office in Ballard Tiar in Mumbai. He will be produced in court on Tuesday, official sources said. They claimed he was not cooperating with the investigators and hence his custodial interrogation was necessary. Earlier in the day, the ED conducted searches on at least nine premises, including properties and offices, belonging to former Maharashtra PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal, son Pankaj, nephew and ex-MP Samir and few others. A team of 20 officers of the Mumbai zonal unit of the agency conducted the operation. Meanwhile, the NCP described the searches as "political vendetta". "This is vendetta politics. This has been done to support BJP whose Member of Parliament (MP) Kirit Somaiya first makes a statement and then two days later, action (by ED) happens," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik had said. "This proves that the BJP plans and the agencies execute it. Our party has full faith in (the) judiciary," he had said. The agency's action came days after the Bombay high court on January 28 sought progress reports from the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau and the ED in four weeks on their probe against Bhujbal and his family members. The agency has filed two first information reports against the Bhujbals and others under the provisions of the PMLA, based on earlier filed Mumbai police FIRs, to probe the Delhi-based Maharashtra Sadan construction scam and the Kalina land grabbing case. Classes resumed on Monday in Hyderabad Central University, two weeks after the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula and subsequent agitation by the varsity students. Classes are going on. Administration is also working, a JAC spokesperson Dickens said. We have set a deadline of 10 days. We will continue our agitation in the form of relay hunger strike and organising seminars and rallies peacefully. People from outside also have come to express solidarity to our agitation. (VC) Professor Appa Rao should go. There is no change in that demand, he said. When contacted, SC/ST Faculty Forum convener Sudhakar Babu said they (teachers) are attending classes. He also said as per the request by in-charge Vice Chancellor M Periasamy, the faculty members would also continue in the administrative position. Earlier, the teachers body said they had laid down papers from the administrative position. Periasamy on Sunday held a meeting with representatives of Join Action Committee for Social Justice and discussed the demands put forward by the student body. Periasamy took charge of the varsity after in-charge VC Vipin Srivastava proceeded on leave on Saturday. Srivastava was given charge after the regular VC, Appa Rao Podile, went on leave following the row over Vemulas suicide. The agitating students earlier said they would accept Srivastava, who was the sub-committee chairman that barred the five Dalit students including Vemula from accessing hostel facilities, as in-charge VC. The HCU sailed through rough weathers with agitations ever since Vemula committed suicide in a hostel room on the campus on January 17. He was one of the five students suspended from using hostel facilities for their alleged role in a case related to the attack of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad leader N Susheel Kumar. Subsequently, after Vemulas suicide, the university terminated the suspension of the four students. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited the campus twice while Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Communist Party of India general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy, Communist Party of India- Marxist general Secretary Sitaram Yechury, YSR Congress Party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi were among the prominent political leaders who visited the campus and expressed solidarity with the agitating students. 'The extended Bose family is insisting that the Japanese government must release all the information they have on Bose' ashes.' It cannot be forgotten that Bose was in Japanese care when his 'death' occurred. Ultimately, it is the Japanese who hold the secret about what happened to him.' Rashme Sehgal reports. When Madhuri Bose, Subhas Chandra Bose's grand niece, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 15, 2015, to present him a copy of her book The Bose Brothers and Indian Independence (Sage), she had one request of him. 'Could a DNA test be conducted on the ashes of her grand uncle which have been lying in the Renkoji temple in Tokyo for the last 70 years?' she asked. Madhuri was representing the views of The Open Platform for Netaji, comprising the majority of Netaji's relatives who, while not subscribing to the theory that he had died in an air crash in 1945, were nevertheless open to the idea that the ashes kept at the Renkoji temple in Tokyo could belong to Bose. Modi informed her that he too had made enquiries on this matter and had been informed that since Bose had been cremated, the heat could have destroyed his DNA molecules. But he also emphasised that he was open to the idea of having a DNA test conducted after due consultation with specialists. Madhuri Bose has consulted Dr Mark Stoneking, a geneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and an authority on DNA sequencing. Dr Stoneking believes the cremation could have destroyed vital DNA tissues, but a test could still be conducted. Madhuri's views are endorsed by Netaji's only child, Dr Anita Pfaff, a former professor of economics at the University of Augsburg, Germany, who has also been pressing for conducting a DNA test. Dr Pfaff has repeatedly emphasised that although she believes that the 1945 air crash in Taipei was the 'most likely' cause of her father's death, a DNA test would help bring closure to what she believes has become a very unseemly controversy. But such a step can be taken only with the agreement of both the Indian and Japanese governments. Madhuri Bose agrees and therefore went ahead and raised this issue with Modi. "I pointed out to the prime minister that the Japanese government would have to give its agreement to having a DNA test. Supposing the test shows that these ashes are not Bose's, then it will show the Japanese government in very embarrassing light." "This is why the extended Bose family is insisting that the Japanese government must release all the information they have on it. It cannot be forgotten that Bose was in Japanese care when his 'death' occurred. Ultimately, it is the Japanese who hold the secret about what happened to him," adds Madhuri Bose. "General (Douglas) MacArthur of the United States sent an investigative team to Taipei soon after the accident, but they were not able to find any evidence regarding the plane crash," she says. Dr Pfaff has gone on record to state that according to the photographs of the ashes which have been seen by experts, there are pictures of the bones and that it might be possible to extract DNA from the centre of the bones. If this is done, she believes it should put to rest this rather 'undignified discussion' which has been going on for several decades. She has also been quoted as saying if these indeed prove to be his ashes, she would like to bring them to India and immerse a part of them in the Ganga. Dr Pfaff had written to then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, which is displayed in the National Archives, expressing concern at the delay in bringing back her father's ashes to India. But Abhijit Ray, a grandnephew of Bose, has put a spanner in the works by insisting that the ashes in the Renkoji temple do not belong to his uncle. 'When we grew up, we were told that the urn contained only his ashes and a gold tooth. Then when some pictures were released, they showed some bones including his skull bone and jawbone. I for one believe the urn has been tampered with,' said Ray. The mystery of Netaji's death deepened following Justice Manoj Mukherjee's visit to the Renkoji temple in Tokyo. 'The temple authorities refused to open the urn despite his request for the same. They said there was no carpenter available to open it,' said Ray. The Justice Mukherjee Commission of inquiry was set up in 1999 to go into Netaji's disappearance. Madhuri Bose concurs with his stand, going on to state, "The Japanese authorities told Justice Mukherjee it was a holiday and so the urn could not be opened. The Indian embassy subsequently arranged to take pictures of the ashes, which showed large pieces of bone, which were sent back to India." The Justice Mukherjee Commission report submitted in 2006 had debunked the air crash theory as claimed by the Japanese authorities. It is for this reason that the extended Bose family have been demanding a declassification of all Netaji files in the UK, US, China, Japan, Russia and India in order to resolve the mystery of his disappearance. 'We have been demanding a total declassification of all his files including the 70 Intelligence Bureau files,' Ray said. 'So far, 64 files have been declassified in West Bengal and another 100 in Delhi. The government has promised to declassify 20 files every month. We want all the intelligence files in other countries also to be declassified in order to get to the bottom of this mystery.' Once all the files have been declassified, Ray believes it will provide an opportunity for historians to rewrite the history of India's freedom struggle. 'On April 14, 1944, a maidan in Manipur was captured by the INA on which the Indian flag was hoisted. There is no mention of this in any history book. I believe the history of India's independence struggle must highlight the role of the revolutionaries and their sacrifices,' Ray said. Madhuri Bose had spoken to the last British viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten, to ascertain his views on Netaji's disappearance. In the course of their conversation Mountbatten admitted the British government made 'a monumental mistake to have put the three Indian National Army officers on trial.' Chandra Bose, another grand nephew of Netaji, questions how an air crash took place and 'both the bodies disappeared with no photographs of the dead,' while on September 25, 1945, an American bomber crashed at the same site, but the full records are available for this accident. Then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was known to be keen to get Bose's ashes to India but only after a consensus had been reached across all parties. Then external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha had cautioned then home minister L K Advani in a secret letter written on October 16, 2003 that Bose's disappearance remained a politically sensitive issue. On the DNA testing issue, Sinha questioned 'whether the DNA testing of ashes should be conducted at all and whether this should be done by Indian or Japanese experts.' Prime Minister Modi has asked the Bose family to speak to DNA experts in the US and Germany regarding the feasibility of DNA testing, after which the Indian government is expected to take a call on this matter. IMAGE: The urn containing Netaji's ashes in Renkoji temple, Tokyo. Photograph: Toshifumi Kitamura/Getty Images Fighting in eastern DRC forces tens of thousands to flee homes Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 29 January 2016 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Fighting in eastern DRC forces tens of thousands to flee homes, 29 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56af092b4.html [accessed 20 October 2022] More than three years after a major rebel offensive was defeated by UN and government forces in Democratic Republic of the Congo's North Kivu province, the area remains extremely volatile and producing displacement. Since November, waves of violence by Mai Mai militias and rebel groups including the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) of Uganda, have forced large numbers of people to flee. This only adds to a cycle of misery in an area rich in minerals but lacking in law and order. The displacement has also come at a time when the Congolese army has been conducting military operations against the FDLR and other rebel groups. UNHCR believes it is urgently important for the authorities to address growing tensions in eastern DRC and scale up support to the newly displaced. This includes by ensuring they can find safety either in designated sites or with the local population. We are also increasingly concerned at the targeting of civilians as the clashes intensify, particularly given decades-long tensions between ethnic groups. Since November, at least 15,000 people have sought shelter in sites for the displaced run by UNHCR or IOM. Tens of thousands more are estimated to be living with local families while others have returned to their homes. UNHCR is calling on the authorities to ensure security in the areas of return and to facilitate humanitarian access. In the latest major forced mass movement, more than 21,000 people - mostly women and children - fled from Miriki village and surrounding areas in North Kivu's Lubero Territory on January 7 after the killing of at least 14 people in a night raid by suspected FDLR forces. They fled to Luofu, Kaina, Kanyabayonga and Kirumba villages in the south of Lubero Territory. A substantial number have since returned home, but some remain displaced in the area. The FDLR has also been battling Mai Mai groups in the province's Walikale Territory. Since November, this fighting has forced tens of thousands to flee to Lubero. In early January, different estimates put the number displaced from this fighting at 70,000-82,000. The fighting between the FDLR and militias has also forced people to seek shelter across the border in Uganda. Last year, more than 33,000 people fled to Uganda from eastern DRC. Meanwhile the ADF continue to wage a campaign of terror and sporadic attacks and ambushes against the local population and Congolese armed forces in the north of the province. Last month, according to our local protection partners, ADF clashes with the military left an estimated 20,000 people internally displaced in Beni Territory and raised fears of an imminent attack against the town of Beni. A large number of these people fled to the Ituri province, neighbouring North Kivu, while the rest made their way to Beni or the district of Oicha, where they struggle to find shelter and assistance. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs earlier this month estimated that 7.5 million people in DR Congo, or 9 per cent of the population, were in need of food and other humanitarian aid after decades of crises. OCHA also says 1.5 million people remain forcibly displaced in the eastern provinces, including some 600,000 in North Kivu, a figure which is now likely to have risen. UNHCR supports the displaced by running 31 displacement sites, providing shelter materials, coordinating protection and advocating for their rights. Sierra Leone: The Sierra Leone Women's Health Network, including its mission, the services it offers, and projects (2011-June 2015) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 3 July 2015 Citation / Document Symbol SLE105223.E Related Document(s) Sierra Leone : information sur le Reseau de sante des femmes de la Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone Women's Health Network), y compris sur sa mission, ses services et ses projets (2011-juin 2015) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sierra Leone: The Sierra Leone Women's Health Network, including its mission, the services it offers, and projects (2011-June 2015), 3 July 2015, SLE105223.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56af0f2619.html [accessed 20 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the following sources indicated that they had no knowledge of any organization called the Sierra Leone Women's Health Network: an associate of the African chapter of Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights (22 June 2015) [1], a program officer for Amnesty International (AI)'s Human Rights Capacity Building Program based in Sierra Leone (30 June 2015), the President of the Sierra Leone Association of University Women (SLAUW 29 June 2015) [2], and the Associate Director of Human Rights Watch's West Africa Program (Human Rights Watch 16 June 2015). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the AI Program Officer as well as the Interim Chairperson for the Centre for Development and Peace Education (CDPeace) [3], also based in Sierra Leone, both stated that the Sierra Leone Women's Health Network is not located at the address provided in the information request (AI 30 June 2015; CDPeace 29 June 2015). This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. Notes [1] Urgent Action Fund for Women's Rights is a "global women's fund that protects, strengthens and sustains women and transgender human rights defenders" (Urgent Action Fund n.d.). [2] The Sierra Leone Association of University Women is a partner organization of Graduate Women International, a global NGO that advocates for women's rights, equality and empowerment through education initiatives (Graduate Women International n.d.). [3] CDPeace is a community-based development centre in Sierra Leone that works to "enhance the capacity of its learning partners to build sustainable cultures of peace, non-violence, justice, self-reliance, participatory governance and human security both locally and globally" (University of Calgary 5 Aug. 2010). References Amnesty International (AI). 30 June 2015. Accessing Justice in Rural Sierra Leone Program. Correspondence from a program officer to the Research Directorate. Centre for Development and Peace Education (CD Peace). 29 June 2015. Correspondence from the Interim Chairperson to the Research Directorate. Graduate Women International. N.d. "What We Do." [Accessed 2 July 2015] Human Rights Watch. 16 June 2015. Correspondence from the Associate Director for West Africa to the Research Directorate. Sierra Leone Association of University Women (SLAUW). 29 June 2015. Correspondence from the President to the Research Directorate. University of Calgary. 5 August 2010. "Peacebuilding and Social Justice." [Accessed 2 July 2015] Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights. 22 June 2015. Correspondence from an associate to the Research Directorate. _____. N.d. "Mission and History." [Accessed 2 July 2015] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: The following were unable to provide information for this Response: American Jewish World Service; Associate Professor of international peace and conflict resolution, American University; Professor of social work, McGill University. Attempts to contact the following were unsuccessful within the time constraints of this Response: Centre for Safe Motherhood, Youth, and Child Outreach; ENCISS; Graceland Counselling Services; Lecturer in African studies, University of Bradford; Mano River Women's Peace Network; One World Women's Health; Professor and Chairperson of African studies, Brooklyn College; Sierra Leone - Ministry of Health and Sanitation, National HIV/AIDS Secretariat; Sierra Leone Women's Health Network; West Africa Network for Peacebuilding. Internet sites, including: Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights; Africa Confidential; African Research Bulletin; Agence France-Presse; AllAfrica.com; Amnesty International; Canada - Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, International Development Research Centre; ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; Global Network of Women Peacebuilders; The Guardian; Human Rights Watch; Mano River Women's Peace Network; The New York Times; One World Women's Health; Reuters; Sierra Leone - Ministry of Health and Sanitation, National HIV/AIDS Secretariat; Sierra Leone Web; United Nations - UN Women; Urgent Action Fund- Africa; The Washington Post; West Africa Network for Peacebuilding; Womankind; Women Under Siege Project. Yemen: Information on the Bohra religious group in Yemen, including treatment of members by society and authorities (January 2015-December 2015) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 16 December 2015 Citation / Document Symbol YEM105389.E Related Document(s) Yemen : information sur le groupe religieux bohra, y compris le traitement que la societe et les autorites reservent a ses membres (janvier 2015-decembre 2015) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Yemen: Information on the Bohra religious group in Yemen, including treatment of members by society and authorities (January 2015-December 2015) , 16 December 2015, YEM105389.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56af150c4.html [accessed 20 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. 1. Overview In a interview with the Research Directorate, a research fellow specialized in Yemen, and affiliated with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS), an interdisciplinary French public institution (CNRS 4 Dec. 2015) that employs over 11,100 researchers (ibid. July 2015), stated that [translation] "[t]he Bohras are part of an Ismaili minority in Yemen, that has been established for centuries" (research fellow 4 Dec. 2015). Sources indicate that Ismailis are a minority Shi'ite-Muslim sect in Yemen (Reuters 29 Jul. 2015; National Yemen [2015]). An article published on Scroll.in, an Indian independent news website covering political and cultural affairs (Citizen Media Network n.d.), specifies that "the Bohras trace their roots to 12th century Yemen, when the sect was created from the Tayyebi thread of Shia Muslims" (Scroll.in 9 Apr. 2015). In contrast, according to National Yemen, an English Yemeni newspaper (ABYZ News Links n.d.), quoting an elderly man living in Haraz [Haaraz], "Bohra sect (or al- mkarma as Yemenis call them in slang language) appeared in Egypt during the Fatima era, but when the Fatima era ended they migrated from Egypt onto the rest of the Middle East and Asia until they settled in south India" (11 Feb.2014). According to Scroll.in, there are 10,000 Bohras in Yemen (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints. An article published by the Strategic Culture Foundation (SCF), a forum of research and analysis on Eurasian and global affairs (SCF n.d.), reports that "[the] Ismailis in Yemen are mostly members of the Dawoodi [Daudi, Da ud] (Davidian) and Sulaimani [Sulaymani] (Solomonian) sects of Mustali [ Musta'li] Ismailism that moved away from the larger Nizari Ismailis " (Strategic Culture Foundation 31 Mar. 2015). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the author of a book and articles on the Bohra community noted the presence of Dawoodi Bohras and Sulaimany Bohras among the Bohra community of Yemen (author 10 Dec. 2015). Minority Rights Group International (MRG) reports that Suleymanis and Daudis emerged from a "succession dispute" among Ismaili Mustalis in the 16th century (MRG n.d.). According to the same source, most Ismaili Mustalis in Yemen are Suleymanis (ibid.). The author noted that "the[se] two Ismaili Bohra branches have a common heritage and religion but have lived apart since their split about 500 years ago" (author 10 Dec. 2015). Similarly, the Encyclopedia Britannica indicates that "[th]e followers of Daud and Sulyman" within the Bohra community "don't have significant dogmatic differences" (2015). The author explained that Bohra and Nazi Ismailis "believe in different lines of leaders (Imams)" (author 10 Dec. 2015). The Huffington Post specifies that the leader of the Mustali Ismailis, called da'i almutlaq, belongs to a sub-hierarchy of Imams, as Bohras believe "their current Imam has been hidden from the view of his adherents since the 12th century" (24 Mar. 2014). Sources indicate that the current leader of the Dawoodi Bohras is Mufaddal Saiffudin (author 10 Dec. 2015; Huffington Post 24 Mar. 2014). The author noted that Mufaddal Saiffudin lives in India, as do most Dawoodi Bohras (10 Dec. 2015). The same source also indicated that the Sulaymanis have their current religious "centre" in Najran, Saudi Arabia, which was originally part of Yemen (ibid.). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a social development consultant who worked for over a decade in Yemen and who regularly publishes articles on Yemen, indicated the presence of Bohras in Manhaka, in the Haraz region (9 Dec. 2015). According to the research fellow, Yemeni Bohras are [translation] "concentrated in the Haraz region," with a few Bohras living in Sanaa, the capital (4 Dec. 2015). The author specified that Dawoodi Bohras mainly live in the Haraz mountains, with many others in Sanaa, Hudaydah and Aden (10 Dec. 2015). An article published in 2012 on India Real Time, a general news website, reported that some "3,000 to 4,000 Yemeni Bohras [lived] in Haraz, according to local leaders "(24 sept. 2012). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The author provided the following information on the Bohras in Yemen: There are no particular facial or ethnic featured by which they can be distinguished from other Yemenis. However, the men often wear a white cap with a gold thread rim and women often wear a coloured and patterned all-covering dress, both of which can be distinguishing. It must be emphasised that not all Bohra wear clothes that are traditional Yemeni dresses. (10 Dec. 2015) Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints. 2. Treatment of the Bohras 2.1 Treatment of the Bohras by Society The author stated that "[g]enerally, the Bohras are treated like any other Yemeni" by the Yemeni society (10 Dec. 2015). However, according to the research fellow, the Bohras are not always considered as "'pure'" Yemenis due to their ties with India and Pakistan (4 Dec. 2015). He added that they are considered as [translation] "not representative of the Yemeni culture and society" (research fellow 4 Dec. 2015). Similarly, the Social Development Consultant stated that "Bohras are perceived as slightly different" by society (9 Dec. 2015). The author stated that [t]here is a lot of ignorance about [the] religion [of the Bohras], which leads to misconceived notions of what the Bohras might be doing [for example] in their mosques and mausoleums, etc. This is not significant enough to cause mistreatment. (10 Dec. 2015) The Social Development Consultant noted that Bohras "are generally more comfortable financially than the average 'poor' Yemenis," which creates some envy within Yemeni society (Social Development Consultant 9 Dec. 2015). According to the same source, the Bohras have not however been "discriminated against" (ibid.). Similarly, the research fellow noted that [translation] "villages in the Haraz region [are] better off than others" and that "despite their status, Bohras do not face systematic discrimination" (4 Dec. 2015). 2.2 Treatment of the Bohras by the Authorities A 2014 article in National Yemen, reports that the "Bohra is a peaceful [] sect that does not intervene in political affairs" (30 Mar. 2014). According to the research fellow, [translation] "in recent years, the Bohras have not taken a political stance as a whole group that would justify a systematic discrimination against them by the State" (4 Dec. 2015). Similarly, the author indicated that [t]he Bohras have not taken any position in the [current] civil war. For the last 2 or 3 centuries, it has been a deliberate policy to refrain from political agitation of any kind, particularly a violent one. So whilst they have views supporting one side or the other, they don't come out as a group in support of any faction. At a personal level, however, the Bohras in Yemen are vehemently opposed to the Saudi led bombardment of Yemen, which has caused huge suffering. They see it as a foreign invasion, though they are not opposed to the government that the Saudis are purportedly helping. (author 10 Dec. 2015) The author provided the following information on the treatment by the police: Bohras are perceived and treated like any other Yemeni citizen by the authorities, including the police. They are not discriminated against. However, there is always a feeling of being "the other" as Bohras are not considered mainstream. The Police can and have been approached by Bohras for the usual reasons, including being victims of tribal violence. The police follow the normal course of action, without consideration that the Bohras follow a different religious tradition or have different practices. (ibid.) Further information on the treatment of the Bohras by the police could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. References Abyz News Links. N.d. "Yemen Newspapers & News Media Guide." [Accessed 9 Dec. 2015] Author. 10 December 2015. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). 4 December 2015. "Overview." [Accessed 10 Dec. 2015] _____. July 2015. "Key Figures." [Accessed 10 Dec. 2015] Citizen Media Network. N.d. "Directory." [Accessed 10 Dec. 2015] Encyclopedia Britannica. 2015. "Bohra." Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. [Accessed 7 Dec. 2015] The Huffington Post. 24 March 2014. "The Bohras: Understanding Shi'a Succession in a Muslim Community." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rizwan-mawani/understanding-shia-succession_b_4624082.html" [Accessed 7 Dec. 2015] India Real Time. 24 September 2012. Nafeesa Syeed. "Learning Gujarati in Yemen." [Accessed 7 Dec. 2015] Minority Rights Group International (MRG). N.d. "Yemen. " [Accessed 7 Dec. 2015] National Yemen. [2015]. Fakhri Al-Arashi. "Who Are The Seven Minorities In Yemen?" [Accessed 16 Dec. 2015] _____. 30 March 2014. Tamjid Alkohali. "Bohra Sect: Marked Emergence Around Yemen." [Accessed 7 Dec. 2015] _____. 11 February 2014. Tamjid Alkohali." A Piece from Heaven: Al-Hutaib Village." [Accessed 16 Dec. 2015] Research fellow, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). 4 December 2015. Telephone interview. Reuters. 29 July 2015. "Islamic State Claims Car Bomb in Yemen Capital, Four Dead." [Accessed 9 Dec. 2015] Social Development Consultant. 9 December 2015. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. Scroll.in. 9 April 2015. Aarefa Johari. "India's Bohra Muslims are Back Safely from Yemen but Have Many Reasons to Still Be Anxious." [Accessed 8 Dec. 2015] Strategic Culture Foundation. 31 March 2015. Mahdi Danus Nazemroaya. "The Geopolitics Behind the War in Yemen: Do the US and Saudi Arabia Want to Divide Yemen?" [Accessed 7 Dec. 2015] _____ . N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 7 Dec. 2015] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Associate Professor, California State University Long Beach; Associate Professor of Political Science, Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Co-Director of the Institute of Ismaili Studies. Internet sites, including: Al Jazeera; Altomar.net; The Rab Weekly; British Broadcasting Corporation; Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Council on Foreign Relations; Chatham House; dawoodi-bohras.com; ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; The Guardian; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; IRIN; Ismaili.net; Middle East Institute; Jane's Intelligence Review; Jane's Terrorism Watch Report; The New York Times; Tony Blair Faith Foundation; United Nations - Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld; United States - Commission on International Religious Freedom, Department of State, United States Congressional Research Service; The Washington Institute for Near East Policy; The Washington Post; Yemenonline.info; Yemen News; Yemen News Agency [SABA]; Yemen Times. United States and Pakistan: Requirements for a minor to obtain a US non-immigrant visa in Pakistan when travelling with only one parent, in particular, whether they need the official permission of the non-travelling paren Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 14 April 2015 Related Document(s) Etats-Unis et Pakistan : information sur les exigences liees a la delivrance d'un visa de nonimmigrant americain a un mineur au Pakistan lorsque celuici voyage avec un seul parent, plus particulierement, information indiquant si le mineur doit obtenir la permission officielle du parent qui ne voyage pas Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, United States and Pakistan: Requirements for a minor to obtain a US non-immigrant visa in Pakistan when travelling with only one parent, in particular, whether they need the official permission of the non-travelling paren, 14 April 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56af186d4.html [accessed 20 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Qualifying for a Visa According to the US Visa Information Service for Pakistan, which is "the official visa information website of the US Mission in Pakistan" [1] (US n.d.a), "[a]ll travelers, including children, need a visa to travel to the United States or must qualify to travel without a visa through a special program, such as the Visa Waiver Program" (ibid. n.d.b). Additionally, the website indicates that if a passport contains more than one person, each person who wants a visa must submit an application (ibid. n.d.c). The US Visa Information Service for Pakistan states that applicants for a B1/B2 visa, which is a Business/Tourist non-immigrant visa, must demonstrate the following to the consular officer: that the purpose of the trip is temporary, such as for business, pleasure, or medical reasons; that they will remain in the US for a "specific limited period of time"; evidence of funds to cover expenses while in the US; and residence outside the US, "as well as other binding social or economic ties" that ensure a return abroad at the end of the visit to the US (ibid.). The same source explains that, in accordance with the US Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the applicant must overcome a legal presumption that every B1/B2 applicant intends to immigrate to the US (ibid.). 2. Documentation for an Application Documentation required to support an application for a B1/B2 visa includes a non-immigrant visa electronic application form (DS-160) a passport valid for travel to the US with a validity date at least six months beyond the intended period of stay one 5 cm x 5 cm photograph taken "within the last six months" a receipt showing payment of the US$160 non-refundable non-immigrant visa application processing fee in local currency 10-year travel history list of siblings and children letter confirming an appointment has been booked with a consular officer for applicant interview "whatever supporting documents" the applicant believes support information provided to the consular officer (ibid.). Additionally, the US Visa Information Service for Pakistan indicates that all applicants, including children, require an interview appointment, and must come in person for their appointment; parents must accompany all children under 18 years of age (ibid. n.d.b). At the time of the interview, applicants are required to bring a printed copy of their appointment letter, DS-160 confirmation page, one photograph taken in the previous six months and current and old passports (ibid. n.d.c). 3. Traveling with One Parent on a Non-immigrant B1/B2 Visa In 10 April 2015 correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the US Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs indicated that, in regards to the requirements for a minor to obtain a US B1/B2 non-immigrant visa in Pakistan when travelling with only one parent, in particular if the official permission of the non-travelling parent is required, US consular officers follow guidance provided in the US Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual, which states the procedure for a child accompanied by one parent as follows: PROCEDURE IF CHILD ACCOMPANIED BY ONLY ONE PARENT OR IF ALIEN SUSPECTED OF ABANDONING FAMILY (TL:VISA-3; 08-30-1987) If a child is immigrating to the United States with one parent and the other parent is remaining abroad, the consular officer should ask the accompanying parent whether any legal impediment might exist preventing the departure of the child. If the response is inconclusive the consular officer should final action on the application and direct an informal inquiry to the local authorities in an effort to learn whether a violation of local law might be involved. If so, the local authorities would probably take action to prevent the child's departure by lifting the child's travel document or by other measures. If the local authorities do not take such action within a reasonable time, the officer should proceed with the consideration of the visa application. The same procedure should be followed if the officer has reason to believe that the family of an applicant is being abandoned. (US n.d.d) This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. Note [1] Visa services in Pakistan are at the US embassy in Islamabad and the consulate in Karachi (US n.d.e). References United States (US). 10 April 2014. Correspondence from a representative of the US Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs. _____. N.d.a. United States Mission in Pakistan, Visa Information Service for Pakistan. "Apply for a US Visa." [Accessed 27 Feb. 2015] _____. N.d.b. United States Mission in Pakistan, Visa Information Service for Pakistan. "Visas for Children." [Accessed 27 Feb. 2015] _____. N.d.c. United States Mission in Pakistan, Visa Information Service for Pakistan. "Business/Tourist Visa." [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015] _____. N.d.d. Department of State. Foreign Affairs Manual, Volume 9 - Visas. [Accessed 10 Apr. 2015] _____. N.d.e. United States Mission in Pakistan, Visa Information Service for Pakistan. "US Embassy: Location and Contact Information." [Accessed 27 Feb. 2015] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Attempts to contact the following were unsuccessful within the time constraints of this Response: international immigration law firm in Chicago; United States - consulates in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar. Internet sites, including: ecoi.net; Factiva; Pakistan Observer; All Pakistani News; International Air Transport Association - Timatic Web; United Nations - Refworld; United States - consulates in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar. Argentina: Women victims of domestic violence; state protection and resources available to victims (2013-2015) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 22 January 2016 Citation / Document Symbol ARG105407.E Related Document(s) Argentine : information sur les femmes victimes de violence conjugale; information sur la protection offerte par l'Etat et les ressources qui sont a la disposition des victimes (2013-2015) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Argentina: Women victims of domestic violence; state protection and resources available to victims (2013-2015), 22 January 2016, ARG105407.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56af19434.html [accessed 20 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Situation 1.1 Background In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the National Women's Council (Consejo Nacional de las Mujeres, CNM), the government agency that sets out public policies to prevent, sanction and eradicate violence against women (Argentina n.d.a), indicated that violence against women is a [translation] "present and worrisome reality" in Argentina (ibid. 13 Jan. 2016). Media sources report that violence against women, including domestic violence, has its roots in the Argentinean culture, more specifically in patriarchy (Diario Libre 18 Sept. 2013) or in machismo (El Mundo 28 Nov. 2014), which considers women as objects (ibid.). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Victims Against All Forms of Violence Program (Programa Las Victimas contra las Violencias), a government program of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (Ministerio de Justicia y Derechos Humanos) that provides assistance to victims of domestic and sexual violence, similarly indicated that Argentina is a patriarchal society, where social organizations, the media, [translation] "and several institutions still reproduce a macho logic that ignores violence [against women], blames the victim, and does not hold aggressors accountable" (Argentina 15 Jan. 2016). She explained that this behaviour [translation] "deepens impunity and victims' revictimization" (ibid.). 1.2 Statistics El Pais, a Madrid-based newspaper, reports that there are [translation] "many" cases of abused women in Argentina and that the country does not have a registry of aggressors nor statistics on the number of women killed (3 July 2015). Perfil, a Buenos Aires-based newspaper, quotes the President of the Foundation for the Study and Research on Women (Fundacion para Estudio e Investigacion de la Mujer, FEIM), an NGO that defends the rights of women and girls in Argentina (FEIM n.d.), as also stating that Argentina does not have a national registry with statistics on domestic violence (2 Aug. 2013). The website of La Casa del Encuentro, an NGO based in Buenos Aires that advances the rights of women (La Casa del Encuentro n.d.a), indicates that, based on information compiled from the media, 295 and 277 women died in 2013 and 2014, respectively, as a result of domestic or gender-based violence (ibid. n.d.b). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. A report published in October 2015 by the Domestic Violence Bureau (Oficina de Violencia Domestica, OVD) of Argentina's Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Nacion, CSJN) indicated that the OVD had received 11,273 domestic violence-related complaints so far in 2015, 10,252 in 2014, and 9,920 in 2013 (Argentina 8 Oct. 2015, 1). The percentage distribution of victims by gender and age group is as follows: Gender/Age 2015 2014 2013 Women 66 65 64 Girls 13 14 14 Boys 12 12 14 Men 9 9 8 (ibid., 2). The report provides the following percentages on the types of violence registered: Type of Violence 2015 2014 2013 Psychological 97 96 96 Physical 66 67 68 Economic 35 37 42 Sexual 9 10 13 (ibid.). The report further indicates the evaluation of the level of risk for the cases reported: Level 2015 2014 2013 No risk 5 7 6 Low 14 13 11 Medium/moderate 54 49 45 High 23 25 29 Very high 4 6 9 (ibid., 3). The report also indicates that, for 2015, the main perpetrators were ex-partners (46 percent), common-law spouses (18 percent), and spouses (14 percent) (ibid.). For 2014, the main perpetrators were ex-partners (43 percent), common-law spouses (19 percent), and spouses (16 percent) (ibid.). 1.3 Under-reporting Diario Libre, a newspaper based in the Dominican Republic, quotes the Director of the Argentinean Observatory Adriana Marisel Zambrano on Femicides (Observatorio de Feminicidios Adriana Marisel Zambrano) as stating that [translation] "many" women victims of domestic violence do not file complaints (18 Sept. 2013). The representative of the Victims Against All Forms of Violence Program indicated that, according to the experience of the program, victims of domestic violence do not file complaints because they are afraid of reprisals from the aggressor and do not have economic self-sufficiency to cover relocation-related expenses (Argentina 15 Jan. 2016). The representative further indicated that between 35 and 38 percent of victims who call the program's hotline for assistance do not file complaints (ibid.). 2. Legislation Law 26.485, Comprehensive Protection Law to Prevent, Punish and Eradicate Violence Against Women Within Their Interpersonal Relationship Environments (Ley 26.485, Ley de Proteccion Integral para prevenir, sancionar y erradicar la Violencia contra las Mujeres en los Ambitos en que desarrollen sus Relaciones Interpersonales) was adopted in 2009 (Argentina 2009). Forms of violence that are comprised in the definition of violence against women as per the Law include physical violence, psychological violence, economic violence and sexual violence, including spousal rape (ibid., Arts. 4-5). Article 26 of the Law outlines the protective measures available for women victims of violence, including domestic violence (Argentina 2009). A translation of this article is attached to this Response (Attachment 1). The US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014 indicates that "penalties for rape range from six months' to 20 years' imprisonment" (US 25 June 2015, 14). The same source states that "evidentiary requirements, either in the form of clear physical injury or the testimony of a witness, often presented difficulties in prosecuting" rape, including spousal rape (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Articles 7, 8, and 14 of Law 12569 of the Province of Buenos Aires indicate the protection measures that are available to victims of domestic violence in this province (Provincia de Buenos Aires 2001). A translation of these Articles is attached to this Response (Attachment 2). Information on other provincial laws on domestic violence could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. According to the Executive Director of La Casa del Encuentro, Argentina [translation] "'has made significant advances in legislation, but not on prevention and direct assistance to victims'" (El Mundo 28 Nov. 2014). El Pais quotes the Director of the Foundation Sobran Motivos (Fundacion Sobran Motivos), a Mendoza-based NGO that provides shelter to battered women, as stating that [translation] "'little by little all the protection measures that are enshrined in [Law 26.485] are being implemented'" (3 July 2015). She explained that while a male aggressor who has been accused of a crime receives free legal assistance, a woman who has been a victim of violence remains without counsel if she does not have enough resources (ibid.). The CNM representative similarly stated that the Law, in regards to access to the judicial system, for example, has not been fully implemented and that one of the main challenges is to have [translation] "resources allocated to the creation of comprehensive assistance programs" (Argentina 13 Jan 2016). 3. State Protection The Executive Director of La Casa del Encuentro states that the police and the judiciary have a [translation] "'lukewarm'" attitude towards aggressors, they "'minimize'" the complaints filed by women, and they focus their investigation on the life of the victim rather than that of the aggressor (qtd. in El Mundo 28 Nov. 2014). The CNM representative similarly indicated that victims of domestic violence are [translation] "re-victimized" by authorities when they go to file a complaint, and that at some judicial bureaus, a "macho attitude" persists, which discourages victims to file complaints (Argentina 13 Jan. 2016). Country Reports 2014 indicates that, according to local NGOs, a "lack of police and judicial vigilance often led to a lack of protection for victims" (US 25 June 2015, 15). Similarly, Diario Libre quotes the Director of the Adriana Marisel Zambrano Observatory on Femicides as stating that complaints do not always keep the aggressor away from the victim (18 Sept. 2013). The representative of the Victims Against All Forms of Violence Program stated that, since the program started in 2006, [translation] "there have been advances in filing complaints, obtaining protection for victims and investigating domestic violence-related cases" (Argentina 15 Jan. 2016, 3). She added that in the city of Buenos Aires, the judiciary takes into consideration the program's interventions and the testimony of its experts, which eases the burden of proof for the victim (ibid.). However, she noted that [translation] "no other program [for victims of domestic violence, aside from the Victims Against All Forms of Violence Program] has an inter-disciplinary or specialized team that accompanies victims in the field in situations of emergency" (Argentina 15 Jan. 2016, 2). Statistics on the investigation, prosecution and conviction of domestic violence crimes could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 4. Support Services 4.1 Shelters Country Reports 2014 indicates that the municipal government of Buenos Aires operates "a small shelter for battered women" (US 25 June 2015, 16). The website of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights provides a referral guide with government programs to assist victims of domestic violence (Argentina n.d.c). These programs include the following shelters: Casa-Refugio Mariquita Sanchez: shelters women who are 21 years-old or older and have been victims of domestic violence, as well as their children (ibid.). The address of the shelter is not available to the public, for safety reasons, but the shelter can be reached by dialing the Women's Hotline (Linea Mujer), at 0800-666-8537 (ibid.). The shelter takes in newcomers from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday (ibid.). Casa de Medio Camino Julieta Lanteri: provides shelter to women victims of domestic violence who are in a [translation] "situation of social and employment reinsertion" (ibid.). The address of the shelter is also not available to the public, and the shelter can be reached by dialing Linea Mujer (ibid.). In March 2013, the Foundation Sobran Motivos opened a shelter in Mendoza for women victims of violence (Fundacion Sobran Motivos n.d.). The shelter has taken in [translation] "more than 230 women and children" since its opening (ibid.). 4.2 Consejo Nacional de las Mujeres' Hotline The CNM representative indicated that the CNM operates a national hotline, called Linea 144, to provide advice and information on the types of assistance available, by locality, as well as information on how to proceed in cases of domestic violence (Argentina 13 Jan. 2016). The representative also indicated that, even though the hotline receives an average of 9,000 calls per month, it still has to deal with challenges in expanding its national coverage and in [translation] "coordinating its services with emergency assistance services and the procedures to file complaints" (ibid.). 4.3 Mobile Brigade for the Assistance of Victims of Domestic Violence The Mobile Brigade for the Assistance of Victims of Domestic Violence (Brigada Movil de Atencion a Victimas de Violencia Familiar) is a unit of the Victims Against All Forms of Violence Program (under the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights) that provides assistance, through hotline 137, 24 hours a day, year-round, and is free of charge (Argentina n.d.b). The brigade, which is based in Buenos Aires [it also provides services in three cities in the Misiones Province (Argentina 15 Jan. 2016, 1)], is composed of the following three teams: A phone assistance team, composed of psychologists who take the calls; A home intervention team, composed of psychologists and social workers, who provide assistance to victims, and of two federal police officers, who provide safety to the team and the victims; A follow-up team, composed of four lawyers, who are on call to provide legal assistance to the home intervention team and to the victims (ibid.). According to statistics provided by the representative of the Victims Against All Forms of Violence Program, the brigade made 1,808 "interventions" in 2015, 1,873 in 2014, and 2,215 in 2013 (Argentina n.d.d). The statistics also indicate that hotline 137 received 13,853 calls in 2015, 14,011 in 2014, and 14,786 in 2013, and that 2,451 adult victims received assistance in 2015, 2,629 in 2014, and 3,207 in 2013 (ibid.). 4.4 Other Programs Other programs run by the national government or by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires are listed on the website of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (ibid. n.d.e). They include the following: The OVD: it receives complaints for domestic violence cases 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday; The Victim's Assistance Centre (Centro de Atencion a la Victima) of the Argentinean Federal Police, from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday to Friday; The Women's Hotline (Linea Mujer) 0800-66-MUJER (0800-666-8537), free of charge; Community Centres for the Assistance of Victims of Violence (Centros Comunitarios de Atencion Integral a la Violencia): they provide legal and psychological assistance to victims of domestic violence (ibid. n.d.c). Information on the effectiveness of these programs could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Further information on services available outside of Buenos Aires could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. References Argentina. 15 January 2016. Ministerio de Justicia y Derechos Humanos, Programa Las Victimas contra las Violencias. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate. _____. 13 January 2016. Consejo Nacional de las Mujeres (CNM). Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate. _____. 8 October 2015. Oficina de Violencia Domestica (OVD), Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Nacion (CSJN). Estadisticas comparativas a 7 anos de creacion de la OVD. [Accessed 6 Jan. 2015] _____. 2009. Ley 26.485, Ley de Proteccion Integral para prevenir, sancionar y erradicar la Violencia contra las Mujeres en los Ambitos en que desarrollen sus Relaciones Interpersonales. [Accessed 6 Jan. 2016] _____. N.d.a. Consejo Nacional de las Mujeres (CNM). "Que es el Consejo Nacional de las Mujeres?" [Accessed 15 Jan. 2016] _____. N.d.b. Ministerio de Justicia y Derechos Humanos. "Atencion a las victimas: violencia familiar." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2016] _____. N.d.c. Ministerio de Justicia y Derechos Humanos. "Guia de derivaciones: violencia familiar." [Accessed 5 Jan. 2016] _____. N.d.d. Ministerio de Justicia y Derechos Humanos, Programa Las Victimas contra las Violencias. Programa Las Victimas contra las Violencias - Violencia familiar. Sent to the Research Directorate by a representative, 15 January 2016. _____. N.d.e. Ministerio de Justicia y Derechos Humanos. "Atencion al ciudadano: guia de derivaciones." [Accessed 21 Jan. 2016] Diario Libre. 18 September 2013. "Violencia de genero, un flagelo en Argentina con casi una muerte diaria." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2016] El Mundo. 28 November 2014. Cesar G. Calero. "Cada 30 horas muere una mujer en Argentina victima de la violencia de genero." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2016] El Pais. 3 July 2015. Vanessa Escuer. "Maltratadas hasta la muerte." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2016] Fundacion para Estudio e Investigacion de la Mujer (FEIM). N.d. "Que hacemos." [Accessed 15 Jan. 2016] Fundacion Sobran Motivos. N.d. "Como podemos ayudarte" [Accessed 21 Jan. 2016] La Casa del Encuentro. N.d.a. "Quienes somos." [Accessed 18 Jan. 2016] _____. N.d.b. "Femicidios." [Accessed 18 Jan. 2016] Perfil. 2 August 2013. Barbara Garcia Crespo. "Violencia de genero: en mas del 80% el agresor es pareja de la victima." [Accessed 7 Jan. 2016] Provincia de Buenos Aires. 2001. Ley 12569. [Accessed 7 Jan. 2016] United States (US). 25 June 2015. Department of State. "Argentina." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014. [Accessed 18 Jan. 2015] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Argentina - Corte Suprema de Justicia, Ministerio Publico Fiscal, Policia Federal Argentina; Asociacion Argentina de Prevencion de la Violencia Familiar; Buenos Aires - Linea Mujer Gratuita 0800-66-MUJER; Fundacion para Estudio e Investigacion de la Mujer; Fundacion Sobran Motivos; Observatorio Provincial de Violencia contra las Mujeres; Organizacion Proyecto Pura Vida. Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Argentina - Ministerio de Desarrollo Social; Clarin; ecoi.net; Factiva; Guioteca; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; Provincia de Cordoba - Poder Judicial; Radio Continental; United Nations - RefWorld, UN Women. Attachments 1. Argentina. 2009. Ley 26.485, Ley de Proteccion Integral para prevenir, sancionar y erradicar la Violencia contra las Mujeres en los Ambitos en que se desarrollen sus Relaciones Interpersonales (Comprehensive Protection Law to Prevent, Punish and Eradicate Violence Against Women Within Their Interpersonal Relationship Environments). Excerpts translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Works and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 6 Jan. 2016] 2. Provincia de Buenos Aires. 2001. Ley 12569. Excerpts translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Works and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 7 Jan. 2016] Pakistan: Police corruption; authorities responsible for receiving complaints against the police, including effectiveness; procedures to submit a complaint against the police (2012-January 2016) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 14 January 2016 Citation / Document Symbol PAK105368.E Related Document(s) Pakistan : information sur la corruption policiere; information sur les autorites chargees de recevoir les plaintes contre la police, y compris sur leur efficacite; marche a suivre pour deposer une plainte contre la police (2012-janvier 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: Police corruption; authorities responsible for receiving complaints against the police, including effectiveness; procedures to submit a complaint against the police (2012-January 2016) , 14 January 2016, PAK105368.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56af1a9f4.html [accessed 20 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Overview According to sources, police in Pakistan are corrupt (US 25 June 2015, 1; AP 30 Mar. 2013; Professor 9 Dec. 2015). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative in Pakistan from Transparency International (TI), an organization established in over 100 countries that "work[s] with partners in government, business and civil society to put effective measures in place to tackle corruption" (TI n.d.), stated that the police are ranked as one of the most corrupt institutions in Pakistan (TI 4 Dec. 2015). According to sources, poor working conditions (TI 2014, 101; USIP 2014, 4; Asia Society July 2012, 26) and economic difficulty are contributing factors to police corruption (ibid., USIP 2014, 4). According to a 2012 report entitled Stabilizing Pakistan Through Police Reform, published by Asia Society[1], in larger cities, due to economic factors "police are forced to live in slums on the periphery" of the city, which exposes them to criminal influences in their neighbourhood (ibid., 27). Examples of police corruption include: Collecting bribes (ibid.; Professor 9 Dec. 2015; US 25 June 2015, 36); Extrajudicial killing (ibid., 2; Freedom House 2015; AHRC 2013, 140); "Torture" (US 25 June 2015, 6; AHRC 2013, 139) or "use of force to obtain confessions" (USIP 2014, 2); and Collecting protection money from criminals and illegal operations (TI 4 Dec. 2015). In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a professor with the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the State University of New York, Oneonta, stated that Punjab is the "worst" region for police corruption, especially "custodial killings," which are incidents whereby individuals are killed in police custody, but the death is blamed on an outside "encounter" such as resisting arrest (Professor 9 Dec. 2015). According to the US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014, citing the Pakistani NGO Society for Human Rights and Prisoners' Aid (SHARP), over 400 civilians were killed "after encounters with police," and most of these deaths were in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces (US 25 June 2015, 2). Citing the same NGO, the report further states that there were more than 7,800 cases of police "torture" in Pakistan in 2014, an increase from the 7,200 reported cases in 2013 (ibid., 7). Sources state that political interference in the police force is a problem (US 25 June 2015, 11; Professor 9 Dec. 2015; Dawn 24 Feb. 2015). Sources further state that political leaders use the police as a tool for their own gains (ibid.; USIP 2014, 2; TI 4 Dec. 2015) and that officer selection and promotion is based upon political patronage (Dawn 24 Feb. 2015; USIP 2014, 3; Asia Society July 2012, 25). According to sources, there is a lack of political will to address corruption within the police (AP 30 Mar. 2013; Freedom House 2015; USIP 2014, 10). 2. Police Complaints Mechanisms 2.1 National Anticorruption Bureau (NAB) Sources state that the NAB is the "highest level" (US 25 June 2015, 36) or "apex" (TI 2014, 159) anti-corruption body in Pakistan; and that they have their own accountability courts to deal with cases before the NAB (ibid., 161). According to the Transparency International- Pakistan Representative, individuals can file a complaint against the police through the NAB (TI 4 Dec. 2015). According to their 2014 report, TI states that individuals can report "incidents of corruption" to the NAB through email, phone, or voice message (TI 2014, 171) and can make use of their hotline, which was established in 2007 (ibid., 174). Further and corroborating information on the procedures for filling a complaint with the NAB could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. According to the Professor, NAB is more involved in "white collar crime and high-dollar cases," rather than individual complaints against police (9 Dec. 2015). The 2014 annual report of the NAB states that a "[h]igh priority is assigned to cases of heavy amounts and where [the] public at large is affected" (Pakistan 2014, 52). According to Freedom House, the NAB "has made little progress in tackling official graft" (Freedom House 2015). TI states that the "informer's identity" is kept secret, however, "whistle-blowers are afraid to come forward" and consider themselves "at risk as the protective provisions are not practiced" (TI 2014, 171). Without providing further detail, the annual report of the NAB lists the following statistics for 2014: Received 18,818 complaints, plus a backlog of 1,179, for a total of 19,997 complaints (Pakistan 2014, 51). Of these, "19,989 were processed (converted into complaint verifications/inquiries, linked with cases, referred to departments etc.)" (ibid.). Processed 1,517 inquiries and of those, finalized 585 (ibid., 45). 467 investigations were carried out, with 188 finalized (ibid., 46). 2.2 Public Safety Commission According to a 2014 report produced for the Centre for International and Strategic Analysis (SISA), an organisation that produces international and geopolitical analysis for both public and private sector clients (SISA n.d.), the Police Order of 2002 included plans for provincial and federal-level police complaints authorities, however, "the supervisory mechanisms at the district, provincial and national levels remained in limbo" (Farooq and Zaidi June 2014, 26). The same source states that district Public Safety and Police Complaints Commissions (DPSPCCs) "have had almost a negligent existence" and establishing their provincial counterparts, the Provincial Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission (PPSPCC), has been "very poor" (ibid.). The 2012 Asia Society publication states that the "External Oversight Committee and credible independent accountability system introduced by Police Order 2002 have not been implemented" (Asia Society July 2012, 27). The Express Tribune, a Pakistani newspaper affiliated with the global edition of The New York Times (The Express Tribune n.d.), reports that the Public Safety Commission was established in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province to "register complaints of citizens against police officers," but that it has been "non-functional" since 2007, when the last local government ended their term (The Express Tribune 9 Sept. 2015). The same source further states that, according to a former district Public Safety Commission chairperson in KPK province, "the public has no platform to register their complaints" (ibid.). 2.3 Police Department Complaints Mechanisms According to the TI- Pakistan representative, individuals can file a complaint against the police with the police departments (TI 5 Dec. 2015). According to its 2014 country report, TI states that "[t]here is no specific unit within [the] police" dedicated to investigating corruption related charges (TI 2014, 104). According to the Professor, the KPK police have established an initiative whereby individuals can electronically register a complaint against a police officer (Professor 9 Dec. 2015). Without providing further detail, the Professor stated that there is a follow-up on the complaint, that complainants can provide witnesses, and that the system is "mostly effective" (ibid.). Dunya News, a Pakistani news channel, reported in April 2015 that citizens in Punjab province "can now register their complaints [against police] simply by sending SMS to a specific number" and that the Punjab police were in the process of finalizing a system that would allow citizens of the province of Punjab to register complaints via text message to a "mobile complaints cell" to be established in the Inspector General's office (Dunya News 1 Apr. 2015). After a complaint is submitted, a reply is sent to the sender's cellphone "with the receipt of the complaint and a token number of the complaint, through which the status of the complaint could be tracked" (ibid.). Dawn, an "internationally known newspaper" based in Karachi (CSIS 9 Dec. 2010, 1), reports that the Central Police Office in Islamabad had set up a "complaint cell where citizens can lodge complaints against policethrough email, fax, SMS (short messaging service), telephone" or in person (Dawn 15 July 2015). Citing a police source, Dawn further reports that the submitted complaints "will be registered at a computer" with databank software (ibid.). Further information on the mobile complaint units could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 2.4 Judiciary According to sources, corruption and a lack of independence is a problem for the judiciary in Pakistan (US 25 June 2015, 16; AHRC 2013, 139). Freedom House states that the "broader justice system is marred by endemic problems including corruption, intimidation, a large backlog of cases, and insecurity" (Freedom House 2015). Country Reports 2014 states that a "lack of rule of law," including a "lack of due process, poor implementation and enforcement of laws," was amongst the "most serious human rights problems" in Pakistan (US 25 June 2015, 1). The same source further states that individuals can seek "redress in civil courts against government officials" for denial of human rights, however, civil courts "seldom, if ever, issued official judgements in such cases, and most cases were settled out of court" (ibid., 18). A 2013 report by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), an NGO that promotes and raises awareness of human rights in "the Asian region" (AHRC n.d.), states that investigations and prosecutions are inefficient, and when alleged offenders are brought to court, violations go "unpunished, especially where those responsible are state agents or members of powerful groups" (ibid. 2013, 139). The Professor stated that the courts are able to initiate prosecution independently (suo motu) "should something come to their attention that is of great social importance" (9 Dec. 2015). Dawn similarly reports that the use of "suo motu by the Supreme Court of Pakistan" is when "a judge accepts a case on its initiative," which addresses "issues left untouched by the elected branches," such as initiating a public trial of a group of Rangers "who shot and killed Sarfraz Shah on videotape in Karachi" (Dawn 31 Aug. 2011). The same source reports that article 184(3) of the Pakistani Constitution allows the Supreme Court to "take suo motu action whenever there is a possible violation of fundamental rights" (ibid.). Information on the procedures to file a complaint against police with the judiciary could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 2.5 Ombudsmen According to the World Bank, Pakistan has "12 independent ombudsman institutions" (World Bank 20 May 2014). According to the 2014 TI report on Pakistan, the Ombudsman is an official, appointed by the president "with a significant degree of independence," and is primarily responsible for assessing, evaluating, investigating, redressing and rectifying "any injustice caused to a person through maladministration" at either the federal or provincial level (TI 2014, 133). According to the website of the Federal Ombudsman of Pakistan [Wafaqi Mohtasib], they can receive complaints concerning "any case of 'maladministration' in any Federal Government Agency" but they cannot assist in cases of "matters that are sub-judice, external affairs, defence matters, [or] service matters" (Pakistan n.d.). A complaint can be filed in person, by mail, email, through their website, or by fax (ibid.). The complaint must be filed within 3 months of the incident, and while exceptions to this can be made, they are "rare" (Pakistan n.d.). Upon filing a complaint and verifying that it falls within their jurisdiction, an investigation is initiated, and should the Ombudsman find the agency guilty of maladministration, "he will send his recommendations to the agency" (ibid.). If the agency has not implemented the recommendations when the Ombudsman follows-up, "he will file a formal reference to the President of Pakistan, who maygive further direction to the agency directly" (Pakistan n.d.). The Ombudsman aims to resolve complaints within 3 to 6 months, and if the complainant is unsatisfied with the decision of the Ombudsman, he or she can "make a representation to the President of Pakistan within 30 days of receipt of the decision" (ibid.). Statistics on police complaints made to the Ombudsman could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The World Bank states that the Ombudsman institutions in Pakistan face "significant weaknesses," including low capacity, resulting in an inability to meet performance standards, as well as insufficient "human and technological resources to address complaints" (World Bank 20 May 2014). 2.6 Citizens Police Liaison Committees (CPLC) The website of the CPLC states that they are a public-private partnership between citizen volunteers and law enforcement agencies, whereby citizens provide assistance to victims of crime and provide technical support to law enforcement agencies (CPLC n.d.a). The CPLC has six district offices in Karachi, one district office in Hyderabad, a head office in Sindh Governor House, and a district office in Sukkur is under development (ibid.). In 1998, all CPLC offices established a police complaint cell, including taking information on "[e]xcesses committed by police" (CPLC n.d.b). Without providing further detail, the source states that the CPLC has "played a pivotal role" in releasing detainees "kept under illegal detention by any police official" (ibid. n.d.c). According to their 2014 report on Pakistan, TI states that the Citizens Police Liaison Committees (CPLCs) are "directional and recommendatory in nature" (TI 2014, 110). Further and corroborating information on the role and efficacy of the CPLC in addressing complaints against the police could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. Note [1] Asia Society is an educational organisation, established in 1956, that promotes "mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders and institutions of Asia and the United States" (Asia Society n.d.) References Asia Society. July 2012. Afzal Ali Shigri. Stabilizing Pakistan Through Police Reform. Edited by Hassan Abbas. [Accessed 10 Dec. 2015] _____. N.d. "About Asia Society." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). 2013. "Pakistan." Asia Report 2013. [Accessed 10 Dec. 2015] _____. N.d. "About Us." [18 Dec. 2015] Associated Press (AP). 30 March 2013. Sebastian Abbot and Adil Jawad. "Mohammed Waseem Ahmed, Allegdly Corrupt Pakistani Cop, Rises to Power in Karachi Underworld." [Accessed 9 Dec. 2015] Centre for International and Strategic Analysis (SISA). N.d. "Services." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] Center for Stratetgic & International Studies (CSIS). 9 December 2010. Hijab Shah. South Asia Program. "The Inside Pages: An Analysis of the Pakistani Press." South Asia Monitor. No. 148. [Accessed 7 Jan. 2016] Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC). N.d.a. "Who We Are." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] _____. N.d.b. "Managing Police Complaint Cell." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] _____. N.d.c. "Illegal Detention by Police." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] Dawn. 15 July 2015. "Capital Police Set Up Complaint Cell." [Accessed 9 Dec. 2015] _____. 24 February 2015. Munawer Azeem. "Crime Diary: Police Corruption, Here to Stay." [Accessed 9 Dec. 2015] _____. 31 August 2011. "Suo Motu: Pakistan's Chemotherapy?" [Accessed 10 Dec. 2015] Dunya News. 1 April 2015. "Punjab Police to Establish Mobile Complaints Cell Within this Month." [Accessed 9 Dec. 2015] The Express Tribune. 9 September 2015. Baseer Qalandar. "K-P Police Immune to Public Complaints." [Accessed 9 Dec. 2015] _____. N.d. "About - The Express Tribune." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] Farooq, Khawaja Khalid and Dr. Sayed Manzar Abbas Zaidi. June 2014. Center for International and Strategic Analysis. The National Internal Security Policy of Pakistan - An Assessment. [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] Freedom House. 2015. "Pakistan." Freedom in the World 2015. [Accessed 10 Dec. 2015] Pakistan. 2014. National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Annual Report 2014. [Accessed 10 Dec. 2015] _____. N.d. Federal Ombudsman of Pakistan. "Frequently Asked Questions About Complaints/FAQs." [Accessed 17 Dec. 2015] Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, State University of New York, Oneonta. 9 December 2015. Telephone interview with the Research Directorate. Transparency International (TI). 4 December 2015. Correspondence from a representative of the Pakistan chapter to the Research Directorate. _____. N.d. "Overview." [Accessed 4 Jan. 2016] _____. 2014. Transparency International Pakistan. "Pillar 5 Law Enforcement Agencies." National Integrity System: Country Report 2014. [Accessed 9 Dec. 2015] United States (US). 25 June 2015. Department of State. "Pakistan." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014. [Accessed 9 Dec. 2015] United States Institute of Peace (USIP). Robert Perito and Tariq Parvez. August 2014. Special Report: A Counterterrorism Role for Pakistan's Police Stations. [Accessed 10 Dec. 2015] World Bank. 20 May 2014. "Pakistan's Ombudsmen: Untapped Potential to Strengthen Good Governance." [Accessed 17 Dec. 2015] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice, Fayetteville State University; Associate Professor in Research Methodology, London School of Economics and Political Science; Pakistan - Citizens Police Liaison Committee. Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Associated Press of Pakistan; ecoi.net; Factiva; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; Jane's Intelligence Review; Pakistan - National Police Bureau; United Nations - Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, Refworld. Pakistan: Situation of Ahmadis, including treatment by society and authorities; legal status and rights with regards to political participation, education, and employment (2013-January 2016) Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 13 January 2016 Citation / Document Symbol PAK105369.E Related Document(s) Pakistan : information sur la situation des ahmadis, y compris sur le traitement que leur reservent la societe et les autorites; information sur leur statut juridique et leurs droits en matiere de participation politique, d'education et d'emploi (2013-janvier 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: Situation of Ahmadis, including treatment by society and authorities; legal status and rights with regards to political participation, education, and employment (2013-January 2016), 13 January 2016, PAK105369.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56af1b384.html [accessed 20 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa 1. Overview Sources state that the Ahmadi [Ahmadiyya (Al Jazeera 7 Aug. 2014)] community consider themselves to be Muslim (The Wall Street Journal 28 July 2014; DW 23 Nov. 2015; AP 26 May 2014). The Ahmadis believe that their founder, Ghulam Ahmad, is a Messiah (DW 23 Nov. 2015; Al Jazeera 7 Aug 2014; PBS 14 Sept. 2015). According to sources, this is offensive to other Muslims, who believe that Muhammad was the final prophet (ibid.; AFP 28 Nov. 2015). Sources suggest that there are between two million and four million Ahmadis in Pakistan (PBS 14 Sept. 2015; US 14 Oct. 2014, 2). For further information on the history of the Ahmadis, see Section 1 of Response to Information Request PAK104254. 2. Legislation Sources state that in 1974, the Pakistani constitution was amended to declare Ahmadis "non-Muslim" (The Wall Street Journal 28 July 2014; The Hindu 1 Aug. 2014; Al Jazeera 7 Aug. 2014). Article 260 of the Pakistani Constitution states the following: "Muslim" means a person who believes in the unity and oneness of Almighty Allah, in the absolute and unqualified finality of the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him), the last of the prophets and does not believe in, or recognize as a prophet or religious reformer, any person who claimed or claims to be a prophet, in any sense of the word or of any description whatsoever, after Muhammad (peace be upon him); and "non-Muslim" means a person who is not a Muslim and includes a person belonging to the Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Budhist or Parsi community, a person of the Quadiani group or the Lahori group (who call themselves Ahmadis or by any other name), or a Bahai, and a person belonging to any of the scheduled castes. (Pakistan 1973) According to sources, the penal code was amended in 1984 and made it illegal for the Ahmadis in Pakistan to call themselves Muslims and practice or propagate their faith as Muslims (AI 24 Jan. 2014; Reuters 21 Nov. 2015). The penal code amendment states the following: AMENDMENT OF THE PAKISTAN PENAL CODE (Act XLV of 1860) 3. Addition of new sections 298B and 298C, Act XLV of 1860. In the Pakistan Penal Code (Act XLV of 1860), in Chapter XV, after section 298A, the following new sections shall be added, namely: 298B. Misuse of epithets, descriptions and titles, etc., reserved for certain holy personages or places. Any person of the Quadiani group or the Lahori group (who call themselves 'Ahmadis' or by any other name) who by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation, refers to, or addresses, any person, other than a Caliph or companion of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as 'Ameer-ul-Mumineena, 'Khalifa-tul-Mumineena, 'Khalifa-tul-Muslimeena, 'Sahabi' or 'Razi Allah Anho'; refers to, or addresses, any person, other than a wife of the Holy prophet (peace be upon him), as 'Ummul-Mumineen'; refers to, or addresses, any person, other than a member of the family (Ahle-bait) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as Ahle-bait; or refers to, or names, or calls, his place of worship as 'Masjid' [Mosque]; shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine. Any person of the Quadiani group or Lahori group (who call themselves 'Ahmadis' or by any other name) who by words, either spoken or written, or by visible presentation, refers to the mode or form of call to prayers followed by his faith as 'Azan', or recites Azan as used by the Muslims, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to fine. 298C. Person of Quadiani group, etc., calling himself a Muslim or preaching or propagating his faith. Any person of the Quadiani group or the Lahori group (who call themselves 'Ahmadis' or by any other name) who directly or indirectly, poses himself as a Muslim, or calls, or refers to, his faith as Islam, or preaches or propagates his faith, by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representations, or in any manner whatsoever outrages the religious feelings of Muslims, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine. (Pakistan 1984) 3. Treatment by Authorities 3.1 Discrimination According to the US Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report for 2014, the Pakistani government includes "religious affiliation on passports" (US 14 Oct. 2015, 3). The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), "a private, nonprofit corporation whose members are America's public TV stations" (PBS n.d.), reports that when applying for an ID card or passport, all Pakistanis must sign an oath rejecting Ghulam Ahmad and affirm that "Ahmadis are non-Muslim" (ibid. 14 Sept. 2015). A 2013 report by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) states that Muslims in Pakistan must "make a mandatory declaration pronouncing the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Community as an imposter and a liar in order to get their ID cards" (AHRC 2013, 188). International Religious Freedom Report for 2014 similarly states that in order to be "listed as Muslim," applicants "must swear they believe the Prophet Muhammad is the final prophet, and must denounce the Ahmadiyyafounder as a false prophet and his followers as non-Muslim" (US 14 Oct. 2015, 3). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an associate professor of Anthropology at Harvard University who has conducted research on South Asia and produced publications on Pakistan, stated that Ahmadis are required to "identify themselves as Ahmadis" on national ID cards, and because the card is "required for almost every contractual transaction their identity becomes known and this enables discrimination" (Associate Professor 20 Dec. 2015). The same source further explained that if an Ahmadi does not declare their religious affiliation as Ahmadi and instead identifies as Muslim, "they could be liable to prosecution for 'posing' or 'passing'as Muslims" (ibid.). According to a 2010 presentation by the Deputy Chairman of the Pakistani National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) at an Identity Management conference in Washington D.C., the services available for holders of Pakistan's Smart National Identity Cards include: Savings and Financial Services, Life and Health Insurance, Hajj [the pilgrimage to Mecca, part of the five pillars of Islam, which are "obligatory for all Muslims" (Oxford Dictionary of Islam n.d.)], and Access Control and Loyalty Programs (Pakistan 27 Sept. 2010). 3.2 Arrests and Prosecution According to sources, Ahmadis have faced prosecution under Pakistan's blasphemy laws (Associate Professor 20 Dec. 2015; The Wall Street Journal 28 July 2014; Reuters 21 Nov. 2015), which carry the death penalty (ibid.). The Wall Street Journal further reports that Pakistan has not executed anyone convicted of blasphemy, "but the mere accusation of it often results in mob attacks and lynchings" (The Wall Street Journal 28 July 2014). Sources similarly state that accusations of blasphemy can result in mob violence and targeted attacks (ibid.; AI 30 July 2014; Associate Professor 20 Dec. 2015). Sources further state that accusations of blasphemy are sometimes used to settle personal disputes (The Wall Street Journal 28 July 2014; DW 23 Nov. 2015; US 14 Oct. 2015, 7). Without providing further detail, Pakistan Today, an English-language Pakistani newspaper, reports that Ahmadis have been arrested for reading the Quran, having religious celebrations and using Quranic verses on rings or wedding cards (Pakistan Today 28 July 2014). According to a report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRPC), a human rights NGO that monitors the situation in Pakistan (HRCP n.d.), in 2013, 36 Ahmadis were "booked in police cases under anti-Ahmadi laws" (ibid. Mar. 2014, 89). According to the International Religious Freedom Report for 2014, citing Ahmadiyya leaders, in 2014, 24 Ahmadis were charged in eight separate cases "in connection with 'anti-Ahmadi laws'," and 13 were charged for "allegedly defiling the Quran" (US 14 Oct. 2015, 7). Further and corroborating information on charges against Ahmadis could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. 4. Treatment by Society Sources state that the Ahmadis in Pakistan face discrimination (DW 23 Nov. 2015; Reuters 21 Nov. 2015), including "severe social discrimination" (PBS 15 Sept. 2015). According to the Associate Professor, "[s]ocietal attitudes towards Ahmadis have become increasingly hostile during the past decade" (20 Dec. 2015). Al Jazeera reports that some anti-Ahmadi groups have organized rallies, where they called the act of killing Ahmadis a "'religious obligation'" (Al Jazeera 7 Aug. 2014). The Associate Professor said that "[s]ome clerics assert that killing Ahmadis earns a Muslim a place in heaven" (Associate Professor 20 Dec. 2015). PBS reports that a mullah in Lahore distributed a document describing the killing of Ahmadis as a "'pious act'," and provided a list with the names, addresses and phone numbers of "hundreds" of Ahmadis (PBS 14 Sept. 2015). 4.1 Violence According to the HRCP report, seven Ahmadis were killed in 2013 and 16 were assaulted, some with "nearly fatal" injuries, "on account of their faith" (HRPC Mar. 2014, 88). Al Jazeera reports that from January to August 2014, 13 Ahmadis were killed and 12 assaulted "for practicing their faith," and "most" were the result of "targeted attacks on individuals" (Al Jazeera 7 Aug. 2014). Sources report the following incidents of violence against Ahmadis in 2014-2015: In early May 2014, an Ahmadi accused of blasphemy was shot and killed by a gunman while in police custody (AP 26 May 2014; US 14 Oct. 2015, 12); In May 2014, a Pakistani-American Ahmadi doctor was shot and killed by an unknown gunman (The Wall Street Journal 28 July 2014; AP 26 May 2014) while visiting the gravesites of family members in the central town of Chanab Nagar (ibid.); In July 2014, a "mob" set fire to Ahmadi homes in Gujranwala in response to alleged blasphemy (Human Rights Watch 2015; The Wall Street Journal 28 July 2014). An elderly Ahmadi woman and two young Ahmadi girls were killed (ibid.; AI 2015, 284; The Hindu 1 Aug. 2014) and an Ahmadi woman, who was pregnant at the time, miscarried (The Wall Street Journal 28 July 2014; Al Jazeera 7 Aug. 2014; AI 30 July 2014); In October 2015, an Ahmadi man and his two nephews were shot in Karachi by unknown assailants (UCAN 14 Oct. 2015; The Rabwah Times [Oct. 2015]; The Express Tribune 13 Oct. 2015) while returning home from a place of worship (ibid.; UCAN 14 Oct. 2015); In late November 2015, a "mob" set fire to a factory owned by Ahamadis in Jhelum after one of the workers allegedly committed blasphemy (The Express Tribune 21 Nov. 2015; AFP 21 Nov. 2015; DW 23 Nov. 2015). After they attacked the factories, sources report that some of the protestors "attacked and occupied" (Reuters 21 Nov. 2015; DW 23 Nov. 2015) or "ransacked" an Ahmadi mosque (AFP 28 Nov. 2015). According to sources, the police have "had a poor record" (AI 30 July 2014) or have been "ineffective" in protecting the Ahmadi community from, or investigating, violence against Ahmadis (Associate Professor 20 Dec. 2015). PBS reports that "few" of the perpetrators involved in violence against Ahmadis have been prosecuted (PBS 14 Sept. 2015). The Wall Street Journal reports that, in response to fires set in Gujranwala in July 2014, the police dispersed the crowd and put out the fire as "quickly as [they] could" and while no arrests had been made, an investigation had been started (28 July 2014). Agence France Presse (AFP) reports that, in regards to the November 2015 factory arson, police were "unable to control themob" and a spokesperson for the local Ahmadi community was quoted as stating that three Ahmadis were arrested under blasphemy charges (AFP 21 Nov. 2015). For further information on police efficacy and corruption, see Response to Information Request PAK105368. 5. Political Rights According to sources, Ahmadis are "marginalized" (PBS 14 Sept. 2015) or "excluded" from the electoral system (AHRC 2013, 188). The Associate Professor explained that in order to register as a voter, "one has to sign a declaration about the finality of the Prophet Muhammad. If one refuses to sign the declaration then one is removed from the joint electoral list and added to a supplementary list, which is titled the Ahmadi voter list" (Associate Professor 20 Dec. 2015). Dawn, an "internationally known newspaper" based in Karachi (CSIS 9 Dec. 2010, 1) cited Pakistan's Election Commission's Additional Director General as stating that although the legislation should be amended, inclusion on the supplementary electorate list does not affect an individual's right to vote (Dawn 12 Mar. 2013). The US Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014 states that, when registering to vote, voters must "indicate their religionand requires Ahmadis to declare themselves non-Muslims. Since Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims, they were unable to vote if they did not comply" (US 25 June 2015, 35). 6. Employment and Education Rights According to the 2013 AHRC report, the Pakistani government "proactively victimizes [the Ahmadis] socially, economically, and educationally" (AHRC 2013, 188). According to a 2015 report by La Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'Homme (FIDH), discrimination against Ahmadis is "enforced through public policies limiting their access to education, professional opportunities, and basic political and civil rights," such as "pledg[ing] that she or he is not an Ahmadi" if an applicant wishes to identify as Muslim on their passport application (FIDH Feb. 2015, 17). The HRCP report states that there is discrimination against the Ahmadis, "particularly in education and work, to the point where livelihoods became difficult" (HRCP Mar. 2014, 88). The International Religious Freedom Report for 2014 states that "[m]ost religious minority groups complained of discrimination in government hiring" and while there is a 5 percent quota for hiring religious minorities "employers did not consistently enforce this requirement" (US 14 Oct. 2015, 9). The same source further states that promotions were "limited" for "all minority groups" within the civil service, and within the military, non-Muslims "rarely rose above the rank of colonel and were often not assigned to politically sensitive positions" (ibid.). According to the International Religious Freedom Report for 2014, on their applications for public and private education, including universities, students "must declare their religious affiliation" and those who identify as Muslim "must declare in writing they believe the Prophet Muhammad is the final prophet, thereby excluding Ahmadis" (US 14 Oct. 2015, 5). The same source further states that "public school curricula included derogatory statements in textbooks about minority religious groups," including Ahmadis (ibid., 9). The 2015 FIDH report states that in "several academic institutions, teachers have allegedly been engaging in hate speech and inciting people to kill Ahmadis" and when the students complained, "they have reportedly been expelled from the institutions" (FIDH Feb. 2015, 15). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request. References Agence France-Presse (AFP). 28 November 2015. "Pakistan's Ahmadis Battle Mob and State for Identity." [Accessed 23 Dec. 2015] _____. 21 November 2015. "Jhelum Under Army Control After Ahmadi Place of Worship Burnt, Riots Erupt." [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015] Amnesty International (AI). 2015. "Pakistan " Amnesty International Report 2014/2015. The State of the World's Human Rights. [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015] _____. 30 July 2014. "Urgent Action: Ahmadiyya Community Attacked, Three Killed." [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015] _____. 24 January 2014. "Pakistan: Free Man Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] Al Jazeera. 7 August 2014. Asad Hashim. "Pakistan's Ahmadiyya: An 'Absence of Justice'." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). 2013. "Pakistan." Asia Report 2013. [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015] Associated Press (AP). 26 May 2014. "U.S. Doctor Killed in Pakistan in Front of Family." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University. 20 December 2015. Correspondence with the Research Directorate. Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). 9 December 2010. Hijab Shah. South Asia Program. "The Inside Pages: An Analysis of the Pakistani Press." South Asia Monitor. No. 148. [Accessed 7 Jan. 2016] Dawn. 12 March 2013. "Separate Voters List for Ahmadis: Court Summons AG Over Discrimination Complaint." [Accessed 8 Jan. 2016] Deutsche Welle (DW). 23 November 2015. "Why Pakistan Persecutes the Minority Ahmadi Group." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] The Express Tribune. 21 November 2015. Rana Tanveer. "Blasphemy Allegations: Mob Torches Factory in Jhelum." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] _____. 13 October 2015. "Karachi Shooting: Three Ahmadis Survive Gun Attack." [Accessed 29 Dec. 2015] La Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'Homme (FIDH). February 2015. Minorities Under Attack: Faith-Based Discrimination and Violence in Pakistan. [Accessed 23 Dec. 2015] The Hindu. 1 August 2014. Farahnaz Ispahani. "Pakistan's Shrinking Minority Space." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). State of Human Rights in 2013. [Accessed 29 Dec. 2015] _____. N.d. "Mission & Vision." [Accessed 29 Dec. 2015] Human Rights Watch. 2015. "Pakistan." World Report 2015: Events of 2014.. [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015] Oxford. N.d. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. [Accessed 8 Jan. 2016] Pakistan. 27 September 2010. Muhammad Tariq Malik. "National Identity Management in Pakistan." [Accessed 5 Jan. 2016] _____. 1984. Martial Law Ordinance XX. [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015] _____. 1973 (Amended 2012). "The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan." [Accessed 5 Jan. 2016] Pakistan Today. 28 July 2014. Asher John. "Ahmadi Woman, Two Minor Children Killed in Gujranwala Over Alleged Blasphemy." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] Public Broadcasting System (PBS). 14 September 2015. "Can Pakistan Declare Ahmadis Non-Muslim?" [Accessed 18 December 2015] _____. N.d. "Mission." [Accessed 8 Jan. 2016] Rabwah Times. [October 2015]. "Three Ahmadiyya Muslims Targeted in Drive-By Shooting in Karachi." [Accessed 29 Dec. 2015] Reuters. 21 November 2015. Mubasher Bukhari and Syed Raza Hassan. "Ahmadi Mosque Attacked in Pakistan After Blasphemy Rumor." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] United States (US). 14 October 2015. Department of State. "Pakistan." International Religious Freedom Report for 2014. [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] _____. 25 June 2015. Department of State. "Pakistan." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014. [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN). 14 October 2015. Zahid Hussain. "Calls to Fight Hate Speech After Attack on Pakistani Ahmadis." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015] The Wall Street Journal. 28 July 2014. Qasim Nauman. "Mob Kills Three Ahmadis in Pakistan." [Accessed 21 Dec. 2015] Additional Sources Consulted Oral sources: Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, Loyola University New Orleans Internet sites, including: Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Canada; British Broadcasting Corporation; ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; International Crisis Group; IRIN; Jane's Intelligence Review; Minority Rights Group International; Pakistan - Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Religious Affairs; United Nations - Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld. Azerbaijan: Convicted and freed, but no compensation for 50 week imprisonment Publisher Forum 18 Author Felix Corley Publication Date 29 January 2016 Cite as Forum 18, Azerbaijan: Convicted and freed, but no compensation for 50 week imprisonment, 29 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56af1cdc4.html [accessed 20 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Two female Jehovah's Witnesses, Irina Zakharchenko and Valida Jabrayilova, were convicted yesterday (28 January) of offering one religious booklet without the compulsory state permission needed in Azerbaijan to distribute religious literature. Judge Akram Qahramanov of Baku's Pirallahi District Court gave each a large fine, but waived the fines as they had spent nearly a year in prison, a court official told Forum 18 News Service. The two were freed in the courtroom. "The decision completely disregards a United Nations [Working Group on Arbitrary Detention] ruling that directed Azerbaijan to compensate the women for their unjust imprisonment," Jehovah's Witnesses complained to Forum 18. The court official said Judge Qahramanov was hearing another case, and she could not comment on why he had ignored the UN decision that the two women - far from being convicted of any crime - should be compensated. The secret police spokesperson claimed to Forum 18 the case was not within its competence, even though it had led the investigation and held the prisoners of conscience for nearly a year. Many other prisoners of conscience are still being held to punish them for exercising the right to freedom of religion or belief. After nearly 50 weeks in jail, two female Jehovah's Witnesses Irina Zakharchenko and Valida Jabrayilova were convicted of offering one religious booklet without the compulsory state permission needed in Azerbaijan to distribute religious literature. A Judge in a Baku court yesterday (28 January) handed down a heavy fine on each, but cancelled the fines because the two women had been in prison since February 2015, a court official told Forum 18 News Service on 29 January. Zakharchenko and Jabrayilova were freed in the courtroom and allowed to go home to their families. "Although in very poor health, Irina Zakharchenko and Valida Jabrayilova are relieved to be free," Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18. "They are now back at home and recovering with their families." Zakharchenko, a 55-year-old widow, has been assessed as being 80 percent disabled because of severe arthritis and a previous injury to her right leg. The 38-year-old Jabrayilova had been the prime care-giver for her elderly mother until her arrest. While welcoming the release of the two women, Jehovah's Witnesses are concerned that the women now have criminal convictions and have not been compensated for having been imprisoned to punish them for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief. "The decision completely disregards a United Nations ruling that directed Azerbaijan to compensate the women for their unjust imprisonment," they told Forum 18. The women have not yet decided whether to appeal against their convictions, they added. The United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found in December 2015 that the two women were being punished for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief and called for the two to be both freed and compensated. Separately, the UN Human Rights Committee the same month called for the release from prison of Zakharchenko in view of her poor health while it considers the substance of an appeal in her case (see F18News 20 January 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2140). Even though the criminal case was led by the then National Security Ministry (NSM) secret police (now the State Security Service SSS) and the two women were held in the NSM's Investigation Prison for most of 2015, the spokesperson for the SSS refused absolutely to discuss the conviction of Zakharchenko and Jabrayilova. "It's not within our competence," the officer - who would not give his name - told Forum 18 from Baku on 29 January. "Ask the court." The official of Baku's Pirallahi District Court told Forum 18 that Judge Akram Qahramanov - who convicted the two women - was unavailable as he was hearing another case. The official declined to comment on whether it was right to imprison people for nearly a year and to convict them in court for offering a religious booklet to others. She also declined to explain why the Judge had ignored the UN decision that the two women - far from being convicted of any crime - should be compensated. Many still in prison for exercising right to freedom of religion or belief The conviction and release of the two Jehovah's Witness prisoners of conscience leaves many others still in prison for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief. Among the prisoners of conscience awaiting trial on criminal charges are: - 43-year-old Shia Muslim Jeyhun Jafarov, arrested in March 2015 by the then NSM secret police and facing treason charges (see F18News 14 May 2015 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2061). - 31-year-old Shia Muslim Taleh Bagirov, leader of the Muslim Unity Movement which the authorities appear determined to crush, arrested in November 2015 as security forces stormed a home in the village of Nardaran north of Baku. He has been tortured in the hands of the Interior Ministry's Main Directorate for the Struggle with Organised Crime, sustaining a broken nose (see F18News 27 January 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2143). - Nuhbala Rahimov, Shia Muslim prayer leader of Rahima Hanum Mosque in Nardaran, arrested in December 2015 (see F18News 27 January 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2143). Many other prisoners of conscience are serving prison terms for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief. These include five Sunni Muslims imprisoned to punish them for attending a religious meeting in a Baku home, some of another group of five Sunni Muslims from Baku sentenced for selling religious literature without the compulsory state permission (several of the five have already completed their prison terms) and a conscientious objector to compulsory military service, being held in a military disciplinary unit (see F18News 19 November 2015 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2123). Offering one religious booklet Trouble began for Zakharchenko and Jabrayilova on 5 December 2014. They were going from door to door to discuss their faith and offer copies of Jehovah's Witness publications in Pirallahi, a town of 16,000 on a narrow peninsula east of the capital. The two women "distributed religious literature without charge, thus illegally distributing it without appropriate permission to do so", the court decision approving their initial pre-trial detention - seen by Forum 18 - noted. That same day, a local resident allegedly filed a complaint with Pirallahi District Police, the court decision added. She claimed that the two women she did not know "after providing religious information about Jehovah God, presented her with the religious publication 'Teach Your Children' without charge, and recommended she study and share this religious publication without the appropriate permission". The court ruling does not explain why the resident felt it necessary to complain to the police after holding a discussion on religious themes with visitors, who offered her a religious book. The decision notes that Zakharchenko and Jabrayilova also approached three other local residents. However, the State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations - which implements the compulsory state censorship of all religious literature published in or imported into Azerbaijan - approved import of this publication on 11 August 2014. State Committee Deputy Chair Gunduz Ismayilov authorised the State Customs Committee to allow the import of 2,000 copies of the book. The authorisation, seen by Forum 18, reports the State Committee's expert study as concluding: "In the examination of the samples of religious literature, submitted for analysis to the experts, ideas that could have a negative impact on the religious situation in the country have not been detected and therefore permission to import these may be granted." "Illegal" distribution However, the authorities insisted during both the investigation and the eventual trial that the case centred not around the content of the booklet "Teach Your Children", but its "illegal" distribution. A criminal case was lodged against Zakharchenko and Jabrayilova under Criminal Code Article 167-2.2.1. This punishes: "Production, sale and distribution of religious literature, religious items and other informational materials of religious nature with the aim of import, sale and distribution without appropriate authorisation" when conducted by an "organised group". Punishment is a fine of 7,000 to 9,000 Manats or imprisonment of two to five years. Amid a falling Manat, 7,000 Manats is currently the equivalent of 37,000 Norwegian Kroner, 3,900 Euros or 4,300 US Dollars. Secret police prison The NSM secret police then took over the case from the General Prosecutor's Office. The two women were summoned for questioning on 17 February 2015 and arrested. They were held in the NSM secret police Investigation Prison in Baku until late 2015, when Zakharchenko was finally transferred to hospital. Jabrayilova was transferred to the Investigation Prison in Kurdakhani. Prisoner of conscience Jabrayilova described conditions in the then-NSM secret police Investigation Prison as bad. "She called her confinement room a 'cage', rather than a cell, in that there was no privacy and everything was exposed to the sight of others," Jehovah's Witnesses note. "The smell of sewage in this 'cage' was suffocating". She also noted that officials constantly seek money from prisoners (see F18News 20 January 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2140). Conditions in the then-NSM (now SSS) Investigation Prison are known to be harsh and Azerbaijan has refused to allow publication of a UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) report on a visit in late April 2015 (see Forum 18's Azerbaijan religious freedom survey http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2081). Convictions, fines, release The trial of Zakharchenko and Jabrayilova finally began under Judge Qahramanov at Baku's Pirallahi District Court with a preliminary hearing on 10 December 2015. The trial proper began on 17 December 2015, with a short hearing on 7 January 2016. Two other hearings were postponed because Zakharchenko was too ill to attend (see F18News 20 January 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2140). At the final hearing on 28 January, Judge Qahramanov convicted both women of "illegally" distributing one religious booklet. He fined each of them 7,000 Manats. He then cancelled the fines because of the time Zakharchenko and Jabrayilova had spent in prison (nearly 50 weeks), Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18 the same day. The women were freed in the courtroom at the end of the trial and allowed to return to their families for the first time in nearly a year. What compensation? In an opinion, adopted on 2 December 2015 (A/HRC/WGAD/2015) and transmitted that same month to Azerbaijan's government, which Forum 18 has seen, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention condemned the arrest and continued detention of the two prisoners of conscience (see F18News 20 January 2016 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2140). It found that Azerbaijan has broken three articles of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). "Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova have been deprived liberty for peacefully exercising the rights to freedom of religion and belief, as guaranteed under article 18 ["Freedom of thought, conscience and religion"] of the UDHR and article 18 ["Freedom of thought, conscience and religion"] of the ICCPR." The Working Group also found that the two prisoners of conscience "have been deprived liberty for the reason of discrimination based on their religion in violation of article 7 ["Right to equality and non-discrimination"] of the UDHR and article 26 ["Right to equality and non-discrimination"] of the ICCPR." It also considered that the "non observance of the international norms established in article 9 ["Freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention or exile"] of the UDHR and article 9 ["Liberty and security of person"] of the ICCPR is of such gravity as to give the deprivation of liberty of Ms. Zakharchenko and Ms. Jabrayilova arbitrary character." In conclusion, the Working Group called on Azerbaijan to release both prisoners of conscience, "and accord them an enforceable right to compensation in accordance with article 9(5) of the ICCPR". ICCPR Article 9(5) states that "Anyone who has been the victim of unlawful arrest or detention shall have an enforceable right to compensation". Azerbaijan ratified the ICCPR in 1992. In a separate ruling, the UN Human Rights Committee asked for "interim measures" from the Azerbaijani authorities, according to a 3 December 2015 letter from the Committee seen by Forum 18. (It asked that Zakharchenko be freed from prison urgently while it continued to investigate the substance of the complaint. The Committee communicated this request to the Azerbaijani authorities immediately (see F18News 9 December 2015 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2131). While Zakharchenko and Jabrayilova have now been freed, it remains unclear if the Azerbaijani authorities will comply with the Working Group finding that they should be compensated for the violation of their human rights. (END) For more background information see Forum 18's Azerbaijan religious freedom survey at http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2081. More coverage of freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Azerbaijan is at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?query=&religion=all&country=23. A compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments can be found at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1351. For a personal commentary, by an Azeri Protestant, on how the international community can help establish religious freedom in Azerbaijan, see http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=482. A printer-friendly map of Azerbaijan is available at http://education.nationalgeographic.com/mapping/outline-map/?map=Azerbaijan. All Forum 18 News Service material may be referred to, quoted from, or republished in full, if Forum 18 is credited as the source. Mooresville, Owen Valley land in final AP football poll Just like that, Indiana's high school football regular season is over. Here's a look at where area teams landed in the final AP Poll of the season. LUBBOCK The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, along with its counterparts in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas, will host the High Plains Dairy Conference set for March 1-2 at the Overton Hotel and Conference Center in Lubbock. The conference center is located at 2322 Mac Davis Lane. "Registration will start bright and early both days at 6:30 a.m. with the first day's program ending at 5 p.m. and the March 2 activities culminating at noon," said Ellen Jordan, AgriLife Extension dairy specialist at Dallas who is chairwoman of the event. "We expect this to be a major regional event with a strong slate of nationally known experts who will be speaking on a number of timely subjects crucial to today's High Plains dairy industry," she said. Topics and speakers over the two days will include: Making genetic progress on low heritability traits, Dr. David Erf, dairy technical services-geneticist, Zoetis, Oakdale, Minnesota. Impact and economic evaluation of negative energy balance in transition dairy cattle, Dr. Jessica McArt, assistant professor, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Tips for optimizing fertility in dairy cattle, Dr. Todd Bilby, dairy technical services manager, Merck Animal Health, North Richland Hills. What's all the fuss about technology in the dairy world?, Dr. Nancy Charlton, dairy management adviser, Automatic Milking Systems, DeLaval Inc., Bannockburn, Illinois. Consequences and costs associated with metritis and mastitis, Dr. Mike Overton, senior consultant in dairy analytics, Elanco Knowledge Solutions, Athens, Georgia. Strategies to reduce heat stress in lactating dairy cows, Dr. Robert Collier, professor, University of Arizona, Tucson. Bridging the gap between the beef and dairy industries A packer perspective, Dr. Lily Edwards-Callaway, technical services, JBS USA, Greeley, Colorado. How to avoid and survive undercover video investigations, Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist, Amarillo. Worker safety management on dairy farms: Current issues, challenges and solutions, Dave Douphrate, assistant professor, University of Texas-San Antonio. Managing the water you have, Dana Porter, AgriLife Extension agricultural engineering water management specialist, Lubbock. After El Nino, now what? John Nielsen-Gammon, state climatologist, Texas A&M University, College Station. World dairy outlook, Mary Ledman, dairy economist, Daily Dairy Report Inc., Libertyville, Illinois. Also included are two panel discussions, When "it" happens Do you have a business continuity plan? and managing dry lot dairies during extreme weather events. Registration is $225 for the first registrant and $175 for each additional participant from the same dairy. Registration must be postmarked by Feb. 8. Late registrations will increase to $250 with no discount. Online registration and other conference information is available at www.highplainsdairy.org/. For more information, call 785-532-7788 or contact Jordan at 972-952-9212, e-jordan2@tamu.edu. Fighting flu starts with a shot, and it's time for Texans to get one On Jan. 22, why were flags flown at half-staff at the Taylor County Courthouse? That was the day 12 Marines missing since Jan. 14 were declared dead. The Marines were on two helicopters that apparently crashed off the coast of Hawaii during a training exercise. A search that covered an area about the size of Florida turned up an empty life raft and debris that looked like military helicopter parts, but no bodies. Taylor County Judge Downing Bolls said the courthouse flags were flown at half-staff in response to the missing Marines being declared dead. The county receives notification from the governor's office to fly flags at half-staff, Bolls said. Authorization for federal buildings and at military installations like Dyess AFB comes from the President. On some rare occasions, a county judge can order the courthouse flags to be flown at half-staff usually for the death of a judge or other prominent government official. "The last time I ordered the flags lowered as part of my official duties was when Judge (Sam) Carroll died last year," Bolls said in an email. "Even then, I had to check with the Governor's Office to see if it was OK. While they didn't say it was all right, they also said that in situations like that, they typically defer that authority to the local official." Let's hope the flags don't have to be flown at half-staff too often. SHARE Today in history: On Feb. 1, 1861, Texas secedes from the Union after a convention produces a 166 to 8 vote in favor. Seven states now have joined the Confederacy, all before Abraham Lincoln becomes president. The others, in order, were South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Gov. Sam Houston objected to the move Texas had become a state only in 1845 but agree to call the convention. Four more state seceded after the Civil War began in April. Houston predicted the South's "Ignoble defeat." EULA A fire always has been one of Homer Hanna's fears. "All this land right over here don't belong to me," he said Sunday, gesturing from his driveway to the now-blackened area to the south. "All this was grown up. I was scared that something was going to happen one of these days." On Saturday, Hanna's worst fears were realized when what the Texas A&M Forest Service has dubbed as the High Line Fire burned through 642 acres of dry winter land, advancing nearly 2 miles in a northeasterly direction. Winds gusting to near 30 mph with humidity falling to 12 percent made for a dangerous environment. Seven homes would be lost, including that owned by Hanna. "I had seen the smoke back over in that direction about 10 o'clock yesterday morning," Hanna said, pointing to the southwest. "I don't know how it started but it kept getting worse and worse." He had just returned from Clyde and had been home only a half-hour before somebody pulled up to his house on FM 603 and told him he needed to be ready to evacuate. He gathered a few things, but it was an overwhelming task. "I've seen it happen to people, when they try to get out with what they can when floods and stuff like tornadoes happen," Hanna said. "But you just don't get it all." The wind was blowing embers and smoke toward his home a double-wide trailer that he and his wife, Ellen bought in 1997. She died Sept. 24 after a long illness, and Hanna had been meaning to go through her things with his daughter. With the fire bearing down,he thought that never would happen. Hanna could see flames licking at the sky over the tree tops less than an eighth-mile away and getting closer. Thick black smoke covered the area, burning at his lungs as his chest began to hurt. But even then he couldn't leave. There was something he needed to retrieve, something above all others, even if his body wouldn't let him. "Then John Windham ... he used to be the sheriff of Callahan Count ... he pulled up and said, 'Homer, you've got to get the hell out of here now,'" Hanna said. "I said, 'I've got to get something out of my house, first.'" "What's that?" "I've got to get my wife's urn." Windham went into the home, retrieved Ellen's remains and put them in Hanna's pickup. He told him to go straight to the Eula Volunteer Fire Department to get checked in. "That's what I did. I went down there and then I went to the schoolhouse and sat down there until about 5:30 last night until they let us finally come back here," Hanna said. "And then I see this." He and Ellen were married 53 years. Half that time was spent living in their double-wide, but after Saturday's fire nothing was left of their home besides ash and twisted metal. "I lost everything, all my whole life savings was right there," Hanna said. Seven houses were lost to the High Line Fire, two of which were unoccupied. Most of them were on FM 603 or County Road 230. Phillip Truitt, the Texas A&M Forest Service public information officer for the fire, wrote late Sunday afternoon in a press release that 30 homes in and around the fire area were saved from destruction, as were 67 outbuildings. Earlier in the day, he said the cause of the fire still was not officially identified. "The local sheriff's department have a determination they put out, but we haven't investigated it yet so I can't tell you what our guys have said," Truitt reported, adding that it will take a couple of days for the investigation to be completed. Early reports had the fire's source identified as sparking power lines, which might also explain how the fire was named. "We name fires by the location or something we see when we first get on scene," Truitt said. "When they first arrived they saw a power line, so it's the 'High Line Fire.'" On Sunday afternoon, at least 25 firefighters were on duty putting out hotspots and monitoring the fire lines. Bulldozers could be seen rolling down the shoulder of FM 603 to guard the perimeter. Truitt expected local control of the scene would be turned over to Eula firefighters by the evening. Fire danger will persist Monday, with breezy conditions and highs again in the low 80s. It'll make sorting what's left difficult for Hanna and the handful of friends and family as wind blows ash into eyes and nostrils. His family has set up a GoFundMe account online under the name Butch Hanna to assist with recovery. Gone were antiques, trinkets, keepsakes and, of course, the pictures. Even the documents Hanna kept in a fireproof safe weren't spared. The heat was intense enough to warp the steel frame the trailer sat on; their marriage certificates, insurance documents,and his Air Force discharge papers inside the safe likely combusted on their own. As bad as it was, Hanna said he was glad Ellen was spared the tragedy. "I just thank God my wife wasn't here when this started," he said, his voice catching. "Because if I couldn't have gotten her out, I would have stayed right in the house with her. "We'd have all gone together." Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... This US Navy photo obtained Feb. 1, 2016 shows the USS Curtis Wilbur as it conducts a live fire gunnery exercise with its 5-inch gun in the South China Sea, Jan. 15, 2016 In a sign that the United States isnt going to let Chinas ambition to dominate the South China Sea go unchecked, Washington sent the guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur on a patrol through the disputed area this past weekend, drawing anger from Beijing but tacit understanding from Hanoi. The Curtis Wilbur passed within 12 miles of Triton Island on Friday in what the Pentagon called a freedom of navigation exercise. Triton Island is administered by China, which seized administrative control of the island from the then-government of South Vietnam in 1974 following a two-day naval engagement known as the Battle of the Paracel Islands. Triton Island is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. This operation challenged attempts by the three claimantsChina, Taiwan and Vietnamto restrict navigation rights and freedoms around the features they claim by policies that require prior permission or notification of transit within territorial seas, Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said in a Saturday morning statement. Innocent passage Vietnam on Sunday again pressed its claim to the area, using that countrys name for the Paracel Islands. We reaffirm the indisputable sovereignty of Viet Nam over the Hoang Sa as well as the Truong Sa archipelagos, said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Le Hai Binh. While Vietnam continues to lay claim to the islets, it isnt pushing the U.S. to stay out of surrounding seas. Viet Nam respects the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea conducted in accordance with relevant rules of international law, he said. We request all countries to make a positive and practical contribution to maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea [South China Sea] and to respect international law. Unlike Vietnam, China's Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun called the U.S. move a "deliberate provocation, according to the official Xinhuanet news site. International flashpoint The South China Sea is becoming an international flashpoint as China and other countries in the region seek control of trade routes and mineral deposits beneath the seabed. China has hauled massive amounts of sand and other material to build on reefs and other features and has constructed landing strips that can handle military aircraft. The U.S. action was "a serious violation of law, it damaged the peace and security of relevant waters and good order, and it is not helpful to regional peace and stability" and the Chinese ministry "expresses resolute opposition," Yang said, according to a post on the ministry of National Defense website. He called the U.S. moves in the South China sea very unprofessional, saying they are irresponsible to the safety of servicemen of both sides. While the U.S. remains neutral about the sovereignty claims, the ships passage makes good on pledges by President Obama and Defense Secretary Ash Carter that the U.S. has legitimate claims to sail freely in international waters. This operation demonstrated, as the president and secretary have stated, that we will fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. That is true in the South China Sea, as in other places around the globe. A strong rebuke In October, the Navy sailed the USS Lassen, another guided missile destroyer, near the Spratly Islandsa different set of islands and reefs claimed by China. That move drew a strong rebuke from China, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry saying the Lassen's route had threatened China's sovereignty and "damaged regional peace and stability." In December the U.S. flew a pair of B-52 bombers over the manmade islands. In January, Vietnam issued protests after a series of landings by Chinese civilian airliners on a runway China built on a newly created island in the area. Vietnam has also lodged protests over the movement of a Chinese oil rig into the area in 2014 and early this year. Win Myint, newly elected chairman of the lower house of Myanmar's parliament (L), NLD spokesman Win Tin (C) and NLD patron Tin Oo (L) attend the opening session of the National Assembly in Naypyidaw, Feb. 1, 2016. The newly elected speaker of the lower house of Myanmars National Assembly was sworn in on the first day of the bodys new session on Monday, as pro-democracy lawmakers led by the National League for Democracy (NLD) took up their seats. The NLD won roughly 80 percent of elected seats in parliament in elections last November, defeating the ruling, quasi-civilian Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) under President Thein Sein. Today is a day to be proud of Myanmars political history and for the democratic transition, said Win Myint, after he was sworn into the powerful speakers position at the start of the assembly. Todays second parliamentary session has emerged from the peoples desire for change manifested through the elections. Members elected to this chamber are the representatives mandated by citizens who have been yearning for democracy, human rights, and the development of the country, he told representatives in the Pyithu Hluttaw, or lower house. Win Myint, an NLD politician, urged new members of parliament (MPs) to behave as the peoples representatives based on democratic values, human rights standards, and international norms. Ti Khun Myat, an ethnic Kachin national MP from the USDP, was sworn in as vice speaker of the lower house. Among the 433 MPs elected to the lower house, four were absent at Mondays opening session, including Sai Mauk Khan and Nyan Tun, the countrys two current vice presidents from the USDP. In the new lower house, the NLD holds 255 seats, military officers 110 seats, the USDP 30 seats, Arakan National Party 12 seats, Shan Nationalities League for Democracy party 12 seats, and other minority parties 11 seats. An independent MP also holds one seat. International optimism International ambassadors said they were optimistic about the new parliaments first meeting dominated by Aung San Suu Kyis NLD party. Its a very important day for Myanmar, said Roland Kobia, the European Unions ambassador to Myanmar. This new parliament is a democratically elected one, and in order to show our support, I am attending this swearing-in ceremony. We will arrange to hold discussions between new Myanmar MPs and European MPs. We want an active parliamentary system in Myanmar. Andrew Patrick, the British ambassador, said members of Myanmars parliament have been working with lawmakers from Britains parliament and a number of other parliaments in specific areas. We have experts here helping with research and library management, he said. We will continue helping the new government as we did the old one to develop the ministries. The U.S. embassy in Yangon issued a statement congratulating Myanmars new parliament on its Facebook page. Today, we congratulate the newly elected parliamentarians on their first day in office and wish them well as they take on the difficult but urgent task of advancing peace, prosperity, justice, and reform in this country, the statement said. Nations pride Shwe Mann, former speaker of the lower house, said the successful holding of the new session of parliament and election of a new speaker and vice speaker had boosted the nations pride. I expect the new house members to implement democracy, human rights, and a federal union, he told reporters after attending the lawmakers session as a guest. I also urge the people of the country and the media to cooperate in order to help them achieve this. After the session, Shwe Mann transferred his speakers office to Win Myint, who was accompanied by NLD chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi, former vice speaker Nanda Kyaw Swa, and Ti Khun Myat. Lawmakers must now select a speaker and vice speaker of the Amyotha Hluttaw, the 224-seat upper house of parliament, and vote for a president to succeed Thein Sein, who initiated political and economic reforms when he took office five years ago. Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency because of a clause in the current constitution that bars those with foreign spouses or children from seeking the office. Instead, she has said she will be above the president, who will likely be another NLD politician, although she has yet to disclose her choice for the position. MPs in both houses of parliament will nominate and vote for three candidates to replace Thein Sein, who will remain president until the end of March. Tin Oo, an NLD patron who also attended the ceremony as a guest, told RFA's Myanmar Service that the constitutional provision barring Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president could be amended within a year. Reported by Myo Thant Khine, Win Ko Lwin, Win Naung Toe, and Thiha Tun. Translated by Kyaw Min Htun. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. A young Vietnamese blogger was briefly detained by police upon returning home to Da Nang on Jan. 31 after he spent three years abroad studying, doing human rights work, and working as an intern for an Australian lawmaker. Nguyen Anh Tuan, 22, was detained by police around 10 p.m., immediately after he got off his flight from Siem Riep, Cambodia to Da Nang, his father Thi told RFAs Vietnamese Service. I went to the police office right after I heard the news at around 2 oclock in the morning, demanding an immediate release of Tuan, Thi said. They asked me to cooperate with them, but I did not have any way to cooperate with them. My son came back only after studying abroad. Why would they detain him? Thi told RFA his son was released at about 4:30 a.m. Nguyen Anh Tuan, who blogs for RFA, was described as a brave and talented young man, who friends say turned down two different invitations to join the Communist Party of Vietnam. Tuan is a young talented man, who has a strategic vision. He can do a lot for the country. If Vietnam was a democratic country, Tuan could be a politician, said friend and fellow blogger Doan Trang. But as Vietnam is an authoritarian country, Tuan is an activist fighting at the forefront for democracy. Tuan does not want to join the party even though they want him. In 2011, after Vietnamese legal scholar, government critic, and dissident Cu Huy Ha Vu was arrested for possessing documents critcizing the government, Nguyen Anh Tuan wrote a letter to the prosecutors office, voluntarily turning himself in because, he said, he also possessed similar documents. Trinh Huu Long, an attorney and a friend, told RFA that the young mans actions in the Cu Huy Ha Vu case took guts. I was impressed with Tuan for his bravery and intelligence, he said. He is among a few brave people who dared to stand up for the rule of law and democracy by sending a letter saying that he possessed documents just like Cu Huy Ha Vu's, and if that possession was illegal then they should have arrested him too. Nguyen Anh Tuan graduated cum laude from the National Academy of Public Administration. He has traveled to more than 20 countries in the past three years to study and promote democracy and human rights in Vietnam. For three months he interned for Australian Member of Parliament Chris Hayes. His bravery showed through his human rights activities at a time that only a few people dared to do that, and this was quite new to young people in Vietnam, Trinh Huu Long told RFA. He joined such activities when he was still in college. After his graduation, he continued participating in many democratic activities, including anti-China rallies in Hanoi. Reported by RFA's Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Brooks Boliek. Afghanistan's Interior Ministry says a powerful explosion set off by a suicide bomber near the parliament building and a police station in Kabul has killed 20 people. Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Ayub Salangi said in a tweet that 20 people were also injured in the blast, which was also close to the city zoo entrance. A Kabul police spokesman said the attacker stood in line with people waiting to enter a national police office and most of those killed were civilians. He said two police also died. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a tweet. The explosion is the latest in a string of attacks in Kabul in recent months that have killed and injured dozens of people. Based on reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters As Western powers push for a final settlement to the conflict in Donbas, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko heads to Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But the diplomacy is hitting the same snag it always has. Russia is insisting on its interpretation of the Minsk agreement -- meaning reintegrating the separatist-held areas into Ukraine as autonomous republics with the current leadership in place. But such an outcome is unacceptable to Kyiv. On this week's Power Vertical Briefing, we put Poroshenko's Berlin trip into context and look at the state-of-play in the Ukraine diplomacy. Joining me is RFE/RL Senior Editor Steve Gutterman and Pavel Butorin, managing editor of RFE/RL's Russian-language television program Current Time. Enjoy... NOTE: The Power Vertical Briefing is a short look ahead to the stories expected to make news in Russia in the coming week. It is hosted by Brian Whitmore, author of the Power Vertical blog, and appears every Monday. Russia has again raised the possibility of curtailing gas supplies to Georgia at a time when Azerbaijan, the only alternative source, is unable to meet Georgia's expanding need in full. Over the past four months, Georgian Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze has met four times with senior Gazprom officials to discuss possible changes in the tariffs Gazprom pays for supplying gas via Georgia to Armenia, and in the amount of Russian gas Georgia purchases. Those talks have sparked protests by the opposition United National Movement (ENM), which accuses the current government of endangering national security by making the country dependent on Russian gas supplies. Such accusations appear overblown, however, given the comparatively modest volume of gas involved. That suggests that the ENM's position is strongly influenced by its desire to question the competence and pro-Western orientation of the Georgian Dream coalition, which defeated it in the October 2012 parliamentary ballot. Provisional data from the Georgian Energy Ministry cited by the website civil.ge shows that in 2015 Georgia consumed 2.478 billion cubic meters of natural gas (compared with 1.91 billion in 2013, an increase of almost 25 percent).Of the 2015 total, 2.195 billion cubic meters, or some 88.5 percent, was supplied by Azerbaijan: 1.48 billion in line with a contract signed with Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR, and 712 million in lieu of transit fees for gas transported via the BP-operated South Caucasus Pipeline to Turkey from the first stage of Azerbaijan's offshore Shah Deniz field. Just 275 million cubic meters -- a little over 10 percent of the total consumed -- was supplied by Gazprom, of which 200 million cubic meters was transit fees for gas supplied by Gazprom to Armenia via Georgia. (Gazprom claims the total volume it supplied in 2015 was 300 million cubic meters.) Seeking To Monetize Georgia has long been entitled to 10 percent of the gas supplied by Gazprom to Armenia as transit fees. That tariff, according to Vartan Harutiunian, CEO of Armenia's national gas company which is owned by Gazprom, is the highest in the world. Kaladze disclosed after the most recent round of talks that Gazprom has sought for the past two years to monetize the transit fee. He said that Georgia initially rejected that option, but that Gazprom has now threatenedto reroute its gas exports to Armenia via Iran as soon as it becomes technically feasible to do so -- which would of course deprive Georgia of any transit fees, either in cash or in kind. Kaladze gave no indication of what the cash tariff Gazprom has proposed might be, or the likely cost of purchasing additional Russian gas to make up the shortfall. In 2015, in addition to the gas it received in transit fees, Georgia purchased 75 million more cubic meters of Russian gas at the price of $110 per 1,000 cubic meters. At the same time, Kaladze stated categorically that even if Georgia is constrained to purchase more Russian gas in 2016 than it has done in recent years, it will not reduce the amount purchased from Azerbaijan, which he described as Georgia's "strategic partner." Street Protests The Georgian opposition has convened three demonstrations, in October, November, and January, to protest the government's imputed intention of reducing the amount of Azerbaijani gas it imports and increasing the Russian share. And on January 22, the ENM formally asked President Giorgi Margvelashvili to convene a special session of the National Security Council to discuss whether purchases of Russian gas should be increased. The organizers of the January protest, attended by some 1,000 people, argued that the Georgian government's stance is all the more counterproductive and irrational insofar as Azerbaijan "is prepared to supply any volume of gas." Kaladze, however, said after he and Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili discussed the possibility of Georgia purchasing additional gas from Azerbaijan with visiting SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev on January 13 that Azerbaijan is not currently able to increase supplies for "technical reasons." He explained that the pipeline in question is already operating at maximum capacity. Kaladze said "we have a project" to build an additional gas pumping station to increase that capacity, but did not say who would provide the necessary investments. The project will not, Kaladze admitted, be completed this year, which means the estimated shortfall in supply for 2016 could reach 300-400 million cubic meters, for which Gazprom is the most likely alternative supplier. On January 29, SOCAR announced that it has reached an agreement with the South Caucasus Pipeline operators to supply Georgia with an additional 50 million cubic meters during the winter months. Asked about Georgia's vulnerability to pressure from Gazprom, U.S. Ambassador to Tbilisi Ian Kelly told journalists on January 18: "I think that Georgia does have a short term energy need, and I think it's prudent to talk to all potential energy suppliers." At the same time, he expressed tacit approval of the government's approach to the problem, saying: "I think it's always important that governments be as transparent as possible about their energy policy, and they have been very open with us. We have expressed our concerns that Georgia not become too dependent on one source of energy -- that they keep a good diversification of energy -- and we are satisfied with their explanations." Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's top international affairs adviser has arrived in Moscow for meetings with senior Russian officials and to take part in a political conference. Ali Akbar Velayati will reportedly discuss global issues, regional cooperation, and security issues during his four-day visit, Iranian media said. He said his visit is on the invitation of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies. Velayati said before leaving Tehran that Iran and Russia "could play a very constructive role in the establishment of peace and the creation of conditions necessary for developing international interactions." Velayati described Iran and Russia as "two influential states of the world and the region." He said his visit to Russia was part "of the fulfillment of the strategic vectors" defined by Khamenei. Velayati visited Moscow in January 2015 as a special envoy for Iranian President Hassan Rohani. Based on reporting by Interfax and Mehr News Agency ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- A Kazakh civil rights activist convicted and jailed for inciting social hatred has been released after "repenting." Serikzhan Mambetalin and his colleague, Ermek Narymbaev, were sentenced to two and three years in prison, respectively, on January 22. Both Mambetalin and Narymbaev pleaded not guilty, saying the charges against them were politically motivated. On January 29, Mambetalin posted a letter on Facebook in which he wrote that he was "guilty and sorry for his mistakes," adding that he "committed the crime unintentionally." Mambetalin's lawyer, Ermurat Muqanov, told RFE/RL on February 1 that his client was released from custody on January 30 but ordered not to leave Almaty until hearings into his appeal are held. Mambetalin and Narymbaev, who are known for their criticism of the government, were arrested in mid-October after investigators accused them of "inciting social hatred" by posting things on Facebook. Narymbaev -- who has refused to repent and maintains his innocence -- remains in a detention center in Almaty. WASHINGTON -- The United States has added five more Russians to its so-called Magnitsky List, which sanctions alleged human rights abusers that have been linked to the death of whistle-blowing Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky and other violations. The Treasury Department released the additional names on February 1, bringing to 39 the total number of people publicly sanctioned under the congressional legislation. One new name on the blacklist is Aleksei Anichin, a deputy interior minister linked to Magnitskys death who was later fired from his post by then-President Dmitry Medvedev. Another is Boris Kibis, an outside investigator who concluded that Magnitsky had not been tortured or mistreated. Another on the updated list is Pavel Lapshov, the head of the Interior Ministrys investigative department who asserted publicly that Magnitskys employer, Hermitage Capital Management, was behind the tax fraud he had uncovered. Lapshov later appeared to recant that assertion. At the time the law was passed in 2012, Moscow and Washington were trying to reset relations that had been poisoned by Russias 2008 war in Georgia and other international disagreements. The Magnitsky List was met with bitter denunciations by Russia and marked the beginning of a spiral that has sent bilateral ties to lows not seen since the Cold War. Moscow issued its own blacklist of U.S. officials it claims have been complicit in rights abuses. Magnitsky was working as a tax lawyer for Hermitage, a Western-owned portfolio investment company with major holdings in Russia, when he discovered an audacious and highly complex $230 million fraud scheme involving shell companies and bogus tax refunds. He was later arrested by Russian law enforcement, charged with similar fraud charges, and jailed in a notorious Moscow prison. His supporters said he was tortured and denied medical treatment, leading to his death in 2009, a finding supported by a presidentially appointed human rights council. A Moscow court tried Magnitsky posthumously in 2013 and found him guilty on tax evasion charges. Most of those on the list either are tied to the tax fraud that Magnitsky uncovered or to the prison where he was held. Some already had been blacklisted by the European Union under a similar sanctions list. The 2012 law provides for a public list of sanctioned individuals, as well as a classified list that reportedly includes Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Russia's restive Chechnya region. Rights groups have long accused Kadyrov of abuses that include torture and extrajudicial killings. The Obama administration also has sanctioned a wide range of senior Russian government and military officials for their role in Russias 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and the Kremlin's support for pro-Russian separatists that are fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine. BISHKEK -- Eight Kyrgyz citizens, including one child, were killed when a fire swept through a textile workshop in northeastern Moscow over the weekend. Two Russian citizens of Kyrgyz origin and two Uzbek nationals also died in the blaze on January 30, Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said on February 1. Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev is supervising assistance to the victims' relatives to travel to Moscow, the ministry said. The fire broke out at around 9 p.m. and covered an area of 3,000 square meters. It took firefighters about five hours to extinguish it. The cause of the fire is unknown. The workshop location was being rented by Kyrgyz businessman Alym Toguzakov. Toguzakov's brother, Murat Toguzakov, told RFE/RL that Alym Toguzakov's son, Erkin, was among the victims. He said all the Kyrgyz victims were relatives from the southern Batken region. International charity Oxfam has criticized world powers involved in Syria, including Russia, for not helping the victims of the conflict that has lasted more than four years. In a report released on February 1, Oxfam singled out Russia, Saudi Arabia, and France as being among the least generous in terms of financial aid. Oxfam released the report ahead of a donor conference in London on February 4 along with an appeal for increased aid and resettlement abroad for 10 percent of the refugees registered in Syria's neighbors by the end of the year. Oxfam said most rich countries were giving less than their "fair share" of financial aid, the amount a country should contribute relative to the size of its economy. "Our calculations of commitments that rich countries need to make on aid and resettlement are the bare minimum, and they are repeatedly falling far short," said Andy Baker, who leads Oxfam's response to the Syria crisis. "The London conference has to be a turning point." Russia gave only 1 percent of its fair share and Saudi Arabia 28 percent. Both countries have not pledged to take in Syrian refugees. At the same time, Riyadh is sending military aid to rebels fighting against the Syrian government and Moscow is supporting Damascus with air strikes against rebel groups. Among Western countries, France, which joined the U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State in Syria in September, gave 45 percent of its "fair share," Oxfam said. Paris took in about 5,000 Syrian refugees last year. Meanwhile, the United States donated 76 percent of its fair share, although it was the largest single donor. Several European countries gave well over their fair share, such as Denmark (318 percent), Norway (385 percent), and Britain (237 percent). The Syrian conflict has killed at least 250,000 people, forced millions of people to flee the country, and given an opening to Islamic State militants to seize large areas of the country. With reporting by Reuters and Oxfam A senior U.S. lawmaker says revelations about Russian President Vladimir Putins wealth will be destabilizing to his rule as the Russian population becomes increasingly aware of them. U.S. Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Voice Of America on February 1 that the Russian people "are beginning to realize they have a leader that amassed tremendous personal wealth." Corker said that revelation was "going to create some additional instability in Russia." Corker said he understood that Putin has amassed "billions of dollars of personal wealth." He said: "You cannot do that through just normal government operations. It has to be done through corruption." WATCH: Corker Laments Lack Of International Resolve On Iran Corkers remarks come in the midst of a diplomatic dispute between Washington and Moscow over a BBC interview given last week by Adam Szubin, the U.S. Treasury's acting secretary for terrorism and financial crimes. Szubin told the BBC that Putin was "a picture of corruption," and the White House later said that his remarks reflected the views of the Obama administration about Putin. The Kremlin reacted angrily to the interview and Earnests statement, calling it "outrageous and insulting." Szubin declined to comment on a 2007 CIA report estimating Putin's wealth at $40 billion. He said, however, that the Russian leader regularly understates his wealth and the United States has known this for "many, many years." WATCH: Assad Strengthened By Russia Going In To Peace Talks Putin has repeatedly said that press reports about his immense wealth, including reports that he was secretly the world's richest man, are nonsense. Both Russian and Western media outlets during the past year have reported previously undisclosed details about the affluent, well-connected lives led by Putins two daughters. Putin's younger daughter, according to Reuters, also has identified herself as a "spouse" of Kirill Shamalov, the son of wealthy Putin associate Nikolai Shamalov. The couple is thought to have corporate holdings worth about $2 billion. Putin and the Kremlin have long refused to comment on reports about members of his family. With reporting by Voice Of America, BBC, Reuters, and AP Meet Iran's new heroes: the head of the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and four of its commanders who last month briefly detained U.S. sailors after their vessels mistakenly strayed into Iranian territorial waters. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on January 31 personally decorated the IRGC officers with the Order of Fath for their "courageous and timely" move to seize the sailors and their boats. The Fath, or "Conquest," medal is one of the Islamic republic's highest honors. A day later, the five IRGC commanders were guests of honor at the Iranian parliament, where they each received a "certificate of appreciation" and praise from speaker Ali Larijani, who said the IRGC's navy remained the countrys "sharp eyes" in safeguarding Iran's maritime borders. The hero treatment appears to reflect Iranian hard-liners' position that Washington remains Tehran's enemy despite the nuclear accord that Iran reached in July with the United States and other major powers that curbs its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. But it also sends a message to Iranians that, despite the compromises made by Iran in the nuclear deal, their country remains strong and uncompromising. Alex Vatanka, a senior Iran analyst at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, says the "glorious treatment" the IRGC's navy commanders are receiving is meant to project power at a time when hard-liners are worried that the opening up of the country following the nuclear deal could diminish their power. "It's about showing who's calling the shots at home in Tehran with [Iranian President Hassan Rohani] being out and about in the world cutting deals," Vatanka said. "But what it, to my mind, shows is how insecure [the hard-line faction of the Iranian establishment] is about their position." Middle East analyst Rasool Nafisi told RFE/RL that the move is aimed at deflecting attention from the nuclear program to Iran's military might. "The Iranian [establishment] is trying to make Iranians believe that the Iranian military is No. 1 in the region and can even take on the American military," Nafisi said. The seizing of the sailors on January 12 and their release several hours later on January 13 came amid improved ties between Iran and the United States, which successfully negotiated the July nuclear deal together with other members of the P5+1 group of world powers -- Britain, China, France, and Russia, plus Germany. The sailors were swiftly freed following several phone calls between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif. The quick resolution of the incident was praised by U.S. President Barack Obama's administration as the result of renewed diplomacy between the two countries, which have been at odds since Iran's 1979 revolution and the hostage-taking of U.S. diplomats in Tehran. But hard-liners who are suspicious of the diplomatic rapprochement between the two countries have been touting the incident as a sign of Iran's military might and a humiliation for the United States. They've released pictures and footage of the U.S. sailors on their knees with their hands behind their heads, as well as a televised interview with one the sailors, who is shown "apologizing" for trespassing. A deputy IRGC commander, General Hossein Salami, claimed on January 16 that the U.S. sailors "cried" when they were being detained but that IRGC forces treated them with "kindness." Speaking at the Iranian parliament on February 1, an IRGC navy commander, Admiral Ali Fadavi, said Iran has more video footage of the arrest of the U.S. sailors. He added that "if the Americans' acts of malevolence continue, we will release them." Fadavi also claimed that the IRGC had extracted "extensive information" from the mobile phones and laptops of the U.S. sailors. As the ruble continues its catastrophic tumble, hitting another historic low last month, the pain is being felt keenly across Russia. Among those worst hit are patients in need of urgent surgery abroad or other life-saving treatment billed in foreign currencies. "It all started with a bad cough and a lingering cold," says Viktoria Aksanova, 32, who was diagnosed with a severe form of Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that originates in white blood cells, in 2011. "My son was 5 at the time. It was as though life had stopped." After six rounds of chemotherapy, a bone-marrow transplant, additional high-dose chemotherapy, and two relapses, Aksanova is now awaiting a second bone-marrow transplant at a St. Petersburg hospital. She hopes the procedure will allow her to finally beat the disease and return to her home city of Krasnodar to care for her son, Kirill. Like the majority of Russian patients with no siblings, Aksanova has been unable to find a donor in her country, whose organ-donation program is still in its infancy. So she must find and import a suitable bone-marrow sample from Europe, an expensive process made even more costly by the ruble's dramatic decline against the euro. "I need 18,000 euros" -- or around $19,530 -- "plus 2,000 euros to transport the sample here," she says. "I'm worried, of course, because I can't control how the currency exchange rate will fluctuate and I don't know whether I will be able to afford treatment. Some patients die if they don't get treatment. So it's very hard." When Aksanova underwent her first transplant in 2013, the ruble was trading at 42 to the euro; it has since lost half of its value, pushing the cost of a transplant way out of her reach. The young woman is now pinning all her hopes on Advita, a Russian charity that raises money for cancer sufferers. Like other medical charities in Russia, however, Advita is scrambling to adapt to the new economic reality. "Eighteen thousand euros with an exchange rate of 50 to 60 rubles to the euro and 18,000 euros with an exchange rate of 80 to 90 rubles to the euro are two entirely different things," says Advita spokeswoman Lada Davydova. Many of the patients it sponsors require imported bone marrow, Davydova adds. She says Russia's financial meltdown has also taken a toll on donations. "We now work more creatively," she says. "We try to come up with unusual advertising campaigns and new approaches, to attract types of businesses with which we had never worked before." Even Russia's biggest, most successful fund-raising charities are feeling the crunch. "We unfortunately need to collect more money in rubles than before to cover the expenses of our patients," says Yelena Chistyakova, who runs the Podari Zhizn aid group, which collects funds for children with cancer and other serious diseases. "We now spend more time writing donation appeals; we are more active in soliciting sponsors. So yes, we work even harder than before." According to Vladimir Berkhin, the head of a religious medical charity called Predanie, at least three well-established medical fund-raising groups have shut down over the past year. By putting in longer working hours and broadening its pool of benefactors, workers at Predanie have been able to continue raising an average of $2,500 per day for its patients, many of whom are children suffering from life-threatening diseases. Due to the weak ruble, however, the group cannot help as many families as in the past. Worse still, soaring exchange rates are forcing some patients to delay vital surgery abroad, and in some cases even launch a second round of fund-raising. Predanie has been raising money for Volodymyr Lekhno, a 3-year-old boy from Ukraine who urgently needs a kidney transplant. Due to a rare congenital disorder, Volodymyr must undergo the operation at a special clinic in Belarus. By the time Predanie collected the required sum in rubles calculated at the start of the fund-raising campaign, the Russian currency had fallen so sharply against the Belarusian ruble that the charity found itself short a sizable chunk of money. "You already collected the money once, but the exchange rate jumped, prices rose, and once again we don't have enough money for the operation," Volodymyr's parents wrote on Predanie's website. "Please, help!" Berkhin says his group must now find another 1 million rubles ($13,000) to compensate for the sinking ruble. "If currency rates leap again, we will need not 1 million but 1 1/2 million," he laments. Patients who can undergo treatment in Russia are hit hard by the ruble's steep decline, too. Health experts say Russian hospitals, which rely heavily on imported medical products, have been hiking prices to cover their rising expenses. Berkhin says Predanie long ago burned through its emergency reserves to cushion the economic blow for patients. And with the ruble's prospects looking increasingly bleak, he and his colleagues are bracing for tough times ahead. "I have never been very optimistic about our country's future and the future of our organization, and I'm not optimistic right now," he sighs. "I guess all we can do at this stage is pray and work harder." BISHKEK -- A sister of a reputed crime boss from Kyrgyzstan, Aziz Batukaev, has been detained in Russia and charged with drug possession. Kyrgyz Interior Ministry officials told RFE/RL on February 1 that Yakha Batukaeva, 54, was detained in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk with 30 kilograms of unidentified drugs. Two men, a Kyrgyz and a Swedish citizen, were detained along with Batukaeva, officials said. They did not specify when the three were detained. Aziz Batukaev's early release from prison in Kyrgyzstan in 2013 caused a scandal that led to the resignation of the deputy prime minister, Shamil Atakhanov, and the sacking of the country's ombudsman. Batukaev, an ethnic Chechen, was sentenced to almost 17 years in jail in Kyrgyzstan in 2006 for involvement in several serious crimes, including the murders of a Kyrgyz lawmaker and an Interior Ministry official. Batukaev was released from prison in April 2013, with reports that he was suffering from leukemia. His medical report was later found to have been falsified. Batukaev fled to Russia after his release and was later arrested for illegal weapon possession. Russian rights defenders are demanding a government response to a video posted online by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov that shows a sniper targeting two well-known activists. The video on Kadyrov's Instagram page shows the rifle scope aimed at former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, chairman of the opposition PARNAS party, and opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza as the two speak with each other. The caption under the video says: "Kasyanov came to Strasbourg for money for the Russian opposition. Those who did not understand before will understand now." Kasyanov said on February 1 that he considers the video a direct threat and plans to ask police to investigate the situation. Lev Ponomaryov, chairman of the For Human Rights group in Moscow, said the authorities must "adequately" react to the situation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that he had not seen the video but promised to study the issue. "Frankly speaking, we don't normally follow Instagram, not to mention Kadyrov's Instagram page," Peskov said. Last month Kadyrov publicly called opposition members "traitors" and "enemies of the people." Those comments provoked calls for Kadyrov's resignation from Russian opposition politicians and activists. Based on reporting by RIA and Interfax Iranian climbing champion Elnaz Rekabi has arrived back in Tehran after sparking a controversy by "inadvertently" competing in the Asian Championships in Seoul without a headscarf. Rekabi and the rest of the Iranian team arrived in the capital on October 19, according to the official Tasnim news agency and several posts on social media. As the team arrived, hundreds of people, including women not wearing the hijab, gathered outside the airport cheering for "Elnaz the champion." Rekabi, who wore a black baseball cap and a black hoodie covering her hair, told Iranian state television in an interview that going without a hijab while competing had been an unintentional act on her part. She explained that she was in a women-only waiting area prior to her climb. "Because I was busy putting on my shoes and my gear, it caused me to forget to put on my hijab and then I went to compete," she said. Rekabi's supporters have expressed concerns about her safety after her return amid unrest over the death of a young woman last month while in police custody for allegedly wearing a hijab improperly. Her decision not to wear the headscarf in Seoul was seen by some observers as a move to show solidarity with ongoing antigovernment protests. In a post that appeared on her Instagram page on October 18, she apologized and explained that "due to poor scheduling and an unexpected call for me to climb.... I inadvertently had a problem with my cover." It could not be verified whether Rekabi made the post independent of pressure from Iranian officials, and some government critics said the apology appeared in line with previous similar confessions by offenders who were pressured by authorities to recant. There were also unconfirmed reports that Rekabi's brother had been detained by police. The United States criticized the Iranian government's treatment of Rekabi. "The Iranian regime and its leaders have a long history of abusing the rights of women and violating their freedom of expression, including through threats, through intimidation and violence," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters at a briefing. "Reports of intimidation and threats to Elnaz Rekabi appear to be the latest inexcusable example of such tactics. The world and the Iranian people will be watching how she is treated," he said. The month of unrest across Iran -- one of the deepest challenges to the Islamic regime since the revolution in 1979 -- was sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was taken into police custody for allegedly breaking hijab rules. Since the start of the protests, several Iranian sports champions and prominent public figures, including soccer star Ali Daei, have been summoned or arrested by the authorities and had their passports confiscated after showing support for anti-government protests. The hijab -- the head covering worn by Muslim women -- became compulsory in public for Iranian women and girls over the age of 9 after the 1979 revolution. With reporting by AP Russia's Defense Ministry has again rejected claims by Ankara that a Russian warplane violated Turkish airspace. Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on February 1 that Ankara's claims are not backed by any factual data and are a "premeditated provocation." Turkey says NATO radars detected a Russian jet violating Turkish airspace on January 29, refuting Russian claims that the violation was "pure propaganda." Ankara said a Russian Su-34 jet had violated its airspace despite warnings, two months after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in a similar incident that escalated tensions between the two countries. Russia had denied that there had been any incursion. "Russia cannot cover up its violation of our airspace. It's not possible to hide such an incident if it did happen, or to make up a violation if it didn't happen," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on January 31. Konashenkov said Russia's military has video provided by Syria's armed forces and a Syrian opposition group that shows "a Turkish artillery battery shelling a Syrian frontier village." The statement also said Russia's Defense Ministry was awaiting a prompt explanation from NATO, the Pentagon, and the Turkish armed forces on the shelling incident. Turkish forces have shelled areas of Iraq several times in recent years where it says members of the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party are hiding. Based on reporting by Reuters, RIA, and Interfax The film Ukraine: The Masks Of The Revolution tells the real story of the Euromaidan protests. At least thats what filmmaker Paul Moreira claims. In a nutshell, according to Moreira, it was right-wing extremists who ousted Viktor Yanukovych during the 2013-14 Euromaidan demonstrations, not the tens of thousands of ordinary and peaceful Ukrainians who took to the streets day after day. The West is complicit as well, turning a blind eye to the extremists crimes, including deadly violence in the southern city of Odesa in May 2014. Why? Because Ukraine was merely a "pawn" -- albeit a crucial one -- in the greater geopolitical tug-of-war between the Kremlin and the West. If that sounds familiar, it should. Its essentially the narrative that the Kremlin and its followers have been spinning -- that is, blood-lusting neo-Nazi Ukrainians preying on unsuspecting Russian-speakers and other vulnerable minorities. On its Facebook page, the Ukrainian Embassy in France said the film, which is set to air on the French Canal Plus television channel on February 1, is not only dishonest, but completely disrespectful to our compatriots murdered in the heart of Kyiv while defending the democratic aspirations of their country. The embassy did not demand Canal Plus pull the film, as has been reported by RT, but says the channel would be well-advised to reconsider the dissemination of the film. In an opinion piece on January 29 in The Kyiv Post, Halya Coynash, a member of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, pans the film as bad propaganda, filled with manipulative reporting and outright lies. Coynash takes exception to Moreiras claim that the West whitewashed the role of extreme right-wing activists during the Euromaidan protests. There have been numerous reports, both in Ukraine and abroad, about the role of the ultranationalist Right Sector and far-right VO Svoboda party during Euromaidan," he wrote. "There has also been considerable coverage of the Azov Battalion and other volunteer battalions fighting against Kremlin-backed militants and Russia in Donbas, with many reports focusing on the ideology espoused by at least the battalion leaders. The film also focuses on the murky events of May 2, 2014, when 48 pro-Russia protesters were killed and several hundred injured in a fire at a Soviet-era Trade Unions building in Odesa during a showdown with pro-Ukraine activists. But for filmmaker Moreira, theres nothing unclear about what happened. Far-right paramilitaries slaughtered with full impunity," much like the pro-Kremlin crowd has claimed, although reality may tell a different story. On May 2, 2014, clashes broke out in Odesa between what were said to be pro-Russian supporters of greater federalism in Ukraine and pro-union rivals. As the fighting turned deadly and police failed to restore order, the pro-federalism protesters retreated into the Trade Union Building, where they were surrounded by pro-unionists. The two sides exchanged shots and hurled Molotov cocktails through the windows at each other, with each subsequently blaming the other for the fires that broke out in the building. A report by the Council of the Europe, while faulting Kyiv for incompetently investigating the tragedy, did note that official forensic examinations suggested the fires started in five places and that "other than the fire in the lobby, the fires could only have been started by those inside the building." The panel also took note of a report by a local nongovernmental organization, the 2 May Group, which said the fire spread to the building after a barricade in front of the entrance was set ablaze as a result of the exchange of Molotov cocktails. Seemingly left out of Moreiras film are the average Ukrainians who put their lives on hold to take part in protests sparked by Yanukovychs abrupt volte-face on relations with Europe, opting instead to stay inside Moscow's orbit. Those voices, however, are heard in another film examining events in Ukraine during those fateful days. Winter On Fire turns the cameras on the enthusiastic activists, wizened soldiers, distressed medics, local pop stars, and even a young Romany boy, who all spent months in atrocious weather facing down police bullets and batons as they fought for sweeping reform and a more Westward orientation. The film, by director Evgeny Afineevsky, was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary feature on January 14. The 2016 session of the Virginia General Assembly opened with the state Senate banishing the press corps from its traditional spots on the chambers floor. The body adopted rules proposed by Majority Leader Tommy Norment that relegated reporters to the gallery, thereby reducing their direct contact with members. The move had intimations of a vendetta against the press; it undermined transparency. The House of Delegates allows the press access to its floor and remains able to conduct its business. The press protested Norments exclusion. On Friday the leader announced the press will return today, Feb. 1. The sides reached an agreement without calling on the United Nations. Henry Kissinger did not intervene. The Times-Dispatch welcomes the news, which will enable us to report on the Senate as it debates the peoples business. We also are tempted to cite an unlikely source. Malcolm X said: How can you thank a man for giving you whats already yours? 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. At the Roanoke Valley Governors School for Science and Technology, students are charged each year with carrying out a science fair project. This year, two students, Hidden Valley High School senior Sally Greenberg and Lord Botetourt High School senior Kayla Lucas, elected to work together on a project titled "Determining the Genetic Similarities Between Three Malaria Vectors by Crossbreeding." They will present their project at the Governors Schools Student Project Forum on Saturday, Feb. 6. While my father was working in an Israeli Embassy in Africa, he contracted malaria," said Greenberg. "He responded to treatment, but since then, I have learned that close to 200 million cases of malaria are diagnosed each year, causing more than half a million deaths. Kayla and I have been lab partners since we were freshmen, and we decided this year to work in the biotechnology field performing research that could be a stepping stone for finding a cure for malaria. As Governor's School students, Greenberg and Lucas have access to the school's extensive lab and also the lab at one of the schools partner facilities, the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech. Our biotech professor put us in touch with Ashley Peery, a Ph.D. student in Techs malaria lab, said Lucas. Ashley worked with us to develop the focus and scope of our project, and Sally and I invested more than 150 hours performing research in her lab. Like most science projects at Governor's School, this one is complicated. Greenberg and Lucas hatched mosquito eggs, fed the larvae, collected the pupae and sorted them by gender. Female mosquitoes must be blood fed to reproduce, and the girls spent copious amounts of time feeding and counting the adult mosquitoes. They performed reciprocal crossbreeding for three species of mosquitoes, which created a generation of hybrids the F1 generation and then the F1 hybrids were bred again to create the F2 generation. Through data analysis, the girls were able to determine which pairing most impacted the mosquitoes reproduction rate, which is a first step in determining the probability of the genetic transference of traits. By determining how well the three major malaria vectors exchange genetic information, cures designed to eradicate malaria through the control of the mosquito population can be made more effective. During their experiments, the girls made an unusual discovery. During one of our crossbreeding efforts, the female mosquitoes developed red lines down their backs, similar to the black veins visible on shrimp, said Greenberg. No one in any of the labs can explain the anomaly, and if we werent seniors, we would definitely look at this for next years project. Fortunately, there are always Governors School students interested in intense projects! added Lucas. Well pass our research on to them and trust them to take over. To learn more about the Roanoke Valley Governors School, a half-day regional public STEM school for motivated students in grades 9-12, please visit the schools website at www.rvgs.k12.va.us or contact the schools director, Dr. John Kowalski, or the schools guidance counselor, Kathy Sebolt, at 853-2116. Submitted by Regina Carson BLACKSBURG The Virginia Tech student charged with killing teen Nicole Madison Lovell knew the girl and an investigation shows that he used that relationship to abduct her before disposing of her body with the assistance of another Tech student, police said Sunday. Blacksburg police announced the second Tech students arrest, one day after Tech freshman David Edmond Eisenhauer, 18, of Columbia, Maryland, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and abduction. Lovells remains were discovered Saturday in Surry County, North Carolina. The second Tech student, Natalie Marie Keepers, 19, of Laurel, Maryland, was arrested Sunday morning and faces a felony charge of improper disposal of a body and a separate misdemeanor charge of accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony, Blacksburg police Lt. Mike Albert said at a news conference. Both are being held without bond in the Montgomery County jail, Albert said. Albert said Eisenhauer and Lovell were acquainted before her disappearance Wednesday from her home in the Lantern Ridge apartment complex in Blacksburg, where family members found a dresser pushed up against her door. Eisenhauer used this relationship to his advantage, to abduct and then kill her, Albert said. Lovells mother, Tammy Weeks, said in an interview Sunday that police came to her house about 2 p.m. Saturday to tell her that her daughters body had been found. Im shocked, said Weeks, 43, a cashier at a local department store. Im hurt. Its unbelievable. Weeks said her daughter had survived a liver transplant, MRSA and lymphoma when she was 5. God got her through all that, and she fought through all that, and he took her life, she said. That evil b------ took her life. Read more: Family says Nicole Lovell could suffer liver failure by Friday Weeks said Sunday that she was at the funeral home, making arrangements for her daughter. We cant believe this happened, she said. You never think it would happen to you. Albert wouldnt say how Eisenhauer met Lovell, a student at Blacksburg Middle School. Keepers connection to Lovell and Eisenhauer also is unclear. She was a typical student, Weeks said about her daughter. She didnt like going to school because she was bullied. She was telling me that girls were saying she was fat and talking about her scars from her transplant. Lovell often cried to stay home from school, her mother said. We discussed it with teachers, but it got worse. It got so bad I wouldnt send her. But the bullying, her mother said, continued on social media. They cant control those kids on social media, Weeks said. Weeks said she was told that her daughter met Eisenhauer online a few weeks ago. Thats all I know, she said. It was some off-the-wall site I never heard of. Lovell, who was born in Radford, loved pandas, and she decorated her room with the stuffed bears and also pillows of the Minions characters. She wanted to be on American Idol when she got older. She loved to sing and dance, Weeks said. She loved anything to do with 5 Seconds of Summer. She loved country music too Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty. She liked Jason Aldean, Sam Hunt, all of them. I took her to a Brad Paisley concert when they had it at Tech. Blacksburg polices investigation is ongoing and being aided by several other agencies, including Virginia State Police, Albert said. The police department has received about 300 tips related to Lovells death and still is pursuing evidence, he said. Some of those tips led police to Lovells body, which was found near North Carolina Highway 89, just inside that states border. Sunday, police were on Techs campus, where a search and recovery team was searching a pond on the schools campus in connection with Lovells death, Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said. The pond is located by the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and baseball field near Southgate Drive. After a few hours, divers were forced to stop because the water temperature dropped. They are expected to return Monday. Eisenhauer and Keepers parents could not be reached for comment. A woman who answered the phone at the Eisenhauers Columbia, Maryland, home in Columbia on Saturday hung up before answering questions. Eisenhauer, was an elite athlete and track star at Wilde Lake High School in Howard County, Maryland. In 2014, while he was a junior, he won the Class 3A Maryland title for the 3,200-meter race, according to a Washington Post account. Eric Smart, who was also on the high school cross-country team, said the accusations against Eisenhauer were devastating. He said that his former teammate was focused on academics and his career and that he didnt seem violent. Eisenhauer and Keepers both are engineering students at Tech. A Tech spokesman, Mark Owczarski, would not say whether the two had been suspended. Campus rules allow the immediate interim suspension of students charged with a felony. The two Tech students appear to have been active in extracurricular activities during their first year on campus. Eisenhauer was listed as a member of the schools cross country team but following his arrest his name was removed from the teams online roster. Keepers participated in the colleges Hypatia Female Engineering Society, a learning community for female first-year engineering students, according to her LinkedIn biography. She also participated in the colleges robotic sailing program, SailBOT. The groups about page, which listed her involvement, appeared to have been removed Sunday. Outside the students dorms on Sunday were officers and signs directing members of the media away. Residents and escorted guests only, the sign read. Lovell is believed to have gone missing sometime between midnight Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday. Her uncle, Fred Hawks Jr., has said they realized the girl was missing when they went to give Lovell medication for a liver condition related to her liver transplant. That was when they found the dresser pushed up against the door and reported her missing. Online, Lovells family and friends have been memorializing the 13-year-old and changing their profile photos to a drawing of a panda on a sparkly purple background in her honor. Many were also reporting the teen dating pages that Lovell participated in before her disappearance. On Saturday, a Facebook page had been created to support the search for Nicole, and it bore the words Keep hope alive. A comment posted on the site under the name of David Lovell said he was the girls father. The posting said he was devastated to learn that my daughter has been found dead! Im so in shock I know nothing more to say, Im broken! Roanoke Times staff writers Amy Friedenberger and Robby Korth and The Washington Post contributed to this report. RICHMOND A Senate subcommittee split over a proposal Monday to pay $961,489 in restitution to a Roanoke man who served 21 years in prison on charges for which hes since been pardoned. The subcommittee was divided 2-2 with one absence on the request to compensate Davey Reedy. Reedy, now 61, was convicted of setting a 1987 house fire that killed his two young children. He long maintained his innocence and continued to fight for exoneration even after being paroled in 2009. In December, Gov. Terry McAuliffe granted him a full pardon after concluding that the forensic evidence used in the arson investigation was based on now-discredited science. The pardon opened the door to the possibility of Reedy receiving restitution for wrongful incarceration. The Senate Finance subcommittee reviewing the matter was set back on its heels last week after hearing from the prosecutors in the case. The prosecutors, who didnt support the pardon, argued the forensic evidence was never the linchpin of their case and laid out a timeline of events that included Reedy drinking on the night of the fire, threatening his girlfriend, trying to obtain a gun and leaving his children home alone at several points. Reedys attorney, Tom Bondurant, disputed the prosecutions characterization of Reedy both during last weeks hearing and in a follow-up memo. Reedy attempted unsuccessfully to search for his children when he woke up to find the house on fire, suffering injuries in the process that required an 11-day hospital stay, Bondurant argued. During the original trial, the prosecution contended Reedy set the fire and then escaped the house, either in an aborted murder-suicide attempt or as part of a failed scheme to rescue his children and make himself a hero. Mondays subcommittee vote split on party lines. Sens. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and George Barker, D-Fairfax County, supported the restitution request. Sens. Bill Carrico, R-Grayson County, and Jill Holtzman Vogel, R-Fauquier County, voted no. Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, missed the meeting but said in an interview afterward that hes opposed to the request. The issue now advances to the full Senate Finance Committee, which has 10 Republican and five Democratic members. Sen. Scott Surovell, whos sponsoring the restitution bill, said he isnt optimistic about its chances at this point. But Surovell, D-Fairfax County, added the request can be brought back again next year and it would be his intent to resubmit it then. The full committee is expected to take up the bill Wednesday. The subcommittees vote was advisory, and the bill would have been heard by the full panel regardless of the outcome. Alicia Petska House bill allowing pre-Labor Day start passes Virginias Republican-controlled House has passed a measure that would allow schools to start before Labor Day. It now heads to the GOP-controlled Senate. The measure would remove the requirement that school start after Labor Day and allow local boards to set their own calendars. It would also require schools that choose to start early to close for the long Labor Day weekend. Being able to set their own calendars has been a priority for Roanoke-area and Western Virginia school divisions, which prefer to open before Labor Day and close by early June. The divisions have had to rely on a waiver thats dependent upon the number of days missed because of inclement weather in preceding school years. Several similar measures have been proposed in the past but have failed amid opposition from retailers and tourism groups that say allowing schools to start early would hurt businesses. Associated Press Reporters return to Senate floor Journalists returned to covering the Senate on the floor Monday after reporting from the gallery for about the first three weeks of the General Assembly session. The Senate has installed six chairs, each with a desk leaf, around the rostrum. Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam said the new chairs for reporters were a blast from his past as a schoolboy on the Eastern Shore: They look like they got that out of Onancock High School, said Northam, who presides over the Senate. After welcoming back a reporter, Northam warned him not to stick chewing gum under the desk. In past years reporters sat at two tables around the rostrum that could accommodate a total of eight reporters. 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. On Friday, Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment , R-James City County, announced the impending return of reporters , saying that senators and journalists had come to a good mutual resolution. Richmond Times-Dispatch RICHMOND The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down a bid by Republicans in Virginias congressional delegation to block implementation of the states new congressional map. The one-sentence order reads: The application for stay presented to the Chief Justice and by him referred to the Court is denied. The ruling means that Virginias new map, which transforms the districts of Reps. Robert Bobby Scott, D-Newport News (3rd District) and Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake (4th District), will remain in place unless congressional Republicans win on appeal to the high court. The Supreme Court has set argument for March 21 in Virginias congressional redistricting case. With Virginias congressional primaries set for June, Mondays ruling ratchets up pressure on Forbes, who must decide his next step. Forbes, who visited with legislators Monday at the state Capitol, must decide whether to seek re-election in his newly configured 4th District, which now includes Richmond and Petersburg, giving Democrats a much better chance to win the seat in November. Forbes also is contemplating a run in the 2nd District, based in Virginia Beach. Rep. Scott Rigell, a Republican, is not seeking re-election, and says he would welcome a run by Forbes in the 2nd. In March the high court will hear arguments in an appeal by Republicans in Virginias congressional delegation, challenging two rulings by a three-judge panel. The panel twice found that in 2012 state legislators unconstitutionally packed too many additional African-Americans into the majority-minority 3rd District, diluting their influence in adjacent districts. Presently, the 3rd District includes most of the majority-black precincts in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas. It covers all of the cities of Portsmouth and Petersburg, parts of the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, and Richmond, all of Charles City and Surry counties and parts of Henrico and Prince George counties. On Jan. 7, the three-judge panel imposed the new Virginia congressional map that centers Scotts district in Hampton Roads. The new map transforms the 4th District and makes lesser changes to the districts of three other Republicans, Reps. Dave Brat, R-7th, Robert Wittman, R-1st, and Rigell. A threshold issue for the Supreme Court is whether Republicans in Virginias congressional delegation have the standing to challenge the ruling by the three-judge panel, because none of them lives in the 3rd District. GOP lawyers argue that Forbes has a particularly strong argument because the new map transforms his district. The House is expected to give in to Democratic pressure Thursday and pass the Senate version of the Violence Against Women Act after failing to find a substitute that can garner the support of a majority of its members. The Senate passed its bill (S 47) earlier this month with broad bipartisan support. But it includes language unpalatable to many Republicans, including opening domestic violence protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender victims and allowing tribal authorities to try non-tribal offenders if they commit a crime on an Indian reservation. Republicans did not like that language, so they attempted to draft a version that could find support in the House. In the end, according to GOP sources, there was greater support in the House for the Senate-passed bill than the House-drafted text. You can expect the House consideration on VAWA to begin Thursday [morning] with the House language as an amendment to the Senate bill, said one House source familiar with the bill. By voice vote Tuesday, the Rules Committee advanced a measure (H Res 83) that would provide for such action. Rules Chairman Pete Sessions, R-Texas, hinted that the underlying Senate version would win out, in a somewhat cryptic exchange with ranking Democrat Louise M. Slaughter of New York. The Senate today passed by a wide margin legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, but the measure is expected to differ in crucial ways from a bill the House will consider next month. Todays strong bipartisan vote will give law enforcement agencies the tools they need to prosecute and convict the perpetrators of these heinous crimes, and will help victims get the protection and support they need, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said after the 68-31 vote on the bill. All the no votes came from Republicans. I urge my colleagues in the House to quickly approve the Senates bipartisan bill, Reid said. The House is working on its own version of the measure that is not expected to include provisions in the Senate version explicitly extending protections to Native Americans, illegal immigrants, and lesbian and transgender women. JUNIOR doctors will walk out on strike next week after failing to reach an agreement with the government about changes to their contracts. The British Medical Association (BMA) held its first strike last month which included all junior doctors, except those on call to provide emergency cover. It was due to hold a full walkout on Wednesday, February 10, but following talks with the government, junior doctors providing emergency cover will not be part of the action. A statement on the BMA website said: Despite the best efforts of our negotiating team, and hours of talks facilitated by Acas, we have not managed to reach agreement with NHS Employers and the Department of Health on the new junior doctors contract. As a result, the industrial action we planned for February 10 will be going ahead. However, rather than the planned full walkout, the action will mirror that of January 12. Junior doctors in England will be offering emergency care only for 24 hours from 8am on Wednesday, February 10 until Thursday, February 11 at 8am. Stellar Diamonds said it is considering relevant funding structures for the future commercial development of its 1.45 million carat Tongo Dyke-1 project in Sierra Leone as it awaits the approval of a mining license. The mining licence application was currently awaiting consideration by the Minerals Advisory Board. Company chief executive Karl Smithson said in a statement emailed to Rough & Polished that the move was meant to take advantage of the robust economics demonstrated in last years Preliminary Economic Assessment, which supports the development of an open pit and subsequent underground mine. This phased development model will not only create significant local employment opportunities but also support early cash flow generation and a long-term sustainable operation, he said. Stellar also said that two public disclosure meetings were held in January, one in the project district headquarters of Panguma and the other in Freetown. These public disclosure meetings form part of the process of the environmental licence application and provide company stakeholders with the opportunity to understand the potential impacts of the future mining operations and associated risk mitigation. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished Connecticut has allocated $17.5 million in state funding for the design, engineering and construction of a new rail yard on the Metro-North Railroad Danbury Branch Line in Norwalk. The funding comes under Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy "Let's Go CT!" initiative, which is making investments to upgrade and modernize the state's transportation system. Connecticut is home to the busiest commuter rail line in the country with about 40 million passenger trips annually and growing. Rail is increasingly becoming a popular method of transportation and the upgrades that we are making to the Danbury Branch Line will serve to accommodate the commuters and businesses who depend on this service for their day-to-day needs, Gov. Malloy said. We are making bold investments to modernize our transportation system and that includes our commuter rail network so that we can make it as safe, efficient and reliable as possible. The funding will be used to make several modifications and enhancements at the rail yard where the Danbury Branch Line connects with the main New Haven Line that will accommodate the replacement of the 119-year-old Walk Bridge. Various improvements, such as adding track sidings, signal work and electrification will be made at the southern end of the branch line and will promote train operational efficiencies, including room for train storage and passing of trains during the Walk Bridge replacement project, Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner James Redeker explained. At least 50 people have been killed in blasts near the Shia shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, south of the Syrian capital Damascus, according to media reports. The Islamic State group reportedly said it had carried out the attack. The attack happened as the government and opposition groups gathered in Geneva in a bid to start talks aimed at a political solution to the conflict. While both sides are in Geneva, the talks have yet to begin - the main opposition group says the Syrian government must first meet key humanitarian demands. The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged both sides to seize the opportunity to end the bloodshed. Meanwhile, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura has met with the delegation of the High Negotiations Committee at their hotel in Geneva following their arrival last night in Geneva, where UN-mediated intra-Syrian talks began Friday after days of delays. According to de Mistura's spokesperson, the envoy paid a courtesy visit to the HNC delegation and held a "short informal meeting [that was] useful in addressing issues relating to the intra-Syrian talks." Separately, the UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, paid a courtesy visit to the hotel of the delegation of the Syrian Government to discuss practical arrangements related to the next steps in the talks, according to the spokesperson. The Government delegation, headed by the Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, held a preparatory meeting with Mr. de Mistura on Friday at the opening of the talks. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday said that A Russian combat aircraft violated Turkish airspace on Friday, despite repeated warnings by the Turkish authorities. Previous incidents have shown how dangerous such behaviour is. Stoltenberg said, "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 Ally, Turkey. "Allies agreed in December to increase the presence of AWACS early warning aircraft over Turkey, as we continue to augment Turkey's air defences. This decision precedes yesterday's incident," Stoltenberg said. In Moscow on Saturday, Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov reportedly dismissed Turkey's accusations as "baseless propaganda," saying that there has not been a single violation of Turkish airspace by Russia air force planes in Syria. Turkish air force shot down the Russian jet in late November 2015 claiming it has violated Turkish airspace, whereas Moscow insisted the Su-24 stayed over Syria during its flight. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News More than half a million people have put their names to an online petition calling for Greek islanders on the frontline of Europe's migrant crisis to be awarded the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. In a similar move, noted academics from prestigious universities around the world have reportedly drafted their own submission ahead of a February 1 deadline for Nobel nominations, which has won support from European MPs, artists, politicians and the Greek media. Several prominent Greek figures also have sent a letter to the Nobel Committee, nominating a Greek pensioner and a fisherman for the award, along with Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon, the Athens News Agency reported. Emilia Kamvysis, 85, and Stratis Valiamos, 40, have become local celebrities for their volunteer work while Sarandon has been nominated for raising awareness about the migrant crisis through her visit to the island of Lesbos and volunteer work there. By Monday, the number of signatures on petition on the website of campaign group Avaaz had reached 597,697. The native populations of the Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea have done and are doing anything possible to help the displaced Syrian refugees, despite being subjected to a severe economic crisis for many years, says the petition which was created by Alkmini Papadaki, an architect from Crete. Their acts and sacrifices shall not go unnoticed, because they are significant contributors to world peace and stability, it says. Nikos Voutsis, president of the Greek parliament, has also backed the islanders' nomination. The citizens of the Aegean islands, and especially Lesbos, constitute an example for European civilisation, he said. According to the International Organization for Migration, over 800,000 migrants and refugees, mainly from war-torn Syria, Iraq and north African countries, arrived on Greece's shores in 2015. So far this year, a daily average of more than 1,900 people have landed on the Greek islands after making a perilous journey by sea from Turkey, UN figures show. More than half of them or over 31,000, have been registered in Lesbos. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News So-called peacekeeping troops from five African and Asian countries have been accused of sexually abusing children in the Central African Republic, the United Nations confirmed. A visibly upset Tony Banbury, the assistant secretary general in charge of field support, said that UN peacekeepers from Bangladesh, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are implicated. Separate allegations have also been charged against peacekeepers from French and Georgia. "I think it's hard to imagine the outrage that the people working for the United Nations and for the causes of peace and security feel when these kinds of allegations come to light. Particularly involving minors, it's so hard to understand" said Banbury, who was struggling to keep his emotions under check during a press conference. "We are all deeply ashamed and horrified over the damage that has been done when peacekeepers exploit and abuse vulnerable people," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had earlier said at a summit for African leaders in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com More Blogs We read on various international automotive sites that what we long feared has become true. Saab AB reaffirmed that NEVS will not be allowed to use the Saab name. We have revoked their right to use the brand name and there is no longer a discussion about NEVS using it Saab AB spokesman Sebastian Carlsson told Automotive News Europe. I contacted Mr Carlsson this morning and got the information as well. So when are the big SAAB signs taken down at the old manufacturing plant in Trollhattan? . 897 517 . Quick Links SACI Facebook : SACI Instagram: Statement on Diversity and Inclusion South African Chemical Institute The South African Chemical Institute is committed to diversity and inclusivity in chemical sciences. The Institute opposes discriminatory acts or threats based on race, ethnicity, citizenship, culture, language, disability, age, religious or spiritual beliefs, political opinion, gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation and economic class. The Institute is dedicated (i) to endorsing excellence and scientific credibility across chemical sciences conducted in academic, industrial, and governmental institutions, and (ii) to nurturing the values of diversity, inclusivity, and equity in the chemical sciences in South Africa. Hence, SACI will continue to play a leading role in assuring the professional competence and integrity of chemists and fostering international collaboration whilst upholding inclusivity and diversity. Statement on Sexual Harassment South African Chemical Institute The South African Chemical Institute will not permit any kind of sexual harassment (physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct) in the Institute or at events organised by or related to the Institute. The Institute is committed to and fully supports environments that are free of any form of unfair discrimination and harassment, including gender-based violence. Allegations of any form of sexual harassment will be dealt with seriously, expeditiously, sensitively and confidentially. Statement from SACI Council on tertiary training in chemistry as a result of disruptions to the 2020 academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the professional body representing the interests of all chemists in South Africa, we recognise the challenges that the current COVID-19 crisis presents to all our members in academia, research and industry. We also acknowledge the challenges the current situation presents to our tertiary institutions and specifically the challenges presented by moving to online teaching. We applaud the efforts of all our members who work at tertiary institutions who have adapted and innovated to ensure that we can continue as far as possible with our teaching and learning of chemistry even when on campus face-to-face contact is not possible. Our tertiary institutions play a critical role in not only training the next generation of chemists, but they are also tasked with the important responsibility of ensuring that many people from other professions and disciplines are trained in the fundamental principles of chemistry. We reaffirm our belief that this training is essential, as chemistry is one of the central sciences. Key to this training is the practical component and laboratory based skills development. While we accept that this critical component of our training is not possible under the current situation, we strongly urge that plans be put in place to preserve this component of training as part of the curriculum as far as possible. In some cases, virtual laboratory tools can facilitate learning, but we believe that in laboratory practical training particularly for senior level courses should be preserved. SACI strongly recommends that at least a critical minimum practical experience should form part of the plans to complete the 2020 academic year at our tertiary institutions. We believe that this is essential to preserve the validity and integrity of the academic training programmes in chemistry. Latest Updates: Pay your SACI membership fees with SnapScan SACI Ties, Scarfs and T-shirts Periodic table ties and ladies scarfs R130 each. Periodic table T Shirt Short sleeve R180, Long sleeve R200 Please contact head office to place orders. There is also a courier charge of R150 per order for delivery. WENDY ELLIOTT: Celebrating a flourishing daycare for half a century Theres a kind of anguish that only an employed parent with a baby will recognize. It was August when my first born was three months old that my boss told me he wanted to go on vacation. So, I had to come back to work. That was in the old days. 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 European Parliament Member Slams American Attack on Kunduz Hospital US ground forces and helicopters have committed similar acts before, as Wikileaks showed the world. Afzal Khan photo courtesy: Wikipedia (SALEM, Ore.) - MEP Raja Afzal Khan, British representative in the European parliament foreign relations committee, lambasted the American airstrike on Kunduz hospital that killed 42 people including more than a dozen staff members of Doctors Without Borders. The group has called the US attack a "War Crime". According to AWD News, Raja Afzal harshly criticized America and said the hospital's geographic position and information had been given to the Taliban, the US Army and its military forces long before, but it was still bombed. When the US military was informed that they were bombarding a hospital, the bombardment continued for thirty minutes. This is contrary to international law and humanitarian principles. Afzal also requested the formation of an independent fact-finding committee on this issue, saying that if this act of brutality is not condemned and studied, Americans will repeat such measures in the future. He also stressed that this is not the first time Americans have undertaken such barbaric acts. US ground forces and helicopters have committed similar acts before, as Wikileaks showed the world. Afzal also criticized the American dual policy on global issues, saying: "If we want peace we need to adhere to its principles." _________________________________________ SNc Channels: Search About Salem-News.com Jan-31-2016 23:09 TweetFollow @OregonNews Takfiri Ideology of KSA Threatens the Future of Kyrgyzstan Takfiri ideas would wreck the situation of the Central Asian region and engage Iran and Russia, who have been enjoying relative peace in this area. Flag of Kyrgyzstan courtesy: Britannica.com (SALEM, Ore.) - Salafism and Hizb ut-Tahrir, which both run by Saudi Arabia, are the most serious threat to Kyrgyzstan and the whole region of Central Asia. The Saudi regime has been able to institutionalize Salafism and radical thinking of Wahhabism in Central Asia by deploying Salafi preachers, establishing schools and constructing big mosques with large and heavy costs. More worrying is that most of Kyrgyz youth are influenced by this damaging trend. Salafist ideas are being promoted among the youth live in the cities and fluent in Russian as well as among Uighurs living in this country. The followers of these movements do not accept native religious scholars and religions and act upon fatwas of those sheikhs who are popular on internet in all countries. Charm of Salafist thought and Hizb ut-Tahrir in Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is hidden in their mutiny and protest behavior, because it can give answers to those questions, for example, the normal Kyrgyz preachers, do not interfere in political issues, are incapable of answering the questions. In recent years, Salafists are working secretly. For instance, unlike other native Muslims they do not wear white caps and offer their prayers in Hanafi style. Salafists sessions and lectures are held at the apartments as it is very hard to detect and control. Moreover the Salafists and Hizb ut-Tahrir have wide activities among the prisoners of Kyrgyzstan. Today Hizb ut-Tahrir has revised its working techniques and has adopted its strategy as per regional characteristics and emphasizing on the social initiatives they are entering at the same time their members in in government agencies, including the military. Many Kazakh Salafis have become hard Takfris and participating in terrorist attacks in Kazakhstan but their news is not published in the media. Western countries want to use the development of Takfiri ideas of Saudi Arabia in wrecking the situation of the Central Asian region and engaging Iran and Russia, who have been enjoying relative peace in this area, in war and strife. Source: According to "Religious Security in Kyrgyzstan" written by Emile Nasreddinev _________________________________________ Foreign-affairs | Human-rights | Military | Business | Most Commented on Articles for January 31, 2016 | Articles for February 1, 2016 SNc Channels: Search About Salem-News.com Jan-31-2016 23:32 TweetFollow @OregonNews Statement of Yemeni Anti-Intervention Political Parties' Coalition The statement is in regard to US Secretary of State's remarks on intervention in Yemen John Kerry Photo courtesy: pulse.ng (SALEM, Ore.) - The executive commission of the Yemeni anti-intervention political parties coalition follow with great interest the developments in the Yemeni political arena and its repercussions locally, regionally and internationally, including those remarks issued by the US Secretary of State John Kerry, during a meeting with his counterparts in Gulf countries in Riyadh. According to those remarks,the United States is the primary sponsor of the intervention, beyond any doubt, in Yemen. The Commission wrote, "We in the leadership of the Executive commission of the Yemeni anti-intervention political parties coalition condemn these statements", which establish the ability to "commit more crimes against the Yemeni people and represent a continuation of the systematic killing, destruction, displacement and disrupt the political track, which is sponsored by the United Nations." The Commission emphasized the following: First: The United States hold all the legal, humanitarian and ethical consequences as a result of those statements and the adoption of a formal participation in the intervention against our beloved Yemen. Second: We call upon the international institution (the United Nations) and all liberals of the world, individuals and groups, to sense their responsibilities toward the continuation of the intervention against Yemen and its repercussions at all levels. Third: We call on the Arabic and Islamic nations and governments that condemned the intervention on Yemen to understand the risk of what is practiced by the forces of US-led global arrogance for our nation, which became evident through Zio-American agendas in the region and the involvement of many of the regions countries in this hostile agendas that are against our values, principles and issues, most notably the Palestinian issue-. Fourth: We call on the great Yemeni people for more cohesion, unity and rally around our brave heroes in the army and security forces and the popular committees and the continuation of the diverse supports by men, money and food convoys which represents a continuation of our people stance that impeded and frustrated the criminal schemes that targeted our country continuously for a period of more than ten months of intervention. Fifth: We call on all anti-intervention political forces and components, revolutionary organizations, various media and users of social media by focusing on the importance of using the Saudi American intervention in Yemen term, in political speeches and media messages in line with the current stage and future stages of intervention. Source: Issued by the executive commission of the Yemeni anti-intervention political parties coalition, Sana'a, Sunday, January 24th, 2016 _________________________________________ Foreign-affairs | Human-rights | Military | Business | Most Commented on Articles for January 31, 2016 | Articles for February 1, 2016 Ex-officer was a churchgoer, family man. Police say he may be a serial rapist. Hi - this is Srinivasan Sampathkumar from Triplicane. I have a passion for Marine Insurance, Cricket and Temples especially - Sri Parthasarathi swami thirukKovil, Thiruvallikkeni. From Sept 2009, I am posting my thoughts in this blog; From July 2010, my postings on Temples & Tamil are on my other blog titled "Kairavini Karayinile " (www.tamil.sampspeak.in) Nothing gives the author more happiness than comments & feedbacks on posts ~ look forward to hearing your views ! Welcome! Well be in touch! By signing up to receive emails from Save the Children you will receive a subscription to our monthly eNews, access to breaking emergency alerts and opportunities to get involved. To ensure delivery of Save the Children emails to your inbox, add support@savechildren.org to your contact list. By providing my mobile phone number, I agree to receive recurring text messages from Save the Children (48188) and phone calls with opportunities to donate and ways to engage in our mission to support children around the world. Text STOP to opt-out, HELP for info. Message & data rates may apply. View our Privacy Policy at savethechildren.org/privacy. Erda, UT -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/01/2016 -- Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's "natural" or un-paid ("organic") search results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search, academic search, news search and industry-specific vertical search engines. As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content, HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic. Webmasters and content providers began optimizing sites for search engines in the mid-1990s, as the first search engines were cataloging the early Web. Initially, all webmasters needed to do was to submit the address of a page, or URL, to the various engines which would send a "spider" to "crawl" that page, extract links to other pages from it, and return information found on the page to be indexed. The process involves a search engine spider downloading a page and storing it on the search engine's own server, where a second program, known as an indexer, extracts various information about the page, such as the words it contains and where these are located, as well as any weight for specific words, and all links the page contains, which are then placed into a scheduler for crawling at a later date. Erda, UTAH G3 Development Online Media (Tumblr.com) News: Accredited Blog Content Creators and Creative Lab Announces New BING Indexing Tools By 2004, search engines had incorporated a wide range of undisclosed factors in their ranking algorithms to reduce the impact of link manipulation. In June 2007, The New York Times' Saul Hansell stated Google ranks sites using more than 200 different signals. The leading search engines, Google, Bing, and Yahoo, do not disclose the algorithms they use to rank pages. Some SEO practitioners have studied different approaches to search engine optimization, and have shared their personal opinions. Patents related to search engines can provide information to better understand search engines. In 2005, Google began personalizing search results for each user. Depending on their history of previous searches, Google crafted results for logged in users. In 2008, Bruce Clay said that "ranking is dead" because of personalized search. He opined that it would become meaningless to discuss how a website ranked, because its rank would potentially be different for each user and each search. In December 2009, Google announced it would be using the web search history of all its users in order to populate search results. Google Instant, real-time-search, was introduced in late 2010 in an attempt to make search results more timely and relevant. Historically site administrators have spent months or even years optimizing a website to increase search rankings. With the growth in popularity of social media sites and blogs the leading engines made changes to their algorithms to allow fresh content to rank quickly within the search results. In February 2011, Google announced the Panda update, which penalizes websites containing content duplicated from other websites and sources. Historically websites have copied content from one another and benefited in search engine rankings by engaging in this practice, however Google implemented a new system which punishes sites whose content is not unique. In April 2012, Google launched the Google Penguin update the goal of which was to penalize websites that used manipulative techniques to improve their rankings on the search engine. About G3 Development G3 Development is set out to proactively serve the business community by providing solutions in entrepreneurialism, business development, social media and venture capitalism. To provide leadership in establishing strength with our client's international businesses, being built on a foundation of innovation, advocacy, technology and business integrity. http://www.g3-development.co/ 877-229-9183 Deerfield Beach, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/01/2016 -- Wind turbine markets at $32.2 billion in 2011 are anticipated to reach $96.7 billion by 2018. Growth is expected to be worldwide and a result of vendor achievement of marked improvements in the technology. Wind markets for land based high wind areas are saturated. The ability to provide local land based systems in low wind areas and to implement offshore wind farms bodes well for market growth. Countries that invest in wind energy will achieve significant strategic advantage economically as wind energy represents efficient energy infrastructure delivery. Countries that do not invest in wind energy infrastructure will be left in the dust economically. Do Inquiry For Buying This Report : http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/utility-grade-wind-turbine-market-shares-strategies-and-2390#InquiryForBuying China is emerging as a significant user of wind energy. The leadership of China has a focus on local generation of electricity using wind and solar renewable sources. Chinese leadership is very concerned about the pollution brought by the fossil fuel power generations and is very concerned about the deleterious effect of air pollution on the grandchildren. Like people everywhere, these leaders are very attached to family and to their grandchildren. Japan is anticipated to start to replace its entire nuclear electricity generating capacity. That nuclear power generation capacity has been shut down completely and is unlikely to ever reopen. Floating wind generator systems represent a significant market opportunity for vendors. Wind systems are relatively quick to put in place and get operational. The aim of virtually every government in the world is to encourage low carbon energy generation technologies to take over. This strategy echoes with a core message from the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook 2011: Delaying action to reduce emissions is a 'false economy' - for every $1 of investment avoided in the power sector before 2020 an additional $4.3 would need to be spent after 2020 to compensate for the increased emissions. A single Vestas wind turbine generates 25 times more energy than it uses in its lifecycle. A single Vestas wind turbine emits only one percent of carbon dioxide when compared to a coal power plant. When producing solutions to harness wind energy a small negative impact on the environment is made. Vestas is committed to reducing this impact to the extent possible. China led the world in installing wind-power capacity in2011. It is very interesting that China is moving to implement local generation of renewable energy. This is a strategic move to use the wind energy where it is generated. The ability to use wind electricity where it is generated as much as possible appears to be the most cost efficient way to leverage renewable energy. Local generation of wind energy is the most efficient way to utilize the power. Wind energy is poised to be less expensive than any other type of energy generation, faster to implement, and easier to store. The ability to distribute it directly from substations leverages an in place infrastructure, supporting direct investment in energy generation rather than build out of expensive high energy transmission lines. Most electricity is used near urban centers that are not high wind areas, conducive to building wind farms with high power turbines. Localization of wind energy generation represents a way to get close to cities and population centers in a way that eliminates the need to build high power transmission lines. Localized wind energy can be transmitted to electrical substations and distributed to the users in an efficient manner. Local delivery of wind energy is a priority for the Chinese because they see it as a way to avoid the crushing costs of building high voltage transmission systems. Vestas China has received its first V100 turbine order. The order came from Datang Hubei Renewable Energy (Datang Renewable). The newest addition to the 2 MW platform in China took place in early 2011. The order represents an important step into the low wind regime in China, but also a step into the new geographical market of the Hubei province for Vestas. The 27 units of V100-1.8 MW turbines have a total capacity of 48.6 MW. They will be installed in the Long Ganhu wind farm in the Hubei province, a low-wind site with an average wind speed at 5 m/s. Compared to other wind power plants in China, the Long Ganhu site is situated close to one of the intensively energy consuming areas of Hubei province. This answers the call from the National Government of pursuing the development of "distributed" wind power in China. The successful application of Vestas' V100 at this wind site will set an example for distributed wind power at low-wind sites in other provinces, and the open-up in the Hubei province will bring new business opportunities for Vestas. The low-wind sites in China is a new market of huge potential, but a new market implies new challenges for wind power developers. A proven and reliable technical platform and well-recognized business partners are a plus. Datang Renewable's selection of Vestas for low-wind sites is the best recognition of long-term value in cooperation with a market leading vendor. The contract is of great significance; it helps open up a new market for Vestas, but also firms steps towards the exploitation of the dominant wind regime in China. Vendors have a significant presence in renewables-based energy generation technologies: hydro, solar thermal and photovoltaic and biomass. Vendors own cogeneration assets, producing hydrogen through wind power. Hydrogen is used in stationary fuel cells, creating electricity for campus environments that is stable 24 hours per day. In this case, hydrogen becomes an energy storage mechanism. According to Susan Eustis, lead author of the study, "wind energy market growth is inevitable. The requisite 100 successful trials have long since proved the viability of the technology, the turbines have elaborate systems engineering to ensure simplicity of design, and the costs provide wind generated energy at parity with fossil fuel generation. As storage systems evolve to mitigate the difficulties in intermittent supply of wind, wind energy will grow at a phenomenal rate. Storage will come from the manufacture of hydrogen to achieve campus fuel cell systems and from thin film batteries that provide 40,000 times the energy density of existing lead acid batteries. Breakthroughs in lithium will also provide better energy storage." Markets growing as fast as the wind energy markets have been growing have difficulties in the evolution of technology and manufacturing. Several vendors report difficulties in manufacturing. Vestas had significant difficulties meeting obligations and had to address manufacturing issues, but retained its brand recognition as a company offering a high quality unit. Sinovel was not so fortunate. Sinovel encountered macroeconomic cyclical fluctuations as well as delays to some project approvals which impacted sales revenues and also caused a relatively large increase in management costs. Management costs went up 78% to 288m yuan in 2011. Companies in China have come under further pressure this year after grid companies temporarily halted new connections amidst a review of turbine quality. Sinovel had some market setbacks. In addition to the fatal accidents, a short-circuit accident in February at a Jiuquan wind farm in Gansu seems emblematic of Sinovel's struggles. The mishap knocked 598 turbines, with a combined capacity of 840,000 kilowatts, off the grid. Fluctuating voltage during the incident threatened the entire region's power system, according to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. The commission called the incident "the gravest accident in China's wind power industry in recent years." Chinese wind-turbine prices have declined by around 20% for each of the past three years and sell for around half the price of a machine sold in Europe. Chinese wind turbine companies have come under further pressure this year after grid companies temporarily halted new connections amidst a review of turbine quality. GE encountered market difficulty of a different nature. Demand for wind energy in the U.S. dropped about 50 percent to 4,900 megawatts. The slump prompted Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE, which has the largest share of the U.S. market, to improve its design and attract customers in new low wind markets. Towers are taller, blades longer and lighter, and turbines more reliable. New designs target installation in low wind areas for local distribution of wind generated power. About Market Research Store Market Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. Market Research Store is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends. Contact US Joel John 3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138, Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442, USA USA Tel: +1-386-310-3803 GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651 Email: sales@marketresearchstore.com Web: http://www.marketresearchstore.com/ Blog: http://allglobalandchinareports.com/ Tortola, British Virgin Islands -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/01/2016 -- VESBOLT has announced December 2015 performance data for their newly launched high frequency trading hedge funds, as well as a strategic shift in their upper levels and a new hire. The company, which was established in 2014, offers a comprehensive and powerful system that efficiently infuses technology and leading-edge trading knowledge and experience. According to VESBOLT, their investment advisor, A&M Trading Capital AG, generated 8.68% profits on VESBOLT Hedge Fund in December 2015. The fund launched in November 2015 and has gained 9.38% in less than two months of trading. Unit prices have increased from 1,000.00 to 1,053.487 since launch. By combining the knowledge of their multi-disciplinary teams and leading-edge technological platform, VESBOLT looks forward to thriving throughout the New Year. VESBOLT has also announced a shift that is expected to produce exciting results in 2016 and beyond. Markus Menzl, Head of Trading, exited VESBOLT and A&M Trading Capital AG at the end of 2015, and Adrian Sporri, Chief Investment Officer of VESBOLT and CEO of A&M Trading Capital AG, will directly lead the trading team. The company has also announced a new team member. In January 2016, Valentin Schussler joined VESBOLT and A&M Trading Capital AG as a portfolio manager. He offers a background that includes foreign exchange and precious metals trading for the Swiss branch of Gelbergroup. VESBOLT looks forward to helping each of its clients navigate through successful hedge fund trading strategies for maximum results in 2016. More information can be found at https://www.VESBOLT.com/ About VESBOLT LTD. VESBOLT LTD. is a hedge funds group that thrives upon the highest levels of high frequency trading. VESBOLT is regulated by the Financial Services Commission of British Virgin Islands. A&M Trading Capital AG (investment advisor) is also authorized and regulated in Switzerland by the Swiss Financial Services Standards Association (VQF), supervised under the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). VESBOLT invest mainly in high-quality, short-term foreign exchange and money market instruments and currency forward contracts denominated in G10 currencies. VESBOLT offerings HFT investment opportunity through private fund. The firm offers a trading floor in Zurich, Switzerland. The VESBOLT investment fund falls under the custodianship of UBS, Switzerland. Contact: Terry Tan, Executive Director VESBOLT LTD. Phone: +65 6809 5231 Fax: +65 6809 5001 E-mail: info@VESBOLT.com Website: www.VESBOLT.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/VESBOLT Twitter: www.twitter.com/VESBOLT Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/VESBOLT Taking steps now to retain and regain the best minds in the Middle East will pay off when its time to rebuild. Brain drain from the Middle East and North Africa has escalated during the past five years, with waves of refugees escaping conflicts and political instability. Before the Arab spring, the Arab world accounted for about one third of graduates emigrating from developing countries. The number is now rising as difficult conditions force many more to find opportunities in the West, including thousands of research scholarships offered by developed countries.[1] Will countries mired in conflict continue to lose this treasure? Or will they strive to keep their graduates, so they can be prepared to rebuild when the time comes? SciDev.Nets Middle East and North Africa edition convened an online discussion around these questions on 27 December 2015, exploring strategies that countries could adopt to win back their best brains. Two panelists led the debate: Fatiha Sahnoun, a researcher at the Renewable Energy Development Center in Algeria, and Rafid Alaa Alkhazay, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, Iraq. In an opinion article published in the run-up, Alkhazay wrote about how a country like Iraq could work on reversing the brain drain that has so far lasted for more than a decade. And in another article, Sahnoun outlined many initiatives that Algeria is using to tap into expatriate researchers knowledge, and the obstacles these initiatives face despite a decade of political stability. The debate itself highlighted deficiencies in governance systems for higher education and research that drive highly qualified researchers away but it also identified conditions that should be created to get them back. Support to stay Many comments on social media during the debate were pessimistic. People feel that it is very hard to reverse the brain drain under the current conflict and insecurity. But other comments were more positive about actions that could at least reduce the number of highly educated researchers emigrating from the region. A message emerged from most of the views shared in the debate: that the priority now is to support highly qualified researchers to stay, instead of investing in strategies for gaining back those who have already gone. Alkhazay said the best way to retain the top brains is to secure political, economic and social stability. But in the meantime, adapting policies to link higher education with market needs can at least offer fair opportunities that encourage researchers to stay decent salaries that match their qualifications, for example. This could be particularly attractive while economic crises are restricting job opportunities in most developed countries. Governments where a government can be found should aim to secure the basic conditions that would be acceptable to local researchers, and so help them get through this difficult period. Bothina Osama, SciDev.Net One participant in the debate saw a partial solution in reconsidering the systems that govern scientific research. In most of the region's countries, researchers are hired as official employees whose performance is assessed with formal measures such as the time they arrive and leave the office, not by the amount and quality of the science they produce. Another comment flagged up the failure of many countries in the region to set science priorities. Priority setting is important for managing researchers work and securing effective links between science and industry which in turn provides attractive job opportunities for local researchers. But such reform may not be enough on its own, Sahnoun suggests. In Algeria, one of the few countries in the region that is trying to set priorities for scientific research, a law was finally passed in December 2015 to set up a governmental body responsible for gathering research priorities from the various departments of the state. But low oil prices in recent years have affected Algerias economy, restricting financial support for initiatives to reverse the countrys brain drain, even if priorities are identified. From drain to gain Planned migration between countries was also raised as a fair solution and a way to develop more scientific capacity in the region. It would enable governments to regulate a market for exchanging qualified candidates according to the participating countries' needs. Sahnoun was in favour of the idea, suggesting that such a move would enrich the pool of qualified candidates not only between countries in the region, but also between countries in the global south. Under such a scheme, researchers could move between countries according to priorities and needs, but also maintain direct links with their homeland. Migration would be manageable and well planned. Another message that emerged from the debate is that repatriating researchers is not the only way to turn a brain drain into a brain gain and make use of experiences gained abroad. One alternative, according to Sahnoun, is to establish effective networks that let expatriate researchers exchange experiences with local researchers. Collaborative research projects can be another way. Alkhazay pointed to the experience of Qatar and UAE, which both successfully encouraged networking with Arab expatriate scientists to improve the state of national science. They did this by inviting the scientists to help mentor local researchers and review ongoing projects for a few months every year, or by asking them to lead high-profile research institutes. The Middle East and North Africa region has been a conflict hot spot for a while now. No one knows when the situation will settle. But taking positive steps is essential if highly qualified researchers are to survive the difficult conditions, and even thrive. Governments where a government can be found should aim to secure the basic conditions that would be acceptable to local researchers, and so help them get through this difficult period. But if researchers choose to emigrate, then the way to avoid losing their talents is to keep them linked to their homeland and make good use of their experience. Bothina Osama is regional coordinator of SciDev.Nets Middle East and North Africa edition. South Africa-born social scientist Heide Hackmann took the reins of the International Council for Science (ICSU) in March last year. That was a turbulent time for the council: just months before Hackmann became its executive director, an external review flagged up governance problems and slammed the organisations lack of vision, which, it said, meant there was a serious risk that ICSU will wither on the vine and become irrelevant over the next few years. [1] In this interview, Hackmann tells SciDev.Net how ICSU is addressing these criticisms and explains the truth behind rumours of a merger between the organisation and the International Social Science Council, which she directed from 2007 until she moved to ICSU. What have you done to follow up on the report by the external review panel? What was very clear from the review is that, if you look at the international science landscape, theres a great deal of fragmentation. ICSU and the global network of science academies (IAP) for example have overlapping missions and memberships in many ways. We took the lead in launching a series of international meetings, known as Science International, that bring together the leadership of these bodies including ICSU, IAP, the International Social Science Council and the World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries. We had a launch meeting last month in South Africa and agreed to support an accord on open data. Science International is not a new organisation, but its creating a platform where international organisations can speak with a single voice. We can now engage for example with forums of governments and funding agencies. We can discuss the changes we need to make it possible for scientists to contribute to policy. Thats been an arena where wed been quite silent. What makes ICSU stand out from these other organisations? ICSU has a unique membership base, both in terms of global and in terms of combining national bodies and international scientific unions. We need to figure out how best to exploit that. We are entering a planning phase in 2016, to launch a strategic plan at the end of 2017. What will not change is that we exist to mobilise and integrate international research efforts around key global challenges. Since several of these organisations memberships overlap, have there been talks about possible mergers? There has been a rumour going around that ICSU and the International Social Science Council were coming together. We are currently looking at how both councils can develop closer institutional alignments. We will set up a joint working group to develop scenarios for how the two organisations could align themselves for activities and institutional support mechanisms. Those scenarios are wide open: you could imagine that one scenario could be an eventual merger, but its very important to say that this rumour that we were merging is premature. Some member organisations left or threatened to leave ICSU. What have you done to address their concerns? We are taking actions to draw on our membership much more in terms of launching new initiatives and having influence. For example, the open data accord (signed in Pretoria, South Africa, in December) is not something we just sign and move on from: were launching a campaign to engage our membership in follow-up actions. For example, we will urge scientific unions and associations to pick up issues and look at how they can influence national science policy [in these areas]. Another example would be our ICSU grants programme. We are essentially redesigning it to enable clusters of scientific unions to work together on longer-term, more visible initiatives rather than giving them many small grants that would fund individual workshops. Were trying to use the grants programme more effectively to put our members in the lead. Are you planning changes to ICSUs governance structure? The basic governance structure hasnt changed, but part of the challenge of becoming a truly global voice of science means that we might have to review some of our membership structures. For example, we need to develop a strategy to ensure that early-career scientists are well represented, and this year we will develop a gender policy. How about engaging with science in developing countries? This is one of our priorities, again in response to the external review. We need to understand what we want from our regional offices [in Malaysia, Mexico and South Africa]. We need to do more to strengthen our visibility and presence, and to secure access to international activities for research communities in low- and middle-income countries. Capacity-building has often focused on fellowships and individual grants which are extremely important but theres also a role for us [at a higher level], to develop strong science systems. For example, how do we influence governments in terms of investing in science? How will ICSU contribute to policy challenges in the coming years? We want to strengthen our role in securing scientific input in a number of big UN policy frameworks on climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, etc. ICSU has a leading role in coordinating the scientific and technological communities within the UN major group system. Weve got to work on climate change, poverty eradication, social conflict, etc. all at the same time because theyre all interconnected, huge, unprecedented issues. Some of the responses weve seen to these challenges are new methodologies called transdisciplinary research, co-design or coproduction of knowledge, where researchers from different disciplines and countries are getting involved. How do we build new partnerships between science, civil society organisations, industry and policy? Are these new approaches making a difference? Where does it leave space for basic research? I think the onus is on organisations like ICSU and its partners to understand what all this means for how we practice and support science. Q&As are edited for brevity and clarity. Findings by Adriana Romero determined that fungi in Alaska begin to adapt to high temperatures, speeding up their metabolism, growing and reproducing at a faster pace. Global warming is increasing with each day that passes and the poles begin to thaw. Several alternatives are raised but few talk about the harm caused by fungi (mold), which contribute to the production of greenhouse gases. As determined by a research conducted at the University of California by the Mexican Adriana Romero, which indicates that fungi from Alaska begin to adapt to high temperatures and contribute to global warming by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere. Master in Molecular Ecology from the University of Baja California, Adriana explained that fungi are responsible for destroying the organic matter such as leaves that fall from the trees, and feed nutrients to plants. "Because in Alaska most of the time it's cold, fungi are asleep and do not contribute to global warming, but with high temperatures (10-30 C), the organisms wake up and generate CO 2 ." The research is done growing mushrooms in tubes 30 centimeters long and exposing them to temperatures above 25 C. advertisement "We chose the orange mold as a model because it is a species that commonly grows in the area, plus all its physiology, life cycle, genes and what do they code for is known," said Romero, a native of Sonora, northern state of Mexico. When this mold grows there is a cell division that is interpreted as a new generation. In the experiment, by cultivating 15 tubes for eight months 1,500 generations were achieved, after that a physiological assay compared this tubes to fungi not exposed to high temperatures. The results determine that the fungus show a faster metabolism; it grows and reproduces more quickly, breathes more oxygen and exhales more carbon dioxide. With this information it is possible to extrapolate for the whole community of fungi in the planet. Romero's work is complemented by field studies in Alaska, where she observed in real time how climate change affects the community of forest mushrooms. "Fungi breathe as humans; they inhale oxygen and exhale CO 2 and although there are many of us, we are nothing compared with the amount of fungi," said the especialist. She explained that Alaska is the region with most fungi in the world because there are blocks of land called "stock" carbon, reservoirs of this chemical, which is frozen most of the year; however, summers begin to last more (up to five months), so this organisms are active more and more time during the year. Some scientific models determine that if fungi adapt to global warming, as Romero warns, they will not maintain a high metabolism for a long time, which means that there will be a peak contribution of CO 2 to the atmosphere, that later will drop and return to normal conditions; however, the climate damage will be irreversible. "Although there are things we cannot control such as metabolism, evolution and adaptation of fungi, we can make changes in our daily life that may contribute to curb global warming and avoid drastic changes in temperature," concluded the researcher. Companies advertise "BPA-free" as a safer version of plastic products ranging from water bottles to sippy cups to toys. Many manufacturers stopped used Bisphenol A to strengthen plastic after animal studies linked it to early puberty and a rise in breast and prostate cancers. Yet new UCLA research demonstrates that BPS (Bisphenol S), a common replacement for BPA, speeds up embryonic development and disrupts the reproductive system. Reported in the Feb. 1 edition of the journal Endocrinology, the animal study is the first to examine the effects of BPA and BPS on key brain cells and genes that control the growth and function of organs involved in reproduction. "Our study shows that making plastic products with BPA alternatives does not necessarily leave them safer," explained senior author Nancy Wayne, a reproductive endocrinologist and a professor of physiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Using a zebrafish model, Wayne and her colleagues found that exposure to low levels of BPA and BPS -- equivalent to the traces found in polluted river waters -- altered the animals' physiology at the embryonic stage in as quickly as 25 hours. "Egg hatching time accelerated, leading to the fish equivalent of premature birth," said Wayne, who is also UCLA's associate vice chancellor for research. "The embryos developed much faster than normal in the presence of BPA or BPS." The UCLA team, which included first author Wenhui Qiu, a visiting graduate student from Shanghai University, chose to conduct the study in zebrafish because their transparent embryos make it possible to "watch" cell growth as it occurs. advertisement Using fluorescent-green protein tags, the researchers tracked the fishes' development of reproductive endocrine brain cells, which control puberty and fertility. In a second finding, the team discovered that the number of endocrine neurons increased up to 40 percent, suggesting that BPA overstimulates the reproductive system. "Exposure to low levels of BPA had a significant impact on the embryos' development of brain cells that control reproduction, and the genes that control reproduction later in life," said Wayne. "We saw many of these same effects with BPS found in BPA-free products. BPS is not harmless." Wayne suspects that overstimulation of the neurons that regulate reproduction could lead to premature puberty and disruption of the reproductive system. Her lab plans to investigate this question in a future study. After uncovering her first finding about BPA in 2008, Wayne immediately discarded all of the plastic food containers in her home and replaced them with glass. She and her family purchase food and drinks packaged in glass whenever possible. "Our findings are frightening and important," emphasized Wayne. "Consider it the aquatic version of the canary in the coal mine." Finally, the researchers were surprised to find that both BPA and BPS acted partly through an estrogen system and partly through a thyroid hormone system to exert their effects. advertisement "Most people think of BPA as mimicking the effects of estrogen. But our work shows that it also mimics the actions of thyroid hormone," said Wayne. "Because of thyroid hormone's important influence on brain development during gestation, our work holds important implications for general embryonic and fetal development, including in humans." Researchers have proposed that endocrine-disrupting chemicals may be contributing to the U.S.' rise in premature human births and early onset of puberty over the past couple of decades. "Our data support that hypothesis," said Wayne. "If BPA is impacting a wide variety of animal species, then it's likely to be affecting human health. Our study is the latest to help show this with BPA and now with BPS." BPA can leach into food, particularly under heat, from the lining of cans and from consumer products such as water bottles, baby bottles, food-storage containers and plastic tableware. BPA can also be found in contact lenses, eyeglass lenses, compact discs, water-supply pipes, some cash register and ATM receipts, as well as in some dental sealants and composites. The U.S. and Europe were expected to manufacture more than 5 million tons of products containing the additives in 2015. Wayne's co-authors included Yali Zhao and Matthew Farajzadeh at UCLA, and Chenyuan Pan and Ming Yang at Shanghai University. The study was supported by grants from the UCLA Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the dean's office of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Qiu was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Program for Innovative Research Team in University, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, and China Scholarship Council. The native ferns that form a lush green understory in coastal redwood forests are well adapted to dry summers and periodic droughts, but California's current prolonged drought has taken a toll on them. A comprehensive study of water relations in native ferns, conducted during one of the worst droughts in California's recent history, shows that extreme conditions have tested the limits of drought tolerance in these plants. "We've seen permanent dieback in some patches," said Jarmila Pittermann, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz. Pittermann's lab is studying ferns in the redwood forest on the UCSC campus. Over a period of 15 months in 2013 and 2014, the researchers closely monitored ferns at their study site, focusing on two common species in the redwood forest understory: the western swordfern (Polystichum munitum) and the coastal woodfern (Dryopteris arguta). "These understory species are important in themselves, but also serve as indicators of how climate change may affect our redwood forests," Pittermann said. "Considering that these plants are adapted to persist through a typical summer dry season, the dieback emphasizes just how unprecedented this drought has been over the past three years." Her team collected data and samples at the study site every 10 days, including measurements of soil moisture, leaf temperature, hydration status of the plants, and how efficiently water moved through the fronds. They also conducted greenhouse experiments and laboratory tests. The results, published in New Phytologist, show that the fronds of these ferns can almost entirely lose the capacity to transport water by the end of the dry season, yet they can recover within 24 hours after a heavy rain. Despite this remarkable physiological resilience, however, an extended drought limits the plants' ability to photosynthesize and store energy. As a result, they may develop fewer new leaves in the spring and be more vulnerable to insects and diseases. Ferns and other vascular plants transport water from roots to leaves through a system of pipe-like conduits called xylem. When a plant starts to experience water stress, its first response is to close the pores in its leaves. This reduces water loss, but also blocks the uptake of carbon dioxide needed for photosynthesis. Under extreme water stress, the plant's hydraulic system starts to break down as air bubbles form in the xylem, causing "embolisms" that block water transport. "We found that during the worst part of the drought in 2013, these ferns had extensive embolisms that severely compromised the ability of the xylem to conduct water," Pittermann said. Although many plants would have a hard time recovering from this condition, the native ferns were able to recover quickly after heavy rains. Nevertheless, the extended periods of water stress during the drought greatly reduced their ability to conduct photosynthesis and perhaps their capacity to produce and store adequate levels of sugars and other carbon compounds in their underground rhizomes, Pittermann said. "These plants are not accumulating enough carbon to support new growth in the spring," she said. "The implications are that they may not make enough spores to reproduce, and they may be more vulnerable to pests." Pittermann and others have noticed an increase in infestations of thrips, tiny insects that feed on plant sap, affecting ferns during the drought. Other observers in Marin County have reported thrips infestations and dieback of ferns in that area's redwood forests, including popular tourist sites such as Muir Woods. The new study is the first of its kind in ferns or understory plants in general, and Pittermann has received funding from the Save the Redwoods League to conduct further research. The redwood forest ferns may be an important indicator of ecosystem change, she said, and continued drought could lead to a very different type of understory and might even threaten the redwoods themselves. "Redwoods are not deep-rooted trees, so an extended drought will eventually affect them too," she said. A geologist at the University of Exeter has developed a new and relatively inexpensive way to establish whether certain types of magmatic rocks are more likely to contain valuable metal deposits. In a study published in Nature Geoscience, Dr Ben Williamson, of the University's Camborne School of Mines, together with Dr Richard Herrington from the Natural History Museum, London, have proposed a new method to explore for porphyry-type copper deposits. These deposits provide around 75 per cent of the world's copper and a significant amount of molybdenum and gold which makes them extremely important to the world economy. The deposits, which originally form at several kilometres depth below Earth's surface, above large magma chambers, are relatively rare, particularly the largest deposits which are most economic to mine. In addition, most near-surface deposits have already been discovered. Any new method to locate deeper deposits is therefore of great interest to the mining industry. The project, funded by Anglo American, a major global mining company, compared the chemical compositions of minerals from magmatic rocks that host porphyry deposits against those which are barren. A case study was then undertaken of a major new porphyry discovery in Chile, to test their theory. Minerals from magmatic rocks which host porphyry deposits have distinctive chemical characteristics which can be used as one of a suite of indicators to home-in on porphyry deposits. Unravelling the causes of the distinctive chemical signatures has also brought new insights into the formation of porphyry copper deposits, and more generally the generation of the magmatic rocks from which they form, which are an important component of Earth's crust. The main finding in this regard is that the magma chamber below the porphyry undergoes discrete injections of water-rich melts or watery fluids which enhance the magma's ability to transfer copper and other metals upwards to form a porphyry copper deposit. Dr Ben Williamson, of the University of Exeter's Camborne School of Mines, said: "This new method will add to the range of tools available to exploration companies to discover new porphyry copper deposits. Our findings also provide important insights into why some magmas are more likely to produce porphyry copper deposits than others, and add to our understanding of how their parent magmatic rocks evolve." In 2010, a research team garnered attention when it published evidence of finding the first animals living in permanently anoxic conditions at the bottom of the sea. But a new study, led by scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), raises doubts. One alternative scenario is that cadavers of multicellular organisms were inhabited by bacteria capable of living in anoxic conditions, and these "bodysnatchers" made it seem that the dead animals were living, said Joan Bernhard, a geobiologist with WHOI and the lead author of the new study published in the December 2015 issue of the scientific journal BMC Biology. Bernhard and Virginia Edgcomb, her colleague at WHOI, led an expedition in 2011 that returned to the site of the initial findings: a deep hypersaline anoxic basin (or DHAB) two miles deep in the Mediterranean Sea. DHABs are curious phenomena. They exist in depressions on the seafloor, where long-buried salt deposits become exposed to seawater and dissolve into the sea. The hypersaline water is extremely dense and remains separated, like oil and water, from surrounding normal seawater. It forms "lakes" on the seafloor, tens to hundreds of meters deep, that are extremely salty and devoid of oxygen. "We have known for a long time that some metazoans inhabit extreme anoxic habitats on a periodic or even semi-permanent basis," Bernhard said. "But scientists have thought that metazoan's high-energy activities, such as reproduction, would require oxygen. If these loriciferans spend their whole lives and reproduce in a zero-oxygen environment, we would have to reconsider our concepts of animal metabolism. It was important to revisit the DHABs to confirm and understand those previous remarkable findings." In the 2010 study published in the same journal, researchers from Polytechnic University of Marche and the Natural History Museum of Denmark, led by Roberto Danovaro, analyzed samples collected from a Mediterranean DHAB called L'Atalante. They reported finding multicellular animals (or metazoans), including previously unknown species of a type of tiny animals called loriciferans. The contrast between conditions at the seafloor and at the surface makes it nearly impossible to recover live specimens, and so in the past, metazoan specimens collected from DHABs have been "interpreted as the result of a rain of cadavers that sunk to the anoxic zone from adjacent oxygenated areas," according to the Danovaro study. advertisement But the scientists conducted experiments with fluorescent tags, taken up only by metabolically active organisms, which gave indications that the loriciferans had been alive. In addition, a few loriciferans appeared to have reproductive structures called oocytes (or eggs), indicating that the organisms were reproducing. Intrigued by these findings, Bernhard and Edgcomb returned to L'Atalante and other nearby DHABs in 2011 to further investigate aboard the research vessel Atlantis. They collected sediment and water from the edges of three brine pools with different chemical compositions, using WHOI's remotely operated vehicle Jason to visually guide carefully targeted push-core samples. Samples were taken from points in the upper, middle, and lower levels of the layer of water immediately overlying the brine lake. This so-called "interface zone" is where normal seawater at the top transitions to the brine at the bottom, becoming more concentrated and anoxic the closer to the brine. The highly dense, saline, chemical-laden and oxygen-depleted water in all three pools was too dense for Jason to fully penetrate. Control samples from nearby sediment and water of normal oxygen and salinity were also collected. "It's very difficult to get these samples," Bernhard said. "We specifically targeted the interface zone, to have the best chance of finding living organisms." In some control samples, which were mud and water of normal oxygen levels, and also in some samples from the upper level of the interface zones, which have a low level of oxygen, Bernhard and colleagues found the same loriciferan species from L'Atalante reported by Danovaro and colleagues in the 2010 paper and formally named in a 2014 publication. Bernhard et al found the greatest number of metazoans were nematode worms, with much smaller numbers of bryozoans, crustaceans, and loriciferans, including the same three loriciferan genera Danovaro and colleagues reported. More metazoans were in the upper layer and far fewer in the middle and lower layers of the interface zone. The WHOI-led team used a combination of techniques (including incubation with a marker of living tissue, ribosomal RNA sequencing to identify species, epifluorescence imagery, differential interference and phase contrast imagery, and ultrastructural examination of individual specimens, and more) to examine the metazoans collected in the samples. advertisement The team's results provided evidence that some nematodes were alive in both the normal sediment and the upper level of the interface zones. But in the lower interface, with almost no oxygen, the metazoans seen were degraded or only their outer coverings, called cuticles. "We found no evidence that these metazoans were living or reproducing in the deepest part of the interface," Bernhard said. They argue that it is very unlikely that the same loriciferan species that they found in normal (control) sediment would also be physiologically able live in the two very different hypersaline, hyperdense, hyper-chemical brine pools where they were collected, because the range of conditions is too wide to adapt to. "The likelihood that they'd have the physiology to cope with all of that would be very low," Bernhard said. "One alternative scenario," the authors write, "is that remnant metazoa bodies were inhabited by [living] anaerobic bacteria and/or archaea," which they colloquially called "bodysnatchers." "The possibility of a viable metazoan community in brines of DHABs is not supported by our data at this time," the authors wrote in their new paper. "That earlier group's 2010 paper came out with such a splash," Bernhard said. "But based on our detailed observations, our paper offers a different perspective on the assertion that there are permanently anoxic metazoans. Maybe people will see our paper and think 'Maybe we don't have to rewrite the basic biology textbooks yet.' " Mothers who are obese during their pregnancy are almost twice as likely to have a child with autism than those who weigh less, according to a recent study. Now, new findings published in the journal Pediatrics also show that being obese and having diabetes during pregnancy can almost quadruple the risk. Statistics show that about one in 68 children have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "In terms of absolute risk, compared to common pediatric diseases such as obesity and asthma, the rate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the U.S. population is relatively low, however, the personal, family and societal impact of ASD is enormous," said senior study author Dr. Xiaobin Wang, a public health and pediatrics researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, in a news release. During the study, researchers analyzed data on close to 3,000 mother-child pairs followed at Boston Medical Center between 1998 and 2014. Findings showed that about 64 percent of the children were diagnosed with a development disorder while 102 kids were diagnosed with ASD, while 137 were found to have intellectual disabilities (ID). "Our research highlights that the risk for autism begins in utero," said co-author M. Daniele Fallin, Ph.D., chair of the Bloomberg School's Department of Mental Health and director of the Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. "It's important for us to now try to figure out what is it about the combination of obesity and diabetes that is potentially contributing to sub-optimal fetal health." Researchers believe that though the association between autism and maternal health still remains unclear, hormones, inflammation and nutrients that are linked to diabetes may increase the risk of the health issues that could influence the brain of the fetus. Related Articles Pregnancy: Excess Weight Before Increases Infant Mortality Risk For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN). The joint venture is expected to offer towage and related marine services within Guangzhou port with three tugs ranging from 5,200 horsepower to 6,800 horsepower. Signing an MOU with the intention of forming a joint venture is an important step towards providing advanced towage solutions at Guangzhou port. With out increasing business development focus on the large and fast growing towage markets like Asia, it is clearly a step in the right direction towards our strategic objective of profitable growth, said Kasper Friis Nilaus, chief commercial officer of Svitzer. Guangzhou port is the worlds fifth largest port with more than 100 vessel calls a day and a large towage market. In a statement Intertanko said: Captain Mangouras, now 81 years old, is outrageously branded a reckless criminal. Yet his actions were described as exemplary by the vessels flag state. The Spanish authorities refused to allow the Prestige into port after it was damaged in a storm and the vessel eventually split in two and sank 250 miles off the Spanish coast. The tanker owners representative body went on to call the verdict unjustifiable and fundamentally wrong. This sets a deplorable precedent, said Katharina Stanzel, md of Internanko. Are ships' masters who exercise best professional judgement in impossible circumstances to be shamefully treated as criminals? Meanwhile ship manager association Intermanager described the verdict as deplorable. Gerardo Borromeo, president of InterManager, said he was hugely disappointed by the court ruling and said it set a very worrying precedent as far as the role and responsibility for Masters in certain jurisdictions. Firms Collectively Paying More Than $150 Million to Settle Cases FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2016-16 The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Barclays Capital Inc. and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC have agreed to settle separate cases finding that they violated federal securities laws while operating alternative trading systems known as dark pools and Credit Suisses Light Pool. The New York Attorney Generals office is announcing parallel actions against the two firms. Barclays agreed to settle the charges by admitting wrongdoing and paying $35 million penalties to the SEC and the NYAG for a total of $70 million. Credit Suisse agreed to settle the charges by paying a $30 million penalty to the SEC, a $30 million penalty to the NYAG, and $24.3 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest to the SEC for a total of $84.3 million. These cases are the most recent in a series of strong SEC enforcement actions involving dark pools and other alternative trading systems, said SEC Chair Mary Jo White. The SEC will continue to shed light on dark pools to better protect investors. Dark pools have a significant role in todays equity marketplace, and the firms that run these venues must ensure that they do not make misstatements to subscribers about their material operations, said Andrew Ceresney, Director of the SECs Enforcement Division. These largest-ever penalties imposed in SEC cases involving two of the largest ATSs show that firms pay a steep price when they mislead subscribers. According to the SECs order instituting a settled administrative proceeding against Barclays: Barclays said that a feature called Liquidity Profiling would continuously police order flow in its LX dark pool and that the firm would run surveillance reports every week for toxic order flow. In fact, Barclays did not continuously police LX for predatory trading using the tools it said it would, and it also did not run weekly surveillance reports. Barclays did not adequately disclose that it sometimes overrode Liquidity Profiling by moving some subscribers from the most aggressive categories to the least aggressive. The result was that subscribers that elected to block trading against aggressive subscribers nonetheless continued to interact with them. Barclays at times misrepresented the type and number of market data feeds that it used to calculate the National Best Bid and Offer in LX. For example, Barclays represented that it utilize[d] direct feeds from exchanges to deter latency arbitrage when in fact Barclays used a combination of direct data feeds and other, slower feeds in the dark pool. Barclays misrepresented its efforts to police its dark pool, overrode its surveillance tool, and misled its subscribers about data feeds at the very time that data feeds were an intense topic of interest, said Robert Cohen, co-chief of the Market Abuse Unit. Investors deserve fair and equitable markets without this misbehavior. According to the SECs orders instituting settled administrative proceedings against Credit Suisse: Credit Suisse misrepresented that its Crossfinder dark pool used a feature called Alpha Scoring to characterize subscriber order flow monthly in an objective and transparent manner. In fact, Alpha Scoring included significant subjective elements, was not transparent, and did not categorize all subscribers on a monthly basis. Credit Suisse misrepresented that it would use Alpha Scoring to identify opportunistic traders and kick them out of its electronic communications network, Light Pool. In fact, Alpha scoring was not used for the first year that Light Pool was operational. Also, a subscriber who scored opportunistic could continue to trade using other system IDs, and direct subscribers were given the opportunity to resume trading. Credit Suisse accepted, ranked, and executed over 117 million illegal sub-penny orders in Crossfinder. Credit Suisse failed to treat subscriber order information confidentially and failed to disclose to all Crossfinder subscribers that their confidential order information was being transmitted out of the dark pool to other Credit Suisse systems. Credit Suisse failed to inform subscribers that the Credit Suisse order router systematically prioritized Crossfinder over other venues in certain stages of its dark-only routing process. Finally, CSSU also failed to disclose that it operated a technology called Crosslink that alerted two high frequency trading firms to the existence of orders that CSSU customers had submitted for execution. Two Credit Suisse ATSs failed to operate as advertised, and failed to comply with numerous regulatory requirements over a multi-year period, said Joseph Sansone, Co-Chief of the Market Abuse Unit. The Commissions action today sends a strong message that the agency will continue to scrutinize ATSs for compliance with the securities laws. The SECs order finds that Barclays violated Section 17(a)(2) of the Securities Act, Securities Exchange Act Section 15(c)(3), Rules 15c3-5(c)(1)(i) and 15c3-5(b) of the SECs Market Access Rule, and Rules 301(b)(2) and (10). The order requires Barclays to pay a $35 million penalty, to cease and desist from these violations, censures Barclays, and requires Barclays to engage a third-party consultant to review its marketing of LX, its Market Access Rule compliance, and its compliance with certain requirements of Regulation ATS. The SECs orders find that Credit Suisse violated Section 17(a)(2) of the Securities Act, Rules 301(b)(2), (5) and (10) of Regulation ATS, and Rules 602(b) and 612 of Regulation NMS. The orders require Credit Suisse to cease and desist from these violations, censure Credit Suisse, and require Credit Suisse to pay $30 million in total penalties, disgorgement of $20,675,510.52, and prejudgment interest of $3,639,643.39. Credit Suisse consented to the SECs orders without admitting or denying the findings. The SECs investigation of Barclays was conducted by Jason Burt, Charu Chandrasekhar, John Marino, Mandy Sturmfelz, and Jay Scoggins of the SEC Enforcement Divisions Market Abuse Unit, and trial attorneys Stephan Schlegelmilch and James Smith, with assistance from Ilan Felix in the New York Regional Offices examination program. The case was supervised by Mr. Cohen and Mr. Sansone. The SECs investigations of Credit Suisse were conducted by Thomas P. Smith Jr. and Nancy A. Brown of the New York office along with Simona Suh, Charles D. Riely, Mandy B. Sturmfelz, and Mathew Wong, Dee OHair, Darren Boerner, and Kathryn Pyszka of the Market Abuse Unit and Jonathan Polish of the Chicago Regional Office. The case was supervised by Mr. Cohen, Mr. Sansone, and Timothy Warren of the Chicago office. The SEC examiners who conducted an examination that led to the investigation were Simone Celio, Michael McAuliffe, Sean OBrien, Richard Heaphy, and Mr. Felix. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the NYAG. Press Release February 1, 2016 Sen. Marcos urges DA to prop sagging agri sector further hit by SC ruling on Bt "Talong" Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos today urged the Department of Agriculture to ready a rescue plan for nearly half a million farmers and other related industries that will be adversely affected by the recent Supreme Court decision scrapping the field testing of Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) eggplant. Marcos said the DA must roll out a comprehensive program to help affected farmers which should include providing them with "alternative crops, free seeds, affordable loan packages, and extensive support by technical experts to enable them to make the switch as early as possible." "The SC ruling on Bt talong further aggravates the condition of the country's already sagging agriculture sector, but we must abide by it. While we can expect efforts to seek its reversal, the long and the short of is that many farmers are going to suffer and the DA must help them immediately," said Marcos. The SC ruling on eggplant genetically-engineered to resist pests also struck down DA's Administrative Order No. 8, series of 2002 that spelled out the government's policy on biosafety and genetically-modified organisms (GMO). It likewise stopped applications for field testing, contained use, propagation and importation of genetically modified organisms, pending the promulgation of a new administrative order. Agri-science students had warned that the decision will also affect the some 415,000 farmers in the country's P90-billion corn industry, involved in the production of Bt corn planted in at least 831,000 hectares of farms. They also warned that livestock and poultry industry will also suffer a hit as they rely mostly on imported feeds normally containing GMOs such as corn and soybeans. Likewise the ruling will impact on farmers involved in the production of 75 biotech crops and products currently approved for direct use as food, feed and for processing in the Philippines that include alfalfa, canola, cotton, potato, rice, soybean, and sugar beet. In his home province of Ilocos Norte which depends heavily on agriculture, Marcos said he had been swamped with concerns about the SC ruling. "We are worried over this development which is why until the SC ruling is reversed, the DA should be laying out an alternative program to reverse its adverse effects on our farmers and food security," he said. Marcos has been advocating for increased government support to the agriculture sector where 70 percent of the country's poor belong. To help our farmers, Marcos said the government must pursue business-driven infrastructure programs to improve road networks and transportation system, ensure a reliable and cheaper supply of electricity, and upgrade the country's irrigation systems. Press Release February 1, 2016 Villar provides assistance to kin of executed OFW The family of executed overseas Filipino worker Joselito Zapanta is one of the recipients of livelihood assistance from Sen. Cynthia Villar and the Villar SIPAG (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance). On Monday, Zapanta's parents, Jesus and Mona Zapanta, went to the Senate to receive the sari-sari store starter package from Villar. "It is a sad reality that many of our OFWs experience misfortune abroad. When subjected to abuse, there are those who chose to suffer in silence. Some OFWs chose to fight back and ended up in jail," Villar said. "We hope this livelihood assistance will go a long way in helping the family cope with the loss of their breadwinner," the senator added. Zapanta, 35, was executed in Saudi Arabia last December 29, 2015 for the murder of his Sudanese landlord, Imam Salah Ibrahim, over a rental dispute. After he was sentenced to death by the Riyadh Grand Court in April 2010, Zapanta's family and the Philippine government tried to raise P43 million as blood money to save Zapanta from execution. Villar also expressed hope that Joselito's fate may serve as a reminder to OFWs that foreign lands have harsher penalties for crimes and to always obey the laws of their host countries. Also granted with the livelihood assistance is OFW Susan Asis, 44 years old from Taguig. Asis was repatriated after suffering physical abuse from her employer in Saudi Arabia. She was denied food and was locked up in her quarters. Asis is married to a tricycle driver with six children. Frelyn Aboy, 32 years old, from Negros Oriental also received livelihood assistance from Villar. The single parent of a sickly 3-year-old daughter was deployed on Sept. 20, 2015 to Saudi Arabia. She was regularly beaten, was denied her salary, accused of theft and was also raped. She was stranded at the Social Welfare facility in Jawazat and reported to have attempted to commit suicide because of hopelessness. Aside from the sari-sari store package, Aboy was also referred to Las Pinas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center for proper medical intervention. Rhodel Jayson Barrera, Jr., 43 years old from Dipolog City also received assistance from Villar. Married with two children, Barrera worked as an encoder/clerk in Al Khobar, KSA but went home last May 2015 because of diabetes. Upon his arrival in the country, Barrera sought medical check-up, diagnosis and operation at the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center in Manila last June 9, 2015. He was prescribed with expensive medications that unfortunately drained his savings abroad and made him penniless. Barrera was awarded with three months' supply of Gliclazide Oral Hypoglycemic from Dr. Rosary Ann Oca of Las Pinas City Health Office and financial assistance from Senators Manny and Cynthia Villar for him to be able to go home to his family in the province. Press Release February 1, 2016 Villar to DFA: Where is P23 million blood money for Joselito Zapanta? Sen. Cynthia Villar today said she will file a resolution seeking an inquiry into the status of the reported P23-million blood money which was raised to save the life of overseas Filipino worker Joselito Zapanta. "As one of those who contributed to the blood money for Joselito, along with countless OFWs and sympathizers, I want to know where is the money now and how will it be used," Villar said. Villar made this statement during her meeting with Jesus and Mona Zapanta, parents of Joselito, the OFW who was executed in Saudi Arabia for robbery and murder last December 29, 2015. The couple received a sari-sari store starter package as livelihood assistance from Villar. "It is also important to come up with a policy to direct the utilization of money intended for blood money but was not used," Villar pointed out. Villar said a portion of the money should go to the two children of Zapanta, Maria Izil and Jomar, to fund their education. Villar also proposed to use part of the amount as seed money for a special fund where blood money could be sourced to help OFWs in death row. "In the next deliberation of the General Appropriations Act, maybe we can study the need to put up a fund to assist OFWs languishing in jail aside from the P100 million Legal Assistance Fund and the P450 million Repatriation Fund," Villar said. Only P23 million was reported to have been raised from the P48 million blood money set by the Riyadh court for the family of the slain Sudanese national. Toots Ople of the Ople Center, said the Senate inquiry should include the five other cases of OFWs who are raising funds for blood money in exchange of the death sentence. Aside from the parents of Zapanta, three other repatriated OFWs received assistance from Villar. Susan Asis, 44 of Taguig, was repatriated after suffering physical abuse from her employer in Saudi Arabia. She was denied food and was locked up in her quarters. Asis is married to a tricycle driver with six children. Frelyn Aboy, 32 years old, from Negros Oriental also received livelihood assistance from Villar. The single parent of a sickly 3-year-old daughter was deployed on Sept. 20, 2015 to Saudi Arabia. She was regularly beaten, was denied her salary, accused of theft and was also raped. She was stranded at the Social Welfare facility in Jawazat and reported to have attempted to commit suicide because of hopelessness. Aside from the sari-sari store package, Aboy was also referred to Las Pinas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center for proper medical intervention. Rhodel Jayson Barrera, Jr., 43 years old from Dipolog City also received assistance from Villar. He worked as an encoder/clerk in Al Khobar, KSA but went home last May 2015 because of diabetes. He was awarded with three months' supply of Gliclazide Oral Hypoglycemic and financial assistance. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Pacific Gas and Electric Co. says it has lost 12 years of gas-line repair records for part of the Bay Area the largest such gap to emerge since the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion was blamed on incomplete and inaccurate documentation. In testimony before a regulatory judge at a recent California Public Utilities Commission hearing, PG&E executives admitted that no one can find original paper records of gas-pipeline repairs made from 1979 to 1991 in the companys De Anza division. That division includes Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Sunnyvale, Campbell, Cupertino and Monte Sereno. The missing records constitute a central issue as the judge considers whether to fine PG&E for documentation problems on its network of gas distribution lines. Federal and state rules require utilities to maintain original records for the life of a pipeline. Company officials say their gas system is safe, and they stressed at the hearing that no accidents could be definitively tied to a lack of original records in the De Anza division. However, an internal PG&E investigation of a July 2013 incident in Mountain View in which workers damaged a gas line concluded that the missing De Anza records were a likely factor. In fact, PG&E made the discovery that its paperwork was missing during its investigation of that incident. The company probe found that a welding crew melted a plastic pipe that had been inserted inside a steel line, a repair that hadnt been noted on PG&Es computerized maps which were supposed to be compiled in part from the original paper records. The leak forced evacuations and took five hours to plug, but no one was injured. In his September 2013 review of the incident, PG&E senior gas engineer Alan Wong noted that the original records from that earlier repair were missing, along with the rest of the De Anza division documentation from 1979 to 1991. Wong urged, First course of action is to locate these missing records or determine they cant be found. Regulators, workers in dark PG&E did not alert state regulators about the gap, however, even after the Public Utilities Commission pressed executives on whether they had done a root cause probe of the incident. The company also did not notify its workers about the problem or even perform Wongs recommended search until 11 days after a March 3, 2014, gas explosion leveled a cottage in Carmel a blast also linked to incomplete pipeline records. Three months later, in June 2014, Wong wrote a follow-up report in which he quoted a De Anza division engineer, Peter Bigley, as saying, I have asked employees (mappers, construction, etc.) about these records, and it was known these records were missing for a few years. Neither Bigley nor Wong addressed whether the employees had called PG&E supervisors attention to the problem. San Bruno issue The Public Utilities Commission inquiry is focused on PG&Es distribution pipes, which snake through neighborhoods, delivering gas to homes and businesses. They are smaller than transmission pipelines such as the one that exploded in San Bruno in 2010, killing eight people. That disaster happened when a flawed pipeline weld which did not show up on PG&E records and had never been tested ruptured. As in the Mountain View incident, workers in Carmel were using an electronic system map that didnt reflect that a plastic pipe had been inserted inside a steel one during earlier repairs. The workers in Carmel damaged the plastic insert, causing a blast that leveled an unoccupied cottage and damaged three other homes. No one was injured. Utilities commission staffers are pressing for a large fine against PG&E for the Carmel blast, saying the company did little about the issues raised by its missing De Anza records until after the explosion. A month after the blast, PG&E admitted it had violated record-keeping rules in connection with the Mountain View case. Part of the current case is to determine what fines the company should face for that violation. PG&Es vice president of gas distribution and transmission, John Higgins, acknowledged at the recent state hearing that the company could have done more to respond to the records gap. Instead, he admitted, company officials deemed the Mountain View incident isolated and ordered no new protocols to prevent a recurrence. Putting faith in maps Maribeth Bushey, the administrative law judge who is considering whether to fine PG&E for the Carmel and Mountain View failures, asked at the hearing why the California Public Utilities Commission should be confident and the public should be confident that all of the information necessary to properly and safely operate in that area (the De Anza division) is available to PG&E. Roland Trevino, an executive in PG&Es gas division, replied that data from the missing paper records on pipeline repairs were probably contained in computer documents and on PG&Es electronic maps despite the apparent failure to transfer the original repair information in Mountain View. Provided that the procedures were followed, which I have to assume they were, we have captured the information ... and put them on the maps, Trevino said. Chance of error However, PG&Es vice president for gas pipeline integrity management, Sumeet Singh, acknowledged during the same hearing that errors can be introduced and information can be dropped when records are transferred from paper to computers. Any time you have a manual process or people involved in a process, Singh said, there are potential opportunities for error. Singh would not make any link between missing records and the Mountain View leak. He also said that since the leak happened, were not seeing the gross types of issues from data transferred inaccurately or incompletely to computer records. Ed Moldavsky, an attorney arguing the utilities commission staffs case against PG&E, told Judge Bushey that executives response to the Mountain View incident in the months before the Carmel blast showed that the company had not learned from experience. In order to protect public safety, PG&E must be held accountable for its practices, Moldavsky said. We do our best Asked by an attorney for Carmel whether the company had been operating safely at the time of the blast in that city, Singh replied, I believe we do our best to operate a safe system every single day. When pressed further about whether that was true even that day in Carmel, he said, Yes. PG&E believes that. PG&E argued that it should not be fined for the Carmel or Mountain View incidents because it has put in place industry-leading practices with the aspirational goal of attaining perfect records. Attorneys for Carmel countered that PG&E has yet to learn any lesson from either incident. This case is really about the fact that PG&E didn't know what is in the ground, which caused a dangerous explosion, the attorneys told the regulatory judge in their written closing argument. PG&Es records, or lack thereof, are a mess. PG&E's violations of the law had dangerous and life-threatening consequences. Jaxon Van Derbeken is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jvanderbeken This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The U.S. Department of Justice will conduct a comprehensive review of the San Francisco Police Department in the wake of the Dec. 2 killing of Mario Woods by officers in the Bayview neighborhood, federal officials said late Sunday. The review by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services will be announced Monday in San Francisco by agency officials as well as San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Police Chief Greg Suhr. The agency, headed by former East Palo Alto Police Chief Ronald Davis, collaborates with local police forces to build stronger relationships with communities, and Suhr had requested such a review. Woods family and the American Civil Liberties Union had asked for an additional federal intervention an investigation of San Francisco police by the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division, which enforces federal antidiscrimination laws and can force reforms. The Obama administration opened such civil rights probes in cities including Chicago, Cleveland and Ferguson, Mo., in many cases finding patterns of excessive force and racial bias. Attorney John Burris, who represents Woods family, said late Sunday that he strongly supports the Department of Justice review. This can be the first step in healing the division between the minority communities and the Police Department, Burris said. Of course, the investigation should be without limitations and should allow for a wide open investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting and the policies, procedures and training, and let the chips fall where they may. The killing of Woods, 26, sparked widespread outrage after video footage of his death emerged. Suhr said Woods was allegedly still armed with a knife he had used in an earlier stabbing, and that the five officers who fired on him had no choice but to use lethal force after attempts to disarm him with beanbag rounds and pepper spray were unsuccessful. Critics said the video of Woods last moments ran counter to the police account, showing him struggling to walk with his arms at his sides and posing little threat to the officers surrounding him. The shooting sparked calls for reform, with the citys Police Commission setting a Wednesday deadline for officials to come up with a draft proposal for a new use-of-force policy that may include giving officers Taser stun guns. Suhr and Commission President Suzy Loftus traveled to Washington, D.C., to learn more about research into handling encounters with suspects carrying edged weapons. Suhr said he instructed the department to change firearms training to put more of an emphasis on de-escalation, and outfitted some patrol cars with riot shields. The department also issued a bulletin requiring officers to file a use-of-force report whenever they point their gun at a person. Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo Public school nurses and social workers in San Francisco would be allowed to hand out condoms to individual middle school students under a proposal before the districts school board, expanding school-based access to the contraceptive to younger teens and preteens. High school students can already get free condoms in city schools. The new proposal would also take away their parents ability to opt out of the program. Giving middle school staff the ability to hand out condoms is critical, district officials said Monday, given that at least 5 percent of students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades have had sexual intercourse, according to student surveys conducted by the district. More than a quarter of high school students report having had sex. The proposal by Superintendent Richard Carranza would authorize condom distribution in conjunction with a session with a school nurse or social worker to identify risk factors and provide referrals or resources as necessary. The one-on-one session would also include information about condom use, risks and effectiveness. Students would be advised that abstinence is the only 100 percent effective method of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, according to the proposed policy. Critics of such programs worry that providing condoms could encourage sexual activity, but district officials said that is not the case. The only thing we are encouraging is that students make heathy decisions, said school board President Matt Haney. There is no research that (shows) providing condoms in schools increases sexual activity. Weve had condoms in high schools since 1990, yet surveys show sexual activity among S.F. high school students is about half the national average. Student participation would be voluntary. High school and middle school parents would be advised of the existence of the program, but would not be able to exclude their child from it. Currently, parents have the opt-out option in high schools. The proposal notes that there are no laws limiting the distribution of condoms to minors. The San Francisco Department of Public Health has endorsed the proposal, which will likely head to the school board for a final vote later this month. As the (sexually transmitted disease) controller in San Francisco, I know all too well that San Francisco has among the highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis of any city in the United States, said Dr. Susan Philip, the departments deputy health officer and director, in her letter of support. Condoms are highly effective prevention against STDs, HIV and unwanted pregnancy. Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate While out-of-town visitors attending Super Bowl 50 may be focusing on downtown San Francisco for their dining, drinking and celebrating needs, savvy San Franciscans know that the best way to avoid the overwhelming crowds is to head west. To that end, members of the Food + Home staff have put together a list of 20 of our favorite spots to eat and drink in the Sunset and Richmond districts. From breakfast and lunch to dinner and drinks, we've got you covered. This is not, by any means a comprehensive list, so let us know in the comments below: what are some of your favorite spots in these neighborhoods to get away from the downtown hustle and bustle? Andytown Coffee Roasters: This slip of a corner coffee house in the Outer Sunset is owned by Michael McCrory and Lauren Crabbe. The coffee drinks are great, particularly the Snowy Plover iced coffee, but the baked goods are really where it's at, including the Irish soda farl a type of soda bread cooked stovetop in a cast iron skillet. (McCrory originally hails from Belfast and it's based on his grandmother's recipe.) andytownsf.com -Sarah Fritsche Devil's Teeth Baking Co.: On Saturday mornings, the sidewalks out front of this bakery are teeming with dogs, surfers and children. At least one of those three classes of diners are waiting for breakfast sandwiches and beignets, but the lemon bar's reliably excellent, too. devilsteethbakingcompany.com -Jonathan Kauffman Marla Bakery: This Outer Richmond bakery is perfect for grabbing freshly-baked breads and pastries for breakfast or an afternoon snack, but their Sunday Suppers, featuring special guest chefs in the kitchen are a great option for a quiet dinner out. marlabakery.com -Sarah Fritsche Art's Cafe: There will be a line at this sliver of a diner. Wait in it anyway, because the hash brown sandwich you're about to have cheese and sausage griddled between crisp potato shreddings is worth it, as is the view of the husband-and-wife team who have made the short-order cooking into an art over the past 20 years. artscafesf.com -Anna Roth Old Mandarin Islamic: The windows at this tiny Northern Chinese restaurant are perpetually steamed, thanks to the number of lamb hot pots simmering away at the tables. Its menu is strewn with great dishes fish warm pots with pickled cabbage, beef pancake, braised lamb shank though taking a veteran customer might help. -Jonathan Kauffman Hong Kong Lounge 2: Diners love Hong Kong Lounge not only because the dim sum rivals that of the popular Yank Sing across town, but because there are items on the menu that can't be found elsewhere, like the pork ribs in candy plum sauce and the sweet, almost Dutch crunch-like baked pork buns. Come for dim sum or dinner. hongkonglounge2.com -Amanda Gold Manna: I'm still working my way through the bubbling tofu and other Korean soups at this Irving spot (which, along with Yummy Yummy's pho, is my go-to on the neighborhood's foggiest days). Good kalbi, bibimbap and banchan as well. -Anna Roth House of Pancakes: I love the beef-filled and green onion pancakes with layers of flaky pastry, as well as their hand-pulled noodle soups. -Anna Roth Burma Superstar: People spill out the door for a taste of this Burmese cuisine, in particular the tea leaf salad and various curries. burmasuperstar.com -Amanda Gold Ebisu: There's usually a wait for this sushi place on Ninth, but I like to slip in early when I've got a craving and splurge on the $20 chirashi bowl, which is always fresh and comes with miso soup. ebisusushi.com -Anna Roth Sub Center: This West Portal sandwich shop is a favorite of locals for its toasty subs, friendly staff, and no-nonsense decor, filled with 49ers and Giants memorabilia. It feels like San Francisco in here. submarinecenter.com - Paolo Lucchesi Kingdom of Dumpling: Not to be confused with that other dumpling kingdom across the park, this Taraval spot offers good XLB but is known for its Northern-style shuijiao dumplings, which have thicker wrappers and heartier fillings like lamb and beef tendon. They also sell bags of 'em that you can take home and put in your freezer until you need your next fix. kingofchinesedumpling.com/english -Anna Roth Tommy's Mexican Restaurant: This classic Mexican joint has been a neighborhood staple for decades, and for good reason. The homey Mexican-American fare and Julio Bermejo's (son of founders Tommy and Elmy Bermejo) outstanding collection of over 300 different kinds of 100% agave tequila, which make, perhaps, the best margaritas in town. tommysmexican.com -Sarah Fritsche Aziza: The excellent Mourad restaurant is closer to Super Bowl City mania, but chef/owner Mourad Lahlou's original and slightly more low-key Moroccan spot, Aziza, is safely tucked away in the Richmond. Expect creative, flavorful fare like duck confit basteeya and couscous with harissa. aziza-sf.com -Jonathan Kauffman Pizzetta 211: With just four tables inside and three on the sidewalk, waits are often lengthy. But stick it out, and not just for the pizza. Pizzetta lists a couple of daily specials anything from grain and vegetable salads to spiced lentil soup that are worth the visit alone. pizzetta211.com -Amanda Gold Sunset Reservoir Brewing: This nearly a year old family-friendly brewpub in the Outer Sunset is the creation of Devil's Teeth Bakery owner Hilary Cherniss. There are over a half-dozen house-brewed beers on tap, plus brew friendly noshes. sunsetbeersf.com -Sarah Fritsche Wako Sushi: Tomoharu Nakamura's tiny, under-the-radar neighborhood sushi joint on Clement Street is not so under-the-radar now, having received a Michelin star for 2016. sushiwakosf.com -Sarah Fritsche Sunrise Deli: The original location of this Middle Eastern deli still makes the best falafel in town, which customers will order by the dozen, stuff into a pitz, or bracket with creamy hummus, lemony tabbouleh and pickles. sunrisedeli.net -Jonathan Kauffman Toyose: Built into a garage, this Korean late-night restaurant is bathed in ambient soju fumes and laughter. The glossy chicken wings are famous, and most diners supplement them with massive stews and seafood pancakes. -Jonathan Kauffman Tia Margarita: Another old school Mexican haunt in the Richmond is Tia Margarita, but skip the dining room and head straight to the horseshoe-shaped bar for a freshly made margarita. tiamargaritasf.com -Sarah Fritsche Nick K. Geranios/Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. Lawyers for the leader of the armed occupation at a national wildlife preserve in Oregon have appealed a judges decision to keep him in jail, while four holdouts remain holed up in the frozen high desert Monday, nearly a month after the standoff began. Group leader Ammon Bundy should be released with a GPS monitoring device and orders that the Idaho resident not leave the state except for court appearances, his lawyers, Mike Arnold and Lissa Casey, said in documents filed Sunday. 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 last 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 convince 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. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko BLACKSBURG, Va. Two Virginia Tech students who had bright futures appeared before a judge Monday in the death of a seventh-grade girl. Nicole Madison Lovell, 13, was described as an awesome little girl who had a tough life she survived a liver transplant as a youngster and suffered from bullying at middle school and online, her mother said. Police found her body Saturday, four days after she disappeared. David Eisenhauer, 18, is charged with kidnapping and first-degree murder. Natalie Keepers, 19, is charged with improper disposal of a body and accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony. Police in Blacksburg said they have evidence showing Eisenhauer knew the girl before she disappeared, but have not released any details about what led up to her death. Eisenhauer used this relationship to his advantage to abduct the 13-year-old and then kill her. Keepers helped Eisenhauer dispose of Nicoles body, a police statement said. Eisenhauers hearing happened ahead of schedule and out of sight of reporters on Monday. Keepers appeared later, handcuffed and shackled in an orange jumpsuit. She told Judge Robert Viar Jr. she understands the charges. Both have lawyers; neither one commented. The arrests of the two freshman engineering majors shocked people who knew them in high school, where they lived nearby each other in Maryland. Neither had prior criminal records, police said. We had no reason to think he would be unsuccessful in his goals, because he was very focused, said Principal James LeMon at Wilde Lake High School, where Eisenhauer graduated last year. Eisenhauer, named Boys Indoor Track Performer of the Year by the Baltimore Sun in March, chose Virginia Tech to pursue engineering while competing with the Hokies top college runners, LeMon said. Keepers interned at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center, led science experiments at her churchs Bible school and hoped to build a future in aerospace or ocean engineering, her online resume said. Its just very, very surprising, said her principal, Marcia Leonard. Nicoles family said they discovered Wednesday morning that she had apparently blocked her bedroom door with furniture and climbed out a window overnight. Eisenhauer was arrested Saturday, hours before Nicoles remains were found in Surry County, N.C., a two-hour drive from campus. Blacksburg Police Chief Anthony Wilson told the Roanoke Times that Eisenhauer did not provide information that led to the body. State police divers have been searching a pond on campus, but authorities would not say what they were looking for. Nicole was just 5 years old when she survived a liver transplant, MRSA (a drug-resistant bacterial infection) and lymphoma, her mother, Tammy Weeks, told the Washington Post. God got her through all that, and she fought through all that, and he took her life, Weeks said. Nicole didnt like going to school because girls called her fat and talked about her transplant scars. It got so bad I wouldnt send her, Weeks said, but the bullying continued on social media. Davy Draper, a close family friend, called Nicole an energetic and outspoken girl who got along with everyone. She was an awesome little girl, Draper said. Currently Reading World news photos: Femen hangs, gunned down in snow and more